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Chapter 1
THE HUMANITY OF CHRIST
1 John 1:1
"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have
seen
with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled,
of the
Word of life."
This epistle bears no superscription as do all others (save Hebrews),
including John's own second and third ones, and makes no reference to
any particular class of persons by which we may ascertain to whom it
was first addressed. We know from Galatians 2:9, that John was one of
the apostles who ministered to the circumcision, and such expressions
as "from the beginning" in 2:7, "you have known Him" in 2:13, and "you
have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many
antichrists...they went out from us," (2:18-19) intimate that it was
primarily Jewish Christians to whom John wrote. Yet mention of "the
world" in 4:14, and the "whole world" in 2:2, and the admonition
"keep" in 5:21, are more than hints that it was designed for Gentile
believers too. The epistle is remarkable for the absence of any local
coloring or personal references. While enunciating vital truths and
combating fundamental errors, the names of no places or persons are
mentioned. Thus it contains nothing which is merely ephemeral or
provincial, but that only which is suited to all God's children till
the end of time.
It is, then, a general epistle: not to any particular assembly, but
for the whole family of God. In accordance with that fact we find no
reference is here made to elders or deacons. The privileges described
and the duties enjoined pertain alike to the entire Household of
Faith. John deals with vital and basic principles, and does not (like
the other apostles) point out how they are to be applied to the
various relationships of life. Though he treats in some detail of both
righteousness and love, he gives no specific instances of how they are
to be exercised between husbands and wives, parents and children,
masters and servants, subjects and kings. He even avoids the term
"saints" preferring to address his readers by the more familiar
"brethren," (2:7) and "my brethren," (3:13), though more frequently
employing the endearing expression "little children" and "my little
children" which no other apostle did (unless Galatians 4:19, be the
sole exception). This has led the thoughtful to conclude that John
must have been of a great age--certainly there would be no propriety
in one of fewer years so addressing even the "fathers," (2:12-13).
Since the apostle was about to write on fellowship, his design and
scope in the opening verses appear to be twofold. First, he intimates
that the initial requirement for communion with God is the possession
of Divine life in the soul, and that this life is found in the
incarnate Son, here designated "the Word of life" and "that Eternal
Life." Calvin came very near the mark when he opened his commentary on
this epistle by saying, "He shows first that life has been exhibited
to us in Christ; which, as it is an incomparable good, ought to rouse
and inflame all our powers with a marvelous desire for it and with the
love of it. It is said, indeed, in a few plain words, that life is
manifested; but if we consider how miserable and horrible a condition
death is, and what is the kingdom of glory and immortality, we shall
perceive that there is something here more magnificent than can be
expressed in any words." It is ever the Spirit's object to magnify
that blessed One who is despised and rejected of men, and here He does
so by presenting Him as the Source and Fount of life.
The second obvious aim of the apostle in his introductory sentence was
to confirm the assurance of God's children, and show what a firm
foundation has been laid for their fellowship with the Father and with
His Son. "These words `which we have heard, which we have seen with
our eyes,' etc. serve to strengthen our faith in the Gospel. Nor does
he, indeed, without reason, make so many asseverations; for since our
salvation depends upon the Gospel, its certainty is in the highest
degree necessary. And how difficult it is to believe, every one of us
knows too well by his own experience. To believe is not lightly to
form an opinion, or to assent only to what is said, but is a firm,
undoubting conviction, so that we may dare to subscribe to the Truth
as fully proved. It is for this reason that the apostle here heaps
together so many things in confirmation of the Gospel," (Calvin). The
Gospel is no spurious invention of men, but is the annunciation of
reliable witnesses who personally consorted with Christ Himself (Luke
1:1-4). The absence of John's name from the opening verses of this
epistle is in full harmony with the fact that in his Gospel he never
referred unto himself except when the occasion required him to do so,
and then only by such a circumlocution as "that other disciple," (John
20:3-4), or "that disciple whom Jesus loved," (21:7 & 20)--not, it is
observed, the boastful "that disciple who loved Jesus"! As there, so
here, the writer retires into the background, unwilling to speak of
himself, resembling in this his namesake, who, when asked, "What do
you say of yourself?" answered, "I am the voice of One crying in the
wilderness," (John 1:22-23)--heard, but not seen. It may also be noted
that John's silence about himself is in beautiful accord with his
theme, for real fellowship so engages the heart with its Object as to
lose sight of self. Yet, because his task required it, he gives plain
indication that he stood in the nearest possible relation to the One
he adored, just as in his Gospel he was wont to do so under similar
circumstances.
"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard... of the Word
of life." A superficial reading of this verse has led many to conclude
that John begins his epistle in the same way as he had his Gospel--by
affirming that eternality of the Son--but a more careful examination
of its language should correct that impression. There are indeed
several resemblances between the two verses, yet there are notable
differences. Each opens at once by presenting the person of Christ:
without any preliminaries, the Lord Jesus is immediately set before
the reader. Both Gospel and epistle commence by referring to Him under
the title of "the Logos." In each mention is made of "the beginning."
The contrasts are equally marked. In John 1:1, Christ is viewed
absolutely, in His Godhead; here, relatively, as incarnate: in the
former, His deity is contemplated; in the latter, His humanity. There
it is "in the beginning," here "from the beginning," which express
entirely distinct concepts. Quite another "beginning" is treated of:
in the former, before time and creation began; in the latter, the
opening of this Christian era.
Two different interpretations have been given to the clause "that
which was from the beginning." First, that it refers to Christ's
pre-incarnate and eternal existence, declaring what He was before He
appeared on earth. Second, that it described what characterized Christ
from the time of His incarnation, after He became "manifest" on earth.
That all things were created by our Lord we firmly believe; of His
eternal preexistence we have not a shadow of doubt; but we do not
think that is in view here. Before anyone assumes that "in the
beginning" and "from the beginning" are identical expressions, he
should go to the trouble of very carefully examining every instance in
the New Testament where the latter is found and ascertain how it is
used. As he does so, he will discover it occurs in widely different
connections and is employed in various senses. In 2 Thessalonians 2:13
(and probably there alone) it certainly has the force of eternity. In
Matthew 19:8, "from the beginning" signifies the commencement of human
history. But in John 8:25; 15:27; 16:4, it clearly means from the
start of our Lord's public ministry.
The words "from the beginning" in our opening verse are found six
times more in this epistle, and in none of them do they import
eternity! "Brothers, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old
commandment which you had from the beginning. The old commandment is
the word which you have heard from the beginning," (2:7)--from the
lips of Christ. "You have known Him from the beginning," (2:13)--when
He was first made manifest to you. The same is meant in 2:24, and
3:11. "The Devil sins from the beginning," (3:8)--of human history,
for "murderer" in John 8:44 is literally "manslayer" In the opening
verse of John's Gospel Christ is depicted in His eternal relation to
the Godhead, but here in a time state, as incarnate, as the clauses
which follow make clearly evident, for their obvious design is to
demonstrate the reality of His manhood. The Son's assumption of flesh
and blood opened a new era, changing as it did the world's calendar
from A.M. [NOTE: A.M. --Before A.D. (Latin Anno Domini, "the year of
our Lord") was generally adopted in the dating of documents, various
other systems were employed at different periods and in different
countries. The reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian is usually called
the "Era of the Martyrs," and its abbreviation is A.M. (for Latin
anno-martyrdum). This "Era of the Martyrs" is also called the
"Diocletianic Era" because it is dated from 284, the year this
bitterly anti-Christian emperor began to reign. This is in recognition
of the severe persecution of Christian churches under his reign.], to
A.D. Christ's descent to this earth inaugurated a fresh "beginning,"
when there was to be a "new covenant." Now began to be brought in the
substance of all the Levitical shadows; now began the Messianic
prophecies to receive their fulfillment.
Quotations from several orthodox expositors of the highest repute
could be given to show that in what we have said above no "strange
doctrine" has been advanced. Let the following one suffice. The
translator and annotator upon Calvin's commentary on this epistle said
in his footnote to verse one, "It is more consistent with the passage
to take `from the beginning' here as from the beginning of the Gospel,
from the beginning of the ministry of our Saviour, because what had
been from the beginning was what the apostles had heard and seen. That
another view has been taken of those words has been owing to an
over-anxiety on the part of many, especially of the fathers, to
establish the deity of our Saviour; but that is what is sufficiently
evident from the second verse." It is the human nature of our Lord
that verse one treats of, and most assuredly that had an historical
"beginning."
Most of the commentators have had considerable difficulty with the
prefatory "That which was from the beginning" and varied have been the
speculations as to why the neuter gender was used rather than "He who
was." Obviously, the words are to be explained by the clauses which
immediately follow: yet some deem even them to be too indefinite to
enable us to arrive at any certainty. On the face of it, it appears
incongruous to refer to a Divine Person as "that which:" on the other
side, one can scarcely speak of seeing and handling with our hands a
"Message." But no difficulty remains if we take the whole verse to be
treated of our Lord's manhood. The humanity of Christ was not a
person, but a thing which He condescended to assume and take into
union with His person. Proof of this is found in the words of the
Angel to Mary, "that holy thing which shall be born of you shall be
called the Son of God," (Luke 1:35)--just as a woman is given the name
of her husband as soon as she is wed to him. The Word's becoming flesh
and tabernacling among men marked a new beginning in the world's
history.
"That which was from the beginning." Those words, when taken by
themselves, are admittedly indefinite and mysterious; yet men have
greatly added to their difficulty by making "from the beginning"
synonymous with "in the beginning," i.e. without beginning. If "from
the beginning" has the force of from eternity, then no satisfactory
explanation can be given of the neuter and abstract "that which," for
the allusion could not be to anything created, since matter is not
from everlasting; and so far as we have observed, none who take that
view have made any real attempt to grapple with the difficulty. If
"from the beginning" signifies from eternity, then it must be a Divine
person that is in view, and in such case "He who was" would be
required. On the other hand, if the reference is to the Divine
incarnation, and more specifically still to the human nature which the
Son of God took unto Himself, all difficulty vanishes.
In our introductory remarks, reference was made to the fact that those
whom John immediately addressed were being assailed by heretical
teachers (2:26). Many conjectures have been made as to the precise
nature of their errors, and the names of those who propagated them.
Most probably they were a branch of the Gnostics, Ebion and Cerentheus
being the leaders; but this cannot be determined for sure. What we may
be certain about them is, (1) that those who were then seeking to
seduce John's converts had themselves once been professing Christians,
but later apostatized (2:19); and (2) that they denied the reality of
our Lord's humanity, (4:3). It is, then, with the design of
counteracting that error that John here lays so much emphasis upon the
evidences which the incarnate Word had presented to the very senses of
His apostles. The "Christian (?) Gnostics" taught that Christ's body
was but a phantasm, a mere temporary appearance assumed for the
benefit of the world.
"That which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that
which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of
life"--the "that which was from the beginning" is repeated
(identically in the Greek) in each of the three clauses, in this way
explaining it! In those words, John intimates (as the following verse
more explicitly states) his intention of describing an experience and
knowledge of Christ with which he and his fellow apostles have been
favored. It was far more than a message about life which had been
delivered by word of mouth, more than a perfect but abstract ideal of
life, which he would treat of, namely that Life which had appeared in
personal and human form in Jesus of Nazareth, the promised Messiah,
the incarnate Son, who had exhibited a life which was eternal and
indestructible, even the very life of God. John's adding of one clause
to another, in progressive and climacteric order, was designed not
simply to show that he was speaking about Jesus Christ and none other,
but rather to declare that that which was to be announced concerning
Him was an absolute certainty and exhibited truth--not only the truth
about Him, but what John himself had actually heard, seen, and handled
of Him.
Immediately after his opening clause, John proceeded to give proofs
that Christ was really and verily man, bone of our bone, flesh of our
flesh: that "in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His
brothers," (Heb. 2:17). His body was a palpable one--visible, audible,
tangible. By it the Saviour made full demonstration to each sense of
their bodies that His was as real as were those of His apostles. The
genuineness of Christ's humanity--denied by the Gnostics and by those
now calling themselves "Christian Scientists"--is a cardinal doctrine
of the faith once delivered to the saints, and for which we are bidden
to "contend earnestly." In that body which God prepared Him (Heb.
10:5)--which the Holy Spirit supernaturally produced from the
substance of His mother--He lived, died, rose again, ascended to
heaven, where He is now beheld in its glorified state; and in which He
will yet come again (Acts 1:11). At the Divine incarnation the Son of
God became what He was not before--"being found in fashion as a man,"
(Phil. 2:8). Our nature was taken into union with His divine person.
Thus, the first verse of our epistle is parallel with John 1:14,
rather than with the opening verse of his Gospel.
John commences his epistle by setting before us God manifest in flesh,
because He is the grand Subject of the Gospel, the Object of our
faith, the Foundation of our hope, the One who brings us to and unites
us in fellowship with the Father. The Gospel is no mere abstraction,
but is inseparably connected with the Lord Jesus. As Levi Palmer so
beautifully expressed it, "As the ray of light depends upon the sun,
and a wave of sea upon the ocean, so Gospel truth is but the acts, and
words, and glory of Christ." As it is impossible to know and receive
Christ apart from the Gospel, so we cannot receive the Gospel except
from Him. It was John's design to make known what sure and firm ground
our faith in the Gospel rests upon. He relates not that which he had
received second-hand, nor even what he had beheld in a vision, but
rather that of which he had first-hand and ocular acquaintance. What
he was advancing was real and true, in contrast with all that is
merely imaginary, speculative, or dreamed about. His four verbs in
verse one not only mark a progress from the more general to the more
particular, but breathe a greater intensity as he proceeds.
"That which we have heard." John was with Christ throughout the whole
of His ministry, and chronicled more of what He said than did any of
his fellows. This is given the first place because the utterances of
Christ are of more importance than His miracles; so in his Gospel John
recorded a greater number of His discourses than did the other
evangelists. This indicates the reverential esteem in which he held
the Lord's teaching, as well as supplies guarantee of the accuracy of
his report. "Heard" includes more than the actual sound of His voice,
namely all the gracious words which issued from His mouth, and also
possibly having a special allusion to John 13-16. "We have heard" goes
deeper than the words of Christ falling upon their ears: it signifies
that their souls had felt the power of what He said--"did not our
heart burn within us while He talked with us by the way?" (Luke
24:32). If the enemies of Christ acknowledged, "Never man spake like
this man," what must the regenerated apostles have felt? The Lord
Jesus wrote nothing, but He spoke much, and we have great cause for
thankfulness that God moved the apostles to record so much of what He
said, that we too may hear Him (via the printed page) for ourselves.
"That which we have seen." This is by no means to be restricted to His
miracles of healing and other supernatural works, but understood as
including the perfections displayed by His character and conduct as
He, untiringly, "went about doing good." Seen, "with our eyes" is
added for the purpose of emphasis, to show the verity and corporeality
of Christ, that it is an historical entity which is here in view. Here
too the reference is not limited to the mere sight of their bodily
eyes, but implies also their spiritual perception of His peerless
excellency. "That which we have looked upon." This is no tautology,
but expresses a closer and more deliberate inspection, for which John
(as one of the three in the innermost circle) had peculiar
opportunities. "Looked upon" is the same Greek word as "we beheld His
glory" in John 1:14, and means to gaze at with desire and delight.
"And our hands have handled" probably has both a special reference to
His resurrection body and a more general one to the closeness of their
contact with Him during the days of His flesh; such precluding all
possibility of any optical illusion.
The physical experience of the favored apostles, as set forth by the
four verbs in verse 1, is duplicated in the spiritual history of each
Christian, and in the same progressive order. At first, his knowledge
of Christ is limited to what he hears of Him in the Gospel. Then, when
the miracle of grace has been wrought within him, he sees Christ with
the eyes of faith--loving and giving Himself for him. Later, as he
grows in grace, and becomes more and more enamored of Him, he looks
upon Him more steadfastly and closely with the eyes of love and
adoration; the result of all being that, in a spiritual way, he
handles Christ. He has become a bright, living, experiential reality
to him. The matchless charms and superlative glories of the Saviour
make everything else appear mean and contemptible to him. The soul now
has before it a heavenly Object, infinitely excelling all the
perishing things of earth. It is an inestimable privilege if reader
and writer are among those who can say "we see Jesus," (Heb. 2:9).
Happy day, blessed hour, when our eyes were first opened to behold Him
as the Redeemer of our souls. Oh, to behold Him more distinctly and
devotedly. The more we contemplate His peerless person, amazing love,
and perfect work, the sooner will sin lose its hold over us, the world
its charms, and death be robbed of all terror.
For the young preacher we would suggest the following outline, "The
Divine Incarnation:" (1) The new era which it inaugurated--(Gal, 4:4).
(2) Proofs of the reality of His humanity, (John 20:30-31). (3) The
witnesses of it--the apostles--(Luke 1:2 & 4). (4) The title here
accorded Christ: "The Word of life"-- (Act 3:15). (5) The bearing of
this verse on the theme of the epistle. Under these heads may be
arranged most of the material in this article.
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Chapter 2
THE LIFE MANIFESTED
1 John 1:2
"For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness,
and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and
was manifested unto us."
It is very evident that John's first epistle was designed as the
sequel to and companion of his gospel (compare 20:31 and 1 John 5:13),
and since he opened the one by a presentation of the deity of Christ,
it was most fitting that he should commence the other with a setting
forth of His humanity. This he does in the first verse, where most
convincing proofs are supplied by reliable witnesses. "That which,"
(namely our Lord's manhood) "was from the beginning," (of this
Christian era). "That which we have heard"--speaking personally and
audibly to us, and in power to our hearts. "That which we have seen
with our eyes" in tangible form, furnishing conclusive evidence of the
reality of His manhood. "That which we have looked upon" as none of
the world did: the surpassing splendor of His countenance when He was
transfigured upon the holy mount; His anguished face in Gethsemane,
when His features were more marred than any man's; the marks of the
cross in His resurrection-body; His beloved form as it gradually
receded from our view at the time of His ascension, (Acts 1:11).
"And our hands have handled." John, moved by the Holy Spirit, was
determined to certify unto his readers the verity and corporeality of
his Master's manhood, that there might be no doubt whatever on that
score. There was no possibility of the apostles being misled by an
optical illusion. Peter had felt the firm grasp of Christ's hand when
He caught hold of him and delivered him from sinking in the sea. John
himself had actually reclined upon His bosom. Thomas and his fellows
had been invited to handle Him after He came forth triumphantly from
the tomb. It was something far more substantial than an ecstatic
vision which John was here relating. "The nature which Christ took
when He was born of Mary, He lifted out of the grave at His
resurrection. We have, therefore, a Saviour, who not merely became a
man, but wears His glorified humanity in heaven. His incarnation is
thus associated with the redemption of man. He took our nature, stood
in our place, and has taken possession of heaven as our
Representative," (James Morgan).
"Of the Word of life," or more accurately, "concerning the Word of
life;" that is to say, what has been so much insisted upon in the
preceding clauses is intimately related to Him--His manhood is an
essential part of the Mediator's complex person. This title "the Word
of life" at once informs us that the One whom John had in view was
more than a man. "Life" is one of the prominent terms of this epistle,
occurring no less than fourteen times. Three different words are
employed in the Greek: here it is "zoe" the one which has the fullest
signification. It is used in John 1:4-- "in Him was life;" all life
resides in Him. But that hardly seems the thought here, for it is not
the Word in His essential being, but as incarnate: "For as the Father
has life in Himself; so has He given the Son to have life in Himself,"
(John 5:26)--to administer and impart unto others. John's design here
was not so much to declare what the Saviour is in Himself, as to show
what He is to His people--the Communicator of life to them.
"The Word of life" in this verse we regard as being almost parallel
with His own averment in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the
life"--the Giver of life. As "the Word," (Logos) He is the highest
expression of God's mind, the Revealer of the Godhead unto us, as "the
Word of life" He is the Bestower of life upon us, and thus is the Link
connecting us with God. If it is asked, What is the precise character
of the "life" which Christ gives to His people? the answer is, Every
kind that can be conceived. First, natural life, for He is the Author
of our beings, (Col. 1:16). Second, spiritual life: "The hour is
coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of
God: and they that hear shall live," (John 5:25), that is, those dead
in trespasses and sins shall be quickened by Him. Third, resurrection
life: ". . . the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves
shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good,
unto the resurrection of life," (John 5:28-29). Fourth, the life of
glory: "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also
appear with Him in glory," (Col. 3:4). Well may He be designated "The
Prince of life," (Acts 3:15)!
We can see no reason whatever why verse 2 should be placed in
parentheses, for it is obviously a continuation of the former one,
though with most important additions. This is yet more evident in the
Greek, for it opens with the word "kai" which is usually translated
"and" and scarcely ever "for:" "And the life was manifested." A Divine
person descended into the human domain. It was into a realm of
darkness that the Light entered. It was unto a fallen and sinful
people, a world which lay in the wicked one, that the Son of God now
came. It was in the midst of a scene where death reigned that the Life
was manifested. This Divine title is very emphatic. He is life
essentially, He is life manifestatively, He is life communicatively.
Christ may well be styled "The Life" for the natural life of all
creatures is in Him and from Him. He is the spiritual life of angels
as well as the Church. From heaven He came to earth to exhibit a life
which had no beginning, no limitation, no end, and for the express
purpose of conquering death, and becoming eternal life to His people,
(John 17:2-3).
In the first two verses of his epistle John sets before us Christ in
His theanthropic character, His twofold nature of deity and humanity.
This was frequently the manner of New Testament writers. Mark
commences his Gospel thus: "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus
Christ, the Son of God." Paul began his treatise to the Romans by
announcing that the gospel unto which he was separated, the contents
of which he was about to expound, concerned "God's Son, Jesus Christ
our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh,"
(1:3). The epistle to the Hebrews opens with a setting forth of Christ
as the final revelation of God in His sevenfold mediatorial glory. In
the first chapter of his Gospel John had affirmed the absolute deity
of his Master (vv. 1-4), and then spoke of Him as incarnate,
tabernacling among men (vv. 10-14). The reason for this is not far to
seek. "The assumption of human nature by the Son of God is the most
stupendous fact in the history of providence. Angels `desire to look
into it,' and are amazed at it. It will be the subject of devout
inquiry and adoring wonder to the whole intelligent and holy creation
of God throughout eternity. In the meantime, the salvation of the
sinner is suspended upon it. In the incarnation of the Word there is
provided for him an all-sufficient Saviour," (James Morgan).
In the first verse the whole emphasis was thrown upon the visibility
and tangibility of our Lord's humanity. But John, ever jealous of His
dignity and glory, would not have his readers form a false or
inadequate concept of Christ, so in the second verse he makes clear
His deity, both by the titles there accorded Him and by affirming His
equality "with the Father." In Christ all the perfections of God shine
forth resplendently; through Him the whole Godhead is displayed. As
another of His servants declared, the incarnate Son is "the brightness
of God's glory, and the express image of His person," (Heb. 1:3). He
is the Mirror in which all the Divine perfections are exhibited to us.
"God, that He might help our weakness, and attract our faith to
Himself, hath been pleased to come, as it were, out of His
unapproachable light, and manifest Himself in attributes such as
wisdom, holiness, justice, grace, mercy, power, with the like. These
rays of the Divine perfections are let down (in Christ) that we might
sanctify Him in our hearts, that our souls might be in a posture of
holy humility, fear, love, joy, and obedience, suited to those
excellencies in Him," (E. Polhill, 1678).
"And the life was manifested" in flesh, in open view of men. Since
fallen creatures could not ascend to heaven in their sins, the Son
descended to earth to be a Saviour for the lost. In order for the Life
to be evident and apparent, the Infinite took upon Himself the
limitations of the finite. In order that the Invisible might become
visible, He was clothed in flesh and blood. We consider that W.
Lincoln, in his brief lectures on this epistle, brought out the most
helpfully the thought here, by making the term "manifested" a summary
of the preceding verse. "From the beginning" conveys the idea of
issuing forth: Christ coming from heaven to earth, from God to men.
The four verbs there show us Christ, as it were, approaching nearer
and nearer, in ever clearer manifestation. A person at a distance may
be heard. But "which we have seen with our eyes" means that person has
come within the range of our vision he is near. "Which our hands have
handled"--all distance is now obliterated. It is Christ drawing closer
and closer, with ever-increasing intimacy, until He is clearly
"manifested."
But while the primary reference in "the life was manifested" is to the
Divine incarnation, it is by no means to be restricted to that. The
Life was manifested not only in bodily form, and through His gracious
ministry, but still more especially in His salvation. As previously
intimated, this title speaks not so much of what Christ is in Himself
essentially considered, but what He is unto His people. "I am come
that they might have life, and that they might have it more
abundantly," (John 10:10)--than what they originally had in Adam
before the fall. Christ indeed had life in Himself, (John 1:4) and
therefore was He fully qualified to act the part of Mediator,
interposing Himself between God and those who were dead in trespasses
and sins, and thus become a Source of new life to them. But that
necessarily involved His death in their behalf and in their stead.
Therefore, right after announcing He had come "that they might have
life," He added, "I lay down My life for the sheep ... I lay down My
life, that I might take it again," (John 10:15-17).
These words in John 6 are to be regarded as a condensation of our
Lord's statement, "I am the living bread which came down from Heaven.
If anyone eats of this bread he shall live forever. And the bread
which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh... Unless you
have eaten the flesh of the Son of man and have drunk His blood, you
have no life in yourselves. He that eats My flesh and drinks My blood
has everlasting life. And I will raise him up in the last day. For My
flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that eats My
flesh and drinks My blood is living in Me, and I in him," (John 6:51,
53-56). Those verses bring out more definitely the connection between
the vicarious sacrifice of Christ and the communication of life. The
atonement stands in causal relation to our receiving life from Christ:
His crucified flesh is the fountain from which we derive spiritual
life. So, verses 1 and 2 make known how perfectly qualified Christ is
to bestow life and thus equip us for fellowship (v. 3).
"And we have seen" Him. The apostle now proceeds to amplify the
foregoing statement, for in this connection "manifested" had the force
of to be made visible. The "we have seen" is reiterated here because
Christ's tabernacling among men in tangible form was the most
wonderful fact of all history. As S.E. Pierce expressed it. "The
greatest event which ever took place in the world." Yet, as that
writer pointed out, "We are not so deeply sensible of this in our
minds as we most certainly ought to be. The sufferings, agony, and
bloody sweat of Christ, and His sustaining the very curse due to our
transgressions, seem to fix a deeper impression of His love on our
minds than His taking our nature. Yet there is more love expressed in
the incarnation than we can ever possibly conceive. Out of it the
whole execution of our salvation proceeded. He could love us in heaven
with as great a degree of love as He will to the ages of eternity; but
He could not be made sin and a curse for us in heaven.... The
incarnation of Christ was a most astonishing proof of His love."
"We have seen." The senses of the body have their place and value,
being given to us by God for the purpose (among other things) of
imparting knowledge to the mind. They are therefore a means of
information and verification. The apostles had beheld Christ in a
manner that the patriarchs and prophets had not done, for they had
seen Him only in prophecy and promise, in types and visions. Though He
had occasionally appeared unto them in human form (the "theophanies")
they had not looked upon Him as actually incarnate, clothed with flesh
and blood, dwelling among and conversing with them as He did with the
apostles. Thus, as Calvin pointed out, there is "an implied contrast"
in this "we have seen." Though the Old Testament saints were partakers
of the same Life as us, and though their faith rested upon the sure
promise of God, nevertheless they were shut up under a hope yet to be
revealed; whereas in the case of the apostles that hope was manifested
in bodily and visible form.
"We have seen and bear witness." It was not a second-hand report which
they proclaimed, but something they had personally heard and seen for
themselves. When Judas apostatized and another was needed to fill his
office, it was required that he be "of these men which have companied
with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that He was
taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of His
resurrection," (Acts 1:21-22). The apostles were eye-witnesses as well
as ear-witnesses, and therefore did one of them declare: "For we have
not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the
power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye-witnesses of
His majesty," (2 Pet. 1:16). It is that very fact which renders
excuseless all those who refuse to receive their testimony, for "How
shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first
began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that
heard Him?" (Heb. 2:3).
Christianity fears not the light, but welcomes the most searching
investigation, for not only are the historical facts on which it is
based attested by the most reliable witnesses and "by many infallible
proofs," (Acts 1:3), but it is able to supply rational conviction and
solid persuasion of its verity both to the understanding and to the
conscience. Many others indeed heard and saw Christ during the days of
His flesh, yet they enjoyed not personally that constant closeness to
Him as had the twelve. They were not specially called, but
supernaturally qualified, being given the power to work "both signs
and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit,
according to His own will," (Heb. 2:4). Thus a peculiar dignity and
position was theirs, for in the foundations of the new Jerusalem are
"the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb," (Rev. 21:14). Thus, in
the very nature of the case, they could have no "successors."
"And show [better, "report," as the Greek word is rendered in the next
verse] unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father:" This is
brought in to guard the glory of the One spoken of in the preceding
verse, telling us that "the Word of life" came from the bosom of the
Father. Though He had only recently been "manifested," it was not then
that He began to be. On the contrary, He had ever been with the
Father: thus the "which was with" rather than "which is"--after the
ascension. Thus this declaration is parallel with the "In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God" of John 1:1. "The Life," then, is a Divine Person,
distinguishable from the Father yet in eternal fellowship with Him.
One in the undivided essence of the Godhead, but possessing distinct
personality. "That eternal life which was with the Father." His
duration evidences His excellency and sufficiency. In our judgment
this statement indicates that "From the beginning" in verse 1 does not
have the force of from everlasting: had it done so, there would not
have been any need to say that the Life was "eternal."
"That eternal life which was with the Father." "The preposition (pros)
is very significant. It might be translated `toward' or `to' and
suggests that the Eternal Life was face to face with the Eternal
Father," (Levi Palmer). As Christ, speaking as "Wisdom" informs us,
"Then when God appointed the foundations of the earth] I was by Him,
as one brought up with Him; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing
always before Him," (Prov. 8:30). "Wonderful words! How can we
apprehend their meaning and force? He dwelt with Him as His `Fellow,'
and partook in common with Him of eternal life. Christ, as the Son of
God, is essentially possessed of life in its highest exercises and
enjoyments. It is of Him John says in this epistle, `This is the true
God and eternal life,' (5:20). Life is His to impart it to sinners.
`This is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this
life is in His Son,' (5:11). It is laid up in Him, in His mediatorial
person, as in a fountain, to which sinners may ever come and receive
out of His fullness," (James Morgan).
"And was manifested unto us." This is by no means a repetition of the
first clause of the verse: that was general, this particular--as the
qualifying "unto us" shows. The reference is to the peculiar privilege
enjoyed by the twelve. All the Lord's ministers, and in a lesser
degree His people, are witnesses unto Him; but not all in the same
way, or to answer the same end for which the apostles were appointed.
Christ prayed that, from His ascension till His return, all the
election of grace might believe through their word, (John 17:20). The
Church is said to be "built upon the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone," (Eph.
2:20). In them was specially fulfilled His promise, "When He, the
Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth," (John
16:13), so that they could not but give an accurate and Divine account
of Christ in every particular which they delivered of and concerning
Him. The apostles were under the immediate control of the Spirit.
After the day of Pentecost their conceptions of the truth were
directly from Him. They were infallibly taught by Him. We may
therefore rely on their testimony with absolute assurance of its
integrity.
But something more is needed than a firm persuasion of the
authenticity and trustworthiness of the apostolic report, namely a
personal knowledge of and saving acquaintance with Christ for
ourselves. In reading and re-reading the first three verses of this
epistle, one cannot fail to be struck by the earnestness of John, how
evidently he longed that Christ might be truly apprehended by his
readers; and it is equally clear from much that follows that he
feared, notwithstanding all his plainness and urgency, they might
still remain ignorant of Him. The manifestation of Christ in the flesh
is one thing, the manifestation of Him to the heart, by His Spirit and
Word, is another. Have you, dear reader, an experiential acquaintance
with Him? Have you proved Him to be "the Word of Life" by His
effectual working in your own soul? "No man can say that Jesus is
Lord, but by the Holy Spirit," (1 Cor. 12:3). Unless you are taught by
Him you can neither discover your need or discern the sufficiency of
Christ to meet it. But if He is your Instructor you will really feel
and confess both. Pray, then, for His divine illumination and a fuller
understanding of Christ.
Were we to sermonize the last clause of verse 1, together with the
whole of verse 2, our title and divisions would be: The Life openly
revealed. (1) The Person spoken of; (2) The titles accorded Him; (3)
The manifestation made by Him; (4) His eternal preexistence; (5) The
witnesses to it; (6) The peculiar privileges granted them.
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Chapter 3
FELLOWSHIP PART ONE
1 John 1:3
In the opening verses we have intimated the basic and vast importance
of the doctrine of the Divine Incarnation. The Word's becoming flesh
and His birth at Bethlehem was the most wonderful event in the world's
history. Not only so, but the Son's being made like unto His brothers
most deeply concerned the welfare of God's people, and is a matter of
profound veneration and delight to them. The principal reason why John
here began his letter by stressing so much the humanity of Christ,
rather than His deity, lay in the particular design before him. That
design was quite different from the one which guided him when penning
his former and larger communication. The grand aim of his Gospel was
to set forth the peerless glories of God's Son, but the object of his
epistle is to delineate the character and distinguishing marks of
God's regenerate sons. Therefore it is that he opens by showing us the
Beloved of the Father descending to the place where those sons were by
nature and in their fallen estate, in order that He might conduct them
to His place on high. Thus the beautiful progressive order of his two
productions at once appears: first, the personal incarnation of the
Divine Redeemer, and then His inhabitation of the redeemed, with the
blessed consequences and fruits of the same.
The connection between the first two verses of the epistle and the one
now to be before us is equally evident. John commences by setting
before his readers the adorable person of Christ, who is the only
medium of communication with the Three-in-one God, and then states,
"That which we have seen and heard we declare unto you, that you also
may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the
Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ," (v. 3).
The "we" is that of the apostolate, and John's was the last of their
voices now heard speaking on earth. Beautifully did S.E. Pierce show
how well equipped this one was to write on such a subject. "This
apostle was in the New Testament Church what the prophet Daniel was in
the Old. He was addressed by the angel `O man greatly beloved', (Dan.
10:19), and John was known by the title of `that disciple whom Jesus
loved.' He was a high favorite with our Lord Jesus Christ. He was
admitted to lie in His bosom; and like as Christ lay in the bosom of
His Father before all time, and drew out all the love of the Father's
heart into His own, and shines in the full splendor of it, and
reflects the glorious shine of it on His Church; so this apostle,
being admitted to such familiar intercourse with our Lord, drew out
the very heart of Christ into his own. And in this way he was most
eminently qualified to write concerning one of the greatest of all
subjects--communion with the Divine Persons."
Throughout verses 1-3 the "we" and the "our" have reference to the
apostolate and John speaks in their name as well as his own. There
were indeed many others of the saints who had both seen and heard the
Lord in His incarnate state, yet they were not called to be public
witnesses of the same as were the twelve. Nor did all of them alike
see and hear as much of Christ. There were but two of them present
with John when the Saviour restored the life of the daughter of
Jairus. The same two were with him upon the holy mount. His brother
James and Peter only were with him when they gazed upon Christ's agony
and bloody sweat in Gethsemane. Those in the innermost circle of
privilege were in such immediate proximity to the Lord and enjoyed
such intimate contact with Him as afforded the fullest satisfaction
both to their minds and senses of the reality of His person. It may be
pointed out that as all of the apostles were not equally favored with
the same views of Christ during the days of His flesh, so it is now
with the spiritual views which Christians have of Him. As only three
of them beheld His marred visage in the garden and His radiant
countenance on the mount so a few believers are privileged to enter
experimentally more deeply into both Christ's sufferings and glories
than are many of their fellows.
"That which we have seen and heard we declare unto you." John's
reiteration of this intimates the deep importance we are to attach to
the experience and testimony of the apostles. Their position and
privileges were unique. The evidences which they had of Christ's
person and incarnation were different from ours. We receive ours from
them and that in a way of believing--taking into our minds from their
Divinely inspired writings such a knowledge of the Lord Jesus, as by
the effectual power of the Holy Spirit, brings us to commit ourselves
and our interests unto Him for time and eternity. But the apostles had
something more than that. Not only was the deity of Christ
supernaturally revealed to their hearts, (Matt. 16:17), but they had
too the evidence of sense, an ocular and palpable demonstration of the
Messiah was made to them. Christians today hear His voice in the Word,
and hearing they live. With the eyes of their understanding they see
Him shining in the glass of the Gospel. They handle Him mystically at
His holy table. But all of this is quite different from what John is
speaking of in the opening verses of his epistle. While our knowledge
of Christ is effectual to our soul's benefit as was theirs, yet the
different ends served by the one and the other must be distinguished.
They beheld what we never shall. They were with Him during the days of
His humiliation, and that is forever past. We shall yet see Him with
our bodily eyes, but it will be a glorified Christ that we behold.
The practical application of the above pertains principally unto
ministers of the Gospel, showing us that the first qualification for
that holy calling is their own personal and saving acquaintance with
Christ. The servants of the Lord Jesus are to declare unto others what
they have themselves known and felt of the Divine Son's grace and
power. They are to communicate unto others what they have first
received of the Lord, (Matt. 14:19). "The heart of the wise teaches
his mouth, and adds learning to his lips," (Prov. 16:23). The
discerning hearer will readily perceive the difference between the
preacher who merely repeats what he has read or heard from men, and
the one who tells forth from a burdened or burning heart that which he
has tasted and found satisfying. The ministry of the one will be
sapless and spiritless; that of the other fresh and invigorating. If
the heart is taught of God, then out of its fullness the mouth will
speak unto edification. It is those who can truly aver "We speak that
we do know, and testify that we have seen," (John 3:11) who express
themselves with that assurance which carries conviction to others. The
retailer of other men's thoughts lacks not only warmth and savor, but
unction and the note of authority.
"That which we have seen and heard we declare unto you, that you also
may have fellowship with us." Here is a noble example of spiritual
generosity, (Rom. 1:11-12). Instead of keeping their knowledge secret,
the apostles longed to share with God's children at large, (so far as
that was possible) the signal advantages which they had enjoyed during
the time when the Word of life had tabernacled in their midst. Having
found the honey, they would not eat it alone; having tasted that the
Lord was gracious, they desired that others should prove it for
themselves. The beloved John and his fellows did not live to
themselves, but realized that the privilege of hearing and seeing
involved the duty of testifying. They deemed themselves to be not so
much garners for the storing of Truth, as sowers for the scattering of
it. That is ever the effect of a saving apprehension of the
Gospel--expanding the heart with a Christ-like benevolence. As it is
the law of God's being to give, so is it of the new nature received
from Him. The apostles longed that others should participate with them
in an inestimable good. "For we cannot but speak the things which we
have seen and heard," (Acts 4:20) was the spirit which actuated them.
"That you also may have fellowship with us" is very blessed, and
worthy of our closest attention. The apostles had been eminently
privileged, not only in being the immediate attendants of the Saviour
for three years, sitting at His feet and drinking direct from the
Fountain of living waters, but also in sharing something of His trials
and humiliation, (Luke 22:28). But all of that was peculiar unto
themselves, and they could not make their converts sharers of the
same. Not only so; strange to say, it had not fully satisfied either
the one or the other if they could. They had themselves experienced a
great and profitable change after the ascension of their Master, when
the sensible means of knowledge and external opportunities for contact
with Him had been withdrawn. They had to say "though we have known
Christ after the flesh, yet now from this time forward we know Him no
more," (2 Cor. 5:16)--rather did they know Him after a higher manner.
As Christ promised them, the Comforter "shall teach you all things,
and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said to
you," (John 14:26). Then they understood much in Christ's conduct and
teaching which before had been dark to them, and with such spiritual
apprehension they entered into a new and grander fellowship with Him.
"And truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus
Christ." Wondrous and blessed is such an unspeakable privilege.
Wonderful it verily is, something entirely peculiar to Christianity,
for there is nothing which in the least resembles it in any of the
religions of heathendom. Their "gods" are one and all regarded as
remote, hostile, unrelated to their worshippers--viewed with horror
rather than with veneration and delight. Almost the sole idea in the
minds of their devotees is to placate their wrath and endeavor to win
their favor. The idea of their loving their subjects, and taking them
into intimate union and communion, never enters their thoughts. Nor is
that to be wondered at. Such an inestimable favor had never entered
ours had not the Scriptures clearly revealed this astonishing truth.
What an amazing thing it is that the ineffably Holy One should take
into fellowship with Himself those who are by nature fallen and
depraved creatures, and in practice rebels against Himself. Oh, my
soul, bow in adoration before such a marvel. But most wonderful of all
is it that the great God not only desires the company of such, but
fits them for and will have them with Him in His immediate presence
for all eternity.
Even now this glorious fact is revealed, many of God's dear children
find it difficult to apprehend, and still more so to avail themselves
of the privilege and actually enter into the enjoyment of the same.
Probably that is one reason why John expressed himself so emphatically
here, for his "truly our fellowship is with the Father," etc., seems
to be inserted because there were some who doubted it--as altogether
too good to be true. It was as though he said, I make this positive
assertion for the benefit of the whole Church to the end of time,
therefore let no believer in Christ entertain the thought that such an
inexpressible favor was one which God designed for the apostles only;
not so, rather is it the birthright of every member of His family. Let
no saint be persuaded that there is a privilege so high above him as
to be unattainable in this life. Every born again soul has, through
the mediation and merits of Christ, a right and title to this; and
through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit possesses the
necessary qualification and meetness for it. If any such enjoy it not,
the fault is entirely their own. The grand design and end of God in
salvation and the communication of His grace to us is that we may have
fellowship with Himself.
The term "fellowship," which occurs twice in our present verse and
again in verses 6 and 7, is the second great word of the epistle. The
first is "life," which is found three times in the two preceding
verses. The order of them is Divinely accurate and doctrinally
significant, for there can be no fellowship with God on the part of
fallen creatures until His life or "nature" has been imparted to them.
But before we seek to outline the blessed theme comprehended in this
important term, let us suggest a further reason why the apostle was so
express in saying "truly our fellowship is with the Father and with
His Son Jesus Christ." It is to be borne in mind that the earthly lot
of Christians was very different in the early days of this era from
what is now ours. At that time the saints were despised and hated;
nevertheless a most honorable, desirable, and blessed spiritual
portion was theirs. It was as though the apostle said, Though you are
looked upon and treated as the filth of the world, be assured that is
by no means all you have through believing in Christ and following us
His apostles. A really astonishing and glorious heritage is yours. You
have been made heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ. As sharers of
the Divine riches you are amply compensated for any temporal
privations which your Christian profession may involve.
That grand fact needs to be kept steadily in mind by the Lord's people
in the present hour, and nothing allowed to shake their confidence in
the same or deprive them of the full enjoyment of it. For some of them
are assailed by those who would fain make them believe that there is
no Christian fellowship for any who do not accept their peculiar views
and become followers of them. There are some who proudly imagine
themselves to be the only ones who gather together on spiritual
ground, and if they no longer assert it openly, they still convey the
impression that none outside their circle can enjoy the fullest
fellowship with Christ. There is also a species of high doctrinalists
who will not regard any as regenerated who are not prepared to
pronounce their shibboleths. Likewise there are experientialists who
attach such importance to a certain type and order of experience that
all who are strangers to the same are regarded as being entirely "out
of the secret" and fatally deceived if they think they have fellowship
with God. These are but variations of the arrogant claims of the
Papacy that there is salvation for none outside of "holy mother
church." Let your reply to one and all be "Truly our fellowship is
with the Father and His Son"--which is infinitely better than
fellowship with any body of professing Christians.
Those words are addressed to all saints whatever their age or
spiritual attainments, or whatever their denominational affiliation or
lack of it. "Stand fast therefore in the liberty with which Christ has
made us free," (Gal. 5:1), and enter into and enjoy the wondrous
privilege which He has purchased for you. "Fellowship" is an old Saxon
word, "communion" a Latin one which signifies more than to be a
recipient of His grace or even a partaker of His love, and rises
higher than the concept of companionship. Literally it means sharers
together, a community of interests, having things in common. In its
simple form the Greek word here rendered "fellowship" is translated
"partners" in Luke 5:10, and 2 Corinthians 8:23: "James and John, the
sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon"--they were co-owners
of the ship; "Titus ... my partner and fellowhelper." The Father and
the Son desired not to enjoy one another alone for all eternity, but
graciously purposed that a company should be brought into being not
only fitted to enjoy Them, but also in whom They would everlastingly
delight. Therefore did the Son declare unto the Father "The glory
which You gave Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as We
are one," (John 17:22).
Thus, the basic idea of "fellowship" is sharing together. Yet we must
be careful to interpret and understand the same in the light of the
general "Analogy of Faith." It does not mean that we have been taken
into an equality with God, but that according to our finite measure we
are made partakers of His life, His holiness, His ineffable
blessedness; that as "the Lord's portion is His people," (Deut. 32:9),
so "the Lord is my portion, says my soul," (Lam. 3:24); that as He
declares "the saints that are in the earth, and the excellent, in whom
is all My delight," (Ps. 16:3), so each of them avers "Whom have I in
heaven but You? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside
You," (Ps. 73:25). The Lord Himself is ours, and we are His: a joint
participation--what an amazing dispensation! No wonder the apostle
pressed the fact so emphatically: "truly our fellowship is with the
Father and His Son"--I solemnly set my seal to it that such is the
case. Not, (we repeat) that this signifies an equality, but rather the
dutiful but cheerful drawing near of an inferior to a superior, yet so
as there is a holy intimacy and freedom in the same because we both
love God and are beloved of Him.
"Fellowship" with God necessarily presupposes that we have been taken
into a near and dear relation to Him so that not only do we view Him
as One who befriends us, but He condescends to regard and treat us as
His friends. Abraham, the father or prototype of all believers, "was
called the friend of God," (Jam. 2:23)--admitted to share His company
and converse with Him. But not only does "fellowship" presuppose our
reconciliation with God, but also the reception of a nature and
disposition which fits us to be with Him, for "can two walk together,
except they be agreed?" (Amos 3:3). There cannot be friendship unless
there is congeniality. Fellowship is not a one-sided thing, but
mutual. It is the law of friendship to answer it with friendship. None
is warranted in regarding himself as the friend of God unless he has
the heart and carriage of one--delighting in Him, seeking to be
conformed to His image, endeavoring to promote His interests. Thus we
find the Lord Jesus saying to His disciples, "You are My friends, if
you do whatsoever I command you," (John 15:14)--if you make it your
sincere aim to please Me in all things. A "friend" is one who conducts
himself in a friendly manner unto another, avoiding whatever would
injure or grieve him.
So long as we do not carnalize it, probably the figure of friendship
best enables us to grasp what is meant by "fellowship." One has a high
regard for a friend, esteeming him above mere acquaintances. Thus it
is between the Lord and His people. They highly esteem and value one
another. What a word is that of David's: "He delivered me, because He
delighted in me," (2 Sam. 22:20); while the saint confesses "all my
springs are in You," (Ps. 87:7). Real friends find genuine pleasure in
each other's company, being happiest when together: does not the
spouse say, "His desire is toward me. Come, my beloved, let us go
forth into the field," (Songs 7:10-11), while she exclaims, "Make
haste my beloved," (Songs 8:14)? Intimate converse and close
communications characterize the dealings of one friend with another.
Things I would not discuss with a stranger, matters about which I
would be silent to a mere acquaintance, I freely open to one whose
worth I have proved and in whom I delight. It is thus between God and
His dear children. Did not "the Lord speak to Moses face to face as a
man speaks unto his friend," (Ex. 33:11), and did not he, in return,
express himself with great freedom unto the Lord--"show me now Your
way that I may know You," (v. 13) more intimately?
Fellowship is reciprocal. "When You said, Seek you My face: my heart
said unto You, Your face, Lord, will I seek," (Ps. 27:8). Thus there
is an interchange of confidence. "The secret of the Lord is with them
that fear Him, and He will show them His covenant," (Ps. 25:14), while
they freely open their hearts unto Him. God sends forth gracious
influences into the soul, and we, (by the assistance of His Spirit)
make suitable responses unto Him. They pour out their souls unto Him,
and He opens His ear unto them: "In the day when I cried. You answered
me and strengthened me with strength in my soul," (Ps. 138:3). He
makes known to them His will, and they seek to walk according to the
same. They seek His glory as their highest end, and He makes all
things work together for their good. The saints generally are most
taken with and speak the oftenest about their communion with God, yet
it is His with us which must take place before ours can be perceived
even by ourselves. It is wholly a spiritual and supernatural exercise
and doubtless is often carried on when we have no consciousness of the
same.
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Chapter 4
FELLOWSHIP--PART TWO
1 John 1:3
"That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also
may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the
Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ."
Here we have a communicated knowledge, an affectionate desire, an
emphatic assertion, and a shared privilege. The apostles openly
proclaimed what they had received immediately from Christ. They did so
because they had an unselfish longing that others should also be
benefited thereby. It was no figment of an enthusiastic imagination
that they referred to, but a Divine and spiritual verity. Fellowship
with God is the highest dignity and richest blessing we can be favored
with, either here or hereafter. It is one of the great mysteries of
grace. Reason cannot comprehend it, and sense has nothing to do with
it. None can have the least conception of its excellence save those
who are actual participants in the same. In order thereto there must
be oneness of nature, an intimate knowledge, concord of heart, unity
of interests and aims, and an open acknowledgment of one another.
Though this fellowship is the utmost of blessedness, it is one in
which all the saints partake.
Great is the honor, wondrous the privilege, of being admitted unto
communion with the Lord God. Fellowship with Him is both an objective
fact and a subjective realization: that is to say, it is based upon a
relationship, and is enjoyed in the soul's experience. Since all
believers are regenerated and reconciled to God, they are in communion
with Him--in a state of sacred friendship. That state consists of a
reciprocal communication in giving and receiving after a holy manner;
God's in renewings of grace and fresh supplies of His spirit; ours in
the outgoings of our hearts unto Him in the ways which He has
appointed. It is consciously enjoyed by the exercise of faith and love
(for they are the two hands of the soul by which we take hold of God),
and by the heart's being engaged with His ineffable perfections and
gracious bestowments. Some believers enter into a much richer
experience of this fellowship than do others of their fellows, and the
degree in which he actually participates may vary considerably with
the same believer from day to day. It is chiefly acted out by us in
praise and prayer. It is maintained by avoiding those things which
hinder and by using the means which further it--especially devout
meditations upon God and His word.
Opinions differ as to whether the Father and the Son are to be
considered here conjointly or distinctly. Grammatically, each is
permissible. For ourselves, we incline to the view taken by Candlish,
namely that the Object of the Christian's fellowship is one. Certain
it is that we first have fellowship with the Son, for only through Him
may sinners have access unto the Father. Christ is the only way, the
new and living way, unto Him. But as that expositor pointed out, it is
not thus that Christ is presented: rather is the Son here regarded as
associated with the Father--"together in Their mutual relationship to
one another, and Their mutual mind and heart to one another (and unto
the saints), They constitute the one object of this fellowship." In 1
Corinthians 1:9 we read, "God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto
the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord," in view of which
we, personally, prefer to say that our fellowship is with the Triune
God in the person of the Mediator--borne out, we consider, by 1 John
1:5 and 6 where the Object of our fellowship is simply said to be
"God," without distinction of persons. Yet since They may indeed be
contemplated separately, it is quite warrantable to distinguish
between the communion which we have with Each, and so shall we treat
thereof.
Another consideration which supplies confirmation that, essentially
regarded, our fellowship is with God in Christ is the fact that our
communion is based upon union with Him. Now our union with God is not
immediate or direct, but mediate, through the Lord Jesus. We are first
joined to Christ, and then through Him with the Father (1 Pet. 3:18).
The saint's oneness with Christ is a very wonderful and many-sided
subject, which we can now but barely outline. First, from all eternity
we had an election union with Christ, being chosen in Him. There was
also a federal union, so that we were one with Him as the last Adam:
it was as such that He took our place and discharged our legal
obligations. There is likewise a vital union when, because of
regeneration, it becomes true that "he that is joined unto the Lord is
one spirit," (1 Cor. 6:17). From that issues a moral union, when by
faith and love we are espoused to Him. That in turn leads to a
practical union, when we take His yoke upon us and walk in subjection
to Him. All of this issues in an experimental union in which we enjoy
an intimate intercourse with Christ, drinking into His spirit.
Now each aspect of that multiform union has a corresponding communion.
By virtue of our election union with Christ, we are "blest with all
spiritual blessings in the heavenlies with Him," (Eph. 1:3-4). Because
of our federal union with Him we become legal partakers of His
righteousness, and entitled to the full reward of His meritorious
obedience. In consequence of our vital union with Him, we are made
recipients of Christ's life and are indwelt by His spirit. As the
result of our moral union with Him we enter into His salvation and
receive out of His fullness "grace for grace." By our practical union
with Him we walk together in agreement: we now "cleave unto the Lord,"
(Acts 11:23) in a life of dependence upon and devotedness unto Him,
becoming more and more conformed to His holy image. From our
experimental union with Christ we enter into His peace and joy, and
become fruit-bearing branches of the Vine. "There is a friend which
sticketh closer than a brother," (Prov. 18:24) expresses His side of
this communion; "there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of His
disciples whom Jesus loved" declares our side of it. This is the
result of our practical union and communion: "He that hath My
commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me...and I will
love him, and manifest Myself to him," (John 14:21).
The intimate union which there is between the Lord and His people is
intimated in their very names: He is "the Christ;" they Christians:
"for both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of
one: for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren," (Heb.
2:11) and to treat them accordingly. The figure that is most
frequently used in the New Testament to set forth the oneness of the
Redeemer and the redeemed is that of His mystical "body" of which He
is the head and they the members: "For we are members of His body, of
His flesh, and of His bones," (Eph. 5:30). The result of that union is
communion, or sharing together: "my Beloved is mine, and I am His"--to
mutually delight in, to further each other's interests, to be together
for all eternity. It is therefore my sacred privilege not only to have
personal contact and converse with Him, but the most unreserved
dealings. There is no aloofness of His part, and there should be none
on mine. Christ has not only given Himself for His people, but to
them--to make full use of: "casting all your care upon Him, for He
careth for you," (1 Pet. 5:7). He is ours to feed upon (John 6:57),
and as "the Lamb," (Ex. 12:5): that is, Christ in His sacrificial
character--exactly suited to sin-harassed souls.
Nor is that feasting a one-sided thing: Christ delights to commune
with His own--"With desire I have desired to eat this passover with
you before I suffer," (Luke 22:15) illustrates the fact. He seeks such
fellowship: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear My
voice, and open the door [for He forces Himself upon none, see Luke
24:28-29], I will come into him and will sup with him, and he with
Me," (Rev. 3:20)--addressed, be it remembered, to a church! The
intimate fellowship which there is between Christ and His Church is
blessedly exhibited in the Song. He makes request, "let Me see thy
countenance. Let Me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy
countenance is comely," (2:14); while the spouse declares, "cause me
to hear Thy voice: make haste, my Beloved," (8:13-14). He exclaims,
"Behold, thou art fair, My love," (4:1); and she rejoins, "my Beloved
is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand," (5:10). There is
sweet entertainment on both sides: says she, "Let my Beloved come into
His garden, and eat His pleasant fruits," (4:16); "Eat, O friends;
drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved," (v. 1) is His answering
call. They are mutually charmed with each other: does she bear
testimony, "I sat down under His shadow with great delight," (2:3),
"How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights," (7:6) is
His gracious acknowledgment.
We will now consider that communion which we have with each of the
Divine persons distinctly. Clearly there can be none with any of them
except through the Mediator. We can only approach the Father through
the Son incarnate. Our union with the one is via our union with the
other. We are the sons of the Father (1 John 3:1) because made one
with His Son, and therefore does the latter say, "Behold I and the
children which God hath given Me," (Heb. 2:13). After His resurrection
He said to His disciples, "I ascend unto My Father, and your Father;
and to my God, and your God," (John 20:17), thereby making it clear
that the relation in which He stood to God was theirs also. That
relation is further made good unto them by God's sending forth "the
Spirit of His Son into their hearts, crying Abba Father," (Gal 4:6);
and thus they cherish toward Him the affections of children. From
whence we may perceive the character of that fellowship which the
Christian has with the Father. As a child has near access to his
father, so does the believer unto God. As a child enjoys his father's
favor, so does the believer that of God. As an earthly parent delights
to gladden the heart of his child by special tokens of his love, "how
much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to
them that ask Him?" (Matt. 7:11).
The nature of our fellowship with the Father is also indicated by the
very meaning of that term, namely a community of interests, and that
it is a reciprocal thing. Thus the Father and His children take mutual
pleasure in His beloved Son. Blessedly was that depicted by the
Saviour in what is known as the parable of the prodigal son. When the
wanderer returns from the far country, and is welcomed home, the
father says, "Bring hither the fatted calf and kill; and let us eat,
and be merry," (Luke 15:23)--figure of them feasting on a once-slain
Christ and rejoicing together. In like manner, as the glorifying of
Christ is the chief end which the Father has before Him in all the
out-workings of His eternal purpose, such is our grand aim too. Again,
the Father makes us partakers of His holiness (Heb. 12:10), even of
His own nature (2 Pet. 1:4), so that what He hates they hate, and what
He delights in, they do also. Again, they have fellowship with the
Father in His affectionate regard for all His dear children: "We know
that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the
brethren," (1 John 3:14). Further, a most blessed intercourse is
maintained between the Father and His children through the means which
He has appointed to that very end. As they endeavor to perform His
will, He takes upon Him the care of all their concerns.
"And with His Son Jesus Christ." Yes, and in that precise order.
First, we have fellowship with Him as God's Son because made His sons,
as being "His seed," yea, "the travail of His soul," (Isa. 53:10-11).
This explains why Christ is designated "the everlasting Father," (Isa.
9:6). Second, we have fellowship with Him as "Jesus," for as faith
lays hold of Him we become partakers of His so-great salvation--as
those who believingly touched the hem of His garment were healed of
their plagues. Since the exercise of effectual faith is a spiritual
act we must first be made sons, spiritual persons, "new creatures in
Christ" by regeneration. Faith gives a saving union to Christ, and He
is then "made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification,
and redemption," (1 Cor. 1:30). Not only are our sins removed as far
as the east is from the west, but we obtain a personal interest in all
that He is and has. Third, we have fellowship with Him as "Christ,"
that is, the Anointed One. As "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the
Holy Spirit," (Act 10:38), so believers "have an unction [same word]
from the Holy One," and "the anointing which ye have received of Him
abideth in you," (1 John 2:20 & 27)--the anointing oil on the head of
the High Priest (Ex. 29:7), "went down to the skirts of his garments,"
(Ps. 133:2)!
The believer's fellowship with his Saviour opens to him a perennial
fountain of blessedness. Since He be God, He is fully competent to
undertake for him in every situation and supply all his need. Since He
be man, He is capable of being touched with the feeling of our
infirmities, and is full of tender sympathy to His sorrowing people.
He was tempted in all points as we are--sin excepted--and therefore
fully understands our trials. He personally experienced poverty,
neglect, reproach, injustice, harsh treatment. He was misunderstood by
His friends and hated by the religious leaders. He knew what it was to
suffer hunger and thirst, and weariness of body as well as anguish of
soul. Consequently He is "a Brother born for adversity," (Prov. 17:17)
and is moved with compassion when He beholds the afflictions of the
members of His mystical body; yea, it is written "in all their
affliction, He was afflicted," (Isa. 63:9). So close is the bond that
unites the Redeemer to the redeemed, that when Saul of Tarsus (in the
days of his unregenerate madness) ill-treated His children, Christ
said unto him, "Why persecutest thou Me?" (Acts 22:7), by assailing
them, he "touched the apple of His eye," (Zech. 2:8).
Thus there is everything in Christ to invite and encourage us to seek
and maintain the closest and freest communion with Him. He wears our
nature, and we are recipients of His. All the infinite resources of
Deity are exercised on our behalf. As He endured our poverty, so we
are made the partners of His riches. His righteousness is as truly
ours as He made our sins His own. His reward He shares with His
redeemed, so that the glory which the Father gave Him He has given to
them (John 17:22). There is a community of affections between
them--running in the same channels, fixed upon the same objects: "I
love them that love Me," (Prov. 8:17). They have familiar intercourse
together: they pour out their complaints unto Him, He communicates to
them His consolations. They have mutual desires: "Father, I will that
they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am," (John
17:24); "come, Lord Jesus," (Rev. 22:20) is their response. They
participate in like privileges and honors: He is Priest and King, and
He "hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father," (Rev.
1:6). They gladly endure loss for His sake, bear His reproach, and
enter into "the fellowship of His sufferings," (Phil. 3:10).
It may be asked, "Why is no mention made in 1 John 1:3, of the
believer's fellowship with the Holy Spirit?" Though He be not
expressly referred to, He is necessarily implied, for none can have
fellowship with the Father or with the Son save by Him. "For through
Him [Christ] we both [believing Jews and Gentiles] have access by one
Spirit unto the Father," (Eph. 218). The Holy Spirit is the sole
efficient cause of all spiritual fellowship. Necessarily so, for the
Father and the Son are imperceptible to sense, the Objects on which
our faith is exercised, and with whom communion is enjoyed; and it is
the Spirit who makes Them real and precious unto us, drawing out our
hearts unto Them. He it is who sheds abroad in our hearts the love of
the Father, and who takes of the things of Christ and shows them unto
us. Thus the Spirit is not specifically named here, because He is the
author of our fellowship with the Triune God in Christ. He introduces
us into the same, and is the only transactor of it, for it is by His
enablement that we are lifted out of ourselves and our affections
drawn unto things above. Yet it must not be overlooked that in 2
Corinthians 13:14, while "grace" is attributed to the Lord Jesus, and
"love" unto God, "communion" is definitely ascribed to the Spirit. We
are also sharers of His nature, and His mission to glorify Christ.
A word now upon the fellowship which the saints have one with another.
"If we have fellowship with the Father, then we are His children, and
animated by His spirit. If we have fellowship with Jesus Christ, then
we are His redeemed ones, and the subjects of His grace. It follows,
therefore, as a necessary consequence, that wherever there is
fellowship with the Father and the Son there must also be fellowship
with those who believe in Them. And this is the very light in which
the subject is presented in the text, where the three forms of
fellowship are treated as indissolubly connected with one another,"
(J. Morgan). It is to be noted that whereas "that ye may have
fellowship with us" is mentioned before "our fellowship is with the
Father and the Son," (because, as previously explained, it is by means
of the writings of the apostles that we obtain a full saving knowledge
of Them), yet in experience fellowship with believers follows that of
our fellowship with the Divine persons; for we are united first with
the former ere we have any spiritual union with the latter. What that
fellowship consists of Ephesians 4:4-6, tells us: "There is one body,
and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one
Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above
all, and through all, and in you all."
Believers are sharers together of the riches of God's grace, joint
partakers of all the benefits of Christ's mediation and merits. They
possess the same nature and associations of heart. They have common
beliefs, experiences and hopes. They will be together with the Lord
forever. Therefore are they enjoined: "Endeavouring to keep [not
"make"] the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace," (Eph. 4:3). But
that is possible in a practical way only as they personally heed the
preceding exhortation, "With all lowliness and meekness, with
longsuffering, forbearing one another in love." Not only is it their
mutual interest so to do, but thereby Christ is most honored and
glorified by them, (John 13:35). Thus it should be their earnest and
constant endeavor to cultivate this fellowship. If they do not, then
their claim to enjoy communion with God is but an idle boast. As this
very apostle declares: "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his
brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath
seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" (4:20). Not only are
the objects of fellowship inseparable, but the enjoyment of the one is
commensurate with the other: in proportion as we have fellowship with
the Father and His Son shall we have fellowship (in prayer, at least)
with all who believe.
It is not our intention to supply a sermon outline on each verse, for
we desire to stimulate unto study, and supply hints of how to go about
it, rather than encourage laziness. With this article and the
preceding one before him, the young preacher should have no difficulty
in culling out sufficient material for at least one sermon on
Fellowship--the simpler his style and the fewer his divisions, the
better. Homiletically considered, the opening sentences of this
article furnish an analysis of verse 3. By way of introduction the
different things which prevent any fellowship between God and an
unbeliever, and the Divine provisions to remove those hindrances,
should be shown, such as sin divorcing from holiness--overcome by
atoning blood; spiritual death--by the communication of life;
alienation of heart--by reconciliation at conversion; the distance
between the finite and the infinite--bridged by the Mediator.
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Chapter 5
FULLNESS OF JOY PART ONE
1 John 1:4
"These things write we unto you, that your joy may be full."
For the benefit of young preachers (and also those of God's people who
desire to form the habit of studying Scripture more closely) we may
say that we began our own examination and meditation of this verse by
framing the following questions, and then seeking answers thereto.
* Exactly what is referred to by the "these things"?
* Why the "we write" rather than the "I write" as in 2:1, 12 & 26?
* What is the connection between the "these things" and the
"fullness of joy"?
* What is the nature of the joy here spoken of?
* Is a "fullness" of it attainable in this life?
* Are we to read it as "that your joy may be full" or "our joy" as
in the R.V. and in Bagster's Interlinear?
The results of our own searchings and ponderings will now be set
before the reader, though we shall not adhere strictly to the order of
those six queries. Personally, we have found that by means of such
interrogations we are enabled to make a more definite approach to a
verse, and thereby obtain something better than a general and vague
idea of its contents.
"And these things write we unto you." We believe there is a twofold
reference. As the opening word indicates, the principal allusion is
unto that which immediately precedes. Here again the link connecting
one verse with another is quite evident, and the order of their
contents corresponds exactly with Christian experience. First, a
setting forth of God's Son as incarnate, and our saving apprehension
of Him as such by His revelation to the soul as "the Word of life;"
for as it is rationality and the exercise of it which fits men to be
companionable with one another, so it is our being made recipients of
a spiritual life which capacitates us to have intercourse with God.
Second, the actual enjoyment of intimate fellowship with the Triune
God in and through the Mediator, and with all His children as the
consequence. Third, fullness of joy as the outcome. Thus the former
stands related to the latter as does cause to effect, the tree to the
fruit, the means to the end. And here too the one is commensurate with
the other: as the measure of our fellowship with the Father and the
Son determines the measure of our communion with fellow saints, so in
proportion to the constancy and depth of this fellowship in its three
forms will be the degree of our joy.
More closely still verse 4 intimates one of the essential
characteristics of the communion referred to in verse 3: that it is a
fellowship of joy--the sharing together of a mutual delight. Thus we
see once more the deep importance of paying close attention to the
immediate context, that we may be better enabled to follow the order
of thought and development of the subject under discussion. It is by
observing the precise relation of one verse to another that much light
is cast upon the whole, and the significance and perspective of each
detail is more clearly perceived. But more largely the words "And
these things write we unto you" must be regarded as including all that
follows, for not only do verses 5-7 show that the subject of
fellowship is there still under discussion, but John's specific design
in writing this epistle was to lead God's children into a deeper and
fuller experiential fellowship, with the resultant happiness
inseparable there from. The whole contents of this epistle are to be
regarded as a making known of the various means which promote both our
fellowship with God and the increase of our joy in Him, and a setting
forth of the different things which hinder the same.
John's purpose in saying, "My little children, these things write I
unto you, that ye sin not," (2:1) was to warn against what would--if
allowed and unrepented of--break their fellowship and quench their
joy. When he exhorts them, "Love not the world, neither the things
that are in the world," (2:15), he is telling us that any undue
familiarity with those who are God's enemies, or any inordinate
affection for the creature, is inimical to our communion with and
delighting ourselves in Him. Likewise, his "These things have I
written unto you concerning them that seduce you," (2:26) signifies
that they must ever be on their guard against false prophets, lest
their joy be blighted by erroneous teaching. Fellowship with God must
not be looked for outside the way of His assignment or the order which
He has appointed: therefore we must earnestly avoid all tampering with
sin, deny our curiosity to hear or read the proponents of strange
doctrine, and flirt not with the world. Finally, "These things have I
written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye
may know that ye have eternal life," (5:13) was but a repetition in
thought though varied in language of verse 4, for there can be no
fullness of joy while the soul is in a state of uncertainty of its
acceptance in the Beloved.
"And these things write we unto you." It will be remembered that John
had employed the plural number throughout verses 1-3, for he was not
only relating the special privileges which had been enjoyed by the
twelve, but was speaking there as their mouthpiece. He longed that all
of God's children should (so far as their case admitted) enter into
the same free and familiar intercourse with God in Christ. "That ye
also may have fellowship with us," (v. 3) imported that ye may enter
more fully into an experiential knowledge of the truth set forth in
verses 1 and 2, and thereby participate in the ineffable joy which
comes through a believing apprehension of it; for Christian
`fellowship" consists of association of heart, attachment to the same
objects, having together thoughts, affections, hopes and joys in
common. Thus it was at the beginning, and has (in varying degrees of
intelligence) continued throughout this age. "They that gladly
received His word were baptized...and they continued stedfastly in the
apostles' doctrine and fellowship," (Acts 2:41, 42). Moreover, the
saints are "built upon the foundation of the apostles [cf. Rev. 21:14]
and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone,"
(Eph. 2:20), which means that the doctrine which the apostles taught,
and which is embodied for us in their writings, is the basis on which
the Church rests.
Observe two things in the last-quoted Scripture. First, the plural
number used again. The Church is not built upon Peter, as Rome
erroneously insists, but, doctrinally considered, rests upon the
teaching of the whole of the apostles--who were also "prophets," i.e.
endued with the gift of Divine utterance. But second, the Lord Jesus
is "the chief corner stone," for the entire validity and efficacy of
the apostles' testimony lay in the name of Him whose witnesses they
were. In his second epistle Peter said, "I now write unto you ... that
ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy
prophets and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord,"
(3:1-2). Though each of them wrote on different subjects, with a
particular end and design, they were all inspired by the one Spirit.
Characteristically speaking Paul was the apostle of faith, Peter of
hope, John of love, James of good works, while Jude warned against
apostasy or the abandonment of such. Being of one heart and soul,
having the same desire and mission, it was fitting for anyone to speak
in the name of them all, using the term "we." They proclaimed the same
Gospel and bore witness to the excellence of the same Christ. Their
aim was ever the same: to make Him known and gain unto Him a glorious
name. Whenever they wrote, it was in order to build up the saints. In
their doctrine they differed not one iota.
The fountain from which all spiritual joy proceeds is that blessed One
who is set before us in the foregoing verses. As He expressly
declared, "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him
shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in
him a well of water springing up into everlasting life," (John 4:14).
It is in intimate contact and converse with Christ that real communion
with Him consists and satisfaction is found: in seeing, hearing,
handling Him--we can only "handle" one who is near and dear to us. It
is by having the mind engaged with His perfections and beauty,
meditating thereon and reveling therein, that the heart is drawn out
to Him. Nothing so warms and nourishes a Christian's soul as a
believing and adoring contemplation of the One who loved him and gave
Himself for him. We should therefore see to it that, above all else, a
realization of Christ's surpassing love is kept fresh in our hearts;
for this, in turn, will move us to seek yet closer and more constant
fellowship with Him. That was the source and spring of Christ's own
joy--His absorption with the Father's love unto Him: "The Father loves
the Son and has given all things into His hands," (John 3:35). Note
how frequently He dwelt upon the Father's love: (John 5:20; 15:9;
17:23 and 24.)
Fullness of joy is something which all men desire, but which very few
attain unto. Nor is that difficult to explain: they seek it in the
wrong place. Alas that many of God's people are so often guilty of
making the same mistake. In the pride of their hearts, they want to
find something of self to rejoice in; yielding to a spirit of
legality, they look for happiness in their own experiences or
attainments. But that is to miss the substance and chase the shadows.
As it is with our natural eyes, so with our spiritual: they are
designed to look at external objects and not internal ones, "Rejoice
in the Lord", and that "always," (Phil. 4:4 ) is the delightful task
which faith is to engage in. All real happiness is bound up in Him.
Every other joy but that which issues from fellowship with the Lord is
but a counterfeit one. That is sensual, as the rich fool's "Soul, thou
hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink,
and be merry," (Luke 12:19); this is spiritual. The one is superficial
and temporary; the other solid and lasting. The former comforts only
in health and during a season of prosperity; whereas the latter
sustains upon a bed of pain, cheers the soul in times of affliction,
yea, enables its possessor to exult at the prospect of death.
Now this joy is not to be regarded as a luxury, but rather as a
spiritual necessity. We are obligated to be glad in God. It is
something more than a sacred privilege, namely a bounden duty unto
which we are expressly commanded. "Let all those that put their trust
in Thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because Thou defendest
them: let them also that love Thy name be joyful in Thee," (Ps. 5:11).
"Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy,
all ye that are upright in heart," (Ps. 32:11). "Rejoice in the Lord
alway: and again I say, Rejoice," (Phil. 4:4). "Rejoice evermore," (1
Thess. 5:16). If we do not give unto Him, who is so excellent in
Himself and so gracious and beneficial unto us, that esteem which
rises to the degree of rejoicing in Him, then we sadly fail in
rendering to Him that honor which is His due. Our thoughts and
valuation of Him are utterly unworthy unless they bring us so to
delight ourselves in Him as to fill us with joy. While we seek God's
favor in Christ, live in obedience to His will, and rest in His love,
we are warranted to keep a holy feast continually.
It is certainly not the revealed will of Christ that His followers
should walk through this world in a spirit of dejection: rather are
they a reproach unto Him if they do so. One chief reason why the Lord
Jesus uttered His high priestly prayer in the presence of His
disciples was that they might be filled with comfort and good cheer:
"These things speak I in the world [in order] that they might have My
joy fulfilled in themselves," (John 17:13). He was about to leave them
and return to the Father, and He would dispel their sorrow and fill
them with holy gladness by apprehensions of His joy. And of what did
that consist? First, the realization that He had glorified the Father
in the place where He had been so grievously slighted (v. 1). Second,
that He had finished the work given Him to do (v. 4). Third, that He
was about to return to that ineffable glory which He had with the
Father before the world was (v. 5). Christ was rejoicing at the
prospect before Him, and He would have His disciples make His joy
theirs. We are to rejoice in a triumphant Saviour who completed the
work of our redemption. We are to rejoice in the blessed fact that the
head once crowned with thorns is crowned with glory now. The knowledge
of this should banish all gloom and fill us with joy unspeakable.
But more, by giving us the wondrous privilege of hearing His prayer in
John 17, Christ has made it known that His changed position has made
no alteration in His attitude toward us, that His love for His people
has not diminished in the least. By His generous act on that memorable
occasion Christ assured His disciples (and us) that when He entered
into His well-earned reward and took His seat at the right hand of the
Majesty on high, His thoughts would still be engaged with His
redeemed. They were inexpressibly dear unto Him--as the Father's gift
to Him, and as the travail of His own soul. Their names were inscribed
upon the palms of His hands, yea, upon His very heart. He could not
forget them: rather would He occupy Himself on high by constantly
pleading their cause. If our hearts are suitably affected with the
amazing fact that our great High Priest "ever liveth to make
intercession for us," (Heb. 7:25), we cannot but be full of joy. A
considerable part of our happiness is to contemplate Christ's joy in
us! He rejoiced in His people before the world was made (Prov. 8:31),
He rejoices now in and over them to do them good (Jer. 32:41), and He
will express it even more abundantly when He brings them home unto
Himself.
Further. The joy of the Christian will be promoted and increased by
observing the various things for which Christ here petitioned the
Father in John 17, for in them we discover what are the desires of His
heart unto "His own." First, He prayed for their preservation: "Holy
Father, keep through Thine own name those whom Thou hast given Me,"
(v. 11). Second, He sought their jubilation: "That they might have My
joy fulfilled in themselves," (v. 13). Third, for their emancipation
from sin: "that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil," (v. 15), so
that none of them should be overwhelmed by it. Fourth, for their
consecration: "sanctify them through Thy truth," (v. 17), that they
may grow in grace and adorn their profession. Fifth, for their
unification: "that they all may be one," (v. 21), which will be fully
realized when "we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of
the stature of the fullness of Christ," (Eph 4:13). Sixth, for their
association with Himself: "that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be
with Me where I am," (v. 24). Seventh, for their eternal
gratification: "that they may behold My glory," (v. 24). Since all
these requests will be granted (John 11:42), what cause have we
constantly and fervently to rejoice!
Yet further, Christ has made most gracious provision for the joy of
His people in the gift of the Comforter. When His disciples were
dismayed and dejected at the prospect of His departure, we find that
again and again He reassured and cheered them by the promise of the
Holy Spirit. "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you,"
(John 14:18), which He did in a most blessed manner on the day of
Pentecost. Then it was that their sorrow was "turned into joy. The
Comforter is here not only to convict of sin and bring souls unto
repentance, but, following that operation, to fill them with gladness
and to experience "joy in the Holy Spirit," (Rom. 14:17). This He does
by opening and blessing the Word, by taking of the things of Christ
and showing the same unto them, by witnessing with their spirits that
they are the sons of God, by producing in them the spirit of praise.
The blessed Spirit uses the words of Christ, especially those of John
17, to work upon the renewed mind, giving it some blessed
apprehensions of the joy of which Christ is both the object and the
subject, of the joy which comes from Him and centers in Him, bringing
us into communion with the same and making our souls realize the
satisfying portion we have in Him.
A word now on the nature of this joy. That is the more necessary since
not a few are apt to naturalize and carnalize the same, regarding it
as a mere spirit of elation or happy feeling of exhilaration. Instead,
it is a heavenly grace, a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22), and
therefore something spiritual, supernatural, and Divine. God is alike
its Author, Object and Maintainer. As the peace which He gives
"passeth all understanding," (Phil. 4:7), so the joy He communicates
is said to be "unspeakable," (1 Pet. 1:8)--not only excelling sense,
but beyond full comprehension. It is an elevation of soul after the
Lord and of things above. It is a delighting ourselves in God, for
since all happiness be the enjoyment of the chief good, then all
felicity is bound up in Him. Joy is heaven begun in the saint, for his
blessedness here and hereafter differs not in kind but only in degree.
It is therefore a joy which is pure and unalloyed. As spiritual love
is far more than a sentiment, as God's peace is more excellent than
mere placidity or tranquility of mind, so the joy which Christ imparts
to the believer is vastly superior to any natural emotion. It is a
state of exultation, a complacence of heart, a full satisfaction of
soul as it feasts upon a perfect Object.
Spiritual joy results from the heart's being engaged with the Lord:
"My soul shall be joyful in the Lord: it shall rejoice in His
salvation," (Ps. 35:9). "Because Thy lovingkindness is better than
life, my lips shall praise Thee. My soul shall be satisfied as with
marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips,"
(Ps. 63:3 & 5). We rejoice that all our sins are forgiven, that we are
accepted in the Beloved, that we are made the friends of God, that our
names are written in the Lamb's book of life, that we have a building
of God eternal in the heavens. Such a joy is something to which the
natural man is a total stranger: "Thou hast put gladness in my heart,
more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased," (Ps.
4:7)--the love of God and His goodness to us in Christ affords a
pleasure and a satisfaction which no creature can. Spiritual joy is a
very different thing from mere exuberance of spirits or ecstatic
feelings, being entirely a holy and supernatural experience. No matter
what may be his circumstances in this world, the Christian has ground
and matter for rejoicing at all times, and is called upon to do so
"evermore" being assured "your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no
man taketh from you," (John 16:22).
In view of what has been pointed out in the last two paragraphs, the
Christian reader should more readily perceive the radical difference
there is between natural hilarity and spiritual joy. The former is
incapable of rising above the woes of earth. It wanes in the presence
of life's hardships. Its bloom departs when the sun of prosperity is
beclouded. It cannot survive the loss of health or of loved ones.
Vastly different is the joy of the Lord. It is restricted neither to
surroundings nor temperaments, and fluctuates not with our varying
moods or circumstances. Nature may indeed assert itself, as Christ
wept by the grave of Lazarus, yet its possessor can say with Paul, "as
sorrowful yet always rejoicing." When the hurricane lashes the surface
of the sea, the heart of it is undisturbed. Grace enables us to glory
even in tribulations (Rom 5:3). While the bodies of the martyrs were
burning at the stake, hallelujahs were on their lips. Joy is quite
consistent with godly sorrow, for each fresh discovery of the
worthlessness of self should lead us closer to God.
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Chapter 6
FULLNESS OF JOY PART TWO
1 John 1:4
"And these things write we unto you that your joy [and "ours"] may be
full."
A common desire animated and regulated the apostles: to promote the
glory of their Master and the good of His people--the two things being
inseparably connected. They had themselves experienced the unspeakable
blessing and blessedness of intimate fellowship with Christ, and the
bliss which ever accompanies it, and therefore they longed that their
fellow saints should, according to their measure, freely and fully
participate in the same. They desired that their converts should be
bright and buoyant Christians, whose hearts would rise above the
trials and troubles of this life, rejoicing in the Lord, finding their
satisfying and everlasting portion in Him. Accordingly, they one and
all, in both their oral and written ministry, employed themselves in
setting forth the person and perfections, the offices and work, the
Lordship and example, of the Christ of God, knowing full well that it
was only by means of a spiritual knowledge of His excellency, an
interest in His salvation, the maintaining of a close walk and daily
communion with Him, that fullness of joy would be experienced in the
souls of those whose welfare they had so much at heart.
Those words "that your joy may be full" were not penned by an
inexperienced visionary or youthful dreamer, aglow with an enthusiasm
which would shortly be dampened by bitter disillusionment. Instead,
they were written by a very aged person who was thoroughly acquainted
with the dark side of life, with the sins and sorrows which beset a
Christian, and who knew that it was through "much tribulation" that
any entered into the kingdom of God (Act 14:22). But it was to no mere
natural emotion he had reference--an exuberance of spirit suited only
to high festivals, an enthusiasm raised to the point of excitement.
Radically different is the spiritual joy which he had in view. This is
a Divine grace communicated to and situate in the depths of the soul,
which the storms of this world cannot reach. It is something which is
suited to everyday life and work, for it is a calm and serene frame of
mind as well as a happy state of heart. Far more was implied than
actually expressed in John's language, for where fullness of joy
exists there is a separation from the world, a close fellowship with
God in Christ, a treading of wisdom's ways, and thus the Lord is
honored and His people helped.
Fellowship with the Lord is the grand marvel of redemption, and a
fullness of joy in the redeemed is its crowning blessing. In Christ
there is matter for perpetual delight. "Blessed is the people that
know the joyful sound [of the Gospel]: they shall walk, O Lord, in the
light of Thy countenance. In Thy name shall they rejoice all the day:
and in Thy righteousness shall they be exalted," (Ps. 89:15-16). Such
is the believer's right and privilege, and if it be not actually
realized in his experience the fault is all his own. The ministers of
the Word are "helpers of your joy," (2 Cor. 1:24). The one who feeds
thereon will exclaim, "Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of
mine heart," (Jer. 15:16). How the heart is gladdened by answered
prayers (Ps. 116:1)! We have great reason to "call the sabbath a
delight," (Isa. 58:13), to "rejoice and be glad in it," (Ps. 118:24).
Contemplations of God's perfections: "My meditation of Him shall be
sweet: I will be glad in the Lord," (Ps. 104:34). The one who is
baptized should "go on his way rejoicing," (Acts 8:39). The Lord's
supper is a spiritual feast for the elevating of the Christian's
heart.
Piety, peace and joy are what ought most to characterize the saints.
To "worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no
confidence in the flesh," (Phil. 3:3) are the marks of the true
circumcision. There are three things in connection with that
rejoicing. First, an apprehension of our saving interest in Christ and
of the glorious benefits we have by Him, for otherwise how can we
glory in Him (1 Cor. 1:30-31)? Second, corresponding affections which
result therefrom: love to Him, exultation of soul, feasting upon Him,
joy in Him. Third, an open expression of the same: evidencing that our
satisfying portion in Him has made us lose all relish for the things
of the world. What we prize most best demonstrates what we are, for
where a man's treasure is there will his heart be also (Matt. 6:21).
Each of us is discovered by his complacency or displacency: "They that
are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are
after the Spirit the things of the Spirit," (Rom 8:5). Thus to be
comparatively miserable manifests a Christian to be in a backslidden
state, and places a question mark on the genuineness of his
profession. A miserable believer is no credit to Christ, and has a
depressing effect upon his brethren.
The advantages and benefits of spiritual joy are real, many, and
great. It diffuses sunshine over the whole life, supplying vigor for
service, lightening our cares, animating for conflict, and making
obedience a delight. Joy enlarges the heart and quickens us in the way
of God: "the joy of the Lord is your strength," (Neh. 8:10). It
overcomes that natural deadness and dullness in holy duties which
arises partly from indwelling corruptions and partly from the
remissness of our wills toward heavenly things. But when there is
rejoicing in Christ, irksome and difficult tasks become pleasant and
easy. The joy of the Lord is His cordial to fortify us against the
infelicities and calamities of this world, whether they be the common
afflictions incident to men or persecutions for righteousness'
sake--making bitter things sweet to us (see Hab. 3:17-18). It enables
us to bear opposition and reproaches with courage and constancy: "They
departed ... rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame
for His name," (Act 5:41). It greatly encourages and cheers our
fellows: "My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall
hear thereof and be glad," (Ps. 34:2).
We cannot prosper in our souls nor flourish in the house of the Lord
unless we be assured of that peace which He has made by the blood of
His cross and are daily delighting ourselves in Him. Yet, though the
Saviour has not only made His redeemed secure for eternity, but would
have them happy in time, the fact remains that many of them are
frequently oppressed with dullness and despondency. God does not
appear to be the light of their countenance, and their spirits seem to
have caught little of heaven's luster. If they be children of light
and of the day, why is it that they are so often gloomy and cast down,
and manifest so little of that brightness which should mark those who
have been given "everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,"
(2 Thess. 2:16)? No doubt cases differ considerably, and a variety of
causes account for the failure of so many to enjoy their birthright.
Space will permit us to name only two or three of the principal
hindrances.
Prominent among them is a defective ministry. In view of our text we
place this first. How few ministers could warrantably say, "These
things preach we unto you that your joy may be full!" What numbers of
them are almost forever talking about the increased wickedness which
is in the world, the likelihood of another war, the menace of the atom
bomb, or the waning spirituality of the churches--things that tend to
horrify rather than edify, to depress rather than delight their
hearers. Many others confine themselves very largely to a dwelling
upon the shortcomings and failures of God's people as though it were
most desirable for them to cherish doubts and fears. Others are all
for the performance of duty and discharge of obligations which, if
stressed disproportionately, can but promote a proud and legal spirit.
There is so very little of that preaching of Christ, which draws out
the renewed heart unto Him, which leads to a closer walking and more
intimate communing with Him, and which not only fills the saints with
joy but at the same time instills a deep abhorrence of sin and
inspires a stronger desire to honor and please Him.
Second, the lack in many Christians of a definite assurance of their
acceptance. How can one experience the peace of being reconciled to
God, or the joy of knowing his sins are forgiven, while he be
constantly debating whether or not he be His child? Not a few of His
people dishonor the Father's gift to them of His Son, in whom they
have redemption and eternal life, by not estimating that gift at its
true value. They do not take God at His word and believe that the
death of Christ has cancelled all the guilt of His people, that He
will by no means cast out any sinner who comes to Him for salvation
and that through Him they have full access and welcome to the Father's
house and heart. They have not really learnt the first lesson of the
Gospel--the sufficiency of the Divine love. "Not that we loved God,
but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our
sins," (1 John 4:9,10); and consequently they withhold from Him that
full confidence which the manifestation of such love calls for, and
which He delights to receive from those upon whom He has bestowed such
favors.
Third, even when a Christian is well assured of his salvation he may
dim and dampen the joy of it by failing to walk as a child of light
(Eph. 5:8). To do so he must cast off the "unfruitful works of
darkness," so far and so soon as he discovers them to be such. God
hates sin, and sent His Son to save us from our sins. If then we turn
again to folly, yield to the lusts of the flesh, and "allow" evil in
our hearts and lives, then the Holy One will withdraw from us the
light of His countenance. Yet even in this case He has made most
gracious provision for our immediate and complete restoration to the
knowledge of His favor and the joy of His smile: "If we confess our
sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness," (1Jo 1:9). The moment any emotion,
thought or deed is revealed to us as sin, we should penitently confess
the same and then rejoice in the Divine declaration that the blood of
Christ has washed away all the stain of it. Thus if we live up to our
holy privilege, not even our sins should cloud the sunshine of God's
love or destroy the happy consciousness that He dwells in us and we in
Him.
When John penned the words, "These things write we unto you, that your
joy may be full," it is highly probable that he had in mind those
statements which he had heard from his Master: "These things have I
spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy
may be full," (John 15:11); "These things speak I in the world, that
they might have My joy fulfilled in themselves," (John 17:13). It is
to be carefully observed that both these utterances fell from the lips
of the Saviour upon the night of His betrayal. Very remarkable and
blessed is it to hear Him--with the terrible crucifixion staring Him
in the face--speaking of His joy. What a proof that spiritual joy is
in no wise created or regulated by circumstances or external
conditions! And how those striking declarations ought to correct a
one-sided view which only too many have taken of Christ's earthly
life! Here too there is a balance to be preserved. He was indeed "a
man of sorrows and acquainted with grief," in a measure and degree
which none else ever has been or can be, for His human sensibilities
were more refined than ours. His were undulled by sin, and therefore
He felt the effects of sin far more keenly and had a greater capacity
for pain than we have.
The sorrows and sufferings of Christ were many, poignant,
inconceivable. It could not be otherwise with One of infinite purity
surrounded by those who were hostile to God and enduring the
contradiction of sinners against Himself. And while we must always
keep sight of that fact and be deeply affected with the same in our
souls, it is not to exclude from our view and thoughts the other side
of His experience. Because He was a man of sorrows we are not to
conclude that He was a miserable and melancholy person, that during
the years He trod this earth He was a stranger unto joy. Admittedly we
enter here the realm of mystery, and need to tread very cautiously and
reverently, with unshodden feet; yet we must not close our eyes to
what is clearly revealed in the Scriptures. Not only must we bear in
mind that the One who then tabernacled in this scene of wickedness was
God as well as man, not only need we to distinguish sharply between
what He endured officially and what He experienced personally, but we
are also required to take into careful consideration what is said of
Him in the Psalms as well as in the Gospels if we are to obtain the
complete picture.
That the Lord Jesus possessed a real, deep, and abiding joy is clear
not only from His own utterances in John 15 and 17, but is equally
evident from other considerations. He could aver, (to declare to be
true). "The Lord is the portion of Mine inheritance and of My cup,"
and add, "therefore My heart is glad," (Ps. 16:5 & 9)--Jehovah was
unto Him a fount of ceaseless consolation. As the connection between 1
John 1:3 & 4, imports, joy is inseparable from fellowship, and since
the Son enjoyed unbroken fellowship with the Father until the three
hours of darkness, fullness of joy must have been experienced by Him
Again, Christ found infinite satisfaction in discharging the
commission assigned Him--"My meat is to do the will of Him that sent
Me, and to finish His work," (John 4:34). God's commandments were
never irksome or grievous to Him in the slightest degree, but rather
were most blessed, as His "I delight to do Thy will, O My God," (Ps.
40:8) attests. Wisdom's ways are "ways of pleasantness," (Prov. 3:17),
and Christ ever walked therein. He found His joy in concurring with
the Father's appointments: since God had ordered His lot, though He
had not where to lay His head, He declared, "The lines are fallen unto
Me in pleasant places," (Ps. 16:6). Contemplating the Father as "Lord
of heaven and earth," sovereignly hiding truth from one and revealing
it to another, Christ "rejoiced in spirit" and said, "even so, Father:
for so it seemed good in Thy sight," (Luke 10:21).
Think not, then, of Christ during His earthly life as but "a man of
sorrows:" contemplate Him too as One who was filled with joy. That the
two things are in nowise incompatible is clear from the apostle's
experience: "as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing," (2 Cor. 6:10).
Christ's joy consisted not only in the things which we have mentioned
above, but also in the assurance of the Father's full approbation that
was ever His: that He did "always those things that pleased Him,"
(John 8:29). He found, too, unspeakable comfort in His consciousness
of the Father's abiding presence: "He that sent Me is with Me: the
Father hath not left Me alone," (John 8:29). Since holiness and
happiness are inseparably conjoined, deep joy must have been the
portion of the Holy One, for He ever walked in the light of God's
countenance. What joy was His in the saving of sinners appears from
His "layeth it [the recovered sheep] on His shoulders, rejoicing,"
(Luke 15:5). Finally, He endured the cross "for the joy that was set
before Him," (Heb. 12:2)--in faith's apprehension and hope's
anticipation of the reward for His perfect work, He rejoiced.
We come now to the question, Is fullness of joy attainable by the
Christian in this life? Assuredly it must be, or John had never
written our present text. Assuredly it must be, for why did the Lord
Jesus say unto His disciples, "These things have I spoken unto you,
that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full,"
(John 15:11)? Therein Christ told out the fullness of His heart,
intimating His desire concerning His own. If it were not attainable,
then why has the Saviour also bidden us, "Ask, and ye shall receive,
that your joy may be full," (John 16:24)? Ah, is not the littleness
and feebleness of our joy due to the paucity of our faith and the
smallness of our hope? Has not the eternal Lover of our souls freely
invited us, "Eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly," (Song
5:1)? If fullness of joy be not experienced by us, then certainly we
are living far below our privileges. The straitness is in ourselves,
and not in Him or His revealed will. The Lord knows all about our
temperaments, circumstances, trials and corruptions, yet,
notwithstanding, bids us "rejoice evermore," (1 Thess. 5:16), having
made full provision for us to do so.
Did not this same John say to those whom he addressed in his second
epistle, "I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our
joy may be full," (v. 12)? Nor can we legitimately set aside the force
of all these passages by saying they express the ideal rather than the
actual, that they set before us the standard at which we are to aim,
and not what is realized by any soul in this time state. Such an
evasion is at once ruled out of court by Acts 13:52, "And the
disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit"--and they
were men subject to like temptations and passions as we are! As
pardoned sinners, accepted in Christ, made sons and heirs of God, we
should "rejoice in the Lord always." We must not be content with a
fitful and occasional joy, but rather see to it that we keep this holy
fire ever aflame upon the altar of our hearts. It is both our
privilege and our right to feed and feast upon the Lamb and satisfy
our soul unto a holy satiety.
Throughout our exposition of 1 John 1:4, we have followed the
Authorized Version, but a word requires to be said upon the Revised
rendering: "that our ["the apostles"] joy may be full." Really, it
comes to the same thing, for the joy of the minister is largely bound
up in the spiritual prosperity of those to whom he ministers--their
happiness being mutual. Paul called the Philippians his "joy and
crown," (4:1), and said of the Thessalonians, "Ye are our glory and
joy," (1 Thess. 2:20): while John said to those addressed in his
second epistle, "I rejoice greatly that I found of thy children
walking in truth," (v. 4), and in his third epistle, "I have no
greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth," (v. 4). As
the saints are partakers of the joy of God's servants, so they, in
turn, of theirs, for they rejoice in the same Saviour.
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Chapter 7
LIGHT AND DARKNESS
1 John 1:5
"This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto
you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all."
We shall now consider, first, the connection of this verse with the
immediately preceding ones--its bearing on the epistle as a whole will
be shown under our exposition of verse 6. Second, its message or
assertion. Third, its scope--in view of the teaching of Scripture on
light and darkness. Fourth, its design, or the reasons why this
declaration is here made.
The A.V. is rather misleading, for the "then" suggests that the
apostle is drawing an inference or pointing out a consequence from
what he had stated previously. But such is not the case. The literal
meaning of the Greek is "And this is the message," and is so rendered
in Bagster's Interlinear, and the R.V. The opening "and" intimates not
only a direct connection between this verse and the foregoing ones,
but a continuation of the same subject. As usual, the Holy Spirit has
graciously hung the key on the door for us by announcing the theme of
this epistle in its opening verses, namely fellowship--with God, with
the apostles, with fellow saints. Concerning that fellowship we have
already seen that it has been made possible by the Son of God becoming
incarnate and giving His people an experiential knowledge of Himself
as the Word of life. It is regeneration which capacitates us to enter
into this inestimable privilege. Not only is it a fellowship of
spiritual life, but also in the Truth, consisting of a saving
knowledge of Christ and the Father. It is likewise a gladsome
fellowship, which, if entered into intimately and constantly, produces
"fullness of joy." Now we are informed it is a holy fellowship, for it
is exercised only in "the light."
The blissful fellowship which the apostle was speaking of is radically
different from anything known to natural man. The joy which it
produces is greatly superior to any experienced by the senses. It is
in nowise carnal, but wholly spiritual. It transcends all natural
emotion. It was necessary to insist upon this so that neither
congenial social intercourse nor religious excitement should be
mistaken for it. There has always been a "mixed multitude" who attach
themselves to the people of God, making a profession of Christ and
claiming to enjoy communion with God. While this fellowship is open
and free for all who are partakers of the Holy Spirit, yet no
unregenerate persons can participate in this high favor. It was
therefore a point of great practical importance that the apostle
should make a clear statement thereon so as to guard against all
erroneous conceptions of it and its joy. This he does by a most
searching description of the One with whom such communion is had and
by the solemn assertion that "If we say that we have fellowship with
Him, and walk in darkness, we lie."
Again, one can perceive almost at a glance, that "And this is the
message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you" is
intimately related to the contents of the previous verses. Both in the
first and the third verses John had made mention of what he and his
fellow apostles had heard from that blessed One who had been made
manifest unto them, and which it was their mission to "declare" unto
His redeemed (v. 3). And now he gives an epitomized statement of what
Christ had made known unto them: "this is the message." The R.V.
rendering is preferable: "heard from Him," for it was not merely
something about Christ which the apostles proclaimed, but rather what
they had actually heard from His own lips. The "from Him" clearly has
reference to the incarnate Word: because He is the principal Person
spoken of in the immediate context, because He was the Sender of the
apostles, and because He is the next antecedent in verse 3. The
apostles and ministers of the Gospel are the messengers of the Lord
Jesus, and it is their business to communicate His mind and will both
to the churches and to the world. "But I certify you, brethren, that
the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither
received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of
Jesus Christ," (Gal. 1:11-12).
The Greek term translated "message" has several different shades of
meaning when rendered into English. Young defines it as "promise," for
that word in 2 Peter 3:13, is derived from the same root and indicates
its benign character. In Acts 22:30, it is translated "commandment,"
which emphasizes its lordly nature. These agree with the first two
statements made in the New Testament, concerning our Lord's oral
ministry: His hearers "wondered at the gracious words which proceeded
out of His mouth," (Luke 4:22); "the people were astonished at His
doctrine: for He taught them as one having authority," (Matt.
7:28-29). But here in our text it is used to express the sum of the
revelation communicated by Him. John here puts into a terse sentence
what the apostles had gathered from Christ's announcements. Or, if we
place the emphasis on "And this is the message which we have heard
from Him" its force would be, "This was the dominant and central
doctrine our Master proclaimed, around which all others rotated and
from which all others issued." This "message" was one of the greatest
importance, both in itself and also in the consequences of it, for it
respected the ineffable purity of the Divine nature, and the
imperishable glory of the same.
John's style here is similar to his opening words in the Apocalypse:
"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show unto
His servants," which He sent "unto His servant John, who bare record
of the word of God." As the Son said unto the Father, "I have given
them the words which You gave Me," so they in turn communicated the
same unto their converts (cf. 2 Tim. 2:2). Christ came here to declare
and reveal the true and living God (John 1:18), and John here
summarized His teaching: "this is the message which we have heard from
Him, and declare unto you: that God is light." This was not a
discovery which the apostles made for themselves, nor an inference
which they drew from the Divine works and ways. No, it was an
authoritative communication which they had received from the Saviour,
and therefore is to be accepted without question. We heartily agree
with J. Morgan, who said of the substance of this message, "Its
simplicity and comprehensiveness are amazing. It is so simple a child
perceives its meaning; while it is so comprehensive as to render a
full exposition of it impossible."
"God is indefinable, because to define is to limit, and to speak of
limiting infinitude is an absurdity. Names are ascribed to God in
Scripture, and attributes, yet they convey only some faint notions of
His exalted perfections; but sufficient is revealed to preserve the
mind from vain imaginations or gross conceptions of His Being. Man
knows nothing of God, and can know nothing, except what He has
revealed. In condescension to our capacity God has revealed Himself
under names and notions which may best strike our senses--the channel
of all our reasonings and the medium by which we know," (A. Serle).
Three statements are made (we dare not call them definitions)
concerning what God is in Himself, which, for want of better terms,
may be said to tell us something of His nature or character, and they
should be reverently pondered in the order in which they occur in
Scripture: "God is spirit," (John 4:24), "God is light," (1 John 1:5),
"God is love," (1 John 4:8).
"God is spirit." The absence of the article (in the Greek) imports
that God is spirit in the highest sense. The indefinite article in the
English "a spirit" is objectionable, because it places Deity in a
class with others. He is spirit itself, absolutely, the alone Source
of spirit. The word "spirit" signifies in man's lisping speech, "air"
or "breath" or "wind," being that subtle fluid by the respiration of
which all things live. "What the air is in motion in the natural world
that the Divine Spirit is in the spiritual world... The Deity is
revealed under the name of Spirit in order to declare that all
existences, both corporate and incorporate, derive their spiritual
life and being from Him. He is Spirit in the fount--the creatures are
only so as streams proceeding from Him," (A. Serie). Life is a
principle or power to act or move planted in a substance or being. A
living creature then is one which can act from within itself, yet is
wholly dependent upon its Giver--the living God, the Author and
Sustainer of all life. Negatively, "God is spirit" signifies that He
is both incorporeal and invisible.
That declaration was necessary in order to correct the erroneous views
entertained by those Jews and Samaritans who had, from the elaborate
ritual of Judaism, formed a wrong concept of God. It was Jehovah
Himself who ordained the imposing furnishings of the tabernacle and
temple, with their vessels of silver and gold, their brilliantly
colored curtains, the gorgeous vestments of the high priest. But those
things were never intended to intimate that the great God derived any
personal satisfaction from them: rather were they appointed as types
and emblems of Christ. "The most High dwelleth not in temples made
with hands," (Act 7:48). Nor is He charmed by elaborate services
therein. God is spirit, immaterial, and therefore not sensual or
influenced by the senses. God cannot be gratified with carnal things.
It is not costly architecture, beautiful music, lovely flowers,
fragrant incense, which please the eyes, ears and nostrils of the
creature, but that which issues from renewed hearts He requires. "God
is spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in
truth"--spiritually and sincerely.
"God is light" tells us very much more than the former statement. God
is not only the light, but light itself--absolute, essential,
infinite--the Source of all light. Scripture speaks of God in a
peculiar and immediate relation to light. The pillar of fire was the
symbol of His presence with Israel in the wilderness. Daniel tells us
"His throne was like the fiery flame," (7:9). Habakkuk declared, "His
brightness was as the light," (3:4). The Psalmist avers, "Who coverest
Thyself with light as with a garment," (Ps. 104:2), on which Spurgeon
remarked, "The concept is sublime: but it makes us feel how altogether
inconceivable the personal glory of the Lord must be: if light itself
is but His garment and veil, what must be the blazing splendour of His
own essential being?" Perhaps the nearest we can come in framing an
answer to that question is to employ the words of 1 Timothy
6:16--"dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no
man hath seen, nor can see." In James 1:17, He is denominated "the
Father of lights."
"God is light" expresses all the excellence and glory of Deity. It is
to be taken in its widest sense, as including the Divine essence and
the three Persons therein, for though the Father be primarily in view,
yet the Son and the Spirit are equally possessed of the Divine nature,
and therefore are equally "light." "God is light" is a word to search
and awe us, for we "were sometimes darkness," (Eph 5:8), such being
our woeful condition by nature. But it is also a word to gladden and
warm us, for light shines for the benefit of others, as darkness is
wrapped up in itself. Thus there is the Gospel in this word, for it
tells us that Deity has been pleased to reveal and make Himself known
unto men. "Light maketh all things visible on which it falls and from
which it is reflected, but it becomes itself visible only in a radiant
point or disc, like that of the insufferable sun, from which it floods
the world. So God is unknown except in the person of Christ," (G.
Smeaton). That is why Christ designated Himself "the light of the
world" and why prophecy pointed to Him as "the Sun of righteousness,"
(Mal. 4:2), for where He is unknown, men "sit in darkness" and "in the
region and shadow of death," (Matt. 4:16).
"The supreme thing in the physical world is light. Apart from this
there could hardly be a world at all, for all life and movement depend
on it. It was the first of God's creations, and it is the last thing
that will fade before the approaching glory of the New Jerusalem. And
yet of all things light is the most mysterious. The distance of the
sun from the earth can be measured, the rate at which light travels
across space can be gauged, and the rays can be passed through the
prisms, divided and analyzed. But the sun itself still dwells in light
inaccessible. No eye can search its burning depths, and no mind can
wrest from it its profound secret," (L. Palmer). "God is light:" "He
is all that beauty and perfection that can be represented to us by
light. He is self-acting, uncompounded spirituality, purity, wisdom,
holiness and glory; and then the absoluteness and fullness of that
excellency and perfection," (T. Reynolds).
Most appropriate and comprehensive is the metaphor here used. "God is
light" is a summarized expression of the Divine perfections. It tells
us that He is the living God, for the rays of the sun exert a
quickening influence, being a minister of vigor, health and growth to
all creatures. It is the parent of all fruitfulness, for those regions
(the poles) where the sun scarcely shines at all are barren wastes; so
it is spiritually. It announces that God is a most glorious Being, for
light is a thing of luster, dazzling the eyes of its beholder. It
proclaims God's excellency: "Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant
thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun," (Eccl. 11:7). If it be a
pleasant thing to behold the natural light, how much more so for the
eyes of faith to behold the King in His beauty! It declares that He is
a beneficent Being, the Fount of all blessedness. Light is the source
of helpfulness and gladness to all who bask in its bright and genial
rays. No beauty can appear anywhere without the light: exclude it and
all charm at once disappears from every object. Nor can there be any
beauty in the soul until God commands the light to shine in our
hearts, (2 Cor. 4:6).
More distinctly, light is the emblem of God's holiness. Light is
simple or pure. In it is neither mixture nor pollution, nor can there
be. Its very nature and property repels defilement. It traverses
unstained each object and medium of uncleanness. Snow is so bright
that there is no other whiteness equal to it, but man's step mars and
defiles it. Water sparkles brightly as it issues from the spring, but
man's hand soils it. But none can make light's purity less pure! Such
is God in His ineffable purity. Again, light is a symbol of God's
omnipresence, for it is diffused throughout all creation, scattering
its rays everywhere. In like manner, "Do not I fill heaven and earth?
saith the Lord," (Jer. 23:24), which made the Psalmist exclaim,
"Whither shall I go from Thy spirit?" or "whither shall I flee from
Thy presence," (139:7). "Light is on the hill and in the valley, on
sea and on land, in the city and in the desert. With its crystal
fingers it clasps the round earth, and throws its mantle of brightness
over all worlds," (Palmer).
In a most striking way light also adumbrates God's omniscience. Not
only because it is the figure of knowledge and wisdom, but because of
its searching power, entering into every corner and cranny of
creation, revealing the hidden things of darkness. "All things that
are discovered [margin] are made manifest by the light," (Eph. 5:13).
Light is all-revealing, equally so are the rays of Divine holiness,
detecting sin and unmasking the world as a monster lying in the wicked
one. As light reveals, so nothing can be hidden from God. He cannot be
deceived, but sees things as they actually are. Our motives and
aspirations are as palpable to Him as our bodies. "O Lord, Thou hast
searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine
uprising, Thou understandest my thoughts afar off... and art
acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue,
but, lo, O Lord, Thou knowest it altogether ... Yea, the darkness
hideth not from Thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness
and the light are both alike to Thee," (Ps. 139:1-4,12).
In Scripture darkness and light are used in quite a number of
figurative senses: among them, as signifying ignorance and knowledge
(Eph 5:8), a state of nature and a state of grace (1 Pet. 2:9), heaven
(Col. 1:12) and hell (Matt. 25:30). Thus, "God is light, and in Him is
no darkness at all" necessitates and draws the essential moral
distinction between good and evil, holiness and sin, innocence and
guilt. It also intimates that it is possible for creatures, yea,
fallen creatures, to have fellowship with God, for light is diffusive,
self-communicating, shining upon and illuminating dark bodies. Therein
lies both its beneficence and its ascendancy over the darkness, as in
Genesis 1:2 & 3. But more: this most comprehensive "message"
elucidates the whole plan of redemption, wherein God acted throughout
in this character, both exhibiting His opposition to the darkness and
yet triumphing over it. In the person of His Son the light came to
save those in darkness, yet preserving inviolable His own ineffable
purity. Nor was there any surrender of the light to the darkness: no
concession, no compromise. For when made sin (2 Cor. 5:21), "God
spared not His own Son"! Likewise, we are made to hate sin and repent
before forgiveness is ours. Salvation is not only a miracle of grace,
but the triumph of holiness.
"And in Him is no darkness at all." In the Greek there is a double
negative. God is absolutely perfect: there is no blemish, no
ignorance, no sin, no limitation, naught contrary to His perfection,
nothing to mar or dim the splendor of His character; no possibility of
any deterioration, for with the Father of lights there is "no
variableness, neither shadow of turning," (Jam. 1:17). God is light
which is never clouded, which never wanes. Therein we behold His
paramount excellence. How radically different is the true and living
God from every "god" of human invention or conception! While the
heathen endowed their imaginary deities with certain virtues, they
also attributed some vice or other to them. In the "god" of Pantheism
and other systems of philosophy, the distinction between good and evil
is only seeming and relative, and not real and absolute, for "he" is
identified as much with the one as the other. Here, once more, we have
illustrated the uniqueness of Holy Writ, for here alone is One made
known to us in whom there is "no darkness at all."
That could not be said of the holy angels, whom He "charged with
folly," (Job 4:18), because prior to their establishment in holiness
they were liable to fall. Nor could it be said of Adam in his
innocency, for his holiness was but a mutable one. But God is
immutably holy, impeccable, for He "cannot be tempted with evil,"
(Jam. 1:13). We cannot conceive of the least defect in God, for His
holiness is His very being, and not a superadded thing like ours. "God
is light:" He not only clothes Himself with the light, and dwells in
the light, but He Himself is light, only light, and there is nothing
in Him but light. Now to make this affirmation yet more emphatic, the
negative is added to the positive: "And in Him is no darkness at all:"
no kind of darkness, in any degree or manner; whatever falls under the
appellation of "darkness" is excluded from His being. This has the
value of intimating that we are to regard the term "light" in its
widest possible latitude, and not to restrict it to holiness, for the
antithesis, "darkness," includes more than sin. No element enters into
His light to obscure it; there is no limit to His knowledge, no stain
on His holiness, no hindrance to His blessedness.
The design of the apostle in verse 5 may be briefly summarized thus.
First, to indicate the nature of that fellowship into which the saints
are called: it is a holy one, "in the light." That is its distinctive
character, and is necessarily determined by the nature of God. Second,
to impress upon believers the deep reverence of the Divine Majesty:
that as light cannot mix with darkness, so they cannot converse with
God except as their hearts are in a suitable frame and their minds
filled with proper apprehensions of the great, holy, and glorious
Being they are approaching. Third, to intimate to all succeeding
generations of Christians that the holiness of God shines in and
through every doctrine, every part of the Truth, every ordinance He
has appointed. Fourth, to prepare his readers for what follows in his
epistle.
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Chapter 8
LIGHT AND DARKNESS
1 John 1:6
"If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we
lie,
and do not the truth."
In those words we have: (1) A lofty averment--claiming to have
fellowship with God. (2) A flat contradiction--walk in darkness. (3) A
solemn indictment--such are denounced as liars. (4) A sweeping
inclusion: the "we" taking in the apostles themselves--if the cap
fitted, they too must wear it.
The connection between this verse and the one immediately preceding
may be readily perceived:
"This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto
you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all," (v. 5).
John was writing on the subject of fellowship, and having described
the character of the One with whom that fellowship is had, he makes
application of his "message" unto two radically different classes,
which together make up what is known as Christendom, or "the kingdom
of heaven" in the parables of Matthew 13 and 25:1-10, which includes
tares as well as wheat, bad fish as well as good, foolish virgins as
well as wise ones. The first class comprises those who have a name to
live, but are dead; the second, those who actually possess spiritual
life. More specifically, the relation of verse 6 to verse 5 is that
here we behold the Light detecting and exposing what is contrary
thereto. Since in God there be no darkness at all, true piety is to be
distinguished from its counterfeit by a walking in the light. By this
criterion or test must we judge all who claim to hold converse with
God: their characters must harmonize with His.
In verse 6 John was not referring to the unregenerate as such, but to
unrenewed professors, who boasted of their enjoying communion with the
triune God. It was not the openly wicked and profane which he had in
view, but those who unwarrantably bore the name of Christians, those
who were in church fellowship. In his day, as now, there were in the
Christian assemblies those who were born of God, and those who were
not so. This is clear from those mentioned in 2:19, "They went out
from us, but they were not of us;" originally members; later
apostates. Jude refers to certain men who "crept in unawares," ungodly
men, who were "turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness," (v.
4) Hence there was a real and pressing need for lip profession to be
tested by the character of the daily life. This is done here by
immediately following up the statement in verse 5 by a solemn warning
against self-deception, insisting that fellowship with God is to be
gauged by conformity unto Him in holiness and righteousness.
So far as we can discern, the apostle's design in the words before us
was at least threefold. First, to stir up the saints themselves, and
prevent their becoming careless and remiss. The apostle here warns
them of how much need there was to watch their own hearts and to be
circumspect and strict of their walk, avoiding everything which had a
tendency unto sin, since that would interrupt their holding and
maintaining communion with their heavenly Father. As the Psalmist
declared, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear
me," (Ps. 66:18): when I cherish that which is evil, the Holy will not
connive at my sin. "If thou listen to the Devil, God will not listen
to thee," (Spurgeon). Second, to convict and undeceive the deluded,
that the ignorant and erring might discover their perilous state and
be led to cry unto God for a real work of grace to be wrought in them.
Third, to unmask hypocrites and thereby prevent the children of God
[of] being imposed upon by those who had nothing in common with them;
and to separate themselves from all such false pretenders.
In seeking a closer view of our present verse, we not only need to
attend to the context, but also to bear carefully in mind John's
peculiar style. We made a brief reference to this in the introductory
chapter, when calling attention to the abstract (and absolute)
character of many of his statements. Thus in John 1:3, he declared
"truly our fellowship is with the Father"--not "ought to be," taking
no notice of the things which hinder and break it. So it is here: he
speaks of that which characterizes a person, and not of something
which is exceptional. There are none on earth who enjoy unbroken and
unclouded fellowship with God. Only One could say, "I have set the
Lord always before Me," (Ps. 16:8). In like manner, there has never
been a saint who walked uninterruptedly in the light, who never
deviated from the paths of righteousness. None but Christ could aver
"I do always those things that please Him," (John 8:29). He alone ever
practiced what He preached and perfectly exemplified what He taught:
hence the unique emphasis of "mighty in deed and word before God and
all the people," (Luke 24:19), and "all that Jesus began both to do
and teach," (Acts 1:1).
"If we say that we have fellowship with Him." Here is a lofty avowal
supposed. "If we say" is a common mode of speaking in Scripture to
express a definite affirmation or profession, as in "but now ye say,
We see," (John 9:41), "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man
say he hath faith, and have not works?" (Jam. 2:14); "He that saith, I
know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar," (1 John 2:4),
where in each instance, as here, the declaration is proved to be an
idle boast. It is a bare assertion without any corresponding reality.
There is a radical difference between profession and possession. To
"have fellowship with God" presupposes regeneration and reconciliation
unto Him. To state that we have fellowship with God is tantamount to
claiming that we are His children, to be partakers of the Divine
nature, to be delivered from this present evil world, and that we
belong to that company whose desire and determination it is to please
and glorify Him. To have fellowship with God means that our affections
are set upon things above, that we bask in the light of His
countenance.
"If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we
lie." Obviously the first task before the expositor here is to give a
correct definition or explanation of what it means to "walk in
darkness," and strange as it may sound (heretical to some ears) that
is not necessarily the same thing as a Scriptural one. There are many
terms and expressions in God's Word which are used by no means
uniformly, and it is the interpreter's duty to ascertain by a careful
study of its setting, and then demonstrate to the reader, what is its
precise meaning in any given instance. Thus, in Isaiah 50:10, the
words "walketh in darkness" are found, yet their force there is quite
different from that in our present text, and they respect very diverse
characters. Let us, then, examine closely its language. In Scripture,
a man's "walk" refers not to any single act, or even habit, but rather
to the general tenor of a person's behavior--the regular course
followed by him. "Walking" is a voluntary act (Prov. 2:13), continuous
action (Isa. 65:2), progressive action (2 Tim. 3:13). A man's walk
reveals the state of his heart, being a practical expression of what
he is.
Whatever that term may signify in other passages, to "walk in
darkness" certainly does not here mean to be in doubt about our
spiritual state, or to be totally lacking in assurance of our
acceptance with God; nor even a deep depression and despondency of
soul. It is indeed desirable for the saint to know he has passed from
death unto life and to have the Spirit bearing witness with his spirit
that he is a child of God, as it is also both his privilege and duty
to "rejoice in the Lord always"; yet though he may lack both the one
and the other (and such is to be greatly deplored, and never excused),
the absence thereof is no proof that he is not a Christian. No,
something very much graver than that is here in view. While "the
darkness" has reference to the realm inhabited by this class,
nevertheless it is also their activities in that realm which the
apostle had before him. In general terms, to walk in darkness is to
order our lives in opposition to the revealed character and will of
Him who is light. It is expressive of being in a state of nature and
acting accordingly.
More specifically, to walk in darkness is the condition of all the
unregenerate, for they are total strangers to God and His so-great
salvation. "For we were sometimes darkness," (Eph. 5:8) describes our
fearful state by nature. By his fall man was deprived of the favor of
God, the Spirit of God, the image of God, in his soul, and darkness
became his element. Second, to walk in darkness is to be under the
curse of God, for when Christ was made a curse for His people (Gal.
3:13) there was "darkness over all the land," (Matt. 27:45) for the
space of three hours.
Third, to walk in darkness is to be under the control of Satan, for
salvation is a being turned "from darkness to light, and from the
power of Satan unto God," (Act 26:18 and cf. Col. 1:13). Fourth, to
walk in darkness is to be completely under the dominion of sin (Pro
4:19). To walk in darkness is to tread the broad road which leads to
destruction, and the one who does so ends by being "cast into outer
darkness," (Matt. 22:13).
To walk in darkness is to conduct ourselves unholily, to follow
steadily a course of self-pleasing, for "the unfruitful works of
darkness" are the products of the flesh. It is not simply to be
betrayed by the force of temptation into inconsistent actions, but the
ruling principle and power of our lives is the very reverse of
godliness, demonstrating such to be complete strangers to a work of
Divine grace. "Darkness" here has reference to the dominion and power
of sin, with its awful effects upon the character and conduct of the
unregenerate. Even though the grosser forms of sin appear not in the
life, yet enmity against God rules the heart, regulates the thoughts
and affections, and determines the motives; and though the ungodly may
have little or no cognizance of the same, yet all these things are
"naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do," (Heb.
4:13). As the best fruits of grace are produced by the Spirit in the
heart and are known and valued only by the Lord, so it is with
indwelling sin--its principal and vilest productions are not seen by
our fellows.
Again, to walk in darkness is explained both by the contents of the
preceding verse and the antithesis pointed in the following one.
"Light" is transparent and translucent, open and clear, and it is so
always and everywhere; whereas darkness is characterized by the
opposite properties: it conceals, disguises, distorts. By his apostasy
from God man lost that element of simplicity and openness in which he
was created. Moreover, the clear and bright sunshine of the
countenance of Him who is light became intolerant to the fallen
creature--man fled and hid himself from God. Hence it is that
insincerity and deceitfulness that mark the natural man. He is not
honest either with himself or in his dealings with God. He tries to
make himself out to be other than he is. Men love darkness rather than
light: "For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh
to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved," (John 3:20).
Finally, let it be pointed out that to walk in darkness includes
living under fundamental error concerning spiritual and eternal
things. Every doctrine of men, everything which is contrary to the
glorious Gospel of the blessed God, derogatory to the honor and
dignity of Christ, or which is opposed to the free grace of God in
election, effectual calling, final perseverance, and the inculcation
of true piety, is sinful in the sight of God and morally evil in us.
He has not given His Word for us to pass judgment upon, but to receive
into our minds with all submissiveness. There can be no fellowship
with God but in the belief and practice of the Truth. While we are
walking in the reception and influence of anything contrary to Divine
revelation, we can have no communion with Him, for we are in the
darkness of error. Every part of the Truth is like its Author: light,
pure, holy, perfect. His doctrine is "according to godliness," (1 Tim.
6:3), promoting and increasing it, supplying motives thereunto. But
error is pernicious, and its words "eat as doth a canker," (2 Tim.
2:17).
"If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we
lie." Surely that is self-evident. Not only is the latter manifestly
inconsistent with the former, but the two things are utterly
irreconcilable. Purity and impurity are opposites. They are radically
and essentially distinct. They are contrary in their nature, their
properties, and their tendencies. Sin and holiness are diametrically
antagonistic to each other. Truth and error can never agree: there can
be no such thing as walking in the Truth and at the same time living
in that which is flatly contradictory thereto. "What fellowship hath
righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with
darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial?" (2 Cor. 6:14-15).
None whatever: they are avowed enemies of each other. To make the
claim that I am enjoying fellowship with God and at the same time for
me to be ruled by Satan, acting in self-gratification and taking
pleasure in the ways of sin, is not only a patent absurdity and an
empty pretence, it is also a manifest falsehood, a wicked lie.
Such glaring hypocrisy calls for strong denunciation. Very different
was John from our mealy-mouthed men who gain a reputation for being
"gracious" at the expense of fidelity. John did not merely say that
this class of Christian professors erred or were "labouring under a
delusion," but spoke plainly and called them what they were. He was
the apostle of love, and here gave proof thereof, for love is
faithful. False pretences need to be dealt with sternly and their
dishonesty condemned. The apostle used great plainness of speech, yet
no more so than the case called for. It was not only that their lips
were uttering what was untrue, but they were acting an untruth, their
very lives were a falsehood, and therefore they were not to be spared.
To be guilty of making such an outrageous claim is to traduce the
character of God, for He holds no intercourse with the unholy; is to
repudiate the Truth, for such have no access to God; and is grievously
to dishonor the cause of Christ.
"And this is the message which we have heard from Him, and declare
unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we
say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie,
and do not the truth." By putting those verses together, not only is
the proposition in the latter more self-evident, but the needs be for
the former becomes plainer. At first sight it seems strange that John
should announce so formally and emphatically such elementary truths.
Surely, if there be anything which believers are clear upon it is the
character of God, and that it precludes such an incongruity as is here
refuted. Why then commence therewith right after the introductory
verses? Because one of the chief designs of this epistle is the
testing of Christian profession. Because there were, and have been
ever since, many in Christendom who came under the description of
verse 6. And because there is still a sad tendency remaining in real
Christians practically to deny this proposition--to act deceitfully,
to trifle with sin, fellowship the unfruitful works of darkness, and
yet suppose they are in communion with God; which is virtually saying
that He is not light.
The love of approbation is the native trend of the human heart. Each
person desires to be well thought of by his fellows, and the vast
majority, pose as being better than they are. Fear of censure and the
contempt of others is another powerful motive which induces many to
act the part of hypocrites, and such needs to be unsparingly mortified
by the saint, for the extent to which he yields thereto makes him
untruthful, and effectually hinders him from walking with the Holy
One. Thus it is that so many of the unregenerate apply for Church
membership: they profess the truth of the Gospel, but are strangers to
its power. Many of them claim to have not only fellowship with God,
but an exalted type and high degree thereof. They have much to say
about the grace of God, but little or nothing of His holiness. They
extol the imputed righteousness of Christ, but give no evidence of
being recipients of His imparted righteousness. They prate about their
peace and joy, but their daily lives are not ordered by the precepts
of the Word. Their walk gives the lie to their profession.
"If we say:" John here includes himself! Were we, the apostles of
Christ, to be found walking in darkness and at the same time asserting
that we have fellowship with God, we should brand ourselves as liars.
The "if" does not signify that such a thing was possible; rather was
John pointing out what was utterly impossible. The apostles had
fellowship with God and gave clear proof of the same. The blessed
effects thereof were felt in their souls and appeared in their lives.
It preserved them from sin, and deepened their hatred of it. It is
impossible to have fellowship with God and not become increasingly
conformed to Him. If it be true that "he that walketh with wise men
shall be wise," (Prov. 13:20), how much more so will walking with God
deliver from folly! If evil communications corrupt good manners, then
certainly Divine communications will correct evil manners. Fellowship
with God requires oneness of nature, and walking with Him produces
sameness of character. Fellowship with God ever issues in spiritual
fruitfulness. Thus it is the wisdom and duty of each of us to test
himself by this rule, and then measure his associates thereby.
"If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we
lie, and do not the truth." John here denounces such a sham, exposes
its base inconsistency, and denies that such have any intercourse with
Him who is light. "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?"
(Amos 3:3). Neither can one walk with God without being radically
influenced thereby. "What God communicates to us is not a base
fiction, for it is necessary that the power and effect of this
fellowship should shine forth in the life: otherwise our profession of
the Gospel is fallacious," (Calvin). Yet the spirit of self-deception
and hypocrisy prevails to such an extent that our churches are filled
with those of high pretensions whose walk is entirely inconsistent
therewith--they have no true sight of themselves nor sense of their
peril. Their practice demonstrates the falsity of their profession.
They "do not the truth;" they act not in accord with its holy
requirements--they are not vitally influenced thereby. Christianity
does not consist in "saying" but in being.
Unspeakably solemn is what has been before us. We are plainly warned
that "There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet
is not washed from their filthiness," (Prov. 30:12), and if I really
value my eternal interests I shall seriously inquire, Do I belong to
that company? Remember that self-love works presumption. Take nothing
for granted; refuse to give yourself the benefit of any doubt. If you
honestly desire to know the truth about yourself, then pray sincerely
and earnestly, "Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my
heart," (Ps. 26:2). No matter how well instructed your mind, or what
be your happy feelings, measure yourself by this unerring rule. Truth
is not only to be believed and loved, but practiced. It is at this
point that graceless professors are to be distinguished from the
regenerate. The one who hears Christ's sayings but does them not is
building on the sand (Matt. 7:26). The one whom He owns as a spiritual
kinsman is he who does the Father's will (Matt. 12:50). Those whom
Christ pronounces blessed are they who "hear the word of God, and keep
it," (Luke 11:28). "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only,
deceiving your own selves," (Jam. 1:22).
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A Fourfold Salvation by A.W. Pink
Preface
In 1929 we wrote a booklet entitled "A Threefold Salvation" based upon
the instruction we had received during our spiritual infancy. Like
most of that early teaching, it was defective because inadequate. As
we continued our study of God's Word further light has been granted us
on this subject--yet alas how ignorant we still are--and this has
enabled us to see that, in the past, we had started at the wrong
point, for instead of beginning at the beginning, we commenced almost
in the middle. instead of salvation from sin being threefold, as we
once supposed, we now perceive it to be fourfold. How good is the Lord
in vouchsafing us additional light, yet it is now our duty to walk
therein, and, as Providence affords us opportunity, to give it out.
May the Holy Spirit so graciously guide us that God may be glorified
and His people edified.
The subject of God's "so-great-salvation" (Heb. 2:3), as it is
revealed to us in the Scriptures and made known in Christian
experience, is worthy of a life's study. Any one who supposes that
there is now no longer any need for him to prayerfully search for a
fuller understanding of the same needs to ponder "If any man think he
knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know" (1 Cor.
8:2). The fact is that the moment any of us really takes it for
granted that he already knows all that there is to be known on any
subject treated of in Holy Writ, he at once cuts himself off from any
further light thereon. That which is most needed by all of us in order
to a better understanding of Divine things is not a brilliant
intellect, but a truly humble heart and a teachable spirit, and for
that we would daily and fervently pray, for we possess it not by
nature.
The subject of Divine salvation has, sad to say, provoked age-long
controversy and bitter contentions even among Christians. There is
comparatively little agreement even upon this elementary vet vital
truth. Some have insisted that salvation is by Divine grace, others
have argued that it is by human endeavor. A number have sought to
defend the middle position, and while allowing that the salvation of a
lost sinner must be by Divine grace, were not willing to concede that
it is by Divine grace alone, alleging that God's grace must be plussed
by something from the creature, and very varied have been the opinions
of what that `something must be--baptism, church-membership, the
performing of good works, holding out faithful to the end, etc. On the
other hand, there are those who not only grant that salvation is by
grace alone, but who deny that God uses any means whatever in the
accomplishment of His eternal purpose to save His elect--overlooking
the fact that the sacrifice of Christ is the grand "means'!
It is true that the Church of God was blessed with super-creation
blessings, being chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world
and predestinated unto the adoption of children, and nothing could or
can alter that grand fact. It is equally true that if sin had never
entered the world, none had been in need of salvation from it. But sin
has entered, and the Church fell in Adam and came under the curse and
condemnation of God's Law. Consequently, the elect, equally with the
reprobate, shared in the capital offence of their federal head, and
partake of its fearful entail: "In Adam all die" (1 Cor. 15:22): "By
the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation" (Rom.
5:18). The result of this is, that all are "alienated from the life of
God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of
their hearts" (Eph. 4:18), so that the members of the mystical Body of
Christ are "by nature the children of wrath, even as others" (Eph.
2:3), and hence they are alike in dire need of God's salvation.
Even when there is fundamental soundness in their views upon Divine
salvation many have such inadequate and one-sided conceptions that
other aspects of this truth, equally important and essential, are
often overlooked and tacitly denied. How many, for example, would be
capable of giving a simple exposition of the following texts: "Who
hat/i saved us" (2 Tim. 1:9), "Work out your own salvation with fear
and trembling' (Phil. 2:12), "Now is our salvation nearer than when we
believed' (Rom. 13:11). Now those verses do not refer to three
different salvations, but to three separate aspects of one, and unless
we learn to distinguish sharply among them, there can be naught but
confusion and cloudiness in our thinking. Those passages present three
distinct phases and stages of salvation: salvation as an accomplished
fact, as a present process, and as a future prospect.
So many today ignore these distinctions, jumbling them together. Some
contend for one and some argue against the other two; and vice versa.
Some insist they are already saved, and deny that they are now being
saved. Some declare that salvation is entirely future, and deny that
it is in any sense already accomplished. Both are wrong. The fact is
that the great majority of professing Christians fail to see that
"salvation" is one of the most comprehensive terms in all the
Scriptures, including predestination, regeneration, justification,
sanctification, and glorification. They have far too cramped an idea
of the meaning and scope of the word "salvation" (as it is used in the
Scriptures), narrowing its range too much, generally confining their
thoughts to but a simple phase. They suppose "salvation" means no more
than the new birth or the forgiveness of sins. Were one to tell them
that salvation is a protracted process, they would view him with
suspicion; and if he affirmed that salvation is something awaiting us
in the future, they would at once dub him a heretic. Yet they would be
the ones to err.
Ask the average Christian, Are you saved? and he answers, Yes, I was
saved in such and such a year; and that is as far as his thoughts on
the subject go. Ask him, To what do you owe your salvation? and "the
finished work of Christ" is the sum of his reply. Tell him that each
of those answers is seriously defective, and he strongly resents your
aspersion. As an example of the confusion that now prevails, we quote
the following from a tract on Philippians 2:12: "To whom are those
instructions addressed? The opening words to the Epistle tell us: `To
the saints in Christ Jesus.' . . . Thus they were all believers! and
could not be required to work for their salvation, for they already
possessed it." Alas that so few people today perceive anything wrong
in such a statement. Another "Bible teacher" tells us that "save
thyself" (1 Tim. 4:16) must refer to deliverance from physical ills,
as Timothy was already saved spiritually. True, yet it is equally true
that he was then in the process of being saved, and also a fact that
his salvation was then future.
Let us now supplement the first three verses quoted and show that
there are other passages in the New Testament which definitely refer
to each distinct tense of salvation. First salvation is an
accomplished fact: "Thy faith hath saved thee" (Luke 7:50); "by grace
ye have been saved" (Greek, and so translated in the R. V.--Eph. 2:8);
"according to his mercy he saved us" (Titus 3:5). Second, salvation as
a present process, in course of accomplishment; not yet completed:
"Unto us which are being saved" (1 Cor. 1:18--R. V. and Bagster
Interlinear); "Them that believe to the saving (not the `salvation')
of the soul" (Heb. 10:39). Third, salvation as a future process: "Sent
forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation" (Heb.
1:14); "receive with meekness the engrafted Word, which is able to
save your souls" (James. 1:21); "kept by the power of God through
faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Pet.
1:5). Thus, by putting together these different passages we are
clearly warranted in formulating the following statement: every
genuine Christian has been saved, is now being saved, and will yet be
saved--how and from what we shall endeavor to show.
As further proof of how many-sided is the subject of God's great
salvation, and how that in Scripture it is viewed from various angles,
take the following: by grace are ye saved" (Eph. 2:8); "saved by his
(Christ's) life," i.e., by His resurrection life (Rom. 5:9); "thy
faith hath saved thee" (Luke 7:50); "the engrafted Word which is able
to save your souls" (James 1:21); "saved by hope" (Rom. 8:24); "saved;
yet so as by fire" (1 Cor. 3:15); "the like figure whereunto baptism
doth also now save us" (1 Pet. 3:21). Ah, my reader, the Bible is not
a lazy man's book, nor can it be soundly expounded by those who do not
devote the whole of their time, and that for years, to its prayerful
study. It is not that God would bewilder us, but that He would humble
us, drive us to our knees, make us dependent upon His Spirit. Not to
the proud--those who are wise in their own esteem--are its heavenly
secrets opened.
In like manner it may be shown from Scripture that the cause of
salvation is not a single one, as so many suppose--the blood of
Christ. Here, too, it is necessary to distinguish between things which
differ. First, the originating cause of salvation is the eternal
purpose of God, or, in other words, the predestinating grace of the
Father. Second, the meritorious cause of salvation is the mediation of
Christ, this having particular respect to the legal side of things,
or, in other words, His fully meeting the demands of the Law on the
behalf and in the stead of those He redeems. Third, the efficient
cause of salvation is the regenerating and sanctifying operations of
the Holy Spirit, which respect the experimental side of it; or, in
other words, the Spirit works in us what Christ purchased for us.
Thus, we owe our personal salvation equally to each Person in the
Trinity, and not to one (the Son) more than to the others. Fourth, the
instrumental cause is our faith, obedience, and perseverance: though
we are not saved because of them, equally true is it that we cannot be
saved (according to God's appointment) without them.
In the opening paragraph, we have stated that in our earlier effort we
erred as to the starting point. In writing upon a threefold salvation
we began with salvation from the penalty of sin, which is our
justification. But our salvation does not begin there, as we knew well
enough even then: alas that we so blindly followed our erring
preceptors. Our salvation originates, of course, in the eternal
purpose of God, in His predestinating of us to everlasting glory. "Who
hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to
our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given
us in Christ Jesus before the world began" (2 Tim. 1:9). That has
reference to God's decree of election: His chosen people were then
saved completely, in the Divine purpose, and all that we shall now say
has to do with the performing of that purpose, the accomplishing of
that decree, the actualization of that salvation.
Contents | Preface | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
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A Fourfold Salvation by A.W. Pink
1. Salvation from the Pleasure of Sin
It is here that God begins His actual application of salvation unto
His elect. God saves us from the pleasure or love of sin before He
delivers us from the penalty or punishment of sin. Necessarily so, for
it would be neither an act of holiness nor of righteousness were He to
grant full pardon to one who was still a rebel against Him, loving
that which He hates. God is a God of order throughout, and nothing
ever more evidences the perfections of His works than the orderliness
of them. And how does God save His people from the pleasure of sin?
The answer is, By imparting to them a nature which hates evil and
loves holiness. This takes place when they are born again, so that
actual salvation begins with regeneration. Of course it does: where
else could it commence? Fallen man can never perceive his desperate
need of salvation nor come to Christ for it, till he has been renewed
by the Holy Spirit.
"He hath made everything beautiful in his time" (Eccl. 3:11), and much
of the beauty of God's spiritual handiwork is lost upon us unless we
duly observe their "time." Has not the Spirit Himself emphasized this
in the express enumeration He has given us in "For whom he did
foreknow, he did also predestinate to be conformed to the image of his
Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover,
whom he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called,
them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified"
(Rom. 8:29-30). Verse 29 announces the Divine foreordination; verse 30
states the manner of its actualization. It seems passing strange that
with this Divinely defined method before them, so many preachers begin
with our justification, instead of with that effectual call (from
death unto life, our regeneration) which precedes it. Surely it is
most obvious that regeneration must first take place in order to lay a
foundation for our justification. Justification is by faith (Acts
13:39; Rom. 5:1; Gal. 3:8), and the sinner must be Divinely quickened
before he is capable of believing savingly.
Does not the last statement made throw light upon and explain what we
have said is so "passing strange"? Preachers today are so thoroughly
imbued with free-willism that they have departed almost wholly from
that sound evangelism which marked our forefathers. The radical
difference between Arminianism and Calvinism is that the system of the
former revolves about the creature, whereas the system of the latter
has the Creator for its centre of orbit. The Arminian allots to man
the first place, the Calvinist gives God that position of honor. Thus
the Arminian begins his discussion of salvation with justification,
for the sinner must believe before he can be forgiven; further back he
will not go, for he is unwilling that man should be made nothing of
But the instructed Calvinist begins with election, descends to
regeneration, and then shows that being born again (by the sovereign
act of God, in which the creature has no part) the sinner is made
capable of savingly believing the Gospel.
Saved from the pleasure and love of sin. What multitudes of people
would strongly resent being told that they delighted in evil! They
would indignantly ask if we supposed them to be moral perverts. No
indeed: a person may be thoroughly chaste and yet delight in evil. It
may be that some of our own readers repudiate the charge that they
have ever taken pleasure in sin, and would claim, on the contrary,
that from earliest recollection they have detested wickedness in all
its forms. Nor would we dare to call into question their sincerity;
instead we point out that it only affords another exemplification of
the solemn fact that "the heart is deceitful above all things" (Jer.
17:9). But this is a matter that is not open to argument: the plain
teaching of God's Word decides the point once and for all, and beyond
its verdict there is no appeal. What, then, say the Scriptures?
So far from God's Word denying that there is any delight to be found
therein, it expressly speaks of "the pleasures of sin," it immediately
warns that those pleasures are but "for a season" (Heb. 11:25), for
the aftermath is painful and not pleasant; yea, unless God intervenes
in His sovereign grace, they entail eternal torment. So too the Word
refers to those who are "lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God"
(2 Tim. 3:4). It is indeed striking to observe how often this
discordant note is struck in Scripture. It mentions those who "love
vanity" (Ps. 4:2); "him that loveth violence" (Ps. 11:5); "thou lovest
evil more than good" (Ps. 52:3); "he loved lies" (Prov. 1:22); "they
which delight in their abominations" (Isa. 66:3); "their abominations
were according as they loved" (Hos. 9:10); who hated the good and
loved the evil" (Micah 3:2); "if any man love the world, the love of
the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15). To love sin is far worse than
to commit it, for a man may be suddenly tripped up or commit it
through frailty.
The fact is, my reader, that we are not only born into this world with
an evil nature, but with hearts that are thoroughly in love with sin.
Sin is our native element. We are wedded to our lusts, and of
ourselves are no more able to alter the bent of our corrupt nature
than the Ethiopian can change his skin or the leopard his spots. But
what is impossible with man, is possible with God, and when He takes
us in hand this is where He begins--by saving us from the pleasure or
love of sin. This is the great miracle of grace, for the Almighty
stoops down and picks up a loathsome leper from the dunghill and makes
him a new creature m Christ, so that the things he once hated he now
loves. God commences by saving us from ourselves. He does not save us
from the penalty until He has delivered us from the love of sin.
And how is this miracle of grace accomplished, or rather, exactly what
does it consist of? Negatively, not by eradicating the evil nature,
nor even by refining it. Positively, by communicating a new nature, a
holy nature, which loathes that which is evil, and delights in all
that is truly good. To be more specific. First, God save His people
from the pleasure or love of sin by puffing His holy awe in their
hearts, for "the fear of the Lord is to hate evil" (Prov. 8:13), and
again, "the fear of the Lord is to depart from evil" (Prov. 6:16).
Second. God saves His people from the pleasure of sin by communicating
to them a new and vital principle: `the love of God is shed abroad in
our hearts by the Holy Spirit" (Rom 5:5), and where the love of God
rules the heart, the love of sin is dethroned. Third, God saves His
people from the love of sin by the Holy Spirit's drawing their
affections unto things above, thereby taking them off the things which
formerly enthralled them.
If on the one hand the unbeliever hotly denies that lit is in love
with sin, many a believer is often hard put 10 persuade himself that
he has been saved from the love thereof With an understanding that has
in part been enlightened by the Holy Spirit, he is the better able to
discern things in their true colors. With a heart that has been made
honest by grace, he refuses to call sweet bitter. With a conscience
that has been sensitized by the new birth, he the more quickly feels
the workings of sin and the hankering of his affections for that which
is forbidden. Moreover, the flesh remains in him, unchanged, and as
the raven constantly craves carrion, so this corrupt principle in
which our mothers conceived us, lusts after and delights in that which
is the opposite of holiness. It is these things which occasion and
give rise to the disturbing questions that clamour for answer within
the genuine believer.
The sincere Christian is often made to seriously doubt if he has been
delivered from the love of sin. Such questions as these plainly
agitate his mind: Why do I so readily yield to temptation? Why do some
of the vanities and pleasures of the world still possess so much
attraction for me? Why do I chafe so much against any restraints being
placed upon my lusts? Why do I find the work of mortification so
difficult and distasteful? Could such things as these be if I were a
new creature in Christ? Could such horrible experiences as these
happen if God had saved me from taking pleasure in sin? Well do we
know that we are here giving expression to the very doubts which
exercise the minds of many of our readers, and those who are strangers
thereto are to be pitied. But what shall we say in reply? How is this
distressing problem to be resolved?
How may one be assured that he has been saved from the love of sin?
Let us point out first that the presence of that within us which still
lusts after and takes delight in some evil things, is not incompatible
with our having been saved from the love of sin, paradoxical as that
may sound. It is part of the mystery of the Gospel that those who be
saved are yet sinners in themselves. The point we are here dealing
with is similar to and parallel with faith. The Divine principle of
faith in the heart does not cast out unbelief. Faith and doubts exist
side by side within a quickened soul, which is evident from those
words, "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief" (Mark 9:24). In like
manner the Christian may exclaim and pray, "Lord, I long after
holiness, help Thou my lustings after sin." And why is this? Because
of the existence of two separate natures, the one at complete variance
with the other within the Christian.
How, then, is the presence of faith to be ascertained? Not by the
ceasing of unbelief, but by discovering its own fruit and works. Fruit
may grow amid thorns as flowers among weeds, and yet it is fruit
nonetheless. Faith exists amid many doubts and fears. Notwithstanding
opposing forces within as well as from without us, faith still reaches
out after God. Notwithstanding innumerable discouragements and
defeats, faith continues to fight. Notwithstanding many refusals from
God, it yet clings to Him and says, Except Thou bless me I will not
let Thee go. Faith may be fearfully weak and fitful, often eclipsed by
the clouds of unbelief, nevertheless the Devil himself cannot persuade
its possessor to repudiate God's Word, despite His Son, or abandon all
hope. The presence of faith, then, may be ascertained in that it
causes its possessor to come before God as an empty-handed beggar
beseeching Him for mercy and blessing.
Now just as the presence of faith may be known amid all the workings
of unbelief, so our salvation from the love of sin may be ascertained
notwithstanding all the lustings of the flesh after that which is
evil. But in what way? How is this initial aspect of salvation to be
identified? We have already anticipated this question in an earlier
paragraph, wherein we stated that God saved us from delighting in sin
by imparting a nature that hates evil and loves holiness, which takes
place at the new birth. Consequently, the real question to be settled
is, How may the Christian positively determine whether that new and
holy nature has been imparted to him? The answer is, By observing its
activities, particularly the opposition it makes (under the
energizings of the Holy Spirit) unto indwelling sin. Not only does the
flesh (that principle of sin) lust against the spirit, but the spirit
(the principle of holiness) lusts and wars against the flesh.
First, our salvation from the pleasure or love of sin may be
recognized by sin's becoming a burden to us. This is truly a spiritual
experience. Many souls are loaded down with worldly anxieties, who
know nothing of what it means to be bowed down with a sense of guilt.
But when God takes us in hand, the iniquities and transgressions of
our past life are made to lie as an intolerable load upon the
conscience. When we are given a sight of ourselves as we appear before
the eyes of the thrice holy God, we will exclaim with the Psalmist,
"For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have
taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more
than the hairs of mine head:
therefore my heart faileth me" (Ps. 42:12). So far from sin being
pleasant, it is now felt as a cruel incubus, a crushing weight, and
unendurable load. The soul is "heavy laden" (Matthew 11:28) and bowed
down. A sense of guilt oppresses and the conscience cannot bear the
weight of it. Nor is this experience restricted to our first
conviction: it continues with more or less acuteness throughout the
Christian's life.
Second, our salvation from the pleasure of sin may be recognized by
sin's becoming bitter to us. True, there are millions of unregenerate
who are filled with remorse over the harvest reaped from their sowing
of wild oats. Yet that is not hatred of sin, but dislike of its
consequences--ruined health, squandered opportunities, financial
straitness, or social disgrace. No, what we have reference to is that
anguish of heart which ever marks the one the Spirit takes in hand.
When the veil of delusion is removed and we see sin in the light of
God's countenance; when we are given a discovery of the depravity of
our very nature, then we perceive that we are sunk in carnality and
death. When sin is opened to us in all its secret workings, we are
made to feel the vileness of our hypocrisy, self-righteousness,
unbelief, impatience, and the utter filthiness of our hearts. And when
the penitent soul views the sufferings of Christ, he can say with Job,
"God maketh my heart soft" (23:16).
Ah, my reader, it is this experience which prepares the heart to go
out after Christ: those that are whole need not a physician, but they
that are quickened and convicted by the spirit are anxious to be
relieved by the great Physician. "The Lord killeth, and maketh alive;
he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. The Lord maketh poor
and maketh rich; he bringeth low, and lifteth up" (1 Sam. 2:6-7). It
is in this way that God slayeth our self righteousness, maketh poor
and bringeth low--by making sin to be an intolerable burden and as
bitter wormwood to us. There can be no saving faith till the soul is
filled with evangelical repentance, and repentance is a godly sorrow
for sin, a holy detestation of sin, a sincere purpose to forsake it.
The Gospel calls upon men to repent of their sins, forsake their
idols, and mortify their lusts, and thus it is utterly impossible for
the Gospel to be a message of good tidings to those who are in love
with sin and madly determined to perish rather than part with their
idols.
Nor is this experience of sin's becoming bitter to us limited to our
first awakening--it continues in varying degrees, to the end of our
earthly pilgrimage. The Christian suffers under temptations, is pained
by Satan's fiery assaults, and bleeds from the wounds inflicted by the
evil he commits. It grieves him deeply that he makes such a wretched
return unto God for His goodness, that he requites Christ so evilly
for His dying love, that he responds so fitfully to the promptings of
the Spirit. The wanderings of his mind when he desires to meditate
upon the Word, the dullness of his heart when he seeks to pray, the
worldly thoughts which invade his mind on the Holy Sabbath, the
coldness of his affections towards the Redeemer, cause him to groan
daily; all of which goes to evidence that sin has been made bitter to
him. He no longer welcomes those intruding thoughts which take his
mind off God: rather does he sorrow over them. But, "Blessed are they
that mourn: for they shall be comforted: (Matthew 5:4).
Third, our salvation from the pleasure of sin may be recognized by the
felt bondage which sin produces. As it is not until a Divine faith is
planted in the heart that we become aware of our native and inveterate
unbelief, so it is not until God saves us from the love of sin that we
are conscious of the fetters it has placed around us. Then it is we
discover that we are "without strength," unable to do anything
pleasing to God, incapable of running the race set before us. A
Divinely drawn picture of the saved soul's felt bondage is to be found
in Rom. 7: "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no
good thing: for to will is present with me, but how to perform that
which is good I find not. For the good that I would, I do not; but the
evil which I would not, that I do . . . For I delight in the law of
God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, waning
against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law
of sin" (vs. 18, 19, 22, 23). And what is the sequel? this the
agonizing cry "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the
body of this death?" If that be the sincere lamentation of your heart,
then God has saved you from the pleasure of sin.
Let it be pointed out though, that salvation from the love of sin is
felt and evidenced in varying degrees by different Christians, and in
different periods in the life of the same Christian, according to the
measure of grace which God bestows, and according as that grace is
active and operative. Some seem to have a more intense hatred of sin
in all its forms than do others, yet the principle of hating sin is
found in all real Christians. Some Christians, rarely if ever, commit
any deliberate and premeditated sins: more often they are tripped up,
suddenly tempted (to be angry or tell a lie) and are overcome. But
with others the case is quite otherwise: they-- fearful to
say--actually plan evil acts. If any one indignantly denies that such
a thing is possible in a saint, and insists that such a character is a
stranger to saving grace, we would remind him of David: was not the
murder of Uriah definitely planned? This second class of Christians
find it doubly hard to believe they have been saved from the love of
sin.
Contents | Preface | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
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A Fourfold Salvation by A.W. Pink
2. Salvation from the Penalty of Sin
This follows upon our regeneration which is evidenced by evangelical
repentance and unfeigned faith. Every soul that truly puts his trust
in the Lord Jesus Christ is then and there saved from the penalty--the
guilt, the wages, the punishment--of sin. When the apostle said to the
penitent jailor, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be
saved," he signified that all his sins would be remitted by God; just
as when the Lord said to the poor woman, "thy faith hath saved thee:
go in peace" (Luke 7:50). He meant that all her sins were now forgiven
her, for forgiveness has to do with the criminality and punishment of
sin. To the same effect when we read "by grace are ye saved through
faith" (Eph. 2:8), it is to be understood the Lord has actually
"delivered us from the wrath to come" (1 Thess. 1:10).
This aspect of our salvation is to be contemplated from two separate
viewpoints: the Divine and the human. The Divine side of it is found
in the mediatorial office and work of Christ, who as the Sponsor and
Surety of His people met the requirements of the law on their behalf,
working out for them a perfect righteousness and enduring Himself the
curse and condemnation which are due them, consummated at the Cross.
It was there that He was "wounded for our transgressions and bruised
for our iniquities" (Isa. 53:5). It was there that He, judicially,
"his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree" (1 Pet.
2:24). It was there that He was "smitten of God and afflicted" while
He was making atonement for the offenses of His people. Because Christ
suffered in my stead, I go free; because He died, I live; because He
was forsaken of God, I am reconciled to Him. This is the great marvel
of grace, which will evoke ceaseless praise from the redeemed
throughout eternity.
The human side of our salvation from the penalty of sin respects our
repentance and faith. Though these possess no merits whatever, and
though they in no sense purchase our pardon, yet according to the
order which God has appointed, they are (instrumentally) essential,
for salvation does not become ours experimentally until they are
exercised. Repentance is the hand releasing those filthy objects it
had previously clung to so tenaciously; faith is extending an empty
hand to God to receive His gift of grace. Repentance is a godly sorrow
for sin; faith is receiving a sinner s Saviour. Repentance is a
revulsion of the filth and pollution of sin; faith is a seeking of
cleansing therefrom. Repentance is the sinner covering his mouth and
crying, "Unclean, unclean!"; faith is the leper coming to Christ and
saying, "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean."
So far from repentance and faith being meritorious graces, they are
self-emptying ones. The one who truly repents takes his place as a
lost sinner before God, confessing himself to be a guilty wretch
deserving naught but unsparing judgment at the hands of Divine
justice. Faith looks away from corrupt and ruined self, and views the
amazing provision which God has made for such a Hell-deserving
creature. Faith lays hold of the Son of God's love, as a drowning man
clutches at a passing spar. Faith surrenders to the Lordship of
Christ, rests upon the merits and efficacy of His sacrifice, his sins
are removed from God's sight "as far as the east is from the west": he
is now eternally saved from the wrath to come.
We cannot do better here than quote these sublime lines of Augustus
Toplady:
From whence this fear and unbelief?
Hast Thou, O Father, put to grief
Thy spotless Son for me?
And will the righteous Judge of men
Condemn me for that debt of sin
Which, Lord, was laid on Thee?
If Thou hast my discharge procured,
And freely in my place endured
The whole of wrath Divine;
Payment God cannot twice demand
First at my bleeding Surety's hand,
And then again at mine.
Complete atonement Thou hast made,
And to the utmost farthing paid,
What e'er Thy people owed;
How then can wrath on me take place,
If sheltered in Thy righteousness,
And sprinkled with Thy blood?
Turn, then, my soul, unto thy rest,
The merits of thy great High Priest
Speak peace and liberty.
Trust in His efficacious blood,
Nor fear thy banishment from God,
Since Jesus died for thee.
While deliverance from the love of sin has to do entirely with the
experimental side of our salvation, remission of the penalty of sin
concerns the legal aspect only, or in other words, the believer's
justification. Justification is a forensic term and has to do with the
law-courts, for it is the decision or verdict of the judge.
Justification is the opposite of condemnation. Condemnation means that
a man has been charged with a crime, his guilt is established, and
accordingly the law pronounces upon him sentence of punishment. On the
contrary, justification means that the accused is found to be
guiltless, the law has nothing against him, and therefore he is
acquitted and exonerated, leaving the court without a stain upon his
character. When we read in Scripture that believers are "justified
from all things" (Acts 13:39), it signifies that their case has been
tried in the high court of Heaven and that God, the Judge of all the
earth, has acquitted them: "There is therefore now no condemnation to
them which are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1).
But to be without condemnation is only the negative side:
justification means to declare or pronounce righteous, up to the Law's
requirements. Justification implies that the Law has been fulfilled,
obeyed, magnified, for nothing short of this would meet the just
demands of God. Hence, as His people, fallen in Adam, were unable to
measure up to the Divine standard, God appointed that His own Son
should become incarnate, be the Surety of His people, and answer the
demands of the Law in their stead. Here, then, is the sufficient
answer which may be made to the two objections which unbelief is ready
to raise: how can God acquit the guilty? How can He declare righteous
one who is devoid of righteousness? Bring in the Lord Jesus Christ and
all difficulty disappears. The guilt of our sins was imputed or
legally transferred to Him, so that He suffered the full penalty of
what was due them; the merits of His obedience are imputed or legally
transferred to us, so that we stand before God in all the
acceptableness of our Sponsor (Rom. 5:18, 19; 2 Cor. 5:21, etc.). Not
only has the Law nothing against us, but we are entitled to its
reward.
Contents | Preface | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
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A Fourfold Salvation by A.W. Pink
3. Salvation from the Power of Sin
This is a present and protracted process, and is as yet incomplete. It
is the most difficult part of our subject, and upon it the greatest
confusion of thought prevails, especially among young Christians. Many
there are who, having learned that the Lord Jesus is the Saviour of
sinners, have jumped to the erroneous conclusion that if they but
exercise faith in Him, surrender to His Lordship, commit their souls
into His keeping, He will remove their corrupt nature and destroy
their evil propensities. But after they have really trusted in Him,
they discover that evil is still present with them, that their hearts
are still deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, and that
no matter how they strive to resist temptation, pray for overcoming
grace, and use the means of God's appointing, they seem to grow worse
and worse instead of better, until they seriously doubt if they are
saved at all. They are not being saved.
Even when a person has been regenerated and justified, the flesh or
corrupt nature remains within him, and ceaselessly harasses him. Yet
this ought not to perplex hint To the saints at Rome Paul said, "Let
not sin therefore reign in your mortal body" (6:12), which would be
entirely meaningless had sin been eradicated from them. Writing to the
Corinthian saints he said, "Having therefore these promises, dearly
beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and
spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1):
obviously such an exhortation is needless if sin has been purged from
our beings. "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God,
that he may exalt you in due time" (1 Pet. 5:6): what need have
Christians for such a word as this, except pride lurks and works
within them. But all room for controversy on this point is excluded if
we bow to that inspired declaration, "If we say we have no sin we
deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8).
The old carnal nature remains in the believer: he is still a sinner,
though a saved one. What, then, is the young Christian to do? Is he
powerless? Must he resort to stoicism, and make up his mind there is
naught but a life of defeat before him? Certainly not! The first thing
for him to do is to learn the humiliating truth that in himself he is
"without strength." It was here that Israel failed: when Moses made
known to them the Law they boastfully declared "all that the Lord has
said we will do and be obedient" (Ex. 24:7). AU how little did they
realize that "in the flesh there dwelleth no good thing." It was here,
too, that Peter failed: he was self-confident and boasted that "though
all men be offended because of thee, yet will I not deny thee--how
little he knew his own heart. This complacent spirit lurks within each
of us. While we cherish the belief we can "do better next time" it is
evident that we still have confidence in our own powers. Not until we
heed the Saviour's words "without me ye can do nothing" do we take the
first step toward victory. Only when we are weak (in ourselves) are we
strong.
The believer still has the carnal nature within him, and he has no
strength in himself to check its evil propensities, nor to overcome
its sinful solicitations. But the believer in Christ also has another
nature within him which is received at the new birth: "that which is
born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6). The believer, then, has two
natures within him: one which is sinful, the other which is spiritual.
These two natures being totally different in character, are
antagonistic to each other. To this antagonism or conflict the apostle
referred when he said, "The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the
spirit against the flesh" (Gal. 5:17). Now which of these two natures
is to regulate the believer's life? It is manifest that both cannot,
for they are contrary to each other. It is equally evident that the
stronger of the two will exert the more controlling power. It is also
clear that in the young Christian the carnal nature is the stronger,
because he was born with it, and hence it has many years start of the
spiritual nature, which he did not receive until he was born again.
Further, it is unnecessary to argue at length that the only way by
which we can strengthen and develop the new nature, is by feeding it.
In every realm growth is dependent upon food, suitable food, daily
food. The nourishment which God has provided for our spiritual nature
is found in His own Word, for "Man shall not live by bread alone, but
by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4). It
is to this that Peter has reference when he says, "As newborn babes
desire the sincere (pure) milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby"
(1 Pet. 2:2). In proportion as we feed upon the heavenly Manna, such
will be our spiritual growth. Of course there are other things besides
food needful to growth: we must breathe, and in a pure atmosphere.
This, translated into spiritual terms, signifies prayer. It is when we
approach the throne of grace and meet our Lord face to face that our
spiritual lungs are filled with the ozone of Heaven. Exercise is
another essential to growth, and this finds its accomplishment in
walking with the Lord. If, then, we heed these primary laws of
spiritual health, the new nature will flourish.
But not only must the new nature be fed, it is equally necessary for
our spiritual well-being that the old nature should be starved. This
is what the apostle had in mind when he said, "Make not provision for
the flesh, unto the lusts thereof" (Rom. 13:14). To starve the old
nature, to make not provision for the flesh, means that we abstain
from everything that would stimulate our carnality; that we avoid, as
we would a plague, all that is calculated to prove injurious to our
spiritual welfare. Not only must we deny ourselves the pleasures of
sin, shun such things as the saloon, theatre, dance, card-table, etc.,
but we must separate ourselves from the worldly companions, cease to
read worldly literature, abstain from everything upon which we cannot
ask God's blessing. Our affections are to be set upon things above,
and not upon things upon the earth (Col. 3:2). Does this seem a high
standard, and sound impracticable? Holiness in all things is that at
which we are to aim, and failure to do so explains the leanness of so
many Christians. Let the young believer realize that whatever does not
help his spiritual life hinders it.
Here, then, in brief is the answer to our question, What is the young
Christian to do in order for deliverance from indwelling sin. It is
true that we are still in this world, but we are not "of' it (John
17:14). It is true that we are forced to associate with godless
people, but this is ordained of God in order that we may "let our
light so shine before men that they may see our good works, and
glorify our Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16). There is a wide
difference between associating with sinners as we go about our daily
tasks, and making them our intimate companions and friends. Only as we
feed upon the Word can we "grow in grace and in the knowledge of our
Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18). Only as we starve the old nature can
we expect deliverance from its power and pollution. Then let us
earnestly heed the exhortation "put ye off concerning the former
conversation (behaviour) the old man, which is corrupt according to
the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and
that ye put on the new man, which, after God, is created in
righteousness and true holiness" (Eph. 4:22-24).
Above, we have dealt only with the human side of the problem as to how
to obtain deliverance from the dominion of sin. Necessarily there is a
Divine side too. It is only by God's grace that we are enabled to use
the means which He has provided us, as it is only by the power of His
Spirit who dwells within us that we can truly "lay aside every weight,
and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and run with patience the
race that is set before us" (Heb. 12:1). These two aspects (the Divine
and the human) are brought together in a number of scriptures. We are
bidden to "work out our own salvation with fear and trembling" but the
apostle immediately added, "for it is God which worketh in you both to
will and to do of his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:12, 13). Thus, we are to
work out that which God has wrought within us; in other words, if we
walk in the Spirit we shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh (Gal.
5:16). It has now been shown that salvation from the power of sin is a
process which goes on throughout the believer's life. It is to this
Solomon referred when he said, "The path of the just is as a shining
light, which shineth more and more unto the perfect day" (Prov. 4:18).
As our salvation from the pleasure of sin is the consequence of our
regeneration, and as salvation from the penalty of sin respects our
justification, so salvation from the power of sin has to do with the
practical side of our sanctification. The word sanctification
signifies "separation"--separation from sin. We need hardly say that
the word holiness is strictly synonymous with "sanctification," being
an alternative rendering of the same Greek word. As the practical side
of sanctification has to do with our separation from sin, we are told,
"Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,
perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1). That practical
sanctification or holiness is a process, a progressive experience, is
clear from this: "Follow . . . holiness without which no man shall see
the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). The fact that we are to "follow" holiness
clearly intimates that we have not yet attained unto the Divine
standard which God requires of us. This is further seen in the passage
just quoted: "perfecting holiness" or completing it.
The Divine Side of Our Salvation
We must now enter into a little fuller detail of the Divine side of
our salvation from the power and pollution of sin. When a sinner truly
receives Christ as his Lord and Saviour, God does not then and there
take him to Heaven; on the contrary, he is likely to be left down here
for many years, and this world is a place of danger, for it lieth in
the Wicked one (1 John 5:19) and all pertaining to it is opposed to
the Father (1 John 2:16). Therefore the believer needs daily salvation
from this hostile system. Accordingly we read that Christ "gave
Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil
world, according to the will of God our Father (Gal. 1:4). Not only is
the sinner not taken to Heaven when he first savingly believes, but,
as we have seen, the evil nature is not taken out of him; nevertheless
God does not leave him completely under its dominion, but graciously
delivers him from its regal power. He uses a great variety of means to
accomplish this.
First, by granting us a clearer view of our inward depravity, so that
we are made to abhor ourselves. By nature we are thoroughly in love
with ourselves, but as the Divine work of grace is carried forward in
our souls we come to loathe ourselves; and that, my reader, is a very
distressing experience--one which is conveniently shelved by most of
our modern preachers. The concept which many young Christians form
from preachers is, that the experience of a genuine believer is a
smooth, peaceful, and joyous one; but he soon discovers that this is
not verified in his personal history, but rather is it completely
falsified. And this staggers him: supposing the preacher to know more
about such matters than himself, he is now filled with disturbing
doubts about his very salvation, and the Devil promptly tells him he
is only a hypocrite, and never was saved at all.
Only those who have actually passed through or are passing through
this painful experience have any real conception thereof: there is as
much difference between an actual acquaintance with it and the mere
reading a description of the same, as there is between personally
visiting a country and examining it first hand and simply studying a
map of it. But how are we to account for one who has been saved from
the pleasure and penalty of sin, now being made increasingly conscious
not only of its polluting presence but of its tyrannizing power? How
explain the fact that the Christian now finds himself growing worse
and worse, and the more closely he endeavours to walk with God, the
more he finds the flesh bringing forth its horrible works in ways it
had not done previously? The answer is because of increased light from
God, by which he now discovers filth of which he was previously
unaware: the sun shining into a neglected room does not create the
dust and cobwebs, but simply reveals them.
Thus it is with the Christian. The more the light of the Spirit is
turned upon him inwardly, the more he discovers the horrible plague of
his heart (1 Kings 8:38), and the more he realizes what a wretched
failure he is. The fact is, dear discouraged soul, that the more you
are growing out of love with yourself, the more you are being saved
from the power of sin. Wherein lies its fearful potency? Why, in its
power to deceive us. It lies to us. It did so to Adam and Eve. It
gives us false estimates of values so that we mistake the tinsel for
real gold. To be saved from the power of sin, is to have our eyes
opened so that we see things in God's light: it is to know the truth
about things all around us, and the truth about ourselves. Satan has
blinded the minds of them that believe not, but the Holy Spirit hath
shined in our hearts "unto the light of the knowledge of the glory of
God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:4, 6).
But further: sin not only deceives, it puffs up, causing its
infatuated victims to think highly of themselves. As I Tim. 3:6 tells
us, to be "lifted up with pride" is to "fall into the condemnation of
the devil." Ah, it was insane egotism which caused him to say, "I will
ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I
will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the
north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds: I will be like
the Most High" (Isa. 14:13, 14). Is there any wonder then, that those
in whom he works are filled with pride and complacency! Sin ever
produces self-love and self-righteousness: the most abandoned of
characters will tell you, "I know that I am weak, yet I have a good
heart." But when God takes us in hand, it is the very opposite: the
workings of the Spirit subdues our pride. How? By giving increasing
discoveries of self and the exceeding sinfulness of sin, so that each
one cries with Job "Behold! I am vile" (40:4): such an one is being
saved from the power of sin--its power to deceive and to inflate.
Second, by sore chastenings. This is another means which God uses in
delivering His people from sin's dominion. "We have had fathers of our
flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not
much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For
they verily for a few days chastened us after their pleasure: but He
for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness" (Heb.
12:9, 10). Those chastenings assume varied forms: sometimes they are
external, sometimes internal, but whatever be their nature they are
painful to flesh and blood. Sometimes these Divine chastisements are
of long duration, and then the soul is apt to ask "why standest Thou
afar off, 0 Lord? Why dost Thou hide Thyself in times of trouble?"
(Ps. 10:1), for it seems as though God has deserted us. Earnest prayer
is made for a mitigation of suffering, but no relief is granted; grace
is earnestly sought for meekly bowing to the rod, but unbelief,
impatience, rebellion, seems to wax stronger and stronger, and the
soul is hard put to it to believe in God's love; but as Heb. 12:11
tells us, "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but
grievous; nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceful (peaceable,
AV) fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."
This life is a schooling, and chastenings are one of the chief methods
God employs in the training of His children. Sometimes they are sent
for the correcting of our faults, and therefore we must pray, "Cause
me to understand wherein I have erred" (Job 6:24). Let us steadily
bear in mind that it is the "rod" and not the sword which is smiting
us, held in the hand of our loving Father and not the avenging Judge.
Sometimes they are sent for the prevention of sin, as Paul was given a
thorn in the flesh, "lest he should be exalted above measure, through
the abundance of the revelations" given him. Sometimes they are sent
for our spiritual education, that by them we may be brought to a
deeper experimental acquaintance with God: "It is good for me that I
have been afflicted, that I might learn Thy statutes" (Ps. 119:71).
Sometimes they are sent for the testing and strengthening of our
graces: "We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation
worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope"
(Rom. 5:3, 4); "count it all joy when ye fall into varied trials:
knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience" (James
1:2, 3).
Chastening is God's sin-purging medicine, sent to wither our fleshly
aspirations, to detach our heats from carnal objects. to deliver us
from our idols, to wean us more thoroughly from the world. God has
bidden us "Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers . . . come
out from among them, and be ye separate" (2 Cor. 6:14, 17); and we are
slow to respond, and therefore does He take measures to drive us out
lie has bidden us "love not the world," and if we disobey we must not
be surprised if He causes some of our worldly friends to hate and
persecute us. God has bidden us "mortify ye therefore your members
which are upon the earth" (Col. 3:5): if we refuse to comply with this
unpleasant task, then we may expect God Himself to use the
pruning-knife upon us. God has bidden us "cease ye from man" (Isa.
2:22), and if we will trust our fellows, we are made to suffer for it.
"Despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art
rebuked of Him" (Heb. 12:5). This is a salutary warning. So far from
despising it, we should be grateful for the same: that God cares so
much and takes such trouble with us, and that His bitter physic
produces such healthful effects. "In their affliction they will seek
Me early" (Hos. 5:15): while everything is running smoothly for us, we
are apt to be self-sufficient; but when trouble comes, we promptly
turn unto the Lord. Own, then, with the Psalmist "In faithfulness Thou
hast afflicted me" (119:75). Not only do God's chastisements, when
sanctified to us, subdue the workings of pride and wean us more from
the world, but they make the Divine promises more precious to the
heart: such an one as this takes on new meaning; "When thou passest
through the waters, I will be with thee, . . . when thou walkest
through the fire, thou shalt not be burned" (Isa. 43:2). Moreover,
they break down selfishness and make us more sympathetic to our
fellow-sufferers: "Who comfortest us in all our tribulation, that we
may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble" (2 Cor. 1:4).
Third, by bitter disappointments. God has plainly warned us that "all
is vanity and vexation of spirit, and there is no profit under the
sun" (Fed. 2:11), and that by one who was permitted to gratify the
physical senses as none other ever has been. Yet we do not take this
warning to heart, for we do not really believe it. On the contrary, we
persuade ourselves that satisfaction is to be found in things under
the sun, that the creature can give contentment to our hearts. As well
attempt to fill a circle with a square! The heart was made for God,
and He alone can meet its needs. But by nature we are idolaters,
putting things into His place. Those things we invest with qualities
they possess not, and sooner or later our delusions are rudely exposed
to us, and we discover that the images in our minds are only dreams,
that our golden idol is but clay after all.
God so orders His providences that our earthly nest is destroyed. The
winds of adversity compel us to leave the downy bed of carnal ease and
luxuriation. Grievous losses are experienced in some form or other.
Trusted friends prove fickle, and in the hour of need fail us. The
family circle, which had so long sheltered us and where peace and
happiness was found, is broken up by the grim hand of death. Health
fails and weary nights are our portion. These frying experiences,
these bitter disappointments, are another of the means which our
gracious God employs to save us from the pleasure and pollution of
sin. By them He discovers to us the vanity and vexation of the
creature. By them He weans us more completely from the world. By them
He teaches us that the objects in which we sought refreshment are but
"broken cisterns," and this that we may turn to Christ and draw from
Him who is the Well of living water, the One who alone can supply true
satisfaction of soul.
It is in this way we are experimentally taught to look off from the
present to the future, for our rest is not here. "For we are saved by
hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why
doth he yet hope for?" (Rom. 8:24). Let it be duly noted that this
comes immediately after "we ourselves groan within ourselves." Thus to
be "saved by hope" respects our present salvation from the power of
sin. Complete salvation is now the Christian's only in title and
expectation. It is not here said that we "shall be saved by hope,' but
we are saved by hope--that hope which looks for the fulfilling of
God's promises. Hope has to do with a future good, with something
which as yet "is seen not:" we "hope" not for something which is
already enjoyed. Herein hope differs from faith. Faith, as it is an
assent, is in the mind; but hope is seated in the affections, stirred
by the desirability of the things promised.
And, my reader, the bitter disappointments of life are naught but a
dark background upon which hope may shine forth the more brightly.
Christ does not immediately take to Heaven the one who puts his trust
in Him. No, He keeps him here upon earth for a while to be exercised
and tried. While he is awaiting his complete blessedness there is such
a difference between him and it, and he encounters many difficulties
and trials. Not having yet received his inheritance, there is need and
occasion of hope, for only by its exercise can things future be sought
after. The stronger our hope, the more earnestly shall we be engaged
in the pursuit of it. We have to be weaned from present things in
order for the heart to be fixed upon a future good.
Fourth, by the gift of the Spirit and His operations within us. God's
great gift of Christ for us is matched by the gift of the Spirit for
us, for we owe as much to the One as we do to the Other. The new
nature in the Christian is powerless apart from the Spirit's daily
renewing. It is by His gracious operations that we have discovered to
us the nature and extent of sin, are made to strive against it, are
brought to grieve over it. It is by the Spirit that faith, hope,
prayer, is kept alive within the soul. It is by the Spirit we are
moved to use the means of grace which God has appointed for our
spiritual preservation and growth. It is by the spirit that sin is
prevented from having complete dominion over us, for as the result of
His indwelling us, there is something else besides sin in the
believer's heart and life, namely, the fruits of holiness and
righteousness.
To sum up this aspect of our subject. Salvation from the power of
indwelling sin is not the taking of the evil nature out of the
believer in this life, nor by effecting any improvement in it: "that
which is born of the flesh is flesh" (John 3:6) and it remains so,
unchanged to the end. Nor is it by the Spirit so subduing indwelling
sin that it is rendered less active, for the flesh not merely lusts,
but "lusteth (ceaselessly) against the spirit:" it never sleeps, not
even when our bodies do, as our dreams evidence. No, and in some form
or other, the flesh is constantly producing its evil works. It may not
be in external acts, seen by the eyes of our fellows, but certainly so
internally, in things seen by God--such as covetousness, discontent,
pride, unbelief, self-will, ill-will towards others, and a hundred
other evils. No, none is saved from sinning in this life.
Present salvation from the power of sin consists in, first, delivering
us from the love of it, which though begun at our regeneration is
continued throughout out practical sanctification. Second, from its
blinding delusiveness, so that it can no more deceive as it once did.
Third, from our excusing it: "that which I do, I allow not" (Rom.
7:15). This is one of the surest marks of regeneration. In the fullest
sense of the word the believer "allows" it not before he sins, for
every real Christian when in his right mind desires to be wholly kept
from sinning. He "allows" it not fully when doing it, for in the
actual committing thereof there is an inward reserve--the new nature
consents not. He "allows" it not afterwards, as Psalm 51 evidences so
plainly of the case of David.
The force of this word "allow" in Romans 7:15 may be seen from "truly
ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they
killed them (the prophets) and ye build their sepulchers" (Luke
11:48). So far from those Jews being ashamed of their fathers and
abhorring their wicked conduct, they erected a monument to their
honour. Thus, to "allow" is the opposite of to be ashamed of and
sorrow over: it is to condone and vindicate. Therefore, when it is
said that the believer "allows not" the evil of which he is guilty, it
means that he seeks not to justify himself or throw the blame on some
one else, as both Adam and Eve did. That the Christian allows not sin
is evident by his shame over it, his sorrow for it, his confession of
it, his loathing himself because of it, his renewed resolution to
forsake it.
Contents | Preface | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
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A Fourfold Salvation by A.W. Pink
4. Salvation from the Presence of Sin
We now turn to that aspect of our subject which has to do solely with
the future. Sin is yet to be completely eradicated from the believer's
being, so that he shall appear before God without any spot or blemish.
True, this is his legal status even now, yet it has not become so in
his state or experience. As God views the believer in Christ, he
appears before Him in all the excellency of his Sponsor; but as God
views him as he yet is in himself (and that he does do so is proved by
His chastenings), he beholds all the ruin which the Fall has wrought
in him. But this will not always be the case: no, blessed be His name,
the Lord is reserving the best wine for the last. And even now we have
tasted that He is gracious, but the fullness of His grace will only be
entered into and enjoyed by us after this world is left behind.
Those Scriptures which present our salvation as a future prospect are
all concerned with our final deliverance from the very inbeing of sin.
To this Paul referred when he said, "Now is our salvation nearer than
when we believed" (Rom. 13:11)--not our salvation from the pleasure,
the penalty, or the power of sin, but from its very presence. "For our
citizenship is in heaven: from whence we also look for the Saviour,
the Lord Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:20). Yes, it is the "Saviour" we
await, for it is at His return that the whole election of grace shall
enter into their full salvation; as it is written, "Unto them that
look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto
salvation" (Heb. 9:28). In like manner, when another apostle declares,
"We are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready
to be revealed at the last time" (1 Pet. 1:5), he had reference to
this grand consummation of the believer's salvation, when he shall be
forever rid of the very presence of sin.
Our salvation from the pleasure of sin is effected by Christ's taking
up His abode in our hearts: "Christ liveth in me" (Gal. 2:20). Our
salvation from the penalty of sin was secured by Christ's sufferings
on the cross, where He endured the punishment due our iniquities. Our
salvation from the power of sin is obtained by the gracious operations
of the Spirit which Christ sends to His people--therefore is He
designated "the Spirit of Christ" (Rom. 8:9 and cf. Gal. 4:6, Rev.
3:1). Our salvation from the presence of sin will be accomplished at
Christ's second advent: "for our citizenship is in Heaven, from whence
also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change
our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body,
according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things
unto Himself" (Phil. 3:20, 21). And again we are told, "We know that
when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He
is" (1 John 3:2). It is all of Christ from beginning to end.
Man was originally created in the image and likeness of God,
reflecting the moral perfections of his Maker. But sin came in and he
fell from his pristine glory, and by that fall God's image in him was
broken and His likeness marred. But in the redeemed that image is to
be restored, yea, they are to be granted a far higher honour than what
was bestowed upon the first Adam: they are to be made like the last
Adam. It is written, "For whom He did foreknow, He also did
predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be
the Firstborn among many brethren" (Rom. 8:29). This blessed purpose
of God in our predestination will not be fully realized until the
second coming of our Lord: then it will be that His people shall be
completely emancipated from the thralldom and corruption of sin. Then
shall Christ "present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having any
spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and
without blemish" (Eph. 5:27).
Salvation from the pleasure or love of sin takes place at our
regeneration; salvation from the penalty or punishment of sin occurs
at our justification; salvation from the power or dominion of sin is
accomplished during our practical sanctification; salvation from the
presence or inbeing of sin is consummated at our glorification: "Whom
lie justified, them He also glorified" (Rom. 8:30). Not so much is
revealed in Scripture on this fourth aspect of our subject, for God's
Word was not given us to gratify curiosity. Yet sufficient is made
known to feed faith, strengthen hope, draw out love, and make us "run
with patience the race that is set before us." In our present state we
are incapable of forming any real conception of the bliss awaiting us:
yet as Israel's spies brought back the bunch of "the grapes of Eschol"
as a sample of the good things to be found in the land of Canaan, so
the Christian is granted a foretaste and earnest of his inheritance on
High.
"Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of
the Son of God, to a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of
the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13). It is to the image of a glorified
Christ that we are predestinated to be conformed. Behold Him on the
mount of transfiguration, when a fore-view of His glory was granted
the favoured disciples. Such is the dazzling splendour of His person
that Saul of Tarsus was temporarily blinded by a glimpse of it, and
the beloved John in the isle of Patmos "fell at His feet as dead"
(Rev. 1:7) when he beheld Him. That which awaits us can best be
estimated as it is contemplated in the light of God's wondrous love.
The portion which Christ Himself has received, is the expression of
God's love for Him; and, as the Saviour has assured His people
concerning His Father's love unto them, "and hast loved them as Thou
lovest Me" (John 17:23), and therefore, as He promised, "where I am,
there ye may be also" (John 14:3).
But is not the believer forever done with sin at death? Yes, thank
God, such is the case; yet that is not his glorification, for his body
goes to corruption, and that is the effect of sin. But it is written
of the believer's body, "It is sown in corruption, it is raised in
incorruption; it is sown m dishonour, it is raised in glory; it is
sown m weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it
is raised a spiritual body" (1 Cor. 15:42-44). Nevertheless, at death
itself the Christian's soul is entirely freed from the presence of
sin. This is clear from "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord
from henceforth, yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their
labours; and their works do follow them" (Rev. 14:13). What is
signified by "that they may rest from their labours?" Why, something
more blessed than ceasing from earning their daily bread by the sweat
of their brows, for that will be true of the unsaved also. Those who
die in the Lord rest from their "labours" with sin: their painful
conflicts with indwelling corruption, Satan, and the world. The fight
which faith now wages is then ended, and full relief from sin is
theirs forever.
The fourfold salvation from sin of the Christian was strikingly
typified in God's dealings with the nation of Israel of old. First, we
have a vivid portrayal of their deliverance from the pleasure or love
of sin: "And the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage,
and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the
bondage. And God heard their groaning" (Ex. 2:23, 24). What a contrast
does that present from what we read of in the closing chapters of
Genesis! There we hear the king of Egypt saying to Joseph, "The land
of Egypt is before thee: in the best of the land make thy father and
brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen" (47:6). Accordingly we are
told, "And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of
Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew and multiplied
exceedingly" (47:27). Now Egypt is the OT. symbol of the world, as a
system opposed to God. And it was there, in the "best pan" of it, the
descendants of Abraham had settled. But the Lord had designs of mercy
and something far better for them: yet before they could appreciate
Canaan they had to be weaned from Egypt. Hence we find them in cruel
bondage there, smarting under the lash of the taskmasters. In this way
they were made to loathe Egypt and long for deliverance therefrom. The
theme of Exodus is redemption: how striking, then, to see that God
begins His work of redemption by making His people to groan and cry
out under their bondage! The portion Christ bestows is not welcome
till we are made sick of this world.
Second, in Exodus 12 we have a picture of God's people being delivered
from the penalty of sin. On the Passover night the angel of death came
and slew all the firstborn of the Egyptians. But why spare the
firstborn of the Israelites? Not because they were guiltless before
God, for all had sinned and come short of His glory. The Israelites,
equally with the Egyptians, were guilty in His sight, and deserving of
unsparing judgment. It was at this very point that the grace of God
came in and met their need. Another was slain in their room and died
in their stead. An innocent victim was killed and its blood shed,
pointing to the coming of "the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin
of the world." The head of each Israelitish household sprinkled the
lamb's blood on the lintel and posts of his door, and hence the
firstborn in it was spared from the avenging angel: God promised,
"when I see the blood I will pass over you" (Ex. 12:13). Thus, Israel
was saved from the penalty of sin by means of the lamb dying in their
stead.
Third, Israel's wilderness journey adumbrated the believer's salvation
from the power of sin. Israel did not enter Canaan immediately upon
their exodus from Egypt: they had to face the temptations and trials
of the desert where they spent not less than forty years. But what a
gracious and full provision did God make for His people! Manna was
given them daily from heaven--figure of that food which God's Word now
supplies for our spiritual nourishment. Water was given from the
smitten rock-- emblem of the Holy Spirit sent by the smitten Christ to
dwell within us: John 7:38, 39. A cloud and a pillar of fire guided
them by day and guarded them by night, reminding us of how God directs
our steps and shields us from our foes. Best of all, Moses, their
great leader, was with them, counseling, admonishing, and interceding
for them--figure of the Captain of our salvation: "In I am with you
alway."
Fourth, the actual entrance of Israel into the promised land
foreshadowed the believer's glorification, when he enters into the
full enjoyment of that possession which Christ has purchased for hint
The experiences Israel met with in Canaan have a double typical
significance. From one viewpoint they presaged the conflict which
faith encounters while the believer is left upon earth, for as the
Hebrews had to overcome the original inhabitants of Canaan before they
could enjoy their portion, so faith has to surmount many obstacles if
it is to "possess its possessions." Nevertheless, that land of milk
and honey into which Israel entered after the bondage of Egypt and the
hardships of the wilderness were left behind, was manifestly a figure
of the Christian's portion in Heaven after he is forever done with sin
in this world.
"Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from
their sins" (Matthew 1:21). First, save them from the pleasure or love
of sin by bestowing a nature which hates it: this is the great miracle
of grace. Second, save them from the penalty or punishment of sin, by
remitting all its guilt: this is the grand marvel of grace. Third,
save them from the power or dominion of sin, by the workings of His
Spirit: this reveals the wondrous might of grace. Fourth, save them
from the presence or inbeing of sin: this will demonstrate the
glorious magnitude of grace. May it please the Lord to bless these
elementary but most important articles to many of His little ones, and
make their "big" brothers and sisters smaller in their own esteem.
Contents | Preface | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
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A Guide to Fervent Prayer by A.W. Pink
Introduction
_________________________________________________________________
Much has been written on what is usually called "the Lord's Prayer"
(which I prefer to term "the Family Prayer") and much upon the high
priestly prayer of Christ in John 17, but very little upon the prayers
of the apostles. Personally I know of no book devoted to the apostolic
prayers, and except for a booklet on the two prayers of Ephesians 1
and 3 have been scarcely any separate exposition of them. It is not
easy to explain this omission. One would think that the apostolic
prayers are so filled with important doctrine and practical value for
believers that they should have attracted the attention of those who
write on devotional subjects. While many of us very much deprecate the
efforts of those who would have us believe that the prayers of the Old
Testament are obsolete and inappropriate for the saints of this Gospel
age, it seems to me that even Dispensational teachers should recognize
and appreciate. the peculiar suitability to Christians of the prayers
recorded in the Epistles and the Book of Revelation. With the
exception of the prayers of our Redeemer, only in the Apostolic
prayers are praises and petitions specifically addressed to "the
Father." Of all the prayers of Scripture, only these are offered in
the name of the Mediator. Furthermore, in these apostolic prayers
alone do we find the full breathings of the Spirit of adoption.
How blessed it is to hear some elderly saint, who has long walked with
God and enjoyed intimate communion with Him, pouring out his heart
before the Lord in adoration and supplication. But how much more
blessed would we have esteemed ourselves had we had the privilege of
listening to the Godward praises and appeals of those who had
companied with Christ during the days of His tabernacling among men!
And if one of the apostles were still here upon earth, what a high
privilege we would deem it to hear him engage in prayer! Such a high
one, methinks, that most of us would be quite willing to go to
considerable inconvenience and to travel a long distance in order to
be thus favored. And if our desire were granted, how closely would we
listen to his words, how diligently would we seek to treasure them up
in our memories. Well, no such inconvenience, no such journey, is
required. It has pleased the Holy Spirit to record a number of the
apostolic prayers for our instruction and satisfaction. Do we evidence
our appreciation of such a boon? Have we ever made a list of them and
meditated upon their import?
No Apostolic Prayers In Acts
In my preliminary task of surveying and tabulating the recorded
prayers of the apostles, two things impressed me. The first
observation came as a complete surprise, while the second was fully
expected. That which is apt to strike us as strange--to some of my
readers it may be almost startling--is this: the Book of Acts, which
supplies most of the information we possess concerning the apostles,
has not a single prayer of theirs in its twenty-eight chapters. Yet a
little reflection should show us that this omission is in full accord
with the special character of the book; for Acts is much more
historical than devotional, consisting far more of a chronicle of what
the Spirit wrought through the apostles than in them. The public deeds
of Christ's ambassadors are there made prominent, rather than their
private exercises. They are certainly shown to be men of prayer, as is
seen by their own words: "But we will give ourselves continually to
prayer, and to the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:4). Again and again
we behold them engaged in this holy exercise (Acts 9:40; 10:9; 20:36;
21:5; 28:8), yet we are not told what they said. The closest Luke
comes to recording words clearly attributable to apostles is in Acts
8:14,15, but even there he merely gives us the quintessence of that
for which Peter and John prayed. I regard the prayer of Acts 1:24 as
that of the 120 disciples. The great, effectual prayer recorded in
Acts 4:24-30 is not that of Peter and John, but that of the whole
company (v. 23) who had assembled to hear their report.
Paul, an Exemplar in Prayer
The second feature that impressed me while contemplating the subject
that is about to engage us, was that the great majority of the
recorded prayers of the apostles issued from the heart of Paul. And
this, as we have said, was really to be expected. If one should ask
why this is so, several reasons might be given in reply. First, Paul
was, preeminently, the apostle to the Gentiles. Peter, James, and John
ministered principally to Jewish believers (Gal. 2:9), who, even in
their unconverted days, had been accustomed to bow the knee before the
Lord. But the Gentiles had come out of heathenism, and it was fitting
that their spiritual father should also be their devotional exemplar.
Furthermore, Paul wrote twice as many God-breathed epistles as all the
other apostles added together, and he gave expression to eight times
as many prayers in his Epistles as the rest did in all of theirs. But
chiefly, we call to mind the first thing our Lord said of Paul after
his conversion: "for, behold, he prayeth" (Acts 9:11, ital. mine). The
Lord Christ was, as it were, striking the keynote of Paul's subsequent
life, for he was to be eminently distinguished as a man of prayer.
It is not that the other apostles were devoid of this spirit. For God
does not employ prayerless ministers, since He has no dumb children.
"Cry[ing] day and night unto him" is given by Christ as one of the
distinguishing marks of God's elect (Luke 18:7, brackets mine). Yet
certain of His servants and some of His saints are permitted to enjoy
closer and more constant fellowship with the Lord than others, and
such was obviously the case (with the exception of John) with the man
who on one occasion was even caught up into Paradise (2 Cor. 12:1-5).
An extraordinary measure of "the spirit of grace and of supplications"
(Zech. 12:10) was vouchsafed him, so that he appears to have been
anointed with that spirit of prayer above even his fellow apostles.
Such was the fervor of his love for Christ and the members of His
mystical Body, such was his intense solicitude for their spiritual
wellbeing and growth, that there continually gushed from his soul a
flow of prayer to God for them and of thanksgiving on their behalf.
The Wide Spectrum of Prayer
Before proceeding further it should be pointed out that in this series
of studies I do not propose to confine myself to the petitionary
prayers of the apostles, but rather to take in a wider range. In
Scripture prayer includes much more than merely making known our
requests to God. We need to be reminded of this. Moreover, we
believers need to be instructed in all aspects of prayer in an age
characterized by superficiality and ignorance of God-revealed
religion. A key Scripture that presents to us the privilege of
spreading our needs before the Lord emphasizes this very thing: "Be
careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God" (Phil.
4:6, ital. mine). Unless we express gratitude for mercies already
received and give thanks to our Father for His granting us the
continued favor of petitioning Him, how can we expect to obtain His
ear and thus to receive answers of peace? Yet prayer, in its highest
and fullest sense, rises above thanksgiving for gifts vouchsafed: the
heart is drawn out in contemplating the Giver Himself, so that the
soul is prostrated before Him in worship and adoration.
Though we ought not to digress from our immediate theme and enter into
the subject of prayer in general, yet it should be pointed out that
there is still another aspect that ought to take precedence over
thanksgiving and petition, namely self-abhorrence and confession of
our own unworthiness and sinfulness. The soul must solemnly remind
itself of Who it is that is to be approached, even the Most High,
before whom the very seraphim veil their faces (Isa. 6:2). Though
Divine grace has made the Christian a son, nevertheless he is still a
creature, and as such at an infinite and inconceivable distance below
the Creator. It is only fitting that he should deeply feel this
distance between himself and his Creator and acknowledge it by taking
his place in the dust before God. Moreover, we need to remember what
we are by nature: not merely creatures, but sinful creatures. Thus
there needs to be both a sense and an owning of this as we bow before
the Holy One. Only in this way can we, with any meaning and reality,
plead the mediation and merits of Christ as the ground of our
approach.
Thus, broadly speaking, prayer includes confession of sin, petitions
for the supply of our needs, and the homage of our hearts to the Giver
Himself. Or, we may say that prayer's principal branches are
humiliation, supplication, and adoration. Hence we hope to embrace
within the scope of this series not only passages like Ephesians
1:16-19 and 3:14-21, but also single verses such as 2 Corinthians 1:3
and Ephesians 1:3. That the clause "blessed be God" is itself a form
of prayer is clear from Psalm 100:4: "Enter into his gates with
thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him,
and bless his name." Other references might be given, but let this
suffice. The incense that was offered in the tabernacle and temple
consisted of various spices compounded together (Exod. 30:34, 35), and
it was the blending of one with another that made the perfume so
fragrant and refreshing. The incense was a type of the intercession of
our great High Priest (Rev. 8:3, 4) and of the prayers of saints (Mal.
1:11). In like manner there should be a proportioned mingling of
humiliation, supplication, and adoration in our approaches to the
throne of grace, not one to the exclusion of the others, but a
blending of all of them together.
Prayer, a Primary Duty of Ministers
The fact that so many prayers are found in the New Testament Epistles
calls attention to an important aspect of ministerial duty. The
preacher's obligations are not fully discharged when he leaves the
pulpit, for he needs to water the seed which he has sown. For the sake
of young preachers, allow me to enlarge a little upon this point. It
has already been seen that the apostles devoted themselves
"continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:4),
and thereby they have left an excellent example to be observed by all
who follow them in the sacred vocation. Observe the apostolic order;
yet do not merely observe it, but heed and practice it. The most
laboriously and carefully-prepared sermon is likely to fall
unctionless upon the hearers unless it has been born out of travail of
soul before God. Unless the sermon be the product of earnest prayer we
must not expect it to awaken the spirit of prayer in those who hear
it. As has been pointed out, Paul mingled supplications with his
instructions. It is our privilege and duty to retire to the secret
place after we leave the pulpit, there begging God to write His Word
on the hearts of those who have listened to us, to prevent the enemy
from snatching away the seed, and to so bless our efforts that they
may bear fruit to His eternal praise.
Luther was wont to say, "There are three things that go to the making
of a successful preacher: supplication, meditation, and tribulation."
I know not what elaboration the great Reformer made. But I suppose he
meant this: that prayer is necessary to bring the preacher into a
suitable frame to handle Divine things and to endue him with Divine
power; that meditation on the Word is essential in order to supply him
with material for his message; and that tribulation is required as
ballast for his vessel, for the minister of the Gospel needs trials to
keep him humble, just as the Apostle Paul was given a thorn in the
flesh that he might not be unduly exalted by the abundance of the
revelations granted to him. Prayer is the appointed means for
receiving spiritual communications for the instruction of our people.
We must be much with God before we can be fitted to go forth and speak
in His name. Paul, in concluding his Epistle to the Colossians,
informs them of the faithful intercess ions of Epaphras, one of their
ministers, who was away from home visiting Paul. "Epaphras, who is one
of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently
for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the
will of God. For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you
. . ." (Col. 4:12, 13a). Could such a commendation of you be made to
your congregation?
Prayer, a Universal Duty Among Believers
But let it not be thought that this marked emphasis of the Epistles
indicates a duty for preachers only. Far from it. These Epistles are
addressed to God's children at large, and everything in them is both
needed for, and suited to, their Christian walk. Believers, too,
should pray much not only for themselves but for all their brothers
and sisters in Christ. We should pray deliberately according to these
apostolic models, petitioning for the particular blessings they
specify. I have long been convinced there is no better way--no more
practical, valuable, and effective way--of expressing solicitude and
affection for our fellow saints than by bearing them up before God by
prayer in the arms of our faith and love.
By studying these prayers in the Epistles and pondering them clause by
clause, we may learn more clearly what blessings we should desire for
ourselves and for others, that is, the spiritual gifts and graces for
which we have great need to be solicitous. The fact that these
prayers, inspired by the Holy Spirit, have been placed on permanent
record in the Sacred Volume declares that the particular favors sought
herein are those which God has given us warrant to seek and to obtain
from Himself (Rom. 8:26, 27; 1 John 5:14, 15).
Christians Are to Address God as Father
We will conclude these preliminary and general observations by calling
attention to a few of the more definite features of the apostolic
prayers. Observe then, to Whom these prayers are addressed. While
there is no wooden uniformity of expression but rather appropriate
variety in this matter, yet the most frequent manner in which the
Deity is addressed is as Father: "the Father of mercies" (2 Cor. 1:3);
"the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph. 1:3; 1 Peter 1:3);
"the Father of glory" (Eph. 1:17); "the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ" (Eph. 3:14). In this language we see clear evidence of how the
holy apostles took heed to the injunction of their Master. For when
they made request of Him, saying, "Lord, teach us to pray," He
responded thus: "When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven"
(Luke 11:1, 2, ital. mine). This He also taught them by means of
example in John 17:1, 5, 11,21, 24, and 25. Both Christ's instruction
and example have been recorded for our learning. We are not unmindful
of how many have unlawfully and lightly addressed God as "Father," yet
their abuse does not warrant our neglecting to acknowledge this
blessed relationship. Nothing is more calculated to warm the heart and
give liberty of utterance than a realization that we are approaching
our Father. If we have received, of a truth, "the Spirit of adoption"
(Rom. 8:15), let us not quench Him, but by His promptings cry, "Abba,
Father."
The Brevity and Definiteness of Apostolic Praying
Next, we note their brevity. The prayers of the apostles are short
ones. Not some, or even most, but all of them are exceedingly brief,
most of them encompassed in but one or two verses, and the longest in
only seven verses. How this rebukes the lengthy, lifeless and
wearisome prayers of many a pulpit. Wordy prayers are usually windy
ones. I quote again from Martin Luther, this time from his comments on
the Lord's prayer directed to simple laymen:
When thou prayest let thy words be few, but thy thoughts and
affections many, and above all let them be profound. The less thou
speakest the better thou prayest. . . . External and bodily prayer
is that buzzing of the lips, that outside babble that is gone
through without any attention, and which strikes the ears of men;
but prayer in spirit and in truth is the inward desire, the
motions, the sighs, which issue from the depths of the heart. The
former is the prayer of hypocrites and of all who trust in
themselves: the latter is the prayer of the children of God, who
walk in His fear.
Observe, too, their definiteness. Though exceedingly brief, yet their
prayers are very explicit. There were no vague ramblings or mere
generalizations, but specific requests for definite things. How much
failure there is at this point. How many prayers have we heard that
were so incoherent and aimless, so lacking in point and unity, that
when the Amen was reached we could scarcely remember one thing for
which thanks had been given or request had been made! Only a blurred
impression remained on the mind, and a feeling that the supplicant had
engaged more in a form of indirect preaching than direct praying. But
examine any of the prayers of the apostles and it will be seen at a
glance that theirs are like those of their Master's in Matthew 6:9-13
and John 17, made up of definitive adorations and sharply-defined
petitions. There is neither moralizing nor uttering of pious
platitudes, but a spreading before God of certain needs and a simple
asking for the supply of them.
The Burden and Catholicity of the Apostles' Prayers
Consider also the burden of them. In the recorded apostolic prayers
there is no supplicating God for the supply of temporal needs and
(with a single exception) no asking Him to interpose on their behalf
in a providential way (though petitions for these things are
legitimate when kept in proper proportion to spiritual concerns.
Instead, the things asked for are wholly of a spiritual and gracious
nature: that the Father may give unto us the spirit of understanding
and revelation in the knowledge of Himself, the eyes of our
understanding being enlightened so that we may know what is the hope
of His calling, the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the
saints, and the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe
(Eph. 1: 17-19); that He would grant us, according to the riches of
His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner
man, that Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith, that we might know
the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, and be filled with all the
fulness of God (Eph. 3:16-19); that our love may abound more and more,
that we might be sincere and without offense, and be filled with the
fruits of righteousness (Phil. 1:9-il); that we might walk worthy of
the Lord unto all pleasing (Col. 1:10); that we might be sanctified
wholly (1 Thess. 5:23).
Note also the catholicity of them. Not that it is either wrong or
unspiritual to pray for ourselves individually, any more than it is to
supplicate for temporal and providential mercies; I mean, rather, to
direct attention to where the apostles placed their emphasis. In one
only do we find Paul praying for himself, and rarely for particular
individuals (as is to be expected with prayers that are a part of the
public record of Holy Scripture, though no doubt he prayed much for
individuals in secret). His general custom was to pray for the whole
household of faith. In this he adheres closely to the pattern prayer
given us by Christ, which I like to think of as the Family Prayer. All
its pronouns are in the plural number: "Our Father," "give us" (not
only "me"), "forgive us," and so forth. Accordingly we find the
Apostle Paul exhorting us to be making "supplication for all saints"
(Eph. 6:18, ital. mine), and in his prayers he sets us an example of
this very thing. He pleaded with the Father that the Ephesian church
might "be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and
length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which
passeth knowledge" (Eph. 3:18, ital. mine). What a corrective for
self-centeredness! If I am praying for "all saints," I include myself.
A Striking Omission
Finally, let me point out a striking omission. if all the apostolic
prayers be read attentively, it will be found that in none of them is
any place given to that which occupies such prominence in the prayers
of Arminians. Not once do we find God asked to save the world in
general or to pour out His Spirit on all flesh without exception. The
apostles did not so much as pray for the conversion of an entire city
in which a particular Christian church was located. In this they
conformed again to the example set for them by Christ: "I pray not for
the world," said He, "but for them which thou hast given me" (John
17:9). Should it be objected that the Lord Jesus was there praying
only for His immediate apostles or disciples, the answer is that when
He extended His prayer beyond them it was not for the world that He
prayed, but only for His believing people until the end of time (see
John 17:20, 21). It is true that Paul teaches "that supplications,
prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all [classes
of] men; for kings, and for all that are in authority" (1 Tim. 2:1,
2a, brackets mine)--in which duty many are woefully remiss--yet it is
not for their salvation, but "that we may lead a quiet and peaceable
life in all godliness and honesty" (v. 2b, ital. mine). There is much
to be learned from the prayers of the apostles.
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13 | 14
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A. W. Pink Header
A Guide to Fervent Prayer by A.W. Pink
Chapter 1
_________________________________________________________________
Hebrews 13:20, 21
Part I
This prayer contains a remarkable epitome of the entire epistle--an
epistle to which every minister of the Gospel should devote special
attention. Nothing else is so much needed today as expository sermons
on the Epistles to the Romans and to the Hebrews: the former supplies
that which is best suited to repel the legalism, antinomianism and
Arminianism that are now so rife, while the latter refutes the
cardinal errors of Rome and exposes the sacerdotal pretensions of her
priests. It provides the Divine antidote to the poisonous spirit of
ritualism that is now making such fatal inroads into so many sections
of a decadent Protestantism. That which occupies the central portion
in this vitally important and most blessed treatise is the priesthood
of Christ, which embodies the substance of what was foreshadowed both
in Melchizedek and Aaron. In the Book of Hebrews it is shown that His
one perfect sacrifice has forever displaced the Levitical institutions
and made an end of the whole Judaic system. That all-sufficient
oblation of the Lord Jesus made complete atonement for the sins of His
people, fully satisfying every legal claim that God's Law had upon
them, thereby rendering needless any efforts of theirs to placate Him.
"For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are
sanctified" (Heb. 10:14). That is to say, Christ has infallibly,
irrevocably set apart to the service of God those who have believed,
and that by the excellence of His finished work.
The Resurrection Declares God's Acceptance of Christ's Work
God's acceptance of Christ's atoning sacrifice was demonstrated by His
raising Christ from the dead and setting Him at the right hand of the
Majesty on high. That which characterized Judaism was sin, death, and
distance from God--the perpetual shedding of blood and the people shut
out from the Divine presence. But that which marks Christianity is a
risen and enthroned Savior, who has put away the sins of His people
from before the face of God and has secured for them the right of
access to Him. "Having therefore, brethren, boldness [liberty] to
enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way,
which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say,
his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us
draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith" (Heb.
10:19-22a, brackets mine). Thus we are encouraged to draw nigh to God
with full confidence in the infinite merits of Christ's blood and
righteousness, depending entirely thereon. In his prayer, the apostle
makes request that the whole of what he had set before them in the
doctrinal part of the Epistle might be effectually applied to their
hearts. In a brief but comprehensive sentence, Paul prays that there
might be worked out in the lives of the redeemed Hebrews every grace
and virtue to which he had exhorted them in the previous chapters. We
shall consider the object, plea, request, and doxology of this
benedictory invocation.
The Divine Titles Invoked Discriminately
"The God of peace" is the One to whom this prayer is directed. As I
intimated in some of the chapters of my book called Gleanings from
Paul, the various titles by which the apostles addressed the Deity
were not used at random, but were chosen with spiritual
discrimination. They were neither so poverty-stricken in language as
to always supplicate God under the same name, nor were they so
careless as to speak with Him under the first one that came to mind.
Instead, in their approaches to Him they carefully singled out that
attribute of the Divine nature, or that particular relationship that
God sustains to His people, which most accorded with the specific
blessing they sought. The same principle of discrimination appears in
the Old Testament prayers. When holy men of old sought strength, they
looked to the Mighty One. When they desired forgiveness, they appealed
to "the multitude of his tender mercies." When they cried for
deliverance from their enemies, they pleaded His covenant
faithfulness.
The God of Peace
I dwelt upon this title "the God of peace" in chapter 4 of Gleanings
from Paul (pp. 41-46), but would like to explicate it further with
several lines of thought.
First, it is a distinctively Pauline title, since no other New
Testament writer employs the expression. Its usage here is one of the
many internal proofs that he was the penman of this Epistle. It occurs
six times in his writings: Romans 15:33, and 16:20; 2 Corinthians
13:11; Philippians 4:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; and here in Hebrews
13:20; "the Lord of peace" is used once in 2 Thessalonians 3:16. It is
therefore evident that Paul had a special delight in contemplating God
in this particular character. And well he might, for it is an
exceedingly blessed and comprehensive one; and for that reason I have
done my best, according to the measure of light granted to me, to open
its meaning. A little later I shall suggest why Paul, rather than any
of the other of the apostles, coined this expression.
Secondly, it is a forensic title, viewing God in His official
character as Judge. It tells us that He is now reconciled to
believers. It signifies that the enmity and strife that formerly
existed between God and elect sinners is now ended. The previous
hostility had been occasioned by man's apostasy from his Maker and
Lord. The entrance of sin into this world disrupted the harmony
between heaven and earth, severed communion between God and man, and
ushered in discord and strife. Sin evoked God's righteous displeasure
and called for His judicial action. Mutual alienation ensued; for a
holy God cannot be at peace with sin, being "angry with the wicked
every day" (Ps. 7:11). But Divine wisdom had devised a way whereby
rebels could be restored to His favor without the slightest diminution
of His honor. Through the obedience and sufferings of Christ full
reparation was made to the Law and peace was reestablished between God
and sinners. By the gracious operations of God's Spirit, the enmity
that was in the hearts of His people is overcome, and they are brought
into loyal subjection to Him. Thereby the discord has been removed and
amity created.
Thirdly, it is a restrictive title. God is "the God of peace" only to
those who are savingly united to Christ, for there is now no
condemnation to those who are in Him (Rom. 8:1). But the case is far
different with those who refuse to bow to the scepter of the Lord
Jesus and take shelter beneath His atoning blood. "He that believeth
on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son
shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36).
Notice that it is not that the sinner shall yet fall beneath God's
wrath of the Divine Law, but that he is already under it. "For the
wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men" (Rom. 1:18, ital. mine). Furthermore, by
virtue of their federal relationship to Adam, all his descendants are
"by nature the children of wrath" (Eph. 2:3), entering this world as
the objects of God's judicial displeasure. So far from being "the God
of peace" to those who are out of Christ, "The LORD is a man of war"
(Ex. 15:3). "He is terrible to the kings of the earth" (Ps. 76:12).
"The God of Peace," a Gospel Title
Fourthly, this title, "the God of peace," is therefore an evangelical
one. The good news that His servants are commissioned to preach to
every creature is designated "the gospel of peace" (Rom. 10:15). Most
appropriately is it so named, for it sets forth the glorious Person of
the Prince of peace and His all-sufficient work whereby He "made peace
through the blood of his cross" (Col. 1:20). It is the business of the
evangelist to explain how Christ did so, namely, by His entering into
the awful breach that sin had made between God and men, and by having
transferred to Himself the iniquities of all who should believe on
Him, suffering the full penalty due those iniquities. When the Sinless
One was made sin for His people, He came under the curse of the Law
and the wrath of God. It is in accordance with His own eternal purpose
of grace (Rev. 13:8) that God the Father declares, "Awake, O sword,
against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow" (Zech.
13:7). Justice having been satisfied, God is now pacified; and all who
are justified by faith "have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ:" (Rom. 5:1).
Fifthly, it is therefore a covenant title, for all that was transacted
between God and Christ was according to everlasting stipulation. "And
the counsel of peace shall be between them both" (Zech. 6:13). It had
been eternally agreed that the good Shepherd should make complete
satisfaction for the sins of His flock, reconciling God to them and
them to God. That compact between God and the Surety of His elect is
expressly denominated a "covenant of peace," and the inviolability of
the same appears in that blessed declaration, "For the mountains shall
depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart
from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith
the LORD that hath mercy on thee" (Isa. 54:10). The shedding of
Christ's blood was the sealing or ratifying of that covenant, as
Hebrews 13:20 goes on to intimate. In consequence thereof, the face of
the Supreme Judge is wreathed in smiles of benignity as He beholds His
people in His Anointed One.
Sixthly, this title "the God of peace" is also a dispensational one,
and as such, it had a special appeal for the one who so frequently
employed it. Though a Jew by birth, and a Hebrew of the Hebrews by
training, Paul was called of God to "preach among the Gentiles the
unsearchable riches of Christ" (Eph. 3:8). This fact may indicate the
reason that this appellation, "the God of peace," is peculiar to Paul;
for, whereas the other apostles ministered and wrote principally to
the Circumcision, Paul was preeminently the apostle to the
Uncircumcision. Therefore he, more than any, would render adoration to
God on account of the fact that peace was being preached to those who
were afar off as well as to those who were nigh (Eph. 2:13-17). A
special revelation was made to him concerning Christ: "For he is our
peace, who hath made both [believing Jews and Gentiles] one, and hath
broken down the middle wall of partition [the ceremonial law, which
under Judaism had divided them] between us;. . . for to make in
himself of twain one new man, so making peace [between them]; And that
he might reconcile both unto God" (Eph. 2:14-16, brackets mine). Thus,
on account of his having received this special revelation, there was a
particular propriety in the Apostle to the Gentiles addressing God by
this title when making supplication for the Hebrews, just as there was
when he employed it in prayer for the Gentiles.
Lastly, this is a relative title. By this I mean that it is closely
related to Christian experience. The saints are not only the subjects
of that judicial peace which Christ made with God on their behalf, but
they are also the partakers of Divine grace experientially. The
measure of God's peace that they enjoy is determined by the extent to
which they are obedient to God, for piety and peace are inseparable.
The intimate connection there is between the peace of God and the
sanctifying of believers appears both in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, and
here in Hebrews 13:20, 21. For in each passage request is made for the
promotion of practical holiness, and in each the "God of peace" is
supplicated. When holiness reigned over the whole universe, peace
prevailed also. There was no war in heaven until one of the chief of
the angels became a devil, and fomented a rebellion against the thrice
holy God. As sin brings strife and misery, so holiness begets peace of
conscience. Holiness is well pleasing to God, and when He is well
pleased all is peace. The more this prayer be pondered in detail, and
as a whole, the more the appropriateness of its address will appear.
God's Resurrection of Christ Our Plea
"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord
Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the
everlasting covenant" (v. 20). This reference to the deliverance of
Christ from the tomb I regard as the plea on which the apostle bases
the request that follows. Since I consider this to be one of the most
important verses in the New Testament, I shall give my best attention
to every word in it, the more so since part of its wondrous contents
is so little comprehended today. We should observe, first, the
character in which the Savior is here viewed; secondly, the act of God
in bringing him forth from the dead; thirdly, the connection between
that act and His office as "the God of peace"; fourthly, how that the
meritorious cause of the same was "the blood of the everlasting
covenant;" and fifthly, the powerful motive that the meritorious cause
provides to encourage the saints to come boldly to the throne of grace
where they may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
May the Holy Spirit deign to be our Guide as we prayerfully ponder
this portion of the Truth.
That Great Shepherd of the Sheep
This title of Christ's was most pertinent and appropriate in an
Epistle to Jewish converts, for the Old Testament had taught them to
look for the Messiah in that specific function. Moses and David,
eminent types of Him, were shepherds. Concerning the first it is said,
"Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron"
(Ps. 77:20). Under the name of the second God promised the Messiah to
Israel: "And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed
them, even my servant [the antitypical] David; he shall feed them, and
he shall be their shepherd" (Ezek. 34:23, brackets mine). That Paul
here made reference to that particular prophecy is clear from what it
went on to say: "And I will. make with them a covenant of peace" (v.
25). Here in Hebrews 13:20, the same three things are brought
together: the God of peace, the great Shepherd, the everlasting
covenant, and in a manner (in perfect accord with the theme of the
Epistle) that refuted the erroneous conception that the Jews had
formed of their Messiah. They imagined that He would secure for them
an external deliverance as Moses had done and a prosperous national
state as David had set up. They had no idea that He would shed His
precious blood and be brought down into the grave, though they should
have known and understood it in the light of prophetic revelation.
When Christ appeared in their midst, He definitely presented Himself
to the Jews in this character. He not only declared, "I am the good
shepherd:" but added this: "the good shepherd giveth his life for the
sheep" (John 10:11). John the Baptist, Christ's forerunner, heralded
His public manifestation in this wise: "Behold the Lamb of God, which
taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). In this dual character,
or under this twofold revelation, the Lord Jesus had been prophesied
in Isaiah 53 (as viewed against the backdrop of Ezek. 34): "All we
like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way;
and the LORD hath laid on him [i.e. the Shepherd, whose the sheep
are!] the iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53:6, brackets mine; cf. Zech.
13:7). Note a wonderful congruity of expression between the next verse
of Isaiah's prophecy (53:7) and the prayer we are studying. Isaiah
prophesies, "he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep
before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth." (ital.
mine) Notice how the same Spirit who inspired Isaiah prompts Paul to
say in Hebrews 13:20 that God--not "raised," but--"brought again from
the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep" (ital.
mine). The fact that God brought back again from the dead this great
Shepherd signifies that the Father had previously brought Him into
death as a Substitute, a propitiatory Lamb, for the sins of His sheep.
How minutely accurate is the language of Holy Writ and how perfect the
harmony--verbal harmony--of the Old and New Testaments!
Peter, in his first Epistle, under the Spirit, appropriated the same
wonderful prophecy concerning the Lord Jesus. After referring to Him
as the "lamb without blemish and without spot:" by Whom we are
redeemed (1 Peter 1:18, 19), he goes on to cite some of the predictive
expressions of Isaiah 53: that which speaks of us "as sheep going
astray"; that which refers to the saving virtue of Christ's expiatory
passion--"by whose stripes ye were healed"; and the general teaching
of the prophecy, that in bearing our sins in His own body on the tree
Christ was transacting heavenly business with the righteous Judge as
"the Shepherd and Bishop of your [our] souls" (1 Peter 2:24, 25,
brackets mine). Thus he was led to expound Isaiah portraying the
Savior as a Lamb in death and a Shepherd in resurrection. The
excuselessness of the Jews' ignorance of Christ in this particular
office appears still further in that, through yet another of their
prophets, it had been announced that God would say, "Awake, O sword,
against my shepherd, against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD
of hosts: smite the Shepherd. . . " (Zech. 13:7). There God is viewed
in His judicial character as being angry with the Shepherd for our
sakes: since He bore our sins, justice must take satisfaction from
Him. Thus was "the chastisement of our peace" laid upon Him, and the
good Shepherd gave His life for the sheep as a satisfaction for the
righteous claims of God.
That Great Shepherd
From what has been set forth above, we may the better perceive why it
was that the Apostle Paul designated Him "that great shepherd": the
One not only foreshadowed by Abel, by the patriarchal shepherds;
typified by David, but also portrayed as the Shepherd of Jehovah in
the Messianic predictions. We should note that both of His natures
were contemplated under this appellation: "my Shepherd,. . . the man
that is my fellow, saith the LORD" (Zech. 13:7). As the profound
Goodwin pointed out centuries ago, this title also implies all of
Christ's offices: His prophetic office--"He shall feed his flock like
a shepherd" (Isa. 40:11; cf. Ps. 23:1, 2); His priestly office--"the
good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep" (John 10:11); His royal
office--for the same passage that announced that He should be Shepherd
over God's people also denominated Him a "prince" (Ezek. 34:23, 24).
Christ Himself points out the connection between His kingly office and
His being described as a Shepherd: "When the Son of man shall come in
his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon
the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations;
and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth
his sheep from the goats" (Matthew 25:31, 32). He is indeed that
"great Shepherd," all-sufficient for His flock.
A Shepherd Must Have Sheep
"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord
Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep." See there the relation of
the Redeemer to the redeemed. Shepherd and sheep are correlative
terms: one cannot properly term any man a shepherd if he has no sheep.
The idea of Christ as Shepherd necessarily implies that there is a
chosen flock. Christ is the Shepherd of the sheep, and not of the
wolves (Luke 10:3), nor even of the goats (Matthew 25:32, 33), for He
has received no charge from God to save them. How the basic truth of
particular redemption stares us in the face in innumerable passages
throughout the Scriptures! "He did not lay down His life for the whole
herd of mankind, but for the flock of the elect which was given to Him
by the Father, as He declared in John 10:14-16, 26" (John Owen).
Observe, too, how this title intimates His Mediatorship: as the
Shepherd He is not the ultimate Lord of the flock, but the Father's
Servant who takes charge of and cares for it: "thine they were, and
thou gavest them me" (John 17:6). Christ's relation to us is further
seen in the phrase "our [not the] Lord Jesus." He is therefore our
Shepherd: ours in His pastoral office, which He is still discharging;
ours, as brought from the dead, for we rose in Him (Col. 3:1).
The Superiority of Christ the Great Shepherd
The words "that great shepherd of the sheep" emphasize Christ's
immeasurable superiority over all the typical and ministerial
shepherds of Israel, just as the words "a great high priest" (Heb.
4:14) stress His eminency over Aaron and the Levitical priests. In
like manner, it denotes His authority over the pastors He sets over
His churches, for He is "the chief Shepherd" (1 Peter 5:4) in relation
to all undershepherds. He is the Shepherd of souls; and one of them is
worth far more than the whole world, which is the value He sets upon
them by redeeming them with His own blood. This adjective also looks
at the excellence of His flock: He is the great Shepherd over an
entire, indivisible flock composed both of Jews and Gentiles. Thus He
declared, "And other sheep I have, which are not of this [Jewish]
fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there
shall be one fold, and one shepherd" (John 10:16, brackets and ital.
mine). This "one fold," a single flock, comprehends all the saints
both of the Old Testament and the New Testament (see also how the
Apostle Paul sets forth this unity of the people of God by his
metaphor of the olive tree in Rom. 11). The phrase "that great
Shepherd" also has respect to His abilities: He has a particular
knowledge of each and every one of His sheep (John 10:3); He has the
skill to gather, to feed, and to heal them (Ezek. 34:11-16); and He
has the power to effectually preserve them. "And I give unto them
eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck
them out of my hand" (John 10:28). Then how greatly should we trust,
love, honor, worship, and obey Him!
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13 | 14
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A. W. Pink Header
A Guide to Fervent Prayer by A.W. Pink
Chapter 2
_________________________________________________________________
Hebrews 13:20, 21
Part 2
"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord
Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the
everlasting covenant." We must now carefully consider the particular
act of God toward our Savior that the Apostle Paul here uses as his
plea for the petition that follows. In the great mystery of
redemption, God the Father sustains the office of supreme Judge (Heb.
12:23). He it was who laid upon their Surety the sins of His people.
He it was who called for the sword of vengeance to smite the Shepherd
(Zech. 13:7). He it was who richly rewarded and highly honored Him
(Phil. 2:9). "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly,
that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord
and Christ" (Acts 2:36; cf. 10:36). So it is in the text now before
us: the restoring of Christ from the grave is here viewed not as an
act of Divine power but of Divine justice. That God is here seen
exercising His judicial authority is clear from the term used. We are
ever the losers if, in our carelessness, we fail to note and duly
weigh every single variation in the language of Holy Writ. Our text
does not say that God "raised," but rather that He "brought again from
the dead our Lord Jesus." This sets before us a strikingly different
yet most blessed aspect of truth, namely, the legal discharge of the
body of our Surety from the prison of death.
Christ's Resurrection, Part of a Legal Process
There was a formal legal process against Christ. Jehovah laid on Him
all the iniquities of His elect, and thereby He was rendered guilty in
the sight of the Divine Law. Thus He was justly condemned by Divine
justice. Accordingly, He was cast into prison. God was wroth with Him
as the Sinbearer. It pleased the Lord to bruise Him, to exact full
satisfaction from Him. But the debt being paid, the penalty of the Law
having been inflicted, justice was satisfied and God was pacified. In
consequence, God the Father became "the God of peace" both toward
Christ and toward those whom He represented (Eph. 2:15-17). God's
anger being assuaged and His Law magnified and made honorable (Isa.
42:21), He then exonerated the Surety, setting Him free and justifying
Him (Isa, 50:8; 1 Tim. 3:16). Thus it was foretold, "He was taken from
prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation?" (Isa.
53:8). In his most excellent exposition of Isaiah 53--virtually
unobtainable today--James Durham (1682) showed conclusively that verse
8 described Christ's exaltation following His humiliation. He
demonstrated that the term generation there has reference to His
duration or continuance (as it does in Josh. 22:27). "As His
humiliation was low, so His exaltation was ineffable: it cannot be
declared, nor adequately conceived, the continuance of it being for
ever."
Condensing it into a few words, Durham gave the following as his
analysis of Isaiah 53:8.
1. Something is here asserted of Christ: "he was taken (or "lifted
up") from prison and from judgment." 2. Something is hinted which
cannot be expressed: "Who shall declare his generation
[continuance]?" 3. A reason is given in reference to both: "for he
was cut off out of the land of the living."
The clause "He was taken from prison and from judgment" does not
merely call to mind the fact that Christ was arrested, held in
custody, and brought to trial before the Sanhedrin and the civil
magistrates. Rather, it primarily reminds us that the straits of
humiliation and suffering into which Christ was brought were on
account of His arraignment before God's tribunal as the Husband and
legal Surety of His people (His sheep, John 10:14, 15), the penalty of
whose sin debts against God He was lawfully bound to pay (since He had
voluntarily agreed to become their Husband). "For the transgression of
my people was he stricken" (Isa. 53:8). The envious Jewish leaders
(and their followers), who with wicked hands crucified and slew the
Prince of life (Acts 2:23; 3:15) had not the slightest awareness of
the great transactions between the Father and the Son now being
legally enforced by their instrumentality. They were merely pursuing
their rebellion against the Son of David, the popularly acclaimed King
of Israel (John 1:49; 12:13), in a way consistent with the
preservation of their own selfish interests as men of power, wealth,
and prestige among the Jews. Yet in their high treason against the
Lord of glory, whom they knew not (1 Cor. 2:8) they did God's bidding
(Acts 2:23; 4:25-28; cf. Gen. 50:19, 20) in bringing the appointed
Substitute to justice as though He were a common criminal.
The word prison may be taken more largely for those straits and
pressures of spirit that the Lord Jesus endured while suffering the
curse of the Law, and judgment for the awful sentence inflicted upon
Him.
It was to His impending judgment that Christ referred when He said, "I
have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be
accomplished!" (Luke 12:50). And it is to the pains and confinement of
prison that His agony in the Garden and His cry of anguish on the
Cross are to be attributed. Ultimately, the grave became His prison.
The Significance of Christ's Release from Death's Prison
The Hebrew word laqach rendered taken in the clause "He was taken from
prison and from judgment" sometimes signifies to deliver or to free,
as a captive is liberated (see Isa. 49:24, 25; cf. Jer. 37:17; 38:14;
39:14). From both prison and judgment the Surety was taken or freed,
so that "death hath no more dominion over him" (Rom. 6:9). Christ
received the sentence of Divine absolution, just as one who is
adjudged as having paid his debt is discharged by the court. Christ
not only received absolution but was actually delivered from prison,
having paid the utmost farthing demanded of Him. Though He was brought
into prison and judgment, when the full demands of justice had been
met He could no longer be detained. The Apostle Peter expressed it
this way: "Whom God raised up, having loosed the pains [or "cords"] of
death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it"
(Acts 2:24, ital. and brackets mine). Matthew Henry declares, "He was
by an extraordinary order of Heaven taken out of the prison of the
grave; an angel was sent on purpose to roll away the stone and set Him
at liberty, by which the judgment against Him was reversed, and taken
off." In this vein Thomas Manton insists that the clause "who shall
declare His generation?" (Isa. 53:8) means who shall "declare the
glory of His resurrection, as the previous words do His humiliation,
suffering, and death"?
Manton rightly states, "While Christ was in the state of death He was
in effect a prisoner, under the arrest of Divine vengeance; but when
He rose again then was our Surety let out of prison." In a most
helpful way he goes on to show that the peculiar force of the phrase
"brought again from the dead" is best explained by the dignified
carriage of the apostles when they were unlawfully cast into prison.
The next day the magistrates sent sergeants to the prison, bidding
their keeper to let them go. But Paul refused to be "thrust...out
privily" and remained there until the magistrates themselves formally
"brought them out" (Acts 16:35-39, ital. mine). So it was with Christ:
He did not break out of prison. As God had "delivered him up" to death
(Rom. 8:32), so He "brought [Him] again from the dead." Says Manton,
It was as it were an acquittal from those debts of ours which He
undertook to pay: as Simeon was dismissed when the conditions were
performed, and Joseph was satisfied with a sight of his brother, he
"brought Simeon out unto them" (Gen. 43:23).
It was God, in His official character as the Judge of all, who
righteously freed our Substitute. Though Christ, as our Surety, was
officially guilty and thus condemned (Isa. 53:4-8), He was personally
innocent and was thus acquitted by His resurrection (Isa. 53:9-11;
Heb. 4:15; 7:26-28; 9:14; 1 Peter 1:19). By bringing His son forth
from the grave God was saying that this Jesus, the true Messiah, did
not die for His own sins but for the sins of others.
The God of Peace Brought Christ from the Dead
Let us now briefly observe that it was as the God of peace that the
Father acted when He "brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus." The
perfect obedience and atoning oblation of Christ had met every
requirement of the Law, had put away the iniquities of those for whom
it was offered, and had placated God and reconciled Him to them. While
sin remained there could be no peace; but when sin was blotted out by
the blood of the Lamb, God was propitiated. Christ had "made peace
through the blood of his cross" (Col. 1:20), but so long as He
continued in the grave there was no open proclamation thereof. It was
by His bringing of Christ forth from the dead that God made it known
to the universe that His sacrifice had been accepted. By the
resurrection of His Son did God the Father publicly declare that
enmity was at an end and peace established. There was the grand
evidence and proof that God was pacified toward His people. Christ had
made an honorable peace, so that God could be both "just, and the
justifier of him which believeth in Jesus" (Rom. 3:26). Take note also
of the relation Christ sustained when God delivered Him from the dead:
it was not as a private person but as the federal Head of His people
that the Father dealt with Him, as "that great shepherd of the sheep,"
so that His people were then legally delivered from the prison of
death with Him (Eph. 2:5, 6).
Christ's Petitions for His Own Deliverance
It is very blessed to learn from the Psalms--where much light, not
given in the New Testament, is cast upon the heart exercises of the
Mediator--that Christ supplicated God for deliverance from the tomb.
In Psalm 88 (the prophetic subject matter of which is the passion of
the Lord Jesus) we find Him saying, "Let my prayer come before thee:
incline thine ear unto my cry; For my soul is full of troubles: and my
life draweth nigh unto the grave:" (vv. 2, 3). Since the
transgressions of His people had been imputed to Him, those "troubles"
were the sorrows and anguish that He experienced when the wages that
were due to the sins of His people were inflicted and executed upon
Him. He went on to exclaim to God, "Thou hast laid me in the lowest
pit, in darkness, in the deeps. Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou
hast afflicted me with all thy waves" (vv. 6, 7). There we are granted
an insight into what the Savior felt in His soul under the stroke of
God, as He endured all that was contained in the Father's just and
holy curse upon sin. He could not have been brought into a lower
state. He was in total darkness, the sun for a season refusing to
shine upon Him, as God hid His face from Him. The sufferings of
Christ's soul were tantamount to "the second death." He suffered the
whole of what was for Him, as the God-man, the equivalent of an
eternity in hell.
The smitten Redeemer went on to say, "I am shut up, and I cannot come
forth" (v. 8). None but the Judge could lawfully deliver Him. "Wilt
thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee?"
(v. 10). In his remarkable exposition, S. E. Pierce declared:
Those questions contain the most powerful plea Christ Himself could
urge before the Father for His own emerging out of His present
state of suffering and for His resurrection from the power of
death. "Shall the dead arise and praise Thee?" Yet in Me Thou wilt
show wonders in raising My body from the grave, or the salvation of
Thine elect cannot be completed, nor Thy glory in the same fully
shine forth. Thy wonders cannot be declared; the elect dead cannot
rise again and praise Thee, as they must, but on the footing of My
being raised up.
"But unto Thee have I cried, O LORD" (v. 13). What light this Psalm
casts upon these words of the apostle concerning Christ: "Who in the
days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications
with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from
death, and was heard. . . " (Heb. 5:7). In the prophetic language of
Psalm 2:8, God the Father says to His Son, "Ask of Me, and I shall
give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts
of the earth for thy possession." (ital. mine) In like manner, our
Lord first cried for His deliverance from the prison of the tomb, and
then the Father "brought him forth" in answer to His cry. Behold how
perfectly the Son of man is conformed to our utter dependence on God.
He, too, though the Sinless One, must pray for those blessings that
God had already promised Him!
Through the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant
In the last place, consider that the great act of God here spoken of
is said to be "through the blood of the everlasting covenant." As to
the exact meaning of these words there has been no little confusion in
the minds of different writers on this Epistle; and while a full
canvassing of this interesting question is really outside the scope of
the present article, yet some of the more erudite of our readers would
be displeased if we failed to make a few remarks thereon. So I shall
ask others kindly to bear with me while I deal with a somewhat
technical detail. A careful reading through of the Epistle to the
Hebrews shows that mention is made therein of "the covenant" (10:29),
"a better covenant" (8:6), "a new covenant" (8:8), and here to "the
everlasting covenant." Not a few able men have concluded that
reference is made to the same thing throughout, but with them I cannot
agree. It is quite clear from Hebrews 8:6-13 that the new and better
covenant made with the spiritual Israel and Judah (that is, the
Church) stands in opposition to the first (v. 7) or old (v. 13)
covenant made with the nation of Israel at Sinai (that is "Israel
after the flesh"). In other words, the contrast is between Judaism and
Christianity under two different covenants or economies, whereas "the
everlasting covenant" is the antitheses of that covenant of works made
with Adam as the federal head of the human race.
Though the covenant of works was first in manifestation, the
everlasting covenant, or covenant of grace, was first in origination.
In all things Christ must have the preeminence (Col. 1:18), and thus
God entered into compact with Him before Adam was created. That
compact has been variously designated as the "covenant of redemption"
and the "covenant of grace." In it God made full arrangements and
provisions for the salvation of His elect. That everlasting covenant
has been administered, under different economies, throughout human
history, the blessings of the same being bestowed on favored
individuals all through the ages. Under the Old Covenant, or Judaism,
the requirements and provisions of the everlasting covenant were
typified or foreshadowed particularly by means of the moral and
ceremonial law; under the New Covenant, or Christianity, its
requirements and provisions are set forth and proclaimed in and by the
Gospel. In every generation repentance, faith, and obedience have been
required of those who would (and do) partake of its inestimable
blessings (Isa. 55:3). In his Outlines of Theology, the renowned
theologian A. A. Hodge says this:
The phrase "mediator of the covenant" is applied to Christ three
times in the New Testament (Heb. 8:6; 9:15; 12:24), but as in each
case the term for covenant is qualified by either the adjective
"new" or "better," it evidently here is used to designate not the
covenant of grace properly, but that new dispensation of that
eternal covenant which Christ introduced in person in contrast with
the less perfect administration of it which was instrumentally
introduced by Moses.
Christ, the Mediator of an Everlasting Covenant
Thus we take those words "the blood of the everlasting covenant" at
their face value, as referring to the eternal compact that God entered
into with Christ. In the light of the preceding phrases of Hebrews
13:20, it is evident that "the blood of the everlasting covenant" has
a threefold connection. First, it is connected to the Divine title
here employed. God became historically "the God of peace" when Christ
made propitiation and confirmed the eternal compact with His own blood
(Col. 1:20). From before the foundation of the world God had purposed
and planned that peace between Himself and sinful men (Luke 2:13, 14)
that Christ was to make; everything connected with the same had been
eternally agreed upon between Them. Secondly, it points to the fact of
Christ's death. As the righteous Judge of all, God the Father was
moved by the shedding of Christ's precious blood to restore Him from
the grave and to exalt Him to a place of supreme honor and authority
(Matthew 28:18; Phil. 2:5-11). Since the Surety had fully carried out
His part of the contract, it behooved the Ruler of this world to
deliver Him from prison as that which was righteously due to Him.
Thirdly, this blessed phrase is connected to Christ's office. It was
by the shedding of His blood for them, according to covenant
agreement, that our Lord Jesus became "that great shepherd of the
sheep," the One who would seek out God's elect, bring them into the
fold, and there minister to, provide for, and protect them (John
10:11, 15).
God's bringing back our Lord Jesus from the dead was not done simply
by contract, but also on account of His merits, and therefore it is
attributed not barely to "the covenant" but to "the blood" of it. As
God the Son, He merited or purchased it not, for honor and glory were
His due; but as the God-man Mediator He earned His deliverance from
the grave as a just reward for His obedience and sufferings. Moreover,
it was not as a private person but as the Head of His people that He
was delivered, and that ensured their deliverance also. If He was
restored from the tomb "through the blood of the everlasting
covenant," equally so must they be. Scripture ascribes our deliverance
from the grave not only to the death of Christ but to His resurrection
as well. "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so
them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him:" (1 Thess.
4:14; cf. Rom. 4:25). Thus assurance is given to the Church of its
full and final redemption. God expressly made promise to the Shepherd
of old: "As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent
forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water [that is, the
grave]" (Zech. 9:11, brackets mine). As it was "by his own blood he
entered in once into the holy place" (Heb. 9:12), so also on the
ground of the infinite value of that blood we also enter the heavenly
throne room (Heb. 10:19). As He declared, "because I live, ye shall
live also" (John 14:19).
The Well-grounded Petition
We turn now to the petition itself. "Now the God of peace . . . Make
you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that
which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ." This verse
is intimately related to the whole of the preceding one, and the
blessed connection between them inculcates a lesson of great practical
importance. It may be stated, simply, as follows: God's wondrous
working in the past should deepen our confidence in Him and make us to
seek at His hands blessings and mercies for the present. Since He so
graciously provided such a Shepherd for the sheep, since He has been
pacified toward us and not a frown now remains upon His face, since He
has so gloriously displayed both His power and His righteousness in
bringing back Christ from the dead, a continuance of His favor may be
safely counted upon. We should expectantly look to Him day by day for
all needed supplies of grace. The One who raised our Savior is well
able to quicken us and make us fruitful to every good work. Let us
therefore eye "the God of peace" and plead "the blood of the
everlasting covenant" in every approach to the mercyseat.
More specifically, God's bringing back Christ from the dead is His
infallible guarantee to us that He will fulfill all His promises to
the elect, even all the blessings of the everlasting covenant. This is
clear from Acts 13:32-34: "And we declare unto you glad tidings, how
that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled
the same unto us their children, in that He hath raised up Jesus
again...and as concerning that He raised Him from the dead. . . He
said [by that action], I will give you the sure mercies of David."
(brackets mine) By restoring Christ from the dead, God fulfilled the
grand promise made to the Old Testament saints (in which all His
promises were virtually contained) and gave pledge for the performance
and accomplishment of all future ones, thereby giving virtue to them.
The "sure mercies of David" are the blessings that God swore to in the
everlasting covenant (Isa. 55:3). The shedding of Christ's blood
ratified, sealed, and established forever every article in that
covenant. By bringing Him back from the dead God has ensured to His
people that He will infallibly bestow upon them all those benefits
which Christ obtained for them by His sacrifice. All those blessings
of regeneration, pardon, cleansing, reconciliation, adoption,
sanctification, preservation, and glorification were given to Christ
for His redeemed, and are safe in His hand.
By His mediatorial work Christ has opened a way whereby God can
bestow, consistently with all the glory of His perfections, all the
good things that flow from those Divine perfections. As Christ's death
was necessary that believers might receive those "sure mercies"
according to the Divine counsels, so His resurrection was equally
indispensable, so that living in heaven He might impart them to us as
the fruits of His travail and the reward of His victory. God has
fulfilled to Christ every article for which He engaged in the
everlasting covenant: He has brought Him from the dead, exalted Him to
His own right hand, invested Him with honor and glory, seated Him upon
the mediatorial throne, and given Him that Name which is above every
name. And what God has done for Christ, the Head, is the guarantee
that He will perform all that He has promised to Christ's members. It
is a most glorious and blessed consideration that our all, both for
time and eternity, depends wholly upon what passed between the Father
and Jesus Christ: that God the Father remembers and is faithful to His
engagements to the Son, and that we are in His hand (John 10:27-30).
When faith truly apprehends that grand fact, all fear and uncertainty
is at an end; all legality and talking about our unworthiness
silenced. "Worthy is the Lamb" becomes our theme and song!
This Kind of Praying Produces Spiritual Stability
How tranquilizing and stabilizing it is to us when we consider that we
have a personal interest in all the eternal acts that passed between
God the Father and the Lord Christ on our behalf even before man was
created, as well as in all those acts that were transacted between the
Father and the Son in and throughout the whole of His mediatorial work
that He wrought and finished here below. It is this covenant
salvation, in its full blessedness and efficacy, apprehended by faith,
that alone can lift us out of ourselves and above our spiritual
enemies, that can enable us to triumph over our present corruptions,
sins, and miseries. It is wholly a subject for faith to be engaged
with, for feelings can never provide the basis for spiritual stability
and peace. Such can only be obtained by a consistent feeding upon
objective truth, the Divine counsels of wisdom and grace made known in
the Scriptures. As faith is exercised thereon, as the record of the
eternal engagements of the Father and Son are received into the
spiritual mind, peace and joy will be our experience. And the more
faith feeds upon objective truth, the more are we strengthened
subjectively, that is, emotionally. Faith regards every past
fulfillment of God's promises as a certain evidence of His fulfilling
all the rest of His promises to us, in His own good time and way.
Especially will faith regard God's fulfillment of His promise to bring
back our Lord Jesus from the grave in this light. Has the Shepherd
Himself been raised from the dead by the glory of the Father? Just as
surely, then, will all His sheep be delivered from death in sin,
quickened to newness of life, sanctified by the Spirit, received into
Paradise when their warfare is ended, and raised bodily to immortality
at the last day.
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13 | 14
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A Guide to Fervent Prayer by A.W. Pink
Chapter 3
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Hebrews 13:20, 21
Part 3
"Now the God of peace. . . make you perfect in every good work to do
his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight,
through Jesus Christ." As previously intimated, there is a very close
connection between this verse and the preceding one. Here we have the
request that the apostle offered up on behalf of the Hebrew saints,
whereas the contents of the previous verse are to be regarded as the
plea upon which he based his request. Just how appropriate, powerful,
and moving that plea was, will readily be seen. The appeal is made to
"the God of peace." As the One reconciled to His people He is besought
to grant this blessing (cf. Rom 5:10). Moreover, since God had brought
again our Lord Jesus from the dead, that was a most proper ground upon
which He should quicken His spiritually dead elect by regeneration,
recover them when they wander, and complete His work of grace in them.
It was in the capacity of "that great Shepherd of the sheep" that Our
Lord Jesus was raised by His gracious Father from the prison of the
grave, in order that He might be able, as One alive forevermore, to
care for the flock. Our great Shepherd is presently supplying every
need of each of His sheep by His intercession on our behalf (Rom.
8:34; Heb. 7:25). By this efficacious means He is now dispensing gifts
to men, especially those gifts that promote the salvation of sinners
such as we are (Eph. 4:8ff). Furthermore, the same everlasting
covenant that promised the resurrection of Christ also guaranteed the
glorification of His people. Thus the apostle calls upon God the
Father to perfect them according to that engagement.
A Prayer for Holiness and Fruitfulness
"The God of peace. . . make you perfect in every good work to do his
will." Substantially, this request is for the practical sanctification
and fructification of God's people. While the everlasting covenant has
been suitably denominated "the covenant of redemption," we must
carefully bear in mind that it was designed to secure the holiness of
its beneficiaries. We do well to reflect upon the prophetic,
Spirit-filled cry of Zecharias, that "the Lord God of Israel . . .
[should] remember his holy covenant;...That he would grant unto us,
that we being delivered out of the hand of our [spiritual] enemies
might serve him without [servile] fear, In holiness and righteousness
before him, all the days of our life" (Luke 1:68, 72, 74, 75, brackets
mine). And while it has also been appropriately designated "the
covenant of grace," yet we must also remember that the Apostle Paul
said, "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to
all men [Gentiles as well as Jews], Teaching us that, denying
ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously,
and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope. . . "
(Titus 2:11-13, brackets mine). The grand purpose of the everlasting
covenant, as of all the Divine works, was the glory of God and the
good of His people. It was designed not only as a display of the
Divine munificence, but also for securing and promoting the claims of
Divine holiness. God did not enter into that compact with Christ in
order to set aside human accountability, nor did the Son fulfill its
terms so as to render unnecessary for His redeemed a life of
obedience.
Christ agreed not only to propitiate God, but to regenerate His elect.
Christ undertook not only to meet all the requirements of the Law in
their stead, but also to write it on their hearts and to enthrone it
in their affections. Christ engaged not only to take away sin from
before God, but to make it hateful and heinous to His saints. Before
the world began, Christ undertook not only to satisfy the claims of
Divine justice, but to sanctify His seed by sending forth His Spirit
into their souls to conform them to His image and to incline them to
follow the example that He would leave them. It has been far too
little insisted on, in recent times, by those who have written or
preached upon the Covenant of Grace, that Christ engaged not only for
the debt of His people, but for their duty, too: that He should make a
purchase of grace for them, including a full provision to give them a
new heart and a new spirit, to bring them to know the Lord, to put His
fear into their hearts, and to make them obedient to His will. He also
engaged for their safety: that if they should forsake His Law and walk
not in His judgments, He would visit their transgressions with the rod
(Ps. 89:30-36); that if they should backslide and stray from Him, He
would assuredly recover them.
Paul Turns Messianic Prophecy into Prayer
"Make you perfect. . . to do his will." It was with the contents of
the Covenant in his eye that the apostle offered up this petition. In
the preceding chapters it has been shown that Old Testament prophecy
presented the promised Messiah as the Surety of a covenant of peace
and as the "Shepherd" of His people. It now remains to be demonstrated
that He was therein portrayed as a Shepherd who would perfect His
sheep in holiness and good works. "And David my servant shall be king
over them; and they all shall have one shepherd" (Ezek. 37:24). Here
the LORD declares that Messiah, the great Seed of David, shall in days
to come unify the Israel of God as their King and shall shepherd them
all without rival. In the same verse He further declares, "they shall
also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them."
Thus, having owned God as "the God of peace," who has delivered our
Lord Jesus from death's dominion "through the blood of the everlasting
covenant," Paul makes request that He work in His sheep "that which is
wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ." For though God has
promised to do this, He declares, "I will yet for this be enquired of
by the house of Israel" (Ezek. 36:3 7). It is ever the bounden duty of
God's covenant people to pray for the fulfillment of His promises
(witness the various petitions of the Lord's Prayer). We see, then,
that this Spirit-indited, comprehensive prayer is not only an epitome
of the contents of this entire Epistle, but also a summary of the
Messianic prophecies.
Faith in a Reconciled God Produces Desires for His Glory
"Make you perfect in every good work to do His will." Such a petition
as this can be rightly offered only as one contemplates God as "the
God of peace." Faith must first regard Him as reconciled to us before
there will be any true desire to glorify Him. While there be any
sensible horror at the thought of God, any servile fear produced at
the mention of His name, we cannot serve Him nor do that which is
wellpleasing in His sight. "Without faith it is impossible to please
him" (Heb. 11:6), and faith is quite opposite to horror. We must first
be assured that God is no longer an Enemy but our Friend, before
love's gratitude will move us to run in the way of His commandments.
That assurance can only come to us by realizing that Christ has put
away our sins and satisfied every legal claim of God against us.
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1). Christ has made a perfect and
eternal peace "through the blood of his cross" (Col. 1:20), in
consequence of which God has made with those who surrender to Christ's
yoke and trust in His sacrifice "an everlasting covenant, ordered in
all things, and sure" (2 Sam. 23:5). This must be apprehended by faith
before there will be a confident seeking from Him of the grace
necessary thereto.
From yet another angle we may perceive the appropriateness of this
request being addressed to "the God of peace," that He would now
perfect us in every good work to do His will. For the doing of God's
will is most essential for our enjoyment of His peace in a practical
way. "Great peace have they which love thy law" (Ps. 119:165), for
Wisdom's "ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace"
(Prov. 3:17). Therefore it is utterly vain to expect tranquility of
heart if we forsake Wisdom's paths for those of self-pleasing.
Certainly there can be no peace of conscience while any known sin is
entertained by us. The road to peace is the way of holiness. "And as
many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them. . . " (Gal.
6:16). Unless we genuinely resolve and strive to do those things that
are pleasing in God's sight, there will be a state of turmoil and
unrest within us instead of peace. There is a deeper spiritual
significance than is usually perceived in that title "the Prince of
peace," which pertains to the incarnate Son. He could say, "I do
always those things that please him" (John 8:29), and therefore an
unruffled calm was His portion. What emphasis was there in those
words, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you" (John 14:27,
ital. mine)!
Paul Prays for the Strengthening of the Saints in Their Duties
"Make you perfect in every good work to do his will." This petition
sets before us, by clear implication, the human side of things. Those
things for which the Apostle Paul made request on behalf of the saints
were concerned with those duties that they were obligated to perform,
but for the performing of which Divine assistance is imperative. The
everlasting covenant anticipated the entrance of sin, and it thus made
provision not only for the putting away of it but also for the
bringing in of everlasting righteousness. That righteousness is the
perfect obedience of Christ by which the Divine Law was honored and
magnified. That perfect righteousness of Christ is imputed to all who
believe, but none savingly believe in Him until His Spirit has
implanted a principle of righteousness in their souls (Eph. 4:24). And
that new nature or principle of righteousness evidences itself by the
performing of good works (Eph. 2:10). We have no right to speak of the
Lord Jesus as "The Lord our righteousness" unless we are personal
doers of righteousness (1 John 2:29). The everlasting covenant by no
means sets aside the necessity of obedience on the part of those who
partake of its benefits, but supplies the most affecting and powerful
motives to move us thereto! Saving faith works by love (Gal. 5:6), and
aims at pleasing its Object.
The more our prayers are regulated by the teaching of Holy Writ the
more they will be marked by these two qualities: the Divine precepts
will be turned into petitions; and the Divine character and promises
will be used as our arguments. When the Psalmist, in the course of his
meditations upon God's Law, declared, "Thou hast commanded us to keep
thy precepts diligently," he was at once conscious of his failure and
said, "O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!" (Ps. 119:4,
5). But He did more than just lament the hindrances of indwelling sin;
he cried, "Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes;...Make me to go
in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight" (Ps.
119:33, 35). So also, when seeking the establishment of his house
before the Lord, David pleaded the Divine promise: "And now, O LORD
God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and
concerning his house, establish it for ever, and do as thou hast said"
(2 Sam. 7:25, ital. mine; see also 1 Kings 8:25, 26; 2 Chron. 6:17).
As we become more familiar with God's Word and discover the details of
the exalted standard of conduct there set before us, we should be more
definite and diligent in seeking grace to perform our several duties;
and as we become better acquainted with "the Father of mercies" (2
Cor. 1:3) and His "exceeding great and precious promises" (2 Peter
1:4), we shall count more confidently upon Him for those supplies.
A Prayer for Restoration to Spiritual Vigor
"Make you perfect in every good work." The original Greek word here
rendered make perfect is katartizo, which James Strong defines as to
complete thoroughly, that is, to repair (literally or figuratively),
to adjust (see no. 2675 in the Greek Dictionary of Strong's Exhaustive
Concordance). Contrast this with the word teleioo used in Hebrews
2:10; 10:1, 14; 11:40, which according to Strong means to complete,
(literally) to accomplish, or (figuratively) to consummate in
character (see no. 5048 in Strong's Greek Dictionary).^ The word in
our text, katartizo, is used to describe the activity engaged in by
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, when Christ called them: they
were "mending their nets" (Matt. 4:2 1, ital. mine). In Galatians 6:1,
the Apostle Paul employs this word by way of exhortation: "Brethren,
if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such
an one in the spirit of meekness;. . . " (ital. mine) It was,
therefore, most appropriate that this term be applied to the case of
the Hebrew Christians, who after believing the Gospel had met with
such bitter and protracted opposition from the Jews at large that they
had wavered and were in real need of being warned against apostasy
(Heb. 4:1; 6:11, 12; 10:23, etc.). As stated at the beginning of our
exposition, this prayer gathers up not only the whole of the doctrinal
instruction but also the exhortations of the previous chapters. The
Hebrews had faltered and failed (Heb. 12:12), and the apostle here
prays for their restoration. The lexicons (such as Liddell and Scott,
p. 910) tell us that katartizo, here translated make perfect,
literally has reference to the resetting of a dislocated bone. And is
it not often so with the Christian? A sad fall breaks his communion
with God, and none but the hand of the Divine Physician can repair the
damage wrought. Thus this prayer is suited to all of us: that God
would rectify every faculty of our beings to do His will and right us
for His service each time we need it.
Mark how comprehensive this prayer is: "Make you perfect in every good
work." It includes, as Gouge pointed out, "all the fruits of holiness
Godwards and of righteousness manwards." No reservation is allowed us
by the extensive rule that God has set before us: we are required to
love Him with our whole being, to be sanctified in our whole spirit
and soul and body, and to grow up into Christ in all things (Deut.
6:5; Luke 10:27; Eph. 4:15; 1 Thess. 5:23). Nothing less than
perfection in "every good work" is the standard at which we must aim.
Absolute perfection is not attainable in this life, but the perfection
of sincerity is demanded of us--honest endeavor, genuine effort to
please God. The mortification of our lusts, submission to God under
trials, and the performance of impartial and universal obedience are
ever our bounden duty. Of ourselves we are quite incapable of
discharging our duties, and therefore we must pray continually for
supplies of grace to enable us to perform them. Not only are we
dependent upon God for the beginning of every good work, but also for
the continuance and progress of the same. Let us emulate Paul, who
said, "Not as though I had already attained, either were already
perfect;. . . Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but
this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and
reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the
mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil.
3:12-14).
Divinely Revealed Knowledge Requires Obedience
"Make you perfect in every good work to do his will ." May He who has
already fully acquainted you with His mind now effectually incline you
to the performing of it, even a continuance of solicitous attention to
your duties as redeemed people to the end. It is not enough that we
know His will; we must do it (Luke 6:46; John 13:17), and the more we
do it, the better we shall understand it (John 7:17) and prove the
excellency of the same (Rom. 12:2). That will of God that we are to
exercise ourselves to perform is not God's secret will but His
revealed or perceptive will, namely, those laws and statutes to which
God requires our full obedience (Deut. 29:29). God's revealed will is
to be the sole rule of our actions. There are many things done by
professing Christians that, though admired by them and applauded by
their fellows, are nothing but "will worship" and a following of the
"commandments and doctrines of men" (Col. 2:20-23). The Jews added
their own traditions to the Divine Law, instituting fasts and feasts
of their own invention. The deluded Papists, with their bodily
austerities, idolatrous devotions, and impoverishing payments, are
guilty of the same thing. Nor are some Protestants, with their
self-devised deprivations and superstitious exercises, clear of this
Romish evil.
"Working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight." These words
confirm what was just said above: only that is acceptable to God which
conforms to the rule He has given us. The words "in his sight" show
that our every action comes under His immediate notice and is weighed
by Him. By comparing other Scriptures, we find that only those works
are wellpleasing to Him that He has enjoined us to perform and that
are performed in His fear (Heb. 12:28). He will accept only those that
proceed from love (2 Cor. 5:14), and that are done with an eye singly
set upon glorifying Him (1 Cor. 10:31). Our constant aim and diligent
endeavor must be nothing short of this: "That ye [we] might walk
worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good
work. . . " (Col. 1:10, brackets and ital. mine). Nevertheless, we
must receive Divine enablement in order to do this. What a blow to
self-sufficiency and self-glory is this little phrase, "working in
you"! Even after regeneration we are wholly dependent upon God.
Notwithstanding the life, light, and liberty we have received from
Him, we have no strength of our own to do what He requires. Each has
to acknowledge, "for to will is present with me; but how to perform
that which is good I find not" (Rom. 7:18).
Herein Lies a Pride-withering Truth
Herein, indeed, is a humbling truth, yet a fact it is that Christians
are, in themselves, incapable of discharging their duty. Though the
love of God has been shed abroad in their hearts and a principle of
holiness (or new nature) communicated to them, yet they are unable to
perform the good they ardently desire to do. Not only are they still
very ignorant of many of the requirements of God's revealed will, but
indwelling sin ever opposes and seeks to incline their hearts in a
contrary direction. Thus it is imperative that they daily seek from
God fresh supplies of grace. Though assured that God shall surely
complete His good work in us (Phil. 1:6), that does not render
needless our crying to Him "that performeth all things for me [us]"
(Ps. 57:2, brackets mine). Nor does the privilege of prayer release us
from the obligation of obedience. Rather, in prayer we are to beg Him
to quicken us to the performance of those duties He requires. The
blessing of access to God is not designed to discharge us from the
regular and diligent use of all the means God has appointed for our
practical sanctification, but is meant to provide for our seeking of
the Divine blessing on our use of all the means of grace. Our duty is
this: to ask God to work in us "both to will and to do of his good
pleasure" (Phil. 2:13); to avoid quenching His Spirit by slothfulness
and disobedience, especially after we have prayed for His sweet
influences (1 Thess. 5:19); and to use the grace He has already given
us.
"Working in you that which is wellpleasing. . . through Jesus Christ."
There is a double reference here: (1) to God's working in us; and (2)
to His acceptance of our works. It is by virtue of the Savior's
mediation that God works; there is no communication of grace to us
from the God of peace but by and through our Redeemer. All that God
does for us is for Christ's sake. Every gracious operation of the Holy
Spirit in us is the fruit of Christ's meritorious work, for He has
procured the Spirit for us (Eph. 1:13, 14; Titus 3:5, 6) and presently
is sending the Spirit to us (John 15:26). Every spiritual blessing
bestowed upon us is in consequence of Christ's intercession for us.
Christ is not only our life (Col. 3:4) and our righteousness (Jer.
23:6), but also our strength (Isa. 45:24). "And of his fulness have
all we received, and grace for grace" (John 1:16). The members of His
mystical Body are completely dependent upon their Head (Eph. 4:15,
16). Our bearing fruit comes by means of having fellowship with
Christ, by our abiding in Him (John 15:5). It is most important that
we have a clear apprehension upon this truth, if the Lord Jesus is to
have that place in our thoughts and affections which is His due. The
wisdom of God has so contrived things that each Person of the Godhead
is exalted in the esteem of His people: the Father as the Fountain of
grace, the Son in His mediatorial office as the Channel through which
all grace flows to us, and the Holy Spirit as the actual Bestower of
it.
Christ's Infinite Merits, the Basis of God's Acceptance of Our Works
and Prayers
But these words "through Jesus Christ" have also a more immediate
connection with the phrase "that which is wellpleasing in His sight."
Even though our works are good and are wrought in us by God, they are
yet imperfect since they are marred by the instruments by which they
are done--just as the purest light is dimmed by the cloudy or dusty
lamp shade through which it shines. Yet though our works be defective,
they are acceptable to God when done in the name of His Son. Our best
performances are faulty and fall short of the excellence that the
requirements of God's holiness demand, but their defects are covered
by the merits of Christ. Our prayers, too, are acceptable to God only
because our great High Priest adds to them "much incense" and then
offers them on the golden altar before the throne (Rev. 8:3). Our
spiritual sacrifices are "acceptable to God by Jesus Christ" (1 Peter
2:5). God can be "glorified through Jesus Christ" alone (1 Peter
4:11). We owe, then, to the Mediator not only the pardon of our sins
and the sanctification of our persons, but also God's acceptance of
our imperfect worship and service. As Spurgeon aptly said in his
comments on this phrase, "What nothings and nobodies we are! Our
goodness is none of ours."
A Doxology
"To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." The glory of God was what
the apostle eyed. And how are we to glorify Him? We are to glorify Him
by an obedient walk, by doing His will, by performing those things
that are wellpleasing in His sight, and by adoring Him. The
construction of the whole sentence permits us to regard this
ascription of praise as being offered to either the "God of peace," to
whom the prayer is addressed, or to "that great shepherd of the
sheep," who is the nearest antecedent to the pronoun. Since the
grammar allows for it and the Analogy of Faith instructs us to include
both Father and Son in our worship, then let glory be ascribed to
both. Let God be praised because He is now "the God of peace," because
He brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, because He is faithful
to His engagements in the everlasting covenant, because all supplies
of grace are from Him, and because He accepts our poor obedience
"through Jesus Christ." Equally let us adore the Mediator: because He
is "our Lord Jesus," who loved us and gave Himself for us; because He
is "that great shepherd of the sheep"--caring for and ministering to
His flock; because He ratified the covenant with His precious blood;
and because it is by His merits and intercession that our persons and
services are rendered "wellpleasing" to the Most High. "Amen." So be
it! Let the praises of a redeeming and propitious God ring throughout
eternity!
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13 | 14
____________________________________________________
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A Guide to Fervent Prayer by A.W. Pink
Chapter 4
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1 Peter 1:3-5
Part 1
Certain extremists among the Dispensationalists assert and insist that
the last seven epistles of the New Testament (Hebrews through Jude)
pertain not to all those who are members of the mystical body of
Christ, but are entirely Jewish, penned by the apostles to the
Circumcision and meant for them only. Such a wild and wicked assertion
is an arbitrary invention of their own, for there is not a word in the
Scriptures that substantiates their claim. On the contrary, there is
much in those very Epistles that clearly repudiates such a view. One
might as well affirm that the Epistles of Paul are "not for us"
(twentieth-century saints) because they are addressed to companies of
believers at Rome, Corinth, Galatia, and so forth. The precise
identity of the professing Christians to whom the Epistle to the
Hebrews was originally addressed cannot be discovered. It is vital to
recognize, however, that the Epistle is addressed to those who are
"partakers of the heavenly calling" (Heb. 3:1, ital. mine), something
that in no wise pertained to the Jewish nation as a whole. Though the
Epistle of James was written to "the twelve tribes which are scattered
abroad," yet it was addressed to those members of them who were
begotten of God (James 1:18). The Epistles of John are manifestly the
letters of a father in Christ to his dear children (1 John 2:12;
5:21)-and as such convey the solicitous care of the heavenly Father
for His own-to those who had Jesus Christ for their Advocate (1 John
2:1). Jude's Epistle is also a general one, directed to "them that are
sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ" (v. 1).
Those for Whom Peter Offers this Doxology
The first Epistle of Peter is addressed to "the strangers scattered
throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia" (1 Peter
1:1). The American Standard Version more literally renders it, "to the
elect who are sojourners of the Dispersion in Pontus,. . . " that is,
to Jews who are absent from Palestine, residing in Gentile lands (cf.
John 7:35). But care needs to be taken that the term sojourners be not
limited to its literal force, but rather be given also its figurative
meaning and spiritual application. It refers not strictly to the
fleshly descendants of Abraham, but rather to his spiritual seed, who
were partakers of the heavenly calling, and as such, were away from
their home. The patriarchs "confessed that they were strangers and
pilgrims on the earth. . . For they. . . declare plainly that they
seek a country. . . a better country [than the earthly Canaan], that
is, an heavenly" (Heb. 11: 13-16, brackets mine). Even David, while
reigning as king in Jerusalem, made a similar acknowledgment: "I am a
stranger in the earth" (Ps. 119:19). All Christians are strangers in
this world; for while they are "at home in the body," they are "absent
from the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:6). Their citizenship is in heaven (Phil.
3:20). Thus it was spiritual sojourners (temporary residents) to whom
Peter wrote, those who had been begotten to an inheritance reserved
for them in heaven (1 Peter 1:4).
Nor were all the spiritual strangers from the natural stock of
Abraham. There is more than one indication in this very Epistle that
while possibly a majority of them were Jewish believers, yet by no
means were all of them so. Thus, in chapter 2, verse 10, after stating
that God had called them out of darkness into His marvelous light, the
Apostle Peter goes on to describe them with these words: "Which in
time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had
not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy." This precisely
delineates the case of the Gentile believers (cf. Eph. 2:12, 13).
Peter is here quoting from Hosea 1:9, 10 (where the "children of
Israel" in v. 10 refers to the spiritual Israel), which is definitely
interpreted for us in Romans 9:24, 25: "Even us, whom he hath called,
not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles[.] As he saith also in
Osee [Hosea], I will call them my people, which were not my people; .
. ." (brackets mine). Again, in chapter 4, verse 3, Peter says by way
of reminder to those to whom he is writing, "For the time past of our
life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we
walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings,
banquetings, and abominable idolatries." The last category of
transgression could only refer to Gentiles; for the Jews (when
considered as a nation), since the Babylonian captivity, had never
fallen into idolatry.
The Prayer Itself
As we examine together the prayer contained in 1 Peter 1:3-5, let us
consider eight things: (1) its connection-that we may perceive who all
are included by the words "begotten us again"; (2) its nature-a
doxology ("Blessed be"); (3) its Object-"the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ"; (4) its ascription-"His abundant mercy"; (5) its
incitement-"hath begotten us again unto a lively hope"; (6) its
acknowledgment-"by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead";
(7) its substance-"to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and
that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you"; and (8) its
guaranty-"who are kept by the power of God through faith." There is
much here of interest and deep importance. Therefore, it would be
wrong for us to hurriedly dismiss such a passage with a few
generalizations, especially since it contains such a wealth of
spiritual, joyful reflection that cannot but edify the mind and stir
up the will and affections of every saint who rightly meditates upon
it. May we be duly affected by its contents and truly enter into its
elevated spirit.
First, we consider its connection. Those on whose behalf the apostle
offered this doxology are spoken of according to their literal and
figurative circumstances in verse 1, and then described by their
spiritual characters: "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the
Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and
sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ" (v. 2). That description
pertains equally to all the regenerate in every age. When connected
with election, the "foreknowledge of God" refers not to His eternal
and universal prescience, for that embraces all beings and events,
past, present and future; and, therefore, it has for its objects the
non-elect as well as the elect. Consequently, there is no allusion
whatever to God's preview of our believing or any other virtue in the
objects of His choice. Rather, the term foreknowledge has respect to
the spring or source of election, namely, God's unmerited good will
and approbation. For this sense of the word know see the following:
Psalm 1:6; Amos 3:2; 2 Timothy 2:19. For a like sense of the word
foreknow see Romans 11:2. Therefore, the phrase "elect according to
the foreknowledge of God" signifies that the favored persons thus
described were fore-loved by Him, that they were the objects of His
eternal favor, unalterably delighted in by Him as He foreviewed them
in Christ- "wherein he hath made us accepted [or "objects of grace"]
in the beloved" (Eph. 1:4-6, brackets mine).
Obedience, an Indispensable Sign of the Spirit's Saving Work
"Through sanctification of the Spirit." It is by means of the Spirit's
gracious and effectual operations that our election by God the Father
takes effect (see 2 Thess. 2:13). The words "sanctification of the
Spirit" have reference to His work of regeneration, whereby we are
quickened (made alive), anointed, and consecrated or set apart to God.
The underlying idea of sanctification is almost always that of
separation. By the new birth we are distinguished from those dead in
sin. The words "unto obedience" here in 1 Peter 1:2 signify that by
the Spirit's effectual call we are made subject to the authoritative
call of the Gospel (see v. 22 and Rom. 10:1, 16) and subsequently to
its precepts. Election never promotes license, but always produces
holiness and good works (Eph. 1:4; 2:10). The Spirit regenerates
sinners to a new life of hearty submission to Christ and not to a life
of self-pleasing. When the Spirit sanctifies a soul, it is to the end
that he may adorn the Gospel by a walk that is regulated thereby. It
is by his obedience that a Christian makes evident his election by the
Father, for previously he was one of "the children of disobedience"
(Eph. 5:6). By his new life of obedience he furnished proof of the
Spirit's supernatural work within him.
"And sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ." It is important for us
to grasp the distinction between the sprinkling of Christ's blood and
the shedding of it (Heb. 9:22). The shedding is Godward; whereas the
sprinkling is its application to the believer, whereby he obtains
forgiveness and peace of conscience (Heb. 9:13, 14; 10:22), and by
which his service is rendered acceptable to God (1 Peter 2:5).
A careful reading of the whole Epistle makes it evident that these
saints were passing through severe trials (see 1 Peter l:6, 7;
2:19-21; 3:16-18; 4:12-16; 5:8, 9). Jewish Christians (who evidently
made up the majority of those originally addressed by Peter) have ever
been sorely oppressed, persecuted not so much by the profane world as
by their own brethren according to the flesh. How bitter and fierce
was the hatred of such unbelieving Jews appears not only from the case
of Stephen, but from what the Apostle Paul suffered at their hands (2
Cor. 11: 24-26). As a means of encouragement, the Apostle Paul
deliberately reminded his Hebrew brethren of the persecutions they had
already endured for Christ's sake. "But call to remembrance the former
days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of
afflictions; . . . and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods" (Heb.
10:32-34). By bearing this fact in mind a better understanding is had
of many of the details of the Book of Hebrews. Furthermore, it becomes
more apparent why Peter has so much to say upon affliction, and why he
refers so often to the sufferings of Christ. His brethren were in need
of a stimulating cordial that would nerve them to heroic endurance. He
therefore dwelt on those aspects of Divine truth best adapted to
support the soul, strengthen faith, inspire hope, and produce
steadfastness and good works.
This Prayer a Doxology, an Expression of Unmixed Praise to God
Secondly, we examine its nature. It is a tribute of praise. In this
prayer the apostle is not making supplication to God, but rather is
offering adoration to Him! This is as much our privilege and duty as
it is to spread our needs before Him; yea, the one should ever be
accompanied by the other. It is "with thanksgiving" that we are bidden
to let our "requests be made known unto God" (Phil. 4:6). And that is
preceded by the exhortation, "Rejoice in the Lord alway," which
rejoicing is to find its expression in gratitude and by the ascribing
of glory to Him. If we be suitably affected by God's bounties, we
cannot but bless the Bestower of them. In verse 2, Peter had mentioned
some of the most noteworthy and comprehensive of all the Divine
benefits, and this exclamation, "Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ!" is the echo, or better, the reflex of the Apostle
Peter's heart in response to God's amazing grace toward himself and
his brethren. This particular doxology is also to be regarded as a
devout acknowledgment of the inestimable favors that God had bestowed
on His elect, as enlarged upon in verse 3. As the apostle reflected
upon the glorious blessings conferred on hell-deserving sinners, his
heart was drawn out in fervent worship to the benign Author of them.
Thus it should be, thus it must be, with Christians today. God has no
dumb children (Luke 17:7). Not only do they cry to Him day and night
in their distress, but they frequently praise Him for His excellency
and give thanks for His benefits. As they meditate upon His abundant
mercy in having begotten them to a living hope, as they anticipate by
faith the glorious inheritance that is reserved for them in heaven,
and as they realize that these flow from the sovereign favor of God to
them through the death and resurrection of His dear Son, well may they
exclaim, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!"
Doxologies, then, are expressions of holy joy and adoring homage.
Concerning the particular term blessed, Ellicott most helpfully
remarks,
This form of Greek word is consecrated to God alone: Mark 14:61;
Romans 9:5; 2 Corinthians 11:31. It is a completely different word
from the "blessed" or "happy" of the Beatitudes and different from
the "blessed" of our Lord's mother in Luke 1:28, 42. This form of
it [in 1 Peter 1:3] implies that blessing is always due on account
of something inherent in the person, while that only implies a
blessing has been received.
Thus we see again how minutely discriminating and accurate is the
language of Holy Writ.
The Glorious Object of Praise
Thirdly, we behold its Object. This doxology is addressed to "the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," which is explained by Calvin
thus:
For as formerly, by calling Himself the God of Abraham, He designed
to mark the difference between Him and all fictitious gods; so
after He has manifested Himself in His own Son, His will is, not to
be known otherwise than in Him. Hence they who form their ideas of
God in His naked majesty apart from Christ, have an idol instead of
the true God, as the case is with the Jews and the Turks [that is,
the Mohammedans, to which we may add the Unitarians]. Whosoever,
then, seeks really to know the only true God, must regard Him as
the Father of Christ.
Moreover, in Psalm 72:17, it is foretold of Christ that "men shall be
blessed in him" and that "all nations shall call him blessed."
Whereupon the sacred singer breaks forth into this adoring praise:
"Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous
things" (v. 18). That was the Old Testament form of doxology (cf. 1
Kings 1:48; 1 Chron. 29:10); but the New Testament doxology (2 Cor.
1:3; Eph. 1:3) is expressed in accordance with the self-revelation the
Deity has made in the Person of Jesus Christ: "He that honoureth not
the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him" (John 5:23).
God the Father is not here viewed absolutely but relatively, that is,
as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord Himself is
contemplated in His mediatonal character, that is, as the eternal Son
vested with our nature. As such, the Father appointed and sent Him
forth on His redeeming mission. In that capacity and office the Lord
Jesus owned and served Him as His God and Father. From the beginning
He was engaged in His Father's business, ever doing those things that
were pleasing in His sight. By God's Word He was regulated in all
things. Jehovah was His "portion" (Ps. 16:5), His "God" (Ps. 22:1),
His "All." Christ was under Him (John 6:38; 14:28): "the head of
Christ is God" (1 Cor. 11:3). In a covenant way, too, He was and is
the God and Father of Christ (John 20:17), not only so while Christ
was here on earth, but even now that He is in heaven. This is clear
from Christ's promise after His ascension: "Him that overcometh will I
make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out:
and I will write upon him the name of my God. . ." (Rev. 3:12, ital.
mine). Yet this official subordination of Christ to God the Father in
no wise militates against nor modifies His essential equality with Him
(John 1:1-3; 5:23; 10:30-33).
Because the Father of Our Surety, He Is Our Father
It is to be carefully noted that praise is here rendered not to "the
God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ" but of "our Lord Jesus
Christ." In other words, God's relationship to us is determined by His
relationship to our Surety. He is the God and Father of sinners only
in Christ. He is adored as the covenant Head of the Savior and of His
elect in Him. This is a point of first importance: the connection that
the Church sustains to God is fixed by that of the Redeemer to God,
for she is Christ's and Christ is God's (1 Cor. 3:23). The title "God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" is the peculiar and
characteristic Christian designation of Deity, contemplating Him as
the God of redemption (Rom. 15:6; 2 Cor. 11:31; Col. 1:3). When an
Israelite called on Him as "the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob," he
recognized and owned Him not only as the Creator and moral Governor of
the world, but also as the covenant God of his nation. So when the
Christian addresses Him as "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ," he acknowledges Him as the Author of eternal redemption
through the incarnate Son, who voluntarily took the place of
subserviency to and dependence upon Him. In the highest meaning of the
word, God is the Father of no man until he is united to the One whom
He commissioned and sent to be the Savior of sinners, the sole
Mediator between God and men.
The language in which God is here worshiped explains how it is that He
can be so kind and bounteous to His people. All blessings come to the
creature from God. He it is who gave them being and supplies their
varied needs. Equally so, all spiritual blessings proceed from Him
(Eph. 1:3; James 1:17). The Highest is "kind unto the unthankful and
to the evil" (Luke 6:35). But spiritual blessings issue from Him not
simply as God, nor from the Father absolutely, but from "the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." In what follows, the apostle makes
mention of His abundant mercy, of His begetting the elect to a living
hope, and of an inheritance that infinitely transcends all earthly
good. And in the bestowment of these favors God is here acknowledged
in the special character in which He confers them. If it be asked, How
can a holy God endow sinful men with such blessings? the answer is, as
"the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." It is because God is
well pleased with the Redeemer that He is well pleased with the
redeemed. The work of Christ merited such a reward, and He shares it
with His own (John 17:22). All comes to us from the Father through the
Son.
His Abundant Mercy, the Cause of God's Gracious Choice
Fourthly, let us ponder its ascription, which is found in the phrase
"his abundant mercy." Just as God did not elect because He foresaw
that any would savingly repent and believe the Gospel-for these are
the effects of His invincible call, which in turn is the consequence
and not the cause of election-but "according to his own purpose" (2
Tim. 1:9), neither does He regenerate because of any merits possessed
by the subjects thereof, but solely of His own sovereign pleasure
(James 1:18). His abundant mercy is here set oven against our abundant
demerits, and to the degree that we are sensible of the latter shall
we be moved to render praise for the former. Such is our woeful case
through sin that naught but Divine mercy can relieve it. Give ear to
the words of C. H. Spurgeon:
No other attribute could have helped us had mercy refused. As we
are by nature, justice condemns us, holiness frowns upon, power
crushes us, truth confirms the threatening of the law, and wrath
fulfils it. It is from the mercy of God that all our hopes begin.
Mercy is needed for the miserable, and yet more for the sinful.
Misery and sin are fully united in the human race, and mercy here
performs her noblest deeds. My brethren, God has vouchsafed His
mercy unto us, and we must thankfully acknowledge that in our case
His mercy has been abundant mercy.
We were defiled with abundant sin, and only the multitude of His
loving kindnesses could have put those sins away. We were infected
with an abundant evil, and only overflowing mercy can ever cure us
of all our natural disease, and make us meet for heaven. We have
received abundant grace up till now; we have made great drafts upon
the exchequer of God, and of His fullness have all we received
grace for grace. Where sin hath abounded, grace hath much more
abounded. . . Everything in God is on a grand scale. Great power-He
shakes the world. Great wisdom-He balances the clouds. His mercy is
commensurate with His other attributes: it is Godlike mercy,
infinite mercy! You must measure His Godhead before you can compute
His mercy. Well may it be called "abundant" if it be infinite. It
will always be abundant, for all that can be drawn from it will be
but as the drop of a bucket to the sea itself. The mercy which
deals with us is not man's mercy, but God's mercy, and therefore
boundless mercy.
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13 | 14
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A. W. Pink Header
A Guide to Fervent Prayer by A.W. Pink
Chapter 5
_________________________________________________________________
1 Peter 1:3-5
Part 2
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which
according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively
hope." Let us begin this chapter with a continuation of our
examination of the ascription of this doxology. God the Father is here
viewed as the covenant Head of the Mediator and of God's elect in Him,
and is thus accorded His distinctive Christian title (see, for
example, Eph. 1:3). This title sets Him forth as the God of
redemption. "Abundant mercy" is ascribed to Him. This is one of His
ineffable perfections, yet the exercise of it-as of all His other
attributes-is determined by His own imperial will (Rom. 9:15). Much is
said in Scripture concerning this Divine excellency. We read of His
"tender mercy" (Luke 1:78). David declares, "For great is thy mercy"
(Ps. 86:13); "thou, Lord, art. . . plenteous in mercy" (Ps. 8 6:5).
Nehemiah speaks of His "manifold mercies" (Neh. 9:27). Listen to David
describe the effect that meditating upon this attribute, as he had
practically experienced it, had upon his worship: "But as for me, I
will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy
fear will I worship toward thy holy temple" (Ps. 5:7). Blessed be His
name, "for his mercy endureth for ever" (Ps. 107:1). Well then may
each believer join with the Psalmist in saying, "I will sing aloud of
thy mercy. . ." (Ps. 59:16). To this attribute especially should
erring saints look: "according unto the multitude of thy tender
mercies blot out my transgressions" (Ps. 5 1:1).
God's General and Special Mercy Must Be Distinguished
It must be pointed out that there is both a general and a special
mercy. That distinction is a necessary and important one, yea, a vital
one; for many poor souls are counting upon the former instead of
looking by faith to the latter. "The LORD is good to all: and his
tender mercies are over all his works" (Ps. 145:9). Considering how
much wickedness abounds in this world, the discerning and contrite
heart can say with the Psalmist, "The earth, O LORD, is full of thy
mercy. . ." (Ps. 119:64). For the good of our souls it is essential
that we grasp the distinction revealed in God's Word between this
general mercy and God's special benignity to His elect. By virtue of
His eminence as a gift of God, Christ is denominated "the Mercy
promised to our fathers" (Luke 1:72, ital. mine). How aptly does the
Psalmist declare, "Thy mercy is great above the heavens" (Ps. 108:4;
cf. Eph. 4:10); for there is God's mercyseat found (see Heb. 9,
especially vv. 5, 23, 24), upon which the exalted Savior is now seated
administering the fruits of His redemptive work. It is thither that
the convicted and sin-burdened soul must look for saving mercy. To
conclude that God is too merciful to damn any one eternally is a
delusion with which Satan fatally deceives multitudes. Pardoning mercy
is obtainable only through faith in the atoning blood of the Savior.
Reject Him, and Divine condemnation is inescapable.
This Mercy Is Abundant Because It Is Covenant Mercy
The mercy here celebrated by Peter is very clearly a particular and
discriminating one. It is that of "the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ," and it flows to its favored objects "by [means of] the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." (brackets mine) It is
between those two phrases that we find these words firmly lodged: "who
according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively
hope." Thus it is covenant mercy, redemptive mercy, regenerating
mercy. Rightly is it styled "abundant mercy," especially in view of
the Bestower. For this abundant mercy issues from the self-sufficient
Jehovah, who is infinitely and immutably blessed in Himself, who would
have incurred no personal loss had He abandoned the whole human race
to destruction. It was of His mere good pleasure that He did not. It
is seen to be "abundant mercy" when we view the character of its
objects, namely, depraved rebels, whose minds were enmity against God.
It also appears thus when we contemplate the nature of its peculiar
blessings. They are not the common and temporal ones, such as health
and strength, sustenance and preservation that are bestowed upon the
wicked, but spiritual, celestial, and everlasting benefits such as had
never entered the mind of man to conceive.
Still more so is it seen to be "abundant mercy" when we contemplate
the means through which those blessings are conveyed to us: "by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," which necessarily
presupposes His incarnation and crucifixion. What other language but
"abundant mercy" could appropriately express the Father's sending
forth of His beloved Son to take upon Himself the form of a servant,
to assume to Himself flesh and blood, and to be born in a manger all
for the sake of those whose multitudinous iniquities deserved eternal
punishment? That Blessed One came here to be the Surety of His people,
to pay their debts, to suffer in their stead, to die the Just for the
unjust. Therefore, God spared not His own Son but called upon the
sword of justice to smite Him. He delivered Him up to the curse that
He might "freely give us all things" (Rom. 8:32). Thus it is a
righteous mercy, even as the Psalmist declares: "Mercy and truth are
met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other" (Ps.
85:10). It was at the cross that the seemingly conflicting attributes
of mercy and justice, love and wrath, holiness and peace united, just
as the various colors of the light, when separated by a natural prism
of mist, are seen beautifully blended together in the rainbow-the
token and emblem of the covenant (Gen. 9:12-17; Rev. 4:3).
Meditation on the Miracle of the New Birth Evokes Fervent Praise
Fifthly, let us consider the incitement of this doxology, which is
found in the following words: "which [who] according to his abundant
mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope." It was the
realization that God had quickened those who were dead in sins that
moved Peter to bless Him so fervently. The words "hath begotten us"
have reference to their regeneration. Later in the chapter the apostle
describes them as having been "born again" (v. 23) and in the next
chapter addresses them as "newborn babes" (1 Peter 2:2). A new and a
spiritual life, Divine in its origin, was imparted to them, wrought in
their souls by the power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:6). That new life
was given for the purpose of forming a new character and for the
transforming of their conduct. God had sent forth the Spirit of His
Son into their hearts, thereby communicating to them a holy
disposition, who, as the Spirit of adoption (Rom. 8:15), was inclining
them to love Him. It is styled a begetting, not only because it is
then that the spiritual life begins and that a holy seed is implanted
(1 John 3:9), but also because an image or likeness of the Begetter
Himself is conveyed (1 John 5:1). As fallen Adam "begat a son in his
own likeness, after his image" (Gen. 5:3), so at the new birth the
Christian is "renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created
him" (Col. 3:10).
In the words "begotten us again"there is a twofold allusion: a
comparison and a contrast. First, just as God is the efficient cause
of our being, so He is also of our wellbeing; our natural life comes
from Him, and so too does our spiritual life. Secondly, the Apostle
Peter intends to distinguish our new birth from the old one. At our
first begetting and birth we were conceived in sin and shapen in
iniquity (Ps. 51:5); but at our regeneration we are "created in
righteousness and true holiness" (Eph. 4:24). By the new birth we are
delivered from the reigning power of sin, for we are then made
"partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4). Henceforth there is a
perpetual conflict within the believer. Not only does the flesh lust
against the spirit, but the spirit lusts against the flesh (Gal.
5:17). It is not sufficiently recognized and realized that the new
nature or principle of grace of necessity makes war upon the old
nature or principle of evil. This spiritual begetting is attributed to
God's "abundant mercy,"for it was induced by nothing in or from us. We
had not so much as a desire after Him: in every instance He is able to
declare, "I am found of them that sought me not" (Isa. 65:1; cf. Rom.
3:11). As believers love Him because He first loved them (1 John
4:19), likewise they did not become seekers after Christ until He
first sought and effectually called them (Luke 15; John 6:44; 10:16).
This begetting is according to the abundant mercy of God. Mercy was
most eminently displayed here. For regeneration is the fundamental
blessing of all grace and glory, being the first open manifestation
that the elect receive of God's love to them. "But after that the
kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works
of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he
saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy
Ghost" (Titus 3:4, 5). As Thomas Goodwin so aptly expressed it,
God's love is like a river or spring which runs underground, and
hath done so from eternity. When breaks it forth first? When a man
is effectually called, then that river, which hath been from
everlasting underground, and through Christ on the cross, breaks
out in a man's own heart, too.
It is then that we are experientially made God's children, received
into His favor, and conformed to His image. Therein is a remarkable
display of His benignity. At the new birth the love of God is shed
abroad in the heart, and that is the introduction into, as well as the
sure pledge of, every other spiritual blessing for time and eternity.
As the predestinating love of God ensures our effectual call or
regeneration, so regeneration guarantees our justification and
glorification (Rom. 8:29, 30).
God's Work of Regeneration Precedes Our Repentance and Faith
Let us now retrace our steps, going over again the ground we have
covered, but in the inverse order. Not until a soul has been begotten
of God can we have any spiritual apprehension of the Divine mercy.
Before that miracle of grace takes place he is possessed more or less
of a pharisaical spirit. To sincerely bless the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ for His abundant mercy is the heartfelt
acknowledgment of one who has turned away with loathing from the
filthy rags of his own righteousness (Isa. 64:6) and who places no
confidence in the flesh (Phil. 3:3). Equally true is it that no
unregenerate person ever has his conscience sprinkled with the
peace-producing blood of Christ, for until spiritual life is imparted
evangelical repentance and saving faith are morally impossible.
Therefore, there can be no realization of our desperate need of a
Savior or any actual trusting in Him until we are quickened (made
alive) by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:1), that is, born again (John 3:3).
Still more evident is it that so long as a person remains dead in sin,
with his mind set at enmity against God (Rom. 8:7), there can be no
acceptable obedience to Him; for He will neither be imposed upon nor
bribed by rebels. And certain it is that none who are in love with
this world's painted baubles will conduct themselves as "strangers and
pilgrims on the earth"; for they are perfectly at home here.
Regeneration Produces a Living Hope
"Begotten us again unto a lively hope." This is the immediate effect
and fruit of the new birth, and is one of the characteristic marks
that distinguishes the regenerate from the unregenerate. Hope always
has respect to something in the future (Rom. 8:24, 25), being an eager
expectation of something desirable, an anticipation of a promised
good, whether real or imaginary. The heart of the natural man is
largely buoyed up, and his spirits maintained, by contemplations of
some improvement in his lot that will increase his happiness in this
world. But in the majority of instances the things dreamed of never
materialize, and even when they do the result is always disappointing.
For no real satisfaction of soul is to be found in anything under the
sun. If such disillusioned souls have come under the influence of
man-made religion, then they will seek to persuade themselves of, and
look forward to, something far better for themselves in the hereafter.
But such expectations will prove equally vain, for they are but the
fleshly imaginings of carnal men. The false hope of the hypocrite (Job
8:13), the presumptuous hope of those who neither revere God's
holiness nor fear His wrath but who count upon His mercy, and the dead
hope of the graceless professor will but mock their subjects.
The Christian's Hope Is Both Living and Lively
In contradistinction to the delusive expectations cherished by the
unregenerate, God's elect are begotten again to a real and substantial
hope. This hope, which fills their minds and acts upon their wills and
affections (thus radically altering the orientation of their thoughts,
words, and deeds) is based upon the objective promises of God's Word
(which are summarized in v. 4). In most of its occurrences, the Greek
adjectival participle from zao (to live; no. 2198 in Strong's Greek
Dictionary) is translated living, though in Acts 7:38 (as here in 1
Peter 1:3) it is rendered lively. Both meanings are accurate and
appropriate in this context. The Christian's hope is a sure and
steadfast one (Heb. 6:19) because it rests upon the word and oath of
Him that cannot lie. It is the gift of Divine grace (2 Thess. 2:16), a
fruit of the Spirit (Rom. 5:1-5), inseparably connected with faith and
love (1 Cor. 13:13). It is a living hope because it is exerted by a
quickened soul, being an exercise of the new nature or principle of
grace received at regeneration. It is a living hope because it has
eternal life for its object (Titus 1:2). What a glorious change has
taken place, for before we were begotten of God many of us were
captivated by "a certain fearful looking for of judgment" (Heb.
10:27), and through fear of death were "all their [our] lifetime
subject to bondage" (Heb. 2:15, brackets mine). It is also termed "a
living hope" because it is imperishable, one that looks and lasts
beyond the grave. Should death overtake its possessor, far from
frustration, hope then enters into its fruition.
This inward hope of the believer is not only a living but a lively
one, for it is-like faith and love-an active principle in his soul,
animating him to patience, steadfastness, and perseverance in the path
of duty. Therein it differs radically from the dead hope of religious
formalists and empty professors, for theirs never stirs them to
spiritual activity or produces anything to distinguish them from
respectable worldlings who make no profession at all. It is the
possession and exercise of this lively hope that affords demonstration
that we have been "begotten. . . again." By Divine begetting a
spiritual life is communicated, and that life manifests itself by
desires after spiritual things, by a seeking of satisfaction in
spiritual objects, and by a cheerful performance of spiritual duties.
The genuineness and reality of this "lively hope" is, in turn,
evidenced by its producing a readiness to the denying of self and to
the enduring of afflictions, thus acting as "an anchor of the soul"
(Heb. 6:19) amid the storms of life. This hope further distinguishes
itself by purging its possessor. "And every man that hath this hope in
him purifieth himself, even as he is pure" (1 John 3:3). It is also a
"lively hope" in that it cheers and enlivens its possessor; for as he
views the blissful goal courage is imparted and inspiration afforded,
enabling him to endure to the end of his trials.
The Saving Virtue of Christ's Resurrection
Sixthly, let us consider the acknowledgment of this prayer, namely,
"the resurrection of Jesus Christ." From the position occupied by
these words, it is plain that they are related to and govern the
preceding words as well as the verse that follows. Equally obvious it
is that the resurrection of Christ implies His previous life and
death, though each possesses its own distinctive value and virtue. The
connection between the resurrection of Christ and the exercise of the
abundant mercy of God the Father in His bringing us from death to
life, His putting into our hearts a living hope, and His bringing us
into a glorious inheritance is a very real and intimate one. As such
it calls for our devout attention. The Savior's rising again from the
dead was the climacteric proof of the Divine origin of His mission and
thus a ratification of His Gospel. It was the fulfillment of Old
Testament prophecies concerning Him, and thus proved Him to be the
promised Messiah. It was the accomplishment of His own predictions,
and thus certified Him to be a true prophet. It determined the context
between Him and the Jewish leaders. They condemned Him to death as an
impostor, but by restoring the temple of His body in three days He
demonstrated that they were liars. It witnessed to the Father's
acceptance of His redemptive work.
There is, however, a much closer connection between the resurrection
of Christ from the dead and the hope of eternal life that is set
before His people. His emerging in triumph from the tomb furnished
indubitable proof of the efficacy of His propitiatory sacrifice, by
which He had put away the sins of those for whom it was offered. This
being accomplished, by His resurrection Christ brought in an
everlasting righteousness (Dan. 9:24), thus securing for His people
the eternal reward due Him by His fulfillment of God's Law by His own
perfect obedience. He who was delivered up to death for our offenses
was raised again for our justification (Rom. 4:25). Attend to the
words of John Brown (to whose commentary on 1 Peter I am greatly
indebted):
When God "brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great
shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the everlasting covenant,"
He manifested Himself to be "the God of peace," the pacified
Divinity. He "raised him from the dead, and gave him glory, that
our faith and hope might be in himself" [1 Peter 1:2 1]. Had Jesus
not risen, "our faith had been in vain; we should have been still
in our sins" [1 Cor. 15:17], and without hope. But now that He is
risen,
Our Surety freed, declares us free,
For whose offences He was seized;
In His release our own we see,
And joy to view Jehovah pleased.
But even this is not all. Our Lord's resurrection is to be viewed
not only in connection with His death, but with the following
glory. Raised from the dead, He has received "all power in heaven
and on earth, that he may give eternal life to as many as the
Father had given him." How this is calculated to encourage hope,
may be readily apprehended. "Because he lives, we shall live also."
Having the keys of death and the unseen world, He can and will
raise us from the dead, and give us eternal life. He sits at the
right hand of God. "Our life is hid with him in God; and when he
who is our life shall appear, we shall also appear with him in
glory." We are not yet in possession of the inheritance; but He,
our Head and Representative, is. "We see not yet all things put
under us; but we see him," the Captain of our salvation, "for the
suffering of death crowned with glory and honour." The resurrection
of Christ, when considered in reference to the death which preceded
and the glory which followed it, is the grand means of producing
and strengthening the hope of eternal life.
By faith we now behold Christ seated at the right hand of the Majesty
on high, from whence He is administering all the outworking of that
redemption which He has accomplished. "Him hath God exalted with his
right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to
[the spiritual] Israel, and forgiveness of sins" (Acts 5:31, brackets
mine).
More specifically, not only is the resurrection of Christ the legal
basis upon which God the Father imputes the righteousness of Christ to
the accounts of believing sinners, but it is also the legal warrant
upon which the Holy Spirit proceeds to regenerate those sinners in
order that they might initially believe on Christ, turn from their
sins, and be saved. Unfortunately, like so many other fine points of
Gospel doctrine, this is little understood today. The spirit of a man
must be brought forth from its death in sin before his body will be
subject to being raised in glory at the last day. And while the Holy
Spirit is the One who spiritually quickens God's elect, it must be
remembered that He is sent forth, to do His saving work, by the kingly
power of the risen Christ, to whom that authority was given as the
reward of His finished work (Matt. 28:18; Acts 2:33; Rev. 3:1). In
James 1:18, the new birth is traced back to the sovereign will of the
Father. In Ephesians 1:19 and following, the new birth and its
gracious consequences are attributed to the gracious operation of the
Spirit. Here in our text, while issuing from the abundant mercy of the
Father, it is ascribed to the virtue of Christ's triumph over death.
It is to be observed that Christ's own resurrection is termed a
begetting of Him (Ps. 2:7; cf. Acts 13:33), while our spiritual
resurrection is designated a regeneration (Titus 3:5). Christ is
expressly called "the first begotten of the dead" (Rev. 1:5). This He
is called because His resurrection marked a new beginning both for Him
and for His people.
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13 | 14
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A. W. Pink Header
A Guide to Fervent Prayer by A.W. Pink
Chapter 6
_________________________________________________________________
I Peter 1:3-5
Part 3
_________________________________________________________________
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which
according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively
hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." Let us begin
this chapter by continuing our consideration of the acknowledgment of
the prayer. It is to be recalled that this Epistle is addressed to
those who are strangers, scattered abroad (v. 1). Most appropriate,
then, is this reference to the Divine begetting of God's elect, for it
is by the Holy Spirit's gracious begetting that the elect are
constituted strangers or sojourners (that is, temporary residents of
this world), both in heart and in conduct. The Lord Jesus was a
stranger here (Ps. 69:8), for He was the Son of God from heaven; and
so, too, are His people, for they have His Spirit within them. How
that understanding enhances this miracle of grace! Divine begetting is
not merely a doctrine, but the actual communication to the soul of the
very life of God (John 1:13). Formerly the Christian was both in and
of the world, but now his "conversation [citizenship-A.S.V.] is in
heaven" (Phil. 3:20, brackets mine). "I am a stranger in the earth"
(Ps. 119:19) is henceforth his confession. To the soul renewed by God
this world becomes a barren wilderness. For his heritage, his home, is
on high, and therefore he now views the things of time and sense in a
very different light.
The Great Interests of the Regenerate Soul Are Alien to this World
The chief interests of a truly born-again soul lie not in this mundane
sphere. His affections will be set upon things above; and in
proportion as they are so, his heart is detached from this world.
Their strangerhood is an essential mark that distinguishes the saints
from the ungodly. They who heartily embrace the promises of God are
suitably affected by them (Heb. 11:13). One of the certain effects of
Divine grace in the soul is to separate its possessor, both in spirit
and in practice, from the world. His delight in heavenly things
manifests itself in his being weaned from the things of earth, just as
the woman at the well left her bucket behind when she had obtained
from Christ the living water (John 4:28). Such a spirit constitutes
him an alien among the worshipers of mammon. He is morally a foreigner
in a strange land, surrounded by those who know him not (1 John 3:1),
because they know not his Father. Nor do they understand his joys or
sorrows, not appreciating the principles and motives that actuate him;
for their pursuits and pleasures are radically different from his.
Nay, he finds himself in the midst of enemies who hate him (John
15:19), and there are none with whom he can have communion save the
very few who "have obtained like precious faith" (2 Peter 1:1).
But though there be nothing in this wilderness of a world for the
Christian, he has been "begotten. . . again unto a living hope."
Previously he viewed death with horror, but now he perceives that it
will provide a blessed release from all sin and sorrow and open the
door into Paradise. The principle of grace received at the new birth
not only inclines its possessor to love God and to act in faith upon
His Word, but it also disposes him to "look not at the things which
are seen, but at the things which are not seen" (2 Cor. 4:17, 18),
inclining his aspirations away from the present toward his glorious
future. Thomas Manton aptly declares, "The new nature was made for
another world: it came from thence, and it carrieth the soul thither."
Hope is an assured expectation of future good. While faith is in
exercise, a vista of unclouded bliss is set before the heart, and hope
enters into the enjoyment of the same. It is a living hope exercised
within a dying environment, and it both supports and invigorates all
of us who believe. While in healthy activity, hope not only sustains
amid the trials of this life but lifts us above them. Oh, for hearts
to be more engaged in joyous anticipations of the future! For such
hopeful hearts will quicken us to duty and stimulate us to
perseverance. In proportion to the intelligence and strength of our
hope will we be delivered from the fear of death.
Union with Christ in His Resurrection, the Cause of Our Regeneration
A further word must now be said upon the relationship that the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead bears to the Father's
begetting of us to this living hope. Christ's God-honoring work and
triumphant emergence from the grave was the legal basis not only of
the justification of His people, but of their regeneration also.
Mystically, by virtue of their union with Christ in the mind and
purpose of God, they were delivered from their death at the hands of
the Law when their Surety arose from the dead. "But God, who is rich
in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were
dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are
saved;) and hath raised us up together. . ." (Eph. 2:4-6, ital. mine).
Those words refer to the corporate union of the Church with her Head
and her judicial participation in His victory, and not to an
individual experience. Nevertheless, since all the elect rose
federally when their Representative arose, they must in due time be
regenerated; since they have been made alive legally, they must in due
course be quickened spiritually. Had not Christ risen, none had been
quickened (1 Cor. 15:17); but because He lives, they shall live also.
Jesus lives, and so shall I.
Death! thy sting is gone forever!
He who deigned for me to die,
Lives, the bands of death to sever.
He [hath raised] me from the dust:
Jesus is my Hope and Trust.
The life that is in the Head must be communicated to the members of
His body.
The resurrection of Christ is the virtual cause of our regeneration.
The Holy Spirit would not have been given unless Christ had conquered
the last enemy (1 Cor. 15:26) and gone to the Father: "Christ hath
redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us:. . .
that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith" (Gal.
3:13, 14). Regeneration issues as truly from the virtue of Christ's
resurrection as does our justification, which is the result of that
saving faith in Christ that can only issue from a Spirit-renewed
heart. He purchased for His people the blessed Spirit to raise them up
to grace and glory. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done,
but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of
regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us
abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour" (Titus 3:5, 6, ital.
mine). God the Father has shed the Holy Spirit upon us in regenerating
power because of the merits of Christ's life, death, and resurrection,
and in response to His mediation on our behalf. The Holy Spirit is
here to testify of Christ to God's elect, to raise up faith in them
toward Him in order that they "may abound in hope" (Rom. 15:12, 13).
Our spiritual deliverance from the grave of sin's guilt, power, and
pollution is as much owing to the efficacy of Christ's triumph over
death as will be our physical vivification at His return. He is "the
firstborn among many brethren" (Rom. 8:29), the very life of Christ
being imparted to them when they are begotten again.
The Power that Raised Christ Physically Raises Sinners Spiritually
The resurrection of Christ is also the dynamic prototype of our
regeneration. The same power put forth in raising Christ's body is
employed in the recovering of our souls from spiritual death (Eph.
1:19, 20; 2:1). The Lord Jesus is designated "the first begotten of
the dead" (Rev. 1:5) because His emerging from the grave was not only
the pledge but the likeness of both the regeneration of the spirits of
His people and the raising of their bodies in the last day. The
similitude is obvious. Begetting is the beginning of a new life. When
Christ was born into this world it was "in the likeness of sinful
flesh" (Rom. 8:3). Though untouched by the taint of original sin (Luke
1:35) and undefiled by the pollution of actual transgressions, He was
clothed with infirmity because of imputed iniquity. But when He rose
from Joseph's tomb in power and glory, it was in a body fitted for
heaven. Likewise, at regeneration, we receive a nature that makes us
meet for heaven. As God's raising of Christ testified to His being
pacified by His sacrifice (Heb. 13:20), so by begetting us again He
assures us of our personal interest therein. As Christ's resurrection
was the grand proof of His Divine Sonship (Rom. 1:4), so the new birth
is the first open manifestation of our adoption. As Christ's
resurrection was the first step into His glory and exaltation, so
regeneration is the first stage of our entrance into all spiritual
privileges.
Glorification Is the Goal of Regeneration
Our seventh consideration in examining this doxology is its substance:
"to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not
away, reserved in heaven for you" (v. 4). Regeneration is for the
purpose of glorification. We are begotten spiritually to two
realities: a living hope in the present, and a glorious heritage in
the future. It is by God's begetting that we obtain our title to the
latter. Inheritances go by birth: "Except a man be born of water and
of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:5). If
not sons, then we cannot be heirs; and we must be born of God in order
to become the children of God. But "if children, then heirs; heirs of
God, and joint-heirs with Christ" (Rom. 8:17). Not only does begetting
confer title, but it also guarantees the inheritance. Already the
Christian has received the Spirit, "[who] is the earnest of our
inheritance" (Eph. 1:14, brackets mine). As Christ's part was to
purchase the inheritance, so the Spirit's part is to make it known to
the heirs; for "the things which God hath prepared for them that love
him" He "hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit" (1 Cor. 2:9, 10).
It is the Spirit's province to vouchsafe to the regenerate sweet
foretastes of what is in store for them, to bring something of
heaven's joy into their souls on earth.
The New Birth Fits Us Immediately for Heaven
Not only does Divine begetting give title to and ensure the heavenly
inheritance, but it also imparts a meetness for the same. At the new
birth a nature is imparted that is suited to the celestial sphere,
that qualifies the soul to dwell for ever with the thrice-holy God (as
is evident from his present communion with Him); and at the close of
his earthly pilgrimage, indwelling sin (which now hinders his
communion) dies with the body. It is all too little realized by the
saints that at regeneration they are at once fitted for heaven. Many
of them-to the serious diminution of their peace and joy-suppose that
they must still pass through a process of severe discipline and
refining before they shall be ready to enter the courts above. That is
but another relic of Romanism. The case of the dying thief, who was
taken immediately from his spiritual birthplace into Paradise, should
teach them better. But it does not. So legalistic remains the tendency
of the heart even of a Christian that it is very difficult to convince
him that the very hour he was born again he was made as suitable for
heaven as ever he would be though he remained on earth another
century. How difficult it is for us to believe that no growth in grace
or passing through fiery trials is essential to prepare our souls for
the Father's house.
Nowhere does Scripture say that believers are ripened, meetened, or
gradually fitted for heaven. The Holy Spirit expressly declares that
God the Father has, "according to His abundant mercy. . . begotten us
again. . . to an inheritance." What could be plainer? Nor does our
text by any means stand alone. Christians have already been made
"partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4), and what more can be
needed to fit them for the Divine presence? Scripture emphatically
declares, "Wherefore thou art no more a servant [slave], but a son;
and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ" (Gal. 4:7, brackets
mine). The inheritance is the child's birthright or patrimony. To
speak of heirs not being eligible for an estate is a contradiction in
terms. Our fitness for the inheritance lies alone in our being the
children of God. If it be true that except a man be born again he
cannot enter or see the kingdom of God, then, conversely, it
necessarily follows that once he has been born again he is qualified
for an entrance into and enjoyment of God's kingdom. All room for
argument on this point is excluded by these words, which set forth one
aspect of Paul's prayers of thanksgiving on behalf of the Colossians:
"Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made [past tense] us meet
to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light" (Col. 1:12,
ital. and brackets mine).
By Regeneration We Are Wedded to Christ
By regeneration we are made vitally one with Christ and thereby become
joint-heirs with Him. The portion of the Bride is her participation in
the portion of the Bridegroom. "And the glory which thou gavest me I
have given them" (John 17:22), declares the Redeemer of His redeemed.
This, too, needs stressing today, when so much error is parading
itself as the truth. In their fanciful attempts to "rightly divide the
Word," men have wrongly divided the family of God. Some
Dispensationalists hold that not only is there a distinction of
earthly privileges, but that the same distinctions will be perpetuated
in the world to come; that the New Testament believers will look down
from a superior elevation upon Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; that saints
who lived and died before Pentecost will not participate in the glory
of the Church or enter into the inheritance "reserved for us in
heaven." To affirm that the saints of this Christian era are to occupy
a higher position and to enjoy grander privileges than will those of
previous ages is a serious and inexcusable mistake, for it clashes
with the most fundamental teachings of Scripture concerning the
purpose of the Father, the redemption of Christ, and the work of the
Spirit, and repudiates the essential features of God's great
salvation. Writing to the churches in Galatia, largely composed of
Gentiles, the Apostle Paul declares, "Know ye therefore that they
which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham (Gal. 3:7).
This text alone is sufficient to prove that God's way of salvation has
never essentially changed.
All of God's elect are the common sharers of the riches of His
wondrous grace, vessels whom He "afore prepared unto glory" (Rom.
9:23), whom He predestinated to be "conformed to the image of his Son"
(Rom. 8:29). Christ acted as the Surety of the entire election of
grace, and what His meritorious work secured for one of them it
necessarily secured for all. The saints of all ages are fellow-heirs.
Each of them was predestinated by the same Father (John 6:37; 10:16,
27-30; 17:2, 9-12, 20-24); each of them was regenerated by the same
Spirit (Eph. 4:4), each of them looked to and trusted in the same
Savior. Scripture knows of no salvation that does not issue in
joint-heirship with Christ. Those to whom God gives His Son, namely,
the whole company of His elect from Abel to the end of earth's
history, He also freely gives all things (Rom. 8:32). That both
Abraham and David were justified by faith is plain from Romans 4, and
there is no higher destiny or more glorious prospect than that to
which justification gives full title. The renewing work of the Holy
Spirit is identical in every member of God's family: begetting them
to, qualifying them for, a celestial heritage. All those who were
effectually called by Him during the Old Testament era received "the
promise of eternal inheritance" (Heb. 9:15). Heaven-born children must
have a heavenly portion.
The Nature of Our Eternal Inheritance
"An inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not
away, reserved in heaven for you." The heavenly portion reserved for
the people of God is one that is agreeable to the new life received at
regeneration, for it is a state of perfect holiness and happiness
suited to spiritual beings who possess material bodies. Many and
varied are the descriptions given in Scripture of the nature of our
inheritance. In our text (v. 5) it is described as "the salvation
ready to be revealed in the last time" (cf. Heb. 9:28), that is,
salvation in its fullness and perfection that shall be bestowed upon
the redeemed at Christ's glorious return. Our Lord Jesus describes it
as His "Father's house" in which there "are many mansions," which
Christ Himself is now preparing for His people (John 14:1, 2). The
Apostle Paul refers to it as "the inheritance of the saints in
light"(Col. 1:12, ital. mine), and to the future inhabitants of that
glorious realm as "the children of light"(1 Thess. 5:5, ital. mine).
No doubt these expressions point to the moral perfection of Him in the
blazing light of whose Presence (Isa. 33:13; 1 Tim. 6:13-16; Heb.
12:29; 1 John 1:5) all the saints shall one day dwell. Furthermore,
they underscore the spotless purity that shall characterize each of
those who shall "dwell in the house of the LORD for ever" (Ps. 23:6;
cf. Dan. 12:3; Rev. 21:27). Paul further describes it as "a city which
hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Heb. 11:10), upon
which the hopeful, believing eye of Abraham was fixed. He also calls
it "a kingdom which cannot be moved" or "shaken" (Heb. 12:26-28; cf.
Rev. 2 1:10-27).
The Apostle Peter refers to Christians as those whom God has "called.
. . unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus" (1 Peter 5:10). Elsewhere,
he calls our inheritance "the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:11). The Lord Jesus prayed, "Father,
I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am;
that they may behold my glory" (John 17:24). The glorified Christ, in
His revelation to the Apostle John, describes the saints' inheritance
as "the paradise of God" (Rev. 2:7), from which we may infer that Eden
was but a shadow. Looking forward to this Paradise, David declares,
"Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of
joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore" (Ps. 16:11).
The Significance of the Term Inheritance
In his commentary on 1 Peter, John Brown makes the following pertinent
observations on the significance of the use of the term inheritance:
The celestial blessedness receives here, and in many other passages
of Scripture, the appellation of "the inheritance," for two
reasons: to mark its gratuitous nature, and to mark its secure
tenure.
An inheritance is something that is not obtained by the
individual's own exertions, but by the free gift or bequest of
another. The earthly inheritance of the external people of God was
not given them because they were greater or better than the other
nations of the earth. It was "because the LORD had a delight in
them to love them" [Deut. 10:151. "They got not the land in
possession by their own sword, neither did their own right hand
save them; but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy
countenance, for thou hadst a favour unto them" [Ps. 44:3]. And the
heavenly inheritance of the spiritual people of God is entirely the
gift of sovereign kindness. "By grace are ye saved" [Eph. 2:5];
"eternal life is the gift of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord"
[Rom. 6:23].
A second idea suggested by the figurative expression, "the
inheritance," when used in reference to the celestial blessedness,
is the security of the tenure by which it is held. No right is more
indefeasible than the right of inheritance. If the right of the
giver or bequeather be good, all is secure. The heavenly happiness,
whether viewed as the gift of the Divine Father, or the bequest of
the Divine Son, is "sure to all the seed." If the title of the
claimant be but as valid as the right of the original proprietor,
their tenure must be as secure as the throne of God and His Son.
The Excellence of Our Inheritance
The excellence of this inheritance or everlasting portion of the
redeemed is described by four expressions. First, it is incorruptible,
and thus it is like its Author "the uncorruptible God" (Rom. 1:23).
All corruption is a change from better to worse, but heaven is without
change or end. Hence the word incorruptible has the force of enduring,
imperishable. Nor will it corrupt its heirs, as many a worldly
inheritance has done. Secondly, it is undefiled, and thus like its
Purchaser, who passed through this depraved world as uncontaminated as
a sunbeam is unsullied though it shines on a filthy object (Heb.
7:26). All defilement is by sin, but no germ of it can ever enter
heaven. Hence undefiled has the force of beneficent, incapable of
injuring its possessors. Thirdly, it is unfading, and thus it is like
the One who conducts us thither, "the eternal Spirit" (Heb. 9:14,
ital. mine), the Holy Spirit, "a pure river of water of life" (Rev.
22:1). The word undefiled tells of this River's perennial and
perpetual freshness; its splendor will never be marred nor its beauty
diminished. Fourthly, the phrase reserved in heaven speaks of the
location and security of our inheritance (see Col. 1:5; 2 Tim. 4:18).
As we consider the four descriptive expressions in verse 4, several
characteristics of our inheritance come into view. To begin with, our
inheritance is indestructible. Its substance is wholly unlike that of
earthly kingdoms, the grandeur of which wears away. The mightiest
empires of earth eventually dissipate by reason of inherent
corruption. Consider the purity of our portion. No serpent shall ever
enter this Paradise to defile it. Behold its changeless beauty.
Neither rust shall tarnish nor moth mar it, nor shall endless ages
produce a wrinkle on the countenance of any of its inhabitants. Ponder
its security. It is guarded by Christ for His redeemed; no thief shall
ever break into it.
It seems to me that these four expressions are designed to cause us to
make a series of contrasts with the glorious inheritance that awaits
us. First, consider the inheritance of Adam. How soon was Eden
corrupted! Secondly, think of the inheritance that "the most High
divided to the nations" (Deut. 32:8) and how they have defiled it by
greed and bloodshed. Thirdly, contemplate the inheritance of Israel.
How sadly the land flowing with milk and honey wilted under the
droughts and famines that the Lord sent in order to chasten the nation
for their sins. Fourthly, let us reflect on the glorious habitation
that was forfeited by the fallen angels, who "kept not their first
estate" (Jude 6). These woeful, benighted spirits have no gracious
High Priest to intercede for them, but are "reserved in everlasting
chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." Knowing our
own remaining corruption, well might we shudder and ask with pious
self-distrust (see Matthew 26:20-22), "What will keep us from such a
doom?"
The Guarantee that We Will Receive Our Inheritance
We come, finally, to reflect upon the infallible guaranty of this
doxology, which graciously answers the question of trembling saints
just posited: "Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto
salvation ready to be revealed at the last time." Here is the cordial
for the fainting Christian! Not only is the inestimably glorious and
precious inheritance secure, "reserved in heaven" for us, but we also
are secure, "kept by the power of God." Here the Apostle Peter's
doctrine perfectly coincides with that of the Lord Jesus and of the
other apostles. Our Lord taught that those who are born or begotten of
God believe on His Son (John 1:11-13; 3:3-5), and that those who
believe have eternal life (John 3:15, 16). "He that believeth on the
Son hath [presently and continually possesses] everlasting life" (John
3:36, ital. and brackets mine). He further taught that those who
believe not do not believe because they are not His sheep (John
10:26). But then He goes on:
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I
give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither
shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them
me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my
Father's hand. I and my Father are one (John 10:27-30).
The Apostle Paul also declares the fact that none of Christ's brethren
shall ever perish.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation,
or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or
sword?. . . Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors
through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death,
nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other
creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which
is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:35, 37-39).
Yet the question remains to be answered, "What is the principal means
that the power of God exercises in preserving us, in order that we
might enter upon and enjoy our inheritance?"
Faith Is the Means of Our Preservation
"Who are kept by the power of God through faith." John Brown's
insights are of great value on this point:
They are "kept"-preserved safe-amid the many dangers to which they
are exposed, "by the power of God." The expression, "power of God,"
may here refer to the Divine power both as exercised in reference
to the enemies of the Christian, controlling their malignant
purposes, and as exercised in the form of spiritual influence on
the mind of the Christian himself, keeping him in the faith of the
truth [italics mine] "in the love of God, and in the patient
waiting for our Lord Jesus Christ" [2 Thess. 3:5; cf. 2 Tim. 1:13,
14]. It is probably to the last that the apostle principally
alludes, for he adds "by faith." It is through the persevering
faith of the truth that the Christian is by Divine influence
preserved from falling, and kept in possession both of that state
and character which are absolutely necessary to the enjoyment of
the heavenly inheritance.
The perseverance thus secured to the true Christian is perseverance
in faith and holiness; and nothing can be more grossly absurd than
for a person living in unbelief and sin to suppose that he can be
in the way of obtaining celestial blessedness.
Though God Keeps Us, We Must Believe
By the almighty power of the Triune God, we are kept "unto salvation
ready to be revealed in the last time." But the same gracious Spirit
who keeps us also inspired Jude to write, "Keep yourselves in the love
of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal
life" (Jude 21, ital. mine). By Him also the Apostle Paul wrote, "Put
on the whole armour of God,. . . Above all, taking the shield of
faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the
wicked" (Eph. 6:11, 16). Therefore ought we frequently to cry to the
Lord with the apostles, "Increase our faith" (Luke 17:5). If our cry
is genuine, then we may be certain that Jesus, who is "the author and
finisher of our faith" (Heb. 12:2) will hear and answer in a way best
suited to our need, though perhaps by means of adversity.
The apostle's reference to the heavenly heritage of believers was a
most appropriate one. He was writing to those who were, both naturally
and spiritually, away from their homeland, aliens in a strange
country. Many of them were converted Jews, and, as such, fiercely
opposed and most cruelly treated. When a Jew became a Christian he
forfeited much: he was excommunicated from the synagogue, becoming an
outcast from among his own people. Nevertheless, there was rich
compensation for him. He had been Divinely begotten to an inheritance
infinitely superior, both in quality and duration, to the land of
Palestine. Thus his gains far more than made up for his losses (see
Matthew 19:23-29, especially v. 29). The Holy Spirit, then, from the
outset of the Epistle, drew out the hearts of those suffering saints
to God by setting before them His abundant mercy and the exceeding
riches of His grace. The more they were occupied with the same the
more their minds would be lifted above this scene and their hearts
filled with praise to God. While few of us are experiencing any trials
comparable to theirs, yet our lot is cast in a very dark day, and it
behooves us to look away from the things that are seen and more and
more to fix our attention upon the blissful future awaiting us. Since
God has designed such for us, how we should glorify Him in heartfelt
worship and by adhering to His promises by "the obedience of faith"
(Rom. 16:26) to the end!
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13 | 14
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A. W. Pink Header
A Guide to Fervent Prayer by A.W. Pink
Chapter 7
_________________________________________________________________
I Peter 5:10, 11
Part 1
_________________________________________________________________
We come now to an apostolic prayer the contents of which, as a whole,
are very sublime. Its contents are remarkably full, and a careful
study of, and devout meditation upon, it shall be richly repaid. My
present task will be rendered the easier since I am making extensive
use of Thomas Goodwin's excellent and exhaustive exposition of the
passage. He was favored with much light on this portion of Scripture,
and I wish to share with my readers what has been of no little help
and blessing to me personally.
There are seven things that we should consider regarding this prayer:
(1) the supplicant, for there is an intimate and striking relationship
between the experiences of Peter and the terms of his prayer; (2) its
setting, for it is closely connected with the context, particularly
with verses 6-9; (3) its Object, namely, "the God of all grace"-a
title especially dear to His people and most appropriate in this
context; (4) its plea, for so ought the clause "who hath called us
into his eternal glory by Christ Jesus" to be regarded; (5) its
petition, "make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you"; (6)
its qualification, "after that ye have suffered a while," for though
that clause precedes the petition, yet it logically follows it when
the verse is treated homiletically; and (7) its ascription, "to him be
glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."
"But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory
by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you
perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you" (v. 10). In these words the
apostle begins his appeal to Him who is the Fountain of grace, and
with such a One to look to the chief of sinners need not despair.
Next, he mentions that which gives proof to all believers that He is
indeed the God of all grace, namely, His having effectually called
them from death to life and having brought them out of nature's
darkness into His own marvelous light. Nor is that all, for
regeneration is but an earnest of what He has designed and prepared
for them, since He has called them to His eternal glory. The
realization of that truth moves the Apostle Peter to request that,
following a season of testing and affliction, God would complete His
work of grace within them. Herein we have it clearly implied that God
will preserve His people from apostasy, will move them to persevere to
the end, and, notwithstanding all the opposition of the world, the
flesh, and the devil, will bring them safe to heaven.
The Supplicant's Experience of Restoring and Preserving Grace
First let us consider this prayer's supplicant. The one who approached
God thus was Simon Peter. While Paul had much more to say about the
grace of God than any other of the apostles, it was left to poor Peter
to denominate Him "the God of all grace." We shall not have to seek
far in order to discover the reason for this and its appropriateness.
While Saul of Tarsus is the outstanding New Testament trophy of saving
grace (for king Manasseh is an equally remarkable case in the Old
Testament), surely it is Simon who is the most conspicuous New
Testament example (David supplies a parallel under the Mosaic era) of
the restoring and preserving grace of God. What is it that appears the
greater marvel to a Christian, that most moves and melts his heart
before God? Is it the grace shown to him while he was dead in sin,
that which lifted him out of the miry clay and set him upon and within
the Rock of ages? Or is it that grace exercised toward him after
conversion that bears with his waywardness, ingratitude, departures
from his first love, grievings of the Holy Spirit, dishonorings of
Christ; and yet, notwithstanding all, loves him to the end and
continues ministering to his every need? If the reader's experience be
anything like mine, he will have no difficulty in answering.
Who but one who has been made painfully sensible of the plague within
him, who has had so many sad proofs of the deceitfulness and desperate
wickedness of his own heart, and who has perceived something of the
exceeding sinfulness of sin-not only in the light of God's holiness
but as it is committed against the dying love of his Savior-can
rightly estimate the sad fall of Peter? For he was not only accorded a
place of honor among the twelve ambassadors of the King of glory, but
was privileged to behold Him on the mount of transfiguration, and was
one of the three who witnessed more than any others His agonies in the
Garden. And then to hear him, a very short time afterwards, denying
his Master and Friend with oaths! Who but one who has personally
experienced the "longsuffering of God" (1 Peter 3:20; 2 Peter 3:9,
15), and has himself been the recipient of His "abundant mercy" (1
Peter 1:3), can really estimate and appreciate the amazing, infinite
grace (1) that moved the Savior to look so sorrowfully yet tenderly
upon the erring one as to cause him to go forth and "weep bitterly"
(Luke 22:62), (2) that led Him to have a private interview with Peter
after His resurrection (Luke 24:34; 1 Cor. 15:5), and (3) that, above
all, not only recovered His wandering sheep but restored him to the
apostolate (John 21:15-17)? Well might Peter own Christ, together with
the Father and the Spirit, as "the God of all grace"!
The Twin Duties of Christian Pastors
Secondly, let us ponder the setting of this prayer, for if we closely
examine it we shall find that there is much to be learned and admired.
Before entering into detail, let us observe the context generally. In
the foregoing verses the apostle had been making a series of weighty
exhortations. And since those in verses 6 through 9 are preceded by
Peter's impressing upon the public servants of God their several
duties (vv. 1-4), allow me to address a word to them first. Let all
Christ's undershepherds emulate the example that is here set before
them. Having bidden believers to walk circumspectly, the apostle bent
his knees and commended them to the gracious care of their God,
seeking for them those mercies that he felt they most needed. The
minister of Christ has two principal offices to discharge for those
souls that are committed to his care (Heb. 13:17): to speak for God to
them, and to supplicate God for them. The seed that the minister sows
is not likely to produce much fruit unless he personally waters it
with his prayers and tears. It is but a species of hypocrisy for him
to exhort his hearers to spend more time in prayer if he be not a
frequenter of the throne of grace. The pastor has only fulfilled half
his commission when he has faithfully proclaimed all the counsel of
God; the other part is to be performed in private.
The Twin Duties of Hearers and Students of God's Word
The same principle holds good equally for those in the pew. The most
searching sermon will profit the hearer little or nothing unless it be
turned into fervent prayer. So too with what we read! The measure in
which God is pleased to bless these chapters to you will be determined
by the influence they have upon you and the effects they produce in
you-the extent to which they bring you to your knees in earnest
supplication seeking power from the Lord. From exhortation the apostle
turned to supplication. Let us do likewise, or we shall be left
without the necessary strength to obey the precepts. To the various
duties inculcated in the context was added this prayer for Divine
enablement for the discharge of them, however arduous, and for the
patient endurance of every trial, however painful. Observe, too, the
blessed contrast between the assaults of the enemy in verses 8 and 9
and the character in which God is here viewed in verses 10 and 11. Is
not that designed to teach the saint that he has nothing to fear from
his vile adversary so long as he has recourse to Him in whom resides
every kind of grace that is needed for his present walk, work,
warfare, and witness? Surely this is one of the principal practical
lessons to be drawn from this prayer as we view it in the light of its
context.
Our Ability to Resist Satan Depends on Prayer
Unless we daily look to and cast ourselves upon "the God of all
grace," it is certain that we shall never be able to "resist stedfast
in the faith" our adversary the devil, who, "as a roaring lion,
walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (v. 8). And equally sure is
it that Divine grace is needed by us if we are to "be sober, be
vigilant." We need strengthening grace that we may successfully resist
so powerful a foe as the devil; we need courage-producing grace if we
are to do so steadfast in the faith; and we need patience-producing
grace in order to meekly bear afflictions. Not only is every kind of
grace available for us in God but every measure, so that when we find
one exhausted we may obtain a fresh one. One of the reasons why God
permits Satan to assail His people so frequently and so fiercely is
that they may prove for themselves the efficacy of His grace. "And God
is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having
all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work" (2 Cor.
9:8). Then let us bring to Him every pitcher of our needs and draw
upon His inexhaustible fullness. Says F. B. Meyer, "The ocean is known
by several names, according to the shores it washes, but it is the
same ocean. So it is ever the same love of God, though each needy one
perceives and admires its special adaptation to his needs."
The Remarkable Correspondence Between Peter's Experience and His
Exhortation and Prayer
But, as Thomas Goodwin has shown, there is a yet more definite
relation between this prayer and its context, and between both of them
and the experience of Peter. The parallels between them are so close
and numerous that they cannot be undesigned. In Gethsemane Christ bade
His servant, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation"
(Matthew 26:41), and in his Epistle Peter exhorts the saints, "be
sober, be vigilant." Previously, the Savior had warned him, "Simon,
Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as
wheat" (Luke 22:31)- and as the Puritan expressed it, "and shake forth
all grace out of him." So in verse 8 Peter gives point to his call for
sobriety and vigilance by saying, "because your adversary the devil,
as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." But in
connection with the loving admonition Christ comforted him: "But I
have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not" (Luke 22:32). As
Goodwin points out, "Faith's not failing is Satan's foiling."
Likewise, the Apostle Peter, in his exhortation, adds, "Whom resist
stedfast in the faith"-the gift of faith, as Calvin expounds it.
Though Peter's self-confidence and courage failed him, so that he
fell, yet his faith delivered him from giving way to abject despair,
as Luke 22:61, 62, shows.
Our Lord concluded His address to Simon by saying, "and when thou art
converted [brought back, restored], strengthen thy brethren" (Luke
22:32, brackets mine). Likewise, our apostle wrote, "knowing that the
same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the
world" (v. 9); and then he prayed that, after they had suffered
awhile, the God of all grace would "perfect [or restore], stablish,
strengthen, settle you [them]." He prayed for the same kind of
deliverance for them as that which he himself had experienced.
Finally, Goodwin observes that Christ, when strengthening Peter's
faith against Satan, set His "But I have prayed for thee" over against
the worst the enemy could do. Therefore Peter also, after portraying
the adversary of the saints in his fiercest character-as "a roaring
lion"-brings in by way of contrast these words: "But the God of all
grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus,
after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish,
strengthen, settle you." He thereby assures them that God will be
their Guardian, Establisher, and Strengthener. If, notwithstanding his
sad lapse, he was recovered and preserved to eternal glory, that is a
sure pledge that all the truly regenerate will be also. How admirably
Scripture (Luke 22) interprets Scripture (1 Peter 5)!
God's Choice of Instruments for Writing His Scriptures Amazingly
Appropriate
Before passing on to our next section, let us note and admire how the
particular instruments whom God employs as His penmen in communicating
His Word were personally qualified and experientially fitted for their
several tasks. Who but Solomon was so well suited to write the Book of
Ecclesiastes? For he was afforded exceptional opportunities to drink
from all the poor cisterns of this world, and then to record the fact
that no satisfaction was to be found in them. He thereby provided a
fitting background for the Song of Solomon, wherein a Satisfying
Object is displayed. How appropriate was the selection of Matthew to
be the writer of the first Gospel, for he was the only one of the
Twelve who held an official position before his call to the ministry
(a tax-gatherer in the employ of the Romans). He of the four
Evangelists presents Christ most clearly in His official character as
the Messiah and King of Israel. Mark, the one who ministered to
another (2 Tim. 4:11), is the one chosen to set forth Christ as the
servant of Jehovah. Who was so eminently adapted to write upon the
blessed theme of Divine love (as he does throughout his Epistles) as
the one who was so highly favored as to lean upon the bosom of God's
Beloved? So here, Peter is the one who so feelingly styles the Deity
"the God of all grace." And so it is today. When God calls any man to
the ministry, He experientially equips him, qualifying him for the
particular work He has for him to do.
That He Is "the God of All Grace" Is Uniquely a Gospel Truth
Thirdly, let us contemplate its Object: "The God of all grace." Nature
does not reveal Him as such, for man has to work hard and earn what he
obtains from her. The workings of Providence do not, for there is a
stern aspect as well as a benign one to them; and, as a whole, they
rather exemplify the truth that we reap as we sow. Still less does the
Law, as such, exhibit God in this character, for its reward is a
matter of debt and not of grace. It is only in the Gospel that He is
clearly made manifest as "the God of all grace." Our valuation of Him
as such is exactly proportioned by our devaluation of ourselves, for
grace is the gratuitous favor of God to the undeserving and
ill-deserving. Therefore we cannot truly appreciate it until we are
made sensible of our utter unworthiness and vileness. He might well be
the God of inflexible justice and unsparing wrath to rebels against
His government. Such indeed He is to all who are outside of Christ,
and will continue so for all eternity. But the glorious Gospel
discovers to hell-deserving sinners the amazing grace of God to
pardon, and to cleanse the foulest who repent and believe. Grace
devised the plan of redemption; grace executed it; and grace applies
it and makes it effectual. Peter previously made mention of "the
manifold grace of God" (1 Peter 4:10, ital. mine), for nothing less
will avail for those who are guilty of "manifold transgressions" and
"mighty sins" (Amos 5:12). The grace of God is manifold not only
numerically but in kind, in the rich variety of its manifestations.
Every blessing we enjoy is to be ascribed to grace. But the
appellation "the God of all grace" is even more comprehensive; yea, it
is incomprehensible to all finite intelligences. This title, as we
have seen, is set over against what is said of the devil in verse 8,
where he is portrayed in all his terribleness: as our adversary for
malice; likened to a lion for strength; to a roaring lion for dread;
described as walking about for unwearied diligence, "seeking whom he
may devour" unless God prevent. How blessed and consolatory is the
contrast: "But God"-the Almighty, the Self-sufficient and
All-sufficient One-"the God of all grace."How comforting is the
singling out of this attribute when we have to do with Satan in
temptation! If the God of all grace be for us, who can be against us?
When Paul was so severely tried by the messenger (angel) of Satan who
was sent to buffet him, and he thrice prayed for its removal, God
assured him of His relief: "My grace is sufficient for thee" (2 Cor.
12:9, ital. mine).
The God of All Grace: A Great Encouragement to Prayer
Though mention is made frequently in the Scriptures of the grace of
God and of His being gracious, yet nowhere but in this verse do we
find him denominated "the God of all grace." There is a special
emphasis here that claims our best attention: not simply is He "the
God of grace," but "the God of all grace." As Goodwin showed, He is
"the God of all grace" (1) essentially in His own character, (2) in
His eternal purpose concerning His people, and (3) in His actual
dealings with them. God's people personally receive constant proof
that He is indeed so; and those of them whose thoughts are formed by
His Word know that the benefits with which He daily loads them are the
out-workings of His everlasting design of grace toward them. But they
need to go still farther back, or raise their eyes yet higher, and
perceive that all the riches of grace He ordained, and of which they
are made the recipients, are from and in His very nature. "The grace
in His nature is the fountain or spring; the grace of His purposes is
the wellhead, and the grace in His dispensations the streams," says
Goodwin. It was the grace of His nature that caused Him to form
"thoughts of peace" toward His people (Jer. 29:11), as it is the grace
in His heart that moves Him to fulfil the same. In other words, the
grace of His very nature, what He is in Himself, is such that it
guarantees the making good of all His benevolent designs.
As He is the Almighty, self-sufficient and omnipotent, with whom all
things are possible, so He is also an all-gracious God in
Himself-lacking no perfection to make Him infinitely benign. There is
therefore a sea of grace in God to feed all the streams of His
purposes and dispensations that are to issue therefrom. Here then is
our grand consolation: all the grace there is in His nature, which
makes Him to be the "God of all grace" to His children, renders
certain not only that He will manifest Himself as such to them, but
guarantees the supply of their every need and ensures the lavishing of
the exceeding riches of His grace upon them in the ages to come (Eph.
2:7). Look then beyond those streams of grace of which you are now the
partaker to the God-man, Jesus the Anointed One, who is "full of
grace" (John 1:14), and ask for continual and larger supplies from
Him. The straitness is in ourselves and not in Him, for in God there
is a boundless and limitless supply. I beg you (as I urge myself) to
remember that when you come to the mercyseat (to make known your
requests) you are about to petition "the God of all grace." In Him
there is an infinite ocean to draw upon, and He bids you come to Him,
saying, "open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it" (Ps. 8 1:10, ital.
mine). Not in vain has He declared, "According to your faith be it
unto you."
Only by Faith Can We Enjoy the God of All Grace
The Giver is greater than all His gifts, yet there must be a personal
and appropriating faith in order for any of us to enjoy Him. Only thus
can we particularize what is general. God is the God of all grace to
all saints, but faith has to be individually directed toward God by me
if I am to know and delight in Him for what He actually is. We have an
example of this in Psalm 59, where David declared, "The God of my
mercy shall prevent [or "anticipate"] me" (v. 10, ital. and brackets
mine). There we find him appropriating God to himself personally.
Observe, first, how David lays hold of the essential mercy of God,
that mercy which is embedded in His very nature. He exults again in
verse 17: "Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my
defence, and the God of my mercy" (ital. mine). The God of all grace
is my Strength. He is my God, and therefore the God of my mercy. I lay
claim to Him as such; all the mercy there is in Him is mine. Since He
is my God, then all that is in Him is mine. It was, after all, the
mercy and grace that are in Him that moved Him to set His love upon me
and to enter into covenant with me, saying, "I will be his God, and he
shall be my son" (Rev. 2 1:7). Says Goodwin:
You [have] heard [it said], God is the God of all grace to the
brotherhood; I tell thee, if any soul had all the needs that all
the brotherhood have, if nothing would serve his turn, but all the
grace of God that He hath for the whole, yea, in the whole of
Himself, He would lay it out for thee. .Poor soul, thou usest to
say, this or that is my sin, and it is so; a grievous sin perhaps,
and I am prone to it. And again, this is my misery; but withal, I
beseech thee to consider, that God is the God of thy mercy, and
that all the mercy in God, upon occasion, and for a need, is thine,
and all upon as good a title as that sin is thine; for the free
donation of God, and of His will, is as good a title as the
inheritance of sin in thee.
Thus we see that God's mercy shall be employed on our behalf in our
hour of need as though each of us were His only child. Just as surely
as we had inherited the guilt and miseries of Adam's transgressions
have we, who are in Christ, title to all of God's grace and mercy.
Furthermore, observe that David lays hold of the purposing mercy of
God. Each individual saint has appointed and allotted to him that
which he may call "my mercy." God has set apart in His decree a
portion so abundant that it can never be exhausted either by your sins
or your needs. "The God of all mercy shall prevent me." From all
eternity He has anticipated and made full provision in advance for all
my needs, just as a wise father has a medicine chest prepared with
remedies for the ailments of his children. "And it shall come to pass,
that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking,
I will hear" (Isa. 65:24, ital. mine). What an amazing condescension
it is that God should make this a characteristic of Himself, that He
becomes the God of the mercy of every particular child of His!
Finally, let us lay hold of His dispensing mercy, that which is
actually bestowed upon us moment by moment. Here, too, has the
believer every occasion to say "The God of my mercy," for every
blessing enjoyed by me proceeds from His hand. This is no empty title
of His, for the fact that David's use of it is recorded for us in Holy
Writ ensures that He will make it good. When I use it in true faith
and childlike dependence upon Him, He binds Himself to take care of my
interests in every way. Not only is He my God personally, but also of
my needs.
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13 | 14
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A Guide to Fervent Prayer by A.W. Pink
Chapter 8
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1 Peter 5:10,11
Part 2
_________________________________________________________________
"But the God of all grace, who bath called us." In the last chapter
(utilizing Goodwin's analysis) it was pointed out that this most
blessed title has respect to what God is in Himself, what He is in His
eternal purpose, and what He is in His actings toward His people.
Here, in the words just quoted, we see the three things joined
together in a reference to God's effectual call, whereby He brings a
soul out of nature's darkness into His own marvelous light (1 Peter
2:9). This special inward call of the Holy Spirit, which immediately
and infallibly produces repentance and faith in its object, thus
furnishes the first evident or outward proof that the new believer
receives that God is in truth to him "the God of all grace." Though
that was not the first outgoing of God's heart to him, nevertheless,
it is the proof that His love had been set upon him from all eternity.
"Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called" (Rom. 8:30).
God has "from the beginning chosen you [His people] to salvation" (2
Thess. 2:13, 14, brackets mine). In due time He brings about their
salvation by the invincible operations of the Spirit, who capacitates
and causes them to believe the Gospel. They believe through grace
(Acts 18:27), for faith is the gift of Divine grace (Eph. 2:8), and it
is given them because they belong to "the election of grace" (Rom.
11:5). They belong to that favored election because the God of all
grace has, from eternity past, singled them out to be the everlasting
monuments of His grace.
Regeneration Is the Fruit of Election, Not Its Cause
That it was the grace that was in the heart of God that moved Him to
call us is clear from 2 Timothy 1:9: "Who hath saved us, and called us
with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his
own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the
world began." Regeneration (or effectual calling) is the consequence,
and not the cause, of Divine predestination. God resolved to love us
with an unchangeable love, and that love designed that we should be
partakers of His eternal glory. His good will toward us moves Him so
infallibly to carry out all the resolutions of His free grace toward
us that nothing can thwart it, though in the exercise of His grace He
always acts in a way that is consistent with His other perfections.
None magnified the grace of God more than Goodwin; yet when asked,
"Does the Divine prerogative of grace mean that God saves men,
continue they what they will?" he answered,
God forbid. We deny such a sovereignty so understood, as if it
saved any man without rule, much less against rule. The very verse
which speaks of God as "the God of all grace" in relation to our
salvation adds "who hath called us," and our calling is a holy one
(2 Tim. 1:9). Though the foundation of the Lord standeth sure, yet
it is added, "Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart
from iniquity" (2 Tim. 2:19), or he cannot be saved.
It helps us to gain a better understanding of this Divine title, "the
God of all grace," if we compare it with another found in 2
Corinthians 1:3: "the God of all comfort." The main distinction
between the two lies in the latter being more restricted to the
dispensing aspect of God's grace, as the words that follow show: "Who
comforteth us in all our tribulation" (2 Cor. 1:4). As "the God of all
comfort," He is not only the Bestower of all real consolation and the
Sustainer under all trials, but also the Giver of all temporal
comforts or mercies. For whatever natural refreshment or benefit we
derive from His creatures is due alone to His blessing them to us. In
like manner, He is the God of all grace: seeking grace, quickening
grace, pardoning grace, cleansing grace, providing grace, recovering
grace, preserving grace, glorifying grace-grace of every kind, and of
full measure. Yet though the expression "the God of all comfort"
serves to illustrate the title we are here considering, nevertheless,
it falls short of it. For God's dispensations of grace are more
extensive than those of His comfort. In certain cases God gives grace
where He does not give comfort. For instance, His illuminating grace
brings with it the pangs of conviction of sin, which sometimes last a
lengthy season before any relief is granted. Also, under His
chastening rod, sustaining grace is vouchsafed where comfort is
withheld.
God Dispenses All Manner of Grace Precisely According to Need
Not only is there every conceivable kind of grace available for us in
God, but He often gives it forth precisely at the hour of our need;
for then does His freely bestowed favor obtain the best opportunity in
which to show itself. We are freely invited to come boldly to the
throne of grace that we may "find grace to help in time of need" (Heb.
4:16), or as Solomon expressed it, that the Lord God might maintain
the cause of His people Israel "at all times, as the matter shall
require" (1 Kings 8:59). Such is our gracious God, ministering to us
at all times as well as in all matters. The Apostle Paul declares
(speaking to believers), "There hath no temptation taken you but such
as is common to man [that is, but such as is ordinary to fallen human
nature, for the sin against the Holy Spirit is only committed by such
as have an uncommon affinity with Satan and his evil designs to thwart
the gracious reign of Christ]: but God is faithful, who will not
suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the
temptation also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it"
(1 Cor. 10:13, brackets mine). The Lord Christ declared, "All manner
of sin and blasphemy [with the exception just mentioned above] shall
be forgiven unto men" (Matthew 12:31, brackets mine). For the God of
all grace works repentance for and forgives all sorts of sins, those
committed after conversion as well as those before-as the cases of
David and Peter show. Says He, "I will heal their backsliding, I will
love them freely" (Hosea 14:4). Full cause has each of us to say
feelingly from experience, "the grace of our Lord was exceedingly
abundant" (1 Tim. 1:14).
The Infallible Proof of His Abundant Grace Toward Us Who Are His
"But the God of all grace, who halt called us unto his eternal
glory."Here is the greatest and grandest proof that He is indeed the
God of all grace to His people. No more convincing and blessed
evidence is needed to make manifest the good will that he bears them.
The abundant grace that is in His heart toward them and the beneficent
design He has for them are made clearly evident herein. They are "the
called [ones] according to his purpose" (Rom. 8:18, brackets mine),
namely, that "eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our
Lord" (Eph. 3:11). The effectual call that brings forth from death to
life is the first open breaking forth of God's electing grace, and it
is the foundation of all the actings of His grace toward them
afterwards. It is then that He commences that "good work" of His in
them that He ultimately shall complete in "the day of Jesus Christ"
(Phil. 1:6). By it they are called to a life of holiness here and to a
life of glory hereafter. In the clause "who hath called us unto his
eternal glory," we are informed that those of us who were once "by
nature the children of wrath" (Eph. 2:3) but now by God's grace are
"partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4) shall also be sharers
of God's own eternal glory. Though God's effectual call does not bring
them into the actual possession of it at once, yet it fully qualifies
and fits them to partake of His glory forever. Thus the Apostle Paul
tells the Colossians that he is "giving thanks unto the Father, which
hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in
light" (Col. 1:12).
But let us look beyond the most delightful of the streams of grace to
their common Fountain. It is the infinite grace that is in the nature
of God that engages itself to make good His beneficent purpose and
that continually supplies those streams. It is to be well noted that
when God uttered that great charter of grace, "[I] will be gracious to
whom I will be gracious," He prefaced it with these words: "I will
make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of
the LORD before thee" (Ex. 33:19, brackets mine). All of that grace
and mercy that is in Jehovah Himself, and that is to be made known to
His people, was to engage the attention of Moses before his mind
turned to consider the sum of His decrees or purposing grace. The
veritable ocean of goodness that is in God is engaged in promoting the
good of His people. It was that goodness that He caused to pass before
His servant's eyes. Moses was heartened by beholding such an
illimitable wealth of benevolence, so much so that he was fully
assured that the God of all grace would indeed be gracious to those
whom He had chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. It is
that essential grace rooted in the very being of God that is to be the
first object of faith; and the more our faith is directed toward the
same the more our souls will be upheld in the hour of trial, persuaded
that such a One cannot fail us.
The Argument on Which Peter Bases His Petition
Fourthly, let us consider the plea upon which the Apostle Peter bases
his request: "who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ
Jesus." This clause is undoubtedly brought in to magnify God and to
exemplify His wondrous grace. Yet considered separately, in relation
to the prayer as a whole, it is the plea made by the apostle in
support of the petition that follows. He was making request that God
would perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle His saints. It was
tantamount to arguing, "Since Thou hast already done the greater,
grant them the lesser; seeing that they are to be sharers of Thine
eternal glory in Christ, give them what they need while they remain in
this world that is passing away." If our hearts were more engaged with
who it is that has called us, and to what He has appointed us, not
only would our mouths be opened wider but we should be more confident
of their being filled with God's praises. It is none other than
Jehovah, who sits resplendent on His throne surrounded by the adoring
celestial hosts, who will shortly say to each of us, "Come unto Me and
feast thyself on My perfections." Think you that He will withhold
anything that is truly for your good? If He has called me to heaven,
is there anything needful on earth that He will deny me?
A most powerful and prevalent plea this is! First, it is as though the
apostle were saying, "Have Thou respect unto the works of Thy hand.
Thou hast indeed called them out of darkness into light, but they are
still fearfully ignorant. It is Thy gracious pleasure that they should
spend eternity in Thine immediate presence on high, but they are here
in the wilderness and are compassed with infirmities. Then, in view of
both the one and the other, carry on all those other workings of grace
toward and in them that are needful in order to bring them to glory."
What God has already done for us should not only be a ground of
confident expectation of what He shall yet do (2 Cor. 1:10), but it
should be used by us as an argument when making our requests to God.
"Since Thou hast regenerated me, make me now to grow in grace. Since
Thou hast put into my heart a hatred of sin and a hunger after
righteousness, intensify the same. Since Thou hast made me a branch of
the Vine, make me a very fruitful one. Since Thou hast united me to
Thy dear Son, enable me to show forth His praises, to honor Him in my
daily life, and thus to commend Him to those who know Him not." But I
am somewhat anticipating the next division.
Our Calling and Justification a Cause for Great Praise and Expectation
In that one work of calling, God has shown Himself to be the God of
all grace to you, and that should greatly strengthen and confirm your
faith in Him. "Whom he cabled, them he also justified" (Rom. 8:30,
ital. mine). Justification consists of two things: (1) God's forgiving
us and pronouncing us to be "not guilty," just as though we had never
sinned; and (2) God's pronouncing us to be righteous," just as though
we had obeyed all His commandments to perfection. To estimate the
plenitude of His grace in forgiveness you must calculate the number
and heinousness of your sins. They were more than the hairs of your
head; for you were "born like a wild ass's colt" (Job 11:12), and from
the first dawnings of reason every imagination of the thoughts of your
heart was only evil continually (Gen. 6:5). As for their criminality,
most of your sins were committed against the voice of conscience, and
they consisted of privileges despised and mercies abused.
Nevertheless, His Word declares that He has "forgiven you all
trespasses" (Cob. 2:13). How that should melt your heart and move you
to adore "the God of all grace." How it should make you fully
persuaded that He will continue dealing with you not according to your
deserts but according to His own goodness and benignity. True, He has
not yet rid you of indwelling corruption, but that affords further
occasion for Him to display His longsuffering grace toward you.
But wonderful as is such a favor, yet the forgiveness of sins is only
half of the legal side of our salvation, and the negative and inferior
part of it at that. Though everything recorded against me on the debit
side has been blotted out, still there stands not a single item to my
credit on the other side. From the hour of my birth to the moment of
my conversion not one good deed has been registered to my account, for
none of my actions proceeded from a pure principle, not being
performed for God's glory. Issuing from a filthy fountain, the streams
of my best works were polluted (Isa. 64:6). How then could God justify
me, or declare me to have met the required standard? That standard is
a perfect and perpetual conformity to the Divine Law, for nothing less
secures its reward. Here again the wondrous riches of Divine grace
appear. God has not only blotted out all my iniquities but has
credited to my account a full and flawless righteousness, having
imputed to me the perfect obedience of His incarnate Son. "For if by
one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive
abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in
life by one, Jesus Christ. For as by one man's disobedience many were
made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made [that is,
legally constituted] righteous" (Rom. 5:17, 19, ital. and brackets
mine). When God effectually cabled you, He clothed you "with the robe
of [Christ's] righteousness" (Isa. 61:10, brackets mine), and that
investiture conveyed to you an inalienable right to the inheritance
(Rom. 8:17).
Glorification Was, from the Beginning, God's Ultimate Goal for Us
"Who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus." When God
regenerates a soul He gives him faith. By exercising faith in Christ,
that which disqualified him for eternal glory (namely, his pollution,
guilt, and love of sinning) is removed, and a sure title to heaven is
bestowed. God's effectual call is both our qualification for, and a
down payment on, eternal glory. Our glorification was the grand end
that God had in view from the beginning, and all that He does for us
and works in us here are but means and prerequisites to that end. Next
to His own glory therein, our glorification is God's supreme design in
electing and calling us. "God hath from the beginning chosen you. to
the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thess. 2:13,
14, ital. mine). "Moreover whom he did predestinate. them he also
glorified" (Rom. 8:30). "Fear not, little flock; for it is your
Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32). "Come,
ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34). Each of these texts sets
forth the fact that Christ's believing people are to inherit the
heavenly kingdom and eternal glory of the triune God. Nothing less
than that was what the God of all grace set His heart upon as the
portion of His dear children. Hence, when our election is first made
manifest by His effectual call, God is so intent upon this glory that
He immediately gives us a title to it.
Goodwin gave a striking illustration of what we have just said from
God's dealings with David. While David was but a mere shepherd boy,
God sent Samuel to anoint him king in the open view of his father and
brethren (1 Sam. 16:13). By that solemn act God invested him with a
visible and irrevocable right to the kingdom of Judah and Israel. His
actual possession thereof God delayed for many years. Nevertheless,
his Divine title thereto was bestowed at His anointing, and God
engaged Himself to make it good, swearing not to repent of it. Then
God suffered Saul (a figure of Satan), who marshaled all the military
forces of his kingdom and most of his subjects, to do his worst. This
He did in order to demonstrate that no counsel of His can be thwarted.
Though for a season David was exposed like a partridge on the
mountains and had to flee from place to place, nevertheless, he was
miraculously preserved by God and ultimately brought to the throne. So
at regeneration God anoints us with His Spirit, sets us apart, and
gives us a title to everlasting glory. And though afterwards He lets
loose fierce enemies upon us, leaving us to the hardest of wrestlings
and fightings with them, yet His mighty hand is over us, succoring and
strengthening us and restoring us when we are temporarily overcome and
taken captive.
Nothing Transitory About the Glory to Which We Are Called
God has not called us to an evanescent but to an eternal glory, giving
us title to it at the new birth. At that time a spiritual life was
communicated to the soul, a life that is indestructible,
incorruptible, and therefore everlasting. Moreover, we then received
"the spirit of glory" (1 Peter 4:14) as "the earnest of our
inheritance" (Eph. 1:13, 14). Further, the image of Christ is being
progressively wrought in our hearts during this life, which the
Apostle Paul calls being "changed. from glory to glory" (2 Cor. 3:18).
Not only are we thereby made "meet to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in light" (Col. 1:12), but we are then given an eternal
right of glory. For by regeneration or effectual calling God begets us
to the inheritance (1 Peter 1:3, 4); a title thereto is given us at
that moment that holds good forever. That title is ours both by the
covenant stipulation of God and by the testamentary bequest of the
Mediator (Heb. 9:15). "If children, then heirs; heirs of God," says
Paul (Rom. 8:17). Thomas Goodwin sums it up this way:
Put these three things together: first, that that glory we are
called unto is in itself eternal; second, that that person who is
called hath a degree of that glory begun in him that shall never
die or perish; third, that he hath a right unto the eternity of it,
and that from the time of his calling, and the argument is
complete.
That "eternal glory" is "the exceeding riches of his grace" that He
will lavish upon His people in the endless ages to come (Eph. 2:4-7),
and as those verses tell us, even now we-legally and federally-"sit
together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."
"Who hath called us unto his eternal glory." God has not only called
us into a state of grace-"this grace wherein we stand"-but to a state
of glory, eternal glory, His eternal glory, so that we "rejoice in
hope of the glory of God" (Rom. 5:2). These two things are inseparably
connected: "the LORD will give grace and glory" (Ps. 84:11). Although
we are the persons to be glorified by it, it is His glory that is put
upon us. Obviously so, for we are wholly poor, empty creatures whom
God will fill with the riches of His glory. Truly it is "the God of
all grace" who does this for us. Neither creation nor providence, nor
even His dealings with the elect in this life, fully displays the
abundance of His grace. Only in heaven will its utmost height be seen
and enjoyed. It is there that the ultimate manifestation of God's
glory will be made, namely, the very honor and ineffable splendor with
which Deity invests Himself. Not only shall we behold that glory
forever, but it is to be communicated to us. "Then shall the righteous
shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (Matthew
13:43). The glory of God will so completely fill and irradiate our
souls that it will break forth from our bodies. Then will the eternal
purpose of God be fully accomplished. Then will all our fondest hopes
be perfectly realized. Then will God be "all in all" (1 Cor. 15:28).
Eternal Glory Is Ours by Our Union with Christ
"Who hath cabled us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus." The last
part of this clause would perhaps better be translated "in Christ
Jesus," signifying that our being called to bask in the eternal glory
of God is by virtue of our union with Christ Jesus. The glory pertains
to Him who is our Head, and it is communicated to us only because we
are His members. Christ is the first and grand Proprietor of it, and
He shares it with those whom the Father gave to Him (John 17:5, 22,
24). Christ Jesus is the Center of all the eternal counsels of God,
which "he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Eph. 3:11). All the
promises of God "in him [Christ] are yea, and in him Amen" (2 Cor.
1:20, brackets mine). God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings
in Christ (Eph. 1:3). We are heirs of God because we are joint-heirs
with Christ (Rom. 8:17). As all the Divine purposes of grace were
formed in Christ, so they are effectually performed and established by
Him. For Zecharias, while blessing God for having "raised up an horn
of salvation," added, "To perform the mercy promised to our fathers,
and to remember his holy covenant" (Luke 1:68-72). We are "preserved
in Jesus Christ" (Jude 1). Since God has "called [us] unto the
fellowship of his Son" (1 Cor. 1:9, brackets mine), that is, to be
partakers (in due proportion) of all that He is partaker of Himself,
Christ our Joint-heir and Representative has entered into possession
of that glorious inheritance and in our names is keeping it for us
(Heb. 6:20).
All Our Hope Is Bound Up in Christ Alone
Does it seem too good to be true that "the God of all grace" is your
God? Are there times when you doubt whether He has personally called
you? Does it surpass your faith, Christian reader, that God has
actually cabled you to His eternal glory? Then let me leave this
closing thought with you. All this is by and in Christ Jesus! His
grace is stored up in Christ (John 1:14-18), the effectual call comes
by Christ (Rom. 1:6), and the eternal glory is reached through Him.
Was not His blood sufficient to purchase everlasting blessings for
hell-deserving sinners? Then book not at your unworthiness, but at the
infinite worthiness and merits of Him who is the Friend of publicans
and sinners. Whether our faith takes it in or not, infallibly certain
it is this prayer of His will be answered: "Father, I will that they
also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may
behold my glory" (John 17:24). That beholding will not be a transient
one, such as the apostles enjoyed on the mount of transfiguration, but
for evermore. As it has often been pointed out, when the queen of
Sheba contrasted her brief visit to Solomon's court with the privilege
of those who resided there, she exclaimed, "Happy are thy men, happy
are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee" (1 Kings
10:8, ital. mine). Such will be our blissful lot throughout the
endless ages.
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13 | 14
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A. W. Pink Header
A Guide to Fervent Prayer by A.W. Pink
Chapter 9
_________________________________________________________________
1 Peter, 5:10, 11
Part 3
Having considered in the two previous chapters the supplicant,
setting, Object, and plea of this prayer, let us now contemplate,
fifthly, its petition: "the God of all grace. make you perfect,
stablish, strengthen, settle you." The proper force of the Greek
grammar would make the petition read like this: "the God of all grace.
Himself make you perfect: Himself stablish you, Himself strengthen
you, Himself settle you." There is far more contained in these words
than appears on their surface. The fullness of their meaning can be
discovered only by a patient searching of the Scriptures, thereby
ascertaining how the several terms are used in other passages. I
regard the words "Himself make you perfect" as the principal thing
requested. The three words that follow are in part an amplification
and in part an explanation of the process by which the desired end is
reached, though each of the four words requires to be considered
separately. Ancient expositors, who went into things much more deeply
and thoroughly than many of our modern expositors do, raised the
question as to whether this prayer receives its fulfillment in the
present life or in the life to come. After carefully weighing the pros
and cons of their arguments, I have concluded-taking into view the
remarkable scope of the Greek word katartizo (no. 2675 in Strong and
Thayer), here rendered make perfect-that this petition is granted in a
twofold answer: here and hereafter. I shall therefore take in both in
my comments.
Two Relevant Significations
Katartizo signifies to make perfect (1) by adjusting or articulating
so as to produce a flawless object; or (2) by restoring an object that
has become imperfect. That you may be enabled to form your own
judgment, I shall set before you the passages in which the Greek word
is variously translated elsewhere. In each passage quoted the word or
words placed in italics is the English rendering of the Greek word
translated make perfect in our text. When the Savior says, "a body
hast thou prepared me [or "thou hast fitted me," margin]" (Heb. 10:5,
ital. and brackets mine), we are to understand, as Goodwin said, that
"that body was formed or articulated by the Holy Spirit, with the
human soul, in all its parts, in one instant of its union with the Son
of God," and that it was immaculately holy, impeccable, and without
spot or blemish. Katartizo is used again to express the finishing and
perfect consummation of God's work of the first creation: "the worlds
were framed by the Word of God" (Heb. 11:3, ital. mine). That is to
say, they were so completed that nothing more was needed for their
perfection; for as Genesis 1:31 tells us, "God saw every thing that he
had made, and, behold, it was very good."
But this same Greek word has a very different sense in other passages.
In Matthew 4:21 it is found in the phrase "mending their nets," in
which it denotes the repairing of what had been damaged. "Brethren, if
a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an
one in the spirit of meekness" (Gal. 6:1, ital. mine). In this text it
signifies a restoring such as of a limb that is out of joint. No doubt
this was one of the significations that the Apostle Peter had in mind
when he wrote this prayer, for those for whom he prayed had been
disjointed or scattered by persecutions (1 Peter 1:1, 6, 7). Paul also
had this shade of meaning before him when he exhorted the divided
Corinthians to "be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in
the same judgment" (1 Cor. 1:10, ital. mine). Again, the word is
sometimes used to express the supply of a deficiency, as it does in 1
Thessalonians 3:10: "that we might see your face, and might perfect
that which is lacking in your faith" (ital. mine). The word lacking
implies a deficiency. Once more, the word occurs in Hebrews 13:2 1:
"Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you
that which is wellpleasing in his sight." Here the apostle prays that
the saints might advance to further degrees of faith and holiness in
this life.
Our Being Made Perfect Has to Do with the Process of Sanctification
It will thus appear, from its usage in other passages, that the Greek
word rendered make perfect in 1 Peter 5:10 may yield a significance
something like this: "The God of all grace. Himself make you perfect
in all these successive degrees of grace that are necessary in order
for you to reach spiritual maturity." This significance does not
necessarily imply any personal fault or failure in those prayed for,
just as a child is not to be blamed for not having yet reached the
full stature of an adult or not having attained to the knowledge that
comes with mature manhood. It is with this principle in mind that God
has promised to bring to perfection the good work He has begun in the
souls of His people (Phil. 1:6). A Christian may walk up to the
measure of grace received from above without any willful divergence in
his course, and still be imperfect. This was the case with the Apostle
Paul, one of the most favored of God's children, who confessed, "Not
as though I had already attained, either were already perfect" (Phil.
3:12). There have been, and are, some privileged souls who never left
their first love, who have followed on swiftly in pursuing the
knowledge of the Lord, and who (as to the general tenor of their
lives) have carried themselves according to the light received. Yet
even these have needed further additions of wisdom and holiness to
make them more fruitful branches of the Vine and to move them ever in
the direction of a consummation of holiness in heaven.
An example of this appears in the case of the Thessalonian saints. Not
only had they experienced a remarkable conversion (1 Thess. 1:9), but
they conducted themselves in the most God-honoring and exemplary
manner so that the apostle gave thanks to God always for them on
account of their "work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of
hope in our Lord Jesus Christ" (vv. 2, 3). Not only were their inward
graces healthy and vigorous, but in their outward conduct they were
made "ensamples [patterns] to all that believe" (v. 7, brackets mine).
Nevertheless, Paul was most anxious to visit them again, that he might
perfect that which was lacking in their faith (I Thess. 3:10). He
longed that they might be blessed with further supplies of knowledge
and grace that would promote a closer walking with God and a greater
resistance to and overcoming of temptations. To that faith which rests
on Christ for pardon and acceptance with God, which He bestows at
conversion, there is also a conscious faith that lays hold of our
acceptance with God. Paul refers to this as the "full assurance of
understanding" (Col. 2:2). With this blessed assurance God gives us
the rich experience of "joy unspeakable and full of glory" (1 Peter
1:8) and the making of our calling and election sure, so that an
abundant entrance into His kingdom is begun in this life (2 Peter
1:10, 11). Yet this perfecting also applies to the recovery and
restoration of lapsed Christians, as is evident from Peter's own case.
Peter Prays for the Establishing or Confirming of Their Faith
But suppose that God should thus mend and restore those overtaken in a
fault, yet might they not fall again? Yes indeed, and evidently Peter
had such a contingency in view. Thus he adds the word "stablish."
Peter longed that they should be so confirmed in their faith that they
would not fall away. For the fickle and vacillating it was a request
that they should be no more tossed to and fro, but fixed in their
beliefs. For the discouraged that, having put their hands to the plow,
they should not look back because of the difficulties of the way. For
those who were walking closely with the Lord, that they might be
established in holiness before God (1 Thess. 3:13); for the most
spiritual are daily in need of supporting grace. The Greek word
(sterizo no. 4741 in Strong and Thayer) in a general way signifies to
make firm or confirm. It occurs in Christ's words in Luke 16:26,
"there is a great gulf fixed" (ital. mine). It is found again in
connection with Christ and is translated, "he stedfastly set his face
to go to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51, ital. mine). It is the word directed
by the Lord to Peter himself: "and when thou art converted, strengthen
[or "fix firmly"] thy brethren" (Luke 22:32, ital. and brackets mine).
Our Lord was commissioning Peter in advance to reestablish those of
his fellow disciples who also would yield to the temptation to deny
their Master. Likewise, Paul desired to establish and comfort
concerning their faith the Thessalonian saints, and that in relation
to temptation or trial (1 Thess. 3: 1-5).
Peter Prays that God Will Impart Moral Strength to Them
But though we may be so confirmed by the grace of God that we cannot
totally and finally fall away, yet we are weak and may be laboring
under great infirmities. Therefore the apostle adds to his petition
the word "strengthen." This Greek verb (sthenoo, no. 4599 in Strong
and Thayer) is not used elsewhere in the New Testament, but from its
position here between "stablish" and "settle" it appears to have the
force of invigorating against weakness and corruptions. I am reminded
of the prayer that Paul offered on behalf of the Ephesians, that they
would be "strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man"
(Eph. 3:16). Paul employs a negative noun (asthenes, no. 772 in Strong
and Thayer), formed from the same root, in Romans 5:6: "For when we
were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly"
(ital. mine). In our unregenerate state we were entirely devoid of
ability and enablement to do those things that are pleasing to God.
Not only is the state of spiritual impotency of an unregenerate soul
called being "without strength,"but the state of the body when dead is
expressed by a noun (astheneia, no. 769) derived from asthenes (no.
772). "It is sown in weakness,"that is, it is lifeless, utterly devoid
of any vigor. But, by contrast, "it is raised in power" (1 Cor.
15:43); that is, it is to be endued and furnished with all the
abilities of rational creatures, even such as the angels have (Luke
20:36) who "excel in strength" (Ps. 103:20). Thus, this request for
the strengthening of the saints is to be understood as supplies of
grace that will energize weak hands and feeble knees and enable them
to overcome every opposing force.
Peter Prays that They May Be Settled In Faith, Love, and Hope
Though we be confirmed so that we shall never be lost, and though we
be strengthened to bear up against trials, yet we may become shaky and
uncertain. Therefore Peter adds the word "settle" to his petition. He
is concerned that they be unremitting in their faith in Christ, love
toward God, and hope of eternal glory. The Greek verb (themelioo, no.
2311) is rendered founded in Matthew 7:2 5, lay the foundation of in
Hebrews 1:10, and grounded in Ephesians 3:17. In our text it appears
to be used as the opposite of waverings of spirit and doubtings of
heart. Peter is saying something like this: I pray that you may be
able confidently to say, "For I know whom I have believed, and am
persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him
against that day" (2 Tim. 1:12), and that you turn not from the path
of duty because of the opposition you encounter. No matter how good
the tree, if it be not settled in the earth, but moved from place to
place, it will bear little or no fruit. How many might trace the
unfruitfulness of their lives to the unsettled state of their hearts
and judgments! David could say, "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is
fixed," and therefore he added, "I will sing and give praise" (Ps.
57:7). This, too, is a blessing that God alone can impart. "Now to him
that is of power to stablish you," says Paul (Rom. 16:25). Yet, as
Deuteronomy 28:9 and 2 Chronicles 20:20 show, we must use the
appointed means.
"Himself make you perfect: stablish, strengthen, settle you." The
ultimate object seems to be mentioned first, and then the steps by
which it is to be reached. But whether regarded in conjunction or
singly, they all have to do with our practical sanctification. The
piling up of these emphatic terms indicates the difficulty of the
Christian's task and his urgent need of constant supplies of Divine
grace. The saint's warfare is one of no common difficulty, and his
needs are deep and many; but he has to do with "the God of all grace"!
Therefore, it is both our privilege and duty to draw upon Him by
importunate supplication (2 Tim. 2:1; Heb. 4:16). God has provided
grace answerable to our every need, yet it flows through the means He
has appointed. God will "perfect: stablish, strengthen, settle" us in
response to fervent prayer, by the instrumentality of His Word, by His
blessing to us the various ministries of His servants, and by
sanctifying to us the discipline of His providences. He who has given
His people a sure hope will also give everything necessary to the
realization of the thing hoped for (2 Peter 1:3); but it is uniquely
our part to seek the desired and necessary blessing by prayer (Ezek.
36:37).
Our Suffering with Christ Must Precede Our Being Glorified with Christ
Sixthly, we come to ponder the qualification of this prayer: "after
that ye have suffered a while." This clause is intimately connected
with two others: (1) "who hath called us unto his eternal glory by
Christ Jesus"; and (2) the petition "himself make you perfect. . "The
apostle did not pray that believers be removed from this world as soon
as they be regenerated, nor that they be immediately relieved of their
sufferings. Rather, he prays that their sufferings should give way to
eternal glory "after a while," or, as the Greek signifies, "after a
little while," because all time is short in comparison with eternity.
For the same reason the severest afflictions are to be regarded as
"light" and "but for a moment" when set over against the "eternal
weight of glory" that is awaiting us (2 Cor. 4:17). The sufferings and
the glory are inseparably connected, for "we must through much
tribulation enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). The Apostle
Paul clearly teaches that those of us who are God's children shall
indeed share in Christ's inheritance, "if so be that we suffer with
him, that we may be also glorified together" (Rom. 8:17). If one bear
no cross, he shall gain no crown (Luke 14:27). All who have suffered
for Christ's sake on earth shall be glorified in heaven; but none
shall be glorified save those who, in some form or other, have been
"made conformable unto his death" (Phil. 3:10). Some of the believer's
sufferings are from the hand of God's providence, some from "false
brethren" (2 Cor. 11:26; Gal. 2:4), some from the profane world, some
from Satan, and some from indwelling sin. Peter speaks of "manifold
temptations" or "trials" (1 Peter 1:6), but they are counterbalanced
by "manifold grace" (1 Peter 4:10). And both are directed by "the
manifold wisdom of God" (Eph. 3:10)!
Our Conformity to Christ Necessarily Includes Our Having Fellowship
with Him in His Sufferings
The abounding grace of God does not preclude trials and afflictions,
but those who are the recipients of Divine grace have been "appointed
thereunto" (1 Thess. 3:3). Then let us not be dismayed or cast down by
them, but seek grace to get them sanctified to us. Sufferings are
necessary to the saints on various accounts. First and foremost, they
are appointed in order that the members might be conformed to their
Head. "For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all
things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their
salvation perfect through sufferings" (Heb. 2:10). Sufficient then for
the disciple to be like his Master, that he should be made perfect
after he has suffered awhile. Peter himself alludes to this Divinely
prescribed order in the way of salvation (namely humiliation, then
exaltation, which applies not only to the Head but to His members
also) when he refers to "the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that
should follow" (1 Peter 1:11). It was the Divine will that even the
incarnate Son should "learn. obedience [submission] by the things
which he suffered" (Heb. 5:8, brackets mine). There was a turning
point in His ministry when Jesus began "to shew unto his disciples,
how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the
elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised
again the third day" (Matthew 16:21, ital. mine). Why did He have to
suffer thus? It is because God had ordained it (Acts 4:28). Was Christ
tempted by the devil merely on account of Satan's malice toward Him?
No, for Jesus was "led up of [by] the Spirit into the wilderness to be
tempted of the devil" (Matthew 4:1, brackets mine; cf. Mark 1:12, 13;
Luke 4:1, 2). Remember, dear saints enduring trials, that the Savior
Himself entered the kingdom of God "through much tribulation" (Acts
14:22), even as we must do. Thus, "in that he himself hath suffered
being tempted, he is able to succor ["relieve" or "help"] them that
are tempted" (Heb. 2:18, brackets mine). Therefore, let us "count it
all joy when ye [we] fall into divers temptations" (James 1:2,
brackets mine), for suffering "as a Christian" is a means by which we
can glorify our redeeming God (1 Peter 4:16). The privilege of
experiencing "the fellowship of his sufferings" is one of God's
appointed means by which we may know that we are in Christ, and no
longer identified with the world that now abides under God's wrath
(Phil. 3:7-1 1). Hear the words of our Master (Matthew 5:10-12):
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall
revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil
against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad:
for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the
prophets which were before you.
God's Grace Is Magnified in Meeting Our Needs and Confounding Our
Enemies
Secondly, the God of all grace has made this appointment because His
grace is best seen in sustaining us and is most manifest by relieving
us. Hence, we find the throne of grace magnified by God's giving us
"grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16). Much of the glory of
God's grace appears in His supporting the weak, in delivering the
tempted, and in raising the fallen. The Lord exempts us not from
conflict, but maintains us in it. Effectual calling ensures our final
perseverance, yet it does not render needless continual supplies of
grace. As Manton expressed it, "God will not only give them glory at
the end of their journey, but bears their expenses by the way."
Thirdly, our Father leads us through fiery trials in order to confound
those who are opposed to us. Grace reigns (Rom. 5:21), and the
greatness of a monarchy is demonstrated by its subduing of rebels and
vanquishing of enemies. God raised up the mighty Pharaoh in order to
show forth His own power. In the context (I Peter 5:8), as we have
seen, He suffers the devil, as a roaring lion, to rage up and down
opposing and assaulting us. But He does this only to foil him, for
"the prey [shall] be taken from the mighty" (Isa. 49:24, brackets
mine), and shortly God shall "bruise Satan under your [our] feet"
(Rom. 16:20, brackets mine).
Suffering Proves Our Graces and Makes Heaven More Glorious
Fourthly, suffering is necessary for the trying and proving of our
graces: "the trying of your faith worketh patience" (James 1:3).
Consider what Peter says concerning us who have been "begotten. again
unto a lively hope":
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye
are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of
your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth,
though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour
and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:6, 7).
It is the wind of tribulation that separates the wheat from the chaff,
the furnace that reveals the difference between dross and gold. The
stony-ground hearer is offended and falls away "when tribulation or
persecution ariseth because of the word" (Matthew 13:21). So, too, for
the purifying and the brightening of our hope, our hearts have to be
more completely weaned from this world before they become set upon
things above.
Fifthly, the glory of our eternal inheritance is enhanced by our
enduring affliction. Hear the words of Thomas Goodwin:
Heaven is not simply joy and happiness, but a glory, and a glory
won by conquest-"to him that overcometh" [are the promises made] in
each one of the seven epistles of Revelation 2 and 3. It is a crown
won by mastery, and so by striving, according to certain laws set
to be observed by those that win (2 Tim. 2:5). The glory won by
conquest and masteries is the more valuable. The portion Jacob won
"with my sword and with my bow" was the one he reserved for his
beloved Joseph (Gen. 48:22). We are more than conquerors through
Him that loved us.
Grace Is Provided for Both Internal and External Conflicts
It is a mistake (made by some) to restrict either the afflictions of
verse 9 or the suffering of verse 10 to outward persecutions and
trials. But all inward assaults (whether from our own lusts or Satan),
and so all temptations whatsoever, are to be included. The context
requires this, for the words "be sober, be vigilant" have respect to
our lusts as well as to every other provocation to evildoing, so that
the call to resist the devil clearly relates to his inward temptations
to sin. The experience of all saints requires it, for their acutest
pangs are occasioned by their own corruptions. Moreover, as Goodwin
has pointed out, our setting of God before the eyes of our faith as
"the God of all grace" argues the same; for His grace stands
principally ready to help us against inward sins and temptations to
sin. Furthermore, the all of His grace extends not only to all sorts
of external miseries, but to all internal maladies, which are our
greatest grief, which require His abundant grace above all others, and
to which His grace is chiefly directed (Ps. 19:14; 119:1-16; Prov.
3:5-7; 4:20-27). His grace is the grand remedy for every evil to which
the believer is subject. Some are guilty of worse sins after
conversion than before, and were not the God of all grace their God,
where would they be?
Perfection in Grace Is Both Progressive and Eschatological
"After that ye have suffered a while, Himself make you perfect:
stablish, strengthen, settle you." This may well be regarded as a
request for grace to enable us to obey the exhortation found in 1
Corinthians 15:58: "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast,
unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." We are to be
constantly opposing sin and striving to be holy in all manner of
conversation. This request receives a partial fulfillment in this
life, but a complete and more transcendent one in heaven. Saints are
advanced to further degrees of faith and holiness when, after seasons
of wavering and suffering, God strengthens and establishes them in a
more settled frame of spirit. Yet only in our fixed condition after
death will these blessings be fully ours. Not till then shall we be
made perfect in the sense of being fully conformed to the image of
God's Son. Our hearts will be established "unblameable in holiness
before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ"
(1 Thess. 3:13). Only then will all our weakness end and our bodies be
"raised in power" (1 Cor. 15:43). Then indeed shall we be eternally
settled, for the Divine promise is this: "Him that overcometh will I
make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out"
(Rev. 3:12).
A Doxology of Infallible Hope
Seventh and finally, we come to the great ascription of this apostolic
prayer: "to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." "The
apostle, having added prayer to his doctrine, here added praise to his
prayer," says Leighton. It expressed the apostle's confidence that the
God of all grace would grant his request. He was assured that what he
had asked for on behalf of the saints would be to the Divine "glory,"
and that the Divine "dominion" would infallibly bring it to pass.
There is thus a practical hint implied for us in this closing
doxology. It intimates where relief is to be obtained and strength is
to be found in the midst of our suffering: by eyeing the glory of God,
which is the grand end He has in view in all His dealings with us; and
by confidently trusting in God's dominion in working all things
together for our good (Rom. 8:28). For if His be the dominion, and He
has called us to His eternal glory, then what have we to fear? So
certain is our glorification (Rom. 8:30) that we should give thanks
for it now. The abundant and infinite grace of God is engaged to
effect it, and His omnipotent power guarantees its performance.
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13 | 14
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A. W. Pink Header
A Guide to Fervent Prayer by A.W. Pink
Chapter 10
_________________________________________________________________
2 Peter 1:2, 3
No[ ]thorough study of the prayers of the apostles, or of the prayers
of the Bible as a whole, would be complete without an examination of
the benedictions with which the apostles (James excepted), prefaced
their Epistles. Those opening salutations were very different from a
mere act of politeness, as when the chief captain of the Roman
soldiers at Jerusalem wrote a letter after this manner: "Claudius
Lysias unto the most excellent governor Felix sendeth greeting" (Acts
23:26). Far more than a courteous formality were their introductory
addresses, yea, even than the expressions of a kindly wish. Their
"grace be unto you and peace" was a prayer, an act of worship, in
which Christ was always addressed in union with the Father. It
signifies that a request for these blessings had been made before the
throne. Such benedictions evinced the warm affection in which the
apostles held those to whom they wrote, and breathed forth their
spiritual desires on their behalf. By putting these words of blessing
at the very beginning of his Epistle, the Apostle Peter made manifest
how powerfully his own heart was affected by the goodness of God
toward his brethren.
That which is now to engage our attention may be considered under the
following heads. First we shall look at the substance of the prayer:
"grace and peace"-these are the blessings besought of God. Secondly,
we shall ponder the desired measure of their bestowal: "be multiplied
unto you." Thirdly, we shall contemplate the medium of their
conveyance: "through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord."
Fourthly, we shall examine the motive prompting the request:
"According as his Divine power hath given unto us all things that
pertain unto life and godliness" (v. 3). Before filling in that
outline or giving an exposition of those verses, let us point out
(especially for the benefit of young preachers, for whom it is
especially vital to learn how a text should be pondered) what is
implied by this prayer.
The Vital Implications of This Benediction
In the apostle's seeking from God such blessings as these for the
saints the following vital lessons are taught by implication: (1) that
none can merit anything at the hands of God, for grace and merit are
opposites; (2) that there can be no real peace apart from Divine
grace-"There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked" (Isa. 57:21);
(3) that even the regenerate stand in need, constant need, of grace
from God; and (4) the regenerate, therefore, should be vile in their
own eyes. If we would receive more from God, then we must present our
hearts to Him as empty vessels. When Abraham was about to make request
of the Lord, he demeaned himself as "dust and ashes" (Gen. 18:27); and
Jacob acknowledged that he was not worthy of the least of His mercies
(Gen. 32:10). (5) Such a request as Peter is here making is a tacit
confession of the utter dependence of believers upon God's bounty,
that He alone is able to supply their need. (6) In asking for grace
and peace to be multiplied to them, acknowledgment is made that not
only the beginning and continuance of them, but also their increase
proceeds from the good pleasure of God. (7) Intimation is hereby given
that we may "open thy [our] mouth wide" (Ps. 81:10, brackets mine) to
God. Yea, it is an ill sign to be contented with a little grace. "He
was never good that doth not desire to grow better," says Manton.
The Special Character of the Second Epistles
A word needs also to be said upon the character of the book in which
this particular prayer is found. Like all second Epistles, this one
treats of a state of affairs where false teaching and apostasy had a
more or less prominent place. One of the principal differences between
his two Epistles is this: whereas in his first Epistle Peter's main
design was to strengthen and comfort his brethren amid the suffering
to which they were exposed from the profane (heathen) world (see
chapter 4), and he now graciously warns (2 Peter 2:1; 3:1-4) and
confirms (2 Peter 1:5-11; 3:14) them against a worse peril from the
professing world, from those within Christendom who menaced them. In
his first Epistle Peter had represented their great adversary, the
devil, as a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8). But here, without directly
naming him, he depicts Satan as an angel of light (but in reality the
subtle serpent), who is no longer persecuting, but seeking to corrupt
and poison them through false teaching. In the second chapter those
false teachers are denounced (1) as men who had denied the Lord that
bought them (v. 1), and (2) as licentious (vv. 10-14, 19), giving free
play to their carnal appetites.
The Apostle Peter addresses his Epistle "to them that have obtained
like precious faith with us through the righteousness of our God and
our Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:1; word order here is according
to the Greek text and KJV marginal note). The word faith here refers
to that act of the soul whereby Divinely revealed truth is savingly
apprehended. Their faith is declared to be "precious," for it is one
of God's choicest gifts and the immediate fruit of His Spirit's
regenerating power. This is emphasized in the expression "have
obtained" (lagchano, no. 2975 in Strong and Thayer). It is the same
Greek word found in Luke 1:9: "his lot was to burn incense" (ital.
mine). It appears again in John 19:14: "Let us not rend it, but cast
lots for it" (ital. mine). Thus these saints were reminded that they
owed their saving faith not to any superior sagacity of theirs, but
solely to the allotments of grace. It had been with them as with Peter
himself. A revelation had been made to them: not by flesh and blood,
but by the heavenly Father (Matthew 16:17). In the dispensing of God's
favors a blessed portion had fallen to them, even "the faith of God's
elect" (Titus 1:1). The them whom Peter addresses are the Gentiles,
and the us in which he includes himself are the Jews. Their faith had
for its object the perfect righteousness of Christ their Surety, for
the words "through the righteousness of" are probably better
translated and understood "in the righteousness of" the Divine Savior.
The Substance of Peter's Benediction
Having thus described his readers by their spiritual standing, Peter
adds his apostolic benediction: "grace and peace be multiplied unto
you." The combined apostolic benediction and greeting (which contains
the elements grace and peace) is essentially the same as that employed
by Paul in ten of his Epistles as well as by Peter in 1 Peter. In 1
and 2 Timothy and Titus, Paul added the element mercy, as did John in
2 John. Jude used the elements mercy, peace, and love. Thus we learn
that the apostles, in pronouncing Spirit-indited blessings upon the
believers to whom they wrote, combined grace, the watchword of the New
Covenant age (John 1:14, 17) with peace, the distinctive Hebrew
blessing. Those who have read the Old Testament attentively will
remember how frequently the salutation "peace be unto thee" or
something similar is found (Gen. 43:23; Judges 6:23; 18:6; etc.).
"Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces" (Ps.
122:7), cries David, as he expectantly contemplates the spiritual and
temporal blessings that he desires for Jerusalem and thus for Israel
(cf. vv. 6, 8, as well as the whole Psalm). This text shows that the
word peace was a general term to denote welfare. From its use by the
risen Savior in John 20:19, we gather that it was an all-inclusive
summary of blessing. In the Epistles and the Book of Revelation (which
was meant by Christ, the great Head of the Church, to circulate after
the fashion of an Epistle), the terms grace and/or peace are
frequently used in closing salutations and benedictions. The word
peace is used in various ways eight times (Rom. 16:20; 2 Cor. 13:11;
Eph. 6:23; 1 Thess. 5:23; 2 Thess. 3:16; Heb. 13:20; 1 Peter 5:14; 3
John 14), six of those times in greater or lesser proximity to the
word grace, which is used eighteen times (Rom. 16:20, 24; 1 Cor.
16:23; 2 Cor. 13:14; Gal. 6:18; Eph. 6:24; Phil. 4:23; Col. 4:18; 1
Thess. 5:28; 2 Thess. 3:18; 1 Tim. 6:21; 2 Tim. 4:22; Titus 3:15;
Philemon 24; Heb. 13:25; 1 Peter 5:10; 2 Peter 3:18; Rev. 22:21).
Obviously, the clause "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with
you," or some variation upon it, is the most characteristic
benedictory close employed by the apostles. In light of his grasp of
the glorious realities of the Gospel age (Acts 10, 11, especially vv.
1-18), it is evident by this benediction that the Apostle Peter sees
and embraces both believing Jews and believing Gentiles as united in
sharing the full blessing of God's great salvation.
Having an earnest desire for their welfare, Peter sought for the
saints the choicest bounties that could be conferred upon them, that
they might be morally and spiritually enriched, both inwardly and
outwardly. "Grace and peace" contain the sum of Gospel bestowals and
the supply of our every need. Together they include all manner of
blessings, and therefore they are the most comprehensive things that
can be requested of God. They are the choicest favors we can desire
for ourselves, and for our brethren! They are to be sought by faith
from God our Father in reliance upon the mediation and merits of our
Lord Jesus Christ. "Grace and peace" are the very essence, as well as
the whole, of a believer's true happiness in this life, which explains
the apostle's longing that his brethren in Christ might abundantly
partake of them.
Peter Prays for Growth in Grace in His Brethren
Grace is not to be understood in the sense of God's distinguishing,
redeeming favor, for these saints were already the objects thereof;
nor is it to be taken as an inward spiritual principle of nature, for
that was imparted to them at the new birth. Rather, it refers to a
greater manifestation of the spiritual nature and Divine likeness that
one has received from God and a greater and more cheerful dependence
upon the Giver (2 Cor. 12:9). It also refers to the Divine gifts that
induce such growth. Speaking of Christ, the Apostle John declares,
"And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for ["upon," ASV
margin] grace" (John 1:16, brackets mine). Matthew Poole comments as
follows:
And grace for grace: nor have we received drops, but grace upon
grace; not only knowledge and instruction, but the love and favour
of God, and spiritual habits, in proportion to the favour and grace
which Christ hath (allowing for our short capacities); we have
received grace freely and plentifully, all from Christ, and for His
sake; which lets us see how much the grace-receiving soul is bound
to acknowledge and adore Christ, and may be confirmed in the
receiving of further grace, and the hopes of eternal life. (italics
mine).
It is evident from 1 Peter 4:10 that God's grace is manifold, being
dispensed to His saints in various forms and amounts according to
their needs, yet for the edification not only of the individual but of
the Body of Christ as a whole (Eph. 4:7-16). At the very end of this
Epistle Peter commands his readers, saying, "But grow in grace, and in
the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18; cf.
Eph. 4:15). Thus we see the propriety of Peter's prayer, that God
would further exercise His benignity toward them. We also see the
necessity of our praying in the same way for ourselves and for each
other.
Thus we see that though the fundamental meaning and reference of grace
is to the freely bestowed, redeeming favor of God, yet the term is
often used in a wider sense to include all those blessings that flow
from His sovereign kindness. In this way is it to be so understood in
the apostolic benedictions: a prayer for the continued and increased
expression and manifestation of the good work that He has already
begun (Phil. 1:6). "Grace and peace." The two benefits are fitly
joined together, for the one is never found without the other. Without
reconciling grace there can be no solid and durable peace. The former
is God's good will toward us; the latter is His grand work in us. In
the proportion that grace is communicated, peace is enjoyed: grace to
sanctify the heart; peace to comfort the soul.
Though Peace Begins with Justification, It Is Maintained by Our
Obedience
Peace is one of the principal fruits of the Gospel as it is received
into a believing heart, being that tranquility of mind that arises
from the sense of our acceptance with God. It is not an objective but
a subjective peace that is here in view. "Peace with God" (Rom. 5:1,
ital. mine) is fundamentally judicial, being what Christ made for His
people (Col. 1:20). Yet faith conveys a response to the conscience
concerning our amity with God. In the proportion that our faith rests
upon the peace made with God by the blood of Christ, and of our
acceptance in Him, will be our inward peace. In and through Christ,
God is at peace with believers, and the happy effect of this in our
hearts is a felt "righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost"
(Rom. 14:17). But we are not in a capacity to receive and enjoy those
blessings until we have surrendered to Christ's Lordship and taken His
yoke upon us (Matthew 11:29, 30). It is appropriate, therefore, for
Paul to say, "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts" (Col.
3:15, ital. mine). This is the kind of peace that the apostles prayed
for on behalf of their brethren. This peace is the fruit of a
Scriptural assurance of God's favor, which, in turn, comes from the
maintenance of communion with Him by an obedient walk. It is also
peace with ourselves. We are at peace with ourselves when conscience
ceases to accuse us, and when our affections and wills submit
themselves to an enlightened mind. Furthermore, it includes concord
and amity with our fellow Christians (Rom. 5:5, 6). What an excellent
example was left us by the church in Jerusalem: "And the multitude of
them that believed were of one heart and of one soul" (Acts 4:32,
ital. mine).
The Measure of Bestowal Desired: A Multiplication of Grace and Peace
Grace and peace are the present heritage of God's people, and of them
Peter desired that they should enjoy much, much more than a mere sip
or taste. As 1 Peter 3:18 intimates, he longed that they should "grow
in grace," and that they might be filled with peace (cf. Rom 15:13);
he thus made request accordingly. "Grace and peace be multiplied unto
you." By these words Peter calls upon God to visit them with still
larger and more lavish displays of His goodness. He prays not only
that God might grant to them greater and greater manifestations of His
grace and peace, but also that their feeble capacities to apprehend
what God had done for their souls might be greatly enlarged. He prays
that an abundant supply of grace and peace should be conferred upon
them. They were already the favored partakers of those Divine
benefits, but request was made for a plentiful increase of them.
Spiritual things (unlike material) do not cloy in the enjoyment of
them, and therefore we cannot have too much of them. The words "peace
be multiplied" intimate that there are degrees of assurance concerning
our standing with God, and that we never cease to be dependent upon
free grace. The dimensions of this request teach us that it is our
privilege to ask God not only for more grace and peace, but for an
amplitude thereof God is most honored when we make the largest demands
upon His bounty. If our spirits are straitened in their enjoyment of
God's grace and peace, it is due to the paltriness of our prayers and
never to any niggardliness in Him.
The Medium by Which Grace and Peace Are Conveyed
"Through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord." The careful
reader, who is not too dilatory in comparing Scripture with Scripture,
will have observed a variation from the salutation used by Peter in
his first Epistle (1 Peter 1:2). There he prayed, "Grace unto you, and
peace, be multiplied." The addition ("through the knowledge of God,"
etc.) made here is a significant one, in keeping with Peter's altered
design and appropriate to his present aim. The student may also have
noted that knowledge is one of the prominent words of this Epistle
(see 2 Peter 1:2, 3, 5, 6, 8; 2:20; 3:18). We should also consider how
frequently the Christ is designated "our Lord" or "our Saviour" (2
Peter 1:1, 2, 8, 11, 14, 16; 3:15, 18), by which Peter draws a sharp
contrast between true disciples and those false professors of
Christianity who will not submit to Christ's scepter. That "knowledge
of God" alluded to here is not a natural but a spiritual knowledge,
not speculative, but experiential. Nor is it merely a knowledge of the
God of creation and providence, but of a God who is in covenant with
men through Jesus the Christ. This is evident from its being mentioned
in connection with the words "and of Jesus our Lord." It is therefore
an evangelical knowledge of God that is here in view. He cannot be
savingly known except in and through Christ even as Christ Himself
declared: "neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to
whomsoever the Son will reveal him" (Matthew 11:27).
Inasmuch as this prayer was for grace and peace to be "multiplied" to
the saints "through [or in]the knowledge of God," there was a tacit
intimation that they would both abide and advance in that knowledge.
Calvin comments as follows:
Through the knowledge, literally, in the knowledge; but the
preposition en [no. 1722 in Strong and Thayer] often means
"through" or "with": yet both senses may suit the context. I am,
however, more disposed to adopt the former. For the more any one
advances in the knowledge of God, every kind of blessing increases
also equally with the sense of Divine love.
A spiritual and experiential knowledge of God is the grand means by
which all the influences of grace and peace are conveyed to us. God
works upon us as rational creatures in a way that is agreeable to our
intellectual and moral nature, with knowledge preceding all else. As
there is no real peace apart from grace, so there is no grace or peace
without a saving knowledge of God; and no such knowledge of Him is
possible but in and through "Jesus our Lord," for Christ is the
channel by which every blessing is transmitted to the members of His
mystical Body. As the more windows a house has the more sunlight
enters it, so the greater our knowledge of God the greater our measure
of grace and peace. But the evangelical knowledge of the most mature
saint is only fragmentary and feeble, and thus requires continual
augmentation by the Divine blessing upon those means that have been
appointed for its perfecting and strengthening.
The Divine Accomplishment that Moved Peter to Prayer
"According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that
pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that
hath called us to glory and virtue" (v. 3). Therein the apostle found
his motive for making the above request. It was because God had
already wrought so wondrously on behalf of these saints that he was
moved to ask Him to continue dealing lavishly with them. We may also
regard this third verse as being brought in to encourage the faith of
these Christians: that, since God had done such great things for them,
they should expect further liberal supplies from Him. Notice that the
inspiring motive was a purely evangelical one, and not legal or
mercenary. God had bestowed upon them everything needful for the
production and preservation of spirituality in their souls, and the
apostle longed to see them maintained in a healthy and vigorous
condition. Divine power is the foundation of spiritual life, grace is
what supports it, and peace is the atmosphere in which it thrives. The
words "all things that pertain unto life and godliness" may also be
understood as referring ultimately to eternal life in glory: a right
to it, a fitness for it, and an earnest of it had already been
bestowed upon them.
Finally, it is essential to our Christian growth to realize that the
contents of verse 3 are to be regarded as the ground of the
exhortation in verses 5 through 7. Thus the supply asked for in verse
2 is to be regarded as the necessary equipment for all spiritual fruit
bearing and good works. Let us then exercise the greater diligence to
abide in Christ (John 15:1-5) both in our prayers and in all our
thoughts, words, and deeds.
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13 | 14
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A. W. Pink Header
A Guide to Fervent Prayer by A.W. Pink
Chapter 11
_________________________________________________________________
Jude 24, 25
Part 1
_________________________________________________________________
The prayer that is now to engage our attention is a particularly
arresting one, but its beauty and blessedness appear even more
conspicuously when it is examined in connection with its somber
background. It concludes the most solemn Epistle in the New Testament,
one that is to be read with fear and trembling, but that is to be put
down with thanksgiving and praise. It contains a most awful
description of graceless professors of Christianity, of those trees
who appeared to give much promise of fruit to God's glory but whose
leaves soon dropped off and who quickly withered away. Its theme is
apostasy, or, more specifically, the corrupting of much of the visible
Church and the resulting ongoing corruption of an apostate
Christendom. It presents a picture that all too tragically depicts
things as they now are in the religious realm, in the majority of
so-called "churches" at large. It informs us as to how the process of
declension begins in reprobate professors of religion and how it works
itself out until they are completely corrupted. It delineates the
characters of those who lead others astray in this vile work. It makes
known the sure doom awaiting both leaders and those who are led into
apostasy. It closes with a glorious contrast.
Many Pervert the Gospel of Free Grace into a License to Sin
The Lord Jesus gave warning that the sowing of the good seed by
Himself and His apostles would be followed with the sowing of tares in
the same field by Satan and his agents. Paul also announced that,
notwithstanding the widespread successes of the Gospel during his
lifetime, there would be "a falling away" before the man of sin should
be revealed (2 Thess. 2:3). That "falling away," or the apostasy of
the visible Church corporately considered, is depicted by the Spirit
in some detail through the pen of Jude. As Christ Himself had
intimated, the initial work of corruption would be done stealthily,
"while men slept" (Matthew 13:25), and Jude represents the evildoers
as having "crept in unawares" (v. 4), that is, having slipped in
secretly or surreptitiously. They are spoken of as men who were
"turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the
only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ." That is to say, while
pretending to magnify free grace they perverted it, failing to enforce
the balancing truth of holiness; and while professing to believe in
Christ as a Savior they refused to surrender to His Lordship. Thus
they were lustful and lawless. In view of this horrible menace, the
saints were exhorted to "earnestly contend for the faith which was
once delivered unto the saints" (v. 3). In this context, faith
signifies nothing less than the whole counsel of God (cf. Acts 20:27-3
1).
That exhortation is enforced by a reminder to three fearful and solemn
examples of the punishment visited by God upon those who had
apostatized. The first is that of the children of Israel whom the Lord
saved out of Egypt, but who still lusted after its fleshpots; and
because of their unbelief at Kadesh-Barnea a whole generation of them
were destroyed in the wilderness (v. 5; cf. Num. 13;l4:1-39,
especially vv. 26-37). The second is the case of those angels who had
apostatized from their privileged position, and are now "reserved in
everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day"
(v. 6). The third is Sodom and Gomorrah, which, because of their
common indulgence in the grossest form of lasciviousness, were
destroyed by fire from heaven (v.7; cf. Gen. 19:1-25). To which the
apostle adds that the corruptors of the visible Church "defile the
flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities," being less
respectful to their superiors than Michael the archangel was to his
inferior (vv. 8, 9). He solemnly pronounces the Divine sentence: "Woe
unto them!" (v. 11). Without the slightest hesitation, he likens them
and their works to three characters of evil notoriety: by "the way of
Cain" we are to understand a flesh-gratifying, natural religion that
is acceptable to the unregenerate; by "the error of Balaam for reward"
a mercenary ministry that will pervert the pure "doctrine of true
religion for the sake of filthy lucre" (Calvin); and by "the
gainsaying of Korah" a despising of authority and discipline, an
effort to obliterate the distinctions that God has made for His own
glory and for our good (Num. 16:1-3).
Jude Gives Clear Indication that These Falsifiers Are Within the
Churches
Other characteristics of these religious evildoers are given in
figurative terms in verses 12 and 13. It should be particularly noted
that they are said to "feast with you"(the saints), which supplies
further evidence that such hypocrites, deceivers and self-deceived,
are inside the churches. In the second half of verse 13 through verse
15 their doom is pronounced. For backsliders there is a way of
recovery; but for apostates there is none. In verse 16 Jude details
other characteristics of false brethren, which traits are sadly
conspicuous in many professing Christians of our own day. Then Jude
bids God's people to remember that the apostles of Christ had
predicted there should be "mockers [or "scoffers," no. 1703 in Strong
and Thayer (2 Peter 3:3)] in the last time, who should walk after
their own ungodly lusts" (vv. 17, 18). By "the last time" is meant
this Christian or final dispensation (see 1 Peter 4:7; 1 John 2:18),
with a possible reference to the climactic culmination of evil at its
end. Next, Jude appeals to those to whom he is writing, addressing to
them a number of needful and salutary exhortations (vv. 21-23). He
ends with the prayer that we are now to ponder, concluding the most
solemn of all the Epistles with a more glorious outburst of praise
than is elsewhere to be found in them.
Jude's Concluding Paean to the Triumphant Grace of God
"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present
you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To
the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and
power, both now and ever. Amen." Let us consider four things in our
study of this prayer: (1) its general background; (2) its more
immediate connection; (3) the reasons that moved Jude to pray thus;
and (4) the nature and Object of this prayer.
First, let me add something more to what has already been said, in a
general way, upon the background of this prayer. It seems to me that,
in view of what had been engaging the mind of the apostle in the
previous verses, he could not restrain himself from giving vent to
this paean of praise. After viewing the solemn case of a whole
generation of Israel perishing in the wilderness because of their
unbelief, he was moved to cry out in gladness, "Now unto him that is
able to keep you from falling." As he contemplated the experience of
the sinless angels who fell from their first estate, he could not but
tremble; but when he thought of the Savior and Protector of His
Church, he burst forth into a strain of adoration. Jude found great
comfort and assurance in the blessed fact that the One who begins a
work of grace within those given to Him by the Father will never cease
from it until He has perfected it (Phil. 1:6). He knew that were it
not for everlasting love and infinite power, our case would yet be the
same as that of the angels who fell, that but for an almighty Redeemer
we too must enter everlasting darkness and endure the suffering of
eternal fire. Realizing that, Jude could not but bless the One whose
protecting hand covers each of those purchased by His blood.
Jude Balances a Fearful Consideration of Apostasies with Confident
Praise to a Preserving God
After making mention of those fearful examples of falling, it is
highly probable that the thoughts of the penman of this Epistle turned
to another one much more recent, and which had come beneath his own
immediate notice. It is quite possible that, when our Lord sent forth
the twelve, "Judas [Jude] the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot"
were paired together (Luke 6:16, brackets mine; 9:1-6)-the great
apostate "son of perdition" (John 17:12) and the one who was to write
at length upon the great apostasy! It scarcely admits of doubt that as
Jude's mind reverted to the traitor it made him exclaim with added
emphasis, "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling. be
glory. both now and ever." He had probably respected Judas Iscariot as
his fellow apostles had, and perhaps had heard him ask along with the
others, "Lord, is it I?" in response to Christ's statement that one of
their number was about to betray Him. And no doubt he was shocked when
Judas Iscariot began to openly reveal his true character. For
immediately after receiving the sop that Jesus had dipped in the dish
for him and hearing a woe pronounced upon himself, Judas
hypocritically repeated the question, "Master, is it I?" then went
forth to do that most despicable deed for which he had been appointed
(John 6:70; Matthew 26:20-25; John 13:21-30; Ps. 41:9; John 17:12). He
could not but be aware that in remorse the traitor had hanged himself:
and I believe that the shadow of his awful doom fell upon Jude as he
penned this Epistle.
But Jude did not suffer these sad contemplations to sink him into a
state of dejection. He knew that his omniscient Master had foretold
that a rising tide of evil would spread through the visible Church,
and that however mysterious such a phenomenon might be there was a
wise reason for it in the Divine economy. He knew that however
fiercely the storm might rage there was no occasion to fear, for
Christ Himself was in the ship who had declared, "and, lo, I am with
you alway, even unto the end of the world [or "age"]" (Matthew 28:20,
brackets mine). He knew that the gates of hell could not and would not
prevail against the Church (Matthew 16:18). Therefore he lifted up his
eyes above this present evil age and gazed by faith upon the enthroned
Head and Preserver of the Church, rendering worship to Him. That is
the all-important lesson to be drawn from the background of this
prayer, and why I have dwelt so long upon it. Fellow Christians, let
us duly heed it. Instead of being so much occupied with conditions in
the world, with the menace of the atomic bomb, with the deepening
apostasy, let our hearts be increasingly engaged with our beloved
Lord; let us find our peace and joy in Him.
God's Promise to Keep Us from Falling Is Connected to Our Duty to Keep
Ourselves
Let us now consider the more immediate connection of this prayer. On
former occasions we have seen how helpful it was to attend closely to
the context. It is necessary to do so here if the balance of truth is
to be maintained and a proneness to antinomianism is to be checked. It
is not honest to lay hold of the promise implied in this prayer, "Now
unto him that is able to keep you from falling," unless we have first
given heed to the commandment of verse 21: "Keep yourselves in the
love of God, ." (ital. mine). The precepts and promises may be
distinguished, yet they are not to be separated. The former make known
our duty, while the latter are for our encouragement as long as we
genuinely and earnestly seek to perform the same. But one who neglects
his duty is entitled to no comfort. After describing at length the
beginning, the course, and the end of the apostasy of the visible
Church, the apostle adds seven brief exhortations to the saints in
verses 20-23. These call for the exercise of faith, prayer, love,
hope, compassion, fear, and godly hatred. These exhortations are means
to preserve us from apostasy. Calvin began his comments on these
exhortations by saying this:
He shows the manner in which they could overcome all the devices of
Satan, that is, by having love connected with faith, and by
standing on their guard as it were in their watch-tower, until the
coming of Christ.
The Proper Use of Precepts, Warnings, and Comforting Doctrines
Let us give reverent attention to the faithful words of Adolph Saphir
on this life-or-death subject:
There is a one-sided and unscriptural forgetfulness of the actual
position of the believer (or professing believer) as a man who is
still on the road, in the battle; who has still the responsibility
of trading with the talent entrusted, of watching for the return of
the Master. Now there are many bypaths, dangers, precipices on the
road, and we must persevere to the end. Only they who overcome and
are faithful to death shall be crowned. It is not spiritual but
carnal to take the blessed and solemn doctrines of our election in
Christ and of the perseverance of the saints, given us as a cordial
for fainting hours and as the inmost and ultimate secret of the
soul in its dealings with God, and place them on the common and
daily road of our duties and trials, instead of the precepts and
warnings of the Divine Word. It is not merely that God keeps us
through these warnings and commandments, but the attitude of soul
which neglects and hurries over these portions of Scripture is not
childlike, humble, and sincere. The attempts to explain away the
fearful warnings of Scripture against apostasy are rooted in a very
morbid and dangerous state of mind. A precipice is a precipice, and
it is folly to deny it. "If we live after the flesh," says the
apostle, "we shall die." Now, to keep people from falling over a
precipice, we do not put up a slender and graceful hedge of
flowers, but the strongest barrier we can; and piercing spikes or
cutting pieces of glass to prevent calamities. But even this is
only the surface of the matter. Our walk with God and our
perseverance to the end are great and solemn realities. We are
dealing with the living God, and only life with God, and in God,
and unto God, can be of any avail here. He who brought us out of
Egypt is now guiding us; and if we follow Him, and follow Him to
the end, we shall enter into the final rest.
It is outside my intended scope to give here a full exposition of the
precepts found in verses 20-23, yet a few remarks are needed if I am
to be faithful in observing the inseparable link that exists between
them and our text. Duty and privilege must not be divorced, nor dare
we allow privilege to oust duty. If it be the Christian's privilege to
have his heart engaged with Christ in glory, it must be while treading
the path that He has appointed and while engaged in those tasks that
He has assigned him. Though Christ is most certainly the One who keeps
him from making shipwreck of the faith, it is not apart from the
disciple's own earnest endeavors that He does so. Christ deals with
His redeemed as responsible creatures. He requires them to conduct
themselves as moral agents, putting forth every effort to overcome the
evils that menace them. Though entirely dependent on Him, they are not
to remain passive. Man is of an active nature, and therefore must grow
either better or worse. Before regeneration he is indeed spiritually
dead, but at the new birth he receives Divine life. Motion and
exercise follow life, and those motions are to be directed by the
Divine precepts. Hear the words of our Lord:
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that
loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I
will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
How these words must have reechoed in Jude's memory as he wrote this
Epistle (see John 14:2 1, 22).
Seven Exhortations to a Life of Holiness
"But ye, beloved [in contrast with the apostates of the previous
verse], building up yourselves on your most holy faith" (v. 20,
brackets mine). Truly, as Paul says, "the foundation of God standeth
sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his" (2 Tim.
2:1 9a). Yet God requires that we wholeheartedly concur with Him, by
our own endeavors, in His purpose for electing such as we to eternal
salvation, namely, our entire sanctification (1 Thess. 4:3). For in
the same verse Paul declares, "Let every one that nameth the name of
Christ depart from iniquity" (1 Tim. 2: 19b). Therefore, we are to be
solicitous about our growth and to exercise care both over ourselves
and our fellow believers. It is not sufficient to be grounded in the
faith; we must daily increase therein more and more. To grow in faith
is one of the appointed means of our preservation. We build up
ourselves on our faith by a deepened knowledge thereof. "A wise man
will hear, and will increase learning"; says Solomon (Prov. 1:5). We
build up ourselves on our faith by meditating upon its substance or
contents (Ps. 1:2; Luke 2:19), by believing and appropriating it, by
applying it to ourselves, and by being governed by it. Observe that it
is a "most holy faith," for it both requires and promotes personal
holiness. Thereby do we distinguish ourselves from carnal professors
and apostates. "Praying in the Holy Ghost." We are to fervently and
constantly seek His presence and Divine energy, which can supply us
with the strength of will and affections that are necessary in order
to comply with these precepts.
"Keep yourselves in the love of God" (v. 21). See to it that your love
for Him is preserved in a pure, healthy, and vigorous condition. See
to it that your love to Christ is in constant exercise by rendering
obedience to Him who said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John
14:15). "Keep thy heart with all diligence" (Prov. 4:23, ital. mine),
for if your affections wane, your communion with Him will deteriorate
and your witness for Him will be marred. Only as you keep yourselves
in the love of God will you be distinguished from the carnal
professors all around you. This exhortation is no needless one. The
Christian is living in a world whose icy blasts will soon chill his
love for God unless he guards it as the apple of his eye. A malicious
adversary will do all he can to pour cold water upon it. Remember the
solemn warning of Revelation 2:4. Oh, that Christ may never have to
complain of you or me, "I have somewhat against thee, because thou
hast left thy first love" (ital. mine). Rather, may our love "abound
yet more and more" (Phil. 1:9). In order thereto hope must be in
exercise, "looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal
life" (v. 21). Verses 22 and 23 make known our duty, and what is to be
our attitude, toward those of our brethren who have fallen by the way.
Toward some we are to show compassion, who by reason of tenderness can
stand only mild rebukes and admonitions; whereas roughness would only
drive them to despair and the postponement of their penitent looking
to Christ. But others, who differ by temperament, or by reason of
hardness of heart, require strong rebukes for their recovery, with
frightening warnings concerning God's judgment against obstinate
sinners who hold out against His threats and overtures of mercy. These
we are to "save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even
the garment spotted by the flesh."
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13 | 14
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A. W. Pink Header
A Guide to Fervent Prayer by A.W. Pink
Chapter 12
_________________________________________________________________
Jude 24, 25
Part 2
"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling." In further
consideration of the connection of this prayer, the following question
is crucial: who are the ones that the Lord Jesus thus preserves? Not
everyone who professes to believe and to be a follower of His, as is
clear from the case of Judas Iscariot, is preserved by God from
apostasy. Then whom does He preserve? Without doubt God preserves
those who make a genuine effort to obey the exhortations found in
verses 20-23, which were discussed at the end of the preceding
chapter. These true believers, so far from being content with their
present knowledge and spiritual attainments, sincerely endeavor to
continue building up themselves on their most holy faith. These true
lovers of God, so far from being indifferent to the state of their
hearts, jealously watch their affections, in order that their love
toward God might be preserved in a pure, healthy, and vigorous
condition by regular exercise in acts of devotion and obedience. These
true saints, so far from taking pleasure in flirting with the world
and indulging their carnal lusts, have their hearts engaged in "hating
even the garment spotted by the flesh." These true disciples pray
fervently for the assistance of the Holy Spirit in the performance of
all their duties, and are deeply solicitous about the welfare of their
brothers and sisters in Christ. Such are the ones who will, despite
all their weakness and frailties, be preserved by the power and grace
of God from apostasy.
Two Principles of Interpretation Necessary for Understanding This
Prayer
It is of vital importance to a sound knowledge of Scripture that we
observe the order in which truth is therein set forth. For example, we
find David saying, "Depart from me, ye evildoers: for I will keep the
commandments of my God." This he said before praying the following
prayer: "Uphold me according unto Thy word" (Ps. 119:115, 116). There
would have been no sincerity in praying for God to support him unless
he had already resolved to obey the Divine precepts. It is horrible
mockery for anyone to ask God to sustain him in a course of self-will.
First must come a holy purposing and resolution on our part, and then
the seeking of enabling grace. It is of equal importance to a right
understanding of Scripture that we take special care not to separate
what God has joined together by detaching a sentence from its
qualifying context. We often read the quotation, "My sheep shall never
perish." While that is substantially correct, those are not the
precise words Christ used. This is what He actually said: "My sheep
hear [heed!] my voice, and I know [approve] them, and they follow Me
[contrary to their natural inclinations]: And I give unto them eternal
life; and they [the heedful and obedient ones] shall never perish"
(John 10:27, 28, brackets and ital. mine).
Faith Is the Instrumental Means of Our Preservation
"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling." In these words
we discover the first great reason behind the Apostle Jude's prayer,
namely, the Divine ability to preserve the saints from apostasy. The
discerning reader will perceive in the above remarks that the question
of how Christ preserves His people has been anticipated and answered.
He does so in a manner very different from that in which He keeps the
planets in their courses, which He does by physical energy. Christ
preserves His own by spiritual power, by the effectual operations of
His grace within their souls. Christ preserves His people not in a
course of reckless self-pleasing, but in one of self-denial. He
preserves them by moving them to heed His warnings, to practice His
precepts, and to follow the example that He has left them. He
preserves them by enabling them to persevere in faith and holiness. We
who are His are "kept by the power of God through faith (1 Peter 1:5,
ital. mine), and faith has respect to His commandments (Ps. 119:66;
Heb. 11:8) as well as to His promises. Christ indeed is "the author
and finisher of our faith" (Heb. 12:2), yet we are the ones who must
exercise that faith and not He. Yet, by the Holy Spirit, He is working
in us "both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13). Just
as faith is the instrumental means by which we are justified before
God, our perseverance in faith is the instrumental means by which
Christ preserves us until His coming (1 Thess. 5:23; Jude 1).
After exhorting the saints as to their duties (vv. 20-23), Jude then
intimates to whom they must look for their enablement and for blessing
upon their endeavors: "unto him that is able to keep you from
falling." His readers must place the whole of their dependence for
preservation on the Lord Jesus. He does not say this in order to check
their industry, but rather to encourage their hope of success. It is a
great relief to faith to know that "God is able to make him [us]
stand" (Rom. 14:4). John Gill begins his comments on Jude 24 by
saying, "The people of God are liable to fall into temptation, into
sin, into errors. and even into final and total apostasy, were it not
for Divine power." Yea, they are painfully sensible both of their evil
proclivities and their frailty, and therefore do they frequently cry
to the Lord, "Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have
respect unto thy statutes continually" (Ps. 119:117). As they read of
Adam in a state of innocency being unable to keep himself from
falling, and likewise the angels in heaven, they know full well that
imperfect and sinful creatures such as they are cannot keep
themselves. The way to heaven is a narrow one, and there are
precipices on either side. There are foes within and without seeking
my destruction, and I have no more strength of my own than poor Peter
had when he was put to the test by a maid.
Metaphors Describing the Inherent Weakness of Christians Are Meant to
Direct Our Faith to God
Almost every figure used in the Bible to describe a child of God
emphasizes his weakness and helplessness: a sheep, a branch of the
vine, a bruised reed, smoking flax. It is only as we experientially
discover our weakness that we learn to prize more highly the One who
is able to keep us from falling. Is one of my readers tremblingly
saying, "I fear that I too may perish in the wilderness"? Not so, if
your prayer be sincere when you cry, "Hold up my goings in thy paths,
that my footsteps slip not" (Ps. 17:5). Christ is able to protect you,
because His power is limitless and His grace boundless. What strength
this should give the wearied warrior! David comforted himself
therewith when he declared, "I will fear no evil: for thou art with
me" (Ps. 23:4). There is a twofold safeguarding of the elect spoken of
in this Epistle: the one before regeneration, and the other after. In
the opening verse of Jude they are spoken of as "sanctified by God the
Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called." They were set
apart to salvation by the Father in His eternal decree (2 Thess.
2:13), and "preserved" before they were effectually called. A
wonderful and blessed fact is that! Even while wandering from the
fold, yea, even while they were despising the Shepherd of their souls,
His love watched over them (Jer. 31:3) and His power delivered them
from an untimely grave. Death cannot seize an elect sinner until he
has been born again!
Christ Does Not Raise Our Hopes Merely to Dash Them
What has just been pointed out should make it very evident that there
is no question whatever about the Lord's willingness to preserve His
people. if He has kept them from natural death while in a state of
unregeneracy, much more will He deliver them from spiritual death now
that He has made them new creatures (cf. Rom. 5:9, 10). if Christ were
not willing to "make all grace abound" toward His people (2 Cor. 9:8),
to "keep that which I [they] have committed unto him against that day"
(2 Tim. 1:12, brackets mine), to "succor them that are tempted" (Heb.
2:18), and to "save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him"
(Heb. 7:25), He most certainly would not tantalize them by affirming
in each passage that He is able to do these things. When Christ asked
the two blind men, who besought Him to have mercy upon them, "Believe
ye that I am able to do this?" (Matt. 9:28), He was not raising a
doubt in their minds as to His readiness to give them sight; but He
was evoking their faith, as the next verse makes evident. The words
"unto him that is able to keep you from falling" is a general
expression including not only His might and willingness, but His
goodness and munificence, which He has already brought, and shall
continue to bring, to bear for the preservation of His people.
Christ Is Bound by Covenant Obligation to Preserve His People from
Total, Final Apostasy
It is indeed true that the power of Christ is far greater than what He
actually exercises, for His power is infinite. Were He so disposed, He
could keep His people altogether from sin; but for wise and holy
reasons He does not. As His forerunner John the Baptist declared to
the Pharisees and Sadducees, "God is able of these stones to raise up
children unto Abraham" (Matthew 3:9), so Christ could have commanded a
legion of angels to deliver Him from His enemies (Matthew 26:53), but
He would not. The exercise of His power was and is regulated by God's
eternal purpose; He puts it forth only so far as He has stipulated to
do so by covenant engagement. Thus the words "unto him that is able to
keep you from falling" have reference not to every kind of falling,
but from falling prey to the fatal errors of those "ungodly men"
mentioned in verse 4, from being led astray by the sophistries and
examples of heretical teachers. As the Shepherd of God's sheep, Christ
has received a charge to preserve them: not from straying, but from
destruction. It is the gross sins spoken of in the context, when
joined with obstinacy and impenitence, from which Christ delivers His
people. These are "presumptuous sins" (Ps. 19:13), which, if one
continues in impenitent, are unpardonable sins (just like suicide). In
other words, it is from total and final apostasy that Christ keeps all
His own.
As an almighty Savior, Christ has been charged with the work of
preserving His people. They were given to Him by the Father with that
end in view. He is in every way qualified for the task considering
both His Deity and His humanity (Heb. 2:18). All authority has been
given to Him in heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18). He is as willing as
He is competent, for it is the Father's will that He should lose none
of His people (John 6:39), and therein He delights. He has a personal
interest in them, for He has bought them for Himself. He is
accountable for their custody. He therefore preserves them from being
devoured by sin. No feeble Savior is ours, but rather One that is
clothed with omnipotence. That was made manifest even during the days
of His humiliation, when He cast out demons, healed the sick, and
stilled the tempest by His authoritative fiat. It was evidenced when
by a single utterance He caused those who came to arrest Him to fall
backward to the ground (John 18:6). It was supremely demonstrated in
His personal victory over death and the grave. That same almighty
power is exercised in ordering all the affairs of His people, and in
continually directing their wills and actions throughout the whole of
their earthly pilgrimage. Of His vineyard He declares, "I the LORD do
keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep
it night and day (Isa. 27:3).
The Glorious Reception with Which Christ Receives and Presents the
Redeemed
"And to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with
exceeding joy." Here is the second reason that prompted this outburst
of adoration. Christ not only protects His people here, but has
provided for their felicity hereafter. Such is His grace and power
that He makes good to them all that God has purposed and promised. The
presentation of His people to Himself is both individual and
corporate. The former is at death, when He takes the believer to
Himself. Inexpressibly blessed is this: upon its dismissal from the
body the spirit of the believer is conducted into the immediate
presence of God, and the Savior Himself admits it into heaven and
presents it before the throne. The disembodied spirit, rid of all
corruption and defilement, is received by Christ to the glory of God.
He will set that redeemed spirit of a justified sinner made perfect
(Heb. 12:23) before Himself with great complacence of heart, so that
it will reflect His own perfections. He will advance it to the highest
honor, fill it with glory, express to it the uttermost of His love,
and behold it with delight. Christ receives each blood-washed spirit
at death to His everlasting embraces, and presents it before the
presence of His glory with exceeding joy.
Our present passage also looks forward to the time when Christ will
publicly present His people corporately to Himself, when the Head and
Savior who "loved the church, and gave himself for it" will "present
it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any
such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish" (Eph.
5:25, 27). This shall be the certain and triumphant result of His
love, as it shall be the consummation of our redemption. The Greek
word for present (No. 2476 in Strong and Thayer; cf. present, 3936, in
Eph. 5:27) can be used in the sense to set alongside of. Having
cleansed the Church from all her natural pollution and prepared and
adorned her for her destined place as the companion of His glory, He
will, formally, and officially, take her to Himself. This jubilant
declaration shall go forth: "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give
honour to him [God]: for the marriage of the Lamb is come" (Rev. 19:7,
brackets mine). Christ will have made the Church comely with His own
perfections, and she will be full of beauty and splendor, like a bride
adorned for her husband. He will then say, "Thou art all fair, my
love; there is no spot in thee" (Song of Solomon 4:7). She shall be
"all glorious within: her clothing is [shall be] of wrought gold." Of
her it is said, "So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty" (Ps.
45:11, 13, brackets mine), and He shall be forever the satisfying
Portion of her joy.
The Scriptures also indicate that on the resurrection morn Christ
shall also present the Church to His Father (2 Cor. 4:14), and shall
say exultantly, "Behold I and the children which God hath given me"
(Heb. 2:13; cf. Gen. 33:5; Isa. 8:18). Not one shall be lost (John
6:39, 40; 10:27-30; 17:12, 24)! And all shall be perfectly conformed
to His holy image (Rom. 8:29). He will present us before God for His
inspection, acceptance, and approbation. Says Albert Barnes,
He will present us in the court of heaven, before the throne of the
eternal Father, as His ransomed people, as recovered from the ruins
of the fall, as saved by the merits of His blood. They shall not
only be raised from the dead by Him, but publicly and solemnly
presented to God as His, as recovered to His service and as having
a title in the covenant of grace to the blessedness of heaven.
It is Christ taking His place before God as the triumphant Mediator,
owning the "children" as God's gift to Him, confessing His oneness
with them, and delighting in the fruits of His work. He presents them
"faultless": justified, sanctified, glorified. The manner in which He
does so will be "with exceeding joy," for He shall then "see of the
travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied" (Isa. 53:11). In Jude 15
we learn of the doom awaiting the apostates; here we behold the bliss
appointed to the redeemed. They shall forever shine in Christ's
righteousness, and He shall find His complacency in the Church as the
partner of His blessedness.
A Doxology of Grand Ascription Directed to a Divine Person of Infinite
Perfections
"To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and
power, both now and ever. Amen." We come to a consideration of the
nature and Object of this prayer. It is a doxology, an expression of
praise; and though it is brief, the Divine verities upon which it
focuses are immense. Seeing that the Lord is arrayed with glory and
beauty (Job 40:10), we should continually ascribe these excellencies
to Him (Ex. 15:11; 1 Chron. 29:11). The saints are to publish and
proclaim the perfections of their God: "Sing forth the honour of his
name: make his praise glorious" (Ps. 66:2). This is what the apostles
did, and we should emulate them. Here He is adored for His wisdom.
There is something here that may present a difficulty to young
theologians who have learned to distinguish between the incommunicable
attributes of God, such as His infinitude and immutability, and His
communicable attributes, such as mercy, wisdom, and so forth. Seeing
that God has endowed some of His creatures with wisdom, how can He be
said to be "only wise"? First, He is superlatively wise. His wisdom is
so vastly superior to that of men and angels that their creaturely
wisdom is foolishness by comparison. Secondly, He is essentially wise.
God's wisdom is not a quality separate from Himself as ours is. There
are many men who are far from being wise men; but God would not be God
if He were not omniscient, being naturally endowed with all knowledge
and Himself the very Fountainhead of all wisdom. Thirdly, He is
originally wise, Without derivation. All wisdom is from God, because
He possesses all wisdom in Himself. All the true wisdom of creatures
is but a ray from His light.
The glorious Object of this doxology is none other than the Mediator
of the covenant of grace. The reasons for so honoring Him are the
omnipotence and omniscience that He possesses, which are gloriously
displayed in His saving of the Church. In view of what is predicated
of Him in verse 24, there should not be the slightest doubt in our
minds that "the only wise God" of verse 25 is none other than the Lord
Jesus Christ, for it is His particular province as the Shepherd to
preserve His Church from destruction and to present it in glory to the
Father. Furthermore, the added epithet, "God our Saviour," confirms
the matter. Here absolute Deity is ascribed to Him: "the only wise
God,"as it also is in Titus 2:13 (where the Greek text would more
accurately and literally be rendered, "the great God and Saviour of
us, Jesus Christ"), 2 Peter 1:1 (where the Greek should be translated,
"of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ," witness the marginal notes of
the KJV and ASV), and many other places. Christ the Son is "the only
wise God," though not to the exclusion of the Father and the Spirit.
Probably He is here designated as such in designed contrast with the
false and foolish "gods" of the heretical corruptors mentioned in the
context. I might add that by comparison to the sovereign triune God of
Holy Writ, who is most gloriously represented in the God-man Jesus the
Christ (who now reigns as the absolute Lord of the universe), the
fictitious God of the Unitarians, of twentieth-century Modernists, and
of most Arminians is also foolish and puerile.
Christ's Unique Fitness for the Work Assigned to Him
It is the strength and sufficiency of Christ for all the concerns of
His redemptive mediation that is here magnified. He is adored as the
One who will triumphantly complete the work given Him to do, a work
that no mere creature, no, not even an archangel, could accomplish.
None but One who is both God and man could act as Mediator. None but a
Divine Person could offer an adequate satisfaction to Divine justice.
None but one possessed of infinite merit could provide a sacrifice of
infinite value. None but God could preserve sheep in the midst of
wolves. In Proverbs 8, especially verses 12, 13, 31, and 32, Christ is
denominated "wisdom," and is heard speaking as a distinct Person. He
was heralded as the "Wonderful Counsellor" (Isa. 9:6). He designated
Himself "wisdom" in Luke 7:35. He is expressly called "the wisdom of
God" (1 Cor. 1:24), "In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge" (Col. 2:3). His wisdom appears in His creating all things
(John 1:3), in His governing and maintaining all things (Heb. 1:3),
and in that the Father "hath committed all judgment unto the Son"
(John 5:22).
The consummate wisdom of Christ was manifested during the days of His
flesh. He opened to men the secrets of God (Matthew 13:11), He
declared, "The Son can do nothing of himself [which in the light of
the context following means that He does nothing independently of the
Father's will], but what he seeth the Father do: for what things
soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise" (John 5:19, 30
brackets and ital. mine). Christ thereby affirmed an equality of
competency between Himself and His Father. He "needed not that any
should testify of man: for he knew what was in man" (John 2:25). Those
who heard Him teach "were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man
this wisdom, and these mighty works?" (Matthew 13:54). Christ's unique
wisdom appeared in answering and silencing His enemies. "Never man
spake like this man" (John 7:46), testified those sent to arrest Him.
He so confounded His critics that at the end Matthew testified,
"neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions"
(Matthew 22:46). Since, therefore, He is endowed with omniscience, let
us find no fault with any of His dealings with us. Let us rather take
to Him all our problems; let us confide absolutely in Him, putting
ourselves and all our affairs into His hands.
The Highest Praise Is Due the Lord Christ
Since He is "the only wise God our Saviour"-the sole, sufficient, and
successful Savior-let us laud Him as such. As those in heaven cast
their crowns before the Lamb and extol His peerless perfections, so
should we who are still upon earth. Since Christ subjected Himself to
such unspeakable dishonor and abasement for our sakes, yea, enduring
suffering to death itself, and that the death of the cross, how
readily and heartily should we honor and magnify Him, crying with the
apostle, "Unto him be glory and majesty, dominion and power"! Glory is
the displaying of excellence in such a way that gains approbation from
all who behold it. Here the word signifies the high honor and esteem
that is due to Christ because of His perfections, whereby He
infinitely surpasses all creatures and things. Majesty refers to His
exalted dignity and Divine greatness that make Him to be honored and
preferred beyond all His creatures, having received a name that is
above every name (Phil. 2:9). Dominion is that absolute rule or
ownership that is gained by conquest and maintained by strength or
might superior to that of all rivals. This the God-man exercises in
such a way that "none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest
thou?" (Dan. 4:35). He has already crushed the head of Satan, His most
powerful enemy (Gen. 3:15), and thrown his evil kingdom into chaos.
"And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them
openly, triumphing over them" in His death on the cross (Col. 2:15).
Power here means that authority to rule which is derived from legal
right. Because Christ "became obedient unto death, even the death of
the cross" (Phil. 2:8, 9), God the Father has exalted Him to the place
of universal authority and rule (Matthew 28:18) where He now reigns as
"KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS" (Rev. 19:16). This universal rule
Christ earned as a legal right by His perfect obedience as the second
Adam (Gen. 1:26-28). As the God-man, Christ not only merits authority
and dominion over the earth with all of its creatures but also over
the entire universe that He Himself created.
King Jesus Reigns Both Now and Forever
"To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and
power, both now and ever. Amen." Note well the two words set in
italics. Radically different was the inspired concept of Jude from
that of so many "students of prophecy" who postpone Christ's reign to
some future "millennial" era. It is both the present and the endless
dignities of the Mediator that are here in view. He has already been
"crowned with glory and honour" (Heb. 2:9). Majesty is His today, for
He is exalted "Far above all principality, and power," for God "hath
[not "will"!] put all things under his feet" (Eph. 1:2 1, 22, ital.
and brackets mine). Dominion is also exercised by Him now, and in the
strength by which He obtained dominion He is presently "upholding all
things by the word of his power" (Heb. 1:3). Even now the Lord Jesus
is seated upon the throne of David (Acts 2:29-35), "angels and
authorities and powers being made [having been] made subject unto
him." (1 Peter 3:22). So shall He reign, not merely for a thousand
years, but forever. Amen. Thus does Jude conclude the most solemn of
all Epistles with this paean of holy exultation over the present and
eternal glory of the Lamb.
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13 | 14
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A Guide to Fervent Prayer by A.W. Pink
Chapter 13
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Revelation 1:5, 6
Part 1
_________________________________________________________________
The prayer now before us really forms the closing part of the
salutation and benediction of verses 4 and 5 of Revelation 1, in which
"grace and peace" are sought from the triune God in His distinct
persons: (1) "from him which is, and which was, and which is to come,"
that is, from Jehovah as the self-existing and immutable One-He is
addressed by the equivalent of His memorial name (Ex. 3:13-17) by
which His eternal being and covenant-keeping faithfulness were to be
remembered (Ex. 6:2-5; "the LORD" equals "Jehovah" throughout the Old
Testament); (2) "from the seven Spirits which are before his throne,"
that is, from the Holy Spirit in the fullness of His power and
diversity of His operations (Isa. 11:1, 2); and (3) "from Jesus
Christ," who is mentioned last as the connecting Link between God and
His people. A threefold appellation is here accorded the Savior: (1)
"the faithful witness," which contemplates and covers the whole of His
virtuous life from the manger to the cross; (2) "the first begotten
[better, "Firstborn"] of the dead," (brackets mine) which celebrates
His victory over the tomb-this is a title of dignity (Gen. 49:3), and
signifies priority of rank rather than time; and (3) "and the prince
of the kings of the earth," which announces His regal majesty and
dominion. This third title views the Conqueror as exalted "Far above
all principality, and power" (Eph. 1:21), as the One upon whose
shoulder the government of the universe has been laid (Isa. 9:6), who
is even now "upholding all things by the word of his power" (Heb.
1:3), and before whom every knee shall yet bow (Phil. 2:10).
An Analytical Synopsis of the Prayer
The preceding recital of the Redeemer's perfections and dignities
evoked from the mouth of the Apostle John this adoring exclamation:
"Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be
glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." Thus the nature of our
prayer is again a doxology. Its Object is the Son of God incarnate in
His mediatorial character and office. Its adorers are those of "us"
who are the beneficiaries of His mediation. Its inciting reasons are
our apprehensions of His unfathomable love, the cleansing efficacy of
His precious blood, and the wondrous dignities that He has conferred
upon His redeemed. Its ascription is "to him be glory and dominion,"
not merely for a thousand years, but "for ever and ever," which closes
with the assuring affirmation, "Amen"-it shall be so. For the benefit
of young preachers I shall add a few more remarks on doxologies in
general.
The Doxologies Are Needed to Enlarge Our Conceptions of the Persons of
the Godhead
The doxologies of Scripture reveal our need to form more exalted
conceptions of the Divine Persons. In order to do so, we must engage
in more frequent and devout meditations on their ineffable attributes.
How little do our thoughts dwell upon the display of them in the
material creation. Divinity is "clearly seen" in the things that God
has made, and even the heathen are charged with inexcusable guilt
because of their failure to glorify God for His handiwork (Rom.
1:19-21). Not only should our senses be regaled by the lovely colors
of the trees and perfumes of the flowers, but our minds ought to dwell
upon the motions and instincts of animals, admiring the Divine hand
that so equipped them. How little do we reflect on the marvels of our
own bodies, the structure, convenience, and perfect adaptedness of
each member. How few unite with the Psalmist in exclaiming, "I will
praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are
thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well" (Ps. 139:14). How much
more wonderful are the faculties of our inner man, raising us high
above all irrational creatures. How better can our reason be employed
than in extolling the One who has so richly endowed us? Yet how little
grateful acknowledgment is made to the beneficent Fashioner and Donor
of our beings.
How little do we consider the wisdom and power of God as manifested in
the government of the world. Let us take, for example, the balance
preserved between the sexes in the relative number of births and
deaths, so that the population of the earth is maintained from
generation to generation without any human contriving. Or let us take
into account the various temperaments and talents given to men, so
that some are wise for counsel, administration and management, some
are better qualified for hard manual labor, and others to serve in
clerical functions. Or consider how His government curbs the baser
passions of men, so that such a measure of law and order obtains
generally in society that the weak are not destroyed by the strong nor
the good unable to live in a world that wholly "lieth in wickedness"
(1 John 5:19). Or think how God sets bounds to the success of
rapacious dictators, so that when it appears they are on the very
point of carrying all before them, they are suddenly stopped by the
One who has decreed that they shall go "no farther." Or ponder how, in
His application of the law of retribution, individuals and nations are
made to reap what they sow, whether it be good or evil. It is because
we pay so little attention to these and a hundred other similar
phenomena that we are so rarely moved to cry, "Alleluia: for the Lord
God omnipotent reigneth" (Rev. 19:6).
Doxologies Are Wholly Devoted to the Praises of Deity, Particularly to
the Works of Divine Grace
But it is the wondrous works of God in the realm of grace, rather than
in creation and providence, that are most calculated to draw out the
hearts of God's people in adoring homage. More particularly, those
works wherein the Darling of His own heart was and is engaged on our
behalf draw forth our admiration and praise. Thus it is in the verses
we are now pondering. No sooner was the peerless Person and
perfections of the eternal Lover of his soul set before the mind and
heart of the Apostle John than that he cried exultantly, "To Him be
glory and dominion for ever and ever." And thus it is with all of
God's true saints. Such a cry is the spontaneous response and outgoing
of their souls to Him. That leads me to point out the one thing that
is common to all doxologies: in them praise is always offered
exclusively to Deity, and never to any mere human agency or
accomplishment. Self-occupation and self-gratulation have no place
whatever in them. Different far is that from the low level of
spirituality generally prevailing in the churches today. This writer
was once present at a service where a hymn was sung, the chorus of
which ran, "Oh, how I love Jesus." But I could not conscientiously
join in singing it. None in heaven are guilty of lauding themselves or
magnifying their graces, nor should any Christians do so here upon
earth.
The Particular Object of this Doxology
The Object of this adoration and thanksgiving is that Blessed One who
undertook, with the Father and the Spirit, to save His people from all
their sins and miseries by the price of His blood and the arm of His
power. In His essential Person, God the Son is co-equal and co-eternal
with the Father and the Spirit "who is over all, God blessed for ever.
Amen" (Rom. 9:5). He is the uncreated Sun of righteousness (Ps. 84:11;
Mal. 4:2). In Him all the glory of the Godhead shines forth, and by
Him all the perfections of Deity have been manifested. In response to
this very homage, He declares, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning
and ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to
come, the Almighty" (Rev. 1:8). Before the worlds were made He entered
into covenant engagement to become incarnate, to be made in the
likeness of sinful flesh (Rom. 8:3) to serve as the Surety of His
people, to be the Bridegroom of His Church-its complete and
all-sufficient Savior. As such He is the Man of God's right hand, the
Fellow of the Lord of hosts, the King of glory. His work is honorable,
His fullness infinite, His power omnipotent. His throne is for ever
and ever. His name is above every name. His glory is above the
heavens. It is impossible to extol Him too highly, for His glorious
name "is exalted above all blessing and praise" (Neh. 9:5, ital.
mine).
In the immediate context this adorable One is viewed in His
theanthropic person, as incarnate, as the God-man Mediator. He is set
forth in His threefold office as Prophet, Priest, and Potentate. His
prophetical office is clearly denoted in the title "the faithful
Witness," for in Old Testament prophecy the Father announced, "I have
given him for a witness to the people" (Isa. 55:4). Christ Himself
declared to Pilate, "To this end was I born, and for this cause came I
into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth" (John
18:37). As such He proclaimed the Gospel to the poor and confirmed it
by mighty miracles. His sacerdotal office is necessarily implied in
the expression "first begotten of the dead," for in death He offered
Himself as a sacrifice to God to make satisfaction for the
transgressions of His people. He then rose again that He might
continue to exercise His priesthood by His constant intercession for
them. His regal office appears plainly in the designation "prince of
the kings of the earth," for He has absolute dominion over them. By
Him they reign (Prov. 8:15), and to Him they are commanded to render
allegiance (Ps. 2:10-12). To Him we are to hearken, in Him we are to
believe, and to Him we are to be subject. Singly and collectively
these titles announce that He is to be greatly respected and revered.
Angels Are Filled with Wonder over the Redeeming Love of Christ for
His Church
While an exile on the isle of Patmos, John was engaged in
contemplating Immanuel in the excellencies of His Person, offices, and
work. As he did so his heart was enraptured, and he exclaimed, "Unto
him that loved us." The love of Christ is here expressed by the
Apostle John in the past tense, not because it is inoperative in the
present but to focus our attention upon its earlier exercises. The
love of Christ is the grandest fact and mystery revealed in Holy Writ.
That love originated in His heart and was in operation for all
eternity, for before the mountains were formed His "delights were with
the sons of men" (Prov. 8:31). That wonderful love was put forth by
Christ in connection with the everlasting covenant, wherein He agreed
to serve as the Sponsor of His people and to discharge all their
obligations. That He should take complacence in creatures of the dust
is the marvel of heaven (Eph. 3:8-10; 1 Peter 1:12). That He should
set His heart upon them while viewed in their fallen estate is
incomprehensible. That love was expressed openly in His incarnation,
humiliation, obedience, sufferings, and death.
Holy Scripture declares that "the love of Christ. passeth knowledge"
(Eph. 3:19). It is entirely beyond finite computation or
comprehension. That the Son of God should ever deign to notice finite
creatures was an act of great condescension on His part (Ps. 13:6).
That he should go so far as to pity them is yet more wonderful. That
He should love us in our pollution entirely transcends our
understanding. That the outgoings of His heart toward the Church moved
Him to lay aside the glory that He had with the Father before the
world was (John 17:5), to take upon Him the form of a servant, and to
become "obedient unto death" for their sakes, "even the death of the
cross" (Phil. 2:7, 8), surmounts all thought and is beyond all praise.
That the Holy One should be willing to be made sin for His people (2
Cor. 5:2 1) and to endure the curse that endless blessing should be
their portion (Gal. 3:13, 14) is altogether inconceivable. As S. E.
Pierce so ably expressed it,
His love is one perfect and continued act from everlasting to
everlasting. It knows no abatement or decay. It is eternal and
immutable love. It exceeds all conception and surpasses all
expression. To give the utmost proof of it, "Christ died for the
ungodly" (Rom. 5:6). In His life He fully displayed His love. In
His sufferings and death He stamped it with an everlasting
emphasis.
Christ's Love Is Completely Impartial, Not Evoked by Any Merit in Its
Objects
The love of Christ was an entirely disinterested love, for it was
uninfluenced by anything in its objects or any other considerations
external to Himself. There was nothing whatever in His people, either
actual or foreseen, to call His love into exercise: nothing actual,
for they had rebelled against God and had deliberately chosen as their
exemplar and master one who was a liar and murderer from the
beginning; nothing foreseen, for no excellence could they bear but
that which His own gracious hand wrought in them. The love of Christ
infinitely excelled in purity, in intensity, in its disinterestedness,
any that ever moved in a human breast. It was altogether free and
spontaneous. He loved us when we were loveless and unlovely. We were
entirely unable to render Him any proper compensation or return. His
own essential blessedness and glory could neither be diminished by our
damnation nor increased by our salvation. His love was uninvited,
unattracted, altogether self-caused and self-motivated. It was His
love that stirred every other attribute-His wisdom, power, holiness,
and so forth-to activity. The words of David, "he delivered me,
because he delighted in me" (Ps. 18:19, ital. mine), provide the
Divine explanation of my redemption.
The love of Christ was a discriminating one. "The Lord is good to all:
and his tender mercies are over all his works" (Ps. 145:9). He is
benevolent toward all His creatures, making His sun to rise on the
evil and the good, and sending rain on the just and on the unjust
(Matthew 5:45). "He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil" (Luke
6:3 5, ital. mine). But Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for
it with a love such as He does not bear toward all mankind. The Church
is the one special and peculiar object of His affections. For her He
reserves and entertains a unique love and devotion that makes her
shine among all the created works of His hands with the unmistakable
radiance of a favorite. Husbands are bidden to love their wives "even
as Christ also loved the church" (Eph. 5:25). The love of a husband
toward his wife is a special and exclusive one; so Christ cherishes
for His Church a particular affection. It is set upon His Bride rather
than upon the human race at large. She is His peculiar treasure.
"Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the
end" (John 13:1, ital. mine). Instead of caviling at this truth, let
us enjoy its preciousness. Christ's love is also a constant and
durable one, exercised upon its objects "unto the end"; and, as we
shall now see, it is a sacrificial and enriching love.
Christ's Love Addressed Itself to Our Greatest Need: The Purging of
Our Sins
The manifestations of Christ's love correspond to our woe and want,
its operations being suited to the condition and circumstances of its
objects. Our direst need was the putting away of our sins, and that
need has been fully met by Him. His love alone could not remove our
transgressions "as far as the east is from the west." The claims of
God had to be met; the penalty of the Law had to be endured. "Without
shedding of blood is no remission" (Heb. 9:22), and Christ so loved
the Church as to shed His precious blood for her. Hence the Apostle
John is here heard exclaiming, "Unto him that loved us, and washed us
from our sins in [or "by"] his own blood." This is the second
inspiring reason or motive behind this benediction. This reference to
the blood of Christ necessarily underscores His Deity as well as His
humanity. None but a creature can shed blood and die, but none but God
can forgive sins. It is likewise a witness to the vicarious or
substitutionary nature and efficacy of His sacrifice. How otherwise
could it wash us from our sins? Moreover, it celebrates the supreme
proof of His care for His people. "Love is strong as death; . Many
waters cannot quench love, neither can the flood drown it" (Song of
Solomon 8:6, 7) demonstrated at the cross, where all the waves and
billows of God's wrath (Ps. 42:7) went over the Sinbearer.
The surpassing love of Christ was evidenced by His espousing the
persons of God's elect, undertaking their cause, assuming their
nature, obeying and suffering in their room and stead. The Apostle
Paul brought this blessed truth home with application to believers
when he said,
Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in
love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us
an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour (Eph.
5:1, 2).
The Lord Jesus knew what was necessary for our deliverance, and His
love prompted Him to the accomplishment of the same. And the apostles
Paul and John understood and taught concerning the heavy debt of love
and gratitude that is laid upon all the happy beneficiaries of
Christ's saving work. To "wash us from our sins" was of the very
essence of those things that are necessary for our salvation, and for
that His blood must be shed. What stupendous proof was that of His
love! Herein is love, that the Just should voluntarily and gladly
suffer for the unjust, "that he might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18).
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8). Amazing tidings, that Christ
Jesus made full atonement for those who were at that very moment His
enemies (Rom. 5:10)! He chose to lay down His life for those who were
by nature and by practice rebels against God, rather than that they
should be a sacrifice to the wrath of God forever. The guilty
transgress, but the innocent One is condemned. The ungodly offend, but
the Holy One endures the penalty. The servant commits the crime, but
the Lord of glory blots it out. What reason have we to adore Him!
Christ's Love Is Infinite and Immutable
How can Christ ever manifest His love for His people in a way that
exceeds that which He has already done? "Greater love hath no man than
this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). Yet
this was the God-man, and by so doing He showed that His love was
infinite and eternal-incapable of amplification! He shone forth in the
full meridian power and splendor of His love in Gethsemane and on
Calvary. There he sustained in His soul the whole of the awful curse
that was due and payable to the sins of His people. Then it was that
it pleased the Father to bruise Him and put His soul to grief (Isa.
53:10). His anguish was inconceivable. He cried out under it, "Why
hast thou forsaken me?" It was thus that He loved us, and it was
thereby that He provided the fountain to cleanse us from our
iniquities. Through the shedding of His precious blood He has purged
His people entirely from the guilt and defilement of sin. Let us join
in the exultant praise of S. E. Pierce:
Blessings, eternal blessings on the Lamb who bore our sins and
carried our sorrows! His bloody sweat is our everlasting health and
cure. His soul-travail is our everlasting deliverance from the
curse of the Law and the wrath to come. His bearing our sins in His
own body on the Tree is our everlasting discharge from them. His
most precious bloodshedding is our everlasting purification.
"And washed us from our sins in his own blood." Sin alike stains our
record before God, pollutes the soul, and defiles the conscience; and
naught can remove it but the atoning and cleansing blood of Christ.
Sin is the only thing that the Lord Jesus hates. It is essential to
His holiness that He should do so. He hates it immutably, and can as
soon cease to love God as love it. Nevertheless His love to His people
is even greater than His hatred of sin. Through their fall in Adam
they are sinners; their fallen natures are totally depraved. By
thought, word, and deed they are sinners. They are guilty of literally
countless transgressions, for their sins are more in number than the
hairs of their heads (Ps. 40:12). Yet Christ loved them! He did so
before they sinned in Adam, and His forethoughts of them in their
fallen estate produced no change in His love for them; rather, they
afforded greater opportunity for Him to display that love. Therefore
He became incarnate, that He might blot out their sins. Nothing was
more loathsome to the Holy One of God. Yet He was willing to be an
alien to His mother's children, despised and rejected of men, mocked
and scourged by them, yea, abandoned by God for a season, that His
people might be cleansed.
Christ's Once-for-All Washing of His People
I fully agree with John Gill's comments on the words "washed us from
our sins":
This is not to be understood of the sanctification of their
natures, which is the work of the Spirit, but of atonement for
their sins and justification from them.
In other words, it is the purchase of redemption, and not its
application, that is here in view. The latter, of course, follows at
regeneration, for all whom He washed judicially from the guilt and
penalty of sin (once for all at Golgotha) are in due time cleansed and
released from the love and dominion of sin. That which is signified in
the clause before us is guilt cancelled, condemnation removed, the
curse of the Law taken away, and the sentence of acquittal pronounced.
This is the portion of all believers: "There is therefore now no
condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1). We must
distinguish between the justification of our persons once for all
(Acts 13:39) and the pardon of those sins that we commit as Christians
(1 John 1:9). The latter must be penitentially confessed, and then we
are forgiven and cleansed on the ground of Christ's blood. It is the
former that is in view in Revelation 1:5, where the Apostle John is
rejoicing in the love of Him whose blood has once and for all washed
the persons of the saints. The ongoing cleansing from sin that is
needed day by day is acknowledged in Revelation 7:13, 14, where we
behold the saints in brilliant white robes, previously travel-stained
garments that they had cleansed day by day (cf. John 13:3-17).
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13 | 14
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A Guide to Fervent Prayer by A.W. Pink
Chapter 14
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Revelation 1:5, 6
Part 2
Two evidences of the love of Christ for His people are mentioned in
this prayer: His cleansing of them from their sins by His own blood,
and His enriching of them by the dignities He bestows upon them. But
there is also a third expression and manifestation of His love that,
though not distinctly expressed, is necessarily implied here, namely,
His provision for them. As the result of the work that His love
prompted Him to perform on their behalf, He meritoriously secured the
Holy Spirit for His people (Acts 2:33). Christ therefore sends the
Holy Spirit to regenerate them, to take of the things of Christ and
show the same to them (John 16:14, 15), to impart an experiential and
saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus, and to produce faith in their
hearts so that they believe on Him to everlasting life. I say that all
of this is necessarily implied, for only by these realities are they
enabled truly and feelingly to exclaim "unto him that loved us,"yea,
so that each of them may aver that this Christ the Son of God "loved
me, and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20). This is the quintessence of
real blessedness: to be assured by the Spirit from the Word that I am
an object of Christ's infinite and immutable love. The knowledge
thereof makes Him "altogether lovely" in my esteem (Song. of Solomon
5:16), rejoices my soul, and sanctifies my affections.
By Saving Faith, One Looks Outside Oneself to Christ
See here the appropriating nature of saving faith. It takes hold of
Christ and His sacrifice for sinners as made known in the Word of
truth. It says, Here is a love letter from heaven about the glorious
Gospel of the Son of God, which gives an account of Christ's love and
the strongest and greatest possible proofs thereof. I see that this
letter is for me, for it is addressed to sinners, yea, to the very
chief of sinners. It both invites and commands me to receive this
Divine Lover to myself and to believe unfeignedly in the sufficiency
of His atoning blood for my sins. Therefore I take Him as He is freely
proffered by the Gospel, and rely on His own word: "him that cometh to
me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). This faith comes not by
feelings of my love to Christ, but by the hearing of His love for
sinners (Rom. 5:8; 10:17). True, the Holy Spirit, in the day of His
power, makes impressions on the heart by the Word. Yet the ground of
faith is not those impressions, but the Gospel itself. The Object of
faith is not Christ working on the heart and softening it, but rather
Christ as He is presented to our acceptance in the Word. What we are
called upon to hear is not Christ speaking secretly within us, but
Christ speaking openly, objectively, without us.
The Blessed Fruits of Saving Faith
A most dreadful curse is pronounced upon all who "love not the Lord
Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 16:22). Solemn indeed is it to realize that that
curse rests upon the vast majority of our fellows, even in those
countries that are reputed to be Christian. But why does any sinner
love Christ? One can only do so because he believes in the love of
Christ toward sinners. He perceives the wonder and preciousness
thereof; for "faith. worketh by love" (Gal. 5:6), even by the love of
Christ manifested toward us. It receives or takes His love to the
heart. Then it works peace in the conscience, gives conscious access
to God (Eph. 3:12), stirs up joy in Him, and promotes communion with
and conformity to Him. That faith, implanted by the Holy Spirit, that
works by love-the reflex of our apprehension and appropriation of
Christ's love-slays our enmity against God, and causes us to delight
in His Law (Rom. 7:22). Such faith knows, on the authority of the Word
of God, that our sins-which were the cause of our separation and
alienation from Him-have been washed away by the atoning blood of
Christ. How inexpressibly blessed it is to know that in the fullness
of time Christ appeared "to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself"
(Heb. 9:26) and that God says of all believers, "their sins and
iniquities will I remember no more" (Heb. 10:17).
On our trust in the Divine testimonies of the Gospel depends, to a
large extent, both our practical holiness and our comfort. Our love to
Christ and adoration of Him will grow or diminish in proportion to our
faith in the Person and work of Christ. Where there is a personal
assurance of His love, there cannot but be a joining with the saints
in heaven in praising Christ for washing us from our sins (Rev. 5:9,
10). But many will object, "I still have so much sin in me; and it so
often gets the mastery over me, that I dare not cherish the assurance
that Christ has washed me from my sins." If that be your case, I ask,
Do you mourn over your corruptions, and earnestly desire to be forever
rid of them? If so, that is proof that you are entitled to rejoice in
Christ's atoning blood. God sees fit to leave sin in you, that in this
life you may be kept humble before Him and marvel the more at His
longsuffering. It is His appointment that the Lamb should now be eaten
"with bitter herbs" (Ex. 12:8). This world is not the place of your
rest. God suffers you to be harassed by your lusts, that you may look
forward more eagerly to the deliverance and rest awaiting you. Though
Romans 7:14-25 accurately describes your present experience, Romans
8:1 also declares, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them
which are in Christ Jesus"!
The Exalted Positions and Privileges Enjoyed by Christians by Virtue
of Union with Christ
"And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father." Here is
the third inspiring reason for the ascription that follows. Having
owned the indebtedness of the saints to the Savior's love and
sacrifice, the Apostle John now celebrates, in the language of "the
spirits of just men made perfect" (Rev. 5:10; Heb. 5:10), the high
dignities that He has conferred upon them. We who are children of the
most High, in due measure, are made partakers of the honors of Him who
is both the King of kings and our great High Priest; and the
apprehension of this fact evokes a song of praise to Him. As we
realize that the Lord Jesus shares His own honors with His redeemed,
conferring upon them both regal dignity and priestly nearness to God,
we cannot but exultantly exclaim, "To him be glory and dominion for
ever and ever." We were virtually made kings and priests when He
contracted to fulfill the terms of the everlasting covenant, for by
that engagement we were constituted such. By purchase we were made
kings and priests when He paid the price of our redemption, for it was
by His merits that He purchased these privileges for us. Federally we
were made so when He ascended on high (Eph. 4:8; 2:6) and entered
within the veil as our Forerunner (Heb. 6:19, 20). Actually we were
made so at our regeneration, when we became participants in His
anointing.
"And hath made us kings and priests unto God." Here we have the
Redeemer exalting and ennobling His redeemed. This presupposes and
follows upon our pardon, and is the positive result of Christ's
meritorious obedience to God's Law (without which He could not have
died in the place of sinners). The One who loved us has not only
removed our defilements but has also restored us to the Divine favor
and fellowship. Furthermore, he has secured for us a glorious reward;
He took our place that we might share His. In order that we may be
protected from certain insidious errors, which have brought not a few
of God's children into bondage, it is important to perceive that these
designations belong not merely to a very select and advanced class of
Christians, but equally to all believers. It is also necessary, lest
we be robbed by Dispensationalism, that we realize that these
dignities pertain to us now. They are not postponed until our arrival
in heaven, and still less till the dawn of the millennium. Every saint
has these two honors conferred on him at once: he is a regal priest,
and a priestly monarch. Herein we see the dignity and nobility of the
Lord's people. The world looks upon us as mean and contemptible, but
He speaks of us as "the excellent, in whom is all my delight" (Ps.
16:3).
When Paul states in 2 Corinthians 1:21 that God "stablisheth us. in
Christ, and hath anointed us," (ital. mine) he is implying that God
has made us kings and priests; for the word anointed is expressive of
dignity. Kings and priests were anointed when inaugurated in their
offices. Therefore when it is said that God has anointed all who are
in Christ Jesus, it intimates that He has qualified and authorized
them to the discharge of these high offices. In drawing a sharp
contrast between true believers and false brethren and false teachers,
the Apostle John says, "But ye have an unction from the Holy One. .But
the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you" (1 John
2:20, 27). We have a participation in Christ's anointing (Acts 10:38),
receiving the same Spirit wherewith He was anointed (a beautiful type
of Christ's anointing is set forth in Ps. 133:2). The blessedness of
the elect appears in that they are made both kings and priests by
virtue of the Name in which they are presented before God. They who
"receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall
reign in life by one, Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:17, ital. mine). Though in
all things Christ has the preeminence, being "the King of kings"-for
He has been "anointed. with the oil of gladness above thy [His]
fellows" (Ps. 45:7, ital. and brackets mine)-yet His companions are
invested with royalty; and "as he is, so are we in this world" (1 John
4:17, ital. mine). Oh, for faith to appropriate that fact, and for
grace to conduct ourselves accordingly!
Apparently there is a designed contrast between the two expressions,
"the kings of the earth"and "hath made us kings and priests unto
God."They are kings naturally, we spiritually; they unto men, we unto
God. They are merely kings, but we are both kings and priests. The
dominion of earthly monarchs is but fleeting; their regal glory
quickly fades. Even the glory of Solomon, which surpassed that of all
the kings of the earth, was but of brief duration. But we shall be
co-regents with a King the foundation of whose throne (Rev. 3:2 1) is
indestructible, whose scepter is everlasting, and whose dominion is
universal (Matthew 28:18; Rev. 21:7). We shall be clothed with
immortality and vested with a glory that shall never be dimmed.
Believers are kings, not in the sense that they take any part in
heaven's rule over the earth, but as sharers in their Lord's triumph
over Satan, sin, and the world. In that Christians are also
distinguished from the angels. For they are not kings, nor will they
ever reign, for they are not anointed. They have no union with the
incarnate Son of God, and therefore they are not "joint-heirs with
Christ" as the redeemed are (Rom. 8:17). So far from it, they are all
"ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be
heirs of salvation" (Heb. 1:14). A subordinate place and a subservient
task is theirs!
The Moral Dominion Exercised by the Christian
Christ has not only done a great work for His people, but He
accomplishes a grand work in them. He not only washes them from their
sins, which He hates, but He also transforms by His power their
persons, which He loves. He does not leave them as He first finds
them-under the dominion of Satan, sin, and the world. No, but He makes
them kings. A king is one who is called to rule, who is invested with
authority, and who exercises dominion; and so do believers over their
enemies. True, some of the subjects we are called to rule are both
strong and turbulent, yet we are "more than conquerors through him
that loved us" (Rom. 8:37). The Christian is "a king, against whom
there is no rising up" (Prov. 30:31). Though he may often be overcome
in his person, yet he shall never be overcome in his cause. There is
still a law in his members warring against the law of his mind (Rom.
8:23), yet sin shall not have dominion over him (Rom. 6:14). Once the
world kept him in bondage, presuming to dictate his conduct, so that
he was afraid to defy its customs and ashamed to ignore its maxims.
But "whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the
victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4). By
God's gracious gift of faith, we are enabled to seek our portion and
enjoyment in things above. Note well the words of Thomas Manton on
this subject:
King is a name of honour, power, and ample possession. Here we
reign spiritually, as we vanquish the devil, the world, and the
flesh in any measure. It is a princely thing to be above those
inferior things and to trample them under our feet in a holy and
heavenly pride. A heathen could say, "He is a king that fears
nothing and desires nothing." He that is above the hopes and fears
of the world, he that hath his heart in heaven and is above
temporal trifles, the ups and downs of the world, the world beneath
his affections; this man is of a kingly spirit. Christ's kingdom is
not of this world, neither is a believer's. "Thou. hast made us
unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth"
(Rev. 5:10), namely, in a spiritual way. It is a beastly thing to
serve our lusts, but kingly to have our conversation in heaven and
vanquish the world-to live up to our faith and love with a noble
spirit. Hereafter we shall reign visibly and gloriously when we
shall sit upon thrones with Christ.
The saints will yet judge the world, yea, and angels also (1 Cor. 6:2,
3).
The Superiority of Self-Government over Secular Rule
The work that is assigned to the Christian as a king is to govern
himself. "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he
that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city" (Prov. 16:32, ital.
mine). As a king the Christian is called on to mortify his own flesh,
to resist the devil, to discipline his temper, to subdue his lusts,
and to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ
(2 Cor. 10:5). That is a lifelong task. Nor can the Christian
accomplish it in his own strength. It is his duty to seek enablement
from above, and to draw upon the fullness of grace that is available
for him in Christ. The heart is his kingdom (Prov. 4:23); and it is
his responsibility to make reason and conscience, both formed by God's
Word, to govern his desires so that his will is subject to God. He is
required to be the master of his appetites and the regulator of his
affections, to deny ungodly and worldly lusts, and to live soberly,
righteously, and godly in this present world. He is to be "temperate
in all things" (1 Cor. 9:25). He is to subdue his impetuosity and
impatience, to refuse to take revenge when others wrong him, to bridle
his passions, to "overcome evil with good" (Rom. 12:21), and to have
such control of himself that he "rejoice[s] with trembling" (Ps. 2:11,
brackets mine). He is to learn contentment in every state or condition
of life that God in His wise and good providence may be pleased to put
him (Phil. 4:11).
Some earthly monarchs have not a few faithless and unruly subjects who
envy and hate them, who chafe under their scepter, and who want to
depose them. Nevertheless, they still maintain their thrones. In like
manner, the Christian king has many rebellious lusts and traitorous
dispositions that oppose and continually resist his rule, yet he must
seek grace to restrain them. Instead of expecting defeat, it is his
privilege to be assured, "I can do all things through Christ which
strengtheneth me" (Phil. 4:13). The Apostle Paul was exercising his
royal office when he declared, "all things are lawful for me, but I
will not be brought under the power of any" (1 Cor. 6:12). Therein he
has left us an example (1 Cor. 11:1). He was also conducting himself
as a king when he said, "But I keep under my body, and bring it into
subjection" (1 Cor. 9:27). Yet, like everything else in this life, the
exercise of our regal office is very imperfect. Not yet have we fully
entered into our royal honors or acted out our royal dignity. Not yet
have we received the crown, or sat down with Christ on His throne,
which ceremonies of coronation are essential for the complete
manifestation of our kingship. Yet the crown is laid up for us, a
mansion (infinitely surpassing Buckingham Palace) is being prepared
for us, and this promise is ours: "the God of peace shall bruise Satan
under your feet shortly" (Rom. 16:20).
The Sacerdotal Privileges and Duties of the Believer
Following my usual custom, I have endeavored to supply the most help
where the commentators and other expositors afford the least. Having
sought to explain at some length the kingly office of the believer,
less needs to be said upon the sacerdotal office. A priest is one who
is given a place of nearness to God, who has access to Him, who holds
holy intercourse with Him. It is his privilege to be admitted into the
Father's presence and to be given special tokens of His favor. He has
a Divine service to perform. His office is one of high honor and
dignity (Heb. 5:4, 5). However, it pertains to no ecclesiastical
hierarchy, but is common to all believers. "But ye are a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood." Christians are "an holy priesthood"
ordained "to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus
Christ" (1 Peter 2:5, 9). They are worshipers of the Divine majesty,
and bring with them a sacrifice of praise (Heb. 13:15). "The priest's
lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth"
(Mal. 2:7). As priests they are to be intercessors for all men,
especially for kings and for all that are in authority (1 Tim. 2:1,
2). But the full and perfect exercise of our priesthood lies in the
future, when, rid of sin and carnal fears, we shall see God face to
face and worship Him uninterruptedly.
A Fitting Doxology Based on Who Christ Is and What He Has Done
"To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." This is an act
of worship, an ascription of praise, a breathing of adoration to the
Redeemer from the hearts of the redeemed. Christians vary a great deal
in their capacities and attainments, and they differ in many minor
views and practices. But they all unite with the apostle in this. All
Christians have substantially the same views of Christ and the same
love for Him.. Wherever the Gospel has been savingly apprehended, it
cannot but produce this effect. First there is a devout acknowledgment
of what the Lord Jesus has done for us, and then a doxology rendered
to Him. As we contemplate who it was that loved us-not a fellow
mortal, but the everlasting God- we cannot but prostrate ourselves
before Him in worship. As we consider what He did for us-shed His
precious blood-our hearts are drawn out in love to Him. As we realize
how He has bestowed such marvelous dignities upon us-made us kings and
priests-we cannot but cast our crowns at His feet (Rev. 4:10). Where
such sentiments truly possess the soul, Christ will be accorded the
throne of our hearts. Our deepest longing will be to please Him and to
live to His glory.
"To him be glory."This is a word that signifies (1) visible brightness
or splendor, or (2) an excellence of character that places a person
(or thing) in a position of good reputation, honor, and praise. The
"glory of God" denotes primarily the excellence of the Divine being
and the perfections of His character. The "glory of Christ"
comprehends His essential Deity, the moral perfections of His
humanity, and the high worth of all His offices. Secondarily, the
physical manifestations of the glory of Jehovah (Ex. 3:2-6; 13:2 1,
22) and of His Anointed (Matthew 17:1-9) are derived from the great
holiness of the triune God (Ex. 20:18, 19; 33:17-23; Judges 13:22; 1
Tim. 6:16). Christ has an intrinsic glory as God the Son (John 17:5).
He has an official glory as the God-man Mediator (Heb. 2:9). He has a
merited glory as the reward of His work, and this He shares with His
redeemed (John 17:5). In our text glory is ascribed to Him for each of
the following reasons. Christ is here magnified both for the underived
excellence of His Person that exalts Him infinitely above all
creatures and for His acquired glory that will yet be displayed before
an assembled universe. There is a glory that exalts Him infinitely
above all creatures and for His acquired glory as the Redeemer that
will yet be displayed before an assembled universe. There is a glory
pertaining to Him as God incarnate, and this was proclaimed by the
angels over the plains of Bethlehem (Luke 2:14). There is a glory
belonging to Him in consequence of His mediatorial office and work,
and that can be appropriately celebrated only by the redeemed.
"And dominion."This, too, belongs to Him first by right as the eternal
God. As such Christ's dominion is underived and supreme. As such He
has absolute sovereignty over all creatures, the devil himself being
under His sway. Furthermore, universal dominion is also His by merit.
God has made "that same Jesus," whom men crucified, "both Lord and
Christ" (Acts 2:36). All authority is given to Him both in heaven and
in earth (Matt. 28:18). It was promised Him in the everlasting
covenant as the reward of His great undertaking. The mediatorial
kingdom of Christ is founded upon His sacrificial death and triumphant
resurrection. These dignities of His are "for ever and ever," for "Of
the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end" (Isa.
9:7; cf. Dan. 7:13, 14). By a faithful "Amen" let us set our seal to
the truthfulness of God's declaration.
How blessed is this, that before any announcement is made of the awful
judgments described in the Apocalypse, before a trumpet of doom is
sounded, before a vial of God's wrath is poured on the earth, the
saints (by John's inspired benediction) are first heard lauding in
song the Lamb:
Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own
blood, And hath made us kings and priests [not unto ourselves, but]
unto God and his Father [for his honor]; to him be glory and
dominion for ever and ever. Amen!
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13 | 14
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A. W. Pink Header
A Study of Dispensationalism by A.W. Pink
Chapter 1
_________________________________________________________________
Having written so much upon both the inspiration and the
interpretation of Holy Writ, it is necessary, in order to give
completeness unto the same, to supply one or two articles upon the
application thereof. First, because this is very closely related to
exegesis itself: if a wrong application or use be made of a verse,
then our explanation of it is certain to be erroneous. For example,
Romanism insists that "Feed my sheep" (John 21:15-17) was Christ's
bestowal upon Peter of a special privilege and peculiar honour, being
one of the passages to which that evil system appeals in support of
her contention for the primacy of that Apostle. Yet there is nothing
whatever in Peter's own writings which indicates that he regarded
those injunctions of his Master as constituting him "Universal
Bishop." Instead, in his first Epistle there is plainly that to the
contrary, for there we find him exhorting the elders or bishops, "Feed
the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not
by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready
mind; neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples
to the flock" (5:2,3).
Thus it is quite clear from the above passage that Christ's precepts
in John 21:15-17, apply or pertain unto all pastors. On the other
hand, our Lord's words to Peter and Andrew, "Follow Me, and I will
make you fishers of men" (Matt. 4:19) do not apply to the rank and
file of His disciples, but only unto those whom He calls into and
qualifies for the ministry. That is evident from the fact that in none
of the Epistles, where both the privileges and the duties of the
saints are specifically defined, is there any such precept or promise.
Thus, on the one hand, we must ever beware of unwarrantable
restricting the scope of a verse; and, on the other hand, be
constantly on our guard against making general what is manifestly
particular. It is only by carefully taking heed to the general Analogy
of Faith that we shall be preserved from either mistake. Scripture
ever interprets Scripture, but much familiarity with the contents, and
a diligent and prayerful comparing of one part with another, is
necessary before anyone is justified in dogmatically deciding the
precise meaning or application of any passage.
But there is further reason, and a pressing one today, why we should
write upon our present subject, and that is to expose the modern and
pernicious error of Dispensationalism. This is a device of the Enemy,
designed to rob the children of no small part of that bread which
their heavenly Father has provided for their souls; a device wherein
the wily serpent appears as an angel of light, feigning to "make the
Bible a new book" by simplifying much in it which perplexes the
spiritually unlearned. It is sad to see how widely successful the
devil has been by means of this subtle innovation. It is likely that
some of our own readers, when perusing the articles upon the
interpretation of the Scriptures, felt more than once that we were
taking an undue liberty with Holy Writ, that we made use of certain
passages in a way altogether unjustifiable, that we appropriated to
the saints of this Christian era what does not belong to them but is
rather addressed unto those who lived in an entirely different
dispensation of the past, or one which is yet future.
This modern method of mishandling the Scriptures--for modern it
certainly is, being quite unknown to Christendom till little more than
a century ago, and only within recent years being adopted by those who
are outside the narrow circle where it originated--is based upon 2
Timothy 2:15, "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Very
little or nothing at all is said upon the first two clauses of that
verse, but on the third one, which is explained as "correctly
partitioning the Scriptures unto the different peoples to whom they
belong." These mutilators of the Word tell us that all of the Old
Testament from Genesis 12 onwards belongs entirely to Israel after the
flesh, and that none of its precepts (as such) are binding upon those
who are members of the Church which is the Body of Christ, nor may any
of the promises found therein be legitimately appropriated by them.
And this, be it duly noted, without a single word to that effect by
either the Lord or any of His Apostles, and despite the use which the
Holy Spirit makes of the earliest Scriptures in every part of the New
Testament. So far from the Holy Spirit teaching Christians practically
to look upon the Old Testament much as they would upon an obsolete
almanac, He declares, "For whatsoever things were written aforetime
were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of
the (Old Testament) Scriptures might have hope" (Rom. 15:4).
Not satisfied with their determined efforts to deprive us of the Old
Testament, these would-be super-expositors dogmatically assert that
the four Gospels are Jewish, and that the Epistles of James and Peter,
John and Jude are designed for a "godly Jewish remnant" in a future
"tribulation period," that nothing but the Pauline Epistles contain
"Church truth," and thousands of gullible souls have accepted their
ipse digit--those who decline so doing are regarded as untaught and
superficial. Yet God Himself has not uttered a single word to that
effect. Certainly there is nothing whatever in 2 Timothy 2:15, to
justify such a revolutionizing method of interpreting the Word: that
verse has no more to do with the sectioning of Scripture between
different "dispensations" than it has with distinguishing between
stars of varying magnitude. If that verse be carefully compared with
Matthew 7:6, John 16:12 and 1 Corinthians 3:2, its meaning is clear.
The occupant of the pulpit is to give diligence in becoming equipped
to give the different classes of his hearer "their portion of meat in
due season" (Luke 12:42). To rightly divide the Word of Truth is for
him to minister it suitably unto the several cases and circumstances
of his congregation: to sinners and saints, the indifferent and the
inquiring, the babes and fathers, the tempted and afflicted, the
backslidden and fallen.
While there be great variety in the teaching of the Word, there is an
unmistakable unity underlying the whole. Though He employed many
mouthpieces, the Holy Scriptures have but one Author; and while He "at
sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers
by the prophets" and "hath in these last days spoken unto us by His
Son" (Heb. 1:1,2), yet He who spoke by them was and is One "with whom
is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" (Jam. 1:17), who
throughout all ages declares: "I am the Lord, I change not" (Mal.
3:6). Throughout there is perfect agreement between every part of the
Word: it sets forth one system of doctrine (we never read of "the
doctrines of God," but always "the doctrine": see Deut 32:2; Prov 4:2;
Matt 7:28; John 7:17; Rom. 16:17, and contrast Mark 7:7; Col. 2:22; 1
Tim. 4:1; Heb. 13:9) because it is one single and organic whole. That
Word presents uniformly one way of salvation, one rule of faith. From
Genesis to Revelation there is one immutable Moral Law, one glorious
Gospel for perishing sinners. The Old Testament believers were saved
with the same salvation, were indebted to the same Redeemer, were
renewed by the same Spirit, and were partakers of the same heavenly
inheritance as are New Testament believers.
It is quite true that the Epistle to the Hebrews makes mention of a
better hope (7:19), a better testament or covenant (7:22), better
promises (8:6), better sacrifices (9:23), some better thing for us
(11:40), and yet it is important to recognize that the contrast is
between the shadows and the substance. Romans 12:6, speaks of "the
proportion [or "analogy"] of faith." There is a due proportion, a
perfect balance, between the different parts of God's revealed Truth
which must needs be known and observed by all who would preach and
write according to the mind of the Spirit. In arguing from this
analogy, it is essential to recognize that what is made known in the
Old Testament was typical of what is set forth in the New, and
therefore the terms used in the former are strictly applicable unto
the latter. Much needless wrangling has occurred over whether or not
the nation of Israel were a regenerate people. That is quite beside
the real point: outwardly they were regarded and addressed as the
people of God, and, as the Spirit through Paul affirmed, "who are
Israelites: to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the
covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the
promises: whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh
Christ came" (Rom. 9:4,5).
Regeneration or non-regeneration affected the salvation of individuals
among them, but it did not affect the covenant relationship of the
people as a whole. Again and again God addressed Israel as
"backsliders," but never once did He so designate any heathen nation.
It was not to the Egyptians or Canaanites that Jehovah said, "Return,
ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings," or "Turn,
0 backsliding children...for I am married unto you" (Jer. 3:22, 14).
Now it is this analogy or similarity between the two covenants and the
peoples under them which is the basis for the transfer of Old
Testament terms to the New. Thus the word "circumcision" is used in
the latter not with identity of meaning, but according to analogy, for
circumcision is now "of the heart, in the spirit" (Rom. 2:29), and not
of the flesh. In like manner, when John closes his first Epistle with
"Little children, keep yourselves from idols," he borrows an Old
Testament term and uses it in a New Testament sense, for by "idols" he
refers not to material statues made of wood and stone (as the prophets
did when employing the same word), but to inward objects of carnal and
sensual worship. So too are we to see the antitypical and spiritual
"Israel" in Galatians 6:16, and the celestial and eternal "Mount Zion"
in Hebrews 12:22.
The Bible consists of many parts, exquisitely correlated and vitally
interdependent upon each other. God so controlled all the agents which
He employed in the writing of it, and so coordinated their efforts, as
to produce a single living Book. Within that organic unity there is
indeed much variety, but no contrariety. Man's body is but one, though
it be made up of many members, diverse in size, character, and
operation. The rainbow is but one, nevertheless it reflects distinctly
the seven prismatic rays, yet they are harmoniously blended together.
So it is with the Bible: its unity appears in the perfect consistency
throughout of its teachings. The oneness yet triunity of God, the
deity and humanity of Christ united in one Person, the everlasting
covenant which secures the salvation of all the election of grace, the
highway of holiness and the only path which leads to heaven, are
plainly revealed in Old and New Testament alike. The teaching of the
prophets concerning the glorious character of God, the changeless
requirements of His righteousness, the total depravity of human
nature, and the way appointed for restoration therefrom, are identical
with the Apostles' teaching.
If the question be raised, Since the sacred Scriptures be a strict
unit, then why has God Himself divided them into two Testaments?
perhaps it will simplify the matter if we ask why God has appointed
two principal bodies to illuminate the earth--the sun and the moon.
Why, too, is the human frame duplex, having two legs and arms, two
lungs and kidneys, etc.? Is not the answer the same in each case: to
augment and supplement each other? But, more directly, at least four
reasons may be suggested. First, to set forth more distinctly the two
covenants which are the basis of God's dealings with all mankind: the
covenant of works and the covenant of grace--shadowed forth by the
"old" from Sinai and the "new" or Christian one. Second, to show more
plainly the two separate companies which are united in that one Body
which constitutes the Church of which Christ is the Head, namely
redeemed Jews and redeemed Gentiles. Third, to demonstrate more
clearly the wondrous providence of God: using the Jews for so many
centuries to be the custodians of the Old Testament, which condemns
them for their rejection of Christ; and in employing the papists
throughout the dark ages to preserve the New Testament, which
denounces their idolatrous practices. Fourth, that one might confirm
the other: type by antitype, prophecy by fulfillment.
"The mutual relations of the two Testaments. These two main divisions
resemble the dual structure of the human body, where the two eyes and
ears, hands and feet, correspond to and complement one another. Not
only is there a general, but a special, mutual fitness. They need
therefore to be studied together, side by side, to be compared even in
lesser details, for in nothing are they independent of each other; and
the closer the inspection the minuter appears the adaptation, and the
more intimate the association. . . .The two Testaments are like the
two cherubim of the mercy seat, facing in opposite directions, yet
facing each other and overshadowing with glory one mercy seat; or
again, they are like the human body bound together by joints and bands
and ligaments, with one brain and heart, one pair of lungs, one system
of respiration, circulation, digestion, sensor and motor nerves, where
division is destruction" (A. T. Pierson, from Knowing the Scriptures).
Contents | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2
Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5
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A Study of Dispensationalism by A.W. Pink
Chapter 2
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Some Dispensationalists do not go quite so far as others in
arbitrarily erecting notice-boards over large sections of Scripture,
warning Christians not to tread on ground which belongs to others, yet
there is general agreement among them that the Gospel of
Matthew--though it stands at the beginning of the New Testament and
not at the close of the Old!--pertains not to those who are members of
the mystical body of Christ, but is "entirely Jewish," that the sermon
on the mount is "legalistic" and not evangelistic, and that its
searching and flesh-withering precepts are not binding upon
Christians. Some go so far as to insist that the great commission with
which it closes is not designed for us today, but is meant for "a
godly Jewish remnant" after the present era is ended. In support of
this wild and wicked theory, appeal is made to and great stress laid
upon the fact that Christ is represented, most prominently, as "the
son of David" or King of the Jews; but they ignore another conspicuous
fact, namely that in its opening verse the Lord Jesus is set forth as
"the son of Abraham," and he was a Gentile! What is still more against
this untenable hypothesis--and as though the Holy Spirit designedly
anticipated and refuted it--is the fact that Matthew's is the only one
of the four Gospels where the Church is actually mentioned twice
(16:18; 18:17)!--though in John's Gospel its members are portrayed as
branches of the Vine, members of Christ's flock, which are
designations of saints which have no dispensational limitations.
Equally remarkable is the fact that the very same Epistle which
contains the verse (2 Tim. 2:15) on which this modern system is based
emphatically declares: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect,
thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (3:16,17). So far from large
sections of Scripture being designed for other companies, and excluded
from our immediate use, ALL Scripture is meant for and is needed by
us. First, all of it is "profitable for doctrine," which could not be
the case if it were true (as Dispensationalists dogmatically insist)
that God has entirely different methods of dealing with men in past
and future ages from the present one. Second, all Scripture is given
us "for instruction in righteousness" or right doing, but we are at a
complete loss to know how to regulate our conduct if the precepts in
one part of the Bible are now outdated (as the teachers of error
assert) and injunctions of a contrary character have displaced them;
and if certain statutes are meant for others who will occupy this
scene after the Church has been removed from it. Third, all Scripture
is given that a man of God might be "perfect, thoroughly furnished
unto all good works"--every part of the Word is required in order to
supply him with all needed instructions and to produce a full-orbed
life of godliness.
When the Dispensationalist is hard pressed with those objections, he
endeavors to wriggle out of his dilemma by declaring that though all
Scripture be for us much of it is not addressed to us. But really,
that is a distinction without a difference. In his exposition of
Hebrews 3:7-11, Owen rightly pointed out that when making quotation
from the Old Testament the Apostle prefaced it with "the Holy Spirit
saith" (not "said"), and remarked, "Whatever was given by inspiration
from the Holy Spirit and is recorded in the Scriptures for the use of
the Church, He contrived to speak it to us unto this day. As He liveth
for ever so He continues to speak for ever; that is, whilst His voice
or word shall be of use for the Church--He speaks now unto us . . .
.Many men have invented several ways to lessen the authority of the
Scriptures, and few are willing to acknowledge an immediate speaking
of God unto them therein." To the same effect wrote that sound
commentator Thomas Scott, "Because of the immense advantages of
perseverance, and the tremendous consequences of apostasy, we should
consider the words of the Holy Spirit as addressed to us."
Not only is the assertion that though all Scripture be for us all is
not to us meaningless, but it is also impertinent and impudent, for
there is nothing whatever in the Word of Truth to support and
substantiate it. Nowhere has the Spirit given the slightest warning
that such a passage is "not to the Christian," and still less that
whole books belong to someone else. Moreover, such a principle is
manifestly dishonest. What right have I to make any use of that which
is the property of another? What would my neighbor think were I to
take letters which were addressed to him and argue that they were
meant for me? Furthermore, such a theory, when put to the test, is
found to be unworkable. For example, to whom is the book of Proverbs
addressed, or for that matter, the first Epistle of John? Personally,
this writer, after having wasted much time in perusing scores of books
which pretended to rightly divide the Word, still regards the whole of
Scripture as God's gracious revelation to him and for him, as though
there were not another person on earth, conscious that he cannot
afford to dispense with any portion of it; and he is heartily sorry
for those who lack such a faith. Pertinent in this connection is that
warning, "But fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve . .
. so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in
Christ" (2 Cor. 11:3).
But are there not many passages in the Old Testament which have no
direct bearing upon the Church today? Certainly not. In view of 1
Corinthians 10:11--"Now all these things happened unto them for
ensamples [margin, "types"]: and they are written for our
admonition"--Owen pithily remarked: "Old Testament examples are New
Testament instructions." By their histories we are taught what to
avoid and what to emulate. That is the principal reason why they are
recorded: that which hindered or encouraged the Old Testament saints
was chronicled for our benefit. But, more specifically, are not
Christians unwarranted in applying to themselves many promises given
to Israel according to the flesh during the Mosaic economy, and
expecting a fulfillment of the same unto themselves? No indeed, for if
that were the case, then it would not be true that "whatsoever things
were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through
patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope" (Rom. 15:4).
What comfort can I derive from those sections of God's Word which
these people say "do not belong to me"? What "hope" (i.e. a
well-grounded assurance of some future good) could possibly be
inspired today in Christians by what pertains to none but Jews? Christ
came here, my reader, not to cancel, but "to confirm the promises made
unto the fathers: and that the Gentiles might glorify God for His
mercy" (Rom. 15:8,9)!
It must also be borne in mind that, in keeping with the character of
the covenant under which they were made, many of the precepts and the
promises given unto the patriarchs and their descendants possessed a
spiritual and typical significance and value, as well as a carnal and
literal one. As an example of the former, take Deuteronomy 25:4, "Thou
shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn," and then mark
the application made of those words in 1 Corinthians 9:9,10: "Doth God
take care for oxen? Or saith He it altogether for our sakes? For our
sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in
hope." The word "altogether" is probably a little too strong here, for
pantos is rendered "no doubt" in Acts 28:4, and "surely" in Luke 4:23,
and in the text signifies "assuredly" (Amer. RV) or "mainly for our
sakes." Deuteronomy 25:4 was designed to enforce the principle that
labour should have its reward, so that men might work cheerfully. The
precept enjoined equity and kindness: if so to beasts, much more so to
men, and especially the ministers of the Gospel. It is a striking
illustration of the freedom with which the Spirit of grace applies the
Old Testament Scriptures, as a constituent part of the Word of Christ,
unto Christians and their concerns.
What is true of the Old Testament precepts (generally speaking, for
there are, of course, exceptions to every rule) holds equally good to
the Old Testament promises--believers today are fully warranted in
mixing faith therewith and expecting to receive the substance of them.
First, because those promises were made to saints as such, and what
God gives to one He gives to all (2 Pet. 1:4)--Christ purchased the
self-same blessings for every one of His redeemed. Second, because
most of the Old Testament promises were typical in their nature:
earthly blessings adumbrated heavenly ones. That is no arbitrary
assertion of ours, for anyone who has been taught of God knows that
almost everything during the old economies had a figurative meaning,
shadowing forth the better things to come. Many proofs of this will be
given by us a little later. Third, a literal fulfillment to us of
those promises must not be excluded, for since we be still on earth
and in the body our temporal needs are the same as theirs, and if we
meet the conditions attached to those promises (either expressed or
implied), then we may count upon the fulfillment of them: according
unto our faith and obedience so will it be unto us.
But surely we must draw a definite and broad line between the Law and
the Gospel. It is at this point that the Dispensationalist considers
his position to be the strongest and most unassailable; yet nowhere
else does he more display his ignorance, for he neither recognizes the
grace of God abounding during the Mosaic era, nor can he see that Law
has any rightful place in this Christian age. Law and grace are to him
antagonistic elements, and (to quote one of his favorite slogans)
"will no more mix than will oil and water." Not a few of those who are
now regarded as the champions of orthodoxy tell their hearers that the
principles of law and grace are such contrary elements that where the
one be in exercise the other must necessarily be excluded. But this is
a very serious error. How could the Law of God and the Gospel of the
grace of God conflict? The one exhibits Him as "light," the other
manifest Him as "love" (1 John 1:5; 4:8), and both are necessary in
order fully to reveal His perfections: if either one be omitted only a
one-sided concept of His character will be formed. The one makes known
His righteousness, the other displays His mercy, and His wisdom has
shown the perfect consistency there is between them.
Instead of law and grace being contradictory, they are complementary.
Both of them appeared in Eden before the Fall. What was it but grace
which made a grant unto our first parents: "Of every tree of the
garden thou mayest freely eat"? And it was law which said, "But of the
tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it." Both of
them are seen at the time of the great deluge, for we are told that
"Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord" (Gen. 6:8), as His
subsequent dealings with him clearly demonstrated; while His
righteousness brought in a flood upon the world of the ungodly. Both
of them operated side by side at Sinai, for while the majesty and
righteousness of Jehovah were expressed in the Decalogue, His mercy
and grace were plainly evinced in the provisions He made in the whole
Levitical system (with its priesthood and sacrifices) for the putting
away of their sins. Both shone forth in their meridian glory at
Calvary, for whereas on the one hand the abounding grace of God
appeared in giving His own dear Son to be the Saviour of sinners, His
justice called for the curse of the Law to be inflicted upon Him while
bearing their guilt.
In all of God's works and ways we may discern a meeting together of
seemingly conflicting elements--the centrifugal and the centripetal
forces which are ever at work in the material realm illustrate this
principle. So it is in connection with the operations of Divine
providence: there is a constant interpenetrating of the natural and
supernatural. So too in the giving of the sacred Scriptures: they are
the product both of God's and man's agency: they are a Divine
revelation, yet couched in human language, and communicated through
human media; they are inerrantly true, yet written by fallible men.
They are Divinely inspired in every jot and tittle, yet the
superintending control of the Spirit over the penmen did not exclude
nor interfere with the natural exercise of their faculties. Thus it is
also in all of God's dealings with mankind: though He exercises His
high sovereignty, yet He treats with them as responsible creatures,
putting forth His invincible power upon and within them, but in no
wise destroying their moral agency. These may present deep and
insoluble mysteries to the finite mind, nevertheless they are actual
facts.
In what has just been pointed out--to which other examples might be
added (the person of Christ, for instance, with His two distinct yet
conjoined natures, so that though He was omniscient yet He "grew in
wisdom"; was omnipotent, yet wearied and slept; was eternal, yet
died)--why should so many stumble at the phenomenon of Divine law and
Divine grace being in exercise side by side, operating at the same
season? Do law and grace present any greater contrast than the
fathomless love of God unto His children, and His everlasting wrath
upon His enemies? No indeed, not so great. Grace must not be regarded
as an attribute of God which eclipses all His other perfections. As
Romans 5:21 so plainly tells us, "That as sin hath reigned unto death,
even so might grace reign through righteousness," and not at the
expense of or to the exclusion of it. Divine grace and Divine
righteousness, Divine love and Divine holiness, are as inseparable as
light and heat from the sun. In bestowing grace, God never rescinds
His claims upon us, but rather enables us to meet them. Was the
prodigal son, after his penitential return and forgiveness, less
obliged to conform to the laws of his Father's house than before he
left it? No indeed, but more so.
That there is no conflict between the Law and the Gospel of the grace
of God is plain enough in Romans 3:31: "Do we then make void the law
through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." Here the
Apostle anticipates an objection which was likely to be brought
against what he said in verses 26-30. Does not the teaching that
justification is entirely by grace through faith evince that God has
relaxed His claims, changed the standard of His requirements, set
aside the demands of His government? Very far from it. The Divine plan
of redemption is in no way an annulling of the Law, but rather the
honoring and enforcing of it. No greater respect could have been shown
to the Law than in God's determining to save His people from its
course by sending His co-equal Son to fulfill all its requirements and
Himself endure its penalty. Oh, marvel of marvels; the great
Legislator humbled Himself unto entire obedience to the precepts of
the Decalogue. The very One who gave the Law became incarnate, bled
and died, under its condemning sentence, rather than that a tittle
thereof should fail. Magnified thus was the Law indeed, and for ever
"made honorable."
God's method of salvation by grace has "established the law" in a
threefold way. First, by Christ, the Surety of God's elect, being
"made under the law" (Gal. 4:4), fulfilling its precepts (Matt. 5:17),
suffering its penalty in the stead of His people, and thereby He has
"brought everlasting righteousness" (Dan. 9:24). Second, by the Holy
Spirit, for at regeneration He writes the Law on their hearts (Heb.
8:10), drawing out their affections unto it, so that they "delight in
the law of God after the inward man" (Rom. 7:22). Third, as the fruit
of his new nature, the Christian voluntarily and gladly takes the Law
for his rule of life, so that he declares, "with the mind I myself
serve the law" (Rom. 7:25). Thus is the Law "established" not only in
the high court of heaven, but in the souls of the redeemed. So far
from law and grace being enemies, they are mutual handmaids: the
former reveals the sinner's need, the latter supplies it; the one
makes known God's requirements, the other enables us to meet them.
Faith is not opposed to good works, but performs them in obedience to
God out of love and gratitude.
Contents | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2
Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5
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A Study of Dispensationalism by A.W. Pink
Chapter 3
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Before turning to the positive side of our present subject, it was
necessary for us to expose and denounce that teaching which insists
that much in the Bible has no immediate application unto us today.
Such teaching is a reckless and irreverent handling of the Word, which
has produced the most evil consequences in the hearts and lives of
many--not the least of which is the promotion of a pharisaical spirit
of self-superiority. Consciously or unconsciously, Dispensationalists
are, in reality, repeating the sin of Jehoiakim, who mutilated God's
Word with his penknife (Jer 36:23). Instead of "opening the
Scriptures," they are bent in closing the major part of them from
God's people today. They are just as much engaged in doing the devil's
work as are the Higher Critics, who, with their dissecting knives, are
wrongly "dividing the word of truth." They are seeking to force a
stone down the throats of those who are asking for bread. These are
indeed severe and solemn indictments, but not more so than the case
calls for. We are well aware that they will be unacceptable unto some
of our own readers; but medicine, though sometimes necessary, is
rarely palatable.
Instead of being engaged in the unholy work of pitting one part of the
Scriptures against another, these men would be far better employed in
showing the perfect unity of the Bible and the blessed harmony which
there is between all of its teachings. But instead of demonstrating
the concord of the two Testaments, they are more concerned in their
efforts to show the discord which they say there is between that which
pertained unto "the Dispensation of Law" and that which obtains under
"the Dispensation of Grace," and in order to accomplish their evil
design all sound principles of exegesis are cast to the wind. As a
sample of what we have reference to, they cite "Eye for eye, tooth for
tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot" (Ex. 21:24) and then quote
against it, "But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but
whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other
also" (Matt. 5:39), and then it is exultantly asserted that those two
passages can only be "reconciled" by allocating them to different
peoples in different ages; and with such superficial handling of Holy
Writ thousands of gullible souls are deceived, and thousands more
allow themselves to be bewildered.
If those who possess a Scofield Bible turn to Exodus 21:24, they will
see that in the margin opposite to it the editor refers his readers to
Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21, and cf. Matthew 5:28-44; 1 Peter
2:19-21; upon which this brief comment is made: "The provision in
Exodus is law and righteous; the New Testament passages, grace and
merciful." How far Mr. Scofield was consistent with himself may be
seen by a reference to what he states on page 989, at the beginning of
the New Testament under the Four Gospels, where he expressly affirms
"The sermon on the mount is law, not grace" [italics ours]: verily
"the legs of the lame are not equal." In his marginal note to Exodus
21:24, Mr. Scofield cites Matthew 5:38-44, as "grace," whereas in his
introduction to the Four Gospels he declares that Matthew 5-7 "is law,
and not grace." Which of those assertions did he wish his readers to
believe?
Still the question may be asked, How are you going to reconcile Exodus
21:24, with Matthew 5:38-44? Our answer is, There is nothing between
them to "reconcile," for there is nothing in them which clashes. The
former passage is one of the statutes appointed for public magistrates
to enforce, whereas the latter one lays down rules for private
individuals to live by! Why do not these self-styled "rightly
dividers" properly allocate the Scriptures, distinguishing between the
different classes to which they are addressed? That Exodus 21:24 does
contain statutes for public magistrates to enforce is clearly
established by comparing Scripture with Scripture. In Deuteronomy
19:21, the same injunction is again recorded, and if the reader turns
back to verse 18 he will there read, "And the judges shall make
diligent inquisition," etc. It would be real mercy unto the community
if our judges today would set aside their sickly sentimentality and
deal with conscienceless and brutal criminals in a manner which befits
their deeds of violence--instead of making a mockery of justice.
Ere leaving what has been before us in the last three paragraphs, let
it be pointed out that when our blessed Lord added to Matthew 5:38,
"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do
good to them that hate you" (verse 44) He was not advancing a more
benign precept than had ever been enunciated previously. No, the same
gracious principle of conduct had been enforced in the Old Testament.
In Exodus 23:4, 5, Jehovah gave commandment through Moses, "If thou
meet thine enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring
it back to him again. If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee
lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt
surely help with him." Again in Proverbs 25:21, we read, "If thine
enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him
water to drink."
The same God who bids us, "Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide
things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as
lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not
yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath" (Rom. 12:17-19), also
commanded His people in the Old Testament, "Thou shalt not avenge, nor
bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt
love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord" (Lev. 19:18); and
therefore was David grateful to Abigail for dissuading him from taking
vengeance on Nabal: "Blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from
coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand" (1
Sam. 25:33). So far was the Old Testament from allowing any spirit of
bitterness, malice or revenge that it expressly declared, "Say not
thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the Lord, and He shall save
thee" (Prov. 20:22). And again, "Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth,
and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth" (Prov. 24:17). And
again, "Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will
render to the man according to his work" (Prov. 24:29).
One more sample of the excuseless ignorance betrayed by these
Dispensationalists--we quote from E.W. Bullinger's How to Enjoy the
Bible. On pages 108 and 110 he said under "Law and Grace": "For those
who lived under the Law it could rightly and truly be said, `It shall
be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments
before the Lord our God, as He hath commanded us' (Deut 6:25). But to
those who live in this present Dispensation of Grace it is as truly
declared, `By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified
in His sight' (Rom. 3:20). But this is the very opposite of
Deuteronomy 6:25. What, then, are we to say, or to do? Which of these
two statements is true and which is false? The answer is that neither
is false. But both are true if we would rightly divide the Word of
Truth as to its dispensational truth and teaching. . . .Two words
distinguish the two dispensations: `Do' distinguished the former;
`Done' the latter. Then salvation depended upon what man was to do,
now it depends upon what Christ has done." It is by such statements as
these that "unstable souls" are beguiled.
Is it not amazing that one so renowned for his erudition and knowledge
of the Scriptures should make such manifestly absurd statements as the
above? In pitting Deuteronomy 6:25 against Romans 3:20, he might as
well have argued that fire is "the very opposite" of water. They are
indeed contrary elements, yet each has its own use in its proper
place: the one to cook by, the other for refreshment. Think of one who
set up himself as a teacher of preachers affirming that under the
Mosaic economy "salvation depended on what man was to do." Why, in
that case, for fifteen hundred years not a single Israelite had been
saved. Had salvation then been obtainable by human efforts, there had
been no need for God to send His Son here! Salvation has never been
procurable by human merits, on the ground of human performance. Abel
obtained witness that he was righteous, because he offered to God a
slain lamb (Gen. 4:4; Heb. 11:4). Abraham was justified by faith, and
not by works (Romans 4). Under the Mosaic economy it was expressly
announced that "it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul"
(Lev. 17:11). David realized, "If Thou, Lord, shouldest mark
iniquities, 0 Lord, who shall stand?" (Ps. 130:3); and therefore did
he confess, "I will make mention of Thy righteousness, even of Thine
only" (Ps. 71:16).
By all means let the Word of Truth be "rightly divided"; not by
parceling it off to different "dispensations," but by distinguishing
between what is doctrinal and what is practical, between that which
pertains to the unsaved and that which is predicated of the saved.
Deuteronomy 6:25 is addressed not to alien sinners, but to those who
are in covenant relationship with the Lord; whereas Romans 3:20 is a
statement which applies to every member of the human race. The one has
to do with practical "righteousness" in the daily walk, which is
acceptable to God; the other is a doctrinal declaration which asserts
the impossibility of acceptance with God on the ground of creature
doings. The former relates to our conduct in this life in connection
with the Divine government; the latter concerns our eternal standing
before the Divine throne. Both passages are equally applicable to Jews
and Gentiles in all ages. "Our righteousness" in Deuteronomy 6:25 is a
practical righteousness in the sight of God. It is the same aspect of
righteousness as in "except your righteousness exceed the
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees" of Matthew 5:20, the
"righteous man" of James 5:16, and the "doeth righteousness" of 1 John
2:29.
The Old Testament saints were the subjects of the same everlasting
covenant, had the same blessed Gospel, were begotten unto the same
celestial heritage as the New Testament saints. From Abel onwards, God
has dealt with sinners in sovereign grace, and according to the merits
of Christ's redemptive work--which was retroactive in its value and
efficacy (Romans 3:25; 1 Peter 1:19,20). "Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord" (Gen. 6:8). That they were partakers of the same covenant
blessings as we are is clear from a comparison of 2 Samuel 23:5, and
Hebrews 13:20. The same Gospel was preached unto Abraham (Gal. 3:8),
yea, unto the nation of Israel after they had received the Law (Heb
4:2), and therefore Abraham rejoiced to see Christ's day and was glad
(John 8:56). Dying Jacob declared, "I have waited for Thy salvation, 0
Lord" (Gen. 49:18). As Hebrews 11:16 states, the patriarchs desired "a
better country [than the land of Canaan, in which they dwelt], that
is, an heavenly." Moses "refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's
daughter...esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the
treasures of Egypt" (Heb. 11:24-26). Job exclaimed, "I know that my
Redeemer liveth...in my flesh shall I see God" (19:25,26).
When Jehovah proclaimed His name unto Moses, He revealed Himself as
"the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious" (Exo 34:5-7). When
Aaron pronounced the benediction on the congregation, he was bidden to
say, "The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: the Lord make His face shine
upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: the Lord lift up His countenance
upon thee, and give thee peace" (Num. 6:24-26). No greater and grander
blessings can be invoked today. Such a passage as that cannot possibly
be harmonized with the constricted concept which is entertained and is
being propagated by the Dispensationalists of the Mosaic economy. God
dealt in grace with Israel all through their long and checkered
history. Read through the book of Judges and observe how often He
raised up deliverers for them. Pass on to Kings and Chronicles and
note His longsuffering benignity in sending them prophet after
prophet. Where in the New Testament is there a word which, for pure
grace, exceeds "though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white
as snow" (Isa 1:18)? In the days of Jehoahaz "the Lord was gracious
unto them" (2 Kings 13:22-23). They were invited to say unto the Lord,
"Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously" (Hosea 14:2).
Malachi bade Israel "beseech God that He will be gracious unto us"
(1:9).
The conception which the pious remnant of Israel had of the Divine
character during the Mosaic economy was radically different from the
stern and forbidding presentation made thereof by Dispensationalists.
Hear the Psalmist as he declared, "Gracious is the Lord, and
righteous; yea, our God is merciful" (116:5). Hear him again, as he
bursts forth into adoring praise, "Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and
forget not all His benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who
healeth all thy diseases...He hath not dealt with us after our sins,
nor rewarded us according to our iniquities" (103:2,3,10). Can
Christians say more than that? No wonder David exclaimed, "Whom have I
in heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides
Thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my
heart, and my portion for ever" (73:25,26). If the question be asked,
What, then, is the great distinction between the Mosaic and Christian
eras? the answer is, God's grace was then confirmed to one nation, but
now it flows out to all nations.
What is true in the general holds in the particular. Not only were
God's dealings with His people during Old Testament times
substantially the same as those with His people now, but in detail
too. There is no discord, but perfect accord and concord between them.
Note carefully the following parallelisms. "His inheritance in the
saints" (Eph. 1:18): "The Lord's portion is His people, Jacob is the
lot of His inheritance" (Deut. 32:9). "Beloved of the Lord, because
God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation" (2 Thess. 2:13):
"I have loved thee with an everlasting love" (Jer. 3 1:3). "In whom we
have redemption" (Eph. 1:7): "With Him is plenteous redemption" (Ps.
130:7). "That we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (2
Cor. 5:2 1): "In the Lord have I righteousness and strength" (Isa.
45:24). "Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings...in Christ"
(Eph. 1:3): "Men shall be blessed in Him" (Ps. 72:17). "The blood of
Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7): "Thou
art all fair, My love, there is no spot in thee" (Song 4:7).
"Strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man" (Eph. 3:16):
"In the day when I cried Thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me
with strength in my soul" (Ps. 138:3). "The Spirit of truth ... will
guide you into all truth" (John 16:13): "Thou gayest also Thy good
Spirit to instruct them" (Neh. 9:20). "I know that in me (that is, in
my flesh), dwelleth no good thing" (Rom. 7:18): "All our righteousness
are as filthy rags" (Isa. 64:6). "I beseech you as strangers and
pilgrims" (1 Pet. 2:11): "Ye are strangers and sojourners" (Lev.
25:23). "We walk by faith" (2 Cor. 5:7): "The just shall live by his
faith" (Hab. 2:4). "Strong in the Lord" (Eph. 6:10): "I will
strengthen them in the Lord" (Zech. 10:12). "Neither shall any pluck
them out of My hand" (John 10:28): "All His saints are in Thy hand"
(Deut. 33:3). "He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth
forth much fruit" (John 15:5): "From Me is thy fruit found" (Hosea
14:8). "He which hath begun a good work in you will finish it" (Phil.
1:6, margin): "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me" (Psa
138:8). Innumerable other such harmonies might be added.
Contents | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2
Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5
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A Study of Dispensationalism by A.W. Pink
Chapter 4
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As it is particularly the Old Testament promises of which
Dispensationalists would deprive the Christian, a more definite and
detailed refutation of this error is now required--coming, as it
obviously does, within the compass of our present subject. We will
here transcribe what we wrote thereon almost twenty years ago.
Since the Fall alienated the creature from the Creator, there could be
no intercourse between God and men but by some promise on His part.
None can challenge anything from the Majesty on high without a warrant
from Himself, nor could the conscience be satisfied unless it had a
Divine grant for any good that we hope for from Him.
God will in all ages have His people regulated by His promises, so
that they may exercise faith, hope, prayer, dependence upon Himself:
He gives them promises so as to test them, whether or not they really
trust in and count upon Him.
The Medium of the promises is the God-man Mediator, Jesus Christ, for
there can be no intercourse between God and us except through the
appointed Daysman. In other words, Christ must receive all good for
us, and we must have it at second hand from Him.
Let the Christian ever be on his guard against contemplating any
promise of God apart from Christ. Whether the thing promised, the
blessing desired, be temporal or spiritual, we cannot legitimately or
truly enjoy it except in and by Christ. Therefore did the Apostle
remind the Galatians, "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises
made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to
thy seed, which is Christ" (3:16)--in quoting
Genesis 12:3, Paul was not proving, but affirming, that God's promises
to Abraham respected not all his natural posterity, but only those of
his spiritual children--those united to Christ. All the promises of
God to believers are made to Christ, the Surety of the everlasting
covenant, and are conveyed from Him to us--both the promises
themselves and the things promised. "This is the [all-inclusive]
promise that He hath promised us, even eternal life" (1 John 2:25),
and, as 5:11 tells us, "this life is in His Son"--so grace, and all
other benefits. "If I read any of the promises I found that all and
every one contained Christ in their bosom, He Himself being the one
great Promise of the Bible. To Him they were all first given; from Him
they derive all their efficacy, sweetness, value, and importance; by
Him they are brought home to the heart; and in Him they are all yea,
and amen" (R. Hawker, 1810).
Since all the promises of God are made in Christ, it clearly follows
that none of them are available to any who are out of Christ, for to
be out of Him is to be out of the favour of God. God cannot look on
such a person but as an object of His wrath, as fuel for His
vengeance: there is no hope for any man until he be in Christ. But it
may be asked, Does not God bestow any good things on them who are out
of Christ, sending His rain upon the unjust, and filling the bellies
of the wicked with good things (Ps. 17:14)? Yes, He does indeed. Then
are not those temporal mercies blessings? Certainly not: far from it.
As He says in Malachi 2:2, "I will curse your blessings: yea, I have
cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart" (cf. Deut.
28:15-20). Unto the wicked, the temporal mercies of God are like food
given to bullocks--it does but "prepare them for the day of slaughter"
(Jer. 12:3, and cf. Jam. 5:5).
Having presented above a brief outline on the subject of the Divine
promises, let us now examine a striking yet little-noticed expression,
namely "the children of the promise" (Rom. 9:8). In the context the
Apostle discusses God's casting of the Jews and calling of the
Gentiles, which was a particularly sore point with the former. After
describing the unique privileges enjoyed by Israel as a nation (verses
4 and 5), he points out the difference there is between them and the
antitypical "Israel of God" (verses 6-9), which he illustrates by the
cases of Isaac and Jacob. Though the Jews had rejected the Gospel and
had been cast off by God, it must not be supposed that His word had
failed of accomplishment (verse 6), for not only had the prophecies
concerning the Messiah been fulfilled, but the promise respecting
Abraham's seed was being made good. But it was most important to
apprehend aright what or whom that "seed" comprised. "For they are not
all Israel [spiritually speaking], who are of Israel [naturally]:
neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children:
but, in Isaac shall thy seed be called" (verses 6 and 7).
The Jews erroneously imagined (as modern Dispensationalists do) that
the promises made to Abraham concerning his seed respected all of his
descendants. Their boast was "we be Abraham's seed" (John 8:33), to
which Christ replied, "If ye were Abraham's children ye would do the
works of Abraham" (verse 39 and see Romans 4:12). God's rejection of
Ishmael and Esau was decisive proof that the promises were not made to
the natural descendants as such. The selection of Isaac and Jacob
showed that the promise was restricted to an elect line. "The children
of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of
the promise are counted [regarded] as the seed. For this is the word
of promise. At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son (Rom.
9:8,9). The "children of God" and the "children of promise" are one
and the same, whether they be Jews or Gentiles. As Isaac was born
supernaturally, so are all of God's elect (John 1:13). As Isaac, on
that account, was heir of the promised blessing, so are Christians
(Gal. 4:29; 3:29). "Children of the promise" are identical with "the
heirs of promise" (Heb. 6:17, and cf. Rom. 8:17).
God's promises are made to the spiritual children of Abraham (Rom.
4:16; Gal 3:7), and none of them can possibly fail of accomplishment.
"For all the promises of God in Him [namely Christ] are yea, and in
Him amen" (2 Cor. 1:20). They are deposited in Christ, and in Him they
find their affirmation and certification, for He is the sum and
substance of them. Inexpressibly blessed is that declaration to the
humble-minded child of God--yet a mystery hid from those who are wise
in their own conceits. "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered
Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all
things?" (Rom. 8:32). The promises of God are numerous: relating to
this life and also that which is to come. They concern our temporal
wellbeing, as well as our spiritual, covering the needs of the body as
well as those of the soul. Whatever be their character, not one of
them can be made good unto us except in and through and by Him who
lived and died for us. The promises which God has given to His people
are absolutely sure and trustworthy, for they were made to them in
Christ: they are infallibly certain for fulfillment, for they are
accomplished through and by Him.
A blessed illustration, yea, exemplification, of what has just been
pointed out above is found in Hebrews 8:8-13, and 10:15-17, where the
Apostle quotes the promises given in Jeremiah 31:31-34. The
Dispensationalists would object and say that those promises belong to
the natural descendants of Abraham, and are not to us. But Hebrews
10:15 prefaces the citation of those promises by expressly affirming,
"Whereof the Holy Spirit is [not "was"] a witness to us." Those
promises extend to Gentile believers also, for they are the assurance
of grace founded in Christ, and in Him believing Jews and Gentiles are
one (Gal. 3:26). Before the middle wall of partition was broken down,
Gentiles were indeed "strangers unto the covenants of promise" (Eph.
2:12), but when that wall was removed, Gentile believers became
"fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in
Christ by the gospel" (Eph. 3:6)! As Romans 11 expresses it, they
partake of the root and fatness of the olive tree (verse 17)! Those
promises in Jeremiah 31 are made not to the Jewish nation as such, but
to "the Israel of God" (Gal 6:16), that is to the entire election of
grace, and they are made infallibly good unto all of them at the
moment of their regeneration by the Spirit.
In the clear light of other New Testament passages, it appears passing
strange that anyone who is familiar with the same should deny that God
has made this "new covenant" with those who are members of the
mystical body of Christ. That Christians are partakers of its
blessings is plain in 1 Corinthians 11:25, where quotation is made of
the Savior's words at the institution of His supper, saying, "This cup
is the new testament [or "new covenant"] in My blood"; and again by 2
Corinthians 3:6, where the Apostle states that God "hath also made us
able ministers of the new testament," or "covenant," for the same
Greek word is used in those passages as in Hebrews 8:8, and 10:16,
where it is translated "covenant." In the very first sermon preached
after the new covenant was established, Peter said, "For the promise
is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off" i.e.
the Gentiles: Ephesians 2:13--qualified by "as many as the Lord our
God shall call" (Acts 2:39). Furthermore, the terms of Jeremiah
31:33,34 are most certainly made good unto all believers today: God is
their covenant God (Heb. 13:20), His law is enshrined in their
affections (Rom 7:22), they know Him as their God, their iniquities
are forgiven.
The Holy Spirit's statement in 2 Corinthians 7:1, must, for all who
bow to the authority of Holy Writ, settle the matter once and for all
of the Christian's right to the Old Testament promises. "Having
therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves
from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in
the fear of God." Which promises? Why, those mentioned at the close of
the preceding chapter. There we read, "And what agreement hath the
temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as
God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be
their God, and they shall be My people" (6:16). And where had God said
this? Why, as far back as Leviticus 26:12, "And I will walk among you,
and will be your God, and ye shall be My people." That promise was
made to the nation of Israel in the days of Moses! And again we read,
"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the
Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and
will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters,
saith the Lord Almighty" (2 Cor. 6:17, 18), which words are a manifest
reference to Jeremiah 3 1:9, and Hosea 1:9,10.
Now observe very particularly what the Holy Spirit says through Paul
concerning those Old Testament promises. First, he says to the New
Testament saints, "Having these promises." He declared that those
ancient promises are theirs: that they have a personal interest in
them and title to them. That they were theirs not merely in hope, but
in hand. Theirs to make full use of, to feed upon and enjoy, to
delight in and give God thanks for the same. Since Christ Himself be
ours, all things are ours (1 Cor. 3:22,23). Oh, Christian reader,
suffer no man, under pretense of "rightly dividing the word," to cut
you off from, to rob you of any of "the exceeding great and precious
promises" of your Father (2 Pet. 1:4). If he is content to confine
himself unto a few of the New Testament Epistles, let him do so--that
is his loss. But allow him not to confine you to so narrow a compass.
Second, we are hereby taught to use those promises as motives and
incentives to the cultivation of personal piety, in the private work
of mortification and the positive duty of practical sanctification.
A striking and conclusive proof that the Old Testament promises belong
unto present-day saints is found in Hebrews 13:5, where practical use
is again made of the same. There Christians are exhorted, "Let your
conversation be without covetousness: be content with such things as
ye have." That exhortation is enforced by this gracious consideration:
"for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Since
the living God be your portion your heart should rejoice in Him, and
all anxiety about the supply of your every need be for ever removed.
But what we are now more especially concerned with is the promise here
cited: "For He hath said, I will never leave thee," etc. And to whom
was that promise first given? Why, to the one who was about to lead
Israel into the land of Canaan--as a reference to Joshua 1:5 shows.
Thus it was made to a particular person on a special occasion, to a
general who was to prosecute a great war under the immediate command
of God. Facing that demanding ordeal, Joshua received assurance from
God that His presence should ever be with him.
But if the believer gives way to unbelief, the devil is very apt to
tell him, That promise belongs not unto you. You are not the captain
of armies, commissioned by God to overthrow the forces of an enemy:
the virtue of that promise ceased when Canaan was conquered and died
with him to whom it was made. Instead, as Owen pointed out in his
comments on Hebrews 13:5, "To manifest the sameness of love that is in
all the promises, with their establishment in the one Mediator, and
the general concern of believers in every one of them, howsoever and
on what occasion given to any, this promise to Joshua is here applied
to the condition of the weakest, meanest, and poorest of the saints;
to all and every one of them, be their case and condition what it
will. And doubtless, believers are not a little wanting in themselves
and their own consolation, that they do so more particularly close
with those words of truth, grace, and faithfulness, which upon sundry
occasions and at divers times have been given out unto the saints of
old, even Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and the residue of them, who
walked with God in their generation: these things in an especial
manner are recorded for our consolation."
Let us now observe closely the use which the Apostle made of that
ancient but ever-living promise. First, he here availed himself of it
in order to enforce his exhortation unto Christians to the duties of
mortification and sanctification. Second, he draws a logical and
practical inference from the same, declaring, "So that we may boldly
say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto
me" (Heb. 13:6). Thus a double conclusion is reached: such a promise
is to inspire all believers with confidence in God's succour and
assistance, and with boldness and courage before men--showing us to
what purpose we should put the Divine pledges. Those conclusions are
based upon the character of the Promiser: because God is infinitely
good, faithful, and powerful, and because He changes not, I may
trustfully declare with Abraham, "God will provide" (Gen. 22:8); with
Jonathan, "There is no restraint to the Lord" (1 Sam. 14:6); with
Jehoshaphat, "None is able to withstand Him" (2 Chron. 20:6); with
Paul, "If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Rom 8:31). The
abiding presence of the all-sufficient Lord ensures help, and
therefore any alarm at man's enmity should be removed from our hearts.
My worst enemy can do nothing against me without my Savior's
permission.
"So that we may boldly say [freely, without hesitating through
unbelief], The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall
do unto me." Note attentively the change in number from the plural to
the singular, and learn therefrom that general principles are to be
appropriated by us in particular, as general precepts are to be taken
by us personally--the Lord Jesus individualized the "ye shall not
tempt the Lord your God" of Deuteronomy 6:16, when assailed by Satan,
saying, "It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God"
(Matt. 4:7). It is only by taking the Divine promises and precepts
unto ourselves personally that we can "mix faith" with the same, or
make a proper and profitable use of them. It is also to be carefully
noted that once more the Apostle confirmed his argument by a Divine
testimony, for the words "The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear
what man shall do unto me" are not his own, but a quotation of those
use by David in Psalm 118:6. Thus again we are shown that the language
of the Old Testament is exactly suited to the cases and circumstances
of Christians today, and that it is their right and privilege freely
to appropriate the same.
"We may boldly say" just what the Psalmist did when he was sorely
pressed. It was during a season of acute distress that David expressed
his confidence in the living God, at a time when it looked as though
his enemies were on the point of swallowing him up; but viewing the
omnipotence of Jehovah and contrasting His might with the feebleness
of the creature, his heart was strengthened and emboldened. But let
the reader clearly perceive what that implied. It means that David
turned his mind away from the seen to the unseen. It means that he was
regulated by faith, rather than by sight-- feelings or reasonings. It
means that his heart was occupied with the Almighty. But it means much
more: he was occupied with the relationship of that omnipotent One
unto himself. It means that he recognized and realized the spiritual
bond there was between them, so that he could truly and rightly aver,
"the Lord is my helper." If He be my God, my Redeemer, my Father, then
He may be counted upon to undertake for me when I am sorely oppressed,
when my foes threaten to devour me, when my barrel of meal is almost
empty. That "my" is the language of faith, and is the conclusion which
faith's assurance draws from the infallible promise of Him that cannot
lie.
Contents | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2
Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5
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A Study of Dispensationalism by A.W. Pink
Chapter 5
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In these articles we are seeking to show the use which believers
should make of God's Word: or more particularly, how that it is both
their privilege and their duty to receive the whole of it as addressed
immediately unto themselves, and to turn the same unto practical
account, by appropriating its contents to their personal needs. The
Bible is a book which calls not so much for the exertion of our
intellect as it does for the exercise of our affections, conscience
and will. God has given it to us not for our entertainment but for our
education, to make known what He requires from us. It is to be the
traveler's guide as he journeys through the maze of this world, the
mariner's chart as he sails the sea of life. Therefore, whenever we
open the Bible, the all-important consideration for each of us to keep
before him is, What is there here for me today? What bearing does the
passage now before me have upon my present case and
circumstances--what warning, what encouragement, what information?
What instruction is there to direct me in the management of my
business, to guide me in the ordering of my domestic and social
affairs, to promote a closer walking with God?
I should see myself addressed in every precept, included in every
promise. But it is greatly to be feared that, through failure to
appropriate God's Word unto their own case and circumstances, there is
much Bible reading and study which is of little or no real benefit to
the soul. Nothing else will secure us from the infections of this
world, deliver from the temptations of Satan, and be so effectual a
preservative from sin, as the Word of God received into our
affections. "The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps
shall slide" (Ps. 37:31) can only be said of the one who has made
personal appropriation of that Law, and is able to aver with the
Psalmist, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin
against Thee" (119:11). Just so long as the Truth is actually working
in us, influencing us in a practical way, is loved and revered by us,
stirs the conscience, are we kept from falling into open sin--as
Joseph was preserved when evilly solicited by his master's wife (Gen.
39:9). And only as we personally go out and daily gather our portion
of manna, and feed upon the same, will there be strength provided for
the performing of duty and the bringing forth of fruit to the glory of
God.
Let us take Genesis 17:1 as a simple illustration. "And when Abram was
ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram and said unto
him, I am the Almighty God; walk before Me, and be thou perfect" or
"sincere." How is the Christian to apply such a verse unto himsel?
First of all, let him note to whom this signal favour and honour was
shown: namely to him who is the "father of all them that believe"
(Rom. 4:11,12,16)--and he was the first person in the world to whom
the Lord is said to have appeared! Second, observe when it was that
Jehovah appeared unto him: namely in his old age, when nature's force
was spent and death was written on the flesh. Third, mark attentively
the particular character in which the Lord was now revealed to him:
"the Almighty God," or more literally "El Shaddai"--"the
all-sufficient God." Fourth, consider the exhortation which
accompanied the same: "walk before Me, and be thou sincere." Fifth,
ponder those details in the light of the immediate sequel; God's
making promise that he should beget a son by Sarah, who was long past
the age of child-bearing (verses 15-19). Everything that is for God
must be effected by His mighty power: He can and must do
everything--the flesh profits nothing, no movement of mere nature is
of any avail.
Now as the believer ponders that memorable incident, hope should be
inspired within him. El Shaddai is as truly his God as He was
Abraham's! That is clear from 2 Corinthians 7:1, for one of those
promises is, "I will be a Father unto you. . . .saith the Lord
Almighty" (6:18), and from Revelation 1:8, where the Lord Jesus says
unto the churches, "I am Alpha and Omega. . . .the Almighty." It is a
declaration of His omnipotence, to whom all things are possible. "The
all-sufficient God" tells of what He is in Himself--independent,
self-existent; and what He is unto His people--the Supplier of their
every need. When Christ said to Paul, "My grace is sufficient for
thee," it was all one with what Jehovah said unto Abraham. Doubtless
the Lord appeared unto the patriarch in visible (and human) form: He
does so to us before the eyes of faith. Often He is pleased to meet
with us in the ordinances of His grace, and send us on our way
rejoicing. Sometimes He "manifests" Himself (John 14:21) to us in the
retirements of privacy. Frequently He appears for us in His
providences, showing Himself strong on our behalf. Now, says He, "Walk
before Me sincerely" in the believing realization that I am
all-sufficient for thee, conscious of My almightiness, and all will be
well with thee.
Let us now adduce some of the many proofs of the assertions made in
our opening sentences, proofs supplied by the Holy Spirit and the Lord
Jesus in the application which They made of the Scriptures. It is very
striking indeed to discover that the very first moral commandment
which God gave to mankind, namely that which was to regulate the
marriage relationship, was couched in such terms that it comprehended
a Divine law which is universally and perpetually binding: "Therefore
shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave unto his
wife; and they shall be one flesh" (Gen. 2:24)--quoted by Christ in
Matthew 19:5. "When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it
come to pass that she find no favor in his eyes, because he hath found
some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement"
(Deut. 24:1). That statute was given in the days of Moses,
nevertheless we find our Lord referring to the same and telling the
Pharisees of His day, "For the hardness of your heart he wrote you
this precept" (Mark 10:5).
The principle for which we are here contending is beautifully
illustrated in Psalm 27:8, "When Thou saidst, Seek ye My face; my
heart said unto Thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek." Thus David made
particular what was general, applying to himself personally what was
said to the saints collectively. That is ever the use each of us
should make of every part of God's Word--as we see the Saviour in
Matthew 4:7, changing the "ye" of Deuteronomy 6:16, to "thou." So
again in Acts 1:20, we find Peter, when alluding to the defection of
Judas, altering the "let their habitation" of Psalm 69:25, to "let his
habitation be desolate." That was not taking an undue liberty with
Holy Writ, but, instead, making a specific application of what was
indefinite.
"Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in
the place of great men: for better it is that it be said unto thee,
Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence
of the prince whom thine eyes have seen" (Prov. 25:6,7). Upon which
Thomas Scott justly remarked, "There can be no reasonable doubt that
our Lord referred to those words in His admonition to ambitious guests
at the Pharisee's table (Luke 14:7-11), and was understood to do so.
While, therefore, this gives His sanction to the book of Proverbs, it
also shows that those maxims may be applied to similar cases, and that
we need not confine their interpretation exclusively to the subject
which gave rise to the maxims." Not even the presence of Christ, His
holy example, His heavenly instruction, could restrain the strife
among His disciples over which should be the greatest. Loving to have
the pre-eminence (3 John 9,10) is the bane of godliness in the
churches.
"I the Lord have called Thee. . . . and give Thee for a covenant of
the people, for a light of the Gentiles"; "I will also give Thee for a
light to the Gentiles, that Thou mayest be My salvation unto the end
of the earth" (Isa. 42:6; 49:6). Those words were spoken by the Father
unto the Messiah, yet in Acts 13:46,47 we find Paul saying of himself
and Barnabas, "Lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so bath the Lord
commanded us; saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles,
that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth"! So
again in Romans 10:15 we find the Apostle was inspired to make
application unto Christ's servant of that which was said immediately
of Him: "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of Him that
bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace" (Isa. 52:7): "How shall
they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are
the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace" (Rom. 10:15). "He is
near that justifieth Me. . . . who is he that shall condemn Me?" (Isa.
50:8,9): the context shows unmistakably that Christ is there the
speaker, yet in Romans 8:33, 34 the Apostle hesitates not to apply
those words unto the members of His body: "Who shall lay any thing to
the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that
condemneth?"
The unspeakably solemn commission given to Isaiah concerning his
apostate generation (6:9,10) was applied by Christ to the people of
His day, saying: "And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah"
(Matt. 13:14,15). Again, in 29:13, Isaiah announced that the Lord
said, "This people draw near Me with their mouth, and with their lips
do honour Me, but have removed their heart far from Me," while in
Matthew 15:7 we find Christ saying to the scribes and Pharisees,
"Hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, This people
draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth," etc. Even more striking is
Christ's rebuke unto the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection of the
body, "Have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,
I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?
God is not the God of the dead, but of the living" (Matt. 22:31,32).
What God spoke immediately to Moses at the burning bush was designed
equally for the instruction and comfort of all men unto the end of the
world. What the Lord has said unto a particular person, He says unto
everyone who is favored to read His Word. Thus does it concern us to
hear and heed the same, for by that Word we shall be judged in the
last great day (John 12:48).
The fundamental principle for which we are here contending is plainly
expressed again by Christ in Mark 13:37, "And what I say unto you I
say unto all, Watch." That exhortation to the Apostles is addressed
directly to the saints in all generations and places. As Owen well
said, "The Scriptures speak to every age, every church, every person,
not less than to those to whom they were first directed. This showeth
us how we should be affected in reading the Word: we should read it as
a letter written by the Lord of grace from heaven, to us by name." If
there be any books in the New Testament particularly restricted, it is
the "pastoral Epistles," yet the exhortation found in 2 Timothy 2:19,
is generalized: "Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart
from iniquity." Those who are so fond of restricting God's Word would
say that, "Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus
Christ" (verse 3) is addressed to the minister of the Gospel, and
pertains not to the rank and file of believers. But Ephesians 6:10-17
shows (by necessary implication) that it applies to all the saints,
for the militant figure is again used, and used there without
limitation. The Bullinger school insist that James and Peter--who gave
warning of those who in the last time should walk after their own
ungodly lusts--wrote to Jewish believers; but Jude (addressed to all
the sanctified) declares they "told you" (verse 18).
"Ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto
children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord" (Heb.
12:5). That exhortation is taken from Proverbs 3:11, so that here is
further evidence that the precepts of the Old Testament (like its
promises) are not restricted unto those who were under the Mosaic
economy, but apply with equal directness and force to those under the
new covenant. Observe well the tense of the verb "which speaketh":
though written a thousand years previously, Paul did not say "which
hath spoken"--the Scriptures are a living Word through which their
Author speaks today. Note too "which speaketh unto you"--New Testament
saints: all that is contained in the book of Proverbs is as truly and
as much the Father's instruction to Christians as the contents of the
Pauline Epistles. Throughout that book God addresses us individually
as "My son" (2:1; 3:1; 4:1; 5:1). That exhortation is as urgently
needed by believers now as by any who lived in former ages. Though
children of God, we are still children of Adam--willful, proud,
independent, requiring to be disciplined, to be under the Father's
rod, to bear it meekly, and to be exercised thereby in our hearts and
consciences.
A word now upon transferred application, by which we mean giving a
literal turn to language which is figurative, or vice versa. Thus,
whenever the writer steps on to icy roads, he hesitates not to
literalize the prayer, "Hold Thou me up, and I shall be safe" (Ps.
119:117). "I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for Thou,
Lord, only makest me dwell in safety" (Ps. 4:8) is to be given its
widest latitude, and regarded at both the rest of the body under the
protection of Providence and the repose of the soul in the assurance
of God's protecting grace. In 2 Corinthians 8:14 Paul urges that there
should be an equality of giving, or a fair distribution of the burden,
in the collection being made to relieve the afflicted saints in
Jerusalem. That appeal was backed up with, "As it is written, he that
hath gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little
had no lack." That is a reference to the manna gathered by the
Israelites (Ex. 16:18): those who gathered the largest quantity had
more to give unto the aged and feeble; so rich Christians should use
their surplus to provide for the poor of the flock. But great care
needs to be taken lest we clash with the Analogy of the Faith: thus
"the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker" (2 Sam. 3:1) certainly
does not mean that "the flesh" becomes enervated as the believer grows
in grace, for universal Christian experience testifies that indwelling
sin rages as vigorously at the end as at the beginning.
A brief word upon double application. Whereas preachers should ever be
on their guard against taking the children's bread and casting it to
the dogs, by applying to the unsaved promises given to or statements
made concerning the saints; on the other hand, they need to remind
believers of the continuous force of the Scriptures and their present
suitability to their cases. For instance, the gracious invitation of
Christ, "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28), and "If any man thirst, let him
come unto Me, and drink" (John 7:37), must not be limited to our first
approach to the Saviour as lost sinners, but as 1 Peter 2:4 says, "to
whom coming"--in the present tense. Note too the "mourn" and not "have
mourned" in Matthew 5:4, and "hunger" in verse 6. In like manner, the
self-abasing word, "Who maketh thee to differ!" (1 Cor. 4:7) today:
first from the unsaved; second from what we were before the new birth;
and third from other Christians with less grace and gifts. Why, a
sovereign God, and therefore you have nothing to boast of and no cause
for self-glorying.
A word now upon the Spirit's application of the Word unto the heart,
and our task is completed. This is described in such a verse as, "For
our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in
the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance" (1 Thess. 1:5). That is very
much more than having the mind informed or the emotions stirred, and
something radically different from being deeply impressed by the
preacher's oratory, earnestness, etc. It is for the preaching of the
Gospel to be accompanied by the supernatural operation of the Spirit,
and the efficacious grace of God, so that souls are Divinely
quickened, convicted, converted, delivered from the dominion of sin
and Satan. When the Word is applied by the Spirit to a person, it acts
like the entrance of a two-edged sword into his inner man, piercing,
wounding, slaying his self-complacency and self-righteousness--as in
the case of Saul of Tarsus (Rom. 7:9,10). This is the "demonstration
of the Spirit" (1 Cor. 2:4), whereby He gives proof of the Truth by
the effects produced in the individual to which it is sayingly
applied, so that he has "much assurance"--i.e. he knows it is God's
Word because of the radical and permanent change wrought in him.
Now the child of God is in daily need of this gracious working of the
Holy Spirit: to make the Word work "effectually" (1 Thess. 2:13)
within his soul and truly regulate his life, so that he can thankfully
acknowledge, "I will never forget Thy precepts: for with them Thou
hast quickened me" (Ps. 119:93). For that quickening it is his duty
and privilege to pray (verses 25, 37, 40, 88, 107, 149, etc.). It is a
fervent request that he may be "renewed day by day" in the inner man
(2 Cor. 4:16), that he may be "strengthened with might by His Spirit"
(Eph. 3:16), that he may be revived and animated to go in the path of
God's commandments (Ps. 119:35). It is an earnest petition that his
heart may be awed by a continual sense of God's majesty, and melted by
a realization of His goodness, so that he may see light in God's
light, recognizing the evil in things forbidden and the blessedness of
the things enjoined. "Quicken Thou me" is a prayer for vitalizing
grace, that he may be taught to profit (Isa. 48:17), for the
increasing of his faith, the strengthening of his expectations, the
firing of his zeal. It is equivalent to "draw me, we will run after
Thee" (Song 1:4).
Contents | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2
Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 1 - Introduction
__________________________________________
Before taking up the study of this important Epistle let writer and
reader humbly bow before its Divine Inspirer, and earnestly seek from
Him that preparation of heart which is needed to bring us into
fellowship with that One whose person, offices, and glories are here
so sublimely displayed. Let us personally and definitely seek the help
of that blessed Spirit who has been given to the saints of God for the
purpose of guiding them into all truth, and taking of the things of
Christ to show unto them. In Luke 24:45 we learn that Christ opened
the understanding of the disciples "that they might understand the
Scriptures." May He graciously do so with us, then the entrance of His
words will "givelight" (Ps. 119:130), and in His light we shall "see
light."
In this opening article we shall confine ourselves to things of an
introductory character, things which it is necessary to weigh ere we
take up the details of the Epistle. We shall consider its addressees,
its purpose, its theme, its divisions, its characteristics, its value,
and its writer. Before doing so, let us say that we expect to quote
freely from other expositors, and where possible name them. In some
cases we shall not be able to do so owing to the fact that extensive
and long-distance traveling has obliged the writer to break up five
libraries during the last twenty years. During those years he has read
(and owned most of them) between thirty and forty commentaries on
Hebrews, from which he has made notes in his Bible and taken helpful
extracts for his own use when lecturing on this Epistle. As most of
these commentaries have been disposed of, we can now do no more than
make a general acknowledgement of help received from those written by
Drs. John Owen, John Gill, Moses Stewart, Andrew Bonar,
Griffith-Thomas, and Messrs. Pridham, Ridout, and Tucker. Let us now
consider:--
1. Its Addressees.
In our English Bibles we find the words "TheEpistle of Paul the
Apostle to the Hebrews" as the address. Perhaps some of our readers
are not aware that the titles found at the head of the different books
of the Bible are not Divinely inspired, and therefore are not
accounted canonical as are the contents. No doubt these titles were
originated by the early scribes, when making copies of the original
manuscripts--manuscripts, all traces of which have long since
disappeared. In some instances these titles are unsatisfactory; in a
few, grossly erroneous. As an example of the latter, we may refer to
the final book of Scripture. Here the title is "The Revelation of St.
John the Divine," whereas the opening sentence of the book itself
designates it "The Revelation of Jesus Christ!"
While treating in general with the titles of the books of Scripture,
we may note that in almost all of the Epistles there is a
Divinely-named addressee in the opening verses. But we may add, the
contents of each Epistle are not to be restricted to those immediately
and locally addressed. It is important that the young Christian should
grasp this firmly, so that he may be fortified against
ultra-dispensational teaching. There are some, claiming to have great
light, who would rob the saints today of the Epistle of James because
it is addressed to "the Twelve Tribes which are scattered abroad."
With equal propriety they might take from us the Epistles to the
Philippians and Colossians because they were addressed only to the
saints in those cities! The truth is that what Christ said to the
apostles in Mark 13:37--"What I say unto you, I say unto all"-- may
well be applied to the whole of the Bible. All Scripture is needed by
us (2 Tim. 3:16, 17), and all Scripture is God's word to us. Note
carefully that while at the beginning of his Epistle to Titus Paul
only addresses Titus himself (Titus 1:4), yet at the close of this
letter he expressly says, "Grace be with you all!" (Titus 3:15)
Ignoring then the man-made title at the head of our Epistle, we are at
once struck by the absence of any Divinely-given one in the opening
verses. Nevertheless, its first sentence enables us to identify at
once those to whom the Epistle was originally sent: see Hebrews 1:1,
2. They to whom God spake through the prophets were the children of
Israel, and it was also unto them He had spoken through His Son. In
Hebrews 3:1, we find a word which, however, narrows the circle to
which this Epistle was first sent. It was not the Jewish nation at
large which was addressed, but the "holy brethren, partakers of the
heavenly calling" among them. Clear confirmation of this is supplied
in the Epistles of Peter. His first was addressed, locally, to "the
elect sojourners of the Dispersion (Heb. 1:1--Gk., "eklektois
parepidenois diasporas"). His second Epistle (see Hebrews 3:1) was
addressed, locally and immediately, to the same company. Now in 2
Peter 3:15 the apostle makes specific reference to "our beloved
brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written
unto you." Thus all doubt is removed as to whom our Epistle was first
sent.
The Epistle itself contains further details which serve to identify
the addressees. That it was written to saints who were by no means
young in the faith is clear from Hebrews 5:12. That it was sent to
those who had suffered severe persecutions (cf. Acts 8:1) is plain
from what we read in Hebrews 10:32. That it was addressed to a
Christian community of considerable size is evident from Hebrews
13:24. From this last reference we are inclined to conclude that this
Epistle was first delivered to the church in Jerusalem (Acts 11:22),
or to the churches in Judea (Acts 9:31), copies of which would be made
and forwarded to Jewish Christians in foreign lands. Thus, our Epistle
was first addressed to those descendants of Abraham who, by grace, had
believed on their Savior-Messiah.
2. Its Purpose.
This, in a word, was to instruct Jewish believers that Judaism had
been superceded by Christianity. It must be borne in mind that a very
considerable proportion of the earliest converts to Christ were Jews
by natural birth, who continued to labor under Jewish prejudices. In
his early Epistles the apostle had touched several times on this
point, and sought to wean them from an undue and now untimely
attachment to the Mosaic institutions. But only in this Epistle does
he deal fully and systematically with the subject.
It is difficult for us to appreciate the position, at the time this
Epistle was written, of those in Israel who had believed on the Lord
Jesus. Unlike the Gentiles, who, for long centuries past, had lost all
knowledge of the true God, and, in consequence, worshipped idols, the
Jews had a Divine religion, and a Divinely-appointed place of worship.
To be called upon to forsake these, which had been venerated by their
fathers for over a thousand years, was to make a big demand upon them.
It was natural that even those among them who had savingly believed on
Christ should want to retain the forms and ceremonies amid which they
had been brought up; the more so, seeing that the Temple still stood
and the Levitical priesthood still functioned. An endeavor had been
made to link Christianity on to Judaism, and as Acts 21:20 tells us
there were many thousands of the early Jewish Christians who were
"zealous of the law"--as the next verses clearly show, the ceremonial
law.
"Instead of perceiving that under the new economy of things, there was
neither Jew nor Gentile, but, that, without reference to external
distinctions, all believers in Christ Jesus were now to live together
in the closest bonds of spiritual attachment in holy society, they
dreamed of the Gentiles being admitted to the participation of the
Jewish Church through means of the Messiah, and, that its external
economy was to remain unaltered to the end of the world" (Dr. J.
Brown).
In addition to their natural prejudices, the temporal circumstances of
the believing Jews became increasingly discouraging, yea, presented a
sore temptation for them to abandon the profession of Christianity.
Following the persecution spoken of in Acts 8:1, that eminent scholar,
Adolph Saphir--himself a converted Jew--tells us: "Then arose another
persecution of the believers, especially directed against the apostle
Paul. Festus died about the year 63, and under the high priest
Ananias, who favored the Sadducees, the Christian Hebrews were
persecuted as transgressors of the law. Some of them were stoned to
death; and though this extreme punishment could not be frequently
inflicted by the Sanhedrim, they were able to subject their brethren
to sufferings and reproaches which they felt keenly. It was a small
thing that they confiscated their goods; but they banished them from
the holy places. Hitherto they had enjoyed the privileges of devout
Israelites: they could take part in the beautiful and God-appointed
services of the sanctuary; but now they were treated as unclean and
apostates. Unless they gave up faith in Jesus, and forsook the
assembling of themselves together, they were not allowed to enter the
Temple, they were banished from the altar, the sacrifice, the high
priest, the house of Jehovah.
"We can scarcely realize the piercing sword which thus wounded their
inmost heart. That by clinging to the Messiah they were to be severed
from Messiah's people, was, indeed, a great and perplexing trial; that
for the hope of Israel's glory they were banished from the place which
God had chosen, and where the divine Presence was revealed, and the
symbols and ordinances had been the joy and strength of their fathers;
that they were to be no longer children of the covenant and of the
house, but worse than Gentiles, excluded from the outer court, cut off
from the commonwealth of Israel. This was indeed a sore and mysterious
trial. Cleaving to the promises made unto their fathers, cherishing
the hope in constant prayer that their nation would yet accept the
Messiah, it was the severest test to which their faith could be put,
when their loyalty to Jesus involved separation from all the sacred
rights and privileges of Jerusalem."
Thus the need for an authoritative, lucid, and systematic setting
forth of the real relation of Christianity to Judaism was a pressing
one. Satan would not miss the opportunity of seeking to persuade these
Hebrews that their faith in Jesus of Nazareth was a mistake, a
delusion, a sin. Were they right, while the vast majority of their
brethren, according to the flesh, among whom were almost all the
respected members of the Sanhedrim and the priesthood, wrong? Had God
prospered them since they had become followers of the crucified One?
or, did not their temporal circumstances evidence that He was most
displeased with them? Moreover, the believing remnant of Israel had
looked for a speedy return of Christ to the earth, but thirty years
had now passed and He had not come! Yes, their situation was critical,
and there was an urgent need that their faith should be strengthened,
their understanding enlightened, and a fuller explanation be given
them of Christianity in the light of the Old Testament. It was to meet
this need that God, in His tender mercy, moved His servant to write
this Epistle to them.
3. Its Theme.
This is, the super-abounding excellence of Christianity over Judaism.
The sum and substance, the center and circumference, the light and
life of Christianity, is Christ. Therefore, the method followed by the
Holy Spirit in this Epistle, in developing its dominant theme, is to
show the immeasurable superiority of Christ over all that had gone
before. One by one the various objects in which the Jews boasted are
taken up, and in the presence of the superlative glory of the Son of
God they pale into utter insignificance. We are shown First, His
superiority over the prophets, Hebrews 1:1-3. Second, His superiority
over angels in Hebrews 1:4 to Hebrews 2:18. Third, His superiority
over Moses in Hebrews 3:1-19. Fourth, His superiority over Joshua,
Hebrews 4:1-13. Fifth, His superiority over Aaron in Hebrews 5:14 to
7:18. Sixth, His superiority over the whole ritual of Judaism, which
is developed by showing the surpassing excellency of the new covenant
over the old, in Hebrews 7:19 to Hebrews 10:39. Seventh, His
superiority over each and all of the Old Testament saints, in Hebrews
11:1 to Hebrews 12:3. In the Lord Jesus, Christians have the substance
and reality, of which Judaism contained but the shadows and figures.
If the Lord permits us to go through this Epistle--Oh that He may come
for us before--many illustrations and exemplifications of our
definition of its theme will come before us. At the moment, we may
note how frequently the comparative term "better" is used, thus
showing the superiority of what we have in Christianity over what the
saints of old had in Judaism. In Hebrews 1:4, Christ is "better than
angels;" in Hebrews 7:19, mention is made of a "better hope;" in
Hebrews 7:22, of a "better testament" or "covenant; in Hebrews 8:6, of
"better promises;" in Hebrews 9:23, of "better sacrifices;" in Hebrews
10:34 of a "better substance;" in Hebrews 11:16, of a "better
country;" in Hebrews 11:35, of a "better resurrection," and in Hebrews
11:40, of the "better thing." So, too, we may observe the seven great
things mentioned therein, namely: the "great salvation" (Heb. 2:3),
the "great High Priest" (Heb. 4:14), the "great Tabernacle" (Heb.
9:11), the "great fight of afflictions" (Heb. 10:32), the "great
recompense" (Heb. 10:35), the "great cloud of witnesses" (Heb. 12:1),
the "great Shepherd of the sheep" (Heb. 13:20).
Again; in contrast from what the believing Hebrews were called upon to
give up, they were reminded of what they had gained. Note how
frequently occurs the "we have"--a great High Priest (Heb. 4:14, 8:1),
an anchor of the soul (Heb. 6:19), a better and enduring substance
(Heb. 10:34), an altar (Heb. 13:10). Once more, we may note how these
Hebrews were encouraged to forget the things which were behind and to
press toward those which were before. All through this Epistle the
forward look is prominent. In Hebrews 1:6 and Hebrews 2:5, mention is
made of a "world (or `habitable earth') to come;" in Hebrews 6:5, of
an "age to come;" in Hebrews 8:10, of a "new covenant," yet to be made
with the house of Israel; in Hebrews 9:11 and Hebrews 10:1, of "good
things" to come; in Hebrews 9:28, of a "salvation" to be revealed; in
Hebrews 10:37, of the coming Redeemer, in Hebrews 11:14 and Hebrews
13:14, of a "city" yet to be manifested.
Throughout this Epistle great prominence is given to the Priesthood of
Christ. The center of Judaism was its temple and the priesthood. Hence
the Holy Spirit has here shown at length how that believers now have
in Christ the substance of which these supplied but the shadows. The
following passages should be carefully weighed:--Hebrews 2:17; 3:1;
4:14, 15; 5:6, 10; 6:20; 7:26; 8:1; 9:11; 10:21. "Though deprived of
the temple, with its priesthood and altar and sacrifice, the apostle
reminds the Hebrews, `we have' the real and substantial temple, the
great High Priest, the true altar, the one sacrifice, and with it all
offerings, the true access into the very presence of the Most Holy"
(Adolph Saphir).
4. Its Divisions.
These have been set forth so simply by Dr. J. Brown we cannot do
better than quote from him: "The Epistle divides itself into two
parts--the first, doctrinal; the second, practice--though the division
is not so accurately (closely, A.W.P.) observed, that there are no
duties enjoined or urged in the first part, and no doctrines stated in
the second. The first is by far the larger division, reaching from the
beginning of the Epistle down to the 18th verse of the 10th chapter.
The second commences with the 19th verse of the 10th chapter, and
extends to the end of the Epistle. The superiority of Christianity to
Judaism is the great doctrine which the Epistle teaches; and constancy
in the faith and profession of that religion, is the great duty which
it enjoins."
5. Its Characteristics.
In several noticeable respects Hebrews differs from all the other
Epistles of the New Testament. The name of the writer is omitted,
there is no opening salutation, the ones to whom it was first
specifically and locally sent are not mentioned. On the positive side
we may note, that the typical teachings of the Old Testament are
expounded here at greater length than elsewhere; the priesthood of
Christ is opened up, fully, only in this Epistle; the warnings against
apostasy are more frequent and more solemn, and the calls to
steadfastness and perseverance are more emphatic and numerous than in
any other New Testament book. All of these things are accounted for by
the fleshly nationality of those addressed, and the circumstances they
were then in. Unless we keep these features steadily in mind, not a
little in this Epistle will necessarily remain obscure and dark. Much
of the language used, the figures employed, the references made, are
only intelligible in the light of the Old Testament Scriptures, on
which Judaism was based. Except this be kept before us, such
expressions as "purged our sins" (Heb. 1:3), "there remaineth
therefore a Sabbath-keeping to the people of God" (Heb. 4:9), "leaving
the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto
perfection" (Heb. 6:1), "our bodies washed with pure water" (Heb.
10:22), "we have an altar" (Heb. 13:10), etc., will remain
unintelligible.
The first time that Christ is referred to in this Epistle it is as
seated at "the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Heb. 1:3), for it
is with a heavenly Christ that Christianity has to `do: note the other
reference in this Epistle to the same fact--Hebrews 1:13, 8:1, 10:12,
12:2. In perfect accord with Hebrews 1:3, which strikes the keynote of
the Epistle, in addition to the heavenly Christ, reference is made to
"the heavenly calling" (Heb. 3:1), to "the heavenly gift" (Heb. 6:4),
to "heavenly things" (Heb. 8:5), to "the heavenly Country" (Heb.
11:16), to the "heavenly Jerusalem" (Heb. 12:22), and to "the church
of the First-born, whose names are written in Heaven" (Heb. 12:23).
This emphasis is easily understood when we remember that our Epistle
is addressed to those whose inheritance, religious relationships, and
hopes, had been all earthly.
In Hebrews 13:22 there is a striking word which defines the character
of this Epistle: "And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of
exhortation, for I have written a letter unto you in few words." Upon
this verse Saphir has well said, "The central idea of the Epistle is
the glory of the New Covenant, contrasted with and excelling the glory
of the old covenant; and while this idea is developed in a systematic
manner, yet the aim of the writer throughout is eminently and directly
practical. Everywhere his object is exhortation. He never loses sight
of the dangers and wants of his brethren. The application to
conscience and life is never forgotten. It is rather a sermon than an
exposition.... In all his arguments, in every doctrine, in every
illustration, the central aim of the Epistle is kept prominent--the
exhortation to steadfastness." This is, indeed, a peculiarity about
Hebrews. In his other Epistles, the apostle rarely breaks in on an
argument to utter an admonition or exhortation; instead, his well-nigh
uniform method was to open with doctrinal exposition, and then base
upon this a series of practical exhortations. But the unusual
situation which the Hebrews were in, and the peculiar love that the
writer bore to them (cf. Romans 9:3) explains this exception.
What has just been said above accounts for what we find in Hebrews 11.
Nowhere else in the Bible do we find such a lengthy and complete
description of the life of faith. But here a whole chapter, the
longest in the Epistle, is devoted to it. The reason for this is not
far to seek. Brought up in a system with an elaborate ritual, whose
worship was primarily a matter of outward symbols and ceremonies;
tempted as few ever have been to walk by sight, there was a special
and most pressing need for a clear and detailed analysis and
description of what it means to "walk by faith." Inasmuch as "example
is better than precept," better because more easily grasped and
because making a more powerful appeal to the heart, the Holy Spirit
saw well to develop this important theme by an appeal to the history
of saints recorded in the Scriptures of the Hebrews.
But it is most important that we recognize the fullness of the term
faith. AsSaphir well said, "Throughout Scripture faith means more than
trust in Jesus for personal safety. This is the central point, but we
must take care that we understand it in a true and deep manner. Faith,
as the apostle explains in the Epistle to the Corinthians, is looking
at the things which are not seen and temporal: it is preferring
spiritual and eternal realities to the things of time, sense, and sin;
it is leaning on God and realizing His Word; it is the substance of
things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Thus every doctrine
and illustration of this Epistle goes straight to the heart and
conscience, appeals to life, addresses itself to faith. It is one
continued and sustained fervent and intense appeal to cleave to Jesus,
the High Priest; to the substantial, true, and real worship. A most
urgent and loving exhortation to be steadfast, patient, hopeful, in
the presence of God, in the love and sympathy of the Lord Jesus, in
the fellowship of the great cloud of witnesses."
Another prominent characteristic, concerning which there is no need
for us now to enlarge upon, is the repeated warnings in this Epistle
against apostasy. The most solemn and searching exhortations against
the danger of falling away to be found anywhere in Holy Writ were
given to these, Hebrews 2:1-3, most of the third and fourth chapters,
Hebrews 6:4-6, 10:26-29, 12:15-17, will at once occur to all who are
familiar with the contents of this Epistle. The occasion for and the
need of them has already been pointed out: the disappointing of the
hopes the Hebrews had cherished, the persecutions they were then
enduring, and the Divine judgment which was on the very eve of falling
on Jerusalem (in AD 70) made them imperative.
6. Its Value.
Let us mention first its evidential value. The Epistle is particularly
rich in proofs of the verbal inspiration of Scripture. This is seen in
the way the apostle refers to the Old Testament, and the use he makes
of it. Mark how in Hebrews 1:5-9 when quoting from the Psalms, 2nd
Samuel, Deuteronomy, he refers these utterances to God Himself--"He
saith," Hebrews 10:6-8. So in Hebrews 3:7 "the Holy Spirit saith."
Observe how when quoting from the Old Testament the apostle
attentively weighs every word, and often builds a fundamental truth on
a single expression. Let us cite a few from the many examples of this:
See how in Hebrews 2:8 the apostle argues from the authority of the
word "all." In Hebrews 2:11, when quoting from Psalm 22,he deduces the
conclusion from the expression "My brethren" that the Son of God took
to Himself human nature. Observe that in Hebrews 3:7-19 and Hebrews
4:2-11, when quoting from Psalm 95, he builds on the words "Today," "I
have sworn." and "My rest;" also in Hebrews 3:2-6 how his conclusions
there are drawn from the words "servant," and "My house" in Numbers
12:7. His whole argument in chapter 8 is based on the word "new" found
in Jeremiah 31:31. How blessedly he makes use of the words "My son"
from Proverbs 3:11 in Hebrews 12:5-9! How emphatically he appeals in
Hebrews 12:26, 27 to the words "once more" in Haggai 2:6,7. Is it not
abundantly clear that in the judgment of the apostle Paul the
Scriptures were Divinely inspired even to the most minute expression?
The evangelical value of this Epistle has been recognized by
Christians of all schools of thought. Here is set forth with sunlight
clearness the preciousness, design, efficacy and effects of the great
Sacrifice offered once and for all. Christ has Himself purged our sins
(Heb. 1:3); He is able to save "to the uttermost" (Heb. 7:25); by His
one offering He has "perfected forever the sanctified" (Heb. 10:14);
by His blood a new and living way has been opened for His people into
the Holiest (Heb. 10:19,20): such are some of its wondrous
declarations. Emphasizing the inestimable worth of His redemptive
work, it is here that we read of an "eternal salvation" (Heb. 5:9),
"eternal redemption" (Heb. 9:12), and of the "eternal inheritance"
(Heb. 9:15).
The doctrinal importance of this book is exceeded by none, not even by
the Roman Epistle. Where its teachings are believed, understood, and
embodied in the life, ritualism and legalism (the two chief enemies of
Christianity) receive their death blow. In no other book of Scripture
are the sophistries and deceptions of Romanism so clearly and
systematically exposed. So fully and pointedly are the errors of
Popery refuted, it might well have been written since that satanic
system became established. Well did one of the Puritans say, "God
foreseeing what poisonous heresies would be hatched by the Papacy,
prepared this antidote against them."
But perhaps its chief distinctive value lies in its exposition of the
Old Testament types. It is here we are taught that the Tabernacle and
its furniture, the priesthood and their service, the various
sacrifices and offerings, all pointed to the person, offices, and
glories of the Lord Jesus. Of Israel's priests it is said, "who served
unto the example and shadow of heavenly things" (Heb. 8:5); the first
tabernacle was "a figure for the time then present" (Heb. 9:9); the
ceremonial law had "a shadow of good things to come" (Heb. 10:1).
Melchizedec was a type of Christ (Heb. 7:15), Isaac was a figure of
Him (Heb. 11:9), and so on. The details of these will be considered,
D.V., in due course.
7. Its Writer.
This, we are fully assured, was the apostle Paul. Though he was
distinctively and essentially the "apostle of the Gentiles" (Rom.
11:13), yet his ministry was by no means confined to them, as the book
of Acts clearly shows. At the time of his apprehension the Lord said,
"He is a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My Name before the Gentiles,
and kings, and the children of Israel" (Acts 9:15). It is significant
that Israel is there mentioned last, in harmony with the fact that his
Epistle to the Hebrews was written after most of his others to Gentile
saints. That this Epistle was written by Paul is clear from 2 Peter
3:15. Peter was writing to saved Jews as the opening verses of his
first Epistle intimates; 2 Peter 3:1 informs us that this letter was
addressed to the same people as his former one had been. Then, in
Hebrews 10:15, he declares that his beloved brother Paul "also
according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you." If the
Epistle to the Hebrews be not that writing, where is it?
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 2
The Superiority of Christ over the Prophets
(Hebrews 1:1-3)
__________________________________________
Before taking up the study of the opening verses of our Epistle, let
us adduce further evidence that the apostle Paul was the writer of it.
To begin with, note its Pauline characteristics. First, a numerical
one. There is a striking parallel between his enumeration in Romans
8:35-39 and in Hebrews 12:18-24. In the former he draws up a list of
the things which shall not separate the saint from the love of God
which is in Christ Jesus. If the reader will count them, he will find
they are seventeen in number, but divided into a seven and a ten. The
first seven are given in verse 35, the second ten in Hebrews 10:38,
39. In Hebrews 12:18-23 he draws a contrast between Mount Sinai and
Mount Sion, and he mentions seventeen details, and again the seventeen
is divided into a seven and a ten. In Hebrews 10:18, 19, he names
seven things which the saints are not "come unto"; while in Hebrews
10:22-24 he mentions ten things they have "come unto," viz., to Mount
Sion, the City of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, an
innumerable company of angels, the general Assembly, the Church of the
Firstborn, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made
perfect, to Jesus the Mediator, to the Blood of sprinkling. Compare
also Galatians 5:19-21, where the apostle, when describing the "works
of the flesh," enumerates seventeen. So far as we are aware, no other
Epistle writer of the New Testament used this number seventeen in such
a manner.
Again; the terms which he used. We single out one only. In Hebrews
2:10 he speaks of the many sons which Christ is bringing to glory. Now
Paul is the only New Testament writer that employs the term "sons."
The others used a different Greek word meaning "children."
For doctrinal parallelisms compare Romans 8:16, with Hebrews 10:15,
and 1 Corinthians 3:13 with Hebrews 5:12-14, and who can doubt that
the Holy Spirit used the same penman in both cases?
Note a devotional correspondency. In Hebrews 13:18, the writer of this
Epistle says, "Pray for us." In his other Epistles we find Paul, more
than once, making a similar request; but no other Epistle-writer is
placed on record as soliciting prayer!
Finally, it is to be noted that Timothy was the companion of the
writer of this Epistle, see Hebrews 13:23. We know of no hint anywhere
that Timothy was the fellow-worker of anyone else but the apostle
Paul: that he companied with him is clear from 2 Corinthians 1:1,
Colossians 1:1, 1 Thessalonians 3:1, 2.
In addition to the many Pauline characteristics stamped on this
Epistle, we may further observe that it was written by one who had
been in "bonds" (see Hebrews 10:34); by one who was now sundered from
Jewish believers (Heb. 13:19)--would not this indicate that Paul wrote
this Epistle while in his hired house in Rome (Acts 28:30)? Again;
here is a striking fact, which will have more force with some readers
than others: if the Epistle to the Hebrews was not written by the
apostle Paul, then the New Testament contains only thirteen Epistles
from his pen--a number which, in Scripture, is ever associated with
evil! But if Hebrews was also written by him, this brings the total
number of his Epistles to fourteen, i.e., 7 x 2--seven being the
number of perfection and two of witness. Thus, a perfect witness was
given by this beloved servant of the Lord to Jew and Gentile!
In the last place, there is one other evidence that the apostle Paul
penned the Hebrews' Epistle which is still more conclusive. In 2
Thessalonians 3:17, 18 we read, "The salutation of Paul with mine own
hand, which is the token in every Epistle, so I write, the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all." Now, if the reader will turn
to the closing verse of each of the first thirteen Epistles of this
apostle, it will be found that this "token" is given in each one.
Then, if he will refer to the close of the Epistles of James, Peter,
John and Jude, he will discover a noticeable absence of it. Thus it
was a distinctive "token" of the apostle Paul. It served to identify
his writings. When, then at the close of Hebrews we read "grace be
with you all" the proof is conclusive and complete that none other
than Paul's hand originally wrote this Epistle.
Ere passing from this point a word should be added concerning the
distinctive suitability of Paul as the penman of this Epistle. In our
little work "Why Four Gospels" (pages 20-22), we have called attention
to the wisdom of God displayed in the selection of the four men He
employed to write the Gospels. In each one we may clearly perceive a
special personal fitness for the task before him. Thus it is here. All
through the Epistle of Hebrews Christ is presented as the glorified
One in Heaven. Now, it was there the apostle Paul first saw the Lord
(Acts 26:19); who, then, was so well suited, so experimentally
equipped, to present to the Hebrews the rejected Messiah at God's
right hand! He had seen Him there; and with the exceptions of Stephen,
and later, John of Patmos, he was the only one who had or has!
Should it be asked, Why is the apostle Paul's name omitted from the
preface to this Epistle? a threefold answer may be suggested. First,
it is addressed, primarily, to converted "Hebrews," and Paul was not
characteristically or essentially an apostle to them: he was the
apostle to the Gentiles. Second, the inscribing of his name at the
beginning of this Epistle would, probably, have prejudiced many Jewish
readers against it (cf. Acts 21:27, 28; 22:17-22). Third, the supreme
purpose of the Epistle is to exalt Christ, and in this Epistle He is
the "Apostle," see Hebrews 3:1. Therefore the impropriety of Paul
making mention of his own apostleship. But let us now turn to the
contents of the Epistle:
Hebrews 1:1-3. These verses are not only a preface, but they contain a
summary of the doctrinal section of the Epistle. The keynote is struck
at once. Here we are shown, briefly but conclusively, the superiority
of Christianity over Judaism. The apostle introduces his theme in a
manner least calculated to provoke the antipathy of his Jewish
readers. He begins by acknowledging that Judaism was of Divine
authority: it was God who had spoken to their fathers. "He confirms
and seals the doctrine which was held by the Hebrews, that unto them
had been committed the oracles of God; and that in the writings of
Moses and the prophets they possessed the Scripture which could not be
broken, in which God had displayed unto them His will" (Adolph
Saphir). It is worthy of note that the Gospels open with a summary of
Old Testament history from Abraham to David, from David to the
Captivity, and from the Captivity to Jesus, the Immanuel predicted by
Isaiah (see Matthew 1), and that the Epistles also begin by telling us
that the Gospel expounded by the prophets had been "promised afore by
God's prophets in the Holy Scriptures" (Rom. 1:1-3).
Having affirmed that God had spoken to the fathers by the prophets,
the apostle at once points out that God has now spoken to us by His
Son. "The great object of the Epistle is to describe the contrast
between the old and new covenants. But this contrast is based upon
their unity. It is impossible for us rightly to understand the
contrast unless we know first the resemblance. The new covenant is
contrasted with the old covenant, not in the way in which the light of
the knowledge of God is contrasted with the darkness and ignorance of
heathenism, for the old covenant is also of God, and is therefore
possessed of Divine glory. Beautiful is the night in which the moon
and the stars of prophecy and types are shining; but when the sun
arises then we forget the hours of watchfulness and expectancy, and in
the clear and joyous light of day there is revealed to us the reality
and substance of the eternal and heavenly sanctuary" (Adolph Saphir).
Let us now examine these opening verses word by word.
"God" (verse 1). The particular reference is to the Father, as the
words "by (His) Son" in verse 2 intimate. Yet the other Persons of the
Trinity are not excluded. In Old Testament times the Godhead spoke by
the Son, see Exodus 3:2, 5; 1 Corinthians 10:9; and by the Holy
Spirit, see Acts 28:26, Hebrews 3:7, etc. Being a Trinity in Unity,
one Person is often said to work by Another. A striking example of
this is found in Genesis 19:24, where Jehovah the Son is said to have
rained down fire from Jehovah the Father.
"God . . . spake." (verse 1). Deity is not speechless. The true and
living God, unlike the idols of the heathen, is no dumb Being. The God
of Scripture, unlike that absolute and impersonal "first Cause" of
philosophers and evolutionists, is not silent. At the beginning of
earth's history we find Him speaking: "God said, Let there be light:
and there was light" (Genesis 1:4). "He spake and it was done, He
commanded and it stood fast" (Psalm 33:9). To men He spake, and still
speaks. For this we can never be sufficiently thankful.
"God who at sundry times . . . spake" (verse 1). Not once or twice,
but many times, did God speak. The Greek for "at sundry times"
literally means "by many parts," which necessarily implies, some at
one time, some at another. From Abraham to Malachi was a period of
fifteen hundred years, and during that time God spake frequently: to
some a few words, to others many. The apostle was here paving the way
for making manifest the superiority of Christianity. The Divine
revelation vouchsafed under the Mosaic economy was but fragmentary.
The Jew desired to set Moses against Christ (John 9:28). The apostle
acknowledges that God had spoken to Israel. But how? Had He
communicated to them the fullness of His mind? Nay. The Old Testament
revelation was but the refracted rays, not the light unbroken and
complete. As illustrations of this we may refer to the gradual making
known of the Divine character through His different titles, or to the
prophesies concerning the coming Messiah. It was "here a little and
there a little."
"God who . . . in divers manner spake" (verse 1). The majority of the
commentators regard these words as referring to the various ways in
which God revealed Himself to the prophets--sometimes directly, at
others indirectly--through an angel (Genesis 19:1, etc.); sometimes
audibly, at others in dreams and visions. But, with Dr. J. Brown, we
believe that the particular point here is how God spake to the fathers
by the prophets, and not how He has made known His mind to the
prophets themselves. "The revelation was sometimes communicated by
typical representations and emblematical actions, sometimes in a
continued parable, at other times by separate figures, at other
times--though comparatively rarely--in plain explicit language. The
revelation has sometimes the form of a narrative, at other times that
of a prediction, at other times that of an argumentative discourse;
sometimes it is given in prose, at other times in poetry" (Dr. J. B.).
Thus we may see here an illustration of the sovereignty of God: He did
not act uniformly or confine Himself to any one method of speaking to
the fathers. He spake by way of promise and prediction, by types and
symbols, by commandments and precepts, by warnings and exhortations.
"God . . . spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets"
(verse 1). Thus the apostle sets his seal upon the Divine inspiration
and authority of the Old Testament Scriptures. The "fathers" here goes
right back to the beginning of God's dealings with the Hebrews--cf.
Luke 1:55. To "the fathers" God spake "by," or more literally and
precisely, "in" the prophets. This denotes that God possessed their
hearts, controlled their minds, ordered their tongues, so that they
spake not their own words, but His words--see 2 Peter 1:21. At times
the prophets were themselves conscious of this, see 2 Samuel 23:2,
etc. We may add that the word "prophet" signifies the mouthpiece of
God: see Genesis 20:7, Exodus 7:1, John 4:19--she recognized God was
speaking to her; Acts 3:21!
"God . . . hath in these last days spoken unto us by"--better "in
(His) Son" (verse 2). "Having thus described the Jewish revelation he
goes on to give an account of the Christians, and begins it in an
antithetical form. The God who spake to `the fathers' now speaks to
`us.' The God who spake in `times past,' now speaks in these `last
days.' The God who spake `by the prophets,' now speaks `by His Son.'
There is nothing in the description of the Gospel revelation that
answers to the two phrases `at sundry times,' and `in divers manners';
but the ideas which they necessarily suggest to the mind are, the
completeness of the Gospel revelation compared with the imperfection
of the Jewish, and the simplicity and clearness of the Gospel
revelation compared with the multi-formity and obscurity of the
Jewish" (Dr. J. Brown).
"This manifesting of God's will by parts (`at sundry times,' etc.), is
here (verse 1) noted by way of distinction and difference from God's
revealing His will under the Gospel; which was all at one time, viz.,
the times of His Son's being on earth; for then the whole counsel of
God was made known so far as was meet for the Church to know it while
this world continueth. In this respect Christ said, `All things that I
have heard of My Father, I have made known to you' (John 15:15), and
`the Comforter shall teach you all things, and bring to your
remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you' (Heb. 14:26). The woman
of Samaria understood this much: `When the Messiah is come, He will
tell us all things' (John 4:25). Objection: the apostles had many
things revealed to them later. Answer: those were no other things than
what Christ had revealed before, while He lived" (Dr. Gouge).
The central point of contrast here is between the Old Testament
"prophets" and Christ "the Son." Though the Holy Spirit has not here
developed the details of this contrast, we can ourselves, by going
back to the Old Testament, supply them. Mr. Saphir has strikingly
summarized them under seven heads. "First, they were many: one
succeeded another: they lived in different periods. Second, they gave
out God's revelation in `divers manners'--similitudes, visions,
symbols. Each prophet had his peculiar gift and character. Their
stature and capacity varied. Third, they were sinful men--Isaiah 6:5,
Daniel 10:8. Fourth, they did not possess the Spirit constantly. The
`word' came to them, but they did not possess the Word! Fifth, they
did not understand the heights and depths of their own message--1
Peter 1:10. Sixth, still less did they comprehend the whole of God's
revelation in Old Testament times. Seventh, like John the Baptist they
had to testify `I am not the Light, I am only sent to bear witness of
the Light.'" Now, the very opposite was the case in all these respects
with the "Son." Though the revelation which God gave the prophets is
equally inspired and authoritative, yet that through His Son possesses
a greater dignity and value, for He has revealed all the secrets of
the Father's heart, the fullness of His counsel, and the riches of His
grace.
"In these last days" (verse 2). This expression is not to be taken
absolutely, but is a contrast from "in time past." The ministry of
Christ marked "the last days." That which the Holy Spirit was pressing
upon the Hebrews was the finality of the Gospel revelation. Through
the "prophets" God had given predictions and foreshadowings; in the
Son, the fulfillment and substance. The "fullness of time" had come
when God sent forth His Son (Gal. 4:4). He has nothing now in reserve.
He has no further revelation to make. Christ is the final Spokesman of
Deity. The written Word is now complete. In conclusion, note how
Christ divides history: everything before pointed toward Him,
everything since points back to Him; He is the Center of all God's
counsels.
"Spoken unto us" (verse 2). "The pronoun us refers directly to the
Jews of that age, to which class belonged both the writer and his
readers; but the statement is equally true in reference to all, in
every succeeding age, to whom the word of this salvation comes. God,
in the completed revelation of His will, respecting the salvation of
men through Christ Jesus, is still speaking to all who have an
opportunity of reading the New Testament or of hearing the Gospel"
(Dr. J. Brown).
"In (His) Son" (verse 2). Christ is the "Son of God" in two respects.
First, eternally so, as the second Person in the Trinity, very God of
very God. Second, He is also the "Son as incarnate." When He took upon
Him sinless human nature He did not cease to be God, nor did He (as
some blasphemously teach) "empty" Himself of His Divine attributes,
which are inseparable from the Divine Being. "God was manifest in
flesh" (1 Timothy 3:16). Before His Birth, God sent an angel to Mary,
saying, "He (the Word become flesh) shall be called the Son of God"
(Luke 1:35). The One born in Bethlehem's manger was the same Divine
Person as had subsisted from all eternity, though He had now taken
unto Him another, an additional nature, the human. But so perfect is
the union between the Divine and the human natures in Christ that, in
some instances, the properties of the one are ascribed to the other:
see John 3:13, Romans 5:10. It is in the second of these respects that
our blessed Savior is viewed in our present passage--as the Mediator,
the God-man, God "spake" in and through Him: see John 17:8, 14, etc.
Summarizing what has been said, we may note how that this opening
sentence of our Epistle points a threefold contrast between the
communications which God has made through Judaism and through
Christianity. First, in their respective characters: the one was
fragmentary and incomplete; the other perfect and final. Second, in
the instruments which He employed: in the former, it was sinful men;
in the latter, His holy Son. Third, in the periods selected: the one
was "in time past," the other in "these last days," intimating that
God has now fully expressed Himself, that He has nothing in reserve.
But is there not here something deeper and more blessed? We believe
there is. Let us endeavor to set it forth.
That which is central and vital in these opening verses is God
speaking. A silent God is an unknown God: God "speaking" is God
expressing, revealing Himself. All that we know or can now know of God
is what He has revealed of Himself through His Word. But the opening
verse of Hebrews presents a contrast between God's "speakings." To
Israel He gave a revelation of Himself in "time past"; to them He also
gave another in "these last days." What, then, was the character of
these two distinct revelations?
As we all know, God's Word is divided into two main sections, the Old
and the New Testaments. Now, it is instructive to note that the
distinctive character in which God is revealed in them strikingly
corresponds to those two words about Him recorded in the first Epistle
of John; "God is light" (Heb. 1:5); "God is love" (Heb. 4:8). Mark
attentively the order of these two statements which make known to us
what God actually is in Himself.
"God is light." It was in this character that He was revealed in Old
Testament times. What is the very first thing we hear Him saying in
His Word? This: "Let there be light" (Gen. 1:3). In what character
does He appear to our fallen first parents in Genesis 3? As "light,"
as the holy One, uncompromisingly judging sin. In what character was
He revealed at the flood? As the "light," unsparingly dealing with
that which was evil. How `did He make Himself known to Israel at
Sinai? As the One who is "light." And so we might go on through the
whole Old Testament. We do not say that His love was entirely unknown,
but most assuredly it was not fully revealed. That which was
characteristic of the revelation of the Divine character in the Mosaic
dispensation was God as light.
"God is love." It is in this character that He stands revealed in New
Testament times. To make known His love. God sent forth the Son of His
love. It is only in Christ that love is fully unveiled. Not that the
light was absent; that could not be, seeing that He was and is God
Himself. The love which he exercised and manifested was ever an holy
love. But just as "God is light" was the characteristic revelation in
Old Testament times, so "God is love" is characteristic of the New
Testament revelation. In the final analysis, this is the contrast
pointed to in the opening verses of Hebrews. In the prophets God
"spoke" (revealed Himself) as light: the requirements, claims, demands
of his holiness being insisted upon. But in the Son it is the sweet
accents of love that we hear. It is the affections of God which the
Son has expressed, appealing to ours; hence, it is by the heart, and
not the head, that God can be known.
"God . . . hath in these last days spoken unto us by (His) Son." It
will be noted that the word "His" is in italics, which means there is
no corresponding word in the original. But the omission of this word
makes the sentence obscure; nor are we helped very much when we learn
that the preposition "by" should be "in." "God hath spoken in Son."
Yet really, this is not so obscure as at first it seems. Were a friend
to tell you that he had visited a certain church, and that the
preacher "spoke in Latin," you would have no difficulty in
understanding what he meant: "spoke in Latin would intimate that that
particular language marked his utterance. Such is the thought here.
"In Son" has reference to that which characterized God's revelation.
The thought of the contrast is that God, who of old had spoken
prophet-wise, now speaks son-wise. The thought is similar to that
expressed in 1 Timothy 3:16, "God was manifest in flesh," the words
"in flesh" referring to that which characterized the Divine
manifestation. God was not manifested in intangible and invisible
ether, nor did He appear in angelic form; but "in flesh." So He has
now spoken "in Son," Son-wisely.
The whole revelation and manifestation of God is now in Christ; He
alone reveals the Father's heart. It is not only that Christ declared
or delivered God's message, but that He himself was and is God's
message. All that God has to say to us is in His Son: all His
thoughts, counsels, promises, gifts, are to be found in the Lord
Jesus. Take the perfect life of Christ, His deportment, His ways; that
is God "speaking"--revealing Himself--to us. Take His miracles,
revealing His tender compassion, displaying His mighty power; they are
God "speaking" to us. Take His death, commending to us the love of
God, in that while we were yet sinners, He died for us; that is God
"speaking" to us. Take His resurrection, triumphing over the grave,
vanquishing him who had the power of death, coming forth as the "first
fruits of them that slept"--the "earnest" of the "harvest" to follow;
that is God "speaking" to us.
That which is so blessed in this opening sentence of the Hebrews'
Epistle, and which it is so important that our hearts should lay hold
of, is, that God has come out in an entirely new character--Son-wise.
It is not so much that God speaks to us in the Son, but God addresses
Himself to us in Son-like character, that is, in the character of
love. God might have spoken "Almighty-wise," as He did at Sinai; but
that would have terrified and overwhelmed us. God might have spoken
"Judge-wise," as He will at the great white Throne; but that would
have condemned us, and forever banished us from His presence. But,
blessed be His name, He has spoken "Son-wise," in the tenderest
relation which He could possibly assume.
What was the announcement from Heaven as soon as the Son was revealed?
"Unto you is born"--what? Not a "Judge," or even a "Teacher," but "a
Savior, which is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11). There we have the heart
of God revealed.
It is the character in which God "spoke" or revealed Himself which
this opening sentence of our Epistle emphasizes. He has appeared
before us in the person of His beloved Son, to bring us a knowledge of
the Divine affections, and this in order to engage our affections. In
the very nature of the case there can be nothing higher. Through
Christ, God is now fully, perfectly, finally revealed.
We lose much if we fail to keep constantly in mind the fact that
Christ is God--"God manliest in flesh." We profess to believe that He
is Divine, the second person of the blessed Trinity. But it is to be
feared that often we forget this when reading the record of His
earthly life or when pondering the words which fell from His lips. How
necessary it is when taking up a passage in the Gospels to realize
that there it is God "speaking" to us "Son-wise," God's affections
made known.
Take the familiar words of Luke 19:10, "The Son of man is come to seek
and to save that which is lost." But who was this "Son of man?" It was
God "manifested in flesh"; it was God revealing Himself in His "Son"
character. Thus, this well-known verse shows us the heart of God,
yearning over His fallen creatures. Take, again, that precious word of
Matthew 11:28, "Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest" Those words were uttered by "Jesus of
Nazareth," yet they illustrate what is said in Hebrews 1:2: it was God
"speaking" Son-wisely, i.e., bringing to poor sinners a knowledge of
Divine affections. Let us re-read the four Gospels with this glorious
truth before us.
Cannot we now discern the wondrous and blessed contrast pointed in the
opening verses of Hebrews? How different are the two revelations which
God has made of His character. In Old Testament times God "spoke,"
revealed Himself, according to what He is as light; and this, in
keeping with the fact that it was "in the prophets"--those who made
known His mind. In New Testament times God has "spoken," revealed
Himself, according to what He is as love; and this, in keeping with
the fact that it was "in Son" He is now made known. May we not only
bow before Him in reverence and godly fear, but may our hearts be
drawn out to Him in fervent love and adoration.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 3
The Superiority of Christ over the Prophets.
(Hebrews 1:1-3)
__________________________________________
That which distinguishes the Hebrews' Epistle from all other books is
that it has for its subject the superiority of Christianity over
Judaism. Its theme is the super-abounding excellency of the new
covenant. The method followed by the Holy Spirit in developing His
theme is to take Him who is the center and circumference, the life and
light of Christianity, even Christ, and hold before Him one object
after another. As he does so, elevated, important, venerated, as some
of those objects are, yet, in the presence of the "Son" their glories
fade into utter insignificance.
Someone has suggested an analogy with what is recorded in Matthew 17.
There we see Christ upon the holy Mount, transfigured before His
disciples; and, as they continue gazing on His flashing excellency,
they saw no man "save Jesus only." At first, there appeared standing
with Him, Moses and Elijah, and so real and tangible were they, Peter
said, "If Thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for Thee,
one for Moses, and one for Elijah." But as they looked "a blight cloud
overshadowed them." and a Voice was heard saying, "This is My Beloved
Son: hear Him" (Luke 9:35). How significant are the words that
immediately followed: "And when the Voice was passed, Jesus was found
alone." The glory associated with Moses and Elijah was so eclipsed by
the infinitely greater glory connected with Christ, that they faded
from view.
Now it is something very much like this that we see here all through
the Hebrews' Epistle. The Holy Spirit takes up one object after
another, holds each one up as it were in the presence of the
all-excellent "Son," and as He does so, their glory is eclipsed, and
the Lord Jesus is "found alone." The prophets, the angels, Moses,
Joshua, the Levitical priesthood, the Old Testament men of faith, each
come into view; each is compared with Christ, and each, in turn, fades
away before His greater glory. Thus, the very things which Judaism
most highly esteemed are shown to be far inferior to what God has now
made known in the Christian revelation.
In the opening verses the keynote of the Epistle is at once struck. As
is usual in Scripture, the Spirit has placed the key for us over the
very entrance. There we see an antithesis is drawn. There we behold a
contrast between Judaism and Christianity. There we are shown the
immeasurable superiority of the latter over the former. There we have
brought before us the "Son" as the Speaker to whom we must listen, the
Object on which to gaze, the Satisfier of the heart, the One through
whom God is now perfectly and finally made known. God hath, in these
last days, "spoken unto us in Son." As God is the Source from which
all blessings flow, He is set before us in the very first word of the
Epistle. As Christ is the Channel through which all blessing comes to
us, He is mentioned next, and that, in His highest character, as
"Son." The more these opening verses are prayerfully pondered, the
more will their wondrous depths, exhaustless contents, and unspeakable
preciousness be made apparent.
In the preceding article we pointed out how that in the first two
verses of Hebrews a contrast is drawn between Christ and the prophets.
Israel regarded them with the highest veneration, and justly so, for
they were the instruments Jehovah had condescended to employ in the
giving forth of the revelation of His mind and will in Old Testament
times. But Divine as were their communications, they were but
introductory to something better and grander. The revelation which God
made through them was neither complete nor final, as was hinted at in
its fragmentary character: "in many parts and in many ways" God, of
old, spake to the fathers in the prophets. Over against this, as
transcending and excelling the Old Testament revelation, God has, in
these last days "spoken to us in Son," i.e., in Christianity has given
a new, perfect, final revelation of Himself.
Thus, the superiority over Judaism of Christianity is here denoted in
a twofold way: First, by necessary implication the latter, not being
diverse and fragmentary, is one and complete; it is the grand
consummation toward which the other was but introductory; it is the
substance and reality, of which the former furnished but the shadows
and types. Second, by the instruments employed: in the one God spoke
"in the prophets," in the other "in (His) Son." Just as far as the
personal glory of the Son excels that of the prophets, so is the
revelation God made through Christ more sublime and exalted than that
which He made under Judaism. In the one He was made known as
light--the requirements, claims, demands of His holiness. In the
other, He is manifested as love--the affections of His heart are
displayed.
Now, to prevent the Hebrews from concluding that Christ was nothing
more than another instrument through which God had "spoken," the Holy
Spirit in the verses which we are now to take up, brings before us
some of the highest and most blessed of our Savior's personal
excellencies. He there proceeds to exalt the Hebrews' conception of
the Divine Prophet and Founder of the new economy. This He does by
bringing into view seven of His wondrous glories. To the contemplation
of those we now turn. Let us consider.
1. His Heirship.
"Whom He hath appointed Heir of all things" (verse 2). There are three
things here claiming attention. First, the character in which Christ
is viewed. Second, His appointment unto the inheritance. Third, the
scope of the inheritance.
First, this declaration that God has appointed the Savior "Heir of all
things" is similar in scope to that word of Peter's on the day of
Pentecost. "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that
God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and
Christ" (Acts 2:36). In both passages the reference is to the honor
which has been conferred upon the Mediator, and in each case the
design of speaker or writer was to magnify the Christian revelation by
showing the exalted dignity of its Author and Head.
That the title "Heir" is similar in force to "Lord" is clear from
Galatians 4:1, "The heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing
from a servant, though he be lord of all." Yet though there is a
similarity between the terms "Heir" and "Lord," there is also a clear
distinction between them; not only so, we may admire the Divine
discrimination in the one used in Hebrews 1:2. Strikingly does it
follow immediately after the reference to Him as "Son," in fact
furnishing proof thereof, for the son is the father's heir.
The word "heir" suggests two things: dignity and dominion, with the
additional implication of legal title thereto. For its force see
Genesis 21:10, 12; Galatians 4:1, etc. "An `heir' is a successor to
his father in all that his father hath. In connection with the Father
and the Son, the supreme sovereignty of the One is nowise infringed
upon by the supreme sovereignty of the Other--cf. John 5:19. The
difference is only in the manner: the Father doeth all by the Son, and
the Son doeth all from the Father" (Dr. Gouge). The title "Heir" here
denotes Christ's proprietorship. He is the Possessor and Disposer of
all things.
Second, unto an inheritance Christ was "appointed" by God. This at
once shows us that the "Son" through whom God has revealed Himself, is
here viewed not in His abstract Deity, but mediatorially, as
incarnate. Only as such could He be "appointed" Heir; as God the Son,
essentially, He could not be deputed to anything.
This "appointment" was in the eternal counsels of the Godhead. Two
things are hereby affirmed: certainty and valid title. Because God has
predestined that the Mediator should be "Heir of all things," His
inheritance is most sure and absolutely guaranteed, for "the Lord of
hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul?" (Isa. 14:27); hath He
not said, "My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure"
(Isa. 46:10)! Again: because God has "appointed" the Mediator "Heir"
we are assured of His indubitable right to this supreme dignity. That
which is said of Christ's being made priest, in Hebrews 5:5, may also
be applied to this other dignity: Christ glorified not Himself to be
an Heir, but He that saith to Him, "Thou art My Son, today have I
begotten Thee," also "appointed" Him Heir.
Above we have said, This appointment was in the eternal counsels of
the Godhead. With our present passage should be compared Acts 2:23,
"Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain."
Thus there were two chief things to which the Mediator was
"appointed": sufferings (cf. also 1 Peter 1:19, 20), and glory--cf. 1
Peter 1:11. How this shows us that, from the beginning, Christ was the
Center of all the Divine counsels. Before a single creature was called
into existence, God had appointed an "Heir" to all things, and that
Heir was the Lord Jesus. It was the predestined reward of His
Voluntary humiliation; He who had not where to lay His head, is now
the lawful Possessor of the universe.
This appointment of Christ to the inheritance was mentioned in Old
Testament prophecy: "Also I will make Him My Firstborn, higher than
the kings of the earth" (Ps. 89:27). "Firstborn" in Scripture refers
not so much to primogeniture, as to dignity and inheritance: see
Genesis 49:3 for the first occurrence. It is remarkable to observe and
most solemn to discover that, in the days of His flesh, Israel
recognized Him as such: "This is the Heir come let us kill Him, and
the inheritance shall be ours" (Mark 12:7), was their terrible
language.
Third, a few words now on the extent of that Inheritance unto which
the Mediator has been deputed: "Whom He hath appointed Heir of all
things." The manifestation of this is yet future, but confirmation of
it was made when the risen Savior said to the disciples, "All power is
given unto Me in heaven and earth" (Matt. 28:18). At that time we will
recall God's words, "I will declare the decree (i.e., the
"appointment"), Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee. Ask of
Me, and I shall give Thee the heaven for Thine inheritance, and the
uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession" (Ps. 2:7, 8). His
proprietorship of mankind will be evidenced when He shall "sit upon
the throne of His glory: and before Him shall be gathered all nations;
and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth
his sheep from the goats" (Matt. 25:31, 32). His right to dispose of
all will be witnessed at the great white throne. But it is when this
world has passed away that His universal Heirship will be fully and
eternally displayed: on the new earth shall be "the throne of God and
of the Lamb" (Rev. 22:1)!
"How rich is our adorable Jesus! The blessed Lord, when He was upon
the cross, had nothing. He had not where to lay His head; even His
very garments were taken from Him. He was buried in a grave which
belonged not to Him or to His family. On earth He was poor to the very
last; none so absolutely poor as He. But as man, He is to inherit all
things; as Jesus, God and man in one person. All angels, all human
beings upon the earth, all powers in the universe, when asked, `Who is
Lord of all?' will answer, `Jesus the Son of Mary'" (Saphir). Such is
the reward which God has ordained for the once humiliated One.
But most wonderful of all is that word in Romans 8:16, 17, "The Spirit
Himself beareth witness with our spirits, that we are the children of
God; and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with
Christ." This the angels are not. It is because of their indissoluable
union with Him that His people shall also enjoy the Inheritance which
God has appointed unto the Son. Herein we discover the Divine
discrimination and propriety in here speaking of Christ not as "Lord
of all things," but "Heir." We can never be "joint-lords," but grace
has made us "joint-heirs." Because of this the Redeemer said to the
Father, "the glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them" (John
17:22).
2. His Creatorship.
"By whom also He made the worlds" (verse 2). The Greek term for the
last word is "aionas," the primary meaning of which is ages. But here,
by a metonymy, it seems to be applied to matter, and signifies, the
universe. "Aion properly denotes time, either past or future; and then
comes to signify things formed and done in time--the world . . .The
aionas is plainly the synonym of the ta panta ("all things") in the
preceding clause" (Dr. J. Brown). Two things incline us to this view.
First, other scriptures ascribe creation to the Son: John 1:3;
Colossians 1:16. Second, this gives force to the previous clause: He
was, in the beginning, appointed Heir of all things because He was to
be their Creator. Colossians 1:16 confirms this: "all things were
created by Him and for Him."
"By whom also He made the worlds." Here is furnished clear proof of
the Mediator's Diety: only God can create. This also is brought in for
the purpose of emphasizing the immeasurable value of the new
revelation which God has made. Attention is focused on the One in whom
and through whom God has spoken in the "last days." Three things are
told us in verse 2 concerning Christ: first, we have His person--He is
the "Son"; second, His dignity and dominion--He is the "Heir of all
things"; third, His work--He has "made the worlds," heaven and earth.
If, then, His dignity be so exalted, if His glory be so great, what
must not be the word of such a "Son"! what the fullness of truth which
God has made known to His people by Him!
3. His Effulgency.
"Who being the brightness of (His) glory" (verse 3). In this verse the
Holy Spirit continues to set forth the excellencies of Christ, and in
the same order as in the preceding one. First, the Divine dignity of
His person, His relation to the Father--He is the Brightness of His
glory. The Greek verb from which "brightness" is derived, signifies
"to send forth brightness or light," and the noun here used, such
brightness as cometh from light, as the sunbeams issuing from the sun.
The term is thus used metaphorically. So ably has this been developed
by Dr. Gouge we transcribe from his excellent commentary of 1650: "No
resemblance taken from any other creature can more fully set out the
mutual relation between the Father and the Son: "1. The brightness
issuing from the sun is the same nature that the sun is--cf. John
10:30. 2. It is of as long continuance as the sun: never was the sun
without the brightness of it--cf. John 1:1. 3. The brightness cannot
be separated from the sun: the sun may as well be made no sun, as have
the brightness thereof severed from it--cf. Proverbs 8:30. 4. This
brightness though from the sun is not the sun itself--cf. John 8:42.
5. The sun and the brightness are distinct from each other: the one is
not the other--cf. John 5:17. 6. All the glory of the sun is this
brightness--cf. John 17:5; 2 Corinthians 4:6. 7. The light which the
sun giveth the world is by this brightness--cf. John 14:9 . . . Thus
the Son is no whit inferior to the Father, but every way His equal. He
was brightness, the brightness of His Father, yea, also the brightness
of His Father's glory. Whatever excellency soever was in the Father,
the same likewise was in the Son, and that in the most transplendent
manner. Glory sets out excellency; brightness of glory, the excellency
of excellency."
That which is in view in this third item of our passage so far
transcends the grasp of the finite mind that it is impossible to give
it adequate expression in words. Christ is the irradiation of God's
glory. The Mediator's relation to the Godhead is like that of the rays
to the sun itself. We may conceive of the sun in the firmament, yet
shining not: were there no rays, we should not see the sun. So, apart
from Christ, the brightness of God's "glory" could not be perceived by
us. Without Christ, man is in the dark, utterly in the dark concerning
God. It is in Christ that God is revealed.
4. His Being.
"The express image of His person," or, more literally, "the impress of
His substance" (verse 3). The Greek for "express image" is a single
word, and the verb from which it is derived signifies "to engrave,"
and in its noun form "that which is engraved," as the stamp on a coin,
the print pressed on paper, the mark made by a seal. Nothing can be
more like the original mold or seal than the image pressed out on the
clay or wax, the one carrying the very form or features of the other.
The Old Testament saints did not perfectly "express" God, nor can
angels, for they are but finite creatures; but Christ, being Himself
God, could, and did. All that God is, in His nature and character, is
expressed and manifested, absolutely and perfectly, by the incarnate
Son.
"And the very impress of His substance." Here again we are faced with
that which is difficult to comprehend, and harder still to express.
Perhaps we may be helped to get the thought by comparing 1 Timothy
6:16 with Colossians 1:15: "Dwelling in the light which no man can
approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see," "Who is the image
of the invisible God." All true knowledge of God must come from His
approach unto us, for we cannot by "reaching" find Him out. The
approach must come from His side, and it has come, "the only begotten
Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him" (John
1:18).
"The very impress of His substance." This is the nearest approach to
defining God's essence or essential existence. The word "substance"
means essential being or essential existence; but how little we know
about this! God--self-existent: One who never had a beginning, yet
full of all that we know of blessed attributes. And Christ, the
incarnate Son, is the very "impress," as it were, of that substance.
As we have said, the original term is taken from the impress of a
seal. Though we had never seen the seal we might, from beholding the
impress of it (that which is exactly like it), form a true and
accurate idea of the seal itself. So Christ is the Impress of the
substance of God, the One in whom all the Divine perfections are
found. Though essentially Light, He is also the Outshining of the
"Light"; though in Himself essentially God, He is also the visible
Representation of God. Being "with God" and being God, He is also the
Manifestation of God; so that by and through Him we learn what God is.
"The very impress of His substance." It is not enough to read
Scripture, nor even to compare passage with passage; nor have we done
all when we have prayed for light thereon; there must also be
meditation, prolonged meditation. Of whom were these words spoken? Of
the "Son," but as incarnate, i.e., as the Son of man; of Him who
entered this world by mysterious and miraculous conception in the
virgin's womb. Men doubt and deny this, and no wonder, when they have
nothing but a corrupt reason to guide them. How can a sin-darkened
understanding lay hold of, believe, and love the truth that the great
God should hide Himself in a frail human nature! That Omnipotence
should be concealed in a Servant's form! That the Eternal One should
become an Infant of days! This is the "great mystery" of godliness,
but to the family of God is "without controversy."
But if the human mind, unaided, is incapable of grasping the fact of
the great God hiding Himself in human form, how much less can it
apprehend that that very hiding was a manifestation, that the
concealing was a revealing of Himself--the Invisible becoming visible,
the Infinite becoming cognizable to the finite. Yet such it was: "And
the very impress of His substance." Who was? The incarnate Son, the
Man Christ Jesus. Of whose "substance?" Of God's! But how could that
be? God is eternal, and Christ died! True, yet He manifested His
Godhead in the very way that He died. He died as none other ever did:
He "laid down" His life. More, He manifested His Godhead by rising
again: "destroy this temple" (His body) said He, "And I will raise it
again"; and He did. His Godhead is now manifested in that "He is alive
forever more."
But God is immutable and self-sufficient, and Christ hungered and
thirsted/ True; because He was made "in all things like unto His
brethren," and because that from actual experience of these things, He
might be able to "succor them that are tempted." Moreover, He
manifested His self-sufficiency by miraculously feeding the five
thousand, and by His absolute power over all Nature--ruling the winds
and waves, blasting the fig tree, etc.
But God is Lord of all, and Christ was "Led as a lamb to the
slaughter": He seemed so helpless when arrested and when hanging upon
the cross! But appearances are deceptive; sometimes it is a greater
thing to withhold the putting forth of power than to exert it! Yet
glimpses of His Lordship flashed forth even then. See Him in the
Garden, and those sent to apprehend Him prostrate on the ground (John
18:6)! See Him again on the Cross, putting forth His power and
"plucking a brand from the burning": it was the power of God, for
nothing short of that can free one of Satan's captives! Yes, Christ
was, ever was, the "very impress of His substance," "for in Him
dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9).
5. His Administration.
"Upholding all things by the word of His power" (verse 3). The Spirit
of truth continues to describe the dignity and majesty of Him in whom
God now "speaks" to us. Here is a declaration that is unequivocal in
meaning and unlimited in its scope. Against the statement "by whom"
God "made the worlds," it might be argued that, after all, the "Son"
was only a minister, an agent whom God employed for that great work.
In reply it would be sufficient to point out that there is no hint in
Scripture of God ever having assigned to a mere creature, no matter
how exalted his rank, a work which was in any wise comparable with the
stupendous task of "making the worlds." But as if to anticipate such
an objection, to show that the "Son" is high above the noblest and
most honored of God's ministers, it is here affirmed that "He
upholdeth all things by the word of His power," that is, His own
power; we may add that the Greek reads "His own" as in Matthew
16:26--"his own soul"; and "His own house" (Heb. 3:6). The "upholding"
of all things is a Divine work.
We have said that the term "Heir" connotes two things: dignity and
dominion. In the opening clauses of verse 3 the dignity of the
Mediator is set forth; here, it is His dominion which is brought
before us. As it was said that He is appointed Heir of "all things,"
so are we now told that He upholds "all things"--all things that are
visible or invisible, in heaven or earth, or under the earth: "all
things" not only creatures, but all events.
The Greek word for "upholding" means to "carry or support," see Mark
2:3; it also signifies "to energize or impel," see 2 Peter 1:21. It is
the word used in the Septuagint for "moved" in Genesis 1:2. That which
is in view in this fifth glory of Christ is His Divine providence.
"The term `uphold' seems to refer both to preservation and government.
`By Him the worlds were made'--their materials were called into being,
and arranged in comely order: and by Him, too, they are preserved from
running into confusion, or reverting back into nothing. The whole
universe hangs on His arm; His unsearchable wisdom and boundless power
are manifested in governing and directing the complicated movements of
animate and inanimate, rational, and irrational beings, to the
attainment of His own great and holy purposes; and He does this by the
word of His power, or by His powerful word. All this is done without
effort or difficulty. He speaks, and it is done; He commands, and it
stands fast" (Dr. J. Brown). What a proof that the "Son" is God!
He who appeared on earth in servant form, is the Sustainer of the
universe. He is Lord over all. He has been given "power over all
flesh" (John 17:2). The Roman legions who destroyed Jerusalem were
"His armies" (Matt. 22:7). The angels are "His angels," see Matthew
13:41; 24:31. Every movement in heaven and earth is directed by Jesus
Christ: "by Him all things consist" (Col. 1:17). He is not only at the
head of the spiritual realm, but he "upholds all things." All
movements, developments, actions, are borne up and directed by the
word of His power. Glimpses of this flashed forth even in the days of
His flesh. The winds and the waves were subservient to His word.
Sickness and disease fled before His command. Demons were subject to
His authoritative bidding. Even the dead came forth in response to His
mighty fiat. And all through the ages, today, the whole of creation is
directed by the will and word of its Heir, Maker, and Upholder.
6. His Expiation.
"When He had by Himself purged our sins" (verse 3). Here is something
still more wondrous. Striking is it to behold the point at which this
statement is introduced. The cross was the great stumbling-block unto
the Jews; but so far was the apostle from apologizing for the death of
the "Son," he here includes it as among His highest glories. And such
indeed it was. The putting away of the sins of His people was an even
greater and grander work than was the making of the worlds or the
upholding of all things by His mighty power. His sacrifice for sins
has brought greater glory to the Godhead and greater blessing to the
redeemed than have His works of creation or providence.
"Why has this wonderful and glorious Being, in whom all things are
summed up, and who is before all things the Father's delight and the
Father's glory; why has this infinite light, this infinite power, this
infinite majesty come down to our poor earth? For what purpose? To
shine? To show forth the splendor of His majesty? To teach heavenly
wisdom? To rule with just and holy right? No. He came to purge our
sins. What height of glory! what depths of abasement! Infinite in His
majesty, and infinite in His self-humiliation, and in the depths of
His love. What a glorious Lord! And what an awful sacrifice of
unspeakable love, to purge our sins by Himself"! (Saphir).
"By Himself purged our sins." This has reference to the atonement
which He has made. The metaphor of "purging" is borrowed from the
language of the Mosaic economy--cf. 9:22. The Greek word is sometimes
put for the means of purging (John 2:6), sometimes for the act itself
(Mark 1:44). Both are included here: the merits of Christ's sacrifice,
and the efficacy thereof. The tense of the verb, the aorist, denotes a
finished work, literally, "having purged." Another has suggested an
additional and humbling thought which is pointed by this metaphor--the
filth of our sins, which needed "purging" away. The contrastive and
superlative value and efficacy of Christ's sacrifice is thus set
before us. His blood is here distinguished from that of the legal and
ceremonial purifications. None of them could purge away sins--Hebrews
10:4. All they did was to sanctify to "the purifying of the flesh"
(Heb. 9:13), not to the "purifying of the soul!"
"The manner and power of this purification form the subject of this
whole Epistle. But in this short expression, `by Himself He purged our
sins,' all is summed up. By Himself; the Son of God, the eternal Word
in humanity. Himself: the priest, who is sacrifice, yea, altar, and
everything that is needed for full and real expiation and
reconciliation. Here is fulfilled what was prefigured on the day of
atonement, when an atonement was made for Israel, to cleanse them from
all sins, that they may be clean from all their sins before the Lord
(Lev. 16:30). Thus our great High Priest saith unto us, Ye are clean
this day before God from all your sins. He is the fulfillment and the
reality, because He is the Son of God. `The blood of Jesus Christ His
Son cleanseth us from all sin' (1 John 1:7). The church is purchased
by the blood of Him who is God (Acts 20:28, with His own blood).
Behold the perfection of the sacrifice in the infinite dignity of the
incarnate Son. Sin is taken away. Oh, what a wonderful thing is this!"
(Saphir).
7. His Exaltation.
"Sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high" (verse 3).
Unspeakably blessed is this. The One who descended into such
unfathomable depths of shame, who humbled Himself and became "obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross," has been highly exalted
above all principality and power, and dominion, and every name which
is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.
All-important is it, too, to mark carefully the connection between
these two wondrous statements: "when He had by Himself purged our
sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." We cannot
rightly think of the God-man as where He now is, without realizing
that the very circumstance of His being there, shows, in itself, that
"our sins" are put away for ever. The present possession of glory by
the Mediator is the conclusive evidence that my sins are put away.
What blessed connection is there, then between our peace of soul, and
His glory!
"Sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." Three things are
here denoted. First, high honor: "sitting," in Scripture, is often a
posture of dignity, when superiors sit before inferiors: see Job 29:7,
8; Daniel 7:9, 10; Revelation 5:13. Second, it denotes settled
continuance. In Genesis 49:24 Jacob said to Joseph that his "bow sat
in strength," fittingly rendered "abode in strength." So in Leviticus
8:35, "abode" is literally "sit." Though He will vacate that seat when
He descends into the air (1 Thess. 4:16) to receive His blood-bought
people unto Himself, yet it is clear from Revelation 22:1 that this
position of highest honor and glory belongs to Christ for ever and
ever. Third, it signifies rest, cessation from His sacrificial
services and sufferings. It has often been pointed out that no
provision was made for Israel's priests to sit down: there was no
chair in the Tabernacle's furniture. And why? Because their work was
never completed--see Hebrews 10:1, 3. But Christ's work of expiation
is completed; on the cross He declared, "It is finished" (John 19:30).
In proof of this, He is now seated on High.
The term "the Majesty on high" refers to God Himself. "Majesty"
signifies such greatness as makes one to be honored of all and
preferred above all. Hence it is a delegated title, proper to kings,
cf. 2 Peter 1:16. In our passage it denotes God's supreme sovereignty.
It is brought in here to emphasize and magnify the exaltation of the
Savior--elevated to the highest possible dignity and position. The
"right hand" speaks of power (Exo. 15:6), and honor (1 Kings 2:19).
"On high" is, in the Greek, a compound word, used nowhere else in the
New Testament; literally, it signifies, "the highest height," the most
elevated exaltation that could be conceived of or is possible. Thus we
are shown that the highest seat in the universe now belongs to Him who
once had not where to lay His head.
It is to be observed that in Hebrews 10:2, 3 the Holy Spirit has,
briefly, set forth the three great offices of the Mediator. First, His
prophetic: He is the final Spokesman of God. Second, His kingly: His
royal majesty--upholding all things, and that, by the word of His
power, which affirms His absolute sovereignty. Third, His priestly:
the two parts of which are expiation of His people's sins and
intercession at God's right hand.
In conclusion, it should be pointed out how that everything in these
opening verses of Hebrews is in striking contrast from what Israel
enjoyed under the old economy. They had prophets; Christ is the final
Spokesman of Diety. They were His people; He, God's "Son." Abraham was
constituted "heir of the world" (Romans 4:13); Christ is the "Heir" of
the universe. Moses made the tabernacle; Christ, "the worlds." The law
furnished "a shadow of good things to come"; Christ is the Brightness
of God's glory. In Old Testament times Israel enjoyed theophanic
manifestations of Christ; now, He is revealed as the Image of God's
person. Moses bore the burden of Israel (Num. 11:11, 12); Christ,
"upholds all things." The sacrifices of old took not sins away;
Christ's sacrifice did. Israel's high priests never sat down; Christ
has.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 4
Christ Superior to Angels.
(Hebrews 1:4-14)
__________________________________________
One of the first prerequisites for a spiritual workman who is approved
of God, is that he must prayerfully and constantly aim at a "rightly
dividing" of the Word of Truth (2 Tim. 2:15). Preeminently is this the
case when he takes up those passages treating of the person of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Unless we "rightly divide" or definitely
distinguish between what is said of Him in His essential Being, and
what is predicated of Him in His official character, we are certain to
err, and err grievously. By His "essential Being" is meant what He
always was and must ever remain as God the Son. By His "official
character" reference is made to what may be postulated of Him as
Mediator, that is, as God incarnate, the God-man. It is the same
blessed person in each case, but looked at in different relationships.
It is failure to thus rightly divide what is said in the Word of Truth
concerning the Lord Jesus which has caused unregenerate men to
entertain most dishonoring and degrading views of Him, and has led
some regenerate men to err in their interpretation of many passages.
As illustrations of the former we may cite some of the more devout
unitarians, who, appealing to such statements as "My Father is greater
than I" (John 14:28), "when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then
shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things
under Him" (1 Cor. 15:28), etc., have argued that though the Son be
superior to all creatures, yet is He inferior to the Father. But the
passages cited do not relate to the "essential Being" of Christ, but
speak of Him in His Mediatorial character. As an example of the latter
we may mention how that such an able exegete as Dr. John Brown
interprets the second half of Hebrews 1:4 as referring to the
essential Being of the Savior.
Thus it will be seen that that to which we have drawn attention above
is something more than an arbitrary theological distinction; it
vitally affects the forming of right views of Christ's person and a
sound interpretation of many passages of Holy Writ. Now in His Word
God has not drawn the artificial lines which man is fond of making.
That is to say, the essential and the official glories of Christ are
often found intermingling, rather than being separately classified. A
case in point occurs in the first three verses of Hebrews 1. First we
are told that, at the close of the Mosaic dispensation, God spoke to
the Hebrews by (in) His Son. Obviously this was upon earth, alter the
Word had become flesh. Thus the reference is to Christ in His
Mediatorial character. Second, "whom He hath appointed Heir of all
things" manifestly views Him in the same character, for, in His
essential Being no such "appointment" was needed--as God the Son "all
things" are His. But when we come to the third clause, "by whom also
He made the worlds" there is clearly a change of viewpoint. The worlds
were made long before the Son became incarnate, therefore this
postulate must be understood of Him in His eternal and essential
Being.
The inquiring mind will naturally ask, Why this change of viewpoint?
Why introduce this higher glory of the Son in the midst of a list of
His Mediatorial honors?--for it is clear that the Holy Spirit returns
to these in the clauses which follow in verse 3. The answer is not far
to seek: it is to exalt the Mediator in our esteem; it is to show us
that the One who appeared on earth in Servant form was possessed of a
dignity and majesty which should bow our hearts in worship before Him.
He who "by Himself purged our sins" is the same that "made the
worlds." The crucified was the Creator! But this is not the wonder set
forth in this passage. In order to be crucified it was needful for the
Creator to become man. The Son of God (though never ceasing to be
such) became the Son of man, and this Man has been exalted to the
right hand of the Majesty on high. So beautifully has the late Mr.
Saphir written on this point we transcribe from him at length:--
"Is it more wonderful to see the Son of God in Bethlehem as a little
babe, or to see the Son of man at the right hand of the Father? Is it
more marvelous to see the Counselor, the Wonderful, the Mighty God,
the Prince of Peace, the Everlasting Father, a child born unto us, and
a Son given unto us--or to see the Son of man, and in Him the dust of
earth, seated at the right hand of God? The high priest entered once a
year into the holy of holies, but who would have ventured to abide
there, or take up his position next to the cherubim, where the glory
of the Most High was revealed? But Jesus, the Son of man, ascended,
and by His own power, and in His own right, as well as by the
appointment of the Father, He is enthroned, crowned with glory and
majesty. On the wings of omnipotent love He came down from heaven, but
to return to heaven, omnipotence and love were not sufficient. It was
comparatively easy (if I may use this expression of the most
stupendous miracle) for the Son of God to humble Himself, and to come
down to this earth; but to return to heaven, it was necessary for Him
to be baptized with the baptism of suffering, and to die the death
upon the accursed tree. Not as He came down did He ascend again; for
it was necessary that He who in infinite grace had taken our position
should bow and remove our burden and overcome our enemies. Therefore
was His soul straightened to be baptized with His baptism; and
therefore, from the first moment that He appeared in Jerusalem, He
knew that the temple of His sacred body was to be broken, and He
looked forward to the decease which He should accomplish on that
mount. Not as He came did He ascend again; for He came as the Son of
God; but He returned not merely as the Son of God, but as the Son of
God incarnate, the Son of David, our brother and our Lord. Not as He
came did He ascend again; for He came alone, the Good Shepherd, moved
with boundless compassion, when He thought of the lost and perishing
sheep in the wilderness; but He returned with the saved sheep upon His
shoulders, rejoicing, and bringing it to a heavenly and eternal home.
He went back again, not merely triumphing, but He who had gone forth
weeping, bearing precious seed, who Himself had been sown, by His
sacrifice unto death, returned, bringing His sheaves with Him.... It
was when He had by Himself purged our sins that He sat down at the
right hand of God; by the power of His blood He entered into the holy
of holies; as the Lamb slain God exalted Him, and gave Him a name
which is above every name."
Thus that which is prominent, yea dominant, in this opening chapter in
Hebrews is the Mediatorial glories of the Son. True, His essential
glory is referred to in verse 2: "By whom also He made the worlds,"
but, as already stated, this is introduced for the purpose of exalting
the Mediator in our esteem, to prevent us forming an unworthy and
erroneous conception of His person. The One who "by Himself purged our
sins" is the same person as made the worlds, it is He who is "the
Brightness of God's glory, and the express Image of His substance."
What ground, what cause have we for exclaiming, "Worthy is the Lamb
that was slain to receive power and riches, and wisdom and strength,
and honor and glory, and blessing" (Rev. 5:12)? To this the God-man is
entitled. Because of this, God exalted Him to His own right hand.
Having shown His infinite elevation above the prophets we have next
revealed His immeasurable superiority over the angels.
"Being made so much better than the angels, as He hath by inheritance
obtained a more excellent name than they" (verse 4). Before attempting
to expound the details of this verse, it may be well for us first to
inquire, Why does the Holy Spirit here introduce the "angels?" What
was His particular purpose in showing Christ's superiority over them?
To these questions a threefold answer, at least, may be returned:--
First, because the chief design of the Holy Spirit in this Epistle is
to exalt the Lord Jesus, as the God-man, far above every name and
dignity. In the next section (chapter 3) He shows the superiority of
Christ over Moses. But to have commenced with Moses, would not have
gone back far enough, for Moses the mediator, received the law by "the
disposition of angels" (Acts 7:53). Inasmuch as angels are described
in Holy Writ as "excelling in strength," and thus as far raised in the
scale of being above man, it was necessary, in order to establish
Christ's superiority over all created beings, to show that He was much
better than they. To prove that God the Son was superior to angels
were superfluous, but to show that the Son of man has been exalted
high above them was essential if the Hebrews were to ascribe to Him
the glory which is His due.
Second, the object before the Holy Spirit in this Epistle in
presenting the supreme dignity and dominion of the Mediator was to
demonstrate the immeasurable superiority of Christianity over Judaism.
The method He has followed here is very striking and convincing. The
old order or economy was given by "the disposition of angels" (Acts
7:53). Exactly what this means perhaps we cannot be quite sure, though
there are several scriptures which throw light thereon, for in
Deuteronomy 33:2 we read: "The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from
Seir unto them; He shined forth from Mount Paran, and He came with ten
thousand of saints"--"holy ones," i.e., "angels." Again, Psalm 68:17
tells us, "The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of
angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai." Finally, Galatians 3:19
says, "Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of
transgressions, till the Seed would come to whom the promise was made;
and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator." Thus, the
glory of Jehovah at Sinai (the beginning of the Mosaic economy) was an
angelic one, and the employment of angels in the giving of the law
stamped a dignity and importance upon it. But the legal dispensation
has been set aside by a new and higher glory revealed in "the Son,"
and Hebrews 1 shows us the angels subservient to Him, and not only so,
closes with the statement that they are now the servants of the
present "heirs of salvation!"
Third, it is necessary to show the superiority of Christ (the Center
and Life of Christianity) over the angels, because the Jews regarded
them as the most exalted of all God's creatures. And rightly so. It
was as "the Angel of the covenant" (Mal. 3:1), the "Angel of the Lord"
(Exo. 3:2), that Jehovah had appeared most frequently unto them. From
earliest times angelic ministration had been a chief instrument of
Divine power and medium of communication. It was "the Angel of the
Lord" who delivered Hagar (Gen. 16:7), and who appeared to Abraham.
Angels delivered Lot (Genesis 19:1). It was the Lord's "angel" who
protected Israel on the pass-over-night (Num. 20:16). Thus the Jews
esteemed angels more highly than man. To be told that the Messiah
Himself, God the Son incarnate, had become man made Him, in their
eyes, inferior to the angels. Therefore, was it necessary to show them
from their own Scriptures that the Mediator, God manifest in flesh,
possessed a dignity and glory as far excelling that of the angels as
the heavens are higher than the earth.
"Being made so much better than the angels." This verse may be termed
the text, and the remainder of the chapter, the sermon--the exposition
and application of it. The first key to its meaning and scope lies in
its first two words (which are but one in the Greek), "being made."
Grammatically it seems almost a blemish to open a new paragraph with a
participle; in truth, it demonstrates the perfection of the Spirit's
handiwork. It illustrates a noticeable difference which ever
distinguishes the living works of God from the lifeless productions of
man--contrast the several parts of a chair or table with the various
members of the human body: in the one the several sections of it are
so put together that its pieces are quite distinct, and the joints
between them clearly perceptible; in the other, the ending of one
member is lost in the beginning of the next. Our analogy may be
commonplace, but it serves to illustrate one of the great differences
between the writings of men and the Scriptures of God. The latter is a
living organism, a body of truth, vitalized by the breath of God!
Though verse 4 begins a distinct section of the Epistle it is closely
and inseparably united to the introductory verses which precede, and
more especially to the final clauses of verse 3. Unless this be kept
in mind we are certain to err in our interpretation of it. At the
close of verse 3, Christ is presented as the One who has purged the
sins of His people, in other words, as the Son of man, God incarnate,
and it was as such He has been exalted to the right hand of the
Majesty on high. There is now a Man in the glory. And it is this Man,
the "second Man (1 Cor. 15:47) who has been made better than the
angels," and who has obtained "a more excellent name than they." It is
this which the opening participle makes clear, being designed to carry
our thoughts back to what has been said at the close of verse 3.
"Being made so much better than the angels." To appreciate the force
of this we must, briefly, consider the excellency of the "angels."
Angels are the highest of all God's creatures: heaven is their native
home (Matt. 24:36). They "excel in strength" (Ps. 103:20). They are
God's "ministers" (Psalm 104:4). Like a king's gentlemen-in-waiting,
they are said to "minister unto the Ancient of days" (Daniel 7:10).
They are "holy" (Matthew 25:31). Their countenances are like
"lightning," and their raiment is as white as snow (Matt. 28:3). They
surround God's throne (Rev. 5:11). They carry on every development of
nature. "God does not move and rule the world merely by laws and
principles, by unconscious and inanimate powers, but by living beings
full of light and love. His angels are like flames of fire; they have
charge over the winds, and the earth, and the trees, and the sea (the
book of Revelation shows this--A.W.P.). Through the angels He carries
on the government of the world" (Saphir).
But glorious as the angels are, elevated as is their station, great as
is their work, they are, nevertheless, in subjection to the Lord Jesus
as Man; for in His human nature God has enthroned Him high above all.
"The apostle in the former verses proves Christ to be more excellent
than the excellentest of men; even such as God extraordinarily
inspired with his holy Spirit, and to whom he immediately revealed his
will that they might make it known to others. Such were the priests,
prophets, and heads of the people. But these, as well as all other
men, notwithstanding their excellencies, were on earth mortal.
Therefore he ascendeth higher, and calleth out the celestial and
immortal spirits, which are called angels. Angels are of all mere
creatures the most excellent. If Christ then be more excellent than
the most excellent, He must needs be the most excellent of all. This
excellency of Christ is so set out, as thereby the glory and royalty
of His kingly office is magnified. For this is the first of Christ's
offices which the apostle doth in particular exemplify: in which
exemplification He giveth many proofs of Christ's divine nature, and
showeth Him to be man as He is God also; and in the next chapter, so
to be God as He is man also: `like to his brethren' (Hebrews 2:17)"
(Dr. Gouge).
"Being made so much better than the angels." Through Isaiah God had
promised that the "Man of sorrows" who was to be "cut off out of the
land of the living" for the transgression of His people, should be
richly rewarded for His travail: "Therefore, will I divide Him a
portion with the great and He shall divide the spoil with the strong"
(Isa. 53:12). In Psalm 68:18, He is represented as ascending "on
high," and that, as a mighty conqueror leading captives in His train
and receiving gifts for men. In Philippians 2 we learn that He who
took upon Him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of
men, who became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, "God
also hath highly exalted Him and given Him a name which is above every
name, that at (in) the name of Jesus (given to Him at His incarnation)
every knee should bow, of things in heaven and in earth, and under the
earth" (verses 9-11). He has been "made so much better than the
angels" first of all, by the position accorded Him--He is seated on
the right hand of the Majesty on High: angels are "round about the
throne" (Rev. 5:11), the Lamb is on the Throne!
"As He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they"
(verse 4). "We who live in the West think a name of slight importance:
but God always taught His people to attach great importance to names.
The first petition in the Lord's prayer is, `Hallowed be Thy name;'
and all the blessings and privileges which God bestowed upon Israel
are summed up in this, that God revealed unto them His name. The name
is the outward expression and the pledge and seal of all that a person
really and substantially is; and when it says that the Son of God has
received a higher name than angels, it means that, not only in
dignity, but in kind, He is high above them" (A. Saphir). "The
descriptive designation given to Christ Jesus, when contrasted to that
given to angels, marks Him as belonging to a higher order of beings.
Their name is created spirits; His name is the only-begotten Son of
God" (Dr. J. Brown).
"As He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they"
(verse 4). When commenting on the first part of this verse we
endeavored to show that the reference is to the Father rewarding the
Mediator for His sacrificial work, and attention was directed to the
parallel supplied in Philippians 2:9-11. That passage begins by
saying: "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him," and this finds
its counterpart here in "being made so much better than the angels."
Then follows the statement "and hath given Him a name which is above
every name," the parallel being found in "a more excellent name than
they," i.e., the highest of all created beings. Finally, His right to
this exalted name is to be owned by every knee bowing before it; so
also the last clause of Hebrews 1:4 affirms Christ's right to His more
excellent name. Is it not more than a coincidence that the
corresponding passage to Hebrews 1:4 is found in one of the apostle
Paul's Epistles!
"He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they."
This affirms the right of Christ to His more excellent name. The
English rendering here seems slightly misleading. The Greek for "He
hath by inheritance obtained" is a single word. It is a technical term
relating to legal title, secure tenure. The right of inheritance which
Sarah would not that the son of the bondwoman should have, is
expressed by this word: "shall not the heir" (Gal. 4:30) "Shall not by
inheritance obtain," or, "shall not inherit." Christ's right to His
supreme dignity is twofold: first, because of the union between His
humanity and essential Deity; Second, as a reward for His mediatorial
sufferings and unparalleled obedience to His Father.
"For unto which of the angels said He at any time, Thou art My Son?"
(verse 5). Having affirmed the superiority of Christ over angels, the
Holy Spirit now supplies proof of this, drawing His evidence from the
Old Testament Scriptures. The first passage appealed to is found in
the second Psalm, and the manner in which it is introduced should be
noted. It is put in the form of a question. This was to stir up the
minds of those who read the Epistle. It is worthy of remark that this
interrogative form of instruction is found quite frequently in the
Pauline Epistles e.g., 1 Corinthians 9:4-10, Galatians 3:1-5--and much
more so than any other New Testament writer. This method of teaching
was often employed by the Lord Jesus, as a glance at the Gospels will
show. Observe, too, how the question asked in our text assumes that
the Hebrews were familiar with the entire contents of Scripture. The
interrogative way of presenting this quotation was tantamount to
saying: Judge for yourselves whether what I say be true- where in the
Sacred Writings is there any record of God's addressing an angel as
His "Son"? They could not thus judge unless they were well versed in
the Word.
"Unto which of the angels said He at any time, Thou art My Son"? The
answer is, To none of them. Nowhere in the Old Testament Scriptures is
there a single instance of God's addressing an angel as "My Son." It
is true that in Job 38:7 the angels are termed "sons of God," but this
simply has reference to their creation. Adam is termed a "son of God"
(Luke 3:38) in the same sense. So, regenerated saints are "sons of
God" by virtue of new creation. But no individual angel was ever
addressed by the Father as "My Son." The Lord Jesus was, both at His
baptism and His transfiguration. Herein we perceive not only His
pre-eminence, but His uniqueness.
"Unto which of the angels said He at any time, Thou art My Son, this
day have I begotten Thee" (verse 5)? This latter expression has
occasioned not a little difficulty to some of the commentators, and,
in the past, has been made the battleground of fierce theological
fights. The issue raised was "the eternal Son-ship of Christ." Those
affirming understood "this day (or "today") the Greek is the same as
in Luke 23:43--to be timeless, and "this day have I begotten Thee" to
refer to the eternal generation of the Son by the Father. Much of the
fighting was merely a strife "about words," which was to no profit.
Though Scripture clearly teaches the Godhead and absolute Deity of the
Son (Hebrews 1:8, etc.) and affirms His eternality (John 1:1, etc.),
it nowhere speaks of His eternal "son-ship," and where Scripture is
silent it behooves us to be silent too. Certainly this verse does not
teach the eternal son-ship of Christ, for if we allow the apostle to
define his own terms, we read in Hebrews 4:7, "He limiteth a certain
day, saying in David, Today," etc. This, it appears to us, illustrates
the Spirit's foresight in thus preventing "today" in Hebrews 1:5 being
understood as a timeless, limitless "day"--eternity.
Further proof that the Spirit is not here treating of the essential
Deity or eternal son-ship of Christ is seen by a glance at the passage
from which these words are taken. Hebrews 1:5 contains far more than
the mere quotation of a detached sentence from the Old Testament. The
reference is to the second Psalm, and if the reader will turn to and
read through it, he should at once see the striking propriety in the
apostle's reference to it here. This is the first Old Testament
passage quoted in Hebrews, and like the first of anything in Scripture
claims special attention because of its prime importance. Coming as it
does right after what has been said in verse 4, namely, that He who,
positionally, had been made lower than the angels, is now exalted
above them, an appeal to the 2nd Psalm was most appropriate. That has
two divisions and treats of the humiliation and exaltation of the
Messiah! In verse 3 counsel is taken against Him; in verses 10-12,
kings and judges are bidden to pay homage to Him.
Now it is in this 2nd Psalm that the Father is heard saying to the
Messiah, "Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee" (verse 7).
The whole context shows that it is the Father addressing the Son in
time, not eternity; on earth, not in heaven; in His mediatorial
character, not His essential Being. Nor is there any difficulty in the
"today have I begotten Thee," the Holy Spirit having explained its
force in Acts 13:33. There the apostle declared to the Jews that God
had fulfilled the promise made unto the fathers, namely, that He had
"raised up Jesus," i.e. had sent the Messiah unto them. Acts 13:33 has
no reference to Christ's resurrection, but relates to His incarnation
and manifestation to Israel--cf. Deuteronomy 18:18, "I will raise them
up a Prophet"; also Acts 3:26. It was not until Acts 13:34, 35 that
the apostle brought in His resurrection "raised Him up from the dead."
Thus in Acts 13 Psalm 2 is cited to prove the Father had sent the
Savior to Israel and His promise so to do had been fulfilled in the
Divine incarnation. We may add that the word "again" in Acts 13:33 is
not found in the Greek and is omitted in the Revised Version! If
further proof be needed that the "This day have I begotten Thee"
refers to the incarnation of Christ, Luke 2:11 supplies it, "unto you
is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the
Lord"--could so much be said of any but the only-begotten Son of God?
Thus "this day" is here, by an angel's voice expressly referred to the
day of the Savior's birth.
"This day have I begotten Thee." This, then, is another verse which
teaches the virgin-birth of Christ! His humanity was "begotten" by God
the Father. Though the Son of man, He was not begotten by a man.
Because His very humanity was begotten by the Father it was said unto
His mother, "That holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be
called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35).
"And again, I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son"
(verse 5). The opening "and" connects this second quotation with the
first; what follows clearly and conclusively fixes the scope of the
first part of this verse. Here is indubitable proof that the Holy
Spirit is speaking of Christ not according to His essential glory, but
in His mediatorial character, as incarnate. Had the first part of
verse 5 referred to the eternal relationship of the Son of the Father
as practically all of the older (Calvinistic) commentators insist, it
would surely be meaningless to add the quotation which follows, "I
will be" does not take us back into the timeless past! Nor was there
any occasion for the first Person of the Trinity to assure the Second
that He would be "a Father unto Him." Clearly, it is the Father
accepting and owning as His Son the One whom the world had cast out.
"And again, I will be to Him a Father and He shall be to Me a Son."
This second quotation is from 2 Samuel 7:12-17, which forms part of
one of the great Messianic predictions of the Old Testament. Like all
prophecy it had a minor and major scope and receives a partial and
ultimate fulfillment. Its first reference was to Solomon, who, in many
respects, was a remarkable type of the Lord Jesus. But its chief
application was to Christ Himself. That Solomon did not exhaust its
fulfillment is clear enough from the language of verse 13 itself, for,
as Dr. Brown has pointed out, "It refers to a son to be raised up
after David had gone to be with his fathers, whereas Solomon was not
only born but crowned before David's death; and the person to be
raised up, whosoever he is, was to be settled `in God's house and
kingdom,' and his throne was to be `established forevermore',--words
certainly not applicable, in their full extent, to Solomon." Doubtless
none would have argued for an exclusive reference to Solomon had it
not been for the words which follow in 2 Samuel 7:14. But competent
Hebrew scholars tell us that "if he commit iniquity" may fairly be
rendered "whosoever shall commit iniquity" and find their parallel in
Psalm 89:30-33.
"I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son." This was
God's promise concerning the Messiah, David's Son a thousand years
before He appeared on earth. "I will be to Him a Father." I will own
Him as My Son, I will treat Him accordingly. This He did. In death He
would not suffer Him to see corruption. He raised Him from the dead.
He exalted Him to His own right hand. "And He shall be to Me a Son":
He shall act as such. And He did. He ever spake of Him as "Father," He
obeyed Him even unto death. He committed His spirit into His hands.
"And again, when He bringeth in the First-begotten into the world, He
saith, `And let all the angels of God worship Him'" (verse 6). This is
a quotation from Psalm 97:7, which in the Sept. reads, "Worship Him,
all ye His angels." What a proof was this that the Son had been "made
so much better than the angels": so far were these celestial creatures
from approaching the glory of the incarnate Son, they are commanded to
worship Him! But before we enlarge upon this, let us mark attentively
the special character in which Christ is here viewed. Many are His
titles, and none of them is without its distinctive significance. It
is as "First-begotten" or "Firstborn" that the angels are bidden to
render Him homage. As many are far from clear as to the precise value
and meaning of this name, let us look at it the more closely. The
Greek word, "pro-tokokos," is found nine times in the New Testament,
eight of them referring to the Lord Jesus. It is manifestly a title of
great dignity.
This New Testament title of Christ, like many another, has its roots
in the Old Testament. Its force may be clearly perceived in Genesis
49:3, where Jacob says of Reuben, "Thou art my firstborn, my might,
and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the
excellency of power." Thus, the primary thought in it is not
primogeniture, but dignity, honor, dominion. Note in Exodus 4:22, God
calls Israel His "firstborn" because to them belonged the high honor
of being His favored people. In the great Messianic prediction of
Psalm 89, after promising to put down His foes and plague them that
hate Him (verse 23), and after the perfect Servant says "Thou art My
Father, My God, and the Rock of My salvation" (verse 26), the Father
declares, "I will make Him My Firstborn, higher than the kings of the
earth" (verse 27). Clearly, then, this title has no reference whatever
to the eternal origin of His Being, i.e. His "eternal Son-ship," still
less does it intimate His creation in time as Russellites and others
blasphemously affirm; but relates to the high position of honor and
glory which has been conferred upon the Son of man because of His
obedience and suffering.
The first occurrence of this term in the New Testament is in Matthew
1:25, "she brought forth her firstborn Son," and the second is
parallel--Luke 2:7. That Mary had other sons is clear from Matthew
13:55. The Lord Jesus was not only the first in time, but the Chief,
not only among but over them. In Romans 8:29 we read, that God has
predestinated His elect to be conformed to the image of His Son in
order that He might be the Firstborn among many brethren, i.e. their
Chief and most excellent Ruler. In Colossians 1:15, He is designated
the "Firstborn of every creature," which most certainly does not mean
that He was Himself the first to be created, as many today wickedly
teach, for never does Scripture speak of Him as "the Firstborn of
God," but affirms that He is the Head and Lord of every creature. In
Colossians 1:18, He is spoken of as "the Firstborn from the dead,"
which does not signify that He was the first to rise again, but the
One to whom the bodies of His saints shall be conformed--see
Philippians 3:21. In Hebrews 11:28, this term is applied to the flower
and might of Egypt. In Hebrews 12:23, the Church in glory is termed
"the Church of the Firstborn." This title then is synonymous with the
"appointed Heir of all things." It is, however, to be distinguished
from "Only-begotten" in John 1:18, 3:16. This latter is a term of
endearment, as a reference to Hebrews 11:17 shows--Isaac was not
Abraham's only "begotten," for Ishmael was begotten by him too; but
Isaac was his darling: so Christ is God's "Darling"--see Psalm 22:20,
35:17.
"Under the law the `firstborn' had authority over his brethren (cf.
Romans 8:29, A.W.P.), and to them belonged a double portion, as well
as the honor of acting as priests; the firstborn in Israel being holy;
that is to say, consecrated to the Lord. Reuben, forfeiting his right
of primogeniture by his sin, his privileges were divided, so that the
dominion belonging to it was transferred to Judah and the double
portion to Joseph, who had two tribes and two portions in Canaan by
Ephraim and Manasseh (1 Chron. 5:1, 2); while the priesthood and the
right of sacrifice was transferred to Levi. The word `firstborn' also
signifies what surpasses anything as of the same kind, as `the
firstborn of the poor'" (Isa. 14:30); that is to say, the most
miserable of all; and `firstborn of death' (Job 18:13), signifying a
very terrible death, surpassing in grief and violence. The term
`firstborn' is also applied to those who were most beloved, as Ephraim
is called `the firstborn of the Lord' (Jer. 31:9), that is, His `dear
son.' In all these respects the application of `firstborn' belongs to
the Lord Jesus, both as to the superiority of His nature, of His
office, and of His glory" (Robert Haldane).
"And again when He bringeth in the First-begotten into the world,"
etc. Commentators are divided as to the meaning and placing of the
word "again," many contending it should be rendered, "When He shall
bring in again into the habitable earth the Firstborn." There is not a
little to be said in favor of this view. First, the Greek warrants it.
In the second part of verse 5 the translators have observed the order
of the original--"and again, I will be unto Him," etc. But here in
verse 6 they have departed from it--"And again, when He bringeth in"
instead of "when He shall bring in again." Secondly, we know of
nothing in Scripture which intimates that the angels worshipped the
infant Savior. Luke 2:13, 14 refers to them adoring God in heaven, and
not His incarnate Son on earth. But Revelation 5:11-14 shows us all
heaven worshipping the Lamb on the eve of His return to the earth,
when He comes with power and glory. Scriptures which mention the
angels in connection with Christ's second advent are Matthew 13:41;
16:27; 24:31; 25:31; 2 Thessalonians 1:7.
That verse 6 has reference to the second advent of Christ receives
further confirmation in the expression "when He bringeth in the
First-begotten into the world." This language clearly looks back to
Jehovah putting Israel into possession of the land of Canaan, their
promised inheritance. "Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the
mountain of Thine inheritance" (Exo. 15:17). "To drive out the nations
from before thee, greater and mightier than thou art, to bring thee
in, to give thee their land for an inheritance" (Deut. 4:38). In like
manner, when Christ returns to the earth, the Father will say to Him,
"Ask of Me, and I shall give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance,
and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession" (Ps. 2:8).
In addition to what has just been said on "when He bringeth in the
firstborn" into the world we would call attention to what we doubt
not, is a latent contrast here. It is set over against His expulsion
from the world, at His first advent. Men, as it were, drove Him
ignominiously from the world. But He will re-enter it in majesty, in
the manifested power of God. He will be "brought into it" in solemn
pomp, and the same world which before witnessed His reproach, shall
then behold His Divine dominion. Then shall He come, "in the glory of
His Father" (Matt. 16:27), and then shall the angels render gladsome
homage to that One whose honor is the Father's chief delight. Then
shall the word go forth from the Father's lips, "Let all the angels of
God worship Him."
Our minds naturally turn back to the first advent and what is recorded
in Luke 2. But there the angels praised the Sender, not the Sent: God
in the highest was the object of their worship though the moving cause
of it was the lowly Babe. But when Christ comes back to earth it is
the Firstborn Himself who shall be worshipped by them. It was to this
He referred when He said, "When He shall come in His own glory, and in
His Father's and of the holy angels." The "glory of the angels," i.e.
the glory they will bring to Him, namely, their worship of Him. Then
shall be seen "the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son
of man" (John 1:51). May we who have been sought out and saved by Him
"worship" Him now in the time of His rejection.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 5
Christ Superior to Angels.
(Hebrews 1:7-9)
__________________________________________
The verses which are now to be before us continue the passage begun in
our last article. As a distinctive section of the Epistle this second
division commences at 1:4 and runs to the end of the second chapter.
Its theme is the immeasurable superiority of Christ over the angels.
But though the boundaries of this section are clearly defined, yet is
it intimately related to the one that precedes. The first three verses
of chapter one contain a summary of that which is afterwards developed
at length in the Epistle, and, really, Hebrews 1:4-14 is a setting
forth of the proofs for the various affirmations made in verses 2, 3.
First, in verse 2, the One whom the Jewish nation had despised and
rejected is said to be "Son," and in verse 5 we are shown that He
against whom the kings of the earth did set themselves and the rulers
take counsel together, is addressed by Jehovah Himself as "Thou art My
Son." Second, in verse 2 the One who had been crucified by wicked
hands is said to be "the Heir of all things," and in verse 6 proof of
this is given: God affirmed that He is the "Firstborn"--the two titles
being practically synonymous in their force.
Thus is will be seen that the method followed here by the Holy Spirit,
was in moving the apostle to first make seven affirmations concerning
the exalted dignity and dominion of Christ, and then to confirm them
from the Scriptures. The proofs are all drawn from the Old Testament.
From it He proceeds to show that the Messiah was to be a person
superior to the angels. Psalm 2 should have led the Jews to expect
"the Son" and Psalm 97:7 ought to have taught them that the promised
Messiah was to receive the adoration of all the celestial hierarchies.
In verses 5, 6 the Spirit has established the superiority of Christ
both in name and dignity; in the verses which follow He shows the
inferiority of the angels in nature and rank.
"And of the angels He saith, Who maketh His angels spirits" (verse 7).
This is a quotation from Psalm 104, the opening verses of which
ascribe praise unto Jehovah as Creator and Governor of the universe.
Its second and third verses apparently relate to the intermediary
heavens, and the fourth verse to their inhabitants; verse five and
onwards treats of the earth and its earliest history. The fact that
the earth is mentioned right after the angels suggests that they are
there viewed as connected with mundane affairs, as the servants God
employs in regulating its concerns.
The Spirit's purpose in quoting this verse in Hebrews 1 is evident: it
was to point a contrast between the natures of the angels and the Son:
they were "made"--created; He is uncreated. Not only were the angels
created, but they were created by Christ Himself "Who maketh" which
looks back to the last clause of verse 2, "He (The Son) made the
worlds:" it is the making of the worlds that Psalm 104 speaks of.
Moreover, they are here termed not merely "the angels," but "His
angels!" They are but "spirits," He is "God;" they are "His
ministers," He is their Head (Col. 2:10).
"Who maketh His angels spirits." The Hebrew word for "spirits" in
Psalm 104:4 and the Greek word rendered "spirits" in Hebrews 1:7 has
both a primary and secondary meaning, namely, spirits and "winds." It
would seem from the words which follow--"and His ministers a flame of
fire"--that God is not only defining the nature of these celestial
creatures, but is also describing their qualities and activities. Thus
we are inclined to regard the words before us as having a double
force. A threefold reason may be suggested why the angels are likened
unto "winds." First, their power to render themselves invisible. The
wind is one of the very few things in the natural world which is
unseen by the eyes of man; so the angels are one of the very few
classes of God's creatures that are capable of passing beyond the
purview of man's senses. Second, because of their great power. Like as
the wind when commissioned by God, so the angels are able to sweep
everything before them (2 Kings 19:35). Third, because of the rapid
speed at which they travel. If the reader will ponder carefully Daniel
9:21, 23, he will find that during the brief moments the prophet was
engaged in prayer, an angel from the highest heaven reached him here
on earth! Other analogies will be suggested by prayerful meditation.
"And His ministers a flame of fire" (verse 7). Here, as always in
Scripture, "fire" speaks of Divine judgment, and the sentence as a
whole informs us that the angels are the executioners of God's wrath.
A number of passages supply us with solemn illustrations of this fact.
In Genesis 19:13 we read that the two angels said to Lot concerning
Sodom, "We will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen
great before the face of the Lord: and the Lord hath sent us to
destroy it." Referring to God's judgments which fell upon Egypt we are
told, "He cast upon them the fierceness of His anger, wrath and
indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels" (Ps. 78:49), by
which we do not understand fallen angels but "angels of evil," i.e.
angels of judgment--compare the word "evil" in Isaiah 45:7, where it
is contrasted not with "good" but "peace." Again, in Matthew 13:41, 42
we read, "The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall
gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do
iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there shall be
wailing and gnashing of teeth." Does not this passage throw light on
Revelation 20:15?--"And whosoever was not found written in the book of
life was cast into the lake of fire"--by whom, if not the angels, the
executioners of God's wrath!
"And His ministers a flame of fire." Doubtless these words refer also
to the brilliant brightness and terrifying appearance of the angels,
when manifested in their native form to mortal eyes. A number of
scriptures confirm this. Note how when Baalam saw the angel of the
Lord that he "fell flat on his face" (Num. 22:31). Note how it is said
of the angel who rolled back the stone of the Savior's sepulcher that
"his countenance was like lightning," and that "for fear of him the
keepers did shake and become as dead men" (Matt. 28:3, 4). This
accounts for the "fear not" with which angels so frequently addressed
different ones before whom they appeared on an errand of mercy: see
Matthew 28:5; Luke 1:30; 2:10. Note how in proof the angels are "a
flame of fire," we are told that when the angel of the Lord came to
Peter, "a light shined in the prison" (Acts 12:7)! Yea, so resplendent
is an angel's brightness when manifested to men, that the apostle John
fell at the feet of one to worship (Rev. 19:10)--evidently mistaking
him for the Lord Himself, as lie had appeared on the mount of
transfiguration.
"But unto the Son lie saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever"
(verse 8). Here the Holy Spirit quotes from still another Psalm, the
45th, to prove the superiority of Israel's Messiah over the angels.
How blessed and marked is the contrast presented! Here we listen to
the Father addressing His incarnate Son, owning Him as "God." "Unto
the Son He saith," that others might hear and know it. "Thy throne, O
God." How sharp is the antithesis! How immeasurable the gulf which
separates between creature and Creator! The angels are but "spirits,"
the Son is "God." They are but "ministers," His is the "throne." They
are but "a flame of fire," the executioners of judgment, He the One
who commands and commissions them.
"But unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, O God." This supplies us with
one of the most emphatic and unequivocal proofs of the Deity of Christ
to be found in the Scriptures. It is the Father Himself testifying to
the Godhead of Him who was despised and rejected of men. And how
fittingly is this quotation from Psalm 45 introduced at the point it
is in Hebrews 1. In verse 6 we are told that all the angels of God
have received command to "worship" the Mediator, now we are shown the
propriety of them so doing--He is "God!" They must render Divine
honors to Him because of His very nature. Thus we may admire, once
more, the perfect order of Scripture.
"But unto the Son, He saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever."
Difficulty has been experienced by some concerning the identity of the
"throne" here mentioned. It is clear from what precedes and also from
what follows in verse 9.--"Thy God," that the Son is here addressed in
His mediatorial character. But is it not also clear from 1 Corinthians
15:24-28 that there will be a time when His mediatorial kingdom will
come to an end? Certainly not. Whatever the passage in 1 Corinthians
15 may or may not teach, it certainly does not contradict other
portions of God's Word. Again and again the Scriptures affirm the
endlessness of Christ's mediatorial kingdom: see Isaiah 9:7; Daniel
7:13, 14; Luke 1:33; etc. Even on the new earth we read of "The throne
of God and of the Lamb" (Rev. 22:1)!
If then it is not the mediatorial kingdom which Christ shall deliver
up to the Father, what is it? We answer, His Messianic one, His
kingdom on this earth. In Luke 19:12, (the Gospel which,
distinctively, sets forth His perfect humanity) Christ speaks of
Himself as a "Nobleman" going into a far country to "receive for
Himself a kingdom and to return," after which He added, "when He was
returned, having received the kingdom," etc. (verse 15). It is to this
Matthew 25:31 refers, "When the Son of man shall come in His glory,
and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of
His glory." As in the days of His first advent, the second Person of
the Trinity (incarnate) was more dishonored than the Father or the
Spirit, so, following His second advent He shall. for a season, be
more honored than They. Following this, then He shall, still in His
character as "Son of man" (see John 5:27) "execute judgment," i.e., on
His enemies. Then, having put down (by power, not having reconciled by
grace) all opposing forces, He shall "deliver up the kingdom to God"
(1 Cor. 15:24)--observe that it is not "taken from" Him!
That it is not the mediatorial kingdom which Christ shall deliver up
to the Father is clear from 1 Corinthians 15:28, where we are
expressly told "then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him."
As the Godman, the Mediator, He will be officially subservient to the
Father. This should be evident. Throughout eternity the mediation of
Christ will be needed to preserve fellowship between the Creator and
the creature, the Infinite and the finite, hence five times over (the
number of grace) in Holy Writ occur the words, "Thou art a Priest
forever after the order of Melchisedek." But in His essential Being
the Son will not be in subjection to His Father, as is clear from John
17:5.
Thus we trust it has been made clear that whereas the Messianic
kingdom of the Son will be but temporal, His Mediatorial kingdom will
be eternal. His kingdom on this earth will continue only for a limited
time, but His kingdom on the new earth will last forever. Blessed is
it to observe that, even as Mediator, Christ is thus owned by the
Father "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever." How far above the
angels that puts Him!
"A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Thy kingdom" (verse 8).
The apostle is still quoting from the 45th Psalm, and continuing to
advance proofs of the proposition laid down in Hebrews 1:4. There is
no difficulty in perceiving how the sentence here cited contributes to
his argument. The "scepter" is the badge of royalty and the emblem of
authority. An illustration of this is furnished in the book of Esther.
When Ahasuerns would give evidence of his authoritative favor unto
Esther, he held out his scepter to her (see Esther 5:2; 8:4). So here
the "scepter" is the emblem of royal power. "The Son is the King; the
highest dignity belonging to the angels is that they hold the first
rank among His subjects" (Dr. J. Brown). The suffering Savior is now
the supreme Sovereign; the mighty angels are His servants.
"A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Thy kingdom." This is
very blessed. The scepter of Christ's kingdom then is one not merely
of power, arbitrarily exercised, but a "righteous" one. "The Greek
word joined by the apostle to the scepter signifieth rectitude,
straightness, evenness; it is opposed to wickedness, roughness,
unevenness. So doth the Hebrew word also signify; it is fitly applied
to a scepter, which useth to be straight and upright, not crooked, not
inclining this way or that way; so as that which is set out by a
scepter, namely, government, is hereby implied to be right and
upright, just and equal, not partially inclining to either side" (Dr.
Gouge).
Of old the Triune God declared, "He that ruleth over men must be just,
ruling in the fear of God" (2 Sam. 23:3). This has never yet been
perfectly exemplified on earth, but ere long it will be. When the Lord
Jesus shall return to Jerusalem and there establish His throne, He
will order all the affairs of His kingdom with impartial equity,
favoring neither the classes nor the masses. As the Anti-type of
Melchizedek, He will be both "King of righteousness" and "King of
peace" (Heb. 7:2). These are the two qualities which will characterize
His reign. "Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be
no end, upon the throne of David and upon His Kingdom, to order it and
to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even
forever" (Isa. 9:7). Then will be fulfilled that ancient oracle.
"Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a
righteous Branch, and a king shall reign and prosper, and shall
execute judgment and justice in the earth." (Jer. 23:5). The rewards
He will bestow, the judgments He will execute, will be administered
impartially. But let it not be forgotten that this is equally true of
His government even now, though faith alone perceives it; in all
dispensations it remains that "justice and judgment are the habitation
of Thy Throne" (Ps. 89:14).
"Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity" (verse 9). The
past tense of the verbs is to be carefully observed. It is still the
Father addressing His Son, owning on high the moral perfections He had
manifested here upon earth. The reference is to the Lord Jesus in the
days of His humiliation. The words before us furnish a brief but
blessed description both of His character and conduct. First, He loved
righteousness. "Righteousness" signifies the doing of that which is
right. The unerring standard is the revealed will of God. From that
standard the incarnate Son never deviated. As a Boy of twelve He said,
"Wist ye not that I must be about My Father's business?" (Luke 2:49)
perform His pleasure, respond to His wishes. When replying to John's
demur against baptizing Him, He replied, "Suffer it to be so now: for
thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matt. 3:15). When
tempted by the Devil to follow a course of self-will, He answered, "It
is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4). So it was all
through: He "became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross"
(Phil. 2:8).
"Thou hast loved righteousness." This is much more than doing
righteousness. These words reveal to us the spring of all Christ's
actions, even devotedness and affection unto the Father. "I delight to
do Thy will, O God" (Ps. 40:8), was the confession of the perfect One.
"O how love I Thy law! it is My meditation all the day" (Ps. 119:97),
revealed His attitude toward the precepts and commandments of Holy
Writ. Herein we perceive His uniqueness. How often our obedience is a
reluctant one! How often God's will crosses ours; and when our
response is an obedient one, frequently it is joyless and unwilling.
Different far was it with the Lord Jesus. He not only performed
righteousness, but "loved" it. He could say, "Thy law is within My
heart!" (Ps. 40:8)--the seat of the affections. When a sinful creature
is said to have God's law in his heart it is because He has written it
there (see Hebrews 8:10).
Because He loved righteousness, Christ "hated iniquity." The two
things are inseparable: the one cannot exist without the other (Amos
5:15). Where there is true love for God, there is also abhorrence of
sin. Illustrations of the Savior's hatred of iniquity are found in His
action at the close of the Temptation and in His cleansing of the
Temple. Observe how, after meeting the vile solicitations of the Devil
with the repeated "it is written," He, with holy abhorrence said, "Get
thee hence, Satan" (Matt. 4:10). See Him, as the Vindicator of His
Father's house, driving before Him its profane traffickers and crying,
"Make not My Father's house an house of merchandise" (John 2:16). What
must it have meant for One who thus loved righteousness and hated
iniquity to tabernacle for thirty-three years in such a world as this!
And what must it have meant for such an One to be "numbered with the
transgressors" and "made sin" for His people!
"Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity." This is true of
Him still, for He changes not. "He that hath My commandments, he it is
that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and
I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him" (John 14:21). So He
still "hates": "So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the
Nicolaitans which thing I hate" (Rev. 2:15). To what extent do these
two things characterize you and me, dear reader? To the extent that we
are really walking with Christ: no more, no less. The more we enjoy
fellowship with Him, the more we are conformed to His image, the more
shall we love the things He loves, and hate the things He hates.
"Therefore, God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness"
(verse 9). The Spirit is still quoting from the 45th Psalm. The
enemies of God's truth would discover here a "flat contradiction." In
verse 8 the One spoken to is hailed as "God," on the throne. But here
in verse 9 He is addressed as an inferior, "Thy God hath anointed
Thee." How could the same person be both supreme and subordinate? If
He Himself had a God, how could He at the same time be God? No wonder
Divine things are "foolishness to the natural man!" Yet is the enigma
easily explained, the seeming contradiction readily harmonized. The
Mediator was, in His own person, both Creator and creature, God and
man. Once we see it is as Mediator, as the God-man, that Christ is
here spoken to, all difficulty vanishes. It is this which supplies the
key to the whole passage. Much in Hebrews 1 cannot be understood
unless it be seen that the Holy Spirit is there speaking not of the
essential glories of Christ, but of His mediatorial dignities and
honors.
"Therefore, God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee." Concerning this Dr.
Gouge has well said, "Christ is God-man, God may be said to be His God
three ways: 1. As Christ's human nature was created of God, and
preserved by Him like other creatures. 2. As Christ is mediator, he is
deputed and sent of God (John 3:34), and he subjected himself to God
and set himself to do the will of God, and such works as God appointed
him to do (John 4:34; 9:4). In these respects also God is his God. 3.
As Christ, God-man, was given by God to be a head to a mystical body,
which is the church (Ephesians 1:22, 23); God, therefore, entered into
covenant with him in the behalf of that body (Isa. 42:6; 49:8). Thus
he is called the messenger (Malachi 3:1) and the mediator of the
covenant (Heb. 8:6). Now, God is in an especial manner their God, with
whom he doth enter into covenant; as he said unto Abraham, `I will
establish my covenant between me and thee,' etc., `to be a God unto
thee' (Gen. 17:7). As God made a covenant with Abraham and his seed,
so also with Christ and His seed, which are all the elect of God. This
is the `seed' mentioned in Isaiah 53:10. So by special relation
between God and Christ, God is his God in covenant with him. God also
is, in especial manner, the God of the elect through Christ."
"Therefore, God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee." While here on earth the
Mediator owned that God was His God. He lived by His Word, He was
subject to His will, He was entirely dependent on Him. "I will put My
trust in Him" was His avowal (Heb. 2:13); yea, did He not declare, "I
was cast upon Thee from the womb: Thou art My God from My mother's
belly" (Ps. 22:10)! Many similar utterances of His are recorded in the
Psalms. On the cross He owned His subjection, crying, "My God, why
hast Thou forsaken Me?" Even after His resurrection we hear Him
saying, "I ascend unto My Father and to your Father; and My God, and
your God" (John 20:17). So now, though seated at the right hand of the
Majesty on high, He is there making "intercession." So when He returns
to this earth in glory, He will "ask" for the inheritance (Ps. 2:8).
How this brings out the truth of His humanity, real Man, though true
God. Mysterious, wondrous, blessed Person; upholding all things by the
Word of His own power, yet in the place of intercession; Himself the
"Mighty God" (Isa. 9:6), yet owning God as His God!
"Thy God hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness." There is a
plain reference here to the ancient method, instituted by God, whereby
the kings of Israel were established in their office. Their coronation
was denoted by the pouring of oil upon their heads: see 1 Samuel 10:1;
16:13; 1 Kings 1:39, etc. It was in allusion to this the kings were
styled "anointed" (2 Sam. 19:21) and "the anointed of the Lord" (Lam.
4:20). "The apostle and Psalmist are both speaking of the Messiah as a
prince, and their sentiment is `God, even Thy God, hath raised Thee to
a kingdom far more replete with enjoyment than that ever conferred on
any other ruler. He has given Thee a kingdom which, for extent and
duration, and multitude and magnitude of blessings as far exceeds any
kingdom ever bestowed on man or angels as the heaven is above the
earth'" (J. Brown).
Though we are assured that this anointing of Christ with the "oil of
gladness" (following the mention of His "scepter" and "kingdom" in
verse 8) is a reference to His investiture on High with royal
honors--the "blessing of the Lord" which the King of glory received at
the time of His ascension (Ps. 24:5, and note carefully the whole
Psalm)--yet we do not think this exhausts its scope. In addition, we
believe there is also a reference to His being honored as our great
High Priest, for it is written, "He shall be a Priest upon His throne"
(Zech. 6:13). Thus there is also a manifest allusion in our verse to
what is recorded in Psalm 133. There we read. "Behold, how good and
how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like
the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard,
Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments--cf.
Exodus 30:25, 30. This is most precious, though its beauty is rarely
perceived. How few see in these verses of Psalm 133 anything more than
a word expressing the desirability and blessedness of saints on earth
dwelling together in concord. But is this all the Psalm teaches? We
trow not. What then is the analogy pointed between what is said in
verse 1 and verse 2? What is the meaning of "how good and how pleasant
it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. It is like the precious
ointment upon the head," etc?
What resemblance is there between brethren dwelling together in unity
and the precious anointing-ointment which ran down from Aaron's head
to the skirts of his garments? It seems strange that so many should
have missed this point. As the high priest of Israel, Aaron
foreshadowed our great High Priest. The anointing of his "head"
prefigured the anointing of our exalted Head. The running down of the
fragrant unguent even to the skirts of Aaron's garments, adumbrated
the glorious fact that those who are members of the body of Christ
partake of His sweet savor before God. The analogy drawn in Psalm 133
is obvious: the dwelling together of brethren in unity is "good and
pleasant" not simply for the mere sake of preserving peace among them,
but because it illustrates the spiritual and mystical union existing
between Christ and His people. Our dwelling together in unity is "good
and pleasant" not only, nor primarily, for our own well-being, but
because it gives an outward manifestation, a concrete example of that
invisible and Divine oneness which exists between the Head and the
members of His body.
"Anointed Thee with the oil of gladness." As ever in the Old
Testament, the "oil" was an emblem of the Spirit, and the anointing
both of Aaron and of David were typifications of the enduement of
Christ with the Holy Spirit. But the reference here is not (as some of
the commentators suppose) to the coming of the Spirit upon Christ at
the time of His baptism. This should be apparent from the structure of
verse 9. The words "Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity"
look back to the earthly life of the Lord Jesus, as the past tense of
the verbs intimate; the "therefore, God, even Thy God, hath anointed
Thee," shows that this was the reward for His perfect work, the
honoring of the humbled One. It is closely parallel with what we are
told in Acts 2:36, "God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have
crucified, both Lord and Christ;" and Acts 5:31, "Him hath God exalted
with His right hand to be a Prince and a Savior."
"Anointed Thee with the oil of gladness" refers, we believe, to the
Holy Spirit's being made officially subordinate to the Mediator. Just
as the incarnate Son was subject to the Father, so is the Spirit now
subject to Christ. Just as the Savior when here glorified not Himself,
but the Father, so the Spirit is here to glorify Christ (John 16:14).
There are several scriptures which plainly teach the present official
subordination of the Spirit to Christ: "But when the Comforter is
come, whom I will send unto you from the Father" (John 15:26). That
which took place on the day of Pentecost manifested the same fact: as
His forerunner announced, "I indeed baptize with water, but He
(Christ) shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit" (Mark 1:8). In
Revelation 3:1 the Lord Jesus is referred to as "He that hath the
seven Spirits of God," i.e. the Holy Spirit in the fullness of His
perfections and the plentitude of His operations; "hath" to minister
the Spirit unto His people. It is further proof that the suffering
Savior has been exalted to the place of supreme Sovereignty.
"Above Thy fellows." Opinion is divided among the commentators as to
whether the reference be to angels or to Christians. Both the Hebrew
word in Psalm 45:7 and the Greek word here signify "such as partake of
one and the same condition." If it be borne in mind that the Holy
Spirit is speaking here of Christ in His Mediatorial character, we are
less likely to be stumbled by the thought of angels being termed His
"fellows."
"They are styled His fellows in regard of that low degree whereunto
the Son of God, Creator of all things, humbled Himself by assuming a
creature nature; so that as He was a creature (Man), angels are His
fellows" (Dr. Gouge). Nor must we overlook the fact that the chief
design of the whole of this passage is to evidence the Mediator's
superiority over the angels.
As already pointed out, the central thought of verse 9 is the
investiture of Christ with royal honors, following right after the
mention of His "scepter" and "kingdom" in verse 8. Angels are also
rulers; great powers are delegated to them; much of the administration
of God's government is committed into their hands. But the Man Christ
Jesus has been exalted high above them in this respect too. A close
parallel is found in Colossians 1:18, where it is said of the Lord
Jesus, "that in all things He might have the pre-eminence." It is
Important to note that in the immediate context there, angels are
mentioned in connection with "thrones, dominions, principalities and
powers" (verse 16)! But Christ has been given a "scepter" and royal
honors which exalt Him high above them all.
But what has been said above does not exhaust the scope of these
closing words of Hebrews 1:9. As is so often the case in Scripture
(evidencing the exhaustless fullness of its words) there is at least a
double reference in the term "fellows:" first to the angels, second to
Christians--thus supplying a link with verse 14, where the "heirs of
salvation" are more directly in view. That the term "fellows" applies
also to believers is clear from Hebrews 3:14 where "metochos" is
specifically used of them: "For we are made partakers (fellows) of
Christ," if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the
end.
Though the wondrous grace of God has so united His people to His
beloved Son that "he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit" (1
Cor. 6:17), yet we must carefully bear in mind that He is "the
Firstborn (Chief) among many brethren" (Rom. 8:29). Though members of
His body, He is nevertheless the Head. Though joint-heirs with Him, He
is our Lord! So, too, though Christians have been "anointed" with the
Spirit (1 John 2:20, 27), yet our blessed Redeemer has been "anointed
with the oil of gladness above His fellows." The Spirit is now subject
to His administration; not so to ours. Christ is the one who is
"glorified," the Spirit is the Agent, we the vessels through which He
works. Thus in all things Christ has "the pre-eminence."
It is indeed striking to see how much was included in the ancient
oracle concerning the Messiah which the Spirit here quoted from Psalm
45. Let us attempt to summarize the content of that remarkable
prophecy. First, it establishes His Deity, for the Father Himself owns
Him as "God." Second, it shows us the exalted position He now
occupies: He is on the throne, and there for ever. Third, it makes
mention of His Kingship, the royal "scepter" being wielded by Him.
Fourth, it tells of the impartiality of His government and the
excellency of His rule: His scepter is a "righteous" one. Fifth, it
takes us back to the days of His flesh and makes known the perfections
of His character and conduct here on earth: He "loved righteousness
and hated iniquity." Sixth, it reveals the place which He took when He
made Himself of no reputation, as Man in subjection to God: "Thy God."
Seventh, it announces the reward He received for such condescension
and grace: "Therefore . . . God hath anointed Thee." Eighth, it
affirms He has the pre-eminence in all things, for He has been
anointed with the oil of gladness "above His fellows." May the Spirit
of God stir us up to search more prayerfully and diligently the volume
of that Book in which it is written of Him.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 6
Christ Superior to Angels.
(Hebrews 1:10-13)
__________________________________________
The closing verses of Hebrews 1 present a striking climax to the
apostle's argument. They contain the most touching and also the most
thrilling references to be found in this wondrous chapter. In it the
Holy Spirit completes His proof for the superiority of the Mediator
over the angels, proof which was all drawn from Israel's own
Scriptures. Five times He had cited passages from the Old Testament
which set forth the exalted dignities and glories of the Messiah. A
sixth and a seventh is now quoted from the 102nd and the 110th Psalms,
to show that He who had passed through such unparalleled humiliation
and suffering, had been greeted and treated by God as One who was
worthy of supremest honor and reward. The details of this will come
before us in the course of our exposition.
It is very striking to observe how that the character of these seven
quotations made by the Holy Spirit from the Old Testament agree
perfectly with the numerical position of each of them. One is the
number of supremacy: see Zechariah 14:9--there will be none other in
that day to dispute the Lord's rule for Satan will be in the Pit. So
the first quotation in Hebrews 1 brings out the supremacy of Christ
over the angels as "Son" (verse 5). Two is the number of witness: see
Revelation 11:3, etc. So the force of the second quotation in Hebrews
1 is the unique relation of the Son to the Father borne witness to.
Three is the number of manifestation, and in the third quotation we
see the superiority of the Mediator manifested by the angels
"worshipping" Him (verse 6). Four is the number of the creature, and
in the fourth quotation the Holy Spirit significantly turns from
Christ, who is more than creature, and dwells upon the inferiority of
the angels (verse 7) who are "made." Five is the number of grace, and
the fifth quotation brings before us the "throne" of the Savior (verse
8), which is "the throne of Grace" (Heb. 4:16). Six is the number of
man, and the sixth quotation (verses 10-12) contains God's response to
the plaint of the Son of Man's being taken away "in the midst of His
days." Seven is the number of completion and of rest after a finished
work: see Genesis 2:3; and so the seventh quotation views Christ as
now seated at God's right hand (verse 13), as the reward of His
finished work. How perfect is every detail of Holy Writ!
The final verse of Hebrews 1 furnishes the fullest demonstration of
the superiority of Christianity over Judaism and the exaltation of
Christ above the celestial hierarchies. So far are the angels below
the Savior, they are sent forth by Him to minister unto His people.
The fact of this ministry, as well as the nature and value of it, are
known to but few today. The subject is a most interesting as well as
important one, and will well repay much fuller study than our limited
space here permits us to indulge in. May the bare outline we attempt
stimulate our readers to fill it in for themselves.
"And Thou, Lord, in the beginning, hast laid the foundation of the
earth" (verse 10). The opening "and" shows that the apostle is
continuing to advance proof of the proposition laid down in verse 4.
This proof of Christ's excellency is taken from a work peculiar to
God, creation. The argument is based upon a Divine testimony found in
the Old Testament. The argument may be stated thus: The Creator is
more excellent than creatures; Christ is the Creator, angels are
creatures; therefore Christ is more excellent than angels. That Christ
is Creator is here proved; that angels are creatures, has been shown
in verse 7. This verse also completes the answer to a question which
verse 4 may have raised in the minds of some, namely, what is the
"more excellent name" which the Mediator has obtained? The reply is
"Son" (verse 5), "God" (verse 8), "Lord" (verse 10).
"And Thou, Lord, in the beginning, hast laid the foundation of the
earth." The Psalm from which this is quoted is a truly wondrous one;
in some respects it is, perhaps, the most remarkable of the whole
series. It lays bare before us the Savior's very soul. Few, if any, of
us would have thought of applying it to Christ, or even dared to, had
not the Spirit of God done so here in Hebrews 1. This Psalm brings
before us the true and perfect humanity of Christ, and depicts Him as
the despised and rejected One. It reveals Him as One who felt, and
felt deeply, the experiences through which He passed. It might well be
termed the Psalm of the Man of Sorrows. In it He is seen opening His
heart and pouring out His grief before God. We lose much if we fail to
attend carefully to the context of that portion which the Spirit here
quotes. Let us go back to its opening verses:
"Hear My prayer, O Lord, and let My cry come unto Thee. Hide not Thy
face from Me, in the day when I am in trouble; incline Thine ear unto
Me: in the day when I call answer Me speedily. For My days are
consumed like smoke, and My bones are burned as an hearth. My heart is
smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat My bread. By
reason of the voice of My groaning My bones cleave to my skin. I am
like a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl of the desert. I
watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the housetop, Mine enemies
reproach Me all the day, and they that are mad against Me are sworn
against Me. For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled My drink
with weeping. Because of Thine indignation and Thy wrath: for Thou
hast lifted Me up, and cast Me down. My days are like a shadow that
declineth; and I am withered like grass" (verses 1-11).
The above quotation is a longer one than we are accustomed to make,
but it seemed impossible to abbreviate without losing its pathos and
its moving effects upon us. There we are permitted to behold something
of the Savior's "travail of soul." How it should bow our hearts before
Him! These plaintive sentences were uttered by our blessed Redeemer
either amid the dark shadows of Gethsemane, or under the more awful
darkness of Calvary. But notwithstanding His awful anguish, mark the
perfect confidence in God of this suffering One:
"But Thou, O Lord, shalt endure forever, and Thy remembrance unto all
generations. Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion: for the time
to favor her, yea, the set time, is come. For Thy servants take
pleasure in her stones, and favor the dust thereof. So the heathen
shall fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth Thy
glory. When the Lord shall build up Zion, He shall appear in His
glory. He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise
their prayer. This shall be written for the generation to come: and
the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord. For He hath
looked down from the height of His sanctuary; from heaven did the Lord
behold the earth; to hear the groaning of the prisoner, to loose those
that are appointed to death; to declare the name of the Lord in Zion
and His praise in Jerusalem; when the people are gathered together,
and the kingdoms to serve the Lord" (verses 12-22). Blessed is it to
behold here the Savior looking away from the things seen to the things
unseen: from the dark present to the bright future.
"He weakened My strength in the way; He shortened My days. I said O My
God, take Me not away in the midst of My days" (verses 23, 24). Here
again we are permitted to hear the "strong crying" (verse 7) of Him
who was "acquainted with grief" as none other ever was. Few things
recorded in the Word are more affecting than this: that the Lord
Jesus, the perfect Man, should, at the age of thirty-three, be deemed
by men as unfit to live any longer. He had hardly entered upon man's
estate when they crucified Him. Do you think that was nothing to
Christ? Ah, brethren, He felt it deeply. Who can doubt it in the light
of this awful plaint: "He weakened My strength in the way; He
shortened My days. I said, O My God, take Me not away in the midst of
My days." As Man He felt acutely this "cutting off" in His very prime.
Those words of the Savior make manifest what He suffered in His soul.
He was perfect Man, with all the sinless sensibilities of human
nature. A very touching type of Christ's being cut off in the early
prime of manhood is found in Leviticus 2:14. Each grade of the
meal-offering described in Leviticus 2 pointed to the humanity of the
Redeemer. Here in verse 14 Israel was bidden to take "green ears of
corn dried by the fire" and offer it to the Lord as an offering. The
"green ears of corn" (compare John 12:24 where Christ speaks of
Himself under this figure) had not fully ripened, and so, were "dried
by the fire"--symbol of being subjected to God's judgment. So it was
with Christ. Man's sickle went over the field of corn and He was "cut
off" in the midst of His days: when He was barely half of the "three
score years and ten" (Ps. 90:10).
And what was Heaven's response to this anguished cry of the Savior?
The remainder of the Psalm records God's answer: "Thy years are
throughout all generations. Of old hast Thou laid the foundation of
the earth. And the heavens are the work of Thy hands. They shall
perish, but Thou shalt endure, yea, all of them shall wax old like a
garment; as a vesture shalt Thou change them, and they shall be
changed: But Thou art the same, and Thy years shall have no end"
(verses 24-27).
"How marvelous is this! How incomprehensible this union of divine and
human, of eternity and time, sadness and omnipotence! Do not wonder
that such language of anguish, faintness and sorrow, of agonizing
faith, is attributed by the Holy Spirit to Jesus. Remember the life of
Jesus was a life of faith, a real, true, and earnest conflict; and
that, although He constantly took firm hold of the promises of God,
yet His feelings of sorrow, His sense of utter dependence on God, His
anxious looking forward to His last suffering, all this was a reality.
He gained the victory by faith; He knew that He was, through
suffering, returning to the Father. He knew that as Son of Man and
Redeemer of His people He would be glorified with the glory which He
had with the Father before the foundations of the world were laid"
(Saphir).
Let us examine closely the blessed reply of the Father to the
plaintive petition of His suffering Son. "And, Thou, Lord." Before His
incarnation, David, by the Spirit, called Him "Lord" (Matt. 22:43). At
His birth, the angels who brought the first glad tidings of His advent
to this earth, hailed Him as "Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11). During His
earthly ministry the disciples owned Him as "Lord" (John 13:13). So,
too, is He often referred to in the Epistles (Rom. 1:3, etc.). But
here, it is none other than the Father Himself who directly addresses
as "Lord" that suffering Man, as He lay on His face in the Garden,
sweating as it were great drops of blood. Thus may, and thus should,
every believer also say of Him, "My Lord, and my God" (John 20:28),
and worship Him as such.
"Thou, Lord, in the beginning." This phrase sets forth the eternity of
the being of Him who became the Mediator. If Christ "in the beginning"
laid the foundation of the earth, then He must be without beginning,
and thus, eternal; compare (Pro. 8:22, 23).
"Hast laid the foundation of the earth." We have been deeply impressed
with the fact that God has some good reason for referring in His Word
to "the foundation" and "foundations" of the earth or world more than
twenty-five times. We believe it is to safeguard His people from the
popular delusion of the day, namely, that the earth revolves on its
axis, and that the heavenly bodies are stationary, only appearing to
our sight to move, as the banks and trees seem to be doing to one
seated in a rowing-boat or sailing ship. This theory was first
advanced (so far as the writer is aware) by Grecian heathen
philosophers, echoed by Copernicus in the fifteenth century, and
re-echoed by science "falsely so called" (see 1 Timothy 6:20) today.
Alas, that so many of God's servants and people have accepted it. Such
a conceit cannot be harmonized with "a foundation" so often predicated
of the earth; which, necessarily, implies its fixity! Nor can such a
theory be squared with the repeated statements of Holy Writ that the
"sun moves" (Joshua 10:12), etc. The writer is well aware that this
paragraph may evoke a pitying smile from some. But that will not move
him. Let God be true and every man a liar. We are content to believe
what He has said. Paul was willing to be a fool for Christ's sake (1
Cor. 4:10), and we are willing to be thought a fool for the
Scripture's sake.
"And the heavens are the work of Thine hand" (verse 10). This seems to
bring in an additional thought. In the preceding clause creation is
ascribed to Christ; here the greatness of His power. The heavens being
of so far vaster dimensions than the earth, suggests the omnipotency
of their Maker.
"They shall perish, but Thou remainest" (verse 11). This verse makes
mention of still another perfection of Christ, namely, His
immutability. The earth and the heavens shall perish. The apostle
John, in prophetic vision, saw "a new heaven and a new earth, for the
first heaven and the first earth were passed away" (Rev. 21:1). But
Christ "remaineth." He is "the same yesterday, and today, and
forever."
"And they all shall wax old as doth a garment, and as a vesture shalt
Thou fold them up, and they shall be changed" (verses 11:12). This
emphasizes the mutability of the creature. Two resemblances are
employed: first the earth may be said to "wax old as doth a garment"
in that it is not to last forever, but is appointed to an end: see 2
Peter 3:10. The longer, therefore, it has continued, the nearer it
approaches to that end; as a garment, the longer it is worn, the
nearer it is to its end. May not the increasing number of earthquakes
evidence that "old age" is fast coming upon it? Second, the heavens
may be said to be "folded up as a vesture," inasmuch as Scripture
declares "the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll" (Isa.
34:4).
"Thou shall fold them up." This intimates Christ's absolute control
over all creation. He that made all hath an absolute power to
preserve, alter, and destroy all, as it pleaseth Him. He is the
Potter, we are but the clay, to be molded as He will. Our Lord Jesus
Christ, being true God, is the Most High and supreme Sovereign over
all, and He doeth all "that man may know that Thou, whose name is
Jehovah, art the Most High over all the earth" (Ps. 83:18). "By the
word of the Lord were the heavens made" (Ps. 33:6); by the same word
shall they be folded up. The practical value of this for our hearts is
plain; such a Lord may be safely trusted; such a Lord should be
revered and worshipped. In what holy awe should He be held!
"But Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail" (verse 12). "The
mutability of creatures being distinctly set out, the apostle
returneth to the main point intended, which is Christ's immutability.
It was before generally set down in the phrase, `Thou remaineth.' Here
it is illustrated in two other branches. Though all these three
phrases in general intend one and the same thing, namely,
immutability, yet, to show that there is no tautology, no vain
repetition, of one and the same thing, they may be distinguished one
from another:
"`Thou remaineth,' pointeth at Christ's eternity before all times; for
it implieth his being before, in which he still abides. `Thou art the
same' declares Christ's constancy. There is no variableness with him;
thus, therefore, he says of himself, `I am the Lord, I change not'
(Malachi 3:6). `Thy years shall not fail' intendeth Christ's
everlastingness; that he was before all times, and continueth in all
ages, and will beyond all times so continue" (Dr. Gouge).
"But Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail." This was God's
answer to the plaint of Christ's being "cut off" in the midst of His
days. As man, His "years" should have no end! As God the Son He is
eternal in His being; but as Man, in resurrection, He received "life
for evermore" (cf. Hebrews 7:14-17). Do we really grasp this? For
nineteen hundred years since the Cross, men have been born, have
lived, and then died. Statesmen, emperors, kings have appeared on the
scene and then passed away. But there is one glorious Man who spans
the centuries, who in His own humanity bridges those nineteen hundred
years. He has not died, nor even grown old; He is "the same yesterday,
and today, and forever!"
"But Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail." What assurance
was this for the believing of Israel who had been sorely perplexed at
the "cutting off" of the Messiah, in the midst of His days! Humbled as
He had been, yet was He the Creator. In servant form had He appeared
among them, but He was and is the sovereign Disposer of all things.
Died he had on the cross, but He was now "alive for evermore." Their
own Scriptures bore witness to it: God Himself affirmed it!
And what is the practical application of this wondrous passage for us
today! Surely this: first, such a Savior, who is none other than Him
who made heaven and earth, is a mighty Redeemer, "Able also to save
them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him." Second, such an One,
who is immutable and eternal, may be safely and confidently trusted;
none can pluck out of His hand! Third, such an One, who is "Lord" over
all, is to be held in holy awe and given the worship, submission, and
service which are His due.
"But to which of the angels said He at any time, Sit on My right hand
until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool?" (verse 13). This completes
the proof of what the apostle had said in verses 2, 3. The Old
Testament itself witnessed to the fact that the rejected Messiah is
now seated at God's right hand, and this by the word of the Father
Himself. The quotation is from the 110th Psalm, a Psalm quoted more
frequently in the New Testament than any other.
Verses 13 and 14 belong together. In them another contrast is pointed
between Christ and the angels. As an argument it may be stated thus:
He that sitteth at God's right hand is far more excellent than
ministers: Christ sitteth at God's right hand, and angels are
"ministers;" therefore, Christ is far more excellent than they. The
former part is proved in verse 13, the latter is shown in verse 14.
As D.V. the subject of verse 13 will come before us again in our
studies in this Epistle, we will now offer only the briefest comment.
The Speaker here is the Father; the One addressed is the Son, but in
His mediatorial character, for it was as the Son of Man that God
exalted Him. Further proof of this is supplied by "until I make Thine
enemies Thy footstool." As mediatorial King and Priest, Christ is
subservient to the Father; He is subject to Him who has "put all
things under Him;' (1 Cor. 15:27).
"Until I make." Christ is not to sit at God's right hand forever. 1
Thessalonians 4:16 says, "The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout," etc. He remains there throughout this present Day of
Grace. Then, following a brief interval, His enemies shall be made His
footstool. This will be at His return to the earth: see Revelation
19:11-21; Isaiah 63:1-3, etc. Then Christ Himself will subdue His
enemies: note the "He" in 1 Corinthians 15:25; but it will be by the
Father's decree, see Psalm 2:6-9.
"Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them
who shall be heirs of salvation?" (verse 14). This verse presents a
fact which should awaken in every Christian varied and deep emotions.
Alas that, through lack of diligence in searching the Word, so many of
the Lord's people are largely in ignorance of much that is said
therein, and here referred to.
It should awaken within us a sense of wonderment. The angels are
portrayed as our attendants! When we remember who and what they
are--their exalted rank in the scale of being, their sinlessness,
their wondrous capacities, knowledge and powers--it is surely an
astonishing thing to learn that they should minister unto us. Think of
it, the unfallen angels waiting upon the fallen descendants of Adam!
The courtiers of Heaven ministering to worms of the earth! The mighty
angels, who "excel in strength," taking notice of and serving those so
far beneath them! Could you imagine the princes of the royal family
seeking out dwellers in the slums and ministering to them, not once or
occasionally, but constantly? But the analogy, altogether fails. The
angels of God are sent forth to minister unto redeemed sinners! Marvel
at it.
It should awaken within us fervent praise to God. What an evidence of
His grace, what a proof of His love that He sends forth His angels to
"minister" unto us! This is another of the wondrous provisions of His
mercy, which none of us begin to appreciate as we should. It is
another of the blessed consequences of our union with Christ. In
Matthew 4:11 we read, "angels came and ministered unto Him."
Therefore, because Divine grace has made us one with Him, they do so
to us too. What a proof is this of our oneness with Him! Angels of God
are sent forth to minister unto redeemed sinners! Bow in worship and
praise.
It should deepen within us a sense of security. True, it may be
abused, but rightly appropriated, how it is calculated to quiet our
fears, counteract our sense of feebleness, calm our hearts in time of
danger! Is it not written, "The angel of the Lord encampeth round
about them that fear Him, and delivereth them;" then why be afraid? We
doubt not that every Christian has been "delivered" many more times
from the jaws of death by angelic interposition, than any of us
imagine. The angels of God are sent forth to minister unto redeemed
sinners. Then let the realization of this deepen within us a sense of
the Lord's protecting care for entrusting us to His mighty angels.
"Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them
who shall be the heirs of salvation?" (verse 14). Three things are to
be considered: those to whom the angels minister, why they thus
minister and the form their ministry takes.
Those to whom the angels minister are here termed "heirs of
salvation," an expression denoting at least four things. There is an
Estate unto which God has predestined His people, an
inheritance--willed to them by God. This Estate is designated
"salvation," see 1 Thessalonians 5:9, where our appointment unto it is
mentioned. It is the consummation of our salvation which is in view,
Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 1:3,4. Well may this estate or inheritance be
called "Salvation," for those who enter it are forever delivered from
all danger, freed from all enemies, secured from all evils. This
expression "heirs of salvation" also denotes our legal rights to the
inheritance: our title is an indefeasable one. Further, it presupposes
the coming in of death, Christ's death. Finally, it implies the
perpetuity of it--"to him and his heirs forever."
It is to these "heirs of salvation" that the angels minister. To
enable us the better to grasp the relation of angels to Christians,
let us employ an illustration. Take the present household of the Duke
of York. In it are many servants, honored, trusted, loved. There are
titled "ladies" and "lords" of the realm, yet they are serving,
"ministering," to the infant Princess Elizabeth. At present, she is
inferior to them in age, strength, wisdom and attainments; yet is she
superior in rank and station. She is of the royal stock, a princess,
possibly heir to the throne. In like manner, the heirs of salvation
are now in the stage of their infancy; they are but babes in Christ;
this is the period of their minority. The angels far excel us in
strength, wisdom, attainments; yet are they our servants, they
"minister" unto us. Why? Because we are high above them in birth,
rank, station. We are children of God, we are joint-heirs with Christ,
we have been redeemed with royal blood, yea, we have been made "kings
and priests unto God" (Rev. 1:6). O how wonderful is our rank--members
of the Royal family of Heaven, therefore are we "ministered" unto by
the holy angels. What a calling is ours! What provision has Divine
love made for us!
Let us now inquire, Why do they thus "minister" unto us? For what
reason or reasons has God ordained that the angels should be our
attendants? All His ways are ordered by perfect wisdom. Let us then
reverently inquire as to His purpose in this arrangement.
First, is it not to exercise the graces of obedience and benevolence
in the angels themselves? Such a task being assigned them constitutes
a real test of their fidelity to their Maker. They are bidden to leave
the glories of Heaven and come down to this poor sin-cursed earth;
yes, oftentimes to seek out children of God in hovels and workhouses.
What a test of their loyalty to God! Not only so, but what an
opportunity is thus afforded for the exercise in them of the spirit of
benevolence! As the frail and suffering children of God, how their
sympathies must be drawn out. There are no such objects in Heaven,
there is no distress or suffering there; and me-thinks, that were the
angels to be confined to that realm of unclouded bliss, they would be
stoics--unable to sympathize with us poor afflicted creatures.
Therefore, to cultivate both the spirit of obedience and of
benevolence, God has commissioned them to "minister for them who shall
be heirs of salvation."
Second, has not God assigned to them this ministry in order to give
them a closer acquaintance with His own wondrous grace and matchless
love for poor sinners? The angels are not simply far-distant
spectators of the out-working of God's wondrous purpose of mercy, but
have been made, in part, the actual administrators of it! Thus, by
virtue of this commission which they have received from Him, they
learn in a practical way how much He cares for us.
Third, has not God assigned to them this ministry in order that there
might be a closer bond between the different sections of His family?
That word in Ephesians 3:15, refers, we believe, not only to the
redeemed of Christ, but to all of Heaven's inhabitants--"of whom the
whole family in heaven and earth is named." Yes, the angels are
members of God's "family" too. Note how in Hebrews 12:22, 23 the two
great sections of it are placed side by side: "to an innumerable
company of angels, to the general assembly and Church of the
Firstborn." Thus, the angels are commissioned to minister for those
who shall be heirs of salvation in order that there may be formed a
closer bond of intercourse and sympathy between the two great sections
of God's family.
Fourth, has not God assigned them this ministry in order to magnify
the work of the Lord Jesus? The angels are not only subject to Christ
as their Lord, are not only called on to worship Him as God, but they
are also employed in watching over the safety and promoting the
temporal interests of His redeemed. No doubt this fourth named reason
is both the primary and ultimate one. How this magnifies the Savior!
Commissioning them to "minister for those who shall be heirs of
salvation" is God's putting His imprimature upon the cross-work of
Christ.
Let us now consider how the angels "minister" to us. First, in
protecting from temporal dangers. A striking example of this is found
in 2 Kings 6:15-17. Elisha and his servant were menaced by the king of
Syria. His forces were sent out to capture them. An host compassed the
city where they were. The servant was terrified; then the prophet
prayed unto the Lord to open his eyes, "and the Lord opened the eyes
of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of
horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha," which, in the light
of Psalm 68:17 and Hebrews 1:7, we know were the protecting angels of
God. In the sequel we learn that the enemy was smitten with blindness,
and thus the servants of God escaped. This was a concrete illustration
of Psalm 34:7, "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that
fear Him, and delivereth them."
Second, in delivering from temporal dangers. A case in point is that
which is recorded of Lot: "And when the morning arose, then the angels
hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife and thy two daughters which
are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. And while
he fingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his
wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful
unto him, and they brought him forth, and set him without the city."
How often angels have "hastened" us when in the place of danger, and
"laid hold" of us while we lingered, perhaps the Day will reveal.
Another example is found in the case of Daniel. We refer to the time
when he was cast into the lions' den. All Bible readers are aware that
the prophet was miraculously preserved from these wild beasts, but
what is not generally known is the particular instrumentality which
God employed on that occasion. This is made known in Daniel 6:22: "My
God hath sent His angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they
have not hurt me." What an illustration is this of Psalm 34:7, "The
angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and
delivereth them!"
Nor is angelic deliverance of God's people confined to Old Testament
times. In Acts 5:17-19 we read, "Then the high priest rose up, and all
they that were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees) and were
filled with indignation, and laid their hands on the apostles, and put
them in the common prison, But the angel of the Lord by night opened
the prison doors, and brought them forth." Again, in Acts 12:6-9 we
read, "The same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound
with two chains; and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And,
behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the
prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying,
Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands . . . And he
went out, and followed him."
One other form which the ministry of angels takes in connection with
their custody of God's children is brought before us in Luke 16:22:
"And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the
angels into Abraham's bosom." To our natural feelings, a death-bed
scene is often a most painful and distressing experience. There we
behold a helpless creature, emaciated by disease, convulsed with pain,
panting for breath; his countenance pallid, his lips quivering, his
brow bedewed with a cold sweat. But were not the spiritual world
hidden from us by a veil of God's appointing we should also see there
the glorious inhabitants of Heaven surrounding the bed, waiting for
God's summons, to convoy that soul from earth, through the territory
of Satan, up to the Father's House. There they are, ready to perform
their last office in ministering for those who shall be heirs of
salvation. Then, Christian, why fear death?
It should be carefully noted that angels are mentioned in the plural
number in Luke 16:22, so also are they in Psalm 91:11, 12: "For He
shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot
against a stone." There is nothing whatever in Scripture to support
the Romish tradition of a single guardian angel for each person or
Christian: the plural number in the above passages make directly
against it.
"Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them
who shall be heirs of salvation?" (verse 14). "This text wears an
interrogative form; but it is just equivalent to a strong affirmation.
It is certain that no angel sits on the throne of God; it is certain
that they are all ministering spirits. A minister is a servant--a
person who occupies an inferior place, who acts a subordinate part,
subject to the authority and regulated by the will of another. The
angels are `ministering spirits,' they are not governing spirits.
Service, not dominion, is their province. In the first phrase there is
an expression of their being God's ministers or servants; in the
second, that He sends forth, commissions these servants of His to
minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation. They are His
servants, and He uses their instrumentality for promoting the
happiness of His peculiar people. There is a double contrast. The Son
is the co-ruler--they are servants; the Son sits- they are sent forth"
(Dr. J. Brown).
Finally, it should be observed that "ministering spirits" is a title
or designation. Not only do the angels render service to God's saints,
but they have an office so to do. It is not simply that they "go
forth" to minister for them, but they are "sent forth." They do not
take this work upon themselves, but have received a definite charge or
commission from their Maker. How this evidences, once more, the
preciousness to Christ of those whom He purchased with His blood! O
that our hearts may be bowed in wonderment and worship for this
blessed provision of His love toward us while we are left in this
wilderness scene. O that our fears may be removed, and our hearts
strengthened by the realization that, amid the dangers and perils with
which we are now surrounded, the angels of God are guarding and
ministering both for and to us.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 7
Christ Superior to Angels
(Hebrews 2:1-4)
__________________________________________
The title of this article is based upon the fact that the opening
verses of Hebrews 2 contains an exhortation based upon what has been
said in chapter 1. Thus, our present portion continues the second
section of the Epistle. Inasmuch as it opens with the word "Therefore"
we are called upon to review that which has already been before us.
The first section of the Epistle, contained in its first three verses,
may be looked at in two ways: both as forming an Introduction to the
Epistle as a whole, and as a distinct division of it, in which is set
forth the superiority of Christ over the prophets. In what follows, to
the end of the chapter, we are shown the superiority of Christ over
angels. This is affirmed in verse 4, and the proofs thereof are found
in verses 5-14. These proofs are all drawn from the Old Testament
Scriptures, and the completeness and perfection of the demonstration
thus afforded is evidenced by their being seven in number. Thus,
centuries before He appeared on earth, the Word of Truth bore witness
to the surpassing excellency of Christ and His exaltation above all
creatures.
As an analysis and summary of what these seven passages teach
concerning the superiority of Christ over the angels, we may express
it thus: 1. He has obtained a more excellent name than they verses 4,
5. 2. He will be worshipped by them as the Firstborn, verse 6. 3. He
made them, verse 7. 4. He is the Divine throne-sitter, verses 8, 9. 5.
He is anointed above them, verse 9. 6. He is the Creator of the
universe, immutable and eternal verses 10-12. 7. He has a higher place
of honor verses 13, 14.
It is striking to note that these same seven quotations from the Old
Testament also furnish proof of the sevenfold glory of the Mediator
affirmed in verses 2, 3. There He is spoken of, first as the "Son:"
proof of this is supplied in verse 5, by a quotation from the 2nd
Psalm. Second, He is denominated the "Heir:" proof of this is given in
verse 6, where He is owned as the "Firstborn." Third, it is said in
verse 2 that He "made the worlds:" proof of this is given in verse 10
by a quotation from the 104th Psalm. Fourth, He is called "the
Brightness of God's glory:" in verse 9 an Old Testament Scripture is
quoted to show that He has been "anointed with the oil of gladness
above His fellows." Fifth, He is the "express Image" of God's person:
in verse 8, Scripture is quoted to show that the Father owned Him as
"God." Sixth, in verse 3 it is said that He has "purged our sins": in
verse 14 we have mention of "the heirs of salvation." Seventh, in
verse 3 it is affirmed that He has "sat down on the right hand of the
Majesty on high"; in verse 13 the 110th Psalm is quoted in proof of
this. What an example is this of "proving all things" (1 Thessalonians
5:21), and that, by the Word of God itself!
Having set forth the excellency of Christ's Divine nature and royal
function, the apostle now, in chapter 2, proceeds to show the reality
and uniqueness of His humanity. In passing from one to the other the
Holy Spirit moves him to make a practical application to his hearers
of what he had already brought before them, for the two things which
ever concern and the two ends at which the true servant of God ever
aims, are, the glory of the Lord and the spiritual good of those to
whom he ministers. God's truth is not only addressed to our
understanding, but to our conscience. It is designed not only to
instruct, but to move us and mould our lives.
In one sense the first four verses of chapter 2 form a parenthesis,
inasmuch as they interrupt the apostle's discussion of Christ's
relation to angels, which is resumed in verse 5 and amplified in verse
9. But this digression, so far from being a literary blemish, is very
beautiful. When is it that a well-trained mind ceases to think
logically? or an instructed preacher to speak in orderly sequence? Is
it not when his heart is moved? when his emotions are deeply stirred?
So was it here with the apostle Paul. His great heart yearned for the
salvation of his brethren according to the flesh; therefore, did his
mind turn for a moment from the theme he was pursuing, to address
himself to their consciences. He who said to the saints at Rome,
"Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that
they might be saved" (Heb. 10:1), could not calmly write to the
Hebrews without breaking off and making an impassioned appeal to them.
This, we shall, D.V., find he does again and again.
That which is central in our present parenthesis is an exhortation to
give good heed to the Gospel. This admonition is first propounded in
verse 1, and then enforced in verses 2-4. Two points are noted for the
enforcing of this duty; one is the danger; the other, the vengeance,
which is certain to follow on the neglect of the Gospel. The danger is
intimated in the word, "Lest we should let them slip." The vengeance
is hinted in the question. "How shall we escape"? This is emphasized
by a solemn warning, namely, despisers of God were summarily dealt
with under the law; therefore, those who shut their ears to the
Gospel, which is so much more excellent, are, without doubt,
treasuring up unto themselves wrath against the day of wrath (Rom.
2:4, 5). We are now ready to attend to the details of our present
portion.
"Therefore, we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which
we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip" (verse 1). In
this verse, and in those which immediately follow, the apostle
specifies a duty to be performed in regard of that most excellent
Teacher which God sent to reveal His Gospel unto them. This duty is to
give more than ordinary heed unto that Gospel. Such is the force of
the opening, "Therefore," which signifies, for this cause: because God
has vouchsafed so excellent a Teacher, He must be the more carefully
attended unto. The "therefore" looks back to all the varied glories
which set forth Christ's excellency named in the previous chapter.
Because He is God's "Son," therefore give heed. Because He is "the
Heir of all things," therefore give heed. Because He "made the
worlds," therefore give heed; and so on. These are so many grounds on
which our present exhortation is based.
"Therefore is equivalent to, `Since Jesus Christ is as much better
than the angels, as He hath received by inheritance a more excellent
name than they--since He is both essentially and officially
inconceivably superior to these heavenly messengers, His message has
paramount claims on our attention, belief, and obedience'," (Dr. J.
Brown).
The eminency of an author's dignity and authority, and the excellency
of his knowledge and wisdom, do much commend that which is spoken or
written by him. If a king, prudent and learned, takes upon himself to
instruct others, due attention and diligent heed should be given
thereunto. "The Queen of the South came from the uttermost parts of
the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon" (Matt. 12:42), and counted
those of his servants who stood continually before him and heard his
wisdom, to be happy (1 Kings 10:8). But a greater than Solomon is here
referred to by the apostle: therefore, we ought "to give the more
earnest heed." It was usual with the prophets to preface their
utterances with a "Thus saith the Lord," and thereby arrest the
attention and awe the hearts of their hearers. Here the apostle refers
to the person of the Lord Himself as the argument for hearing what He
said.
"Therefore we ought." "It is striking to see how the apostle takes the
place of such as simply had the message, like other Jews, from those
who personally heard Him; so completely was he writing, not as the
apostle magnifying his office, but as one of Israel, who were
addressed by those who companied with Messiah on earth. It was
confirmed `unto us,' says he, again putting himself along with his
nation, instead of conveying his heavenly revelations as one taken out
from the people and the Gentiles to which he was sent. He looks at
what was their proper testimony, not at that to which he had been
separated extraordinarily. He is dealing with them as much as possible
on their own ground, though, of course, without compromise of his own"
(William Kelly).
"We ought to give the more earnest heed." Here the apostle addresses
himself to the responsibility of his readers. Here is an exhortation
to the performing of a specific duty. The Greek verb is very strong
and emphatic; several times it is translated "must." Thus, in 1
Timothy 3:2, "A bishop must be blameless"; that is, it is his duty so
to be. That to which the apostle here pointed was a necessity lying
upon his readers. It is not an arbitrary matter, left to our own
caprice to do or not to do. "Give the more earnest heed," is something
more than a piece of good advice; it is a Divine precept, and God has
commanded us "to keep His precepts diligently" (Ps. 119:4). Thus, in
view of His sovereignty, and His power and rights over us, we "ought
to give the more earnest heed" to what He has bidden us do. Descending
to a lower level, it is the part of wisdom so to do, and that for our
own good; we "ought to earnestly heed the things which we hear" in
order to our own happiness.
"To `give heed' is to apply the mind to a particular subject, to
attend to it, to consider it. It is here opposed to `neglecting the
great salvation.' No person can read the Scriptures without observing
the stress that is laid on consideration, and the criminality and
hazards which are represented as connected with inconsideration. Nor
is this at all wonderful when we reflect that the Gospel is a moral
remedy for a moral disease. It is by being believed it becomes
efficacious. It cannot be believed unless it is understood: it cannot
be understood unless it is attended to. Truth must be kept before the
mind in order to its producing an appropriate effect; and how can it
be kept before the mind, but by our giving heed to it" (Dr. J. Brown).
"The duty here intended is a serious, firm, and fixed settling of the
mind upon that which we hear; a bowing and bending of the will to
yield unto it; an applying of the heart to it, a placing of the
affections upon it, and bringing the whole man into conformity
thereunto. Thus it comprises knowledge of the Word, faith therein,
obedience thereto, and all other due respects that may any way concern
it" (Dr. Gouge).
"To the things which we have heard." To "hear" is not sufficient,
there must be prayerful meditation, personal appropriation. No doubt
the wider reference was to the Gospel, which these Hebrews had heard;
though the more direct appeal was concerning that which the apostle
had brought before them, in the previous chapter concerning the person
and work of God's Son. To us, today, it would include all that God has
said in His Word.
"Lest at any time we should let slip." There is a difficulty here in
making quite sure of the Spirit's precise meaning. The expression "we
should let slip" is one word in the Greek, and it occurs nowhere else
in the New Testament. The absence of the pronoun seems to be designed
for the allowing of a double thought: lest we "let slip" the things we
have heard, and, or, lest we ourselves slip away--apostatize.
"Lest at any time we let them slip." The danger is real. The effects
of sin are stamped on our members; it is easy to recall the things of
no value, but the things of God slip out of our mind. The fault is our
own, through failing to give "the more earnest heed." Unless we "keep
in memory" (1 Cor. 15:2), and unless we are duly informed by them,
they slip away like water out of a leaky utensil.
"Lest haply we drift away." Understood thus, these words sound the
first warning-note of this Epistle against apostasy, and this verse is
parallel with 3:14; 4:1; 12:25. Perseverance in the faith, continuance
in the Word, is a prime pre-requisite of discipleship, see John 8:31;
Colossians 1:23, etc. Many who heard, and once seemed really
interested in spiritual things, "concerning the faith have made
shipwreck" (1 Tim. 1:19).
Thus, in the light of the whole context four reasons may be mentioned
why we should give the more earnest heed to the things which God has
spoken unto us: First, because of the glory and majesty of the One by
whom He has communicated His mind and will, the Son. Second, because
the message of Christianity is final. Third, because of the infinite
preciousness of the Gospel. Fourth, because of the hopeless perdition
and terrible tortures awaiting those who reject or let slip the
testimony of God's wondrous grace.
"For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every
transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward"
(verse 2). The apostle here advances another reason why the Hebrews
ought to attend diligently to the Gospel. Having shown that such
attention should be given because of the excellency of its Author and
Publisher, and because of the benefits which would be lost through
negligence, he now announces the certain vengeance of Heaven on its
neglecters, a vengeance sorer than even that which was wont to be
executed under the Law.
The opening "for" indicates that what follows gives a reason for
persuading the Hebrews. The "if" has the force of "since," as in John
8:46; 14:3; Colossians 3:1, etc. The "word spoken by angels" seems to
refer to the Mosaic law, compare Acts 7:53; Galatians 3:19. "The only
difficulty seems to arise out of the express declaration made by the
sacred historian, that Jehovah spake all the words of the law. But the
difficulty is more apparent than real. What lies at the foundation of
the apostle's whole argument is God spake both the Law and the Gospel.
Both the one and the other are of Divine origin. It is not the origin,
but the medium of the two revelations which he contrasts. `He made
known His will by the ministry of angels in the giving of the law; He
made known His will by the Son in the revelation of mercy.' It seems
probable from these words that the audible voice in which the
revelation from Mount Sinai was made, was produced by angelic
ministry" (Dr. J. Brown).
Because the word spoken, ministerially, by angels was the Word of the
Lord, it was "steadfast"--firm, inviolable, not to be gainsaid. Proof
of this is furnished in the "and every transgression," etc. The
distinction between "transgression" and "disobedience" is not easy to
define. The one refers more to the outward act of violating God's law;
the other, perhaps, to the state of heart which produced it. The words
"receive a just recompense of reward" signify that every violation of
God's law was punished according to its demerits. The term "reward"
conveys the thought of "that which is due." Punishment for the
breaking of God's law is not always administered in this life, but is
none the less sure: see Romans 2:3-9.
This verse sets out a most important principle in connection with the
governmental dealings of God: that principle is that the Judge of all
the earth will be absolutely just in His dealings with the wicked.
Though the direct reference be to His administration of the Law's
penalty in the past, yet, inasmuch as He changes not, it is strictly
applicable to the great assize in the Day to come. There will be
degrees of punishment, and those degrees, the sentence meted out to
each rebel against God, will be on this basis, that every
transgression and disobedience shall receive "a just recompense of
reward." In brief, we may say that punishment will be graded according
to light and opportunity (Matt. 11:20-24; Luke 12:47, 48), according
to the nature of the sins committed (John 19:11; Mark 12:38-40; Heb.
10:29), according to the number of the sins committed (Rom. 2:6,
etc.).
"How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" (verse 3).
This verse evokes a number of questions to which, perhaps, no
conclusive and final answers may be furnished. Who are referred to by
the "we"? How shall we escape--what? Exactly what is in view in the
"so great salvation?" In pondering these questions several
considerations need to be steadily kept before us. First, the people
to whom this Epistle was directly addressed and the circumstances in
which they were then placed. Second, the central purpose of the
Epistle and the character of its distinctive theme. Third, the bearing
of the context on this verse and its several expressions. Fourth,
light which other passages in this Epistle may shed upon it.
The relation between this verse and the preceding ones is evident. The
apostle had just been pressing upon his brethren the need of their
more earnestly giving heed unto the things which they had heard, which
is more or less defined in the second half of verse 3: "which at the
first began to be spoken by the Lord"--the reference being to His
preaching of the Gospel. By a metonymy, the Gospel, that reveals and
proclaims God's salvation, is here meant. In Ephesians 1:13 it is
styled "The gospel of your salvation," in Acts 13:26 the "word of this
salvation," in Romans 1:16 it is called "the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth," and in Titus 2:11, "the grace
of God which bringeth salvation." The Gospel dispensation is
denominated "the Day of Salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2). Ministers of the
Gospel are they "which show unto us the way of salvation" (Acts
16:17).
That under this word "salvation" the Gospel be meant, is also evident
from the contrastive expression in verse 2--"the word spoken by
angels." That word was spoken before the time of the Gospel's
publication (note that the term "Gospel" is never once found in the
Old Testament), and obviously signified the Law. Fitly may the Gospel
be styled "salvation:" first, because in opposition to the Law (which
was a "ministration of condemnation" 2 Cor. 3:9), it is a ministration
of salvation. Second, because the Author of the Gospel is "salvation"
itself: see Luke 2:30, John 4:22, etc., where "salvation" is
synonymous with "the Savior." Third, because whatever is needful to a
knowledge of salvation is contained in the Gospel. Fourth, because the
Gospel is God's appointed means of salvation: see 1 Corinthians 1:21.
True, in Old Testament times God's elect had and knew the
Gospel--Galatians 3:16; Hebrews 4:2--yet it was not publicly
proclaimed and fully expounded. They had it under types and shadows,
and in promises and prophecies.
The excellency of this salvation is denoted by the words "so great."
The absence of any co-relative implies it to be so wondrous that its
greatness cannot be expressed. Upon this Dr. J. Brown has well said:
"The `salvation' here, then, is the deliverance of men through the
mediation of Jesus Christ. This salvation is spoken of by the Apostle
as unspeakably great: not merely a great salvation, nor even the great
salvation but `so great salvation'--an expression peculiarly fitted to
express his high estimate of its importance. And who that knows
anything about that deliverance can wonder at the Apostle using such
language?
"What are the evils from which it saves us? The displeasure of God,
with all its fearful consequences in time and eternity; and `who knows
the power of His anger?' We must measure the extent of infinite power,
we must fathom the depths of infinite wisdom, before we can resolve
the fearful question. We can only say, `According to Thy fear, so is
Thy wrath.' The most frightful conception comes infinitely short of
the more dreadful reality. A depravity of nature ever increasing, and
miseries varied according to our varied capacities of
suffering--limited in intensity only by our powers of endurance, which
an almighty enemy can enlarge indefinitely, and protracted throughout
the whole eternity of our being--these are the evils from which this
salvation delivers.
"And what are the blessings to which it raises? A full, free, and
everlasting remission of our sins--the enjoyment of the paternal favor
of the infinitely powerful, and wise, and benignant Jehovah--the
transformation of our moral nature--a tranquil conscience--a good hope
down here; and in due time, perfect purity and perfect happiness for
ever in the eternal enjoyment of God.
"And how were these evils averted from us?--how were these blessings
obtained for us? By the incarnation, obedience, suffering, and death
of the Only-begotten of God, as a sin-offering in our room! And how
are we individually interested in this salvation? Through the
operations of the Holy Spirit, in which He manifests a power not
inferior to that by which the Savior was raised from the dead, or the
world was created. Surely such a deliverance well merits the
appellation, a `so great salvation!'"
But this great salvation, which is made known in the Gospel, may be
"neglected." While it is true that salvation is not only announced,
but is also secured to and effectuated in God's elect by the Holy
Spirit, yet it must not be forgotten that the Gospel addresses the
moral responsibility of those to whom it comes. There is not only an
effectual call, but a general one, which is made unto "the sons of
men" (Pro. 8:4). The Gospel is for the sinner's acceptance, see 1
Timothy 1:15; 2 Corinthians 11:41. The Gospel is more than a
publication of good news, more than an invitation for burdened souls
to come to Christ for relief and peace. In its first address to those
who hear, it is a Divine mandate, an authoritative command, which is
disregarded at the sinner's imminent peril. That it does issue a
"command" is clear from Acts 17:30; Romans 16:25, 26. That
disobedience to this "command" will be punished, is clear from John
3:18, 1 Peter 4:17, 2 Thessalonians 1:8.
The Greek word here rendered "neglect" is translated "made light of"
in Matthew 22:5. In this latter passage the reference is to the King
making a marriage for His Son, and then sending forth his servants to
call them which were bidden to the wedding. But they "made light of"
the King's gracious overtures and "went their ways, one to his family,
another to his merchandise." The parable sets forth the very sin
against which the apostle was here warning the Hebrews, namely,
failure to give earnest heed to the things which were spoken by the
Lord, and neglecting His great salvation. To "neglect" the Gospel, is
to remain inattentive and unbelieving. How, then, asks the apostle,
shall such "escape?" "Escape" what? Why, the "damnation of Hell"
(Matt. 23:33)! Such, we take it, is the first meaning and wider scope
of the searching question asked in verse 3. Should it be objected,
This cannot be, for in the "we" the apostle Paul manifestly included
himself. The answer is, so also does he in the "we" of Hebrews 10:26!
That the "we" includes more than those who had really believed the
Gospel will be clear from verse 4.
Coming now to the narrower application of these words and their more
direct bearing upon the regenerated Hebrews whom the Holy Spirit was
specifically addressing, we must consider them in the light of the
chief design of this Epistle, and the circumstances in which the
Hebrews were then placed; namely, under sore temptation to forsake
their espousal of Christianity and to return to Judaism. Looked at
thus, the "so great salvation" is only another name for Christianity
itself, the "better thing" (Heb. 11:40) which had been brought in by
Christ. Judaism was about to fall under the unsparing judgment of God.
If, therefore, they turned from their allegiance to Christ and went
back to that which was on the eve of being destroyed, how could they
"escape" was the question which they must face?
Hebrews 2:3 must be interpreted in harmony with its whole context. In
the opening verse of chapter 2 the apostle is making a practical and
searching application of all he had said in chapter 1, where he had
shown the superiority of Christianity over Judaism, by proving the
exaltation of Christ--the Center and Substance of Christianity--over
prophets and angels. In Hebrews 1:14, He had spoken of the "heirs of
salvation" which, among other things, pointed to their salvation as
being yet future. In one sense they had been saved (from the penalty
of sin), in another sense they were still being saved (from the power
of sin), in still another sense they were yet to be saved (from the
presence of sin). But God ever deals with His people as accountable
creatures. As moral beings, in contrast from stock and stones, He
addresses their responsibility. Hence, God's saints are called upon to
give diligence to make their "calling and election sure" (2 Pet.
1:10)--sure unto themselves, and unto their brethren. This, among
other things, is done, by using the Divinely-appointed means of grace,
and by perseverance and continuance in the faith: see John 8:31; Acts
11:23; 13:43; 14:22; 2 Timothy 3:14, etc.
The Christian life is likened unto a "race" set before us: 1
Corinthians 9:24; Philippians 3:13, 14; 2 Timothy 4:7; Hebrews 12:1. A
"race" calls for self-discipline, personal exertion, perseverance. The
Inheritance is set before us in promise, but it is written, "Ye have
need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might
receive the promise" (Heb. 10:36). The "promise" is secured by faith
and patience, by actually "running" the race set before us. In the
light of this, "neglect" would signify failure to "give diligence" to
make our calling and election sure, failure to "press forward" and
"run the race." If then we "neglect," how shall we "escape?" Escape
what? Ah, note how abstractly the apostle worded it. He did not
specify the "what." It all depends upon the state of the individual.
If he be only a lifeless professor and continues neglecting the
Gospel, Hell will be his certain portion. But if he be a regenerated
believer, though a careless and worldly one, then lack of assurance
and joy, profitless and fruitlessness, will be his portion; and then,
how shall he "escape" the chastening rod of the holy Father? Thus, the
question asked in our verse addresses itself to all who read the
Epistle.
"Which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed
unto us by them that heard" (verse 3). This need not detain us long.
Its central design is to emphasize the importance and need of heeding
that which had been spoken by Christ: with it should be carefully
compared Deuteronomy 18:18, 19: Luke 9:35. Incidentally, the words "at
the first began" intimates that Christ was the first Gospel-Preacher!
The reference is to that which was preached first by Christ Himself,
recorded in the Gospels; then, to that which was proclaimed by His
apostles, reported in the book of Acts. The title here given to the
Savior, "Lord," emphasizes both His dignity and authority, and
intimates that the responsibility of the Hebrews was being addressed.
Till Christ came and preached, "the people sat in darkness and in the
shadow and region of death;" and when He began to preach, they "saw
great light" (Matt. 4:16). With the "confirmed unto us" compare Luke
1:1, 2. The apostle was calling the Hebrews' attention to the sureness
of the ground on which their faith rested.
"God also bearing witness, both with signs and wonders, and with
divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own
will" (verse 4). The reference here is to the miracles wrought by God
through the apostles in the early days of the Christian era. The book
of Acts records many examples and illustrations of what is here said:
see 5:9, 10; 13:11; 3:7; 9:40; 19:12, etc. The Gospel was first
preached by the Lord Himself, then it was confirmed by the apostles,
and then again by God Himself in such works as could not be performed
by a Divine power. "Bearing witness with" is a single word in the
Greek, but a double compound. The simple verb signifies to witness to
a thing as in John 1:7; the compound, to add testimony to testimony,
or to add a testimony to some other confirmation; the double compound,
to give a joint-testimony or to give-witness-together with one
another. A similar compound is used in Romans 8:16.
The means employed by God in thus confirming the witness of His
servant are described by four terms: signs, wonders, miracles, gifts.
The first three refer to the same things, though under different
aspects. "Signs" denote the making more simple and evident that which
otherwise could hardly be discerned; compare the use of the terms in
Matthew 12:38; 16:1, and note the "see" and "show." "Wonders" points
both to the striking nature of the "signs" and to the effects produced
in those who beheld them: compare Acts 2:19; 7:36. "Miracles" refers
to the supernatural power which produced the "signs" and "wonders."
The Greek word is rendered "mighty deeds" in 2 Corinthians 12:12.
Thus, "miracles" are visible and wondrous works done by the all-mighty
power of God, above or against the course of nature. Our text speaks
of "divers miracles": many sorts of supernatural interpositions of God
are recorded in the Acts.
An additional means employed by God in confirming the Gospel was
"gifts of the Holy Spirit." The Greek word here rendered "gifts" means
"divisions" or "distributions"; in the singular number it occurs in
Hebrews 4:12, where it is translated "dividing asunder." In its verbal
form it is found in 1 Corinthians 7:17, "God hath distributed to every
man." Because these distributions of the Holy Spirit originated not in
those by whom they were exercised and through whom they were
displayed, they are not unfitly translated "gifts"; the reference
being to the gifts extraordinary, manifested through and by the
apostles. These "gifts" may also be seen in the book of Acts--the day
of Pentecost, e.g., also in 1 Corinthians 12:4 and what there follows.
We may add that these "divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit"
were given by God before the New Testament was written. Now that the
Scriptures are complete they are no longer needed, nor given.
"According to His own will." The fore-mentioned divers miracles and
distributions of gifts were ordered and disposed according to the
sovereign pleasure of Deity. The act of distributing is attributed to
God the Father in 1 Corinthians 7:17, to the Son in Ephesians 4:7, to
the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:11. The Greek signifies, "according to
His own will." The will of God is the one rule by which all things are
ordered that He Himself doeth, and whereby all things ought to be
ordered that His creatures do. Scripture distinguishes between the
secret and revealed will of God, see Deuteronomy 29:29, where both are
referred to. The secret will of God is called His "counsel" (Isa.
46:10), the "counsel of His will" (Eph. 1:11), His "purpose" (Rom.
8:28), His "good pleasure" (Eph. 1:9). The revealed will of God is
made known in His Word, and is so called because, just as the ordinary
means by which men make known their minds is by the word of their
mouth, so the revelation of God's will is called "His Word." This
revealed will of God is described in Romans 12:2, and is primarily
intended in the second clause of the Lord's prayer. Here in our text
it is the secret will of God which is meant.
In these days of creature-pride and haughtiness, we need reminding
that God is sovereign, conferring with none, consulting none; doing as
He pleases. God's will is His only rule. As He creates, governs, and
disposes all things, so He distributes the gifts of His Spirit
"according to His own will." Should any murmur, His challenge is "Is
it not lawful for Me to do what I will with Mine own?" (Matt. 20:15).
It is important to note that these gifts of the Spirit were
distributed not "according to the faith" of those who received
them--just as in the parable of the talents the supreme Sovereign
distributed them unequally, according to His own good pleasure. May
Divine grace bring both writer and reader into complete subjection to
the secret will of God and obedience to His revealed will.
What has been before us in verses 2, 3 tells us how firm and sure is
the foundation on which our faith rests. In giving earnest heed to the
Gospel, notwithstanding its unique and amazing contents, we are not
following cunningly devised fables, but that which comes to us
certified by unimpeachable witnesses. First, it began to be spoken by
the Lord Himself. Though this was sufficient to make the Gospel
"worthy of all acceptation," God mercifully, because of our weakness,
caused it to be "confirmed" by those who had heard the Lord for
themselves. The witness of these men was, in turn, authenticated by
Divine displays of power through them such as was never seen before or
since. Finally, additional attestation was furnished in supernatural
outpourings of the Holy Spirit. Thus, God has graciously added witness
to witness and testimony to testimony. How thankful we should be for
these many infallible proofs! May this consideration of them result in
the strengthening of our faith to the praise of the glory of God's
grace.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 8
Christ Superior to Angels
(Hebrews 2:5-9)
__________________________________________
The scope, the order of thought, and the logical bearings of our
present passage are not so easily discerned as those we have already
gone over. That it, the first part at least, picks up the thread
dropped in Hebrews 1:14 and continues to exhibit the superiority of
Christ over angels, is clear from verse 5; but when we reach verse 9
we read of Jesus being "made a little lower than the angels." At first
glance this seems to present a real difficulty, but, as is generally
the case with such passages, in reality verse 9, taken as a whole,
supplies the key to our present portion.
In Hebrews 1:4-14 the Holy Spirit, through the apostle, has furnished
a sevenfold proof of the superiority of Israel's Messiah over the
angels. This proof, taken from their own Scriptures, was clear and
incontrovertible. In Hebrews 2:1-4 a parenthesis was made, opportunity
being taken to give a solemn and searching application to the
consciences and hearts of the Hebrews of what had just been brought
before them: the authority of the Gospel was commensurate with its
grace, and God would avenge the slightings of that which was first
proclaimed by His Son, as surely as He had the refractions of that law
which he had given by the mediation of angels. Now here in Hebrews 2:5
and onwards an objection is anticipated and removed.
The objection may be framed thus: How could supremacy be predicated of
One who became Man, and died? As we have shown in a previous article,
the Jews actually regarded the angels with a higher veneration than
the greatest of the "fathers"--Abraham, Moses, Joshua, and David. And
rightly so; their own Scriptures declared that they "excel in
strength." Thus a real difficulty was presented to them, in the fact
that He whom the apostle affirmed had, by inheritance, obtained "a
more excellent name" than angels, was known to them as "the Son of
man," for man was a creature inferior to angels. Moreover, angels do
not die, Christ had; how, then, could He be their superior?
The method followed by the Holy Spirit in meeting this objection and
removing the difficulty is as follows: He shows (in verse 9) that so
far from the humiliation and suffering endured by Christ tarnishing
His glory, they were the meritorious cause of His exaltation. In
support of this a remarkable quotation is made from the 8th Psalm to
prove that God has placed man, and not angels, at the head of the
future economy--the "world to come." The design of God in that economy
is to raise "man" to the highest place of all among His creatures, and
that design has been secured by Christ's becoming Man and dying, and
thus obtaining for Himself and His people that state of transcendent
dignity and honor which the Psalmist prophesied should be possessed by
man in the Age to come.
Thus, those commentators are mistaken who suppose that in Hebrews 2:5
the apostle begins to advance further proof of Christ's superiority
over angels. Complete demonstration of this had been made in chapter
1, as the seven Old Testament passages there cited go to show. True it
is that what the apostle says in verse 5 makes manifest the exaltation
of the Savior above the celestial hierarchies, yet his purpose in so
doing was to meet an objector. What we have in our present section is
brought in to show that the evidence supplied in chapter 1 could not
be shaken, and that the very objection which a Jew might make against
it had been duly provided for and fully met in his own Scriptures.
Thus may we admire the wisdom of Him who knoweth the end from the
beginning, and maketh even the wrath of man to praise Him.
"For unto the angels hath He not put in subjection the world to come,
whereof we speak" (verse 5). In taking up this verse three questions
need to be duly pondered: What is here referred to in "the world to
come?" What is meant by its being "put in subjection?" What bearing
has this statement upon the apostle's argument? Let us endeavor to
deal with them in this order.
Commentators are by no means agreed on the signification of this term
"the world to come." Many of the older ones, who were
post-millennarians, understood by it a reference to the present Gospel
dispensation, in contrast from the Mosaic economy. Others suppose that
it refers to the Church, of which Christ, and not angels, is the Head.
Others look upon it as synonymous with the Eternal State, comparing it
with the Lord's words in Matthew 12:32, "Whosoever speaketh against
the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world,
neither in the world to come." The objection against this last view is
that the Greek word for "world" is quite different in Hebrews 2:5 from
that which is used in Matthew 12:32.
We believe the first key to the right understanding of this expression
is to be found in the particular term used here by the Holy Spirit,
translated "world." It is neither "kosmos," the common one for
"world," as in John 3:16, etc.; nor "aion," meaning "age," in Matthew
13:35, Hebrews 9:26, etc. Instead, it is "oikoumene," which,
etymologically, signifies "habitable place"; but this helps us
nothing. The word is found fifteen times in the New Testament. In
thirteen of them it appears to be used as a synonym for "earth." But
in the remaining passage, namely, Hebrews 1:6, light is cast upon our
present verse. As we sought to show in our exposition of that verse,
the words "when again He brings in the Firstborn into the world"
(oikoumene) refer to the second advent of Christ to this earth, and
point to His millennial kingdom. This, we are satisfied, is also the
reference in Hebrews 2:5.
The "world to come" was a subject of absorbing interest and a topic of
frequent conversation among all godly Jews. Unlike us, the object of
hope set before them was not Heaven, but a glorious kingdom on earth,
ruled over in righteousness by their Messiah. This would be the time
when Jerusalem should be no more "trodden doom by the Gentiles," but
become "a praise in all the earth"; when heathen idolatry should give
place to "the knowledge of the glory of the Lord," filling the earth
as the waters do the sea. In other words, it would be the time when
the kingdom-predictions of their prophets should be fulfilled. Nor had
there been anything in the teachings of Christ to show these
expectations were unwarranted. Instead, He had said, "Ye which have
followed Me, in the regeneration (Millennium) when the Son of Man
shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath
forsaken houses, or brethren for My name's sake, shall receive an
hundred-fold," etc. (Matthew 19:28-30). Those who had believed in Him
as the Savior from sin, eagerly awaited the establishing of His
kingdom on earth: see Acts 1:6.
The "world to come" is the renovated earth under the reign of the
Messiah. In the spiritual arithmetic of Scripture the number of the
earth is four, a number plainly stamped upon it: note the four seasons
of the year, the four points to its compass. How striking is it to
note, then, that the Word speaks of exactly four earths, namely, the
pre-Adamic, the present, the Millennial (delivered from the curse),
the new earth. The "world to come" is the time when Israel shall dwell
in their own land in peace and blessing, when wars shall be made to
cease, when oppression and injustice shall end, when all the outward
creation shall manifest the presence of the Prince of peace.
Not unto the angels hath God "put in subjection" this world to come.
"Put in subjection" is the translation of a single compound Greek
word, meaning "to put under." In its simple form it signifies to
appoint or ordain; in its compound, to appoint over. Note the relative
"He": God places in subjection whom He will and to whom He will.
Because God hath not put the world to come in subjection to angels,
therefore angels have no authority over it. "It is the good pleasure
of God to use an angel where it is a question of providence, or law,
or power; but where it comes to the manifestation of His glory in
Christ, He must have other instruments more suited for His nature, and
according to His affections" (W. Kelly). To whom, then, hath God
subjected the world to come? Instead of supplying a categorical
answer, the apostle leaves his readers to draw their answer from what
an Old Testament oracle had said.
Ere taking up the point last raised, let us now consider the bearing
which the contents of this 5th verse has upon the apostle's argument.
It opens with the word "for," which intimates that there is a glance
backwards to and now a continuation of something said previously. This
casual particle connects not with the first four verses of our
chapter, for, as we have shown, they are of the nature of a
parenthesis. The backward glance is to what was said in Hebrews 1:14,
where we are told, "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to
minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" The Inheritance
will not be governed by angels; they are but ministers to its "heirs."
"For He (God) hath not put in subjection to angels the world to come"
(the earthly inheritance) whereof we speak. Thus the connection is
clear. The "whereof we speak" takes us back to Hebrews 1:14, and is
amplified in Hebrews 2:6-9.
Before turning to that which follows, let us summarize that which has
been before us in verse 5. In Hebrews 1:14, the apostle had affirmed
that the angels are in a position of subjection to the redeemed of
Christ; now he declares that, in the Millennial era also, not angels,
but the "heirs of salvation," shall occupy the place of governmental
dominion. The "world to come" is mentioned here because it is in the
next Age that the Inheritance of salvation will be entered into and
enjoyed. In view of what follows from Psalm 8 and Hebrews 2:5, may
possibly set forth a designed contrast from the pre-Adamic earth,
which, most probably, was placed under the dominion of unfallen Satan
and his angels. The practical bearings of this verse on the Hebrews
was: Continue to hold fast your allegiance to Christ, for the time is
coming when those who do so shall enter into a glory surpassing that
of the angels.
"But one in a certain place testified, saying, `What is man, that Thou
art mindful of him? or the son of man, that Thou visitest him?'"
(verse 6). In seeking to discover the relevancy of this quotation and
its bearing upon the apostle's argument, the scope and details of this
remarkable and little-understood Psalm from which it is taken, need to
be carefully studied. But observe, first, how the quotation is
introduced, "But one in a certain place testified, saying." It
suggests that the Hebrews were so familiar with the Holy Scriptures
that it was not necessary to give the reference! The "But" intimates
that the apostle is about to point a contrast from the angels: not
"and," but "but!"
Before proceeding further, let us ponder the doctrinal teaching of
Psalm 8. Upon this we cannot do better than reproduce the summary of
it given by Dr. Gouge: "The main scope of the Psalm is, to magnify the
glory of God: this is evident by the first and last verses thereof.
That main point is proved by the works of God, which in general He
declares to be so conspicuous, as very babes can magnify God in them
to the astonishment of His enemies, verse 2. In particular He first
produceth those visible glorious works that are above; which manifest
God's eternal power and Godhead, verse 3. Then He amplifieth God's
goodness to man (who had made himself a mortal miserable creature,
verse 4), by setting forth the high advancement of man above all other
creatures, not the angels excepted, verses 5-7. This evidence of God's
greatness to man so ravished the prophet's spirit, as with an high
admiration he thus expresseth it, `What is man?' etc. Hereupon he
concludeth that Psalm as he began it with extolling the glorious
excellency of the Lord."
The force of the 4th verse of Psalm 8, the first here quoted in
Hebrews 2, may be gathered from the words which immediately precede:
"When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and
the stars which Thou hast ordained--What is man, that Thou are mindful
of him? and the son of man, that Thou visitest him?" In view of the
magnitude of God's creation, in contrast from the heavenly bodies,
What is man? This is confirmed by the particular word which the Holy
Spirit has here employed. In the Old Testament. He has used four
different words, all rendered "man" in our English version. The one
used here is "enosh," which signifies "frail and fallen man." It is
the word used in Psalm 9:20! What is man, fallen man, that the great
God should be mindful of him? Still less that He should crown him with
"glory and honor?" Ah, it is this which should move our hearts to
deepest wonderment, as it will fill us with ever-increasing amazement
and praise in the ages yet to come.
"What is man that Thou art mindful of him? or the son of man that Thou
visitest him?" (verse 6). The latter clause seems to be added in order
to emphasize the preceding thought. "Son of man" is added as a
diminution for "man": compare Job 25:6 for a parallel. Another reason
why this second clause may be added to verse 6 is to show that it is
not Adam who is here spoken of. From the contents of verses 5-7 many
have thought that Psalm 8 was referring to the father of the human
family (see Genesis 1:26); but this second part of its fourth verse
seems to have been brought in designedly to correct us. Certainly Adam
was not a "son of man!"
"Thou madest him a little lower than the angels" (verse 7). This
supplies additional proof that it is not Adam who is here in view.
Both the Hebrew word used in Psalm 8:5 and the Greek word in Hebrews
2:7 signify the failing or falling of a thing from that which it was
before. "The word `made lower' does not signify to be created
originally in a lower condition, but it signifies to be brought down
from a higher station to a lower" (Dr. J. Brown). The Hebrew word is
used to denote the failing of the waters when Noah's flood decreased
(Genesis 8:4); and, negatively, of the widow's oil that did not fail
(1 Kings 17:14, 16). The Greek word is used of the Baptist when he
said, "I must decrease" (John 3:30).
But to what is the Holy Spirit here referring in our 7th verse? First,
it should be pointed out that both the Hebrew and Greek word here for
"little" has a double force, being applied both to time and degree. In
1 Peter 5:10 it is rendered "a while," that is, a short space of time;
so also in Luke 22:58 and Acts 5:34. Such, we believe, is in force
here, as it certainly is in the 9th verse. Now in what particular
sense has God made frail and fallen man a "little while" lower than
the angels? With Dr. J. Brown we must answer, "We cannot doubt that
man, even in his best estate, was in some respects inferior to the
angels; but in some points he was on a level with them. One of these
was immortality; and it deserves consideration, that this is the very
point referred to when it is said of the raised saints, the children
of the resurrection, `Neither can they die any more: for they are
equal unto the angels'" (Luke 20:36). Thus, for a season, man, through
being subject to death, has been made "lower than the angels."
"Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; Thou crownedst him
with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of Thy hands"
(verse 7). Just as in the first part of this verse reference is made
to the humiliation of man, so the second part of it speaks of God's
exaltation of man.
"The verbs being expressed, not in the Future, but in the past tense,
will not be felt as an objection to its being considered as a
prediction, this being quite common in the prophetic style. Most of
the predictions, for example, in the 53rd chapter of Isaiah are
expressed in the past tense" (Dr. J. Brown). To this we may add, all
prophecy speaks from the standpoint of God's eternal purpose, and so
certain is this of accomplishment, the past tense is used to show it
is as sure as if it were already wrought out in time: compare
"glorified" in Romans 8:30, and see Romans 4:17. Thus we understand
the second part of this 7th verse as referring to the coming
glorification of Christ's redeemed.
"Thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the
works of Thy hands." This is applied by the Spirit to the redeemed,
the "heirs" of Hebrews 1:14, "whereof we speak" (Heb. 2:5). That the
redeemed are to be "crowned" is clearly taught in the New Testament.
For example, in 2 Timothy 4:7, 8 the apostle says, "I have fought a
good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the
Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give be at that day: and not to me
only, but unto all them also that love His appearing." So also James
declares, "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is
tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath
promised to them that love Him" (James 1:12).
They are to be crowned with "glory and honor." In Scripture "glory" is
put for the excellency of a thing: hence, what is here predicted is,
that the dignity which God will place upon His saints will be the most
excellent they could be advanced unto. The Hebrew word means that
which is real and substantial, in contrast from that which is light
and vain. The word for "honor" implies that which is bright: and in
Psalm 110:3 is rendered "beauty." Its distinctive thought is that of
being esteemed by others. Thus we have here a striking word upon the
glorification of the redeemed. First, they are to be "crowned," that
is, they are to be elevated to a position of the highest rank. Second,
they are to be crowned with "glory," that is, they will be made
supremely excellent in their persons. Third, they are to be crowned
with "honor," that is, they will be looked up to by those below them.
"And didst set him over the works of Thy hands." This has reference to
the rule and reign of God's saints in the Day to come. In Daniel 7:18,
27 we read, "But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom,
and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever . . . And the
kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole
heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High,
whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve
and obey Him." So also in Revelation 2:26 we are told, "And he that
overcometh and keepeth My works unto the end, to him will I give power
over the nations."
"Thou hast put all things under his feet" (verse 8). The language here
employed shows plainly the connection between this quotation from the
8th Psalm and what the apostle had declared in verse 5. There he had
said, "For unto the angels hath He not put in subjection the world to
come whereof we speak." Here we learn that unto "man" will the world
to come be placed in subjection. Here we learn that "man," frail and
fallen, but redeemed and exalted by the Lord, will have, in the world
to come, "all things" put under his feet. It is the blessed sequel to
Genesis 1:26--the earthly Paradise regained. The absoluteness of this
"subjection" of the world to come unto redeemed man, is intimated by
the figure which is here used, "under his feet"; lower a thing cannot
be put. It is not simply "at his feet," but "under." The scope of the
subjection is seen by the "all things." This goes beyond the terms of
Psalm 8:7,8, for the last Adam has secured for His people more than
the first Adam lost. All creation, even angels, will then be "in
subjection" to man.
"For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that
is not put under him" (verse 8). This is the apostle's comment on his
quotation from Psalm 8. "Thou hast bestowed on man such honors as Thou
hast bestowed on none of Thy creatures. Thou hast set him at the head
of the created universe. From this passage it appears that, with the
single exception of Him who is to put all things under him, i.e., God,
all things are to be put under man. In the world to come even angels
are subordinate to them. Man is next to God in that world" (Dr. J.
Brown). In Revelation 21:7 we read, "He that overcometh shall inherit
all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son." Our
joint-heirship with Christ (Rom. 8:17) will be manifested in the world
to come. What a prospect! O for faith to lay hold of it and enjoy it,
even now. Were it more real to us, the trifling baubles of this world
would fail to attract us. Were it more real to us, the trials and
troubles of this life would be unable to sadden or move us. May the
Lord enable each of His own to look away from the things seen to the
things unseen.
"But now we see not yet all things put under him" (verse 8). This is
the language of an hypothetical objector, which confirms and
establishes what was said in the opening paragraphs of this article.
The "him" here is the "man" of verse 6. Anticipating the objection
that Jesus of Nazareth could not be superior to the angels, seeing
that He was Man, the apostle met it by showing that one of God's
ancient oracles declared that he who, for a short season, was made
lower than the angels, has been crowned with glory and honor and set
over the works of His hands; yea, that all things, and therefore
angels, have been "put in subjection under him." But how can this be?
says the objector: "Now we see not yet all things put under him." What
you have said is belied by the testimony of our senses; that which is
spread before our eyes refutes it. Why, so far from "all things" being
in subjection to man, even the wild beasts will not perform his
bidding! Unanswerable as this difficulty might appear, solution,
satisfactory and complete, is promptly furnished. This is given in our
next verse.
"But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels . . .
crowned with glory and honor" (verse 9). It is most blessed to observe
how the apostle meets the objector: he does so by pointing at once and
directly to Him who is the Center of all our hopes and in whose Person
all our interests and blessings are bound up. "The following appears
to me to be the track of the apostle's thoughts: `In the world to
come, men, not angels, are to occupy the first place. An ancient
oracle, which refers to the world to come, clearly proves this. The
place to be occupied by man in that world is not only a high place,
but is the first place among creatures. The words of the oracle are
unlimited. With the exception of Him who puts all things under man,
everything is to be subjected to him. This oracle must be fulfilled.
In the exaltation of Christ, after and in consequence of His
humiliation, we have the begun fulfillment of the prediction, and
what, according to the wise and righteous counsels of heaven, were
necessary, and will be the effectual means of the complete
accomplishment of it in reference to the whole body of the redeemed
from among men" (Dr. J. Brown).
"But we see Jesus." What is meant by this? To what was the apostle
referring? How do we "see Jesus?" Not by means of mysterious dreams or
ecstatic visions, not by the exercise of our imagination, nor by a
process of visualization; but by faith. Just as Christ declared, in
John 8:56, "Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it, and was
glad." Faith is the eye of the spirit, which views and enjoys what the
Word of God presents to its vision. In the Gospels, Acts, Epistles,
Revelation, God has told us about the exaltation of His Son; those who
receive by faith what He has there declared, "see Jesus crowned with
glory and honor," as truly and vividly as His enemies once saw Him
here on earth "crowned with thorns."
It is this which distinguishes the true people of God from mere
professors. Every real Christian has reason to say with Job, "I have
heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee"
(Job 42:5). He has "seen" Him leaving Heaven and coming to earth, in
order to "seek and to save that which was lost." He has "seen" Him as
a sacrificial Substitute on the cross, there bearing "our sins in His
own body on the tree." He has "seen" Him rising again in triumph from
the grave, so that because He lives, we live also. He has "seen" Him
highly exalted, "crowned with glory and honor." He has "seen Him thus
as presented to the eye of faith in the sure Word of God. To Him the
testimony of Holy Scripture is infinitely more reliable and valuable
than the testimony of his senses.
The name by which God's Son is here called is that of His humiliation.
"Jesus" is not a title; "Savior" is an entirely different word in the
Greek. "Jesus" was His human name, as Man, here on earth. It was as
"Jesus of Nazareth" that His enemies ever referred to Him. But not so
His own people: to the apostles He said, "Ye call Me Master and Lord:
and ye say well; for so I am" (John 13:13). Only once in the four
Gospels do we ever find any of His own speaking of Him as "Jesus of
Nazareth" (Luke 24:19). and that was when their faith had completely
given way. It was the language of unbelief! That He is referred to in
the narratival form in the Gospels as "Jesus" is to emphasize His
humiliation.
When we come to the Acts, which treats of His exaltation, we read
there, "God hath made this same Jesus . . . both Lord and Christ"
(Acts 2:36). So in the Epistles: God has "given Him a name which is
above every name," and that name is "Lord" (Phil. 2:9, 10). Thus, it
is either as "Christ" which is a title, or as the Lord Jesus Christ,
that He is commonly referred to in the Epistles: read carefully 1
Corinthians 1:3-10 for example. It is thus that His people should
delight to own Him. To address the Lord of glory in prayer simply as
"Jesus," or to speak of Him to others thus, breathes an unholy
familiarity, a vulgar cheapness, an irreverence which is highly
reprehensible.
After the four Gospels the Lord Christ is never referred to in the New
Testament simply as "Jesus" save for the purpose of historical
identification (Acts 1:11, e.g.), or to stress the humiliation through
which He passed, or when His enemies are speaking of Him. Here in
Hebrews 2:9, "Jesus" rather than "the Lord Jesus" is used to emphasize
His humiliation: it was the One who had passed through such
unparalleled shame and ignominy that had been "crowned with glory and
honor." May Divine grace enable both writer and reader to entertain
such exalted views of this same Jesus that we may ever heed the
exhortation of 1 Peter 3:15: "But sanctify in your hearts Christ as
Lord" (Revised Version).
Now that which it is of first importance for us to observe is the use
which the apostle here makes of the Savior's glorification. The
exaltation of Jesus is both the proof and pledge of the coming
exaltation of His redeemed. The prophecy of Psalm 8 has already begun
to receive its fulfillment. The crowning of Jesus with glory and honor
is the ground and guarantee of the ultimate glorification of all His
people. Christ has entered Heaven as the "First-fruits," the earnest
of the coming harvest. He passed within the veil as the "Forerunner"
(Heb. 6:20), so that there must be others to follow.
Here, then is, we believe, the true interpretation and application of
Psalm 8. The verses quoted from it in Hebrews 2 refer not to Adam, not
to mankind as a whole, nor to Christ Himself considered alone, but to
His redeemed. The Holy Spirit, through the Psalmist, was looking
forward to a new order of man, of which the Lord Jesus is the Head. In
the Man Christ Jesus, God has brought to light a new order of Man, One
in whom is found not merely innocence, but perfection. It is of this
"man" that Ephesians 2:15 speaks: "To make in Himself of twain
(redeemed from among the Jews and from the Gentiles) one new man"; and
also Ephesians 4:13: "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and
of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the
measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." As God looks at His
incarnate Son He sees, for the first time, a perfect Man, and us in
Him. And as we, by faith, "see Jesus crowned with glory and honor," we
discover both the proof and pledge of ourselves yet being "crowned
with glory and honor."
"But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels . . .
crowned with glory and honor," as the ground and guarantee of our
approaching exaltation. Here then is the Divine answer to the question
asked by the Psalmist long ago: "When I consider Thy heavens, the work
of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars which Thou hast made--What is
man, that Thou art mindful of him?" Ah, brethren in Christ, when you
go out at night and view the wondrous heavens, and then think of your
own utter insignificance; when you meditate upon the glory of God's
majesty and holiness. and then think of your own exceeding sinfulness,
and are bowed into the dust; remember that up there is a Man in the
glory, and that that Man is the measure of God's thoughts concerning
you. Remember, that by wondrous and sovereign grace, you have been not
only predestined to be conformed to His image, but that you should, as
a joint-heir with Him, share His inheritance. May the Lord grant each
Christian reader that faith which will enable him to grasp that
wonderful and blissful prospect which the Word of God sets before him.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 9
Christ Superior to Angels
(Hebrews 2:9-11)
__________________________________________
In our last article we were obliged, through lack of space, to break
off our exposition of Hebrews 2 in the middle of a verse; to have
continued further would have required us to go to the end of verse 11,
and this would have made it much too long. However, the point at which
we left off really completed the first thought which the apostle
establishes in our present section. As we sought to show, at verse 5
the apostle begins meeting an objection which might be, and most
probably was, made against what he had set forth in chapter one,
namely, the immeasurable superiority of the Mediator, Israel's
Messiah, above the angels. Over against this, two difficulties stood
in the way, which needed clearing up.
First, How could Christ be superior to angels, seeing that He was Man?
Second, How could He possess a greater excellency than they, seeing
that He had died? The difficulty was satisfactorily removed by an
appeal to Psalm 8, where God had affirmed, in predictive language,
that He had crowned "man" with glory and honor and put "all things in
subjection under his feet." To this the objector would rejoin, "But
now we see not yet all things put under him" (verse 8), how, then,
does Psalm 8 prove your point? In this way, answers the apostle, In
that even now, "we see (by faith) Jesus crowned with glory and honor,"
and in His exaltation we find the ground and guarantee, the proof and
pledge, of the coming exaltation of all His people.
In the remainder of this most interesting portion of Hebrews 2, we
shall see how the Holy Spirit enabled the beloved apostle to meet and
dispose of the second difficulty of the Jews in a manner equally
convincing and satisfactory as He had dealt with their first
objection. Though it be true that angels do not and cannot die (Luke
20:36), and though it be a fact that Jesus had died, yet this by no
means went to show that He was inferior to them. This is the
particular point which the apostle is here treating of and which it
will now be our object to consider.
First, he shows why it was necessary for Christ to die, namely, in
order that He should taste death for every son, or, as it reads in the
A.V., "for every man" (verse 9). Second, he declares that God had a
benevolent design in suffering His Son to stoop so low: it was by His
grace that He so "tasted death" (verse 9). Third, he affirms that such
a course of procedure was suited to the nature and honoring to the
glory of Him who orders all things: it "became Him" (verse 10).
Fourth, he argues that this was inevitable because of Christ's oneness
with His people (verse 11). Fifth, he quotes three Old Testament
passages in proof of the union which exists between the Redeemer and
the redeemed. Let us now turn to our passage and attentively weigh its
details.
"But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for
the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that He, by the
grace of God, should taste death for every man" (verse 9). The central
thought of this verse was before us in the preceding article, namely,
the exaltation of the once-humbled One. Now we must examine its
several clauses and note their relation to each other. Really, there
are five things in this verse, each of which we shall consider First,
the humiliation of the Mediator: "But we see Jesus, who was made a
little lower than the angels." Second, the character of His
humiliation: "For," or much better "by the suffering of death." Third,
the object of His humiliation: to "taste death for every man," better
"every son." Fourth, the moving cause of His humiliation: "by the
grace of God." Fifth, the reward of His humiliation: "crowned with
glory and honor."
"But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels." How
these words should melt our hearts and move our souls to profoundest
wonderment! That He, the Creator of angels, the Lord of them, the One
who before His incarnation had been worshipped by them, should be
"made lower" than they; and this for our sakes! Our hearts must indeed
be dead if they are not thrilled and filled with praise as we ponder
that fathomless stoop. As was pointed out under our exposition on
verse 7, the Greek word here for "little" is used in the New Testament
in two senses: sometimes where it is a matter of degree, at others
where it is a case of time. Here it is the latter, for "a little
season." In what particular sense the apostle is here contemplating
Christ's being "made lower" than the angels, the next clause tells us.
"For the suffering of death." Many have experienced difficulty with
this clause. That which has exercised them is whether the words "for
the suffering of death" state the purpose for which Christ was "made a
little lower than the angels," or, whether "for the suffering of
death" gives the reason why He has been "crowned with glory and
honor." Personally, we are fully satisfied that neither of these give
the real thought.
The difficulty mentioned above is self-created. It is occasioned by
failure to rightly define the reference to Christ's being made "a
little lower than the angels." As already stated, we believe this
signified "for a little while." If the reader will turn back again to
our comments on Hebrews 2:7 he will see we have adopted the suggestion
of Dr. J. Brown to the effect that the specific reference is to
mortality, the angels being incapable of dying. This, we are assured,
is the meaning of the verse now before us. All ambiguity concerning
this clause of verse 9 disappears if the first word be rendered "by"
instead of "for." The English translators actually give "by" in the
margin. The Greek preposition is "dia," and is translated "by" again
and again, both when it governs a noun in the accusative or the
genitive case.
Thus by altering "for" to "by" it will be seen that in this third
clause the Holy Spirit has graciously defined His meaning in the
second. (1) "But we see Jesus;" (2) "who was made a little season
lower than the angels;" (3) "by the suffering of death." It was in
this particular that Jesus was made for a season lower than the
angels, namely, by His passing through a death of sufferings--an
experience which, by virtue of the constitution God had given them,
they were incapable of enduring. Therefore, the point here seized by
the Holy Spirit in affirming that Jesus had been made lower than the
angels, was His mortality. But here we must be very careful to explain
our terms. When we say that Christ, by virtue of His incarnation,
became "mortal," it must not be understood that He was subject to
death in His body as the fallen descendants of Adam are. His humanity
was holy and incorruptible: no seed or germ of death was in it, or
could attack it. He laid down His life of Himself (John 10:18). No;
what we mean is, and what Scripture teaches is, that in becoming man
Christ took upon Him a nature that was capable of dying. This the
angels were not; and in this respect He was, for a season, made lower
than they.
"By the suffering of death." This expression denotes that Christ's
exit from the land of the living was no easy or gentle one, but a
death of "suffering"; one accompanied with much inward agony and
outward torture. It was the "death of the cross" (Phil. 2:8). It was a
death in which He suffered not only at the hands of men and of Satan,
but from God Himself. It was a death in which He fully satisfied the
demands of infinite holiness and justice. This was a task which no
mere creature was capable of performing. Behold here, then, the wonder
of wonders: Christ undertook a work which was far above the power of
all the angels, and yet to effect it He was made lower than them! If
ever power was made perfect in weakness, it was in this!
"Crowned with glory and honor." This is the dominant clause of the
verse. Concerning it we cannot do better than quote from Mr. C.H.
Welch: "The crowning with glory and honor is the consecration of
Christ as the Priest after the order of Melchizedek. `And no man
taketh this honor unto himself . . .So also Christ glorified not
Himself' (Heb. 5:4, 5). We shall find an allusion to this in Hebrews
3:3, `for this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses,
inasmuch as He who builded the house hath more honor than the house.
Thus we find Christ superior in honor and glory to both Moses and
Aaron; and when we see Him crowned with honor and glory we are indeed
considering Him who is the Apostle (Moses) and High Priest (Aaron) of
our profession."
Here, then, is the first part of the apostle's answer to that which
was, for the Jews, the great "stumbling block" (1 Cor. 1:23). He who
by the suffering of death had been made, for a little season, lower
than the angels, has, because of His humiliation and perfect atoning
sacrifice, been "highly exalted" by God Himself. He has been "raised
far above all principality and power, and might and dominion, and
every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that
which is to come" (Eph. 1:21). It is not simply that this exaltation
followed the Mediator's suffering and death, but, as the "therefore"
in Isaiah 53:12 and the "wherefore" of Philippians 2:9 plainly denote,
were the meritorious reward thereof. Thus, so far from the Cross
needing an apology, it has magnified the Savior. So far from Christ's
degradation and death being something of which the Christian need be
ashamed, they are the very reason why God has so signally rewarded
Him. The "crown of thorns" which man gave Him, has been answered by
the "crown of glory and honor" that God has bestowed upon Him. The
humbled Christ is humiliated no longer; the Throne of the Universe is
where He is now seated.
Ere passing on to the next verse, let us ask the reader, Have you
"crowned with glory and honor" Him whom the world has cast out? Do
you, in a practical way, own Him as your Lord and Master? Is His glory
and honor ever the paramount consideration before you? Is He receiving
from you the devotion and adoration of a worshipping heart? "Worthy is
the Lamb." O may He, indeed, occupy the throne of our hearts and reign
as King over our lives. In what esteem does the Father hold His once
humiliated Son: He has crowned Him with glory and honor; then what
must He yet do with those who "despise and reject" Him?
"That He by the grace of God should taste death for every man." Here
is the second part of the apostle's answer to the Jew's objection. God
had a benevolent design in permitting His Son, for a season, to become
lower than the angels. The end in view fully justified the means. Only
by the Son tasting death could the sons of God be delivered from the
ruins of the fall; only thus could the righteousness and mercy of God
be reconciled. This, we take it, indicates the relation of this final
clause to the remainder of the verse: God's design in making His Son
lower than the angels was that He might become the Redeemer of His
people. The opening conjunction "that" (hopos, meaning "to the end
that"), expressing purpose, is conclusive.
There has been considerable discussion as to the precise import of the
expression "tasted death." Here, as ever in Scripture, there is a
fullness in the language used which no brief definitions of man can
ever embrace. The first and most obvious thought suggested by the
language is, that the Savior consciously, sensibly, experienced the
bitterness of death. "The death of our Lord Jesus Christ was a slow
and painful death; He was `roasted with fire' as was prefigured by the
Paschal lamb. But it was not merely that it lasted a considerable
time, that it was attended with agony of mind as well as pain of body;
but that He came, as no finite creature can come, into contact with
death. He tasted death in that cup which the Lord Jesus Christ emptied
on the cross" (Saphir).
He tasted that awful death by anticipation. From the beginning of His
ministry (yea, before that, as His words in Luke 2:49 plainly show),
there was ever present to his consciousness the Cross, with all its
horror, see Matthew 16:21, John 2:4, 3:16, etc. At Calvary He actually
drained the bitterer cup. The death He tasted was "The curse which sin
brings, the penalty of the broken law, the manifestation of the power
of the devil, the expression of the wrath of God; and in all these
aspects the Lord Jesus Christ came into contact with death and tasted
it to the very last" (Saphir).
"That He by the grace of God should taste death for every man." The
opening words of this clause set forth the efficient cause which moved
the Godhead in sending forth the Son to submit to such unparalleled
humiliation: it was free favor of God. It was not because that the
ends of Divine government required mercy should be shown to its
rebels, still less because that they had any claim upon Him. There is
nothing whatever outside God Himself which moves Him to do anything:
He "worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (Eph. 1:11).
It was solely by the grace and good pleasure of God, and not by the
violence of man or Satan, that the Lord Jesus was brought to the Cross
to die. The appointment of that costly sacrifice must be traced back
to nothing but the sovereign benignity of God.
"For every man." This rendering is quite misleading. "Anthropos," the
Greek word for "man" is not in the verse at all. Thus, one of the
principal texts relied upon by Arminians in their unscriptural
contention for a general atonement vanishes into thin air. The Revised
Version places the word "man" in italics to show that it is not found
in the original. The Greek is "panta" and signifies "every one," that
is, every one of those who form the subjects of the whole
passage--every one of "the heirs of salvation" (Heb. 1:14), every one
of the "sons" (Heb. 2:10), every one of the "brethren" (Heb. 2:11). We
may say that this is the view of the passage taken by Drs. Gouge and
J. Brown, by Saphir, and a host of others who might be mentioned.
Theologically it is demanded by the "tasted death for every one,"
i.e., substitutionally, in the room of, that they might not. Hence,
every one for whom He tasted death shall themselves never do so (see
John 8:52), and this is true only of the people of God.
What we have just said above is confirmed by many Scriptures. "For the
transgression of My people was He stricken" said God (Isa. 53:8), and
all mankind are not His "people." "I lay down My life for the sheep,"
said the Son (John 10:10), but every man is not of Christ's sheep
(John 10:26). Christ makes intercession on behalf of those for whom He
died (Rom. 8:34), but He prays not for the world (see John 17:9).
Those for whom he died are redeemed (Rev. 5:9), and from redemption
necessarily follows the forgiveness of sins (Col. 1:14), but all have
not their sins forgiven.
"For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all
things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their
salvation perfect through sufferings" (verse 10). This gives the third
part of the apostle's reply to the objection which he is here
rebutting, and a most arresting statement it is: he now takes still
higher ground, advancing that which should indeed bow our hearts in
worship. The word "became" means suited to, in accord with, the
character of God. It was consonant with the Divine attributes that the
Son should, for a season be "made lower than the angels" in order to
"taste death" for His people. It was not only according to God's
eternal purpose, but it was also suited to all His wondrous
perfections. Never was God more Godlike than when, in the person of
Jesus, He was crucified for our sins.
"For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all
things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their
salvation perfect through sufferings." There are five things in this
verse claiming our reverent and diligent attention. First, the
particular character in which God is here viewed; as the One "for whom
are all things and by whom are all things." Second, the manner in
which it "became" the Most High to bring many sons unto glory by
giving up His beloved Son to the awful death of the cross. Third, the
particular character in which the Son Himself is here viewed: as "The
Captain of our salvation." Fourth, in what sense He was, or could be,
"made perfect through sufferings." Fifth, the result of this Divine
appointment: the actual conducting of many sons "unto glory."
First, then, the special character in which God is here viewed. "For
it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things."
This expression sets forth the high sovereignty of God in the most
unqualified and absolute manner: "all things" without exception, that
is, all creatures, all events. "For whom are all things" affirms that
the Most High God is the Final Cause of everything: "The Lord hath
made all things for Himself" (Pro. 16:4), i.e., to fulfill His own
designs, to accomplish His own purpose, to redound to His own glory.
So again we read in Revelation 4:11, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to
receive glory and honor and power: for Thou hast created all things,
and for Thy pleasure they are and were created." This blessed, basic,
yet stupendous truth is to be received with unquestioning and
unmurmuring faith. He who maketh the wrath of man to praise Him (Ps.
76:10) will not only vindicate His broken law in the punishment of the
wicked, but His justice and holiness shall be magnified by their
destruction. Hell itself will redound to His glory.
"And by whom are all things." Every creature that exists, every event
which happens, is by God's own appointment and agency. Nothing comes
to pass or can do so without the will of God. Satan could not tempt
Peter without Christ's permission; the demons could not enter the
swine till He gave them leave; not a sparrow falls to the ground apart
from His decree. This is only another way of saying that God actually
governs the world which He has made. True, there is much, very much in
His government which we cannot understand, for how can the finite
comprehend the Infinite? He Himself tells us that His ways are "past
finding out," yet His own infallible word declares,
"For of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things: to whom be
glory forever" (Rom. 11:36). "For whom are all things, and by whom are
all things." Nothing so stirs up the enmity of the carnal mind and
evidences the ignorance, the sin, and the high-handed rebellion of
fallen man as the response which he makes when this great fact and
solemn truth is pressed upon him. People at once complain, if this be
so, then we are mere puppets, irresponsible creatures. Or worse, they
will blasphemously argue, If this be true, then God, and not
ourselves, is to be charged with our wickedness. To such sottish
revilings, only one reply is forthcoming, "Nay but, O man who art thou
that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to Him that
formed it, Why hast Thou made me thus?" (Rom. 9:20).
Consider now the appropriateness of this title or appellation of
Deity. The varied manner in which God refers to Himself in the
Scriptures, the different titles He there assumes are not regulated by
caprice, but are ordered by infinite wisdom; and we lose much if we
fail to attentively weigh each one. As illustrations of this principle
consider the following. In Romans 15:5, He is spoken of as "The God of
patience and hope": this, in keeping with the subject of the four
preceding verses. In 2 Corinthians 4:6, He is presented thus: "God who
commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our
hearts," which is in beautiful keeping with the theme of the five
preceding verses. In Hebrews 13:20, it is "The God of Peace" that
brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus. Why? Because His holy
wrath had been placated at the cross. So in Hebrews 2:10 the apostle
would silence the proud and wicked reasoning of the Jews by reminding
them that they were replying against the Sovereign Supreme. For Him
are all things and by Him are all things: His glory is the end of
everything, His will the law of the universe; therefore, to quarrel
with His method of bringing many sons unto glory was insubordination
and blasphemy of the worst kind.
And what are the practical bearings upon us of this title of God?
First, an acknowledgment of God in this character is due from us and
required by Him. To believe and affirm that "for Him are all things,
and by Him are all things" is simply owning that He is God--high above
all, supreme over all, directing all. Anything short of this is,
really, atheism. Second, contentment is the sure result to a heart
which really lays hold of and rests upon this truth. If I really
believe that "all things" are for God's glory and by His invincible
and perfect will, then I shall receive submissively, yea, thankfully,
whatsoever He ordains and sends me. The language of such an one must
be, "It is the Lord: let Him do what seemeth Him good" (1 Sam. 3:18).
Third, confidence and praise will be the outcome. God only does that
which "becomes" Him; therefore, whatsoever He does must be right and
best. Those who truly recognize this "know that all things work
together for good to them that love God" (Rom. 8:28). True it is that
our short-sighted and sin-darkened vision is often unable to see why
God does certain things, yet we may be fully assured that He always
has a wise and holy reason.
"For it became Him." More immediately, the opening "for" gives a
reason for what has been advanced at the close of verse 9. Should it
be reverently inquired why God's "grace" chose such a way for the
redeeming of His elect, here is the ready answer: it "became Him" so
to do. The Greek term signifies the answerableness or agreement of one
thing to another. Thus, "speak thou the things that become sound
doctrine" (Titus 2:1), i.e., that are agreeable thereto. So, too, the
Greek term implies the comeliness of a thing. Thus, "which become
women professing godliness (1 Tim. 2:10). The adorning of Christian
women with good works is a comely thing, yea, it is the beauty and
glory of their profession. In like manner the grace of God which gave
Christ to taste death for His people, answered to the love of His
heart and agreed with the holiness of His nature. Such an appointment
was suited to God's character, consonant with His attributes,
agreeable to his perfections. Never did anything more exhibit, and
never will anything more redound to the glory of God than His making
the Son lower than the angels in order to taste death for His people.
A wide field of thought is here set before us. Let us, briefly, enter
into a few details.
It "became" God's wisdom. His wisdom is evidenced in all His works,
but nowhere so perspicuously or conspicuously as at Calvary. The cross
was the masterpiece of Omniscience. It was there that God exhibited
the solution to a problem which no finite intelligence could ever have
solved, namely, how justice and mercy might be perfectly harmonized.
How was it possible for righteousness to uphold the claims of the law
and yet for grace to be extended to its transgressors? It seemed
impossible. These were the things which the angels desired to look
into, but so profound were their depths they had no line with which to
fathom them. But the cross supplies the solution.
It "became" the holiness of God. What is His holiness? It is
impossible for human language to supply an adequate definition.
Perhaps about as near as we can come to one is to say, It is the
antithesis of evil, the very nature of God hating sin. Again and again
during Old Testament times God manifested His displeasure against sin,
but never did the white light of God's holiness shine forth so vividly
as at Calvary, where we see Him smiting His own Beloved because the
sins of His people had been transferred to Him.
It "became" His power. Never was the power of God so marvelously
displayed as it was at Golgotha. Wherein does this appear? In that the
Mediator was enabled to endure within the space of three hours what it
will take an eternity to expend upon the wicked. All the waves and
billows of Divine wrath went over Him (Ps. 42:7). Yet was He not
destroyed. There was concentrated into those three hours of darkness
that which the lost will suffer forever and ever, and nothing but the
power of God could have upheld the suffering Savior. Yea, only a
Divine Savior could have stood up under that storm of outpoured wrath;
that is why God said, "I have laid help upon One that is mighty" (Ps.
89:19).
It "became" His righteousness. He can by no means clear the guilty.
Sin must be punished where ever it is found. God's justice would not
abate any of its demands when sin, through imputation, was found upon
Christ: as Romans 8:32 says, He "spared not His own Son." Never was
the righteousness of God more illustriously exhibited than when it
cried, "Awake O sword against My Shepherd, and against the Man that is
My Fellow saith the Lord of hosts: smite the Shepherd" (Zech. 13:7).
It "became" the love and grace of God. Innumerable tokens of these
have and do His children receive, but the supreme proof of them is
furnished at the cross. "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but
that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our
sins" (1 John 4:10). The mercy of God is over all His works, but never
so fully and so gloriously was it manifested as when Christ became Man
and was made a curse for His people, that theirs might be the
blessing.
We must next consider the special character in which the Savior
Himself is here contemplated: "The Captain of their salvation." This
is one out of more than three hundred titles given to the Lord Jesus
in the Scriptures, each of which has its own distinctive meaning and
preciousness. The Greek word is "Archegos," and is found four times in
the New Testament. It signifies the "Chief Leader." It is the word
rendered "Author" in Hebrews 12:2, though that is an unhappy
rendition. It is translated "Prince" in Acts 3:15 and Acts 5:31. Thus,
it is a title which calls attention to and emphasises the dignity and
glory of our Savior, yet, in His mediatorial character.
It needs to be borne in mind that in New Testament days the "captain"
of a regiment did not remain in the rear issuing instructions to his
officers, but took the lead, and by his own personal example
encouraged and inspired his soldiers to deeds of valor. Thus the
underlying thoughts of this title are, Christ's going before His
people, leading His soldiers, and being in command of them. He has
"gone before" them in three respects. First, in the way of obedience,
see John 13:15. Second, in the way of suffering, see 1 Peter 2:21.
Third, in the way of glory: He has entered heaven as our forerunner,
so that faith says, "Thanks be unto God which giveth us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ." Thus it will be seen that verse 10
continues the same thought as verse 9.
"The Captain of their salvation." The plain and necessary implication
of this title is that we are passing through a country full of
difficulties, dangers, oppositions, like Israel in the Wilderness on
their way to the promised inheritance; so that we need a Captain,
Guide, Leader, to carry us safely through. This title of Christ's,
then, is for the encouragement of our hearts: the grace, the
faithfulness, and the power of our Leader guarantees the successful
issue of our warfare. It teaches us once more that the whole work of
our salvation, from first to last, has been committed by God into the
hands of Christ.
"To make the Captain of their salvation perfect through suffering."
This sentence has occasioned real trouble to many: how can a perfect
person be "made perfect?" But the difficulty is more imaginary than
real. The reference is not to the person of Christ, but to a
particular office which He fills. His character needed no
"Perfecting." Unlike us, no course of discipline was required by Him
to subdue faults and to develop virtues. We believe that verse 9
supplies the key to the words we are now considering: "being made
perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that
obey Him." The previous verse speaks of Christ "learning obedience by
the things which He suffered," which does not mean that He learned to
obey, but rather that He learned by experience what obedience is. In
like manner it was by the experiences through which He passed that
Christ was "perfected," not experimentally, but officially, to be "the
Captain" of our salvation. A striking type of this is furnished by the
case of Joshua, who, as the result of his experiences in the
wilderness, became experimentally qualified to be Israel's "captain,"
leading them into Canaan.
"To make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings."
Two other things need to be borne in mind: the particular design of
this passage, and the special purpose and aim of the Epistle as a
whole. The special design of the apostle was to remove the scandal of
Christ's humiliating death, which was such a stumbling-block to the
Jews. Therefore, he here affirms that the sufferings of Christ
eventuated not in ignominy but glory: they "perfected" His equipment
to be the "Captain" of His people, verse 18 amplifies. In regard to
the scope of the Epistle as a whole, this word of the apostle's was
well calculated to comfort the afflicted and sorely-tried Hebrews:
their own Captain had reached glory via sufferings--sufficient for His
soldiers to follow the same path. Thus, this word here is closely
parallel with 1 Peter 4:1.
It should be added that the Greek word for "perfected" is rendered
"consecrated" in Hebrews 7:28. By His sufferings Christ became
qualified and was solemnly appointed to be our Leader. It was by His
sufferings that He vanquished all His and our foes, triumphing
gloriously over them, and thus He became fitted to be our "Captain."
What reason have we then to glory in the Cross of Christ! The eye of
faith sees there not only consummate wisdom, matchless mercy,
fathomless love, but victory, triumph, glory. By dying He slew death.
"In bringing many sons unto glory." This is both the Captain's work
and reward. The term "glory" is one of the most comprehensive words
used in all the Bible. It is almost impossible to define; perhaps "the
sum of all excellency" is as near as we can come to it. It means that
the "many sons" will be raised to the highest possible state and
position of dignity and honor. It is Christ's own "glory" into which
they are brought: "And the glory which Thou gavest Me I have given
them; that they may be one, even as we are one" (John 17:22, and see
Colossians 3:4).
Into this "glory" many sons are to come. Some have difficulty in
harmonizing this word with "many be called, but few chosen" (Matt.
20:16). In contrast from the vast multitudes which perish, God's elect
are indeed "few" (Matt. 7:14); His flock is only a "little" one (Luke
12:32). Yet, considered by themselves, the redeemed of all generations
will constitute "many."
Into this "glory" the many sons do not merely "come," but are
"brought." It is the same word as in Luke 10:34 where the Good
Samaritan "brought" the poor man that was wounded and half dead, and
who could not "come" of himself, to the "inn." Let the reader consult
these additional passages: Song of Solomon 2:4; Isaiah 42:16; 1 Peter
3:18. This "bringing" of the many sons "unto glory" is in distinct
stages. At regeneration they are brought from death unto life. At the
Lord's return they will be brought to the Father's House (1 Thess.
4:16, 17). The whole is summarized in the parable of the lost sheep;
see Luke 15:4-6.
In closing, let us ask the reader, "Are you one of these many "sons"
whom Christ is bringing "unto glory"? Are you quite sure that you are?
It is written, "As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the
sons of God" (Rom. 8:14). Is this true of you? Can others see the
evidences of it? Is your daily life controlled by self-will, the ways
of the world, the pleasing of your friends and relatives, or by the
written Word, for that is what the Spirit uses in leading His sons.
Above we have contemplated that which "became" God; let our final
consideration be that which "becomes" His favored children. "Let your
conversation (manner of life) be as it becometh the Gospel of Christ"
(Phil. 1:27). If we are now light in the Lord, let us "walk as
children of light" (Eph. 5:8). Let us seek grace to "walk worthy of
the vocation wherewith we are called" (Eph. 4:1).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 10
Christ Superior to Angels
(Hebrews 2:11-13)
__________________________________________
Inasmuch as we feel led to break up the second half of Hebrews 2 into
shorter sections than is our usual habit (so that we may enter more in
detail), it will be necessary to begin each chapter with a brief
summary of what has already been before us. Though we dislike using
valuable space for mere repetitions, yet this seems unavoidable if the
continuity of thought is to be preserved and the scope of the
apostle's argument intelligently followed. Moreover, as we endeavor to
study the holy Word of God, it is ever the part of wisdom to heed the
Divine injunction, "he that believeth shall not make haste" (Isa.
28:16). To pause and review the ground already covered, serves to fix
in the memory what otherwise might be crowded out. As said the apostle
to the Philippians, "to write the same things to you, to me indeed is
not grievous, but for you it is safe" (Heb. 3:1).
In the opening chapter of our Epistle, from verses 4 to 14, seven Old
Testament passages were quoted for the purpose of showing the
superiority of Israel's Messiah over the angels. The first four verses
of chapter 2 are parenthetical, inasmuch as the argument of that
section is broken off in order to make a searching application to the
conscience of what has already been said. At Hebrews 2:5 the
discussion concerning the relative positions of the Mediator and the
celestial creatures is resumed. Two objections are now anticipated and
dealt with--this is made clear by the last clause of verse 8, which is
the interjecting of a difficulty. The objections are: How could Christ
be superior to angels, seeing that He was Man? and, How could He
possess a greater excellency than they, seeing that He had died?
In meeting these objections appeal was first made to the 8th Psalm,
which affirmed, in predictive language, that God has crowned "man"
(redeemed man) with "honor and glory," and that He has put "all things
under his feet"; and in the exaltation of Jesus faith beholds the
ground and guarantee, the proof and pledge, of the coming exaltation
of all His people (verse 9). Second, the necessity for the Mediator's
humiliation lay in the fact that He must "taste death," as the
appointed Substitute, if "every son" was to receive eternal life
(verse 9). Third, the apostle affirmed that God had a benevolent
design in suffering His Son to stoop so low: it was by His "grace"
that He tasted death (verse 9). Fourth, it is announced that such a
course of procedure was suited to the nature and honoring to the glory
of Him who ordains all things: it "became Him" (verse 10). Fifth, the
Divine love and wisdom in causing the Captain of our salvation to be
perfected "through sufferings" was fully vindicated, for the outcome
from it is that many sons are brought "unto glory."
In Hebrews 2:11, which begins our present portion, the needs-be for
the Son's humiliation is made still more evident: "For both He that
sanctifieth and they who are sanctified, are all of one: for which
cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren." The opening "for" at
once intimates that the Holy Spirit is still advancing confirmation of
what He had said previously, and is continuing to show why the Lord of
angels had been made Man. It may help the reader to grasp the force of
this verse if we state it thus: It was imperative that Christ should
be made, for a season, "lower than the angels" if ever He was to have
ground and cause to call us "brethren." That is a title which
presupposes a common state and standing; for this He must become "one"
with them. In other words, the Redeemer must identify Himself with
those He was to redeem.
We may add that the opening "for" of verse 11 supplies an immediate
link with verse 10: a further reason is now advanced why it "became"
God to make the Captain of His people perfect through sufferings, even
because He and they are "all of one." Herein lies the equity of
Christ's sufferings. It was not that an innocent person was smitten in
order that guilty ones might go free, for that would be the height of
injustice, but that an innocent Person, voluntarily, out of love,
identified Himself with trangressors, and so became answerable for
their crimes. Therefore, "in all things it behooved Him to be made
like unto His brethren" (Heb. 2:17). How this should endear Him to us!
"All of one," is very abstract, and for this reason not easy to define
concretely. "Observe that it is only of sanctified persons that this
is said. Christ and the sanctified ones are all of one company, men
together in the same position before God; but the idea goes a little
further. It is not of one and the same Father; had it been so, it
could not have been said, `He is not ashamed to call them brethren.'
He could not then do otherwise than call them brethren. If we say `of
the same mass' the expression may be pushed too far, as though He and
others were of the same nature as children of Adam, sinners together.
In this case Jesus would have to call every man His brother; whereas
it is only the children whom God hath given Him, `sanctified' ones,
that He so calls. But He and the sanctified ones are all as men in the
same nature and position together before God. When I say `the same' it
is not in the same state of sin, but the contrary, for they are the
Sanctifier and the sanctified, but in the same proof of human position
as it is before God as sanctified to Him; the same as far forth as man
when He, as the sanctified One is before God" (Mr. J.N. Darby).
Though the above quotation is worded somewhat vaguely, nevertheless we
believe it approximates closely to the thought of the Spirit. They,
Christ and His people, are "all of one." Perhaps we might say, All of
one class or company. If Christ were to be the Savior of men, He must
Himself be Man. This is what the quotations from the Old Testament,
which immediately follow, go to show. We do believe, however, that the
"all of one" is a little fuller in scope than that brought out by Mr.
Darby's comments. The remainder of Hebrews 2 seems to show it also has
reference to the oneness in condition between the Sanctifier and the
sanctified, i.e., in this world. The Shepherd went before the sheep
(John 10:4): the path they follow is the same He trod. Thus, "all of
one" in position, in sufferings, in trials, in dependency upon God.
"For both He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of
one." Many of the commentators have quite missed the meaning of this
"all of one." Had sufficient attention been given to the context they
should have seen that the apostle is not here treating of the oneness
of Christians with Christ in acceptance before God and in glory--that,
we get in such passages as Ephesians 1 and 2; instead, he is bringing
out the oneness of Christ with His people in their humiliation. In
other words, the apostle is not here speaking of our being lifted up
to Christ's level, but of His coming down to ours. That which follows
clearly establishes this.
But what is meant by "He that sanctifieth and they who are
sanctified"? The Sanctifier is Christ Himself, the sanctified are the
many sons who are being brought to glory. "The source and power of
sanctification are in the Son of God our Savior. We who were to be
brought unto glory were far off from God, in a state of condemnation
and death. What could be more different than our natural condition and
the glory of God which we are awaiting? Condemned on account of our
transgressions of the law, we lived in sin, alienated from God, and
without His presence of light and love. We were dead; and by `dead' I
do not mean that modern fancy which explains death to mean cessation
of existence, but that continuous, active, self-developing state of
misery and corruption into which the sinner has fallen by his
disobedience. Dead in trespasses and sins, wherein we walked; dead
while living in pleasing self (Eph. 2:1, 2, 1 Timothy 5:6). What can
be more opposed to glory than the state in which we are by nature? and
if we are to be brought into glory, it is evident we must be brought
into holiness; we must be delivered and separated from guilt,
pollution, and death, and brought into the presence of God, in which
is favor, light, and life--that His life may descend into our souls,
and that we may become partakers of the Divine nature.
"Christ is our sanctification. `By one offering He hath perfected
forever them that are sanctified' (Heb. 10:14). By the offering of His
body as the sacrifice for sin, He has sanctified all that put their
trust in Him. To sanctify is to separate unto God; to separate for a
holy use. We who were far off are brought nigh by the blood of Christ.
And although our election is of God the Father (who is thus the Author
of our sanctification, Jude 4), and the cleansing and purification of
the heart is generally attributed to the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:4,5),
yet is it in Christ that we were chosen, and from Christ that we
receive the Spirit, and as it is by the constant application of
Christ's work and the constant communication of His life that we live
and grow, Christ is our sanctification.
"We are sanctified through faith that is in Him (Acts 26:18). By His
offering of Himself He has brought us into the presence of God. By the
Word, by God's truth, by the indwelling Spirit, He continually
sanctifies His believers. He gave Himself for the church, `that He
might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of water by the Word'
(Eph. 5:26). `Sanctify them through Thy truth' (John 17:17; 15:3).
"Christ Himself is the foundation, source, method, and channel of our
sanctification. We are exhorted to put off the old man and to put on
the new man day by day, to mortify our members which are upon the
earth. But in what way or method can we obey the apostolic
exhortations, but by our continually beholding Christ's perfect
sacrifice for sin as our all-sufficient atonement? In what other way
are we sanctified day by day, but by taking hold of the salvation
which is by Him, `The Lamb that is slain'? Jesus is He that
sanctifieth. The Holy Spirit, the Comforter, is sent by Christ to
glorify Him, and to reveal and appropriate to us His salvation. We are
conformed to the image of Christ by the Spirit as coming from Christ
in His glorified humanity" (Saphir).
"For which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren" (verse 11).
Because Christ became Man, He is not ashamed to own as "brethren"
those whom the Father had given to Him. The community of nature shared
by the Sanctifier and the sanctified furnishes ground for Him to call
them "brethren." That He did so in the days of His humiliation may be
seen by a reference to Matthew 12:49; John 20:17. That He will do so
in the Day to come, appears from Matthew 25:40. That He is "not
ashamed" to so own them, plainly intimates an act of condescension on
his part, the condescension arising out of the fact that He was more
than Man, none other than "the Lord of glory." There is, no doubt, a
latent contrast in these words: the world hated them, their brethren
according to the flesh despised them, and called them "apostates"; but
the Son of God incarnate was not ashamed to call them "brethren." So,
too, He owns us. Therefore, if He is "not ashamed" to own us, shall we
be "ashamed to confess Him!" Moreover, let us "not be ashamed" to own
as "brethren" the poorest of the flock!
"For which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren." Ere passing
from these blessed words, it needs to be said, emphatically, that this
grace on the part of Christ does not warrant His people becoming so
presumptuous as to speak of Him as their "Brother." Such a thing is
most reprehensible. "Question, May we by virtue of this relation, call
the Son of God our Brother? Answer, We have no example of any of the
saints that ever did so. They usually gave titles of dignity to Him,
as Lord, Master, Savior. Howsoever the Son of God vouchsafes this
honor unto us, yet we must retain in our hearts an high and reverent
esteem of Him, and on that ground give such titles to Him as may
manifest as much. Inferiors do not use to give like titles of equality
to their superiors, as superiors do to their inferiors. It is a token
of love in superiors to speak to their inferiors as equals; but for
inferiors to do the like, would be a note of arrogancy" (Dr. Gouge).
The same principle applies to John 15:15. Christ in His condescending
grace may call us His "friends," but this does not justify us in
speaking of Him as our "Friend"!
"Saying, I will declare Thy name unto My brethren" (verse 12). Once
more the apostle appeals to the written Word for support of what he
had just affirmed. A quotation is made from Psalm 22, one which not
only substantiated what had been said in verse 11, but which also made
a further contribution towards removing the objection before him. As
is well known, the 22nd is the great Cross Psalm. In verses 20, 21,
the suffering Savior is heard crying, "Deliver My soul from the sword
(of Divine justice, cf. Zech. 13:7), My darling from the power of the
dog (the Gentiles, cf. Matt. 15:24-26). Save Me from the lion's (the
Devil's, cf. 1 Pet. 5:8) mouth." Then follows faith's assurance, "For
Thou hast heard Me from the horns of the unicorn." This is the turning
point of the Psalm: the cries of the Sufferer are heard on High. What
a conclusive and crushing reply was this to the objecting Jew! God's
own Word had foretold the humiliation and sufferings of their Messiah.
There it was, unmistakably before them. What could they say? The
Scriptures must be fulfilled. No reply was possible.
But more: not only did the 22nd Psalm announce beforehand the
sufferings of the Messiah; it also foretold His victory. Read again
the last clause of verse 21: "Save Me from the lion's mouth: for Thou
hast heard Me." Christ was "saved," not from death, but out of death,
cf. Hebrews 5:7. Now what is the very next thing in Psalm 227 This: "I
will declare Thy name unto My brethren" (verse 22). Here the Savior is
seen on resurrection ground, victorious over every foe. It is this
which the apostle quotes in Hebrews 2:12.
Now that which it is particularly important to note is that in this
verse from Psalm 22 Christ is heard saying He would declare the
Father's name unto His "brethren." That could only be possible on
resurrection ground. Why? Because by nature they were "dead in
trespasses and sins." But as "quickened together with Christ" (Eph.
2:5) they were made sons of God, and therefore the "brethren" of the
risen Son of God. Hence the great importance of noting carefully the
very point at which verse 22 occurs in the 22nd Psalm. The Lord Jesus
never called His people "brethren" on the other side of the Cross! He
spoke of them as "disciples," "sheep," "friends," but never as
"brethren." But as soon as He was risen from the dead, He said to
Mary, "Go to My brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto My Father
and to your Father" (John 20:17). Here, then, was the unanswerable
reply to the Jews' objection: Christ could reach resurrection ground
only by passing through death, cf. John 12:24.
"I will declare Thy name unto My brethren." Here the Son is heard
addressing the Father, promising that He would execute the charge
which had been given Him. The Greek word for "declare" is very
emphatic and comprehensive. It means, To proclaim and publish, to
exhibit and make known. To declare God's "Name" signifies to reveal
what God is, to make known His excellencies and counsels. This is what
Christ came here to do: see John 17:6,26. None else was competent for
such a task, for none knoweth the Father but the Son (Matt. 11:27).
But only to His "brethren" did Christ do so. They are the "babes" unto
whom heavenly things are revealed (Matt. 11:25); they are the ones
unto whom are made known the "mysteries of the kingdom of heaven"
(Matt. 13:11). From all others these blessed revelations are "hid," to
those "without" they are but "parables."
"In the midst of the church will I sing praise unto Thee" (verse 12).
This completes the quotation from Psalm 22:22. No doubt the first
fulfillment of this took place during the "forty days" of Acts 1:3:
mark how Acts 1:4 brings in the assembly; though its ultimate
fulfillment is yet future. The position in which Christ is here viewed
is very blessed, "in the midst": it is the Redeemer leading the
praises of His redeemed. Strangers to God may go through all the
outward forms of mere "religion," but they never praise God. It is
only upon resurrection ground that worship is possible. A beautiful
type of this is found in Exodus 15:1: it was only after Israel had
crossed the Red Sea, and the Egyptians were dead upon the shore, that
"Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song." Note how
Moses, the typical mediator, led their praises!
"And again, I will put My trust in Him" (verse 13). The apostle is
still replying to the Jews' objection, How could Jesus of Nazareth be
the superior of angels, seeing that He was Man and had died? Here, in
verses 12, 13, he quotes Messianic passages from the Old Testament in
proof of the statements made in verses 10, 11. First, Psalm 22:22 is
cited, in which Christ is heard addressing His redeemed as "brethren."
The implication is unmistakable: that is a title which presupposes a
common position and a common condition, and in order to do that the
Lord of glory had to be abased, come down to their level, become Man.
Then, in the same passage, the Savior is heard "singing praise" unto
God. This also views Him as incarnate, for only as Man could He sing
praise unto God! Moreover, it is not as Lord over the church, but as
One "in the midst" of it He is there viewed. Thus "all of one" is
illustrated and substantiated.
A second quotation is now made, from Isaiah 8:17, according to the
Septuagint version. The passage from which this is taken is a very
remarkable one. Beginning at verse 13 the exhortation is given,
"Sanctify the Lord of Hosts Himself; and let Him be your fear, and let
Him be your dread." This means, give Him His true place in your
hearts, recognize His exalted dignity, bow before His ineffable
majesty, submit to His high sovereignty, tremble at the very thought
of quarreling with Him.
Then, in verse 14, the Lord of Hosts is brought before us in a twofold
character: "And He shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of
stumbling and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, for
a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem." These
expressions, Sanctuary and Stone of stumbling, define the relation of
the Lord to the elect and to the non-elect. To the one He is Refuge, a
Resting-place, a Center of worship; to the other, He is an offense.
"The Stone" is one of the titles of Christ, and it is most interesting
and instructive to trace out the various references, the first being
found in Genesis 49:24. Here in Isaiah 8, it is Christ in His
lowliness which is in view. Israel was looking for One who would be
high among the great ones of the earth, therefore when One who was
born in a manger, who had toiled at the carpenter's bench, who had not
where to lay His head, appeared before them, they "despised and
rejected" Him. The figure used here is very affecting. How low a place
must the Lord of glory have taken for Israel to "stumble" over Him,
like a stone lying at one's feet! Thus, once more, the Holy Spirit
refers to an Old Testament passage in which the Messiah was presented
in humiliation, as it were "a stone" lying on the ground.
It is scarcely necessary to add that the very lowliness into which the
Savior entered, coming here not to be ministered unto but to minister,
and give His life a ransom for many, is that which makes Him a
"precious Stone" (1 Pet. 2:6) to all whose faith sees the Divine glory
shining beneath the humiliation. What is more moving to our hearts,
what is mere calculated to bow them in worship before God as we behold
His Son in John 13?--verily, "a Stone" at the feet of His disciples,
washing them! Blessed is it to know that the very Stone which the
builders rejected "is become the head of the corner" (Ps. 118:22),
that is, has been exalted.
Returning now to Isaiah 8, verse 15 amplifies what was said in the
previous one: "And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be
broken, and be snared, and be taken." How solemnly and how literally
this was fulfilled in the history of the Jews we all know. Then, in
verse 16, we have stated the consequences of Israel's rejection of
their Messiah: "Bind up the testimony, seal the law among My
disciples." Ever since there has been a veil over Israel's heart, even
when reading the Holy Scriptures (2 Cor. 3:15).
Now comes the word in Hebrews 2:13, "I will put My trust in Him" (Isa.
8:17, Septuagint version). A most blessed word is this. It reveals the
implicit confidence of the Savior in God. Notwithstanding the
treatment which He met with from both the houses of Israel, His trust
in Jehovah remained unshaken; He looked away from the things seen to
the things unseen. The relevancy of this citation in Hebrews 2 is
obvious: such a thing could not have been unless Christ had become
Man--considered simply as God the Son, to speak of Him "trusting" was
unthinkable, impossible. Wonderful proof was this of what had been
affirmed in Hebrews 2:11 concerning the oneness which exists between
Christ and His people: He, like they, was called on to tread the path
of faith.
"I will put My trust in Him." This is indeed a word which should bow
our hearts in wonderment. What a lowly place had the Maker of heaven
and earth taken! How these words bring out the reality of His
humanity! The Son of God had become the Son of Man, and while here on
earth He ever acted in perfect accord with the place which He had
taken. He lived here a life of faith, that is, a life of trust in and
dependence upon God. In John 6:57 we hear Him saying, "I live by the
Father." This is what He pressed on Satan when tempted to manufacture
bread for Himself.
Isaiah 8:17 is not the only Old Testament passage which speaks of
Christ "trusting" in God. In Psalm 16:1, He cries, "Preserve Me, O
God: for in Thee do I put My trust." As Man it was not fitting that He
should stand independent and alone; nor did He. The whole of this
Psalm views Him in the place of entire dependency--in life, in death,
in resurrection. Strikingly will this appear if verses 10, 11 be
compared with John 2:19 and John 10:18. In the passages in John's
Gospel, where His Divine glory shines forth through the veil of His
humanity, He speaks of raising Himself from the dead. But here in
Psalm 16, where the perfections of His manhood are revealed, He is
seen trusting in God to raise Him again. How important it is to get
the Spirit's viewpoint in each passage!
"I will put My trust in Him." This perfection of our Lord is not
sufficiently pondered by us. The life which Jesus Christ lived here
for thirty-three years was a life of faith. That is the meaning of
that little-understood word in Hebrews 12:2: "Looking off unto Jesus
(His name, as Man), the Author (Greek, same as "Captain" in 2:10) and
Perfecter of faith." If these words be carefully weighed in the light
of their context, their meaning is plain. In Hebrews 11 we have
illustrated, from the Old Testament saints, various aspects of the
life of faith, but in Jesus we see every aspect of it perfectly
exemplified. As our Captain or Leader, He has gone before His
soldiers, setting before them an inspiring example. The path we are
called on to tread, is the same He trod. The race we are bidden to
run, is the same He ran. And we are to walk and run as He did, by
faith.
"I will put my trust in Him." This was ever the expression of His
heart. Christ could say, and none but He ever could, "I was cast upon
Thee from the womb: Thou art My God from My mother's belly" (Ps.
122:10). Never did another live in such complete dependence on God as
He: "I have set the Lord always before Me; because He is at My right
hand, I shall not be moved" (Ps. 16:8) was His language. So evident
was His faith, even to others, that His very enemies, whilst standing
around the Cross, turned it into a bitter taunt: "He trusted on the
Lord that He would deliver Him, let Him deliver Him, seeing He
delighted in Him" (Ps. 22:8). How blessed to know that when we are
called on to walk by faith, to submit ourselves unto and live in
dependency on God, to look away from the mists of time to the coming
inheritance, that Another has trod the same path, that in putting
forth His sheep, the Good Shepherd went before them (John 10:4), that
He bids us to do nothing but what He has Himself first done.
"I will put My trust in Him." This is still true of the Man Christ
Jesus. In Revelation 1:9 we read of "the kingdom and patience of Jesus
Christ": that is the patience of faith, cf. Hebrews 11:13. Hebrews
10:12,13 interprets: "But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice
for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth
expecting till His enemies be made His footstool." That is the
expectation of faith, awaiting the fulfillment of God's promise. Ah,
dear reader, fellowship with Christ is no mystical thing, it is
intensely practical; fellowship with Christ means, first of all,
walking by faith.
"And again, behold I and the children which God hath given Me" (verse
13). This completes the quotation made from Isaiah 8:17, 18. The
pertinency of these words in support of the apostle's argument is
evident: it is Christ's taking His place before God as Mediator,
owning the "children" as His gift to Him; it is Christ as Man
confessing His oneness with them, ranking Himself with the saints--"I
and the children," compare "My Father and your Father" (John 20:17).
It is the Lord Jesus presenting Himself to God as His Minister, having
faithfully and successfully fulfilled the task committed to Him. He is
here heard addressing the Father, rejoicing over the fruits of His own
work. It is as though He said, "Here am I, O Father, whom Thou didst
send out of Thine own bosom from Heaven to earth, to gather Thine
elect out of the world. I have performed that for which Thou didst
send Me: behold I and the children which Thou hast given Me." Though
He had proved a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense to both the
houses of Israel, yet was He not left without a people; "children" had
been given to Him, and these He owns and solemnly presents before God.
Who are these "children?" First, they are those whom the Mediator
brings to God. As we read in 1 Peter 3:18, "For Christ hath also once
suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to
God." This is what Christ is seen doing here: formally presenting the
children to God. Second, they are here regarded as the "children" of
Christ. In Isaiah 53:10, 11 it was said, "He shall see His seed, He
shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in
His hands. He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be
satisfied." In John 13:33 and John 21:5 He is actually heard owning
His disciples as "children." Nor was there anything incongruous in
that. Let the reader ponder 1 Corinthians 4:14, 15: if they who are
converted under the preaching of God's servants may be termed their
"children," how much more so may they be called "children" of Jesus
Christ whom He has begotten by His Spirit and by His Word!
"Behold I and the children which God hath given Me." Those whom God
hath given to Christ were referred to by Him, again and again, during
the days of His public ministry. "All that the Father giveth Me shall
come to Me" (John 6:37). "I have manifested Thy name unto the men
which Thou gavest Me out of the world: Thine they were, and Thou
gavest them Me I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them
which Thou hast given Me" (John 17:6, 9). They were given to Christ
before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4). These "children" are
God's elect, sovereignly singled out by Him, and from the beginning
chosen unto salvation (2 Thess. 2:13). God's elect having been given
to Christ "before the foundation of the world," and therefore from all
eternity, throws light upon a title of the Savior's found in Isaiah
9:6: "The everlasting Father." This has puzzled many. It need not.
Christ is the "everlasting Father" because from everlasting He has had
"children!"
Why were these "children" given to Christ. The first answer must be,
For His own glory. Christ is the Center of all God's counsels, and His
glory the one object ever held in view. Christ will be eternally
glorified by having around Him a family, each member of which is
predestined to be "conformed to His image" (Romans 8:29). The second
answer is, That He might save them: "All that the Father giveth Me
shall come to Me, and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast
out" (John 6:37).
"Behold I and the children which God hath given Me." We doubt not that
the ultimate reference of these words looks forward to the time
anticipated by that wonderful doxology found at the close of Jude's
Epistle: "Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to
present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding
joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion
and power, both now and ever." When the Lord Jesus shall, in a
soon-coming Day, gather the company of the redeemed unto Himself and
"present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle,
or any such thing" (Eph. 5:27) then shall He triumphantly exclaim,
"Behold I and the children which God hath given Me." In the meantime
let us seek to take unto our hearts something of the blessedness of
these words that, even now, the "joy of the Lord" may be our strength
(Neh. 8:10).
"Behold I and the children which God hath given Me." Let us endeavor
to point out one or two plain implications. First, how dear, how
precious, must God's elect be unto Christ! They are the Father's own
"gift" unto Him. The value of a gift lies not in its intrinsic worth,
but in the esteem and affection in which the giver is held. It is in
this light, first of all, that Christ ever views His people--as the
expression of the Father's own love for Himself. Second, how certain
it is that Christ will continue to care for and minister unto His
people! He cannot be indifferent to the welfare of one of those whom
the Father has given to Him. As John 13:1 declares, "having loved His
own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end." Third, how
secure they must be! None of His can possibly perish. Beautifully is
this brought out in John 18:8, 9, where, to those who had come to
arrest Him, Christ said, "If therefore ye seek Me, let these go their
way: that the saying might be fulfilled, which He spake, Of them which
Thou gavest Me have I lost none."
Inexpressibly blessed is that which has been before us in Hebrews
2:12, 13. The Lord's people are there looked at in a threefold way.
First, Christ owns them as His "brethren." O the wonder of it! The
ambitious worldling aspires to fleshly honors and titles, but what has
he which can, for a moment, be compared with the honored title which
Christ confers upon His redeemed? Next time you are slandered by men,
called some name which hurts you, remember, fellow-Christian, that
Christ calls you one of His "brethren." Second, the entire company of
the redeemed are here denominated "the church," and Christ is seen in
the midst singing praise. There, they are viewed corporately, as a
company of worshippers, and He who is "a Priest forever" leads their
songs of joy and adoration. Third, the Lord Jesus owns us as His
"children," children which have been given to Him by God. This speaks
both of their nearness and dearness to Himself. Surely the
contemplation of these wondrous riches of grace must impel us to cry,
"To Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen" (Rev. 1:6).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 11
Christ Superior to Angels
(Hebrews 2:14-16)
__________________________________________
The closing verses of Hebrews 2 are so rich and full in their contents
and the subjects with which they deal are of such importance that we
feel the more disposed to devote extra space for the exposition of
them. More and more we are learning for ourselves that a short portion
of Scripture prayerfully examined and repeatedly meditated upon,
yields more blessing to the heart, more food to the soul, and more
help for the walk, than a whole chapter read more or less cursorily.
It is not without reason that the Lord Jesus said in the parable of
the Sower, "that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and
good heart, having heard the Word, keep, and bring forth fruit with
patience" (Luke 8:15). The only way in which the Word is "kept" or
held fast is through prolonged meditation and patient or persevering
study.
The verses which are to be before us on this occasion form part of the
apostle's inspired explanation of "the Son's" becoming Man and
suffering the awful death of the cross. If the reader will turn back
to the third paragraph of the preceding article he will there find
five reasons (substantiated in verses 9, 10), as to why Christ endured
such humiliation. In verses 11-13 four more are advanced. It was
necessary for the second Person of the holy Trinity to be made lower
than the angels if He were to have ground and cause for calling us
"brethren" (verses 11, 12), for that is a title which presupposes a
common ground and standing. Then, it was necessary for the Lord of
glory to become "all of one" with His people if, in the midst of the
church, He should "sing praise" unto God (verse 12); and this, the Old
Testament scriptures affirmed, He would do. Again, it was necessary
for Him who was in the form of God to take upon Him "the form of a
servant" if He was to set before His people a perfect example of the
life of faith; and in Isaiah 8:17, He is heard saying, by the Spirit
of prophecy, "I will put My trust in Him" (verse 13). Finally, His
exclamation "Behold I and the children which God hath given Me" (verse
13), required that He should become Man and thus rank Himself
alongside of His saints.
In verses 14-16 we have one of the profoundest statements in all Holy
Writ which treats of the Divine incarnation. For this reason, if for
no other, we must proceed slowly in our examination of it. Here too
the Holy Spirit continues to advance further reasons as to why it was
imperative that the Lord of angels should, for a season, stoop beneath
them. Three additional ones are here given, and they may be stated
thus: first, that He might render null and void him who had the power
of death, that is, the Devil (verse 14); second, that He might deliver
His people from the bondage of that fear which death had occasioned
(verse 15); third, Abraham's children could only be delivered by Him
laying hold of Abraham's seed (verse 16).
"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood He
also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He
might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil"
(verse 14). "The connection between this verse and the preceding
context may be stated thus: Since it became Him for whom are all
things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory,
to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering; and
since, according to Old Testament prophecies, the Sanctifier and the
sanctified, the Savior and the saved, must be of the same race; and
since the saved are human beings,--the Son of God, the appointed
Savior, assumed a nature capable of suffering and death--even the
nature of man, when He came to save, that in that nature He might die,
and by dying accomplish the great purpose of His appointment, the
destruction of the power of Satan, and the deliverance of His chosen
people" (Dr. J. Brown).
The opening words of our verse denote that the Holy Spirit is drawing
a conclusion from the proof-texts just cited from the Old Testament.
The Greek words for "forasmuch then" are rendered "seeing therefore"
in Hebrews 4:6, and their force is, "it is evident hereby" that the
Son of God became the Son of Man for the sake of those whom God had
given Him.
"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood He
also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He
might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil"
(verse 14). Here we have the eternal Word becoming flesh, the Son of
God becoming the Son of man. Let us consider, First, the Wonder of it;
Second, the Needs-be of it; Third, the Nature of it; Fourth, the
Perfection of it; Fifth, the Purpose of it.
The tragic thing is that, for the present, our minds are so beclouded
and our understandings so affected by sin, it is impossible for us to
fully perceive the wonder of the Divine incarnation. As the apostle
wrote, "But now we see through a glass darkly" (1 Cor. 13:12). But
thank God this condition is not to last for ever; soon, very soon, we
shall see "face to face." And when by God's marvelous grace His people
behold the King in His beauty, they will not, we think, be bewildered
or dazed, but instead, filled with such wonderment that their hearts
and whole beings will spontaneously bow in worship.
Another thing which makes it so difficult for us to grasp the wonder
of the Divine incarnation is that there is nothing else which we can
for a moment compare with it; there is no analogy which in any wise
resembles it. It stands unique, alone, in all its solitary grandeur.
We are thrilled when we think of the angels sent forth to minister for
those who shall be heirs of salvation: that those wondrous creatures,
which so far excel us in wisdom and strength, should have been
appointed to be our attendants; that those holy creatures should be
commissioned to encamp round about poor sinners; that the courtiers of
Heaven should wait upon worms of the earth! Truly, that is a great
wonder. But oh my brethren, that wonder pales into utter
insignificance and, in comparison, fades away into nothingness, before
this far greater wonder--that the Creator of angels should leave His
throne on High and descend to this sin-cursed earth; that the very One
before whom all the angels bow should, for a season, be made lower
than they; that the Lord of glory, who had dwelt in "light
unapproachable," should Himself become partaker of "flesh and blood"!
This is the wonder of wonders.
So wonderful was that unparalleled event of the Divine incarnation
that the heavenly hosts descended to proclaim the Savior newly-born.
So wonderful was it that the "glory of the Lord," the ineffable
Shekinah, which once filled the temple, but had long since retired
from the earth, appeared again, for "the glory of the Lord shone round
about" the awestruck shepherds on Bethlehem's plains. So wonderful was
it that chronology was revolutionized, and anno mundi became anno
domini: the calendar was changed, and instead of its dating from the
beginning of the world, it was re-dated from the birth of Christ; thus
the Lord of time has written His very signature across the centuries.
Passing on now, let us consider the needs-be for the Divine
incarnation.
This is plainly intimated both in what has gone before and in what
follows. If the "children" which God had given to His Son were to be
"sanctified" then He must become "all of one" with them. If those
children who are by nature partakers of flesh and blood were to be
"delivered from him that had the power of death, that is the devil,"
then the Sanctifier must also "likewise take part of the same." If He
was to be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to
God, He must in all things "be made like unto His brethren." If He is
to be able to "succor them that are tempted," then He must Himself,
"suffer, being tempted"; and, as God Himself "cannot be tempted," He
had to become Man in order to that experience.
The needs-be was real, urgent, absolute. There was no other way in
which the counsels of God's grace towards His people could be wrought
out. If ever we were to be made "like Him," He first had to be made
like us. If He was to give us of His Spirit, He must first assume our
flesh. If we were to be so joined unto the Lord as to become "one
spirit" (1 Cor. 6:17) with Him, then He must first be joined with our
flesh, so as to be "all of one" with us. In a word, if we were to
become partakers of the Divine nature, He must be made partaker of
human nature. Thus we perceive again the force of the apostle's reply
to the objection which he is here removing--How could it be that a Man
was superior to angels? He has not only shown from the Jews' own
scriptures that the Man Christ Jesus had been given a name more
excellent than any pertaining to the celestial hierarchies, but here
he shows us the needs-be for the Lord of glory to become Man. If we
were to be "conformed to His image" then He must be "made in the
likeness of sin's flesh." If the children of Abraham were to be
redeemed, then He must take on Him the "seed of Abraham."
The nature of the Divine incarnation is here referred to in the words
"flesh and blood." That expression speaks of the frailty, dependency,
and mortality of man. This is evident from the other passages where it
occurs. The words "flesh and blood" are joined together five times in
the New Testament: Matthew 16:17, 1 Corinthians 15:50, Galatians 1:16,
Ephesians 6:12, Hebrews 2:14. It is a humbling expression emphasizing
the weakness of the flesh and limitations of man: note how in
Ephesians 6:12, "flesh and blood" is contrasted from the mightier foes
against which Christians wrestle.
"Flesh and blood" is the present state in which is found those
children whom God has designed to bring unto glory. By their natural
constitution and condition there is nothing to distinguish the elect
from the non-elect. The Greek noun for "partakers" is derived from the
root signifying "common": in Romans 15:27, Gentile believers are said
to be "partakers" of Israel's spiritual blessings, that is, they enjoy
them in common, one with another. So God's children are "partakers,"
equally with the children of the Devil, of "flesh and blood." Nor does
our regeneration effect any change concerning this: the limitations
and infirmities which "flesh and blood" involve still remain. Many
reasons for this might be suggested: that we may not be too much
puffed up by our spiritual standing and privileges; that we might be
rendered conscious of our infirmities, and made to feel our weakness
before God; that we might abase ourselves before Him who is Spirit;
that the grace of compassion may be developed in us--our brethren and
sisters are also partakers of "flesh and blood," and often we need
reminding of this.
In the words "He also Himself likewise took part of the same" we have
an affirmation concerning the reality of the Savior's humanity. It is
not merely that the Lord of glory appeared on earth in human form, but
that He actually became "flesh and blood," subject to every human
frailty so far as these are freed from sin. He knew what hunger was,
what bodily fatigue was, what pain and suffering were. The very fact
that He was "the Man of sorrows" indicates that "He also Himself
likewise took part of the same." Thereby we see the amazing
condescension of Christ in thus conforming Himself to the condition in
which the children were. How marvelous the love which caused the Lord
of glory to descend so low for us sons of men! There was an infinite
disparity between them: He was infinite, they finite; He omnipotent;
they frail and feeble; He was eternal, they under sentence of death.
Nevertheless, He refused not to be conformed to them; and thus He was
"crucified through weakness" (2 Corinthians 13:4), which refers to the
state into which He had entered.
The perfection of the Divine incarnation is likewise intimated in the
words "He also Himself likewise took part of the same." These words
emphasize the fact that Christ's becoming Man was a voluntary act on
His part. The "children" were by nature subject to the common
condition of "flesh and blood." They belonged to that order. They had
no say in the matter. That was their state by the law of their very
being. But not so with the Lord Jesus. He entered this condition as
coming from another sphere and state of being. He was the Son who
"thought it not robbery to be equal with God." He was all-sufficient
in Himself. Therefore it was an act of condescension, a voluntary act,
an act prompted by love, which caused Him to "take part of the same."
These words also point to the uniqueness of our Lord's humanity. It is
most blessed to observe how the Spirit here, as always, has carefully
guarded the Redeemer's glory. It is not said that Christ was a
"partaker of flesh and blood," but that "He likewise took part of the
same." The distinction may seem slight, and at first glance not easily
detected; yet is there a real, important, vital difference. Though
Christ became Man, real Man, yet was He different, radically
different, from every other man. In becoming Man He did not "partake"
of the foul poison which sin has introduced into the human
constitution. His humanity was not contaminated by the virus of the
Fall. Before His incarnation it was said to His mother, "That Holy
Thing which shall be born of thee" (Luke 1:35). It is the sinlessness,
the uniqueness of our Lord's humanity which is so carefully guarded by
the distinction which the Holy Spirit has drawn in Hebrews 2:14.
The purpose of the Divine incarnation is here intimated in the words
that "through death He might destroy him that had the power of death,
that is, the devil." It was with this end in view that the Son of God
took part in "flesh and blood." In the several passages where the
Divine incarnation is referred to in the New Testament different
reasons are given and various designs are recorded. For example, John
3:16 tells us that one chief object in it was to reveal and exhibit
the matchless love of God. 1 Timothy 1:15 declares that "Christ Jesus
came into the world to save sinners." But here in Hebrews 2:14 it is
the destroying of him that had the power of death that is mentioned.
The object of the Holy Spirit in our present passage is to display the
glorious and efficacious side of that which was most humbling--the
infinite stoop of the Lord of glory. He is pointing out to those who
found the Cross such a stumbling-block, how that there was a golden
lining to the dark cloud which hung over it. That which to the outward
eye, or rather the untaught heart and mind, seemed such a degrading
tragedy was, in reality, a glorious triumph; for by it the Savior
stripped the Devil of his power and wrested from his hands his most
awful weapon. Just as the scars which a soldier carries are no
discredit or dishonor to him if received in an honorable cause, so the
cross-sufferings of Christ instead of marking His defeat were,
actually, a wondrous victory, for by them He overthrew the arch-enemy
of God and man.
"That through death He might destroy him that had the power of death,
that is, the devil." It is most blessed to note the bearing of this
statement upon the special point the apostle was discussing. The Jews
were stumbled by the fact that their Messiah had died. Here the Holy
Spirit showed that so far from that death tarnishing the glory of
Christ, it exemplified it, for by death He overthrew the great Enemy
and delivered His captive people. "Not only is He glorious in heaven,
but He hath conquered Satan in the very place where he exercised his
sad dominion over men, and where the judgment of God lay heavily upon
men" (Mr. J.N. Darby).
"That through death He might destroy him that had the power of death,
that is, the devil." Three things here claim attention: First, what is
meant by the Devil having "the power of death"? Second, what "death"
is here in view? Third, in what sense has Christ "destroyed" the
Devil? From the words of the next verse it is clear that the reference
is to what particularly obtained before Christ became incarnate. That
it does not mean the Devil had absolute power in the infliction of
physical death in Old Testament times is clear from several
scriptures. Of old Jehovah affirmed, "See now that I, even I, am He,
and there is no god with Me: I kill, and I make alive" (Deut. 32:39).
Again, "the Lord killeth, and maketh alive; He bringeth down to the
grave, and bringeth up" (1 Sam. 2:6). And again, "unto God the Lord
belong the issues from death" (Ps. 68:20). These passages are
decisive, and show that even during the Mosaic economy the giving of
life and the inflicting of death were in the hands of God only, no
matter what instruments He might employ in connection therewith.
The particular kind of "death" which is here in view is explained for
us in the words "that through death lie" etc. The death which Christ
died was "the wages of sin"--the penal infliction of the law,
suffering the wrath of a holy God. The point raised here is a deeply
mysterious one, yet on it Scripture throws some light. In John 8:44,
Christ declared that the Devil was "a murderer" (literally
"man-slayer") from the beginning. In Zechariah 3:1, we are shown Satan
standing at Jehovah's right-hand to resist Israel's high priest. Upon
the subject Saphir has said, "But which death did Christ die? That
death of which the Devil had the power. Satan wielded that death. He
it was who had a just claim against us that we should die. There is
justice in the claim of Satan.
"It is quite true that Satan is only a usurper; but in saving men God
deals in perfect righteousness, justice, truth. According to the
Jewish tradition the fallen angels often accuse men, and complain
before God that sinful men obtain mercy. Our redemption is in harmony
with the principles of righteousness and equity, on which God has
founded all things. The prince of this world is judged (John 16:11);
he is conquered not merely by power, but by the power of justice and
truth.... He stood upon the justice of God, upon the inflexibility of
His law, upon the true nature of our sins. But when Christ died our
very death, when He was made sin and a curse for us, then all the
power of Satan was gone.... And now what can Satan say? The justice,
majesty, and perfection of the law are vindicated more than if all the
human race were lost forever. The penalty due to the broken law Jesus
endured, and now, as the law is vindicated, sin put away, death
swallowed up, Christ has destroyed the Devil."
Inasmuch as the Devil is the one who brought about the downfall of our
first parents, by which sentence of death has been passed upon all
their posterity (Rom. 5:12); inasmuch as he goeth about as a roaring
lion "seeking whom he may devour" (1 Pet. 5:8); inasmuch as he
challenged God to inflict upon the guilty the sentence of the law
(Zech. 3:1); and, inasmuch as even the elect of God are, before their
regeneration, under "the power of darkness" (Col. 1:13 and cf. Acts
26:18), dead in trespasses and sins, yet "walking according to the
Prince of the power of the air"; the Devil may be said to have "the
power of death."
The word "destroy him that had the power of death" does not signify to
annihilate, but means to make null and render powerless. In 1
Corinthians 1:28 this same Greek word is rendered "bring to naught";
in Romans 3:3 "without effect"; in Romans 3:31 "make void." Satan has
been so completely vanquished by Christ the Head that he shall prevail
against none of His members. This is written for the glory of Christ,
and to encourage His people to withstand him. Satan is an enemy
bespoiled. Therefore is it said, "Resist the Devil, and he will flee
from you" (James 4:7). To such as believe there is assurance of
victory. If the Devil gets the upper hand of us, it is either because
of our timidity, or lack of faith.
"To `destroy him that had the power of death' is to strip him of his
power. It is said by the apostle John, `for this purpose was the Son
of God manifested, to destroy the works of the Devil,' i.e. ignorance,
error, depravity, and misery. In the passage before us, the
destruction is restricted to the peculiar aspect in which the Devil is
viewed. To destroy him, is so to destroy him as having `the power of
death'--to render him, in this point of light, powerless in reference
to the children; i.e., to make death cease to be a penal evil. Death,
even in the case of the saints, is an expression of the displeasure of
God against sin; but it is not--as but for the death of Christ it must
have been--the hopeless dissolution of his body: it is not the inlet
to eternal misery to his soul. Death to them for whom Christ died
consigns, indeed, the body to the grave; but it is `in the sure and
certain hope of a glorious resurrection,' and it introduces the freed
spirit into all the glories of the celestial paradise" (Dr. J. Brown).
This stripping Satan of his power of death was accomplished by the
laying down of the Savior's life, "that through death He might
destroy." "The means whereby Christ overcame Satan, is expressly said
to be death. To achieve this great and glorious victory against so
mighty an enemy, Christ did not assemble troops of angels, as He could
have done (Matt. 26:53), nor did He array Himself with majesty and
terror, as in Exodus 19:16; but He did it by taking part of weak flesh
and blood, and therein humbling Himself to death. In this respect the
apostle saith, that Christ `having spoiled principalities and powers,
made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in the cross' (Col.
2:15), meaning thereby, His death. The apostle there resembleth the
cross of Christ to a trophy whereon the spoils of enemies were hanged.
Of old conquerors were wont to hang the armor and weapons of enemies
vanquished on the walls of forts and towers." (Dr. Gouge.)
"That through death He might destroy him that had the power of death,
that is, the devil." A striking type of this is furnished in Judges
14:12-19--will the reader please turn to this, before considering our
brief comments. The riddle propounded by Samson prefigured what is
plainly declared here in Hebrews 2:14. The greatest "eater" (Jud.
14:14), or "consumer," is Death. Yet out of the eater came forth meat:
that is, out of death has come life; see John 12:24. Note in Judges 14
how, typically, the natural man is, of himself, utterly unable to
solve this mystery. The secret of the death of Christ, the Lion of the
tribe of Judah, must be revealed. Finally, note how that a change of
raiment was provided for those to whom the riddle was explained--a
foreshadowment of the believer's robe of righteousness!
"And deliver them who through fear of death were all their life-time
subject to bondage" (verse 15). It needs to be carefully borne in mind
that throughout this passage the apostle has in view a particular
class of persons, namely, the "heirs of salvation," the "sons" of God,
the "brethren" of Christ. Here they are described according to their
unregenerate condition: subject to bondage; so subject, all their
unregenerate days; so subject through "the fear of death." It was to
deliver them from this fear of death that Christ died. Such we take it
is the general meaning of this verse. 2 Timothy 1:7 gives the sequel:
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of
love, and of a sound mind."
The opening "And" and the verb "deliver" (which is in the same mood
and tense as "destroy" in the previous verse) intimate that Christ's
death had in view these two ends which cannot be separated, namely,
destroying the Devil, delivering us. Just as Abraham destroyed those
enemies who had taken Lot captive together with the other inhabitants
of Sodom, that he might "deliver" them (Gen. 14:14), and as David
destroyed the Amalekites, that he might "deliver" his wives and
children and others out of their hands (1 Sam. 27:9), so Christ
vanquished the Devil, that he might "deliver" those who had (by
yielding to his temptations) fallen captive to him. What thanks is due
unto Christ for thus overthrowing our great adversary!
To the "fear of death," i.e., that judgment of God upon sin, all men
are in much greater bondage than they will own or than they imagine.
It was this "fear" which made Adam and Eve hide themselves from the
presence of God (Gen. 3:8), which made Cain exclaim, "my punishment is
greater than I can bear" (Gen. 4:13), which made Nabal's heart to die
within him (1 Sam. 25:37), which made Saul fall to the ground as a man
in a swoon (1 Sam. 28:20), which made Felix to tremble (Acts 24:25),
and which will yet cause kings and the great men of the earth to call
on the mountains to fall on them (Revelation 6:15, 16). True, the
natural man, at times, succeeds in drowning the accusations of his
conscience in the pleasures of sin, but "as the crackling of thorns
under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool" (Eccl. 7:6). It is from
this fearful bondage that Christ delivered His people: through His
grace, by His spirit filling them "with all joy and peace in
believing" (Rom. 15:13).
A beautiful and most complete type of the truth in our present verse
is to be found in 1 Samuel 17. Will the reader turn to that chapter
and note carefully the following details: First, in verses 4-8 there
we have, in figure, Satan harassing the Old Testament saints. Second,
where was David (type of Christ) during the time Goliath was
terrifying the people of God? Verses 14, 15 answer: In his father's
house, caring for his sheep. So through the Mosaic economy Christ
remained on High, in the Father's house, yet caring for His sheep.
Third, Goliath defied Israel for "forty days," verse 16--figure of the
forty centuries from Adam to Christ, when the Old Testament saints
lived in fear of death, for "life and immortality" were only brought
"to light through the Gospel" (2 Tim. 1:10). Fourth, next we see David
leaving his father's house, laden with blessings for his brethren,
verses 17, 18. Note the "early in the morning," verse 20, showing his
readiness to go on this mission. Fifth, mark the sad reception he met
with from his brethren, verse 28: his efforts were unappreciated, his
purpose misunderstood, and a false accusation was brought against him.
Sixth, in verses 32, 38-49, we have a marvelous type of Christ
defeating Satan in the wilderness: note how David went forth in his
shepherd character (verse 40 and compare John 10). He took "five"
stones out of the brook (the place of running water--figure of the
Holy Spirit) but used only one of them; so Christ in the Wilderness
selected the Pentateuch (the first five books of Scripture) as His
weapon, but used only one of them, Deuteronomy. Note David slew him
not with the stone! He stunned him with that, but slew him with his
own sword: so Christ vanquished him that had the power of death
"through death." Read again verse 51 and see how accurate is the
figure of Christ "bruising" the Serpent's head. Finally, read verse 52
and see the typical climax: those "in fear" delivered. What a
marvelous Book is the Bible!
"For verily He took not on angels; but He took on the seed of Abraham"
(verse 16). This verse, which has occasioned not a little controversy,
presents no difficulty if it be weighed in the light of its whole
context. It treats not of the Divine incarnation, that we have in
verse 14; rather does it deal with the purpose of it, or better, the
consequences of Christ's death. Its opening "for" first looks back,
remotely to verses 9,10; immediately, to verses 14, 15. The Spirit is
here advancing a reason why Christ tasted death for every son, and why
He destroyed the Devil in order to liberate His captives; because not
angels, but the seed of Abraham, were the objects of His benevolent
favor. The "for" and the balance of the verse also, looks forward,
laying a foundation for what follows in verse 17: the ground of
Christ's being made like to His brethren and becoming the faithful and
merciful High Priest was because He would befriend the seed of
Abraham.
The Greek verb here translated "He took on" or "laid hold" is found
elsewhere in some very striking connections. It is used of Christ's
stretching out His hand and rescuing sinking Peter, Matthew 14:31,
there rendered "caught." It is used of Christ when He "took" the blind
man by the hand (Mark 8:23). So of the man sick of the dropsy. He
"took" and healed him (Luke 14:4). Here in Hebrews 2:16 the reference
is to the almighty power and invincible grace of the Captain of our
salvation. It receives illustration in those words of the apostle's
where, referring to his own conversion, he said, "for which also I am
(was) apprehended (laid hold) of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:12). Thus it
was and still is with each of God's elect. In themselves, lost,
rushing headlong to destruction; when Christ stretches forth His hand
and delivers, so that of each it may be said, "Is not this a brand
plucked from the burning" (Zech. 3:2). "Laid hold of" so securely that
none can pluck out of His hand!
But not only does our verse emphasize the invincibility of Divine
grace, it also plainly teaches the absolute sovereignty of it. Christ
lays hold not of "the seed of Adam," all mankind, but only "the seed
of Abraham"--the father of God's elect people. This expression, "the
seed of Abraham," is employed in the New Testament in connection with
both his natural and his spiritual seed. It is the latter which is
here in view: "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He
saith not, And to seeds, as of many, but as of one, And to thy seed
which is Christ" (Gal. 3:16)--not only Christ personal, but Christ
mystical. The last verse of Galatians 3 shows that: "And if ye be
Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to promise."
This verse presents an insoluble difficulty to those who believe in
the universality of God's love and grace. Those who do so deny the
plain teaching of Scripture that Christ laid down His life for "the
sheep," and for them alone. They insist that justice as well as mercy
demanded that He should die for all of Adam's race. But why is it
harder to believe that God has provided no salvation for part of the
human race, than that He has provided none for the fallen angels? They
were higher in the scale of being; they, too, were sinners needing a
Savior. Yet none has been provided for them! He "laid not on" angels.
But more: Our verse not only brings out the truth of election, it also
presents the solemn fact of reprobation. Christ is not the Savior of
angels. "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left
their own habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under
darkness unto the judgment of the great day" (Jude 6). On this Dr. J.
Brown has well said:
"What an overwhelming subject of contemplation is this! He is not the
Savior of angels, but of the elect family of men. We are lost in
astonishment when we allow our minds to rest on the number and dignity
of those whom He does not lay hold of, and the comparative as well as
real vileness of those of whom He does take hold. A sentiment of this
kind has engaged some good, but in this case not wise men, in an
inquiry why the Son of God saves men rather than angels. On this
subject Scripture is silent, and so should we be. There is no doubt
that there are good reasons for this, as for every other part of the
Divine determinations and dispensations; and it is not improbable that
in some future stage of our being these reasons will be made known to
us. But, in the meantime, I can go no further than, `even so, Father,
for so it hath seemed good in Thy sight.' I dare not `intrude into
things, which I have not seen,' lest I should prove that I am `vainly
puffed up by a fleshly mind.' But I will say with an apostle, `Behold
the goodness and severity of God; on them that fell, severity'--most
righteous severity; `but to them who are saved, goodness'--most
unmerited goodness." (Dr. J. Brown.)
May the Lord add His blessing to what has been before us.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 12
Christ Superior to Angels
(Hebrews 2:17, 18)
__________________________________________
The verses which are now to be before us complete the second main
division of the Epistle, in which the apostle has set forth the
superiority of Christ over angels, and has met and removed a double
objection which might be made against this. In showing that it was
necessary for the Son of God to become Man in order to save His people
from their sins, the Holy Spirit took occasion to bring out some
striking details concerning the real and perfect humanity of Christ.
In Hebrews 2:11 He affirms that Christ and His people are "all of
one." This receives a sevenfold amplification, which is as follows:
First, they are one in sanctification, verse 11. Second, they are one
in family relationship, verses 11, 12a. Third, they are one in
worship, verse 12b. Fourth, they are one in trust, verse 13. Fifth,
they are one in nature, verse 14. Sixth, they are one in the line of
promise, verse 16. Seventh, they are one in experiencing temptation,
verse 18.
It is remarkable to notice, however, that in this very passage which
sets forth Christ's identification with His people on earth, the Holy
Spirit has carefully guarded the Savior's glory and shows, also in a
sevenfold way, His uniqueness: First, He is "the Captain of our
salvation" (verse 10), we are those whom He saves. Second, He is the
"Sanctifier," we but the sanctified (verse 11). Third, the fact that
He is "not ashamed to call us brethren" (verse 11), clearly implies
His superiority. Fourth, He is the Leader of our praise and presents
it to God (verse 12). Fifth, mark the "I, and the children" in verse
13. Sixth, note the contrast between "partakers" and "took part of" in
verse 14. Seventh, He is the Destroyer of the enemy, we but the
delivered ones verses 14, 15. Thus, here as everywhere, He has the
pre-eminence in all things."
Another thing which comes out strikingly and plainly in the second
half of Hebrews 2 is the distinguishing grace and predestinating love
of God. Christ is His "Elect" (Isa. 42:1), so called because His
people are "chosen in Him" (Eph. 1:4). Mark how this also is developed
in a sevenfold manner. First, in "bringing many sons unto glory."
(verse 10). Second, "the Captain of their salvation" (verse 10).
Third, "they who are sanctified," set apart (verse 11). Fourth, "in
the midst of the church" (verse 12). Fifth, "the children which God
hath given me" (verse 13). Sixth, "He took on Him the seed of Abraham"
(verse 16), not Adam, but "Abraham," the father of God's chosen
people. Seventh, "to make reconciliation for the sins of the people"
(verse 17).
If the reader will turn back to the third paragraph in article 10, and
the second and third in article 11, he will find that we have called
attention to twelve distinct reasons set forth by the apostle in
Hebrews 2:9-16, which show the meetness and necessity of Christ's
becoming man and dying. In the verses which we are now to ponder, two
more are advanced: First, the incarnation and death of the Savior were
imperative if He was to be "a merciful and faithful High Priest"
(verse 17). Second, such experiences were essential that He might be
able to "succor them that are tempted" (verse 18). Thus, in the
fourteen answers given to the two objections which a Jew would raise,
a complete demonstration is once more given of the two leading points
under discussion.
Though our present portion consists of but two verses yet are they so
full of important teaching that many more pages than what we shall now
write might well be devoted to their explication and application. They
treat of such weighty subjects as the incarnation of Christ, the
priesthood of Christ, the atoning-sacrifice of Christ, the temptation
of Christ, and the succor of Christ. Precious themes indeed are these;
may the Spirit of truth be our Guide as we prayerfully turn to their
consideration.
"Wherefore in all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His
brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in
things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the
people" (verse 17). The Holy Spirit here adduces a further reason why
it was necessary for the Son of God to become incarnate and lay down
His life for His people: it behooved Him so to do that He might be an
effectual High Priest. As the priesthood of Christ will come before us
again and again in the later chapters, D.V., we shall not here discuss
it at length. Let us now ponder the several words and clauses of our
present verse.
"Wherefore" is the drawing of a conclusion from what has been said in
the previous verses. "It behooved Him": the Greek word is not the same
as for "it became" Him in Hebrews 2:10. There the reference is to the
Father, here to the Son; that signified a comeliness or meetness, this
has reference to a necessity, though not an absolute one, but in
conjunction with the order of God's appointment in the way sinners
were to be redeemed, and His justice satisfied, cf. Luke 24:46. "To be
made like unto His brethren" is parallel with "all of one" in verse 11
and "He also Himself likewise took part" in verse 14. The expression
goes to manifest the reality of Christ's human nature: that He was
Man, such a man as we are.
The words "it behooved Him in all things to (His) brethren to be made
like" are not to be taken absolutely. When the writer points out that,
in view of other scriptures, the word "all" must be limited in such
passages as John 12:32, 1 Timothy 2:4, 6, etc., some people think we
are interpreting the Bible so as to suit ourselves. But what will they
do with such a verse as Hebrews 2:17? Can the words "in all things it
behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren" be understood without
qualification? Was He made like unto us in the depravity of our
natures? Did He suffer from physical sicknesses as we do? Emphatically
no. How do we know this? From other passages. Scripture needs to be
compared with Scripture in order to understand any verse or any
expression. The same Greek words here rendered "all things"
(kapapanta) occur again in Hebrews 4:15, where we are told that Christ
"was in all points (things) tempted like as we are sin excepted" for
thus the Greek word should be rendered. Thus the Holy Spirit expressly
declares that the "all things" is not universal!
What then does the "all things" signify and include? We answer,
everything which Scripture does not except or exclude "when people saw
Him, they did not notice in His outward appearance anything
super-human, glorious, free from earthly weakness and dependency. He
did not come in splendor and power. He did not come in the brightness
and strength which Adam possessed before he fell. `In all things He
became like unto us' in His body, for He was hungry and thirsty;
overcome with fatigue, He slept; in His mind, for it developed. He had
to be taught. He grew in wisdom concerning the things around Him; He
increased, not merely in stature, but in mental and normal strength.
In His affections, for He loved. He was astonished; He marveled at
men's unbelief. Sometimes He was glad, and `rejoiced in spirit';
sometimes He was angry and indignant, as when He saw the hypocrisy of
the Jews. Zeal like fire burned within Him: `The zeal for the house of
God consumed Me'; and he showed a vehement fervor in protecting the
sanctity of God's temple. He was grieved; He trembled with emotion;
His soul was straightened in Him. Sometimes He was overcome by the
waves of feeling when He beheld the future that was before Him.
"Do not think of Him as merely appearing a man, or as living a man
only in His body, but as Man in body, soul, and spirit. He exercised
faith; He read the Scriptures for His own guidance and encouragement;
He prayed the whole night, especially when He had some great and
important work to do, as before setting apart the apostles. He sighed
when He saw the man who was dumb; tears fell from His eyes when at the
tomb of Lazarus He saw the power of death and of Satan. His
supplications were with strong crying and tears; His soul was
exceeding sorrowful" (Saphir). Thus, the Son of God was made like unto
His brethren in that He became Man, with a human spirit, and soul and
body; in that He developed along the ordinary lines of human nature,
from infancy to maturity; and, in that He passed through all the
experiences of men, sin, and sickness excepted.
"That He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things
pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people."
The Son of God became the Son of Man in order that He might be an High
Priest. There was an absolute necessity for this. First, because of
the infinite disparity there is between God and men: He is of infinite
glory and majesty, and dwells in that light which no man can approach
unto (1 Tim. 6:16); they are but dust and ashes (Gen. 18:27). Second,
because of the contrariety of nature between God and men: He is most
pure and holy, they most polluted and unholy. Third, because of the
resultant enmity between God and men (Rom. 5:10; Col. 1:21). Hence we
may observe: there is no immediate access for any man to God without a
priest; there is no priest qualified to act for men in things
pertaining to God, but Jesus Christ, the God-man. Thus has He been
appointed "Mediator between God and men" (1 Tim. 2:5, 6).
Because of the perfect union between His two natures, the Lord Jesus
is "a merciful and faithful High Priest": "merciful" man-wards,
"faithful" God-wards. To be "merciful" is to be compassionate, ever
ready, under the influence of a tender sympathy, to support, comfort,
and deliver. Having trod the same path as His suffering and tried
people, Christ is able to enter into their afflictions. He is not like
an angel, who has never experienced pain. He is Man; nor are His
sympathies impaired by His exaltation to heaven. The same human heart
beats within the bosom of Him who sits at God's right hand as caused
Him to weep over Jerusalem! To be "faithful" means that His
compassions are regulated by holiness, His sympathies are exercised,
according to the requirements of God's truth. There is a perfect
balance between His maintenance of God's claims and His ministering to
our infirmities.
"To make reconciliation for the sins of the people." It is a pity that
the translators of the A.V. rendered this clause as they did. The
Revisers have correctly given: "to make propitiation for the sins of
the people." The Greek word here is "Hilaskeothai," which is the
verbal form of the one found in 1 John 2:2 and 1 John 4:10. The word
for "reconciliation" is "katallage," which occurs in 2 Corinthians
5:18, 19, and Romans 5:11, though the word is there wrongly rendered
"the atonement." The difference between the two terms is vital though
one which is now little understood. Reconciliation is one of the
effects or fruits of propitiation. Reconciliation is between God and
us; propitiation is solely God-ward. Propitiation was the appeasing of
God's holy anger and righteous wrath; reconciliation is entering into
the peace which the atoning sacrifice of Christ has procured.
"To make propitiation for the sins of the people." Here is the climax
of the apostle's argument. Here is his all-conclusive reply to the
Jews' objection. Atonement for the sins of God's elect could not be
made except the Son became Man; except He became "all of one" with
those who had, from all eternity been set apart in the counsels of the
Most High to be "brought unto glory"; except He took part in "flesh
and blood," and in all things be "made like unto His brethren." Only
thus could He be the Redeemer of the "children" which God had given
Him.
In Scripture the first qualification of a redeemer was that he must
belong to the same family of him or her who was to be redeemed: "If
thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away of his possession, and
if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which
his brother sold" (Lev. 25:25). The redeemer must be a "kinsman": this
fact is fully and beautifully illustrated in the book of Ruth (see
Hebrews 2:20; 3:12, 13; 4:1, 4, 6). Neither pity, love, nor power were
of any avail till kinship was established. The important bearing of
this on what immediately follows we shall now endeavor to show.
"To make propitiation for the sins of the people." This word, in the
light of its setting, is one of the most vital to be found in all Holy
Writ on the subject of the Atonement, bringing out, as it does, the
absolute righteousness of God in connection therewith. At the back of
many minds, we fear, there lurks the suspicion that though it was
marvelous grace and matchless love which moved God to give His Son to
die for sinners, yet that, strictly speaking, it was an act of
unrighteousness. Was it really just for an innocent person to suffer
in the stead of the guilty? Was it right for One who had so perfectly
honored God and kept His law at every point, to endure its awful
penalty? To say, It had to be, there was no other way of saving us,
supplies no direct answer to our question; nay, it is but arguing on
the jesuitical basis that "the end justifies the means."
Sin must be punished; a holy God could not ignore our manifold
transgressions; therefore, if we are to escape the due reward of our
iniquities a sinless substitute must be paid the wages of sin in our
stead. But will not the Christian reader agree that it had been
infinitely better for all of us to be cast into the Lake of Fire, than
that God should act unrighteously to His Own Beloved? Has, then our
salvation been secured at the awful price of a lasting stigma being
cast upon the holy name of God? This is how the theological schemes of
many have left it. But not so the Holy Scriptures. Yet, let us
honestly face the question: Was God just in taking satisfaction from
His spotless Son in order to secure the salvation of His people?
It is at this point that so many preachers have shown a zeal which is
not "according to knowledge" (Rom. 10:2). In their well-meant but
carnal efforts to simplify the things of God, they have dragged down
His holy and peerless truth to the level of human affairs. They have
sought to "illustrate" Divine mysteries by references to things which
come within the range of our senses. God has said, "The natural man
receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him: neither can he know, because they are
spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14). Why not believe what He has
said? You cannot teach a corpse, and the natural man is dead in sin.
If the Word of God does not bring him life and light, no words of ours
can or will. And to go outside of Holy Writ for our "illustrations" is
a piece of impertinency, or worse. When a preacher attempts to
simplify the mystery of the three Persons in the Godhead by an
illustration from "nature" he only exhibits his foolishness, and helps
nobody.
Thus it has been with the sacred truth and holy mystery of the
Atonement. Good men have not hesitated to ransack the annals of
history, both ancient and modern, to discover examples of those who,
themselves innocent of the crime committed, volunteered to receive the
penalty due to those who were guilty. Sad, indeed, is it to behold
this unholy cheapening of the things of God; but what is far worse,
most reprehensible is it to observe their misrepresentations of the
greatest transaction of all in the entire history of the universe. An
innocent man bearing the punishment of a guilty one may meet the
requirements of a human government, but such an arrangement could
never satisfy the demands of the righteous government of God. Such is
its perfection, that under it no innocent person ever suffered, and no
guilty person ever escaped; and so far from the atonement of the Son
of God forming an exception to this rule, it affords the most
convincing evidence of its truth.
Once we perceive that the Atonement is founded upon the unity of
Christ and His people, a unity formed by His taking part in flesh and
blood, the righteousness of God is at once cleared of the aspersion
which the illustrations of many a preacher has, by necessary
implication cast upon it. The propitiation rendered unto God was made
neither by a stranger, nor an intimate friend, undergoing what another
merited; but by the Head who was responsible for the acts of the
members of His spiritual body, just as those members had been
constituted guilty because of the act of their natural head,
Adam--when "by the offense of one, judgment came upon all men to
condemnation" (Rom. 5:18). It is perhaps worthy of notice in this
connection that, in the over-ruling providence of God, it is the head
of a murderer's body which is dealt with when capital punishment is
inflicted either decapitation as in France, hanging by the neck as in
England, or being gassed as in some parts of the United States. Thus
the head is held responsible for the feet, which were swift to shed
blood, and the hand which committed the lethal crime.
However great the dignity of the substitute, or however deep his
voluntary humiliation, atonement for us would not have been possible
unless that substitute became actually, as well as legally, one with
us. In order to ransom His church, in order to purge our sins, Christ
must so unite Himself with His people, that their sins should become
His sins, and that His sufferings and death should become their
sufferings and death. In short, the union between the Son of God and
His people, and theirs with Him, must be as real and as intimate as
that of Adam and his posterity, who all sinned and died in him. Thus
did He, in the fullness of time, assume their flesh and blood, bear
their sins in His own body on the tree, so that they, having died to
sin, may live unto righteousness, being healed by His stripes.
Therefore, no human transaction can possibly illustrate the
surety-ship and sacrificial death of Christ, and any attempt to do so
is not only to darken counsel by words without knowledge, but is,
really, to be guilty of presumptuous impiety. Probably more than one
preacher will be led to cry with the writer, "Father, forgive me, for
I knew not what I did."
Here, then, is the answer to our question: so far from the salvation
of God's elect having been procured at the unspeakable price of
sullying the holy name of Deity, the manner in which it was secured
furnishes the supremest demonstration of the inexorable justice of
God; for when sin was found upon Him, God "spared not His own Son"
(Rom. 8:32). But it was against no "innocent Victim" that God bade His
sword awake. It was against One who had graciously condescended to be
"numbered with transgressors," who not only took their place, but had
become one with them. Had He not first had a real and vital relation
to our sins, He could not have undergone their punishment. The justice
of God's imputation of our sins to the Savior's account rested upon
His oneness with His people.
It is this fact which is iterated and reiterated all through the
immediate context. "Both He that sanctifieth and they who are
sanctified are all of one" (verse 11), "Behold I and the children
which God hath given Me" (verse 13), "Forasmuch then as the children
are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part
of the same" (verse 14), "Wherefore in all things it behooved Him to
be made like unto His brethren" (verse 17). Why? Why? Here is the
inspired answer: "To make propitiation for the sins of the people."
That was only possible, we say again, because of His union with them.
When Christ became one with His people their guilt became His, as the
debts of a wife become by marriage the debts of the husband. This
itself is acknowledged by Christ, "For innumerable evils hath
compassed Me about: Mine iniquities have taken hold upon Me, so that I
am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of Mine head:
therefore My heart faileth Me" (Ps. 40:12).
"To make propitiation for the sins of the people." In the light of all
that has gone before in the Epistle, this statement is luminous
indeed. The whole context shows us His qualifications for this
stupendous work, a work which none but He could have performed. First,
He was Himself "the Son," the brightness of God's glory and the very
impress of His substance. Thus it was the dignity or Deity of His
person which gave such infinite value to His work. Second, His moral
perfections as Man, loving righteousness and hating iniquity (Heb.
1:9), thus fulfilled every requirement of the law. Third, His union
with His people which caused him "made sin for us, that we might be
made the righteousness of God in Him."
The "propitiation" (which is the New Testament filling out of the Old
Testament "to make an atonement") which Christ made, was the perfect
satisfaction that He offered to the holiness and justice of God on
behalf of His people's sins, so that they could be righteously blotted
out, removed for ever from before the face of God, "as far as the east
is from the west." This sacrificial work of the Savior's was a
priestly act, as the words of our present verse clearly enough affirm.
For "the sins of the people" is parallel with Matthew 1:21; John
10:11. They plainly teach that atonement has been made for the sins of
God's elect only. "The people" are manifestly parallel with the "heirs
of salvation" (Heb. 1:14), the "many sons" (Heb. 2:10), the "brethren"
(Heb. 2:12), the "seed of Abraham" (Heb. 2:16). It is with them alone
Christ identified Himself. The "all of one" of Hebrews 2:11 is
expressly defined as being only between "He that sanctifieth and they
who are sanctified." He laid hold of "the seed of Abraham," and not
"the seed of Adam." He is the "Head" not of mankind, but of "the
church which is His body" (Eph. 1:21-23). A universal atonement, which
largely fails of its purpose, is an invention of Satan, with the
design of casting dishonor upon Christ, who would thus be a defeated
Savior. A general atonement, abstractedly offered to Divine justice,
which is theoretically sufficient for everybody, yet in itself
efficient for nobody, is a fictitious imagination, which finds
lodgment only in those who are vainly puffed up by a fleshly mind. A
particular atonement, made for a definite people, all of whom shall
enjoy the eternal benefits of it, is what is uniformly taught in the
Word of God.
"For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted He is able to
succor them that are tempted" (verse 18). Here is the final reason
given why it was necessary for the Son to become Man and die: He is
the better able to succor His tried people. It was not simply His
having been "tempted" that qualified Him, for God Himself may be
tempted (Num. 14:22), though not with evil (James 1:13). So men may be
tempted, yet as to be moved little or nothing thereby. But such
temptations as make one suffer, do so work on him, as to draw out his
pity to other tempted ones, and to help them as far as He can. It is
this point which the Spirit has here seized.
"For in that He Himself hath suffered, being tempted." The subject of
Christ's being tempted is an important one, for erroneous conceptions
thereof necessarily produce a most dishonoring conception of His
peerless Person. If the Lord wills, we hope to discuss it more fully
when we come to Hebrews 4:15, yet feel we must offer a few remarks
upon it now. That the temptations to which our blessed Lord was
subjected were real ones is evidenced from the inspired declaration
that He "suffered" from them, but that they involved a conflict within
Him, or that there was any possibility of His yielding thereto, must
be emphatically denied. That He became Man with a human spirit and
soul and body, and therefore possessed a human will, we fully believe;
but that there was the slightest inclination for His heart or will to
yield to evil solicitations, is wicked to so much as imagine. Not only
was His humanity sinless, but it was "holy" (Luke 1:35), and His
inherent holiness repelled all sin as water does fire.
The temptations or trials which Christ suffered here on earth must not
be limited to those which came upon Him from Satan, though these are
included. First, Christ suffered bodily hunger (Matt. 4:1,2), etc.
Second, His holy nature suffered acutely from the very presence of the
foul Fiend, so that He said, "Get thee hence" (Matt. 4:10). Third, the
temptations from the Pharisees and others "grieved" Him (Mark 3:5)
Fourth, from the words of His own disciples, which were an "offense"
unto Him (Matt. 16:23). Fifth, His greatest sufferings were from His
Father's temptings or tryings of Him. (See John 12:27; Matthew 26:38,
39; 27:46). Note how in Luke 22:28, "My temptation," the Savior spoke
of His whole life as one unbroken experience of trial! How real and
deep His "sufferings" were, many of the Messianic Psalms reveal.
The very fact that He suffered when "tempted" manifests His
uniqueness. "He suffered, never yielded. We do not `suffer' when we
yield to temptation: the flesh takes pleasure in the things by which
it is tempted. Jesus suffered, being tempted. It is important to
observe that the flesh, when acted upon by its desires, does not
suffer. Being tempted it, alas, enjoys. But when, according to the
light of the Holy Spirit and fidelity of obedience, the spirit resists
the attacks of the enemy, whether subtle or persecuting, then one
suffers. This the Lord did, and this we have to do" (Mr. J.N. Darby).
"He is able to succor them that are tempted." Having passed through
this scene as the Man of sorrows, He can, experimentally, gauge and
feel the sorrows of His people, but let it be dearly understood that
it is not the "flesh" in us which needs "succoring," but the new
nature, the faithful heart that desires to please Him. We need
"succor" against the flesh, to enable us to mortify our members which
are upon the earth. Not yet has the promised inheritance been reached.
We are still in the wilderness, which provides nothing which ministers
to us spiritually. We are living in a world where everything is
opposed to true godliness. We are called upon to "run the race which
is set before us," to "fight the good fight of faith," and for this we
daily need His "succor."
The Greek word for "He is able" implies both a fitness and willingness
to do a thing. Christ is both competent and ready to undertake for His
people. If we have not, it is because we ask not. The Greek word for
"succor" here is very emphatic, and signifies a running to the cry of
one, as a parent responding to the cry of distress from a child. A
blessed illustration of Christ's "succoring" one of His own needy
people is found in Matthew 14:30,31, where we read that when Peter saw
the wind was boisterous he was afraid, and began to sink, and cried
"Lord save me." And then we are told, "And immediately Jesus stretched
forth His hand and caught him."
On one occasion the Lord Jesus asked His disciples, "Believe ye that I
am able to do this" (Matt. 9:28). And thus He ever challenges the
faith of His own. To Abraham He said, "Is anything too hard for the
Lord?" (Gen. 18:14). To Moses, who doubted whether the Lord would give
flesh to Israel in the wilderness, He asked, "Is the Lord's hand waxed
short?" (Num. 11:23). To Jeremiah the searching question was put, "Is
there anything too hard for Me?" (Jer. 32:27). So He still asks,
"Believe ye, that I am able to do this?" Do what? we may ask. Whatever
you are really in need of--give peace, impart assurance, grant
deliverance, supply succor.
"He is able to succor them that are tempted." Remember who He is, the
God-man. Remember the experiences through which He passed! He, too,
has been in the place of trial: He, too, was tempted--to distrust, to
despondency, to destroy Himself. Yes, He was tempted "in all points
like as we are, sin excepted." Remember His present position, sitting
at the right hand of the Majesty on high! How blessed then to know
that He is "able" both to enter, sympathetically, into our sufferings
and sorrows, and that He has power to "succor."
"As Man, a man of sorrows,
Thou hast suffered every woe,
And though enthroned in glory now,
Canst pity all Thy saints below."
Oh, what a Savior is ours! The all-mighty God; yet the all-tender Man.
One who is as far above us in His original nature and present glory as
the heavens are above the earth: yet One who can be "touched with the
feeling of our infirmities," One who is the Creator of the universe;
yet One who became Man, lived His life on the same plane ours is
lived, passed through the same trials we experience, and suffered not
only as we do, but far more acutely. How well-fitted is such a One to
be our great High Priest! How self-sufficient He is to supply our
every need! And how completely is the wisdom and grace of God
vindicated for having appointed His blessed Son, to be made, for a
season, lower than the angels! May our love for Him be strengthened
and our worship deepened by the contemplation of what has been before
us in these first two chapters of Hebrews.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 13
Christ Superior to Moses
(Hebrews 3:1-6)
Our present portion introduces us to the third division of the
Epistle, a division which runs on to Hebrews 4:6. The first division,
comprising but the three opening verses of the first chapter,
evidences the superiority of Christ over the prophets. The second
division, Hebrews 1:4 to the end of chapter 2, sets forth the
superiority of Christ over the angels. The one we are now commencing
treats of the superiority of Christ over Moses. "The contents of this
section may be stated briefly thus: That the Lord Jesus Christ, the
mediator of the new covenant, is high above Moses, the mediator of the
old dispensation, inasmuch as Jesus is the Son of God, and Lord over
the house; whereas Moses is the servant of God, who is faithful in the
house. And upon this doctrinal statement is based the exhortation,
that we should not harden our hearts lest we fail to enter into that
rest of which the possession of the promised land was only an
imperfect type. This section consists of two parts--a doctrinal
statement, which forms the basis, and an exhortation resting upon it"
(Saphir).
Of all the godly characters brought before us in the Old Testament
scriptures, there is not one who has higher claims on our attentive
consideration than the legislator of Israel. Whether we think of his
remarkable infancy and childhood, his self-sacrificing renunciation
(Heb. 11:24-26), the commission he received from God and his
faithfulness in executing it, his devotion to Israel (Exo. 32:32), his
honored privileges (Exo. 31:18), or the important revolutions
accomplished through his instrumentality; "it will be difficult to
find," as another has said, "in the records either of profane or
sacred history, an individual whose character is so well fitted at
once to excite attachment and command veneration, and whose history is
so replete at once with interest and instruction."
The history of Moses was remarkable from beginning to end. The hand of
Providence preserved him as a babe, and the hand of God dug his grave
at the finish. Between those terms he passed through the strangest and
most contrastive vicissitudes which, surely, any mortal has ever
experienced. The honors conferred upon him by God were much greater
than any bestowed upon any other man, before or since. During the most
memorable portion of their history, all of God's dealings with Israel
were transacted through him. His position of nearness to Jehovah was
remarkable, awesome, unique. He was in his own person, prophet, priest
and king. Through him the whole of the Levitical economy was
instituted. By him the Tabernacle was built. Thus we can well
understand the high esteem in which the Jews held this favored man of
God--cf. John 9:28, 29.
Yet great as was Moses, the Holy Spirit in this third section of
Hebrews calls upon us to consider One who so far excelled him as the
heavens are above the earth. First, Christ was the immeasurable
superior of Moses in His own person: Moses was a man of God, Christ
was God Himself. Moses was the fallen descendant of Adam. conceived in
sin and shapen in iniquity; Christ was sinless, impeccable, holy.
Again; Christ was the immeasurable superior of Moses in His Offices.
Moses was a prophet, through whom God spake; Christ was Himself "the
Truth," revealing perfectly the whole mind, will, and heart of God.
Moses executed priestly functions (Exo. 24:6; 32:11); but Christ is
the "great High Priest." Moses was "king in Jeshurun" (Deut. 33:5);
Christ is "King of kings." To mention only one other comparison,
Christ was the immeasurable superior of Moses in His work. Moses
delivered Israel from Egypt, Christ delivers His people from the
everlasting burnings. Moses built an earthly tabernacle, Christ is now
preparing a place for us on High. Moses led Israel across the
wilderness but not into the Canaan itself; Christ will actually bring
many sons "unto glory." May the Holy Spirit impress our hearts more
and more with the exalted dignity and unique excellency of our Savior.
"Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider
the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus" (verse
1). There are three things in this verse which claim our attention:
the exhortation given, the people addressed, the characters in which
Christ is here contemplated. The exhortation is a call to "consider"
Christ. The people addressed are "holy brethren, partakers of the
heavenly calling." The characters in which the Savior is viewed are
"the Apostle and High Priest."
"Wherefore." This word gives the connecting link between the two
chapters which precede and the two that follow. It is a perfect
transition, for it looks both ways. In regard to that which goes
before, our present verse makes known the use we are to make of it; we
are to "consider" Christ, to have our hearts fixed upon Him who is
"altogether lovely." In regard to that which follows, this basic
exhortation lays a foundation for the succeeding admonitions: if we
render obedience to this precept, then we shall be preserved from the
evils which overtook Israel of old--hardening of the heart, grieving
the Lord, missing our "rest."
The exhortation given here is, "Wherefore . . . consider the Apostle
and High Priest of our profession." Three questions call for answers:
what is meant by "considering" Him; why we should do so; the special
characters in which He is to be considered. There are no less than
eleven Greek words in the New Testament all rendered "consider," four
of them being simple ones; seven, compounds. The one employed by the
Holy Spirit in Hebrews 3:1 signifies to thoroughly think of the
matter, so as to arrive at a fuller knowledge of it. It was the word
used by our Lord in His "consider the ravens, consider the lilies"
(Luke 12:24, 27). It is the word which describes Peter's response to
the vision of the sheet let down from heaven: "I considered and saw
fourfooted beasts" (Acts 11:6). It is found again in Matthew 7:3,
Romans 4:19, Hebrews 10:24. In Acts 7:31 "katanoeo" is rendered "to
behold." In Luke 20:23 it is translated "perceived." In all, the Greek
word is found fourteen times in the New Testament.
To "consider" Christ as here enjoined, means to thoroughly ponder who
and what He is; to attentively weigh His dignity, His excellency, His
authority; to think of what is due to Him. It is failure to thoroughly
weigh important considerations which causes us to let them "slip"
(Heb. 2:1). On the other hand, it is by diligently pondering things of
moment and value that the understanding is enabled to better apprehend
them, the memory to retain them, the heart to be impressed, and the
individual to make a better use of them. To "consider" Christ means to
behold Him, not simply by a passing glance or giving to Him an
occasional thought, but by the heart being fully occupied with Him.
"Set Me as a seal upon thine heart" (Song 8:6), is His call to us. And
it is our failure at this point which explains why we know so little
about Him, why we love Him so feebly, why we trust Him so imperfectly.
The motive presented by the Spirit here as to why we should so
"consider" Christ is intimated in the opening "Wherefore." It draws a
conclusion from all that precedes. Because Christ is the One through
whom Deity is now fully and finally manifested, because He is the
Brightness of God's glory and the very Impress of His substance;
because, therefore, He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent
name than the angels; because He, in infinite grace, became "all of
one" with those that He came to redeem, having made propitiation for
the sins of His people; because He is now seated at the right hand of
the Majesty on High, and while there is "a merciful and faithful High
Priest;" because He has Himself suffered being tempted and is able to
succor them who are tempted;--therefore, He is infinitely worthy of
our constant contemplation and adoration. The opening "Wherefore" is
also an anticipatory inference from what follows: because Christ is
worthy of more honor than Moses, therefore, "consider" Him.
There are two special characters in which the Holy Spirit here bids us
contemplate Christ. First, as "the Apostle." This has reference to the
prophetical office of Christ, the title being employed because an
"apostle" was the highest minister appointed in New Testament times.
An apostleship had more honors conferred upon it than any other
position in the church (Eph. 4:11): thus the excellency of Christ's
prophetic office is magnified. The term apostle means one "sent forth"
of God, endowed with authority as His ambassador. In John's Gospel
Christ is frequently seen as the "Sent One," 3:34, 5:36, etc. The
general function of Christ as a prophet, an apostle, a minister of the
Word, was to make known the will of His Father unto His people. This
He did, see John 8:26, etc. His special call to that function was
immediate: "as My Father hath sent Me, so send I you" (John 20:21).
Christ is more than an apostle, He is "the Apostle," that is why none
others, not even Paul, are mentioned in this Epistle. He eclipses all
others. He was the first apostle, the twelve being appointed by Him.
His apostolic jurisdiction was more extensive than others; Peter was
an apostle of the circumcision. Paul of the Gentiles; but Christ
preached both to them that were nigh and to them that were far off
(Eph. 2:17). He received the Spirit more abundantly than any other
(John 3:34). With Him the Messenger was the message: He was Himself
"the Truth." The miracles He wrought (the "signs of an apostle" 2
Corinthians 12:12) were mightier and more numerous than those of
others. Verily, Christ is "the Apostle," for in all things He has the
pre-eminence. The special duty for us arising therefrom is, "Hear ye
Him" (Matt. 17:5)--cf. Deuteronomy 18:15, 18.
The second character in which we are here bidden to "consider" Christ
Jesus, is as the "High Priest of our profession." As the priesthood of
Christ will come before us, D.V., in detail in the later chapters,
only a few remarks thereon will now be offered. As we have already
been told, the Lord Jesus is "a merciful and faithful High Priest in
things pertaining to God" (Heb. 2:17). This at once gives us the
principal feature which differentiates His priestly from His prophetic
office. As Prophet, Christ is God's representative to His people; as
"Priest," He is their representative before God. As the Apostle He
speaks to us from God, as our High Priest He speaks for us to God. The
two offices are conjoined in John 13:3, "He was from God, and went to
God." Thus He fills the whole space between God and us: as Apostle He
is close to me; as Priest, He is close to God.
"Of our profession." The Greek word here is a compound and properly
signifies "a consent." In the New Testament, it is used for the
confession of a thing (1 Tim. 6:12, 13), and to set forth the faith
which Christians profess (Heb. 4:14). Here it may be taken either for
an act on our part--the confessing Christ to be "the Apostle and High
Priest," or, the subject matter of the faith we profess. Christians
are not ashamed to own Him, for He is not ashamed to own them. The
apostleship and priesthood of Christ are the distinguishing subjects
of our faith, for Christianity centers entirely around the person of
Christ. The confession is that which faith makes, see Hebrews 10:23.
The cognate of this word is found in Hebrews 11:13 and Hebrews 13:15,
"giving thanks:" these two references emphasizing the "stranger and
pilgrim" character of this profession, of which Christ Jesus is the
Apostle and High Priest.
It remains now for us to notice the people to whom this exhortation is
addressed: they are denominated "holy brethren, partakers of the
heavenly calling." These Hebrews were addressed as "brethren" because
they belonged spiritually to the family of God. "He evidently refers
to the blessed truth just announced, that Jesus, the Son of God, is
not ashamed to call us brethren" (Heb. 2:11). He means therefore those
who by the Spirit of God have been born again, and who can call God
their Father. He addresses those of God who are in Christ Jesus, who
were quickened together with Him; for when He rose from the dead He
was `the first-born among many brethren'. He calls them `holy
brethren,' because upon this fact of brotherhood is based their
sanctification: `He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are
all of one'" (Saphir). No doubt the "holy brethren" was also designed
to distinguish them from their brethren according to the flesh, the
unbelieving Jews. By his use of this appellation the apostle to the
Gentiles evidenced his interest in and love for the Hebrews: he
acknowledged and esteemed them as "brethren."
"What an interesting and delightful view is thus presented to our
minds of genuine Christians scattered all over the earth--belonging to
every kindred, and people, and tongue, and nation--distinguished from
one another in an almost infinite variety of ways, as to talent,
temper, education, rank, circumstances, yet bound together by an
invisible band, even the faith of the truth, to the one great object
of their confidence, and love, and obedience, Christ Jesus--forming
one great brotherhood, devoted to the honor and service of His Father
and their Father, His God and their God! Do you belong to this holy
brotherhood? The question is an important one. For answer, note
Christ's words in Matthew 12:50" (Dr. J. Brown).
"Partakers of the heavenly calling." This at once serves to emphasize
the superiority of Christianity over Judaism, which knew only an
earthly calling, with an earthly inheritance. The word "partakers"
signifies "sharers of." The calling wherewith the Christian is called
(Eph. 4:1) is heavenly, because of its origin--it proceeds from
Heaven; because of the means used--the Spirit and the Word, which have
come from Heaven; because of the sphere of our citizenship (Phil.
3:20); because of the end to which we are called--an eternal Heaven.
Thus would the Holy Spirit press upon the sorely-tried Hebrews the
inestimable value of their privileges.
Finally, the whole of this appellation should be viewed in the light
of the relation between those addressed and Christ. How is it possible
for sinful worms of the earth to be thus denominated? Because of their
union with the incarnate Son, whose excellency is imputed to them, and
whose position they share. We are partakers of the heavenly calling
because He, in wondrous condescension, partook of our earthly lot.
What He has, we have; where He is, we are. He is the Holy One of God,
therefore are we holy. He has been "made higher than the heavens,"
therefore are we "partakers of the heavenly calling!" Just so far as
our hearts really lay hold of this, shall we walk as "strangers and
pilgrims" here. Where our "Treasure" (Christ) is, there will our
hearts be also. That is why we are here bidden to "consider" Him.
"Who was faithful to Him that appointed Him, as also Moses was in all
His house" (verse 2).
"To speak of Moses to the Jews was always a very difficult and
delicate matter. It is hardly possible for Gentiles to understand or
realize the veneration and affection with which the Jews regard Moses,
the man of God. All their religious life, all their thoughts about
God, all their practices and observances, all their hopes of the
future, everything connected with God, is with them also connected
with Moses. Moses was the great apostle unto them, the man sent unto
them of God, the mediator of the old covenant" (Saphir). Admire then
the perfect wisdom of the Holy Spirit so plainly evidenced in our
passage. Before taking up Christ's superiority over Moses, He points
first to a resemblance between them, making mention of the
"faithfulness" of God's servant. Ere taking this up let us dwell on
the first part of the verse.
"Who was faithful to Him that appointed Him." The chief qualification
of an apostle or ambassador is, that he be Faithful. Faithfulness
signifies two things: a trust committed, and a proper discharge of
that trust. "Our Lord had a trust committed to Him... this trust He
faithfully discharged. He sought not His own glory, but the glory of
Him that sent Him; He ever declared His message to be not His own, but
the Father's; and He declared the whole will or word of God that was
committed unto Him" (Dr. John Owen). Christ was ever faithful to the
One who sent Him. This was His chief care from beginning to end. As a
boy, "I must be about My Father's business" (Luke 2:49). In the midst
of His ministry, "I must work the works of Him that sent Me" (John
9:4). At the finish, "Not as I will, but as Thou wilt" (Matt. 26:39).
"As also Moses was faithful in all His house." "The key to the whole
paragraph is to be found in the meaning of the figurative term
`house,' which so often occurs in it (just seven times, A.W.P.). By
supposing that the word `house' here is equivalent to edifice, the
whole passage is involved in inextricable perplexity. `House' here
signifies a family or household. This mode of using the word is an
exemplification of a common figure of speech, by which the name of
what contains is given to what is contained. A man's family usually
resides in his house, and hence is called his house. This use of the
word is common in the Bible: `The House of Israel,' `the House of
Aaron,' `the House of David,' are very common expressions for the
children, the descendants, the families of Israel, Aaron and David. We
have the same mode of speech in our own language, `the House of
Stuart,' `the House of Hanover.' Keeping this remark in view, the
verse we have now read will be found, short as it is, to contain in it
the following statements:--Moses was appointed by God over the whole
of His family: Moses was faithful in discharging the trust committed
to him. Jesus is appointed by God over the whole of His family: Jesus
is faithful in the discharge of the trust committed to Him" (Dr. J.
Brown).
"The house, the building, means the children of God, who by faith, as
lively stones, are built upon Christ Jesus the Foundation, and who are
filled with the Holy Ghost; in whom God dwells, as in His temple, and
in whom God is praised and manifested in glory. The illustration is
very simple and instructive. We are compared unto stones, and as every
simile is defective, we must add, not dead stones, but lively stones,
as the apostle in his epistle to the Ephesians speaks of the building
growing. The way in which we are brought unto the Lord Jesus Christ
and united with Him is not by building, but by believing. The builders
rejected the `chief corner-stone' (Ps. 118:22); but `coming unto
Christ' (1 Pet. 2:4, 5), simply believing, `ye also, as lively stones,
are built up a spiritual house.' When we go about the works of the law
we are trying to build, and as long as we build we are not built. When
we give up working, then by faith the Holy Ghost adds us to Christ,
and grafts up into the living Vine, who is also the Foundation. We are
rooted and grounded. The house is one, and all the children of God are
united in the Spirit" (Saphir).
That which the Spirit has here singled out for mention in connection
with Moses, the typical "apostle," is that he was faithful in all
God's house, faithful in the discharge of his responsibilities
concerning the earthly family over which Jehovah placed him. Although
he failed personally in his faith, he was faithful as an "apostle." He
never withheld a word which the Lord had given him, either from
Pharaoh or from Israel. In erecting the tabernacle all things were
made "according to" the pattern which he had received in the mount.
When he came down from Sinai and beheld the people worshipping the
golden calf, he did not spare, but called for the sword to smite them
(Exo. 32:27, 28). In all things he conformed to the instructions which
he had received from Jehovah (Exo. 40:16).
"For this Man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as
He who hath builded the house hath more honor than the house" (verse
3). The apostle now proceeds to present Christ's superiority over
Moses. But ere considering this, let us admire again the heavenly
wisdom granted him in the method of presenting his argument. In the
previous verse he has acknowledged the greatness of Moses, and here he
also allows that he was worthy of glory, or praise. This would at once
show that Paul was no enemy of Judaism, seeking to disparage and
revile it. Equally striking is it to note how, in now turning the eyes
of the Hebrews to One who is infinitely greater than Moses, he does
not speak of his failures--his slaying of the Egyptians (Exo. 2), his
slowness in responding to the Lord's call (Exo. 3,4), his angered
smiting of the rock (Num. 20); but by presenting the glories of
Christ.
This third verse presents to us the first of the evidences here
furnished of the superiority of Christ over Moses: He is the Builder
of God's house; this, Moses never was. Its opening "For" looks back to
the first verse, advancing a reason or argument why the Hebrews should
"consider" the Apostle and High Priest of their confession, namely,
because He is worthy of more glory than Moses the typical apostle.
"The phrase, `to build the house,' is equivalent to, be the founder of
the family. This kind of phraseology is by no means uncommon. It is
said, Exodus 1:21, that God `made houses' to those humane women who
refused to second the barbarous policy of Pharaoh in destroying the
infants of the Israelites: i.e. He established their families, giving
a numerous and flourishing offspring. In Ruth 4:11, Rachel and Leah
are said to have built the house of Israel. And Nathan says to David,
2 Samuel 7:11: `Also the Lord telleth thee that He will make thee a
house;' and what the meaning of that phrase is, we learn from what
immediately follows, Hebrews 5:12' (Dr. J. Brown).
The contrast thus drawn between Christ and Moses is both a plain and
an immense one. Though officially raised over it, Moses was not the
founder of the Israelitish family, but simply a member of it. With the
Apostle of our confession it is far otherwise. He is not only at the
head of God's family (Heb. 2:10, 13--His "sons," His "children"), but
He is also the Builder or the Founder of it. As we read in Ephesians
2:10, "for we are His workmanship, created in (or "by") Christ Jesus."
Moses did not make men children of God; Christ does. Moses came to a
people who were already the Lord's by covenant relationship; whereas
Christ takes up those who are dead in trespasses and sins, and creates
them anew. Thus as the founder of the family is entitled to the
highest honor from the family, so Christ is worthy of more glory than
Moses.
"For every house is builded by some man; but He that built all things
is God" (verse 4). Here the Spirit brings in a yet higher glory of
Christ. The connection is obvious. In the preceding verse it has been
argued: the builder is entitled to more honor than the building: as
then Christ is the Builder of a family, and Moses simply the member of
one, He must be counted worthy "of more glory." In verse 4, proof of
this is given, as the opening "for" denotes. The proof is twofold:
Christ has not only built "the house," but "all things." Christ is not
only the Mediator, "appointed" by God (verse 2), but He is God. To how
much greater glory then is He justly entitled!
"For every house is builded by some one," should be understood in its
widest signification, regarding "house" both literally and
figuratively. Every human habitation has been built, every human
family has been founded, by some man. So "He that built all things" is
to be taken without qualification. The entire universe has been built
("framed," Hebrews 11:3) by Christ, for "all things were made by Him"
(John 1:3), all things "that are in heaven, and that are in earth,
visible and invisible" (Col. 1:16). Therefore Christ made Moses, as
the whole family of Israel. "He that built all things is God." The
Holy Spirit here designedly uses the Divine title because the work
attributed to Christ (building the family of God) is a Divine work:
because it proves, without controversy, that Christ is greater than
Moses; because it ratifies what was declared in the first chapter
concerning the Mediator, that He is true God. Therefore should all
"honor the Son even as they honor the Father" (John 5:23).
"And Moses verily was faithful in all His house, as a servant, for a
testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; but Christ as
a Son over His own house" (verses 5, 6). These words bring before us
the next proofs for the superiority of Christ over Moses: the typical
apostle was but a servant, Christ is "Son;" the one was but a
testimony unto the other. The position which Divine grace allotted to
Moses was one of great honor, nevertheless he ministered before
Jehovah only as a "servant." The words "in all His house" should be
duly pondered: other servants were used in various parts of the
family, but the glory of Moses was that he was used in every part of
it; that is to say, he was entrusted with the care and regulation of
the whole family of Israel. Still, even this, left him incomparably
the inferior of the Lord Jesus, for He was a Son not "in all His
house," but "over His own House."
"And Moses verily was faithful in all His house, as a servant." Here
again the apostle would subdue the prejudices of the Jews against
Christianity. He was not discrediting the greatness of Moses. So far
from it, he repeats what he had said in verse 2, emphasizing it with
the word "verily." Yet the faithfulness of Moses was as a "servant," a
reminder to all, that this is the quality which should ever
characterize all "servants." The word "as a servant" has the same
force as in John 1:14, "we beheld His glory, the glory as of the
Only-begotten of the Father:" thus the "as" brings out the reality of
the character in view. Moses faithfully conducted himself as a
"servant," he did not act as a lord. This was evidenced by his great
reverence for God (Exo. 3:6), his earnestly desiring an evidence of
God's favor (Exo. 34:9), his preferring the glory of the Lord to his
own glory (Heb. 11:24-26, Exo. 32:10-12), and in his meekness before
men. (Num. 12:3).
"For a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after." This
was a word much needed by the Jews. So far from the revelation of
Christianity clashing with the Pentateuch, much there was an
anticipation of it. Moses ordered all things in the typical worship of
the house so that they might be both a witness and pledge of that
which should afterwards be more fully exhibited through the Gospel.
Therefore did Christ say, "For had ye believed Moses, ye would have
believed Me: for he wrote of Me" (John 5:46). And on another occasion
we are told, "And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He
expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning
Himself" (Luke 24:27).
"But Christ as a Son over His own house." Here is the final proof that
Christ is "counted worthy of more glory than Moses." The proofs
presented in this passage of our Lord's immeasurable superiority are
seven in number, and may be set forth thus: Moses was an apostle,
Christ "the Apostle" (verse 1). Moses was a member of an "house:"
Christ was the Builder of one (verse 3). Moses was connected with a
single house, Christ "built all things," being the Creator of the
universe (verse 4). Moses was a man; Christ, God (verse 4). Moses was
but a "servant" (verse 5); Christ, the "Son." Moses was a "testimony"
of things to be spoken after (verse 5), Christ supplied the substance
and fulfillment of what Moses witnessed unto. Moses was but a servant
in the house of Jehovah, Christ was Son over His own house (verse 6).
The Puritan Owen quaintly wrote, "Here the apostle taketh leave of
Moses; he treats not about him any more; and therefore he gives him,
as it were, an honorable burial. He puts this glorious epitaph on his
grave: "Moses, a faithful servant of the Lord in His whole house."
"But Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house are we" (verse
6). Here the "house" is plainly defined: it is a spiritual house, made
up of believers in Christ. Not only are the "brethren" of verse 1,
partakers of the heavenly calling, but they are members of the
spiritual family of God, for in them He dwells. How well calculated to
comfort and encourage the sorely-tried Hebrews were these words "whose
house are we!" What compensation was this for the loss of their
standing among the unbelieving Jews!
"If we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm
unto the end" (verse 6). Do these words weaken the force of what has
last been said? In nowise; they contained a much-needed warning.
"There were great difficulties, circumstances calculated especially to
effect the Jew, who, after receiving the truth with joy might be
exposed to great trial, and so in danger of giving up his hope. It
was, besides, particularly hard for a Jew at first to put these two
facts together: a Messiah come, and entered into glory; and the people
who belonged to the Messiah left in sorrow, and shame, and suffering
here below" (W. Kelly).
The Hebrews were ever in danger of subordinating the future to the
present, and of forsaking the invisible (Christ in heaven) for the
visible (Judaism on earth), of giving up a profession which involved
them in fierce persecution. Hence their need of being reminded that
the proof of their belonging to the house of Christ was that they
remained steadfast to Him to the end of their pilgrimage.
"If we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm
unto the end." As the same thought is, substantially, embodied again
in verse 14, we shall now waive a full exposition and application of
these words. Suffice it now to say that the Holy Spirit is here
pressing, once more, on these Hebrews, what had been affirmed in
Hebrews 2:1, "Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the
things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip."
Let each Christian reader remember that our Lord has said, "If ye
continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed" (John 8:31).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 14
Christ Superior to Moses
(Hebrews 3:7-12)
__________________________________________
In the first six verses of our present chapter four things were before
us. First, the call to "consider" the Apostle and High Priest of our
profession. Of old, Moses was God's apostle or ambassador to Israel,
Aaron, the high priest. But Christ combines both these offices in His
own person. Second, the superiority of Christ over Moses: this is set
forth in seven details which it is unnecessary for us to specify
again. Third, the one thing which the Spirit of God singles out from
the many gifts and excellencies which Divine grace had bestowed upon
Moses, was his "faithfulness" (verses 2, 5); so too is it there said
of Christ Jesus that He was "faithful to Him that appointed Him"
(verse 2). Fourth, the assertion that membership in the household of
Christ is evidenced, chiefly, by holding fast the confidence and
rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end (verse 6). That there is an
intimate connection between these four things and the contents of our
present passage will appear in our exposition thereof.
"If we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm
unto the end." The "hope" mentioned here is that made known by the
Gospel (Col. 1:23), the hope which is laid up for God's people in
Heaven (Col. 1:5), the hope of glory (Col. 1:27). Christians have been
begotten unto a living hope (1 Pet. 1:3), that "blessed hope" (Tit.
2:13), namely, the return of our God and Savior Jesus Christ, when He
shall come to take us unto Himself, to make us like Himself, to have
us forever with Himself; when all God's promises concerning us shall
be made good. The reference to the holding fast the confidence of this
hope is not subjective, but objective. It signifies a fearless
profession of the Christian faith. It is to be "ready always to give
an answer to every man that asketh you, a reason of the hope that is
in you, with meekness and fear" (1 Pet. 3:15). Stephen is an
illustration. Then, this hope is also to be held fast with "rejoicing"
firm unto the end: Paul is an example of this, Acts 20:24.
What follows in our present portion contains a solemn and practical
application of that which we have briefly reviewed above. Here the
apostle is moved to remind the Hebrews of the unfaithfulness of Israel
in the past and of the dire consequences which followed their failure
to hold fast unto the end of their wilderness pilgrimage the
confidence and rejoicing of the hope which God had set before them. A
passage is quoted from the 95th Psalm which gives most searching point
to both that which precedes and to that which follows. The path in
which God's people are called to walk is that of faith, and such a
path is necessarily full of testings, that is, of difficulties and
trials, and many are the allurements for tempting us to wander off
into "By-path meadow." Many, too, are the warnings and danger signals,
which the faithfulness of God has erected; unto one of them we shall
now turn.
"Wherefore" (verse 7). This opening word of our present passage
possesses a threefold force. First, it is a conclusion drawn from all
that precedes. Second, it prefaces the application of what is found in
Hebrews 3:1-6. Third, it lays a foundation for what follows. The
reader will observe that the remaining words of verse 7 and all of
verses 8-11 are placed in brackets, and we believe rightly so, the
sentence being completed in verse 12: "Wherefore take heed, brethren,
lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing
from the living God."
The reasons for this exhortation have been pointed out above. First,
because of the supreme excellency of our Redeemer, exalted high above
all Israel's prophets, and given a name more excellent than any ever
conferred on the angels; therefore, those who belong to Him should
give good heed that they harden not their hearts against Him, nor
depart from Him. Second, because the Apostle, Christ Jesus, is worthy
of more honor than Moses, then how incumbent it is upon His people to
be especially watchful that they be not, by any means, turned from
that obedience which He requires and which is most certainly due Him.
Third, in view of the lamentable history of Israel, who, despite God's
wondrous favors to them, hardened their hearts, grieved Him, and so
provoked Him to wrath, that He sware they should not enter into His
rest, how much on our guard we need to be of "holding fast" the
confidence and rejoicing of our hope "firm unto the end!"
"As the Holy Spirit saith." Striking indeed is it to mark the way in
which the apostle introduces the quotation made from the Old
Testament. It is from the 95th Psalm, but the human instrument that
was employed in the penning of it is ignored, attention being directed
to its Divine Author, the One who "moved" the Psalmist--cf. 2 Peter
1:20, 21. The reason for this, here, seems to be because Paul would
press upon these Hebrews the weightiness, the Divine authority of the
words he was about to quote: consider well that what follows are the
words of the Holy Spirit, so that you may promptly and unmurmuringly
submit yourselves thereunto.
"As the Holy Spirit saith." Striking indeed is it to mark the way it
links up with Hebrews 1:1 and Hebrews 2:3. In the former it is God,
the Father, who "spake." In Hebrews 2:3, "How shall we escape if we
neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by
the Lord?" there it is the Son. Here in Hebrews 3:7 the Speaker is the
Spirit; thus, by linking together these three passages we hear all the
Persons of the Godhead. Observe, next, the tense of the verb used
here; it is not "the Holy Spirit said," but "saith:" it is an
ever-present, living message to God's people in each succeeding
generation. "Whatever was given by inspiration from the Holy Ghost,
and is recorded in the Scripture for the use of the Church, He
continues therein to speak it unto us unto this day" (Dr. John Owen).
Let the reader also carefully compare the seven-times-repeated, "he
that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches" in Revelation chapters 2 and 3.
"As the Holy Spirit saith." Dr. Gouge has pointed out how that this
sentence teaches us four things about the Holy Spirit. First, that He
is true God: for "God spake by the mouth of David" (Acts 4:25). "God"
spake by the prophets (Heb. 1:1), and they "spake as they were moved
by the Holy Spirit" (2 Pet. 1:21). Second, the Holy Spirit is a
distinct person: He "saith." An influence, a mere abstraction, cannot
speak. Third, the Holy Spirit subsisted before Christ was manifested
in the flesh, for He spake through David. True, He is called, "the
Spirit of Christ," yet that He was before His incarnation is proven by
Genesis 1:2 and other scriptures. Fourth, He is the Author of the Old
Testament Scriptures, therefore are they of Divine inspiration and
authority.
"Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts" (verses 7,
8). Here begins the apostle's quotation from Psalm 95, the first
portion of which records a most fervent call (verses 1, 6) for the
people of God to be joyful, and come before Him as worshippers. Most
appropriate was the reference to this Psalm here, for the contents of
its first seven verses contain, virtually an amplification of the
"consider" of Hebrews 3:1. There the Hebrews were enjoined to be
occupied with Christ, and if their hearts were engaged with His
surpassing excellency and exalted greatness, then would they "come
before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto
Him with psalms" (Ps. 95:2).
Their Apostle and High Priest had "built all things" (Heb. 3:4), being
none other than God. The same truth is avowed in Psalm 95:3-5, "For
the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In His hand
are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is His
also. The sea is His, and He made it: and His hands formed the dry
land." The apprehension of this will prepare us for a response to what
follows, "O come, let us worship, and bow down: let us kneel before
the Lord our Maker. For He is our God; and we are the people of His
pasture, and the sheep of His hand" (Ps. 95:6,7).
The next thing in the Psalm is, "Today, if ye will hear His voice
harden not your heart." So the next thing in Hebrews 3 is, "whose
house are we if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the
hope firm unto the end." Thus the Psalmist admonished those addressed
in his day to hearken to the voice of the Lord, and not to harden
their hearts against Him as had their ancestors before them. By
quoting this here in Hebrews 3, the apostle at once intimated what is
the opposite course from holding fast their confidence.
"Today" signifies the time present, yet so as to include a continuance
of it. It is not to be limited to twenty-four hours, instead, this
term sometimes covers a present interval which consists of many days,
yea years. In Hebrews 3:13 it is said, "But exhort one another daily,
while it is called Today." So in Hebrews 13:8 we read, "Jesus Christ
the same yesterday, and today and forever." So in our text. As that
present time wherein David lived was to him and those then alive
"today", so that present time in which the apostle and the Hebrews
lived was to them "today," and the time wherein we now live, is to us
"today." It covers that interval while men are alive on earth, while
God's grace and blessing are available to them. It spans the entire
period of our wilderness pilgrimage. Thus the "end" of Hebrews 3:6 is
the close of the "today" in verse 7.
"If ye will hear His voice." "Unto you, O men I call; and My voice is
to the sons of man" (Pro. 8:4). But no doubt the immediate reference
in our text is unto those professing to be God's people. The "voice"
of God is the signification of His will, which is the rule of our
obedience. His will is made known in His Word, which is a living Word,
by which the voice of God is now uttered. But, alas, we are capable of
closing our ears to His voice. Of old God complained, "The ox knoweth
his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel cloth not know.
My people cloth not consider" (Isa. 1:3). To "hear" God's voice
signifies to attend reverently to what He says, to diligently ponder,
to readily receive, and to heed or obey it. It is the hardening of our
hearts which prevents us, really, hearing His voice, as the next
clause intimates. To it we now turn.
"If ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts." It is to the
heart God's Word is addressed, that moral center of our beings out of
which are the issues of life (Pro. 4:23). There may be conviction of
the conscience, the assent of the intellect, the admiration of
understanding, but unless the heart is moved there is no response. A
tender heart is a pliable and responsive one; a hard heart is obdurate
and rebellious. Here hardening of the heart is attributed to the
creature: it is due to impenitency (Rom. 2:5), unbelief (Heb. 3:12),
disobedience (Ps. 95:8).
"It appears that unto this sinful hardening of the heart which the
people in the wilderness were guilty of, and which the apostle here
warns the Hebrews to avoid, there are three things that do concur: 1.
A sinful neglect, in not taking due notice of the ways and means
whereby God calls any unto faith and obedience. 2. A sinful
forgetfulness and casting out of the heart and mind such convictions
as God by His word and works, His mercies and judgments, His
deliverances and afflictions, at any time is pleased to cast into them
and fasten upon them. 3. An obstinate cleaving of the affections unto
carnal and sensual objects, practically preferring them above the
motives unto obedience that God proposeth unto us. Where these things
are so, the hearts of men are so hardened, that in an ordinary way,
they cannot hearken unto the voice of God. Such is the nature,
efficacy and power of the voice or word of God, that men cannot
withstand or resist it without a sinful hardening of themselves
against it. Every one to whom the word is duly revealed, who is not
converted of God, doth voluntarily oppose his own obstinancy unto its
efficacy and operation. If men will add new obstinacy and hardness to
their minds and hearts, if they will fortify themselves against the
word with prejudices and dislikes, if they will resist its work
through a love to their lusts and corrupt affections, God may justly
leave them to perish, and to be filled with the fruit of their own
ways" (Dr. John Owen).
"Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of
temptation in the wilderness" (verse 8). The reference here is to what
is recorded in the early verses of Exodus 17. There we are told that
the congregation of Israel journeyed to Rephidim, where there was "no
water for the people to drink." Instead of them counting on Jehovah to
supply their need, as He had at Marah (Exo. 15:25) and in the
wilderness of Sin (Heb. 16:4), they "did chide with Moses" (verse 2),
"and when they thirsted, the people murmured against Moses, and said,
Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill
us and our children and our cattle with thirst?" (verse 3). Though
Moses cried unto the Lord, and the Lord graciously responded by
bringing water out of the rock for them, yet God's servant was greatly
displeased, for in verse 7 we are told, "And he called the name of the
place Massah (Temptation) and Meribah (Strife), because of the chiding
of the children of Israel and because they tempted the Lord, saying,
Is the Lord among us, or not".
Once more we would point out the oppositeness of this quotation to the
case of the Hebrews. "The thought of Moses (in verses 1-5 A.W.P.)
naturally suggests Israel in the wilderness. Faithful was the
mediator, through whom God dealt with them; but was Israel faithful?
God spake: did they obey? God showed them wonder signs: did they trust
and follow in faith? And if Israel was not faithful unto Moses, and
their unbelief brought ruin upon them, how much more guilty shall we
be, and how much greater our danger, if we are not faithful unto the
Lord Jesus" (Saphir).
It is not only true that the difficulties and trials of the way test
us, but these testings reveal the state of our hearts--a crisis
neither makes nor mars a man, but it does manifest him. While all is
smooth sailing we appear to be getting along nicely. But are we? Are
our minds stayed upon the Lord, or are we, instead, complacently
resting in His temporal mercies? When the storm breaks, it is not so
much that we fail under it, as that our habitual lack of leaning upon
God, of daily walking in dependency upon Him, is made evident.
Circumstances do not change us, but they do expose us. Paul rejoiced
in the Lord when circumstances were congenial. Yes, and he also sang
praises to Him when his back was bleeding in the Philippian dungeon.
The fact is, that if we sing only when circumstances are pleasing to
us, then our singing is worth nothing, and there is grave reason to
doubt whether we are rejoicing "in the Lord" (Phil. 4:4) at all.
The reason Israel murmured at Meribah was because there was no water;
they were occupied with their circumstances, they were walking by
sight. The crisis they then faced only served to make manifest the
state of their hearts, namely, an "evil heart of unbelief." Had their
trust been in Jehovah, they would at once have turned to Him, spread
their need before Him, and counted on Him to supply it. But their
hearts were hardened. A most searching warning was this for the
Hebrews. Their circumstances were most painful to the flesh. They were
enduring a great fight of afflictions. How were they enduring it? If
they were murmuring that would be the outward expression of unbelief
within. Ah, it is easy to profess we are Believers, but the challenge
still rings out, "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say
he hath faith, and have not works?" (James 2:14).
"When your fathers tempted Me, proved Me, and saw My works forty
years" (verse 9). The "when" looks back to what is mentioned in the
previous verse. The "Day of Temptation in the wilderness" covered the
whole period of Israel's journeyings from the Red Sea to Canaan. "The
history of the Israelites is a history of continued provocation. In
the wilderness of Sin they murmured for the want of bread, and God
gave them manna. At Rephidim they murmured for the want of water, and
questioned whether Jehovah was with them and He gave them water from
the rock. In the wilderness of Sinai, soon after receiving the law,
they made and worshipped a golden image. At Taberah they murmured for
want of flesh and the quails were sent, followed by a dreadful plague.
At Kadesh-barnea they refused to go up and take possession of the land
of promise, which brought down on them the awful sentence referred to
in the Psalm; and after that sentence was pronounced, they
presumptuously attempted to do what they had formerly refused to do.
All these things took place in little more than two years after they
left Egypt. Thirty-seven years after this, we find them at Kadesh
again, murmuring for want of water and other things. Soon after this,
they complained of the want of bread, though they had manna in
abundance, and were punished by the plague of fiery flying serpents.
And at Shittim, their last station, they provoked the Lord by mingling
in the impure idolatry of the Moabites. So strikingly true is Moses'
declaration: `Remember, and forget not, how thou provoked the Lord thy
God to wrath in the wilderness: from the day that thou didst depart
out of the land of Egypt, until ye came unto this place ye have been
rebellious against the Lord', Deuteronomy 9:7' (Dr. J. Brown).
"When your fathers tempted Me, proved Me, and saw My works forty
years" (verse 9). Israel's terrible sins in the wilderness are here
set forth under two terms: they "tempted" and "proved" Jehovah, the
latter being added as an explanation of the former. To tempt one is to
try or prove whether he be such as he is declared to be, or whether he
can or will do such and such a thing. By tempting God Israel found out
by experience that He was indeed the God He had made Himself known to
be. In this passage the tempting of God is set down as a sin which
provoked Him, and so is to be taken in its worst sense. Instead of
believing His declaration, Israel acted as though they would discover,
at the hazard of their own destruction, whether or not He would make
good His promises and His threatenings.
"In particular men tempt God by two extremes: one is presumption, the
other is distrustfulness. Both these arise from unbelief. That
distrustfulness ariseth from unbelief is without all question. And
however presumption may seem to arise from overmuch confidence, yet if
it be narrowly searched into, we shall find that men presume upon
unwarrantable courses, because they do not believe that God will do
what is meet to be done, in His own way. Had the Israelites believed
that God in His time and in His own way would have destroyed the
Canaanites, they would not have presumed, against an express charge,
to have gone against them without the ark of the Lord and without
Moses, as they did, Numbers 14:40, etc. Alas, what is man!
"Men do presumptuously tempt God, when, without warrant, they presume
on God's extraordinary power and providence; that whereunto the devil
persuaded Christ when he had carded Him up to a pinnacle of the
temple, namely, to cast Himself down, was to tempt God; therefore,
Christ gives him this answer, `Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God,'
Matthew 4:5-7. Men distrustfully tempt God when in distress they
imagine that God cannot or will not afford sufficient succor. Thus did
the king of Israel tempt God when he said, `The Lord hath called these
three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab,' 2 Kings
3:13. So that prince who said `Behold, if the Lord would make windows
in heaven, might this thing be', 2 Kings 7:2' (Dr. W. Gouge).
"And saw My works forty years." This brings out the inexcusableness
and heinousness of Israel's sin. It was not that Jehovah was a
Stranger to them, for again and again He had shown Himself strong on
their behalf. The "works" of God mentioned here are the many and great
wonders which He did from the time that He first took them up in Egypt
until the end of the wilderness journey. Some of them were works of
mercy. In delivering them from enemies and dangers, and in providing
for them things needful. Others were works of judgment, as the plagues
upon the Egyptians, their destruction at the Red Sea, and His
chastening of themselves. Still others were manifestations which He
made of Himself, as by the Cloud which led them by day and by night,
the awesome proofs of His presence on Sinai, and the Shekinah glory
which filled the tabernacle. These were not "works" done in bygone
ages, or in far-distant places, of which they had only heard; but were
actually performed before them, upon them, which they "saw." What
clearer evidence could they have of God's providence and power? Yet
they tempted Him! The clearest evidences God grants to us have no
effect upon unbelieving and obdurate hearts.
An unspeakably solemn warning is this for all who profess to be God's
people today. A still more wonderful and glorious manifestation has
God now made of Himself than any which Israel ever enjoyed. God has
been manifested in flesh. The only-begotten Son has declared the
Father. He has fully displayed His matchless grace and fathomless love
by coming here and dying for poor sinners. When He left the earth, He
sent the Holy Spirit, so that we now have not a Moses, but the third
Person of the Trinity to guide us. God made known His laws unto
Israel, but His complete Word is now in our hands. What more can He
say, than to us He has said! How great is our responsibility; how
immeasureably greater than Israel's is our sin and guilt, if we
despise Him who speaks to us!
A further aggravation of Israel's sin is that they saw God's wondrous
works for "forty years." God continued His wonders all that time:
despite their unbelief and murmuring the manna was sent daily till the
Jordan was crossed! Man's incredulity cannot hinder the workings of
God's power: "What if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make
the faith of God without effect? God forbid" (Rom. 3:3). An
incredulous prince would not believe that God could give such plenty
as He had promised when Samaria by a long siege was famished; yet, "it
came to pass as the man of God had spoken" (2 Kings 7:18). Nor would
the Jews, nor even the disciples of Christ, believe that the Lord
Jesus would rise again from the dead: yet He did so on the third day.
O the marvelous patience of God! May the realization of it melt and
move our hearts to repentance and obedience.
"Wherefore I was grieved with that generation" (verse 10). In these
words, and those which follow, we learn the fearful consequences of
Israel's sin. "When God says He `was grieved' He means that He was
burdened, vexed, displeased beyond that forbearance could extend unto.
This includes the judgment of God concerning the greatness of their
sin with all its aggravations and His determinate purpose to punish
them. Men live, speak and act as if they thought God very little
concerned in what they do, especially in their sins; that either He
takes no notice of them, or if He do, that He is not much concerned in
them; or that He should be grieved at His heart--that is, have such a
deep sense of man's sinful provocations--they have no mind to think or
believe. They think that, as to thoughts about sins, God is altogether
as themselves. But it is far otherwise, for God hath a concernment of
honor in what we do; He makes us for His glory and honor, and
whatsoever is contrary thereunto tends directly to His dishonor. And
this God cannot but be deeply sensible of; He cannot deny Himself. He
is also concerned as a God of Justice. His holiness and justice is His
nature, and He needs no other reason to punish sin but Himself" (Dr.
John Owen).
"And said, They do always err in their heart" (verse 10). To err in
the heart signifies to draw the wicked and false conclusion that sin
and rebellion pay better than subjection and obedience to God. Through
the power of their depraved lusts, the darkness of their
understandings, and the force of temptations, countless multitudes of
Adam's fallen descendants imagine that a course of self-will is
preferable to subjection unto the Lord. Sin deceives: it makes men
call darkness light, bitter sweet, bondage liberty. The language of
men's hearts is, "What is the Almighty, that we should serve Him? and
what profit should we have, if we pray unto Him?" (Job 21:15). Note
Israel "always erred in their hearts," which evidenced the
hopelessness of their state. They were radically and habitually evil.
As Moses told them at the end, "Ye have been rebellious against the
Lord from the day that I knew you" (Deut. 9:24).
"And they have not known My ways" (verse 10). The word "ways" is used
in Scripture both of God's dispensations or providences and of His
precepts. A way is that wherein one walks. It is not God's secret
"ways" (Isa. 55:9, Rom. 9:33), but His manifest ways are here in view.
His manifest ways are particularly His works, in which He declares
Himself and exhibits His perfections, see Psalm 145:17. The works of
God are styled His "ways" because we may see Him, as it were, walking
therein: "they have seen Thy goings, O God" (Ps. 68:24). Now it is our
duty to meditate on God's works or "ways" (Ps. 143:5), to admire and
magnify the Lord in them (Ps. 138:4,5), to acknowledge the
righteousness of them (Ps. 145:17). God's precepts are also termed His
way and "ways" (Ps. 119:27, 32, 33, 35), because they make known the
paths in which He would have us walk. Israel's ignorance of God's
ways, both His works and precepts, was a willful one, for they
neglected and rejected the means of knowledge which God afforded them;
they obstinately refused to acquire a practical knowledge of them,
which is the only knowledge of real value.
"So I sware in My wrath, They shall not enter into My rest" (verse
11). This was the fearful issue of Israel's sin. The patience of God
was exhausted. Their inveterate unbelief and continued rebellion
incensed Him. The sentence He pronounced against them was irrevocable,
confirmed by His oath. The sentence was that they should not enter
into Canaan, spoken of as a "rest" because entrance therein would have
terminated their wilderness trials and travels; "God's rest," because
it would complete His work of bringing Israel into the land promised
their fathers, and because His sojournings (see Leviticus 25:23) with
His pilgrims would cease.
"We may observe, 1. When God expresseth great indignation in Himself
against sin, it is to teach men the greatness of sin in themselves. 2.
God gives the same stability unto His threatenings as unto His
promises. Men are apt to think the promises are firm and stable, but
as for the threatenings, they suppose some way or other they may be
evaded. 3. When men have provoked God by their impenitency to decree
their punishment irrevocably, they will find severity in the
execution. 4. It is the presence of God alone that renders any place
or condition good or desirable, `they' shall not enter into My rest"
(Dr. John Owen).
"Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of
unbelief, in departing from the living God" (verse 12). Here the
apostle begins to make a practical application to the believing
Hebrews of the solemn passage which has just been quoted from the 95th
Psalm. He warns them against the danger of apostatizing. This is clear
from the expression "in departing from the living God." The same Greek
verb is rendered "fall away" in Luke 8:13, and in its noun form
signifies "apostasy" in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. Such apostasy is the
inevitable outcome of giving way to an "evil heart of unbelief,"
against which the apostle bids those to whom he was writing to "take
heed."
Thus the contents of this verse at once bring before us a subject
which has been debated in Christendom all through the centuries--the
possibility or the impossibility of a true child of God apostatizing
and finally perishing. Into this vexed question we shall not here
enter, as the contents of the verses which immediately follow will
oblige us taking it up, D.V. in our next article. Suffice it now to
say that what is here in view is the testing of profession; whether
the profession be genuine or spurious, the ultimate outcome of that
testing makes evident in each individual's case.
"Take heed brethren." The introducing here of this blessed and tender
title of God's saints is very searching. Those unto whom the apostle
was writing, might object, "The scripture you have cited has no
legitimate application to us; that passage describes the conduct of
unbelievers, whereas we are believers." Therefore does the apostle
again address them as "brethren;" nevertheless, he bids them "take
heed." They were not yet out of danger, they were still in the
wilderness. Those mentioned in Psalm 95 began well, witness their
singing the praises of Jehovah on the farther shores of the Red Sea
(Exo. 15). They too had avowed their fealty to the Lord: "all the
people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we
will do" (Exo. 19:8); yet the fact remains that many of them
apostatized and perished in the wilderness. Therefore the searching
relevancy of this word, "take heed brethren lest there be in any of
you an evil heart of unbelief."
"In departing from the living God." The reference here is plainly to
the Lord Jesus Himself. In Matthew 16:16 the Father is denominated
"the living God," here and in 1 Timothy 4:10 the Son is, in 2
Corinthians 6:16 (cf. 1 Cor. 3:16) the Holy Spirit is. The reason for
the application of this Divine title to the Savior in this verse is
apparent: the temptation confronting the Hebrews was not to become
atheists, but to abandon their profession of Christianity. The
unbelieving Jews denounced Jesus Christ as an impostor, and were
urging those who believed in Him to renounce Him and return to
Judaism, and thus return to the true God, Jehovah. That Christ is God
the apostle had affirmed here, in verse 4, and he now warns them that
so far from the abandonment of the Christian profession and a return
to Judaism being a going back to Jehovah, it would be the "departing
from the living God." That Christ was the true and living God had been
fully demonstrated by the apostle in the preceding chapters of this
epistle.
The extent to which and the manner in which the warning from Psalm 95
and the admonition of Hebrews 3:12 applies to Christians today, we
must leave for consideration till the next chapter. In the meantime
let us heed the exhortation of 2 Peter 1:10, "Wherefore the rather,
brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure," and
while attending to this duty, let us pray the more frequently and the
more earnestly for God to deliver us from "an evil heart of unbelief."
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 15
Christ Superior to Moses
(Hebrews 3:13-19)
__________________________________________
There are two great basic truths which run through Scripture, and are
enforced on every page: that God is sovereign, and that man is a
responsible creature; and it is only as the balance of truth is
preserved between these two that we are delivered from error. The
Divine sovereignty should not be pressed to the exclusion of human
responsibility, nor must human responsibility be so stressed that
God's sovereignty is either ignored or denied. The danger here is no
fancied one, as the history of Christendom painfully exhibits. A
careful study of the Word, and an honest appropriation of all it
contains, is our only safeguard.
We are creatures prone to go to extremes: like the pendulum of a clock
in motion, we swing from one side to the other. Nowhere has this
tendency been more sadly exemplified than in the teachings of
theologians concerning the security of the Christian. On the one hand,
there have been those who affirmed, Once saved, always saved; on the
other hand, many have insisted that a man may be saved today, but lost
tomorrow. And both sides have appealed to the Bible in support of
their conflicting contentions! Very unwise and unguarded statements
have been made by both parties. Some Calvinists have boldly declared
that if a sinner has received Christ as his Savior, no matter what he
does afterward, no matter what his subsequent life may be, he cannot
perish. Some Arminians have openly denied the efficacy of the finished
Work of Christ, and affirmed that when a sinner repents and believes
in Christ he is merely put in a salvable state, on probation, and that
his own good works and faithfulness will prove the deciding factor as
to whether he should spend eternity in Heaven or Hell.
Endless volumes have been written on the subject, but neither side has
satisfied the other; and the writer for one, is not at all surprised
at this. Party-spirit has run too high, sectarian prejudice has been
too strong. Only too often the aim of the contestants has been to
silence their opponents, rather than to arrive at the truth. The
method followed has frequently been altogether unworthy of the
"children of light." One class of passages of Scripture has been
pressed into service, while another class of passages has been either
ignored or explained away. Is it not a fact that if some Calvinists
were honest they would have to acknowledge there are some passages in
the Bible which they wish were not there at all? And if some Arminians
were equally honest, would they not have to confess that there are
passages in Holy Writ which they are quite unable to fit into the
creed to which they are committed? Sad, sad indeed, is this. There is
nothing in the Word of God of which any Christian needs be afraid, and
if there is a single verse in it which conflicts with his creed, so
much the worse for his creed.
Now the subject of the Christian's security, like every other truth of
Scripture, has two sides to it: into it there enters both God's
sovereignty and human responsibility. It is failure to recognize and
reckon upon this which has wrought such havoc and created so much
confusion. More than once has the writer heard a renowned
Bible-teacher of orthodox reputation say, "I do not believe in the
perseverance of saints, but I do believe in the preservation of the
Savior." But that is to ignore an important side of the truth. The New
Testament has much to say on the perseverance of the saints, and to
deny or ignore it is not only to dishonor God, but to damage souls.
There have been those who boldly insisted that, if God has eternally
elected a certain man to be saved, that man will be saved, no matter
what he does or does not do. Not so does the Word of God teach.
Scripture says, "God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation,
through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth" (2
Thess. 2:13), and if a man does not "believe the truth" he will never
be saved. The Lord Jesus declared, "Except ye repent, ye shall all
likewise perish" (Luke 13:3); therefore, if a sinner, does not
"repent," he will not be saved. In like manner, there are those who
have said, If a man is now a real Christian, no matter how he may live
in the future, no matter how far or how long he may backslide, no
matter what sins he may commit, he is sure of Heaven. Put in such a
way, this teaching has wrought untold harm, and, at the risk of our
own orthodoxy being suspected, we here enter a solemn and vigorous
protest against it.
The writer has met many people who profess to be Christians, but whose
daily lives differ in nothing from thousands of non-professors all
around them. They are rarely, if ever, found at the prayer-meeting,
they have no family worship, they seldom read the Scriptures, they
will not talk with you about the things of God, their walk is
thoroughly worldly; and yet they are quite sure they are bound for
heaven! Inquire into the ground of their confidence, and they will
tell you that so many years ago they accepted Christ as their Savior,
and "once saved always saved" is now their comfort. There are
thousands of such people on earth today, who are nevertheless, on the
Broad Road, that leadeth to destruction, treading it with a false
peace in their hearts and a vain profession on their lips.
It is not difficult to anticipate the thoughts of many who have read
the above paragraphs: "We fully agree that there are many in
Christendom resting on a false ground of security, many professing the
name of Christ, who have never been born again; but this in nowise
conflicts with the declaration of Christ that no sheep of His shall
ever perish." Quite true. But what we would here point out and seek to
press on our readers is this: I have no right to appropriate to myself
the blessed and comforting words of the Savior found in John 10:28,
29, unless I answer to the description of His "sheep" found in John
10:27; and I have no warrant for applying His promise to those who
give no evidence of being conformed to the characters of those He
there has in view. Let no man dare separate what God Himself has there
joined together.
The passage begins with, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and
they follow Me." That is the Lord's own description of those whom He
owns as His "sheep." Now if, to the contrary, I am "hearkening" to the
seductive voice of this world, if I am "following" a course of
self-will, self-seeking, self-gratification, what right have I to
regard myself as one of the "sheep" of Christ? None at all. And if,
notwithstanding, I do profess to be one of His, then my walk gives the
lie to my profession. And any one who comes to me with words of
comfort, pressing upon me the promises of God to His people, is only
encouraging me in a course of wrong-doing and bolstering me up in a
false hope.
It may be replied, "Yet a real Christian may leave his first love."
True, and before a church that had done so, the Lord Jesus appeared
and said--not, "It will be alright in the end," but--"Repent, and do
the first works, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will
remove thy candlestick" (Rev. 2:5). "But a real Christian may
backslide, and in a large measure become worldly again." Then if he
does, his need is not to hear about the eternal security of God's
saints, but the eternal and fearful consequences of giving way to an
evil heart of unbelief if such a course be continued in. "Yes, but if
he is one of God's people, he will be chastened, and grace will
restore him; and therefore I cannot see the need or propriety of
giving him to believe there is a danger of his being lost."
Ah, it is not without reason that the Lord Jesus declared, more than
once, "he that endureth to the end shall be saved." And let it not be
forgotten that in Matthew 13:20, 21. He spoke of some who "but
endureth for a while"! Again it may be objected, "Such a pressing of
the need of perseverance of God's elect is uncalled for: if a man be a
Christian, he will persevere, and if he persevere then there is no
need of urging him to persevere." Not so did the apostles think or
act. In Acts 11:22, 23 we read, "they sent forth Barnabas, that he
should go as far as Antioch. Who when he came, and had seen the grace
of God, was glad and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart
they would cleave unto the Lord." Again, in Acts 13:43 we read, "Paul
and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the
grace of God." Once more, in Acts 14:21, 22 we are told "And when they
had preached the Gospel to that city, and had taught many, they
returned again to Lystra, and Iconium, and Antioch, Confirming the
souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and
that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God."
According to the views of some, such earnestness on the part of the
apostles was quite unnecessary. But the impartial Christian reader
will gather from the above passages that the apostles believed in no
mechanical salvation, wherein God dealt with men as though they were
stocks and stones. No, they preached a salvation that needed to be
worked out with "fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12); in a salvation
which calls human responsibility into exercise; in a Divine salvation
effectuated by the use of the means of grace which God has mercifully
provided for us. True we are "kept by the power of God," but the very
next words afford us light on how God keeps--"through faith" (1 Pet.
1:5). And not only does faith feed on the promises of God, but it is
stirred into healthful exercise and directed by the solemn warnings of
Scripture.
A real need then is there for such words as these, "But Christ as a
Son over His own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the
confidence and rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end" (Heb. 3:6).
"Oh, blessed word and promise of God, that He will keep us unto the
end. But how is it that we are kept? Through faith, through
watchfulness, through self-denial, through prayer and fasting, through
our constant taking heed unto ourselves according to His Word. `Hold
fast' if you desire it to be manifested in that day that you are not
merely outward professors, not merely fishes existing in the net, but
the true and living disciples of One Master." (Saphir).
"But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of
you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin" (verse 13). "There
is need of constant watchfulness on the part of the professors of
Christianity, lest under the influence of unbelief they `depart from
the living God.' `Take heed,' says the apostle. There is nothing, I am
persuaded, in regard to which professors of Christianity fall into
more dangerous practical mistakes than this. They suspect everything
sooner than the soundness and firmness of their belief. There are many
who are supposing themselves believers who have no true faith at
all,--and so it would be proved were the hour of trial, which is
perhaps nearer than they are aware, to arrive; and almost all who have
faith suppose they have it in greater measure than they really have
it. There is no prayer that a Christian needs more frequently to
present than, `Lord, increase my faith'; `deliver me from an evil
heart of unbelief.'
"All apostasy from God, whether partial or total, originates in
unbelief. To have his faith increased--to have more extended, and
accurate and impressive views of `the truth as it is in Jesus'--ought
to be the object of the Christian's most earnest desire and
unremitting exertion. Just in the degree in which we obtain
deliverance from the `evil heart of unbelief' are we enabled to cleave
to the Lord with full purpose of heart, to follow Him fully, and, in
opposition to all the temptations to abandon His cause, to `walk in
all His commandments and ordinances blameless.' To prevent so fearful
and disastrous a result of apostasy from the living God, the apostle
calls on them to strengthen each other's faith by mutual exhortation,
and thus oppose those malignant and deceitful influences which had a
tendency to harden them in impenitence and unbelief" (Dr. J. Brown).
To "exhort one another daily" is to call attention to and stir up one
another for discharging our mutual duties. But in performing this
obligation we are sadly lax: like the disciples upon the mount of
transfiguration (Luke 9:32) and in Gethsemane (Luke 22:45), we too are
very dull and drowsy and in constant need of both exhortation and
incitation. As fellow pilgrims in a hostile country, as members of the
same family, we ought to have "care for one another" (1 Cor. 12:25),
to "love one another" (John 13:34), to "pray one for another" (James
5:16), to "comfort one another" (1 Thess. 4:18), to "admonish one
another" (Rom. 15:14), to "edify one another" (1 Thess. 5:11), to have
"peace one with another" (Mark 9:50). Only thus are we really helpful
one to another. And, note, the exhorting is to be done "daily," for we
must not be weary in well doing. While it is called "Today" warns us
that our sojourn in this scene is but brief; the night hastens on when
no man can work.
"Lest any of you be hardened" adds force to the duty enjoined. In
verse 8 the terrible damage which hardness of heart produces had been
pointed out; here it is warned against. The implication is
unmistakable: hardness of heart is the consequence of neglecting the
means for softening it--"lest." Clay and wax which are naturally hard,
melt when brought under a softening power, but when the heat is
withdrawn they revert again to their native hardness. The same evil
tendency remains in the Christian. The flesh is "weak," our heart
"deceitful"; only by the daily use of means and through fellowship
with the godly are we preserved. Oftentimes the failure of a Christian
is to be charged against his brethren as much as to his own
unfaithfulness. How often when we perceive a saint giving way to
hardness of heart we go about mentioning it to others, instead of
faithfully and tenderly exhorting the offending one!
"Through the deceitfulness of sin." Here is the cause of the evil
warned against and upon which we need to be constantly upon our guard.
It is the manifold deceits of sin which prevail over men so much. The
reference here is to the corruption of our nature, with which we are
born, and which we ever carry about with us. It is that which, in
Scripture, is designated the "flesh," the lustings of which are ever
contrary to the Spirit. God's Word speaks of "deceitful lusts"
(Ephesians 4:22), the "deceitfulness of riches" (Matt. 13:22), for
their innate depravity causes men to prefer material wealth to vital
godliness and heavenly happiness. So we read of the "deceivableness of
unrighteousness" (2 Thess. 2:10); philosophy (the proud reasoning of
that carnal mind which is enmity against God) is termed "vain deceit"
(Col. 2:8); and the lascivious practices of formal professors are
called "their own deceivings" (2 Pet. 2:13). This is one of the
principal characteristics of sin: it deceives. "All the devices of sin
are as fair baits whereby dangerous hooks are covered over to entice
silly fish to snap at them, so as they are taken and made a prey to
the fisher" (Dr. Gouge).
This deceitfulness of sin should serve as a strong inducement to make
us doubly watchful against it, and that because of our foolish
disposition and proneness of nature to yield to every temptation. Sin
presents itself in another dress than its own. It lyingly offers fair
advantages. It insensibly bewitches our mind. It accommodates itself
to each individual's particular temperament and circumstances. It
clothes its hideousness by assuming an attractive garb. It deludes us
into a false estimate of ourselves. One great reason why God has
mercifully given us His Word is to expose the real character of sin.
By the deceitfulness of sin the heart is hardened. "To be hardened is
to become insensible to the claims of Jesus Christ, so that they do
not make their appropriate impression on the mind, in producing
attention, faith, and obedience. He is hardened who is careless,
unbelieving, impenitent, disobedient" (Dr. J. Brown).
In the light of the whole context the specific reference in the
exhortation of verse 13 constitutes a solemn caution against apostasy.
What we particularly need to daily exhort one another about is to
cleave fast to Christ, lest something else supplant Him in our
affections. The whole trend of our sinful natures is to depart from
the living God, to grasp at the shadows and miss the substance. This
was the peculiar danger of the Hebrews. Sin was trying to deceive
them. It was seeking to draw them back to Judaism as the one true and
Divinely-appointed religion. To guard against the insidious appeals
being made, the apostle urges them to "exhort one another daily," that
is, promptly and frequently. The importance of taking heed to this
injunction is placed in its strongest light by what immediately
follows.
"For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our
confidence steadfast unto the end" (verse 14). These words complete
the exhortation commenced at verse 12. They are added as a motive to
enforce the dissuasion from apostasy (verse 12), and also the warning
against that which occasions it (verse 13). The contents of this verse
are similar in their force to that which was before us in verse 6: in
both instances it is profession which is being put to the proof. There
are two classes on which such exhortations have no effect: the
irreligious who are dead in trespasses and sins, and have no interest
in such matters; and the self-righteous religionist, who, though
equally dead spiritually, yet has an intellectual interest. Many a
professing Christian, who is infected by the Laodicean spirit of the
day, will shrug his shoulders, saying, Such warnings do not concern
me, there is no danger of a real child of God apostatizing. Such
people fail to get the good of these Divine warnings, their conscience
never being reached. But where there is a heart which is right with
God, there is always self-distrust, and such an one is kept in the
place of dependency through taking heed to the solemn admonitions of
the Spirit. It is these very warnings against departure from God which
curb the regenerate.
"Persistency in our confidence in Christ unto the end is a matter of
great endeavor and diligence, and that unto all believers. It is true
that our persistency in Christ doth not, as to the issue and event,
depend absolutely on our own diligence. The unalterableness of union
with Christ, on the account of the faithfulness of the covenant of
grace, is that which doth and shall eventually secure it. But yet our
own diligent endeavor is such an indispensable means for that end as
that without it, it will never be brought about. Hence are many
warnings given us in this and other epistles, that we should take heed
of apostasy and falling away; and these cautions and warnings are
given unto all true believers, that they may know how indispensably
necessary, from the appointment of God, and the nature of the thing
itself, is their watchful diligence and endeavor unto their abiding in
Christ" (Dr. John Owen).
But it should be pointed out that these solemn warnings of Scripture
ought not to be pressed upon weak Christians, who though anxious to
walk acceptably before God, are lacking in assurance. "Observe
here--for Satan, and our own conscience when it has not been set free
often make use of this epistle--that doubting Christians are not here
contemplated, or persons who have not yet gained entire confidence in
God: to those who are in this condition its exhortations and warnings
have no application. These exhortations are to preserve the Christian
in a confidence which he has, and to persevere, not to tranquillise
fears and doubts. This use of the epistle to sanction such doubts is
but a device of the enemy. Only I would add here that, although the
full knowledge of grace (which in such a case the soul has assuredly
not yet attained) is the only thing that can deliver and set it free
from its fears, yet it is very important in this case practically to
maintain a good conscience, in order not to furnish the enemy with a
special means of attack" (J.N.D.).
For the right understanding of this verse it is of first importance
that we should note carefully the tense of the verb in the first
clause: it is not "we shall be made partakers of Christ if"--that
would completely overthrow the gospel of God's grace, deny the
efficacy of the finished Work of Christ, and make assurance of our
acceptance before God impossible before death. No, what the Spirit
here says is, "We are made partakers of Christ," and in the Greek it
is expressed even more decisively: "For partakers we have become of
the Christ." The word "partakers" here is the same as in Hebrews 3:1,
"partakers of the heavenly calling," and at the end of Hebrews 1:9 is
rendered, "fellows." Perhaps, "companions" would be a better
rendering. It means that we are so "joined unto the Lord," as to be
"one spirit" with Him (1 Cor. 6:17). It is to be so united to Christ
that we are "members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones"
(Ephesians 5:30). It is to be made by grace, "joint-heirs" with Him
(Rom. 8:17). The word "made partakers of Christ" shows there was a
time when Christians were not so. They were not so born naturally; it
was a privilege conferred upon them when they "received" Him as their
Savior (John 1:12).
"If we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end."
This does not express a condition of our remaining partakers of Christ
in the sense of its being a contingency. "What is the one thing which
the Christian desires? What is the one great thing which he does? What
is the one great secret which he is always endeavoring to find out
with greater clearness and grasp with firmer intensity? Is it not
this: `my Beloved is mine, and I am His'? The inmost desire of our
heart and the exhortation of the Word coincide. To the end we must
persevere; and it is therefore with great joy and alacrity that we
receive the solemn exhortations: `He that endureth unto the end shall
be saved'; `No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back,
is fit for the kingdom of God.' We desire to hear constantly the voice
which saith from His Heavenly throne, `To him that overcometh will I
grant to sit with Me in My kingdom, even as I also overcame, and am
set down with My Father in His throne'" (Saphir).
To hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end is to
furnish evidence of the genuineness of our profession, it is to make
it manifest both to ourselves and others that we have been made
"partakers of Christ." Difficulties in the path are presupposed,
severe trials are to be expected: how else could faith show itself?
Buffetings and testings do but provide occasions for the manifestation
of faith, they are also the means of its exercise and growth. The
Greek word for "confidence" here is not the same as in verse 6: there
the "confidence" spoken of is to make a bold and free confession of
our faith; here, it is a deep and settled assurance of Christ's
excellency and sufficiency, which supports our hearts. The one is
external, the other is internal. To "hold fast the beginning of our
confidence" signifies to "continue in the faith, grounded and settled"
(Col. 1:23). It is to say with Job, "Though He slay me, yet will I
trust in Him." (Job 13:15).
"Firm unto the end." This is the test. At the beginning of our
Christian course, our confidence in Christ was full and firm. We knew
that He was a mighty Savior, and we were fully persuaded that He was
able to keep that which we have committed unto Him against that day.
But the roughness of the way, the darkness of the night, the
fierceness of the storm into which, sooner or later, we are plunged,
tends to shake our confidence, and perhaps (much to our sorrow now) we
cried, "Lord, carest Thou not"? Yet, if we were really "partakers of
Christ" though we fell, yet were we not utterly cast down. We turned
to the Word, and there we found help, light, comfort. In it we
discovered that the very afflictions we have experienced were what God
had told us would be our portion for "we are appointed thereunto" (1
Thess. 3:3). In it we learned that God's chastenings of us proceeded
from His love (Heb. 12). And now, though we have proved by painful
experience to have less and less confidence in ourselves, in our
friends, and even in our brethren, yet, by grace, our confidence in
the Lord has grown and become more intelligent. Thus do we obtain
experimental verification of that word, "Better is the end of a thing
than the beginning thereof" (Ecclesiastes 7:8).
"While it is said, Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your
hearts, as in the provocation" (verse 15). The apostle continues to
make practical application of the solemn passage he had been quoting
from Psalm 95, pressing upon them certain details from it. That which
is central in this verse is its directions for cleaving fast to
Christ. Two things are to be observed: the duty to be performed,
positively to "hear His voice," negatively not to "harden their
hearts." This duty is to be performed promptly, "Today," and is to be
persevered in--"whilst it is said today" i.e. to the end Of our
earthly pilgrimage. The opportunity which grace grants us is to be
eagerly redeemed, the improvement of it is to be made as long as the
season of opportunity is ours. The admonition is again pointed by the
warning of Israel's failure of old. Thus the sins of others before us
are to be laid to heart, that we may avoid them.
"When we hear God's voice--and, oh, how deafly and sweetly does He
speak to us in the person of His Son Jesus, the Word incarnate, who
died for us on Golgotha!--the heart must respond.... By this
expression is meant the center of our spiritual existence, that center
out of which thoughts and affections proceed, out of which are the
issues of life, that mysterious fount which God only can know and
fathom. Oh that Christ may dwell there! God's voice is to soften the
heart. This is the purpose of the divine word--to make our hearts
tender. Alas, by nature we are hard-hearted: and what we call good and
soft-hearted is not so in reality and in God's sight When we receive
God's word in the heart, when we acknowledge our sin, when we adore
God's mercy, when we desire God's fellowship, when we see Jesus, who
came to save us, to wash our feet and shed His blood, for our
salvation, the heart becomes soft and tender. For repentance, faith,
prayer, patience, hope of heaven, all these things make the heart
tender: tender towards God, tender towards our fellow-men" (Saphir).
"For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came
out of Egypt by Moses" (verse 16). The apostle here begins to describe
the kind of persons who sinned in the provocation, amplification being
given in what follows. His purpose in making mention of these persons
was to more fully evidence the need for Christian watchfulness against
hardness of heart, even because those who of old yielded thereto
provoked God to their ruin. The opening "for" gives point to what has
preceded. The unspeakably solemn fact to which He here refers is that
out of six hundred thousand men who left Egypt, but two of them were
cut off in the wilderness, Caleb and Joshua.
The Greek word "provoke" occurs nowhere else in the New Testament, but
the Sept. employs it in Psalm 78:17, 40; 106:7, 33; Jeremiah 44:8,
etc. They "vexed" Him (Isa. 63:10), and this because of their contempt
of His word. Hereby they showed they were not of God, see John 8:47, 1
John 4:6. Should any unsaved man or woman read these lines, we would
say, Beware of provoking God by thine obstinacy. To them that believe
not, the gospel becomes "a savor of death unto death."
"But with whom was He grieved forty years"? (verse 17). This being put
in the form of a question was designed to stir up the conscience of
the reader, cf. Matthew 21:28, James 4:5, etc. "Was it not with them
that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness"? (verse 17).
"He doth not say `they died,' but their `carcasses fell,' which
intimates contempt and indignation. God sometimes will make men who
have been wickedly exemplary in sin, righteously exemplary in their
punishment. To what end is this reported? It is that we may take heed
that we `fall not after the same example of unbelief' (Heb. 4:11).
There is then an example in the fall and punishment of unbelievers"
(Dr. John Owen).
"And to whom sware He that they should not enter into His rest, but to
them that believeth not"? (verse 18). Having reminded the Hebrews in
the previous verse that sin was the cause of Israel's destruction of
old, he now specifies the character of that sin, Unbelief. The order
is terribly significant: they harkened not to God's voice; in
consequence, their hearts were hardened; unbelief was the result;
destruction, the issue. How unspeakably solemn! The Greek word here
rendered "believed not" may, with equal propriety, be rendered "obeyed
not"; it is so translated in Romans 2:8; 10:21. It amounts to the same
thing, differing only according to the angle of view-point: looked at
from the mind or heart, it is "unbelief"; looked at from the will, it
is "disobedience." In either case it is the sure consequence of
refusal to heed God's voice.
"So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief" (verse
19). "The apostle does not single out the sin of making and
worshipping the golden calf; he does not bring before us the flagrant
transgressions into which they fell at Beth-peor. Many much more
striking and to our mind more fearful sins could have been pointed
out, but God thinks the one sin greater than all is unbelief. We are
saved by faith; we are lost through unbelief. The heart is purified by
faith; the heart is hardened by unbelief. Faith brings us nigh to God;
unbelief is departure from God" (Saphir). There is no sin so great but
it may be pardoned, if the sinner believe; but "he that believeth not
shall be damned."
The application of the whole of this passage to the case of the
sorely-tried and wavering Hebrews was most pertinent and solemn. Twice
over the apostle reminded them (verses 9, 17) that the unbelief of
their fathers had been continued for "forty years." Almost that very
interval had now elapsed since the Son had died, risen again, and
ascended to heaven. In Scripture, forty is the number of probation.
The season of Israel's testing was almost over; in A.D. 70 their final
dispersion would occur. And God changeth not. He who had been provoked
of old by Israel's hardness of heart, would destroy again those who
persisted in their unbelief. Then let them beware, and heed the solemn
warning, "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil
heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God." May God grant us
hearts to heed the same admonitory warning.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 16
Christ Superior to Joshua
(Hebrews 4:1-3)
__________________________________________
The exhortation begun by the apostle in Hebrews 3:12 is not completed
till Hebrews 4:12 is reached, all that intervenes consisting of an
exposition and application of the passage quoted from Psalm 95 in
Hebrews 3:7-11. The connecting link between what has been before us
and that which we are about to consider is found in Hebrews 3:19, "So
we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief." These words
form the transition between the two chapters, concluding the
exhortation found in verses 12, 13, and laying a foundation for the
admonition which follows. Ere proceeding, it may be well to take up a
question which the closing verses of Hebrews 3 have probably raised in
many minds, namely, seeing that practically all the adults who came
out of Egypt by Moses perished in the wilderness, did not the promises
of God to bring them into Canaan fail of their accomplishment?
In Exodus 6:6-8, Jehovah said unto Moses, "Wherefore say unto the
children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under
the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage,
and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great
judgments: and I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to
you a God... and I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the
which I did sware to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and I
will give it you for an heritage: I am the Lord." We quote now from
the helpful comments of Dr. J. Brown upon these verses:
"This is a promise which refers to Israel as a people, and which does
not by any means necessarily infer that all, or even that any, of that
generation were to enter in. No express condition was mentioned in
this promise--not even the believing of it. Yet, so far as that
generation was concerned, this, as the event proved, was plainly
implied; for, if it had been an absolute, unconditional promise to
that generation, it must have been performed, otherwise He who cannot
lie would have failed in accomplishing His own word. There can be no
doubt that the fulfillment of the promise to them was suspended on
their believing it, and acting accordingly. Had they believed that
Jehovah was indeed both able and determined to bring His people Israel
into the land of Canaan, and, under the influence of this faith, had
gone up at His command to take possession, the promise would have been
performed to them.
"This was the tenor of the covenant made with them: `Now therefore, if
ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a
peculiar treasure unto Me above all people: for all the earth is Mine:
and ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation'
(Exo. 19:5, 6). `Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in
the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.
Beware of Him, and obey His voice, provoke Him not; for He will not
pardon your transgressions: for My name is in Him. But if thou shalt
indeed obey His voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an
Enemy unto thine enemies, and an Adversary unto thine adversaries'
(Exo. 23:20-22).
"Their unbelief and disobedience are constantly stated as the reason
why they did not enter in. `Because all those men have seen My glory,
and My miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have
tempted Me now these ten times, and have not harkened to My voice;
surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers,
neither shall any of them that provoked Me see it' (Num. 14:22, 23),
cf. Joshua 5:6. God promised to bring Israel into the land of Canaan;
but He did not promise to bring them in whether they believed and
obeyed or not. No promise was broken to those men, for no absolute
promise was made to them.
"But their unbelief did not make the promise of God of none effect. It
was accomplished to the next generation: `And the Lord gave unto
Israel all the land which He sware to give unto their fathers; and
they possessed it, and dwelt therein' (Jos. 21:43). Joshua appealed to
the Israelites themselves for the completeness of the fulfillment of
the promise, see Joshua 23:14. That generation believed the promises
that God would give Canaan, and under the influence of this fact, went
forward under the conduct of Joshua, and obtained possession of the
land for themselves."
This same principle explains what has been another great difficulty to
many, namely, Israel's actual tenure of Canaan. In Genesis 13:14, 15
we are told, "And the Lord said unto Abraham, after that Lot was
separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place
from where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and
westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it,
and to thy seed for ever." This promise was repeated again and again,
see Genesis 7:8, etc. How then came it that the children of Israel
occupied the land only for a season? Their descendants, for the most
part are not in it today. Has, then, the promise of God failed? In
no-wise. In His promise to Abraham God did not specify that any
particular generation of his descendants should occupy the land "for
ever" and herein lies the solution to the difficulty.
God's promise to Abraham was made on the ground of pure grace; no
condition whatever was attached to it. But grace only superabounds
where sin has abounded. Sovereign grace intervenes only after the
responsibility of man has been tested and his failure and unworthiness
manifested. Now it is abundantly clear from many passages in
Deuteronomy 31:26-29, that Israel entered Canaan not on the ground of
the unconditional covenant of grace which Jehovah made with Abraham,
but on the ground of the conditional covenant of works which was
entered into at Sinai (Exo. 24:6-8). Hence, many years after Israel
had entered Canaan under Joshua, we read, "And an Angel of the Lord
came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of
the land of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware
unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break My covenant with
you. And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye
shall throw down their altars; but ye have not obeyed My voice: Why
have ye done this? Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out
from before you; but they shall be a thorn in your sides, and their
gods shall be a snare unto you" (Judg. 2:1-3).
The same principles are in exercise concerning God's fulfillment of
His gospel promises. "The gospel promise of eternal life, like the
promise of Canaan, is a promise which will assuredly be accomplished.
It is sure to all `the seed.' They were `chosen in Christ before the
foundation of the world.' Eternal life was promised in reference to
them before the times of the ages, and confirmed by the oath of God.
They have been redeemed to God by `the blood of the Lamb,' and are all
called in due time according to His purpose. Their inheritance is
`laid up in heaven' for them, and `they are kept for it by the mighty
power of God, through faith unto salvation.' And they shall all at
last `inherit the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the
world.'
"But the Gospel revelation does not testify directly to anyone that
Christ so died for him in particular, that it is certain that he shall
be saved through His death: neither does it absolutely promise
salvation to all men; for in this case all must be saved,--or God must
be a liar. But it proclaims, `he that believeth shall be saved--he
that believeth not shall be damned.' It is as believers of the truth
that we are secured of eternal life; and it is by holding fast this
faith of the truth, and showing that we do so, that we can alone enjoy
the comfort of this security. `The purpose of God according to
election must stand,' and all His chosen will assuredly be saved; but
they cannot know their election--they cannot enjoy any absolute
assurance of their salvation independent of their continuance in the
faith, love, and obedience of the Gospel, see 2 Peter 1:5-12. And to
the Christian, in every stage of his progress, it is of importance to
remember, that he who turns back, turns `back to perdition'; and that
it is he only who believes straight onward--that continues in the
faith of the truth--that shall obtain `the salvation of the soul'"
(Dr. J. Brown).
Our introduction for this article has already exceeded its legitimate
limits, but we trust that what has been said above will be used of God
in clearing up several difficulties which have exercised the minds of
many of His beloved people, and that it may serve to prepare us for a
more intelligent perusal of our present passage. The verses before us
are by no means easy, as any one who will really study them will
quickly discover. The apostle's argument seems to be unusually
involved, the teaching of it appears to conflict with other portions
of Scripture, and the "rest" which is its central subject, is
difficult to define with any degree of certainty. It is with some
measure of hesitation and with not a little trepidation that the
writer himself now attempts to expound it, and he would press upon
every reader the importance and need of heeding the Divine injunction
of 1 Thessalonians 5:21, "Prove all things; hold fast that which is
good."
It should be evident that the first thing which will enable us to
understand our passage is to attend to the scope of it. The contents
of this chapter are found not in Romans or Corinthians or Ephesians,
but in Hebrews, the central theme of which is the superiority of
Christianity over Judaism, and there is that in each chapter which
exemplifies this. The theme is developed by the presentation of the
superlative excellencies of Christ, who is the Center and Life of
Christianity. Thus far we have had Christ's superiority over the
prophets, the angels, Moses. Now it is the glory of Christ which
excels that attaching to Joshua.
Our next key must be found in noting the connection between the
contents of chapter four and that which immediately precedes. Plainly,
the context begins at Hebrews 3:1, where we are bidden to "consider
the Apostle and High Priest of our profession." All of chapter 3 is
but an amplification of its opening verse. Its contents may be
summarized thus: Christ is to be "considered," attended to, heard,
trusted, obeyed: first, because of His exalted personal excellency: He
is the Son, "faithful" over His house; second, because of the direful
consequences which must ensue from not "considering" Him, from
despising Him. This second point is illustrated by the sad example of
those Israelites who hearkened not unto the Lord in the clays of
Moses, and in their case the consequence was that they failed to enter
into the rest of Canaan.
In the first sections of Hebrews 4, the principal subject of chapter 3
is continued. It brings out again the superiority of our "Apostle,"
this time over Joshua, for he too was an "apostle" of God. This is
strikingly brought out in Deuteronomy 34:9, "And Joshua the son of Nun
was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid hands upon him;
and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the Lord
commanded Moses"--the prime thought of the "laying on of hands" in
Scripture being that of identification. Let the reader compare Joshua
1:5, 16-18. The continuation of the theme of Hebrews 3 in chapter 4 is
also seen by the repeated mention of "rest," see Hebrews 3:11, 18 and
cf. Hebrews 4:1, 3, etc. It is on this term that the apostle bases his
present argument. The "rest" of Hebrews 3:11, 18 refers to Canaan, and
though Joshua actually conducted Israel into this (see marginal
rendering of Hebrews 4:8), yet the apostle proves by a reference to
Psalm 95 that Israel never really (as a nation) entered into the rest
of God. Herein lies the superiority of the Apostle of Christianity;
Christ does lead His people into the true rest. Such, we believe, is
the line of truth developed in our passage.
"Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into
His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it" (verse 1). The
opening words of this chapter bid us seriously take to heart the
solemn warning given at the close of verse 3. God's judgment upon the
wicked should make us more watchful that we do not follow their steps.
The "us" shows that Paul was preaching to himself as well as to the
Hebrews. "Let us therefore fear" has stumbled some, because of the
"Fear thou not" of Isaiah 41:10, 43:1, 5, etc. In John 14:27, Christ
says to us, "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be
afraid." And in 2 Timothy 1:7, we read, "For God hath not given us the
spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." On
the other hand, believers are told to "Fear God" (1 Pet. 2:17), and to
work out their own salvation "with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12).
How are these two different sets of passages to be harmonized?
The Bible is full of paradoxes, which to the natural man, appear to be
contradictions. The Word needs "rightly dividing" on the subject of
"fear" as upon everything else of which it treats. There is a fear
which the Christian is to cultivate, and there is a fear from which he
should shrink. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and in
Proverbs 14:26, 27 we read, "In the fear of the Lord is strong
confidence.... The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life"; so again,
"Happy is the man that feareth always" (Prov. 28:14). The testimony of
the New Testament inculcates the same duty: Christ bade His disciples,
"Fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell" (Matt.
10:28). To the saints at Rome Paul said, "Be not high-minded, but
fear" (Rom. 11:20). To God's people Peter wrote, "Pass the time of
your sojourning here in fear" (1 Pet. 1:17). While in Heaven itself
the word will yet be given: "Praise our God all ye His servants, and
ye that fear Him both small and great" (Rev. 19:5).
Fear may be called one of the disliking affections. It is good or evil
according to the object on which it is placed, and according to the
ordering of it thereon. In Hebrews 4:1 it is placed on the right
object--an evil to be shunned. That evil is unbelief, which, if
persisted in, ends in apostasy and destruction. About this the
Christian needs to be constantly on his guard, having his heart set
steadily against it. Our natural proneness to fall, the many
temptations to which we are subject, together with the deceitfulness
of sin, the subtlety of Satan, and God's justice in leaving men to
themselves, are strong enforcements of this duty. Concerning God
Himself, we are to fear Him with such a reverent awe of His holy
majesty as will make us careful to please Him in all things, and
fearful of offending Him. This is ever accompanied by a fearsome
distrust of ourselves. The fear of God which is evil in a Christian is
that servile bondage which produces a distrustful attitude, kills
affection for Him, regards Him as a hateful Tyrant. This is the fear
of the demons (James 2:19).
"Let us therefore fear." "It is salutary to remember our tendency to
partiality and one-sidedness in our spiritual life, in order that we
may be on our guard, that we may carefully and anxiously consider the
`Again, it is written'; that we may be willing to learn from
Christians who have received different gifts of grace, and whose
experience varies from ours; above all, that we may seek to follow and
serve the Lord Himself, to walk with God, to hear the voice of the
Good Shepherd. Forms of godliness, types of doctrine, are apt to
become substitutes instead of channels, weights instead of wings.
"The exhortations of this epistle may appear to some difficult to
reconcile with the teachings of Scripture, that the grace of God, once
received, through the power of the Holy Spirit by faith, can never be
lost, and that they who are born again, who are once in Christ, are in
Christ for ever. Let us not blunt the edge of earnest and piercing
exhortations. Let us not pass them over, or treat them with inward
apathy. `Again it is written.' We know this does not mean that there
is any real contradiction in Scripture, but that various aspects of
truth are presented, each with the same fidelity, fullness and
emphasis. Hence we must learn to move freely, and not to be cramped
and fixed in one position: we must keep our eyes clear and open, and
not look at all things through the light of a favorite doctrine. And
while we receive fully and joyously the assurance of our perfect
acceptance and peace, and of the unchanging love of God in Christ
Jesus, let us with the apostle consider also our sins and dangers,
from the lower yet most real earthly and time-point of view.
"When Christ is beheld and accepted, there is peace; but is there not
also fear? `With Thee is forgiveness of sin, that Thou mayest be
feared' (Ps. 130:4). Where do we see God's holiness and the awful
majesty of the law as in the cross of Christ? Where our own sin and
unworthiness, where the depths of our guilt and misery, as in the
atonement of the Lord Jesus? We rejoice with fear and trembling.... It
is because we know the Father, it is because we are redeemed by the
precious blood of the Savior, it is as the children of God and as the
saints of Christ, that we are to pass our earthly pilgrimage in fear.
This is not the fear of bondage, but the fear of adoption; not the
fear which dreads condemnation, but the fear of those who are saved,
and whom Christ has made free. It is not an imperfect and temporary
condition; it refers not merely to those who have begun to walk in the
ways Of God. Let us not imagine that this fear is to vanish at some
subsequent period of our course, that it is to disappear in a
so-called `higher Christian life.' No; we are to pass the time of our
sojourn here in fear. To the last moment of our fight of faith, to the
very end of our journey, the child of God, while trusting and
rejoicing, walks in godly fear" (Saphir).
"Lest a promise being left us." It is very striking to observe how
this is expressed. It does not say, "lest a promise being made" or
"given." It is put thus for the searching of our hearts. God's
promises are presented to faith, and they only become ours
individually, and we only enter into the good of them, as we
appropriate or lay hold of them. Of the patriarchs it is said
concerning God's promises (1) "having seen them afar off, (2) and were
persuaded of them, (3) and embraced them" Hebrews 11:13). Certain
promises of Jehovah were "left" to those who came out of Egypt. They
were not "given" to any particular individuals, or "made" concerning
that specific generation. And, as the apostle has shown in Hebrews 3,
the majority of those who came out of Egypt failed to "embrace" those
promises, through hearkening not to Him Who spake, and through
hardening their hearts. But Caleb and Joshua "laid hold" of those
promises and so entered Canaan.
When the apostle here says, "Let us fear therefore lest a promise
being left"--there is no "us" in the Greek--he addresses the
responsibility of the Hebrews. He is pressing upon them the need of
walking by faith and not by sight; he is urging them to so take unto
themselves the promise which the Lord has "left," that they might not
seem to come short of it. But to what is the apostle referring when he
says, "lest a promise being left"? Surely in the light of the context
the primary reference is clear: that which the Gospel makes known. The
Gospel proclaims salvation to all who believe. The Gospel makes no
promise to any particular individuals. Its terms are "whosoever
believeth shall not perish." That promise is "left," left on
infallible record, left for the consolation of convicted sinners,
"left" for faith to lay hold of. This promise of salvation looks
forward, ultimately, to the enjoyment of the eternal, perfect, and
unbroken rest of God in heaven, of which the "rest" of Canaan, as the
terminal of Israel's hard bondage in Egypt and their wearisome
journeyings in the wilderness, was the appropriate figure.
"Any of you should seem to come short of it." Passing over the word
"seem" for a moment, let us inquire into the meaning of "to come short
of it." Here again the language of Hebrews 11:13 should help us. As
pointed out above, that verse indicates three distinct stages in the
faith of the patriarchs. First, they saw God's promises "afar off."
They seemed too good to be true, far beyond their apprehension.
Second, they were "persuaded of them" or, as the Revised Version
renders it, "greeted them," which signifies a much closer acquaintance
of them. Third, and "embraced them"; they did not "come short," but
took them to their hearts. It is thus the awakened and anxious sinner
has to do with the Gospel promise. Wondrous, unique, passing knowledge
as it does, that promise is "left" him, and the Person that promise
points to is to be "greeted" and "embraced." "That which was from the
beginning (1), which we have heard (2), which we have seen with our
eyes (3), which we have looked upon (4), and our hands have handled of
the Word of Life" (1 John 1:1).
At this stage perhaps, the reader is ready to object against what has
been advanced above, "But how can the `promise' here refer to that
presented in the Gospel before poor sinners, seeing that the apostle
was addressing believers? Is not the `promise' plainly enough defined
in the `of entering into His rest'?" Without attempting now to enter
into a fuller discussion of God's "rest," it should be clear from the
context that the primary reference is to the eternal sharing of His
rest in heaven. This is the believer's hope which is laid up for you
in heaven, "whereof ye heard before in the Word of the truth of the
Gospel" (Col. 1:5). At first this "hope" appears "afar off," but as
faith grows it is "greeted" and "embraced." But only so as faith is in
exercise. If we cease hearing and heeding the Voice which speaks to us
from heaven, and our hearts become hardened through the deceitfulness
of sin, the brightness of our hope is dimmed, we "come short" of it;
and if such a course be continued in, hope will give way to despair.
The whole point of the apostle's exhortation here is a pressing upon
Christians the imperative need of persevering in the faith. Israel
left Egypt full of hope, as their song at the Red Sea plainly
witnessed, see Exodus 15:13-18. But, alas, their hopes quickly faded.
The trials and testings of the wilderness were too much for them. They
walked by sight, instead of by faith; and murmuring took the place of
praising, and hardness of heart instead of listening to the Lord's
voice. So too the Hebrews were still in the wilderness: their
profession of faith in Christ, their trust in the Lord, was being
tested. Some of their fellows had already departed from the living
God, as the language of Hebrews 10:25 dearly implies. Would, then
these whom the apostle had addressed as "holy brethren" fail, finally,
to enter into God's rest? So it is with Christians now. Heaven is set
before them as their goal: toward it they are to daily press forward,
running with perseverance the race that is set before them. But the
incentive of our hope only has power over the heart so long as faith
is in exercise.
What is meant by "seeming to come short" of the Gospel promise of
heaven? First, is not this word inserted here for the purpose of
modifying the sharpness of the admonition? It was to show that the
apostle did not positively conclude that any of these "holy brethren"
were apostates, but only that they might appear to be in danger of it,
as the "lest" warned. Second, was it not to stir up their godly fear
the more against such coldness and dullness as might hazard the prize
set before them? Third, and primarily, was it not for the purpose of
showing Christians the extent to which they should be watchful? It is
not sufficient to be assured that we shall never utterly fall away; we
must not "seem" to do so, we must give no occasion to other Christians
to think we have departed from the living God. The reference is to our
walk. We are bidden to "abstain from all appearance of evil" (1 Thess.
5:22). Note how this same word "seem" signifies "appeared" in
Galatians 2:9. The very appearance of backsliding is to be sedulously
avoided.
"For unto us was the Gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the
word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them
that heard" (verse 2). The contents of this verse unequivocally
establish our definition of the "promise" in verse 1, namely, that it
has reference to the Gospel promise, which, in its ultimate
application, looks forward to the eternal rest in heaven. Here plain
mention is made of the "gospel." The obvious design of the apostle in
this verse is to enforce the admonition of us fearing a like judgment
which befell the apostate Israelites, by avoiding a like course of
conduct in ourselves--unbelief.
The Gospel preached unto Israel of old is recorded in Exodus 6:6-8,
and that it was not "mixed with faith in them that heard it" is seen
from the very next verse, "And Moses so spake unto the children of
Israel, but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and
for cruel bondage." We need hardly say that was not the only time a
gospel message was proclaimed to them, see Numbers 13:26, 27, 30; and
for their unbelief, Numbers 14:1-4. "But the word preached did not
profit them." "They were none the better for it. They did not obtain
the blessing in reference to which a promise was given them: they did
not enter into Canaan: they died in the wilderness" (Dr. J. Brown).
The reason for this was, because they did not receive the good news in
faith. The mere hearing of the Gospel is not enough: to profit, it
must be believed. Thus Hebrews 4:2 is parallel with Hebrews 2:3.
"For we which have believed do enter into rest" (verse 3). Failure to
rightly understand these words led many of the commentators right off
the track of the apostle's argument in this passage. It pains us to
have to take issue here with some eminent expositors of Scripture, but
we dare not call any man, however spiritual or well-instructed, our
"father." We must follow the light which we believe God has granted
us, though we would again press upon the reader his responsibility for
"proving all things" for himself.
"For we which have believed do enter into rest." Many have taken these
words as referring to a spiritual rest into which believers enter here
and now. But we believe this is a mistake. The apostle did not say,
"We which believe have entered into rest." To which it may be replied,
"Nor did he say, `We which have believed shall enter into rest.'"
True, for to have put it thus would have weakened his argument.
Moreover, it would be to evacuate the exhortation of verse 11 of its
significance, "Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest
any man fall after the same example of unbelief." If then verse 3 does
not refer to a spiritual rest into which believers now enter, what is
its meaning?
Bagster's Interlinear (and we know of no English translation which is
its equal) gives, "For we enter into the rest, who believe." This is a
literal word for word rendering of the Greek into English. Put thus,
the historical tense is avoided, and we have simply an abstract
statement of a doctrinal fact. This verse gives us the positive side
of verse 2, defining the characters of those who will enter God's
rest, namely, Believers. Unbelieving Israelites did not, believing
Christians shall. It is important to remember that the "rest" of this
whole passage is as yet only "promised," verse 1.
"For we which have believed do enter into rest." "The apostle speaks
of believers of all ages as a body, to which he and those to whom he
was writing belonged, and says, `It is we who believe, and we alone,
who under any dispensation can enter into the rest of God'" (Dr. J.
Brown). The opening "for" signifies that what follows is added as a
reason to confirm what has been previously stated. The reason is drawn
from the law of contraries, the inevitable opposites. Of contraries
there must be opposite consequences. Now faith and unbelief are
contraries, therefore their consequences are contraries. As then
unbelievers cannot enter into God's rest (Heb. 3:18), believers must
(Heb. 4:3), that is their privilege. Such we believe is the force of
this abstract declaration.
"The qualification of such as reap the benefit of God's promise is
thus set down, `Which have believed.' To believe is to yield such
credence to the truth of God's promise, as to rest on Him for
participation of the thing promised. We can have no assurance of the
thing promised till we do believe the promise: `After that ye
believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise' (Eph. 1:13).
`I know whom I have believed,' saith the apostle, and thereupon maketh
this inference, `and I am persuaded that He is able to keep that which
I have committed unto Him against that day' (2 Tim. 1:12). This,
Christ manifested by the condition which He required of those whom He
cured, thus, `If thou canst believe, all things are possible,' Mark
9:23." (Dr. Gouge).
The second half of verse 3 we must leave for the next chapter. In the
meantime, "Let us therefore fear." "The absolute safety, the fixed and
unchanging portion of the chosen people of God can never be doubted.
From the eternal, heavenly, divine point of view, saints can never
fall; they are seated in heavenly places with Christ; they are renewed
by the Spirit, and sealed by Him unto everlasting glory. But who sees
the saints of God from this point of view? Not the world, not our
fellow-Christians. They only see our character and walk.... From our
point of view, as we live in time, from day to day, our earnest desire
must be to continue steadfast, to abide in Christ, to walk with God,
to bring forth fruit that will manifest the presence of true and
God-given life. Hence the apostle, who says to the Philippians, `Being
confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in
you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ' (Heb. 1:6), adds to
a similar thought in another epistle, `If ye continue in the faith
grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the
gospel.' In the one passage Paul's point of view is the heavenly,
eternal one; in the other he looks from earth heavenwards, from time
to eternity. And in what other way could he think, speak, exhort, and
encourage both himself and his fellow-Christians but in this manner?
For it is by these very exhortations and warnings that the grace of
God keeps us. It is in order that the elect may not fall, it is to
bring out in fact and time the (ideal and eternal) impossibility of
their apostasy, that God in His wisdom and mercy has sent to us such
solemn messages and such fervent entreaties, to watch, to fight, to
take heed unto ourselves, to resist the adversary" (Saphir).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 17
Christ Superior to Joshua
(Hebrews 4:3-10)
__________________________________________
There has been so much confusion in the minds of commentators, so many
conflicting interpretations of Hebrews 4 in the past, that we deem it
the more necessary to go slowly, and endeavor to supply full proof of
the exposition which we are here advancing. That which appears to have
occasioned the most difficulty for many is the statement made at the
beginning of verse 3, "For we which have believed do enter into rest,"
or, more literally, "for we enter into the rest, who believed." Having
regarded this verse as setting forth a spiritual rest into which
believers now enter, they have altogether failed in their
understanding of the second part of verse 1. That sinners do enter
into rest upon believing is clear from the promise of Christ in
Matthew 11:28. That the measure in which this is enjoyed,
subsequently, will be determined by the degree and frequency with
which faith is kept in exercise, we fully allow. But these things are
not the subjects of which Paul is treating here in Hebrews 4.
Considering that Hebrews 4:3 speaks of the believer's present rest,
many expositors have read this into the opening verse of the chapter,
and have regarded its admonition as meaning, Let Christians be on
their guard lest, through carelessness and backsliding, they "seem to
come short" in their experimental enjoyment of Christ's rest. In other
words, they look upon the "rest" of the opening verses of Hebrews 4 as
signifying communion with the Lord. They argue that this must be what
was in the apostle's mind, for he was not addressing the unconverted,
but "holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling." With
considerable ingenuity they have appealed to the context, the contents
of the closing verses of Hebrews 3, as supporting their contention.
Those who failed to enter into Canaan (which they consider was a
figure of the saints' present portion) were not heathen, but
Israelites, the covenant-people of God. We must therefore expose the
error of this interpretation before proceeding farther.
First, we would remind the reader once more that the apostle was not
here writing to Gentile Christians, but to Hebrews, whose
circumstances and temptations were peculiar, unique. There was a very
real and grave danger menacing them, not so much of interrupting their
spiritual fellowship with Christ, but of shaking their faith in Him
altogether. The temptation confronting them was the total abandonment
of their Christian profession, of their faith in Jesus of Nazareth,
now exalted at the right hand of God; and returning to Judaism. This
fact must be kept in mind as we take up the study of each chapter of
this Epistle. To lose sight of it, courts certain disaster in our
interpretation.
Second, while it is true that the apostle's warning in Hebrews 3 is
taken from the history of Israel, the covenant people of God, it needs
to be borne in mind that in connection with Israel there was an
election within an election, a spiritual one within the national.
Romans 9:7, 8 distinctly affirms, "Neither because they are the seed
of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be
called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are
not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted
for the seed." Unless this fact be steadily remembered, much
misunderstanding and error will ensue. The fact is that Israel as a
Nation, in Old Testament times, is not a type of God's elect in this
New Testament dispensation (as so many have wrongly supposed), but a
figure of Christendom as a whole. It was only the spiritual remnant,
the elect of God within the nation, who foreshadowed His saints of
today.
Third, close attention to what is said of the Israelites in Hebrews 3
shows conclusively that they were an illustration not of true
Christians out of communion with God, but instead, of nominal
professors who were never born again. In proof of this note in Hebrews
3:10 it is said of them, "They do always err in heart;" now though
believers err frequently they do not so "always;" then it is added,
"they have not known My ways"--could this be said of the spiritual
election of God? Surely not. Again, in verse 11, We are told, "So I
sware in My wrath, They shall not enter into My rest:" but God is
never wrathful with His own children. Further, in verse 17 it is not
simply said that "they died" but that their "carcasses fell" in the
wilderness, sure proof is such language that they were not children of
God, for "precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His
saints" (Ps. 116:15). Finally, the words of the apostle in Hebrews
3:19 admit of no misunderstanding, "So we see that they could not
enter in because of unbelief." Thus, they were "children in whom is no
faith" (Deut. 32:20).
Now at the beginning of chapter 4 the apostle applies this solemn
warning to test the profession of those who were in danger of
"departing from the living God." First he says, "Let us therefore
fear." The "therefore" would have no real force if after referring to
unbelievers he should apply their example to warn believers, of the
tendency and danger of ceasing to have communion with the Lord; in
such a case his illustration would be strained and irrelevant. No,
when he says, "Let us therefore fear" he obviously has in mind the
danger of an empty profession, and sets them to a testing of their
faith, which test is answered by perseverance. "Lest a promise being
left us of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come
short of it." It was not a "rest" of communion into which they had
entered but were warned against leaving, or failing to enjoy; but
instead, a rest that was promised. What follows clearly defines "His
rest" and confirms what we have said above. It has to do with the
Gospel, and not with precepts to saints! And the point insisted on is
the presence or absence of faith.
The order of thought in Hebrews 4, so far as we discern it, is as
follows: First, there is a searching exhortation made (verse 1) to all
who profess to be Christians, that they should work out their
salvation with fear and trembling, and that their walk should be such
as to give no one the impression that they "seem" to be departing from
Christ. This is followed by a solemn warning (verse 2) that, the mere
hearing of the Gospel is not enough; to profit us, it must be received
by faith. Third, this is followed by the declaration that only
believers enter into the rest of God. In the remainder of our passage
the Spirit makes further comment on Psalm 95 and shows (by negative
inference) what the "rest" of God is, and how that the believer's
entrance into it is yet future.
"For we which have believed do enter into rest, as He said, As I have
sworn in My wrath, if they should enter into My rest" (verse 3). The
relation of these two clauses the one to the other, is denoted by "as
He said," what follows being a quotation from the 95th Psalm; their
connection with the opening words of the verse being that they supply
proof of what is there said. As pointed out in the previous article,
"For we enter into the rest, who believed," simply informs us who are
privileged to enter God's rest, namely, Believers. Corroboration of
this is now furnished. Upon the second clause of this verse we cannot
do better than quote from Dr. Gouge:
"These words `as He said' may have a double reference. One immediate,
to the words next before. Considered thus, they furnish a proof by the
rule of contraries. The force of the argument resteth on that ruled
case, which the apostle taketh for granted, verse 6, namely, that
`some must enter' into that rest which God hath promised. Hereupon
this argument may be made: If some `must enter,' then believers or
unbelievers: But not unbelievers, for God by oath hath protested
against them; Therefore believers shall enter."
"The other reference is more remote to the latter part of the former
verse. If the first clause of verse 3 be included in a parenthesis,
the reference of this unto the former verse will appear to be the more
fit. For it showeth unbelievers reap no benefit by the word of
promise, because God hath sworn that such shall not enter His rest.
The relative `He' is to God. That which He said was in and by David,
in Psalm 95:11." Upon the words here quoted from the Psalm, Dr. J.
Brown said, "According to the Hebrew idiomatical elliptical mode of
expressing an oath, `they shall not enter into My rest'."
"Although the works were finished from the foundation of the world"
(verse 3). It is at this point the real difficulty of our passage
begins, due in part to its peculiar grammatical structure. "The
passage that follows wears a peculiarly disjointed appearance, and has
occasioned perplexity to interpreters. I apprehend that the last
clause of the 3rd verse should be disconnected from the words
immediately preceding, and should be connected with those which
immediately follow. Along with the 4th and 5th verses, it appears to
be a kind of explanatory note on the expression, `the rest of God'."
With this explanation the writer is in full accord, indeed, it seems
to him impossible to see in the passage any connected sense unless it
be taken thus. Continuing to quote from Dr. Brown:
"A promise is left us of entering into His rest. The `rest' of God, in
its primary use in the Old Testament scriptures, is descriptive of
that state of cessation from the exercise of creating energy, and of
satisfaction in what He hath created, into which God is represented as
entering on the completion of His six days' work, when in the
beginning `He formed the heavens and the earth, and all their hosts.'
In this sense the phrase was plainly not applicable to the subject
which the apostle is discussing; but in these words he shows that the
phrase, the rest of God is not in the scriptures so appropriated to
the rest of God after the creation as not to be applicable, and indeed
applied, to other subjects.
"Verses 4, 5. Although the works were finished from the foundation of
the world (for He spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this
wise, `And God did rest the seventh day from all His works'), yet in
this place again, `If they shall enter into My rest.' In this way the
three apparently disjointed members are formed into one sentence; and
that one sentence expresses a sentiment calculated to throw light on
the language which the apostle has employed."
"Although the works were finished from the foundation of the world."
This sentence is introductory to what immediately follows, in which
the apostle, step by step, leads the Hebrews to the consideration of
an higher and better rest than ever was enjoyed in this world. There
were two "rests" frequently mentioned in the Old Testament as special
pledges of God's favor: the Sabbath and the land of Canaan: the former
being styled "the Sabbath of rest to the Lord" (Ex. 35:2), and "the
Sabbath of the Lord" (Ex. 20:10); the latter, "the rest which the Lord
gave them" (Deut. 12:9; Joshua 1:15). In view of these the Hebrews
might well say, We have always enjoyed the Lord's Sabbath, and our
fathers have long occupied Canaan, why then do you speak so much about
entering into God's rest? The verses which follow meet this objection,
showing that neither of those "rests" was meant by David in Psalm 95,
nor by himself here in Hebrews 4.
The "rest" to which the apostle was pointing the Hebrews was so
blessed, so important, so far surpassing anything that Judaism had
known, that he was the more careful they should not be mistaken in
connection with its nature and character. First, he clears the way for
a definition of it by pointing out what it does not consist of. He
begins with the Sabbath which is the first "rest" mentioned in
Scripture. Second, he passes on to the rest of Canaan. The rest of the
Sabbath did foreshadow the heavenly rest, and Canaan was, in an
important sense, a figure of it too; but Paul would turn them from
types and shadows to contemplate and have them press forward to the
antitype and substance itself.
This reference to "the works" being "finished from the foundation of
the world" takes us back to Genesis 2:1, 2. It is the works of
creation and restoration, detailed in Genesis 1. The word "foundation"
here carries with it a double thought: stability and beginning. As
pointed out in our remarks upon Hebrews 1:10, "foundation" denotes the
fixity of that which is reared upon it: it is the lowest part of an
edifice, upon which the whole of the structure rests. As the
"foundation" is the first thing attended to in connection with a
building, so this term is used here to denote the beginning of this
present world system.
"For He spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And
God did rest the seventh day from all His works" (verse 4). God's rest
on that primitive seventh day possesses at least a fourfold
significance. First, it denoted His own complacency, His satisfaction
in what He had made: "And God saw everything that He had made and,
behold, it was very good." Second, it was the Creator setting before
His creatures an example for them to follow. Why had God taken "six
days" to make what is described in Genesis 1? Had He so pleased, all
could have been done in one day, yea, in a moment! Obviously it was
for the purpose of teaching us. Just as the great God employed in
works of usefulness, in providing for the temporal necessities of His
creatures, so should we be. And just as God has ceased from all the
works of those six days and on the seventh day "rested," so must we.
Third, that primitive Sabbath was the prophetic pledge of the "rest"
which this earth shall enjoy during the reign of Christ. Fourth, it
was a foreshadowing and earnest of the eternal Sabbath, when God shall
"rest in His love" (Zeph. 3:17).
Perhaps it needs to be added that the words "and God did rest" do not
signify, absolutely, that He remained in a state of inactivity. The
"rest" of Scripture is never a condition of inertia. The words of our
Savior in John 5:17 respecting the Sabbath day, "My Father worketh
hitherto" in nowise conflict with Genesis 2:3. God's "rest" there was
from creating new kinds of creatures; what Christ speaks of is His
work in doing good to His creatures; it concerns God's providences,
which never cease day or night, preserving, succoring, governing His
creatures. From this we learn that our keeping of the Sabbath is not
to consist of a state of idleness, but is forebearing from all the
ordinary works of the preceding six days. The Savior's own example in
the Gospels teaches us that works of absolute necessity are
permissible, and works of mercy proper. Isaiah 58:13, 14 informs us
how the Sabbath is to be kept. John 5:17 linked to Genesis 2:3 also
contains a hint of the eternal "rest" of heaven: it will be a ceasing
from all the carnal works in which we were engaged here, yet it will
not be a state of idleness as Revelation 22:3 proves.
"And in this again, If they shall enter into My rest" (verse 5). The
line of argument which the apostle is here pursuing will the more
readily be perceived if due attention be paid to the word "again". He
is proving that there was another "rest" of God beside that which
followed upon His works of creation. This is evident from the language
of Psalm 95, upon which he comments in the next verse. Thus the Holy
Spirit warns us that each expression used in Holy Writ must be
interpreted strictly in harmony with its context. A great deal of
unnecessary confusion had been avoided if expositors heeded this
simple but fundamental rule. Take the oft-quoted words of James 5:16,
"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man available much." How
often the "righteous man" here is regarded as synonymous with
"Christian," one who is "righteous" in Christ. But such a view ignores
the context. This statement is found not in Romans, but James. The
epistle of James does not give us the believer's standing, so much as
his state. The prayers of a Christian whose ways are not "right"
before God, "avail" little or nothing. So all through the book of
Proverbs the "righteous" man is not regarded there as one who is
righteous imputatively, but practically.
Take again the believer's present experimental "rest." There are
numbers of passages in the New Testament where the same word "rest" is
found, but they by no means all refer to the same thing or experience.
Each reference needs to be studied in the light of its immediate
context, in the light of the particular book in which it is found,
(remembering the special theme of that book), and in connection with
what is predicated of that "rest". "Come unto Me, all ye that labor
and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you,
and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find
rest unto your souls" (Matthew 11:28, 29). Here it is obvious, almost
at first glance, that two distinct "rests" are before us. The first
may be designated rest of conscience, which the convicted sinner,
groaning beneath the intolerable load of his conscious sins, obtains
when he casts himself on the mercy of Christ. The second is rest of
soul, which alas, many professing Christians know very little, if
anything, about. It is obtained by taking Christ's "yoke" upon us and
"learning" of Him.
"Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they
to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief"
(verse 6). The first words give intimation of an inference being drawn
from what has gone before. In verse 5, God's protestation against
unbelievers is recorded, here the apostle infers therefrom that there
is a rest for believers to enter into. Since God has made promise of
some entering into His rest, then they must do so: if no unbelievers,
then believers. The words, "it remaineth" here signify "it followeth,"
for no word of God can fall to the ground. No promise of His can be
utterly made void. Though many reap no good thereby, yet others shall
be made partakers of the benefit of it. Though the vast majority of
the adult Israelites perished in the wilderness, yet Caleb and Joshua
entered Canaan.
"And they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of
unbelief." The word "preached" here means "evangelize." The same root
word is rendered "gospel" in verse 2. This shows us, First, that God
has employed only one instrument in the saving of sinners from the
beginning, namely, the preaching of the gospel, cf. Galatians 3:8.
Second, that the demand of the Gospel from those who hear it is faith,
taking God at His word, receiving with childlike simplicity and
gladness the good news He has sent us. Third, that "unbelief" shuts
out from God's favor and blessing. In Hebrews 11:31 we are told, "By
faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not." It
was not because the others were Canaanites, heathen, wicked people,
but because they believed not that they "perished." Solemn warning was
this for the Hebrews whose faith was waning.
"Again, He limiteth a certain day, saying in David, Today" (verse 7).
It is evident that Hebrews 5:6 is an incomplete sentence, finished, we
apprehend, in Hebrews 5:11. What follows in verses 7-10 is a
parenthesis, and to its consideration we must now turn. The purpose of
this parenthesis is to establish the principle on which the
exhortation is based, namely, that since there is a "rest of God" for
believers to enter, and seeing that Israel of old failed to enter
therein, it behooves us today to give the more earnest heed to the
word of the Gospel which we have heard, and to "labor to enter into
that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief."
"Again He limiteth a certain day, saying, in David, Today, after so
long a time, as it is said, Today if ye will hear His voice, harden
not your hearts" (verse 7). This may be called the text which the
apostle goes on to expound and apply. The Revised Version rendering of
it is much to be preferred: "He again defineth a certain day, Today,
saying in David, so long a time afterward (even as hath been said
before), Today if ye will hear" etc. Having drawn an argument from
Psalm 95:11 to show that the promise of rest which is "left" (verse 1)
Christians, is not the same as that mentioned in Genesis 2:3, the
apostle now proceeds to point out that there is another "rest" to be
sought after than the land of Canaan--let us not deem the
demonstration of this needless, lest we be found impugning the wisdom
of the Holy Spirit.
The apostle's argument here turns on the word "Today" found in Psalm
95:7. This was what was "limited" or "defined." The "after so long a
time" refers to the interval which elapsed after the Israelites
perished in the wilderness and the writing of that Psalm, which
contained a Divine exhortation for God's people living then. Betwixt
Moses and David was a period of five centuries (Acts 13:20). "The
apostle's argument may thus be framed: That rest wherewith men are
invited to enter four hundred and fifty years after a rest possessed,
is another rest than that which Israel possessed. But the rest
intended by David is a rest wherein he inviteth men to enter four
hundred and fifty years after Canaan was possessed. Therefore Canaan
is not that rest" (Dr. Gouge).
"For if Joshua had given them rest, then would He not afterward have
spoken of another day" (verse 8). It is plain that the apostle is here
anticipating a Jewish objection, which may be stated thus: Though many
of the Israelites which were in the wilderness entered not into
Canaan, yet others did; for Joshua conducted their children thither.
To obviate this, the apostle proves that the Old Testament Scriptures
spoke of another "rest" besides that. He does not deny Canaan to be a
rest, but he denies that it was the only rest, the rest to be so
rested in as no other was to be sought after. The "then would he have
not afterward have spoken of another day" is the proof that Joshua did
not settle God's people in the "rest" which David mentioned.
It is right here that we may discern the point to which the apostle
would direct the Hebrews' attention, though to spare their feelings he
does not state it explicitly. It was a glorious thing when Joshua led
Israel's hosts out of the wilderness, across the Jordan, into the
promised land. Truly that was one of the outstanding epochs in their
national history. Nor would the apostle, directly, deprecate it. Yet
if the Hebrews would but meditate for a moment on the nature of that
rest into which the illustrious successor of Moses led their fathers,
they must see that it was very far from being the perfect state. It
was only an earthly inheritance. It was filled with enemies, who had
to be dispossessed. Its continued tenure was dependent on their own
faithfulness to God. It was enjoyed comparatively only a short time.
Different far is the rest of God into which the Apostle of
Christianity will yet lead His people. Listen to His own words, "In My
Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so I would have told
you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that, where I
am, there ye may be also" (John 14:2, 3). Here, then, we may see the
superiority of Christ over Joshua, as the rest into which He brings
His people excels that into which Joshua conducted Israel.
"There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God" (verse 9).
This verse gives the conclusion drawn from the preceding argument. The
apostle had shown that the "rest" mentioned by David was neither the
rest of the primitive Sabbath in Genesis 2 nor the rest of Canaan into
which Joshua had conducted the second generation of Israel. Therefore
there "remaineth a rest to the people of God:" that is, there is some
other rest for God's people to look forward to. Thus, the "therefore"
here is, first of all, a general inference drawn from all that
precedes. A "promise is left" of entering into God's rest (verse 1).
That promise must be appropriated, "mixed with faith" in those who
hear it (verse 2). Only believers will enter that rest, for God hath
sworn that unbelievers shall not enter therein (verse 3). Although
there is a rest of God mentioned in Genesis 2 (verses 2,3), and
although Joshua led Israel into the rest of Canaan (verse 8), yet
neither of these "rests" was what is promised Christians (verse 8).
Hence, we can only conclude there is another "rest" for God's people
(verse 9).
That the Christian's perfect "rest" is yet future is clear from the
language of verse 11, where the Hebrews were admonished to "labor
therefore to enter into that rest." Thus, regarding verse 9, first, as
a general conclusion drawn from the whole of the context, we
understand it to mean: "Thus it is evident there is a rest for the
people of God." These words were designed to reassure the hearts of
the Hebrews. In turning their backs on Judaism the "rest" of Canaan
was relinquished, but this did not mean that they had, because of
their faith in Christ, ceased to be "the people of God," nor did it
involve the forfeiture of all privileges and blessings. Nay, the
apostle had warned them in Hebrews 3:6, 12, 14 that it was impossible
to retain the privilege of belonging to the people of God except
through faith in Christ. Now he assures them that only for such people
was there a rest of God remaining.
Above, we have pointed out that the "therefore" of verse 9 denotes,
first of all, that the apostle is here drawing a general conclusion
from all he had said in the context. We would now call attention to a
more specific inference pointed by that word. It needs to be most
carefully observed that in this verse the Holy Spirit employs an
entirely different word for "rest" than what he had used in verses 1,
3-5, 8. There the Greek word is rightly rendered "rest," but here it
is "sabbatismos" and its meaning has been properly given by the
translators in the margin--"keeping of a Sabbath." The Revised Version
gives the text itself, "There remaineth therefore a Sabbath rest for
the people of God."
The purpose of the Holy Spirit in employing this term here is not
difficult to discover. He was writing to Hebrews, Jews who had
professed to become Christians, to have trusted in the Lord Jesus.
Their profession of faith involved them in sore trials at the hands of
their unbelieving brethren. They denounced them as apostates from the
faith of their fathers. They disowned them as the "people of God." But
as we have said the apostle here reassures them that now only
believers in Christ had any title to be numbered among "the people of
God." Having renounced Judaism for Christ the question of the
"Sabbath" must also have exercised them deeply. Here the apostle sets
their minds at rest. A suitable point in his epistle had now been
reached when this could be brought in: he was speaking of "rest," so
he informs them that under Christianity also, "there remaineth
therefore a Sabbath-keeping for the people of God." The specific
reference in the "therefore" is to what he had said in verse 4: God
did rest on the seventh day from all His works, there]ore as believers
in Christ are the "people of God" they must rest too.
"There remaineth therefore a Sabbath-keeping for the people of God."
The reference is not to something future, but to what is present. The
Greek verb (in its passive form) is never rendered by any other
English equivalent than "remaineth." It occurs again in Hebrews 10:26.
The word "remain" signifies "to be left after others have withdrawn,
to continue unchanged." Here then is a plain, positive, unequivocal
declaration by the Spirit of God: "There remaineth therefore a
Sabbath-keeping." Nothing could be simpler, nothing less ambiguous.
The striking thing is that this statement occurs in the very epistle
whose theme is the superiority of Christianity over Judaism; written
to those addressed as "holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly
calling." Therefore, it cannot be gainsaid that Hebrews 4:9 refers
directly to the Christian Sabbath. Hence we solemnly and emphatically
declare that any man who says there is no Christian Sabbath takes
direct issue with the New Testament scriptures.
"For he that is entered into his rest he also hath ceased from his own
works, as God from His" (verse 10). In this verse the apostle
expressly defines the nature of that excellent rest of which he had
been speaking: it is a cessation from our works, as God from His. The
object in thus describing our rest is to show that it is not to be
found in this world, but is reserved for the world to come. The
argument of this verse--its opening "for" denotes that further proof
is being supplied to confirm what has been said--is taken from the
self-evident principle that rest is not enjoyed till work is ceased
from. This world is full of toil, travail and trouble, but in the
world to come there is full freedom from all these.
"Thy commandment is exceedingly broad" (Ps. 119:96). There is a
breadth and fullness to the words of God which no single
interpretation can exhaust. Just as verse 9 has at least a double
application, containing both a general conclusion from the whole
preceding argument, and also a specific inference from what is said in
verse 4, so is it here. Not only does verse 9 state a general
principle which serves to corroborate the apostle's inference in verse
9, but it also has a specific reference and application. The change in
number of the pronoun here is not without meaning. In verse 1 he had
used a plural, "us," so in verse 3 "we," and again in verse 11 he uses
"us," but here in verse 10 it is "he and his." "It appears to me that
it is the rest of Christ from His works, which is compared with the
rest of God from His works in creation." (Dr. John Owen).
The reference to Christ in verse 10 (remember the section begins at
Hebrews 3:1 and concludes with Hebrews 4:14-16) completes the positive
side of the apostle's proof of His superiority over Joshua. In verse 8
he had pointed out that Joshua did not lead Israel into the perfect
rest of God; now he affirms that Christ, our Apostle, has entered it,
and His entrance is the pledge and proof that His people
shall--"whither the Forerunner is for us entered" (Heb. 6:20). But
more: what is said of Christ in verse 10 clinches our interpretation
of verse 9 and gives beautiful completeness to what is there said:
"There remaineth therefore a Sabbath-keeping to the people of God. For
He that is entered into His rest, He also hath ceased from his own
works, as God from His."
Thus, the Holy Spirit here teaches us to view Christ's rest from his
work of Redemption as parallel with God's work in creation. They are
spoken of as parallel in this respect: the relation which each "work"
has to the keeping of a Sabbath! The opening "for" of verse 10 shows
that what follows furnishes a reason why God's people, now, must keep
the Sabbath. That reason invests the Sabbath with a fuller meaning
than it had in Old Testament times. It is now not only a memorial of
God's work of creation, and a recognition of the Creator as our
Proprietor, but it is also an emblem of the rest which Christ entered
as an eternal memorial of His finished work; and inasmuch as Christ
ended His work and entered upon His "rest" by rising again on the
first day of the week, we are thereby notified that the Christian's
six work-days must run from Monday to Saturday, and that his Sabbath
must be observed on Sunday. This is confirmed by the additional fact
that the New Testament shows that after the crucifixion of Christ the
first day of the week was the one set apart for Divine worship. May
the Lord bless what has been before us.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 18
Christ Superior to Joshua
(Hebrews 4:11-16)
__________________________________________
The verses which are to be before us complete the present section of
our Epistle, a section which begins at Hebrews 3:1 and which has two
main divisions: the first, setting forth the superiority of Christ
over Moses; the second, His superiority over Joshua. In the last six
verses of chapter 4 a practical application is made of what had
previously been said. That application begins with an exhortation for
Christians to "labor therefore to enter into that rest." Both the
nature and the place of this "rest" have been defined in the earlier
verses. As the opening verse of the chapter shows, it is the "rest of
God" which is, in promise, set before us. Beautifully has another
said:
"But what did God mean by calling it His rest? Not they enter into
their rest, but His Own. Oh, blessed distinction! I hasten to the
ultimate and deepest solution of the question. God gives us Himself,
and in all His gifts He gives us Himself. Here is the distinction
between all religions which men invent, which have their origin in the
conscience and heart of man, which spring up from the earth; and the
truth, the salvation, the life, revealed unto us from above,
descending to us from heaven. All religions seek and promise the same
things: light, righteousness, peace, strength, and joy. But human
religions think only of creature-light, creature-righteousness, of a
human, limited, and imperfect peace, strength and blessings. They
start from man upwards. But God gives us Himself, and in Himself all
gifts, and hence all His gifts are perfect and divine.
"Does God give us righteousness? He Himself is our righteousness,
Jehovah-Tsidkenu. Does God give us peace? Christ is our peace. Does
God give us light? He is our light. Does God give us bread? He is the
bread we eat. As the Son liveth by the Father, so he that eateth Me
shall live by Me (John 6). God Himself is our strength. God is ours,
and in all His gifts and blessings He gives Himself. By the Holy
Spirit we are one with Christ, and Christ the Son of God is our
righteousness, nay, our life. Do you want any other real presence? Are
we not altogether `engodded,' God dwelling and living in us, and we in
Him? What more real presence and indwelling, awful and blessed, can we
have than that which the apostle described when he said: `I live; yet
not I, But Christ liveth in me?' Or again, `I can do all things
through Christ which strengtheneth me.' Thus God gives us His rest as
our rest" (Saphir).
Following the exhortation to labor to enter into God's rest, reference
is made to the living, powerful, and piercing character of the Word of
God, and the effects it produces in regeneration. In the light of the
solemn warning which follows in verse 13, the contents of verse 12
seem to be brought in for the purpose of enabling the Hebrews to test
the genuineness of their Christian profession: sufficient is there
said for them to discover whether or not they had been born again.
Then the chapter closes with one of the most precious passages to be
found in our Epistle, or indeed in the whole of the New Testament. It
makes known the gracious provisions which God has made for His poor
people while they are yet in the place of testing. It brings before us
the sufficiency and sympathy of our great High Priest, in view of
which Christians are bidden to "come boldly unto the throne of grace,"
that they "may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."
May the Spirit of God condescend to open up to us this portion of His
Word.
"Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall
after the same example of unbelief" (verse 11). As pointed out in the
preceding article, this verse completes the sentence begun at verse 6.
It is in view of the solemn fact that the great majority of those
Israelites to whom the Gospel of Rest was first preached did not
receive it in faith, and so perished in the wilderness, and hence
because that only true believers will enter into God's rest, the
Hebrews were now enjoined to spare no efforts in making sure that they
would not fail and miss it. This 11th verse is also the complement to
verse 1.
The verb for "let us labor" is derived from another verb meaning "to
make haste." It is designed to point a contrast from "any of you
should seem to come short of it" in verse 1. There the word is derived
from a root meaning "afterwards," and some able linguists declare that
the word for "come short of" means, literally, "be a day late." We
believe the Spirit's designed reference is to what is recorded in
Numbers 14. Israel had already crossed the wilderness, and had reached
Kadesh-barnea. From thence Moses had sent the twelve spies to view the
land of Canaan. They had returned with a conflicting report. Ten of
them magnified the difficulties which lay ahead, and discouraged the
people but Caleb said, "Let us go up at once, and possess it" (Num.
13:30). The congregation listened only to the ten, and "wept that
night" and "murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole
congregation said unto them, Would God we had died in the land of
Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! And wherefore hath
the Lord brought us into this land, to fall by the Sword, that our
wives and children should be a prey? were it not better for us to
return into Egypt? And they said one to another, Let us make us a
captain and let us return into Egypt" (Num. 14:1-3).
Then it was that the wrath of Jehovah was kindled against His
unbelieving people, saying, "How long shall I bear with this evil
congregation which murmur against Me? I have heard the murmurings of
the children of Israel, which they murmur against Me. Say unto them,
As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in Mine ears, so
will I do to you: Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness" (Num.
14:27-29). But instead of bowing to the Lord's solemn sentence, we are
told, "And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the
top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the
place which the Lord hath promised" (verse 40). Moses faithfully
expostulated with them, "Wherefore now do ye transgress the
commandment of the Lord? but it shall not prosper. Go not up, for the
Lord is not among you; that ye be not smitten." But they heeded him
not: "They presumed to go up unto the hill top... Then the Amalekites
came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote
them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah" (verses 44, 45). They
were a day late! They had delayed, they had failed to trust the Lord
and heed His voice through Caleb the previous day, and now they "came
short" of entering the promised rest of Canaan.
It was in view of Israel's procrastination at Kadesh-barnea that the
apostle admonished the Hebrews, "Let us therefore fear, lest a promise
being left of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come
short of it." As we pointed out the word "seem" regarded their walk:
let there be nothing in their ways which gave the appearance that they
were halting, wavering, departing from Christ. For Christians to seem
to come short, be a day late, in laying hold of the promise "left"
them of entering into God's rest, means to sink to the level of the
ways of the world, to settle down here, instead of going forward as
"strangers and pilgrims." It means to look back to and long for the
flesh-pots of Egypt. Ah, my reader, to which does your daily life
witness? to the fact that you have not yet entered your "rest," or
that you have found a substitute for it here? If so, heed that solemn
word, "Arise ye, and depart for this is not your rest: because it is
polluted, it shall destroy, even with a sore destruction" (Mic. 2:10).
Having then warned the Hebrews in verse 1 what to avoid, the apostle
now tells them in verse 11 what to essay. They were to "labor" to
enter into that rest. As stated above, the Greek word is derived from
another verb meaning "to make haste;" the one used here signifies to
"give diligence" and is so rendered in the Revised Version. In 2
Timothy 2:15 it is translated "study." "The word `labor' is equivalent
to `eagerly and perseveringly seek.' The manner in which the Hebrew
Christians were to `labor to enter unto that rest,' was by believing
the truth, and continuing `steadfast and unmoveable' in the faith of
the truth, and in the natural results of the faith of the truth" (Dr.
J. Brown). It is human responsibility which is here being addressed
again, and Hebrews 4:11 is closely parallel with the exhortations of 1
Corinthians 10:10-12 and 2 Peter 1:5-10.
Our real "rest" is yet to come, it is but "promised" (verse 1); in the
meantime we are to press forward to it. "This world is not a fit
place, nor this life a fit time, to enjoy such a rest as is reserved
in heaven. Rest here would glue our hearts too much to this world, and
make us say, `It is good to be here' (Matthew 17:4). It would slack
our longing desire after Christ in heaven. Death would be more
irksome, and heaven the less welcome. There would be no proof or trial
of our spiritual armor, and of the several graces of God bestowed on
us. God's providence, prudence, power, mercy, could not be made so
well discerned. This rest being to come, and reserved for us, it will
be our Wisdom, while here we live, to prepare for trouble, and to
address ourselves to labor: as the soldiers in the field and as the
laborers in the daytime. Yet withal to have our eye upon this rest to
come; that thereby we may be the more encouraged and incited to hold
out to the end" (Dr. Gouge).
"Lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." To enforce the
previous exhortation the apostle points out the danger and damage that
would follow a neglect thereof. The "rest" is a word of caution and
calls for circumspection as a preventative against apostasy. The "lest
any man" intimates that this care and circumspection is not to be
restricted to one's own self, but extended to our fellow-pilgrims. The
word "fall" signifies to fall utterly: it is used in Romans 11:22.
Professors may fall away; many have done so (see 1 John 2:19, etc.);
then let us be on our guard. The "example" of others having fallen
through unbelief should make us wary.
"We may well observe from this exhortation, 1. That great oppositions
will and do arise against men in the work of entering into God's rest
. . . But notwithstanding all these difficulties, the promise of God
being mixed with faith will carry us safely through them all. 2. That
as the utmost of our endeavor and labors are required to our obtaining
an entrance into the rest of Christ, so it doth very well deserve that
they should be laid out therein. Men are content to lay themselves out
to the utmost and to spend their strength for the `bread that
perisheth,' yea `for that which is not bread.' But the rest of the
Gospel deserves our utmost diligence and endeavor. To convince men
thereof is one of the chief ends of the preaching of the Gospel" (Dr.
John Owen).
As was the case with the contents of verses 9, 10, so we are assured
there is a double reference to the words of verse 11: a general and a
specific. The general, refers to the future and perfect rest of the
Christian in heaven; the specific, being to that which is the emblem
and type of it, namely, the weekly sabbath. This, we believe, is why
the Holy Spirit here says, "Let us give diligence therefore to enter
into that rest," rather than "into His rest," as in verse 1. "That
rest" designedly includes both the eternal rest of God, and the
sabbath rest, spoken of in verse 10. This we are to "give diligence"
to enter, not only because the sabbath-desecration of worldlings is
apt to discourage us, but also because there are professing Christians
who loudly insist that there is no such thing as a "Christian
sabbath." Beware lest we fail to heed this word of God, and "fall
through the same example of unbelief" as Israel in the wilderness, who
failed to listen to God.
"For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two
edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit,
and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart" (verse 12). The first word of this verse (which
has the force of "because") denotes that the apostle is here
furnishing further reason why professing Christians should give
diligence in pressing forward to the rest which is set before them.
That reason is drawn from the nature of and the effects produced by
the Word of God. This verse and the one which follows appear to be
brought in for the purpose of testing profession and enabling
exercised souls to discover whether or not they have been born again.
"Let us give diligence therefore to enter into that rest . . . For the
Word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and
of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart." It should be evident that the first thing
emphasized here is that Christianity consists not so much of external
conduct, as the place which the Word of God has within us. The Word of
God "piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit" is the
effect which it produces, under the application of the Lord, when a
sinner is regenerated. Man is a tripartite being, consisting of spirit
and soul and body. This, we believe, is the first and deepest meaning
of Genesis 1:26, "And God said, Let us make man in Our image, after
Our likeness." God Himself is a Trinity in Unity, and such He made man
to be.
The "spirit" is the highest part of man, being the seat of
God-consciousness. The "soul" is the ego, the individual himself, and
is the seat of self-consciousness; man has a "spirit," but he is "a
living soul." The "body" is his house or tabernacle, being the seat of
sense-consciousness. In the day that man first sinned, he died
spiritually. But in Scripture "death" never means extinction of being;
instead, it always signifies separation (see Luke 15:24). The nature
of man's spiritual "death" is intimated in Ephesians 4:18, "alienated
from the life of God." When Adam disobeyed his Maker, he became a
fallen creature, separated from God. The first effect of this was that
his "spirit" no longer functioned separately, it was no more in
communion with God. His spirit fell to the level of his soul.
The "soul" is the seat of the emotions (1 Sam. 18:1, Judges 10:16,
Gen. 42:21, etc.). It is that part of our nature which stirs into
exercise the "lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride
of life." The unregenerate man is termed "the soulical man" (1 Cor.
2:14), the Greek word there being the adjectival form of "psyche" or
"soul." That is to say, the unregenerate man is entirely dominated by
his soul, his lusts, his desires, his emotions. Spiritual
considerations have no weight with him whatsoever, for he is
"alienated from the life of God." True, he has a "spirit," and by
means of it he is capable of perceiving all around him the evidences
of the "eternal power and godhead" of the Creator (Rom. 1:20). It is
the "candle of the Lord" (Prov. 20:27) within him; yet has it, because
of the fall, no communion with God. Now at regeneration there is,
literally, a "dividing asunder of soul and spirit." The spirit is
restored to communion with God, made enrapport with Him, "reconciled."
The spirit is raised from its immersion in the soul, and once more
functions separately: "For God is my witness, whom I serve with my
spirit" (Rom. 1:9); "my spirit prayeth" (1 Cor. 14:14) etc.
The first consequence of this is intimated in the closing words of
verse 12, "And is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the
heart." The Word of God now exposes his innermost being. Having eyes
to see, he discovers, for the first time, what a vile, depraved and
hell-deserving creature he is. Though, in the mercy of God, he may
have been preserved from much outward wickedness in his unregenerate
days, and so passed among his fellows as an exemplary character, he
now perceives that there dwelleth "no good thing" in him, that every
thought and intent of his desperately wicked heart had, all his life,
been contrary to the requirements and claims of a holy God. The Word
has searched him out, and discovered him to himself. He sees himself a
lost, ruined, undone sinner. This is ever the first conscious effect
of the new birth, for one who is still "dead in trespasses and sins"
has no realization of his awful condition before God.
Ere passing on let us earnestly press upon the reader what has just
been before us, and ask, has the Word of God thus "pierced" you? Has
it penetrated, as no word from man ever has, into your innermost
being? Has it exposed the workings of your wicked heart? Has it
detected to you the sink of iniquity which dwells within? Make no
mistake about it, dear friend, the thrice holy God of Scripture
"requireth truth in the inward parts" (Ps. 51:6). If the Word of God
has searched you out, then you cried with Isaiah "Woe is reel for I am
undone" (Heb. 6:5); with Job, "I abhor myself" (Heb. 42:6); with the
publican, "God be merciful to me the sinner" (Luke 18:13). But if you
are a stranger to these experiences, no matter what your profession or
performances, no matter how highly you may think of yourself or
Christians think of you, God says you are still dead in sin.
Let it not be supposed that we have attempted to give above a complete
description of all that takes place at the new birth; not so, we have
confined ourselves to what is said in Hebrews 4:12. Nor let it be
thought that the language of this verse is to be restricted to what
occurs at regeneration, not so, that is only in initial reference. The
activities of the Word of God therein described are repeated whenever
a Christian gets out of communion with Him, for then he is dominated
to a large extent by his soul rather than his spirit. It should not
need pointing out, yet the terrible ignorance of Scripture prevailing
today makes it necessary, that when a child of God is walking in
communion with Him, His word does not come to him as a "sword"; rather
is it "a lamp" unto his feet. If the reader will compare Revelation
2:12 and Revelation 19:15 he will obtain confirmation of this.
The relation of this 12th verse to the whole context is very striking,
and its contents divinely appropriate. It brings out the dignity and
Deity of "The Apostle" of our profession. It shows the sufficiency of
His Word. It is striking to note that just seven things are here said
of it. First, it is the "Word of God." Second, it is living, or
"quick." Third, it is mighty, "powerful." Fourth, it is effectual,
"sharper than any two edged sword." Fifth, it is penetrating,
"piercing." Sixth, it is regenerative, "even to the dividing asunder
of soul and spirit." Seventh, it is revealing and exposing, bringing
to light the "thoughts and intents of the heart, etc." The reference
to the Word piercing to the dividing asunder of "the joints (external)
and marrow" (internal) tells of its discriminating power over every
part of our being. The more we submit ourselves unto its searching and
convicting influence the more shall we be blest.
"Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but
all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have
to do" (verse 13). The rendering of the A.V. here is faulty, the
opening "Neither" being quite misleading. The Revised Version gives
"And there is no creature that is not manifest in His sight" etc. Thus
the first word denotes that a reason is being given for the power and
efficacy of the Word, a reason which is drawn from the nature of Him
whose Word it is, namely, God; who being Himself the Searcher of the
heart and the Discerner of all things, is pleased to exercise that
power in and by the ministry and application of His Word. The two
verses taken together supply a further reason why Christ's voice
should be heeded, even because, as God, He is the omniscient One.
"Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, that is passed into the
heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession" (verse
14). The connection between this and what has gone before is most
blessed. The closing verses of our chapter contain precious words of
encouragement. They tell of the wondrous provisions of God's grace for
His people while they are still in the place of testing. They assure
us that none of those who are really the people of God shall, finally,
miss the perfect and eternal rest.
The Revised Version reads, "Having then a great High Priest";
Bagster's interlinear gives, "Having therefore a High Priest, great."
The general reference is back to what was said in 1:3, 2:17, 3:1: the
Divine sonship, the incarnation, the exaltation of Jesus, our High
Priest, is the supreme motive for holding fast our profession. The
particular reference is to the apostle's main point in this chapter:
if the question be asked, What hope have we poor sinners got of
entering into God's rest? The answer is, Because Christ, our High
Priest, has already entered heaven, and we also must do so in and by
Him. The immediate reference is to what had been said in verses 12,
13: we shall be assuredly found out if we fall from our profession,
therefore it becomes us to hold it fast.
As the priesthood of Christ will, D.V., come before us more fully in
the chapters that follow, we shall offer here only a few brief remarks
on the verse now before us. First, it is to be noted that the Holy
Spirit here designates Christ the "great High Priest"; no other,
neither Aaron nor Melchizedek, is so denominated. Its use emphasizes
the supreme dignity, excellency, and sufficiency of our High Priest.
Second, He has "passed in (Greek "through") the heavens." "This word
signifies to pass through notwithstanding any difficulties that may
seem to hand. Thus it is said that an angel and Peter `passed the
first and second wards' (Acts 12:10). Our Lord Christ having assumed
our nature, passed through the virgin's womb; and being born, in His
infancy, childhood, and manhood, passed through many difficulties,
temptations, afflictions, persecutions, yea, death itself and the
grave; after His resurrection He passed through the air and the
stellar heavens, entering the heaven of heavens. Thus we see that
nothing could hinder Him from that place where He intended to appear
as our Priest before His Father" (Dr. Gouge).
"For we have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the
feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we
are, yet without sin" (verse 15). Most blessed is this. The third
thing said in verse 14 of our exalted High Priest is that He is "the
Son of God." Well may poor sinners, conscious of their unworthiness
and vileness, ask, How may we, so weak and worthless, approach unto
and seek the mediation of such an One? To reassure our poor hearts,
the Holy Spirit at once reminds us that albeit Christ is such a great
and glorious Priest, yet, withal, He is full of sympathy and tender
compassion for His afflicted people. He is "merciful" (Heb. 2:17), as
well as omnipotent. He is Man, as well as God. He has Himself been
tempted in all things, like ourselves, sin excepted.
"But was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin," or
literally, "who has been tempted in all things according to our
likeness, apart from sin" i.e. in spirit, and soul, and body. "He was
tempted--tried, exercised--for no more doth the word impart. Whatever
is the moral evil in temptation is due to the depraved intention of
the tempter, or from the weakness and sin of the tempted. In itself,
it is but a trial, which may have a good or bad effect. He was tempted
like as we are, yet without sin. Sin may be considered as to its
principle, and as to its effect. Men are tempted to sin by sin, to
actual sin by habitual sin, to outward sin, by indwelling sin. And
this is the greatest source of sin in us who are sinners. The apostle
reminds us of the holiness and purity of Christ, that we may not
imagine that He was liable unto any such temptations unto sin from
within as we find ourselves liable unto, who are never free from guilt
and defilement. Whatever temptation He was exposed unto or exercised
withal, as He was with all and of all sorts that can come from
without, they had none of them in the last degree any effect unto Him.
He was absolutely in all things `without sin'; He neither was tempted
by sin, such was the holiness of His nature; nor did His temptation
produce sin, such was the perfection of His obedience" (Dr. John
Owen).
The Man Christ Jesus was the Holy One of God, and therefore He could
not sin. But were not Satan and Adam created without sin, and did not
they yield to temptation? Yes; but the one was only a created angel
the other merely man. But our Lord and Savior was not a created being;
instead, He was "God manifest in flesh." In His humanity He was "holy"
(Luke 1:35) and, as such, as high above unfallen Satan or Adam as the
heavens are above the earth. He was not only impeccable God, but
impeccable Man. The prince of this world came, but found nothing in
Him (John 14:30). Thus, He is presented before us not only as an
example to be followed, but as an Object upon which faith may rest
with unshaken confidence.
"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may
obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (verse 16). This
verse sets before us the second use we are to make of the priesthood
of Christ. The first is named in verse 14, to "hold fast our
profession"; here, to "come boldly unto the throne of grace." In
relation to the whole context this verse makes known the wondrous and
blessed provision God has made for His wilderness people. Herein, too,
we may behold again the immeasurable superiority of Christianity over
Judaism. The Israelites were confined to the outer court; none at all
save the high priest was permitted to draw near to God within the
vail. But all Christians, the youngest, weakest, most ignorant, have
been "made nigh" (Eph. 2:13); and in consequence, freedom of access to
the very throne of Deity is now their rightful and blessed portion.
"And having such a High Priest in heaven, can we lose courage? Can we
draw back in cowardice, impatience, and faintheartedness? Can we give
up our profession, our allegiance, our obedience to Christ? Or shall
we not be like Joshua and Caleb, who followed the Lord fully? Let us
hold fast our profession; let us persevere and fight the good fight of
faith. Our great High Priest in the highest glory is our righteousness
and strength. He loves, He watches, He prays, He holds us fast, and we
shall never perish. Jesus is our Moses, who in the height above prays
for us. Jesus our true Joshua, who gained the victory over our
enemies. Only be strong, and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither
be thou dismayed. In that mirror of the Word in which we behold our
sin and weakness, we behold also the image of that perfect One who has
passed through the conflict and temptation, who as the High Priest
bears us on His loving heart, and as the Shepherd of the flock holds
us in safety forever more. Boldly we come to the throne of grace. In
Jesus we draw near to the Father. The throne of majesty and
righteousness is unto us a throne of grace. The Lord is our God. There
is not merely grace on the throne, but the throne is altogether the
throne of grace. It is grace which disciplines us by the sharp and
piercing Word, it is grace which looks on us when we have denied Him,
and makes us weep bitterly. Jesus always intercedes: the throne is
always a throne of grace. The Lamb is in the midst of the throne.
Hence we come boldly.
"Boldly is not contrasted with reverently and tremblingly. It means
literally `saying all,' with that confidence which begets thorough
honesty, frankness, full and open speech. `Pour out your heart before
Him.' Come as you are, say what you feel, ask what you need. Confess
your sins, your fears, your wandering thoughts and affections. Jesus
the Lord went through all sorrows and trials the heart of man can go
through, and as He felt affliction and temptation most keenly, so in
all these difficulties and trials He had communion with the Father. He
knows therefore, how to succor them that are tempted, how fully and
unreservedly, then, may we speak to God in the presence and by the
mediation of the man Christ Jesus!
"The Lord Jesus is filled with tender compassion and the most
profound, lively, and comprehensive sympathy. This belongs to the
perfection of His high-priesthood. For this very purpose He was
tempted. He suffered. Our infirmities, it is true, are ultimately
connected with our sinfulness; the weakness of our flesh is never free
from a sinful concurrence of the will; and the Savior knows from His
experience on earth how ignorant, poor, weak, sinful, and corrupt His
disciples are. He loved them, watched over them with unwearied
patience; prayed for them that their faith fail not; and reminded them
the spirit was willing, but the flesh is weak. He remembers also His
own sinless weakness; He knows what constant thought, meditation, and
prayer are needed to overcome Satan, and to be faithful to God. He
knows what it is for the soul to be sorrowful and overwhelmed, and
what it is to be refreshed by the sunshine of Divine favor, and to
rejoice in the Spirit. We may come in to Him expecting full, tender,
deep sympathy and compassion. He is ever ready to strengthen and
comfort, to heal and restore, He is prepared to receive the poor,
wounded, sin-stained believer; to dry the tears of Peter weeping
bitterly; to say to Paul, oppressed with the thorn in the flesh, `My
grace is sufficient for thee.'
"We need only understand that we are sinners, and that He is High
Priest. The law was given that every mouth may be shut, for we are
guilty. The High Priest is given that every mouth may be opened . . .
We come in faith as sinners. Then shall we obtain mercy; and we always
need mercy, to wash our feet: to restore to us the joy of salvation,
to heal our backslidings, and bind up our wounds. We shall obtain help
in every time of need. For God may suffer Satan and the world, want
and suffering, to go against us; but He always causes all things to
work together for our good. He permits the time of need, that we may
call upon Him, and, being delivered by Him, may glorify His name"
(Saphir).
"We should come therefore with boldness to the throne of grace"
(Bagster). Then let us do so, in the full confidence of our acceptance
before God in the person of His Beloved (Eph. 1:6). The verb in
Hebrews 4:16 is not in the aorist tense, but the present--let us
"come" constantly, continually; let us form the habit of doing so.
This is the first of seven occurrences of this blessed word in our
epistle: the other references are Hebrews 7:25; 10:1, 22; 11:6; 12:18,
22. To "obtain mercy" is passive, and refers to past failures.
"Finding grace" is active, and signifies that we humbly, earnestly,
and believingly seek it. To "help in time of need:" this is daily,
yea, hourly. But whenever the need may be, spiritually or temporal,
grace all-sufficient is ever-available. May it be ours to constantly
seek it, for the unchanging promise is, "Seek, and ye shall find."
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 19
Christ Superior to Aaron
(Hebrews 5:1-4)
__________________________________________
We are now to enter upon the longest section of our Epistle (Heb.
5:1-10,39), and a section which is, from the doctrinal and practical
viewpoints, perhaps the most important of all. In it the Holy Spirit
treats of our Savior's priesthood. Concerning this most blessed and
vital subject the utmost confusion prevails in Christendom today. Yet
this is scarcely to be wondered at. For not only has the time now
arrived when the majority of those who profess the name of Christ
"will not endure sound doctrine," who after their own fleshly and
worldly lusts have heaped to themselves teachers that tickle their
itching ears with God-dishonoring novelties, but they have turned away
their ears from the truth, and are "turned unto fables" (2 Tim. 4:3,
4). Never was there a time when true God-fearing Christians more
needed to heed that Divine admonition, "Prove all things, hold fast
that which is good" (1 Thess. 5:21). Our only safeguard is to emulate
the Bereans and search the Scriptures daily to ascertain whether or
not the things we hear and read from men--be their reputation for
scholarship, piety, and orthodoxy never so great--are according to the
unerring Word of God.
Romanists, and with them an increasing number of Anglicans
(Episcopalians), virtually set aside the solitary grandeur of the
Priesthood of Christ and the sufficiency of His Atonement, by bringing
in human priests to act as mediators between God and sinful men.
Arminians are in fundamental error by representing the priestly office
and ministry of Christ as having a relation to and a bearing upon the
whole human race. Most of the leaders among the Plymouth Brethren have
wrested the Scriptures by denying the priestly character of Christ's
death by insisting that He only entered upon His priestly office after
His ascension, and by affirming that it bears no direct relation to
sin or sins, but is only a ministry of sympathy and succor for
weakness and infirmities. But as it will serve no profitable purpose
to deal with the errors of others, let us turn to the positive side of
our subject.
Three references to the High Priesthood of Christ have already been
before us in the preceding chapters of our Epistle. First, in Hebrews
2:17 we read, "Wherefore, in all things it behooved Him to be made
like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High
Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins
of the people." This, of itself, is quite sufficient to expose the
sophistries of those who teach that the priestly work of Christ has
nothing to do with "sins." Second, in Hebrews 3:1 we have been
exhorted to, "consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession,
Christ Jesus." Third, in Hebrews 4:14 we are told, "We have a great
High Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God."
Here again is a single statement which is alone sufficient to prove
that our Savior entered upon His priestly office before His ascension,
for it was as the "great High Priest" He "passed into the heavens."
Supplementing our previous comments on Hebrews 4:14 and introducing
what is to be before us, let us note that the Lord Jesus is designed a
"great High Priest." This word at once emphasizes His excellency and
pre-eminency. Never was there, never can there be another, possessed
of such dignity and glory. The "greatness" of our High Priest arises,
First, from the dignity of His person: He is not only Son of man, but
Son of God (Heb. 4:14). Second, from the purity of His nature: He is
"without sin" (Heb. 4:15), "holy," (Heb. 7:26). Third, from the
eminency of His order: that of Melchizedek (Heb. 5:6). Fourth, from
the solemnity of his ordination: "with an oath" (Heb. 7:20, 21)--none
other was. Fifth, from the excellency of His sacrifice: "Himself,
without spot" (Heb. 9:14). Sixth, from the perfection of His
administration (Heb. 7:11, 25)--He has satisfied divine justice,
procured Divine favor, given access to the Throne of Grace, secured
eternal redemption. Seventh, from the perpetuity of His office: it is
untransferable and eternal (Heb. 7:24). From these we may the better
perceive the blasphemous arrogancy of the Italian pope, who styles
himself "pontifex maximus"--the greatest high priest.
"No part of the Mosaic economy had taken a stronger hold of the
imaginations and affections of the Jews than the Aaronical
High-priesthood, and that system of ritual worship over which its
occupants presided. The gorgeous apparel, the solemn investure, the
mysterious sacredness of the high priest, the grandeur of the temple
in which he ministered, and the imposing splendor of the religious
rites which he performed,--all these operated like a charm in riveting
the attachment of the Jews to the now overdated economy, and in
exciting powerful prejudices against that simple, spiritual,
unostentatious system by which it had been superceded. In opposition
to those prejudices, the apostle shows that the Christian economy is
deficient in nothing excellent to be found in the Mosaic; on the
contrary, that it has a more dignified High Priest, a more magnificent
temple, a more sacred altar, a more efficacious sacrifice; and that,
to the spiritually enlightened mind, all the temporary splendors of
the Mosaic typical ceremonial, wax dim and disappear amid the
overwhelming glories of the permanent realities of the Christian
institution" (Dr. John Brown).
But once more we could fain pause and admire the consummate wisdom of
the Spirit of God as exhibited in the method pursued in presenting the
truth in this Epistle. Had it opened with the declaration of Christ's
superiority over Moses and Aaron, the prejudices of the Jews had been
at once aroused. Instead, the personal dignity of the mediatorial
Redeemer has been shown (from their own Scriptures) to be so great,
that the glory of the angels was so far below His, it follows as a
necessary consequence that, the honor attaching to the illustrious of
earth's mortals must be so too. Moreover, at the close of chapter 4,
the High Priesthood of Christ is presented in such a way that every
renewed heart must be won by and to it. There the apostle had
announced not only that our High Priest is Divine (verse 14), holy,
(verse 15), and had passed into the heavens, but also that He is One
filled with tender sympathy toward our infirmities, having Himself
been tempted in all points like as we are (sin excepted); and,
moreover, that through Him we have obtained free access to God's
throne of grace, so that there we may obtain mercy (the remitting of
what is due us) and find grace (the receiving that to which we are not
entitled) to help in time of need. How we should welcome such a
Priest! How thankful we should be for Him!
Having thus comforted the hearts of God's children by assuring them of
the tender compassion of Christ as the pledge of His effectual
intercession for them on high, the apostle now proceeds to set forth
more precisely the nature and glory of the priesthood of the Incarnate
Son. He pursues the same method as was followed in the previous
sections. As in Hebrews chapters 1 and 2, He has been compared and
contrasted with angels, and in Hebrews chapters 3 and 4, with Moses
and Joshua, so now in the present and succeeding chapters the order
and functions of the Aaronic priesthood are examined, that the way may
be paved for a setting forth of the more excellent order to which our
High Priest belongs. "In the course of the section he makes it evident
that whatever was essential to the office of a high priest was to be
found in Christ Jesus, that whatever imperfections belonged to the
Aaronical high priesthood were not to be found in Him, and that a
variety of excellencies were to be found in Him of which none of the
Aaronical priests were possessed," (Dr. J. Brown).
"For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in
things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices
for sins: Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that
are out of the way, for that he himself also is compassed with
infirmity. And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also
for himself, to offer for sins. And no man taketh this honor unto
himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron" (verses 1-4).
Here we have defined the intrinsic nature of the priestly office.
The verses just quoted above contain a general description of the
Levitical high priests. Five things are here said concerning them.
First, he must be "taken from among men," that is, he must partake of
the nature of those on whose behalf he acts. Second, he acted not as a
private individual, but as a public official: "is ordained for men."
Third, he came not empty-handed before God, but furnished with "gifts
and sacrifices for sins." Fourth, for he himself was not exempt from
infirmity, so that he might the more readily succor the distressed
(verses 2, 3). Fifth, he did not presumptuously rush into his office
of himself, but was chosen and approved of God (verse 4). Let us look
at each of these more closely.
"For every high priest taken from among men." First, then, his
humanity is insisted upon. An angel would be no fitting priest to act
on behalf of men, for he possesses not their nature, is not subject to
their temptations, and has no experimental acquaintance with their
sufferings; therefore is he unsuited to act on their behalf: therefore
is he incapable of having "compassion" upon them, for the
motive-spring of all real intercession is heart-felt sympathy. Thus,
the primary qualification of a priest is that he must be personally
related to, possess the same nature as, those for whose welfare he
interposes.
"For every high priest taken from among men." Bearing in mind to whom
this Epistle was first addressed, it is not difficult for us to
discern why our present section opens in this somewhat abrupt manner.
As was pointed out so frequently in our articles upon Hebrews 2, that
which so sorely perplexed the Jews was, that the One who had appeared
and tabernacled in their minds in human form should have claimed for
Himself divine honors (John 5:23, etc.). But if the Son of God had
never become man, He could never have officiated as priest, He could
never have offered that sacrifice for the sins of His people which
Divine justice required. The Divine Incarnation was an imperative
necessity if salvation was to be secured for God's elect. "It was
necessary for Christ to become a real man, for as we are very far from
God, we stand in a manner before Him in the person of our Priest,
which could not be were He not one of us. Hence, that the Son of God
has a nature in common with us does not diminish His dignity, but
commends it the more to us; for He is fitted to reconcile us to God,
because He is man" (John Calvin).
"Is ordained for men." This tells us the reason why and the purpose
for which the high priest was taken "from among men:" it was that he
might transact on behalf of others, or more accurately, in the stead
of others. To this position and work he was "ordained" or appointed by
God. Thereby, under the Mosaic economy, the Hebrews were taught that
men could not directly and personally approach unto God. They were
sinful, He was holy; therefore was there a breadth between, which they
were unable to bridge. It is both solemn and striking to observe how
at the very beginning, when sin first entered the world, God impressed
this awful truth upon our fallen parents. The "tree of life," whose
property was to bestow immortality (Gen. 3:22), was the then emblem
and symbol of God Himself. Therefore when Adam transgressed, we are
told, "So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the
garden of Eden cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way,
to keep the way of the tree of life" (Gen. 3:24). Thereby man was
taught the awful fact that he is "alienated from the life of God."
(Eph. 4:18).
The same terrible truth was pressed unto the Israelites. When Jehovah
Himself came down upon Sinai, the people were fenced off from Him:
"And thou shalt set bounds upon the people round about, saying, Take
heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the
border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to
death" (Ex. 19:12). There was the Lord upon the summit, there were the
people at the base: separated the One from the other. So too when the
Tabernacle was set up. Beyond the outward court they were not suffered
to go; into the holy place, the priests alone were permitted to enter.
And into the holy of holies, where God dwelt between the cherubim,
none but the high priest, and he only on the day of atonement,
penetrated. Thus were the Hebrews, from the beginning, shown the awful
truth of Isaiah 59:2--"Your iniquities have separated between you and
your God."
But in the person of their high priest, through his representing of
them before God, Israel might approach within the sacred enclosure.
Beautifully is that brought out in the 28th chapter of Exodus, that
book whose theme is redemption. There we read, "And thou shalt take
two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel
. . . and thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the
ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron
shall bear their names before the Lord . . . And thou shalt make the
breastplate of judgment and thou shalt set in it setting of stones . .
. and the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel . .
. And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the
breast-plate of judgment upon his heart when he goeth in unto the
holy, for a memorial before the Lord continually" (verses 9, 12, 15,
17, 21, 29). Concerning the high priest being "ordained for men" we
are told, "Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live
goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of
Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them
upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a
fit man into the wilderness" (Lev. 16:21).
"Is ordained for men." The application of these words to the person
and work of Christ is patent. He not only became Man, but had received
appointment from God to act on behalf of, in the stead of, men: "Lo I
come, to do Thy will, O God" (Heb. 10:9), announce both the commission
He had received from God and His own readiness to discharge it. What
that commission was we learn in the next verse: "By the which will we
are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once
for all." He came to do what men could not do--satisfy the claims of
Divine justice, procure the Divine favor. Note, in passing "ordained
for men," not mankind in general, but that people which God had given
Him--just as Aaron, the typical high priest, confessed not the sins of
the Canaanites or Amalekites over the head of the goat, but those of
Israel only.
"In things pertaining to God," that is, in meeting the requirements of
His holiness. The activities of the priests have God for their object:
it is His character, His claims, His glory which are in view. In their
application to Christ these words, "in things pertaining to God"
distinguishes our Lord's priesthood from His other offices. As a
prophet, He reveals to us the mind and will of God. As the King, He
subdues us to Himself, rules over and defends us. But the object of
His priesthood is not us, but God.
"That He may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins." To "offer" is
the chief function of the high priest. He offers to God for men. He
offers both gifts and sacrifices; that is, eucharistic or thanksgiving
offerings, and sacrificial or propitiatory sacrifices. "The first word
includes, as I think, various kinds of sacrifices, and is therefore a
general term; but the second denotes especially the sacrifices of
expiation. Still the meaning is, that the priest without a sacrifice
is no peace-maker between God and man, for without a sacrifice sins
are not atoned for, nor is the wrath of God pacified. Hence, whenever
reconciliation between God and man takes place this pledge must ever
necessarily precede. Thus we see that angels are by no means capable
of obtaining for us God's favor, because they have no sacrifice" (John
Calvin).
"That He may offer both gifts and sacrifice for sins." The application
of these words to the Lord Jesus, our great High Priest, calls
attention to a prominent and vital aspect of His death which is
largely lost sight of today. The sacrificial death of Christ was a
priestly act. On the Cross Christ not only suffered at the hands of
men, and endured the punitive wrath of God, but He actually
"accomplished" (Luke 9:31) something: He offered Himself as a
sacrifice to God. At Calvary the Lord Jesus was not only the Lamb of
God bearing judgment, but He was also His Priest officiating at the
altar. "For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and
sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this Man have somewhat
also to offer" (Heb. 8:3). As Hebrews 9:14 also tells us, He "offered
himself without spot to God."
Christ on the Cross was far more than a willing victim passively
enduring the stroke of Divine judgment. He was there performing a
work, nor did He cease until He cried in triumph, "It is finished." He
"loved the Church and gave Himself for it" (Eph. 5:25). He "laid down
His life" for the sheep (John 10:11, 18)--which is the predicate of an
active agent. He "poured out His soul unto death" (Isa. 53:12). He
"dismissed His spirit" (John 19:30). "Hell's utmost force and fury
gathered against Him: heaven's sword devouring Him, and heaven's God
forsaking Him: earth, and hell, and heaven, thus in conspiring action
against Him, unto the uttermost of heaven's extremest justice, and
earth's and hews extremest injustice:--what is the glory of the Cross
if it be not this: that with such action conspiring to subdue His
action, His action outlasted and outlived them all, and He did not die
subdued and overborne in the dying, He did not die till He gave
Himself in death" (H. Martin on "The Atonement").
"Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of
the way; for that he himself is compassed with infirmity" (verse 2).
Passing now from the design of the Levitical priesthood, we have a
word upon their qualifications, the first of which is compassion unto
those for whom he is to act. "The word here translated `have
compassion' is rendered in the margin `reasonably bear with.' A person
could not be expected to do the duties of a high priest aright if he
could not enter into the feelings of those whom he represented. If
their faults excited no sentiments in his mind but disapprobation--if
they moved him to no feeling but anger, he would not be fit to
interpose in their behalf with God--he would not be inclined to do for
them what was necessary for the expiation of their sins, and the
accomplishment of their services. But the Jewish high priest was one
who was capable of pitying and bearing with the ignorant and erring;
for `he himself also was compassed with infirmity.' `Infirmity,' here,
plainly is significant of sinful weakness, and probably also of the
disagreeable effects resulting from it. The Jewish high priest was
himself a sinner. He had personal experience of temptation, and the
tendency of man to yield to it--of sin, and of the consequences of
sin; so that he had the natural capacity, and ought to have had the
moral capacity, of pitying his fellow-sinners" (Dr. J. Brown).
And what, we may enquire, was the Spirit's design in here making
mention of this personal qualification in the Levitical high priest?
We believe His purpose was at least fourfold. First, implicitly, to
call attention to the failure of Israel's high priests. It is very
solemn to mark how that the last of them failed, most signally, at
this very point. When poor Hannah was "in bitterness of soul," and
while she was in prayer, weeping before the Lord, Eli, because her
lips moved not thought that she was drunken, and spoke roughly to her
(1 Sam. 1:9-14). Thus, instead of sympathizing with her sorrows,
instead of making intercession for her, he cruelly misjudged her.
True, it is "human to err;" equally evident is it that the ideal
priest would never be found among the sons of men. Second, was not the
Spirit of God here paving the way for a contrast of the superiority of
our great High Priest over the Aaronical? Third, does not this
statement of verse 2 show, once more, that the value and efficacy of
his work was inseparably connected with the personal qualifications of
the priest himself, namely, his moral perfections, his human sympathy?
Fourth, thus there was emphasized again the necessity for the Son of
God becoming man, only thus could He acquire the requisite human
compassion.
"This compassionate, loving, gentle, all-considerate and tender regard
for the sinner can exist in perfection only in a sinless one. This
appears at first sight paradoxical; for we expect the perfect man to
be the severest judge. And with regard to sin, this is doubtless true.
God charges even His angels with folly. He beholds sin where we do not
discover it. And Jesus, the Holy One of Israel, like the Father, has
eyes like a flame of fire, and discerns everything that is contrary to
God's mind and will. But with regard to the sinner, Jesus, by virtue
of His perfect holiness, is the most merciful, compassionate, and
considerate Judge. For we, not taking a deep and keen view of sin,
that central essential evil which exists in all men, and manifests
itself in various ways and degrees, are not able to form a just
estimate of men's comparative guilt and blameworthiness. Nay, our very
sins make us more impatient and severe with regard to the sins of
others. Our vanity finds the vanity of others intolerable, our pride
finds the pride of others excessive. Blind to the guilt of our own
peculiar sins, we are shocked with another's sins, different indeed
from ours, but not less offensive to God, or pernicious in its
tendencies. Again, the greater the knowledge of Divine love and
pardon, the stronger faith in the Divine mercy and renewing grace, the
more hopeful and the more lenient will be our view of sinners. And
finally the more we possess of the spirit and heart of the Shepherd,
the Physician, the Father, the deeper will be our compassion on the
ignorant and wayward.
"The Lord Jesus was therefore most compassionate, considerate,
lenient, hopeful in His feelings toward sinners, and in His dealings
with them. He was infinitely holy and perfectly clear in His hatred
and judgment of sin; but He was tender and gracious to the sinner.
Beholding the sinful heart in all, esteeming sin according to the
Divine standard, according to its real inward character, and not the
human, conventional, and outward measure; Jesus, infinitely holy and
sensitive as He was, saw often less to shock and pain Him in the
drunkard and profligate than in the respectable, selfish, and ungodly
religionists. He looked upon sin as the greatest and most fearful
evil, but on the sinner as poor, lost, and helpless. Thus, while
Jesus, in perfect holiness, judges most truly, lovingly, and tenderly
of us, He knows by experience the weakness of the flesh, and the
difficulty and soreness of the struggle. What a marvelous fulfillment
of the Priest's requisite, that he should be taken from men! one to
whom we can look with full and calm trust, our Representative, the Man
Christ Jesus, possessed of perfect, Divine love and compassion"
(Abbreviated from Adolph Saphir).
Those for whom the high priest was deputed to act are here described
as "the ignorant and them that are out of the way." These are not two
different classes of people, instead, those words give a twofold
description of sinners. It has been rightly said that "in the Bible
all sin is represented as the result of ignorance, but of blameable
ignorance." "The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at
what they stumble" (Prov. 4:19). "There is none that understandeth,
there is none that seeketh after God" (Rom. 3:11). Every sinner is a
fool. "Out of the way" means that men have turned aside from the path
which the Word of God has marked out for them to walk in: "All we like
sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way" (Isa.
53:6). "And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for
himself, to offer for sins" (verse 3). "There was none who could offer
sacrifice for the sins of the high priest; therefore, he must do it
for himself. He was to offer for himself in the same way and for the
reasons as he offered for the people, and this was necessary, for he
was encompassed with the same infirmities and was obnoxious as to sin,
and so stood in no less need of expiation or atonement than did the
people" (Dr. John Owen). For scriptures where the high priest was
bidden to present an offering for his own sin, let the reader consult
Leviticus 4:3, 9:7, 16:6, 24.
"And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for
himself, to offer for sins" (verse 3). Here again we may observe the
Spirit of God calling attention to the imperfections of the Levitical
priests that the way may be prepared for presenting the infinitely
superior perfections of Christ. But that is not all we have in this
verse. It is the personal qualifications of the one who exercises his
office which is now before us. Before Aaron could present an offering
on behalf of Israel, he must first bring a sacrifice for his own sins,
that he might be purified and stand accepted before Jehovah. In other
words, the one who was to come between a holy God and a sinful people
must himself have no guilt resting upon him, and must be an object of
Divine favor. Thus, personal fitness was an essential qualification of
the priest: in the case of the Levitical, a ceremonial fitness; with
Christ, a personal and inherent.
"And no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of
God, as was Aaron" (verse 4). "The foregoing verses declare the
personal functions of a high priest, but these alone are not
sufficient to invest any one with that office; for it is required that
he be lawfully called thereunto. Aaron was called of God immediately,
and in an extraordinary way. He was called by the command of God given
to Moses, and entrusted to him for execution; he was actually
separated and consecrated unto the office of high priest, and this was
accomplished by special sacrifices made by another for him; and all
these things were necessary unto Aaron, because God, in his person,
erected a new order of priesthood" (Dr. John Owen).
"And no man taketh this honor to himself." The expression "this honor"
refers to the high priestly office, for one to approach unto the Most
High, to have personal dealings with Him, to transact on behalf of
others before Him, obtaining His favor toward them, is a signal
privilege and great favor indeed. To mark this distinguishing honor,
Aaron was clothed in the most gorgeous and imposing vestments (Ex.
28). Looking beyond the type to the Antitype, we may discern how that
the Spirit is, once more, bringing before the Hebrews that which was
designed to remove the offense of the Cross. To carnal reason the
death of Christ was a humiliating spectacle; but the spiritually
enlightened see at Calvary One performing the functions of an office
with high "honor" attached to it.
"But he that is called of God, as was Aaron." This was the ultimate
and most important qualification: no man could legitimately act as
high priest unless he was Divinely called to that office. "The
principle on which the necessity of a Divine calling to the legitimate
exercise of the priesthood rests is an obvious one. It depends
entirely on the will of God whether He will accept the services and
pardon the sins of men; and suppose again that it is His will to do
so, it belongs to Him to appoint everything in reference to the manner
in which this is to be accomplished. God is under no obligation to
accept of every one, or of any one who, of his own accord, or by the
choice of his fellow-men, takes it upon him to offer sacrifices or
gifts for himself or for others; and no man in these circumstances can
have reason to expect that God will accept of his offerings, unless He
has given him a commission to offer them, and a promise He will be
appeased by them. This, then, from the very nature of the case, was
necessary to the legitimate discharge of the functions of a high
priest" (Dr. J. Brown). What the apostle is here leading up to was the
proof that God was the Author of Christ's Priesthood. As that will
come before us in the verses which follow, we pass it by now.
"But he that is called of God, as was Aaron." That which makes an
office lawful is the personal call of God. A most important principle
is this to recognize, but one which, in these days of abounding
lawlessness, is now flagrantly ignored. The will of man is to be
entirely subordinated to the will of God. Everything connected with
His work is to be regulated by the Divine appointments. Expediency,
convenience, popular customs, are ruled out of court. Nor is any one
justified in rushing into a holy office uncalled of God. To elect
myself, or to have no higher authority than the election of
fellow-sinners, is to usurp the authority of God.
All ministry is in the hand of Christ (Rev. 2:1). He appointed the
twelve apostles, and later the seventy disciples, to go forth. He bids
us "Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He send forth
laborers into His harvest" (Matthew 9:38). When He ascended on high He
"gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and
some, pastors and teachers" (Eph. 4:11). In the days of Paul it was
said, "How shall they preach, except they be sent?" (Rom. 10:15). But
in these days, how many there are who run without being "sent!" Men
have taken it upon themselves to be evangelists, pastors, teachers,
who have received no call from God to such a work. The absence of His
call, is evidenced by the absence of the qualifying gift. When God
calls, He always equips.
Returning to the call of Aaron, we may observe that a time came when
his official authority was challenged (Num. 16:2). The manner in which
God vindicated His servant is worthy of our most thoughtful attention.
The record of it is found in Numbers 17: Aaron's rod budded and
brought forth almonds. Supernatural fruit was the sign and pledge that
he had been called of God. Let this be laid well to heart. Judged by
this standard, how many today stand accredited as God's sent-servants?
When God calls a man, He does not send him forth on any fruitless
errand.
It is a solemn thing for one to obtrude himself into a sacred office.
The tragic case of Uzzah (2 Chron. 26:16-21) is a lasting warning.
Alas, how rarely is it heeded; and how grievously is God dishonored!
There are those who decry a "one-man ministry," and cut themselves off
from many an edifying message from God's true servants; but after
twenty years' experience on three continents, the writer much prefers
that which some so unchristianly condemn, to the lawlessness and
fleshly exhibitions of an "every-man ministry" which is their
alternative. Again: how many are urged to become Sunday School
teachers and open-air speakers who have received neither call nor
qualification from God to such work! Again: how many go forth as
missionaries, only a few years later, at most, to abandon the work:
what a proof that they were not "sent" or "called by God!" Let every
reader weigh well Hebrews 5:4. Unless God has called you, enter not
into any work for Him. Let restless souls seek grace to heed that
Divine command, "Be swift to hear, slow to speak" (James 1:19).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 20
Christ Superior to Aaron
(Hebrews 5:5-7)
__________________________________________
The central design of the Holy Spirit in this Epistle needs to be kept
steadily before the mind of the reader: that design was to prove the
superiority of Christianity over Judaism. The center and glory of
Judaism was the divinely appointed priesthood: what, then, had
Christianity to offer at this point? "The unbelieving Jews would be
apt to say to their Christian brethren, `your new religion is
deficient in the very first requisite of a religion--you have no high
priest. How are your sins to be pardoned, when you have none to offer
expiatory oblations for you? How are your wants to be supplied, when
you have none to make intercession for you to God?' The answer to this
cavil is to be found in the apostle's word `We have a High Priest'
Hebrews 4:14," (Dr. J. Brown).
That God has provided His people with a High Priest is the fulfillment
of His own promise. On the demonstrated failure of the Aaronical
priesthood in the days of Eli and his sons (1 Sam. 1:14, 2; 12-17,
22), the Lord declared, "And I will raise Me up a faithful Priest,
that shall do according to that which is in Mine heart and in My mind:
and I will build Him a sure house" (1 Sam. 2:35). The fulfillment of
this is found in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. But in
taking up the study of the priesthood of Christ it is of the greatest
possible importance to perceive that both the typical persons of Aaron
and Melchizedek were required to prefigure the varied actions, and
excellencies of the great High Priest who is the center and heart of
Christianity. It was failure to recognize this which has resulted in
so many inadequate and faulty treaties on the subject.
Both Aaron and Melchizedek were needed to set forth the various phases
of Christ's priestly ministry. But before the apostle could take up
the latter, he had first to show that Christ fulfilled all which was
adumbrated by the former: before he could dwell upon the points in
which Christ's excelled the Levitical priesthood, he must first
establish its parallels and similarities. This the apostle does in
Hebrews 5. In its first four verses we have a description of the
Levitical high priest: first with respect to his nature (verse 1),
second his employment (verse 1), third his qualification (verse 2),
fourth his duty (verse 3), fifth his call (verse 4). In the verses
which immediately follow, an application of this is made, more
directly, to Christ. In so doing the Holy Spirit had before Him a
double design:
He first shows the fulfillment of the type. God's purpose in
appointing Israel's high priests was to foreshadow the person and work
of the Lord Jesus. Thus, there must be some resemblance between the
one and the other. Second, that the Hebrews might know that the
ministry and service of the Levitical order had terminated. Their
purpose having been served, they were no longer needed; now that the
Substance had come, the shadows were superfluous. Nay, more, their
very retention would repudiate the design of their institution: they
were prefigurative, therefore to perpetuate them would deny that the
Reality had come. For the Levitical priesthood to go on functioning
would argue that it had a value and a use apart from Christ. Hence the
necessity of showing the relation of Aaron's priesthood to Christ's,
that it might the more plainly appear that a continuance of the former
was not only useless but pernicious.
That there was a close connection between the priesthood of Aaron and
that of Christ is evident from the opening verse of our present
passage. Having stated, "No man taketh this honor unto himself, but he
that is called of God, as Aaron," the apostle now adds, "So also
Christ" (verse 5), or, "In like manner Christ." Thus, unmistakably, a
parallel is here drawn. As it was with the Levitical high priests in
all things necessary to that office, so, in like manner, was it with
the Christ. In verses 5-10 the same five things (personal sin
excepted) predicated of Aaron and his successors were found in our
great High Priest. That there were, also, dissimilarities was
inevitable from the personal imperfections that appertained to Aaron
and his descendants: had there been anything in Christ which
corresponded to their blemishes and failures, He had been
disqualified.
"So also Christ glorified not Himself to be made an high priest"
(verse 5). In 2:17, 3:1, 4:14 it had been affirmed that Christ is High
Priest. A difficulty is now anticipated and met. Considering the
strictness of God's law, and the specified requirements for one
entering the priestly office, and more especially seeing that Jesus
did not belong to the tribe of Levi, how could He be said to be
"Priest?" In meeting this difficulty, the apostle emphasizes the fact
that the chief requirement and qualification was a Divine call: "No
man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God"
(verse 4): applying that rule the apostle now shows, from Scripture
itself, our Lord's right and title to this office. Ere weighing the
proof for this, let us note that He is here designated "the Christ":
the apostle's design was to demonstrate that the promised Messiah, the
Hope of the fathers, was to be High Priest forever over the house of
God. The "Anointed One" signified His unction unto this office.
"So also Christ glorified not Himself to be made an high priest." He
did not take this dignity unto Himself; He did not obtrude Himself
into office. As He declared, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing:
it is My Father that honoureth Me." (John 8:54). No, He had made
Himself of no reputation; He had taken upon Him the form of a servant
(Phil. 2:7), and He ever acted in perfect subjection to the Father.
Nor was there any need for Him to exalt Himself: He had entered into a
covenant or compact with the Father, and He might be safely trusted to
fulfill His part of the agreement. "He that shall humble Himself shall
be exalted" (Matthew 23:12) was no less true of the Head than of His
members.
"So also Christ glorified not Himself to be made an high priest." He
to whom the authority belonged, invested Christ with the honors of
priesthood, as He had Aaron. An ellipsis needs supplying to complete
the implied antithesis: "But He glorified Him," or He (God) made Him
to be High Priest." That Christ was glorified by being invested with
the high priesthood is here plainly inferred. It was a high honor
bestowed upon His mediatorial person, that is, upon His humanity
(united unto His deity). Scripture plainly teaches that His
mediatorial person was capable of being glorified, with degrees of
glory, by augmentation of glory: see John 17:1; 1 Peter 1:21. This
honor appears more plainly when we come to consider the nature of the
work assigned Him as Priest: this was no less than healing the breach
which sin had made between God and men, and this by "magnifying the
law and making it honorable." It appears too when we contemplate the
effects of His work: these were the vindicating and glorifying of the
thrice holy God, the bringing of many sons unto glory, and the being
Himself crowned with glory and honor. By that priestly work Christ has
won for Himself the love, gratitude, and worship of a people who shall
yet be perfectly conformed to His image, and shall praise Him world
without end.
How wonderful and blessed it is to know that the honor of Christ and
the procuring of our salvation are so intimately connected that it was
His glory to be made our Mediator! There are three chief offices which
Christ holds as Mediator: He is prophet, priest and potentate. But
there is an importance, a dignity and a blessedness (little as carnal
reason may be able to perceive it) attaching to His priestly office
which does not belong to the other two. Scripture furnishes three
proofs of this. First, we never read of "our great prophet," or "our
great King," but we do of "our great High Priest" (Heb. 4:14)! Second,
the Holy Spirit nowhere affirms that Christ's appointment to either
His prophetic or His kingly office "glorified" Him; but this is
insisted upon in connection with His call to the sacerdotal office
(Heb. 5:5)! Third, we read not of the dread solemnity of any divine
"oath" in connection with His inauguration to the prophetic or the
kingly office, but we do His priestly--"The Lord hath sworn, and will
not repent, thou art a priest forever." (Ps. 110:4)! Thus the
priesthood of Christ is invested with supreme importance.
"So also Christ glorified not Himself to be made an high priest; but
he that said unto Him, Thou art My Son, today have I begotten Thee."
(verse 5). The apostle here cites the testimony of the 2nd Psalm: but
how does this quotation confirm the priesthood of Christ or prove His
"call" to that office? That the quotation here is adduced as
proof-text is clear from the next verse--"As He saith also in another
Psalm," which is given as further confirmation of His call. In
weighing carefully the purpose for which Psalm 2:7 is here quoted,
observe, First, it is not the priesthood but His call thereunto which
the apostle has before him. Second, his object was simply to show that
it was from God Christ had all His mediatorial authority. Third, in
Psalm 2:7, God declares the incarnate Christ to be His Son. The
proclamation. "Thou art My Son," testified to the Father's acceptance
of Him in the discharge of all the work which had been committed to
Him. This solemn approbation by the Father intimated that our Redeemer
undertook nothing but what God had appointed. The Father's owning of
Christ in human nature as "My Son," acclaimed Him Mediator--Priest for
His people. In other words, Christ's "call" by God consisted of the
formal and public owning of Him as the incarnate Son. Psalm 2:7
describes the "call."
It is to be observed that Psalm 2:7 opens with the words, "I will
declare the decree," which signifies a public announcement of what had
been eternally predestinated and appointed in the everlasting
covenant. It was God making known that the Mediator had received a
Divine commission, and therefore was possessed of all requisite
authority for His office. The deeper meaning, in this connection, of
the proclamation, "Thou art My Son," tells us that Christ's
sufficiency as Priest lies in His Divine nature. It was the dignity of
His person which gave value to what He did. Because He was the Son,
God appointed Him High Priest: He would not give this glory to
another. Just as, because He is the Son, He has made Him "Heir of all
things." (Heb. 1:2.)
"Thou art My Son." The application of these words to the call which
Christ received to His priestly office, refers, historically, we doubt
not to what is recorded in Matthew 3:16, 17. There we behold a
shadowing forth on the lower and visible plane of that which was to
take place, a little later, in the higher and invisible sphere. There
we find the antitype of what occurred on the occasion of Aaron's
induction to the priestly office. In Leviticus 8 we find three things
recorded of the type: First, his call (verses 1, 2). Second, his
anointing (verse 12). Third, his consecration, (verse 22) These same
three things, only in inverse order again (for in all things He has
the pre-eminence) are found on the occasion of our Savior's baptism,
which was one of the great crises of His earthly career. For thirty
years He had lived in retirement at Nazareth. Now the time had arrived
for His public ministry. Accordingly, He consecrates, dedicates
Himself to God--presenting Himself for baptism at the hands of God's
servant. Second, it was at the Jordan He was anointed for His work:
"God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 10:38).
Third, it was there and then He was owned of God. "This is my beloved
Son in whom I am well pleased." That was the Father's attestation to
His acceptance of Christ for His priestly office and work.
Above, we have pointed out the first historical fulfillment of the
prophetic word recorded in Psalm 2:7. As all prophecy has at least a
double accomplishment, we find, accordingly, this same word of the
Father's approbation of the Son recorded a second time in the Gospel
narratives. In Matthew 17:5 we again hear the Father saying, "Thou art
my Son," or "This is My Beloved Son." Here it was upon the mount, when
Christ stood glorified before His disciples. It was then that God
provided a miniature tableau of Christ's glorious kingdom. As Peter
says, "We are eye-witnesses of His majesty" (2 Pet. 1:16). And no
doubt this is the profounder reference in Hebrews 5:5, for the 2nd
Psalm, there quoted, foretells the setting up of Christ as "King."
Yet, let it not be forgotten that the priesthood of Christ is the
basis of His kingship: "He shall be a priest upon His throne." (Zech.
6:13). It is as the "Lamb" He holds His title to the throne (Rev.
22:1)--cf. the "wherefore" of Philippians 2:9. He is a Priest with
royal authority, a King with Priestly tenderness.
"As He saith also in another, Thou art a priest forever after the
order of Melchizedek" (verse 6). A further proof of God's call of
Christ to the priestly office is now given, the quotation being from
the 110th Psalm, which was owned by the Jews as a Messianic one. There
the Father had by the Spirit of prophecy, said these words to His
incarnate Son. Thus a double testimony was here adduced. The subject
was of such importance that God deigned to give unto these Hebrews
confirmation added to confirmation. How graciously He bears with our
dullness: compare the "twice" of Psalm 62:11, the "again" of the Lord
Jesus in John 8:12,21 etc., the "many" proofs of Acts 1:3. "As He
saith" is another evidence that God was the Author of the Old
Testament. Here, the Father is heard speaking through David; in Psalm
22:1, the Son; in Hebrews 3:7, the Spirit. "As He saith," namely unto
the Son. The Father's here speaking to Him was His "call," just as in
Hebrews 7:21, it is His "oath." "Thou art a priest" was declarative of
His eternal decree, of the everlasting covenant between the Father and
the Son, wherein He was designated unto this office. Thus was Christ
"called of God as was Aaron."
"Who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and
supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to
save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared" (verse 7). In
seeking to expound this verse three things require attention. To
ascertain its scope, or theme, to discover its relation to the context
and its own contribution unto the apostle's argument, and to define
its solemn terms. Its theme is the priestly ministry of Christ: this
is evident from the expression "offered up." "As the theme of verses
4-6 is, `Jesus Christ has been divinely appointed to the priestly
office, so the theme of verses 7-9 is Jesus Christ has successfully
executed the priestly office.'" (Dr. J. Brown). Its relation to the
context is that the apostle was here showing the "compassed with
infirmity" (verse 2) is found in the Antitype: the "strong crying and
tears" being the proof. Its terms will be weighed in what follows. Ere
submitting our own interpretations, we first subjoin the helpful
analysis of Dr. Brown.
"The body of the sentence (verses 7-10) divides itself into two parts:
1. `He' Christ in the character of a Priest `learned obedience by the
things which He suffered.' 2. `He', in the same character, `has become
the Author of eternal salvation to all that obey Him.' The clauses,
`In the days of his flesh,' and `though He were a Son,' qualify the
general declaration, `He learned obedience by the things which He
suffered,' and the clauses, `when He had offered up,' `prayers and
supplications with strong crying and tears, unto Him that was able to
save Him from death,' and `when He had heard'--or having been
heard--`in that He feared,' contain in them illustrations both of the
nature and extent of those sufferings by which Christ learned
obedience; whilst the clause, `being made perfect,' qualifies the
second part of the sentence, connecting it with the first, and showing
how His `learning obedience by the things which He suffered,' led to
His being `the Author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.'"
In this 7th verse two other of the qualifications of Israel's high
priest are accommodated to Christ. First, his being "compassed with
infirmity" (verse 2) so as to fit him for having compassion on those
for whom he transacted. In like manner was the Son, when He entered
upon the discharge of His office, compassed with sinless infirmity.
This is here exemplified in a threefold way. First, the time when He
fulfilled the Aaronic type, namely, "in the days of His flesh," which
was before He was "crowned with glory and honor." Second, from His
condition, "in the days of His flesh," which signifies a state of
weakness and humiliation. Third, from the manner of His deportment:
"with strong crying and tears," for these proceed from the "infirmity"
of our nature--angels do not weep. Second, Israel's high priest was
appointed to "offer." (verses 1, 2). This is what Christ is here seen
doing: offering up to God--"to Him that was able to save Him." This
was a sacerdotal act, as is clear from the fact that the declaration
of verse 7 is immediately preceded (verse 6), and succeeded (verse 10)
by a reference to His priesthood. Let us now examine our verse clause
by clause.
"Who in the days of His flesh." "Flesh as applied to Christ, signifies
human nature not yet glorified, with all its infirmities, wherein He
was exposed unto--hunger, thirst, weariness, labor, sorrow, grief,
fear, pain, death itself. Hereby doth the apostle express what he had
before laid down in the person of the high priest according to the
law--he was `compassed' with infirmity." (Dr. John Owen.) The word
"flesh" is often used in Scripture of man as a poor, frail, mortal
creature: Psalm 78:39, 65:2. The "days of His flesh" is antithetical
to "made perfect." They cover the entire period of our Lord's
humiliation, from the manger to the grave--cf. 2 Corinthians 5:16.
During that time Christ was "a man of sorrows," filled with them,
never free from them; "and acquainted with grief," as a companion that
never departed from Him. No doubt there is special reference to the
close of those days when His sorrows and trials came to a head.
"The `days of His flesh' mean the whole time of His humiliation--that
period when He came among men as one of them, but still the Son of
God, whose majesty was hid. As applied to Christ `flesh' intimates
that He put on a true humanity, but a humanity under the weight of
imputed guilt, with the curse that followed in its train--a sinless,
yet a sin-bearing humanity. The Lord felt the weakness of the flesh in
His whole vicarious work, and though personally spotless, was in
virtue of taking our place, subjected to all that we were heir to. We
do not, indeed, find in Him the personal consequences of sin, such as
sickness and disease, but the consequences which could competently
fall to the sinless substitute; for He never was in Adam's covenant,
but was Himself the last Adam. As He took flesh for an official
purpose, He submitted to the consequences following in the train of
sin-bearing--hunger and thirst, toil and fatigue in the sweat of His
brow, persecution and injustice, arrest and sufferings, wounds and
death." (Professor Smeaton on the Atonement.)
"When He had offered up prayers and supplications." The Greek word for
"offer up" signifies "to bear toward." It occurs in this Epistle
sixteen times, and always as a priestly act. See Hebrews 8:3, 9:7, 14,
10:11, 14, 18, etc. Prayers and supplications are expressive of the
frailty of human nature, for we never read of angels praying.
"Prayers" are of two kinds: petitions for that which is good, requests
for deliverance from that which is evil: both are included here. The
Greek word for "supplications" occurs nowhere else in the New
Testament; in its classical usage it denotes an olive bough, lifted up
by those who were supplicating others for peace. What is here in view
is Christ "offering" Himself unto God (Heb. 9:14), His offering being
accompanied with priestly prayers and supplications. These are
mentioned to exemplify His "infirmity," and to impress upon us how
great a work it was to make expiation for sin. These prayers and
supplications are not to be restricted to the agony of Gethsemane, or
the hours of torture on the Cross; they must be regarded as being
offered by Him through the entire period of His humiliation. "The
pressure of human guilt habitually weighed down His mind and He was by
way of eminence a Man of prayer, as well as a Man of sorrows." (Dr.
Brown.)
"With strong crying and tears." These words not only intimate the
intensity of the sufferings endured by our Priest, but also the extent
to which He felt them. The God-man was no stoic, unmoved by the
fearful experiences through which He passed. No, He suffered acutely,
not only in body, but in His soul too. The curse of the law, under
which He had spontaneously placed Himself, smote His soul as well as
His body, for we had sinned in both, and He redeemed both. These
crying and tears were evoked not by what He received at the hands of
man, but what imputed guilt had brought down upon Him from the hand of
God. He was overwhelmed by the pressure of horror and anguish, caused
by the Divine anger against sin.
"With strong crying and tears." These were, in part, the fulfillment
of that prophecy in Psalm 22:1: "the words of My roaring." A part of
those "strong cryings" are recorded in the Gospels. To His disciples
He said, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death" (Matthew
26:38). To the Father He prayed, "If Thou be willing, remove this cup
from Me" (Luke 22:42). There we read of Him "being in an agony," that
"He prayed more earnestly," that "His sweat was as it were great drops
of blood falling down to the ground." Such was the "travail of His
soul" that He cried for deliverance. He voluntarily entered the place
into which sin had brought us: one of misery and wretchedness. No
heart can conceive the terribleness of that conflict through which our
Blessed Substitute passed. "Jesus cried with a loud voice, My God, My
God, Why hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46): here again we
witness the "strong crying" accompanying His sacrifice. And what is
the application of this to us? If His sacrifice was offered to God
with "strong crying and tears" let none of us imagine we are savingly
interested therein if our hearts are unmoved by the awfulness of sin,
and are in the coldness of impenitence and the sloth of unbelief. Let
him who would approach unto Christ ponder well how He approached unto
God on behalf of sinners.
"Unto Him that was able to save Him from death." The particular
character in which our suffering Surety here viewed God, calls for
close attention. These words reveal to us how Christ contemplated
Deity at that time: "unto Him that is able." Ability or power is
either natural or moral. Natural power is strength and active
efficacy; in God, omnipotence. Moral power is right and authority; in
God, absolute sovereignty. Christ looked toward both. In view of God's
omnipotence He sought deliverance; in view of His sovereignty, He
meekly submitted. The former was the object of His faith; the latter,
of His fear. These two attributes of God should ever be before us when
we approach unto His footstool. A sight of His omnipotence will
encourage our hearts and strengthen our faith: a realization of His
high sovereignty will humble us before Him and check our presumption.
"Unto Him that was able to save Him from death." This also makes known
the cause of His "strong crying and tears:" it was His sight of death.
What "death?" Not merely the separation of the soul from the body, but
the "wages of sin," that curse of the law which God, as a just judge,
inflicts on the guilty. As the Surety of the covenant, as the One who
had voluntarily taken upon Himself the debts of all His people, the
wrath of a holy God must be visited upon Him. To this Christ referred
when He said, "I am afflicted and ready to die from youth up; I suffer
Thy terrors, I am distracted" (Ps. 88:15). Fiercer grew the conflict
as the end was neared, and stronger were His cries for deliverance:
"The sorrows of death compassed Me, and the pains of hell gat hold
upon Me: I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name of
the Lord; O Lord, I beseech Thee, deliver My soul" (Ps. 116:34).
But what was the "deliverance" which He sought? Exemption from
suffering this death? No, for He had received commandment to endure it
(John 10:18, Philippians 2:8). What then? Note carefully that Christ
prayed not to be delivered from dying, but from "death." We believe
the answer is twofold. First, He sought to be sustained under it. When
death as the penal visitation of God's anger upon Him for our sins was
presented to His view, He had deep and dreadful apprehension of the
utter inability of frail human nature bearing up under it, and
prevailing against it. He was conscious of His need of Divine succor
and support, to enable Him to endure the incalculable load which was
upon Him. Therefore it was His duty, as perfect yet dependent Man, to
pray that He might not be overwhelmed and overborne. His confidence
was in "Him that is able." He declared, "For the Lord God will help
Me, therefore shall I not be confounded" (Isa. 50:17).
"And was heard in that He feared." The best commentators differ in
their understanding of these words. Two interpretations have been
given, which, we believe, need to be combined to bring out the full
meaning of this clause. Calvin gave as its meaning that the object of
Christ's "fear" was the awful judgment of God upon our sins, the
smiting of Him with the sword of justice, His desertion by God
Himself. Arguing against the "fear" here having reference to Christ's
own piety, because of which God answered Him, this profound exegete
points out the absence of the possessive "His fear;" that the Greek
preposition "apo" (rather than "huper") signifies "from," not "on
account of;" and that the word "fear" means, for the most part,
anxiety--"consternation" is its force as used in the Sept. His words
are, "I doubt not that Christ was `heard' from that which He feared,
so that He was not overwhelmed by His evils or swallowed up by death.
For in this contest the Son of God had to engage, not because He was
tried by unbelief (the source of all our fears), but because He
sustained as a man in the flesh the judgment of God, the terror of
which could not have been overcome without an arduous effort"--and, we
may add, without a Divine strengthening.
The sufferings of Christ wrung His soul, producing sorrow, perplexity,
horror, dread. This is shown by His exercises and agony in Gethsemane.
While He suffered God's "terrors," He was "distracted" (Ps. 88:15). "I
am poured out like water," He exclaimed, "and all My bones are out of
joint: My heart is like wax, it is melted in the midst of My bowels.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and My tongue cleaveth to My
jaws" (Ps. 22:14, 15). And again, He cried, "Save Me, O God; for the
waters are come in unto My soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is
no standing . . . Let not the water-flood overflow Me, neither let the
deep swallow Me up" (Ps. 69:1, 2, 15). Fear, pain, torture of body and
soul, were now His portion. He was then enduring that which shall yet
cause the damned to weep and wail and gnash their teeth. He was
deserted by God. The comforting influences of His relation to God were
withdrawn. His relation to God as His God and Father were the fount of
all His comfort and joy. The sense of this was now suspended.
Therefore was He filled with heaviness and sorrow inexpressible, and,
"and with strong crying and tears" He prayed for deliverance.
"And was heard." This means, first of all, God's approval or
acceptance of the petitioner himself. Christ's prayer here was
answered in the same way as was Paul's request for the removal of the
thorn in his flesh--not by exemption, but by Divine succor which gave
enablement to bear the trial. In Gethsemane "There appeared an angel
unto Him from heaven, strengthening Him" (Luke 22:43). So too on the
Cross. "His mind and heart were fortified and sustained against the
dread and terror which His humanity felt, so as to come to a perfect
composure in the will of God. He was heard insofar as He desired to be
heard; for although He could not but desire deliverance from the
whole, as He was man, yet He desired it not absolutely as the God-man,
as He was wholly subject to the will of the Father" (Dr. John Owen).
"And was heard in that He feared." Other commentators have rightly
pointed out that the Greek word for "fear" here signifies godly
reverence or piety: cf. Hebrews 12:28, where it is found in its noun
form. Having from godly fear offered up prayers and supplications, He
was heard. His personal perfections made His petition acceptable. This
was His own assurance, at the triumphant completion of His sufferings:
"Thou hast heard Me from the horns of the unicorns" (Ps. 22:21). This
brings us to the second and ultimate meaning of the Savior's petition
to be delivered "from death," and the corresponding second response of
the Father. "To `save from death' means, to deliver from death after
having died. God manifested Himself as `Him who was able to save Him
from death,' when, as `The God of peace'--the pacified Divinity--`He
brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus that great Shepherd of the
sheep, by the blood of the everlasting covenant'. Hebrews 13:20" (Dr.
J. Brown).
Thus, to summarize the contents of this most solemn and wonderful
verse, we here learn: First, that our blessed Substitute, in the
discharge of His priestly work, encountered that awful wrath of God
which is the wages of sin--"death." Second, that He encountered it in
the frailty of human nature, compassed with infirmity--"in the days of
His flesh." Third, that He felt, to an extent we are incapable of
realizing, the visitation of God's judgment upon sin--evidenced by His
"strong crying and tears." Fourth, that He cried for deliverance: for
strength to endure and for an exodus from the grave. Fifth, that God
answered by bestowing the needed succor and by raising Him from the
dead.
Many are the lessons which might be drawn from all that has been
before us. Into what infinite depths of humiliation did the Son of God
descend! How unspeakably dreadful was His anguish! What a hideous
thing sin must be if such a sacrifice was required for its atonement!
How real and terrible a thing is the wrath of God! What love moved Him
to suffer so on our behalf! What must be the portion of those who
despise and reject such a Savior! What an example has He left us of
turning to God in the hour of need! What fervor is called for if our
prayers are to be answered! Above all, what gratitude, love, devotion
and praise are due Him from those for whom the Son of God died!
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 21
Christ Superior to Aaron
(Hebrews 5:8-10)
__________________________________________
The first ten verses of Hebrews 5 present to us a subject of such vast
and vital importance that we dare not hurry over our exposition of
them. They bring to' our view the person of the Lord Jesus and His
official work as the great High Priest of God's people. They set forth
His intrinsic sufficiency for the discharge of the honorous but
arduous functions of that office. They show us His right and title for
the executing thereof. They reveal His full qualifications thereunto.
They make known the nature and costliness of His sacrificial work.
They declare the triumphant issue thereof. Yet plain as is their
testimony, the subject of which they treat is so dimly apprehended by
most Christians today, that we deem it necessary to devote a lengthy
introduction to the setting forth of the principal features belonging
to the Priesthood of Christ.
Let us begin by asking the question, Why did God ordain the office of
priesthood? Wherein lay the necessity for it? The first and most
obvious answer is, Because of sin. Sin created a breech between a holy
God and His sinful creatures. Were God to advance toward them in His
essential character it could only be in judgment, involving their sure
destruction; for He "will by no means clear the guilty" (Ex. 34:7).
Nor was the sinner capable of making the slightest advance toward God,
for he was "alienated from the life of God" (Eph. 4:18), and thus,
"dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1); and as such, not only
powerless to perform a spiritual act, but completely devoid of all
spiritual aspirations. Looked at in himself, the case of fallen man
was utterly hopeless.
But God has designs of grace unto men, not unto all men, but unto a
remnant of them chosen out of a fallen race. Had God shown grace to
all of Adam's descendants, the glory of His grace had been clouded,
for it would have looked as though the provisions of grace were
something which were due men from God, because of His having failed to
preserve them from falling into sin. But grace is unmerited favor,
something to which no creature is entitled, something which he cannot
in any wise claim from God. Therefore it must be exercised in a
sovereign manner by the Author of it (Ex. 33:19), that grace may
appear to be grace (Rom. 11:6).
But in determining to show grace unto that people whom He had chosen
in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4, 2 Tim. 1:9),
God must act in harmony with His own perfections. The sin of His
people could not be ignored. Justice clamored for its punishment. If
they were to be delivered from its penal consequences, it could only
be by an adequate satisfaction being made for them. Without blood
shedding there is no remission of sins. An atonement was a fundamental
necessity. Grace could not be shown at the expense of justice; no,
grace must "reign through righteousness" (Rom. 5:21). Grace could only
be exercised on the ground of accomplished redemption (Rom. 3:24).
And who was capable of rendering a perfect satisfaction unto the law
of God? Who was qualified to meet all the demands of Divine holiness,
if a sinful people were to be redeemed consistently with its claims?
Who was competent both to assume the responsibilities of that people,
and discharge them to the full satisfaction of the Most High? Who was
able both to honor the rights of the Almighty, and yet enter
sympathetically into the weakness and needs of those who were to be
saved? Clearly, the only solution to this problem and the only answer
to these questions lay in a Mediator, one who had both ability and
title to act on God's behalf and on theirs. For this reason was the
Son of God appointed to be made in the likeness of sin's flesh, that
as the God-man He might be a "merciful and faithful High Priest" (Heb.
2:17); for mediatorship is the chief thing in priesthood.
Now this is what is brought before us in the opening verse of Hebrews
5. There we are shown three parties: on the one side God, on the other
side men, and the high priest as the connecting link between: "For
every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things
pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for
sins" (verse 1). No correct conception of priesthood can exist where
this double relation and this double service are not perceived. In
Christ alone is this perfectly made good. He is the one connecting
link between Heaven and earth, the only Mediator between God and "men"
(1 Tim. 2:5). From Deity above, He is the Mediator downward to men
beneath; and from men below, He is the Head upward to God. Priesthood
is the alone channel of living relationship with a holy God. Solemn
and awful proof of this is found in the fact that Satan, and then
Adam, fell because there was no Mediator who stood between them and
God, to maintain them in their standing before Him.
Above we have said, that Christ is the one connecting link between
Heaven and earth, that He alone bridges the chasm between God and His
people, considered as fallen and mined sinners. Our last sentence
really sums up the whole of Hebrews chapters 1 and 2. There we have a
lengthy argument setting forth the relation between the two natures in
Christ, the Divine and the human, and the needs-be of both to fit Him
for the priestly office. He must be the Son of God in human nature. He
must "in all things be made like unto His brethren" in order that He
might be "a merciful and faithful High Priest;" in order that He might
"make propitiation for the sins of the people;" and in order that He
might be "able to succor them that are tempted." Hebrews 2:17, 18
brings us to the climax of the apostle's argument in those two
chapters.
The priestly work of Christ was to "make propitiation for the sins of
the people." It was to render a complete satisfaction to God on behalf
of all their liabilities. It was to "magnify the law and make it
honorable." (Isa. 42:21). In order to do this it was necessary for the
law to be kept, to be perfectly obeyed in thought, word and deed.
Accordingly, the Son of God was "made under the law" (Gal. 4:4), and
"fulfilled" its requirements (Matthew 5:17). And this perfect
obedience of Christ, performed substitutionally and officially, is now
imputed to His people: as it is written, "By the obedience of One
shall many be (legally) made righteous" (Rom. 5:19). But "magnifying
the law" also involved His enduring its penalty on the behalf of His
peoples' violation of its precepts, and this He suffered, and so
"redeemed us from the curse of the law" by "being made a curse for us"
(Gal. 3:13).
To sum up now the ground we have covered. 1. The occasion of Christ's
priesthood was sin: it was this which alienated the creature from the
Creator. 2. The source of Christ's priesthood was grace: rebels were
not entitled to it; such a wondrous provision proceeded solely from
the Divine favor. 3. The Junction of Christ's priesthood is mediation,
to come between, to officiate for men God-wards. 4. The qualification
for perfect priesthood is a God-man: none but God could meet the
requirements of God; none but Man could meet the needs of men. 5. The
work of priesthood is to make propitiation for sin. To these we may
add: 6. The design of priesthood is that the claims of God may be
honored, the person of Christ glorified, and His people redeemed. 7.
The outcome of His priesthood is the maintaining of His people in the
favor of God. Other subsidiary points will come before us, D.V., in
the later chapters.
Verses 8, 9 of Hebrews 5 complete the passage which was before us in
the preceding article. That we may the better perceive their scope and
meaning, let us recapitulate the teaching of the earlier verses. In
this first division of Hebrews 5 the apostle's design was to show how
that Christ fulfilled the Aaronic type. First, He had been Divinely
called or appointed to the priestly office (verses 4-6). Second, to
fit Him for compassion on behalf of those for whom He officiated, He
was "compassed with (sinless) infirmity" (verses 3, 7). Third, He had
"offered" to God, as Priest, "as for the people so also for himself"
(verse 3), "strong crying and tears" (verse 7). That which is now to
be before us, brings out still other perfections of Christ which
qualified Him to fill the sacerdotal office, and also makes known the
happy issues therefrom.
"Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He
suffered" (verse 8). In view of His unspeakable humiliation, portrayed
in the previous verse, the Divine dignity of our High Priest is here
mentioned both to guard and enhance His glory. "The things discoursed
in the foregoing verse seem to have an inconsistency with the account
given us concerning the person of Jesus Christ at the entrance of this
Epistle. For He is therein declared to be the Son of God, and that in
such a glorious manner as to be deservedly exalted above all the
angels in heaven. Here He is represented as in a low, distressed
condition, humbly, as it were, begging for His life, and pleading with
`strong crying and tears' before Him who was able to deliver Him.
These things might seem unto the Hebrews to have some kind of
repugnancy unto one another. And, indeed, they are a `stone of
stumbling, and a rock of offense,' unto many at this day; they are not
able to reconcile them in their carnal minds and reasonings . . .
"The aim of the apostle in this place is, not to repel the objections
of unbelievers, but to instruct the faith of those who do believe in
the truth of these things. For He doth not only manifest that they
were all possible, upon the account of His participation of flesh and
blood, who was in Himself the eternal Son of God; but also that the
whole of the humiliation and distress therein ascribed unto Him was
necessary, with respect unto the office which He had undertaken to
discharge, and the work which was committed unto Him. And this he doth
in the next ensuing and following verses" (Dr. John Owen).
"Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He
suffered" (verse 8). First, what relation does this statement bear to
the passage of which it is a part? Second, what is the particular
"obedience" here referred to? Third, in what sense did the Son "learn
obedience"? Fourth, how did the things "which He suffered" teach Him
obedience? Fifth, what are the practical lessons here pointed for us?
These are some of the questions raised by our verse which call for
answer.
"Though He were a Son" looks back more immediately to verse 5, where a
part of Psalm 2:7 is quoted. "That quotation has also reminded us of
the Divine dignity and excellence of Christ as the ground of His
everlasting priesthood. Jesus had a Divine commission; He was
appointed by the Father because He was the Son; and thus He was
possessed of all requisite qualifications for His office. Nevertheless
the Son had to `learn obedience.' He must not only possess authority
and dignity, but be able to sympathize with the condition of sinners.
By entering the circle of human experience He was made a merciful and
faithful High Priest, and through suffering fitted for compassionately
guiding our highest interests, as well as conducting our cause. The
bond of brotherhood, the identity of suffering and sorrow, fitted Him
to be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He was made like
unto His brethren (Heb. 2:17); He suffered, that He might be in a
position to succor them that are tempted (Heb. 2:18); He was made in
all respects like us, with the single exception of personal sinfulness
(Heb. 4:15); and He learned obedience by what He suffered. The design
of all this was, that He might be a compassionate and sympathizing
High Priest" (Professor Smeaton).
Here then is the answer to our first question. In the 8th verse the
Holy Spirit is still showing how that which was found in the type
(verse 3), is also to be seen in the Antitype. What could more
emphatically exemplify the fact that our High Priest was "compassed
with infirmity" than to inform us that He not only felt acutely the
experiences through which He passed, but also that He "learned
obedience" by those very experiences? Nor need we hesitate to go as
far as the Spirit of truth has gone; rather must we seek grace to
believe all that He has said. None were more jealous of the Son's
glory than He, and none knew so well how His glory had been displayed
by His voluntary descent into such unfathomable depths of shame. While
holding firmly to Christ's absolute deity, we must not (through a
false conception of His dignity) shrink from following Him in thought
and affection into that abyss of humiliation unto which, for our
sakes, He came. When Scripture says, "He learned obedience" we must
not whittle down these words to mean anything less than they affirm.
"Yet learned He obedience" brings out, very forcibly, the reality of
the humanity which the Son assumed. He became true Man. If we bow to
the inspired statement that "Jesus increased in wisdom and stature,
and in favor with God and man" (Luke 2:52), why balk--as many have--at
He "learned obedience?" True, blessedly true, these words do not
signify that there was in Him a will which resisted the law of God,
and which needed severe discipline to bring it into subjection. As
Calvin well says, "Not that He was driven to this by force, or that He
had need of being thus exercised, as the case is with oxen or horses
when their ferocity is to be tamed; for He was abundantly willing to
render to His Father the obedience which He owed." No, He declared, "I
delight to do Thy will, O God" (Ps. 40:8). And again, "My meat is to
do the will of Him that sent Me" (John 4:34).
But what is "obedience?" It is subjection to the will of another: it
is an owning of the authority of another; it is performing the
pleasure of another. This was an entirely new experience for the Son.
Before His incarnation, He had Himself occupied the place of
authority, of supreme authority. His seat had been the throne of the
universe. From it He had issued commands and had enforced obedience.
But now He had taken the place of a servant. He had assumed a creature
nature. He had become man. And in this new place and role He conducted
Himself with befitting submission to Another. He had been "made under
the law," and its precepts must be honored by Him. But more: the place
He had taken was an official one. He had come here as the Surety of
His people. He had come to discharge their liabilities. He had come to
work out a perfect righteousness for them; and therefore, as their
Representative, He must obey God's law. As the One who was here to
maintain the claims of God, He must "magnify the law and make it
honorable," by yielding to it a voluntary, perfect, joyous compliance.
Again; the "obedience" of Christ formed an essential part of His
priestly oblation. This was typified of old--though very few have
perceived it--in the animals prescribed for sacrifice: they were to be
"without spot, without blemish." That denoted their excellency; only
the "choice of the flock" (Ezek. 24:5) were presented to God. The
antitype of this pointed to far more than the sinlessness of
Christ--that were merely negative. It had in view His positive
perfections, His active obedience, His personal excellency. When
Christ "offered Himself without spot to God" (Heb. 9:14), He presented
a Sacrifice which had already fulfilled every preceptive requirement
of the law. And it was as Priest that He thus offered Himself to God,
thereby fulfilling the Aaronic type. But in all things He has the
pre-eminence, for at the cross He was both Offerer and Offering. Thus
there is the most intimate connection between the contents of verse 8
and its context, especially with verse 7.
"Yet learned He obedience." The incarnate Son actually entered into
the experience of what it was to obey. He denied Himself, He renounced
His own will, He "pleased not Himself" (Rom. 15:3). There was no
insubordination in Him, nothing disinclined to God's law; instead, His
obedience was voluntary and hearty. But by being "made under the law"
as Man, He "learned" what Divine righteousness required of Him; by
receiving commandment to lay down His life (John 10:18), He "learned"
the extent of that obedience which holiness demanded. Again; as the
God-man, Christ "learned" obedience experimentally. As we learn the
sweetness or bitterness of food by actually tasting it, so He learned
what submission is by yielding to the Father's will. "But, moreover,
there was still somewhat peculiar in that obedience which the Son of
God is said to learn from His own sufferings, namely, what it is for a
sinless person to suffer for sinners, `the Just for the unjust.' The
obedience herein was peculiar unto Him, nor do we know, nor can we
have an experience of the ways and paths of it" (Dr. John Owen).
"By the things which He suffered" announces the means by which He
learned obedience. Everything that Christ suffered, from first to
last, during the days of His flesh, is here included. His entire
course was one of suffering, and He had the experience of obedience in
it all. Every scene through which He passed provided occasion for the
exercise of those graces wherein obedience consists. Meekness and
lowliness (Matthew 11:29), self-denial (Rom. 15:3), patience (Rev.
1:9), faith (Heb. 2:13), were habitually resident in His holy nature,
but they were only capable of exercise by reason of His suffering. As
His suffering increased, so His obedience grew in extent and
intensity, by the very pressure brought to bear upon it; the hotter
the conflict grew, the more His inward submission was manifested
outwardly (compare Isaiah 50:6, 7). There was not only sufferings
passively endured, but obedience in suffering, and that the most
amazing and unparalleled.
To sum up now the important teachings of this wonderful verse: He who
personally was high above all obedience, stooped so low as to enter
the place of obedience. In that place He learned, by His sufferings,
the actual experience of obedience--He obeyed. Hereby we learn what
was required to the right discharge of Surety-ship: there must needs
be both an active and a passive obedience vicariously rendered. The
opening word "though" intimates that the high dignity of His person
did not exempt Him from the humiliation which our salvation involved.
The word "yet" is a note of exclamation, to deepen our sense of
wonderment at His infinite condescension on our behalf, for in His
place of servitude He never ceased to be the Lord of glory. "He was no
less God when He died, than when He was `declared to be the Son of God
with power, by the resurrection from the dead,' Romans 1:4' (Dr. John
Owen).
And what are the practical lessons here pointed for us? First, our
Redeemer has left us an example that we should follow His steps. He
has shown us how to wear our creature nature: complete and
unquestioning subjection to God is that which is required of us.
Second, Christ has hereby taught us the extent to which God ought to
be submitted unto: He was "obedient unto death." Third, obedience to
God cost something: "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus
shall suffer persecution" (2 Tim. 3:12). Fourth, sufferings undergone
according to the will of God are highly instructive. Christ Himself
learned by the things which He suffered; much more may we do so, who
have so much more to learn (Heb. 12:10, 11). Fifth, God's love for us
does not exempt from suffering. Though the Son of His love, Christ was
not spared great sorrows and trials: sufficient for the disciple to be
as his Master.
"And being made perfect, He became the Author of eternal salvation
unto all them that obey Him" (verse 9). "The apostle having declared
the sufferings of Christ as our High Priest, in His offering of
Himself, with the necessity thereof, proceeds now to declare both what
was effected thereby, and what was the especial design of God therein.
And this in general was that, the Lord Christ, considering our lost
condition, might be every way fitted to be a `perfect cause of eternal
salvation unto all that obey Him,' There are, therefore, two things in
the words, both which God aimed at and accomplished in the sufferings
of Christ. 1. On His own part, that He might be `made perfect;' not
absolutely, but with respect unto the administration of His office in
the behalf of sinners. 2. With respect unto believers, that He might
be unto them the `Author of eternal salvation'" (Dr. John Owen). This
is a good epitome of the teaching of the 9th verse, but a number of
things in it call for fuller elucidation.
"And being made perfect." The word, "perfect" is one which is found
frequently in this Epistle. It signifies "to consummate" or
"complete." It also means "to dedicate" or "fully consecrate." Our
present passage contains its second occurrence, the first being in
Hebrews 2:10, to which we must refer the reader. There the verb is
used actively with respect to the Father: it became Him to "make
perfect" the Captain of our salvation. Here it is used passively,
telling of the effect of that act of God on the person of Christ; by
His suffering He was "perfected." It has reference to the setting
apart of Christ as Priest. "The legal high priests were consecrated by
the sufferings and deaths of the beasts which were offered in
sacrifice at their consecration (Ex. 29). But it belonged unto the
perfection of the priesthood of Christ to be consecrated in and by His
own sufferings" (Dr. John Owen). It is most important to note that the
reference here is to what took place in "the days of His flesh," not
at His resurrection or ascension--verses 7-9 form one complete
statement. The Greek is even more emphatic than the A.V.: "And having
been perfected became to those that obey Him all, the Author of
salvation eternal." It was not in heaven that He was "perfected," but
before He "became the Author of salvation"--cf. Hebrews 10:14, which
affirms our oneness with Him in His approved obedience and
accomplished sacrifice.
"And being made perfect" does not contemplate any change wrought in
His person, but speaks of His being fully qualified to officiate as
Priest, to present Himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for the sins
of His people. His official "perfecting" was accomplished in and by
means of His sufferings. By His offering up of Himself He was
consecrated to the priestly office, and by the active presentation of
His sacrifice to God He discharged the essential function thereof.
Thus, the inspired declaration we are now considering furnishes
another flat contradiction (cf. Hebrews 2:17) of those who affirm that
Christ was not constituted and consecrated High Priest till His
resurrection. True, there were other acts and duties pertaining to His
sacerdotal office yet to be performed, but these depend for their
efficacy on His previous sufferings; those He was now made meet for.
The "being made perfect" or "consecrated" to the priestly office at
the Cross, finds a parallel in our Lord's own words, "For their sakes
I sanctify (dedicate) Myself" (John 17:19). "Here is the ultimate end
why it was necessary for Christ to suffer: that He might thus become
initiated into His priesthood" (John Calvin).
"He became the Author of eternal salvation." "Having thus been made
perfect through such intense, obediental, pious suffering--having thus
obtained all the merit, all the power and authority, all the sympathy,
which are necessary to the discharge of the high priestly functions of
Savior, `He is become the Author of eternal salvation.' This is the
second statement which the apostle makes in illustration of the
principle, that our Lord has proved Himself qualified for the office
to which He has been divinely appointed by a successful discharge of
its functions, the subsidiary clause, `being made perfect,' connects
this second statement with the first; showing how our Lord's `learning
obedience by the things which He suffered in the days of His
flesh'--His humbled state led to His being now, in His exalted state,
`the Author of salvation to all who obey Him'.... `Being made perfect'
is just equivalent to `having thus obtained' every necessary
qualification for actually saving them" (Dr. J. Brown).
The "Author of salvation" conveys a slightly different thought than
the "Captain of salvation" in Hebrews 2:10. There it is Christ
actually conducting many sons, by the powerful administration of His
Word and Spirit, unto glory. Here it is the work of Christ as the
meritorious and efficient Cause of their salvation. It was the perfect
satisfaction which He rendered to God, the propitiatory sacrifice of
Himself, which has secured the eternal deliverance of His people from
the penal consequences of their sins. By His expiation He became the
purchaser and procurer of our redemption. His intercession and His
gift of the Spirit are the effects and fruits of His perfect oblation.
"He has done everything that is necessary to make the salvation of His
people consistent with, and illustrative of, the perfections of the
Divine character and the principles of the Divine government; and He
actually does save His people from guilt, depravity and misery--He
actually makes them really holy and happy hereafter" (Dr. J. Brown).
The salvation which Christ has procured and now secures unto all His
people, is here said to be an "eternal" one. First of all, none other
was suited unto us. By virtue of the nature which we have received
from God, we are made for eternal duration. But by sin we made
ourselves obnoxious to eternal damnation, being by nature "the
children of wrath, even as others" (Eph. 2:3). Therefore an eternal
salvation was our deep and dire need. Second, the merits of our Savior
being infinite, required from the hand of Justice a corresponding
salvation, one infinite in value and in duration: cf. Hebrews 9:12.
Third, the salvation procured by our great High Priest is here
contrasted with that obtained by the Levitical high priest: the
atonement which Aaron made, held good for one year only (Lev. 16); but
that which Christ has accomplished, is of eternal validity.
"To all them that obey Him" describes those who are the beneficiaries
of our High Priest's atonement. "The expression is emphatical. To all
and every one of them that obey Him; not any one of them shall be
exempted from a share and interest in this salvation; nor shall any
one of any other sort be admitted thereunto" (Dr. John Owen). It is
not all men universally, but those only who bow to His scepter. The
recipients of His great salvation are here spoken of according to the
terms of human accountability. All who hear the Gospel are commanded
to believe (1 John 3:23); such is their responsibility. The
"obedience" of this verse is an evangelical, not a legal one: it is
the "obedience of faith" (Rom. 16:26). So also in Acts 5:32 we read of
the Holy Spirit "whom God hath given to them that obey Him." But this
"obedience" is not to be restricted to the initial act, but takes in
the whole life of faith. A Christian, in contradistinction from a
non-Christian, is one who obeys Christ (John 14:23). The "all them
that obey Him" of Hebrews 5:9 is in opposition to "yet learned He
obedience" in the previous verse: it identifies the members with their
Head!
Before taking up the next verse, let us seek to point out how that the
passage which has been before us, not only shows Christ provided the
substance of what was foreshadowed by the Levitical priests, but also
how that He excelled them at every point, thus demonstrating the
immeasurable superiority of Christ over Aaron. First, Aaron was but a
man (verse 1); Christ, the "Son." Second, Aaron offered "sacrifices"
(verse 1); Christ offered one perfect sacrifice, once for all. Third,
Aaron was "compassed with infirmity" (verse 2); Christ was the
"mighty" One (Ps. 89:19). Fourth, Aaron needed to offer for his own
sins (verse 3); Christ was sinless. Fifth, Aaron offered a sacrifice
external to himself; Christ offered Himself. Sixth, Aaron effected
only a temporary salvation. Christ secured an eternal one. Seventh,
Aaron's atonement was for Israel only; Christ's for "all them that
obey Him."
"Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchizedek" (verse
10). This verse forms the transition between the first division of
Hebrews 5, and its second which extends to the end of chapter 7--the
second being interrupted by a lengthy parenthesis. In the first
section treating of our Lord's priesthood, the apostle has amplified
his statement in Hebrews 2:17, 18, and has furnished proof that Christ
fulfilled the Aaronic type. In the second section wherein he treats of
our Lord's sacerdotal office, he amplifies his declaration in Hebrews
4:15, and shows that in Christ we have not only an High Priest, but "a
great High Priest." The different aspects of his theme treated of in
these two divisions of Hebrews 5 is intimated by the variation to be
noted in verses 6,10. In the former he says, "Thou art a priest
forever after the order of Melchizedek," but in verse 10 he adds,
"Called of God an High Priest after the order of Melchizedek."
The Greek word for "called" in verse 10 is entirely different from the
one used in verse 4, "called of God." The former signifies to ordain
or appoint; the latter to salute or greet. To the right understanding
of the purport of verse 10, it is essential to observe carefully the
exact point at which this statement is introduced: it is not till
after the declarations that Christ had "offered up" (verse 7), had
"learned obedience" (verse 7), had been "made perfect," and had become
"the Author of salvation" (verse 9), we are told that God saluted
Christ as "High Priest after the order of Melchizedek." What is found
in verse 6 does not in any wise weaken the force of this, still less
does it clash with it. In verses 5, 6 the Spirit is not treating of
the order of Christ's priesthood, but is furnishing proof that He had
been called to that office by God Himself.
We do not propose to offer an exposition of the contents of this 10th
verse on the present occasion, but content ourselves with directing
attention to the important fact that it was consequent upon His being
officially "made perfect" and becoming "the Author of eternal
salvation," that Christ was saluted by God as "High Priest after the
order of Melchizedek." This act of God's followed the Savior's death
and resurrection. It was God's greeting of the glorious Conqueror of
sin and death. Hence the propriety of His new title. If the reader
refers to Genesis 14 he will find that the historical Melchizedek
first comes on the scene to greet Abraham after his notable conquest
of Chedorlaomer and his allies. It was upon his "return from the
slaughter" of the kings, that Melchizedek appeared and blessed him.
Thus he owned Abraham's triumph. In like manner, God has greeted the
mighty Victor. May the Spirit of God fit our hearts and minds for a
profounder insight of His living oracles.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 22
Christ Superior to Aaron
(Hebrews 5:11-14)
__________________________________________
At the close of our last article we pointed out that the 10th verse of
Hebrews 5 forms the juncture of the two divisions of that chapter. In
the first section, verses 1-9, the apostle has shown how Christ
fulfilled that which was typified of Him by the Levitical high
priests, and also how that He excels Aaron in His person, His office,
and His work. The second section, which begins at verse 10 and
extends, really, to the end of chapter 10, continues to display the
superiority of Christ over Aaron, principally by showing that the Lord
Jesus exercises a priesthood pertaining to a more excellent order than
his. In substantiation of this the apostle, in verse 10, makes
reference to Psalm 110:4. His purpose in so doing was twofold: first,
to allow that Christ was not a high priest according to the
constitution, law, and order of the Aaronic priesthood; second, to
remind the Hebrews there was a priesthood antecedent unto and diverse
from that of Aaron; which had also been appointed of God, and that for
the very purpose of prefiguring the person of our great High Priest.
But at this point a difficulty has been presented to many students. We
might state it thus: Seeing that this Epistle expressly declares,
again and again, that Christ is priest "after the order of
Melchizedek," how can it be true that Aaron, who belonged to a totally
different order, could pre-figure His priestly office and work? This
difficulty has largely resulted from failure to observe that the Holy
Spirit has not said Christ is "an high priest of the order of
Melchizedek," but, "alter the order of," etc. The difference between
the two expressions is real and radical. The word "of" would have
necessarily limited His priesthood to a certain order. For when we
say, as we must, that Phineas and Eli were "high priests of the order
of Aaron," we mean that they had the very same priesthood that Aaron
had. But it is not so with Christ. His priesthood is not restricted to
any human order, for no mere man could possibly sustain or perform the
work which pertains to Christ's priesthood.
As we have pointed out on previous occasions, it is of the very
greatest importance, in order to a clear understanding of the
priesthood of God's Son, to perceive that both Aaron and Melchizedek
were needed to foreshadow His sacerdotal office. The reason for this
was, that the priestly work of Christ would be performed in two
distinct stages: one in the days of His humiliation, the other during
the time of His exaltation. Aaron prefigured the former, Melchizedek
the latter. In perfect keeping with this fact Christ is not said to be
a high priest "after the order of Melchizedek" in Hebrews 2:17; 3:1,
or 4:15. It was not until after the apostle has shown in Hebrews 5:5-9
that Christ fulfilled that which Aaron typified (Heb. 5:1-4), that He
is "saluted of God" as an high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
And, we would here point out again that, this was wondrously and
blessedly adumbrated in Genesis 14, where Melchizedek is seen coming
to meet and greet the victorious Abraham.
There were various things, peculiar to the person of Melchizedek,
above and beyond what appertained to Aaron, which rendered him an
illustrious type of our great High Priest; and when Christ is
designated Priest "after the order of Melchizedek," the meaning of
that expression is, according to the things revealed in Scripture
concerning that Old Testament character. "Because of the especial
resemblance there was between what Melchizedek was and what Christ was
to be, God called His priesthood Melchizedekecian" (Dr. Owen). "After
the order of Melchizedek" does not mean a limitation of His priesthood
to that order--else it had said "of the order of Melchizedek"--but
points to the particulars in which his priesthood also prefigured that
of Christ's. The various details of which that resemblance consisted
are developed in Hebrews 7; all that we would now call attention to
is, that nowhere in Scripture is Melchizedek ever seen offering a
sacrifice, instead, we read, he "brought forth bread and wine" (Gen.
14:18)--typically, the memorials of the great Sacrifice already
offered, once for all.
It was in death that Christ fulfilled the Aaronic type, making a full
and perfect atonement for the sins of His people. It is in
resurrection that He assumed the character in which Melchizedek
foreshadowed Him--a royal Priest. It was after He had been officially
"perfected" and had become "the Author of eternal salvation unto all
them that obey Him" that the Lord Jesus announced, "All power is given
unto Me in heaven and in earth" (Matthew 28:18). There was first the
Cross and then the Crown: first He "offered up Himself" (Heb. 7:27),
then He entered "into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of
God for us" (Heb. 9:24); and there He is seated "a Priest upon His
throne" (Zech. 6:13).
"Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchizedek" (verse
10). A most important point had now been reached in the apostle's
argument, the central design of which was to exhibit the immeasurable
superiority of Christianity over Judaism. The very center of the
Jewish economy was its temple and priesthood; so too, the outstanding
glory of Christianity, is its Priest who ministers in the heavenly
sanctuary, officiating there in fulfillment of the Melchizedek type.
But though the apostle had now arrived at the most important point in
this treatise, it was also one which required the most delicate
handling, due to the fleshly prejudices of his readers. To declare
that, following His exodus from the grave, God Himself had greeted
Christ as priest "after the order of Melchizedek," was tantamount to
saying that the Aaronic order was thus Divinely set aside, and with
it, all the ordinances and ceremonies of the Mosaic law. This was the
hardest thing of all for a Hebrew, even a converted one, to bow to;
for it meant repudiating everything that was seen, and cleaving to
that which was altogether invisible. It meant forsaking that which
their fathers had honored for fifteen hundred years, and following
that which the great majority of their brethren according to the flesh
denounced as Satanic. In view of the difficulty created by this
prejudice, the apostle interrupts the flow of his argument, and pauses
to make a lengthy parenthesis.
"The apostle has scarcely entered on the central and most important
part of his epistle, when he feels painfully the difficulty of
explaining the doctrine of the heavenly and eternal priesthood of the
Son, and this not merely on account of the grandeur and depth of the
subject, but on account of the spiritual condition of the Hebrews,
whom he is addressing. He had presented to their view the Lord Jesus,
who after His sufferings was made perfect in His exaltation to be the
High Priest in heaven. When he quotes again the 110th Psalm, `Thou art
a priest, forever after the order of Melchizedek,' the solemn and
comprehensive words which are addressed by the Father to the Son, he
has such a vivid and profound sense of the exceeding riches of this
heavenly knowledge, of the treasures of wisdom and consolation which
are hidden in the heavenly Priesthood of our ascended Lord, that he
longs to unfold to the Hebrews his knowledge of the glorious mystery;
especially as this was the truth which they most urgently needed. Here
and here alone could they see their true position as worshippers in
the true tabernacle, the heavenly sanctuary. Here and here alone was
consolation for them in the trial which they felt on account of their
excision from the temple and the earthly service in Jerusalem; while
from the knowledge of Christ's heavenly priesthood they would also
derive light to avoid the insidious errors, and strength to overcome
the difficulties which were besetting their path" (Adolph Saphir).
In the course of his parenthesis which we are now about to begin, the
apostle strikes two distinct notes: first he sounds a solemn warning,
and then he gives forth a gracious encouragement. The warning is found
in Hebrews 5:11-6:8, the encouragement is contained in 6:9-20. Just so
long as Christians have the flesh in them and are subject to the
assaults of the Devil, do they need constant warning; and just so long
as they are harassed by indwelling sin and are left in an hostile
world, do they stand in need of heavenly encouragement. All effective
ministry to the saints proceeds along these two lines, alternating
from the one to the other. Preachers will do well to make a careful
note of this fact, fully exemplified in all the Epistles of the
apostles; and every Christian reader will do well to take to heart the
solemn and searching passage we are now to take up.
"Of whom we have many things to say" (verse 11). "Of whom:" concerning
Christ as the fulfiller of the Melchizedek type, the apostle had much
in mind, much that he desired to bring before his brethren. There were
many things pertaining to this order of priesthood which were of deep
importance, of great value, and most necessary to know; things which
concerned the glory of Christ, things which concerned the joy and
consolation of His people. But these things were "hard to be uttered,"
or as the Revised Version has, "hard of interpretation.' This does not
mean that the apostle himself found it difficult to grasp them; nor
does it mean they were of such a nature that he labored to find
language for expressing himself clearly. No, it was because the things
themselves were unpalatable to the Hebrews, that the spirit of the
apostle was straitened. This is seen from the next clause.
"And hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing" (verse 11).
"To be `dull of hearing' is descriptive of that state of mind in which
statements may be made without producing any corresponding impression,
without being attended to, without being understood, without being
felt. In a word, it is descriptive of mental listlessness. To a person
in this state, it is very difficult to explain anything; for, nothing,
however simple in itself, can be understood if it be not attended to"
(Dr. J. Brown). The Revised Version is again preferable here; "ye are
become dull of hearing." They were not always so. Time was when these
Hebrews had listened to the Word with eagerness, and had made diligent
application thereof. "When the Gospel was first preached to them, it
aroused their attention, it exercised their thoughts; but now with
many of them it had become a common thing. They flattered themselves
that they knew all about it. It had become to them like a sound to
which the ear had been long accustomed--the person is not conscious of
it, pays no attention to it" (Dr. J. Brown).
The Greek word for "dull" is translated "slothful" in Hebrews 6:12. It
signifies a state of heaviness or inertia. These Hebrews had become
mentally and spiritually what loafers are in the natural world--too
indolent to bestir themselves, too lazy to make any effort at
improvement. They were spiritual sluggards; slothful. Let the reader
turn to Proverbs 12:27, 19:24, 21:25, 24:30-34, 26:13-16, and remember
these passages all have a spiritual application. To become, "dull of
hearing" or "slothful," is the reverse of "giving diligence" in 2
Peter 1:5, 10. In such a condition of soul, the apostle found it
difficult to lead the Hebrews on to the apprehension of higher truth.
He had many things to say unto them, but their coldness, lethargy,
prejudice, restrained him. And this is recorded for our learning; it
has a voice for us; may the Spirit grant us a hearing ear.
"Ye are become dull of hearing." Of how many Christians is this true
today! "Ye did run well; who did hinder you?" (Gal. 5:7). This is a
cause of mourning unto all the true servants of God. Because iniquity
abounds, the love of many waxes cold. Affections are set upon things
below, rather than upon things above. Many who are deluded into
thinking their eternal salvation is secure, evidence no concern over
their present relationship to God. And Christians who mingle with
these lifeless professors are injuriously affected, for "evil
communications corrupt good manners" (1 Cor. 15:33). There is little
"reaching forth unto those things which are before" (Phil. 3:13) and,
consequently, little growth in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord.
By the very law of our constitution, if we do not move forward, we
slip backward.
There are few who seem to realize that truth has to be "bought" (Prov.
23:23), purchased at the cost of subordinating temporal interests to
spiritual ones. If the Christian is to "increase in the knowledge of
God" (Col. 1:10), he has to give himself whole-heartedly to the things
of God. It is impossible to serve God and mammon. If the heart of the
professing Christian be set, as the heart of the nominal professor is,
upon earthly comforts, worldly prosperity, temporal riches, then the
"true riches" will be missed--sold for "a mess of pottage" (Heb.
12:16). But if, by Divine grace, through the possession of a new
nature, there is a longing and a hungering for spiritual things, that
longing can only be attained and that hunger satisfied by giving
ourselves entirely to their ceaseless quest. "The loins of our minds"
(1 Pet. 1:13) have to be girded, the Word has to be "studied" (2 Tim.
2:15), the means of grace have to be used with "all diligence" (2 Pet.
1:5). It is the diligent soul which "shall be made fat" (Prov. 13:4).
How many who sit under the ministry of a true servant of God are "dull
of hearing!" There is little waiting upon God, little real exercise of
heart, before the service, to prepare them for receiving His message.
Instead, the average hearer comes up to the house of God with a mind
full of worldly concerns. We have to "lay aside all filthiness and
superfluity of naughtiness" if we are to "receive with meekness the
engrafted Word" (James 1:21). We have to listen unto God's Word with a
right motive; not out of idle curiosity, not merely to fulfill a duty,
still less for the purpose of criticizing; but that we "may grow
thereby" (1 Pet. 2:2)--grow in practical godliness. And, if what we
have heard is not to be forgotten, if it is really to profit the soul,
it must be meditated upon (Ps. 1:2), and accompanied with earnest
prayer for grace to enable us to "heed" what has been heard.
"For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one
teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God;
and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat"
(verse 12). The opening "for" intimates that the apostle is here
substantiating the charge which he had preferred against the believing
Hebrews at the close of the preceding verse. His reproof was with the
object of emphasizing the sad state into which their inertia had
brought them. Their condition was to be deplored from three
considerations. First, they had been converted long enough to be of
help to others. Second, instead of being useful, they were useless,
needing to be grounded afresh in the ABC's of the Truth of God. Third,
so far from having the capacity to masticate strong food, their
condition called for that which was suited only to a stunted babyhood.
"For when for the time ye ought to be teachers." This, it seems to us,
is only another way of saying, Consider how long you have been
Christians, how long you have known the Truth, and what improvement of
it ought to have been made! It was a rebuke for their having failed to
"redeem the time" (Eph. 5:16). Most probably among these Hebrews were
some who had been called during the days of Christ's public ministry,
others no doubt were among the three thousand saved on the day of
Pentecost, since which, about thirty years had passed. During that
time they had the Old Testament Scriptures which clearly testified to
all they had been taught concerning Christ. The Gospel had been
preached and "confirmed" unto them (Heb. 2:1-3). Moreover, as the book
of Acts shows, the apostles had labored hard and long among them, and
much of the New Testament was now in their hands. Hence, in Hebrews
6:7 they are likened to the earth which drinketh in the rain that
"cometh oft upon it." Thus, every privilege and opportunity had been
theirs.
"Ye ought to be teachers." This tells us the improvement which should
have been made of, and the use to which they ought to have put, the
teaching they had received. The Gospel is given by God to the
Christian, not only for his own individual edification and joy, but as
a "pound" to be traded with for Christ's glory (Luke 19:13), as a
"light" for the illumination of others (Matthew 5:15, 16). "You ought
to be teachers" shows that this was a duty required of them. How
little is this perceived by Christians today! How few listen to the
ministry of the Scriptures with an ear not only for their own soul's
profit, but also with the object of being equipped to help others.
Instead, how many attend the preaching of the Word simply as a matter
of custom, or to satisfy their conscience. Two aims should be
prayerfully sought by every Christian auditor: his own edification,
his usefulness to others.
"Ye ought to be teachers." Let not the searching point of this be
blunted by saying, God does not want all His people to be public
preachers. The New Testament does not limit "teaching" to the pulpit.
One of the most important spheres is the home, and that should be a
Christian seminary. Under the law God commanded the Israelite to give
His words to the members of his household: "And Thou shalt teach them
diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest
in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest
down, and when thou risest up" (Deut. 6:7). Does God require less from
us now, in this dispensation of full light? No, indeed. Note, again,
how in Titus 2:3-5, the older sisters are bidden to "teach the young
women:" never was there a greater need for this than now. So in 2
Timothy 2:2, the brethren are to "teach others also." Yes, every
Christian "ought to be" a teacher.
"Ye have need that one teach you again." The apostle continues his
reproof of the listless Hebrews, and presses upon them the inevitable
consequence of becoming "dull of hearing." Spiritual sloth not only
prevents practical progress in the Christian's life, but it produces
retrogression. It was not that they had lost, absolutely, their
knowledge of Divine truth, but they had failed to lay it to heart, and
live in the power of it. In 2 Peter 1, Christians are called on to add
to their faith "virtue, and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge,
temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness;
and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness,
love;" and then the apostle adds, "For if these things be in you, and
abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful
in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." On the other hand, we are
solemnly warned, "But he that lacketh these things is blind, and
cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his
old sins." This was the condition of the Hebrews.
"Which be the first principles of the oracles of God." Because of
their unresponsiveness of heart, they had gone back so far that they
were only fit to be placed in the lowest form of learners; they needed
to be re-taught their ABC's. Clear proof was this of their dullness
and lack of proficiency. The "first principles of the oracles of God"
signify the rudiments of our faith, the first lessons presented to our
learning, the elementary truths of Scripture. Until these are grasped
by faith, and the heart and life are influenced by them, the disciple
is not ready for further instructions in the things of God. In the
case of the Hebrews, those "first principles" or elementary doctrines
were, that the Old Testament economy was strictly a typical one, that
its ordinances and ceremonies foreshadowed the person and work of
God's Son, who was to come here and make an atonement for the sins of
His people. He had thus come: the types had given place to the great
Antitype, and therefore the shadows were replaced by the Substance
itself. True, he had left this scene, gone into heaven, itself, there
to appear in the presence of God for His people. Thither their faith
and affections should have followed Him. But instead, they wanted to
go back again to the temple-services in Jerusalem. They were setting
their hearts upon the now effete types and figures, which the apostle
hesitated not to call "the weak and beggarly elements" (Gal. 4:9).
Instead of walking by faith, the Hebrews were influenced by the things
of sight. Instead of looking forward to an ascended and glorified
Savior, they were occupied with a system which had foreshadowed His
work in the days of His humiliation. Thus they needed to be taught
afresh the "first principles of the oracles of God." They needed to be
reminded that that which is perfect had come, and therefore that which
was in part had been done away. And what is the present-day
application of this expression to Christians? This: the elementals of
our faith are, that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners;
that His salvation is perfect and complete, leaving nothing for us to
add to it; that the only fitness He requires from sinners is the
Spirit's discovery to them of their need of Him. The greater the
sinner I know myself to be, the greater my need of Christ, and the
more I am suited to Him, for He died for "the ungodly" (Rom. 5:6). It
was the realization of my ruin and wretchedness which first drew me to
Him. If I cast myself, in all my want and poverty, upon Him, then He
has received me, for His declaration is, "him that cometh to Me, I
will in no wise cast out." Believing this, I go on my way rejoicing,
thanking Him, praising Him, living on Him and for Him.
But instead of living in the joyous assurance of their acceptance in
the Beloved, many give way to doubting. They question their "interest
in Christ;" they wonder, "Am I His, or am I not?" They are continually
occupied with self, either their good self or their bad self. And thus
their peace is at an end. Instead of affections set upon Christ, their
attention is turned within, occupied with their faith or their lack of
it. Instead of walking in the glorious sunshine of the conscious favor
of God, they dwell in "Doubting Castle," or flounder in the "Slough of
Despond." Thus, instead of themselves being teachers of others, they
have need that one teach them again "which be the first principles of
the oracles of God." They are fit only for the kindergarten. They
require to be told once more that faith looks away from self, and is
occupied entirely with Another. They need to be told that Christ, not
faith, is the sinner's Savior; that faith is simply the empty hand
extended to receive from Him.
This clause is susceptible of various legitimate applications. Let us
consider its bearing upon another class of Christians, among which may
be numbers of our readers. Time was when, in the "far country," you
sought to be filled with the husks which the swine fed on (Luke 15).
But you found your quest was in vain. To change the figure, you
sampled one after another of the world's cisterns, only to find that
"whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again" (John 4:13). You
discovered that the things of the world could not meet your deep need.
Then, weary and heavy-laden, you were brought to Christ, and found in
Him that "altogether lovely" One. O the joy that was now yours! "Thou
O Christ art all I want," was your confession. But is this the
language of your heart today? Alas, "thou hast left thy first love"
(Rev. 2:4), and with it, peace and contentment are also largely a
thing of the past. Like a sow that returns to her wallowing in the
mire, many go back to the world for recreation, then for satisfaction.
Ah, have not you, my reader, need to be taught again "which be the
first principles of the oracles of God?" Do you not need reminding
that nothing in this scene can minister to the new nature, a nature
which has been created for heaven? Do you not need to relearn that
Christ alone can satisfy your heart?
The "oracles of God" is one of many names given to the Holy
Scriptures. Stephen called them the "living oracles" (Acts 7:38).
"They are so in respect of their Author,--they are the oracles of `the
living God;' whereas the oracles with which Satan infatuated the world
were most of them at the shrines and graves of dead men. They are so
in respect of their use and efficacy: they are `living' because
life-giving oracles unto them that obey them (Deut. 32:47). Because
they are `the oracles of God,' they have supreme authority over the
souls and consciences of us all. Therefore are they also infallible
truth" (Dr. John Owen).
"And are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat."
Here the apostle continues to rebuke the Hebrews for their laxity, and
sets before them their deteriorated condition under a figure designed
to humble them: he likens them to infants. The same similitude is used
in 1 Corinthians 3:1,2. "Milk" here signifies the same thing as the
"first principles of the oracles of God." The "strong meat" had
reference to the offices of Christ, especially His priesthood, as
suited to our needs and affections. "Milk" is appropriate for babes,
but Christians ought to grow and become strong in the Lord. They are
exhorted to "be not children in understanding" (1 Cor. 14:20). They
are bidden to "quit ye like men" (1 Cor. 15:13).
"For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of
righteousness: for he is a babe" (verse 13). "Useth milk" means, lives
on nothing else. By the "word of righteousness" is meant the Gospel of
God's grace. In 1 Corinthians 1:18 it is termed "the Word of the
Cross," because that is its principal subject. In Romans 10:8 it is
designated "the Word of Faith," because that is its chief requirement
from all who hear it. Here, the Word of Righteousness, because of its
nature, use and end. In the Gospel is "the righteousness of God
revealed" (Rom. 1:16, 17), for Christ is "the end of the law for
righteousness unto every one that believeth" (Rom. 10:4). Now the
Hebrews are not here said to be ignorant of or utterly without the
Word of Righteousness, but "unskillful" or "inexperienced" in the use
of it. They had failed to improve it to its proper end. Did they
clearly apprehend the Gospel, they had perceived the needlessness for
the perpetuation of the Levitical priesthood with its sacrifices.
The one unskilled in the Word of Righteousness is a "babe." This term
is here used by way of reproach. A "babe" is weak, ignorant. A
spiritual "babe" is one who has an inadequate knowledge of Christ,
i.e. an experimental knowledge and heart-acquaintance with Him. Let
the reader note that a state of infancy was what characterized God's
people of old under Judaism (Gal. 4:1-6). They were looking forward to
the Christ that was to come, and whose person and work was represented
to their eyes by typical pictures and persons. Such was the ground to
which these Hebrews had well-nigh slipped back. Earthly things were
engrossing their attention. So it is still. A person may have been a
Christian twenty or thirty years, but if he is not forgetting the
things which are behind, and constantly pressing to the things before,
he is, in actual experience and spiritual stature, but "a babe."
"But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, those who by
reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and
evil" (verse 14). Here the apostle completes the antithesis begun in
the preceding verse, and describes the character of those to whom
strong meat is suited. By necessary implication his statement explains
to us why the Hebrews had become "dull of hearing." There is much here
of deep practical importance. "Strong meat" is contrasted from "milk"
or the "first principles" of God's Word, which we have defined above.
This "strong meat" is the appropriate portion of those who have left
infancy behind, who have so assimilated the "milk" of babyhood they
have "grown thereby," grown in faith and love. This growth is produced
and promoted by using our spiritual "senses" or faculties. Infants
have "senses," but they know not how to exercise them to advantage.
The proper use of our spiritual faculties enables us to distinguish
between "good and evil". It was here the Hebrews had failed so
lamentably.
"A child is easily imposed upon as to its food. Its nurse may easily
induce it to swallow even palatable poison. But a man, `by reason of
use,' has learned so to employ his senses as to distinguish between
what is deleterious and what is nourishing" (Dr. J. Brown). The same
holds good in the spiritual realm. There is in the new man that which
corresponds to our "five senses" naturally, namely, understanding,
conscience, affections. But these have to be trained and developed. It
is only by the constant and assiduous exercise of minds upon spiritual
things, by the diligent study of the Word, by daily meditation
thereon, by the exercise of faith therein, by earnestly supplicating
the Spirit for light, that we acquire the all-important discernment to
distinguish between good and evil, Truth and error. "Senses exercised"
means ability or fitness acquired, as a disciplined soldier is
equipped for his duty, or a trained athlete is for his work. Such
capacity is only attained by the Christian through a constant and
sedulous application of himself to the things of God. "By reason of
use" refers not to spasmodic effort, but to a regular practice, a
confirmed habit. The outcome is a spiritual ability to judge rightly
of all that is presented to his notice.
It was here the Hebrews had failed, as, alas, so many Christians do
now. "Their senses had not been exercised; that is, they had not
walked closely with God, they had not followed the Master, listening
earnestly to His voice, and proving what is that good, and acceptable,
and perfect will of God. They had not conscientiously applied the
knowledge which they had, but allowed it to remain dead and unused. If
they had really and truly partaken of the milk, they would not have
remained babes" (Adolph Saphir). Because of their slothfulness, they
were unable to distinguish between "good and evil," i.e., between
Truth and error, the promptings of the Spirit and the solicitations of
Satan, the desires of the new nature and the lustings of the old. They
were like babes are in the natural world, unable to discriminate
between what is wholesome and what is hurtful; therefore were they
unable to see the difference between what was right under the Judaic
economy, and what was now suited to Christianity.
"Senses trained to discern both good and evil" has reference to what
is set before a believer as food for his soul. The "good" is that
which is nutritious and suited to his nourishment, "evil" is that
which tends not to his edification, but to his destruction. Scripture
itself is "evil" when wrongly divided and misapplied. This is seen in
Satan's misuse of Scripture with Christ (Matthew 4:6). Truth becomes
"evil" when it is not presented in its due and Divine proportions. The
enemies of the Hebrews were appealing to the Old Testament Scriptures,
as Romanists now do to favor their elaborate form of worship and
priesthood. In many other ways is Satan active today in setting before
God's people both "good and evil," and unless their spiritual
faculties have been diligently trained, through much waiting upon God,
they fall easy victims to his half-lies.
"If people really loved and cherished what they so fondly called `the
simple gospel,' their knowledge and Christian character would deepen,
and all the truths which are centered in Christ crucified would become
the object of their investigation and delight, and enrich and elevate
their experience There are no doctrines more profound than those which
are proclaimed when Christ's salvation is declared. All our progress
consists in learning more fully the doctrine which at first is
preached unto us" (Adolph Saphir). It is using the light we already
have, putting into practice the truth already received, which fits us
for more. Unless this is done, we retrograde, and the light which is
in us becomes darkness. Manna not used breeds worms (Ex. 16:20)! Milk
undigested--not taken up into our system--ferments. A backslidden
state deprives us of a sound judgment. The secret of "senses trained
to discern good and evil" is revealed in Hosea 6:3, "Then shall we
know, if we follow on to know the Lord." May His grace stir us up so
to do.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 23
Infancy and Maturity
(Hebrews 6:1-3)
__________________________________________
The interpretation which we shall give of the above verses is not at
all in accord with that advanced by the older writers. It differs
considerably from that found in the commentaries of Drs. Calvin, Owen
and Gouge, and more recently, those of A. Saphir, and Dr. J. Brown.
Much as we respect their works, and deeply as we are indebted to not a
little that is helpful in them, yet we dare not follow them blindly.
To "prove all things" (1 Thess. 5:21) is ever our bounden duty. Though
it is against our natural inclination to depart from the exposition
they suggested (several, with some diffidence), yet we are thankful to
God that in later years He has granted some of His servants increased
light from His wondrous and exhaustless Word. May it please Him to
vouchsafe us still more.
The writers mentioned above understood the expression "the principles
of the doctrine of Christ," or as the margin of the Revised Version
more accurately renders "the word of the beginning of Christ," to
refer to the elementary truths of Christianity, a summary of which is
given in the six items that follow in the second half of verse 1 and
the whole of verse 2; while the "Let us go on unto perfection," they
regarded as a call unto the deeper and higher things of the Christian
revelation. But for reasons which to us seem conclusive, such a view
of our passage is altogether untenable. It fails to take into account
the central theme of this Epistle, and the purpose for which it was
written. It does not do justice at all to the immediate context. It
completely breaks down when tested in its details.
As we have repeated so often in the course of this series of articles,
the theme of our Epistle is the immeasurable superiority of
Christianity over Judaism. Unless the interpreter keeps this steadily
in mind as he proceeds from chapter to chapter, and from passage to
passage, he is certain to err. This is the key which unlocks every
section, and if attempt be made to open up any portion without it, the
effect can only be strained and forced. The importance of this
consideration cannot be overestimated, and several striking
exemplifications of it have already been before us in our survey of
the previous chapters. Here too it will again stand us in good stead,
if we but use it. The apostle is not contrasting two different stages
of Christianity, an infantile and a mature; rather is he opposing,
once more, the substance over against the shadows. He continues to
press upon the Hebrews their need of forsaking the visible for the
invisible, the typical for the antitypical.
That in taking up our present passage it is also of first importance
to study its connection with the immediate context, is evident from
its very first word, "Therefore." The apostle is here drawing a
conclusion from something said previously. This takes us back to what
is recorded in Hebrews 5:11-14, for a right understanding of which
depends a sound exposition of what immediately follows. In these
verses the apostle rebukes the Hebrews for their spiritual sloth, and
likens them to little children capacitated to receive nothing but
milk. He tells them that they have need of one teaching them again
"which be the first principles of the oracles of God," which denoted
they had not yet clearly grasped the fact that Judaism was but a
temporary economy, because a typical one, its ordinances and
ceremonies foreshadowing Him who was to come here and make an
atonement for the sins of His people. Now that He had come and
finished His work the types had served their purpose, and the shadows
were replaced by the Substance.
The spiritual condition in which the Hebrew saints were at the time
the Holy Spirit moved the apostle to address this Epistle to them, is
another important key to the opening of its hortatory sections. As we
showed in our last article, the language of Hebrews 5:11-14 plainly
intimates that they have gone backward. The cause of this is made
known in the 10th chapter, part of which takes us back to a point in
time prior to what is recorded in chapter 5. First in Hebrews 10:32 we
read, "But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye
were illuminated, ye endured a great flight of afflictions." This
"great flight of afflictions" they had, as verse 34 tells us, taken
"joyfully." Very remarkable and rare was this. How was such an
experience to be accounted for? The remainder of verse 34 tells us,
"Knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring
substance."
But this blessed and spiritual state which characterized the Hebrews
in the glow of "first love" had not been maintained. While affections
were set upon things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of
God, whilst faith was in exercise, they realized that their real
portion was on High. But faith has to be tested, patience has to be
tried, and unless faith be maintained "hope deferred maketh the heart
sick" (Prov. 13:12). Alas, their faith had wavered, and in consequence
they had become dissatisfied to have nothing down here; they became
impatient of waiting for an unseen and future inheritance. It was for
this reason that the apostle said to them, "Cast not away therefore
your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have
need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might
receive the promise" (Heb. 10:35, 36).
Now it was this discontented and impatient condition of soul into
which they had fallen, which accounts for the state in which we find
them in Hebrews 5:11, 12. So too it explains the various things
referred to in chapter 6. That is why the apostle was moved to set
before them the most solemn warning found in verses 4-6. That is why
we find "hope" so prominent in what follows: see verses 11, 18, 19.
That is why reference is made to "patience" in verse 12. That is why
Abraham is referred to, and why his "patience" is singled out for
mention in verse 15. And that is why in our present passage the
Hebrews are urged to "go on unto perfection," and why the apostle
interposes a doubt in the matter: "This will we do, if God permit"
(verse 3), for there was good reason to believe that their past
conduct had provoked Him. Thus we see again how wondrously and how
perfectly Scripture interprets itself, and how much we need to
"compare spiritual things with spiritual" (1 Cor. 2:13).
The sixth chapter of Hebrews does not commence a new section of the
Epistle, but continues the digression into which the apostle had
entered at Hebrews 5:11. In view of the disability of those to whom he
was writing receiving unto their edification the high and glorious
mysteries which he desired to expound, the apostle goes on to set
before them various reasons and arguments to excite a diligent
attention thereunto. First, he declares his intention positively: to
"go on unto perfection" (verse 1). Second, he names, what he intended
to "leave," namely, "the word of the beginning of Christ" (verses
1-3). Third, he warns of the certain doom of apostates (verses 4-8).
Fourth, he softens this warning in the case of the converted Hebrews
(verses 9-14). Fifth, he gives an inspiring encouragement to faith,
taken from the life of Abraham (verses 15-21).
"Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ" (verse
1). As already pointed out, the first word of this verse denotes that
there is a close link between what has immediately preceded and what
now follows. This will appear yet more clearly if we attend closely to
the exact terms here used. The word "principles" in this verse is the
same as rendered "first" in Hebrews 5:12. The word "doctrine" is found
in its plural form and is translated "oracles" in Hebrews 5:12. The
word "perfection" is given as "of full age" in Hebrews 5:14. Thus it
is very evident that the apostle is here continuing the same subject
which he began in the previous chapter.
"Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ." The
rendering of the A.V. of this clause is very faulty and misleading.
The verb is in the past tense, not the present. Bagster's Interlinear
correctly gives "Wherefore having left." This difference of rendition
is an important one, for it enables us to understand more readily the
significance of what follows. The apostle was stating a positive fact,
not pleading for a possibility. He was not asking the Hebrews to take
a certain step, but reminding them of one they had already taken. They
had left the "principles of the doctrine of Christ," and to them he
did not wish them to return.
"Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ." More
accurately, "Wherefore having left the word of the beginning of
Christ." Bagster's Interlinear, which gives a literal word for word
translation of the Greek, renders it, "Wherefore, having left the of
the beginning of the Christ discourse." This expression is parallel
with the "first principles of the oracles of God" in Hebrews 5:12. It
has reference to what God has made known concerning His Son under
Judaism. In the Old Testament two things are outstandingly prominent
in connection with Christ: first, prophecies of His coming into the
world; second, types and figures of the work He should perform. These
predictions had now received their fulfillment, those shadows had now
found their substance, in the incarnation, life, death, resurrection
and ascension of the Son of God. This, the "holy brethren" (Heb. 3:1)
among the Jews had acknowledged. Thus they had "left" the ABC's, for
the Word Himself, the pictures for the Reality.
"Let us go on unto perfection." There is the definite article in the
Greek, and "The Perfection" is obviously set in apposition to "The
word of the beginning of Christ:" note, not of "the Lord Jesus," but
of "Christ," i.e., the Messiah. It is the contrast, once more, between
Judaism and Christianity. That which is here referred to as "The
Perfection" is the full revelation which God now made of Himself in
the person of His incarnate Son. No longer is He veiled by types and
shadows, His glory is seen fully in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor.
4:6). The only begotten Son has "declared" Him here on earth (John
1:18); but having triumphantly finished the work which was given Him
to do, He has been "received up into glory" (1 Tim. 3:16), and upon an
exalted and enthroned Christ the affection of the believer is now to
be set (Col. 3:1).
"Wherefore having left . . . let us go on unto perfection." The first
word looks back to all that the apostle had said. It is a conclusion
drawn from the contents of the whole preceding five chapters. Its
force is: In view of the fact that God has now spoken to us in His
Son; in view of who He is, namely, the appointed Heir of all things,
the Maker of the worlds, the Brightness, of God's glory, and the very
Impress of His substance, the One who upholds all things by the word
of His power; in view of the fact that He has by Himself "purged our
sins," and, in consequence, has sat down at the right hand of the
Majesty on high, having been made so much better than angels, as He
hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they; in view
of the further fact that He was made in all things like unto His
brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in
things God-ward, to make propitiation for the sins of the people, and
having, in consequence of His successful prosecution of this
stupendous work been "crowned with glory and honor;" and, seeing that
He is immeasurably superior to Moses, Joshua and Aaron;--let us give
Him His due place in our thoughts, hearts and lives.
"Let us go on unto perfection" has reference to the apprehension of
the Divine revelation of the full glory of Christ in His person,
perfections, and position. It is, from the practical side, a
"perfection" of knowledge, spiritually imparted by the Holy Spirit to
the understanding and heart. It refers to the mysteries and sublime
doctrine of the Gospel. It is a perfection of knowledge in revealed
truth. Yet, of course, it is only a relative "perfection," for an
absolute apprehension of the things of God is not attainable in this
life. Now "we know in part" (1 Cor. 13:9). "If any man think that he
knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know" (1 Cor.
8:2). Even the apostle Paul had to say, "Brethren, I count not myself
to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things
which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are
before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of
God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:13, 14).
"Let us go on unto perfection." Students are not agreed as to the
precise force of the plural pronoun here. Some consider it to be the
apostle linking on the Hebrews to himself in the task immediately
before him; others regard the "us" as the apostle graciously joining
himself with them in their duty. Personally, we think that both these
ideas are to be combined. First, "let us go on:" it was his resolution
so to do, as the remaining chapters of the Epistle demonstrate; then
let them follow him. Thus considered it shows that the apostle did not
look upon the condition of the Hebrews as quite hopeless,
notwithstanding their "dullness" (Heb. 5:11)--I shall therefore go on
to set before you the highest and most glorious things concerning
Christ. Second, the apostle condescends to unite himself with them in
their responsibility to press forward. "Wherefore:" in view of the
length of time we have been Christians, let us be diligent to grow in
grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was, thus, a
call to stir them up.
"Let us go on" is passive, "be carried on." It is a word taken from
the progress which a ship makes before the wind when under sail. Let
us, under the full bent of our will and affections be stirred by the
utmost endeavors of our whole souls, be borne onwards. We have abode
long enough near the shore, let us hoist our sails, pray to the Spirit
for His mighty power to work within us, and launch forth into the
deep. This is the duty of God's servants, to excite their Christian
hearers to make progress in the knowledge of Divine truth, to urge
them to pass the porch and enter the sanctuary, there to behold the
Divine glories of the House of God. Though the verb is passive,
denoting the effect--"Let us be carried on"--yet it included the
active use of means for the producing of this effect. "All diligence"
is demanded of the Christian (2 Pet. 1:5). Truth has to be "bought"
(Prov. 23:23). That which God has given us must be put into practice
(Luke 8:18).
"Let us go on unto perfection." What, we may ask, is the application
of this to Christians today? To the Hebrews it meant abandoning the
preparatory and earthly system of Judaism, (which occupied their whole
attention before believing in Christ as the sent Savior) and, by
faith, laying hold of the Divine revelation which has now been made in
and through Him: set your affection on an ascended though invisible
Christ, who now serves in the Heavenly Sanctuary on your behalf. For
Christians it means, Turn away from those objects which absorbed you
in the time of your unregeneracy, and meditate now on and find your
joy and satisfaction in things above. Lay aside every weight and the
sin which so easily besets, and run with perseverance the race that is
set before us, "looking off unto Jesus"--the One who while here left
us an example to follow, the One who is now enthroned on High because
of the triumphant completion of His race.
To the Hebrews, this much-misunderstood exhortation of Hebrews 6:1 was
exactly parallel with the word which Christ addressed to the eleven
immediately prior to His death: "Ye believe in God, believe also in
Me" (John 14:1): Ye have long avowed your faith in "God," whom, though
invisible, ye trust; now "believe also in Me," as One who will
speedily pass beyond the range of your natural vision. I am on the
point of returning to the Father, but I shall still have your
interests at heart, yea, I am going to "prepare a place for you;"
therefore, trust Me implicitly: let your hearts follow Me on high:
walk by faith: be occupied with an ascended Savior. For us today, the
application of this important word signifies, Be engaged with your
great High Priest in heaven, dwell daily upon your portion in Him
(Eph. 1:3). By faith, behold Christ, now in the heavenly sanctuary, as
your righteousness, life, and strength. See in God's acceptance of
Him, His adoption of you, that you have been reconciled to Him, made
nigh by the precious blood. In the realization of this, worship in
spirit and in truth; exercise your priestly privileges.
Thus, the "perfection" of Hebrews 6:1 is, strictly speaking, scarcely
doctrinal or experimental, yet partakes of both. "The law made nothing
perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did" (Heb. 7:19). It is
Christ who has ushered in that which is "perfect." It is in Him we now
have a full revelation and manifestation of the eternal purpose and
grace of God. He has fully made known His mind (Heb. 1:2). And, by His
one all-sufficient offering of Himself, He has "perfected forever"
(Heb. 10:14), them whom God set apart in His everlasting counsels.
Christ came here to fulfill the will of God (Heb. 10:9). That will has
been executed; the work given Him to do, He finished (John 17:4). In
consequence, He has been gloriously rewarded, and in His reward all
His people share. This is all made known to us for "the hearing of
faith."
"Not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works" (verse
1). It is most important to see that the contents of the second half
of verse 1. and the whole of verse 2 are a parenthesis. The "Let us be
carried on to perfection" is completed in "this will we do if God
permits" in verse 3. That which comes in between is a definition or
explanation of what the apostle intended by his "Having left the word
of the beginning of Christ." The six items enumerated--"repentance
from dead works," etc.--have nothing to do with the "foundations of
Christianity," nor do they describe those things relating to the
elementary experiences of a Christian. Instead, they treat of what
appertained to Judaism, considered as a rudimentary system, paving the
way for the fuller and final revelation which God has now made in and
by His beloved Son. Unless the parenthetical nature of these verses is
clearly perceived, interpreters are certain to err in their exposition
of the details.
"Not laying again the foundation," etc. It is to be remarked that
there is no definite article in the Greek here, so it should be read,
"a foundation," which is one of several intimations that it is not the
"fundamentals of Christianity" which are here in view. Had these
verses been naming the basic features of the new and higher revelation
of God, the Holy Spirit had surely said, "the foundation;" that He did
not, shows that something less important was before Him. As said
above, this "foundation" respects Judaism. Now there are two
properties to a "foundation," namely, it is that which is first laid
in a building; it is that which bears up the whole superstructure. To
which we may add, it is generally lost to sight when the ground floor
has been put in. Such was the relation which Judaism sustained to
Christianity. As the "foundation" precedes the building, so had
Judaism Christianity. As the "foundation" bears the building, so the
truth of Christianity rests upon the promises and prophecies of the
Old Testament, of which the New Testament revelation records the
fulfillment. As the "foundation" is lost to sight when the building is
erected on it, so the types and shadows of the earlier revelation are
superseded by the substance and reality.
"Not laying again a foundation," etc. This is exactly what the Hebrews
were being sorely tempted to do. To "lay again" this foundation was to
forsake the substance for the shadows; it was to turn from
Christianity and go back again to Judaism. As Paul wrote to the
Galatians, who were being harassed by Judaisers, "Wherefore the law
was our schoolmaster unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith"
(Heb. 3:24). To which he at once added, "But after that faith is come,
we are no longer under a schoolmaster." Thus, under a different
figure, he was here in Hebrews 6:1 simply saying, Let us be carried on
to maturity, and not go back again to the things which characterized
the days of our childhood.
"Not laying again a foundation," etc. It will be noted that the
apostle here enumerates just six things, which is ever the number of
man in the flesh. Such was what distinguished Judaism. It was a system
which appertained solely to man in the flesh. Its rites and ceremonies
only "sanctified to the purifying of the flesh" (Heb. 9:13). Had the
fundamentals of Christianity been here in view, the apostle had surely
given seven, as in Ephesians 4:3-6. The first which he specifies is
"repentance from dead works." Observe that it is not "repentance from
sins." That is not what is in view at all. This expression "dead
works" is found again in Hebrews 9:14 (and nowhere else in the New
Testament), where a contrast is drawn from what is said in verse 13:
the blood of bulls and goats sanctified to the purifying of the flesh,
then much more should the blood of Christ cleanse their conscience
from dead works. Where sins are in question the New Testament speaks
of them as "wicked works" (Titus 1:16), and "abominable works" (Col.
1:21). The reference here was to the unprofitable and in-efficacious
works of the Levitical service: cf. Hebrews 10:1, 4. Those works of
the ceremonial law are denominated "dead works" because they were
performed by men in the flesh, were not vitalized by the Holy Spirit,
and did not satisfy the claims of the living God.
"And of faith toward God." Of the six distinctive features of Judaism
here enumerated, this one is the most difficult to define with any
degree of certainty. Nevertheless, we believe that if due attention be
given to the particular people to whom the apostle was writing all
difficulty at once vanishes. The case of the Jew was vastly different
from that of the Gentiles. To the heathen, the one true God was
altogether "unknown" (Acts 17:23). They worshipped a multitude of
false gods. But not so was it with Israel. Jehovah had revealed
Himself to their fathers, and given to them a written revelation of
His will. Thus, "faith toward God" was a national thing with them, and
though in their earlier history they fell into idolatry again and
again, yet were they purified of this sin by the Babylonian captivity.
Still, their faith was more of a form than a reality, a tradition
received from their fathers, rather than a vital acquaintance with
Him: see Matthew 15:8, 9, etc.
Israel's national faith "toward God" had, under the Christian
revelation, given place to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. A few
references from the New Testament epistles will establish this
conclusively. We read of "the faith of Jesus Christ," and "the faith
of the Son of God" (Gal. 2:16, 20); "your faith in the Lord Jesus"
(Eph. 1:15); "by faith of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:9); "your faith in
Christ" (Col. 2:5); "the faith which is in Christ Jesus" (1 Tim.
3:13). As another has said, "All the blessings of the gospel are
connected with `faith,' but it is faith which rests in Christ.
Justification, resurrection-life, the promises, the placing of sons,
salvation, etc., are all spoken of as resulting from faith which rests
upon Christ... `Hebrews' reveals Christ as the `one Mediator between
God and men.' It reveals Christ as `a Priest forever after the order
of Melchizedek,' and urges the divine claim of the Son of God. The
apostle is directing his readers to look away from self to Christ, the
Center, the Sum of all blessing. This is not merely `faith toward
God,' but it is faith which comes to God by the way of the mediation
and merits of His Son."
"Of the doctrine of baptisms" (verse 2). Had the translators
understood the scope and meaning of this passage it is more than
doubtful if they had given the rendering they did to this particular
clause.
It will be observed that the word "baptism" is in the plural number,
and if scripture be allowed to interpret scripture there will be no
difficulty in ascertaining what is here referred to. It is neither
Christian baptism (Matthew 28:19), the baptism of the Spirit (Acts
1:5), nor the baptism of suffering (Matthew 20:23), which is here in
view, but the carnal ablutions which obtained under the Mosaic
economy. The Greek word is "baptismos." It is found but four times on
the pages of the New Testament: in Mark 7:4, 5 and Hebrews 6:2; 9:10.
In each of the other three instances, the word is rendered "washings."
In Mark 7 it is the "washing of cups and pans." In Hebrews 9:10 it is
"meats and drinks and divers washings and carnal (fleshly)
ordinances," concerning which it is said, they were "imposed until the
time of reformation."
It is to be noted that our verse speaks of "the doctrine of baptisms."
There was a definite teaching connected with the ceremonial ablutions
of Judaism. They were designed to impress upon the Israelites that
Jehovah was a holy God, and that none who were defiled could enter
into His presence. These references in Hebrews 6:2 and Hebrews 9:10
look back to such passages as Exodus 30:18, 19; Leviticus 16:4;
Numbers 19:19, etc. Typically, these "washings" denoted that all the
defiling effects of sin must be removed, ere the worshipper could
approach unto the Lord. They foreshadowed that perfect and eternal
cleansing from sin which the atoning blood of Christ was to provide
for His people. They had no intrinsic efficacy in themselves; they
were but figures, hence, we are told they sanctified only "to the
purifying of the flesh" (Heb. 9:13). Those "washings" effected nought
but an external and ceremonial purification; they "could not make him
that did the service perfect as pertaining to the conscience" (Heb.
9:9).
"And of laying on of hands." The older commentators quite missed the
reference here. Supposing the previous clause was concerned with the
Christian baptisms recorded in the Acts, they appealed to such
passages as Acts 8:17; 19:6, etc. But those passages have no bearing
at all on the verse before us. They were exceptional cases where the
supernatural "gifts" of the Spirit were imparted by communication from
the apostles. The absence of this "laying on of hands" in Acts 2:41;
8:38; 16:33, etc., shows plainly that, normally, the Holy Spirit was
given by God altogether apart from the instrumentality of His
servants. The "laying on of hands" is not, and never was, a
distinctive Christian ordinance. In such passages as Acts 6:6; 9:17;
13:3, the act was simply a mark of identification, as is sufficiently
clear from the last reference.
"And of laying on of hands." The key which unlocks the real meaning of
this expression is to be found in the Old Testament, to which each and
all of the six things here mentioned by the apostle look back.
Necessarily so, for the apostle is here making mention of those things
which characterized Judaism, which the Hebrews, upon their profession
of their personal faith in Christ had "left." The "laying on of hands"
to which the apostle refers is described in Leviticus 16:21, "And
Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and
confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all
their transgressions in all their sins, putting them on the head of
the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the
wilderness." This was an essential part of the ritual on the annual
Day of Atonement. Of this the Hebrews would naturally think when the
apostle here makes mention of the "doctrine (teaching) . . . of laying
on of hands."
"And of resurrection of the dead." At first glance, and perhaps at the
second too, it may appear that what is here before us will necessitate
an abandonment of the line of interpretation we are following. Surely,
the reader may exclaim, you will not ask us to believe that these
Hebrews had "left" the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead! Yet
this is exactly what we do affirm. The difficulty which is seemingly
involved is more imaginary than real, due to a lack of discrimination
and failure to "rightly divide the Word of Truth." The resurrection of
the dead was a clearly revealed doctrine under Judaism; but it is
supplanted by something far more comforting and blessed under the
fuller revelation God has given in Christianity. If the reader will
carefully observe the preposition we have placed in italic type, he
will find it a valuable key to quite a number of passages. "We make a
great mistake when we assume that the resurrection as taught by the
Pharisees, held by the Jews, believed by the disciples, and proclaimed
by the apostles, was one and the same" (C.H.W.). The great difference
between the former and the latter may be seen by a comparison of the
scriptures that follow.
"After the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my
fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the
prophets: and have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow,
that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and
unjust" (Acts 24:14, 15). That was the Jewish hope: "Martha saith unto
Him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last
day" (John 11:24). Now in contrast, note, "He charged them that they
should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were
risen from the dead. And they kept that saying with themselves,
questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should
mean" (Mark 9:9, 10). It is this aspect of resurrection which the New
Testament epistles emphasize, an elective resurrection, a resurrection
of the redeemed before that of the wicked: see Revelation 20:5, 6; 1
Corinthians 15:22, 23; 1 Thessalonians 4:16.
"And of eternal judgment." In the light of all that has been before
us, this should occasion no difficulty. The Jewish church, and most of
Christendom now, believed in a General Judgment, a great assize at the
end of time when God would examine every man's life, "For God shall
bring every work into judgment with every secret thing, whether it be
good or whether it be evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:14). This is described in
fullest detail in the closing verses of Revelation 20. It is the Great
White Throne judgment.
Let us now, very briefly, summarize what has just been engaging our
attention. The Hebrews had confessed their faith in Christ, and by so
doing had forsaken the shadows for the Substance. But hope had been
deferred, faith hath waned, persecutions had cooled their zeal. They
were being tempted to abandon their Christian profession and return to
Judaism. The apostle shows that by so doing they would be laying again
"a foundation" of things which had been left behind. Rather than this,
he urges them to be carried forward to "perfection" or "full growth."
That meant to substitute "repentance unto life" (Acts 11:18), for
"repentance from dead works;" trust in the glorified Savior, for a
national "faith toward God;" the all-cleansing blood of the Lamb, for
the inefficacious "washings" of the law; God's having laid on Christ
the iniquities of us all, for the Jewish high-priest's "laying on of
hands;" a resurrection "from the dead," for "a resurrection of the
dead;" the Judgment-seat of Christ, for the "eternal judgment" of the
Great White Throne. Thus, the six things here mentioned belonged to a
state of things before Christ was manifested.
"And this will we do if God permit" (verse 3). Here we learn of the
apostle's resolution as to the occasion before him, and the limitation
of his resolution by an express subordination of it to the good
pleasure of God. The "this will we do" has reference to "Let us go on
unto perfection." The use of the plural pronoun is very blessed.
Though a spiritual giant when compared with his fellow Christians, the
apostle Paul never imagined he had "attained" (Phil. 3:12). "This will
we do" means, I in teaching, you in learning. In the chapters that
follow, we see how the apostle's resolution was carried out. In
Hebrews 5:10 he had said, "an High Priest after the order of
Melchizedek, of whom we have many things to say." By comparing Hebrews
6:3 with Hebrews 5:11,12 we learn that no discouragement should deter
a servant of God from proceeding in the declaration of the mystery of
Christ, not even the dullness of his hearers.
"And this will we do, if God permit." This qualifying word may have
respect unto the unknown sovereign pleasure of God, to which all our
resolutions must submit: "I trust to tarry a while with you, if the
Lord permit" (1 Cor. 16:7 and cf. James 4:13-15). Probably the apostle
also had before him the sad state into which the Hebrews had fallen
(Heb. 5:11-14), in view of which this was a solemn and searching word
for their conscience: because of their sloth and negligence there was
reason to fear they had provoked God, so that He would grant them no
further light (Luke 8:18). Finally, we believe the apostle looked to
the Divine enablement of himself; were He to withdraw His assistance
the teacher would be helpless: see 2 Corinthians 3:5. To sum up--in
all things we must seek God's glory, bow to His will, and recognize
that all progress in the Truth is a special gift from Him (John 3:27).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 24
Apostasy
(Hebrews 6:4-6)
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The passage which is now to occupy our attention is one of the most
solemn in the Hebrews' epistle, yea, to be met with anywhere in the
New Testament. Probably few regenerate souls have read it thoughtfully
without being moved to fear and trembling. Careless professors have
frequently been rendered uneasy in conscience as they have heard its
awe-inspiring language. It speaks of a class of persons who had been
highly privileged, who had been singularly favored, but who, so far
from having improved their opportunities, had wretchedly perverted
them; who had brought shame and reproach on the cause of Christ; and
who were in such a hopeless condition that it was "impossible to renew
them again unto repentance." Well does it become each one of us to
earnestly lift up his heart to God, beseeching Him to prevent us
making such a shipwreck of the faith.
As perhaps the majority of our readers are aware, the verses before us
have proved one of the fiercest theological battlegrounds of the
centuries. It is at this point that the hottest fights between
Calvinists and Arminians have been waged. Those who believe that it is
possible for a real Christian to so sin and backslide as to fall from
grace and be lost eternally, have confidently appealed to these verses
for proof of their theory. It is much to be feared their theory
prejudiced them so much, that they were incapable of examining
impartially and weighing carefully its varied terms. With their minds
so biased by their views of apostasy, they have rather taken it for
granted that this passage describes a true child of God, who, through
turning his back upon Christ, ultimately perishes. But Scripture bids
us "Prove all things" (1 Thess. 5:21), and this calls for something
more than a superficial and hurried investigation of what is,
admittedly, a difficult passage.
If on the one hand, Arminians have been too ready to read into this
passage their unscriptural dogma of the apostasy of a Christian, it
must be confessed that many Calvinists have failed to grapple
successfully with and interpret satisfactorily the most knotty points
in these verses. They are right in affirming that Scripture teaches,
most emphatically and unequivocably the Divine preservation and the
human perseverance of the saints, as they have also wisely pointed out
that the Word of God does not and cannot contradict itself. If our
Lord asserted that His sheep should "never perish" (John 10:28), then
certainly Hebrews 6 will not teach that some of them do. If through
the apostle Paul the Holy Spirit assures us that nothing can separate
the children from the love of their Father (Rom. 8:35-39), then,
without doubt, the portion now before us does not declare that
something will. It may not always be easy to discover the perfect
consistency of one scripture with another, yet we must hold fast to
the unerring harmony and integrity of God's Truth.
The chief difficulty connected with our passage is to make sure of the
class of persons who are there in view. Is the Holy Spirit here
describing regenerated or unregenerated souls? The next thing is to
ascertain what is meant by, "If they shall fall away." The last, what
is denoted by "It is impossible to renew them again unto repentance."
Anticipating our exposition, we are fully assured that the "falling
away" which is here spoken of signifies a deliberate, complete and
final repudiation of Christ--a sin for which there is no forgiveness.
So too we understand the "impossible" to renew them again to
repentance, announces that their condition and case is beyond hope of
recovery. Because of this, Calvinists have, generally, affirmed that
this passage is treating of mere professors. But over against this
there are two insuperable objections: first, mere professors have
nothing from which to "fall away"; second, mere professors have never
been "renewed" unto repentance.
In addition to the controversy which these verses have occasioned, not
a few have turned them unto an unwarrantable use. "Misapprehension of
this passage has also, I believe, in many cases occasioned extreme
distress of mind to two classes of persons,--to nominal professors,
who, after falling into gross sin, have been awakened to serious
reflection; and to real Christians, on their falling under the power
of mental disease, sinking into a state of spiritual languor, or being
betrayed into such transgressions of the Divine law as David and Peter
were guilty of: and this has thrown all but insurmountable obstacles
in the way of both `fleeing for refuge, to lay hold on the hope set
before them' in the Gospel. All this makes it the more necessary that
we should carefully inquire into the meaning of the passage. When
rightly understood, it will be found to give no countenance to any of
the false conclusions which have been drawn from it, but to be like
every other part of inspired Scripture, `profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness',--well-fitted to produce caution, no way calculated to
induce despair" (Dr. J. Brown).
Before attempting an elucidation of the above-mentioned difficulties,
and to prepare the way for our exposition of these verses, the
contents of which have so sorely puzzled many, let us recall, once
more, the condition of soul into which these Hebrew Christians had
fallen. They had "become dull of hearing" (Heb. 5:11), "unskillful in
the Word of Righteousness" (Heb. 5:13), unable to masticate "strong
meat" (Heb. 5:14). This state was fraught with the most dangerous
consequences. "The Hebrews had become lukewarm, negligent, and inert;
the gospel, once dearly seen and dearly loved by them, had become to
them dull and vague; the persecutions and contempt of their countrymen
a grievous burden, under which they groaned, and under which they did
not enjoy fellowship with the Lord Jesus. Darkness, doubt, gloom,
indecision, and consequently a walk in which the power of Christ's
love was not manifest, characterized them. Now, if they continued in
this state, what else could be the result but apostasy? Forgetfulness,
if continued, must end in rejection, apathy in antipathy,
unfaithfulness in infidelity.
"Such was their danger. And if they succumbed to it their state was
hopeless. No other gospel remains to be preached, no other power to
rescue and raise them. They had heard and known the voice which saith,
`Come unto Me, and I will give you rest'. They had professed to
believe in the Lord who died for sinners, and to have chosen Him as
their Savior and Master. And now they were forgetting and forsaking
the Rock of their Salvation. If they deliberately and wilfully
continued in this state, they were in danger of final impenitence and
hardness of heart.
"The exhortation must be viewed in connection with the special
circumstances of the Hebrews. After the rejection of the Messiah by
Israel, the gospel had been preached unto the Jews by the apostles,
and the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit had been manifested among
them. The Hebrews had accepted the gospel of the once crucified and
now glorified Redeemer, who sent down from heaven the Spirit, a sign
of His exaltation, and a pledge of the future inheritance. Having thus
entered into the sphere of new covenant manifestation, any one who
willfully abandoned it could only relapse into that phase of Judaism
which crucified the Lord Jesus. There was no other alternative for
them, but either to go on to the full knowledge of the heavenly
priesthood of Christ, and to the believer's acceptance and worship
through the Mediator in the sanctuary above, or fall back into the
attitude, not of the godly Israelites before Pentecost, such as John
the Baptist and those who waited for the promised redemption, nor even
into the condition of those for whom the Savior prayed, `for they know
not what they do'; but into a state of willful conscious enmity
against Christ, and the sin of rejecting Him, and putting Him to an
open shame" (Adolph Saphir).
"The danger to which this spiritual inertness exposed the Hebrews was
such as to justify the strongest language of expostulation and
reproof. Apostasy from Christ was a step more easy and natural to a
Jewish than to a Gentile believer, because the way was always open and
inviting them, as men, to return to those associations which once
carried with them the outward sanctification of Jehovah's name, and
which only the power of grace had enabled them to renounce. When
heavenly realities became inoperative in their souls, the visible
image was before them still, and here was the danger of their giving
it the homage of their souls. If there were not an habitual exercise
of their spiritual senses, the power of discernment could not remain:
they would call evil good, and good evil. The ignorance which springs
from spiritual neglect begins its own punishment of apathetic dullness
on the once clear mind, and robs the spirit of its power to detect the
wily methods of the Devil. It is in the presence of God alone that the
Christian can exert his spiritual energies with effect. Abiding in
Christ, maintains us in that presence. A more unhappy error cannot
befall a believer than to separate, in the habit of his mind, acquired
knowledge from the living Christ. Faith dies at once when separated
from its object. Knowledge indeed is precious, but the knowledge of
God is a progressive thing (Col. 1:10), whose end is not obtained this
side of the glory (1 Cor. 8:2). The extreme experience of an advancing
Christian is that of continual initiation. With a prospect
ever-widening he has a daily deepening apprehension of the grace
wherein he stands, and in which he is more and more established, by
the word of righteousness . . .
"A clear and growing faith, in heavenly things was needed to preserve
Jewish Christians from relapse. To return to Judaism was to give up
Christ, who had left their house `desolate' (Matthew 23:38). It was to
fall from grace, and place themselves not only under the general curse
of the law, but that particular imprecation which had brought the
guilt of Jesus' blood on the reprobate and blinded nation of His
murderers" (A. Pridham). It should be pointed out, however, that it is
just as easy, and the attraction is just as real, for a Gentile
Christian to return to that world out of which the Lord has called
him, as it was for a Jewish Christian to go back again to Judaism. And
just in proportion as the Christian fails to walk with God daily, so
does the world obtain power over his heart, mind and life; and a
continuance in worldliness is fraught with the most direful and fatal
consequences.
"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened" etc. (verse
4). Here the apostle continues the digression which he began at
Hebrews 5:11. The parenthesis has two divisions: the first, Hebrews
5:11-14 is reprehensible; the second, Hebrews 6:1-20 is hortatory. In
chapter 6 he exhorts the Hebrews unto two duties: to progress in the
Christian course (verses 1-11); to persevere therein (verses 12-20).
The first exhortation is proposed in verses 1,2 and qualified in verse
3. The motive to obedience is drawn from the danger of apostasy
(verses 4-6). The opening "For" of verse 4 intimates the close
connection of our present passage with that which immediately
precedes. It draws a conclusion from what the apostle had been saying
in Hebrews 5:11-14. It amplifies the "if" in verse 3. It points a most
solemn warning against their continuance in their present sloth. It
draws a terrible contrast from the possibility of verse 3. "The
apostle regards the retrogression of the Hebrews with dismay. He sees
in it the danger of an entire, confirmed, wilful, and irrecoverable
apostasy from the truth. He beholds them on the brink of a precipice,
and he therefore lifts up his voice, and with vehement yet loving
earnestness he warns them against so fearful an evil" (Adolph Saphir).
Three things claim our careful attention in coming closer to our
passage: the persons here spoken of, the sin they commit, the doom
pronounced upon them. In considering the persons spoken of it is of
first importance to note that the apostle does not say, "us who were
once enlightened", nor even "you", instead, he says "those". In sharp
contrast from them, he says to the Hebrews, "Beloved, we are persuaded
better things of you".
"Afterwards, when the apostle comes to declare his hope and persuasion
concerning these Hebrews that they were not such as those whom he had
before described, nor such as would fall away unto perdition, he doth
it upon three grounds whereon they were differenced from them as: 1.
That they had such things as did `accompany salvation'; that is, such
as salvation is inseparable from. None of these things therefore had
he ascribed unto those whom he describeth in this place (verses 4-6);
for if he had so done, they would not have been unto him an argument
and evidence of a contrary end, that these should not fall away and
perish as well as those. Wherefore he ascribes nothing to these here
in the text that doth peculiarly `accompany salvation'. 2. He
describes them by their duties of obedience and fruits of faith. This
was their `work and labor of love' towards the name of God, verse 10.
And hereby, also, doth he differentiate them from those in the text,
concerning whom he supposeth that they may perish eternally, which
these fruits of saving faith and sincere love cannot do. 3. He adds,
that, in the preservation of those there mentioned, the faithfulness
of God was concerned: `God is not unrighteous to forget'. For they
were such he intended as were interested in the covenant of grace,
with respect whereunto alone there is any engagement on the
faithfulness or righteousness of God to preserve men from apostasy and
ruin; and there is so with an equal respect unto all who are so taken
into the covenant. But of those in the text he supposeth no such
thing; and thereupon doth not intimate that either the righteousness
or faithfulness of God was anyway engaged for their preservation, but
rather the contrary" (Dr. John Owen).
It is scarcely accurate to designate as "mere professors" those
described in verses 4,5. They were a class who had enjoyed great
privileges, beyond any such as now accompany the preaching of the
Gospel. Those here portrayed are said to have had five advantages,
which is in contrast from the six things enumerated in verses 1, 2,
which things belong to man in the flesh, under Judaism. Five is the
number of grace, and the blessings here mentioned pertain to the
Christian dispensation. Yet were they not true Christians. This is
evident from what is not said. Observe, they were not spoken of as
God's elect, as those for whom Christ died, as those who were born of
the Spirit. They are not said to be justified, forgiven, accepted in
the Beloved. Nor is anything said of their faith, love, or obedience.
Yet these are the very things which distinguish a real child of God.
First, they had been "enlightened". The Sun of righteousness had shone
with healing in His wings, and, as Matthew 4:16 says, "The people
which sat in darkness saw great light, and to them which sat in the
region and shadow of death light is sprung up". Unlike the heathen,
whom Christ, in the days of His flesh, visited not, those who came
under the sound of His voice were wondrously and gloriously illumined.
The Greek word for "enlightened" here signifies "to give light or
knowledge by teaching". It is so rendered by the Septuagint in Judges
13:8, 2 Kings 12:2, 17:27. The apostle Paul uses it for "to make
manifest", or "bring to light" in 1 Corinthians 4:5, 2 Timothy 1:10.
Satan blinds the minds of those who believe not, lest "the light of
the gospel should shine unto them" (2 Cor. 4:4), that is, give the
knowledge of it. Thus, "enlightened" here means to be instructed in
the doctrine of the gospel, so as to have a clear apprehension of it.
In the parallel passage in Hebrews 10:26 the same people are said to
have "received the knowledge of the truth", cf. also 2 Peter 2:20, 21.
It is, however, only a natural knowledge of spiritual things, such as
is acquired by outward hearing or reading; just as one may be
enlightened by taking up the special study of one of the sciences. It
falls far short of that spiritual enlightenment which transforms (2
Cor. 3:18). An illustration of a unregenerate person being
"enlightened", as here, is found in the case of Balaam; Numbers 24:4.
Second, they had "tasted" of the heavenly gift. To "taste" is to have
a personal experience of, in contrast from mere report. "Tasting does
not include eating, much less digesting and turning into nourishment
what is so tasted; for its nature being only thereby discerned it may
be refused, yea, though we like its relish and savor, on some other
consideration. The persons here described, then, are those who have to
a certain degree understood and relished the revelation of mercy; like
the stony-ground hearers they have received the Word with a transcient
joy" (John Owen). The "tasting" is in contrast from the "eating" of
John 6:50-56.
Opinion is divided as to whether the "heavenly gift" refers to the
Lord Jesus or the person of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps it is not
possible for us to be dogmatic on the point. Really, the difference is
without a distinction, for the Spirit is here to glorify Christ, as He
came from the Father by Christ as His ascension "Gift" to His people.
If the reference be to the Lord Jesus, John 3:16, 4:10, etc., would be
pertinent references: if to the Holy Spirit, Acts 2:38, 8:20, 10:45,
11:17. Personally, we rather incline to the latter. This Divine Gift
is here said to be "heavenly" because from Heaven, and leading to
Heaven, in contrast from Judaism--cf. Acts 2:2, 1 Peter 1:12. Of this
"Gift" these apostates had "tasted", or had an experience of: compare
Matthew 27:34 where "tasting" is opposed to actual drinking. Those
here in view had had an acquaintance with the Gospel, as to gain such
a measure of its blessedness as to greatly aggravate their sin and
doom. An illustration of this is found in Matthew 13:20, 21.
Third, they were "made partakers of the Holy Spirit". First, it should
be pointed out that the Greek word for "partakers" here is a different
one from that used in Colossians 1:12 and 2 Peter 1:4, where real
Christians are in view. The word here simply means "companions",
referring to what is external rather than internal. It is to be
observed that this item is placed in the center of the five, and this
because it describes the animating principle of the other four, which
are all effects. These apostates had never been "born of the Spirit"
(John 3:6), still less were their bodies His "temples" (1 Cor. 6:19).
Nor do we believe this verse teaches that the Holy Spirit had, at any
time, wrought within them, otherwise Philippians 1:6 would be
contravened. It means that they had shared in the benefit of His
supernatural operations and manifestations: "The place was shaken"
(Acts 4:31) illustrates. We quote below from Dr. J. Brown:
"It is highly probable that the inspired writer refers primarily to
the miraculous gifts and operations of the Holy Spirit by which the
primitive dispensation of Christianity was administered. These gifts
were by no means confined to those who were `transformed by the
renewing of their minds'. The words of our Lord in Matthew 7:22, 23
and of Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:1, 2 seem to intimate, that the
possession of these unrenewed men was not very uncommon in that age;
at any rate they plainly show that their possession and an
unregenerate state were by no means incompatible".
Fourth, "And have tasted the good Word of God". "I understand by this
expression the promise of God respecting the Messiah, the sum and
substance of all. It deserves notice that this promise is by way of
eminence termed by Jeremiah `that good word' (Jer. 33:14). To `taste',
then, this `good Word of God', is to experience that God has been
faithful to His promise--to enjoy, so far as an unconverted man can
enjoy the blessings and advantages which flow from that promise being
fulfilled. To `taste the good Word of God', seems, just to enjoy the
advantages of the new dispensation" (Dr. J. Brown). Further
confirmation that the apostle is here referring to that which these
apostates had witnessed of the fulfillment of God's promise is
obtained by comparing Jeremiah 29:10, "After seventy years be
accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform My good word
toward you, in causing you to return to this place".
Observe how studiously the apostle still keeps to the word "taste",
the better to enable us to identify them. They could not say with
Jeremiah, "Thy words were found and I did eat them" (Jer. 15:16). "It
is as though he said, I speak not of those who have received
nourishment; but of such as have so far tasted it, as that they ought
to have desired it as `sincere milk' and grown thereby" (Dr. John
Owen). A solemn example of one who merely "tasted" the good Word of
God is found in Mark 6:20: "for Herod feared John, knowing that he was
a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he
did many things, and heard him gladly".
Fifth, "And the powers of the world to come," or "age to come." The
reference here is to the new dispensation which was to be ushered in
by Israel's Messiah according to Old Testament predictions. It
corresponds with "these last days" of Hebrews 1:2, and is in contrast
from the "time past" or Mosaic economy. Their Messiah was none other
than the "mighty God" (Isa. 9), and wondrous and glorious, stupendous
and unique, were His miraculous works. These "powers" of the new Age
are mentioned in Hebrews 2:4, to our comments on which we would refer
the reader. Of these mighty "powers" these apostates had "tasted", or
had an experience of. They had been personal witnesses of the miracles
of Christ, and also of the wonders that followed His ascension, when
such glorious manifestations of the Spirit were given. Thus they were
"without excuse". Convincing and conclusive evidence had been set
before them, but there had been no answering faith in their hearts. A
solemn example of this is found in John 11:47, 48.
"If they shall fall away". The Greek word here is very strong and
emphatic, even stronger than the one used in Matthew 7:27, where it is
said of the house built on the sand, "and great was the fall thereof".
It is a complete falling away, a total abandonment of Christianity
which is here in view. It is a wilful turning of the back on God's
revealed truth, an utter repudiation of the Gospel. It is making
"shipwreck of the faith" (1 Tim. 1:19). This terrible sin is not
committed by a mere nominal professor, for he has nothing really to
fall away from, save an empty name. The class here described are such
as had had their minds enlightened, their consciences stirred, their
affections moved to a considerable degree, and yet who were never
brought from death unto life. Nor is it backsliding Christians who are
in view. It is not simply "fall into sin", this or that sin. The
greatest "sin" which a regenerated man can possibly commit is the
personal denial of Christ: Peter was guilty of this, yet was he
"renewed again unto repentance". It is the total renunciation of all
the distinguishing truths and principles of Christianity, and this not
secretly, but openly, which constitutes apostasy.
"If they shall fall away". "This is scarcely a fair translation. It
has been said that the apostle did not here assert that such persons
did or do `fall away'; but that if they did--a supposition which,
however, could never be realized--then the consequence would be they
could not be `renewed again unto repentance'. The words literally
rendered are, `And have fallen away', or, `yet have fallen'. The
apostle obviously intimates that such persons might, and that such
persons did, `fall away'. By `falling away', we are plainly to
understand what is commonly called apostasy. This does not consist in
an occasional falling into actual sin, however gross and aggravated;
nor in the renunciation of some of the principles of Christianity,
even though those should be of considerable importance; but in an
open, total, determined renunciation of all the constituent principles
of Christianity, and a return to a false religion, such as that of
unbelieving Jews or heathens, or to open infidelity and open
godlessness" (Dr. J. Brown).
"It is impossible . . . if they fall away, to renew them again unto
repentance". Four questions here call for answer. What is meant by
"renewed unto repentance"? What is signified by "renewed again unto
repentance"? Why is such an experience "impossible"? To whom is this
"impossible"? Repentance signifies a change of mind: Matthew 21:29,
Romans 11:29 establish this. It is more than a mental act, the
conscience also being active, leading to contrition and
self-condemnation (Job 42:6). In the unregenerate, it is simply the
workings of nature; in the children of God it is wrought by the Holy
Spirit. The latter is evangelical, being one of the things which
"accompany salvation". The former is not so, being the "sorrow of the
world", which "worketh death" (2 Cor. 7:10). This kind of "repentance"
or remorse receives most solemn exemplification in the case of Judas:
Matthew 27:3, 5. Such was the repentance of these apostates. The Greek
verb for "renew" here occurs nowhere else in the New Testament.
Probably "restore" had been better, for the same word is used in the
Sept., for a Hebrews verb meaning to renew in the sense of restore:
Psalm 103:5; 104:30; Lamentations 5:21. Josephus applies it to the
renovation of the Temple!
But what is meant by "renewing unto repentance"? "To be `renewed' is a
figurative expression for denoting a change, a great change, and a
change for the better. To be `renewed' so as to change a person's mind
is expressive of an important and advantageous alteration of opinion,
and character and service. And such an alteration the persons referred
to had undergone at a former period. They were once in a state of
ignorance respecting the doctrines and evidences of Christianity, and
they had been `enlightened'. They had once known not of the excellency
and beauty of Christian truth, and they had been made to `taste of the
heavenly gift'. They once misunderstood the prophecies respecting the
Messiah, and were unaware of their fulfillment, and, of course, were
strangers to that energetic influence which the New Testament
revelation puts forth; and they had been made to see that that `good
word' was fulfilled, and had been made partakers of the external
privileges and been subjected to the peculiar energies of the new
order of things. Their view, and feelings, and circumstances, were
materially changed. How great the difference between an ignorant,
bigoted Jew, and the person described in the preceding passage! He had
become as it were a different man. He had not, indeed, become, in the
sense of the apostle, a `new creature', His mind had not been so
changed as unfeignedly to believe `the truth as it is in Jesus'; but
still, a great and so far as it went, a thorough change had taken
place" (Dr. J. Brown).
Now it is impossible to "renew again unto repentance" those who have
totally abandoned the Christian revelation. Some things are
"impossible" with respect unto the nature of God, as that He cannot
lie, or pardon sin without satisfaction to His justice. Other things
which are possible to God's nature are rendered "impossible" by His
decrees or purpose: see 1 Samuel 15:28, 29. Still other things are
"possible" or "impossible" with respect to the rule or order of all
things God has appointed. For example, there cannot be faith apart
from hearing the Word (Rom. 10:13-17). "When in things of duty God
hath neither expressed command thereon, nor appointed means for the
performance of them, they are to be looked upon then as impossible
[as, for instance, there is no salvation apart from repentance, Luke
13:3. (A.W.P.)]; and then, with respect unto us, they are so
absolutely, and so to be esteemed. And this is the `impossibility'
here principally intended. It is a thing that God hath neither
commanded us to endeavor, nor appointed means to attain it, nor
promise to assist us in it. It is therefore that which we have no
reason to look after, attempt, or expect, as being not possible by any
law, rule, or constitution of God.
"The apostle instructs us no further in the nature of future events
but as our own duty is concerned in them. It is not for us either to
look or hope, or pray for, or endeavor the restoration of such persons
unto repentance. God gives a law unto us in these things, not unto
Himself. It may be possible with God, for aught we know, if there be
not a contradiction in it unto any of the holy properties of His
nature; only He will not have us to expect any such thing from Him,
nor hath He appointed any means for us to endeavor it. What He shall
do we ought trustfully to accept; but our own duty toward such persons
is absolutely at an end. And indeed, they put themselves wholly out of
our reach" (Dr. John Owen).
It needs to be carefully observed that in the whole of this passage
from Hebrews 5:11 onwards the apostle is speaking of his own ministry.
In God's hands, His servants are instruments by which He works and
through whom He accomplishes His evangelical purpose. Thus Paul could
properly say "I have begotten you through the gospel" (1 Cor. 4:15).
And again, "My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until
Christ be formed in you" (Gal. 4:19). So the servants of God had,
through the preaching of the Gospel, "renewed unto repentance" those
spoken of in Hebrews 6:4. But they had apostatised; they had totally
repudiated the Gospel. It was therefore "impossible" for the servants
of God to "renew them again unto repentance", for the all-sufficient
reason that they had no other message to proclaim to them. They had no
other Gospel in reserve, no further motives to present. Christ
crucified had been set before them. Him they now denounced as an
Imposter. There was "none other name" whereby they could be saved.
Their public renunciation of Christ rendered their case hopeless so
far as God's servants were concerned. "Let them alone" (Matthew 15:19)
was now their orders: compare Jude 22. Whether or not it was possible
for God, consistently with His holiness, to shame them, our passage
does not decide.
"Seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh" (verse 6).
This is brought in to show the aggravation of their awful crime and
the impossibility of their being renewed again unto repentance. By
renouncing their Christian profession they declared Christ to be an
Imposter. Thus they were irreclaimable. To attempt any further
reasoning with them, would only be casting pearls before swine. With
this verse should be carefully compared the parallel passage in
Hebrews 10:26-29. These apostates had "received the knowledge of the
truth", though not a saving knowledge of it. Afterward they sinned
"wilfully": there was a deliberate and open disavowal of the truth.
The nature of their particular sin is termed a "treading under foot
the Son of God (something which no real Christian ever does) and
counting (esteeming) the blood of the covenant an unholy thing", that
is, looking upon the One who hung on the Cross as a common malefactor.
For such there "remaineth no more sacrifice for sins". Their case is
hopeless so far as man is concerned; and the writer believes, such are
abandoned by God also.
"Seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him
to an open shame". "They thus identify themselves with His
crucifiers--they entertained and avowed sentiments which were He on
earth and in their power, would induce them to crucify Him. They
exposed Him to infamy, made a public example of Him. They did more to
dishonor Jesus Christ than His murderers did. They never professed to
acknowledge His divine mission; but these apostates had made such a
profession--they had made a kind of trial of Christianity, and, after
trial, had rejected it" (Dr. J. Brown).
Such a warning was needed and well calculated to stir up the slothful
Hebrews. Under the Old Testament economy, by means of types and
prophecies, they had obtained glimmerings of truth as to Christ,
called "the word of the beginning of Christ". Under those shadows and
glimmerings they had been reared, not knowing their full import till
they had been blessed with the full light of the Gospel, here called
"perfection". The danger to which they were exposed was that of
receding from the ground where Christianity placed them, and relaxing
to Judaism. To do so meant to re-enter that House which Christ had
left "desolate" (Matthew 23:38), and would be to join forces with His
murderers, and thus "crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh", and
by their apostasy "put Him to an open (public) shame". We may add that
the Greek word here for "crucify" is a stronger one than is generally
used: it means to "crucify up". Attention is thus directed to the
erection of the cross on which the Savior was held up to public scorn.
Taking the passage as a whole, it needs to be remembered that all who
had professed to receive the Gospel were not born of God: the parable
of the Sower shows that. Intelligence might be informed, conscience
searched, natural affections stirred, and yet there be "no root" in
them. All is not gold that glitters. There has always been a "mixt
multitude" (Ex. 12:38) who accompany the people of God. Moreover,
there is in the real Christian the old heart, which is "deceitful
above all things and desperately wicked", and therefore is he in
constant need of faithful warning. Such, God has given in every
dispensation: Genesis 2:17; Leviticus 26:15, 16; Matthew 3:8; Romans
11:21; 1 Corinthians 10:12.
Finally, let it be said that while Scripture speaks plainly and
positively of the perseverance of the saints, yet it is a perseverance
of saints, not unregenerate professors. Divine preservation is not
only in a safe state, but also in a holy course of disposition and
conduct. We are "kept by the power of God through faith". We are kept
by the Spirit working in us a spirit of entire dependency, renouncing
our own wisdom and strength. The only place from which we cannot fall
is one down in the dust. It is there the Lord brings His own people,
weaning them from all confidence in the flesh, and giving them to
experience that it is when they are weak they are strong. Such, and
such only, are saved and safe forever.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 25
The Twofold Working of the Spirit
(Hebrews 6:4-6)
__________________________________________
In our last article we attempted little more than an explication of
the terms used in Hebrews 6:4-6. Lack of space prevented us from
throwing upon these verses the light which other portions of God's
Word affords, yet this is necessary if we are to form anything like a
true and adequate conception of the particular characters which are
there in view. One chief reason why students of Scripture continue to
experience difficulty in ascertaining the meaning of any verse
therein, is because they fail to prayerfully and patiently compare
"spiritual things with spiritual" (1 Cor. 2:13). All of us are in far
too much a hurry, and for this reason miss the best of what God has
provided--true both of temporal and spiritual things. Probably few of
our readers considered that we had succeeded in clearing away all the
difficulties raised by this solemn passage, therefore the need of a
further article thereon.
On the present occasion we propose to take up our passage more from a
topical viewpoint than an expository, seeking (as God may be pleased
to graciously enable) to open up more fully that in it which has
caused the most trouble, namely, the precise relation of the Holy
Spirit to the characters therein mentioned. They who "fall away" and
whom it is "impossible to renew again unto repentance", are said to
have been "made partakers of the Holy Spirit". We ask now, On what has
the Spirit wrought? What was the character of His work toward them?
How had they been made "partakers" of Him? To what extent? This leads
us to point out that Scripture reveals a twofold working of God's
Spirit with men: with the elect, and with the non-elect. It is of the
latter we shall here treat.
Concerning the Spirit's work with the non-elect, we begin by
enquiring, Upon what does He work? We answer, Upon the faculties of
men's souls. First, He works upon the understanding. There are in all
men natural faculties of understanding, will, and affection. A man
could not love God unless he had in him the faculty of affection--a
stone could never love God! So a man could never understand spiritual
things unless he had the faculty of understanding. With the elect, the
Holy Spirit "renews" the understanding (Rom. 12:2 compared with Titus
3:5); but with the non-elect, He only enlightens or educates it. The
understanding of fallen and unregenerate men, which is enlightened by
the Spirit, is capable of knowing, in some measure, both the Godhead,
and parts of His law. Let us give Scripture proof of this.
In Romans 1:18 we read of men who "hold the truth in unrighteousness",
and what is there referred to is explained in what follows: "Because
that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath
showed unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of
the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are
made: His eternal power and Godhead" (verses 19, 20). The reference
there, as the later verses show, is to the Heathen. Now what we would
press upon the attention of the reader is, that in addition to poor
fallen nature, God has granted to men a manifestation of Himself; that
which "may be known of God", which He "hath showed unto them". It is
not merely that creation reveals a Creator, but that the Creator has
revealed Himself--"when they knew God" (verse 21), and that must have
been by the Spirit's enlightening their natural understanding.
Again, in Romans 2:14, 15 we read, "For when the Gentiles, which have
not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these,
having not the law are a law unto themselves: Which show the work of
the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing
witness". The Holy Spirit is speaking here of men according to
"nature", not grace. In his natural heart there is written "the work
of the law"--by whom but by the finger of God! Except for this, man
would be destitute of moral light, for the Fall robbed him of all
light.
The understanding in man, or the principle of reason, may, by
education and contact with others, be developed to a considerable
extent, so that a man may become exceeding wise; nevertheless, his
knowledge and wisdom is only natural, even though his understanding be
exercised upon supernatural objects. But let now the light of reason
and the light of conscience be brought to the Scriptures for
instruction, and man's knowledge will be much further increased, yet
still his light is but natural, it rises not to the level of what
grace produces. Proof of this is seen in the case of the Jews:
"Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy
boast of God; and knowest His will, and approvest the things that are
more excellent, being instructed out of the law; and are confident
that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are
in darkness" (Rom. 2:17-19). How like thousands of unregenerate souls
in Christendom today!
From the last-quoted passage we learn what is the effect of the light
of nature (reason) being brought to the law of God: it is increased
and improved. As we have seen above, a man has some light by nature
that there is a God; let that light be brought to Scripture, and he
becomes "confident" there is. A man by nature has some light about the
duties which God requires of him; let him bring that light to the
Scriptures and he will have "the form (systematized) of knowledge, and
of the truth in the law" (Rom. 2:20). When the understanding of the
natural man is illumined by the Scriptures, his light is both ratified
and added unto, yet is it still natural light which he has; it is but
the educating of his natural reason.
Second, the Holy Spirit works upon the affections of the natural man.
There is in fallen man a natural devotion to a deity. This is
evidenced by the fact that practically all of the heathen worship some
god or other. In Acts 13:50 we read of "devout women" being stirred up
against Paul and Barnabas: they had a devotion in them which is common
to mankind. Now let men bring their natural devotion to the Scriptures
and they will come to know of the true God, and learn to reverence Him
too; yet is that only nature improved. Through the Word, the Holy
Spirit may (usually, does) convince its reader that the Maker of
heaven and earth is the true God, and therefore worthy of honor and
homage. The fact is, though very few indeed recognize it, the
identical principle which causes a Hindu to worship Buddha, causes the
Anglo-Saxon to worship the Father of Jesus Christ.
Again; there is in every sinner the natural recognition that his sins
deserve eternal death, and that God, unless He be appeased, will
punish him. Doubtless many of our readers will feel inclined to call
into question this last statement; let our appeal again be to the Word
of Truth. There we read, "Who, knowing the judgment of God, that they
might commit such things are worthy of death" (Rom. 1:32). That, be it
noted, is said of the heathen. No bring one having such knowledge to
the law of God, and what will follow? This, "But we are sure that the
judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such
things" (Rom. 2:2). There it is the Jews speaking. The natural man
enlightened from the Word has his conviction deepened.
Again, if a man is conscious of his sins, and realizes that the
justice of God calls for their punishment, is it not natural for him
to think next of a mediator, to desire someone to intercede for him
with God? Such a concept is by no means a sure evidence of
regeneration. This too is found in mere nature. Every heathen
religion, with the propitiatory offerings which are brought to their
gods, exemplifies it. Romanism with its mediating priests demonstrates
the same fact in this land. Illustrations are also to be found in the
Holy Scriptures. When Pharaoh was convicted of his sins, he entreated
Moses to intercede for him (Ex. 10:16, 17). So too wicked Simon Magus
desired Peter to pray for him (Acts 8:24).
Once more; there is in the heart of every natural man a desire for
happiness, and for a greater happiness than this poor world can
provide. It is plainly evident that man rests not in anything down
here, for like a bee which goes from one flower to another, so the
heart of man cannot be satisfied with any earthly object. When Balaam
saw the blessedness of God's people, he exclaimed, "Let me die the
death of the righteous" (Num. 23:10). The most abandoned wretch does
not want to go to hell, and to the very end he hopes that he will be
taken to heaven.
So, likewise, is the matter of believing that a man really is a child
of God. There is such self-love and self-flattery in the fallen heart
that if an unregenerate man hears, out of the Word of God, the good
news that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, he at once
concludes that he is the man God will honor, as wicked Haman imagined
that he was the man king Ahasuerus would honor. So when the Holy
Spirit has terrified a man's conscience, by giving it a sight of sin
before a holy God, when he learns about remission of sins through
Christ, he at once fondly imagines that his own sins are pardoned.
Alas, in the vast majority of cases it has to be said, "the pride of
thine heart hath deceived thee" (Obad. 3).
Now let us take note of how the Holy Spirit may work upon there
natural principles of the human soul, mightily raising them, and yet
not changing a man's heart. Just as the rays of the sun shining upon
plants in a garden adds no new nature to them, but serves to aid their
best development, so the Holy Spirit when He deals with the reprobate
communicates nothing new to them, yet raises their natural faculties
to their highest point. The principles or faculties of man's soul are
capable of being wrought upon without the impartation of regenerating
grace. As we have seen, man's understanding is illuminated by the
light of conscience, but let the Holy Spirit--without imparting a new
eye--still further enlighten that conscience, bring before it the
exalted claims of the thrice holy God, and its knowledge will be
greatly increased. Nevertheless, this educated conscience falls far
below the level of the spiritual discernment possessed by one who has
been brought out of death into life. Let us particularize:
1. The Spirit restrains the Corruptions of men.
In Genesis 20:6 we read of how God bound the lust of Abimeleck when
Sarah was at his mercy, "I also withheld thee from sinning against Me:
therefore suffered I thee not to touch her". So in 2 Peter 2:20 we
read of some "having escaped the pollutions of the world through the
knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ", yet from what follows
in the next two verses it is clear they were never regenerated. There
the apostle uses the similitude of a sow being washed from her filth,
and being kept for a while, after she is washed, from going back again
into the mire; yet is there no changing or "renewing" of the swine's
nature.
Contrast now what is said of the Lord's people in 2 Peter 1:3, 4,
"According as His Divine power hath given unto us all things pertain
unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that that hath
called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding
great and precious promises; that by these ye might be partakers of
the Divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world
through lust". In 2 Peter 2:20, the Greek word for the "pollutions" of
the world, signifies the gross and outward defilements into which the
irreligious run; but in 2 Peter 1:4, the regenerated are said to have
escaped "the corruption" that is in the world through lust or
"desire", i.e. the inward disposition toward evil. Moreover, the
Lord's people are made "partakers of the Divine nature", which means,
the Divine image is stamped upon them: "life and godliness" are seen
in them.
Again; in the similitude used in 2 Peter 2:20, the apostle likens
those who have known "the way of righteousness" to a dog that has been
made sick, but which turns to its own vomit again. The figure is very
striking and forcible. When the Holy Spirit brings the Word of God to
bear upon an unregenerate man's conscience, he is made sick at heart.
Of Christians it is said, "For ye have not received the Spirit of
bondage again to fear" (Rom. 8:15), but to the non-elect He often
becomes a Spirit of "bondage" by binding their sins upon their
conscience. Whereas before they had a glimmering light that the
judgment of God is against sinners, their conscience now is set on
fire, and the temporary consequence is that sins are refused with
loathing, vomited out. Yet, like a dog, such a one loves them still,
and ultimately returns thereto.
2. The Spirit causes men to turn naturally toward the Redeemer.
When conscience is wrought upon by a few sparks of God's wrath falling
upon it, what saith the soul next? This, O for a physician! There is,
as we have pointed out above, a natural principle in men which causes
them to make use of a mediator unto God--a witch-doctor, a priest, or
a preacher, as the case may be. Now a man who has lived under the
sound of the Gospel learns that Christ is the one Mediator. Scriptural
education has taught him this, just as the heathen education teaches a
Turk that Mahomet is the one mediator. And, by the same principle that
Agrippa believed Moses and the prophets, the unregenerate "Christian"
(?) believes in Christ. Nay further, the light of the Spirit shining
upon him, as the sun on the plants, develops his natural understanding
and causes him to now remember that Redeemer which before he ignored.
A scripture clearly to the point of what we have just said above is
Psalm 78:34, 35, "When He slew them, then they sought Him: and they
returned and enquired early after God. And they remembered that God
was their Rock, and the high God their Redeemer". Yet what immediately
follows? This, "Nevertheless they did flatter Him with their mouth".
And what signifies this "flattering"? Why, they sought Him merely out
of self-love, simply because they felt their very lives were in
imminent danger. There is a seeking out of friendship, out of love to
the object. But if one seek unto an enemy because he hath need of him,
that is but "flattery" or self-love. So if sinful man feels he is in
extremity, if his conscience remains sick, mere nature will call for
the Physician.
Self-love is the predominant principle in the natural man: he loves
himself more than he loves God; it is this which lies at the root of
depravity and sin. Now when a man's conscience is convicted so that he
perceives his need of a physician, and recognizes that happiness comes
from Christ, such good news appeals to his self-love. Satan, who knows
human nature so well was right when he said, "skin for skin yea, all
that a man hath will he give for his life" (Job 2:4). Make the
self-love of the natural man conscious of the wrath of God, and he is
ready to "accept Christ", or do anything else which the preacher bids
him; yet that is only the workings of nature, he is still
unregenerate.
When the storm arose and threatened to sink the ship in which Jonah
lay asleep we read, "Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every
man unto his god"; then the captain awoke Jonah and said. "Arise, call
upon thy God, if so be God will think upon us that we perish not"
(Heb. 1:5,6). So a conscience terrified by the prospect of Hell, will
cause a man to seek Christ after a natural way. It is but the instinct
of self-preservation at work. Add to this, the craving for happiness
which self-love ever seeks, and hearing that such happiness is to be
found only in Christ, little wonder that multitudes seek Him now for
what they can get from Him, as of old they sought Him for the sake of
the loaves and fishes.
In John 6:33, we are told that Christ announced, "For the bread of God
is He which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world".
What was their response? This, "Then they said unto Him, Lord,
evermore give us this bread". Yet their eager request sprang not from
a renewed heart, but from the corrupt spring of self-love. Proof of
this is found in the immediate sequel. In verse 36 the Lord tells them
plainly, ye "believe not". In verse 41 we are told that they "murmured
at Him". Yet that very same people said to the Lord, "Evermore give us
this Bread"! Ah, all is not gold that glitters.
An enlightened understanding, moved by self-love, is prepared to take
up Divine duties never practiced before, yea, to walk in the
commandments of God. This was demonstrated plainly at Sinai. When
Jehovah appeared before Israel in His awesome majesty, and their
conscience was smitten by His manifested holiness, they said to Moses,
"Go thou near, and hear all that the Lord our God shall say; and speak
thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee; and we
will hear and do". They were prepared to receive and obey the Lord's
statutes. Yet mark what God said of them, "Oh, that there were such a
heart in them, that they would fear Me, and keep all My commandments
always". They still lacked the principle of regeneration!
3. The Spirit elevates the natural faculties of man.
Just as the shining of the sun causes plants to grow higher and fruits
to be sweeter than would be the case were the heavens to remain cloudy
and overcast, so the Spirit works upon the faculties of the
unregenerate and causes them to bring forth that which left to
themselves they would not produce. Or, just as fire will raise the
temperature and level of water, causing it to bubble up and ascend in
steam, though the principle of heat is in the fire and not in the
water, for when the fire is withdrawn the water returns to its natural
coldness again; so the Spirit enlightens the understandings of the
non-elect, stirs their affections, and moves their wills to action,
without communicating a new principle to them, without regenerating
them.
He elevates the understanding. In Numbers 24:2 we read that the Spirit
of God came upon Balaam, the consequence of which he has told us: "The
man who had his eyes shut, but now opened, hath said: he hath said,
which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty,
falling but having his eyes opened: How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob,
thy tabernacles, O Israel!" (verses 3-5). Thus Balaam had a vision of
the Almighty, and perceived the blessed estate of His people; yet was
he still unregenerate!
He elevates the affections. In 1 Samuel 11:1-3 we read of how the
enemies of Jehovah insulted His people. Then we are told, "And the
Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard these tidings, and his
anger was kindled greatly" (verse 6). That was holy indignation, yet
it proceeded from a reprobate! As the winds blowing upon the sea will,
at times, raise its waters to a great height, so the Spirit, under a
faithful sermon, will blow upon the affections of the unregenerate,
and elevate them to nobler objects and occupations. Yet, He stops
short of making them new creatures in Christ Jesus.
Again; as we have seen, there is in man a natural desire for real
happiness, hence, when Christ is presented in the Gospel, many receive
Him "with joy"; yet, are they, for the most part, but stony-ground
hearers, destitute of any root of vital godliness (Matthew 13:20, 21).
Nature may be so raised by the light which the Holy Spirit brings to
it, that unregenerate men may taste of the heavenly gift, Christ, see
John 4:10. So too they are enabled to taste of the "powers of the
world to come". As in their conscience, they get a taste of Hell, and
so know for a certainty that there is a Hell, the same natural
principle which desires a happiness which is beyond this world, is
confirmed and comforted when they have a "taste" of what belongs to
the world to come.
He elevates the will and sets it to work in the way of obedience to
God. The Holy Spirit is the Author of all moral and civil
righteousness which there is in the world. The Lord stirred up the
spirit of Cyrus to issue a proclamation for the building of His house
(Ezra 1:1, 2); and He also moved Caiaphas to prophesy of Christ (John
11:51). Of wicked Herod we read that, when he heard John "he did many
things, and heard him gladly" (Mark 6:20). And God will be no man's
Debtor: every act of obedience, performed by him in obedience to His
Word, shall be rewarded: a temporary joy shall be the portion of such.
The tragic thing is that so many conclude from such an experience that
they are in a state of grace, and therefore become loud in their
professions of assurance, being fully persuaded that they are really
born-again persons.
Now we trust that what has been said will enable some of our readers
to understand the better what is found in Hebrews 6:4-6. One eminent
commentator suggested that these verses describe neither the
regenerate nor the unregenerate, but a third condition, midway
between; because there must be a third state between that of mere
nature and that of supernatural grace. Nor are we at all surprised
that he arrived at this conclusion. Few indeed have perceived the
force of 1 Corinthians 12:6, "And there are diversities of operations,
but it is the same God which worketh all in all".
There are operations of the Spirit upon men's hearts which are above
nature, which are works of Divine power, which produces that in and
from unregenerate men which leads multitudes of them to fondly imagine
that they have been actually born again, and yet this work of the
Spirit falls far short of that "exceeding greatness of His power to
us-ward who believe" (Eph. 1:19). Hebrews 6:4-6 supplies a most
striking example of this, for there we have men who are made
"partakers of the Holy Spirit". There we see a work which is above
nature, for they taste of the "heavenly Gift". It is a work of power,
for they taste of the "powers of the world to come". As 1 Corinthians
12:4 tells us, "There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit".
And why is this? 1 Corinthians 12:11 answers, "But all these worketh
that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as
He will": He proportions His power as He pleases, to an inferior or a
superior work. Note carefully, there are "good gifts" from above, as
well as "perfect gifts" (James 1:17)!
Of old Jehovah said, "My Spirit shall not always strive with man"
(Gen. 6:3). There we find the Spirit putting forth power upon man, for
He "strives" with him; yet, not in the fullness of His power, or it
had not been resisted. In other cases He puts forth power and men
yield thereto (as did Balaam), yet is that power simply directed to
the winding up of man's natural faculties to their greatest height,
and comes far short of regenerating them. This is clearly illustrated
in the parable of the Sower. There is the stony-ground hearer, who
received the Word with joy, yet falls away in time of persecution.
There is also the thorny-ground hearer, who withstands persecution,
and brings forth fruit, yet not "to perfection". And both of them
represent unregenerate souls.
And why does God put forth His power upon the reprobate, yet not the
"exceeding greatness" of His power? God has seen well to test men in
various ways. First, He gave them the light of nature, the work of the
law written in their hearts, augmented by the light of conscience--a
light which enabled men to know there was a God and of their duties
toward Him. And Socrates, who knew nothing of the Scriptures, went so
far as to die for the truth that there was One God. But this light of
nature did not regenerate men, nor enable them to bring forth the
fruit of the Spirit.
Again; He tried the Jews with His Law. He would make it evident how
far the light of nature, improved by the light of His Law, would go.
And let it not be forgotten that of Israel under the Law it is said.
"Thou gavest also Thy good Spirit to instruct them" (Nehemiah 9:20).
Nevertheless, the law was "weak through the flesh" (Rom. 8:3): it
could not bring forth that which was truly spiritual. And just as God
gave Socrates as the highest product of what the light of nature could
produce, so He gave Saul of Tarsus--a man who walked blamelessly
(Phil. 3:6)--as the highest product under the Law.
But now He is trying men with the Gospel, to show how far human nature
as such can go. That Gospel is accompanied with the Spirit, and
Hebrews 6:4-6 shows us the highest point which can be attained under
it, by man in the flesh. He may be enlightened, renewed unto
repentance, enjoy the Word of God, be made a partaker of the Holy
Spirit, and yet apostatize and perish forever. So too the same
characters are said to have "done despite unto the Spirit of grace"
(Heb. 10:26). The tragic thing is that the vast majority in
Christendom look upon these inferior workings of the Spirit as
evidence of His new-creating grace.
And what, we may enquire, is God's purpose in these secondary
operations of His Spirit? It is manifold. We can barely mention the
leading designs. First, it is to exhibit the excellency of Grace.
Every thing in nature hath either its counterfeit or counterfoil. If
there are stationary stars, there are also shooting stars. If there
are precious stones, there are pebbles which closely resemble yet
differ widely from them. The one serves to set off the other. So there
is a natural faith--"Many believed in His name when they saw the
miracles which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself unto them"
(John 2:23, 24); "The demons believe" (James 2:19)--and there is a
supernatural faith, "the faith of God's elect" (Titus 1:1), called
"precious faith" (2 Pet. 1:1)! So there are common operations of the
Spirit, and special operations; inferior workings upon the flesh, and
superior workings that beget "spirit" (John 3:6). By virtue of this
contrast, God says to each of His elect, See how much I have wrought
on mere nature in the reprobate! yet it was not grace; I might have
done no more for you, but I showed the "exceeding greatness of My
power" (Eph. 1:19) toward you.
Second, to show the depravity of human nature. No matter under what
trial God places man, that which is born of the flesh remains naught
but flesh. The Law was weak through the flesh; so too is the Gospel,
notwithstanding the shining of God's Spirit upon men. The conscience
may be convicted, the understanding enlightened, the affections
raised, and the will moved, yet it still remains true that "every man
at his best state is altogether vanity" (Ps. 39:5). Men may be
instructed in the truth, believe in the living God, "accept Christ as
their personal Savior", contend for the faith once delivered to the
saints, and pass among men for devout Christians, yet be no better
than "whited sepulchers, full of dead men's bones".
Third, to place bounds upon sin. The general workings of God's Spirit
upon the reprobate serve to curb the risings of man's corrupt nature.
As it is His presence here upon earth which hinders the full
manifestation of the mystery of iniquity in the appearing of the
anti-Christ (2 Thess. 2), so His operations upon the non-elect prevent
many outbursts of wickedness. In the time of Israel's apostasy the
Holy Spirit (the "glory") withdrew gradually, stage by stage (Ezek.
11), so as the apostasy of Christendom increases, the restraining
operations of the Spirit are decreasing and hence the rising tide of
lawlessness.
Fourth, to afford protection for the elect. God's flock is only "the
little" one (Luke 12:32), very, very much smaller than is commonly
supposed. Christ Himself declared that only "FEW" are in the Narrow
Way which leadeth "unto life" (Matthew 7:14). Nor must Revelation 7:9
be made to contradict these clear passages; instead, the "great
multitude which no man could number" is to be compared with and
interpreted by the expressions found in Judges 6:5, 7:12; 2 Chronicles
12:3; Joel 1:6. Now suppose that only the elect had been reformed by
the Gospel, and all the rest of the world had remained in utter enmity
against it, then the fruits of the Gospel had been too bare, being
without leaves. The leaves of a tree, though not fit for the table,
are serviceable to the fruit, and ornamental to the tree, for without
them the fruit would be exposed to ripen on bare twigs.
An acknowledgement of the doctrine of the Gospel, where it is not
accompanied by regeneration of heart, may indeed be suitably compared
to the leaves of a tree which shelter and protect the fruit. Thus they
are serviceable, though not valuable in God's account. The leaf of the
vine does more good to the grapes against a scorching sun, than the
leaf of any other fruit tree--how much we may learn from God's
creatures if only we have eyes to see! So God's elect have been
outwardly shaded by the multitude of nominal Christians around them.
For this we may well thank the kind providence of our Lord. Moreover,
God has rewarded the doctrinal faith of the great crowd of
unregenerate professors by preserving our public liberties, which the
little handful of the regenerate could never, humanly speaking, have
enjoyed, without the others.
Again; the operations of the Spirit upon the reprobate have shamed the
wicked, increased sobriety, promoted morality, and caused nominal
professors to support externally the preaching of the Gospel, the
carrying on of the ministry, and thus providing for the benefit of
common hearers. This is all useful in its season, but will reap no
reward in eternity. The writer most seriously doubts if there be a
single church on earth today, having in it sufficient of God's elect
to support a preacher, were all the unregenerate in it excluded. Yea,
most probably, most of God's own sent-servants, would be so completely
dismayed if they could but see into the hearts of those who have a
name to live and are dead, that they would be in despair. Yet though
we cannot see into the hearts of professors, we can form an accurate
idea of what is in them, for "out of the abundance of the heart the
mouth speaketh". And the worldliness and emptiness of the ordinary
speech of the majority shows plainly Who is not in their hearts.
We sincerely trust and earnestly pray that it may please our God to
strike terror into the souls of many who read this article, that their
false peace may be disturbed, and their worthless profession be
exposed. Should some of the more thoughtful exclaim with the apostles,
"Who then can be saved"? we answer in the words of our Lord, "With men
this is impossible" (Matthew 19:26). Conclusive proof is this, my
reader, that no sinner can be saved by any act of his own; and
faithfulness requires us to tell you frankly that if your hope of
Heaven is resting upon your act of "accepting Christ", then your house
is built upon the sand. But blessed be His name, the Redeemer went on
to say, "But with God all things are possible". "Salvation is of the
Lord" (Jon. 2:9), not of the creature (Rom. 9:16). Then marvel not
that Christ said, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the
kingdom of God" (John 3:3).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 26
The Two Classes of Professors
(Hebrews 6:7,8)
__________________________________________
Our preceding article was entitled "The Twofold Working of the
Spirit". This was suggested by the contents of the first six verses of
Hebrews 6. In them we find persons belonging to two entirely different
classes are spoken of. The former, one in whom a work of Divine grace
had been wrought, effectually applying to them the "great salvation"
of God. The latter, one upon whom a work of Divine grace was also
wrought, transforming its objects to a considerable degree, yet
falling short of actually regenerating them. "The Lord is good to all:
and His tender mercies are over all His works" (Ps. 145:9), but the
richness of His "mercy" is reserved for the objects of His great love
(Eph. 2:4). So too God puts forth His power in varying degrees,
proportioned to the work which He has before Him. Thus, Christ
referred to His casting out of demons "with the finger of God" (Luke
11:20). Speaking to Israel, Moses said, "With a strong hand hath the
Lord brought thee out of Egypt" (Ex. 13:9). When referring to the
amazing miracle of the Divine incarnation Mary said, "He hath showed
strength with His arm" (Luke 1:51). But when Paul prayed that God
would enlighten His saints to apprehend His stupendous miracle of
grace in salvation, it was that they might know "the exceeding
greatness of His power to us-ward".
God's power was put forth and is displayed in the natural creation
(Rom. 1:20). It will be made known in Hell, upon the vessels of wrath
fitted to destruction (Rom. 9:22). It is exercised upon the reprobate
in this life (in some more than in others, according to His sovereign
pleasure) in subduing their corruptions, restraining their sins,
reforming their characters, causing them to receive the doctrine of
the Gospel. But the greatest excellency and efficacy of His power is
reserved for His beloved people. His power toward them is such that it
exceedeth all our thoughts: "Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding
abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that
worketh in us" (Eph. 3:20).
The recognition of only one of the two distinct operations of God's
Spirit upon men has divided theologians into two opposing camps. On
the one hand, are the Arminians, who insist that Scripture teaches a
common grace of God toward all men, a grace which may be despised. So
far they are right, for Jude 4 expressly speaks of a class who turn
"the grace of our God into lasciviousness". But they err when they
teach there is no special grace, which is always efficacious upon
those in whom it works. On the other side, the majority of modem
Calvinists (the older ones did not) deny a common grace of God to all
men, and insist in distinguishing grace to the elect only. In this
they are wrong, and hence their unsatisfactory interpretations of
Hebrews 6:4-6 and 10:26.
Now as we have shown in our last article, James 1:17 tells us "Every
good gift and every perfect gift is from above" etc. Two distinct
"gifts" are here referred to. Scripture draws a clear line of
distinction between that which God calls "good", and that which He
designates "perfect". The main difference between them being that,
usually, "good" is applied to something which is temporal, "perfect"
to that which is spiritual. The operations of the Spirit upon the
non-elect produces that which is "good", that which accomplishes a
useful purpose in time, that which is serviceable to God's elect. But
His operations upon the children of God produces that which is
"perfect", i.e. spiritual, supernatural, eternal. The difference
between these two classes and their relation to God in time, was
clearly foreshadowed in the Old Testament. The commonwealth of Israel
was the type of Christendom as a whole; the "remnant according to the
election of grace" in Israel (Rom. 11:5), represented the regenerated
people of God now. Hence in both the Tabernacle and the Temple there
were two distinct grades of worshippers; so there are today. Those who
are merely nominal Christians are the outer-court worshippers; the
regenerated Christians, who have been made "kings and priests unto
God" (Rev. 1:6), worship in the holy place (Heb. 10:19). Both classes
are contemplated in Hebrews 6.
In the short passage which is to be before us on this present
occasion, the apostle sums up and makes a searching application of all
that he has been writing about in the preceding verses, and this in
the form of a parable or similitude. In the context two different
classes of people are viewed, though at first it is by no means easy
to distinguish between them, the reason for this being that they have
so much in common. They had both enjoyed the same external privileges,
had been enlightened under the same Gospel ministry, had alike been
made "partakers of the Holy Spirit", and had all made a good
profession. Yet, of the second class it had to be said, as Christ said
to the young ruler, "One thing thou lackest", namely, the shedding
abroad of God's love in their hearts, evidenced by leaving all and
following Christ.
The first class is addressed in the opening verses of our chapter,
where the apostle bids the truly regenerated people of God "Go on unto
perfection", i.e. having left the temporal shadows, seek to apprehend
that for which they had been apprehended--live in the power and
enjoyment of the spiritual, supernatural, and eternal. This, the
apostle had said, "will we do, if God permit" (verse 3). Divine
enablement was needed if they were to "possess their possessions"
(Obad. 1:17), for the regenerate are just as dependent upon God as are
the unregenerate. The second class are before us in verses 4-6, where
we have described the principal effects which the common operations of
the Spirit produce upon the natural faculties of the human soul.
Though those faculties be wound up to their highest pitch, yet the
music which they produce is earthly not heavenly, human not Divine,
fleshly not spiritual, temporal not eternal. Consequently, they are
still liable to apostatize, and even though they should not, they are
certain to perish eternally.
The apostle's design in this 6th chapter was to exhort the Hebrews to
progress in the Christian course (verses 1-3), and to persevere
therein (verses 12-20). The first exhortation is presented in verse 1
and qualified in verse 3. The motive to obedience is drawn from the
danger of apostacy: (verses 4-6, note the opening "for"). His purpose
in referring to this second class (of unregenerate professors, who
apostatize) was, to warn against the outcome of a continuance in a
state of slothfulness. Here in the similitude found in verses 6,7, he
continues and completes the same solemn line of thought, showing what
is the certain and fearful doom of all upon whom a regenerating work
of grace is not wrought. First, however, he describes the blessedness
of the true people of God.
"For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it and
bringeth forth herbs meet for them for whom it is dressed, receiveth
blessing from God; But that which beareth thorns and briers is
rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned" (verses
7,8). In taking up these verses we shall endeavor to give, first, an
interpretation of them; second, make an application of their contents.
The interpretation respects, in its direct and local reference the
Jews, or rather, two classes among the Jews; the application belongs
to all who come under the sound of the Gospel.
The two verses quoted above are designed to illustrate and confirm the
solemn admonition found in the six preceding verses, therefore are
they introduced with the word "for". In the context two classes of
people are in view, both of which were, according to the flesh, Jews.
This we have sought to establish in our previous expositions. With the
first class the apostle identified himself, note the "we" in verse 3;
from the second class Paul dissociates himself, note the words "those"
in verse 4 and "they" in verse 6. So, too, two different pieces of
ground are now described: first, fruitful ground, which depicts those
who have been truly regenerated, and who in consequence, had received
the Word into good and honest hearts. Second, unfruitful ground, which
represents that class against whose sin and doom the apostle was
warning the Hebrews; namely, those who, however great their privileges
and fair their professions, bring forth only thorns and briers, who,
being rejected by God, are overtaken with swift and terrible
destruction.
"For the earth which drinketh in the rain". The prime reference is to
the Jewish nation. They were God's vineyard (see Isaiah 5:7,8;
Jeremiah 2:21 etc.). It was unto them God had sent all His servants,
the prophets, and last of all His Son (see Matthew 21:35-37). The
"rain" here signifies the Word, or Doctrine which the Lord sent unto
Israel: "My doctrine shall drop as the rain" (Deut. 32:2 and cf.
Isaiah 55:10, 11). Note how when Ezekiel was to prophesy or preach,
his message would "drop" as the rain does (Ezek. 21:2 and cf. Amos
7:16). The figure is very beautiful. The rain is something which no
man can manufacture, nor is the Word of human origin. Rain comes down
from above, so is the Gospel a heavenly gift. The rain refreshes
vegetation, and causes it to grow, so too the Doctrine of God revives
His people and makes them fruitful. The rain quickens living seeds in
the ground, though it imparts no life to dead ones; so the Word is the
Spirit's instrument for quickening God's elect (John 3:5; James 1:18),
who previously had (federal) life in Christ.
There is nothing in nature that God assumes the more into His own
prerogative than the giving of rain. The first reference to it in
Scripture is as follows, "For the Lord God had not caused it to rain
upon the earth" (Gen. 2:5). All rain is from God, who gives or
withholds it at His pleasure. The sending of rain He appeals to as a
great pledge of His promises and goodness: "Nevertheless He left not
Himself without witness, in that He did good, and gave us rain from
heaven" etc. (Acts 14:17). Whatever conclusions men may draw from the
commonness of it, and however they may imagine they are acquainted
with its causes, nevertheless God distinguishes Himself from all the
idols of the world in that none of them can give rain: "Are there any
among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain?" (Jer. 14:22).
Hence the prophet said, "Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth
rain" (Jer. 5:24).
The high sovereignty of God is also exhibited in the manner of His
bestowal and non-bestowal of rain: "Also I have withholden the rain
from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I
caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon
another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereon it
rained not withered" (Amos 4:7). Thus it is absolutely in connection
with His providential sending of the Gospel to nations, cities, and
individuals: it is of God's disposal alone, and He exercises a
distinguishing authority thereon. "Now when they had gone throughout
Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy
Spirit to preach the Word in Asia, After they were come to Mysia, they
assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not" (Acts
16:6, 7). God sends His Gospel to one nation and not to another, to
one city and not to another--there are many large towns both in
England and the United States where there is no real Gospel preached
today--and at one season and not at another.
The natural is but a shadowing forth of the spiritual. What a contrast
was there between Egypt (figure of the world), and Canaan (type of the
Church)! "For the land, whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as
the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowedst thy
seed, and waterest with thy foot, as a garden of herbs. But the land,
whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and
drinketh water of the rain of heaven: A land which the Lord thy God
careth for; the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the
beginning of the year unto the end of the year... I will give you the
rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter
rain" (Deut. 11:11, 12, 14). Thus,--there were two special wet
seasons: the first in October (the beginning of Israel's year), when
their seed was cast into the ground: the other in March when their
corn was nearly grown. Hence we read, "Jordan overfloweth all his
banks all the time of harvest" (Josh. 3:15, and cf. 1 Chronicles
12:15). Besides these, were many "showers" (Ps. 65:10).
"The rain that cometh oft upon it". The reference is to the repeated
and frequent ministerial showers with which God visited Israel. To
them He had called, "O earth, earth, earth, hear the Word of the
Lord!" (Jer. 22:29). It was looking back to these multiplied servants
which Jehovah had sent to His ancient people that Christ said, "O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killest the prophets, and stonest them
which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children
together" (Matthew 23:37). This then was the "earth" in which were the
plants of God's husbandry.
In what follows to the end of the passage the apostle distributes the
plants into two classes: "herbs" (verse 7), "thorns and briers" (verse
8). The former, represent those who, having believed and obeyed the
Gospel, brought forth the fruits of practical godliness. These
constituted that "remnant according to the election of grace" (Rom.
11:5), which obtained mercy, when the rest of their brethren according
to the flesh were blinded. These still continued to be the vineyard of
the Lord, a field which He cared for. They formed the first Gospel
church, gathered out from the Hebrews, which brought forth fruit to
the glory of God, and was blessed by Him. The latter, were made up of
obstinate unbelievers on the one hand, who persistently rejected
Christ and His Gospel; and on the other hand, of those who embraced
the profession of the Gospel, but after a season returned again to
Judaism. These were rejected of God, fell under His curse and
perished.
"And bringeth forth herbs". Several have noted the close resemblance
which our present passage bears to the parable of the Sower, recorded
in the Gospels. There are some notable parallels between them; the one
of most importance being, to observe that in both places we have men
looked at, not from the standpoint of God's eternal counsels (as for
example, Ephesians 1:3-11), but according to human responsibility. The
earth which receives the rain, is a figure of the hearts and minds of
the Jews, to whom the Word of God had been sent, and to whom, in the
days of Christ and His apostles, the Gospel had been preached. So our
Lord compared His hearers unto several sorts of ground into which the
seed is cast--observe how the word "dressed" or "tilled" presupposes
the seed. What response, then, will the earth make to the repeated
rains? or, to interpret the figure, What fruit is brought forth by
those who heard the Gospel? That is the particular aspect of truth the
Holy Spirit here has before Him.
"And bringeth forth herbs". The verb here properly signifies the
bringing forth of a woman that hath conceived with child, cf. Luke
1:31. So here the earth is said to bring forth as from a womb
impregnated, the rains causing the seeds to issue in fruit. The Greek
word for "herbs" occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It appears
to be a general term for vegetables and cereals. It is found
frequently in the Sept. as the equivalent of the Hebrews "eseb", which
has the same extensive meaning. Now just as the cultivator of land has
a right to expect that, under the providential blessings of God, his
toils shall be rewarded, that the seed he has sown and the ground he
has tilled, should yield an increase, so had Jehovah the right to
expect fruit from Israel: "And He looked that it (His vineyard) should
bring forth grapes" (Isa. 5:4).
"Meet for them by whom it is dressed". The Greek may be rightly
rendered thus: equally so, as in the margin, "for whom" it is dressed:
either makes good sense. "By whom" would look to the actual
cultivator; "for whom," the proprietor. The apostle's design here is
to show the importance of making a proper use of receiving God's Word:
a "meet" or suitable response should be forthcoming. The ministry of
the Gospel tests the state of the hearts of those to whom it comes,
just as the fallen rain does the ground which receives it; tests it by
exhibiting its character from what is brought forth by it. As it is in
nature, so it is in grace; the more frequently the rain falls, and the
more the ground be cultivated, the better and heavier should be the
yield. Thus it is with God's elect. The more they sit under the
ministry of the Word, and the more they seek grace to improve what
they hear, the more fruit will they yield unto God. Thus it had been
with the godly in Israel.
"Receiveth blessing from God." The "blessing" here is not antecedent
in the communication of mercies, for that we have at the beginning of
the verse; rather is it a consequent upon the bringing forth of
"herbs" or fruit. What we have here is God's acceptation and
approbation, assuring His care unto a further improvement: "A vineyard
of red wine: I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment; lest
any hurt it, I will keep it night and day" (Isa. 27:2, 3). Three
things then are included in God's blessing of this fruitful field:
First, His owning of it: He is not ashamed to acknowledge it as His.
Second, His watch-care over it, His pruning of the branches that they
may bring forth more fruit (John 15:2). Third, His final preservation
of it from evil, as opposed to the destruction of barren ground. All
this was true of that part of Israel spoken of in Romans 11:5.
"But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected" (verse 8). It
is important to note that in the similitude there is a common subject
of the whole, which is then divided into two parts, with very
different events ascribed unto each. The common subject is "the
earth," of the nature whereof both parts are equally participant.
Originally, and naturally, they differ not. On this common subject, on
both parts or branches of it, the "rain" equally falls. And too both
are equally "dressed." The difference between them lies, first, in
what each part of "the earth" (Israel) produced; and secondly, God's
dealings with each part. As we have seen, the one part brought forth
"herbs" meet for the dresser or owner: a suitable response was made to
the rain given and the care expended upon it. The other, which we are
now to look at, is the very reverse.
"But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected." Everything
here is in sharp antithesis from the terms of the preceding verse.
There, the good ground, "bringeth forth", the Greek word signifying a
natural conception and production of anything in due order and season.
But the evil ground "beareth" thorns and briers, the Greek verb
signifying an unnatural and monstrous production, a casting out in
abundance of that which is not only without the use of means, but
actually against it. As God said of His Israelitish vineyard, "He
looketh that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild
grapes" (Isa. 5:2). The Greek for "thorns and briers" is identical
with the Sept. rendering of Genesis 3:18, which, in our Bibles, is
rendered, "thorns and thistles". Three thoughts seem suggested by the
term here given to the product of this evil ground. First, it brought
forth that which was of no profit to its owner, that which promoted
not the glory of God. Second, "thorns and briers" are of a hurtful and
noxious nature: see Ezekiel 28:24, etc. Third, these terms tell us
that all which is brought forth by the natural man is under the curse
of God: Genesis 3:18, 4:11, 12.
"But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected". Land which,
after cultivation, brings forth only such products, is abandoned by
the farmer as worthless. The Greek word here for "rejected", signifies
the setting aside as useless after trial has been made of a thing. The
application of it here is to by far the greater part of the Jewish
people. First, Christ had warned them "the kingdom of God shall be
taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits
thereof" (Matthew 21:43). Second, after their full and open rejection
of Himself and His Gospel, Christ told them, "Behold, your house is
left unto you desolate" (Matthew 23:38). Third, proof that the Nation
as a whole had been "rejected" by God, is found in Acts 2:40, when, on
the day of Pentecost, Peter bade the believing remnant, "Save
yourselves from this untoward generation".
"And is nigh unto cursing". This is in sharp contrast from what was
said of the good ground: "receiveth blessing from God". The word
"cursing" here, means, "given over to execration", or "devoted to
destruction". It was given over to be "burned", which, according to
the analogy of faith, means, it would be visited with Divine judgment.
Israel had become a barren tree, a cumberer of the ground, and the
word had gone forth, "Cut it down"(Luke 12:7, 9). Further proof that
Israel as a nation was given over to "execration", is found in the
solemn incident of Christ's cursing of the "fig tree" (Matthew 21:19),
figure of the Jews, see Matthew 24:32. True, a short respite had been
granted--another "year" (Luke 13:8)--hence the "nigh unto cursing".
"Whose end is to be burned". In Eastern lands, when a husbandman
discovers that a piece of ground is worthless, he neglects it,
abandons it. Next, he breaks down its fences, that it may be known it
is outside the bounds of his possession. Finally, he sets fire to its
weeds, to prevent their seeds being blown on to his good ground. Thus
it was with Israel. In the last chapter of Acts we see how the apostle
Paul warned the Jews how that God had set them aside (Acts 28:25-28),
and shortly after, the solemn words of Christ in Matthew 22:7 were
fulfilled, "He sent forth His armies, and destroyed those murderers,
and burned up their city".
The contents of Hebrews 6:7, 8 are not to be restricted to the
regenerated and unregenerated Jews, for "as in water face answereth to
face, so the heart of man to man" (Prov. 27:19). "This is a similitude
most appropriate to excite a desire to make progress in due time; for
as the earth cannot bring forth a good crop in harvest except it
causes the seed as soon as it is sown to germinate, so if we desire to
bring forth good fruit, as soon as the Lord sows His Word, it ought to
strike roots in us without delay; for it cannot be expected to
fructify, if it be either choked or perish. But as the similitude is
very suitable, so it must be wisely applied to the design of the
apostle.
"The earth, he says, which be sucking in the rain produces a blade
suitable to the seed sown, at length by God's blessing produces a ripe
crop; so they who receive the seed of the Gospel into their hearts and
bring forth genuine shoots, will always make progress until they
produce ripe fruit. On the contrary, the earth, which after culture
and irrigation, brings forth nothing but thorns, affords no hope of a
harvest; nay, the more that grows which is its natural produce, the
more hopeless is the case. Hence the only remedy the husbandman has is
to burn up the noxious and useless weeds. So they who destroy the seed
of the Gospel, either by their indifference or by corrupt affections,
so as to manifest no sign of good progress in their life, clearly show
themselves to be reprobates, from whom no harvest can be expected. The
apostle then, not only speaks here of the fruit of the Gospel, but
also exhorts us promptly to embrace it, and he further tells us, that
the blade appears presently after the seed is sown, and that grain
follows the daily irrigations". (Dr. John Calvin).
The Lord Jesus completed His parable of the Sower by saying, "Take
heed therefore how ye hear" (Luke 8:18): how you profit by it, what
use you make of it; be sure that you are a good-ground hearer. Such,
are those in whom, first, the Word falls, as into "an honest and good
heart" (Luke 8:15), i.e., they bow to its authority, judge themselves
by it, are impartial and faithful in applying it to their own
failures. Second, they "receive" the Word (Mark 4:20): they make
personal appropriation of it, they take it home to themselves, they
apply it to their own needs. Third, they "understand" it (Matthew
13:23): they enter into a spiritual and experimental acquaintance with
it. Fourth, they "keep" it (Luke 8:15): they retain, heed, obey,
practice it. Fifth, they "bring forth fruit with patience" (Luke
8:15), they persevere, overcome all discouragements, triumph over
temptations, and walk in the paths of obedience. Upon such the
"blessing" of God rests.
Now in contrast from the good-ground hearer, are the wayside, stony,
and thorny-ground hearers. These, we believe, are they who come under
the common or inferior operations of the Holy Spirit, spoken of in our
last article. Let it be carefully noted, First, that even of the
wayside hearer (the lowest grade of all) Christ said the Seed was
"sown in his heart" (Matthew 13:19). Second, that of the stony-ground
hearers it is said, "the same is he that heareth the Word, and anon
with joy receiveth it" (Matthew 13:20), and "for a while believeth,
and in time of temptation falls away" (Luke 8:13). Third, that of the
stony-ground hearer Christ said, "Which when they have heard, go
forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this
life, and bring no fruit to perfection" (Luke 8:14). Yet none of them
had been born of the Spirit. All that they had brought forth, under
His gracious operations, was but the works of the flesh--"thorns and
briers".
Above, in our interpretation, we called attention to the difference
between the "bringeth forth" of herbs in verse 7, and the "beareth"
thorns in verse 8. There is a like producing, but an unlike manner and
measure. The former "Bring forth in their lives what was before
conceived and cherished in their hearts. They had the root in
themselves of what they bring forth. So doth the word here used
signify, viz., to bring forth the fruit of an inward conception. The
doctrine of the gospel as cast into their hearts, is not only rain but
seed also. This is cherished by grace, as precious seed, and as from a
spiritual root or principle in their hearts, bringeth forth precious
fruit. And herein consists the difference between the fruitbearing of
the true believers, and the works of hypocrites or false professors.
These latter bring forth fruit like mushrooms, they come up suddenly,
have oft-times great bulk and goodly appearance, but are merely a
forced excrescence, they have no natural seed or root in the earth.
They do not proceed from a living principle in the heart". (Dr. John
Owen).
Thus, it should be most carefully borne in mind that the "thorns and
briers" of verse 8 have reference not to sins and wickedness as men
view things, but to the best products of the flesh, as cultivated by
"religion", and that, as instructed out of the Scriptures, and
"enlightened" by the Holy Spirit. This is evident from the fact that
the thorns and briers, equally with the "herbs", are occasioned by the
same "rain" which had come oft upon the earth, and from which they
sprang. However fair the professions of the unregenerate may appear in
the eyes of their fellows, no matter what proficiency they may reach
in an understanding of the letter of Scripture, nor what their zeal in
contending for the faith, loyalty to their church, self-sacrifice in
their service; yet, in the sight of Him who searcheth the heart and
taketh note of the root from which things spring, all is worthless.
These products or works are only the fruits of a nature which is under
the curse of a holy God.
"But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected" i.e., of God.
Little did the Jews believe this when Paul penned those words. Their
great boast was that they were God's people, that He preferred them
above all others. Nevertheless, though He yet withheld His wrath for a
little space, He had disowned them. The sad analogy to this is found
everywhere in Christendom today. Countless thousands who bear the name
of Christ, and who have no doubts but that they are among the true
people of God, are yet "rejected" by Him. Are you, my reader, among
them?
What need is there for every professing Christian to heed that word in
2 Peter 1:10, "Give diligence to make your calling and election sure"!
Those who sit under the ministry of God's Word are upon trial, and it
is high time that many of us who have been so long privileged, should
call on ourselves to a strict account with respect to our improvement
thereof. What are we bringing forth? Are we producing "the fruits of
righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of
God" (Phil. 1:11)? If so, all praise to Him who has made us fruitful.
Or are we, though not notoriously wicked persons, yet so far as fruit
for God is concerned, cumberers of the ground? If upon inquiry we find
ourselves at a loss to be sure of which sort of ground we belong unto,
and this because of our barrenness and leanness, unless we are
hardened by the deceitfulness of sin, we shall give ourselves no rest
until we have better evidences of our bearing spiritual fruit.
O let these solemn words search our hearts: "And is nigh unto cursing,
whose end is to be burned". Such is the awful fate confronting
multitudes of professing Christians in the churches today, who resist
all exhortations to produce the fruit of godly living. Corrupt
desires, pride, worldliness, covetousness, are as plainly to be seen
in their lives, as are thorns and briers on abandoned ground. O what a
thought! professing Christians, "nigh unto cursing"! Soon to hear
their last sermon. Soon to be cut off out of the land of the living.
Afterwards to hear from the lips of Christ the fearful sentence,
"Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the
Devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 27
Two Christians Described
(Heb. 6:9-11)
__________________________________________
The passage which is to be before us is in strong and blessed contrast
from what we found in verses 4-6. There we beheld a class of people
highly favored, blest with grand external privileges, richly gifted,
and wrought upon by the Holy Spirit. There we see the faculties of the
natural man's soul wound up to their highest pitch: the conscience
searched, the understanding enlightened, the affections drawn out, and
the will moved to action. There we have described the character of a
class which constitutes a very large proportion of those who profess
the name of Christ. Yet, though they have never been born again,
though they are unsaved, though their end is destruction,
nevertheless, it is by no means an easy matter for a real child of God
to identify them. Oftentimes their head-knowledge of the truth, their
zeal for religion, their moral qualities, put him to shame. Still, if
he weigh them in the balances of the sanctuary, they will be found
wanting.
The careful reader of the four Gospels, will discover that in the days
of His flesh, the Lord Jesus healed those concerning whom nothing is
recorded of their faith. The blessings which He dispensed were not
restricted to His disciples. Temporal mercies were bestowed upon
natural men as well as upon spiritual. And, be it carefully noted,
this was something more, something in addition to, the providential
goodness of the Creator, which is extended to all of Adam's race: "He
maketh His sun to rise, on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain
on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5:45). Rather did those
gracious acts of Christ unto the unbelieving, foreshadow that which we
designated in the preceding article, the inferior operations of His
Spirit. On a few Christ bestowed spiritual blessings, saving mercies;
to others, He imparted temporal blessings, mercies which came short of
saving their recipients.
In our last article we made reference to James 1:17: "Every good gift
and every perfect gift is from above". We believe that, in keeping
with the character, theme and purpose of that epistle, those words
have reference to two distinct classes of gifts, for two different
classes of people: the "good" referring to those bestowed, under
Gospel-ministry on the non-elect; the "perfect" imparted to God's own
people. A scripture which we believe supplies strong corroboration of
this is found in Psalm 68:18. There, in a Messianic prophecy
concerning the ascension of Christ, we read, "Thou hast received gifts
for men; yea, for the rebellious also": gifts are bestowed by Christ
on two distinct classes. It is to be particularly observed that a part
of this verse is quoted by the Spirit in Ephesians 4:8; part of it we
say, for its closing words, "the rebellious also" are there omitted.
And why? Because in Ephesians it is the elect of God (see Hebrews 1:3,
4 etc.) who are in view. Yet, in addition to them, Christ has received
"gifts" for the "rebellious also"; that is, for the non-elect too.
Few indeed have perceived that there is a double work of GOD being
prosecuted under the ministry of the Gospel. Plain intimation of this
is found in the words of Christ in Matthew 22:14, "For many are
called, but few chosen." Half of the human race has never heard the
Gospel; those who have, are divided into four classes, as Christ has
taught us in His parable of the Sower. The "wayside" hearers are those
upon whom the preaching of the Gospel produces no effect. The "stony"
and the "thorny" ground hearers are they which form a very large
percentage of "church members" or who are "in fellowship" with those
known as "the Brethren". Of these it is said that they "for a while
believe" (Luke 8:13); nor are they unproductive, yet they "bring no
fruit to perfection" (Luke 8:14). In them the "enmity" of the carnal
mind is, to a considerable extent, subdued; yet it is not vanquished.
There is a work of the Spirit upon them, yet it falls short of the new
creation. They are "called" but not "chosen".
Only as due attention is paid to the distinction just noted, are we
really able to appreciate the point and meaning of the qualifying
language which the Spirit of God has used when speaking of the saving
call of God's elect. For example, in Romans 8:28, they are denominated
the called "according to His purpose", which notes a distinction from
others who receive an inferior "call" according to His providence,
under the general proclamation of the Gospel. So too in 2 Timothy 1:9
we read of those "called with a holy calling... according to His own
purpose and grace", which is the language of discrimination,
signifying there are others called yet not with "a holy calling". So
again in 1 Peter 5:10, "The God of all grace, who hath called us unto
His eternal glory", is in antithesis from the many who are only called
unto a temporal righteousness in this world.
It needs to be very carefully noted that the "us" of the Epistles is
frequently used with a far narrower discrimination than from all the
rest of the world: very often the "us" is in contrast from the great
crowd of lifeless professors which ever surrounds the little handful
of God's true people--professors which, though spiritually lifeless,
are yet to be distinguished from the vast multitudes of
non-professors; distinguished by a real work of the Holy Spirit upon
them, but still an abortive work. Of this class the Epistle of James
has much to say. Concerning them John, in his first Epistle, declares
"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been
of us, they would have continued with us" (Heb. 2:19). A work of
"calling" must have been wrought upon them, for they had once
separated from the world, and united themselves with the true people
of God. Moreover, that work of "calling" must have produced such a
change in them that they had been accounted real Christians, or
otherwise they had not been admitted among such.
The occasion of Christ's uttering those words "For many are called,
but few chosen" (Matthew 22:14) is exceedingly solemn and searching.
The context records the parable of the wedding-feast of the King's
Son. First, the invitation to it had been given to the Jews, but they
despised it, mistreated God's servants, and, in consequence, their
city was destroyed. Then God's servants are sent forth into the
Gentile highways to bring in others. But when the King inspects the
guests, He sees a man "which had not on a wedding-garment". The awful
sentence goes forth, "Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and
cast him into outer darkness." Immediately after, Christ said, "For
many are called, but few chosen".
Now in sharp and blessed contrast from the many professing the name of
Christ who have received only the inferior call of God through the
Gospel--a call which, yet, leads them to assent to the doctrine of His
word, which brings them to espouse the outward cause of Christ in this
world, which produces a real reformation in their ways, so that they
become respectable and useful members of their community, as well as
provide a measure of protection to the few of God's "chosen" from the
openly antagonistic world;--our present passage treats of "the remnant
according to the election of grace" (Rom. 11:5). This is clear from
its opening words, "But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of
you." The "But" sets these "beloved" ones in opposition from those
mentioned in verse 8. The "better things" also points an antithesis.
"Better" is an adjective in the comparative degree, set over against
something which is merely "good". Those described in verses 4, 5 had
good things, yet these possessed something far better. Mark how this
confirms what we have said on James 1:17!
In verses 9-12 we find the apostle doing three things: first, he
expresses his good will towards the Hebrew saints; second, he declares
his judgment concerning their state; third, he gives the grounds upon
which his judgment was based. His aim was that they should make a
proper use of what he had set before them in the first eight verses,
so that on the one hand they might not be discouraged, and on the
other hand not become careless. We subjoin Dr. J. Brown's summary of
our passage. "The general meaning of this paragraph, all the parts of
which are closely connected together, plainly is: The reason why I
have made these awful statements about apostates, is not because I
consider you whom I am addressing as apostates for your conduct proves
that this is not your character, and the promise of God secures that
this doom shall not be yours; but that you may be stirred up to
persevering steadiness in the faith, and hope, and obedience of the
truth, by a constant continuance in which alone you can, like those
who have gone before you, obtain in all their perfections the promised
blessings of the Christian salvation."
"But, beloved" (verse 9). This term testified to the apostle's good
will toward and affection in the Hebrew saints. Such an expression was
more than the formal language of courtesy; it revealed the warmth of
Paul's heart for God's people. Though he had spoken severely to them
in Hebrews 5:11-14, it was not because he was unkindly disposed toward
them. Love is faithful, and because it seeks the highest good of its
objects, will reprove, rebuke, admonish, when occasion calls for it.
Spiritual love is regulated not by impulse, but by principle. Herein
it differs from the backboneless amiability and affability of the
flesh, and from the maudlin sentimentality of the day. "We hence
conclude, that not only the reprobates ought to be reproved, severely,
and with sharp earnestness, hut also the elect themselves, even those
whom we deem to be children of God" (John Calvin).
"The apostle hastens to comfort and encourage, lest the Hebrews should
be overwhelmed with fear and sorrow, or lest they should think that
their condition was regarded by him as hopeless. The affection of the
writer is now eager to inspire hope, and to draw them with the cords
of love. The word `beloved' is introduced here most appositely, a term
of endearment which occurs frequently in other epistles, but only once
in ours; not that the apostle was not filled with true and fervent
love to the Hebrew Christians, but that he felt obliged to restrain as
it were his feelings, by reason of the prejudices against him. But
here the expression bursts forth, as in a moment of great danger or of
anxious suspense the heart will speak out in tender language (Adolph
Saphir).
"But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you". In these words
the apostle sets forth his judgment concerning the spiritual state of
the Hebrews (cf. Hebrews 3:1). The "persuasion" here did not amount to
an infallible certitude, but was a strong confidence based on good
grounds. It is similar to what we find in Romans 15:14, "I myself also
am persuaded of you my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness,
filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another". So
again in 2 Timothy 1:5, "When I call to remembrance the unfeigned
faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and
thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also." However low
the spiritual condition of these Hebrews (Heb. 5:11-14), there had
been, and still was found in them, fruit, such as manifested them to
be truly regenerated souls. It ever holds good that a tree is known by
its fruits, hence, the genuineness of my Christian profession is
evidenced by what I bring forth, or its worthlessness by what I fail
to produce. There may be a "form of godliness" (2 Tim. 3:5), but if
the power thereof be "denied" by my works (Titus 1:16) then is it
profitless and vain.
"But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you." It is the
bounden duty of every pastor to ascertain the spiritual condition of
his people: "Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks" (Prov.
27:23). This is very necessary if the servant of God is to minister
suitably and seasonably. While he is ignorant of their state, he knows
not when or how to rebuke or console, to warn or encourage. A general
preaching at random is little more than a useless formality. A
physician of bodies must acquaint himself with the condition of his
patients, otherwise he cannot prescribe intelligently or effectually.
Equally so it is with a physician of souls. The same principle holds
good in the fellowship of Christians one with another. I cannot really
love a brother with the Gospel-love which is required of me, unless I
have a well-grounded persuasion that he is a brother.
"And things that accompany salvation" (verse 9). The word "accompany"
signifies "conjoined with", or inseparable from, that which has a sure
connection with "salvation". The principal things that "accompany
salvation" are sorrow for and hatred of sin, humility or
self-abnegation, the peace of God comforting the conscience, godly
fear or the principle of obedience, a diligent perseverance in using
the appointed means of grace and pressing forward in the race set
before us, the spirit of prayer, and a joyous expectation of being
conformed to the image of Christ and spending eternity with Him. True
Gospel faith and sincere obedience are far "better things" than the
most dazzling gifts ever bestowed on unregenerate professors.
To believe on Christ is very much more than my understanding assenting
and my will consenting to the fact that He is a Savior for sinners,
and ready to receive all who will come to Him. To be received by
Christ, I must come to Him renouncing all my righteousness (Rom.
10:3), as an empty-handed beggar (Matthew 19:21). But more; to be
received by Christ, I must come to Him forsaking my self-will and
rebellion against Him (Ps. 2:11, 12; Proverbs 28:13). Should an
insurrectionist and seditionist come to an earthly king seeking his
sovereign favor and pardon, then, obviously, the very law of his
coming to him for forgiveness requires that he should come on his
knees, laying aside his hostility. So it is with a sinner who comes to
Christ for pardon; it is against the law of faith to do otherwise.
An "unfeigned faith" (2 Tim. 1:5) in Christ, is one which submits to
His yoke and bows to His authority. There is no such thing in
Scripture as receiving Christ as Savior without also receiving Him as
Lord: "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk ye in
Him" (Col. 2:6). If it be an honest and genuine faith, it is
inseparably connected with a spirit of obedience, a desire to please
Him, a resolve to not henceforth live unto self, but unto Him which
died for me (2 Cor. 5:15). The man who really thinks he has a saving
faith in Christ, but yet has no concern for His glory and no heart for
His commandments, is blinded by Satan. There are things which
"accompany salvation", that have a certain connection therewith. As
light is inseparable from the shining of the sun, as heat is
inseparable from fire, so good works are inseparable from a saving
faith.
"Though we thus speak" (verse 9). The reference is to what the apostle
had said about apostates in verses 6, 8, and which had been written to
these Hebrews as a solemn and searching warning for them to take to
heart. "In the visible professing church, all things outwardly seemed
to be equal. There are the same ordinances administered unto all, the
same profession of faith is made by all, the same outward duties are
attended unto, and scandalous offenses are by all avoided. But yet
things are not internally equal. In a great house, there are vessels
of wood and stone, as well as of gold and silver. All that eat
outwardly of the bread of life, do not feed on the hidden manna. All
that have their names enrolled in the church's book, may yet not have
them written in the Lamb's book. There are yet better things than
gifts, profession, participation of ordinances and whatever is of the
like nature. And the use hereof in one word is to warn all sorts of
persons, that they rest not in, that they take not up with an interest
in, or participation of the privileges of the church, with a common
profession, which may give them a name to live; seeing they may be
dead or in a perishing condition in the meantime" (Dr. John Owen).
"For God is not unrighteous to forget your work" (verse 10). Here the
apostle makes known the ground on which his "persuasion" rested, and
that was, the unchanging faithfulness of God toward His covenant
promises unto His people, and why he believed that these Hebrews were
numbered among them. The foundation on which confidence should rest
concerning my own security unto eternal glory, as that of my
fellow-Christians, is nothing in the creature. "It is of the Lord's
mercies that we are not consumed" (Lam. 3:22). The believer's
perseverance is not the cause but the consequence of God's
preservation.
"For God is not unrighteous to forget your work". A scripture which
enables us to understand the force of these words is 1 John 1:9, "If
we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins".
God is "faithful" to His covenant engagements with us in the person of
His Son; "just", to the full satisfaction which He rendered unto Him.
The very justice of God is engaged on the behalf of those whom Christ
redeemed. His veracity towards us is pledged: "In hope of eternal
life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began"
(Titus 1:2). And because God is immutable, without variableness or
shadow of turning, He cannot go back on His own oath: "For I am the
Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed" (Mal.
3:6). Therefore have we the absolute assurance that "He which hath
begun a good work in you will finish it" (Phil. 1:6).
"For God is not unrighteous to forget your work". Some have found a
difficulty here, because these words seem to teach that heaven is a
reward earned by good works. But the difficulty is more seeming than
real. What God rewards is only what He Himself hath wrought in us: it
is the Father's recognition of the Spirit's fruit. "The act of a
benefactor in entering into engagements with his beneficiary may be
wholly gratuitous, and yet, out of his act, rights may grow up to the
beneficiary. The advantages thus acquired are not the less gracious,
because they have become rights; for they originated in free grace"
(Dr. Sampson, 1857). It may look now as though God places little value
on sincere obedience to Him, that in this world the man who lives for
self gains more than he who lives for Christ; yet, in a soon-coming
day it shall appear far otherwise.
"For God is not unrighteous to forget your works". "God does not pay
us a debt, but performs what He has of Himself freely promised, and
not so much on our works, as on His own grace in our works; nay, He
looks not so much on our works, as on His own grace in our works. And
this is to be `righteous', for He cannot deny Himself . . . God is
righteous in recompensing works, because He is true and faithful; and
He has made Himself a debtor to us, not by receiving anything from us,
but, as Augustine says, by freely promising all things" (John Calvin).
They who imagine there is an inconsistency between the God of all
grace "rewarding" His people, will do well to ponder carefully the
Reformer's words.
"Your work". We believe the reference here is to their faith. First,
because he is here speaking of the "things that accompany salvation",
and faith is inseparable therefrom. Second, because faith "worketh by
love" (Gal. 5:6), and the very next thing mentioned in our verse is
their "labor of love". Third, because in 1 Thessalonians 1:3 we read
of the "work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope", and
in Hebrews 6:11, we have their "hope" mentioned. Should it be
inquired, Why did the apostle omit the express mention of "faith"
here? We answer, Because their faith was so small and feeble. To have
commended their faith directly, would have weakened the force of his
repeated exhortations in Hebrews 3:12, 4:1, 2, 6:12, 12:1 etc. "Your
work" refers not to any single work, but to a course of working, i.e.,
the whole course of obedience to God, of which faith is the principle
moving thereunto. Evangelical obedience is thus denominated "your
work" because this is what they had been regenerated unto (see
Ephesians 2:10), and because such a course calls for activity, pains,
toil; cf. "all diligence" (2 Pet. 1:5).
A living faith is a working faith (James 2:17). Two things are plainly
and uniformly taught throughout the New Testament. Justification is by
faith, and not by works, (Rom. 4, etc.). Yet, such justifying faith is
a living, operative, fruitful faith, evidencing itself by obedience to
the commands of God (1 John 2:4, etc.). Christ gave Himself for us
that "He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a
peculiar people, zealous of good works" (Titus 2:14). This greatly
needs emphasizing today and pressing repeatedly upon those professing
to be believers in the Lord Jesus, for multitudes of these have a name
to live, but "art dead" (Rev. 3:1). Their faith is not that of God's
elect (Titus 1:1), but nothing better or different than that which the
demons have (James 2:19).
"Your faith and the labor of love", for so the Greek reads. These were
the evidences upon which the apostle grounded his confidence
concerning the Hebrew saints. Five things are to be noted. First this
distinguishing grace, their "labor of love": let the reader turn to
and ponder carefully 1 John 3:16-19; 4:7-12. "Mutual love among
believers is a fruit of the Spirit of holiness, and an effect of
faith, whereby being knit together in the bond of entire spiritual
affection, on the account of their joint interest in Christ; and
participation of the same, new, divine, spiritual nature from God,
they do value, delight and rejoice in one another, and are mutually
helpful in a constant discharge of all those duties whereby their
eternal, spiritual and temporal good may be promoted" (Dr. John Owen).
Note "labor of love": a lazy love, like that of James 2:15, 16, is no
evidence of saving faith. True love is active, diligent, untiring.
"Which ye have showed". This gives us the second feature of their
love. It was not a secret and un-manifested love: but one that had
been plainly evidenced in a practical way. In James 2:18 the professor
is challenged to "show" his faith, today it would also be pertinent to
ask many of those who bear the name of Christ to "show" their love,
especially along the line of 1 John 5:2. "Which ye have showed toward
His name," defines, third, the end before them in the exercise of
their ardent love in ministering to the saints. The words last quoted
have a threefold force. Objectively, because God's name is upon His
people (Eph. 3:15). It is both blessed and solemn to know that
whatever is done unto the people of God, whether it be good or evil,
is done toward the name of Christ: Matthew 25:34-45. Formally: they
ministered to the saints as the people of God. This it is which gives
spiritual love its distinctive character: when it is exercised to
souls because God's name is on them. Efficiently: the "name of God"
stands for His authority. God requires His people to love one another,
and when they do so out of obedience to Him, it is, necessarily, done
"toward His name", having respect to His will.
"In that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister". This
tells us, fourth, the manner in which their love had been exercised:
in an untiring service. Fifth, it announces, the objects of their
love, God's "saints". Many of God's people are in various kinds of
temporal distress, and one reason why their loving Father permits this
is, that their brethren and sisters in Christ may have the holy
privilege of ministering to them: see Romans 15:25-27, 2 Corinthians
8:21, 9:11-15. But let such ministry be rendered not from sentimental
considerations, nor to satisfy an uneasy conscience, still less with
the object of vain glory, to gain a reputation for benevolence; rather
let it be "shown toward His name". It is the owning of His authority,
the conscious performance of His will, which alone gives life,
spirituality and acceptance unto all those duties of love which we are
able to perform to others.
In summing up the teaching of verses 9, 10, let us observe how the
apostle justified the Hebrews according to his Master's rule in
Matthew 7:15-20. Genuine Christians give plain evidence that their
profession of the Gospel is accompanied by transforming grace. The
obedience of faith and the labor of love toward the saints--not from
human instincts, but out of submission to the revealed will of
God--both in the past and in the present, were the visible ground of
Paul's good persuasion concerning them. It is important to note what
were the particular graces singled out for mention. The apostle says
nothing about their clear views of the truth, their missionary
activities, zeal for "their church"--which are the things that many
formal professors boast in.
"And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the
full assurance of hope unto the end" (verse 11). The apostle looks
back to the exhortation of v. 1 and also the solemn warning pointed in
verses 4-8. His purpose had been to excite them unto a diligent
persevering continuance in faith and in love, with the fruits thereof.
All he had said was unto this end. The closer connection of this verse
with the preceding one is: having expressed his conviction about their
spiritual state, and having assured them of a blessed issue of their
faith from the fidelity of God, he now presses upon them their
responsibility to answer to the judgment he had formed of them, by
diligent progress unto the end.
In this verse (11) the apostle, with heavenly wisdom, makes known the
proper use and end of Gospel threatenings (verses 6-8), and Gospel
promises (verses 9, 10): either may be, and often are, abused. Many
have looked upon threatenings as serving no other purpose than a
terrifying of the minds of men, causing them to despair; as if the
things threatened must inevitably be their portion. Few have known how
to make a right application of them to their consciences. On the other
hand, many have abused the promises of God: those who had no title to
such have suffered themselves to be deceived, and to be so falsely
comforted by them to lie down in a carnal security, imagining that no
evil could befall them. But here the apostle reveals the proper end of
each, both to believers and unbelievers: the threatenings should stir
up to earnest examination of the foundation of our hope; the promises
should encourage unto a constant and patient diligence in all the
duties of obedience. What wisdom is needed by a minister of the Gospel
to make a proper and due use of both upon his hearers!
"And", or rather (Greek) "But we desire". In verses 9,10 the apostle
had told them what was not his object in making to them the statements
of verses 4-8; now he tells them what it was. The word "desire" here
signifies an intense longing; without this, preaching is cold, formal,
lifeless. "That every one of you": the loving care and untiring
efforts of the minister should be extended to all the members of his
flock. The oldest, as much as the youngest, is in need of constant
exhortation. "Do show the same diligence... unto the end". Unless this
be done, our profession will not be preserved nor God glorified. Paul
knew nothing of that half-heartedness and sluggish neglect of the
means of grace which today satisfies the generality of those bearing
the name of Christ. "Give thyself wholly to them" (1 Tim. 4-15).
Many are very "diligent" in their worldly business, still more are
most punctual in prosecuting their round of pleasure and fleshly
gratification; but there are very few indeed who exercise a godly
concern for their souls. To an earnest endeavor after personal
holiness, the work of faith and labor of love, the vast majority of
professors are strangers, nor can they be persuaded that any such
things are required or expected from them. They may be regular
attenders of "church" from force of custom; they may perform certain
acts of charity for the sake of their reputation; but to be really
exercised in heart as to how they may please and honor God in the
details of their lives, they know nothing and care still less. Such
are destitute of those things which "accompany salvation"; they are
deluded and lost souls. Make no mistake, my reader, unless there is in
you a work of faith in keeping God's commandments, and a labor of love
toward His saints as such, then "the root of the matter" (Job 19:28)
is not in you. This is the test of profession, and the rule whereby
each of us shall be measured.
Nor can this work of faith and labor of love be persisted in without
studious diligence and earnest endeavor. It calls for the daily
searching of the Scriptures, and that, not for intellectual
gratification, but to learn God's will for my walk. It calls for
watchfulness and prayer against every temptation which would turn me
aside from following Christ. It requires that I should rightly abstain
from "fleshly lusts that war against the soul" (1 Pet. 2:11), yielding
myself unto God as one that is passed from death unto life, and my
members "as instruments of righteousness unto God" (Rom. 6:13). It
requires that I "lay aside every weight" (whatever hinders vital
godliness) and the sin which doth so easily beset (the love of self),
and run (which calls for the putting forth of all our energies) the
race that is set before us" (Heb. 12:1, 2),and that race is a fleeing
from the things of this doomed world, with our faces set steadfastly
towards God. Those who despise, or even continue to neglect such
things, are only nominal Christians.
This "diligence" is to be shown "to the full assurance of hope". Full
assurance here signifies a firm conviction or positive persuasion.
"Hope" in the New Testament means an ardent desire for and strong
expectation of obtaining its object. Faith looks to the Promiser, hope
to the things promised. Faith begets hope. God has promised His people
perfect deliverance from sin and all its troubles, and full enjoyment
of everlasting glory with Himself. Faith rests on the power and
veracity of God to make good His word. The heart ponders these
blessings, and sees them as yet future. Hope values and anticipates
the realization of them. Like faith, "hope" has its degrees. "Full
assurance of hope" signifies a steady prevailing persuasion, a
persuasion which issues from faith in the promises made concerning
"good things to come". The "diligence" before mentioned, is God's
appointed means toward this full assurance: compare 2 Peter 1:10, 11.
To cherish a hope of Heaven while I am living to please self is wicked
presumption. "Unto the end": no furloughs are granted to those called
upon to "fight the good fight of faith" (1 Tim. 6:12); there is no
discharge from that warfare as long as we are left upon the field of
battle. No spiritual state is attainable in this life, where "reaching
forth unto those things which are before" (Phil. 3:13) becomes
unnecessary.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 28
Christian Perseverance
(Hebrews 6:12-15)
__________________________________________
Two exhortations were set before the Hebrew Christians in the 6th
chapter of this epistleú First, they were bidden to turn their backs
upon Judaism and go on unto a full embracing of Christianity (verse
1). The application to God's people today of the principle contained
in this exhortation is, Abandon everything which enthralled your
hearts in your unregenerate days, and find your peace, joy,
satisfaction in Christú In contemplating the peculiar temptation of
the Hebrews to forsake the Christian position and path for a return to
Judaism, let us not lose sight of the fact that a danger just as real
menaces the believer today. The flesh still remains within him, and
all that Satan used in the past to occupy his heart, still exists in
the presentú Though Israel came forth from the House of Bondage,
passed through the Red Sea, and started out joyfully (Ex. 15:1) for
the promised land, yet it was not long ere their hearts went back to
Egypt, lusting after its fleshpots (Ex. 16:3).
It is worse than idle to reply to what has been pointed out above by
saying, Real Christians are in no "danger", for God has promised to
preserve them. True, but God has promised to preserve His people in a
way of holiness, not in a course of sinful self-will and
self-gratification. Those whom Christ has declared shall "never
perish" are they who "hear His voice and follow Him" (John 10:27, 28).
The apostles were not fatalists, neither did they believe in a
mechanical salvation, but one that required to be worked out "with
fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12). Therefore Paul, moved by the Holy
Spirit, did not hesitate to refer to the Israelites who were
"overthrown" in the wilderness, and say, "Now these things were our
examples to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as
they also lustedú Neither be ye idolators, as were some of them;...
Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were
destroyed of serpents . . . Now all these things happened unto them
for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition . . . Wherefore
let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" (1 Cor.
10:6-12).
The second exhortation of Hebrews 6 is found in verses 11, 12, the
first part of which was before us at the close of our last chapter.
There the apostle says, "And we desire that everyone of you do show
the same diligence". This, together with the verses that follow, is a
call to perseverance in the path of godliness. To a church which had
left its "first love" Christ said, "Repent, and do the first works"
(Rev. 2:4, 5). What are these "first works"? A submitting of ourselves
unto God, an humbling of ourselves before Him, a throwing down of the
weapons of our hostility against Him. A turning unto Christ as our
only hope, a casting of ourselves upon Him, a trusting in the merits
of His precious blood. A taking of His yoke upon us, bowing to His
Lordship, owning His authority, earnestly seeking grace to do His
commandments.
Now the Christian is to continue as he began. He is to daily own his
sins before God. He is to daily renew the same acts of faith and trust
in Christ which he exercised at the first. Instead of counting upon
some experience in the past, he is to maintain a present living upon
Christ. If he continues to cast himself upon the Redeemer, putting his
salvation wholly in His hands, then He will not, cannot, fail him. But
in order to cast myself upon Christ, I must be near Him; I cannot do
so while I am following Him afar off. To be near Him, I must be in
separation from all that is contrary to Him. Communion is based upon
an obedient walk: the one cannot be without the other. For the
maintenance of this, I must "show the same diligence" I did when I was
first convicted of my lost estate, saw Hell yawning at my feet ready
to receive me, and fled to Christ for refuge.
This same diligence which marked my state of heart and regulated my
actions when I first sought Christ, is to be continued "unto the end".
This means persevering in a holy living, and unto this the servants of
God are to be constantly urging their hearers. "Ministerial
exhortation unto duty, is needful even unto them who are sincere in
the practice of it, that they may abide and continue therein. It is
not easy to be apprehended how God's institutions are despised by
some, neglected by others, and by how few, duly improved; all for want
of taking right measures for them. Some there are, who, being
profoundly ignorant, are yet ready to say, that they know as much as
the minister can teach them, and therefore, it is to no purpose to
attend unto preaching. These are the thoughts, and this is too often
the language, of persons profane and profligate, who know little, and
practice nothing of Christianity. Some think that exhortations unto
duty, belong only unto them who are negligent and careless in their
performance; and unto them, indeed they do belong, but not unto them
only, as the whole Scripture testifieth. And some, it may be, like
well to be exhorted unto what they do, and do find satisfaction
therein, but how few are there (it was the same then! A.W.P.) who look
upon it as a means of God whereby they are enabled for, and kept up
unto their duty, wherein, indeed, their use and benefit doth consist.
They do not only direct unto duty, but through the appointment of God,
they are means of communicating grace unto us, for the due performance
of duties" (Dr. John Owen, 1680).
"Do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the
end". Hope is a spiritual grace quite distinct from faith or love.
Faith casts me upon God. Love causes me to cleave to and delight in
pleasing Him. Hope sustains under the difficulties and discouragements
of the way. It supports the soul when the billows of trouble roll over
it, or when we are tempted to despair, and give up the fight. That is
why, in the Christian's armor, Hope is called "the helmet"(1 Thess.
5:8), because it wards off the sharp blows or bears the weight of
those strokes which befall the saint in trials and afflictions. Hope
values the things promised, looks forward to the clay of their
realization, and thus is nerved to fresh endeavor. Hope views the
Promised Land, and this gives alacrity to the weary pilgrim to
continue pressing forward. Hope anticipates the welcome and the
glorious fare awaiting us at the Heavenly Port, and this gives courage
to go on battling against adverse winds and waves. There is the test.
Many pretend to the possession of a good hope who yet have no faith.
Others make a profession of faith who yet have no real hope. But real
faith and real hope are inseparable. A spiritual faith eyes the
Promiser, and is assured that He cannot lie. A spiritual hope embraces
the promises, esteems them above all silver and gold, and confidently
anticipates their fulfillment. But between the present moment and the
actual realization of our hope lies a rugged path of testing, in which
we encounter much that wearies, disheartens and retards us. If we are
really walking in the path of God's appointment, there will be
oppositions to meet, fierce persecutions to be endured, grievous
troubles to be borne. Yet, if our valuation of God's promises be real,
if our anticipation of their fulfillment be genuine, the comfort and
joy they afford will more than offset and over-balance the effects of
our trials. The exercise of hope will alone deliver from fainting and
despondency under continued afflictions.
Now to be in the enjoyment of "the full assurance of hope unto the
end", the Christian must continue giving "the same diligence" to the
things of God and the needs of his soul, as he did at the beginning.
When the terrors of God first awakened him from the sleep of death,
when he was made to feel his own awful danger of being cast into the
eternal burnings, when he learned that Christ was the only Refuge, no
half-hearted seeker was he. How diligently he searched the Word! How
earnestly he cried unto God! How sincere was his repentance! How
gladly he received the Gospel! How radical was the change in his life!
How real did Heaven seem unto him, and how he longed to go there! How
bright was his "hope" then! Alas, the fine gold has become dim; the
manna has lost much of its sweetness, and he has become as one who
"cannot see afar off" (2 Pet. 1:9). Why? Ah, cannot the reader supply
the answer from his own experience?
But we dare not stop short at the point reached at the close of the
preceding paragraph. Backsliding is dangerous, so dangerous that if it
be persisted in, it is certain to prove fatal. If I continue to
neglect the Divine means of grace for spiritual strength and support,
if I go back again into the world and find my delight in its pleasures
and concerns, and if I am not recovered from this sad state, then that
will demonstrate that I was only the subject of the Holy Spirit's
inferior operations, that I was not really regenerated by Him. The
difference between thorny-ground and the good-ground hearers is, that
the one brings forth no fruit "to perfection" (Luke 8:14), whereas the
other brings forth fruit "with patience" or perseverance (Luke 8:15).
It is continuance in Christ's word which proves us His disciples
indeed (John 8:31). It is continuing in the faith, grounded and
settled, and being "not moved away from the hope of the Gospel" (Col.
1:23) which demonstrates the reality of our profession.
"He said to the end that they might know they had not yet reached the
goal, and were therefore to think of further progress. He mentioned
diligence that they might know they were not to sit down idly, but to
strive in earnest. For it is not a small thing to ascend above the
heavens, especially for those who hardly creep on the ground, and when
innumerable obstacles are in the way. There is, indeed, nothing more
difficult than to keep our thoughts fixed on things in heaven, when
the whole power of our nature inclines towards, and when Satan by
numberless devices draws us back to earth" (John Calvin).
Once more would we press upon our hearts that it is only as
"diligence" in the things of God is continually exercised that a
scriptural "hope" is preserved, and the full assurance of it attained.
First, because there is an inseparable connection between these two
which is of Divine institution: God Himself has appointed "diligence"
as the means and way whereby His people shall arrive at this
assurance: cf. 2 Peter 1:10, 11. Second, because such "diligence" has
a proper and necessary tendency unto this end. By diligence our
spiritual faculties are strengthened, grace is increased in us, and
thereby we obtain fuller evidence of our interest in the promises of
the Gospel. Third, by a faithful attention to the duties of faith and
love we are preserved from sinning, which is the principal evil that
weakens or impairs our hope.
"That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and
patience inherit the promises" (verse 12). These words confirm what we
have said above concerning the force of the exhortation found in verse
11. There the apostle, is giving a call to perseverance in the path of
practical holiness. But there are multitudes of professing Christians
that cherish a hope of heaven, who nevertheless continue in a course
of self-will and self-pleasing. "There is a generation that are pure
in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness" (Prov.
30:12). Christ came here to save His people "from their sins" (Matthew
1:21) not in them. No presumption is worse than entertaining the idea
that I am bound for Heaven while I live like a child of Hell.
"That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and
patience inherit the promises". This verse forms the connecting link
between the preceding section and the closing one of this chapter. The
apostle here warns against any evil, indolence and inertia, which
stands opposed to giving "diligence": they are the opposite virtue and
vice. Slothfulness persisted in would effectually prevent the
performance of the duty just enjoined. In Hebrews 5:11 Paul had
charged the Hebrews with being "dull (slothful--the same Greek word)
of hearing", not absolutely, but relatively; they were not as
industrious in heeding "the word of righteousness" (Heb. 5:13) as they
ought to have been. Here he bids them be not slothful in good works,
but emulators of the saints who had gone before.
"That ye be not slothful". "He knew that the utmost intention of our
spirits, the utmost diligence of our minds, and endeavors of our whole
souls, are required unto a useful continuance in our profession and
obedience. This, God requireth of us; this, the nature of things
themselves about which we are conversant, deserveth; and necessary it
is, unto the end which we aim at. If we faint or grow negligent in our
duty, if careless or slothful, we shall never hold out unto the end;
or if we do continue in such a formal course as will consist with this
sloth, we shall never come unto the blessed end which we expect or
look for. The oppositions and difficulties which we shall assuredly
meet with, from within and without, will not give way unto feeble and
languid endeavors. Nor will the holy God prostitute eternal rewards
unto those who have no more regard unto them, but to give up
themselves unto sloth in their pursuits. Our course of obedience is
called running in a race, and fighting as in a battle, and those who
are slothful on such occasion will never be crowned with victory.
Wherefore, upon a due compliance with this caution, depends our
present perseverance, and our future salvation" (Dr. John Owen).
The slothfulness against which the apostle warns, is in each of us by
nature. The desires of the "old man" are not toward, but away from the
things of God. It is the "new man" which is alone capacitated to love
and serve the Lord. But in addition to the two natures in the
Christian, there is the individual himself, the possessor of those
natures, the "I" of Romans 7:25, and he is held responsible to "make
not provision for the flesh" (Rom. 13:14) on the one hand, and to
"desire" the sincere milk of the Word that he may grow thereby" (1
Pet. 2:2) on the other. It is the consciousness of this native sloth,
this indisposition for practical holiness, which causes the real saint
to cry out, "Draw me, we will run after Thee" (Song 1:4); "Make me to
go in the path of Thy commandments, for therein do I delight"; "Order
my steps in Thy Word, and let not any iniquity have dominion over me"
(Ps. 119:35, 133). It is this which distinguishes the true child of
God from the empty professor--his wrestling with God in secret for
grace to enable him to press forward in the highway of holiness.
"But followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the
promises". The reference here is to the believing forefathers of the
Hebrews, who, by continuing steadfast in faith and persevering in hope
amidst all the trials to which they were exposed, had now entered into
the promised blessings--Heaven. Dr. J. Brown has pointed out that
there is no conflict between this declaration and what is said in
Hebrews 11:13. Though during their lives they had "not received the
promises", yet at death, they had entered into their rest, and are
among "the spirits of just men made perfect" (Heb. 12:23). The word
"inherit" denotes their right thereto.
The example which the apostle here sets before the Hebrews was that of
the Old Testament patriarchs. Just as in the 3rd chapter he had
appealed to one portion of the history of their fathers in warning, so
now he makes reference to another feature of it in order to encourage.
Two things are here to be taken to heart: the happy goal reached by
the patriarchs and the path of testing which led thereto. Two things
were required of them: faith and patience. Their faith was something
more than a general faith in God and the inerrancy of His Word (James
2:19); it was a special faith which laid hold of the Divine promises
concerning the covenant of grace in Christ Jesus. Nor was this a mere
notional faith, or bare mental assent to the Truth: it was marked by a
practical and influential acknowledgement that they were "strangers
and pilgrims on the earth" see Hebrews 11:13. Such is the faith which
God requires of us today.
The second grace ascribed unto the patriarchs is their "patience" or
"longsuffering" as the word is usually rendered. A different word is
employed in Hebrews 10:36 and Hebrews 12:1, where an active grace is
in view. Here it is more of a passive virtue, hence it is used of the
"longsuffering" of God in Romans 9:22, 1 Peter 3:20 etc. "It is a
gracious sedate frame of soul, a tranquility of mind on holy grounds
with faith, not subject to take provocation, not to be wearied with
opposition" (Dr. John Owen). It is a spirit which refuses to be
daunted by the difficulties of the way, which is not exasperated by
trials and oppositions encountered, so as to desert the course or flee
from the path of duty. In spite of man's hatred, and of the seeming
slowness of God's deliverance, the soul is preserved in a quiet
waiting upon Him.
"These were the ways whereby they came to inherit the promises. The
heathen of old fancied that their heroes, or patriarchs, by great,
and, as they were called, heroic actions, by valor, courage, the
slaughter and conquest of their enemies, usually attended with pride,
cruelty and oppression, made their way into heaven. The way of God's
heroes unto their rest and glory, unto the enjoyment of the Divine
promises, was by faith, longsuffering, humility, enduring persecution,
self-denial, and the spiritual virtues generally reckoned in the world
unto pusillanimity, and so despised. So contrary are the judgments and
ways of God and men even about what is good and praiseworthy" (Dr.
John Owen).
As reasons why the apostle was moved to set before the Hebrews the
noble example of their predecessors, we may suggest the following.
First, that they might know he was exhorting them to nothing but what
was found in those who went before them, and whom they so esteemed and
admired. This, to the same end, he more fully confirms in chapter 11.
Second, he was urging them to nothing but what was needful to all who
shall inherit the promises. If "faith and patience" were required of
the patriarchs, persons who were so high in the love and favor of God,
then how could it be imagined that these might be dispensed with as
their observance! Third, he was pressing upon them nothing but what
was practicable, which others had done, and which was therefore
possible, yea, easy for them through the grace of Christ.
Ere turning from this most important verse, we will endeavor to
anticipate and dispose of a difficulty. Some of our readers who have
followed attentively what has been said in the last few paragraphs,
may be ready to object, but this is teaching salvation by works; you
are asking us to believe that Heaven is a wage which we are required
to earn by our perseverance and fidelity. Observe then how carefully
the Holy Spirit has, in the very verse before us, guarded against such
a perversion of the gospel of God's grace. First, in the preposition
He used: it is not "who for faith and patience inherit the promises",
but "through". Salvation is not bestowed because of faith and
patience, in return for them; yet it does come "through" them as the
Divinely appointed channel, just as the sun shines into a room through
its windows. The windows are in no sense the cause of the sun's
shining; they contribute nothing whatever to it; yet are they
necessary as the means by which it enters.
Another word here which precludes all ground of human attainment and
completely excludes the idea of earning salvation by anything of ours,
is the verb used. The apostle does not say "purchase" or "merit", but
"inherit". And how come we to "inherit"? By the same way as any come
to an inheritance, namely, by being the true heirs to it. And how do
we become "heirs" of this inheritance? By God's gratuitous adoption.
"Ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba,
Father. The Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we
are the children of God: and if children, then heirs"
(Rom. 8:15-17). God, by an act of His sovereign will, made us His
children (Eph. 1:4, 5). This Divine grace, this free assignment, is
the foundation of all; and God's faithfulness is pledged to preserve
us unto our inheritance (verse 10). Yet, we are such heirs as have
means assigned to us for obtaining our inheritance, and we are
required to apply ourselves thereunto.
"For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could sware by no
greater, He sware by Himself" (verse 13). The opening "For" denotes
that the apostle is here giving a reason why he had appealed to the
example of the patriarchs, as those who "through faith and patience
inherit the promises": that they really did so, he now proves by a
most illustrious instance. Paul here cites the case of one whom he
knew would be most notable and forcible. God made promise to Abraham,
but he did not obtain the fulfillment thereof until after he had
"patiently endured" (verse 15).
The one to whom God made promise was Abraham. He was originally called
"Abram", which signifies "an exalted father". Upon Jehovah's renewal
of the covenant to him, his name was changed to Abraham, God giving as
the reason "for a father of many nations have I made thee" (Gen.
17:5). The reference was not only to those nations which should
proceed naturally from him--the descendants of Ishmael (Gen. 17:20)
and of Keturah's sons (Gen. 25:1-4)--but to the elect of God scattered
throughout the world, who should be brought to embrace his faith and
emulate his works. Therefore is he designated "the father of all them
that believe", and "the father of us all" (Rom. 4:11, 16).
"Because he could sware by no greater, He sware by Himself". The
assurance which was given to Abraham was the greatest that Heaven
itself could afford: a promise and an oath. We say the greatest, for
in verse 16 the apostle declares that amongst men an "oath" is an end
of strife; how much more when the great God Himself takes one!
Moreover, observe He swear "by Himself": He staked Himself; it was as
though He had said, I will cease to be God if I do not perform this.
The Lord pledged His veracity, declared the event should be as certain
as His existence, and that it should be secured by all the perfections
of His nature. Dr. J. Brown has rightly pointed out, "The declaration
was not in reality made more certain by the addition of an oath, but
so solemn a form of asseveration was calculated to give a deeper
impression of its certainty".
"Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will
multiply thee" (verse 14). It seems strange that almost all of the
commentators have quite missed the reference in the preceding verse.
There we read, "God made promise to Abraham". Some have regarded this
as pointing back to the first promise Jehovah made to the patriarch in
Genesis 12:2, renewed in Genesis 15:5; others have cited Genesis 17:2,
6; still others, the promise recorded in Genesis 17:15,16; and thus
they limit the "patiently endured" (Heb. 6:15) to a space of
twenty-five years, and regard the "he obtained the promise" as finding
its fulfillment at the birth of Isaac. But these conjectures are
completely set aside by the words of our present verse, which are a
direct quotation from Genesis 22:17, and that was uttered after Isaac
was born.
That which God swore to was to bless Abraham with all blessings, and
that unto the end: "Surely, blessing I will bless thee". The phrase is
a Hebrew mode of expression, denoting emphasis and certainty. Such
reduplication is a vehement affirmation, partaking of the nature of an
oath: where such is used, it was that men might know God is in earnest
in that which He expressed. It also respects and extends the thing
promised or threatened: I will do without fail, without measure, and
eternally without end. It is indeed solemn to note the first
occurrence in Scripture of this mode of expression. We find it in the
awful threat which the Lord God made unto Adam: "But of the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the
day that thou eatest thereof dying thou shalt die" (Gen. 2:17).
It is Genesis 2:17 which supplies the first key that unlocks the
meaning of Genesis 22:17. These are the first two occurrences in Holy
Writ of this unusual form of speech. They stand in direct antithesis
the one to the other. The first concerned the curse, the second
respected the blessing. The one was the sentence of irrevocable doom,
the other was the promise of irreversible bliss. Each was uttered to
an individual who stood as the head and representative of a family,
upon whose members the curse and the blessing fell. Each head
sustained a double relationship. Adam was the head of the entire human
family, and the condemnation for his sin has been imputed to all his
descendants (Rom. 5:12, 18, 19). But in a narrower sense Adam was the
head of the non-elect, who not only share his condemnation, partake of
his sinful nature, but also suffer his eternal doom. In like manner,
Abraham was the head of a natural family, that is, all who have
descended from him; and they share in the temporal blessings which God
promised their father. But in a narrower sense Abraham (type of Christ
as the "everlasting Father" Isaiah 9:6 and cf. Isaiah 53:10, "His
seed", and His "children" in Hebrews 2:13) was the head of God's
elect, who are made partakers of his faith, performers of his works,
and participants of his spiritual and eternal blessings.
It was through their failing to look upon Abraham as the type of
Christ as the Head and Father of God's elect, which caused the
commentators to miss the deeper and spiritual significance of God's
promise and oath to him in Genesis 22. In the closing verses of
Hebrews 6 the Holy Spirit has Himself expounded the type for us, and
in our next article (D.V.) we shall seek to set before the reader some
of the supporting proofs of what we have here little more than barely
asserted. The temporal blessings wherewith God blessed Abraham--"God
hath blessed Abraham in all things" (Gen. 24:1 and cf. Hebrews
5:35)--were typical of the spiritual blessings wherewith God has
blessed Christ. So too the earthly inheritance guaranteed unto
Abraham's seed, was a figure and pledge of the Heavenly inheritance
which pertains to Christ's seed. Let the reader ponder carefully Luke
1:70-75 where we find the type merging into the antitype.
"Surely, blessing I will bless thee" is further interpreted for us in
Galatians 3:14, where we read, "That the blessing of Abraham might
come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ". Thus, in blessing Abraham,
God blessed all the heirs of promise, and pledges Himself to bestow on
them what He had sworn to give unto him: "If ye be Christ's then are
ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Gal. 3:29).
That the deeper and ultimate signification of Genesis 22:17 had
reference to spiritual and future "blessing" is not only established,
unequivocally, by Romans 9:7, 8, but also by the fact that otherwise
there had been no relevancy in Paul's setting before the Hebrews, and
us, the example of Abraham.
That with which God promised to bless Abraham and his seed was faith,
holiness, perseverance, and at the end, salvation (Gal. 3:14). That
which God pledged Himself unto with an oath was that His power, His
long-suffering, should be engaged to the uttermost to work upon the
hearts of Abraham and his spiritual children, so that they would
effectually attain unto salvation. Abraham was to live on the earth
for many long years after God appeared unto him in Genesis 22. He was
to live in an adverse world where he would meet with various
temptations, much opposition, many discouragements; but God undertook
to deliver, support, succor, sustain him unto the end, so that His
oath should be accomplished. Proof of this is given in our next verse.
"And so after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise"
(verse 15). This means that, amid all the temptations and trials to
which he was exposed, Abraham studiously persevered in believing and
expecting God to make good His word. The emphatic and all-important
word here is "And so" which joins together what was said in verses 13,
14 and what follows here in verse 15. It was in this way and manner of
God's dealing with him; it was in this way of conducting himself. He
"patiently endured", which covers the whole space from the time that
God appeared to him in Genesis 22 until he died, at the age of one
hundred and seventy-five years (Gen. 25:7). It is this exercise of
hope unto the end which Paul was pressing upon the Hebrews. They
professed to be Abraham's children, let them, then, manifest Abraham's
spirit.
"He obtained the promise": by installments. First, an earnest of it in
this life, having the blessing of God in his own soul; enjoying
communion with Him and all that that included--peace, joy, strength,
victory. By faith in the promise, he saw Christ's day, and was glad
(John 8:56). Second, a more complete entering into the blessing of God
when he left this world of sin and sorrow, and departed to be with
Christ, which is "far better" (Phil. 1:23) than the most intimate
fellowship which may be had with Him down here. Abraham had now
entered on the peace and joy of Paradise, obtaining the Heavenly
Country (Heb. 11:16), of which Canaan was but the type. Third,
following the resurrection, when the purpose of God shall be fully
realized in perfect and unending blessing and glory.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 29
The Anchor of the Soul
(Hebrews 6:16-20)
__________________________________________
In our last article we saw that the Holy Spirit through Paul exhorted
the people of God to "be not slothful, but followers of them who
through faith and patience inherit the promises" (verse 12). This
declaration was illustrated and exemplified from the history of one
who has been highly venerated both by Jews and believing Gentiles,
namely, Abraham, of whom it is here declared, "after he had patiently
endured, he received the promise" (verse 16). We cannot but admire
again the heavenly wisdom given to the apostle, inspiring him to bring
in Abraham at this particular point of his epistle. In chapter 3 we
saw how that, before he set forth the superiority of Christ over
Moses, he first made specific mention of the typical mediator's
faithfulness (verse 5); so here, ere setting forth the superiority of
Christ over Abraham (which is done in Hebrews 7:4), he first records
his triumphant endurance. How this shows that we ought to use every
lawful means possible in seeking to remove the prejudices of people
against God's truth!
The mention of Abraham in Hebrews 6 should occasion real searchings of
heart before God on the part of all who claim to be Christians.
Abraham is "the father of all them that believe" (Rom. 4:11), but as
Christ so emphatically declared to those in His day who boasted that
Abraham was their father, "If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do
(not merely "ye ought to do"!) the works of Abraham" (John 8:39), and
as Romans 4:12 tells us, Abraham is "the father of circumcision (i.e.,
spiritual circumcision: Colossians 2:11) to those who are not of the
(natural) circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that
faith of their father Abraham". In his day (1680) John Owen said, "It
is a sad consideration which way and by what means some men think to
come to Heaven, or carry themselves as if they think so. There are but
Jew who deem more than a naked profession to be necessary thereunto,
but living in all sorts of sins, they yet suppose they shall inherit
the promises of God. This was not the way of the holy men of old,
whose example is proposed to us. True, some think that faith at least
be necessary hereunto, but by faith they understand little more than a
mere profession of true religion".
It behooves us, if we value our souls, to examine closely the
Scriptural account of the nature and character of Abraham's faith. It
was far more than a bare assenting to the veracity of God's Word. It
was an operative faith, which caused him to separate himself from the
world (Heb. 11:8,9), which led him to take the place of a stranger and
pilgrim down here (Heb. 11:13), which enabled him to patiently endure
under severe trials and testings. In the light of other scriptures,
the words, "patiently endured" (Heb. 6:15) enable us to fill in many a
blank in the Genesis history. Patiently "endured" what? Mysterious
providences, the seeming slowness of God to make good His promises,
that which to sight and sense appeared to repudiate His very love
(Gen. 22:2). Patiently "endured" what? The attacks of Satan upon his
faith, the insinuations of the Serpent that God had ceased to be
gracious, the temptation of the Devil to be enriched by the king of
Sodom (Gen. 14:21). Patiently "endured" what? The cruel sneers, the
biting taunts, the persecution of his fellow-men, who hated him
because his godly walk condemned their ungodly ways. Yes, like his
Redeemer afterwards, and like each one of his believing children
today, "he endured the contradiction of sinners against himself".
But the Holy Spirit had another design here in referring to the case
of Abraham. Having so faithfully warned us of the danger of apostasy,
having so earnestly set before us the imperative need of faithful
perseverance, He now closes this lengthy parenthesis with a most
glorious message of comfort, which is designed to set the hearts of
God's children at perfect rest, allay their fears of uncertainty as to
their ultimate issue, strengthen their faith, deepen their assurance,
and cause them to look forward to the future with the most implicit
confidence. It is ever God's way to wound before He heals, to alarm
the conscience before He speaks peace to it, to press upon us our
responsibility ere He assures of His preserving power. "For it is God
which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure", is
preceded by "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling"
(Phil. 2:12, 13).
And what is it that the Holy Spirit here uses to comfort the hearts of
God's tried and troubled and trembling people? Why, the wondrous and
glorious Gospel of His grace. This He does by now making known the
deeper design and significance of His reference to Abraham. He shows
that the promise which God made to "the father of all that believe",
to which promise He designed to add His oath, concerned not Abraham
alone, but is, without fail, to be made good to all his spiritual
seed. Yea, He shows how God's dealings with Abraham in time, were but
a shadowing-forth on this earth-plane of His covenant-transactions
with Christ and His seed in Heaven ere time began. May the Lord grant
the much-needed wisdom, guidance and grace, that both the writer and
reader may be led to a fight and clear apprehension of this most
blessed subject.
Ere turning to verse 16 let us attempt to show the connection of our
present passage with its context, by giving a brief analysis of the
verses which were before us in the preceding article. 1. Abraham is
set before us as an example: verse 12 and the opening "For" of verse
13. 2. God made promise to Abraham: verse 13. 3. That promise had
immediate reference to Christ and the benefits of His mediation:
Galatians 3:16. 4. In addition to His promise, God placed Himself on
oath to Abraham: verse 13. 5. The peculiar nature of that oath: God
sware by Himself: verse 13. 6. God sware by Himself because there was
none greater to whom He might appeal: verse 13. 7. Abraham's faith,
resting on the ground of God's promise and oath, patiently endured and
obtained the promise: verse 15.
The emphatic and important words of verse 15 are its opening "And so",
or "And thus", the reference being to the absolute faithfulness of the
divine promise, followed by the divine oath, namely "Surely, blessing
I will bless thee" (verse 14). In other words, God's oath to Abraham
was the guarantee that He would continue to effectively work in him
and invincibly preserve him to the end of his earthly course, so that
he should infallibly enter into the promised blessing. Though Abraham
was to be left in the place of trial and testing for another
seventy-five years, his entrance was not left contingent upon his own
mutable will. Though it is only through "faith and patience" any
inherit the promises (verse 12), yet God has solemnly pledged Himself
to sustain these graces in His own unto the end of their wilderness
journey and right across Jordan itself, until entrance into Canaan is
secured: "These all died in faith" (Heb. 11:13).
"For men verily sware by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is
to them an end of all strife" (verse 16). The design of this verse is
to give us an explanation of why it is that the great God has placed
Himself on oath. When we consider who He is and what He is, we may
well be amazed at His action. When we remember His exalted majesty,
that he "humbles" Himself to so much as "behold" the things that are
in heaven (Ps. 113:6), there is surely cause for wonderment to find
Him "swearing" by Himself. When we remember that He is the God of
Truth, who cannot lie, there is reason for us to enquire why He deemed
not His bare word sufficient.
"For men verily sware by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is
to them an end of all strife". The opening "for" looks back to God
"sware by Himself" of verse 13. The apostle here appeals to a custom
which has obtained among men in all ages. When one party avers one
thing, and another, another, and each stands firmly by what he says,
there is not only mutual contradiction, but endless strife. Where
matters of interest and importance are concerned between two or more
men, the difference between them can only be settled by them being
placed on oath. In such cases an oath is necessary for the governing
and peace of mankind, for without it strife must be perpetual, or else
ended by violence. Thus, the purpose or design of oaths among men is
to place bounds upon their contradictions and make an end of their
contentions.
Strikingly has Dr. John Owen pointed out in his remarks upon verse 16:
"As these words are applied to or are used to illustrate the state of
things between God and our souls, we may observe from them: First,
that there is, as we are in a state of nature (looking at the elect as
the descendants of fallen Adam -- A.W.P.), a difference and strife
between God and us. Second, the promises of God are gracious proposals
of the only way and means for the ending of that strife. Third, the
oath of God interposed for the confirmation of these promises (better,
"in addition to" the promises -- A.W.P.) is every way sufficient to
secure believers against all objections and temptations in all straits
and trials, about peace with God through Jesus Christ".
"Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of
promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by oath" (verse
17). The relative "wherein" or "wherefore" has, we believe, both an
immediate connection with verse 16, and a more remote one to what has
been declared in verse 13. Regarding it, first, as a conclusion drawn
from the general principle enunciated in the preceding verse, its
force is this: since an oath serves to establish man's words among his
fellows, the great God has condescended to employ this means and
method to confirm the faith of His people. Because an oath gives
certainty among men unto the point sworn to, God has graciously
deigned that the heirs of promise shall have the comfort of a Divine
dual certainty. The more remote connections with verse 13 will appear
in the course of our exposition: it is to here give assurance that
what God so solemnly pledged Himself to do for and give unto Abraham,
is equally sure and certain to and for all his children -- the
"wherein" signifies "in which" oath.
God's design in swearing by Himself was not only that Abraham might be
fully persuaded of the absolute certainty of His blessing, but that
the "heirs of promise" should also have pledge and proof of the
immutability of His counsel concerning them; for the mind and will of
God was the same toward all of the elect as it was toward the
patriarch himself. Though we are lifted to a much greater height in
these closing verses of Hebrews 6, yet the application which the
apostle is here led to make of God's dealings with Abraham, is
identical in principle with what we find in Romans 4. There we read of
Abraham believing God and that it was counted unto him for (better
"unto") righteousness, and in verse 16 the conclusion is drawn:
"Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the
promise might be sure to all the seed"; while in verses 23, 24 we are
told, "Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was reckoned
to him, but for us also, to whom it shall be reckoned, if we believe
on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead"--cf. Galatians
3:29.
We come now to enquire, What is the "immutability of His counsel"
which God determined to show the more abundantly unto the heirs of
promise? To ascertain this, we need first to consider God's "counsel".
Like the expression the "will of God", His "counsel" has a double
reference and usage in the New Testament. There is the revealed "will"
of God, set forth in the Scriptures, which defines and measures human
responsibility (1 Thess. 4:3, e.g.,), but which "will" is perfectly
done by none of us; there is also the secret and invincible will of
God (Rom. 9:19, etc.,), which is wrought out through each of us. So we
read, on the one hand, that "the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the
counsel of God against themselves" (Luke 7:30); while on the other
hand, it is said of the crucifiers of Christ, they "were gathered
together for to do whatsoever Thy hand and Thy counsel determined
before to be done" (Acts 4:27, 28). The "immutability of His counsel"
declares plainly in which of the two senses the term is to be taken in
Hebrews 6.
The "counsel" of God in Hebrews 6:17 signifies His everlasting decree
or eternal purpose. It is employed thus of Christ's death in Acts
2:23, "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel, and
foreknowledge of God". It bears the same meaning in Ephesians 1, as is
abundantly clear if verse 9 be compared with verse 11: in the former
we read, "Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according
to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself"; in the latter
it is said, "being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who
worketh all things after the counsel of His own will". Both of those
verses take us back to the Divine determination before this world was
created; equally plain is it that both of them are treating of the
eternal resolutions of God concerning the salvation of His people: cf.
1 Thessalonians 2:13.
Still more specially the "counsel" of God in Hebrews 6:17 concerns the
holy and wise purpose of His will to give His Son Jesus Christ to be
of the seed of Abraham for the salvation of all the elect, and that,
in such a way, and accompanied by such blessings, as would infallibly
secure their faith, perseverance, and entrance into Glory. In other
words, the "counsel" of God respects the agreement which He entered
into with Christ in the Everlasting Covenant, that upon His
fulfillment of the stipulated conditions, the promises made to Him
concerning His seed should most certainly be fulfilled. Proof of this
is found in comparing Luke 1:72, 73, with Galatians 3:16, 17. In the
former we read of Zacharias prophesying that God was "to remember His
holy covenant, the oath which He sware to our father Abraham". In the
latter, the Holy Spirit brings out the hidden meaning of God's
dealings with the patriarch: "Now to Abraham and his seed were the
promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one,
And to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, the covenant, that
was confirmed before of God in Christ".
Referring to the covenants made by Jehovah with the patriarchs, as
affording so many types of that Everlasting Covenant (Heb. 13:20) made
with Christ, Mr. Hervey (1756) when refuting the terrible heresies of
John Wesley, wrote: "True, it is recorded that God made a covenant
with Abraham, with Isaac, with Jacob, and with David: but were they in
a capacity to enter into a covenant with their Maker? to stand for
themselves or be surety for others? I think not. The passages mean no
more than the Lord's manifesting, in an especial manner, the grand
Covenant to them, ratifying and confirming their personal interest in
it, and further assuring them that Christ, the great Covenant-Head,
should spring from their seed. This accounts for that remarkable and
singular mode of expression which often occurs in Scripture: `I will
make a covenant with them'. Yet there follows no mention of any
conditions but only a promise of unconditional blessings".
Now what is particularly important to note here is, that God was
"willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise, the
immutability of His counsel", and therefore, "confirmed it by (or as
the margin much more accurately renders it "interposed Himself by") an
oath". This leads us to call attention to the distinction between
God's "counsel" and His "promise". His "counsel" is that which,
originally, was a profound and an impenetrable secret in Himself; His
"promise" is an open and declared revelation of His will. It is most
blessed to perceive that God's promises are but the transcripts of His
eternal decrees; His promises now make known to us in words the
hitherto secret counsels of His heart. Thus, "the immutability of His
counsel" is that from which His sure promises proceed and by which it
is expressed.
But in addition to His promise, God was willing "more abundantly" to
"show", or reveal, or make known to His people, the unchangeableness
of His counsel. All proceeds from the will of God. He freely purposed
to give unto the elect, while they are in this world, not only
abundant, but "more abundant" proofs of His everlasting love (Jer.
31:3), His gracious concern for their assurance, peace and joy. This
He did by "interposing Himself by an oath". The Greek word which the
A.V. has rendered in the text "confirmed", has for its prime meaning
"to mediate" or "intervene". This at once directs our thoughts to the
Mediator, of whom Abraham was the type. It was to Christ that the
original Promise and Oath were made. Hence, in Titus 1:2 we read, "In
hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the
world began": as the elect were not then in existence, the promise
must have been made to their Head. Concerning God's oath to Christ we
read, "The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest
forever after the order of Melchizedek" (Ps. 110:4).
Now it is not unto all mankind, but only unto a certain number of
persons to whom God designs to manifest the immutability of His
counsel, and to communicate the effects thereof. These are here
denominated "the heirs of promise" which includes all the saints of
God both under the Old and New Testament. They are called "heirs of
promise" on a double account: with respect unto the promise itself,
and the thing promised. They are not yet the actual possessors, but
waiting in expectation (cf. Hebrews 1:14): proof of this is obtained
by comparing Hebrews 11:13, 17, 19. In this the members are conformed
to their Head, for though Christ is the "Heir of all things" (Heb.
1:2), yet He, too, is "expecting" (see Hebrews 10:13). The "heirs of
promise" here are the same as "the children of promise" in Romans 9:8.
"That by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to
lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to
lay hold upon the hope set before us" (verse 18). In order to simplify
our exposition of this verse, we propose taking up its contents in
their inverse order, and doing so under a series of questions. First,
what is "the hope set before us?" Where is it thus "set before us",
What is meant by "fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope"? What is
the "strong consolation"? How do the "two immutable things" supply
this strong consolation?
In seeking to ascertain the character of "the hope" of verse 18 it
needs to be carefully distinguished from the "strong consolation",
which at once intimates that it is not the grace of hope within the
heart of the believer. Further corroboration of this is found in the
words, "set before us", which clearly speaks of what is objective
rather than subjective; and too, it is to be "laid hold of". Moreover,
what is said of this "hope" in verse 19 excludes the idea of an
internal expectation. The needed help is found in 7-19 where of the
"better hope" it is said, "by the which we draw nigh unto God": John
14:6, Ephesians 2:18, etc. In 1 Timothy 1:1, the Lord Jesus Christ is
distinctly designated "our Hope", and is He not the One whom God hath
"set before" His people? Is not "that blessed Hope" for which we are
to be "looking" (Titus 2:13), Christ Himself?
Where is it that Christ is "set before us" as "the hope"? Surely, in
the Gospel of God's grace. It is there that the only hope for lost
sinners is made known. The Gospel of God is "the Gospel of Christ"
(Rom. 1:16), for it exhibits the excellencies of His glorious person
and proclaims the efficacy of His finished work. Therefore in Romans
3:25, it is said of Christ Jesus, "Whom God hath set forth a
propitiation through faith in His blood"; while to the Galatians Paul
affirmed, "before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently (openly)
set forth among you -- crucified". In the Gospel, Christ is presented
both as an Object of Faith and an Object of Hope. As an Object of
Faith it is what He has done for the elect, providing for them a
perfect legal standing before God: this is mainly developed in Romans.
As an Object of Hope it is what Christ will yet do for His people,
bring them out of this wilderness into the Promised Land. In Hebrews
we are seen as yet in the place of trial, moving toward the
Inheritance.
What is meant by "fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before
us"? It expresses that which the Gospel requires from those who hear
it -- appropriating it unto one's self. Saving faith is explained
under various figures. Sometimes as "believing", which means the heart
resting upon Christ and His finished work. Sometimes as "coming to
Christ", which means a turning from every other refuge and closing
with Him as He is set forth in the Gospel. Sometimes as a "setting to
our seal that God is true" (John 3:33 cf. Isaiah 44:5), which means
ratifying His testimony by our receiving it. Sometimes as the
committal of our soul and its eternal interests into the hands of the
Lord (2 Tim. 1:12). Sometimes as a "submitting ourselves unto the
righteousness of God" (Rom. 10:3), which means repudiating our own
works and resting upon the vicarious obedience and sacrifice of
Christ. Here, it is pictured as a "fleeing for refuge", the figure
being taken from an Old Testament type.
Under the Law, God made merciful provision for the man who had
unintentionally slain another: that provision was certain cities
appointed for refuge for such. Those cities are spoken of in Numbers
35, Deuteronomy 19, Joshua 20. Those cities were built on high hills
or mountains (Josh. 20:7), that those seeking asylum there, might have
no difficulty in keeping them in sight. So the servants of Christ who
hold Him up, are likened unto "a city which is set upon a hill"
(Matthew 5:14). They were a refuge from "the avenger of blood" (Josh.
20:3): cf., "flee from the wrath to come" (Matthew 3:7). They had a
causeway of stones approaching them as a path to guide thereto (Deut.
19:3): so in the Gospel a way of approach is revealed unto Christ.
Those who succeeded in entering these cities secured protection and
safety (Num. 35:15): so Christ has declared "him that cometh to Me I
will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37).
Now the particular point to be noted in the above type is that the one
who desired shelter from the avenger of blood had to personally flee
to the city of refuge. The figure is very impressive. Here was a man
living in peace and comfort, fearing none; but having now slain
another at unawares, everything is suddenly changed. Fear within, and
danger without, beset on either hand. The avenger of blood threatens,
and nothing is left but to flee to the appointed place of refuge, for
there alone is peace and safety to be found. Thus it is with the
sinner. In his natural condition, a false serenity and comfort are
his. Then, unawares to him, the Holy Spirit convicts him of sin, and
he is filled with distress and alarm, till he cries, "What must I do
to be saved"? The Divine answer is, "Flee for refuge and lay hold of
the hope set before us".
But let us not fail to note here the immeasurable superiority of
Christianity over Judaism as seen in the vast difference between the
"refuge" under the Law, and that made known in the Gospel. The cities
of refuge were available only for those who had unintentionally killed
a person. But we have been conscious, deliberate, lifelong rebels
against God; nevertheless Christ says, "Come unto Me all ye that labor
and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest". Again, the manslayer
in the city was safe, yet his very refuge was a prison: it is the very
opposite with the believer -- Christ opened for him the prison-door
and set him at liberty (Isa. 61:2), Christ "makes free" (John 8:36).
Again, in entering the city of refuge he turned away from his
inheritance, his land and cattle; but the one who lays hold of Christ
obtains an inheritance (1 Pet. 1:4). For the manslayer to return to
his inheritance meant death; for the Christian, death means going to
his inheritance.
Those who have fled to Christ to "lay hold on eternal life" (1 Tim.
6:12), are entitled to enjoy "strong consolation". On this the Puritan
Manton said, "There are three words by which the fruits and effects of
certainty and assurance is expressed, which imply so many degrees of
it: peace, comfort, and joy. Peace, denotes rest from accusations of
conscience. Comfort, a temperate and habitual confidence. Joy, an
actual feeling, or high-tide of comfort, an elevation of the saints".
Strong consolation is a firm and fixed persuasion of the love of God
toward us, and the assurance that "our light affliction, which is but
for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding eternal weight of
glory" (2 Cor. 4:17). "David encouraged himself in the Lord his God"
(1 Sam. 30:6).
It remains for us now to consider what it is which supplies and
supports the "strong consolation" in the believer. This is stated at
the beginning of our verse: "That by two immutable things in which it
is impossible for God to lie". These are, His promise and His oath.
The assurance of the believer rests upon the unchanging veracity of
God. Were He influenced by His creatures, God would be constantly
changing His plans (as we do), willing one thing today and another
tomorrow; in such case who could confide in Him? None, for no one
would know what to expect; thus, all certainty would be at an end.
But, blessed be His name, our God is "without variableness or shadow
of turning" (James 1:17), and therefore the immutability of His
counsel is the very life of our assurance.
For the stay of our hearts and the full assurance of our faith, God
has graciously given to us an irrevocable deed of settlement, namely,
His promise, followed by His oath, whereby the whole inheritance is
infallibly secured unto every heir of promise. Heaven and earth shall
pass away, but God's words never shall (Luke 21:33). All the promises
recorded in Scripture are but copies of God's assurances made to
Christ for us from everlasting, so that the Divine oaths and covenants
mentioned in Holy Writ are but transcripts of the original Covenant
and Oath between God and Christ before the foundation of the world.
Note how the words "impossible for God to lie", link up with "in hope
of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world
began" (Titus 1:2)!
Near the close of the previous article we pointed out how that the
deeper and spiritual significance of God's promise and oath to Abraham
in Genesis 22 has been missed by most of the commentators, through
their failure to see in him a type of Christ as the Head and Father of
God's elect. There we find God swearing to the patriarch, "Blessing I
will bless thee." The application of these words to Christ as the
Representative of His people is clearly seen in Psalm 45:2, where God
says to Him who is Fairer than the children of men, "God hath blessed
Thee forever". Let it also be pointed out that God's promise and oath
to David in Psalm 89 also gives an adumbration of His transactions
with the Mediator before the world began: "My Covenant will I not
break... His seed shall endure forever" (verses 34-36). Thus, our
"strong consolation" issues from the implicit assurance that God has
bound Himself in Christ to "bless" His people. "For all the promises
of God in Him (Christ) are Yea, and in Him Amen" (2 Cor. 1:20)!
"Which (hope) we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and
steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil" (verse 19).
We deeply regret that we feel obligated to part company with every
commentator that we have consulted on this verse. Owing to the general
mistake of making the "hope" of verse 18 a subjective one, hardly any
two are agreed upon the meaning of the "anchor" here. Some regard it
as God's promise; others, His oath; others, Christ's priesthood;
others, the believer's assurance; and so on. The only point upon which
there is common consent is, that the figure is dropped in the very
next clause!--"entereth into that within the veil". Below we give the
literal rendering of Bagster's Interlinear.
"Which as an anchor we have of the soul both certain and firm, and
entering into that within the veil". Now an anchor is used for
securing a ship, particularly in times of storm, to prevent it from
drifting. It is an invisible thing, sinking down beneath the waters
and gripping firmly the ground beneath. The winds may roar and the
waves lash the ship, but it rides them steadily, being held fast by
something outside itself. Surely the figure is plain. The "anchor" is
Christ Himself, sustaining His people down here in this world, in the
midst of the wicked, who are likened unto "the troubled sea, when it
cannot rest" (Isa. 57:20). Did He not declare, "Neither shall any
pluck them out of My hand" (John 10:28)? Certainly there is nothing in
us "both sure and steadfast": it is the love (John 13:1), power
(Matthew 28:18, 20), and faithfulness (Heb. 7:25) of Christ which is
in view.
"Whither the Forerunner is for us entered, Jesus, made an High Priest
forever, after the order of Melchizedek" (verse 20). Surely this
explains for us the previous verse: it was the entrance of Christ into
Heaven which settles fast the "Anchor" within the veil! It was for us
Christ has gone on High! A "forerunner" is one who has already
traversed every step of the race which is set before us (Heb. 12:1,2),
and who has entered into possession of that toward which he ran.
Because Christ has been where we now are, we shall soon be where He
now is. Thus, the force of this figurative title of our Redeemer is
not only designed to give assurance of our security, but to show us
where that security lies entirely outside of ourselves: held fast by a
triumphant and ascended Christ. Hence the force of His name here:
"Jesus", who "shall save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).
Condensing from Dr. Owen's excellent remarks:--Christ is a
"Forerunner" for us, First, by way of declaration. It belongs unto a
forerunner to carry tidings and declare what success has been obtained
in the affair of which he is to render account. So when the Lord
Christ entered Heaven, He made an open declaration of His victory by
spoiling principalities and leading captivity captive: see Psalm
45:4-6, 68:18, 24-26. Second, by way of preparation. This He did by
opening the way for our prayers and worship: 10:19-22 and making ready
a place for us, John 14:2, 3. Third, by way of occupation. He has gone
into Heaven, in our name, to take possession and reserve it for us:
Acts 26:18, 1 Peter 1:4.
"Made an high priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek". Having
warned us of our danger (Heb. 5:11-6:8), having exhorted us to
continue pressing forward (Heb. 6:11-15), having assured our hearts of
infallible preservation (Hebrew 6:16-19), the apostle now returns to
the very point he had dropped at Hebrews 5:10. This final clause of
Hebrews 6 forms a pertinent and perfect transition between the
apostle's digression at Hebrews 5:11 and onwards, and the description
of Christ's priesthood which follows in chapter 7, etc. He now
declares who and what that "Forerunner" was, who for us has gone on
High, even Jesus, our great High Priest. The apostle has led us on to
the "perfection" which he mentioned at the beginning of this chapter
(Heb. 6:1, 3)--Christ within the veil!
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 30
Melchizedek
(Hebrews 7:1-3)
__________________________________________
In Hebrews 2:17, the apostle announced that the Lord Jesus is "a
merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God", while
in Hebrews 3:1 he calls on those who are partakers of the heavenly
calling to "Consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession".
Having shown in Hebrews chapters 3 and 4 the superiority of
Christianity's Apostle over Judaism's, viz. Moses, whose work was
completed by Joshua, Paul then declared that "We have a great High
Priest, that is passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God", an
High Priest who can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities,
seeing that He also was tempted in all points like us (in His spirit,
His soul, and His body), sin excepted; for which reason we are bidden
to "Come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy,
and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:14-16).
In the opening verses of Hebrews 5 we are shown how Christ fulfilled
the Aaronic type, and how that He possessed every necessary perfection
to qualify Him for filling the sacerdotal office, see articles 19 to
21. But while the Holy Spirit there shows how Christ provided the
substance of what was foreshadowed by the Levitical priests, He is
also particular to exhibit how that Christ excelled them at every
point. Finally, he declares that the Lord Jesus was, "Called of God an
High Priest after the order of Melchizedek" (verse 10). We have
previously called attention to it, but as this detail is so important
and so little understood, we repeat: it is highly essential to observe
that Christ is not there said to be "High Priest of the order of
Melchizedek", but "alter the order of", etc. The difference between
the two expressions is real and radical: "of" would have limited His
priesthood to that particular order; "after" simply shows that there
is a resemblance between them, as there also was between Aaron's and
Christ's.
At Hebrews 5:11 the apostle declared, "Of whom we have many things to
say and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing". The
difficulty lay in the strong disinclination of man to relinquish that
which has long been cherished, which nowhere appears more evident than
in connection with religious things. To say that Christ was a High
Priest "after the order of Melchizedek" was tantamount to affirming
that the Aaronic order was Divinely set aside, and with it, all the
ordinances and ceremonies of the Mosaic law. "This", as we said in an
earlier article, "was the hardest thing of all for a Hebrew, even a
converted one, to bow to, for it meant repudiating everything that was
seen, and cleaving to that which was altogether invisible. It meant
forsaking that which their fathers had honored for fifteen hundred
years, and espousing that which the great majority of their brethren
according to the flesh denounced as Satanic.
The Hebrews had become "dull of hearing". They were too slothful to
make the effort needed for a proper understanding of the nature of
Christ's priestly office and work. In Hebrews 3:1 the apostle had
called on them to, "Consider the Apostle and High Priest of our
profession", and in Hebrews 7:4 he again says, "Now consider". The
Greek word means to "ponder intensely" to "behold diligently", to
"weigh thoroughly" the things proposed unto us. It is at this point so
many fail: they imagine all that is required of them is to hear the
Word of God expounded, and if anything appears to them hard to
understand, they conclude it is not for them; hence, they make little
progress in Divine things and fail to "increase in the knowledge of
God" (Col. 1:10). And this is not simply an "infirmity", it reveals a
sad state of soul; it shows a lack of interest in spiritual things.
This was the state of the Hebrews: they had gone back.
The condition of soul in which a Christian is has very much to do with
his spiritual receptivity. He may hear the best of preaching and read
the soundest of books, yet if his heart be not right with God, he will
not be profited. His head knowledge of Truth may be increased and his
pride puffed up, but his soul is not fed, nor is his walk influenced
Godwards. It was thus with the Corinthians, therefore we find the
apostle writing to them, "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as
unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as babes in Christ" (1 Cor. 3:1).
It was thus with the Hebrews: the spirit of the apostle was
straitened. He longed to expound to them the excellency of the glories
of Christ's priesthood, but he had to pause and address himself to
their sorrowful state of heart. In this he has left an example which
all teachers do well to weigh and imitate.
As we have seen, at Hebrews 5:11 the apostle makes a digression, which
is continued to the end of the 6th chapter. It is most instructive to
observe the order he followed. The better to appreciate it, let us
review the contents of this parenthetical section in their inverse
order. In chapter 7, he sets forth the official glories of Christ. But
what immediately precedes? This: at the close of Hebrews chapter 6
(verses 16-20) he presents the sure ground which true Christians
occupy for having a "strong consolation". Thus, it is only as the
heart is set at perfect rest before God, fully assured of His favor,
of His unchanging grace, that the soul is in any condition to ponder,
to appreciate, to revel in the glories of Christ. It is faith's
realization of the unceasing and effectual intercession of our great
High Priest within the veil, which keeps the heart in peace. The
contemplation of the essential Holiness of God would fill the soul
with despair, but it is turned into hope and joy by seeing Jesus at
His right hand "for us". The secret of victory is to be, in spirit,
where our Forerunner is.
And what precedes the blessed assurance which the closing verses of
Hebrews chapter 6 are designed to convey to the believer? This: a call
to faithful perseverance in running the race set before us; a bidding
of us "be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and
patience inherit the promises" (verses 9-15). We are not entitled to
the comfort which comes from resting upon the immutability of the
Divine counsels while we are following a course of self-will and
self-pleasing. Only those who are really walking with God have any
right to the joy of His salvation. To talk of our certainty of
reaching Heaven while out of the path of obedience, is nothing but a
carnal presumption.
And what, in turn, precedes the call to a steady continuation in
well-doing, to the exercise of faith and love? This: a solemn warning
against the danger of apostasy (verses 4-7). The sluggards of Hebrews
5:11-14 must be aroused, the careless plainly told of what the final
outcome would be were indifference to the righteous claims of God
persisted in. There are some who refuse to allow that verses 4-7
contain a warning given to real Christians against the danger of
apostasy. They say it would be quite inconsistent for the Holy Spirit
to so warn them, while in verses 16-20 He gives the most absolute
assurance of their security. Ah, but mark it well, the assurance in
verses 16-20 is for "the heirs of promise", and not for all professing
believers. The warning is to make us examine ourselves and make sure
that we are "heirs". This, the truly regenerate will do; whereas the
self-complacent and presumptuous will ignore it, to their own eternal
undoing.
In confirmation of what has been pointed out above, we quote the
following from John Owen: "As the minds of men are to be greatly
prepared for the communication of spiritual mysteries unto them, so
the best preparation is by the cure of their sinful and corrupt
affections, with the removal of their barrenness under what they have
already heard and been instructed in. It is to no purpose, yea, it is
but the putting of new wine into old bottles to the loss of all, to be
daily leading men into the knowledge of higher mysteries, whilst they
live in a neglect of the practice of what they have been taught
already".
At the close of his hortatory digression, the apostle returns to the
precise point at which his orderly argument had been interrupted, as
will immediately appear by comparing Hebrews 5:10 and Hebrews 6:20.
Jesus was, and is for ever, High Priest. This was an entirely new
doctrine for the Hebrews. Our Lord Himself had made no specific
reference to it during the days of His earthly ministry, nor is there
any record of it in the preaching of the apostles. Yet the teaching of
both One and the others was based upon and assumed this fundamental
fact. But now the Holy Spirit was pleased to give a clear unfolding of
this precious truth. It was "hard" for even converted Jews to receive.
Their chief objection would be that, to assert Christ was High Priest,
yea, the only High Priest of His Church, was affirming something
inconsistent with and contrary to the Law, for He did not (according
to the flesh) belong to the Levitical tribe, He was not in the line of
the priests.
It is most important for us to take account of this difficulty which
presented itself to the minds of the Hebrews, for unless we recognize
that one of the chief objects before the apostle in chapter 7 was to
remove this very difficulty, we are certain to err in our
understanding of the details of his argument. It was not the design of
the apostle to teach that the nature and functions of Christ's
priesthood had no resemblance to that of the Aaronic. Far from it. He
could not now contradict all that he has so explicitly set forth in
Hebrews 5:1-9. There he had plainly shown that the Lord Jesus had
fulfilled the Aaronic type by Himself offering to God a perfect and
final Sacrifice for the sins of His people. To this he again returns
in chapter 9, where he declares that Christ had (as Aaron
foreshadowed) "by His own blood entered into the Holy Place, having
obtained eternal redemption" (verse 12). Let it not be forgotten that
the atoning ministry of Israel's high priest was consummated within
the veil, Leviticus 16:12-14.
In Hebrews 7 the apostle proves that so far from the priestly office
and work of the Lord Jesus conflicting with what God had instituted
through Moses, it was the fulfillment of His own counsels as made
known in the Old Testament Scriptures. At the same time he takes
occasion to submit the proof that the priesthood of Christ was far
more glorious than that of Aaron's. This he does by an appeal to an
ancient oracle, the mystical meaning of which had been hidden from the
Jews, yea, the very letter of which appears to have been quite
forgotten by them. We refer to the 110th Psalm, which will come before
us in the course of examining our present chapter.
"For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God"
(verse 1). At the close of chapter 6 the Holy Spirit directs our gaze
into the Holiest, whither for us the Forerunner hath entered, even
Jesus our great High Priest. He now proceeds to emphasize the dignity
of His priesthood, showing that it is accompanied by royal majesty,
that it is intransmissible, and that it abideth forever. Thus our
confidence in Him should be complete and entire, unwavering and
unceasing. Thus too we may perceive again the immeasurable superiority
of Christianity over Judaism by the super-excellency of its Priest.
"For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God".
The opening "For" has, we believe, a double connection. More
immediately, it forms the closest possible link between what is
declared in Hebrews 6:20, and what is to immediately follow. There it
was affirmed that "Jesus is made an High Priest forever, after the
order of Melchizedek"; here it will be shown that thus it was,
mystically, with Melchizedek himself. This will be the more apparent
if the second half of verse 2 and the whole of verse 3, saving its
final clause, be placed in a parenthesis, reading it thus: "For this
Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, abideth a
priest continually". More remotely the opening "For" of the verse,
looks back to Hebrews 5:10, 11: he now brings forth the "many things"
he had to say to him.
"For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God".
Two things are here affirmed of Melchizedek: be was king, and he was
priest. Almost endless conjectures have been made as to the identity
of Melchizedek. Questions have been raised as to what order of beings
he belonged to. Some have insisted that he was a Divine person, others
that he was an angel, still others that he was Christ Himself in
theophanic manifestation -- as when He appeared to Joshua (Josh.
5:14), or in Babylon's furnace (Dan. 3:25), etc. Others, allowing that
he was only a man, have speculated as to his nationality, family
connections, and so on. But as the Holy Spirit has not seen fit to
give us any information on these points, we deem it irreverence (Deut.
29:29) to indulge in any surmises thereon.
The first time Melchizedek is brought before us on the pages of Holy
Writ is in Genesis 14. There he confronted Abraham, without
introduction, in the land of Canaan. At that time all the world had
fallen into the grossest of idolatry and the most awful immorality:
Romans 1:19-31. Even the progenitors of Abraham worshipped false gods:
Joshua 24:2. At that time Canaan was inhabited chiefly by the
Sodomites on the one hand (Gen. 13), and by the Amorites (Gen. 15:16)
on the other. Yet, in the very midst of these people who were sinners
above others, God was pleased to raise up a man who was an illustrious
type of Christ! A signal instance was this of the absolute sovereignty
of God. He can raise up instruments for His service and unto His
glory, when, where, and as it pleases Him. He can raise up the
greatest light in the midst of the greatest darkness: Matthew 4:16.
Melchizedek was "king of Salem": in the light of Psalm 76:2 there can
be no doubt but what this was the earlier or original name for
Jerusalem: "In Salem also is His tabernacle, and His dwelling-place in
Zion". Only Jerusalem can there be intended. Further, Melchizedek was
"priest of the most high God", and this in the days of Abraham! Thus,
Jerusalem had a king many centuries before David, and God had a priest
which He owned long ere Aaron was called! It has been rightly pointed
out that, "The argument of the apostle, deducing and illustrating the
superiority of Christ's priesthood over the Aaronic, from and by the
relation of Melchizedek to the Levitical priesthood, is in some
respects analogous to the argument of the apostle with regard to the
law, and its parenthetical and inferior position, as compared with the
Gospel.... the Jews were shocked when the apostle Paul taught that it
was not necessary for the Gentiles to observe the law; that for the
new covenant church the law of Moses was no longer the rule and form
of life. And therefore the apostle in his epistle to the Galatians,
tells them that the law was given four hundred years after the promise
had been made unto Abraham, and that therefore there was no injustice,
and no inconsistency, in the bringing in of a new dispensation, which
was in fact only a return in a fuller and more perfect manner to that
which was from the beginning in the mind of God" (Adolph Saphir).
There is, indeed, a still closer analogy than has been pointed out by
Mr. Saphir between Paul's argument in Hebrews 7 and that which he used
to the Galatians. Melchizedek was the king-priest of Jerusalem. Now in
Galatians 4:26, we are told that, "Jerusalem which is above, is free,
which is the mother of us all". The word "above" there has misled
almost all of the commentators. The primary reference is not to
location, but to time, it is antithetical from "now is", not, from
"below"! In the immediate context the apostle contrasts two covenants,
each of which was associated with a city. Paul there calls attention
to the fact that the "promise" which God made to Abraham both preceded
and outlasted the law! so too does the "Jerusalem" of the promise.
Melchizedek was connected with Jerusalem before the Law was first
given, and it was a type of Heaven: Hebrews 11:10, etc.
It is indeed striking to discover that God's first priest was this
king of Salem--which signifies "peace", Jerusalem meaning "the
foundation of peace". Jerusalem was to be the place where the
incarnate Son of God was to begin the exercise of His sacerdotal
office; moreover, it was to be the seat of His local church (Acts
1-15) until the significance of the type had been effected. In the
history of that unique city we see the sovereign pleasure of God again
exercised and exemplified, for He appoints various intervals of
blessing unto places. Jerusalem was first privileged with the presence
of this priest of the most high God. Afterwards, for a long season, it
was given over to the idolatrous Jebusites: see Joshua 15:63, 2 Samuel
5:6, etc. Then, in process of time, it was again visited with Divine
favor and made the headquarters of the solemn worship of Jehovah. Now,
as for centuries past, it is "trodden down of the Gentiles" (Luke
21:24). But in the future it will again be the center of Divine
blessing on earth: Isaiah 2:1-4. In like manner God hath dealt with
many another place and city.
"Who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and
blessed him" (verse 1). The historical reference is to Genesis
14:18,19. "Whether any intercourse had previously taken place between
these two venerable men, or whether they afterwards continued to have
occasional intercourse, we cannot tell; though the probability seems
to be, that Melchizedek was not a stranger to Abraham when he came
forth to meet him, and that, in an age when the worshippers of the
true God were comparatively few, two such men as Abraham and
Melchizedek did not live in the same district and country without
forming a close intimacy" (Dr. J. Brown).
"And blessed him". This was a part of the priestly office as we learn
from Deuteronomy 21:5: "And the priests the sons of Levi shall come
near for the Lord thy God hath chosen to minister unto Him, and to
bless in the name of the Lord". The "blessing" Abraham received, is
recorded in Genesis 14:19: "Blessed be Abraham of the most high God,
Possessor of heaven and earth". Absolutely, only God can either bless
or curse, for He only has sovereign power over all good and evil. This
power He exercises directly (Gen. 12:3): yet by a gracious concession
and by His institution, God also allows men to invoke blessings on
others. In the Old Testament we find parents blessing their children
(Gen. 9:26, 27:27, 48:20. etc.), and the priests blessing the people
(Num. 6:24-26).
In both instances it was Christ that was typically in view. "In the
blessing of Abraham by Melchizedek, all believers are virtually
blessed by Jesus Christ, -- Melchizedek was a type of Christ, and
represented Him in what He was and did, as our apostle declares. And
Abraham in all these things, bare the person of, or represented, all
his posterity according to the faith. Therefore doth our apostle in
the foregoing chapter entitle all believers, unto the promises made
unto him, and the inheritance of them. There is, therefore, more than
a bare story in this matter. A blessing is in it conveyed unto all
believers in the way of an ordinance forever" (John Owen). It deserves
to be noticed that the final act of Christ ere leaving this earth was
that "He led them out as far as to Bethany, and He lifted up His
hands, and blessed them" (Luke 24:50).
"To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all" (verse 2).
Melchizedek's "blessing" of Abraham was the exercise of his
priesthood; Abraham's paying him tithes was the recognition of it.
Abraham had just obtained a most memorable victory over the kings of
Canaan, and now in his making an offering to Melchizedek, he
acknowledged that it was God who had given him the victory and owned
that Melchizedek was His servant. Under the Mosaic dispensation we
find the Levitical priests were supported by the tithes of the people:
Numbers 18:24. In like manner, God's servants today ought to be so
maintained: 1 Corinthians 9:9, 10. Melchizedek's receiving of
Abraham's tithe was a sacerdotal act: it was given as to God, and
received by His officer in this world. This comes out plainly in the
apostle's reasoning thereon in the later verses.
"First being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that
also King of Salem, which is King of peace" (verse 2). The Holy Spirit
now gives us the mystical signification of the proper names used in
the previous verse, which conveys more than a hint to us that there is
nothing meaningless or superfluous in the perfect Word of God.
Everything has an "interpretation". "In the Scripture everything is of
importance; we cannot read and interpret the Scripture as any other
book, since Scripture is not like any other book, even as no other
book is like the Scripture. The Scripture is among books what the man
Christ Jesus is among men.... These quotations and expositions of
Scripture in Scripture are `grapes of Eshcol', examples of, not
exceptions to, the fruitful Carmel, whence they come. Thus who can
fail to see the significance of the name Seth , who was given instead
of Abel, one who was `firm and enduring' in the place of him who
`vanished'? or of the name of Joshua (God's Savior), who brought
Israel into the promised land"? (Adolph Saphir).
This 2nd verse of Hebrews 7 furnishes a clear and decisive proof of
the verbal inspiration of the Scriptures. The revelation which God has
given to us was not communicated in the rough, and then left to men to
express it in their own words. No; so far from that being the case,
every "jot and tittle" of the originals were given under the immediate
superintendence of the Holy Spirit. "Hence the names of persons and
places, the omissions of circumstances, the use of the singular or
plural number, the application of a title--all things are under the
control of the all-wise and gracious Spirit of God. Compare Paul's
commentary on the word `all' in Psalm 8:7, and the important
deductions from it in Hebrews 2:8 and 1 Corinthians 15:27; on the word
`new' Jeremiah 31, Hebrews 8:13; the singular `seed' Galatians 3:16.
What a wonderful superstructure is built on Psalm 110:4! Each word is
full of most important and blessed meaning. In Psalm 32:1, 2 no
mention is made of works, hence Romans 4:6' (Adolph Saphir).
Let us consider now the "interpretation" which is here given us.
Melchizedek means "king of righteousness" and Salem "king of peace".
But observe it well that the Holy Spirit has also emphasized the order
of these two: "first" king of righteousness, "after that also" king of
peace. This calls attention to another important and blessed detail in
our type. Doubtless, the historical Melchizedek was both a righteous
and peaceable king, but what the apostle here takes up is not the
personal characteristics of this man, but how he represented Christ in
His mediatorial office and work. Now the "King of righteousness" and
"of peace" is the Author, Cause, and Dispenser of righteousness and
peace. Christ is the Maker and Giver of peace because He is "the Lord
our righteousness" (Jer. 23:6). Righteousness must go first, and then
peace will follow after. This is the uniform order of Scripture
wherever the two are mentioned together: peace never precedes
righteousness. Mark well the following passages:
"Surely His salvation is nigh them that fear Him; that glory may dwell
in our land. Mercy and truth are met together: righteousness and peace
have kissed" (Ps. 85:9, 10). "And the work of righteousness shall be
peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance
forever" (Isa. 32:17). "In His days shall the righteous flourish; and
abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth" (Ps. 72:7). Jesus
Christ is "the Righteous" One (1 John 2:1). He came here to "fulfill
all righteousness" (Matthew 3:15), to "magnify the law and make it
honorable" (Isa. 42:21). He came here as the vicarious Representative
of His people, being made under the law for them (Gal. 4:4), obeying
the law for them (Matthew 5:17), and thus wrought out a perfect
obedience for them (Rom. 5:19). Therefore are they made "the
righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21). He also came here to
pacify the wrath of God against His people's sins (Eph. 2:3) to be a
propitiation (Rom. 3:25), to "make peace through the blood of His
cross" (Col. 1:20). Hence we are told, "Therefore being justified by
faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom.
5:1).
How minutely accurate, then, how Divinely perfect was the type! The
very word Melchizedek means "King of righteousness", while the name of
his capitol signifies "peace". Well did John Owen remark: "I am
persuaded that God Himself, by some providence of His, or other
intimation of His mind, gave that name of `peace' first unto that
city, because there He designed not only to rest in His typical
worship for a season, but also in the fullness of time, there to
accomplish the great work of peace-making between Himself and
mankind.... Wherefore our apostle doth justly argue from the
signification of those names which were given, both to the person and
place, by divine authority and guidance, that they might teach and
fore-signify the things whereunto by him they are applied".
Christ is not only the Producer of righteousness and the Maker and
Giver of peace, but He is also the King of both. All authority has
been given to Him in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18). He is, even
now, upholding all things by the word of His power (Heb. 1:3). He is
expressly declared to be "the blessed and only Potentate, the King of
kings and the Lord of lords" (1 Tim. 6:15). In the Millennium this
will be openly demonstrated here upon earth. Then it will appear to
all that He is a righteous Branch, for as King He shall "reign and
prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth" (Jer.
23:5), and, as Isaiah 9:7 tells us, "Of the increase of His government
and peace there shall be no end". Meanwhile, faith views Him today as
King, King of righteousness and King of peace.
"Without father, without mother, without pedigree, having neither
beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God"
(verse 3). Up to this point everything has been plain and simple, but
here, judging from the laborious strugglings of most expositors, we
enter deep water. Yet, in reality, it is not so. Men, as usual, have
created their own difficulty; and, as is generally the case, they have
done so through ignoring the immediate context. Had these statements
in verse 3 referred to him as a man, it would surely be quite
impossible to understand them. But it is not as man he is referred to,
but as priest. Once this is clearly seen and firmly grasped little or
no difficulty remains.
That Melchizedek was not a superhuman creature, a divine or angelic
being, is unequivocally established by Hebrews 5:1, where we are
expressly told, "For every high priest taken from among men is
ordained for men in things pertaining to God". To be possessed of
human nature is an essential prerequisite in order for one to occupy
and exercise the sacerdotal office. The Son of God could not serve as
Priest till He became incarnate. Observe carefully how that in verse 4
Melchizedek is expressly declared to be a "man". What, then, it may be
asked, is the meaning of the strange statements about him in verse 3?
We answer, their meaning is to be explained on the principle of the
apostle's subject in this passage.
"Without father, without mother, without descent". Now in connection
with the Aaronic priesthood, personal genealogy was a vital
prerequisite, hence the great care with which they preserved their
pedigree: see Ezra 2:61,62. But, in contradistinction from them,
Melchizedek was priest of an order where natural descent was not
regarded, an order free from the restrictions of the Levitical,
Numbers 3:10, etc; therefore was he an accurate type of Christ, who
belonged not to the tribe of Levi. Neither the book of Genesis, nor
any of the later scriptures, say a word about Melchizedek's parentage,
and this silence was a part of the type.
"Having neither beginning of days nor end of life" is to be explained
on the same principle. The Jewish priests "began" their "days" as
priests at the age of twenty-five, when they were permitted to wait
upon their brethren: Numbers 8:24 and cf. 1 Chronicles 23:27, 28. At
the age of thirty they began their regular priestly duties: Numbers
4:3. At the age of fifty their priestly "life" ended: "from the age of
fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service, and shall serve
no more" (Num. 8:25). But no such restriction was placed upon the
sacerdotal ministry of Melchizedek: so, in this too, he was an eminent
type of Christ.
"But made like unto the Son of God", or, more literally "but
assimilated to the Son of God". It is very striking to note that it is
not the Son of God who was "assimilated to Melchizedek", but vice
versa. In the order of time Christ subsisted before Melchizedek; in
the order of nature, Melchizedek was a priest before Christ was. The
priesthood of the Son of God, ordained and appointed by the Eternal
Three, was the original, and Melchizedek's priesthood furnished the
copy, and a copy given in advance is the same thing as the type.
Melchizedek was "assimilated to the Son of God" as a type. First, as
priest of the most high God. Second, as being a royal priest,
possessing personal majesty and authority. Third, as being the king of
righteousness. Fourth, as king of peace. Fifth, as the one who
"blessed Abraham". Sixth, as the one who received the grateful gifts
of God's people represented by Abraham. Seventh, as not owing his
priesthood to natural genealogy. Eighth, as abiding a priest beyond
the bounds of the Levitical limitations.
"Abideth a priest continually" (verse 3). Note carefully it is not
that the natural life of Melchizedek had no end, but that his priestly
life did not cease at the age of fifty; in other words, he continued a
priest to the very end of his earthly existence, which shows he had no
vicar or successor, deriving a priesthood from his. "The expression
`abideth a priest continually', therefore, is the equivalent to saying
that he had a perpetual priesthood in contradistinction from those
whose office terminated at a definite period, or whose office passed
over into the hands of others" (A. Barnes). In the verses that follow,
the apostle reasons from these facts and shows the superiority of
Melchizedek as a priest to Aaron and his sons. This, D.V. will come
before us in our next article.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 31
Melchizedek, Continued
(Hebrews 7:4-10)
__________________________________________
The chief design of the apostle in this chapter was not to declare the
nature of Christ's priesthood, nor to describe the exercise thereof;
instead, he dwells upon the excellency of it. The nature of Christ's
sacerdotal office had been treated of in the first half of Hebrews
chapter 5 and is dealt with again, at length, in Hebrews chapter 9.
But here he occupies us with the great dignity of it. His reason for
so doing was to display the immeasurable superiority of Christianity's
High Priest over that of Judaism's, and that, that the faith of the
Hebrews might be established and their hearts drawn out in love and
worship to Him. Unless the scope of the apostle's theme in this
chapter be clearly apprehended, it is well-nigh impossible to
appreciate and understand the details of his argument.
The proof for the excellency of Christ's priesthood is drawn from the
Old Testament. In His written Word God had given hints of an
alteration from the Levitical priesthood, and the introduction of
another more efficacious and glorious. It is true that those hints
were of such a character that their signification could not be
perceived at the time, for it is "the glory of God to conceal a thing"
(Prov. 25:2), and this (in part) that His creatures may be taught
their complete dependency upon Him, and that He may have the honor of
revealing what they by mere searching cannot find out. He has chosen
to make known His counsels gradually, so that "the path of the just is
as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day"
(Prov. 4:18).
As "life and immortality", so all spiritual truth, was brought to
light by the Gospel (2 Tim. 1:10). Much truth was enfolded in the
prophecies, promises, and institutions of the Old Testament, yet in
such a way as that it was in a great measure incomprehensible until
God's time came to unfold them (1 Pet. 1:10,11). The great secret of
the manifold wisdom of God was hidden in Himself from the beginning of
the world (Eph. 3:9, 10), yet not so absolutely so, that no intimation
of it had been given. But it had been given in such a way in the
Scriptures that much was obscure to the understanding of the saints in
all generations till it was interpreted and displayed by the Gospel.
More than once we read of Israel's chief seer and singer speaking of
inclining his ear unto a "parable" and opening his "dark saying" upon
the harp (Ps. 49:4, 78:2). In sharp contrast therefrom, in the New
Testament dispensation, "the darkness is past, and the true light now
shineth" (1 John 2:8).
In consequence of the fuller revelation which God has made to us
through the Gospel, all the glorious evidences of His grace which now
appear unto us in the Old Testament Scriptures, is in consequence of a
reflection of light upon them from the New Testament. This it is which
supplies the key to our present Epistle. In Luke 24:27, we read of how
Christ began at Moses and the prophets, expounding unto the two
disciples who were journeying to Emmaus, "the things concerning
Himself", while in verse 45 we are told that He "opened the
understanding" of the eleven "that they might understand the
Scriptures". It has been thought by some (and we deem it quite
probable) that in this very Hebrews' Epistle the Holy Spirit has
recorded for our instruction and joy the very things which the risen
Savior communicated to those two favored disciples. Whether this be
the case or no, certain it is that the leading design of the Spirit in
this Epistle is to give us light on many Old Testament mysteries by
means of the fuller revelation which God has now made by and through
Jesus Christ.
A notable illustration and example of this principle appears in the
case of Melchizedek, the priest-king. That strange and striking
individual is first introduced to us in the sacred narrative in
Genesis 14. Then a single verbal reference is made to him again in the
110th Psalm, and nothing more is said of him in the Old Testament.
Therefore we need not be surprised that the Jews appear to have given
little or no consideration to him. It is not until he is contemplated
in the light of the New Testament that we are able to discern in him
an eminent type of Christ. This we sought to examine in our last
article, all that we now emphasize is that the chief points which the
apostle dwells upon are that Melchizedek had neither predecessor nor
successor in his sacred office. Melchizedek did not belong to a line
of priests as did Eleazar, Eli, etc. It was in this respect, more
especially, that he was "made like unto the Son of God", our great
High Priest.
The various appellations under which our Lord is referred to in this
Epistle call for due attention. They are not used at haphazard, but
with precision and design. In Hebrews 2:9 it is "Jesus" that faith
beholds--the humiliated but now glorified Savior. In Hebrews 3:6 it is
"Christ", the Anointed One, who is over God's house. But in Hebrews
7:3, it is "the Son of God", as High Priest, unto whom Melchizedek was
made a similitude. The Spirit here jealously guards the honor of Him
whom it is His office and delight to glorify. He hereby intimates to
the Hebrews that though Melchizedek were such an excellent person, yet
he was infinitely beneath Him whom he represented. The typical person
was but man; the antitype, Divine! Furthermore, one who was more than
mortal was required in order to fulfill that which Melchizedek
foreshadowed: he who should be capable of discharging an
always-living, constant-abiding, uninterrupted priesthood, must be
"the Son of God"!
In the first three verses of Hebrews 7 the apostle mentions those
details in which Melchizedek resembled the great and glorious Priest
of Christianity; in verses 4-10 he applies the type unto his immediate
purpose and design. Having affirmed that Christ, the promised Messiah,
was a Priest after the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 6:20), and having
given a description of the person and office of that typical character
from the inspired narrative of Moses (Gen. 14:), he now dwells upon
various details in the type in order to establish the argument which
he has in hand. That which the apostle particularly designed to prove,
was that a more excellent priesthood than that of Aaron's, having been
introduced according to the purpose and promise of God, it necessarily
followed that the ceremonies and institutions connected with it had
now been abolished.
"Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch
Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils" (verse 4). The apostle here
calls upon the Hebrews to attentively mark and seriously ponder the
official dignity of this ancient servant of God. The word "man" has
been supplied by the translators, and should have been placed in
italics. In the Greek it is simply "now consider how great this", i.e.
royal priest. Think of how great he "must have been", seems preferable
to "was". His exalted rank appears from the fact that none other than
Abraham, the father and head of Israel, had shown him deference.
The force of the apostle's reasoning here is easily perceived. To give
tithes to another who is the servant of God is a token of official
respect, it is the recognition and acknowledgement of his superior
status. The value of such official tokens is measured by the dignity
and rank of the person making them. Now Abraham was a person of very
high dignity, both naturally and spiritually. Naturally he was the
founder of the Jewish nation; spiritually he was the "father" of all
believers (Rom. 4). In his person was concentrated all the sacred
dignity belonging to the people of God. How "great" then must be
Melchizedek, seeing that Abraham himself owned his official
superiority! And therefore how "great" must be that order of
priesthood to which he belonged!
That upon which the Jews insisted as their chief and fundamental
privilege, and which they were unwilling to forego, was the greatness
of their ancestors, considered as the high favorites of God. They so
gloried in Abraham and their being his children, that they opposed
this to the person and doctrine of Christ Himself (John 8:33, 53).
With regard to official dignity, they looked upon Aaron and his
successors as to be preferred above all the world. Whilst they clung
to such fleshly honors, the Gospel of Christ, which addressed them as
lost sinners, could not be but distasteful to them. To disabuse their
minds, to demonstrate that those in whom they trusted came far short
in dignity, honor, and greatness, of the true High Priest, the apostle
presses upon them the eminence of him who was a type of Christ, and
shows that the greatest of all their ancestors paid obeisance to him.
Three proofs of the eminence of Melchizedek are found in the verse
before us. First, in the nomination of the person that was subject
unto him: "even Abraham". Second, in the dignity of Abraham; "the
patriarch". Third, in that Abraham gave him a tenth of the spoils.
Abraham was not only the root and stock of the Israelitish people, but
he was the one who first received the promise of the covenant (Gen.
15:18); therefore they esteemed him next unto God Himself. A
"patriarch" is a father, prince or ruler of a family. The sons of
Jacob are thus denominated (Acts 7:8, 9), for the twelve tribes
descended from them. None else is termed a "patriarch" except David
(Acts 2:29), and he, because the royal family came from his loins. But
David and Jacob's sons, all sprang from Abraham, thus was he,
pre-eminently, "the patriarch". Yet great as Abraham was, Melchizedek
was still greater, for he was "priest of the most high God", and as
such the father of the faithful owned him.
Let us not miss the practical lesson which the above facts teach us.
Therein we learn of what true "greatness" consists. The Christian is
to measure things by a different standard from that which worldlings
employ. They look upon those who occupy prominent social and political
positions as being the eminent of the earth. The vulgar mind esteems
the wealthy and opulent as those who are most to be envied. But the
anointed eye sees things in another light: the fashion of this world
passeth away. Death levels all distinctions. Presidents and
millionaires, kings and queens, are no more than the poorest beggar
when their bodies are reduced to lifeless clay. And what of their
souls? Ah, what concern have such after eternal interests? Learn, my
reader, that true "greatness" consists in the favor of God and our
nearness to Him. The meanest of His saints have been made "kings and
priests unto God" (Rev. 1:6).
Ere leaving this verse, a few words need to be said upon the subject
of tithing. There are few things on which many of the Lord's people
are more astray than the matter of giving to His cause and work. Are
our offerings to be regulated by sentiment and impulse, or by
principle and conscience? That is only another way of asking, Does God
leave us to the promptings of gratitude and generosity, or has He
definitely specified His mind and stated what portion of His gifts to
us are due Him in return? Surely He has not left this important point
undefined. He has given us His Word to be a lamp unto our feet, and
therefore He cannot have left us in darkness concerning any obligation
or privilege that pertains to our dealings with Him.
At a very early date the Lord made it known that a definite portion of
the saints' income should be devoted to Him who is the Giver of all.
There was a period of twenty-five centuries from Adam until the time
that God gave the law to Israel at Sinai, but it is a great mistake to
suppose that His people were, at that time, without a definite
communication from Him upon their several duties. A careful study of
the book of Genesis reveals clear traces of a primitive revelation,
which seems to have centered about these things: the offering of
sacrifices to God, the observance of the Sabbath, and the giving of
tithes. While we cannot today place our finger upon any positive
enactment or command of God for any of those three things in those
early days, nevertheless, from what is recorded we are compelled to
assume that such must have been given.
No one can point to a "thus saith the Lord" requiring Noah to offer a
sacrifice to Him, nor can we assign chapter and verse giving a command
for the saints to tithe ere the law was given; yet is it impossible to
account for either without presupposing a revelation of God's mind on
those points. The fact that Abraham did give a tithe or tenth to
Melchizedek, intimates that he acted in accordance with God's will. So
too the words of Jacob in Genesis 28:22 suggests the same thing. This
principle of recognizing God's ownership and owning His goodness, was
later incorporated into the Mosaic law: Leviticus 27:30. Finally, it
is taken note of here in Hebrews 7, and in the humble judgment of the
writer the passage which is before us presents an argument which
admits of no refutation. Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, and
Abraham is the father of all that believe (Rom. 4; Galatians 3). He is
the pattern man of faith. He is the outstanding exemplar of the
stranger and pilgrim on earth whose Home is in Heaven. Melchizedek is
the type of Christ. If then Abraham gave the tithe to Melchizedek,
most assuredly every Christian should give tithes to Christ, our great
High Priest.
"And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office
of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people
according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out
of the loins of Abraham; But he whose descent is not counted from them
received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises"
(verses 5, 6). In these verses the apostle strengthens the argument
drawn from the important facts presented in verse 4, while at the same
time he anticipates and obviates any counter argument which might be
advanced against him. His argument consists of two parts: Abraham gave
tithes to Melchizedek, Abraham was blest by him. In response, the Jews
might reply, That does not establish the superiority of Melchizedek
over the Levitical order, for the Aaronic priesthood also received
tithes. To this the apostle answers by pointing out that Aaron's sons
were all descended from Abraham, and therefore they, in their
progenitor, paid tithes to the royal priest of Jerusalem, and by so
doing owned his pre-eminence. Let us amplify this analysis.
In verse 5 the apostle acknowledges that God had granted the Levitical
priests the right to receive tithes from His people (Num. 18:21-24),
and thus they were set above all other Israelites; nevertheless, they
too had "come out of the loins of Abraham", and inasmuch as he had
given a tenth to a priest of another order, his descendants were
therefore inferior to that priest. Moreover, the Levites had
"received" the priestly office, and accepted tithes by command
"according to the law". Thus, the Aaronic priesthood was wholly
derived in its functions and privileges. But not so Melchizedek's. He
was under no law. He was "king", as well as priest, and therefore
belonged to a superior order. In this also he was a type of Christ,
who, by virtue of His Divine nature, has authority in Himself, to
receive and to bless. The words "take tithes... of their brethren"
finds its counterpart in 1 Corinthians 9:11-14. The Aaronic priesthood
was not supported by a tax levied on the idolatrous Canaanites, but by
the gifts of the Lord's people!
The manner in which the apostle expresses himself in verse 5 deserves
our closest notice, his language plainly intimating that his eye was
on the high sovereignty of God. Observe that he did not simply say,
"the priests have a commandment to take tithes", but "they that are of
the sons of Levi". God distributed dignity and bestowed office in His
Church (Acts 7:38) as it pleased Him. Not all the posterity of Abraham
were set apart to receive tithes, and not all who belonged to the
tribe of Levi; but only the family of Aaron was called to the
priesthood. This appointment of His imperial will God required all to
submit to: Numbers 16:9,10. It was something new to Israel to see the
whole tribe of Levi taken into peculiar (official) nearness to
Jehovah; yet to it they submitted. But when the "priests" were taken
out of the tribe of Levi and exalted above all, some rebelled: Numbers
16:1-3, etc.
The same principle holds good today. It is true, blessedly true, and
God forbid that we should say a word to weaken it, that all believers
enjoy equal nearness to God, that every one of them belongs to that
"holy priesthood" who are to "offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable
to God by Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 2:5). Nevertheless, all believers are
not called by God to occupy the same position of ministerial honor,
all are not called to be preachers of His Gospel or teachers of His
Word (James 3:1). God calls and equips whom He pleases to engage in
His public service, and bids the rank and the of His people "obey them
that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves" (Heb. 13:17). Yet,
sad to say, in some circles the sin of Korah is repeated. They demand
an ecclesiastical socialism, where any and all are allowed to speak.
They "heap to themselves teachers" (2 Tim. 4:3). This ought not to be.
In verse 6 the apostle repeats the same thing he had said in verse 2.
The Levitical priesthood received tithes from those descended from
Abraham, and that was an evidence of official dignity conferred upon
them by God's appointment. But Melchizedek received tithes of Abraham
himself, which not only manifested his superiority to Aaron but to him
from whom Aaron sprang. The apostle's insisting on this so
particularly shows how difficult a matter it is to dispossess the
minds of men of things which they have long held and in which they
boast. The Jews clung tenaciously to their descent from Abraham, in
fact rested upon it for salvation. Much patience is required in order
to deal faithfully but lovingly with those in error. "In meekness
instructing those that oppose themselves" (2 Tim. 2:25) is a needed
word for every teacher.
Melchizedek not only received tithes from Abraham, but he actually
pronounced blessing upon him, which was a further evidence of his
official superiority to the patriarch. To make this detail the more
emphatic, the apostle stresses the dignity of Abraham, for the more
glorious he was, the more illustrious the dignity of the one qualified
to pronounce a benediction upon him. Thus Abraham is here referred to
as he who "had the promises". He was the first of the Israelitish race
with whom God made the covenant of life. It was no ordinary honor
which Jehovah conferred upon the father of the faithful. As the
immediate result of his receiving the promises, Abraham "saw" the Day
of Christ (John 8:56). Yet great as was the privilege and honor
bestowed upon Abraham it did not hinder him from showing subjection to
Melchizedek, God's vicegerent.
There is an important practical lesson for us in verse 6. The one who
had received the "promises" of God was now blest! Ah, we may have the
promises of God stored in our minds and at our tongue's end, but
unless we also have the blessing of God, what do they avail us?
Moreover, it is particularly, the blessing of Christ (typified by
Melchizedek) which makes the promises of God effectual to us. Christ
is Himself the great subject of the promises (2 Cor. 1:20), and the
whole blessing of them comes forth from Him alone (Eph. 1:3). In Him,
from Him, and by Him, are all blessings to be obtained. Apart from
Christ all are under the curse. "And without all contradiction the
less is blessed of the better" (verse 7). This verse summarizes the
argument contained in verses 4-6. "These words are plainly to be
understood with limitations. It does not follow that, because a priest
under the law blessed the king, he was in a civil capacity the king's
superior, any more than that a Christian minister instructing or even
reproving a man of high civil rank who is a member of the church of
which he is pastor, is civilly his superior. The apostle's argument
is: The person who accepts of priestly benediction from an individual
acknowledges his spiritual superiority, just as the highest authority
in the land, if he were becoming a member of a voluntary Christian
society, would acknowledge that its pastor was `over him in the Lord'"
(John Brown).
"Let us first know what the word blessed means here. It means indeed a
solemn praying, by which he who is invested with some high and public
honor, recommends to God men in private stations and under his
ministry. Another way of blessing is when we pray for one another,
which is commonly done by all the godly. But this blessing mentioned
by the apostle was a symbol of greater authority. Thus Isaac blessed
his son Jacob, and Jacob himself blessed his grandsons (Gen. 27:30,
48:15). This was not done mutually, for the son could not do like the
father; but a higher authority was required for such a blessing as
this. And this appears more evident still from Numbers 6:23, where a
command is given to the priest to bless the people, and then a promise
is immediately added, that they would be blessed whom they blessed. It
hence appears that the blessing of the priest depended on this,--that
it was not so much man's blessing as that of God. For as the priest in
offering sacrifices represented Christ, so in blessing the people he
was nothing more than a minister and legate of the supreme God" (John
Calvin).
The application of the principles expressed by the above writers to
the case in hand is apparent. The blessing of the priest in Old
Testament times (type of Christ's blessing His people now), though
pronounced as the minister of God, was an evidence of high honor of
the one uttering it. Though Abraham was more eminent than any of his
descendants, yet he himself was indebted to the royal priest of
Jerusalem.
"And here men that die receive tithes; but there he of whom it is
witnessed that he liveth" (verse 8). Here the apostle advances a
further argument to support his demonstration of the inferiority of
the Aaronic order of priesthood to the Melchizedekean: the "here"
referring to the former, the "there" to the latter as stated in
Genesis 14. The point singled out for notice is that, the Levitical
order of office was but temporary, not so of that priest who blest
Abraham. "The type is described as having no end; the order of
priesthood which it represents is therefore eternal" (Calvin). The
Scripture makes no mention of the death of Melchizedek when it relates
that tithes were paid to him; so the authority of his priesthood is
limited to no time, but on the contrary there is given an intimation
of perpetuity.
Some have stumbled over the statement here made about Melchizedek: "it
is witnessed that he liveth". These words have been appealed to in
proof that he was a superhuman being. But if this statement be
interpreted in the light of its context, there is no difficulty. It
was not absolutely and personally that Melchizedek still lived, but
typically and as a representation of Christ. Scripture frequently
attributes to the type what is found alone in the and-type. Thus, the
paschal lamb was expressly called God's passover (Ex. 12:11), when in
reality it was only a pledge and token thereof. So the emblems on the
Lord's table are denominated the body and blood of Christ, because
they represent such. The blessedness of this detail will come before
us, D.V., in the later verses.
"And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, paid tithes in
Abraham. For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchizedek
met him" (verses 9, 10). In these verses the apostle meets the last
objection which a carping Jew could make upon the subject. Against
what the apostle had been saying, it might be advanced: Granting that
Abraham himself paid tithes to Melchizedek, it does not follow that
Melchizedek was superior to all Abraham's descendants. Abraham was, in
some sense, a priest (Gen. 12:7), yet he was not so by virtue of any
office which God had instituted in His Church. But in the days of
Moses, Jehovah did institute an order and office of priesthood in the
family of Aaron, and were not they, by Divine appointment, superior,
because superceding the earlier order of Melchizedek? This the apostle
makes reply to.
Many find it difficult to follow his line of thought, and that,
because they are so ill-acquainted with the most important truth of
headship and representation. Let us quote here from F.S. Sampson,
"Abraham was truly the covenant-head of his posterity in the line of
Isaac and Jacob, in whose descendants the promises made to him were
fulfilled. It was in virtue of this covenant with Abraham, that the
Jews inherited their distinguished privileges as a nation. It was the
transaction with Abraham which brought them into the relation of a
`peculiar people' to Jehovah; and hence, in his patriarchal character
and acts, he stood forth as the representative or federal head of the
nation, so far as all the promises, privileges, and institutions of
the Judaical were concerned. He was both their natural progenitor and
their covenant-head, by the appointment of God. We must remember that
He was concerned, through His providence and promises, in all this
business. Therefore, when Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek as a
priest of the most High God, and received a blessing from him, it was
a historical fact intentionally introduced by God's providence, with a
view to its becoming a feature of the type (so to speak) which
Melchizedek, in his history and functions, was foreordained to
present, of the supreme and eternal High Priest. This providential
incident prefigured and represented, by the Divine intention, the
supremacy of the antitype; and in it Abraham acknowledged the official
superiority of the type, not only over himself, but over his posterity
then in his loins, represented by and acting in him".
The principle of federal representation lies at the very base of all
God's dealings with men, as a careful study of Romans 5:12-19 and 1
Corinthians 15:45-47 reveals. Adam stood for and transacted on the
behalf of the whole human race, so that what he did, they legally did;
hence his sin, guilt and death, are imputed to all his posterity, and
God deals with them accordingly. So too Christ stood for and
transacted on the behalf of all His seed, so that what He did, they
legally did; hence, His meeting the demands of the law, His death and
resurrection-life, are imputed to all who believe on Him. In like
manner, Abraham stood for and transacted on the behalf of all his
posterity, so that God's covenanting with him, is to be regarded as
His covenanting with them also. Proof of this is found in the title
here (and nowhere else) given to Abraham, viz., "the patriarch" (verse
4), which means, head or father of a people.
Thus the apostle here brings to a head his argument by pointing out
that, virtually and representatively (not personally and actually),
Levi himself had paid tithes to Melchizedek. We repeat, that Abraham
in Genesis is not to be considered only as a private individual, but
also as the head and representative of all his children. When Abraham
gave tithes he did so not only in his own name, but also in that of
all his descendants. Abraham had been called of God and separated to
His service as the head of His elect people. There was more than a
natural relation between him and his descendants. Jehovah promised to
be a God unto him and to his seed after him, and therefore Abraham
covenanted with God in the name of and as the representative of his
seed. What God gave unto Abraham He gave unto his children, but he
received the grant of it as the representative of his children, who,
four hundred years later, took possession of it.
The typical teaching of Genesis 14 is exceedingly rich, but difficult
to apprehend through lack of familiarity with the leading principles
which interpret it. In Melchizedek's blessing of Abraham, we have a
foreshadowing of Christ, as our great High Priest, blessing the whole
election of grace (Luke 24:50). In Abraham's owning Melchizedek as
priest of the most high God by giving him tithes, we have prefigured
the subjection to Christ of all His believing people. It lay outside
the apostle's scope to fully expound this type in Hebrews 7 (cf.
Hebrews 9:5). Here he practically confines himself to a single point,
viz., showing that the High Priest of Christianity far exceeded in
honor and glory that of Judaism's. His argument in verses 9, 10 is to
the effect that Melchizedek had been as much and as truly honored by
Abraham as though the whole Levitical priesthood had personally done
him homage.
The all-important and inexpressibly blessed truth for us to lay hold
of is that in verses 9, 10 we have an illustration of the most
soul-satisfying truth revealed in Holy Writ. Just as Levi was "in
Abraham", not only seminally but representatively, so every one of
God's children was "in Christ" when He wrought out that glorious work
which has honored and pleased God high above everything else. When the
death-sentence of the law fell upon Christ, it fell upon the believer,
so that he can unhesitatingly say, "I was crucified with Christ" (Gal.
2:20). So too when Christ arose in triumph from the tomb, all His
people shared His victory (Eph. 2:5, 6). When He ascended on high,
they ascended too. Let all Christian readers pray earnestly that God
may be pleased to reveal to them the meaning, blessedness, and
fullness of those words "In Christ".
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 32
The Priesthood Changed
(Hebrews 7:11-16)
__________________________________________
In Hebrews 5:1-9 the apostle has shown (in part, for he returns to the
same theme again in Hebrews chapter 9) how Christ fulfilled that which
Aaron had foreshadowed of Him as the High Priest of His people. Then,
in Hebrews 5:11 he declares Christ had been hailed by God as High
Priest "after the order of Melchizedek". Immediately following, the
apostle adds that, though he had "many things" to say of him, he was
restrained through the Hebrews' dullness. After a lengthy parenthesis
in which he corrects their faulty condition, return is made to the
subject of Christ's priesthood in Hebrews 6:20, which is amplified in
Hebrews chapter 7. The main object now before him was to show that
Christ is superior to the Jewish high priest, and, in proof, he
appeals to the striking type of Melchizedek. Concerning that type he
pointed out that not only was Melchizedek greater in his own person
than Aaron, but that his superiority had been owned by the whole
Levitical stock, inasmuch as they, represented by Abraham, had done
homage to him.
In the second section of Hebrews chapter 7 which begins at verse 11,
the apostle points out the inevitable inferences which must be drawn
from and the certain corollaries which are involved in what had just
been shown. The fact that the Messiah was Priest after the order of
Melchizedek, necessarily set aside the Levitical order. The fact that
God had sent His Son to perform a sacerdotal work, plainly signified
that the ministry of Aaron and his successors was inadequate. The fact
that "perfection" was not brought in till Christ offered Himself as a
sacrifice to God, clearly showed that imperfection attached to those
who preceded Him. To bring this out the more clearly was the great
design of the apostle in the verses which are to be before us. He had
now reached that which was the most difficult for the Jews to receive,
viz., that what had been so long venerated by their fathers had now
been set aside by God.
To announce that the Mosaic economy was temporary, inadequate,
defective, was unbelievable to a pious but unregenerate Israelite, and
it was something which was far from easy to prove to a regenerated
Jew. They believed that the Levitical system of priesthood was
"perfect". It had been instituted by Jehovah Himself, so surely it
must be sufficient and permanent! If the whole Aaronic system was of
Divine appointment how could it possibly be, in itself, so
unsatisfactory that it must now be discarded? The apostle might have
reasoned from the analogies supplied by Nature. Many things made by
God--such as chrysalis for the butterfly--serve a temporary purpose
and then become useless when a more perfect stage of development is
reached. But the apostle takes much higher ground and proves by
invincible logic that the Levitical system was imperfect, and
therefore had been superceded by something else.
God had raised up a Priest who belonged not to the Levitical tribe.
This the believing Hebrews freely granted: that Jesus Christ had by
His sacrifice put away their sins and brought them nigh unto God, was
the glorious truth they espoused when they received the Gospel. But
they were slow to perceive and acknowledge the necessary implications
of it. That the Lord Jesus was Priest "after the order of
Melchizedek", intimated unequivocally that the priesthood which
preceded His was incapable of producing "perfection", for there was no
need of introducing something new if the old met all the requirements
of God. But more: not only did Christ's bringing in "perfection"
presuppose the imperfection of the old order, but it necessarily
involved a change of economy, i.e. all that was distinctly associated
with the Levitical system was now effete, out of date. It is this
which the apostle proceeds to show.
It was never the intention of God that the Levitical priesthood should
remain forever, for in the Old Testament Scriptures He gave intimation
of another Priest, of another order, rising to supercede the former.
That intimation was to be found, first, in Genesis 14, where the head
and representative of the whole Jewish race had owned Melchizedek as
the priest of the most High God. Still plainer was the prophecy which
God gave to David. In the 110th Psalm He had greeted the Messiah with
these words, "Sit Thou at My right hand" (verse 1), and then He had
declared, "The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest
forever after the order of Melchizedek" (verse 4). This the apostle
here cites, and by so doing bases his argument on a ground which no
pious Jew could gainsay: the inspired and infallible testimony of Holy
Scripture. Therefore if Christ was Priest "after the order of
Melchizedek", the Aaronic must be imperfect, or there had been no need
for introducing this change.
"If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood (for under
it the people received the law), what further need that another priest
should rise after the order of Melchizedek, and not be called after
the order of Aaron?" (verse 11). The apostle now points out some of
the consequences of Christ's being a Priest "after the order of
Melchizedek". The first he mentions is that the Levitical was unable
to bring in "perfection". This was evident. Had it done so there was
no need for introducing another. But wherein was it that the Levitical
system fell short? What was it that it failed to procure? To answer
these questions we need to carefully weigh the expression
"perfection".
The term "perfection" is one of the characteristic and key-words of
this Epistle. It has a different shade of meaning than it has in the
other Pauline Epistles. Unless careful attention be paid to its
immediate connections, we are almost certain to fall into an erroneous
conception of its force. It has to do more with relationship than
experience, though as the relationship is spiritually apprehended a
corresponding experience follows. It concerns the objective side of
things rather than the subjective. It looks to the judicial and vital
aspect rather than to the experimental and practical. Its first
occurrences are in Hebrews 2:10 and Hebrews 5:9, used of Christ
Himself, where the obvious reference is what pertained to Him
officially rather than personally. Then it is found in Hebrews
6:1--compare our comments thereon. In Hebrews 9:9 we are told that in
Old Testament times the gifts and sacrifices offered "could not make
him that did the service perfect as pertaining to the conscience". The
same thing is affirmed in Hebrews 10:1. But in blessed contrast
therefrom we read, "For by one offering He hath perfected forever them
that are sanctified" (Heb. 10:14).
"Perfection" means the bringing of a thing to that completeness of
condition designed for it. Doctrinally it refers to the producing of a
satisfactory and final relation between God and men. It speaks of that
unchangable standing in the favor and blessing of God which Christ has
secured for His people. In Hebrews 12:23 we read of "the spirits of
just men made perfect", which does not mean that the Old Testament
saints had been perfected in holiness and happiness (though that, of
course, was true of them), but that they had been "made perfect" as
their title to heavenly glory. This did not take place till the
sacrifice of Christ had been offered, though, in the certain prospect
of its accomplishment, they had received the blessings which flow from
it long before: cf. Hebrews 11:40.
In our present section the apostle insists that "perfection" could not
be produced by the Levites, and that a priesthood which did bring in
perfection must be superior. It therefore remains for us to enquire
next, What are the great ends of priesthood? What is it that the
priest should effect? The priest was the mediator who drew near unto
God on behalf of others. His work was to present to Him a sacrifice
for the satisfying of Divine justice. It was to effect such a
procuring of His favor and such a securing of a standing-ground before
Him for those whom he represented, that their conscience might be at
peace. It was to come forth from His presence that he might pronounce
blessing. Had the Levitical priesthood been able to obtain these
things? Had Aaron and his successors obtained God's remission from all
the consequences of sin and brought in a complete and abiding
redemption? No, indeed.
The office and work of a priesthood may be considered two ways: first,
as it respects God, who is the prime and immediate object of all the
proper acts of that office; second, as it respects His people, who are
the subject of its blessings and the beneficiaries of its
administration. As priesthood respects God, its chief design was to
make expiation of sin by means of an atoning sacrifice. But this the
Levitical priesthood was unable to do. A typical, ceremonial, and
temporary value attached to their sacerdotal ministrations; but an
effectual, vital, and permanent did not. This is positively stated in
Hebrews 10:4, "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of
goats should take away sins". Why, then, were such appointed? To
exhibit the holy claims of God and the requirements of His justice; to
prefigure the great Sacrifice yet to come.
Let us next inquire, What was the "perfection" which Christ hath
brought in? And here we cannot do better than give a summary of the
most helpful exposition of John Owen. That which Christ hath produced
to the glory of God and the blessing of His people is, First,
righteousness. The introduction of all imperfection was by sin. This
made the law weak (Rom. 8:3) and sinners to be "without strength"
(Rom. 5:6). Therefore perfection must be introduced by righteousness.
That was the fundamental of the new covenant: see Isaiah 60:21, Psalm
72:7, etc. Therefore do the saints speak of Christ as "The Lord our
righteousness" (Jer. 23:6). Christ has brought in an "everlasting
righteousness" (Dan. 9:24), and therefore are believers "made the
righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21).
Second, peace is the next thing which belongs to the evangelical
"perfection" of Christianity. As the High Priest of the covenant it
pertained to the Lord Jesus to make peace between God and sinners.
"When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His
Son" (Rom. 5:10). Therefore is He denominated "The Prince of peace"
(Isa. 9:6): He is such because He has "made peace through the blood of
His cross" (Col. 1:20). The result of this is that believers have
"peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1). Thus the
evangel we proclaim is "The Gospel of peace" (Eph. 6:15).
Third, light. God designed for Christians a greater measure of
spiritual light and knowledge of the mysteries of His wisdom and grace
than were attainable under the law. God reserved for His Son the honor
of making known the fullness of His counsels (John 1:18, Hebrews 1:1,
2). There was under the Levitical priesthood but a "shadow of good
things to come" (Heb. 10:1), but the mystery of them remained hid in
God (Eph. 3:9). The prophets themselves perceived not the depths of
their own predictions (1 Pet. 1:11, 12). Hence, the attitude of the
Old Testament Church was a looking forward unto a fuller revelation:
"till the day break, and the shadows flee away" (Song 2:17, 4:6). The
contrast between the two economies is seen in 1 John 2:8, "The
darkness is past, and the true light now shineth".
Fourth, access to God. There belongs to the "perfection" which Christ
hath brought in, a liberty and boldness of approach unto the throne of
grace that was not only unknown but expressly forbidden under the law.
At Sinai the people were fenced off at the foot of the mount, when
Jehovah appeared to Moses on its summit. In the tabernacle, none save
the priests were suffered to go beyond the outer court, and they not
at all into the holy of holies where God dwelt. How blessed is the
contrast today. "For through Him we both have access by one Spirit
unto the Father" (Eph. 2:18). To us the word is, "Having therefore,
brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith" (Heb.
10:19, 22).
Fifth, the unveiling of the future state. Christ hath "brought life
and immortality to light through the Gospel" (2 Tim. 1:10). Whatever
knowledge of resurrection and eternal blessedness individual saints
enjoyed in Old Testament times, it was not conveyed to them by the
ministrations of the Levitical priesthood. That which characterized
the people under the Mosaic law was that they "through fear of death
were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Heb. 2:15). Nor could it
be otherwise while the curse of the law hung over them. But now our
great High Priest has endured the curse for us. He entered the
devouring jaws of death. But He did not remain there. He triumphed
over the grave, and in the resurrection of Christ His people have the
evidence, guarantee, and pattern, of their own victory too. He has
gone on High, and that as our "Forerunner" (Heb. 6:20). And His
request is, "Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me,
be with Me where I am" (John 17:24).
Sixth, joy. "The kingdom of God is . . . righteousness and peace and
joy in the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 14:17). True it is that many of the Old
Testament saints rejoiced greatly in the Lord, yet it was not by
virtue of the Levitical priesthood. The ground of their joy was that
death would be swallowed up in victory (Isa. 25:8), and that awaited
the death and resurrection of Christ. Therefore did Abraham rejoice to
see His day (John 8:56). But ordinarily their joy was mixed and
allayed with a respect unto temporal things: see Leviticus 23:39-41,
Deuteronomy 12:11, 12, 18, etc. But the Christian has a joy
"unspeakable, and full of glory" (1 Pet. 1:8). It is that
inexpressible satisfaction which is wrought in the love of God by
Jesus Christ. This gives the soul a repose in all trials, refreshment
when it is weary, peace in trouble, delight in tribulations: Romans
5:1-5.
Seventh, glorying in the Lord. This is the fruit of joy. One chief
design of the Gospel is to exclude all human boasting, to empty us of
glorying in self (Rom. 3:27, Ephesians 2:9). God has so ordered things
that no flesh should now glory in His presence, so that he that
glorieth must glory in the Lord (1 Cor. 1:29, 31). Thus it was
promised of old: see Isaiah 45:25. Glorying in the Lord is that high
exultation of spirit which causes believers to esteem their interest
in heavenly things high above things present, to despise and condemn
all that is contrary thereto, to say with the apostle, "God forbid
that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ". If
the reader desires to follow up more fully the contrast between the
glory and excellency of the two economies, the Mosaic and the
Christian, let him study 2 Corinthians 3.
Ere leaving this blessed subject, let us make a brief practical
application of what has been before us. To be a real Christian is to
have a personal and vital interest in and be an actual participant of
those blessings which the "perfection" of Christ has brought in.
Multitudes make an outward profession of the same; few have an
experimental acquaintance with them. Again; the pre-eminence of
Christianity over Judaism is entirely spiritual and cannot be
discerned by the carnal eye: wherein it excels has been pointed out
above--it consists of a clearer knowledge of God, a freer approach to
Him, a fuller enjoyment of Him. Finally, let it be said that the
attempts to find glory and satisfaction in outward forms and
ceremonies is to prefer the Levitical priesthood before that of
Christ's. That is the outstanding sin of all ritualists.
A brief word needs to be added upon the parenthetic clause of verse
11: "For under it the people received the law". Its evident design was
to strengthen the apostle's argument. It is brought in as a subsidiary
proof that "perfection" could not be by the Levitical priesthood. We
are therefore disposed to regard "the law" here as referring to the
whole system of the Mosaic economy. The passive "received the law" is
a single word in the Greek, and really means "were legalized". The
reference is not to bring to the actual giving of the law, but to the
state of the people under it, their being brought beneath its power.
The law demanded perfect righteousness, but fallen man was incapable
of producing it (Rom. 3:19, 20; 8:3); nor could the Levitical
priesthood effect it. Thus the only hope lay outside of themselves.
"Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that
believeth" (Rom. 10:4).
"For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change
also of the law" (verse 12). Here the apostle names the second
consequence which must be drawn from the facts stated in verses 1-10.
First, the Levitical priesthood was inadequate, incapable of producing
"perfection". Second, therefore it was but a temporary institution,
and the whole economy connected with it must be set aside. In other
words, Judaism as such, was now defunct. Thus "a change of the law"
means a change of dispensation, a change of Divine administration.
This at once fixes the meaning of "law" in the parenthetic clause of
the previous verse. The reference is not to the ten commandments, but
to the Mosaic system.
The "change also of the law" or setting aside of the Mosaic system was
that to which the Jews were so strenuously opposed. They stoned
Stephen (Acts 7:58, 59), and vented their rage upon Paul, on this very
charge (Acts 21:28). Yea, many who professed the faith of the Gospel
continued to obstinately contend that the Mosaic law remained in force
(Acts 21:20). It was this same contention which caused so much trouble
in the early churches, the Judaisers harassing the Gentile converts
with their insistence upon circumcision and subjection to the
ceremonial law. Difficult as it was for a pious Jew to believe that
God should have set aside as dead and useless the whole solemn system
of worship, which He had appointed in so glorious a manner and
accepted for so many centuries, yet the proof that He had done so was
abundant and clear. The law and the Gospel could not mix. Works and
grace are antithetical. Moses must disappear when Christ was revealed:
carefully compare Mark 9:5-8! So far from God's people being the
losers they are immeasurably the gainers by His bringing in the
"better hope" (Heb. 7:19).
"For He of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe,
of which no man gave attendance at the altar" (verse 13). The argument
of this verse, introduced by the "for" makes it plain that it is not
the moral law which the apostle had reference to at the close of the
preceding verse: the closing words of the next verse make this still
more evident. We mention this because certain "Dispensationalists"
have appealed to Hebrews 7:12 in their misguided efforts to show that
Christians are, in no sense, under the ten commandments. The moral law
is not at all under discussion in this passage. 1 Corinthians 9:21,
Matthew 5:18, etc. are quite sufficient to prove that the moral law
has not been (and never will be) repealed.
"For He of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe,
of which no man gave attendance at the altar". The apostle's object
here is to give further proof that the Levitical priesthood, and the
entire ceremonial law, has been set aside by God. He appeals to the
fact that our Lord, according to the flesh, belonged not to the tribe
of Levi, and therefore His sacerdotal office was not according to the
Aaronic order. The expression "attendance at the altar" signifies,
"exercising priestly functions". The "these things" looks back to what
is said at the end of verse 11, which receives amplification in verses
17, 21.
The honor of the Aaronic order of priesthood continued, by Divine
appointment and privilege, within the bounds of the Levitical tribe:
Exodus 40:12-16. None belonging to any other tribe in Israel was
suffered to officiate at the altar or minister in the holy place. So
strictly was this institution observed, that when one of Israel's
kings dared to violate it, the judgment of God fell immediately upon
him (2 Chron. 26:18-21). In smiting Uzziah with leprosy God maintained
the sanctity of His law, and gave a most solemn warning against any
obtruding into holy office who have received no Divine call to it.
Furthermore, this exercise of God's severity should have been more
than a hint to Israelites that when He did introduce a priest of
another tribe then the priesthood of the old order must have been
Divinely set aside.
"For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah; of which tribe
Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood" (verse 14). The opening
"for" at once denotes the apostle is here continuing his proof that
the Levitical priesthood and economy was now a thing of the past so
far as God's recognition of it was concerned. His words here contain a
double assertion: our Lord, according to His humanity, belonged to the
tribe of Judah; of that tribe Moses revealed nothing concerning
priesthood. All that was needed to complete the proof of his argument
was that Christ was a Priest: this he shows in the ensuing verses. The
appeal made to this verse by those who deny that the Lord Jesus
entered upon His priestly office till after His ascension, proceeds
from such gross ignorance or malice that it deserves no direct
refutation.
First, it was "evident" that our Lord "sprang"--as the "Rod" out of
Jesse's stem--from Judah. This was included in the faith of believers
that the Messiah was to come out of the royal tribe. Such prophecies
as Genesis 49:8-10, 2 Samuel 7:12, Isaiah 11:1-5, Micah 5:2 had made
that very plain. The genealogy recorded in Matthew 1 established the
same fact. Whoever therefore acknowledge the Lord Jesus to be the true
Messiah, as all to whom the apostle was directly writing did, (though
most of them still clung to the ceremonial law), granted that He was
of the tribe of Judah. Nor did the unbelieving Jews deny it. In
passing, we have noted that Judah signifies "praise": Christ still
dwells in the midst of His people's praises!
Second, about Judah Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. The
apostle's object is to render it conclusive that God's raising up of a
Priest out of the royal tribe, must necessarily exclude all the house
of Aaron from sharing His office. Moses did specify that the
priesthood should be exercised by those belonging to the tribe of
Levi, but he nowhere intimated that a time would come when it should
be transferred to the royal family. Again we may take note of the
significance of the silences of Scripture, and the justification of
arguing therefrom. As, for example, no mention is made of the month in
which the Savior was born, intimating that God did not intend us to
celebrate the anniversary of His birth: cf. Jeremiah 7:31. Paul here
reasons from the silence of Moses as being quite sufficient to show
that the legal or Aaronic priesthood could not be transferred to the
tribe of Judah.
"And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of
Melchizedek there ariseth another priest" (verse 15). In this and the
next verse the apostle presents the third consequence which follows
from the facts set forth in verses 1-10. First, he had pointed out
from those facts that, it necessarily followed the Levitical
priesthood was inadequate, for it was unable to bring in "perfection".
Second, therefore it was evident that the Levitical priesthood could
only be a temporary institution, and that the whole economy connected
with and based upon it must be set aside. Third, he now insists that
the priesthood of Christ must be radically different from and be
immeasurably superior to the Levitical order. So much for the general
scope of these two verses. Let us now attend to their details.
"And it is yet far more evident". What is it that was "far more
evident"? What was the particular point to which the apostle was here
calling the Hebrews' attention? Not that Christ had sprung from the
tribe of Judah, nor that He fulfilled the Melchizedek type, but that
the Levitical priesthood and economy was now obsolete. The proof that
this was so obvious is presented in what immediately follows. That
proof may be expressed thus: the priesthood of Christ was no temporary
expedient, brought in only to supply the deficiency of the Levitical
order. No; it was a permanent office and abiding ministry. Therefore
as God would not own two separate and different priesthoods, the
former and inferior must give place to the latter. The second,
"consequence" had been drawn from the tribal humanity of Christ; this
third "consequence", from the character of His priesthood.
"And it is yet far more evident". It is to be carefully noted that the
apostle did not say "it is far more certain". No, he was not
absolutely comparing one thing with another, but comparing them only
with respect to their evidential significance, the relative force of
those facts to all who were capable of weighing them. The fact that
God had caused our great "High Priest" to spring from the tribe of
Judah rather than from that of Levi, made it obvious that the Aaronic
order could no longer continue. But the further fact that He had been
made "after the similitude of Melchizedek", rendered this still more
obvious. The apostle is but adding argument to argument, in order to
show how wrong it was for the Hebrews to still cling to Judaism.
"For that after the similitude of Melchizedek there ariseth another
priest". The Greek word for "similitude" means "likeness" and occurs
elsewhere only in Hebrews 4:15. The emphatic here is "another priest".
It is not "allos" which means another of the same species, but
"heteros", another of a totally different order: one who was a
stranger to the house of Aaron. Let the reader consult Exodus 29:33,
Leviticus 22:10, Numbers 16:40, and he will see how impossible it was
for one from the tribe of Judah to perpetuate the Levitical
priesthood. The word "ariseth" is also very emphatic. It means to be
brought forth after an extraordinary manner: cf. Judges 5:7,
Deuteronomy 18:18, Luke 1:69. The arising of Christ in His priestly
office put an end to the Aaronic, just as His arising in the hearts of
His people (2 Pet. 1:19) puts an end to their looking to anything or
anyone else for salvation.
"Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the
power of an endless life" (verse 16). This completes the sentence
begun in verse 15. The apostle is still showing how manifest it was
that the Levitical priesthood had been set aside, for one infinitely
superior had now been set up by God. The contrast here made between
the two is very striking. The Aaronic was constituted "according to
the law of commandment fleshly". The same expression is used in
Ephesians 2:15 to designate the whole system of worship under Judaism.
This emphatic denomination may be accounted for by the fact that under
it commandments were so multiplied, and because of the severity
wherewith obedience was exacted. The Levitical priesthood was
"carnal", First, inasmuch as the sacrifices offered at their
consecration were the bodies of beasts. Second, inasmuch as the
priesthood was by fleshly propagation, from father to son. Third,
inasmuch as their ministration availed only to the "purifying of the
flesh" (Heb. 9:13). In sharp contrast, Christ was not dedicated to His
office by the sacrifice of beasts, nor did He claim any right to it by
His natural descent.
"Who is made . . . after the power of an endless life". Let the reader
compare our remarks on Hebrews 5:5. The Lord Christ did not merely on
His own authority and power take the priestly office upon Himself, but
by the appointment of His Father. The way or manner in which He was
"made priest" is here stated: according to "the power of an
indissoluable life". These words have been grossly wrested by those
who seek to prove by them that Christ never entered upon the priestly
office until after His resurrection. It is truly pitiable to find
those who ought to know better echoing the errors of
"annihilationists". Christ officiated as priest before His
resurrection, or He could not have offered Himself as a sacrifice to
God. As this will, D.V., come before us again in the 9th chapter we
will say no more thereon at the present juncture.
Christ's "indissoluable life" here has unquestionable reference to His
life as the Son of God. Upon that depends His own mediatorial life
forever, and His conferring eternal life upon His people: John 5:26,
27. It was only by the Mediator being made priest "after the power of
an indissoluable life" that He was qualified to discharge that office,
whereby God was to redeem His church with His own blood (Acts
20:28)--i.e., here called "His blood" because the humanity had been
taken up into union with the second person in the Godhead. Should it
be objected, But Christ died! True, yet his person still lived: though
actually dead in His human nature, He was still alive in His
indissoluable person, and therefore there was no interruption whatever
to the discharge of His sacerdotal office; no, not for a moment. Thus
the contrast between Aaron and Christ is that of a mortal man and "The
King eternal, immortal, invisible" (1 Tim. 1:17).
How deeply thankful should every Christian be for such a Priest. The
eternal Word became flesh. The Lord of glory stooped to become man. As
the God-man He mediates between the ineffably holy God and sinful
creatures. The Savior is none other than Immanuel (Matthew 1:21, 23).
In His humanity, He suffered, bled and died. But in His Divine-human
person He Himself quickened that humanity (John 2:19, 10:18). We
profess not to understand the mystery, but by grace, we believe what
the Scriptures record concerning Him. The "life" that was given to
Christ as the Mediator (unlike that of His humanity) was an
indestructible one. Therefore He is "a Priest forever", and therefore
"He ever liveth to make intercession" (Heb. 7:25). Hallelujah!
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 33
Judaism Set Aside
(Hebrews 7:17-19)
__________________________________________
As stated in the opening paragraphs of the preceding article, the
apostle had now reached (in the second section of Hebrews 7) the most
difficult and delicate part of his task, namely, to satisfy believing
Jews that God had set aside the entire system which He had Himself
instituted in the days of Moses. It is exceedingly difficult for us to
form any adequate estimate of what that meant to them; in truth, it
was the severest test to which the faith of God's people has ever been
put. To be assured that God had discarded as dead and useless the
entire order of solemn worship which He had appointed in so glorious a
manner and which He had accepted for so many generations, was indeed a
sore trial of faith. To acquiesce in His sovereign pleasure in this
momentous matter called for no ordinary measure of grace. To establish
the truth thereof Paul was led of the Spirit to enter into such detail
that every valid objection was fairly met and clearly refuted.
There are many today who quite fail to appreciate the reason why the
apostle should here pursue his argument so laboriously and enter into
so many minute details. That these should strike anyone as "dry",
uninteresting and unprofitable, is because he is insensible of the
vast importance of what the apostle had before him. Rightly did John
Owen affirm that "he hath the greatest argument in hand that was ever
controverted in the church of God, and upon the determination whereof
the salvation or ruin of the church did depend. The worship he treated
of was immediately instituted by God Himself, and had now continued
near fifteen hundred years in the church. All that while it had been
the certain rule of God's acceptance of the people, or of His anger
toward them; for whilst they complied with it, His blessing was
continually upon them, and the neglect of it was still punished with
severity".
The final exhortation which God had given to Israel through the last
of His prophets was, "Remember ye the law of Moses My servant . . .
lest I come and smite the earth with a curse" (Mal. 4:4-6). Those are
the closing words of the Old Testament! So highly did the Jews esteem
their great and singular privileges above all other nations, that they
would rather die than part with them. So high ran their feelings
against those who pressed upon them the claims of Christ that, the
charge preferred against the first Christian martyr was, "We have
heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God . . . This man
ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against the holy place and the
law" (Acts 6:11, 13): and though he remonstrated so faithfully,
earnestly, and tenderly with them, they "gnashed on him with their
teeth" and "stoned" him (Acts 7:54, 59). It was therefore most
necessary that Paul should proceed cautiously, carefully and slowly,
omitting nothing that was of any force in favor of the cause he was
pleading.
The truth of God requires no vindication from us, nor are we called
upon to attempt any justification for what may strike some as being
unnecessarily tedious. Yet, in addition to intimating the needs be for
Paul to enter so microscopically into the signification and
application of the details of the Melchizedek type, we may profitably
observe how that he has left an example which servants of God today
need to take to heart. The course here followed by this beloved
teacher supplies a most helpful illustration of what is meant by
believers being "established in the present truth" (2 Pet. 1:12). All
truth is eternal, and in itself is equally valuable and applicable to
each age and generation. Yet portions of it are especially so from
their timely pertinency to particular seasons, and that because of the
opposition made against them. Thus Paul's teaching here about the
abolishing of the Mosaic ceremonies with the introduction of a new
priesthood and new ordinances of worship was then the "present truth"
in the knowledge and confirmation of which the people of God were
vitally concerned. The same principle holds good continuously. Each
portion of God's truth may become of peculiar urgency by virtue of
some special opposition thereto.
In His sovereign wisdom God is pleased to exercise and try the faith
of His saints by various heresies which are fierce, persistent, and
subtle oppositions to His Truth. None of the Devil's agents, while
posing as the champions of the Cause of Christ or as revealing new and
fuller "light" from Heaven, reject all the Gospel or repudiate all the
fundamentals of the faith. No, Satan is far too clever to show his
hand so openly. Rather do his wolves, who aim at robbing God's
children of their inheritance, appear in sheep's clothing, and pretend
to great reverence for the Scriptures. Instead of repudiating the
entire faith delivered to the saints, they insidiously direct their
attack upon some single portion thereof; and thus a defense of what is
directly opposed becomes the "present truth" for that day in which the
saints need establishing, because of the Enemy's attempt to overthrow
them.
Though Satan hates all Truth, yet he is far too wary to send his
satellites among the people of God and openly deny all that they hold
dear. Nor can he gain any advantage over them while they are really
walking with God, in humble, dependent, obedient submission to Him.
No, he has to watch and wait until he discovers what professing
Christians, because of their lust and prejudices, are most inclined to
receive. As the spirit of worldliness increases among them, then he
presses that which is most calculated to hide from their view the
heavenly calling of God's people and its inseparable consequence of
walking down here as "strangers and pilgrims". As the spirit of
egotism and pride is allowed a large place, then that which humbles
and abases the flesh is withheld and a species of intellectualism
which puffs up, is substituted.
It is indeed solemn and saddening to review the course which
Christendom has followed during the last two or three generations in
the light of the above principle. As the denying of self and the daily
taking up of the cross declined, the heart was prepared for the
Satanic delusion that because salvation is by grace alone, that
therefore obedience to God, submission to His law, and the actual
doing of His Word, are quite unnecessary; and thus Paul has been
pitted against James, and the teaching of the latter ignored. That
there is a Strait gate to be entered and a Narrow way to be traversed,
before "life" is actually reached, is almost universally denied by
those who pose as the servants of God; yet that only solemnly confirms
our Lord's words, "Few there be that find it" (Matthew 7:14).
Again; as the "professing Church" became more infected with the
lawlessness abounding in the world, the teaching that the Sabbath is
"Jewish" and that the Law of God has been totally abolished, became
very acceptable to those intent on pleasing themselves. As the exalted
standard of holiness which God has set before His people became
lowered by those professing to speak in His name, the monstrous idea
that repentance belongs only to the "Kingdom age" was readily
espoused. As the masses of those who bore the name of Christ refused
to take upon them His yoke and learn of Him who was "meek and lowly in
heart", the horrible heresy that the searching precepts of the Sermon
on the Mount (found in Matthew 5:7) are not addressed to Christians
living today, was greedily devoured. Ah, it is just these things which
are now being opposed that have become the "present truth", in which
numbers of God's people most need to be "established". It is at these
very points that God is now causing the faith of His people to be
tested, and the true servants of the Lord will seek grace, wisdom and
courage, to emulate the example here left by Paul, and spare no pains
to root and ground the saints in what is most needful for them. Such
is the practical application we need to make of the principle
exemplified by the apostle in Hebrews 7.
In the verses immediately preceding our present passage, the apostle
had shown that the abolition of the Levitical order was inevitable.
First, he pointed out that before Aaron had been called, God Himself
had owned another priesthood which was far more excellent, namely,
that of Melchizedek's. Second, the introduction of that more excellent
priesthood for a season, was designed to prefigure what was afterwards
to be established, therefore another priesthood had to arise and be
given unto the Church in answer to that ancient type. Third, the new
priest after the order of Melchizedek could not consist side by side
with that of Levi's, for He belonged to another tribe, and His
sacrifice was of another kind. Hence, inasmuch as the Aaronic
priesthood could not take away sins nor make the worshipper perfect
before God, and because Christ's sacerdotal work effected these,
therefore the former must give place to the latter. Still further
reasons for the necessity of this the apostle continues to advance.
"For He testified, Thou art a priest forever after the order of
Melchizedek" (verse 17). This verse completes the sentence begun at
verse 15, the design of the whole being to afford a demonstration of
what had been said in verse 11. In verse 11 a deduction is drawn from
the signification of the Melchizedek type. That type announced the
rising of a Priest distinct from and superior to the order of Aaron.
From that fact the apostle points out, first, that the Levitical order
must be inadequate, imperfect, and therefore must give way before that
which was more excellent; and second, that the revocation of the
Aaronic order necessarily involved the setting aside of the whole
dispensation or economy connected therewith.
Though the "logic" of his argument was perfect and could not be
gainsaid, the apostle does not ask the Hebrews to rest their faith on
mere reasoning, but proceeds to prove what he has said by an appeal to
those Scriptures which they owned as the inspired and authoritative
Word of God. He reminds them that not only had the Lord given them
more than a hint in the historical narrative of Genesis, that One
should arise and fulfill the priestly type recorded therein, but he
points out that in one of the great Messianic Psalms Jehovah Himself
addresses the Messiah as "A Priest forever after the order of
Melchizedek". We cannot but marvel at the wondrous and perfect ways of
our God. At the very time when the church of Israel was in the highest
enjoyment of the Levitical priesthood, whose office depended wholly on
their genealogy, the Holy Spirit deemed it well to inform them through
David that a Priest was to come and be independent of any line of
fleshly descent, namely, after the order of Melchizedek, who had none,
Psalm 110:4.
Well may we reverently ponder and admire the sovereign wisdom of the
Holy Spirit in bringing forth truth unto light according as the state
of God's people require. Here again we see exemplified that basic
principle in all God's dealings with men: "first the blade, then the
ear, after that the full corn in the ear" (Mark 4:28). First, He
inserted in Genesis a very brief account of a person who was a type of
Christ. Second, almost a thousand years afterwards, when, it may be
all understanding of the Genesis type had been lost, and the people of
God were fully satisfied in a priesthood of quite another nature, the
Holy Spirit in one word of prophecy intimated that, what Moses had
recorded of him to whom Abraham paid tithes, was a foreshadowing of
another Priest who was afterwards to arise. Thus God not only gave
Israel light upon an important piece of ancient history, but also
signified to them that the priesthood which they then enjoyed was not
always to continue, but would be superceded by one of another and
better nature.
But notwithstanding the plain prophecy recorded in the 110th Psalm, it
is evident that at the coming of the Savior and the fulfillment of
both type and prophecy, the Jews had lost all knowledge and
understanding of the mystery of Genesis 14 and the promises renewed
through David. They thought it strange that there should be a Priest
that had no genealogy, no solemn consecration at the hands of man, and
no formal investiture with His office. Therefore does the apostle
proceed so slowly and carefully in the opening of this mystery,
prefacing the same not only by the assertion of how hard it was to
understand it aright (Heb. 5:10), but also with a lengthy discourse
(Heb. 5:11-6:20) to prepare their hearts for a diligent attention
thereto. The difficulty before him was not only because the true
understanding of Genesis 14 and Psalm 110 had been lost, but because
the carnality of those to whom he wrote made them reluctant to admit
that the raising up of Christ as Priest after the order of Melchizedek
necessarily involved the termination of the Levitical priesthood and
the whole system of worship connected therewith.
Difficult as it was for the Jew to be weaned from that system in which
he had been brought up and to which he was so deeply attached,
nevertheless, his very salvation turned thereon. Therefore we are not
to wonder at the apostle's insisting so much on the setting aside of
Judaism, for that was the very hinge on which the eternal salvation or
destruction of the whole Nation did turn. If they would not forego
their old priesthood and worship, their ruin was unavoidable. Christ
would either be received by them, or "profit them nothing" (Gal. 5:2).
Thus it was that it fell out with the great majority of them! turning
away from the Lord Jesus, they clung tenaciously to their ancient
institutions and perished in their unbelief.
Nor should we lose sight of the analogy and parallel furnished by the
Jews in connection with salvation today. While it be true that
salvation is wholly of grace, and in nowise obtained by any efforts or
works of the creature, nevertheless, it is equally true that none can
obtain that salvation until there be a complete break from the world
and their old manner of life in it. Conversion is a turning to God,
and to turn to God there must be a turning from all that is opposed to
Him. None are saved till they "come" to Christ, and the very term
"coming to Christ" implies a leaving of what is contrary to Him. The
Lord Jesus does not save men in their sins, but from their sins, and
before He saves them from their sins, there must be a repenting of sin
(Luke 13:3), and no man savingly repents of his sins while he lives in
and loves them. The wicked have to forsake their "way" before God will
"pardon" (Isa. 55:7). The sinner has to turn his back on the far
country, yea, leave it behind him, before he can approach the Father
and receive the "best robe" (Luke 15)!
Should any object to what has just been said, But that is to make man,
in part, his own savior! We reply, Not at all. There is nothing
whatever meritorious about repentance, any more than there is about
faith. Neither of them are virtues entitling a sinner to salvation,
yet they are required qualifications, in the same way that an
empty-handed beggar is qualified for my charity or a sick person is
fit to receive the attention of a physician. Scripture does not teach
that a man must reform his life in order to win God's approval, but it
does affirm "he that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso
confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy" (Prov. 28:13).
"For He testifieth, Thou art a priest forever after the order of
Melchizedek." Note "He testifieth", not simply "He said". The words of
the Holy Spirit through David are here appealed to by the apostle in
support of what he had said. Brief as is that citation, it
nevertheless substantiates all the principle points Paul had made:
First, here was proof that there should be another priest not of the
tribe of Levi, for Jehovah here affirms of Christ, who sprang from
Judah. "Thou art a priest". Second, He was a priest "after the order
of Melchizedek". Third, God Himself owned Him as such. Fourth, He was
so "after the power of an endless life" (verse 16), for He is priest
"forever".
Perhaps one more word needs to be added upon Christ's being "a priest
forever after the order of Melchizedek". The priesthood of Christ was,
in the mind of God, the eternal idea and original exemplar.
Accordingly, God called forth Melchizedek, and invested him with his
office in such a manner that he might fitly foreshadow Christ. Hence
he and his priesthood became an external adumbration of the priesthood
of Christ, and therefore is He said to remain a priest "after" his
"order", that is suitably unto the representation made thereof in him.
"For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before
the weakness and unprofitableness thereof" (verse 18). In verse 12 the
apostle had affirmed that the priesthood being changed, there was of
necessity a change made of the law also. Having, in verses 15-17,
proved the former, he now proceeds to confirm the unescapable
inference from it, and this he does by showing that the Priesthood
promised and now given, was in all things inconsistent with the
Levitical. In verse 12 he had used the milder term "change"; now he
insists that the old regime could not be altered and adjusted to the
new order of things, but had been altogether "disannulled".
"For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before".
The reference here is to the entire system of the Mosaic institutions.
That system is here spoken of as "the commandment going before". It
was of Divine appointment and authority, yet was it only designed
"until the time of reformation" (Heb. 9:10). The "going before"
signifies the introduction of the new Priest in fulfillment of the
promise in Psalm 110. The commandment going before was that which
regulated the worship of God and obedience to Him prior to the
Christian dispensation; but this had now been cancelled and a new law
of worship given.
It is indeed striking to note the warnings which God gave to Israel of
the disannulling of the law. First, at the very beginning He gave a
clear intimation that it had not a perpetuity annexed to it.
Immediately after the giving of the law as a covenant to Israel, they
broke the covenant by setting up the golden calf at Horeb; whereupon
Moses breaks the tables of stone, whereon the law was given. Had God
intended that that covenant should be perpetuated, He would not have
suffered its first constitution to have been accompanied with an
express emblem of its abolition. Second, Moses implicitly declared
after the giving of the law that God would provoke Israel to jealousy
by a foolish people (see Deuteronomy 33:21), which was by calling of
the Gentiles (Rom. 10:19); whereupon the law of commandments contained
in ordinances, was of necessity to be taken out of the way! Third,
through Jeremiah (chapter 31, etc.) Jehovah made known that, following
the revocation of the old, a "new covenant" should be established with
the Church! In these and other ways was Israel forewarned that the
time would come when the whole Mosaic law, as to its covenant
efficacy, would be repealed, unto the unspeakable advantage of God's
people.
If it be asked how and when the commandment respecting Judaism was
"disannulled", the answer is, First, virtually and really by Christ
Himself. He had fulfilled and accomplished it in His own person, and
by so doing took away its obligatory power. Second, formerly, by the
new ordinances which Christ instituted. The Lord's supper (Matthew
26:26-29) and Christian baptism (Matthew 28:19) were altogether
inconsistent with the ordinances of the law, for these declared that
was passed and done, which they directed unto as future and yet to
come. Third, declaratively by the revealed will of God: in Acts 15 we
learn how the Holy Spirit through the apostles (verse 28) expressly
declared that the Gentile converts were not under obligation to heed
the Mosaic law (verse 24). Fourth, providentially, in A.D. 70, when
God caused Jerusalem and the temple to be destroyed.
"For the weakness and unprofitableness thereof". Here the apostle
assigns the reason why God had annulled the Mosaic law. In verse 11
the apostle had asked, If "perfection were obtainable by the Levitical
priesthood what need was there for another priesthood to arise? Here
he plainly declares that the whole system was, relatively speaking,
worthless. This raises a difficulty of no small dimension, namely, in
assigning such imperfections to a system which had been given by God
Himself. How can it be supposed that the good and holy Jehovah should
prescribe such a law unto His people as was always weak and
unprofitable?
Absolutely considered no reflection can be made upon the Mosaic law,
for it was the product of Divine wisdom, holiness and truth. But with
respect unto the people to whom it was given, and the end for which it
was given, imperfection did attach to it. It was given to sinners who
were defiled and guilty, and therefore was the law "weak through the
flesh" (Rom. 8:3), its subject having no power to meet its high
demands. Moreover, it was (in itself) incapable of meeting their deep
needs; taking away their sins, bestowing life on them, conforming them
to God's holiness. Why, then, was it given? It was "added because of
transgression, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made"
(Gal. 3:19). It discovered the nature of sin, so that the conscience
of man might be sensible thereof. It restrained sin by prohibitions
and threatenings, so that it did not run out to an excess of riot. It
represented, though obscurely, the ways and means by which sin could
be expiated. Finally, it made known the imperative need for the coming
of Christ to do for men what they could not do of and for themselves.
"For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better
hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God" (verse 19). There are
three things for us to note in this verse. First, the apostle names a
particular instance in which the law was "weak and unprofitable".
Second, he specifies what had been introduced in the room of that
which had been disannulled. Third, he mentions the design of the law
was that it "made nothing perfect". "It did not make the church-state
perfect, it did not make the worship of God perfect, it did not
perfect the promises given to Abraham in their accomplishment, it did
not make a perfect covenant between God and man; it had a shadow, an
obscure representation, of all these things, but it made nothing
perfect" (John Owen).
Above, we sought to answer to the question, Why should God have given
His people a law which made nothing perfect? It may further be pointed
out that in all things the sovereignty of God is to be submitted unto;
and for humble souls there is beauty and blessedness in Divine
sovereignty. When the Lord Jesus rejoiced in spirit and returned
thanks because heavenly mysteries had been hid from the wise and
prudent and revealed unto babes, He assigned no other reason than,
"Even so Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight" (Luke 10:21). And
until we recognize an excellency in all God's dispensations, simply
because they are His, who giveth no account of His matters, we shall
never admire His ways.
Again, men have sinned, and apostatized from God, and therefore it was
but just and equal that they should not be reinstated in their
reparation at once. "As God left the generality of the world without
the knowledge of what He intended, so He saw good to keep the Church
in a state of expectancy, as to the condition of liberty and
deliverance intended. He could have created the world in an hour or
moment; but He chose to do so in the space of six days, that the glory
of His works might be distinctly represented unto angels and men. And
He could, immediately after the fall, have introduced the promised
Seed, in whose advent the Church must of necessity enjoy all the
perfection which it is capable of in this world. But to teach the
Church the greatness of their sin and misery, and to work in them an
acknowledgement of His unspeakable grace, God proceeded gradually in
the very revelation of Him, and caused them to wait under earnest
desires and expectations many ages for Christ's coming" (John Owen).
Finally and primarily, God designed that the Lord Jesus should in all
things have the pre-eminence. This was due Him because of the glory of
His person and the transcendent excellency of His work. But if the law
could have made anything perfect, it is evident that this could not
have been. Christ is the center of all God's counsels, the key to
every problem. All things are being directed to His ultimate honor and
praise. The system of Judaism, with its mysteries and shadows, served
as a suitable background, from which might shine forth the more
gloriously the full blaze of God's perfections made manifest by His
incarnate Son. "The darkness is past, and the true light now shineth"
(1 John 2:8).
"But the bringing in of a better hope did". When a sufficient
discovery had been made of the insufficiency of the law to make things
"perfect", God introduced that which did. A parallel passage is found
in Romans 8:3, 4. There too we read of the law being "weak", and,
that, through the faultiness of those to whom it was addressed. There
too we read of the law being followed by God's sending something
"better", namely, His own Son. There too we read of the "perfection"
which Christ has brought in for His people. The same thing will come
before us again, D.V., when we arrive at Hebrews 10:1-10.
"Hope" is used metonymically, that is to say, for the object itself,
the thing hoped for. From the giving of the first promise in Genesis
3:15, renewed in Genesis 12:3 and Genesis 17:8, the coming of Christ
unto this world was the great thing which believers longed for.
Abraham rejoiced to see His day (John 8:56), as did the prophets
search diligently concerning it (1 Pet. 1:11,12). Hence, we read of
Simeon "waiting for the Consolation of Israel" (Luke 2:25) and of aged
Anna speaking of the newly-born Savior to "all them that looked for
redemption in Jerusalem" (Luke 2:38). In like manner, the "blessed
hope" set before God's saints throughout this dispensation is the
"appearing of the glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ"
(Titus 2:13).
By the introduction of the "better hope" believers now "draw nigh unto
God". The verb here is a sacerdotal term, denoting the approach of
priests to God in His worship. By nature we were unable so to do, for
we were "alienated from the life of God" (Eph. 4:18). Sin separated
between us and the thrice Holy One. But now we who once were far off
"are made nigh by the blood of Christ" (Eph. 2:13), in consequence
whereof both believing Jews and Gentiles "have access by one Spirit
unto the Father" (Eph. 2:18), for the whole election of grace have
been made "a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices,
acceptable to God by Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 2:5). The right and
privilege of believers drawing nigh unto God Himself and the throne of
His grace, is further opened in Hebrews 10, particularly verses 19-22.
Everything which kept us at a distance from God has been removed by
the bringing in of the Better Hope.
In its complete realization and ultimate fulfillment, it is still the
"better hope". Believers are yet here on earth; there is much within
and without which mars and interrupts their communion with God. Their
being "made perfect" in their state and experience (Heb. 11:40), and
their being actually conducted into the Father's presence (John
14:1-3) is yet future. But blessed be God, our sins have been put
away, we already have "access by faith into this grace wherein we
stand" (Rom. 5:2). The Forerunner has "for us entered" within the veil
(Heb. 10:19, 20). Then, in the meantime, "Let us therefore come boldly
unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to
help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16). The Lord grant it for His name's
sake.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 34
Judaism Set Aside
(Hebrews 7:20-24)
__________________________________________
It may be well for us to recall the principal design of the apostle in
this section of his epistle. This was twofold; first, to demonstrate
that the great High Priest of Christianity is far more excellent than
was the typical high priest of Judaism, and that, that the faith of
the Hebrews might be established and their hearts drawn out in love
and worship to Him. Second, to show that it necessarily followed God's
bringing in of the new order of priesthood, the old order was
completely set aside. The method of proof which the Spirit moved the
apostle to pursue was, an appeal to a notable Old Testament type,
confirmed by the citation of a Messianic prophecy. From this there was
no possible appeal by any who really bowed to the Divine authority of
Holy Writ. Blessed it is to see how graciously God has always provided
a sure foundation for the faith of His people to rest upon. Yet it is
only as His Word is diligently searched that this foundation is fully
discovered, and even that, by the directing and illuminating guidance
of the Holy Spirit.
An analysis of our chapter reveals that Christ's superiority over
Aaron appears in the following points. First, Aaron was but a man;
Christ was "the Son of God" (verse 3--and note the repetition of this
item at the close of the argument in verse 28!). Second, Aaron
belonged to the tribe of Levi; Christ, according to the flesh, sprang
from the royal tribe (verse 14), and is the Priest-King. Third, Aaron
was made "after the law of a carnal commandment"; Christ, "after the
power of an endless life" (verse 16). Fourth, Aaron "made nothing
perfect"; Christ did (verse 19). Fifth, Aaron was unable to bring the
sinner, "nigh unto God" (verse 19); Christ has (verse 25). Sixth,
Aaron was not inducted into his priestly office by a Divine oath;
Christ was (verse 21). Seventh, Aaron had many successors (verse 23);
Christ had none. Eighth, Aaron died (verse 23); Christ "ever liveth"
(verse 25). Ninth, Aaron was a sinner (verse 27); Christ was "separate
from sinners" (verse 26). Tenth, Aaron was only the priestly head of
an earthly people; Christ has been "made higher than the heavens"
(verse 26). Eleventh, Aaron had to offer sacrifice "daily" (verse 27);
Christ's sacrifice is "once for all". Twelfth, Aaron was filled with
"infirmity" (verse 28); Christ is "perfected forevermore". Well may we
praise God for "such a High Priest" (verse 26).
In view of the introduction of this Priest par excellent, what room
was there for another? No longer was there any need of the type, for
the Antitype had appeared. Symbols and shadows have served their
purpose when the substance itself is manifested. The things of
childhood are put away when manhood is reached. A crutch is dispensed
with when the limb is restored. When that which is perfect is come,
then that which is in part is done away with. This is the unescapable
inference which the apostle dwells upon here. "For there is verily--of
a truth which cannot be gainsaid, as a fact which cannot be
controverted--a disannulling of the commandment going before". And
why? Because "the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity
a change also of the law." The whole system of Judaism had been set
aside by God.
One cannot read through the Old Testament without marveling at the
long-suffering of the Lord. Notwithstanding the many and great
provocations of Israel, He did not set Judaism aside until the end for
which He had appointed it had actually been reached. When the promised
Messiah appeared, the temple still stood in Jerusalem, its priesthood
still functioned, the sacrifices were still offered. But now its
purpose had been served, its mission accomplished. The antitype of the
temple was seen in the person of God incarnate (John 2:21); that which
Aaron foreshadowed was fulfilled in the great High Priest of
Christianity; and all the sacrifices found their perfected sequel in
the final offering of the Lord Jesus. Therefore did God take "the law
of commandments contained in ordinances" and nailed it to the cross
(Col. 2:14), where He left it completely accomplished.
In the verses which are to be before us the apostle dwells upon two
things. First, he calls attention to a most significant and deeply
important item in the prophecy given through David, and this, that
Christ was constituted Priest by Divine oath, which exalts Him high
above priesthood under the law. The profound meaning and inestimable
value of this fact will come before us in what follows. Second, he
affirms that Christ is Priest forever, and this in order to show that
there should never more be any need of another priest, nor any
possibility of a return of the Levitical priesthood. Marvelously full
and comprehensive was that brief word in Psalm 110, supplying for us
an example of what unsearchable stores of wisdom and truth are laid up
in every verse of Scripture, if we are given spiritual sight in their
investigation. Signal proof also is this of the verbal inspiration of
Scripture: every phrase, every word, was indited by Divine wisdom and
has its own value and meaning.
"And inasmuch as not without an oath He was made priest" (verse 20).
The opening word has the force of "Moreover": it is not that the
apostle is here drawing a conclusion from a promise previously laid
down; instead he moves forward in the argument before him. He here
introduces a new consideration for the confirmation of the leading
design before him. That the contents of the verse depend upon what
follows was the conviction of the translators, as may be seen from the
fact that they supply the ellipsis (the words in italics) from verse
21. That which the apostle now insisted upon was, that the dignity of
Christ's sacerdotal office was commensurate with the solemnity of His
appointment to it.
Nothing was lacking on the part of God to give eminency and stability
unto the priesthood of Christ: "Not without an oath". This was due
unto the glory of His person. The Son of God, in infinite grace,
condescending to take upon Him the priestly office and discharge all
the duties of it, it was meet that any thing which would contribute
unto the glory or efficacy of it, should accompany His undertakings.
In this God showed how jealous He is for the honor of His Beloved; in
all things He must have the pre-eminence. In everything that He
undertook, He was preferred above all others who were ever employed in
the service of God, or who ever shall be; and therefore was He made a
Priest "not without an oath".
Moreover, God deemed it needful to encourage and secure the faith of
His people. There were many things defective in the priesthood under
the law, and it suited the design of God that it should be so. He
never intended that the faith of the church should terminate in those
priests. But upon the introduction of the priesthood of Christ God has
exhibited all that faith is to look unto and lean upon, and therefore
did He, in infinite wisdom and grace, grant the highest and most
specific evidence of the everlasting continuation of His priesthood.
In this manner has He shown that this appointment of His will and
mercy is absolutely unchanging, so that if we comply not therewith we
must perish forever. (Condensed from John Owen).
The priesthood of Aaron was not instituted with an oath; Christ's was.
Now that which is connected with an oath can never be changed, for God
is immutable. "In the same way as He sware unto Abraham, `Surely
blessing I will bless thee', in order that by two immutable things in
which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have abundant
assurance of hope; even thus is it that because the High Priesthood of
Jesus can never be altered, because it is based upon the eternal
decree and counsel of God, and because it is essentially connected
with the very nature and purpose of God Himself, it is introduced with
an oath. The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent" (Adolph Saphir).
"For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath,
by Him that said unto Him, the Lord sware and will not repent, Thou
art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek" (verse 21). It
should be particularly noted that God never solemnly interposed
Himself with an oath with respect unto privilege or mercy but that in
each instance it had Christ in view. Thus, He sware by Himself unto
Abraham that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be
blessed, whereby He announced the immutability of His counsel to send
His Son to take His seed upon Him. So also He sware unto David by His
holiness that his seed, Christ, should sit on his throne forever".
"For those priests were made without an oath, but this with an oath".
Although there is never the slightest alteration in the internal
acting of God's will nor the least changing of His purpose, for with
Him there is no "variableness or shadow of turning", yet, He
frequently alters His works, His providences, and even some of the
things which He appoints unto men at different times, unless they be
confirmed with an oath. The Levitical priests were by Divine
appointment, and therefore the people of Israel were obligated to obey
them. But they did not enter their office by Divine oath, the absence
of this intimating that God reserved to Himself the liberty to make an
alteration when He saw good.
"But this with an oath, by Him that said unto Him, The Lord sware and
will not repent, Thou art a Priest forever after the order of
Melchizedek". The person swearing is God the Father, the One unto whom
He speaks is God the Son: "The Lord said unto my Lord" (Ps. 110:1).
The oath of God is the open declaration of His eternal purpose and
unchanging decree. Thus is the same act and counsel of God's will
spoken of in Psalm 2:7. "I will declare the decree". Therefore when
God is pleased to unveil His decree or reveal His purpose, testifying
it to be absolute and unchanging, He does it by way of oath: see
Hebrews 6:13, 14, 17 and our comments thereon.
Should it be asked, When did God thus sware unto Christ? We must
distinguish between two things, or more accurately, two aspects of the
same thing, namely: the Divine decree or purpose itself, and the
revelation or declaration of it, for the "oath" includes both. As to
the decree itself, that takes us back to those eternal federal
transactions between the Father and the Son, when the "Everlasting
Covenant" was entered into. As to the revelation of it, that was
through David. Thus, the many modern commentators who regard this oath
as being made with Christ upon His ascension into heaven are seriously
mistaken, for that would completely invalidate the apostle's argument
here. Had Christ offered His sacrifice before God sware unto Him, He
had no pre-eminence herein over the Aaronical priests. The oath must
precede His entrance upon and discharge of His priestly office, or
otherwise the force of the apostle's reasoning here would utterly
break down.
Not only did God's oath to Christ make manifest the exalted dignity of
Christianity's High Priest, but it also denoted the great importance
of the economy which He introduced and now administers. "No wise or
good man interposes his oath in a matter of trivial consequence. If he
voluntarily gives his oath, it is a plain proof that he considers that
matter as one of importance. That economy must then be a high and holy
one indeed with regard to which Jehovah swares; and this circumstance
must elevate it far above every other economy, though Divine in its
origin, that is not distinguished by this highest conceivable mark of
its importance in the estimation of Him who alone hath wisdom. But the
oath of God marks not only the importance, but the stability of the
economy in reference to which it is made. God is never represented in
Scripture as swearing to everything but what was fixed and immutable"
(John Brown).
"By Him that said unto Him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou
art a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek". As this is the
final reference in Scripture to Melchizedek perhaps we had better
summarize the cardinal features in which he foreshadowed Christ.
First, Melchizedek was the only priest of his class or order, and thus
pointed to the solitariness of Christ's priesthood--He shares it with
none. Second, Melchizedek had no predecessor, and therefore his right
to office depended not on fleshly descent; foreshadowing the fact that
Christ's priesthood was quite distinct from the Aaronic. Third,
Melchizedek had no successor: typifying the fact that Christ's
priesthood is final and eternal. Once again we would stress the fact
that it is not said Christ is priest of the order of Melchizedek, had
He been so, the resemblance between them had been destroyed in a vital
particular. Christ did not succeed Melchizedek, but was his Antitype.
Unto those who object that nothing is said in the Old Testament about
Melchizedek's offering sacrifice to God, we would reply, Neither is
there anything said of his making intercession.t It was not in those
things that God designed him to prefigure Christ, but in the
particulars pointed out above.
"By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament" (verse 22).
The "by so much" answers to the "in as much" of verse 20, hence our
present verse is in immediate connection with verse 20, thus: "And
inasmuch as He was not made a priest without an oath, He is by so much
made the surety of a better testament". Verse 21, though containing
the confirmation or proof of the principal assertion, is rightly
placed in a parenthesis. On the close connection between verses 20,
22, John Owen said:
"There may be a twofold design in the words. 1. That His being made a
priest by an oath, made Him meet to be the surety of a better
testament; or, 2. That the testament whereof He was the surety, must
needs be better than the other; because He who was the surety of it
was made a priest by an oath." In the one way, he proved the dignity
of the priesthood of Christ from the new testament; and in the other,
the dignity of the new testament from the priesthood of Christ. And we
may reconcile both these verses by affirming that really and
efficiently the priesthood gives dignity unto the new testament, and
declaratively the new testament sets forth the dignity of the
priesthood of Christ.
"By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament". These
words clearly presuppose three things. First, that another covenant
had existed between God and His people prior to the appearing of
Christ. This is dealt with more expressly in Hebrews 8, where the old
and the new covenants are compared and contrasted. Second, that in
some respect or respects the old covenant was good--implied by the
contrastive "better". The old covenant was good in itself, as the
product of God's wisdom and righteousness; it served a good purpose,
for its statutes restrained sin and promoted godliness; its design was
good, for it pointed forward to Christ. Third, that the old covenant
had a "surety". Many have erred at this point through failing to
distinguish between a "mediator" and a "surety". Moses was the typical
mediator; Aaron, the typical surety, for he it was who offered solemn
sacrifices in the name and on behalf of the people, making atonement
for them according to the terms of the covenant.
"By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better covenant." Here for
the first time in this chapter the apostle expressly names the person
who had been referred to and described. Declaration had been made of
the nature of the priesthood of Him who was to fill the office
according to the Melchizedek type, but now definite application of the
whole is made unto the Savior. Two questions had long engaged the
attention of the Jews: the nature of the Messiah's office, and who
that person should be. The apostle had demonstrated from their own
Scriptures that the Messiah was to be a Priest, yet not of the
Levitical stock; as he had also shown the necessary consequences of
this. Now he asserts that it was Jesus who is this Priest, for He
alone has fulfilled the type and discharged the principal duty of that
office. Concerning "Jesus" it is here affirmed that He was "made a
Surety". He was "made so" or appointed so by the will and act of God
the Father: compare 1:4, 3:2, 5:5 and our comments thereon for the
force of this term "made". The whole undertaking of Christ, and the
efficacy for the discharge of His office, depended entirely upon the
appointment of God the Father.
"The Greek word for `surety' properly means a bondsman: one who
pledges his name, property or influence, that a certain thing shall be
done. When a contract is made, a debt contracted, or a note given, a
friend often becomes the surety in the case, and is himself
responsible if the terms of the contract are not complied with" (A.
Barnes). A "surety" is one who agrees to undertake for another who is
lacking in ability to discharge his own obligations. Whatever
undertaking the surety makes, whether in words of promise, or in the
depositing of real security in the hands of the arbitrator, or by any
other personal engagement of life of body, it implies the deject of
the person for whom any one becomes surety. The surety is sponsor for
another, standing in the room of and acting for one who is incompetent
to act for himself: he represents that other person, and pledges to
make good his engagements. Thus, Christ was not a Surety for God, for
He needed none; but for His own poor, failing and deficient people,
who were unable to meet their obligations, incapable of discharging
their liabilities. In view of this, Christ agreed to undertake for
them, fully pay all their debts, and completely satisfied every demand
which God had against them.
A beautiful illustration of the "surety" is found in Genesis 43:8, 9,
"And Judah said unto Israel his father, send the lad with me, and we
will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both me and thou,
and also our little ones. I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt
thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before
thee, then let me bear the blame forever". Blessed is it to find how
faithful Judah was to his agreement. Later, Joseph's cup was found in
Benjamin's sack (Gen. 44:12), and on their return into Egypt and
re-appearance before Joseph the governor, we hear him saying, "For thy
servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring
him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame, to my father forever.
Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad,
a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go with his brethren" (Gen.
44:32, 33).
A blessed New Testament example is found in the case of Paul who
volunteered to be surety for Onesimus: "If he hath wronged thee, or
oweth thee ought, put that on mine account; I Paul have written it
with mine own hand, I will repay" (Philem. 18, 19). In like manner
Christ engaged Himself unto the Father for His elect, saying, Charge
to My account whatsoever My people owe Thee, and I will fully
discharge their debts. This is an office in which Christ sustains a
representative character in relation to those sinners for whom He
interposed. It was Christ pledging Himself, or making Himself
responsible, for the fulfillment of all that the Everlasting Covenant
required on the part of those who are to share its provisions. It is
as the Surety of the Covenant that Christ is called the "Second Man",
the "Last Adam" (1 Cor. 15:47). This title, then, views Christ as
identifying Himself with those whom the Father gave to Him, and on
whose behalf He accomplished the great work assigned Him (see John
6:38, 39, etc.) in their room and stead, making full satisfaction to
God.
Let us now observe that Jesus was made "a Surety of a better
testament", or "covenant", as the term should be rendered, for the
word denotes an arrangement or constitution, a dispensation or
economy. It signifies that order of things introduced by Christ, in
contrast from the order of things which obtained under the Mosaic
regime. The Mosaic covenant was administered by the instrumentality of
the Levitical priesthood, but the better covenant by Jesus, the Son of
God: that was transitory and changing; this is permanent and eternal.
It is so because those who enjoy its blessings receive an enablement
to comply with its terms, fulfill its conditions, and yield the
obedience which God requires therein. For by the ordination of God,
our Surety merited and procured for them the Holy Spirit, and all the
needed supplies of grace to make them new creatures, and empower to
yield obedience to God from a new principle of spiritual life, and
that, faithfully to the end.
It is the Surety by the Divine oath which gives stability unto the
covenant. God entered into a covenant with the first Adam (see Hosea
6:6 margin), but it had no "surety"! And therefore though our first
parent had all the tremendous advantages of a sinless nature filled
with holy inclinations, and free from all evil imaginations, desires
and habits, yet he broke the covenant and forfeited all the benefits
thereof. God made a covenant with Israel at Sinai (Ex. 19 and 24), and
appointed the high priest to act as the typical surety of it; yet, as
we have seen, that covenant and that surety, made nothing perfect. The
purpose of that covenant was to demonstrate the need of another and
better one. In contradistinction from these God has made with His
elect, in Christ, a covenant "ordered in all things and sure", "for He
laid help upon One that is mighty" (Ps. 89:19).
And what is the practical application to God's children today of what
has been before us? Surely this, that just so far as the new covenant
surpasses the old, are we under greater obligations unto God, "for
unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required" (Luke
12:48). That just so far as the Surety of the better covenant exceeds
in dignity and glory the surety under the old regime, are we under
higher obligation of rendering to Him more complete submission, deeper
devotion, fuller obedience. O my brethren, what is due unto that
blessed One who left heaven's glory and came here to this sincurst
world to discharge our obligations, pay our debts, suffer and die in
our room and stead! May His love truly "constrain" us to gladsome and
whole-hearted surrender to Him, no longer seeking to please ourselves,
but living to and for His honor and praise. If we do not, that is
certain proof that we are yet in our sins, strangers to the Surety of
the better covenant.
"And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to
continue by reason of death" (verse 23). In this and the following
verse the apostle advances his last argument from the consideration of
Christ's priesthood as represented by that of Melchizedek. His design
is to present further proof of the excellency of it above the
Levitical, and of His person above theirs. That Paul is still looking
back to Melchizedek as a type of Christ, is evident from the
description which he had given of him in the earlier verses, namely,
that he "abideth a priest continually" (verse 3), and that "it is
witnessed that he liveth" (verse 8), for his priesthood did not
terminate at the age of fifty as did that of the Levitical. This is
the particular detail of the type which is here seized and improved
upon, for it was that which gives virtue and efficacy to everything
else he had insisted upon. Set this aside and all the other advantages
and excellencies he had named would be quite ineffectual to secure
"perfection". What lasting profit could it be to the Church to have so
glorious a Priest for a season, and then be deprived of Him by the
expiration of His office?
Just as what the apostle declares of Christ in verse 24 hath respect
to what he had before observed concerning Melchizedek, so what he
affirms in verse 23 of the Levitical priests looks back to what he had
before declared about them, namely, that they were all mortal men, and
nothing more, for they actually died in their successive generations:
see verse 8. The apostle expresses himself very emphatically "and
truly". It was not a dubious point he was now handling, but one which
was well known and could not be controverted. "They truly were many
priests". It is of the high priest's only, Aaron and his successors,
of whom he speaks. Jewish records inform us that there were no fewer
than eighty-three high priests from Aaron, the first, to Phinehas, who
perished with the temple. Thirteen lived under the tabernacle prior to
Solomon, eighteen under the first temple before its destruction by the
Babylonians, the remainder under the second temple till A.D. 70.
The reason for this multiplication of priests was "because they were
not suffered to continue by reason of death". Notwithstanding the
great dignity of their office, and the solemnities with which they
were installed in it, they were but men, subject to infirmity and
dissolution, like those for whom they ministered. Mortality suffered
them not to continue in the execution of their office. It forbade them
so to do in the name of the great sovereign Lord of life and death. A
signal instance of this was given in Aaron himself, the first of them.
God, to show the nature of that priesthood unto the people, and to
manifest that the everlasting Priest was yet to come, commanded Aaron
to die in the sight of all the congregation: Numbers 20:25-29! In like
manner, death seized upon each of his successors. Thereby did God
intimate unto Israel that imperfection attached to that office which
was so frequently interrupted in its administration.
"But this man, because He continueth ever, hath an unchangeable
priesthood" (verse 24). This is the final proof in our present passage
for the immeasurable superiority of our great High Priest over the
Levitical priests. The Surety of the better covenant has an unchanging
priesthood. The reason for and the ground on which this rests is here
stated: "because He continueth ever". The apostle is not here proving
the absolute perpetuity of Christ's sacerdotal office, but the
continuous and uninterrupted administration of it. This was the faith
of the Jews concerning the Messiah and His office: "We have heard out
of the law that Christ abideth forever" (John 12:34), which was
interposed as a difficulty and said by them in reply to our Lord's
declaration that He was to be lifted up in death. It was this
perpetuity of office that was principally typed out in Melchizedek.
Against this it might be replied, But Jesus Christ died also, no less
truly and really than did Aaron and his successors, and thus it would
follow that He had no more an uninterrupted priesthood than they. To
obviate this difficulty, many of our moderns have fallen back on the
error of the Socinians, that Christ did not become a Priest at all
until after His resurrection. But such a reply cuts the knot, instead
of untying it. This figment we have already confuted in previous
articles. Nor is there anything here in Hebrews 7 which warrants the
idea that the administration of Christ's priesthood is in heaven only.
The whole context here shows plainly to all who are not blinded by
prejudice that the apostle is treating of the whole of Christ's
sacerdotal office.
The death of Christ was a vastly different thing from the death of the
Levitical priests, for His death did not prevent Him abiding a priest,
as theirs did. First, He died as a Priest; they died from being
priests; He died in His office, they died out of office. Second,
personal death was no part of their work, whereas to die was the chief
priestly duty incumbent upon the Lord Jesus. Third, when they fell
under the power of death, they could not extricate themselves from it
and return to life and the service of the sanctuary, but the Son of
God had power to lay down His life and take it again. So far from
death putting an end to His priesthood, it did not even interrupt the
exercise of it. Christ died as a priest, because He was also the
Sacrifice for sins, yet through the indissoluableness of His person,
His soul and body still subsisting in the person of the Son of God. He
abode active in His office without any break: "He continueth forever".
It necessarily follows from what has been pointed out above that
Christ hath "an unchangeable priesthood", subject to no alteration,
that cannot pass away. The entire office of the priesthood pertaining
and belonging to the new covenant, with its administration, are
strictly confirmed unto the person of Jesus, the Son of God. There are
none that succeed, any more than any (except typically) preceded Him.
This at once exposes and gives the lie to the abominable blasphemy of
the Papists who call their ministers "priests", affirming that they
perform the proper work of such by offering sacrifice. It is highly
derogatory to the honor of Christ, and subversive of the whole
teaching of Scripture, to maintain that any person is now invested
with priestly office and performs its proper work. They who wickedly
assume this character encroach upon Christ's lone prerogative, and to
suppose them to be what they pretend, would be to regard our Redeemer
as a priest, not after the order of Melchizedek, but after the order
of Aaron, which admitted of successors.
The abiding of Christ as Priest manifests the continuance of His care
for His people. The same love which caused Him, as Priest, to lay down
His life for them, remains unchanged within Him. Therefore each one
may, with the same confidence, go unto Him with all their concerns, as
poor and afflicted people went to Him while He was here upon earth.
Again: it is upon the perpetuity of Christ's priesthood that the
security of His Church rests. "Do we meet with troubles, trials,
difficulties, temptations, and distresses? Hath not the church done so
in former ages? But was any one true believer ever lost forever? Did
not Satan rage, and the world gnash their teeth, to see their power
broken by the faith, patience, and suffering of them whom they hated?
And was it from their own wisdom and courage that they were so
preserved? Did they overcome the enemy by their own blood, or were
they delivered by their own power? No; instead, all their preservation
and success, their deliverance and eternal Salvation, depended solely
on the care and power of their merciful High Priest". Blessed be His
name, He is "the same yesterday, and today, and forever". Hallelujah,
what a Savior! what a Surety! what a Priest!
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 35
The Perfect Priest
(Hebrews 7:25-28)
__________________________________________
The principal subject in the verses which are to be before us is the
same as that which has engaged the apostle throughout this 7th
chapter, namely, the pre-eminent excellency of the great High Priest
of Christianity. That which he is setting forth is the superiority of
our Lord's High Priesthood over that of the Levitical. The various
proofs may be expressed thus. First, because Christ is called of God
after the order of Melchizedek, Hebrews 5:10. In enlarging upon the
fact, here in chapter 7, the apostle did three things: evidenced the
superiority of Melchizedek over the order of Aaron, Hebrews 7:1-10;
appealed to the Messianic prediction of Psalm 110:4 in proof that
Christ had been called after the order of Melchizedek; shows that the
fulfillment of this prophecy necessarily involved the setting aside of
the Levitical order.
Second, The second proof of the superiority of Christ's Priesthood
over the Aaronic order was, the distinguishing solemnity of its
institution, namely, by the Divine oath, Hebrews 7:20-22. Third, it
was proved by the perpetual permanency of His Priesthood, Hebrews
7:23, 24. Fourth, it is proved by the saving efficacy of His priestly
work, Hebrews 7:25. Fifth, it is proved by the personal qualifications
which He possesses to serve as Priest, Hebrews 7:26-28. Sixth, it is
proved by the Heavenly Sanctuary in which He now ministers, Hebrews
8:1-5. Seventh, it is proved by the New Covenant with which it is
connected, Hebrews 8:6-13.
Or again, we may view the contents of Hebrews 7 as a setting forth of
the results from God's having brought in Christ as Priest after the
order of Melchizedek. First, it necessarily follows that the Levitical
order of priesthood has been abrogated, for that order could not
possibly consist side by side with His, verse 11. Second, in
consequence of this change of priesthood, the whole Mosaic ritual has
been repealed, verse 12. The reason of this is obvious, the entire
ceremonial law pre-supposed the Aaronic priesthood, to which it was
adapted and on which it was based--remove the foundation and the whole
structure falls. Third, the introduction of of Christ as Priest
ushered in an entirely new and immeasurably better economy, verses
19-24. Finally, the providing of such a great High Priest infallibly
secures the salvation of all God's people verses 25-28.
In the closing verses of our chapter the apostle brings the whole
preceding discourse unto an issue, by making application of it unto
the faith and comfort of the Church. His object was not only to open
up mysterious Old Testament scriptures, nor only to demonstrate the
glory and pre-eminence of Christianity over Judaism, by virtue of the
priesthood of Christ; but his chief design was to make evident the
efficacy and eternal advantages of all true believers by these things.
The climax to which he had been leading up is before us in verse 25,
which he enlarges upon in the end of the chapter. That which
Christians ought to seek and what they should expect from the blessed
and glorious priesthood of Christ is what he now undertakes to make
known. In like manner, in all his epistles the apostle makes it clear
that the purpose of God in the whole mystery of redemption by Jesus
Christ and the institutions of the Gospel, is the salvation of His
elect unto the praise of the glory of His grace.
"Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come
unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them"
(verse 25). First, let us endeavor to ponder this inexpressibly
precious word in the light of its context. The opening "Wherefore"
denotes that an inference is here drawn from that which had previously
been said. What then is the premise, or what are the premises, on
which this conclusion rests? Or, in plainer language, Why is it that
Christ is here said to be able to "save unto the uttermost"?
"Wherefore"--because of the oath of His consecration (verse 20),
because of the immutability of the Father's purpose (He "will not
repent") verse 21, because of the better covenant of which He is
"Surety" (verse 22), and because He "continueth ever" an unchanging
Priest (verse 24)--"He is able also to save them unto the uttermost".
This we take it, is the connection between verse 25 and its context.
From the consideration of the glorious truth and office of Christ as
Priest, the apostle, to strengthen the faith and increase the
consolation of God's people, points out the infallible corollary: "He
is able". All power is His, abundant sufficiency of ability to
accomplish His design of grace. This is the second time we are
reminded of the capability of our High Priest. First, in Hebrews 2:18
it was said, "For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He
is able to succor them that are tempted", and see our comments
thereon. That which is particularly in view is not the ability of His
nature, but of His office. It is still the pre-eminency of Christ
above the legal high priests which is chiefly intended. By reason of
their personal infirmities and the limited tenure of their office,
they were unable to effect that which those desiring to approach unto
God most stood in need of. But our great High Priest, being free from
all such imperfections, "is able". Because His priesthood is
indissoluable and perpetual, His office is all-sufficient to meet
every need of God's people.
"Wherefore He is able to save them to the uttermost". It is no mere
temporal or transcient deliverance which Christ effects for His
people, but a supernatural, spiritual and eternal one. The word "save"
denotes some evil and danger from which deliverance is secured. This
is sin, with all its terrible consequences--pollution, guilt, the
curse of the law, the captivity of Satan, the wrath to come. Wherefore
it is written of Christ that He saves His people "from their sins"
(Matthew 1:21), "from the curse" (Gal. 3:13), "from the wrath to come"
(1 Thess. 1:10). "He is able also to save". It was no easy matter to
subdue Satan, fulfill the law, take away sin. placate God, procure
pardon, purchase grace and glory, with all that belongs unto God's
great salvation. But God "laid help upon One that is mighty" (Ps.
89:19), and He who hath undertaken this work is able to accomplish it,
and that by the means He hath designed to use and the way wherein He
will proceed.
Now the way in which He has designed to save His people, is by the
discharge of Christ's priestly office. God has appointed no other
means to that end. We must look for it therein, or go without it.
Alas, multitudes are like those sons of Belial who said of Saul when
God had anointed him king, "How shall this man save us? and despised
him" (1 Sam. 10:27). They understand not (nor do they desire to know)
how Christ is able to save sinners by His priestly work, and
therefore, under various pretences, they trust to themselves, and
despise Him. "All false religion is but a choice of other things for
men to place their trust in with a neglect of Christ. And all
superstition, instances of it, be they great or small" (John Owen).
"Wherefore He is able also to save unto the uttermost." The last word
here may have a double sense: it may respect either the perfection of
the work, or its duration, so it is variously rendered, completely and
entirely or forevermore and forever. Take its first meaning: Christ
will not effect part of our salvation and then leave what remains to
ourselves or to others. "He does not relinquish it by reason of death,
but He lives on as long as it is necessary that anything should be
done for the salvation of His people (A. Barnes). Consider its second
meaning: whatever hindrances and difficulties lie in the way of the
salvation of believers, the Lord Jesus is fully competent, by virtue
of the exercise of His priestly office, to carry out the work for them
unto eternal perfection. No matter what oppositions may arise, He is
more than sufficient to cope with and overcome them all. Combining the
two meanings: a complete salvation is a never-ending one.
"Them that come unto God by Him". This clause defines who are the
partakers of His salvation. Christ is able to save unto the uttermost,
yet all are not saved by Him, yea, they are few indeed that are saved.
Multitudes hear of Him, but, loving more the things of time and sense,
refusing to forsake all and follow Him, they "will not come" to Him
that they "might have life" (John 5:40). Only those who come unto God
by Him, does He save. To come to God means, first, to believe on Him
(Heb. 11:6); second, to draw nigh to Him in worship (Heb. 10:1, 22).
It is the latter sense which is here principally in view, for the
apostle is speaking of the state of the Church under the new covenant,
and its advantage over that of Judaism, by virtue of its relation unto
the priesthood of Christ. "They that come unto God by Christ are such,
as believing in Him, do give up themselves in holy obedience to
worship God in and by Him" (John Owen).
To come unto God by Jesus Christ is holy worship. So as to be therein
interested in His saving power as the High Priest of His people is to
come, First, in obedience unto His authority, as to the way or manner
of it. There must be a bowing to His scepter and a practical owning of
His lordship, otherwise we are rebels and idolators, not worshippers.
Second, with reliance upon His mediation as to the acceptance of it,
counting on the sufficiency of His sacrifice to atone for our sins and
His intercession to procure the acceptance of our persons and
offerings. Third, with faith in His person as the foundation of it; so
to believe in Him as vested with His holy office that the discharge of
it will save even to the uttermost them that come unto God by Him.
Unless we are true believers, our worship will not be accepted.
First, the quickened sinner comes to Christ, is drawn to Him by the
Father (John 6:44), and through Christ he comes unto God: cf. 1 Peter
3:18. In His priestly office Christ saves from sin unto God. His
righteousness carries them beyond Himself as Mediator unto God
Himself: cf. Hebrews 10:22. Thus "coming to God' is the fruit and
consequence of "coming to Christ". God is a just and holy God, yet may
the believing sinner, in and through Christ, have communication with
Him. Suppose I am under an awakening sense of the terrible majesty and
consuming holiness of God: I tremble, and dare not approach unto
Him--alas, where are they these days who ever have such an experience?
But, later, the Holy Spirit takes of the things of Christ and shows
them unto me--His compassion for sinners, His mediatory office, His
all-sufficient love: then my fears are silenced, and I draw near unto
God praising Him for His unspeakable gift. Nor does Christ's "ability"
to save depend upon my coming to Him, rather does it lie in His power
to overcome the reluctance of "His own" and incline them to come: see
John 17:20.
"Seeing that He ever liveth to make intercession for them." These
words express the reason why Christ is able to effectually save His
people: that which secures them is His perpetual life--"He ever
liveth"; His perpetual work--"to make intercession". This is what
gives efficacy to the priesthood of Christ. The Lord Jesus lives a
mediatorial life in Heaven for His people: as He died for them, so He
lives for them, and therefore does He assure them "because I live, ye
shall live also" (John 14:19). Comparatively few today either
understand or appreciate this blessed fact. That Christ died for them,
all who assent to the Gospel profess to believe; but that there is an
equally vital necessity for Him to now live for and make intercession
for them, is something which they perceive not. Nevertheless,
Scripture is clear on this point: "If Christ be not raised, your faith
is vain; ye are yet in your sins" (1 Cor. 15:17).
"There are many Christians who dwell on the crucifixion of Jesus in a
one-sided way. We cannot dwell too much on the glorious truth that
Jesus Christ was crucified for our sins. Yet it is not on the
crucifixion, but on Christ the Lord, that our faith rests; and not on
Christ as He was on the cross do we dwell, but on Christ who was dead
and is risen again, and liveth at the right hand of God, making
intercession for us . . . When Jesus died upon the cross He put away
our sins, but this was only removing an obstacle. The ultimate object
of His death upon the cross was His resurrection and ascension, that
through suffering He should enter into glory, that He should be the
perfect Mediator between God and man, presenting us unto God and
bestowing upon us all the blessings which He has purchased for us with
His precious blood. He has obtained eternal redemption on the cross,
He applies the blessings of eternal redemption from the holy of
holies. If Christ was not risen we should still be in our sins; and if
such a thing were possible, though we might be forgiven, we should be
dead and without the Spirit" (Adolph Saphir).
So stupendous is the work of saving believers unto the uttermost, it
is necessary for the Lord Jesus to live a mediatory life in heaven for
the perfecting and accomplishing thereof. It is indeed generally
acknowledged by professing Christians that sinners could not be saved
without the death of Christ, but that believers could not be saved
without the resurrection-ministry of Christ is not so freely owned or
considered. Yet, Romans 5:10 is very explicit on the point: "For if,
when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His
Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life". Let
Romans 8:33-35 also be duly weighed. It is one thing to recognize
that, by the once offering of Himself, Christ has "obtained eternal
redemption for us" (Heb. 9:12), it is quite another to perceive that
His intercession is required in order to the fruits of His oblation
being applied to those for whom it was made.
It appears to many that, seeing Christ fulfilled all righteousness for
His people, redeemed them by His blood, made full atonement for their
sins, nothing more was needed. But had Christ left us to build our
eternal safety on the foundation which He laid, had He ascended on
High to enjoy His reward without continuing to exercise His priestly
office on our behalf, had He merely secured our right and title unto
the heavenly inheritance and left us to press forward to it unaided by
Him, everyone of us would quickly fall a prey to the powerful
adversaries which constantly seek our destruction. When God "laid the
foundations of the earth", the "morning stars sang together, and all
the sons of God (angels) shouted for joy" (Job 38:4, 7), yet were the
continued actings of God's creative power required unto the perfection
of the earth. So the foundation of the new creation was laid
gloriously in the death and resurrection of Christ, causing triumphant
praise unto God (Col. 2:15, 1 Timothy 3:16), yet that praise is
founded upon the guarantee of Christ's unchanging love, care, and
power, to complete the work He has undertaken.
Those for whom Christ died are not taken to Heaven the moment they
believe, but are still left here in the Enemy's country nor are they
yet glorified, instead, the "flesh", with all its defiling influences,
is still left within them. Therefore do they stand in urgent need of
the priestly care of Christ, that, in answer to His intercession, God
might send them His Spirit, grant them renewed supplies of grace,
deliver them from their foes, keep them in communication with the
Father, answer the accusations of Satan, preserve them unto the end of
their earthly course, and, then receive them unto Himself and "present
them faultless before the presence of His glory" (Jude 24). "Who can
express the opposition that continues to be made unto this work of
completing the salvation of believers? What power is able to conflict
and conquer the remaining strength of sin, the opposition of Satan and
the world? How innumerable are the temptations which every individual
believer is exposed unto, each of them in its own nature pernicious
and ruinous" (John Owen).
"The most glorious prospect that we can take into the things that are
within the veil, into the remaining transactions of the work of our
salvation in the most holy place, is in the representation that is
made unto us of the intercession of Christ. Our High Priest has
entered within the veil where no eye can pierce unto Him, yet is He
there as High Priest, which makes Heaven itself to be a glorious
temple. Herein we see Him by faith still vested with the office of the
priesthood and continuing with the discharge of it. Hence, in His
appearance to John, He was clothed with a garment down to the foot and
girded about the paps with a golden girdle: both of which were
sacerdotal vestments, Revelation 1:13" (Condensed from John Owen).
"The intercession of Christ is the great evidence of the continuance
of His love and care, His pity and compassion towards His Church . . .
But how shall we know that the Lord Christ is thus tender, loving,
compassionate, that He continueth so to be; what evidence or testimony
have we of it? It is true, He was eminently so when He was upon the
earth in the days of His flesh, and when He laid down His life for us.
We know not what changes may be wrought in nature itself, by its
investiture with glory; nor how inconsistent those affections which in
us cannot be separated from some weakness and sorrow, are with His
present state and dignity. But herein we have an infallible
demonstration of it, that He yet continueth in the exercise of that
office, with respect thereunto all those affections of love, pity and
compassion are ascribed unto Him" (John Owen).
"For such an High Priest became us, holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens" (verse 26).
In this verse the apostle shows that in order for sinners to come unto
God, they have need of an High Priest to encourage and enable them so
to do. Not only is a high priest necessary, but there must be one
possessed of certain qualifications of excellencies, if ever we are to
obtain access to the thrice Holy One. Such a Priest is here described;
such a Priest "became us", was requisite for and suited to poor
sinners. None other could expiate our sins, purge our conscience from
dead works, procure acceptance with God for us, purchase eternal
redemption, administer supplies of grace enabling us to live unto God
in all the duties of faith, obedience and worship, comforting us in
trials, delivering from temptations, preserving us unto eternal glory.
The only high priest fitted to officiate before God on the behalf of
desperately-wicked sinners was one who was "holy". That which is here
in view is the absolute purity of Christ's nature. He was entirely
free from the slightest spot or taint of our original defilement.
Instead of being, as we were, "conceived in sin and shapen in
iniquity", His humanity was "that holy thing" (Luke 1:35). His
conception being miraculous, by the immediate operation of the Holy
Spirit, and not derived to Him by natural generation, He was
completely exempt from the pollutions which corrupts every one of
Adam's descendants. He could say, "the prince of this world cometh,
and hath nothing in Me" (John 14:30): there was nothing within Him to
which the Evil one could make a successful appeal. And such an High
Priest "became us". Had His nature been defiled, He had been
disqualified either to be Priest or Sacrifice. This holiness of His
nature was imperative in order to answer for the unholiness of our
nature.
Second, He was "harmless". "Holy" tells of what Christ was God-wards:
perfectly conformed to the Divine will inwardly, evidenced by His
perfect outward conduct. "Harmless" tells of what He was man-wards. He
is the only one who has ever walked this earth who never contaminated,
tempted, injured, those with whom He came into contact. As "holy", He
loved the Lord His God with all His heart; as "harmless" He loved His
neighbor as Himself. He lived not for self, but was ever at the
disposal of others. He went about doing good. When reviled, He reviled
not again. When ill-treated, He never retaliated. He was the Lamb in
the midst of wolves. He was the Sun of righteousness with healing in
His wings. How perfectly adapted was He, then, to serve as Priest and
meet the exigencies of His people!
Third, "undefiled". He not only entered this world "holy" and
"harmless", but He was so when He left it. Tabernacling for
thirty-three years in a world under the curse, mingling daily with
sinners, He contracted no defilement. Just as the rays of the sun may
shine into the foulest stream without losing any of their purity, so
Christ moved in and out amongst the vilest without the glory of His
holiness being sullied in the slightest degree. Christ was "undefiled"
morally, as the priests under the law were required to be
ceremonially. He was never infected by the evils around Him. He
touched the leper, and the leper was cleansed. He came into contact
with death, and death was conquered. He was in the presence of the
Devil for forty days, and was as spotless at the close as He was at
the beginning of them.
Fourth, "separate from sinners". The position of this clause in our
verse must govern its interpretation. It has a double force. It is
intimately related to what precedes, as it is closely connected with
the words immediately following. As it comes after the "holy,
harmless, undefiled", it gives a summary of what Christ was in
Himself, emphasizing His uniqueness and demonstrating His fitness to
officiate as Priest. He was the "Blessed" Man of the first Psalm: He
walked not in the counsel of the ungodly, stood not in the way of
sinners, sat not in the seat of scorners. He was the true Nazarite of
Numbers 6. Though He lived amongst sinners, He was infinitely apart
from them, in nature and character, motive and conduct. He was in the
world, but not "of" it. Thus was He qualified to act as Mediator
between God and sinners.
"Separate from sinners". As this clause prepares the way for "made
higher than the heavens", it stands in sharp antithesis from "He was
numbered with transgressors". On the cross, we behold Him in the place
of sinners, but He occupies that place no longer. Death is for ever
behind Him. He is now, in the absolute sense, "separate from sinners",
that is, distinguished from those for whom He is interceding. He has
been removed from their society unto another sphere. Thus, this clause
points another contrast from the high priest under the law. Aaron
offered atonement for sinners, and continued amongst them afterwards.
Not so Christ.
"Made higher than the heavens". "This refers to the present place and
state of our great High Priest. He was for a season made lower than
the angels, and descended into the lower parts of the earth, and that,
for the discharge of the principle part of His priestly office,
namely, the offering of Himself for a sacrifice unto God. But He abode
not in that state, nor would He discharge His whole office, and all
the duties of it, therein. And therefore He was made higher than the
heavens. He was not made higher than the heavens, that He might be a
Priest; but being our High Priest, and as our High Priest, He was so
made, for the discharge of that part of His office which yet remained
to be perfected: for He was to live forever to make intercession for
us" (John Owen).
"Absolute perfection of character is not the only requisite in a high
priest suited to our circumstances; he must be possessed also of
dignified station, or high authority, of unlimited power. He must be
one `made higher than the heavens'. The phrase is peculiar. It nowhere
else occurs in Scripture; but its meaning is obvious enough. He must
occupy a place of the highest honor and power. And He must be `made
higher than the heavens'. Those words plainly imply that His elevation
above the heavens is something conferred on Him. It must be beneath
the heavens in order to the discharge of some of the functions of His
office, and that in consequence of the successful discharge of them,
He must be exalted far above all heavens, for the discharge of other
functions, and for gaining the grand object, the ultimate end, of His
office" (John Brown).
"Jesus went into the holy of holies which was typified in the
tabernacle. Above all created heavens, above angels and
principalities, Jesus is now in the true Sanctuary, in the presence of
God, and there He is enthroned as our perfect High Priest. His
position in Heaven demonstrates that when He offered up Himself He put
away sin forever, even as it sets forth His divine glory. For who but
the Son of God can sit at the right hand of the Majesty on High? As it
is written, `Be Thou exalted, O God, above the heavens' (Ps. 57:5)"
(Adolph Saphir). "Made higher than the heavens" by God: this proves
that complete expiation has already been made. It emphasizes the fact
that Christ has entered the Heavenly Sanctuary on our behalf: see
4:14, 8:1, 2, 9:24 and Ephesians 1:20-23. It announces that He has
been exalted above every order of created things. It makes known how
immeasurably superior is our High Priest over Aaron.
Ere passing from this verse let us take to heart its searching
practical application. The perfections of our High Priest are what we
ought to be conformable to. "If we give up ourselves to the conduct of
this High Priest, if by Him alone we design to approach unto God, then
conformity unto Him in holiness of nature and life, according to our
measure, is indispensably required of us. None can more dishonor the
Lord Christ, no more perniciously deceive and betray their own souls,
than by professing Him to be their Priest, with their trust thereby to
be saved by Him, and yet not endeavor to be holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners, like unto Him" (John Owen).
"Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice
(first for his own sins, and then for the people's) for this He did
once, when He offered Himself" (verse 27). Let the reader note
carefully our punctuation of this verse: by placing the central clause
in a parenthesis (as it obviously should be) we are relieved of a
difficulty which has baffled most of the commentators. In this and the
next verse the apostle names other instances in which our High Priest
is pre-eminent over those of the order of Aaron. His perfections,
described in verse 26 exempted Him from all the infirmities of the
Levitical priests, which disqualified them from making personal
atonement. The design of the apostle is to show that Christ was
infinitely well-pleasing unto God, and because He was under no
necessity to sacrifice for Himself, the offering which He made for His
people is of eternal validity. "This he did once" announces there is
no need of any further repetition.
The apostle is still contrasting Christ from the Levitical high
priests. How could they pacify the declarative holiness of God which
had been outraged by others, when God was justly displeased with them
for their own sins? They were obliged to offer "daily" from time to
time, "day by day" or again and again, by periodical repetition, for
their own sins--cf. "from year to year" (Heb. 10:1), and note that the
Hebrews of Exodus 13:10 "from year to year" is, literally, "days to
days". Not only did the legal high priest have to sacrifice for his
own sins, the offering which he presented on behalf of the people had
no abiding efficacy, but had to be repeated annually. Whereas Christ,
being perfect, needed no sacrifice for Himself; and His offering being
perfect, there is no need for any further one. Christ's sacrifice
abides "a new and living one" (Heb. 10:20).
"For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the
word of the oath which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is
perfected forevermore" (verse 28). In this verse the apostle sums up
the whole of His preceding discourse, evidencing the true foundation
on which he had built. Those who still adhered to the Mosaic
institutions allowed that there must be a priest over God's people,
for without such there could be no approach unto Him. So it was under
the law, and if the same order be not continued, then the Church must
needs be under a great disadvantage. As Owen rightly said, "To lose
the high priest of our religion, is to lose the Sun out of the
firmament of the Church."
Now the apostle has granted that the high priests who officiated in
the tabernacle and temple were appointed by God to that office. His
opponents were persuaded that these priests would continue in the
church without change or alteration. God has designed a time when they
were to be removed, and a Priest of another order introduced in their
room. This change so far from being regrettable, was to the great
advantage, safety, blessedness, glory of the Church. First, the
Levitical priests were appointed under, by "the law"; but the new and
perfect Priest "since the law" (i.e., in Psalm 110:4), showing Christ
had superceded them. Second, they were but "men"; Christ was the "Son
of God." Third, they were "made" by "the law"; Christ by "the word of
the oath". Fourth, they had "infirmity"; the Son had none. Fifth, they
served only in their day and generation; He "for evermore".
"But the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son,
who is perfected for evermore". "The apostle turns again, in a most
emphatic and conclusive manner, unto the key-note which he had struck
at the beginning of the epistle. The law of Moses constitutes priests
that were changing continually. But the Word which came with the oath
after the law, consecrated forevermore as High Priest Him who is the
Son: compare the same emphasis on `Son' in Hebrews 1:1,2. Only the Son
could be the High Priest, and He became the High Priest. Through His
incarnation, through all the experiences of His life of sorrow and of
faith, through His death on the cross, through His resurrection and
ascension, Jesus is perfected forevermore" (Adolph Saphir). Christ
abides perpetually in His priestly office because of the validity of
His perfect Sacrifice. Hallelujah.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 36
The Perfect Priest
(Hebrews 7:20-24)
__________________________________________
"This chapter is a continuation of the argument which has been
prosecuted in the previous chapters respecting the priesthood of
Christ. The apostle had demonstrated that He was to be a priest, and
that he was to be, not of the Levitical order, but of the order of
Melchizedek. As a consequence, he had proved that this involved a
change of the law, appointing the priesthood, and that in respect to
permanency and happy moral influence, the priesthood of Christ far
surpassed the Jewish. This thought he pursues in the chapter, and
shows particularly that it involved a change in the nature of the
covenant between God and His people. In the prosecution of this, he
(1) states the sum or principal point of the whole matter under
discussion--that the priesthood of Christ was real and permanent,
while that of the Hebrew economy was typical, and was destined in its
own nature to be temporary: verses 1-3. (2) There was a fitness and
propriety of His being removed to heaven to perform the functions of
His office there--since if He had remained on earth, He could not have
officiated as priest, that duty being by the law of Moses entrusted to
others pertaining to another tribe: verses 4, 5. (3). Christ had
obtained a more exalted ministry than the Jewish priests held, because
He was the Mediator in a better covenant--a covenant that related
rather to the heart than to external observances: verses 6-13" (Albert
Barnes).
The above is perhaps about as good an analysis of Hebrews 8 as can be
supplied. We too are satisfied that the passage which is before us is
both a continuation and a summarization of the whole preceding
discussion of the apostle. In the previous chapters he has produced
indubitable proof that Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, is the great
High Priest of God's people, infinitely superior to all the priests
who went before Him. The closing verses of chapter 7 especially,
supply a conclusive demonstration that He was priest and exercised the
priestly office, while He was here on earth, and which He is now
continuing to do in heaven. First, the description given of Him as
"High Priest" in Hebrews 7:26 has no pertinency whatever if it treats
of what He was here upon earth. Take the expression, "undefiled"--what
is there in heaven to defile? Nothing whateverú But understanding it
to describe one of Christ's perfections while He was here in the
world, it is full of significance.
Rightly did George Smeaton declare, "Hebrews 7:26, 27 show Christ on
earth, as both Priest and Sacrifice. The `such' of verse 26 refers not
back to verses 1-25, but to verse 27, cf. Hebrews 8:1. The
qualifications described, holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from
sinners, are descriptive of what He was here on earth when brought
into contact with sin and sinners". Again; mark well the expression,
"made higher than the heavens" in Hebrews 7:26. Who was? The first
part of the verse tells us: our "High Priest"! Note also that the last
clause of verse 27, "this He did once, when He offered up Himself".
Who did "this"? Who is the "He"? The Lord Jesus, of courseú And in
what specific character is He there viewed? Why, as "High Priest". As
we are told in Hebrews 2:17, "He was a merciful and faithful High
Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation (Greek) for
the sins of the people", and as Romans 3:25 plainly declares, He made
propitiation at the cross. So again, in Hebrews 4:14 we read, "Seeing
then that we have a great High Priest that is passed into the
heavens". He did not enter heaven to become a priest, He was "Priest"
when He "passed into the heavens". Language could not be plainer.
There is no excuse whatever for a mistake at this point, and our only
reason for laboring it is that many who have boasted so loudly of
their orthodoxy have systematically denied it. That Christ's sacrifice
was a priestly one is clear from Ephesians 5:2, "Christ . . . hath
given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God": not only as
a "sacrifice" but as "an offering", and none offered to God the
sacrifices of Israel save the priests. That Christ did not become
Priest after He entered into heaven is also unequivocally established
by Hebrews 9:11, 12, "But Christ being come an High Priest of good
things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made
with hands . . . by His own blood He entered in once into the holy
place, having obtained eternal redemption for us". He passed into
heaven in the capacity of High Priest. Therefore we say that they who
teach Christ became priest after His ascension are unconsciously or
consciously, ignorantly or maliciously, corrupting the Truth of God
and denying one of the most cardinal articles of our holy faith.
The line of argument followed by the apostle in the opening verses of
Hebrews 8 is not easily perceived. So far as the Lord has deigned to
open their meaning to us, we understand it to be thus: Since Christ
has ascended to the right hand of God, and now sits there as a Priest
upon His throne, proof has been given that He is not a Minister of the
earthly and Jewish sanctuary, but of the antitypical and heavenly one.
Having set forth in chapter 7 the pre-eminence of Christ's priesthood
over the Aaronic order and His all-sufficient qualifications for the
office, the apostle now proceeds to evince His faithful execution of
the same, and this, to the end of Hebrews 10:19. In chapter 7 it is
the excellency of our High Priest's person which is demonstrated; here
in Hebrews chapter 8 it is His ministry which is contemplated. Note
how in verse 2 He is spoken of as "a Minister of the sanctuary", that
in verse 3 He has "somewhat also to offer", and observe the word
"serve" in verse 5 and "ministry" in verse 6. In chapter 8 we are
further shown the excellency of our Redeemer's sacerdotal office,
first, from the high Sanctuary in which it is now exercised (verses
1-5); second, from its functions corresponding with the better
Covenant with which it is connected (verses 6-13).
"Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such
an High Priest who is set on the right hand of the throne of the
majesty in the heavens" (verse 1). The participle is in the present
tense and should be rendered "of the things of which we are speaking"
(cf. Revised Version), the general reference being to the entire
contents of the epistle, the specific to what is found in Hebrews 4:14
to Hebrews 10:18. "This is the sum" or crowning point: it is here that
all the previous teaching of the epistle culminates, for the
priesthood of Christ is, really, its distinguishing theme.
"We have such an High Priest", looks back, particularly, to Hebrews
7:26. John Brown pointed out the very close connection which exists
between the closing verses of Hebrews chapter 7 and the opening ones
of Hebrews chapter 8, thus, "It is to be borne in mind that the
high-priesthood of Jesus Christ is the great subject of discussion in
the section of the epistle of which these words form a part; and that,
after having shown the reality of our Lord's high priesthood by two
arguments (Heb. chapter 5)--the one derived from His legitimate
investiture with this office, the other from His successful discharge
of its functions--the apostle proceeds to show the pre-eminent
excellence and dignity of our Lord's high-priesthood. He, with much
ingenuity, deduces four arguments for the superiority of our Lord's
priesthood to that of Aaron and his sons from the ancient oracle
recorded in Psalm 110:4: `The Lord hath sworn and will not repent,
Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek'. A fifth
argument suggested by, though not so wholly grounded on, this ancient
oracle, is entered on in Hebrews 7:26, and is prosecuted, if we
mistake not, down to the middle of the 6th verse of Hebrews chapter 8,
where a new argument for the superiority of our Lord to the Aaronical
priests obviously commences, the substance of which is this:--The
superiority of our Lord's priesthood above that of Aaron and his sons
is evident from the superior excellence of the covenant with which His
priesthood is connected.
"The substance of the argument contained at the middle of verse 6 of
Hebrews chapter 8, may be thus expressed:--To fit a person for the
successful discharge of the priesthood in reference to man, certain
qualifications are necessary. These qualifications are wanting in the
Aaronical priesthood: they are to be found in the highest perfection
in Christ Jesus. We, that is, men, need a high priest `holy, harmless,
undefiled, made higher than the heavens'. Jewish priests do not answer
to this description: Jesus Christ does. In Him we, Christians, have
such a High Priest; and the conclusion is, He has received `a more
excellent ministry'. In this way, I apprehend, everything hangs well
together, and the apostle's argumentative illustration appears
complete and satisfactory. Indeed, the recurrence of the phrase `such
a high priest' (Heb. 7:26), and `we have such a high priest' (Heb.
8:1), seems intended for the express purpose of showing that the train
of thought is continuous."
"We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the
throne of the Majesty in the heavens". These words point another
contrast between Christ and the Levitical priests. It is true that our
Lord Jesus entered for a season, a condition of deep humiliation,
taking upon Him the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of
sin's flesh; and this was necessary unto the sacrifice which He was to
offer. But as to His durable and abiding state, wherein He continues
to discharge His priestly office, He is incomparably exalted above
Aaron and his successors. After the Jewish high priest had offered the
annual sacrifice of expiation unto God, he passed within the veil with
the blood, presenting it before Him. But he stood before the typical
mercy seat with holy awe, and upon the fulfillment of his duty
immediately withdrew. But Christ, after He had offered His sacrifice
unto God, entered heaven itself, not to stand in humble reverence
before the throne, but to sit at God's right hand; and that, not for a
season, but forevermore.
The immediate design of the Holy Spirit was to comfort the hearts and
establish the faith of the sorely-tried Hebrews, who were constantly
represented by their unbelieving fellows for no longer having
fellowship with the sacred rites of Judaism, and thus, in their
esteem, being without any temple, priest or sacrifice. The apostle
therefore reminds them again that "We have such an High Priest", who,
though invisible, has been exalted in dignity and glory far above
those who serve under the law of a carnal commandment. For Christians
today the "we have such an High Priest" defines the relation of Christ
to God's elect: fallen angels and reprobate sinners have no High
Priest, that is one reason why their punishment shall be
eternal--there will never be a Mediator to plead their cause.
The great object before the apostle in this epistle was to present
that which was calculated to draw the hearts of the Hebrews away from
the temple at Jerusalem, to the true Sanctuary of Christian worship on
High. It is for that reason that the ascension of Christ occupies so
prominent a place in it. One of the objections which carnal critics
have advanced against the Pauline authorship of Hebrews is the fact
that only once (Heb. 13:20) is the resurrection of Christ directly
referred to, whereas in all the other epistles of Paul it is given a
place of great prominence. But the reason for this is easily accounted
for. The emphasis in Hebrews is placed upon Christ's being at God's
right hand (Heb. 1:3, 1:13, 8:1, 8:9, 10:12, 12:2) for the purpose of
assuring those who were deprived of the temple-services in Jerusalem,
that they had the reality and substance of those things which were
merely typical and temporary, and that the real Sanctuary was not on
earth, but in heaven, and there Christ Himself is now officiating.
"Who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the
heavens". The exalted position which our great High Priest now
occupies should commend both His person and His office in our esteem
and assure us what abundant cause we have for expecting the successful
discharge of its functions. Who is "set" or "seated": Acts 7:55 warns
us against interpreting this in a carnal or literal manner. With
Hebrews 8:1 should be compared Hebrews 1:3 (see our comments thereon)
and Hebrews 12:2. There are some verbal variations to be noted. In
Hebrews 1:3, where Christ's personal glory as "Son" is in view, there
was no need to mention "the throne". In Hebrews 12:2, where it is the
reward of the man Christ Jesus, the "throne" is seen, but the "Majesty
in the heavens" is not added. Here, in Hebrews 8:1, where the dignity
and glory of His priestly office is affirmed, we have mentioned both
"the throne" and the "Majesty" of God.
"A Minister of the sanctuary" (verse 2). This is exceedingly blessed.
"Having declared the glory and dignity which He is exalted unto, as
sitting down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,
what can be farther expected from Him? There He lives, eternally happy
in the enjoyment of His own blessedness and glory. Is it not
reasonable it should be so, after all the hardships and miseries which
He, being the Son of God, underwent in this world? Who can expect that
He should any longer condescend unto office and duty? Neither
generally have men any other thoughts concerning Him. But where then
would lie the advantage of the Church in His exaltation which the
apostle designs in an especial manner to demonstrate"? (John Owen).
Our blessed Redeemer, in His exalted glory, still condescends to
exercise the office of a public minister in the behalf of His Church.
It is required that our faith should not only apprehend what Christ
did for us while He was here on earth, but also appropriate what He is
now doing for His people in heaven. Indeed, the very life and efficacy
of the whole of His mediation depends upon His present work on our
behalf. Nowhere does the marvelous grace and the wondrous love of the
Savior more gloriously appear than in the ministry in which He is now
constantly engaged. As all the shame, suffering, and pains of death
deterred Him not from making an oblation for His people, so all the
honor and glory, dignity and dominion with which He is now invested,
diverts Him not from presenting its virtues before God and pressing
for its blessings to be bestowed upon those for whom it was offered.
His attention is still concentrated on His poor people in this
wilderness world.
The "Sanctuary" in which our great High Priest ministers is Heaven
itself: cf. Hebrews 9:24, 10:19. It is the place where the majesty and
glory of God are most fully displayed. "He looked down from the height
of His sanctuary, from heaven did the Lord behold the earth" (Ps.
102:19). Heaven is here called "the Sanctuary" because it is there
really dwells and actually abides all that was typically prefigured in
the holy places of Israel's tabernacle. In the heavenly Sanctuary does
Christ now discharge His priestly office for the good of His Church.
It was a joyful time for Israel when Aaron entered the holy of holies,
for he carried with him the blood which made atonement for all their
sins. So the presence of Christ in heaven, pleading the efficacy of
His meritorious blood, should fill the hearts of His people with joy
unspeakable: cf. John 14:28.
"And of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man"
(verse 2). This is not, as so many have supposed, an amplification of
the preceding clause, but instead, a quite distinct thing. The word
"true" is not here used in opposition to what is false (the temples of
the heathen), but in contrast from the tabernacle of Israel, which was
typical, shadowy, temporary. It has the force of that which is real,
solid, and abiding. Israel's tabernacle was but an effigy of the
antitypical one. "Moses gave you not that bread from heaven, but My
Father giveth you the true Bread from heaven" (John 6:32), gives the
force of the term. But what is the "true tabernacle" here referred to?
We answer, the Redeemer's humanity, in which He ministers before God
on high. In proof of this note, First, the metaphor of a "tabernacle"
is used for the body of man in 2 Corinthians 5:1 and 2 Peter 1:13.
Second, the Holy Spirit has expressly used this term (in the Greek) in
John 1:14, "The Word became flesh and tabernacled among us". Third, in
Hebrews 9:11 "tabernacle" manifestly refers to Christ's
humanity--observe it is there distinguished from "the holy place"
(sanctuary) in Hebrews 9:12!
In addition to what has been said above, it should be pointed out that
the tabernacle of Israel was the outstanding Old Testament type of the
incarnate Redeemer. We have more fully developed this wondrous and
beautiful truth in our exposition of John 1:14, to which we would
refer the interested reader. Here we must confine ourselves to only
two or three details. God sanctified Israel's tabernacle as a place to
dwell in (Ex. 29:44, 45); so in Christ "dwelleth all the fullness of
the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9). God's glory was most conspicuously
manifested in the tabernacle--"The glory of the Lord filled the
tabernacle" (Ex. 40:34); so of Christ the apostle declared "we beheld
His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father" (John
1:14). In the tabernacle, sacrifices and incense were offered to God,
and all holy services were performed; so Christ in His body offered up
His own sacrifice, prayers, and all holy services (Heb. 5:7, 10:5). To
the tabernacle the people brought all their offerings (Lev. 1:3), so
must we bring all ours to Christ (Heb. 13:15).
"The true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man". Here there
is a manifest reference to the virgin-birth, the supernatural
character of our Lord's humanity, being parallel with "A body hast
Thou prepared Me" (Heb. 10:5). The verb, "pitched" is a word proper
unto the erection and establishment of a tabernacle--the fixing of
stakes and pillars, with the fastening of cords thereto, was the
principal means of setting up one (Isa. 54:2). It is the preparation
of Christ's humanity which is signified: a body which was to be taken
down, folded up for a season, and afterwards to be erected again,
without the breaking or loss of any part of it. "Which the Lord
pitched" shows the Divine origin of Christ's humanity: cf. Matthew
1:20. The words "and not man" declare that no human father was
concerned with His generation: cf. Luke 1:34,35.
"For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices:
wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to
offer" (verse 3). The opening word of this verse intimates that the
apostle is here supplying a confirmation of what he had declared in
verses 1, 2. He argues from a general to a particular: "every high
priest is ordained to offer" (that being the specific purpose for
which God calls him to this office) therefore, Christ, the great High
Priest, must also have been ordained for that end. Thus, the Lord
Jesus has done and is still doing that which appertains to the
antitypical Sanctuary.
In the opening verses of our chapter we behold the Redeemer in the
heavenly sanctuary, ministering there before God on the behalf of His
people. "But how did He enter into this sanctuary? The high priests
under the law entered into their sanctuary after having offered a
sacrifice; and so also did the great High Priest of our profession.
`For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices:
wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to
offer'. No attentive reader can help being sensible that these words,
taken by themselves, do not convey a distinct, complete, satisfactory
meaning. The statement is obviously elliptical; and the following
seems to be the most probable way of supplying the ellipsis: We have a
High Priest which has entered into the heavenly sanctuary, the true
holy of holies. Every high priest is appointed to offer up sacrificial
gifts in order to his entrance into the earthly sanctuary: it was
necessary, as the antitype must correspond to the type, that this
illustrious Priest should have somewhat also to offer, for the purpose
of opening His way into the true sanctuary.
"Christ's being there, in the heavenly sanctuary, is the proof at once
that an expiatory sacrifice has been offered, and that that sacrifice
has been effectual. And what was this `somewhat' which it was
necessary that He should offer in order to His entering into the true
sanctuary? We have but to look back to find the answer. It was
`Himself', `holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners'. His
perfect, cheerful obedience to the preceptive part of the Divine law,
and His perfect, cheerful obedience to the sanctioning part of it,
opened for Him, as a High Priest, His way into that true holy place,
where in the presence of God He acts as a public functionary in the
name of His redeemed ones.
"It is plain that He could not have the sacrifices prescribed by the
law to offer, for He did not belong to that class of persons to whom
the offering of those was by law restricted; but He had a better
sacrifice: read Hebrews 10:5-13" (John Brown). "The apostle intends to
show (verse 3) that Christ's priesthood cannot co-exist with the
Levitical priesthood. He proves it in this way:--The law appointed
priests to offer sacrifices to God; it hence appears that the
priesthood is an empty name without a sacrifice. But Christ had no
sacrifice such as was offered under the law; it hence follows that His
priesthood is not earthly or carnal, but one of a more excellent
character" (John Calvin).
Thus far the Holy Spirit has affirmed that the great High Priest of
Christians is enthroned in heaven (verse 1); that He is there a
"Minister", serving in the antitypical Sanctuary, and that, in the
"true tabernacle", His own humanity (verse 2); and that His right to
entrance there was His own perfect sacrifice (verse 3). He now
declares, "For if He were on earth, He should not be a priest, seeing
that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law" (verse
4). The opening "For" looks back to what had been declared in verses
1,2, and introduces a further proof that the continuation of Christ's
priestly ministry must be in the heavenly sanctuary. The earthly
system, Judaism, had its own priests who offered gifts "according to
the law." "This mere earthly, typical, inferior priesthood has been
already provided for, its rules are fixed, and the order of men
defined who fill its functions; and according to those rules, Christ
Jesus could not be one of them, not being of the right tribe. The
fact, therefore, that He has priestly functions, a fact before proved,
shows that His priesthood is in a different sanctuary" (F.S. Sampson).
This 4th verse is the one that is most appealed to by those who deny
that Christ entered the priestly office before His ascension. But if
it be examined carefully in the light of its setting, nothing whatever
is to be found in it which favors the Socinian view. That which the
apostle is treating of here in chapter 8 is the full execution of the
whole of Christ's priesthood: thereunto belonged not only the once
oblation of Himself, but His continual intercession as well. Now that
intercession must be made in heaven, at God's right hand. We say
"must" for the Old Testament types require it. Aaron had to carry
incense, as well as blood, into the holy of holies (Lev. 16). Had
Christ remained on earth after His resurrection, only half of His
priestly work had been performed. His ascension was necessary for the
maintenance of God's governmental rights, for the vindication of the
Redeemer Himself, and for the well-being of His people; that what He
had begun on earth might be continued, consummated and fully
accomplished in heaven. The expiatory sacrifice of Christ had been
offered once for all, but He must take His place as an Intercessor at
God's right hand, if His Church should enjoy the benefits of it.
In this 4th verse the apostle is not only confirming his statement in
verses 1,2, but he is also anticipating the objecting Jews: But you
Christians have no high priest on earth! True, says the apostle, and
well it is that we do not. It is to be carefully noted that the Spirit
does not here say that when Christ was on earth He was not a
Priest--no, He would not flatly contradict what he had plainly
affirmed in Hebrews 2:17, 5:7-9, 7:26, 27. Instead, He says "If He
were on earth," that is, had He remained here, He would not have
completely discharged His sacerdotal functions. Had Christ stayed on
earth, He had left His office imperfect, seeing that His people needed
One to "appear in the presence of God" (Heb. 9:24) for them. If Aaron
had only offered sacrifice at the brazen altar, and had not carried
the blood within the veil, he had left his work only half done.
"Seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law"
(verse 4). This states the reason why Christ had not been a perfect
priest if He had not gone to heaven: there were already priests, and
that, of a tribe which He was not of, that offered gifts on earth,
yea, had done so long before He became incarnate. Therefore if the
entire design of Christ's priesthood had been merely to be a priest on
earth, they would plead possession before Him. But, as verse 5
immediately proceeds to tell us, those priests only served "unto the
example and shadow of heavenly things." Nothing but a real priesthood
in heaven could supercede and abolish theirs. This is brought out
plainly in Hebrews 9:8: the "first tabernacle" was to stand until a
Priest went into heaven and executed that office there: so that if
Christ is to be Priest alone, He must become a Priest interceding in
heaven, or otherwise, the Levitical priests would share that office
with Him.
To sum up. The first clause of verse 4 is not an absolute, but a
relative statement: "For if He were on earth, He would not be a
priest". And why? "Seeing that there are priests that offer gifts
according to the law", that is, the place is already occupied. Yes,
but what place? Why that of offering gifts according to the law. Since
Christ was above the law, the ideal and perfect Priest, He could not
officiate in the temple at Jerusalem, for not only did His fleshly
descent from Judah hinder this, but the sanctuary in which He now
presents His sacrifice must correspond in dignity to the supreme
excellency of His office. Thus, so far from His absence from the earth
casting any suspicion on Him it is the necessary consequence of His
being who He is and of having done what He has done.
"Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses
was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for,
See, saith He, thou make all things according to the pattern showed to
thee in the mount" (verse 5). Here the apostle furnishes further proof
of what he had said at the beginning of verse 4. The presence of the
type necessarily implies the absence of the Antitype (cf. Hebrews
9:8-10), because the very nature of a type is to symbolize visibly an
absent and unseen reality. From the Divine viewpoint, Judaism was set
aside, ended, when God rent the veil of the temple (Matthew 27:51);
but from the human, it was not abolished till Titus destroyed
Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Israel's priests still served, but the only
significance of their ministry was a typical one.
The design of the Spirit in verse 5 is obvious. There was something
above and beyond the material tabernacle which God prescribed to
Moses: that which he built, only furnished a faint foreshadowing of
spiritual and heavenly realities, which are now actualized by Christ
on High. The entire ministry of Israel's priests had to do with
earthly and carnal things, which provided but a dim outline of things
above. The word "example" signifies type, and is rendered "figures" in
Hebrews 9:24. The term "shadow" means an adumbration, and is opposed
to the substance or reality; see Colossians 2:17, Hebrews 10:1.
"Shadows" are but fading and transitory, have no substance of
themselves, and but darkly represent.
"See, saith He, thou make all things according to the pattern showed
to thee in the mount." "This passage is found in Exodus 25:40, and the
apostle adduces it here on purpose, so that he might prove that the
whole service according to the Law was nothing more than a picture, as
it were, designed to shadow forth what is found spiritually in Christ"
(John Calvin).
The practical application to us of the teaching of verse 5 is:
Christians ought to exercise the utmost care and diligence to
ascertain the revealed mind of God in what He requires from us in our
worship of Him. Though Moses was learned in all the wisdom of Egypt,
that was of no value or avail when it came to spiritual acts. He must
do all things precisely as Jehovah ordered. In connection with what is
styled "Divine worship" today, the great majority of professing
Christians follow the dictates of their own wisdom, or inclination of
their fleshly lusts, rather than Holy Scripture. Others mechanically
follow the traditions of their fathers, or the requirements of popular
custom. The result is that the Holy Spirit is grieved and quenched by
the worldly inventions of carnal men, and Christ is outside the whole
thing. Far better not to worship God at all, than to mock Him with
human "will worship" (Col. 2:23). Far better to worship Him
scripturally in the seclusion of our homes, than fellowship the
abominable mockery that is now going on in almost all of the so-called
"churches".
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 37
The Two Covenants
(Hebrews 8:6-9)
__________________________________________
In the 7th chapter the apostle has demonstrated by irrefutable logic
and upon the authority of Holy Scripture that the priesthood of Christ
has superceded the Aaronic order. Here in chapter 8 he makes manifest
the superior ministry of our great High Priest. First, He is "seated"
(verse 1). Second, He is seated on the throne of Deity (verse 1).
Third, He is a Minister of the heavenly sanctuary (verse 2). Fourth,
His own person provides the antitype of the tabernacle (verse 2).
Fifth, He is presenting before God a more excellent sacrifice (verses
3-6). Sixth, He is Mediator of a superior covenant (verse 6). Seventh,
that covenant has to do with "better promises" (verse 6). That upon
which the Holy Spirit would here have us focalize our attention is the
place where our High Priest ministers, and the immeasurable
superiority of the economy which He is now administering.
This 8th chapter of Hebrews treats of two things: the sphere of our
High Priest's ministry and the better covenant with which it is
connected: the one being in suited accord with the other. The 6th
verse gives the connecting link between them. The apostle's object in
introducing the "new covenant" at this stage of his argument is
obvious. It was to the old covenant that the whole administration of
the Levitical priesthood was confined. The entire church-state of the
Jews, with all the ordinances and worship of it, and all the
privileges connected with it, depended wholly on the covenant which
God made with them at Sinai. But the introduction of the new
Priesthood necessarily abolished that covenant, and put an end to all
the sacred ministrations which belong to it. This it is which the
apostle here undertakes to prove.
"The question which troubled the minds and hearts of the Hebrews was
their relation to the Levitical priesthood, and to the old
dispensation. The temple was still in Jerusalem, and the Levitical
ordinances appointed by Moses were still being observed. Although the
Sun had risen, the moon had not yet disappeared. It was waning; it was
ready to vanish away. Now it became an urgent necessity for the Hebrew
Christians to understand that Christ was the true and eternal High
Priest in the heavenly sanctuary, and that the new and everlasting
covenant with Judah and Israel was connected with the gospel promise,
and not with the law. God Himself had made the first covenant old by
promising the new. And now that Christ had entered into the holy of
holies by His own blood, the old covenant had passed away; and yet the
promises of God to His chosen people remained firm and unchanged"
(Adolph Saphir).
That God had "changed" the order of priesthood (Heb. 7:12) was, as we
have seen, clearly evidenced by His causing Christ to spring from the
tribe of Judah (Heb. 7:14). God's raising up of a Priest from that
tribe necessarily excluded those belonging to the house of Aaron from
the sacerdotal office, just as God's raising up David to sit upon the
throne, forever set aside the descendants of Saul from the regal
office. Herein we may discern one reason why Jehovah ordained and gave
such strict regulations for the distribution of Israel into their
tribes, namely, that He might provide for their instruction as to the
continuance of the legal worship among them, which could no longer be
continued than while the priesthood was reserved unto the tribe of
Levi.
This Divine change in the order of priesthood necessarily entailed a
change of covenant or economy, as a change of the royal family denotes
a new dynasty, or as a new president involves a change of government.
The economy with which Christ is connected as far excels the old order
of things as His sacerdotal office exceeded that of Aaron's. Thus the
apostle is here really advancing one more argument or proof for the
pre-eminence of our Lord's priesthood. As a Minister or public
functionary Jesus Christ is as far superior in dignity to the Levites
as the dispensation over which He presides is of a far superior order
than the dispensation in which they served.
In approaching the subject of the two covenants, the old and the new,
it should be pointed out that it is not always an easy matter to
determine whether the "old covenant" designates the Mosaic economy or
the covenant of works which God made with Adam (Hos. 6:7 margin); nor
to decide whether the "new covenant" refers to the Gospel dispensation
introduced by Christ, or to the covenant of grace which was
inaugurated by the first promise made to Adam (Gen. 3:15) and
confirmed to Abraham (Gen. 17). In each case the context must decide.
We may add that the principal passages where the two covenants are
described and contrasted are found in 2 Corinthians chapter 3,
Galatians chapter 3 and 4, Hebrews chapters 8, 9 and 12.
"But now hath He obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also
He is the Mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon
better promises" (verse 6). "This verse is a transition from one
subject to another; namely, from the excellency of the priesthood of
Christ above that of the law, to the excellency of the new covenant
above the old. And herein also the apostle artificially compriseth and
confirmeth his last argument, of the pre-eminence of Christ, His
priesthood and ministry, above that of the law. And this He doth from
the nature and excellency of that covenant whereof He was the Mediator
in the discharge of His office" (John Owen).
"But now hath He obtained a more excellent ministry." The apostle here
introduces his important assertion by a time-mark, the "But now"
signifying at this season. It points a contrast from the period of the
Mosaic dispensation, when Israel's priests served "unto the example
and shadow of heavenly things" (verse 5). A close parallel is found in
Romans 3:21, "but now the righteousness of God without the law is
manifested," which is defined in verse 26 as "to declare at this time
His righteousness: that He might be just, and the Justifier of him
which believeth in Jesus" (verse 26). God in His infinite wisdom gives
proper times and seasons to all His dispensations toward His Church.
The Lord hastens or consummates all His works of grace in their own
appointed time: see Isaiah 60:22. Our duty is to leave the ordering of
all the concerns of His people, in the accomplishment of His promises,
to God in His own good time: Acts 1:7.
That which is here ascribed unto Christ is "a more excellent
ministry." The priests of old had a ministry, and an excellent one,
for it was by Divine appointment they served at the altar (verse 5).
So Christ has a ministry, and "a more excellent" one. In verse 2 He is
designated "a Minister of the sanctuary." He is called such not with
respect unto one particular act of administration, but because a
standing office has been committed to Him. The service to which Christ
has been called is of a higher order and more excellent nature than
any which Aaron ever discharged. It is a "more excellent ministry"
because it is the real and substantial one, of which the Levitical was
but the emblem; it pertains to things in heaven, while theirs was
restricted to the earthly tabernacle; it is enduring while theirs was
but temporary.
This more excellent ministry Christ is here said to have "obtained."
The way whereby the Lord Jesus entered on the whole office and work of
His mediation has been expressed in Hebrews 1:4 as by "inheritance":
that is, by free grant and perpetual donation, made unto Him as the
Son--compare our comments on that verse. There were two things which
concurred unto His obtaining this ministry: first, the eternal purpose
and counsel of God, decreeing Him thereunto (1 Pet. 1:20, Revelation
13:8). Second, the actual call of God (Heb. 5:4, 5), which carried
with it His unction of the Spirit above measure (Ps. 45:7), for the
holy discharge of His whole office. Thus, Christ obtained this
ministry not by any legal constitution, fleshly succession, or carnal
ordination, as did the Levitical priests. The exaltation of the human
nature of Christ into union with His Deity, for the office of this
glorious ministry, depended solely upon the sovereign wisdom, grace,
and love of God.
"But now hath He obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also
He is the Mediator of a better covenant." The particular point which
the apostle here makes, or rather the conclusion which he here draws
from the premises laid down, had been anticipated and intimated in
what he said in Hebrews 7:20, 22. There he had declared that the
excellency of the covenant of which Christ has been made Surety and
Mediator has a proportion with the pre-eminence of His priesthood
above that of Aaron's. His being made a Priest by Divine oath (which
the Levites were not) fitted Him to be the Surety of a better economy.
Conversely, the covenant of which He is Surety must needs be better
than the old regime because He who was the Surety of it had been made
so by Divine oath. Thus, the dignity of Christ's priesthood is
demonstrated by the excellency of the new covenant, and declaratively
the new covenant sets forth the dignity of Christ's priesthood.
"He is the Mediator of a better covenant." It is most important to
recognize that Christ is a sacerdotal Mediator. This is made clear by
1 Timothy 2:5, 6, "For there is one God, and one Mediator between God
and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to
be testified in due time." The mediating Priest intervenes with
sacrifice and intercession for the reconciling of God and sinners. As
we shall (D.V.) yet see, Hebrews 9:15 expressly declares that Christ's
priestly work was the very purpose of His being appointed Mediator. So
in Hebrews 12:24 His sacrifice is again made prominent in connection
with His mediation. Thus the sacerdotal character of His mediation
cannot be scripturally gainsaid.
Christ has obtained a more excellent priestly ministry corresponding
to the superior dispensation of which He is the Mediator. "But now (in
this Christian dispensation) hath He (as `Priest') obtained (from God)
a more excellent ministry (than Aaron's) by how much also He is the
Mediator of a better covenant." He is not only Priest, but Mediator;
Priest because He is Mediator, Mediator because He is Priest. It is by
His priestly office and work that He exercises His mediatorship,
standing between two parties and reconciling them. He thus combines in
His own person what was divided between two under the old economy,
Moses being the typical mediator, Aaron the typical surety. As
"Surety" Christ pledged Himself to see that the terms of the covenant
were faithfully carried out; as "Mediator," He is negotiating for His
people's blessing. The word "covenant" in this chapter signifies an
arrangement or constitution of things, an economy or dispensation. The
"old covenant" was that peculiar order of things under which the
Jewish people were placed in consequence of the transactions at Sinai.
The "new" or "better covenant" is that order of things which has been
introduced by Jesus Christ, namely, the Christian dispensation.
"He is the Mediator of a better covenant." A mediator is a middle
person between two parties entering into covenant, and if they be of
different natures, a perfect mediator would have to partake of each of
their natures in his own person. This Christ has done. Such mediation
presupposes that the two parties are at such variance they cannot
treat directly with the other; unless this were so, a go-between would
be needless. See this fact illustrated in Deuteronomy 5:23-27. In
voluntarily undertaking to serve as Mediator, two things were required
of Christ: first, that He should remove whatever kept the covenanters
at a distance, taking away the cause of enmity between them. Second,
that He should purchase and procure, in a way suited to the glory of
God, the actual communication of all the good things prepared and
proposed in this covenant (grace and glory) unto those on whose behalf
He acts as Surety. Finally, He who is this Mediator must be accepted,
trusted, and rested in by both parties entering into covenant. On
God's part, He has openly declared that He is "well pleased" with
Christ (Matthew 3:17); on the part of His elect, they are made willing
"in the day of His power" (Ps. 110:3).
"Which was established upon better promises." Every covenant between
God and man, must be founded on and resolved into promises. Hence,
essentially, a promise and a covenant are all one, and God calls an
absolute promise founded on an absolute decree, His covenant, Genesis
9:11. And His purpose for the continuation of the course of nature to
the end of the world, He calls His covenant with day and night,
Jeremiah 33:20. The being and essence of a Divine covenant lies in the
promise. Hence are they called `the covenants of promise,' Ephesians
2:12. Such as are founded on and consist in promises. And it is
necessary that so it should be" (John Owen).
"Which was established upon better promises." The word "established"
here is important to note, for it plainly intimates to us that the
apostle is not here treating of the Everlasting Covenant absolutely,
and as it had been virtually administered from the foundation of the
world in the way of a promise; but relatively, as it had been formally
introduced on earth as a new dispensation or economy. In the Divine
administration of the Everlasting Covenant it has now been reduced to
a fixed statute or ordinance. The term "established" signifies legally
established, formally established as by a law. All is now fixed in the
Church by Divine arrangement and secured by inviolable sanctions. In
Hebrews 7:11 the Greek verb here rendered "established" is translated
"received the law"--compare our comments thereon. "The covenant to
which the priesthood of Christ refers has been also established by
law. It has been promulgated by Divine authority. The truth with
regard to it has been `spoken by the Son of God, and confirmed to us
by those who heard Him; and God has borne witness with signs and
miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit,' according to His own will"
(John Brown).
"Established upon better promises." Caution requires to be exercised
and great care taken at this point lest we err in our understanding of
the particular contrast which is here pointed by the word "better."
"The promises in the first covenant pertained mainly to the present
life. They were promises of length of days; of increase of numbers; of
seed time and harvest; of national privileges, and of extraordinary
peace, abundance and prosperity. That there was also the promise of
eternal life, it would be wrong to doubt; but this was not the main
thing. In the new covenant, however, the promise of spiritual
blessings become the principal thing. The mind is directed to heaven;
the heart is cheered with the hopes of immortal life; the favor of God
and the anticipation of heaven are secured in the most ample and
solemn manner" (A. Barnes). Observe well the two words which are
emphasized in the above quotation. In Old Testament times God
"commanded the blessing, life forever more" (Ps. 133:3), not only
temporal life in Canaan; while His people in New Testament times have
"promise of the life that now is," as well as "of that which is to
come" (1 Tim. 4:8)!
Rightly did Adolph Saphir point out, "The contrast between the old and
the new would be viewed in a false light, if we forgot that in the old
dispensation spiritual reality and blessings were presented, and were
actually embraced in faith by the people of God. The law had a
positive or evangelical aspect, although herein also it was elementary
and transitory, it acted as a guardian and a tutor; as the snow is not
merely an indication of winter, and a contrast to the bright and
genial sunshine, and the refreshing verdure of summer, but is also a
beneficent protection, cherishing and preparing the soil for the
approaching blessings from above. But now the winter is passed, the
fullness has come."
The "better promises" are described in verses 10-13: they are summed
up in justification and sanctification, or more briefly still, in
redemption. "But what he adds is not without some difficulty,--that
the covenant of the Gospel was proclaimed on better promises; for it
is certain that the fathers who lived under the Law had the same hope
of eternal life set before them as we have, as they had the grace of
adoption in common with us, then faith must have rested on the same
promises. But the comparison made by the apostle refers to the form
rather than to the substance; for though God promised to them the same
salvation which He at this day promises to us, yet neither the manner
nor the character of the revelation is the same or equal to what we
enjoy" (John Calvin). Thus, the "promises" with which the new covenant
is concerned are "better" in that they mainly respect spiritual and
eternal blessings, rather than earthly and temporal ones; in that they
have been ratified by the blood-shedding of Christ; in that they are
now openly proclaimed to God's elect among the Gentiles as well as the
Jews.
"For if that first covenant had been faultless then should no place
have been sought for the second" (verse 7). The covenant which is here
referred to is that into which Jehovah entered with Israel at Sinai:
see Exodus 19:5; 34:27, 28; Deuteronomy 4:13. Israel's response is
recorded in Exodus 19:8, 24:3. It was ratified by blood: Exodus
24:4-8. This was not the "first" covenant absolutely, but the first
made with Israel nationally. Previously, God had made a covenant with
Adam (Hos. 6:7), and in some respects the Covenant at Sinai adumbrated
it, for it was chiefly one of works. So too He had made a covenant
with Abraham, which in some respects adumbrated the Everlasting
Covenant, inasmuch as it was one purely of grace. Prior to Sinai, God
dealt with Israel on the basis of the Abrahamic covenant, as is clear
from Exodus 2:24; 6:3, 4. But it was on the ground of the Sinaitic
covenant that Israel entered Canaan: see Joshua 7:11, 15; Judges
2:19-21; 1 Kings 11:11; Jeremiah 34:18, 19.
"For if that first covenant had been faultless then should no place
have been sought for the second." The connection between this and the
preceding verse, intimated by the opening "For" is as follows: there
the apostle had affirmed that the Christian covenant is superior to
the Judaic; here, he demonstrates the same thing by arguing from the
fact that the old covenant must have been defective, otherwise the new
had been superfluous. It is an inference drawn from the facts of the
situation. If there was need for a second, the first could not have
been perfect, failing to secure that which was most desirable. A
parallel is found in Galatians 3:21.
"For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place
have been sought for the second." Wherein lay its "faultiness?" It was
wholly external, accompanied by no internal efficacy. It set before
Israel an objective standard but supplied no power to measure up to
it. It treated with men in the flesh, and therefore the law was
impotent through the weakness of the flesh (Rom. 8:3). It provided a
sacrifice for sin, but the value thereof was only ceremonial and
transient, failing to actually put away sin. It was unable to secure
actual redemption. Hence because of its inadequacy, a new and better
covenant was needed.
"Every work of God is perfect, viewed in connection with the purpose
which He means it to serve. In this point of view, the `first
covenant' was faultless. But when viewed in the light in which the
Jews generally considered it, as a saving economy, in all the extent
of that word, it was not `faultless.' It could not expiate moral
guilt; it could not wash away moral pollution; it could not justify,
it could not sanctify, it could not save. Its priesthood were not
perfected--they were weak and inefficient; its sacrifices `could not
take away sin,' make perfect as concerning the conscience, or procure
`access with freedom into the holiest of all.' In one word, `it made
nothing perfect'" (John Brown).
"For finding fault with them, He saith, Behold, the days come, saith
the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and
with the house of Judah" (verse 8). The opening "For" denotes that the
apostle now confirms what he had just affirmed in verses 6, 7: the
proof is found in what immediately follows. The "finding fault" may
refer either to the old covenant, or to the people themselves who were
under it: finding fault "with it" or "with them." In view of what is
added in verse 9 the translation of the A.V. is to be preferred. It
was against the people that God complained for their having broken His
covenant.
"He saith, Behold, the days come," etc. The word "Behold" announces
the importance of what follows, and calls to a diligent and admiring
attention of the same. "Behold" bids us be filled with wonderment at
this marvel of grace. It is indeed striking to observe that the
apostle did not rely upon logical deductions and inferences,
conclusive though they were. A change of priesthood necessarily
involved a change of covenant, or dispensational administration.
Nevertheless, obvious as this was, Paul rested not until he proved his
assertions with a definite and pertinent "thus saith the Lord." He
would not have the faith of the Hebrews stand in the wisdom of man,
but in the power of God. Blessed example for God's servants today to
follow. Alas that so many people are contented with the dogmatic
assertions of some man who "ought to know what he is saying," instead
of demanding clear proof from the Scriptures.
The text which the apostle here quotes in proof of his assertion is
taken from Jeremiah 31:31. It is most blessed to note the time when
God gave this precious promise to His people. Beautifully has Adolph
Saphir pointed out, "It is in the night of adversity that the Lord
sends forth bright stars of consoling hope. When the darkest clouds of
woe were gathering above Jerusalem, and the prophet himself was in the
lowest depths of sorrow, God gave to him the most glorious prophecies
of Judah's great redemption and future blessedness. The advent and
reign of Messiah, the Lord our righteousness the royal dominion and
priesthood of Israel's Redeemer, the gift of the Holy Spirit, the
renewal and restoration of God's chosen people, the days of unbroken
prosperity and blessedness--all the golden Messianic future was
predicted in the last days of Jerusalem, when the magnificent fabric
of its temple was about to sink into the dust, and its walls and
palaces were about to be thrown prostrate on the ground."
This new covenant God promised to make with "the house of Israel and
with the house of Judah." The word, "Israel" is used in the Scriptures
in no less than four distinct senses. First, it is the name which God
gave to Jacob when he wrestled with the angel and prevailed as a
prince (Gen. 32:28). Second, it denotes his fleshly descendants called
"the children of Israel," that is, the Jewish nation. Third, it is
employed of the ten tribes, the kingdom of Samaria or Ephraim, in
contradistinction from the kingdom of Judah, and this, after the
Nation was rent asunder in the days of Jeroboam. Fourth, it is applied
spiritually to the whole of God's people (Gal. 6:16). To which we may
add, Fifth, in Isaiah 49:3 (note the verses which follow) it appears
to be applied to Christ Himself, as identified with His people.
Personally, we believe that it is the second and the fourth of these
usages that obtain in our present passage.
The law of first mention helps us here. The initial occurrence of any
expression or word in Scripture defines its scope and fixes, very
largely, its consequent significance. So it is in this case. The name
"Israel" was first given to Jacob: from that point onwards he is the
man with a double name, sometimes being referred to as Jacob,
sometimes as Israel, according as the "old man" or "new man" was
uppermost within him. This more than hints at the double application
of this name; oftentimes it is applied to Jacob's natural descendants,
at other times to his spiritual brethren. When Christ affirmed of
Nathanael "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile" (John
1:47), it was the same as though He had said, "Behold a true
Israelite, a spiritual prince with God." To insist that "Israel"
always signifies the fleshly descendants of Jacob betrays excuseless
ignorance: why does the Holy Spirit speak of "Israel after the flesh"
in 1 Corinthians 10:18 if there be no Israel after the spirit!
The writer has no doubt whatever in his mind that the time is not far
distant when God is going to resume His dealings with the Jewish
people, restore them unto their own land, send back their Messiah and
Redeemer, save them from their sins, and fulfill to them His ancient
promise through Jeremiah. Nevertheless, we are fully assured that it
is a serious mistake to limit the prophecy of Jeremiah (or any other
prediction) to a single fulfillment. It is abundantly clear from 2
Corinthians 3 that Christians in this dispensation are already
enjoying the good of the new covenant which God has made with them.
Moreover, are we not reminded at the Lord's table of our Savior's
words, "This cup is the new testament," or "covenant in My blood" (1
Cor. 11:25)?
It should be pointed out that Old Testament Israel were typical and
mystically significant of the whole Church of God. For that reason
were the promises of grace under the old economy given unto the saints
of God under the name of "Israel," "Judah," etc. (carefully compare
Romans 2:28, 29), because they were types of those who should really
and effectually be made partakers of them. Hence it is that in 2
Corinthians 1:20 we are told that "All the promises of God in Him
(Christ) are Yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us." Hence
it is we read that "Jesus Christ was a Minister of the circumcision
for the truth of God, to confirm the promises unto the fathers, and
that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy" (Rom. 15:8,9). And
hence it is that the apostle Paul writing to Christians says, "Having
therefore these promises"--the preceding verses quoting from Leviticus
26:12, etc! For the same reason in Hebrews 13:6 the Christian is
assured that the promise which the Lord made to Joshua belongs to him
too.
Thus, by "the house of Israel" and the "house of Judah" in Hebrews 8:8
we understand, first, the mystical and spiritual Israel and Judah;
second, the application of this covenant to the literal and fleshly
Israel and Judah in the day to come. In other words, we regard those
expressions as denominating the whole Church of elect believers,
typified of old, by the fleshly descendants of Abraham. Nor is it
without reason that the Holy Spirit has here used both these names: we
believe His (veiled) design was to take in God's elect among the Jews
and the Gentiles. Our reason for believing this is because that in the
very first inspired sermon preached after the new covenant had been
established, Peter said to the convicted Jews, "the promise is unto
you, and to your children (descendants) and to all that are afar off,
as many as the Lord our God shall call" (Acts 2:39). It is indeed
remarkable that the two emphasized words have a double reference.
First, they applied to the literal house of Israel, who were then
outside the land, in the dispersion (Dan. 9:7); Second, to elect
Gentiles, away from God: see Ephesians 2:13!
At the time God announced His purpose and promise through Jeremiah,
the fleshly descendants of Abraham were divided in two hostile groups.
They had separate kings and separate centers of worship. They were at
enmity with one another. As such they fitly adumbrated the great
division between God's elect among the Jews and the Gentiles in their
natural and dispensational state. There was a middle wall or partition
between them (Eph. 2:14). There was "enmity" between them (Eph. 2:16).
But just as God announced through Ezekiel (37:16, 17) that the
diversified houses of Judah and Israel should "become one," so His
elect among the Jews and the Gentiles are now one in Christ (Eph.
2:14-18)! Therefore are all born-again believers designated the
"children" and "seed" of Abraham (Gal. 3:7, 29), and thus are they
"blessed with faithful Abraham" (Gal. 3:9).
"Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the
day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of
Egypt; because they continued not in My covenant, and I regarded them
not, saith the Lord" (verse 9). The contrast between the two covenants
is first expressed negatively: "not according." The differences
between them are many and great. The former was mainly typical, the
latter has the substance. The one was administered under an imperfect
priesthood, the latter under a perfect one. The one had to do,
primarily, with that which was external; the other is, mainly,
internal. The Mosaic covenant was restricted to one nation, the
Christian is international in its scope.
The old covenant is spoken of as dating from the day when the Lord
took Israel, "by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt." This
language emphasizes the woeful and helpless condition that Israel was
then in: unable to deliver themselves out of their bondage, like
children incapable of walking unless supported and led. As Deuteronomy
1:31 says, "The Lord thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in
all the way that ye went." So in Hosea 11:3 God says, "I taught them
to go, taking them by the arms." Such expressions also accentuate the
infinite condescension of God toward His people: that He should (so to
speak) bow down Himself to reach them in their lowly estate.
"But they continued not in My covenant, and I regarded them not, saith
the Lord." "They soon forgat God's works, they waited not for His
counsel" (Ps. 106:13). The principal reference is to Israel's conduct
at Sinai, when during the absence of Moses in the mount, they "thrust
Him from them" (Acts 7:39), and made and worshipped the golden calf.
That was but prophetic or indicative of their whole history. Their
shameful conduct is mentioned here for the purpose of magnifying that
marvelous grace that shall yet make the new covenant with such a
people. "I regarded them not" refers to God's governmental dealings
with Israel: the severity He exercised, consuming them in the
wilderness. In view of which we may well heed that searching word,
"Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall"
(1 Cor. 10:12).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 38
The Two Covenants
(Hebrews 8:10-13)
__________________________________________
The subject of the two covenants supplies the principal key which
unlocks for us the meaning of God's dispensational dealings with His
people here on earth. Its importance and blessedness is not surpassed
by anything within the entire range of Divine revelation. Yet, sad to
say, it is something which is scarcely known at all today by the
majority of professing Christians. Covenant-relationship has always
been the basis on which God has dealt with His people. The foundation
of all is the Everlasting Covenant, a compact or agreement which God
made with Christ as the Head and Representative of the whole election
of grace. We would refer the interested reader unto two articles upon
it, which appeared in the January and February 1930 issues of this
magazine. What we shall here endeavor to treat of is the
administration of that covenant, as it was made known by God, and the
various forms in which it was established among His saints.
There was an original covenant made with Adam and all mankind in him:
see Hosea 6:7 margin. This consisted of an agreement between God and
man concerning obedience and disobedience, reward and punishment. To
that covenant were annexed promises and threatenings, which were
expressed in visible signs or symbols; the first, in the tree of life;
the latter in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. By these did
God establish the original law of creation as a covenant. On the part
of man, it was required that he should accept of this law. It was a
covenant of works, and had no mediator. That arrangement or
constitution formed the basis on which God dealt with Adam, but it
ceased as soon as sin entered the world. God had provided a way of
salvation for His own elect apart from their personal obligation to
sinless obedience as the condition of life, and that through their
Surety discharging all their responsibilities in His own person. This
was made known in the first promise God proclaimed: Genesis 3:15. All
who receive the grace which is tendered through the promises of the
Gospel, are delivered from the curse of that covenant which Adam,
their legal representative, broke.
But though this first earthly covenant is no longer administered as a
"covenant," nevertheless, all those of Adam's descendants who receive
not the grace of God as it is tendered to them in the promises of the
Gospel, are under the law and curse of the Adamic covenant, because
the obedience which it requires of the creature unto the Creator, and
the penalty which it threatens and the curse it pronounces upon the
disobedient, has never been met for them by a substitute. Therefore,
if any man believe not, the wrath of God (not "cometh," but) abideth
on him (John 3:36), and this, because the command and curse, which
result from the relation between man and his Maker, and the inflexible
righteousness of God as the supreme Governor and Judge of all mankind,
must be fulfilled.
Now the children of Israel were not formally placed under the Adamic
covenant absolutely, as a covenant of life, for, from the days of
Abraham the promise (a renewal of Genesis 3:15; see Genesis 12:1-3,
17:6-8, etc.) was given unto him and his seed. Let it be carefully
noted that in Galatians 3:17 the apostle proves that no "law" would
afterwards be given, nor covenant made, that should or could disannul
that promise. Had Israel been brought under the Adamic covenant of
works it would have disannulled the promise, for that covenant and the
promise of Grace are diametrically opposed. Moreover, had Israel come
formally under the Adamic covenant of works they were all under the
curse, and so had all perished eternally.
That there were other federal transactions between God and His Church
before the giving of the law at Sinai, is abundantly clear from the
book of Genesis. God entered into covenant with Abraham, making him
promises on behalf of his descendants, and appointing a solemn outward
seal for its confirmation and establishment. That covenant contained
the very nature and essence of what is termed the "new covenant."
Proof of this is found in the fact that the Lord Jesus is said to be
"a Mediator of the circumcision, for the truth of God to confirm the
promises made to the fathers" (Rom. 15:8). As He was the Mediator of
the new covenant, so far was He from rescinding the promises which God
made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that it belonged to His office to
ratify and establish them. But it was at Sinai that the Lord entered
formally into covenant with Israel as a nation (Heb. 8:9), a covenant
which had all the institutions of Divine worship annexed to it (Heb.
9:1-6).
In contrast from the covenant which God made with Israel at Sinai,
Christ is made "the Mediator of a better covenant" (Heb. 8:6). This is
the covenant of grace, being so called in contrast from that of works,
which was made with us in Adam. For these two, grace and works, do
divide the ways of our relation to God, being opposite the one to the
other (Rom. 11:6). Of this covenant of grace Christ was its Mediator
from the beginning of the world, namely, from the giving of the first
promise in Genesis 3:15, for that promise was given in view of His
incarnation and all that He should accomplish by His future and actual
mediation. Christ was as truly the Surety of Abel as He was of the
apostle Paul, and God had "respect unto" (was favorable toward and
accepted) the one on the ground of Christ's surety-ship as much as He
did the other. To this it may be replied, If such be the case, then
wherein lies the superior privilege of the Gospel-dispensation over
that of the Mosaic?
In seeking an answer to the above question, it is needful to recognize
(as was pointed out in our last article) that the "new covenant"
referred to in Hebrews 8 is not the new covenant absolutely
considered, and as it had been virtually administered from the days of
Genesis 3:15 in a way of promise. For considered thus it was quite
consistent with the covenant that God made with Israel at Sinai: in
Galatians 3:17 the apostle proves that the renewal of the covenant (as
a promise) to Abraham, was in no way abrogated by the giving of the
law. Instead, in Hebrews 8 the apostle is treating of such an
establishment of the new covenant as demanded the revocation of the
Sinaitic constitution. What this "establishment" was, is made clear in
Hebrews 9 and 10: it was the ordinances of worship connected with it.
When Christianity had been formally established by God, not only was
the old covenant annulled, but the entire system of sacred worship
whereby it was administered, was set aside. When the "new covenant"
was first given in the way of a promise (Gen. 3:15, renewed Genesis
12, 17, etc.), it did not introduce a system of worship and privileges
expressive of the same. But the promise of the new covenant was
included in the Mosaic covenant, nor was it inconsistent with its
rights and ceremonies, nay not even with them composed into a yoke of
bondage. And why? Because all those rites and ceremonies were added
after the making of the covenant in Exodus chapters 19 and 24;
nevertheless what was added did not and could not overthrow the
promise. As the Mosaic system was completed, then all the worship of
the Church was to proceed from it and to be conformed to it.
No sinner was ever saved but by virtue of the new covenant and the
mediation of Christ therein. The new covenant of grace (in contrast
from the old covenant of works made with the human race in Adam) was
extant and effectual throughout the Old Testament era. Then what is
the "better covenant" with its "better promises" which the death of
Christ has inaugurated? We say again, it is not a new covenant
absolutely considered. There are many plain passages in the Psalms and
the Prophets which show that the Church of old knew and believed the
blessed truth of justification and salvation by Christ, and walked
with God in the faith thereof: compare Romans 4:3-9. Let those who
have access to the incomparable and immortal "Institutes" of Calvin
read carefully chapters 9-11 in book 2.
"The Church under the Old Testament, had the same promise of Christ,
the same interest in Him by faith, remission of sins, reconciliation
with God, justification and salvation by the same way and means that
believers have under the New. And whereas the essence and substance of
the covenant consists in these things, they are not said to be under
another covenant, but only a different administration of it. But this
was so different from that which is established in the Gospel after
the coming of Christ, that it hath the appearance and name of another
covenant" (John Owen).
The leading differences between the two administrations of the
covenant of grace may be reduced to the following heads. First, the
manner in which the love of God in Christ is made known. The miracle
recorded in Mark 8:23, 24 illustrates and adumbrates the two states.
The Old Testament saints had sight, but the Object set before their
faith was seen at a distance, and through clouds and shadows. The New
Testament saints "with open face behold the glory of God in a mirror"
(2 Cor. 3:18). Second, in its more plentiful communication of grace
unto the Church: John 1:16. Old Testament believers had grace given to
them (Gen. 6:8, etc.), but we an "abundance of grace" (Rom. 5:17).
Third, in our access to God. The revelation of God at Sinai filled the
people with terror; His revelation of Himself in Christ, fills us with
joy. They were shut out from the holy place; we have freedom to
approach His throne (Heb. 4:16). Fourth, the extent of the
dispensation of Divine grace. Under the Old Testament it was
restricted to one nation; now it extends to all nations.
The covenant of grace was the same, as to its substance, from the
beginning. It passed through the whole dispensation of times before
the law, and under the law, of the same nature and efficacy,
unalterable, everlasting, "ordered in all things and sure." The
covenant of grace considered absolutely was the promise of grace in
and by Christ Jesus (2 Tim. 1:9, Titus 1:2), and that was the only way
and means of salvation unto the elect from the entrance of sin.
Absolutely, in Old Testament times, the covenant consisted only in
promise, and as such is referred to in Acts 2:39, Hebrews 6:14-16. The
full and lawful "establishment" of it (Heb. 8:6), whence it became
formally a "covenant" unto the whole Church, was future only. Two
things were needed to change the "promise" into a "new covenant": the
shedding of the blood of the only Sacrifice which belonged to it, and
the institution of that worship in keeping therewith.
Whilst the Old Testament Church enjoyed all the spiritual benefits of
the promise, wherein the substance of the covenant is contained,
before it was confirmed and made the sole rule of worship unto the
Church, it was not inconsistent with the holiness and wisdom of God to
bring His people under any other covenant, or prescribe unto them what
forms of worship He pleased, for they did not render ineffectual the
promise before given. Nor did the institutions of the Mosaic covenant
divert from, but rather led to, the future establishment of the
promise. Yea, the laws and worship of the Mosaic economy were of
present use and advantage to the Church while it remained in its state
of minority (Gal. 4). For much of the above we are indebted, under
God, to the writings of John Owen (1670 A.D.). We now turn again to
our passage.
"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, saith the Lord; I will put My laws into their minds,
and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they
shall be to Me a people" (verse 10). "The design of the apostle, or
what is the general argument which he is in pursuit of, must still be
borne in mind, while considering the testimonies which he produceth in
the confirmation of it. His design is to prove that the Lord Christ is
the Mediator and Surety of a better covenant, than that wherein the
service of God was managed by the high priests according to the law.
For hence it follows, that His priesthood is greater and far more
excellent than theirs. To this end he doth not only prove that God
promised to make such a covenant, but also declares the nature and
properties of it, in the words of the prophets. And so, by comparing
it with the former covenant, he manifests its excellency above it. In
particular, in this testimony, the imperfection of that covenant is
demonstrated from its issue. For it did not effectually maintain peace
and mutual love between God and the people; but being broken by them,
they were thereon rejected of God. This rendered all the other
benefits and advantages of it, useless. Wherefore, the apostle insists
from the prophet, on those promises of this other covenant, which
infallibly prevent the like issue, securing the people's obedience
forever, and so the love and relation of God unto them as their God"
(John Owen).
The apostle is here contrasting the Christian dispensation from the
Mosaic. Having in the previous verse declared in general the
abrogation of the old covenant, because of its inadequacy through the
weakness of the flesh, he here describes the new covenant which has
supplanted it. He shows it to be so excellent in its constitution that
none should object against its substitution in place of the old: such
is the force of the opening "For." The formal "this is the covenant"
announces that it is the duty of Christians to make themselves
distinctly and fully informed in the privileges belonging unto them.
It was for this very end that the writings of the evangelists and
apostles were added to those of the prophets. This new covenant is
made with "the house of Israel," which we understand mystically,
comprising under it all the people of God. It is taken spiritually for
the whole Church, the "Israel of God" (Gal. 6:16).
"After those days" is in antithesis from "in the day" of verse 9,
which was an indefinite expression covering the interval between God's
sending Moses into Egypt and the arrival of Israel before Sinai.
"After those days" means, following the Old Testament era. The
dispensation which succeeds that is called "the time of reformation"
in Hebrews 9:10. Now just as God's making of the first covenant with
Israel was preceded by many things that were preparatory to the solemn
establishment of the same--such as His sending of Moses to announce
unto them His designs of grace, His delivering them out of the house
of bondage, His miraculous conducting of them through the Red Sea, His
making known His law at Sinai--so the new covenant was gradually made
and established, and that by sundry acts preparatory for it or
confirmatory of it. As this is so little understood we must enter into
details.
First, the introduction of the new covenant was made by the ministry
of John the Baptist (Luke 16:16). He was sent to prepare the way of
the Lord. Until his appearing the Jews were bound absolutely unto the
covenant at Sinai, without any alteration or addition to any ordinance
of worship. But John's ministry was "the beginning of the Gospel"
(Mark 1:1,2). He called the people off from resting in the privileges
of the old covenant (Matthew 3:8-10), and instituted a new ordinance
of worship, baptism. He pointed away from Moses to the Lamb of God.
Thus, his ministry was the beginning of the accomplishment of God's
promise through Jeremiah. Second, the incarnation and ministry of the
Lord Jesus was a further advance unto the same. His appearing in the
flesh laid an axe to the root of the whole Mosaic dispensation
(Matthew 3:10), though the tree was not immediately cut down. By His
miracles and teaching Christ furnished abundant proof that He was the
Mediator of the new covenant.
Third, the way for the introduction of the new covenant having been
prepared, it was solemnly enacted and confirmed in and by Christ's
death: thereby the "promise" became a "testament" (Heb. 9:14-16). From
that time onwards, the old covenant and its administration had
received its full accomplishment (Eph. 2:14-16, Colossians 2:14, 15),
and it continued to abide only in the longsuffering of God, to be
taken out of the way in His own time and manner. Fourth, the new
covenant was further established in the resurrection of Christ. The
old covenant could not be abrogated till its curse had been borne, and
that was discharged absolutely when Christ was "loosed from the pains
of death" and delivered from the grave. Fifth, the new covenant was
promulgated and confirmed on the day of Pentecost, answering to the
promulgation of the law at Sinai, some weeks after Israel had been
delivered out of Egypt. From Pentecost onwards the whole Church of God
was absolved from any duty with respect unto the old covenant and the
worship of it (although it was not manifest as yet unto their
consciences), and the ordinances of worship and all the institutions
of the new covenant now became obligatory upon them. Sixth, the
question was formally and officially raised as to the continuance of
the obligatory form of the old covenant, and the contrary was
expressly affirmed by the apostles under the infallible
superintendence of the Holy Spirit: Acts 15:1-29.
But at this point a difficulty, already noticed, may recur to our
minds: Were not the things mentioned in Hebrews 8:10-13, the grace and
mercy therein expressed, actually communicated to God's elect both
before Sinai and afterwards? Did not all who truly believed and feared
God enjoy these same identical blessings? Unquestionably. What then is
the solution? This: the apostle is not here contrasting the internal
operations of Divine grace in the Old and New Testament saints, but as
Calvin rightly taught, the "reference is to the economical condition
of the Church." The contrast is between that which characterized the
Judaic and the Christian dispensations in the outward confirmation of
the covenant. While there were individuals like David and Daniel,
perhaps many such, in whom the Spirit wrought effectually, yet it is
evident that the great majority of Abraham's natural descendants had
no experimental acquaintance with the external revelation God had
given.
"I will put My laws into their minds, and write them in their hearts."
That this is not an experience peculiar to Christians or restored
Christians is clear from Psalm 37:30, 31, "The mouth of the righteous
speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment. The law of His
God is in his heart." So, too in Psalm 19:7, 8, we read, "The law of
the Lord is perfect converting the soul... the statutes of the Lord
are right, rejoicing the heart." But that the major portion of Israel,
or even a considerable number of them, were regenerated, at any period
in the lengthy history of that nation, there is nothing whatever to
show: instead, there is very much to the contrary. This experience is
enjoyed by none save God's elect, and in every age they have been but
a "little flock."
"I will put My laws into their minds." These words have reference to
the effectual operations of the Spirit in His supernatural and saving
illumination of our understandings, whereby they are made habitually
conformable unto the whole law of God, which is our rule of obedience
in the new covenant. The carnal mind is enmity against God, and is not
subject to His law, neither indeed can be (Rom. 8:7). But when we are
renewed by the Spirit, He works in us a submission to the authority
and revealed will of God. As the Lord opened the heart of Lydia "that
she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul" (Acts 16:14),
so in the miracle of the new birth, the Christian is given an ear to
heed and a mind to perceive the holiness, justice, and goodness of
God's law. Yea, that law is effectually applied to him, so that it
becomes the former of his thoughts, the subject of his meditation, and
the regulator of his ways.
The preacher may announce the law of God to the outward ear, but only
the Spirit can engrave it on the mind. The realization of this fact
ought to drive every minister to his knees. No matter how diligently
he has prepared his sermon, no matter how clearly and faithfully he
expounds God's truth, no matter how solemnly and searchingly he
endeavors to press it on the individual's conscience, unless God
Himself gives His Word an entrance into the soul, nothing spiritual
and eternal is accomplished. Nowhere is the deadness of the "churches"
more plainly evidenced today than by the absence of concerted and
definite prayer immediately before and immediately after the Word is
preached: the "song service" has been substituted for the prayer
service. O that God's own people might be aroused to the need of their
coming together and crying, "Lord, open the eyes of these men" (2
Kings 6:20).
"And write them in their hearts." It is this which renders the former
part actually effectual. The "heart" as distinguished from the "mind"
comprises the affections and the will. First, the understanding is
informed, and then the heart is reformed. An active principle of
obedience is imparted, and this is nothing else than a love for God
Himself. Where there is a real love for God, there is a genuine desire
and determination to please Him. The heart of the natural man is
"alienated" from God and opposed to His authority. That is why, at
Sinai, God wrote the commandments upon stones--not so much to secure
the outward letter of them, as to represent the hardness of the hearts
of the people unto whom they were given. But at regeneration God takes
away the heart of stone, and gives a heart of flesh (Ezek.
36:26)--pliable, living, responsive.
Let each reader pause here and lift up his or her heart to God, asking
for grace and wisdom to honestly examine themselves in the light of
this verse. You may sit under a sound and scriptural ministry every
Sabbath, but what effect has it upon your inner man? You may be well
acquainted with the letter of the Word, but how far is it directing
the details of your daily walk? Does your mind dwell most on temporal
or eternal things, material or spiritual? What engages your thoughts
in your seasons of recreation? Is your heart fixed upon God or upon
the world? There are thousands of professing Christians who can talk
glibly of the Scriptures, but whose lives give no evidence that God
has written His laws in their hearts. Are you one of this class?
"And I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people." This
expresses covenant-relationship. It is placed in the center of these
promises because it is the spring from which the grace of the other
blessings doth proceed. The wicked are living in this world "without
God, and without hope" (Eph. 2:12), but unto the righteous He says, "I
am thy Shield, thy exceeding great Reward" (Gen. 15:1). "Happy is that
people, that is in such a case, happy is that people, whose God is the
Lord" (Ps. 144:15). When He says "I will be to them a God" it means
that He will act toward His people according to all that is implied in
the name of God. He will be their Lawgiver, their Counselor, their
Protector, their Guide. He will supply all their needs, deliver from
all dangers, and bring them unto everlasting felicity. He will be
faithful and longsuffering, bearing with their frailties, never
leaving nor forsaking them. "And they shall be My people" expresses
both a dignity and a duty. Their dignity is set forth in 1 Peter 2:9;
their duty in the verses which follow.
"And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his
brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know Me, from the least
to the greatest" (verse 11). These words point a contrast from the
general spiritual ignorance which obtained among the Jews: cf. Isaiah
1:3, etc. "The words in the 11th verse are not to be understood
absolutely, but comparatively. They intimate, that under that covenant
there shall be a striking contrast to the ignorance which
characterized the great body of those who were under the Old Covenant;
that the revelation of the Divine will shall be far more extensive and
clear under the new than under the old economy; and that there shall
be a correspondingly enlarged communication of the enlightened
influences of the Holy Spirit. They probably also are intended to
suggest the idea, that that kind of knowledge which is the peculiar
glory of the New Covenant is a kind of knowledge which cannot be
communicated by brother teaching brother, but comes directly from
Him--the great Teacher, whose grand characteristic is this, that whom
He teaches, He makes apt to learn" (John Brown).
"And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his
brother, saying, Know the Lord." During the Mosaic economy, and
particularly in the last century before Christ, there was an external
teaching of the Law, which the people trusted and rested in without
any regard for God's teaching by the inward circumcision of the heart.
Such teaching had degenerated into rival schools and sects, such as
the Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, Essenes, etc., and they made void
the Word of God through their traditions (Mark 7:13). It was against
such the last of Israel's prophets had announced. "The Lord will cut
off... the master and the scholar out of the tabernacles of Jacob"
(Mal. 2:12). Or, our verse probably has more direct reference to the
general knowledge of God which obtained during the Mosaic economy,
when He revealed Himself under types and shadows, and was known
through "parables and dark sayings." These were now supplanted by the
full blaze of the Gospel's light.
"For all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest." God is now
known in the full revelation which He has made of Himself in the
person of His incarnate Son: John 1:18. As we are told in 1 John 5:20,
"And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an
understanding, that we may know Him that is true": "know Him" in the
sense that we recognize, own, and practically obey Him as God. This
spiritual, experimental, vital, saving knowledge of God is now
communicated unto all of His elect. As the Savior announced, "They
shall be all taught of God" (John 6:45): taught His will and all the
mysteries of godliness, which by the Word are revealed. This
"knowledge" of God cannot be imparted by any external teaching alone,
but is the result of the Spirit's operations, though He frequently,
yea generally, uses the oral and written ministry of God's servants as
His instruments therein.
"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and
their iniquities will I remember no more" (verse 12). "This is the
great foundational promise and grace of the new covenant. For though
it be last expressed, yet, in order of nature, it precedeth the other
mercies and privileges mentioned, and is the foundation of the
communication of them unto us. This the casual `for' at the beginning
of the verse doth demonstrate. What I have spoken, saith the Lord,
shall be accomplished, `For I will be merciful,' etc., without which
there could be no participation of the other things mentioned.
Wherefore, not only an addition of new grace and mercy is expressed in
these words, but a reason also is rendered why, or on what grounds, He
would bestow on them those other mercies" (John Owen).
In verse 12 a reason is given why God bestows the wondrous blessings
enumerated in verses 10, 11. The word here rendered "merciful" is
propitious, for it is not absolute mercy without any satisfaction
having been taken by justice, but grace shown on the ground of a
propitiation: cf. Romans 3:24, 25. Christ died to render God
propitious toward sinners (Heb. 2:17), and in and through Him alone is
God merciful toward the sins of His people. Just so long as Christ is
rejected, the sinner is under the curse. But as soon as He is
received, the blessings described in verses 10-12 become his. Note
there are just seven blessings named, which exemplifies the perfection
of the new covenant.
It is to be noted that no less than three terms are used in verse 12
to describe the fearful evils of which the sinner is guilty, thus
emphasizing his obnoxiousness to the holy God, and magnifying the
grace which saves him. "Unrighteousness" signifies a wrong done unto
God, against man's sovereign Ruler and Benefactor. "Sin" is a missing
of the mark, the glorifying of God, which is what ought ever to be
aimed at. "Iniquity" has the force of lawlessness, a setting up of my
will against God's, a living to please self rather than for His glory.
How marvelous is the propitious favor of God toward those who are
guilty of such multiplied enormities! The apostle's object was to
point another contrast between the covenants. That which characterized
Judaism was a reign of law and justice: that which distinguishes
Christianity is the "Throne of Grace." Note that no "conditions" are
here stipulated. But does not the new covenant require repentance and
faith? Assuredly: Mark 1:15. But He who requires these has promised
also to work them in His people: Acts 5:31.
"In that He saith, A new, He hath made the first old. Now that which
decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away" (verse 13). That the
translators failed to perceive the drift of the apostle's reasoning
here is evident from their adding the word "covenant" in italics. This
was not only unnecessary, but its introduction serves to hide the
force of the first half of this verse. In it the apostle draws an
inference from what God had said through Jeremiah. He singles out one
word, "new," and on it bases an argument: because Christianity is the
"establishment" of the new covenant, then the preceding economy must
have grown "old," and "old" is significative of that which draws near
its end! How this shows us, once more, that every jot and tittle of
Scripture is authoritative, full of meaning, and of sufficient
evidence for what may be deduced from it!
"Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away." Here
is the conclusion of the apostle's argument. If the first covenant had
been adequate no place had been sought for a second (verse 7). But
place was sought for the second (verse 8), therefore the first
covenant was not faultless. The old covenant had continued for fifteen
hundred years, from Moses to Christ; but its purpose had now been
served. God gave Israel more than a hint that the Mosaic economy would
not last forever, when his providence permitted the nation to be
carried down into Babylon. Upon their return from captivity, neither
the temple nor its priesthood were ever restored to their pristine
glory. And now, as the apostle wrote, in less than ten years Jerusalem
and the temple were completely destroyed. If then the Jewish covenant
was abolished because it was "old," how much more ought the "old man"
to be put off (Eph. 4:24), and the "old leaven" purged out (1 Cor.
5:7)!
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 39
The Typical Tabernacle
(Hebrews 9:1-5)
__________________________________________
The principal design of the apostle in this epistle was to prove and
make manifest that the "old covenant" which Jehovah made with Israel
at Sinai, with all the ordinances of worship and the privileges
connected therewith, had been Divinely annulled. This involved a
complete change in the church-state of the Hebrews, but so far from
this being a thing to deplore, it was to their unspeakable advantage.
A "new covenant" had been inaugurated, and the blessings connected
with it so far excelled those which had belonged to the old
dispensation, that nothing but blind prejudice and perverse unbelief
could refuse the true light which now shone, and prefer in its stead
the dark shadows of a previous night. God never asks anybody to give
up any thing without proffering something far better in return; and
they who despise His offer are the losers. But prejudice is strong,
and never harder to overcome than in connection with religious
customs. Therefore does the Spirit labor so patiently in His argument
throughout these chapters.
The chief obstacle in the way of the Hebrews' faith was their failure
to perceive that every thing connected with the ceremonial law--the
tabernacle, priesthood, sacrifices--was typical in its significance
and value. Because it was typical, it was only preparatory and
transient, for once the Antitype materialized its purpose was served.
The shadows were no longer needed when the Substance was manifested.
The scaffolding is dispensed with, taken away, as soon as the finished
building appears. The toys of the nursery become obsolete when manhood
is reached. Everything is beautiful in its proper season. Heavy
garments are needed when the cold of winter is upon us, but they would
be troublesome in summer's sunshine. Once we recognize that God
Himself has acted on this principle in His dispensational dealings
with His people, much becomes plain which otherwise would be quite
obscure.
The apostle had closed the 8th chapter by pointing out, "Now that
which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away." In those words
the Spirit had intimated the unescapable inference which must be drawn
from the oracle given through Jeremiah. He had predicted a "new
covenant," which received its fulfillment in the establishing of
Christianity. The ushering in of the new order of Divine worship
necessarily denoted that the previous economy was "old," and if so,
its end must be nigh. The force of Hebrews 8:13 is as follows: "In
that He says a `new'": God would not have done so unless He had made
the first "old." The "He hath made the first old" has an active
significance and denotes an authoritative act of God upon the old
economy, whereby the calling of the other "new" was the sign and
evidence. God did not call the Christian dispensation "another
covenant," or a "second covenant," but a "new" one, thereby declaring
that the Judaic covenant was obsolete.
The connecting link between the closing verses of chapter 8 and the
opening verses of Hebrews chapter 9 may perhaps be set forth thus:
although the old covenant or Mosaic economy was "ready to vanish
away," nevertheless, it yields, even for Christians, important and
valuable teachings. It is full of most blessed typical import, the
record of which has been preserved both for the glory of its Author
and the edification and joy of His saints. Wonderful indeed were the
pictorial fore-shadowings which the Lord gave in the days of Israel's
kindergarten. The importance of them was more than hinted at by God
when, though He took but six days to make heaven and earth, He spent
no less than forty days when instructing Moses concerning the making
of the tabernacle. That clearly denoted that the work of redemptive
grace, which was prefigured in Jehovah's earthly dwelling place, was
far more glorious than the work of creation. Thereby are we taught to
look away from the things which are seen, and fix our minds and
affections upon that sphere where the Son of God reigns in light and
love.
"The general design of this chapter is the same as the two preceding,
to show that Christ as High Priest is superior to the Jewish high
priest. This the apostle had already shown to be true in regard to His
rank, and to the dispensation of which He was the Mediator. He
proceeds now to show that this was also true in reference to the
efficacy of the sacrifice which He made: and in order to do this, he
gives an account of the ancient Jewish sacrifices, and compares them
with that made by the Redeemer. The essential point is, that the
former dispensation was mere shadow, type, or figure, and that the
latter was real and efficacious."--(A. Barnes).
"Then verily the first had also ordinances of the Divine service, and
a worldly sanctuary" (verse 1). Having in the former chapter given
further proof of the excellency of Christ's sacerdotal office, by
describing the superior covenant that was ratified thereby, the
apostle now prepares the way to set forth the execution of that
office, following the same method of procedure in so doing. Just as he
had drawn a comparison between Aaron and Christ, so he now sets the
ministrations of the one over against the Other, and this in order to
prove that that of Christ's was most certainly to be preferred. He
first approaches the execution of the Levitical priests' office by
mentioning several rites and types which appertained thereto.
"Then verily the first had also ordinances of Divine service, and a
worldly sanctuary." The apostle here begins the comparison which he
draws between the old covenant and the new with respect to the
services and sacrifices whereby the one and the other was established
and confirmed. In so doing he is still dealing with what was to all
pious Israelites a most tender consideration. It was in the services
and sacrifices which belonged to the priestly office in the tabernacle
that they had been taught to place all their confidence for
reconciliation with God. If the apostle's previous contention
respecting the abolition of the legal priesthood was granted, then it
necessarily followed that the sanctuary in which they served and all
the offerings which Moses had so solemnly appointed, became useless
too. It calls for our closest attention and deepest admiration to
observe how the Spirit led the apostle to approach an issue so
startling and momentous.
First, he is so far from denying that the ritual of Judaism was of
human invention, that he declares, "verily (of truth) the first
covenant had also ordinances of Divine service." Thus he follows the
same method employed in the preceding chapters. In drawing his
comparisons between Israel's prophets and Christ, the angels and
Christ, Moses and Christ, Joshua and Christ, Aaron and Christ, he had
said nothing whatever in disparagement of the inferior. So far from
reviling the first member in each comparison, he had dwelt upon that
which was in its favor: the more they could be legitimately magnified,
the greater the glory accruing to Christ when it was proved how far He
excelled them. So here: the apostle granted the principal point which
an objector would make--why should the first covenant be annulled if
God Himself had made it? Before giving answer to this (seemingly) most
difficult question, he allows and affirms that the service of Judaism
was of Divine institution. Thus, in the earliest ages of human history
God had graciously appointed means for His people to use.
The expression "ordinances of divine service" calls for a word or two
by way of explanation. The word which is here rendered "ordinances''
(margin "ceremonies") signifies rites, statutes, institutions. They
were the appointments of God, which He alone had the right to
prescribe, and which His people were under solemn bonds of observing,
and that without any alteration or deviation. These "ordinances" were
of "divine service" which is a single word in the original. In its
verbal form it is found in Hebrews 8:5, "to serve unto the example and
shadow of heavenly things." In the New Testament it is always found in
connection with religious or divine service: in Acts 24:14,
Philippians 3:3 it is translated "worship." It signifies to serve in
godly fear or trembling, thus implying an holy awe and reverence for
the One served--cf. Hebrews 12:28. Thus, the complete clause means
that under the Mosaic economy God gave His people authoritative
enactments to direct their worship of Him. This law of worship was a
hedge which Jehovah placed around Israel to keep them from the
abominations of the heathen. It was concerning this very thing that
God had so many controversies with His people under the old covenant.
Care needs to be duly paid to the tense which the apostle here used:
he said not "verily the first covenant has also ordinances, of divine
service," but "had". He is obviously referring to the past. The Mosaic
economy had those ordinances from the time God covenanted with Israel
at Sinai. But that covenant was no longer in force; it had been
Divinely annulled. The "verily the first covenant had also ordinances
of Divine worship," clearly intimates that the new covenant too has
Divine "ordinances." We press this because there are some who now
affirm that even Christian baptism and the Lord's supper are "Jewish"
ceremonies, which belong not to this present dispensation. But this
error is sufficiently refuted by this word "also"--found in the very
epistle which was written to prove that Judaism has given place to
Christianity!
"And a worldly sanctuary." The reference is (as the next verse plainly
shows) to the Tabernacle, which Moses made in all things according to
the pattern shown him in the mount. Many have been sorely puzzled as
to why the Holy Spirit should designate the holy sanctuary of Jehovah
a "worldly" one. Yet this adjective should not present any difficulty.
It is not used invidiously, still less as denoting anything which is
evil. "Worldly" is not here opposed to "spiritual,'' but as that which
belongs to the earth rather than to the heavens. Thus the force of
"worldly" here emphasizes the fact that the Mosaic economy was but a
transient one, and not eternal. The tabernacle was made here in this
world, out of perishing materials found in the world, and was but a
portable tent, which might at pleasure be taken down and set up again;
while the efficacy of its services extended only unto worldly things,
and procured not that which was vital and eternal. Note how in Hebrews
9:24 the "holy places made with hands" are set in antithesis from
"heaven itself."
We cannot but admire the wisdom given to the apostle in handling a
matter so delicate and difficult. While his object was to show the
immeasurable superiority of that which has been brought in by Christ
over that which Judaism had enjoyed, at the same time he would own
that which was of God in it. Thus, on the one hand, he acknowledges
the service of the Levitical priests as "divine," yet, to pave the way
for his further proof that Christ is a Minister of the heavenly
sanctuary (Heb. 8:1, 2), he points out that the tabernacle of Judaism
was but a "worldly" one. "The antithesis to worldly is heavenly,
uncreated, eternal. Thus in the epistle to the Galatians, the apostle,
speaking of the legal parenthetical dispensation, says we were then in
bondage under the `elements of the world' (Heb. 4:3); and in the
epistle to the Colossians he contrasts with the `rudiments of the
world' (Heb. 2:20) the heavenly position of the believer who has died
with Christ, and `is no longer living in the world,' but seeking the
things above" (Adolph Saphir).
"For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the
candlestick, And the table, and the shewbread; which is called the
sanctuary" (verse 2). "The subject spoken of is the tabernacle: that
which is in general affirmed of it is that it was `made.' There is a
distribution of it into two parts in this and the following verse.
These parts are described and distinguished by, first, their names;
second, their situation with respect unto one another; third, their
contents or sacred utensils. The one is described in this verse, by
its situation: it was the `first,' that which was first entered into;
then by its utensils, which were three; then by its name; it was
called the sanctuary" (John Owen).
"For there was a tabernacle made." A full description of it is to be
found in the book of Exodus. The "tent" proper was thirty cubits, or
forty-five feet in length, ten cubits, or fifteen feet in breadth, and
the same in height. In shape it formed an oblong square. It was
divided by a veil into two parts of unequal size. This continued to
form God's house of worship until the days of Solomon, when it was
replaced by the more permanent and magnificent temple. It is pertinent
to ask at this point, Why should the Holy Spirit here refer to the
"tabernacle" rather than to the temple, which was still standing at
the time the apostle was writing? The word "tabernacle" is found ten
times in this epistle, but the "temple" is not mentioned once. This is
the more remarkable because Paul, more than any of the apostles,
emphasized the resurrection of Christ, and the temple particularly
foreshadowed Him in His resurrection and eternal glory; whereas the
tabernacle principally prefigured Christ in His humiliation and
lowliness. Yet the difficulty is easily solved: the temple was not
erected till after Israel were thoroughly settled in their
inheritance, and the Holy Spirit is here addressing a people who were
yet in the wilderness!
The Holy Spirit now makes a bare allusion to the holy vessels which
occupied the two compartments of the tabernacle. But what rule has
been given us to guide in and fix with certainty the interpretation of
the mystical signification of these things? Certainly God has not left
His people to the worthless devisings of their own imaginations. No,
in this very epistle, He has graciously informed us that the
tabernacle, and all contained in it, were typical of Christ, yet not
as He may be considered absolutely, but as the Church is in mystical
union with Him, for throughout Hebrews He is viewed in the discharge
of His mediatory office. Thus the tabernacle, its holy vessels and
services, supplied a representation of the person, work, offices and
glories of Christ as the Head of His people. That it did so is clear
from Hebrews 8:2--see our comments thereon. The "true tabernacle"
there mentioned (our Lord's humanity) is not opposed to what is false
and erroneous (the shrines of the heathen), but to the tabernacle of
Moses, which was but figurative and transitory. In the Lord Jesus we
have the substance of what Israel had only the shadow.
"For there was a tabernacle made: the first (compartment) wherein was
the candlestick." It is to be noted that no mention is here made of
the outer court. In this omission, as in so many others, the anointed
eye may clearly discern the absolute control of the Spirit over the
sacred writers, moving and guiding them in every detail. In our
articles upon Exodus (1926, etc.) we have attempted a much fuller
exposition than can here be given. Suffice it now to say that
everything connected with the outer court was fulfilled by Christ in
the days of His flesh. The very fact that it was the "outer" court,
accessible to all the people and unroofed, at once denotes to us
Christ here in the world, openly manifested before men. Its brazen
altar spoke of the cross, where God publicly dealt with the sins of
His people. Its fine linen hangings spoke of Christ meeting the claims
of God's righteousness and holiness. Its sixty pillars tell of the
strength and power of Christ, "mighty to save." Its laver foreshadowed
Christ cleansing His Church with the washing of water by the Word
(John 13).
Now as the outer court viewed Christ on earth, so the holy places
pointed to Him in heaven. The holy place was a chamber which was
entered by none save the priestly family, where those favored servants
of Jehovah ministered before Him. It was therefore the place of
communion. In perfect keeping with this, each of the three vessels
that stood therein spoke of fellowship. The lampstand foreshadowed
Christ as the power for fellowship, as supplying the light necessary
to it. The table with its twelve loaves, prefigured Christ as the
substance of our fellowship, the One on whom we feast. The incense
altar typified Christ as the maintainer of fellowship, by His
intercession securing our continued acceptance before the Father. The
reason why the "incense altar" is not mentioned here in Hebrews 9 will
be taken up when we come to verse 4.
"For there was a tabernacle made: the first (compartment) wherein was
the candlestick," or better, "lampstand." There was no window in the
tabernacle, for the light of nature cannot reveal spiritual things. It
was therefore illuminated from this holy vessel, which was placed on
the south side, near the veil which concealed the holy of holies. A
full description of it is given in Exodus 25:31-36. It was made of
beaten gold, all of one piece, with all its lamps and ornamentations,
so that it was without either joints or screws. Pure olive oil was
provided for it.
The very fact that the lampstand stood in the holy place, at once
shows that it is not Christ as "the Light of the world" which is
typified. It is strange that many of the commentators have erred here.
The words of Christ on this point are clear enough: "as long as I am
in the world, I am the light of the world" (John 9:5 and cf. Hebrews
12:35, 36): only then was He manifested here as such. But men loved
darkness rather than light. They rejected the Light, and so far as
they were concerned, extinguished it. Since Christ was put to death by
wicked hands, the world has never again gazed on the Light. He is now
hidden from their eyes. But He who was slain by the world, rose again,
and then ascended on high; it is there in the Holy Place in God's
presence, that the Light now dwells. And while there--O marvelous
privilege--the saints have access to Him.
Black shadows rest upon the world which has cast out the Light of
Life: "the way of the wicked is as darkness" (Prov. 4:19). It is now
night-time, for the "Dayspring from on high" is absent. The lampstand
tells of the gracious provision which God has made for His own beloved
people during the interval of darkness, ere the Sun of righteousness
shall rise once more, and usher in for this earth that morning without
clouds. Its seven branches and lamps constantly fed by oil,
represented the fullness of light that is in Christ Jesus, and which
by Him is communicated to His whole Church. The "oil" was poured into
its lamps and then shed forth light from them. Such was and is the
economical relation of the Spirit unto the Mediator. First, Christ was
"anointed" with the Spirit "above His fellows" (Ps. 45:7 and cf. John
3:34), and then He sent forth the Spirit (Acts 2:33). Objectively the
Spirit conveys light to us through the Word; subjectively, by inward
and supernatural illumination.
"And the table and shewbread" (verse 2). Though intimately connected,
yet these two objects may be distinguished in their typical
significance. The natural relation of the one to the other, helps us
to perceive their spiritual meaning: the bread was placed upon and
thus was supported by the table. The "table" speaks of communion. A
beautiful picture of this is found in 2 Samuel 9. There David asks,
"Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show
him kindness for Jonathan's sake?" (verse 1). A lovely illustration
was this of the wondrous grace of God, showing kindness to those who
belong to the house of His enemy, and that for the sake of His
Beloved. There was one, even Mephibosheth, lame on his feet; him David
"sent and fetched" unto himself. And then, to show he is fully
reconciled to this grandson of his foe, David said, "but Mephibosheth
thy master's son shall eat bread always at my table" (verse
10)--evidencing that he had been brought into the place of most
intimate fellowship. 1 Corinthians 10:20, 21 also shows the spiritual
significance of the "table."
The "shewbread," or twelve loaves on the table, also spoke of Christ.
"My Father giveth you the true bread from heaven" (John 6:32). The
word "shewbread" is literally "bread of faces," faces being put by a
figure for presence--pointing to the Divine presence in which the
bread stood; "shewbread before Me always" (Ex. 25:30). The twelve
loaves, like the twelve precious stones in the high priest's
breastplate, pictured the twelve tribes of Israel being represented
before God. Thus, in type, it was the Lord Jesus identifying Himself
with His covenant people.
"And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the holiest
of all" (verse 3). The first veil was the "hanging" over the entrance
into the tabernacle, shutting off from view what was inside from those
who were in the outer court. It is described in Exodus 26:36, 37. The
second veil, described in Exodus 26:31-33 and explained in Hebrews
10:20, was a heavy curtain which concealed the contents of the holy of
holies from those in the holy place. The Levitical family ministered
in the holy place, but none save the holiest of all, and he only one
day in the year. Three things have been mentioned as occupying a place
in the first tabernacle; seven objects are now mentioned in connection
with the holiest of all.
"Which had the golden censer" (verse 4). First, we would note the
minute accuracy of the wording here. In verse 2 it was said "Wherein
was the candlestick," etc., for the objects there mentioned belonged
properly to the first compartment. But here it is, "which had the
golden censer." Why? Because this utensil did not form part of the
furniture of the holy of holies. To what then is the reference?
Plainly to what is recorded in Leviticus 16:12, 13, "And he shall take
a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the (brazen) altar
before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and
bring within the veil: And he shall put the incense upon the fire
before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the
mercy-seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not."
For three hundred and fifty-nine days in the year Aaron ministered at
the golden or incense altar, which stood in the holy place; but on the
remaining day, the annual "Day of Atonement," he did not. Instead, he
used the "golden censer" of incense, passing with it within the veil.
It is this which explains why there is no mention of the "golden
altar" in verse 2, for the Holy Spirit is here treating (see the later
verses) of the Judaic ritual on the Day of Atonement, and the
fulfillment of the type by the Lord Jesus. That which was represented
by the "golden censer" was the acceptability of Christ's person to God
and the efficacy of His intercession. The beautiful type of Leviticus
16:12, 13 denotes that, in consequence of the satisfaction which
Christ made unto God, completed at the cross, His mediatory
intercession is a sweet savor unto the Father, and effective unto the
salvation of His Church. The fact that the smoke of this perfume
covered the ark and the mercy-seat, wherein was the law, and over
which the symbol of the Divine presence abode, denoted that Christ has
magnified the law, met its every requirement, and is the end of the
law for righteousness unto everybody that believeth.
"And the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein
was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and
the tables of the covenant" (verse 4). The ark, with the mercy-seat
which formed its lid or cover, was the most glorious and mysterious
vessel of the tabernacle. It was the first thing made (Ex. 25:10, 11),
yea, the whole sanctuary was built for no other end but to be, as it
were, a house and habitation for the ark (Ex. 26:33). The ark was the
outstanding symbol that God Himself was present among His people and
that His covenant-blessing was resting upon them. It was the coffer in
which the tables of the law were preserved. Its pre-eminence above all
the other vessels was shown in the days of Solomon, for the ark alone
was transferred from the tabernacle to the temple.
The ark was an outstanding figure of the incarnate Son of God. The
wood of which it was made, typified His sinless humanity. "Shittim"
wood never rotted, and the Septuagint translation of the Old Testament
renders it "incorruptible wood." The wood was overlaid, within and
without, with gold, prefiguring Christ's Divine glory. The two
materials of which the ark was made symbolized the union of the two
natures in the God-man--"God manifest in flesh" (1 Tim. 3:16). The ark
formed God's throne in Israel: "Thou that dwellest between the
cherubim" (Ps. 80:1). Christ is the only One who perfectly enthroned
God, honoring His government in all things. Each of the seven names
given to the ark in the Old Testament sets forth some excellency in
the person of Christ. Everything connected with its most remarkable
history, as in Numbers 10:33, 14:44, Joshua 3:5-17, 6:4-20, etc.,
received its antitypical fulfillment in the God-man.
"Wherein was the golden pot that had manna." Some have imagined a
contradiction between this statement and what is said in 1 Kings 8:9,
"There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone." But there
is no conflict between the two passages, for they are not treating of
the same point in time. Hebrews 9:4 is speaking of what was in the ark
during the days when it was lodged in the tabernacle, whereas 1 Kings
8:9 tells of what comprised its contents after it came to rest in the
temple. It is important to note this distinction, for it supplies the
key to the spiritual interpretation of our verse: Hebrews 9:4 makes
known God's provisions in Christ for His people while they are
journeying through the wilderness. Thus the "manna" was Israel's food
from Egypt to Canaan: type of Christ as the heavenly sustenance for
our souls. The preservation of the manna in the golden pot, speaks of
Christ in glory at God's right hand.
"And Aaron's rod that budded." The reference is to what is recorded in
Numbers 17. In the preceding chapter we read of a revolt against Moses
and Aaron, occasioned by jealousy at the authority which God had
delegated to His two servants. The revolt of Korah and his company was
visited by summary judgment from on high, and was followed by a
manifest vindication of Aaron. The form that vindication took is most
instructive. The Lord bade Moses take the twelve tribal rods, writing
the name of Aaron on Levi's, laying them up before the ark, and
affirming that the one which should be made to blossom would indicate
which had been chosen of God to the priestly tribe. Next morning it
was found that Aaron's rod had "brought forth buds, and blossomed
blossoms, and yielded almonds." Afterwards God ordered Moses to place
Aaron's rod before the ark "to be kept for a token against the
rebels." The lifeless rod being made to blossom was a figure of God's
vindication of His rejected Son by raising Him from the dead. Thus it
speaks of the resurrection-power of our great High Priest.
"And the tables of the covenant." The reference is to Deuteronomy
10:1-5. The preservation of the two tables of stone (on which were
inscribed the ten commandments) in the ark, foreshadowed Christ
magnifying the law and making it honorable (Isa. 42:21). The
fulfillment of this type is stated in Psalm 40:7, 8, where we hear the
Mediator saying, "Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written
of Me: I delight to do Thy will, O My God; Yea, Thy law is within My
heart." The Representative of God's people was "made under the law"
(Gal. 4:4), and perfectly did He "fulfill" it (Matthew 5:17).
Therefore is it written, "by the obedience of One shall many be made
righteous" (Rom. 5:19). Thus may each believer exclaim, "In the Lord
have I righteousness and strength" (Isa. 45:24).
"And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercy-seat: of which
we cannot now speak particularly" (verse 5). At either end of the
mercy-seat was the form of a cherub with outstretched wings, meeting
in the center, thus overshadowing and as it were protecting God's
throne. That there is some profound significance connected with their
figures is clear from the prominent place which they occupy in
connection with the description of the mercy-seat given in Exodus
25:17-22: mention is there made of the cherubim, in either the
singular or plural number, no less than seven times. The mention of
them in Genesis 3:24 suggests that they are associated with the
administration of God's judicial authority. In Revelation 4:6-8 (cf.
Ezekiel 1:5-10) they are related to God's throne. Here in Hebrews 9
they are called the "cherubim of glory" because the Skekinah abode
between them.
The mercy-seat, or better, "propitiatory," was the throne upon which
the high priest placed the expiatory blood. It was not the place where
propitiation was made--that was at the brazen altar--but where its
abiding value was borne witness to before God. Romans 3:25 gives us
the antitype: by the Gospel God now "sets forth" (Gal. 3:1) Christ as
the One by whom He has been placated, as the One by whom His holy
wrath against the sins of His people has been pacified, as the One by
whom the righteous demands of His law were satisfied, as the One by
whom every attribute of Deity was glorified. Christ Himself is God's
resting-place in whom He now meets poor sinners in all the fullness of
His grace because of the propitiation made by Him on the cross.
The last clause of the verse is translated more literally in Bagster's
Interlinear thus: "concerning which it is not now (the time) to speak
in detail"--the "concerning which" is not to be restricted to that
which is found here in verse 5, but takes in all that has been
mentioned in verses 2-5. It would have led the apostle too far away
from his subject of the high priest's service, to give an
interpretation of the spiritual meaning of the tabernacle and
everything in it. Nevertheless, he plainly intimates that every part
of it had a specific significance as typical of the Lord Jesus and His
ministry.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 40
The Contrasted Priests
(Hebrews 9:6-10)
__________________________________________
At the commencement of our last article we stated that, the principal
design of the apostle in this epistle was to prove and make manifest
that the "old covenant" which Jehovah made with Israel at Sinai, with
all the ordinances of worship and privileges connected therewith had
been Divinely annulled. This involved a complete change in the
church-state of the Hebrews, but so far from this being a thing to be
deplored, it was to their unspeakable advantage. In prosecuting this
design, the Holy Spirit through Paul does, as it were, remove the veil
from off the face of Moses. In 2 Corinthians 3:13 we read, "And not as
Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel
could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished."
These words direct attention to a profound spiritual truth which God
(in keeping with His dispensational ways) caused to be mystically
adumbrated or shadowed forth by a material and visible object.
In 2 Corinthians 3:7 the apostle had spoken of the brightness of
Moses' face as a symbol of his ministry: the revelation which he
received was a divine and glorious one. But because the truth
communicated through Moses was in an obscure form (by types and
emblems) he veiled himself. Paul, as a minister of the "new covenant"
used "great plainness of speech" (2 Cor. 3:12), i.e., employing no
"dark parables" or enigmatic prophecies, still less mysterious
ceremonies. Moses wore a veil "that the children of Israel could not
steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished" (Heb. 3:7),
i.e., to prevent their seeing the termination or fading away of the
celestial brightness of his countenance. The mystical meaning of this
was, God would not allow Israel to know at that time that the
dispensation of the Levitical or legal ministry would ultimately
cease. The publication of that fact was reserved for a much later
date.
"But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same
veil untaken away in the reading of the old covenant; which veil is
done away in Christ" (2 Cor. 3:14). Yes, that "veil" which lay so
heavily over the Mosaic types is now "done away in Christ," for He is
that Antitype, the key which unlocks them, the sun which illuminates
them. This, it is the great purpose of the Hebrews' epistle to
demonstrate. Here is doctrinally removed the "veil" from off the
Mosaic institutions. Here the Spirit makes known the nature and
purpose of the "old covenant." Here He declares the significance and
temporal efficacy of all institutions and ordinances of Israel's
worship. Here He announces that the Levitical rites and ceremonies
made a representation of heavenly things, but insists that those
heavenly things could not themselves be introduced and established
without the removal of what had adumbrated them. Here He shows that
the glory of God shines in the face of Jesus Christ.
Three things there were which constituted the glory of the old
covenant, and which the Jews so rested in they refused the Gospel out
of an adherence unto them: the priestly office; the tabernacle with
all its furniture, wherein that office was exercised; the duties and
worship of the priests in that tabernacle by sacrifices, especially
those wherein there was a solemn expiation of the sins of the whole
congregation. In reference to them, the apostle proves: first, that
none of them could make perfect the state of the Church, nor really
effect assured peace and confidence between God and the worshippers.
Second, that they were but typical, ordained to represent that which
was far more sublime and excellent than themselves. Third, that the
Lord Jesus Christ, in His person and mediation, was really and
substantially, all that they did but prefigure, and that He was and
did what they could only direct unto an expectation of.
In Hebrews 7 the apostle has fully evidenced this in connection with
the priestly office. In the 8th chapter he has done the same in
general unto the tabernacle, confirming this by that great collateral
argument taken from the nature and excellency of that covenant whereby
the incarnate Son was the Surety and Mediator. Here in the 9th
chapter, he takes up the services and sacrifices which belonged unto
the priestly office in the tabernacle. It was in them that the Jews
placed their greatest confidence for reconciliation with God, and
concerning which they boasted of the excellency of their Church-state
and worship. Because this was the chief point of difference between
the Gospel-proclamation and those who repudiated it, and because it
was that whereon the whole doctrine of the justification of sinners
before God did depend, the apostle enters into minute detail,
declaring the nature, use and efficacy of the sacrifices of the law,
and manifesting the nature, glory and efficacy of the sacrifice of
Christ, whereby those others had been put an end to (condensed from
John Owen).
"Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always
into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God" (verse
6). Having made a brief reference to the structure of the tabernacle
in its two compartments, and the furniture belonging to each of them
respectively, the apostle now turns to consider the uses for which
they were designed unto in the service of God. First, he says "these
things were thus ordained," or as the Revised Version more correctly
renders it, "thus prepared," for the Greek word (translated "made" in
verse 2), signifies to dispose and arrange. When the things mentioned
in verses 2-5 had been made and duly ordered, they stood not for a
magnificent show, but were designed for constant use in the service of
God. Hereby we are taught that, for any service to be acceptable to
God, it must be in strict accord with the pattern He has given us in
His Word: carefully ponder (1 Chron. 15:12, 13). Everything was duly
prepared for Divine service before that service was performed. So in
public service or Divine worship today there must be fit persons who,
under the Spirit, are to lead it ``able ministers of the new
testament" (2 Cor. 3:6); fit arrangements and order (1 Cor. 14:40),
not mere human tradition (Matthew 15:9); a fit message unto
edification (1 Cor. 14:26).
"The priests went always into the first tabernacle." They only were
allowed in the holy place that were the sons of Aaron; but even these
were suffered to penetrate no farther, being barred from entrance into
the holy of holies. This was in contrast from the high priest who
entered the inner sanctuary, yet only on one day in the year. The word
"always" is translated "continually" in Hebrews 13:15. It signifies
constantly, at all times as occasion did require. Christians have been
made "kings and priests unto God" (Rev. 1:6), and they are bidden to
"give thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph. 5:20); to "rejoice evermore" and "pray
without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:16, 17).
"Accomplishing the service of God." The translators have rightly added
the last two words, for the "service" here is a Divine one.
"Accomplishing the service of God" means that they officiated in the
ministry of the sacred ceremonies. The daily services of the priests
were two: the dressing of the lamps of the candlestick: supplying them
with the holy oil, trimming their wicks, etc.; this was done every
evening and morning. Second, the service of the golden altar, whereon
they burned incense every day, with fire taken from off the brazen
altar, and this immediately after the offering of the evening and
morning sacrifices. Whilst this service was being performed, the
people without gave themselves unto prayer (Luke 1:10). Their weekly
service was to change the shewbread on the table, which was done every
Sabbath, in the morning. All of this was typical of the continual
application of the benefits of the sacrifice and mediation of Christ
unto His people here in the world.
The practical application to Christians now of what has just been
before us, should be obvious. There ought to be family worship, both
in the morning and in the evening. The replenishing of the oil in the
lamps for continuous light, should find its counterpart in the daily
looking to God for needed light from His Word, to direct our steps in
the ordering of home and business life to His acceptance and praise.
God has declared, "Them that honor Me I will honor, and they that
despise Me shall be lightly esteemed" (1 Sam. 2:30). If God be not
honored in the home by the family "altar," then we cannot count upon
Him blessing our homes! The burning of the incense should receive its
antitype in morning and evening praise and prayer unto God: owning Him
as the Giver of every good and every perfect gift, thanking Him for
spiritual and temporal mercies, casting all our care upon Him,
pleading His promises, and trusting Him for a continuance of His
favors. The Greek word here for "accomplishing" is a compound, which
signifies to "completely finish"--rendered "perfecting" in 2
Corinthians 7:1--denoting their service was not done by halves. May we
too serve God wholeheartedly.
"But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not
without blood, which he offered for himself, and the errors of the
people" (verse 7). That to which the apostle here refers is the great
anniversary- sacrifice of expiation, whose institution and solemnities
are described at length in Leviticus 16. On the tenth day of the
seventh month (which corresponds to our September) Israel's high
priest, unattended and unassisted by his subordinates, entered within
the holy of holies, there to present propitiating sacrifices before
Jehovah. Divested of his garments of "glory and beauty" (Ex. 28:2,
etc.) and clad only in "the holy linen" (Lev. 16:4), he first entered
the sacred precincts bearing a censer full of burning coals and his
hands full of incense, which was to be placed upon the coals, so that
a cloud of incense should cover the mercy-seat (Lev. 16:12, 13); which
spoke of the fragrant excellency of Christ's person unto God, when He
offered Himself an atoning sacrifice. Second, he took of the blood of
the bullock, which had been killed for a sin-offering for himself and
his house (Lev. 16:11), and sprinkled its blood upon and before the
mercy-seat (Heb. 16:14). Third, he went out and killed the goat which
was a sin-offering for the people, and did with its blood as he had
with that of the bullocks (Heb. 16:15).
When the high priest's work within the veil had been completed, he
came forth and laid both his hands on the head of the live goat, and
confessed over him "all of the iniquities of the children of Israel
and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the
head of the goat," which was then sent away "unto a land not
inhabited" (Lev. 16:21, 22); all of which was typical of the Atonement
made by the Lord Jesus, and of the plenary remission of sins through
His blood. In the shedding of the victims' blood and offering it by
fire on the altar, there was a representation made of the vicarious
imputation of guilt to the sacrifice, and the expiation of it through
death. In the carrying of the blood into the presence of Jehovah and
the sprinkling of it upon His throne, witness was borne to His
acceptance of the atonement which had been made. In the placing of the
sins of Israel upon the live goat and its carrying of them away into a
land uninhabited, there was a foreshadowing of the blessed truth that,
as far as the east is from the west so far hath God removed the
transgressions of His people from before Him.
"Into the second veil went the high priest alone: There shall be no
man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an
atonement" (Lev. 16:17). This denoted that Christ alone was qualified
to appear before God on behalf of His people: none other was fit to
mediate for them. "Once every year," to foreshadow the fact that
Christ entered heaven for His people once for all: Hebrews 9:12.
"Which he offered for himself," for he too was a sinner, and therefore
incompetent to make real, efficacious and acceptable atonement for
others; thereby intimating that he must yet give place to Another.
"And for the errors of the people," which is to be interpreted in the
light of the Old Testament expression "sins of ignorance" (Lev. 4:2;
5:15; Numbers 15:22-29), which are contrasted from deliberate or
presumptuous sins (see Numbers 15:30, 31). Under the dispensation of
law God graciously made provision for the infirmities of His people,
granting them sacrifices for sins committed unwillingly and
unwittingly. But for determined and open rebellion against His laws,
no atoning sacrifice was available: see Hebrews 10:26.
The distinction pointed out above is the key to Psalm 51:16, "For Thou
desirest not sacrifice, else would I give it." There is no room for
doubt that David knew full well the terrible character of the sins
which he committed against Uriah and his wife. Later, when he was
convicted of this, he realized that the law made no provision for
forgiveness. What, then, did he do? Psalm 51:1-3 tells us: he laid
hold on God Himself and said, "The sacrifices of God are a broken
spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise"
(verse 17). It was faith, penitently, appropriating the mercy of God
in Christ.
"The Holy Spirit this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all
was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet
standing" (verse 8). The apostle now makes known the use which he
intended to make of the description which had been given of the
tabernacle and its furniture in verses 2-5: from the structure and
order of its services he would prove the pre-eminency of the
priesthood and sacrifice of Christ above those which had belonged to
the tabernacle. He points out that the Holy Spirit had provided
instruction for Israel in the very disposal of their ancient
institutions. Inasmuch as none but the high priest was permitted to
pass within the veil, it was plainly intimated that under the Mosaic
dispensation the people were barred from the very presence of God.
Such a state of affairs could not be the ultimate and ideal, and
therefore must be set aside before that which was perfect could be
introduced.
"The Holy Spirit this signifying:" the reference is to the
arrangements which obtained in the tabernacle, as specified in the
preceding verses. Here we learn that the third person of the blessed
Trinity was immediately concerned in the original instructions given
to Israel. This intimates in a most striking way the perfect union,
unison and cooperation of the persons of the Godhead in all that They
do. 2 Peter 1:21 declares that, "holy men of old spake, moved by the
Holy Spirit," prominent among whom was Moses. In Exodus 35:1 we read,
"Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel
together, and said unto them, These are the words which the Lord hath
commanded"--the Holy Spirit moving Him to give an accurate record of
all that he had heard from the Lord.
"The Holy Spirit this signifying," or making evident, that "the way
into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest." How did He thus
"signify" this fact? By the very framework of the tabernacle: that is,
by allowing the people to go no farther than the outer court, and the
priests themselves only into the first compartment. "For things in His
wisdom were thus disposed, that there should be the first tabernacle
whereinto the priests did enter every day, accomplishing the Divine
services that God required. Howbeit in that tabernacle there were not
the pledges of the gracious presence of God. It was not the especial
residence of His glory. But the peculiar habitation of God was
separated from it by a veil, and no person living might so much as
look into it on pain of death. But yet, lest the church should
apprehend, that indeed there was no approach, here, nor hereafter, for
any person into the gracious presence of God; He ordained that once a
year the high priest, and he alone, should enter into that holy place
with blood. Hereby he plainly signified, that an entrance there was to
be, and that with boldness, thereinto. For unto what end else did He
allow and appoint, that once a year there should be an entrance into
it by the high priest, in the name of and for the service of the
church? But this entrance being only once a year, by the high priest
only, and that with the blood of the covenant, which was always to be
observed whilst that tabernacle continued, he did manifest that the
access represented was not to be obtained during that season; for all
believers in their own persons were utterly excluded from it" (John
Owen).
"The way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest." The
apostle is not now speaking of the second compartment in the
tabernacle (as in verse 3), but of that which was typified by it.
"Now, in that most holy place, were all the signs and pledges of the
gracious presence of God; the testimonies of our reconciliation by the
blood of the atonement, and of our peace with Him thereby. Wherefore,
to enter into these holies is nothing but to have an access with
liberty, freedom and boldness, into the gracious presence of God on
the account of reconciliation and peace made with Him. This the
apostle doth so plainly and positively declare in Hebrews 10:19-22
that I somewhat wonder so many learned expositors could utterly miss
of his meaning in this place. The holies then is the gracious presence
of God, whereunto believers draw nigh, in the confidence of the
atonement made for them, and acceptance thereon: see Romans 5:1-3,
Ephesians 2:14-18, Hebrews 4:14, 15' (John Owen).
But let us observe more closely this expression "the way into the
holiest of all." This way is no other but the sacrifice of Christ, the
true High Priest of the Church: as He Himself declared, "I am the Way,
the Truth and the Life, no man cometh unto the Father but by Me" (John
14:6). Thus the ultimate reference here in "the holiest of all" is to
Heaven itself, yet having a present and spiritual application unto
access to and communion with God. The "way" into this is through faith
in the sacrifice of Christ. Marvelously was this adumbrated here on
earth at the moment of His death, for then the veil of the temple was
rent in twain from the top to the bottom (Matthew 27:51), thereby
opening a way into the holy of holies.
But this access to God, or way into the holiest of all, "was not yet
made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing." It is
to be very carefully noted that the apostle did not say that there was
then no way "provided" or "made use of," but only that it was not,
during Old Testament times, "made manifest." There was an entrance
into the presence of God, both unto grace and glory, for His elect,
from the days of Abel and onwards, but that "way" was not openly and
publicly displayed. By virtue of the everlasting covenant (the
agreement between the Father and the Son), and in view of Christ's
satisfaction in the fullness of time, salvation was applied to saints
then, and they were saved by faith as we are now, for the Lamb was
slain from the foundation of the world. But the open manifestation of
these things waited for the actual exhibition of Christ in the flesh,
the full declaration of His person and mediation by the Gospel, and
the introduction and establishment of all the privileges of Gospel
worship.
"While as the first tabernacle was yet standing." The reference here
is not to the first compartment or holy place, into which the priests
entered and where they served, but is used synecdochially (a part put
for the whole) for the entire legal system, which included the temples
of Solomon and Zerubbabel. The "first tabernacle" is here spoken of in
contrast from the "true tabernacle" of Hebrews 8:2, namely, the
humanity of Christ, which was the antitype and succeeded in the room
of the type--cf. Revelation 13:6! The apostle is here treating of what
had its standing before God whilst the "first covenant" and Aaronic
priesthood remained valid. He cannot be here referring to the "first
tabernacle" as a building, for that had become a thing of the past,
long centuries before he wrote this epistle. Yet the temples that
succeeded it had their standing on the basis of the old covenant. This
had now been annulled, and with it the whole system of worship which
had so long obtained in Judaism.
"Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered
both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the
service perfect as pertaining to the conscience" (verse 9). Having
briefly pointed out the emblematic significance of the two
compartments of the tabernacle, the apostle now approaches his leading
object in this paragraph, namely, to demonstrate that Christ had
"obtained a more excellent ministry" than that which had belonged to
the Levitical priesthood. This he does by giving a brief summary of
the imperfections of the tabernacle and all its services, wherein the
administration of the old covenant did consist. By calling attention
to the defects of inadequacy of the Judaic system, the apostle adopted
the most effective method of exposing the unreasonableness of the
rejection of the more glorious Gospel by the majority of the Jews, and
at the same time showed what folly and wickedness it would be for the
believing Hebrews to return to that system.
The apostle's design in verses 9, 10 is to show that, notwithstanding
the outward excellency and glory of the tabernacle-system (through
Divine appointment), yet, in the will and wisdom of God, that system
was only designed to continue for a season, and that the time of its
expiation had now arrived. That the Levitical priesthood and their
services were never intended by God to occupy a perpetual place in the
worship of His church, was evident from the fact that they were
utterly unable to effect for His saints that which He had purposed and
promised. Not only did the presence of the veil, which excluded all
save Aaron from the presence-chamber of Jehovah, intimate that the
ideal state had not yet come; not only did the annual repetition of
the great atoning-sacrifice indicate that, as yet, the all-efficacious
Sacrifice had not yet been offered; but all the gifts and sacrifices
combined failed to "perfect as pertaining to the conscience." They
were only "a figure for the time then present," an institution and
provision of God "until the time of reformation."
"Which was a figure for the time then present." The "which was"
includes the tabernacle in both its parts, with all its vessels and
services. The Greek word for "figure" here is not the same as the one
rendered "type" in Romans 5:14 and "examples" in 1 Corinthians 10:6,
11, but is the term commonly translated "parable," as in Matthew 13:3,
10 etc. It is used here for one thing representing another. It
signifies "figurative instruction." By means of obscure mystical signs
and symbols God taught the ancient church. The great mystery of our
redemption by Christ was principally made known by a parable, which
was addressed to the eyes rather than to the ears. That was the method
which God was pleased to employ, the means He used under the law, of
making known things to come. "Which was a figure," is the Holy
Spirit's affirmation that the structure, fabric, furniture and rites
of the tabernacle were all vested with a Divine and spiritual
significance. That the truly regenerate among Israel were acquainted
with this fact is illustrated by the prayer of David, "Open Thou mine
eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law" (Ps. 119:18).
"Which was a figure for the time then present." The verb here is of
the preter-imperfect tense, signifying a time that was then present,
but is now past. The reference is to what had preceded the
establishment of the new covenant, before the full Gospel revelation
had been made. The figurative instruction which God gave to the early
Church was not designed to be of permanent duration. Nevertheless, a
sovereign God saw fit to continue that obscure and figurative
representation of spiritual mysteries for no less than fifteen hundred
years. His ways are ever the opposite of man's. "It is the glory of
God to conceal a thing" (Prov. 25:2)! But how thankful we should be
that "the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth" (1 John
2:8). Still, let it not be overlooked that the revelation God made
through the tabernacle was sufficient for the faith and obedience of
Israel had it been diligently attended unto.
"In which were offered both gifts and sacrifices." The Greek word for
"sacrifices" is derived from a verb which means to kill, thus the
reference here is to those oblations which were slaughtered. As
distinguished from these, "gifts" were without life and sense, such as
the meal-offering, oil, frankincense and salt which were mingled
therewith (Lev. 2), the first-fruits, tithes, and all free-will
offerings, which were presented by the priests. These were "offered"
unto God, and that in the tabernacle, for there alone was it meet to
offer them. So also was the "tabernacle" (Heb. 8:2) of Christ alone
suited for its designed end. And what is the particular message this
should have for the Christian heart? Surely to remind him of that
word, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that
ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service" (Rom. 12:1).
"That could not make him perfect as pertaining to the conscience."
These words are not to be understood as restricted to the officiating
priest, rather do they look more directly to the person in whose stead
he presented the offering to God. Here the apostle points out the
imperfection of the whole tabernacle-order of things, and its
impotency unto the great end that might be expected from it. To
"perfect" a worshipper is to fit him, legally and experimentally, for
communion with God, and for this there must be both justification and
sanctification, and neither of these could the Levitical priests
procure. They could neither remit guilt from before God, nor remove
the stains of it from the soul. Where those are lacking, there can be
no peace or assurance in the heart, and then the real spirit of
worship is absent. As this (D.V.) comes before us again in Hebrews
10:2, we will not here further enlarge.
Ere passing on to the next verse, it may be enquired, If then the
Levitical sacrifices failed at this vital point, why were they ever
appointed by God at all? To this question two answers may be returned.
First, those sacrifices availed to remove the temporal governmental
consequence of Israel's sins; when rightly offered, they freed from
political and external punishment, so that continuance in the land of
Canaan was preserved; but they cancelled not the wages of sin, removed
not the eternal punishment which was due unto every sin by the law.
Second, they directed the faith of the regenerate forward to the
perfect sacrifice of Christ (which the Levitical offerings typically
represented), the virtue and value of which was available to faith's
appropriation from the beginning.
"Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal
ordinances, imposed until the time of reformation" (verse 10). To
convince those to whom he was writing that the Levitical ceremonies
were incapable of perfecting the conscience, the apostle here
demonstrates the truth of this by pointing out their inadequate nature
and character. The ordinances of Judaism corresponded closely with the
old covenant, which was made with man in the flesh: its sanctuary and
furniture were material--things of sight and sense; its ministry was
not spiritual, but had to do only with external rites; its ablutions
effected nothing more than a ceremonial cleansing, and entirely failed
to purify the heart, as faith does (Acts 15:9).
The "service" of the tabernacle-system "stood only in meats and
drinks." This expression refers to the sacrifices and libations, which
consisted of flesh and bread, oil and wine. "And divers washings":
first, that of the priests themselves (Ex. 29:4, etc.), for whose use
the "laver" was chiefly intended (Ex. 30:18, 31:9, etc.); second, of
the various parts of the burnt-offering sacrifice (Lev. 1:9, 13);
third, of the people themselves when they had contracted defilement
(Lev. 15:8,16, etc.). "And carnal ordinances" which refers, most
probably, to the whole system of laws pertaining to diet and manner of
life. "Which stood only in," this is emphatic; the rites of Judaism
were solely external and fleshly, there being nothing spiritual joined
with them. Thus their insufficiency to procure spiritual and eternal
blessings was evident: legal meats and drinks could not nourish the
soul; ceremonial washings could not purify the heart.
"Imposed until the time of reformation." "The word for `imposed' is
properly `lying on them,' that is, as a burden. There was a weight in
all these legal rites and ceremonies, which is called a yoke, and too
heavy for the people to bear (Acts 15:10). And if the imposition of
them be principally intended, as we render the word `impose,' it
respects the bondage they were brought into by them. Men may have a
weight lying on them, and yet not be brought into bondage thereby. But
these things were so `imposed' on them, as that they might feel their
weight and groan under the burden of it. Of this bondage the apostle
treats at large in the epistle to the Galatians. And it was impossible
that those things should perfect a church-state, which in themselves
were such a burden, and effective of such a bondage" (John Owen).
The institutions of the Levitical service possessed a general
character of externality and materialty: as verse 13 of our chapter
says, they sanctified "to the purifying of the flesh," but they
reached not the dire needs of the soul. Therefore they were not
designed to continue forever, but for a determined and limited season,
namely, "unto the time of reformation," which expression respected the
appearing of the promised Messiah to inaugurate the new and better
covenant: see Luke 1:68-74. "But when the fullness of the time was
come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law; to
redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the
adoption of sons" (Gal. 4:4, 5).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 41
Eternal Redemption
(Hebrews 9:11-14)
__________________________________________
In Hebrews 8:6 the apostle had affirmed, "He is the Mediator of a
better covenant." Such a declaration would raise a number of important
issues which are here anticipated and settled. Who is the High Priest
of the new covenant? What is the tabernacle wherein He administered
His office? What are the particular services He performed, answering
to those which God appointed unto Aaron and His successors? Wherein do
the services of the new High Priest excel those of the Levitical?
These were pressing questions, and it was necessary for them to be
Divinely answered, not only for the silencing of objectors, but that
the faith of believing Jews might be established. Thus, in Hebrews
9:11, 12 we have the actual ministry of Christ declared, in verses
13,14 the proofs that it was "more excellent."
The 9th chapter of Hebrews contains a particular exemplification of
this general proposition: Christ is the substance of the Levitical
shadows. The general proposition was stated in Hebrews 8:1, 2:
Christians have an High Priest who is a Minister of the true
tabernacle. Here in chapter 9 confirmation is given of what was
pointed out at the close of chapter 8, namely, that Christ's bringing
in of the new covenant did abrogate the old. In exemplifying this fact
mention is made in Hebrews 9:1-10 of sundry shadows of the law, in
verse 11 and onwards it is shown that the antitypical accomplishment
of them was in and by Jesus Christ. The contents of verses 1-10 may be
reduced to two heads: ordinances of Divine service, and a worldly
sanctuary in which they were observed. In verses 11-28 the Spirit
magnifies the excellency of Christ's priesthood by showing that He
brought in what the Aaronic rites were unable to secure (condensed
from W. Gouge, 1650).
The contents of these verses which are now to be before us set forth
the ministry of Christ as "the Mediator of the new covenant." They
describe His initial work as the High Priest of His people. They set
forth the inestimable value of His sacrifice, and what it procured.
They magnify His precious blood and the character of that redemption
which was purchased thereby. Each verse calls for a separate article,
and every clause in them demands our closest and most reverent
attention. May the Spirit of God deign to open unto us something of
their blessed contents, and apply them in power to our hearts. We
purposely cut down our introductory comments that more space may be
reserved for the exposition.
"But Christ being come an high priest of goods things to come, by a
greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to
say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves,
but by His own blood, He entered in once into the holy place, having
obtained eternal redemption for us" (verses 11, 12). "These words
naturally call attention to two things: The official character with
which our Lord is invested, and the ministry which He has performed in
that official character. His official character: He is `come an high
priest of good things to come.' His ministry in that official
character: `He has obtained eternal redemption for His people,'" (John
Brown).
"But Christ being come an High Priest." The opening word emphasizes a
contrast: the legal high priest "could not make him that did the
service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience" (verse 9): "But
Christ"--could. The title here given the Savior deserves particular
notice. He is referred to in a considerable variety of ways in this
epistle, and many different designations are there accorded Him. Each
one is used with fine discrimination, and the reader loses much by
failing to distinguish the force of "Jesus," "Christ," "Jesus Christ,"
"our Lord," "The Son," etc. Here (and also in Hebrews 3:6, 14; 5:5;
6:1; 9:14, 24, 28; 11:26) it is "Christ," the Messiah (John 1:41), His
official designation, a term that means "The Anointed," see Psalm 2:2
and cf. Acts 4:26. Great emphasis is placed by the Holy Spirit upon
this title: "the Christ" (John 20:31), "that Christ" (John 6:69),
"very Christ" (Acts 9:22), "The Lord's Christ" (Luke 2:26), "The
Christ of God" (Luke 9:20).
"But Christ being come an High Priest." Under the name of the Messiah
or Anointed One, He had been promised unto Israel for many centuries,
and now the accomplishment had arrived. In a moment of doubt, His
forerunner, in prison, sent unto Him asking, "Art Thou He that should
come?" (Matthew 11:3). Upon the fulfillment of God's promise that He
would send the Messiah, give a perfect revelation of His will, and
bring in "perfection," the faith of the Jewish church was built. And
now God's Word was verified, the true Light shone. The awaited One had
come: "in the character in which He was promised, having done all that
it was promised He should do" (John Brown). Therefore does the Holy
Spirit here give the Redeemer His official, and distinctively Hebrew,
title. "But Christ being come" no doubt looks back, especially to
Psalm 40:7.
"But Christ being come an High Priest." True, He came also as Prophet
(Deut. 18:15, 18), and as King (Matthew 2:2), but here the Holy Spirit
especially emphasizes the sacerdotal office of Christ, because it was
in the exercise of that He offered Himself as a sacrifice unto God.
The words which we are now considering begin a new division of this
Epistle, though it is intimately related to what has gone before. In
Hebrews 9:11-10:22 the Holy Spirit sets before us the antitype of
Leviticus 16, which records the work of Israel's high priest on the
annual day of atonement. There we behold Aaron officiating both
outside the veil and within it. So the priestly functions of Christ
fall into two great divisions, as they were performed on earth and as
they are now continued in heaven. Before our great High Priest could
enter the Holiest on high and there make intercession before God, He
had first to make an atonement for the sins of those He represented,
which was accomplished in His state of abjection here below, being
consummated by His offering Himself a sacrifice unto God: 7:27, 8:3,
9:26.
A priest is one who officiates in the name of others, who approaches
to God in order to make atonement for them by sacrifice. The design of
his ministry is to render the Object of their worship propitious, to
avert His wrath from men, to procure their restoration to His favor:
see Leviticus 16. Thus, the work of the priest is mediatory. Since the
fact of sin is a cardinal one in the case of man, the function of a
mediating priest for man must be mainly expiatory and reconciling:
Hebrews 8:3. It should serve as a most solemn warning unto all today
that, while the Jews believed their Messiah would be both a prophet
and king, they had no expectation of His also being priest, who should
redeem sinners unto God. One who should go forth in the terror of His
power, subjugating the nations and restoring the kingdom to Israel,
appealed to their carnality; but for One to minister at the altar,
employ His interest with God on behalf of transgressors, draw near to
the Divine Majesty in their name, and mediate peace between them and
an offended Creator, seems to have had no place in their thoughts.
Hence it is that the priesthood of Christ is given such a prominent
place in this epistle to the Hebrews.
"But Christ being come an High Priest." As to the time of His
investiture with this office, it was clearly co-incident to the
general office of Mediator. At the same moment that God appointed His
Son "Mediator," He was constituted the Prophet, the Priest, and the
Potentate of His Church. Prospectively, that took place in the eternal
councils of the blessed Trinity, when in the "everlasting covenant"
the Father appointed the Son and the Son agreed to be the Mediator
between Him and His people. Historically, the Son became the Mediator
at the moment of His incarnation: there is "one Mediator between God
and men, the Man Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. 2:5); as soon as He was born,
He was hailed as "Christ, the Lord" (Luke 2:11). Formally, He was
officially consecrated to this office at His baptism, when He was
"anointed (Christed) with the Holy Spirit and with power" (Acts
10:38).
"But Christ being come an High Priest," and this according to the
eternal oath of the Father, which "oath" was afterwards made known to
the sons of men in time. This was before us when we considered Hebrews
7:20-25. It was "by the word of the oath" that the Son is consecrated
to His priestly office (Heb. 7:28), the "oath" denoting God's eternal
purpose and unchanging decree. In Psalm 2:7 we read that God said, "I
will declare the decree," and accordingly in Psalm 110:4 we are told,
"The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest forever
after the order of Melchizedek"--there it was openly published. That
God's "oath" preceded Christ's entrance upon and discharge of His
sacerdotal office is clear from Hebrews 7:20-25, otherwise the force
of the apostle's reasoning there would be completely overthrown.
"But Christ being come an High Priest," otherwise He could not have
"offered" Himself a sacrifice to God. As we saw when pondering Hebrews
5:6,7, Christ was exercising His sacerdotal functions in "the days of
His flesh," i.e., the time of His humiliation. So too it was as "a
merciful and faithful High Priest" that Christ "made propitiation for
the sins of the people" (Heb. 2:17). The types foreshadowed the same
thing, especially Leviticus 16. Aaron was not constituted a priest by
entering the holy of holies; he was such before, or otherwise he could
not have passed within the veil. Every passage which speaks of
Christ's one oblation or His "offering" Himself once are conclusive as
His being a priest on earth, for that word "once" cannot possibly be
understood of what He is now doing in heaven; it must refer to His
death as an historical fact, completed and finished here below: it is
in designed contrast from His continuous intercession which is based
upon it. The priestly sacrifice which He offered is emphatically
described as co-incident with His death: Hebrews 9:26. Any one of the
common people could slay the sin-offering (Lev. 4:27-29), but none
save the priest could offer it to God (Lev. 4:30)! Thus, every verse
which speaks of Christ "offering" Himself to God emphasizes the
priestly character of His sacrifice.
"An high priest of good things to come." The reference here is to that
more excellent dispensation which the Messiah was to inaugurate. Old
Testament prophecy had announced many blessings and privileges which
He would bring in, and accordingly the Jews had looked forward to
better things than they had enjoyed under the old economy. The apostle
here announces that this time had actually arrived, that the promised
blessings had been procured by the High Priest of Christianity. As the
result of Christ's advent, life and death, righteousness had been
established, peace had been made, and a new and living way opened,
which gave access to the very presence of God. Different far were
these blessings from what the carnal Jews of Christ's day desired. Of
course the "good things to come" are not to be restricted to those
blessings which God's people already enjoy, but include as well those
which yet await them. The "good things" are summed up in "grace and
glory," and are in contrast from "the wrath to come" (Matthew 3:7).
"By a greater and more perfect tabernacle." This repeats what was said
in Hebrews 8:2. The reference is to the human nature which the Son of
God took unto Himself. "The Word became flesh and (Greek) tabernacled
among us" (John 1:14). Christ officiated in a much more glorious
habitation than any in which Aaron and his successors served. Most
appropriately was the humanity of the Savior called a "tabernacle" for
"in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9).
Additional confirmation that the "greater and more perfect tabernacle"
here referred to Christ's body, is supplied by Hebrews 10:20, where
the Holy Spirit again applies to Him the language of the Mosaic
tabernacle and shows that in the Lord Jesus is found the
antitype--"through the veil, that is to say His flesh."
"By a greater and more perfect tabernacle." There is both a comparison
and a contrast between the tent which Moses pitched and the human
habitat in which the Son of God abides: for the comparison we refer
the reader to our comments upon Hebrews 8:2. The contrast is first
pointed by the word "greater," the Antitype far surpassing the type
both in dignity and worth. The humanity of Christ, in its conception,
its framing, its gracious endowments by the Holy Spirit, and
particularly because of its union to and subsistence in the divine
person of the Son, was far more excellent and glorious than any
earthly fabric could be. "The human nature of Christ doth thus more
excel the old tabernacle, than the sun does the meanest star" (John
Owen). Of old God declared, "I will make a man more precious than fine
gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir" (Isa. 13:12)--a
prophecy which obviously had its fulfillment in the Man Christ Jesus.
"And more perfect tabernacle": this points the second contrast between
the type and the Antitype. As the word "greater" refers to the
superior dignity and excellency of the humanity of Christ over the
materials which comprised the tabernacle of Moses, so the "more
perfect" respects its sacred use. The body of Christ was "more
perfectly fitted and suited unto the end of a tabernacle, both for the
inhabitation of the divine nature, and the means of exercising the
sacerdotal office in making atonement for sin, than the other was. So
it is expressed in Hebrews 10:5, `Sacrifice and burnt-offering Thou
wouldst not, but a body hast Thou prepared Me.' This was that which
God accepted, wherewith He was well pleased, when He rejected the
other to that end" (John Owen). Probably the Holy Spirit has used this
expression "more perfect" here because it was also through Christ's
service in this "tabernacle" that His people had been "perfected
forever."
"Not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building." Further
reference is here made to the humanity of Christ by a double negation:
"Not made with hands" is set in opposition to the Jewish tabernacle,
which was made by the hands of men (Ex. 36:1-8). The humanity of
Christ was the product of Him that hath no hands, even God Himself.
Thus the expression here is the same as "which the Lord pitched, and
not man" in Hebrews 8:2. Then how much "greater" was the "more perfect
Tabernacle"! The temple of Solomon was a most sumptuous and costly
building, yet was it erected by human workmen, and therefore was it an
act of infinite condescension for the great God to dwell therein: "But
will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of
heavens cannot contain Thee; how much less this house that I have
builded?" (1 Kings 8:27). Reference to the supernatural humanity of
Christ was made in Daniel 2:45: He was to be a "Stone," cut out of the
same quarry with us, yet "without hands," i.e., without the help of
nature, begotten by a man.
"That is to say, not of this building," words added to further define
the preceding clause--the term rendered "building" is translated
"creature" in Hebrews 4:13. The humanity of Christ belonged to a
totally different order of things than ours: there is no parallel in
the whole range of creation. "Although the substance of His human
nature was of the same kind with ours, yet the production of it in the
world, was such an act of Divine power, as excels all other Divine
operations whatever. Wherefore, God speaking of it, saith `The Lord
hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a Man'
(Jer. 31:22) or conceive Him without natural generation" (John Owen).
How blessed to see that God is so far from being confined to natural
means for the effecting of His holy counsels, that He can, when He
pleases, dispense with all the ordinary methods and "laws" by which He
works, and act contrary to them.
"Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He
entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal
redemption for us" (verse 12). Having shown that in Christ's person we
have the antitype of the tabernacle, the apostle now proceeds to set
forth that which was foreshadowed by the entrance of Israel's high
priest into the holy of holies on the day of atonement: this he does
both negatively and positively, that the difference between the shadow
and the substance might more evidently appear. The design of this
verse is to display the pre-eminence of Christ in the discharge of His
priestly office above the legal high priest. This is seen, first, in
the excellency of His sacrifice, which was His own blood; second, in
the holy place whereinto He entered by virtue of it, which was Heaven
itself; third in the effect of it, in that by it He procured "eternal
redemption."
"Neither by the blood of goats and calves": it was by means of these
that Aaron entered the holy of holies on the day of atonement (Lev.
16:14,15)--the apostle here uses the plural number because of the
annual repetition of the same sacrifice. In Leviticus 16, the "calf"
or young bullock (of one year old) is mentioned first; perhaps the
order is here reversed because the "goat" was specifically for the
people, and it is Christ redeeming His people which is the dominant
thought. It was by virtue of the blood of these animals that Aaron
entered so as to be accepted with God. The reference here is not
directly to what the high priest brought with him into the holiest--or
the "incense" too had been mentioned--but to the title which the
sacrifices gave him to approach unto the Holy One of Israel.
"But by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place." Here we
are brought directly unto the great mystery of the priestly work of
Christ, especially as to the sacrifice which He offered unto (God to
make an atonement for the sins of His people. The "holy place"--called
in Hebrews 9:8 "the Holiest of all"--signifying Heaven itself, the
dwelling-place of God. This is unequivocally established by Hebrews
9:24 "into heaven itself." There never was any place to which this
title of "holy place" so suitably belonged: thus it is designated in
Psalm 20:6 "His holy heaven." And when was it that Christ entered
Heaven by virtue of the merits of His own blood? Almost all of the
commentators take the reference here as being to His ascension. But
this we deem to be a mistake, and one from which erroneous conclusions
of a most serious nature have been drawn. The writer is fully
satisfied that what is affirmed in this verse took place immediately
after Christ, on the cross, triumphantly cried "It is finished." Some
of our reasons for believing this we give below.
First, the typical priest's entrance within the veil took place
immediately after the victim's death: its body being carried without
the camp to be burned in a public place, its blood being taken into
the holiest, to be sprinkled on the propitiatory, covering the ark.
Those closely-connected acts in the ritual were so related that, the
burning followed last in order. Now Hebrews 13:11 clearly establishes
the fact that that typical action coincided with Christ's sacrifice
outside Jerusalem: therefore, to make Christ's entrance into heaven
occur forty days after His death, destroys the type. In pouring out
His blood on the cross and surrendering His spirit into the hands of
the Father, Christ expiated sin, and at that very moment the veil of
the temple was rent, to denote His entrance into the presence of God.
No sooner had He expired, than He entered Heaven, claiming it for
Himself and His seed. His resurrection testified to the fact that God
had accepted His sacrifice, that justice had been fully satisfied, and
that He was now entitled to the reward of His obedience. His
resurrection was the antitype of Aaron's return from the holy of
holies unto the people, which was designed as a proof that Divine
wrath had been averted and forgiveness secured.
Second, Aaron began by laying aside his robes of glory (Lev. 16:4),
putting on only linen garments: that was far more in keeping with
Christ's abasement at the cross, than His triumph and glory at His
ascension. Third, when Aaron entered the holy of holies, atonement was
not yet completed: that awaited his sprinkling of the blood upon the
propitiatory. Therefore, if the antitype of this occurred not until
the ascension of Christ, His sacrifice waited forty days for God's
acceptance of it. Fourth, while Aaron was within the veil, the people
without were full of fear for the high priest, lest he fail to appease
God. Similar was the state of Christ's disciples during the interval
between His death and resurrection: they remained in a state of
suspense and doubt, dejection and dread. But far different were they
immediately after His ascension: contrast Luke 24:21 and 24:52, 53!
Fifth, God's rending of the veil at the moment of Christ's death was
deeply significant: it was the Divine imprimature upon the Son's "It
is finished." It was the outward adumbration in the visible realm to
image forth what had taken place in the spiritual--Christ's entrance
into heaven. In like manner, Christ's appearance to the disciples
after His death, and His "peace be unto you," evidenced that peace had
been made, that the atonement was completed.
"By His own blood He entered in," entered heaven as the Surety of His
people, as their "Forerunner" (Heb. 6:20). That which gave Him the
right to do so was the perfect satisfaction which He had made, a
satisfaction which honored God more than all our sins dishonored Him,
which magnified the law and made it honorable. It was not the shedding
of His blood alone which constituted His satisfaction or atonement,
any more than a heart-belief in His resurrection (Rom. 10:9) without
"faith in His blood" (Rom. 3:25) would save a sinner. He "became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:8), and
what He there voluntarily endured was the climax and consummation of
His redemptive work. "His own blood" emphasises its inestimable value.
It was the blood of the "Son" (Heb. 1:2, 3). It was the blood of "God"
incarnate (Acts 20:28). Well might the Holy Spirit call it "precious"
(1 Pet. 1:19). No greater price could have been paid for our
redemption. How vile and accursed, then, must sin be, seeing it can
only be expiated by so costly a sacrifice! What claims Christ has upon
His own! Well might He say, "Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not
all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:33).
"He entered in once into the holy place." The word "once" is that
which has led so many to conclude that the reference was to the
Savior's ascension. But this, we have endeavored to show above, is a
mistake. As we shall (D.V.) yet see, Hebrews chapters 9 and 10
contemplate a double entrance of Christ into heaven in fulfillment of
the double type--Aaron and Melchizedek. That Christ did enter heaven
at death is clear from His words to the thief (Luke 23:43); 2
Corinthians 12:2, 4 places "paradise" in the third heaven. In every
other passage where the term "once" occurs concerning the atoning work
of Christ, it is always used contrastively with the frequent
repetitions of the Old Testament sacrifices: see Hebrews 7:27; 9:7,
25, 26; 10:11, 12. That which is contemplated is Christ's presenting
His satisfaction unto God. His ascension was for the purpose of
intercession, which is continuous, and not completed.
"Having obtained eternal redemption," and this before He entered
Heaven. To "redeem" is to deliver a person from a state of bondage,
and that by the payment of an adequate ransom-price. Four things were
required unto our redemption. It must be effected by the expiating of
our sins. It must be by such an expiation that God, as the supreme
Ruler and Judge should accept. It must be by rendering such a
satisfaction to the Law, that its precepts are fulfilled and its
penalty endured, so that its curse is removed. It must annul the power
of Satan over us. How all of this was accomplished by the Redeemer, we
have shown in our articles upon His "Satisfaction." This "redemption"
is eternal, which is in contrast from Israel's of old--after their
deliverance from Egypt they became in bondage to the Philistines and
others. As the blood of Christ can never lose its efficacy, so none
redeemed by Him can ever again be brought under sin's dominion.
"For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer
sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How
much more shall the blood of Christ" (verses 13, 14). Having again
demonstrated the pre-eminency of our Priest in verses 11, 12, the
apostle now exhibits the superior efficacy of His sacrifice. By a
synecdoche all sacrifices of expiation and all ordinances of
purification appointed under the law are here summarized: the blood of
lambs, etc., being included. The particular reference in the "ashes of
an heifer" being to Numbers 19:2-17, with which should be carefully
compared John 13:1-15. It is principally the use of the ordinance of
Numbers 19 which is here in view. An heifer having been burned, its
ashes were preserved, that, being mixed with pure water, they might be
sprinkled on persons who had become legally unclean. When an
Israelite, through contact with death, became ceremonially defiled, he
was cut off from all the public worship of Jehovah; but when he
carried out the instructions of Numbers 19 he was restored.
Those "ashes," then, were a most merciful provision of God; without
them, all acceptable worship had soon ceased. They had an efficacy,
for they availed to the purifying of the flesh, which was a temporary,
external and ceremonial cleansing. Typically, they pointed to that
spiritual, inward and eternal cleansing which the blood of Christ
provides. "The defilements which befall believers are many, and some
of them unavoidable whilst they live in this world: yea, the best of
their services have defilements adhering to them. Were it not that the
blood of Christ, in its purifying virtue, is in a continual readiness
unto faith, that God therein had opened a fountain for sin and
uncleanness, the worship of the church would not be acceptable unto
Him. In a constant application thereunto, doth the exercise of faith
much consist" (John Owen).
"How much more shall the blood of Christ," etc. If the blood and ashes
of beasts, under the appointment of God, were efficacious unto an
external and temporary justification and sanctification--that is, the
removal of both guilt and ceremonial pollution--how much more shall
the sacrifice of Him who was promised of old, was the Anointed and
therefore the One ordained and accepted of God, effectually and
eternally cleanse those to whom it is applied
"The blood of Christ is comprehensive of all that He did and suffered
in order unto our redemption, inasmuch as the shedding of it was the
way and means whereby He offered Himself (in and by it) unto God"
(John Owen).
"Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself." There has been
considerable difference of opinion as to whether the "eternal Spirit"
has reference to the Divine nature of Christ animating and sustaining
His humanity, or to the third Person of the Trinity. That which
settles the point for us is this: Christ "offered Himself" to God:
that is, in His entire person, while acting in His mediatorial office.
As the Mediator, He took upon Him the "form of a servant," and
therefore was He filled and energized by the Spirit in all that He
did. Christ was "obedient unto death:" as He was subject to the Spirit
in going into the wilderness (Matthew 4:1), so the Spirit led Him a
willing victim to the cross. This wondrous statement shows us the
perfect cooperation of the Eternal Three, concurring in the great work
of redemption.
Christ offered Himself "without spot," to God. There is a double
reference in these words: unto the purity of His person, and to the
holiness of His life. There is both a moral and a legal sense to the
expression. It speaks of Christ's fitness and meetness to be a
sacrifice for our sins. Not only was there no blemish in His nature
and no defect in His character, but there was every moral excellence.
He had fulfilled the law in thought, word and deed, having loved the
Lord His God with all His heart and His neighbor as Himself. Therefore
was He fully qualified to act for His people.
"Purge your conscience from dead works." This is one of the effects
produced by Christ's sacrifice, an effect which the legal ordinances
were incapable of securing. Because Christ's sacrifice has expiated
our sins, when the Spirit applies its virtues to the heart, that is,
when He gives faith to appropriate them, our sense of guilt is
removed, peace is communicated, and we are enabled to approach God not
only without dread, but as joyous worshippers. The "conscience" is
here specially singled out (cf. Hebrews 10:22 for the larger meaning)
because it is the proper seat of the guilt of sin, charging it on the
soul, and hindering an approach unto God. By "dead works" are meant
our sins as unto their guilt and defilement--cf. our comments on
Hebrews 6:1. True believers are delivered from the curse of the law,
which is death.
"To serve the living God," not simply in outward form but in sincerity
and in truth. This is the advantage and blessing which we receive from
our conscience being purged. Christians have both the right and the
liberty to "serve God." The "living God" cannot be served by those who
are dead in sins, and therefore alienated from Him. But the sacrifice
of Christ has purchased the gift of the Spirit unto all for whom He
died, and the Spirit renews and equips the saint for acceptable
worship. "This is the end of our purgation: for we are not washed by
Christ that we may plunge ourselves again into new filth, but that our
purity may serve to glorify God" (John Calvin). Under the word "serve"
is comprised all the duties which we owe unto God, not only as His
creatures, but as His children. Then let us earnestly seek grace to
put Romans 12:1 into daily practice.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 42
The Mediator
(Hebrews 9:15)
__________________________________________
The proposition which the apostle is occupied with proving and
illustrating in this section of the epistle is that which was laid
down in Hebrews 8:6, "But now hath He obtained a more excellent
ministry, by how much also He is the Mediator of a better covenant,
which was established upon better promises." In the verses which were
before us in the last article, the superiority of Christ over Aaron
was brought out in the following respects. First, in that He
officiated in a more excellent tabernacle (verse 11). Second, in that
He offered to God a superior sacrifice (verses 11, 14). Third, in that
He has entered a more glorious sanctuary (verse 12). Fourth, in that
He secured a more efficacious redemption (verse 12). Fifth, in that He
was moved by a more excellent Spirit (verse 14). Sixth, in that He
obtained for His people a better cleansing (verse 14). Seventh, in
that He made possible for them a nobler service (verse 14).
Christ has "obtained eternal redemption" for His people. As we pointed
out in our last article, to "redeem" signifies to liberate by the
paying of a ransom-price: "If the Son shall make you free, ye shall be
free indeed" (John 8:36). The freedom which the Christian has is,
first, a legal one: he has been "redeemed from the curse of the law"
(Gal. 3:13). Because of this, second, he enjoys an experimental
freedom from the power of sin: "sin shall not have dominion over you"
(Rom. 6:14). Justification and sanctification are never separated:
where God imputes the righteousness of Christ. He also imparts a
principle of holiness, the latter being the fruit or consequence of
the former; both being necessary before we can be admitted into
heaven. Because the blood of Christ has fully met every claim of God
upon and against His people, its virtues and purifying effects are
applied to them by the Spirit. Both of these were foreshadowed under
the Levitical types of the old economy, and are seen in Hebrews 9:13.
"The blood of bulls and of goats and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling
the unclean" sanctified "to the purifying of the flesh." There is here
both a comparison and a contrast. The comparison is between the type
and the Antitype; the contrast, between what the one and what the
other effected. Those typical rites procured only a temporary
"redemption" from the governmental consequences of sin; Christ's
sacrifice has secured an "eternal redemption" from all the
consequences of sin. A double type is referred to in Hebrews 9:13. No
single sacrifice could adequately represent the power and efficacy of
the blood of Christ. By the "blood of bulls and goats" the guilt of
Israel's sins were temporarily removed; by the sprinkling of the
"ashes of an heifer" they were ceremonially purified from the
defilements of the wilderness. We quote below a valuable footnote from
Adolph Saphir:
"The ashes of an heifer. It was to take away the defilement of death.
The institution is recorded in the book of Numbers as relating to the
provision God makes for His people in their wilderness journey. As no
blood of the slain victim was `incorruptible,' it was necessary, in
order to show the cleansing by blood from defilement through contact
with death to have as it were the essential principle of blood,
presented in a permanent and available form. The red heifer, which had
never been under the yoke, symbolizes life in its most vigorous,
perfect, and fruitful form. She was slain without the camp (Heb.
13:11, Numbers 19:3, 4). She was wholly burnt, flesh, skin, and blood,
the priest casting cedar-wood, hyssop, and scarlet into the fire. The
ashes of the burnt heifer, put into flowing water, were then sprinkled
with hyssop for ceremonial purification . . . Christ is the
fulfillment. For the blood of Christ is not merely, so to speak, the
key unlocking the holy of holies to Him as our High Priest and
Redeemer, it is not merely our ransom by which we are delivered out of
bondage, and, freed from the curse, are brought nigh unto God; but it
also separates us from death and sin. It is incorruptible, always
cleansing and vivifying; through this blood we are separated from this
evil world, and overcome; by this blood we keep our garments white
(John 6:53, Revelation 7:14).
"What had necessarily to be separated in the types, is here in unity
and perfection. Likewise, what really and potentially is given to us
when we are first brought into the state of reconciliation and access,
of justification and sanctification, is in our actual experience
continually repeated. We have been cleansed and sanctified once and
forever; the same blood, remembered and believed in, cleanseth us
continually. The difference between this continual cleansing and the
first (according to John 13:10) must never be forgotten, or we fall
into a legal condition, going back from the holy of holies into the
holy place. But, on the other hand we must not forget the living
character of the blood, which by the Spirit is continually applied to
us, and by which we have peace, renewal of the sense of pardon, and
strength for service (1 Pet. 1:2)."
Having pointed out what God's people are redeemed from, the Holy
Spirit next makes a brief notice of what Christ has redeemed unto. He
has delivered us from the curse of the law and the bondage of sin; He
has also procured for us an "eternal inheritance": His satisfaction
has merited for us the favor and image of God and everlasting bliss in
His presence. In referring to this, the Spirit also takes occasion to
bring out the fact that the sacrifice of Christ was necessary in order
for God to make good His promises of old. Herein too He once more
meets the Jewish prejudice--why must this great High Priest die? The
death of Christ was requisite in order to the accomplishing of God's
engagements to Abraham and his (spiritual) seed, to confirm His
covenant-pledges, which, once more, brings into view the relation
which Christ sustains to the everlasting covenant.
"And for this cause He is the Mediator of the new testament, that by
means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the
first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of
eternal inheritance" (verse 15). Each word in this verse requires to
be duly weighed and carefully considered both in the light of what
immediately precedes and follows, otherwise we are certain to err. The
opening "And" is plain intimation that no new subject begins here,
which at once disposes of the figment that this and the next verses
require to he placed in a parenthesis. The apostle continues to treat
of what was before him in the verses which we considered in the last
article. He is still showing the excellency of our High Priest and the
superior efficacy of His sacrifice. That the contents of this verse
are by no means free from difficulty is readily allowed, yet its
leading thoughts are plain enough.
"And for this cause He is the Mediator of the new testament." The
Greek words for "for this cause" are rendered "therefore" in Hebrews
1:9 and other places. They signify, because of this, or for this
reason. There has been a great deal of discussion as to precisely what
is referred to in "for this cause": some insisting that it looks back
to what has been affirmed in the previous verses, others contending
that it points forward to that which is declared in the second half of
this verse. Personally, we believe that both are included. There is a
fullness to God's words which is not to be found in man's, and
whenever an expression is capable of two or more meanings, warranted
by the context and the analogy of faith, both should be retained. Let
us then look at the two thoughts here brought together.
"For this cause": because of the superior nature and efficacy of the
sacrifice which Christ was to offer, God appointed Him to be the
Mediator of the new covenant. It was out of (prospective) regard unto
the fitness of Christ's person and the excellency of His offering,
that God ordained Him to make mediation between Himself and His fallen
people. Because He should make an effectual atonement for their sins
and provide a way whereby their troubled consciences might have peace,
God decreed that His Son, becoming incarnate, should interpose between
poor sinners and the awful Majesty they have offended. "For this
cause": and also, because it was only by means of death that the
transgressions under the first testament could be redeemed and the
called receive the promise of eternal inheritance, Christ was
appointed Mediator of the new covenant.
With his usual sagacity John Owen combined both ideas: "It is evident
there is a reason rendered in these words, of the necessity of the
death and sacrifice of Christ, by which alone our consciences may be
purged from dead works. And this reason is intended in these words,
`For this cause.' And this necessity of the death of Christ, the
apostle proves both from the nature of His office, namely, that He was
to be the Mediator of the new covenant, which, being a testament,
required the death of the testator; and from what was to be effected
thereby, namely, the redemption of transgressions, and the purchase of
an eternal inheritance. Wherefore, these are the things which he hath
respect unto in these words."
"He is the Mediator of the new testament." It seems strange that some
of the best of the expositors understand this to mean that after
Christ had "offered Himself without spot to God" he became "the
Mediator," which is indeed a turning of things upside down and a
putting an effect for a cause. A mediator is one who stands between
two parties, and two parties at variance, and that with the object of
settling the difference between them, that is, of effecting a
reconciliation. Hence we read, "For there is one God, and one Mediator
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave Himself a ransom
for all, to be testified in due time" (1 Tim. 2:5, 6). The second half
of our verse ought to have prevented such a blunder: "He is the
Mediator of the new testament, that by means of death they which are
called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance."
As we pointed out in our comments upon Hebrews 8:6, it is most
important to recognize that Christ is a sacerdotal Mediator, that is,
one who has interposed His sacrifice and intercession between God and
His people in order to their reconciliation. In voluntarily
undertaking to serve as Mediator between God and His people considered
as fallen creatures, two things were required from Christ. First, that
He should completely remove that which kept the covenanters at a
distance, that is, take away the cause of enmity between them. Second,
that He should purchase and procure, in a way suited unto the glory of
God, the actual communication of all the good things--summed up in
"grace and glory" (Ps. 84:11)--which belong to those whose Surety He
was. This is the foundation of the "merits" of Christ and of the grant
of all blessings unto us for His sake.
In what has just been pointed out, we may perceive an additional
signification to the opening "And" of our verse. Christ is not only
"High Priest" (verses 11-14), but "Mediator" too. He undertook office
upon office in order to our greater good. Christ is, in the "new
covenant" or "testament," the Mediator, Surety, Priest and Sacrifice,
all in His own person. In order that we may have something like a
definite conception of these, let us consider, separately, the various
relations which our blessed Redeemer sustains to the everlasting
covenant. First, He is the Surety of it: Hebrews 7:22. As such He
engaged to render full satisfaction to God on behalf of His people, to
do and suffer for them all that the law required. He transferred to
Himself all their obligations, undertaking to pay all their debts. In
other words, He substituted Himself in their place and stead, in
consequence of which there was a double imputation: God reckoning to
Christ all their liabilities, God imputing to them His perfect
righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21).
As the "Surety" Christ most blessedly fulfilled the type of Genesis
43:9, being Sponsor to His Father for all His beloved Benjamins,
Hebrews 2:13, Isaiah 49:5, 6, John 10:16. Second, as the Mediator of
the covenant (Heb. 12:24), He took His place between God and His
people, undertaking to maintain the interests and secure the honor of
both parties, by perfectly reconciling the one to the other. As the
"Mediator" Christ has blessedly fulfilled the type of Jacob's
"ladder," uniting heaven and earth. Third, as the Messenger (Mal. 3:1)
or "Angel" of the covenant (Rev. 8:3-5) He makes known God's purpose
and will to His people, and presents their requests and worship to
Him. Fourth, as the Testator of the covenant (Heb. 9:16) He has
ratified it and made bequests and gifts to His people. Finally, and
really first, as the Head of the whole election of grace, the covenant
was made with Him by God: Psalm 89:3, etc.
"For this cause He is the Mediator of the new testament." Here again
there has been an almost endless controversy as to whether this last
word should be rendered "covenant" or "testament," that is, "will."
The same Greek word has been translated by both these English terms,
some think wrongly so, for a "covenant" is, strictly speaking, an
agreement or contract between two parties: the one promising to do
certain things upon the fulfillment of certain conditions by the
other; whereas a "testament" or "will" is where one bequeaths certain
things as gifts. Thus there seems to be little or nothing in common
between the two concepts, in fact, that which is quite contrary.
Nevertheless, our English translators have rendered the Greek word
both ways, and we believe, rightly so. Nevertheless it remains for us
to enquire, why should the same term be rendered "covenant" in Hebrews
8:6 and "testament" in Hebrews 9:15? Briefly, the facts are as
follows.
First, the word "diatheke" occurs in the Greek New Testament
thirty-three times, having been translated (in the A.V.) "covenant"
twenty times (twice in the plural number) and "testament" thirteen
times, four of the latter being used in connection with the Lord's
supper. Second, in the Sept. version (the translation of the Hebrews
Old Testament into Greek) this word "diatheke" occurs just over two
hundred and fifty times, where, in the great majority of instances, it
is used to translate "berith." Third, the Greek word "diatheke" is not
that which properly denotes a covenant, compact, or agreement;
instead, the technical terms for that is "syntheke," but the Spirit
never once uses this word in the New Testament. Fourth, on the other
hand, it should be noted that the Hebrew language has no distinctive
word which means a will or testament. Fifth, the most common use of
the term "diatheke" in the New Testament, particularly in 2
Corinthians 3 and in Hebrews, neither denotes a "covenant" proper (a
stipulated agreement) nor a "will," but instead, an economy, a
dispensational arrangement or ordering of things.
Now it needs to be very carefully noted that from Hebrews 9:15 to the
end of the chapter, the apostle argues from the nature of a will or
"testament" among men, as he distinctly affirms in verse 16. His
manifest object in so doing was to confirm the Christian's faith in
the expectation of the benefits of this "covenant" or "testament." Nor
did he violate the rules of language in this, straining neither the
meaning of the Hebrews "berith" nor the Greek "diatheke," for there
is, actually, a close affinity between the two things. There are
"covenants" which have in them free grants or donations, which is of
the nature of a "testament"; and there are "testaments" whose force is
resolved into conditions and agreements--as when a man wills an estate
to his wife on the stipulation that she remains a widow--which is
borrowed from the nature of a "covenant."
If we go back to the Old Testament and study the various "covenants"
which God made with men, it will be found again and again that they
were merely declarations whereby He would communicate good things unto
them, which has more of the nature of a "testament" in it. Sometimes
the word "covenant" was used simply to express a free promise, with an
effectual donation and communication of the thing promised, which also
has more of the nature of a "testament'' than of a "covenant." Thus,
once more, we perceive a fullness in the words of the Holy Spirit
which definitions from human dictionaries do not include. That which
was a "covenant," has become to us a testament. The "covenant" was
made by God with Christ. By His death that which God pledged Himself
to do unto the heirs of promise in return for the work which Christ
was to perform, is now bequeathed to us as a free gift: what was a
legal stipulation between the Father and the Mediator, comes to us
purely as a matter of grace.
Some have insisted that "the Mediator of the new covenant" is
understandable, but that "Mediator of the new testament" is no more
intelligible than the "testator of a covenant" would be. Our answer is
that, the Spirit of God is not tied by the artificial rules which bind
human grammarians. Romans 8:17 tells us that Christians are "heirs of
God," that is of the Father, yet He has not died! No figure must be
pressed too far. Some have argued that because the Church is the Body
of Christ, it cannot also be His "Bride," but such carnal reasoning is
altogether inadmissible upon spiritual and Divine things; as well
might we argue that because Christ calls us "brethren" (Heb. 2:12),
therefore we cannot be His "children" (Heb. 2:13); or that because
Christ is the "everlasting Father" of Israel (Isa. 9:6), He cannot
also be their "Husband" (Isa. 54:5). The truth is, that Christ is both
the Mediator of the new covenant, and the Mediator of the new
testament, looking at the same office from two different angles. God
has so confirmed the promises in Christ (2 Cor. 1:20), that at His
death He made a legacy of them and bequeathed them to His people in a
testamentary form.
To sum up what has been said on this difficult but important subject:
throughout the New Testament the Holy Spirit has intentionally used
only the one word "diatheke"--though there was another in the Greek
language ("syntheke") which more exactly expressed a
"covenant"--because it was capable of a double application, and that,
because the Son of God is not only the Mediator of a new covenant, but
also the Testator of His own gifts. Thereby God would fix our gaze on
the cross of Christ and see there that what had up to that day existed
as a "covenant," then ,became for the first time, a "testament"; and
that while the covenant between the Father and the Son is from
everlasting, the "new testament" dates only from Calvary.
"For the redemption of the transgressions under the first testament."
This states one of the principal ends which God had in view when
appointing Christ to be the "Mediator," namely, to deliver His people
from all the bondage they were subject to as the result of their
violations of His law, and that by the payment of a satisfactory
price. But, it may be asked, why not "the redemption of the
transgressors" rather than "transgressions"? Did Christ purchase sins?
The reference is to His expiation of His people's iniquities, and they
were "debts," and Christ's death was a discharge of that debt. "The
discharge of a debt is a buying it out. Thus to redeem sins is no more
harsh a phrase than to be `delivered for our offenses' (Rom. 4:25), or
`who gave Himself for our sins' (Gal. 1:4), or to be `merciful to
their unrighteousness,' Hebrews 8:12' (William Gouge).
"For the redemption of the transgressions under the first testament.''
In these words the Spirit makes a further exhibition of the virtue and
efficacy of Christ's death, by affirming that it paid the price of
remitting the sins of the Old Testament saints. Here again the apostle
is countering the Jewish prejudice. The death of Christ was necessary
not only if sinners of New Testament times should be fitted to serve
the living God (verse 14), but also to meet the claims which God had
against the Old Testament saints. The efficacy of Christ's atonement
was retrospective as well as prospective: cf. Romans 3:25. The true
(in contrast from the typical), spiritual (in contrast from the
ceremonial), and eternal (in contrast from the temporal),
"redemption'' of the Old Testament saints was effected by the
sacrifice of Christ. The same thing is clearly implied in Hebrews
9:26: had not the one offering of Christ--as the Lamb "foreordained
before the foundation of the world" (1 Pet. 1:19, 20)--been of
perpetual efficacy from the days of Abel onwards, then it had been
necessary to repeat it constantly in order to redeem believers of each
generation. It was God's eternal purpose that Christ's atonement,
settled in the "everlasting covenant," should be available to faith
from the beginning. Hence, the apostle said. "Through this Man is
preached unto you the forgiveness of sins (cf. Galatians 3:8, Hebrews
4:2), and by Him all that believe--Old Testament saints as truly as
the New Testament--are justified from all things" (Acts 13:38, 39).
"Now, if any one asks, whether sins under the Law were remitted to the
fathers, we must bear in mind the solution already stated,--that they
were remitted; but remitted through Christ. Then notwithstanding their
external expiations, they were always held guilty. For this reason
Paul says that the law was a handwriting against us (Col. 2:14). For
when the sinner came forward and openly confessed that he was guilty
before God, and acknowledged by sacrificing an innocent animal that he
was worthy, of eternal death, what did he obtain by his victim, except
that he sealed his own death as it were by this handwriting? In short,
even then they only reposed in the remission of sins, when they looked
to Christ. But if only a regard to Christ took away sins, they could
never have been freed from them, had they continued to rest in the
law" (John Calvin).
"For the redemption of the transgressions under the first testament.''
It remains for us to ask, Why this limitation? for Christ atoned for
the sins of those who were to believe as much as for those who had,
before He became incarnate, looked in faith to Him. First, because a
measure of doubt or uncertainty could exist only concerning them. Some
have taught, and possibly some in the apostle's day thought, that
naught but earthly blessings would be the portion of those who died
before the present dispensation. Therefore to remove such a doubt, it
is affirmed that Old Testament believers too were redeemed by Christ's
blood. Second, because the apostle had pressed so hard the fact that
the Levitical sacrifices could not remove moral guilt from those who
lived under the Mosaic economy, he shows Christ's sacrifice had.
Third, because by just consequence it follows that, if those who
trusted Christ of old had redemption of their transgressions through
Him, much more they who are under the new testament. "The blood of
Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7): it was
just as efficacious in taking away the transgressions of believers
before it was actually shed, as it is of cleansing believers today,
nineteen centuries after it was shed.
"They which are called might receive the promise of eternal
inheritance.'' Here the "heirs" are designated by character rather
than by name, by this qualification (Greek) "they which have been
called," that is, effectually so, or truly converted to God. In John
1:12 this privilege of heir-ship is settled upon "believers," such as
do heartily accept of Christ and His grace. In Acts 26:18 and
Colossians 1:12 the heirs are described as "sanctified," that is, as
personally dedicated to God and set apart to live unto Him. This
expression "the called" is a descriptive appellation of the true
spiritual people of God, and looks back to the "call" of Abraham (Heb.
11:8), who, in consequence of the mighty workings of divine grace in
his heart, turned his back upon the world and the things of the flesh
(Gen. 12:1), and entered the path of faith's obedience to God. Only
those possessing these marks are the spiritual "children" of Abraham,
such as have been "called with a holy calling" (2 Tim. 1:9).
"Might receive the promise of eternal inheritance." This is the goal
toward which the apostle has been steadily moving, as he has passed
from clause to clause in this verse. That the called of God might
receive the promise of eternal inheritance was the grand ultimate
object of the "everlasting covenant" so far as men are concerned, and
the chief design of the new testament. But an obstacle stood in the
way, namely, the transgressions or sins of those who should be
"called." In order to the removal of that obstacle, Christ must die
that death which was due unto those transgressions. For the Son of God
to die, He must be appointed unto a mediatorial position and become
incarnate. Because He was so appointed, because He did so die, because
He has redeemed from all transgressions, the "eternal inheritance" is
sure unto all His people, His heirs, the "called" of God.
"Might receive the promise of eternal inheritance." The children of
Israel received from God an external call which separated them from
the heathen, and when they were redeemed from Egypt they received
promise of a temporal or earthly inheritance. But inside that Nation
was "a remnant according to the election of grace," and they,
individually, received from God an inward call, which made them the
heirs of an eternal inheritance. It is of these latter that our verse
speaks, yet as including also the saints of the present dispensation.
Promise of an "eternal inheritance" had the Old Testament saints. They
had the Gospel preached unto them (Heb. 4:2). They were saved through
"the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 15:11) as well as we. They
"did all eat the same spiritual meat and did all drink the same
spiritual drink," even Christ (1 Cor. 10:3, 4). And therefore did they
"desire a better country, that is, an heavenly" (Heb. 11:16). How all
of this sets aside the preposterous figment of the modern
"dispensationalists," who relegate "Israel" to an inferior inheritance
from that which belongs to "the Church"!
"Might receive the promise of eternal inheritance." What is meant by
the first four words here? First, let us very briefly define the
"eternal inheritance." By it we understand God's "great salvation"
(Heb. 2:3), considering it in its most comprehensive sense, as
including justification, sanctification and glorification. It is that
blessed estate which Christ has purchased for "His own," here called
an "inheritance" to remind us that the way whereby we come unto it is
by a gratuitous adoption, and not by any merits of our own. Now as the
state of those who are to receive it is twofold, namely, in this life
and in that which is to come, so there are two parts of this
inheritance: "grace and glory." Even now "eternal life" is
communicated to those who are called according to God's purpose. But
"grace" is only "glory" begun: the best "wine" is reserved for the
time to come. For the future aspect of the "eternal inheritance" see 1
Peter 1:3-5.
The way whereby God conveys this "eternal inheritance" is by
"promise": see Galatians 3:18 and Hebrews 6:15-18. And this for a
threefold reason at least. First, to manifest the absolute freeness of
the grant of it: the "promise" is everywhere opposed unto everything
of "works" or desert in ourselves: Romans 4:14, etc. Second, to give
security unto all the heirs of it, for the very veracity and
faithfulness of God is behind the promise: Titus 1:1, etc. Since God
has "promised" to bestow the "inheritance," nothing in, of, or from
the heirs can possibly be an occasion of their forefeiting it: 1
Thessalonians 5:24. Third, that it might be by faith, for what God
promises necessarily requires faith, and faith only, unto its
reception: Romans 4:16. The "receive the promise" has a double force.
First, it is to "mix faith" with it (Heb. 4:2), to appropriate it
(Heb. 11:13, 17), so as not to stagger at it in unbelief (Rom. 4:20,
21). Second, it is to receive the fulfillment of it. As unto the
foundation of the whole inheritance, in the sacrifice of Christ, and
all the grace, mercy and love, with the fruits thereof, these are
communicated to believers in this life: Galatians 3:14. As unto the
consummation, the future state in glory, we "receive the promise" by
faith, rest thereon, and live in the joyous expectation of it: Hebrews
11:13.
In conclusion, let us sum up the contents of this remarkable verse,
adopting the analysis of John Owen. 1. God has designed an "eternal
inheritance" unto certain persons. 2. The way in which a right or
title is conveyed thereunto is by "promise." 3. The persons unto whom
this inheritance is designed, are the "called." 4. The obstacle which
stood in the way of their enjoyment of this inheritance was their
"transgressions." 5. That this obstacle might be removed, and the
inheritance enjoyed, God made a "new covenant,'' because none of the
sacrifices under the first covenant, could expiate sins. 6. The ground
of the efficacy of the "new covenant" unto this end was, that it had a
Mediator, a great High Priest. 7. The means whereby the Mediator of
the new covenant did expiate the sins against the first testament was
by "death," and this of necessity, seeing that this new covenant,
being also a "testament," required the death of the Testator. 8. The
death of this Mediator has taken away sins by "the redemption of
transgressions." Thus, the promise is sure unto all the seed.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 43
The New Testament
(Hebrews 9:16-22)
__________________________________________
Having affirmed (Heb. 9:12, 14) that the blood of Christ is the means
of the believer's redemption, in verse 15, the apostle proceeds to
make further proof of this basic and vital truth. His argument here is
taken from the design and object of Christ's priesthood, which was to
confirm the covenant God had made with His people, and which could
only be done by blood. First, he affirms that the Savior was "the
Mediator of the new testament." Many functions were undertaken by Him.
Just as one type could not set forth all that the Lord Jesus did and
suffered, so no single office could display all the relations which He
sustained and all the benefits He procured for us. That which is done
by a prophet, by a priest, by a king, by a surety, by a mediator, by a
husband, by a father, that and more has been done by Christ. And the
more dearly we observe in Scripture the many undertakings of Christ
for us, as seen in His varied relations, the more will He be endeared
to our hearts, and the more will faith be strengthened.
Christ's undertaking to be a "Mediator" both procured a covenant to
pass between God and men, and also engaged Himself for the performance
thereof on both parts. This could only be by a full satisfaction being
rendered to Divine justice, by the shedding of blood infinitely
valuable as His was. To assure His people of their partaking of the
benefits of God's covenant, the cross of Christ has turned that
covenant into a testament, so that the conditions of the covenant on
God's part (its requirements: namely, perfect obedience rendered to
His law, and thus "everlasting righteousness'' being brought in:
Daniel 9:24; and full satisfaction being taken by the law for the sins
of His people) might be so many legacies, which being ratified by the
death of the Testator, none might disannul.
Unspeakably blessed as are the truths expressed (so freely) above,
there is another which is still more precious for faith to apprehend
and rest on, and that is, that behind all offices (so to speak), lying
at the foundation of the whole dispensation of God's grace toward His
people, is the mystical oneness of Christ and His Church: a legal
oneness, which ultimates by the Spirit's work in a vital union, so
that Christ is the Head and believers are the members of one Person (1
Cor. 12:12, 13). This, and this alone, constituted the just ground for
God to impute to Christ all the sins of His people, and to impute to
them the righteousness of Christ for their justification of life. What
Christ did in obeying the law is reckoned to them as though that
obedience had been performed by them; and in like manner, what they
deserved on account of their sins was charged to and endured by Him,
as though they themselves had suffered it: see 2 Corinthians 5:21.
The first spring of the union between Christ and His Church lay in
that eternal compact between the Father and the Son respecting the
salvation of His people contemplated as fallen in Adam. In view of the
human nature which He was to assume, the Lord Christ was
"predestinated" or "foreordained" (1 Pet. 1:20) unto grace and glory,
and that by virtue of the union of flesh unto His Godhead. This grace
and glory of the God-man was the exemplary cause and pattern of our
predestination: Romans 8:29, Philippians 3:21. It was also the cause
and means of the communicating of all grace and glory unto us, for we
were "chosen in Him before the foundation of the world" (Eph. 1:4).
Christ was thus elected (Isa. 42:1) as Head of the Church, His
mystical body. All the elect of God were then committed unto Him, to
be delivered from sin and death, and brought unto the enjoyment of
God: John 17:6, Revelation 1:5, 6.
In the prosecution of this design of God, and to effect the
accomplishment of the "everlasting covenant" (Heb. 13:20), Christ
undertook to be the "Surety" of that covenant (Heb. 7:22), engaging to
answer for all the liabilities of His people and to discharge all
their legal responsibilities. Yet was it as Priest that Christ acted
as Surety: God's "Priest," our "Surety." That is to say, all the
activities of Christ were of a sacerdotal character, having God for
their immediate object; but as these activities were all performed on
our behalf, He was a Surety or Sponsor for us also. As the "Surety" of
the covenant, Christ undertook to discharge all the debts of those who
are made partakers of its benefits. As our Surety He also merited and
procured from God the Holy Spirit, to communicate to His people all
needful supplies of grace to make them new creatures, which enables
them to yield obedience to God from a new principle of spiritual life,
and that faithfully unto the end.
When considering the administration of the "everlasting covenant'' in
time, we contemplate the actual application of the grace, benefits and
privileges of it unto those for whose sakes it was devised and drawn
up. For this the death of the Mediator was required, for only through
His blood-shedding is the whole grace of the covenant made effectual
unto us. This it is which is affirmed in Hebrews 9:15, and which we
considered at length in our last article. In the passage which is now
to be before us, the apostle does two things: first, he refers to a
well known fact which is everywhere recognized among men, namely, that
a will or testament requires the death of the testator to give it
validity. Second, he refers to an Old Testament type which exemplifies
the principle which he is here setting before us.
"For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death
of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead:
otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth"
(verses 16, 17). That which is found in verses 16-23 is really of the
nature of a parenthesis, brought in for the purpose of showing why it
was necessary for the incarnate Son to die. In verse 24 the apostle
returns to his proofs for the superiority of the ministry of Christ
over Aaron's. What we have in verses 16, 17, is brought in to show
both the need for and the purpose of the death of Christ, the argument
being drawn from the character and design of that covenant of which He
is the Mediator. Because that covenant was also to be a "testament" it
was confirmed by the death of the Testator. Appeal is made to the only
use of a will or testament among men.
The method by which the apostle here demonstrates the necessity of
Christ's death as He was "the mediator of the new testament'' is not
merely from the signification of the word "diatheke" (though we must
not lose sight of its force), but as he is speaking principally of the
two "covenants" (i.e., the two forms under which the "everlasting
covenant" has been administered), it is the affinity which there is
between a solemn covenant, and a testament, that he has respect unto.
For it is to be carefully noted that the apostle speaks not of the
death of Christ merely as it was a death, which is all that is
required of a "testament" as such, without any consideration of the
nature of the testator's death; but he speaks of it also (and
primarily) as it was a sacrifice by the shedding of His blood (verses
12, 14, 18-23), which belongs to a Divine covenant, and is in no way
required by a "testament." Thus, we see again the needs-be for
retaining the double meaning and force of the Greek word here.
There has been much needless wrangling over the Divine person alluded
to under the word "Testator," some insisting it is Christ, some the
Father, others arguing the impossibility of the latter because the
Father has never died. We believe that, in this case, Saphir was right
when he said, "The testator is, properly speaking, God; for we are
God's heirs; but it is God in Christ." Had he referred the reader to 2
Corinthians 5:19 his statement had been given scriptural confirmation.
The "everlasting covenant" or Covenant of Grace has the nature of a
"testament" from these four considerations or facts. First, it
proceeded from the will of God: He freely made it (Heb. 6:17). Second,
it contained various legacies or gifts: to Christ, God bequeathed the
elect as His inheritance (Deut. 32:9, Psalm 16:6, Luke 22:29); to the
elect themselves, that they should be joint-heirs with Him (Rom. 8:17,
Revelation 3:21). Third, it is unalterable (Gal. 3:15), "ordered in
all things and sure" (2 Sam. 23:5); having been duly witnessed to (1
John 5:7), hence, being of the nature of a "testament" there are no
stipulations for men to fulfill (Gal. 3:18). Fourth, the death of
Christ has secured the administration of it.
A deed is not valid without a seal; a will cannot be probated until
the legatee dies, nor were God's covenants with men (the historical
adumbrations of the "everlasting covenant") ratified except by
blood-shedding. Thus it was with His covenant with Abraham (Gen. 15:9,
18); thus it was with His covenant with Israel at Sinai (Ex. 24:6).
Thus, unto the confirmation of a "testament" there must be the death
of the testator; unto the ratification of a "covenant" the blood of a
sacrifice was required. Thereby does the apostle prove conclusively
the necessity for the sacrificial death of Christ as the Mediator,
both as the Mediator of a "covenant" and as the Mediator of a
"testament": for through His sacrificial death, both the promises
contained in the "covenant" and the bequeathments of the "testament,"
are made irrevocably sure to all His seed. We trust, then that we have
been enabled to clear up the great difficulty which the word
"diatheke" has caused so many, and shown that it has a double meaning
and force in this passage.
It remains for us to point out that the Old Testament supplies us with
a most striking type which blessedly illustrates the principle
enunciated in this 16th verse. But note first of all that verse 15
opens with "For" and that this comes right after the mention of "the
Mediator of the new testament," and the promise of "eternal
inheritance" in verse 15. Now the "mediator" of the "Old Testament"
was Moses, and it was not until his death, though immediately after
it, that Israel entered their inheritance, the land of Canaan! Looked
at from the standpoint of God's government, the death of Moses was
because of his sin (Num. 20:10-12); but considered in relation to his
official position, as "the servant over the house of God," it had
another and deeper meaning as Deuteronomy 3:26 shows, "the Lord was
wroth with me for your sakes"--how blessedly did this foreshadow the
reason why God's wrath was visited upon Christ: Christ, as Moses, must
die before the inheritance could be ours.
In verse 17 it is not of the making of a testament which is referred
to, but its execution: its efficacy depends solely on the testator's
death. The words "is of force" mean, is firm and cannot be annulled;
it must be executed according to the mind of the one who devised it.
The reason why it is of "no strength" during his lifetime, is because
it is then subject to alteration, according to the pleasure of him who
made it. All the blessings of "grace and glory" were the property of
Christ, for He was "appointed Heir of all things" (Heb. 1:2): but in
His death, He made a bequeathment of them unto all the elect. Another
analogy between a human testament and the testamentary character of
Christ's death is that, an absolute grant is made without any
conditions. So is the kingdom of heaven bequeathed to all the elect,
so that nothing can defeat His will. Whatever there is in the Gospel
which prescribes conditions, that belongs to it as it is a "covenant"
and not as a "testament." Finally, the testator assigns the time when
his heirs shall be admitted into the actual possession of his goods;
so too has Christ determined the season when each shall enter both
into grace and glory.
Perhaps a brief word should be added by way of amplification to the
bare statement made above respecting the conditions which the Gospel
prescribes unto those who are the beneficiaries of Christ's
"testament." Repentance and faith are required by the Gospel; yet,
strictly speaking they are not "conditions" of our entering into the
enjoyment of Christ's gifts. Faith is a means to receive and partake
of the things promised, repentance is a qualification whereby we may
know that we are the persons to whom such promises belong.
Nevertheless, it is to be remembered that He who has made the promises
works in His elect these graces of repentance and faith: Acts 5:31,
Philippians 1:29.
"It is a great and gracious condescension in the Holy Spirit to give
encouragement and confirmation unto our faith, by a representation of
the truth and reality of spiritual things, in those which are temporal
and agreeing with them in their general nature, whereby they are
presented unto the common understandings of men. This way of
proceeding the apostle calls, a speaking `after the manner of men'
(Gal. 3:15). Of the same kind were all the parables used by our
Savior; for it is all one whether these representations be taken from
things real, or from those which, according unto the same rule of
reason and right, are framed on purpose for that end" (John Owen).
"Whereupon neither the first was dedicated without blood. For when
Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law,
he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet
wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,
saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined
unto you. Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and
all the vessels of the ministry. And almost all things are by the law
purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission"
(verses 18-22).
In these verses the apostle is still pressing upon the Hebrews the
necessity for the blood-shedding of Christ. Their national history
witnessed to the fact that when God entered into covenant with their
fathers, that covenant was confirmed by solemn sacrifice. In the
verses upon which we are now to comment, the apostle is not merely
proving that the old covenant or testament was confirmed with blood,
for had that been his only object, he could have dispatched it in very
few words; rather does he also declare what was the use of blood in
sacrifices on all occasions under the law, and thereby he demonstrates
the use and efficacy of Christ's blood as unto the ends of the new
covenant. The ends of the blood under the old covenant were two,
namely, purification and pardon, both of which were confirmed in the
expiation of sin. Unless the main design of the Spirit in these verses
be steadily kept in view, we miss the deeper meaning of many of their
details.
What has just been said above, supplies the explanation of what has
seemed a problem to some, namely that in these verses the apostle
mentions five or six details which are not found in the historical
narrative of Exodus 24. But the Holy Spirit is not here limiting our
view to Exodus 24, but gathers up what is found in various places of
the law; and that, because He not only designed to prove the
dedication of the covenant by blood, but also to show the whole use of
the blood under the law, as unto purification and remission of sin.
And He does this with the purpose of declaring the virtue and efficacy
of the blood of Christ under the new testament, whereunto He makes an
application of all the things in the verses which follow. The
"Moreover" at the beginning of verse 21 is plain intimation that the
Spirit is here contemplating something in addition to that which is
found in Exodus 24.
Verse 18. The opening word is usually rendered "therefore" or
"wherefore": it denotes the drawing of an inference; it confirms a
general rule by a special instance. In verse 16 the general rule is
stated; now, says the apostle, think it not strange that the new
testament was confirmed by the death of the Testator, for this is so
necessary that, the first one also was confirmed in the same manner;
and that, not only by death, but not "without blood," which was
required for the ratification of a solemn covenant. That to which
reference is made is the "first" testament or covenant. Here the
apostle makes clear what he intended by the first or old covenant, on
which he had discoursed at large in chapter 8: it was the covenant
made with Israel at Horeb. Just a few words on the character of it.
Its terms had all the nature of a formal covenant. These were the
things written in the book (Ex. 24:4, 7) which were an epitome of the
whole law, as contained in Exodus 20-23. The revelation of its terms
were made by Jehovah Himself, speaking with awful voice from the
summit of Sinai: Exodus chapters 19, 20. Following the fundamental
rule of the covenant, as contained in the Ten Commandments, were other
statutes and rites, given for the directing of their walking with God.
The same was solemnly delivered to Israel by Moses, and proposed unto
them for their acceptation. Upon their approbation of it, the book was
read in the hearing of all the people after it had been duly sprinkled
with the blood of the covenant (Ex. 24:7). Thereupon, for the first
time, Jehovah was called "The God of Israel" (Ex. 24:10), and that by
virtue of the covenant. This formed the foundation of His consequent
dealings with them: all His chastening judgments upon Israel were due
to their breaking of His covenant.
While there is a contrast, sharp and clear, between the Old Testament
and the new, yet it should not be overlooked that there was also that
which bound them together. This was ably expressed by Adolph Saphir:
"The promise given to Abraham, and not to Moses, was not superseded or
forgotten in the giving of the law. When God dealt with Israel in the
wilderness, He gave them the promise that they should be a peculiar
treasure unto Him above all people: `for all the earth is Mine'; and
that they should possess the land as an inheritance (Ex. 19:5, 6;
23:30; Deuteronomy 15:4). Based upon this promise, and corresponding
with the Divine election and favor, is the law which God gave to His
people. As He had chosen and redeemed them so that they were to be a
holy people, and to walk before Him, even as in the Ten Commandments
the gospel of election and redemption came first: `I am the Lord thy
God, which brought thee out of Egypt.' Hence this covenant or
dispensation, although it was a covenant, not of grace and Divine
gifts and enablings, but of works, was connected with and based upon
redemption, and it was dedicated, as the apostle emphatically says,
not without blood.
"Both the book, or record of the covenant, and all the people, were
sprinkled with the blood of typical sacrifices. For without blood is
no remission of sins, and the promises of God can only be obtained
through atonement. But we know that this is a figure of the one great
Sacrifice, and that therefore all the promises and blessings under the
old dispensation, underlying and sustaining it, were through the
prospective death of the true Mediator. When therefore the spiritual
Israelite was convinced by the law of sin, both as guilt and as a
condition of impurity and strengthlessness, he was confronted by the
promise of the inheritance, which always was of grace, unconditional
and sure, and in a righteous and holy manner through expiation."
Verse 19. The one made use of for the dedication of the covenant was
Moses. On God's part he was immediately called unto this employment:
Exodus 3. On the part of the people, he was desired and chosen to
transact all things between God and them, because they were not able
to bear the effects of His immediate presence: Exodus 19:19,
Deuteronomy 5:22-27; and this choice of a spokesman on their part, God
approved (verse 27). Thus Moses became in a general way a "mediator"
between God and men in the giving of the law (Gal. 3:19). Thereby we
are shown that there can be no covenant between God and sinful men,
but in the hands of a Mediator, for man has neither meetness, merits,
nor ability to be an undertaker of the terms of God's covenant in his
own person.
Moses spake "every precept unto the people." This intimates the
particular character of the Old Testament. It consisted primarily of
commandments of obedience (Eph. 2:15), promising no assistance for the
performance of them. The "new testament" is of another nature: it is
one of promises, and although it also has precepts requiring
obedience, yet is it (as a covenant) wholly founded in the promise,
whereby strength and assistance for the performance of that obedience
are given to us. Moses' reading "every precept unto the people"
emphasizes the fact that all the good things they were to receive by
virtue of the covenant, depended on their observance of all that was
commanded them; for a curse was denounced against every one that
"continued not in all things written in the law to do them" (Deut.
27:26). Obviously, such a "covenant" was never ordained for the saving
of sinners: its insufficiency for that end is what the apostle
demonstrates in the sequel.
We are again indebted to the exposition of John Owen for much of the
above, and now give in condensed form some of his observations on the
contents of verse 19. Here, for the first time, was any part of God's
Word committed to writing. This book of the law was written that it
might be read to all the people: it was not to be restricted to the
priests, as containing mysteries unlawful to ,be divulged. It was
written and read in the language which the people understood and
spake, which condemns Rome's use of the Latin in her public services.
Again; God never required the observance of any rites or duties of
worship, without a previous warrant from His Word. How thankful should
we be for the written Word!
That which Moses performed on this occasion was to sprinkle the blood.
Exodus 24:6 informs us that he took "half of the blood" and sprinkled
it "on the altar" (on which was the book); the other half on the
people. The one was God's part; the other theirs. Thereby the mutual
agreement of Jehovah and the people was indicated. Typically, this
foreshadowed the twofold efficacy of Christ's blood, to make salvation
God-wards and to save man-wards; or, to the remission of our sins unto
justification, and the purification of our persons unto
sanctification. The "scarlet wool," probably bound around the "hyssop"
(which was a common weed), was employed as a sprinkler, as that which
served to apply the blood in the basons upon the people; "water" being
mixed with the blood to keep it fluid and aspersible. In like manner,
the communication of the benefits of Christ's death unto
sanctification, is called the "sprinkling of the blood of Jesus
Christ" (1 Pet. 1:2). To avail us, the blood must not only be "shed,"
but "sprinkled."
The mingling of the "water" with the "blood" was to represent the
"blood and water" which flowed from the pierced side of the Savior
(John 19:34,35), the spiritual "mystery" and meaning of which is
profound and blessed. In 1 John 5:6 the Holy Spirit has particularly
emphasized the fact that the Christ came "by water and blood." He came
not only to make atonement for our sins by His blood that we might be
justified, but also to sprinkle us with the efficacy of His blood in
the communication of the Spirit unto sanctification, which is compared
unto "water": see John 7:38, 39, Titus 3:5. The application of the
blood to the "book" of the covenant was an intimation that atonement
could be made by blood for the sins against its precepts, and the
application of the "water" to it told of its purity. The sprinkler
pointed to the humanity of Christ, through which all grace is
communicated to us: the "scarlet wool" speaking of His personal glory
(Dan. 5:7 etc.), and the "hyssop," the meanest of plant-life (1 Kings
4:33), being a figure of His lowly outward appearance.
Verse 20. In these words Moses reminded Israel of the foundation of
their acceptance of the covenant, which foundation was the authority
of God requiring them so to do; the word "enjoined" also emphasized
the nature of the covenant itself: it consisted principally not of
promises which had been given to them, but of "precepts" which called
for hearty obedience. By quoting here these words of Moses "this is
the blood of the testament," the apostle proves that not only death,
but a sacrificial death, was required in order to the consecration and
establishment of the first covenant. The blood was the confirmatory
sign, the token between God and the people of their mutual engagements
in that covenant. Thus did God from earliest times teach His people,
by type and shadow, the supreme value of the blood of His Son. These
words of Moses were plainly alluded to by the Savior in the
institution of His "supper": "This is My blood of the new testament"
(Matthew 26:28) i.e., this represents My blood, by the shedding of
which the new testament is confirmed.
Verse 21. The apostle now reminds the Hebrews that, not only was the
Old Testament itself dedicated with blood, but that also all the ways
and means of solemn worship were purified by the same. His purpose in
bringing in this additional fact was to prove that not only was the
blood of Christ in sacrifice necessary, but also to demonstrate its
efficacy in the removing of sins and thereby qualifying sinners to be
worshippers of the most holy God. The historical reference here is to
what is found in Leviticus 16:14, 16, 18. The spiritual meaning of the
tabernacle's furniture being sprinkled with blood was at least
twofold: first, in themselves those vessels were holy by God's
institution, yet in the use of them by polluted men, they became
defiled, and needed purging. Second, to teach the Israelites and us
that, the very means of grace which we use, are only made acceptable
to God through the merits of Christ's sacrifice.
What we have just sought to point out above, brings before us a most
important and humbling truth. In all those things wherein we have to
do with God, and whereby we approach unto Him, nothing but the blood
of Christ and the Spirit's application of it unto our consciences,
gives us a gracious acceptance with Him. The best of our performances
are defiled by the flesh; our very prayers and repentances are
unclean, and cannot be received by God except as we plead before Him
the precious blood of Christ. "The people were hereby taught that, God
could not be looked to for salvation, nor rightly worshipped, except
faith in every case looked to an intervening blood. For the majesty of
God is justly to be dreaded by us, and the way to His presence is
nothing to us but a dangerous labyrinth, until we know that He is
pacified towards us through the blood of Christ, and that this blood
affords to us a free access. All kinds of worship are then faulty and
impure until, Christ cleanses them by the sprinkling of His blood . .
. If this thought only came to our mind, that what we read is not
written so much with ink as with the blood of Christ, that when the
Gospel is preached, His sacred blood distils together with the voice,
there would be far greater attention as well as reverence on our part"
(John Calvin).
Verse 22. "By the law" signifies "according unto the law," that is,
according to its institution and rule, in that way of faith and
obedience which the people were obligated unto. This has been shown by
the apostle in the verses preceding. His design being to prove both
the necessity for the death of Christ and the efficacy of His blood
unto the purging of sins, whereof the legal institutions were types.
The qualifying "almost" takes into consideration the exceptions of
"fire" (Num. 31:23) and "water" (Lev. 22:6, 7, etc.): but let it be
carefully noted that these exceptions were of such things as wherein
the worship of God was not immediately concerned, nor where the
conscience was defiled; they were only of external pollutions, by
things in their own nature indifferent, having nothing of sin in them;
yet were they designed as warnings against things which did defile.
The "almost" also takes note of the exception in Leviticus 5:11.
The last clause of verse 22 enunciates an axiom universally true, and
in every age. The curse of the law was, and still is, "the soul that
sinneth it shall die" (Ezek. 18:20). But whereas there is no man "that
sinneth not" (Ecclesiastes 7:20), God, in His grace, provided that
there should be a testification of the remission of sins, and that the
curse of the law should not be immediately executed on them that
sinned. This He did by allowing the people to make atonement for those
sins by the blood of sacrifices: Leviticus 17:11. Thereby God made
known two things. First, to the Israelites that, by the blood of
animals there should be a political or temporal remission of their
sins granted, so that they should not die under the sentence of that
law which was the rule of government over their nation. Second, that a
real spiritual and eternal forgiveness should be granted unto faith in
the sacrifice of Christ, which was represented by the slain animals.
The present application of this verse is that, no salvation is
possible for any soul that rejects the sacrifice of Christ.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 44
The Great Sacrifice
(Hebrews 9:23-28)
__________________________________________
Our present passage is so exceeding full that it is expedient we
should reduce our introductory remarks. Perhaps about all it is
necessary to say is, that here in Hebrews the apostle is treating of
the priestly ministry of Christ, and demonstrating the immeasurable
superiority of His sacerdotal functions over those of the legal
priests. In the verses which are now to be before us, the apostle
makes a definite application of that which has been treated of in the
preceding section. A contrast is now drawn between the types and their
Antitype. Therein we are shown that inasmuch as the Great Sacrifice
which Christ offered unto God was the substance of all the Old
Testament shadows, it was efficacious, all-sufficient, final.
In Hebrews 9:1-10 a declaration is made of sundry types and shadows of
the law. In Hebrews 9:11-28 a manifestation of the accomplishment of
them is seen in the person and work of the Lord Jesus. In this second
section we are shown the excellency of Christ's priesthood in the
effecting of those things and the securing of those blessings which
Aaron and his sacrificing of animals could not effect and secure.
First, the affirmation is made that Christ has entered into the true
tabernacle, Heaven itself; that He did so on the ground of His own
infinitely meritorious blood, the value of which is evidenced by the
fact that it has "obtained eternal redemption" (verses 11,12). Second,
confirmation of this is then made: inasmuch as the blood of beasts
purified the flesh, much more can the blood of Christ purge the
conscience (verses 13,14). Moreover the Mediatorial office which
Christ undertook guaranteed our salvation (verse 15). So too the
validity of the covenant-testament insured the same (verses 16, 17);
as also the types pledged it (verses 19-22).
In Hebrews 9:23 (which properly belonged to our last section) the
apostle concludes the main point he has been discussing, namely, that
the typical things being purged with animal's blood, there must needs
be a more excellent way of purifying and consecrating heavenly things,
and that was by the precious blood of the incarnate Son of God
Himself. Having established this fact, he now returns to the other
points of difference between the legal priests and Christ. Those
priests entered only an earthly tabernacle, but Christ has gone into
Heaven itself (verses 24, 25). The entrance of Israel's high priest
into the holy of holies was repeated year by year, but Christ entered
once for all (verses 25, 26). This is confirmed by the fact that men
die but once, still less could the God-man suffer death repeatedly
(verses 27, 28). Hence the blessed issue to all who rest upon the
Great Sacrifice is, that He shall appear unto them "without sin unto
salvation" (verse 28).
"Therefore (it was) necessary that the patterns of things in the
heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things
themselves with better sacrifices than these" (verse 23). The opening
word denotes that a conclusion is now drawn from the premises just
established, a conclusion which has respect unto both parts of the
assertion made. In this verse the apostle brings to a head, or sums
up, his previous argument concerning the typical purification of all
things under the law, and the spiritual purification which has been
effected by the sacrifice of Christ. "The general principle involved
in these words is, plainly, that in expiation the victim must
correspond in dignity to the nature of the offenses expiated, and the
value of the blessings secured. Animal blood might expiate ceremonial
guilt and secure temporary blessings, but in order to secure the
expiation of moral guilt and the attainment of eternal blessings, a
nobler victim must bleed" (John Brown).
"Therefore necessary (it was)": the reference is both to the type and
the Antitype. It was so from God's institution and appointment. There
was nothing in the nature of the typical objects themselves which
demanded a purgation by sacrifice, but, inasmuch as God designed to
foreshadow heavenly things by them, it was requisite that they should
be purged with blood. Likewise, inasmuch as God ordained that the
heavenly things should be purified, it was necessary that a superior
sacrifice should be made, for the typical offerings were altogether
inadequate to such an end. Such "necessity'' was relative, and not
absolute, for God was never under any compulsion. His infinite wisdom
deemed such a method fitting and suited to His glory and the good of
His elect.
The "patterns" or "figures" (verse 23) were the things which the
apostle had been treating of, namely, the covenant, the book, the
people, the tabernacle and all its vessels of ministry. The "things in
the heavens" were the everlasting covenant, the Church, and its
redemption by Jesus Christ. The "heavenly things" had been designed in
the mind of God in all their order, causes, beauty, and tendency unto
His own glory, from all eternity; but they were "hid" in Himself (Eph.
3:8-10). Of these was God pleased to grant a typical resemblance, a
shadowy similitude, an earthly adumbration, in the calling of Israel,
His covenant with them, and the appointing of the tabernacle with its
priesthood. By this means He deigned to instruct the early Church, and
in their conformity to that typical order of things did their faith
and obedience consist; the spiritual meaning of which the Old
Testament saints did, in measure, understand (Ps. 119:18).
"The heavenly things." "By heavenly things, I understand all the
effects of the counsel of God in Christ, in the redemption, salvation,
worship, and eternal glory of the Church; that is, Christ Himself in
all His offices, with all the spiritual and eternal effects of them on
the souls and consciences of men, with all the worship of God by Him
according unto the Gospel. For of all these things, those of the law
were the patterns. God did in and by them give a representation of all
these things" (John Owen). More specifically Christ Himself and His
sacrifice were typified by the legal rites. So also all the spiritual
blessings which His mediation has secured are "heavenly things": see
John 3:12, Ephesians 1:3, Hebrews 3:1. The Church too (Phil. 3:20) and
Heaven itself as the abode of Christ and His redeemed are included
(John 14:1-3). But here a difficulty presents itself: how could such
objects as those be said to be "purified"?
Of all the things mentioned above not one of them is capable of real
purification from uncleanness excepting the Church, that is, the souls
and consciences of its members. Yet the difficulty is more seeming
than real. The term "purification" has a twofold sense, namely, of
external dedication unto God and internal purification, both of which
are, generally included in the term "sanctification" as it is used in
Scripture. Thus, the covenant, the book of the covenant, the
tabernacle, and all its vessels were "purified" in the first sense,
that is, solemnly dedicated unto God and His service. In like manner
were all the "heavenly things" themselves "purified.'' Christ was
consecrated, dedicated unto God in His own blood: John 17:19, Hebrews
2:10, etc. Heaven itself was dedicated to be an habitation forever
unto the mystical body of Christ, in perfect peace with the angels who
never sinned: Ephesians 1:10, Hebrews 12:22-24.
Yet there was also an internal "purification" of most of these
"heavenly things." The souls and consciences of the members of the
Church were really cleansed, purified and sanctified with an inward
and spiritual purification: Ephesians 5:25,26, Titus 2:14. It has been
"washed" in the blood of Christ (Rev. 1:5) and is thereby cleansed
from all sin (1 John 1:7). And Heaven itself, was in some sense
purified--as the tabernacle was, because of the sins of the people in
whose midst it stood (Lev. 16:16). When the angels apostatized, sin
entered Heaven itself, and therefore was not pure in the sight of God
(see Job 15:15). And upon the sin of man, a breach was made, enmity
ensued, between the holy angels above and fallen men below; so that
Heaven was no meet place for an habitation unto them both, until they
were reconciled, which was only accomplished in the sacrifice of
Christ (Eph. 1:10, Colossians 1:20).
One other detail needs to be considered: "But the heavenly things with
better sacrifices." It is the use of the plural number here in
connection with the sacrifice of Christ which has occasioned
difficulty to some. It is a figure of speech known as an "enallage,"
the plural being put for the singular by way of emphasis. It is so
expressed because the great sacrifice not only confirmed the
signification, virtue, and benefits of all others, but exceeded in
dignity, design and efficacy all others. Again; under the law there
were five chief offerings appointed unto Israel: the burnt, the meal,
the peace, the sin, the trespass (see Leviticus 1-5), and in Christ's
great Sacrifice we have the antitype of all five, and hence His has
superseded theirs. Thus, the plural, "sacrifices" here emphasizes the
one offering of Christ, expresses its superlative excellency, and
denotes that it provides the substance of the many shadows under the
law.
If the reader will read straight on through Hebrews 9:18-23 he will
then be in a position to appreciate the lovely sequel which is
recorded in Exodus 24:8-11. A most glorious type was that. There we
have a scene for which there is nothing approaching a parallel on all
the pages of inspiration until the incarnation of the Son of God be
reached. What we have there in Exodus 24 might well be termed the Old
Testament Mount of Transfiguration. There we see not only Moses and
Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, but also seventy "elders" (representatives of
the people) in the very presence of God, perfectly at ease, eating and
drinking there. The key-word to that marvelous incident is the "Then"
at the beginning of verse 9, which brings out the inestimable value of
the blood which had been sprinkled, and shows the grand privilege
which it had procured, even making possible communion with God. The
antitype of this is presented in Hebrews 10:22.
"For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, the
figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the
presence of God for us" (verse 24). The opening "For" denotes that a
further reason is being advanced to demonstrate the superiority of
Christ's sacrifice over those which were offered under the law. In
verse 23 this was shown by its power to "purify" better objects than
the typical offerings could dedicate or cleanse. Here the proof is
drawn from the place which Christ entered after He had offered Himself
a sacrifice unto God, namely, into Heaven itself. That which was the
peculiar dignity of the high priest of Israel, and wherein the
principal discharge of his duty did consist, was that he entered that
sacred abode where the typical and visible representation of the
presence of God was made. The antitype of this is what is here before
us.
"For Christ." The Mediator is again denominated by His official title.
In addition to our notes thereon under verse 14, we may point out that
this title "The Anointed" imports three things. First, the offices or
functions which the Son of God undertook for the salvation of His
people. These were three in number and each was foreshadowed of old:
the prophetic (1 Kings 19:16, Psalm 105:15), the priestly (Lev.
8:12,30; Psalm 133:2), the kingly (1 Sam. 10:1, 16:13). Second, the
right which He has to undertake those functions: He who "anointed"
Christ was the Father (Acts 10:38), thereby appointing and authorizing
Him (Heb. 5:5). Third, His ability to perform those functions
whereunto He was anointed: therefore did He declare "the Spirit of the
Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach" etc. (Luke
4:18). That expression "the Spirit of the Lord is upon Me" referred to
that Divine enduement which had been conferred upon Him: cf. John
3:34.
"For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, the
figures of the true." The negative is first expressed in order to
emphasize the contrast which follows. Three things are here said of
respect to its institution, it was the "holy of holies," and that,
because it had been dedicated as the chamber where the special pledges
of God's presence were given. Second, as to its fabric, though framed
by Divine command, it was but of human workmanship, "made with hands."
Third, as to its principal end or design, it was a resemblance or
figure of heavenly things. From the Sept. translation of "holy of
holies" by "the holy places," it seems that they used the plural
number to supply the lack in the Greek language of a suitable
superlative.
"But into Heaven itself." This entrance of Christ into the celestial
Sanctuary is to be distinguished from His entering "once into the holy
place" of verse 12. In our exposition of that verse we sought to show
at some length that the reference there is to what took place
immediately after the Savior expired upon the cross, when, in
fulfillment of the type of Leviticus 16:14, He appeared before the
Father to present to Him the memorial of His completed satisfaction.
Aaron's entrance into the holy of holies was not for the purpose of
making atonement--that was effected outside (Lev. 16:11)--but to
present to God an atonement already accomplished. Nor could Aaron's
passing within the veil, clad only in his "linen" garments (Lev. 16:4
and contrast Exodus 28:2--etc.), possibly be a figure of Christ's
triumphant admission into heaven with all the jubilation belonging to
a coronation day. We must constantly distinguish between Christ as the
antitype of Aaron, and Christ as the antitype of Melchizedek. Aaron
pointed to nothing after Christ's resurrection; Melchizedek did. The
"once" of Hebrews 9:12 emphasizes the finality of Christ's sacrifice.
His "entrance" here in Hebrews 9:24 was for the purpose of
intercession, which is continuous: Hebrews 7:25.
The entrance of our royal High Priest into heaven was necessary for
rendering His sacrifice effective in the application of the benefits
of it to the Church. As John Owen pointed out, the entrance of Christ
into heaven on His ascension, may be considered two ways. "1. As it
was regal, glorious and triumphant; so it belonged to His kingly
office, as that wherein He triumphed over all the enemies of the
Church: see it described in Ephesians 4:8-10 from Psalm 68:18. Satan,
the world, death and hell being conquered, and all power committed to
Him, He entered triumphantly into heaven. So it was regal. 2. As it
was sacerdotal. Peace and reconciliation being made by the blood of
the cross, the covenant being confirmed, eternal redemption obtained,
He entered as our High Priest into the holy place, the temple of God
above, to make His sacrifice effectual to His Church, and to apply the
benefits of it thereunto."
Christ entered Heaven as the great High Priest of His Church, as the
Mediator of the new covenant, as the "Forerunner" of His people (Heb.
6:20), as their "Advocate" (1 John 2:1), and the "Firstborn of many
brethren." His design in so doing was "to appear in the presence of
God for us." This He does "now," at the present season, and always.
What the typical priest did was of no continuance. But this "now" is
expressive of the whole season and duration of time from the entrance
of Christ into heaven to the consummation of all things. Absolutely,
His entrance into Heaven had other ends in view (John 17:5, Hebrews
1:3--"upholding" etc.), but to appear before God for His people as
their High Priest, was the only end or object of His entering Heaven,
considered as God's "Temple," where is the "throne of grace." How this
manifests Christ's full assurance of the success of His undertaking,
His complete discharge from all that guilt which had been imputed to
Him. Had He not made a full end of our sins, He could not have
appeared with confidence as our Surety in the presence of God!
"To appear in the presence of God for us." This is an act of His
sacerdotal office. Not only is it our High Priest who does so
"appear," but He doth so as the High Priest of His Church.
Nevertheless, it is such an act as necessarily implies the offering of
Himself as a sacrifice for sin antecedent thereto, for it was with the
blood of the atoning sacrifice that Aaron entered into the holy place
(Lev. 16) as the head and representative of the people. In this
appearance Christ presents Himself to God "as a lamb that had been
slain" (Rev. 5:6)! It is that which gives validity and efficacy to His
"appearing." The word "appear" is a forensic one, as of an Attorney
before the Judge. He has gone there to seek from God and dispense to
His people those blessings which He purchased for them. He has gone
there to plead the infinite merits of His sacrifice, as a permanent
reason why they should be saved: Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:25. This
supplies the great testimony to the continuance of Christ's love, care
and compassion toward the Church: it is their interests which He
promotes.
"Nor yet that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest
entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others" (verse
25). In this verse the apostle does two things: meets an objection
which might be made, and continues to demonstrate the superior
excellency of the Great Sacrifice. The objection could be framed thus:
If Aaron's entrance into the holy of holies was a type of Christ's
entering heaven, then must He, like the legal high priest, enter oft.
This the apostle here denies. Such a conclusion by no means follows,
in fact, is utterly erroneous. God did not require this from Christ,
there was no need of it, and, as he shows in the next verse, it was
impossible that He should.
Such is the absolute perfection of the one offering of Christ, that it
stands in need of, that it will admit of, no repetition in any kind.
Therefore does the apostle declare that if it be despised or
neglected, "there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins" (Heb. 10:26).
This absolute perfection of the one offering of Christ arises from,
first, the dignity of His person: Acts 20:28. It was the God-man who
obeyed, suffered and died: nothing superior, nothing equal, could
again be offered. Second, from the nature of the sacrifice itself. In
the internal gracious workings of Christ, grace and obedience could
never be more glorified than they had been by Immanuel Himself. So
too, in the punishment He underwent: He suffered to the full, the
whole curse of the law; hence, any further offering or atonement would
be highly blasphemous. Third, from the love of the Father unto Him and
delight in Him. In His one offering God was well pleased, and in it He
rests. Hence the impossibility of any repetition--condensed from John
Owen.
"Nor yet that He should offer Himself often." In these positive and
pointed words the Holy Spirit has plainly anticipated and repudiated
the blasphemous practice of the Papists, who in their daily "mass"
pretend to sacrifice Christ afresh, and by their "priests" present Him
as an offering to God, claiming that the bread and wine are
transubstantiated into the real flesh and blood of Christ. Therefore
are they guilty of the unspeakably dreadful sin of crucifying to
themselves the Son of God afresh, and putting Him to an open shame
(Heb. 6:6), for by their pretended "real sacrifice of Christ" they,
through their daily repetition of it, deny its sufficiency and
finality (Heb. 10:2), degrading it below that of the annual atonement
of Israel, which was made by the blood of beasts.
"As the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood
of others." On these words William Gouge beautifully pointed out that,
"Herein we have an evidence of God's tender respect to man in sparing
his blood. Though man were ordained a priest to typify Christ's
priesthood, though man in that function were to appear before God,
though he were to bear their names, yea, and their sins (Ex. 28:38),
all of which Christ did, yet when it came to the shedding of his
blood, as Christ did His, God spared him, and accepted the blood of
beasts, as He accepted the ram for Isaac (Gen. 22:13). How this
magnifies God's love to us, who was so tender of man, and yet spared
not His own Son (Rom. 8:32)!"
"For then must He often have suffered since the foundation of the
world: but now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put
away sin by the sacrifice of Himself" (verse 26). This verse consists
of two parts. First, a reason is given confirming the assertion made
in verse 25: had Christ been obliged to "offer Himself often" to God,
then must He have "suffered" afresh "from the foundation of the
world," that is, died afresh in each generation of human history.
Second, a confirmation of that reason taken from the appointment of
God: only once, and that in the fullness of time, did Christ come to
earth to be a sacrifice for the sins of His people. Thus the apostle
exposes the gross absurdity of the objection he met in verse 25: to
admit that, would be to say Christ's blood had no more efficacy than
that which the Jewish high priest offered.
The force of the apostle's argument rests upon two evident
suppositions. First, that the "offering" (verse 25) and "suffering"
(verse 26) of Christ are inseparable. It was in and by His suffering
that the Lord Jesus offered Himself unto God, and that because He was
Himself both the Priest and the Sacrifice. Aaron "offered" repeatedly,
yet he never once "suffered," for he was not the sacrifice itself. It
was the bullock which was slain, that suffered. But Christ being both
Priest and Sacrifice could not "offer" without "suffering," and herein
does the force of the argument principally consist. The very especial
nature of Christ's offering or sacrifice, which was by the shedding of
His blood in death, precluded a repetition thereof.
Second, the apostle's argument here is also built on the fact that
there was a necessity for the expiation of the sin of all that were to
be saved from the foundation of the world. Sin entered the world
immediately after it was founded, by the apostasy of our first
parents. Notwithstanding, numbers of sinners, as Abel, Enoch, Noah,
Abraham and the spiritual remnant in Israel had their sins pardoned
and were eternally saved; yet no sacrifice which they offered could
remit moral guilt or redeem their souls. No; their salvation was also
effected by virtue of the sacrifice of Christ. Hence it follows
unavoidably that unless the merits of His own one offering extended
unto the taking away of all their sins, then either He must have
suffered often, or they perish. Contrariwise, seeing that elect
sinners were saved through Christ "from the foundation of the world,"
much more will the virtues of the Great Sacrifice extend unto the end
of the world.
"But now," not at the beginning of human history; "once," that is,
once for all, never to be repeated; "in the end of the world," or in
"the fullness of time" (Gal. 4:4). This expression "end of the world"
or more literally, "consummation of the ages" is here used
antithetically from "since the foundation of the world" which usually
has reference to the first entrance of sin into the world. and God's
dispensation of grace in Christ thereon; as "before the foundation of
the world" (Eph. 1:4, etc.) expresses eternity and God's counsels
therein. The Divine distinctions of time with respect to God's grace
toward His Church, may be referred to three general heads: that before
the law, during the law, and since the incarnation of Christ unto the
end of the world. This last season, absolutely considered, is called
the "fullness of times" (Eph. 1:10), when all that God had designed in
the dispensation of His grace was come to a head, and wherein no
alteration should be made till the earth was no more.
"Hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself." He
"appeared" here on earth (the Greek word is quite different from the
one used in verse 24): of old He had been obscurely shadowed forth in
types, but now He was "manifest in flesh" (1 Tim. 3:10). The end or
purpose of this appearing of Christ was to "put away sin"--the Greek
word is a very strong one, and is rendered "disannuling" in Hebrews
7:18. Let it be carefully noted that this declaration is made only as
it respects the Church of Christ. He made a complete atonement for all
the sin of all His people, receiving its wages, expiating its guilt,
destroying its dominion. The results are that, when God applies to the
penitent believer the virtues of Christ's sacrifice, all condemnation
is removed (Rom. 8:1), and its reigning power is destroyed (Rom.
6:14).
"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the
judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and
unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without
sin unto salvation" (verses 27, 28). In these verses the apostle
concludes his exposition of the causes, nature, designs and efficacy
of the sacrifice of Christ, wherewith the new covenant was dedicated
and confirmed. In them a three-fold confirmation is made of the
uniqueness and sufficiency of the Savior's atonement. First a
comparison is drawn: pointed by the "as" and "so". Second a
declaration is made as to why Christ died: it was to "bear the sins of
many." Third, the resultant consequence of this is stated at the end
of verse 28.
First, the comparison. This is between the death of men by the
decretory sentence of God, and the offering of Christ by God's
appointment. "It is appointed unto men once to die." That
"appointment" was a penal one, being the sentence and curse of the
broken law (Gen. 2:17), consisting of two parts: temporal death and
eternal judgment. Death is not the result of chance, nor is it a "debt
of nature," a condition to which man was made subject by the law of
his creation. Death is something more than the result of physiological
law: the same God who sustained Methusalah for well nigh a thousand
years, would have sustained Adam's body for all eternity had he never
fallen. Sinless angels are immortal. Death is the wages of sin (Rom.
6:23). The case of Enoch and Elijah, Lazarus and that generation of
believers alive on earth at the return of Christ (1 Cor. 15:51), are
only exceptions to the common rule, by mere acts of Divine
sovereignty.
"After this the judgment." This, by the same Divine, unalterable
constitution, is also "appointed" unto all: Acts 17:31. Death does not
make an end of man, but is subservient to something else, which is
equally certain and inevitable in its own season. As death leaves men,
so shall judgment find them. This "judgment" is here opposed to the
"salvation" of believers at the second appearing of Christ. It is the
judgment of the wicked at the last great day: Romans 2:5. It will be
the executing upon them of the condemnatory sentence of the law, the
irrevocable curse of God--eternal banishment from Him, for
indescribable and eternal torments to be inflicted upon them.
"So Christ was once offered." As the death-sentence, as a penal
infliction, was passed upon all of Adam's descendants (Rom. 5:12)
viewed as criminals, as having broken the law in the person of their
federal head, so Christ was "appointed" or sentenced by God, the Judge
of all, to undergo the curse of the law, on the behalf and in the
stead of those whom He represented. "So Christ was once offered to
bear the sin of many." Here we see that deliverance from the curse
which the wisdom and grace of God provided for His elect. The Anointed
One, as the High Priest of His people, presented to God an
all-sufficient and final satisfaction for all the sins of all who have
been, from eternity, given to Him by the Father. Thus verses 27, 28
present the antithesis of the Law and the Gospel, as it relates to
"men" indefinitely, and to the "many" specifically. The sins of many
He "bare"--had imputed to Him, received the punishment of, and fully
expiated--in His own body on the tree (1 Pet. 2:24).
"And unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time
without sin unto salvation." This needs to be interpreted in harmony
with its context, and as furnishing the antitype of what is found in
Leviticus 16. The word for "appear" here is not the one commonly used
for the return of Christ--it means "to be seen." When Aaron
disappeared within the veil, the people waited with eager expectation
until he came out again to bless them. So Christ, having made
atonement, and gone into heaven, shall yet re-appear and be seen by
those who wait for Him. As men after death, must yet appear the
"second time" in their body, to undergo condemnation therein; so
Christ shall appear the second time, to bestow on God's elect eternal
salvation.
"Unto them that look for Him:" that is, all the redeemed, the "many"
whose sins He bore. Though the vision tarry, they wait for it (Hab.
2:3). Five things are included in this word "look for." First, the
steadfast faith of His appearing, resting with implicit confidence on
His promise in John 14:2, 3. Second, a real love unto it: 2 Timothy
4:8. Third, an ardent longing after it, so that they cry, "Even so,
come, Lord Jesus" (Rev. 22:20). Fourth, a patient waiting for it, in
the midst of many discouragements: James 5:7, 8. Fifth, a personal
preparation for it: Matthew 25:10, Luke 12:35-37.
"Without (imputed) sin, unto salvation." Hereby Christ's second advent
is contrasted from His first. When he appeared the first time, it was
with "sin" upon Him (John 1:29) as the Surety of sinners. Therefore
was He the Man of sorrows, and afflicted from His youth up (Ps.
88:15). But He will re-appear in a very different state: as the
Conqueror of sin and Satan, the Savior of His people, the King of
kings and Lord of lords. At His return, the efficacy of His
once-for-all offering will be openly manifested. The question of His
peoples' sins having been finally settled at the cross, He will then
glorify His redeemed. "For our conversation is in heaven: from whence
also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change
our vile ,body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body,
according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things
unto Himself" (Phil. 3:20, 21).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 45
The Typical Sacrifice
(Hebrews 10:14)
__________________________________________
The 10th chapter of our epistle has two main divisions: the first is
occupied with a setting forth of the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice
unto those who believe, verses 1-20; the second is devoted to the
making of a practical application of the doctrine of the first section
unto faith, obedience, and perseverance, verses 21-39. The principal
design of the Spirit therein is to exhibit the excellency and efficacy
of Christ's satisfaction, and this, not so much God-wards, as
saint-wards, showing the inestimable blessings which it has procured
for the favored members of the household of faith. The method which
the apostle was inspired to follow in carrying out this design, was
to, once more, set in antithesis the typical sacrifices of the Mosaic
dispensation with the one Sacrifice of Christianity, contrasting the
shadow with the Substance, and this, in order to bring out the
inadequacy of the one and the sufficiency of the other to provide a
perfect standing before God, with the resultant privilege of drawing
near to Him as accepted worshippers.
Because the sacrifices under the old covenant were incapable, in and
of themselves, to satisfy the claims of a holy God, they were also
unable to meet the needs of those who brought them. Because that, of
themselves, they could not make peace with God, neither could they
give peace to the conscience of the offerer. Because they failed to
make real atonement for sin, they could not cleanse the sinner.
Therefore does the apostle point out that the Aaronic offerings were
but "shadows," that the repetition of them intimated their
insufficiency, that the fact of unexpiated sin was recalled to memory
each time a victim was slain, and that inasmuch as it was merely the
blood of beasts which was shed, it was impossible that such a medium
or offering could either placate the wrath of God or procure His
blessing upon those who presented such sacrifices.
The connection between Hebrews 10 and what immediately precedes is
very blessed. In the closing verse of chapter 9 two things are joined
together: the cross of Christ and His second coming. And what
intervenes between Calvary and the actual entrance into Glory of those
who were there redeemed and reconciled to God? This: the
Christian-life on earth, and it is this which is mainly in view in the
closing chapters of our epistle. It is the present status, privileges,
walk, discipline and responsibilities of the saints which are therein
set forth. That which is exhibited in the first twenty verses of
Hebrews 10 is the perfect standing before God which the regenerated
believer now has, and his blessed privilege as a worshipper of
entering in spirit within the Heavenly courts while waiting down here
for the promised return of his Savior. Having shown in chapter 9 that
atonement has been accomplished, that the heavenly places were
purified when the Redeemer entered the Holiest, the Spirit now
emphasizes the fact that the believer has been fitted to draw nigh
unto God Himself as a purged and accepted worshipper.
In previous sections the apostle has contrasted the priests of the
Levitical dispensation with our great High Priest, he has opposed the
vastly different covenants or economies to which each belonged, he has
shown the immeasurable superiority of Christ's one offering of Himself
over the many sacrifices of old, he has placed in antithesis the
respective "tabernacles" in which Aaron and Christ officiated. Each
and all of these was designed to press upon the wavering Hebrews the
deficiency of Judaism and the excellency of Christianity. Now he shows
that not only are the two systems with all that pertains to them as
different as a flickering candle and the shining of the sun, but that
the privileges enjoyed by the individuals belonging to the one and the
other are as widely separated as is light from darkness. The Mosaic
system, as such, was neither able to impart permanent peace to the
conscience nor give access into the presence of God, but the
Satisfaction of Christ has procured these precious blessings unto
those who flee to Him for refuge.
The order of thought which is followed in the first main division of
our present chapter ought not to be difficult to grasp. First, we have
an affirmation and demonstration of the deficiency of the legal
sacrifices to "perfect" the worshipper: verses 1-4. Second, we have a
manifestation and exemplification of the sufficiency of Christ's
sacrifice to "perfect forever" (verse 14) those for whom He made
satisfaction unto God: verses 5-20. Thus the apostle proves again the
imperative need for the supplanting of all the unefficacious offerings
of Judaism by the all-sufficient offering of Christ. In the developing
of the first point, an assertion is made of the inadequacy of the
Levitical sacrifices to expiate sin and meet the dire needs of the
offerer (verse 1). A confirmation of the truth of this assertion is
drawn from the frequency of their repetition (verse 2). It is shown
that the annual typical propitiation was only a constant re-opening of
the question of sin (verse 3). From these facts the inevitable
conclusion is drawn that it was impossible for such sacrifices to
remove sins.
"For the law having a shadow of good things to come, not the very
image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they
offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect"
(verse 1). Three questions are suggested to the thoughtful reader of
this verse. First, exactly what is the contrast pointed by "shadow"
and "image"? Second, what is meant by the comers being made "perfect"?
Third, why did God appoint sacrifices that were so unefficacious?
These shall be our points of focus as we endeavor to expound this
verse.
"For the law having a shadow of good things to come." The opening
"For" intimates that what is introduced thereby is an inference drawn
from what had previously been stated. Having shown that the sacrifice
of Christ had met all the demands of God and had confirmed the new
covenant, the apostle concludes from thence that, inasmuch as the
Levitical sacrifices could not effect those ends which had been
accomplished by Christ's, they must be taken out of the way. The "law"
here is not to be restricted to the ceremonial, as the words "having a
shadow" warn us; still less is it the moral law, which, absolutely
considered, had no sacrifices belonging to it. No, the reference is to
the whole of the Mosaic economy, or more specifically, to the covenant
which God made with Israel at Sinai, with all the institutions of
worship belonging thereto.
"Shadow is put first emphatically; only a shadow or outline of the
substantial and eternal blessings promised. A shadow has no substance;
but brings before the mind the form of the body from which it is
projected! The `image' itself is given to us in Christ, a full and
permanent embodiment of the good things to come" (Adolph Saphir). We
believe this presents the correct idea: it is clearly borne out by
Colossians 2:17, "which are a shadow of things to come, but the body
is of Christ." The apostle is there speaking of the same things as he
treats of here in Hebrews 10:1: the Mosaic economy, with all its
ordinances and institutions of worship, gave only an earthly
adumbration or representation, and did not possess the substance,
reality, or "body": that is found only in Christ Himself, to whom the
Old Testament shadows pointed. A "shadow" gives a representation of a
body, a more or less just one of its form and size, yet only an
obscure and imperfect one--compare our remarks on Hebrews 8:5.
The "good things to come" (future, not when this epistle was written,
but at the time that the Mosaic economy was instituted) has reference
to all those blessings and privileges which have come to the church in
consequence of the incarnation of Christ and the discharge of His
office. Well might they be designated "good things," for there is no
alloy or mixture of evil with them; other things are "good"
relatively, but these things absolutely. The "image" or substance of
them is found in Christ, and set forth in His Gospel: for a similar
use of the term "image" cf. Romans 8:29. "This therefore is that which
the apostle denies concerning the law. It had not the actual
accomplishment of the promise of good things; it had not Christ
exhibited in the flesh; it had not the true real sacrifice of perfect
expiation: it represented these things; it had a shadow of them, but
enjoyed not, exhibited not the things themselves. Herein was its
imperfection and weakness, so that by none of its sacrifices could it
make the Church perfect" (John Owen).
"Can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year
continually make the comers thereunto perfect." In these words we have
the inference or conclusion for which the "For" at the beginning of
the verse prepares us: if the law contained in it nothing better than
a "shadow," it is obvious that its sacrifices could not possibly make
perfect those who offered them. John Owen has most helpfully pointed
out that the Greek word here rendered "continually'' signifies
"forever," occurring elsewhere in this epistle only in Hebrews 7:3,
10:12, 14 (Bagster's Interlinear gives "in perpetuity") and that it
should be connected not with the clause preceding, but with the one
following, thus: "the law by its sacrifices could not perfect forever,
or unto the uttermost, the comers thereto."
Three things are affirmed in the second half of our verse. First, the
impotency of the "law" or old covenant, or Mosaic economy. It could
never "make perfect." It could by no means, in no way do so; it was
impossible that it should. This is stated so emphatically in order to
remove from the minds of the Hebrews all expectations of perfection
with Judaism. Second, that with respect unto which this impotency of
the law is here ascribed was its "sacrifices," which was the very
thing in which most of the Jews had chiefly placed their hopes. But
not only is that affirmed of the sacrifices in general, but also in
particular of the great sacrifice on the day of atonement, which was
offered "year by year": if that was ineffectual, how much more so the
minor offerings! Third, that wherein its impotency lay was its
inability to "perfect" the "comers."
Concerning the meaning of "perfect" here, we would refer back to our
exposition of Hebrews 7:11. For the benefit of those who do not have
access to the August 1930 issue, we would point out that the term
"perfect" is one of the key-words of this epistle, close attention
needing to be paid to its contexts. It has to do more with
relationship than experience. It concerns the objective side of things
rather than the subjective. It looks to the judicial and vital aspect,
more than to the practical. "Perfection" means the bringing of a thing
to that completeness of condition designed for it. Doctrinally it
refers to the producing of a satisfactory and final relationship
between God and His people. It speaks of that unchanging standing in
the favor and blessing of God which Christ has secured for His saints.
See also our notes on Hebrews 2:10; 5:9; 6:1.
That "perfection" which God requires is absolute conformity to His
moral law, so that not only is there no guilt of transgression resting
upon us, but a full, flawless, and rewardable obedience to our
account. How impossible it was for the slaying of beasts to secure
this is self-evident. The "comers thereunto" are defined in verse 2 as
"the worshippers": it was those who made use of the Levitical
sacrifices in the worship of God. This term "come" in the Hebrews'
epistle has its root in the "bring" of Leviticus 1:2, the Hebrew word
there signifying those who "draw nigh" with an oblation, coming thus
to the altar. Though the slaying of beasts procured a temporary
expiation, it did not secure an eternal forgiveness, it did not
perfect "continually" or "for ever." Hence, the effect produced on the
conscience of the offerer was only a transient one, for a sense of sin
returned upon him, forcing him unto a repetition of the same
sacrifices, as the apostle declares in the next verse. This brings us
to our third question: Why did God appoint unto Israel sacrifices so
ineffectual?
Many answers might be returned to this question. Though the Levitical
offerings failed to procure an eternal redemption, yet were they by no
means useless and without value. First of all, they served to keep in
the minds of Israel the fact that God is ineffably holy and will not
tolerate evil. They were constantly reminded that the wages of sin is
death. They were taught thereby that a constant acknowledgement of
their sins was imperative if communion with the Lord was to be
maintained. In the second place, by means of these types and shadows
God was pointing out to them the direction from which true salvation
must come, namely, in a sinless Victim enduring in their stead the
righteous penalty which their sins called for. Thereby God instructed
them to look forward in faith to the time when the Redeemer should
appear, and the great Sacrifice be offered for the sins of His people.
Third, there was an efficacy in the Old Testament sacrifices to remove
temporal judgment, to give ceremonial ablution, and to maintain
external fellowship with Jehovah. They who despised the sacrifices
were "cut off" or excommunicated; but those who offered them
maintained their place in the congregation of the Lord.
Ere passing on to the next verse let us seek to make practical
application unto ourselves of what has been before us. In coming to
God, that is, drawing nigh unto Him as worshippers, the first
qualification in us is that we are legitimately assured of the perfect
expiation (cancellation) of our sins. When this foundation is not laid
in the soul and conscience, all attempts to approach God as
worshippers are highly presumptuous, for no guilty person can stand
before Him. To offer thanksgiving and praise to him before we know we
have been forgiven and accepted by Him, is to repeat the high-handed
sin of Cain. The very first things proposed to us in the Gospel are
that we own our undone condition, judge ourselves unsparingly, turn
from our sins, and appropriate to our deep need the grace of God as it
is tendered to us in Jesus Christ. Only as the heart is truly contrite
and faith lays hold of the atoning blood of the Lamb, is any sinner
entitled to draw nigh unto the Holy One.
"For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the
worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins"
(verse 2). The contents of this verse enable us to grasp more clearly
the particular aspects of Truth which our present chapter is dealing
with. It is not so much what the sacrifices effected God-wards, as
man-wards: it is their purifying effects upon the worshipper which is
mainly in view. This is quite evident from the expressions "once
purged" and "no more conscience of sins." In like manner, the
principal thing in the verses which follow is the setting forth of
what Christ's atonement has secured for His people: see verses 10, 14,
19.
"For then would they not have ceased to be offered?" "This verse is
added as a proof of the reason concerning the impotency of the
foresaid legal sacrifices. The reason was taken from the reiteration
of those sacrifices, whereby it was made manifest that they could not
make perfect. The argument may be framed thus: That which makes
perfect ceaseth when it hath made perfect; but the sacrifices which
were offered year by year, ceased not; therefore they could not have
made perfect" (William Gouge). In reply it might be opposed: The
repetition of the sacrifice was not through any inherent defect in it,
but because the offerer had acquired fresh guilt; the offering
expiated all sin up to the time it was offered, but new sins being
committed, another sacrifice became necessary. Let us face this
difficulty.
There was a defect in the sacrifices themselves, as will be seen more
plainly when we reach verse 4; they were altogether inadequate for
meeting the infinite demands of God, they were altogether insufficient
to compensate for the wrong done to God's manifestative glory and
could not repair the loss of His honor. None save a sacrifice which
possessed intrinsic merits, having an infinite value, could make real
and final satisfaction. That Sacrifice has been offered, and so
perfect is it that it stands in no need of addition. The Atonement of
Christ is of perpetual efficacy unto God, and is ever available to
faith. No matter how often application be made unto it, its power
never wanes and its preciousness never diminishes.
"Because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more
conscience of sins." The final words fix for us the meaning, or rather
scope, of the "once purged" here. That sacrificial term may denote
either (or both) the removal of the guilt of sin or the pollution
thereof: the one is taken away by justification, the other by
sanctification. The one is the effect of the sacerdotal actings of
Christ toward God, in making atonement for sin; the other is by the
Spirit's application of the virtues of that Sacrifice to our souls and
consciences, whereby they are cleansed, renewed, and changed. It is
the former only which is before us here, namely, such a purging of sin
as takes away its condemning power from the conscience on account of
the guilt of it. But this the Levitical sacrifices failed to do, as
the next verse shows.
"No more conscience of sins." This does not mean that the one who has
been "purged" or justified has no further consciousness of sins, for
no one is more painfully aware of them and of the indwelling "flesh"
than is a regenerated soul. That is his great burden and sorrow. No,
the one who is insensible to the evil and demerit of indwelling sin is
a deluded soul: "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and
the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). Nor do the last words of Hebrews
10:2 in anywise intimate that there is no need for a Christian's being
deeply exercised over his sins and that God does not require him to
repent of and confess them, and make repeated application to the
Throne of Grace for "mercy" through the sacrifice of Christ. "He that
covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and
forsaketh them shall have mercy" (Prov. 28:13): this holds good in
every dispensation.
"No more conscience of sins" signifies freedom from an apprehensive or
terrifying sense of what they deserved. It means complete deliverance
from the fear of God's ever imputing them to us. It is the blessed
recognition that "there is therefore now no condemnation to them which
are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1). Faith has laid hold of the precious
testimony of God unto the efficacy of the blood of Christ as having
satisfied His every demand. If we really believe that the wages of sin
were paid to our sinless Substitute, how can we be fearful that they
will yet be paid to us! The word "conscience" is compounded from two
words meaning "with knowledge," that is, a joint-knowledge of good and
evil. Conscience is the eye of the soul, discerning right from wrong,
yet is it dependent--as the eye is--on light. To and through the
conscience God speaks as Light (1 John 1:5). When His light first
breaks in and shows me what I am, I get a bad conscience; when it is
purged by blood (through faith laying hold of its efficacy) I obtain a
cleansed one.
It is important to observe that our verse does not say the worshipper
should have "no conscience of sins," but "no more conscience" of them.
This confirms the idea that the "continually" ("for ever") of the
previous verse is to be connected not with the "sacrifices," but with
"perfect." It would be a great mistake to suppose that the Levitical
sacrifices altogether failed to remove sins from before God: Leviticus
4:2, 31; 16:11, 22 show otherwise. Nor was it that those sacrifices
failed to remove the load of conscious guilt from those who offered
them: in such case we should never have read of them rejoicing before
God. No, what the apostle is here insisting upon is that those
sacrifices only gave peace of conscience pro tern: they were unable to
lay a foundation for permanent rest and abiding peace.
But what of the sins of the Christian after he has been "purged" or
justified? John 13:10 makes answer: "he that is washed (Greek, "has
been bathed") needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every
wit." By the blood of Christ the Christian has been completely
cleansed once for all, so far as the judicial and eternal consequences
of sin are concerned: "By one offering He hath perfected forever them
that are sanctified" (Heb. 10:14), thereby providing for them such
stable peace and consolation as that they need not a fresh sacrifice
to be made for them day by day. The Gospel makes known how those who
sin every day may enjoy peace with God all their days, and that is by
a daily confession of sins to God (judging themselves for them and
truly repenting of them) and a daily appropriation to themselves of
the cleansing power of Christ's precious blood for the defilements of
their daily walk.
"But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again of sins every
year" (verse 3). The first word of this verse denotes the nature of
the argument insisted upon. In the second verse it had been pointed
out that, had the worshippers been legally perfected they would have
had no more conscience of sins; but, says the apostle, it was not so
with them: God appointed nothing in vain, and He had not only
prescribed the repetition of those sacrifices, but also that in each
offering there should be a "remembrance" made of sin, as of that which
was to be expiated. It was by God's own institution (Lev. 16:21, 22)
that there should be an "express remembrance,'' or a remembrance
expressed by acknowledgement: See Genesis 41:9; 42:21. By an appeal to
this patent fact did the apostle confirm what had been declared in
verses 1, 2.
But at this point a real difficulty confronts us: the first four
verses of this chapter are designed as a background to bring out more
plainly the glorious truth presented in what follows: in other words,
a contrast is pointed by showing what the Levitical sacrifices could
not procure, Christ's has--"By one offering He hath perfected forever
them that are sanctified" (verse 14). Yet, notwithstanding, the fact
remains that Christians ought not only once a year, but every day,
call to remembrance and penitently confess the same, yea, our Lord
Himself has taught us to pray every day for the pardon of our sins:
Luke 11:3, 4. Wherein, then, lies the difference between the Levitical
sacrifices and Christ's, seeing that after both of them there is
equally a remembrance of sin again to be made? Though the problem
seems intricate, yet is its solution simple.
Those under the Mosaic economy confessed their sins preparatory for
and in order to a new atonement of them; not so the Christian. Our
"remembrance" and confession respects only the application of the
efficacy and virtue of that perfect Atonement which has been made once
for all. With them, their remembrance looked to the curse of the law
which was to be answered, and the wrath of God which was to be
appeased; with us, that which is involved is the imparting of the
benefits of Christ's sacrifice unto our conscience, whereby we have
assured peace with God. Confession of sin is as necessary under the
new covenant as under the old, but with an entirely different end in
view: it is not as a part of the compensation for the guilt of it, nor
as a means of pacifying the conscience so that we may still go on in
sin; but to fill us with self-abasement, to induce greater
watchfulness against sin, to glorify God for the mercy available, and
to obtain a sense of His pardon in our own souls.
"For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should
take away sins" (verse 4). Here the apostle brings to a head that
which has been set forth in the preceding verses: seeing that the law
contained only a "shadow" of real redemption and could not perfect
unto perpetuity the worshippers (verse 1), and seeing that "conscience
of sins" remained (verse 2) as was evidenced by the very design of the
annual and typical propitiation (verse 3), it therefore inevitably
followed that it was "impossible" such sacrifices should "take away"
or properly expiate sins. Such, we take it, is the force of the
opening "For" here.
There is a necessity of sin being "taken away," both from before the
Governor of the world and from the conscience of His people. But this,
the blood of beasts could not effect. Why not? First and foremost
because God had not instituted animal sacrifices for that purpose. All
the virtues and efficacy of the ordinances of Divine worship depend
upon the end unto which God has instituted them. The blood of animals
offered in sacrifice was designed of God to represent the way in which
sin was to be removed, but not by itself to effect it. Nor did it
comport with the Divine will and wisdom that it should. God had
declared His severity against sin, with the necessity of its
punishment to the glory of His righteousness and sovereign rule over
His creatures. A most solemn demonstration of this was made at Sinai,
in the giving of the fiery law: Exodus 19:16-24: but what consistency
had there been between that and the satisfying of God's awful justice,
and the removal of sin by such beggarly means as that of the blood of
bulls and goats? In such case there had been no manner of proportion
manifested between the infinite demerits of sin and the feeble
instruments of its expiation.
It was impossible for any mere creature to satisfy the demands of the
all-mighty Governor of the universe. The highest angel could never
have adequately made compensation for the tremendous wrong which sin
had done God, nor repair the loss of His manifestative glory; yea, had
not Christ's sinless and holy humanity--in which He performed the
stupendous work of redemption--been united in His deity, that could
not have met the claims of God nor merited eternal salvation for His
people. Far less could the blood of beasts vindicate the honor of an
infinite Majesty, pacify His righteous wrath, meet the requirements of
His holy law, nor even cleanse the conscience and heart of man. "The
blood of bulls and goats were external, earthly, and carnal things;
but to take away sin was an internal, Divine, and spiritual matter"
(William Gouge). Though the Levitical sacrifices possessed, by God's
institution, an efficacy to remove an outward and ceremonial
defilement, they could not take away an inward and moral pollution.
This 4th verse enunciates and illustrates a deeply important principle
which exposes the great error of Ritualists. As we have pointed out
above, all ordinances of Divine worship derive their value from God's
institution: they can only effect that which He has appointed, they
have in them no inherent efficacy. While they may usefully represent
spiritual truths, they have no spiritual virtue of their own, and
cannot of and by themselves secure spiritual results. The offerings of
Judaism had a Divinely appointed meaning and value, but they could not
take away sins. The same holds good of the two ordinances of
Christianity. Baptism and the Lord's Supper have been ordained of God.
They have a symbolical significance. They represent blessed realities.
But they have no inherent power either to remove sin, regenerate
souls, or impart spiritual blessing. It is only as faith looks beyond
the symbol to Him who is symbolized that the soul receives blessing.
Ere closing, perhaps we ought to anticipate a question which is likely
to have arisen in the minds of the readers. In view of what is
affirmed in the verses which have been before us, are we to conclude
that none of the Old Testament saints had a perfect and permanent
standing before God? No, indeed, for such an inference would
manifestly clash with many plain Old Testament passages and with the
promises which the Church had under the old covenant. The apostle is
not here denying absolutely that no one had spiritual access to God
and real peace of conscience before Him, but is merely affirming that
such blessings could not be secured by means of the Levitical
sacrifices. But those who belonged to the "remnant according to the
election of grace" (Rom. 11:5) had faith given them to look beyond the
shadow to the Substance: see Job 19:25; Psalm 23:6; Song of Solomon
2:16; Isaiah 12:2; Daniel 12:2, etc.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 46
The Divine Incarnation
(Hebrews 10:5-7)
__________________________________________
In the first four verses of our present chapter the apostle was moved
to press upon the Hebrews the insufficiency of the Levitical
sacrifices to bring about those spiritual and eternal effects that
were needed in order for poor sinners being fitted to stand before God
as accepted worshippers. His design in so doing was to pave the way
for setting before them the dire need for and the absolute sufficiency
of Christ's sacrifice. First, he affirmed that the old covenant
provided a "shadow" of the future "good things," but not the substance
itself (verse 1). Under the Mosaic economy men were taught that
ceremonial guilt, acquired through breaking the ceremonial law,
severed from ceremonial fellowship with God, and that the offering of
the prescribed sacrifices procured ceremonial forgiveness (Lev. 4:20)
and restored to external fellowship, and thereby temporal punishment
was averted. In this way there was adumbrated in a lower sphere what
Christ's sacrifice was to accomplish in a higher.
That there was an insufficiency to the typical sacrifices was plainly
intimated by their frequent repetition (verse 2). Had the offerer been
so "purged" as to have "no more conscience of sins," that is, had his
moral guilt been fully and finally expiated, then no further offering
had been needed. Even though God's people continually commit fresh
sins a new sacrifice is not required. Why? Because the one perfect
Sacrifice has made complete satisfaction unto God, and is of perpetual
efficacy before Him: therefore is it ever available to penitence and
faith, for application unto fresh pardons. But no such sufficiency
pertained to the typical sacrifices: a temporary and outward cleansing
they could effect, but nothing more. "For though thou wash thee with
nitre, and take thee much soap, thine iniquity is marked before Me,
saith the Lord God" (Jer. 2:22).
There was no proportion between the infinite demerits of sin, the
demands of God's justice, and the slaying of beasts. Whether the
matter be viewed in the light of God's nature, of man's soul, or of
the exceeding sinfulness of sin, it was obvious that the blood of
bulls and goats could not possibly make atonement (verse 4). Nor was
this fact altogether unknown in Old Testament times: did not one of
Jehovah's prophets declare, "Wherewith shall I come before the Lord,
and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before Him with burnt
offerings, with calves that are a year old? Will the Lord be pleased
with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I
give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the
sin of my soul?" (Mic. 6:6, 7)! But later this light was lost to the
carnal Jews, who, like the darkened Gentiles, came to believe that a
real and efficacious atonement was made by the offering of animal
blood unto God.
"It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens
should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with
better sacrifices" (Heb. 9:23). Yet patent as this now is to any
renewed mind, it was an exceedingly difficult matter to convince the
Jews of it. The Levitical sacrifices were of Divine institution and
not of human invention. Their fathers had offered them for fifteen
centuries; thus, to affirm at this late date that they were set aside
by God made a big demand upon their faith, their prejudices, their
affections. Nevertheless, the logic of the apostle was invincible, the
force of his arguments unanswerable. But it is blessed to observe that
he did not rest his case here; instead, he referred once more to an
authority against which no appeal could be allowed.
As we have passed from chapter to chapter, and followed the inspired
unfolding of the pre-eminency of Christianity over Judaism, we have
been deeply impressed by the fact that, at every crucial point, proof
has been furnished from the Old Testament Scriptures. When affirming
the excellency of the Son over angels (Heb. 1:4), appeal was made to
Psalm 97:7 (Heb. 1:6). When insisting on the exaltation of the humbled
Messiah over all the works of God's hands (Heb. 2:6-9), Psalm 8:4-6
was cited. When declaring the superiority of Christ's priesthood over
Aaron's, Psalm 110:4 was given in substantiation of it (Heb. 6:20).
When pointing out the superseding of the old covenant by the new,
Jeremiah 31:31 was shown to have taught that very thing (Heb. 8:8).
And now that the all-important point has been reached for showing the
imperative necessity of the abolition of the Levitical offerings,
another of their own Scriptures is referred to as announcing to the
Hebrews this identical fact. How all this demonstrates the inestimable
worth and the final authority of Holy Writ!
"Wherefore when He cometh into the world, He saith, Sacrifice and
offering Thou wouldst not, but a body hast Thou prepared Me: In burnt
offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast had no pleasure. Then said
I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of Me), to do
Thy will, O God" (verses 5-7). These verses contain a direct quotation
from the 40th Psalm, which, equally with the 2nd, 16th, 22nd, 10th,
etc., was a Messianic one. In it the Lord Jesus is heard speaking,
speaking to His Father; and well does it behooves us to give our
utmost attention to every syllable that He here utters.
The citation which is here made from the Old Testament Scriptures is
introduced with, "Wherefore when He cometh into the world, He saith."
The precise force of the opening "Wherefore" is not easily determined:
it seems to signify, In accord with the facts pointed out in the first
four verses; or, in proof thereof, listen to the prophetic language of
Christ Himself. John Owen suggested: `It doth not give an account why
the words following were spoken, but why the things themselves were so
ordered and disposed." The "Wherefore" is a logical particle
intimating that by virtue of the impotency of the Old Testament
sacrifices, Christ came not to offer those fruitless sacrifices, but
to do the will of God in their room. The Mosaic worship, with all its
complicated ritual, was superseded by something better coming in its
stead. Christ took away the first, that He might establish the second.
The passage which is here before us calls for a whole book to be
written thereon, rather than a single article: so blessed, so
wondrous, so important are its contents. In it we behold the amazing
grace and wisdom of the Father, the matchless love and obedience of
the Son, and the federal agreement which was between the Father and
the Son with reference to the work of redemption and the salvation of
the Church. In it too we see demonstrated again the perfect harmony
which exists between the old and the New Testament and the declaration
of these things. In it we are taken back to a point before the
foundation of the world, and are permitted to learn something of the
august counsels of the Eternal Three. In it we are shown the means
which the Divine wisdom appointed for the carrying out of those
counsels. It is both our duty and privilege to prayerfully inquire and
diligently search into the mind of the Holy Spirit therein.
"Wherefore when He cometh into the world." The One who is here before
us is the second person in the Holy Trinity. It is He who had been in
the Father's delight from all eternity. It is none other than the One
by whom and for whom all things were created "that are in heaven, and
that are in earth, visible and invisible" (Col. 1:16); who is "over
all, God blessed forever" (Rom. 9:5). This ineffably blessed and
glorious One condescended not merely to behold, or even to send an
ambassador, but to personally come into this world. And, wonder of
wonders, He came here not "in the form of God," bearing all the
manifested insignia of Deity, nor even in the appearance of an angel,
as occasionally He did in Old Testament times; but instead, He came in
"the form of a servant," and was actually "made under the law." May
our hearts be truly bowed in wonderment and worship at this amazing
and unparalleled marvel.
"When the fullness of the time was come" (Gal. 4:4), when the
sinfulness of man and his utter helplessness to extricate himself from
his dreadful misery had been completely demonstrated; when the
insufficiency of Judaism and the powerlessness of the Levitical
sacrifices had been made manifest; then it pleased the Son to become
incarnate, execute the eternal purpose of the Godhead, fulfill the
terms of the everlasting covenant, make good the prophecies and
promises of the Old Testament Scriptures, and perform that stupendous
work which would bring an incalculable revenue of praise to the Triune
God, glorify Him above all His other works, put away the sins of His
people, and provide for them a perfect and everlasting righteousness
which would entitle and fit them to dwell forever in the Father's
House. So transcendent are these things that only those whom the
Spirit of Truth deigns to illuminate and instruct are capable, in any
measure, of apprehending and entering into their ineffable meaning and
preciousness. May it please Him, in His sovereign grace, to shine now
upon the hearts and understandings of both writer and reader.
"Wherefore when He cometh into the world, He saith, Sacrifice and
offering Thou wouldest not, but a body hast Thou prepared Me." Here we
behold the perfect intelligence of the Son concerning the mind and
will of the Father. In the eternal purpose of the Triune God, Christ,
as Mediator had been "set up from everlasting" (Prov. 8:23). The Lord
had "possessed Him," He was "by Him, as One brought up with Him"
(Prov. 8:22, 30). As such, nothing was concealed from Him; all the
counsels of Deity were made known to Him. Therefore did He declare,
after His incarnation, "The Father loveth the Son, and showeth Him all
things" (John 5:20). An illustration of this fact is before us in our
present passage.
"He saith, Sacrifice and offering Thou wouldst not, but a body hast
Thou prepared Me." But here a difficulty presents itself: the
Levitical sacrifices had been instituted by God Himself, how then
could it be said that He willed them not? The solution is simple: the
language here (as is not infrequently the case in Scripture) is to be
taken relatively, and not absolutely. There was one real sense in
which the Old Testament sacrifices were acceptable to God, and another
in which they were not so. The reference here is not to the actual
appointment of the sacrifices, for Hebrews 10:8 tells us they were
"offered according to the law" which God had given to Israel. Nor is
the reference to the obedience of the people concerning them during
the Mosaic economy, for God both required and approved them at their
hands. Nor is it that the apostle is merely speaking from the present
viewpoint (as some have superficially supposed), i.e., that the
sacrifices were no longer pleasing to Him. No, our text strikes much
deeper: God willed not those sacrifices for the ends which He ordained
the Sacrifice of Christ to effect.
"But a body hast Thou prepared Me." The first word of this clause
serves to define the preceding one: the body of Christ is placed over
against, substituted in the stead of, replaces, the Levitical
offerings. Let the reader recall the whole context: there the Holy
Spirit has shown the utter inadequacy of the blood of bulls and goats,
the impossibility of its meeting the highest claims of God and the
deepest need of sinners. God had not appointed animal sacrifices for
those ends: He never took pleasure in them with reference thereto;
according to the will of God they were altogether insufficient for any
such purpose. From all eternity it was Christ, the "Lamb," who had
been "foreordained" to make satisfaction unto God for His people (1
Pet. 1:20). The Levitical sacrifices were never designed by God as
anything more than a temporary means to shadow forth the great
Sacrifice. This, the Mediator Himself was fully cognizant of from
before the foundation of the world.
"But a body hast Thou prepared Me." The term "a body" is a synedochial
expression (a part put for the whole, as when we say a farmer has so
many "head" of cattle, or a manufacturer employs so many "hands") of
the whole human nature of Christ, consisting of spirit and soul and
body. As to some of the reasons why the Holy Spirit here threw the
emphasis on Christ's "body" rather than on His "soul" (as in Isaiah
53:10) we would humbly suggest the following. First, to emphasize the
fact that the offering of Christ was to be by death, and this the body
alone was subject to. Second, because the new covenant was to be
confirmed by the offering of Christ, and this was to be by blood,
which is contained in the body alone. Third, to make more evident the
conformity of the Head to His members who were "partakers of flesh and
blood." Fourth, to remind us that Christ's whole human nature (that
"holy thing," Luke 1:35) was not a distinct person.
"But a body hast Thou prepared Me." The verb has a double force: the
humanity of Christ was both foreordained and created by the Father.
The first reference in the "prepared" here is the same as in Isaiah
30:33. "Tophet is ordained of old, for the king it is prepared"; "the
things which God hath prepared for them that love Him" (1 Cor. 2:9);
"the vessels of mercy, which He hath afore prepared unto glory" (Rom.
9:23). In His eternal counsels, God has resolved that the Son should
become incarnate; in the everlasting covenant the Father had proposed
and the Son had agreed that, at the appointed time, Christ should be
made in the likeness of men. The second reference in the word
"prepared" is to the actual creating of Christ's humanity, that it
might be fitted for the work unto which it was designed.
"But a body hast Thou prepared Me." Commentators have needlessly
perplexed themselves and their readers by discovering a discrepancy
between these words and Psalm 40:6 which reads, "Mine ears hast Thou
opened" or "digged" (margin). Really, there is no discord whatever
between the two expressions: one is figurative, the other literal;
both having the same sense. They refer to an act of the Father towards
the Son, the purpose of the action being designed to make Him meet to
do the will of God in a way of obedience. The metaphor used by the
Psalmist possessed a double significance. First, the "ear" is that
member of the body whereby we hear the commands we are to obey, hence
nothing is more frequent in Scripture than to express obedience by
hearing and hearkening. Here too the part is put for the whole. In His
Divine nature alone, it was impossible for the Son, who was co-equal
with the Father, to come under the law; therefore did He prepare for
Him another nature, in which He could render submission to Him.
It is impossible that anyone should have ears of any use but by having
a body, and it is through the ears that instruction unto obedience is
received. It is to this the incarnate Son made reference when, in the
language of prophecy, He declared, "He wakeneth morning by morning, He
wakeneth Mine ear to hear as the learned. The Lord God hath opened
Mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back" (Isa.
50:4, 5). Thus the figure used in Psalm 40:6 intimated that the Father
did so order things toward the Messiah that He should have a nature
wherein He might be free and able to be in subjection to the will of
God; intimating, moreover, the quality of it, namely, in having ears
to hear, which belong only to a "body."
The second significance of the figure used in Psalm 40:6 may be
discovered by a comparison with Exodus 21:6, where we learn of the
provision made by the law to meet the case of a Hebrew servant, who
chose to remain in voluntary servitude rather than accept his freedom,
as he might do, at the seventh year of release. "Mine ears hast Thou
digged" announced the Savior's readiness to act as God's "Servant:"
Isaiah 42:1, 53:11. Only it is to be duly noted that in Exodus 21:6 it
is "ear," whereas in Psalm 40:6 it is "ears"--in all things Christ has
the "pre-eminence!" There was never any devotion either to Master or
Spouse which could be compared with His: there was (so to speak) an
over-plus of willingness in Him. "A body hast Thou prepared Me"
presents the same idea, only in another form: His human nature was
assumed for the very purpose of being the vehicle of service. Christ
came here to be the substance of all the Old Testament shadows, Exodus
21:1-6 not excepted. In becoming Man, the Son took upon Him "the form
of a servant" (Phil. 2:7).
"A body hast Thou prepared Me." "The origin of the salvation of the
Church is in a peculiar manner ascribed unto the Father--His will, His
grace, His wisdom, His good pleasure, His love, His sending of the
Son, are everywhere proposed as the eternal springs of all acts of
power, grace and goodness, tending unto the salvation of the Church.
And therefore doth the Lord Christ on all occasions declare that He
came to do the Father's will, seek His glory, make known His name,
that the praise of His grace might be exalted" (John Owen). It was by
the Holy Spirit that the human nature of the Redeemer was created. His
body was "prepared" not by the ordinary laws of procreation, but by
the supernatural power of the third person of the Trinity working upon
and within Mary. There is thus a clear allusion here to the
Virgin-birth of the Lord Jesus.
"He prepared Him such a body, such a human nature, as might be of the
same nature with ours, for whom He was to accomplish His work therein.
For it was necessary that it should be cognate and allied unto ours,
that He might be meet to act on our behalf, and to suffer in our
stead. He did not form Him a body out of the dust of the earth, as He
did that of Adam, whereby He could not have been of the same race of
mankind with us; nor merely out of nothing, as He created the angels
whom He was not to save (Heb. 2:14-16). He took our flesh and blood
proceeding from the loins of Abraham. He so prepared it, as that it
should be no way subject unto that depravation and pollution, that
came on our whole nature by sin. This could not have been done, had
His body been prepared by carnal generation--the way and means of
conveying the taint of original sin, which ,befell our nature, unto
all individual persons--for this would have rendered Him every way
unmeet for His whole work of mediation (Heb. 7:26) . . . This body or
human nature, thus prepared for Christ, was exposed unto all sorts of
temptations from outward causes. But yet was it so sanctified by the
perfection of grace, and fortified by the fullness of the Spirit
dwelling therein, that it was not possible it should be touched with
the least taint or guilt of sin" (John Owen).
Summing up this important point: though the actual operation in the
production of our Savior's humanity was the immediate work of the Holy
Spirit (Luke 1:35), nevertheless, the preparation thereof was also the
work of the Father in a real and peculiar manner, namely, in the
infinitely wise and authoritative contrivance of it, and so ordering
of it by His counsel and will. The Father originated it in the
decrective disposition of all things, the Holy Spirit actually wrought
it, and the Son Himself assumed it. Not that there was any distinction
of time in these separate actings of the Holy Three in this matter,
but only a disposition of order in Their operation. In the same
instant of time the Father authoritatively willed that holy humanity
into existence, the Holy Spirit efficiently created it, and the Son
personally took it upon Him as His own.
"In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast had no pleasure"
(verse 6). These words amplify and define the central portion of the
preceding verse. There we hear the Son, just prior to His incarnation
saying to the Father, "Sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest not."
Against this a carping objector might reply, True, God never willed
those sacrifices and offerings which our idolatrous fathers presented
to Baal, nor those which the heathen gave to their gods; but that is a
very different thing from saying that no animal sacrifice satisfied
Jehovah. Such an objection is here set aside by the plain declaration
that even the Levitical offerings contented God not.
"In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast had no pleasure."
In these words Christ comprehended all the sacrifice under the Mosaic
economy which had respect to the expiation of sin and also the worship
of God. In verse 5 the term "sacrifice" includes all those offerings
which the Israelites brought to the Lord for the purpose of obtaining
His pardon; under the word "offering" was embraced all the gifts which
they brought with the object of expressing thanksgiving for blessings
received at His hands. Here in verse 6 the latter are, by a synedoche,
referred to by "burnt offerings,'' and the former by sacrifices "for
sin." Concerning both of them Christ said to the Father "Thou wouldest
not" (verse 5) and "Thou hast had no pleasure."
The difference between "Thou wouldest not" and "Thou hast had no
pleasure" is, the former declares that God had never designed the
Levitical offerings should make a perfect satisfaction unto Himself;
the latter, that He delighted not in them. Such language is to be
understood relatively and not absolutely. God had required sacrifices
at the hands of Israel: He had "imposed" them "until the time of
reformation" (Heb. 9:10). Absolutely they could neither be said to be
wholly nugatory in themselves nor displeasing to God, but as they
could not produce any real atonement for sin, they did not correspond
in the proper sense of the term either to the Divine pleasure nor to
the law of God, but only foreshadowed what was to come. God had
ordained a satisfaction possessing such moral obedience and personal
excellency that there would need no more repetition thereof. These
words "in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast had no
pleasure" serve as a background to bring out in more vivid relief the
blessedness of "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased"
(Matthew 3:17)!
Once more we would point out how that the teaching of these verses
supply a timely warning against our making a wrong use of symbolic
ordinances. "Whatever may be the use or efficacy of any ordinances of
worship, yet if they are employed or trusted unto for such ends as God
hath not designed them unto, He accepts not of our persons in them,
nor approves of the things themselves. Thus He declares Himself
concerning the most solemn institutions of the Old Testament. And
those under the New have been no less abused in this way, than those
of old" (John Owen).
"Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of
Me), to do Thy will, O God" (verse 7). Those words express the
readiness and willingness of the Son to do all that had been ordained
unto the making of a full satisfaction to God and the salvation of His
people. They contain the second branch of the antithesis pointed in
the quotation which is here made from the Messianic Psalm. They record
the response of the Son's mind and will to the design and purpose of
the Father. They conduct us back to the eternal counsels of the
Godhead, in which the Father had expressed His determination to have
an adequate compensation for the insult to His honor which sin should
give, His disapproval of animal sacrifices as the names thereof, His
decision that the Son should become incarnate and in human form
magnify the law and make it honorable; with the Son's free and perfect
acquiescence therein.
"Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God." That "will" was not only to "take
away sins" (verse 4), which the Levitical offerings had not effected,
but was also to make His people "perfect" (verse 1 and cf. Hebrews
5:14). It was the gracious design of God not only to remove all the
effects of sin, original and personal, which provoked His judicial
hatred of us (Eph. 2:3), but also to provide for and give to them such
a righteousness as would occasion Him more cause to love us than ever,
and loving to delight in us. His "will" meant not only peace and
pardon to us, but grace and favor: as the angels announced to the
Bethlehem shepherds, the coming of Christ meant not only "glory to God
in the highest, and on earth peace," but also "good will toward men."
He had predestinated not only to forgive us, but to have us adopted
and graciously "accepted," and that "to the praise of the glory of His
grace" (Eph. 1:5, 6).
The "will" of God which the Son came here to execute was that "eternal
purpose which He had purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Eph. 3:11).
Had He so pleased, God could have "taken away sin" by taking away
sinners, and so made a short work of it, by removing them both at one
stroke--as Ezekiel speaks (Ezek. 12:3, 4). But instead, He purposed to
take away sins in such a way that favored sinners should stand
justified before Him. Again, had He so pleased, God could have taken
off the sins of His people by a sole and sovereign act of pardon. To
hate sin is an act of His nature, but to express His hatred by
punishing sin is an act of His will, and therefore might be wholly
suspended. Were it an act of the Divine nature to punish sin, then
whosoever sinned would die for it immediately; but being an act of His
will, He oftentimes suspends the punishment. Seeing He is prepared to
forebear for a while, He could have foreborne forever. But His
wisdom--the "counsel of His own will" (Eph. 1:11) deemed it best to
require an adequate satisfaction.
What has just been said receives plain confirmation in the words used
by the suffering Savior in Gethsemane: "And He said, Abba, Father all
things are possible unto Thee: take away this cup from Me;
nevertheless, not what I will, but what Thou wilt." Here the incarnate
Son lets us know that the reason why it was not possible for the awful
cup of wrath to pass from Him was because God had ordained that He
should drink it, and not because there was no other alternative. We
indeed can perceive none other, and relatively speaking there was none
other after the everlasting covenant had been sealed; yet absolutely
considered, speaking from the viewpoint both of God's infinite wisdom
and sovereign pleasure, He could, had He so pleased, have saved us in
another way. Never allow the thought that sin has produced a situation
which in anywise limits or restrains the Almighty. It was by His will
that sin entered!
Had God so pleased, He could have accepted the blood of beasts as a
full and final atonement for our sins. The only reason why He did not
was because He had decreed that Christ should make atonement. He
determined in Himself that if He had satisfaction it should be a full
and perfect one. Everything must be resolved into and traced up to the
sovereign pleasure of Him who "worketh all things after the counsel of
His own will" (Eph. 1:11). It is in the light of what has just been
said that we must interpret Hebrews 10:4: it was "not possible"
because of the eternal purpose of the Triune Jehovah. God would have
satisfaction to the full, or none at all. This the Son knew, and to it
He fully consented.
The Son was in perfect accord with the will of the Father from before
the foundation of the world. As Zechariah 6:13 tells us "and the
covenant of peace shall be between Them Both": the reference being to
the "everlasting covenant" (Heb. 13:20). The "counsel of peace"
signifies the compact or agreement which was between the Father and
the Son. It was, then, by His own voluntary consent that the Son was
made "Surety of a better covenant" (Heb. 7:22), a title which
necessarily imports a definite undertaking on His part, namely, His
agreeing to yield that obedience to the law which His people owed, to
make reparation to Divine justice on behalf of their sins, and thus
discharge the whole of their debt. By a free act of His own will, the
Son consented to execute that stupendous work which the Father had
proposed unto Him.
This consent of the Son to His Father's proposal to Him before the
foundation of the world, was, renewed by Him at the moment of His
incarnation: "Wherefore when He cometh into the world, He saith... a
body hast Thou prepared Me... Then said I, Lo, I come.., to do Thy
will O God." He freely acquiesced in assuming to Himself a human
nature, to take on Himself the "form of a servant," to be "made under
the law," to become "obedient unto death." He told the Father so in
the above words, which are recorded for His glory and for our
instruction, wonderment and joy. The further consideration of them, as
well as the meaning of "in the volume of the book it is written of Me"
we must defer (D.V.) till our next article.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 47
Christ's Dedication
(Hebrews 10:7-10)
__________________________________________
"As in all our obedience there are two principal ingredients to the
true and right constitution of it, namely, the matter of the obedience
itself, and the principle and fountain of it in us: whereof the one,
the apostle calls the `deed,' the other `the will' (2 Cor.
8:11)--which latter God accepts in us, oftentimes without, always more
than, the deed or matter of obedience itself even so in Christ's
obedience, which is the pattern and measure of ours, there are those
two eminent parts which complete it. First, the obedience itself, and
the worth and value of it in that it is His--so great a person's.
Second, the willingness, the readiness to undertake and the heartiness
to perform it. The dignity of His person gave the value and merit to
the obedience performed by Him. But the will, the zeal in His
performance gives the acceptance, and hath besides a necessary
influence into the worth of it, and the virtue and efficacy of it to
sanctify us. All of which you have in Hebrews 10:7-10.
"The `offering of the ,body of Jesus Christ:' there is the matter, His
becoming `obedient unto death' (Phil. 2:8). Then there is the
readiness by which He did so, `Lo, I come to do thy will, O God,' This
calls for not only a distinct but a more eminent consideration, both
necessarily concurring to our sanctification and salvation. Now the
story of His willingness to redeem and save is of four parts. 1. His
actual consent and undertaking to the work, made and given to the
Father from everlasting. 2. The continuance of His will to stand to it
from everlasting unto the time of His incarnation. 3. The renewal of
this consent when He came into the world. 4. The steadfast continuance
of that will all along in the performance, from the cradle to the
cross.
"It was necessary that Christ's consent should be then given, even
from everlasting, and that as God made a promise to Him for us, so
also that He should give consent unto God. Yea; and indeed it was one
reason why it was necessary that our Mediator should be God, and
existent from eternity, not only to the end that He might be privy to
the first design and contrivement of our salvation, and know the
bottom of God's mind and heart in it, and receive all the promises of
God from God for us, but also in this respect, that His own very
consent should go to it from the first, even as soon as His Father
should design it. And it was most meet it should be so; for the
performance and all the working part of it was to be His, to be laid
upon His shoulders to execute, and it was a hard task, and therefore
reasonable He should both know it from the first, seeing He was extant
together with His Father. It was fit that both His heart and head
should be in it from the first. And you have all in one Scripture,
Isaiah 9:6, where, when Christ is promised, `Unto us a Child is born,
unto us a Son is given,' observe under what titles He is set for unto
us:
"`Wonderful Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father,' where
everlastingness, which is affixed to one, is yet common to those other
two. The `everlasting Counselor,' as well as `everlasting Father,' for
He was both Counselor and Father, in that He was the Mighty God, and
all alike from everlasting. For, being God, and with His Father as a
Son from everlasting, He must needs be a Counselor with Him, and so
privy unto all God meant to do, especially in that very business, for
the performance of which He is there saint to be given as a Son, and
born as a Child, and the effecting of which is also said to be laid
wholly on His shoulder. Certainly in this case, if God could hide
nothing from Abraham He was to do, much less God from Christ, who was
God with Him from everlasting. And as He was for this cause to be
privy to it for the cognizance of the matter, so to have given His
actual consent likewise thereunto; for He was to be the Father and
Founder of all that was to be done in it. And in that very respect and
in relation to that act of will, then passed, whereby He became a
`Father' of that business for us, it is He is styled the `everlasting
Father.' For it is in respect of that everlastingness He is God, and
so `Father' from everlasting, as well as God from everlasting; a
`Counselor' for us with God, a `Father' of us in our salvation. God's
`Counselor,' because His wisdom was jointly in that plot and the
contrivement of it: and `Father' both of us and this design, because
of His will in it, and undertaking to effect it. In that His heart and
will were in it as well as the Father's He was therefore the `Father'
of it as well as God, and brought it to perfection" (Adopted, with
slight variations, from T. Goodwin, 1600-1680).
Concerning the continuance of the Son's willingness to the Father's
purpose, from everlasting to the time when His humanity was conceived
in the Virgin's womb, we have more than a hint in that remarkable
passage found in Proverbs 8. There (by the Spirit of prophecy) we are
permitted to hear Him say of the Father, "Then I was by Him, as One
brought up with him." But not only so, He added, "And I was daily His
delight, rejoicing always before Him; rejoicing in the habitable part
(that portion where His tabernacle was to be placed) of His earth; and
My delights were with the sons of men" (verses 30, 31). Thus we see
how His heart was more set upon the redeeming of His people than all
other works. The theophanic manifestations which He made of Himself
from time to time during the O.T. period, illustrated the same fact:
see Genesis 12:7, Exodus 3:2-9, Daniel 3:25 etc.
But it is the renewing of His consent when Christ came into the world
which we would particularly contemplate. This may well be called the
will of consecration of Himself by a vow to this great work, then
solemnly made and given. This was the dedication of His holy "Temple"
(John 2:19), foreshadowed of old by Solomon in the dedication of the
temple which he erected unto God. This took place at the moment that
His humanity was conceived by the Virgin: "When He cometh into the
world, He saith... a body (a vehicle of service) hast Thou prepared
Me,... Lo, I come, to do Thy will, O God." How truly marvellous and
blessed that it pleased the Holy Spirit (the Divine Secretary of
Heaven, and Recorder of the everlasting covenant) to write down for
our learning the very words which the Son uttered to His Father at the
moment when He condescended to take our nature and become incarnate!
Equally wonderful is it that we are permitted to hear the very words
which the Father addressed to the Son on His return to Heaven: "The
Lord said to My Lord, Sit Thou at My right hand, till I make Thine
enemies Thy footstool" (Ps. 110:1).
"When He cometh into the world, He saith." The Speaker is none other
than the second person in the Divine Trinity. He was the One who took
that "body" into everlasting union with Himself--an infinitely greater
condescension than for the noblest king to marry the meanest
servant-girl. The ineffably glorious Son of God was personally humbled
far more and gave much more away than did that humanity when it was
humiliated by being nailed to the cross. Therefore was His willingness
to this tremendous stoop eminently requisite and recorded for our
comfort and praise. Thus, at the very moment that the human nature was
amaking, and not yet capable of giving its own consent, He who was the
Brightness of the Father's glory and the express Image of His person,
announced His readiness. Inexpressibly blessed is this; may the
contemplation thereof bow us in worship before Him. "Worthy is the
Lamb!"
"Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of
Me), to do Thy will, O God" (verse 7). There is a double reference (as
is so often the case with the words of God) in the parenthetical
clause. The "book" He mentioned primarily regarded the archives of
God's eternal counsels, the scroll of His decrees Secondarily, it
concerned the Holy Scriptures, which are a partial transcript of that
record of the Divine will which is preserved on High (Ps. 119:89). In
that "book," drawn up by the Holy Spirit, it is written of Christ, the
God-man Mediator for He is the Sum and Substance of all the Divine
counsels (Eph. 3:11), as well as the Depository of all the Divine
promises (2 Cor. 1:20). The Son was perfectly cognisant of all that
was written in that book, for He had been "Counselor" with the Father.
The term "volume" is the right translation of the Hebrew word
"magillah" in Psalm 40:7, but the Greek word "kephalis" ought most
certainly to be rendered "head"--"kephale" occurs seventy-six times in
the N.T., and is always rendered "head" elsewhere.
A most wondrous and blessed revelation is here made known to us: "in
the head of the book" of God's decrees, at the beginning thereof, it
is "written of" Christ! In that book is recorded the names of all
God's favored children: Luke 10:20, Hebrews 12:23; but at the head of
them is Christ's, for "in all things" He must have the "pre-eminence"
(Col. 1:18). Thus, the first name on that heavenly scroll of the
Divine decrees is that of the Mediator Himself! So too in the Holy
Scriptures, which give us a copy, in part, the first name in the O.T.
is that of Christ as Creator (Gen. 1:1 cf. John 1:1-3), and the first
name in the N.T. is "Jesus Christ" (Matthew 1:1)! Yes, "in the head of
the Book" it is written of Him.
The Man Christ Jesus was the first one chosen of God; chosen to be
taken into everlasting union with the second person of the Trinity.
Therefore does the Father say to us, "Behold My Servant, whom I
uphold, Mine Elect in whom My soul delighteth" (Isa. 42:1). The Church
was chosen in Christ (Eph. 1:4) and then given to Christ (Heb. 2:13).
The Man Christ Jesus, taken into union with God the Son, was appointed
to be the Head of the whole election of grace, and they to be members
of His mystical Body (Eph. 1:22, 23; 5:30). "Christ be My first elect
He said; Then chose our souls in Christ our Head."
Precious too is it to discover that the human nature of Christ also
consented to the terms of the everlasting covenant, for it was
something distinct from the Divine nature of God the Son, and so had a
distinct will, and was directly concerned in the Great Transaction,
for it was to be made the subject of all the sufferings and was to be
the sacrifice offered up. The fundamental consent was the Divine
Person's, and this He gave when assuming our nature; but there was
also an accessory consent of the human nature, now married into one
person with the Divine. How soon then, when was it that the human
nature gave its consent? No doubt many will deem this a question which
it is impossible for us to answer, and that any effort so to do would
be a prying into "secret things." Not so: it belongs to those things
which are revealed.
Ere turning to the consideration of this marvelous detail, we must not
overlook the willingness of the virgin Mary to be--in such an
unprecedented manner, and in a way which (humanly speaking) seriously
endangered her own moral reputation--the mother of our Lord's sacred
humanity. This is most blessedly shown us in the inspired record of
Luke's Gospel. There we learn that this amazing honor, yet sore trial,
was proposed to her (not forced upon her, for God never violates human
accountability!) by the angel: "Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy
womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name Jesus" (1:31).
Mark now her meek response: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord"--I give
myself up to Him--"be it unto me according to thy word" (1:38). Not
until after she had herself acquiesced, did she "conceive"--note the
word "before" in Luke 2:21 and compare with Luke 1:31-38. Thus does
God make His people "willing" in the day of His power (Ps. 110:3).
Returning now to the willingness of our Lord's humanity in consenting
to God's eternal purpose: "This may safely be affirmed, that as soon
as, or when first He began to put forth any acts of reason, that then
His will was guided to direct its aim and intentions to God as His
Father, from Himself as the Mediator. And look, as in infant's hearts,
if they had been born in innocency, there would have been sown the
notion of God, whom they should first have known, whatever else they
knew; and the moral law being written in their hearts, they should
have directed their actions to God and His glory, through a natural
instinct and tendency of spirit. Thus it was in Christ when an infant,
and such holy principles guided Him to that, which was that will of
God for Him, and to be performed by Him; and which was to sway and
direct all His actions and thoughts, that were to be the matter of our
justification, which were to be exerted more and more according to the
capacity of reason as it should grow" (T. Goodwin).
There was a meetness, yea a needs-be for this. For what Christ did as
a Child had a meritoriousness in it, as much as what He did when a
full-grown Man. So too what He suffered, even in His very
circumcision, is made influential unto the sanctification of His
people through the virtue of it, equally with what He suffered on the
cross. His coat was "without seam" (John 19:23): the righteousness He
wrought out for His Church was a unit--beginning at Bethlehem's
manger, consummated at Calvary. It is the 22nd Psalm which furnishes a
definite answer to our question, and reveals how early the Savior was
dedicated to God. Hear His gracious and unique words: "Thou art He
that took Me out of the womb: Thou didst make Me hope upon My mother's
breasts. I was cast upon Thee from the womb: Thou art My God from My
mother's belly" (verses 9, 10). O my brethren and sisters, prostrate
your souls in adoration before this Holy One, who from the very first
instant after He entered this world was unreservedly dedicated and
consecrated to God, owning Him, relying wholly upon Him.
In this we may behold the fulfillment of a lovely and striking type,
namely, that of the Nazarite, to which Matthew 2:23 directly, though
not exclusively, refers. The "Nazarite" was one who, voluntarily,
separated and devoted himself entirely unto the Lord (Num. 6:12).
Samson is the outstanding illustration of this in the O.T.: the
parallels between him and Christ are remarkable. 1. An angel announced
to his mother her conception (Judg. 13:2-3). 2. The prophecy of the
angel is recorded. 3. He was sent to a woman utterly barren, to show
her conception was extraordinary. 4. Her son was to be a Nazarite,
that is, "holy to the Lord" (Num. 6:8). 5. He was to be "a Nazarite
unto God from the womb" (Judg. 13:5). 6. It was declared that her son
should be a deliverer of Israel (verse 5). 7. Israel was then subject
to the Gentiles (the Philistines), as the Jews were to the Romans when
Christ was born. 8. It was in his death that he wrought his mightiest
victory!
Equally striking, equally blessed, are the first words which the N.T.
records as being uttered by our Savior: "know ye not that in the
(affairs) of My Father it behooves to be Me" (Bagster Interlinear).
The Greek is very emphatic, the last word before "Me" signifying to be
completely and continuously given up to it, and is rendered "wholly"
in 1 Timothy 4:15. The reader is familiar with the context of Luke
2:49. The Savior's mother appears to have chided Him, and, in
substance, He said: True you are My earthly parent, and I have been
subject to you hitherto in your particular province, but do you not
know that I have another Father, far higher than you, who hath
commanded Me, by virtue of My office of Mediator, other manner of
business? I am the Christ, devoted to the Father's interests; His will
and law is written in My heart; I am not Mine own!
Let us revert for a moment to the 40th Psalm. There we hear the Savior
saying, "Mine ears hast Thou digged" (verse 6): that figurative
language applied only to His humanity. The metaphor employed is taken
from Exodus 21:1-6. The Hebrew servant was entitled to, "go out free"
at the end of the sixth year, but an exception was allowed for: "If
the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my
children; I will not go out free: then... his master shall bore his
ear through with an aul, and he shall serve him for ever" (verses 5,
6). The antitype of this is seen in Christ. As creatures, we are
necessarily born "under the law," subjects of the government of God.
With the Man Christ Jesus, it was otherwise. His humanity, having been
taken into union with the second person in the Trinity, was altogether
exempt from any servile subjection, just as a woman ceases to be a
subject when married to a king. It was an act of unparalleled
condescension, by His own voluntary will, that the God-man entered the
place of service; and love, love to His God, to His Church, His
people, was the moving-cause.
Observe another thing in the prophetic language of the Mediator in
Psalm 40: "Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is
written of Me; I delight to do Thy will, O My God: yea, Thy law is
within My heart" (verses 7, 8). When the appointed hour arrived the
Son volunteered to fulfill every jot and tittle which had been
recorded of Him in the Book of God's decrees--transcribed (in part) on
the pages of Holy Writ. He carried all of it written in His heart.
This was even more than to have His ear "bored"--to give free consent
to the Father's purpose; it was, as it would have been if infants had
been born in innocency, to have God's law (the expression of His
will!) as the molding principle and controlling factor of His human
nature, dwelling in the very center of His affections. Thus could He
say, "My meat (My very sustenance and substance) is to do the will of
Him that sent Me, and to finish His work" (John 4:34) i.e. actualize
what the Father had ordained.
Our theme is exhaustless; eternity will be too short to contemplate
it. Bear with the writer, dear reader, as he endeavors to follow it a
step further. "But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I
straitened till it be accomplished!" (Luke 12:50). What words were
those! The Lord Jesus knew the unspeakable bitterness of that baptism,
a baptism such as no mere creature could have endured; nevertheless,
He panted after it. His very heart was contracted by the delay. Never
woman desired more to be delivered than did He to finish His travail,
to pass over that "brook" (Ps. 110:7), that sea of wrath into which He
should be immersed. Note His remarkable word to Judas: "that thou
doest do quickly" (John 13:27).
Again, mark how when He first announced to His disciples His
forthcoming sufferings and death (Matthew 16:21), and Peter "took Him
(aside as a friend out of natural affection) and began to rebuke Him,
saying, Pity thyself, Lord"--Thou who art going about doing good,
ministering to the needy, allow not Thyself to suffer such
indignities, such an ignominious end. And how did Christ receive this
word? Did He appreciate it? No, never did He take any word so ill;
never did His holy zeal flash forth more vividly than then. He turned
and said unto Peter, "Get thee behind Me, Satan; thou art an offense
unto Me." Never such word was spoken unto saint, before or since. The
word "offense" means an occasion of stumbling; Peter's counsel had
that tendency in it--to turn Him aside from that great work upon which
His heart was so fully set.
There is a remarkable word in the "Pascal Discourse" which it is
impossible to explain or account for except on the ground of that holy
impatience or zeal which consumed the Savior to make an end of the
work the Father had assigned Him. After Judas had gone out to betray
Him, the Savior redeemed the time by speaking at length to the Eleven,
and in the midst of so doing He said, "But that the world may know
that I love the Father; and as the Father gave Me commandment, even so
I do. Arise, let us go hence" (John 14:31). He was in haste to be
gone, lest the band headed by the betrayer should miss Him in the
garden. Then He looked (as it were) at the hour-glass of His life, and
seeing that the sands of time had not yet completely run out, He
resumed and completed His address.
The closer he drew to the final conflict, the more blessedly did
appear the perfectness of His consecration to God. When the moment of
arrest arrived, and Peter drew his sword and attempted resistance, the
Savior exclaimed, "The cup which My Father hath given Me, shall I not
drink it?" (John 18:11). When conducted to the hall of judgment, He
was not dragged, as an unwilling victim, but was "led as a sheep to
the slaughter" (Acts 8:32). Hear His own words--spoken centuries
before by the Spirit of prophecy--"The Lord God hath opened Mine ear,
and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. I gave My back to
the smiters, and My cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid
not My face from shame and spitting" (Isa. 50:5, 6). That (excepting
the cross itself) was the hardest part of what had been assigned Him,
yet He rebelled not. O blessed Savior grant us more of Thy spirit.
He never showed the slightest sign of reluctancy till Gethsemane was
reached, when He took (as it were) a more immediate look into the
awful cup which He was to drink, and saw in it the wrath of God and
His being made a "curse." Then, to exhibit the holiness of His nature,
shrinking from being "made sin" (2 Cor. 5:21), to demonstrate the
reality of His humanity--trembling, horrified, in anguish at what
awaited Him; and to manifest His unquenchable love to us, by making
known more clearly what He suffered on our behalf, He cried, "If it be
possible, let this cup pass from Me." Yet instantly He was quieted:
"Nevertheless, not My will be done, but Thine." Thus we are shown
again His full and perfect acquiesence to the Father's purpose, and
that the one and only object before Him was the doing of the Father's
will.
Yet one more thought on this precious subject: "Lo, I come to do Thy
will, O God." Weigh well the verb. It was not merely that the Son
consented to passively endure whatever the Father was pleased to lay
upon Him, but also that He desired to actively perform the work which
had been allotted to Him. Though that work involved immeasurable
humiliation, untold anguish, though it entailed not only Bethlehem's
manger but Calvary's cross, He hesitated not. As a child, as a Man, in
life and in death, He was "obedient" to His God. Our disobedience was
voluntary, so the satisfaction which He made for us was voluntary.
Though what He did was done out of love for us, yet chiefly in
subjection to God's will and out of love to Him. "I love the Father;
and as the Father gave Me commandment, even so I do" (John 14:31)!
Let us pause long enough to make one word of application. In view of
all that has been before us, of what surpassing value must be such
obedience! When we remember that the One we have been contemplating is
none other than the Almighty, who, "hath measured the waters in the
hollow of His hand and meted heaven with a span" (Isa. 40:12), then is
it not obvious that this humiliation and consecration must possess a
dignity and efficacy which has more than compensated God for all the
dreadful disobedience of His people! It was the Divine excellency of
Christ's person which gave infinite worth to all that He did as the
God-man-Mediator; therefore is He able to "save unto the uttermost
them that come unto God by Him." O Christian reader look away from
self with its ten thousand failures, to Him who is "Altogether
Lovely." No matter how black and foul thy sins, the precious blood of
such an One cleanseth from them all. And what wholehearted devotion is
due unto Him from us! O may His love truly constrain us to obey and
please Him.
"Above when He said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and
offering for sin Thou wouldest not, neither hast pleasure therein,
which are offered by the law; Then said He, Lo, I come to do Thy will,
O God. He taketh away the first, that He may establish the second"
(verses 8, 9). In these words we have the apostle's inspired comment
upon the remarkable quotation given from Psalm 40. Repetition is here
made that the conclusion drawn might the more plainly appear. That to
which attention is now directed is to the order of statement, and what
that order necessarily intimated. The first word of verse 8 ("Above")
and the first of verse 9 ("Then") are placed in opposition and it is
to them that the "first" and the "second" at the end of verse 9 looks.
Granting that the Levitical sacrifices were "offered by the law,"
nevertheless, God rejected them as the means of making real expiation
of sin and the saving of His church. This He had made known as far
back as the days of David; nor was it a new decision that God formed
then, for what He spoke through His prophets in time was but the
revelation of what He had decreed in eternity. This the Son, the
Mediator, was cognizant of, therefore did He say, "Lo I come to do Thy
will, O God." "Lo" Behold! a word signalizing what a glorious
spectacle was then presented to God, to angels, and to men. "I come"
from Heaven to earth, from the "form of God" to the "form of a
servant;" come forth like the rising of the sun, with light and
healing in his wings, or as a giant rejoicing to run his race. To "do
Thy will," to perform Thy counsels, to execute what Thou requirest, to
render that entire service of love which Thy people owed unto the law,
to perform the great work of redemption. Thus, the perfect obedience
of Christ is placed in direct contrast from the whole of the Levitical
offerings: His accomplishing what theirs could not.
"He taketh away the first, that He may establish the second." This
inference is patent; no other conclusion could be drawn. The Levitical
offerings were unefficacious to accomplish the purpose of God; the
satisfaction of the incarnate Son had. The Greek word for "taketh
away" is even stronger than the term applied to the old
covenant--"made old" and "vanish away" (Heb. 8:13). It is usually
applied to the taking away of life (Acts 16:27). Dead things are not
only useless, but prove harmful carrion, fit only to be buried! Thus
it was with the Mosaic shadows. So also an equally emphatic and final
word is used in connection with the one offering of our Lord's: it has
"established" the will of God concerning the Church. That is, it has
placed it on such an immutable foundation that it shall never be moved
or altered.
"By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body
of Jesus Christ once for all" (verse 10). This is a commentary upon
the whole passage. "By," or better "in which will" refers not to
Christ's, for the preceding verse speaks of the will of the Father,
purposing that Christ should offer the perfect and acceptable
sacrifice. Moreover, the "will" is distinguished from the "offering"
of the Redeemer. The "Thy will" of verse 9 refers to the eternal
agreement between the Father and the Son in connection with the
covenant of redemption, the performing of His "commandment" (John
10:18). "In which will" gives the sphere or element in which the great
sacrifice was offered and in which the elect are "sanctified."
"In the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body
of Jesus Christ once for all." "Sanctified" positionally, restored to
God's favor, standing accepted before Him. The death of Christ was a
"sacrifice" (7:27, 9:23), by which He put away sin (Heb. 9:26) and
provided for the purging of our conscience (Heb. 9:14) and the setting
apart of our persons unto God (Heb. 10:14). All these passages affirm
that the death of Christ was a sacrifice by which the elect are
separated as a peculiar people unto the worship of the living God. It
is important to see the type realized in the Antitype. "As the ancient
sacrifices, as symbols in the lower sphere, freed the worshipper from
merited (temporal) punishment, because the guilt passed over to the
victim, so the death of Christ, in a higher sphere, not only displayed
the punishment due to us for sin, but the actual removal of that
punishment. It puts us in the position of a people near to God, a holy
people, as Israel were in a typical (or ceremonial) sense" (G.
Smeaton).
"In the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body
of Jesus Christ once for all." "Sanctified is here to be taken in its
widest latitude, as including a full expiation of sin, a complete
dedication to God, a real purification of our natures, a permanent
peace of conscience unto which belongs the privilege of immediate
access to God. Faith is the instrumental cause, whereby we enter into
the good of it. The Spirit's work within is the efficient cause,
whereby we are enabled to believe and lay hold of it. The redemptive
work of Christ is the meritorious cause, whereby He earned for us the
gift of His Spirit to renew us. But the sovereign and eternal will of
the Father is the supreme and originating cause. All that the will of
God ordained for the good of His Church is communicated to us through
the satisfaction or offering of Christ, but this is only apprehended
by an understanding enlightened and a heart opened by the Holy Spirit.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 48
The Perfecting of the Church
(Hebrews 10:11-14)
__________________________________________
The connection between our present passage and the verses preceding is
so close, the relation between them so intimate, that what is now to
be before us cannot be understood, and appreciated apart from the
other. The design of the whole is to show the superlative excellency
of the sacrifice of Christ and what it has procured for His people,
with the inevitable setting aside of all the typical offerings. This
great change in the outward worship of God's saints on earth was no
temporary expediency in view of the failures of fleshly Israel, but
was ordained by the Divine counsels before the foundation of the
world, recorded in the Book of God's decrees, and, in due time,
transcribed upon the pages of Holy Scripture; the 40th Psalm having
announced the alteration which was to be brought about by the
incarnation and advent to this earth of the Son of God.
Most blessedly does that Messianic Psalm acquaint us with what passed
between the Father and the Son and of the covenant agreed upon by
Them. Most blessedly are we there shown not only the Son's
acquiescence to the Father's purpose, but also His readiness and joy
to execute the same. The strenuous undertaking was to rest upon His
shoulder, the burden and heat of the day was to be borne by Him, the
humiliation and pains of death wire to be His portion; yet so far from
rebelling against this frightful ordeal, He exclaimed "I delight to do
Thy will, O My God" (Ps. 40:8). So dear to Him was the Father's glory,
so filled with zeal was He to accomplish His counsels, so deep was His
longing to magnify His law and make it honorable, that His very "meat"
was to do and accomplish His will. Never did famished mortal so crave
food to satisfy hunger, as did the God-man Mediator to perform the
Father's pleasure.
He too knew full well that the blood of bulls and goats could never
repair the damage which sin had wrought. He too had heartily concurred
in tee august Council of the Trinity that, if satisfaction were to be
made unto Divine justice, then an adequate one should be given, one
which should be suited in every way to meet all the aspects of the
case. Inasmuch as it was man who had revolted against the Divine
government and broken the Divine law, He was willing to become Man,
and in the same nature which had apostatized from God render perfect
obedience to Him. Inasmuch as "the Law" was the rule of obedience
(Jer. 31:33), comprehending all God's demands, the entire service of
love which creatures owe unto their Maker, the Son consented to be
"made under the law" (Gal. 4:4) and "fulfill" its precepts (Matthew
5:17). Inasmuch as the penalty of that law was death unto the
transgressor, He agreed to be "made a curse for us."
It was not that all of this was forced on the Son, but that He freely
agreed thereto. If there are verses which tell us the Father "sent"
the Son, there are other passages which declare that the Son "came."
Blessedly was this foreshadowed in Genesis 22, where we behold an
earthly adumbration of that "counsel of peace" which was between
"Both" the Father and the son (Zech. 6:13). There we are shown a human
father willing to sacrifice his beloved son upon the altar, and there
too we see a human son (then fully grown) willing to be slain!
Marvelously did that set forth the mutual consent of the Divine
persons with regard to the Great Transaction. Mark attentively, those
precious words, "So they went both of them together" (Gen. 22:8)! As
we follow Isaac upon mount Moriah, his actions said, "Lo, I come to do
Thy will, O my God."
In man three things combine to the doing of a thing. First, there is
the exercise of will, which is the prime mover and spring of all the
rest. Second, there is the exercise of wisdom, by which he plans and
arranges. Third, the putting forth of strength to accomplish the same.
So it is in the Divine Trinity in connection with the salvation of the
Church and all that that entails. "Will" is more generally ascribed to
the Father: Matthew 11:26, Ephesians 1:11, etc. "Wisdom" is more
eminently attributed to the Son, the "Wonderful Counselor," called so
often "Wisdom" in the book of Proverbs, Luke 7:35, 11:49 etc. "Might"
to the Holy Spirit--Luke 1:35, where He is designated "the Power of
the Highest." The Father contrived the great work of redemption, the
Son transacted it, and the Holy Spirit applies the same. Here in
Hebrews 10 things are traced back to the first great cause of our
salvation, namely, the sovereign will of the Father.
The closer the whole passage be read, the more will it appear that the
apostle was moved to ascend in thought to the originating source of
redemption. In verse 5 we hear the Lord Jesus saying to the Father
concerning the legal sacrifices, "Thou wouldest not," i.e. they were
not what Thou didst eternally purpose should take away sins. To this
He adds, "But a body hast Thou prepared Me," which (as we have shown)
in its deepest meaning signifies: a human nature hast Thou ordained
for Me, to be the meet vehicle of service in which I should render an
adequate satisfaction. Next, He makes reference to the Book of God's
eternal decrees, in view of which He declares, "I come to do Thy will,
O God." Finally, the Holy Spirit sums up the whole by affirming "in
the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of
Jesus Christ once."
We feel it a bounden duty to enlarge upon this fundamental truth, the
more so in view of the present almost universal denial of the absolute
sovereignty of God. The Holy Spirit has Himself here emphasized the
fact that God's imperial pleasure was the sole moving-cause even in
that greatest of all the Divine works, through which is communicated
the chiefest glory to God and highest good to His people. God was
under no necessity to save any. He "spared not the angels that sinned,
but cast them down to hell" (2 Pet. 2:4); and had it so pleased Him,
He had done the same with the whole human race. There was no necessity
in His nature which compelled or even required Him to show mercy; had
there been, mercy had been bestowed on the fallen angels! The Almighty
is under no restraint either from anything outside or anything inside
Himself; to affirm the contrary, would be to repudiate the absolute
freedom of His will.
Still less was God under any necessity of giving His own beloved Son
if He chose to redeem a part of Adam's race. He who declares, "All
nations before Him are as nothing: and they are counted to Him less
than nothing, and vanity. To whom then will ye liken God?" (Isa.
40:17, 18) is not to be measured by human reason nor limited by our
unbelief. Had God so pleased He had made this earth a thousand times
bigger than it is; and had He so pleased, He had created it a thousand
times smaller. In like manner, He was absolutely free to use whatsover
means He determined in order to save His people from their sins. The
sending forth of His Son to be made of a woman and to die upon the
cross, was not a work of His nature, but of His will; as He now begets
us "of His own will" (James 1:18). True it "became" Him so to do (Heb.
2:10), and He is infinitely honored thereby, yet He could have refused
had He so pleased.
Thus, the "will" of God referred to throughout Hebrews 10 is that
eternal, gracious, free purpose, by which God determined in Himself to
recover His elect out of lost mankind, to remove their sins, sanctify
their persons, and bring them nigh unto the everlasting enjoyment of
Himself. This act of the will of God was without any meritorious cause
foreseen in them, and altogether apart from anything outside Himself
to dispose Him thereto. It was His own free and uncaused act by which
God purposed so to do. Nor have we the smallest occasion to regard
this supremacy of the Most High with any aversion. God is no Tyrant,
nor does He act capriciously, His will is a wise and holy one,
therefore do we read of Him working "all things after the counsel of
His own will" (Eph. 1:11), and therefore did He devise a plan whereby
His grace might be most magnified.
It was for this reason He determined that His people should be saved
in such a way as to remove all ground for boasting in themselves, and
to glory only in God Himself. Therefore did He appoint His own Son to
be their Savior, and that by rendering to Him such a satisfaction as
would meet every requirement of justice and every demand of the most
enlightened conscience. God's end and aim in giving Christ to die was
to advance the glory of His grace, which consists in having the
monarchy and sole prerogative in saving sinners attributed unto it;
the highest of whose honor and eminency is this, that it alone
"reigns" (Rom. 5:21), and hath not and could not have any competitor
therein. As it is the excellency of God that He is God alone, and
there is none beside Him, so it is of His Son that He is Savior alone
and there is none beside Him (Acts 4:12).
Unto God the Son, made Man, has been assigned an office which no
creature in earth or heaven could possibly fill. The fullest trial and
manifestation of this is made in a case of less difficulty (than that
of making satisfaction to Divine justice for sin) in Revelation 5.
There we read of a challenge given, "Who is worthy to open the
book"--which was sealed and held in the hand of God seated on His
throne "and to loose the seals thereof?" Waiving the question as to
what "book" this was, we note the response: "And no one in heaven, nor
in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither
to look thereon" (verse 3). Even the beloved John was discouraged, and
"wept much because no one was found worthy to open and to read the
book" (verse 4). Mark the unspeakably blessed sequel: "One of the
elders saith unto me, Weep not; behold, the Lion of the tribe of
Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book and to loose
the seals thereof. And I beheld, and, Lo, in the midst of the
throne... stood a Lamb as it had been slain... and He came and took
the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne"
(verses 5-7). If then no mere creature was fit to reveal redemption,
how much less to effect it!
Thus, the origin of our salvation is found in the sovereign will of
God; the means, in the satisfaction made by His incarnate Son. The two
things are brought together in verse 10, "In the which will we are
sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once." "In
the which will" has reference to what is recorded in the Book of God's
decrees. That "will" was that His people should be "sanctified" unto
Him, set apart with acceptance to Him. This was to be effected through
"the offering" of Christ, which began at the first moment of His birth
and ended when on the cross He cried, "It is finished." This was "once
for all."
It was an absolute necessity that there should be these two things:
the originating will of God the Father, the consenting will of the
Mediator to make full satisfaction for sin. Necessary it was that the
Father should be willing and call His Son to this work, for He was the
person unto whom the satisfaction was to be made. Had Christ performed
all that He did, freely and gladly, yet, unless the Father had first
decreed that He should and had "called" Him unto it, then had He
rejected the whole, asking "who hath required this at Thy hand?"
Therefore has the Spirit insisted upon this foundational fact again
and again in the course of this epistle: see Hebrews 2:10; 3:4, 5;
6:17 etc. Thus does Hebrews 10:10 ascribe as much, yea more, to God's
appointing and accepting of Christ's sacrifice, as to the merits of
Christ unto the sanctification of His people.
"And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes
the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this Man,
after He had offered one sacrifice for sins, for ever sat down on the
right hand of God; from henceforth expecting, till His enemies be made
His footstool. For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that
are sanctified (verses 11-14). "These words are an entrance into the
close of that long blessed discourse of the apostle, concerning the
priesthood and sacrifice of Christ, their dignity and efficacy; which
he shuts up and finisheth in the following verses, confirming the
whole with the testimony of the Holy Spirit before producing by Him.
"Four things doth he here instruct us in, by way of recapitulation of
what he had declared and proved before. 1. The state of the legal
priests and sacrifices, as unto the recognition of them, by which he
had proved before their utter insufficiency to take away sin (verse
11). 2. In that one offering of Christ, and that once offered, in
opposition thereunto (verse 12). 3. The consequence thereof on the
part of Christ; whereof there are two parts. First, His state and
condition immediately ensuing thereon (verse 12), manifesting the
dignity, efficacy and absolute perfection of His offering. Secondly,
as unto the continuance of His state and condition afterwards (verse
13). 4. The absolute effect of his sacrifice, which was the
sanctification of the Church (verse 14)" ( John Owen).
"And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes
the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins" (verse 11). The
opening "And" links this verse with the 10th, for the purpose of
accentuating the blessedness of what is there declared. Once more the
Holy Spirit emphasizes the contrast between the all-sufficient
offering of Christ and the unefficacious offerings under the law. This
is brought out under five details, upon which there is little need for
us to enlarge at length.
First, under the law the sacerdotal office was filled by many:
attention is called to this by the "every priest," which is set over
against the "this Man" of verse 12, who was competent by Himself to do
all God required. Second, the Levitical priests stood. This was true
both of the high priests and of all under him. No chair or seat was
provided for them in either the tabernacle or temple, for their work
was never ended. Third, they were employed daily, which showed they
were unable to do immediately and once for all that which would
satisfy God. Fourth, they oftentimes presented "the same sacrifices":
true, they varied in detail and design, nevertheless they had this in
common, that, they were irrational creatures, incapable of offering
intelligent and acceptable obedience to God. Fifth, they could not
meet the infinite demands of justice, expiate sins, nor provide a
permanent resting-place for an exercised conscience.
An improvement should be made of what has just been before us, by
pointing out the utter worthlessness of all human devices for
appeasing God and comforting the conscience. If the Levitical
offerings, which were of Divine appointment, were unable to really
meet either the full requirements of God or the deepest need of
sinners, how much less can the contrivances of man do so! How vain are
the Romish inventions of confession, absolution, indulgencies, masses,
penances, purgatory, and the like tom-fooleries! Equally vain are the
austerities of some Protestants: the signing of a temperance-pledge,
giving up of tobacco, and other reformations, with tears, lastings,
and religious performances designed to make peace with God. The
salvation of the Lord does not come to a soul via any such things.
"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to
His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of
the Holy Spirit; which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ
our Savior" (Titus 3:5, 6).
"But this man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever
sat down on the right hand of God" (verse 12). The opening word
denotes that a contrast is here presented from what was before us in
verse 11: it is the Holy Spirit placing in antithesis the one perfect
and efficacious offering of Christ from the unavailing sacrifices of
the law. The word "Man" ought to be in italics: if any word is to be
supplied it should be that of "Priest." The Greek simply reads, "But
He," the pronoun being emphatic. It is the sacerdotal work of the
Mediator which is in view. He came and once for all laid Himself on
the Divine altar as an atonement to God--the entire course of His
obedience terminating and being consummated at the cross.
There is both a comparison and a contrast here between Christ and
Aaron and his successors. Both were priests; both offered a sacrifice
for sins; but there the analogy between them ends. They were many; He
alone. They offered numerous sacrifices; He, but one. They continued
to offer sacrifices; His is complete and final. Their offerings were
unefficacious; His, has actually removed sins. They stood; He has sat
down. They ministered unto God; He is seated at the right hand of God.
The typical high priest entered the holiest only for a brief season,
one day in the year; Christ has gone on High "forever." He has not
ceased to be a Priest, nor to exercise that office; but He is now "a
Priest upon His throne" (Zech. 6:13). The position He occupies
witnesses to the supreme excellency of His work, and attests the
acceptance of His sacrifice by God. The glorious place which our once
humiliated Savior has been accorded, supplies conclusive evidence of
the value and finality of His redemptive work. "The very fact that
Christ is in heaven, accepted by His Father, proves that His work must
be done. Why, beloved, as long as an ambassador from our country is at
a foreign court, there must be peace; and as long as Jesus Christ our
Savior is at His Father's court, it shows that there is real peace
between His people and His Father. Well, as He will be there forever,
that shows our peace must be continued and shall never cease. But that
peace could not have been continual, unless the atonement had been
wholly made, unless justice had been entirely satisfied" (C.H.
Spurgeon).
Commentators have been divided as to whether the "for ever" is to be
connected with the Savior's one sacrifice or to His sitting down at
God's right hand. The Greek, while hardly conclusive, decidedly favors
the latter. Perhaps the double thought is designed. They who insist
that the "for ever" must be joined to the first clause, argue that it
cannot be so with the second because 1 Thessalonians 4:16, Revelation
19:11 etc. show that the Savior will yet leave Heaven. As well might
appeal be made to Christ's "standing" to receive Stephen (Acts 7:55).
But the difficulty is self-created through carnalizing the metaphor
used. "For ever sat down" is in designed contrast from the "standeth
daily" of verse 11. Christ has ceased for ever from the priestly work
of making oblation: He will never again be engaged in such a task; but
He has other characters to fill beside that of Maker of atonement.
"For ever sat down on the right hand of God." Four times in this
epistle is reference made to Christ's being seated on High, yet is
there no repetition. On each occasion the reference is found connected
with an entirely different line of thought. First, in Hebrews 1:3 it
is His seat of personal glory which is in view: the whole context
before and after showing that. Second, in Hebrews 8:1 it is the seat
of priestly pre-eminence which He occupies, namely, His superiority
over all others who filled the sacerdotal office. Third, here in
Hebrews 10:12 it is the seat of sacrificial acceptance, God's witness
to the value of His satisfaction. Fourth, in Hebrews 12:2 it is the
seat of the Victor, the prize given for having successfully run His
race.
The One born in Bethlehem's manger, who on earth had not where to lay
His head, who died upon the cross, and whose body was laid in a
borrowed grave, is now in Heaven. He has been given a place higher
than that of the arch-angel, He has been exalted above all created
things. There is a glorified Man at God's right hand! Christ is the
only one among all the hosts above who deserves to be there! It is
naught but Divine favor which gives holy angels and redeemed sinners a
place in the Father's House; but the Man Christ Jesus has merited that
high honor!
"The highest place that Heaven affords,
Is His by sovereign right,
King of kings and Lord of lords,
He reigns there in the Light."
Unspeakably blessed is this; the more so when it be realized that
Christ has entered heaven for His people. He has gone there in his
official character. He has gone there as our Representative; to appear
before God "for us" (Heb. 9:24). He is there as our great High Priest,
bearing our names on His breastplate. Wondrous and precious are those
words, "Whither the fore-runner is for us entered, even Jesus" (Heb.
6:20). There the mighty Victor sits "crowned with glory and honor." He
occupies the Throne of universal dominion, of all-mighty power, of
sovereign and illimitable grace. He is making all grace. He is making
all things work together for the good of His own. The kingly scepter
shall He wield until all His redeemed are with Him in glory.
"From henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool"
(verse 13). In these words we have the seventh and last N. T.
reference made to the 110th Psalm. There we read. "The Lord said unto
my Lord, Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy
footstool" (verse 1). Allusion is here made to that promise of the
Father to the Son for the purpose of supplying additional confirmation
of what had just been declared. In verses 10, 12 (also in 14), the
utter needlessness for any repetition of Christ's sacrifice is shown,
here the impossibility of it. From the beginning, a state of glory and
position of honor had been appointed the Mediator following on the
presentation of His offering to God. He was to take His place on the
throne of heaven, till His foes were completely subjugated: therefore
to enter the place of service and die again He was no longer capable!
The suffering Savior has been invested with unlimited power and
dominion, and nothing now remains but the accomplishing of all those
effects which His sacrifice was designed to procure. These are
twofold; the saving of His elect, the subjugating of all revolters
against God, for "He hath appointed a day in the which He will judge
the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained" (Acts
17:31). The Redeemer having perfected His great work, now calmly
awaits the fulfillment of the Father's promise: cf. 1 Corinthians
15:25-27. Christ will yet put forth His mighty power and overthrow
every proud rebel against Him. He will yet say, "I will tread them in
Mine anger, and trample them in My fury, and their blood shall be
sprinkled upon My garments . . . for the day of vengeance is in Mine
heart" (Isa. 63:3, 4): cf. Revelation 14:20. Then will men experience
the terribleness of "the wrath of the Lamb" (Rev. 6:16).
The "wrath of the Lamb" is as much a perfection as is the "love of
Christ." In His overthrow of God's adversaries, His glory shines as
truly as when He conducts the redeemed into the Father's House. He is
equally to be adored when we behold His vesture stained with the blood
of His enemies, as when we see His life ebbing from His side pierced
for us. Each was an intrinsic part of that work assigned Him of the
Father. Though in our present state we are apt to shrink-back with
horror, as we contemplate Him saying to those who despised and
rejected Him. "Depart from Me, ye cursed," yet in that day we shall
praise Him for it. "Oh! what a triumph that will be, when men, wicked
men, persecutors, and those who opposed Christ, are all cast into the
lake that burneth" (C.H. Spurgeon).
A remarkable adumbration (shadowing forth) of what has just been
before us was made by God in A.D. 70. During the days of His flesh,
the enemies of Christ pursued Him with relentless hatred. Nor was
their enmity appeased when they had hounded Him to death: their rage
continued to vent itself upon His followers. No one can read through
the book of Acts without discovering many an evidence of the rancor of
apostate Judaism against the early Christians. Loudly did the Jews
boast of their triumph against Jesus of Nazareth, and for a time it
looked as though they would prevail against His church. Though the
issue hung in suspense for some years, God made a complete end to the
same by utterly destroying them as a nation, and thereby gave a pledge
of the eternal destruction of those who obey not the Gospel. In
sending the Romans to burn their city and raze their temple, we
discover a solemn foreshadowing of that which shall yet take place
when Christ says, "But those Mine enemies, which would not that I
should reign over them, bring hither and slay before Me" (Luke 19:27).
But let our final thought of this 13th verse be one of a different
tenor. In the word "expecting" we have manifested again the lovely
moral perfections of the Mediator. Christ is able to destroy all His
enemies in a moment, yet for nineteen centuries He has bided His time.
Why? Because, even in Heaven, He meekly and gladly bows to the
Father's pleasure. His final triumph is still postponed, because He
calmly waits that day which God has "appointed" (Acts 17:31).
Therefore do we read of "the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ"
(Rev. 1:9). In this too He sets us an example. Whatever be our lot and
condition, however the forces of evil rage against us, we are to
possess our souls in patience (Luke 21:19), knowing that there is a
"set time" to favor Zion (Ps. 102:13). Ere long, every enemy of Christ
and of His church shall be overthrown--overthrown, not "reconciled":
"His enemies be made His footstool" plainly gives the lie to the
dreams of Universalists!
"For by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are
sanctified" (verse 14). Three things claim our attention here: first,
the relation of this view to the context; second, what is meant by
"perfected for ever"?; third, who are the "sanctified"? The link
between our verse and what precedes is contained in the opening "For,"
which has a double force. First, it intimates that what is now said
furnishes additional proof for the thesis of the whole passage: the
very fact that the one offering of Christ has "perfected for ever"
(contrast Hebrews 7:17!) those sanctified by God, gives further
demonstration of the efficacy and sufficiency of it, and the
needlessness of any repetition. Second, the same fact manifests the
meet-ness of the Mediator's sitting at God's right hand until His
enemies are made His footstool--His work having accomplished such a
blessed result, He is entitled both to rest and reward.
"For by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are
sanctified." The word for "perfected" literally means "completed" or
"consummated." It is more of an objective than a subjective perfection
which is here in view, as the immediate context and the whole epistle
shows. This verse is not speaking of the Church's eternal state in
Glory, but of its present standing before God. By His sacrifice Christ
has procured for His people the full pardon of sin and peace before
God thereon. The "one offering" of the Lord Jesus possesses such
infinite merits (being that of an infinite or Divine person in a holy
humanity), that it has wrought out a complete expiation and secured
for "His own" personal acceptance with and access to God, a priestly
standing and covenant nearness before Him.
Because their salvation has been accomplished by the vicarious
obedience and vicarious suffering, in life and in death, by no less a
person than Immanuel, because He glorified God's law by keeping it
fully and enduring its curse, His people are both perfectly justified
and perfectly sanctified, that is, a complete righteousness and
complete fitness to worship in the Temple of God is theirs, not in
themselves, but through Christ their Head. Their title to heaven is
founded alone on the righteousness of Christ imputed to them. Their
fitness is given when the Holy Spirit regenerates them. Their present
enjoyment of the same is determined by the maintenance of communion
with God day by day. Their perfect and eternal enjoyment thereof will
issue from their glorification at the return of the Savior.
The word "perfected" here is to be understood in a sacrificial rather
than in an experimental sense. It has reference to the Christian's
right to stand in the holy presence of God in unclouded peace. Our
title so to do is as valid now as it will be when we are glorified,
for that title rests alone on the sacrificial work of our Substitute,
finished on the cross. It rests on something altogether external to
ourselves, altogether apart from what God's sovereign grace works in
us or through us, either when we first believe or afterwards. We are
precious in the sight of God according to the preciousness of Christ:
see Ephesians 1:6, John 17:22, 23. Yet, let it be added that, this
perfect objective sanctification (our consecration to God by Christ)
in no wise renders the less requisite our need of being constantly
cleansed, experimentally, by the Spirit's use of the Word: John 13:10,
1 Peter 1:2 etc.
Those perfected by the "one offering" of Christ are "them that axe
sanctified," or more literally, simply "the sanctified," the reference
being to those who were eternally set apart by the Father (Jude 1).
The persons of the elect are variously designated in this epistle.
They are referred to as "heirs of salvation" (Heb. 1:14), "sons" (Heb.
2:10), "brethren" of Christ, (Heb. 2:12), "partakers of the heavenly
calling" (Heb. 3:1), "heirs of promise" (Heb. 6:17), "the house of
Israel" and "of Judah" (Heb. 8:8); but here "the sanctified," because
the Spirit's object in the whole of this passage is to trace
everything to its originating source, namely, the imperial will of a
sovereign God.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 49
Sanctification
(Hebrews 10:15-18)
__________________________________________
The verses which are now to be before us bring to a close the
principal argument which the apostle was setting before the Hebrews;
that which follows, partakes more of the nature of a series of
exhortations, drawn from the thesis which had previously been
established. The immeasurable superiority of Christianity over
Judaism, seen in the glorious person of our great High Priest and the
perfect efficacy of His sacrifice, had been fully demonstrated. "Here
we are come unto a full end of the dogmatical part of this epistle, a
portion of Scripture filled with heavenly and glorious mysteries, the
light of the church of the Gentiles, the glory of the people Israel,
the foundation and bulwark of faith evangelical" (John Owen).
Immediately afterward that eminent expositor added, (words which most
suitably express the writer's own sentiments) the following:--
"I do therefore here, with all humility, and sense of my own weakness
and utter inability for so great a work, thankfully own the guidance
and assistance which hath been given to me in the interpretation of
it, so far as it is, or may be of use unto the church, as a mere
effect of sovereign and undeserved grace. From that alone it is, that
having many and many a time been at an utter loss as to the mind of
the Holy Spirit, and finding no relief in the worthy labors of others,
He hath graciously answered my poor, weak supplications, in supplies
of the light and evidence of truth."
The relation of our present passage to what has been before us in the
last article is this: in verses 11-14 the perfection of Christ's
sacrifice is declared: first, comparatively in 11-14, and then singly
in 14; while in verses 15-17 a further proof or confirmation of this
is given from the Old Testament Scriptures. So efficacious was the
mediatorial work of Christ that, "by one offering He hath perfected
forever them that are sanctified." Said the Puritan Charnock, "That
one offering was of such infinite value that it perfectly purchased
the taking away of sin, both in the guilt, filth, and power, and was a
sufficient price for all the grace believers should need for their
perfect sanctification to the end of the world. There was the
satisfaction of His blood for the removal of our guilt, and a treasure
of merit for the supply of our grace" (Volume 5, p. 231).
There is a further link between our preceding portion and the present
one. In verse 14 the apostle had declared "For by one offering He hath
perfected forever them that are sanctified," now he describes those
marks by which the "sanctified" are to be identified. Unto those who
really value their souls and are deeply concerned about their eternal
destiny, this is a vitally important consideration. How may I know
that I am one of that favored company for whom the incarnate Son of
God offered Himself a sacrifice for sin? What clear and conclusive
evidence do I possess that I am among the "sanctified?" Answer to
these weighty questions is furnished in the verses which we are now to
ponder. May each reader join with the writer in begging God to grant
him an honest heart and a discerning eye to see whether or no they
describe what has been actually made good in his own experience.
"Whereof the Holy Spirit also is a witness to us: for after that He
had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after
those days, saith the Lord, I will put My laws into their hearts, and
in their minds will I write them; and their sins and iniquities will I
remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more
offering for sin" (verses 15-18). There are two parts to the assertion
made in verse 14: first, "them that are sanctified''; second, such are
"perfected forever." In the proof-text which the apostle here gives,
both of these are found, though in the inverse order: the "sanctified"
are they in whose hearts God puts His laws; those who are "perfected
forever" are they whose sins God remembers no more.
"Whereof the Holy Spirit also is a witness to us" (verse 15). "The
foundation of the whole preceding discourse of the apostle, concerning
the glory of the priesthood of Christ, and the efficacy of His
sacrifice, was laid in the description of the new covenant, whereof He
was the Mediator, which was confirmed and ratified by His sacrifice,
as the old covenant was by the blood of bulls and goats (Heb.
9:10-13). Having now abundantly proved and demonstrated what he
designed concerning them both, His priesthood and His sacrifice, He
gives us a confirmation of the whole, from the testimony of the Holy
Spirit, in the description of that covenant which he had given before.
And because the crisis to which he had brought his argument and
disputation, was, that the Lord Christ, by reason of the dignity of
His person and office, with the everlasting efficacy of His sacrifice,
was to offer Himself but once, which virtually includes all that he
had before taught and declared, including in it an immediate
demonstration of the insufficiency of all those sacrifices which were
often repeated, and consequently their removal out of the church; he
returns unto those words of the Holy Spirit for the proof of this
particular also" (J. Owen).
"Whereof the Holy Spirit also is a witness to us" (verse 15). Three
questions are suggested by these words. First, unto what is the Holy
Spirit a "Witness?" Second, what is the "also" to be connected
with--who else has witnessed to the same thing? Third, how does the
Holy Spirit "witness?" Let us, then, seek answers to these queries.
Unto what is it that the Holy Spirit is here said to be a "Witness?"
If we go back no farther than the preceding verse, the answer would
be, unto the fact that the one satisfaction which has been made by the
Redeemer secures the eternal perfection of all who are sanctified;
what follows in verses 16-18 bears this out. Nevertheless, we are
persuaded that it is necessary to look farther afield if we are to
obtain the deeper and fuller answer. The satisfaction made by the
Redeemer was the fulfilling of the Divine "will," the performing of
that which had been stipulated in the everlasting covenant; and it is
of that the whole context is speaking. The Holy Spirit was present
when that wondrous compact was made between the Father and the
Mediator, and through Jeremiah He made known a part of its glorious
promises. The proof of this will become clearer as we advance.
Second, "whereof the Holy Spirit also is a witness to us" looks back
to verse 9. There we have the testimony of the Son unto the eternal
decree which God had made, and which He had come to execute; here (in
verses 17, 18) that of the Spirit to what the Father had promised the
Mediator He would do unto His covenant people. Thus, we may here
behold the three persons of the Godhead concurring. Yet there is such
a fullness to the words of Scripture that we do not think what has
just been pointed out exhausts the scope of this word "also." The
leading thought of the context (and of the epistle) is the
sufficiency, finality, and efficacy of the one sacrifice of Christ.
That was "witnessed" to when the Mediator "sat down on the right hand
of God" (verse 12); and the Holy Spirit is also a witness to us of the
same blessed fact by means of His work of sanctification in the hearts
and minds of those for whom Christ died.
As to how the Spirit witnesses to us, the first method is by means of
the written Word; specifically, by what He gave out by the prophet
Jeremiah. The apostle had argued the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice
from its singularity (verse 12), in contrast from the many sacrifices
of Judaism (verse 11); and the finality of it from the fact that He
was now "sat down," indicating that His work of oblation was finished.
To this the Hebrews might object that what the apostle had pointed out
were but plausible reasonings, to which they could not acquiesce
unless they were confirmed by the clear testimony of Scripture; and
therefore did he now quote once more from the memorable prophecy of
Jeremiah 31, which clearly established the conclusions he had drawn.
How the terms of that prophecy ratified his deductions will appear in
the sequel.
"Whereof the Holy Spirit also is a witness to us." As we have seen,
the first reference here is to what is recorded in Jeremiah 31:31-34.
The Holy Spirit is the Author of the Scriptures, for "The prophecy
came not at any time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake
moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Pet. 1:21). But more, the Holy Scriptures
are also the testimony of the Holy Spirit because of His presence and
authority in them continually. As we read the written Word, we are to
recognize the voice of the Spirit of truth speaking to us immediately
out of them. As we do this, we shall recognize that Word as the final
court of appeal in all matters of conduct. That Word alone is that
whereunto our faith is to be resolved.
"Whereof the Holy Spirit is also a witness to us." The last two words
need to be carefully observed in these days, when there are so many
who (under the guise of "rightly dividing the Word") would rob the
children of God of a part of their needed bread--let the reader be
much on his guard against such men. What the prophet Jeremiah gave out
was for the people of God in his day. True, and hundreds of years
later the apostle did not hesitate to say that what Jeremiah wrote was
equally "to us"; note particularly, not only "for" us, but "to us"!
The whole of God's Word, beginning to end, was written for the good of
His people until the end of the world.
But further, the Holy Spirit is not only a Witness unto us of the
everlasting covenant and of the efficacy of Christ's offering through
the written Word objectively, but also by His application of that Word
to us subjectively. As said the apostle unto the Corinthians,
"Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ
ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the
living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart"
(2 Cor. 3:3). A cause is known by its effects, a tree by its fruits;
so the value and virtue of Christ's sacrifice are witnessed to us by
the Spirit through the powerful workings of His grace on our hearts.
Every grace implanted by the Spirit in the Christian's soul was
purchased by the obedience and blood of Christ, and are living
evidences of the worth of them.
"For after that He had said before" (verse 15). The particular
proof-text from Jeremiah which the apostle was about to quote is
prefaced by these words of his own, as also is the clause "saith the
Lord" in the next verse the apostle's language. If it be asked, what
was it that was said "before?" the answer is, "This is the covenant
that I will make with them." If it be inquired, what is that which is
said after? even this: "I will put My laws into their hearts" etc. The
particular point to be observed is, that these Divine mercies of God's
putting His laws into our hearts and forgiving our sins, are the
immediate fruits of Christ's sacrifice, but more remotely, are the
fulfillment of God's covenant-promises unto the Mediator.
The everlasting covenant which God made with Christ is the ground of
all the good which He does to His people. Proof of this statement is
supplied in many a scripture, which is little pondered in these days.
For example, in Exodus 6:5 we find Jehovah saying to Moses, "Ø have
remembered My covenant," which is rendered as the reason for His
bringing of Israel out of Egypt. Again, in Psalm 105:8 we are told,
"He hath remembered His covenant forever." So in Ezekiel 16:60 God
declares, "Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with thee in the
days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting
covenant." While in Luke 1, we read in the prophecy of Zacharias,
"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He hath visited and redeemed
His people, and hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the
house of His servant David; as He spake by the mouth of His holy
prophets, which have been since the world began: that we should be
saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To
perform the mercy to our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant"
(verses 68-72).
"This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days,
saith the Lord" (verse 16). The reference is to the "new covenant" of
Jeremiah 31:31, so called not because it was new made, for with
respect to its original constitution it was made with the elect in
Christ their Head from all eternity (Titus 1:1, 2); nor as newly
revealed, for it was made known in measure to the O.T. saints; but it
is so referred to in distinction from the former administration of it,
which had waxen old and vanished away. It is also called "new" because
of the "new heart," "new spirit," "new song" which it bestows, and
because of new ordinances (baptism and the Lord's supper) which have
displaced the old ones of circumcision and the passover-supper.
Further, it may suitably be designated as "new" because its vigor and
efficacy are perpetual; it will never be antiquated or give place to
another.
"I will put My law into their hearts, and in their minds will I write
them" (verse 16). And who are the favored ones in whom God works thus?
Those whom He eternally set apart (Eph. 1:4), those whom He gave to
the Mediator (John 17:6), those for whom Christ died: "whom He did
predestinate, those He also called" (Rom. 8:30). These, and these
only, are the ones with whom God deals so graciously. Others may,
through religious instruction or personal effort, acquire a
theoretical acquaintance with the laws of God, but only His elect have
a vital knowledge of Him.
"I will put My laws into their hearts." As we deem this expression of
tremendous importance, we will endeavor to explain it according to the
measure of light which God has granted us thereon. First, it will aid
us to an understanding thereof if we consider the case of Adam. When
he left the Creator's hands the law of God was in his heart, or, in
other words, he was endowed with all sorts of holy properties,
instincts and inclinations unto whatsoever God did command, and an
antipathy against all He forbade. That was the "law" of the nature of
his heart. The laws of God in Adam were Adam's original nature, or
constitution of His spirit and soul, as it is the law of nature in
beasts to love their young, and of birds to build their nests.
"When God created man at first, He gave him not an outward law written
in letters or delivered in words, but an inward law put into his
heart, and concreated with him, and wrought in the frame of his soul.
And the whole substance of this law of God, the mass of it, was not
merely dictates or beams of light in his understanding, directing what
to do; but also real, lively, and spiritual dispositions, and
inclinations in his will and affections, carrying him on to what was
so directed, as to pray, love God, and fear Him; to seek His glory in
a spiritual and holy manner. They were inward abilities suited to
every duty" (T. Goodwin, Volume 6, p. 402). The external command of
Genesis 2:17 was designed as the test of his responsibility; what God
had graciously placed within him, was the equipment for the
discharging of his responsibility.
Should it be inquired, where is the scripture which teaches that God
placed His laws in the heart of unfallen Adam? it is sufficient to
reply that Psalm 40:8 presents Christ as saying, "Thy law is within My
heart," and Romans 5:14 declares that Adam was "the figure of Him that
was to come." But more, just as we may discover what grain the earth
bears by the stubble which is found in the field, so we may ascertain
what was in unfallen man by the ruins of what is yet to be seen in
fallen and corrupt humanity. Romans 2:14 says the Gentiles "do by
nature the things contained in the law": their very conscience tells
them that immorality and murder are crimes. Thus, as an evidence that
the law of God was originally the very "nature" of Adam, we have the
shadow of it in the hearts of all men.
Alas, Adam did not continue as God created him: he fell, and the
consequence was that his heart was corrupted, his very "nature"
vitiated, so that the things he once loved he now hated, and what he
should have hated, he now served. Thus it is with all of his fallen
descendants: being "alienated from the life of God through the
ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart"
(Eph. 4:18) their carnal mind "is not subject to the law of God,
neither indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7). Instead of that holy "nature" or
spiritual propensities and properties, man is now in-dwelt and
dominated by sin; hence, Romans 7:23 teaches us that sin is a "law" in
our members, namely, "the law of sin and death" (Rom. 8:2). And thus
it is that in Jeremiah 17:1 (as the opposite of Hebrews 10:16) sin and
corruption in the heart is said to be "written with a pen of iron,
with the point of a diamond."
Now in regeneration and sanctification the "image" of God, after which
Adam was originally created, is again stamped upon the soul: see
Colossians 3:10; the laws of God are written on the Christian's heart,
so that it becomes his very "nature" to serve, obey, please, honor,
and glorify God. Because the law of God is renewed again in the soul,
it is termed the "law of the mind" (Rom. 7:23), for the mind is now
regulated by the authority of God and turns as instinctively to Him as
does the sunflower to the sun, and as the needle answers to the
loadstone. Thus, the renewed heart "delights in the law of God" (Rom.
7:22), and "serves the law of God" (Rom. 7:25), it being its very
"nature" so to do.
This wondrous change which takes place in each of those for whom
Christ died is here attributed directly and absolutely to God: "I will
put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them."
This is much more than a bare offer being made unto men, far beyond an
ineffectual invitation which is to be received. It is an invincible
and miraculous operation of the Holy Spirit, which thoroughly
transforms the favored subjects to it. Only He who first made man, can
remake him. None but the Almighty can repair the awful damage which
the Fall wrought, counteract the dreadful power of sin, deliver the
heart from the lusts of the flesh, the thraldom of the world, the
bondage of Satan, and rewrite upon it His holy law, so that He will be
loved supremely and served sincerely and gladly.
"I will put My laws into their hearts." This is in contrast from those
who were under the old, or Sinaitic covenant. There the "ten words"
were engraven upon tables of stone, not only to intimate thereby their
fixed and permanent authority, but also to figure forth the hardness
of the hearts of the unregenerate people to whom they were given. But
under the new covenant--that is, the administration of the everlasting
covenant and the application of its grace to God's elect in this
Gospel dispensation--God gives efficacy to His holy law in the souls
of His people. First, by subduing and largely removing the enmity of
the natural heart against Him and his law, which subduing is
figuratively spoken of as a circumcising of the heart (Deut. 30:6) and
a "taking away the stony heart" (Ezek. 36:26). Second, by implanting
the principle of obedience to His law, which is figuratively referred
to as the giving of "an heart of flesh" and the "writing of His laws
upon the heart."
Observe very particularly, dear reader, that God here says not "I will
put My promises" but "My laws in their hearts." He will not relinquish
His claims: unreserved subjection to His will is what His justice
requires and what His power secures. The grand triumph of grace is,
that "enmity" against the law (Rom. 8:7) is displaced by "love" for
the law (Ps. 119:97). This is it which explains that word in Psalm
19:7, "The law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul." It will
probably surprise most of our readers (alas that it should do so) to
be told that the Gospel never yet "converted" anybody. No, it is the
law which the Spirit uses to convict of rebellion against God, and not
until the soul penitently repudiates and forsakes his rebellion, is it
ready for the message of peace which the Gospel brings.
The careful reader will notice there is a slight difference between
the wording of Hebrews 8:10 and 10:16. In the former it is "I will put
My laws into their minds, and write them in their hearts," but in the
passage now before us the two clauses are reversed. One reason for
this is as follows: Hebrews 8:10 give the Divine order of operation:
the mind is first informed, and then the heart is reformed. Moreover,
in Hebrews 8:10 it is a question of knowing God, and for that, the
understanding must be enlightened before the affections can be drawn
out of Him--none will love an unknown God. The Spirit beans by
conveying to the regenerate an efficacious knowledge of the authority
and excellency of God's laws, giving them a powerful realization both
of their binding force and spirituality; and then He communicates a
love for them, so that their hearts are heartily inclined toward them.
When the apostle defines the seat of the corruption of our nature, he
places it in the "mind" and "heart": "Walk not as other Gentiles walk,
in the vanity of their mind; having the understanding darkened, being
alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them,
because of the blindness of their heart." Therefore does the Divine
work of sanctification, or the renovating of our natures, consist of
the rectifying both of the mind and heart, and this, by furnishing
them with the principles of faith, love, and adherence to God. Thus,
the grace of the new covenant (purchased for His people by Christ) is
as extensive to repair our "nature" as sin is (in its residence and
power) to deprave us. God desireth truth "in the inward parts" (Ps.
51:6)--not that outward conformity to His law may be dispensed with,
for that is required too, but unless it proceed from an inward love
for His law, the external actions cannot be accepted by Him.
"From these things we may easily discern the nature of that grace
which is contained in this first branch of the first promise of the
covenant. And this is the effectual operation of His Spirit, in the
renovation and saving illumination of our minds, whereby they are
habitually made conformable unto the whole law of God, that is, the
rule and the law of our obedience in the new covenant, and enabled
unto all acts and duties that are required of us. And this is the
first grace promised and communicated unto us by virtue of this
covenant, as it was necessary that so it should be. For, 1. the mind
is the principal seat of all spiritual obedience. 2. The proper and
peculiar actings of the mind in discerning, knowing, judging, must go
before the actings of the will and affections, much more before all
outward practices. 3. The depravation of the mind is such by
blindness, darkness, vanity and enmity, that nothing can inflame our
souls, or make an entrance towards the reparation of our natures, but
an internal, spiritual, saving operation of grace upon the mind" (John
Owen).
In Hebrews 10:16 the heart is mentioned before the mind because the
Spirit is here giving the Divine standard for us to measure ourselves
by: it is the test whereby we may ascertain whether or no we are among
the "sanctified," who have been perfected forever by the one offering
of Christ. An intellectual knowledge of God's laws is no proof of
regeneration, but a genuine heart-acquaintance with them is. The
questions I need to honestly face are such as these: Is there within
me that which answers to the Law without me? That is, is it actually
and truly my desire and determination to be regulated and controlled
by the revealed will of God? Is it the deepest longing of my soul, and
the chief business of my life, to please and serve God? Is it the
great burden of my prayers that He will work in me "both to will and
to do of His good pleasure?" Is my deepest grief occasioned by my
failure to be altogether holy in my wishes and words and ways?
Experimentally, the more we love God, the more shall we discern the
excellency of His law.
"And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more" (verse 17).
Notice again the order of our passage: what is found here comes after
verse 16, and not before. In the order of grace, justification (of
which forgiveness is the negative side) precedes sanctification, but
in the ,believer's apprehension it is otherwise: I can only ascertain
God's justifying of me, by making sure I have within the fruits of His
sanctifying me. I must study the effects to discover the cause. In
like manner, God elects before He calls, or regenerates, but I have to
make my calling "sure" in order to obtain evidence of my election: see
2 Peter 1:10. There are many who give no sign of God's law being
written in their hearts, who nevertheless claim to have bad their sins
forgiven by Him; but such are sadly deceived. Scripture entitles none
to regard themselves as Divinely pardoned save those who have been
saved from self-will and self-pleasing.
"And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." These words
must not be understood to signify that the sins of God's people have
vanished from His essential mind, but rather that they will never be
recalled by Him as He exercises His office as Judge. Our Substitute
having already discharged our liabilities and Justice having been
fully satisfied, payment cannot be demanded twice over. "There is
therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus" (Rom.
8:1). This is the negative side of the believer's justification, that
his sins are not reckoned to his account; the positive aspect is that
the perfect law-righteousness of Christ is imputed to him.
"Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin"
(verse 18). Here the apostle draws the irrefutable conclusion from the
premises he had so fully established. Before pondering it, let us give
a brief summary of these wonderful verses. First, the everlasting
covenant is the foundation of all God's gracious dealings with His
elect. Second, that eternal compact between the Father and the
Mediator is now being administered under the "new covenant.'' Third,
the design of this covenant is not to set apart a people unto external
holiness only, but to so sanctify them that they should be holy in
heart and life. Fourth, this sanctification of the elect is effected
by the communication of effectual grace unto them for their conversion
and obedience, which is here (under a figure) spoken of as God's
putting His laws into their hearts and writing them in their minds.
Fifth, this practical sanctification is God's continuation of that
work of grace which He begins in us at regeneration--our glorification
is the completing of the same, for then the last remains of sin will
be removed from us, and we shall be perfectly conformed to the image
of His Son.
"Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin."
These words give the apostle's application of the Scripture quoted
from Jeremiah, which was made for the express purpose of demonstrating
the perfection of Christ's sacrifice. The conclusion is irresistible:
the one offering of Christ has secured that the grace of the
everlasting covenant shall be communicated unto all of those for whom
He died, both in the sanctifying and justifying of their persons.
Since then their sins are all gone from before the face of God, no
further sacrifice is needed.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 50
Access to God
(Hebrews 10:19-23)
__________________________________________
The verses which are now to engage our attention contain the apostle's
transition from the doctrinal to the practical part of the epistle,
for privileges and duties are never to be separated. Having at great
length discoursed upon the priestly office of Christ in the foregoing
part of the epistle, he now sums up in a few words the scope and
substance of a!l he had been saying (verses 19-21), and then draws the
plain inference from the whole (verse 22). Like a wise master-builder,
he first digs till he comes to the foundation, and then calls himself
and others to build upon it with confidence. Having demonstrated the
vast superiority of Christianity over Judaism, the apostle now exhorts
his Christian readers to avail themselves of all their blessed
advantages and enjoy the great privileges which have been conferred
upon them.
"The apostle's great argument is concluded, and the result is placed
before us in a very short summary. We have boldness to enter into the
holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way; and we have in
the heavenly sanctuary a great Priest over the house of God. All
difficulties have been removed, perfectly and forever. We have access;
and He who is the way is also the end of the way; He is even now our
great Priest, interceding for us, and our all-sufficient Mediator,
providing us with every needful help.
"On this foundation rests a threefold exhortation. 1. Let us draw near
with a true heart, in the full assurance of faith. 2. Let us hold fast
the profession of hope without wavering. 3. Let us consider one
another to provoke unto love and to good works, laboring and waiting
together, and helping one another in the unity of brethren. Faith,
hope, and love--this is the threefold result of Christ's entrance into
heaven, spiritually discerned. A believing, hoping, and loving
attitude of heart corresponds to the new covenant revelation of Divine
grace" (Adolph Saphir).
"In these words the apostle enters on the last part of the epistle,
which is wholly hortatory. For though there be some occasional
intermixtures of doctrine consonant to those which are insisted on
before, yet the professed design of the whole remainder of the epistle
is to propose to, and press on the Hebrews such duties of various
sorts, as the truths he had insisted on, do direct unto, and make
necessary to all that believe. And in all his exhortations there is a
mixture of the ground of the duties exhorted to, of their necessity,
and of the privilege which we have in being admitted to them, and
accepted with them, all taken from the priesthood and sacrifice of
Christ, with the effects of them, and the benefits which we receive
thereby" (John Owen).
The same order of Truth may be clearly seen in other epistles of the
apostle Paul. In Romans, the first eleven chapters are devoted to
doctrinal exposition, the next four being practical, setting forth the
Christian's duties: see Romans 12:1. Likewise in Ephesians: the first
three chapters set forth the sovereign grace of God, the last three
the Christian's responsibilities: see Hebrews 4:1. From this the
teacher and preacher may gather important instruction, showing him how
to handle the Word, so that the whole man may be edified. The
understanding needs to be enlightened, the conscience searched and
comforted, the heart inflamed, the will moved, the affections well
ordered. Nothing but doctrine, will produce a cold and conceited
people; nothing but exhortation, a discouraged and ill-instructed
people.
"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the
blood of Jesus" (verse 19). "The preceding part of this epistle has
been chiefly occupied with stating, proving, and illustrating some of
the grand peculiarities of Christian doctrine: and the remaining part
of it is entirely devoted to an injunction and enforcement of those
duties which naturally result from the foregoing statements. The
paragraph verses 19-23, obviously consists of two parts:--a statement
of principles, which are taken for granted as having been fully
proved; and an injunction of duties grounded on the admission of these
principles" (J. Brown).
The great privilege which is here announced unto Christians is that
they may draw near unto God as accepted worshippers. This privilege is
presented under a recapitulation of the principal points which the
apostle had been treating of, namely, first, Christians have liberty
to enter the presence of God (verse 19). Second, a way has been
prepared for them so to do (verse 20). Third, a Guide is provided to
direct them in that way (verse 21). These three points are here
amplified by showing the nature of this "liberty": it is with
"boldness," to enter the presence of God, and that by virtue of
Christ's blood. The "way" is described as a "new" and "living" one,
and it is ready for our use because Christ has "consecrated" it. The
"Guide" is presented by His function, "priest"; His dignity, "great";
His authority, "over the house of God."
"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the
blood of Jesus." To "enter into the holiest" is, as verse 22 shows, to
"draw near" unto God in Christ, for "no one cometh unto the Father but
by Him" (John 14:6). The "Holiest" here is only another name for
Heaven, the dwelling-place of God, being designated so in this
instance because the holy of holies in the tabernacle and the temple
was the type thereof. This is established by what was before us in
Hebrews 9:24, "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made
with hands, the figures of the true; but into heaven itself." It is
most blessed to link with Hebrews 10:19 what is said in Hebrews 9:12:
"by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place"; the title
of the members of His body for entering in the Sanctuary on high, is
the same as that of their Head's!
The boldness to "enter into the holiest" which is spoken of in our
text is not to be limited to the Christian's going to heaven at death
or at the return of the Savior, but is to be understood as referring
to that access unto God in spirit, and by faith, which he now has.
Here again we see the tremendous contrast from the conditions
obtaining under the old and the new covenants. Under Judaism as such,
the Israelites were rigidly excluded from drawing nigh unto Jehovah;
His dwelling-place was sealed against them. Nay, even the Levites,
privileged as they were to minister in the tabernacle, were barred
from the holy of holies. But now the right has been accorded unto all
who partake of the blessings of the new covenant, to enjoy free access
unto God, to draw near unto His throne as supplicants, to enter His
temple as worshippers, to sit at His table as happy children.
Most blessedly was this set forth by Christ in the close of that
remarkable parable in Luke 15. There we find the prodigal--having
"come to himself"--saying, "I will arise and go to my Father." He
arose and went, and where do we find him? Outside the door, or looking
in at the window? No, but inside the House. Sovereign grace had given
him boldness to "enter." And why not? Having confessed his sins, he
had received the "kiss" of reconciliation, and the "best robe" had
been placed upon him, and thus he was fitted to enjoy the Father's
house. In perfect accord with our Lord's teaching in that parable, we
have been told here in Hebrews 10 that "by one offering He hath
perfected forever them that are sanctified," and because of this, God
has put His laws into their hearts, written them upon their minds, and
avowed that their sins and iniquities He would "remember no more."
Here, then, is the force of the "therefore" in our present verse.
Inasmuch as Christ's satisfaction has removed every legal obstacle,
and inasmuch as the work of the Spirit in the Christian has made him
"meet to be partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light" (Col.
1:12), there is not only nothing to hinder, but every reason and
motive to induce us to draw near unto God and pour out our hearts
before Him in thanksgiving, praise, and worship. In Hebrews 4:16 we
are invited to "come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may
obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need"; but here in
Hebrews 10:19-22 it is worship which is more specifically in
view--entrance into "the holiest," which was the place of worship and
communion, see Numbers 7:89.
A further word of explanation needs to be given on the term
"boldness." Saphir rightly pointed out that this expression "must be
understood here objectively, not subjectively, else the subsequent
exhortation would be meaningless"; in other words, the reference is to
something outside ourselves and not to a condition of heart.
Literally, the Greek signifies "Having therefore, brethren, boldness
for entrance into the holiest," and hence, some have rendered it "the
right of entrance." Most probably the word is designed to point a
double contrast from conditions under the old covenant. Those under it
had a legal prohibition against entering the sacred abode of Jehovah,
but Christians have a perfect title to do so. Again, those under
Judaism were afraid to do so, whereas faith now perceives that we may
come to God with the fullest assurance because He has accepted us "in
the Beloved" (Eph. 1:6). There is no valid reason why we should
hesitate to draw near unto our Father in perfect freedom of spirit.
"By the blood of Jesus." This is the meritorious cause which procures
the Christian's right of entrance into the "Holiest"--the place where
all the tokens of God's grace and glory are displayed (Heb. 9:3, 4).
The blood of the Jewish sacrifices did not and could not obtain such
liberty of access into the immediate presence of God. The blood of
Jesus has done so, both in respect unto God as an oblation, and in
respect unto the consciences of believers by its application. As an
oblation or sacrifice, the atonement of Christ has removed every legal
obstacle between God and believers. It fulfilled the demands of His
law, removed its curse, and broke down the "middle wall of partition";
in token whereof, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the
top to the bottom, when the Savior expired. So too the Holy Spirit has
so applied the efficacy of the blood to the consciences of Christians
that they are delivered from a sense of guilt, freed from their dread
of God, and enabled to approach Him in a spirit of liberty.
"By a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through
the veil, that is to say, His flesh" (verse 20). This presents to us
the second inducement and encouragement for Christians to avail
themselves and make use of the unspeakable privilege which Christ has
secured for them. In order to understand these verses, it is necessary
to bear in mind that N.T. privileges are here expressed in the O.T.
dialect. The highest privilege of fallen man is to have access unto
the presence of God, his offended Lord and Sovereign: the only way of
approach is through Christ, of whom the tabernacle (and the temple)
was an illustrious type. In allusion to those figures Christ is here
presented to our faith in a threefold view.
First, as a gate or door, by which we enter into the Holiest. No
sooner had Adam sinned, than the door of access to the majesty of God
was bolted against him, and all his posterity, the cherubim with the
flaming sword standing in his way (Gen. 3:24). But now the flaming
sword of justice being quenched in the blood of the Surety (Zech.
13:7), the door of access is again wide open. The infinite wisdom of
God has devised a way how His "banished" may be brought home again to
His presence. (2 Sam. 14:14), namely, through the satisfaction of
Christ.
Second, to encourage us in our approaches to God in Christ. He is also
presented to us under the figure of "a new and living way, which He
hath consecrated for us." "Having told us that we have `an entrance
into the holiest,' he now declares what the way is whereby we may do
so. The only way into the holiest under the tabernacle was a passage
with blood through the sanctuary, and then a turning aside of the
veil. But the whole church was forbidden the use of this way, and it
was appointed for no other end but typically, that in due time there
should be a way opened unto believers into the presence of God, which
was not yet prepared. And this the apostle describes. 1. From the
preparation of it: `which He hath consecrated.' 2. From the properties
of it: it was a `new and living way.' 3. From the tendency of it,
which he expresseth, first, typically, or with respect unto the old
way under the tabernacle: it was `through the veil.' Secondly, in an
exposition of that type: `that is, His flesh.' In the whole, there is
a description of the exercise of faith in our access unto God by
Christ Jesus" (John Owen).
In the previous verse it was declared that heaven has been opened unto
the people of God. But here Christ is set forth more as the antitype
of that "ladder" (Gen. 28:12, John 1:51), which, being set up on
earth, reaches to heaven. In this respect Christ is styled "the Way,
the Truth and the Life" (John 14:6), for He is the only true "way"
which conducts unto God. That "way" is variously referred to in
Scripture as the "way of life" (Prov. 10:17), the "way of holiness"
(Isa. 35:8), the "good way" (Jer. 6:16), the "way of peace" (Luke
1:79), the "way of salvation" (Acts 16:17). All of these refer to the
same thing, namely, the only path unto heaven. Christ Himself is that
"way" in a twofold sense: first, when the heart turns away from every
other object which competes for the first place in its affections,
abandons all confidence in its own righteousness, and lays hold of the
Savior. Second, when grace is diligently sought to take Christ as our
Exemplar, following "His steps" in the path of unreserved and joyful
obedience to God.
The "way" to God is here said to be "a new and living" one. The word
for "new" is really "newly slain," for the simple verb "occido" from
which it is compounded signifies "to slay." The avenue of approach to
God has been opened unto us because Christ was put to death in this
way. But this word "new" is not to be taken absolutely, as though this
"way" had no existence previously to the death of Christ, for all the
O.T. saints had passed along it too. No, it was neither completely
"new" as to its contrivance, revelation, or use. Why then is it called
"new"? In distinction from the old way of life under the covenant of
works, in keeping with the new covenant, because it was now only made
fully manifest (Eph. 3:5), and because of its perennial vigor--it will
never grow old.
This "way" unto God is also said to be a "living" one, and this for at
least three reasons. First, in opposition unto the way to God under
Judaism, which was by the death of an animal, and was the cause of
death unto any who used it, excepting the high priest. Second, because
of its perpetual efficacy: it is not a lifeless thing, but has a
spiritual and vital power in our access to God. Third, because of its
effects: it leads to life, and effectually brings us thereunto. "It is
called a living way, because all that symbolizes Christ must be
represented as possessing vitality. Thus we read of Him as the living
stone, the living bread, etc." (Adolph Saphir). Probably this epithet
also looks to Christ's resurrection: though slain, the grave could not
hold Him; He is now "alive for evermore," and by working in His people
repentance, faith, and obedience, conducts them safely through unto
life everlasting.
This new and living way unto God has been "consecrated for us" by
Christ. It is a path consecrated by Him for the service and salvation
of man; a way of access to the eternal sanctuary for the sinner which
has been set apart by the Redeemer for this service of men" (A.
Barnes). As Christ Himself is the "way," the meaning would be, that He
has dedicated Himself for the use of sinners in their dealings with
God--"for their sakes I sanctify Myself" (John 17:19). As the "way" is
also to be regarded as the path which we are called upon to follow
through this world as we journey to heaven, Christ has "consecrated"
or fitted it for our use by leaving us an example that we should
follow His steps--"when He putteth forth His own sheep, He goeth
before them" (John 10:4).
"The phrase `consecrated for us' giveth us to understand that Christ
hath made the way to heaven fit for us, and this by His three offices.
First, as a Priest, He hath truly dedicated it, and that by His own
blood, as by the blood of sacrifices things were consecrated under the
law. Christ by His blood has taken away our sins, which made the way
to heaven impassible. Second, as a Prophet, He hath revealed and made
known this way to us. This He did while He was on earth, by Himself;
and since His taking into heaven, He hath done it by His ministers
(Eph. 4:11). Third, as a King, He causes the way to be laid out,
fenced in, and made common for all His people; so as it may well be
styled the King's highway" (William Gouge).
"Through the veil, that is to say, His flesh." It is through the
humanity of Christ that the way to heaven has been opened, renewed and
consecrated. But prior to His death, the very life which was lived by
the man Christ Jesus only served to emphasize the awful distance which
sinners were from God, just as the beautiful veil in the tabernacle
shut out the Israelite from His presence. Moreover, the humanity of
Christ was a sin-bearing one, for the iniquities of His people had all
been imputed to Him. While, then, the flesh of Christ was uncrucified,
proof was before the eyes of men that the curse was not abolished. As
long as He tabernacled in this world, it was evident that sin was not
yet put away. The veil must be rent, Christ must die, before access to
God was possible. When God rent the veil of the temple, clear
intimation was given that every hindrance had been removed, and that
the way was opened into His presence.
"And having an High Priest over the house of God" (verse 21). Here is
the third great privilege of the Christian, the third inducement which
is presented to him for approaching unto God, the third character in
which Christ is presented unto faith. Whereas it might be objected
that though the door be opened and a new and living way consecrated,
yet we are too impotent to walk therein, or too sinful to enter into
the holiest; therefore, to obviate this, Christ is now set forth as
Priest over the house of God. O what encouragement is here! As Priest
Christ is "ordained for men in things pertaining to God" (Heb. 5:1).
He is a living Savior within the veil, interceding for His people,
maintaining their interests before the Father.
"And having an High Priest over the house of God." The opening "And"
shows that the contents of this verse form a link in the chain begun
in verse 19, so that they furnish a further ground to help us in
approaching unto God. The next word "having," while not in the Greek,
is obviously understood, and as the principal verb (needed to complete
the sentence) is fetched from verse 19. The adjective should be
rendered "great" and not "high": it is not a relative term, in
comparison with other priests; but an absolute one, denoting Christ's
dignity and excellency: He is "great" in His person, in His
worthiness, in His position, in His power, in His compassion.
To show for whom in particular Christ is the great Priest, it is here
added "over the house of God." "The apostle doth not here consider the
sacrifice of Christ, but what He is and doth after His sacrifice, now
that He is exalted in heaven; for this was the second part of the
office of the high priest. The first was to offer sacrifice for the
people, the other was to take the oversight of the house of God: see
Zechariah 3:6, 7--Joshua being an eminent type of Christ" (John Owen).
The "house of God" represents the whole family of God both of heaven
and earth: compare Hebrews 3:6. The church here below is what is first
comprised in this expression for it is unto it that this encouragement
is given, and unto whom this motive of drawing nigh is proposed. But
as it is in the heavenly sanctuary that Christ now ministers, and into
which we enter by our prayers and spiritual worship, so the "house of
God" includes both the church militant and the church triumphant.
When it is said that Christ is "over the house of God," it is His
headship, lordship, authority, which is in view. The Lord Christ
presides over the persons, duties, and worship of believers. In that
all their acceptable worship is of His appointment; in that He assists
the worshippers by His Spirit for the performance of every duty; in
that He directs the government of the church, ordains its officers,
and administers its laws; in that He makes their service acceptable
with God. He is King in Zion, wielding the scepter, protecting the
interests of His church, and, according to His pleasure, overthrowing
its enemies. It is the Lord who adds to the church those who are to be
saved. He is the alone Head, and as the wife is to be subject to her
husband in all things, so the members of Christ's mystical body are to
own no other Lord. From Him we are to take our orders; unto Him we
must yet render an account.
"Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having
our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed
with pure water" (verse 22). Having described the threefold privilege
which Christians have been granted, the apostle now points out the
threefold duty which is entailed; the first of which is here in view,
namely, to enter the Holiest, to draw near unto God, as joyful
worshippers. To "draw near" unto God is a sacerdotal act, common to
all the saints, who are made priests unto God" (Rev. 1:6): the Greek
word expressing the whole performance of all Divine worship,
approaching unto the Most High to present their praises and petitions,
both publicly and privately.
"To draw near to God is an act of the heart or mind, whereby the soul,
under the influence of the Spirit, sweetly, and irresistibly returns
to God in Christ as its only center of rest. There is a constant
improvement of the merit and mediation of Christ in every address made
to the Majesty on high. The believer, as it were, fixes himself in the
cleft of the Rock of ages; he gets into the secret place of the
blessed stair, by which we ascend unto heaven; and then he lifts up
his voice in drawing near to God, by the new and living way. He says
with David `I will go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding
joy.' And if God hides His face, the soul will wait, and bode good at
His hand, saying, `hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise Him: He
will command His loving kindness in the daytime, and in the night His
song shall be with me.' And if the Lord smiles and grants an answer of
peace, he will not ascribe his success to his own faith or fervor, but
unto Christ alone" (Condensed from Eben. Erskine, 1733).
"Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith." This
is the requisite manner in which we must approach unto God. It is not
sufficient to assume a reverent posture of body, or worship with our
lips only; nor is God honored when we give way to unbelief. A "true
heart" is opposed to a double, doubting, distrustful, and hypocritical
heart. All dissimilation is to be avoided in our dealings with Him who
"trieth the hearts and the reins" and "whose eyes are like a flame of
fire."
God desireth truth in the inward parts, and therefore, "Son, give Me
thine heart" (Prov. 23:26) is His first demand upon us. Nothing short
of this will ever satisfy Him. But more; there must be "a true heart":
a sincere, genuine, honest desire and determination to render unto Him
that which is His due. We cannot impose upon Him. Beautiful language
designed for the ears of men, or emotional earnestness which is only
for effect, does not deceive God. "God is spirit; and they that
worship Him, must worship in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). How
this condemns those who rest satisfied with the mere outward
performance of duty, and those who are content to substitute an
imposing ritual for real heart dealings with God! O to be able to say
with David, "with my whole heart have I sought Thee."
"In full assurance of faith": which means, negatively, without
doubting or wavering; positively, with unshaken confidence--not in
myself, nor in my faith, but in the merits of Christ, as giving the
unquestionable title to draw near unto the thrice holy God. "Full
assurance of faith" points to the heart resting and relying upon the
absolute sufficiency of the blood of Christ which was shed for my
sins, and the efficacy of His present intercession to maintain my
standing before God. Faith looks away from self, and eyes the great
Priest, who takes my feeble praise or petitions, and, purifying and
perfuming them with His own sweet incense (Rev. 8:3, 4), renders them
acceptable to God. But let not Satan deter any timid child of God from
drawing near unto Him because fearful that he neither possesses a
"true heart" or "full assurance of faith." No, if he cannot
consciously come with them, then let him earnestly come unto the
throne of grace for them.
"Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies
washed with pure water." Here we have a description of the characters
of those who are qualified or fitted to enter the Holiest. A twofold
preparation is required in order to draw near unto God: the individual
must have been both justified and sanctified. Here those two Divine
blessings are referred to under the typical terms which obtained
during the old covenant.
"Having your hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience." The Jewish
cleansing or "sprinkling" with blood related only to that which was
eternal, and could not make the conscience perfect (Heb. 9:9); but the
sacrifice of Christ was designed to give peace to the troubled mind
and confidence before God. An "evil conscience" is one that accuses of
guilt and oppresses because of unpardoned sin. It is by the exercise
of faith in the sufficiency of the atoning blood of Christ--the Spirit
applying experimentally its efficacious virtue--the conscience is
purged. "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God" (Rom. 5:1):
we are freed from a sense of condemnation, and the troubled heart
rests in Christ.
"And our bodies washed with pure water." This figurative language is
an allusion to the cleansing of the priests when they were consecrated
to the service of God (Ex. 29:4). The antitypical fulfillment of this
is defined in Titus 3:5 as "the washing of regeneration and renewing
of the Holy Spirit." But here the emphasis is thrown on the outward
effects of regeneration upon the daily life of the believer. We need
both an internal and an external purification; therefore are we
exhorted, "let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh
and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1). The
sanctity of the body is emphatically enjoined in Scripture: see Romans
12:1; 1 Corinthians 6:16, 20.
The whole of this 22nd verse contains most important teaching on the
practical side of communion with God. While the first reference in the
cleansing of the conscience and the washing of the body be to the
initial experience of the Christian at his new birth, yet they are by
no means to be limited thereto. There is a constant cleansing needed,
if we are to consciously draw near to the holy God. Daily do we need
to confess our sins, that we may be daily pardoned and "cleansed from
all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). An uneasy conscience is as real a
barrier to fellowship with Jehovah, as ceremonial defilement was to a
Jew. So too our walk needs to be incessantly washed with the water of
the Word (John 13). The Levitical priests were not only washed at the
time of induction into their holy office, but were required to wash
their hands and feet every time they entered the sacred sanctuary (Ex.
30:19, 20).
It is just at this very point that there is so much sad failure today.
There is so little exercise of heart before God; so feeble a
realization of His high and holy requirements; so much attempting to
rush into His presence without any previous preparation. "Due
preparation, by fresh applications of our souls unto the efficacy of
the blood of Christ for the purification of our hearts, that we may be
meet to draw nigh to God, is required of us. This the apostle hath
special respect to, and the want of it is the bane of public worship.
Where this is not, there is no due reverence of God, no sanctification
of His name, nor any benefit to be expected unto our own souls" (John
Owen).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 51
Christian Perseverance
(Hebrews 10:23, 24)
__________________________________________
The verses which are now to be before us are a continuation of those
which we pondered in our last article, the whole forming a practical
application to the doctrine which the apostle had been expounding in
the body of this Epistle. In verses 17-21 a summary is given of the
inestimable blessings and privileges which Christ has secured for His
people, namely, their sins and iniquities being blotted out from
before the face of the Judge of all (verses 17, 18), the title to
approach unto God as acceptable worshippers (verses 19-21), the Divine
provision for their spiritual maintenance: a great Priest over the
house of God (verse 21). Then, in verses 22-24 the duties and
responsibilities of Christians are briefly epitomized, and that, in
such terms as we may the better perceive the intimate connection
between the results secured by the great Oblation and the
corresponding obligations on its beneficiaries.
The passage we are now engaged with is a hortatory one. As we pointed
out in our last, the method which is generally followed by the Holy
Spirit is to first display the riches of Divine grace, and then to set
forth the response which becomes its objects. So it is here. All that
is found in verses 22-24 looks back to and derives its force from the
"therefore" at the beginning of verse 19. There is a threefold
privilege named: Divine grace has given freedom unto all Christians to
approach the heavenly mercy-seat (verse 19); it has bestowed this
title through Christ's having "consecrated" for them the way into
God's presence (verse 20); and this blessing is permanent, because
there abides a great Priest to mediate for them (verse 21). Agreeing
thereto, there is a threefold responsibility resting upon the saint,
set forth thus: "let us draw near" (verse 22), "let us hold fast the
profession of our faith" (verse 23), "let us consider one another to
provoke unto love" (verse 24).
The first part of this threefold exhortation matches the first
blessing named in the preceding verses: because the all-sufficient
sacrifice of Christ has made a perfect and effectual atonement for all
the sins of His people, (thereby removing the one great legal barrier
which excluded them from the presence of the thrice Holy One), let
them freely draw near unto their reconciled God, without fear or
doubting. The second part of this exhortation agrees with the second
great blessing specified: since Christ has "consecrated for us" a new
and living way in which to walk, having left us an example that we
should follow His steps, "let us hold fast the profession of our faith
without wavering." The third member of the composite exhortation
corresponds to the third privilege enumerated: since we have a great
Priest over the house of God, "let us consider one another to provoke
unto love and good works," and thus conduct ourselves becomingly as in
His house.
The order in the three parts of this exhortation calls for our closest
attention. The first, treats of our relation to God: the worshipping
of Him in spirit and in truth, and in order to do this, the
maintaining of a good conscience and the separating of ourselves from
all that pollutes. The second, deals with our conduct before men in
the world: the refusal to be poisoned by their unbelief and
lawlessness, and this by a steady perseverance in the path of duty.
The third, defines our responsibility toward fellow-Christians: the
mortifying of a selfish spirit, by keeping steadily in view the
highest welfare of our brethren and sisters, seeking to encourage them
by a godly example, and thus stirring them up unto holy diligence and
zeal both God-ward and man-ward. Thus we may see how very
comprehensive is the scope of this exhortation, and admire its
beautiful arrangement. How much we often miss through failing to
carefully note the connection of Scripture!
"Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering: For He
is faithful that promised" (verse 23). There is some uncertainty as to
the Greek here: some manuscripts having "faith" others "hope"; both
the R.V. and Bag. Inter. have "the confession of our (the) hope." It
seems to us that the A.V. is to be preferred, for while it is true
that if we adopt the alternative, we then have "faith" verse 22,
"hope" in verse 23, and "love" in verse 24, yet this is more than
offset by the weighty fact that perseverance in the faith is the theme
which is steadily followed by the apostle not only throughout the
remainder of this 10th chapter, but also throughout the 11th. We shall
therefore adhere to our present version, excepting that "confession"
is preferable to "profession."
"Let us hold fast the profession of faith without wavering." The duty
here pressed is the same as that which the apostle has spoken of in
each parenthesis in his argument (compare Hebrews 2:13; 3:6 to Hebrews
4:12; 5:11 to 6:20): the doctrinal section giving force and power unto
it. "Faith is here taken in both the principal acceptations of it,
namely, that faith whereby we believe, and the faith or doctrine which
we do believe. Of both which we make the same profession: of one, as
the inward principle; of the other, as the outward rule. This solemn
profession of our faith is two-fold: initial, and by the way of
continuation in all the acts and duties required thereunto. The first
is a solemn giving up of ourselves unto Christ, in a professed
subjection unto the Gospel, and the ordinances of Divine worship
therein contained" (John Owen).
"Let us hold fast the profession of faith without wavering." Three
questions here call for consideration, namely: First, what is meant by
"the confession of our faith?" Second, what is signified by "holding
it fast?" Third, what is denoted by holding it fast "without
wavering?" As the theme here treated of is of such vital importance,
and as it is dealt with so very unsatisfactorily by many present-day
preachers, we will endeavor to exercise double care as the Spirit is
pleased to enable us.
The "confession of our faith" is that solemn acknowledgment which is
made by a person when he publicly claims to be a Christian. It is the
avowal that he has renounced the world, the flesh, and the devil, for
Christ. It is the declaration that he disowns his own wisdom,
righteousness and will, and receives the Lord Jesus as his Prophet,
Priest and King: his Prophet to instruct him in the will of God, his
Priest to meet for him the claims of God, his King to administer in
and over him the government of God. It is the owning that he hates sin
and desires to be delivered from its power and penalty; that he loves
holiness and longs to be conformed to the image of God's Son. It is
the claiming that he has thrown down the weapons of his warfare
against God, and has now completely surrendered to His just demands
upon him. It is the testification that he is prepared to deny self,
take up his cross daily, and follow that example which Christ has left
him as to how to live for God in this world. In a word, it is the
publishing abroad that he has from his very heart "received Christ
Jesus the Lord" (Col. 2:6). And let it be said plainly and
emphatically, that no one acknowledging less than this is scripturally
entitled to be regarded as a Christian.
"The apostle spends the whole remainder of the Epistle in the pressing
and confirming of this exhortation, on a compliance wherewith the
eternal condition of our souls doth depend. And this he doth, partly
by declaring the means whereby we may be helped in the discharge of
this duty; partly by denouncing the eternal ruin and sure destruction
that will follow the neglect of it; and partly by encouragements from
their own former experiences, and the strength of our faith; and
partly by evidencing unto us, in a multitude of examples, how we may
overcome the difficulty that would occur unto us in this way, with
other various cogent reasonings; as we shall see, if God pleaseth, in
our progress" (J. Owen).
To "hold fast the confession of our faith" means to continue in and
press forward along the path we profess to have entered; and that,
notwithstanding all the threats of persecutors, sophistical reasonings
of false teachers, and allurements of the world. Your very safety
depends upon this, for if you deny the faith you are "worse than an
infidel" who has never professed it. God plainly warns us that if
after we have escaped the pollutions of the world through the
knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we are again entangled
therein and overcome, then, "the latter end is worse with them than
the beginning: For it had been better for them not to have known the
way of righteousness, than, after they have known it to turn from the
holy commandment delivered unto them" (2 Pet. 2:20, 21). It is one
thing to make "confession of faith," it is quite another to "hold
fast" the same; multitudes do the former, exceedingly few the latter.
It is easy to avow myself a Christian, but it is most difficult indeed
to live the life of one.
Concerning the force of the Greek word rendered "hold fast," John Owen
stated that there is included in the sense of it, "First, a
supposition of great difficulty, with danger and opposition against
this holding the profession of our faith. Second, the putting forth of
the utmost of our strength and endeavors in the defense of it. Third,
a constant perseverance in it, denoted by its being termed `keep' in 1
Corinthians 15:2: possess it with constancy." If our readers could
only realize the mighty power and inveterate enmity of those enemies
who are seeking to destroy them, none would deem such language too
strong. Sin within is ever seeking to vanquish the Christian. The
world without is constantly endeavoring to draw him away from the path
of godliness. Our adversary the Devil is going about as a roaring
lion, seeking whom he may devour. That wonderful allegory of Bunyan's,
by no means overdrew the picture when he represented the pilgrim as
being menaced by mighty giants and a dreadful Apollyon, which must
either be slain by him, or himself be destroyed by them.
Sad indeed is it to witness so many young professing Christians just
starting out on their arduous journey to Heaven, being told that the
words "He that endureth to the end shall be saved" apply not to them,
but only to the Jews; and that while unfaithfulness on their part will
forfeit some "millennial" crown, yet so long as they have accepted
Christ as their personal Savior, no matter how they must indulge the
flesh or fraternize with the world, Heaven itself cannot be missed.
Little wonder that there is now such a deplorably low standard of
Christian living among those who listen to such soul-ruinous error.
Not so did teachers of the past, who firmly held the eternal security
of Christ's redeemed, pervert that blessed truth. No, they preserved
the balance, by insisting that God only preserved His people in the
path of obedience to Him, and that they who forsake that path make it
evident that they are not His people, no matter what their profession,
and no matter what past "experience" they had.
To illustrate what we have in mind, an article appearing in a recent
issue of a periodical, on the subject of the security of a Christian,
begins thus: "The person who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ as the
one who died for all sin on the cross, and has accepted Him as his own
personal Savior, is saved. And more, can never again, under any
circumstances or conditions whatsoever, no matter what he may do or
not do, be lost." Such an unqualified, unguarded, unbalanced statement
as that is misleading, and dangerous to the highest degree; the more
so, as nothing that follows in the article in any wise modifies it.
But more: stated thus, it is unscriptural. God's Word says, "Whose
house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the
hope firm unto the end" (Heb. 3:6). And again, "if ye live after the
flesh, ye shall die" (Rom. 8:13); that is, die eternally, suffer the
"second death," for "life" and "death" throughout the epistle of the
Romans is eternal.
Such a statement as the above (made thoroughly in good faith, we doubt
not; yet by one who is the unwitting victim of a school of extremists)
leaves completely out of sight the Christian's responsibility, yea,
altogether repudiates it. Side by side with the blessed truth of
Divine preservation, the Scriptures uniformly put the solemn truth of
Christian perseverance. Are the Lord's people told that they are "Kept
by the power of God through faith" (1 Pet. 1:5)? So are they also
exhorted to "keep try heart with all diligence, for out of it are the
issues of life" (Prov. 4:23); "Keep himself unspotted from the world"
(James 1:27); "keep yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:21); "keep
yourselves in the love of God" (Jude 21). And it is not honest to
quote one class of these texts and not quote, with equal diligence and
emphasis, the other.
"Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering." The
one-sided teaching of a certain school today renders such an
exhortation as this, as not only superfluous, but meaningless. If my
only concern (as so many are now affirming) is to trust in the
finished work of Christ, and rely upon the promise of God to take me
to Heaven; if I have committed my soul and its eternal interests into
the hands of God, so that it is now only His responsibility to guard
and preserve me; then it is quite unnecessary to bid me guard myself.
How absurd are the reasonings of men, once they depart from the Truth!
As well might I argue that because I have committed my body into the
hands of God, and am counting upon Him to keep me in health, that
therefore no matter how I neglect the laws of health, no matter what I
eat or do not eat, He will infallibly preserve me from sickness and
death. Not so; if I drink poison, I shall come to an untimely grave.
Likewise, if I live after the flesh, I shall die.
The apostles believed in no mechanical salvation. They busied
themselves in "confirming the souls of the disciples and exhorting
them to continue in the faith" (Acts 14:22). According to the lopsided
logic of many teachers today, it is quite un-necessary to exhort
Christians to "continue in the faith"; they will do so. But be not
wise above what is written, and deem not yourselves to be more
consistent than the apostles. They exhorted them all that with purpose
of heart they would cleave unto the Lord" (Acts 11:23), yea,
"persuaded them to continue in the grace of God" (Acts 13:43). The
beloved Paul held no such views that, because his converts had been
genuinely saved there was therefore no need for him to be any further
concerned about their eternal welfare: rather did he send Timothy "to
know your faith, lest by some means the Tempter have tempted you, and
our labor be in vain" (1 Thess. 3:5). So Peter warned the saints,
"Beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked fall
from your own steadfastness" (2 Pet. 3:17).
Should we be asked, Then do you no longer believe in the absolute and
eternal security of the saints? Our answer is, We do, as it is set
forth in Holy Writ; but we most certainly do not believe in that
wretched perversion of it which has now become so current and popular.
The Christian preservation set forth in God's Word is not merely a
remaining on earth for some time after faith and regeneration have
been produced, and then being admitted, as a matter of course, to
Heaven, without a regard to the moral history of the intervening
period. No, Christian perseverance is a continuing in faith and
holiness, a remaining steadfast in believing and in bringing forth all
the fruits of righteousness. It is persisting in that course which the
converted one has entered: a perseverance unto the end in the exercise
of faith and in the practice of godliness. Men who are influenced more
by selfish considerations of their own safety and security, than they
are with God's commands and precepts, His honor and glory, are not
Christians at all.
The balance between Divine preservation and human perseverance was
well presented by John Owen when he wrote, "It is true our persistency
in Christ doth not. as to the issue and event, depend absolutely on
our own diligence. The unalterableness of our union with Christ, on
the account of the faithfulness of the covenant of grace, is that
which doth and shall eventually secure it. But yet our own diligent
endeavor is such an indispensable means for that end, as that without
it, it will not be brought about. Diligence and endeavor in this
matter are like Paul's mariners, when he was shipwrecked at Melita.
God had before given him the lives of all that sailed with him in the
ship (Acts 27:24), and he `believed that it should be even as God had
told him.' So now the preservation of their lives depended absolutely
on the faithfulness and power of God. But yet, when the mariners began
to fly out of the ship, Paul tells the centurion that, unless the men
stayed, they could not be saved (verse 31). But what need he think of
ship-men, when God had promised and taken upon Himself the
preservation of them all? He knew full well that He would preserve
them; but yet that He would do so by the use of means.
"If we are in Christ, God hath given us the lives of our souls, and
hath taken upon Himself, in His covenant, the preservation of them.
But yet we may say, with reference unto the means that He hath
appointed, when storms and trials arise, unless we use our diligent
endeavors, we cannot be saved. Hence are the many cautions which are
given, not only in this epistle, wherein they abound, but in other
places of scripture also, that we should take heed of apostasy and
falling away; as `let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he
fall' (1 Cor. 10:12), `Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man
take thy crown' (Rev. 3:11)... consider what it is to `abide in
Christ': what watchfulness, what diligence, what endeavor, are
required thereunto. Men would have it to be a plant that needs neither
watering, manuring, nor pruning, but one which will thrive alone of
itself. Is it any wonder if we see so many either decaying or
unthrifty professors? and so many that are utterly turned off from
their first engagements!" (Vol. 25, pages 171-173).
From the last two sentences quoted above, we may perceive that the
same evil against which we are here contending--a carnal security,
which Scripture nowhere warrants--had an existence in the palmy days
of the Puritans. Verily there is no new thing under the sun! Nearly
three hundred years ago that faithful teacher and prince of expositors
had to protest against the one-sided perversion of the precious truth
of the Divine preservation of the saints. But no wonder: the devil
plainly revealed his methods when he pressed upon Christ the Divine
promise that God had given His angels charge to "bear Thee up," but
the Savior refused to recklessly ignore the requirements of
self-preservation! From John Calvin's comments upon John 8:31 we
extract the following: "If, therefore, we wish that Christ should
reckon us to be His disciples, we must endeavor to persevere."
Scripture, not logic, is our rule of faith; and not one or two
statements taken out of their contexts, but the whole analogy of
faith. Error is truth perverted, truth distorted, truth out of
proportion. To short-sighted human reason there appears to be a clash
between Divine justice and Divine mercy, between God's sovereignty and
man's responsibility, between law and grace, between faith and good
works; but he who is really taught of the Spirit, is enabled to
discern their perfect consistency. "As sorrowful, yet always
rejoicing" (2 Cor. 6:10) is a puzzling paradox to the carnal mind. To
read that the Son makes His people "free," and yet that He requires
them to "take His yoke" upon them, is an enigma unto many. To "rejoice
with trembling" (Ps. 2:11) seems a contradiction in terms to some
carping minds. No less contradictory appears God's promise to keep His
people, and His requiring to keep themselves under pain of eternal
damnation. Yet the last mentioned are just as consistent as are the
other things referred to throughout this paragraph.
"For He is faithful that promised." At first glance it is not very
easy perhaps to perceive the precise relation of these words to the
preceding exhortation: that they are added by way of encouragement
seems fairly obvious, for the more that we spiritually ponder the
veracity of the Promiser, the more will our faith be strengthened; the
more we realize that we have to do with One who cannot lie, the
greater confidence shall we have in His Word. Instead of being unduly
occupied with the difficulties of the way, we need to look off unto
Him who has so graciously given us His "exceeding great and precious
promises" (2 Pet. 1:4) to cheer and gladden us. Yet this hardly
explains the immediate connection between the two parts of this verse,
nor does it answer the question as to whether or not any particular
promise is here in view.
"For He is faithful that promised." Perhaps the bearing which these
words have upon the preceding injunction has been brought out as well
by A. Barnes as any. "To induce them to hold fast their profession,
the apostle adds this additional consideration. God, who had promised
eternal life to them, was faithful to all that He had said. The
argument here is, (1) That since God is so faithful to us, we ought to
be faithful to Him. (2) The fact that He is faithful is an
encouragement to us. We are dependent on Him for grace to hold fast
our profession. If He were to prove unfaithful, we should have no
strength to do it. But this He never does; and we may be assured that
all that He has promised He will perform. To the service of such a
God, therefore, we should adhere without wavering."
If we compare Hebrews 4:1 and Hebrews 6:15 light is cast upon what
specific "promise" is here contemplated. In the former we read, "Let
us therefore fear, lest a promise being left of entering into His
rest, any of you should seem to come short of it"; in the latter we
are told, "And so, after he (Abraham) had patiently endured
(persevered) he obtained the promise." It is to be most particularly
noted that all through this epistle "salvation" is viewed as a future
thing. This is an aspect of salvation (a vitally important one too)
which is mostly omitted from present-day preaching and teaching. In
the Hebrews (as likewise in the epistles of Peter) the saints are
contemplated as being yet in the wilderness, which is the place of
testing and of danger. It is only those who diligently heed the solemn
warning of Hebrews 3:12 who win through, "Take heed brethren, lest
there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from
the living God."
"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good
works" (verse 24). The opening "And" serves two purposes: it is a
plain indication that the contents of this verse are closely related
to what has just been before us; it is a pointed intimation that we
ought to be as considerate and careful about the spiritual edification
of other saints as we are of our own. Thus there are two things here
which claim our consideration: the precise nature of the duty
enjoined, and the connection between it and the exhortation of verse
23.
"And let us consider one another." There are no fewer than eleven
Greek words used in the N.T. which are all rendered by our one English
term "consider": four of them being simple verbs, and seven of them
compounds for the purpose of particular emphasis. The first signifies
the serious observing of a matter: Acts 15:6; the second a careful
deliberation: Hebrews 7:4; the third, to narrowly spy or investigate
as a watchman: Galatians 6:1; the fourth, to turn a matter over in the
mind: 2 Timothy 2:7. The first simple verb is compounded in Acts 12:12
and means to seriously consult with one's self about a matter. The
second simple verb is compounded in Hebrews 13:7, and means to
diligently review a thing. The fourth simple verb is compounded in
Acts 11:6, and means to thoroughly weigh a matter so as to come to a
full knowledge of it: this is the one used in our present text. In
Mark 6:52 is a different compound: the disciples failed to compare
things together. In Hebrews 12:3 another compound signifies to reckon
up--all that Christ suffered. In John 11:50 is a similar compound: to
reckon thoroughly. In Matthew 6:28 "consider the lilies" means to
learn thoroughly so as to be instructed thereby. The practical lesson
to be learned from all this is, that the things of God call for our
utmost attention.
"And let us consider one another:" let us diligently bear in mind and
continually have in view the good of our fellow-pilgrims. The term
"consider" is very emphatic, being the same as in Hebrews 3:1, where
we are bidden to "Consider the Apostle and High Priest of our
profession Christ Jesus." Here it signifies a conscientious care and
circumspection over the spiritual estate and welfare of other
Christians. They are brethren and sisters in Christ, members of the
same family: a tie far nearer and dearer than any earthly one unites
you to them and them to you. "Consider" not only their blessed
relation to you, but also their circumstances, their trials, their
temptations, their infirmities, their needs. Seek grace to be of
service, of help, of blessing to them. Remember that they have their
conflicts too, their discouragements, their falls: "Wherefore lift up
the hands which hang down and the feeble knees" (Heb. 12:12).
"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good
works." Here is expressed the chief design or end of our consideration
for one another: it is to provoke or stir up unto the performance of
duties; to strengthen zeal, to inflame affections, to excite unto
godly living. We are to provoke one another by means of a godly
example, by suitable exhortations, by unselfish acts of kindness. We
are to fire one another "unto love," which is not a mere sentiment or
natural affability, but a holy principle of action, which seeks the
highest good of its object. Christian love is righteous, and never
winks at sin; it is faithful, which shrinks not from warning or
rebuking where such is necessary. "And good works" is to be the issue,
the fruit, of godly love. "And this is love, that we walk after His
commandments" (2 John 6).
The relation between this exhortation in verse 24 and the one in verse
23 is very intimate. Love and good works are both the effects and
evidences of the sincere confession of saving faith, and therefore a
diligent attendance unto them is an essential means of constancy in
our confession. Christian perseverance is nothing less than a
continuance in practical godliness, in the path of obedience to Christ
and love unto His brethren. Therefore are we called upon to watch over
one another with a view to steadfastness in the faith and fruitfulness
in our lives. No Christian liveth unto himself (Rom. 14:7): each one
of us is either a help or a hindrance, a blessing or a curse unto
those we associate with. Which is it? The Lord stir up both writer and
reader to a more unselfish and loving concern for the spiritual good
of those who are fellow-members of the same Body.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 52
Apostasy
(Hebrews 10:25-27)
__________________________________________
We have now reached one of the most solemn and fear-inspiring passages
to be found not only in this epistle, but in all the Word of God. May
the Holy Spirit fit each of our hearts to approach it in that godly
trembling which becomes those who have within their own hearts the
seeds of apostasy. Let it be duly considered at the outset that the
verses which are now to be before us were addressed not to those who
made no profession of being genuine Christians, but instead, unto them
whom the Spirit of truth owned as "holy brethren, partakers of the
heavenly calling" (Heb. 3:1). Nevertheless, He now dehorts them from
stepping over the brink of that awful precipice which was before them,
and faithfully warns of the certain destruction which would follow did
they do so. Instead of replying to this with arguments drawn from the
eternal security of God's saints, let us seek grace to honestly face
the terrible danger which menaces each of us while we remain in this
world of sin, and to use all necessary means to avoid so fearful and
fatal a calamity.
In the past, dear reader, there have been thousands who were just as
confident that they had been genuinely saved and were truly trusting
in the merits of the finished work of Christ to take them safely
through to Heaven, as you may be; nevertheless, they are now in the
torments of Hell. Their confidence was a carnal one; their "faith," no
better than that which the demons have. Their faith was but a natural
one which rested on the bare letter of Scripture. It was not a
supernatural one, wrought in the heart by God. They were too confident
that their faith was a saving one, to thoroughly, searchingly,
frequently, test it by the Scriptures, to discover whether or no it
was brining forth those fruits which are inseparable from the faith of
God's elect. If they read an article like this, they proudly concluded
that it belonged to some one else. So cocksure were they that they
were born again so many years ago, they refused to heed the command of
2 Corinthians 13:5 "Prove your own selves." And now it is too late.
They wasted their day of opportunity, and the "blackness of darkness"
is their portion forever.
In view of this solemn and awful fact, the writer earnestly calls upon
himself and each reader to get down before God and sincerely cry,
"Search me, O God: reveal me to myself. If I am deceived, undeceive me
ere it be eternally too late. Enable me to measure myself faithfully
by Thy Word, so that I may discover whether or no my heart has been
renewed, whether I have abandoned every course of self-will and truly
surrendered to Thee; whether I have so repented that I hate all sin,
and fervently long to be free from its power, loathe myself and seek
diligently to deny myself; whether my faith is that which overcomes
the world (1 John 5:4), or whether it be only a mere notional thing
which produces no godly living; whether I am a fruitful branch of the
vine, or only a cumberer of the ground; in short, whether I be a new
creature in Christ, or only a painted hypocrite." If I have an honest
heart, then I am willing, yea anxious to face and know the real truth
about myself.
Perhaps some readers are ready to say, I already know the truth about
myself: I believe what God's Word tells me: I am a sinner, with no
good thing dwelling in me; my only hope is in Christ. Yes, dear
friend, but Christ saves His people from their sins. Christ sends His
Holy Spirit into their hearts, so that they are radically changed from
what they were previously. The Holy Spirit sheds abroad the love of
God in the hearts of those He regenerates, and that love is manifested
by a deep desire and sincere determination to please Him who loves me.
When Christ saves a soul, He saves not only from Hell, but from the
power of sin; He delivers him from the dominion of Satan, and from the
love of the world; He delivers him from the fear of man, the lusts of
the flesh, the love of self. True He has not yet completed this
blessed work. True, the sinful nature is not yet eradicated, but one
who is saved has been delivered from the dominion of sin (Rom. 6:14).
Salvation is a supernatural thing, which changes the heart, renews the
will, transforms the life, so that it is evident to all around that a
miracle of grace has been wrought.
Thus, it is not sufficient for me to ask have I repudiated my own
righteousness, have I renounced all my good works to fit me for
heaven, am I trusting alone to Christ? Many will earnestly and
sincerely affirm these things, who yet give no evidence that they have
passed from death unto life. Then what more is necessary for me to
ascertain whether or no my faith be a truly saving one? This, there
are certain things which "accompany salvation" (Heb. 6:9), things
which are inseparable from it; and for these I must look, and be sure
I have them. A bundle of wood that sends forth neither heat nor smoke,
has no fire under it. A tree, which in summer, bears neither fruit nor
leaves, is dead. So a faith which does not issue in godly living, in
an obedient walk, in spiritual fruit, is not the faith of God's elect.
O my reader, I beg you to diligently and faithfully examine yourself
by the light of God's unerring Word. Claim not to be a child of
Abraham, unless you do the works of Abraham (John 8:39).
What is apostasy? It is a making shipwreck of the faith (1 Tim. 1:19).
It is the heart's departure from the living God (Heb. 3:12). It is a
returning to and being overcome by the world, after a previous escape
from its pollutions through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ (2 Pet. 2:20). There are various steps which precede it. First,
there is a looking back (Luke 9:62), like Lot's wife, who though she
had outwardly left Sodom, yet her heart was still there. Second, there
is a drawing back (Heb. 10:38): the requirements of Christ are too
exacting to any longer appeal to the heart. Third, there is a turning
back (John 6:66): the path of godliness is too narrow to suit the
lustings of the flesh. Fourth, there is a falling back, which is
fatal: "that they might go and fall backward, and be broken" (Isa.
28:13).
"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of
some, but exhorting; and so much the more, as ye see the day
approaching" (verse 25). This verse forms the transition between the
subject of Christian perseverance, treated of in verses 23, 24, and
that of apostasy, which is developed in verse 26 and onwards, though
it is much more closely related to the latter than to the former. Most
of the commentators are astray on this point, through failing to
observe the absence of the word "And" at the beginning of it, and
because they perceive not the significance of the word "forsake." In
reality, the contents of this verse form a faithful warning against
apostasy. First, the Hebrews are cautioned against forsaking public
worship. Second, it is pointed out that "some" had already done so.
Third, they are bidden to exhort one another with increased diligence.
"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together." Before
attempting exposition of these words, let us first relieve them of a
false application which some seek to make of them today. Just as of
old Satan made a wrong use of Psalm 91:11, 12 in his tempting of the
Savior (Matthew 4:6), so he does with the verse before us. Few are
aware of how often the Devil brings a Scripture before our minds. When
a Christian is seeking to be out and out for Christ, the Devil will
quote to him "Be not righteous overmuch" (Ecclesiastes 7:16); likewise
when a child of God resolves to obey 2 Timothy 3:5 and Hebrews 13:13
and separate from all who do not live godly, the Enemy reminds him of
"not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together." Romanists used
the same text in the early days of the Reformation, and charged Luther
and his friends with disobeying this Divine command. But God's Word
does not contradict itself: it does not tell us in one place "Be ye
not unequally yoked together with unbelievers" (2 Cor. 6:14), and here
bid the "sheep" to fraternize with "goats." When rightly understood,
this verse affords no handle to those who seek to discourage
faithfulness to Christ.
"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together." John Owen
rightly pointed out that, "There is a synecdoche (a part put for the
whole) in the word `assembling,' and it is put for the whole worship
of Christ, because worship was performed in their assemblies; and he
that forsakes the assemblies, forsakes the worship of Christ, as some
of them did when exposed to danger." What is here dehorted is the
total relinquishment of Christianity. It is not "Cease not to attend
the assembly," but "forsake not," abandon not the assembling of
yourselves together. It is not the sin of sloth or of schism which is
here considered, but that of apostasy. If a professing Christian
forsook the Christian churches and became a Mohammedan he would
disobey this verse; but for one who puts the honor of Christ before
everything else, to turn his back upon the so-called churches where He
is now so grievously dishonored, is not a failure to comply with its
terms.
The Greek word for "Forsake not" is a very strong and emphatic one,
being a double compound, and signifies "to abandon in time of danger."
It is the word used by the agonizing Redeemer on the Cross, when He
cried, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" It was used by Him
again when He declared, "Thou wilt not leave My soul in hell, neither
wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption" (Acts 2:27). It is
the word employed by Paul in 2 Timothy 4:10, "Demas hath forsaken me,
having loved this present world." It is found in only one other place
in this epistle, where it is in obvious antithesis from the verse now
before us: "He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee"
(Heb. 13:5). Thus it will appear that a total and final abandonment of
the public profession of Christianity is what is here warned against.
One may therefore discern how that verse 25 supplies a most
appropriate link between verses 23, 24 and verse 26. Verse 25
prescribes another means to enable the wavering Hebrews to remain
constant in the Christian faith. If they were to "hold fast the
confession of faith without wavering," and if they were to "consider
one another to provoke unto love and to good works," then they must
not "forsake the assembling" of themselves together. The word for
"assembling together" is a double compound, and occurs elsewhere in
the New Testament only in 2 Thessalonians 2:1: "our gathering together
unto Him," that is unto Christ; this also shows that the "assembling
together" here is under one Head, and that the "forsaking" is because
He has been turned away from.
To enforce the above caution, the apostle adds, "as the manner of some
is." The Greek word for "manner" signifies "custom," and is so
translated in Luke 2:42. This supplies additional confirmation that
the evil against which the Hebrews were dehorted was no mere
occasionally absenting themselves from the Christian churches, but a
deliberate, fixed and final departure from them. In John 6:66 we read
that "From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no
more with Him"; John also wrote of those who "went out from us, but
they were not of us" (1 John 2:19); whilst at the close of his labors
Paul had to say "All they which are in Asia be turned away from me" (2
Tim. 1:15). So here, some who had made a profession of the Christian
faith had now abandoned the same and gone back to Judaism. It was to
warn the others against this fatal step that the apostle now wrote as
he did--compare 1 Corinthians 10:12, Romans 11:20.
"But exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day
approaching." Here is the positive side of our verse. This is another
of the means appointed by God to confirm Christians in their holy
confession. To "exhort one another" is a duty to which all Christians
are called; alas, how rarely is it performed these evil days. Yet,
from the human side, such failure is hardly to be wondered at. The
vast majority of professing Christians wish to be petted and
flattered, rather than exhorted and cautioned. Most of them are so
hypersensitive that the slightest criticism offends them. One who
seeks grace to be faithful and to act in true "love" to those whom he
supposes are his brethren and sisters in Christ, has a thankless task
before him, so far as man is concerned--he will soon lose nearly all
his "friends" (?) and sever the "fellowship" (?) which exists between
him and them. But this will only give a little taste of "the
fellowship of His sufferings." Hebrews 3:13 is still God's command!
"And so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." There seems
little room for doubt that the first reference here is to the
destruction of the Jewish commonwealth, which was now very nigh, for
this epistle was written within less than eight years before Jerusalem
was captured by Titus. That terrible catastrophe had been foretold,
again and again, by Israel's prophets, and was plainly announced by
the Lord Jesus in Luke 21. The approach of that dreadful "day" could
be plainly seen or perceived by those possessing spiritual
discernment: the continued refusal of the Nation to repent of their
murder of Christ, and the abandoning of Christianity for an apostate
Judaism by such large numbers, clearly presaged the bursting of the
storm of God's judgment. This very fact supplied an additional motive
for genuine Christians to remain faithful. The Lord Jesus promised
that His followers should be preserved from the destruction of
Jerusalem, but only as they attended to His cautions in Luke 21:8, 19,
34, etc., only as they persevered in faith and holiness, Matthew
24:13. The particular motive unto diligence here set before the
Hebrews is applicable to other Christians just to the extent that they
find themselves in similar circumstances.
"For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of
the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins" (verse 26). The
general truth here set forth is that, Should those who have been
converted and become Christians apostatize from Christ their state
would be hopeless. This is presented under the following details.
First, because of the nature of this sin, namely, a deliberate and
final abandonment of the Christian faith. Second, the ones warned
against the committal of it. Third, the terrible aggravation of it did
such commit it. Fourth, the unpardonableness of it.
"For if we sin willfully." The causal particle whereby this verse is
premised has at least a threefold force. First and more immediately,
it points the plain and inevitable conclusion from what has just been
said in verse 25: they who "forsake" and abandon the Christian
assemblies with all that they stand for, commit a sin for which the
sacrifice of Christ avails not. Should it be said that Scripture
declares "the blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin," the reply is,
that it only says "the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from
all sin," and none of those spoken of throughout that verse (1 John
1:7) ever commit this sin! Moreover, that very same epistle plainly
teaches there is a sin for which the blood of Christ does not avail:
see 1 John 5:16. Second, and more generally, a reason is here adduced
as to why Christians need to heed the exhortations given in verses
22-25: the duties therein prescribed are the means which God has
appointed for preserving His people against this unpardonable crime.
Third and more remotely, a solemn warning is here given against a
wrong use being made of the precious promise recorded in Hebrews
10:17--that blessed declaration is not designed to encourage a course
of carelessness and recklessness.
"For if we sin willfully." "The word sin here is plainly used in a
somewhat peculiar sense. It is descriptive not of sin generally, but
of a particular kind of sin,--apostasy from the faith and profession
of the truth, once known and professed. `The angels that sinned' are
the apostate angels. The apostasy described is not so much an act of
apostasy as a state of apostasy. It is not, `If we have sinned, if we
have apostatized'; but `If we sin, if we apostatize, if we continue in
apostasy'" (John Brown). English translators prior to the A.V. read
"If we sin willingly," the change being made in 1611, to avoid giving
countenance to the supposition that there is no recovery after any
voluntary sin. The Greek word will not permit of this change: the only
other occurrence of it in 1 Peter 5:2, clearly gives its scope:
"Taking the oversight not by constraint, but willingly."
"For if we sin willingly," that is voluntarily, of our own accord,
where no constraint is used. The reference is to a definite decision,
where an individual deliberately determines to abandon Christ and turn
away from God. "In the Jewish law, as is indeed the case everywhere, a
distinction is made between sins of oversight, inadvertence, or
ignorance (Lev. 4:2, 13, 22; 5:15; Numbers 15:24, 27-29: compare Acts
3:17, 17:30), and sins of presumption, sins that are deliberately and
intentionally committed: see Exodus 21:14, Numbers 15:30, Deuteronomy
17:12, Psalm 19:13. The apostle here has reference, evidently, to such
a distinction, and means to speak of a decided and deliberate purpose
to break away from the restraints and obligations of the Christian
religion" (A. Barnes).
"For if we sin willingly," etc. Who are the ones that are here warned
against this terrible sin? Who are they that are in danger of
committing it? The answer is, all who make a profession of faith in
the Lord Jesus. But are genuine Christians in any such danger? Looked
at from the standpoint of God's everlasting covenant, which He made
with them in the person of their Sponsor, which covenant is "ordered
in all things and sure;"--no. Looked at according to their standing
and state in Christ, as those who have been "perfected forever" (Heb.
10:14);--no. But considered as they are in themselves, mutable
creatures (as was un-fallen Adam), without any strength of their
own;--yes. Viewed as those who still have the sinful nature within
them,--yes. Contemplated as those who are yet the objects of Satan's
relentless attacks,--yes. But it may be said, "God sees His people
only in Christ." Not so, is the reply. Were that the case, He would
never chasten (Heb. 12:5-10) us! God views the Christian both in
Christ legally and in this world actually. He addresses us as
responsible beings (2 Pet. 1:10) and regulates the manifestations of
His love for us according to our conduct (John 14:23).
It is to be carefully noted that the apostle Paul did not say, "If ye
sin willingly," but "if we," thus including himself. Two reasons may
be suggested for this. First, to soften a little the severity of this
terrible warning. He shows there is no respect of persons in this
matter: were he to commit this dreadful sin himself, he too would
suffer the same un-mitigable doom. Hereby he sets all preachers and
teachers a godly example. Such was his general custom: compare the
"we" in Hebrews 2:3; 3:6, 14; 12:25; and the "us" in Hebrews 4:1, 11!
Second, to emphasize the unvarying outworking of this law: no
exceptions are made. The apostle includes himself to show that even he
himself could not look to escape the Divine vengeance here denounced,
if he fell into the sin here described.
"After that we have received the knowledge of the truth." These words
not only serve to identify the ones who are cautioned against
apostasy, but are added to emphasize the enormity of the sin. It would
not be through ignorance or lack of knowledge, but after being
enlightened, they abandoned Christianity. The "Truth" rather than the
"Gospel" is here specifically mentioned, so as to heighten the
contrast--it is for a lie that Christ is rejected. The word
"knowledge" here is a compound and signifies "acknowledgement," and is
so rendered in Titus 1:1, Philemon 6. Owen says, "the word is not used
any where to express the mere conceptions or notions of the mind about
this, but such acknowledgement of it as arises from some sense of its
power and excellency." To "receive" this acknowledgement of the truth
includes an act of the mind in understanding it, an act of the will in
consenting, and an act of the heart in embracing it.
"Wherefore the sin here intended, is plainly a relinquishment and
renunciation of the truth of the gospel, and the promises thereof,
with all duty thereunto belonging, after we have been convinced of its
truth, and avowed its power and excellency. There is no more required
but that this be `willingly': not upon a sudden surprisal and
temptation, as Peter denied Christ; not on those compulsions and fears
which may work a present dissimulation, without an internal rejection
of the Gospel; not through darkness, ignorance making an impression
for a season on the minds and reasonings of men: which things, though
exceedingly evil and dangerous, may befall them who yet contract not
the guilt of this crime. But it is required thereunto, that men who
thus sin, do it by choice, and of their own accord, from the internal
depravity of their own mind, and an evil heart of unbelief to depart
from the living God; that they do it by, and with the preference of
another way of religion, and a resting therein before or above the
Gospel" (John Owen).
The un-pardonableness of this sin is affirmed in the words "there
remaineth no more sacrifice for sins." A similar passage, which throws
light on our present verse, is found in 1 Samuel 3:14, "And therefore
I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house
shall not be purged with sacrifice or offering forever." As there were
certain sins which, in O.T. times, from their heinousness and the
high-handed rebellion of their perpetrators, had no sacrifice allowed
them, but "died without mercy" (verse 29); so it is now with those who
apostatize from Christ: there is no relief appointed for them, no
means for the expiation of their sin. They voluntarily and finally
reject the Gospel, forfeit all interest in the sacrifice of Christ.
Ere leaving this verse, let it be said emphatically that there is
nothing in it which in anywise conflicts with the blessed truth of the
eternal security of God's saints. The apostle did not here say the
Hebrews had apostatized, nor did he affirm they would do so. No,
instead, he faithfully points out the sure, dreadful, and eternal
consequences did they do so. "For IF we sin willingly." It was to keep
them from it that he here sets it down by way of supposition, just as
in Romans 8:13 he says, "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall
die." As to how far a person may go in the taking up of Christianity,
and as to what the Spirit may work in him short of actual
regeneration, and then that one apostatize, only God knows. And, as to
how close a real Christian may come to presumptuous (Ps. 19:13)
sinning, and yet remain innocent of "the great transgression," only
God can decide. We are only in the place of safety while we maintain
the attitude of complete dependency upon the Lord and of unreserved
subjection to Him. To indulge the flesh is dangerous; to persist in
the course of self-gratification is highly dangerous; and to remain
therein unto the end, would be fatal.
"But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation,
which shall devour the adversaries" (verse 27). The positive
punishment of apostates is here announced. "When a man under the law
had contracted the guilt of any such sin, as was indispensably capital
in its punishment, for the legal expiation thereof no sacrifice was
appointed or allowed, such as murder, adultery, blasphemy, he had
nothing remaining but a fearful expectation of the execution of the
sentence of the law against him. And it is evident that in this
context, the apostle argues from the less unto the greater; if it was
so, that this was the case of him who so sinned against Moses' law,
how much more must it be so with them that sin against the gospel,
whose sin is incomparably greater, and the punishment more severe?"
(John Owen.)
The Divine punishment which shall be visited upon apostates is first
spoken of under the general term "judgment," as in Hebrews 9:27. This
signifies that it will be a righteous sentence proportioned unto their
awful crime: there will be a full and open trial, with an impartial
judicial condemnation of them. The term is also used to express the
punishment itself (James 2:13, 2 Peter 2:3): both meanings are
probably included here. There is no mean between pardon and damnation.
The sure approach of this judgment is referred to as "a certain
fearful looking-for of" it. The word "certain" here signifies
something which is not fully defined, as in "a certain woman" (Mark
5:25), "a certain nobleman" (John 4:46): it therefore denotes the
"judgment" is inexpressible, such as no human heart can conceive or
tongue portray. "Fearful" intimates the punishment will be so dreadful
that when men come to apprehend it they are filled with horror and
dismay. "Looking-for" shows that the apostates already have an earnest
of God's wrath in their consciences even now.
"And fiery indignation," or "fierceness of fire" as in the American
R.V., or more literally, "of fire fervor" (Bag. Inter.). This
describes more closely the nature of the "judgment" awaiting them. The
terms used denote the resistless, tormenting, destroying efficacy of
God's terrible wrath, and emphasizes its dreadful fierceness. God is
highly incensed against the apostates, and inconceivably and
indescribably dreadful will be His dealings with them: it will express
and answer to His infinite justice, holiness, and power. "For, behold,
the Lord will come with fire and with His chariots, like a whirlwind,
to render His anger against the earth, and His rebuke with flames of
fire" (Isa. 66:15). No doubt the reference in our verse is to the
final judgment at the last day, and the eternal destruction of God's
enemies. A solemn and graphic shadowing forth of this was given by God
when His sword and fiery judgment fell upon the Jews in A.D. 70,
destroying their church-state by fire and sword.
"Which shall devour the adversaries." There is probably an allusion
here to the dreadful fate which overtook Nadab and Abihu, concerning
whom it is written "there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured
them (Lev. 10:2), and also the judgment visited upon Korah, Dathan and
Abiram, when "the ground clave asunder that was under them, and the
earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up," so that they went down
"alive into the Pit" (Num. 16:30-33). The "adversaries" are those who
are actuated by a principle of hostile opposition to Christ and
Christianity. They are enemies of God, and God will show Himself to be
their Enemy. God's wrath shall "devour them as to all happiness, all
blessedness, all hopes, comfort and relief at once; but it shall not
consume their being. This is that which this fire shall ever prey upon
them, and never utterly consume them" (John Owen). From such a doom
may Divine grace deliver both wr‡iter and reader.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 53
The Apostates' Doom
(Hebrews 10:28-31)
__________________________________________
The verses which are now to be before us complete the section begun at
verse 26, the sum of which is the apostates' doom. They fall naturally
into two parts, the one containing a description of their sin; the
other, a declaration of their punishment. For the purpose of solemn
emphasis, each of these is repeated. In verse 26 the sin itself is
mentioned; in the last clause of verse 26 and in verse 27 the
punishment of it is affirmed. In verses 28, 29 the apostle confirms
the equity of the fore-named judgment by an argument drawn from the
Mosaic law, under which he shows the terrible character of the sin
which is here in view. In verses 30, 31 he establishes the certainty
of the punishment by an appeal to the character of God as revealed in
His Word. This repetition in a subject so solemn, is well calculated
to awe every thoughtful reader, and ought to produce the most
searching effect upon his conscience and heart.
As we have pointed out in preceding articles, this section (verses
26-31) was introduced by the apostle for the purpose of enforcing the
exhortation found in verses 22-24, the sum of which is, a call unto
Christians to persevere in a state and practice of godliness. Grossly
has this passage been perverted by theological factions belonging to
two extremes. The one has misused it in the endeavor to bolster up
their false doctrine of regenerated people falling from grace and
being eternally lost. Without now going into that subject, it is
sufficient to say that Hebrews 10:26-31 contains not a word which
directly supports the chief contention of the Arminians. What we have
in this passage is only hypothetical, "For if we sin willingly," i.e.
deliberately, fully, and finally abandon the profession of
Christianity--not that the Holy Spirit here says any of the regenerate
Hebrews had, or would do so. A similar and still more pointed case is
found in those words of Christ's. "Yet ye have not known Him: but I
know Him: and if I should say, I know Him not, I shall be a liar like
unto you" (John 8:55).
The second party of those who have misunderstood this passage, are
Calvinists possessing more zeal than wisdom. Anxious to maintain their
ground against the Arminians, most of them have devoted their energies
to show that regenerated Christians do not come within the scope of
verse 26 at all; that instead, it treats only of nominal professors,
of those having nothing more than a head-knowledge of the Truth, and
making merely a lip-profession of the same. And thus has the great
Enemy of souls succeeded in getting some of the true servants of God
to blunt the sharp edge of this solemn verse, and nullify its
searching power over the conscience of the saints. It is sufficient
refutation of this theory to point out that the apostle is here
addressing those who were "partakers of the heavenly calling" (Heb.
3:1), and in the "we" of Hebrews 10:26 included himself! We will not
take any notice of a third theory, of modern "dispensationalists," who
affirm that none but Jews could commit the sin here mentioned, beyond
saying that our space is too valuable to waste in exposing such
trifling with Holy Scripture.
But what has been pointed out above presents a serious difficulty to
many. We may state it thus: If it be impossible for truly regenerated
people to ever perish, then why should the Holy Spirit move the
apostle to so much in hypothetically describing the irremediable doom
if they should apostatize? Such a difficulty is occasioned, in the
first place, through a one-sided conception of the Christian, through
considering him only as he exists in the purpose of God, and not also
remembering what he still is in himself: unless the latter be steadily
held in mind, we are in grave danger of denying, or at least ignoring,
the Christian's responsibility. That the Christian is to be viewed in
this twofold way is abundantly clear from many Scriptures. For
example, in the purpose of God, the Christian is already "glorified"
(Rom. 8:30), yet he certainly is not so in himself! Here in Hebrews
10:26 etc. (as in many other passages) the Christian is not addressed
from the viewpoint of God's eternal purpose, but as he yet is in
himself--in need of solemn warnings, as well as exhortations.
Again; the difficulty which so many one-sided thinkers find in this
subject is to be attributed to their failure in duly recognizing the
relation which God has appointed between His own eternal counsels and
the accomplishment of the same through wisely ordained means. There
are some who reason (most superficially) that if God has ordained a
certain soul to be saved, he will be, whether he exercised faith in
Christ or no. Not so: 2 Thessalonians 2:13 clearly proves the
contrary--the "end" and the "means" are there inseparably joined
together. It is quite true that where God has appointed a certain
individual "unto salvation," He will infallibly give him a saving
faith; but that does not mean that the Holy Spirit will believe for
him; no, the individual will, must, exercise the faith which has been
given him. In like manner, God has eternally decreed that every
regenerated soul shall get safely through to Heaven, yet He certainly
has not ordained that any shall do so whether or not they use the
means which He has appointed for their preservation. Christians are
"kept by the power of God through faith" (1 Pet. 1:5)--there is the
human responsibility side.
Looked at as he still is in himself, the Christian is eminently liable
to "make shipwreck of the faith" (1 Tim. 1:19). He still has within
him a nature which craves the vanities of the world, and that craving
has to be denied, or he will never reach Heaven. He is yet in the
place of terrible danger, menaced by deadly temptations, and it is
only as he constantly watches and prays against the same that he is
preserved from them. He is the immediate and incessant object of the
Devil's malice, for he is ever going about as a roaring lion seeking
whom he may devour; and it is only as the Christian takes unto himself
(appropriates and uses) the armor of God's providing, that he can
withstand the great Enemy of souls. It is because of these things that
he urgently needs the exhortations and warnings of Holy Writ. God has
faithfully pointed out to us what lies at the end of every path of
self-will and self-indulgence. God has mercifully placed a hedge
across each precipice which confronts the professing Christian, and
woe be to him if he disregards those warnings and pushes through that
hedge.
In this solemn passage of Hebrews 10, the apostle is pointing out the
sure and certain connection there is between apostasy and irrevocable
damnation, thereby warning all who bear the name of Christ to take the
most careful and constant pains in avoiding that unpardonable sin. To
say that real Christians need no such warning because they cannot
possibly commit that sin, is, we repeat, to lose sight of the
connection which God himself has established between His predestined
ends and the means whereby they are reached. The end unto which God
has predestined His people is their eternal bliss in Heaven, and one
of the means by which that end is reached, is through their taking
heed to the solemn warning He has given against that which would
prevent their reaching Heaven. It is not wisdom, but madness, to scoff
at those warnings. As well might Joseph have objected that there was
no need for him and his family to flee into Egypt (Matthew 2), seeing
that it was impossible for the Christ-Child to be slain by Herod!
What each of us needs to watch against is the first buddings of
apostasy, the first steps which lead to that sin of sins. It is not
reached at a single bound, but is the fatal culmination of a diseased
heart. Thus, while the writer and the reader, may be in no immediate
danger of apostasy itself, we are of that which, if allowed and
continued in, would certainly lead to it. A man who is now enjoying
good health is in no immediate danger of dying from tuberculosis; yet
if he recklessly exposed himself to the wet and cold, if he refrained
from taking that nourishing food which supplies strength to resist
disease, or had he a heavy cough on the chest and made no effort to
break it up, then would he very likely fall a victim to consumption.
So it is spiritually. Nay, in the case of the Christian, the seed of
eternal death is already in him. That seed is sin, and it is only as
grace is daily and diligently sought, for the thwarting of its
inclinations and suppressing of its activities, that it is hindered
from fully developing to a fatal end.
A small leak neglected will sink a ship just as effectually as the
most boisterous sea. So one sin indulged in and not repented of, will
terminate in eternal punishment. Well did John Owen say, "We ought to
take heed of every neglect of the person of Christ and of His
authority, lest we enter into some degree or other of the guilt of
this great offense." Or, still better, well may both writer and reader
earnestly cry unto God, "Keep back Thy servant also from presumptuous
sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and
I shall be innocent from the great transgression" (Ps. 19:13). Rightly
did Spurgeon say on this verse, "Secret sin is a stepping-stone to
presumptuous sin, and that is the vestibule of `the sin which is unto
death'" (Treasury of David.) To sin "presumptuously" is to knowingly
and deliberately ignore God's commandments, defying His authority and
recklessly going on in a course of self-pleasing regardless of
consequences. When one has reached that terrible stage, he is but a
short step indeed from committing the sin for which there is no
forgiveness, and then to be abandoned by God both in this world and in
that which is to come.
As this solemn subject is so vitally related to our eternal welfare,
and as the pulpit and religious press of today maintain a guilty
silence thereon, let us briefly point out some of the steps which
inevitably lead to "presumptuous" sinning. When a professing Christian
ceases to maintain a daily repentance and confession to God of all
known sins, his conscience is already asleep and no longer responsive
to the voice of the Holy Spirit. If over and above this, he comes
before God as a worshipper, to praise and thank Him for mercies
received, he is but dissembling, and mocking Him. If he continues in a
state of impenitence, thus allowing and siding with the sin into which
at first, he was unwittingly and unwillingly betrayed, his heart will
be so hardened that he will commit new sins deliberately, against
light and knowledge, and that with a high hand, and thus be guilty of
presumptuous sins, of openly defying God.
The terrible thing is that in these degenerate times the consciences
of thousands have been drugged by preachers (whom it is greatly to be
feared are themselves spiritually dead, and helping forward the work
of Satan) that have presented "the eternal security of the saints" in
such an unscriptural way, as to convey to their poor hearers the
impression that, provided they once "accepted Christ as their personal
Savior" Heaven is now their certain portion, that guilt can nevermore
rest upon them, and that no matter what sins they may commit nothing
can possibly jeopardize their eternal interests. The consequence has
been--and this is no imaginary fear of ours, but a patent fact of
observation on every side--that a carnal security has been imparted,
so that in the midst of fleshly gratification and worldly living it
is, humanly speaking, quite impossible to disturb their false peace or
terrify their conscience.
All around us are professing Christians sinning with a high hand
against God, and yet suffering from no qualms of conscience. And why?
Because while they believe that some "millennial crown" or "reward"
may be forfeited should they fail to deny self and daily take up their
cross and follow Christ, yet they have not the slightest realization
or fear that they are hastening to Hell as swiftly as time wings its
flight. They fondly imagine that the blood of Christ covers all their
sins. Horrible blasphemy! Dear reader, make no mistake upon this
point, and suffer no false prophet to cause you to believe the
contrary, the blood of Christ covers no sins that have not been truly
repented of and confessed to God with a broken heart. But presumptuous
sins are not easily repented of, for they harden the heart and make it
steel itself against God. In proof note, "But they refused to hearken,
and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears that they should
not hear. Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they
should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent"
(Zech. 7:11, 12).
Rightly then does Thomas Scott say on Hebrews 10:26, "We cannot too
awfully alarm the secure, self-confident, and presumptuous, as every
deliberate sin against light and conscience, is a step towards the
tremendous precipice described by the apostle." Alas, alas, Satan has,
through the "Bible teachers" done his work so well that, unless the
Holy Spirit performs a miracle, it is impossible to "alarm" such. The
great masses of professing Christians of our day regard God Himself
much as they would an indulgent old man in his dotage, who so loves
his grandchildren as to be blind to all their faults. The ineffably
holy God of Scripture is no longer believed in: but multitudes will
yet find, to their eternal sorrow, that it is" a fearful thing" to
fall into His hands. We make no apology for this lengthy introduction,
for our aim is not so much to write a commentary on this Epistle, as
it is to reach the consciences and hearts of poor, misguided, and
deluded souls, who have been fearfully deceived by the very men whom
they have regarded as the champions of orthodoxy.
"He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three
witnesses: of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be
thought worthy who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath
counted the blood of the covenant wherewith He was sanctified, an
unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" (verses
28, 29). Having named the principal means for the Christian's
maintenance of constancy in the faith (verses 22-25), the apostle
proceeded to enforce his exhortations to perseverance, and against
backsliding and apostasy, by some weighty considerations. First, from
the terrible character of the sin of apostasy: it is a sinning
willingly after a knowledge of the Truth has been received and
assented to verse 26. Second, from the dreadful state of such: no
sacrifice avails for them, naught but judgment awaits them, verses 26,
27. Third, from the analogy of God's severity in the past verses 28,
29. Fourth, from what Scripture affirms of God's vindicative justice,
verses 30, 31.
"He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three
witnesses." The apostle proceeds to confirm the sentence passed upon
the apostate Christian in verses 26, 27, by an appeal to God's awful
but righteous justice in the past. If the despiser of the Mosaic law
was dealt with so unsparingly, how much more severe must be the
punishment meted out to those who scorn the authority of the Gospel!
The Greek word for "despise" means to utterly reject a thing, to set
aside or cast it off, to treat it with contempt. The one who thus
flouted the Divine legislation through Moses, was he who renounced its
authority, and determinately and obstinately refused to comply with
its requirements. Such an one suffered the capital punishment.
Probably such passages as Deuteronomy 13:6-9; 17:2-7 were before the
apostle's mind.
"Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy
who hath trodden under foot the Son of God?" The apostle's inspired
logic here is the very reverse of that which obtains in the corrupt
theology of present-day Christendom. The popular idea in these
degenerate times is that, under the Gospel regime (or "dispensation of
grace") God has acted, is acting, and will act much more mildly with
transgressors, than He did under the Mosaic economy. The very opposite
is the truth. No judgment from Heaven one-half as severe as that which
overtook Jerusalem in A.D. 70, is recorded in Scripture from Exodus 19
to Malachi 4! Nor is there anything in God's dealings with Israel
during O.T. times which can begin to compare with the awful severity
of His "wrath" as depicted in the book of Revelation! Every despiser
of the Lordship of Christ shall yet discover that a far hotter place
has been reserved for him in Hell, than what will be the portion of
lawless rebels who lived under the old covenant.
"Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy,
who hath trodden under foot the Son of God?" There are degrees of
heinousness in sinning (John 19:11), and so there are degrees in the
punishment of their perpetrators (Luke 12:47, 48). Here, this solemn
truth is presented in the interrogative form (cf. Hebrews 2:3) so as
to search the conscience of each reader. If I have been favored with a
knowledge of the Gospel (denied to half the human race), if I have
been enlightened by the Holy Spirit (which is more than multitudes of
Romanists are), if I profess to have received Christ as my Savior and
have praised Him for His redeeming grace,--what punishment can fitly
meet my crimes if I now despise His lordship, flout His authority,
break His commandments, walk with His enemies, and go on sinning
presumptuously, till I end by committing the "great transgression?"
"Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy,
who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood
of the covenant, wherewith He was sanctified, an unholy thing, and
hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" Instead of contenting
himself with a general declaration of the equity of God's dealings
with apostates, the apostle here adduces additional particulars of the
crime before him. In this verse we have brought before us the awful
aggravations of the sin of apostasy, showing what is implied and
involved in this un-pardoned transgression. Three things are
specified, at each of which we shall briefly glance.
First, "who hath trodden under foot the Son of God." Once more we
would call attention to the varied manner in which the Holy Spirit
refers to the Savior in this epistle. Here, it is not "Jesus," or
"Christ," but the "Son of God," and that, because His purpose is to
emphasize the infinite dignity of the One slighted. It is not a mere
man, nor even an angel, but none less than the second person of the
Holy Trinity who is so grievously insulted! Backsliding and apostasy
is a treating of the Lord of glory with the utmost contempt. What
could be worse? The figure here employed is very expressive and
solemn: to "tread under foot" is the basest use to which a thing can
be put. It signifies a scornful spurning of an object as a thing that
is worthless, and is applied to swine trampling pearls under their
feet (Matthew 7:6). O my reader, when we deliberately ignore the
claims of God's Son and despise His commandments, we are treading His
authority beneath our feet!
Second, "and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith He was
sanctified, an unholy thing." Here, as J. Owen rightly pointed out,
"The second aggravation of the sin spoken of, is its opposition to the
office of Christ, especially His priestly office, and the sacrifice He
offered thereby, called here `the blood of the covenant'." In our
exposition of chapter 9, we sought to show in what sense the blood of
Christ was "the blood of the covenant." It was that whereby the new
covenant and testament was confirmed and made effectual unto all its
grace, to those who believe; being the foundation of all God's actings
toward Christ in His resurrection, exaltation and intercession--cf.
Hebrews 13:20. Now the backslider and apostate does, by his conduct,
treat that precious blood as though it were a worthless thing. There
are many degrees of this frightful sin. But O my reader, whenever we
give rein to our lusts and are not constrained by the love of Christ
to render Him that devotion and obedience which are His due, we are,
in fact, despising the blood of the covenant.
Third, "and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace." This is the
greatest aggravation of all: "whosoever shall speak a word against the
Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth
against the Holy Spirit it shall not be forgiven him" (Luke 12:10). It
is by the Spirit the Christian was regenerated, enlightened,
convicted, and brought to Christ. It is by the Spirit the Christian is
led and fed, taught and sanctified. What reverence is due Him as a
Divine person! What gratitude as a Divine benefactor! How dreadful the
sin then which treats Him with insolence, which scorns to attend unto
His winsome voice, which despises His gracious entreaties! While the
grossest form of the sin here referred to is, malignantly imputing
unto Satan the works of the Spirit, yet there are milder degrees of
it. O my reader, let us earnestly endeavor to keep from grieving Him
(Eph. 4:30), and more completely yield ourselves to be "led" (Rom.
8:14) by Him along the highway of practical holiness.
Saith the Lord Almighty, "To this man will I look, even to him that is
poor (in spirit), and of a contrite heart, and trembleth at My Word"
(Isa. 66:2). Surely if there is a passage any where in Holy Writ which
should cause each of us to "tremble," it is the one now before us! Not
tremble lest we have already committed this unpardonable sin, for they
who have done so are beyond all exercise of conscience, being given up
by God to hardness of heart; no, but tremble lest we should begin a
course of backsliding, which, if un-arrested, would certainly lead
thereto. "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest
he fall" (1 Cor. 10:12). O my reader, make this your daily prayer,
"Hold up my goings in Thy paths, that my footsteps slip not" (Ps.
17:5).
"For we know Him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto Me, I will
recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge His
people" (verse 30). In this verse further confirmation is supplied of
the awful severity and the absolute certainty of the punishment of
apostates. Once more we have an example of a most important principle
which regulated the apostle in his ministry, both oral and written. In
verses 28, 29 he had given a specimen of spiritual reasoning, drawing
a clear and logical inference from the less to the greater; yet
decisive and unanswerable as this was, he rested not his case upon it,
but instead, established it by quoting from Holy Scriptures. Let
servants of God today act upon the same principle, and give a definite
"Thus saith the Lord" for all they advance.
"For we know Him that hath said." Here our attention is directed unto
the Divine character, what God is in Himself. Nothing behooves us more
than to frequently and fully consider who it is with whom we have to
do. Our conception of the Divine character plays an important part in
molding our hearts and regulating our conduct, therefore it is that we
find the apostle, in another place, praying that the saints may be
"increasing in the knowledge of God" (Col. 1:10). It is a most
profitable exercise for the soul to be often engaged in contemplating
the Divine attributes, pondering God's all-mighty power, ineffable
holiness, unimpeachable veracity, exact justice, absolute faithfulness
and terrible severity. Christ Himself has bidden us "Fear Him which is
able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28). The
better God's character be known, the more we heed that exhortation of
Christ's, the clearer shall we perceive that there is nothing unsuited
to the holiness of God in what Scripture affirms concerning His
dealings with the wicked. It is because the true nature of sin is so
little viewed in the light of God's awful holiness, that so many fail
to recognize its infinite demerits.
"For we know Him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto Me, I will
recompense saith the Lord." The reference is to Deuteronomy 32:35,
though the apostle does not quote word for word as we now have that
text. Moses was there reminding of the office which God holds as the
Judge of all the earth: as such, He enforces His righteous law, and
inflicts its just punishment on willful and impenitent sinners.
Though, in His unsearchable wisdom, He is often pleased to forbear for
a while--for He "bears with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath
fitted to destruction" (Rom. 9:22)-- nevertheless, God will yet pay to
every transgressor the full wages to which their sins have earned. God
bore long with the Antediluvians, but at the end He destroyed them by
the flood. Wondrous was His patience toward the Sodomites, but at His
appointed season, He rained down fire and brimstone upon them. With
amazing forbearance He tolerates the immeasurable wickedness of the
world, but the Day is swiftly approaching when He will avenge Himself
upon all who now so stoutly oppose Him.
"And again, The Lord shall judge His people." A most important example
is here given as a guide to teach us how scripture is to be applied.
The reference is to what is recorded in Deuteronomy 32:36, but there
it is God's care exercised on behalf of His people, while here it is
His vengeance upon their enemies. Some have caviled at the
appositeness of the apostle's quotation. Yet they should not. Each
particular scripture has a general application, and is not to be
limited unto those first addressed. If God undertakes to protect His
people, He will certainly exercise judgment on those who apostatize.
He did so in the past (see 1 Corinthians 10:5); He will do so in the
future: 2 Thessalonians 1:7, 8. The rule which is established by this
quotation from Deuteronomy is, that all Scripture is equally
applicable unto all cases of the like nature. What God says concerning
those who are the enemies of His people, becomes applicable to His
people should they break and reject His covenant.
"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God"
(verse 31). Here is the un-escapable conclusion which must be drawn
from all that has been before us. This word "fearful" ought to make
every trifler with sin tremble as did Belshazzar when he saw the Hand
writing upon the wall. To "fall into the hands of" is a metaphor,
denoting the utter helplessness of the victim when captured by his
enemy. The One into whose hands the apostate falls is "the living
God." "A mortal man, however incensed he may be, cannot carry his
vengeance beyond death; but God's power is not bounded by so narrow
limits" (John Calvin). No, forever and ever will God's wrath burn
against the objects of His judgment. Nor will the supplications of
sinners prevail upon Him: see Proverbs 1:28, Ezekiel 8:18.
By the penitent and obedient, God is loved and adored; but by the
impenitent and defiant, He is to be dreaded. The wicked may now pride
themselves that in the day of judgment they will placate God by their
tears, but they will then find that not only His justice, but His
outraged mercy also calls aloud for His vengeance upon them. Men may
now be beguiled by visions of a "larger hope," but in that Day they
shall discover it is only another of Satan's lies. O how the "terror
of the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:11) ought to stir up God's servants to warn and
persuade men before the day of grace is finally closed. And how it
should make each one of us walk softly before God, sparing no pains to
make our calling and election "sure." It is only as we "add" to our
faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness,
brotherly-kindness, and love, that we have scriptural assurance that
we shall "never fall" (2 Pet. 1:5-10).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 54
The Path of Tribulation
(Hebrews 10:32-34)
__________________________________________
God has not promised His people a smooth path through this world;
instead, He has ordained that "we must through much tribulation''
enter His kingdom (Acts 14:22). Why should it be otherwise, seeing we
are now in a territory which is under His curse. And what has brought
down that curse, but sin. Seeing then that there still is a world of
sin both without and within each one of us, why should it be thought
strange if we are made to taste the bitterness of its products!
Suppose it were otherwise, what would be the effect? Suppose this
present life were free from sorrows, sufferings, separations; ah,
would we not be content with our present portion? Wisely then has God
ordered it that we should be constantly reminded of the fact "this is
not your rest, because it is polluted" (Mic. 2:10). Trials and
tribulations are needful if there is to be wrought in us "a desire to
depart and to be with Christ, which is far better" (Phil. 1:23).
The word "tribulation" is derived from the Latin "tribulum," which was
a flail used by the Romans to separate the wheat from the chaff. How
much "chaff" remains even in the one who has been genuinely converted!
How much of the "flesh" mingles with and mars his spiritual exercises!
How much which is merely "natural" is mixed with his youthful zeal and
energetic activities! How much of carnal wisdom and leaning unto our
own understanding there is, till God is pleased to deepen His work of
grace in the soul! And one of the principal instruments which He
employs in that blessed work is the "tribulum" or flail. By means of
sore disappointments, thwarted plans, inward fightings, painful
afflictions, does He "take forth the precious from the vile" (Jer.
15:19), and remove the dross from the pure gold. It is by weaning us
from the things of earth that He fits us for setting our affections on
things above. It is by drying up creature-streams of satisfaction that
He makes His children thirst for the Fountain of living water.
"Tribulation worketh patience" (Rom. 5:3). Patience is a grace which
has both a passive and an active side. Passively, it is a meekly
bowing to the sovereign pleasure of God, a saying, "The cup which my
Father hath given me, shall I not drink it"? (John 18:11). Actively,
it is a steady perseverance in the path of duty. This is one of the
great ends which God has in view in the afflicting of His children: to
effect in them "a meek and quiet spirit." "Tribulation worketh
patience; and patience, experience." It is one thing to obtain a
theoretical knowledge of a truth by means of reading, it is quite
another to have a real and inward acquaintance with the same. As the
tried and tempest-tossed soul bows meekly to the providential dealings
of God, he experimentally learns what is "that good, and acceptable,
and perfect will of God" (Rom. 12:2). "And experience, hope," which is
a firm expectation of a continuance of sustaining grace and final
glory. Since then our sufferings are one of the means which God has
appointed for the Christian's sanctification, preparing us for
usefulness here, and for Heaven hereafter, let us glory in them.
But let us lift our thoughts still higher. "Consider Him that endured
such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and
faint in your minds" (Heb. 12:3). Ah, it is unto His image which the
saint is predestined to be conformed (Rom. 8:29), first in suffering,
and then in glory. Let each troubled and groaning child of God call to
remembrance the afflictions through which the Man of sorrows passed!
Is it not fitting that the servant should drink of the cup which his
Master drank? O my brethren, the highest honor God confers upon any of
us in this life, is when He permits us to suffer a little for Christ's
sake. O for grace to say with the beloved apostle, "Most gladly
therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of
Christ may rest upon me" (2 Cor. 12:9). "If ye be reproached for the
name of Christ, happy are ye" (1 Pet. 4:14).
"No man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that
we are appointed thereunto" (1 Thess. 3:3). Yet afflictions do not
come upon all saints in the same form, nor to the same degree. God is
sovereign in this, as in everything else. He knows what will best
promote the spiritual good of His people. All is ordered by Him in
infinite wisdom and infinite love. As has been well said, "God had one
Son without sin, but none without sorrow." Yet the sorrow is not
unmixed: God tempers His winds unto the lambs. With every temptation
or trial He provides a way to escape. In the midst of sorest trouble
His all-suffering grace is available. The promise is sure, "Cast thy
burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee" (Ps. 55:22), and
where faith is enabled to rest in the Lord, His sustaining power is
realized in the soul.
Afflictions are not all that the Lord sends His people: He daily
loadeth them with His benefits (Ps. 68:19). The smilings of His face
greatly outnumber the frowns of His providence. There are far more
sunny days than cloudy ones. But our memories are fickle: when we
enter the Wilderness, we so quickly forget our exodus from Egypt, and
deliverance at the Red Sea. When water gives out (Ex. 17), we fail to
call to remembrance the miraculous supply of manna (Ex. 16). It was
thus with the apostles. When they had forgotten to take bread, the
Lord Jesus tenderly remonstrated with them, saying, "O ye of little
faith... Do ye not understand, neither remember the five loaves of the
five thousand and how many baskets ye took up? Neither the seven
loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?"
(Matthew 16:5-10). O how much peace and joy we lose in the present
through our sinful failure in not calling to remembrance the Lord's
past deliverances and mercies.
"Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee"
(Deut. 8:2). Sit down and review God's previous dealings with thee:
bring before your hearts His tender patience, His unchanging
faithfulness, His powerful interpositions, His gracious gifts. There
have been times in the past when your own folly brought you into deep
waters of trouble, but God did not cast you off. You fretted and
murmured, but God did not abandon you. You were full of fears and
unbelief, yet God suffered you not to starve. He neither dealt with
you after your sins, nor rewarded you according to your iniquities.
Instead, He proved Himself to be unto you the "God of all grace" (1
Pet. 5:10). There were times in the past when every door of hope
seemed fast closed, when every man's hand and heart appeared to be
against you, when the Enemy came in like a flood, and it looked very
much as though you would be drowned. But help was at hand. In the
fourth watch of the night the Lord Jesus appeared on the waters, and
you were delivered. Then remember this, and let the realization of
past deliverances comfort and stay your heart in the midst of the
present emergency.
Many are the appeals made unto us in the Word of God to do this very
thing. Varied and numerous are the motives employed by the Holy Spirit
in the Scripture of Truth to stir up God's children unto constancy of
heart and the performance of duty when "circumstances" seem to be all
against them. Every attribute of God is made a distinct ground for
urging us to run with perseverance the race that is set before us. The
promises of God are given to cheer, and His warnings stir up our
hearts unto a fuller compliance with His revealed will. Rewards are
promised to those who overcome the flesh, the world, and the Devil,
while eternal woes are threatened unto those failing to do so. Faith
is to be stimulated by the record given of God's grace which sustained
fellow-pilgrims in by-gone days; hope is to be stirred into action by
the glorious Goal which the Word holds up to view. And, as we have
said, fresh courage for the present is to be drawn by us from calling
to mind God's goodness in the past. It is this particular motive which
the apostle pressed on the Hebrews in the passage which is now before
us.
"But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were
illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions" (verse 32). In
verses 16-21 the apostle had given a brief summary of the inestimable
privileges which are the present portion of the regenerated people of
God. In verses 22-24 he had exhorted them to make a suitable response
to such blessings. In verses 25-31 he had fortified their minds
against temptations to apostasy, or to willful and presumptuous sins.
He now bids them to recall the earlier days of their profession, and
to consider what they had already ventured, suffered and renounced for
Christ, and how they had been supernaturally sustained under their
trials: the force of this was, disgrace not your former conduct by now
casting away your confidence which hath great recompense of reward.
"But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were
illuminated." The beginnings of God's work of grace in their souls is
here spoken of as being "illuminated." The Holy Spirit had revealed to
them their depravity and impotency, their lost and miserable state by
nature. He had brought before them the unchanging demands of God's
righteous law, and their utter failure to meet those claims. He had
pointed them to the Lord Jesus, who, as the Sponsor and Surety of His
people, had assumed all their liabilities, kept the law in their
stead, and died for their sins. For God who commanded the light to
shine out of darkness, had "shined into their hearts, to give the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6). Thus He had granted unto them an experimental
acquaintance with the Gospel, so that they had felt in their own
consciences and hearts the power of its truth. How unspeakably solemn
is it to note that this too had been the experience of the apostates
in Hebrews 6:4-6, for the very word here rendered "illuminated" is
there translated, "enlightened."
Right after their illumination by God, they were called upon to feel
something of the rage of His enemies. At the beginning of this
dispensation those who made profession of Christianity were hotly
persecuted, and the believing Hebrews had not escaped. This the
apostle would remind them of: "After ye were illuminated, ye endured a
great fight of afflictions." As soon as God had quickened their hearts
and shone upon their understandings so that they embraced His
incarnate Son as their Lord and Savior, earth and hell combined
against them. By nature we are in the dark, and while in it we meet
with no opposition from Satan or the world; but when, by grace we
determined to follow the example which Christ has left us, we were
soon brought into the fellowship of His sufferings. By such
experiences we are reminded that God has called us to the combat, that
as good soldiers of Jesus Christ we are to "endure hardness" (2 Tim.
2:3), and need to take unto ourselves the armor which God has provided
(Eph. 6:10-18)--not to speculate about, but to use it.
The attitude toward and the conduct of the Hebrew Christians under
this "great fight of afflictions" during the days of their "first
love," is here summed up, first, in the one word "endured." They had
not fainted or given way to despondency, nor had they renounced their
profession. They failed in no part of the conflict, but came off
conquerors. This they had been enabled unto by the efficacious grace
of God. They had been wondrously and blessedly supported under their
sufferings. From Acts 8 we learn that when the church at Jerusalem was
sorely persecuted, its members so far from abandoning Christianity,
were scattered abroad, and "went everywhere preaching the Word" (verse
4). How greatly was the Captain of their salvation honored by this
valor of His soldiers. It is a noticeable fact of history that babes
in Christ have often been the bravest of all in facing suffering and
death: perhaps because the great and glorious change involved in the
passing from death unto life is fresher in their minds than in that of
older Christians. Now it was to the recollection of these things unto
which the apostles here called the flagging and tempted Hebrews.
"But call to remembrance." "It is not the bare remembrance he intends,
for it is impossible men should absolutely forget such a season. Men
are apt enough to remember the times of their sufferings, especially
such as are here mentioned, accompanied with all sorts of injurious
treatments from men. But the apostle would have them so call to mind,
as to consider withal, what support they had under their sufferings,
what satisfaction in them, what deliverance from them, that they might
not despond upon the approach of the like trials and evils on the same
account. If we remember our sufferings only as unto what is evil and
afflictive in them, what we lose, what we endure, and undergo; such a
remembrance will weaken and dispirit us, as unto our future trials.
Hereon many cast about to deliver themselves for the future, by undue
means and sinful compliances, in a desertion of their profession; the
thing the apostle was jealous of concerning these Hebrews. But if,
withal, we call to mind what was the Cause for which we suffered; the
honor that is in such sufferings, outbalancing all the contempt and
reproaches of the world; the presence of God enjoyed in them; and the
reward proposed unto us; the calling these things to mind, will
greatly strengthen us against future trials; provided we retain the
same love unto, and valuation of the things for which we suffered, as
we had in those former days" (John Owen).
"The remembrance then of past warfare, if it had been carried on
faithfully and diligently under the banner of Christ, is at length
useful to us, not as a pretext for sloth, as though we had already
served our time, but to render us more active in finishing the
remaining part of our course. For Christ has not enlisted us on this
condition, that we should after a few years ask for a discharge, like
soldiers who have served their time, but that we should pursue our
warfare even unto the end" (John Calvin). It therefore becomes a
solemn and searching question for each of us to face: to what extent
am I now being antagonized by the world? Something must be seriously
wrong with me if I have the goodwill of everybody. God's Word
emphatically declares, "All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall
suffer persecution" (2 Tim. 3:12).
"Partly, whilst ye were made a gazing-stock, both by reproaches and
afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were
so used" (verse 33). In this verse the apostle mentions one or two
features of what their "great fight of affliction" had consisted. Some
of them were made a public spectacle to their neighbors, by the
malicious accusations brought against them, and by the derision and
punishment laid upon them; while others were the "partners" of those
who were also cruelly treated. The principal reference here is to the
loss which they had sustained in their characters and reputations, and
unto many people (especially those of a sensitive temperament) this is
a sore trial; almost anything is easier to bear than obloquy and
disgrace. But sufficient for the disciple to be as his Master: they
slandered Him, and said He had a demon.
Reproach and slander are exceedingly trying, and if we are not upon
our guard, if we fail to gird up the loins of our minds (1 Pet. 1:13),
we are likely to be so cast down by them as to be incapacitated for
duty. Despondency and despair are never excusable in the Christian,
and must be steadily resisted. We need to make up our minds that if,
by grace, we are determined to follow the example which Christ has
left us we shall have many enemies--especially in the religious
world--who will scruple at no misrepresentations of our motives and
actions. We must learn to undervalue our reputations, and be content
to be regarded as "the off-scouring of all things"; we must seek grace
to emulate Him who "set His face like a flint" (Isa. 50:7), who
"endured the cross, despising the shame" (Heb. 12:2). Unless we
cultivate His spirit we shall be at a great disadvantage when
sufferings come upon us.
Not only had the Hebrew Christians suffered personally, but they had
fellowship also in the sufferings of others. This is a Christian duty,
and, we may add, a privilege. As members of the same Family, as
fellow-pilgrims toward the better Country, as called to serve together
under the same Banner, it is only meet that we should bear "one
another's burdens," and "weep with them that weep." Of Moses it is
recorded that "He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,
choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to
enjoy the pleasure of sin for a season" (Heb. 11:24, 25). To be a
companion of those who suffer for Christ, is an evidence of our love
for His brethren, of courage in suffering, and of readiness to succor
those who are persecuted because of the Gospel. We do well to
frequently ponder Matthew 25:42-45.
"For ye had compassion of me in my bonds" (verse 34). The apostle here
makes grateful acknowledgment of the sympathy which the Hebrews had
shown him in an hour of need. The historical reference may be to the
time when he lay bound in chains at Jerusalem (Acts 21:33), when their
love for him was shown by their prayers, and perhaps letters and
gifts. It is the bounden duty for Christians to express in a practical
way their compassion for any of Christ's suffering servants, doing
everything in their power to succor, support and relieve them. Equally
so is it the duty of God's ministers to thankfully own the kindness
shown them: Christ himself will yet publicly bear witness unto the
services of love which have been shown unto His brethren (Matthew
25:34-40).
"For ye had compassion of me in my bonds." These words supply one of
the many proofs that the apostle Paul was the author of this Epistle,
for of the other persons whom some have fancied wrote it, such as
Luke, Barnabas, Clement etc., there is no hint anywhere in Scripture,
nor we believe in ecclesiastical history, of any of them suffering
bonds in Judea. But the lying of Paul in bonds and imprisonments, was
renowned above all others. Hence he styled himself in particular
"Paul, prisoner of Jesus Christ" (Philem. 1:1), and gloried in this
peculiar honor as "an ambassador in bonds" (Eph. 6:20), and as such,
desired the saints at Colosse to remember him at the throne of grace
(Heb. 4:3). Thus, his "bonds" being above all others so familiar, such
a subject of the churches' prayers, this reference here in Hebrews
10:34 at once identifies the writer.
"And took joyfully the spoiling of your goods" (verse 34). This
supplies further information upon the deportment of the Hebrews under
their trials: they had not only patiently "endured" the great fight of
affliction, but were happy in being counted worthy to suffer for
Christ--a blessed triumph was that of the mighty grace of God over the
weakness of the flesh. God is able to strengthen in the inner man
"with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience
and longsuffering, with joyfulness" (Col. 1:11). Ordinarily, few
things are more calculated to distress the minds of men than their
being cruelly plundered of those things for which they have labored
hard, and which they and their families still need: wailing and
lamentations commonly accompany them. Blessed is it when the heart is
brought to hold lightly all earthly comforts and conveniences, for it
is easier then to part with them should we be called upon to do so.
"Knowing in yourselves that we have in heaven a better and enduring
substance" (verse 34). This clause supplies the key to the previous
one, showing the ground of their joy. Faith looked away from things
seen to those unseen, reckoning that "the sufferings of this present
time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be
revealed in us" (Rom. 8:18); "For our light affliction, which is but
for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight
of glory" (2 Cor. 4:17). Where the heart's affections are truly set
upon things above (Col. 3:2), few tears will be shed over the loss of
any earthly baubles. True, it is natural to mourn when rudely deprived
of material possessions, but it is supernatural to rise above such
grieving.
The true riches of the Christian are not accessible to human or
Satanic plunderers. Men may strip us of all our worldly possessions,
but they cannot take from us the love of God, the salvation of Christ,
the comforts of the Holy Spirit, the hope of eternal glory. Said one
who was waylaid by a bandit, who demanded his money or his life:
"Money, I have none on me; my life is hid with Christ in God." The
poor worldling may give way to despair when business is bad, bonds
deteriorate, and banks smash, but no child of God ought ever to do so:
he has been begotten unto an inheritance which is "incorruptible, and
undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven" (1 Pet. 1:4).
Yet it is only as faith is in exercise, as the heart is really
occupied with our heavenly portion, that we enjoy them, and regard all
else as but "vanity and vexation of spirit."
"What was it that enabled them thus to bear up under their sufferings?
They knew in themselves that they had in heaven a better and a more
enduring substance. Observe, First; the happiness of the saints in
heaven is `substance,' something of real weight and worth--all things
here are but shadows. Secondly, it is a better substance than anything
they can have or lose here. Thirdly, it is an enduring substance; it
will outlive time, and run parallel with eternity. They can never
spend it; their enemies can never take it from them as they did their
earthly goods. Fourthly, this will make a rich amends for all they can
lose and suffer here. In heaven they shall have a better life, a
better estate, better liberty, better society, better hearts, better
work, everything better" (Matthew Henry).
"Knowing in yourselves that we have in heaven a better and an enduring
substance." Let us now weigh carefully the first three words of this
clause: these Hebrew saints had a firm conviction of heart concerning
their heavenly portion. It does not say, "knowing from God's
promises," but "knowing in yourselves." This presents a side of the
Truth, an aspect of Christian assurance, which is rarely dwelt upon in
these days; instead, it is widely ridiculed and denied, many insisting
that the only basis of assurance is the bare letter of Scripture. It
is quite true that the foundation of our confidence is the written
Word, but that is not the only ground, any more than a marriage
certificate is the sole proof which a woman has that the man who
loves, cherishes, and lives with her, is her husband. No, one has only
to read impartially through the first Epistle of John in order to
discover that he who is walking with God and enjoying the light of His
countenance, has many evidences that he is a new creature in Christ
Jesus.
"Knowing in yourselves." The one who is following on to know the Lord
(Hos. 6:3), not only has the testimony of God's Word without, but he
has also the witness of the Spirit within him, that he is a child and
heir of God (Rom. 8:16, 17). In his regeneration and begun
experimental sanctification, he has received "the first-fruits of the
Spirit (Rom. 8:23). In consequence, he now has new desires, new
conflicts, new joys, new sorrows. Faith purifies his heart (Acts
15:9). He has received the Spirit of adoption, whereby he cries "Abba
Father." From what he finds in his own heart, he knows that he is
heaven-born and heaven-bound. Let those who are strangers to a
supernatural work of grace in their own hearts mock and scoff all they
please, let them sneer at introspection, call it mysticism, or any
thing else they wish, but one who is scripturally assured of the
Spirit's work within him, refuses to be laughed-out of his surest
proof that he is a child of God.
Granted that many have been and are deluded: acknowledging that the
unregenerate heart is "deceitful above all things"; admitting that the
Devil has lulled thousands into hell by means of happy feelings within
them; yet none of these things alter or affect to the slightest degree
the fact that it is both the duty and privilege of every genuine
Christian to know in himself that he has passed from death unto life.
Provided he be denying self, taking up his cross, and following Christ
in the path of obedience, he will have cause for rejoicing in the
testimony of a good conscience (2 Cor. 1:12). But if he yields to
lusts of the flesh, fellowships with an ungodly world, and gets into a
backslidden state, then the joy of his salvation will be lost. Nothing
then is of greater practical importance than that the Christian should
keep clean and unstained his inward evidences that he is journeying
toward heaven.
"Such, then, are the things which the apostle wishes the Hebrew
Christians to `call to remembrance.' It is easy to see how the calling
of these things to remembrance was calculated to serve his purpose--to
guard them from apostasy, and establish them in the faith and
profession of the Gospel. It is as if he had said, `Why shrink from
suffering for Christianity now? Were you not exposed to suffering from
the beginning? When you first became Christians, did you not willingly
undergo sufferings on account of it? And is not Christianity as worthy
of being suffered for as ever? Is not Jesus the same yesterday, and
today, and forever? Did not the faith and hope of Christianity
formerly support you under your sufferings, and make you feel that
they were but the light afflictions of a moment? and are they not as
able to support you now as then? Has the substance in heaven become
less real, or less enduring? and have you not as good evidence now as
you had then that to the persevering Christian such treasure is laid
up? Are you willing to lose all the benefit of the sacrifices you have
made, and the sufferings you have sustained? and they will all go for
nothing if you endure not unto the end!' These are considerations all
naturally suggested by the words of the apostle, and all well
calculated to induce them `to hold fast the profession of their faith
without wavering'." (John Brown).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 55
The Saving of the Soul
(Hebrews 10:35-39)
__________________________________________
As there is so much ground covered by the verses which are now to be
before us, we shall dispense with our usual introductory paragraphs.
In lieu of them, we present a brief analysis of the present passage.
Verse 35 really belongs to the section which we took up in our last
article. In verses 32-35 the apostle gives a persuasion unto
perseverance in the Christian life. First, he bids the Hebrews call to
remembrance what they had suffered for Christ's sake in days gone by:
then let them not now renounce their faith and thereby render void
their early witness--verses 32, 33. Second, he reminded them of the
ground on which they had willingly suffered hardships and losses,
namely, because they had the inward assurance and evidence that in
Heaven they had a better and enduring substance: then, inasmuch as it
changed not, why should they?--verse 34. From these facts, the
conclusion is drawn that a duty is rightly required from them, upon
the performance of which the reward should be given them--verse 35.
In the last section of Hebrews 10 the apostle first confirms the
exhortation he had just insisted on, and points to the chief aids to
perseverance, namely, patience and faith--verse 36. Second, he
encourages the Lord's people by the prospect of the sure and speedy
coming of the Redeemer who would then reward them--verse 37. Third, he
warns again of the fearful state of the apostate--verse 38. Fourth, he
affirms that they who persevered to the end, believe to the saving of
the soul--verse 39. The obvious design of these verses is to stir up
Christians unto utmost earnestness in making their calling and
election sure, to guard them against the danger of backsliding, and to
bear their trials with submission to the will of God. May it please
the Holy Spirit to apply this passage in power to the heart of both
writer and reader, that our meditation may issue in fruit to the glory
of our blessed Lord.
"Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense
of reward" (verse 35). Let us notice first the force of the
"therefore." This is an inference drawn from the foregoing: since you
have already suffered so many things in your persons and goods, and
inasmuch as Divine grace supported and carried you through with
constancy and joy, do not be discouraged and give way to despair at
the approach of similar trials. Further, this "therefore" is drawn
from the blissful prospect which the sure promise of God holds before
His faithful people, and gives point to the admonition: inasmuch as
confidence persisted in is going to be richly repaid, cast it not
away.
"Cast not away therefore your confidence." The word "confidence" here
has respect unto an attitude or state of heart God-wards. It is the
same term (in the Greek) as is translated "boldness" in Hebrews 10:19.
It is found again in 1 John 3:21, "then have we confidence toward
God"; and verse 14, "this is the confidence that we have in Him." It
is not so much faith itself, as one of the products or fruits thereof.
It is closer akin to hope. It is that effect of faith which fits the
Christian for freedom and readiness unto all his spiritual duties,
notwithstanding difficulties and discouragements. It is that frame of
spirit which carries us cheerfully through all those sufferings which
a real profession of the Gospel entails. More specifically, this
"confidence" may be defined as fortitude of mind, courage of heart,
and constancy of will.
From what has just been said, it will be seen that we do not agree
with those commentators who understand verse 35 as dehorting against
the abandonment of Christianity. The apostle's admonition here strikes
deeper than a warning against forsaking the outward profession of the
Gospel. It is addressed against that state of heart, which, if it
became chronic, would likely lead to the external forsaking of Christ.
What is needed in the face of trials and persecution is boldness of
mind, the heart being freed from bondage and fear, through a
prevailing persuasion of our acceptance with God in the performance of
those duties which He has appointed us. It was this particular grace
which was admired in Peter and John in Acts 4:13. It is only as the
mind remains convinced of the righteousness of our cause, and as the
heart is assured we are doing that which is well-pleasing to God,
that, when we are criticized and condemned by men, and are menaced by
their frowns and threats, we shall be "steadfast, unmovable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58), in nothing moved by
our adversaries.
This confidence in and toward God, which had hitherto sustained the
persecuted Hebrews, they are here bidden to "cast not away." Here
again the responsibility of the Christian is addressed. There are
those who insist we can no more control our "confidence"--weaken or
strengthen it--than we can control the wind. But this is to lose sight
of the fact that we are moral creatures and accountable for the use or
misuse of all our faculties. If I allow my mind to dwell upon the
difficulties before me, the disadvantages I may suffer through
faithfulness to Christ, or listen to the whisperings of Satan as to
how I can avoid trouble by little compromises, then my courage will
soon wane, and I shall be to blame. On the other hand, if I seek grace
to dwell upon God's promises, realize it is an honor to suffer for
Christ's sake, and remind myself that whatever I lose here is not
worthy to be compared with what I shall gain hereafter, then, assured
that God is for me, I shall care not who be against me.
To encourage the tempted Hebrews the apostle at once added, "which
hath great recompense of reward." From these words it is very evident
that the true Christian may, and should, have his eye upon the reward
that is promised those who suffer for the Gospel's sake. Nor does this
verse by any means stand alone: "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile
you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you
falsely, for My sake: Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is
your reward in Heaven" (Matthew 5:11, 12)--notice carefully the words
"in Heaven," which at once exposes the error of those who declare that
the "Sermon on the Mount" belongs not to and is not about those who
are members of the Body of Christ, but is "Jewish" and "Millennial."
Christians are not sufficiently occupied with their reward in Heaven.
The subject of "Rewards" is too large a one for us to now canvass in
detail, yet in view of present-day errors something needs to be said
thereon. Not a few suppose that the concepts presented by "grace" and
"reward" are irreconcilably at variance. The trouble with such people
is that, instead of searching the Scriptures to discover how the Holy
Spirit has used the term, they turn to a human dictionary. In human
affairs a "reward" commonly (though not always) denotes the
recognition and recompensing of a meritorious performance; but not so
is its general usage in Scripture. Take the first occurrence of the
word: in Genesis 15:1 we find Jehovah saying unto Abraham, "Fear not,
Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward": how utterly
impossible for the patriarch to have done anything to deserve this!
Once it is plainly perceived that in Scripture the term "reward" has
in it no thought of a meet return for a meritorious performance, much
of the fog with which modern "dispensationalists" have surrounded the
subject will be cleared away.
"Which hath great recompense of reward." Rightly did John Calvin point
out in his comments on this verse: "By mentioning `reward,' he
diminishes nothing from the gratuitous promise of salvation, for the
faithful know that their labor is not in vain in the Lord in such a
way that they still rest on God's mercy alone. But it has been often
stated elsewhere how `reward' is not incompatible with the gratuitous
imputation of righteousness." If those who suppose that Christians
living since the'days of J.N. Darby and "Dr." Scofield appeared on the
scene have "much more light" than they who preceded them, would only
read the Reformers and the Puritans with an unprejudiced mind, they
would soon be obliged to revise their ideas. In many respects we have
gone backwards instead of forwards, and only too often the "light"
which is in men, is but darkness, and "how great is that darkness"
(Matthew 6:23)!--so great that it closes their eyes against all true
light.
"For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of
God, ye might receive the promise" (verse 36). The opening "for"
intimates that the apostle is here confirming the exhortation which he
had just insisted upon. "The reward can be obtained only by holding
fast this confidence--by adhering steadily and perseveringly to Christ
and His cause" (John Brown). Patience, or endurance in the path of
obedience, fidelity and suffering, is indispensably necessary if we
are to be preserved unto salvation. Let those who will, call this
teaching legalistic; the only other alternative is lawlessness and
licentiousness. Though it is not "for," yet it is "through faith and
patience" or "perseverance," that we "inherit the promises" (Heb.
6:12).
No one who is familiar with the writings of John Owen the Puritan, who
proclaimed the free grace of God and the gratuitousness of His
salvation in such certain terms, will accuse him of legality or of
inculcating creature-merits; yet he, in his comments in Hebrews 10:35,
36 wrote, "Wherefore, `the recompense of the reward' here intended, is
the glory of Heaven, proposed as a crown unto them that overcome in
their sufferings for the Gospel. And the future glory, which, as unto
its original cause, is the fruit of the good pleasure and sovereign
grace of God, whose pleasure it is to give us the kingdom; and as unto
its procuring cause is the sole purchase of the blood of Christ, who
obtained for us eternal redemption; and it is, on both accounts, a
free gift of God, for `the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God
through Christ is life eternal' (so as it can be no way merited nor
procured by ourselves, by virtue of any proportion by the rules of
justice between what we do or suffer, and what is promised), is yet
constantly promised to suffering believers, under the name of a
recompense or a reward. For it doth not become the great--ness and
goodness of God to call His own people unto sufferings for His name,
and unto His glory, and therein to the loss of their lives many times,
with all enjoyments here below, and not propose unto them, nor provide
for them, that which shall be infinitely better than all that they so
undergo. This confidence `hath' this recompense of reward; that is, it
gives a right and title unto the future reward of glory: it hath in it
the promise and constitution of God; whoever abides in its exercise,
shall be no longer in the issue."
"For ye have need of patience." The apostle did not charge them with
being destitute of this grace, for all who are born of the Spirit
bear, in some measure, the fruit of the Spirit, and this among the
rest (Gal. 5:22); those who are brought into the kingdom of Jesus
Christ, are into His patience also (Rev. 1:9). No, the apostle
signified that they needed the exercise, continuance, and increase of
this grace: compare Zephaniah 2:3 where the "meek" are exhorted to
seek "meekness." That unto which the apostle would bestir these saints
was, that they receive afflictions as from the hand of God, to bear
reproaches and persecutions from men as that unto which He had
"appointed" them (1 Thess. 3:3), to commit their cause unto the Lord
and rest in Him (Ps. 37:5, 6); to bear up, and not sink under trials,
and to live in the constant expectation of Heaven.
The Hebrew Christians (like we sometimes are) were tempted to become
weary of well doing. Numbers of their fellows who had once appeared to
be zealous believers, had apostatized, and the rest would soon be
sorely tried. It was necessary then that they should arm their minds
with the spirit of resignation and persevering constancy, that having
done the will of God, by steadfastly cleaving to Christ, and obeying
Him through all temptations and sufferings, they might afterwards
receive the promised gift of eternal life. The principle of this verse
remains unchanged. Satan is the same, and so also is the world, and
they who will live godly cannot escape trials and tribulations. Nor is
it desirable that we should: some of the finer and more delicate of
the Christian graces can only be developed under stress and suffering.
Then how much we need to pray for God to sanctify to our good each
affliction which comes upon us, so that fruit may issue to His praise
and that we may so conduct ourselves as to be encouragements to
fellow-pilgrims.
The exercise of this grace of patience is to be continued until "after
ye have done the will of God." There is no dismission from the
discharge of this duty while we are left here upon earth. While the
more immediate reference is unto meekly bearing whatever the sovereign
will of our all-wise and infinitely loving God has ordained for us,
yet the active walking in the way of God's commandments is also
included, as is evident from the word "done." The will of God, as it
is made known in His Word, is the alone rule by which we are to live
and all our ways are to be conformed. That revealed will of God is not
only to be believed and revered by us, but practiced as well. No
situation in which we can be placed, no threatenings of men however
terrible, can ever justify us for disobeying God. True, there will be
seasons of sore testing, times when it seems that our trials are more
than flesh and blood can endure, and then it is that we most have
"need of patience"; nor will Divine succor and supernatural grace be
withheld if we humbly and trustfully seek it.
"That, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the
promise." Here the "great recompense of reward" of the previous verse
is designated "the promise," partly to guard against the error that
eternal life can be earned, or that Heaven can be merited by creature
performances; and partly to emphasize the certainty of that which is
promised unto all who endure unto the end. The "promise" is here put
for the things promised, as in Hebrews 6:12, 17; 11:13, 39. It is
called "the promise" as in 1 John 2:25 etc., because it is the grand
comprehensive promise, including all others, being the glorious
consummation to which they point. Nor should any stumble because they
cannot perceive the consistency of a thing being both a "reward" and a
"promise." We find the same conjunction of concepts in Colossians
3:24, "Ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance; for ye serve
the Lord Christ": it is so denominated to show that it is not merited
by works, but is bestowed by free grace, and will certainly be enjoyed
by all the elect; and yet, it will only be obtained by them as they
persevere in the path of duty.
"For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will
not tarry" (verse 37). The causal "For" denotes that the apostle was
about to confirm what he had just said: he both adds a word to
strengthen their "confidence" and "patience," and also points them to
the near approach of the time when they should receive their "reward."
The Greek is very expressive and emphatic. The apostle used a word
which signifies "a little while," and then for further emphasis added
a particle meaning "very," and this he still further intensified by
repeating it; thus, literally rendered this clause reads, "For yet a
very, very little while, and He that shall come will come."
"There is indeed nothing that avails more to sustain our minds, should
they at any time become faint, than the hope of a speedy and near
termination. As a general holds forth to his soldiers the prospect
that the war will soon end, provided they hold out a little longer; so
the apostle reminds us that the Lord will shortly come to deliver us
from all evils, provided our minds faint not through want of firmness.
And in order that this consolation might have more assurance and
authority, he adduces the testimony of Habakkuk. But as he follows the
Greek version, he departs somewhat from the words of the prophet"
(John Calvin). Frequently does the Holy Spirit emphasize the exceeding
(comparative) brevity of the saints' sufferings in this world;
"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning" (Ps.
30:5); "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet
shortly" (Rom. 16:20); "For our light affliction, which is but for a
moment" (2 Cor. 4:17).
"For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will
not tarry." The reference here is to the person of the Lord Jesus, as
is evident from Habakkuk 2:3, to which the apostle here alludes. Like
so many prophecies, that word of Habakkuk's was to receive a threefold
fulfillment: a literal and initial one, a spiritual and continuous
one, a final and complete one. The literal was the Divine incarnation,
when the Son of God came here in flesh. The final will be His return
in visible glory and power. The spiritual has reference to the
destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 when that which most obstructed
the manifestation of Christ's kingdom on earth was destroyed--with the
overthrow of the Temple and its worship, official Judaism came to an
end. The Christians in Palestine were being constantly persecuted by
the Jews, but their conquest by Titus and their consequent dispersion
put an end to this. That event was less than ten years distant when
Paul wrote: compare our remarks on "see the day approaching" (Heb.
10:25).
We trust that none will conclude from what has been said above that we
regard verse 37 as containing no reference to the final coming of
Christ. What we have sought to point out was the immediate purport of
its contents unto the Hebrews. But it also contains a message for us,
a message of hope and comfort. It is our privilege too to be waiting
for God's Son from Heaven. Let us add that it is a big mistake to
regard every mention of the "coming" of Christ in the N.T. Scriptures
as referring to His "appearing the second time" (Heb. 9:28). In John
14:18, 28, the reference was to Christ's "coming" by His Spirit; in
John 14:23 to His "coming" in loving manifestation to the individual
soul; in Ephesians 2:17 He "came" by the Gospel; in Revelations 2:5
His "coming" is in chastisement. Careful study of each verse is
required in order to distinguish between these several aspects.
"Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, My soul
shall have no pleasure in him" (verse 38). The first half of this
verse is a quotation from Habakkuk 2:4, and its pertinency to the
admonition which the apostle was pressing upon the Hebrews is not
difficult to perceive. The prophet is cited in proof that perseverance
is one of the distinguishing characteristics of a child of God. He who
has been justified by God, through the imputation of Christ's
righteousness to his account, lives by faith as the influencing
principle of his life. Thus the apostle declared, "The life which I
now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God" (Gal.
2:20). The one whom God has exonerated from the curse and condemnation
of the law, is not him who has merely "believed," but is the man who
continues "believing," with all that that word includes, and involves.
Let the reader fully note the force of the present perfect "believeth"
in John 3:15, 16, 18; 5:24 etc., and contrast the "for a while
believed" of Luke 8:13!
The use of the future tense "shall live" announces and enforces the
necessity for the continued exercise of faith. It is true that one who
has been justified by God was previously quickened, for we are
"justified by faith" (Acts 13:39, Romans 5:1 etc.), and one who is
dead in trespasses and sins cannot savingly believe--note the "called"
before "justified" in Romans 8:30. It is also true that the real
Christian lives by faith, for that is the very nature of indwelling
grace. But it is equally true that the "just shall live by faith." The
constant exercise of faith by the saint is as essential to his final
salvation as it was to his initial salvation. Just as the soul can
only be delivered from the wrath to come by repentance (self-judgment)
and personal faith in the Lord Jesus, so we can only be delivered from
the power of indwelling sin, from the temptations of Satan, from an
enticing world which seeks to destroy us, by a steady and persistent
walking by faith.
Patient endurance is a fruit of faith, yet it is only as that vital
and root grace is in daily exercise, that the Christian is enabled to
stand firm amid the storms of life. Those whom God declares righteous
in Christ are to pass their lives here, not in doubt and fear, but in
the maintenance of a calm trust in and a joyful obedience to Him. Only
as the heart is engaged with God and feeds upon His Word, will the
soul be invigorated and fitted to press onwards when everything
outward seems to be against him. It is by our faith being drawn out
unto things above that we receive the needed strength which causes us
to look away from the discouraging and distracting scene around us. As
faith lives upon Christ (John 6:56, 57), it draws virtue from Him, as
the branch derives sap from the root of the vine. Faith makes us
resign ourselves and our affairs to Christ's disposing, cheerfully
treading the path of duty and patiently waiting that issue which He
will give. Faith is assured that our Head knows far better than we do
what is good and best.
"But if any man draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him." It
seems to the writer that the translators of the A.V. took an
unwarranted liberty with the Word of God when they inserted (in
italics) the words "any man" and changed "and" (kai) into "but": the
Holy Scripture should never be altered to suit our ideas of
evangelical truth--the R.V. correctly gives "if he shrink back," and
Bag. Int. "and if he draw back." Yes, if the "just" man himself were
to draw back and continue in apostasy, he would finally perish. "By
this solemn consideration, therefore, the apostle urges on them the
importance of perseverance, and the guilt and danger of apostasy from
the Christian faith. If such a case should occur, no matter what might
have been the former condition, and no matter what love or zeal might
have been evinced, yet such an apostasy would expose the individual to
the certain wrath of God. His former love could not save him, any more
than the former obedience of the angels saved them from the horrors of
eternal chains and darkness" (A. Barnes).
"And if he drew back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him." Once
more the apostle faithfully warns the Hebrew Christians (and us) of
the dreadful consequence which would attend the continuance in a
course of backsliding. He who thinks that by refusing to take up his
cross daily and follow the example left by Christ, can escape the
world's reproach and persecution and yet go to Heaven, is fatally
deluding himself. Said the Lord Jesus, "For whosoever will save his
life shall lose it" (Matthew 16:25): that is, he who is so diligent in
looking after his temporal prospects, worldly reputation and personal
comforts, shall eternally lose his soul.
It was to stir up the Hebrews unto the more diligent laboring after
living the life of faith that the apostle here pointed out the
terrible alternative: unless they maintained a steady trust in God and
an obedient submission unto His revealed will, they were in grave
danger of backsliding and apostatizing. If any should "draw back" then
God would have "no pleasure in him," which is but the negative way of
saying that he would be an object of abhorrence. But observe closely,
it does not say God would have "no more pleasure in him," which would
conflict with the uniform teaching of the Word concerning the
unchanging love of God (Mal. 3:6, John 13:1, Romans 8:35-39) toward
His own. O the minute accuracy of Holy Writ! The practical application
of this solemn word to us is, that in order to have a
scripturally-grounded assurance of God's taking pleasure in us, we
must continue cleaving closely unto Him.
"But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that
believe to the saving of the soul" (verse 39). The word "perdition"
shows plainly that the "drawing back" of the previous verse is a fatal
and final one. Nevertheless, so far is verse 38 from establishing the
doom of any child of God, the apostle assures the Hebrews that no such
fate would overtake them. What is added here in this verse, was to
prevent their being unduly affrighted with the solemn warnings
previously given, and lest they should conclude that Paul thought
evilly of them: though he had warned, he did not regard them as
treading the broad road to destruction, instead he was "persuaded
better things of them" (Heb. 6:9). "Let it be noticed that this truth
belongs also to us, for we, whom God has favored with the light of the
Gospel, ought to acknowledge that we have been called in order that we
may advance more and more in our obedience to God, and strive
constantly to draw nearer to Him. This is the real preservation of the
soul, for by so doing we shall escape eternal perdition" (John
Calvin).
"In this the apostle expresses the fullest conviction that none of
those to whom he wrote would apostatize. The case which he had been
describing was only a supposable case, not one which he believed would
occur. He had only been stating what must happen if a sincere
Christian should apostatize. But he did not mean to say that this
would occur in regard to them. He made a statement of a general
principle under the Divine administration, and he designed that this
should be a means of keeping them in the path of life" (A. Barnes).
Christians may grow cold, neglect the means of grace, backslide, fall
into grievous sins as did David and Peter; but they shall not "draw
back unto perdition." No, they have been predestinated "to be
conformed unto" the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29), and God's purpose
cannot fail. They are the objects of Christ's intercession (John
17:15, 24), and that is efficacious (John 11:42). They are restored by
the good Shepherd when they go astray (Ps. 23:3).
As the term "perdition" denoted that eternal damnation is the doom of
apostates, so the word "salvation" here has reference to that ultimate
consummation of the portion of all true believers. It is to be
carefully noted that the apostle did not say, "them that have believed
to the salvation of the soul," but "them that believe to the saving of
the soul." The difference is real and radical. There is a blessed
sense in which every regenerated believer has been saved by Christ,
yet there is also another and most important sense in which his
salvation is yet future: see Romans 13:11, 1 Peter 1:5, 9. The
complete and final salvation of the Christian is dependent upon his
continued trust in and obedience to God in Christ, not as the cause
thereof, yet as the indispensable means thereto.
It is gloriously true that Christians are "kept by the power of God."
He who prepares Heaven for them preserves them unto it. But by what
instrument or means? The same verse tells us: "through faith" (1 Pet.
1:5). To depend upon an invisible God for a happiness that awaits us
in an invisible world, when in the meantime He permits us to be
harassed with all sorts of temptations, trials and troubles, requires
faith--real faith, supernatural faith. Through faith alone can the
heart be sustained till we obtain salvation. Nothing but a God-given
and God-maintained faith can enable us to row against the stream of
flesh and blood, and so deny its cravings that we shall win through to
Heaven at last. The "flesh" is for sparing and pampering the body; but
"faith" is for the "saving of the soul."
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 56
The Excellency of Faith
(Hebrews 11:1-3)
__________________________________________
Ere we take up the contents of the 11th chapter let us briefly review
the sound already covered. Chapters 1 and 2 are more or less
introductory in their character. In them the wondrous person of the
God-man Mediator is presented to our view, as superior to the O.T.
prophets and as excelling the angels. The first main division of the
Epistle commences at Hebrews 3:1 and runs to the end of Hebrews 4:15,
and treats of the mission of Christ: this is seen to surpass that of
either Moses or Joshua, for neither of them led the people into the
real rest of God; the section is followed by a practical application
in Hebrews 4:16. The second principal division begins with Hebrews 5:1
and extends to Hebrews 10:18, and deals with the priesthood of Christ:
this is shown to transcend the Aaronic in dignity, efficacy and
permanency; the section is followed by a practical application,
contained in Hebrews 10:19 to Hebrews 12:29. The closing chapter forms
a conclusion to the Epistle.
"The general nature of this Epistle, as unto the kind of writing, is
paranetical or hortatory, which is taken from its end and design. The
exhortation proposed is to constancy and perseverance in the faith of
the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the profession of the Gospel, against
temptations and persecutions. Both these the Hebrews had to conflict
with in their profession; the one from the Judaical church-state
itself, the other from the members of it. Their temptations to draw
back and forsake their profession, arose from the consideration of the
Judaical church-state and Mosaic ordinances of worship, which they
were called by the Gospel to relinquish. The Divine institution of
that state, with its worship, the solemnity of the covenant whereon it
was established, the glory of its priesthood, sacrifices and other
Divine ordinances (Rom. 9:4), with their efficacy for acceptance with
God, were continually proposed unto them, and pressed on them, to
allure and draw them off from the Gospel. And the trial was very
great, after the inconsistency of the two states was made manifest.
This gave occasion to the whole doctrinal part of the Epistle, the
exposition of which, by Divine grace and assistance, we have passed
through. For therein declaring the nature, use, end, and signification
of all Divine institutions under the O.T.; and allowing unto them all
the glory and efficacy which they could pretend unto, the writer of
this Epistle declares from the Scripture itself that the state of the
Gospel church, in its high-priest, sacrifice, covenant, worship,
privileges and efficacy, is incomparably to be preferred above that of
the O.T.; yea, that all the excellency and glory of that state, and
all that belonged unto it, consisted only in the representation that
was made thereby, of the greater glory of Christ and the Gospel,
without which they were of no use, and therefore ruinous or pernicious
to be persisted in.
"After he had fixed their minds in the truth, and armed them against
the temptations which they were continually exposed to; the apostle
proceeds to the second means, whereby their steadiness and constancy
in the profession of the Gospel, which he exhorted them unto, was
already assaulted, and was yet like to be assaulted with greater force
and fury. This arose from the opposition which befell them, and from
the persecutions of all sorts that they had endured, and were still
like to undergo, for their faith in Christ Jesus with the profession
thereof, and observance of the holy worship ordained in the Gospel.
This they suffered from the obstinate members of the Jewish church, as
they did the other (temptation) from the state of that church itself.
An account hereof the apostle enters upon in the close of the
foregoing chapter; and withal declares unto them the only way and
means on their part, whereby they may be preserved, and kept constant
in their profession notwithstanding all the evils that might befall
them therein, and this is by faith alone. From their temptations they
were delivered by the doctrine of the truth, and from the opposition
made unto them, by faith in exercise" (John Owen).
The particular character of the section begun at Hebrews 10:19 is not
difficult to ascertain: it is addressed to our responsibility. This is
at once evident in the "Let us" of Hebrews 10:22, 23, 24. In Hebrews
10:32-36 there is a call to patient waiting for the fulfillment of
God's promises. Nothing but real faith in the veracity of the Promiser
can sustain the heart and prompt to steady endurance during a
protracted season of trial and suffering. Hence in Hebrews 10:38 the
apostle quotes that striking word from Habakkuk, "The just shall live
by faith." That sentence really forms the text of which Hebrews 11 is
the sermon. The central design of this chapter is to evidence the
patience of those who, in former ages, endured by faith before they
received the fulfillment of God's promises: note particularly verses
13, 39.
"Whoever made this (verse 1) the beginning of the eleventh chapter,
has unwisely disjointed the context; for the object of the apostle was
to prove what he had already said--that there is need of patience. He
had quoted the testimony of Habakkuk, who says that the just lives by
faith; he now shows what remained to be proved--that faith can be no
more separated from patience than from itself. The order then of what
he says is this: `We shall not reach the goal of salvation except we
have patience, for the prophet declares that the just lives by faith;
but faith directs us to things afar off which we do not as yet enjoy;
it then necessarily includes patience.' Therefore the minor
proposition in the argument is this, `Faith is the substance of things
hoped for'" (John Calvin).
"The apostle now, for the illustration and enforcement of his
exhortation, brings forward a great variety of instances, from the
history of former ages, in which faith had enabled individuals to
perform very difficult duties, endure very severe trials, and obtain
very important blessings. The principles of the apostle's exhortation
are plainly these: `They who turn back, turn back unto perdition. It
is only they who persevere in believing that obtain the salvation of
the soul. Nothing but a persevering faith can enable a person, through
a constant continuance in well-doing, and a patient, humble submission
to the will of God, to obtain that glory, honor, and immortality which
the Gospel promises. Nothing but a persevering faith can do this; and
a persevering faith can do it, as is plain from what it has done in
former ages" (John Brown).
The order of thought followed by the apostle in Hebrews 11 was ably
and helpfully set forth by an early Puritan: "The parts of this whole
chapter are two: 1. a general description of faith: verses 1 to 4. 2.
An illustration or declaration of that description, by a large
rehearsal of manifold examples of ancient and worthy men in the Old
Testament: verses 4 to 40. The description of faith consists of three
actions or effects of faith, set down in three several verses. The
first effect is that faith makes things which are not (but only are
hoped for), after a sort, to subsist and to be present with the
believer: verse 1. The second effect is that faith makes a believer
approved of God: verse 2. The third effect is that faith makes a man
understand and believe things incredible to sense and reason" (Win.
Perkins, 1595).
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of
things not seen" (verse 1). The opening "Now" has almost the force of
"for," denoting a farther confirmation of what had just been declared.
At the close of chapter 10 the apostle had just affirmed that the
saving of the soul is obtained through believing, whereupon he now
takes occasion to show what faith is and does. That faith can, and
does, preserve the soul, prompting to steadfastness under all sorts of
trials and issuing in salvation, may not only be argued from the
effects which is its very nature to produce, but is illustrated and
demonstrated by one example after another, cited in the verses which
follow. It is important to bear in mind at the outset that Hebrews 11
is an amplification and exemplification of Hebrews 10:38, 39: the
"faith" which the apostle is describing and illustrating is that which
has the saving of the soul annexed to it.
"In verse 1 there is the thing described, and the description itself.
The thing described is Faith; the description is this: `It is the
substance of things hoped for' etc. The description is proper,
according to the rules of art: habits (or graces) are described by
their formal acts, and acts restrained to their proper objects; so
faith is here described by its primary and formal acts, which are
referred to their distinct objects. The acts of faith are two: it is
the substance, it is the evidence. Think it not strange that I call
them acts, for that. is it the apostle intends; therefore Beza says,
in rendering this place, he had rather paraphrase the text than
obscure the scope, and he interpreteth it thus--Faith substantiates or
gives a subsistence to our hopes, and demonstrates things not seen.
There is a great deal of difference between the acts of faith and the
effects of faith. The effects of faith are reckoned up throughout this
chapter; the formal acts of faith are in this verse. These acts are
suited with their objects. As the matters of belief are yet to come,
faith gives them a substance, a being, as they are hidden from the
eyes of sense and carnal reason; faith also gives them an evidence,
and doth convince men of the worth of them; so that one of these acts
belongs to the understanding, the other to the will" (Thos. Manton,
1670).
The contents of verse 1 do not furnish so much a formal definition of
faith, as they supply a terse description of how it operates and what
it produces. Faith, whether natural or spiritual, is the belief of a
testimony. Here, faith is believing the testimony of God. How it
operates in reference to the subjects of this testimony, whether they
be considered simply as future, or as both invisible and future, and
the effects produced in and on the soul, the Holy Spirit here
explains. First, He tells us that "faith is the substance of things
hoped for." The Greek word rendered "substance" has been variously
translated. The margin of the A.V. gives "ground or confidence." The
R.V. has "assurance" in the text, and "giving substance to" in the
margin. The Greek word is "hypostasis" and is rendered "confident''
(should be "this confidence of boasting," as in Bag. Int.) in both 2
Corinthians 9:4 and 11:17; "person" (should be "subsistence" or
"essential being") in Hebrews 1:3; and "confidence" in Hebrews 3:14.
Personally, the writer believes it has a double force, so will seek to
expound it accordingly.
"Faith is the confidence of things hoped for." In this chapter (and in
general throughout the N.T.) "faith" is far more than a bare assent to
any thing revealed and declared by God: it is a firm persuasion of
that which is hoped for, because it assures its possessor not only
that there are such things, but that through the power and
faithfulness of God he shall yet possess them. Thus it becomes the
ground of expectation. The Word of God is the objective foundation on
which my hopes rest, but faith provides a subjective foundation, for
it convinces me of the certainty of them. Faith and confidence are
inseparable: just so far as I am counting upon the ability and
fidelity of the Promiser, shall I be confident of receiving the things
promised and which I am expecting. "We believe and are sure" (John
6:69).
From what has just been said, the reader will perhaps perceive better
the force of the rather peculiar word "substance" in the text of the
A.V. It comes from two Latin words, sub stans meaning "standing
under." Faith provides a firm standing-ground while I await the
fulfillment of God's promises. Faith furnishes my heart with a sure
support during the interval. Faith believes God and relies upon His
veracity: as it does so, the heart is anchored and remains steady, no
matter how fierce the storm nor how protracted the season of waiting.
"These all died in faith, not having received the (fulfillment of the)
promises; but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them,
and embraced them" (Heb. 11:13). Real faith issues in a confident and
standing expectation of future things.
"Faith is the substance of things hoped for": as the marginal reading
of the R.V. suggests, "giving substance to." Crediting the sure
testimony of God, resting on His promises, and expecting the
accomplishment of them, faith gives the object hoped for at a future
period, a present reality and power in the soul, as if already
possessed; for the believer is satisfied with the security afforded,
and acts under the full persuasion that God will not fail of His
engagement. Faith gives the soul an appropriating hold of them. "Faith
is a firm persuasion and expectation that God will perform all that He
has promised to us in Christ; and this persuasion is so strong that it
gives the soul a kind of possession and present fruition of those
things, gives them a subsistence in the soul by the firstfruits and
foretastes of them; so that believers in the exercise of faith are
filled with joy unspeakable and full of glory" (Matthew Henry).
The confident expectation which faith inspires, gives the objects of
the Christian's hope a present and actual being in his heart. Faith
does not look out with cold thoughts about things to come, but imparts
life and reality to them. Faith does for us spiritually what fancy
does for us naturally. There is a faculty of the understanding which
enables us to picture to the mind's eye things which are yet future.
But faith does more: it gives not an imaginary appearance to things,
but a real subsistence. Faith is a grace which unites subject and
object: there is no need to ascend to Heaven, for faith makes distant
things nigh (see Romans 10:6, 7). Faith, then, is the bond of union
between the soul and the things God has promised. By believing we
"receive"; by believing in Christ, He becomes ours (John 1:12).
Therefore does faith enable the Christian to praise the Lord for
future blessings as though he were already in the full possession of
them.
But how does faith bring to the heart a present subsistence of future
things? First, by drawing from the promises that which, by Divine
institution, is stored up in them: hence they are called the "breasts
of consolation" (Isa. 66:11). Second, by making the promises the food
of the soul (Jer. 15:16), which cannot be unless they are really
present unto it. Third, by conveying an experience of their power, as
unto all the ends of which they are purposed: it is as Divine truth is
appropriated and assimilated that it becomes powerfully operative in
the soul. Fourth, by communicating unto us the firstfruits of the
promises: faith gives a living reality to what it absorbs, and so real
and potent is the impression made, that the heart is changed into the
same image (2 Cor. 3:18).
Ere passing on, let us pause for a word of application. Many profess
to "believe," but what influence have their hopes upon them? How are
they affected by the things which their faith claims to have laid hold
of? I profess to believe that sin is a most heinous thing--do I fear,
hate, shun it? I believe that ere long I shall stand before the
judgment-seat of Christ--does my conduct evince that I am living in
the light of that solemn day? I believe that the world is an empty
bauble--do I despise its painted tinsel? I believe that God will
supply all my need--am I fearful about the morrow? I believe that
prayer is an essential means unto growth in grace--do I spend much
time in the secret place? I believe that Christ is coming back
again--am I diligent in seeking to have my lamp trimmed and burning?
Faith is evident by its fruits, works, effects.
Faith is "the evidence of things not seen." The Greek noun here
rendered "evidence" ("proving" in the R.V., with "test" in the margin)
is derived from a verb which signifies to convince, and that by
demonstration. It was used by the Lord Jesus when He uttered that
challenge, "which of you convicteth Me of sin?" (John 8:46). The noun
occurs in only one other place, namely, 2 Timothy 3:16, "All scripture
is... profitable for doctrine, for reproof," or "conviction"--to give
assurance and certainty of what is true. Thus, the word "evidence" in
our text denotes teat which furnishes proof, so that one is assured of
the reality and certainty of things Divine. "Faith," then, is first
the hand of the soul which "lays hold of" the contents of God's
promises; second, it is the eye of the soul which looks out toward and
represents them clearly and convincingly to us.
To unbelievers the invisible, spiritual, and future things revealed in
God's Word seem dubious and unreal, for they have no medium to
perceive them: "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit
of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them,
because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14). But the child
of God sees "Him who is invisible" (Heb. 11:27). Perhaps we might
illustrate it thus: two men stand on the deck of a ship gazing toward
the far horizon; the one sees nothing, the other describes the details
of a distant steamer. The former has only his unaided eyesight, the
latter is using a telescope! Now just as a powerful glass brings home
to the eye an object beyond the range of natural vision, so faith
gives reality to the heart of things outside the range of our physical
senses. Faith sets Divine things before the soul in all the light and
power of demonstration, and thus provides inward conviction of their
existence. "Faith demonstrates to the eye of the mind the reality of
those things which cannot be discerned by the eye of the body"
(Matthew Henry).
The natural man prefers a life of sense, and to believe nothing more
than that which is capable of scientifical demonstration. When eternal
things, yet invisible, are pressed upon him, he is full of objections
against them. Those are the objections of unbelief, stirred into
activity by the "fiery darts" of Satan, and naught but the shield of
faith can quench them. But when the Holy Spirit renews the heart, the
prevailing power of unbelief is broken; faith argues "God has said it,
so it must be true." Faith so convinces the understanding that it is
compelled, by force of arguments unanswerable, to believe the
certainty of all God has spoken. The conviction is so powerful that
the heart is influenced thereby, and the will moved to conform
thereto. This it is which causes the Christian to forsake the
"pleasures of sin" which are only "for a season" (Heb. 11:25), because
by faith he has laid hold of those satisfying "pleasures at God's
right hand" which are "for evermore" (Ps. 16:11).
To sum up the contents of verse 1. To unbelief, the objects which God
sets before us in His Word seem unreal and unlikely, nebulous and
vague. But faith visualizes the unseen, giving substantiality to the
things hoped for and reality to things invisible. Faith shuts its eyes
to all that is seen, and opens its ears to all God has said. Faith is
a convictive power which overcomes carnal reasonings, carnal
prejudices, and carnal excuses. It enlightens the judgment, moulds the
heart, moves the will, and reforms the life. It takes us off earthly
things and worldly vanities, and occupies us with spiritual and Divine
realities. It emboldens against discouragements, laughs at
difficulties, resists the Devil, and triumphs over temptations. It
does so because it unites the soul to God and draws strength from Him.
Thus faith is altogether a supernatural thing.
"For by it the elders obtained a good report" (verse 2). Having
described the principal qualities of faith, the apostle now proceeds
to give further proof of its excellency, as is evident from the
opening "For." It is by faith we are approved of God. By the "elders"
is signified those who lived in former times, namely, the O.T.
saints--included among the "fathers" or Hebrews 1:1. It was not by
their amiability, sincerity, earnestness, or any other natural virtue,
but by faith that the ancients "obtained a good report." This
declaration was made by the apostle with the purpose of reminding the
Hebrews that their pious progenitors were justified by faith, and to
the end of the chapter he shows that faith was the principle of all
their holy obedience, eminent services, and patient sufferings in the
cause of God. Therefore those who were spiritually united to them must
have something more than physical descent from them.
"For by it the elders obtained a good report." Observe the beautiful
accuracy of Scripture: it was not for their faith (nor could it be
without it!), but "by" their faith: it was not a cause, yet it was a
condition; there was nothing meritorious in it, yet it was a necessary
means. Let us also observe that faith is no new thing, but a grace
planted in the hearts of God's elect from the beginning. Then, as now,
faith was the substance of things hoped for--promises to be
accomplished in the future. The faith of Abel laid hold of Christ as
truly as does ours. God has had but one way of salvation since sin
entered the world: "by grace, through faith, not of works." They are
grossly mistaken who suppose that under the old covenant people were
saved by keeping the law. The "fathers" had the same promises we have:
not merely of Canaan, but of heaven--see Hebrews 11:16.
The Greek for "obtained a good report" is not in the active voice, but
the passive: literally, "were witnessed of," an honorable testimony
being borne to them--cf., verses 4, 5. God took care that a record
should be kept (complete in Heaven, in part transcribed in the
Scriptures) of all the actings of their faith. God has borne witness
to the fact that Enoch "walked with Him" (Gen. 5:24), that David was
"a man after His own heart" (1 Sam. 13:14), that Abraham was His
"friend" (2 Chron. 20:7). This testimony of His acceptance of them
because of their faith was borne by God. Not only externally in His
Word, but in their consciences. He gave them His Spirit who assured
them of their acceptance: Psalm 51:12, Acts 15:8. Let writer and
reader learn to esteem what God does: let us value a Christian not for
his intellect, natural charms, or social position, but for his faith,
evidenced by an obedient walk and godly life.
We cannot do better in closing our comments upon verse 2 than by
giving the "practical observations" on it of John Owen: "1. Instances
or examples are the most powerful confirmations of practical truths.
2. They who have a good testimony from God shall never want reproaches
from the world. 3. It is faith alone, which, from the beginning of the
world (or from the giving of the first promise), was the means and way
of obtaining acceptance with God. 4. The faith of true believers, from
the beginning of the world, was fixed on things future, hoped for,
invisible. 5. That faith whereby men please God acts itself in a fixed
contemplation on things future and invisible, from whence it derived
an encouragement and strength to endure and abide firm in profession,
against all opposition and persecutions. 6. Men may be despised,
vilified, and reproached in the world, yet if they have faith, if they
are true believers, they are accepted with God, and He will give them
a good report."
"Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word
of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do
appear" (verse 3). There is a much closer connection between this
verse and the two preceding ones than most of the commentators have
perceived. The apostle is still setting forth the importance and
excellency of faith: here he affirms that. through it its favored
possessors are enabled to apprehend things which are high above the
reach of human reason. The origin of the universe presents a problem
which neither science nor philosophy can solve, as is evident from
their conflicting and ridiculous attempts; but that difficulty
vanishes entirely before faith.
"Through faith we understand." Faith is the vehicle or medium of
spiritual perception: "if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see
the glory of God" (John 11:40); "which God hath created to be received
with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth" (1 Tim.
4:3). Faith is not a blind reliance on the Word of God, but an
intelligent persuasion of its veracity, wisdom, beauty. So far from
Christians being the credulous fools the world deems them, they are
the wisest of earth's inhabitants. The "fools" are they who are "slow
of heart to believe" (Luke 24:25). Through faith in what has been
revealed in the Scriptures we know that the universe is created and
fashioned by God. "What does faith give us to understand concerning
the worlds, that is, the upper, middle, lower regions of the universe?
1. That they were not eternal, nor did they produce themselves, but
they were made by another. 2. That the Maker of the world is God; He
is the Maker of all things; and whosoever is so must be God. 3. That
He made the world with great exactness; it was a framed work, in every
thing duly adapted and disposed to answer its end, and to express the
perfections of the Creator. 4. That God made the world by His word;
that is, by His essential wisdom and eternal Son, and by His active
will, saying, Let it be done, and it was done. 5. That the world was
thus framed out of nothing, out of no pre-existent matter, contrary to
the received maxim, that out of nothing nothing can be made, which,
though true of created power, can have no place with God, who can call
things that are not as if they were, and command them into being.
These things we understand by faith" (Matthew Henry).
"That the worlds were framed by the word of God." The word for
"worlds" in the Greek signifies "ages," but by a metonymy it is here
used of the universe. "The celestial world, with its inhabitants, the
angels; the starry and ethereal worlds, with all that is in them, the
sun, moon, stars, and fowls of the air; the terrestrial world, with
all upon it, man, beasts etc.; and the watery world, the sea, and all
that is therein" (John Gill). These "worlds were made at the beginning
of mundane time and have continued throughout all ages. "The apostle
accommodated his expression to the received opinion of the Jews, and
their way of expressing themselves about the world. `Olam' denotes the
world as to the subsistence of it, and as to its duration" (John
Owen). We do not, then, espouse Bullinger's strange view of this
verse.
The "worlds," or universe, were "framed," that is, were adjusted and
disposed into a wise and beautiful order, by "the word of God." That
expression is used in a threefold sense. First, there is the essential
and personal Word, the eternal Son of God (John 1:1). Second, there is
the written, ever-living Word, the Holy Scriptures (John 10:35).
Third, there is the Word of Power or manifestation of the invincible
will of God. It is the last-mentioned that is in view in Hebrews 11:3.
The Greek for "word" is not "logos" (as in John 1:1), but "rhema" (as
in Hebrews 1:3); "rhema" signifies a word spoken. The reference is to
God's imperial fiat. His effectual command, as throughout Genesis 1:
"God said (the manifestation of His invincible will) let light be, and
light was." "For He spake, and it was done; He commanded and it stood
fast" (Ps. 33:9). An illustration of the Word of His Power (see
Hebrews 1:3) is found in John 5:28, 29.
"So that things which are seen, were not made of things which do
appear." There is some difficulty (in the Greek) in ascertaining the
precise meaning of this phrase. Personally, we are inclined to regard
it as referring back to Genesis 1:2. The verse before us concerns more
directly the fashioning of the present heavens and earth, though that
necessarily presupposes their original creation. The elements were
submerged and darkness enshrouded them. The practical force of this
verse to us is: our "faith" does not rest upon what "appears"
outwardly, but is satisfied with the bare Word of God. Since God
created the universe out of nothing, how easily can He preserve and
sustain us when there is not anything (to our view) in sight! He who
can call worlds into existence by the Word of His Power, can command
supplies for the neediest of His creatures.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 57
The Faith of Abel
(Hebrews 11:4)
__________________________________________
The 11th chapter of Hebrews has three divisions. The first, which
comprises verses 1 to 3, is introductory, setting forth the excellency
of faith. The second, which is covered by verses 4 to 7, outlines the
life of faith. The third, which begins at verse 8 and runs to the end
of the chapter, fills in that outline, and, as well, describes the
achievements of faith. The first division we went over in our last
article. There we saw the excellency of faith proved by four facts.
Faith gives a reality and substantiality unto those things which the
Word of God warrants us to hope for (verse 1). Faith furnishes proof
to the heart of those spiritual things which cannet be discovered by
our natural senses (verse 1). Faith secured to the O.T. saints a good
report (verse 2). Faith enables its favored possessor to understand
that which is incomprehensible to mere reason, imparting a knowledge
to which philosophers and scientists are strangers (verse 3). Thus,
the tremendous importance and inestimable value of faith is at once
apparent.
The second division of our chapter may be outlined thus. First, the
beginning of the life of faith (verse 4). Second, the character of the
life of faith, showing of what it consists (verse 5). Third, a warning
and an encouragement is given (verse 6). Fourth, the end of the life
of faith, or the goal to which it conducts (verse 7). That which the
Holy Spirit now sets before us, is far more than a list of O.T.
worthies, or a miniature picture-gallery of the saints of bygone days.
To those whom God grants a receptive heart and anointed eye, there is
here deep and important doctrinal instruction, as well as most blessed
practical teaching. The contents of Hebrews 11 concern our eternal
peace, and it behooves us to give them our most prayerful and diligent
attention. May it please the Spirit of Truth to act as our Guide, as
we seek to pass from verse to verse.
"By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain,
by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of
his gifts; and by it he being dead yet speaketh" (verse 4). Rightly
understood, this verse describes the beginning of the life of faith.
Let us seek to weigh attentively each separate expression in it.
First, it was "by faith" that Abel offered unto God his sacrifice. He
is the first man, according to the sacred record, who ever did so. He
had no established precedent to follow, no example to emulate, no
outward encouragement to stimulate. Thus, his conduct was not
suggested by popular custom, nor was his action regulated by "common
sense." Neither carnal reason nor personal inclinations could have
moved Abel to present a bleeding lamb for God's acceptance. How, then,
is his strange procedure to be accounted for? Our text answers: it was
"by faith" he acted, and not by fancy or by feelings. But what is
signified by this expression? Ah, the mere words "by faith" are far
more familiar unto many, than their real import is understood. Vague
and visionary indeed are the conceptions which multitudes now
entertain thereon. We must not, then, take anything for granted; but
rather proceed slowly, and seek to make quite sure of our ground.
The one scripture which, perhaps, more than any other unlocks for us
the meaning of the "by faith" which is found so frequently in Hebrews
11 is Romans 10:17. There we read, "Faith cometh by hearing and
hearing by the Word of God." Faith must have a foundation to rest
upon, and that foundation must be the Word of Him that cannot lie. God
speaks, and the heart receives and acts upon what He says. True, there
are two kinds of "hearing," just as there are two kinds of "faith."
There is an outward "hearing," and there is an inward "hearing": the
one merely informs, the other influences; the one simply instructs the
mind, the other moulds the heart and moves the will. So there is a
twofold meaning to the term "The Word of God" (see our remarks on
Hebrews 11:3), namely, the Word as written, and the Word as operative,
when God speaks in living power to the soul. Hence, there is a twofold
"faith": the one which is merely an intellectual assenting to what God
has revealed, and that which is a vital and supernatural principle of
action, which "worketh by love" (Gal. 5:6).
Now we need hardly say that it is the second of these which is in view
here in Hebrews 11:4, and throughout the chapter. But let us move
carefully, step by step. It was "by faith" that Abel offered unto God
his acceptable sacrifice, and as Romans 10:17 declares, "faith cometh
by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." It therefore follows that
God had definitely revealed His will, that Abel believed that
revelation, and that he acted accordingly. Now in O.T. times, God
spake to men sometimes directly, sometimes through others. In this
instance, we believe the reference is to what God had said to Adam and
Eve, and which they had communicated to Cain and Abel. By turning back
to Genesis 3 we discover what the Lord said to their parents.
"Unto the woman He said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy
conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire
shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam He
said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast
eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not
eat of it; cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat
of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it
bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the
sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the
ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto
dust shalt thou return" (Gen. 3:16-19). But further: "Unto Adam also
and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed
them" (verse 21). Here the Lord spoke to Adam and Eve by action: four
things were clearly intimated. First, that in order for a sinner to
stand before the thrice holy God, he needed a covering. Second, that
that which was of human manufacture (Heb. 3:7), was worthless. Third,
that God Himself must provide the requisite covering. Fourth, that the
necessary covering could only be obtained by death, by blood-shedding.
In Genesis 3:15 and 21 we have the first Gospel-sermon which was ever
preached on this earth, and that, by the Lord Himself. Life must come
out of death. Cain and Abel, and the whole human race, sinned in Adam
(Rom. 5:12, 18, 19), and the wages of sin is death, penal death.
Either I must be paid those wages and suffer that death, or
another--an innocent one, on whom death has no claim--must be paid
those wages in my stead. And in order to my receiving the benefit of
that substitute's compassion, there must be a link of contact between
me and him. Faith it is which unites to Christ. Saving faith, then, in
its simplest form, is the placing of a Substitute between my guilty
self and a sin-hating God.
Now what we have just gone over above, was made known (probably
through Adam) to Cain and Abel. How do we know this? Because, as we
have seen, Abel brought his offerings to God "by faith," and Romans
10:17 makes it clear that "faith" presupposes a Divine revelation.
Further confirmation of this is found in Genesis 4:7: when Cain's
countenance fell at the rejection of his offering, the Lord said unto
him, "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou
doest not well, sin lieth at the door." Thus a Divine institution of
sacrifice, clearly defined and made known, is here plainly implied. It
was as though God had said to Cain, "Did I promise to accept any other
offering than which conformed to My prescription?"
"By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain."
Three things here claim our attention: the spring of Abel's action
(faith), the nature of his offering, wherein it was more excellent
than Cain's. The first of these we have already considered, the second
we will now examine. The language of our present verse refers us back
to Genesis 4; there we read, "And Abel, he also brought of the
firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof" (verse 4). His action
here ("brought") is in sharp contrast from his parents in Genesis 3:8,
who "hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God." The contrast
is most significant: a consciousness of guilt caused Adam and Eve to
flee; a sense of need moved Abel to seek the Lord. The difference
between them is to be attributed unto the respective workings of
conscience and faith. An uneasy conscience never of itself, leads to
Christ --
"And they which heard, being convicted by their own conscience, went
out one by one... and Jesus was left alone" (John 8:9). "And Abel, he
also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof"
(Gen. 4:4). The separate mention of the "fat" tells us that the lamb
had been slain. By killing the lamb and offering it to God, Abel
acknowledged at least five things. First, he owned that God was
righteous in driving fallen man out of Eden (Gen. 3:24). Second, he
owned that he was a guilty sinner, and that death was his just due.
Third, he owned that God was holy, and must punish sin. Fourth, he
owned that God was merciful, and willing to accept the death of an
innocent substitute in his place. Fifth, he owned that he looked for
acceptance with God in Christ the Lamb. Therefore did he, by faith,
place the blood of his firstlings of his flock (type of Him who is
"the Firstborn" or Head "of every creature"--Colossians 1:15) between
his sins and the avenging justice of God.
Here, then, is where the life of faith begins. There must first be a
bowing unto the righteous verdict of the Divine Judge that I am a
sinner, a transgressor, of His holy law, and therefore justly under
its "curse" or death-sentence. No excuses have I to offer, no merits
have I to plead, no mitigation of the sentence can I fairly ask for.
My best performances are only filthy rags in the sight of Him who
knows that they were wrought out of self-love and to promote self's
interests, rather than for His glory. I can but plead guilty, and hide
my face for very shame. But as the Gospel of His grace is applied to
my stricken conscience by the power of the Spirit, hope revives. As He
makes known to me the amazing fact that the Lamb of God died so that
all who bow to God's verdict, own themselves as lost, and hate
themselves for their sins, might live; and then faith stretches forth
a trembling hand and lays hold of the Redeemer, and the criminal is
pardoned, and accepted by God.
Having pondered the character of Abel's sacrifice, let us now consider
wherein it was "more excellent" than Cain's. In Genesis 4:3 we read,
"Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord."
Cain was no infidel, for he owned the existence of God; nor was he
irreligious, for he came before Him as a worshipper; but he refused to
conform to the Divine appointment. By carefully noting the nature of
his offering, we may observe four things. First, it was a bloodless
one, and "without shedding of blood is no remission" (Heb. 9:22).
Second, it was merely the fruit of his toils, the product of his
labors. Third, he deliberately ignored the sentence of God in Genesis
3:17: "Cursed is the ground." Fourth, he despised the grace made known
in Genesis 3:21.
Thus, in Cain we behold the first hypocrite. He refused to comply with
the revealed will of God, yet cloaked his rebellion by coming before
Him as a worshipper. He would not obey the Divine appointment, yet
brought an offering to the Lord. He believed not that his case was so
desperate that death was his due, and could only be escaped by another
suffering it in his stead; yet he sought to approach unto the Lord,
and patronize Him. This is the "way of Cain" spoken of by Jude (verse
11). It is the way of self-will, of unbelief, of disobedience, and of
religious hypocrisy. What a contrast from Abel! Thus we see how there
was a striking foreshadowment from the beginning of human history that
the church on earth is a mixed assembly, made up of wheat and tares.
Cain and Abel stand before us as two representative men. They head the
two, and the only two classes, which are to be found in the religious
world. They typified, respectively, the two sections of Christendom.
Cain, the elder, who is mentioned first in Genesis 4 and therefore
represents the prominent section, sets forth that vast company who
honor God with their lips, but whose hearts are far from Him; who
think to pay God a compliment, but who refuse to meet His
requirements; who pose as worshippers, but live to please themselves.
Abel, on the other hand, hated by Cain, foreshadowed that "little
flock," the members of which are brought to feel their sinner-hood,
bow to God's will, comply with His commandments, fly to Christ for
refuge, and are accepted by God.
Most solemnly too do Cain and Abel furnish us with a striking example
of the sovereignty of Divine grace. Both of them were "shapen in
iniquity and conceived in sin," for both were the fallen sons of
fallen parents, and both of them were born outside of Eden; yet one
was "of that Wicked one" (1 John 3:12), while the other was one of
God's elect. Marvelously and most blessedly may we here behold the
fact that sovereign grace is "no respecter of persons," but passes by
(to human ideas) the most likely, and pitches upon the unlikely. Being
the younger of the two, Abel was inferior in dignity; God Himself said
to Cain, "Thou shalt rule over him" (Gen. 4:7). But spiritual
blessings do not follow the order of external privileges: Shem is
preferred before Japheth (Gen. 5:32, 10:2, 21); Isaac before Ishmael,
Jacob before Esau.
"By (a Divinely-given and Divinely-wrought) faith, Abel offered unto
God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain." The superiority of Abel's
worship may, perhaps, be set forth thus. First, it was offered in
obedience to God's revealed will. This lies at the very foundation of
all actions which are acceptable unto God: nothing can be pleasing
unto Him except that which He has stipulated: every thing else is
"will worship" (Col. 2:23). Second, it was offered "by faith": this
tells us that there was something more than the mere performance of an
outward duty; only that is approved of God which proceeds from the
living principle of faith, kindled in the heart by the Holy Spirit.
True obedience and faith are never apart: therefore we read of "the
obedience of faith" (Rom. 1:5). Yet though inseparable, they are
distinguishable in thought: faith respects the word of promise;
obedience the word of command, for promises and precepts go hand in
hand. We act in obedience, when the commandment is uppermost in our
minds and hearts, which puts us to the performing of duties; we act in
faith, when the promise is looked to and the reward is counted upon.
Third, Abel had a "willing mind" (2 Cor. 8:12). Faith works by "love"
(Gal. 5:6). This is seen in the fact that he brought of his best: it
was "of the firstlings of his flock," which God afterwards took as His
portion (Ex. 13:12); when slain, it was the "fat" which he presented
which later God also claimed as His own (Lev. 3:16; 7:25). Thus, it
was of the most precious and valuable things on earth which Abel
brought to God. So it is our best which He requires of us: "Son, give
Me thine heart" (Prov. 23:26): it is "with the heart man believeth
unto righteousness" (Rom. 10:10). Fourth, his sacrificial offering
looked forward to and adumbrated the great sacrifice, the Lamb of God
which taketh away the sin of the world. In all these four things Abel
excelled Cain. Cain did not act in obedience, for he disregarded the
Divine appointment. He did not offer in faith. Nothing is said of any
choice of excellent fruit: it was as though he brought the first which
came to hand. His offering contained no foreshadowment of Christ.
Ere passing on, let us seek to gather up the practical teaching of
what has been before us. 1. To serve God acceptably we must disregard
all human inventions, lean not unto our own understandings or
inclinations, and adhere strictly to the revelation which He made of
His will. 2. All obedience, service, and worship, must proceed from
faith, for "without faith it is impossible to please Him" (Heb. 11:6):
where this be lacking, no matter how exact the performance of our
duty, it is unacceptable to God. 3. We are to serve God with the best
that we have: with the best of our abilities, and with the best of our
substance; only as love constrains us will there be a doing it
"heartily as unto the Lord." 4. In all our religious exercises Christ
must be before us, for only as they are perfumed with His merits can
they meet with God's acceptance.
"By which he obtained witness that he was righteous." There is a
little uncertainty as to whether the "by which" refers to Abel's
`faith" or to the "more excellent sacrifice" which he offered. Though
the latter be the nearest antecedent, yet, with Owen, Gouge, and
Manton, we believe the reference is to his faith. First, because it is
not the apostle's design in this chapter to specify the kind of
sacrifices which were acceptable unto God. Second, because his obvious
purpose was to illustrate and demonstrate the efficacy of faith.
Third, because the apostle here exemplifies what he had just said of
the O.T. saints, namely, that by faith "they obtained a good report"
(verse 2). Fourth, because this agrees much more closely with the
Analogy of Faith: by the one perfect offering of Christ is the
Christian constituted "righteous" before God; but it is through faith
that he obtains witness of the same to his heart.
"By which he obtained witness that he was righteous." Herein we are
supplied with an illustration of "For them that honor Me, I will
honor" (1 Sam. 2:30). In keeping God's precepts there is "great
reward" (Ps. 19:11). God will be no man's debtor: he who obediently,
humbly, trustfully, lovingly, respects His appointments and obeys His
commandments, shall be recompensed--not as a recognition of merit, but
as what is Divinely meet and gracious. God did not leave Abel in a
state of uncertainty, ignorant as to whether or not his offering was
approved. The Lord was pleased to assure Abel that the sacrifice had
been accepted, and that he was accounted just before Him. The Greek
word for "he obtained witness" is the same as is rendered "obtained a
good report" in verse 2.
"By which he obtained witness that he was righteous." This too is
recorded for our instruction and comfort. From these words we learn it
is the good pleasure of God that His obedient and believing children
should know His mind concerning them. Where there is a justifying
faith in Christ which moves the Christian to walk according to the
Divine precepts, God honors that faith by granting assurance to its
possessor. When we are enabled by faith to plead the most excellent
Sacrifice and to present acceptable worship unto God, then we obtain
testimony from Him through His Word and by His Spirit that our persons
and services are accepted by Him. In Abel's case, He received from God
an outward attestation; in the case of the Christian today it is the
inward authentication of his conscience (2 Cor. 1:12), to which the
Holy Spirit also adds His confirmation (Rom. 8:15).
"God testifying of his gifts." We are not told in Genesis 4 in so many
words how He did so, but the Analogy of Faith leaves little room for
doubt. By comparing other Scriptures, it may be that the Lord
evidenced His acceptance of Abel's offering (and thereby testified
that he was "righteous") by causing fire to descend from heaven and
consume the sacrifice, which, in turn, ascended to Him as a
sweet-smelling savor. In Leviticus 9:24 we read, "And there came a
fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt
offering and the fat." So too, we are told, "Then the fire of the Lord
fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice" (1 Kings 18:38). Compare also
Judges 6:21; 13:19, 20; 1 Chronicles 21:26; Psalm 20:3 margin. There
is, however, no certainty on this point.
"By which (faith) he obtained witness that he was righteous, God
testifying of his gifts." The second clause is explanatory of the
former: the parallel is found in Genesis 4:4, where we read, "and the
Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering." He testified in the
approbation of his offering, that He had respect unto his person; that
is, that He judged, esteemed, and accounted him righteous, for
otherwise God is no respecter of persons. Whosoever God accepts or
respects, He testifieth him to be righteous, that is, to be justified,
and freely accepted with Him. This Abel was by faith, antecedently
unto his offering. He was not made righteous, he was not justified by
his sacrifice, but therein show his faith by his works; and God, by
acceptance of his works of obedience, justified him, as Abraham was
justified by works, namely, declaratively, He declared him so to be.
Our persons must be first justified, before our works of obedience can
be accepted with God; for by that acceptance He testifies that we are
righteous (John Owen).
"And by it he being dead yet speaketh." Marvelously full are the words
of God. His commandment is "exceeding broad" (Ps. 119:96). In every
sentence of Holy Writ there is both a depth and breadth which our
unaided minds are incapable of perceiving and appreciating. Only as
the Holy Spirit, the Inspirer and Giver of the Word, deigns to "guide"
us (John 16:13), only as He teaches us to compare passage with
passage, so that in His light we "see light" (Ps. 36:9), are we
enabled to discern, in fuller measure, the beauty, meaning, and
many-sidedness of any verse or clause. Such is the case in the
sentence now before us. We are convinced that there is at least a
threefold meaning and reference in it. Briefly, we will consider these
in turn.
"And by it he being dead yet speaketh." The first and most obvious
signification of these words is that, by his faith's obedience, as
recorded in Genesis 4 and Hebrews 11, Abel preaches to us a most
important sermon. His worship and the fruits thereof are registered in
the everlasting records of Holy Scripture, and thereby he speaketh as
evidently as though we heard him audibly. There comes to us a voice
from the far distant past, from the other side of the flood, saying,
"Fallen man can only approach unto God through the death of an
innocent Substitute: yet none save God's elect will ever feel their
need of such, set aside their own inclinations, bow to God's revealed
will, and submit to His appointment; but they who do so, obtain
witness that they are `righteous' (cf. Matthew 13:43), and receive
Divine assurance that they are accepted in the Beloved and that their
obedience (imperfect in itself, yet proceeding from a heart which
desires and seeks to fully please Him) is approved for His sake."
"And by it he being dead yet speaketh." And how did he die? By the
murderous hand of a religious hypocrite who hated him. Then began that
which the apostle affirms still to continue: "he that was born after
the flesh, persecuted him that was born after the Spirit" (Gal. 4:29).
Here was the first public and visible display of that enmity between
the (mystical) seed of the woman and the (mystical) seed of the
Serpent. Abel's death was therefore also a pledge and representation
of the death of Christ Himself--murdered by the religious world. Those
whom God approves must expect to be disproved of men, more
particularly by those professing to be Christian. But the time is
coming when the present situation shall be reversed. In Genesis 4:10
God said to Cain "the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto Me from
the ground." Abel's own blood "speaketh," crying to God for vengeance.
"And by it he being dead yet speaketh." Though ruthlessly slain by his
brother, the soul of Abel exists in a separate state, alive,
conscious, and vocal. He is among that company of whom the apostle
said, "I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the
Word of God, and for the testimony which they held, and they cried
with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou
not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" (Rev.
6:9, 10). Thus, Abel is not only a type of the persecution and
suffering of the godly, but gives a pledge of the certain vengeance
which God will take in due time upon their oppressors. God shall yet
avenge His own elect (those in heaven as well as those on earth) who
cry unto Him day and night for Him to avenge them (Luke 18:7, 8). Let
us then seek grace to possess our souls in patience, knowing that ere
long God will reward the righteous and punish the wicked.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 58
The Faith of Enoch
(Hebrews 11:4)
__________________________________________
The apostle makes it his principal design in this chapter to convince
the Hebrews of the nature, importance and efficacy of saving faith. In
the execution of his design, he first described the essential actings
of faith (verse 1), and then in all that follows he treats of the
effects, fruits, and achievements of faith. It is blessed to behold
how that once more his appeal was to the Holy Scriptures. Not by
abstract arguments, still less by bare assertions, would he persuade
them; but instead, by setting forth some of the many examples and
proofs which the sacred records furnished. Having reminded them of
what the faith-obedience of Abel procured, namely, the obtaining of a
witness from God that he was righteous, the apostle cites the case of
Enoch who exemplifies another aspect and consequent of faith.
The order observed by the Holy Spirit in Hebrews 11 is not the
historical one. A careful reading of its contents will make this
clear. For example, reference is made in verse 9 to Isaac and Jacob
before attention is directed to Sarah in verse 11; the falling down of
Jericho's walls (verse 30), is mentioned before the faith of Rahab
(verse 31); in verse 32 Gideon is mentioned before Barak, Samson
before Jephtha, and David before Samuel. Thus it is evident that we
are to "search" for something deeper. Since the chronological order is
departed from again and again, must there not be a spiritual
significance to the way in which the O.T. saints are here referred to?
Without a doubt such must be the case. The reason for this is not far
to seek: it is the experimental order which is followed in this
chapter. If the Lord permits, this will become plainer and plainer as
we proceed from verse to verse.
That which the three examples supplied in verses 4 to 7 set before us
is an outline of the life of faith. Abel is mentioned first not
because he was born before Enoch and Noah, but because what is
recorded of him in Genesis 4 illustrated and demonstrated where the
life of faith begins. In like manner, Enoch is referred to next not
because he is mentioned before Noah in the book of Genesis, but
because what was found in him (or rather, what Divine grace had
wrought in him), must precede that which was typified by the builder
of the ark. Each of these three men adumbrated a distinct feature or
aspect of the life of faith, and the order concerning them is
inviolable. Another before us, has characterized them thus: in Abel we
see faith's worship, in Enoch faith's walk, in Noah faith's witness.
This, we believe, is an accurate and helpful way of stating it, and
the more it be pondered, the more its beauty and blessedness should be
perceived.
But man ever reverses God's order, and never was this fact more
plainly evident to the anointed eye than in these degenerate times in
which our lot is cast. Witnessing and working ("service") is what are
so much emphasized today. Yet dear reader, Hebrews 11 does not begin
with the example of Noah. No indeed. Noah was preceded by Enoch, and
for this reason: there can be no Divinely-acceptable witness or work
unless and until there is a walking with God! Enoch's walk with God
must come before any service which is pleasing to Him. Alas that this
is so much lost sight of now. Alas that, so generally, as soon as a
young person makes profession of being a Christian, he or she is
pushed into some form of "Christian activity"--open-air speaking,
personal work, teaching a Sunday school class--when God's word so
plainly says, "Not a novice (margin, "one newly come to the faith")
lest being lifted up with pride (which almost always proves to be the
case) he fall into the condemnation of the Devil" (1 Tim. 3:6).
O how much we miss and lose through failing to give close heed to the
order of God's words. Frequently have we emphasized this fact in these
pages, yet not too frequently. God is a God of order, and the moment
we depart from His arrangements, confusion, with all its attendant
evils, at once ensues. We cannot pay too strict attention to the order
in which things are presented to us in Holy Writ, for only as we do
so, are we in the position to learn some of its most salutary lessons
and admire its heavenly wisdom. Such is the case here. Enoch's walk of
faith must precede Noah's witnessing by faith; and this, in turn, must
be preceded by Abel's worship of faith. There must be that setting
aside of our own preferences and ways, that bowing to God's will, that
submitting to His appointments, that obedience to His requirements,
before there can be any real walking with Him. Obedience to Him, then
walking with Him, then witnessing for Him, is Heaven's unchanging
order.
"By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was
not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation
he had this testimony, that he pleased God" (verse 5). The case of
Abel shows us where the life of faith begins; the example of Enoch
teaches us of what the life of faith consists. Now just as we had to
refer to Genesis 4 to understand Hebrews 11:4, so we have to turn back
to Genesis 5 for its light to be thrown upon our present verse.
"And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him" (Gen.
5:24). Here we have set forth, in the form of a brief summary, the new
life of the believer: to "walk with God." Previously, Enoch had
"walked according to the course of this world" (Eph. 2:2), had gone
his "own way" (Isa. 53:6) of self-pleasing, and unconcerned about the
future, had thought only of the present. But now he had been
"reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:20), for "Can two walk together, except
they be agreed?" (Amos 3:3). The term "walk" signifies a voluntary
act, a steady advance, a progress in spiritual things. To "walk with
God" imports a life surrendered to God, a life controlled by God, a
life lived for God. It is to that our present verse has reference.
"By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was
not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation
he had this testimony, that he pleased God." It should be obvious to
any Spirit-taught heart that we need to look beneath the surface here
if we are to discover the spiritual principle of the verse, and seek
grace to apply it to ourselves. As a mere historical statement it is
doubtless a very interesting one, yet as such it imparts no strength
to my needy soul. The bare fact that a man who walked this earth
thousands of years ago escaped death may astonish, but it supplies no
practical help. What we wish to press upon the reader is, the need for
asking each portion of Scripture he reads, the question, What is there
here, what practical lesson, to help me while I am left on earth? Nor
is this always discovered in a moment: prayer, patience, meditation
are required.
As we endeavor to study our verse with the object of ascertaining its
practical meaning and message for us today, the first thing the
thoughtful ponderer will notice is the repetition of the word
"translated": this occurring no less than three times in one verse, is
evidently the keyword. According to its etymology, "translated"
signifies to carry across, to bear up, to remove, to change from one
place to another. This at once brings to mind (if the Word of Christ
be dwelling in us richly) that verse, "Who hath delivered us from the
power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear
Son" (Col. 1:13). This refers to the grand fact of the Christian's
present standing and state before God: he has "passed from death unto
life" (John 5:24). Now it is the Christian's privilege and duty to
live in the power of this fact, and have it made good in his actual
case and experience; and this will be so, just in proportion as he is
enabled to live and walk by faith.
"By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death". the word
"see" here has the force of taste or experience. Enoch was not to be
overcome by death: but let us not limit our thoughts unto physical
death. Just as Enoch's "translation" from earth to heaven has a deeper
meaning than the natural, so "that he should not see death" signifies
more than an escape from the grave. "Death" is the wages of sin, the
curse of the broken law. We are living in a world which is under God's
righteous curse and death is plainly stamped across everything in it.
But when faith is in exercise, the soul is lifted above this scene,
and its favored possessor is enabled to "walk in newness of life." As
we saw when pondering the opening verse, it is the nature of faith to
bring near things future, and to obtain proof and enjoyment of what is
invisible to natural sight. Just so far as we walk by faith, is the
heart "translated," raised above this poor world; and then it is we
experience the "power of His (Christ's) resurrection" (Phil. 3:10).
Let us now link verses 4 and 5 together, observing their doctrinal
force. When a sinner, by surrender to God and faith in the sacrifice
of Christ, is pronounced righteous by the Judge of all, he is made an
heir of eternal life, and sin and death can no more have dominion over
him: that is, no longer have any legal claim upon him. It is this
which is illustrated here: the very next saint who is mentioned after
Abel, was taken to Heaven without dying, thereby demonstrating that
the power of "death" over the Christian has been annulled. First a
sinner saved through the blood of the Lamb (Abel), then a saved sinner
removed from earth to Heaven, and nothing between. How inexpressibly
blessed! Words fail us, and we can but bow in silent wonderment, and
worship. How "great" is God's salvation!
Now that which is a fact of Christian doctrine needs to become a fact
of Christian experience: we need to enjoy the good, the power, the
blessedness of it in our souls day by day. And this can only be as a
supernatural faith is in exercise. A bare knowledge of doctrine is
practically worthless, unless the heart earnestly seeks from God a
practical out-working of it. It is one thing to believe that I have
judicially passed from death unto life, it is quite another to live
practically in the realm of LIFE. But that is exactly what a life of
faith is: it is a being lifted above the things which are seen, and a
being occupied with those things which are unseen. It is for the
affections to be no longer set on things on the earth, but to have
them fixed on things in Heaven.
Perhaps the reader is inclined to say, The ideal you set before us is
indeed beautiful, but it is impossible for flesh and blood to attain
unto it. Quite true, dear friend; we fully grant it. Of himself the
Christian can no more live practically upon resurrection-ground than
Enoch could transport himself to Heaven. But observe carefully the
very next words in our wonderful text: "because God had translated
him." Again we beg you not to carnalize these words, and see in them
only a reference to his bodily removal to Heaven; or to see in them
nothing more than a type and pledge of the Rapture--the fulfillment of
1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17: that is the prophetical significance; but
there is a spiritual meaning and practical application also, and this
is what we so much desire to make clear unto each spiritual reader.
Enoch's translation to heaven was a miracle, and that which is
spiritually symbolized is a supernatural experience. The whole
Christian life, from start to finish, is a supernatural thing. The new
birth is a miracle of grace, for one who is dead in trespasses and
sins can no more regenerate himself than he can create a world. A
spiritual repentance and spiritual faith are imparted by "the
operation of God" (Col. 2:12), for a fallen creature can no more
originate them than he could give himself being. To have the heart
divorced from the world, to be brought to hate the things we once
loved and to now love the things we once hated, is the alone fruitage
of the all-mighty work of the Holy Spirit. And for the heart to
function in the realm of resurrection-life, while its possessor is
left in a scene of death, can only be made possible and become actual
as the supernatural grace of God sustains and calls into exercise a
supernatural faith. Only God can daily wean our hearts from the things
of this world of death and bring us into real communion with the
Prince of Life.
A word of caution here. Let us be on our guard against fatalistically
folding our arms and saying, God has not ordained that I should live
the translated life. True, God is sovereign and distributes His favors
as He pleases. True, He grants more grace to some of His own people
than to others of them. Yet it is also written that, "Ye have not,
because ye ask not" (James 4:2). Moreover, observe well the next words
in our text: "before his translation he had this testimony, that he
pleased God." Ah, does not that explain why our faith is so feeble,
and why the things of earth forge such heavy chains about our hearts?
God is not likely to strengthen and increase our faith while we are so
largely indifferent to His pleasure. There must first be the daily,
diligent, prayerful striving to please Him in all things; this is
absolutely essential if we are to enter into the experience of the
translated life.
Let us seek to anticipate a possible objection. Some may be saying,
The translated life--the continuous exercise of faith which frees the
heart from the grave-clothes of this world--is so exceedingly
difficult these days. Then let us remind you of the times in which
Enoch lived. It was just before the Flood, and probably conditions
then were far worse than they are now. "And Enoch also, the seventh
from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with
ten thousands of His saints: To execute judgment upon all, and to
convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds
which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches
which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him" (Jude 14, 15). It must
be remembered that those words had an historical force, as well as a
prophetical. Thus, a life of pleasing God, of walking with Him, of the
heart being lifted above the world, was no easier then than now. Yet
Divine grace made this actual in Enoch; and that grace is as potent
today as it was then.
Oftentimes it is helpful to reverse the clauses of a verse so as to
perceive more clearly their relation. In order to illustrate this, and
because we are so anxious for the reader to lay hold of the
vitally-important teaching of Hebrews 11:5, we will treat it
accordingly. "Before his translation he had this testimony, that he
pleased God." Do I? Do you? That is a most timely inquiry. If we are
not "pleasing God," then the more knowledge we have of His truth, the
worse for us. "That servant which knew his Lord's will, and prepared
not himself, neither did according to His will, shall be beaten with
many stripes" (Luke 12:47). God will not be mocked. Fair words and
reverent postures cannot deceive Him. It is not how much light do I
have, but how far am I in complete subjection to the Lord?
"God had translated him." Of course He did. God always honors those
who honor Him; but let us remember that same verse adds, "And they
that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed" (1 Sam. 2:30). God is too
holy to encourage self-pleasing and put a premium upon
self-indulgence. While we gratify the flesh, the blessing of the
Spirit will be withheld. While our hearts are so much occupied with
the concerns of earth, He will not make the things of Heaven real and
efficacious to us. O my reader, if God be not working mightily in your
life and mine, showing Himself strong on our behalf (2 Chron. 16:9),
then something is seriously wrong with us.
"By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death." Remember
what was before us in the preceding article: "Faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the Word of God" (Rom. 10:17). Faith always presupposes
a Divine revelation. Faith must have a foundation to rest upon, and
that foundation must be the word of Him that cannot lie. God had
spoken, and Enoch believed. But what a testing of faith! God declared
that Enoch should be removed from earth to Heaven, without passing
through the portals of the grave. One, two, three hundred years
passed; but Enoch believed God, and before the fourth century was
completed His promise was fulfilled. "That he should not see death"
was the reward of his pleasing God. And He does not change: where
there is a genuine "pleasing" of Him, a real walking with Him, He
elevates the heart above this scene into the realm of life, light and
liberty.
Ere passing on to the next verse, let us enumerate other points of
interest and value contained in this one, though we can do no more
than barely mention them. 1. God is not tied to the order of nature:
Genesis 3:19 was set aside in the cases of Enoch and Elijah. 2. God
puts great outward (providential) differences between those equally
accepted by Him: He did so between Abel and Enoch. 3. To exhibit the
world's enmity God suffered Abel to be martyred, to comfort His people
God preserved Enoch. 4. What God did for Enoch He can and will yet do
for a whole generation of His saints (1 Cor. 15:51). 5. There is a
future life for believers: the removal of Enoch to Heaven plainly
intimated this. 6. The body is partaker with the soul in life eternal:
the corporeal translation of Enoch showed this. 7. The godliest do not
always live the longest: all mentioned in Genesis 5 stayed on earth a
much greater time than did Enoch. 8. They who live with God hereafter
must learn to please God ere they depart hence. 9. They who walk with
God please Him. 10. They who please God shall not lack testimony
thereof.
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh
to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek Him" (verse 6). The apostle had just spoken of Enoch's
translation as a consequent of his pleasing God, and now from the fact
of his pleasing God, proves his faith. The adversative particle "But"
is used to introduce a syllogism. The argument is framed thus: God
Himself had translated Enoch, who before his translation had pleased
Him (as his translation evidenced); but without faith it is impossible
to please God:--therefore Enoch was by faith translated. Thus, this
declaration in verse 6 has special reference to the last clause in the
verse preceding. The argument is drawn from the impossibility of the
contrary: as it is impossible to please God without faith, and as
Enoch received testimony that he did please God, then he must have had
faith--a justifying and sanctifying faith.
While there is an intimate relation between our present verse and the
one immediately preceding, and while as we shall yet see (the Lord
willing) that it is closely connected with the case of Noah in verse
7, yet it also makes its own particular contribution unto the theme
which the apostle is here developing, supplying both a solemn warning
and a blessed encouragement. The Holy Spirit still had before Him the
special need of the wavering Hebrews, and would press upon them the
fact that the great thing God required was not attendance on outward
ordinances, but the diligent seeking unto Him by a whole-hearted
trust. Where faith was missing, nothing could meet with His approval;
but where faith really existed and was exercised, it would be richly
rewarded. This principle is unchanging, so that the central message of
our verse speaks loudly to us today, and should search the heart of
each one of us.
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him." Most solemnly do
these words attest the total depravity of man. So corrupt is the
fallen creature, both in soul and body, in every power and part
thereof, and so polluted is everything that issues from him, that he
cannot of and by himself do anything that is acceptable to the Holy
One. "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God" (Rom.
8:8): "they that are in the flesh" means, they that are still in their
natural or unregenerate state. A bitter fountain cannot send forth
sweet waters. But faith looks out of self to Christ, applies unto His
righteousness, pleads His worth and worthiness, and does all things
God-ward in the name and through the mediation of the Lord Jesus.
Thus, by faith we may please God.
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him." Yet in all ages
there have been many who attempted to please God without faith. Cain
began it, but failed woefully. All in their Divine worship profess a
desire to please God, and hope that they do so; why otherwise should
they make the attempt? But, as the apostle declares in another place,
many seek unto God "but not by faith, but as it were by the works of
the law" (Rom. 9:32).
But where faith be lacking, let men desire, design, and do what they
will, they can never attain unto Divine acceptance. "But to Him that
worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his
faith is counted for ("unto") righteousness" (Rom. 4:5). Whatever be
the necessity of other graces, faith is that which alone obtains
acceptance with God.
In order to please God four things must concur, all of which are
accomplished by faith. First, the person of him that pleaseth God must
be accepted of Him (Gen. 4:4). Second, the thing done that pleaseth
God must be in accord with His will (Heb. 13:21). Third, the manner of
doing it must be pleasing to God: it must be performed in humility (1
Cor. 15:10), in sincerity (Isa. 38:3), in cheerfulness (2 Cor. 8:12;
9:7). Fourth, the end in view must be God's glory (1 Cor. 10:31). Now
faith is the only means whereby these four requirements are met. By
faith in Christ the person is accepted of God. Faith makes us submit
ourselves to God's will. Faith causes us to examine the manner of what
we do Godwards. Faith aims at God's glory: of Abraham it is recorded
that he "was strong in faith, giving glory to God" (Rom. 4:20).
How essential it is then that each of us examine himself diligently
and make sure that he has faith. It is by faith the convicted and
repentant sinner is saved (Acts 16:31). It is by faith that Christ
dwells in the heart (Eph. 3:17). It is by faith that we live (Gal.
2:20). It is by faith that we stand (Rom. 11:20; 2 Corinthians 1:24).
It is by faith we walk (2 Cor. 5:7). It is by faith the Devil is
successfully resisted (1 Pet. 5:8, 9). It is by faith we are
experimentally sanctified (Acts 26:18). It is by faith we have access
to God (Eph. 3:12, Hebrews 10:22). It is by faith that we fight the
good fight (1 Tim. 6:12). It is by faith that the world is overcome (1
John 5:4). Reader, are you certain that you have the "faith of God's
elect" (Titus 1:1)? If not, it is high time you make sure, for
"without faith it is impossible to please God."
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
____________________________________________________
About Us
What's New
Audio Works
Baptist History
Bible Study Courses
Eschatology Heretical Teachings
Theological Studies
TULIP
Webmaster
Comfort in a
Time of Sorrow Links & Resources
For the Cause of
God and Truth
Follow us on Twitter
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Mobile Downloads Print Books
PB Home
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Contact Us
_________________________________________________________________
¸ Copyright 2004-2012 Providence Baptist Ministries
http://www.pbministries.org. All rights reserved.
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 59
The Faith of Noah
(Hebrews 11:6, 7)
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The verses which are now to engage our attention are by no means free
of difficulty, especially unto those who have sat under a ministry
which has failed to preserve the balance between Divine grace and
Divine righteousness. Where the free favor of God has been strongly
emphasized and His claims largely ignored, where privileges have been
stressed and duties almost neglected, it is far from easy to view many
Scriptures in their true perspective. When those who have heard little
more than the decrying of creature-abilities and the denunciation of
creature-merits are asked to honestly and seriously face the terms of
Hebrews 11:6, 7, they are quite unable to fit them into their system
of theology. Where such be the case, it is proof positive that
something is wrong with our theology. Often those who are least
cramped by sectarian bias find that the truth of God is too large, too
many-sided, to be squeezed into human definitions and creeds.
Others of our readers are probably wondering what it is we have
reference to above when we say that our present portion of Hebrews 11
is by no means free of difficulty. Then let us raise a few questions
upon these verses. If the exercise of faith be pleasing to God, does
this signify that it is a thing meritorious? How is this concept to be
avoided in the light of the statement that God is a Rewarder of them
that diligently seek Him? How does a "reward" consist with pure grace?
And what is the doctrinal force of the next verse? Does the case of
Noah teach salvation by works? If he had not gone to so much expense
and labor in building the ark, would he and his house have escaped the
flood? Was his becoming "heir of righteousness'' something that he
earned by his obedient toil? How can this conclusion be fairly
avoided? We shall endeavor to keep these questions before us in the
course of our exposition.
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh
to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek Him" (verse 6). There is a threefold "coming to God":
an initial, a continuous, and a final. The first takes place at
conversion, the second is repeated throughout the Christian's life,
the third occurs at death or the second coming of Christ. To come to
God signifies to seek and have fellowship with Him. It denotes a
desire to enter into His favor and become a partaker of His blessings
in this life and of His salvation in the life to come. It is the
heart's approach unto Him in and through Christ: John 14:6, Hebrews
7:25. But before there is a conscious access to Him, God has to be
diligently sought.
None come to God, none truly seek Him, until they are made conscious
of their lost condition. The Spirit must first work in the soul a
realization that sin has alienated us "from the life of God" (Eph.
4:18). We have to be made to feel that we are away from God, out of
His favor, under His righteous condemnation, before we shall really do
as the prodigal did, and say "I will arise and go to My Father, and
will say unto Him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before
Thee" (Luke 15:18). The same principle holds good in connection with
the repeated "coming" of the Christian (1 Pet. 2:4); it is a sense of
need which causes us to seek Him who is the Giver of every good and
every perfect gift. There is also a maintained communion with God in
the performance of holy duties: in all the exercises of godliness we
renew our access to God in Christ: in reading of or hearing His Word,
we come to Him as Teacher, in prayer we come to Him as Benefactor.
But to seek God aright, He has to be sought in faith, for "without
faith it is impossible to please Him," therefore, "he that cometh to
God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek Him." There has to be first a firm persuasion of His
being, and second of His bounty. To believe that "He is" means much
more than assenting to the fact of a "First Cause" or to allow that
there is a "Supreme Being"; it means to believe in the character of
God as He has revealed Himself in His works, in His Word, and in
Christ. He must be conceived of aright, or otherwise we are only
pursuing a phantom of our own imagination. Thus, to believe that "God
is" is to exercise faith upon Him as such a Being as His Word declares
Him to be: supreme sovereign, ineffably holy, almighty, inflexibly
just, yet abounding in mercy and grace toward poor sinners through
Christ.
Not only is the heart to go out unto God as His being and character is
revealed in Scripture, but particularly, faith is to lay hold of His
graciousness: that He is "a Rewarder" etc. The acting of faith toward
God as a "Rewarder" is the heart's apprehension and anticipation of
the fact that He is ready and willing to conduct Himself to needy
sinners in a way of bounty, that He will act in all things toward them
in a manner suitable unto the proposal of which He makes of Himself
through the Gospel. It was the realization of this (in addition to his
felt need) which stirred the prodigal to act. Just as it would be
useless to pray unless there were an hope that God hears and that He
will answer prayer, so no sinner will really seek unto God until there
is born in his heart an expectation of mercy from Him, that He will
receive him graciously. This is a laying hold of His promise.
In Scripture, privileges are propounded with their necessary
limitations, and we disjoint the whole system of Truth if we separate
the recompense from the duty. There is something to be done on our
part: God is a "Rewarder," but of whom? Of those who "diligently seek
Him." "The wicked shall be turned into Hell, all the nations that
forget God" (Ps. 9:17): not only "deny," but "forget" Him; as they
cast God out of their thoughts and affections, so He will cast them
out of His presence. What is meant by "diligently seek Him"? To "seek"
God is to forsake, deny, go out of self, and take Him alone for our
Ruler and satisfying Portion. To seek Him "diligently" is to seek Him
early (Prov. 8:17), whole-heartedly (Ps. 119:10), earnestly (Ps. 27:
4), unweariedly (Luke 11:8). How does a thirsty man seek water? The
promise is, "And ye shall seek Me and find Me, when ye shall search
for Me with all your heart" (Jer. 29:13 and cf. 2 Chronicles 15:15).
And how does God "reward" the diligent seeker? By offering Himself
graciously to be found of them who penitently, earnestly, trustfully
approach Him through the appointed Mediator. By granting them access
into His favor: this He did not unto Cain, who sought Him in a wrong
manner. By actually bestowing His favor upon them, as He did upon the
prodigal. By forgiving their sins and blotting out their iniquities
(Isa. 55:7). By writing His laws in their hearts, so that they now
desire and determine to forsake all idols and serve Him only. By
giving them assurance of their acceptance in the Beloved, and granting
them sweet foretastes of the rest and bliss which awaits them on High.
By ministering to their every need, both spiritual and temporal.
Finally, by taking them to heaven, where they shall spend eternity in
the unclouded enjoyment of the wondrous riches of His grace.
But does this word "Rewarder" have a legalistic ring to it? Not if it
be understood rightly. Does it signify that our "diligent seeking" is
a meritorious performance which is entitled to recognition? Of course
it does not. What, then, is meant? First, let us quote from the
helpful comments of John Owen: "That which these words of the apostle
hath respect to, and which is the ground of the faith here required,
is contained in the revelation that God made of Himself unto Abraham,
`Fear not: Abram: I am thy shield, and they exceeding great reward'
(Gen. 15:1). God is so a rewarder unto them that seek Him, as that He
is Himself their reward, which eternally excludes all thoughts of
merit in them that are so rewarded. Who can merit God to be his
reward? Rewarding in God, especially where He Himself is the reward,
is an act of infinite grace and bounty. And this gives us full
direction unto the object of faith here intended, namely, God in
Christ, as revealed in the promise of Him, giving Himself unto
believers as a reward, (to be their God) in a way of infinite goodness
and bounty. The proposal hereof, is that alone which gives
encouragement to come unto Him, which the apostle designs to declare."
"Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of
debt" (Rom. 4:4): is not the implication clear that grace itself also
"rewards"? Grace and reward are no more inconsistent than the high
sovereignty of God and the real responsibility of man, or between the
fact that Christ is and was both "Servant" (Isa. 42:1) and "Lord"
(John 13:13). The language of Colossians 3:24 makes this clear as a
sunbeam: "Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the
inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ." The "inheritance" is
Heaven itself, salvation in its consummation. But is not salvation a
free gift? Yes, indeed; nevertheless it has to be "bought" by its
recipients (Isa. 55:1), yet "without money and without price."
Salvation is both a "gift" and a "reward."
While it be true that Heaven cannot be earned by the sinner, it is
equally true that Heaven is not for idlers and loiterers. God has to
be "diligently sought." To enter the strait gate the soul has to
agonize (Luke 13:24). We are called upon to "labor" for that meat
which endureth unto eternal life (John 6:27) and to enter into the
heavenly rest (Heb. 4:11). Such efforts God "rewards," not because
they are meritorious, but because He deems it meet to recognize and
recompense them. There are those who teach that in serving God we
ought to have no "respect unto the recompense of the reward" (Heb.
11:26), but this verse refutes them, for the apostle explicitly
declares that this forms a necessary part of that truth which is to be
believed in order to our pleasing God.
Heaven, or completed salvation, is spoken of as a "reward" to intimate
the character of those to whom it is given, namely, the diligent
laborer. Second, because it is not bestowed until our work is
completed: 2 Timothy 4:7, 8. Third, to intimate the sureness of it: we
may as confidently expect it as does the laborer who has been hired by
an honest master: James 1:12. This "reward" is principally in the next
life: Hebrews 11:16, 2 Corinthians 4:17--it is then that all true
godliness shall be richly recompensed: Mark 10:29, 30. It only remains
for us now to add that the ground on which God bestows the "reward" is
the infinite merits of Christ, and out of respect unto His own
promise. That which He "rewards" is the work of His own Spirit within
us, so that we have no ground for boasting.
"By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved
with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he
condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by
faith" (verse 7).
The apostle now presents a concrete example which illustrates what he
had said in verse 6. God's dealings with Noah and the world in his
time were plainly a sample and pledge of His dealing with the world in
all ages, particularly so when its history is finally wound up.
Inasmuch as God is the Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, it
necessarily follows that He is also the Revenger of all who despise
Him. In the destruction of the old world, God showed His displeasure
against sin (Job 22:15, 16); in the preservation of Noah, He made
manifest the privileges of His own people (2 Pet. 2:9). That the whole
was a pledge and type is clear from 2 Peter 3:6, 7.
In the verse which is now before us three things claim attention.
First, Noah's faith and its ground, namely the warning he had received
from God. Second, the effects of his faith, namely, internally, the
impulse of "fear"; externally, his obedience in making the ark under
God's orders. Third, the consequences of his faith, namely, the saving
of his house, the condemning of the world, his becoming heir of the
righteousness which is by faith. But ere taking up these points, let
us face and endeavor to remove a difficulty which some feel this verse
raises. Let us put it this way: was Noah saved by his own works? We
believe the answer is both Yes, and No. We beg the reader to exercise
patience and prayerfully ponder what follows, and not cry out rank
heresy and refuse to read further.
If Noah had not "prepared an ark" in obedience to God's command, would
he not have perished in the flood? Then was it his own efforts which
preserved him from death in the great deluge? No indeed; it was the
preserving power of God. That ark had neither mast, sail, nor
steering-wheel: only the gracious hand of the Lord kept that frail
barque from being splintered to atoms on the rocks and the mountains.
Then what is the relation between these two things? This: Noah made
use of the means which God had prescribed, and by His grace and power
those means were made effectual unto his preservation. Must not the
farmer toil in his fields? yet it is God alone who gives him the
increase. Must I not observe the laws of hygiene and eat wholesome
food? yet only as God blesses them to me am I kept in health. So it is
in spiritual things: salvation by grace alone does not exclude the
imperative necessity of our using the means which God has appointed
and prescribed.
The temporal deliverance of Noah from the flood is undoubtedly an
adumbration of the eternal deliverance of God's elect from the wrath
to come: and here, as everywhere, the type is accurate and perfect.
Nor can any sophistical quibbling honestly get rid of the fact that
Noah's building of the Ark--a most costly and arduous work!--was a
means towards his preservation. Then does the case of Noah supply a
clear example of salvation by works? Again we answer boldly, Yes and
No. But the difficulty is greatly relieved if we bear in mind that
Noah was already a saved man before God bade him build the Ark! A
reference to Genesis 6:8, 9 and a comparison with Hebrews 6:14, 22
makes this unmistakably plain. But does not this fact overthrow all
that has been said in the previous paragraphs? Not at all. The
Christian's salvation is not only a past thing (2 Tim. 1:9), but a
present (Phil. 2:12) and future (Rom. 13:11) thing too! We trust that
the solution of the difficulty will be more evident as we proceed with
our exposition of the verse.
As we have before pointed out, the first three verses of Hebrews 11
are introductory, their design being to set forth the importance and
excellency of faith. Then, in verse 4-7, we have an outline of the
life of faith: the beginning of it is seen in verse 4, the nature of
what it consists in verse 5, a warning and encouragement is supplied
in verse 6, and the end of it is shown in verse 7. Before bringing
before us the glorious goal which the life of faith reaches, verse 7
gives us the other side of what was before us in verse 5: there we saw
faith elevating above a world of death, carrying the heart of its
favored possessor into Heaven. But we are still in the world, and that
is the place of opposition, of danger, and hence, of testing. Thus in
verse 7 we are not only shown what faith obtains, but how it obtains,
it.
Now as we found it necessary to go back to Genesis 3 and 4 to
interpret Hebrews 11:4, and to Genesis 5:24 to get the meaning of
Hebrews 11:5, so now we have to consult Genesis 6 in order to discover
what is here adumbrated. Let the reader turn back to Genesis 6:5-22.
There we find unsparing Divine judgment announced (verse 13), a way of
deliverance presented to one who had "found grace" in the Lord's eyes
(verse 14), faith's obedience called for if escape was to be had from
judgment (verse 14), the Divinely prescribed means to be used (verse
15); by employing those means deliverance was obtained. Now in like
manner, a most solemn warning has been given us, an announcement of
coming judgment: see 2 Thessalonians 1:7, 8; 2 Peter 3:10-17--let the
reader duly observe that both of these passages are found in epistles
addressed to God's children.
In saying above that Hebrews 11:7 gives us the other side of what is
spiritually set forth in verse 5, we mean that it gives us the
balancing truth. It is most important to observe this, for otherwise
we are very liable to entertain a mystical concept of verse 5 and
become lopsided. Satan is ready to tell us that verse 5 presents to us
a beautiful ideal, but one which is altogether impracticable for
ordinary people--alright for preachers, but impossible for others.
After reading our article on verse 5, many are likely to exclaim: We
cannot be thinking of heavenly things all the time, we have our daily
duties to attend to here on earth: the only way we could reach the
standard of verse 5 would be by entering a monastery or convent,
entirely secluding ourselves from the world; and surely God does not
require this of us. No, indeed; that was the great mistake of the
"Dark Ages."
"By faith Noah being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved
with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house." This gives us
the other side of verse 5. It shows that we have duties to perform on
earth, and intimates how they are to be discharged--by faith, in the
fear of God, implicitly obeying His commands. And more: our present
verse insists on the fact (now so little apprehended) that, the
performing these duties, the rendering of faith's obedience to God, is
indispensably necessary to our very salvation. The "salvation" of the
soul is yet future: note "saving" and not "salvation" in Hebrews
10:39, and also compare 1 Peter 1:5. In order to be saved from the
destructive power of sin, the ruinous allurements of the world, and
the devouring assaults of Satan, we must tread the path of obedience
to Christ (Heb. 5:9), for only there do we escape these fatal foes.
Let the reader prayerfully ponder Mark 9:43-50; Luke 14:26, 27, 33;
Romans 8:13; 1 Corinthians 9:27; Colossians 3:5; Hebrews 3:12, 14.
Hebrews 11:5 and 7 supplement each other. Verse 5 shows us that by the
exercise of faith our affections are elevated above the earth and set
upon things above. Verse 7 teaches us that our lives on earth are to
be regulated by heavenly principles. The real Christian is a heavenly
man living on earth as a heavenly man; that is to say, he is governed
by spiritual and Divine principles, and not by fleshly motives and
worldly interests. The Christian performs many of the same deeds as
the non-Christian does, yet with a far different object and aim. All
that I do should be done in obedience to God, in joyous response to
His revealed will. Let us be specific and come to details. Let the
Christian wife read Ephesians 5:22-24 and the husband 5:25-31, and let
each recognize that in obeying the husband and loving the wife, they
are obeying God. Let Christian employees ponder Ephesians 6:5-7, and
recognize that in obeying their masters they are obeying the Lord;
contrariwise, in sulking or speaking against them, they murmur against
the Lord!
Now such obedience to God's commandments in the ordinary relationships
of life are necessary unto salvation. If this staggers the reader, let
him contemplate the opposite. Those precepts and commands have been
given us by God, and to disregard them is rebellion, and to refuse
compliance is defiance; and no rebel against God can enter Heaven.
Unless our wills have been broken, unless our hearts have been brought
into subjection to God, we have no scriptural warrant for concluding
that He has begun a good work in us (Phil. 1:6). "He that saith I know
Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not
in him" (1 John 2:4). The only path which leads to heaven is that of
walking in obedience to God's commands.
Now the salvation of the soul lies at the end of that path. Does the
reader exclaim, I thought it was at the beginning of it, and that none
but a regenerate person could or would walk therein. From one
standpoint that is quite true. When genuinely converted a sinner is
saved from the eternal penalty of his sins, and is "delivered from the
wrath to come." But is he there and then removed to Heaven? With very
rare exceptions he is not. Instead, God leaves him here in this world.
And this world is the place of danger, for temptations to return unto
its ways and pleasures abound on every side. Moreover, the judgment of
God hangs over it, and one day will burst upon and consume it. And who
will escape that destruction? Only those who, like Noah, have a faith
which is moved with fear and produces obedience. But it is now high
time that we considered more closely the details of verse 7.
"By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved
with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house." Ah, here is
the key to our verse, hung right upon the very door of it. Like every
other one of God's elect, Noah was saved by grace through faith; and
yet not by a faith that was inactive--Ephesians 2:10 follows verse 9!
Faith was the spring of all his works: a faith which was far more than
an intellectual assent, one which was a supernatural principle that
sovereign grace had wrought in him. God had determined to send a flood
and destroy the wicked world, but ere doing so, He acquainted Noah
with His purpose. He has done the same with us: see Romans 1:18. That
Divine warning was the ground of Noah's faith. He argued not, nor
reasoned about its incredibility; instead, he believed God. The
threatening, as well as the promise of God, is the object of faith;
the justice of God is to be eyed, as well as His mercy!
Human reason was altogether opposed unto what God had made known to
Noah. Hitherto there had been no rain (Gen. 2:6), then why expect an
overwhelming deluge? It seemed utterly unlikely God would destroy the
whole human race, and His mercy be thus utterly swallowed up by His
avenging justice. The threatening judgment was a long way off (120
years: Genesis 6:3), and during that time the world might well repent
and reform. When he preached to men (2 Pet. 2:5) none believed his
message: why then should he be so fearful, when every one else was at
ease? To build an ark of such huge dimensions was an enormous
undertaking, and, as well, would involve the scoffs of all his
fellows. And even if the flood came, how could the ark float with such
an immensely heavy burden--it had no anchor to stay her, no mast and
sail to steady her, no steering-wheel to direct. Was it not quite
inpracticable, for Noah was quite inexperienced nautically. Moreover,
for him and his family to dwell for an indefinite period in a sealed
ark was far from a pleasant prospect unto the flesh and blood. But
against all these carnal objections faith offered a steady resistance,
and believed God!
"Moved with fear." This evidenced the reality and power of his faith,
for saving faith not only "worketh by love" (Gal. 5:6), but in "fear
and trembling" (Phil. 2:12). A reverential awe of God is a sure fruit
of saving faith. That "fear" acted as a salutary impetus in Noah and
operated as a powerful motive in his building of the ark. "His
believing the word of God, had this effect on him... a reverential
fear it is of God's threatenings, and not an anxious solicitous fear
of the evil threatened. In the warning given him, he considered the
greatness, the holiness, and the power of God, with the vengeance
becoming those holy properties of His nature, which He threatened to
bring on the world. Seeing God by faith under this representation of
Him, he was filled with a reverential fear of Him. See Habakuk 3:16,
Psalm 119:120, Malachi 2:5" (John Owen).
"Prepared an ark to the saving of his house." As Matthew Henry says,
"Faith first influences our affections and then our actions." "Faith
without works is dead" (James 2:20), particularly works of obedience.
"Thus did Noah: according to all that God commanded him, so did he"
(Gen. 6:22). Privilege and duty are inseparably connected, yet duty
will never be performed where faith is absent. Faith in Noah caused
him to persevere in his arduous labors amid many difficulties and
discouragements. Thus his building of the ark was the work of faith
and patience, a labor of Godly fear, an act of obedience, a means to
his preservation--for God's covenant with him (Gen. 6:18) did not
preclude his diligent use of means; and a type of Christ. As it was by
faith-obedience he prepared the ark, so by faith's obedience came the
"saving of his house." God always honors those who honor Him. This
temporal salvation was a figure of the eternal salvation unto which we
are pressing forward for note that the destruction of the
and-deluvians was an eternal one--for their spirits are now "in
prison" (1 Pet. 3:19)! Observe it is our responsibility to seek after
our own salvation and those committed to us: see Acts 2:40, 2 Timothy
4:16.
"By the which he condemned the world." The reference is to all that
precedes. By his own example, by his faith in God's warning, his
reverential awe of God's holiness and justice, his implicit and
unflagging obedience in preparing the ark, Noah "condemned" the
unbelieving, unconcerned, godless people all around him. One man is
said to "condemn," another when, by his godly actions, he shows what
the other should do, and which by doing not, his guilt is aggravated;
see Matthew 12:41, 42. The Sabbath-keeper "condemns" the
Sabbath-breaker. He who abandons a worldly church and goes forth unto
Christ outside the camp, "condemns" the compromiser. Noah's diligent
and costly labors increased the guilt of the careless, who rested in a
false security. Though we cannot convert the wicked, yet we must be
careful to set before them such an example of personal piety that they
are left "without excuse."
"And became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." The
"righteousness" here referred to is that perfect obedience of Christ
which God imputes unto all who savingly believe on His Son: Jeremiah
23:6, Romans 5:19, 2 Corinthians 5:21. This righteousness is sometimes
called, absolutely, the "righteousness of God" (Rom. 1:17, etc.),
sometimes the "gift of righteousness... by one, Jesus Christ" (Rom.
5:17), sometimes "the righteousness which is of God by faith" (Phil.
3:9); in all of which our free and gratuitous justification by the
righteousness of Christ reckoned to our account through faith, is
intended. In saying that Noah "became heir" of this righteousness,
there may be a double significance. First, by faith's obedience he
evidenced himself to be a justified man (Gen. 6:9), as Abraham did
when he offered up Isaac (James 2:21). Second, he established his
title to that righteousness which is here spoken of as an
"inheritance": this is in contrast from Esau who despised his. That
righteousness which Christ purchased for His people is here
denominated an "inheritance," to emphasize the dignity and excellency
of it, to magnify the freeness of its tenure, to declare the certainty
and inviolability of it.
The actual entrance upon our Inheritance is yet future. "That being
justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope
of eternal life" (Titus 3:7). The great question for each of us to
settle is, Am I an "heir"? To help us do so, let me inquire, Have I
the spirit of one? Is my main care to make sure that I have the
birthright? Am I putting the claims of God and His righteousness
(Matthew 6:33) above everything else? Have I such thoughts of the
blessedness of my portion in Christ that nothing can induce me to sell
or part with it (Heb. 12:16)? Is my heart wrapped up in that
inheritance so that I am groaning within myself, "waiting for the
adoption" (Rom. 8:23)? Am I walking by faith, with the fear of God
upon me, diligently attending to His commandments, thereby condemning
the world? If so, thrice blessed am I: and soon shall I be saved "to
sin no more."
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 60
The Faith of Noah
(Hebrews 11:8)
__________________________________________
"The scope of the apostle in this chapter is to prove that the
doctrine of faith is an ancient doctrine and that faith hath been
always exercised about things not seen, not liable to the judgment of
sense and reason. He had proved both points by instances of the
fathers before the flood, and now he comes to prove them by the
examples of those that were eminent for faith after the flood. And in
the first place he pitcheth upon Abraham--a fit instance; he was the
father of the faithful, and a person of whom the Hebrews boasted; his
life was nothing else but a continual practice of faith, and therefore
he insisteth upon Abraham longer than upon any other of the
patriarchs. The first thing for which Abraham is commended in
Scripture is his obedience to God, when He called him out of his
country; now the apostle shows this was an effect of faith" (T.
Manton, 1660).
The second division of Hebrews 11 begins with the verse which is now
to be before us. As pointed out in previous articles, verses 4-7
present an outline of the life of faith. In verse 4 we are shown where
the life of faith begins, namely, at that point where the conscience
is awakened to our lost condition, where the soul makes a complete
surrender to God, and where the heart rests upon the perfect
satisfaction made by Christ our Surety. In verse 5 we are shown the
character of the life of faith: a pleasing of God, a walking with Him,
the heart elevated above this world of death. In verses 6, 7 we are
shown the end of the life of faith: a diligent seeking of God, a heart
which is moved by His fear to use those means which He appointed and
prescribed, issuing in the saving of the soul and establishing its
title to be an heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
Wonderfully comprehensive are the contents of these opening verses,
and well repaid will be the prayerful student who ponders them again
and again.
From verse 8 to the end of the chapter, the Holy Spirit gives us
fuller details concerning the life of faith, viewing it from different
angles, contemplating varied aspects, and exhibiting the different
trials to which it is subject and the blessed triumphs which Divine
grace enables it to achieve. Fitly does this new section of our
chapter open by presenting to us the case of Abraham. In his days a
new and important era of human history commenced. Hitherto God had
maintained a general relation to the whole human race, but at the
Tower of Babel that relation was broken. It was there that mankind, as
a whole, consummated their revolt against their Maker, in consequence
of which He abandoned them. To that point is to be traced the origin
of "Heathendom": Romans 1:18-30 should be read in this connection.
From this point onwards God's dealings with men were virtually
confined to Abraham and his posterity.
That a new division of our chapter commences at verse 8 is further
evident from the fact that Abraham is designated "the father of all
them that believe" (Rom. 4:11), which means not only that he is (as it
were) the earthly head of the whole election of grace, but the one
after whose likeness his spiritual children are conformed. There is a
family likeness between Abraham and the true Christian, for if we are
Christ's then are we "Abraham's seed and heirs according to promise"
(Gal. 3:29), for "they which are of faith, the same are the children
of Abraham" (Gal. 3:7), which is evidenced by them doing "the works of
Abraham" (John 8:39), for these are the marks of identification. In
like manner, Christ declared of the Pharisees, "Ye are of your father
the Devil, and the lusts (desires and behests) of your father, ye will
(are determined) to do" (John 8:44). The wicked bear the family
likeness of the Wicked one. The "fatherhood of Abraham" is twofold:
natural, as the progenitor of a physical seed; spiritual, as the
pattern to which his children are morally conformed.
"By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he
should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not
knowing whither he went" (verse 8). In taking up the study of this
verse our first concern should be to ascertain its meaning and message
for us today. In order to discover this, we must begin by seeking to
know what was shadowed forth in the great incident here recorded. A
little meditation should make it obvious that the central thing
referred to is the Divine call of which Abraham was made the
recipient. This is confirmed by a reference to Genesis 12:1, where we
have the historical account of that to which the Spirit by the apostle
here alludes. Further proof is furnished by Act 7:2, 3. This, then
must be our starting-point.
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love
God, to them who are the called according to His purpose" (Rom. 8:28).
There are two distinct kinds of "calls" from God mentioned in
Scripture: a general and a particular, an outward and an inward, an
inoperative and an effectual. The general, external, and inefficacious
"call" is given to all who hear the Gospel, or come under the sound of
the Word. This call is refused by all. It is found in such passages as
the following: "Unto you, O men, I call; My voice is to the sons of
man" (Prov. 8:4); "For many be called, but few chosen" (Matthew
20:16); "And sent His servant at suppertime to say to them that were
bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one
consent began to make excuse" (Luke 14:17, 18); "Because I have
called, and ye refuse; I have stretched out My hand, and no man
regarded" etc. (Prov. 1:24-28).
The special, inward, and efficacious "call' of God comes only to His
elect. It is responded to by each favored one who receives it. It is
referred to in such passages as the following: "The dead shall hear
the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live" (John
5:25); "He calleth His own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And
when He putteth forth His sheep, He goeth before them, and the sheep
follow Him: for they know His voice... and other sheep I have, which
are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My
voice" (John 10:3, 4, 16); "Whom He called, them He also justified"
(Rom. 8:30); "Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not
many noble, are called: but God hath chosen the foolish things of the
world to confound the wise" (1 Cor. 1:26-27). This call is illustrated
and exemplified in such cases as Matthew (Luke 5:27, 28), Zacchaeus
(Luke 19:5, 6), Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:4, 5).
The individual, internal, and invincible call of God is an act of
sovereign grace, accompanied by all-mighty power, quickening those who
are dead in trespasses and sins, imparting to them spiritual life.
This Divine call is regeneration, or the new birth, when its favored
recipient is brought "out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1
Pet. 2:9). Now this is what is before us in Hebrews 11:8, which gives
additional proof that this verse commences a new section of the
chapter. The wondrous call which Abraham received from God is
necessarily placed at the head of the Spirit's detailed description of
the life of faith; necessarily, we say, for faith itself is utterly
impossible until the soul has been Divinely quickened.
Let us first contemplate the state that Abraham was in until and at
the time God called him. To view him in his unregenerate condition is
a duty which the Holy Spirit pressed upon Israel of old: "Look unto
the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are
digged: look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you"
(Isa. 51:1, 2). Help is afforded if we turn to Joshua 24:2, "Thus
saith the Lord God of Israel, your fathers dwelt on the other side of
the flood in old time, Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of
Nachor: and they served other gods." Abraham, then, belonged to a
heathen family, and dwelt in a great city, until he was seventy. No
doubt he lived his life after the same manner as his fellows--content
with the "husks" which the swine feed upon, with little or no serious
thoughts of the Hereafter. Thus it is with each of God's elect till
the Divine call comes to them and arrests them in their self-will,
mad, and destructive course.
"The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in
Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran" (Acts 7:2). What marvelous
grace! The God of glory condescended to draw near and reveal Himself
unto one that was sunk in sin, immersed in idolatry, having no concern
for the Divine honor. There was nothing in Abraham to deserve God's
notice, still less to merit His esteem. But more: not only was the
grace of God here signally evident, but the sovereignty of His grace
was displayed in thus singling him out from the midst of all his
fellows. As He says in Isaiah 51:2, "I called him alone, and blessed
him." "Why God should not call his father and kindred, there can be no
answer but this: God hath mercy on whom He will (Rom. 9:18). He
calleth Isaac and refuseth Ishmael; loveth Jacob, and hateth Esau;
taketh Abel, and leaveth Cain: even because He will, and for no cause
that we know" (W. Perkins, 1595).
"The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham" (Acts 7:2). All
that is included in these words, we know not; as to how God "appeared"
unto him, we cannot say. But of two things we may be certain: for the
first time in Abraham's life God became a living Reality to him;
further, he perceived that He was an all-glorious Being. Thus it is,
sooner or later, in the personal experience of each of God's elect. In
the midst of their worldliness, self-seeking and self-pleasing, one
day He of whom they had but the vaguest notions, and whom they sought
to dismiss from their thoughts, appears before their
hearts--terrifying, awakening, and then attracting. Now it is they can
say, "I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye
seeth Thee" (Job 42:5).
O dear reader, our desire here is not simply to write an article, but
to be used of God in addressing a definite message from Him straight
to your inmost heart. Suffer us then to inquire, Do you know anything
about what has been said in the above paragraph? Has God become a
living Reality to your soul? Has He really drawn near to you,
manifested Himself in His awe-inspiring Majesty, and had direct and
personal dealings with your soul? Or do you know no more about Him
than what others write and say of Him? This is a question of vital
moment, for if He does not have personal dealings with you here in a
way of grace, He will have personal dealings with you hereafter, in a
way of justice and judgment. Then "Seek ye the Lord while He may be
found, call ye upon Him while he is near" (Isa. 55:6).
This, then, is one important aspect of regeneration: God graciously
makes a personal revelation of Himself to the soul. The result is that
He "who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in
our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6). The favored individual in whom
this miracle of grace is wrought, is now brought out of that dreadful
state in which he lay by nature, whereby "the natural man receiveth
not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto
him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned"
(1 Cor. 2:14). So fearful is that state in which all the unregenerate
lie, it is described as "having the understanding darkened, being
alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them,
because of the blindness of their heart" (Eph. 4:18). But at the new
birth the soul is delivered from the terrible darkness of sin and
depravity into which the fall of Adam has brought all his descendants,
and is ushered into the marvelous and glorious light of God.
Let us next consider the accompaniment or terms of the call which
Abraham now received from God. A record of this is found in Genesis
12:1, "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy
father's house, unto a land that I will show thee." What a testing of
faith was this! What a trial to flesh and blood! Abraham was already
seventy years of age, and long journeys and the break-up of old
associations do not commend themselves to elderly people. To leave the
land of his birth, to forsake home and estate, to sever family ties
and leave loved ones behind, to abandon present certainty for (what
seemed to human wisdom) a future uncertainty, and go forth not knowing
whither, must have seemed hard and harsh unto natural sentiment. Why,
then, should God make such a demand? To prove Abraham, to give the
death-blow to his natural corruptions, to demonstrate the might of His
grace. Yet we must look for something deeper, and that which applies
directly to us.
As we have pointed out above, God's appearing to Abraham and his call
of him, speaks to us of that miracle of grace which takes place in the
soul at regeneration. Now the evidence of regeneration is found in a
genuine conversion: it is that complete break from the old life, both
inner and outer, which furnishes proof of the new birth. It is plain
to any renewed mind that when a soul has been favored with a real and
personal manifestation of God, that a move or response is called for
from him. It is simply impossible that he should continue his old
manner of life. A new Object is before him, a new relationship has
been established, new desires now fill his heart, and new
responsibilities claim him. The moment a man truly realizes that he
has to do with God, there must be a radical change: "Therefore if any
man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away,
behold, all things are become new"
(2 Cor. 5:17).
The call which Abraham received from God required a double response
from him: he was to leave the land of his birth, and forsake his own
kindred. What, then is the spiritual significance of these things?
Remember that Abraham was a pattern case, for he is the "father" of
all Christians, and the children must be conformed to the family
likeness. Abraham is the prototype of those who are "holy brethren,
partakers of the heavenly calling" (Heb. 3:1). Now the spiritual
application to us of what was adumbrated by the terms of Abraham's
call is twofold: doctrinal and practical, legal and experimental. Let
us, briefly, consider them separately.
"Get thee out of thy country" finds its counterpart in the fact that
the Christian is one who has been, by grace, the redemptive work of
Christ, and the miraculous operation of the Spirit, delivered from his
old position. By nature, the Christian was a member of "the world,"
the whole of which "lieth in the Wicked one" (1 John 5:19), and so is
headed for destruction. But God's elect have been delivered from this:
Christ "gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this
present evil world, according to the will of God our Father" (Gal.
1:4); therefore does He say unto His own "because ye are not of the
world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world
hateth you" (John 15:19).
"Get thee out of thy country" finding its fulfillment, first, in the
Christian's being delivered from his old condition, namely, "in the
flesh": "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that
the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not
serve sin" (Rom. 6:6). He has now been made a member of a new family.
"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we
should be called the sons of God" (1 John 3:1). He is now brought into
union with a new "kindred," for all born-again souls are his brethren
and sisters in Christ: "They that are in the flesh cannot please God;
but ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the
Spirit of God dwell in you" (Rom. 8:8, 9). Thus, the call of God is a
separating one--from our old standing and state, into a new one.
Now what has just been pointed out above is already, from the Divine
side, an accomplished fact. Legally, the Christian no longer belongs
to "the world" nor is he "in the flesh." But this has to be entered
into practically from the human side, and made good in our actual
experienceú Because our "citizenship is in heaven" (Phil. 3:20), we
are to live here as "strangers and pilgrims." A practical separation
from the world is demanded of us, for "the friendship of the world is
enmity with God" (James 4:4); therefore does God say, "Be ye not
unequally yoked together with unbelievers . . . come out from among
them, and be ye separate" (2 Cor. 6:14, 17). So too the "flesh," still
in us, is to be allowed no rein. "I beseech you therefore brethren, by
the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Rom.
12:1); "Make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof"
(Rom. 13:14); "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the
earth" (Col. 3:5).
The claims of Christ upon His people are paramountú He reminds them
that, "ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a price" (1 Cor.
6:19, 20). Therefore does He say, "If any man come to Me, and hate not
his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and
sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple" (Luke
14:26). Their response is declared in, "They that are Christ's have
crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts" (Gal. 5:24). Thus,
the terms of the call which Abraham received from God are addressed to
our hearts. A complete break from the old life is required of us.
Practical separation from the world is imperative. This was typed out
of old in the history of Abraham's descendants. They had settled down
in Egypt--figure of the world--and after they had come under the blood
of the lamb, and before they entered Canaan (type of Heaven), they
must leave the land of Pharaohú Hence too God says of our Surety "Out
of Egypt have I called My Son" (Matthew 2:15): the Head must be
conformed to the members, and the members to their Head. Practical
mortification of the flesh is equally imperative, "For if ye live
after the flesh, ye shall die (eternally): but if ye through the
Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live" (eternally):
(Rom. 8:13); "but he that soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap
corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap
life everlasting" (Gal. 6:8).
"By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he
should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not
knowing whither he went." This verse, read in the light of Genesis
12:1, clearly signifies that God demanded the supreme place in
Abraham's affections. His life was no longer to be regulated by
self-will, self-love, self-pleasing; self was to be entirely set
aside, "crucified." Henceforth, the will and word of God was to govern
and direct him in all things. Henceforth he was to be a man without a
home on earth, but seeking one in Heaven, and treading that path which
alone leads thither.
Now it should be very evident from what has been said above that,
regeneration or an effectual call from God is a miraculous thing, as
far above the reach of nature as the heavens are above the earth. When
God makes a personal revelation of Himself to the soul, this is
accompanied by the communication of supernatural grace, which produces
supernatural fruit. It was contrary to nature for Abraham to leave
home and country, and go forth "not knowing whither he went." Equally
it is contrary to nature for the Christian to separate from the world
and crucify the flesh. A miracle of Divine grace has to be wrought
within him, before any man will really deny self and live in complete
subjection to God. And this leads us to say that, genuine cases of
regeneration are much rarer than many suppose. The spiritual children
of Abraham are very far from being a numerous company, as is
abundantly evident from the fact that few indeed bear his likeness.
Out of all the thousands of professing Christians around us, how many
manifest Abraham's faith or do Abraham's works?
"By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he
should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not
knowing whither he went." This verse, read in the light upon which we
would fix our attention is Abraham's obedience. A roving faith is one
which heeds the Divine commands, as well as relies upon the Divine
promises. Make no mistake upon this point, dear reader: Christ is "the
Author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him" (Heb. 5:9).
Abraham placed himself unreservedly in the hands of God, surrendered
to His lordship, and subscribed to His wisdom as best fitted to direct
him. And so must we, or we shall never be "carried into Abraham's
bosom" (Luke 16:22).
Abraham "obeyed, and he went out." There are two things there:
"obeyed" signifies the consent of his mind, "and went out" tells of
his actual performance. He obeyed not only in word, but in deed. In
this, he was in marked contrast from the rebellious one mentioned in
Matthew 21:30, "I go, sir, and went not." "The first act of saving
faith consists in a discovery and sight of the infinite greatness,
goodness, and other excellencies of the nature of God, so as to judge
it our duty upon His call, His command, and promise, to deny
ourselves, to relinquish all things, and to do so accordingly" (John
Owen). Such ought our obedience to be unto God's call, and to every
manifestation of His will. It must be a simple obedience in subjection
to His authority, without inquiring after the reason thereof, and
without objecting any scruples or difficulties against it.
"Observe that faith, wherever it is, bringeth forth obedience: by
faith Abraham, being called, obeyed God. Faith and obedience can never
be severed; as the sun and the light, fire and heat. Therefore we read
of the `obedience of faith' (Rom. 1:5). Obedience is faith's daughter.
Faith hath not only to do with the grace of God, but with the duty of
the creature. By apprehending grace, it works upon duty: `faith
worketh by love' (Gal. 5:6); it fills the soul with the apprehensions
of God's love, and then makes use of the sweetness of love to urge us
to more work or obedience. All our obedience to God comes from love of
God, and our love comes from the persuasion of God's love to us. The
argument and discourse that is in a sanctified soul is set down thus:
`I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself
for me' (Gal. 2:20). Wilt thou not do this for God, that loved thee?
for Jesus Christ, that gave Himself for thee? Faith works towards
obedience by commanding the affections" (Thomas Manton, 1680).
"He went forth not knowing whither he went." How this demonstrates the
reality and power of his faith--to leave a present possession for a
future one. Abraham's obedience is the more conspicuous because at the
time God called him, He did not specify which land he was to journey
to, nor where it was located. Thus, it was by faith and not by sight,
that he moved forward. Implicit confidence in the One who had called
him was needed on the part of Abraham. Imagine a total stranger coming
and bidding you follow him, without telling you where! To undertake a
journey of unknown length, one of difficulty and danger, towards a
land of which he knew nothing, called for real faith in the living
God. See here the power of faith to triumph over fleshly
disinclinations, to surmount obstacles, to perform difficult duties.
Reader, is this the nature of your faith? Is your faith producing
works which are not only above the power of mere nature to perform,
but also directly contrary thereto?
Abraham's faith is hard to find these days. There is much talk and
boasting, but most of it is empty words--the works of Abraham are
conspicuous by their absence, in the vast majority of those who claim
to be his children. The Christian is required to set his affections on
things above, and not on things below (Col. 3:2). He is required to
walk by faith, and not by sight; to tread the path of obedience to
God's commands, and not please himself; to go and do whatever the Lord
bids him. Even if God's commands appear severe or unreasonable, we
must obey them: "Let no man deceive himself: if any man among you
seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may
be wise" (1 Cor. 3:18); "And He said to them all, if any man will come
after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and
follow Me" (Luke 9:23).
But such an obedience as God requires can only proceed from a
supernatural faith. An unshakable confidence in the living God, and
unreserved surrender to His holy will, each step of our lives being
ordered by His word (<19B9105>Psalm 119:105), can only issue from a
miraculous work of grace which He has Himself wrought in the heart.
How many there are who profess to be God's people yet only obey Him so
long as they consider that their own interests are being served! How
many are unwilling to quit trading on the Sabbath because they fear a
few dollars will be lost! Now just as a traveler on foot, who takes a
long journey through an unknown country, seeks a reliable guide,
commits himself to his leading, trusts to his knowledge, and follows
him implicitly o'er hill and dale, so God requires us to commit
ourselves fully unto Him, trusting His faithfulness, wisdom and power,
and yielding to every demand which He makes upon us.
"He went forth not knowing whither he went." Most probably many of his
neighbors and acquaintances in Chaldea would inquire why he was
leaving them, and where he was bound for. Imagine their surprise when
Abraham had to say, I know not. Could they appreciate the fact that he
was walking by faith and not by sight? Would they commend him for
following Divine orders? Would they not rather deem him crazy? And,
dear reader, the Godless will no more understand the motives which
prompt the real children of God today, than could the Chaldeans
understand Abraham; the unregenerate professing Christians all around
us, will no more approve of our strict compliance with God's commands,
than did Abraham's heathen neighbors. The world is governed by the
senses, not faith; lives to please self, not God. And if the world
does not deem you and me crazy, then there is something radically
wrong with our hearts and lives.
One other point remains to be considered, and we must reluctantly
conclude this article. The obedience of Abraham's faith was unto "a
land which he should afterward receive for an inheritance" (verse 8).
Literally, that "inheritance" was Canaan; spiritually, it foreshadowed
Heaven. Now had Abraham refused to make the radical break which he did
from his old life, crucify the affections of the flesh, and leave
Chaldea, he had never reached the promised land. The Christian's
"Inheritance" is purely of grace, for what can any man do in time to
earn something which is eternal? Utterly impossible is it for any
finite creature to perform anything which deserves an infinite reward.
Nevertheless, God has marked out a certain path which conducts to the
promised Inheritance: the path of obedience, the "Narrow Way" which
"leadeth unto Life" (Matthew 7:14), and only those ever reach Heaven
who tread that path to the end.
As the utmost confusion now reigns upon this subject, and as many are,
through an unwarranted reserve, afraid to speak out plainly thereon,
we feel obliged to add a little more. Unqualified obedience is
required from us: not to furnish title to Heaven--that is found alone
in the merits of Christ; not to fit us for Heaven--that is supplied
alone by the supernatural work of the Spirit in the heart; but that
God may be owned and honored by us as we journey thither, that we may
prove and manifest the sufficiency of H's grace, that we may furnish
evidences we are HIS children, that we may be preserved from those
things which would otherwise destroy us--only in the path of obedience
can we avoid those foes which are seeking to slay us.
O dear reader, as you value your soul we entreat you not to spurn this
article, and particularly its closing paragraphs, because its teaching
differs radically from what you are accustomed to hear or read. The
path of obedience must be trod if ever you are to reach Heaven. Many
are acquainted with that path or "way," but they walk not therein: see
2 Peter 2:20. Many, like Lot's wife, make a start along it, and then
turn from it: see Luke 9:62. Many follow it for quite a while, but
fail to persevere; and, like Israel of old, perish in the wilderness.
No rebel can enter Heaven; one who is wrapped up in self cannot; no
disobedient soul will. Only those will partake of the heavenly
"inheritance" who are "children of Abraham," who have his faith,
follow his examples, perform his works. May the Lord deign to add His
blessing to the above, and to Him shall be all the praise.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
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Chapter 124
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An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 61
The Life of Abraham
(Hebrews 11:9, 10)
__________________________________________
In the preceding article we considered the appearing of the Lord unto
idolatrous Abraham in Chaldea, the call which he then received to make
a complete break from his old life, and to go forward in faith in
complete subjection to the revealed will of God. This we contemplated
as a figure and type, an illustration and example of one essential
feature of regeneration, namely, God's effectually calling His elect
from death unto life, out of darkness into His marvelous light, with
the blessed fruits this produces. As we saw on the last occasion, a
mighty change was wrought in Abraham, so that his manner of life was
completely altered: "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out
into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed;
and he went out, not knowing whither he went."
Ere turning unto the verses which are to form our present portion, let
us first ask and seek to answer the following question: Was Abraham's
response to God's call a perfect one? Was his obedience flawless? Ah,
dear reader, is it difficult to anticipate the answer? There has been
only one perfect life lived on this earth. Moreover, had there been no
failure in Abraham's walk, would not the type have been faulty? But
God's types are accurate at every point, and in His Word the Spirit
has portrayed the characters of His people in the colors of truth and
reality: He has faithfully described them as they actually were. True,
a supernatural work of grace had been wrought in Abraham, but the
"flesh" had not been removed from him. True, a supernatural faith had
been communicated to him, but the root of unbelief had not been taken
out of him. Two contrary principles were at work within Abraham (as
they are in us), and both of these were evidenced.
God's requirements from Abraham were clearly made known: "Get thee out
of thy country and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto
a land that I will show thee" (Gen. 12:1). The first response which he
made to this is recorded in Genesis 11:31, "And Terah took Abram his
son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his
daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them
from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came
unto Haran, and dwelt there." He left Chaldea, but instead of
separating from his "kindred," he suffered his nephew Lot to accompany
him; instead of forsaking his father's house, Terah was permitted to
take the lead; and instead of entering Canaan, Abraham stopped short
and settled in Haran. Abraham temporized: his obedience was partial,
faltering, tardy. He yielded to the affections of the flesh. Alas,
cannot both writer and reader see here a plain reflection of himself,
a portrayal of his own sad failures! Yes, "As in water face answereth
to face, so the heart of man to man" (Prov. 27:19).
But let us earnestly seek grace at this point to be much upon our
guard lest we "wrest" (2 Pet. 3:16) to our own hurt what has just been
before us. If the thought arises "O well, Abraham was not perfect, he
did not always do as God commanded him, so it cannot be expected that
I should do any better than he did," then recognize that this is a
temptation from the Devil. Abraham's failures are not recorded for us
to shelter behind, for us to make them so many palliations for our own
sinful falls; no, rather are they to be regarded as so many warnings
for us to take to heart and prayerfully heed. Such warnings only leave
us the more without excuse. And when we discover that we have sadly
repeated the backslidings of the O.T. saints, that very discovery
should but humble us the more before God, move to a deeper repentance,
lead to increasing self-distrust, and issue in a more earnest and
constant seeking of Divine Grace to uphold and maintain us in the
paths of righteousness.
Though Abraham failed, there was no failure in God. Blessed indeed is
it to behold His long-suffering, His super-abounding grace, His
unchanging faithfulness, and the eventual fulfilling of His own
purpose. This reveals to us, for the joy of our hearts and the
worshipping praise of our souls, another reason why the Holy Spirit
has so faithfully placed on record the shadows as well as the lights
in the lives of the O.T. saints: they are to serve not only as solemn
warnings for us to heed, but also as so many examples of that
marvelous patience of God that bears so long and so tenderly with the
dullness and waywardness of His children; examples too of that
infinite mercy which deals with His people not after their sins, nor
rewards them according to their iniquities. O how the realization of
this should melt our hearts, and evoke true worship and thanksgiving
unto "the God of all grace" (1 Pet. 5:10). It will be so, it must be
so, in every truly regenerate soul; though the unregenerate will only
turn the very grace of God "into lasciviousness" (Jude 4) unto their
eternal undoing.
The sequel to Genesis 11:31 is found in Hebrews 12:5, "And Abram took
Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance
that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran;
and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan, and into the land
of Canaan they came." Though Abraham had settled down in Haran, God
would not allow him to continue there indefinitely. The Lord had
purposed that he should enter Canaan, and no purpose of His can fail.
God therefore tumbled him out of the nest which he had made for
himself (Deut. 32:11), and very solemn is it to observe the means
which he used: "And Terah died in Haran (Gen. 11:32 and cf. Acts
7:4)--death had to come in before Abraham left Halfway House! He never
started across the wilderness until death severed that tie of the
flesh which had held him back. But that with which we desire to be
specially occupied at this point is the wondrous love of God toward
His erring child.
"I am the Lord, I change not: therefore ye sons of Jacob are not
consumed" (Mal. 3:6). Blessed, thrice blessed, is this. Though the
dogs are likely to consume it unto their own ruin, yet that must not
make us withhold this sweet portion of "the children's bread." The
immutability of the Divine nature is the saints' indemnity; God's
unchangeableness affords the fullest assurance of His faithfulness in
the promises. No change in us can alter His mind, no unfaithfulness on
our part will cause Him to revoke His word. Unstable though we be,
sorely tempted as we often are, tripped up as may frequently be our
case, yet God "shall also confirm us unto the end... God is faithful"
(1 Cor. 1:8, 9). The powers of Satan and the world are against us,
suffering and death before us, a treacherous and fearful heart within
us; yet God will "confirm us unto the end." He did Abraham; He will
us. Hallelujah.
"By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange
country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with
him of the same promise" (verse 9). This verse brings before us the
second effect or proof of Abraham's faith. In the previous verse the
apostle had spoken of the place from whence Abraham was called, here
of the place to which he was called. There he had shown the power of
faith in self-denial in obedience to God's command, here we behold the
patience and constancy of faith in waiting for the fulfillment of the
promise. But the mere reading of this verse by itself is not likely to
make much impression upon us: we need to diligently consult and
carefully ponder other passages, in order to be in a position to
appreciate its real force.
First of all we are told, "And Abram passed through the land unto the
place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then
in the land." Unless a supernatural work of grace had been wrought in
Abraham's heart, subduing (though not eradicating) his natural desires
and reasonings, he certainly would not have remained in Canaan. An
idolatrous people were already occupying the land. Again, we are told
that "He (God) gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to
set his foot on" (Acts 7:5). Only the unclaimed tracts, which were
commonly utilized by those having flocks and herds, were available for
his use. Not an acre did he own, for he had to "purchase" a plot of
ground as a burying place for his dead (Gen. 23). What a trial of
faith was this, for Hebrews 11:8 expressly declares that he was
afterward to "receive" that land "for an inheritance." Yet instead of
this presenting a difficulty, it only enhances the beauty and accuracy
of the type.
The Christian has also been begotten "to an inheritance" (1 Pet. 1:4),
but he does not fully enter into it the moment he is called from death
unto life. No, instead, he is left here (very often) for many years to
fight his way through an hostile world and against an opposing Devil.
During that fight he meets with many discouragements and receives
numerous wounds. Hard duties have to be performed, difficulties
overcome, and trials endured, before the Christian enters fully into
that inheritance unto which Divine grace has appointed him. And naught
but a Divinely bestowed and Divinely maintained faith is sufficient
for these things: that alone will sustain the heart in the face of
losses, reproaches, painful delays. It was thus with Abraham: it was
"by faith" he left the land of his birth, started out on a journey he
knew not whither, crossed a dreary wilderness, and then sojourned in
tents for more than half a century in a strange land. Rightly did the
Puritan Manton say:
"From God's training up Abraham in a course of difficulties, we see it
is no easy matter to go to Heaven; there is a great deal of ado to
unsettle a believer from the world, and there is a great deal of ado
to fix the heart in the expectation of Heaven. First there must be
self-denial in coming out of the world, and divorcing ourselves from
our bosom sins and dearest interests; and then there must be patience
shown in waiting for God's mercy to eternal life, waiting His leisure
as well as performing His will. Here is the time of our exercise, and
we must expect it, since the father of the faithful was thus trained
up ere he could inherit the promises."
"By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange
country." The force of this will be more apparent if we link together
two statements in Genesis: "And the Canaanite was then in the land"
(Gen. 12:6) "And the Lord said, unto Abram . . . all the land which
thou seest to thee will I give it and to thy seed forever" (Gen.
13:14, 15). Here was the ground which Abraham's faith rested upon, the
plain word of Him that cannot lie. Upon that promise his heart
reposed, and therefore he was occupied not with the Canaanites who
were then in the land, but with the invisible Jehovah who had pledged
it unto him. How different was the case of the spies, who, in a later
day, went up into this very land, with the assurance of the Lord that
it was a "good land." Their report was "the land through which we have
gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof;
and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And
there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants:
and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their
sight" (Num. 13:32, 33).
"By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange
country." As it was by faith that Abraham went out of Chaldea, so it
was by faith he remained out of the country of which he was originally
a native. This illustrates the fact that not only do we become
Christians by an act of faith (the yielding up of the whole man unto
God), but that as Christians we are called upon to live by faith (Gal.
2:20), to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). The place where
Abraham now abode is here styled "the land of promise," rather than
Canaan, to teach us that it is God's promise which puts vigor into
faith. Note how both Moses and Joshua, at a later day, sought to
quicken the faith of the Israelites by this means: "Hear therefore, O
Israel, and observe to do, that it may be well with thee, and that ye
may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised
thee" (Deut. 6:3).
"And the Lord your God, He shall expel them from before you, and drive
them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as the
Lord your God hath promised you" (Josh. 23:5). "As in a strange
country." This tells us how Abraham regarded that land which was then
occupied by the Canaanites, and how he conducted himself in it. He
purchased no farm, built no house, and entered into no alliance with
its people. True, he entered into a league of peace and amity with
Aner, Eshcol, and Mature (Gen. 14:13), but it was as a stranger, and
not as one who had any thing of his own in the land. He reckoned that
country no more his own, than any other land in the world. He took no
part in its politics, had nothing to do with its religion, had very
little social intercourse with its people, but lived by faith and
found his joy and satisfaction in communion with the Lord. This
teaches us that though the Christian is still in the world, he is not
of it, nor must he cultivate its friendship (James 4:4). He may use it
as necessity requires, but he must ever be on his prayerful guard
against abusing it (1 Cor. 7:31).
"Dwelling in tents." These words inform us both of Abraham's manner of
life and disposition of heart during his sojourning in Canaan. Let us
consider them from this twofold viewpoint. Abraham did not conduct
himself as the possessor of Canaan, but as a foreigner and pilgrim in
it. To Heth he confessed, "I am a stranger and sojourner with you"
(Gen. 23:4). As the father of the faithful he set an example of
self-denial and patience. It was not that he was unable to purchase an
estate, build an elaborate mansion, and settle down in some attractive
spot, for Genesis 13:2 tells us that "Abraham was very rich in cattle,
in silver, and in gold"; but God had not called him unto this. Ah, my
reader, a palace without the enjoyed presence of the Lord, is but an
empty bauble; whereas a prison-dungeon occupied by one in real
communion with Him, may be the very vestibule of Heaven.
Living in a strange country, surrounded by wicked heathen, had it not
been wiser for Abraham to erect a strongly fortified castle? A "tent"
offers little or no defense against attack. Ah, but "the angel of the
Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them."
And Abraham both feared and trusted God. "Where faith enables men to
live unto God, as unto their eternal concerns, it will enable them to
trust unto Him in all the difficulties, dangers, and hazards of this
life. To pretend a trust in God as unto our souls and invisible
things, and not resign our temporal concerns with patience and
quietness unto His disposal, is a vain pretense. And we may take hence
an eminent trial of our faith. Too many deceive themselves with a
presumption of faith in the promises of God, as unto things future and
eternal. They suppose that they do so believe, as that they shall be
eternally saved, but if they are brought into any trial, as unto
things temporal, wherein they are concerned, they know not what
belongs unto the life of faith, nor how to trust God in a due manner.
It was not so with Abraham: his faith acted itself uniformly with
respect to the providences, as well as the promises of God" (John
Owen).
Abram's "dwelling in tents" also denoted the disposition of his heart.
A life of faith is one which has respect unto things spiritual and
eternal, and therefore one of its fruits is to be contented with a
very small portion of earthly things. Faith not only begets a
confidence and joy in the things promised, but it also works a
composure of spirit and submission to the Lord's will. A little would
serve Abraham on earth because he expected so much in Heaven. Nothing
is more calculated to deliver the heart from covetousness, from
lusting after the perishing things of time and sense, from envying the
poor rich, than to heed that exhortation, "Set your affection on
things above, not on things on the earth" (Col. 3:2). But it is one
thing to quote that verse, and another to put it into practice. If we
are the children of Abraham, we must emulate the example of Abraham.
Are our carnal affections mortified? Can we submit to a pilgrim's fare
without murmuring? Are we enduring hardness as good soldiers of Jesus
Christ (2 Tim. 2:3)?
The tent-life of the patriarchs demonstrated their pilgrim character:
it made manifest their contentment to live upon the surface of the
earth, for a tent has no foundation, and can be pitched or struck at
short notice. They were sojourners here and just passing through this
wilderness-scene without striking their roots into it. Their tent life
spoke of their separation from the world's allurements, politics,
friendships, religion. It is deeply significant to note that when
reference is made to Abraham's "tent," there is mention also of his
"altar": "and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west and Hai on
the east, and there he builded an altar unto the Lord" (Gen. 12:8);
"and he went on his journeys... unto the place where his tent had been
at the beginning, unto the place of the altar" (Gen. 13:3,4); "Then
Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mature,
which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord" (Gen.
13:18). Observe carefully the order in each of these passages: there
must be heart separation from the world before a thrice holy God can
be worshipped in spirit and in truth.
"Dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the
same promise." The Greek here is more expressive than our translation:
"in tents dwelling": the Holy Spirit emphasized first not the act of
dwelling, but the fact that this dwelling was in tents. The mention of
Isaac and Jacob in this verse is for the purpose of calling our
attention unto the further fact that Abraham continued thus for the
space of almost a century, Jacob not being born until he had sojourned
in Canaan for eighty-five years! Herein we are taught that "when we
are once engaged and have given up ourselves to God in a way of
believing, there must be no choice, no dividing or halting, no
halving; but we must follow Him fully, wholly, living by faith in all
things" (John Owen), and that unto the very end of our earthly course.
There does not seem to be anything requiring us to believe that Isaac
and Jacob shared Abraham's tent, rather is the thought that they also
lived the same pilgrim's life in Canaan: as Abraham was a sojourner in
that land, without any possession there, so were they. The "with" may
be extended to cover all that is said in the previous part of the
verse, indicating it was "by faith" that both Abraham's son and
grandson followed the example set them. The words which follow confirm
this: they were "the heirs with him of the same promise." That is
indeed a striking expression, for ordinarily sons are merely "heirs"
and not joint-heirs with their parents. This is to show us that Isaac
was not indebted to Abraham for the promise, nor Jacob to Isaac, each
receiving the same promise direct from God. This is clear from a
comparison of Genesis 13:15 and Genesis 17:8 with Genesis 26:3 and
Genesis 28:13, 35:12. It also tells us that if we are to have an
interest in the blessings of Abraham, we must walk in the steps of his
faith.
Very blessed and yet very searching is the principle exemplified in
the last clause of verse 9. God's saints are all of the same spiritual
disposition. They are members of the same family, united to the same
Christ, indwelt by the same Spirit. "And the multitude of them that
believed were of one heart and of one soul" (Acts 4:32). They are
governed by the same laws: "I will put My laws into their mind and
write them in their hearts" (Heb. 8:10). They all have one aim, to
please God and glorify Him on earth. They are called to the same
privileges: "to them that have obtained like precious faith with us"
etc. (2 Pet. 1:1).
"For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose Builder and
Maker is God" (verse 10). Ah, here is the explanation of what has been
before us in the previous verse, as the opening "for" intimates;
Abraham was walking by faith, and not by sight, and therefore his
heart was set upon things above and not upon things below. It is the
exercise of faith and hope upon heavenly objects which makes us carry
ourselves with a loose heart toward worldly comforts. Abraham realized
that his portion and possession was not on earth, but in Heaven. It
was this which made him content to dwell in tents. He did not build a
city, as Cain did (Gen. 4:17), but "looked for" one of which God
Himself is the Maker. What an illustration and exemplification was
this of the opening verse of our chapter: "Now faith is the substance
of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
That for which Abraham looked was Heaven itself, here likened unto a
city with foundations, in manifest antithesis from the "tents" which
have no foundations. Various figures are used to express the saints'
everlasting portion. It is called an "inheritance" (1 Pet. 1:4), to
signify the freeness of its tenure. It is denominated "many mansions''
in the Father's House. It is styled an "heavenly country" (Heb. 11:16)
to signify its spaciousness. There are various resemblances between
Heaven and a "city." A city is a civil society that is under
government: so in Heaven there is a society of angels and saints ruled
by God: Hebrews 12:22-24. In Bible days a city was a place of safety,
being surrounded by strong and high walls: so in Heaven we shall be
eternally secure from sin and Satan, death and every enemy. A city is
well stocked with provisions: so in Heaven nothing will be lacking
which is good and blessed. The "foundations" of the Heavenly City are
the eternal decree and love of God, the unalterable covenant of grace,
Christ Jesus the Rock of Ages, on which it stands firm and immovable.
It is the power of a faith which is active and operative that will
sustain the heart under hardships and sufferings as nothing else will.
"For which cause we faint not: but though our outward man perish, yet
the inward is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is
but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but
at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are
temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Cor.
4:16-18). As John Owen well said, "This is a full description of
Abraham's faith, in the operation and effect here ascribed to it by
the apostle. And herein it is exemplary and encouraging to all
believers under their present trials and sufferings."
Ah, my brethren and sisters, do we not see from that which has been
before us why the attractions of the world or the depressing effects
of suffering, have such a power upon us? Is it not because we are
negligent in the stirring up of our faith to "lay hold of the hope
which is set before us"? If we meditated more frequently upon the
glory and bliss of Heaven, and were favored with foretastes of it in
our souls, would we not sigh after it more ardently and press forward
unto it more earnestly? "Abraham rejoiced to see Christ's day, and he
saw it, and was glad" (John 8:56); and if we had more serious and
spiritual thoughts of the Day to come, we would not be so sad as we
often are. "He that hath this hope in Him, purifieth himself, even as
He is pure" (1 John 3:3), for it lifts the heart above this scene and
carries us in spirit within the veil. The more our hearts are
attracted to Heaven, the less will the poor things of this world
appeal to us.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
____________________________________________________
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An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 62
The Faith of Sarah
(Hebrews 11:11, 12)
__________________________________________
In the verses which are now to be before us the apostle calls
attention to the marvelous power of a God-given faith to exercise
itself in the presence of most discouraging circumstances, persevere
in the face of the most formidable obstacles, and trust God to do that
which unto human reason seemed utterly impossible. They show us that
this faith was exercised by a frail and aged woman, who at first was
hindered and opposed by the workings of unbelief, but who in the end
relied upon the veracity of God and rested upon His promise. They show
what an intensely practical thing faith is: that it not only lifts up
the soul to Heaven, but is able to draw down strength for the body on
earth. They demonstrate what great endings sometimes issue from small
beginnings, and that like a stone thrown into a lake produces
ever-enlarging circles on the rippling waters, so faith issues in
fruit which increases from generation to generation.
The more the 11th verse of our present chapter be pondered, the more
evident will it appear the faith there spoken of is of a radically
different order from that mental and theoretical faith of cozy-chair
dreamers. The "faith" of the vast majority of professing Christians is
as different from that described in Hebrews 11 as darkness is from
light. The one ends in talk, the other was expressed in deeds. The one
breaks down when put to the test, the other survived every trial to
which it was exposed. The one is inoperative and ineffectual, the
other was active and powerful. The one is unproductive, the other
issued in fruits to the glory of God. Ah, is it not evident that the
great difference between them is, that one is merely human, the other
Divine; one merely natural, the other altogether supernatural? This it
is which our hearts and consciences need to lay hold of and turn into
earnest prayer.
That which has just been pointed out ought to deeply exercise both
writer and reader. It ought to search us through and through, causing
us to seriously and diligently weigh the character of our "faith." It
is of little use to be entertained by interesting articles, unless
they lead to careful self-examination. It is of little profit to be
made to wonder at the achievements of the faith of those O.T. saints,
unless we are shamed by them, and made to cry mightily unto God for
Him to work in us a "like precious faith." Unless our faith issues in
works which mere nature cannot produce, unless it is enabling us to
"overcome the world" (1 John 5:4) and triumph over the lusts of the
flesh, then we have grave cause to fear that our faith is not "the
faith of God's elect" (Titus 1:1). Cry with David, "Examine me, O
Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart" (Ps. 26:2).
It is not that any Christian lives a life of perfect faith--only the
Lord Jesus ever did that. No, for in the first place, like all the
other spiritual graces, it is subject to growth (2 Thess. 1:3), and
full maturity is not reached in this life. In the second place, faith
is not always in exercise, nor can we command its activities: He who
bestowed it, must also renew it. In the third place, the faith of
every saint falters at times: it did in Abraham, in Moses, in Elijah,
in the apostles. The flesh is still in us, and therefore the
reasonings of unbelief are ever ready (unless Divine grace subdue
them) to oppose the actings of faith. We are not then urging the
reader to search in himself for a faith that is perfect, either in its
growth, its constancy or its achievements. Rather are we to seek
Divine aid and make sure whether we have any faith which is superior
to what has been acquired through religious education; whether we have
a faith which, despite the strugglings of unbelief, does trust the
living God; whether we have a faith which produces any fruit which
manifestly issues from a spiritual root.
Having spoken of Abraham's faith, the apostle now makes mention of
Sarah's. "Observe what a blessing it is when a husband and wife are
both partners of faith, when both in the same yoke draw one way.
Abraham is the father of the faithful, and Sarah is recommended among
believers as having a fellowship in the same promises, and in the same
troubles and trials. So it is said of Zachariah and Elizabeth, `And
they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments
and ordinances of the Lord blameless' (Luke 1:6). It is a mighty
encouragement when the constant companion of our lives is also a
fellow in the same faith. This should direct us in the matter of
choice: she cannot be a meet help that goeth a contrary way in
religion. Religion decayeth in families by nothing so much as by want
of care in matches" (T. Manton).
"Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed,
and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged
Him faithful who had promised" (verse 11). There are five things upon
which our attention needs to be focused. First, the impediments of her
faith: these were, her barrenness, old age, and unbelief. Second, the
effect of her faith: she "received strength to conceive." Third, the
constancy of her faith: she trusted God unto an actual deliverance or
birth of the child. Fourth, the foundation of her faith: she rested
upon the veracity of the Divine Promiser. Fifth, the fruit of her
faith: the numerous posterity which issued from her son Isaac. Let us
consider each of these separately.
"Through faith also Sarah herself." The Greek is just the same here as
in all the other verses, and should have been rendered uniformly "By
faith" etc. The word "also" seems to be added for a double purpose.
First to counteract and correct any error which might suppose that
women were debarred the blessings and privileges of grace. It is true
that in the official sphere God has prohibited them from occupying the
place of rule or usurping authority over the men, so that they are
commanded to be silent in the churches (1 Cor. 14:34), are not
permitted to teach (1 Tim. 2:12), and are bidden to be in subjection
to their husbands (Eph. 5:22). But in the spiritual sphere all
inequalities disappear, for "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is
neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are
all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:28), and therefore the believing
husband and the believing wife are "heirs together of the grace of
life."
In the second place, this added "also" informs us that, though a
woman, Sarah exercised the same faith as had Abraham. She had left
Chaldea when he did, accompanied him to Canaan, dwelt with him in
tents. Not only so, but she personally acted faith upon the living
God. Necessarily so, for she was equally concerned in the Divine
revelation with Abraham, and was as much a party to the great
difficulties of its accomplishment. The blessing of the promised seed
was assigned to and appropriated by her, as much as to and by him; and
therefore is she proposed unto the Church as an example (1 Pet. 3:5,
6). "As Abraham was the father of the faithful, or of the church, so
she was the mother of it, so as that the distinct mention of her faith
was necessary. She was the free woman from whence the Church sprang:
Galatians 4:22, 23. And all believing women are her daughters: 1 Peter
3:6" (John Owen).
"By faith also Sarah herself received strength." The word "herself" is
emphatic: it was not her husband only, by whose faith she might
receive the blessing, but by her own faith that she received strength,
and this, notwithstanding the very real and formidable obstacles which
stood in the way of her exercising it. These, as we have pointed out,
were three in number. First, she had not borne any children during the
customary years of pregnancy: as Genesis 11:30 informs us, "Sarah was
barren"; "Sarah, Abram's wife, bare him no children" (Gen. 16:1).
Second, she was long past the age of childbearing, for she was now
"ninety years old" (Gen. 17:17). Third, the workings of unbelief
interposed, persuading her that it was altogether against nature and
reason for a woman, under such circumstances, to give birth unto a
child. This comes out in Genesis 18. There we read of three men
appearing unto Abraham, one of whom was the Lord in theophanic
manifestation. Unto him He said, "Sarah thy wife shall have a son."
Upon hearing this "Sarah laughed within herself."
Sarah's laughter was that of doubting and distrust, for she said, "I
am waxed old." At once the Lord rebukes her unbelief, asking "Is there
anything too hard for the Lord! At the time appointed I will return
unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son."
Solemn indeed is the sequel. "Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed
not; for she was afraid. And He said, Nay; but thou didst laugh"
(verse 15). It is always a shame to do amiss, but a greater shame to
deny it. It was a sin to give way to unbelief, but it was adding
iniquity unto iniquity to cover it with a lie. But we deceive
ourselves if we think to impose upon God, for nothing can be concealed
from His all-seeing eye. By comparing Hebrews 11:11 with what is
recorded in Genesis 18, we learn that after the Lord had reproved
Sarah's unbelief, and she began to realize that the promise came from
God, her faith was called into exercise. Because her laughter came
from weakness and not from scorn, God smote her not, as He did
Zacharias for his unbelief (Luke 1:20).
Varied are the lessons which may be learned from the above incident.
Many times the Word does not take effect immediately. It did not in
Sarah's case: though afterward she believed, at first she laughed. It
was only when the Divine promise was repeated that her faith began to
act. Let preachers and Christian parents, who are discouraged by lack
of success, lay this to heart. Again; see here that before faith is
established often there is a conflict: "shall I have a child who am
old?"--reason opposed the promise. Just as when a fire is kindled the
smoke is seen before the flame, so ere the heart rests upon the Word
there is generally doubting and fear. Once more; observe how
graciously God hides the defects of His children: nothing is said of
Rahah's lie (Heb. 11:31), of Job's impatience (James 5:11), nor here
of Sarah's laughing, "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear
children; and walk in love" (Eph. 5:1, 2)!
Let us next consider what is here ascribed unto the faith of Sarah:
"she received strength to conceive seed." She obtained that which
previously was not in her: there was now a restoration of her nature
to perform its normal functions. Her dead womb was supernaturally
vivified. In response to her faith, the Omnipotent One did for Sarah
what He had done to Abraham in response to his trusting of Him: "I
have made thee a father of many nations, before Him, whom he believed,
even God, who quickeneth the dead" (Rom. 4:17). "All things are
possible with God"; yes, and it is also true that "All things are
possible to him that believeth" (Mark 9:23): how blessedly and
strikingly does the incident now before us illustrate this! O that it
may speak unto each of our hearts and cause us to long after and pray
for an increase of our faith. What is more glorifying to God than a
confident looking unto Him to work in and through us that which mere
nature cannot produce.
"By faith also Sarah herself received strength." Christian reader,
this is recorded both for thine instruction and encouragement. Faith
worked a vigor in Sarah's body where it was not before. Is it not
written "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength"
(Isa. 40:31)? Do we really believe this? Do we act as though we did?
The writer can bear witness to the veracity of that promise. When he
was in Australia, editing this Magazine, keeping up with a heavy
correspondence, and preaching five and six times each week, when it
was over one hundred in the shade, many a time has he dragged his
weary body into the pulpit, and then looked unto the Lord for a
definite reinvigoration of body. Never did He fail us. After speaking
for two hours we generally felt fresher than we did when we arose at
the beginning of the day. And why not? Has not God promised to "supply
all our need"? Of how many is it true that "they have not, because
they (in faith) ask not" (James 4:2).
Ah, dear reader, "Bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is
profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is,
and of that which is to come" (1 Tim. 4:8): "profitable" for the body,
as well as for the soul. While we strongly reprobate much that is now
going on under the name of "Faith-Healing," yet we have as little
patience with the pretended hyper-sanctity which disdains any looking
unto God for the supply of our bodily needs. In this same chapter
which we are now commenting upon, we read of others who "out of
weakness were made strong" (verse 34). Sad it is to see so many of
God's dear children living far beneath their privileges. True, many
are under the chastening hand of God. But this should not be so: the
cause should be sought, the wrong righted, the sin confessed,
restoration both spiritual and temporal diligently sought.
We do not wish to convey the impression that the only application unto
us of these words, "By faith also Sarah herself received strength,"
has reference to the reviving of the physical body: not so, though
that is, undoubtedly, the first lesson to be learned. But there is a
higher signification too. Many a Christian feels his spiritual
weakness: that is well, yet instead of this hindering, it should
bestir to lay hold of the Lord's strength (Isa. 27:5). In the final
analysis, it is nothing but lack of faith which so often allows the
"flesh" to hinder us from bringing forth the Gospel-fruits of
holiness. Despair not of personal frailty, but go forward in the
strength of God: "Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His
might" (Eph. 6:10): turn this into believing prayer for Divine
enablement. "Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should
greatly increase" (Job 8:7).
Does the reader still say, "Ah, but such an experience is not for me;
alas, I am so unworthy, so helpless; I feel so lifeless and listless."
So was Sarah! Yet, "by faith" she "received strength." And, dear
friend, faith is not occupied with self, but with God. "Abraham
considered not his own body" (Rom. 4:19), nor did Sarah. Each of them
looked away from self, and counted upon God to work a miracle. And God
did not fail them: He is pledged to honor those who honor Him, and
nothing honors Him more than a trustful expectation. He always
responds to faith. There is no reason why you should remain weak and
listless. True, without Christ you can do nothing; but there is an
infinite fullness in Him (John 1:16) for you to draw from. Then from
this day onwards, let your attitude be "I can do all things through
Christ which strengtheneth me" (Phil. 4:13). Apply to Him, count upon
Him: "my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim.
2:1).
"And was delivered of a child." The "and" here connects what follows
with each of the preceding verbs. It was "by faith" that Sarah
"received strength," and it was also "by faith" that she was now
"delivered of a child." It is the constancy and perseverance of her
faith which is here intimated. There was no abortion, no miscarriage;
she trusted God right through unto the end. This brings before us a
subject upon which very little is written these days: the duty and
privilege of Christian women counting upon God for a safe issue in the
most trying and critical season in their lives. Faith is to be
exercised not only in acts of worship, but in the ordinary offices of
our daily affairs. We are to eat and drink in faith, work and sleep in
faith; and the Christian wife should be delivered of her child by
faith. The danger is great, and if in any extremity there is need of
faith, much more so where life itself is involved. Let us seek to
condense from the helpful comments of the Puritan Manton.
First, we must be sensible what need we have to exercise faith in this
case, that we may not run upon danger blindfold; and if we escape,
then to think our deliverance a mere chance. Rachel died in this case;
so also did the wife of Phineas (1 Sam. 4:19, 20): a great hazard is
run, and therefore you must be sensible of it. The more difficulty and
danger be apprehended, the better the opportunity for the exercise of
faith: 2 Chronicles 20:12, 2 Corinthians 1:9. Second, because the
sorrows of travail are a monument of God's displeasure against sin
(Gen. 3:16), therefore this must put you the more earnestly to seek an
interest in Christ, that you may have remedy against sin. Third,
meditate upon the promise of 1 Timothy 2:15, which is made good
eternally or temporally as God sees fit. Fourth, the faith you
exercise must be the glorifying of His power and submitting to His
will. This expresses the kind of faith which is proper to all temporal
mercies: Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst save me--it is sufficient to
ease the heart of a great deal of trouble and perplexing fear.
"And was delivered of a child." As we have pointed out in the last
paragraph, this clause is added to show the continuance of Sarah's
faith and the blessing of God upon her. True faith not only
appropriates His promise, but continues resting on the same till that
which is believed be actually accomplished. The principle of this is
enunciated in Hebrews 3:14 and Hebrews 10:36. "For we are made
partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence
steadfast unto the end"; "Cast not away therefore your confidence." It
is at this point so many fail. They endeavor to lay hold of a Divine
promise, but in the interval of testing let go of it. This is why
Christ said, "If ye have faith and doubt not, ye shall not only do
this" etc. Matthew 21:21--"doubt not," not only at the moment of
pleading the promise, but during the time you are awaiting its
fulfillment. Hence also, unto "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart"
is added "and lean not unto thine own understanding" (Prov. 3:5).
"When she was past age." This clause is added so as to heighten the
miracle which God so graciously wrought in response to Sarah's faith.
It magnifies the glory of His power. It is recorded for our
encouragement. It shows us that no difficulty or hindrance should
cause a disbelief of the promise. God is not tied down to the order of
nature, nor limited by any secondary causes. He will turn nature
upside down rather than not be as good as His word. He has brought
water out of a rock, made iron to float (2 Kings 6:6), sustained two
million people in a howling wilderness. These things should arouse the
Christian to wait upon God with full confidence in the face of the
utmost emergency. Yea, the greater the impediments which confront us,
faith should be increased. The trustful heart says, Here is a fit
occasion for faith; now that all creature-streams have run dry is a
grand opportunity for counting on God to show Himself strong on my
behalf. What cannot He do! He made a woman of ninety to bear a
child--a thing quite contrary to nature--so I may surely expect Him to
work wonders for me too.
"Because she judged Him faithful who had promised." Here is the secret
of the whole thing. Here was the ground of Sarah's confidence, the
foundation on which faith rested. She did not look at God's promises
through the mist of interposing obstacles, but she viewed the
difficulties and hindrances through the clear light of God's promises.
The act which is here ascribed unto Sarah is, that she "judged" or
reckoned, reputed and esteemed, God to be faithful: she was assured
that He would make good His word, on which He had caused her to hope.
God had spoken: Sarah had heard; in spite of all that seemed to make
it impossible that the promise should be fulfilled in her case, she
steadfastly believed. Rightly did Luther say, "If you would trust God,
you must learn to crucify the question How." "Faithful is He that
calleth you, who also will do" (1 Thess. 5:24): this is sufficient for
the heart to rest upon; faith will cheerfully leave it with
Omniscience as to how the promise will be made good to us.
"Because she judged Him faithful who had promised." Let it be
carefully noted that Sarah's faith went beyond the promise. While her
mind dwelt upon the thing promised, it seemed unto her altogether
incredible, but when she took her thoughts off all secondary causes
and fixed them on God Himself, then the difficulties no longer
disturbed her: her heart was at rest in God. She knew that God could
be depended upon: He is "faithful"--able, willing, sure to perform His
word. Sarah looked beyond the promise to the Promiser, and as she did
so all doubting was stilled. She rested with full confidence on the
immutability of Him that cannot lie, knowing that where Divine
veracity is engaged, omnipotence will make it good. It is by believing
meditations upon the character of God that faith is fed and
strengthened to expect the blessing, despite all apparent difficulties
and supposed impossibilities. It is the heart's contemplation of the
perfections of God which causes faith to prevail. As this is of such
vital practical importance, let us devote another paragraph to
enlarging thereon.
To fix our minds on the things promised, to have an assured
expectation of the enjoyment of them, without the heart first resting
upon the veracity, immutability, and omnipotency of God, is but a
deceiving imagination. Rightly did John Owen point out that, "The
formal object of faith in the Divine promises, is not the things
promised in the first place, but God Himself in His essential
excellencies, of truth, or faithfulness and power." Nevertheless, the
Divine perfections do not, of themselves, work faith in us: it is only
as the heart believingly ponders the Divine attributes that we shall
"judge" or conclude Him faithful that has promised. It is the man
whose mind is stayed upon God Himself, who is kept in "perfect peace"
(Isa. 26:3): that is, he who joyfully contemplates who and what God is
that will be preserved from doubting and wavering while waiting the
fulfillment of the promise. As it was with Sarah, so it is with us:
every promise of God has tacitly annexed to it this consideration, "Is
any thing too hard for the Lord!"
"Wherefore also from one were born, and that too of (one) having
become dead, even as the stars of the heaven in multitude, and as the
sand which (is) by the shore of the sea the countless"
(verse 12). We have quoted the rendering given in the Bagster
Interlinear because it is more literal and accurate than our A.V. The
"him" in the English translation is misleading, for in this verse
there is no masculine pronoun: at the most the "one" must refer to one
couple, but personally we believe it points to one woman, Sarah, as
the "born" (rather than "begotten") intimates. We regard this 12th
verse as setting forth the fruit of her faith, namely the numerous
posterity which issued from her son, Isaac. The double reference to
the "sand" and the "stars" calls attention to the twofold seed: the
earthly and the heavenly, the natural and the spiritual Israel.
Like the "great multitude which no man could number" of Revelation
7:9, so "as the stars of the sky for multitude and as the sand which
is by the seashore innumerable" of our present verse, is obviously an
hyperbole: it is figurative language, and not to be understood
literally. This may seem a bold and unwarrantable statement to some of
our readers, yet if scripture be compared with scripture, no other
conclusion is possible. The following passages make this clear:
Deuteronomy 1:10, Joshua 11:4, Judges 7:12, 1 Samuel 13:5, 2 Samuel
17:11, 1 Kings 4:20. For other examples of this figure of speech see
Deuteronomy 9:1, Psalm 78:27, Isaiah 60:22, John 21:25. Hyperboles are
employed not to move us to believe untruths, but, by emphasis, arrest
our attention and cause us to heed weighty matters. The following
rules are to be observed in the employment of them. First, they are to
be used only of such things as are indeed true in the substance of
them. Second, only of things which are worthy of more than ordinary
consideration. Third, set out, as nearly as possible, in proverbial
language. Fourth, expressed in words of similarity and dissimilarity,
rather than by words of equality and inequality (W. Gouge).
But let our final thought be upon the rich recompense whereby God
rewarded the faith of Sarah. The opening "Therefore" of verse 12
points the blessed consequence of her relying upon the faithfulness of
God in the face of the utmost natural discouragements. From her faith
there issued Isaac, and from him, ultimately, Christ Himself. And this
is recorded for our instruction. Who can estimate the fruits of faith?
Who can tell how many lives may be affected for good, even in
generations yet to come, through your faith and my faith today! Oh how
the thought of this should stir us up to cry more earnestly "Lord,
increase our faith" to the praise of the glory of Thy grace: Amen.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 63
The Perseverance of Faith
(Hebrews 11:13, 14)
__________________________________________
Having described some of the eminent acts of faith put forth by the
earliest members of God's family, the apostle now pauses to insert a
general commendation of the faith of those he had already named, and
(as is dear from verses 39, 40) of others yet to follow. This
commendation is set forth in verse 13 and is amplified in the next
three verses. The evident design of the Holy Spirit in this was to
press upon the Hebrews, and upon us, the imperative need of such a
faith as would last, wear, overcome obstacles, and endure unto the
end. Even the natural man is capable of "making good resolutions'' and
has flashes of endeavour to please God, but he is entirely lacking in
that principle which "beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth
all things, endureth all things" (1 Cor. 13:7).
The faith of God's elect is like unto its Divine Author in these
respects: it is living, incorruptible, and cannot be conquered by the
Devil. Being implanted by God, the gift and grace of faith can never
be lost. Strikingly was this illustrated in the history of the
patriarchs. Called upon to leave the land of their birth, to sojourn
in a country filled with idolaters, owning no portion of it, dwelling
in tents, suffering many hardships and trials, and living without any
such peculiar temporal advantages as might answer to the singular
favor which the Lord declared He bore to them; nevertheless they all
died in faith. The eye of their hearts saw clearly the blessings God
had promised, and persuaded that they would be theirs in due season,
they joyfully anticipated their future portion and gave up present
advantages for the sake thereof.
In the verses which are to be before us the apostle, then, stresses
the great importance of seeking and possessing a persevering faith,
therefore does he make mention of the fact that as long as they
remained in this world, the O.T. saints were believers in the promises
of God. It is the durability and constancy of their faith which is
commended. Despite all the workings of unbelief within (records of
which are found in Genesis in the cases of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob)
and all the assaults of temptation from without, they persisted in
clinging to God and His Word. They lived by faith, and they died in
faith: therefore have they left us an example that we should follow
their steps. Beautifully did John Calvin point out:
"There is expressed here a difference between us and the fathers:
though God gave to the fathers only a taste of that grace which is
largely poured on us, though He showed to them at a distance only an
obscure representation of Christ, who is now set forth to us clearly
before our eyes, yet they were satisfied and never fell away from
their faith: how much greater reason then have we at this day to
persevere! If we grow faint, we are doubly inexcusable. It is then an
enhancing circumstance, that the fathers had a distant view of the
spiritual kingdom of Christ, while we at this day have so near view of
it, and that they hailed the promises afar off, while we have them as
it were quite near us, for if they nevertheless persevered even unto
death, what sloth will it be to become wearied in faith, when the Lord
sustains us by so many helps. Were any one to object and say, that
they could not have believed without receiving the promises on which
faith is necessarily founded: to this the answer is, that the
expression is to be understood comparatively; for they were far from
that high position to which God has raised us. Hence it is that though
they had the same salvation promised them, yet they had not the
promises so clearly revealed to them as they are to us under the
kingdom of Christ: but they were content to behold them afar off."
"These all died in faith" (verse 13), or, more literally, "In (or
"according to") faith died these all." Differing from most of the
commentators, we believe those words take in the persons mentioned
previously, from Abel onwards: "these all" grammatically include those
who precede as well as those which follow--the relative pronoun
embracing all those set forth in the catalogue, namely, young and old,
male and female, great and small. "The same Spirit works in all, and
shows forth His power in all, 2 Corinthians 4:13" (W. Gouge). Against
this it may be objected that Enoch died not. True but the apostle is
referring only to those that died, just as Genesis 46:7 must be
understood as excepting Joseph who was already in Egypt. Moreover,
though Enoch died not as the others, he was removed from earth to
heaven, and before his translation he continued living by faith unto
the very end, which is the main thing here intended.
"In (or "according to") faith died all these." The faith in which they
died is the same as that described in the first verse of our chapter,
namely, a justifying and sanctifying faith. That they "died in faith"
does not necessarily mean that their faith was actually in exercise
during the hour of death, but more strictly, that they never
apostatised from the faith: though they actually obtained or possessed
not that which was the object of their faith, nevertheless, unto the
end of their earthly pilgrimage they confidently looked forward unto
the same. Five effects or workings of their faith are here mentioned,
each of which we must carefully ponder. First, they "received not the
promises." Second, but they saw them "afar off." Third, they were
"persuaded of them." Fourth, they "embraced" them. Fifth, in
consequence thereof they "confessed that they were strangers and
pilgrims on the earth."
As we shall see (D.V.) when taking up later verses, some of the O.T.
saints died in the actual exercise of faith. To die in faith is to
have an assured confidence in an estate of glory and bliss. "And
hereunto is required: 1. The firm belief of a substantial existence
after this life; without this, all faith and hope must perish in
death. 2. A resignation and trust of their departing souls into the
care and power of God. 3. The belief in a future state of blessedness
and rest, here called an heavenly country, a city prepared for them by
God. 4. Faith of the resurrection of their bodies after death, and
that their entire persons, which had undergone the pilgrimage of this
life, might be instated in eternal rest" (John Owen).
Thousands who are now in their graves were taught that it was wrong to
expect death and make suitable preparation for it. They were told that
the return of Christ was so near, He would certainly come during their
lifetime. Alas, the writer has, in measure, been guilty of the same
thing. True, it is both the Christian's happy privilege and bounden
duty to be "looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing
of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13), for this
is the grand prospect which God hath set before His people in all
ages; but He has nowhere told us when His Son shall descend; He may do
so today, He may not for hundreds of years. But to say that "looking
for that blessed hope" makes it wrong to anticipate death is
manifestly absurd: the O.T. saints had just as definite promises for
the first advent of Christ as the N.T. saints have for His second, and
they thought frequently of death!
It is greatly to be feared that much of the popularity with which the
"premillennial and imminent coming of Christ" has been received, may
be attributed to a carnal dread of death: a strong appeal is made to
the flesh when people can be persuaded that they are likely to escape
the grave. That one generation of Christians will do so is clear from
1 Corinthians 15:51, 1 Thessalonians 4:17, but how many generations
have already supposed that theirs was the one which would be raptured
to heaven, and how many of them were quite unprepared when death
overtook them, only that Day will show. We are well aware that these
lines are not likely to meet with a favorable reception from some of
our readers, but we are not seeking to please them, but God. Any man
who is ready to die is prepared for the Lord's return: as you may very
likely die before the second advent, it is only the part of wisdom to
make sure you are prepared for death.
And who are they whose souls are prepared for the dissolution of the
body? Those who have disarmed death beforehand by plucking out its
sting, and this by seeking reconciliation with God through Jesus
Christ. The hornet is harmless when its sting is extracted; a snake
need not be dreaded if its fang and poison have been removed. So it is
with death. "The sting of death is sin" (1 Cor. 15:56), and if we have
repented of our sins, turned from them with full purpose of heart to
serve God, and have sought and obtained forgiveness and healing in the
atoning and cleansing blood of Christ, then death cannot harm us--it
will but conduct us into the presence of God and everlasting felicity.
Who are ready to die? Those who evidence and establish their title to
Eternal Life by personal holiness, which is the "first-fruits" of
heavenly glory. It is by walking in the light of God's Word that we
make it manifest that we are meet for the Inheritance of the saints in
Light.
"In (or "according to") faith died all these." To die in faith we must
live by faith. And for this there must be, first, diligent labor to
obtain a knowledge of Divine things. The understanding must be
instructed before the path of duty can be known. "Teach me Thy way,"
"Order my steps in Thy Word," must be our daily prayer. Second, the
hiding of God's Word in our hearts. Its precepts must be meditated
upon, memorized, and made conscious of: only then will our affections
and lives be conformed to them. God's Word is designed to be not only
a light to our understanding, but also a lamp upon our path: our walk
is to be guided by it. Third, the regular contemplation of Christ by
the soul: a worshipful and adoring consideration of His fathomless
love, His marvelous grace, His infinite compassion, His present
intercession. This will deliver from a legal spirit, warm the heart,
supply strength for duty, and make us want to please Him.
"In faith died all these, not having received the promises." The word
"promises" is a metonymy, for the things promised. Literally they had
"received the promises," for that which they had heard from God was
the basis of their faith: this is clear from verses 10, 14, 16. The
things promised concerned the spiritual blessings of the Gospel
dispensation and the future heavenly inheritance. The promises made to
the fathers and "elders" had respect unto Christ the blessed "Seed"
and to Heaven of which Canaan was the type. Observe that this first
clause of verse 13 plainly intimates that the same promises were
given--though the outer shell of them varied--to Abel, Enoch, and
Noah, as were afterwards repeated to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Each
one died in the firm expectation of the promised Messiah, and in
believing views of the heavenly glory. So to die, was comfortable to
themselves, and confirming to others the reality of what they
professed.
"Not having received the promises." The Greek word for "received''
signifies the actual participation in and possession of: faith, then,
relies upon and rests in that which is not yet ours. A large part of
the life of faith consists in laying hold of and enjoying the things
promised, before the actual possession of them is obtained. It is by
meditating upon and extracting their sweetness that the soul is fed
and strengthened. The present spiritual happiness of the Christian
consists more in promises and expectant anticipation than an actual
possession, for "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen." It is this which enables us to say, "For
I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be
compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Rom. 8:18).
"But having seen them afar off." This, because the eyes of their
understanding had been Divinely enlightened (Eph. 1:18), and thus they
were able to perceive in the promises the wisdom, goodness, and love
of God. True, the fulfillment of those promises would be in the remote
future, but the eye of faith is strong and endowed with long-distant
vision. Thus it was with Abraham: he "rejoiced to see My day," said
Christ, "and he saw it and was glad" (John 8:56). Thus it was with
Moses, who "had respect unto the recompense of the reward" and
"endured as seeing Him who is invisible" (Heb. 11:26, 27). Solemn
indeed is the contrast presented in 2 Peter 1:9, where we read of
those who failed to add to their faith virtue, knowledge,
self-control, patience, godliness, brotherly-kindness, love, and in
consequence of an undeveloped Christian character "cannot see afar
off."
"And were persuaded of them." This announces the soul's satisfactory
acquiescence in the veracity of God as to the making good of His Word.
It was the setting to of their seal that He is true (John 3:33), which
is done when the heart truly receives His testimony. The word
"persuaded" means an assured confidence, which is what faith works in
the mind. A blessed example of this is seen in the case of Abraham,
who, though about an hundred years old and his wife's womb dead, yet
when God declared they should have a son, he was "fully persuaded that
what He has promised, He was able also to perform" (Rom. 4:21). Ah, my
reader, is it not because we are so dilatory in meditating upon the
"exceeding great and precious promises" of God, that our hearts are so
little persuaded of the verity and value of them!
"And embrace them," not with a cold and formal reception of them, but
with a warm and hearty welcome: such is the nature of true faith when
it lays hold of the promises of salvation. This is ever the effect of
assurance: a thankful and joyful appropriation of the things of God.
Faith not only discerns the value of spiritual things, is fully
persuaded of their reality, but also loves them. Faith adheres as well
as assents: in Scripture faith is expressed by taste as well as sight.
Faith "sees" with the understanding, is "persuaded" in the heart, and
"embraces" by the will. Thus the order of the verbs in this verse
teaches us an important practical lesson. The promises of God are
first viewed or contemplated, then rested upon as reliable, and then
delighted in. If then we would have livelier affections we must
meditate more upon the promises of God: it is the mind which affects
the heart.
Ere passing on, let us enquire, Are God's promises really precious
unto us? Perhaps we are ready to answer at once, Yes: but let us test
ourselves. Do our hearts cling to them with love and delight? Can we
truly say, "I have rejoiced in the way of Thy testimonies, as much as
in all riches" (Ps. 119:14)? What influence do God's promises have
upon us in seasons of trial and grief? Do they supply us with more
comfort than the dearest things of this world? In the midst of
distress and sorrow, do we realize that "our light affliction, which
is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory" (2 Cor. 4:17)? What effect do God's promises have
upon our praying? Do we plead them before the Throne of Grace? Do we
say with David "Remember the word unto Thy servant, upon which Thou
hast caused me to hope" (Ps. 119:49)?
"And confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth."
They who really embrace the promises of God are suitably affected and
influenced by them: their delight in heavenly things is manifested by
a weanedness from earthly things--as the woman at the well forgot her
bucket when Christ was revealed to her soul (John 4:28). When a man
truly becomes a Christian he at once begins to view time, and all the
objects of time, in a very different light from what he did before. So
it was with the patriarchs: their faith had a powerful and
transforming effect upon their lives. They made profession of their
faith and hope: they made it manifest that their chief interest was
neither in nor of the world. They had such a satisfying portion in the
promises of God that they publicly renounced such a concern in the
world as other men take whose portion is only in this life.
The patriarchs made no secret of the fact that their citizenship and
inheritance was elsewhere. Unto the sons of Heth, Abraham confessed "I
am a stranger and a sojourner with you" (Gen. 23:4). Unto Pharaoh
Jacob said, "The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and
thirty" (Gen. 47:9). Nor is this to be explained on the ground that
other nations were then in occupation of Canaan: long after Israel
entered into possession of that land David cried, "Hear my prayer, O
Lord, and give ear unto my cry; hold not Thy peace at my tears: for I
am a stranger with Thee, and a sojourner as all my fathers were" (Ps.
39:12); and again, "I am a stranger in the earth: hide not Thy
commandments from me" (Ps. 119:19). So too before all the congregation
he owned unto God, "For we are strangers before Thee, and sojourners,
as were all our fathers" (1 Chron. 29:15). Clear proof do these verses
furnish that the O.T. saints equally with the New, apprehended their
heavenly calling and glory.
"And confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth."
The two terms, though very similar in thought, are not identical. The
one refers more to the position, the place taken; the other to
condition, how one conducts himself in that place. They were
"strangers" because their home was in heaven; "pilgrims," because
journeying thither. As another has said, "It is possible to be a
`pilgrim' without being a `stranger.' But once we realize our true
strangership we are perforce compelled to be `pilgrims.' We may be
`pilgrims', and yet, in our pilgrimage, may visit all the cities and
churches in the world, and include them all in our embrace; but if we
are true `sojourners' we shall be `strangers' to them all, and shall
be compelled, as Abraham was, to erect our own solitary altar to
Jehovah in the midst of them all. How could Abraham be a worshipper
with the Canaanites? Impossible! This is why the `altar' is so closely
connected with the `tent' in Genesis 12:8 and in Abraham's sojourney"
(E.W.B.).
That which was spiritually typified by the outward life of the
patriarchs as "strangers and pilgrims" was the Christian's
renunciation of the world. As those whose citizenship is in heaven,
(Phil. 3:20), we are bidden to be "not conformed to this world" (Rom.
12:2). The patriarchs demonstrated that they were "strangers" by
taking no part in the apostate religion, politics, or social life of
the Canaanites; and evidenced that they were "pilgrims" by dwelling in
tents, moving about from place to place. How far are we making
manifest our crucifixion to the world (Gal. 6:14)? Does our daily walk
show we are "partakers of the heavenly calling"? Have we ceased
looking on this world as our home, and its people as our people? Are
we seeking to lay up treasure in heaven, or do we still hanker after
the fleshpots of Egypt? When we pray "Lord, conform me to Thine
image," do we mean "strip me of all which hinders"!
The figure of the "stranger" applied to the child of God here on
earth, is very pertinent and full. The analogies between one who is in
a foreign country and the Christian in this world, are marked and
numerous. In a strange land one is not appreciated for his birth, but
is avoided: John 15:19. The habits, ways, language are strange to him:
1 Peter 4:4. He has to be content with a stranger's fare: 1 Timothy
6:8. He needs to be careful not to give offense to the government:
Colossians 4:5. He has to continually enquire his way: Psalm 5:8.
Unless he conforms to the ways of that foreign country, he is easily
identified: Matthew 26:73. He is often assailed with homesickness, for
his heart is not where his body is: Philippians 1:23.
The figure of the "pilgrim" as it applies to the Christian is equally
suggestive. Moving on from place to place, he never feels at home. He
finds himself very much alone, for he meets with few who are traveling
his way. Those he does encounter afford him very little encouragement,
for they think him queer. He is very grateful for any kindness shown
him: sensible of his dependence on Providence, he is thankful whenever
God grants him favor in the eyes of the wicked. He carries nothing
with him but what he deems useful for his journey: all superfluities
are regarded as encumbrances. He tarries not to gaze upon the various
vanities around him. He never thinks of turning back because of the
difficulties of the way: he has a definite goal in view, and toward it
he steadily presses.
We ought to evidence that we are "strangers and pilgrims" by using the
things of this world (when necessity requires), but not abusing them
(1 Cor. 7:31). By being contented with that portion of this world's
goods which God has assigned us (Phil. 4:11). By conscientiously
seeking to discharge our own responsibility, and not being "a busybody
in other men's matters" (1 Pet. 4:15). By being moderate and temperate
in all things, and thus "abstaining from fleshly lusts which war
against the soul" (1 Pet. 2:11). By laying aside every hindering
weight and mortifying our members which are upon the earth, so that we
may run with patience the race that is set before us (Heb. 12:1). By
daily keeping in mind the brevity and uncertainty of this life (Prov.
27:1). By constantly keeping before the heart our future inheritance,
knowing that we shall only be satisfied when we awake in our Lord's
likeness.
"If they in spirit amid dark clouds, took a flight into the celestial
country, what ought we to do at this day? for Christ stretches forth
His hand to us as it were openly, from Heaven, to raise us up to
Himself. If the land of Canaan did not engross their attention, how
more weaned from things below ought we to be, who have no promised
habitation in this world?" (John Calvin). When Basil (a devoted
servant of Christ, at the beginning of the "Dark Ages") was threatened
with exile by Modestus, he said, "I know no banishment, who have no
abiding-place here in the world. I do not count this place mine, nor
can I say the other is not mine; rather all is God's whose stranger
and pilgrim I am."
"For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a
country" (verse 14). In these words a logical inference is drawn from
the last clause of the preceding verse, which supplies a valuable hint
on how the Scriptures are to be expounded. The apostle here makes
known unto us what was signified by the confession of the patriarchs.
Just as the negative implies the positive--"thou shalt not covet"
meaning also, "thou shalt be content with what God has given"--so for
saints to conduct themselves as strangers and pilgrims, and that unto
the end of their sojourning in this world, makes manifest the fact
that they are journeying heavenwards. "This is the genuine and proper
way of interpreting Scripture: when from the words themselves,
considered with relation to the persons speaking them, and to all
their circumstances we declare what was their determinate mind and
sense" (John Owen).
"For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a
country." Their confession of strangership implied more than that they
had not yet entered their promised Inheritance: it likewise showed
they were earnestly pressing toward it. They had every reason so to
do: it was their own "Country," for it was there God had blest them
with all spiritual blessings before the foundation of the world (Eph.
1:3, 4), it was from there they had been born again (John 3:3,
margin), it was there that their Father, Savior and fellow-saints
dwell. To "seek" the promised Inheritance denotes that earnest quest
of the believer after that which he supremely desires. It is this
which distinguishes him from the empty professor: the latter desires
that which is good for himself, as Balaam said, "Let me die the death
of the righteous" (Num. 23:10); but only the regenerate can truly say,
"One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I
may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life" (Ps.
27:4).
To "seek" after Heaven must be the chief aim and supreme task which
the Christian sets before him: laying aside all that would hinder, and
using every means which God has appointed. The world must be held
loosely, the affections be set upon things above, and the heart
constantly exercised about treading the Narrow Way, which alone leads
thither. "Seek a Country": "Their designs are for it, their desires
are after it, their discourses about it; they diligently endeavour to
clear up their title to it, to have their temper suited to it, and
have their conversation in it, and come to the enjoyment of it" (Matt.
Henry). Heaven is here called a "Country" because of its largeness; it
is a pleasant Country, the Land of uprightness, rest and joy. May
Divine grace conduct both writer and reader into it.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 64
The Reward of Faith
(Hebrews 11:13, 14)
__________________________________________
Once more we would remind ourselves of the particular circumstances
those saints were in to whom our Epistle was first addressed. Only as
we do so are we in the best position to discern the meaning of its
contents, and best fitted to make a right application of the same unto
ourselves. It is not that the Hebrews were Jews according to the flesh
and we Gentiles, for they, equally with us, were "holy brethren,
partakers of the heavenly calling" (Heb. 3:1). No, it is the peculiar
position which they occupied, with the pressing temptations that
solicited them, which we need to carefully ponder. Divine grace had
called them out of Judaism (John 10:3) but Divine judgment had not yet
fallen upon Judaism. The temple was still intact, and its services
continued, and as long as they did so, an appeal was made to the
Hebrews to return thereunto.
Now that historical situation adumbrated a moral one. The Christian
has been called out from the world to follow Christ, but the judgment
of God has not yet fallen upon the world and burned it up. No, it
still stands, and we are yet in it, and as long as this is the case,
Satan seeks to get us to return thereunto. It is this which enables us
to see the force of those verses which are now engaging our attention.
Keeping in mind what has just been said, the reader should have no
difficulty in discerning why the apostle reminds us, first, that the
patriarchs lived on earth as strangers and pilgrims; and secondly,
that they went not back again to the land of their birth. As we saw in
our last article, that which was typified by the patriarchs living in
separation from the Canaanites and their "dwelling in tents," was the
Christian's renunciation of this world; that which was foreshadowed by
their refusal to return unto Chaldea was the Christian's continued
renunciation of the world, and his actual winning through to Heaven.
In the verses which are now to be before us clear light is thrown upon
an essential element in the Christian life. They present to us an
aspect of Truth which, in some circles, is largely ignored or denied
today. There are those who have pressed the blessed truth of the
eternal Security of the Saints with a zeal that was not always
according to knowledge: they have presented it in a way that suggests
God preserves His people altogether apart from their use of means.
They have stated it in a manner as to virtually deny the Christian's
responsibility. They have implied that, having committed my soul unto
the keeping of the Lord, I have no more to do with its safety, than I
have with money which I have entrusted to the custody of a bank or the
government. The result has been that, many who have accepted this
false presentation of the truth have felt quite at ease in a course of
careless and reckless living.
So one-sided is the teaching we refer to, that its advocates will not
allow for a moment that there is the slightest danger of a real
Christian apostatizing. If a servant of God insists that there is, and
yet he also affirms that no real saint of God has perished or ever
will, they consider him inconsistent and illogical. They seem unable
to recognize the fact that while it be perfectly true from the side of
God's eternal counsels, the value of Christ's redemption, the efficacy
of the Spirit's work, that none of the elect can be finally lost; yet
it is equally true from the side of the Christian's frailty, the
existence of the flesh still within, his being subject unto the
assaults of Satan, and his living in a wicked world, that real (not
theoretical or imaginary) danger menaces him from every side. No, they
fondly imagine that there is only one side to the subject, the Divine
side.
But the verses we are now to ponder show the fallacy of this. So far
from affirming that there was no possibility of the patriarchs going
back again to that country which they had left--which; in type, would
mean a returning to the world--the apostle boldly affirms (caring not
who might charge him with being inconsistent with himself) that if
their hearts had been set upon Chaldea, they "might have had
opportunity to have returned." Had they grown weary of dwelling in
tents and moving about from place to place in a strange land, and
purposed to retrace their steps to Mesopotamia, what was there to
hinder them so doing? True, that would have been an act of unbelief
and disobedience, a despising and relinquishing of the promises; yet,
from the human side, the way for them so to act was always open. Let
us now weigh the details of our passage.
"And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they
came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned" (verse
15). There is a threefold connection between these words and that
which immediately precedes. First, at the beginning of verse 13 the
apostle had affirmed that all those to whom he was referring (and to
whom he was directing the special attention of the Hebrews) had "in
faith died"; in all that follows to the end of verse 16 he furnishes
proof of his assertion. Second, in verse 15 the apostle continues the
inference he had drawn in verse 14 from the last clause of verse 13:
the confession made by the patriarchs manifested that their hearts
were set upon Heaven, which was further evidenced by their refusal to
return to Chaldea. Third, he anticipates and removes an objection:
seeing that God had commanded them to take up their residence in
another land (Canaan), they were "strangers" there by necessity. No,
says the apostle; they were "strangers and pilgrims" by their own
consent too: their hearts as well as their bodies were separated from
Chaldea.
The patriarch's remaining in a strange land was quite a voluntary
thing on their part. And this brings us unto the very heart of what is
a real difficulty for many: they do not see that when God "draws" a
person (John 6:44), He does no violence to his will, that though
exercising His sovereignty man also retains his freedom. Both are
true, and hold good of the Christian life at every stage of it.
Conversion itself is wholly brought about by the mighty operations of
Divine grace, nevertheless it is also a free act on the part of the
creature. Those who are effectually called by God out of darkness into
His marvelous light, do, at conversion, surrender their whole being to
Him, renouncing the flesh, the world, and the Devil, and vow to wage
(by His grace) a ceaseless warfare against them. The Christian life is
the habitual continuance of what took place at conversion, the
carrying out of the vows then made, the putting of it into practice.
Immediately before conversion a fierce conflict takes place in the
soul. On the one side is the Devil, seeking to retain his captive by
presenting to it the pleasures of sin and the allurements of the
world, telling the soul that there will be no more happiness if these
be relinquished and the rigid requirements of Christ's commandments be
heeded. On the other side is the Holy Spirit, declaring that the wages
of sin is death, that the world is doomed to destruction, and that
unless we renounce sin and forsake the world, we must eternally
perish. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit presses upon us that nothing
short of a whole-hearted surrender to the Lordship of Christ can bring
us into "the way of salvation." Torn between these conflicting
impressions upon his mind, the soul is bidden to sit down and "count
the cost" (Luke 14:28); to deliberately weigh the offers of Satan and
the terms of Christian discipleship, and to definitely make his choice
between them.
It is not that man has the power within himself to refuse the evil and
choose the good; it is not that God has left it for the creature to
determine his own destiny; it is not that the temptations of Satan are
equally powerful with the convictions of the Holy Spirit, and that our
decision turns the scale between them. No indeed: not so do the
Scriptures teach, and not so does this writer believe. Sin has robbed
fallen man of all Power to do good, yet not his obligation to perform
it. The destiny of all creatures has been unalterably fixed by the
eternal decrees of God, yet not in such a way as to reduce them to
irresponsible automatons. The operations of the Holy Spirit in God's
elect are invincible, yet they do no violence to the human will. But
while salvation, from beginning to end, is to be wholly ascribed to
the free and sovereign grace of God, it nevertheless remains that
conversion itself is the voluntary act of man, his own conscious and
free surrendering of himself to God in Christ.
Now the same diverse factors enter into the Christian life itself.
Necessarily so, for, as said above, the Christian life is but a
progressive continuance of how we begin. Repentance is not once and
for all, but as often as we are conscious of having displeased God.
Believing in Christ is not a single act which needs no repeating, but
a constant requirement, as the "believeth" of John 3:16, and the
"coming" of 1 Peter 2:4 plainly shows. So too our renunciation of the
world is to be a daily process. The same objects which enthralled us
before conversion are still to hand, and unless we are much upon our
guard, unless our hearts are warmed and charmed by the loveliness of
Christ, through maintaining a close fellowship with Him, they will
soon gain power over us. Satan is ever ready to tempt, and unless we
diligently seek grace to resist him, will trip us up.
"And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they
came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned," but as
the next verse shows, they did not do so. In this they were in
striking and blessed contrast from Esau, who sold his birthright,
valuing temporal things more highly than spiritual. In contrast from
the Children of Israel who said one to another, "Let us make a
captain, and let us return to Egypt" (Num. 14:4). In contrast from the
Gadarenes, who preferred their hogs to Christ and His salvation (Mark
5). In contrast from the stony-ground hearers who "have no root, which
for a while believed, and in time of temptation fall away" (Luke
8:13). In contrast from the apostates of 2 Peter 2:20-22, the latter
end of whom is "worse with them than the beginning." Solemn warnings
are these which each professing Christian needs to take to heart.
Note how positively the apostle expressed it: "And truly" or "verily."
"If they had been mindful," which means, had their minds frequently
dwelt upon Chaldea, had their hearts desired it. How this shows the
great importance of "girding up the loins of our minds" (1 Pet. 1:13),
of disciplining our thoughts, for as a man "thinketh in his heart, so
is he" (Prov. 23:7). "It is in the nature of faith to mortify, not
only corrupt and sinful lusts, but our natural affections, and their
most vehement inclinations, though in themselves innocent, if they are
any way uncompliant with duties of obedience to the commands of
God--yea herein lies the principal trial of the sincerity and power of
faith. Our lives, parents, wives, children, houses, possessions, our
country, are the principal, proper, lawful objects of our natural
affections. But when they, or any of them, stand in the way of God's
commands, if they are hindrances to the doing or suffering any thing
according to His will, faith doth not only mortify, weaken and take
off that love, but gives us a comparative hatred of them" (John Owen).
"They might have had opportunity to have returned." They knew the way,
were well furnished with funds, had plenty of time at their disposal,
and health and strength for the journey. The Canaanites would not have
grieved at their departure (Gen. 26:18-21), and undoubtedly their old
friends would have heartily welcomed them back again. In like manner
(as we have said before), the way back was wide open for the Hebrews
to return unto Judaism: it was their special snare, and a constant and
habitual renunciation of it was required of them. So too if we choose
to return unto the world and engage again in all its vain pursuits,
there are "opportunities" enough: enticements abound on every hand,
and worldly friends would heartily welcome us to their society if we
would but lower our colors, drop our godliness, and follow their
course.
But the patriarchs did not go back again to that country from whence
they came out: instead, they persevered in the path of duty, and
despite all discouragements followed that course which the Divine
commandments marked out for them. In this they have left us an
example. They hankered not after the wealth, honors, pleasures, or
society of Chaldea: their hearts were engaged with something vastly
superior. They knew that in Heaven they had "a better and enduring
substance," and therefore they disdained the baubles which once had
satisfied them. Divine grace had taught them that those sources of joy
which they had once so eagerly sought, were "cisterns that can hold no
water" (Jer. 2:13); but that in Christ they had an ever-flowing well,
that springeth up unto everlasting life. Grace had taught them that it
is sinful to make material things the chief objects of this life: they
sought first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
So little did Abraham esteem Chaldea that he would not go thither in
person to obtain a wife for his son, nor suffer Isaac to go, but sent
his servant and made him swear that he would not bring her thither, if
she were unwilling to come--another illustration that nothing is more
voluntary than godliness. So it is with the Christian when he is first
converted: the world has lost all its attractions for him, nor can it
regain its hold upon his heart so long as he walks with God. The
acutest test comes in seasons of prosperity. "David professeth himself
to be a stranger and a pilgrim, not only when he was hunted like a
partridge upon the mountains, but when he was in his palace, and in
his best estate. We are not to renounce our comforts, and throw away
God's blessings; but we are to renounce our carnal affections. We
cannot get out of the world when we please, but we must get the world
out of us. It is a great trial of grace to refuse the opportunity; it
is the most difficult lesson to learn how to abound, more difficult
than to learn how to want, and to be abased; to have comforts, and yet
to have the heart weaned from comforts; not to be necessarily
mortified, but to be voluntarily mortified" (T. Manton).
It is not the absence of temptation, but the resisting of and
prevailing over them which evidences the efficacy of indwelling grace.
The power of voluntary godliness is manifested in the conflict, when
we have the "opportunity" to go wrong, but decline it. Joseph had not
only a temptation, but the "occasion" for yielding to it, yet grace
forbade (Gen. 39:9). It was the command of God which held back the
patriarchs from returning to Chaldea, and the same controls the hearts
of all the regenerate. "It is easy to be good when we cannot be
otherwise, or when all temptations to the contrary are out of the way.
All the seeming goodness there is in so many, they owe it to the want
of a temptation and to the want of an opportunity of doing otherwise"
(T. Manton). Not so with the real Christians.
"But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly; wherefore
God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He hath prepared for
them a city" (verse 16). The first half of this verse gives the
positive side of what has been before us, and amplified what was said
in verse 14. It is not enough to renounce the world, but we must also
have our hearts carried forth unto better things: we must believe in
and seek Heaven itself. There are some disdain worldly profits, but
instead of seeking the true riches, are immersed in worldly pleasures.
Others while despising fleshly recreations and dissipations, devote
themselves to more serious occupations, yet "labor for that which
satisfieth not" (Isa. 55:2). But the Christian, while passing through
it, makes a sanctified use of the world, and has his affections set
upon things above.
"But now they desire a better country, that is an heavenly." It helps
us to link together the four statements made concerning this. First,
Abraham "looked for a city" (verse 10), which denotes faith's
expectations of blessedness to come: it was not a mere passing glance
of the mind, but a serious and constant anticipation of Celestial
Bliss. Second, "They seek a Country" (verse 14): they make it the
great aim and business of their lives to avoid every hindrance,
overcome every obstacle, and steadfastly press forward along the
Narrow Way that leads thither: "Laying up in store for themselves a
good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on
eternal life" (1 Tim. 6:19). Third, "they desire a better Country''
(verse 16): they long to be relieved from the body of this death,
removed from this scene of sin, and be taken to be forever with the
Lord: "We ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption,
the redemption of our body" (Rom. 8:23): he that has had a taste of
Heaven in the joy of the spirit, his heart cries "when shall I come to
the full enjoyment of my Inheritance!" Fourth, "they declare plainly
that they seek a country" (verse 14): their daily walk makes it
manifest that they belong not to this world, but are citizens of
Heaven.
One of the best evidences that we are truly seeking Heaven, is the
possession of hearts that are weaned from this world. None will ever
enter the Father's House on high in whose soul the first fruits of
heavenly peace and joy does not grow now. He who finds his
satisfaction in temporal things is woefully deceived if he imagines he
can enjoy eternal things. He whose joy is all gone when earthly
possessions are snatched from him, knows nothing of that peace which
"passeth all understanding." And yet, if the auto, radio, newspaper,
money to go to the movies, were taken away from the average
"church-member," what would he then have left to make life worth
living? O how few can really say, "Although the fig-tree shall not
blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive
shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut
off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I
will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation" (Hab.
3:17, 18).
"Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God." "The word
`wherefore' denotes not the procuring or meritorious cause of the
thing itself, but the consequent or what ensued thereon" (John Owen).
God will be no man's Debtor: "them that honor Me, I will honor" (1
Sam. 2:30 and cf. 2 Timothy 2:21) is His sure promise. By confessing
they were strangers and pilgrims, the patriarchs had avowed their
supreme desire for and hope of a portion superior to any that could be
found on earth. Hence, because they were willing to renounce all
worldly prospects so as to follow God in an obedient faith, for the
sake of an invisible but eternal inheritance, He did not disdain to be
known as their Friend and Portion.
"We are hence to conclude that there is no place for us among God's
children except we renounce the world, and that there will be for us
no inheritance in Heaven except we become pilgrims on earth" (John
Calvin).
"God is not ashamed to be called their God." Here was the grand reward
of their faith. So well did God approve of their desire and design, He
was pleased to give evidence of His special regard unto them. "Not
ashamed" literally signifies that He had no cause to "blush" because
He had been disgraced by them--it is God speaking after the manner of
men; it is the negative way of saying that He made a joyous
acknowledgement of them, as a father does of dutiful children. When we
think not only of the personal unworthiness of the patriarchs (fallen,
sinful creatures), but also of their contemptible situation--"dwelling
in tents" in a strange land--we may well marvel at the infinite
condescension of the Maker of the universe identifying Himself with
them. What incredible grace for the Divine Majesty to avow Himself the
God of worms of the earth!
Ah, those who renounce the world for God's sake shall not be the
losers. But observe it was not simply, "God is not ashamed to be their
God," but "to be called their God." He took this very title in a
peculiar manner: unto Moses he said, "I am the God of thy father, the
God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" (Ex. 3:6).
Thus, to be "called their God" means that He was their covenant God
and Father. Not only is He the God of His children by creation and
providence, but He is also unto them "the God of all grace" (1 Pet.
5:10), as He is the God of Christ and all the elect in Him. This He
manifests by quickening, enlightening, guiding, protecting and making
all things work together for their good. He continues to be such a God
unto them through life and in death, so that they may depend upon His
love, be assured of His faithfulness, count upon His power, and be
safely carried through every trial, till they are landed on the shores
of Eternal Bliss.
"God is not ashamed to be called their God." The wider reference is to
all the elect, who have a special interest in Him. These are known,
first, by the manner of their coming into this relation. God brings
His people into this special relation by effectually calling them and
then when He has taken possession of their hearts, they choose Him for
their all-sufficient portion, and completely give up themselves to
Him. Their language is, "whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is
none upon earth that I desire beside Thee" (Ps. 73:25). Their
surrender to Him is evidenced by, "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to
do"? (Acts 9:6). Second, by their manner of living in this relation.
They glorify God by their subjection to Him, love for Him, trust in
Him. Unto those who have renounced all idols, God is not ashamed to be
known as their God.
Now if God be our "God" how contented we should be! "The Lord is the
portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: Thou maintainest my lot.
The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly
heritage" (Ps. 16:5, 6): this should ever be our language. How
confident we should be! "The Lord is my Shepherd: I shall not want"
(Ps. 23:1): this should ever be our boast. How joyful we should be!
"Because Thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise
Thee" (Ps. 63:3): this should ever be our confession. "Thou wilt show
me the path of life: in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right
hand there are pleasures forevermore" (Ps. 16:11): when brought Home
to glory we shall better understand what this connotes--"their God."
How may I know that God is my "God"? Did you ever enter into covenant
with Him? "Was your spirit ever subdued to yield to Him? Do you
remember when you were bond-slaves of Satan, that God broke in upon
you with a mighty and powerful work of grace, subduing your heart, and
causing you to yield, to give the hand to Him, to come and lie at his
feet, and lay down the weapons of defiance? Didst thou ever come as a
guilty creature, willing to take laws from God? Though it be God's
condescension to capitulate with us, yet we do not capitulate with Him
as equals, but as a subdued creature, who is taken captive and ready
to be destroyed every moment, and is therefore willing to yield and
cry quarter. How do you behave yourselves in the covenant? Do you love
God as the chiefest good? Do you seek His glory as the utmost end? Do
you obey Him as the highest Lord ? Do you depend on Him as your only
Paymaster? This is to give God the glory of a God" (T. Manton).
"For He hath prepared for them a City." Here is the crowning evidence
that He is their "God." The "City" is Heaven itself. It is spoken of
as "prepared" because God did, in His eternal counsels, appoint it:
see Matthew 20:23, 1 Corinthians 2:9. But sin entered? True, and
Christ has put away the sins of His people, and has entered Heaven as
their Representative and Forerunner: therefore has He gone there to
"prepare" a place for us, having laid the foundation for this in His
own merits; and hence we read of "the purchased possession" (Eph.
1:14). He is now in Heaven possessing it in our name. O what cause
have we to bow in wonderment and worship.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 65
The Faith of Abraham
(Hebrews 11:17-19)
__________________________________________
This chapter is the chronology of faith, or a record of some of the
outstanding acts which that grace has produced in all ages. The
apostle having mentioned the works wrought by the faith of those who
lived before the Flood (verses 4-7), and having spoken of the
patriarchs in general (verses 8-16), now mentions them in detail. He
begins again with that of Abraham, who in this glorious constellation
shines forth as a star of the first magnitude, and therefore is
fittingly styled the father of the faithful. Three principal products
of his faith are here singled out: his leaving the land of his birth,
upon the call of God (verse 8); the manner of his life in Canaan,
sojourning in tents (v. 9); and his offering up of Isaac. The first
pictures conversion, the second the Christian's life in this world,
the third the triumphant consummation of faith.
Among all the actings of Abraham's faith nothing was more remarkable
and noteworthy than the offering up of his son Isaac. Not only was it
the most wonderful work of faith ever wrought, and therefore is the
most illustrious of all examples for us to follow (the life and death
of Christ alone excepted), but it also supplies the most blessed
shadowing out of the love of God the Father in the gift of His dear
Son. The resemblances pointed by the type are numerous and striking.
Abraham offered up a son, his only begotten son. Abraham delivered up
his son to a sacrificial death, and, in purpose, smote him. But
observe too how the antitype excelled the type. Abraham's son was only
a man. Abraham offered up Isaac under Divine command: God was under no
constraint, but gave Christ freely. Abraham's son suffered not; Christ
did.
Let it not be forgotten that the chief design before the apostle
throughout this chapter, was to demonstrate unto his tried brethren
the great efficacy of faith: its power to sustain a very great trial,
to perform a very difficult duty, and to obtain a very important
blessing. Unmistakably were these three things illustrated in the case
we are now to consider. As we have already seen, it was not without
good reason that Abraham is designated the father of all who believe.
But among all the actings of his faith none was more memorable than
its exercise upon Mount Moriah. If we consider the object of it, the
occasion of it, the hindrances which stood in his way, and his blessed
victory, we cannot but admire and wonder at the power of Divine grace
triumphing over the weakness of the flesh.
"By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that
had received the promises offered up his only begotten son" (verse
17). For a clearer understanding of this verse we need to consult
Genesis 22: there we read, "And it came to pass after these things,
that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said,
Behold, here I am. And He said, Take now thy son, thine only son
Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and
offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I
will tell thee of" (verses 1, 2). The whole of what follows in Genesis
22, to the end of verse 19, should be carefully read. Before
attempting to expound our present verse and make application to
ourselves of its practical teachings, let us seek to remove one or two
difficulties which may stand in the way of the thoughtful reader.
First, "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac." The
word "offered up" is the same that is used for slaying and offering up
sacrifices. Here then is the problem: how could Abraham "offer up" his
son by faith, seeing that it was against both the law of nature and
the law of God for a man to slay his own son? Genesis 22:2, however,
shows that his faith had a sure foundation to rest upon, for the Lord
Himself had commanded him so to do. But this only appears to remove
the difficulty one stage farther back: God Himself had laid it down as
a law that "whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be
shed" (Gen. 9:6). True, but though His creatures are bound by the laws
He has prescribed them, God Himself is not.
God is under no law, but is absolute Sovereign. Moreover, He is the
Lord of life, both Giver and Preserver of it, and therefore has He an
indisputable right to dispose of it, to take it away when He pleases,
by what means or instruments He sees fit. God possesses supreme
authority, and when He pleases sets aside His own laws, or issues new
ones contrary to those given previously. By His own imperial fiat,
Jehovah now, by special and extraordinary command, constituted it a
duty for Abraham to do what before had been a sin. In similar manner,
He who gave commandment "thou shalt not make unto thee any graven
image or any likeness" (Ex. 20:4), ordered Moses to make a brazen
serpent (Num. 21:8)! Learn, then, that God is bound by no law, being
above all law.
Second, but how could it be truly said that Abraham "offered up
Isaac," seeing that he did not actually slay him? In regard to his
willingness, in regard to his set purpose, and in regard to God's
acceptance of the will for the deed, he did do so. There was no
reserve in his heart, and there was no failure in his honest
endeavors. He took the three days' journey to the appointed place of
sacrifice; he bound Isaac unto the altar, and took the knife into his
hand to slay him. And God accepted the will for the deed. This
exemplifies a most important principle in connection with God's
acceptance of the Christian's obedience. The terms of His law have not
been lowered: God still requires of us personal, perpetual, and
perfect obedience. But this we are unable to render to Him while in
our present state. And so, for Christ's sake, where the heart (at
which God ever looks) truly desires to fully please Him in all things,
and makes an honest and sincere effort to do so, God graciously
accepts the will for the deed. Carefully ponder 2 Corinthians 8:12
which illustrates the same blessed fact, and note the word "willing"
in Hebrews 13:18!
Third, the statement made in Genesis 22:1, "God did tempt Abraham,''
or as our text says, "when he was tried," for that is exactly what
both the original Hebrew and Greek word signifies: to make trial of.
"It is an act of God whereby He proveth and makes experience of the
loyalty and obedience of His servants" (W. Perkins). And this not for
His own information (for He "knoweth our thoughts afar off"), but for
their own knowledge and that of their fellows. Christ put the rich
young ruler to the proof when He said, "Go, sell that thou hast, and
give to the poor" (Matthew 19:21). So too He made trial of the
Canaanitish woman when He said, "It is not meet to take the children's
bread and to cast it to the dogs" (Matthew 15:26).
"By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac." In order to
understand and appreciate the fact that it was "by faith" Abraham
offered up Isaac, we must examine more closely the nature of that test
to which the Lord submitted the one whom He condescended to call his
"friend." In bidding him to sacrifice his beloved son, that ordeal
combined in it various and distinct features: it was a testing of his
submission or loyalty to God; it was a testing of his affections, as
to whom he really loved the more: God or Isaac; it was a testing of
which was the stronger within him: grace or sin; but supremely, it was
a testing of his faith.
Carnal writers see in this incident little more than a severe trial of
Abraham's natural affections. It cannot be otherwise, for water never
rises above its own level; and carnal men are incapable of discerning
spiritual things. But it is to be carefully noted that Hebrews 11:17
does not say, "In submission to God's holy will, Abraham offered up
Isaac," though that was true; nor "out of supreme love for God he
offered his son," though that was also the case. Instead, the Holy
Spirit declares that it was "by faith" that the patriarch acted,
declaring that "he that had received the promises offered up his only
begotten son." Most of the modern commentators, filled with fleshly
sentiment rather than with the Holy Spirit, completely miss this
point, which is the central beauty of our verse. Let us seek then to
attend unto it the more particularly.
In calling upon Abraham to sacrifice his son as a burnt offering, the
Lord submitted his faith to a fiery ordeal. How so? Because God's
promises to Abraham concerning his "seed" centered in Isaac, and in
bidding him slay his only son, He appeared to contradict Himself.
Ishmael had been cast out, and Isaac's posterity alone was to be
reckoned to Abraham as the blessed seed among whom God would have His
church. Isaac had been given to Abraham after he had long gone
childless and when Sarah's womb was dead, therefore there was no
likelihood of his having any more sons by her. At the time, Isaac
himself was childless, and to kill him looked like cutting off all his
hopes. How then could Abraham reconcile the Divine command with the
Divine promise? To sacrifice his son and heir was not only contrary to
his natural affections, but opposed to carnal reason as well.
In like manner God tests the faith of His people today. He calls upon
them to perform the acts of obedience which are contrary to their
natural affections and which are opposed to carnal reason. "If any man
will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow Me" (Matthew 16:24). How many a Christian has had his or her
affections drawn out toward a non-Christian, and then has come to them
that piercing word, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with
unbelievers" (2 Cor. 6:14)! How many a child of God has had his
membership in a "church" where he saw that Christ was dishonored; to
heed that Divine command, "Wherefore come out from among them, and be
ye separate, saith the Lord" (2 Cor. 6:17) entailed leaving behind
those near and dear in the flesh; but the call of God could not be
disregarded, no matter how painful obedience to it might be.
But when are we put to such a trial as to offer up our Isaac? To this
question the Puritan Manton returned a threefold answer. First, in the
case of submission to the strokes of providence, when near relations
are taken away from us. God knows how to strike us in the right vein;
there will be the greatest trial where our love is set. Second, in
case of self-denial, forsaking our choicest interests for a good
conscience. We must not only part with mean things, but such as we
prize above anything in the world. When God requires it (as He did
with the writer) that we should forsake father and mother, we must not
demur; nay, our lives should not be dear unto us (Acts 20:24). Third,
in mortifying our bosom lust: this is what is signified by cutting off
a "right hand" or plucking out a "right eye" (Matthew 5:29, 30).
Let us notice the time when Abraham was thus tested. The Holy Spirit
has emphasized this in Genesis 22:1 by saying, "And it came to pass
after these things, that God did tempt Abraham." A double reference
seems to be made in these words. First, a general one to all the
preceding trials which Abraham had endured -- his journey to Canaan,
his sojourning there in tents, the long, long wait for the promised
heir. Now that he had passed through a great fight of afflictions, he
is called upon to suffer a yet severer test. Ah, God educates His
children little by little: as they grow in grace harder tasks are
assigned them, and deeper waters are called upon to be passed through,
that enlarged opportunities may be afforded for manifesting their
increased faith in God. It is not the raw recruit, but the scarred
veteran, who is assigned a place in the front ranks in the battle.
Think it not strange then, fellow-Christian, if thy God is now
appointing thee severer tests than He did some years ago.
Second, a more specific reference is made in Genesis 22:1 to what is
recorded in the previous chapter: the miraculous birth of Isaac, the
great feast that Abraham made, when he was weaned (verse 8), and the
casting out of Ishmael (verse 14). The cup of the patriarch's joy was
now full. His outlook seemed most promising: not a cloud appeared on
the horizon. Yet it was then, like a heavy clap of thunder out of a
clear sky, that the most trying test of all came upon him! Yes, and so
it was just after God had pronounced Job "a perfect man and an
upright" that He delivered all that he had into Satan's hands (Job
1:8, 12). So too it was when Paul had been rapt to the third heaven,
when he received such "abundance of revelations,'' that there was
given him "a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet him"
(2 Cor. 12:1-7).
How we need to seek grace that we may be enabled to hold every thing
down here with a light hand. Rightly did an old writer say, "Build not
thy nest on any earthly tree, for the whole forest is doomed to be cut
down." It is not only for God's glory, but for our own good, that we
set our affections upon "things above." And in view of what has just
been before us, how necessary it is that we should expect and seek in
advance to be prepared for severe trials. Are we not bidden to "hear
for the time to come" (Isa. 42:23)? The more we calmly anticipate
future trials, the less likely are we to be staggered and overcome by
them when they arrive: "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the
fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened
unto you" (1 Pet. 4:12).
Having observed the time when Abraham was tested, let us now consider
the severity of his trial. First the act itself. Abraham was ordered
to slay, not all his bullocks and herds, but a human being; and that
not one of his faithful servants, but his beloved son. Abraham was
bidden, not to banish from home or send him out of Canaan, but to cut
him off out of the land of the living. He was commanded to do a thing
for which no reason could be assigned save the authority of Him who
gave the command. He was bidden to do that which was most abhorrent to
natural feeling. He must not only consent unto the death of his dear
Isaac, but himself be his executioner. He was to slay one who was
guilty of no crime, but who (according to the Divine record) was an
unusually dutiful, loving, and obedient child. Was ever such a demand
made upon a human creature before or since!
Second, consider the offerer. In our text he is presented in a
particular character: "he that had received the promises," which is
the key clause to the verse. God had declared unto Abraham that He
would establish an everlasting covenant with Isaac and with his seed
after him (Gen. 17:9). Isaac, and none other, was the "seed" by whose
posterity Canaan should be possessed (Gen. 12:7). It was through him
that all nations should be blessed (Gen. 17:7), and therefore it must
be through him that Christ, according to the flesh, would proceed.
These promises Abraham had "received": he had given credit for them,
firmly believed them, fully expected their performance. Now the
accomplishment of those promises depended upon the preservation of
Isaac's life--at least until he had a son; and to sacrifice him now,
appeared to render them all null and void, making their fulfillment
impossible.
"He that had received the promises" -- "which noteth not only the
revelation of the promises, concerning a numerous issue, and the
Messiah to come of his loins, but the entertaining of them and cordial
assent to them. He received them not only a private believer, but as a
feoffee in trust for the use of the church. In the first ages of the
world God had some eminent persons who received a revelation of His
will in the name of the rest. This was Abraham's case, and he is here
viewed not only as a father, a loving father, but as one who had
received the promises as a public person, and father of the
faithful--the person whom God had chosen in whom to deposit the
promises" (T. Manton). Herein lay the spiritual acuteness of the
trial: would he not in slaying Isaac be faithless to his trust? would
he not by his own act place the gravestone on all hope for the
fulfillment of such promises?
Forcibly did Matthew Henry, when commenting upon the time at which
Abraham received this trying command from God, say, "After he had
received the promises that this Isaac should build up his family, and
that `in him his seed should be called' (Heb. 11:18), and that he
should be one of the progenitors of the Messiah, and all nations
blessed in Him; so that in being called to offer up his Isaac, he
seemed to be called to destroy and cut off his own family, to cancel
the promises of God, to prevent the coming of Christ, to destroy the
whole truth, to sacrifice his own soul and his hope of salvation, to
cut off the church of God at one blow; a most terrible trial!" If
Isaac were slain, then all seemed to be lost.
It may be asked, But why should God thus try the faith of the
patriarch? For Abraham's own sake that he might the better know the
efficacy of that grace which God had bestowed upon him. As the
suspending of a heavy weight upon a chain reveals either its weakness
or its strength, so God places His people in varied circumstances
which manifest that state of their hearts--whether or no their trust
be really in Him. The Lord tried Hezekiah to show unto him his frailty
(2 Chron. 32:31); he tried Job to show that though He slew him yet
would he trust in God. Second, for the sake of others, that Abraham
might be an example to them. God had called him to be the father of
the faithful, and therefore would He show unto all generations of his
children what grace He had conferred upon him--what a worthy "father"
or pattern he was (condensed from W. Gouge).
In like manner, God tries His people today and puts to the proof the
grace which He has communicated to their hearts: this, both for His
own glory, and for their own comfort. The Lord is determined to make
it manifest that He has on earth a people who will forsake any comfort
and endure any misery rather than forego their plain duty; who love
Him better than their own lives, and who are prepared to trust Him in
the dark. So too we are the gainers, for we never have clearer proof
of the reality of grace than when we are under sore trials. "Knowing
that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and
experience hope" (Rom. 5:3, 4). As another has said, "By knocking upon
the vessel we see whether it is full or empty, cracked or sound, so by
these knocks of providence we are discovered."
Rightly did John Owen point out, "Trials are the only touchstone of
faith, without which men must want (lack) the best evidence of its
sincerity and efficacy, and the best way of testifying it unto others.
Wherefore we ought not to be afraid of trials, because of the
admirable advantages of faith, in and by them." Yea, the Word of God
goes farther, and bids us, "Count it all joy when ye fall into divers
temptations" or "trials," declaring "that the trying of your faith
worketh patience; but let patience have her perfect work, that ye may
be perfect and entire, wanting nothing" (James 1:2-4). So too, "Though
now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold
temptations (or "trials") that the trial of your faith, being much
more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with
fire, might be found unto praise and honor, and glory at the appearing
of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:6, 7).
In conclusion, let us observe how Abraham conducted himself under this
sore trial: "he that had received the promises offered up his only
begotten son." Many instructive details concerning this are recorded
in Genesis 22. There it will be found that Abraham consulted not with
Sarah--why should he, when he already knew God's will on the matter!
Nor was there any disputing with God, as to the apparently flagrant
disprepancy between His present command and His previous promises. Nor
was there any delay: "And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and
saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his
son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went
unto the place of which God had told him" (Gen. 22:3). And how is his
unparalleled action to be accounted for? From what super-fleshly
principle did it spring? A single word gives the answer: FAITH. Not a
theoretical faith, not a mere head-knowledge of God, but a real,
living, spiritual, triumphant, faith.
"By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac." By faith in
the Divine justice and wisdom behind the command so to act. By faith
in the veracity and faithfulness of God to make good His own promises.
Fully assured that God was able to fulfill His word, Abraham closed
his eyes to all difficulties, and steadfastly counted upon the power
of Him that cannot lie. This is the very nature or character of a
spiritual faith: it persuades the soul of God's absolute supremacy,
unerring wisdom, unchanging righteousness, infinite love, almighty
power. In other words, it rests upon the character of the living God,
and trusts Him in the face of every obstacle. Spiritual faith makes
its favored possessor judge that the greatest suffering is better than
the least sin; yea, it unhesitatingly avows "Thy loving kindness is
better than life" (Ps. 63:3).
We must leave for our next article the consideration of the remainder
of our passage. But in view of what has already been before us, is not
both writer and reader constrained to cry unto God, "Lord, have mercy
upon reel Pardon my vile unbelief, and graciously subdue its awful
power. Be pleased, for Christ's sake, to work in me that spiritual and
supernatural faith which will honor Thee and bear fruits to Thy glory.
And if Thou hast, in Thy discriminating grace, already communicated to
me this precious, precious gift, then graciously deign to strengthen
it by the power of Thy Holy Spirit; call it forth into more frequent
exercise and action. Amen."
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 66
The Faith of Abraham
(Hebrews 11:17-19)
__________________________________________
"Yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and
your members as instruments of righteousness unto God" (Rom. 6:13).
The Lord has an absolute claim upon us, upon all that we have. As our
Maker and Sovereign He has the fight to demand from us anything He
pleases, and whatsoever He requires we must yield (1 Chron. 29:11).
All that we have comes from Him, and must be held for Him, and at His
disposal (1 Chron. 29:14). The Christian is under yet deeper
obligations to part with anything God may ask from him: loving
gratitude for Christ and His so great salvation, must loosen our hold
on every cherished temporal thing. The bounty of God should encourage
us to surrender freely whatever He calls for, for none ever lose by
giving up anything to God. Yet powerful as are these considerations to
any renewed mind, the fact remains that they move us not until faith
is in exercise. Faith it is which causes us to yield to God, respond
to His claims, and answer His calls.
"By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac; and he that
had received the promises offered up his only begotten son. Of whom it
was said, That in Isaac shall thy Seed be called: Accounting that God
was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he
received him in a figure" (Heb. 11:17-19). The apostle's purpose in
citing this remarkable incident, was to show that it is the property
of faith to carry its possessor through the greatest trials, with a
cheerful submission and acceptable obedience to the will of God. In
order to make this clearer unto the reader, let us endeavor to exhibit
the powerful influence which faith has to support the soul under and
carry it through testings and trials.
First, faith judgeth of all things aright: it impresses us with a
sense of the uncertainty and fleetingness of earthly things, and
causes us to highly esteem invisible and heavenly things. Faith is a
spiritual prudence opposed not only to ignorance, but also to folly:
so much unbelief as we have, so much folly is ours--"O fools and slow
of heart to believe" (Luke 24:25). Faith is a spiritual wisdom,
teaching us to value the favour of God, the smiles of His countenance,
the comforts of Heaven; it shows us that all outward things are
nothing in comparison with inward peace and joy. Carnal reason prizes
the concernments of the present life and grasps at its riches and
honors; sense is occupied with fleshly pleasures; but faith knows "Thy
loving kindness is better than life" (Ps. 63:3).
Second, faith solves all riddles and doubts when we are in a dilemma:
what a problem confronted Abraham; what! shall I offer Isaac and bring
to naught God's promises, or must I disobey Him on the other side?
Faith removed the difficulty: "accounting that God was able to raise
him up even from the dead." Faith believes the accomplishment of the
promise, whatever reason and sense may say to the contrary; it cuts
the knot by a resolute dependence upon the power and fidelity of God.
Faith casts down carnal imaginations and every high thing that
exalteth itself against God, and brings into captivity every thought
to the obedience of Christ.
Third, faith is a grace which looks to future things, and in the light
of their reality the hardest trials seem nothing. Sense is occupied
only with things present, and thus to nature it appears troublesome
and bitter to deny ourselves. But the language of faith is, "For our
light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things
which are seen, but at the things which are not seen" (2 Cor. 4:17,
18). Faith looks within the veil, and so has a mighty influence to
support the soul in time of trial. He who walks in the light of
Eternity goes calmly and happily along through the mists and fogs of
time; neither the frowns of men nor the blandishments of the world
affect him, for he has a ravishing and affecting sight of the glorious
Inheritance to which he is journeying.
Fourth, "faith worketh by love" (Gal. 5:6), and then nothing is too
near and dear to us if the relinquishing of them will glorify God.
Faith not only looks forward, but backward; it reminds the soul of
what great things God has done for us in Christ. He has given us His
beloved Son, and He is worth infinitely more than all we can give to
Him. Yes, faith apprehends the wondrous love of God in Christ, and
says, If He gave the Darling of His bosom to die for me, shall I stick
at any little sacrifice? If God gave me Christ shall I deny Him my
Isaac: I love him well, but I love God better. Thus faith works,
urging the soul with the love of God, that we may out of thankfulness
to Him part with those comforts which He requires of us.
"Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy Seed be called" (verse
18). This was brought in by the apostle to show wherein lay the
greatest obstacle before Abraham's faith. First, he was called on to
"offer up" his son and heir. Second, and this after he had "received
the promises." Third, not Ishmael, but his "only begotten" or
well-beloved Isaac--this is the force of the expression: it is a term
of endearment as John 1:18, 3:16 shows. Fourth, he must slay the one
from whom the Messiah Himself was to issue, for this is clearly the
meaning of the Divine promise recorded in verse 18.
Long ago John Owen called attention to the fact that the Socinians
(Unitarians) reduced God's promise to Abraham unto two heads: first
that of a numerous posterity, and second that this posterity should
inhabit and enjoy the land of Canaan as an inheritance. But this, as
he pointed out, directly contradicts the apostle, who in Heb. 11:39
affirms that, when they had possessed the land of Canaan almost unto
the utmost period of its grant unto them, had not received the
accomplishment of the promise--we wish our modern "dispensationalists"
would ponder that verse. While it is true that the numerous posterity
of Abraham and their occupancy of Canaan were both means and pledges
of the fulfillment of the promise, yet Acts 2:38, 39 and Galatians
3:16 make it unmistakably plain that the subject-matter of the promise
was Christ Himself, with the whole work of His meditation for the
redemption and salvation of His Church.
"Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy Seed be called." This
Divine promise is first found in Genesis 21:12, and the occasion of
God's giving it unto Abraham supplies us with another help towards
determining its significance. In the context there, we find that the
Lord had given orders for the casting out of Hagar and her son, and we
read, "And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of
his son" (Gen. 21:11). Then it was, to console his stricken heart,
that Jehovah said unto His "friend": grieve not over Hagar's son, for
I will give thee One who is better than a million Ishmaels; I will
give thee a son from whom shall descend none other than the promised
Savior and Redeemer. And now Abraham was called upon to slay him who
was the marked-out progenitor of the Messiah! No ordinary faith was
called for here!
Who can doubt but that now Abraham was sorely pressed by Satan! Would
he not point out how "inconsistent" God was?--as he frequently will to
us, if we are foolish enough to listen to his vile accusations. Would
he not appeal to his sentiments and say, How will Sarah regard you
when she learns that you have killed and reduced to ashes the child of
her old age? Would he not seek to persuade Abraham that God was
playing with him, that He did not really mean to be taken seriously,
that he could not be so cruel as to require a righteous father to be
the executioner of his own dutiful son? In the light of all that is
revealed of our great Enemy in Holy Writ, and in view of our own
experience of his fiendish assaults, who can doubt but what Abraham
now became the immediate object of the Devil's attack.
Ah, nothing but a mind that was stayed upon the Lord could have then
resisted the Devil, and performed a task which was so difficult and
painful. "Had he been weak in faith, he would have doubted whether two
revelations, apparently inconsistent, could come from the same God,
or, if they did, whether such a God ought to be trusted and obeyed.
But being strong in faith, he reasoned in this way: This is plainly
God's command, I have satisfactory evidence of that; and therefore it
ought to be immediately and implicitly obeyed. I know Him to be
perfectly wise and righteous, and what He commands must be right.
Obedience to this command does indeed seem to throw obstacles in the
way of the fulfillment of a number of promises which God has made to
me. I am quite sure that God has made those promises; I am quite sure
that He will perform them. How He is to perform them, I cannot tell.
That is His province, not mine. It is His to promise, and mine to
believe; His to command, and mine to obey" (John Brown).
The incident we are now considering shows us again that faith has to
do not only with the promises of God, but with His precepts as well.
Yea, this is the central thing which is here set before us. Abraham
had been "strong in faith" when God had declared he should have a son
by his aged wife (Rom. 4:19), not being staggered by the seemingly
insurmountable difficulty that stood in the way; and now he was strong
in faith when God bade him slay his son, refusing to be deterred by
the apparently immovable obstacle which his act would interpose before
his receiving the Seed through Isaac. Ah, dear reader, make no mistake
upon this point: a faith which is not as much and as truly engaged
with the precepts as it is with the promises of God, is not the faith
of Abraham, and therefore is not the faith of God's elect. Spiritual
faith does not pick and choose: it fears God as well as loves Him.
As the promises are not believed with a lively faith unless they draw
off our hearts from the carnal vanities to seek that happiness which
they offer us, so the commandments are not believed rightly unless we
be fully resolved to acquiesce in them as the only rule to guide us in
the obtaining that happiness, and to adhere to and obey them. The
Psalmist declared, "I have believed Thy commandments" (Ps. 119:66); he
recognized God's authority behind them, there was a readiness of heart
to hear His voice in them, there was a determination of will for his
actions to be regulated by them. So it was with Abraham, and so it
must be with us if we would furnish proof that he is our "father." "If
ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham" (John
8:39).
God's Word is not to be taken piece-meal by us, but received into our
hearts as a whole: every part must affect us, and stir up dispositions
in us which each several part is suited to produce. If the promises
stir up comfort and joy, the commandments must stir up love, fear, and
obedience. The precepts are a part of Divine revelation. The same Word
which calls upon us to believe in Christ as an all-sufficient Savior,
also bids us to believe the commandments of God, for the molding of
our hearts and the guiding of our ways. There is a necessary
connection between the precepts and the promises, for the latter
cannot do us good until the former be heeded: our consent to the Law
precedes our faith in the Gospel. God's commands "are not grievous" (1
John 5:3). Christ must be accepted as Lawgiver before He becomes our
Redeemer: Isaiah 33:22.
How the readiness of Abraham to sacrifice his son condemns those who
oppose God's commands, and will not sacrifice their wicked and filthy
lusts! "Whosoever he be of you," says Christ, "that forsaketh not all
that he hath, he cannot by My disciple" (Luke 14:33): by which He
meant, until he does in heart sincerity and resolute endeavor turn
away from all that stands in competition (for our affections) with the
Lord Jesus, he cannot become a Christian: see Isaiah 55:7. In vain do
we claim to be saved if the world still rules our hearts. Divine grace
not only delivers from the wrath to come, but even now it effectually
"teaches" its recipients to deny "all ungodliness and worldly lusts,
that we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present
world" (Titus 2:12).
"Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead"
(verse 19). Here we learn what was the immediate object of Abraham's
faith on this occasion, namely, the mighty power of God. He was fully
assured that the Lord would work a miracle rather than fail of His
promise. Ah, my brethren, it is by meditating upon God's sufficiency
that the heart is quietened and faith is established. In times of
temptation when the soul is heavy with doubts and fears, great relief
may be obtained by pondering the Divine attributes, particularly,
God's omnipotency. His all-mighty power is a special prop to faith.
The faith of saints has in all ages been much strengthened hereby.
Thus it was with the three Hebrews: "our God whom we serve is able to
deliver us from the burning fiery furnace" (Dan. 3:17)! "With God all
things are possible" (Mark 10:27): He is able to make good His word,
though all earth and hell seem to make against it.
Here too we see exhibited another of faith's attributes, namely, the
committal of events unto God. Carnal reason is unable to rest until a
solution is in sight, until it can see a way out of its difficulties.
But faith spreads the need before God, rolls the burden upon Him, and
calmly leaves the solution to Him. "Commit thy works unto the Lord,
and thy thoughts shall be established" (Prov. 16:3): when this is
truly done by faith we are eased of many tossings of mind and
agitations of soul that would otherwise distress us. So here, Abraham
committed the event unto God, reckoning on His power to raise Isaac
again, though he should be killed. This is the very nature of
spiritual faith: to refer our case unto Him, and wait calmly and
expectantly for the promised deliverance, though we can neither
perceive nor imagine the manner in which it shall be brought about.
"Commit thy way unto the Lord: trust also in Him; and He shall bring
to pass" (Ps. 37:5).
O how little faith is in exercise among the professing people of God
today. Occupied almost wholly with the rising tide of evil in the
world, with the rapid spread of Romanism, with the apostasy of
Protestantism, the vast majority of those now bearing the name of
Christ conclude that we are facing a hopeless situation. Such people
seem to be ignorant of the history of the past. Both in O.T. times and
at different periods of this dispensation, things have been far worse
than they now are. Moreover, such trembling pessimists leave out God:
is not HE "able" to cope with the present situation? A hesitating
"Yes" may be given, at once nullified by the query, "But where is the
promise that He will do so?" Where? Why in Isaiah 59:19, "When the
enemy shall come in like a flood (has he not already done so!), the
Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him"--but who
believes it!
Ah, my Christian reader, ponder thoughtfully that blessed affirmation
of Him that cannot lie, and then bow the head in shame for thine
unbelief. Every thing in the world may seem to lie dead against the
fulfillment of many a Divine promise, yet no matter how dark and
dreadful the outlook appears, the Church of God on earth today is not
facing nearly so critical and desperate a situation as did the father
of the faithful when he had his knife at the breast of him on whose
one life the accomplishment of all the promises did depend. Yet he
rested in the faithfulness and power of God to secure His own
veracity: and so may we do also at this present juncture. He who
responded to the faith of sorely-tried Abraham, to the faith of Moses
when Israel stood before the Red Sea, to the three Hebrews when cast
in Babylon's furnace, will to ours, if we really trust Him. Forsake
then your newspapers, brethren, get ye to your knees, and pray
expectantly for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Man's extremity
is always God's opportunity.
"Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead."
This supplies an interesting sidelight on the spiritual intelligence
of the patriarchs. The O.T. saints were very far from being as
ignorant as some of our superficial moderns suppose. Erroneous
conclusions have often been drawn from the silence of Genesis on
various matters: the later books of Scripture frequently supplement
the concise accounts supplied in the earlier ones. Rightly did John
Owen point out, "Abraham firmly believed, not only in the immortality
of the souls of men, but also the resurrection from the dead. Had he
not done so, he could not have betaken himself unto this relief in his
distress. Other things he might have thought of, wherein God might
have exercised His power; but he could not believe that He would do
it, in that which itself was not believed by him."
Some, perhaps, think that Owen drew too much on his imagination, that
he read into Hebrews 11:19 what is not really there. If so, they are
mistaken. There is one clear statement in Genesis 22, which, though
not quoted by the eminent Puritan, fully establishes his assertion:
there we are told that the patriarch said unto his young men, "I and
the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you" (verse 5).
This is exceedingly blessed. It shows us that Abraham was not occupied
with his faith, his obedience, or with anything in himself, but solely
with the living God: the "worship" of Him filled his heart and engaged
all his thoughts. The added words "and come again to you" make it
unmistakably plain that Abraham confidently expected Jehovah to raise
again from the dead the one he was about to sacrifice unto Him as a
burnt offering. A wonderful triumph of faith was this: recorded for
the praise of the glory of God's grace, and for our instruction.
O my dear brethren and sisters in Christ, we want you to do something
more than read through this article: we long for you to meditate upon
this blessed sequel to Abraham's sore trial. He was tested as none
other ever was, and grand was the outcome; but between that testing
and its happy issue there was the exercise of faith, the counting upon
God to interpose on his behalf, the trusting in His all-sufficient
power. And God did not fail him: though He tried his faith to the
limit, yet in the nick of time the Lord intervened. This is recorded
for our encouragement, especially for those who are now passing
through a fiery furnace. He who can deliver from death, what cannot He
do! Say then with one of old, "Neither is there any Rock (to stay
ourselves upon) like our God" (1 Sam. 2:2): Hannah had found a mighty
support to her faith in the power of God.
"By faith Abraham . . . offered up Isaac . . . accounting that God was
able to raise him up." Faith, then, expects a recompense from God.
Faith knows that it is a saving bargain to lose things for Christ's
sake. Faith looks for a restitution of comforts again, either in kind
or in value: "There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, . . .
for My sake and the Gospel's, but he shall receive an hundredfold now
in this time, houses and brethren... and in the world to come eternal
life" (Mark 10:29, 30)--that is, either actually so, or an abundant
equivalent. When one of the kings of Israel was bidden by the Lord to
dismiss the army he had hired, he was troubled, and asked, "What shall
we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the army of
Israel" (2 Chron. 25:9); whereupon the prophet replied, "The Lord is
able to give thee much more than this"! When a man, through
faithfulness to Christ, is exposed unto the frowns of the world, and
his family faces starvation, let him know that God will undertake for
him. The Lord will be no man's Debtor.
"From whence also he received him in a figure" (verse 19). Abraham
had, as to his purpose, sacrificed Isaac, so that he considered him as
dead; and he (thus) received him back from the dead--not really, but
in a manner bearing likeness to such a miracle. This illustrates and
demonstrates the truth of what has just been said above. God returns
again to us what we offer to Him: "whatsoever a man soweth that shall
he also reap" (Gal. 6:7). "That which he hath given will He pay him
again" (Prov. 19:17), for He will not be beholden to any of His
creatures. Hannah gave up Samuel to the Lord, and she had many more
children in return (1 Sam. 2:20, 21). How great, then, is the folly of
those who withhold from God anything which He asks of them: how they
forsake their own mercies, stand in their own light, and hinder their
own good.
"From whence also he received him in a figure." Here is the grand
outcome of the patriarch's faith. First, the trial was withdrawn,
Isaac was spared: the speediest way to end a trial is to be completely
resigned to it; if we would save our life, we must lose it. Second, he
had the expressed approval of the Lord, "now I know that thou fearest
God" (Gen. 22:12): he whose conscience is clear before God enjoys
great peace. Third, he had a clearer view of Christ than he had
before: "Abraham saw My day" said the Savior--the closer we keep to
the path of obedience the more real and precious will Christ be unto
us. Fourth, he obtained a fuller revelation of God's name: he called
Him "Jehovah-Jireh" (Gen. 22:14): the more we stand the test of trial
the better instructed shall we be in the things of God. Fifth, the
covenant was confirmed to him (Gen. 22:16, 17): the quickest road to
full assurance is full obedience.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 67
The Faith of Isaac
(Hebrews 11:20)
__________________________________________
Though Isaac lived the longest of the four great patriarchs, yet less
is recorded about him than any of the others: some twelve chapters are
devoted to the biography of Abraham, and a similar number each to
Jacob and Joseph, but excepting for one or two brief mentionings
before and after, the history of Isaac is condensed into two chapters,
Genesis 26, 27. Contrasting his character with those of his father,
and of his son, we may remark that there is noted less of Abraham's
triumphs of faith, and less of Jacob's failures. Taking it on the
whole, the life of Isaac is a disappointing one: it begins brightly,
but ends amid the shadows--like that of so many, it failed to fulfill
its early promise.
The one act in Isaac's life which the Holy Spirit selected for mention
in the Scroll of Faith takes us back to Genesis 27, where, as the
Puritan Owen well said, "There is none (other story) in the scripture
filled with more intricacies and difficulties as unto a right judgment
of the things related, though the matter of fact be clearly and
distinctly set down. The whole represents unto us Divine sovereignty,
wisdom and faithfulness, working effectually through the frailties,
infirmities, and sins of all the persons concerned in the matter."
Genesis 27 opens by presenting unto us Isaac in his old age, and
declares that "his eyes were dim, so that he could not see" (verse 1).
It ought not to need saying that we have there something more than a
mere reference to the state of his physical eyes, yet in these days
when so many glory in their understanding the Word "literally," God's
servants need to dwell upon the most elementary spiritual truths.
Everything in Holy Writ has a deeper significance than the "literal,"
and we are greatly the losers when we limit ourselves to the "letter"
of any verse. Let us contrast this statement concerning Isaac's
defective vision with what is recorded of another servant of God at
the same advanced age: "And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old
when he died: his eye was not dim" (Deut. 34:7).
Genesis 27 shows us the low state into which a child of God may get.
Isaac presents unto us a solemn warning of the evil consequences which
follow failure to judge and refuse our natural appetites. If we do not
mortify our members which are upon the earth, if we do not abstain
from fleshly lusts that war against the soul, then the fine edge of
our spiritual life will be blunted, and the fine gold will become dim.
If we live to eat, instead of eating to live, our spiritual vision is
bound to be defective. Discernment is a by-product, the fruit and
result of the denying of self, and following of Christ (John 8:12). It
was this self-abnegation which was so conspicuous in Moses: he learned
to refuse that which appealed to the flesh a position of honor as the
son of Pharaoh's daughter; that is why his "eye was not dim."--He saw
that the brick-making Hebrews were the people of God, the objects of
His sovereign favor, and following his spiritual promptings, threw in
his lot with them.
How different was the case with poor Isaac! Instead of keeping his
body in subjection, he indulged it. More than a hint of this is given
in Genesis 25:28, "And Isaac loved Esau because he did eat of his
venison": this brought him under the influence of one who could be of
no help to him spiritually, and he loved him because he ministered
unto his fleshly appetites. And now in Genesis 27, when he thought
that the end of his days was near, and he desired to bestow the
patriarchal blessing upon his son, instead of giving himself to
fasting and prayer, and then acting in accord with the revealed will
of God, we are told that he called for Esau and said, "Now therefore
take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to
the field, and hunt me some venison; and make me some savory meat,
such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may
bless thee before I die" (Gen. 27:3, 4). This is what furnishes the
key to the immediate sequel.
"And the Lord said unto her (viz., Rebekah), Two nations are in thy
womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and
the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder
shall serve the younger" (Gen. 25:23). This is the scripture which
supplies the second key to the whole incident recorded in Genesis 27
and opens for us Hebrews 11:20. Here we find God making known the
destiny of Jacob and Esau: observe that this revelation was made unto
the mother (who had "inquired of the Lord": verse 22), and not to
their father. That, later on, Isaac himself became acquainted with its
terms, is clear, but as to how far he really apprehended their
meaning, is not easy to say.
The word that the Lord had spoken unto her, Rebekah believed; yet she
failed to exercise full confidence in Him. When she saw Isaac's marked
partiality for Esau, and learned that her husband was about to perform
the last religious act of a patriarchal priest and pronounce blessing
on his sons, she became fearful. When she heard Isaac bid Esau make
him some "savory meat"--evidently desiring to enkindle or intensify
his affections for Esau, so that he might bless him with all his
heart--she imagined that the purpose of God was about to be thwarted,
and resorted unto measures which ill become a daughter of Jehovah, and
which can by no means be justified. We will not dwell upon the
deception which she prompted Jacob to adopt, but would point out that
it supplies a solemn example of a real faith being resolutely fixed on
the Divine promises, but employing irregular ways and wrong means for
the obtaining of them.
In what follows we see how Isaac was deceived by Jacob posing as Esau.
Though uneasy and suspicious at first, his fears were largely allayed
by Jacob's lies: though perceiving the voice was that of the younger
son, yet his hands appeared to be those of the elder. Pathetic indeed
is it to see the aged patriarch reduced unto the sense of touch in his
efforts to identify the one who had now brought him the longed-for
venison. It is this which should speak loudly to our hearts: he who
yields to the lusts of the flesh injures his spiritual instincts, and
opens wide the door for the Devil to impose upon him and deceive him
with his lies! He who allows natural sentiments and affections to
override the requirements of God's revealed will, is reduced to a
humiliated state in the end. How often it proves that a man's
spiritual foes are they of his own household! Isaac loved Esau
unwisely.
But now we must face a difficult question: Did Isaac deliberately pit
himself against the known counsel of God? Did he defiantly purpose to
bestow upon Esau what he was assured the Lord had appointed for Jacob?
"Whatever may be spoken in excuse of Isaac, it is certain he failed
greatly in two things. First, in his inordinate love to Esau (whom he
could not but know to be a profane person), and that on so slight an
account as eating of his venison: Genesis 25:28. Second, in that he
had not sufficiently enquired into the mind of God, in the oracle that
his wife received concerning their sons. There is not question on the
one hand, but that he knew of it; nor on the other, that he did not
understand it. For if the holy man had known that it was the
determinate will of God, he would not have contradicted it. But this
arose from want of diligent enquiry by prayer, into the mind of God"
(John Owen).
We heartily agree with these remarks of the eminent Puritan. While the
conduct of Isaac on this occasion was far from becoming a child of God
who concluded his earthly pilgrimage was now nearly complete, yet
charity forbids us to put the worst possible construction upon his
action. While his affection for Esau was misplaced, yet, in the
absence of any clear scriptural proof, we are not warranted in
thinking that he sinned presumptuously, by deliberately resisting the
revealed will of God; rather must we conclude that he had no clear
understanding of the Divine oracle given to Rebekah--his spiritual
discernment was dim, as well as his physical vision! As to the
unworthy part played by Rebekah and Jacob, their efforts are to be
regarded not so much as the feverish energies of the flesh, seeking to
force the fulfilment of God's promise, but as well-meant but misguided
intentions to prevent the thwarting of God's purpose. Their fears
remind us of Uzzah's in 2 Samuel 6:6.
The one bright spot in the somber picture which the Holy Spirit has so
faithfully painted for us in Genesis 27, found in verse 33. Right
after Isaac had pronounced the major blessing on Jacob, Esau entered
the tent, bringing with him the savory meat which he had prepared for
his father. Isaac now realized the deception which had been played
upon him, and we are told that he "trembled very exceedingly." Was he
shaking with rage at Jacob's treachery? No indeed. Was he, as one
commentator has suggested, fearful that he might suffer injury at the
hands of the hot-headed Esau? No, his next words explode such a
theory. Rather was it he now realized that he had been out of harmony
with the Divine will, and that God had providentially intervened to
effect His own counsels. He was awed to the very depths of his soul.
Blessed indeed is it to behold how the spirit triumphed over the
flesh. Instead of bursting out with an angry curse upon the head of
Jacob, Isaac said, "I have blessed him, yea, and he shall be blessed."
That was the language of faith overcoming his natural partiality for
Esau. It was the recognizing and acknowledging of the immutability and
invincibility of the Divine decrees. He realized that God is in one
mind, and none can turn Him: that though there are many devices in a
man's heart, nevertheless the counsel of the Lord that shall stand
(Prov. 19:21). Nor could the tears of Esau move the patriarch. Now
that the entrance of God's words had given him light, now that the
over-ruling hand of God had secured His own appointment, Isaac was
firm as a rock. The righteous may fall, but they cannot be utterly
cast down.
"By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come"
(Heb. 11:20). Jacob, the younger, had the precedency and principal
blessing. Strikingly did this exemplify the high sovereignty of God.
To take the younger, and leave the elder to perish in their ways, is a
course the Lord has often followed, from the beginning of the world.
Abel, the junior, was preferred before Cain. Shem was given the
precedency over Japheth the elder (Gen. 10:21). Afterwards, Abraham,
the younger, was taken to be God's favorite. Of Abraham's two sons,
the older one, Ishmael, was passed by, and in Isaac was the Seed
called. Later, David, who was the youngest of Jesse's eight sons, was
selected to be the man after God's own heart. And God still writes, as
with a sunbeam in the course of His providence, that He will have
mercy on whom He will have mercy.
The "blessing" which Isaac pronounced upon Jacob was vastly superior
to the portion allotted Esau, though if we look no deeper than the
letter of the words which their father used, there appears to be very
little difference between them. Unto Jacob Isaac said, "God give thee
of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth; and plenty of corn
and wine" (Gen. 27:28); what follows in verse 29 chiefly concerned his
posterity. Unto Esau Isaac said, "Behold, thy dwelling shall be the
fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above: and by thy
sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother" (Gen. 27:39, 40).
Apart from the younger son having the pre-eminence over the elder,
wherein lay the peculiar excellence of his portion? If there had been
nothing spiritual in the promise, it would have been no comfort to
Jacob at all, for the temporal things mentioned were not his portion:
as he acknowledged to Pharaoh, "few and evil have the days of the
years of my life been" (Gen. 47:9).
What has just been before us supplies a notable example of how the
O.T. promises and prophecies are to be interpreted; not carnally, but
mystically. That Jacob's portion far excelled Esau's is clear from
Hebrews 12:17, where it is denominated, "the blessing." What that is
was made clearer when Isaac repeated his benediction upon Jacob,
saying, "And give the blessing of Abraham to thee and to thy seed"
(Gen. 28:4). Here is the key which we need to unlock its meaning; as
Galatians 3:9, 14, 29 clearly enough shows, the "blessing of Abraham"
(into which elect Gentiles enter, through Christ) is purely a
spiritual thing. Further proof that the same spiritual blessing which
God promised to Abraham was also made over by Isaac to Jacob, is found
in his words, "I have blessed him, and yea, and he shall be blessed"
(Gen. 27:33), for Jehovah had employed the same language when blessing
the father of all believers: "in blessing I will bless thee" (Gen.
22:17). To this may be added Isaac's "Cursed be every one that curseth
thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee" (Gen. 27:29), being part
of the very words God used to Abraham, see Genesis 12:2, 3.
Now in seeking to rightly understand the language of Isaac's prophecy,
it must be recognized that (oftentimes) in the O.T. heavenly things
were referred to in earthly terms, that spiritual blessings were set
forth under the figure of material things. Due attention to this fact
will render luminous many a passage. Such is the case here: under the
emblems of the "dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth," three
great spiritual blessings were intended. First, that he was to have a
real relation to Christ, that he should be one of the progenitors of
the Messiah--this was the chief favor and dignity bestowed upon
"Abraham." It is in the light of this that we are to understand
Genesis 27:29 as ultimately referring: "let the people serve thee, and
nations bow down to thee," that is, to the top branch which should
proceed from him--unto Christ, unto whom all men are commanded to
render allegiance (Ps. 2:10-12).
Second, the next great blessing of "Abraham" was that he should be the
priest that should continue the worship of God and teach the laws of
God (Gen. 26:5). The bowing down of his brethren to Jacob (Gen.
27:29), was the owning of his priestly dignity. Herein also lay
Jacob's blessing: to be in the church, and to have the church
continued in his line. This was symbolically pointed to in "that thou
mayest inherit the land" (Gen. 28:4). "The church is the ark of Noah,
which is only preserved in the midst of floods and deep waters. The
church is the land of Goshen, which only enjoys the benefits of light,
when there is nothing but darkness round about elsewhere. It is the
fleece of Gideon, being wet with the dews of heaven, moistened with
the influences of grace, when all the ground round about is dry"
(Thomas Manton). As to how high is the honor of having the church
continued in our line, the Spirit intimates in Genesis 10:21--Eber
being the father of the Hebrews, who worshipped God.
Third, another privilege of Jacob above Esau was this, that he was
taken into covenant with God: "the blessing of Abraham shall come upon
thee." And what was that? This, "I will be thy God, and the God of thy
seed" (Gen. 17:7). This is the greatest happiness of any people, to
have God for their God--to be in covenant with Him. Thus when Noah
came to pronounce blessings and curses on his children, by the spirit
of prophecy, he said, "Blessed be the Lord God of Shem" (Gen. 9:26).
Afterward the same promise was made unto all Israel: "I am the Lord
thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the
house of bondage" (Ex. 20:2). So under the new covenant (the present
administration of the everlasting covenant), he says, "I will be to
them a God, and they shall be to Me a people" (Heb. 8:10). To be a
"God" to any, is to supply them with all good things, necessary for
temporal or spiritual life.
The fulfillment of Isaac's prophetic blessing upon his sons was mainly
in their descendants, rather than in their own persons: Jacob's
spiritual children, Esau's natural. Concerning the latter, we would
note two details. First, Isaac said to him "thou shalt serve thy
brother"; second, "and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the
dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck" (Gen.
27:40). For long centuries there seemed no likelihood of the first
part of this prediction being fulfilled, but eight hundred years
later, David said, "over Edom will I cast out my shoe" (Ps. 60:8).
which meant, he would bring the haughty descendants of Esau into a low
and base state of subjection to him; which was duly accomplished--"all
they of Edom become David's servants" (2 Sam. 8:14)! Though their
subjugation continued for a lengthy period, yet, in the days of
Jehoshaphat, we read, "In his days Edom revolted from under the hand
of Judah, and made a king over themselves" (2 Kings 8:20)!
"By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come."
This "blessing" was more than a dying father expressing good-will unto
his sons: it was extraordinary: Isaac spoke as a prophet to God,
announcing the future of his posterity, and the varied portions each
should receive. As the mouthpiece of Jehovah, he did, by the spirit of
prophecy, announce beforehand what should be the particular estate of
each of his two sons; and so his words have been fulfilled. Though
parents today are not thus supernaturally endowed to foretell the
future of their children, nevertheless, it is their duty and privilege
to search the Scriptures and ascertain what promises God has left to
the righteous and to their seed, and plead them before Him.
But seeing Isaac thus spake by the immediate impulse of the Spirit,
how can it be said that "by faith" he blessed his sons? This brings in
the human side, and shows how he discharged his responsibility. He
gathered together and rested upon the promises which God had made to
him, both directly, and through Abraham and Rebekah. The principal
ones we have already considered. He had been present when the Lord
said unto his father what is found in Genesis 22:16-18, and he had
himself been made the recipient of the Divine promises recorded in
Genesis 26:2-4. And now, many years later, we find his heart resting
upon what he had heard from God, firmly embracing His promises, and
with unshaken confidence announcing the future estates of his distant
posterity.
That Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau "concerning things to come," gives
us a striking example of what is said in the opening verse of our
chapter. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence
of things not seen." "Abraham was now dead, and Isaac was expecting
soon to be buried in the grave he had purchased in the Land given to
him and his seed. There was nothing to be seen for faith to rest on;
nothing that gave the smallest ground for hope; nothing to make it
even probable (apart from what he had heard and believed) that his
descendants, either Jacob or Esau, would ever possess the land which
had been promised to them" (E.W.B.) There was no human probability at
the time Isaac spake which could have been the basis of his
calculations: all that he said issued from implicit faith in the bare
Word of God.
This is the great practical lesson for us to learn here: the strength
of Isaac's faith should stir us up to cry unto God for an increased
measure thereof. With most precious confidence Isaac disposed of
Canaan as if he already had the peaceable possession of it. Yet, in
fact, he owned not an acre of that Land, and had no human right to
anything there save a burying-place. Moreover, at the time he
prophesied there was a famine in Canaan, and he was an exile in Gerah.
"Let people serve thee, and let nations bow down to thee" (Gen. 27:29)
, would, to one that viewed only the outward case of Isaac, seem like
empty words. Ah, my brethren, we too ought to be as certain of the
blessings to come, which God has promised, as if they were present,
even though we see no apparent likelihood of them.
It may be objected against what has been said above, that, from the
account which is supplied in Genesis 27, Isaac "blessed" Jacob in
ignorance rather than "by faith." To this it may be replied, first,
the object of faith is always God Himself, and the ground on which it
rests is His revealed well. So in Isaac's case, his faith was fixed
upon the covenant God and was exercised upon His sure Word, and this
was by no means negatived by his mistaking Jacob for Esau. Second, it
illustrates the fact that the faith of God's people is usually
accompanied by some infirmity: in Isaac's case, his partiality for
Esau. Third, after he discovered the deception which had been played
upon him, he made no effort to recall the blessing pronounced upon the
disguised Jacob--sweetly acquiescing unto the Divine Sovereignty--but
confirming it; and though with tears Esau sought to change his mind,
he could not.
Here too we behold the strength of Isaac's faith: as soon as he
perceived the providential hand of God crossing his natural
affections, instead of murmuring and rebelling, he yielded and
submitted to the Lord. This is ever the work of true faith: it makes
the soul yield to God's will against our fleshly inclinations, as also
against the bent of our own reason. Faith knows that God is so great,
so powerful, so glorious, that His commands must be obeyed. As it was
with Abraham, so in the case of Isaac: faith viewed the precepts as
well as the promise; it moves us to tread the path of obedience. May
our faith be more and more evidenced by walking in those good works
which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
____________________________________________________
About Us
What's New
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Baptist History
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Time of Sorrow Links & Resources
For the Cause of
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¸ Copyright 2004-2012 Providence Baptist Ministries
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 68
The Faith of Jacob
(Hebrews 11:21)
__________________________________________
It has been well said that "Though the grace of faith is of universal
use throughout our whole lives, yet it is especially so when we come
to die. Faith has its great work to do at the last, to help believers
to finish well, to die to the Lord, so as to honor Him, by patience,
hope, and joy, so as to leave a witness behind them of the truth of
God's Word and the excellency of His ways, for the conviction and
establishment of all that attend them in their dying moments" (Matthew
Henry). God is greatly glorified when His people leave this world with
their flag flying at full mast: when the spirit triumphs over the
flesh, when the world is consciously and gladly left behind for
Heaven. For this faith must be in exercise.
It is not without good reason, we may be sure, that in the description
which the Holy Spirit has given us of the life of faith in Hebrews 11,
He has furnished us with no less than three examples--and these in
successive verses--of the actings of faith in the final crisis and
conflict. We believe that, among other reasons, God would hereby
assure His trembling and doubting children, that He who has begun a
good work in them, will most certainly sustain and complete the same;
that He who has in His sovereignty committed this precious grace to
their hearts, will not suffer it to languish when its support is most
sorely needed; that He who has enabled His people to exercise faith
during the vigor of life, will not withdraw His quickening power
during the weakness of death.
As the writer grows older, he is saddened by discovering how very
little is now being given out, either orally or in written ministry,
for the instruction and comfort of God's people concerning the dying
of Christians. The devil is not inactive in seeking to strike terror
into the hearts of God's people, and knowing this, it is the bounden
duty of Christ's servants to expose the groundlessness and hollowness
of Satan's lies. Not a few have been deterred from so doing by heeding
the mistaken notion that, for a Christian to think of and prepare for
death is dishonoring to Christ, and inconsistent with the "imminency"
of His coming. But such a notion is refuted in our present passage.
Let it be carefully considered that, when in Hebrews 12:1 the Holy
Spirit bids us "run with patience the race that is set before us," He
bases that exhortation on the fact that we are "compassed about with
so great a cloud of witnesses," the reference being unto the men of
God who are before in Hebrews 11, who all "died in faith" (verse 13).
A God-given and a God-sustained faith is not only sufficient to enable
the feeblest saint to overcome the solicitations of the flesh, the
attractions of the world, and the temptations of Satan, but it is also
able to give him a triumphant passage through death. This is one of
the prominent things set forth in this wondrous and blessed chapter.
In Hebrews 11 the Holy Spirit has set out at length the works, the
achievements, the fruits, the glories, of faith, and not the least of
them is its power to support the soul, comfort the heart, illumine the
understanding, and direct the will, in the last earthly struggle.
While Hebrews 11:20, 21 and 22 have this in common, yet each
contributes its own distinctive feature. In the case of Isaac, we see
a dying faith triumphing over the affections of the flesh; in the case
of Jacob, dying faith overcoming the interference of man; and in
Joseph, scorning the worthless pageantry of the world.
Of old Balaam said, "Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my
last end be like his" (Num. 23:10): well might he wish to do so. The
writer has not a shadow of doubt that every Christian who has, in the
main current of his life, walked with God, his last hours on earth
(normally speaking, for we consider not here the exceptional cases of
those taken Home suddenly) are the brightest and most blissful of all.
Proverbs 4:18, of itself, it fully sufficient to warrant this thought.
The Christian is not always permitted to bear testimony of this so as
to be intelligent unto those surrounding him, but even though his poor
body be convulsed with pain, and physical unconsciousness set in, yet
the soul cutting adrift from its earthly moorings, is then blest with
a sight and sense of his precious Redeemer such as he never had before
(Acts 7:55).
"Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; for the end of that man
is peace" (Ps. 37:37). A peaceful death has concluded the troublous
life of many a good man. As the late C. H. Spurgeon said on this
verse, "With believers it may rain in the morning, thunder at midday,
and pour torrents in the afternoon, but it must clear up ere the sun
go down." Most aptly do his words apply to the case of Jacob. A stormy
passage indeed was his, but the waters were smooth as he entered the
port. Cloudy and dark were many of the hours of his life, but the
sunset bathed it with radiant splendor at its close.
"By faith Jacob when he was a dying" (Heb. 11:21). Ah, but to "die" by
faith, we must needs live by faith. And a life of faith is not like
the shining of the sun on a calm and clear day, its rays meeting with
no resistance from the atmosphere; rather is it more like the sun
rising upon a foggy morning, its rays struggling to pierce through and
dispel the opposing mists. Jacob walked by faith, but the exercise
thereof encountered many a struggle, and had to fight hard for each
victory. In spite of all his faults and failings (and each of us is
just as full of the same), Jacob dearly prized his interest in the
everlasting covenant, trusted in God, and highly esteemed His
promises. It is a very faulty and one-sided estimate of his character
which fails to take these things into account. The old nature was
strong within him; yes, and so too was the new.
Though his infirmities led Jacob to employ unlawful means for the
procuring of it, yet his heart valued the "birthright," which profane
Esau despised (Gen. 25). Though he yielded unto the foolish
suggestions of his mother to deceive Isaac, yet his faith covetly eyed
the promises of God. Though there may have been a measure of fleshly
bargaining in his vow, yet Jacob was anxious for the Lord to be his
God (Gen. 28:21). Though he stole away from Laban in fear, when his
father-in-law overtook him, he glorified God in the tribute he paid
Him (Gen. 31:53). Though he was terrified at Esau, nevertheless he
sought unto the Lord, pleaded His promises (Gen. 32:12), and obtained
an answer of peace. Though later he groveled at the feet of his
brother, in the sequel we find him prevailing with God (Gen. 32:28).
Equally with Abraham and Isaac, "by faith he sojourned in the land of
promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tents" (Heb. 11:9).
But it was during the closing days of his life that Jacob's faith
shone most brightly. When giving permission for Benjamin to accompany
his other sons on their second trip to Egypt, he said "God Almighty
(or "God the Sufficient One") give you mercy before the man" (Gen.
43:14). This was the title under which the Lord had blessed Abraham
(Gen. 17:1), as it was also the one Isaac employed when he blessed
Jacob (Gen. 28:3): thus in using it here, we see how Jacob rested on
the covenant promise. Arriving in Egypt, the aged patriarch was
presented unto its mighty monarch. Blessed is it to see how he
conducted himself: instead of cringing before the ruler of the
greatest empire of the old world, we are told that "Jacob blessed
Pharaoh" (Gen. 47:7); with becoming dignity he conducted himself as a
child of the King of kings (Heb. 7:7), and carried himself as became
an ambassador of the Most High.
"By faith Jacob when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph."
This takes us back to what is recorded in Genesis 48. What is found
there is quite distinct from what is said in the next chapter, where
Jacob is seen as God's prophet announcing the future of all his twelve
sons. But here he is concerned only with Joseph and his two sons.
Before considering the particular detail which our text treats of, let
us note the sentence which immediately precedes it. "And he blessed
Joseph" (Gen. 48:15): in this we may admire the overruling hand of
God, and also find here the key to what follows.
In Deuteronomy 21:17 we read, "But he shall acknowledge the son of the
hated for the first-born, by giving him a double portion of all that
he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the
firstborn is his." It was the right of the firstborn to have a double
portion, and this is exactly what we find Jacob bestowing upon Joseph,
for both Ephraim and Manasseh were allotted a distinct tribal part and
place in the promised inheritance. This, by right, belonged unto
Joseph, though the Devil had tried to cheat him out of it, using Laban
to deceive Jacob by substituting Leah in Rebekah's place, and Joseph
was her firstborn; and now by the providence of God the primogeniture
is restored to him. So too God permitted Reuben to sin so that the way
might be open for this: "Now the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of
Israel, (for he was the firstborn) but, forasmuch as he defiled his
father's bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph" (1
Chron. 5:1).
Earlier in this interview, Jacob had said, "And now thy two sons,
Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt,
before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine" (Gen. 48:5). Those two
sons of Joseph had been borne to him by an Egyptian wife, and in a
foreign land, but now they were to be adopted and incorporated into
the body of the holy seed. For note, when Jacob blessed them he said,
"The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my
name be named on them, and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac"
(verse 16). By that blessing he sought to draw their hearts away from
Egypt and their kinsfolk there, that they might be annexed to the
church and share with the people of God.
"By faith Jacob when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph."
In this case the R.V. is more accurate: "blessed each of the sons of
Joseph," for their blessing was not collective, but a distinctive and
discriminating one. In fact the leading feature of the dying Jacob's
faith is most particularly to be seen at this very point. When Joseph
brought his two sons before their grandfather to receive his
patriarchal blessing, he placed Manasseh the elder, to his right hand,
and Ephraim the younger to his left. His object in this was that
Manasseh might receive the first and superior portion. Right there it
was that the faith of Jacob was most tested. At this time Joseph was
governor over all Egypt, and second only to Pharaoh himself in
authority and power; moreover he was Jacob's favorite son, yet the
dying patriarch had now to withstand him.
"And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's
head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head,
guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn" (Gen.
48:14). Herein we behold the manner in which the blessing was
bestowed. Once more the younger, by the appointment of God, was
preferred before the elder, for the Lord distributes His favors as He
pleases, saying "Is it not lawful for Me to do what I will with Mine
own?" (Matthew 20:15). Unto the high sovereignty of God Jacob here
submissively bowed. It was not a thing of chance that he crossed his
hands, for the Hebrew of "guiding his hands wittingly" is "made his
hands to understand." It was the understanding of faith, for his
physical eyes were too dim to see what he was doing--true faith is
ever opposed to sight! Note how the Holy Spirit emphasizes the fact
that it was "Isaac" (and not "Jacob") who did this.
"And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham
and Isaac did walk" (Gen. 48:15). Very blessed is this. Despite his
physical decay, there was no abatement of his spiritual strength:
notwithstanding the weakness of old age, he abode firm in faith and in
the vigorous exercise of it. Here in the verse before us, we behold
Jacob recognizing and asserting the covenant which Jehovah had made
with his fathers. This is the very life of faith: to lay hold of, draw
strength from, and walk in the light of the everlasting covenant, for
it is the foundation of all our blessings, the charter of our
inheritance, the guaranty of our eternal glory and bliss. He who keeps
it in view will have a happy deathbed, a peaceful end, (and a
God-honoring exit from this world of sin and suffering.
"The God which fed me all my life long unto this day" (Gen. 48:15). As
Jacob had made a solemn acknowledgment of the spiritual blessing which
he had received by virtue of the everlasting covenant, so he also
owned the temporal mercies of which he had been the favored recipient.
"It was a work of faith to retain a precious thankful remembrance of
Divine providence in a constant provision of all needful temporal
supplies, from first to last, during the whole course of his life"
(John Owen). As it is an act of faith to cordially consent unto the
dealings of God with us in a providential way, so it is a fruit of
faith to make a confession by the mouth concerning Him. Note: God is
honored before those attending Him when a dying saint bears testimony
unto His faithfulness in having supplied all his need.
"The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads" (Gen.
48:16). "He reflects on all the hazards, trials and evils that befell
him, and the exercise of his faith in them all. Now all his dangers
were past, all his evils conquered, all his fears removed, he retains
by faith a sense of the goodness and kindness of God in rescuing him
out of them all" (John Owen). "Thou shalt remember all the way which
the Lord thy God led thee" (Deut. 8:2): as the children of Israel were
called upon to do this at the close of their wilderness journey, so we
cannot be more profitably employed in the closing hours of our earthly
pilgrimage than by recalling and reviewing that grace which delivered
us from so many dangers known and unknown.
"And let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham
and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the
earth" (Gen. 48:16). Jacob was not ambitious for a continuance of
their present greatness in Egypt, but desired for them the blessings
of the covenant. Joseph could have left to his sons a rich patrimony
in Egypt, but he brought them to Jacob to receive his benediction. Ah,
the baubles of this world are nothing in comparison with the blessings
of Zion: see Psalm 128:5; 134:3; 133:3. The spiritual blessings of the
Redeemer far exceed in value the temporal mercies of the Creator: it
was the former which Joseph coveted for his sons, and which Jacob now
prophetically bestowed.
"And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head
of Ephraim, it displeased him; and he held up his father's hand to
remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head. And Joseph said
unto his father, not so, my father; for this is the firstborn; put thy
right hand upon his head" (Gen. 48:17, 18). Here we see the will of
man asserting itself, which, when left to itself, is ever opposed to
God. Joseph had his wishes concerning the matter, and did not hesitate
to express them; though, be it noted unto his credit, he meekly
acquiesced at the finish.
"And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it" (Gen.
48:19). It was at this point that Jacob's faith shone most brightly;
the repeated "I know it" marks the great strength of his faith. He had
"heard" from God (Rom. 10:17), he believed God, he submitted to God.
Jacob was no more to be influenced by "the will of man" here, than in
the preceding verse Isaac was by "the will of the flesh"; faith
overcame both. Learn, my reader, that sometimes faith has to cross the
wish and will of a loved one!
Plainly it was "by faith" that the dying Israel blessed each of the
sons of Joseph. Certainly it was not by sight. "To `sight' what could
be more unlikely than that these two young Egyptian princes, for such
they were, should ever forsake Egypt, the land of their birth, and
migrate into Canaan? What more improbable than that they should `each'
become a separate tribe? What more un-looked for, than that, of these
two, the younger should be exalted above the elder, both in importance
and number?" (E.W.B.)
"He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly
his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall
become a multitude of nations" (Gen. 48:19). Not only does God make a
great difference between the elect and the reprobate, but He does not
deal alike with His own children, neither in temporals nor spirituals.
There are some of His favored people to whom God manifests Himself
more familiarly, grants them more liberal supplies of His grace, and
more plentiful comforts -- there was a specially favored three among
the twelve apostles. Some Christians have more opportunities to
glorify God than others, higher privileges of service, greater
abilities and gifts -- the "talents" were not distributed equally: one
had five, another three, another one. But let us not murmur: all have
more than they can improve.
"And worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff" (Heb. 11:21).
There is some room for question as to what incident the apostle is
here referring to. Some think that (like Moses did "exceeding fear and
quake": Hebrews 12:21) it is entirely a N.T. revelation; others (the
writer included) regard it as alluding to what is recorded in Genesis
47:31. The only difficulty in connection with this view is, that here
we read Jacob "worshipped upon the top of his staff," there that "he
bowed himself upon the bed's head." Concerning this variation we agree
with Owen that "he did both, namely, bow towards the head of the bed,
and at the same time lean on his staff, as we are assured by comparing
the Divine writers together."
The occasion of Jacob's "worship" was as follows: "And the time drew
nigh that Israel must die: And he called his son Joseph, and said unto
him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy
hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I
pray thee, in Egypt: But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt
carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their burying-place. And he
said, I will do as thou hast said" (Gen. 47:29, 30). It was far more
than a sentimental whim which moved the patriarch to desire that his
body be interred in the holy land: it was the working of faith, a
blessed exhibition of his confidence in God.
It was not the pomp and pageantry of his burial which concerned Jacob,
but the place of it which he was so solicitous about. Not in Egypt
among idolators, must his bones be laid to rest, for with them he
cared not to have any fellowship in life; and now he desired no
proximity unto them in death--he would show that God's people are a
separated people. No, it was in the burying-place of his fathers he
wished to be laid. First, to show forth his union with Abraham and
Isaac in the covenant. Second, to express his faith in the promises of
God, which concerned Canaan, and not Egypt. Third, to draw off the
minds of his descendants from a continuance in Egypt: setting before
them an example that they should think of returning to the promised
land at the proper time, and thereby confirming them in the belief of
possessing it. Fourth, to signify he would go before them, and, as it
were, take possession of the land on their behalf. Fifth, to intimate
that Canaan was a type of Heaven, the "Better Country" (Heb. 11:16),
the eternal Resting-place of all the people of God.
The asking of Joseph to place his hand under his thigh, was a gesture
in swearing (Gen. 24:2, 3), as the raising of the hand now is with us.
It was not that Jacob doubted his son's veracity, but it signified the
eagerness of his entreaty, and the intensity of his mind about the
matter: what an important thing it was to him. No doubt it was also
designed to forestall any objection which Pharaoh might make after his
death: see Gen. 50:5, 6. Jacob was in bed at the time, but gathering
together his little remaining strength, he raised himself to sit
upright, and then bowing his body, and so that it might be supported,
he leaned upon his staff, worshipping God.
The Holy Spirit's mention here of Jacob's reverent gesture in
worshipping God, intimates to us that it well becomes a worshipper of
the Most High to manifest the inward devotion of the soul by a fitting
posture of the body. God has redeemed both, and He is to be honored by
both: 1 Corinthians 6:20. Shall we serve God with that which costs us
nothing? Sitting or lying at prayer savors more of sloth and
carelessness, than of reverence and zeal. Carnal men, in pursuit of
their fleshly lusts, can weary and waste the body; shall Christians
shelter behind every inconvenience and excuse? Christ exposed His body
to the utmost suffering, shall not His love constrain us to deny
selfish ease and sloth!
Having secured the promise from Joseph that his will should be carried
out, Jacob bowed before God in worship, for now he realized the Lord
was making good the promise recorded in Genesis 46:4. In his great
weakness he had bowed toward his bed's head so as to adore God,
completing now his representation of reverence and faith by leaning
upon the top of his staff. In that emblematic action he signified his
complete dependence upon God, testified to his condition as a pilgrim
in the earth, and emphasized his weariness of the world and his
readiness to part from it. He praised God for all He had done for him,
and for the approaching prospect of everlasting bliss. Blessed is it
to find that the Holy Spirit's final word about Jacob in Scripture
(Heb. 11:21) depicts him in the act of worship!
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 69
The Faith of Joseph
(Hebrews 11:22)
__________________________________________
At the early age of seventeen Joseph was carded away into a foreign
country, into a heathen land. There he remained for many years
surrounded by idolaters, and during all that time he, probably, never
came into contact with a single child of God. Moreover, in those days
there was no Bible to read, for none of God's Word had then been
committed to writing. Yet amid all sorts of temptations and trials, he
remained true unto the Lord. Thirteen years in prison did not embitter
him; being made lord over Egypt did not spoil him; evil examples all
around, did not corrupt him. O the mighty power of Divine grace to
preserve its favored objects. But let the reader carefully bear in
mind that, in his earliest years, Joseph had received a godly
training! O how this ought to encourage Christian parents: do your
part in faithfully teaching the children, and with God's blessing, it
will abide with them, even though they move into a foreign land.
It may strike some of our readers that the apostle made a strange
selection here from the remarkable history of Joseph. No reference is
given unto his faithfulness to God in declaring what He had made known
to him (Gen. 37:5), his chastity (Gen. 39:10), his patience under
affliction (Ps. 105:18, 19), his wisdom and prudence (Gen. 39:22;
47:14), his fear of God (Gen. 42:18); his compassion (Gen. 42:24), his
overcoming evil with good (Gen. 45:10), his reverence to his father,
and that when he was advanced unto outward dignity above him (Gen.
48:12), his obedience to his father (Gen. 47:31); instead, the whole
of his memorable life is passed over, and we are introduced to the
final scene. But this seeming difficulty is at once removed if we bear
in mind the Spirit's scope in this chapter, namely, to encourage the
fearful and wavering Hebrews, by bringing before them striking
examples of the efficacy and sufficiency of faith to carry its favored
possessor safely through every difficulty, and utimately conduct him
into the promised inheritance.
Not only was there a particular reason in the case of those who first
received this Epistle, why the Holy Spirit should conduct them unto
the expiring moments of Joseph, but there is also a wider purpose why
(in this description of the whole Life of Faith) He should do so.
Faith is a grace which honours God and stands its possessor in good
stead, in death as well as life. The worldling may appear to prosper,
and his journey through life seem to be smooth and easy, but how does
he fare in the supreme crisis? what support is there for his heart
when God calls him to pass out of time into eternity? "For what is the
hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his
soul?" Ignorance may exclude terror, and sottishness may still the
conscience; but there can be no true peace, no firm confidence, no
triumphant joy for those out of Christ. Only he can die worshipping
and glorifying God for His promises who possesses genuine faith.
If the kind providence of God preserves his faculties unto the end, a
Christian ought not to be passive in death, and die like a beast. No,
this is the last time he can do any thing for God on earth, and
therefore he should take a fresh and firm hold of His everlasting
covenant, "ordered in all things and sure," going over in his mind the
amazing grace of the Triune God toward him; the Father, in having from
the beginning, chosen him unto salvation; the Son for having obeyed,
suffered and died in his room and stead; the Holy Spirit for having
sought him out when dead in sins, quickened him into newness of life,
shed abroad the love of God in his heart, and put a new song in his
mouth. He should review the faithfulness and goodness of God toward
him all through his pilgrimage. He should rest on the promises, and
view the glorious future awaiting him. Thereby, praise and
thanksgiving will fill his soul and mouth, and God will be greatly
honored before the onlookers.
When faith is active during the dying hours of a saint, not only is
his own heart spiritually upheld and comforted, but God is honored and
others are confirmed. A carnal man cannot speak well of the world when
he comes to pass through the dark valley; no, he dares not commend his
wordly life to others. But a godly man can speak well of God, and
commend His covenant to others. So it was with Jacob (Gen. 48:15, 16).
So it was with Joshua: "Behold, this day I am going the way of all the
earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not
one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God
spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing
hath failed thereof" (Josh. 23:14).
So was it also with Joseph. He could have left to his sons nobility of
blood, a rich patrimony in Egypt, but he brought them to his father to
receive his blessing (Gen. 48:12). And what was that? To invest them
with the right of entering into the visible privileges of the
covenant. Ah, to Joseph, the riches of Egypt were nothing in
comparison with the blessings of Zion. And so again now: when his
hours on earth were numbered, Joseph thinks not of the temporal
position of honor which he had occupied so long, but was engaged only
with the things of God and the promised inheritance. See here the
power of a godly example: Joseph had witnessed the last acts of his
father, and now he follows in his steps. The good examples of
superiors and seniors are of great force unto those who look up to
them--how careful they should be, then, of their conduct! Let us seek
to emulate that which is praiseworthy in our betters: Philippians
3:17; Hebrews 13:7.
"By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the
children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones" (verse
22). First, let us observe the time when Joseph's faith was here
exercised. It was during his closing hours upon earth. Most of his
long life had been spent in Egypt, and during its later stages, had
been elevated unto a dizzy height; for as Acts 7:10 tells us, he was
made "governor" or lord over Egypt, and over all Pharaoh's house. But
neither the honors nor the luxuries which Joseph received while in the
land of exile, made that holy man forget the promises of God, nor
bound his soul to the earth. His mind was engaged in higher things
than the perishing baubles of this world. Learn them, my reader, it is
only as our hearts ascend to heaven that we are able to look down with
contempt upon that which this world prizes so much.
From the case of Joseph we may see that earthly honor and wealth do
not in themselves injure: where there is a gracious heart to manage
them, they can be employed with advantage and used to God's glory.
Many examples may be cited in proof of this. God has ever had a few of
His saints even in Caesar's "household" (Phil. 4:22). Material things
are God's gifts, and so must be improved unto His praise. There is as
much faith, yea more, in moderating the affections under a full
estate, as there is in depending upon God for supplies when we have
nothing. Nevertheless, to learn "how to abound" (Phil. 4:12) is a hard
lesson. To keep the mind stayed upon God and the heart from settling
down here, calls for much exercise of soul; therefore are we exhorted
"if riches increase, set not your hearts upon them" (Ps. 62:10)--but
be thankful for them, and seek to use them unto God's honor.
No, the poor do not have such temptations to overcome as do the rich.
The poor are driven to depend upon God: they have no other alternative
save abject despair. But there is more choice to those who have
plenty: their great danger is to lose sight of the Giver and become
immersed in His gifts. Not so with Joseph: to him Egypt was nothing in
comparison with Canaan. Then let us seek grace to be of his spirit:
true greatness of mind is to count the highest things of earth as
nothing when weighed against the things of Heaven. It is a great mercy
when the affluence of temporal things does not take the heart off the
promises, but for this there has to be a constant crying unto Him to
quicken our spiritual sensibilities, keep us in close communication
with Himself, wean us from things below.
But neither the riches nor the honors of Egypt could secure Joseph
from death, nor did they make him unmindful or afraid of it. The time
had arrived when he saw that his end was at hand, and he met it with a
confident spirit. And thus it should be with us. But in order to do
this we must be all our lifetime preparing for that hour. Reader,
there can be no dissembling then. Allow me to ask: Is your soul truly
yielded up to God? Do you hold this world with a light hand? Are God's
promises your daily food? Life is held by a very uncertain tenure.
Unless the Lord returns first, death will be the last great enemy with
which you have to contend, and you will need to have on all your
armor. If you have not on the breastplate of righteousness and the
helmet of salvation, what will you do in the swellings of Jordan, when
Satan is often permitted to make his fiercest attack?
"By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the
children of Israel." Let us consider next the strength of his faith.
It will be noted by the careful reader that the margin gives an
alternative rendering, namely, "By faith Joseph, when he died,
remembered the departing of the children of Israel": the Greek will
allow of either translation, and personally we believe that the
fulness of the Spirit's words requires that both meanings be kept
before us. That which is in view here is very striking and blessed.
The word "remembered" shows that Joseph's mind was now engaged with
the promise which the Lord had made to Abraham, recorded in Genesis
15:14-16. The alternative translation "he made mention of the
departing of the children of Israel," signifies that Joseph testifies
his own faith and hope in the sure words of the living God.
At the end of Joseph's long and memorable career his thoughts were
occupied not so much with what God had wrought for him, but with what
He had promised unto His people: in other words, he was dwelling not
upon the past, but with that which was yet future. In his heart were
the "things hoped for" (Heb. 11:1)! More than two hundred years had
passed since Jehovah had spoken what is recorded in Genesis 15. Part
of the prediction which He there made, had been fulfilled; but to
carnal reason there seemed very little prospect that the remainder of
it would come to pass. First, God had announced that the seed of
Abraham should be "a stranger in the land that is not theirs" (Gen.
15:13), which had been confirmed when Jacob carried all his household
down into Egypt. Second, God had declared the descendants of Abraham
should "serve" the Egyptians and "they shall afflict them four hundred
years" (Ex. 15:13): but to outward sight, that now appeared most
unlikely. The posterity of the patriarchs had been given favor in
Pharaoh's eyes (Gen. 45:16-18), the "best" of the land was set apart
for their use (Gen. 47:6), there they "multiplied exceedingly (Gen.
47:27), and so great was the respect of the Egyptians that they
"mourned" for Jacob seventy days (Gen. 50:3). Joseph himself was their
great benefactor and deliverer from the famine: why, then, should his
descendants be hated and oppressed by them? Ah, faith does not reason,
but believes.
Third, God had declared that He would judge the Egyptians for their
afflicting of His people (Ex. 15:14), which was fulfilled in the awful
plagues recorded in the early chapters of Exodus. Finally, God had
promised "and afterward shall they come out with great substance . . .
in the fourth generation they shall come hither (into Canaan) again"
(Ex. 15:14, 16). It was unto this that the heart of Joseph was now
looking forward, and nothing but real spiritual faith could have
counted upon the same. If, after his death, the Hebrews (without a
leader) were to be sorely afflicted, and that for a lengthy season; if
they were to be reduced unto helpless slaves, who could reasonably
hope that all this should be followed by their leaving the land of
Egypt with "great substance," and returning to the land of Canaan? Ah,
FAITH is fully assured that God's promises will be fulfilled, no
matter how long they may be delayed.
Faith is gifted with long-distant sight, and therefore is it able to
look beyond all the hills and mountains of difficulty unto the shining
horizon of the Divine promises. Consequently, faith is blessed with
patience, and calmly awaits the destined hour for God to intervene and
act: therefore does it heed that word, "For the vision is yet for an
appointed time; but at the end it shall speak, and not lie; though it
tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come" (Hab. 2:3). Though
the Hebrews were to lie under Egyptian bondage for a long season,
Joseph had not a doubt but that the Lord would, in His appointed time,
bring them forth with a high hand. God's delays, dear reader, are not
to deny our prayers and mock our hopes, but are for the disciplining
of our hearts--to subdue our impatience, which wants things in our own
way and time; to quicken us to call more earnestly upon Him, and to
fit us for receiving His mercies when they are given.
God often defers His help till the very last moment. It was so with
Abraham offering up Isaac; only when his son had been bound to the
altar, and he had taken the knife into his hand to slay him, did God
intervene. It was so with Israel at the Red Sea (Ex. 14:13). It was so
with the disciples in the storm: "the ship was covered with the
waves," before Christ calmed the sea (Matthew 8:24-26). It was so with
Peter in prison; only a very few hours before his execution did God
free him (Acts 12:6-8). So, too, God works in mysterious ways His
wonders to perform, and often in a manner quite contrary to outward
likelihood. The history of Joseph affords a striking example. He was
first made a slave in Egypt, and this in order to his being made ruler
over it--who would have thought that the prison was the way to the
court! So it was with his descendants: when their tale of bricks was
doubled and the straw withheld, who would have looked for deliverance!
Yes, God's ways are strange to flesh and blood: often He allows error
to arise to clear the Truth; bondage often makes way for liberty;
persecution and affliction have often proved blessings in disguise.
"And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die; and God will surely visit
you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which He sware to
Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob" (Gen. 50:24). How plainly and how
blessedly does this bring out the strength of Joseph's faith; There
was no hesitancy or doubt: he was fully assured that God cannot lie,
and that He would, "surely" make good His word. Equally certain is it
that God's promises unto us will be fulfilled: "I will never leave
thee, nor forsake thee" (Heb. 13:5). Therefore may the dying saint
exclaim "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I
will fear no evil; for Thou art with me" (Ps. 23:4). So too our faith
may look beyond the grave unto the glorious resurrection, and say with
David, "my flesh also shall rest in hope" (Ps. 16:9).
"By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the
children of Israel." Let us now take note of the breadth of his faith.
A true Christian is known by his affection for Zion. The cause of
Christ upon earth is dearer to him than the prosperity or disposition
of his personal estate. "We know that we have passed from death unto
life, because we love the brethren" (1 John 3:14). Thus it was with
Joseph; before he gave commandment concerning his bones, he was first
concerned with the future exodus of Israel and their settlement in
Canaan! How different with the empty professor, who is ruled by
self-love, and has no heart for the people of God. He may be
interested in the progress of his own denomination, but he has no
concern for the Church at large. Far otherwise is it with the genuine
saint: "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her
cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof
of my mouth, if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy" (Ps. 137:5,
6). So Joseph, at the very time of his death, was engaged with the
future happiness of God's people.
Beautiful indeed is it to see the dying Joseph unselfishly thinking
about the welfare of others. O may God deliver the writer and the
reader from a narrow heart and a contracted spirit. True faith not
only desires that it shall be well with our own soul, but with the
Church at large. Behold another lovely example of this in the case of
the dying daughter-in-law of Eli, the high priest: "And she said, The
glory of God is departed from Israel; for the ark of God is taken" (1
Sam. 4:22)--not my father-in-law is dead, not my husband has been
slain, but "the glory is departed." But most blessed of all is the
case of Him of whom Joseph was here a type. As our precious Savior
drew near the Cross, yea, on the very night of His betrayal, it is
recorded that "having loved His own which were in the world, He loved
them to the end" (John 13:1). The interests of God's people were ever
upon His heart.
Let us note how another aspect of the breadth of true faith was
illustrated by Joseph. Faith not only believes the promises which God
has given to His saints individually, but also lays hold of those
given to the Church collectively. There have been many seasons when
the cause of Christ on earth has languished sorely; when it has been
in a low state spiritually; when eminent leaders had been all called
home, and when fierce persecution broke out against the little flock
which they had left behind. Even so, they still had that sure word,
"Upon this Rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hades shall
not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). In all ages the enemy has
sought to destroy the people of God, but the Lord has defeated his
designs and rendered his opposition ineffectual. O for a faith to now
lay hold of this promise, "When the Enemy shall come in like a flood
the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him" (Isa.
59:19).
"And gave commandment concerning his bones." The reference here is to
what is recorded in Genesis 50:25, "And Joseph took an oath saying God
will surely visit you, and ye will carry up my bones from hence." This
brings out another characteristic of his faith: the public avowal of
it. Joseph's faith was no secret thing, hidden in his own heart, about
which others knew nothing. No, though he had occupied for so long an
eminent situation, he was not ashamed to now let others know that he
found his support and confidence in the promises of God. He had been
of great dignity and authority among the Egyptians, and his fame for
wisdom and prudence was great among the nations. It was therefore the
more necessary for him to openly renounce all alliance with them, lest
posterity think he had become an Egyptian. Had he liked and loved the
Egyptians, he had wanted his tomb among them; but his heart was
elsewhere.
"And gave commandment concerning his bones." This was not a
superstitious request, as though it made any difference whether our
bodies be deposited in "consecrated" ground or no. Rather it was:
First, to exhibit his belief in the promises of Jehovah; though he
could not go in person into the land of Canaan, yet he would have his
bones carried thither, and thus symbolically (as it were) take
possession of it. Second, to confirm the hope of his brethren, and
thus draw their hearts from the goodly portion in Goshen. He would
sharpen the desire of the Nation to earnestly aspire after the
promised redemption when he was dead. Third, to establish a public
memorial, by which on all occasions, his posterity might call to mind
the truth of the promise.
Proof that this dying request of Joseph's was designed as a public
memorial is found in noting a significant change between the wording
of Genesis 50:24 and Genesis 50:25. In the former, Joseph "said unto
his brethren"; in the latter, he "took an oath of the children of
Israel" (cf. Exodus 13:19): by the heads of their tribes, he brought
the whole people into this engagement--binding on after generations.
Thus Joseph established this monument of his being of the favored seed
of Abraham. Joseph's requesting his brethren to "take an oath"
illustrates the power of example: cf. Genesis 47:31! He made reference
to his "bones" rather than to his "body," because he knew another two
centuries must yet run their course. The whole transaction was an
emblematic pledge of the communion of saints. Though the Christian at
death be cut off from his loved ones on earth, he is introduced unto
the spirits of the just in Heaven.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 70
The Faith of Moses' Parents
(Hebrews 11:23)
__________________________________________
"By faith Moses when he was born, was hid three months of his
parents." A considerable length of time elapsed between what is
recorded in the preceding verse and what is here before us. That
interval is bridged by what is found in Exodus 1. There we see a
marked revolution taking place in the lot of the Hebrews. In the days
of Joseph, the Egyptians had been kind, giving them the land of Goshen
to dwell in. Then followed another dynasty, and a king arose who "knew
not Joseph"--probably a foreigner who had conquered Egypt. This new
monarch was a tyrant of the worst kind, who sorely oppressed the
descendants of Abraham. So subject to drastic changes are the fortunes
both of individuals and nations: hence the force of those words, "In
the days of prosperity be joyful, in the day of adversity consider:
God also hath set one over against the other, to the end that man
should find nothing after him" (Ecclesiastes 7:14).
The policy of the new ruler of Egypt quickly became apparent: "And he
said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are
more and mightier than we: come on, let us deal wisely with them, lest
they multiply, and it come to pass, that when there falleth out any
war, they join also unto our enemies" (Ex. 1:9, 10). Ah, but though
"there are many devices in a man's heart, nevertheless the counsel of
the Lord that shall stand" (Prov. 19:21). So it proved here, for "the
more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew" (Ex.
1:12). Yes, "the Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to naught:
He maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the
Lord standeth forever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations"
(Ps. 33:10, 11).
Next, the king of Egypt gave orders to the midwives that every male
child of the Hebrews should be slain at birth (Ex. 1:15, 16). But all
the laws which men may make against the promises that God has given to
His church, are doomed to certain failure. God had promised unto
Abraham a numerous "seed" (Gen. 13:15), and had declared to Jacob,
"fear not to go down into Egypt, for I will there make of thee a great
nation" (Gen. 46:3); as well, then, might Pharaoh attempt to stop the
sun from shining as prevent the growth of the children of Israel.
Therefore do we read, "But the midwives feared God, and did not as the
king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive" (Ex.
1:17).
Refusing to accept defeat, "Pharaoh charged all his people, saying,
Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river" (Ex. 1:22). Now
that the execution of this barbarous edict had been entrusted unto his
own people, no doubt Pharaoh imagined that success was fully assured
for his evil design: yet it was at this very season that God brought
to the birth the one who was to emancipate his suffering nation. "How
blind are poor sinful mortals, in all their contrivances against the
church of God. When they think all things secure, and that they shall
not fail of their end, that their counsels are laid so deep as not to
be blown upon, their power so uncontrollable and the way in which they
are engaged so effectual, that God Himself can hardly deliver it out
of their hands; He that sits on high laughs them to scorn, and with an
Almighty facility lays provisions for the deliverance of His church,
and for their ultimate ruin" (John Owen).
"And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye
shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive. And
there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of
Levi, and the woman conceived, and bare a son" (Ex. 1:22 and 2:1, 2).
Amram and Jochebed refused to be intimidated by the cruel commandment
of the king, and acted as though no injunction had been issued by him.
Were they reckless and foolish? No indeed, they took their orders from
a far higher authority than any earthly potentate. The fear of the
Lord was upon them, and therefore were they delivered from that fear
of man which bringeth a snare. In covenant relationship with the God
of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, this godly couple from the tribe of Levi
allowed not the wrath of man to disrupt their domestic happiness.
"By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his
parents." "It is the faith of Moses' parents that is here celebrated.
But because it is mentioned principally to introduce the discourse of
himself and his faith, and also that which is spoken belongs unto his
honour; it is thus peculiarly expressed. He saith not `By faith the
parents of Moses when he was born, hid him,' but `By faith Moses, when
he was born,was hid three months of his parents'; that is, by the
faith of the parents who hid him" (John Owen). Ah, here is the
explanation of the conduct of Amram and Jochebed: it was "by faith"
they acted: it was a living, supernatural, spiritual faith which
sustained their hearts in this crisis, and kept them "in perfect
peace" (Isa. 26:3). Nothing will so quieten the mind and still its
fears as a real trusting in the Lord of hosts.
The birth of Moses occurred during the very height and fury of the
attack that was being made upon the infant males of the Hebrews.
Herein we may discover a striking foreshadowment of the attempt which
was made upon the life of the Christ-child, when, in his efforts to
slay Him, Herod gave orders that all the children in Bethlehem and in
all the coasts thereof from two years old and under, should be slain
(Matthew 2:16). Many a typical representation of the principal events
in the life of the Redeemer is to be found in the Old Testament, and
at scores of points did Moses in particular prefigure the great
Deliverer of His people. It is a deeply interesting line of study,
which we commend to our readers, to go over the history of Moses and
note down the many details in which he pictured the Lord Jesus.
"By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his
parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not
afraid of the king's commandment." It seems clear from the final
clause that Pharaoh had either given orders that the Hebrews should
notify his officers whenever a male child was born unto them, or that
they themselves should throw him into the river. Instead of complying
with this atrocious enactment, the parents of Moses concealed their
infant for three months, which supplies us with a clear example of "We
ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). It is true that the
Lord requires His people to "be in subjection unto the higher powers"
(Rom. 13:1), but this holds good only so long as the "higher powers"
(human governors) require the Christian to do nothing which God has
forbidden, or prohibit nothing which God has commanded. The inferior
authority must always give place before the superior. As this is a
principle of great importance practically, and one concerning which
confusion exists in some quarters, let us amplify a little.
Holy Scripture must never be made to contradict itself: one of its
precepts must never be pressed so far as to nullify another; each one
is to be interpreted and applied in harmony with the general analogy
of faith, and in the light of the modifications which the Spirit
Himself has given. For example; children are required to honor their
parents, yet Ephesians 6:1 shows that their obedience is to be "in the
Lord"; if a parent required something directly opposed unto Holy Writ,
then he is not to be obeyed. Christian wives are required by God to
submit themselves unto their husbands, and that, "in everything" (Eph.
5:24), obeying them (1 Pet. 3:6); nevertheless, their subjection is to
be of the same character as that of the Church unto Christ (Eph.
5:24); and inasmuch as He never demands anything from the Church which
is evil, so He does not require the wife to obey injunctions which are
positively harmful--if a thoughtless husband should insist on that
which would be highly injurious to his wife's health, she is to refuse
him. Submission does not mean slavery!
Now the same modification we have pointed out above obtains in
connection with the exhortations of Romans 13:1-7. In proof, let us
cite a clear example to the point from either Testament. In Daniel 3
we find that the king of Babylon--the head of the "powers that
be"--erected an image unto himself, and demanded that on a given
signal, all must "fall down and worship" the same (verse 5). But the
three Hebrew captives declared, "Be it known unto thee O king, that we
will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast
set up" (verse 18); and the Lord vindicated their non-compliance. In
Acts 4 we see Peter and John arrested by the Jewish "powers," who,
"Commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus"
(verse 18). Did the apostles submit to this ordinance? No, instead
they said, "Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto
you more than unto God, judge ye" (verse 19). As Romans 13:4 declares,
the magistrate is "the minister of God to thee for good": should he
require that which the Word condemns as evil, he is not to be obeyed.
And what was it that enabled the parents of Moses to act so boldly and
set at naught the royal edict? Our text furnishes clear answer: it was
"by faith" they acted. Had they been destitute of faith, most probably
the "king's commandment" would have filled them with dismay, and in
order that their own lives should be spared, would have promptly
informed his officers of the birth of Moses. But instead of so
notifying the Egyptians, they concealed the fact, and though by
preserving the child they followed a course which was highly hazardous
to sense, yet under God it became the path of security. Thus, the
particular aspect of our theme which here receives illustration is the
courage and boldness of faith: faith overcoming the fear of man. That
brings before us another characteristic of this heavenly grace, one
which evidences its excellency, and one which should move us to pray
daily for an increase of the same.
Faith is a spiritual grace which enables its possessor to look away
from human terrors, and to confide in an unseen God. It declares, "The
Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the
strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Ps. 27:1). True it
is that this faith is not always in exercise, yea, more often is its
bright shining overcast by the clouds of unbelief, and eclipsed by the
murky dust which Satan raises in the soul. We say, "this faith," for
there are thousands of professing Christians all around us who boast
that their faith is constantly in exercise, and that they are rarely
if ever tormented by doubts or filled with alarms. Ah, reader, the
"faith" of such people is not "the faith of God's elect" (Titus 1:1),
entirely dependent upon the renewing power of the Holy Spirit; no, it
is but a natural faith in the bare letter of Scripture, which by an
act of their own will they can call into exercise whenever they
please. But unto such the many "Fear nots" of God's Word have no
application! But when the dew of Heaven falls upon the regenerated
heart, its language is, "What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee"
(Ps. 56:3).
Great indeed is the power of a God-given and God-sustained faith: not
only to produce outward works, but to affect the workings of the soul
within. This is something which is not sufficiently considered these
days, when attention is confined almost exclusively to "visible
results." Faith regulates the affections: it curbs impetuosity and
works patience, it chases away gloom and brings peace and joy, it
subdues carnal fears and produces courage. Moreover, faith not only
sustains the hearts under severe trials, performs difficult duties,
but (as the sequel here shows) obtains important benefits. How
pertinent, then, was this particular case unto those to whom this
Epistle was first sent! How well was it calculated to encourage the
sorely-tried and wavering Hebrews to remain faithful to Christ and to
trust God with the issue and outcome!
"By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his
parents." Probably two things are included in these words: first, that
they concealed all tidings of his birth; second, that they hid him in
some part of the house. No doubt their diligence was accomplished by
fervent cries to God, and the putting forth of a daily trust in Him.
The fact that it was "by faith" that they "hid" him, shows that real
spiritual faith is cautious and wary, and not reckless and
presumptuous. Though faith overcomes carnal fear, yet it does not
disdain the use of lawful means for overcoming danger. It is
fanaticism, and not faith, which tempts God. To needlessly expose
ourselves unto danger is sinful. Faith is no enemy unto lawful means
as Acts 27:31 plainly enough shows.
It is to be observed that the words of our text go beyond Exodus 2:2,
where the preserving of Moses is attributed unto his mother. As both
the parents were engaged in the hazard, both had a hand in the work;
no doubt Amram took the lead in advice and contriving, and Jochebed in
the actual execution. As the parents have a joint interest in their
children, both should share in the care and training of them, each
seeking to help the other. Where there is an agreement between husband
and wife in faith and in the fear of God, it makes way for a blessed
success in their duties. When difficult tasks confront husbands and
wives, it is their wisdom to apply themselves unto that part and phase
of it which each is best suited for. "It is a happy thing where
yoke-fellows draw together in the yoke of faith, as the heirs of the
grace of God; and where they do this in a religious concern for the
good of their children, to preserve them not only from those who would
destroy their lives, but corrupt their minds" (Matthew Henry).
The "three months" teaches us that the parents of Moses persevered in
that which they began well. They were prudent from the hour of his
birth, and they maintained their vigilance. It is no use to shut the
stable-door when the horse is gone. Care in preventing danger is to be
continued as long as the danger is threatened. Some, perhaps, may ask,
Would it be right for the people of God today to give shelter to one
of His saints or servants who was being unjustly hounded by "the power
that be"? Surely; it is always the duty of love to shield others from
harm. But suppose the hidden one is being inquired-after by the
authorities, may they still be concealed? Yes, if it is done without
the impeachment of the truth, for it is never permissible to lie- to
do so shows a distrust of the sufficiency of God. Should the officers
ask whether you are sheltering one they seek, either remain silent, or
so prudently word your answer as will neither betray the party nor be
guilty of falsehood.
Others may ask, Since God purposed to make Moses the leader of His
people and accomplish such a memorable work through him, why did He
not by some wonderful and powerful miracle preserve him from the rage
of Pharaoh? Answer: God was able to send a legion of angels for his
protection, or to have visibly displayed His might by other means; but
He did not. It is generally God's pleasure to show His power through
weak and despised means. Thus it was during the infancy of His own
incarnate Son: God warned Joseph by a dream, and he took the young
child and His mother into Egypt, remaining there till Herod was dead.
Frequently it pleases the Most High to magnify His providence by
things which men despise, by feeble instruments, and this, that it may
the more plainly appear the excellency of the power is of Him.
In the preservation of the infant Moses, we may see a blessed
illustration of how God preserves His elect through infancy and
childhood, and from all that threatens their existence prior to the
time when He regenerates them. This is expressed in Jude 1: "Preserved
in Jesus Christ and called." How blessed is it for the Christian to
look back behind the time when God called him out of the darkness into
His marvelous light, and discern His guarding hand upon him when he
was dead in trespasses and sins. There are few if any of the Lord's
people who cannot recall more than one incident in early life when
there was "but a step" betwixt them and death; yet even then, as in
the case of the infant Moses, a kind Providence was watching over
them. Then let us return thanks for the same.
"By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his
parents, because they saw he was a proper child: and they were not
afraid of the king's commandment." It is really surprising how many of
the commentators, led by sentiment, have quite missed the meaning of
this verse. Exodus 2:2 states that his mother saw "that he was a
goodly child": the Hebrew word ("tob") being the same term whereby God
approved of His works of creation and declared them perfect (Gen. 1),
from which the conclusion has been drawn that, it was the exceeding
fairness or beauty of the babe which so endeared him to his parents
they were moved to disregard the king's edict, and take special pains
to preserve him. But this is only carnalizing Scripture, in fact,
contradicting what the Holy Spirit has here said.
Hebrews 11:23 distinctly affirms that it was "by faith" the parents of
Moses acted, and this it is which explains their conduct. Now Romans
10:17 tells us, "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of
God": thus Amram and Jochebed must have received a Divine revelation
(not recorded in the O.T.), and this word from God formed the
foundation of their confidence, and supplied the motive-power of what
they did. It is true they knew from the prophecy given to Abram (Gen.
15) that the time for the deliverance of Israel from Egypt was drawing
near, as they also knew from the prediction of Joseph (Gen. 50:24)
that God was going to undertake for His people. Yet we are persuaded
that Hebrews 11:23 refers to something more definite and specific.
Most probably the Lord made known to these parents that their child
was to be the promised deliverer, and furnished them beforehand with a
description of him.
This revelation which Amram and Jochebed "heard" from God they
believed, and that, before Moses was born. When, in due time, he was
given to them, they "saw he was a proper child"--it was the
discernmentcof faith, and not the mere admiration of nature. As Acts
7:20 declares "in which time was born Moses, and was beautiful to God"
(Bagster Inter.), which indicates an appearance of something Divine or
supernatural. They recognized he was peculiarly grateful and
acceptable to God: they perceived something remarkable in him, which
was the Divine token to them that he would be the deliverer of Israel.
"Probably there was some mark of future excellency impressed on the
child, which gave promise of something extraordinary" (John Calvin).
"The beauty of the Lord set upon him as a presage that he was born to
great things, and that by conversing with God his face would shine
(Ex. 34:29), and what bright and illustrious actions he should do for
the deliverance of Israel, and how his name should shine in the sacred
record" (Matthew Henry).
Resting with implicit confidence upon the revelation which they had
received from Jehovah, their faith now confirmed by God's mark of
identification upon the babe, the parents of Moses preferred its
safety before their own. It was not simply they trusted God for the
outcome, but in their souls was that faith which is "the substance of
things hoped for" (Heb. 11:1), and in consequence "they were not
afraid of the king's commandments." Had it been only a natural or
human admiration which they had for a signally beautiful child, then
it had been "by affection" or "by infatuation" they hid the infant;
and that would only have intensified their "fear," for the more they
admired the infant, the more afraid would they have been of harm
befalling it.
Mere beauty is by no means a sure sign of excellency, as 1 Samuel
16:7, 2 Samuel 14:25, Proverbs 31:30 plainly enough show. No, the
infant Moses was "beautiful to God" (Acts 7:20), and perceiving this,
Amram and Jochebed acted accordingly. First, they "hid" him for three
months, "and when she could no longer hide him, she took for him an
ark of bull-rushes" etc. (Ex. 2:3): it may be that the Egyptians
searched the houses of the Hebrews every three months. No doubt it was
under the Divine direction that the parents of Moses now acted, for
surely the placing of this precious child by the brink of the fatal
"river" (Ex. 1:22) was the last thing that carnal reason had
suggested! We do not at all agree with those who think the faith of
Moses' parents wavered when they placed him in the ark: when one
lawful means of preservation from persecution will no longer secure,
it is a duty to betake ourselves unto some other which is more likely
to do so--Matthew 10:23.
In the kind providence of God, His interests and ours are often twined
together, and then nature is allowed to work; though even then, grace
must bear sway. So it was here: the parents of Moses had received a
direct commandment from God how to act and what to do (as the "by
faith" clearly denotes), and in their case, what He prescribed
harmonized with their own feelings. But sometimes God's requirements
and our natural affections clash, as was the case when He required
Abraham to offer up Isaac, and then the claims of the lower must yield
to the Higher. When the current of human affection clashes not with
God's express precepts we may follow it, for He allows us to take in
the help of nature: "a brother beloved . . . both in the flesh and in
the Lord" (Philem. 16).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36 Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 71
The Faith of Moses
(Hebrews 11:24-25)
__________________________________________
"The apostle, as we showed before, takes his instances from the three
states of the church under the O.T. The first was that which was
constituted in the giving of the first promise, continuing to the call
of Abraham. Herein his first instance is that of Abel, in whose
sacrifice the faith of that state of the church was first publicly
confessed, and by whose martyrdom it was confirmed. The next state had
its beginning and confirmation in the call of Abraham, with the
covenant made with him and the token thereof. He therefore is the
second great instance on the roll of testimonies. The constitution and
consecration of the third state of the church was in giving of the
law; and herein an instance is given in the law-giver himself. All to
manifest, that whatever outward variations the church was liable to,
and pass under, yet faith and the promises were the same, of the same
efficacy and power under them all" (John Owen).
In approaching the careful study of our present verses it is of great
importance to observe that they begin a new section of Hebrews 11: if
this be not seen, they cannot be interpreted aright. The opening verse
of each section of this chapter takes us back to the beginning of the
life of Faith, and each one presents a different aspect of the nature
or character of saving faith. The first three verses of Hebrews 11 are
introductory, the fourth beginning the first division. There, in the
example of Abel, we see where the life of faith begins (at
conversion), namely with the conscience being awakened to a
consciousness of our lost condition, with the soul making a complete
surrender to God, and with the heart resting upon the perfect
satisfaction made by Christ our Surety. That which is chiefly
emphasized there is faith in the blood. But placing his faith in the
blood of Christ is not all that is done by a sinner when he passes
from death unto life.
The second section of Hebrews 11 commences at verse 8 where we have
set before us another aspect of conversion, or the starting-point of
the Life of Faith. Conversion is the reflex action or effect from a
soul which has received an effectual call from God. This is
illustrated by the case of Abraham, who was, originally, an idolater,
as we all were in our unregenerate state. The Lord of glory appeared
unto him, quickened him into newness of life, delivered him from his
former manner of existence, and gave him the promise of a future
inheritance. The response of Abraham was radical and revolutionary: he
set aside his natural inclinations, crucified his fleshly affections,
and entered upon an entirely new path. That which is central in his
case was, implicit obedience, the setting aside of his own will, and
the becoming completely subject to the will of God. But even that is
not all that is done by the sinner when he passes from death unto
life.
The case of Moses brings before us yet another side of conversion, or
the beginning of the Life of Faith, a side which is sadly ignored in
most of the "evangelism" of our day. It describes a leading
characteristic of saving faith, which few professing Christians now
hear (still less know) anything about. It shows us that saving faith
does something more than "believe" or "accept Christ as a personal
Savior." It exhibits faith as a definite decision of the mind, as an
act of the will, as a personal and studied choice. It reveals the
fundamental fact that saving faith includes, yea, begins with, a
deliberate renunciation or turning away from all that is opposed to
God, a determination to utterly deny self and an electing to submit
unto whatever trials may be incident to a life of piety. It shows us
that a saving faith causes its possessor to turn away from godless
companions, and henceforth seek fellowship with the despised saints of
God.
There is much more involved in the act of saving faith than is
generally supposed. "We mistake it if we think it only to be a strong
confidence. It is so indeed; but there are other things also. It is
such an appreciative esteem of our Christ and His benefits, that all
other things are lessened in our opinion, estimation, and affection.
The nature of faith is set forth by the apostle when he saith, `What
things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ; yet,
doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the
knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss
of all things, and do count them but dung that I may win Christ; and
be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness which is of the
law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness
which is of God by faith; that I may know Him, and the power of His
resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made
conformable unto His death' (Phil. 3:7-10). And therefore true faith
makes us dead to the world, and all the interests and honors thereof:
and is to be known not so much by our confidence, as by our
mortification and weanedness; when we carry all our comforts in our
hands, as ready to part with them, if the Lord called us to leave
them" (Thomas Manton, 1660).
"By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the
son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with
the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season"
(verses 24, 25). Here we see the nature and influence of a saving
faith. Two things are to be particularly noted: in it there is an act
of relinquishment, and an act of embracing. In conversion, there is a
turning from, and also a turning unto. Hence, before the sinner is
invited to "return unto the Lord," he is first bidden to "forsake his
way," yes, his way--having "his own way." So too we are called on to
"repent" first, and then "be converted," that our sins may be "blotted
out" (Acts 3:19).
"If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself" (Matthew 16:24).
What is meant by the denying of "self"? This, the abridging ourselves
of those things which are pleasing to the flesh. There are three
things which are chiefly prized by the natural man--life, wealth, and
honor; and so in the verses which immediately follow, Christ
propounded three maxims to counter them. First, he says, "For
whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose
his life for My sake shall find it" (verse 25): that is, he who thinks
first and foremost of his own life, whose great aim is to minister
unto "number one," shall perish.] Second, "For what is a man profited,
if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (verse 26):
showing us the comparative worthlessness of earthly riches. Third,
"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His
angels; and then shall He reward every man according to his works"
(verse 27): that is the honor we should seek.
"By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the
son of Pharaoh's daughter." Here was a notable case of self-denial:
Moses deliberately renounced the privileges and pleasures of a royal
palace. It was not that he was now disowned and cast out by the woman
who had adopted him; but that he voluntarily relinquished a position
of affluence and ease, disdaining both its wealth and dignities. Nor
was this the rash impulse of an inexperienced youth, but the studied
decision of one who had now reached the age of forty (Acts 7:23). The
disciples said, "We have forsaken all, and followed Thee" (Matthew
19:27): their "all" was a net and fishing-smack; but Moses abandoned a
principality!
The denying of self is absolutely essential; and where it exists not,
grace is absent. The first article in the covenant is, "thou shalt
have no other gods before Me": He must have the pre-eminence in our
hearts and lives. God has not the glory of God unless we honor Him
thus. Now God does not have the uppermost place in our hearts until
His favor be esteemed above all things, and until we dread above
everything the offending of Him. As long as we can break with God in
order to preserve any worldly interest of ours, we prefer that
interest above God. If we are content to offend God rather than
displease our friends or relatives, then we are greatly deceived if we
regard ourselves as genuine Christians. "He that loveth father or
mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he that loveth son or
daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me" (Matthew 10:37).
"Faith is a grace that will teach a man to openly renounce all worldly
honors, advantages, and preferments, with the advantage annexed
thereto. When God calls us from them, we cannot enjoy them with a good
conscience" (Thos. Manton). We are often put to the test of having to
choose between God and things, duty and pleasure, heeding our
conscience or gratifying the flesh. The presence and vigor of faith is
to be proved by our self-denial! It is easy to speak contemptuously of
the world and earthly things, but what is my first care? Is it to seek
God or temporal prosperity? To please Him or self? If I am hankering
after an increase in wages, or a better position, and am fretful
because of disappointment, it is a sure proof that a worldly spirit
governs me. What is my chief delight? earthly riches, honors,
comforts, or communion with God? Can I truly say, "For a day in Thy
courts is better than a thousand" (Ps. 84:10)?
"All believers are not called to make the same sacrifices, or to
endure the same trials for righteousness' sake, nor have all the same
measure of faith; yet, without some experience and consciousness of
this kind, we are not warranted to conclude that we are of Moses'
religion; for a common walking-stick more resembles Aaron's fruitful
rod, than the faith of many modern professors of evangelical truth
does the self-denying faith of Moses or Abraham" (Thomas Scott). The
faith of God's elect is a faith which "overcomes the world" (1 John
5:4), and not one which suffers its possessor to be overcome! "They
that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and
lusts" (Gal. 5:24); not ought to, but have done so--in some real
measure at least!
The great refusal of Moses consisted in a firm resolution of mind not
to remain in that state wherein he had been brought up. This was not
attained, we may be sure, without a hard fight, without the exercise
of faith in prayer and trust in God. He knew full well all that his
decision involved, yet, by grate, made it unhesitatingly. His
resolution was made known not by a formal avowal, but by deeds, for
actions ever speak louder than words. There is no hint in the sacred
record that Moses verbally acquainted his foster-mother with his
decision, but his converse with his brethren (Ex. 2:11 etc.) revealed
where his heart was, and identified him with their religion and
covenant. Ah, dear reader, it is one thing to talk well about the
things of God, but it is quite another to walk accordingly; as it is
one thing to pen articles and deliver sermons, and quite another to
practice what we preach!
Not only was Moses' renunciation of his favored position a grand
triumph over the lusts of the flesh, but it was also a notable victory
over carnal reason. First of all, his action would seem to indicate
the height of ingratitude against his foster-mother. Pharaoh's
daughter had spared his life as an infant, brought him into her own
home, reared him as her son, and had him educated in all the wisdom of
the Egyptians. For him to turn his back upon her now would appear as
though he was devoid of appreciation--so little is the natural man
able to understand the motives which regulate the workings of faith.
The truth is that, the commandments of the second table are binding
upon us no further than our compliance with them is agreeable to our
obedience unto the commandments of the first table. The saint is
neither to accept favors from the world, nor to express gratitude for
the same, if such be contrary to the fear of God, and the maintenance
of a good conscience.
We are never to be dutiful to man at the expense of being undutiful to
God. All relations must give way before preserving a clear conscience
toward Him. His rights are paramount, and must be recognized and
responded to, no matter how much the doing so may clash with our
seeming obligations unto our fellows. A friend or kinsman may be
entertaining me in his home, and show me much kindness through the
week, but that will not justify or require me to join him on a picnic
or frolic on the Sabbath day. "If any man come to Me, and hate not his
father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters,
yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:26).
The language of the Christian ought ever to be, "wist ye not that I
must be about my Father's business?" (Luke 2:49).
To enjoy worldly honors is not evil in itself, for good men have lived
in bad courts. Daniel is a clear case in point: most of his life was
spent in high civic office. When Divine providence has given worldly
riches or worldly prestige to us, they are to be entertained and
enjoyed, yet with a holy jealousy and prayerful watchfulness that we
be not puffed up by them, remembering that, "Better it is to be of an
humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud"
(Prov. 16:19). But such things are to be renounced when they are
sinful in themselves, or when they cannot be retained with a clear
conscience. Against his conscience, Pilate preferred to condemn Christ
than lose Caesar's friendship, and stands before us in Holy Writ as a
lasting warning. "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation:
the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41).
Again; not only did Moses' great refusal seem like gross ingratitude
unto her who had adopted him, but it also looked like flying in the
face of Providence. It was God who had placed him where he was; why,
then, should he forsake such an advantageous position? Had Moses
leaned unto his own understanding and listened to the dictates of
carnal reason, he had found many pretexts for remaining where he then
was. Why not stay there and seek to reform Egypt? Why not use his
great influence with the king on behalf of the oppressed Hebrews? Had
he remained in the court of Pharaoh, he would escape much affliction;
yes, and miss too the "recompense of the reward." Ah, my reader,
unbelief is very fertile, argues very plausibly, and can suggest many
logical reasons why we should not practice self-denial!
What was it, then, which prompted Moses to make this noble sacrifice?
A patriotic impulse? a fanatical love for his brethren? No, he was
guided neither by reason nor sentiment: it was "by faith" that Moses
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. It was the
clinging of his heart to the Divine promise, the apprehension of
things not seen by the outward eye, the confident expectation of
future reward. Ah, it is faith which imparts to the heart a true
estimate of things, which views objects in their real light, and which
discerns the comparative worthlessness of what the poor worldling
prizes so highly, and through his mad quest after which he loses his
soul. Faith views the eternity to come, and when faith is in healthy
exercise, its possessor finds it easy to relinquish the baubles of
time and sense. Then it is the saint exclaims. "Surely every man
walketh in a vain show: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth
up riches and knoweth not who shall gather them" (Ps. 39:6).
What a truly remarkable thing that one in Egypt's court should have
such a "faith"! Moses had been brought up in a heathen palace, where
there was no knowledge of the true God; yea, nothing but idolatry,
wantonness, and profanity. Yes, some of Christ's sheep are situated in
queer and unexpected places, nevertheless the Shepherd seeks them out,
and either delivers them from or sustains them in it: the wife of
"Herod's steward" (Luke 8:3), the saints in Nero's "household" (Phil.
4:22) are notable examples. What illustrations are these of "The Lord
shall send the rod of Thy strength out of Zion: rule Thou in the midst
of Thine enemies" (Ps. 110:2)! However His enemies may rage, seek to
blot out His name and root out His kingdom, Christ shall preserve a
remnant according to the election of grace "even where Satan's throne
is" (Rev. 2:13).
Some one may object, "But Joseph had faith as well as Moses, yet he
did not leave the court, but continued there till his death."
Circumstances alter cases! Their occasions and conditions were not
alike. "God raised up Joseph to feed His people in Egypt, therefore
his abode in the court was necessary under kings that favored them;
but Moses was called not to feed His people in Egypt, but to lead them
out of Egypt; and the king of Egypt was now become their enemy, and
kept them under bitter bondage. To remain in an idolatrous court of a
pagan prince is one thing; but to remain in a persecuting court, where
he must be accessory to their persecutions, is another thing" (T.
Manton).
"Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to
enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season" (verse 25). This gives us the
positive side of Moses's glorious decision. There is both a negative
and a positive side to faith. First, a refusing, and then a choosing,
and that order is unchanging. There must be a "ceasing to do evil"
before there can be a "learning to do well" (Isa. 1:16, 17); there
must be a "hating the evil" before there is a "loving the good" (Amos
5:15); there must be a "confessing and forsaking" of sin, before there
is "mercy" (Prov. 28:13). The prodigal must leave the far country,
before he can go to the Father (Luke 15). The sinner must abandon his
idols, before he can take up the Cross and follow Christ (Mark 10:21).
There must be a turning to God, "from idols," before there can be a
"serving the living and true God" (1 Thess. 1:9). The heart must turn
its back upon the world, before it can receive Christ as Lord and
Savior.
"Moses gave up the world; and ambition had the prospect of honor and
greatness; the culture of the most civilized state was fascinating to
the mind; treasure and wealth held out potent allurement. And all
this--and does it not comprise `all that is in the world,' and in its
most attractive and elevated manner?--Moses gave up. And, on the other
side, what awaited him? To join a down-trodden nation of slaves, whose
only riches was the promise of the invisible God" (Adolph Saphir). A
man is known by his choice. Do you do evil for a little profit? Do you
avoid duty because of some trifling inconvenience? Are you turned out
of the way because of reproach?
Moses preferred to suffer affliction with the people of God than to
enjoy the pleasures of sin for a brief season. Do you? He judged it
the greatest misery of all to live in sin. Do you? Here is an
important test: which gives you greater grief, sin or bodily
affliction? Which troubles you the more: suffering loss in the world,
or displeasing God? There are thousands of professing Christians who
complain of their physical aches and pains, but how rarely do we hear
any groaning over the body of sin and death! When you are afflicted in
the body, which is your dominant desire: to be freed from the
suffering, or for God to sanctify the suffering unto the good of your
soul? Ah, my reader, what real and supernatural difference is there
between you and the moral worldling? Is it only in your creed, what
you believe with the intellect? "The demons believe."
Yes, it is our refusal and our choice which identifies us, which makes
it manifest whether we are children of the devil or children of God.
It is the property of a gracious heart to prefer the greatest
suffering--physical, mental, or social--to the least sin: and when sin
is committed, it is repudiated, sorrowed over, confessed, and
forsaken. When "suffering" is inflicted upon saints by persecutors,
the offense is done unto us; but "sin" is committed against God! "Sin"
separates from God (Isa. 59:2), "suffering" drives the Christians
nearer to God. "Affliction" only affects the body, "sin" injures the
soul. "Affliction" is from God (Heb. 12:5-11), but "sin" is from the
devil. But naught save a real, spiritual, supernatural faith will
prefer suffering affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the
pleasures of sin for a season.
"None of the exemplifications of the importance of believing, brought
forth by the apostle, is better fitted to serve his purpose than that
which we have been considering. The Hebrew Christians were called on
to part with an honor which they were accustomed to value above all
other dignities. They were excommunicated by their unbelieving
brethren, and denied the name of true children of Abraham. Their
unbelieving countrymen were enjoying wealth and honor. The little
flock they were called on to join were suffering affliction and
reproach. Now, how is this to be done? Look at Moses. Believe as Moses
believed, and you will find it easy to judge, choose, and act as Moses
did. If you believe what Christ has plainly revealed, that `it is His
Father's good pleasure to give' His little flock, after passing
through much tribulation, `the kingdom'; if you are persuaded that,
according to His declaration, `wrath is coming to the uttermost' on
their oppressors, you will not hesitate to separate yourselves
completely from your unbelieving country-men.
"The practical bearing of the passage is not confined to the Hebrew
converts, or to the Christians of the primitive age. In every country,
and in every age, Jesus proclaims `If any man would be My disciple he
must deny himself, he must take up the cross, and follow Me.' The
power of the present world can only be put down by `the power of the
world to come'; and as it is through sense that the first power
operates on our minds, it is through faith alone that the second power
can operate on our minds. Some find it impossible to make the
sacrifices Christianity requires, because they have no faith. They
must be made; otherwise our Christianity is but a name, our faith is
but a pretense, and our hope a delusion" (John Brown).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
____________________________________________________
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An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 72
The Faith of Moses
(Hebrews 11:25-26)
__________________________________________
"The person here instanced as one that lived by faith, is Moses. And
an eminent instance it is to his purpose, especially in his dealings
with the Hebrews, and that on sundry accounts. 1. Of his person. None
was ever in the old world more signalized by Providence in his birth,
education, and actions, than he was. Hence his renown was both then,
and in all ages after, very great in the world. The report and
estimation of his acts and wisdom, were famous among all the nations
of the earth. Yet this person lived and acted, and did all his works
by faith. 2. Of his great work, which was the typical redemption of
the church. A work it was great in itself; so God expresseth it to be,
and such as was never wrought in the earth before (Deut. 4:32-34). Yet
greater in the typical respect which it had to His eternal redemption
of the Church by Jesus Christ. 3. On the account of his office. He was
the lawgiver, whence it is manifest, that the law is not opposite to
faith, seeing the lawgiver himself lived thereby" (John Owen).
Each example of faith supplied by the Holy Spirit in Hebrews 11
presents a distinctive feature or fruit of that spiritual grace. The
faith which is here described is saving faith, without which no man is
accepted by God (see verse 6). It is true that all Christians are not
given the same measure of faith, nor do all of them manifest it in the
same manner. All flowers are not of the same hue, nor are they equally
fragrant; yet every variety differs radically from weeds! Not every
saint is called upon to build an ark, offer up his son in sacrifice,
or forsake a palace; nevertheless, there is that in the heart and life
of every regenerate soul which plainly distinguishes him from those
who are dead in trespasses and sins, and which clearly bears the mark
of the supernatural--there is that in him which mere nature does not
and cannot bring forth.
While it be true that very few Christians are called upon to leave a
palace, yet every one who would become a Christian is required to
forsake the world: not physically, but morally. God does not bid us
become hermits, or enter a convent or monastery--that is only the
Devil's perversion of the truth of separation; but He does insist that
the sinner must cast away the idols of the world, turn from its vain
pleasures, cease walking in its evil ways, and set his affections upon
things above. Scripture is unmistakably plain upon this point,
declaring, "Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity
with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world, is the
enemy of God" (James 4:4). That which was adumbrated by Moses in our
present passage was, the heart's renunciation of a vain and perishing
world, and giving God His true place in the affections.
In our last article we saw how Moses voluntarily relinquished his
position of a nobleman in Pharaoh's court, and preferred to have
fellowship with the despised and suffering people of God. In this he
was a blessed type of Him who was rich, yet for our sakes became poor,
who descended from the glory of Heaven, and was born in a manger; who
laid aside His robes of majesty, and took upon Him the form of a
servant. And my reader, His people are predestinated "to be conformed
to" His image (Rom. 8:29). He has left them an example, and there is
no other route to Heaven, but by "following His steps": see John 10:4!
There is a real and practical oneness between the Head and the members
of His mystical body, and that practical oneness consists in
self-sacrifice. Unless the spirit of self-sacrifice rules my heart, I
am no Christian!
The way to Heaven is a "narrow" one and the entrance to it is
"strait," and few there be that find it (Matthew 7:13, 14). Because
that way is "narrow," opposed to all the inclinations of flesh and
blood, Christ bids us to "sit down and count the cost" (Luke 14:31)
before we start out. The "cost" is far too high for all who have never
had a miracle of grace wrought within them, for it includes the
cutting off of a right hand and the plucking out of a right eye
(Matthew 5:29, 30)--that is why 1 Peter 4:18 asks, "If the righteous
scarcely be saved (or "with difficulty be saved") where shall the
ungodly and the sinner appear"! Few indeed are, like Moses, willing to
pay the "cost." Alas, the vast majority, even in Christendom, are like
Esau (Heb. 12:16) or the Gadarenes (Mark 5:14, 15) --they prefer to
indulge the flesh rather than deny it.
The difficulty of salvation, or the "straitness" of the gate and the
"narrowness" of the way which leadeth into Life, was strikingly
prefigured by the alluring temptations and carnal obstacles which had
to be overcome by Moses. As we pointed out in our last article, his
noble decision not only involved the leaving of Pharaoh's palace, the
apparent ingratitude toward his foster-mother, the ignoring of the
precedent set up by Joseph; but, it also meant the throwing in his lot
with a despised people, enduring all the discomforts and hardships of
their wilderness wanderings, and the bringing down upon his head not
only the contempt of his former associates, but having to endure the
murmurings and criticisms of the Hebrews themselves. Ah, my reader,
such a choice as Moses made was altogether contrary to flesh and
blood, and can be accounted for only on the ground that a miracle of
Divine grace had been wrought within him. As our Lord declared, "With
men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Matthew
19:26).
From what has been said above, is it not unmistakably evident that as
great a distance as that which separates heaven from earth divides
Scriptural "Conversion" from that which goes under the name of
"conversion" in the vast majority of the so-called "churches" today! A
genuine and saving Conversion is a radical and revolutionary
experience. It is vastly more than the taking up of a sound creed,
believing what the Bible says about Christ, or joining some religious
assembly. It is something which strikes down to the very roots of a
man's being, causing him to make an unreserved surrender of himself to
the claims of God, henceforth seeking to please and glorify Him. This
issues, necessarily, in a complete break from the world, and the
former manner of life; in other words, "if any man be in Christ, he is
new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become
new" (2 Cor. 5:17).
"By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the
son of Pharaoh's daughter" (verse 24). It is the first two words of
this verse which supply an adequate explanation of the noble conduct
of Moses here. A God-given faith is occupied with something better
than the things of sight and sense, and therefore does it discern
clearly the utter vanity of worldly greatness and honor. Faith has to
do with God, and when the mind be truly stayed upon Him, neither the
riches nor the pleasures of earth can attract, still less enthrawl.
Faith relies upon and is obedient unto a personal revelation from on
High, for "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God"
(Rom. 10:17). Moses had "heard," Moses "believed," Moses acted on what
he had heard from God.
"Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to
enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season" (verse 25). Yes, each of us
has to choose between life and death (Deut. 30:15), between sin and
holiness, between the world and Christ, between fellowship with the
children of God and friendship with the children of the Devil. When
Moses took the part of an Israelite against an Egyptian (Ex. 2), he
declared plainly that he preferred the former to the latter, that the
promises of God meant far more to him than the fame or luxury of an
earthly court. Yet at that time the seed of Abraham were in an
exceedingly low state, nevertheless Moses knew that the promises which
God had made unto the patriarchs could not fail.
That was faith indeed: to willingly forego the attractive prospects
which lay before him in the land of the Nile, and deliberately prefer
a path of hardship. What he had "heard" from God was to him so grand,
so great, so glorious, that, after thoughtfully balancing the one over
against the other, Moses rejected material aggrandisement for
spiritual riches: he considered it to be a far higher honor to be a
child of Abraham than to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He
might have reasoned that "a bird in the hand is worth two in the
bush," and have "made the most of his (present) opportunity,'' rather
than have set his heart on an unseen future; but the spirit triumphed
over the flesh. O how we need to pray for grace to enable us to
"approve things that are excellent," that we may be "sincere and
without offence till the day of Christ" (Phil. 1:10).
It is to be duly noted that Moses elected to suffer affliction with
the Hebrews not because they were his people, but because they were
God's people. "The object of his choice was God; the One who chose his
fathers, who revealed to them His truth and grace, and commanded them
to walk before Him without fear; the God who was not ashamed to be
called their God, and to whom he had been dedicated in his infancy"
(Adolph Saphir). Observe that fellowship with "the people of God"
necessarily involves, in some form or other, "affliction." Yes, God
has ordained that "we must through much tribulation enter into His
kingdom" (Acts 14:22), and declares, "all that will live godly in
Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (2 Tim. 3:12). But why should
this be so? Why has not God appointed a smoother path and a pleasanter
lot for His high favorites while they pass through this world? We
subjoin one or two of the many answers which may be returned to this
question.
God has decreed that the general state of His people on earth shall be
one of hardship, opposition, persecution. First, to arouse them to
spiritual diligence. He has told them in His Word "This is not your
rest" (Mic. 2:10), nevertheless there is a tendency in us to settle
down here. Again and again God bids us to watch and pray, to be sober
and vigilant, alert and active; but only too often His exhortations
fall on deaf ears. The "wise virgins" slumbered and slept as well as
the "foolish" ones, and need awakening; because they will not heed
such calls as are found in Romans 13:11, Ephesians 5:14 etc. He uses
the Enemy to arouse us. Second, to wean us from the world: because
there is that in us which still loves the world, God, in His mercy,
often stirs them up to hate us. Third, to conform us more fully unto
the image of Christ: the Head endured the contradiction of sinners
against Himself, and His body is called to have "fellowship in His
sufferings."
The "pleasures of sin" in verse 25 has immediate reference to the
riches and dignities of Pharaoh's court, which Moses could no longer
enjoy without being unfaithful to God and His people. To have gone on
living in the palace, would be despising Jehovah and His covenant with
Abraham's seed. It would have been preferring his own advancement and
ease rather than the deliverance of his people; he would have been
conducting himself as a worldling, rather than as a stranger and
pilgrim in this scene; and worse, he would have been conniving at
Pharaoh's cruel treatment of the Hebrews. Moreover, to have resisted
the impulse of the Spirit on his heart would have been sin. This shows
us that things which are not sinful in themselves, become so when used
or enjoyed at the wrong time. Every thing is beautiful in its season:
"There is a time to weep, and a time to laugh" (Ecclesiastes 3:4).
The principle we have just enunciated above is of great practical
importance. Material things become snares if employed intemperately.
God has granted us permission to "use" the things of this world, but
has forbidden the "abuse" of them (1 Cor. 7:31). Temporal blessings
become a curse if they are allowed to hinder us from the discharge of
duty. All associations must be severed which deter us from having
fellowship with the saints. Personal ease and comfort is to be set
aside when our brethren are "suffering afflictions" and need a helping
hand. Alas, only God knows how many professing Christians have
continued to enjoy the luxuries of life, while thousands were without
some of the bare necessities of life.
Everything which is severed from true Godliness is included in this
expression "the pleasures of sin." Temporal mercies are to be enjoyed
with thankfulness to God, but only so far and so long as they help to
promise a true following of the example which Christ has left us.
Alas, how many are seeking their happiness in the things of the flesh,
rather than in the things of the Spirit. Scripture says, "Better is
little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure and trouble
therewith" (Prov. 15:16)--but how few believe it! Mark it well, dear
reader, the "pleasures of sin" are only for "a season," and a solemnly
brief season at that: they must end either in speedy repentance or
speedy ruin. How blessed is the contrast presented in Psalm 16:11, "At
Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore"! Is my heart set upon
them? If so, I am making it my chief concern, every day, to walk along
the only path which leads to them.
"Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in
Egypt" (verse 26). Here the Holy Spirit mentions a third instance of
Moses' contempt of the world: first, of its honors (verse 24), then of
its pleasures (verse 25), now, of its wealth. Note the emphatic
graduation in the decision of Moses as intimated in the three verbs:
first, he "refused" to be any longer acknowledged as the adopted son
of Egypt's princess. Second, he "chose" or deliberately elected to
become identified with and throw in his lot among the despised and
suffering people of God. Third, he "esteemed" the reproach this
involved, as high above that which he relinquished and renounced. The
same Greek word is rendered "judged" in verse 11, showing that it was
no rash conclusion which he jumped to hastily, but that it was the
mature consideration of his mind and heart. Another has compared the
three verbs here with Mark 4:28: "First the blade, then the ear, after
that the full corn in the ear."
This 26th verse is an amplification of what is found in the 24th and
25th, and announces both the intelligence of Moses' choice and the
fervor of spiritual affection which prompted it. The decision that he
made was not a reluctant and forced one, but ready and joyous. It was
not merely he perceived that identifying himself with the Hebrews was
a bounden duty, and therefore he must "make the best of a bad job" and
put up with the hardships such a course entailed, but that he gladly
preferred the same--Christ meaning infinitely more to him than
everything which was to be found in Egypt. Reader, is the denying of
self and taking up of the cross something which you grudgingly
perform, or does the "love of Christ constrain" (2 Cor. 5:14) you
thereto? Can you, in your measure, say with the apostle, "Therefore I
take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in
persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake"
(2 Cor. 12:10)?
What is meant here by "the reproach of Christ"? The Savior was not
born till many centuries later; true, but those whom the Father gave
to Him before the foundation of the world, were, from Abel onwards,
well acquainted with Him: see John 8:56. Christ had a being before He
was born of the virgin: we read of Israel "tempting Christ" in the
wilderness (1 Cor. 10:9). From the beginning, Christ was Head of the
Church, and in His own person led His own people, and was present in
their midst, under the name of "the Angel of the Covenant." Let the
interested reader carefully ponder the terms of Exodus 23:20-22, and
it should be plain that no created "angel" is there in view. Thus,
whatever that people suffered, it was the reproach "of Christ," who
had taken them under His protection. There was a communion between
Christ and His people, as real and as intimate as that union and
communion which exists between Him and His people now: weigh well
Isaiah 63:9, Zechariah 2:8, and compare with Acts 9:4, Matthew 25:34
and clear proof of this will be obtained.
The "reproach of Christ," then, signifies first, Christ personally as
identified with His people. Second, it has reference to Christ
mystically, His redeemed as one with Him in humiliation and
persecution. "Christ and the church were considered from the
beginning, as one mystical body; so as that what the one underwent,
the other is esteemed to undergo the same" (John Owen). In marriage
the wife takes the name and status of her husband, because they have
become "one flesh": in like manner, the Church is called "Christ" in 1
Corinthians 12:12, Galatians 3:16 because of its union and communion
with Him, because of the likeness and sympathy between them. Nor was
this blessed mystery kept concealed--as modem "dispensationalists"
wrongly declare--from the O.T. saints, as a careful comparison of
Jeremiah 23:6 with Jeremiah 33:16 makes very evident. Moses had
"heard" from God that the Hebrews were His people, and the remnant
among them "according to the election of grace" were ordained to be
"joint heirs with Christ," and believing what he heard, he voluntarily
and gladly decided to throw in his lot with them.
That the mystical body of Christ, the Church, is in view here in
Hebrews 11:26--for the Head and His members can never be separated,
though they may be viewed distinctly--is abundantly clear by a careful
comparison of the preceding clauses. Verses 25 and 26 are obviously
parallel, and explain one another. In the former we are told that,
Moses "chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than
to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season." Thus, there is a
threefold parallelism: the "reproach of verse 26 agrees with and is
interpreted by the "suffering affliction" of verse 25, "the Christ" of
verse 26 corresponds with and is defined by "the people of God" in
verse 25; and the "treasures of Egypt" balances with and explains the
"pleasures of sin for a season."
"For he had respect unto the recompense of the reward." This was what
strengthened and supported the faith of Moses. He had never forsaken
the honors and comforts of the palace unless his heart had been fixed
upon the eternal recompense. Faith realizes that peace of conscience
is better than a big bank-balance, that communion with God is
infinitely to be preferred above the favors of an earthly court. Moses
knew that he would be no loser by such a choice: faith sees that
nothing is lost which is quitted for Christ's sake--though the name of
Moses was removed from Egypt's records, it has been accorded a
prominent place upon the imperishable pages of Holy Writ. See here the
vast difference between worldlings and saints; the former estimate
things by sight, the latter by faith; the former through the colored
glass of corrupt reason and carnal sense, the latter by the light of
God's Word. Thus they wonder at each other: the worldling thinks the
real Christian is crazy, the Christian knows the poor worldling is
spiritually insane.
The heart of Moses was set upon something more blessed than the
perishing things he was relinquishing. The "he had respect" is a
compound in the Greek, and properly signifies to look from one thing
to another: he looked from the things of time to those of eternity,
for "faith is the substance of those things hoped for, the evidence of
things not seen": cf. 2 Corinthians 4:17. This is one of the great
properties of faith: to frequently and trustfully ponder the promise
of Eternal Life, which we are to dwell in forever after this scene of
sin is left behind. Faith perceives that the way to "save" is to
"lose" (Matthew 16:25), that present self-denial will yet be honored
by enrichment, knowing that if now we suffer with Christ we shall be
"also glorified together" (Rom. 8:17). How this condemns the practice
of many who spend their lives in the greedy pursuit of the world, with
no regard to God or their eternal interests, but think that if they
call on Him for mercy with their last gasp, all will be well. Such
people terribly deceive themselves by failing to see that Eternal Life
is a "reward"--see Luke 1:74, 75: we must labor in the works of
godliness in this life.
That which Moses had "respect unto" is here called "the recompense of
the reward." This is the all-sufficient presence of God with His
people now (Gen. 15:1), and the great and final reward of Eternal
Glory which is given by God, and received by His people as a
compensation for all their sufferings. This is one of the N.T.
passages which proves the O.T. saints had a much clearer understanding
of the future state of the redeemed than is now commonly supposed. For
the reward of good works, see Hebrews 6:9, of patience, Hebrews 6:12,
of suffering, Hebrews 10:34. The calling of Heaven a "reward" in
nowise imports any desert on man's part, but abundant kindness in God,
who will not suffer anything to be done or endured for Christ's sake
without recompense. It is called a "reward" to encourage obedience
(Ps. 19:11) and allure our hearts (Matthew 5:12). That a gift may. be
a "reward" is clear from Colossians 3:24. It is also called a "reward"
because it is God's owning of the Spirit's work in and through His
people. Since eternal glory is a "reward" let us be patient under
present suffering: Romans 8:18. It is legitimate to view the reward of
Heaven while serving here--not that this is to be the chief or only
motive (for that would be a religion of selfishness), but as faith's
anticipation: cf. Philippians 3:8-14. The reward is "gratuitous that
God hath annexed to faith and obedience, not merited or deserved by
them, but infallibly annexed unto them in a way of sovereign bounty"
(John Owen).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
____________________________________________________
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 73
The Faith of Moses
(Hebrews 11:26-27)
__________________________________________
In our last two articles (upon 11:24-26) we had before us the striking
example of the power of faith to rise above the honors, riches, and
pleasures of the world; now we are to behold it triumphing over its
terrors. Faith not only elevates the heart above the delights of
sense, but it also delivers it from the fear of man. Faith and fear
are opposites, and yet, strange to say, they are often found dwelling
within the same breast; but where one is dominant the other is
dormant. The constant attitude of the Christian should be, "Behold,
God is my salvation: I will trust, and not be afraid" (Isa. 12:2). But
alas, what ought to be, and what is, are two vastly different things.
Nevertheless, when the grace of faith is in exercise, its language is,
"What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee" (Ps. 56:3). So it was
with Moses: he is here commended for his courage.
The leading feature of that particular working of Moses' faith which
we are now to consider was its durability. That which engaged our
attention on the last two occasions occurred when our hero had "come
to years." Forty years had elapsed since then, during which he passed
through varied experiences and sore trials. But now that he is eighty
years of age, faith is still active within him. That spiritual grace
moved him to withstand the attractions of Egypt's court, had led him
to relinquish a position of high honor and wealth, had caused him to
throw in his lot with the despised people of God; and now we behold
faith enabling him to endure the wrath of the King. A God-given faith
not only resists temptations, but it also endures trials, and refuses
to be daunted by the gravest dangers. Faith not only flourishes under
the dews of the Spirit, but it survives the fires of Satanic assault.
True faith neither courts the smiles of men nor shuns their frowns.
Herein it differs radically from that natural faith, which is all that
is possessed by thousands who think they are children of God. Only
yesterday we received a letter in which a friend wrote, "I know some
professing Christians who boasted that the prospect of being out of
work did not trouble them at all: for they knew every need would be
supplied. Now that they have no work, they are not nearly so
confident, but are wondering how in the world they are going to get
along." So too we read of the stony ground hearer, "The same is he
that heareth the Word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not
root in himself, but dureth for awhile: for when tribulation or
persecution ariseth because of the Word, by and by he is offended"
(Matthew 13:20, 21). Far otherwise was it with Moses.
"By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he
endured, as seeing Him who is invisible." Moses left Egypt on two
different occasions, and there is some diversity of opinion among the
commentators as to which of them is here in view. Personally, we think
there is little or no room for doubt that the Holy Spirit did not have
reference unto the first, for we are told, "And Moses feared, and
said, Surely this thing is known. Now when Pharaoh heard this thing,
he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and
dwelt in the land of Midian" (Ex. 2:14, 15). There he fled as the
criminal, here he went forth as the commander of God's people! then he
left Egypt in terror, but now "by faith."
There are some, however, who find difficulty in the fact that Moses'
leaving of Egypt is here mentioned before his keeping of the passover
and sprinkling of the blood in 5:28. But this difficulty is
self-created, by confining our present text unto a single event,
instead of understanding it to refer unto the whole conduct of Moses:
his forsaking of Egypt is a general expression, which includes all his
renouncing a continuance therein and his steady determination to
depart therefrom. So too his "not fearing the wrath of the king" must
not be restricted unto the state of his heart immediately following
the Exodus, but also takes in his resolution and courage during the
whole of his dealings with Pharaoh. And herein we may perceive again
the stability of his faith, which withstood the most fiery ordeals,
and which remained steadfast to the end. Thus did he supply a blessed
illustration of "Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto
salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Pet. 1:5).
The experiences through which Moses passed and the testings to which
his faith was subjected, were no ordinary ones. First, he was bidden
to enter the presence of Pharaoh and say, "Thus saith the Lord God of
Israel, Let My people go, that they may hold a feast unto Me in the
wilderness" (Ex. 5:1). Let it be duly considered that for forty years
Moses had lived the life of a shepherd in Midian, and now, with no
army behind him, with none in Egypt's court ready to second his
request, he has to make this demand of the haughty monarch who reigned
over the greatest empire then on earth. Such a task called for no
ordinary faith. Nor did he meet with a favorable reception; instead,
we are told "And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey His
voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel
go" (Ex. 5:2).
Not only did the idolatrous king refuse point-blank to grant Moses'
request, but he said, "Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, hinder the
people from their work? get you unto your burdens... Ye shall no more
give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and
gather straw for themselves" (Ex. 5:4, 7). Well might the heart of the
stoutest quake under such circumstances as these. To add to his
troubles the heads of the Israelites came unto Moses and said, "The
Lord look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savor to be
abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to
put a sword in their hand to slay us" (Ex. 5:21). Ah, faith must be
tested; nor must it expect to receive any encouragement or assistance
from men, no, not even from our own brethren--it must stand alone in
the power of God.
Later, Moses was required to interview Pharaoh again, after Jehovah
had informed him He had "hardened" his heart, and say, "The Lord God
of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let My people go, that
they may serve Me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou
wouldest not hear. Thus saith the Lord, In this thou shalt know that I
am the Lord: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand
upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to
blood. And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river
shall stink; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink of the water of
the river" (Ex. 7:16-18). It is easy for us now, knowing all about the
happy sequel, to entirely under-estimate the severity of this trial.
Seek to visualize the whole scene. Here was an insignificant Hebrew,
belonging to a company of slaves, with no powerful "union" to press
their claims. There was the powerful monarch of Egypt, who, humanly
speaking had only to give the word to his officers, and Moses had been
seized, beaten, tortured, murdered. Yet, notwithstanding, he "feared
not the wrath of the king."
We cannot now follow Moses through all the stages of his great contest
with Pharaoh, but would pass on to the closing scene. After the tenth
plague, Pharaoh called for Moses and proposed a compromise, which,
upon Moses refusing, he said, "Get thee from me, take heed to thyself,
see my face no more; for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt
die" (10:28). But Moses "feared not the wrath of the king," and boldly
announced the final plague. Not only so, he declared that his servants
should yet pay him homage (Ex. 11:4-8). "He had before him a bloody
tyrant, armed with all the power of Egypt, threatening him with
present death if he persisted in the work and duty which God had
committed to him; but he was so far from being terrified, or declining
his duty in the least, that he professeth his resolution to proceed,
and denounceth destruction to the tyrant himself" (John Owen).
After the tenth plague had been executed, Moses led the children of
Israel out of the land in which they had long groaned in bondage. "By
faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king." Even now
he was not terrified by thoughts of what the enraged monarch might do,
nor at the powerful forces which he most probably would send in
pursuit; but staying his mind upon God, he was assured of the Divine
protection. He allowed not gloomy forebodings to discourage him. Yet
once more we would say, it is easy for us (in the light of our
knowledge of the sequel) to under-estimate this marvel. Visualize the
scene again. On the one hand was a powerful nation, who had long held
the Hebrews in serfdom, and would therefore be extremely loath to let
them altogether escape; on the other hand, here was a vast concourse
of people, including many thousands of women and children,
unorganized, unarmed, unaccustomed to travel, with a howling
wilderness before them.
Ah, my reader, does not such a situation as we have hastily sketched
above, seem utterly hopeless? There did not seem one chance in a
thousand of succeeding. Yet the spirit of Moses was undaunted, and he
is here commended to us for his courage and resolution. But more;
Pharaoh, accompanied by six hundred chariots and a great armed force,
pursued them, and "when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel
lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them:
and they were sore afraid; and the children of Israel cried out unto
the Lord. And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in
Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore
hast thou dealt thus with us to carry us forth out of Egypt?" (Ex.
14:10, 11). Here was the crucial moment, the supreme test. Did Moses'
heart fail him, was he now terrified by "the wrath of the king"? No
indeed; so far from it, he calmly and confidently said unto the
people, "Fear ye not, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord,
which He will show you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen
today, ye shall see them again no more forever. The Lord shall fight
for you, and ye shall hold your peace" (Ex. 14:13, 14).
O how the undaunted courage of Moses shames our petty fears! What
cause have we to blush, and hang our heads in shame. Many are there
who fear very much less than the wrath of a "king": such things as
darkness and solitude, or even the rustling of a leaf, will frighten
them. No doubt such fear is constitutional with some, but with the
great majority it is a guilty conscience which makes them alarmed at a
shadow. The best way for weak ones to overcome their timidity is to
cultivate the sense of God's presence; and for the guilty, to confess
and forsake their sins. "The wicked flee when no man pursueth; but the
righteous are bold as a lion" (Prov. 28:1). Fear is the result of
distrust, of taking the eye off God, of being unduly occupied with
difficulties and troubles.
And what was it that enabled Moses to conduct himself with such
firmness and boldness? What was it that delivered his heart from
fearing the wrath of the king? FAITH, a spiritual, supernatural,
God-given, God-energized faith. Reader, do you know anything,
experimentally, of such a faith? Again we would be reminded that
"Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Rom.
10:17). Moses had heard, he had heard something from God, and his
faith laid hold of and rested upon the same. What was it that he had
heard? This, "Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token
unto thee, that I have sent you: when thou hast brought forth the
people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain"
(Ex. 3:12). So, too, if we are Christians, God has said to us, "I will
never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Therefore "we may boldly say, The
Lord is my Helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me"
(Heb. 13:5, 6).
Perhaps some one may ask, But was there no wavering in Moses' faith?
Yes, dear reader, for he was a man of like passions with us. They who
have a faith which never varies, which remains the same whether it be
cloudy and stormy, or fair and sun-shiny, have nothing but a natural
and letter faith. A spiritual and supernatural faith is one which we
did not originate and is one which we cannot call into exercise
whenever we please: God imparted it, and He alone can renew and call
it into action. When the leaders of Israel murmured against Moses, and
charged him with endangering their lives (Ex. 5:21), we are told that,
Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Lord, wherefore hast Thou so
evil entreated this people? why is it that Thou hast sent me? For
since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Thy name, he hath done evil to
this people; neither hast Thou delivered Thy people at all" (Ex. 5:22,
25). Blessed is it to behold the patience of God with His failing
servant, and to see how He comforted and strengthened him: Exodus
6:1-8.
"By faith he forsook Egypt." Faith assures the heart of a better
portion in return for any thing God calls us to relinquish. No matter
how attractive to the senses, no matter how popular with our fellows,
no matter how necessary it may seem for the interests of our family,
faith is convinced that God will not suffer us to be the losers: 1
Samuel 2:30. So Abraham left Chaldea, so Ruth forsook Moab (Heb.
1:16). Here is one way in which a true faith may be discerned and
known: if we were born and brought up in an idolatrous place, where
honors, pleasures and treasures might be enjoyed, and we, for
conscience sake, have forsaken that place, then surely we have a
spiritual faith. Few are now required to do as Abraham did, but all
are commanded to obey 2 Corinthians 6:14, 17.
Ah, there are many who forsake Egypt's (the world's) vices and
pleasures, who do not separate from its religion, and that was the
central thing in the final test which Moses' faith had to overcome.
Again and again Pharaoh sought a compromise, but with inflexible
firmness Moses stood his ground. The demand of God was, "Let My people
go, that they may hold a feast unto Me in the wilderness" (Ex. 5:1):
there must be a complete separation from the religion of the world.
But that is something which the world cannot brook, for the withdrawal
of God's people condemns them; hence we find Pharaoh saying, "Go ye,
sacrifice to your God in the land" (Ex. 8:25). But Moses was not to be
moved, "We will go three days' journey into the wilderness, and
sacrifice to the Lord our God as He shall command us" (Heb. 8:27).
Next we are told Pharaoh said, "I will let you go, that ye may
sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness, only ye shall not go
very far away" (Heb. 8:28): this was tantamount to saying, "If you are
determined to adopt this holier than thou attitude, there is no reason
why there should be a complete break between us." After the Lord had
further plagued Egypt, the king again sent for Moses and Aaron and
asked, "Who are they that shall go?" Moses answered, "We will go with
our young and with our old, with our sons, and with our daughters,
with our flocks and with our herds" (Heb. 10:9). But that was too much
for Pharaoh, who replied, "Not so: go now ye that are men, and serve
the Lord" (Heb. 10:11). See here in Pharaoh, my reader, our great
Adversary, striving to get us to temporize: "If you are determined to
forsake the church, at least leave your children in the Sunday School
!" How subtle the Devil is! What a living book is the Word! How
thoroughly suited to our present lot and needs!
One more effort was made by Pharaoh to induce Moses to render only a
partial obedience unto God's demands: "Go ye, serve the Lord, only let
your flocks and your herds be stayed" (Heb. 10:24)--If you must be so
unsociable, if you will be so mulish and not allow your children to
remain in Sunday School, at least retain your membership with us and
pay into the "church-treasury" as hitherto! Ah, had Moses feared the
wrath of the king, he had yielded this point. Instead, he remained
firm, and said, "Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt
offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the Lord our God. Our cattle
also shall go with us; there shall not an hoof be left behind: for
thereof must we take to serve the Lord our God" (10:25, 26). Well
might the apostle write, "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us:
for we are not ignorant of his devices" (2 Cor. 2:11)--no, for they
have been fully exposed to us in Holy writ.
All of what has been before us above is included in these words "By
faith he forsook Egypt," and all of it is "written for our learning"
(Rom. 15:4). The offers made by Pharaoh to Moses to prevent Israel
from completely forsaking Egypt in their worship of the Lord, are, in
essence, the very temptations which His people now have to overcome,
if they are to fully heed and obey 2 Corinthians 6:14, 17, "Be ye not
unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath
righteousness with unrighteousness?... Wherefore come out from among
them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean
thing." O my Christian reader, seek grace to obtain the uncompromising
spirit of Moses. When urged to worship God in "Egypt" (i. e. the
white-washed "churches" of the world), say it is impossible, for "what
communion hath light with darkness!" when pressed to leave your
children in a worldly Sunday School, to be instructed by those who
have not the fear of God upon them, refuse, when invited to at least
retain your membership in the Holy Spirit-deserted "churches" and
contribute of your means to their upkeep, decline to do so.
"Not fearing the wrath of the king." The courage of Moses is here set
forth in three degrees: he feared not man; he feared not the greatest
of men, a king; he feared not that which most affrights people, the
wrath of a king--"The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion" (Prov.
19:12). It was his faith in God which expelled this fear. When faith
is exercised the greatest terrors cannot alarm saints. And, my reader,
those who "forsake Egypt," especially religions of Egypt, must expect
to encounter the "wrath" of man: none hates so bitterly, none acts so
cruelly, none comes out more in his true colors, than the worldly
religionist when the veneer of hypocritical piety has been seen
through by a child of God. Yet his "wrath" is less to be feared than
was Pharaoh's: "If God be for us, who can be against us!"
"For he endured, as seeing Him who is invisible." Ah, here is the key
to all that has been before us, Moses "endured," which tells us of the
state of his heart. He "endured" the attractive honors and alluring
pleasures of Egypt's court; he "endured" the repeated compromises of
Pharaoh; he "endured" the terrors which his conduct might inspire. His
courage was no mere flash in the pan, or momentary bravado; but was
steady and real. O how little of this faith and its blessed fruit of
holy boldness, is now to be seen in poor, degenerate Christendom. Yet
how could it be otherwise, when worldliness has "quenched" the Spirit
on every hand? May we who have, by sovereign grace, been drawn to
Christ outside the camp, be very jealous and watchful against grieving
the Spirit.
The precise word which is here rendered "endured" is not employed
elsewhere in the N.T. Scholars tell us that it is derived from a root
meaning strength or fortitude, to bear evils, undergo dangers with
resolution and courage, so as not to faint beneath them, but hold on
our way to the end. It was a word most appropriate to express the
firmness of Moses' mind in this work of faith in "forsaking Egypt." He
met with a long course of difficulties, and was repeatedly threatened
by the king; and, in addition, he had to endure a great conflict with
his own unbelieving brethren. But he strengthened himself with
spiritual courage and resolution to abide in his duty to the finish.
How? Whereby was his strength renewed?
"For he endured, as seeing Him who is invisible." Ah, it was no mulish
stupidity nor obstinate imprudence that wrought such a resolution in
Moses, but the constant occupation of his heart with the Divine
perfections. We say "the constant occupation," for note carefully our
text does not say "he endured because he saw Him who is invisible,"
but "as seeing Him who is invisible"--it was a continuous act! O to be
able to say in our measure, "I have set the Lord always before me"
(Ps. 16:8). This is absolutely essential if faith and courage are to
be kept healthy. Nothing else will enable us to "endure" the frictions
and trials of life, the attractions and distractions of the world, the
assaults of Satan.
"He endured as seeing Him who is invisible." "God is said to be
invisible (as He is absolutely) in respect of His essence, and is
often so called in the Scripture: Romans 1:20, Colossians 1:15, 1
Timothy 1:17. But there is a peculiar reason for this description of
Him here. Moses was in that state and condition, and had those things
to do, wherein he stood in need continually of Divine power and
assistance. Whence this should proceed, he could not discern by his
senses, his bodily eyes could behold no present assistant, for God is
`invisible'. And it requires an especial act of the mind in expecting
help from Him who cannot be seen. Wherefore this is here ascribed to
him. He saw Him who was in Himself invisible; that is, he saw by
faith, whom he could not see with his eyes" (John Owen). This word
"invisible" shows the uselessness (as well as sin) of making images to
represent God, and warns against our forming any apprehensions in our
mind patterned after the likeness of any visible object. Though God be
invisible, yet He sees us!
"He endured as seeing Him who is invisible." "A double act of the
faith of Moses is intended herein. 1. A clear, distinct view and
apprehension of God in His omnipresence, power and faithfulness. 2. A
fixed trust in Him on their account, at all times and on all
occasions. This he rested on, this he trusted to, that God was
everywhere present with him, able to protect him, and faithful in the
discharge of His promise" (John Owen). God is the proper object of
faith: on which it rests, from which it expects every good and to
which it returns the glory for all.
O the surpassing excellency of faith. It takes in eternal, invisible,
infinite objects. By His providences God often appears to be against
His people, but faith knows He is for them. In this world we are
subject to many trials and miseries, but faith knows that "all things
work together for good to them that love God." The bodies of God's
children die, are buried, and return to dust; but faith beholds a
glorious resurrection for them. O the wondrous power of faith to rise
above the things of sight and sense. It is true that neither the
impartation of faith, nor its growth and exercise, lie within our
power; nevertheless, we are responsible to avoid those things which
becloud and weaken faith, and we are responsible to nourish faith. How
very few make serious efforts to see "Him who is invisible!"
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 74
The Faith of Moses
(Hebrews 11:28)
__________________________________________
There is more about Moses than any other individual in this 11th
chapter of Hebrews. No less than five definite actings of his faith
are there recorded. The reason for this is not far to seek. He was the
law-giver, and the boast of the Jews of Christ's day was, "We are
Moses' disciples" (John 9:28). They were seeking acceptance with God
on the ground of their own doings. They supposed that their outward
conformity to the ordinances of Moses would secure the approbation of
Heaven, and therefore, "They being ignorant of God's righteousness,
and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not
submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God" (Rom. 10:3). It
was under this influence that these converted Hebrews had been brought
up, and therefore did the Holy Spirit press upon them the fact that it
was by faith, and not by a legal spirit, their renowned ancestor had
lived and acted.
The particular acting of Moses' faith which we are now to consider was
one which would be singularly pertinent to the Spirit's design here:
it manifested his trust in the Lamb and testified to the value which
he placed upon the sprinkled blood. Instituting and observing the
feast of the passover, the leader of the Israelites set an example
that could not be ignored without fatal consequences. It completely
repudiated the awful error of thinking to escape from the wrath of God
in consequence of any performances on the part of the creature. It
effectively shuts up the sinner to Christ as his only hope. Let it be
duly considered that the "passover" was the first ordinance given to
Israel.
How striking it is to see the law-giver himself preaching, by those
actings of his recorded in our text, "By grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of
works, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9). How great is the
ignorance, then, which supposes that salvation by grace is peculiar to
this Christian dispensation--as though God has several ways of
redeeming sinners. No, my reader, from the beginning to the end of
human history every fallen descendant of Adam which enters Heaven will
owe it to sovereign grace, flowing to him through the appointed
channel of faith, entirely irrespective of all his works, religious or
irreligious, before he first trusts in Christ. Abel was saved thus:
Hebrews 11:4. Noah "found grace in the eyes of the Lord: Genesis 6:8.
Abraham "believed God, and it was counted unto him for ("unto")
righteousness": Romans 4:3. And the children of Israel were delivered
from the Angel of Death because they were sheltered beneath the blood
of the lamb.
That which is now before our consideration formed an appropriate and
blessed climax to the actings of Moses' faith recorded here in Hebrews
11: all the others led up to one. His refusing to be called the son of
Pharaoh's daughter, his choosing rather to suffer affliction with the
people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, his
esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of
Egypt, and his forsaking of Egypt would all have been in vain
spiritually, that is, so far as his salvation was concerned, unless
those had been followed by faith in the lamb and the efficacy of its
blood. Turning away from the world is not sufficient: there must also
be a turning unto God. The forsaking of sin is not enough: there must
also be the laying hold of Christ. This is what is typically in view
in our present text.
It is highly important that the closest attention be paid to the order
of truth set forth in Hebrews 11:24-28. If this be done, the
defectiveness of much modern "evangelism" will at once be apparent.
The keeping of the passover and the sprinkling of the blood is not the
first thing recorded of Moses! No man can rightly value the blood of
Christ while his heart is still wrapped up in the world, and to invite
and exhort him to put his trust in the same, is being guilty of
casting pearls before swine. No man can savingly believe in Christ
while he is determined to "enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season."
Repentance precedes faith (Mark 1:15; Acts 20:21): and repentance is a
sorrowing over sin, a hatred of sin, and a turning from sin; and where
there is no genuine repentance, there can be no "remission of sins":
Mark 1:4. Let every preacher who reads this article carefully weigh
all that is here recorded of Moses, and faithfully instruct his
congregation that the different exercises of heart recorded in Hebrews
11:24-27 must precede that which is stated in verse 28.
It is really deplorable that such elementary aspects of Truth as we
have just pointed out above need to be stressed at this late date. Yet
such is the tragic case. Laodicean Christendom is boasting of its
riches, and knows not that it is poor and wretched and naked. Part of
those "riches" which she boasts so loudly of today, is the "great
increase of light" which it is supposed that the study of prophetic"
and "dispensational" truth has brought to us. Yet not only is that a
subtle device of Satan's coming as "an angel of light" (2 Cor. 11:14),
to darken men's understandings, and make them believe that his lies
are "wonderful discoveries" and openings up of the Scriptures, but the
present generation has far less real Light than Christendom enjoyed a
century ago. By which we mean, there is far less faithful and fearless
preaching of those things which make for practical godliness and holy
living. But that is not the worst: Scriptural evangelism has well-nigh
disappeared from the earth.
The "Gospel" which is being preached today is only calculated to
deceive souls and bolster them up in a false hope. To make men believe
that God loves them, while they are under His wrath (see John 3:36),
is worse than a physician telling a diabetic subject that he may
safely eat all he wishes. To withhold the preaching of the Law--its
Divine authority, its inexorable demands, its spirituality (in
requiring inward conformity to it: Matthew 5:22, 28), its awful
curse--is to omit that which alone conveys a true knowledge of sin:
see Romans 3:20, 7:7. To cry "Believe, believe," and say nothing about
repentance, is to falsify the terms of salvation: Luke 24:47; Acts
17:30. To invite sinners to receive Christ as their "Savior" before
they surrender to Him as their Lord, is to present a false "way of
salvation." To bid the lost "come to Christ" without telling them they
must first "forsake the world," is to fill the "churches" with
unconverted souls. To tell sinners they may find rest unto their souls
without taking Christ's YOKE upon them, is to give the lie unto the
Master's own teaching: Matthew 11:29.
We offer no apology for this seeming digression from our present
subject. Once again we would point out that it is our earnest desire
in this series of articles to write something more than a "commentary"
on Hebrews, or give a bare "exposition" of its text: rather do we seek
(as the Holy Spirit is pleased to enable) to address ourselves
directly to the hearts of our readers, and press upon them the
personal and present application of each verse to their own souls. In
all probability a large proportion of the readers of this magazine are
deceived souls, and we do not want to have to answer for their blood
in the Day to come. Many of them have been lulled to sleep by the
chloroforming "evangelism" of the day. Therefore we earnestly beg each
one who scans these paragraphs to seriously and solemnly ask, Is there
anything in my own heart's history which answers to that which is said
of Moses in Hebrews 11:24-27? If there is not, if you are not
"crucified to the world" (Gal. 6:14), then Satan is fatally deluding
you if you imagine that you are under the blood of Christ.
Suffer us then, dear reader, to continue addressing you directly, for
a moment longer. We do not ask, first, Are you "resting on the
finished work of Christ?" There are thousands who imagine they are so
doing, who have never been converted. No, rather would we inquire,
Have you made your peace with God? We are well aware that expression
is ridiculed and denounced by a certain class who pose as being
ultra-spiritual and exceptionally well-taught in the Scriptures, but
they only betray their ignorance of the Word: see Isaiah 27:5, Luke
14:32. By asking whether you have "made your peace with God," we mean,
Have you ceased fighting against Him, and have you yielded to His
demands? Have you thrown down the weapons of your rebellion, and
expressed an honest desire and determination to be in subjection to
Him? Have you realized that living to please yourself and have your
own way, is a species of defiance, and have you truly surrendered
yourself unto His claims?
"Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest
He that destroyed the firstborn, should touch them" (verse 28). Let it
be pointed out again that this was the point unto which all the
previous actings of Moses' faith led. While it is true that no sinner
can "keep the Passover" or find protection under "the sprinkling of
blood," while his heart still loves the world, and is filled with its
idols, nevertheless, his separation from and relinquishing of all
which is opposed to God, obtains not salvation for him. The blotting
out of sins does not become ours until the atonement of Christ is
received into our hearts by faith. Thus, by taking Hebrews 11:24-28 as
a whole, we see how both the righteousness and the grace of God were
honored and magnified.
Our present verse looks back to and gives an abridgement of that which
is recorded in Exodus 12. It tells us of a further fruit of a
supernatural faith. At first sight it may appear unto many that this
particular work of faith is far less remarkable than some of those
which have engaged our attention in previous articles. Yet when it be
duly considered, when all the attendant circumstances are properly
weighed, it will be seen that the conduct of Moses on this occasion
was as much opposed to human reason and carnal wisdom, and issued from
a Divine work of grace in his heart, as did Abraham's leaving of
Chaldea for an unknown country, his offering up of Isaac, or Joseph's
"making mention of the departing of the children of Israel." We quote
now from another who has brought out this point most forcibly and
helpfully.
"The institution of the Passover was an act of faith, similar to that
of Noah's preparation of the ark (verse 7). To realize what this faith
must have been, we have to go back to `that night,' and note the
special circumstances, which can alone explain the meaning of the
words `by faith.' God's judgments had been poured out on Egypt and its
king, and its people. A crisis had arrived, for, after nine plagues
had been sent, Pharaoh and the Egyptians still remained obdurate.
Indeed, Moses had been threatened with death if he ever came into
Pharaoh's presence again (Ex. 10:28, 29). On the other hand, the
Hebrews were in more evil case than ever; and Moses, who was to have
delivered them, had not made good his promises.
"It was at such a moment that Moses heard from God what he was to do.
To sight and to sense it must have seemed most inadequate, and quite
unlikely to accomplish the desired result. Why should this last plague
be expected to accomplish what the nine had failed to do, with all
their cumulative terrors? Why should the mere sprinkling of the blood
have such a remarkable effect? And if they were indeed to leave Egypt
`that same night' why should the people be burdened with all those
minute ceremonial observances at the very moment when they ought to be
making preparation for their departure!
"Nothing but faith could be of any avail here. Everything was opposed
to human understanding, and human reasoning. With all the
consciousness of ill-success upon him, nothing but unfeigned faith in
the living God, and what he had heard from Him, could have enabled
Moses to go to the people and rehearse all the intricacies of the
Paschal observances, and tell them to exercise the greatest care in
the selection of a lamb on the tenth day of the month, to be slain on
the fourteenth day, and eaten with (to them) an unmeaning ceremonial.
"It called for no ordinary confidence in what Moses had heard from God
to enable him to go to his brethren who, in their deep distress, must
have been ill-disposed to listen; for, hitherto, his efforts had only
increased the hatred of their oppressors and their own miseries as
bondmen. It would, to human sight, be a difficult if not impossible
task to persuade the people, and convince them of the absolute
necessity of complying with all the minute details of the observance
of the Paschal ordinance. But this is just where faith came in. This
was just the field on which it could obtain its greatest victory.
Hence we read that `by faith' every difficulty was overcome; the Feast
was observed, and the Exodus accomplished. All was based on `the
hearing of faith.' The words of Jehovah produced the faith, and were
at once the cause and effect of all the blessings" (E.W.B.).
It should be evident, then, from what has been pointed out above that
the actions of Moses recorded in Exodus 11 and 12 proceeded from no
mere natural faith, but were the supernatural fruit issuing from a
supernatural root. His conduct must have exposed him unto the ridicule
of the Egyptians, but with implicit confidence in the wisdom,
distinguishing mercy, and faithfulness of Jehovah, he acted. See here,
again, how inseparable are faith and obedience: the very "faith" of
Moses which is mentioned in our present text, consisted in an implicit
compliance with all the regulations specified by the Lord. He observed
the passover in his own person, and he ordered the people to do
likewise, though it involved their procuring many thousands of lambs.
He observed the passover in fullest assurance that thereby all the
firstborn of the Hebrews would be delivered. Though all Israel kept
the passover, it was by Moses that God delivered the institution of
it.
The passover was one of the most solemn institutions of the O.T., and
one of the most eminent types of Christ. "1. It was a lamb that was
the matter of his ordinance (Ex. 12:3). And in allusion hereunto, as
also to other sacrifices that were instituted afterwards, Christ is
called `The Lamb of God' (John 1:29). 2. This lamb was to be taken out
from the flock of the sheep (verse 5). So was the Lord Christ to be
taken out of the flock of the church of mankind, in His participation
of our nature, that He might be a meet sacrifice for us (Heb.
2:14-17). 3. This lamb being taken from the flock was to be shut up
separate from it (Ex. 12:6). So although the Lord Christ was taken
from amongst men, yet He was separate from sinners (Heb. 7:26), that
is, absolutely free from all that contagion of sin which others are
infected withal. 4. This lamb was to be without blemish (Ex. 12:5),
which is applied unto the Lord Christ: `a Lamb without blemish and
without spot' (1 Pet. 1:19). 5. This lamb was to be slain, and was
slain accordingly (verse 6). So was Christ slain for us; a Lamb, in
the efficacy of His death, slain, from the foundation of the world
(Rev. 13:8). 6. This lamb was so slain, as that it was a sacrifice
(verse 27); it was the sacrifice of the Lord's passover. And Christ
our passover was sacrificed for us (1 Cor. 5:7). 7. The lamb being
slain, was to be roasted (verses 8, 9), which signified the fiery
wrath that Christ was to undergo for our deliverance. 8. That `not a
bone of him shall be broken' (verse 46), was expressly to declare the
manner of the death of Christ (John 19:33-36). 9. The eating of him,
which was also enjoined, and that wholly and entirely (verses 8, 9),
was to instruct the church in the spiritual food of the flesh and
blood of Christ, in the communication of the fruits of His mediation
unto us by faith" (John Owen).
By faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest He
that destroyed the firstborn should touch them." Two things are here
noted separately, the lamb and its blood. In type they spoke,
distinctively, of the person and work of Christ, for it was the person
of Christ which gave value to His work--His Divine person being the
"altar" which "sanctified" the offering of His humanity (Matthew
23:19). This is ever the order of Scripture: "Behold (1) the Lamb of
God, which (2) taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29); "I
determined not to know anything among you save (1) Jesus Christ and
(2) Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2); "in the midst of the elders stood (1)
a Lamb (2) as it had been slain" (Rev. 5:6). Here is the Analogy of
Faith for the preacher to follow today: It is not the blood which is
first to be proclaimed to the sinner, but the wondrous and glorious
God-man Mediator who shed His blood for His people.
The Hebrews, equally with the Egyptians, were exposed unto the Divine
vengeance, when the Angel of Death went forth on his dread work that
memorable night, for "all have sinned and come short of the glory of
God." And naught but their placing the substitutionary death of an
innocent victim between their guilty selves and an holy God, could
protect from the judgment announced against them. Trusting in their
descent from Abraham would avail them not. Appeal to their good works
and religious performances would have sufficed not. They might have
spent the entire night in fasting and prayer, in penitently confessing
their sins and crying unto God for mercy, but none of those exercises
would have stood them in any good stead. "When I see the blood, I will
pass over you" (Ex. 12:13) made known the all-essential requirement.
So it is now; nothing but the blood of Christ can cleanse from sin and
deliver from the death-penalty of God's broken law.
"Through faith" or better "By faith," for the Greek here is the same
as in the previous verse. "He kept the passover," that is, both
instituted and observed it, as the Redeemer did His own "supper." "And
the sprinkling of blood": this emphasizes an important-distinction.
"Without shedding of blood is no remission" (Heb. 9:22), and without
sprinkling of blood (cf. 1 Peter 1:2) the virtues of Christ's
atonement are not brought unto the soul. The "sprinkling" of the blood
has reference to the application to one's own self. The shedding of
Christ's blood is the ground on which atonement was made for the sins
of His people; the sprinkling of it is the means of reaping benefit
thereby. The sprinkling of the blood on the door of the house in
Exodus 12:13 was both a sign to the Destroyer that He should not
enter, and an assurance to the household that they were safe.
It is by a spiritual "sprinkling" or applying of Christ's blood that
all the benefit thereof redounds to us. It corresponds to the laying
of a plaster on a sore, to the drinking of a wholesome potion, to the
eating of food, to the putting on of a garment: the benefit of all
these ariseth from a fit application of them. The blood of Christ is
"sprinkled" on the soul in two ways. First, by the Spirit of God (1
Cor. 6:11), who inwardly persuades the soul of a right that it hath to
Christ and to all that He did and suffered for our redemption. Second,
by faith (Acts 15:9), for faith is the hand of the soul which receives
all spiritual benefits. Faith moves the regenerated soul to rest upon
Christ for a personal benefit of His obedience unto death. On this
ground the apostle exhorts, "Let us draw near with a true heart in a
full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
(guilty) conscience" (Heb. 10:22).
"Lest He that destroyed the firstborn should touch them." Primarily,
the Destroyer was the Lord Himself (Ex. 12:12, 23); secondarily, and
instrumentally, the reference is to an angel: compare 2 Samuel 24:16,
2 Kings 19:35. Whoever is not "sprinkled" with the blood of Christ is
exposed to the anger of God. But so secure are those who are under the
same, that the Destroyer shall not so much as "touch" them--He shall
do them no harm: cf. 1 John 5:18. God proportioned His judgment upon
Egypt according to their sin: Pharaoh had ordered his people to cast
every son born unto the Hebrews into the river (Ex. 1:22), and now
their firstborn were to be slain. Thus God manifested the equity of
His proceedings against them. "Be not deceived, God is not mocked: for
whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Gal. 6:7).
Our verse as a whole teaches Christians that there must be the
exercise of faith in order to a right use of the means and
institutions which God has appointed: whether in reading the Word, in
prayer, in baptism, or the Lord's supper: "without faith it is
impossible to please Him." It also shows us that real faith will not
use that for which it has no Divine warrant. An active obedience unto
the authority of Christ in His commands is exactly required in all
that we do in Divine worship. Well suited to the case of the Hebrews
was the example of Moses: to exercise faith in the Lamb and persevere
in the duties which God has appointed. No matter how unreasonable it
might seem to carnal wisdom, no matter what inconvenience and
persecution it might entail, trust in and obedience to the Lord was
their duty and blessedness.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 75
The Faith of Israel
(Hebrews 11:29)
__________________________________________
The apostle's object in this 11th chapter of Hebrews is to show the
power of real faith in God to produce supernatural acts, to overcome
difficulties which are insuperable to mere nature, and to endure
trials which are too much for flesh blood to bear up under. Various
examples have been adduced in illustration. A further notable one is
now before us. In it we see how faith enabled Israel to fearlessly
venture themselves to enter a strangely formed valley between two
mountainous ridges of water, and to reach in safety the opposite
shore. In like manner, a real faith in God will enable the Christian
to pass through trials and troubles which destroy multitudes of his
fellow-creatures, and which will in due time conduct him unto the
enjoyment of perfect bliss.
The force of the above example is greatly heightened by a striking and
most solemn contrast. The power of faith in enabling Israel to safely
cross the Red Sea is demonstrated by the helpless and hopeless
destruction of the Egyptians, who sought to follow them. "The
Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea,
even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots and his horsemen" (Ex. 14:23).
But they had no faith. They were moved by passion, by hatred of the
Hebrews. It was night when the army of God undertook their strange
journey, yet though dark, the hosts of Pharaoh presumptuously and
blindly followed. But now had arrived the hour when the long-insulted
Divine forbearance was to be avenged.
"And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto
the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud,
and troubled the hosts of the Egyptians; and took off their chariot
wheels, that they drave them heavily; so that the Egyptians said, Let
us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fighteth for them
against the Egyptians" (Ex. 14:24, 25). But it was too late. The
haughty monarch of Egypt and his powerful retinue now discovered how
vain it was to fling themselves against the bosses of Jehovah's
buckler: that which had been a channel of deliverance to the believing
Israelites, became the grave of their enemies. Thereby are we shown
that all attempts of unbelievers to obtain what faith secures is
utterly futile, and doomed to certain disappointment.
But here a difficulty presents itself, and a formidable one it has
proved unto most of those who sought to grapple with it. In our text
we are told that, "By faith they passed through the Red Sea," whereas
in Hebrews 3:18, 19 it is said, "To whom sware He that they should not
enter into His rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that
they could not enter in because of unbelief." Was, then, their faith
only a temporary one, like that of the stony-ground hearers? No, for
the "faith" mentioned in every other verse in Hebrews 11 was a saving
one, and we dare not arbitrarily assume this in 5:29 was an altogether
different one.
The solution of our present difficulty lies in attentively noting the
pronoun which the Holy Spirit has here employed: "By faith they passed
through the Red Sea." It is not there said "By faith the children of
Israel" did so, for it is very evident from their later history that
the vast majority of them were "a very froward generation, children in
whom was no faith" (Deut. 32:20). The reference, then, in our text is
unto Moses and Aaron, Caleb and Joshua, and the believing remnant
among the Hebrews. But, it may be asked, Did not the unbelieving
portion of the Nation also pass safely through the Red Sea? Truly, and
herein we have illustration of the fact that unbelievers are
frequently made partakers of temporal blessings as the result of their
association with people of God. Another example of this same principle
is found in Acts 27:24 where we see that an entire ship's company were
spared for Paul's sake.
"By faith they passed through the Red Sea, as by dry land; which the
Egyptians assaying to do were drowned" (Heb. 11:29). In seeking to
expound this verse we cannot do better than adopt the division of the
Puritan Manton thereon, considering it three ways: historically,
sacramentally, and applicatively. First, then, historically.
Our text takes us back to what is recorded in Exodus 14. There we
learn that when at last Pharaoh consented to let the Hebrews go, he
soon repented of his grant, and being informed by his spies that the
Israelites were entangled in the straits of Pihahiroth, he determined
to pursue, and either recover or destroy them. At the head of a great
military force he swiftly went after them. The consequence was that
"When Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes,
and, behold the Egyptians marched after them: and they were sore
afraid; and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord. And they
said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou
taken us away to die in the the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt
thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word
that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying Let us alone, that we may serve
the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians,
than that we should die in the wilderness" (Ex. 14:10-12).
A truly desperate situation now faced Moses and the company he was
leading. "Shut in between the great fortress `Migdol,' which was on
the `Shur' or wall (built to protect Egypt from Asia), and the sea,
with Pharaoh's host behind, and shut in on the other side by the
wilderness: Exodus 14:2, 3. It was indeed a crisis" (E.W.B.). What
could the poor Israelites do? Fight they dare not, being a multitude
of undisciplined people, of all sexes and ages, and pursued by a
regular and powerful army of enemies. Fly they could not, for they
were completely hemmed in on every side. To all outward appearance
their case seemed hopeless; and to human reason, nothing but sore
destruction might be expected.
The situation which confronted Israel was a hopeless one so far as
they were concerned, and had not the Lord shown Himself strong on
their behalf, they had undoubtedly perished. But, "if God be for us,
who can be against us"? Ah, my reader, that is the great thing for
each of us to make sure of, and when we have done so, to seek grace to
rest with unshaken confidence upon it. Has not God promised, "When
thou passest through the waters I will be with thee; and through the
rivers, they shall not overthrow thee" (Isa. 43:2)! What better
assurance than that can the believing heart ask for? No matter how
deep and wide stretching, no matter how dark and foreboding the
"waters" of adverse circumstances may be unto sight and sense, has not
He who cannot lie declared, "They shall not overflow thee"!
"And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the
salvation of the Lord, which He will show to you today: for the
Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for
ever" (Ex. 14:13). Undeterred by the chiding of the people, and wisely
making no reply thereto, Moses turned their minds away from the
outward danger and directed their thoughts unto Jehovah. They had
"lifted up their eyes and beheld the Egyptians" (verse 10), and in
consequence they were sore afraid; but there was something else for
faith to "see," namely, "the salvation (or deliverance) of Jehovah,"
which was not yet visible to natural sight. If they were steadfastly
occupied with that their trembling hearts would be stilled.
Admire, dear reader, the confident assurance which Divine grace
wrought in the heart of Moses, for by nature he was a frail man of
like passions and infirmities as us. But there was no wavering or
doubting on his part: "see the salvation of the Lord, which He will
show you today": that was the language of faith--of a supernatural,
God-given faith. Moses was not engaged with the difficulties and
dangers of the trying situation which confronted them; instead, he was
occupied with One before whom all difficulties disappear like mists
before the rising sun. "The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall
hold your peace" (verse 14). Once the soul is able to rest on that
fact, doubtings end and alarms are silenced.
"Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom.
10:17). Faith must have a foundation to stand upon, and the only firm
and sure one is the promise of the living God. "Fear ye not, stand
still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will show you
today... The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace"
afforded the necessary ground for the faith of each believing Hebrew
to rest upon. The eye of faith must see that Divine "salvation" or
deliverance, before the eye of sense beheld it: only the sure word of
God could give strength to their hearts to advance into the ocean
before them. When the promise had been "heard," and not before, then
came the order "Go forward."
"And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto Me? speak
unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: But lift thou up
thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and
the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the
sea" (Ex. 14:15, 16). Thus we learn that the heart of Moses was
engaged in silent supplication at this time. The Lord's statement here
is not to be understood as a rebuke. No, Moses was waiting the word of
command, and until it was given, he stayed himself upon the Lord. "And
the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry
ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and
on their left" (verse 22).
"When Moses gave the signal by his rod, the sea miraculously
retreated, standing up like heaps of congealed ice on either side
while they passed through. This is done, and they go on safely; the
sea flanked them on both sides; the rear was secured by the cloudy and
fiery pillar interposing between them and Pharaoh's army, till such a
time as all were out of danger, and safely arrived at the further
shore; and so neither man nor child was hurt. The Egyptians followed
the chase, as malice is perverse and blind, and those whom God
designeth to destruction take the ready course to bring it upon their
own heads; for at the signal again of Moses stretching forth his rod,
the returning waters swallowed them all up in a moment" (T. Manton).
"A greater instance, with respect unto the work of Divine providence,
of the power of faith on the one hand, and of unbelief with obdurate
presumption on the other, there is not on record in the whole book of
God. Here we have the end and issue of the long controversy that was
between these two people, the Egyptians and the Israelites; a certain
type and evidence of what will be the last end of the contest between
the world and the church. Their long conflict shall end in the
complete salvation of the one, and the utter destruction of the other"
(John Owen).
Though it was night, the Divine pillar of cloud "gave light" unto
Israel (Ex. 14:19). Dreadful indeed must have appeared those walls of
water, for the sea would be raised unto a very great height on either
side of them. It called for no ordinary faith to put themselves
between such walls, as were ready in their own nature to fall on them
unto their destruction any moment, abiding upright only under an
invisible restraint. But they had the command of God for their warrant
and the promise of God for their security, and these, when laid hold
of, are sufficient to overcome all fears and dangers. That Moses
himself, to guide and encourage them (and as the type of Christ) took
the lead, is clear from Isaiah 63:11-13, "God led them through the sea
by the right hand of Moses."
Let us now briefly consider the remarkable incident related in our
text from a sacramental viewpoint. In 1 Corinthians 10:1, 2 we are
told, "Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how
that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the
sea, and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea."
From this scripture we learn that Israel's passage through the Red Sea
had the same signification that Christian baptism now hath. The points
of resemblance are many, and were developed at length by Manton, and
more so by Gouge, from whom we here give a digest.
1. The ministry of Moses was confirmed by this miracle, so that the
Israelites were obliged to take him for their leader and lawgiver: so
the miracles wrought by Christ assure us that He was sent by God as
our lawgiver, which we must hear and obey. 2. Israel's experience is
(figuratively) denominated a "baptism" because it signified the
difference which God puts between His people and His enemies: the
deliverance of Israel from the Egyptians was sealed by their passage
through the Sea. Similarly baptism is said to be an answering figure
to the ark of Noah (1 Pet. 3:20, 21): as those on the ark were
exempted from the deluge, so those in Christ are exempted from the
deluge of wrath which will yet overwhelm the world.
3. They were baptized "in the cloud and in the sea," because by
submitting to God's command they gave up themselves to His direction:
so in baptism we dedicate ourselves unto Christ, avowing Him to be our
Lord and Master. 4. The passing through the Red Sea and baptism had
both the same outward sign, which is water (Matthew 3:6). 5. They had
like rites, which were entering into the water and coming out of it
(Acts 8:38, 39). 6. They had both the same ground, which was God's
command and promise (Ex. 14:13, 16 and Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:16).7.
They were both for the same people, namely, the children of God
(Matthew 28:19). 8. They were but once administered (Eph. 4:5).
Let us now consider some of the practical lessons which this marvelous
incident is designed to teach us. 1. The children of God are sometimes
called on to face great trials: a Red Sea of difficulty and trouble
confronts them. Let it be duly observed that it was not an enemy who
put the sea there, but God Himself! This tells us that the Red Sea
represents some great and trying providence which the Lord places in
the path of each newborn Christian: it is in order to try his faith
and test the sincerity of his trust in God. Often this trial is
encountered soon after conversion. Sometimes it arises from opposition
of ungodly members of our own family. Or, you are engaged in some
business--perhaps requiring you to work on the Sabbath day--in which
you cannot now conscientiously continue. It means renouncing your
means of livelihood, and you cannot see how it can be done and provide
things honest in the sight of all men. As you emerged from the bondage
of Egypt you thought it would be easy to surrender everything to God,
but now a Red Sea of testing is before you, and it appears unfordable.
2. The children of God are sometimes terrified by powerful enemies.
The Egyptian who pursued Israel up to the Red Sea may be spiritualized
to represent those sins of the Christians from which he expected to be
completely delivered. For a little while after conversion sin does not
much trouble the newly-regenerated saint: he is filled with joy and
praise at the great things which the Lord has done for him. But it is
not long before he discovers with the apostle "I see another law in my
members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into
captivity to the law of sin which is in my members" (Rom. 7:23). Satan
now pursues the young saint, and often it seems as though all the
powers of hell were let loose against him. At such a time our sins
appear more formidable to us than before they were forgiven: in Egypt
our taskmasters only appeared with their whips, but now they are
mounted and in chariots! Ah, after conversion sin looks far more
frightful to the saint than ever it did before, and we feel the plague
of our heart much more acutely.
3. The people of God are often troubled with faint hearts. When the
children of Israel saw the Egyptians they were sore afraid, and when
they beheld the Red Sea they murmured against their deliverer. A faint
heart is the worst foe a Christian has here: when the anchor of faith
is fixed deep in the Rock, he need never fear the storm; but when the
hand of faith be palsied, or the eye of faith be dim, it will go hard
with us. When faith is dormant the most insignificant stream will make
us quiver and cry: I shall be drowned in the flood; but when faith is
dominant it fears not an ocean of difficulty or danger. The babe in
Christ has but little faith, for he has but little experience: he has
not yet proved God's promises and knows not His faithfulness. But as
he grows in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord, and becomes
established in the faith, he will not despair before Red Seas and
Egyptians; but meanwhile, he often trembles and asks, "How shall I
ever find deliverance?"
4. The people of God are here instructed how to act under great
trials. The first word the Israelites received in the hour of their
great emergency was, "Fear ye not, stand still"; the second was "And
see the salvation (deliverance) of the Lord, which He will show you
today"; the third was, "Go forward" (Ex. 14:13, 15). It is of first
importance that we should diligently attend to the Divine order of
those three things: we are not equipped and ready to "Go forward"
until we have "seen" (by faith) the "salvation of the Lord," and that
cannot be properly seen until our fears are calmed and we stand still;
or, in other words, till we turn from all self-help and cease from all
the feverish activites of the flesh.
The continuous call of God to the Christian is "Go forward":
persevering steadfastly along the path of duty, walking in that narrow
way which the Divine commands and precepts have laid down for us. No
matter what obstacles may confront you, no matter what your
circumstances may be, no matter what Red Sea of difficulty or danger
be before you, "Go forward" is God's authoritative word to you. "Ah,
but often that is far from being an easy thing to do!" Quite true,
dear friend; yea, we will state it still more strongly: it is often
impossible to mere nature. What, then, is to be done when the heart
faints, when the soul is well-nigh overwhelmed by the greatness of the
difficulty or danger, standing right in your path? Two things; first
"Stand still." Your own efforts to better matters have brought no
relief, your own wisdom can devise no solution; very well, then "stand
still": cease from all attempts at self-help.
"But," you answer, "I have my responsibilities to discharge, my duties
to perform." Quite true: but admittedly you have now reached the place
where a Red Sea is before you; you are dismayed and know not which way
to turn. Here, then, is God's word to you in this dire emergency:
"Stand still." This means, Get down on your knees, and cry unto the
Lord: tell Him all about your trouble, unburden yourself freely and
fully unto Him; spread your urgent need before Him. Probably, you
answer, "I have done so, and thus far no way through my Red Sea has
appeared before me." Then, you are now ready for His next word.
"And see the salvation (deliverance) of the Lord, which He will show
you." And what does that mean? This, the exercise of faith in the
living God, the trusting in Him to undertake for you, the confident
expectation He will do so. Cry unto the Holy Spirit to work this faith
in you: remain on your knees until He has given you real assurance
that your Father will show Himself strong on your behalf; wait before
Him till one of His promises is applied to your heart in power. Then,
you are ready to "Go forward," to resume your duties and discharge
your responsibilities: to look for work, to go on with renewed
strength. The Christian is only ready to "Go forward" when faith has
seen that which is invisible to sight and sense, namely, the
"salvation (deliverance) of the Lord" before it is actually wrought
for us!
The way in which the Christian is required to walk as he journeys
through this world on his way to Heaven is the path of obedience to
God's commands. Naught but a spiritual faith inclines the heart to
comply with God's demands, and upon compliance to expect the mercy
promised: "Lord, I have hoped for Thy salvation, and done Thy
commandments" (Ps. 9:166). This is the great business of faith: as the
Israelites were to obey God, and to wait for His deliverance out of
their imminent danger. Naught but a God-given faith imparts courage to
obey God in the most difficult crisis. If we be bidden to go into the
Red Sea we must not forbear, for none of God's commands are to be
disputed, however contrary they be to flesh and blood. Faith teaches
us to depend upon God in greatest extremities. Faith receives the
promise of God upon the conditions or terms which He has specified. If
Israel were to receive the "salvation'' of the Lord," they must do
what He bade. Faith and obedience can no more be separated than can
light and heat in the sun.
As Abraham, at the call of God, went out of Chaldea, "not knowing
whither he went," so Israel were required to "Go forward" though the
Sea stretched before them. Probably it was not until their feet
touched the brink that the waters divided. Nature might have gone over
it, but faith passed safely "through" it! They feared they would be
destroyed by Pharaoh's hosts. The very last thing that they would have
looked to as a means of escape would be the Sea! Yet, in obedience to
the Divine command, "The children of Israel went into the midst of the
Sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their
right hand, and on their left" (Ex. 14:22). Learn, then, dear reader,
we never lose by obeying God.
"By faith they passed through the Red Sea." True faith lifts a man
above himself, puts into him a spirit which is more than human, and
enables him to rise above the obstacles of reason and sense. Faith
emboldened the hitherto trembling Israelites to venture through that
strange chasm between the watery walls. "As by dry land" is added to
magnify the Divine providence in making a path in the ocean's bottom
fit for women and children to tread upon--like a plain and beaten
highway. By faith they "passed through": they took not only a few
steps, but continued to perseveringly march mile after mile and hour
after hour. Hesitate not, my brother, to venture upon anything which
God calleth you unto; be assured that He will safely carry you through
all difficulties and dangers. "Which the Egyptians assaying to do,
were drowned": the very means of Israel's deliverance was their
destruction: see 2 Corinthians 2:16! It was a just retribution for the
slaying of the male Hebrew children in the waters (Ex. 1).
5. The people of God may be assured of the Divine providence. When
Israel "by faith," obeyed the Divine command to "Go forward," God
wrought a miracle and delivered them from their dire situation. This
is recorded for the encouragement of our hearts. It was God who had
placed the Red Sea where it was, and it was God who opened the way for
Israel through it. So, Christian reader, it is God (and not the Devil)
who has brought about the problem, the emergency, the danger which now
confronts you; for "of Him . . . are all things" (Rom. 11:36). As He
has made thy Red Sea, only He can cleave a way through it for you.
Trust, then, in His unerring wisdom. Count upon His mighty power
working on your behalf. "Stand still" and rest yourself upon God. View
"by faith" anticipatively, expectantly, His "salvation" or
deliverance. "Go forward" in obedience to His commands, and He will
show Himself strong on thy behalf. He never fails those who fully
trust and unreservedly obey Him.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 76
The Faith of Israel
(Hebrews 11:30)
__________________________________________
In the preceding verse we had the faith of the believing remnant of
Israel under the command and example of Moses, in our present text we
have an exhibition and triumph of their faith under the leadership of
Joshua. There we beheld what faith accomplished under their exodus
from Egypt, here we see what it achieved upon their entering the
promised land. As the yoke of bondage was by faith broken asunder, so
by the same faith the people of God were to obtain possession of
Canaan. Thereby we are taught that the true life of the saint is, from
beginning to end, one of faith. Without faith no progress can be made,
no victories be obtained, no fruit be brought forth unto God's glory.
It is solemn to note that an interval of forty years' duration comes
in between Hebrews 11:29 and 30. Those years were occupied in the
wilderness. They were a judgment from God because of unbelief (Heb.
3). Reader, how many years of your life record no actings of faith to
the praise of Divine grace?
The remarkable incident referred to in our text is related at length
in the 6th chapter of Joshua, which opens by telling us, "Now Jericho
was straitly shut up, because of the children of Israel: none went
out, and none came in." Israel had reached the borders of Canaan. They
had safely crossed the Jordan, but could not enter the land because of
Jericho, which was a powerful fortress barring their ingress. This was
one of the cities which had affrighted the spies, causing them to say,
"The people is greater and taller than we: the cities are great and
walled up to heaven" (Deut. 1:28): to their eyes the cities appeared
impregnable, and far too secure for them to take.
Jericho was a frontier town. It was the key-city at the entrance to
Canaan. Its capture was absolutely necessary before any progress could
be made by Israel in their conquering and occupying of their promised
inheritance. Failure to capture it would not only discourage the
children of Israel, but would greatly strengthen the morale of the
Canaanites. It was the enemy's leading stronghold, which doubtless,
they considered to be quite invulnerable. Yet it fell to a people who
possessed no artillery, and without them fighting any battle. All they
did, in response to Jehovah's order, was to march by faith around the
city once each day for six days, and then seven times on the seventh
day, when they gave a great shout, and the walls fell down flat before
them. Many important lessons are taught us therein, a few of which we
will briefly, mention, before dwelling at greater length upon the
outstanding one.
First, God's ways are often entirely different from ours. Who ever
heard of a powerful fortress being completely demolished in response
to a company of people walking around it? Ah, God delights in staining
the pride of man. The leader and lawgiver of Israel was preserved in
an ark of bulrushes. The mighty giant of the Philistines was overcome
by a sling and a stone. The prophet Elijah was sustained by a widow's
handful of meal. The forerunner of Christ dwelt in a wilderness and
fed upon locusts and wild honey. The Savior Himself was born in a
stable and laid in a manger. His selected ambassadors were, for the
most part, unlettered fishermen. Striking illustrations are these of
the sentence beginning this paragraph. The things which are highly
esteemed among men are abomination in the sight of God. It is well for
us to remember this.
Second, God is independent of all natural means and superior to all
the "laws of nature." It is true that, as a general rule, God is
pleased to bless the use of natural means, and that He frequently
accomplishes His ends by the operations of those laws of nature which
He has set in motion; but it is a great mistake to imagine that He is
tied down either by the one or the other. What natural "means" were
employed in Israel's crossing of the Jordan or their capturing of
Jericho? What natural "means" were used in the preserving of Daniel in
the lion's den or Jonah in the whale's belly? And what "laws of
nature" were observed in connection with the birth of Isaac, the
feeding of Elijah by the ravens, or the preserving whole the three
Hebrews in Babylon's fiery furnace? Yes, God is superior to all means
and laws. It is well for us to remember this too.
Third, formidable difficulties and powerful oppositions are
encountered in the Warfare of Faith. One will not follow the path of
faith very far before he comes face to face with that which challenges
all his courage and defies all his natural resources and powers.
Jordan rivers and Jericho fortresses still exist. But though the one
may be unaffordable and the other appear impregnable, yet they are the
veriest trifles to the Almighty. The dimensions which they assume unto
our vision, are largely determined by the measure in which our hearts
are engaged with the omnipotent One. Those formidable difficulties and
powerful obstacles are placed in our path by God, for the purpose of
testing us, for the training of faith, as opportunities to trust in
and glorify the Lord.
Fourth, Satan's strongholds cannot stand before a people who are
obedient to and who rely fully upon the living God. This fact is
surely written in large letters across Joshua 6. The Canaanites were
completely under the dominion of the Evil one, yet here we see one of
their principal fortresses tumbling down like a frail booth when a
powerful wind strikes it. To unbelief these cities might appear
"walled up to heaven" and seem impregnable, but faith laughs at such
things, knowing that God has only to breathe upon them and they will
collapse at once. Thus it was in the early days of Christianity, when
the imposing citadels of Paganism crumbled away before the faithful
ministry of the apostles. Thus it was at the time of the great
Reformation in the sixteenth century, when the kingdom of the Papacy
was shaken to its very foundations by the courageous preaching of
Luther and his contemporaries. Thus it was, in many parts, some fifty
years ago, when the high places of heathendom fell down before
onslaughts of the missionaries.
And why is it we are not witnessing the same Gospel triumphs in our
generation? Why is it that Romanism has now regained so much of its
lost ground, and is forging ahead in so many directions? Why is it
that on the "foreign field" the forces of Satan are advancing instead
of retreating? And why is it that in the so-called Christian lands a
growing number of Jerichos defy the prayers and efforts of the saints?
Is it because God's arm is now waxed short? Perish the thought. Is it
because the Scriptures are obsolete and unfitted to the needs of this
twentieth century? Far from it. What, then, is the matter? This: there
is a grieved Spirit in our midst, and in consequence His power is
withheld. The Holy Spirit of God has been "quenched" (1 Thess. 5:19),
and therefore the feverish and frenzied efforts of present-day
Christendom avail not.
And why is the Spirit of God "grieved"? What is it that has "quenched"
His power in our midst? This, we have departed from God's way, we have
ignored His orders, we have substituted human devices, we have put our
confidence in carnal weapons. Instead of encompassing the walls of
Jericho after the Divine order, we have resorted to worldly
allurements, seeking to win over the Canaanites by fleshly
attractions. My brethren, we cannot hope to have Israel's victories
until we emulate Israel's example. We will never again witness a
return to apostolic progress until we get back to apostolic methods.
There can be no improvement until we truly recognize that it is "Not
by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts"
(Zech. 4:6). And the power of the Spirit will not be manifested in our
midst until we once more enter the path of obedience, doing God's work
in God's prescribed way, and confidently counting upon Him to honor
and bless such efforts.
Fifth, but the outstanding lesson to be learned from this incident is
that which is stated in our text, where the fall of Jericho is
attributed to the faith of the believing Israelites. "Do we think
enough of faith, chosen by Divine omnipotent love, to be its channel?
God alone doeth great marvels, but it is through the faith of His
saints. All the victories of Israel were wrought by faith. Divine
power and grace redeemed them on that memorable night; but it was the
faith of Moses which kept the passover and the sprinkling of blood. It
was God who divided the Red Sea, but in answer to the silent prayer of
faith which ascended from the heart of His servant. All miracles of
healing recorded in the Gospels were wrought by faith. Jesus prayed to
His Father, and then fed the multitude with five loaves and two
fishes. Jesus lifted up His eyes to heaven, and then said `Ephphatha,
Be thou loosed.' Jesus by faith thanked God that He heard Him always,
and then uttered His mighty `Lazarus, come forth.'
"And faith was wrought also in the recipient of Divine favor: `Thy
faith hath healed thee'; `Be it unto thee as thou hast believed.' Such
were frequently Christ's words. The people who perished in the
wilderness entered not into God's rest because of unbelief; and
because of their unbelief, Jesus could not show many miracles in some
places: `Believe only, and thou shalt see the glory of God.'
"Israel's history is the history of God's omnipotent saving grace and
of man's faith. From heaven descend miracles; from earth ascends
faith. From the election of Abraham to the birth of Moses, from the
passover and the Red Sea to the dividing of the river Jordan, all is
miracle, and all has to go through the faith of some chosen saint.
Israel is before Jericho, a wailed and fenced city; it is not by power
and might, but by faith, that they are to take it" (Adolph Saphir).
Let us consider the various aspects of faith which were manifested by
the believing Israelites on this memorable occasion. 1. The daring of
their faith. When Israel crossed the Jordan, they, as it were, burned
all their bridges and boats behind them. They were cut off from
flight; they had no houses to which they could retire, and no fortress
to which they could retreat. They were now in the enemy's territory,
and victory or death were the only alternatives. To march peacefully
and quietly around those walls of Jericho seemed a perilous
undertaking: what was to hinder the Canaanites from shooting at or
casting down rocks upon them. It was truly an adventure of faith, and
it is venturesome faith which God delights to honor. Unbelief is
hestitant and timorous, but bold faith is confident and courageous. O
to be "strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might."
There are three degrees of faith. There is a faith which receives,
when as empty-handed beggars we come to Christ and accept Him as our
Lord and Savior: John 1:12. There is also a faith which reckons, which
counts upon God to fulfill His promises and undertake for us: 2
Timothy 1:12. There is also a faith which risks, which dares something
for the Lord. This aspect of faith was exemplified by Moses when he
ventured to confront the king of Egypt and make known Jehovah's
demands. This daring of faith was manifested by David when he went
forth to engage the mighty Goliath. We see it again in Elijah, when,
single-handed, he encountered the host of Jezebel's false prophets on
Carmel. We see it again when Daniel dared to be cast into the lion's
den rather than comply with the idolatrous edict of Babylon's king. We
see it again and again in the journeys and ministry of the apostle
Paul, who flinched not before dangers of every imaginable order, that
he might make known the unsearchable riches of Christ.
And in each of the instances mentioned above we behold in the sequel
how God honored those trusting and daring hearts. It is venturesome
faith which He ever delights to reward. He Himself bids us come to the
throne of grace with holy "boldness," that we may find grace to help
in time of need. O how this rebukes our timidity and reserve. How few
today are prepared to risk anything in the service of our Lord. How
little of the courage and daring of our fathers is now in evidence.
What a lot of trembling and fearful soldiers are found today in the
army of Christ. O how urgent is the need for some Spirit-filled man of
faith to go forth and cry in the language of Carey, "Ask great things
of God; expect great things from God; undertake great things for God."
It is well to look before we leap, but many look so long that they
never leap at all!
2. The obedience of their faith. This appears from a reading of Joshua
6:3, 4 and 6-8: all concerned carried out the Lord's instructions to
the letter. To do nothing more than walk and walk and walk around the
walls of Jericho must have appeared a childish and ridiculous thing;
yet the believing remnant complied with the Lord's command. God
promised to deliver Jericho into their hands: Joshua and his believing
fellows rested on His word and carried out His orders. The Lord
requires us to use whatever means He prescribes, no matter how
unlikely and inadequate they may seem to us. It is true that Divine
power overthrew Jericho's walls, yet it was also by faith's obedience
they fell. God had made it known that the manifestation of His power
should be via a particular way; it was inseparably connected with
certain actions which were to be performed by His people.
How was Israel to capture that mighty fortress of the Canaanites?
Consider their condition! For centuries they had been a nation of
slaves. For the last forty years they had been weary wanderers in the
wilderness. And now their great leader, Moses, was dead! They were
without any military experience, devoid of artillery, and had no
trained army. All true; but they were not left to themselves: the
living God was for them; and so long as they responded to His revealed
will, all went well with them. In like manner God has not left us to
our own devisings, but has given us plain and full directions, and He
requires us to do the work which He has appointed us in the way He has
commanded. Implicit obedience to His orders is absolutely essential if
we are to have His blessing.
Implicit obedience unto the known will of God marked all Israel's
arrangements for the siege of Jericho. Minute instructions were given
them for their strange campaign. They were to march in a certain
order, each being required to take the place assigned him. They were
to march at a specified hour, and encompass the city a given number of
times. At the command of the Lord they were to be silent, and at the
command of the Lord they were to shout. There was no room for human
scheming, no place for carnal planning, no need for human reasoning as
to what should be done. Everything was prescribed for them, and
faith's obedience was all that was required from them. The orders
which God gave to Joshua might have seemed unreasonable and absurd to
his men, yet they must be faithfully executed if victory was to be
theirs. And as it was then, so it is still. But O how slow we are to
learn this lesson.
Reader, the commands and precepts of God often appear strange unto
carnal wisdom. How absurd did God's orders appear to the great Naaman,
when he was bidden to bathe his leprous body in the Jordan. How
contrary to all human ideas was it for God to send the prophet Elijah
to be fed for many months by a widow who had naught but a handful of
meal and a little oil. How unreasonable it must have seemed to the
twelve apostles when Christ bade them tell the great multitude to sit
down, and only five small loaves and two little fishes were in sight.
And how unreasonable does it appear unto multitudes of professing
Christians today when they are told to cast away all the worldly
devices which have been brought into the "churches" and substitute
fasting and prayer. How slow we are to recognize that it is the
obedience of faith which God requires.
3. The discipline of their faith. "And Joshua had commanded the
people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your
voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day
I bid you shout; then shall ye shout" (Josh. 6:10). Their silence at
the beginning was as necessary as their shouting at the finish. Why?
These men were the immediate descendants of the greatest grumblers who
ever lived. Their fathers complained and murmured until God swore in
His wrath they should not enter into His rest.
How much mischief had been caused if every man had been left free to
express his "opinion"! How many would have been ready to advise Joshua
what method of strategy to employ. One would have reasoned that the
only way to capture Jericho was by starving out its inhabitants
through a protracted siege. Another would have suggested the use of
ladders to scale its walls. Another would have advocated heavy
battering-rams to force a way in. Another would have suggested
tunneling under the walls. One and all would have ridiculed the plan
which Joshua adopted. Ah, my readers, if the Jerichos which now
confront the people of God are to be captured, then not only must the
mouths of murmurers be stopped, but all leaning unto our own
understanding must be abandoned.
O how often are the sinews of faith cut by the injudicious and
unfriendly criticisms of those who pose as our Christian friends. How
often is the man of God hindered by the Christ-dishonoring doubts and
carnal suggestion of his fellows. A brother in the Lord, who had been
without employment, recently wrote us that he had been rebuked for not
making known his needs to his friends. Ah, let us not forget that the
very first line which the Holy Spirit gives us in His picture of the
"blessed" man is, that he "walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly"
(Ps. 1:1). How much mischief is wrought by people perpetually talking
of the difficulties in the task confronting us. All real Christian
work is beset with difficulties--Satan sees to that!
The soldiers of Christ must be trained: faith must be disciplined:
each one in the ranks of the Lord's hosts must learn there is "a time
to keep silence and a time to speak" (Ecclesiastes 3:7). The children
of Israel were not ordered to go forth in battle array and make any
sally upon this garrison of the Canaanites. Instead, in solemn
silence, in sacred procession, they were to encompass the city. This
was a great trial of faith for such a procedure seemed very unlikely
to accomplish the desired end. Not only so, but it would expose them
to the contempt of their enemies, who must have sneered at their
harmless procession. Yet this was the way which God had ordered: He
loves to do great things by contemptible means, that the glory may be
His.
4. The patience of their faith: "By faith the walls of Jericho fell
down, after they were compassed about seven days." They did not fall
the first day that Israel marched around them, nor the second, nor the
third. No, it was not until they had journeyed about them thirteen
times, that the power of God was displayed. And why? To test their
patience, as well as their faith and obedience; to prove whether they
really believed the Lord's promise or no, when He enjoined the use of
such weak and unlikely means; and to give them a more distinct
apprehension that the conquest of Canaan was the Lord's, and not
theirs. When nothing happened the first twelve times Israel
encompassed Jericho, it became the more evident that their enemies
would not be overcome by the power of man, but by God.
Not only the mercy, but the timing of it, is in the hands of God, and
therefore are we bidden, "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for
Him" (Ps. 37:7). Alas, how sadly do we fail at this point. How easily
we become discouraged if our Jericho does not fall the first or second
time we encompass it: "the vision is yet for an appointed time...
though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come" (Hab. 2:3).
But O how impatient is the flesh. It was at this point that Abraham
failed: when Sarah bare not the promised son, he determined to have
one by Hagar. It was at this point Moses first failed--taking things
into his own hands (Ex. 2:11, 12), instead of waiting God's time.
"Tarry ye at Jerusalem" was the last word which the Redeemer gave unto
the apostles before He ascended.
"Men ought always to pray, and not to faint" (Luke 18:1). How much we
need to take this word to heart: how often we have "fainted" when
victory was almost in sight! Ah, we thought that the walls of our
Jericho would never fall; but they did, at the appointed time. God is
in no hurry, and it is required of us that "he that believeth shall
not make haste" (Isa. 28:16). But we find it much harder to wait than
we do to believe: that is, probably, the weakest spot in our armor,
and the point at which we fail most frequently. Then let us be more
definite and earnest in begging the Holy Spirit to work in us the
spiritual grace of patience. Let us seek grace to lay hold of that
word, "Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall
reap, if we faint not" (Gal. 6:9).
5. The anticipation of their faith: "So the people shouted when the
priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people
heard the sound of the trumpet, and people shouted with a great shout,
that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the
city, every man straight before him, and they took the city" (Josh.
6:20). Our space is nearly exhausted, so we must condense. What we
would now particularly observe is that the people shouted before the
walls fell down--it was faith expecting the victory. "What things
so-ever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive, and ye shall
have" (Mark 11:24). It reminds us of the missionary Moffatt, who
labored for years among the Bechuanas and saw not a single seal to his
ministry. Some of his far-distant friends in England wrote him saying
they wished to make a present, and asked him to specify what it should
be. He answered "a communion set." Months after, when it arrived, more
than a dozen converted natives sat down with him to remember the
Lord's death!
How the whole of Joshua 6 has been recorded for our learning. "The
walls of unbelief, superstition, and ungodliness, yield to no earthly
armor and power. It is not by compulsion, nor by reasoning; it is not
by weapons which this world supplies, that these walls can be
destroyed. It is by the Word of God, and by the Word declared in
faith. Ministers and people, they who blow the trumpet, and also the
people who are with them, are to be united together in the power of
God" (Adolph Saphir). Each of us is confronted with a Jericho: whether
it be the preacher in the field of service where God calls him to
labor, the Sunday-school teacher in the call before her, or the
individual Christian who is seeking to overcome some habit or
disposition. Remember Joshua, and take courage! If there be the
daring, the discipline, the obedience, the patience, and the
expectation of faith, the victory is sure in God's appointed time.
Once more we have been shown the wondrous power of real faith to bring
to pass that which is beyond mere nature: compare Matthew 17:20, 1
John 5:4; persevering trust and obedience enabled Israel to accomplish
what had otherwise been impossible. Again, we have seen that faith in
God's promise of protection and the use of His appointed means, far
surpasses all worldly methods of defense: compare 2 Chronicles 20:20.
Contrariwise, we behold what a worthless thing it is to trust in
outward and material things: the walls of Jericho were both strong and
high, yet they afforded no security against God's power--"vain is the
help of man." Though God required Israel to use the utmost of their
courage, submission, and patience, yet He took it upon Himself to
bless their efforts and effect the work of power. Barriers more
difficult than the walls of Jericho stand between the Christian and
holiness: how are they to be removed? By faith's obedience; compare 2
Corinthians 10:4, 5.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 77
The Faith of Rahab
(Hebrews 11:31)
__________________________________________
The inestimable value of spiritual faith is strikingly demonstrated in
the case we are about to consider. The apostle had cited the faith of
such illustrious characters as Enoch and Noah, Abraham and Moses; he
had mentioned that of a believing company as they had passed through
the Red Sea and had marched around Jericho; now he gives an instance
of one who had been a notorious sinner, as though to shame us if our
faith falls short of her's who had formerly been an harlot. Having
shown that the patriarchs, who were so highly venerated by the Jews,
were honored by God solely on account of their faith and its fruits,
we next behold how an alien woman, belonging to an accursed race, was,
because of her faith, adopted into the O. T. Church. "It hence follows
that, those who are most exalted are of no account before God, unless
they have faith; and that, on the other hand, those who are hardly
allowed a place among the profane and the reprobate, are by faith
introduced into the company of angels" (John Calvin).
Rahab was a Canaanite, and therefore by nature "an alien from the
commonwealth of Israel" and "a stranger from the covenants of
promise." In her conversion and admission into the O. T. Church, she
was, in a peculiar manner, both a type and a pledge of the calling of
the Gentiles and their reception into the Church of Christ in N.T.
times. Thus did coming events cast their shadows before them. In such
cases as Rahab and Ruth God gave early intimations that His redemptive
purpose was not confined to a single people, but that it would reach
out unto individuals among all nations. Their incorporation among the
Hebrews was a plain foreshadowment of the "wild olive tree" being
grafted in and being made a partaker of "the root and fatness of the
(good) olive tree" (Rom. 11:17).
The salvation of Rahab was a signal instance of the sovereignty of
God. "She was not only a Gentile, but an Amoritess, of that race and
seed which in general was devoted unto utter destruction. She was
therefore an instance of God's sovereignty in dispensing with His
positive laws, as it seemed good unto Him; for of His own mere
pleasure He exempted her from the doom announced against all those of
her origin and tradition" (John Owen). Being the supreme Potentate,
God is not bound by any law or consideration other than His own
imperial will; and therefore does He have mercy on whom He will have
mercy, and whom He will He hardens (Rom. 9:18).
Most blessedly do we also behold here the amazing grace of God. Not
only did Rahab belong to a heathen race, but she was an abandoned
profligate, a "harlot." In singling her out to be the recipient of His
saving favors, God indeed made it evident that He is no respecter of
persons. By her own choice she was given up to the vilest of sins, but
by the Divine choice she was predestinated to be delivered from that
lust which is the most effective in detaining persons under its power,
washing her whiter than snow by the precious blood of Christ, and
giving her a place in His own family. It is in just such cases that
the unmerited favor of God shines forth the more illustriously. There
was nothing whatever in this poor fallen woman to commend her unto the
favor of God, but where sin abounded grace did much more abound.
Not only may we behold in Rahab's case the exercise of Divine
sovereignty and the manifestation of Divine grace, but we may also
pause and admire the wondrous working of God's power. This is best
perceived as we take into careful consideration the almost
unparalleled element which enters into her case. Here the Holy Spirit
wrought entirely apart from the ordinary means of grace. There were no
Sabbaths observed in Jericho, there were no Scriptures available for
reading, there were no prophets sounding forth messages from Heaven;
nevertheless, Rahab was quickened into newness of life and brought
into a saving knowledge of the true God. Let it be duly noted that
this woman, who had previously wallowed in open sin, was regenerated
and converted before the spies came to her house: their visit simply
afforded an opportunity for the avowal and public manifestation of her
faith.
Let us also contemplate the marvelous workings of Divine providence on
this occasion. As the two spies, sent forth by Joshua to reconnoiter
Jericho, drew near that heathen stronghold, they had no idea that one
of God's elect sojourned there; and had they been aware of the fact,
they had no means of knowing how to locate her in a city of such size.
Admire and adore, then, the secret hand of God which directed them to
the very house in which His child abode. "The Lord knoweth them that
are His," and in the cloudy and dark day He searches them out. The
same God who sent Annanias to the street called "Straight" to deliver
Saul from blindness, guided the two spies unto the house of Rahab to
deliver her from death. In like manner, wherever there is one or more
of His elect amid the darkness of heathendom, He sends His Word or His
servants to enlighten and edify the same.
But it is with the faith of Rahab we must be chiefly engaged on this
occasion. It will be observed that she is mentioned in Hebrews 11
after the destruction of Jericho, though she "received the spies in
peace" before that city was destroyed. The reason for this is because
her preservation--which was the fruit of her faith--was after the
hosts of Israel had encompassed that city seven days. In seeking to
ponder what is recorded in Scripture concerning the faith of Rahab we
propose to look separately at the ground, the effect, the nature, the
confession, the breadth, the imperfection, and the reward of the same.
1. The ground of her faith. "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by
the Word of God" (Rom. 10:17). This does not mean that faith is
originated by hearing the Word of God, any more than the shining of
the sun imparts light unto the eye; no, faith is imparted by a
sovereign act of the Spirit, and then it is instructed and nourished
by the Word. In the prophetic song of Moses at the Red Sea it was
declared, "The people shall hear and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold
on the inhabitants of Palestina. Then the dukes of Edom shall be
amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them;
all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. Fear and dread shall
fall upon them; by the greatness of Thine arm they shall be as still
as a stone; till Thy people pass over, O Lord, till the people pass
over, which Thou hast purchased" (Ex. 15:14-16).
A striking fulfillment of the above prediction is found in the words
of Rahab to the two spies: "I know that the Lord hath given you the
land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the
inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how
the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you, when ye came out
of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that
were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly
destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did
melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of
you; for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above, and in earth
beneath" (Josh. 2:9-11). This it is which explains the reference in
Hebrews 11:31 unto the other inhabitants of Jericho, who perished
because they "believed not." The knowledge which they had of God and
His wondrous works, through the reports which had reached their ears,
rendered them without excuse.
What has just been before us affords an example of a most solemn fact
which is oft repeated: how souls are affected by the Truth, and how
quickly the impressions made wear off. The inhabitants of Jericho were
deeply stirred by the reports of God's judgments upon the wicked; they
feared it was their turn next, and their hearts melted within them.
How, then, are we to explain the fact that they did not all of them
immediately and earnestly cry unto God for mercy? We believe the
answer is found in Ecclesiastes 8:11, "Because sentence against an
evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of
men is fully set in them to do evil." As the hosts of Israel
encompassed Jericho each day and then returned quietly to their camp,
space for repentance was granted its inhabitants; but when six days
had passed, and the walls of the city remained as strong as ever, they
felt quite secure, and hardened their hearts.
How, then, are we to account for the difference in Rahab? In this way:
with them it was simply the stirrings of conscience and the workings
of their natural fears, which soon subsided; but in her case the power
of the Holy Spirit had wrought within her: God had "opened her heart,"
and consequently she "attended unto the things which were spoken"
(Acts 16:14). In other words, Rahab had been sovereignly quickened
into newness of life, by which she was ca-pacitated unto a saving
knowledge of God Himself and the receiving His word with meekness.
Thus it was with the Thessalonian saints, whom the apostle reminded,
"For our Gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power and
in the Holy Spirit" (1 Thess. 1:5). It is only in such cases that a
radical and lasting effect is produced.
We must learn, then, to distinguish between three things: the Divine
gift of faith, the foundation provided for its support, and the
assurance that issues for its resting upon that foundation. The gift
of faith is imparted at regeneration, being one of the attributes of
the new nature: "all men have not faith" (2 Thess. 3:2) because all
are not born again. The firm foundation which is provided for faith to
rest upon is the sure Word of God: by it alone is faith
supported--instructed and fed. The assurance which issues from faith's
resting upon this foundation is that confidence and certainty which
fills the heart when God's Word is received implicitly into it. Thus
it was with Rahab. Quickened by the Spirit, faith was planted within
her soul, hence when the report reached her of God's wondrous works,
she received it "not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the
Word of God" (1 Thess. 2:13), and therefore did she say, "I know that
the Lord hath given you the land."
2. The effect of her faith. The faith of God's elect is a living,
energetic principle, which "worketh by love" (Gal. 5:6) and produces
fruit to the glory of God. Herein it differs radically from that
notional and inoperative faith of frothy professors, which goes no
deeper than an intellectual assenting to certain doctrinal
propositions, and ends in fair but empty words. That faith which is
unaccompanied by an obedient walk and abounds not in good works, is
"dead, being alone" (James 2:17). Different far was the faith of
Rahab. Of her we read, "Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot
justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent
them out another way?" (James 2:25). This does not mean that her good
works were the meritorious ground of her acceptance with God, but that
they were the evidence before men that a spiritual principle had been
communicated to her, the fruits of which justified or vindicated her
profession, demonstrating that she was a member of "the Household of
Faith."
In "receiving the spies with peace" she made it manifest that sire had
a heart for the people of God, and was ready to do all in her power to
help them. That clause of our text which we are now considering
summarizes all that is recorded of her kindly conduct unto those two
men in Joshua 2. She welcomed them into her home, engaged them in
spiritual conversation, made provision for their safety, hid them from
danger, and refused to betray them. We believe there is a latent
reference to her kindness (as well as to Abraham's) in Hebrews 13:1-3,
for the word translated "messengers" in James 2:25 is the same as is
rendered "angels" in Hebrews 13:2: "Let brotherly love continue, Be
not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have
entertained angels unawares. Remember them that are in bonds, as bound
with them; and them which suffer adversity as being yourselves also in
the body." Alas, that so many professing Christians today, instead of
heeding this exhortation, are almost ready to rend each other to
pieces over every difference of opinion.
3. The nature of her faith. It was a singular faith. "The city of
Jericho was about to be attacked: within its walls there were hosts of
people of all classes and characters, and they knew right well that if
their city should be set upon and stormed they would all be put to
death. But yet strange to say, there was not one of them who repented
of sin or who even asked for mercy, except this woman who had been a
harlot. She and she alone was delivered, a solitary one amongst a
multitude. Now, have you ever felt that it is a very hard thing to
have a singular faith? It is the easiest thing in the world to believe
as everybody else believes, but the difficulty is to believe a thing
alone, when no one else thinks as you think; to be the solitary
champion of a righteous cause, when the enemy mustereth his thousands
to the battle. Now this was the faith of Rahab. She had not one who
felt as she did, who could enter into her feelings and realize the
value of her faith. She stood alone. O it is a noble thing to be the
lonely follower of despised Truth.
"Rahab's faith was a sanctifying one. Did Rahab continue a harlot
after she had faith? No, she did not. I do not believe she was a
harlot at the time the men went to her house, though the name still
stuck to her, as such ill names will; but I am sure she was not
afterwards, for Salmon the prince of Judah married her... You cannot
have faith, and yet live in sin. To believe is to be holy. The two
things must go together. That faith is a dead faith, a corrupt faith,
a rotten faith, which lives in sin that grace may abound. Rahab was a
sanctified woman. O that God might sanctify some that are here" (C.H.
Spurgeon).
Her's was a self-denying faith. This is seen in her preferring the
will of God before the safety of her country, and sheltering these men
who were strangers before the pleasing of her fellow-citizens. But it
appeared most conspicuously in the venturing of her own life rather
than to betray the messengers of Joshua, who were worshippers of the
true God. Her action was fraught with the most dangerous consequences
to her; but her fidelity to God made her scorn the threatenings of her
citizens, the promiscuous events of war, and the burning of her city.
Thus, by faith she, in effect, renounced all for God. When He calls us
to do so, we must part with all that we hold near and dear in this
world. Spiritual faith is best evidenced by acts of self-denying
obedience (condensed from T. Manton).
4. The confession of her faith. This is recorded in Joshua 2:9-11,
which shows it was made at the first opening she had. It was quite a
comprehensive one: she owned the wondrous works of the Lord, was
assured He had given Canaan unto His people, and acknowledged Him as
the God of heaven and earth. Thereby she renounced all the idols of
the heathen, glorified God with her lips, and illustrated the rule we
have in Romans 10:10, "For with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
Moreover, by placing the scarlet cord in her window, she, as it were,
publicly displayed her colors and made it known under whose banner she
had enlisted. How her conduct puts to shame those who after a long
profession of the truth are ready to tremble at the first approach of
danger, and deem it prudence to keep at a safe distance from those who
are exposed to persecution.
"It is in the nature of true, real, saving faith, immediately, or at
its first opportunity, to declare and protest itself in confession
before men. Our confession is absolutely inseparable from faith. Where
men, on some light and convictions, do suppose themselves to have
faith, yet, through fear or shame, do not come up to the ways of
expressing it in confession prescribed in the scripture, their
religion is in vain. And therefore our Lord Jesus Christ, in the
Gospel, doth constantly lay the same weight on confession as on
believing itself: Matthew 10:33, Luke 9:26. And the fearful, that is,
those who fly from public profession in times of danger and
persecution, shall be no less assuredly excluded from the heavenly
Jerusalem, than unbelievers themselves: Revelation 21:8." (John Owen).
5. The breadth of her faith. Very blessed is it to note her further
word to the spies: "Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the
Lord, since I have showed you kindness, that ye will also shew
kindness unto my father's house, and give me a true token: And that ye
will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my
sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death"
(Josh. 2:12, 13). Some contracted hearts, in which the very milk of
human kindness seems to have congealed, would deem Rahab's request
highly presumptuous. Personally, we believe that her soul was so
overflowing with gratitude unto the Lord for His saving such an
abandoned wretch, that her faith now perceived something of the
infinitude of the Divine mercy, and believed that such a God would be
willing to show grace unto the whole of her family. Nor was she
disappointed.
O that the breadth of Rahab's faith may speak unto our hearts. O that
the blessed Holy Spirit may fill us with compassion for our unsaved
relatives and friends, and stir us up to wrestle with God in prayer on
their behalf. It is right that we should desire God to show mercy unto
those who are near and dear to us: not to do so, would show we were
lacking in natural affection; it only becomes wrong when we ignore
God's sovereignty and dictate instead of supplicate. It is blessed to
observe that He who hath said "according unto your faith be it unto
you" and "all things are possible unto him that believeth," responded
to Rahab's faith, and saved her entire household: though they, of
course, only found deliverance by sheltering in the same house with
her in which hung the scarlet cord--only under the blood is there
safety.
6. The imperfection of her faith. This appears in the reply which she
returned to the king of Jericho (recorded in Joshua 2:3-5) when he
sent unto Rahab requesting her to deliver up the two spies. Fearful of
their lives, she told lies, pretending she knew not whence men had
come, and affirming they were no longer in her house. Such a procedure
on her part can by no means be justified, for her answer was contrary
unto the known truth. The course she followed resembled the direction
which Rebekah gave to her son Jacob: in the general her intent was the
fruit of great faith, for it had respect unto the promise of God (Gen.
25:33), but in various details (Gen. 27:6, 7, etc.) it can in no wise
be approved. The Lord, in His tender mercy, is pleased to pass by many
of the infirmities of His children, when He sees an upright heart and
a desire to accomplish His promises. "If Thou, Lord, shouldest mark
iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?" (Ps. 130:3) God bears with much
weakness, especially in the lambs of His flock.
"I observe there was a mixture of infirmity in this act, an officious
lie, which cannot be excused, though God in mercy pardoned it. This is
not for our imitation, yet it is for our instruction; and it shows us
this, that faith in the beginning hath many weaknesses. Those that
have faith do not altogether act out of faith, but there is somewhat
of the flesh mingled with that of the spirit. But this is passed by
out of God's indulgence; He accepteth us notwithstanding our sins
before faith, and notwithstanding our weaknesses in believing. Before
faith she was a harlot; in believing she makes a lie. God doth reward
the good of our actions and pardon the evil of them, not to encourage
us in sinning, but to raise our love to Him who forgives us so great a
debt, receives us graciously, and pardons our manifold weaknesses" (T.
Manton).
It is blessed to see that neither in our text nor in James 2:25 does
the Holy Spirit make any reference unto Rahab's failure; instead, in
both places, He mentions that which was praiseworthy, and to her
credit. It is the very opposite with the malevolent world, which is
ever ready to overlook the good and reflect only upon the evil of an
action performed by a child of God. It is a gracious spirit which
throws the mantle of charity over the deformities and defects in a
brother or sister in Christ, as it is honoring to God to dwell upon
that which His Holy Spirit has wrought in them. If we were quicker to
judge ourselves for our own sad failures, we would not be so ready to
blaze abroad the faults of our fellows. Let each of us seek grace to
heed that exhortation, "Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things
are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure,
whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if
there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these
things" (Phil. 4:8).
7. The reward of her faith. "By faith the harlot Rahab perished not
with them that believed not." The historical account of this is found
in Joshua 6:22, 23, "But Joshua had said unto the two men that had
spied out the country, Go into the harlot's house, and bring out
thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her. And the
young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her
father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and
they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of
Israel."
But not only was Rahab, and the whole of her family, preserved from
the burning of Jericho which immediately followed, but as Joshua 6:25
tells us, she "dwelt in Israel." Thus, from being the slave of Satan
she was adopted into the family of God; from being a citizen of
heathen Jericho she was given a place in the congregation of the Lord.
Nor was that all; later, she became the honored wife of a prince in
Judah, the mother of Boaz, and one of the grandmothers of David. Her
name is inscribed upon the imperishable scroll of sacred history; it
is recorded in Matthew 1 among the ancestresses of the Savior--she was
one of the mothers of Jesus! From what depths of sin and shame did
sovereign grace deliver this poor woman; to what a height of honor and
dignity did sovereign grace elevate her. Truly, the rewards of faith
are most excellent and glorious.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
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An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 78
The Faith of the Judges
(Hebrews 11:32)
__________________________________________
In some respects the verse we have now arrived at is the most
difficult one in our chapter. It commences the last division of the
same. Therein the apostle changes his method of treatment, and instead
of particularizing individual examples of faith, he groups together a
number of men and summarizes the actings of their faith. The selection
made, out of many others who could have been given, is most startling:
those whose names we might have expected had been registered on this
honor roll are omitted, while others we have never thought of are
given a place. The order in which they are recorded seems strange, for
it is not that of the chronological. This has puzzled some: one
eminent commentator stating "The apostle does not observe strict
order, reciting them in haste": which is not to be allowed for a
moment, for it ignores the superintending guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Again; "the prodigies performed by these men cannot be presented for
our emulation": why, then, are they referred to?
The principle of guidance in the selection of some of the men here
mentioned is obviously that of sovereign grace: no otherwise can we
account for the passing over of such illustrious characters as Caleb
and Deborah, Hannah and Asaph, and the inclusion of Jephthah and
Samson--in the latter the free favor of God was more conspicuously
displayed. The order in which they are mentioned is not that of time,
but of dignity, for Barak lived before Gideon, Jephthah before Samson,
and Samuel before David: God reckons those most excellent who bring
forth the best fruits of faith--the more we excell in faith, the more
God will honor us. Where faith shines the brightest the least are
accounted the greatest, and the last become first; then how we should
labor daily for an increase of faith.
Five of the six men named in our text were judges who ruled over
Israel, though they came from very humble callings. From this we may
learn that faith is a spiritual grace suited not only unto the temple,
but also to the judicial bench and throne; that it is needed not only
by those who occupy positions in the private walks of life, but also
by those who fill public office. Governors equally with the governed
require to have a true faith in the living God: instead of
disqualifying them for the discharge of their important duties, it
would be of inestimable value to them--enabling them to face
difficulties and dangers with calmness, inspiring with courage,
endowing with wisdom, and preserving from many temptations which
confront those in high places. He who is blest with a spiritual faith
will have lowly thoughts of himself, as had Barak, Gideon, and David.
Remarkable achievements are credited to the men whose names are now
before us. As we read the historical account of them in the book of
Judges we may well marvel at them, but it is only as we view them in
the light of what is said here in Hebrews 11 that we shall understand
them aright. Other men besides these have vanquished lions, put armies
to flight, and subdued kingdoms; yet their deeds proceeded from a very
different principle. The mighty works of men chronicled in the Old
Testament are given for a higher purpose than the indulging of our
love of the sensational. The exploits of Gideon and Barak, Samson and
David, are only recorded in Holy writ as they were wrought by faith:
thus the Holy Spirit honors His own work.
One prominent feature which distinguishes many of the extraordinary
performances of men of God set down in Scripture from the prodigies
done by men of the world is, that the Holy Spirit moved the sacred
historians to faithfully register the infirmities under which faith so
often wrought and the weakness which preceded it. The faith of these
men was very far from being perfect, either in degree, stability, or
unmixed purity. Like ours so often is, their faith was mingled with
fear, oppressed by unbelief, hard beset by carnal reasonings. We have
only to read through the 6th of Judges to see that the faith of the
first one named in our text was painfully slow in exercise, though by
grace, it was afterward mighty in execution. They were men of like
passions with us, and from that fact we may take comfort--not in
sheltering behind the same, but by refusing to despair when our faith
is at a low ebb.
One thing which is common to all the individuals mentioned in our text
is that the history of each of them was cast in a day of great
spiritual declension. The time in which they lived is described at
length in the book of Judges. Following the deaths of Moses and
Joshua, Israel grievously departed from the Lord: cast off His law,
worshipped the idols of the heathen, and "every man did that which was
right in his own eyes"
(Judg. 21:25); darkness covered the earth, and gross darkness the
people. Yet even in those days God left not Himself without witness:
inexpressibly blessed is it to behold the faith of individuals shining
in the midst of a failed testimony; that here and there was a lamp
maintained, illuminating the surrounding darkness. Nor is the number
here specified without significance for to the six individuals
mentioned are linked the "prophets" (who also ministered in seasons of
apostasy), making seven in all--telling of the completeness of the
provision made by the grace of God.
Thus we may see how that Hebrews 11, which describes at length the
Life of Faith, would have been incomplete had no notice been taken of
those times when Israel so grievously departed from God. It was during
seasons of great spiritual darkness and gloom that faith wrought many
of its mightiest works and achieved some of its most notable
victories. For faith is not dependent on favorable outward conditions;
it is sustained and energized by One who is infinitely superior to all
circumstances. What is mentioned in our text and the verses which
immediately follow, is recorded for our encouragement. We too are
living in a day when Christendom is in a sad state, when there is
widespread departure from God and His Word, when vital and practical
holiness is at a low ebb. But the arm of the Lord is not waxed short,
and they who lean hard upon it shall be sustained and enabled to do
exploits in His name.
"And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of
Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthath, of David also,
and Samuel and of the prophets" (verse 32).The apostle had already
given abundant proof that "faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen" (verse 1), and had shown that "by it
the elders obtained a good report" (verse 2); yet he had by no means
said all which might be given on the subject. Numerous and notable
examples of the power and fruits of faith had been advanced, and many
others might still be cited; but it would not be convenient to
enumerate each instance of faith recorded in the O.T. To have done so,
would extend the epistle beyond due limits: so we now have a bare
mention of the names of others, followed by a description in general
terms of the effects of their faith.
The characters which we are now to contemplate, like the apostles of
Christ, and in smaller measure the reformers at the close of the "Dark
Ages," were extraordinary men, specially raised up by God in times of
crisis, for the good of His Church and the benefit of the
commonwealth. This needs to be carefully borne in mind, or otherwise
we shall view them in a false perspective. Their calling was
extraordinary, and so were their performances. They were endowed with
uncommon powers, and supernaturally energized for their particular
tasks. That which distinguished them from men like Caesar, Charlemagne
and Napoleon, was that they were men of faith. It is not that the
apostle by any means commends all that they did, or that he excuses
their manifold imperfections, which cannot be vindicated; he makes
mention here only of their faith.
Gideon was raised up by God at a time when Israel's fortunes were sunk
to a low ebb. Three judges had preceded him, delivering the people of
God from the hand of their enemies; but a fourth time they had
apostatized, and now they were groaning under the servitude of the
Midianites. So great was the number of those who had invaded their
territory, that they "left no sustenance for Israel" and "Israel was
greatly impoverished because of the Midianites" (Judg. 6:4, 6). But
that was not the worst: the worship of Baal prevailed to such an
extent among the favored covenant people of God, that to oppose it was
considered a criminal act, deserving of death (Judg. 6:28-30).
Nevertheless God had promised "the Lord shall judge His people, and
repent Himself for His servants, when He seeth that their power is
gone" (Deut. 32:36), and now, once again, He was about to make good
this word.
To be delivered from the dire situation which now faced Israel, called
for a "mighty man of valor," and such was Gideon, as we learn from the
language in which the angel of the Lord first addressed him (Judg.
6:12). But something more than natural courage and daring was required
in the one whom the Lord would employ--he must be an humble man of
God, that the glory might rebound unto Him alone. In order to that,
the instrument had first to be prepared for the tasks to be
performed--the servant fitted for the service he must do. "God must
first do His work with Gideon, before Gideon could do his work for
God. To accomplish this, God makes the wine-press of Joash to be to
Gideon what He made the backside of the desert to be to Moses"
(E.W.B.). The servant of God must first be made to feel his weakness,
before he is taught that all-sufficient strength is available for him
in the Lord. Thus it was with Gideon; thus it is still.
It is blessed to observe the Lord's dealings with Gideon: He now said
"Jehovah is with thee" (Judg. 6:12). This was to exercise his heart,
which is ever the prime requisite. Aroused, Gideon enquired, "Oh my
Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and
where be all His miracles which our fathers told us of?" etc. (verse
13). Second "the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might,
and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I
sent thee!" (verse 14). It is at this point so many interpreters go
astray in their understanding of this incident. The saint's "might" is
in realized helplessness: "For when I am weak, then am I strong" (2
Cor. 12:10). That word of Jehovah's was designed to bring Gideon to
the consciousness of his own utter inability to deliver Israel from
the yoke of the Midianites.
The instrument must be experimentally fitted ere the Lord will employ
it in His service; and the first part of this fitting process is to
empty it of self-sufficiency that it may then be thoroughly dependent
upon Himself. Gideon's "might" consisted in conscious weakness, and as
soon as that was realized he would be forced to believe the Lord's
declaration "Thou shalt save Israel." That was the word addressed to
his heart, and was the foundation on which his faith was to rest.
Gideon now asked, "Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold,
my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's
house" (verse 15): the Divine arrow had hit its mark, as Gideon's
humble confession attests.
The Lord has only one response unto acknowledged helplessness: "Surely
I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man"
(verse 16). How blessed! When faith truly realizes this, it exclaims,
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Phil.
4:13). From that assuring word of the Almighty Gideon knew that he had
"found grace" in His sight, and asked for a sign: "Not because he
doubted, but because he believed; not to prove the truth of Jehovah's
word, but because he would prove the truth of Jehovah's grace, in the
acceptance of his offerings which he proposed to go and fetch:" verses
17, 18 (E.W.B.).
Next, Gideon prepared and presented his offering (verse 19), and was
bidden to place the same upon a rock (verse 20). This was followed by
a miracle, fire issuing from the rock and consuming the offering, by
which he "obtained witness" that he had found grace in Jehovah's
sight--the supernatural fire denoting his acceptance with God, filling
him with awe and terror. Immediately the Lord quieted his heart with,
"Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die" (verse 23): thus
did he receive Jehovah's blessing: that Gideon's faith laid hold of
that benediction is very evident from the next verse, "Then Gideon
built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it
Jehovah-shalom"--"The Lord send peace."
The heart of Gideon being now fitted and established, God gave him his
first commission: "Take thy father's young bullock, even the second
bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy
father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it: And build an altar
unto the Lord thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place;
and take the second bullock and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood
of the grove which thou shalt cut down" (verses 25, 26). Such
definiteness of language at once evidenced to Gideon that he had to do
with One who knew everything--the bullocks his father had, and their
very ages. Like his father Abraham, Gideon believed God and obeyed His
command, for we read that, "It came to pass the same night... Gideon
took ten men of his servants and did as the Lord commanded." At this
distant date, his action may seem to us trivial, but the sequel shows
that Gideon acted at the imminent peril of his life: "Then the men of
the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because
he hath cut down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the
grove that was by it" (verse 30).
The immediate sequel supplied a much more severe testing of Gideon:
"Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the
East were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley
of Jezreel" (verse 33). Enraged at the overthrow of the altar of Baal,
the Midianites gathered their forces together and with their allies
came up against Israel for battle. It is to be expected that Satan
will wax furious when his territory is invaded and the Lord is
magnified in the place where he has reigned supreme: that is why it so
often follows that when a Christian has done his duty, it seems as
though he has only made bad matters worse, by increasing his troubles.
Then it is that he is sorely tempted to regret he has been so
`radical' in his conduct and to effect a compromise. Such a temptation
is to be steadfastly resisted. More; the increasing troubles which
faithfulness brings upon him, are to be regarded as a golden
opportunity for further exercises and acts of faith. Thus Gideon
acted, and so should we.
We cannot now enter into a detailed comment upon the response made by
Gideon to the open menace of the Midianities, and all that is recorded
of him in Judges 6-8, but we commend those chapters unto the careful
pondering of the reader. Let him carefully note, first, that "the
Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon" (Judg. 6:34), which supplies the
key to all that follows: safeguarding the glory of God (preventing us
from ascribing the honor to Gideon), and furnishing the vital word of
instruction for our own hearts. We cannot overcome Satan nor refuse
his temptation in our own strength. We cannot increase faith, or even
maintain it in exercise, by any resolution of mind or act of our own
will. We cannot achieve victories to the praise of our God by our own
faithfulness. It is only as we are strengthened with might by the Holy
Spirit in the inner man, that we are furnished for the battle against
the forces of evil; and that strength is to be definitely, diligently,
and trustfully sought.
The infirmities of Gideon appear in that he imagined he must head a
large army if the Midianites were to be vanquished: it was only little
by little that his heart was instructed, and the lesson was learned
that God is not dependent upon numbers. His repeated request for
confirmatory signs (Judg. 6:36-40) also shows us that it is not all at
once the saint learns to walk by faith and not by sight. But the Lord
is long-suffering to us-ward, and bears with our infirmities when the
heart is truly upright before Him. He granted Gideon the signs
requested, though that is no guarantee He will do so for us; and He
corrected his notion that a large force was needed: only a small
fragment was employed--"by the three hundred men that lapped will I
save you" (Judg. 7:7). Then, when Gideon believed the Lord and obeyed
His orders, this word was given, "Arise get thee down unto the host,
for I have delivered it into thine hand" (Judg. 7:9), which was
completely verified in the sequel. Thus did the Lord use and work
mightily by one who was poor and little in his own eyes (Judg. 6:15),
and who "did as the Lord had said unto him" (Judg. 6:27).
Barak. Time (or space) fails us to enter into a full consideration of
his history and exploits, so we must condense. Barak was raised up by
God near the close of the twenty years when Jabin the king of Canaan
"mightily oppressed the children of Israel" (Judg. 4:3). Deborah was
acting as judge at that time--proof of the terribly low state into
which the covenant people had fallen (cf. Isaiah 3:12); though she was
not a "judge" in the proper sense of the term (see Judges 4:3 and
carefully compare Judges 2:18), but a "prophetess," and therefore a
mouthpiece of God. It was through her that the Lord spake to Barak,
saying "Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded, Go and draw toward
mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of
Napthali and of the children of Zebulun? And I will draw unto thee to
the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his
chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand"
(Judg. 4:6, 7): that was to be the ground of Barak's faith, that was
the sure promise which described the thing to be "hoped for." The
infirmity of Barak is seen in Judges 4:8, but the obedience of his
faith appears in Judges 4:10. A further word was given to him, "Up,
for this is the day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine
hand: is not the Lord gone out before thee!" (Judg. 4:14): he "heard,"
"believed," and obeyed, and a great victory was secured. It was by
faith in God's promise that Barak went forth against the enormous army
of Sisera and vanquished the same.
Samson. Many mighty deeds are recorded of him in the book of Judges,
such as his rending to pieces a lion, as though it had been a kid; his
slaying of a thousand Philistines, single-handed, with the jawbone of
an ass; his carrying of the gates of Gaza and their posts on his
shoulders up a steep hill; his bursting asunder the strongest cords
when bound by his enemies; his overturning the pillars on which stood
the great temple of Dagon. How, then, did Samson perform these
prodigies? By faith. In the O.T. it is said, "the Spirit of the Lord
came upon him," but that does not mean he was involuntarily impelled
by a Divine power, like a hurricane carries things through the air
blindly and unwittingly. No, the Spirit deals with men not as stocks
and stones, but as moral agents; enlightening their minds, controlling
their hearts, inclining their wills, and supplying physical strength
for whatever tasks God allots.
"Faith cometh by hearing," and in Samson's case he "heard" through his
parents the promise which God had made concerning him: "he shall begin
to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines" (Judg. 13:5).
The strength of his mother's faith comes out beautifully in 13:23,
where, quieting the fear of her husband, she said, "If the Lord were
pleased to kill us, He would not have received a burnt offering and a
meat offering at our hands, neither would He have showed us all these
things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these."
Brought up in the strong faith of his parents, Samson believed what he
"heard" from God through them, grew up in the confidence of the same
and conducted himself accordingly. His last act was his greatest and
best, furnishing the strongest evidence of his faith in God and being
of most profit to His church. After being so sorely chastened for his
sins, and considering the situation he was then in, it called for no
ordinary confidence in the Lord to do what is recorded in Judges
16:28-30.
Jephthah. By calling, Gideon was a farmer, Barak a soldier, Samson a
religious Nazarite, while David was the youngest of his family and
despised by his brethren; Samuel was first used by God while still a
child; thus we may see how God delights to use lowly and weak
instruments. But more striking still is the case now before us:
Jephthah was one of dishonorable birth, a bastard (Heb. 11:1, 2) which
the law excluded from the congregation of the Lord (Deut. 23:2). Yet
God, in an especial and extraordinary manner conferred His Spirit upon
Jephthah and advanced him to the highest dignity and function amongst
His people and prospered him exceedingly. From this we may learn that
no outward condition, be it ever so base, can serve as a hindrance to
God's grace. That he was a man who feared the Lord is clear from
Judges 11:9, 10. His message to the king of Ammon (Judg. 11:14-27)
shows that he believed what was recorded in the Scripture of Truth: he
ascribed Israel's victories to the Lord (verses 21, 23) and called on
Him to judge between Israel and Ammon (verse 27); and Jehovah rewarded
his faith by delivering the Ammonites into his hand. His fidelity and
perseverance in the faith is seen in the keeping of his vow of banning
his daughter to continual virginity.
David. There is little need for us to attempt here an enumeration of
the many works and fruits of his faith, nor to point out how often
unbelief wrought within and through him. We agree with John Brown that
it is likely the Holy Spirit has particular reference in our text unto
David's victorious combat with Goliath, when, quite a youth, and
totally inexperienced in the arts and guiles of warfare, armed only
with a sling and a few pebbles, he engaged in open fight the mighty
giant of the Philistines, who was a veteran in the field and heavily
armed for the duel. How are we to explain David's temerity and
success? In this way: he had received a revelation from God (as 1
Samuel 17:46, 47 plainly intimates), he rested on the same with
implicit confidence, and acted accordingly. By faith he ventured; by
faith he overcame.
Samuel. "The event to which we are disposed to think it most probable,
from its miraculous character, that the apostle refers, is that
recorded in 1 Samuel 12:16-18: `Now therefore stand and see this great
thing, which the Lord will do before your eyes. Is it not
wheat-harvest today, I will call unto the Lord, and He shall send
thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is
great, which ye have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking you a
king. So Samuel called unto the Lord; and the Lord sent thunder and
rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.'
A revelation was made to Samuel that the Divine power was to be put
forth in connection with certain words which he spoke. He believed
that revelation; he spoke the words, and the event followed" (John
Brown).
The Prophets. They too exemplified the power of faith, both in what
they did and in what they suffered. By faith they were enabled to
achieve and to endure what otherwise they could not have achieved or
endured. They delivered nothing but what they received: hence the
frequency of their announcement, "Thus saith the Lord." They concealed
nothing they had received: though it was a "burden" to them (Mal. 1:1,
etc.), and though they knew full well their message would be most
unpalatable, they faithfully delivered the Word of God. They were
undaunted by the people's opposition, setting their face as a flint
(Ezek. 3:8, 9). They humbly submitted to God's requirements: Isaiah
20:3, Jeremiah 27:2, Ezekiel 4:11, 12. They wrought mighty works,
especially Elijah and Elisha. All these things manifested the efficacy
and might of a real faith in the living God. "Lord, increase our
faith."
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 79
The Achievements of Faith
(Hebrews 11:33, 34)
__________________________________________
True faith performs a prominent part in all experimental godliness.
Where there is a total absence of the grace of faith, a man is without
God and without hope in this world; but where that spiritual principle
exists, if only in the very small degree, there has taken place a
wondrous and miraculous change. The one who is the subject of it may
not, for a time, understand its nature; but instead, make the greatest
mistakes about it; nevertheless, that change is no less than one
passing from death unto life. "If ye have faith as a grain of
mustard-seed" (Matthew 17:20): that little grain has a principle of
life in it, and contains in embryo the future plant; so with the
implanting of the principle of grace in the heart--it will yet develop
into, or rather be consummated in, Glory.
It behooves each one of us to take diligent pains in ascertaining the
origin of our faith. There are various kinds of faith spoken of in the
Scriptures: there is a dead faith, a demon's faith, a fancied and
forced faith, a creature and presumptuous faith--all of which are to
be dreaded, for they come not from above. But spiritual faith is
Divine in its origin: "it is the gift of God" (Eph. 2:8). True faith
is no offspring of nature, but has a celestial birth: "every good and
every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of
lights" (James 1:17). Spiritual faith is the heart's persuasion of the
Truth of God, and is produced in us by the almighty creative power of
the Holy Spirit, when He applies the Word in life-giving energy to the
soul.
Now this faith is not only Divinely-communicated, but it is
Divinely-sustained. Spiritual faith is neither self-sustained nor
man-sustained. It does not support itself, nor does its possessor
support it. It depends entirely upon God. Alas, alas the "faith" of
the vast majority of professing Christians, instead of being of this
self-helpless nature, fills them with a deceiving self-ability.
Nothing is so dependent upon God in Christ; nothing so utterly unable
to live without the Spirit's supporting power, as that faith which He
Himself produces in the heart. But the "faith" of multitudes today is
of a totally different nature, and we might accommodate and apply to
them those words of Paul's, "Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have
reigned as kings"--but without the Spirit.
This faith is not only Divinely-given and Divinely-sustained, but it
is also Divinely-energized: it acts only by the quickening power of
God. "Without Me," said Christ, "ye can do nothing" (John 15:5); then,
certainly, without His enablement we cannot act faith upon Himself or
His promises. But a spurious faith, springing up out of mere nature,
self-made and self-supporting, is also a self-acting one. The
possessors of it can believe when they like, as they like, and what
they like. There is Christ, they can lay hold of Him. There are His
promises: they can appropriate them. There are His offices: they can
act faith upon them. Alas, such ability savors nothing of the faith
which God gives to His people, and which causes them to lie at the
footstool of His mercy as humble supplicants.
This faith is also Divinely-increased: "Lord, increase our faith"
(Luke 17:5). But let it be pointed out that such an "increase" does
not render the Christian less dependent upon the Spirit of God--that
would be a miserable increase: like the prodigal son getting his
portion of goods and setting up for himself. Nor is it such an
increase that now remains at one level, always acting with a certain
power, always in the same lively exercise. Far from it; real
Christians know from painful experience how often their faith is at a
low ebb, and when apparently the most needed, is the worst crippled in
its actings. Nor is it such an increase that its possessors should
necessarily be conscious of it. Moses knew not that his face shone.
Most probably the centurion and the Canaanitish woman little thought
that they had "great faith." Sometimes those who have the most faith
feel they have very little, if any at all; while sometimes those who
have little, say they are rich and increased with goods.
In what, then, does an increase of faith consist? Is not the
Christian's growth, as a believer, a growth in a true, living,
spiritual, experimental knowledge of himself as a sinner, and of God
in Christ as the Father of mercies? Faith is fed by knowledge: not by
mere notions in the brain, for those only feed a false and
presumptuous confidence; but by a spiritual and Divine knowledge. As
this knowledge increases, faith increases; as this knowledge is
confirmed in the soul, faith is confirmed and strengthened. "Blessed
is the man whom Thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of Thy
law" (Ps. 94:12). Again; "He led him about, He instructed him" (Deut.
32:10): God leads into a great variety of circumstances, and in these
circumstances He causes His people to receive instruction. In that way
they learn the truth in an experimental manner, and what they receive
from the Word is confirmed more and more unto them. In that way they
learn the vanity of the world, the fickleness of the creature, the
depravity of their own hearts.
Now this Divinely-given and Divinely-supported faith is renewed or
stirred into exercise by the operations of the Holy Spirit, and brings
forth fruit "after its own kind"; that is, fruit which is spiritual in
its nature and supernatural in its character. In other words, faith is
an active principle: it "worketh by love" (Gal. 5:6). As it is
energized by its Giver, it produces that which mere human nature is
utterly incapable of producing. An unmistakable proof of this is seen
in our present verses, where we read, "Who through faith subdued
kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths
of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the
sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight,
turned to flight the armies of the aliens" (Heb. 11:33, 34).
There are two ways in which the remarkable contents of these verses
may be considered: according as we look at their letter in a natural
way, or according as we ponder them with an anointed eye. Water will
not rise above its own level: the heart of the natural man being a
stranger to spiritual things, cannot discern them when they are spread
before him--that is why the majority of the commentaries are so
largely devoted to the historical, grammatical, and geographical
details of Scripture. There is an historical allusion in each clause
of our text, but what the true Christian desires, is to know the
spiritual purport and the practical application of them unto himself.
Only thus do the Scriptures become a living Word unto him. This is
what we have sought to keep steadily in mind as we have passed from
verse to verse of Hebrews 11, and which we will endeavor to be
occupied with now.
"Who through faith subdued kingdoms." The opening word takes us back
to the list of worthies mentioned in the preceding verse, and here we
are supplied with an enumeration of some of the wonderful works
performed by them: nine fruits of their faith are mentioned--compare
the nine-fold "fruit of the Spirit" in Galatians 5:22, 23. Therein we
behold once more the marvelous and miraculous efficacy of a spiritual
faith. "These instances are taken from things of all sorts to show
that there is nothing of any kind whatever wherein we may be concerned
but that faith will be useful and helpful" (John Owen). No matter what
our lot may be--"pleasing or painful"; no matter what station we are
called to fill--high or low; no matter how formidable or difficult the
obstacles which confront us, "All things are possible to him that
believeth" (Mark 9:23).
"Through faith subdued kingdoms." The word here used for "subdue"
means "to fight or contend, to enter into a trial of strength, of
courage on the field, to prevail in battle." The historical allusion
is to the exploits of Joshua and David: "Joshua subdued the kingdoms
in Canaan, and David subdued those which were around that country,
such as Moab, Ammon and Syria; and they both subdued these kingdoms
through believing" (J. Brown). The important point to recognize is
that the "kingdoms" here "subdued" were those which sought to prevent
the people of God (Israel) from entering into and enjoying their
rightful inheritance. Now let us spiritualize that fact. The Christian
has been begotten "unto an inheritance" (1 Pet. 1:3, 4): that
"inheritance" is to be enjoyed now, by faith, for "faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." But
there are powerful enemies seeking to harass and hinder us, and they
must be "subdued."
There are two principal "kingdoms" which the Christian is called upon
to "subdue": one is within himself, the other without him--the "flesh"
and the "world." It was to the former of these that the apostle had
reference when he said, "But I keep under my body, and bring it into
subjection" (1 Cor. 9:27). The same task is set before the Christian:
"For as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to
iniquity, unto iniquity, even so now yield your members servants to
righteousness unto holiness" (Rom. 6:19). The "flesh" or sinful nature
within us must be "subdued," or it will certainly slay us--bring about
our eternal undoing: "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die;
but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye
shall live" (Rom. 8:13).
"He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he that
ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city" (Prov. 16:32). Does the
reader exclaim, Such a task is a hopeless one! Joshua might have said
the same when he first set foot in Canaan, and found it occupied with
a powerful and hostile people. And, my reader, Joshua did not "subdue"
them in a day, nor in a year! No, it was accomplished little by
little. It meant fierce fighting, it meant the exercise of much
courage and patience, it meant surmounting varied discouragements; but
at the end God crowned his labors with success. And remember that it
was by faith he "subdued kingdoms." Ah, faith looks to God and draws
vigor and strength from Him. True, I am weak and impatient in myself,
yet "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Phil.
4:13).
There is also a "kingdom" without, which the Christian must "subdue,"
or else he will be destroyed by it: "Know ye not that the friendship
of the world is enmity with God" (James 4:4). And how is the "world"
to be "subdued?" 1 John 5:4 gives us the answer: "This is the victory
that overcometh the world, our faith." Sweetly is this signified in
the Song of Solomon: "Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness?"
(Song 8:5). Here the child of God, though toiling and struggling, worn
and weary, is represented as rising above the world. And how is this
accomplished? How is it that the spouse of Christ is enabled to rise
above the immense hindrance of "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the
eyes, and the pride of life"--those things which are "in the world" (1
John 2:16)? She is seen "leaning upon her Beloved" (Song 8:5). As He
is our object, the world loses its power over us; as He is our
strength, we get the victory over it.
"Wrought righteousness." In their narrower sense, these words signify
"to execute judgment, to enforce the laws of justice:" the historical
reference would then be to such passages as Joshua 11: 10-15, 1 Samuel
24:10, 2 Samuel 8:15. But in its wider scope "wrought righteousness"
means the living of a holy life: "Lord, who shall abide in Thy
tabernacle? who shall dwell in Thy holy hill? He that walketh
uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his
heart" (Ps. 15:1, 2). "In every nation he that feareth Him, and
worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him" (Acts 10:35).
"Righteousness" signifies up to the required standard; and to work
righteousness means, walking according to the rule of God's Word:
"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,
do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets" (Matthew
7:12).
Now right actions must spring from right principles and must be
performed with right ends, if they are to be acceptable to God. In
other words, they must issue from a living faith and have in view the
glory of God. It is the absence of faith and the substituting of
self-interest for the honor of the Lord, which is the cause of all the
injustice and oppression in the world today. But let it now be
carefully noted that "subdued kingdoms" precedes "wrought
righteousness." This order is unchanging: evil must be hated before
good can be loved (Amos 5:15), self must be denied before Christ can
be followed (Matthew 16:24), the old man must be put off before the
new man can be put on (Eph. 4:22-24). In other words, the "flesh" must
be mortified before the "spirit" can be manifested.
"Obtained promises," or secured the blessings promised. God assured
Joshua that he should conquer Canaan, Gideon that he should defeat the
Midianites, David that he should be king over all Israel. But
outwardly, tremendous difficulties stood in the way of the
accomplishment of those things, yea, apparent impossibilities
prevented them. Gideon was put upon a great improbability when he was
commanded to take but three hundred men, fall upon and destroy an
immense host. David and his little company seemed to be no match for
the armed forces of Saul, and after his death, for years the throne
seemed as far away as ever. But where there is a real trust in the
living God the most formidable difficulties may be overcome.
"Obtained promises." Ah, it is one thing to hear and read about the
wonderful things which the faith of others secures, but what about
your own experience, dear reader? You may sincerely think that you
believe in and are resting upon the sure promises of God, but are you
obtaining a fulfillment of them in your own daily life? Are the
blessings set forth in the promises actually in your possession? Are
you securing the things promised? If not, is the reason to be found in
your failure to heed what here precedes? Before "obtained promises"
comes "subdued kingdoms" and then "wrought righteousness." We must not
expect to "obtain" the precious things set before us in the promises
until we definitely and diligently set about the subjugation of the
flesh, and walk according to the rules of God's Word--regulating our
conduct by its precepts and commands.
"Stopped the mouths of lions." The historical reference is, of course,
to Daniel in the den. It shows again the marvelous power of faith.
This comes out clearly in Daniel 6:23: "So Daniel was taken up out of
the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed
in his God." But how far may this be of help to us? Is the answer far
to seek? There are ferocious people, as well as fierce animals! There
are savage oppressors and persecutors who seek to intimidate, if not
destroy, the mild and harmless Christian. True, yet they should not
terrify us, still less spoil our testimony, by causing us to hide our
light under a bushel. Daniel would not be forced into compromising by
the threat of the lions of Babylon, nor should we be by the menacing
looks, words, and actions of the world's lions today. Say with one of
old, "I will trust and not be afraid."
"Stopped the mouths of lions." Why it almost looks as though faith
were omnipotent! What cannot real faith do! We dare not set any
limitations to it, for faith has to do with the living God, and
nothing is too hard for Him. Ah, dear reader, faith lays hold of the
Almighty, and not until your faith learns to do that, is it of much
worth. Is the Lord God a living reality to you, or do you have but a
theoretical knowledge of Him? The ultimate reference in our text is to
him of whom it is said, "The devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about,
seeking whom he may devour" (1 Pet. 5:8). His mouth is opened against
many a child of God, uttering lies, telling him that his profession is
an empty one. Have you learned to "stop his mouth?" Do his false
accusations no longer terrify you? Does he now find it useless to thus
harass you any longer? It all depends: "stopped the mouths of lions"
is preceded by "obtained promises"!
"Quenched the violence of fire." The reference is to the three Hebrews
in Babylon's furnace. It shows the efficacy of faith to rest upon the
power of God in the face of great danger, yea, before what seemed to
be certain death. Those three Hebrews resolved to perform their duty,
no matter what the event, committing themselves unto the disposition
of a sovereign God, with full persuasion of His power to do whatever
He pleased, and which would be most for His glory. Such an exercise of
faith appears very, very marvelous to us. Ah, let it be fully borne in
mind that Daniel and his fellows trusted God in times of peace and
prosperity, as well as in seasons of peril and adversity. If we live
by faith, it will not be difficult to die by faith.
"Quenched the violence of fire." A twofold spiritual application may
be made of these words. First, we read of "the fiery darts of the
wicked" (Eph. 6:16), and these are to be "quenched" by "taking the
shield of faith." If we are subduing kingdoms, working righteousness,
and obtaining promises, neither the mouth of the lion will be able to
intimidate us, nor the temptations of the devil overcome us. Second,
we read of faith which is "tried with fire" (1 Pet. 1:7) or fierce
afflictions: this fire (like Babylon's) is not "put out," but its
"violence" or power to injure, is "quenched." If the soul cleaves to
God naught can harm it. It is faith, and not water, which quenches the
fire: behold the martyrs singing amid the flames!
"Escaped the edge of the sword." The historical reference is to such
passages as 1 Samuel 18:4, 1 Kings 18:10, 19:1-3, Jeremiah 39:15-18:
in several of which it seems as though those eminent servants of God
escaped from danger more by fear than by faith--by fleeing from those
who threatened their lives. The life of faith is many-sided, and care
needs to be taken to preserve the balance: to keep from mere passivity
on the one hand, and from fanatical presumption on the other. While
the Christian is to walk by faith, yet there is wrestling (Eph. 6:12)
and fighting to be done (1 Tim. 6:12); we are to seek grace and
develop all heroic virtues, such as courage, valor, hardness (2 Tim.
2:3), and endeavor by Divine aid to overcome everything which hinders
us entering into God's best. On the other side, the Christian must not
refuse the use and aid of all lawful means in times of danger: "when
they persecute you in this city flee ye into another" (Matthew
10:23)--to refuse to do so, is not faith, but presumption.
"Escaped the edge of the sword." What is the deeper meaning of this?
Our minds at once turn to Hebrews 4:12, "The Word of God is quick and
powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword": confirmation of this
is found in the fact that the Greek of our text reads "Escaped the
edges of the sword." But how is the Christian to "escape" the edges of
the Spirit's Sword? By being in practical subjection to the precepts
of Scripture, walking in communion with God. It is when we get into a
backslidden state and give way to the lusts of the flesh, that the
Word condemns our ways, pierces our conscience, and strikes terror to
our hearts. God does not wound or afflict "willingly" (Lam. 3:33), but
only when our conduct is displeasing to Him. If our hearts be right
with God, His Word will strengthen and comfort, rather than cut and
wound us. If we judge ourselves for all that is wrong, the Sword will
not smite us; when we fail to, the Word searches and convicts us. Note
Revelation 19:15, where the same figure of the "sharp sword" is seen
in Christ's mouth as he comes forth to destroy His enemies!
"Out of weakness were made strong." In those words there may be a
latent reference to Samson in the dosing scene of his life, but most
probably the historical allusion is unto Hezekiah. In 2 Kings 20:1 we
are told that Hezekiah was "sick unto death," and then that he prayed
unto the Lord, which was in marked contrast from Ahaziah (2 Kings 1:2)
and Asa (2 Chron. 16:12). 2 Kings 20:3 is much misunderstood: the key
to it is found in 1 Kings 2:4. Hezekiah was conscious of his
integrity, and sincere desire to please God, but he had no son to
succeed him to the throne, and therefore did he here call to mind His
promise. The Lord responded to his faith, restored him to health,
added fifteen years to his life, and gave him a son.
"Out of weakness were made strong." It is not simply that "the weak
were strengthened," but "out of weakness were made strong," the
emphasis being upon an extremity of feebleness. It shows us that the
vigor of faith is not dependent upon health of the body! It is written
"The prayer of faith (not the "anointing" of the "elders") shall save
the sick" (James 5:15 and cf. Philippians 2:27). But our text is not
to be restricted to physical "weakness;" God is able to make the
doctrinally and spiritually weak to stand: Romans 14:4. The secret of
the Christian's strength lies in maintaining a consciousness of his
weakness (2 Cor. 12:10). The trouble is that as we grow older, most of
us grow more independent and self-sufficient. The fact is that the
oldest Christian has no more strength in himself than he had when he
was but a "babe in Christ." Just so soon as we fail to feel and
acknowledge before God our personal weakness, do we fail to prove the
sufficiency of God's grace! Seek strength from Him daily.
"Waxed valiant in fight." Probably the reference is to Samson (Judg.
15:15) and David. The phrase signifies that these heroes of faith
refused to be intimidated by the might and number of their enemies;
undaunted by the great odds against them, they refused to give way to
a spirit of cowardice, and entered into a pitched battle against their
foes: compare Deuteronomy 31:23, Joshua 1:7, Psalm 3:6, Acts 4:29.
Once again we would stress the importance of the order here: "waxed
valiant in fight" is preceded by "out of weakness were made strong!"
and that in turn by "escaped the edge of the Sword"! May we not easily
perceive here why it is that we are so quickly and so frequently
overcome by our spiritual foes?
"Turned to flight the armies of the aliens." Such passages as Joshua
10:1-10 and 2 Samuel 5:17-25 may be consulted for typical
illustrations of what is here in view, carefully bearing in mind that
while the power of God, giving success to the efforts of Joshua and
David, was the efficient cause of their victories, yet instrumentally,
it was "through faith" they were wrought. The path of faith is one of
conflict because the Adversary contests every step of the way. The
chief reason why the individual Christian experiences so little
victory in his spiritual warfare, is because his faith is so little in
exercise. And we may add, the chief reason why the Church collectively
is failing so lamentably to "turn to flight the armies of the aliens"
is because there is so much jealousy and strife among its own members!
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 80
The Pinnacle of Faith
(Hebrews 11:35, 36)
__________________________________________
In His lengthy but most blessed description of the Life of Faith the
Spirit of God has, in Hebrews 11, passed from one phase of it to
another, exhibiting to our view its many-sidedness. But there was one
other aspect thereof which required to be delineated in order to give
completeness to the whole, and that we have designated the "pinnacle"
of faith, for to suffer for God, to meekly endure whatever affliction
He is pleased to put upon us, to lay down our lives for the sake of
His Truth if called upon to do so, is the highest point which faith
can reach. Therefore, in the text which is now to engage our
attention, He moved the apostle to pass on to an entirely different
sort of the fruits of faith from those mentioned in the preceding
verses, and shows us the power of faith to support the soul under
sufferings, even the acutest afflictions to which the human mind and
body can be subjected.
"For hearing of these great and glorious things, they might be apt to
think that they were not so immediately concerned in them. For their
condition was poor, persecuted, exposed to all evils, and death
itself, for the profession of the Gospel. Their interest, therefore,
was to inquire, what help in, what relief from faith they might expect
in that condition? What will faith do where men are to be oppressed,
persecuted and slain? Wherefore, the apostle, applying himself
directly unto their condition, with what they suffered, and further
feared on the account of their profession of the Gospel; he produceth
a multitude of examples, as so many testimonies unto the power of
faith in safe-guarding and preserving the souls of believers under the
greatest sufferings that human nature can be exposed unto" (John
Owen).
Not only were these instances of the sufferings of the O. T. saints
pertinent to the circumstances the Hebrew Christians of Paul's time
were in, but we too need to be informed of what faith in God and
fidelity to His Truth, may entail. At the outset of the Christian
life, we are bidden to first sit down and "count the cost" (Luke
14:28), which means that we are required to contemplate those
sufferings which the following of Christ is likely to involve, and it
is well that we should frequently remind ourselves that "we must
through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22).
It is criminal silence on the part of any servant of God to conceal
from his hearers that a true profession of the name of Christ will
necessarily bring down upon us not only the scorn and opposition of
the outside world, but also the hatred and persecution of the false
religious world. "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery
trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto
you" (1 Pet. 4:12).
The Lord Jesus Christ dealt openly in this matter, and plainly made
known what was likely to befall those whom He called to follow Him,
and expressly affirmed that He would admit none into the ranks of His
disciples save those who denied themselves, took up their cross, and
engaged to undergo all sorts of sufferings for His sake and the
Gospel's. He deceived none with fair promises of a smooth and easy
passage through this world. So too does His faithful apostle, in the
verses which are to be before us, after setting before the Hebrews
some of the grand and glorious achievements which the faith of their
predecessors had wrought, now remind them of others who were called
upon to exercise their faith in the greatest miseries that could be
undergone. Great trials and sore afflictions are to be expected in the
path of faith. The Savior Himself encountered them, and sufficient for
the disciple to be as his Master.
"All the evils here enumerated, did befall the persons intended, on
the account of their faith, and the profession thereof. The apostle
does not present unto the Hebrews a company of miserable, distressed
creatures, that fell into that state through their own default, or
merely on the account of a common providence, disposing their lot in
this world into such a state of misery, as it is with many; but all
the things mentioned, they underwent merely and solely on the account
of their faith in God, and the profession of true religion. So as that
their case differed in nothing from that which they might be called
unto" (John Owen).
But not only were these sufferings encountered in the path of fidelity
to God, but it was the exercise of faith which enabled those O.T.
worthies to patiently and spiritually endure them. Faith is a grace
which draws down from Heaven whatever blessing of God is most needful
to the saint, and therefore does it stand him in as good stead in the
night of adversity as in the day of prosperity. Faith is a
new-creation principle in the soul, which not only energizes its
possessor to perform exploits, but it also enables him to hold his
head above the dark waters when floods threaten to drown him. Faith
suffices the Christian to face danger calmly, to continue steadfast in
duty when menaced by the most foreboding outlook, to stand his ground
when threatened with sorest sufferings. Faith imparts a steadfastness
of purpose, a noble courage, a tranquility of mind, which no human
education or fleshly efforts can supply. Faith makes the righteous as
bold as a lion, refusing to recant though horrible tortures and a
martyr's death be the only alternative.
Faith gives its possessor patience under adversities, for by faith he
sees them in a scriptural light and bears them by the enabling
strength of Christ. How good and profitable is a sanctified
affliction, but then only is it sanctified to us when faith is "mixed
with" it. When faith is not in exercise, the heart is occupied with
the things which are seen and temporal: only the creature's hand or
the creature's treachery is viewed, and peevishness and resentment
prevail; or worse still, we are tempted to entertain hard thoughts
against God, and to say "the Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has
forgotten me." But when the Spirit renews us in the inner man, and
faith becomes active again, how differently do things then appear!
Then we take ourselves to task and say, "Why art thou cast down O my
soul, hope thou in God."
It belongs entirely unto the sovereign pleasure of God to order and
dispose the outward conditions through which His Church passes upon
earth; seasons of prosperity and times of adversity are regulated by
Him as He deems best. Eras of peace and security and eras of
persecution and peril are interchangeable, like day and night, summer
and winter. Yet God does not act arbitrarily. It was not until after
Abraham left Bethel and its altar, and journeyed southward
(Egypt-wards) that there arose a famine in the land (Gen. 12:8-10). It
was only when Israel "forsook the Lord God of their father... and
followed other gods," that His anger was kindled against them, and "He
delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and He
sold them into the hands of their enemies round about" (Judg.
2:11-14). It was only when men "slept" that He suffered the Enemy to
sow "tares" among the wheat (Matthew 13:25). It was after Ephesus left
her "first love" that the Smyrnean era of persecution was experienced
(Rev. 2:4 and 9, 10). And it is because so many of the professing
servants of God repudiated His law during the previous generation,
that we are now plagued with a reign of lawlessness in the church,
home, and state.
God will not be mocked, and in His righteous government He visits the
iniquities of the fathers upon their children, and hence it is that
seasons of prosperity are followed by seasons of adversity. Yet during
these seasons of adversity, whether they take the form of spiritual
dearth or of physical peril, the godly remnant who sigh and cry
because of the abominations which are found in what are termed the
public "places of worship," or who meekly endure the persecutions of
hypocritical professors or of the openly ungodly world, are no less
acceptable with God, and are as precious in His sight as those whose
lot was previously cast in times of the greatest earthly felicity.
The darker the night, the more evident the few stars twinkling between
the clouds. The more awful be the state of professing Christendom as a
whole, the more suitable is the background for the children of God to
display their colors. The fiercer be the opposition made against a
spiritual faith, the grander the opportunity for bringing forth its
choicest fruit. There is no higher aspect of faith than that which
brings the heart to patiently submit unto whatever God sends us, to
meekly acquiesce unto His sovereign will, to say "the cup which my
Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" (John 18:11). Oftentimes
the faith which suffers is greater than the faith that can boast an
open triumph. "Love beareth all things" (1 Cor. 13:7), and faith when
it reaches the pinnacle of attainment declares, "though He slay me,
yet will I trust in Him."
"There is as much glory unto a spiritual eye, in the catalogue of the
effects of faith that follow, as in that which went before. The church
is no less beautiful and glorious when encompassed, and seemingly
overwhelmed with all the evils and dreadful miseries here recounted,
than when it is in the greatest peace and prosperity. To look, indeed,
only on the outside of them, gives a terrible undesirable prospect.
But to see faith and love to God, working effectually under them all,
to see comforts retained, yea, consolations abounding, holiness
prompted, God glorified, the world condemned, the souls of men
profited, and at length triumphant over all; this is beautiful and
glorious . . .
"It may also be observed that the apostle takes most of these
instances, if not all of them, from the time of the persecution of the
church under Antiochus, the king of Syria, in the days of the
Maccabees. And we may consider concerning this reason: 1. That it was
after the closing of the canon of the Scripture, or putting of the
last hand unto writings by Divine inspiration under the O. T.
Wherefore, as the apostle represented these things from the notoriety
of fact then fresh in memory, and it may be, some books then written
of those things, like the books of the Maccabees, yet remaining: yet
as they are delivered out unto the church by him, they proceeded from
Divine inspiration. 2. That in those days wherein these things fell
out, there was no extraordinary prophet in the church. Prophecy, as
the Jews confess, ceased under the second temple. And this makes it
evident that the rule of the Word, and the ordinary ministry of the
church, is sufficient to maintain believers in their duty against all
oppositions whatever. 3. That this last persecution of the church
under the O.T. by Antiochus, was typical of the last persecution of
the Christian church under antichrist; as is evident to all that
compare Daniel 8:10-14, 23-25; 11:36-39 with that of the Revelation in
sundry places. And indeed the martyrologies of those who have suffered
under the Roman antichrist, are a better exposition of this context
than any that can be given in words" (John Owen).
"Women received their dead raised to life again" (verse 35). Some have
complained because this clause is not placed at the end of verse34,
urging that it belongs there much more appropriately than it does at
the beginning of verse 35, being a fitting climax to the miraculous
achievements of faith enumerated in verses 33, 34. While it be true
that the particular item here before us belongs to the same class of
miracles found in the preceding verse, yet personally we regard it as
suitable for placing at the head of what follows in verses 35-38, for
it forms a suitable transition from the one to the other. And in this
respect: those women passed through the sufferings of a sore
bereavement before they had their beloved children restored to them--a
reward for their kindness unto God's servants.
"Women received their dead raised to life again." The historical
reference is to what is recorded in 1 Kings 17:22-24 and 2 Kings
4:35-37. How those remarkable cases show us once more that there is
nothing too hard or difficult for faith to effect when it works
according to the revealed will of God! But what is the spiritual
application of this unto us today? Is it not faith's seeking the
Spirit's renewal of languishing graces? the practical heeding of that
word "Strengthen the things that remain, that are ready to die" (Rev.
3:2)! Or, to take a more extreme case, is it not a word of hope to the
backslidden Christian, who has to all appearances lapsed back into a
state of unregeneracy? Is it not faith's response to that word
(addressed to Christians) "Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from
the dead, and Christ shall give thee light" (Eph. 5:14)!
"And others were tortured, not accepting deliverance" (verse 35). It
is very touching to remember that the hand which first penned those
words had taken a prominent part in inflicting torture upon the saints
of God (Acts 8:3, 9:1), but, by grace, he was now a sharer of them (2
Cor. 11:24-27). The word "torture" here signifies "were racked": those
O.T. saints were fastened to a device and then a wrench was turned
which caused their joints to be pulled out of their sockets--a method
of torture frequently resorted to by fiendish Romanists when seeking
to force Protestants to recant. By this fearful form of suffering the
graces of God's people were tested and tried.
"Not accepting deliverance." It was offered to them, but at the price
of apostasy. Two alternatives were set before them: disloyalty to the
Lord, or enduring the most excruciating suffering; surrender of the
Truth, or being tortured by devils in human form. Freedom from this
torture was offered to them in return for forsaking their profession.
This is expressly affirmed of Eliezer and his seven brethren in 2
Maccabees. Yea, they were not only offered freedom from tortures and
death, but promised great rewards and promotions, which they
steadfastly refused. The principal design of Satan in setting torture
before God's saints is not to slay their bodies, but is to destroy
their souls. Space has always been given to the victim for
consideration and recantation: entreaties have been mingled with
threats to induce a renouncing of their profession.
Thus, the real test presented was, which did these saints of God
esteem more highly: the present comfort of their bodies or the eternal
interests of their souls? Let it be remembered that they were men and
women of like passion with us: their bodies were made of the same
tender and sensitive flesh as ours are, but such was the care they had
for their souls, so genuine was their faith and hope in a better
resurrection, that they listened not to the appeals and whinings of
the outward man. The same issue is drawn, though in another form,
today: alas, what countless millions of people lose their souls
eternally for the temporary gratification of their vile bodies.
Reader, which do you esteem the more highly: your body or your soul?
Your actions supply the answer: which receives the more thought, care
and attention; which is "denied," and which is catered unto?
"Not accepting deliverance." The word for "deliverance" here is
commonly translated "redemption" in the N. T.: its usage in this verse
helps to a clearer understanding of that important term, and
emphasizes the difference between it and "ransom." "Ransom" is the
paying of the price which justice requires, but "redemption" is the
actual emancipation of the one for whom the price was paid. These
saints refused to accept a temporal "redemption" or "deliverance,"
because to have done so on the terms it was proffered to them would
have meant the renunciation of their profession, apostasy from God. It
was "through faith" they made this noble decision; it was love for the
truth, which caused them to hold fast that which was infinitely dearer
to them than an escape from bodily suffering. They had "bought the
Truth," at the price of turning their backs on the world and their
former religious friends, and bringing down upon themselves the scorn
and hatred of them. And now they refused to "sell the Truth" (Prov.
23:23) out of a mere regard to bodily ease.
"Not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better
resurrection": that last clause shows the ground of their
steadfastness. The primary force of the expression here is a
figurative one, as the verse as a whole clearly shows: they were
offered a "resurrection" on the condition of their recantation, namely
a "resurrection" from reproach to honor, from poverty to riches, from
pain to ease and pleasure--it was a "resurrection" from the physical
torture which threatened them: compare Hebrews 11:19. But their hearts
were occupied with something far, far better than being raised up to
earthly comforts and honors; their faith anticipated that morning
without clouds, when their bodies would be raised in glory, made like
Christ's, and taken to be with Him forever. It was the hope of that
which supported their souls in the face of extreme peril and sustained
them under acutest sufferings.
"That they might obtain a better resurrection." In passing, let it be
noted that God had set before the Old Testament saints the hope of
resurrection--they were not nearly so ignorant as the
dispensationalists make them out to be, in fact were far wiser than
most of our moderns. Resurrection has always been the top-stone in the
building of faith (Job 19:25, 26), that which promised eternal reward,
and that which gave life unto their obedience. A further proof of this
fact is found in Acts 24:14-16: the faith of the "fathers" embraced "a
resurrection of the dead, both of the just and of the unjust." That
glorious resurrection will more than compensate for any bodily denials
or bodily sufferings which the Christian makes or experiences for
Christ's sake.
"And others had trial of mockings, and scourgings, yea, moreover of
bonds and imprisonments" (verse 36). This verse supplies further
details of what some of the O.T. saints were called upon to suffer for
their fidelity to the Truth, sufferings which have been frequently
duplicated during this Christian era. We are here informed of the
various methods which the enemies of God employed in the afflicting of
His people; no stone was left unturned in their persevering and
merciless efforts to produce a denial of the Faith. While these things
are harrowing to our feelings, yet they also serve to make manifest
the sufficiency of Divine grace to support its recipients under most
painful trials, and should evoke thanksgiving and praise unto Him that
is able to make the weak stand up under the fiercest assaults of the
Enemy.
"And others had trial of mockings." Let us, when we are reproached for
Christ's sake and ridiculed because of our adherence to God's truth,
call to mind that this was the mildest form of suffering which many
who went before us on the pilgrim path were called upon to endure! The
sneers and unkind words of our foes are not worthy of a pang in
comparison with the far sorer pains which other believers have had to
bear. It has ever been the portion of God's servants and people to be
derided, reproached, and insulted: see Galatians 4:29, 2 Chronicles
36:16, Jeremiah 20:7, Lamentations 3:14; and my reader, if we are not
being "mocked"--sneered at, scoffed at--it is because we are too lax
in our ways and too worldly in our walk. Human nature has not changed;
Satan has not changed; the world has not changed; and the more
Christlike is our life the more shall we drink--in our measure--of the
cup He drank from.
"And scourgings." The reference is to the lashings of their backs with
whipcords of wire, which were most painful to experience, for they
lacerated the flesh, drew blood, and macerated the body. It was not
only a painful form of suffering, but a most humiliating one as well,
for "scourgings" were reserved for the basest and most degenerate of
men. The Lord Jesus was subjected to this form of ignominy and
suffering from His enemies (Matthew 27:26), and so also were His
apostles (Acts 5:40, 16:23). It is true that we are now (for the
immediate present) spared these corporeal "scourgings," but there is
such a thing as being lashed by the tongue and harrowed in our minds;
nevertheless, happy are we (Matthew 5:10-12) if we are so honored as
to experience a little fellowship with the sufferings of Christ. But
let us see welt to it that we do not retaliate: ponder carefully and
turn into earnest prayer Psalm 38:12-14; 1 Peter 2:21-23.
"Yea, moreover of bonds." The reference is to cords, chains, manacles
and fetters, binding them fast, so that they could not run away. In
this item we see how "the excellent" of the earth (Ps. 16:3) were
basely dealt with as though they had been the vilest of malefactors.
Does your heart go out in pity to them, dear reader? Ah, what if you
are "bound" even now with something far, far worse than outer and
material ropes and chains! Multitudes are held fast by habits they
cannot break; their souls are fettered by iniquities from which they
cannot free themselves. Sin has taken them captive, and has full
dominion over them. Has it over you? Or, has Christ set you free--not
from the hateful presence of indwelling sin, but from its reigning
power. Daily ought we to pray and strive against everything which
limits us spiritually.
"And imprisonments," which was the lot commonly apportioned to robbers
and murderers. Here again we see the saints of God treated as the
off-scouring of the earth, and let it be remembered that the prisons
of those days were of a far different order from the comfortable
buildings in which criminals are now incarcerated. One has only to
read the experience of Jeremiah 38:11-13 to get some idea of the
meaning of this word in our text: God's children were thrown into dark
and damp dungeons, far below the level of the earth, unheated,
unpaved, un-illuminated. One cannot read this clause in our text
without thinking of dear Bunyan. Ah, my reader, nothing but a real
faith in the living God could have enabled those believers to have
remained faithful unto death. The whole of the verses which have been
before us, exhibit the efficacy and sufficiency of a spiritual faith
to endure the worst that men and devils could inflict upon its favored
possessors. Is yours only an easy-chair "faith"?
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 81
The Pinnacle of Faith
(Hebrews 11:37, 38)
__________________________________________
There has been no greater instance of the degeneracy of human nature
and its likeness to the Devil than in the fearful fact that so many
who have occupied prominent positions--magistrates, ecclesiastical
dignitaries, kings and emperors--were not content to take the bare
lives of true worshippers of God by the sword, but invented the most
fiendish methods of torture to destroy them. That educated men and
women in high places, that those professing the name of Christ, should
conduct themselves like savages, that their rage against the
"excellent of the earth" should express itself in such villainy and
inhumanity, is a most dreadful demonstration of human depravity when
the hand of God is withdrawn. With what infinite patience does the
Most High bear with the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction!
But why should God allow many of His dear children to encounter such
terrible experiences? Among other answers, the following may be
suggested. First, for the more thorough trial of His champions, that
their faith, courage, patience, and other graces, might be more
manifest. Second, to seal or ratify more plainly the Truth which they
profess. Third, to encourage and strengthen the faith of their weaker
brethren. Fourth, to give them more sensible evidence of what Christ
endured for them. Fifth, to cause them to perceive the better the
torments of Hell: if those whom God loves are permitted to endure such
grievous and painful trials, what must we understand of those torments
which the wrath of God inflicts upon those whom He hates!
The teaching of Scripture upon the various reasons why God calls upon
His children to suffer at the hands of the openly wicked, or, as is
more often the case, from those professing to be His people, is full
of valuable instruction, and calls for prayerful pondering. One of the
advantages gained from such an exercise is the plainer perception of
the very real and radical difference there is between that spiritual
and supernatural faith which is possessed by God's elect, and that
notional and natural faith which is all that millions of empty
professors have. Should it please God to remove His restraining hand
and permit open and fierce persecution to once more break forth upon
the true followers of the Lamb, the difference just mentioned would be
made apparent, for "When tribulation ariseth because of the Word," the
stony-ground hearer is soon "offended" (Matthew 13:21), or, as Luke
8:13 expresses it "fall away." But different far is it with the
good-ground hearer.
"The trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that
perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise
and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:7).
That faith which is "the gift of God" endures to the end. The testing
of that faith, the fiery trial thereof serves the better to make
manifest the Divine origin of it: only that faith which has come from
God is able to endure the testing of God. Just as it is in the furnace
that genuine gold is most quickly distinguished from tinsel, so it is
under sore trials that the difference between spiritual and natural
faith becomes the more apparent. Like much of the imitation jewelry of
the day, the creatures-faith of empty professors, may look more
glittering, be more bulky, and have more attraction for the outward
eye, and be better calculated to adorn its possessor, than does the
genuine faith of God's elect, which is often small in size, dull in
appearance and lacking in attractiveness to the human beholder.
Yes, dear reader, it is the fiery trial which puts to the proof the
kind of faith we really possess. Let the two faiths--that natural
faith which man originates, and exercises by an act of his own will,
and that spiritual faith which is the gift of God and which man can no
more exercise of himself than he can create a world--be placed side by
side in the crucible; let the burning flame try which is the genuine
metal; let the hot fire play around them both, and the false faith
(like imitation gold) will soon melt away into a shapeless mass of
base metal; but the true faith will come forth uninjured by the fire,
having lost nothing but what it could well spare--the dross with which
it has been mixed. See that fact strikingly and solemnly adumbrated in
Daniel 3: the furnace of Babylon harmed not the three Hebrews who were
cast into it--it merely destroyed their bonds; but it consumed the
Babylonians (verses 22)!
Let it be duly noted that in 1 Peter 1:7 the apostle, when comparing
faith with gold, accredits to the former a higher value: it is "much
more precious than of gold that perisheth." Gold, though its
genuineness may be proved by enduring the test of fire, is yet a
perishing thing--a thing of the earth, a thing of time. That gold for
which men toil so laboriously and sell their souls to acquire, is of
no avail on a deathbed, still less will it stand any in good stead in
the Day of Judgment! At death it has to be left behind, for none can
take it with him into the next life. Then how much more precious is
that faith which, instead of, like gold, leaving its possessor under
the wrath of God, will be "found unto praise and honor and glory at
the appearing of Jesus Christ!"
But the point to which we would now direct special attention is that
it is not so much the faith itself as "the trial of faith" which is
more precious than of gold which perisheth. This is clear to the
spiritual mind: trials and temptations are the means which God employs
to make manifest to the soul the reality and strength of that faith
which He bestows, for there is in every trial and temptation an
opposition made to the faith which is in the heart, and trial and
temptation, so to speak, threatens the life of faith. How so? Because
under the trial, God, for the most part, hides Himself: the light of
His countenance is no longer visible, His smile is overcast by a dark
providence. Nevertheless, He puts forth a secret power which upholds
the soul, otherwise it would sink into utter despair, be swallowed up
by the power of unbelief. Here, then, is the conflict: the trial
fighting against faith, and that faith against the trial.
Now then in this trial, under this sharp conflict, in this hot
furnace, the spiritual and supernatural faith is not burned or
destroyed, but instead, grips firmly the promise, and the faithfulness
of Him who has given it. And thus trial of faith becomes exceedingly
precious. It is "precious" to its possessor when its genuineness is
made the more manifest to him. It is "precious" in the sight of God's
people, who discern it, and derive strength and comfort from what they
witness in the experience of a fellow-saint who is thus tried and
blessed. It is "precious" in the sight of God Himself, who crowns it
with His own manifest approbation and puts upon it the seal of His
approving smile. But above all things it will be found "precious" at
the final appearing of the Lord Jesus in glory, for then He "will be
admired in all them that believe" (2 Thess. 1:10).
To suffer the hardest things as well as to do the greatest, is all one
to faith. It is equally ready for both when God shall require; and it
is equally effectual in both, as God shall strengthen. The performing
of spectacular exploits and the enduring of terrible affliction,
differ almost as much to the flesh as do Heaven and Hell, but they are
one to faith when duty calls. This is very evident from the section of
Hebrews 11 which is now before us (verses 33-38), the closing portion
of which is about to engage our attention. At the beginning of this
section we are furnished with a list of the marvels which were wrought
by a God-given faith: at the close thereof we are given a list of
fearful sufferings and privations which were patiently and
courageously borne by a God-sustained faith. The latter, as much as
the former, demonstrates the supernatural character of that faith
which is in view throughout our chapter; yea, forms a most glorious
climax thereto.
We say that the fearful sufferings experienced by God's people form a
blessed climax in the Spirit's unfolding of the Life of Faith: those
sufferings mark, in fact, the pinnacle of its attainments. Why so?
Because they make manifest a heart that is completely subject to God,
that bows submissively to whatever He is pleased to send, which has
been so completely won to Him that torture and death are deliberately
chosen and gladly preferred to apostasy from Him. A "Meek and quiet
spirit" is of "great price" in the sight of God (1 Pet. 3:4), and
nothing more plainly evidences the meekness of the Christian--his
lying passive as clay in the hands of the Potter--as faith's willing
acceptance of whatever lot our Father sees fit to appoint us. To be
faithful unto death, to have unshakable confidence in the Lord, though
He suffers us to be slain, to trust Him when to sight and sense it
seems He has deserted us, is the highest exercise of all of faith.
Ere closing these introductory paragraphs, let us seek to point out
the various actings of faith in times of danger, trial, and
persecution.
First, faith recognizes that "the Lord God omnipotent reign-eth" (Rev.
19:6), that He is on the throne of the universe, and "doeth according
to His will in the army of Heaven, and among the inhabitants of the
earth: and none can stay His hand" (Dan. 4:35). Yes, dear reader, a
spiritual faith perceives that things do not happen by chance, but
that everything is regulated by the Lord God. Second, faith recognizes
that everything which enters our lives is ordered by Him who is our
Father, and that our enemies can do nothing whatever against us
without His direct permission--the Devil could not touch Job nor sift
Peter until he first obtained leave from the Lord! Oh what a sure
resting-place is there here for the troubled and trembling heart.
Third, faith recognizes that, no matter how fiercely Satan may be
permitted to rage against us, or how sorely men persecute, their
malicious efforts will be made to work together for our good (Rom.
8:28).
Fourth, by mixing itself with God's promises, faith obtains present
help, strength and consolation from God. It derives peace and comfort
from that sure word, "When thou passeth through the waters, I will be
with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when
thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall
the flame kindle upon thee" (Isa. 43:2). It counts upon the assurance
"God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye
are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that
ye may be able to bear it" (1 Cor. 10:13). Finally, faith looks away
from the present conflict, and views the promised rest. It anticipates
the future reward, and as it does so, is assured that "the sufferings
of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory
which shall be revealed in us" (Rom. 8:18). Such are some of the
workings of faith when God's children are called upon to pass through
the furnace.
"They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain
with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being
destitute, afflicted, tormented; Of whom the world was not worthy:
they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of
the earth" (verses 37, 38). These verses continue the list of
sufferings begun in verse 35. They enumerate the various kinds of
persecution to which many of the O. T. saints were subjected. They are
of two types: first, such as fell under the utmost rage of their
enemies, enduring a martyr's death; second, such as to escape death,
exposed themselves to great miseries which were undergone in this
life.
It may be helpful at this point for us to raise the question, How are
such dreadful sufferings to be harmonized with the Divine promises of
temporal blessings on those whose ways please the Lord?
Dispensationalists are very fond of emphasizing the temporal character
of the O.T. promises, imagining that the promises of the N.T. are of a
greatly superior character. In this they err seriously. On the one
hand, the verses which are now under consideration describe the
temporal experiences of some of the most eminent of the O.T. saints;
on the other hand, the New T. expressly affirms godliness has "promise
of the life that now is, and of that which is to come" (1 Tim. 4:8).
The answer to our opening query is very simple: such promises as those
in Deuteronomy 28:1-6 (which still hold good to faith!) are to be
understood with two exceptions: unless our sins call down Divine
chastisements, or unless God is pleased to make trial of our graces by
afflictions.
"They were stoned." This form of death was appointed by God Himself to
be inflicted upon notorious malefactors: Leviticus 20:2, Joshua 7:24,
25. But our text has reference to the Satanic perversion of this
Divine institution, for here it is the enemies of God inflicting this
punishment upon His beloved and faithful people. "The devil is never
more a devil nor more outrageous, than when he gets a pretense of
God's weapons into his own hands" (Owen). Stephen, the first Christian
martyr, suffered death in this form. It is touching to remember that
the one who first penned our text, himself "consented" to the stoning
of Stephen (Acts 8:1): later he himself was stoned at Lystra.
"They were sawn asunder." This was a barbarous method of execution
which the later Jews seemed to have learned from the heathen. There is
no record in Scripture of anyone being put to death in this way,
though tradition says Isaiah ended his earthly career in this manner.
That some of the heroes of faith perished in this way is clear from
our text, evidencing the malice of the Devil and the brutal rage of
persecution. Their endurance of such torture demonstrates the reality
and power of the Spirit's support, enabling them to remain true to
God, and in the midst of their agonies sweetly commit their spirits
into His hands, to the astonishment of their murderers. How this
should stir us up to bear patiently the far smaller trials we may be
called upon to encounter.
"Were tempted." This may be considered two ways, as pointing to an
aggravation of their sufferings, or as referring to a separate trial
of faith; we will take it in both respects. First, as signifying an
intensification of their other trials, the reference would be to their
persecutors setting before them the promise of relief upon their
repudiation of the Truth--liberty at the price of perfidy. The baits
of immunity and advancement were offered to them on the condition that
they would abandon their strictness and join the ranks of the loose
livers of that day. We believe that our text also includes the
temptings of Satan, seeking to fill their minds with doubts as to
God's goodness and power, urging them to recede from the stand they
have taken. Because they remained resolute, refusing to yield to the
insidious demands of their persecutors, they were cruelly butchered.
"Were tempted" may in the second place, be contemplated as referring
to that life of ease and pleasure which worldly advancement and riches
might provide. History solemnly records that numbers of those who
courageously endured long and cruel imprisonment (and other sore
trials) for the Truth's sake during the reign of the papist and bloody
queen Mary of England, yet upon the accession of Queen Elizabeth were
freed, elevated to high places, and obtaining much wealth and power,
denied the power of godliness and made shipwreck of faith and a good
conscience. But those in our text were possessed of a faith like unto
that of Moses (Heb. 11:24-26), and therefore were enabled to withstand
the powerful temptations of the world. Poverty, dear reader, is often
sent by God upon His people as a merciful means of delivering them
from the dangerous snares which wealth entails.
"Were slain with the sword": there is probably a double reference
here. First, to the sword of violence, when persecutors in their fury
fell upon the servants and people of God, butchering them for their
fidelity: see 1 Samuel 22:18, 21, 1 Kings 19:10. Second, the sword of
justice, or rather injustice, the law being enforced against the
saints. Probably this form of death is mentioned last to signify the
multitude of martyrs who by their blood sealed up the Truth: literally
rendered our text reads, "they died in the slaughter of the sword,"
which denotes the insatiable thirst of the persecutors and the large
number which they felled. Papists have exceeded pagans herein: witness
their cruel massacres in France and other places: well may the Holy
Spirit represent the whore Babylon as being "drunk with the blood of
the saints" (Rev. 17:6).
"They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins," which means they
were hounded out of their homes, and forced to go forth and exist as
they might, without any settled habitation. "They were driven out to
share the lot of wild animals, and were reduced to wear their skins,
instead of clothes woven by man. This form of suffering is mentioned
here, to show, on the one hand, the cruelty of religious persecution;
and, on the other hand, the mighty sustaining power of faith. What
power indeed is this! It was not merely the compulsion such as that
which enforced the wandering of society's outlaws. It was rather the
deliberate choice like that of Moses (verses 24-26). Any day, any one
of these wanderers could have rejoined their fellowmen, enjoyed their
society, and shared their comforts; but they preferred this lot to
apostasy" (E.W.B.)
"Being destitute, afflicted, tormented." These terms set forth the
variety and intensity of the sufferings experienced by the homeless
saints. "Destitute" means they were deprived of the ordinary
necessities of life, and further signifies they were denied the kind
assistance of relatives and friends: they were driven forth without
the means of subsistence and were beyond the reach of succor from all
who cared for them. "Afflicted" probably has reference to their state
of mind: they were not emotionless stoics, but felt acutely their sad
condition. No doubt the Enemy took full advantage of their state and
injected many unbelieving and harassing thoughts into their minds.
"Tormented" is rather too strong a word here: we understand the
reference to be unto the ill-treatment they met with from the
unfriendly strangers encountered in their wanderings, who regarded
them without any pity and evilly treated them.
"Of whom the world was not worthy." This parenthetic clause is brought
in here for the purpose of removing an objection: many might suppose
that these despised wanderers were only receiving their just due, as
not being fit to live in decent society. To remove this scandal the
apostle put the blame where it rightly belonged, affirming that it was
society which was unworthy of having the saints of God in their midst.
In its wider aspect, the "world" here takes in the whole company of
the ungodly; but in its narrower sense (that of the context), it has
reference to the apostate "world"--all history, sacred and secular--is
harmonious on this point: the most merciless, conscienceless, cruel,
and inveterate persecutors of God's elect have been religious people!
"Of whom the world was not worthy." Here we see the difference between
God's estimate and that of unregenerate religionists concerning the
Children of Faith. God regards them as "the excellent" of the earth in
whom is His "delight" (Ps. 16:3). "A true believer by reason of his
union with Christ, and of the abode of the Spirit of sanctification in
him, is worth more than a million of worlds; as a rich and precious
jewel is more worth than many loads of filthy mud" (W. Gouge). The
excellency of saints appears also in the benefit and blessings which
they bring to the places where they reside: they are the "salt of the
earth," though the corrupt multitude around them realizes it not.
Their presence stays the hand of Divine judgment (Gen. 19:22), brings
down blessing (Gen. 30:27), and their prayers secure Divine healing
(Gen. 20:17). How little does the world realize how much it owes to
those whom they hate so bitterly!
"They wandered in deserts, and in mountains, in dens and caves of the
earth." Not only were they without a settled habitation, but they were
compelled to resort to desolate places and the dens of wild beasts, in
order to escape the fury of their foes. The word for "wandering" here
is different from the one used in the previous verse: there it
signifies to go up and down from house to house, or town to town, in
hope of finding succor; but in which they were disappointed. Here the
term denotes a wandering in unknown territory, going (like a blind
man) they knew not whither: it is the term used of Abraham in verse 8,
and of Hagar in Genesis 21:14, and of wandering sheep in Matthew
18:12. What a commentary upon fallen human nature: these saints of God
were safer among the beasts of the field than in the religious world
inflamed by the Devil! While these lines are being read, there are
probably some of God's children in foreign lands suffering these very
experiences.
Seeing that faith in the living God will alone support the soul under
manifold trials, how necessary it is that we labor in the fear of the
Lord to get our hearts rooted and grounded in the Truth, so that when
afflictions or persecutions come we may be enabled to show forth the
power and fruits of this spiritual grace. Faith has to overcome the
fear of man as well as the love of the world! Whatever sufferings God
may appoint in the path of duty, they are to be patiently borne as
seeing Him who is invisible. Their enemies clothed in death in the
most hideous and horrible forms that hatred could devise, yet the
faith of those saints boldly met and endured it. How thankful we
should be that God's restraining hand is still upon the reprobate, for
human nature has not improved any.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 82
The Family of Faith
(Hebrews 11:39, 40)
__________________________________________
"And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received
not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that
they without us should not be made perfect"
(verses 39, 40). Several details in these verses call for careful
consideration. First, to what does "the promise" here refer to?
Second, in what sense had the O.T. saints "not received" the promise?
Third, what is the "better thing" which God provided for us? Fourth,
what is here meant by "be made perfect"? Widely different answers have
been returned to these questions, and even the most reliable of the
commentators are by no means agreed; therefore it would ill-become us
to speak dogmatically, where men of God differ. Instead of wearying
the reader with their diversive views, we will expound our text
according to what measure of light God has granted us upon it.
As we approach our task there are several considerations which need to
be borne in mind, the observing of which should aid us not a little.
First, ascertaining the relation of our text to that which precedes.
Second, discovering the exact relation of its several clauses. Third,
studying it in the light of the distinctive and dominant theme of the
particular epistle in which it occurs. Fourth, weighing its leading
terms in connection with their usage in parallel passages. If these
four things be duly attended to we ought not to go far wrong in our
interpretation. Our purpose in enumerating them is principally to
indicate to your preachers the methods which should be followed in the
critical examination of any difficult passage.
As to the connection between our present verses and those which
precede, there is no difficulty. The apostle, having so forcibly and
largely, set out the virtue and vigor of faith, by the admirable
workings and fruits thereof, both in doing and in suffering, now gives
a general summary: they all "obtained a good report." The relations of
the several clauses of our text to each other, may be set out thus:
"and these all" refer to the entire company which has been before us
in the previous verses; a "good report" is ascribed to them; yet they
had not "received the promise"; because God had provided something
"better" for the N.T. saints. The dominant theme of Hebrews is, The
immeasurable superiority of Christianity over Judaism. The leading
terms in our text will be pondered in what follows.
"And these all, having obtained a good report through faith." Two
things are here in view: the persons spoken of, and that which is
predicated of them. The reference is to all spoken of in the previous
parts of the chapter, and by necessary inference, to all believers
before the incarnation of Christ who exhibited a true faith. The words
"these all" is restrictive, excluding others who had not the faith
here mentioned. "Many more than these lived before Christ was
exhibited, yea, lived in the time and place that some of these did,
yet received no good report. Cain lived and offered a sacrifice with
Abel, yet was none of these. Ham was in the ark with Shem; Ishmael in
Abraham's family with Isaac; Esau in the same womb with Jacob; Dathan
and Abiram came through the Red Sea with Caleb and Joshua: many other
wicked unbelievers were mixed with believers, yet they obtained not
any such good report. Though their outward condition was alike, yet
their inward disposition was much different" (W. Gouge).
Thus it is today. There are two widely different classes of people who
come under the sound of the Word: those who believe it, and those who
believe it not. And those of the former class have also to be divided,
for while there are a few in whom that Word works effectually in a
spiritual way, many have nothing more than a natural faith in its
letter. This latter faith--which so many today mistake for a saving
one--is merely an intellectual assent to the Divine authority of the
Bible and to the verities of its contents--like that possessed by most
of the Jews of Christ's day, and which though good so far as it goes,
changes not the heart nor issues in a godly life. A supernatural
faith, which is wrought in the soul by the operations of the Holy
Spirit, issues in supernatural works, such as those attributed unto
the men and women mentioned in our chapter. It is a Divine principle
which enables its possessor to overcome the world, patiently endure
the sorest afflictions, and love God and His truth more than life
itself.
"Having obtained a good report through faith." Because of their
trusting in Christ alone for salvation, and because of their walking
in subjection to His revealed will, they received approbation. There
is probably a threefold reference in the words now before us. First,
unto God's own testimony which He bore to them: this is found in His
Word, where their names receive honorable mention, and where the
fruits of their faith are imperishably preserved. Second, to the
Spirit's bearing witness with their spirit that they were the children
of God (Rom. 8:16), the rejoicing which they had from the testimony of
a good conscience (2 Cor. 1:12): this in blessed contrast from the
world's estimate of them, who regarded and treated them as the
off-scouring of all things. Third, to the esteem in which they were
held by the Church, their fellow-saints testifying to the
un-worldliness of their lives: this shows our faith should be
evidenced by such good works that it is justified before men.
"Received not the promise." The singular number here implies some
pre-eminent excellent thing promised, and this is Jesus Christ, the
Divine Savior. He is said to be given according to "the promise" (Acts
13:23). God's "promise" was declared to be fulfilled when He brought
Christ forth (Acts 13:32, 33). In Acts 2:39 and 26:6 Christ is set
forth under this term "promise." Christ Himself is the prime promise,
not only because He was the substance of the first promise given after
the fall (Gen. 3:15), but also because He is the complement or
accomplishment of all the promises (2 Cor. 1:20). The great promise of
God to send His Son, born of a woman, to save His people from their
sins, was the Object of Faith of the Church throughout all the
generations of the O.T. era. Therein we may discern the rich grace of
God in providing for the spiritual needs of His saints from earliest
times.
"Received not the promise." As several times before in this epistle,
"promise" is here used metonymically for the thing promised, and this
it is which explains the "received not." As Owen expressed it, "The
promise as a faithful engagement pledge of future good, they received,
but the good thing itself was not in their days exhibited." They did
not live to see historically accomplished that which their faith
specifically embraced. As the Lord Jesus declared to His disciples,
"Many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things
which ye see, and have not seen them, and to hear those things which
ye hear, and have not heard them" (Matthew 13:17). Herein we behold
the strength and perseverance of faith, that they continued to look,
unwaveringly, for so many centuries for Him that should come, and came
not in their lifetime.
"God having provided some better thing for us." The verb here looks
back to the eternal counsels of Divine grace, to the Everlasting
Covenant; it is a word which denotes God's determination, designation
and appointment of Christ to be the propitiatory sacrifice, and the
exact season for His advent. "When the fullness of time was come (the
season ordained by Heaven), God sent forth His Son" (Gal. 4:4). Thus
it should be clear that the contrast which is pointed in the sentence
before us, is that between "the promise" given and "the promise"
performed. It is at that point, and no other, we find the essential
difference between the faith of the O.T. saints and the faith of the
N.T. saints: the one looked forward to a Savior that was to come, the
other looks back to a Savior who has come.
It seems strange that what is really so obvious and simple should have
been regarded by many as obscure and difficult. In His "Great Cloud of
Witnesses" E. W. Bullinger began comments on this passage by saying,
"These verses must be among those to which Peter referred when he
said, speaking of Paul's epistles, there are `some things hard to be
understood.' For they confessedly present no small difficulty." But
what is there here which is "hard to be understood"? The very epistle
in which this verse occurs supplies a sure key to its correct
interpretation. As we have said above, the great theme of it is, The
immeasurable superiority of Christianity over Judaism, and those of
our readers who have followed us through this series of expositions,
will recall how many illustrations of this have been before us.
Another one is present in 11:39, 40: "they received not the
(fulfillment of) the promise," we have--"God having provided some
better thing for us": cf. Hebrews 7:19, 22; 8:6; 9:23; 10:34 for the
word "better."
It is really pathetic and deplorable to see what most of the moderns
make of our present verse. In their anxiety to magnify the contrast
between the Mosaic and Christian economies, and in their ignorance of
much of the contents of the O.T. scriptures, they have seized upon
these words "God having provided some better thing for us" to bolster
up one of their chief errors, and have read into them that which any
one having even a superficial acquaintance with the Psalms and
Prophets should have no difficulty in perceiving to be utterly
untenable. Some have said that the "better thing" which we Christians
have is eternal life, others that it is regeneration and the
indwelling of the Spirit, others that it is membership in the Body of
Christ with the heavenly calling that entails--denying that these
blessings were enjoyed by any of the O.T. saints. Such is a fair
sample of the rubbish which is now to be found in most of the
"ministry," oral and written, of this degenerate age.
In their crude and arbitrary attempts to rightly divide the word of
truth, those calling themselves "dispensationalists" have wrongly
divided the family of God. The entire Election of Grace have God for
their Father, Christ for their Savior, the Holy Spirit for their
Comforter. All who are saved, from the beginning to the end of earth's
history, are the objects of God's everlasting love, share alike in the
benefits of Christ's atonement, and are begotten by the Spirit unto
the same inheritance. God communicated to Abel the same kind of faith
as He does to His children today. Abraham was justified in precisely
the same manner as Christians are now (Rom. 4:2). Moses bore the
"reproach of Christ," and had respect unto the identical "recompense
of the reward" (Heb. 11:26) as is set before us. David was as truly a
stranger and pilgrim on earth as we are (Ps. 119:19), and looked unto
the same eternal pleasures at God's right hand as we do (Ps. 16:11;
23:6).
The worst mistakes made by the "dispensationalists" grow out of their
failures at the following points: first, to see the organic union
between the Mosaic and Christian economies; second, to perceive that
the "old covenant" and the "new covenant" were but two different
administrations under which the blessings of the "everlasting
covenant" are imparted; third, to distinguish between the spiritual
remnant and the nation itself. The relation between the patriarchal
and the Mosaic dispensations and this Christian era may be stated
thus: they stood to each other, partly as the beginning does to the
end, and partly as the shell does to the kernel. The former were
preparatory, the latter is the full development--first the blade (in
the patriarchal dispensation), then the ear (the Mosaic), and now the
full corn in the ear, in this Christian era. In the former we have the
type and shadow; in the latter, the antitype and substance.
Christianity is but the full development of what existed in former
ages, or a grander exemplification of the truths and principles which
were then revealed.
The great fact that the Everlasting Covenant which God made with
Christ as the Head of His Church formed the basis of all His dealings
with His people, and that the terms and blessings of that Eternal
Chapter were being administered by Him under the "old" and "new"
covenants, may be illustrated from secular history. In practically
every country there are two chief political parties. The policy, and
particularly the methods followed, by these rival factions, differ
radically, yet though the one may succeed the other in power, and
though great changes mark their alternative regimes, and though many
diverse laws may be enacted or cancelled from time to time, yet the
fundamental constitution of the country remains unchanged. Thus it is
under the Mosaic and Christian economies: widely different as they are
in many incidental details, nevertheless God's moral government is
always according to the same fundamental principles of grace and
righteousness, mercy and justice, truth and faithfulness, in the one
era equally as much as in the other.
The distinction between the regenerated remnant and the unregenerate
nation during O.T. times, is as real and radical as that which now
exists between real Christians and the multitude of empty professors
with which Christendom abounds; yea, one is the type of the other.
Just as empty professors now possess a "form of godliness" but are
destitute of its "power," so the great bulk of the lineal descendants
of Abraham were occupied only with the externals of Judaism--witness
the scribes and Pharisees of Christ's day; and just as the lifeless
religionists of our time are taken up with the "letter" of the Word
and have no experimental acquaintance with its spiritual realities, so
the un-quickened Israelites of old were engaged with the outward shell
of their ritual, but never penetrated to its kernel. There was an
election within an election, a remnant who were Jews "inwardly" (Rom.
2:29), among the great company surrounding them who were Jews only in
name, outwardly.
The spiritual portion of that O. T. remnant of God's saints was
identically the same as that of the Christian's now. They were the
recipients of the free gift of grace in Christ (Gen. 6:8) as we are.
They possessed eternal life (Ps. 133:3) as truly as we do. They
rejoiced in the knowledge of sins forgiven (Ps. 32:1, 2) as heartily
as we do. They were as really instructed by the Spirit (Nehemiah 9:20)
as we are. Nor were they left in total ignorance of the glorious
future awaiting them: "These all died in faith, not having received
the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of
them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and
pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly
that they seek a country" (verses 13, 14). The word for "Country"
there is not the ordinary one "chora," but "patris," which signifies
Homeland, or Fatherland--such a "country" as one's father dwells in.
The question, then, returns upon us: Seeing the O.T. saints enjoyed
all the essential spiritual blessings of which Christians now partake,
exactly what is the "better thing" which God "provides for us"? The
answer is a superior administration of the Everlasting Covenant:
Hebrews 13:20. In what particular respects? Chiefly in these. First,
we now have a better view of Christ than the O.T. saints had: they saw
Him, chiefly through types and promises, whereas we view Him in the
accomplishment and fulfillment of them. Second, there is now a broader
foundation for faith to rest upon: they looked for a Christ who was to
come and who would put away their sins; we look at a Christ who has
come and who has put away our sins. Third, they were as minors, under
teachers and governors; whereas we are in the position,
dispensationally, of those who have attained their majority: Galatians
4:1-7. Fourth, there is now a wider outpouring of God's grace: it is
no longer confined to an elect remnant in one nation, but reaches out
to His favored people scattered among all nations.
"That they without us should not be made perfect." "The law (or Mosaic
economy) made nothing perfect but the bringing in of a better hope
did" (Heb. 7:19). The "perfecting" of a thing consists in the
well-finishing of it, and a full accomplishment of all things
appertaining thereto. There is no doubt that the ultimate reference of
our text is to the eternal glory of the whole Family of Faith in
heaven; yet we believe it also includes the various degrees by which
that perfection is attained, and the means thereunto. They are, First,
the taking away of sin--which makes man most imperfect--and the
clothing him with the robe of righteousness, in which he may appear
perfect before God. These were secured by the life and death of Jesus
Christ. In that, the O.T. saints were not "made perfect without us,"
for their sins and our sins were expiated by the same Sacrifice, and
their persons and our persons are justified by the same Righteousness.
Second, the subduing of the power of indwelling sin, enabling those
justified to walk in the paths of righteousness, which is through the
enabling of the Spirit. In this too the O. T. saints were not
(relatively) "made perfect without us," as is clear from Psalm 23:4;
51:11 etc. Third, the Spirit enabling those who are united to Christ
to stand up against all assaults, and to persevere in a spiritual
growth; in this also the O. T. saints were not "made perfect without
us," as is evident by a comparison of Psalm 97:10 with 1 Peter 1:15.
Fourth, the receiving of the soul to Glory when it leaves the body:
this also was common to O.T. and N.T. saints alike--we are not
unmindful of the carnal theory held by some who imagine that prior to
the death of Christ, the souls of saints went only to some imaginary
Paradise "in the heart of the earth"; but this is much too near akin
to the subterranean limbus of Romanism to merit any refutation.
Fifth, the resurrection of the body. In this the whole Family of Faith
shall share alike, and at the same time: "In Christ shall all be made
alive; but every man in his own order: Christ the first-fruits,
afterwards they that are Christ's at His coming" (1 Cor. 15:22, 23).
And who are "Christ's"? why, all that the Father gave to Him, all that
He purchased with His blood. God's Word knows nothing of His people
being raised in sections, at intervals. Sixth, the re-union between
the soul and body, which takes place at Christ's appearing. In Hebrews
12:23 the O. T. saints are referred to as "the spirits of just men
made perfect, but they are still "waiting for the adoption, to wit,
the redemption of the body" (Rom. 8:23). In this too all the redeemed
shall share alike, being "caught up together to meet the Lord in the
air" (1 Thess. 4:17).
Seventh, the entrance into eternal glory, when O. T. and N. T. saints
alike shall, all together, be "forever with the Lord." Then shall be
completely realized that ancient oracle concerning Shiloh "unto Him
shall the gathering of the people be" (Gen. 49:10. Then shall be
fulfilled that mystical word, "I say unto you, that many shall come
from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac,
and Jacob, in the Kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 8:11). As the Lord Jesus
declared, "I lay down My life for the (O. T.) sheep; And other (N. T.)
sheep I have which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and
they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one flock (Greek and R.
V.), one Shepherd" (John 10:15, 16). Then it shall be that Christ will
"gather together in one the children of God that are scattered abroad"
(John 11:52)--not only among all nations, but through all
dispensations.
In all of these seven degrees mentioned above are the elect of God
"made perfect"; in all of them shall the O. T. and N. T. saints share
alike: all shall come "in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge
of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature
of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13). God deferred the resurrection
and final glorification of the O. T. saints until the saints of this
N.T. era should be called out and gathered into the one Body: "God has
so arranged matters, that the complete accomplishment of the promise,
both to the Old and New Testament believers, shall take place
together; `they' shall be made perfect, but not without `us'; we and
they shall attain perfection together" (John Brown). Thus to "be made
perfect" is here the equivalent of receiving (the full accomplishment
of) the promise, or enjoying together the complete realization of the
"better thing." Verses 39 and 40 are inseparably linked together, and
the language used in the one serves to interpret that employed in the
other, both being colored by the dominant theme of this epistle.
Thus our understanding of these two verses which have occasioned so
much trouble to many of the commentators, is as follows. First, though
the O. T. saints lived under an inferior administration of the
Everlasting Covenant than we do, nevertheless, they "obtained a good
report" and went to Heaven at death. Second, the "better thing" which
God has provided for the N.T. saints is a superior administration of
the Everlasting Covenant, that is, we enjoy superior means of grace to
what they had. Spiritual and heavenly blessings were presented unto
the Church in the patriarchal and Mosaic dispensations under temporal
and earthly images: Canaan being a figure of Heaven; Christ and His
atonement being set forth under symbolic ceremonies and obscure
ordinances. As the substance exceeds the shadows so is the state of
the Church under the "new" covenant superior to its state under the
"old." Third, God has ordered that the entire Family of Faith shall be
"perfected" by the same Sacrifice, and shall together enjoy its
purchased blessings throughout an endless eternity.
The practical application of the whole of the above unto our hearts,
was well put by John Calvin: "If they on whom the light of grace had
not as yet so brightly shone, displayed so great a constancy in and
during evils, what ought the full brightness of the Gospel to produce
in us! A small spark of light led them to heaven; when the sun of
righteousness shines over us, with what pretense can we excuse
ourselves if we still cleave to the earth?"
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 83
The Demands of Faith
(Hebrews 12:1)
__________________________________________
Our present verse is a call to constancy in the Christian profession;
it is an exhortation unto steadfastness in the Christian life; it is a
pressing appeal for making personal holiness our supreme business and
quest. In substance our text is parallel with such verses as Matthew
16:24, Romans 6:13, 2 Corinthians 7:1, Philippians 3:12-14, Titus
2:12, 1 Peter 2:9-12. This summarization of the Christian's twofold
duty is given again and again in the Scriptures: the duty of
mortification and of vivification, the putting off of the "old man"
and the putting on of the "new man" (Eph. 4:22-24). Analyzing the
particular terms of our text, we find there is, first, the duty
enjoined: to "run the race that is set before us." Second, the
obstacles to be overcome: "lay aside every weight" etc. Third, the
essential grace which is requisite thereto: "patience." Fourth, the
encouragement given: the "great cloud of witnesses."
The opening "Wherefore" in our text looks back to Hebrews 10:35, 36,
where the apostle had urged, "Cast not away therefore your confidence,
which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience,
that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the
promise." That exhortation had been followed by a lengthy proof of the
efficacy of persevering faith to enable its possessors to do whatever
God commands, however difficult; to endure whatever God appoints,
however severe; to obtain what He promises, however seemingly
unattainable. All of this had been copiously illustrated in chapter
11, by a review of the history of God's people in the past, who had
exemplified so strikingly and so blessedly the nature, the trails, and
the triumphs of a spiritual faith. Having affirmed the unity of the
family of God, the oneness of the O. T. and N. T. saints, assuring the
latter that God has provided some better thing for us, the apostle now
repeats the exhortation unto steadfast perseverance in the path of
faith and obedience.
"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of
witnesses, let us." Here the apostle applies the various illustrations
given in the preceding chapter, making use of them as a grand motive
to perseverance in the Christian faith and state. "If all the saints
of God lived, suffered, endured, and conquered by faith, shall not we
also? If the saints who lived before the Incarnation, before the
redemption was accomplished, before the High Priest entered the
heavenly sanctuary, trusted in the midst of discouragements and
trials, how much more aught we who know the name of Jesus, who have
received the beginning, the installment of the great Messianic
promise?" (Adolph Saphir). Herein we are shown that only then do we
read the O. T. narratives unto profit when we draw from them
incentives to practical godliness.
In Hebrews 11 we have had described at length many aspects and
characteristics of the life of faith. There we saw that a life of
faith is an intensely practical thing, consisting of very much more
than day-dreaming, or being regaled with joyous emotions, or even
resting in orthodox views of the truth. By faith Noah built an ark,
Abraham separated from his idolatrous neighbors and gained a rich
inheritance, Moses forsook Egypt and became leader of Israel's hosts.
By faith the Red Sea was crossed, Jericho captured, Goliath slain, the
mouths of lions were closed, the violence of fire was quenched. A
spiritual faith, then, is not a passive thing, but an active,
energetic, vigorous, and fruitful one. The same line of thought is
continued in the passage which is now before us, the same branch of
truth is there in view again, only under a figure--a figure very
emphatic and graphic.
"Let us run with patience the race that is set before us." Here the
Christian is likened unto an athlete, and his life unto the running of
a race. This is one of a number of figures used in the N.T. to
describe the Christian life. Believers are likened to shining lights,
branches of the vine, soldiers, strangers and pilgrims: the
last-mentioned more closely resembling the figure employed in our
text, but with this difference: travelers may rest for awhile, and
refresh themselves, but the racer must continue running or he ceases
to be a "racer." The figure of the race occurs frequently, both in the
O. T. and N. T.: Psalm 119:32, Song of Solomon 1:4, 1 Corinthians
9:24, Philippians 3:14, 2 Timothy 4:7. Very solemn is that word in
Galatians 5:7, "ye did run well": the Lord, in His mercy, grant that
that may never be said of writer or reader.
The principal thoughts suggested by the figure of the "race" are
rigorous self-denial and discipline, vigorous exertion, persevering
endurance. The Christian life is not a thing of passive luxuriation,
but of active "fighting the good fight of faith!" The Christian is not
called to lie down on flowery beds of ease, but to run a race, and
athletics are strenuous, demanding self-sacrifice, hard training, the
putting forth of every ounce of energy possessed. I am afraid that in
this work-hating and pleasure-loving age, we do not keep this aspect
of the truth sufficiently before us: we take things too placidly and
lazily. The charge which God brought against Israel of old applies
very largely to Christendom today: "Woe to them that are at ease in
Zion" (Amos 6:1): to be "at ease" is the very opposite of "running the
race."
The "race" is that life of faith and obedience, that pursuit of
personal holiness, to which the Christian is called by God. Turning
from sin and the world in penitence and trust to Christ is not the
finishing-post, but only the starting-point. The Christian race begins
at the new birth, and ends not till we are summoned to leave this
world. The prize to be run for is heavenly glory. The ground to be
covered is our journey through this life. The track itself is "set
before us": marked out in the Word. The rules to be observed, the path
which is to be traversed, the difficulties to be overcome, the dangers
to be avoided, the source and secret of the needed strength, are all
plainly revealed in the holy Scriptures. If we lose, the blame is
entirely ours; if we succeed, the glory belongs to God alone.
The prime thought suggested in the figure of running the race set
before us is not that of speed, but of self-discipline, whole-hearted
endeavor, the calling into action of every spiritual faculty possessed
by the new man. In his helpful commentary, J. Brown pointed out that a
race is vigorous exercise. Christianity consists not in abstract
speculations, enthusiastic feelings, or specious talk, but in
directing all our energies into holy actions. It is a laborious
exertion: the flesh, the world, the devil are like a fierce gale
blowing against us, and only intense effort can overcome them. It is a
regulated exertion: to run around in a circle is strenuous activity,
but it will not bring us to the goal; we must follow strictly the
prescribed course. It is progressive exertion: there is to be a growth
in grace, an adding to faith of virtue, etc. (2 Pet. 1:5-7), a
reaching forth unto those things which are before.
"Let us run with patience the race that is set before us." We only
"run" when we are very anxious to get to a certain place, when there
is some attraction stimulating us. That word "run" then presupposes
the heart eagerly set upon the goal. That "goal" is complete
deliverance from the power of indwelling sin, perfect conformity to
the lovely image of Christ, entrance into the promised rest and bliss
on High. It is only as that is kept steadily in view, only as faith
and hope are in real and daily exercise, that we shall progress along
the path of obedience. To look back will cause us to halt or stumble;
to look down at the roughness and difficulties of the way will
discourage and produce slackening, but to keep the prize in view will
nerve to steady endeavor. It was thus our great Exemplar ran: "Who for
the JOY that was set before Him" (verse 2).
But let us now consider, secondly, the means prescribed: "let us lay
aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us." That
might be tersely expressed in several different forms: let us
relinquish those things which would impede our spiritual progress; let
us endeavor with might and main to overcome every hindering obstacle;
let us attend diligently unto the way or method which will enable us
to make the best speed. While sitting at our ease we are hardly
conscious of the weight of our clothes, the articles held in our
hands, or the cumbersome objects we may have in our pockets. But let
us be aroused by the howlings of fierce animals, let us be pursued by
hungry wolves, and methinks that none of us would have much difficulty
in understanding the meaning of those words "let us lay aside every
weight!"
"Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset
us." While no doubt each of these expressions has a definite and
separate force, yet we are satisfied that a certain school of writers
err in drawing too sharp and broad a line of distinction between them,
for a careful examination of their contentions will show that the very
things they consider to be merely "weights," are, in reality, sins.
The fact is that in most quarters there has been, for many years past,
a deplorable lowering of the standard of Divine holiness, and numerous
infractions of God's righteous law have been wrongly termed
"failures," "mistakes," and "minor blemishes," etc. Anything which
minimizes the reality and enormity of sin is to be steadfastly
resisted; anything which tends to excuse human "weaknesses" is to be
rejected; anything which reduces that standard of absolute perfection
which God requires us to constantly aim at--every missing of which is
a sin--is to be shunned.
"Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset
us" is parallel with, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross" (Matthew 16:24), and "let us cleanse
ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit" (2 Cor.
7:1). In other words, this dehortation is a calling upon the Christian
to "mortify the deeds of the body" (Rom. 8:13), to "abstain from
fleshly lusts which war against the soul" (1 Pet. 2:11). There are two
things which racers discard: all unnecessary burdens, and long flowing
garments which would entangle them. Probably there is a reference to
both of these in our text: the former being considered under
"weights," or those things we voluntarily encumber ourselves with, but
which should be dropped; the latter, "the sin which doth so easily
beset us" referring to inward depravity.
"Let us lay aside every weight" is a call to the sedulous and daily
mortification of our hearts to all that would mar communion with
Christ: it is parallel with "denying ungodliness and worldly lusts"
(Titus 2:12). Everything which requires us to take time and strength
away from God-appointed duties, everything which tends to bind the
mind to earthly things and hinders our affections from being set upon
things above, is to be cheerfully relinquished for Christ's sake.
Everything which impedes my progress in running the race which God has
set before me is to be dropped. But let it be carefully recognized
that our text makes no reference to the dropping of duties which we
have no right to lay aside. The performing of real and legitimate duty
is never a hindrance to the spiritual life, though from a wrong
attitude of mind and the allowance of the spirit of discontent, they
often become so.
Many make a great mistake in entertaining the thought that their
spiritual life is being much hindered by the very things which should,
by Divine grace, be a real help to them. Opposition in the home from
ungodly relatives, trials in connection with their daily work, the
immediate presence of the wicked in the shop or office, are a real
trial (and God intends they should be--to remind us we are still in a
world which lieth in the Wicked one, to exercise our graces, to prove
the sufficiency of His strength), but they need not be hindrances or
"weights." Many erroneously suppose they would make much more progress
spiritually if only their "circumstances" were altered. This is a
serious mistake, and a murmuring against God's providential dealings
with us. He shapes our "circumstances" as a helpful discipline to the
soul, and only as we learn to rise above "circumstances," and walk
with God in them, are we "running the race that is set before us." The
person is the same no matter what "circumstances" he may be in!
While the "weights" in our text have no reference to those duties
which God requires us to discharge--for He never calls us to any thing
which would draw us away from communion with Himself; yet they do
apply in a very real sense unto a multitude of cares which many of
God's people impose upon themselves--cares which are a grievous drag
upon the soul. The artificial state in which many people now live,
which custom, society, the world, imposes, does indeed bind many heavy
burdens on the backs of their silly victims. If we accept that scale
of "duties" which the fashion of this world imposes, we shall find
them "weights" which seriously impede our spiritual progress: spending
valuable time in reading newspapers and other secular literature in
order to "keep up with the times," exchanging "social calls" with
worldlings, spending money on all sorts of unnecessary things so as to
be abreast of our neighbors, are "weights" burdening many, and those
"weights" are sins.
By "weights," then, may be understood every form of intemperance or
the immoderate and hurtful use made of any of those things which God
has given us "richly to enjoy" (1 Tim. 6:17). Yes, to "enjoy" be it
noted, and not only to use. The Creator has placed many things in this
world--like the beautiful flowers and the singing birds--for our
pleasure, as well as for the bare supply of our bodily needs. This
should be borne in mind, for there is a danger here, as every where,
of lopsidedness. We are well aware that in this age of fleshly
indulgence the majority are greatly in danger of erring on the side of
laxity, yet in avoiding this sin, others are in danger of swinging to
the other extreme and being "righteous over much" (Ecclesiastes 7:16),
adopting a form of monastic austerity, totally abstaining from things
which Scripture in nowise prohibits.
Each Christian has to decide for himself, by an honest searching of
Scripture and an earnest seeking of wisdom from God, what are
"weights" which hinder him. While on the one hand it is wrong to
assume an haughty and independent attitude, refusing to weigh in the
balances of the sanctuary the conscientious scruples and prejudices of
fellow-Christians; on the other hand it is equally wrong to suffer any
to lord it over our consciences, and deprive us of our Christian
liberty. "Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind." It is not
the lawful use of God's creatures, but the intemperate abuse of them
which Scripture condemns. More die from over eating than over
drinking. Some constitutions are injured as much by coffee as by
whiskey. Some are undermining their health by a constant round of
exertions; others enervate themselves by spending too much time in
bed.
The Greek word for "weights" is "tumor or swelling," so that an
excresence, a superfluity, is what is in view. A "weight" is something
which we are at liberty to cast aside, but which instead we choose to
retain. It is anything which retards our progress, anything which
unfits us for the discharge of our God-assigned duties, anything which
dulls the conscience, blunts the edge of our spiritual appetite, or
chokes the spirit of prayer. The "cares of this world" weigh down the
soul just as effectually as does a greedy grasping after the things of
earth. The allowance of the spirit of envy will be as injurious
spiritually as would an attendance at the movies. Fellowshipping at a
Christ-dishonoring "church" quenches that Spirit as quickly as would
seeking diversion at the dance hall. The habit of gossiping may do
more damage to the Spiritual life than the excessive smoking of
tobacco.
One of the best indications that I have entered the race is the
discovery that certain things, which previously never exercised my
conscience, are a hindrance to me; and the further I "run," the more
conscious shall I be of the "weights"; and the more determined I am,
by God's grace, to reach the winning post, the more readily shall I
drop them. So many professing Christians never seem to have any
"weights," and we never see them drop anything. Ah, the fact is, they
have never entered the race. O to be able to say with Paul, "I count
all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ
Jesus my Lord" (Phil. 3:8). When this is true of us, we shall not find
it difficult, but rather easy to obey that injunction, "Go from the
presence of a foolish man (or woman) when thou perceivest not in him
the lips of knowledge" (Prov. 14:7); and so with many other scriptural
exhortations.
"And the sin which doth so easily beset (Greek "encompass") us." As we
have already pointed out, the writer regards the "weights" as external
temptations which have to be resisted, evil habits which are to be
dropped; and "the sin" as referring to indwelling corruption, with a
special reference (as the whole context suggests) to the workings of
unbelief: compare Hebrews 3:13. It is true that each of us has some
special form of sin to which we are most prone, and that he is more
sorely tempted from one direction than another; but we think it is
very clear from all which precedes our text that what the apostle has
particularly in mind here is that which most seeks to hinder the
exercise of faith. Let the reader ponder John 16:8, 9.
"This is confirmed by the experience of all who have been exercised in
this case, who have met with great difficulties in, and have been
called to suffer for, the profession of the Gospel. Ask of them what
they have found in such cases to be their most dangerous enemy; what
hath had the most easy and frequent access unto their minds, to
disturb and dishearten them, of the power thereof they have been most
afraid; they will all answer with one voice, it is the evil of their
own unbelieving hearts. This hath continually attempted to entangle
them, to betray them, in taking part with all outward temptations.
When this is conquered, all things are plain and easy unto them. It
may be some of them have had their particular temptations which they
may reflect upon; but any other evil by sin, which is common unto them
all, as this is, they can fix on none" (John Owen).
But how is the Christian to "lay aside" indwelling sin and its
particular workings of unbelief? This injunction is parallel with
Ephesians 4:22, "That ye put off concerning the former conversation
the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts." And
how is that to be done? By heeding the exhortation of Romans 6:11, 12,
"Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto
God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your
mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof." In other
words, by faith's recognition of my legal oneness with Christ, and by
drawing from His fullness. Indwelling sin is to be "laid aside" by
daily mortification (Rom. 8:13), by seeking grace to resist its
solicitations (Titus 2:11, 12), by repenting, confessing, and
forsaking the effects of its activities (Prov. 28:13), by diligently
using the means which God has provided for holy living (Gal. 5:16).
"Run with patience the race that is set before us." Perseverance or
endurance is the prime prerequisite for the discharge of this duty.
The good-ground hearer brought forth fruit "with patience" (Luke
8:15). We are bidden to be "followers of those who through faith and
patience inherit the promises" (Heb. 6:12). The "race" appointed is a
lengthy one, for it extends throughout the whole of our earthly
pilgrimage. The course is narrow, and to the flesh, rough. The racer
often becomes disheartened by the difficulties encountered. But "Let
us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we
faint not" (Gal. 6:9).
But how is this needed "patience" to be acquired? A twofold answer is
given, the second part of which will be before us in the next article.
First, by heeding the encouragement which is here set before us:
"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of
witnesses let us lay aside... let us run." The reference is to the
heroes of faith mentioned in the previous chapter: they compose a
testimony for God, and speak unto future generations to be constant as
they were. They witness to how noble a thing life may be when it is
lived by faith. They witness to the faithfulness of God who sustained
them, and enabled them to triumph over their foes, and overcome their
difficulties. In likening these numerous witnesses unto a "cloud"
there is no doubt a reference unto the Cloud which guided Israel in
the wilderness: they followed it all the way to Canaan! So must we
follow the noble example of the O.T. saints in their faith, obedience,
and perseverance.
"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of
witnesses, let us." This is mentioned as an incentive, to console and
assure us we are not alone. As we look around at the empty profession
on every side, and behold the looseness and laxity of so many who bear
the name of Christ, Satan seeks to make us believe that we are wrong,
too "strict," and rebukes us for our "singularity." No doubt he
employed the same tactics with Noah, with Abraham, with Moses; but
they heeded him not. Nor should we. We are not "singular": if faithful
to Christ we are following "the footsteps of the flock" (Song 1:8).
Others before us have trod the same path, met with the same
hindrances, fought the same fight. They persevered, conquered, and won
the crown: then "let us run." That is the thought and force of the
opening words of our text.
"We who have still to walk in the narrow path which alone leads to
glory are encouraged and instructed by the cloud of witnesses, the
innumerable company of saints, who testified amid the most varied
circumstances of suffering and temptation, that the just live by
faith, and that faith is the victory which overcometh the world. The
memory of those children of God, whose lives are recorded for our
learning and consolation, animates us, and we feel upheld as it were
by their sympathy and by the consciousness, that although few and
weak, strangers and pilgrims on earth, we belong to a great and
mighty, nay, a victorious army, part of which has already entered into
the land of peace" (Adolph Saphir).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
____________________________________________________
About Us
What's New
Audio Works
Baptist History
Bible Study Courses
Eschatology Heretical Teachings
Theological Studies
TULIP
Webmaster
Comfort in a
Time of Sorrow Links & Resources
For the Cause of
God and Truth
Follow us on Twitter
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PB Home
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_________________________________________________________________
¸ Copyright 2004-2012 Providence Baptist Ministries
http://www.pbministries.org. All rights reserved.
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 84
The Object of Faith
(Hebrews 12:2)
__________________________________________
The verse which is now to engage our attention continues and completes
the important exhortation found in the one which was before us in the
last article. The two verses are so closely related that only the
requirements of space obliged us to separate them. The latter supplies
such a blessed sequel to the former that it will be necessary to
present a summary of our comments thereon. We saw that the Christian
life, the life of faith and obedience, is presented under the figure
of a "race," which denotes that so far from its being a thing of
dreamy contemplation or abstract speculation, it is one of activity,
exertion, and progressive motion, for faith without works is dead. But
the "race" speaks not only of activity, but of regulated activity,
following the course which is "set before us." Many professing
Christians are engaged in multitudinous efforts which God has never
bidden them undertake: that is like running round and round in a
circle. To follow the appointed track means that our energies be
directed by the precepts of Holy Writ.
The order presented in Hebrews 12:1 is the negative before the
positive: there must be the "laying aside" of hindering weights,
before we can "run" the race set before us. This order is fundamental,
and is emphasized all through Scripture. There must be a turning from
the world, before there can be a real turning unto the Lord (Isa.
55:7); self must be denied before Christ can be followed (Matthew
16:24). There must be a putting off the old man, before there can be
any true putting on of the new man (Eph. 4:22-24). There has to be a
"denying ungodliness and worldly lusts," before we can "live soberly,
righteously and godly in this present world" (Titus 3:12). There has
to be a "cleansing of ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and
spirit," before there can be any "perfecting holiness in the fear of
God" (2 Cor. 7:1). We must "be not conformed to this world," before we
can be "transformed by the renewing of our mind," so that we may
"prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Rom.
12:2, 3).
Before the plants and flowers will flourish in the garden weeds must
be rooted up, otherwise all the labors of the gardener will come to
naught. As the Lord Jesus taught so plainly in the Parable of the
Sower, where the "thorns" are permitted to thrive, the good Seed, the
Word, is "choked" (Matthew 13:22); and it is very searching and solemn
to note, by a careful comparison of the three records of it, that
Christ interpreted this figure of the "thorns" more fully than any
other single detail. He defined those choking "thorns" as "the cares
of this life and the deceitfulness of riches," "the lust of other
things and pleasures of this life." If those things fill and rule our
hearts, our relish for spiritual things will be quenched, our strength
to perform Christian duties will be sapped, our lives will be
fruitless, and we shall be merely cumberers of the ground--the garden
of our souls being filled with briars and weeds.
Hence it is that the first call in Hebrews 12:1 is "let us lay aside
every weight." "Inordinate care for the present life, and fondness for
it, is a dead weight for the soul, that pulls it down when it should
ascend upwards and pulls it back when it should press forwards"
(Matthew Henry). It is the practical duty of mortification which is
here inculcated, the abstaining from those fleshly lusts "which war
against the soul" (1 Pet. 2:11). The racer must be as lightly clad as
possible if he is to run swiftly: all that would cumber and impede him
must be relinquished. Undue concern over temporal affairs, inordinate
affection for the things of this life, the intemperate use of any
material blessings, undue familiarity with the ungodly, are "weights"
which prevent progress in godliness. A bag of gold would be as great a
handicap to a runner as a bag of lead!
It is to be carefully noted that the laying aside of "every weight"
precedes "and the sin which does so easily beset us", which has
reference to indwelling corruption. Each Christian imagines that he is
very anxious to be completely delivered from the power of indwelling
sin: ah, but our hearts are very deceitful, and ever causing us to
think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. A criterion is
given in this passage by which we may gauge the sincerity of our
desires: our longing to be delivered from indwelling evil is to be
measured by our willingness and readiness to lay aside the "weights."
I may think I am earnestly desirous of having a beautiful garden, and
may go to much expense and trouble in purchasing and planting some
lovely flowers; but if I am too careless and lazy to diligently fight
the weeds, what is my desire worth? So, if I disregard that word "make
not provision for the flesh unto the lusts thereof" (Rom. 13:14), how
sincere is my desire to be delivered from "the flesh!"
"And let us run with patience the race that is set before us." For
this two things are needed: speed and strength--"rejoiceth as a strong
man to run a race" (Ps. 19:5): the one being opposed to sloth and
negligence, the other to weakness. These are the prime requisites:
strength in grace, diligence in exercise. Speed is included in the
word "run", but how is the strength to be obtained? This "race" calls
for both the doing and suffering for Christ, the pressing forward
toward the mark set before us, the progressing from one degree of
strength to another, the putting forth of our utmost efforts, the
enduring unto the end. Ah, who is sufficient for such a task? First,
we are reminded of those who have preceded us, many, a "great cloud":
and their faith is recorded for our instruction, their victory for our
encouragement. Yet that is not sufficient: their cases afford us a
motive, but they do not supply the needed power. Hence, we are next
told:
"Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith; who for the
joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God" (verse 2).
"The cloud of witnesses is not the object on which our heart is fixed.
They testify of faith, and we cherish their memory with gratitude, and
walk with a firmer step because of the music of their lives. Our eye,
however, is fixed, not on many, but on One; not on the army, but the
Leader; not on the servants, but the Lord. We see Jesus only, and from
Him we derive our true strength, even as He is our light of life"
(Adolph Saphir). In all things Christ has the pre-eminence: He is
placed here not among the other "racers," but as One who, instead of
exemplifying certain characteristics of faith, as they did, is the
"Author and Finisher" of faith in His own person.
Our text presents the Lord as the supreme Example for racers, as well
as the great Object of their faith, though this is somewhat obscured
by the rendering of the A.V. Our text is not referring to Christ
begetting faith in His people and sustaining it to the end, though
that is a truth plainly enough taught elsewhere. Instead, He is here
viewed as the One, who Himself began and completed the whole course of
faith, so as to be Himself the one perfect example and witness of what
faith is. It was because of "the joy set before Him"--steadily and
trustfully held in view--that He ran His race. His "enduring of the
cross" was the completest trial and most perfect exemplification of
faith. In consequence, He is now seated at the right hand of God, as
both the Pattern and Object of faith, and His promise is "to him that
overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also
overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne" (Rev. 3:21).
It is to be duly noted that the little word "our" is a supplement,
being supplied by the translators: it may without detriment, and with
some advantage, be omitted. The Greek word for "Author" does not mean
so much one who "causes" or "originates," as one who "takes the lead."
The same word is rendered "Captain of our salvation" in Hebrews 2:10,
and in Acts 3:15, the "Prince of life." There its obvious meaning is
Leader or Chief, one going in advance of those who follow. The Savior
is here represented as the Leader of all the long procession of those
who had lived by faith, as the great Pattern for us to imitate.
Confirmation of this is found in the Spirit's use of the personal name
"Jesus" here, rather than His title of office--"Christ." Stress is
thereby laid upon His humanity. The Man Jesus was so truly made like
unto His brethren in all things that the life which He lived was the
life of faith.
Yes, the life which Jesus lived here upon earth was a life of faith.
This has not been given sufficient prominence. In this, as in all
things, He is our perfect Model. "By faith He walked, looking always
unto the Father, speaking and acting in filial dependence on the
Father, and in filial reception out of the Father's fullness. By faith
He looked away from all discouragements, difficulties, and
oppositions, committing His cause to the Lord, who had sent Him, to
the Father, whose will He had come to fulfill. By faith He resisted
and overcame all temptation, whether it came from Satan, or from the
false Messianic expectations of Israel, or from His own disciples. By
faith He performed the signs and wonders, in which the power and love
of God's salvation were symbolized. Before He raised Lazarus from the
grave, He, in the energy of faith, thanked God, who heard Him alway.
And here we are taught the nature of all His miracles: He trusted in
God. He gave the command, `Have faith in God', out of the fullness of
His own experience" (Adolph Saphir).
But let us enter into some detail. What is a life of faith? First, it
is a life lived in complete dependence upon God. "Trust in the Lord
with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding... in
all thy ways acknowledge Him" (Prov. 3:5, 6.) Never did any so
entirely, so unreservedly, so perfectly cast himself upon God as did
the Man Christ Jesus; never was another so completely yielded to God's
will. "I live by the Father" (John 6:57) was His own avowal. When
tempted to turn stones into bread to satisfy His hunger, He replied
"man shall not live by bread alone." So sure was He of God's love and
care for Him that He held fast to His trust and waited for Him. So
patent to all was His absolute dependence upon God, that the very
scorners around the cross turned it into a bitter taunt.--"He trusted
in the Lord that He would deliver Him, let Him deliver Him, seeing He
delighted in Him" (Ps. 22:8).
Second, a life of faith is a life lived in communion with God. And
never did another live in such a deep and constant realization of the
Divine presence as did the Man Christ Jesus. "I have set the Lord
always before Me" (Ps. 16:8) was His own avowal. "He that sent Me is
with Me" (John 8:29) was ever a present fact to His consciousness. He
could say, "I was cast upon Thee from the womb: Thou art My God from
My mother's belly" (Ps. 22:10). "And in the morning, rising a great
while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and
there prayed" (Mark 1:35). From Bethlehem to Calvary He enjoyed
unbroken and unclouded fellowship with the Father; and after the three
hours of awful darkness was over, He cried "Father, into Thy hands I
commit My spirit."
Third, a life of faith is a life lived in obedience to God. Faith
worketh by love (Gal. 5:6), and love delights to please its object.
Faith has respect not only to the promises of God, but to His precepts
as well. Faith not only trusts God for the future, but it also
produces present subjection to His will. Supremely was this fact
exemplified by the Man Christ Jesus. "I do always those things which
please Him" (John 8:29) He declared. "I must be about My Father's
business" (Luke 2:49) characterized the whole of His earthly course.
Ever and anon we find Him conducting Himself. "that the Scriptures
might be fulfilled." He lived by every word of God. At the close He
said, "I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love"
(John 15:10).
Fourth, a life of faith is a life of assured confidence in the unseen
future. It is a looking away from the things of time and sense, a
rising above the shows and delusions of this world, and having the
affections set upon things above. "Faith is the substance of things
hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1), enabling its
possessor to live now in the power and enjoyment of that which is to
come. That which enthralls and enchains the ungodly had no power over
the perfect Man: "I have overcome the world" (John 16:31), He
declared. When the Devil offered Him all its kingdoms, He promptly
answered, "Get thee hence, Satan." So vivid was Jesus' realization of
the unseen, that, in the midst of earth's engagements, He called
Himself "the Son of man which is in heaven" (John 3:13).
"And so, dear brethren, this Jesus, in the absoluteness of His
dependence upon the Father, in the completeness of His trust in Him,
in the submission of His will to that Supreme command, in the unbroken
communion which He held with God, in the vividness with which the
Unseen ever burned before Him, and dwarfed and extinguished all the
lights of the present, and in the respect which He had `unto the
recompense of the reward'; nerving Him for all pain and shame, has set
before us all the example of a life of faith, and is our Pattern as in
everything, in this too.
"How blessed it is to feel, when we reach out our hands and grope in
the darkness for the unseen hand, when we try to bow our wills to that
Divine will; when we seek to look beyond the mists of `that dim spot
which men call earth,' and to discern the land that is very far off;
and when we endeavor to nerve ourselves for duty and sacrifice by
bright visions of a future hope, that on this path of faith too, when
He `putteth forth His sheep, He goeth before them,' and has bade us do
nothing which He Himself has not done! `I will put My trust in Him,'
He says first, and then He turns to us and commands, `Believe in God,
believe also in Me'" (A. Maclaren, to whom we are indebted for much in
this article).
Alas, how very little real Christianity there is in the world today!
Christianity consists in being conformed unto the image of God's Son.
"Looking unto Jesus" constantly, trustfully, submissively, lovingly;
the heart occupied with, the mind stayed upon Him--that is the whole
secret of practical Christianity. Just in proportion as I am occupied
with the example which Christ has left me, just in proportion as I am
living upon Him and drawing from His fullness, am I realizing the
ideal He has set before me. In Him is the power, from Him must be
received the strength for running "with patience" or steadfast
perseverance, the race. Genuine Christianity is a life lived in
communion with Christ: a life lived by faith, as His was. "For to me
to live is Christ" (Phil. 1:21); "Christ liveth in me; and the life
which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God"
(Gal. 2:20)--Christ living in me and through me.
There are four things said in our text about the Savior's life, each
of which we need to ponder carefully. First, the motive or reason
which prompted Jesus to do and suffer, wherein He is presented as our
example and encouragement: "who for the joy that was set before Him."
Here is made known to us what was the final moving cause in His mind
which sustained the Savior to a persevering performance of duty, and
of the endurance of all sufferings that duty entailed. Various
definitions have been given of that "joy," and probably all of them
are included within its scope. The glory of God was what the Redeemer
preferred above all things: Hebrews 10:5-9, but that glory was
inseparably bound up with the personal exaltation of the Redeemer and
the salvation of His Church following the accomplishment of the work
given Him to do. This was "set before Him" in the everlasting
covenant.
Thus the "joy" that was set before Jesus was the doing of God's will,
and His anticipation of the glorious reward which should be given Him
in return. Hebrews 12:2 sustains the figure used in the previous
verse: it is as the model Racer our Savior is here viewed. At the
winning-post hung a crown, in full view of the racers, and this was
ever before the eye of the Captain of our salvation, as He pursued the
course appointed Him by the Father. He steadily kept before Him the
cheering and blissful reward: His heart laid hold of the Messianic
promises and prophecies recorded in Holy Writ: He had in steady
prospect that satisfaction with which the travail of His soul would be
fully compensated. By faith Abraham looked forward to a "City"
(11:10); by faith Isaac anticipated "things to come" (11:20); by faith
Moses "had respect unto the recompense of the reward" (11:26); and by
faith, Jesus lived and died in the enjoyment of that which was "set
before Him."
Second, He "endured the cross." Therein we have the Commander's
example to His soldiers of heroic fortitude. Those words signify far
more than that He experienced the shame and pain of crucifixion: they
tell us that He stood steadfast under it all. He endured the cross not
sullenly or even stoically, but in the highest and noblest sense of
the term:--with holy composure of soul. He never wavered or faltered,
murmured or complained: "The cup which My Father hath given Me, shall
I not drink it" (John 18:11)! And He has left us an example that we
should "follow His steps" (1 Pet. 2:21), and therefore does He
declare, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross" (Matthew 16:24). Strength for this task is to be
found by "looking unto Jesus," by keeping steadily before faith's eye
the crown, the joy awaiting us.
Third, "despising the shame." Therein we see the Captain's contempt of
whatever sought to bar His progress. We scarcely think of associating
this word "despising" with the meek and lowly Jesus. It is an ugly
term, yet there are things which deserve it. The Savior viewed things
in their true perspective; He estimated them at their proper worth: in
the light of the joy set before Him, He regarded hardship, ignominy,
persecution, sufferings from men, as trifles. Here, too, He has left
us "an example." But alas, instead of scorning it, we magnify and are
intimidated by "the shame." How many are ashamed to be scripturally
baptized and wear His uniform. How many are ashamed to openly confess
Christ before the world. Meditate more upon the reward, the crown, the
eternal joy--that outweighs all the little sacrifices we are now
called upon to make.
Fourth, "and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Here
we witness the Captain's triumph, His actual entrance into the joy
anticipated, His being crowned with glory and honor. His "sitting
down" denoted three things. First, rest after finished work, the race
run. Second, being invested with dominion: He now occupies the place
of supreme sovereignty: Matthew 28:18, Philippians 2:10. Third, being
intrusted with the prerogative of judgment: John 17: 2, Acts 17:30.
And what have these three things to do with us, His unworthy
followers? Much indeed: eternal rest is assured the successful racer:
Revelation 13:14. A place on Christ's throne is promised the
overcomer: Revelation 3:21. Dominion too is the future portion of him
who vanquishes this world: Revelation 2:26, 27. Finally, it is written
"Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? "Do ye not know
we shall judge angels?" (1 Cor. 6:2, 3). "Joint heirs with Christ: if
so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together"
(Rom. 8:17).
One other word in our text yet remains to be considered: "looking unto
Jesus the Author (Captain) and Finisher (Perfecter) of our faith." We
have already seen from the other occurrences of this term (in its
various forms) in our Epistle, that it is a very full one. Here, we
believe, it has at least a twofold force. First, Completer: Jesus is
the first and the last as an example of confidence in and submission
unto God: He is the most complete model of faith and obedience that
can be brought before us. Instead of including Him with the heroes of
faith in chapter 11, He is here distinguished from them, as being
above them. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending:
as there was none hitherto who could be compared with Him, so there
will be none hereafter. "Author and Finisher" or "Captain and
Completer" means Jesus is beyond all comparison.
The fact that we are bidden to be looking unto Jesus as "the Leader
and Finisher of faith" also denotes that He perfects our faith. How?
First, by His grace flowing into us. We need something more than a
flawless Model set before us: who can in his own strength imitate the
perfect Man? But Christ has not only gone before His own, He also
dwells in their hearts by faith, and as they yield themselves to His
control (and only so) does He live through them. Second, by leading us
(Ps. 23:3) along the path of discipline and trial, drawing our hearts
away from the things of earth, and fixing them upon Himself. He often
makes us lonesome here that we may seek His companionship. Finally, by
actually conducting us to glory: He will "come again" (John 14:2) and
conform us to His image.
"Looking unto Jesus." The person of the Savior is to be the "mark" on
which the eyes of those who are pressing forward for the prize of the
high calling of God, are to be fixed. Be constantly "looking" to Him,
trustfully, submissively, hopefully, expectantly. He is the Fountain
of all grace (John 1:16): our every need is supplied by God "according
to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19). Then seek the
help of the Holy Spirit that the eye of faith be steadfastly fixed on
Christ. He has declared "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee,"
then let us add, "The Lord is my Helper, I will not fear what man
shall do unto me" (Heb. 13:5, 6). Salvation is by grace, through
faith: it is through "faith" we are saved, not only from Hell, but
also from this world (1 John 5:4), from temptation, from the power of
indwelling sin--by coming to Christ, trusting in Him, drawing from
Him.
What are the things which hinder us running? An active Devil, an evil
world, indwelling sin, mysterious trials, fierce opposition,
afflictions which almost make us doubt the love of the Father. Then
call to mind the "great cloud of witnesses": they were men of like
passions with us, they encountered the same difficulties and
discouragements, they met with the same hindrances and obstacles. But
they ran "with patience," they overcame, they won the victor's crown.
How? By "looking unto Jesus": see Hebrews 11:26. But more: look away
from difficulties (Rom. 4:19), from self, from fellow-racers, unto Him
who has left us an example to follow, in whom dwelleth all the
fullness of the Godhead bodily, so that He is able to succor the
tempted, strengthen the weak, guide the perplexed, supply our every
need. Let the heart be centered in and the mind stayed upon HIM.
The more we are "looking unto Jesus" the easier will it be to "lay
aside every weight." It is at this point so many fail. If the
Christian denies self of different things without an adequate motive
(for Christ's sake), he will still secretly hanker after the things
relinquished, or ere long return to them, or become proud of his
little sacrifices and become self-righteous. The most effective way of
getting a child to drop any dirty or injurious object, is to proffer
him something better. The best way to make a tired horse move more
quickly, is not to use the whip, but to turn his head toward home! So,
if our hearts be occupied with the sacrificial love of Christ for us,
we shall be "constrained" thereby to drop all that which displeases
Him; and the more we dwell upon the Joy set before us, the more
strength shall we have to run "with patience the race that is set
before us."
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 85
A Call to Steadfastness
(Hebrews 12:3, 4)
__________________________________________
At first sight it is not easy to trace the thread which unites the
passage that was last before us and the verses which are now to engage
our attention: there appears to be no direct connection between the
opening verses of Hebrews 12 and those which follow. But a closer
examination of them shows they are intimately related: in verses 3, 4
the apostle completes the exhortation with which the chapter opens. In
verse 1 the apostle borrowed a figure from the Grecian Games, namely,
the marathon race, and now in verse 4 he refers to another part of
those games--the contest between the gladiators in the arena. Second,
he had specified the principal grace required for the Christian race,
namely, "Patience" or perseverance; so now in verse 3 he is urging
them against faintness of mind or impatience. Third, he had enforced
his exhortation by bidding the saints to "look unto Jesus" their great
Exemplar; so here he calls on them to "consider Him" and emulate His
steadfastness.
Yet, the verses which are now before us are not a mere repetition of
those immediately preceding: rather do they present another, though
closely related aspect of the Christian life or "race." In verse 1 the
racers are bidden to "lay aside every weight," and in verse 3 it is
the "contradiction of sinners" which has to be endured: the former,
are hindrances which proceed more from within; the latter, are
obstacles which are encountered from without. In the former case, it
is the evil solicitations of the flesh which would have to be
resisted; in the other, it is the persecutions of the world which have
to be endured. In verse 1 it is "the sin which doth so easily beset"
or "encircle us"--inward depravity--which must be "laid aside"; in
verse 4 it is martyrdom which must be prepared for, lest we yield to
the "sin" of apostasy.
Now the secret of success, the way to victory, is the same in either
case. To enable us to "lay aside" all that hinders from within, there
has to be a trustful "looking unto Jesus," and to enable us to
"endure" the oppositions encountered from without and to "strive"
against inconstancy and wavering in our profession, we must
thoughtfully "consider Him" who was hounded and persecuted as none
other ever was. As the incentive to self-denial we are to be occupied
with our great Leader, and remember how much He "laid aside" for
us--He who was rich for our sakes became poor; He who was "in the form
of God" divested Himself of His robes of glory and took upon Him "the
form of a servant." We are not called on to do something which He did
not He vacated the throne and took up His cross! Likewise, the chief
source of comfort and encouragement when we are called upon to suffer
for His sake, is to call to mind the infinitely greater sufferings
which He endured for our sakes.
The more we endeavor to emulate the example which the Lord Jesus has
left us, the more shall we be opposed from without; the more closely
we follow Him, the greater will be the enmity of our fellow-men
against us. Our lives will condemn theirs, our ways will be a
perpetual rebuke to them, and they will do all they can to discourage
and hinder, provoke and oppose. And the tendency of such persecution
is to dishearten us, to tempt us to compromise, to ask "What is the
use?" Because of this, the blessed Spirit bids us, "Consider Him that
endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be
wearied and faint in your minds." Let the experiences through which
Christ passed be the subject of daily contemplation. The record of His
unparalleled temptations and trials, His endurance, and His victory,
is to be the grand source of our instruction, comfort and
encouragement. If we have grown "faint and weary" in our minds, it is
because we have failed to properly and profitably "consider Him."
Supremely important is a knowledge of the Scriptures concerning the
Lord Jesus: there can be no experimental holiness, no growth in grace
apart from the same. Vital godliness consists in a practical
conformity to the image of God's Son: it is to follow the example
which He has left us, to take His yoke upon us and learn of Him. For
this, there must needs be an intimate knowledge of His ways, a
prayerful and believing study of the record of His life, a daily
reading of and meditating thereon. That is why the four Gospels are
placed at the beginning of the N.T.--they are of first importance.
What we have in the Epistles is principally an interpretation and
application of the four Gospels to the details of our walk. O that we
may say with ever-deepening purpose of heart, "I count all things but
loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord"
(Phil. 3:8). O that we may "follow on to know the Lord" (Hos. 6:3)
"For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against
Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet
resisted unto blood, striving against sin" (Heb. 12:3, 4). The whole
of this is a dehortation or caution against an evil, which if yielded
to will prevent our discharge of the duty inculcated in verses 1, 2.
That which is dehorted against is "be not wearied"--give not up the
race, abandon not your Christian profession. The way whereby we may
fall into that evil is by becoming "faint" in our minds. The means to
prevent this is the diligent contemplation of our great Exemplar.
In verses 1, 2 the apostle had exhorted unto a patient or persevering
pressing forward in the path of faith and obedience. In verses 3-11 he
presents a number of considerations or motives to hearten us in our
course, seeking particularly to counteract the enervating influence
which difficulties are apt to exert upon the minds of God's tried
people. The tendency of strong and lasting opposition and persecution
is to discourage, which if yielded unto leads to despair. To
strengthen the hearts of those tried Hebrews, the apostle bade them
consider the case of Christ Himself: He encountered far worse
sufferings than we do, yet He patiently "endured" them (verse 3). Then
they were reminded that their case was by no means desperate and
extreme--they had not yet been called to suffer a death of martyrdom.
Finally, their very difficulties were the loving chastisement of their
Father, designed for their profit (verses 5-11). By what a variety of
means does the blessed Spirit strengthen, stablish, and comfort tried
believers!
Are you, dear reader, disheartened by the hard usage you are receiving
from men, yea, from the religions world; are you fearful as you
anticipate the persecutions which may yet attend your Christian
profession; or, are you too ready to show resentment against those who
oppose you? Then "consider Him that endured such contradiction of
sinners against Himself." The connecting "For" has the force here of
"moreover:" in addition to "looking unto Jesus" as your Leader and
Perfecter, consider Him in His steadfastness under relentless
persecution. Faith has many actings or forms of exercise: it is to
reflect, contemplate, call to mind--God's past ways with us, His
dealings with His people of old, and particularly the recorded history
of His beloved and incarnate Son. We are greatly the losers if we fail
to cultivate the habit of devout consideration and holy meditation.
The Greek word for "consider" is not the same as the one used in
Hebrews 3:1 and Hebrews 10:24; in fact it is a term which occurs, in
this form, nowhere else in the N.T.
The Greek word for "consider" in our text is derived from the one
rendered "proportion" in Romans 12:6. It is a mathematical term,
signifying to compute by comparing things together in their due
proportions. It means: form a just and accurate estimate. "For
consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against
Himself:" draw an analogy between His sufferings and yours, and what
proportion is there between them! Weigh well who He was, the place He
took, the infinite perfection of His character and deeds; and then the
base ingratitude, the gross injustice, the cruel persecution He met
with. Calculate and estimate the constancy of the opposition He
encountered, the type of men who maligned Him, the variety and
intensity of His sore trials, and the spirit of meekness and patience
with which He bore them. And what are our trifling trials when
compared with His agonies, or even to our deserts! O my soul blush
with shame because of thy murmurings.
"Consider Him" in the ineffable excellency of His person. He was none
other than the Lord of glory, the Beloved of the Father, the second
person in the sacred Trinity, the Creator of heaven and earth. Now,
since He suffered here on earth, why should you, having enlisted under
His banner, think it strange that you should be called on to endure a
little hardness in His service! Consider his relationship to you: He
is your Redeemer and Proprietor: is it not sufficient for the disciple
to be as his Master, the servant as his Lord? If the Head was spared
not trial and shame, shall the members of His body complain if they be
called on to have some fellowship with Him in this? When you are
tempted to throw down your colors and capitulate to the Enemy, or even
to murmur at your hard lot, "Consider Him" who when here "had not
where to lay His head."
The particular sufferings of Christ which are here singled out for our
consideration are, the "contradiction of sinners" which He
encountered. He was opposed constantly, by word and action; He was
opposed by His own people according to the flesh; He was opposed by
the very ones to whom He ministered in infinite grace and
loving-kindness. That opposition began at His birth, when there was no
room in the inn--He was not wanted. It was seen again in His infancy,
when Herod sought to slay Him, and His parents were forced to flee
with Him into Egypt. Little else is told us in the N.T., about His
early years, but there is a Messianic prophecy in Psalm 88:15 where we
hear Him pathetically saying, "I am afflicted and ready to die from My
youth up!" As soon as His public ministry commenced, and during the
whole of its three years' course, He endured one unbroken, relentless,
"contradiction of sinners against Himself."
The Lord Jesus was derided as the Prophet, mocked as the King, and
treated with the utmost contempt as the Priest and Savior. He was
accused of deceiving (John 7:12) and perverting the people (Luke
23:14). His teaching was opposed, and His person was insulted. Because
He conversed with and befriended publicans and sinners, He was
"murmured" at (Luke 15:2). Because He performed works of mercy on the
sabbath day, He was charged with breaking the law (Mark 3:2). The
gracious miracles which He wrought upon the sick and demon-possessed,
were attributed to His being in league with the Devil (Matthew 12:24).
He was regarded as a low-born fanatic. He was branded as a "glutton
and winebibber." He was accused of speaking against Caesar (John
19:12), whereas He had expressly bidden men to render unto Caesar what
rightly belonged to him (Matthew 22:21). Though He was the Holy One of
God, there was scarcely anything about Him that was not opposed.
"For consider Him who endured such contradiction" Here is emphasized
the greatness of Christ's sufferings: "such contradiction"--so bitter,
so severe, so malicious, so protracted; everything which the evil wits
of men and Satan could invent. That word "such" is also added to
awaken our wonderment and worship. Though the incarnate Son of God, He
was spat upon, contemptuously arrayed in a purple robe and His enemies
bowed the knee before Him in mockery. They buffeted Him and smote Him
on the face. They tore His back with scourgings, as was foretold by
the Psalmist (Ps. 129:3). They condemned Him to a criminal's death,
and nailed Him to the Cross, and that, between two thieves, to add to
His shame. And this, at the hands of men who, though they made a great
show of sanctity, were "sinners."
Christ felt keenly that "contradiction," for He was the Man of sorrows
and acquainted with grief. At the end, He exclaimed "reproach hath
broken My heart" (Ps. 69:20). Nevertheless, He turned not aside from
the path of duty, still less did He abandon His mission. He fled not
from His enemies, and fainted not under their merciless persecution:
instead, He "endured" it. As we pointed out in our exposition of the
previous verse, that word is used of Christ in its highest and noblest
sense. He bore patiently every ignominy that was heaped upon Him. He
never retaliated or reviled His traducers. He remained steadfast unto
the end, and finished the work which had been given Him to do. When
the supreme crises arrived, He faltered not, but "set His face as a
flint to go up to Jerusalem" (Isa. 50:7, Luke 9:51).
Do you, tried reader, feel that your cup of opposition is a little
fuller than that of some of your fellow Christians? Then look away to
the cup which Christ drank! Here is the Divine antidote against
weariness: Christ meekly and triumphantly "endured" far, far worse
than anything you are called on to suffer for His sake; yet He fainted
not. When you are weary in your mind because of trials and injuries
from the enemies of God, "consider" Christ, and this will quieten and
suppress thy corrupt propensities to murmuring and impatience. Set Him
before thy heart as the grand example and encouragement--example in
patience, encouragement in the blessed issue: "If we suffer, we shall
also reign with Him" (2 Tim. 2:12). Faith's consideration of Him will
work a conformity unto Him in our souls which will preserve from
fainting.
"Lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds." There is no connecting
"and" in the Greek: two distinct thoughts are presented: "lest ye be
wearied," that is, so discouraged as to quit; "faint in your mind,"
states the cause thereof. The word for "weary" here is a strong one:
it signifies exhausted, being so despondent as to break one's
resolution. In its ultimate meaning, it refers to such a state of
despondency as an utter sinking of spirit, through the difficulties,
trials, opposition and persecution encountered as to "look back" (Luke
9:62), and either partially or wholly abandon one's profession of the
Gospel. In other words, it is another warning against apostasy. What
we are cautioned against here is the opposite of that which the Lord
commended in the Ephesian Church, "And for My name's sake hast
labored, and hast not fainted" (Rev. 2:3)--here there is perseverance
in the Christian profession despite all opposition.
At different periods of history God has permitted fierce opposition to
break out against His people, to test the reality and strength of
their attachment to Christ. This was the case with those to whom our
Epistle was first addressed: they were being exposed to great trials
and sufferings, temptations and privations; hence the timeliness of
this exhortation, and its accompanying warning. Reproaches, losses,
imprisonments, scourgings, being threatened with death, have a strong
tendency to produce dejection and despair; they present a powerful
temptation to give up the fight. And naught but the vigorous activity
of faith will fortify the mind under religious persecution. Only as
the heart is encouragingly occupied with Christ's endurance of the
"contradiction of sinners against Himself," will our resolution be
strong to endure unto the end: "In the world ye shall have
tribulations: but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world" (John
16:33).
"Faint in your minds." This it is which, if not resisted and
corrected, leads to the "weariness" or utter exhaustion of the
previous clause. This faintness of mind is the reverse of vigor and
cheerfulness. If, under the strong opposition and fierce persecution,
we are to "endure unto the end," then we must watch diligently against
the allowance of such faintness of mind. There is a spiritual vigor
required in order to perseverence in the Christian profession during
times of persecution. Hence it is that we are exhorted, "Forasmuch
then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves
likewise with the same mind" (1 Pet. 4:1); "For we wrestle not against
flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against
the rulers of the darkness of this world, against wicked spirits in
the heavenlies. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that
ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to
stand" (Eph. 6:12, 13); "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you
like men, be strong" (1 Cor. 16:13).
Any degree of faintness of mind in the Christian results from and
consists in a remitting of the cheerful actions of faith in the
various duties which God has called us to discharge. Nothing but the
regular exercise of faith keeps the soul calm and restful, patient and
prayerful. If faith ceases to be operative, and our mind be left to
cope with difficulties and trials in our own natural strength, then we
shall soon grow weary of a persecuted Christian profession. Herein
lies the beginning of all spiritual declension--a lack of the due
exercise of faith, and that in turn, is the result of the heart
growing cold toward Christ! If faith be in healthy exercise, we shall
say, "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not
worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us"
(Rom. 8:18), realizing that "our light affliction, which is but for a
moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of
glory" (2 Cor. 4:17); ah, but that consciousness is only "while we
look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not
seen" (verse 18).
"Consider Him:" there is the remedy against faintness of mind; there
is the preservative from such "weariness" of dejection of spirits that
we are ready to throw down our weapons and throw up our hands in utter
despair. It is the diligent consideration of the person of Christ, the
Object of faith, the Food of faith, the Supporter of faith. It is by
drawing an analogy between His infinitely sorer sufferings and our
present hardships. It is by making application unto ourselves of what
is to be found in Him suitable to our own case. Are we called on to
suffer a little for Him, then let our eye be turned on Him who went
before us in the same path of trial. Make a comparison between what He
"endured" and what you are called to struggle with, and surely you
will be ashamed to complain! "Let this mind be in you, which was also
in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5). Admire and imitate His meekness--weeping
over His enemies, and praying for His murderers!
"Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin" (verse 4).
The persons here immediately addressed--the "ye"--were the Hebrews
themselves. Because of their profession of Christianity, because of
their loyalty to Christ, they had suffered severely in various ways.
Plain reference to something of what they had already been called on
to endure is made in 10:32-34, "But call to remembrance the former
days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of
afflictions; partly whilst ye were made a gazing-stock both by
reproaches and afflictions; and partly whilst ye became companions of
them that were so used. For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and
took joyfully the spoiling of your goods." Thus, the Hebrew saints had
been sorely oppressed by their unbelieving brethren among the Jews; it
is that which gave such point to the exhortation and warning in the
previous verse.
"Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin." Here is
the second consideration which the apostle pressed upon his afflicted
brethren: not only to ponder the far greater opposition which their
Savior encountered, but also to bear in mind that their own sufferings
were not so severe as they might have been, or as possibly they would
yet be. It is an argument made by reasoning from the greater to the
less, and from comparing their present state with that which might
await them: what could be expected to sustain their hearts and deliver
from apostasy when under the supreme test of death by violence, if
they fainted beneath lesser afflictions? We, too, should honestly face
the same alternative: if unkind words and sneers make us waver now,
how would we acquit ourselves if called on to face a martyr's death!
The present state of the oppressed Hebrews is here expressed
negatively: "ye have not yet resisted unto blood." True, they had
already met with various forms of suffering, but not yet had they been
called upon to lay down their lives. As Hebrews 10:32-34 clearly
intimates, they had well acquitted themselves during the first stages
of their trials, but their warfare was not yet ended. They had need to
bear in mind that word of Christ, "Men ought always to pray, and not
to faint" (Luke 18:1); and that exhortation of the Holy Spirit, "let
us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we
faint not" (Gal. 6:9).
"Ye have not yet resisted unto blood." The apostle here hinted to the
Hebrews what might yet have to be endured by them, namely a bloody and
violent death--by stoning, or the sword, or fire. That is the utmost
which fiendish persecutors can afflict. Men may kill the body, but
when they have done that, they can do no more. God has set bounds to
their rage: none will hound or harm His people in the next world!
Those who engage in the Christian profession, who serve under the
banner of Christ, have no guarantee that they may not be called unto
the utmost suffering of blood on account of their allegiance to him;
for that is what His adversaries have always desired. Hence, Christ
bids us to "sit down and count the cost" (Luke 14:28), of being His
disciples. God has decreed that many, in different ages should be
martyred for His own praise, the glory of Christ and the honor of the
Gospel.
"Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin." "Sin" is
here personified, regarded as a combatant which has to be overcome.
The various persecutions, hardships, afflictions, difficulties of the
way, in consequence of our attachment to Christ, become so many
occasions and means which sin seeks to employ in order to hinder and
oppose us. The Christian is called to a contest with sin. The apostle
continues his allusion to the Grecian Games, changing from the racer
to the combatant. The great contest is in the believer's heart between
grace and sin, the flesh and the spirit (Gal. 5:17). Sin seeks to
quench faith and kill obedience: therefore sin is to be "striven
against" for our very souls are at stake. There is no place for sloth
in this deadly contest; no furloughs are granted!
"Striving against sin." That which the Hebrews were striving against
was apostasy, going to the full lengths of sin--abandoning their
Christian profession. Persecution was the means which indwelling
depravity sought to use, to employ in slaying faith and fidelity to
Christ. That terrible wickedness was to be steadfastly resisted, by
fighting against weariness in the conflict. O to say with the apostle,
"I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the
name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 21:13): but in order to reach that state
of soul, there has to be a close walking with Him day by day, and a
patient bearing of the minor trials. "If thou hast run with the
footmen and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with
horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they
wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?" (Jer.
12:5).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 86
Divine Chastisement
(Hebrews 12:5)
__________________________________________
The grand truth of Divine Chastisement is inexpressibly blessed, and
one which we can neglect only to our great loss. It is of deep
importance, for when Scripturally apprehended it preserves from some
serious errors by which Satan has succeeded (as "an angel of light")
in deceiving and destroying not a few. For example, it sounds the
death-knell to that wide-spread delusion of "sinless perfectionism."
The passage which is to be before us unmistakably exposes the wild
fanaticism of those who imagine that, as the result of some "second
work of grace," the carnal nature has been eradicated from their
beings, so that, while perhaps not so wise, they are as pure as the
angels which never sinned, and lead lives which are blameless in the
sight of the thrice holy God. Poor blinded souls: such have not even
experienced a first "work of Divine grace" in their souls: "If we say
we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1
John 1:8).
"My son despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when
thou art rebuked of Him; for whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and
scourgeth every son whom He receiveth" (Heb. 12:5, 6). How plain and
emphatic is that! God does find something to "rebuke" in us, and uses
the rod upon every one of His children. Chastisement for sin is a
family mark, a sign of sonship, a proof of God's love, a token of His
Fatherly kindness and care; it is an inestimable mercy, a choice
new-covenant blessing. Woe to the man whom God chastens not, whom He
suffers to go recklessly on in the boastful and presumptuous security
which so many now mistake for faith. There is a reckoning to come of
which he little dreams. Were he a son, he would be chastened for his
sin; he would be brought to repentance and godly sorrow, he would with
grief of heart confess his backslidings, and then be blest with pardon
and peace.
The truth of Divine chastisement corrects another serious error, which
has become quite common in certain quarters, namely, that God views
His people so completely in Christ that He sees no sin in them. It is
true, blessedly true, that of His elect it is stated, "He hath not
beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath He seen perverseness in Israel"
(Num. 23:21) and that Christ declares of His spouse "Thou art all
fair, My love; there is no spot in thee" (Song 4:7). The testimony of
Scripture is most express that in regard to the justification or
acceptance of the persons of the elect, they are "complete in
Him"--Christ (Col. 2:10); "accepted in the Beloved" (Eph. 1:6)--washed
in Christ's blood, clothed with His righteousness. In that sense, God
sees no sin in them; none to punish. But we must not use that precious
truth to set aside another, revealed with equal clearness, and thus
fall into serious error.
God does see sin in His children and chastises them for it. Even
though the non-imputation of sin to the believer (Rom. 4:8) and the
chastisement of sin in believers (1 Cor. 11:30-32) were irreconcilable
to human reason, we are bound to receive both on the authority of Holy
Writ. Let us beware lest we fall under the solemn charge of Malachi
2:9, "Ye have not kept My ways, but have been partial in the law."
What could be plainer than this, "I will make Him my Firstborn, higher
than the kings of the earth. My mercy will I keep for Him for
evermore, and My covenant shall stand fast with Him. His seed also
will I make to endure forever and His throne as the days of heaven. If
His children forsake My law, and walk not in My judgments; if they
break My statutes, and keep not My commandments; then will I visit
their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.
Nevertheless My loving kindness will I not utterly take from Him, nor
suffer My faithfulness to fail" (Ps. 89:27-33). Five things are
clearly revealed there. First Christ Himself is addressed under the
name of "David." Second, His children break God's statutes. Third, in
them there is "iniquity" and "transgression." Fourth, God will "visit"
their transgression "with the rod!" Fifth, yet will He not cast them
off.
What could express more clearly the fact that God does see sin in
believers, and that He does chastise them for it? For, be it noted,
the whole of the above passage speaks of believers. It is the
language, not of the Law, but of the Gospel. Blessed promises are
there made to believers in Christ: the unchanging loving-kindness of
God, His covenant-faithfulness toward them, His spiritual blessing of
them. But "stripes" and the "rod" are there promised too! Then let us
not dare to separate what God has joined together. How do we know
anything concerning the acceptance of the elect in Christ? The answer
must be, Only on the testimony of Holy Writ. Very well; from the same
unerring Testimony we also know that God chastises His people for
their sins. It is at our imminent peril that we reject either of these
complementary truths.
The same fact is plainly presented again in Hebrews 12:7-10, "If ye
endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons: for what son is
he whom the Father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement,
whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and
we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto
the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily, for a few days
chastened us after their own pleasure; but He for our profit, that we
might be partakers of His holiness." The apostle there draws an
analogy from the natural relationship of father and child. Why do
earthly parents chastise their children? Is it not for their faults?
Can we justify a parent for chastening a child where there was no
fault, nothing in him which called for the rod? In that case, it would
be positive tyranny, actual cruelty. If the same be not true
spiritually, then the comparison must fall to the ground. Hebrews 12
proves conclusively that, if God does not chastise me then I am an
unbeliever, and I sign my own condemnation as a bastard.
Yet it is very necessary for us to point out, at this stage, that all
the sufferings of believers in this world are not Divine rebukes for
personal transgressions. Here too we need to be on our guard against
lopsidedness. After we have apprehended the fact that God does take
notice of the iniquities of His people and use the rod upon them, it
is so easy to jump to the conclusion that when we see an afflicted
Christian, God must be visiting His displeasure upon him. That is a
sad and serious error. Some of the very choicest of God's saints have
been called on to endure the most painful and protracted sufferings;
some of the most faithful and eminent servants of Christ have
encountered the most relentless and extreme persecution. Not only is
this a fact of observation, but it is plainly revealed in Holy Writ.
As we turn to God's Word for light on the subject of suffering among
the saints, we find it affirmed, "Many are the afflictions of the
righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all" (Ps. 34:19).
Those "afflictions" are sent by God upon different ones for various
reasons. Sometimes for the prevention of sin: the experience of the
beloved apostle was a case in point, "And lest I should be exalted
above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was
given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me,
lest I should be exalted above measure" (2 Cor. 12:7). Sometimes sore
trials are sent for the testing and strengthening of our graces: "My
brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience" (James
1:2, 3). Sometimes God's servants and people axe called on to endure
fierce persecution for a confirmatory testimony to the Truth "And they
departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were
counted worthy to suffer shame for His name" (Acts 5:41).
Yet here again we need to be much on our guard, for the flesh is ever
ready to pervert even the holy things of God, and make an evil use of
that which is good. When God is chastising a Christian for his sins,
it is so easy for him to suppose such is not the case, and falsely
comfort himself with the thought that God is only developing his
graces, or permitting him to have closer fellowship with the
sufferings of Christ. Where we are visited with afflictions
personally, it is always the safest policy to assume that God has a
controversy with us; humble ourselves beneath His mighty hand, and say
with Job, "Show me wherefore Thou contendest with me" (10:2); and when
He has convicted me of my fault, to penitently confess and forsake it.
But where others are concerned, it is not for us to judge--though
sometimes God reveals the cause to His servants (Amos 3:7).
In the passage which is to be before us, the apostle presents a third
consideration why heed should be given unto the exhortation at the
beginning of Hebrews 12, which calls to patient perseverance in the
path of faith and obedience, notwithstanding all the obstacles,
difficulties, and dangers which may be encountered therein. He now
draws a motive from the nature of those sufferings considered in the
light of God's end in them: all the trials and persecutions which He
may call on His people to endure are necessary, not only as
testimonies to the truth, to the reality of His grace in them, but
also as chastisements which are required by us, wherein God has a
blessed design toward us. This argument is enforced by several
considerations to the end of verse 13. How we should admire and adore
the consummate wisdom of God which has so marvelously ordered all,
that the very things which manifest the hatred of men against us, are
evidences of His love toward us! How the realization of this should
strengthen patience!
O how many of God's dear children have found, in every age, that the
afflictions which have come upon them from a hostile world, were
soul-purging medicines from the Lord. By them they have been
bestirred, revived, and mortified to things down here; and made
partakers of God's holiness, to their own unspeakable advantage and
comfort. Truly wondrous are the ways of our great God. Hereby doth He
defeat the counsels and expectations of the wicked, having a design to
accomplish by their agency something which they know not of. These
very reproaches, imprisonments, stripes, with the loss of goods and
danger of their lives, with which the world opposed them for their
ruin; God makes use of for their refining, consolation and joy. Truly
He "maketh the wrath of man to praise Him" (Ps. 76:10). O that our
hearts and minds may be duly impressed with the wisdom, power and
grace of Him who bringeth a clean thing out of an unclean.
"In all these things is the wisdom and goodness of God, in contriving
and effecting these things, to the glory of His grace, and the
salvation of His Church, to be admired" (John Owen). But herein we may
see, once more, the imperative need for faith--a God-given,
God-sustained, spiritual, supernatural FAITH. Carnal reason can see no
more in our persecutions than the malice and rage of evil men. Our
senses perceive nothing beyond material losses and painful physical
discomforts. But faith discovers the Father's hand directing all
things: faith is assured that all proceeds from His boundless love:
faith realizes that He has in view the good of our souls. The more
this is apprehended by the exercise of faith, not only the better for
our peace of mind, but the readier shall we be to diligently apply
ourselves in seeking to learn God's lessons for us in every
chastisement He lays upon us.
The opening "And" of verse 5 shows the apostle is continuing to
present motives to stir unto a perseverance in the faith,
notwithstanding sufferings for the same. The first motive was taken
from the example of the O.T. worthies (verse 1). The second, from the
illustrious pattern of Jesus (verses 2-4). This is the third: the
Author of these sufferings--our Father--and His loving design in them.
There is also a more immediate connection with 5:4 pointed by the
"And:" it presents a tacit rebuke for being ready to faint under the
lesser trials, wherewith they were exercised. Here He gives a reason
how and why it was they were thus making that reason the means of
introducing a new argument. The reason why they were ready to faint
was their inattention to the direction and encouragement which God has
supplied for them--our failure to appropriate God's gracious
provisions for us is the rise of all our spiritual miscarriages.
The Hebrew Christians to whom this epistle was first addressed were
passing through a great fight of afflictions, and miserably were they
acquitting themselves. They were the little remnant out of the Jewish
nation who had believed on their Messiah during the days of His public
ministry, plus those Jews who had been converted under the preaching
of the apostles. It is highly probable that they had expected the
Messianic kingdom would at once be set up on earth, and that they
would be allotted the chief places of honor in it. But the millennium
had not begun, and their own lot became increasingly bitter. They were
not only hated by the Gentiles, but ostracized by their unbelieving
brethren, and it became a hard matter for them to make even a bare
living. Providence held a frowning face. Many who had made a
profession of Christianity had gone back to Judaism and were
prospering temporally. As the afflictions of the believing Jews
increased they too were sorely tempted to turn their back upon the new
Faith. Had they been wrong in embracing Christianity? Was high heaven
displeased because they had identified themselves with Jesus of
Nazareth? Did not their sufferings go to show that God no longer
regarded them with favor?
Now it is most blessed and instructive to see how the apostle met the
unbelieving reasoning of their hearts. He appealed to their own
scriptures, reminding them of an exhortation found in Proverbs 3:11,
12: "And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as
unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastenings of the Lord,
nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him" (Heb. 12:5). As we pointed out
so often in our exposition of the earlier chapters of this Epistle, at
every critical point in his argument the apostle's appeal was to the
written Word of God--an example which is binding on every servant of
Christ to follow. That Word is the final court of appeal for every
controversial matter, and the more its authority is respected, the
more is its Author honored. Not only so, but the more God's children
are brought to turn to its instruction, the more will they be built up
and established in the true faith. Moreover, "Whatsoever things were
written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through
patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope" (Rom. 15:4):
it is to them alone we must turn for solid comfort. Great will be our
loss if we fail to do so.
"And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you." Note
well the words we have placed in italics. The exhortation to which the
apostle referred was uttered over a thousand years previously, under
the Mosaic dispensation; nevertheless the apostle insists that it was
addressed equally unto the New T. saints! How this exposes the
cardinal error of modern "dispensationalists," who seek to rob
Christians of the greater part of God's precious Word. Under the
pretense of "rightly dividing" the Word, they would filch from them
all that God gave to His people prior to the beginning of the present
era. Such a devilish device is to be steadfastly resisted by us. All
that is found in the book of Proverbs is as much God the Father's
instruction to us as are the contents of the Pauline epistles!
Throughout that book God addresses us individually as "My son:" see
Hebrews 1:8, 3:1, 4:1, 5:1, etc. Surely that is quite sufficient for
every spiritual mind--no labored argument is needed.
The appositeness of Proverbs 3:11, 12 to the case of the afflicted
Hebrews gave great force to the apostle's citing of it here. That
passage would enable them to perceive that their case was by no means
unprecedented or peculiar, that it was in fact no otherwise with them
than it had been with others of God's children in former ages and that
long before the Lord had graciously laid in provision for their
encouragement: "My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord;
neither be weary of His correction: For whom the Lord loveth He
correcteth, even as a Father the son in whom He delighteth" (Prov.
3:11, 12). It has ever been God's way to correct those in whom He
delights, to chastise His children; but so far from that salutary
discipline causing us to faint, it should strengthen and comfort our
hearts, being assured that such chastening proceeds from His love, and
that the exhortation to perseverance in the path of duty is issued by
Him. It is the height of pride and ingratitude not to comply with His
tender entreaties.
But the apostle had to say to the suffering Hebrews, "Ye have
forgotten the exhortation." To forget God's gracious instruction is at
least an infirmity, and with it they are here taxed. To forget the
encouragements which the Father has given us is a serious fault: it is
expressly forbidden: "Beware lest thou forget the Lord" (Deut. 6:12).
It was taxed upon the Jews of old, "They soon forgat His works... They
forgat God their Savior, which had done great things in Egypt" (Ps.
106:13, 21). Forgetfulness is a part of that corruption which has
seized man by his fall: all the faculties of his soul have been
seriously injured--the memory, which was placed in man to be a
treasury, in which to lay up the directions and consolations of God's
Word, has not escaped the universal wreckage. But that by no means
excuses us: it is a fault, to be striven and prayed against. As
ministers see occasion, they are to stir up God's people to use means
for the strengthening of the memory--especially by the formation of
the habit of holy meditation in Divine things.
Thus it was with the Hebrews, in some measure at least: they had
"forgotten" that which should have stood in good stead in the hour of
their need. Under their trials and persecution, they ought, in an
especial manner, to have called to mind that Divine exhortation of
Proverbs 3:11, 12 for their encouragement: had they believingly
appropriated it, they had been kept from fainting. Alas, how often we
are like them! "The want of a diligent consideration of the provision
that God hath made in the Scripture for our encouragement to duty and
comfort under difficulties, is a sinful forgetfulness, and is of
dangerous consequence to our souls" (John Owen).
"Which speaketh unto you as unto children." It is very striking indeed
to observe the tense of the verb here: the apostle was quoting a
sentence of Scripture which had been written a thousand years
previously, yet he does not say "which hath spoken," but "which
speaketh unto you!" The same may be seen again in that sevenfold
exhortation of Revelation 2 and 3, "He that hath an ear let him hear
what the Spirit saith (not "said") unto the churches." The Holy
Scriptures are a living Word, in which God speaks to men in every
generation. Holy Writ is not a dumb or dead letter: it has a voice in
it, ever speaking of God Himself. "The Holy Spirit is always present
in the Word, and speaks in it equally and alike to the church in all
ages. He doth in it speak as immediately to us, as if we were the
first and only persons to whom He spake. And this should teach us,
with what reverence we ought to attend to the Scriptures, namely, as
to the way and means whereby God Himself speaks directly to us" (John
Owen.)
"Which speaketh unto you as unto children." The apostle emphasizes the
fact that God addresses an exhortation in Proverbs 3:11 to "My son,"
which shows plainly that His relation to the O.T. saints was that of a
Father to His children. This at once refutes a glaring error made by
some who pose as being ultra-orthodox, more deeply taught in the Word
than others. They have insisted that the Fatherhood of God was never
revealed until the Son became incarnate; but every verse in the
Proverbs where God says "My son" reveals their mistake. That the O.T.
saints were instructed in this blessed relationship is clear from
other passages: "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord
pitieth them that fear Him" (Ps. 103:13). This relation unto God is by
virtue of their (and our) union with Christ: He is "the Son," and
being one with Him, members of His body, they were "sons" too.
This precious relationship is the ground of the soul's confidence in
God. "If God speaks to them as to children, they have good ground to
fly to God as to a Father. and in all time of need to ask and seek of
Him all needful blessings (Matthew 7:11), yea, and in faith to depend
on Him for the same (Matthew 6:31, 32). What useful things shall they
want? What hurtful thing need such to fear? If God deal with us as
with children, He will provide for them every good thing, He will
protect them from every hurtful thing, He will hear their prayers, He
will accept their services, He will bear with their infirmities, He
will support them under all their burdens, and assist them against all
their assaults; though through their own weakness, or the violence of
some temptation, they should be drawn from Him, yet will He be ready
to meet them in the mid-way, turning to Him--instance the mind of the
father of the prodigal towards him" (W. Gouge).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 87
Divine Chastisement
(Hebrews 12:5)
__________________________________________
It is of first importance that we learn to draw a sharp distinction
between Divine punishment and Divine chastisement--important for
maintaining the honor and glory of God, and for the peace of mind of
the Christian. The distinction is very simple, yet is it often lost
sight of. God's people can never by any possibility be punished for
their sins, for God has already punished them at the Cross. The Lord
Jesus, our blessed Substitute, suffered the full penalty of all our
guilt, hence it is written, "the blood of Jesus Christ His Son
cleanseth us from all sin"
(1 John 1:7). Neither the justice nor the love of God will permit Him
to again exact payment of what Christ discharged to the full. The
difference between punishment and chastisement lies not in the nature
of the sufferings of the afflicted: it is most important to bear this
in mind. There is a threefold distinction between the two.
First, the character in which God acts. In the former God acts as
Judge, in the latter as Father. Sentence of punishment is the act of a
judge, a penal sentence passed on those who are charged with guilt.
Punishment can never fall upon a child of God in this judicial sense,
because his guilt was all transferred to Christ: "Who His own self
bare our sins in His own body on the tree." But while the believer's
sins cannot be punished, while the Christian cannot be condemned (Rom.
8:33), yet he may be chastised. The Christian occupies an entirely
different position from the non-Christian: he is a member of the
family of God. The relationship which now exists between him and God
is that of Parent and child; and as a son he must be disciplined for
wrong-doing. Folly is bound up in the hearts of all God's children,
and the rod is necessary to rebuke, to subdue, to humble.
The second distinction between Divine punishment and Divine
chastisement lies in the recipients of each. The objects of the former
are His enemies; the subjects of the latter, His children. As the
Judge of all the earth God will yet take vengeance on all His foes; as
the Father of His family God maintains discipline over all His
children. The one is judicial, the other parental. A third distinction
is seen in the design of each: the one is retributive, the other
remedial. The one flows from His anger, the other from His love.
Divine punishment is never sent for the good of sinners, but for the
honoring of God's law and the maintenance of His government. Divine
chastisement is sent for the well-being of His children: "We have had
fathers of our flesh which corrected us and we gave them reverence:
shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits,
and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own
pleasure; but He for our profit, that we might be partakers of His
holiness" (Heb. 12:9, 10).
The above distinctions should at once rebuke the thoughts which are so
generally entertained among Christians. When the believer is smarting
under the rod, let him not say, God is now punishing me for my sins.
That can never be; that is most dishonoring to the blood of Christ.
God is correcting thee in love, not smiting in wrath. Nor should the
Christian regard the chastening of the Lord as a sort of necessary
evil to which he must bow as submissively as possible. No, it proceeds
from God's goodness and faithfulness and is one of the greatest
blessings for which we have to thank Him. Chastisement evidences our
Divine sonship; the father of a family does not concern himself with
those on the outside: but those within he guides and disciplines to
make them conform to his will. Chastisement is designed for our good,
to promote our highest interests. Look beyond the rod to the All-wise
hand that wields it!
Unhappily there is no word in the English language which is capable of
doing justice to the Greek term here. "Paideia" which is rendered
"chastening" is only another form of "paidion" which signifies "young
children, being the tender word that was employed by the Savior in
John 21:5 and Hebrews 2:13. One can see at a glance the direct
connection which exists between the words "disciple" and "discipline:"
equally close in the Greek is the relation between "children" and
"chastening"--son training would be better. It has reference to God's
education, nurture and discipline of His children. It is the Father's
wise and loving correction which is in view.
It is true that much chastisement is the rod in the hand of the Father
correcting His erring child, but it is a serious mistake to confine
our thoughts to this one aspect of the subject. Chastisement is by no
means always God's scourging of His refractory sons. Some of the
saintliest of God's people, some of the most obedient of His children,
have been and are the greatest sufferers. Oft times God's chastenings
instead of being retributive are corrective. They are sent to empty us
of self-sufficiency and self-righteousness; they are given to discover
to us hidden transgressions, to teach us the plague of our own hearts.
Or again; chastisements are sent to strengthen our faith, to raise us
to higher levels of experience, to bring us into a condition of
greater usefulness. Still again; Divine chastisement is sent as a
preventative, to keep under pride, to save us from being unduly elated
over success in God's service. Let us consider, briefly, four entirely
different examples.
David. In his case the rod was laid upon him for grievous sins, for
open wickedness. His fall was occasioned by self-confidence and
self-righteousness. If the reader will diligently compare the two
songs of David recorded in 2 Samuel 22 and 23, the one written near
the beginning of his life, the other near the end, he will be struck
by the great difference of spirit manifested by the writer in each.
Read 2 Samuel 22:22-25, and you will not be surprised that God
suffered him to have a fall. Then turn to chapter 23, and mark the
blessed change. At the beginning of 5:5 there is a heart-broken
confession of failure. In verses 10-12, there is a God-glorifying
profession, attributing victory unto the Lord. The severe scourging of
David was not in vain.
Job. Probably he tasted of every kind of suffering which falls to
man's lot: family bereavements, loss of property, grievous bodily
afflictions, came fast, one on top of another. But God's end in them
all was that Job should benefit therefrom and be a greater partaker of
His holiness. There was not a little of self-satisfaction and
self-righteousness in Job at the beginning; but at the end, when he
was brought face to face with the thrice Holy One, he "abhorred
himself" (Heb. 42:6). In David's case the chastisement was
retributive; in Job's corrective.
Abraham. In him we see an illustration of an entirely different aspect
of chastening. Most of the trials to which he was subject were neither
because of open sins nor for the correction of inward faults. Rather
were they sent for the development of spiritual graces. Abraham was
sorely tried in various ways, but it was in order that faith might be
strengthened, and that patience might have its perfect work in him.
Abraham was weaned from the things of this world, that he might enjoy
closer fellowship with Jehovah and become "the friend" of God.
Paul. "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the
abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the
flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted
above measure" (2 Cor. 12:7). This "thorn" was sent not because of
failure and sin, but as a preventative against pride. Note the "lest"
both at the beginning and end of the verse. The result of this "thorn"
was that the beloved apostle was made more conscious of his weakness.
Thus chastisement has for one of its main objects the breaking down of
self-sufficiency, the bringing us to the end of ourselves.
Now in view of these widely different aspects--chastisements which are
retributive, corrective, educative, and preventative--how incompetent
are we to diagnose, and how great is the folly of pronouncing a
judgment concerning others! Let us not conclude when we see a
fellow-Christian under the rod of God that he is necessarily being
taken to task for his sins. Let us now consider the spirit in which
Divine chastisements are to be received. "My son, despise not thou the
chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him" (verse
5).
Not all chastisement is sanctified to the recipient of it. Some are
hardened thereby; others are crushed beneath it. Much depends on the
spirit in which afflictions are received. There is no virtue in trials
and troubles in themselves: it is only as they are blest by God that
the Christian is profited thereby. As Hebrews 12:11 informs us, it is
those who are "exercised" under God's rod that bring forth "the
peaceable fruit of righteousness." A sensitive conscience and a tender
heart are the needed adjuncts.
In our text the Christian is warned against two entirely different
dangers: despise not, despair not. These are two extremes against
which it is ever necessary to keep a sharp look-out. Just as every
truth of Scripture has its balancing counterpart, so has every evil
its opposite. On the one hand there is a haughty spirit which laughs
at the rod, a stubborn will which refuses to be humbled thereby. On
the other hand there is a fainting which utterly sinks beneath it and
gives way to despondency. Spurgeon said, "The way of righteousness is
a difficult pass between two mountains of error, and the great secret
of the Christian's life is to wend his way along the narrow valley."
Let us then ponder separately the two things which the Christian is
here warned against: "My son, despise not thou the chastening of the
Lord, nor faint when thou are rebuked of Him."
"The Greek word for `despise' is nowhere used in the Scripture, but in
this place. It signifies to `set lightly by,' to have little esteem
of, not to value any thing according to its worth and use. The Hebrew
word means `to reprobate, to reject, to despise.' We render the
apostle's word by `despise,' which yet doth not intend a despising
that is so formally, but only interpretatively. Directly to despise
and condemn or reject the chastisements of the Lord is a sin that
perhaps none of His sons or children do fall into. But not to esteem
of them as we ought, not to improve them unto their proper end, not to
comply with the will of God in them, is interpretatively to despise
them" (John Owen). As the point now before us is one which is of great
practical importance to afflicted Christians, we will describe a
number of ways in which God's chastisement may be "despised."
First, by callousness. There is a general lack of regard unto God's
admonitions and instructions when troubles and sufferings come upon
Christians. Too often they view them as the common and inevitable ills
which man is heir unto, and perceive not that their Father hath any
special hand or design in them. Hence they are stoically accepted in a
fatalistic attitude. To be stoical under adversity is the policy of
carnal wisdom: make the best of a bad job is the sum of its
philosophy. The man of the world knows no better than to grit his
teeth and brave things out: having no Divine Comforter, Counselor, or
Physician, he has to fall back upon his own poor resources. But it is
inexpressibly sad when we find the child of God conducting himself as
does a child of the Devil.
This is what is dehorted against in our present text: "despise not
thou the chastening of the Lord." Observe well the personal
emphasis--"thou:" no matter how thy fellow-creatures act when the
clouds of providence frown upon them, see well to it that thou
comportest thyself as becometh a son of God. Take to heart the caution
here given. Stout-heartedness and stiff-neckedness is to be expected
from a rebel, but one who has found grace in the eyes of the Lord
should humble himself beneath His mighty hand the moment He gives any
intimation of His displeasure. Scorn not the least trials: each has
instruction wrapped up in it. Many a child would be spared the rod if
he heeded the parent's frown! So it is spiritually. Instead of
hardening ourselves to endure stoically, there should be a melting of
heart.
Second, by complaining. This is what the Hebrews did in the
wilderness; and there are still many murmurers in Israel's camp today.
A little sickness, and we become so cross that our friends are afraid
to come near us. A few days in bed, and we fret and fume like a
bullock unaccustomed to the yoke. We peevishly ask, Why this
affliction? what have I done to deserve it? We look around with
envious eyes, and are discontented because others are carrying a
lighter load. Beware, my reader: it goes hard with murmurers. God
always chastises twice if we are not humbled by the first. Remind
yourself of how much dross there yet is among the gold. View the
corruptions of your own heart, and marvel that God has not smitten you
far more severely.
This is what is dehorted against here: "despise not thou the
chastening of the Lord." Instead of complaining, there should be a
holy submitting unto the good will of God. There is a dreadful amount
of complaining among Christians today, due to failure to nip this evil
weed in the bud. Grumbling at the weather, being cross when things are
lost or mislaid, murmuring because some one has failed to show us the
respect which we consider ourselves entitled unto. God's hand in these
things--for nothing happens by chance under His government: everything
has a meaning and message if our hearts are open to receive it--is
lost sight of. That is to "despise" His rod when it is laid but gently
upon us, and this it is which necessitates heavier blows. Form the
habit of heeding His taps, and you will be less likely to receive His
raps.
Third, by criticisms. How often we question the usefulness of
chastisement. As Christians we seem to have little more spiritual good
sense than we had natural wisdom as children. As boys we thought that
the rod was the least necessary thing in the home. It is so with the
children of God. When things go as we like them, when some unexpected
temporal blessing is bestowed, we have no difficulty in ascribing all
to a kind Providence; but when our plans are thwarted, when losses are
ours, it is very different. Yet, is it not written, "I form the light
and create darkness, I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all
these things" (Isa. 45:7).
How often is the thing formed ready to complain "Why hast Thou made me
thus?" We say, I cannot see how this can possibly profit my soul: if I
had better health, I could attend the house of prayer more frequently;
if I had been spared those losses in business, I would have more money
for the Lord's work! What good can possibly come out of this calamity?
Like Jacob we exclaim, "All these things are against me." What is this
but to "despise" the rod? Shall thy ignorance challenge God's wisdom?
Shall thy shortsightedness arraign omniscience? O for grace to be as a
"weaned child" (Ps. 131:2).
Fourth, by carelessness. So many fail to mend their ways. The
exhortation of our text is much needed by all of us. There are many
who have "despised" the rod, and in consequence they have not profited
thereby. Many a Christian has been corrected by God, but in vain.
Sickness, reverses, bereavements have come, but they have not been
sanctified by prayerful self-examination. O brethren and sisters, take
heed. If God be chastening "consider your ways" (Hag. 1:5), "ponder
the path of thy feet" (Prov. 4:26). Be assured that there is some
reason for the chastening. Many a Christian would not have been
chastised half so severely had he diligently inquired as to the cause
of it.
"Cause me to understand wherein I have erred" (Job 6:24); "show me
wherefore Thou contendest with me" (Heb. 10:2), expresses the attitude
we should take whenever God's hand is laid upon us. We are bidden
"hear ye the rod" (Mic. 6:9), that is, to pay a due regard to God's
voice in our trials and afflictions, and to correct that in our lives
with which He is displeased. In chastisement God is to be viewed not
only as a Father but also as a Teacher: valuable lessons are to be
learned therefrom if we cultivate a teachable spirit. Not so to do,
failure to improve them unto their proper design and to comply with
the will of God in them, is to "despise" His loving reproofs. But we
must turn now to the second half of our verse.
"Nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him." This word presupposes that
we have not "despised" God's chastening, but have heeded it--inquired
as to the cause and reason of it, and have discovered He is evidencing
that He is displeased with us. The learned tell us that the word for
"rebuked," both in the Hebrew and in the Greek, signifies "a reproof
by rational conviction:" the conscience has been pricked, and God has
discovered unto the heart that there is something in our ways--which
before we took no notice of--which has convinced us of the needs-be
for our present afflictions. He makes us to understand what it is that
is wrong in our lives: we are "rebuked" in our conscience. Our
response should be to humble ourselves before Him, confess the fault,
and seek grace to right it; and in order to this we are cautioned
against "fainting" in our minds. Let us mention several forms of this
particular evil of "fainting."
First, when we give up all exertion. This is done when we sink down in
despondency. The smitten one concludes that it is more than he can
possibly endure. His heart fails him; darkness swallows him up; the
sun of hope is eclipsed, and the voice of thanksgiving is silent. To
"faint" means rendering ourselves unfit for the discharge of our
duties. When a person faints, he is rendered motionless. How many
Christians are ready to completely give up the fight when adversity
enters their lives. How many are rendered quite inert when trouble
comes their way. How many by their attitude say, God's hand is heavy
upon me: I can do nothing. Ah, beloved, "sorrow not, even as others
which have no hope" (1 Thess. 4:13). "Faint not when thou art rebuked
of Him:" go to the Lord about it; recognize His hand in it. Remember
thine afflictions are among the "all things" which work together for
good.
Second, when we question our sonship. There are not a few Christians
who, when the rod descends upon them, conclude that they are not sons
of God after all. They forget that it is written "Many are the
afflictions of the righteous (Ps. 34:19), and that we must "through
much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). One
says, "But if I were His child, I should not be in this poverty,
misery, shame." Listen to verse 8. "But if ye be without chastisement,
whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons." Learn,
then, to look upon trials as proofs of God's love--purging, pruning,
purifying thee. The father of a family does not concern himself much
about those on the outside of his household: it is they who are within
whom he guards and guides, nurtures and conforms to his will. So it is
with God.
Third, when we give way to unbelief. This is occasioned by our failure
to seek God's support under trials, and lay hold of His
promises--"weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the
morning" (Ps. 30:5). Sure are we to "faint" if we lose sight of the
Lord, and cherish not His words of consolation. David was encouraging
himself against unbelief when he took himself to task and said, "Why
art thou cast down O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope
thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His
countenance" (Ps. 42:5): if only that attitude be maintained by us, we
shall be preserved from sinking when troubles come upon us.
Fourth, when we despair. When unbelief dominates the heart,
despondency soon becomes our portion. Some indulge the gloomy fancy
that they will never again get from under the rod in this life; ah, it
is a long lane that has no turning! Perhaps a reader says, "But I have
prayed and prayed, and yet the dark clouds have not lifted." Then
comfort yourself with the reflection: it is always the darkest hour
which precedes the dawn. Perhaps another says, "I have pleaded His
promises, but things are no better with me: I thought God delivered
those who called upon Him; I have called, but He has not delivered,
and I fear He never will." What! child of God, speak of thy Father
thus? You say, He will never leave off smiting because He has smitten
so long; rather conclude, He has now smitten so long, I must soon be
delivered. Fight hard, my brother, against this attitude of despair,
lest your complaining cause others to stumble. Despise not; faint not.
May Divine Mace preserve both writer and reader from either of these
sinful extremes.
N.B. For several of the leading thoughts in the above article, we are
indebted to a sermon by the late C.H. Spurgeon.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 88
Divine Chastisement
(Hebrews 12:6)
__________________________________________
The problem of suffering is a very real one in this world, and to not
a few of our readers a personal and acute one. While some of us are
freely supplied with comforts, others are constantly exercised over
procuring the bare necessities of life. While some of us have long
been favored with good health, others know not what it is to go
through a day without sickness and pain. While some homes have not
been visited by death for many years, others are called upon again and
again to pass through the deep waters of family bereavement. Yes, dear
friend; the problem of suffering, the encountering of severe trials,
is a very personal thing for not a few of the members of the household
of faith. Nor is it the external afflictions which occasion the most
anguish: it is the questionings they raise, the doubts they stimulate,
the dark clouds of unbelief which they so often bring over the heart.
Very often it is in seasons of trial and trouble that Satan is most
successful in getting in his evil work. When he perceives the
uselessness of attempting to bring believers under the bondage in
which he keeps unbelievers, he bides his time for the shooting at them
of other arrows which he has in his quiver. Though he is unable to
drag them down to the commission of the grosser outward forms of sin,
he waits his opportunity for tempting them to be guilty of inward
sins. Though he cannot infect them with the poison of evolutionism and
higher criticism, he despairs not of seducing them with questions of
God's goodness. It is when adversity comes the Christian's way, when
sore trials multiply, when the soul is oppressed and the mind
distressed, that the Devil seeks to instill and strengthen doubtings
of God's love, and to call into question the faithfulness of His
promises.
Moreover, there come seasons in the lives of many saints when to sight
and sense it seems as though God Himself had ceased to care for His
needy and afflicted child. Earnest prayer is made for the mitigation
of the sufferings, but relief is not granted. Grace is sought to
meekly bear the burden which has been laid upon the suffering one;
yet, so far from any sensible answer being received, self-will,
impatience, unbelief, are more active than ever. Instead of the peace
of God ruling the heart, unrest and enmity occupy its throne. Instead
of quietness within, there is turmoil and resentment. Instead of
"giving thanks always for all things unto God" (Eph. 5:20), the soul
is filled with unkind thoughts and feelings against Him. This is cause
for anguish unto the renewed heart; yet, at times, struggle against
the evil as the Christian may, he is overcome by it.
Then it is that the afflicted one cries out, "Why standest Thou afar
off, O Lord, why hidest Thou Thyself in times of trouble?" (Ps. 10:1).
To the distressed saint, the Lord seems to stand still, as if He
coldly looked on from a distance, and did not sympathize with the
afflicted one. Nay, worse, the Lord appears to be afar off, and no
longer "a very present help in trouble," but rather an inaccessible
mountain, which it is impossible to reach. The felt presence of the
Lord is the stay, the strength, the consolation of the believer; the
lifting up of the light of His countenance upon us, is what sustains
and cheers us in this dark world. But when that is withheld, when we
no longer have the joy of His presence with us, drab indeed is the
prospect, sad the heart. It is the hiding of our Father's face which
cuts to the quick. When trouble and desertion come together, it is
unbearable.
Then it is that the word comes to us, "My son, despise not thou the
chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him" (Heb.
12:5). Ah, it is easy for us to perceive the meetness of such an
admonition as this while things are going smoothly and pleasantly for
us. While our lot is congenial, or at least bearable, we have little
difficulty in discerning what a sin it is for any Christian to either
"despise" God's chastenings or to "faint" beneath them. But when
tribulation comes upon us, when distress and anguish fill our hearts,
it is quite another matter. Not only do we become guilty of one of the
very evils here dehorted from, but we are very apt to excuse and
extenuate our peevishness or faintness. There is a tendency in all of
us to pity ourselves, to take sides with ourselves against God, and
even to justify the uprisings of our hearts against Him.
Have we never, in self-vindication, said, "Well, after all we are
human; it is natural that we should chafe against the rod or give way
to despondency when we are afflicted. It is all very well to tell us
that we should not, but how can we help ourselves? we cannot change
our natures; we are frail men and women, and not angels." And what has
been the issue from the fruit of this self-pity and self-vindication?
Review the past, dear friend, and recall how you felt and acted
inwardly when God was tearing up your cozy nest, overturning your
cherished plans, dashing to pieces your fondest hopes, afflicting you
painfully in your affairs, your body, or your family circle. Did it
not issue in calling into question the wisdom of God's ways, the
justice of His dealings with you, His kindness towards you? Did it not
result in your having still stronger doubts of His very goodness?
In Hebrews 12:5 the Christian is cautioned against either despising
the Lord's chastenings or fainting beneath them. Yet, notwithstanding
this plain warning, there remains a tendency in all of us not only to
disregard the same, but to act contrary thereto. The apostle
anticipates this evil, and points out the remedy. The mind of the
Christian must be fortified against it. But how? By calling to
remembrance the source from which all his testings, trials,
tribulations and troubles proceed, namely, the blessed, wondrous,
unchanging love of God. "My son, despise not thou the chastenings of
the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him. FOR whom the Lord
loveth, He chasteneth." Here a reason is advanced why we should not
despise God's chastening nor faint beneath it--all proceeds from His
love. Yes, even the bitter disappointments, the sore trials, the
things which occasion an aching heart, are not only appointed by
unerring wisdom, but are sent by infinite Love! It is the apprehension
and appropriation of this glorious fact, and that alone, which will
preserve us from both the evils forbidden in 5:5.
The way to victory over suffering is to keep sorrow from filling the
soul: "Let not your heart be troubled" (John 14:1). So long as the
waves wash only the deck of the ship, there is no danger of its
foundering; but when the tempest breaks through the hatches and
submerges the hold, then disaster is nigh. No matter what floods of
tribulation break over us, it is our duty and our privilege to have
peace within: "keep thy heart with all diligence" (Prov. 4:23): suffer
no doubtings of God's wisdom, faithfulness, goodness, to take root
there. But how am I to prevent their so doing? "Keep yourselves in the
love of God" (Jude 21), is the inspired answer, the sure remedy, the
way to victory. There, in one word, we have made known to us the
secret of how to overcome all questionings of God's providential ways,
all murmurings against His dealings with us.
"Keep yourselves in the love of God." It is as though a parent said to
his child, "Keep yourself in the sunshine:" the sun shines whether he
enjoys it or not, but he is responsible not to walk in the shade and
thus lose its genial glow. So God's love for His people abides
unchanging, but how few of them keep themselves in the warmth of it.
The saint is to be "rooted and grounded in love" (Eph. 3:17); "rooted"
like a tree in rich and fertile soil; "grounded" like a house built
upon a rock. Observe that both of these figures speak of hidden
processes: the root-life of a tree is concealed from human eyes, and
the foundations of a house are laid deep in the ground. Thus it should
be with each child of God: the heart is to be fixed, nourished by the
love of God.
It is one thing to believe intellectually that "God is love" and that
He loves His people, but it is quite another to enjoy and live in that
love in the soul. To be "rooted and grounded in love" means to have a
settled assurance of God's love for us, such an assurance as nothing
can shake. This is the deep need of every Christian, and no pains are
to be spared in the obtaining thereof. Those passages in Scripture
which speak of the wondrous love of God, should be read frequently and
meditated upon daily. There should be a diligent striving to apprehend
God's love more fully and richly. Dwell upon the many unmistakable
proofs which God has made of His love to you: the gift of His Word,
the gift of His Son, the gift of His Spirit. What greater, what
clearer proofs do we require! Steadfastly resist every temptation to
question His love: "keep yourselves in the love of God." Let that be
the realm in which you live, the atmosphere you breathe, the warmth in
which you thrive.
This life is but a schooling. In saying this we are uttering a
platitude, yet it is a truth of which all Christians need to be
constantly reminded. This is the period of our childhood and minority.
Now in childhood everything has, or should have, the character of
education and discipline. Dear parents and teachers are constantly
directing, warning, rebuking; the whole of the child-life is under
rule, restraint and guidance. But the only object is the child
him-self--his good, his character, his future; and the only motive is
love. Now as childhood is to the rest of our life, so is the whole of
our earthly sojourn to our future and heavenly life. Therefore let us
seek to cultivate the spirit of childhood. Let us regard it as natural
that we should be daily rebuked and corrected. Let us behave with the
docility and meekness of children, with their trustful and sweet
assurance that love is behind all our chastenings, that we are in the
tender hands of our Father.
But if this attitude is to be maintained, faith must be kept in steady
exercise: only thus shall we judge aright of afflictions. Sense is
ever ready to slander and belie the Divine perfections. Sense beclouds
the understanding and causes us to wrongly interpret God's
dispensations with us. Why so? Because sense estimates things from
their outside and by their present feeling. "No chastening for the
present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous" (Heb. 12:11), and
therefore if when under the rod we judge of God's love and care for us
by our sense of His present dealings, we are likely to conclude that
He has but little regard for us. Herein lies the urgent need for the
putting forth of faith, for "faith is the evidence of things not
seen." Faith is the only remedy for this double evil. Faith interprets
things not according to the outside or visible, but according to the
promise. Faith looks upon providences not as a present disconnected
piece, but in its entirety to the end of things.
Sense perceives in our trials naught but expressions of God's
disregard or anger, but faith can discern Divine wisdom and love in
the sorest troubles. Faith is able to unfold the fiddles and solve the
mysteries of providence. Faith can extract honey and sweetness out of
gall and wormwood. Faith discerns that God's heart is filled with love
toward us, even when His hand is heavy and smarts upon us. The bucket
goes down into the well the deeper, that it may come up the fuller.
Faith perceives God's design in the chastening is our good. It is
through faith "that He would show thee the secrets of wisdom, that
they are double to that which is" (Job 11:6). By the "secrets of
wisdom" is meant the hidden ways of God's providence. Divine
providence has two faces: the one of rigor, the other of clemency;
sense looks upon the former only, faith enjoys the latter.
Faith not only looks beneath the surface of things and sees the sweet
orange beneath the bitter rind, but it looks beyond the present and
anticipates the blessed sequel. Of the Psalmist it is recorded, "I
said in my haste, I am cut off from before Thine eyes" (Ps. 31:22).
The fumes of passion dim our vision when we look only at what is
present. Asaph declared, "My feet were almost gone, my steps had
well-nigh slipped; for I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the
prosperity of the wicked" (Ps. 73:2, 3); but when he went into the
sanctuary of God he said, "Then understood I their end" (verse 17),
and that quieted him. Faith is occupied not with the scaffolding, but
with the completed building; not with the medicine, but with the
healthful effects it produces; not with the painful rod, but with the
peaceable fruit of righteousness in which it issues.
Suffering, then, is a test of the heart; chastisement is a challenge
to faith--our faith in His wisdom, His faithfulness, His love. As we
have sought to show above the great need of the Christian is to keep
himself in the love of God, for the soul to have an unshaken assurance
of His tender care for us: "casting all your care upon Him, for He
careth for you" (1 Pet. 5:7). But the knowledge of that "care" can
only be experimentally maintained by the exercise of faith--especially
is this the case in times of trouble. A preacher once asked a
despondent friend, "Why is that cow looking over the wall?" And the
answer was, "Because she cannot look through it." The illustration may
be crude, yet it gives point to an important truth. Discouraged
reader, look over the things which so much distress you, and behold
the Father's smiling face; look above the frowning clouds of His
providence, and see the sunshine of His never changing love.
"For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom
He receiveth" (verse 6). There is something very striking and unusual
about this verse, for it is found, in slightly varied form, in no less
than five different books of the Bible:--"Happy is the man whom God
correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty"
(Job 5:17); "Blessed is the man whom Thou chastenest, O Lord, and
teachest him out of Thy law" (Ps. 94:12); "Whom the Lord loveth He
correcteth, even as a father the son in whom he delighteth" (Prov.
3:12); "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten" (Rev. 3:19). Probably
there is a twofold reason for this reiteration. First, it hints at the
importance and blessedness of this truth. God repeats it so frequently
lest we should forget, and thus lose the comfort and cheer of
realizing that Divine chastisement proceeds from love. This must be a
precious word if God thought it well to say it five times over!
Second, such repetition also implies our slowness to believe it; by
nature our evil hearts are inclined in the opposite direction. Though
our text affirms so emphatically that the Christian's chastisements
proceed from God's love, we are ever ready to attribute them to His
harshness. It is really very humbling that the Holy Spirit should deem
it necessary to repeat this statement so often.
"For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom
He receiveth." Four things are to be noted. First, the best of God's
children need chastisement--"every son." There is no Christian but
what has faults and follies which require correcting: "in many things
we all offend" (James 3:2). Second, God will correct all whom He
adopts into His family. However He may now let the reprobate alone in
their sins, He will not ignore the failings of His people--to be
suffered to go on unrebuked in wickedness is a sure sign of alienation
from God. Third, in this God acts as a Father: no wise and good parent
will wink at the faults of his own children: his very relation and
affection to them oblige him to take notice of the same. Fourth, God's
disciplinary dealings with His sons proceed from and make manifest His
love to them: it is this fact we would now particularly concentrate
upon.
1. The Christian's chastisements flow from God's love. Not from His
anger or hardness, nor from arbitrary dealings, but from God's heart
do our afflictions proceed. It is love which regulates all the ways of
God in dealing with His own. It was love which elected them. The heart
is not warmed when our election is traced back merely to God's
sovereign will, but our affections are stirred when we read "in love
having predestinated us" (Eph. 1:4, 5). It was love which redeemed us.
We do not reach the center of the atonement when we see nothing more
in the Cross than a vindication of the law and a satisfaction of
justice: "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son"
(John 3:16). It is love which regenerates or effectually calls us:
"with loving kindness have I drawn thee" (Jer. 31:3). The new birth is
not only a marvel of Divine wisdom and a miracle of Divine power, but
it is also and superlatively a product of God's affection.
In like manner it is love which ordained our trials and orders our
chastisements. O Christian, never doubt the love of God. A quaint old
Quaker, who was a farmer, had a weather-vane on the roof of his barn,
from which stood out in clear-cut letters "God is love." One day a
preacher was being driven to the Quaker's home; his host called
attention to the vane and its text. The preacher turned and said, "I
don't like that at all: it misrepresents the Divine character--God's
love is not variable like the weather." Said the Quaker, "Friend you
have misinterpreted its significance; that text on the weather-vane is
to remind me that, no matter which way the wind is blowing, no matter
from which direction the storm may come, still, "God is love."
2. The Christian's chastisements express God's love. Oftentimes we do
not think so. As God's children we think and act very much as we did
when children naturally. When we were little and our parents insisted
that we should perform a certain duty we failed to appreciate the love
which had respect unto our future well-being. Or, when our parents
denied us something on which we had set our hearts, we felt we were
very hardly dealt with. Yet was it love which said "No" to us. So it
is spiritually. The love of God not only gives, but also withholds. No
doubt this is the explanation for some of our unanswered prayers: God
loves us too much to give what would not really be for our profit. The
duties insisted upon, the rebukes given, the things withheld, are all
expressions of His faithful love.
Chastisements manifest God's care of us. He does not regard us with
unconcern and neglect, as men usually do their illegitimate children,
but He has a true parent's solicitation for us: "Like as a father
pitieth his children so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him" (Ps.
103:13). "And He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed
thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know;
that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but
by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man
live" (Deut. 8:3). There are several important sermons wrapped up in
that verse, but we have not the space here to even outline them. God
brings into the wilderness that we may be drawn nearer Himself. He
dries up cisterns that we may seek and enjoy the Fountain. He destroys
our nest down here that our affection may be set upon things above.
3. The Christian's chastisements magnify God's love. Our very trials
make manifest the fullness and reveal the perfections of God's love.
What a word is that in Lamentations 3:33; "He doth not afflict
willingly"! If God consulted only His own pleasure, He would not
afflict us at all: it is for our profit that He "scourges." Ever
remember that the great High Priest Himself is "touched with the
feeling of our infirmities"; yet, notwithstanding, He employs the rod!
God is love, and nothing is so sensitive as love. Concerning the
trials and tribulations of Israel of old, it is written, "In all their
affliction He was afflicted" (Isa. 63:9); yet out of love He chastens.
How this manifests and magnifies the unselfishness of God's love!
Here, then is the Christian supplied with an effectual shield to turn
aside the fiery darts of the wicked one. As we said at the beginning,
Satan ever seeks to take advantage of our trials: like the fiend that
he is, he makes his fiercest assaults when we are most cast down. Thus
it was that he attacked Job--"Curse God and die." And thus some of us
have found it. Did he not, in the hour of suffering and sorrow, seek
to remind you that when you had become increasingly diligent in
seeking to please and glorify God, the darkest clouds of adversity
followed; and say, How unjust God is; what a miserable reward for your
devotion and zeal! Here is your recourse, fellow-Christian: say to the
Devil, "It is written, `Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth.' "
Again; if Satan cannot succeed in traducing the character of God and
cause us to doubt His goodness and question His love, then he will
assail our assurance. The Devil is most persevering: if a frontal
attack falls, then he will make one from the rear. He will assault
your assurance of sonship: he will whisper "You are no child of His:
look at your condition, consider your circumstances, contrast those of
other Christians. You cannot be an object of God's favor; you are
deceiving yourself; your profession is an empty one. If you were God's
child, He would treat you very differently. Such privations, such
losses, such pains, show that you cannot be one of His." But say to
him, "It is written, `Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth.'"
Let our final thought be upon the last word of our text: "For whom the
Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth."
The one whom God scourges is not rejected, but "received"--received up
into glory, welcomed in His House above. First the cross, then the
crown, is God's unchanging order. This was vividly illustrated in the
history of the children of Israel: God "chose them in the furnace of
affliction," and many and bitter were their trials ere they reached
the promised land. So it is with us. First the wilderness, then
Canaan; first the scourging, and then the "receiving." May we keep
ourselves more and more in the love of God.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 89
Divine Chastisement
(Hebrews 12:7, 8)
__________________________________________
The all-important matter in connection with Divine chastenings, so far
as the Christian is concerned, is the spirit in which he receives
them. Whether or not we "profit" from them, turns entirely on the
exercises of our minds and hearts under them. The advantages or
disadvantages which outward things bring to us, is to be measured by
the effects they produce in us. Material blessings become curses if
our souls are not the gainers thereby, while material losses prove
benedictions if our spiritual graces are enriched therefrom. The
difference between our spiritual impoverishment or our spiritual
enrichment from the varied experiences of this life, will very largely
be determined by our heart-attitude toward them, the spirit in which
they are encountered, and our subsequent conduct under them. It is all
summed up in that word "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he"
(Prov. 23:7).
As the careful reader passes from verse to verse of Hebrews 12:3-11,
he will observe how the Holy Spirit has repeatedly stressed this
particular point, namely, the spirit in which God's chastisements are
to be received. First, the tried and troubled saint is bidden to
consider Him who was called upon to pass through a far rougher and
deeper sea of suffering than any which His followers encounter, and
this contemplation of Him is urged "lest we be wearied and faint in
our minds" (verse 3.). Second, we are bidden to "despise not" the
chastenings of the Lord, "nor faint" when we are rebuked of Him (verse
5). Third, our Christian duty is to "endure" chastening as becometh
the sons of God (verse 7). Fourth, it is pointed out that since we
gave reverence to our earthly fathers when they corrected us, much
more should we "rather be in subjection" unto our heavenly Father
(verse 9). Finally, we learn there will only be the "peaceable fruit
of righteousness" issuing from our afflictions, if we are duly
"exercised thereby" (verse 11).
In the previous articles we have sought to point out some of the
principal considerations which should help the believer to receive
God's chastisements in a meet and becoming spirit. We have considered
the blessed example left us by our Captain: may we who have enlisted
under His banner diligently follow the same. We have seen that,
however severe may be our trials, they are by no means extreme: we
have not yet "resisted unto blood"--martyrdom has not overtaken us, as
it did many who preceded us: shall we succumb to the showers, when
they defied the fiercest storms! We have dwelt upon the needs-be for
Divine reproof and correction. We have pointed out the blessed
distinction there is between Divine punishment and Divine
chastisement. We have contemplated the source from which all proceeds,
namely, the love of our Father. We have shown the imperative necessity
for the exercise of faith, if the heart is to be kept in peace while
the rod is upon us.
"If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what
son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without
chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not
sons" (verses 7, 8). In these verses another consideration is
presented for the comfort of those whom God is chastening. That of
which we are here reminded is, that, when the Christian comports
himself properly under Divine correction, he gives proof of his Divine
sonship. If he endure them in a manner becoming to his profession, he
supplies evidence of his Divine adoption. Blessed indeed is this, an
unanswerable reply to Satan's evil insinuation: so far from the
disciplinary afflictions which the believer encounters showing that
God loves him not, they afford a golden opportunity for him to
exercise and display his unquestioning love of the Father. If we
undergo chastisements with patience and perseverance, then do we make
manifest, both to ourselves and to others, the genuineness of our
profession.
In the verses which are now before us the apostle draws an inference
from and makes a particular application of what had been previously
affirmed, thereby confirming the exhortation. There are three things
therein to be particularly noted. First, the duty which has been
enjoined: Divine chastisements are to be "endured" by us: that which
is included and involved by that term we shall seek to show in what
follows. Second, the great benefit which is gained by a proper
endurance of those chastisements: evidence is thereby obtained that
God is dealing with us as "sons:" not as enemies whom He hates, but as
dear children whom He loves. Third, a solemn contrast is then drawn,
calculated to unmask hypocrites and expose empty professors: those who
are without Divine chastisement are not sons at all, but
"bastards"--claiming the Church for their mother, yet having not God
for their Father: what is signified thereby will appear in the sequel.
"If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons." This
statement supplements what was before us in verse 5. Both of them
speak of the spirit in which chastisements are to be received by the
Christian, only with this difference: verse 5 gives the negative side,
verse 7 the positive. On the one hand, we are not to "despise" or
"faint" under them; on the other hand, they are to be "endured." It
has become an English proverb that "what cannot be cured must be
endured," which is but another way of saying that we must grit our
teeth and make the best of a bad job. It scarcely needs pointing out
that the Holy Spirit has not used the term here in its lowest and
carnal sense, but rather in its noblest and spiritual signification.
In order to ascertain the force and scope of any word which is used in
Holy Scripture neither its acceptation in ordinary speech nor its
dictionary etymology is to be consulted; instead, a concordance must
be used, so as to find out how it is actually employed on the sacred
page. In the case now before us, we do not have far to seek, for in
the immediate context it is found in a connection where it cannot be
misunderstood. In verse 2 we read that the Savior "endured the cross,"
and in verse 3 that He "endured such contradiction of sinners against
Himself." It was in the highest and noblest sense that Christ
"endured" His sufferings: He remained steadfast under the sorest
trials, forsaking not the path of duty. He meekly and heroically bore
the acutest afflictions without murmuring against or fainting under
them. How, then, is the Christian to conduct himself in the fires? We
subjoin a sevenfold answer.
First, the Christian is to "endure" chastisement inquiringly. While it
be true that all chastisement is not the consequence of personal
disobedience or sinful conduct, yet much of it is so, and therefore it
is always the part of wisdom for us to seek for the why of it. There
is a cause for every effect, and a reason for all God's dealings. The
Lord does not act capriciously, nor does He afflict willingly (Lam.
3:33). Every time the Father's rod fails upon us it is a call to
self-examination, for pondering the path of our feet, for heeding that
repeated word in Haggai "Consider your ways." It is our bounden duty
to search ourselves and seek to discover the reason of God's
displeasure. This may not be a pleasant exercise, and if we are honest
with ourselves it is likely to occasion us much concern and sorrow;
nevertheless, a broken and contrite heart is never despised by the One
with whom we have to do.
Alas, only too often this self-examination and inquiring into the
cause of our affliction is quite neglected, relief therefrom being the
uppermost thought in the sufferer's mind. There is a most solemn
warning upon this point in 2 Chronicles 16:12, 13, "And Asa in the
thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his
disease was exceeding great; yet in his disease he sought not to the
Lord, but the physicians. And Asa slept with his fathers." How many
professing Christians do likewise today. As soon as sickness strikes
them, their first thought and desire is not that the affliction may be
sanctified unto their souls, but how quickly their bodies may be
relieved. We do not fully agree with some brethren who affirm that the
Christian ought never to call in a doctor, and that the whole medical
fraternity is of the Devil--in such case the Holy Spirit had never
denominated Luke "the beloved physician," nor had Christ said the sick
"need" a physician. On the other hand, it is unmistakably evident that
physical healing is not the first need of an ailing saint.
Second, the Christian is to "endure" chastisement prayerfully. If our
inquiry is to be prosecuted successfully, then we are in urgent need
of Divine assistance. Those who rely upon their own judgment are
certain to err. As our hearts are exercised as to the cause of the
chastening, we need to seek earnestly unto God, for it is only in His
light that we "see light" (Ps. 36:9). It is not sufficient to examine
ourselves: we must request the Divine physician to diagnose our case,
saying "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my
thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the
way everlasting" (Ps. 139:23, 24). Nevertheless, let it be pointed out
that such a request cannot be presented sincerely unless we have
personally endeavored to thoroughly search ourselves and purpose to
continue so doing.
Prayer was never designed to be a substitute for the personal
discharge of duty: rather is it appointed as a means for procuring
help therein. While it remains our duty to honestly scrutinize our
hearts and inspect our ways, measuring them by the holy requirements
of Scripture, yet only the immediate assistance of the Spirit will
enable us to prosecute our quest with any real profit and success.
Therefore we need to enter the secret place and inquire of the Lord
"show me wherefore Thou contendest with me" (Job 10:2). If we
sincerely ask Him to make known unto us what it is in our ways He is
displeased with, and for which He is now rebuking us, He will not mock
us. Request of Him the hearing ear, and He will tell what is wrong.
Let there be no reserve, but an honest desire to know what needs
correcting, and He will show you.
Third, the Christian is to "endure" chastisement humbly. When the Lord
has responded to your request and has made known the cause of His
chastening, see to it that you quarrel not with Him. If there be any
feeling that the scourging is heavier than you deserve, the thought
must be promptly rejected. "Wherefore doth a living man complain, a
man for the punishment (or chastisement) of his sins?" (Lam. 3:39). If
we take issue with the Most High, we shall only be made to smart the
more for our pains. Rather must we seek grace to heed that word,
"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God" (1 Pet.
5:6). Ask Him to quicken conscience, shine into your heart, and bring
to light the hidden things of darkness, so that you may perceive your
inward sins as well as your outward. And then will you exclaim, "I
know, O Lord, that Thy judgments are right, and that Thou in
faithfulness hast afflicted me" (Ps. 119:75).
Fourth, the Christian is to "endure" chastisement patiently. Probably
that is the prime thought in our text: steadfastness, a resolute
continuance in the path of duty, an abiding service of God with all
our hearts, notwithstanding the present trial, is what we are called
unto. But Satan whispers, "What is the use? you have endeavored,
earnestly, to please the Lord, and how is He rewarding you? You cannot
satisfy Him: the more you give, the more He demands; He is a hard and
tyrannical Master." Such vile suggestions must be put from us as the
malicious lies of him who hates God and seeks to encompass our
destruction. God has only your good in view when the rod is laid upon
you. Just as the grass needs to be mown to preserve its freshness, as
the vine has to be pruned to ensure its fruitfulness, as friction is
necessary to produce electric power, as fire alone will consume the
dross, even so the discipline of trial is indispensable for the
education of the Christian.
"Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap,
if we faint not" (Gal. 6:9). Keep before you the example of Christ: He
was led as a lamb to the slaughter, yet before His shearers He was
"dumb." He never fretted or murmured, and we are to "follow His
steps." "Let patience have her perfect work" (James 1:4). For this we
have to be much in prayer; for this we need the strengthening help of
the Holy Spirit. God tells us that chastisement is not "joyous" but
"grievous": if it were not, it would not be "chastening." But He also
assures us that "afterwards it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of
righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby" (Heb. 12:11). Lay
hold of that word "afterward": anticipate the happy sequel, and in the
comfort thereof continue pressing forward along the path of duty.
"Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the
patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit" (Ecclesiastes
7:8).
Fifth, the Christian is to "endure" chastisement believingly. This was
how Job endured his: "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away;
blessed be the name of the Lord" (Heb. 1:21). Ah, he looked behind all
secondary causes, and perceived that above the Sabeans and Chaldeans
was Jehovah Himself. But is it not at this point we most often fail?
Only too frequently we see only the injustice of men, the malice of
the world, the enmity of Satan, in our trials: that is walking by
sight. Faith brings God into the scene. "I had fainted, unless I had
believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living"
(Ps. 27:13). It is an adage of the world that "Seeing is believing:"
but in the spiritual realm, the order is reversed: there we must
"believe" in order to "see." And what is it which the saint most
desires to "see"? Why, "the goodness of the Lord," for unless he sees
that, he "faints." And how does faith see "the goodness of the Lord"
in chastisements? By viewing them as proceeding from God's love, as
ordered by His wisdom, and as designed for our profit.
As the bee sucks honey out of the bitter herb, so faith may extract
much good from afflictions. Faith can turn water into wine, and make
bread out of stones. Unbelief gives up in the hour of trial and sinks
in despair; but faith keeps the head above water and hopefully looks
for deliverance. Human reason may not be able to understand the
mysterious ways of God, but faith knows that the sorest
disappointments and the heaviest losses are among the "all things"
which work together for our good. Carnal friends may tell us that it
is useless to strive any longer; but faith says, "Though He slay me,
yet will I trust in Him" (Job 13:15). What a wonderful promise is that
in Psalm 91:15, "I will be with him in trouble: I will deliver him."
Ah, but faith alone can feel that Presence, and faith alone can enjoy
now the assured deliverance. It was because of the joy set before Him
(by the exercise of faith) that Christ "endured the cross," and only
as we view God's precious promises will we patiently endure our cross.
Sixth, the Christian is to "endure" chastisement hopefully. Though
quite distinct, the line of demarcation between faith and hope is not
a very broad one, and in some of the things said above we have rather
anticipated what belongs to this particular point. "For we are saved
by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why
doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we
with patience wait for it" (Rom. 8:24, 25). This passage clearly
intimates that "hope" relates to the future. "Hope" in Scripture is
far more than a warrantless wish: it is a firm conviction and a
comforting expectation of a future good. Now inasmuch as chastisement,
patiently and believingly endured, is certain to issue in blessing,
hope is to be exercised. "When He hath tried me, I shall come forth as
gold" (Job 23:10): that is the language of confident expectation.
While it be true that faith supports the heart under trial, it is
equally a fact--though less recognized--that hope buoys it up. When
the wings of hope are spread, the soul is able to soar above the
present distress, and inhale the invigorating air of future bliss.
"For our light affliction which is but for a moment, worketh for us a
far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory: while we look not at
the things which are seen, but at the things which are unseen" (2 Cor.
4:17, 18): that also is the language of joyous anticipation. No matter
how dark may the clouds which now cover thy horizon, ere long the Sun
of righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings. Then seek to
walk in the steps of our father Abraham, "who against hope, believed
in hope, that he might become the father of many nations" (Rom. 4:18).
Seventh, the Christian is to "endure" chastisement thankfully. Be
grateful, my despondent brother, that the great God cares so much for
a worm of the earth as to be at such pains in your spiritual
education. O what a marvel that the Maker of heaven and earth should
go to so much trouble in His son-training of us! Fail not, then, to
thank Him for His goodness, His faithfulness, His patience, toward
thee. "We are chastened of the Lord (now) that we should not be
condemned with the world" in the day to come (1 Cor. 11:32): what
cause for praise is this! If the Lord Jesus, on the awful night of His
betrayal, "sang a hymn" (Matthew 26:30), how much more should we,
under our infinitely lighter sorrows, sound forth the praises of our
God. May Divine grace enable both writer and reader to "endure
chastening" in this sevenfold spirit, and then will God be glorified
and we advantaged.
"If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons." This
does not mean that upon our discharge of the duty enjoined God will
act toward us "as with sons"; for this He does in the chastisements
themselves, as the apostle has clearly shown. No, rather, the force of
these words is, If ye endure chastening, then you have the evidence in
yourselves that God deals with you as sons. In other words, the more I
am enabled to conduct myself under troubles as becometh a child of
God, the clearer is the proof of my Divine adoption. The new birth is
known by its fruits, and the more my spiritual graces are exercised
under testing, the more do I make manifest my regeneration.
Furthermore, the clearer the evidence of my regeneration, the clearer
do I perceive the dealings of a Father toward me in His discipline.
The patient endurance of chastenings is not only of great price in the
sight of God, but is of inestimable value unto the souls of them that
believe. While it be true that the sevenfold description we have given
above depicts not the spirit in which all Christians do receive
chastening, but rather the spirit in which they ought to receive it,
and that all coming short thereof is to be mourned and confessed
before God; nevertheless, it remains that no truly born-again person
continues to either utterly "despise" the rod or completely "faint"
beneath it. No, herein lies a fundamental difference between the
good-ground hearer and the stony-ground one: of the former it is
written, "The righteous also shall hold on his way" (Job. 17:9); of
the latter, it is recorded, "Yet hath he not root in himself, but
dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth
because of the Word, immediately he is offended" (Matthew 13:21).
A mere suffering of things calamitous is not, in itself, any evidence
of our acceptance with God. Man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly
upwards, so that afflictions or chastisements are no pledges of our
adoption; but if we "endure" them with any measure of real faith,
submission and perseverance, so that we "faint not" under
them--abandon not the Faith or entirely cease seeking to serve the
Lord--then do we demonstrate our Divine sonship. So too it is the
proper frame of our minds and the due exercise of our hearts which
lets in a sense of God's gracious design toward us in His chastenings.
The Greek word for "dealeth with us as with sons" is very blessed:
literally it signifies "he offereth Himself unto us:" He proposeth
Himself not as an enemy, but as a Friend; not as toward strangers, but
as toward His own beloved children.
"But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then
are ye bastards, and not sons" (verse 8). These words present the
reverse side of the argument established in the preceding verse: since
it be true, both in the natural and in the spiritual realm, that
disciplinary dealing is inseparable from the relation between fathers
and sons, so that an evidence of adoption is to be clearly inferred
therefrom, it necessarily follows that those who are "without
chastisement" are not children at all. What we have here is a testing
and discriminative rule, which it behoves each of us to measure
himself by. That we may not err therein, let us attend to its several
terms.
When the apostle says, "But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all
are partakers," it is obvious that his words are not to be taken in
their widest latitude: the word "all" refers not to all men, but to
the "sons" of whom he is speaking. In like manner, "chastisement" is
not here to be taken for everything that is grievous and afflictive,
for none entirely escape trouble in this life. But comparatively
speaking, there are those who are largely exempt: such the Psalmist
referred to when he said, "For there are no bands in their death: but
their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men; neither
are they plagued like other men" (Ps. 73:4, 5). No, it is God's
disciplinary dealings which the apostle is speaking of, corrective
instruction which promotes holiness. There are many professors who,
whatever trials they may experience, are without any Divine
chastisement for their good.
Those who are "without chastisement" are but "bastards." It is common
knowledge that bastards are despised and neglected--though unjustly
so--by those who illegitimately begot them: they are not the objects
of that love and care as those begotten in wedlock. This solemn fact
has its counterpart in the religious realm. There is a large class who
are destitute of Divine chastisements, for they give no evidence that
they receive them, endure them, or improve them. There is a yet more
solemn meaning in this word: under the law "bastards" had no right of
inheritance: "A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the
Lord" (Deut. 23:2): No cross, no crown: to be without God's
disciplinary chastenings now, means that we must be excluded from His
presence hereafter. Here, then, is a further reason why the Christian
should be contented with his present lot: the Father's rod upon him
now evidences his title unto the Inheritance in the day to come.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
____________________________________________________
About Us
What's New
Audio Works
Baptist History
Bible Study Courses
Eschatology Heretical Teachings
Theological Studies
TULIP
Webmaster
Comfort in a
Time of Sorrow Links & Resources
For the Cause of
God and Truth
Follow us on Twitter
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Mobile Downloads Print Books
PB Home
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Contact Us
_________________________________________________________________
¸ Copyright 2004-2012 Providence Baptist Ministries
http://www.pbministries.org. All rights reserved.
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 90
Divine Chastisement
(Hebrews 12:9)
__________________________________________
The apostle Paul did not, like so many of our moderns, hurry through a
subject and dismiss an unpleasant theme with a brief sentence or two.
No, he could say truthfully, "I kept back nothing that was profitable
unto you." His chief concern was not to please, but to help his
hearers and readers. Well did he know the tendency of the heart to
turn away quickly from what is searching and humbling, unto that which
is more attractive and consoling. But so far from acceding to this
spirit, he devoted as much attention unto exhortation as instruction,
unto reproving as comforting, unto duties as expounding promises;
while the latter was given its due place the former was not neglected.
It behooves each servant of God to study the methods of the apostles,
and seek wisdom and grace to emulate their practice; only thus will
they preserve the balance of Truth, and be delivered from "handling
the Word deceitfully" (2 Cor. 4:2).
Some years ago, when the editor was preaching a series of sermons on
Hebrews 12:3-11, several members of the congregation intimated they
were growing weary of hearing so much upon the subject of Divine
chastisement. Alas, the very ones who chafed so much at hearing about
God's rod, have since been smitten the most severely by it. Should any
of our present readers feel the same way about the writer's treatment
of this same passage, he would lovingly warn them that, though these
articles may seem gloomy and irksome while prosperity be smiling upon
them, nevertheless they will be well advised to "hearken and hear for
the time to come" (Isa. 42:23). The sun will not always be shining
upon you, dear reader, and if you now store these thoughts up in your
memory, they may stand you in good stead when your sky becomes
overcast.
Sooner or later, this portion of Holy Writ will apply very pertinently
unto each of our cases. God "scourgeth every son whom He receiveth."
None of the followers of "The Man of sorrows" are exempted from
sorrow. It has been truly said that "God had one Son without sin, but
none without suffering." So much depends upon how we "endure"
suffering: the spirit in which it be received, the graces which are
exercised by it, and the improvement which we make of it. Our attitude
toward God, and the response which we make unto His disciplinary
dealings with us, means that we shall either honor or dishonor Him,
and suffer loss or reap gain therefrom. Manifold are our obligations
to comport ourselves becomingly when God is pleased to scourge us, and
many and varied are the motives and arguments which the Spirit,
through the apostle, here presents to us for this end.
In the verse which is now to be before us a further reason is given
showing the need of the Christian's duty to meekly bear God's
chastenings. First, the apostle had reminded the saints of the
teaching of Scripture, verse 5: how significant that he began with
that! Second, he had comforted them with the assurance that the rod is
wielded not by wrath, but in tender solicitude, verse 6. Third, he
affirmed that God chastens all His children without exception,
bastards only escaping, verses 7, 8. Now he reminds us that we had
natural parents who corrected us, and we gave them reverence. Our
earthly fathers had the right, because of their relationship, to
discipline us, and we acquiesced. If, then, it was right and meet for
us to submit to their corrections, how much more ought we to be in
subjection unto our heavenly Father when He reproves us.
"Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh, which corrected us,
and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection
unto the Father of spirits, and live?" (verse 9). The opening
"Furthermore" is really humbling and searching. One would think
sufficient had been said in the previous verses to make us be
submissive under and thankful for the tender discipline of our God. Is
it not enough to be told that the Scriptures teach us to expect
chastisements, and exhort us not to despise them? Is it not sufficient
to be assured that these chastisements proceed from the very heart of
our Father, being appointed and regulated by His love? No, a
"furthermore" is needed by us! The Holy Spirit deigns to supply
further reasons for bringing our unruly hearts into subjection. This
should indeed humble us, for the implication is clear that we are slow
to heed and bow beneath the rod. Yea, is it not sadly true that the
older we become, the more need there is for our being chastened?
The writer has been impressed by the fact, both in his study of the
Word and his observation of fellow-Christians, that, as a general
rule, God uses the rod very little and very lightly upon the babes and
younger members of His family, but that He employs it more frequently
and severely on mature Christians. We have often heard older saints
warning younger brethren and sisters of their great danger, yet it is
striking to observe that Scripture records not a single instance of a
young saint disgracing his profession. Recall the histories of young
Joseph, the Hebrew maid in Naaman's household, David as a stripling
engaging Goliath, Daniel's early days, and his three youthful
companions in the furnace; and it will be found that all of them
quitted themselves nobly. On the other hand, there are numerous
examples where men in middle life and of grey hairs grievously
dishonored their Lord.
It is true that young Christians are feeblest, and with rare
exceptions, they know it; and therefore does God manifest His grace
and power by upholding them: it is the "lambs" which He carries in His
arms! But some older Christians seem far less conscious of their
danger, and so God often suffers them to have a fall, that He may
stain the pride of their self-glory, and that others may see it is
nothing in the flesh--standing, rank, age, or attainments--which
insures our safety; but that He upholds the humble and casts down the
proud. David did not fall into his great sin till he had reached the
prime of life. Lot did not transgress most grossly till he was an old
man. Isaac seems to have become a glutton in his old age, and was as a
vessel no longer "meet for the Master's use," which rusted out rather
than wore out. It was after a life of walking with God, and building
the ark, that Noah disgraced himself. The worst sin of Moses was
committed not at the beginning but at the end of the wilderness
journey. Hezekiah became puffed up with pride near the sunset of his
life. What warnings are these!
God thus shows us there is no protection in years. Yea, added years
seem to call for increased chastenings. Often there is more grumbling
and complaining among the aged pilgrims than the younger ones: it is
true their nerves can stand less, but God's grace is sufficient for
worn-out nerves. Often there is more occupation with self and
circumstances among the fathers and mothers in Israel, and less
talking of Christ and His wondrous love, than there is among the
babes. Yes, there is, much need for all of us to heed the opening
"furthermore" of our text. Every physician will tell us there are some
diseases which become more troublesome in middle life, and others
which are incident to old age. The same is true of different forms of
sinning. If we are more liable to certain sins in our youth, we are in
greater danger of others in advanced years. Undoubtedly it is the case
that the older we get, the more need there is to heed this
"furthermore" which prefaces the call of our being in subjection to
the Father of spirits. If we do not need more grace, certain it is
that we need as much grace, when we are grown old as while we are
growing up.
The aged meet with as many temptations as do young Christians. They
are tempted to live in the past, rather than in the future. They are
tempted to take things easier, spiritually as well as temporally, so
that it has to be said of some "ye did run well." O to be like Paul
"the aged," who was in full harness to the end. They are tempted to be
unduly occupied with their increasing infirmities; but is it not
written "the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities"! Yet, because this
is affirmed, we must not think there is no longer need to earnestly
seek His help. This comforting word is given in order that we should
frequently and confidently pray for this very thing. If it were not
recorded, we might doubt His readiness to do so, and wonder if we were
asking "according to His will." Because it is recorded, when feeling
our "infirmities" press most heavily upon us, let us cry, "O Holy
Spirit of God, do as Thou hast said, and help us."
In this connection let us remind ourselves of that verse, "Who
satisfieth thy mouth with good things: so that thy youth is renewed
like the eagle's" (Ps. 103:5) The eagle is a bird renowned for its
longevity, often living to be more than a hundred years old. The eagle
is also the high-soaring bird, building its nest on the mountain
summit. But how is the eagle's youth renewed? By a new crop of
feathers, by the rejuvenation of its wings. And that is precisely what
some middle-aged and elderly Christians need: the rejuvenation of
their spiritual wings--the wings of faith, of hope, of zeal, of love
for souls, of devotedness to Christ. So many leave their first love,
lose the joy of their espousals, and instead of setting before younger
Christians a bright example of trustfulness and cheerfulness, they
often discourage by gloominess and slothfulness. Thus God's
chastenings increase in severity and frequency!
Dear friend, instead of saying, "The days of my usefulness are over,"
rather reason, The night cometh when no man can work; therefore I must
make the most of my opportunities while it is yet called day. For your
encouragement let it be stated that the most active worker in a church
of which the editor was pastor was seventy-seven years old when he
went there, and during his stay of three and a half years she did more
for the Lord, and was a greater stimulus to him, than any other member
of that church. She lived another eight years, and they were, to the
very end, filled with devoted service to Christ. We believe that the
Lord will yet say of her, as of another woman, "She hath done what she
could." O brethren and sisters, especially you who are feeling the
weight of years, heed that word, "Be not weary in well doing, for in
due season, we shall reap, if we faint not" (Gal. 6:9).
"Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us and
we gave them reverence." It is the duty of children to give the
reverence of obedience unto the just commands of their parents, and
the reverence of submission to their correction when disobedient. As
parents have a charge from God to minister correction to their
children when it is due--and not spoil them unto their ruin--so
children have a command from God to receive parental reproof in a
proper spirit, and not to be discontented, stubborn, or rebellious.
For a child to be insubordinate under correction, evidences a double
fault; the very correction shows a fault has been committed, and
insubordination under correction is only adding wrong to wrong. "We
gave them reverence," records the attitude of dutiful children toward
their sires: they neither ran away from home in a huff, nor became so
discouraged as to quit the path of duty.
From this law of the human home, the apostle points out the humble and
submissive conduct which is due unto God when He disciplines His
children: "Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father
of spirits?" The "much rather" points a contrast suggested by the
analogy: that contrast is at least fourfold. First, the former
chastening proceeded from those who were our fathers according to the
flesh; the other is given by Him who is our heavenly Father. Second,
the one was sometimes administered in imperfect knowledge and
irritable temper; the other comes from unerring wisdom and untiring
love. Third, the one was during but a brief period, when we were
children; the other continues throughout the whole of our Christian
life. Fourth, the one was designed for our temporal good; the other
has in view our spiritual and eternal welfare. Then how much more
should we readily submit unto the latter.
"Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of
spirits?" By nature we are not in subjection. We are born into this
world filled with the spirit of insubordination: as the descendants of
our rebellious first parents, we inherit their evil nature. "Man is
born like a wild ass's colt" (Job 11:12). This is very unpalatable and
humbling, but nevertheless it is true. As Isaiah 53:6 tells us, "we
have turned every one to his own way," and that is one of opposition
to the revealed will of God. Even at conversion this wild and
rebellious nature is not eradicated. A new nature is given, but the
old one lusts against it. It is because of this that discipline and
chastisement are needed by us, and the great design of these is to
bring us into subjection unto the Father of spirits. To be "in
subjection unto the father" is a phrase of extensive import, and it is
well that we should understand its various significations.
1. It denotes an acquiescence in God's sovereign right to do with us
as He pleases. "I was dumb, I opened not my mouth: because thou didst
it" (Ps. 39:9). It is the duty of saints to be mute under the rod and
silent beneath the sharpest afflictions. But this is only possible as
we see the hand of God in them. If His hand be not seen in the trial,
the heart will do nothing but fret and fume. "And the king said, What
have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? so let him curse, because
the Lord hath said unto him, Curse David. Who shall then say,
Wherefore hast thou done so? And David said to Abishai, and to all his
servants, Behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels, seeketh my
life: How much more now may this Benjamite do it? let him alone, and
let him curse, for the Lord hath bidden him" (2 Sam. 16:10, 11). What
an example of complete submission to the sovereign will of the Most
High was this! David knew that Shimei could not curse him without
God's permission.
"This will set my heart at rest,
What my God appoints is best."
But with rare exceptions many chastenings are needed to bring us to
this place, and to keep us there.
2. It implies a renunciation of self-will. To be in subjection unto
the Father presupposes a surrendering and resigning of ourselves to
Him. A blessed illustration of this is found in Leviticus 10:1-3, "And
Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer,
and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange
fire before the Lord, which He commanded them not. And there went out
fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.
Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I
will be sanctified in them that come nigh Me, and before all the
people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace." Consider the
circumstances. Aaron's two sons, most probably intoxicated at the
time, were suddenly cut off by Divine judgment. Their father had no
warning to prepare him for this trial; yet he "held his peace!" O
quarrel not against Jehovah: be clay in the hands of the Potter: take
Christ's yoke upon you, and learn of Him who was "meek and lowly in
heart."
3. It signifies an acknowledgment of God's righteousness and wisdom in
all His dealings with us. We must vindicate God. This is what the
Psalmist did: "I know, O Lord, that Thy judgments are right, and that
Thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me" (Ps. 119:75). Let us see to it
that Wisdom is ever justified by her children: let our confession of
her be, "Righteous art Thou, O Lord, and upright are Thy judgments"
(Ps. 119:137). Whatever be sent, we must vindicate the Sender of all
things: the Judge of all the earth cannot do wrong. Stifle, then, the
rebellious murmur, What have I done to deserve such treatment by God?
and say with the Psalmist, "He hath not dealt with us after our sins,
nor rewarded us according to our iniquities" (Ps. 103:10). Why, my
reader, if God dealt with us only according to the strict rule of His
justice, we had been in Hell long ago: "If Thou, Lord, shouldest mark
("impute") iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?" (Ps. 130:3).
The Babylonian captivity was the severest affliction which God ever
brought upon His earthly people during O.T. times, yet even then a
renewed heart acknowledged God's righteousness in it: "Now therefore,
our God, the great, the mighty and the terrible God, who keepest
covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before Thee,
that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and our priests,
and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all Thy people, since
the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day. Howbeit Thou art just
in all that is brought upon us: for Thou hast done right, but we have
done wickedly" (Nehemiah 9:32, 33). God's enemies may talk of His
injustice; but let His children proclaim His righteousness. Because
God is good, He can do nothing but what is right and good.
4. It includes a recognition of His care and a sense of His love.
There is a sulking submission, and there is a cheerful submission.
There is a fatalistic submission which takes this attitude--this is
inevitable, so I must bow to it; and there is a thankful submission,
receiving with gratitude whatever God may be pleased to send us. "It
is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn Thy
statutes" (Ps. 119:71). The Psalmist viewed his chastisements with the
eye of faith, and doing so he perceived the love behind them. Remember
that when God brings His people into the wilderness it is that they
may learn more of His sufficiency, and that when He casts them into
the furnace, it is that they may enjoy more of His presence.
5. It involves an active performance of His will. True submission unto
the "Father of spirits" is something more than a passive thing. The
other meanings of this expression which we have considered above are
more or less of a negative character, but there is a positive and
active side to it as well, and it is important that this should be
recognized by us. To be "in subjection" to God also means that we are
to walk in His precepts and run in the way of His commandments.
Negatively, we are not to be murmuring rebels; positively, we are to
be obedient children. We are required to be submissive unto God's
Word, so that our thoughts are formed and our ways regulated by it.
There is not only a suffering of God's will, but a doing of it--an
actual performance of duty. When we utter that petition in the prayer
which the Savior has given us, "Thy will be done," something more is
meant than a pious acquiescence unto the pleasure of the Almighty: it
also signifies, may Thy will be performed by me. Subjection "unto the
Father of spirits," then, is the practical owning of His Lordship.
Two reasons for such subjection are suggested in our text. First,
because the One with whom we have to do is our Father. O how
profoundly thankful we should be that the Lord God stands revealed to
us as the "Father"--our Father, because the Father of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ, and He rendered perfect obedience unto Him. It is
but right and meet that children should honor their parents by being
in complete subjection to them: not to do so is to ignore their
relationship, despise their authority, and slight their love. How much
more ought we to be in subjection unto our heavenly Father: there is
nothing tyrannical about Him: His commandments are not grievous: He
has only our good at heart. "Behold, what manner of love the Father
hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God" (1
John 3:1), then let us earnestly endeavor to express our gratitude by
dutifully walking before Him as obedient children, and no matter how
mysterious may be His dealings with us, say with the Savior, "The cup
which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?" (John 18:11).
The particular title of God found in our text calls for a brief
comment. It is placed in antithesis from "fathers of our flesh," which
has reference to their begetting of our bodies. True, our bodies also
are a real creation on the part of God, yet in connection therewith He
is pleased to use human instrumentalities. But in connection with the
immaterial part of our beings, God is the immediate and alone Creator
of them. As the renowned Owen said, "The soul is immediately created
and infused; having no other father but God Himself," and rightly did
that eminent theologian add, "This is the fundamental reason of our
perfect subjection unto God in all afflictions, namely, that our very
souls are His, the immediate product of His Divine power, and under
his rule alone. May He not do as He wills with His own?" The
expression "Father of spirits," refutes, then, the error of
traducianists, who suppose that the soul, equally with the body, is
transmitted by our parents. In Numbers 16:22 He is called "the God of
the spirits of all flesh" which refers to all men naturally; while the
"Father of spirits" in our text includes the new nature in the
regenerate.
The second reason for our subjection to the Father is, because this is
the secret of true happiness, which is pointed out in the final words
of our text "and live." The first meaning of those words is, "and be
happy." This is clear from Deuteronomy 5:33, "Ye shall walk in all the
ways which the Lord your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and
that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the
land which ye shall possess:" observe the words "prolong your days"
are added to "that ye may live," which obviously signifies "that ye
may be happy"--compare Exodus 10:17, where Pharaoh called the miseries
of the plagues "this death." Life ceases to be life when we are
wretched. It is the making of God's will our haven, which secures the
true resting-place for the heart. The rebellious are fretful and
miserable, but "great peace have they which love Thy law and nothing
shall offend them" (Ps. 119:165). "Take My yoke upon you," said
Christ, "and ye shall find rest unto your souls." Alas, the majority
of professing Christians are so little in subjection to God, they have
just enough religion to make them miserable.
"Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits
and live?" No doubt words of this verse point these to a designed
contrast from Deuteronomy 21:18-21, "If a man have a stubborn and
rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the
voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not
hearken unto them: Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on
him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate
of his place . . . And all the men of his city shall stone him with
stones, that he die." "The increase of spiritual life in this world,
and eternal life in the world to come, is that whereunto they (the
words "and live") tend" (John Owen).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 91
Divine Chastisement
(Hebrews 12:10)
__________________________________________
Would any Christian in his right mind dare to pray, Let me not be
afflicted, no matter what good it should do me? And if he were
unwilling and afraid to pray thus, why should he murmur when it so
falls out? Alas, what a wide breach there is, usually, between our
praying and the rest of our conduct. Again; if our rescuer dislocated
our shoulder when pulling us out of the water in which we were
drowning, would we be angry with him? Of course not. Then why fret
against the Lord when He afflicts the body in order to better the
soul? If God takes away outward comforts and fills us with inward
peace, if he removes our worldly wealth but imparts to us more of the
true riches, then, instead of having ground for complaint, we have an
abundant cause for thanksgiving and praise. Then why should I fear to
enter the dark shaft of tribulation if persuaded that it leads to the
gold mines of spiritual experience.
In Scripture, afflictions are compared to fire that purges away the
dross (1 Pet. 1:7), to the fan which drives away the chaff (Matthew
3:12), to a pruning-hook which cuts off superfluous branches and makes
more fruitful the others that remain (John 15:2), to physic that
purges away poisonous matter (Isa. 27:9), to plowing and harrowing the
ground that it may be prepared to receive good seed (Jer. 4:3). Then
why should we be so upset when God is pleased to use the fire upon us
in order to remove our dross, to employ the fan so as to winnow away
the chaff, to take the pruning-hook to lop off the superfluities of
our souls, to give us physic to purge out our corruptions and filth,
to drive the plow into us so as to break up our fallow ground and to
destroy the weeds which grow in our souls? Should we not rather
rejoice that He will not leave us alone in our carnality, but rather
fit us to become partakers of His holiness?
A little child requires much coaxing (at times, something more!) in
order to make him take his medicine. He may be very ill, and mother
may earnestly assure him that the unpleasant potion will bring sure
relief; but the little one cries out, "I cannot take it, it is so
nasty." But adults, generally, need not have the doctor argue and
plead with them: they will swallow the bitterest remedy if convinced
that it will do them good. The application of this to spiritual
matters is obvious. Those Christians who are but spiritual babes, fret
and fume when called upon to endure Divine chastisement, knowing not
the gains they will receive if it be accepted in the right spirit. But
those who have grown in grace, and become men in Christ, who know that
all things work together for good to them that love God, and who have
learned by experience the precious fruits which issue from sanctified
afflictions, accept from God the bitterest cup, and thank Him for it.
But alas, many of God's people are but infants experimentally, and
need much coaxing to reconcile them to the cup of trial. Therefore is
it needful to present to our consideration one argument after another.
Such is the case here in Hebrews 12: if one line of reasoning does not
suffice, perhaps another will. The Christian is very skeptical and
takes much convincing. We have heard a person say to one who claims he
has done, or can do, some remarkable thing, "You must show me before I
will believe you." Most of us are very much like that in connection
with spiritual things. Though the Scriptures assure us, again and
again, that chastisement proceeds from our Father's love, and is
designed for our good, yet we are slow, very slow, to really believe
it. Therefore does the apostle here proceed from one consideration to
another so as to assure the hearts and establish the faith of his
afflicted brethren upon this important subject.
O that our hearts might be so taught by the Spirit, our understandings
so enlightened, our faith so strengthened by Him, that we would be
more grateful and increasingly thankful for the merciful discipline of
our Father. What a proof of His love is this, that in His chastening
of us, His object is to bring us nearer Himself and make us more like
His blessed Son. The more highly we prize health, the more willing are
we to take that which would cure our sickness; and the more we value
holiness (which is the health of our souls) the gladder shall we be
for that which is a means to increase the same in us. We are on a low
plane of spiritual experience, if we do nothing more than simply "bow"
to God's hand. Scripture says, "Giving thanks always, for all things
unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph.
5:20); and again it exhorts us "Rejoice in the Lord alway" (Phil.
4:4). We are to "glory in tribulation" (Rom. 5:3), and we shall when
we perceive more clearly and fully what blessed fruits are brought
forth under the pruning knife.
"For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure;
but He for our profit, that we might be partakers of His holiness" (v.
10). This is a continuation of what was before us in the previous
verse. A further reason is given why Christians should be "in
subjection unto" their heavenly Father, when His correcting rod is
laid upon them. Not only is it becoming for them so to do, because of
the relationship which exists between them: but it is also meet they
should act thus, because of the gains they receive thereby. The
consideration which the apostle now presents to the attention of the
afflicted saints is really a double one. First, the chastisement we
received from our earthly parents had reference mainly to our good in
this life, whereas the disciplinary dealings of our heavenly Father
looks forward to the life to come (2 Cor. 4:17). Second, the
chastisement of our earthly parents was often a matter of their
caprice and sometimes issued from irritability of temper, but the rod
of our heavenly Father is wielded by infinite goodness and wisdom, and
has in view our well being.
We regard the words "for they verily for a few days chastened us" as
referring not so much to the brief season of our childhood, but more
to the fact that our parents had only our temporal interests in view:
whereas God has our eternal welfare before Him. "The apostle seems to
bring in this circumstance to contrast the dealings of earthly parents
with those of God. One of the circumstances is, that the corrections
of earthly parents had a much less important object than those of God.
They related to this life--a life so brief that it may be said to
continue but a "few days." Yet, in order to secure the benefit to be
derived for so short a period from fatherly correction, we submitted
without murmuring. Much more cheerfully ought we to submit to that
discipline from the hand of our heavenly Father which is designed to
extend its benefits through eternity" (A. Barnes).
The added words "after their own pleasure" or "as seemed good" to
them, points another contrast between the disciplinary dealings of our
earthly parents and those of our heavenly Father. In their infirmity,
sometimes the rod was used upon us in a fit of anger, rather than from
a loving desire to reform our manners. "Meaning that it was sometimes
clone arbitrarily, or under the influence of passion. This is an
additional reason why we should submit to God. We submitted to our
earthly parents, though their correction was sometimes passionate, and
was designed to gratify their own pleasure rather than to promote our
good. There is much of this kind of punishment in families; but there
in none of it under the administration of God. `But He for our
profit:' never from passion, from caprice, from the love of power or
superiority, but always for our good" (A. Barnes).
Now the particular contribution which our present verse makes to the
subject of chastisement is, the apostle here makes known the general
end or design of God in the same, namely "our profit." And let it be
pointed out that whatsoever He purposes must surely come to pass, for
He will make the means He employs effectual unto the accomplishment of
His end. Many are the blessings comprehended and various are the
fruits produced through and by means of Divine chastisement. This word
"for our profit" is a very embracing one, including the development of
our characters, the enrichment of our spiritual lives, a closer
conformity to the image of Christ. The same truth is found again in
the "that we might be partakers of His holiness:" that our lusts might
be mortified, our graces vivified, our souls sanctified. Whatever be
the form, degree, or duration of our afflictions, all is ordered by
infinite wisdom so as to secure this object. But to particularize: the
benefits of Divine chastisement--
1. It weans us from the world. One of the greatest surprises of the
writer's Christian life in connection with his fellow-saints has been,
not their ignorance, nor even their inconsistencies, but their
earthliness, their reluctance to leave this world. As "strangers and
pilgrims" we should be longing and yearning for our Heavenly Home; as
those who are away from Him whom they love best, we should desire to
"depart and be with Him" (Phil. 1:23). Paul did. Christ has promised
to return for His people, yet how few of them are daily crying, "Even
so, come, Lord Jesus." How rarely we hear them saying, in the language
of the mother of Sisera, "Why is His chariot so long in coming? why
tarry the wheels of His chariot?''
"And all the trials here we see
Should make us long to be with Thee."
Scripture speaks of this world as a "dry and thirsty land, where no
water is" (Ps. 63:1), and God intends for us to prove this in our
experiences. His Word also affirms that this world is a "dark place"
(2 Pet. 1:19), and He means for us to discover that this is so.
One would think that after the soul had once seen the King in His
beauty, it would henceforth discover no attractions elsewhere. one
would suppose that once we had quenched our thirst at the Fountain of
living waters, we would no more want to drink from the unsatisfying
and polluted cisterns of this world. Surely now that we have
experienced a taste and foretaste of Heaven itself, we shall be
repelled and nauseated by the poor husks this world has to offer. But
alas! the "old man" is still in us, unchanged; and though Divine grace
subdues his activities, still he is very much alive. It is because of
this that we are called on to "crucify the flesh with its affections
and lusts." And this is not only an unpalatable, but a very hard task.
Therefore does God in His mercy help us: help us by chastenings, which
serve to loosen the roots of our souls downward and tighten the
anchor-hold of our hearts Heavenward.
This God does in various ways. Sometimes He causes us to lose our
confidence in and draw us away from fellowship with worldings by
receiving cruel treatment at their hands. "Come out from among them,
and be ye separate" is the Lord's word to His people. But they are
slow to heed; oftentimes they must be driven out. So with worldly
pleasures: God often makes the grapes of earthly joys bitter to our
taste, so that we should no longer seek after them. It is earthly
disappointments and worldly disillusionments which make us sigh for
our Heavenly Home. While the Hebrews enjoyed the land of Goshen they
were content: hard and cruel bondage was needed to make them ready to
leave for the promised land. We were once familiar with a Christian
who had formed a habit of meeting each worldly difficulty or trial to
the flesh by saying, "This is only another nail in my coffin." But
that is a very gloomy way of viewing things: rather should the
children of God say after each trial or affliction, "That severs
another strand in the rope which binds me to this world, and makes me
long all the more for Heaven.
2. It casts us back the more upon God. By nature we are filled with a
spirit of independency. The fallen sons of Adam are like wild asses'
colts. Chastisement is designed to empty us of our self-sufficiency,
to make us feel weakness and helplessness. If "in their affliction
they will seek Me early" (Hos. 5:15), then surely afflictions are for
our "profit." Trials and troubles often drive us to our knees;
sickness and sorrow make us seek unto the Lord. It is very noticeable
in the four Gospels how rarely men and women that were in health and
strength sought out Christ; it was trouble and illness which brought
them to the great Physician. A nobleman came to Christ--why? Because
his son was at the point of death. Jairus sought out the Master--why?
Because his little daughter was so low. The Canaanitish woman
interviewed the Lord Jesus--why? On behalf of her tormented daughter.
The sisters of Lazarus sent a message to the absent Savior--why?
Because their brother was sick.
Afflictions may be very bitter, but they are a fine tonic for the
soul, and are a medicine which God often uses on us. Most vividly is
this illustrated in Psalm 107--read carefully verses 11 to 28. Note
that it is when men are "brought down," when they are "afflicted,"
when they are "at their wits' end" that they "cry unto the Lord in
their trouble." Yes, it is "trouble" which makes us turn unto the
Lord, not in a mechanical and formal way, but in deep earnestness.
Remember that it is the "effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man
that availeth much." When you observe that the fire in your room is
getting dull, you do not always put on more coal, but simply stir with
the poker; so God often uses the black poker of adversity in order
that the flames of devotion may burn more brightly.
Ah, my brethren, all of us delight in being made to lie down in the
"green pastures" and being led beside the "still waters;" yet it would
not be for God's glory nor for our own highest good to luxuriate
spiritually at all times. And why not? Because our hearts would soon
be more occupied with the blessings rather than with the Blesser
Himself. Oftentimes the sheep have to be brought into the dry and
desolate wilderness, that they may be made more conscious of their
dependency upon the Shepherd. May we not discern here one reason why
some saints so quickly lose their assurance: they are occupied more
with their graces or comfortable feelings than they are with the Giver
of them. God is a jealous God, and will not tolerate idols in the
hearts of His people. A sense of our acceptance in Christ is indeed a
blessed thing, yet it becomes a hindrance if it be treasured more
highly than the Savior Himself.
3. It makes the promises of God more precious to us. Trouble often
acts on us like a sharp knife which opens the truth of God to us and
our hearts unto the truth. Experience unlocks passages which were
otherwise closed. There is many a text in the Bible which no
commentator can helpfully expound to a child of God: it must be
interpreted by experience. Paul wrote his profoundest epistles while
in prison; John was "in tribulation" on Patmos when he received the
Revelation. If you go down into a deep well or mine in the daytime,
you will then see the shining of stars which were not visible from the
earth's surface; so God often brings us low in order that we may
perceive the shining beauty of some of His comforting assurances. Note
how Jacob, in Genesis 32, pleaded God's promises when he heard that
Esau was approaching with four hundred men! The promises of
resurrection mean far more unto Christians when some of their loved
ones have been removed by death.
"When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and
through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest
through the fire, thou shalt not be burned" (Isa. 43:2) means far more
to afflicted souls than it can to those who are not under the rod. So,
too, the many "fear not" promises are most valued when our strength
fails us and we are ready to sink under despair. As the late C.H.
Spurgeon was wont to say, "There are some verses written, as it were,
in a secret ink, which must be held before the fire of adversity
before they become visible." There are many passages in Job, the
Psalms, and the Lamentations of Jeremiah which do not appeal to one
while the sun is shining; but which, in times of adversity, are like
the welcome beams of the moon on a dark night. It was his painful
thorn in the flesh which taught Paul the blessedness of that text, "My
grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perefct in
weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9).
4. It qualifies us to sympathize with others. If we have never trod
the vale of sorrow and affliction we are really unable to "weep with
those that weep." There are some surgeons who would be more tender if
they had suffered from broken bones themselves. If we have never known
much trouble, we can be but poor comforters to others. Even of our
Savior it is written, "For in that He Himself hath suffered being
tempted He is able to succor them that are tempted" (Heb. 2:18).
Bunyan could never have written the book which he did, unless God had
permitted the Devil to tempt and buffet him severely for so many
years. How clearly is all this brought out in 2 Corinthians 1:4: "Who
comforteth us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort
them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves
are comforted of God." Luther frequently said, "Three things make a
good preacher: prayer, meditation, and temptation."
5. It demonstrates to us the blessedness and sufficiency of Divine
grace. "My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is make
perfect in weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9). But in order to prove this, we
have to be brought into the place of severe testing and trial, and
made to feel our own incompetency and nothingness. Brethren, if you
have prospered in business all your lives, and have always had an easy
time financially, then it is probable you know very little about God's
strength being perfected in your weakness. If you have been healthy
all your lives and have never suffered much weakness and pain, then
you are not likely to know much about the strength of God. If you have
never been visited with trying situations which bring you to your
wits' end, or by heartrending bereavements, you may not have
discovered much of the sufficiency of Divine grace. You have read
about it in books, or heard others speak of it, but this is a very
different thing from having an experimental acquaintance of it for
yourself. It is much tribulation which brings out the sufficiency of
God's strength to support under the severest trials, and demonstrates
that His grace can sustain the heart under the heaviest losses.
It is in the stormiest weather that a captain gives most heed to the
steering of his ship; so it is in seasons of stress and grief that
Christians pay most attention to, "Let us therefore come boldly unto
the Throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help
in time of need" (Heb. 4:16). If Israel had journeyed directly to
Canaan, they would have missed the tender care of Jehovah in the
wilderness. If Lazarus had not died, Martha and Mary would not have
received such a demonstration of Christ as the Resurrection and the
Life. And if you, my brother, my sister, had not been cast into the
furnace of affliction, you would not have known the nearness and
preciousness of His presence with you there. Yes, God intends us to
prove the reality and sufficiency of His grace.
6. It develops our spiritual graces. This is clearly set forth in that
familiar passage Romans 5:3-5: "We glory in tribulations also: knowing
that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and
experience, hope; and hope maketh not ashamed." This "rejoicing" is
not in tribulations considered in themselves, but because the
Christian knows they are appointed by his Father, and because of their
beneficial effects. Three of these effects or spiritual graces thus
developed are here mentioned. First, tribulation worketh "patience."
Patience never thrives except under buffetings and disappointments: it
is not even called into exercise while things are going smoothly and
pleasantly. Sanctified tribulations call into activity that strength
and fortitude which is evidenced by a submissive endurance of
suffering. The patience here referred to signifies deliverance from
murmuring, refusing to take things into our own hands (which only
causes additional trouble), a contented waiting for God's time of
deliverance, and a persevering continuance in the path of duty.
Second, patience worketh experience, that is a vital experience of the
reality of what we profess; a personal acquaintance with that which
before we knew only theoretically; an experience of the sufficiency of
Divine grace to support and sustain; an experience of God's
faithfulness, that He is "a very present help in trouble"; an
experience of the preciousness of Christ, such as the three Hebrews
had in the furnace. The Greek word for "experience" also means "the
obtaining of proof." The patient submission which tribulation works in
the saint proves both to him and to his brethren the reality of his
trust in God: it makes manifest the fact that the faith which he
professes is genuine. Instead of his faith being overcome, it
triumphs. The test of a ship is to weather the storm; so it is with
faith. Real faith ever says, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in
Him." Third, experience worketh hope. This is a grace which
anticipates the future. While circumstances are as we like them, our
outlook is mainly confined to the present: but sorrows and trials make
us long for the future bliss. "As an eagle stirreth up her nest... so
the Lord led Israel" (Deut. 32:11, 12). God removes us from our
comfortable resting places for the purpose of teaching us to use the
wings of hope.
7. It brings us into fellowship with the sufferings of Christ. The
cross is the symbol of Christian discipleship. Like the scars which
the wounded soldier prizes above all other distinctions, so our
sufferings are the proof of our oneness with Christ (Rom. 8:17). Not
only so, they make us appreciate the more what He endured for us.
While we have plenty, we cannot properly estimate or appreciate the
poverty which our Savior endured. While we enjoy a comfortable bed we
cannot truly sympathize with Him who "had not where to lay His head."
It is not till some familiar friend, on whom we counted, has basely
betrayed our trust, that we can enter into something of what the
Savior suffered through the perfidy of Judas. It is only when some
brother has denied you, that you begin to understand what Christ felt,
when Peter denied Him. As we, in some small measure, obtain an
experimental acquaintance with such trials, it makes Christ
increasingly precious to us, and enables us to appreciate the more all
that He went through on our behalf. In a coming day we are going to
share His throne; now we are privileged to taste His cross.
If, then, trials and tribulations, under God, produce such delightful
fruits, then welcome chastisements that are for "our profit." Let the
rains of disappointment come if they water the plants of spiritual
graces. Let the winds of adversity blow if they serve to root more
securely in grace the trees of the Lord's planting. Let the sun of
prosperity be eclipsed if this brings us into closer communion with
the Light of life. Oh, brethren and sisters, however distasteful they
are to the flesh, chastisements are not to be dreaded, but welcomed,
for they are designed to make us "partakers of God's holiness."
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 92
Divine Chastisement
(Hebrews 12:11)
__________________________________________
One reason, perhaps, why so little is written to-day upon Divine
chastisement, and why it so rarely forms the theme of the pulpit, is
because it suits not the false temper and sentiments of this
superficial age. The great majority of the preachers are men-pleasers,
and carefully do they trim their sails to the breezes of popular
opinion. They are paid to speak "smooth things" and not those which
will disturb, to soothe consciences rather than search them. That
which is unpalatable, mournful, solemn, dread-inspiring, is sedulously
avoided, and attractive, cheerful, and comforting subjects are
substituted in their stead. Hence, not only is it now rare for the
preacher to dwell upon the eternal punishment of the wicked and bid
the unsaved flee from the wrath to come, but Christians hear very
little about the Father's rod, and the groans it occasions, or the
fruits it afterwards produces. Fifty years ago a faithful servant of
God wrote:
"One of the platitudes of the present day is, that religion is not a
gloomy, but a cheerful thing. Although it is easy to see what was
meant by him who first opposed this assertion, either to morbid and
self-assumed gloom, or to the ignorant representation of the world;
yet as it is generally understood, nothing can be less true. Blessed
are they that mourn. Woe unto you that laugh. Narrow is the way. If
any man will serve Me, let him take up his cross, and follow Me. He
that seeketh his life shall lose it. Although the Christian anoints
his head and washes his face, he is always fasting; the will has been
broken by God, by wounding or bereaving us in our most tender point;
the flesh is being constantly crucified. We are not born to be happy
either in this world or in our present condition, but the reverse to
be unhappy; nay, to try constantly to be dead to self and the world,
that the spirit may possess God, and rejoice in Him.
"As there is a false and morbid asceticism, so there is also a false
and pernicious tendency to cover a worldly and shallow method of life
under the phrase of `religion being joyous, and no enemy to
cheerfulness.' To take a very simple and obvious instance. What is
meant by a `cheerful, pleasant Sunday?' No doubt men have erred on the
side of strictness and legalism; but is a `cheerful Sunday' one in
which there is much communion with God in prayer and meditation on
God's Word, much anticipation of the joys of Heaven in praise and
fellowship with the brethren? Alas! too many understand by a cheerful
Sunday a day in which the spiritual element is reduced to a minimum"
(Adolph Saphir).
Alas, that conditions have become so much worse since then. The
attractions of the world, and everything which is pleasing to the
flesh, have been brought into thousands of "churches" (?) under the
plea of being "necessary if the young people are to be held." Even in
those places where the bars have not thus been let down, where the
grosser forms of worldliness are not yet tolerated, the preaching is
generally of such a character that few are likely to be made uneasy by
it. He who dwells on the exceeding sinfulness of sin, who insists that
God will not tolerate unjudged sin even in His own people, but will
surely visit it with heavy stripes, is a "kill joy," a "troubler of
Israel," a "Job's comforter"; and if he persists in enforcing the
precepts, admonitions, warnings, and judgments of Holy Writ, is likely
to soon find all doors dosed against him. But better this, than be a
compromiser; better be deprived of all preaching engagements, than
miss the Master's "Well done" in the Day to come.
"Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous:
nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of
righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby" (verse 11). In
this verse the apostle concludes his discussion of that theme which is
now so unwelcome to the majority of professing Christians. Therein he
brings to a close all that he had said concerning those disciplinary
afflictions which an all-wise God brings upon His people in this life,
His gracious design in the same, and the duty incumbent upon them to
receive these in a right spirit. He sums up his argument by balancing
the good over against the evil, the future over against the present,
the judgment of faith over against the feelings of the flesh.
Our present text is added to what has been said in the previous verses
for the purpose of anticipating and removing an objection. After all
the comforting and encouraging statements made, namely, that
chastisements proceed not from enemies but from our Father, that they
are sent not in anger but in love, that they are designed not to crush
but "for our profit"; carnal sense and natural reason interposes an
objection: "But we find no joy under our afflictions, instead much
sorrow. We do not feel that they are for our profit; we cannot see how
they can be so; therefore we are much inclined to doubt what you have
said." The apostle grants the force of the objection: that for the
present, chastening does "seem to be grievous and not joyous." But he
brings in a double limitation or qualification: in reference to
outward sense, it only "seems" so; in reference to time, this is only
for "the present." Having made this concession, the apostle turns to
the objector and says, "Nevertheless.'' He reminds him that, first,
there is an "afterward" beyond the present moment, to be borne in
mind; second, he presses on him the need of being "exercised thereby";
third, he assures him that if he is so exercised "peaceable fruit"
will be the happy issue. There are four things told us in the text
about chastisement as it is viewed by human reason.
1. All that carnal reason can perceive in our chastenings is But
Seeming. All that flesh and blood can discover about the nature and
quality of Divine afflictions is but their outward and superficial
appearance. The eye of reason is utterly incapable of discovering the
virtue and value of sanctified trials. How often we are deceived by
mere "seeming"! This is true in the natural sphere: appearances are
proverbially deceptive. There are many optical illusions. Have you not
noticed some nights when the sun is sinking in the west, that it is
much bigger than at its zenith? Yet it is not so in reality; it only
"seems" to be so. Have you stood on the deck of a ship in mid-ocean
and, while gazing at the horizon, suddenly been startled by the sight
of land?--the outline of the coast, with the rising hills in the
background, there deafly defined? Yet after all, it was but "seeming";
it was nothing but clouds. In like manner, you have read of a mirage
seen by travelers in the desert: away over the sands, they see in the
distance green trees and a shining pool of water; but this is only an
optical delusion, effected in some way by the atmosphere.
Now if this be so in connection with natural things, the "seeming" not
being the actual, the apparent not being the reality, how much more is
it true in connection with the things of God! Afflictions are not what
they "seem" to be. They appear to work for our ill, and not for our
good; so that we are inclined to say, "An enemy hath done this." They
seem to be for our injury, rather than our "profit," and we murmur and
are cast down. So often fear distorts our vision; so often unbelief
brings scales over our eyes, and we exaggerate the dimensions of
trials in the dark and dim light. So often we are selfish, fond of our
fleshly ease; and therefore spiritual discernment falls to a low ebb.
No, chastenings for the present do not seem to be joyous, but
"grievous"; but that is because we view them through our natural
senses and in the light of carnal reason.
2. Carnal reason judges afflictions in the light of the PRESENT. The
tendency with all of us is to estimate things in the light of the now.
The ungodly are ever ready to sacrifice their future interests for
present gratification. One of their favorite mottos is, "A bird in the
hand is worth two in the bush:" it may be to the slothful, but the
enterprising and diligent would rather be put to a little trouble and
secure the two. Man is a very shortsighted creature, and even the
Christian is often dominated by the same sentiments that regulate the
wicked. The light of the now is generally the worst in which to form a
true estimate of things. We are too close to them to obtain a right
perspective, and see things in their proper proportions. To view an
oil painting to the best advantage, we need to step back a few feet
from it. The same principle applies to our lives. Proof of this is
found as we now look back upon that which is past. Today the Christian
discovers a meaning, a needs-be, a preciousness, in many a past
experience, and even disappointment, which he could not discern at the
time.
The case of Jacob is much to the point, and should guard us against
following his foolish example. After Joseph had been removed from his
doting father, and when he thought he had lost Simeon too, viewing
things in the light of "the present," he petulantly said, "All these
things are against me" (Gen. 42:36). Such is often the mournful plaint
which issues from our short-sighted unbelief. But later, Jacob
discovered his mistake, and found that all those things had been
working together for good to himself and his loved ones. Alas, we are
so impatient and impetuous, so occupied with the present, that we fail
to look forward and by faith anticipate the happy sequel. Then, too,
the effects which afflictions have upon the old man, disqualify us to
estimate them aright. If my heart is palpitating, if my mind is
agitated, and my soul is cast down, then I am in no fit state to judge
the quality and blessedness of Divine afflictions. No, chastenings for
the present do not "seem to be joyous, but grievous;" that is because
we take such a shortsighted view of them and fail to look forward with
the eyes of faith and hope.
3. To carnal reason afflictions never seem "joyous." This logically
follows from what has been before us under the first two points.
Because carnal reason sees only the "seeming" of things, and because
it estimates them only in the light of "the present," afflictions are
not joyous. Nor does God intend that, in themselves, they should be.
If afflictions did "seem" to be joyous, would they be chastisements at
all? It would be of little use for an earthly parent to whip his child
in such a way as to produce only smiles. Such would be merely a
make-belief; no smart, no benefit. Solomon said, "It is the blueness
of the wound which maketh the heart better;" so if Divine
chastisements are not painful to the flesh and extort a groan and cry,
what good end would they serve? If God sent us trials such as we
wished, they would not be chastenings at all. No, afflictions do not
"seem" to be joyous.
They are not joyous in the form they assume. When the Lord smites, He
does so in a tender place, that we may feel the smart of it. They are
not joyous in the force of them. Oftentimes we are inclined to say, If
the trial had not been quite so severe, or the disappointment had not
been so great, I could have endured it. God puts just so much bitter
herbs into our cup as to make the draught unpleasant. They are not
joyous in the time of them. We always think they come at the wrong
season. If it were left to our choosing, they would never come; but if
we must have them, we would choose the time when they are the least
grievous; and thus miss their blessing. Nor are they joyous in the
instruments used: "If it were an enemy, then I could have borne it,"
said David. That is what we all think. O if my trial were not just
that! Poverty I could endure, but not reproach and slander. To have
lost my own health would have been a hard blow, but I could have borne
it; but the removal of that dear child, the light of my eyes, how can
I ever rejoice again? Have you not heard brethren speak thus?
4. To carnal reason afflictions ever seem to be "grievous." Probably
the most grievous part to the Christian is that he cannot see how much
a loss or trial can possibly benefit him. If he could thus see, he
would rejoice. Even here we must walk by faith and not by sight. But
this is easier said than done; yea, it can only be done by God's
enabling. Usually, the Christian altogether fails to see why such a
trouble is sent upon him; it seems to work harm and not good. Why this
financial loss, when he was giving more to the Lord's work? Why this
breakdown in health, when he was being most used in His service? Why
this removal of a Sabbath school teacher, just when he was most
needed? why was my husband called away, when the children most
required him? Yes, such afflictions are indeed grievous to the flesh.
But let it be pointed out that these reasonings are only "seeming."
The Christian, by grace, eventually triumphs. Faith looks up at the
cloud (though it is often very late in doing so) and says, The
chastisement was not as severe as it might have been, certainly it was
not as severe as I deserved, and truly it was nothing in comparison to
what the Savior suffered for me. O let faith expel carnal reason, and
say, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for
us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." But note
carefully that this is only while we look not at the things which are
seen, but at the things which are not seen" (2 Cor. 4:17, 18). For
much in the above four points the writer acknowledges his indebtedness
to a sermon by C.H. Spurgeon on the same verse.
"Nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of
righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." This is what the
apostle sets over against the estimate of carnal reason and the
feelings of our natural senses. Medicine may not be a pleasant thing
to take, but if it be blest by God, the renewed health it gives is
good compensation. The pruned vine at the end of the winter presents a
sorry appearance to the eye, but its heavily-laden branches in the
autumn vindicate the gardener's efforts. Did not the "afterward" prove
to Jacob that his doleful reasonings were quite unwarranted? Job
squirmed under the rod, as well he might, but was not his end more
prosperous than his beginning? Thank God for this "Nevertheless
afterward."
Yet this "afterward" is also a very searching word: it is one which
should pierce and test each of us. Have we not all passed through
sorrow? Can any of us look back on the past without recalling seasons
of deep and heavy affliction? Has no sword pierced our souls? no
painful sacrifice been demanded of us? But, my reader, do these
experiences belong to the past in every sense? Have they gone,
disappeared, without leaving any effects behind them? No, that is
impossible: we are either the better or the worse because of them.
Then ask yourself, What fruits have they produced? Have your past
experiences hardened, soured, frozen you? Or have they softened,
sweetened, mellowed you? Has pride been subdued, self-pleasing been
mortified, patience developed? How have afflictions, chastisements,
left us? What does the "afterward" reveal?
Not all men are the gainers by afflictions; nor are Christians so
always. Many seek to flee from trials and troubles, instead of being
"exercised" thereby. Others are callous and do not yield: as Hebrews
12:5 intimates, they "despised" the chastenings of the Lord. There are
some who imagine that, when visited with affliction, it is a display
of courage if they refuse to be affected. They count it weakness to
mourn over losses and weep over sorrows. But such an attitude is
altogether un-Christian. Christ wept and again and again we are told
that He "groaned." Such an attitude is also foolish to the last
degree, for it is calculated to counteract the very design of
afflictions, and only calls for severer ones to break our proud
spirits. It is no mark of weakness to acknowledge that we feel the
strokes of an Almighty arm.
It is the truest wisdom to humble ourselves beneath "the mighty hand
of God." If we are among His people, He will mercifully compel us to
acknowledge that His chastenings are not to be despised and made light
of. He will--and O how easily He can do it--continue or increase our
afflictions until He tames our wild spirits, and brings us like
obedient children into subjection to Himself. What a warning is found
in Isaiah 9:9-11. "And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the
inhabitants of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart,
The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones; the
sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars. Therefore
the Lord shall set up the Adversaries of Rezin against him, and join
his enemies together." This means that, because the people had
hardened themselves under the chastening hand of God, instead of being
"exercised" thereby, that He sent sorer afflictions upon them.
The ones benefited by the Father's chastenings are they who are
"exercised thereby." The Greek word for "exercised" was borrowed from
the gymnastic games. It had reference to the athlete stripping himself
of his outer clothing. Thus, this word in our text is almost parallel
with the "laying aside of every weight" in 5:1. If afflictions cause
us to be stripped of pride, sloth, selfishness, a revengeful spirit,
then "fruit" will be produced. It is only as we improve our
chastenings, that we are gainers. The natural effect of affliction on
an unsanctified soul is either to irritate or depress, which produces
rebellion or sinking in despair. This is the result of hardness of
heart and unbelief. Even with regard to the Christian it is true that,
only as he views them as proceeding from his Father in order to bring
him into subjection, and as he is "exercised thereby," he is truly
profited.
1. The conscience needs to be "exercised." There must be a turning
unto the Sender of our trials, and a seeking from Him of the meaning
and message of them. "There was a famine in the days of David three
years, year after year; and David inquired of the Lord" (2 Sam. 21:1)!
So should we when the providences of God frown upon us. There must be
an honest self-examination, a diligent scrutiny of our ways, to
discover what it is God is displeased with. Careful investigation will
often show that much of our supposed godly zeal in service is but the
result of habit, or the imitating of some eminent saint, instead of
proceeding from the heart, and being rendered "unto the Lord."
2. Prayer has to be "exercised" or engaged in. It is true that painful
afflictions have a tendency to stifle the voice of supplication, that
one who is smarting under the rod feels little inclination to approach
the Throne of Grace, but this carnal disposition must be steadily
resisted, and the help of the Holy Spirit definitely sought. The
heavier our load, the more depressed our heart, the sorer our anguish,
the greater our need to pray. God requires to be sought unto for grace
to submit to His dealings, for help to improve the same, for Him to
sanctify unto our good all that perplexes and distresses us.
3. The grace of meekness must be "exercised," for "a meek and quiet
spirit" is of "great price" in the sight of Him with whom we have to
do (1 Pet. 3:4). Meekness is the opposite of self-will and hardness of
heart. It is a pliability of soul, which is ready to be fashioned
after the Divine image. It is a holy submission, willing to be molded
as the Heavenly Potter determines. There can be no "peaceable fruit of
righteousness" until our wills are broken, and we have no mind of our
own. How much we need to heed that word of Christ's, "Take My yoke
upon you, and learn of Me, for I am meek" (Matthew 11:29).
4. Patience must be "exercised." Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently
for Him" (Ps. 37:7): "wait" for His time of deliverance, for if we
attempt to deliver ourselves, we are very likely to plunge into deeper
trials. Fruit is not ripened in a day; nor do the benefits of
chastisements appear immediately. Patience must have her perfect work
if the soul is to be enriched by afflictions. In the interval of
waiting, allow nothing to deter your plodding perseveringly along the
path of duty.
5. Faith must be "exercised." God's hand must be seen in every trial
and affliction if it is to be borne with meekness and patience. While
we look no further than the malice of Satan, or the jealousy, enmity,
injustice of men, the heart will be fretful and rebellious. But if we
receive the cup from the Father's hand, our passions will be calmed
and the inward tumult stilled. Only by the exercise of faith will the
soul be brought into a disposition to quietly submit, and digest the
lessons we are intended to learn.
6. Hope must be "exercised." As faith looks upward and sees God's hand
in the trial, hope is to look forward and anticipate the gains
thereof. Hope is a confident expectation of future good. It is the
opposite of despair. Hope lays hold of the promised "Afterward," and
thus it sustains and cheers in the present. Hope assures the cast-down
soul "I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance" (Ps.
42:5). "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal
glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you
perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you" (1 Pet. 5:10).
7. Love must be "exercised." It is the Father's love which chastens us
(verse 5); then ought not we to love Him in return for His care and
patient training of us? Instead of doubting His wisdom or questioning
His goodness, there should be an affectionate gratitude flowing out to
the One who is seeking naught but our welfare. "We can never find any
benefit in chastenings, unless we are exercised by them, that is,
unless all our graces are stirred up by them to a holy, constant
exercise" (John Owen)--how different that, from the fatalistic inertia
of many hyper-Calvinists!
What we have sought to bring out above is the fact that spiritual
"fruit" is not the natural or spontaneous effect of affliction. Nay,
have we not observed that few of those who suffer severe financial
reverses, heavy domestic bereavements, or personal bodily pain, are,
spiritually, the gainers thereby. Yea, do we need to look any further
than ourselves, to perceive how little we have learned by and profited
from past trials? And the cause is plain: we were not duly exercised
thereby. May this word abide with each of us for the future.
What is meant by "the peaceable fruit of righteousness"? If we took
this expression by itself, it would signify the effects of
righteousness, the fruit which righteousness itself brings forth. But
in our text it is chastenings or afflictions which are specifically
mentioned as producing this fruit. It is the Spirit tranquilizing and
purifying the heart. "Righteousness" in our text is parallel with "His
holiness" in verse 10. It may be summed up in the mortification of sin
and the vivification of vital godliness. It is called the "peaceable
fruit" because it issues in the taming of our wild spirits, the
quieting of our restless hearts, the more firm anchoring of our souls.
But this only comes when we truly realize that it is the Father's love
which has afflicted us. May the Spirit of God grant us all "exercised"
hearts, so that we shall daily search ourselves, examine our ways, and
be stripped of all that is displeasing to Him.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 93
A Call to Steadfastness
(Hebrews 12:12, 13)
__________________________________________
The didactic (teaching) portions of Scripture are very much more than
abstract statements of truth: they are designed not only for the
instructing of the mind, but also for the influencing of the heart.
This is far too little recognized in our day, when the craving for
information is so often divorced from any serious concern as to the
use to be made of the same. This, no doubt, is one of the evil fruits
borne by the modern school-methods, where instead of seeking to draw
out (the meaning of the word "educate") and develop the mind of the
pupil, he is made to "cram" or fill his head with a mass of facts and
figures, most of which are of no service to him in the later life. Not
such is God's method. His method of instruction is to set before us
moral and spiritual principles, and then show us how to apply them in
a practical way; inculcate a motive, and thereby call into exercise
our inward faculties. Hence, the test of Christian knowledge is not
how much we understand, but how far our knowledge is affecting our
lives.
It is one thing to possess a clear intellectual grasp of the doctrines
of grace, it is quite another to experience the grace of the doctrines
in a spiritual way. It is one thing to believe the Scriptures are the
inspired and inerrant Word of God, it is another for the soul to live
under the awe of their Divine authority, realizing that one day we
shall be judged by them. It is one thing to be convinced that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God, the King of kings and Lord of lords, it is
another to surrender to His scepter and live in personal subjection to
Him. What does it profit me to be convinced that God is omnipotent,
unless I am learning to lean upon His mighty arm? What avail is it to
me that I am assured of God's omniscience unless the knowledge that
His eye is ever upon me acts as a salutary restraint to my actions?
What does it advantage me to know that without holiness no man shall
see the Lord, unless I am making the acquirement of holiness my chief
concern and aim!
That which has been pointed out above has to do with no obscure and
intricate subject which lies far above the reach of the rank and file
of the common people, but is plain, self-evident, simple. Alas, that
our hearts are so little impressed by it and our consciences so rarely
exercised over it. When we measure ourselves by that standard, have we
not all of us much cause to hang our heads in shame? Our intellects
are stored with Scripture truth, but how little are our lives moulded
thereby. Our doctrinal views are sound and orthodox, but how little we
know experimentally of "the truth which is after godliness" (Titus
1:1). Has not the Savior much ground for saying to both writer and
reader, "Why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I
say?" (Luke 6:46). O that we may be duly humbled over our sad
failures.
The above reflections have been suggested by the use which the apostle
makes in our text of the subject he had been discussing in the
previous verses. His opening "Wherefore" denotes that he was now going
to make a practical application unto those whom he was writing to of
the exposition just given of the truth of Divine chastisement. In this
we may see him following out the course he pursued in all his
epistles, and which the servants of God are required to emulate today.
No matter what was the doctrine under consideration, the apostle
always turned it to a practical end, as his oft-repeated "Therefore"
and "Wherefore" intimate. Was he contending for the Christian's
emancipation from the ceremonial law, then he adds, "Stand fast
therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free" (Gal.
5:1). Was he opening up the glorious truth of resurrection, then he
concludes with "therefore... be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58). Was he setting
forth the blessed hope of Christ's return, then he finishes with
"Wherefore comfort one another with these words" (1 Thess. 4:18).
It is this which urgently needs to be laid to heart--the use we make
of the precious truths which the Most High has so graciously revealed
to us. That is (partly, at least) what the Savior had in mind when He
said, "Take heed therefore how ye hear" (Luke 8:18)--see to it that
your hearts are duly affected, so that the truth will regulate all
your conduct. It is not sufficient that I assume a reverent demeanor
when attending the means of grace, that I pay close attention to what
I hear: it is the assimilation of the same, so that I go forth and
live under the power thereof, which is the all-important matter. The
same is true of our reading; it is not the book which adds to my store
of information, or which entertains and thrills, but the one which
stirs me up to godly living, which proves the most helpful. So it is
with our response to the Scriptures, it is not how many difficult
passages do I have light upon, nor how many verses have I memorized,
but how many of its commands and percepts am I honestly endeavoring to
obey.
This is the keynote struck by the apostle in the verses which are now
to engage our attention. He had thrown not a little light on the
distressing circumstances in which the Hebrews then found themselves,
namely, the bitter persecution they were encountering at the hands of
their unbelieving countrymen. He had pointed out that so far from
their afflictions being exceptional, and a warrantable ground for
consternation, they were, in some form or other, the common portion of
all God's people, while they are left in this scene. He had set before
them some most blessed truths, which were well calculated to
strengthen their faith, comfort their hearts, and raise their drooping
spirits. He had given an exposition of the subjection of Divine
chastisement, such as must bring peace and consolation to all who mix
faith therewith. He had silenced every objection which could well be
made against the duty to which he had called them. And now he presses
upon them the practical profit to which they must turn the doctrine
inculcated.
"Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be
turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed" (verses 12, 13).
Here we have, First, the conclusion drawn from the preceding premises.
Second, the several duties enjoined. Third, the reason by which they
are enforced. The duties are expressed in figurative language, yet in
such terms as the meaning is not difficult to perceive. The enforcing
reason or motive for compliance is taken from the evil effects which a
non-compliance of one's duty would have upon others, which plainly
inculcates the importance and value of personal example, and the
influence which it exerts upon our fellows.
"Wherefore" means, in view of what has been said: because of the
preceding considerations a certain course of conduct ought to follow.
There is, we believe, a double reference in this opening "wherefore,"
namely, an immediate and a remote one. Immediately, it connects with
the preceding verse, the most important word of which is "exercised."
The apostle was alluding again to the well-known Grecian "Games." In
the gymnasium, the instructor would challenge the youth to combat. He
was an experienced man, and knew how to strike, guard, wrestle. Many
severe blows would the combatants receive from him, but it was part of
their training, preparing them for their future appearance in the
public contests. The youth whose athletic frame was prepared for the
coming great venture, would boldly step forward, willing to be
"exercised" by his trainer; but he who shirked the trial and refused
to encounter the master, received no help at his hands; but the fault
was entirely his own.
This, it seems to us, is the figure carried forward in our text; "Now
no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous:
nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of
righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up
the hands which hang down." The Christian who gives way before trial,
who sinks under affliction, who sulks or repines beneath persecution,
will bring forth none of the "peaceable fruit of righteousness." If he
"faints" under chastisement, if his hands become idle and his legs no
longer capable of supporting him, a profitable use cannot be made of
the tribulation through which he is called upon to pass. Then let him
pull himself together, gird up the loins of his mind and "endure
hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ" (2 Tim. 2:3). Let his
attitude be, Now is the time of my training, so I will seek to play
the man; I will seek grace from God to muster all my faith and courage
and valiantly wrestle with whatever opposes and oppresses me.
More remotely, our opening "Wherefore" looks back unto all that has
been said in the previous verses. Hebrews 12 opens with a stirring
call for God's people to persevere in the course of Christian duty, to
go forward in the spiritual life, no matter what impediments might
stand in their way; to "run with patience (or perseverance) the race
which is set before us," drawing strength from the Christ for
enablement (verses 1, 2). Then he anticipated an objection: We are
being sorely oppressed, tempted to renounce our profession, hounded by
our unbelieving brethren. To this he replies, Consider your Master,
who went before you in the same path of suffering (verse 3). Bear in
mind that your lot has not become extreme: ye have not yet been called
upon to experience a martyr's death (verse 4). Furthermore, you are
losing sight of that scriptural exhortation, "My son, despise not thou
the chastening of the Lord" (verse 5). This led the apostle to open to
them, in a most precious manner, the whole subject of Divine
chastisement. Let us present a brief summary of the same.
The trials through which the children of God are called upon to pass
are not Divine punishments, but gracious discipline designed for their
good. We are expressly bidden "not to faint" beneath them (verse 5).
The rod is wielded not in wrath, but in tender solicitude, and is a
manifestation not of God's anger but of His love (verse 6). Our duty
then is to "endure" chastening as becometh the children of God (verse
7). To be without chastisement, so far from being an evidence of our
spiritual sonship, would demonstrate we were not sons at all (verse
8). Inasmuch as we gave reverence to our earthly parents when they
corrected us, how much more ought we to be in subjection to our
heavenly Father (verse 9). God's design in our afflictions is our
"profit," that by them we might become increasingly "partakers of His
holiness" in an experimental way. Though these chastenings are
unpleasant to flesh and blood, nevertheless "the peaceable fruit of
righteousness" issues therefrom when we are suitably "exercised
thereby" (verse 11).
Now from these considerations a very obvious conclusion is drawn, and
by them a bounden duty is enforced. In view of the "great cloud of
witnesses" by which we are encompassed (verse 1), seeing that the
saints of other days--in themselves as weak, as sinful, as much
oppressed by the world as we are--fought a good fight, kept the faith,
and finished their course, let us gird ourselves for the contest and
strain every effort to persevere in the path of duty. In view of the
fact that our Leader, the Captain of our salvation, has left us such
an example of heroic endurance (verse 3), let us earnestly seek to
follow His steps and acquit ourselves like men. Finally, because God
Himself is the Author and Regulator of our trials--the severest of our
chastenings proceed from a loving Father, seeking our good--then let
us not be cast down by the difficulties of the way nor discouraged by
the roughness of the path; but let us nerve ourselves to steadfastness
in the faith and fidelity to our Redeemer.
Thus the coherence of our opening "Wherefore" is perfectly obvious and
the duty it presses so plain that there cannot be misunderstanding. In
view of all the above-mentioned considerations, and particularly in
view of the fact that the most precious fruits issue from afflictions
when we are duly "exercised" by them, then let us not be dejected in
our minds nor faint in our spirits by reason thereof. As the champions
in the public "Games" used their hands and arms to the very best of
their ability, and as the runners in the races used their legs and
knees to the best possible effect--and in case their hands and knees
began to fail and flag, exerted their wills to the utmost to rouse up
their members to renewed effort--so should we be very courageous,
zealous and active, and in case our hearts begin to fail us through
multiplied discouragements, we must marshal all our resolution and
strive prayerfully and manfully against giving way to despair.
"Wherefore lift up the hands that hang down." The duty here enjoined
is set forth in figurative language, but the meaning is nonetheless
obvious because of the graphic metaphors used. The apostle transferred
unto members of our physical body the condition in which the faculties
of our souls are liable to fall under certain trials. For the hands to
hang down and the knees to become feeble are figurative expressions,
denoting the tendency to abandon the discharge of our Christian duty
because of the opposition encountered. For the hands of a boxer or
fencer to hang down means that his arms are become weary to the point
of exhaustion; for the knees to be feeble signifies that through the
protracted exertions of the runner his legs have been debilitated by
their nervous energy being spent. The spiritual reference is to a
decay in the Christian's courage and resolution. Two evils produce
this: despondency as to success--when hope is gone effort ceases;
weariness in the performance of duty.
This same figure is employed in other passages of Scripture. In
Ezekiel 7:16, 17 we read, "But they that escape of them shall escape,
and shall be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all of them
mourning, every one for his iniquity. All hands shall be feeble, and
all knees shall be as weak as water:" here the reference is to that
inertia which is produced by poignant conviction of sin after a season
of backsliding. Again, in Ezekiel 21:7 we are told, "When they shall
say unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou? that thou shalt answer, For the
tidings, because it cometh: and every heart shall melt, and all hands
shall be feeble, and every spirit shall fail, and all knees shall be
as weak as water:" where we behold the paralyzing effects of
consternation in view of the tidings of sore judgment. But in our text
the reference is to the disheartenment caused by fierce opposition and
persecution. Despair and becoming weary of well doing are the two
evils in all our afflictions which we most need to guard against. It
is failure at this point which has led to so many scandalous
backslidings and cursed apostasies. Such an exhortation as the one
before us intimates that the Hebrews had either already given way to
an enervating spirit of gloom or were in great danger of so doing.
Now "It is the duty of all faithful ministers of the Gospel to
consider diligently what failures or temptations their flocks are
liable or exposed to, so as to apply suitable means for their
preservation" (John Owen). This is what the apostle is seen doing
here. In view of the lethargy of the Hebrews he exhorts them to "lift
up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees." The word "lift
up" signifies not simply to elevate, but to "rectify" or set right
again, restoring them to their proper state, so as to apply them to
duty. It was a call to steadfastness and resolute perseverance: be not
dejected in your minds nor faint in your spirits by reason of the
present distress, nor be so terrified of the threatening danger as to
give up hope and be completely overwhelmed. Under sore trial and
affliction, persecution and the prospect of yet sorer opposition, the
temptation is for the heart to sink within us and the path of duty to
be forsaken.
"Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees:"
literally, "hands which are loose" or slack, dangling inert; "feeble
knees" is still stronger in the Greek, being almost the equivalent of
palsied knees--enervated knees which need bandages to brace them. In
view of which he calls them to arouse themselves, to stir up all their
graces unto exercise, to refuse taking the line of least resistance,
to renew their courage and bear up under their trials. Resolution will
accomplish much to stimulate jaded nerves and flagging energies. The
Christian life, from start to finish is a struggle, a fight, an
unceasing warfare against foes within and without, and only be who
endures to the end shall receive the crown of life. To give way to
dejection is harmful, to sink into despair is dangerous, to quit the
discharge of our duties is the fore-runner of apostasy.
But the question arises how are we to set about this particular task?
To say that we are helpless in ourselves affords no encouragement; in
fact to affirm that the Christian is utterly impotent is to deny that
there is any vital difference between himself and those who are dead
in sins. Christians in their greatest weakness have some strength,
some grace, some spiritual life; and where there is some life, there
is some ability to stir and move. And God is pleased to assist where
there is sincere endeavor. The believer is responsible to arm his mind
against discouragements by considering God's design in them, and the
blessed fruits which issue from trials and afflictions when we are
duly exercised by them. Of what value is a clear intellectual grasp of
the nature and end of Divine chastisements unless it produces a
practical effect upon the heart and life? Let the distressed saint
ponder anew the blessed considerations set before him in Hebrews
12:1-11 and find in them motives and incentives unto renewed courage,
fidelity and perseverance.
Let the hope of ultimate victory nerve you. Look forward to the goal:
the determination to reach home is a powerful stimulus to a weary
traveler. Earnestly endeavor to counteract every disposition to
faintness and despondency by viewing your trials and persecutions as a
part of God's discipline for your soul: then submit to them as such,
and seek to get them sanctified to your spiritual profit. Remember
that you cannot fight with hands hanging down, nor run the race set
before us if your knees give way; so summon all your resolution to
remain steadfast in the discharge of every duty God has appointed and
assigned you. Rest in the love of your heavenly Father, assured that
all of the present distress is designed for your ultimate good, and
this will reinvigorate the soul. Finally, seek grace to lay hold of
and plead the promise, "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their
strength" (Isa. 40:31).
It is to be noted that this exhortation is couched abstractly. It is
not "lift up your hands," which would restrict it individually; nor is
it "lift up the hands of those who are dejected," which would limit
the exhortation to a ministry unto others. Worded as it is there is a
double reference: it is a call to the individual Christian to
persevering activity, and it is an exhortation for him to seek the
well being of his fellow-Christians. That our text has a reference to
our seeking to encourage and strengthen fellow-pilgrims is clear from
a comparison of Job 4:3, 4 and Isaiah 35:3, 4, with which 1
Thessalonians 5:14 may be compared. The best way for the individual
Christian to strengthen the hands of his feeble fellows is by setting
before them a worthy example of faith, courage, and steadfastness. In
addition, he is to pray for them, speak words of encouragement, remind
them of God's promises, relate to them His gracious dealings and
powerful deliverances in his own life.
"And make straight paths for your feet." The previous verse concerns
the inward frame and spirit of the believer's mind; this one has
respect to his outward conduct. As Barnes has well pointed out, the
term used here signifies "straight" horizontally, that is level and
plain, all obstacles are to be removed so that we do not stumble and
fall--cf. Proverbs 4:25-27. The word for "paths" is derived from one
meaning "a wheel" and signifies here "the marks made by a wheel"--it
is paths marked out for others, leaving the tracks which may be
followed by them. The reference, then, is to the believer so
manifesting his course that his fellows may see and follow it. The
Christian course is exemplary, that is, it is one which impresses and
influences others. How very careful should we be then as to our
conduct!
Here, then, is an exhortation unto the Christian to see well to his
walk, which means the regulating of all his actions by the revealed
will of God, to be obedient unto the Divine precepts, to follow not
the ways and fashions of an evil world, but to cleave to the narrow
way, and turn not aside from the Highway of Holiness. "It is our duty
not only to be found in the ways of God in general but to take care
that we walk carefully, circumspectly, uprightly and diligently in
them. Hereon depends our own peace, and all our usefulness toward
others. It is a sad thing when some men's walk in the ways of God
shall deter others from them or turn them out of them" (John Owen).
"And make straight paths for your feet." A most timely word for us
today when iniquity abounds and the love of many waxes cold, when the
poor and afflicted in Zion stand in need of all the godly
encouragement they can obtain. We are surrounded by a "crooked
generation," both of professing and profane, whose evil ways we are
but too apt to learn; we are beset on every hand by temptations to
turn aside into what Bunyan termed "By-path Meadow," to enter paths
which God has prohibited, to feed on pride and indulge our lusts. How
the heart of the mature Christian aches for the lambs of Christ's
flock, and how it behooves him to walk softly and carefully lest he
put some stumbling-block in their way. Solemn indeed is "As for such
as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the Lord shall lead them forth
with the workers of iniquity" (Ps. 125:5), and also "They have made
them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace"
(Isa. 59:8).
"Lest that which is lame be turned out of the way." The word "lest" is
a translation of two Greek words, "that not." It is a word of caution
and prevention, warning each of us that carelessness as to our own
walk is likely to have an ill effect upon weaker Christians. The word
"lame" is transferred from the body to some defect of our graces which
unfits the soul for the discharge of Christian duty: one who is lame
is ill-capacitated to run in a race, and one who is lacking in
courage, zeal, and perseverance is ill-fitted to fight the good fight
of faith. Walk carefully then, my brother, if for no reason than for
the sake of the feebler saints. Backslidden Christians are the plague
of the church: inconsistencies in God's people spread discouragements
among weak believers.
There are always some "lame" sheep in God's earthly flock. While there
are some Christians with strong and vigorous faith, so that they
"mount up with wings as eagles, run and are not weary," and make
steady progress in practical holiness, all are not so highly favored.
In most families of any size there is one frail and sickly member; so
it is in the various branches of the Household of Faith. Some are
constitutionally gloomy, temperamentally vacillating, physically
infirm, and these have a special claim upon the strong. They are not
to be snubbed and shunned: they need an example of cheerfulness set
before them, wise counsel given to them, their arms supported by
prayer and love's solicitude for their good. Whatever is weak in their
faith and hope, whatever tends to dishearten and discourage them,
should be carefully attended to, so far as lies in our power. A stitch
in time saves nine: many a sheep might have been kept from falling
into the ditch, had one with a shepherd's heart gone after it at the
first sign of straying.
"But let it rather be healed." "Heal" signifies to correct that which
is amiss. It is the recovering of a lapsed one which is here in view.
Instead of despising sickly Christians, exercise love's sympathy
toward them. While we should be thankful if God has granted us healthy
graces, we must beware of presumption: "If a man be overtaken in a
fault, ye which are spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of
meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted" (Gal. 6:1).
To those groaning under the burden of sin, tell them of the
sufficiency of Christ's blood. To those fearful about the future,
remind them of God's faithfulness. To those who are despondent, seek
to cheer by citing some of God's precious promises. Study the holy art
of speaking a word in season to the needy. You will be of great value
to the church if you develop a spirit of compassion and the gift of
lifting up those fallen by the wayside."
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 94
A Call to Diligence
(Hebrews 12:14)
__________________________________________
The connection between the verses which were before us on the last
occasion and that which is now to engage our attention is not apparent
at the first glance. There the apostle made a practical application to
his readers of the important considerations he had been setting before
them in the preceding verses, calling them unto the duty of
steadfastness. Here there is a lively exhortation unto the pursuit of
peace and holiness. The relation between these exhortations and those
which follow, is more intimate than a number of pearls strung
together, rather is it more like that of the several members of our
physical body, which are vitally joined and dependent upon one
another. Failure to observe this fact results in loss, for not only do
we fail to appreciate the living connection of one part with another,
but we lose the motive and incentive which they mutually supply. It is
the business of the teacher to point this out, that we may be duly
affected thereby and rejoice together in the perfect handiwork of God.
"From his exhortation unto patient perseverance in the profession of
the Gospel under sufferings and affliction, the apostle proceeds unto
a prescription of practical duties; and although they are such as are
absolutely necessary in themselves at all times, yet they are here
peculiarly enjoined with respect to the same end, or our constancy in
professing the Gospel. For no light, no knowledge of the truth, no
resolution or courage, will preserve any man in his profession,
especially in times of trial, without a diligent attention unto the
duties of holiness and Gospel obedience. And he begins with a precept,
general and comprehensive of all others" (John Owen).
The connection between Hebrews 12:14, etc., and verses 12, 13, is
threefold. First, the diligent pursuit of peace toward our fellows and
of holiness toward God are timely aids unto perseverance in the faith
and in consequence, powerful means for preservation from apostasy. The
one is so closely joined to the other that the former cannot be
realized without an eager striving after the latter. Second, inasmuch
as love toward our neighbor ("peace," with all that that involves and
includes) and love toward God ("holiness") is the sum of our duty, it
is impossible that we should devote ourselves unto their cultivation
and exercise so long as we axe permitting afflictions and persecution
to paralyze the mind: the spirit of resolute determination must
possess us before we can develop our spiritual graces. Third,
oppression and suffering provide an opportunity for the exercise and
manifestation of our spiritual graces, and are to be improved by us to
this very end. "If the children of God grow impatient under
afflictions, they will neither walk so quietly and peaceably towards
men nor so piously toward God as they should do" (Matthew Henry).
The first thing which needs to be borne in mind as we approach each
verse of this epistle is the special circumstances of those
immediately addressed, and to perceive the peculiar pertinency of the
apostle's instruction to those who were so situated, for this will the
better enable us to make a correct application unto ourselves. Now the
Hebrews were living among a people where their own espousal of
Christianity had produced a serious breach, which had stirred up the
fierce opposition of their fellow-countrymen. The attitude of these
Hebrews towards Christ was neither understood nor appreciated by the
unbelieving Jews; so far from it, they were regarded as renegades and
denounced as apostates from the faith of their fathers. Every effort
was made to poison their minds against the Gospel, and where this
failed, relentless persecution was brought to bear upon them. Hence,
it was by no means an easy matter for them to maintain the spirit of
the Gospel and live amicably with those who surrounded them; instead,
they were sorely tempted to entertain a bitter spirit toward those who
troubled them so unjustly, to retaliate and avenge their wrongs. Here,
then, was the need for them to be exhorted "follow peace with all
men!"
Now while it be true that Christians are now, for the most part,
spared the severe suffering which those Hebrews were called upon to
endure, yet faithfulness to Christ is bound to incur the hostility of
those who hate Him, and will in some form or other issue in
opposition. There is a radical difference in nature between those
treading the narrow way to Heaven and those following the broad road
to Hell. The character and conduct of the former condemn and rile the
self-pleasing disposition and flesh-indulging ways of the latter. The
children of the Devil have no love for the children of God, and they
delight in doing whatever they can to annoy and aggravate them; and
nothing gives them more pleasure than to see successful their efforts
to tempt them to compromise or stir up unto angry retaliation. Thus it
is a timely injunction for all believers, in any age and in any
country, to strive earnestly to live in peace with all men.
"Follow peace with all men." This is a very humbling word that
Christians require to be told to do this. Its implication is clear: by
nature men are fractious, wrathful, revengeful creatures. That is one
reason why Christ declared "it must needs be that offenses come"
(Matthew 18:7)--"must" because of the awful depravity of fallen human
nature; yet forget not that He at once added, "But woe to that man by
whom the offense cometh." It is because of this contentious, envious,
revengeful, spirit which is in us, that we need the exhortation of our
text, and in view of what is recorded in Scripture, even of saints,
its timeliness is the more apparent. Have we not read of "the strife"
between the herdsmen of Abraham and Lot which caused the patriarch and
his nephew to part asunder? Have we not read of the discords and
fightings between the tribes of Israel issuing in their kingdom being
rent in twain? Have we not read of the "contention" between Paul and
Barnabas which issued in their separating? These are solemn warnings,
danger-signals, which we all do well to take to heart.
"It is the duty of Christians to be at peace among themselves, to be
on their guard against all alienation of affection towards each other;
and there can be no doubt that the maintenance of this
brotherly-kindness is well fitted to promote steadfastness in the
faith and profession of the Gospel. But in the words before us there
seems to be a reference not so much to the peace which Christians
should endeavor to maintain among themselves, as that which they
should endeavor to preserve in reference to the world around them.
They are to `follow peace with all men.'
"They live amidst men whose modes of thinking, and feeling and acting
are very different from--are in many points directly opposite
to--theirs. They have been fairly warned, that `if they would live
godly in this world, they must suffer persecution.' They have been
told that `if they were of the world, the world would love its own;
but because they are not of the world, therefore the world hateth
them.' `In the world,' says their Lord and Master, `ye shall have
tribulation.' But this, so far from making them reckless as to their
behavior towards the men of the world, ought to have the directly
opposite effect. If the world persecute them, they must take care that
this persecution has in no degree been provoked by their improper or
imprudent behavior. They must do everything that lies in their power,
consistent with duty, to live in peace with their ungodly neighbors.
They must carefully abstain from injuring them; they must endeavor to
promote their happiness. They must do everything but sin in order to
prevent a quarrel.
"This is of great importance, both to themselves and to their
unbelieving brethren. A mind harassed by those feelings which are
almost inseparable from a state of discord is not by any means in the
fittest state for studying the doctrines, cherishing the feelings,
enjoying the comforts, performing the duties of Christianity; and, on
the other hand, the probability of our being useful to our unbelieving
brethren is greatly diminished when we cease to be on good terms with
them. As far as lies in us, then, if it be possible, we are to `live
peaceably with all men'" (John Brown, 1872).
"Follow peace with all men." The Greek word for "follow" is a very
emphatical one, signifying an "earnest pursuit:" it is the eager
chasing after something which flies from one, being used of hunters
and hounds after game. The Christian is to spare no effort to live
amicably with all men, and no matter how contentious and unfriendly
they may be, he is to strive and overtake that which seeks to flee
from him. Peace is one of the outstanding graces which the Christian
is called upon to exercise and manifest. All things pertaining to the
Church are denominated things of peace. God is "the God of peace"
(Heb. 13:20), Christ is "the Prince of peace" (Isa. 9:6), a believer
is designated "the son of peace" (Luke 10-6), and Christians are
bidden to have their "feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of
peace" (Eph. 6:15).
In this term "follow," or pursue, the apostle continues to preserve
the central figure of the entire passage, introduced in the first
verse of our chapter, of the running of a race: the same word is
rendered "I press forward" in Philippians 3:14. Peace may be elusive
and hard to capture, nevertheless strive after it, run hard in the
chase thereof, for it is well worth overtaking. Spare no pains, strain
every nerve to attain unto it. If this exhortion be duly heeded by us
then Christians are plainly forbidden to embroil themselves or take
any part in the strifes and quarrels of the world: thus they are
hereby forbidden to engage in politics, where there is little else
than envy, contention and anger. Still less may the Christian take any
part in war: there is not a single word in all the N.T. which warrants
a follower of the Prince of peace slaying his fellowmen. "Depart from
evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it" (Ps. 34:14).
The word "follow" or pursue does not imply the actual obtainment of
peace: the most eager hunters and hounds often miss their prey.
Nevertheless, nothing short of our utmost endeavors are required of
us. "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with
all men" (Rom. 12:18): with fellow-Christians, with those who are
strangers to Christ (Eph. 2:19), with our enemies (Matthew 5:44). Few
things more adorn and beautify a Christian profession than exercising
and manifesting the spirit of peace. Then let us prayerfully strive to
avoid those things which occasion strife. Remember the old adage that
"It takes two to make a quarrel:" therefore see to it that you provoke
not others. Give no encouragement to those who love contention;
refrain from all argument--the things of God are too holy: debating is
a work of the flesh. To "follow peace with all men" presupposes
righteousness in our dealings with them, for we most certainly are not
entitled to expect them to treat us amicably unless we give unto each
his due, and treat others as we would have them treat us.
Do not merely be placid when no one irritates you, but go out of your
way to be gracious unto those who oppose. Be not fretful if others
fail to render the respect which you consider to be your due. Do not
be so ready to "stand up for your rights," but yield everything except
truth and the requirements of holiness. "If we would follow peace, we
must gird up our loins with the girdle of forbearance: we must resolve
that as we will not give offense, so neither will take offense, and if
offense be felt, we must resolve to forgive" (C.H. Spurgeon). Remember
we cannot successfully "pursue peace" if the heavy burden of pride be
on our shoulder: pride ever stirs up strife. Nor can we "pursue peace"
if the spirit of envy fills the heart: envy is sure to see faults
where they exist not, and make trouble. Nor can we "pursue peace" if
we are loose-tongued, busybodies, talebearers.
Even when opposed, our duty is to be peaceful toward those who
persecute--a hard lesson, a high attainment, yet Divine grace (when
earnestly sought) is "sufficient" even here. Remember the example
which the Savior has left us: and cry mightily unto God for help to
emulate the same. "When He was reviled, He reviled not again; when He
suffered, He threatened not" (1 Pet. 2:23): He prayed for God to
forgive His very murderers. "With all lowliness and meekness, with
longsuffering, forbearing one another in love" (Eph. 4:2). Ah, there
are the prerequisities for the procuring of peace--the lack of which
being the cause of so much confusion, strife and war. If love reigns
our skirts will be dear, for "Love suffereth long, and is kind; love
envieth not; doth not behave itself unseemly; seeketh not her own, is
not easily provoked; thinketh no evil, beareth all things, believeth
all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things" (1 Cor. 13:4-7).
"Follow peace with all men." This includes even more than we have
intimated above: the Christian is not only to be a peace-keeper, but
he should seek to be a peace-maker: such have the express benediction
of Christ--"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the
children of God" (Matthew 5:9). Seek, then, to restore amicable
relations between those who are at enmity and be used of God as a
medium of their reconciliation. Instead of fanning the flames of
dissension or driving the wedge of division further in, endeavor to
cool them by the water of the Word, and by a gracious demeanor and
wise counsel seek to smooth out difficulties and heal wounds. "And the
fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace"
(James 3:18). "Peaceable men do sow a seed that afterward will yield
sheaves of comfort into their own bosoms" (T. Manton).
"Follow peace with all men and holiness." First, the cultivation of
peace is a great aid unto personal and practical holiness: where
discontent, envy, and strife dominate the heart, piety is choked. The
two things are inseparably connected: where love to our neigh-bout is
lacking, love to God will not be in exercise. The two tables of the
law must not be divorced: God will not accept our worship in the house
of prayer while we entertain in our heart the spirit of bitterness
toward another (Matthew 5:23, 24). "If a man say, I love God, and
hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother
whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" (1 John
4:20). O my reader, if we imagine that we are sincere in our quest
after holiness while striving not to live peaceably with all men, we
are cherishing a vain deceit.
"Some who have aimed at holiness have made the great mistake of
supposing it needful to be morose, contentious, faultfinding, and
censorious with everybody else. Their holiness has consisted of
negatives, protests, and oppositions for oppositions sake. Their
religion mainly lies in contrarieties and singularities; to them the
text offers this wise counsel, follow holiness, but also follow peace.
Courtesy is not inconsistent with faithfulness. It is not needful to
be savage in order to be sanctified. A bitter spirit is a poor
companion for a renewed heart. Let your determination principle be
sweetened by tenderness towards your fellow-men. Be resolute for the
right, but be also gentle, pitiful, courteous. Consider the meekness
as well as the boldness of Jesus. Follow peace, but not at the expense
of holiness. Follow holiness, but do not needlessly endanger peace"
(C.H. Spurgeon, on text, 1870).
"Follow peace with all men, and holiness." By a harmless, kind, and
useful behavior toward their unbelieving neighbors the people of God
are to conduct themselves. They must avoid that which fosters
bitterness and strife, and make it manifest they are followers of the
Prince of peace. Yet in pursuing this most needful and inestimable
policy there must be no sacrifice of principle. While peace is a most
precious commodity nevertheless, like gold, it may be purchased too
dearly. "The wisdom which is from above is first pure, then peaceable"
(James 3:17). Peace must not be severed from holiness by a compliance
with any evil or a neglect of any duty. "First being by interpretation
king of righteousness, and after that also King of peace" (Heb. 7:2).
"Peace has special relation to man and his good, holiness to God and
His honor. These two may no more be severed than the two tables of the
law. Be sure then that peace lacks not this companion of holiness: if
they cannot stand together, let peace go and holiness be cleaved unto"
(W. Gouge).
There may be the former without the latter. Men may be so determined
to maintain peace that they compromise principle, sacrifice the truth,
and ignore the claims of God. Peace must never be sought after a price
of unfaithfulness to Christ. "Buy the truth and sell it not" (Prov.
23:23) is ever binding upon the Christian. Thus, important though it
be to "follow peace with all men," it is still more important that we
diligently pursue "holiness." Holiness is devotedness to God and that
temper of mind and course of conduct which agrees with the fact that
we are "not our own, but bought with a price." Peace with men, then,
is not to be purchased at the expense of devotedness to God:
"infinitely better to have the whole world for our enemies and God for
our friend, than to have the whole world for our friends and God for
our enemy" (John Brown).
The Christian is not only to be diligent in his quest for peace, but
he is to be still more earnest in his pursuit after personal and
practical holiness. Seeking after the good will of our fellows must be
subordinated unto seeking the approbation of God. Our chief aim must
be conformity to the image of Christ. If He has delivered us from
wrath to come, we must endeavor by all that is within us to follow Him
along the narrow way which leadeth unto Life. If He be our Lord and
Master, then He is to be unreservedly obeyed. To "follow" holiness is
to live like persons who are devoted to God--to His glory, to His
claims upon us, to His cause in this world. It is to make it evident
that we belong to Him. It is to separate ourselves from all that is
opposed to Him. It is to mortify the flesh, with its affections and
lusts. It is to "cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh
and of the spirit" (2 Cor. 7:1). It is a life task from which there is
no discharge while we remain in the body.
To urge us the more after holiness, the apostle at once adds "without
which no man shall see the Lord"--"which" is in the singular number,
showing that the antecedent is "holiness." The believer may fail to
"follow peace with all men," and though he will suffer loss thereby
and bring himself under the chastening rod of his Father, yet this
will not entail the Loss of Heaven itself. But it is otherwise with
holiness: unless we are made partakers of the Divine nature, unless
there be personal devotedness to God, unless there be an earnest
striving after conformity to His will, then Heaven will never be
reached. There is only one route which leads to the Country of
everlasting bliss, and that is the Highway of Holiness; and unless (by
grace) we tread the same, our course must inevitably terminate in the
caverns of eternal woe.
The negative here is fearfully emphatic: "without which (namely,
"holiness") no man shall see the Lord"--in the Greek it is still
stronger the negative being threefold--"not, without, no man." God
Himself is essentially, ineffably, infinitely holy, and only holy
characters shall ever "see" Him. Without holiness no man shall see
Him: no, no matter how orthodox his beliefs, how diligent his
attendance upon the means of grace, how liberal he may be in
contributing to the cause, nor how zealous in performing religious
duties. How this searching word should make everyone of us quail! Even
though I be a preacher, devoting the whole of my life to study and
laboring for the good of souls, even though I be blest with much light
from the Word and be used of God in turning many from Satan to Christ,
yet without holiness--both inward and outward--I shall never see the
Lord. Unless the earnest pursuit of holiness occupy all my powers, I
am but a formal professor, having a name to live while being
spiritually dead.
Without holiness men are strangers to God and cannot be admitted to
His fellowship, still less to His eternal habitation. "Thus saith the
Lord God; No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in
flesh shall enter into My sanctuary" (Ezek. 44:9): such as have no
holiness within and without, in heart or in life, cannot be admitted
into the sanctuary. If God shut the door of His earthly sanctuary
against such as were strangers to holiness, will He not much more shut
the doors of His celestial tabernacle against those who are strangers
to Christ? "For what fellowship hath righteousness with
unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? and what
concord hath Christ with Belial?" (2 Cor. 6:14, 15).
Unholy persons have fellowship and are familiar with Satan: "Ye are of
your father the Devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do" (John
8:44); and again "The whole world lieth in the Wicked one" (1 John
5:19). It would be awful blasphemy to affirm that the thrice holy God
would have fellowship with those who are in covenant with the Devil. O
make no mistake upon this point, dear reader: if you are not walking
after the Spirit, you are walking after the flesh: if you are not
living to please Christ, you are living to please self; if you have
not been delivered from the power of Darkness, you cannot enjoy the
Light. Listen to those piercing words of the Redeemer, "Except a man
be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3), and the
new birth is holiness begun, it is the implantation of a principle of
holiness in the heart, which is the life task of the Christian to
cultivate.
The "holiness" referred to in our text is not imputed holiness, for we
cannot be exhorted to "follow after" that! No, it is personal and
practical holiness, which is not attained by standing still, but by an
earnest, diligent, persistent pursuit after the same. "It will be well
for us to remember that the religion of Jesus Christ is not a matter
of trifling, that the gaining of Heaven is not to be achieved by a few
half-hearted efforts; and if we will at the same time recollect that
all-sufficient succor is prepared for us in the covenant of grace we
shall be in a right state of mind: resolute, yet humble, leaning upon
the merits of Christ, and yet aiming at personal holiness. I am
persuaded that if self-righteousness be deadly, self-indulgence is
indeed ruinous. I desire to maintain always a balance in my ministry,
and while combating self-righteousness, to war perpetually with loose
living" (C.H. Spurgeon).
But for the comfort of the poor and afflicted people of God, who find
sin their greatest burden and who grieve sorely over their paucity of
holiness, let it be pointed out that our text does not say "without
the perfection of holiness no man shall see the Lord." Had it done so,
we would not be writing this article, for then the editor had been
entirely without hope. There is none upon earth who is fully conformed
to God's will. Practical holiness is a matter of growth. In this life
holiness is but infantile, and will only be matured in glory. At
present it exists more in the form of longings and strivings,
hungerings and efforts, rather than in realizations and attainments.
The very fact that the Christian is exhorted to "follow" or pursue
holiness, proves that he has not yet reached it.
"Without holiness no man shall see the Lord" spiritually, not
corporeally: with an enlightened understanding and with love's
discernment, so as to enjoy personal communion with Him. "If we say
that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do
not the truth" (1 John 1:6): how clear is that! "The pure in heart
shall see God" (Matthew 5:8): see Him in His holy ordinances, see His
blessed image reflected, though dimly, by his saints, see Him by faith
with the eyes of the heart, as Moses, who "endured as seeing Him who
is invisible" (Heb. 11:27); and thus be prepared and capacitated to
"see" Him in His unveiled glory in the courts above. O to be able to
truthfully say, "As for me, I will behold Thy face in righteousness: I
shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness" (Ps. 17:15). How
we should labor after holiness, using all the means appointed thereto,
since it is the medium for the soul's vision of God.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 95
A Call to Examination
(Hebrews 12:14)
__________________________________________
We had first thought of giving a brief exposition of this verse at the
close of the preceding article. But we felt this would scarcely
satisfy some of our more critical readers. Nor is it our custom to
dodge difficulties, and this presents a real difficulty unto not a
few. Those Arminians who are ready to grasp at a straw have appealed
to it in support of their favorite tenet "falling from grace." On the
other hand, it must be acknowledged that the replies given by
Calvinists thereon have often been unsatisfactory. It seems therefore
that a more careful consideration and fuller elucidation of its
contents are called for. Following, then, our usual practice, we shall
endeavor, as God assists, to bring out the meaning of its several
terms and apply them to our consciences and lives.
The following are the points upon which our attention needs to be
concentrated. First, the connection between our present verse and its
context. Second, the duty enjoined: "looking diligently." Third, the
danger to be avoided: "lest any man fail of the grace of God." Fourth,
the evil warned against: "lest any root of bitterness springing up
trouble you." Fifth, the resultant consequence if the evil be
tolerated: "and thereby many be defiled." In considering these points
it will have to be carefully ascertained what it is about which we are
here exhorted to be "looking diligently." What is signified by "lest
any man fail of the grace of God," and if that be the correct
translation, or whether the Greek requires us to accept the marginal
alternative of "falling from the grace of God." And finally, what is
denoted by the "root of bitterness springing up." May wisdom be
granted us from on High.
First, then, the connection between our present verse and its context.
We will first consider its more general and remote relation, and then
its more specific and immediate. The link between Hebrews 12:15 and
that which precedes may be thus exhibited: if the afflictions which
fidelity to Christ occasion and the chastenings of the Father are not
duly improved by professing Christians they are almost certain to
become a serious stumbling-block in the way of personal piety, yea, a
temptation to apostasy itself. This, we believe, is the first
reference in the "looking diligently." Unless professing Christians
are duly "exercised" (verse 11) over God's disciplinary dealings with
them, they are very apt to misconstrue them, chafe against them, call
into question the Divine goodness, and sink into a state of despair,
with its accompanying inertia.
What has just been pointed out above receives confirmation from the
verses which immediately follow, for verses 16 and 17 are obviously a
continuation of our present text. There we find a solemn exhortation
against apostasy itself, pointed by the awful case and example of
Esau. Here we are warned against that, which if neglected, has a
fearful tendency unto apostasy. Most of us know from painful
experience how easily we become discouraged when things do not go as
we want, how ready we are to "faint" (verse 5) when the rod of
adversity is laid upon us, how real is the temptation to compromise or
forsake the path of duty altogether when trials multiply or opposition
and persecution is all that our best efforts meet with. Real, then, is
our need for heeding this exhortation "Looking diligently lest any man
fail of the grace of God."
It is unspeakably solemn to note that in the case of Esau his
temptation to sell his birthright--apostatize--was occasioned by his
faintness, for we are told that he said to Jacob, "Feed me, I pray
thee, with that same red pottage, for I am faint" (Gen. 25:30). And is
it not when we are faint in our minds, cast down by the difficulties
of the way, disheartened by the lack of appreciation our efforts meet
with, and crushed by one trial on top of another, that Satan bids us
give up the fight of faith and "get what pleasure we can out of life"
by indulging the lusts of the flesh? Looked at thus our text points
out the spring of apostasy--"falling of the grace of God;" the nature
of apostasy--a "root of bitterness springing up;" and the result of
apostasy--"many be defiled."
Considering now the more specific and immediate connection of our
verse with its context. First, unless the hands which hang down be
lifted up and the feeble knees strengthened (verse 12), there will be
a "failing of the grace of God;" and unless straight paths are made
for our feet and that which is "lame" be prevented from "turning out
of the way" (verse 13), then a "root of bitterness" (an apostate) will
spring up, and in consequence, "many will be defiled." Second, in
verse 14 we are exhorted to "follow" two things, namely, "peace" and
"holiness;" while in verse 15 we are warned to avoid two things,
namely, "failing of the grace of God" and suffering "a root of
bitterness to spring up." The opening "Looking diligently" clearly
denotes that our avoidance of the two evils of verse 15 turns or is
dependent upon our earnest pursuit of the spiritual graces inculcated
in verse 14.
We are now ready to contemplate the duty which is here enjoined:
"looking diligently." This is a call to examination: first, to
self-examination. Its immediate force is derived from the closing
words of the preceding verse, where the solemn and searching statement
is made that "without which (namely `holiness') no man shall see the
Lord." No matter though I am in fellowship with the people of God, a
member of a scriptural church, a regular attender upon the means of
grace, a firm believer in all the doctrines of the Word; yet, if I
have never been sanctified by the Spirit of God, if I am not
diligently and earnestly cultivating practical holiness, both of heart
and life, then I shall never enter Heaven, and enjoy the beatific
vision. Hence the pertinency and urgency of this exhortation, "Looking
diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God." There is far too
much at stake to remain in uncertainty upon such a vital matter, and
only the religious trifler will disregard this imperative summons.
The call to careful self-examination receives its urgency from the
very great danger there is of self-deception. Sin darkens the
understanding, so that man is unable to perceive his real state before
God. Satan "hath blinded the minds of them which believe not" (2 Cor.
4:4). The deep-rooted pride of our hearts makes us think the best of
ourselves, so that if a question is raised in our hearts, we are ever
prone to give ourselves the benefit of the doubt. A spirit of sloth
possesses us by nature, so that we are unwilling to go to the trouble
which real self-examination calls for. Hence the vast majority of
religious professors remain with a head knowledge of the Truth, with
outward attention to forms and ceremonies, or resting on a mere
consent to the letter of some verse like John 3:16, refusing to "make
their calling and election sure."
God has warned us plainly in His Word that, "There is a generation
that are pure in their own eyes and yet is not washed from their
filthiness" (Prov. 30:12). He has set before us those who say "I am
rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing," and who
know not that they are "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind,
and naked" (Rev. 3:17). And let it be duly noted that those were in
church association, and that at a time before the last of the apostles
had left the earth. Christ has told us that "Many will say to Me in
that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy
name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works?"
yea, that they affirm "we have eaten and drunk in Thy presence" (Luke
13:26); yet will He answer them "I never knew you: depart from Me, ye
that work iniquity" (Matthew 7:23). How such words as those should
make each of us tremble! How it behooves us to be "Looking diligently
lest any man fail of the grace of God." Alas that such words--written
first to those who had been addressed as "holy brethren, partakers of
the heavenly calling" (3:1)--should, for the most part, fall upon
unheeding ears.
The fact is, that our diligence and honesty in self-examination will
largely be determined by the value which we set upon our soul and its
eternal interests. Alas, the vast majority of professing Christians
today are far, far more concerned about their bodies than their souls,
about carnal pleasures than spiritual fiches, about earthly comforts
than heavenly consolations, about the good opinion of their fellows
rather than the approbation of God. But a few--and O how few--are made
serious, become in deadly earnest to examine well their foundations
and test every inch of the ground they stand on. With them religion is
not something to be taken up and laid down according to their fitful
moods. Where will they spend ETERNITY is their all-absorbing concern.
Every other interest in life sinks into utter insignificance before
the vital consideration of seeking to make sure that they have "the
root of the matter" in them.
O my reader, can you be satisfied with the cheap, easy-going religion
of the day, which utterly ignores the clamant call of the Son of God
"Agonize to enter in at the strait gate" (Luke 13:24)? Can you rest
content with the "smooth things" now being proclaimed from well nigh
every pulpit, which assures those who are at emnity with God they can
become Christians more easily than a youth can join the army, or a man
become a `free mason' or `odd fellow'? Can you follow the great crowd
who claim to have "received Christ as their personal Savior" when no
miracle of grace has been wrought in their hearts, while the Lord
Himself declares "Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which
leadeth unto Life, and few there be that find it" (Matthew 7:14)? Dare
you rest upon some "decision" made when you were deeply stirred by
some anecdotes addressed to your emotions? Have you nothing more than
some change in your religious views or some reformation in your
outward ways to show that you are "a new creature in Christ Jesus"?
Slight not, we beseech you, this pressing word, "Looking diligently
lest any man fail of the grace of God."
But the word "Looking diligently" has a wider signification than
self-examination: it also points out our duty toward each other. The
Greek term means "overseeing," exercising a jealous care for one
another. This seems to have misled Owen and several others who
confined the exhortation unto "the body of the church or society of
the faithful" in their mutual relation. But as Spurgeon pointed out on
the text, "In the church of God each one should be on his watchtower
for himself and for others. The first person who is likely to fail in
the church is myself. Each one ought to feel that: the beginning of
the watch should therefore be at home." Our text is very similar to
the exhortation found in Hebrews 3:13, 14, which is first unto the
individual and then to the assembly--"Take heed, brethren, lest there
be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the
living God. But exhort one another daily."
Earnestly endeavoring to look well unto my own going, it is then both
my duty and privilege to exercise watchfulness over others. "How many
persons might be saved from backsliding by a little oversight! If we
would speak to the brother kindly and considerately, when we think he
is growing a little cold, we might restore him. We need not always
speak directly to him by way of rebuke, but we may place a suggestive
book in his way, or speak generally upon the subject. Love can invent
many ways of warning a friend without making him angry, and a holy
example will also prove a great rebuke to sin. In the church we ought
to bear one another's burden, and so fulfill the law of Christ,
exercising the office of bishops over one another, and watching lest
any man fail of the grace of God" (C.H. Spurgeon).
How little of this loving solicitude for the spiritual well-being of
our fellow-pilgrims is in evidence today! How little earnest and
diligent praying for one another! How little faithfulness in
counseling, warning, exhorting! Probably one principal reason for this
is the hyper-touchiness of so many professing Christians in this
generation. No matter how tactfully the counsel be tendered, how
faithfully the warning be given, or how lovingly the rebuke be
administered; no matter though it be given by an experienced senior to
one he is on familiar terms with, yet in nine cases out of ten his
efforts are resented, and he is told--by attitude if not in words--to
"mind his own business." Never mind, even if a single ear be gained
and a single soul helped, it is worth the disappointments of being
repulsed by the others. Only one leper out of the ten appreciated
Christ's kindness!
"Lest any man fail of the grace of God." This is the clause which has
occasioned controversy: though really it affords no warrant for it,
nor will the Greek permit of the marginal rendering. The root word
which is here rendered "fail" occurs many times in the N.T., but never
once has it the force of "fall from." It means "to lack" or "be
deficient of." In Romans 3:23 it is rendered "come short of," in Luke
15:14 to "want," in 2 Corinthians 12:11 "come behind," in Matthew
19:20 "lack," in Philippians 4:12 "suffer need," in Hebrews 11:37 to
be "destitute." Thus there is no room for uncertainty as to the
meaning of this exhortation: "Looking diligently lest any man
fail--come short of, be deficient in, lack--the grace of God."
But to what does "the grace of God" here refer? That is not quite so
easy to answer, for sometimes "grace" is to be regarded objectively,
sometimes subjectively; in some passages it refers to the free favor
of God, in others to His benevolent operation within the heart, in
still others to the effects produced thereby. In our present passage,
it seems to the writer, to be used more abstractly, having a
comprehensive scope as it is applicable to widely different cases. We
feel it safest to regard the clause thus, for God's commandment is
"exceeding broad" (Ps. 119:96), and very often a single word has a
twofold or threefold reference, and therefore we need to be constantly
on our guard against limiting the meaning or restricting the
application of any utterance of Holy Writ. According to our light we
will endeavor to show some of the different cases to which this
exhortation belongs.
"By `the grace of God,' God's favor and acceptance in Christ, as it is
proposed and declared by the Gospel, is intended. Herein all spiritual
mercies and privileges, in adoption, justification, sanctification and
consolation, do consist. For these things, proceeding from the love,
grace, and goodness of God in Christ, and being effects thereof, are
called the grace of God. The attaining and participation of these
things, is that which in the faith and profession of the Gospel, men
aim at and design; without which, both the one and the other are in
vain. This grace, under all their profession of the Gospel, men may
fail of, and this is the evil cautioned against" (John Owen).
Men may "fail of the grace of God," then, by not submitting themselves
to the terms of the Gospel. Those terms are repugnant to the natural
man: they are distasteful to his carnal lusts, they are humbling to
his pride. But it is at the former of these two points that the
majority "fail." The Gospel calls upon sinners to repent, and they
cannot do that with sincerity unless they throw down the weapons of
their rebellion against God. The thrice holy God will pardon no man so
long as he is determined to please himself and continue in a course of
sinning. Again; the Gospel calls on sinners to receive Christ Jesus as
Lord: to give Him the throne of their hearts, to bow to His scepter.
The holy Redeemer will save no man who is unwilling for Him to "rule
over" him (Luke 19:14).
Second, to "fail of the grace of God" is to be satisfied with
something short of Divine grace communicated to and ruling in the
heart. It is to be contented with a religious substitute for it. How
many are deceived by "a form of godliness" who know nothing of its
"power" (2 Tim. 3:5). How many mistake a head-knowledge of the Truth
for a miracle of grace wrought in the heart. How many substitute
outward forms and ceremonies for an experimental acquaintance with the
substance of them. How many confuse an external reformation of life
with the Divine regeneration and transformation of the soul. Alas, of
how very many does it have to be said, "He feedeth on ashes; a
deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul"
(Isa. 44:20). O how few there are who know "the grace of God in truth"
(Col. 1:5). Do you, my reader? Do you?
"Some have maintained an admirable character to all appearance all
their lives, and yet have failed of the grace of God because of some
secret sin. They persuaded even themselves that they were believers,
and yet they were not truly so; they had no inward holiness, they
allowed one sin to get the mastery, they indulged in an unsanctified
passion, and so, though they were laid in the grave like sheep, they
died with a false hope, and missed eternal life. This is a most
dreadful state to be in, and perhaps some of us are in it. Let the
prayer be breathed, `Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and
know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead
me in the way everlasting.' Are ye earnest in secret prayer? Do ye
love the reading of the Bible? Have ye the fear of God before your
eyes? Do you really commune with God? Do you truly love Christ? Ask
yourselves these questions often, for though we preach the free Gospel
of Jesus Christ, I hope as plainly as any, we feel it to be just as
needful to set you on self-examination and to excite in you a holy
anxiety. It ought to be often a question with you `Have I the grace of
God, or do I fall short of it? Am I a piece of rock crystal which is
very like the diamond, but yet is not diamond?'" (C.H. Spurgeon).
Third, multitudes "fail of the grace of God" by not persevering in the
use of the outward means. They are very earnest and zealous at first,
but become careless and slothful. "There are some persons who for a
time appear to possess the grace of God, and for a while exhibit many
outward evidences of being Christians, but at last the temptation
comes most suitable to their depraved tastes, and they are carried
away with it. They fail of the grace of God. They appear to have
attained it, but they fail at last; like a man in business who makes
money for a time, but fails in the end. They fail of the grace of
God--like an arrow shot from the bow, which goes straight towards the
target for a time, but having too little impetus, fails to reach the
mark. There are some who did run well, what doth hinder them that they
should not obey the truth?" (C.H. Spurgeon).
Finally, genuine Christians themselves "fail of the grace of God" by
not improving that which God has already bestowed upon them. Faith has
been imparted to them, but how little they exercise it. There is an
infinite fullness in Christ for them, but how little do they draw upon
it. Wondrous privileges are theirs, but how little do they use them.
Light has been communicated to them, but how little do they walk in
it. They fail to watch and pray lest they enter into temptation (Mark
14:38). They fail to cleanse themselves from all filthiness of the
flesh and spirit (2 Cor. 7:1). They fail to grow in grace and in the
knowledge of the Lord Jesus (2 Pet. 3:18). They fail to keep
themselves from idols (1 John 5:21). They fail to keep themselves in
the love of God (Jude 21). And by so failing, their peace is
disturbed, their joy is diminished, their testimony is marred, and
frequent chastenings are brought upon them.
"Lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you." This is the
evil warned against. Observe how abstractly this also is worded: it is
not "lest any root of bitterness spring up in you," or "among you,"
but simply "springing up." The reference, we believe, is again a
double one: first to the individual himself, and then to the corporate
company. This second "lest" is obviously related intimately to the
first: if we "fail of the grace of God" then "a root of bitterness
springing up" is to be surely expected. Nor can there be any doubt as
to what is signified by this figure of a "root of bitterness springing
up"--the uprising of evil is evidently that which is in view. This is
what we are here to guard against: failure to do so will bring
"trouble" upon us and occasion a stumbling-block to others.
The first thing to be noted here is the expression "root of
bitterness." Now the root of a tree is that part of it which is
underground, hence the reference is to that which is unseen. It points
to indwelling sin, which continues in a man even after he is
regenerated. That is why the Christian is exhorted, "Let not sin
therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the
lusts thereof" (Rom. 6:12). And if that is to be obeyed, then it is
imperative we heed the word "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for
out of it are the issues of life" (Prov. 4:23). Every stirring of sin
within is to be resisted, every defiling effect of it confessed to
God. If the weeds be not kept down, the flowers and vegetables will be
choked. If the Christian fails in the work of mortification then the
cultivation of his graces will be arrested.
"Lest any root of bitterness springing up." The "springing up" is the
appearance of its stalk above the ground. It is the open manifestion
of sin in the life, issuing from an unmortified lust in the soul,
which is here in view. What is unjudged before God in secret usually
ends in becoming open before men. "Be sure your sin will find you out"
(Num. 32:23) is a solemn word for each of us on this point. "Lest any
root" emphasizes the need of constant watchfulness against every sin,
for many branches and sprigs are ready to issue from the main trunk of
indwelling corruption. Our safeguards are to yield ourselves wholly to
God without reserve at any point, to be well instructed in practical
godliness, to preserve a tender conscience, to be more distrustful
about ourselves, to cultivate closer daily communion with God, to fix
our affections upon things above.
"Lest any root of bitterness springing up." By nature, sin is pleasant
and delightful to us, but in the end it "biteth like a serpent and
stingeth like an adder" (Prov. 23:32). Particularly is this the case
with the Christian. God will not long suffer him to indulge his lusts,
without making him taste the bitter consequences of the same. The
lashings of his conscience, the convictions of the Spirit, the
wretchedness of his soul, will cause him to say, "He hath filled me
with bitterness, He hath made me drunken with wormwood" (Lam. 3:15).
As our text says, "lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble."
That which is contrary to God's holiness and offends His majesty, He
makes a source of trouble to us, either in our minds, bodies, estates,
or families. "And many be defiled:" sin is like leaven--its influence
spreads: "evil communications corrupt good manners" (1 Cor. 15:33).
The second half of our text also refers to the local church: in it
there is, no doubt, an allusion to Deuteronomy 29:18. Great
watchfulness needs to be exercised and a strict discipline maintained
therein. Unregenerate professors are ever seeking to creep into the
assembly of the saints. If God's servants sleep, the Enemy will sow
his tares among the wheat. When the suspicion of church officers is
aroused, prayer for discernment and guidance is called for. Where the
one suspected breaks out in corrupt doctrine or in loose living, he is
to be dealt with promptly. Delay is dangerous. The allowance of a
"little leaven" will soon corrupt the whole lump. At no point does the
local church fail more deplorably today than in its refusal to
maintain Scriptural discipline.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
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Chapter 32
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Chapter 35
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Chapter 48
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An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 96
A Warning Against Apostasy
(Hebrews 12:16, 17)
__________________________________________
The verses which we are now to consider are among the most solemn to
be found in the Word of God. They present a most pointed warning
against apostasy. They bring before us what is to all tender
consciences a terror-provoking subject, namely, sin for which there is
no forgiveness. It is indeed to be deplored that recent writers have
dealt with it like they do with most matters--very superficially or
quite erroneously. Either they have limited themselves unto two or
three passages, ignoring many others directly relating to the theme,
or they have wrongly affirmed that no one can commit "the unpardonable
sin" during this present dispensation. On the other hand, most of the
old writers seem to have devoted their efforts to re-assuring weak and
fearing Christians that they had not committed this awful offense,
rather than in making any attempt to define the character of the
transgression itself.
The subject is admittedly a difficult one, and we believe God has
permitted a measure of obscurity to rest upon it, and that in order to
deter men from rashly venturing too near the brink of this terrible
precipice. It therefore becomes us to approach it in fear and
trembling, with modesty and humility, seeking grace and wisdom from on
High to deal with it in a faithful, clear, and helpful manner. For
this is no easy thing, if we are to avoid error and preserve the
balance of truth. Two extremes have to be guarded against: a blunting
of its fearful point so that the wicked would be encouraged to
continue trifling with God and sporting with their eternal destiny, or
failing to write with sufficient definiteness so that awakened and
contrite sinners would not be delivered from sinking into despair
beneath Satan's lying misuse of it against them.
Before turning to the positive side it seems necessary to briefly
point out wherein they seriously err, who insist that no one ever sins
beyond the possibility of Divine pardon during this present era of
grace. There are quite a number of passages in the N.T. epistles which
clearly show the contrary. In 2 Thessalonians 2:11, 12 we read, "For
this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should
believe a lie; that they all might be damned who believed not the
truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." In Hebrews 6:4, 6 it is
said of some that" it is impossible to renew them again unto
repentance." In Hebrews 10:26, 27 it is said, "For if we sin wilfully
after that we have received the knowledge of the truth there remaineth
no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of
judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries;"
while in 1 John 5:16 we are expressly informed "there is a sin unto
death." In our judgment each of these passages refers to a class of
offenders who have so grievously provoked God that their doom is
irrevocably sealed while they are yet here upon earth.
Against the testimony of the above scriptures an appeal has often been
made to, "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all
sin." But the Word of God does not contradict itself, and it is an
evil practice which cannot be too strongly condemned to pit one
passage against another: any attempt to neutralize one text by another
is handling the Truth deceitfully. With regard to 1 John 1:7 three
things need to be pointed out.
First, the precious blood of Christ was never designed to cleanse from
every sin--was it designed to cleanse Judas from his betrayal of the
Savior! Its application is no wider than its impetration: its virtue
does not extend beyond the purpose for which it was shed. Second, it
does not say "the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth from all
sin;" instead, it is strictly qualified: "cleanseth us from all sin,"
that is, God's own people. It is dishonest to appropriate these words
to unbelievers. Third, the promise is further limited in the preceding
clause, "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light."
Nor do we at all agree with those writers who, while allowing that
"the unpardonable sin" may be committed during this present
dispensation, yet affirm it is a very rare occurrence, a most
exceptional thing, of which only one or two isolated cases may be
found. On the contrary, we believe that the Scriptures themselves
dearly intimate that many have been guilty of sins for which there was
no forgiveness either in this world or the world to come. We say
"sins," for a careful and prolonged study of the subject has convinced
us that "the unpardonable sin" is not one particular act of committing
some specific offense, like maliciously ascribing to Satan the works
of the Holy Spirit (which, no doubt, is one form of it), but that it
varies considerably in different cases. Both of these conclusions of
the present writer will receive illustration and confirmation in what
follows.
The first human being who was guilty of unpardonable sin was Cain. He
was a professor or outward worshipper of God, but because Abel's
offering was accepted and his own rejected, he waxed angry. The Lord
condescended to expostulate with him, and went so far as to assure him
that if he did well he would not lose his pre-eminence as the
firstborn. But so far from doing well, he persisted in wickedness, and
his enmity against God was evidenced by his hatred of His child,
ending in the murder of him. Whereupon the Lord said unto him, "The
voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto Me from the ground. And now
art thou cursed from the earth... A fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou
be in the earth" (Gen. 4:10-12). To which Cain answered, "Mine
iniquity is greater than it may be forgiven" (Gen. 4:13, margin).
The record of Genesis 6 makes it clear that a whole generation of the
world's inhabitants had transgressed beyond all hope of remedy or
forgiveness. "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the
earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts if his heart was
only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that He had made man
on the earth. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have
created from the face of the earth" (Gen. 6:5-7), which was duly
accomplished by the Flood. The whole of mankind in the days of Nimrod
sinned so grievously (Rom. 1:21-23) that "God gave them up" (Rom.
1:24-26), for His Spirit "will not always strive with men."
A whole generation of the Hebrews were also guilty of "the great
trangression." In Exodus 23:20, 21, we read, "Behold, I send an Angel
before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place
which I have prepared. Beware of Him, and obey His voice, provoke Him
not; for He will not pardon your transgressions: for My Name is in
Him." Alas they heeded not this solemn word: "our fathers would not
obey, but thrust Him from them, and in their hearts turned back into
Egypt" (Acts 7:39). Consequently the Lord said, "Wherefore I was
grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their
heart, and they have not known My ways. So I sware in My wrath, They
shall not enter into My rest" (Heb. 3:10, 11).
It seems evident to the writer that there have been some in every age
who have gone beyond the bounds of Divine mercy. Passing by such
individual cases as Pharaoh, Balaam, and Saul, we would observe that
the Pharisees of Christ's day--the bulk of them at least--were guilty
of sin for which there was no forgiveness. It is clear from John 3:2
that they recognized Him as "a Teacher come from God" and from John
11:47 that they could not gainsay His miracles. Nay more, it is plain
from Mark 12:7 that they knew the righteousness of His claims: "But
those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the Heir: come, let us
kill Him." Thus they acted with their eyes wide open, sinning against
their own confession, against light and knowledge, against the strong
conviction His miracles produced, and against His holy life spread
before them. Therefore did Christ say to them, "I go My way, and ye
shall seek Me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot
come" (John 8:21).
"Keep back Thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have
dominion over me; then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent
from the great transgression" (Ps. 119:13). Here the unpardonable sin
is denominated "the great transgression." It is called such because
this is what a bold and audacious defiance of God necessarily
culminates in, unless sovereign grace intervenes. "Presumptuous" sins
are committed by those who, while professing God's name and avowing a
claim upon His mercy, persist in a known course contrary to His Word.
Such rebels, presuming upon God's patience and goodness, are mocked by
Him, being suffered to go beyond the bounds of His forgiveness. It is
also called "blasphemy against the Spirit" (Matthew 12:31), "resisting
the Spirit" (Acts 7:51), "doing despite unto the Spirit of grace"
(Heb. 10:29). The "new testament" or "covenant" is "the ministration
of the Spirit" (2 Cor. 3:8), which far exceeds in glory the legal
dispensation. To be guilty of the great transgression is to sin
willfully against and to speak maliciously of the Holy Spirit, who is
revealed and promised in the Gospel; it is a quenching of His
convictions, resisting His enlightenment, defying His authority.
It is called "a sin unto death" (1 John 5:16) because its perpetrator
is now out of the reach of the promise of eternal life, having made
the Gospel, which is a proclamation of Divine grace unto those who
will submit themselves to its requirements, a "savor of death unto
death" to himself. He was convicted by it that he was legally dead,
and because of his impenitence, unbelief, hardheartedness, and
determination to go on having his own way, he is left spiritually
dead. Unto others God grants "repentance unto life," (Acts 11:18), but
when once "sin unto death" has been committed, it is "impossible to
renew again unto repentance" (Heb. 6:4-6). By his opposition to the
Gospel and refusal to receive Christ's "yoke," the guilty rebel has
trampled under foot the blood of God's Son, and as that alone can
procure forgiveness, there is now no pardon available for him.
The very fact that it is designated "a sin unto death" rather than
"the sin unto death" confirms what we said in a previous paragraph,
namely, that it is not some specific offense but rather that the
particular form it takes varies in different cases. And herein we may
perceive how the sovereignty of God is exercised in connection
therewith. God allows some to go to greater lengths of wickedness than
others: some evil-doers He cuts off in youth, while other workers of
iniquity are permitted to live unto old age. Against some He is more
quickly and more strongly provoked than others. Some souls He abandons
to themselves more readily than He does others. It is this which
renders the subject so unspeakably solemn: no man has any means of
knowing how soon he may cross the line which marks the limits of God's
forebearance with him. To trifle with God is hazardous to the last
degree.
That the sovereignty of God is exercised in this matter appears very
clearly from the cases of those whom He is pleased to save. What
fearful crimes Manasseh was guilty of before Divine grace renewed him!
What dreadful sins Saul of Tarsus committed ere the Lord Jesus
apprehended him! Let the writer and the reader review their own
unregenerate days: how dreadfully did we provoke the Majesty on high;
how long did we persevere in a course of open rebellion; against what
restraints, privileges, light and knowledge, warnings and entreaties,
did we act! How many of the godless companions of our youth were cut
off in their guilt, while we were spared. Was it because our sins were
less crimson? No, indeed; so far as we can perceive, our sins were of
a deeper dye than theirs. Then why did God save us? and why were they
sent to Hell? "Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight"
must be the answer.
A sovereign God has drawn the line in every life which marks the
parting of the ways. When that line is reached by the individual, God
does one of two things with him: either He performs a miracle of grace
so that he becomes "a new creature in Christ Jesus," or henceforth
that individual is abandoned by Him, given up to hardness of heart and
final impenitency; and which it is, depends entirely upon His own
imperial pleasure. And none can tell how near he may be to that line,
for some reach it much earlier in life than others--according as God
sovereignly decreed. Therefore it is the part of wisdom for each
sinner to promptly heed that word "Seek ye the Lord while he may be
found" (Isa. 55:6), which plainly denotes that soon it may be too
late--as Proverbs 1:28-31 and Matthew 25:8-12 plainly show.
This solemn distinction which God makes between one case and another
was strikingly shadowed out under the law. We refer to a remarkable
detail concerning the jubilee year, a detail which seems to have
escaped the notice of those who have preached and written on the
subject. Those in Israel who, through poverty, had sold their
possessions, had them restored at the year of jubilee: see Leviticus
25:25-28. That was a wondrous and beautiful figure of the free grace
of God towards His people in Christ, by which, and not because of
anything of their own, they are restored to the Divine favor and given
a title to the heavenly inheritance. But in connection therewith there
was an exception, designed by God, we doubt not, to adumbrate that
which we are here treating upon. That exception we will briefly
notice.
"If a man sell a dwelling-house in a walled city, then he may redeem
it within a whole year after it is sold; within a full year may he
redeem it. And if it be not redeemed within the space of a full year,
then the house that is in the walled city shall be established forever
to him that bought it throughout his generations: it shall not go out
in the jubilee" (Lev. 25:29, 30). We cannot now attempt an exposition
of this interesting passage or dwell upon its leading features. No
part of the "land" could be sold outright (see 5:23), for that was the
free gift of God's bounty--there can be no failure in Divine grace;
but houses in the city were the result of their labor human
responsibility being in view. If the house was sold and not
repurchased within a year, it passed beyond the reach of redemption,
its forfeiture being irrevocable and irrecoverable! Symbolically, the
"house" spoke of security under the Divine covenant, for in all
generations God in covenant has been the "dwelling-place" of His
people (Ps. 90:1). To part with his house typified a professor selling
himself to work presumptuous wickedness (1 Kings 21:20), and so
selling his soul, his God, his all. To such an one the Spirit will
never "proclaim liberty" of the Jubilee, for Satan holds him fast, and
Divine justice forbids his discharge: when God "shutteth up a man,
there can be no opening" (Job 12:14).
In view of all that has been before us, how softly we should tread,
how careful we should be of not provoking the Holy One! How earnestly
we should pray to be kept back from "presumptuous sins"! How
diligently should the young improve their privileges: how they should
heed that warning, "He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck,
shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy" (Prov. 29:1)!
How careful we should be against adding sin to sin, lest we provoke
God to leave us unto final impenitency. Our only safeguard is to heed
the voice of the Lord without delay, lest he "swear in His wrath" that
we "should not enter into His rest"! How we need to beg God to write
those words upon our hearts, "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in
you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God" (Heb.
3:12), for there is no hope whatever for the apostate.
A word now unto those with tender consciences that fear they may have
committed sin for which there is no forgiveness. The trembling and
contrite sinner is the farthest from it. There is not one instance
recorded in Scripture where any who was guilty of "the great
transgression" and had been given up by God to inevitable destruction,
ever repented of his sins, or sought God's mercy in Christ; instead,
they all continued obstinate and defiant, the implacable enemies of
Christ and His ways unto the end. While there be in the heart any
sincere valuing of God's approbation, any real sense of His holiness
which deters from trifling with Him, any genuine purpose to turn unto
Him and submit to His requirements, any true fearing of His wrath,
that soul has not been abandoned by Him. If you have a deep desire to
obtain an interest in Christ, or become a better Christian; if you are
deeply troubled over sin, if your heart grieves over its hardness, if
you yearn and pray for more tenderness of conscience, more yieldedness
of will, more love and obedience to Christ, then you have no cause to
suspect you have committed "the unpardonable sin."
"Lest there by any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who, for
one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward
when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he
found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with
tears" (Heb. 12:16,17). These verses continue what was before us in
the preceding one, and complete the series of exhortations begun in
verse 12. As we pointed out at the close of the previous article, the
ultimate reference in verse 15 is first a warning against that which
if disregarded would end in apostasy, and second, a caution against
suffering one who evidences the symptoms of an apostate to remain in
the assembly--its language being an allusion unto Deuteronomy 29:18.
That warning and caution is now exemplified by citing the fearful
example of Esau, who, though born among the covenant people and
receiving (we doubt not) a pious upbringing, committed a sin for which
there was no forgiveness, and became an apostate.
First of all, two particular sins are here warned against:
"fornication" and "profanity," each of which is "a root of
bitterness," which if permitted to "spring up" will cause "trouble" to
the guilty one and "defile many" with whom he is associated. Both
"fornication" and "profanity" are opposed unto the holiness exhorted
unto in verse 14. Fornication is a sin against the second table of the
Law, and profanity a breach of its first table. As in verse 14 the
apostle had enjoined the Hebrews to "follow peace" which has respect
to man and "holiness" which regards our relation to God, so now he
forbids two sins, the first of which would be committed against man,
the second against God. The two sins go together, for where a course
of moral uncleanness is followed, profanity almost always accompanies
it; and on the other hand, profane persons habitually think lightly of
immorality. The forsaking of either sin by sincere repentance is
exceedingly rare.
The term "profane" has a more specific meaning and a wider application
than it is commonly accorded in our speech today. "Holy things are
said to be profaned when men take off the veneration that is due unto
them, and expose them to common use or contempt. To `profane' is to
violate, to corrupt, to prostitute to common use things sacred, either
in their nature or by Divine institution. A profane person is one that
despiseth, sets light by, or condemneth sacred things. Such as mock at
religion, or who lightly regard its promises and threatenings; who
despise or neglect its worship, who speak irreverently of its
concerns, we call profane persons, and such they are, and such the
world is filled with at this day. This profaneness is the last step of
entrance into final apostasy. When men, from professors of religion,
become despisers of and scoffers at it, their state is dangerous, if
not irrevocable" (John Owen).
An instance of this evil is given in Esau, and a fearfully solemn case
his is, one which would warn us not to put our trust in external
privileges. "He was the firstborn of Isaac, circumcised according to
the law of that ordinance, and partaker of all the worship of God in
that holy family; yet an outcast from the covenant of grace and the
promise thereof" (Owen). The particular offense with which he is here
charged is that "for one morsel of meat" he "sold his birthright." Now
the birthright or privilege of the firstborn carried with it the
following things: the special blessing of his father, a double portion
of his goods, dominion over his brethren, and priestly functions (Num.
3:41) when the father was absent from home. The "birthright" was
regarded as a very special thing, being typical of the primogeniture
of Christ, of the adoption of saints, and of a title to the heavenly
inheritance. All of this Esau despised.
The historical account of Esau's sin is recorded in the closing verses
of Genesis 25: the heinousness of it is exhibited in our text. Esau
preferred the gratification of the flesh rather than the blessing of
God. He relinquished all claims to the privileges contained in and
annexed to his being the firstborn, for a trifling and temporary
enjoyment of the body. Alas, how many there are like him in the world
today. What vast numbers prefer carnal pleasures to spiritual joys,
temporal advantages to eternal riches, physical gratification to the
soul's salvation. By calling Esau "profane," the Holy Spirit reveals
that he placed no higher value upon sacred things than he did upon
those which were common. That which he received at the price of his
wickedness is termed "meat," to indicate that satisfying of the flesh
was his motive; and a "morsel," to emphasize the paltriness of his
choice.
The enormity of the sin of "profanity" is determined by the sacredness
of the objects to which it is opposed: let the reader carefully
compare Leviticus 18:21; 21:9; Nehemiah 13:17; Ezekiel 22:26. The
"profane" are guilty of trampling God's pearls beneath their feet. To
spurn the Scriptures, to desecrate the Sabbath, to revile God's
servants, to despise or ridicule the Gospel, to mock at the future
state, are all so many forms of this unspeakable wickedness. As helps
against it we would mention the need of being well instructed from the
Word, so that we may know what are "holy" things. To bring our hearts
to realize the superlative excellency of holiness. To meditate
seriously and frequently upon God's indignation against those who
slight what He highly esteems.
"For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the
blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though
he sought it carefully with tears" (verse 17). This takes us back to
the closing section of Genesis 27, where we learn the consequences
which his sin entailed. Isaac had pronounced the patriarchal
benediction upon Jacob, which, when his brother learned thereof deeply
agitated him: "He cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry" (Gen.
27:34). It was then that his "tears" were shed: but they proceeded not
from anguish of heart because he had sinned so grievously against God,
rather did they flow from a sense of self-pity--they expressed his
chagrin for the consequences which his folly had produced. Similar are
the lamentations of probably ninety-nine out of a hundred so called
"death-bed repentances." And such will be the "weeping and wailing" of
those in Hell: not because God was so slighted and wronged by them,
but because of the eternal suffering which their sins have justly
resulted in.
Esau's "tears" were of no avail: "he was rejected." His appeal came
too late: Isaac had already bestowed the blessing upon Jacob. It was
like an Israelite seeking to recover his property eighteen months
after he had sold it: see again Leviticus 25:30. Isaac, who was a
prophet of God, His mouthpiece, refused to be moved by Esau's bitter
wailing. In like manner, the Lord says of those who have sinned away
the day of grace "They shall call upon Me, but I will not answer; they
shall seek Me early, but they shall not find Me" (Prov. 1:28); and
"Therefore will I also deal in fury: Mine eye shall not spare, neither
will I have pity: and though they cry in Mine ears with a loud voice,
yet will I not hear them" (Ezek. 8:18). O what point that gives to the
call "Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while
He is near" (Isa. 55:6). Reader, if you have not yet genuinely
responded to that call, do so at once; delay is fraught with the
utmost peril to your soul.
The apostle was here addressing professing Christians, and the fearful
case of Esau is set before them (and us!) as a warning against
departing from the Narrow Way, of exchanging the high privileges of
the faithful for the temporary advantages of a faithless world. The
doom of the apostate is irretrievable. To lightly esteem, and then
despise, sacred things, will be followed "afterward" by bitter regret
and unavailing anguish. To reject the terms of the Gospel in order to
gratify the lusts of the flesh for a brief season, and then suffer
forever and ever in the Lake of Fire, is the height of madness. No
excuse could palliate Esau's profanity, and nothing can extenuate the
wickedness of him who prefers the drudgery of Satan to the freedom
there is in Christ. Esau's rejection by Isaac was the evidence of his
reprobation by God. May it please the Lord to use this article to
search the heart of every reader.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 97
The Inferiority of Judaism
(Hebrews 12:18, 19)
__________________________________________
As there are certain parts of a country which offer less attraction
than others unto tourists and sight-seers, so there are some portions
of Scripture which are of less interest to most readers and writers.
As there are some scenes in Nature which can be taken in at a glance
while others invite a repeated survey, so there are verses in each
Epistle which afford less scope than others unto the teacher. That is
why almost every preacher has a sermon on certain favorite texts,
whereas other verses are neglected by nearly all pulpits. But the
expositor has not the same freedom to follow his inclinations as the
textual sermonizer: unless he shirks his duty, he must go through a
passage verse by verse, and clause by clause. Still more so is this
the case with one who essays to write a commentary upon a whole book
of the Bible: he is not free to pick and choose, nor yield to his
personal preferences, but must give the same attention and enlargement
to one part as to another.
The above reflections have occurred to the editor as he has pondered
the verses which next claim our consideration in Hebrews 12. Their
contents are not likely to make much appeal unto the ordinary reader,
for there seems little in them which would be relished either by those
who have an appetite for "strong meat" or by those preferring the
"milk" of babes. Our passage neither sets forth any of the "doctrine
of grace" nor presents any practical exhortation for the Christian
life. Instead, it alludes to an historical incident which was chiefly
of interest to the Jews, and multiplies details from the same which
would be tedious unto the average churchgoer of this untoward
generation. Nevertheless, it is a part of GodƒEUR(TM)s Word, and as it
lies in our immediate path through this Epistle we shall not ignore or
turn from it. As the Lord enables, we shall endeavor to give it the
same attention and space as what has preceded it.
The passage upon which we are about to enter (which reaches from
Hebrews 12:18 to the end of the chapter) has been variously
interpreted by different commentators. One class of more recent
writers have, it seems to us, been far more anxious to read into it
their own pet theory regarding the future, than to interpret these
verses in accord with the theme of the Epistle in which they are
found. It would indeed be strange for the apostle to introduce here a
reference to some future "millennium:" the more so in view of the fact
that he has studiously avoided the use of the future tenseƒEUR"note
the emphatic "ye are come" (verse 22) and "but now" (verse 26). If due
attention be paid unto the main line of the apostleƒEUR(TM)s argument
in this treatise, then there should be no difficulty in arriving at a
correct understandingƒEUR"of the substance of it, at leastƒEUR"of this
portion of it.
As we pointed out so frequently in the earlier articles of this
series, the immediate and principal design of the apostle in this
Epistle, was to prevail with the Hebrews in persuading them unto a
perseverance in their profession of the Gospel, for therein they
appear at that time to have been greatly shaken. Therefore does he
warn them, again and again, of the various causes and occasions of
backsliding. Principal among these were, first, an evil heart of
unbelief, the sin which did so easily beset them. Second, an undue
valuation of the excellency of Judaism and the Mosaical church-state.
Third, wavering under the afflictions and persecutions which fidelity
to the Gospel entailed. Fourth, prevalent lusts, such as profaneness
and fornication. Each of these we have considered in the preceding
sections.
The principal argument which the apostle had urged unto their
constancy in Christianity, was the superlative excellency, glory, and
benefit of the Gospel-state into which the Hebrews had been called.
This he has accomplished and proved by setting forth the person and
office of its Author, His priesthood and sacrifice, with all the
spiritual worship and privileges belonging thereto. Each of these he
compared and contrasted with the things that corresponded unto the
same during the O.T. dispensation. Thereby he set over against each
other the type and the antitype, the shadow and the substance, and by
so doing made it unmistakably evident that the new economy was
immeasurably superior to the old, that all the ordinances and
institutions of the law were but prefigurations of those spiritual
realities which are now revealed by the Gospel.
Having insisted so largely and so particularly on these things in the
preceding chapters and brought his arguments from them to a plain
issue, he now recapitulates them as a whole. In the passage which is
now to engage our attention the apostle presents a brief scheme of the
two states or economies (designated as "testaments" or "covenants"),
balancing them one against another, and thereby demonstrating the
conclusive force of his central argument and the exhortations which he
had based upon it, unto constancy and perseverance in the faith of the
Gospel. It is no new argument which he here proceeds with, nor is it a
special amplification of the warning pointed by the example of Esau;
still less is it a departure from his great theme by a sudden excursus
into the realm of eschatology. Instead, it is a forcible summary,
under a new dress, of all he had previously advanced.
The central design, then, of our passage as a whole, was to present
one more and final antithesis of Judaism and Christianity. The
contrast here drawn is virtually parallel with the one instituted in
Galatians 4 between Hagar and Sarah, the figure of two "mounts" being
used instead of the two women. The great honor and chief privilege of
the Judaical Church-state whereon all particular advantages did
depend, was their coming to and station in mount Sinai at the giving
of the Law. It was there that Jehovah revealed Himself with all the
insignia of His awe-inspiring majesty. It was there that they were
taken into covenant with the Lord (Ex. 24), to be His peculiar people
above all the world. It was there that Israel was formed into a
national Church (Acts 7:38). It was there that they had committed unto
them all the privileges of Divine worship. It is that very glory which
the Jews boast of to this day, and whereon they rest in their
rejection of the Gospel.
It was necessary, then, for the apostle to make direct reference unto
that upon which the unbelieving Hebrews based all their hopes, and to
which they were appealing in their efforts to get their believing
brethren to apostatize from Christ. His argument had neither been
complete nor conclusive unless he could undermine their confidence in
the foundational glory of Judaism, take off their hearts from unduly
admiring, and show that it had been succeeded by that which
"excelleth." He therefore directs attention to those features in
connection with the giving of the Law, which so far from being
calculated to win the affections, inspired with dread and terror. He
points out a number of items which by their very nature intimated that
the Divine communications vouchsafed at Sinai were not the full and
final unveiling of the Divine character, such as the souls of
awakening sinners longed for.
Our introduction has been a somewhat lengthy one, though briefer than
that of J. Owen, which we have closely followed in the last
paragraphs; yet we deemed it necessary. The details of our present
passage cannot be viewed in their true perspective until they are
rightly focused in the light of our Epistle as a whole. The scope of
the passage must first be determined, before we are ready to examine
its several members. This calls for time and real study, yet only as
this preliminary work is properly executed will we be preserved from
those errors which are inevitably fallen into when a passage is
treated hurriedly and superficially. This is only another way of
saying that, the foundation must be well and securely laid, if it is
to bear successfully the superstructure which is raised upon it. Alas
that such foundation-labor is so little appreciated today.
"For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that
burned with fire" (v. 18). The apostle here returns to his central
theme by an easy and natural transition. He had just been dehorting
from back-sliding, pointed out by the solemn case of Esau. Now he
urges unto constancy by appealing to the privileges they enjoyed. As
Calvin well put it, "The higher the excellency of ChristƒEUR(TM)s
kingdom than the dispensation of Moses, and the more glorious our
calling than that of the ancient people, the more disgraceful and the
less excusable is our ingratitude, unless we embrace in a becoming
manner the great favor offered to us, and humbly adore the majesty of
Christ which is here made evident. And then, as God does not present
Himself to us clothed in terrors as He did formerly to the Jews, but
lovingly and kindly invites us to Himself, so the sin of ingratitude
will be thus doubled, except we willingly and in earnest respond to
His gracious invitation."
"For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched." The
principal design which the apostle here had in hand was to set forth,
in its most attractive form (see verses 22-24), that evangelical state
where-unto the Hebrews had been called and into which they had
entered. This he first does negatively, by describing the Church-state
under the O.T., from which they had been delivered. Thus, before the
"Ye are come" of verse 22, he introduces this "For ye are not come."
Two things were thereby noted: that order or system to which their
fathers belonged, but from which they had been freed by their
responding to the Gospel call. They were no more concerned in all that
dread and terror, and their consideration of that fact supplied a
powerful motive to their perseverance in the Christian faith.
Freely granting that a great privilege was conferred on their fathers
at Sinai, the apostle observes "that it was done in such a way of
dread and terror, as that sundry things are manifest therein: as, 1.
That there was no evidence in all that was done of GodƒEUR(TM)s being
reconciled to them, in and by those things. The whole representation
of Him was of an absolute Sovereign and a severe Judge. Nothing
declared Him as a Father, gracious and merciful. 2. There was no
intimation of any condescension from the exact severity of what was
required in the law or of any relief or pardon in case of
transgression. 3. There was no promise of grace in a way of aid or
assistance for the performance of what was required. Thunders, voices,
earthquakes and fire gave no signification of these things. 4. The
whole was hereby nothing but a glorious ministration of death and
condemnation (as the apostle speaks: 2 Corinthians 3:7) whence the
conscience of sinners were forced to subscribe to their own
condemnation, as just and equal.
"5. God was here represented in all outward demonstrations of infinite
holiness, justice, severity and terrible majesty on the one hand; and
on the other, men in their lowest condition of sin, misery, guilt and
death. If there be not therefore something else to interpose between
God and men, somewhat to fill up the space between infinite severity
and inexpressible guilt, all this glorious preparation was nothing but
a theater set up for the pronouncing of judgment and the sentence of
eternal condemnation against sinners. And on this consideration
depends the force of the apostleƒEUR(TM)s argument; and the due
apprehension and declaration of, is a better explanation of vv. 18-21
than the opening of the particular expressions will amount to; yet
they also must be explained.
"It is hence evident, that the Israelites in the station of Sinai, did
bear the persons of convicted sinners under the sentence of the law.
There might be many of them justified in their own persons by faith in
the promise; but as they stood and heard and received the law, they
represented sinners under the sentence of it, not yet relieved by the
Gospel. And this we may have respect to in our exposition, as that
which is that final intention of the apostle to declare, as is
manifest from the description which he gives of the Gospel-state, and
of those that are interested therein" (John Owen).
"For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched." It is both
pathetic and amusing to read the various shifts made by some of the
commentators to "harmonize" the opening words of our text with what is
said in Exodus 19:12, "Thou shalt set bounds unto the people round
about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the
mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall
surely be put to death." Some have pleaded that the little "not be
touched" was inadvertantly dropped by a copyist of the Greek
manuscript. Others insist our verse should be rendered, "Ye are come
to a mount not to be touched." But the only "discrepancy" here is in
the understanding of the expositors. The apostle was not making a
quotation from Exodus. but rather describing, negatively, that order
of things unto which the Gospel had brought the believing Hebrews. In
so doing, he shows the striking contrast between it and the order of
things connected with the giving of the Law.
"For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched." The simple
and evident meaning of this is: The Gospel has not brought you unto
that which is material and visible, palpable and touchable by the
physical senses, but only what is spiritual and can only be
apprehended by faith. A "mount" is a thing of the earth; whereas the
glory of Christianity is entirely celestial. The passage which most
clearly interprets this clause is found in our LordƒEUR(TM)s discourse
with the woman at the well: "Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe Me,
the hour cometh, when you shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at
Jerusalem, worship the Father... But the hour cometh, and now is, when
the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth"
(John 4:21, 23). Judaism was the ChurchƒEUR(TM)s kindergarten, in
which its infantile members were instructed, mainly, through their
bodily senses. Christianity has introduced a far superior order of
things.
"For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched," then, is a
figurative way of saying that Christ has opened a way into something
infinitely superior to a system which, as such, had nothing better
than "a worldly sanctuary" and "carnal ordinances" (Heb. 9:1, 10). The
Greek word for "come" in our text is that technical or religious term
which had been used repeatedly by the apostle in this Epistle to
express a sacred access or coming to God in His worship: see Hebrews
4:16, 7:25, 10:1ƒEUR"last clause "comers thereunto." Mount Sinai was a
material thing, exposed to the outward senses, and was an emblem of
the entire order of things connected with Judaism. As such, it was in
complete contrast from that order of things brought in by Christ,
which is wholly spiritually, invisible, and celestial. The one was
addressed to the bodily senses; the other to the higher faculties of
the soul. Spiritually speaking, Romanists and all other Ritualists are
occupied with "the mount that might be touched"!
"And that burned with fire." In their most literal sense those words
allude to what transpired at Sinai. In Exodus 19:18 we read, "And
mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon
it in fire." But it is with their figurative purport we are more
concerned. In Scripture "fire" is the symbol of Divine wrath and
judgment. As we are told in Deuteronomy 4:24, "The Lord thy God is a
consuming fire, a jealous God," and the "jealousy" of God is, His holy
severity against sin, not to leave it unpunished. With respect unto
the law which He there gaveƒEUR"for Deuteronomy 33:2 declares "from
His right hand went a fiery law"ƒEUR"it signified its inexorable
sternness and efficacy to destroy its transgressors. Thus, the "fire"
denoted the awful majesty of God as an inflexible Judge, and the
terror which His law strikes into the minds of its violators with
expectations of fiery indignation.
This was the first thing which the people beheld when they came to
Sinai: God as a "consuming fire" presented to their view! Thus it is
in the experience of those whom God saves. For many years, it may be,
they lived in a state of unconcern: they had no heart-affecting views
of the majesty and authority of God, and no pride-withering
apprehensions of the fearfulness of their guilt. But when the Spirit
awakens them from the sleep of death, gives them to realize Who it is
with whom they have to do, and whose anger burns against sin; when the
Law is applied to their conscience, convicting them of their
innumerable offenses, their hearts are filled with dread and misery as
they perceive their undone condition. There the law leaves them, and
thence they must be consumed, unless they obtain deliverance by Jesus
Christ.
And that was exactly what, by Divine grace, these believing Hebrews
had obtained. The Redeemer had "delivered them from the wrath to come"
(1 Thess. 1:10). They were now as secure in Him as Noah was in the
ark. The fire of GodƒEUR(TM)s wrath had spent itself on the person of
their Substitute. God was now reconciled to them, and henceforth they
had an inalienable standing before HimƒEUR"not as trembling criminals,
but as accepted sons. To them the word was "For ye have not received
the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit
of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father" (Rom. 8:15). No, as
Christians, we have nothing more to do with the mount "that burned
with fire," but only with "the Throne of Grace." Hallelujah! Alas that
so many Christians are being robbed of their birthright. If Romanists
and Ritualists are guilty of being occupied with "the mount that might
be touched," then those who are constantly presenting God before His
people in His dread majestyƒEUR"instead of as a loving FatherƒEUR"are
taking them back to the mount "that burned with fire."
"Nor unto blackness and darkness." Here again the literal allusion is
unto the awe-inspiring phenomena which attended the giving of the law.
There was "a thick cloud upon the mount, . . . mount Sinai was
altogether on a smoke" (Ex. 19:16, 18). Different commentators have
resorted to various conjectures in their efforts to "harmonize" the
"blackness and darkness" with the "fire:" some suggesting the one was
followed by the other after an interval of time, others supposing the
"darkness" was over the camp and the "fire" at the summit of the
mount. But such theorizings are worthless in the face of Deuteronomy
5:22-23, "The Lord spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of
the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness . . .
ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, for the mountain
did burn with fire." The fact is this "fire" was supernatural: as that
of BabylonƒEUR(TM)s furnace burned not while the three Hebrews were in
it (Dan. 3), this glowed notƒEUR"increasing the terror of its
beholders because it emitted no light!
If the above explanation be deemed "far fetched," we would appeal to
the corroborating correspondency in the experience of those who have
been saved. Was it not a fact that when we were shut up under guilt
and terrified by the representation of GodƒEUR(TM)s severity against
sin, we looked in vain for anything in the Law which could yield
relief? When the glory of GodƒEUR(TM)s holiness shined into your
conscience and His law was applied in convicting and condemning power,
did you perceive His merciful design in the same? No, indeed; at that
time, His gracious purpose was covered with "blackness," and
"darkness" filled your soul. You perceived not that the law was His
instrument for flaying your self-righteous hopes (Rom. 7:10) and "a
schoolmaster unto Christ" (Gal. 3:24). Your case appeared hopeless;
and despite the fiery power of the law, you knew not how to "order
your speech (before God) by reason of darkness" (Job 37:19).
"And tempest:" under this term the apostle comprises the thundering,
lightnings, the earthquake which were on and in mount Sinai (Ex.
19:16, 18) all of which symbolized the disquieting character of so
much that marked the Mosaic economyƒEUR"in contrast from the peace and
assurance which the Gospel imparts to those who believingly
appropriate it. The order here agrees with the experience of those
whom God saves. First, there is an application of the "fiery law,"
which burns and terrifies the conscience. Second, there is the
blackness and darkness of despair which follows the discovery of our
lost condition. Third, there is the agitation of mind and turmoil of
heart in seeking help by self-efforts and finding none. The soul has
no light and knows not what to do. The mind is in a tumult, for no
escape from the lawƒEUR(TM)s just course seems possible. Not yet has
Christ appeared to the distressed one.
"And the sound of a trumpet." This too, we believe, was a supernatural
one, emitting ear-splitting tones, shrill and loud, designed to
inspire both awe and fear. It signified the near approach of God. It
was to summon the people before Him as their lawgiver and Judge (Ex.
19:17). It was the outward sign of the promulgation of the Law, for
immediately upon the sound of it, God spoke unto them. It was a pledge
of the final judgment, when all flesh shall be summoned before God to
answer the terms of His law. Experimentally, it is the imperative
summons of the Word for the soul to answer to GodƒEUR(TM)s call. Those
who neglect it, will have to answer for the whole when they receive
the final summons at the last day. Those who answer it now, are
brought into GodƒEUR(TM)s presence in fear and trembling, who then
reveals to them Christ as an all-sufficient Savior.
"And the voice of words." This is the seventh and final detail which
the apostle here noticed. The "voice of words" was articulate and
intelligible, in contrast from the dull roar of the thunder and the
shrill tones of the trumpet. Those "words" were the ten commandments,
written afterward on the two tables of stone: see Deuteronomy 5:22 and
the preceding verses. Those "words" were uttered by the voice of the
Lord God Almighty (Ex. 20:1), concerning which we are told, "The voice
of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty; the
voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars" (Ps. 29:4,5) etc. It was God
declaring unto His Church the eternal establishment of His Law, that
no alteration should be made in its commands or penalties, but that
all must be fulfilled.
"Which voice they that heard entreated that the words should not be
spoken to them any more." This reveals the terror-stricken state of
those who were encamped before Sinai. There was that on every side
which inspired awe and dread: Nature itself convulsed and supernatural
phenomena attending the same. This was intended to show the people
that God had ascended His awful tribunal as a strict Judge. But that
which filled them with intolerable consternation was the voice of God
Himself speaking immediately to them. It was not that they refused to
hear Him, but that they desired Him to speak to them through Moses,
the typical Mediator. Experimentally, the sinner is overwhelmed when
the voice of God in the law comes in power to his conscience.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 98
The Inferiority of Judaism
(Hebrews 12:20, 21)
__________________________________________
The Divine law was, for the substance of it, originally written in the
hearts of mankind by God Himself, when their federal head and father
was created in His own image and likeness. But through the fall it was
considerably marred, as to its efficacious motions in the human heart.
The entrance of sin and the corruption of our nature largely silenced
its authoritative voice in the soul. Nevertheless, its unchanging
demand and dread penalty were secured in the consciences of Adam's
depraved posterity. The law is so inlaid with the principles of our
moral nature, so engrafted on all the faculties of our souls, that
none has been able to completely get from under its power. Though the
wicked find it utterly contrary to their desires and designs, and
continually threatening their everlasting ruin, yet they cannot
utterly cast off its yoke: see Romans 2:14, 15. Hence it is that, even
among the most degraded and savage tribes, a knowledge of right and
wrong, with some standard of conduct, is preserved.
Not only was the impression of the Divine law upon the human heart
largely--though not totally--defaced by Adam's apostasy, but from Cain
unto the Exodus succeeding generations more and more flouted its
authority, and disregarded its requirements in their common practice.
Therefore, when God took Israel into covenant relationship with
Himself and established them into a national Church, He restored to
them His law, in all its purity, majesty, and terror. This He did, not
only to renew it as a guide unto all righteousness and holiness, as
the only rule of obedience unto Himself and of right and equity
amongst men, and also to be a check unto sin by its commands and
threatenings, but principally to declare in the Church the eternal
establishment of it, that no alteration should be made in it, but that
all must be fulfilled to the uttermost before any sinner can have any
acceptance with Him.
As the Law was the original rule of obedience between God and mankind,
and as it had failed of its end through the entrance of sin, the Lord
had never revived and proclaimed it in so solemn a manner at Sinai,
had it been capable of any abrogation and alteration at any time. Nay,
He then gave many additional evidences of its perpetuity and abiding
authority. It was solely for the promulgation of His law that the
presence of God appeared on the mount, attended with such dreadful
solemnity. The Ten Commandments were the only communication which God
then gave directly unto the people themselves--those institutions
which were to be repealed at a later date (the ceremonial laws) were
given through Moses! Those ten commandments were spoken directly unto
the whole nation with a Voice that was great and terrible. Later, they
were written by His own finger on tables of stone. Thus did God
confirm His law and evidence that it was incapable of dissolution. How
it has been established and fulfilled the Epistle to the Romans makes
known.
The different forms which the Lord's appearances took in O.T. times
were always in accord with each distinct revelation of His mind and
will. He appeared to Abraham in the shape of a man (Gen. 18:1, 2),
because He came to give promise of the Seed of blessing and to
vouchsafe a representation of the future incarnation. To Moses He
appeared as a flame in a bush which was not consumed (Ex. 3), because
He would intimate that all the fiery trials through which the Church
should pass would not consume it, and that because He was in it. To
Joshua He appeared as a man of war, with drawn sword in His hand
(Josh. 5:13), because He would assure him of victory over all his
enemies. But at Sinai His appearing was surrounded by terrors, because
He would represent the severity of His law, with the inevitable and
awful destruction of all those who lay not hold of the promise for
deliverance.
The place of this glorious and solemn appearing of the Lord was also
full of significance. It was neither in Egypt not yet in Canaan, but
in the midst of a great howling desert. Only those who have actually
seen the place, can form any adequate conception of the abject
dreariness and desolation of the scene. It was an absolute solitude,
far removed from the habitation and converse of man. Here the people
could neither see nor hear anything but God and themselves. There was
no shelter or place of retirement: they were brought out into the
open, face to face with God. Therein He gave a type and representation
of the Great Judgment at the last day, when all who are out of Christ
will be brought face to face with their Judge, and will behold nothing
but the tokens of His wrath, and hear only the Law's dread sentence
announcing their irrevocable doom.
Sinai was surrounded by a barren and fruitless wilderness, wherein
there was neither food nor water. Accurately does that depict the
unregenerate in a state of sin: the Law brings forth nothing in their
lives which is acceptable to God or really beneficial to the souls of
men. The Mount itself produced nothing but bushes and brambles, from
which some scholars say its name is derived. From a distance that
vegetation makes an appearance of some fruitfulness in the place, but
when it be more closely examined it is found that there is nothing
except that which is fit for the fire. Thus it is with sinners under
the law. They seem to perform many works of obedience, yea, such as
they trust in and make their boast of; but when they are weighed in
the Divine balance, they are found to be but thorns and briars, the
dead works of those whose minds are enmity against God. Nothing else
can the law bring forth from those who are out of Christ: "From Me is
thy fruit found" (Hos. 14:8) is His own avowal.
Nor was there any water in the desert of Horeb to make it fruitful.
Pause, my reader, and admire the "wondrous works" (Ps. 145:5) of God.
When we are given eyes to see, we may discern the Creator's handiwork
as plainly in the desolate wastes of Nature as in the fertile fields
and gardens, as truly in the barren and forbidding mountains as in the
fruitful and attractive valleys. He whose fingers had shaped the place
where His Son was crucified as "a place of a skull" (Matthew 27:33),
had diverted from the desert of Horeb all rivers and streams. That
water upon which the people of God then lived, issued from the smitten
rock (Ex. 17:6), for it is only through Christ that the Holy Spirit is
given: see John 7:28, 39, Acts 2:33, Titus 3:5, 6. They who reject
Christ have not the Spirit: see Romans 8:9, Jude 19.
We may further observe that, the appearing of the Lord God at the
giving of the Law was on the top of a high mountain, and not in a
plain: this added to both the glory and the terror of it. This gave a
striking adumbration of the Throne of His majesty, high over the
people, who were far below at its base. As they looked up, they saw
the mount above them full of fire and smoke, the ground on which they
stood quaking beneath their feet, the air filled with thunderings and
lightnings, with the piercing blasts of the trumpet and the voice of
the Lord Himself falling on their ears. What other thought could fill
their minds than that it was "a fearful thing" to be summoned to
judgment before the ineffably Holy One? O that the preachers of our
day could say with him who had experienced the reality of Sinai in his
own soul, "Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men"
(2 Cor. 5:11).
The Lord's appearing on mount Sinai was only a temporary one--in
contrast with His "dwelling" in Zion (Isa. 8:18). This shadowed-forth
the fact that the economy there instituted was but a transient
one--though the Law there promulgated is eternal. Those, then, who
turn unto Sinai for salvation are left entirely unto themselves. "God
dwells no more on Sinai. Those who abide under the law (as a covenant,
A.W.P.) shall neither have His presence nor any gracious pledge of it.
And all these things are spoken to stir us up to seek for an interest
in that blessed Gospel-state which is here proposed to us. And thus
much we have seen already, that without it there is neither relief
from the cure of the law, nor acceptable fruit of obedience, nor
pledge of Divine favor to be obtained" (John Owen, whom we have again
followed closely in the above paragraphs).
Before turning to the final lines in the graphic picture which the
apostle gave of the appearing of the Lord at Sinai, let us again
remind ourselves of his principal design in the same. The immediate
end which the apostle had before him, was to persuade the Hebrews to
adhere closely to the Gospel, his appeal being drawn from the evident
fact of the superlative excellency of it to the law. In particular, he
was here enforcing his former exhortations unto steadfastness under
afflictions, to an upright walk in the ways of God, to the following
of peace with all men, and to persevere diligently that they failed
not of the grace of God. This he does by pointing out that ancient
order of things from which they had been delivered, for such is the
force of his opening words "ye are not come unto" etc. (verse 18).
"For they could not endure that which was commanded" (verse 20).
Having mentioned in the preceding verses seven things which their
fathers came unto at Sinai, the apostle now describes the effects
which those startling phenomena produced upon them. The first was, the
people "entreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more"
(verse 19), the reason being "for they could not endure" it. The
display of God's terrible majesty, the distance from Him they were
required to maintain, and the high spirituality of the Law then
promulgated, with its fearful penalty attending the least infraction
of it, completely overwhelmed them. So it is still: a view of God as a
Judge, represented in fire and blackness, will fill the souls of
convicted sinners with dread and terror. No matter how boldly and
blatantly they have carried themselves, when the Spirit brings a
transgressor to that Mount, the stoutest heart will quake.
When God deals with men by the Law, He shuts them up to Himself and
their own conscience. As we pointed out in an earlier paragraph, God
gave the Law to Israel neither in Egypt nor in Canaan, but in a
desert, a place of absolute solitude, remote from the commerce of men.
There the people could neither see nor hear anything but God and
themselves. There was no shelter or place or retirement: they were
brought out into the open, face to face with Him with whom they had to
do. So it is now: when God has designs of mercy toward a sinner, when
He takes him in hand, He brings him out of all his retreats and
refuges, and compels him to face the just demands of His Law, and the
unspeakable dreadful manner in which he has hitherto disregarded its
requirements and sought to hear not its accusations.
When the Law is preached to sinners--alas in so many places today that
which gives "the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20) is entirely omitted--it
usually falls upon the ears of those who promptly betake themselves to
various retreats and reliefs for evading its searching and
terror-producing message. They seek refuge in the concerns and
amusements of this life in order to crowd out serious and solemn
thoughts of the life to come. They listen to the bewitching promises
of self-pleasing, "the pleasures of sin for a season." Or, they put
far forward in their minds the "evil day," and take security in
resolutions of repentance and reformation before death shall come upon
them. They have many other things to engage their attention than to
listen to the voice of the Law; at least, they persuade themselves it
is not yet necessary that they should seriously hearken thereto.
But when God brings the sinner to the Mount, as He most certainly
will, either here or hereafter, all these pretenses and false comforts
vanish, every prop is knocked from under him: to hide away from his
Judge is now impossible. "Judgment also will I lay to the line, and
righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge
of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place" (Isa. 28:17).
Then it is that the sinner discovers that "the bed is shorter than a
man can stretch himself on it: the covering narrower than he can wrap
himself in it" (Isa. 28:20). He is forced out into the open: he is
brought face to face with his Maker; he is compelled to attend unto
the voice of the Law. There is neither escape nor relief for him. His
conscience is now held to that which he can neither endure nor avoid.
He is made to come out from behind the trees, to find his fig-leaves
provide no covering (Gen. 3:9-11).
As the stern and inexorable voice of the Law enters into his innermost
being, "piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and
of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart" (Heb. 4:12), the poor sinner is paralyzed with
fear. The sight of the Divine Majesty on His throne, overwhelms him:
the terms and curse of the Law slay his every hope. Now he experiences
the truth of Romans 7:9, 10, "For I was alive (in my own estimation)
without the law once; but when the commandment came (applied in power
to the conscience by the Spirit) sin revived (became a living, raging,
cursed reality) and I died (to all expectation of winning God's
approval). And the commandment, which was unto life, I found unto
death." Like Israel before Sinai, the sinner cannot endure the voice
of the Law. The Law commands him, but provides no strength to meet its
requirements. It shows him his sins, but it reveals no Savior. He is
encompassed with terror and sees no way of escape from eternal death.
That is the very office of the Law in the hands of the Holy Spirit: to
shatter the sinner's unconcern, to make him conscious of the claims of
the holy God, to convict him of his lifelong rebellion against Him, to
strip him of the rags of his self-righteousness, to slay all hope of
self-help and self-deliverance, to bring him to the realization that
he is lost, utterly undone, sentenced to death. "Which voice they that
heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more;
for they could not endure that which was commanded" (Heb. 12:19, 20).
When the Holy Spirit applies the Law in power, the sinner's own
conscience is obliged to acknowledge that his condemnation is just.
And there the Law leaves him: wretched, hopeless, terror-stricken.
Unless he flies for refuge to Christ he is lost forever.
Reader, suffer us please to make this a personal issue. Have you ever
experienced anything which corresponds, in substance, to what we have
said above? Have you ever heard the thunderings and felt the
lightnings of Sinai in your own soul? Have you, in your conscience,
been brought face to face with your Judge, and heard Him read the
fearful record of your transgressions? Have you received by the Law
such a knowledge of sin that you are painfully conscious that every
faculty of your soul and every member of your body is defiled and
corrupt? Have you been driven out of every refuge, and relief and
brought into the presence of Him who is ineffably holy and inflexibly
just, who "will by no means clear the guilty" (Ex. 34:7)? Have you
heard that dread sentence "Cursed is every one that continueth not in
all things which are written in the book of the law to do them" (Gal.
3:10)? Has it brought you down into the dust to cry, "I am lost:
utterly, hopelessly lost; there is nothing I can do to deliver
myself"? The ground must be ploughed before it can receive seed, and
the heart must be broken up by the Law before it is ready for the
Gospel.
In addition to the other terror-producing elements connected with the
institution of Judaism, the apostle mentions two other features. "And
if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or
thrust through with a dart" (verse 20). To increase the reverence
which was due to the appearing of Jehovah on Sinai, the people were
required to keep their distance at the base of the mount, and were
strictly forbidden an approach beyond the bounds fixed to them. This
command was confirmed by a penalty, that every one who transgressed it
should be put to death, as a disobedient rebel, devoted to utter
destruction. This restriction and its sanction was also designed to
produce in the people awe and terror of God in His giving of the Law.
That to which the apostle referred is recorded in Exodus 19:12, 13,
"Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not into the mount, or touch the
border of it: whosoever touchest the mount shall be surely put to
death: There shall not a hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned,
or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live." As
Owen well suggested, the prohibition respecting the cattle of the
Israelites not only made the more manifest the absolute
inaccessibleness of God in and by the Law, but also seemed to intimate
the uncleanness of all things which sinners possess, by virtue of
their relation to them. Everything that fallen man touches is defiled
by him, and even "the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the
Lord" (Prov. 15:8).
The punishment of the man who defiantly touched the Mount was death by
stoning, that of a beast by stoning or being thrust through with a
dart. In either ease they were slain at a distance: no hand touched
the one who had offended. This emphasized the heinousness of the
offense and the execrableness of the offender: others must not be
defiled by coming into immediate contact with them--at what a distance
ought we to keep ourselves from everything which falls under the curse
of the Law! How the whole of this brings out the stern severity of the
Law! "If even an irrational animal was to be put to death in a manner
which marked it as un-clean--as something not to be touched--what
might rational offenders expect as the punishment of their sins? and
if the violation of a positive institution of this kind involved
consequences so fearful, what must be the result of transgressing the
moral requirements of the great Lawgiver?" (John Brown).
"And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear
and quake" (verse 21). The apostle now turns from the people
themselves, and describes the effect upon their leader of the
terror-producing phenomena that attended the institution of Judaism.
Here was the very man who had dared, again and again, to confront the
powerful monarch of Egypt and make known to him the demand of God, and
later announced to his face the coming of plague after plague. Here
was the commander-in-chief of Israel's hosts, who had boldly led them
through the Red Sea. He was a holy person, more eminent in grace than
all others of his time, for he was "very meek, above all the men which
were upon the face of the earth" (Num. 12:3). Now if such a man was
overcome with dread, how terrible must be the severity and curse of
the Divine Law!
Furthermore, let it be carefully borne in mind that Moses was no
stranger to the Lord Himself: not only was he accustomed to receive
Divine revelations, but he had previously beheld a representation of
the Lord's presence at the bush. Moreover, he was the
Divinely-appointed intermediary, the mediator between God and the
people at that time. Yet none of these privileges exempted him from an
overwhelming dread of the terror of the Lord in the giving the Law.
What a proof is this that the very best of men cannot stand before God
on the ground of their own righteousness! How utterly vain are the
hopes of those who think to be saved by Moses (John 9:28)! Surely if
there be anything in all the Scriptures which should turn us from
resting on the Law for salvation, it is the horror and terror of Moses
on mount Sinai.
"And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear
and quake." The fact that there is no record given in the O.T. of this
particular item, occasions no difficulty whatever unto those who
believe in the full inspiration of Holy Writ. Nor is there any need
for us to have recourse unto the Romish theory of "unwritten
tradition," and suppose that a knowledge of the terror of Moses had
been orally preserved among the Jews. That which had not been
chronicled in the book of Exodus, was here revealed to the apostle by
the Holy Spirit Himself, and was now recorded by him for the purpose
of accentuating the awfulness of what occurred at Sinai; and this,
that the Hebrews should be increasingly thankful that Divine grace had
connected them with so different an order of things.
The scope and design of the whole of our passage should now be obvious
to the reader. The purpose of the apostle was to show again how
inferior Judaism was to Christianity. This he here does by taking us
back to Sinai, where Judaism was formally instituted by the appearing
of Jehovah at the giving of the law, and where the Mosaic economy was
established by a covenant based thereon. All the circumstances
connected with its institution were in most striking accord with the
leading features and characteristics of that dispensation. At that
time the nation of Israel was in a waste, howling wilderness, standing
in speechless terror at the foot of the Mount. There Jehovah
manifested Himself in His awful holiness and majesty, as Lawgiver and
Judge; the people at a distance fenced off from Him. How profoundly
thankful should Christians be that they belong to a much more mild and
gracious order of things!
Sinai was "the mount that might be touched"--a symbol of that order of
things which was addressed to the outward senses. The "blackness and
darkness" which covered it was emblematic of the obscurity of
spiritual things under the Mosaic economy, a thick veil of types and
shadows hiding the substance and reality now revealed by the Gospel.
The people being fenced off at the base of the mount denoted that
under Judaism they had no way of approach and no access into the
immediate presence of God. The thunderings, lightnings and fire,
expressed the wrath of God against all who transgress His righteous
Law. The "tempest" was a sign of the instability and temporariness of
that dispensation, in contrast with the peace which Christ has made
and the permanent and eternal order of things which He has brought in.
The utter consternation of Moses gave clear proof that he was not the
perfect and ultimate Mediator between God and men. All of which
plainly intimated the need for something else, something better,
something more suited unto lost sinners.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 99
The Superiority of Christianity
(Hebrews 12:22-24)
__________________________________________
"But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God,
the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to
the general assembly; the Church of the firstborn, which are written
in Heaven; and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men
made perfect, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to
the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of
Abel" (Heb. 12:22-24). In these verses the apostle completes the last
great contrast which he draws between Judaism and Christianity, in
which he displays the immeasurable superiority of the latter over the
former. Though there may not be in them much of personal interest to
some of our readers, yet we feel it incumbent upon us to give the same
careful attention to this passage as we have to the previous sections
of this epistle.
The central design of the apostle in verses 18-24 was to convince the
believing Hebrews of the pre-eminence of the new covenant above the
old, that is, of the Gospel-economy over the Legal. To this end he
first directed attention to the awful phenomena which attended the
institution of Judaism, and now he sets before them the attractive
features which characterizes Christianity. Everything connected with
the giving of the Law was fearful and terrifying, but all that marks
the Evangelical system is blessed and winsome. The manifestation of
the Divine presence at Sinai though vivid and truly magnificent, was
awe-inspiring, but the revelation of His love and grace in the Gospel
prompts to peace and joy. Those pertained to things of the earth,
these concern Heaven itself; those were addressed to the senses of the
body, these call into exercise the higher faculties of the soul.
When going over verses 18-21 we sought to make clear the figurative
meaning of their contents. Though there be in them an allusion to
historical facts, yet it should be obvious that it is not with their
literal signification the apostle was chiefly concerned. As this may
not be fully apparent to some of our readers, we must labor the point
a little--rendered the more necessary by the gross and carnal ideas
entertained by some Bible students. Surely it is quite plain to any
unbiased mind that when he said, "For ye are not come unto the mount
that might be touched, and that burned with fire" (verse 18) the
apostle had reference to something else than a mountain in Arabia.
There would be neither force nor even sense in telling Christians "Ye
are not come to mount Sinai"--why even of the Hebrew believers it is
improbable that any of them had ever seen it.
If, then, the words "For ye are not come unto the mount that might be
touched" refer not to any material mount, then they must intimate that
order of things which was formally inaugurated at Sinai, the moral
features of which were suitably symbolized and strikingly adumbrated
by the physical phenomena which attended the giving of the Law. This
we sought to show in the course of the two preceding articles. Now the
same principle of interpretation holds good and must be applied to the
terms of the passage upon which we are now entering. "But ye are come
unto mount Sion" no more has reference to a natural mountain than "We
have an altar" (Heb. 13:10) means that Christians have a tangible and
visible altar. Whatever future the earthly Sion may yet have, it is
the antitypical, the spiritual, the Heavenly Sion, which is here in
view.
One of the hardest tasks which sometimes confronts the careful and
honest expositor of Holy Writ is to determine when its language is to
be understood literally and when it is to be regarded as figurative.
Nor is this always to be settled so easily as many suppose: the
controversy upon the meaning of our Lord's words at the institution of
the holy "Supper," "This is My body" shows otherwise. It had been a
simple matter for Him to say "This (bread) represents My body," but He
did not--why, is best known to Himself. Nor does this example stand by
any means alone: much of Christ's language was of a figurative
character, and more than once His own apostles failed to understand
His purport--see Matthew 16:5-7; Mark 7:14-18; John 4:31-34 and John
21:22, 23.
No, it is by no means always an easy matter to determine when the
language of Scripture is to be regarded literally, and when it is to
be understood figuratively. In previous generations perhaps there was
a tendency to "spiritualize" too much: whether that be so or no,
certainly the pendulum has now swung to the opposite extreme. How very
often do we hear it said, "The language of Scripture means just what
it says, and says just what it means". Many believe that such a
declaration is very honoring to God's Word, and suppose that anything
to the contrary savors strongly of "Modernism." But, surely, a little
reflection will soon indicate that such a statement needs qualifying,
for there is not a little of the language of Scripture which must be
understood other than literally.
To say nothing about many poetic expressions in the Psalms (such as
"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures"), and symbolic language
in the Prophets (like "then will I sprinkle clean water upon you... I
will take away the stony heart out of your flesh"), take such a saying
of our Lord's as this: "There is no man that hath left house, or
brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children or
lands, for My sake and the Gospel's, but he shall receive a
hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and
mothers, and children and lands, with persecutions" (Mark 10:29,
30)--the impossibility of literalizing such a promise appears, for
example, in a man's receiving or having a hundred mothers. Now if that
statement is not to be interpreted literally, why should an outcry be
raised if the writer presents good reasons for interpreting other
verses figuratively?
After reading the above, some may be inclined to say, "All of this is
very bewildering and confusing." Our reply is, Then you must have sat
under very superficial preaching. Any well-instructed scribe would
have taught you that there is great variety used in the language of
Holy Writ, and often much care and pains are required in order to
ascertain its precise character. That is one reason why God has
graciously provided "teachers" (Eph. 4:11) for His people. True, the
path of duty is so plainly defined for us that the wayfaring man
(though a fool) need not err therein; but that does not alter the fact
that in order to ascertain the exact significance of many particular
expressions of Scripture, much prayer, and comparing passage with
passage, is called for. The Bible is not a lazy man's book, and the
Holy Spirit has designedly put not a little therein to stain the pride
of men.
Now much help is obtained upon this difficulty by recognizing that
many of the things which pertain to the new covenant are expressed in
language taken from the old, the antitype being presented under the
phraseology of the type. For instance, when Christ announced the free
intercourse between Heaven and earth which was to result from His
mediation, He described it to Nathanael in the words of Jacob's
vision: "Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God
ascending and descending upon the Son of man" (John 1:51)--not that
the Lord Jesus was ever to present the appearance of a ladder for that
purpose, such as the patriarch saw in his dream, but that spiritually
there would be a like medium of communication established and the
agency of a like intercourse maintained. In a similar manner, the
death of Christ is frequently spoken of under the terms of the
Levitical sacrifices, while the application of His atonement to the
soul is called the "sprinkling of His blood on the conscience."
Not until we clearly perceive that most of that which pertains to the
new economy is exhibited to us under the images of the old, are we in
the position to understand much of the language found in the Prophets,
and many of the expressions employed by our Lord and His apostles.
Thus, Christ is spoken of as "our Passover" (1 Cor. 5:7) and as Priest
"after the order of Melchizedek" (Heb. 6:20). Paradise is described as
"Abraham's bosom" (Luke 16:22). The N.T. saints are referred to as
"the children of Abraham" (Gal. 3:7) as "the Israel of God" (Gal.
6:16), as "the Circumcision" (Phil. 3:3), as "a chosen generation, a
royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people" (1 Pet. 2:9), and
that "Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all"
(Gal. 4:26). Such terminology as this should amply prepare us for "ye
are come unto mount Sion," and should remove all uncertainty as to
what is denoted thereby.
"But ye are come unto Mount Sion." In these words the apostle
commences the second member of the comparison between Judaism and
Christianity, which completes the foundation on which he bases the
great exhortation found in verses 25-29. In the former member (verses
18-21) he had described the state of the Israelitish people (and the
Church in it) as they existed under the Legal economy, taken from the
terror-producing character of the giving of the Law and the nature of
its demands: "they could not endure that which was commanded... and so
terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and
quake." But now the apostle contrasted the blessed and glorious state
into which believers have been called by the Gospel, thereby making
manifest how incomparably more excellent was the new covenant in
itself than the old, and, how infinitely more beneficial are its
privileges unto those whom Divine grace gives a part therein. No less
than eight of these privileges are here enumerated--always the number
of a new beginning.
"That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather
together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and
which are on earth; even in Him" (Eph. 1:10). These words throw light
on the passage now before us: all the spiritual things of grace and
glory, both in heaven and in earth, have been headed up in Christ, so
that they all now center in Him. By His mediatorial work the Lord
Jesus has repaired the great breach which the sin of Adam entailed.
Before sin entered the world there was perfect harmony between Heaven
and earth, man and angels uniting in hymning their glorious Creator:
together they formed one spiritual society of worshippers. But upon
the fall, that spiritual union was broken, and not only did the human
race (in their federal head) become alienated from God Himself, but
they became alienated from the holy spirits which surround His throne.
But the last Adam has restored the disruption which the first Adam's
sin produced, and in reconciling His people to God, He has also
brought them back into fellowship with the angelic hosts.
Now because God has gathered together in one, recapitulated or headed
up, "all things in Christ both which are in heaven and which are in
earth," when we savingly "come" to Christ, we at the same time, "come"
to all that God has made to center in Him; or, in other words, we
obtain an interest or right in all that is headed up in Him. Let the
reader seek to grasp clearly this fact: it is because believers have
been brought to Christ that they "are come unto Mount Sion, and unto
the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an
innumerable company of angels!" By their initiation into the Gospel
state, Christians are also inducted into and given access unto all
these privileges. Christ and His mediation are specifically mentioned
at the close of the various privileges here listed (verse 24), to
teach us it is on that account we are interested in them and as the
reason for our being so interested.
Yes, it is to Christ and Him alone (though not, of course, to the
exclusion of the Father and His eternal love or the Holy Spirit and
His gracious operations) that the Christian owes every blessing: his
standing before God, his new creation state, his induction into the
society of the holy, his eternal inheritance. It was by Christ that he
was delivered from the condemnation and curse of the law, with the
unspeakable terror it caused him. And it is by Christ that he has been
brought to the antitypical Sion and the heavenly Jerusalem. Not by
anything he has done or will do are such inestimable blessings made
his. Observe how jealously the Spirit of Truth has guarded this very
point, in using the passive and not the active voice: the verb is "ye
are come" and not "ye have come." The same fact is emphasized again in
1 Peter 2:25--"ye were as sheep going astray; but are (not "have") now
returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls"--because of what
the Spirit wrought in us, we being entirely passive.
"But ye are come unto Mount Sion." We need hardly say that this
language looks back to the "Zion" of the O.T., the variation in
spelling being due to the difference between the Hebrew and Greek. It
is in fact to the O.T. we must turn for light upon our present verse,
and, as usual, the initial reference is the one which supplies us with
the needed key. The first time that "Zion" is mentioned there is in 2
Samuel 5:6, 7, "And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the
Jebusites the inhabitants of the land... thinking David cannot come in
hither. Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion: the same is
the city of David." The deeper significance of this appears when we
carefully ponder its setting: Zion was captured by David when Israel
had been thoroughly tried and found completely wanting. It occurred at
a notable crisis in the history of the nation, namely, after the
priesthood had been deplorably corrupted (1 Sam. 2:22, 25) and after
the king of their choice (Saul) had reduced himself (1 Sam. 28:7) and
them (1 Sam. 31:1, 7) to the lowest degradation.
It was, then, at a time when Israel's fortunes were at a low ebb, when
they were thoroughly disheartened, and when (because of their great
wickedness) they had the least reason to expect it, that God
graciously intervened. Just when Saul and Jonathan had been slain in
battle, when the Philistines triumphed and Israel had fled before them
in dismay, the Lord brought forth the man of His choice. David, whose
name means the "Beloved." Up to this time the hill of Zion had been a
continual menace to Israel, but now David wrested it out of the hand
of the Jebusites and made it the stronghold of Jerusalem. On one of
its eminences the temple was erected, which was the dwelling place of
Jehovah in the midst of His people. "Zion," then, stands for the
highest revelation of Divine grace in the O.T. times.
Zion lay to the south-west of Jerusalem, being the oldest and highest
part of that ancient city. It was outside of the city itself and
separate from it, though in Scripture frequently identified with it.
Mount Zion had two heads or peaks: Moriah on which the temple was
erected, the seat of the worship of God; and the other, whereon the
palace of David was built, the royal residence of the kings of
Judah--a striking figure of the priestly and kingly offices meeting in
Christ. Zion, then, was situated in the best part of the
world--Canaan, the land which flowed with milk and honey; in the best
part of that land--in Judah's portion; in the best part of his
heritage--Jerusalem; and in the best part of that metropolis--the
highest point, the "city of David." Let the interested reader
carefully ponder the following passages and observe the precious
things said of Zion: Psalm 48:2, 3; 50:2; 132: 13, 14; 133:3.
"Zion is, First, the place of God's habitation, where He dwells
forever: Psalm 9:11; 76:2. Second, it is the seat of the throne, reign
and kingdom of Christ: Psalm 2:6; Isaiah 24:23. Third, it is the
object of Divine promises innumerable: Psalm 125:1; 128:5, of Christ
Himself: Isaiah 59:20. Fourth, thence did the Gospel proceed and the
law of Christ come forth: Isaiah 40:9, Micah 4:2. Fifth, it was the
object of God's especial love, and the place of the birth of His
elect: Psalm 87:2, 5. Sixth, the joy of the whole earth: Psalm 48:2.
Seventh, salvation and all blessings came forth out of Zion: Psalm
14:7; 110:2; 128:5. Now these things were not spoken of nor
accomplished towards that Mount Zion which was in Jerusalem
absolutely, but only as it was typical of believers under the Gospel;
so the meaning of the apostle is, that by the Gospel believers do come
to that state wherein they have an interest in and a right to all the
blessed and glorious things that are spoken in the Scriptures
concerning and to Zion. All the privileges ascribed, all the promises
made to it, are theirs. Zion is the place of God's especial gracious
residence, of the throne of Christ in His reign, the object of all
promises. This is the first privilege of believers under the Gospel.
They come to Mount Zion, they are interested in the promises of God
recorded in the Scriptures made to Zion; in all the love and care of
God expressed towards it, in all the spiritual glories assigned to it.
The things spoken of it were never accomplished in the earthly Zion,
but only typically; spiritually, and in their reality, they belong to
believers under the new testament" (John Owen).
The contrasts between Sinai and Sion were very marked. The former was
located in one of the dreariest and driest places on earth, a "howling
desert"; the other was situated in the midst of that land which flowed
with milk and honey. The one was ugly, barren, forbidding; the other
was "beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth." Sinai was
enveloped in "blackness and darkness," while Sion signified "sunny" or
"shone upon." God came down on Sinai for only a brief moment, but He
dwells in Sion "forever." On the former He appeared in terrible
majesty; in the other He is manifested in grace and blessing. At Sinai
the typical mediator trembled and quaked; on Sion Christ is crowned
with glory and honor.
"But ye are come to Mount Sion." By this, then, we understand, First,
that in being brought to Christ, the believer comes to the
antitypical, the spiritual, Sion. Second, more specifically, we
understand by this expression that believers are come to the Throne of
Grace. Just as, originally, the historical Sion was a menace to
Israel, so while we were under the curse of the law God's throne was
one of judgment. But, just as David (the "Beloved") secured Sion for
Israel and it became the place of blessing, where God abode in grace,
so as the result of Christ's work the Throne of Heaven has become the
Throne of Grace, He being Himself seated thereon. Third, in its wider
scope, it signifies that believers have a right or title to all the
good and glorious things spoken of and to Sion in the O.T.
"And unto the City of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem," by
which we understand Heaven itself, of which the earthly Jerusalem--the
seat and center of the worship of God--was the emblem. From earliest
times the saints were taught by the Holy Spirit to contemplate the
future blessedness of the righteous under the image of a splendid
"City," reared on permanent foundations. Of Abraham it is declared,
"He looked for a city which hath foundation, whose Builder and Maker
is God" (Heb. 11:10). The force of that statement is best perceived in
the light of the previous verse: "By faith he sojourned in the land of
promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and
Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise." Abraham was given to
realize that Canaan was but a figure of his everlasting heritage, and
therefore did he look forward to (verse 10), "seek" (verse 14), and
"desire a better Country, that is, a heavenly" (verse 14). The eternal
Abode of the blessed is there called both a "City" and a "Country."
Many are the allusions to this "City" in the Psalms and the Prophets:
we single out a few of the more prominent ones. "There is a river (The
Spirit), the streams (His graces) whereof shall make glad the city of
God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High" (Ps. 46:4).
"Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God,
in the mountain of His holiness" (Ps. 48:1). "Glorious things are
spoken of thee, O city of God" (Ps. 87:3). "He led them forth by the
right way, that they might go to a city of habitation" (Ps. 107:7).
"We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and
bulwarks" (Isa. 26:1). It is to be noted that in several passages the
"City" is mentioned with particular reference to "Zion," for we can
only have access to God via the Throne of Grace: John 14:6.
The "City of the living God" intimates the nearness of the saints to
God, for Jerusalem was adjacent to Zion--their homes and dwellings
were near to His. This figure of the "city" is also found in "Ye are
no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints,
and of the household of God" (Eph. 2:19)--see too Revelation 3:12. It
is designated "the heavenly Jerusalem" in contrast from the earthly,
the "Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all"
(Gal. 4:26). It is referred to again in Hebrews 13:14. A "city" is a
place of permanent residence, in contrast from the moving tent of the
wilderness. In Bible times a "city" was a place of safety, being
surrounded by strong and high walls; so in Heaven we shall be
eternally secure from sin and Satan, death and every enemy. A city is
well stocked with provisions: so in Heaven nothing is lacking which is
good and blessed.
"But ye are come unto . . . the City of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem." "The apostle herein prefers the privileges of the Gospel
not only above what the people were made partakers of at Sinai in the
wilderness, but also above all that they afterwards enjoyed in
Jerusalem in the land of Canaan. In the glory and privileges of that
city the Hebrews greatly boasted. But the apostle casts that city in
the state wherein it then was, into the same condition with Mount
Sinai in Arabia, that is, under bondage, as indeed it then was (Gal.
4:25); and he opposeth thereunto that `Jerusalem which is above,' that
is, this heavenly Jerusalem. This the second privilege of the
Gospel-state, wherein all the remaining promises of the O.T. are
transferred and made over to believers: whatever is spoken of the city
of God or of Jerusalem that is spiritual, that contains in it the love
or favor of God, it is all made theirs; faith can lay a claim to it
all.
"Believers are so `come' to this city, as to be inhabitants, free
denizens, possessors of it, to whom all the fights, privileges, and
immunities of it do belong; and what is spoken of it in the Scripture
is a ground of faith to them, and a spring of consolation. For they
may with consolation make application of what is so spoken to
themselves in every condition. A `city' is the only place of rest,
peace, safety and honor, among men in this world: to all these in the
spiritual sense we are brought by the Gospel. Whilst men are under the
law they are at Sinai--in a wilderness where is none of these things;
the souls of sinners can find no place of rest or safety under the
law. But we have all these things by the Gospel: rest in Christ, peace
with God, order in the communion of faith, safety in Divine
protection, and honor in our relation to God in Christ" (John Owen).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 100
The Superiority of Christianity
(Hebrews 12:22-24)
__________________________________________
"But ye are come unto" etc. (verse 22). These words do not, in fact
cannot, mean, that in some mystical sense believers are "in spirit"
projected into the future, to something which will only be actualized
in the future. The Greek verb has a specific significance in this
Epistle, as may be seen by a careful reference to Hebrews 4:16, 7:25,
11:6: "to come unto" here means to approach as worshippers. In the
verses now before us we are shown the high dignity and honor of that
spiritual worship which is the privilege of Christians under the
Gospel dispensation. When they meet together in the name of the Lord
Jesus, as His people, and with a due observance of His holy
institutions, they "are come unto," have access to, the eight
privileges here enumerated: they draw nigh by faith to Heaven itself,
to the antitypical holy of holies. But this is possible only to
spiritual worshippers.
They who are strangers to experimental spirituality soon grow weary
even of the outward form of worship, unless their eyes are entertained
with an imposing ritual and their ears regaled by appealing music.
This is the secret of the pomp and pageantry of Romanism--now, alas,
being more and more imitated by professing Protestants; it is to
attract and charm religious worldlings. Ritualists quite obscure the
simplicity and beauty of true Gospel worship. Man in his natural
estate is far too carnal to be pleased with a worship in which there
is nothing calculated to fire the imagination and intoxicate the
senses by means of tangible objects. But they who worship in spirit
and in truth can draw nigh to God more joyously in a barn, and mingle
their praises with the songs of Heaven, than if they were in a
cathedral.
How vast is the difference between that spiritual adoration which
issues from renewed hearts and that "form of godliness" which is
associated with altars and candles, choirs and surpliced ministers!
Only that is acceptable to God which is produced by the Holy Spirit
through sinners washed in the blood of the Lamb. Under
grace-magnifying and Christ-exalting preaching, the spiritual senses
of real Christians are exercised; as they behold the Savior's glories
in the glass of the Gospel, as they hear His voice, they have an
inward impression of His presence, they taste afresh of His goodness,
and His name is to them as ointment poured forth, perfuming their
spirits. In this joyous frame, their hearts are drawn Heavenwards, and
their songs of praise mingle with those of the holy angels and the
spirits of just men made perfect.
"But ye are come unto Mount Sion." David, after having taken Mount
Zion from the Jebusites, made it the place of his residence, so that
it became "the city of the great king." There he reigned and ruled,
there he issued his laws, and thence he extended the sway of his
peaceful scepter over the whole of the holy land. From that
circumstance, Mount Zion became the great type of the kingdom of God,
of which the Lord Jesus Christ is the Head and Sovereign. As David
ruling upon Mount Zion in the palace built there as his royal seat,
issuing his commands which were obeyed all over the land, so our
blessed Redeemer has been exalted according to God's promise "Yet have
I set My King upon My holy hill of Zion" (Ps. 2:6 and cf. Hebrews
2:9); and there sitting as King in Sion, issues His mandates and sways
His peaceful scepter over the hearts of His obedient people.
"And unto the City of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem." Most of
the older writers understood these terms to refer to the Church, but
we think this is a mistake, for the Church is referred to, separately,
in a later clause. As pointed out in the preceding article, we regard
this language as signifying Heaven itself, as the residence of God and
the eternal abode of His people. "The living God" is the true and only
God, the Triune Jehovah, the Fountain of all life, the One who is
"from everlasting to everlasting," without beginning or end: this
title is given to each of the eternal Three--Matthew 16:16, 1 Timothy
4:10, 2 Corinthians 6:16, cf. 1 Corinthians 3:16. As "Zion" was the
seat of David's throne, so "Jerusalem" was the dwelling place of
Jehovah in the midst of His covenant people. "Jerusalem" signifies
"the Vision of Peace," and in Heaven the "sons of peace" (Luke 10:6)
will behold the glory of God in the face of the Prince of peace.
"And to an innumerable company of angels." This is the third great
privilege enjoyed by the worshippers under the Christian economy:
having mentioned the place to which Divine grace has brought
believers, the Holy Spirit now described the inhabitants of the
heavenly Jerusalem. The angels, who are worshippers of God and His
Christ, are perhaps mentioned first because they are in closer
proximity to the Throne, because they are the original denizens of
Heaven, and because they are greatly in the majority. The reference
is, of course, to the holy angels who kept their first estate and
sinned not when some of their fellows apostatized. They are "the elect
angels" (1 Tim. 5:21), and although they have not been redeemed by the
atoning blood of the Lamb, it appears highly probable that they were
confirmed in their standing by the incarnation of the Son, for God has
united in Christ both elect men and elect angels (Eph. 1:10), that He
might be "the Head of all principality and power" (Col. 2:10).
"Ye are come unto . . . an innumerable company of angels." This sets
before us a further contrast between that which characterizes
Christianity, and what obtained under the Mosaic economy--that is, so
far as the Israelitish nation as a whole was concerned. It is clear
from several passages that "angels" were connected with the giving of
the Law, when Judaism was formally instituted. We read, "the Lord came
from Sinai and rose up from Seir unto them; He shined from mount
Paran, and He came with ten thousands of saints: from His right hand
went a fiery law for them" (Deut. 33:2): and again, "The chariots of
God are twenty thousands, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among
them, as in Sinai" (Ps. 68:17). But while many "thousands" of the
heavenly hosts attended Jehovah upon Sinai, this was very different
from the "innumerable company" with which we are connected, namely the
"ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands" of
Revelation 5:11. And even to the many thousands of angels at Sinai the
Nation did not "come": instead, they were fenced off at the foot of
the mount.
Redeemed sinners who have fellowship with the Father and the Son by
the Holy Spirit, are of one spirit with all the heavenly hosts, for
there is a union of sentiment between them. Christians have been
brought into a state of amity and friendship with the holy angels:
they are members of the same family (Eph. 3:15), are united under the
same Head (Col. 2:10), and joined together in the same worship (Heb.
1:6; Revelation 5:9-14). We are "come unto" them by a spiritual
relation, entering into association with them, sharing the benefits of
their kind offices, for "are they not all ministering spirits, sent
forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?'' (Heb.
1:14). The angels are "fellow servants" with believers "that have the
testimony of Jesus" (Rev. 19:10). Wondrous fact is this that sinners
of the earth, while here in this world, have communication with the
angels in Heaven, for they are constantly engaged in the same worship
of God in Christ as we are: Thus there is perfect oneness of accord
between us.
As we pointed out in the preceding chapter, the Church's spiritual
union with the holy angels--being united together in one spiritual
society and family--is due to the atoning work of Christ, who by
putting away the sins of His people has restored the breach made by
Adam's fall and "reconciled all things unto Himself" (Col. 1:20).
Hence we believe that in the verse now before us there is not only a
contrast drawn between Judaism and Christianity, but that its ultimate
reference is to the immense difference brought in between the offense
of the first Adam and the righteousness of the last Adam. Upon the
transgression of Adam we read "So He drove out the man: and He placed
at the east of the garden of Eden cherubim, and a flaming sword which
turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life" (Gen. 3:24).
There God made His "angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire"
(Heb. 1:7) to execute His vengeance against us; but now these same
angels are our associates in worship and service.
God is "the Lord of hosts" (Ps. 46:7), myriads of holy celestial
creatures being in an attendance upon Him--"an innumerable company of
angels:" how this should help us to realize the majesty and grandeur
of that Kingdom into which Divine grace has brought us. In this
expression we may also discern a word to encourage our trembling
hearts in connection with our wrestling against the "hosts of wicked
spirits" (Eph. 6:12): numerous as are the forces of Satan assailing
us, an "innumerable company of angels" are defending us! This was the
blessed truth by which Elisha comforted his fearing servant "they that
be with us are more than they that be with them" (2 Kings 6:16, 17).
"When the thought of Satan and his legions brings fear, we ought to
comfort ourselves with the assurance that more in number and greater
in power are the loving and watchful angels, who for Christ's sake
regard us with the deepest interest and affection" (A. Saphir).
Before turning to the next item a word should be said in refutation of
the blasphemous error of Romanists concerning our relation to the
angels. They teach that we are "come unto" the angels with our
prayers, which is one of their empty superstitions--there is not a
word in Scriptures to countenance such an idea. Though it be true that
the angels are superior to us in dignity and power, yet in communion
with God we are their equals--"fellow-servant', (Rev. 22:9), and, as
Owen pointed out, "Nothing can be more groundless than that
fellow-servants should worship one another"--the worshipping of angels
is condemned in Colossians 2:18, Revelation 22:8, 9. Well did Owen
also point out, "It is the highest madness for any one to pretend
himself to be the head of the church, as the pope does, unless he
assume also to himself to be the head of all the angels in Heaven,"
for we belong to the same holy society.
"To the general assembly." This expression occasions some difficulty,
for in the first place it is not quite clear as to what the Spirit
specifically alludes unto. In the second place, the Greek word
(pangueris, a compound one) occurs nowhere else in the N.T., so that
we are not able to obtain any help from its usage in other passages.
In the third place, it is not very easy to decide whether this clause
is to be linked with the one immediately preceding or with the one
following it. In its classical usage the Greek word was employed in
connection with a public convocation, when all the people were
gathered together to celebrate a public festival or solemnity. Most of
the commentators link this word with what follows: "To the general
assembly and church of the firstborn," understanding the reference to
be unto the ("general") union of believing Jews and believing Gentiles
in one Body. Personally, we think this is a mistake.
First, such language would be tautological, for if the "general
assembly" points to the middle wall of partition being broken down,
and converted Jews and Gentiles being joined together in one Body,
that would be "the Church." Second, the denomination "church of the
firstborn" takes in the totality of God's elect and redeemed people of
all ages. Third, there is no "and" between the "innumerable company of
angels" and the "general assembly," as there is in every other
instance in these verses where a new object is introduced. Personally,
we regard this third expression as in apposition (the placing together
of two nouns, one of which explains the other) to the former, thus:
"unto an innumerable company of angels--the general assembly." There
are various ranks and orders among the angels: principalities and
powers, thrones and dominions, seraphim and cherubim, and the "general
assembly" of them would be the solemn convocation of all the angelic
hosts before the throne of God--compare "A fiery stream issued and
came forth from before Him: thousand thousands ministered unto Him,
and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him: the judgment (a
special convocation) was set, and the books were opened" (Dan. 7:10).
No doubt this amplifying expression (of the "innumerable company of
angels") also emphasizes another contrast between the privileges of
Christianity and that which obtained under Judaism. Perhaps the
contrastive allusion is a double one. First, from the general assembly
of Israel at Sinai, when the whole of the nation was then formally
assembled together--in fear and trembling. Second, to the general
assembly of all the male Israelites three times in the year at the
solemn feasts of the O.T. Church (Ex. 34:23, Deuteronomy 16:16) which
was called "the great congregation" (Ps. 22:25, 35:18, etc.)--in joy
and praise. But each of these were on earth, by men in the flesh;
whereas Christians, in their worship, unite with all the holy hosts of
Heaven in blessing and adoring the Triune God.
"And Church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven": that is,
to the entire company of God's redeemed. "This is that church
whereunto all the promises do belong; the church built on the rock,
against which the gates of hell shall not prevail; the spouse, the
body of Christ, the temple of God, His habitation forever. This is the
church which Christ loved and gave Himself for, which He washed in His
own blood, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of
water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious
church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it
should be holy and without blemish (Eph. 5:25-27). This is the church
out of which none can be saved, and whereof no one member shall be
lost" (John Owen).
This is the only place in the N.T. where the election of grace is
designated "the Church of the firstborn ones" (plural number in the
Greek). Why so here? For at least three reasons. First, so as to
identify the Church with Christ as the "Heir of all things" (Heb.
1:2). The prominent idea associated with the "firstborn" in Scripture
is not that of priority, but rather excellency, dignity, dominion, and
right to the inheritance. This is clear from "Reuben, thou art my
firstborn,... the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power"
(Gen. 49:3); and again "I will make Him My firstborn, higher than the
kings of the earth" (Ps. 89:27). For the "firstborn" and the
"inheritance" see Genesis 27:19, 28, 29 and cf. Hebrews 12:16;
Deuteronomy 21:16; 1 Chronicles 5:1. Second, this title intimates the
Church's glory is superior to that of the celestial spirits: redeemed
sinners and not fallen angels are God's "firstborn ones." Third, this
points a further contrast from Judaism: Israel was God's "firstborn"
(Ex. 4:22) among the nations of the earth; but the Church is His
"firstborn" among the inhabitants of Heaven!
The Church is raised to the highest created dignity: superior
privileges and a nobler dignity of son-ship pertain to its members
than to the holy angels. This is solely due to their union with
Christ, the original "Firstborn": Psalm 89:26, 27; Romans 8:29;
Hebrews 1:6. Christians have been made "kings and priests unto God"
(Rev. 1:6), which compromises the whole right of the inheritance. The
entire election of grace, by God's gratuitous adoption, are not only
members of His family, but "heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ"
(Rom. 8:17), and thus given an inalienable title to the heavenly
inheritance. This was equally true of the saints of all generations
from the foundation of the world, yet a much clearer and fuller
revelation thereof has been made under this Christian economy: "which
in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now
revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit" (Eph.
3:5).
"Which are written in Heaven," announcing that they are genuine
Christians--in contrast from mere professors, whose names are recorded
only upon the church-scrolls of earth. Just as the registering of
men's names on the rolls of corporations, etc., assures them of their
right to the privileges thereof (for example, to vote--which we
believe is something that no child of God should do), so our names
being written in Heaven is the guaranty of our title to the celestial
heritage. It was to this Christ referred when He said, "Rejoice
because your names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:20). The apostle
Paul also speaks of those "whose names are in the book of life" (Phil.
4:3): that Book of Life (cf. Revelation 3:5 and 13:8) is none other
than the roll of God's elect, in His eternal immutable designation of
them unto grace and glory. "Written in Heaven" points another contrast
from Judaism: the names of Jews (as such) were only written upon the
synagogue scrolls.
"And to God the Judge of all." The reference here is not (as some
recent writers have supposed) unto the person of Christ, but rather
unto God the Father in His rectoral office as the high Governor of
all. Does this seem to spoil the harmony of the passage? had we not
much preferred it to read "and to God our Father"? No, coming to "God
the Judge of all" in nowise conflicts with the other privileges
mentioned: it is a vastly different thing to be brought before a judge
to be tried and sentenced as a criminal, from having a favorable
access to him as our occasions and needs may require. Such is the
meaning here: we are come not only to the heavenly Jerusalem, to an
innumerable company of angels, to the Church, but also the supreme
Head of the heavenly society--the Author and End of it.
"And to God the Judge of all," that is, the Majesty of Heaven itself.
It was God as Judge who appointed Christ to death, and it was God as
Judge who accepted His sacrifice and raised Him from the dead. To God
as "Judge" believers have been reconciled and by Him they were
justified (Rom. 8:33). Concerning Christ our Exemplar, we read "when
He suffered, He threatened not, but committed Himself to Him that
judgeth righteously" (1 Pet. 2:23). The apostle reminded the saints
that "it is a righteous thing for God (as "Judge") to recompense
tribulation to them that trouble you" (2 Thess. 1:6). Now it was as
Judge that God ascended His awful tribunal at Sinai, and that the
people could not endure: but Christians draw nigh to Him with holy
boldness because His law has nothing against them--the requirements of
His justice were fully met by Christ. How great is the privilege of
that state which enables poor sinners, called by the Gospel, to
approach the Judge of all upon His "bench" or throne without fear!
Only by faith is this possible.
"And to the spirits of just men made perfect." It is blessed to note
that this comes immediately after mention of "the Judge of all"--to
show us the saints had nothing to fear from Him, "for there is
therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ" (Rom. 8:1).
The reference is to the O.T. believers, who have passed through death:
that N.T. saints are "come" to them is clear from Ephesians 2:19. Of
course that "made perfect" is relative and not absolute, for their
resurrection and full glorification is yet future. As Owen defined it:
First, they had reached the end of the race wherein they had been
engaged, with all the duties and difficulties, temptations and
tribulations connected therewith. Second, they were completely
delivered from sin and sorrow, labor and trouble, which in this life
they had been exposed to. Third, they had now entered their rest and
reward and were, according to their present capacity, in the immediate
presence of God and perfectly happy.
"And to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant:" His personal name is
used here because it is in this character He saves His people from
their sins--compare our exposition of 9:15-17. Here again a contrast
is drawn from that which obtained under the old covenant. Moses was
the middle person between Israel and God: chosen by the people (Ex.
20:19, etc.) and appointed by Him to declare His mind unto them; unto
him they were all baptized (1 Cor. 10:2). But Moses was merely a man,
a fallen descendant of Adam: he delivered God's law to the people, but
was incapable of magnifying and making it honorable by a perfect
personal obedience. Nor was he that "surety" of the covenant unto God
for the people, as Christ was; he did not confirm the covenant by
offering himself as a sacrifice to God, nor could he give the people
an interest in heavenly privileges. How far short he came of Christ!
By being brought unto "Sion," Christians are come to all the mercy,
grace and glory prepared in the new covenant and presented in the
promises of it. Herein lies the supreme blessedness and eternal
security of the Church, that its members are taken into such a
covenant that they have a personal interest in the Mediator of it, who
is able to save them unto the uttermost. This is the very substance
and essence of Christian faith, that it has to do with the Mediator of
the new covenant, by whom alone we obtain deliverance from the old
covenant and the curse with which it is accompanied. It is both the
privilege and wisdom of faith to make use of this "Mediator" in all
our dealings with God: He it is who offers to God our prayers and
praises and brings down the favor of God upon His people.
"And to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that
of Abel." The blood of Christ is referred to thus in allusion unto the
various sprinklings of blood Divinely instituted under the old
covenant, the three most signal instances of which are recorded in
Exodus 12:22; 24:6-8; Leviticus 16:14, the principal reference here
being to Exodus 24, where the old covenant was thus ratified. All of
those instances were eminent types of the redemption, justification
and sanctification of the Church by the blood of Christ. The specific
thing denoted by the "sprinkling" (in contrast from its "shedding") is
the application to believers of its virtues and benefits. The more the
Christian exercises repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord
Jesus Christ, the more will he experience the peace-speaking power of
that precious blood in his conscience. The blood of Christ "speaketh"
to God as a powerful Advocate: urging the fulfillment of the
Mediator's part of the everlasting covenant, His perfect satisfaction
to Divine justice, the full discharge from condemnation purchased for
His people.
The contrast here is very impressive: the blood of Abel called for
vengeance (Gen. 4:10), whereas the blood of Christ calls for blessing
to be bestowed on those for whom it was shed. Even the blood of the
wicked if unrighteously shed, calls to God for it to be recompensed.
But Abel was a saint, the first martyr, and his blood cried according
to the worth that was in him, for "precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of His saints." If then the blood of a saint speaks so
forcibly to God, how infinitely more powerfully must the blood of "the
King of saints" (Rev. 15:3) plead! If the blood of a single member of
Christ's Body so speaks to God, what will the blood of the Head
Himself! Moreover, Abel's blood only cried to God "from the ground,"
where it was shed, but Christ's blood speaks in Heaven itself (Heb.
9:12).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 101
The Call to Hear
(Hebrews 12:25, 26)
__________________________________________
"See that ye refuse not Him that speaketh: for if they escaped not who
refused Him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we
turn away from Him that speaketh from Heaven" (verse 25). In these
words we find the Holy Spirit moving the apostle to make a practical
application unto his readers of what he had just brought before them
in the previous verses. The degree or extent of the privileges
enjoyed, is the measure of our responsibility: the richer the blessing
God grants us, the deeper is our debt of obligation to Him. "For unto
whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required; and to whom
men have committed much, of him they will ask the more" (Luke 12:48):
it was of this principle and fact the Hebrews were now reminded.
The apostle had just completed drawing his final contrast between
Judaism and Christianity (verses 18-24), in which he had again shown
the immeasurable superiority of the latter over the former, and now he
uses this as a basis for an exhortation unto faith and obedience, or
faithfulness and perseverance. Herein we have another example of the
apostolic method of ministry: all their teaching had a practical end
in view. Their aim was something more than enlightening the mind,
namely, the moving of the will and ordering of the walk. Alas that
there is so little of this in present-day teaching and preaching. The
design of the pulpit now seems to be entertaining the people, and
rarely does it go further than instructing the mind--that which
searches the conscience or calls for the performance of duty, that
which is solemn and unpalatable to the flesh, is, for the most part,
studiously avoided. May it please the Lord to grant His servants all
needed grace for deliverance from a compliance with this "speak unto
us smooth things."
The grander the revelation which God is pleased to make of Himself,
the more punctual the attendance and the fuller the response which He
requires from us. In the verses which are now before us we find the
apostle improving his argument by pointing out the weighty
implications of it. Therein he returns to his main design, which was
to urge the professing Hebrews unto steadfastness in their Christian
course and conflict, and to steadily resist the temptation to lapse
back into Judaism. This deeply important and most necessary
exhortation he had urged upon them again and again; see Hebrews 2:1,
3; 3:12, 13; 4:1; 6:4-6; 10:26-29; 12:1, 15. Therein the servant of
God may learn another valuable lesson pointed to by the example of the
apostle, namely, how God requires him to go over the same ground again
and again where the practical duties of the Christian are concerned,
and hesitate not to frequently repeat the exhortations of Holy Writ!
This may not increase his popularity with men, but it will meet with
the Lord's approval; and no faithful minister can have both!
"See that ye refuse not Him that speaketh." The Greek word for "see"
is rendered "take heed" in Hebrews 3:12; the word for "refuse"
signifies "deprecate"--do not disregard, still less reject. Now not
only is this argument based upon the statement made in the preceding
verses, but the motive for complying with it is to be drawn therefrom.
It is because we "are not come unto the mount that might be touched
and that burned with fire" (v. 18), that is, unto that order of things
wherein the Divine righteousness was so vividly displayed in judicial
manifestion; but because we "are come unto mount Sion," which speaks
of pure grace, that we are now thus exhorted, for holiness ever
becometh God's house. It is in the realization of God's wondrous grace
that the Christian is ever to find his most effectual incentive unto a
godly walk; see Titus 2:11, 12.
"See that ye refuse not Him that speaketh," which is the negative way
of saying "Hear Him"--Heed Him, by believing and yielding obedience to
what He says. This exhortation looks back to "I will raise them up a
Prophet, from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put My
words in His mouth: and He shall speak unto them all that I shall
command Him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not
hearken unto My words which He shall speak in My name, I will require
it of him" (Deut. 18:18, 19); cf. Acts 3:22; 7:37. This is what the
apostle now reminded the Hebrews of: take heed that ye hear Him, for
if you fail to, God will consume you with His wrath. A similar charge
was given by God after Christ became incarnate: "This is My Beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye Him" (Matthew 17:5).
"This is the foundation of all Gospel faith and obedience, and the
formal reason of the condemnation of all unbelievers. God hath given
command unto all men to hear, that is, believe and obey His Son Jesus
Christ. By virtue thereof, He hath given command unto others to preach
the Gospel unto all individuals. They who believe them, believe in
Christ; and they who believe in Christ through Him, believe in God (1
Pet. 1:21), so that their faith is ultimately resolved into the
authority of God Himself. And so they who refuse them, who hear them
not, do thereby refuse Christ Himself; and by so doing, reject the
authority of God, who hath given this command to hear Him, and hath
taken on Himself to require it when it is neglected; which is the
condemnation of all unbelievers. This method, with respect unto faith
and unbelief, is declared and established by our Savior: `he that
heareth you, heareth Me; and He that despiseth you, despiseth Me; and
he that despiseth Me, despiseth Him that sent Me:' Luke 10:16" (John
Owen).
"See that ye refuse not Him that speaketh"--note carefully the present
tense: not "that spoke." Christ is still speaking through His Gospel,
by His Spirit, and instrumentally through His own commissioned
servants, calling upon all who come under the sound of His voice to
serve and obey Him. There are many ways in which we may "refuse" to
hear and heed Him. First, by neglecting to read daily and diligently
the Scriptures through which He speaks. Second, by failing to attend
public preaching where His Word is faithfully dispensed--if so be we
live in a place where this holy privilege is obtainable. Third, by
failing to comply with the terms of His Gospel and yield ourselves
unto His authority. Fourth, by forsaking the Narrow Way of His
commandments and going back again to the world. Fifth, by abandoning
the truth for error, which generally ends in total apostasy. How we
need to pray for an hearing ear, that is, for a responsive heart and
yielded will.
"For if they escaped not who refused Him that spake on earth. much
more shall not we escape, if we turn away from Him that speaketh from
Heaven." In these words the apostle continues to emphasize the
contrast which obtains between Judaism and Christianity. What we have
here is an echo from the keynote struck in the opening words of our
epistle: "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time
past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken
unto us by His Son" (Heb. 1:1, 2). It is in the light of that
statement our present verse is to be read and interpreted. The Speaker
throughout is one and the same, namely, God (the Father), but the
mouthpieces He employed differed greatly: under Judaism He spoke
through mere men, the "prophets," but in connection with Christianity
He speaks in and by His own beloved "Son."
This difference in the respective mouthpieces employed by God was in
accord with and indicative of the relative importance of the two
revelations given by Him. Judaism was but a religion for earth, and a
temporary arrangement for the time being: accordingly, human agents
were God's instruments in connection therewith. But Christianity is a
revelation which concerns a heavenly calling, heavenly citizenship, a
heavenly inheritance, and exhibits eternal relations and realities:
appropriately, then, was the everlasting Son, "the Lord from Heaven,"
the One by whom its grand secrets were disclosed. "No man hath seen
God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the
Father, He hath declared Him" (John 1:18). The primary reference there
is a dispensational one. Under Judaism God dwelt behind the veil; but
under Christianity "we all with unveiled face" behold, as in a glass,
"the glory of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18). Under the old covenant men were
unable to go in to God; but under the new covenant God has, in the
person of Christ, come out to men.
But blessed and glorious as is the contrast between Judaism and
Christianity, equally solemn and terrible is the contrast between the
punishment meted out to those who refuse God's revelation under each.
God speaks now from a higher throne than the one He assumed at Sinai:
that was on earth; the one He now occupies is in Heaven. Therefore it
must inevitably follow that the guilt of those who refuse to heed Him
today is far greater, and their punishment must be the more
intolerable. Not only do higher privileges involve increased
obligations, but the failure to discharge those added obligations
necessarily incurs deeper guilt and a heavier penalty. This is what
the apostle presses here, as he had in "For if the word spoken by
angels (at Sinai) was steadfast, and every transgression and
disobedience received a just recompense of reward; how shall we escape
if we neglect so great salvation?" (Heb. 2:2, 3). If, then, we in any
wise fear God's vengeance or value His favor how it behooves us to
most seriously heed the grace proffered in the Gospel!
Though Christianity has in it far less of what is terrifying than had
Judaism and far more in it which exhibits the grace and mercy of God,
nevertheless, apostasy from the one cannot be less terrible in its
consequences than was apostasy from the other. There is as much to be
dreaded in disregarding the authoritative voice of God now as there
was then; yea, as we have pointed out, the rejection of His message
through Christ involves a worse doom than despising of His word
through Moses and the prophets. "He that despised Moses' law died
without mercy under two or three witnesses: of how much sorer
punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden
under foot the Son of God?" (Heb. 10:28, 29). True, God does not now
speak amid thunderings and lightnings, but rather by a tender appeal
to our hearts; yet the rejection of the latter is fraught with more
direful consequences than was the refusal of the former.
Alas that this weighty truth is so feebly apprehended today, and so
little emphasized by the pulpit. Is it not a fact that the idea now
generally prevailing is, that the God of the N.T. is far more amiable
and benevolent than the God of the O.T.? How far from the truth is
this: "I change not" (Mal. 3:6) is the Lord's express avowal.
Moreover, it is under the new covenant (and not the old) that we find
the most awe-inspiring and terror-provoking revelation of the
righteous wrath of a sin-hating God. It was not through Moses or the
prophets, but by the Lord Jesus that the everlasting fires of Hell
were most vividly depicted: He it was who spoke the plainest and the
most frequently of that fearful place wherein there is "wailing and
gnashing of teeth." If Christ was the One to most fully reveal God's
love, He was also the One who most fully declared His wrath.
"They escaped not who refused Him that spake on earth." No, even
though they had enjoyed such unparalleled privileges. They had been
brought out of the house of bondage, delivered from the enemy at the
Red Sea, ate of the heavenly manna and drank of the water from the
smitten rock; yet we are told "But with many of them God was not
well-pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness" (1 Cor.
10:5). The apostle had already reminded the Hebrews that it was of
them God had declared, "They do always err in their heart, and they
have not known My ways. So I sware in My wrath, They shall not enter
into My rest" (Heb. 3:10, 11). And this was because "they refused Him
that spake" to them. They were disobedient at Sinai, where, so far
from submitting to the Divine authority to have "no other gods," they
made and worshipped the golden calf. They were unbelieving at Kadesh
Barnea, when they listened to the scepticism of the ten spies.
"Much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from Him that speaketh
from heaven." Again we say, how greatly at variance with this is the
idea which now obtains so generally. The great majority of professing
Christians suppose there is much less danger of those bearing the name
of the Lord being severely dealt with under the milder regime of
Christianity, than there was for renegades in the days of Moses. But
our text says, "much more shall not we escape!" Though it be true that
Christianity is essentially a system of grace, nevertheless the
requirements of holiness and the claims of justice are not thereby set
aside. The despisers of grace must be and will be as surely punished
as were the despisers of Law; yea, "much more" so because their sin of
refusal is more heinous. It is "the wrath of the Lamb" (Rev. 6:16)
which the despisers of the Gospel--its invitations and its
requirements--will have to reckon with: so far as mount Sion excels
mount Sinai so will the punishment of Christ-scorners exceed that of
those who despised Moses.
Ere passing on to our next verse we must anticipate a "difficulty"
which our passage is likely to raise in the minds of some readers: How
are we to harmonize the eternal security of the saints with this "much
more shall not we escape if we turn away from Him that speaketh from
Heaven?" Alas, that such a question needs answering: those who frame
it betray a lamentable ignorance of what the "security of saints"
consists of. God has never promised any man to preserve him in the
path of self-will and self-pleasing. Those who reach Heaven are they
who follow (though stumbling by and with many falls) the only path
which leads there, namely, the "Narrow Way" of self-denial. Or, to put
it in another way, the only ones who escape the everlasting buntings
are they who heed Him that speaketh from Heaven, for "He became the
Author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him" (Heb. 5:9).
The writer believes firmly in the blessed truth of "the eternal
security of the saints," but by no means all who profess to be
Christians are "saints." This raises the question, how may I know
whether or not I am a saint? The answer is, By impartially examining
myself in the light of Holy Writ and ascertaining whether or no I
possess the character and conduct of a "saint." The Lord Jesus said,
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (John
10:27). A "saint" or "sheep" of Christ, then is one who hears HIS
voice above all the siren voices of the world, above all the
clamorings of the flesh, and gives evidence that he does so by
following Him, that is, by heeding His commandments, being regulated
by His will, submitting to His Lordship. And to them, and to none
other, Christ says, "And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall
never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand" (John
10:28).
Should it be asked, But was not the apostle addressing the "saints,"
"sheep," "holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling" (Heb. 3:1)
here in Hebrews 12:25? And if so, why did he present before them such
an awful threat? First, these solemn words were addressed to all who
come under the sound of the Gospel, and the response made by the
hearer or reader serves as an admirable test. The proud and
self-confident, who rely wholly upon a profession made by them years
ago, ignore it to their own undoing, supposing those words have no
application to them; whereas the lowly and self-distrustful lay it to
heart with trembling, and are thereby preserved from the doom
threatened. Second, in the preservation of His people from destruction
God uses warnings and threatenings, as well as promises and
assurances. He keeps His people in the Narrow Way by causing them to
heed such an exhortation as this, "Be not high-minded, but fear; for
if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest He also spare
not thee" (Rom. 11:20, 21).
What is meant by turning away from "Him that speaketh from Heaven"?
First, it describes the attitude of that large class who come under
the sound of the Gospel and dislike its exacting terms: Christ is far
too holy to suit their carnal hearts, His call for them "to forsake
all and follow Him" pleases not their corrupt nature; so He is
"despised and rejected" by them. Second, it depicts the conduct of the
stony-ground hearers, who under the emotional appeals of high-pressure
evangelists "receive the Word with joy," yet have "no root" in
themselves, and so they quickly "fall away:" the scoffings of their
godless companions or the appeal of worldly pleasures are too strong
for them to continue resisting. Third, it denotes the lapse of those
who having "escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge
of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ are again entangled therein and
overcome" so that "the latter end is worse with them than the
beginning" (2 Pet. 2:20). Fourth, it announces the apostasy of those
who, under pressure of persecution, renounce the Faith.
"Whose voice then shook the earth: but now He hath promised, saying,
Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven" (verse 26).
There are some points about this verse and the one immediately
following which are far from easy to elucidate, yet their main purport
is not difficult to determine. In ceasing to "speak on earth" and in
now "speaking from Heaven" God gave therein intimation that the old
covenant had been supplanted by the new: that He had done with Judaism
and established the "better thing" in its place. This was what the
pious Hebrews found so hard to perceive, for Judaism had been
instituted by God Himself. Nevertheless, He only designed it to
fulfill a temporary purpose "until the time of reformation" (Heb.
9:10), and that time had now arrived. It was to demonstrate and
establish this important fact that God moved His servant to write this
Epistle.
Once more we would call attention to the method employed: Paul did not
simply press his apostolic authority, though that had been sufficient
of itself; instead, he referred his readers to the written Word of
God, quoting from Haggai--in this too he has left an admirable example
for all ministers of the Gospel to follow: the words of God Himself
are far more weighty than any of ours. At every vital stage of his
argument the apostle had referred the Hebrews to the O.T. Scriptures.
When he affirmed that Christ was superior to the heavenly hosts, he
quoted, "Let all the angels of God worship Him" (Heb. 1:6). When he
warned of the danger of apostacy, he referred them to Psalm 95 (Heb.
3:7-11). When he insisted that Christ's priesthood excelled Aaron's,
he cited, "Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek"
(Heb. 7:17). When he declared that the old covenant was an imperfect
and temporary one, he reminded them that Jeremiah had foretold the
"new covenant" (Heb. 8:8-10).
When he dwelt upon Christ coming to earth with the express purpose of
supplanting all the Levitical sacrifices by offering Himself unto God,
the apostle showed that Psalm 40 had fore-announced (Heb. 10:5-7) this
very truth. When he called upon the Hebrews to walk by faith, he
quoted Habakkuk 2:4, and then devoted the whole of the 11th chapter to
illustrate the fact that all of the O.T. saints had so walked. When he
admonished them for fainting under the chastening rod of God, he bade
them remember the exhortation of Proverbs 3:11 (Heb. 12:5). When he
would prove to them the inferiority of Judaism to Christianity, he
dwelt upon the Exodus record of the terrifying phenomena which
accompanied the appearing of the Lord at Sinai, where He entered into
covenant with their fathers (Heb. 12:18-21). And now that he affirmed
that God no longer spake to them "on earth," but rather "from Heaven,"
he appeals again to their own Scriptures to show this very change had
been Divinely predicted.
What an amazing knowledge of the Scriptures Paul possessed! and what a
splendid use he made of it! He did not entertain his hearers and
readers with anecdotes or by relating some of the sensational
experiences through which God had brought him, still less did he
descend to "pleasantries" and jokes in order to amuse them. No, he
constantly brought them face to face with the Holy Word of the thrice
Holy God. And that, by grace, is the unvarying policy we have sought
to follow in this magazine: not only do we sedulously avoid any
cheapening of the glorious Gospel of Christ, but we endeavor to
furnish a proof text for every statement we make; for we ask no one to
believe any doctrine or perform any duty on our mere say-so. Some may
complain that there is "too much repetition" in our articles, or that
they are "too introspective," or "too Calvinistic," but their quarrel
is not with us, but with Him whose Word we expound and enforce.
"Whose voice then shook the earth: but now He hath promised, saying,
Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven" (verse 26).
The simplest and surest way of discovering the meaning of this verse
and the force of citing Haggai 2:6, is to keep in mind the particular
design which the apostle had before him. That was twofold: to enforce
the exhortation he had just given in the previous verse, and to
continue emphasizing and demonstrating the superiority of Christianity
over Judaism. We will consider its terms, then, from each of these
viewpoints. First, Paul emphasizes the terribleness of turning away
from God in Christ: if He who "shook" the earth is to be feared, much
more so is He who "shakes" Heaven! Then let us beware of ignoring His
voice: by inattention, by unbelief, by disobedience, by apostasy.
"Whose voice then shook the earth" is a figurative reference to God's
omnipotence, for His "voice" here has reference to the mighty power of
God in operation: let the reader carefully compare Psalm 29:3-9, where
he will find the wondrous effects of Providence ascribed to the
"voice" of God. In particular, the apostle here alludes to the
declaration of God's authority and the putting forth of His great
strength at the time the Law was given: Sinai itself was convulsed, so
that "the whole mount quaked greatly" (Ex. 19:18). Yet more than the
earthquake is included in the words of our text: the entire commotion
involved, with all the particulars enumerated in Hebrews 12:18-21, is
comprehended therein. It is designated "shook the earth" because it
was all on the earth, and involved only earthly things--it did not
reach to Heaven and eternal things.
"But now He hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth
only, but also Heaven." This clause has presented a hard riddle to the
commentators, and scarcely any two of them, ancient or modern, agree
in the solutions they have offered. Personally, we think they created
their own difficulties. First, through failing to perceive that the
"but now" is to be understood in connection with the subject the
apostle was then discussing, and not as something God was then
promising to make good in the future. Second, through failing to give
proper attention and weight to the term "promised," which is surely
enough to show that the final destruction of this scene (when the doom
of the wicked will be sealed) cannot be the subject of which Haggai
was prophesying. Third, through a slavish adherence to
literalism--recent writers especially--which caused many to miss the
meaning of "the earth" and "Heaven" in this passage. But these are
points of too much importance to dismiss hurriedly, so we must leave
their consideration till the next article.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 102
The Passing of Judaism
(Hebrews 12:26, 27)
__________________________________________
It is exceedingly difficult, if not quite impossible, for us to form
any adequate conception of the serious obstacles presented to the mind
of a pious Jew, when any one sought to persuade him that Judaism had
been set aside by God and that he must turn his own back upon it. No
analogy or parallel exists in our own experience. It was not merely
that the Hebrews were required to turn away from something which their
ancestors had set up, and around which twined all their own sentiments
and affections of national patriotism, but that they were called upon
to abandon a religious system that had been appointed and established
by Jehovah Himself. That institution, a theocracy, was unique, sharply
distinguished from all the idolatrous systems of the heathen. It was
God's outstanding witness in the earth. It had been signally honored
and favored by Him. It had existed for no less than fifteen centuries,
and even when Christ appeared, He acknowledged the temple--the center
and headquarters of Judaism--as "My Father's House."
We cannot but admire the tender grace of God in the gentle and gradual
way in which He "broke the news" to His people, little by little
preparing their minds to receive the truth that His purpose in Judaism
had been completely accomplished. Intimations were given through the
prophets that the order of things with which they were connected would
give place to another and better. To the same effect the Lord Jesus
dropped one hint after another: as, for example, when He pointed out
that the old bottles were incapable of receiving the new wine, or when
He declared, not that which enters into a man defileth him (as the
ceremonial law had taught!) but that which issues from the heart, or
when He announced "The hour cometh when ye shall neither in this
mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father" (John 4:21; and
finally, when He solemnly affirmed "Behold, your house is left unto
you desolate" (Matthew 23:38).
The rending of the temple veil by a Divine hand was full of deep
meaning for those who had eyes to see. The word given through Stephen
that "the Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands" (Acts
7:48), was another clear ray of heavenly light on the same subject.
The conversion of Saul of Tarsus, and the commissioning of him as an
apostle to the Gentiles, intimated the direction in which the stream
of Divine mercy was now flowing--it had burst the narrow banks of
Judaism! The vision granted to Peter (Acts 10) and his message to
Cornelius (v. 35), was a further advance along the same line. The
important decision of the apostles and elders of the Church at
Jerusalem in Acts 15:23-29 not to bind the ceremonial law upon the
Gentile converts, was another radical step in the same direction.
Yet Jerusalem still survived, the temple was yet intact, and its
services continued. Moreover, the leaders of the Nation had rejected
Christ and denounced Christianity as a device of Satan. Many of the
Jewish Christians were sorely puzzled and deeply exercised, for the
Roman yoke had not been removed. As yet the followers of Christ were
but few in number, and for the most part, poor and despised. The
Hebrew believers were being hotly persecuted by their unbelieving
brethren, and God had made no manifest interposition on their behalf.
They were therefore almost ready to conclude that, after all, they had
made a dreadful mistake in forsaking the religion of their fathers,
and that the sore afflictions they were passing through were a Divine
judgment upon them. It was to allay their fears, to more thoroughly
instruct their minds, to establish their hearts, that God moved the
apostle to write this particular epistle to them--the great theme of
which is a display of the immeasurable superiority of Christianity
over Judaism, and its chief design being a call to perseverance and a
warning against apostasy.
But even in this epistle the apostle did not come right out and say
plainly "God has discarded Judaism." No, the path of faith is never an
easy one. Faith can only thrive while it fights (1 Tim. 6:12). There
must be that which deeply exercises the heart if the soul is to be
kept in the place of complete dependence upon God! Nevertheless, God
always grants sufficient light unto a truly exercised soul to indicate
the path which is to be followed; He always provides a foundation for
faith to rest upon. Though He may not remove the chief obstacle (as He
did not for the Hebrews while the temple still stood!) and grant a
complete solution to our difficulties, yet He graciously furnishes the
humble soul sufficient help to circumvent them. Thus it was in this
epistle. Though no explicit statement is made that God had done with
Judaism, yet sufficient proof was furnished that He had set up
something better in its place. This comes out again and again in
almost every chapter, notably so in the passage now before us.
What has been pointed out in the last paragraph presents a principle
and a fact which it is deeply important for true Christians to lay
hold of today. Not a few of the Lord's people are now confronted with
similar problems, which if not so acute as the Hebrews faced, are just
as real to them: problems relating to church-fellowship, baptism, the
Lord's supper, Sabbath observance. For thirty years a situation
existed in Israel which produced two parties, neither of which could
convince the other; and, as usual, the larger party was in the wrong.
On the one hand was the long-established Judaism, which contained the
great majority of the Nation; on the other hand was the handful of
God's faithful servants with the few who had sufficient grace to
receive their teachings and walk by faith. Had the latter been
regulated by ancient custom, or by mere numbers, or by the logic of
circumstances (the outward providences of God), they had missed God's
will for them and had "forsaken their own mercy" (Jon. 2:8).
The little company of converted Hebrews who had left Judaism for
Christ were faced with a perplexing and trying situation. No doubt in
the case of many of them, their loved ones still adhered reverently
and vigorously to the religion of their fathers. Nor could either
party convince the other of its error by a simple and direct appeal to
Holy Writ. Each side had some Scripture to support it! Nowhere in the
O.T. had God expressly said that He would yet do away with Judaism,
and nowhere in the N.T. had He openly declared that He had now set
Judaism aside. No, dear reader, that is rarely God's way! In like
manner, Christendom is now divided on various points both of doctrine
and of duty, and each side is able to make out a real "case" by an
appeal to Scripture, and often, neither can cite one decisive verse
proving the other to be wrong. Yet one is wrong! Only by earnestly
waiting upon God individually can His mind be discovered.
But why has God ordered things thus? Why are not the Scriptures so
worded that there would be no room for controversy? To try our hearts.
The situation which confronted the converted Hebrews was a real test
as to whether they would be followers of men or pleasers of God. The
self-righteous Pharisees could appeal to a long-established system of
religion in justification of their rejection of Christ; and there are
those in Christendom today who vindicate their adherence to what God
has never commanded and which is dishonoring to His Son, by an appeal
to a long line of godly men who have believed and practiced these very
things. When others seek to show that an opposite course is required
by Scripture, they profess to be "unable to see" what is quite clear
to simple and humble souls, and ask for some verse which expressly
forbids what they are doing; which is like those who, in the face of
His miracles, said, "If Thou be the Christ tell us plainly" (John
10:24).
No doubt it had made matters much easier for the Hebrews if the
apostle said plainly, "God has completely finished with Judaism:" that
had "settled the matter" for hesitating ones who were halting between
two opinions--and poor fallen human nature loves to have things so
"settled" that there may be an end to perturbation of mind and
exercise of heart. Moreover, the converted Hebrews would then have had
a clear proof-text which must have silenced those who differed from
them--and we love to have a verse which will close the mouths of those
who agree not with us, do we not? Or, God could have allowed the
Romans to capture Jerusalem and destroy the temple thirty years sooner
than they did: that also had "settled the matter"--yes, and left the
Hebrews to walk by sight, instead of by faith! Instead, He gave them
this epistle, which called for prayer, study, meditation, and for more
prayer.
Let us now very briefly review the line of the apostle's argument in
Hebrews 12:18 and onwards. First, he informs the believing Hebrews "Ye
are not come unto the mount that might be touched" and which was so
"terrible" that even Moses quaked "exceedingly" (verses 18-21): no,
Divine mercy had delivered them from that system. Second, Paul assures
them "But ye are come unto mount Sion (verses 22-24): God had brought
them unto an order of things where the Throne of Grace predominated.
It is ever the Lord's way to reserve the best wine for the last.
Third, the apostle reminds them that increased privileges involve
additional obligations, and that failure to discharge those
obligations incurs greater guilt; therefore does he urge them to take
heed unto God speaking to them in the person of Christ, warning them
that failure so to do would bring down upon them the Divine wrath more
surely than did the disobedience of Israel of old (verse 25).
"Whose voice then shook the earth: but now He hath promised, saying,
Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven" (verse 26).
This verse has occasioned much difficulty to the commentators,
scarcely any two of them (ancient or modern) agreeing in their
interpretation of it. Many of them suppose that the ultimate, if not
the prime, reference in the quotation here made from Haggai relates to
the final destruction of the earth and the heavens connected with it,
as it is described in 2 Peter 3:10-12. But to suppose that Paul here
made a declaration which concerned the then far-distant future, is not
only to break the unity of this passage, but is to charge him with
making a quotation which had no real relevancy to the immediate
subject he was discussing. In pondering Hebrews 12:26-29 our first
concern must be to trace the connection with the context.
Now in the context the apostle had been treating of two things: the
immeasurable superiority of Christianity over Judaism, and what this
involved concerning the responsibility of those who were the subjects
of this higher and grander revelation. These same two things are still
before the apostle in the closing verses of our chapter: he continued
to show how immeasurably the new covenant excels the old, and he
continued to enforce the pressing call which he had made in verse 25.
First, he had intimated the vast difference which obtained between the
mouthpieces which God employed in connection with the two revelations
(verse 25): namely, "Moses" (Heb. 10:28) and "His Son" (Heb. 1:2).
Second, he had shown the great disproportion between those two
teachers, by pointing out the respective positions they occupied
(verse 25). "Moses' seat" (Matthew 23:2) was "on earth," whereas
Christ speaks as seated upon His mediatorial throne "from Heaven."
Two things were intimated by God in the different seats or positions
occupied by the messengers He had employed. First, inasmuch as He now
spake through the Son from Heaven, God denoted that He had finished
with Judaism, which was entirely a thing of the earth. Second, that
Christianity was of Divine origin, and had to do solely with celestial
things. From one angle, this call in Hebrews 12:25 was very similar to
that exhortation "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things
which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set
your affection on things above, not on things on the earth" (Col. 3:1,
2). Before their conversion, the affections of the Hebrews had been
centred upon the temple--notice how the disciples, just before the
crucifixion, came to Christ "for to show Him the buildings of the
temple" (Matthew 24:1); but they were to be "thrown down!"--Christ had
returned to Heaven, and thither their hearts must follow Him. Thus,
the heavenly calling (Heb. 3:1), heavenly citizenship (Phil. 3:20),
heavenly inheritance (1 Pet. 1:4), instead of the earthly concerns of
Judaism, were now to engage the hearts and minds of the regenerate in
Israel.
Next, in the verses now before us, the apostle brings out the vastly
different effects produced through the two messengers. This is the
central fact in verses 26, 27: the Voice "from Heaven" produced
proportionately greater results than did the voice which spake "on
earth." God through Christ speaks more powerfully and effectually than
He did through Moses. Let us be careful not to lose sight of this
general idea when pondering the details. A much greater and more
far-reaching "shaking" was produced by the latter than was the case
with the former. We believe that Matthew Henry was on the fight track
when he said, "It is by the Gospel from heaven that God shook to
pieces the civil and ecclesiastical state of the Jewish nation, and
introduced a new state of the church, that cannot be removed, shall
never be changed for any other on earth, but shall remain till it be
made perfect in heaven." The apostle is still supplying proof that the
Hebrew believers were no longer connected with Judaism, but were come
to the antitypical Zion.
"Whose voice then shook the earth." Here is the connecting link with
the context: the "then" referring to the instituting of Judaism. "But
now He hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth
only, but also heaven." The "but now" is not so much a time-mark as it
is an adverbial expression, relating to the theme under immediate
discussion, namely, the establishment and super-excellency of
Christianity. Thus, to show once more the infinitely surpassing and
glorious effects of power and majesty which issued from the voice of
Christ, speaking from heaven by the Gospel, and so as to give a more
lively representation of the same, the apostle compares them with the
greatly inferior effects that accompanied the deliverance of the Law.
As the right understanding of this "But now" has an important bearing
upon all that follows, we subjoin the comments of another thereon.
"The word now does not denote the period when the promise was made,
but the period to which the promise referred, which was now, opposed
to then when the Law was established. It was equivalent to `But with
regard to the present period, which is the commencement of a new order
of things, He has promised, saying.' This use of the word now in the
apostle's writings is common: Romans 3:21; 16:26 etc." (John Brown).
There is, then, an opposition of the "But now" to what occurred at the
"then" at the beginning of the verse. It is to be carefully noted that
Paul did not say "He hath now promised," i.e. that in the apostle's
day God had announced He was going to do something in the far-distant
future; instead, it is "But now He hath promised:" the "now" relating
to the fulfillment of what Haggai had foretold, and not to some
promise given through the apostle.
"But now He hath promised, saying." This "saying" which the apostle at
once quotes from Haggai he styles a "promise," and that for at least
three reasons. First, because what was but a prophecy in Haggai's day
had received its actual accomplishment in the apostle's time, in
connection with the establishment of Christianity. Second, because
this was therefore something for faith to lay hold of, and that is
what he was seeking to persuade the Hebrew believers to do. Third, to
prevent any misconception on our part: had the apostle been pointing
out that the prophecy of Haggai contained a yet deeper meaning and
more ultimate reference, even to predicting the final destruction of
this world and all its works, he had surely been very far from
designating such an unparalleled Divine judgment as that, by the term
"promise!" A "promise" always refers to something that is good, and
never to a calamity!
"Whose voice then shook the earth: but now He hath promised, saying,
Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven." Let us now
inquire, What is denoted by this "shaking" of earth and heaven? This
is a figure which is used in the O.T. quite frequently to express a
great change, produced by the providences and power of God in the
affairs of men. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help
in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed,
and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea" (Ps.
46:1, 2), which is explained in "The heathen raged, the kingdoms were
moved: He uttered His voice, the earth melted" (verse 6). "Thou hast
made the earth to tremble: Thou hast broken it: heal the breaches
thereof, for it shaketh" (Ps. 60:2): what is signified by that
metaphorical language is indicated in the next verse, "Thou hast
showed Thy people hard things: Thou hast made us to drink the wine of
astonishment." "Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth
shall remove out of her place" (Isa. 13:13)--language which signifies
a tremendous commotion among the nations--compare Joel 3:16. Such
vivid imagery is common in the Prophets.
"He stretched out His hand over the sea," which is interpreted in the
next sentence "He shook the kingdoms" (Isa. 23:11). "Behold, the Lord
maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside
down" (Isa. 24:1)--words, we need hardly say, which are not to be
taken literally. "At His wrath the earth shall tremble," explained in
the following clause, "and the nations shall not be able to abide His
indignation" (Jer. 10:10). "Arise, contend thou with the mountains:
and let the hills hear thy voice. Hear ye O mountains, the Lord's
controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth" (Mic. 6:1, 2):
such language is not to be understood literally, as the next clause
shows "For the Lord hath a controversy with His people." "For the
powers of heaven shall be shaken" (Luke 21:26). Even Mr. Darby
admitted (in his "Synopsis"), "This shaking of all things--whether
here (Heb. 12:26, 27) or in the analogous passage in 2
Peter--evidently goes beyond Judaism, but has peculiar application to
it"--italics ours.
"Whose voice then shook the earth." The immediate reference is to
Sinai at the time the law was given. But, as we have seen, that
material mount was emblematic of the entire economy which was then
established. Thus the "shaking" of the "earth" denoted the great
outward change which took place in the days of Moses. The external
state of Israel was then greatly altered. They were organized into a
kingdom and church-state (Acts 7:38), into a theocracy. Yet glorious
as was that change, it reached not to "heaven," that is to say, it
affected not their inner man and was not concerned with spiritual and
eternal relations. "The economy established at Sinai, viewed by
itself, was a temporal covenant with a worldly nation, referring to
temporal promises, an earthly inheritance, a worldly sanctuary, a
typical priesthood, and carnal ordinances" (J. Brown).
"But now (in relation to Christianity) He hath promised, saying, Yet
once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven." The careful
reader will observe that the prophet had said, "I will shake the
heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land" (Hag. 2:6),
whereas the apostle was moved by the Holy Spirit to word it--for the
sake of his emphasis--"I shake not the earth only, but also heaven,"
hence a shaking of both "earth" and "heaven" was here in view. "The
voice in heaven produces more extensive and more permament effects. It
shakes both earth and heaven--effects a change both on the external
and spiritual circumstances of those who are under it; and it effects
a permament change, which is to admit of no radical essential change
forever" (J. Brown).
Though a great change had been produced in connection with the giving
of the old covenant, a far greater change had been effected in the
establishing of the new covenant. That had affected but one nation
only, and that, merely in its external and temporal circumstances:
this reaches unto God's people among all nations, and affects their
spiritual and eternal interests. It was reserved for God's Son to
bring this about, for in all things He must have the preeminence. A
much greater commotion and convulsion in human affairs has been
brought in by Immanuel, yea, it was then as though the very universe
was shaken to its center. In order to the establishing of that kingdom
of Christ's which shall never be moved, there were tremendous
revolutions, both in connection with Judaism and the idolatrous
systems of the heathen--"These that have turned the world upside down"
(Acts 17:6) was the charge preferred against the apostles.
Now as the great change in the temporal affairs of Israel at the
instituting of Judaism had been adumbrated by the quaking of Sinai, so
the far greater alterations introduced by the establishing of
Christianity were also shadowed forth in the various physical
phenomena and angelic appearances. "At His birth a new star appeared
in the heavens, which filled the generality of men with amazement, and
put those who were wise to diligent inquiries about it. His birth was
proclaimed by an angel from heaven, and celebrated by `a multitude of
the heavenly hosts.' In His ministry the heavens were opened, and the
Holy Spirit descended on Him in the shape of a dove. These things may
answer that mighty work in heaven which is here intimated. On the
earth, wise men came from the east to inquire after Him; Herod and all
Jerusalem were shaken at the tidings of Him. In the discharge of His
work He wrought miracles in heaven and earth, sea and dry land, on the
whole creation of God. Wherefore in the first coming of Christ the
words had their literal accomplishment in an eminent manner.
"Take the words metaphorically for great changes, commotions and
alterations in the world, and so also were they accomplished in Him
and His coming. No such alteration made in the world since the
creation of it as was then, and in what ensued thereon. All the
`heavens' of the world were then shaken, and after a while removed:
that is, all their gods and all their worship, which had continued
from time immemorial, which were the `heavens of the people,' were
first shaken, and then utterly demolished. The `earth' also was moved,
shaken and changed: for all nations were stirred up, some to inquire
after Him, some to oppose Him, whereon great concussions and
commotions did ensue; till all the most noble parts of it were made
subject to Him.
"But, as we observed before, it is the dealing of God with the church,
and the alteration which He would make in the state thereof,
concerning which the apostle treats. It is therefore the `heaven' of
Mosaic worship and that Judaical church-state, with the `earth' of
their political state belonging thereunto, that are here intended.
These were they that were `shaken' at the coming of Christ, and so
shaken as shortly after to be removed and taken away, for the
introduction of the more heavenly worship of the Gospel, and the
immovable evangelical church-state. This was the greatest commotion
and alteration that God ever made in the `heaven' and `earth' of the
church. This was far more great and glorious than the shaking of the
`earth' at the giving of the law. Wherefore, not to exclude the senses
before mentioned, which are consistent with this, and may be respected
in the prophecy as outward signs and indications of it, this is that
which is principally intended in the words, and which is proper to the
argument in hand" (John Owen).
"And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things
that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which
cannot be shaken may remain" (verse 27). This is the apostle's
inspired commentary on Haggai's prophecy. He points out that the "yet
once more" denoted there had previously been a great change wrought in
Israel's fortunes, and also that now another radical alteration had
been made therein. He insists that the "shaking" was in order to
effect a removal of what was only transient, and that the great change
was only in order that that which is unchangeable might remain--that
the permanent might be fixedly established.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
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Chapter 123
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An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 103
The Establishing of Christianity
(Hebrews 12:27)
__________________________________________
The Divine incarnation was not some sudden, isolated, and unexpected
event. The advent of our blessed Lord, and with it the dawn of
Christianity, marked a climax and consummation. The world was prepared
through long processes for the coming of the One and the preaching of
the other: from Eden to Bethlehem the centuries were preparing for the
appearing of Immanuel. As the processes of creation fitted the earth
for man to live upon it, so all history paved the way for the birth of
the God-man. The Holy Scriptures focused the Divine preparation in one
race, yet all peoples shared in the process: outside of the elect
nation God was at work, and all streams converged to a single center.
The march of events was both slow and complicated, yet eventually the
stage was fully set and a suitable background made for the appearing
of the promised Savior.
"When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, born of a
woman" (Gal. 4:4). This signifies much more than that the time
appointed by the Father had now arrived when He would put an end to
the Mosaic economy and replace the shadows and types by the substance
and Antitype. It denoted that conditions were peculiarly suitable for
the introduction of a new and enlarged dispensation, that everything
was now ripe for the execution of God's great purpose. All the
foundations had been laid. The long night of preparation had now run
its course. The chrysalis was ready to burst its bonds; the fields
were white unto the harvest; the olive tree was ready for the grafting
of other branches into it (Rom. 11). The "fullness of time" intimates
both ripeness of opportunity and consummation of need. The advent of
God's Son to this earth and the proclamation of the Gospel far and
wide, not only introduced a new era, it also marked the climax of the
old.
In its relation to the immediate context this expression, "the
fullness of time," signifies that the Church on earth had been
prepared for the coming of God's Son by having now outgrown the
conditions of her childhood and minority, making her feel the
irksomeness of the bonds upon her and to long for the liberty of
maturity. The legal economy was merely a "schoolmaster unto Christ,"
and it had now served its purpose. The old economy had decayed and
waxed old, and was "ready to vanish away" (Heb. 8:13). Aged Simeon was
a representative of that godly remnant who were "waiting for the
Consolation of Israel," for there was a Divinely prepared company that
then "looked for redemption in Jerusalem" (Luke 2:25, 38). The favored
Nation as a whole had lost its liberty, being under the yoke of the
Romans, and seemed on the point of relinquishing its mission; the need
for the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies was real and pressing.
There was a remarkable combination of circumstances tending to prepare
the world for the Gospel, and a fearful climax in the world's need of
redemption. The break up of old heathen faiths and the passing away of
the prejudices of antiquity, disposed men for a new revelation which
was spiritual, humane, non-provincial. The utter failure of Pagan
religion from immorality, and of Pagan philosophy from its impotency
to cure that immorality and the miseries it entailed, called loudly
for some new Faith, which should be both sure and powerful. The
century immediately preceding our Lord's advent was probably the most
remarkable in all history. Everything was in a state of transition;
old things were passing away; the fruit of the ancient order was
rotting upon the tree, though without yielding the seeds of a new
order. There were strange rumors afloat of coming relief, and singular
hopes stirred the hearts of men that some Great One was about to
appear and renovate the world.
"The fullness of time was come." First, the world had reached its
climacteric of sin. History has given a faithful record of the
terrible moral conditions which obtained among men in the century that
immediately preceded our Lord's advent. At Rome, which was then the
metropolis of the world, the Court of Caesar was steeped in luxury and
licentiousness. To provide amusement for his senators six hundred
gladiators fought a hand to hand conflict in the public theater. Not
to be outdone, Pompey turned five hundred lions into the arena to
engage an equal number of his braves, and "delicate ladies" sat
applauding and gloating over the blood that flowed. Children were the
property of the state, to be disposed of as was deemed best for the
public interests. The aged and infirm were banished to an island in
the Tiber. Marriage was wholly a matter of sensual caprice; divorce
was so frequent, it was customary for women to count them by the
number of rings worn on their fingers. About two thirds of the entire
civilized world were slaves, their masters having absolute power over
them.
Conditions in Greece were even worse. Sensual indulgence and every
species of cruelty were carried to the highest pitch. Gluttony was an
art. Fornication was indulged without restraint. Parents were at
liberty to expose their children to perish from cold and hunger or to
be eaten up by wild beasts, such exposure being practiced frequently,
and passed without punishment or censure. Wars were carried on with
the utmost ferocity: if any of the vanquished escaped death, slavery
of the most abject kind was the only prospect before them; and in
consequence, death was considered preferable to capture. "The dark
places of the earth were filled with the habitations of cruelty" (Ps.
74:20). The world had reached its climacteric of sin, and this
provided a dark background from which could shine forth the Light.
Oftentimes a disease cannot be treated until it "comes to a head." In
view of the above conditions, the world was ready for the appearing of
the great Physician.
"The fullness of time was come." The world had reached its
consummation of want. It had been predicted of old that the Messiah
should be "the Desire of all nations:" to this end there must be a
complete exposure of the failure of all human plans for deliverance.
This time had arrived when Christ was born. Never before had the
abject misery and need of humanity been so apparent and so extensive.
Philosophy had lost its power to satisfy men, and the old religions
were dead. The Greeks and Romans stood at the head of the nations at
the time our Lord appeared on earth, and the religious state of those
peoples in that age is too well known to require any lengthy
description of it. Polytheism and Pantheism were the popular concepts:
innumerable deities were worshipped, and to those gods were attributed
the most abominable characteristics. Human sacrifices were frequently
offered upon their altars.
Judaism was also fully ripe for the accomplishment of Messianic
prophecy. Sadduceeism had leavened the ruling classes and affected the
nation with rationalism and skepticism. Phariseeism, which represented
the ideas and ideals of the popular party, was too often only formal
and hypocritical, and at best was cold and hard, "binding heavy
burdens" and laying on men's shoulders a load which they refused to
touch with their fingers (Matthew 23:4). The nation was under the
government of Rome, and was thoroughly discouraged. Was there, then,
no eye to pity, no arm to save? Was God unmindful of the tragic
condition of mankind? No, blessed be His name, the "fullness of time
was come:" a platform was then ready on which the glories of Divine
grace might be exhibited, and now arose "the Sun of righteousness with
healing in His wings" (Mal. 4:2).
"The fullness of time was come." The needed preparations were
completed, and the high-water mark was reached. Side by side with the
preliminary movements in Israel, Divine providence had also been at
work in heathendom, making ready the world for the dawn of
Christianity. Political conditions were singularly favorable for the
coming of the Gospel. Most of the then known earth was within the
bounds of the Roman empire. Everywhere the Romans went good roads were
made, along which went the soldier, and after him the merchant and
scholar. In a short time commercial intercourse fused various peoples.
Previously, old national distinctions had bound up religious
prejudices, each country having its own gods, and any attempt to foist
a foreign religion upon a nation was bitterly resented. But national
barriers were now broken down by Roman prowess and international
intercourse, and religious exclusiveness was greatly weakened. All of
this facilitated the task of the missionaries of the Cross. The Roman
roads became highways for the evangelists, and Roman law afforded them
protection.
Parallel with the growth of the Roman empire was the spread of Grecian
culture. The Grecian tongue was the one most extensively used as the
language of learning: all educated people were supposed to understand
it. This was a most suitable medium by which the Christian messengers
could speak to a great multitude of peoples, without enduring the
tedious delay of learning new languages. In Syria, Egypt, Phrygia, and
Italy, as well as Greece and Asia Minor, the heralds of Christ could
make themselves understood everywhere by using the common tongue
employed by all teachers of that day. Moreover this language was so
delicately modulated as to surpass all other forms of speech in its
capacity for expressing new ideas. It was therefore exactly what was
needed for the setting forth of a new revelation to the world at
large.
It was the same with Judaism. Now had arrived the time for the
fulfillment of its mission: the giving to the world of the O.T.
Scriptures, and the realization of the Hope which they presented.
Judaism was to give birth to Christianity: out of the old soil the new
order was to spring. The position of the Jews at that time wonderfully
facilitated the spread of the Gospel, for they were already dispersed
abroad everywhere. In the days of Augustus there were forty thousand
Jews at Rome, and by the time of Tiberius double that number. The
Jewish synagogues furnished a means of communication between Christian
gospelers and the heathen world. A synagogue was to be found in almost
every town throughout the Roman empire, and to it the evangelists
first went; and thus a suitable language was provided for
communicating with all peoples, and centers of work were to be found
in every city.
In such a striking conjunction of favorable providences we cannot but
behold and admire the controlling hand of Him who worketh all things
after the counsel of His own will. They served to greatly lessen the
severe shock which the displacing of the old order of things and the
introduction of the new order was bound to bring, for the claims of
Christ are of a very radical nature and His demands revolutionizing.
Even so, the establishing of Christianity is spoken of as a shaking of
"not the earth only, but also heaven" (verse 26): though such language
be figurative, nevertheless it refers to that which was intensely real
and drastic. Our assertion that the last clause of verse 26 is not to
be understood in a material sense (as is now widely supposed), calls
for some further expository remarks thereon, particularly concerning
its setting here, its original, and its connection.
At verse 25 the apostle began an exhortation which was based upon what
had been pointed out in verses 18-24, and which he re-enforces by
additional considerations. The exhortation consists of a call to hear
and heed God's message to us through Christ. God is the Author of Old
and New Testaments alike: in the former He spoke through Moses and the
prophets; in the latter by the Son, His final Spokesman. The
manifestation which God made in Christ and the message He has given us
through Him, completes the revelation of His will. This final message
was declared neither by man nor angel, but by the only begotten Son.
Then let us beware of treating such a revelation in a manner
ill-fitting its high character. The superior dignity of the Messenger
and the supreme importance of His message must ensure severer
punishment to those who despise and reject Him.
The urgency of this call for us to hear Christ is intimated by
pointing out that since those who had disregarded God's message
through Moses escaped not, a far worse punishment must be the portion
of those who turn a deaf ear unto Him speaking through the Son (verse
25). The superiority of God's revelation by the Son to the message
given through Moses was evidenced by the phenomena which attended
each, and the different effects which followed their appearing: the
Voice "from heaven" (by Christ) produced proportionately greater
results than did the Voice which spake by Moses, "on earth." The Voice
through each produced a "shaking," but that through the latter was far
more extensive than that through the former (verse 26). In proof of
this declaration the apostle quoted and commented upon a striking
prediction found in Haggai, the pertinency and scope of which we would
now consider. For a better understanding thereof we will turn to its
original setting.
In chapter 1 Haggai rebukes the indifference of the Jewish remnant
(who had returned to Palestine from the Babylonish captivity) for
their neglect to rebuild God's house. This stirred them up to proceed
therewith. In chapter 2 the prophet comforts them. The rebuilding of
the temple had then proceeded far enough for it to be made manifest
that in its outward glory it was far inferior to Solomon's. A great
lamentation ensued, and the prophet asks, "Who is left among you that
saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not
in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?" (Heb. 2:3). The people
greatly feared that Jehovah had deserted them, and to re-assure them
Haggai declared, "Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord; and
be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong
all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work: for I am with
you, saith the Lord of hosts: according to the word that I covenanted
with you when ye came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remaineth among you:
fear ye not" (Heb. 2:4, 5); and then it was that he set before them
the grand hope of the Messiah's appearing.
"For thus saith the Lord of hosts, Yet once, it is a little while and
I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry
land; And I will shake all nations, and the Desire of all nations
shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of
hosts. The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, saith the Lord of
hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the
former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace,
saith the Lord of hosts" (Hag. 2:6-9). Here was a message of comfort
to the sorrowing remnant of the prophet's day, and from it the apostle
quotes in Hebrews 12.
The first thing we would note in the above prediction is the statement
"a little while and I will shake," which makes it evident that the
"shaking" did not look forward to the final and universal convulsion
of nature at the end of time; rather was the reference to that which
preceded and was connected with the establishing of Christianity,
which was comparatively an impending event in Haggai's day. Second,
the "shaking" was not to occur in the material world, but in the
political and religious realms, as is clear from the closing verses of
this very chapter. "I will shake the heavens, and the earth" (verse
21) is at once defined as "and I will overthrow the throne of
kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the
heathen" (verse 22)--this commenced shortly afterwards, for the axe
lay at the root of the Persian empire. Third, there was the express
promise that the glory of the temple built in Haggai's day should
exceed that of Solomon's.
That third item needs to be very carefully weighed by us, for it is of
great importance. This was the chief point of comfort in Haggai's
prediction. His fellows were deeply distressed (see Ezra 3:12) at the
comparative meanness of the house of God which they were erecting, but
he assures them it should yet possess a glory that far excelled that
of Solomon's. That greater glory was not a material one, but a
spiritual: it was expressly said to be the coming to it of "the Desire
of all nations." It was by the appearing of the Messiah that the real
"glory" would accrue unto the second temple, and that must be while it
still stood! Haggai's temple was enlarged and beautified by Herod
three hundred years later, but the original structure was never
destroyed, so that it continued one and the same "house;" and to it
Christ came! The "little while," then, of Haggai 2:6 was parallel with
the "suddenly" of Malachi 3:1.
The fourth and last thing was "and in this place will I give peace,
saith the Lord of hosts" (Heb. 2:9). That also was spiritual:
referring to the peace which Christ should make "through the blood of
His cross" (Col. 1:20) between God and His people, and the amity which
should be established between believing Jews and believing Gentiles
(see Ephesians 2:14-16) in the same worship of God. This was the
principal work of Christ: to put away sin (which was the cause of
enmity and strife) and to bring in peace. Finally, the manner in which
all this was to be effected was by a great "shaking," not only in the
midst of Israel, but also among the Gentiles. Observe carefully the
"yet once" of Haggai 2:6: there had been a great "shaking" when the
first covenant was instituted, but there would be a still greater at
the establishing of the new covenant. Thus the "yet once" signifies,
first, once more; and secondly, once for all--finally.
Now from the above prophecy of Haggai Paul quotes in Hebrews 12:26.
The apostle's object was a double one: to supply additional proof for
the superiority of Christianity over Judaism, and to give further
point to the exhortation he had made in verse 25. Evidence is here
given from the O.T. to show that the voice of God speaking by Christ
had produced far greater effects than His word had through Moses. The
contrasts, then, between the old and new covenants, and the excelling
of the latter over the former, may be summed up thus: the one was
connected with Sinai, the other brings us unto Sion (verses 18-24);
the one was inaugurated by Moses, the other by the Son; the one was
God speaking "on earth," the other "from heaven;" the one "shook the
earth," the other "heaven" itself (verse 26); the one is "removed" the
other "remains" (verse 27); therefore, HEAR the Son!
How far astray, then, are those commentators who suppose that Haggai's
prophecy refers to the final judgment at the last day, when the whole
fabric of nature shall shake and be removed! First, such a terrifying
event was altogether alien to the scope of Haggai's purpose, which was
to comfort his sorrowing brethren. Second, such a prediction had been
entirely irrevelant to the apostle's scope, for he was comparing not
the giving of the law with the Day of Judgment, but the giving of the
law with the promulgation of the Gospel by Christ Himself; for his
whole design was to exhibit the preeminence of the Evangelical
economy. Third, nor would such dreadful doom be designated a "promise"
(Heb. 12:26). Fourth, the apostle clearly intimated that Haggai's
prophecy was now fulfilled (verse 28). Finally, there is no reason
whatever why we should regard the shaking of heaven and earth here as
a literal one: it was spiritual things of which the apostle was
discoursing--such as issue in that unshakable kingdom which believers
receive in this world.
Let us admire the striking appropriateness of Haggai's prophecy to the
purpose the apostle then had in hand. Haggai's prediction concerned
the person and appearing of Christ: "The Desire of all nations shall
come." There it was announced that God would do greater works than He
had performed in the days of Moses (Hag. 2:5-7). God shook Egypt
before He gave the law, He shook Sinai at the giving of it, He shook
the surrounding nations (especially in Canaan) just after it. But in
"a little while" He would do greater things. The prophet's design was
to fix the eyes of the Jews upon the first advent of Christ, which was
their great expectation, and to assure them that their temple would
then possess a glory far excelling that of Solomon's. Meanwhile, God
would overthrow "the throne of kingdoms and destroy the strength of
the heathen" (verse 22), as the forerunning signs of Christ's advent
during the short season which intervened before His appearing.
How pertinent and well-suited, then, was Haggai's prophecy to the
subject Paul was developing! That prediction had been fulfilled:
Christ had come and made good its terms: conclusive proof of this is
found in the changing of the verb--the prophet's "I will shake" being
altered to "I shake," for the apostle regarded the "shaking" as
present and not future. A "promise" had been given that a greater work
of Divine power, grace and glory should be wrought at the appearing of
the Messiah than what took place in connection with the exodus from
Egypt and the giving of the law, and this was now accomplished. How
clearly and how forcibly did this demonstrate the pre-eminency of the
new covenant above the old: so far as the glory of the second temple
excelled that of the first was Christianity superior to Judaism!
Finally, how well did this "shaking" of heaven intimate the permamency
and finality of Christianity, for the shaking was in order that the
unshakable might abide (verse 27).
It now remains for us to weigh the comment which the apostle made upon
this citation from Haggai: "And this word, Yet once more, signifieth
the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are
made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain" (verse 27).
Incidentally, let it be pointed out that here we have a helpful
illustration of the province and task of the teacher: in expounding
God's Word he not only compares passage with passage and defines the
meaning of its terms, but he also indicates what legitimate inferences
and conclusions may be drawn, what its statements imply as well as
directly affirm. This is exactly what the apostle does here: he argues
that the word "once" (used by the prophet) not only signified "once
more," but that it also denoted the setting aside of the order of
things previously existing.
There is a fullness in the words of Holy Writ which can only be
discovered by prolonged meditation and careful analysis. The prophecy
of Haggai had said nothing expressly about the "removing" of anything,
yet what was not stated explicitly was contained therein implicitly.
The apostle insists that a "removing" was implied in the terms of
Haggai's prediction. The very fact that God had "shaken" the Mosaic
economy to its very foundations--the preaching and miracles of Christ
(and later by His apostles) had caused thousands to leave it, the
Lord's denunciation of the religion leaders and His exposure of their
hypocrisy had undermined the confidence of the masses, while the
rending of the temple veil by a Divine hand had clearly and solemnly
signified the end of the Levitical system--was plain intimation that
He was on the eve of setting the whole aside, and that, for the
purpose of setting up something better in its place; what that
something is, we must leave for our next chapter.
N.B. Had some of our twentieth century Christians been present they
would have taken issue with the apostle and said, "Paul, you are
taking undue liberties with the Word of God, which we cannot consent
to. The Holy Spirit through Haggai spoke of a "shaking," whereas you
change it to "removing." Had the apostle replied, "I am simply
pointing out what the prophet's language clearly implies, drawing an
obvious inference from his statement." The rejoinder would be, "We do
not need to do any reasoning upon the Word. Moreover, any simple soul
can see that shaking and removing are very different things, and had
the prophet meant the latter he would have said so, and not used the
former." An expositor of Scripture often encounters such quibbling
today: it is worse than ignorance, for it deceives not a few into
supposing that such slavish adherence to the letter of Scripture
(being occupied with its sound, instead of seeking its sense) is
honoring the same.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
____________________________________________________
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An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 104
The Kingdom of Christ
(Hebrews 12:28)
__________________________________________
We hope that we made clear in the preceding articles the general idea
contained in the citation from the O.T. which the apostle made in
Hebrews 12:26, namely, that under the proclamation of the Gospel there
would be a more radical and far-reaching effect produced, than was the
case at the giving of the Law, thereby manifesting the superiority of
the one over the other. The more specific meaning of Haggai's
prediction (Heb. 2:6) was that the Jewish church and state would be
dissolved, for both the ecclesiastical and civil spheres of Judaism
("heaven and earth") were "shaken." Its wider significance
comprehended the convulsions which would be produced in heathendom
(the "sea" of Haggai 2:6, and cf. verses 21, 22). The great design of
God in the Divine incarnation was the setting up of Christ's kingdom,
but before it could be properly established there had to be a mighty
shaking in order that the shadows in Judaism might give place to the
substance, and that sinners among the Gentiles be made spiritual.
The appearing of the Messiah introduced and necessitated a total
dissolution of the entire Judaic economy: the Levitical institutions
being fulfilled in Christ, they had now served their purpose. This was
solemnly signified by the Divine rending of the temple veil, and forty
years later by the total destruction of the temple itself. But in the
meanwhile it was difficult to persuade the Hebrews that such was the
case, and therefore did the apostle clinch the argument he had made in
12:18-24 and the exhortation he had given in verse 26 by quoting a
proof-text from their own Scriptures. Haggai's language that the Lord
would "shake the heavens" referred, as we have seen, not to the starry
heavens or celestial planets, but to the Judaical constitution under
the ceremonial law--called the "heavens" because they typed out
heavenly things! Ultimately God would "shake" and remove all
dominions, thrones and powers which were opposed to the kingdom of
Christ--as, for example, He later did the Roman empire.
"Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved" (verse 28).
The design of the Holy Spirit in the whole of this passage (Heb.
12:18-29) was to enhance in the Hebrews' estimation the supremacy and
excellency of Christ's kingdom, which His Gospel has "brought to
light," and of which the believers have been given the right and
assurance, for it was to make way for the establishment of Christ's
kingdom that those mighty "shakings" occurred. Paul insists that God's
"shakings" were in order to "remove" that which hindered the
manifestation and development of Christ's kingdom. Here, then, is
further proof that, so far from Haggai's prophecy looking forward to
the universal convulsion of nature at the last day, it has already had
its fulfillment: believers now actually obtain the fruit of that
"shaking," for they "receive" the unshakable kingdom, namely the
kingdom of Christ which cannot be moved. We trust this is now so plain
to the reader that further effort on our part to establish the same is
unnecessary.
But not only did the prophecy of Haggai announce the superiority of
Christianity over Judaism and the necessary setting aside of the one
for the other, but it also clearly intimated the finality of the
Christian dispensation. This is plain from the words of Hebrews 12:27,
"yet once more." According to modem dispensationalists Paul should
have said, "yet twice more," for their view is, that just as the
Mosaic dispensation was followed by the Christian, so the Christian
will be succeeded by a revived and glorified Judaism in "the
Millennium." But "once more" means once only, and then no more.
Christianity is the final thing which God has for this earth. The last
great dispensational change was made when the Gospel was given to all
the world: hence Peter could say, "the end of all things is at hand"
(1 Pet. 4:7), for God has now spoken His last word to mankind. Hence
also John said, "It is the last hour" (1 John 2:18), which had not
been true if another dispensation is to follow the one we are now in.
"And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things
that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which
cannot be shaken may remain" (verse 27). Here the apostle explains
Haggai's "Yet once it is a little while (cf. the "now" of Hebrews
12:26) and I will shake the heavens" etc. When Paul refers to the
things shaken and removed "as of things that are made," he was far
from adding a superfluous clause: it emphasized again the contrast he
was drawing. The phrase "as of things that are made" is elliptical,
needing the added words "made" (by hands) to bring out its sense.
Everything connected with Judaism was made by human hands: even the
tables of stone on which were inscribed the ten commandments, God
commanded Moses to "hew" (Ex. 34:1), while the tabernacle and all
connected with it was to be "made" according to "the pattern" God
showed him (Ex. 25:8, 9). In sharp and blessed contrast, the
immaterial and spiritual things of Christianity are "not made with
hands" (2 Cor. 5:1), but are "made without hands" (Col. 2:11).
"Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved let us have
grace whereby we may serve God." The apostle here draws an inference
from what had just been pointed out concerning the shaking and
removing of Judaism and the establishing of Christianity. First, here
is a great privilege into which Christians have entered, namely, a
spiritual state under the rule of Jesus Christ--whom God hath anointed
and set as king upon His holy hill of Zion (Ps. 2:6)--here called a
"kingdom." Second, the essential character of this kingdom, in
contrast from all others, namely its immoveability--its finality and
permanency. Third, the way of the believer's participation of it: we
"receive" it. "This kingdom, then, is the rule of Christ in and over
the Gospel-state of the church, which the apostle hath proved to be
more excellent than that of the Law" (John Owen). This kingdom we must
now consider.
At the beginning of human history God's kingdom was realized on this
earth, so that there was no need to pray, "Thy kingdom come." God's
kingship was established in Eden, and all the blessings that flow from
subjection to His dominion were then enjoyed. The supremacy of God was
gladly and spontaneously acknowledged by all His creatures. But sin
entered, and a radical change ensued. Man repudiated the kingship of
God, for by transgressing His commandments Adam rejected His
sovereignty. By so doing, by heeding the suggestions of the Serpent,
the "kingdom of Satan" (Matthew 12:26) was set up in this world.
Shortly afterwards, God established His mediatorial kingdom, Abel
being its first subject.
Since the Fall there have been two great empires at work on this
earth: the "world" and "the kingdom of God." Those who belong to the
former own not God; those who pertain to the latter, profess
subjection to Him. In O.T. times the Israelitish theocracy was the
particular sphere of God's kingdom on earth, the domain where His
authority was manifested in a special way (Judg. 8:23, 1 Samuel 12:12,
Hosea 13:9, 10, etc.). But subjection to Him, even there, was, on the
part of the Nation as a whole, but partial and brief. The time soon
came when Jehovah had to say to His servant, "They have not rejected
thee, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them" (1
Sam. 8:7). Then it was that the Lord appointed human kings in Israel
as His representatives, for while the Sinaitic convenant (Ex. 19:6)
continued in force Jehovah remained their King--it was the "King which
made a marriage feast for His Son" (Matthew 22:2)! Though Saul, David,
and his successors, bore the regal character, and thus partly obscured
the Divine government, yet it was not abolished (see 2 Chronicles
13:8). The throne on which Solomon sat was called "The throne of the
kingdom of the Lord" (1 Chron. 28:5).
Through Israel's prophets God announced that there should yet be a
more glorious display of His government than had been witnessed by
their fathers of old, and promised that His dominion would take a more
spiritual form in the establishing of the Messianic kingdom. This
became the great theme of the later predictions of the O.T., though
the nature and character of what was to come was necessarily depicted
under the figures and forms of those material things with which the
people were familiar and by those objects of Judaism which were most
venerated by them. The setting up of the spiritual and immoveable
kingdom of Christ was the issue and goal of all the prophets declared:
see Luke 1:69, 70 and cf. Daniel 2:44. "The Lord reigneth, He is
clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith He
hath girded Himself: the world (i.e. the "world to come" of Hebrews
2:5, the new "world" brought in by Christ) also is established, that
it cannot be moved" (Ps. 93:1, which is parallel with "we receiving a
kingdom which cannot be moved" (Heb. 12:28).
But though it had been clearly revealed through the prophets that the
Lord Messiah would be a King and have a universal empire, yet the bulk
of Abraham's natural descendants entertained a grossly mistaken
conception of the true design of Christ's appearing and the real
nature of His kingdom, and this mistake produced a most pernicious
influence upon their tempers and conduct when the gracious purpose of
His advent was fulfilled. The sense which they affixed to the
Messianic prophecies was one that flattered their pride and fostered
their carnality. Being ignorant of their spiritual needs and puffed up
with a false persuasion of their peculiar interests in Jehovah's favor
on the ground of their fleshly descent from Abraham (John 8:39, 41),
the lowly life and holy teaching and claims of the Lord Jesus were
bitterly opposed by them (John 8:48, 59; Luke 19:14).
Though God had made many announcements through Israel's prophets that
the Messiah would occupy the regal office, yet clear intimation was
given that He would be very different from the monarchs of earth (Isa.
53:2). Though the Messiah's dominion and reign had been described
under material symbols, yet was it made plain that His kingdom would
not be "of this world." Through Zechariah it was announced, "Behold,
Thy King cometh unto thee: He is just and having salvation: lowly, and
riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass" (Heb. 9:9).
How different was that from the imposing splendor assumed by earth's
sovereigns! what a contrast was His ass from their magnificent
chariots and state-coaches! How plainly did the poverty and meanness
of Christ's regal appearance intimate that His kingdom was not of a
temporal kind! The Maker of heaven and earth, the Lord of angels,
disdained such things as are highly esteemed among men.
The fatal mistake made by the Jews respecting the true nature of the
kingdom of the Messiah lay at the foundation of all the opposition
with which they treated Him, and of their own ultimate ruin. How it
behooves us, then, to prayerfully seek right views of Christ's
kingdom, and to resist everything which tends to secularize His holy
dominion, lest by corrupting the Evangelical Economy we dishonor the
blessed Redeemer, and be finally punished as the enemies of His
government. As the main cause of the Jews' infidelity was their
erroneous notion of a temporal kingdom of the Messiah, so the
principal source of the corruption of Christianity has been the
attempt made by Rome and her daughters to turn the spiritual kingdom
of Christ into a temporal one, by uniting church and state and seeking
to extend it by earthly means.
In John's Gospel (which gives the spiritual side of things more than
do the first three Gospels, being specially written to and for
believers), there is a most significant word after the account of our
Lord's regal entry into Jerusalem on the back of an ass: "These things
understood not His disciples at the first: but when Jesus was
glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of Him"
(John 12:16). So prejudiced were the apostles by the erroneous
teaching of the Pharisees, that even they did not rightly apprehend
the nature of Christ's kingdom till after His ascension. They, too,
were looking for a material kingdom, expecting it to appear in
external pomp and glory; and hence they were at a complete loss to
apprehend those scriptures which spoke of Christ's kingdom as of a
mean and lowly appearance. Well did Matthew Henry say, "The right
understanding of the spiritual nature of Christ's kingdom of its
powers, glories, and victories, would prevent our misinterpreting and
misapplying of the Scriptures that speak of it."
Alas, how blind men still are as to what constitutes the true glory of
Christ's kingdom, namely, that it is a spiritual one, advanced by
spiritual means, for spiritual persons, and unto spiritual ends. "To
subdue hearts, not to conquer kingdoms; to bestow the riches of His
grace to poor and needy sinners, not, like Solomon, to heap up gold
and silver and precious stones; to save to the uttermost all that come
unto God by Him, not to spread ruin and desolation over countless
provinces (as did Ceasar, Charlemagne, Napoleon--A.W.P.); to be
surrounded with an army of martyrs, not an army of soldiers; to hold a
court where paupers, not princes, are freely welcome" (J.C. Philpot).
Only those favored with true spiritual discernment will be able to
perceive what the real honors and glories of the Lamb consist of.
The Mediatorial King must of necessity have a kingdom: even at His
birth He was proclaimed as "Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11), and the
first inquiry made of Him was "where is He that is born King of the
Jews?" (Matthew 2:2). Christ's Kingship and kingdom follow from a
twofold cause. First, His sovereignty as God is essential to His
Divine nature, being underived, absolute, eternal, and unchanging.
Second, His sovereignty as Mediator is derived, being given to Him by
the Father as the reward of His obedience and sufferings. It has two
distinct aspects: first, in its wider and more general application it
embraces all the universe; second, in its narrower and more specific
administration it is restricted to the Church, the election of grace.
In addition to these distinctions, it is important to note Christ
never affirmed that the setting up of His kingdom on this earth was in
any way dependent upon the attitude of the Jews toward Him: no, the
eternal purpose of God was never left contingent upon the conduct of
worms of the dust.
"When the Jews refused Jesus as the Messiah, He did not say that the
founding of the kingdom would be postponed until His second coming,
but He did say the kingdom should be taken from them and given to the
Gentiles!" (W. Masselink, "Why the Thousand Years?"). "Jesus saith
unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures. The Stone which the
builders rejected, the same is become the Head of the corner: this is
the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes? Therefore say I
unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a
nation bringing forth the fruits thereof" (Matthew 21:42, 43).
Moreover, every passage in the epistles which speak of Christ's
kingdom as a present reality, refutes the theory that His kingdom has
been postponed until His second advent: see Colossians 1:13,
Revelation l:9--Christ's kingdom existed in the days of John, and he
was in it! Christ is now "the Prince of the kings of the earth" (Rev.
1:5). He has already been "crowned with glory and honor" (Heb. 2:9).
In consequence of the entrance of sin, God has set up a kingdom in
antagonism to the kingdom of Satan. It is essentially different from
the kingdoms of the world, in its origin, nature, end, method of
development and continuance. It is essentially a kingdom of
righteousness, and its central principle is the loyalty of heart of
its subjects to the King Himself. It is not a democracy, but an
absolute monarchy. The special agency for the extension of it is the
organized churches of Christ with their regular ministry. By His
providential operations the Lord Jesus is working in every sphere and
causing all the historic movements of peoples and nations, civilized
and uncivilized, to further its interests and advance its growth;
though at the time of such movements this is hidden from carnal sense.
Its consummation shall be ushered in by the return of the King, when
His servants shall be rewarded and His enemies slain.
"There is but one kingdom or spiritual realm in which Christ reigns
forever, and which in the end shall be eternally glorious in the
perfect glory of her King; yet in Scripture there are three distinct
names used to set forth the excellencies and the blessedness of that
realm in various aspects, namely, the Kingdom, the Church, and the
City of God" (A. A. Hodge). Of the three terms the word "kingdom" is
the most flexible and has the widest range in its N.T. usage. It
designates, first, a sphere of rule, a realm over which the government
of Christ extends. It signifies, second, a reign or the exercise of
royal authority. It denotes, third, the benefits or blessings which
result from the benevolent exercise of Christ's regal authority. "For
the kingdom of God is not meat and drink"--the reign of Christ does
not express itself in that kind of activity; "but righteousness and
peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 14:17)--these are the
characteristics of His realm.
That Christ's kingdom is of an altogether different nature and
character from the kingdoms of this world is clear from His own
teaching: "But Jesus called them to Him, and saith unto them, Ye know
that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise
lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them.
But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among
you, shall be your minister; and whosoever of you will be the
chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of Man came not to
be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for
many" (Mark 10:42-45). And again, "My kingdom is not of this world"
(John 18:36): observe He did not say "My kingdom is not in this
world," but "not of it." It is not a provincial thing, nor a political
institution; it is not regulated by territorial or material
considerations, nor is it governed by carnal policy; it is not made up
of unregenerate subjects, nor is it seeking mundane aggrandizement. It
is purely a spiritual regime, regulated by the Truth. This is seen
from the means He used at its first establishment, and His
appointments for its support and enlargement--not physical force, but
gracious overtures.
Some men who are fond of drawing innumerable distinctions and
contrasts under the guise of "rightly dividing the Word of Truth,"
draw a sharp line between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of
Christ. But this is clearly confuted by "hath any inheritance in the
kingdom of Christ and of God" (Eph. 5:5), and again "the kingdoms of
this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ"
(Rev. 11:15 and cf. 12:10). Its spiritual nature is plainly seen from
Jehovah's statement, "they have rejected Me, that I should not reign
over them" (1 Sam. 8:7): His throne and scepter was an invisible one.
In like manner when the Jews said of Christ, "We will not have this
Man to reign over us" (Luke 19:14), they intimated that they were
unwilling to surrender their hearts to His moral sway. So too when
Paul said, "But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will
know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power. For
the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power" (1 Cor. 4:19, 20) he
obviously meant, "the spiritual power thereof felt in your hearts."
The reign of Christ has a twofold application. First, He sustains the
relation of a gracious Sovereign to His redeemed people, ruling them
in love, maintaining their interests, supplying their needs,
restraining their foes; training them for His service now and for the
glory awaiting them in Heaven. Second, He is the moral Governor over
the world, for however unconscious they may be of His operations, all
men are controlled by Him and their schemings and actions over-ruled
for His own ends. Even earth's potentates are obliged to obey His
secret will: "by Me kings reign, and princes decree justice" (Prov.
8:15); "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of
water: He turneth it whithersoever He will" (Prov. 21:1). His
government over the world, yea, over the entire universe, is
administered by a wisely adapted series of means, appointed and
directed by Him.
It is important to recognize this twofold scope of Christ's reign. To
the Father He said, "As Thou has given Him power over all flesh, that
He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him" (John
17:2). The kingdom of Christ as it is spiritual and inward is peculiar
to the elect, but His kingdom as it is judicial and outward is
universal. The two things are distinguished again in Psalm 2: "Yet
have I set My King upon My holy hill of Zion" (verse 6), and "Ask of
Me, and I shall give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the
uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession" (verse 8). Christ is
not only "King of saints" (Rev. 15:3), but He is also "King of
nations" (Jer. 10:7). He reigns over all mankind, and those who do not
submit themselves to Him as Redeemer, shall yet stand before Him as
Judge. "Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shall dash them
to pieces like a potter's vessel" (Ps. 2:9): this speaks of the
judiciary acts of His power. Joseph in Egypt typed out the same: the
power of all the land was made over to him (Gen. 41:43), but his
brethren had a special claim upon his affections.
Now this kingdom of Christ, considered in its spiritual and inward
aspect, believers are said to "receive," that is, they participate in
its privileges and blessings. As Christ's kingdom is "not of the
world" but "heavenly" (2 Tim. 4:18), so its subjects are not of the
world but heavenly. From the Divine side, they enter by means of the
Spirit's quickening, for "except a man be born again, he cannot see
the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). From the human side, they enter when
they throw down the weapons of their rebellion and take Christ's yoke
upon them, for "except ye be converted, and become as little children,
ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3). It was
when we transferred our allegiance from Satan to Christ that it could
be said, "The Father hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and
hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son" (Col. 1:13). They
who have received the Gospel into an honest and good heart have been
admitted into and made participants of the kingdom of Christ.
"Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved." In seeking
to define more closely the "we receiving," let us remember the
threefold meaning of the term "kingdom." First, it signifies that we
are admitted into that realm or sphere where Christ is owned as
Supreme. Second, it signifies that we have surrendered to the reign or
scepter of Christ, for Him to rule over our hearts and lives. Third,
it signifies that we now participate in the blessings of Christ's
government. This word "receiving" also denotes that we have this
kingdom from Another: "walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto
His kingdom and glory" (1 Thess. 2:12); "hath not God chosen the poor
of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom?" (James 2:5);
"Come ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34); all bring out this
thought.
In affirming that this is a kingdom "which cannot be moved" the
apostle emphasized once more the great superiority of Christianity
over Judaism, and also showed wherein the kingdom of Christ differs
from all the kingdoms of earth, which are subject to commotions and
convulsions. This "kingdom which cannot be moved" is but another name
for "those things which cannot be shaken" that "remain" of verse 27:
it is the substance and reality of what was typed out under the Mosaic
economy. "We have received a kingdom that shall never be moved, nor
give way to any new dispensation. The canon of Scripture is now
perfected, the Spirit of prophecy is ceased, the mystery of God is
finished: He hath put His last hand to it. The Gospel-church may be
made more large, more prosperous, more purified from contracted
pollution, but it shall never be altered for another dispensation;
they who perish under the Gospel, perish without remedy" (Matthew
Henry).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 105
The Final Warning
(Hebrews 12:28, 29)
__________________________________________
"Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have
grace whereby we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly
fear. For our God is a consuming fire." A brief analysis of these
verses reveals the following weighty points. First, the inestimable
blessing which believers have been made the recipients of: a kingdom
which is eternal. Second, the obligation devolving upon them: to serve
God with true veneration and pious devotedness. Third, the warning by
which this is pointed: because there can be no escape from the Divine
wrath which overtakes apostates. In his helpful commentary J. Brown
pointed out that "to receive an immoveable kingdom is but another mode
of expressing what is meant by `ye are come to mount Sion' (verse 22).
It is another descriptive figurative mode of expressing that the
privileges and honors under the new covenant men obtain by the faith
of the truth as it is in Jesus." In support of this: "they that trust
in the Lord shall be as mount Zion: they shall never be moved" (Ps.
125:1).
Now there is a twofold "kingdom" which believers have "received:" a
kingdom of grace, which is set up in the heart of the saint, where
Christ reigns as supreme Sovereign, and a kingdom of glory, prepared
for us in Heaven, where we shall reign as kings with Christ forever.
John Owen insisted that the former only is here intended, Ezekiel
Hopkins threw the emphasis almost entirely upon the latter; personally
we believe that both are included, and shall expound it accordingly,
condensing the main points from each of these writers.
Christians are already possessors of the kingdom of grace, for Christ
has established His dominion over them. Though He sits personally upon
the Throne of heaven, yet He rules in believers by His spirit (who has
received commission from Him), and also by His Word energized in them
by the Spirit. The interest of believers in this kingdom is called
their "receiving" it, because they have it by gift or grant from their
Father: Luke 12:32. First, they receive its doctrine, truth, and law:
they own its reality and submit to its authority: Romans 6:17. Second,
they receive it in the light, grace, and spiritual benefits of it:
they enjoy its privileges of righteousness, peace, and joy: Romans
14:17. Third, they receive it in its dignities and securities: they
are kings and priests unto God (Rev. 1:6), and so safe are they as to
be "kept by the power of God through faith" (1 Pet. 1:5). Fourth, they
receive it by a supernatural initiation into its spiritual mysteries
(1 Cor. 4:20), the glory of which is immediate access to God and heart
enjoyment of Him.
The privileges which Christians receive by their believing the Gospel
are inconceivably grand. They are in the kingdom, the kingdom of God
and Christ, a spiritual and heavenly kingdom; enriched with
inexhaustible treasures of spiritual and celestial blessings.
Christians are not to be measured by their outward appearance or
worldly circumstances, but rather by the interest they have in that
kingdom which it was their Father's good pleasure to give them. It is
therefore their privilege and duty to conduct themselves and behave as
those who have received such wondrous privileges and high dignities
from God Himself: far should they be from envying poor millionaires
and the godless potentates of this earth. Our portion is infinitely
superior to the baubles of time and sense. Though the world knows us
not, unto God we are "the excellent of the earth" (Ps. 16:3), the
crown-jewels of His Son, those whom angels serve or minister unto. O
for grace to conduct ourselves as the sons and daughters of the
Almighty.
In what sense or senses has the believer "received" the kingdom of
glory? First, by the immutable Word of Promise. To the believer the
promise of God is as good security as the actual possession. The poor
worldling cannot understand this, and he regards the confidence of the
Christian as naught but fanaticism. But the simple trusting soul
already possesses the kingdom of glory because God has infallibly
assured him "in black and white" of the possession of it. It is the
immutable Word of Promise which gives him the right and title to the
inheritance, and therefore as it now belongs to him by right and
title, he may well call it his. When God has promised anything, it is
all the same to a believer whether He saith it is done or it shall be
done.
Second, the believer has "received" the kingdom of glory by grace
giving him the earnest and firstfruits of it. The comforts and graces
of the Spirit are referred to again and again under these figures:
appropriately so, for an "earnest" is a part (an instalment) of what
is agreed upon, and the "firstfruits" are a sample and pledge of the
coming harvest. Now grace and glory are one and the same in essence,
differing only in degree: grace is Heaven brought down into the soul,
glory is the soul conducted to Heaven. Grace is glory commenced, glory
is grace consummated. Probably one of the meanings of "Light is sown
for the righteous" (Ps. 97:11) is, the "light" of everlasting life and
bliss is now in the graces of regenerated souls as in their seed, and
they shall certainly bud and blossom forth into perfect fruitage.
Third, the believer has "received" the kingdom of glory by the
realisation of Jaith. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1). Here is a spiritual grace
which brings distant things near and gives to the future a present
reality. Faith brings into the soul what lies altogether outside the
reach of our natural senses. It is a supernatural faculty which is
quite beyond the ken of the natural man. Faith beholds what the eye
cannot see, it grasps that made without hands; it supplies
demonstration or proof of that which the infidel scoffs at.
Fourth, the believer has "received" the kingdom of glory by the
embraces of hope. In Scripture, the grace of "hope" is something far
better than a vague longing for something we do not yet possess: it is
a sure expectation, a definite assurance of what God has promised.
Hope supplies a present anticipation of the future realization. Faith
believes, hope enjoys those things which God has prepared for them
that love Him. Therefore hope is called the "anchor of the soul...
which entereth into that within the veil" (Heb. 6:19), for it lays
hold on that glory which is there laid up for us. Hope is the taster
of our comforts, and excites the same delight and complacency as the
fruition itself will impart--the same in kind, though not in degree.
The particular property of this kingdom which is here emphasized by
the Holy Spirit (in accordance with the thought of the context) is,
that it "cannot be moved"; therein does it differ from all other
kingdoms--here, as everywhere, does our blessed Redeemer have the"
pre-eminence." Owen pointed out that. "No dominion ever so dreamed of
eternity, as did the Roman Empire; but it hath not only been shaken,
but broken to pieces and scattered like chaff before the wind: see
Daniel 2:44; 7:14, 27"--so terribly so, that today, the closest
students of history are unable to agree as to its actual boundaries.
But nothing like that shall ever happen to the Savior's dominion:
therefore do we read of "the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 1:11). No internal decays can ruin it; no
external opposition shall overthrow it. Yet the language of our verse
goes even further than that: God Himself will not remove it.
"That which is here peculiarly intended is, that it is not obnoxious
unto such a shaking and removal as the church-state was under the old
covenant; that is, God Himself would never make any alteration in it,
nor ever introduce another church-state or worship. God hath put the
last hand, the hand of His only Son, unto all revelations and
institutions. No addition shall be made unto what He hath done, nor
alteration in it: no other way of calling, sanctifying, ruling, and
saving of the church, shall ever be appointed or admitted; for it is
here called an immovable kingdom, in opposition unto that church state
of the Jews which God Himself first shook, and then took away--for it
was ordained only for a season" (John Owen). Here again we perceive
the superiority of Christianity over Judaism: the one was mutable, the
other immutable; the one was evanescent, the other eternal; the one
was founded by Moses, the other is established by Him who is "the same
yesterday, and today, and forever."
The fact that Christ's kingdom is an "everlasting" one (2 Pet. 1:11),
that it shall "never be moved" (Heb. 12:28), and that "of His kingdom
there shall be no end" (Luke 1:33), has occasioned difficulty to some,
in the light of "then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up
the kingdom to God, even the Father" (1 Cor. 15:24). But the
difficulty is at once removed if we bear in mind the distinctions
pointed out in our last article. The sovereign dominion which Christ
has over all creatures as a Divine person, is something of which He
can never divest Himself. Likewise, that dominion over His own people
which belongs to Him as the incarnate Son, is also eternal: He will
remain forever the Head and Husband of the Church; nor can He
relinquish the Mediatorial office. But that dominion to which He was
exalted after His resurrection, and which extends over all
principalities and powers (John 17:2, Matthew 28:18), will be
relinquished when its design is accomplished: this is clearly seen in
the remaining words of 1 Corinthians 15:24, "When He shall have put
down all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He
hath put all enemies under His feet." Thus, the "kingdom" which Christ
delivers up to the Father is that rule of His over His enemies.
The immovability and eternality of Christ's kingdom holds good of it
equally whether we consider it in its present grace aspect or its
future glory aspect, for we have received "a kingdom which cannot be
moved." The kingdom of grace is so Divinely fixed in the heart of
believers that all the efforts of sin and all the attacks of Satan are
unable to overthrow it: "the foundation of God standeth sure" (2 Tim.
2:19); "being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a
good work in you will finish it" (Phil. 1:6). It is absolutely
impossible that one of Christ's sheep should perish: in the day to
come He will exclaim, "Behold I and the children which God hath given
Me" (Heb. 2:13). If this be true of the kingdom of grace, then much
more so of the kingdom of glory, when sin shall be no more and Satan
shall never again tempt the redeemed.
Now from the glorious nature of this "kingdom" the apostle proceeds to
draw an inference or point a practical conclusion: "Wherefore we
receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace whereby
we may serve God acceptably." As J. Brown pointed out, to "receive a
kingdom" is to be invested with royalty, to be made kings and priests
unto God (Rev. 1:6). Since, then, royalty is the most exalted form of
human life, the most dignified honor known upon earth, how it behooves
us to seek from God that aid which shall enable us to "walk worthy of
the vocation wherewith we are called." Once again we are reminded of
the inseparable connection between privilege and duty, and the greater
the privilege the stronger the obligation to express our gratitude in
a suitable and becoming manner: not merely in emotional ecstasies or
fulsome words, but by obedience and worship, that we may "serve God
acceptably with reverence and godly fear."
The commentators differ considerably as to what is denoted by "let us
have grace," yet it seems to us, its meaning is quite simple and
obvious. Its signification may be ascertained by three considerations
involved in what immediately follows. First, this "grace" is essential
unto the serving of God "acceptably" and, as we shall see, this
"service" has a principal reference to our worshipping of Him. Second,
this "grace" is the root from which proceeds "reverence and godly
fear," so that it must point to something more than simple gratitude
for what God has already done for us--which is how many of the writers
limit it. Third, this "grace" is imperative if we are not to be
consumed by Divine wrath--the "consuming fire" of verse 29. We
therefore understand this expression to mean, let us persevere in the
faith and duties of the Gospel, whereby we are alone enabled to offer
acceptable worship to God; let us endeavor after an increase of Divine
aid and succor; let us strive after a continual exercise of the grace
He has given us; let us seek to bring our hearts more and more under
its sanctifying power.
We believe the key to our present passage is found in Exodus 19:10,
11, 15. Under the old covenant the way and means in which Israel was
to make a solemn approach unto God in worship was specifically
defined: they were to reverently prepare themselves by purification
from uncleanness and separation from fleshly indulgences. That was an
outward adumbration of the spiritual purity which God now requires
from us both internally and externally. Because God has revealed
Himself in Christ in a far more glorious manner to us than He
manifested Himself before Israel at Sinai, we ought to earnestly
endeavor after a more eminent preparation of heart and sanctification
of our whole persons in all our approaches to the Most High. There
must be in us the spiritual counterpart of what was shadowed out in
them ceremonially. The fear of God was wrought in Israel by the
terrors of His law: though our fear be of another kind, it ought to be
none the less real and effectual in us to its proper ends.
The great end in view is, that "we may serve God acceptably." In this
particular epistle the Greek word used here signifies that service
unto God which consists in His worship, in prayer and praise, and the
observance of all the institutions of Divine worship. For example, "in
which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him
that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience" (Heb.
9:9); and again, "We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat
which serve the tabernacle" (Heb. 13:10); while in 10:2 the word is
actually rendered "worshippers." Nor is this meaning of the Greek word
peculiar to the Hebrews epistle: "She was a widow of about four score
and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God
with fastings and prayers night and day" (Luke 2:37); "who change the
truth of God into a lie, and worship and serve the creature more than
the Creator" (Rom. 1:25). The specific reference, then, is had unto
the worship of God according to the Gospel, as superseding the
institutions under the old economy. Needless to say, such worship
cannot proceed from any who are not walking in Gospel obedience.
Now it is in order to our being so fitted for the Divine service that
we may worship God "acceptably," that the exhortation comes, "let us
have grace." There is a double reference: that our persons may be
acceptable, and that our worship may be pleasing in His sight. An
intimation is hereby given that there may be a performance of the
duties of Divine worship when neither the persons who perform them,
nor the duties themselves, are accepted by Him. So it was with Cain
and his sacrifice, as it is with all hypocrites always. The principal
things required unto this acceptance are, first, that the persons of
the worshippers be accepted in the Beloved. Second, that the actual
performance of worship must, in all the duties of it, be in strict
accord with what God (and none other) has appointed. Third, that our
spiritual graces be in actual exercise, for it is in and by this, in
the discharge of all our religious duties, that we give glory unto
God. How can our worship be pleasing unto Him if we be in a
backslidden state?
That which is here specifically singled out as necessary unto our
worship being acceptable is, that we serve God "with reverence and
godly fear." As John Owen wisely pointed out, these "may be learned
best from what they are opposed unto. For they are prescribed as
contrary unto some such defects and faults of Divine worship, as from
which we ought to be deterred, by the consideration of the holiness
and severity of God as is manifest from the next verse, `for our God
is a consuming fire.'" The sins from which we ought to be deterred by
a consideration of these Divine perfections are, First, the want of a
due sense of the awe-inspiring majesty of Him with whom we have to do.
God provided against this evil under the old economy by the terror
wrought in the people at the giving of the Law, by the many
restrictions interposed against their approaches to Him (none being
allowed to enter the holy of holies), and by all the outward
ceremonies appointed; and though all these are now removed, yet a deep
spiritual sense of God's holiness and greatness should be retained in
the mind of all who draw nigh to Him in worship.
Second, the lack of a due sense of our own vileness, and our infinite
distance from God both in nature and state, which is always required
to be in us. The Lord will never accept the worship of a Pharisee:
while we are puffed up with a sense of our own importance and filled
with self-righteousness or self-complacency, He will not accept our
approaches unto Him. And nothing is more calculated to hide pride from
us and fill our hearts with a sense of our utter insignificance as a
sight and realization of the ineffable purity and high sovereignty of
God. When Isaiah beheld Him "high and lifted up," he exclaimed "Woe is
me! for I am undone" (Isa. 6:5); when Job beheld the Almighty, he
cried, "Behold, I am vile" (Job 40:4).
Third, carnal boldness in a formal performance of sacred duties, while
neglecting an earnest endeavor to exercise grace in them, which is
something which God abhors. O the daring impiety of worldly professors
taking upon their polluted lips the ineffable name of God, and
offering unto Him "the sacrifice of fools" (Ecclesiastes 5:1). What a
marvel it is that He does not strike dead those blatant and
presumptuous souls who vainly attempt to deceive Him with their lip
service while their hearts are far from Him. It is to prevent these,
and other like evils, that we are here exhorted to worship God "with
reverence and godly fear," that is, with a holy abasement of soul,
having our minds awed by a sense of the infinite majesty of God, our
hearts humbled by a consciousness of our vileness and our creaturely
nothingness.
No exhortation in this epistle is more needed by our perverse
generation than this one. How this imperative requirement "with
reverence and godly fear" rebukes the cheap, flippant, irreverent
"worship" (?) of the day. O what unholy lightness and ungodly
familiarity now marks the religion of Christendom: many address the
great Deity as though they were His equals, and conduct themselves
with far less decorum than they would show in the presence of an
earthly monarch. The omission of bowing the head in silent prayer when
we take our place in the congregation, the vulgar glancing around, the
unseemingly whispering and chattering, the readiness to smile or laugh
at any remarks of the preacher's which may be wrested, are all so many
instances of this glaring and growing evil. "God is greatly to be
feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of
all about Him" (Ps. 89:7).
The Greek word for "reverence" is rendered "shamefacedness" in 1
Timothy 2:9. This, in extraordinary instances, is called a "blushing,"
a "being ashamed," a "confusion of face" (Ezra 9:6; Daniel 9:7); yet,
the essence of it, ought always to accompany us in the whole worship
of God. "Godly fear" is a holy awe of the soul when engaged in sacred
duties, and this from a consideration of the great danger there is of
our sinful miscarriages in the worship of God, and of His severity
against such heinous offenses. God will not be mocked. A serious soul
is hereby moved unto watchfulness and diligence not to provoke so
great, so holy, so jealous a God, by a neglect of that reverence and
godly fear which He requires in His service, and which is due unto Him
on account of His glorious perfections. If the seraphim veil their
faces before Him (Isa. 6:2). how much more should we do so!
"For our God is a consuming fire" (verse 29). This is the reason given
why we must serve God with reverence and fear. The words are taken
from Deuteronomy 4:24, where they are used to deter Israel from
idolatry, for that is a sin God will not tolerate. The same
description of God is here applied by the apostle unto those lacking
grace to worship Him with the humility and awe which He demands. If we
are graceless in our persons, and devoid of reverence in our worship,
God will deal with us accordingly. As a fire consumes combustible
matter cast into it, so God will destroy sinners. The title "our God"
denotes a covenant relationship, yet though Christians are firmly
assured of their interest in the everlasting covenant, God requires
them to have holy apprehensions of His majesty and terror: see 2
Corinthians 5:10, 11.
The twin graces of love and fear, fear and love, should be jointly
active in the believer, and it is in preserving a balance between them
that his spiritual health largely consists. So it is here: observe the
remarkable conjunction: "our God," in covenant relationship, our
Father; and yet "a consuming fire," to be trembled at! The first is to
prevent despair from considering God's ineffable purity and inflexible
justice; the latter is to check a presumptous irreverence unto which a
one-sided occupation with His grace and love might embolden us. Thus,
the principal exhortation "let us have grace whereby we may serve God
acceptably" is urged by two widely different motives: because we have
"received a kingdom" and because God is a "consuming fire." Carnal
reason would ask, If we have received a kingdom which cannot be moved,
why should we fear? But if God be such "a consuming fire" how can we
ever expect such a kingdom, since we are but a stubble? But the
Spirit-taught have no difficulty in perceiving why the apostle joined
together these two things.
The Christian's interest in His favor, is no warrant for casting off a
solemn fear of God: though He has laid down His enmity against him, He
has not cast off His majesty and sovereignty over him. "Even those who
stand highest in the love and favor of God, and have the fullest
assurance thereof and of their interest in Him as their God, ought,
nothwithstanding, to fear Him as a sin-avenging God and a consuming
fire" (Ezek. Hopkins, 1680). Though God has taken His redeemed into
intimate nearness to Himself, yet He requires that they always retain
a due apprehension of the majesty of His person, the holiness of His
nature, the severity of His justice, and the ardent jealousy of His
worship. If we truly dread falling under the guilt of this awful sin
of irreverence, our minds will be influenced unto godly fear. The
grace of fear is in nowise inconsistent with or an impediment to a
spirit of adoption, holy boldness, or godly rejoicing: see Psalm 2:11,
Matthew 28:8, Philippians 2:12.
"Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably," for without
it there will be neither "reverence" nor "godly fear." Without Divine
aid and unction we cannot serve God at all, for He accounts not that
worship which is offered by graceless persons. Without grace in actual
operation we cannot serve God acceptably, for it is in the exercise of
faith and fear, love and awe, that the very life and soul of spiritual
worship consists. O how earnestly do we need to seek an increase of
Divine "grace" (2 Cor. 9:8; 12:9), and keep it operative in all duties
of the worship of God: that in view of His awful wrath, we may have a
dread of displeasing Him; in view of His majesty our hearts may be
humbled; and in view of His love, we may seek to honor, please and
adore Him. "Sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself; and let Him be your
fear, and let Him be your dread" (Isa. 8:13 and cf. Matthew 10:28).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 106
Brotherly Love
(Hebrews 13:1)
__________________________________________
Most of the commentators regard the final chapter of Hebrews as an
appendix or postscript, containing sundry exhortations which have no
direct relation to the body of the epistle. Personally, we regard it
as a serious mistake, due to lack of perspicuity, to ignore the
organic connection between the central theme of the apostle and the
various duties which he here inculcates; rather do we agree with Owen
that in these closing verses there is exhibited an exemplification of
"that Divine wisdom wherewith he was actuated in writing of the whole,
which the apostle Peter refers to in 2 Peter 3:15" The more an
anointed mind meditates on this fact, with the faith and reverence
which the Holy Scriptures call for, the more will the Divine
inspiration of this portion be revealed. It is a great pity that so
many writers become slack when they reach the final chapter of an
epistle, seeming to imagine that its contents are of less importance
and value than those of the earlier ones.
Unless we carefully bear in mind the order which the apostle was moved
by the Holy Spirit to follow in this treatise, we shall fail to learn
some most vital and valuable lessons concerning the proper method and
manner of setting forth the Truth of God before the souls of men. Not
only is the teacher of God's Word to hold fast the system of doctrine
contained therein (introducing no speculations of his own), to
preserve a due balance of Truth (not allowing personal preference to
make him a hobbyist), but in order for his ministry to be most
acceptable to God and profitable to his hearers or readers he must
adhere strictly to the order of Scripture; for if the context and
connections of a passage be ignored, there is great danger of
perverting it, for its proper emphasis is then lost and the chain of
Truth is broken. Let preachers especially attend closely to the
remarks which follow.
A careful reading through of our epistle at a single sitting will
reveal the fact that throughout the first twelve chapters not a single
moral or ecclesiastical duty is inculcated. It is true that here and
there the apostle breaks in upon the orderly development of his
thesis, by urging an exhortation unto obedience to God and
perseverance in the faith, or by interspersing a solemn warning
against the fatal consequences of apostasy; nevertheless, never once
does he formally press upon the Hebrews any of the duties enjoined by
the second table of the Law--those were reserved for his closing
words. The course followed by the apostle was, first, to set forth the
glorious person, offices, and work of Christ, and then, having laid a
firm foundation for faith and obedience, to exhort unto evangelical
and moral duties. As we deem this a most essential consideration we
subjoin a paragraph from that master exegete, John Owen.
"He prescribes by his own example, as he also doth in most of his
other epistles, the true order and method of preaching the Gospel;
that is, first, to declare the mysteries of it, with the grace of God
therein, and then to improve it unto practical duties of obedience.
And they will be mistaken, who in this work propose unto themselves
any other method; and those most of all, who think one part of it
enough without the other. For as the declaration of spiritual truths,
without showing how they are the vital quickening form of obedience,
and without the application of them thereunto, tends only unto that
knowledge which puffeth up, but doth not edify; so the pressing of
moral duties, without a due declaration of the grace of God in Christ
Jesus, which alone enables us unto them, and renders them acceptable
unto God, with their necessary dependence thereon, is but to deceive
the souls of men, and lead them out of the way and off from the
Gospel."
The Divine mysteries unfolded and the great doctrines expounded in the
Holy Scriptures are not mere abstractions addressed to the intellect,
devoid of valuable fruits and effects: where they are truly received
into the soul and there mixed with faith, they issue, first, in the
heart being spiritually molded thereby and drawn out God-wards, and
second, they issue in practical results man-ward. If the Gospel makes
known the infinite love and amazing grace of God in Christ, it also
directs unto the performance of spiritual and moral duties. So far
from the Gospel freeing believers from the duties required by the Law,
it lays upon us additional obligations, directs to their right
performance, and supplies new and powerful motives to their discharge.
So much, then, for the general relation of the contents of Hebrews 13
to what has preceded it; now for the more specific connection. So far
from there being a radical break between Hebrews 12 and 13 the closing
verses of the former and the opening ones of the latter are closely
linked together. There the apostle had mentioned the principal duties
which believers are to perform God-wards, namely, to "hear" (verse 25)
and to "serve Him acceptably" (verse 28); here, he tabulates those
duties which are to be performed man-wards. He begins with what is
really the sum and substance of all the rest, brotherly love: first,
the loving of God with all our heart, and then our neighbor as
ourselves. Adolph Saphir pointed out another link of connection which
is not so evident at first sight: having just reminded the Hebrews
that "things that are made" shall be shaken and removed (Heb. 12:27),
he now exhorts them to "let that abide which is of God, which is
eternal, even love."
"Let brotherly love continue" (13:1). The first application in the
case of the Hebrews would be, See to it that your having become
Christians does not make you behave in a less kindly manner unto your
brethren according to the flesh, the Jews. True, they are occasioning
great provocation by their enmity and persecution, yet this does not
warrant your retaliating in a like spirit, rather does it provide
opportunity for the exercise and manifestation of Divine grace.
Remember the example left by your Master: the Jews treated Him most
vilely, yet He bore patiently their revilings; yea continued to seek
their good--then do you follow His steps. Most blessedly did the
writer of this epistle emulate his Lord, and practice what he here
inculcated: see Romans 9:1-3 and 10:1.
This lower application of our text holds good for any of us who may,
in our measure, be circumstanced similarly to the Hebrews. Since
yielding ourselves to the claims of the Lord Jesus, our relations and
friends may have turned against us, and, stirred up by Satan, are now
opposing, annoying, ill-treating us. In such a case the word comes to
us "Let brotherly love continue." Avenge not yourself: answer not
railing with railing: but exercise a spirit of true benevolence,
desiring and seeking only their good. "If thine enemy hunger, feed
him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap
coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil
with good" (Rom. 12:20, 21).
"Let brotherly love continue." The higher reference is, of course, to
that special and spiritual affection which is to be cultivated between
and among God's children. "He calls love brotherly, not only to teach
us that we ought to be mutually united together by a peculiar and
inward feeling of love, but also that we may remember that we cannot
be Christians without loving the brethren, for he speaks of the love
which the Household of Faith ought to cultivate one towards another,
as the Lord has bound them closely together by the common bond of
adoption" (John Calvin). Matthew Henry well pointed out, "the spirit
of Christianity is a spirit of love." The fruit of the Spirit is love
(Gal. 5:22). Faith worketh by love (Gal. 5:6). "Everyone that loveth
Him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of Him" (1 John 5:1).
Love to the brethren is both the first indication and fruit of the
Christian life (Acts 16:33) and the final aim and result of Divine
grace (2 Pet. 1:7).
It is to be noted that these Hebrew believers were not exhorted "let
us have brotherly love," but "let brotherly love continue." Thus the
apostle's language clearly supposes that they already had love for
each other, that he approvingly notices the same, and then calls upon
them for a continuance of it. Like his Master, Paul combines
exhortation with commendation: let all His servants do so wherever
possible. He had already reminded them "God is not unrighteous to
forget your work and labor of love, which ye have showed toward His
name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister" (Heb.
6:10); and "Ye endured a great fight of afflictions; partly whilst ye
were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and
partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used" (Heb.
10:32, 33). But the apostle felt there was danger of their brotherly
love decaying, for there were disputes among them concerning the
ceremonies of the Mosaic law, and wrangling over religious differences
bodes ill for the health of spiritual affection. He therefore puts
them on their guard, and bids them live and love as "brethren."
"A love hath its foundation in relation. Where there is relation,
there is love, or there ought so to be; and where there is no
relation, there can be no love, properly so called. Hence it is here
mentioned with respect unto a brotherhood... This brotherhood is
religious: all believers have one Father (Matthew 23:8,9), one elder
Brother (Rom. 8:29), who is not ashamed to call them brethren (Heb.
2:11); have one spirit, and are called in one hope of calling (Eph.
4:4), which being a spirit of adoption interesteth them all in the
same family (Eph. 3:14, 15)"--John Owen. Brotherly love we would
define as that gracious bond which knits together the hearts of God's
children; or more definitely, it is that spiritual and affectionate
solicitude which Christians have toward each other, manifested by a
desiring and endeavoring after their highest mutual interests.
This duty was enjoined upon His disciples by the Lord Jesus: "A new
commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved
you, that ye also love one another" (John 13:34). It was to this word
of Christ that His apostle referred in "Brethren, I write no new
commandment unto you, but old commandment which ye had from the
beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from
the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing
is true in Him and in you" (1 John 2:7, 8 and cf. 3:11). Some have
been puzzled by his "I write no new commandment unto you... Again, a
new commandment I write unto you," yet the seeming ambiguity is easily
explained. When a statute is renewed under another administration of
government it is counted a "new" one. So it is in this case. That
which was required by the Law (Lev. 19:18) is repeated by the Gospel
(John 15:12), so that absolutely speaking it is not a new, but an old
commandment. Yet relatively, it is "new," because enforced by new
motives (1 John 3:16) and a new Pattern (1 John 4:10, 11). Thus, "Let
us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household
of faith" (Gal. 6:10), because the latter have peculiar claims upon
our affections, being created in the same image, professing the same
faith, and having the same infirmities.
The maintenance of brotherly love tends in various ways to the
spiritual blessing of the Church, the honor of the Gospel, and the
comfort of believers. The exercise thereof is the best testimony to
the world of the genuineness of our profession. The cultivation and
manifestion of Christian affection between the people of God is a far
more weighty argument with unbelievers than any apologetics. Believers
should conduct themselves toward each other in such a way that no
button or pin is needed to label them as brethren in Christ. "By this
shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to
another" (John 13:35). It should be made quite evident that their
hearts are knit together by a bond more intimate, spiritual, and
enduring than any which mere nature can produce. Their deportment unto
each other should be such as not only to mark them as fellow
disciples, but as Christ says, "My disciples"--reflecting His love!
The exercise of brotherly love in not only a testimony unto the world,
but it is also an evidence to Christians themselves of their
regeneration: "We know that we have passed from death unto life
because we love the brethren" (1 John 3:14). There should be a word of
comfort here for those poor saints whose souls are cast down. At
present they cannot "read their title clear to mansions in the sky,"
and are afraid to cry "Abba, Father" lest they be guilty of
presumption. But here is a door of hope opened to Christ's little
ones: you may, dear reader, be afraid to affirm that you love God, but
do you not love His people? If you do, you must have been born again,
and have in you the same spiritual nature which is in them. But do I
love them? Well, do you relish their company, admire what you see of
Christ in them, wish them well, pray for them, and seek their good? If
so, you certainly love them.
But not only is the exercise of Christian love a testimony unto the
world of our Christian discipleship, and a sure evidence of our own
regeneration, but it is also that which delights God Himself. Of
course it does! It is the product of His own grace: the immediate
fruit of His Spirit. "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for
brethren to dwell together in unity!" (Ps. 133:1) is what the Lord
Himself declares. This also comes out very sweetly in Revelation 3.
There we find one of the epistles addressed to the seven churches
which are in Asia, namely, the Philadelphian, the church of "brotherly
love," for that is the meaning of the word "Philadelphia," and in that
epistle there are no censures or rebukes: there was that there which
refreshed the heart of the Lord!
But our text refers not so much to the existence and exercise of
brotherly love, as it does to its maintenance: "Let brotherly love
continue" or "abide constant" as some render it, for the word includes
the idea of enduring in the face of difficulties and temptations. That
which is enjoined is perseverance in a pure and unselfish affection
toward fellow-Christians. Brotherly love is a tender plant which
requires much attention: if it be not watched and watered, it quickly
wilts. It is an exotic, for it is not a native of the soil of fallen
human nature--"hateful and hating one another" (Titus 3:3) is a solemn
description of what we were in our unregenerate state. Yes, brotherly
love is a very tender plant and quickly affected by the cold air of
unkindness, easily nipped by the frost of harsh words. If it is to
thrive, it must needs be carefully protected and diligently
cultivated.
"Let brotherly love continue:" what a needful word is this! It was so
at the beginning, and therefore did the Lord God make it a fundamental
in man's duty: "thou shalt love try neighbor as thyself." O what
strife and bloodshed, suffering and sorrow had been avoided, had this
commandment been universally heeded. But alas, sin has domineered and
dominated, and where sin is regnant love is dormant. If we wish to
obtain a better idea of what sin is then contrast it with its
opposite--God. Now God is spirit (John 4:24), God is light (1 John
1:5), God is love (1 John 4:8); whereas sin is fleshly, sin is
darkness, sin is hatred. But if we have enlisted under the banner of
Christ we are called unto a warfare against sin: against fleshliness,
against hatred. Then "let brotherly love continue."
Yes, a most needful exhortation is this: not only because hatred so
largely sways the world, but also because of the state of Christendom.
Two hundred and fifty years ago John Owen wrote, "It (brotherly love)
is, as unto its luster and splendor, retired to Heaven, abiding in its
power and efficacious exercise only in some comers of the earth. Envy,
wrath, selfishness, love of the world, with coldness in all the
concerns of religion, have possessed the place of it. And in vain
shall men wrangle and contend about their differences in faith and
worship, pretending to design the advancement of religion by an
imposition of their persuasions on others: unless this holy love be
again re-introduced among all those who profess the name of Christ,
all the concerns of religion will more and more run into ruin. The
very name of a brotherhood amongst Christians is a matter of scorn and
reproach, and all the consequents of such a relation are despised."
Nor are things any better today. O how little is brotherly love in
evidence, generally speaking, among professing Christians. Is not that
tragic word of Christ receiving its prophetic fulfillment: "because
iniquitiy shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold" (Matthew
24:12). But, my reader, Christ's love has not changed, nor should
oars: "Having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them
unto the end" (John 13:1). Alas, have not all of us reason to hang our
heads in shame! Such an exhortation as this is most needful today when
there is such a wide tendency to value light more highly than love, to
esteem an understanding of the mysteries of Faith above the drawing
out our affections unto each other. Here is a searching question which
each of us should honestly face: Is my love for the brethren keeping
pace with my growing (intellectual) knowledge of the Truth?
"Let brotherly love continue." What a humbling word is this! One had
thought that those bound together by such intimate ties,
fellow-members of the Body of Christ, would spontaneously love each
other, and make it their constant aim to promote their interests. Ah,
my reader, the Holy Spirit deemed it requisite to call upon us to
perform this duty. What sort of creatures are we that still require to
be thus exhorted! How this ought to hide pride from us: surely we have
little cause for self-complacency when we need bidding to love one
another! "Hateful and hating one another" (Titus 3:3): true, that was
in our unregenerate days, nevertheless the root of that "hatred" still
remains in the believer, and unless it be judged and mortified will
greatly hinder the maintenance and exercise of Christian affection.
"Let brotherly love continue." What a solemn word is this! Is the
reader startled by that adjective?--a needful and humbling one, but
scarcely a "solemn." Ah, have we forgotten the context? Look at the
verse which immediately precedes, and remember that when this epistle
was first written there were no chapter-breaks: 12:29 and 13:1 read
consecutively, without any hiatus--"our God is a consuming fire: let
brotherly love continue!" The fact these two verses are placed in
immediate juxtaposition strikes a most solemn note. Go back in your
mind to the first pair of brothers who ever walked this earth: did
"brotherly love continue" with them? Far otherwise: Cain hated and
murdered his brother. And did not he find our God to be "a consuming
fire"? Most assuredly he did, as his own words testify, "My punishment
is greater than I can bear" (Gen. 4:13)--the wrath of God burned in
his conscience, and he had a fearful foretaste of Hell before he went
there.
But it may be objected to what has just been said, The case of Cain
and Abel is scarcely a pertinent and appropriate one, for they were
merely natural brothers where as the text relates primarily to those
who are brethren spiritually. True, but the natural frequently
adumbrates the spiritual, and there is much in Genesis 4 which each
Christian needs to take to heart. However, let us pass on down the
course of human history a few centuries. Were not Abraham and Lot
brethren spiritually? They were: then did brotherly love continue
between them? It did not: strife arose between their herdsmen, and
they separated (Gen. 13). Lot preferred the well-watered plains and a
home in Sodom to fellowship with the father of the faithful. And what
was the sequel? Did he find that "our God is a consuming fire"?
Witness the destruction of all his property in that city when God
rained down fire and brimstone from heaven!--another solemn warning is
that for us.
"Let brotherly love continue." But what a gracious word is this!
Consider its implications: are they not similar to "walk worthy of the
vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness,
with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love" (Eph. 4:1, 2)?
That means we are to conduct ourselves not according to the dictates
of the flesh, but according to the requirements of grace. If grace has
been shown toward me, then surely I ought to be gracious to others.
But that is not always easy: not only has the root of "hatred" been
left in me, but the "flesh" still remains in my brethren! and there
will be much in them to test and try my love, otherwise there would be
no need for this exhortation "forbearing one another in love." God has
wisely so ordered this that our love might rise above the mere
amiability of nature. We are not merely to govern our tempers, act
courteously, be pleasant to one another, but bear with infirmities and
be ready to forgive a slight: "Love suffereth long, and is kind" (1
Cor. 13:4).
"Let brotherly love continue." What a comprehensive word is this! Had
we the ability to fully open it and space to bring out all that is
included, it would be necessary to quote a large percentage of the
precepts of Scripture. If brotherly love is to continue then we must
exhort one another daily, provoke unto good works, minister to each
other in many different ways. It includes far more than dwelling
together in peace and harmony, though unless that be present, other
things cannot follow. It also involves a godly concern for each other:
see Leviticus 19:17 and 1 John 5:2. It also embraces our praying
definitely for each other. Another practical form of it is to write
helpful spiritual letters to those now at a distance from us: you once
enjoyed sweet converse together, but Providence has divided your
paths: well, keep in touch via the post! "Let brotherly love
continue."
"Let brotherly love continue." What a forcible word is this, by which
we mean, it should drive all of us to our knees! We are just as
dependent upon the Holy Spirit to call forth love into action as we
are our faith: not only toward God, but toward each other--"The Lord
direct your hearts into the love of God" (2 Thess. 3:5). Observe the
forcible emphasis Christ placed upon this precept in His paschal
discourse: "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one
another" (John 13:34). Ah, but the Savior did not deem that enough:
"This is My commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved
you" (John 15:12): why that repetition? Nor did that suffice: "These
things I command you, that ye love one another" (John 15:17). In an
earlier paragraph we reminded the reader that the Philadelphian church
is the church of "Brotherly love." Have you observed the central
exhortation in the epistle addressed to that church: "Hold that fast
which thou hast, that no man take thy crown"? (Rev. 3:11).
"Let brotherly love continue." What a Divine word is this. The love
which is here enjoined is a holy and spiritual one, made possible
"because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy
Spirit" (Rom. 5:5). For until then there is naught but hatred. Love
for the brethren is a love for the image of God stamped upon their
souls: "every one that loveth Him that begat, loveth him also that is
begotten of Him" (1 John 5:1). No man can love another for the grace
that is in his heart, unless grace be in his own heart. It is natural
to love those who are kind and generous to us; it is supernatural to
love those who are faithful and holy in their dealings with us.
"Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of
mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
forbearing one another and forgiving one another, if any man have a
quarrel against any; even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And
above all these things put on LOVE, which is the bond of perfectness"
(Col. 3:12-14).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 107
Brotherly Love
(Hebrews 13:1-3)
__________________________________________
Brotherly love is that spiritual benevolence and affectionate
solicitude which Christians have one toward another, desiring and
seeking their highest interests. The varied characteristics of it are
beautifully delineated in 1 Corinthians 13. In the opening verse of
Hebrews 13 the apostle exhorts unto the maintenance of the same, "Let
brotherly love continue." Negatively, that means, Let us be constantly
on our guard against those things which are likely to interrupt its
flow. Positively, it signifies, Let us be diligent in employing those
means which are calculated to keep it in a healthy state. It is along
these two lines that our responsibility here is to be discharged, and
therefore it is of first importance that due heed be given thereto. We
therefore propose to point out some of the main hindrances and
obstacles to the continuance of brotherly love, and then mention some
of the aids and helps to the furtherance of the same. May the blessed
Spirit direct the writer's thoughts and give the reader to lay to
heart whatever is of Himself.
The root hindrance to the exercise of brotherly love is self-love--to
be so occupied with number one that the interests of others are lost
sight of. In Proverbs 30:15 we read, "The horseleech hath two
daughters crying Give, give." This repulsive creature has two forks in
her tongue, which she employs for gorging herself in the blood of her
unhappy victim. Spiritually the "horseleech" represents self-love and
her two daughters are self-righteousness, and self-pity. As the
horseleech is never satisfied, often continuing to gorge itself until
it bursts, so self-love is never contented, crying "Give, give." All
the blessings and mercies of God are perverted by making them to
minister unto self. Now the antidote for this evil spirit is for the
heart to be engaged with the example which Christ has left us. He came
not to be ministered unto, but to minister unto others. He pleased not
Himself, but ever "went about doing good." He was tireless in
relieving distress and seeking the welfare of all with whom He came
into contact. Then "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ
Jesus" (Phil. 2:5). If brotherly love is to continue self must be
denied.
Inseparably connected with self-love is pride, and the fostering of
pride is fatal to the cultivation of brotherly affection. The
majority, if not all, of the petty grievances among Christians, are to
be traced back to this evil root. "Love suffereth long," but pride is
terribly impatient. "Love envieth not," but pride is intensely
jealous. "Love seeketh not her own," but pride ever desires
gratification. "Love seeketh not her own," but pride demands constant
attention from others. "Love beareth all things," but pride is
resentful of the slightest injury. "Love endureth all things," but
pride is offended if a brother fails to greet him on the street. Pride
must be mortified if brotherly love is to flourish. Therefore the
first injunction of Christ to those who come unto Him for rest is,
"Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in
heart."
Another great enemy to brotherly love is a sectarian spirit, and this
evil is far more widespread than many suppose. Our readers would be
surprised if they knew how often a sample copy of this magazine is
despised by those who have a reputation for being stalwarts in the
Faith and as possessing a relish for spiritual things, yet because
this paper is not issued by their denomination or "circle of
fellowship" it is at once relegated to the waste-paper basket. Alas,
how frequently is a spirit of partisanship mistaken for brotherly
love: so long as a person "believes our doctrines" and is willing to
"join our church," he is received with open arms. On the other hand,
no matter how sound in the faith a man may be, nor how godly his walk,
if he refuses to affiliate himself with some particular group of
professing Christians, he is looked upon with suspicion and given the
cold shoulder. But such things ought not to be: they betray a very low
state of spirituality.
We are far from advocating the entering into familiar fellowship with
every one who claims to be a Christian--Scipture warns us to "lay
hands suddenly on no man" (1 Tim. 5:22), for all is not gold that
glitters; and perhaps there never was a day in which empty profession
abounded so much as it does now. Yet there is a happy medium between
being taken in by every impostor who comes along, and refusing to
believe that there are any genuine saints left upon earth. Surely a
tree may be known by its fruits. When we meet with one in whom we can
discern the image of Christ, whether that one be a member of our party
or not, there should our affections be fixed. "Wherefore receive ye
one another, as Christ also received us, to the glory of God" (Rom.
15:7): it is our bounden duty to love all whom Christ loves, It is
utterly vain that we boast of our orthodoxy or of the "light" we have,
if brotherly love be not shown by us to the feeblest member of
Christ's body who crosses our path.
There are many other things which are serious obstacles to the
maintenance of brotherly love, yet we must not do more than barely
mention them: the love of the world; failure to mortify the lusts of
the flesh in our souls; being unduly wrapt up in the members of our
own family, so that those related to us by the blood of Christ have
not that place in our affections which they ought; ignorance of the
directions in which it should be exercised and of the proper duties
which it calls for; forgetfulness of the foundation of it, which is a
mutual interest in the grace of God, that we are fellow-members of the
Household of Faith; a readiness to listen to idle gossip, which in
most instances, is a "giving place to the Devil," who accuses the
brethren day and night. But there is one other serious hindrance to
the continuance of brotherly love which we will notice in a little
more detail, namely, impatience.
By impatience we mean a lack of forbearance. True brotherly love is a
reflection of God's love for us, and He loves His people not for their
native attractiveness, but for Christ's sake; and therefore does He
love them in spite of their ugliness and vileness. God is
"longsuffering to us-ward" (2 Pet. 3:9), bearing with our crookedness,
pardoning our iniquities, healing our diseases, and His word to us is,
"Be ye therefore followers (emulators) of God, as dear children, and
walk in love" (Eph. 5:1, 2). We are to love the saints for what we can
see of Christ in them; yes, love them, and for that reason--in spite
of all their ignorance, perverseness, ill-temper, obstinacy,
fretfulness. It is the image of God in them not their wealth,
amiability, social position--which is the magnet that attracts a
renewed heart toward them.
"Forbearing one another in love" (Eph. 4:2). False love is glad of any
specious excuse for throwing off the garb that sits so loosely and
uncomfortably upon it. Ahitophel was glad of a pretext to forsake
David, whom he hated in his heart, although with his mouth he
continued to show much love. "Forbearing one another in love:" that
love which a little silence or neglect can destroy never came from
God, that love which a few blasts of malice from the lips of a new
acquaintance will wither, is not worth possessing! Remember, dear
brother, God suffers our love for one another to be tried and
tested---as He does our faith--or there would be no need for this
exhortation "forbearing one another in love." The most spiritual
Christian on earth is full of infirmities, and the best way of
enduring them is to frequently and honestly remind yourself that you
also are full of faults and failings.
John Owen pointed out that there are certain occasions (in addition to
the causes we have mentioned above) of the decay and loss of brotherly
love. "1. Differences in opinion and practice about things in religion
(unless these be of a vital nature they should not be allowed to
affect our love for each other, A.W.P.). 2. Un-suitableness of natural
tempers and inclinations. 3. Readiness to receive a sense of appearing
provocations. 4. Different and sometimes inconsistent secular
interests. 5. An abuse of spiritual gifts, by pride on the one hand,
or envy on the other. 6. Attempts for domination, inconsistent in a
fraternity; which are all to be watched against."
We sincerely trust that the reader is not becoming weary of our
lengthy exposition of Hebrews 13:1: the subject of which it treats is
of such deep practical importance that we feel one more aspect of it
requires to be considered. We shall therefore elaborate a little on
some of the sub-headings which Owen mentioned under the means of its
preservation. First, "An endeavor to grow and thrive in the principle
of it, or the power of adopting grace." The three principal
graces--faith, hope, love--can only thrive in a healthy soul. Just so
far as personal piety wanes will brotherly love deteriorate. If close
personal communion with Christ be neglected, then there can be no real
spiritual fellowship with His people. Unless, then, my heart be kept
warm in the love of God, affection toward my brethren is sure to
decay. Second, "A deep sense of the weight or moment of this duty,
from the especial instruction and command of Christ." Only as the
heart is deeply impressed by the vital importance of the maintenance
of brotherly love will serious and constant efforts be made thereunto.
Third, "Of the trial which is connected thereunto, of the sincerity of
our grace and the truth of our sanctification, for `by this we know we
have passed from death unto life.'" This is indeed a weighty
consideration: if Christians were more concerned to obtain proof of
their regeneration, they would devote far closer attention to the
cultivation of brotherly love, which is one of the chief evidences of
the new birth (1 John 3:14). If I am at outs with my brethren and am
unconcerned about their temporal and eternal interests, then I have no
right to regard myself as a child of God. Fourth, "A due consideration
of the use, yea, the necessity of this duty to the glory of God, and
edification of the church." The greater concern we really have for the
manifestative glory of God in this world, the more zealous shall we be
in seeking to promote the same by the increase of brotherly love in
our self and among the saints: the glory of God and the welfare of His
people are inseparably bound together.
Fifth, "Of that breach of union, loss of peace, discord and confusion,
which must and will ensue on the neglect of it." Serious indeed are
the consequences of a decay of brotherly love, yea, fatal if the
disease be not arrested. Therefore does it behoove each of us to
honestly and seriously face the question, How far is my lack of
brotherly love contributing unto the spiritual decline in Christendom
today? Sixth, "Constant watchfulness against all those vicious habits
of mind, in self-love, love of the world, which are apt to impair it."
If that be faithfully attended to, it will prove one of the most
effectual of all the means for the cultivation of this grace. Seventh,
"Diligent heed that it be not impaired in its vital acts: such as are
patience, forbearance, readiness to forgive, unaptness to believe
evil, without which no other duties of it will be long continued.
Eighth, fervent prayer for supplies of grace enabling thereunto."
After the opening exhortation of Hebrews 13--which is fundamental to
the discharge of all mutual Christian duties--the Holy Spirit through
the apostle proceeds to point out some of the ways in which the
existence and continuance of brotherly love are to be evidenced. "Be
not forgetful to entertain strangers" (verse 2). Here is the first
instance given, among sundry particulars, in which the greatest of all
the Christian graces is to be exemplified. The duty which is
inculcated is that of Christian hospitality. That which was commanded
under the old covenant is repeated under the new: "But the stranger
that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and
thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of
Egypt: I am the Lord your God" (Lev. 19:34 and cf. Deuteronomy 10:19,
etc.). The Greek worn for "entertain" is rendered "lodge" in Acts
10:18, 23, and Acts 28:7.
There was a special urgency for pressing this duty by the apostles,
arising from the persecution of the Lord's people in different places,
which resulted in their being driven from their own homes and forced
to seek a refuge abroad. "At that time there was a great persecution
against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered
abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the
apostles" (Acts 8:1)--some traveled as far as "Phenice and Cyprus and
Antioch" (Acts 11:19). Therein did they obey the direction of Christ's
that "when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another"
(Matthew 10:23), removing to other parts where, for the present, peace
obtained; for the providence of God so directs things it is very rare
that persecution prevails universally--hence some places of quiet
retirement are generally available, at least for a season. Yet this
being forced to leave their own habitations required them to seek
refuge among strangers, and this it is which gives point to our
present exhortation.
Moreover "at that time there were sundry persons, especially of the
converted Hebrews, who went up and down from one city, yea, one
nation, unto another, on their own charges, to preach the Gospel. They
went forth for the sake of Christ, taking nothing of the Gentiles unto
whom they preached (3 John 7); and these were only brethren, and not
officers of any church. The reception, entertainment, and assistance
of these when they came unto any church or place as strangers, the
apostle celebrates and highly commends in his well-beloved Gaius (3
John 5, 6). Such as these, when they came to them as strangers, the
apostle recommends unto the love and charity of the Hebrews in a
peculiar manner. And he who is not ready to receive and entertain such
persons, will manifest how little concern he hath in the Gospel or the
glory of Christ Himself" (John Owen).
Though circumstances have altered (for the moment, for none can say
how soon the restraining hand of God may be partly withdrawn and His
enemies allowed to shed the blood of His people once more--such is
even now the case in some parts of the earth), yet the principle of
this injunction is still binding on all who bear the name of Christ.
Not only are our hearts, but our homes as well, to be opened unto such
as are really needy: "distributing to the necessity of saints; given
to hospitality" (Rom. 12:13). An eminent and spiritual scholar points
out that "the original word hath respect not so much to the exercise
of the duty itself, as to the disposition, readiness, and frame of
mind which is required in it and to it. Hence the Syriac renders it
`the love of strangers,' and that properly; but it is of such a love
as is effectual, and whose proper exercise consists in the
entertainment of them, which is the proper effect of love towards
them."
In Eastern countries, where they traveled almost barefoot, the washing
of the feet (1 Tim. 5:10), as well as the setting before them of food
and giving lodgment for the night, would be included. The word for
"strangers" is not found in the Greek: literally it reads "of
hospitality not be forgetful"--be not unmindful of, grow not slack in,
the discharge of this duty. It is to be observed that one of the
necessary qualifications of a bishop is that he must be "a lover of
hospitality" (Titus 1:8). Just as worldings delight in entertaining
their relatives and friends, so the Lord's people should be eager and
alert to render loving hospitality to homeless or stranded Christians,
and as 1 Peter 4:9 says "use hospitality one to another without
grudging." The same applies, of course, to entertaining in our homes
traveling servants of God--rather than sending them to some hotel to
mingle with the ungodly.
"Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have
entertained angels unawares" (verse 2). The second clause is to be
regarded as supplying a motive for the discharge of this duty of
Christian hospitality. Needless to say these added words do not
signify that we may expect, literally, to receive a similar honor, but
it is mentioned for the purpose of supplying encouragement. The
apostle here reminds us that in former days some had been richly
rewarded for their diligent observance of this duty, for they had been
granted the holy privilege of receiving angels under the appearance of
men. How this consideration enforces our exhortation is apparent: had
there not been a readiness of mind unto this, a spirit of real
hospitality in their hearts, they had neglected the opportunity with
which Divine grace so highly favored them. Let us, then, seek to
cultivate the virtue of generosity: "the liberal deviseth liberal
things" (Isa. 32:8).
"For thereby some have entertained angels unawares." The special
reference, no doubt, is unto the cases of Abraham (Gen. 18:1-3) and of
Lot (Gen. 19:1-3). We say "special reference" for the use of the
plural "some" is sufficient to bar us from ascribing it to them alone,
exclusively of all others. It is quite likely that in those ancient
times, when God so much used the ministry of angels unto His saints,
that others of them shared the same holy privilege. The real point for
us in this allusion is that the Lord will be no man's debtor, that He
honors those who honor Him--whether they honor Him directly, or
indirectly in the persons of His people. "For God is not unrighteous
to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have showed toward His
name, in that ye have ministered to the saints and do minister" (Heb.
6:10). This too is recorded for our encouragement and when we have
discharged the duty (as opportunity afforded--for God accepts the will
for the deed!), if in indigent circumstances we may plead this before
Him.
The Scriptures are full of examples where the Spirit has joined
together duty and privilege, obedience and reward. Whenever we comply
with such commands, we may count upon God recompensing those who
exercised kindness unto His people. The cases of Rebekah (Gen. 24:18,
19, 22), of Potiphar (Gen. 39:5), of the Egyptian midwives (Ex. 2:17,
20), of Rahab (Josh. 6:25), of the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:15,
23), of the woman of Shunem (2 Kings 4:8), of the inhabitants of
Melita (Acts 28:2, 8, 9), all illustrate this. The resulting gains
will more than repay any expense we incur in befriending the saints.
Beautifully did Calvin point out that "not merely angels, but Christ
Himself, is received by us, when we receive the poor of the flock in
His name." Solemn beyond words is the warning of Matthew 25:41-43; but
inexpressibly blessed is Matthew 25:34-36.
Compassion for the afflicted is the next thing exhorted unto:
"Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them" (verse 3). Love
to the brethren is to manifest itself in sympathy for sufferers. Most
reprehensible and un-Christlike is that selfish callousness which
says, I have troubles enough of my own without concerning myself over
those of other people. Putting it on its lowest ground, such a spirit
ministers no relief: the most effectual method of getting away from
our own sorrows is to seek out and relieve others in distress. But
nothing has a more beneficial tendency to counteract our innate
selfishness than a compliance with such exhortations as the one here
before us: to be occupied with the severer afflictions which some of
our brethren are experiencing will free our minds from the lighter
trials we may be passing through.
"Remember them that are in bonds." The immediate reference is unto
those who had been deprived of their liberty for Christ's sake, who
had been cast into prison. The "remember" signifies far more than to
merely think of them, including all the duties which their situation
called for. It means, first, feel for them, take to heart their case,
have compassion toward them. Our great High Priest is touched with the
feeling of their infirmities (Heb. 4:15), and so must we be. At best
their food was coarse, their beds hard, and the ties which bound them
to their families had been rudely sundered. Often they lay. cruelly
fettered, in a dark and damp dungeon. They felt their situation, their
confinement, their separation from wife and children; then identify
yourself with them and have a feeling sense of what they suffer.
"Remember," too, that but for the sovereignty of God, and His
restraining hand, you would be in the same condition as they!
But more: "remember" them in your prayers. Intercede for them, seeking
on their behalf grace from God, that they may meekly acquiesce to His
providential dealings, that their sufferings may be sanctified to
their souls, that the Most High will so overrule things that this
Satanic opposition against some of His saints may yet issue in the
extension of His kingdom. Finally, do unto them as you would wish them
to do unto you were you in their place. If you can obtain permission,
visit them (Matthew 25:36), endeavor to comfort them, so far as
practicable relieve their sufferings; and leave no stone unturned to
seek their lawful release. Divine providence so regulates things that,
as a rule, while some of the saints are in prison, others of them
still enjoy their liberty--thus allowing an opportunity for the
practical exercise of Christian sympathy.
"And them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the
body" (verse 3). There is probably a double reference here: first, to
those who were not actually in prison, but who had been severely
flogged, or were in sore straits because heavy fines had been imposed
on them. Second, to the wives and children of those who had been
imprisoned, and who would suffer keen adversity now that the
breadwinners were removed from them. Such have a very real claim upon
the sympathy of those who had escaped the persecutions of the foes of
the Gospel. If you are not in a financial position to do much for
them, then acquaint some of your richer brethren with their case and
endeavor to stir them up to supply their needs. "As being yourselves
also in the body" is a reminder that it may be your turn next to
experience such opposition.
John Owen, who lived in particularly stormy times (the days of
Bunyan), said, "Whilst God is pleased to give grace and courage unto
some to suffer for the Gospel unto bonds, and to others to perform
this duty towards them, the church will be no loser by suffering. When
some are tried as unto their constancy in bonds, others are tried as
unto their sincerity in the discharge of the duties required of them.
And usually more fail in neglect of their duty towards sufferers, and
so fall from their profession, than do so fail under and on the
account of their sufferings." That the apostle Paul practiced what he
preached is clear from "Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is
offended, and I burn not?" (2 Cor. 11:29). For illustrations of the
discharge of these duties see Genesis 14:14, Nehemiah 1:4, Job 29:15,
16, Jeremiah 38:7, etc. For solemn warnings read Job 19:14-16,
Proverbs 21:13, Matthew 25:43, James 2:13.
We need hardly say that the principles of verse 3 are of general
application at all times and to all cases of suffering Christians. The
same is summed up in "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill
the law of Christ" (Gal. 6:2). The sentiment of this verse has been
beautifully expressed in the lines of that hymn so precious in its
hallowed memories:
"Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.
We share our mutual woes,
Our mutual burdens bear,
And often for each other flows
The sympathizing tear."
The Lord grant unto both writer and reader more of His grace so that
we shall "Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that
weep" (Rom. 12:15).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 108
Marriage
(Hebrews 13:4)
__________________________________________
From a prescription of duties towards others, the apostle next
proceeds to give directions unto those which concern ourselves,
wherein our own persons and walking are concerned. He does this in a
prohibition of the two most radical and comprehensive lusts of corrupt
nature, namely, uncleanness and covetousness: the first respecting the
persons of men in a peculiar manner, the other their conversation or
conduct. Acts of moral uncleanness are distinguishable from all other
sins which are perpetrated in external acts, in that they are
immediately against a man's self and his own person (see 1 Corinthians
6:18), and therefore is chastity enforced under the means for
preserving the same, that is, marriage; while the antidote for
covetousness is given, namely, a spirit of contentment. The connection
between Hebrews 13:4-6 and 13:1-3 is obvious: unless uncleanness and
covetousness be mortified there can be no real love exercised unto the
brethren.
As God hath knit the bones and sinews together for the strengthening
of our bodies, so He has ordained the joining of man and woman
together in wedlock for the strengthening of their lives, for "two are
better than one" (Ecclesiastes 4:9); and therefore when God made the
woman for the man He said, "I will make him a help meet for him" (Gen.
2:18), showing that man is advantaged by having a wife. That such does
not actually prove to be the case in all instances is, for the most
part at least, to be attributed unto departure from the Divine
precepts thereon. As this is a subject of such vital moment, we deem
it expedient to present a fairly comprehensive outline of the teaching
of Holy Writ upon it, especially for the benefit of our young readers;
though we trust we shall be enabled to include that which will be
helpful to older ones too.
It is perhaps a trite remark, yet none the less weighty for having
been uttered so often, that with the one exception of personal
conversion, marriage is the most momentous of all earthly events in
the life of a man or woman. It forms a bond of union which binds them
until death. It brings them into such intimate relations that they
must either sweeten or embitter each other's existence. It entails
circumstances and consequences which are not less far-reaching than
the endless ages of eternity. How essential it is, then, that we
should have the blessing of Heaven upon such a solemn yet precious
undertaking; and in order to this, how absolutely necessary it is that
we be subject to God and to His Word thereon. Far, far better to
remain single unto the end of our days, than to enter into the
marriage state without the Divine benediction upon it. The records of
history and the facts of observation bear abundant testimony to the
truth of that remark.
Even those who look no further than the temporal happiness of
individuals and the welfare of existing society, are not insensible to
the great importance of our domestic relations, which the strongest
affections of nature secure, and which even our wants and weaknesses
cement. We can form no conception of social virtue or felicity, yea,
no conception of human society itself, which has not its foundation in
the family. No matter how excellent the constitution and laws of a
country may be, or how vast its resources and prosperity, there is no
sure basis for social order, or public as well as private virtue,
until it be laid in the wise regulation of its families. After all, a
nation is but the aggregate of its families, and unless there be good
husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, there
cannot possibly be good citizens. Therefore the present decay of home
life and family discipline threaten the stability of our nation today
far more severely than does any foreign hostility.
But the Scriptural view of the relative duties of the members of a
Christian household, portrays the prevailing effects in a most
alarming manner, as being dishonoring to God, disastrous to the
spiritual condition of the churches, and as raising up a most serious
obstacle in the way of evangelical progress. Sad beyond words is it to
see that professing Christians are themselves largely responsible for
the lowering of marital standards, the general disregard of domestic
relations, and the rapid disappearance of family discipline. As, then,
marriage is the basis of the home or family, it is incumbent on the
writer to summon his readers to a serious and prayerful consideration
of the revealed will of God on this vital theme. Though we can hardly
hope to arrest the awful disease which is now eating out the very
vitals of our nation, yet if God is pleased to bless this article to a
few individuals our labor will not be in vain.
We will begin by pointing out the exellency of wedlock: "Marriage is
honorable:" says our text, and it is so first of all because God
Himself has placed special honor upon it. All other ordinances or
institutions (except the Sabbath) were appointed of God by the medium
of men or angels (Acts 7:35), but marriage was ordained immediately by
the Lord Himself--no man or angel brought the first wife to her
husband (Gen. 2:22). Thus marriage had more Divine honor put upon it
than had all the other Divine institutions, because it was directly
solemnized by God Himself. Again; this was the first ordinance God
instituted, yea, the first thing He did after man and woman were
created, and that, while they were still in their unfallen state.
Moreover, the place where their marriage occurred shows the
honorableness of this institution: whereas all other institutions
(save the Sabbath) were instituted outside of paradise, marriage was
solemnized in Eden itself!--intimating how happy they are that marry
in the Lord.
"God's crowning creative act was the making of woman. At the close of
each creative day it is formally recorded that `God saw what He had
made, that it was good.' But when Adam was made, it is explicitly
recorded that `God saw it was not good that the man should be alone.'
As to man the creative work lacked completeness, until, as all animals
and even plants had their mates, there should be found for Adam also
an help, meet for him--his counterpart and companion. Not till this
want was met did God see the work of the last creative day also to be
good.
"This is the first great Scripture lesson on family life, and it
should be well learned... The Divine institution of marriage teaches
that the ideal state of both man and woman is not in separation but in
union, that each is meant and fitted for the other; and that God's
ideal is such union, based on a pure and holy love, enduring for life,
exclusive of all rivalry or other partnership, and incapable of
alienation or unfaithfulness because it is a union in the Lord--a holy
wedlock of soul and spirit in mutual sympathy and affection" (A.T.
Pierson).
As God the Father honored the institution of marriage, so also did God
the Son. First, by His being "born of a woman" (Gal. 4:4). Second, by
His miracles, for the first supernatural sign that He wrought was at
the marriage of Cana in Galilee (John 2:9), where He turned the water
into wine, thereby intimating that if Christ be present at your
wedding (i.e., if you "marry in the Lord") your life shall be a joyous
or blessed one. Third, by His parables, for He compared the kingdom of
God unto a marriage (Matthew 22:2) and holiness to a "wedding garment"
(Matthew 22:11). So also in His teaching: when the Pharisees sought to
ensnare Him on the subject of divorce, He set His imprimatur on the
original constitution, adding "What therefore God hath joined
together, let not man put asunder" (Matthew 19:4-6).
The institution of marriage has been still further honored by the Holy
Spirit, for He has used it as a figure of the union which exists
between Christ and the Church. "For this cause shall a man leave his
father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two
shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning
Christ and the Church" (Eph. 5:31, 32). The relation which obtains
between the Redeemer and the redeemed is likened, again and again,
unto that which exists between a wedded man and woman: Christ is the
"Husband" (Isa. 54:5), the Church is the "Wife" (Rev. 21:9). "Turn, O
backsliding children, saith the Lord, for I am married unto you" (Jer.
3:14). Thus, each person of the blessed Trinity has set His seal upon
the honorableness of the marriage state.
There is no doubt that in true marriage each party helps the other
equally, and in view of what has been pointed out above, any who
venture to hold or teach any other doctrine or philosophy join issue
with the Most High. This does not lay down a hard and fast rule that
every man and woman is obliged to enter into matrimony: there may be
good and wise reasons for abiding alone, adequate motives for
remaining in the single state--physical and moral, domestic and
social. Nevertheless, a single life should be regarded as abnormal and
exceptional, rather than ideal. Any teaching that leads men and women
to think of the marriage bond as the sign of bondage, and the
sacrifice of all independence, to construe wifehood and motherhood as
drudgery and interference with woman's higher destiny, any public
sentiment to cultivate celebacy as more desirable and honorable, or to
substitute anything else for marriage and home, not only invades God's
ordinance, but opens the door to nameless crimes and threatens the
very foundations of society.
Now it is clear that marriage must have particular reasons for the
appointment of it. Three are given in Scripture. First, for the
propagation of children. This is its obvious and normal purpose: "So
God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him:
male and female created He them" (Gen. 1:27)--not both males or both
females, but one male and one female; and to make the design of this
unmistakably plain God said, "Be fruitful and multiply." For this
reason marriage is called "matrimony," which signifies motherage,
because it results in virgins becoming mothers. Therefore it is
desirable that marriage be entered into at an early age, before the
prime of life be passed: twice in Scripture we read of "the wife of
thy youth" (Prov. 5:18; Malachi 2:15). We have pointed out that the
propagation of children is the "normal" end of marriage; yet there are
special seasons of acute "distress" when 1 Corinthians 7:29 holds
good.
Second, marriage is designed as a preventive of immorality: "To avoid
fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have
her own husband" (1 Cor. 7:2). If any were exempted it might be
supposed that kings would be given dispensation--be-cause of the lack
of a successor to the throne should his wife be barren; yet the king
is expressly forbidden a plurality of wives (Deut. 17:17), showing
that the endangering of a monarchy is not sufficient to countervail
the sin of adultery. For this cause a whore is termed a "strange
woman" (Prov. 2:16), showing that she should be a stranger to us; and
children born out of marriage are called "bastards," which (under the
Law) were excluded from the congregation of the Lord (Deut. 23:2).
The third purpose of marriage is for the avoiding of the
inconveniences of solitude, signified in the "it is not good that the
man should be alone" (Gen. 2:18: as though the Lord had said, This
life would be irksome and miserable for man if no wife be given him
for a companion: "Woe to him that is alone when he falleth, for he
hath not another to help him up" (Ecclesiastes 4:10). Someone has
said, "like a turtle which has lost his mate, like one leg when the
other is cut off, like one wing when the other is clipped, so had man
been if woman had not been given to him." Therefore for mutual society
and comfort God united man and woman that the cares and fears of this
life might be eased by the cheer and help of each other.
Let us next consider the choice of our mate. First, the one selected
for our life's partner must be outside those degrees of near kinship
prohibited by the Divine law: Leviticus 18:6-17. Second, the Christian
must wed a fellow Christian. From earliest times God has commanded
that "the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be numbered among
the nations" (Num. 23:9). His law unto Israel in connection with the
Canaanites, was, "Neither shalt thou make marriages with them: thy
daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou
take unto thy son" (Deut. 7:3 and cf. Joshua 23:12). How much more,
then, must God require the separation of those who are His people by a
spiritual and heavenly tie than those who occupied only a fleshly and
earthly relation to Him. "Be ye not unequally yoked together with
unbelievers" (2 Cor. 6:14) is the clarion order to His saints of this
dispensation. Partnership of any kind of one who is born again with
one in a state of nature is here prohibited, as is evident from the
terms used in the next verse--"fellowship, communion, concord, part,
agreement."
There are but two families in this world: the children of God and the
children of the Devil (1 John 3:10). If, then, a daughter of God
marries a son of the Evil one she becomes a daughter-in-law to Satan!
If a son of God marries a daughter of Satan, he becomes a son-in-law
to the Devil! By such an infamous step an affinity is formed between
one belonging to the most High and one belonging to His arch-enemy.
"Strong language!" yes, but not too strong. O the dishonor done to
Christ by such a union; O the bitter reaping from such a sowing. In
every case it is the poor believer who suffers. Read the inspired
histories of Samson, Solomon, and Ahab, and see what followed their
unholy alliances in wedlock. As well might an athlete attach to
himself a heavy weight and then expect to win a race, as for one to
progress spiritually after marrying a worldling.
Should any Christian reader be inclined or expect to become betrothed,
the first question for him or her to carefully weigh in the Lord's
presence is, Will this union be with an unbeliever? For if you are
really cognizant of and heart and soul be impressed with the
tremendous difference which God, in His grace, has put between you and
those who are--however attractive in the flesh--yet in their sins,
then you should have no difficulty in rejecting every suggestion and
proposal of making common cause with such. You are "the righteousness
of God" in Christ, but unbelievers are "unrighteous"; you are "light
in the Lord," but they are darkness; you have been translated into the
kingdom of God's dear Son, but unbelievers are under the power of
Belial; you are a son of peace, whereas all unbelievers are "children
of wrath" (Eph. 2:3); therefore "be ye separate, saith the Lord, and
touch not the unclean; and I will receive you" (2 Cor. 6:17).
The danger of forming such an alliance is before marriage, or even
betrothal, neither of which could be seriously entertained by any real
Christian unless the sweetness of fellowship with the Lord had been
lost. The affections must first be withdrawn from Christ before we can
find delight in social intimacy with those who are alienated from God,
and whose interests are confined to this world. The child of God who
is "keeping his heart with all diligence" will not, cannot, have a joy
in intimacies with the unregenerate. Alas, how often is the seeking or
the accepting of close friendship with unbelievers the first step to
open departure from Christ. The path which the Christian is called
upon to tread is indeed a narrow one, but if he attempts to widen it,
or leave it for a broader road, it must be in contravention of the
Word of God, and to his or her own irreparable damage and loss.
Third, "married . . . only in the Lord" (1 Cor. 7:39) goes much
further than prohibiting an unbeliever for a mate. Even among the
children of God there are many who would not be suitable to each other
in such a tie. A pretty face is an attraction, but O how vain to be
governed in such a serious undertaking by such a trifle. Earthly goods
and social position have their value here, yet how base and degrading
to suffer them to control such a solemn undertaking. O what
watchfulness and prayerfulness is needed in the regulation of our
affections! Who fully understands the temperament that will match
mine? that will be able to bear patiently with my faults, be a
corrective to my tendencies, and a real help in my desire to live for
Christ in this world? How many make a fair show at the start, but turn
out wretchedly. Who can shield me from a host of evils which beset the
unwary, but God my Father?
"A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband" (Prov. 12:4): a pious and
competent wife is the most valuable of all God's temporal blessings:
she is the special gift of His grace. "A prudent wife is from the
Lord" (Prov. 19:14), and He requires to be definitely and diligently
sought unto: see Genesis 24:12. It is not sufficient to have the
approval of trusted friends and parents, valuable and even needful as
that (generally) is for our happiness; for though they are concerned
for our welfare, yet their wisdom is not sufficiently far-reaching.
The One who appointed the ordinance must needs be given the first
place in it if we are to have His blessing on it. Now prayer is never
intended to be a substitute for the proper discharge of our
responsibilities: we are ever required to use care and discretion, and
must never act hurriedly and rashly. Our better judgment is to
regulate our emotion: in the body the head is placed over the heart,
and not the heart over the head!
"Whoso findeth a wife (a real one) findeth a good thing, and obtaineth
favor of the Lord" (Prov. 18:22): "findeth" implies a definite quest.
To direct us therein the Holy Spirit has supplied two rules or
qualifications. First, godliness, because our partner must be like
Christ's Spouse, pure and holy. Second, fitness, "a help, meet for
him" (Gen. 2:18), showing that a wife cannot be a "help" unless she be
"meet," and for that she must have much in common with her mate. If
her huband be a laboring man, it would be madness for him to choose a
lazy woman; if he be a learned man, a woman with no love of knowledge
would be quite unsuited. Marriage is called a "yoke," and two cannot
pull together if all the burden is to fall upon one--as it would if
one weak and sickly was the partner chosen.
Now for the benefit of our younger readers, let us point out some of
the marks by which a godly and fit mate may be identified. First, the
reputation: a good man commonly has a good name (Prov. 22:1), none can
accuse him of open sins. Second, the countenance: our looks reveal our
characters, and therefore Scripture speaks of "proud looks" and
"wanton looks,"--"the show of their countenance doth witness against
them" (Isa. 3:9). Third, the speech, for "out of the abundance of the
heart the mouth speaketh:" "the heart of the wise teacheth his mouth,
and addeth learning to his lips" (Prov. 16:23); "She openeth her mouth
with wisdom, and in her tongue is the law of kindness" (Prov. 31:26).
Fourth, the apparel: a modest woman is known by the modesty of her
attire. If the clothing be vulgar or showy the heart is vain. Fifth,
the company kept: birds of a feather flock together--a person may be
known by his or her associates.
A word of warning is, perhaps, not quite needless. No matter how
carefully and prayerfully one's partner be selected, he will not find
marriage a perfect thing. Not that God did not make it perfect, but
man has fallen since, and the fall has marred everything. The apple
may still be sweet, but it has a worm inside. The rose has not lost
its fragrance, but thorns grow with it. Willingly or unwillingly,
everywhere we must read the ruin which sin has brought in. Then let us
not dream of those faultless people which a diseased fancy can picture
and novelists portray. The most godly men and women have their
failings; and though such be easy to bear when there is genuine love,
yet they have to be borne.
A few brief remarks now on the home-life of the wedded couple. Light
and help will be obtained here if it be borne in mind that marriage
pictures forth the relation between Christ and His Church. This, then,
involves three things. First, the attitude and actions of husband and
wife are to be regulated by love, for that is the cementing tie
between Lord Jesus and His Spouse: a holy love, sacrificial love, an
enduring love which naught can sever. There is nothing like love to
make the wheels of home life run smoothly. The husband sustains to his
mate the same relation as does the Redeemer to the redeemed, and hence
the exhortation, "Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved
the Church" (Eph. 5:25): with a hearty and constant love, ever seeking
her good, ministering to her needs, protecting and providing for her,
bearing with her infirmities: thus "giving honor unto the wife, as
unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of
life; that your prayers be not hindered" (1 Pet. 3:7).
Second, the headship of the husband. "The head of the woman is the
man" (1 Cor. 11:3); "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as
Christ is the Head of the Church" (Eph. 5:23). Unless this Divine
appointment be duly heeded there is sure to be confusion. The
household must have a leader, and God has committed its rule unto the
husband, holding him responsible for its orderly management; and
serious will be the loss if he shirks his duty and turns the reins of
government over to his wife. But this does not mean that Scripture
gives him license to be a domestic tyrant, treating his wife as a
servant: his dominion is to be exercised in love toward the one who is
his consort. "Likewise ye husbands dwell with them" (1 Pet. 3:7): seek
their society after the day's labor is over. That Divine injunction
plainly condemns those who leave their wives and go abroad on the
pretext of a "call from God."
Third, the subjection of the wife. "Wives submit yourselves unto your
own husbands, as unto the Lord" (Eph. 5:22): there is only one
exception to be made in the application of this rule, namely when he
commands what God forbids or forbids what God commands. "For after
this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God,
adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands" (1
Pet. 3:5): alas, how little of this spiritual "adornment" is evident
today! "Even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose
daughters ye are, so long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any
amazement" (1 Pet. 3:6): willing and loving subjection to the husband,
out of respect for the authority of God, is what characterizes the
daughters of Sarah. Where the wife refuses to submit to her husband,
the children are sure to defy their parents--sow the wind, reap the
whirlwind.
We have space for only one other matter, which it is deeply important
for young husbands to heed. "Prepare thy work without, and make it fit
for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house" (Prov.
24:27). The point here is that the husband is not to think of owning
his own house before he can afford it. As Matthew Henry says, "This is
a rule of providence in the management of household affairs. We must
prefer necessities before luxuries, and not lay that out for show
which should be expended for the support of the family." Alas, in this
degenerate age so many young couples want to start where their parents
ended, and then feel they must imitate their godless neighbors in
various extravagancies. Never go into debt or purchase on the "credit
system:" "Owe no man anything" (Rom. 13:8)!
And now for a final word on our text. "Marriage is honorable in all"
who are called thereunto, no class of persons being precluded. This
clearly gives the lie to the pernicious teaching of Rome concerning
the celibacy of the clergy, as does also 1 Timothy 3:2, etc. "And the
bed undefiled" not only signifies fidelity to the marriage vow (1
Thess. 4:4), but that the conjugal act of intercourse is not
polluting: in their unfallen state Adam and Eve were bidden to
"multiply;" yet moderation and sobriety is to obtain here, as in all
things. We do not believe in what is termed "birth control," but we do
earnestly urge self-control, especially by the husband, "But
whoremongers and adulterers God will judge." This is a most solemn
warning against unfaithfulness: those who live and die impenitently in
these sins will eternally perish (Eph. 5:5).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 109
Covetousness
(Hebrews 13:5)
__________________________________________
In this chapter of Hebrews the apostle makes a practical application
of the theme of the epistle. Having set forth at length the amazing
grace of God toward His believing people by the provision He has made
for them in the Mediator and Surety of the covenant, having shown that
they now have in Christ the substance of all that was shadowed forth
in the ceremonial law, the tabernacle, and the priesthood of Israel,
we now have pressed upon us the responsibilities and obligations which
devolve upon those who are the favored recipients of those spiritual
blessings. First, that which is fundamental to the discharge of all
Christian duties is exhorted unto: the continuance of brotherly love
(verse 1). Second, instances are given in which this chief spiritual
grace is to be exemplified: in Christian hospitality (verse 2), and in
compassion for the afflicted (verse 3). Third, prohibitions are made
against the two most radical lusts of fallen nature: moral uncleanness
(verse 4) and covetousness (verse 5), for the indulgence of these is
fatal to the exercise of brotherly love.
Having in our last article dealt at length with the merciful provision
which God has made for the avoidance of moral uncleanness--the
ordinance of marriage--we now turn to the second great sin which is
here dehorted against, namely, covetousness. "Let your conversation be
without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have" (v.
5). Here is an evil and its remedy set before us side by side, as was
the case in the previous verse, though there the remedy is given
before that which it counteracts. We will follow the order of the our
present text and consider first the vice which is here forbidden,
before we contemplate the virtue which is enjoined: yet it will be
helpful to keep them both in mind, for the latter casts light upon the
former, enabling us to determine its exact nature as nothing else
will.
"Let your conversation be without covetousness." The Greek word which
is here rendered "covetousness" is literally "lover of silver," and
the R.V. renders our text "Be ye free from the love of money." Now
while it be true that the love of money or worldly possessions is one
of the principal forms of covetousness, yet we are satisfied that the
translation of the A.V. is to be preferred here. The scope of the
Greek verb is much wider than a lusting after material riches. This
appears from the only other verse in the N.T. where this word occurs,
namely, 1 Timothy 3:3, in a passage which describes the qualifications
of a bishop: "Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy
lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous." The very fact that a
previous clause specifies "not greedy of filthy lucre" makes it clear
that "not covetous" includes more than "not a lover of money."
A comment or two also requires to be made upon the term
"conversation." This word is limited today unto our speech with one
another, but three hundred years ago, when the A.V. was made, it had a
much more comprehensive meaning. Its latitude can be gathered from its
employment in the Scriptures. For example, in 1 Peter 3:2 we read,
"while they behold your chaste conversation:" note "behold" was not
"hear!" The term then has reference to behavior or deportment: "But as
He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of
conversation" (1 Pet. 1:15). It is not to be restricted to that which
is external, but includes both character and conduct. The Syriac
renders our word "mind," probably because both covetousness and
contentment are mental states. "Let your conversation be as it
becometh the Gospel of Christ" (Phil. 1:27): this obviously means, Let
your affections and actions correspond to the revelation of Divine
grace you have received; conduct yourself in such a manner that those
around will be impressed by the principles, motives, and sentiments
which govern you.
So it is here in our text: let not covetousness rule your heart nor
regulate your life. But exactly what is "covetousness"? It is the
opposite of contentment, a being dissatisfied with our present lot and
portion. It is an over-eager desire for the things of this world. It
is a lusting after what God has forbidden or withheld from us, for we
may crave, wrongly, after things which are not evil or injurious in
themselves. All abnormal and irregular desires, all unholy and
inordinate thoughts and affections, are comprehended by this term. To
covet is to think upon and hanker after anything which my acquirement
of would result in injury to my neighbor. "We may desire that part of
a man's property which he is in-dined to dispose of, if we mean to
obtain it on equitable terms; but when he chooses to keep, we must not
covet. The poor man may desire moderate relief from the rich, but he
must not covet his affluence, or repine even though he does not
relieve him" (Thomas Scott).
Now some sins are more easily detected than others, and for the most
part condemned by those professing godliness. But covetousness is only
too often winked at, and some covetous persons are regarded as very
respectable people. Many professing Christians look upon covetousness
as quite a trifling matter, while the world applauds it as legitimate
ambition, as business shrewdness, as prudence, etc. All sorts of
excuses are made for this sin and plausible pretenses argued in its
favor. It is indeed a very subtle sin, which few are conscious of. In
one of his sermons Spurgeon mentions a prominent man who had a great
many people come to him to make confession, and this man observed that
while different ones acknowledged all sorts of outrageous crimes, he
never had one who confessed to covetousness. Few suspect that this is
one of the prevailing iniquities of their hearts, rather are they
inclined to regard this vice as a virtue.
But the Holy Scriptures are very explicit on this subject. The Divine
law expressly declares, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house,
thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his
maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy
neighbor's (Ex. 20:17). "The covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth" (Ps.
10:3). To His disciples Christ said, "Take heed, and beware of
covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the
things which he possesseth" (Luke 12:15). The votaries of Mammon are
linked with "drunkards and adulterers," and such are excluded from the
kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:10). The covetous are branded with the most
detestable character of idolaters (Col. 3:5)--no doubt this is because
they who are ruled by this lust adore their gold and put their trust
in it, making a god of it. How we need to pray, "Incline mine heart
unto Thy testimonies, and not to covetousness" (Ps. 119:36).
God's Word also sets before us some fearfully solemn examples of the
judgments which fell upon covetous souls. The fall of our first
parents originated in covetousness, lusting after that which God had
forbidden. Thus the very frontispiece of Holy Writ exhibits the
frightfulness of this sin. See what covetousness did for Balaam: he
"loved the wages of unrighteousness" (2 Pet. 2:15)--the honors and
wealth which Balak promised were too attractive for him to resist. See
what covetousness did for Achan, who lusted after the forbidden silver
and gold: he and his whole family were stoned to death (Josh. 7). Look
at Gehazi: lusting after the money his master had refused, and in
consequence, he and his seed were smitten with leprosy (2 Kings 5).
Consider the awful case of Judas, who for thirty pieces of silver sold
the Lord of glory. Remember the case of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5).
In view of these warnings shall we call this worst of iniquities "a
little sin"? Surely it is something to be trembled at!
Covetousness is an inordinate desire of the heart after the creature;
which is a fruit of man's apostasy from the Lord. No longer finding in
God the supreme object of his soul's delight and confidence, fallen
man loves and trusts in the creature (mere things) rather than the
Creator. This takes on many forms: men lust after honors, wealth,
pleasures, knowledge, for Scripture speaks of "the desires of the
flesh and of the mind" (Eph. 2:3), and of "filthiness of the flesh and
spirit" (2 Cor. 7:1). It is the very nature of the depraved heart to
hanker after that which God has forbidden and to crave after what is
evil, though this spirit may be developed more strongly in some than
in others; at any rate, a larger measure of restraining grace is
granted to one than to another. These irregular desires and inordinate
thoughts are the firstborn of our corrupt nature, the first risings of
indwelling sin, the beginnings of all transgressions committed by us.
"Thou shalt not covet" (Ex. 20:17). "The commandment requires
moderation in respect of all worldly goods, submission to God,
acquiescence in His will, love to His commandments, and a reliance on
Him for the daily supply of all our wants as He sees good. This is
right and reasonable, fit for God to command and profitable for man to
obey, the very temper and felicity of Heaven itself. But it is so
contrary to the desires of our hearts by nature, and so superior to
the actual attainments of the best Christians on earth, that it is
very difficult to persuade them that God requires such perfection, and
still more difficult to satisfy them that it is indispensable to the
happiness of rational creatures, and most difficult of all to convince
them that everything inconsistent with this or short of it is sin;
that it deserves the wrath of God, and cannot be taken away, except by
the mercy of God through the atonement of Christ" (T. Scott).
The most common form of this sin is, of course, the love of money, the
lusting after more and more of material riches. This is evident in
getting, keeping, and spending. First, in getting. To acquire wealth
becomes the dominant passion of the soul. An insatiable greed
possesses the heart. This exists in varying degrees in different
persons, and is demonstrated in numerous ways. That we may be quite
practical let us mention one or two. Often this is manifested in a
greedy and grasping effort after inequitable profits and by paying an
unjustly small wage to employees, the chief design of its perpetrators
being to amass fortunes for their descendants. Yet often these very
men hold prominent positions in the churches and "make long prayers,"
while devouring widows' houses and grinding the face of the poor.
Alas, how the Gospel is dishonored and the sanctuary defiled by such
sanctimonious wretches.
Again. Recently we read a faithful article wherein the writer took to
task the lies and deceptions practiced by many shopkeepers and their
assistants in palming off upon the public various forms of merchandise
by misrepresenting their quality and value; the writer concluding with
a solemn emphasis upon "all liars shall have their part in the lake
which burneth with fire and brimstone" (Rev. 21:8). As he finished
reading the same, this writer asked himself the question, And how far
is a greedy and grasping public to blame? Who is largely responsible
for this commercial dishonesty? Who tempt the tradesmen to mark their
wares as "great bargains," "prices much reduced?" Is it not the
covetous purchasers? How many today are possessed with an insatiable
craving after "bargains," buying things "cheap," without any
conscientious consideration of the real worth of the article: it is
that which fosters so much fraud. Let the Christian buy only what he
needs, and when he needs it, and so far as possible only from upright
traders, and then he will be more willing to pay according to the
value received.
Second, covetousness evidences itself in keeping. There is a
miserliness which clings to money as a drowning man to a log. There is
a hoarding up for self which is entirely reprehensible. "There is one
alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor
brother; yet is there no end of all his labor; neither is his eye
satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labor and
bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore
travail" (Ecclesiastes 4:8). Yes, there are those who are utterly
unconcerned about their eternal interests, and labor day in and day
out, year after year, in order to add to what they have already
accumulated, and who begrudge purchasing for themselves the bare
necessities of life. They continue to amass money utterly regardless
of Christ's cause on earth or the poor and needy among their
fellow-men. There are still those the language of whose actions is, "I
will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow
all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast
much goods laid up for many years: take thine ease; eat, drink, be
merry" (Luke 12:18, 19).
Third, covetousness also manifests itself in spending. If there be
those who are niggardly, there are others who are wastrels. If there
be those who condemn the miser for his stinginess, often they are
guilty in turn of wreckless prodigality. That which ought to be saved
for a rainy day, is used to gratify a desire which covets some
unnecessary object. But let us not be misunderstood on these points.
Neither the possession nor the retention of wealth is wrong in itself,
providing it be acquired honestly and preserved with a justifiable
motive. God is the One who "giveth thee power to get wealth" (Deut.
8:18), and therefore is His goodness to be acknowledged when He is
pleased to prosper us in basket and in store. Yet even then we need
the exhortation, "If riches increase, set not thine heart upon them"
(Ps. 62:10).
"Not slothful in business" (Rom. 12:11) is a Divine exhortation. So
also there is a prudence and thrift which is legitimate, as is clear
from, "There is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to
poverty" (Prov. 11:24). So also it is a bounden duty to make provision
for those who are dependent upon us: "But if any provide not for his
own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the
faith, and is worse than an infidel" (1 Tim. 5:8). It is easy to swing
to the opposite extreme and become fanatical, and under the guise of
trusting God, tempt Him. To lay up for a rainy day is quite
permissible: see Proverbs 6:6-8. Neither idleness nor extravagance are
to be condoned. Those who through indolence or prodigality waste their
substance and fail in business cannot be too severely censured, for
they not only impoverish themselves but injure others, becoming the
pests of society and a public burden.
Yet how difficult it is to strike the happy mean: to be provident
without being prodigal, to be "not slothful in business" and yet not
bury ourselves in it, to be thrifty without being miserly, to use this
world and yet not abuse it. How appropriate is the prayer, "Remove
from me vanity and lies; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me
with food convenient for me: lest I be full, and deny Thee, and say,
Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my
God in vain" (Prov. 30:8, 9). Romans 7:7 shows that it is only as the
Spirit applies the Law in power to the conscience that we are taught
to see the evil and feel the danger of covetousness; as, at the same
time, it serves to check an avaricious disposition and curb inordinate
fondness for the creature. That which most effectually strikes at our
innate selfishness is the love of God shed abroad in the heart. A
generous heart and a liberal hand should ever characterize the
Christian.
A few words next upon the heinousness of covetousness. This evil lust
blinds the understanding and corrupts the judgment, so that it regards
light as darkness, and darkness as light. "If I have made gold my
hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence; if I
rejoiced because my wealth was great and because mine hand had gotten
much... This also was an iniquity to be punished by the judge, for I
should have denied the God that is above" (Job 31:24, 25, 28)--how
little this is realized by the guilty one! It is an insatiable lust,
for when covetousness rules, the heart is never satisfied: "He that
loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver, nor he that loveth
abundance with increase" (Ecclesiastes 5:10). It is a devouring sin:
"the deceitfulness of riches choke the Word" (Matthew 13:22).
So terrible is this sin and so great is its power that, one who is
governed by it will trample upon the claims of justice, as Ahab did in
seizing the vineyard of Naboth (1 Kings 21); he will disregard the
call of charity, as David did in taking the wife of Uriah (2 Sam. 11);
he will stoop to the most fearful lies, as did Ananias and Sapphira;
he will defy the express commandment of God, as Achan did; he will
sell Christ, as Judas did. This is the mother sin, for "the love of
money is the root of all evil." It is a gnawing and fatal sin: "But
they that will be (are determined to be) rich fall into temptation and
a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in
destruction and perdition... which while some have coveted after they
have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many
sorrows" (1 Tim. 6:9, 10).
It is the working of this evil lust which lies at the root of very
much of the fearful Sabbath-desecration that is now so rife. It is the
greed of gold which causes the ra
the Sunday editions of the newspaper. How the nations of Christendom
are heaping up to themselves "wrath against the Day of Wrath!" God
will not be mocked with impugnity. Those who believe the Scriptures
must perforce expect that soon a far worse war than the last is likely
to be sent as a scourge from Heaven upon the present Sabbath
profaners.
It was the spirit of covetousness which prompted Israel of old to
disregard the fourth commandment. "In those days saw I in Jerusalem
some treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and
lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of
burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day: and I
testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. There
dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of
ware, and sold in the Sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in
Jerusalem" (Nehemiah 13:15, 16). Because of their Sabbath profanation,
the sore judgment of God fell upon the nation. "Then I contended with
the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil is this that ye do,
and profane the Sabbath day? Did not your fathers thus, and did not
our God bring all this evil upon us and upon this city? yet ye bring
more wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath" (Nehemiah 13:17, 18):
"Hallow My Sabbaths and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that
ye may know that I am the Lord your God. Notwithstanding, the children
rebelled against Me: they walked not in My statutes neither kept My
judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them:
they polluted My Sabbaths: then I said, I will pour out My fury upon
them" (Ezek. 20:20, 21).
Thus, not only is covetousness a fearful sin in itself, but it is also
the prolific mother of other evils. In the poor, it works envy,
discontent, and fraud; in the rich, pride, luxury, and avarice. This
vile lust unfits for the performing of holy duties, preventing the
exercise of those graces which are necessary thereto. It exposes to
manifold temptations, whereby we are rendered an easy prey to many
spiritual enemies. The more we yield to this evil spirit, the more do
we conduct ourselves as though we desired our portion in this world,
and look no further than present things, contrary to "while we look
not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not
seen" (2 Cor. 4:18). It tends to cast contempt on the mercies which
are ours and quenches the spirit of thanksgiving. It turns the heart
away from God: "How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the
kingdom of God!" (Mark 10:23).
Let us now go deeper and solemnly observe the comprehensiveness of
God's searching law, "Thou shalt not covet" (Ex. 20:17). Light is cast
upon those words by, "I had not known sin, but by the Law; for I had
not known lust (`concupiscence,' margin) except the law had said, Thou
shalt not covet or "lust" (Rom. 7:7)--"concupiscence" is an evil
desire, an inordinate affection, a secret lusting after something.
What the apostle means is, I had never discovered my inward depravity
unless the Spirit had enlightened my understanding, convicted my
conscience, and made me feel the corruptions of my heart. Man ever
looks on the outward appearance--and as a Pharisee of the Pharisees
Paul's actions fully conformed to the Law--but when the Spirit
quickens a soul, he is made to realize that God requires "Truth in the
inward parts" (Ps. 51:6) and cries "Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me" (Ps. 51:10).
"Thou shalt not covet." That which is here forbidden is concupiscence,
or those imaginations, thoughts, and desires, which precede the
consent of the will. Herein we may perceive the exalted holiness of
the Divine Law--far transcending all human codes--requiring inward
purity. Herein, too, we may recognize one of the fundamental errors of
Romanists, who, following the Pelagians, deny that these lustings are
sinful until they are yielded to, and who affirm that evil
imaginations only become sinful when the mind definitely assents to
them. But the holy Law of God condemns that which instigates unto what
is forbidden, condemns that which inclines toward what is unholy, and
denounces that which inflames with cupidity. All irregular desires are
forbidden. Corrupt imaginations and unlawful inclinations that precede
the consent of the will are evil, being the seeds of all other sins.
Again we say, Herein God's Law differs from and is immeasurably
superior to all of man's laws, for it takes note of and prohibits all
the hidden desires and secret lustings of the heart. It is this tenth
commandment which, above all others, discovers unto us our depravity
and shows how very far short we come of that perfection which the Law
requires. There is first an evil thought in the mind causing us to
think of something which is not ours. This is followed by a longing
after or wishing for it. There is then an inward delight by way of
anticipating the pleasure that object will give; and then, unless
restraining grace intervenes, the outward act of sin is committed--see
James 1:14, 15. The first evil thought is involuntary, due to the
mind's being turned from good to evil, even though that evil be simply
lusting after a new but unnecessary hat! The longing is caused by the
heart's being enticed by the delight promised. Then the consent of the
will is gained, and the mind plans how to gain the coveted object.
This concupiscence or evil lusting of the heart is called "the law of
sin which is in my members" (Rom. 7:23). It is what the older
theologians term "original sin," being the fountain of evil within,
corrupting all our faculties. Discontent with our lot, envy of our
neighbors, yea, even the very "thought of foolishness is SIN" (Prov.
24:9). How high is the standard set before us: "Let none of you
imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbor; and love no false
oath; for all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord" (Zech.
8:17). Does the third commandment interdict any blasphemous oath upon
the lips? then the tenth prohibits any risings of the heart against
God. Does the fourth commandment interdict all unnecessary work on the
Sabbath? then the tenth condemns our saying "what a weariness is it."
Does the eighth commandment interdict every act of theft? then the
tenth prohibits our desiring anything which is our neighbor's.
But it is not until after a person is regenerate that he takes notice
of the inward motions of sin and takes cognizance of the state of his
heart. Then Satan will seek to persuade that he is not responsible for
involuntary thoughts (which come unbidden), that evil desires are
beyond our control--infirmities which are excusable. But God says to
him "Keep thine heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues
of life" (Prov. 4:23), and makes him realize that every lusting after
what He has forbidden or withheld is a species of self-will. Therefore
we are accountable to judge the first inclination toward evil and
resist the very earliest solicitations. The fact that we discover so
much within that is contrary to God's holy requirements should deeply
humble us, and cause us to live more and more out of self and upon
Christ.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 110
Contentment
(Hebrews 13:5, 6)
__________________________________________
Discontent, though few appear to realize it, is sinful, a grievous
offense against the Most High. It is an impugning of His wisdom, a
denial of His goodness, a rising up of my will against His. To murmur
at our lot is to take issue with God's sovereignty, quarrelling as it
does with His providence, and therefore, is a being guilty of high
treason against the King of the universe. Since God orders all the
circumstances of human life, then every person ought to be entirely
satisfied with the state and situation in which he is placed. One has
no more excuse to grumble at his lot than has another. This truth Paul
instructed Timothy to press upon others: "Let as many servants as are
under the yoke, count their own masters worthy of all honor, that the
name of God and His doctrine be not blasphemed" (1 Tim. 6:1).
"The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose
waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the
wicked" (Isa. 57:20, 21). The ungodly are total strangers to real
contentment. No matter how much they have, they are ever lusting after
more. But God exhorts His people, "Let your conversation be without
covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have" (Heb. 13:5).
As it is their bounden duty to avoid the vice of covetousness, so it
is their personal responsibility to cultivate the virtue of
contentment; and failure at either point is culpable. The contentment
here exhorted unto is something other than a fatalistic indifference:
it is a holy composure of mind, a resting in the Lord, a being pleased
with what pleases Him--satisfied with the portion He has allotted.
Anything short of this is evil.
Discontent is contrary to our prayers, and therefore must be most
reprehensible. When we truly pray, we desire God to give or withhold,
to bestow or take away, according as will be most for His glory and
our highest good. Realizing that we know not what is best, we leave it
with God. In real prayer we submit our understandings to the Divine
wisdom, our wills to His good pleasure. But to be dissatisfied with
our lot and complain at our portion is to exercise the very opposite
spirit, indicating an unwillingness to be at God's disposal, and
leaning to our own understanding as though we knew better than He what
was most conducive to our present and future well being. This is a
tempting of God and a grieving of His Holy Spirit, and has a strong
tendency to provoke Him to fight against us (Isa. 63:10).
When God does fight against us because of this sin, He often gives us
what we were discontented for the want of, but accompanies the same
with some sore affliction. For example, Rachel was in a most
discontented frame when she said to Jacob "Give me children, else I
die" (Gen. 30:1). The sequel is very solemn: she had children, and
died in childbirth: see Genesis 35:16-18. Again, we are told that
Israel "lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the
desert. And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their
soul" (Ps. 106:14, 15). These cases need to be taken to heart by us,
for they are recorded for our learning and warning. God takes note of
the discontent of our hearts as well as the murmuring of our lips.
"Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph. 5:20) is the standard which He
has set before us.
Not only is discontent a grievous sin against God, but it unfits the
Christian for the discharge of holy duties, preventing the exercise of
those graces which are necessary in order thereunto. It silences the
lips of supplication, for how can a murmurer pray? It destroys the
spirit of submission, for complaining is a "fretting against the
Lord." It quenches faith, hope and love. Discontent is the very
essence of ingratitude, and therefore it stifles the voice of
thanksgiving. There cannot be any rest of soul until we quietly resign
our persons and portions to God's good pleasure. Discontent corrodes
the strings of the heart, and therefore it arrests all happy endeavor.
Discontent is usually over temporal matters, and this is a sad
intimation that material things are sought after more eagerly than are
spiritual things. It argues a lack of confidence in the care of our
heavenly Father to provide for us the things which are needed.
"Christian, let me ask thee this question, Didst thou give thyself to
Christ for temporal, or for eternal comforts? Didst thou enter upon
religion to save thine estate, or thy soul? Oh, why then shouldest
thou be so sad, when thine eternal happiness is so safe? For shame,
live like a child of God, an heir of Heaven, and let the world know,
that thy hopes and happiness are in a better world; that thou art
denied those acorns which thy Father giveth to His hogs, yet thou hast
the children's bread, and expectest thine inheritance when thou comest
to age" (G. Swinnock, 1650). What cause have we all to be deeply
humbled over our sinful repinings, to hang our heads with shame, and
penitently confess the same unto God!
Yet notwithstanding both the sinfulness and injuriousness of
discontent, many raise various objections to excuse the same. Some
will plead their personal temperament in self-vindication, alleging
that their natural temper makes them uneasy and anxious, so that they
are quite unable to submit themselves unto the disposing providence of
God. But, my dear reader, the corruption of our nature and its
proneness to sin is no excuse for, but rather an aggravation of it,
showing how much our hearts are opposed unto God. The more we yield to
our natural inclinations, the more power they obtain over us. In such
a case as the above we ought rather to be the more importunate with
God, begging Him for His grace to restrain the inordinancy of our
affections, to subdue our fears, and work in us willingness to
acquiesce to His sovereign pleasure.
Others attempt to justify their discontent and uneasy frame of spirit
by alleging that the injuries which others have done them ought to be
resented, and that not to manifest discontent under them would be to
encourage such people unto further insults and trampling upon them. To
this it may be replied that while we complain of injuries done to us
by men, and are prone to meditate revenge against them, we do not
consider the great dishonor that we bring to God, and how much we
provoke Him. It is written, "But if ye forgive not men their
trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matthew
6:15). Remember that "What glory is it if, when ye be buffeted for
your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if when ye do well, and
suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For
even hereunto were ye called: Because Christ also suffered for us,
leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps: who did no
sin, neither was guile found in His mouth; who, when He was reviled,
reviled not again" (1 Pet. 2:20-23).
Others seek to excuse their discontent by dwelling upon the magnitude
of their trials, saying that their burden is insupportable, so that
they are pressed out of measure, above their strength. Even so, none
of our afflictions are as great as our sins; and the more we complain,
the heavier do we make our burden. Others point to the altogether
unexpectedness of their trouble, that it came upon them when they were
quite unprepared, and that it is therefore more than flesh and blood
can endure. But the Christian should daily expect afflictions in this
world, at least so far as not to be unprovided for or think it strange
he should be exercised by them (1 Pet. 4:12). With some the drastic
change from affluence to poverty is so great they argue that it is
impossible to bear up under it. But does not God say, "My grace is
sufficient for thee" (2 Cor. 12:9)?
Yet no excuses are to be allowed to set aside or modify this Divine
injunction, "Be content with such things as ye have." But before
proceeding further let it be pointed out that contentment is not
incompatible with honest effort to enlarge the provision of earthly
things for ourselves and those dependent upon us, for God has given us
six days out of seven to be industrious. Idleness must not be allowed
to cloak itself under the guise of this grace: contentment and
indolence are two vastly different things. "This contentment does not
consist in a slothful neglect of the business of life, nor of a real
nor pretended apathy to worldly interests. It is substantially a
satisfaction with God as our portion and with what He is pleased to
appoint for us. It is opposed to covetousness or the inordinate desire
of wealth, and to unbelieving anxiety--dissatisfaction with what is
present, distrust as to what is future" (John Brown).
Contentment is a tranquility of soul, a being satisfied with what God
has apportioned. It is the opposite of a grasping spirit which is
never appeased, with distrustful anxiety, with petulant murmurings.
"It is a gracious disposedness of mind, arising solely from trust in
and satisfaction with God alone, against all other things whatever
appear to be evil" (John Owen). It is our duty to have the scales of
our heart so equally poised in all God's dealings with us as that they
rise not in prosperity, nor sink in adversity. As the tree bendeth
this way or that with the wind, yet still keeps its place, so we
should yield according to the gales of Divine providence, yet still
remaining steadfast and retaining our piety. The more composure of
mind we preserve, the more shall we, on the one hand, "rejoice with
trembling" (Ps. 2:11), and on the other, "faint not" when the
chastening rod falls upon us.
As this spiritual grace of contentment is so glorifying to God, and so
beneficial to ourselves, we will endeavor to mention some of the chief
aids thereto. First, a realization of God's goodness. A deep and fixed
sense of His benevolence greatly tends to quieten the heart when
outward circumstances are trying to us. If I have formed the habit of
meditating daily upon God's fatherly care--and surely I am constantly
surrounded by proofs and tokens thereof--then I shall be less apt to
chafe and fret when His providences cross my will. Has He not assured
me that "all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are called according to His purpose" (Rom. 8:28)? What more
then can I ask? O to rest in His love. Surely He is entitled to my
confidence in His paternal solicitude. Remember that each murmur
implies unthankfulness. Complaining is the basest of ingratitude. If
the Lord provides for the ravens, will He overlook the needs of any of
His children? O ye of little faith!
Second, a steady realization of God's omniscience. A deep and fixed
sense of His un-searchable wisdom is well calculated to allay our
fears and compose our minds when everything appears to be going wrong
with our circumstances. Settle it in your mind once for all, dear
friend, that "the high and lofty One" makes no mistakes. His
understanding is infinite, and His resources are without measure. He
knows far better than we do what is for our well being and what will
best promote our ultimate interests. Then let me not be found pitting
my puny reason against the ways of the all-wise Jehovah. It is naught
but pride and self-will which complains at His dealings with me. As
another has said, "Now if one creature can and ought to be governed by
another that is more wise than himself--as the client by his learned
counsel, the patient by his skillful physician--much more should we be
satisfied with the unerring dispositions of God." Remember that
complaining never relieves a single woe or lightens a single burden;
it is therefore most irrational.
Third, a steady realization of God's supremacy. A deep and fixed sense
of His absolute sovereignty, His indisputable right to do as He
pleases in the ordering of all our affairs, should do much to subdue
the spirit of rebellion and silence our foolish and wicked murmurings.
It is not the Almighty's pleasure to give unto all alike, but rather
that some should have more and others less: "The Lord maketh poor, and
maketh rich: He bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor
out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set
them among princes" (1 Sam. 2:7, 8). Then quarrel not with the Most
High because He distributes His gifts and favors unequally; but rather
seek grace that thy will may be brought into subjection to His. It is
written "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on
Thee" (Isa. 26:3). Consider how many lack some of the good things
which thou enjoyest. "Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker....
Shall the clay say to Him that fashioneth it, What maketh Thou?" (Isa.
45:9).
Fourth, a steady realization of our ill-deserts. A deep and fixed
sense of our utter unworthiness must do much to still our repinings
when we are tempted to complain of the absence of those things our
hearts covet. If we live under an habitual sense of our unworthiness,
it will greatly reconcile us to deprivations. If we daily remind
ourselves that we have forfeited all good and deserve all ill at the
hands of God, then we shall heartily acknowledge "It is of the Lord's
mercies that we are not consumed" (Lam. 3:22). Nothing will more
quickly compose the mind in the face of adversity and nothing will so
prevent the heart being puffed up by prosperity, than the realization
that "I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies" (Gen. 32:10) of
God. Just so far as we really preserve a sense of our ill-deserts will
we meekly submit to the allotments of Divine providence. Every
Christian cordially assents to the truth "He hath not dealt with us
after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities" (Ps.
103:10), then why complain if God withholds from us what He grants to
others?
Fifth, weanedness from the world. The more dead we are to the things
of time and sense, the less our hearts will crave them, and the
smaller will be our disappointment when we do not have them. This
world is the great impediment to the heavenly life, being the bait of
the flesh and the snare of Satan by which he turns souls from God. The
lighter we hold the world's attractions, the more indifferent we are
to either poverty or wealth, the greater will be our contentment. God
has promised to supply all our needs, therefore "having food and
raiment let us be therewith content" (1 Tim. 6:8). Superfluities are
hindrances and not helps. "Better is little with the fear of the Lord,
than great treasure and trouble therewith" (Prov. 15:16). Remember
that the contented man is the only one who enjoys what he has. "Set
your affection on things above, not on things on the earth" (Col.
3:2).
Sixth, fellowship with God. The more we cultivate communion with Him
and are occupied with His perfections, the less shall we lust after
the baubles which have such a hold upon the ungodly. Walking with God
produces a peace and joy such as this poor world can neither give nor
take away. "There be many that say, Who will show us any good? Lord,
lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance upon us. Thou hast put
gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their
wine increased" (Ps. 4:6, 7). Walking in the way of God's commands is
a real antidote to discontent: "Great peace have they which love Thy
law, and nothing shall offend them" (Ps. 119:165). Seventh,
remembrance of what Christ suffered. "For consider Him that endured
such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and
faint in your minds" (Heb. 12:3). When tempted to complain at your
lot, meditate upon Him who when here had not where to lay His head,
who was constantly misunderstood by friends and hated by innumerable
enemies. Contemplation of the cross of Christ is a wonderful composer
of an agitated mind and a querulous spirit.
"Be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will
never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Here is an enforcement of what
has just gone before, a reason for the duties enjoined, a motive
supplied for the performance of them. One of the Divine promises is
quoted, which if it be duly appropriated by us, we shall be dissuaded
from covetousness and persuaded to contentment. Resting on this Divine
assurance will both moderate our desires and alleviate our fears. "I
will never leave thee nor forsake thee" is a guarantee of God's
continual provision and protection, and this rebukes all inordinate
desires and condemns all anxious fears. The evils are closely
connected, for in most instances covetousness, in the Christian, is
rooted in a fear of want; while discontent generally arises from a
suspicion that our present portion will prove to be inadequate for the
supply of our needs. Each such disquietude is equally irrational and
God-dishonoring.
Both covetousness and discontent proceed from unbelief. If I really
trust God, will I have any qualms about the future or tremble at the
prospect of starvation? Certainly not: the two things are
incompatible, opposites--"I will trust, and not be afraid" (Isa.
12:2). Thus the apostle's argument is clear and convincing: "Let your
conversation be without covetousness; be content with such things as
ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee."
The "for He hath said" is more forcible than "for God hath said:" it
is the character of the One with whom we have to do that is here held
up to our view. "He has said"--who has? Why, One whose power is
omnipotent, whose wisdom is infinite, whose faithfulness is
inviolable, whose love is unchanging. "All the efficacy, power and
comfort of Divine promises arise from and are resolved into the
excellencies of the Divine nature. He hath said it who is truth, and
cannot deceive" (John Owen).
And what is it that He has said, which, if faith truly lays hold of,
will subdue covetousness and work contentment? This, "I will never
leave thee nor forsake thee." God's presence, God's providence, God's
protection, are here assured us. If due regard be paid to these
inestimable blessings, the heart will be kept in peace. What more
would we have save a conscious realization of the same? O for a felt
sense of His presence, for a gracious manifestation thereof to the
soul. What were all the wealth, honors, pleasures of the world worth,
if He should totally and finally desert us! The comfort of our soul
does not depend upon outward provisions, so much as on our
appropriation and enjoyment of what is contained in the Divine
promises. If we rested more on them, we would crave less of this
world's goods. What possible cause or ground for fear remains when God
has pledged us His continual presence and assistance?
"I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." It is almost impossible to
reproduce in English the emphasis of the original, in which no less
than five negatives are used to increase the strength of the negation,
according to the Greek idiom. Perhaps the nearest approximation is to
render it, "I will never, no, never leave thee, nor ever forsake
thee." In view of such assurance we should fear no want, dread no
distress, nor have any trepidation about the future. At no time, under
any circumstances conceivable or inconceivable, for any possible
cause, will God utterly and finally forsake one of His own. Then how
safe they are! how impossible for one of them to eternally perish! God
has here graciously condescended to give the utmost security to the
faith of believers in all their difficulties and trials. The continued
presence of God with us ensures the continued supply of every need.
"For He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." These
words were first spoken by Jehovah to the successor of Moses (Josh.
1:5), whose task it was to dispossess Canaan of all the heathen
nations then inhabiting it. The fact that the Holy Spirit moved the
apostle to apply unto Christians this promise made to Joshua, supplies
clear proof that our modern dispensationalists wrongly divide the Word
of Truth. Their practice of partitioning the Scriptures and their
contention that what God said under one dispensation does not apply to
those living in another, is here exposed as nothing less than an
effort of Satan to rob God's people of a part of their rightful and
needful portion. This precious promise of God belongs as truly to me
now as it did to Joshua of old. Let, then, this principle be
tenaciously held by us: the Divine promises which were made upon
special occasions to particular individuals are of general use for all
the members of the household of faith.
What has just been affirmed is so obvious that it should require no
further proof or illustration; but inasmuch as it is being repudiated
in some influential quarters today, we will labor the point a little.
Are not the needs of believers the same in one age as another? Is not
God affected alike unto all His children?--does He not bear them the
same love? If, then, He would not desert Joshua, then He will not any
of us. Are not Christians now under the same everlasting Covenant of
Grace as were the O.T. saints? then they have a common charter--"For
the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are
afar off" (Acts 2:39). Let us not forget that "Whatsoever things were
written aforetime, were written for our learning, that we through
patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope" (Rom. 15:4).
"So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my Helper, and I will not fear
what man shall do unto me" (verse 6). An inference is here drawn from
the promise just quoted: a double conclusion is reached--confidence in
God and courage against man. This intimates that we should make a
varied and manifold use of the Divine promises. This twofold
conclusion is based upon the character of the Promiser: because He is
infinitely good, wise, faithful, powerful, and because He changes not,
we may boldly or confidently declare with Abraham "God will provide"
(Gen. 22:8), with Jonathan "there is no restraint to the Lord" (1 Sam.
14:6), with Jehoshaphat "None is able to withstand Thee" (2 Chron.
20:6), with Paul "If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Rom.
8:31).
"So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my Helper, and I will not fear
what man shall do unto me." Once more the apostle confirms his
argument by a Divine testimony, for he quotes from Psalm 118:6. In
this citing of David's language, Christians are again taught the
suitability of O.T. language unto their own case, and the
permissibility of appropriating the same unto themselves: "we may
boldly say" just what the Psalmist did! It was in a time of sore
distress that David expressed his confidence in the Lord, at a time
when it appeared that his enemies were ready to swallow him up; but
contrasting the omnipotency of Jehovah from the feebleness of the
creature, his heart was emboldened. The believer is weak and unstable
in himself, and constantly in need of assistance, but the Lord is ever
ready to take his part and render all needed aid.
"The Lord is my Helper" implies, as W. Gouge pointed out, "a willing
readiness and a ready willingness to afford us all needed succor."
Those whom He forsakes not, He helps--both inwardly and outwardly.
Note carefully the change from "we may boldly say" to "the Lord is my
Helper:" general privileges are to be appropriated by us in
particular. "Man can do much: he can fine, imprison, banish, reduce to
a morsel of bread, yea, torture and put to death; yet as long as God
is with us and standeth for us, we may boldly say, `I will not fear
what man can do.' Why? God will not see thee utterly perish. He can
give joy in sorrow, life in death" (Thomas Manton). May the Lord
graciously grant both writer and reader more faith in Himself, more
reliance upon His promises, more consciousness of His presence, more
assurance of His help, and then we shall enjoy more deliverance from
covetousness, discontent, and the fear of man.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
____________________________________________________
About Us
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_________________________________________________________________
¸ Copyright 2004-2012 Providence Baptist Ministries
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 111
Motives to Fidelity
(Hebrews 13:7, 8)
__________________________________________
In seeking to ascertain the meaning and scope of the verses which now
require our consideration due notice must be taken of their setting,
and that, in turn, weighed in the light of the epistle as a whole. In
the immediate context the apostle dehorts from covetousness and
discontent, reminding his readers that God had said "I will never
leave thee nor forsake thee." From that Divine promise he points out
two conclusions which faith will draw. First, "The Lord is my Helper."
The child of God is in urgent need of an all-powerful Helper, for he
has to contend with a mighty foe whose rage knows no bounds. It is a
great mercy when we are made conscious of our helplessness, when our
conceit is so subdued as to realize that without Divine assistance
defeat is certain. What peace and comfort it brings to the heart when
the believer is enabled to realize that the Lord is just as truly his
"Helper" when chastening him, as when delivering from trouble!
The Second inference which faith makes from the Divine promise is, "I
will not fear what man shall do unto me." If the Lord will never leave
nor forsake me, then He must be" a very present help in trouble" (Ps.
46:1). O what a difference it makes to the sorely-tried soul when he
can realize that God is not far away from him, but "at hand" (Phil.
4:5). Yes, even if called upon to walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, he will be with me, and therefore will His rod and
staff comfort me (Ps. 23:4). And since the believer's Helper is none
other than the Almighty, no real harm or evil can possibly befall him.
Why, then, should he dread the creature? His worst enemy can do naught
against him without the Lord's permission. The abiding presence of the
Lord ensures the supply of every need: therefore contentment should
fill the heart. The abiding presence of the Lord guarantees
all-sufficient help, and therefore alarms at man's enmity should be
removed.
Even in the more general exhortations of Hebrews 13 there is a tacit
recognition of the peculiar circumstances of the Hebrews, and more
plainly still is this implied in the language of verse 6. The Jewish
Christians were being opposed and persecuted by their unbelieving
brethren, and the temptation to apostatize was very real and pressing.
"The fear of man bringeth a snare" (Prov. 29:25). It did to Abraham,
when he went down to Egypt, and later on to Gerar, moving him to
conceal Sarah's real relation to him. It did to the whole nation of
Israel when they hearkened to the report of the ten spies. It did to
Peter, so much so that he denied his Master. It did to Pilate, for
when the Jews threatened him with "If thou let this man go, thou art
not Caesar's friend" (John 19:12), he unwillingly consented to
Christ's crucifixion. Fearfully solemn is that word, "But whosoever
shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which
is in Heaven" (Matthew 10:33).
Now it is in view of the trying situation in which the Hebrew saints
were placed that we should consider our present passage. The apostle's
design was to fortify them against temptations to apostatize, to
encourage them unto steadfastness in the Faith, to so establish them
that even though they should be called on to suffer a violent death,
they would yet remain loyal to Christ. Moreover, their enemies were
not only intimidating them by open oppression and threats of more dire
persecution, but others under the guise of being Christian teachers,
were seeking to poison their minds with errors that undermined the
very foundations of the Gospel: it was to them that Paul had reference
in verse 9. Hence, in verses 7, 8 the apostle also calls upon the
Hebrews to maintain their profession of the Truth in opposition to the
lies of these Judaizers.
"Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you
the Word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their
conversation. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever"
(verses 7, 8). A number of questions are raised by the terms of our
passage. Who are the rulers here mentioned? In what sense or way are
they to be "remembered"? What is signified by "following" their faith?
What is denoted by the "end of their conversation"? Wherein do these
exhortations furnish motives unto fidelity or steadfastness? Why
affirm here the Savior's immutability?
First of all it should be pointed out that the A.V. rendering of the
opening clause is misleading, and quite out of harmony with the
remainder of the verse. "Those which have the rule over you" is a
single word in the Greek. It is a participle of the present tense, but
is frequently used as a noun, as is obviously the case here: "your
rulers." That their present rulers could not be intended is quite
apparent from several considerations. First, because the Hebrews were
called upon to "remember," rather than submit to them. Second, because
they are distinctly described as they "who have spoken unto you the
Word of God." Third, because they were such as had already received
"the end of their conversation" or conduct in this world. Finally,
because there is a distinct precept given with respect to their
attitude toward their living rulers in verse 17.
The reference is, of course, to the spiritual rulers, those who had
ministered to them God's Word. The persons intended were the officers
in the Church, that is, those who guided and governed its affairs.
"Overseers" or "guides" is hardly definite or strong enough to bring
out the force of the original term, for while it signifies to lead or
go before, it also denotes one who is over others, being the word for
"governor" in Matthew 2:6 and Acts 7:10. "Your leaders" would be
better, though hardly as good as the word actually used in the
A.V.--your rulers. Those in view were the apostles and prophets, the
elders and pastors, who instructed the saints and directed the
government of the churches. No doubt the apostle was more specifically
alluding to such men as Stephen and James who had been beheaded by
Herod (Acts 12:2), men who had sealed the Truth they proclaimed by
laying down their lives for it.
"Who have spoken unto you the Word of God": that is the mark by which
Christian leaders are to be identified--the men whom God has
graciously called to ecclesiastical rule are gifted by Him to expound
and enforce the Scriptures, for the function of their office is not
legislative, but administrative. The Christian leader, though he
possesses no arbitrary power, nevertheless is to bear rule, and that,
according to the Scriptures. He is not called upon to invent new laws,
but simply to declare the will and apply the statutes of Zion's King.
There cannot be a properly ordered household unless discipline be duly
maintained. Alas, if one section of those who profess to be the
ministers of Christ have usurped His prerogatives, exalting themselves
into ecclesiastical despots, another class have woefully failed to
maintain the honor of His House, letting down the bars and
inaugurating a regime of lawlessness.
"Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you
the Word of God." By this criterion are we to test the ostensible
"guides" and religious leaders of the day. "Beloved, believe not every
spirit, but try the spirits, whether they are of God: because many
false prophets are gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1); and never
was there a time when we more urgently needed to measure men by this
standard. "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause
divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned;
and avoid them" (Rom. 16:17). "If there come any unto you, and bring
not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him
God speed" (2 John 10)--no matter how pleasing his personality,
soothing his message, or numerous his followers. "For he whom God hath
sent speaketh the words of God" (John 3:34): true of Christ perfectly,
but characteristic of all whom He calls to the sacred office of the
ministry. To speak God's Word is the grand duty of the Christian
teacher--not to indulge in philosophical or theological speculation,
nor to tickle the ears of men with sensational topics of the day.
The next thing singled out for mention in connection with these
spiritual rulers who had preached the Word of God, is their "faith,"
which the Hebrews were enjoined to "follow." There is some difference
of opinion among the commentators as to exactly what is here referred
to. "Faith" is a term which has a varying scope in its N.T. usage,
though its different meanings are closely applied, and can usually be
determined by the context. First, "Faith" is the principle of trust
whereby the heart turns to God and rests upon His word, and by which
we are, instrumentally, saved: "thy faith hath made thee whole"
(Matthew 9:22), "by grace are ye saved through faith" (Eph. 2:8).
Second, "faith" has reference to that which is to be believed, the
Truth of God, the Christian Creed: "exhorting them to continue in the
Faith" (Acts 14:22), "the Word of Faith which we preach" (Rom. 10:8),
"contend for the Faith" (Jude 3). Third, "faith" is used to designate
the fruits and works that spring from it, because it is their root:
"brought us good tidings of your faith" (1 Thess. 3:6), "show me thy
faith" (James 2:18), i.e., the effects of it.
The term "faith" is used in still another sense. Fourth, it signifies
fidelity or faithfulness, as in the following passages: "The weightier
matters of the Law: judgment, mercy, and faith" (Matthew 23:23), "the
faith of God" (Rom. 3:3), "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace... faith" or "faithfulness" as in the R.V. (Gal. 5:22).
Personally we consider this last meaning of the term to be primary,
though not exclusive, significance in our present verse. The reference
is not only to the grace of faith which was in them, but to its whole
exercise in all that they did and suffered. Amid much discouragement
and bitter opposition those Christian leaders had not fainted, but
held on their way. Despite temptations to apostatize they had
persevered in their profession, remained loyal to Christ, continued to
minister unto His people, and had glorified God by laying down their
lives for the Gospel. Faithful to their Master, they were fruitful in
his service to the end of their course.
The last thing here mentioned of these spiritual rulers is "the end of
their conversation," which is the most difficult to define with
exactitude. The Greek word here for "end" is not "telos" which
signifies the finish or conclusion of a thing, but "ekbasis" which
literally means "a going up out of." It is found elsewhere in the N.T.
only in 1 Corinthians 10:13, where it is rendered "God is faithful,
who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will
with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to
bear it." "It is not therefore merely an end that is intended; nor
doth the word signify a common end, issue or event of things, but an
end accompanied with a deliverance from, and so a conquest over, such
difficulties and dangers as men were before exposed unto. These
persons, in the whole course of their conversation, were exercised
with difficulties, dangers and sufferings, all attempting to stop them
in their way, or to turn them out of it. But what did it all amount
to, what was the issue of their conflict? It was a blessed deliverance
from all troubles, and conquest over them" (John Owen).
"The end of their conversation," then, has reference to their egress
or exit from this world of sin and sorrow. It was a deliverance from
all their trials, an honorable way of escape from all their
difficulties and dangers, an exodus from the land of their Enemy. Yet
it seems to us that the particular term used here by the Spirit is
designed to carry our thoughts beyond this present scene. What was
before the mind of Paul himself as he announces that the time of his
departure was at hand? First, he declared, "I have fought a good
fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith," and then he
added "henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness" (2
Tim. 4:7, 8). As we have said, "ekbasis" signified a "going up out
of:" thus the "end of their conversation" also meant a being taken to
be forever with the Lord, a sure though future resurrection, and an
unfading diadem of glory.
Corresponding to the three things said of their spiritual leaders, a
threefold exhortation is given to the Hebrews. They were required to
"remember" those who had spoken to them the Word of God," they were
bidden to "follow" their faith, and they were enjoined to "consider"
the end of their conversation. "Remember" is another word that is
given a comprehensive meaning and scope in its Scriptural usage. It
signifies that reverence and submission which is due a superior, as in
"Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth" (Ecclesiastes
12:1). It implies the holding fast of what has been received, whether
instruction, promises, or warnings: "Remember, forget not, how thou
provoked the Lord thy God to wrath in the wilderness" (Deut. 9:7). It
means to recall that which has been forgotten: "When therefore He was
risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this
unto them, and they believed the Scripture, and the word which Jesus
had said" (John 2:22). It denotes to meditate upon, as in "And thou
shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty
years in the wilderness" (Deut. 8:2).
Here in our text the "remember" is used comprehensively, as comprising
all those duties of respect and esteem, of love and obedience, which
they owed to their departed teachers. Nor was such an exhortation
needless. Human nature is very fickle, and tragic it is to mark how
quickly many a faithful pastor is forgotten. Such forgetfulness is a
species of ingratitude, and therefore is sinful. "Now there was found
in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city: yet no
man remembered that same poor man" (Ecclesiastes 9:15)--God taxes them
with their forgetfulness! "Remember your leaders" includes
thankfulness to God for them, speaking well of them, putting into
practice their teaching. More specifically it means: treasure up in
heart their instructions; call to mind their counsels, warnings,
exhortations; gratefully meditate upon their untiring efforts to
establish you in the Faith.
"Remember your rulers." How fearfully has this precept been perverted!
What terrible superstitions have been invented and perpetrated in this
connection: such as religious celebrations on the anniversary of their
death, the dedication of "altars" and "chapels" unto their memory, the
adoration of their bones, with the ascription of miraculous cures to
them; the offering of prayers for them and to them. True, they are to
be esteemed very highly in love for their works' sake (1 Thess. 5:13),
both while they are with us and after God has removed them from us,
but His servants are not to be "remembered" with idolatrous
veneration, nor to the dividing with Christ any of those honors which
belong alone unto Him. Not carnally, but spiritually are they to be
remembered in what they did and taught, so that we are duly affected
thereby.
It is at the point last mentioned we may perceive the pertinency of
this precept to the apostle's design. His immediate purpose was to
fortify them against departure from the Faith. Hence, he bids them
"remember your rulers," for if you bear steadily in mind their
instruction, you will at once perceive the error of the "divers and
strange doctrines" which he warns against in verse 9. "The sheep
follow Him: for they know His voice, And a stranger they will not
follow, but will flee from him; for they know not the voice of
strangers" (John 10:4, 5): that is the order--if we are heeding the
true servants of Christ, we shall neither be attracted nor deceived by
the emissaries of Satan. Again; a loving esteem of our teachers and a
grateful remembrance of their devoted and laborious efforts to get us
established in the Truth, will make us ashamed to go back on their
instruction. Finally; to recall their steadfastness will be an
encouragement to us when encountering opposition: they did not
apostatize in the face of extreme peril--shall we spurn the example
they left us.
And what is the clear implication of this to present-day preachers? Is
there not here a searching word for heart and conscience? Is your
ministry worthy to be stored up in the hearer's minds? Are your
sermons worth remembering? The humble-minded will be ready to answer
No, there is little or nothing in my simple and homely discourses
deserving to be treasured up. Ah, brother preacher, it is not clever
analyses of difficult passages which exhibit your mental acumen, nor
lofty flights of language which display your rhetorical powers, that
is of lasting worth. Rather is it that which makes sin to be more
hated, God to be more feared, Christ to be more highly valued, the
path of duty more clearly defined, which is what we are to aim to.
"Whose faith follow." This is the next duty we owe unto our spiritual
leaders. It is closely allied to the former: we are to so "remember"
them as to be effectually influenced in our own conduct. The word for
"follow" signifies to imitate: it is used again in "For yourselves
know ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly
among you" (2 Thess. 3:7). "It is such a following as wherein we are
fully conformed unto, and do lively express, that which we are said to
follow. So a scholar may be said to follow his master, when, having
attained all his arts and sciences, he acts them in the same manner as
his master did. So are we to follow the faith of these guides" (John
Owen). This is the greatest honor which we can do them, and is far
more pleasing to God than erecting a marble monument to their memory
or dedicating some "church" unto their name.
"Whose faith follow." There are many who sit more or less regularly
under the ministry of God's servants, and they approve of their
doctrine, admire their courage, speak well of them, but they do not
carry out their principles or emulate their example. The whole force
of this second exhortation is that we are to so "remember" our leaders
as to be thereby influenced unto the living of a holy life. To
"follow" their faith means to ponder their trust in God and pray for
an increase of your own. Recall to mind their instructions, and
continue thou in the profession and practice of the doctrine they
inculcated. Meditate upon their lives, and so far as their works
corresponded to their words, imitate their conduct. Copy their
virtues, and not their eccentricities. "No mere man, not the best of
men, is to be our pattern or example absolutely, or in all things.
This honor is due unto Christ alone" (John Owen).
"Whose faith follow." The appropriateness of this exhortation to the
situation in which the Hebrews were is also obvious. It is a spiritual
stimulus rightly to "remember" our former leaders, for it makes them,
in a sense, present again with us. The faculty to recall the past is
not only a Divine gift and mercy, but it entails definite
responsibilities. As we recall the testimony and toil of our
ministers, their loyalty to Christ and devotedness to our interests,
we are to be suitably affected thereby. When encountering opposition,
we should remember the much fiercer persecution others have suffered
before us. When tempted to compromise and sell the Truth, we should
think upon the unswerving fidelity of our fathers in the Faith. Should
we ever be under heavy pressure to apostatize, we must weigh well the
fact that the principles of the faith of our former leaders were
adequate to sustain their hearts, so that they met death with holy
composure, and seek grace to "hold the beginning of our confidence
steadfast unto the end."
Once more we would pause and notice the solemn implication of this
word to those of us who are ministers of the Gospel. Next to pleasing
the Lord Himself, our chief care should be to set before our flock
such an example of faith and holiness, as that it will be their duty
to remember and follow. This is not optional, but obligatory, for God
has bidden each of His servants "be thou an example of the believers,
in word, in conversation, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity" (1
Tim. 4:12); and again, "In all things showing thyself a pattern of
good works: in doctrine uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, sound
speech that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part
may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you" (Titus 2:7, 8).
Alas, how many of the present-day preachers set an example which if
followed by their hearers would lead them to perdition. O for grace to
let our light "so shine before men, that they may see our good works,
and glorify our Father which is in Heaven" (Matthew 5:16).
"Considering the end of their conversation." Here is the third part of
our duty toward those whom God has placed in spiritual authority over
us. It signifies to observe diligently and thoroughly, so as to have
the heart suitably affected thereby. The word for "considering" occurs
again only in Acts 17:23, namely, when Paul "beheld" the gods that the
Athenians worshipped, so that "his spirit was stirred in him" (verse
16)! Literally, the term signifies "looking up to." The Hebrews were
to recall the "conversation" of their deceased teachers, their manner
of life, which was one of testimony and toil, fidelity to Christ and
love for the souls of His people: a "conversation" of devoted service
in the face of many discouragements and much opposition, sustained by
trust in the living God; and the Hebrews were to ponder and take
courage and comfort from the blessed end or issue of the same.
Thus the three parts of this exhortation are intimately related. The
leaders were to be "remembered" in such a manner as to be effectually
influenced by the example they had left; they were to be "followed"
because their fidelity was Divinely rewarded with a victorious exit
from this world. In the last clause the apostle presented a powerful
motive to stir up the saints to the discharge of the duty previously
described. Consider their "end" that yours may morally resemble it:
you must adhere to their doctrine and imitate their practice if you
are to receive the victor's crown. "Consider what it (their "end")
came to: their faith failed not, their hope did not perish, they were
not disappointed, but had a blessed end of their walk and course"
(John Owen). Sometimes God permits His servants today to bear witness
to the sufficiency of the principles of the Gospel to support and
comfort on a deathbed.
"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever" (verse 8).
We will not now attempt to sermonize upon this well-known and precious
verse, but rather give a brief exposition of it. The first thing to
ponder is the particular book in which this declaration is made, for
that throws light on its scope and meaning. Hebrews is the epistle
which treats specifically and at length with the great alteration made
by God in His dealings with the Church on earth, the revolution which
was introduced by the substituting of the new covenant for the old,
the passing away of Judaism and the inauguration of Christianity. This
had involved many changes of a radical character, a great "shaking"
and "removing" (Heb. 12:27) of "that which decayeth and waxeth old,
ready to vanish away" (Heb. 8:13). It is in view of that our present
verse is to be interpreted and enjoyed. The temple is destroyed, the
ceremonial law is gone, the Levitical priesthood is no more; but Jesus
Christ, the Head of the Church, the Mediator between God and His
people, abides unchanged.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 112
The Heart Established
(Hebrews 13:8, 9)
__________________________________________
"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever" (verse 8).
Sir Rob. Anderson and others regarded this as a declaration of the
Savior's Godhead, arguing that "The Same" is a Divine title taken from
Psalm 102:27, etc. But why, it may be asked, should the apostle break
his line of thought and introduce a formal affirmation of Christ's
Deity in the midst of a series of exhortations? Such an interpretation
destroys the unity of the passage. Moreover, there was no need for
this, for the Redeemer's Godhead had been clearly and fully
established in the opening chapter of the epistle. Nor was there any
special reason for Paul, at this point, to insist upon the essential
immutability of Christ, and that the translators of the A.V. did not
so understand him is evident from their declining to add the auxiliary
verb: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today," etc.
"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever." These
words, as was intimated in the final paragraph of the preceding
article, are not to be taken absolutely, but are to be regarded
relatively; that is to say, they are not to be considered by
themselves alone, but in connection with the precise place they occupy
in the Sacred Canon. Every statement of Scripture is positioned by
Divine wisdom, and often we miss an important key to interpretation
when ignoring the particular location of a passage. The verse before
us illustrates the special theme of the book in which it is found. The
subject of the Hebrews' letter is the immeasurable superiority of
Christianity over Judaism, and here is further demonstration of the
fact. Under Judaism, Aaron had been followed by Eleazer, and he, by
Eli; but our great High Priest abides forever. Israel's prophets
followed each other on the stage of action; but our Prophet had no
successor. So too there had been a long line of kings; but Zion's King
is eternal.
"The apostle speaks not of the person of Christ absolutely, but with
respect unto His office and His discharge of it: he declares who and
what He is therein. He is `the same' in His Divine person: eternal,
immutable, indeficient. Being so in Himself, He is so in His office
from first to last. Although diverse alterations were made in the
institutions of Divine worship, and there were many degrees and parts
of Divine revelation (Heb. 1:1), yet in and through them all, Jesus
Christ was still the same. In every state of the church, in every
condition of believers, He is the same unto them, and will be so unto
the consummation of all things; He is, He ever was, all in all unto
the Church. He is the Object, the Author and Finisher of faith, the
Preserver and Rewarder of all them that believe, and that equally in
all generations" (Condensed from John Owen).
"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever." How
thoughtlessly is this statement received by many! How carelessly is
its setting ignored by most sermonizers! Were we to take this
declaration absolutely it would involve us in inextricable
difficulties. Ponder its terms for a moment. Did your Lord undergo no
radical change when He became incarnate? Did He experience no great
change at His resurrection? During the days of His flesh, He was "The
Man of sorrows:" is He so now after His ascension?--one has but to ask
the question to perceive its absurdity. This statement, then, is to be
understood with certain limitations; or rather, it is to be
interpreted in the light of its setting, and for that, not a novice,
but an experienced expositor is required. Let us consider it, then, in
connection with its context.
First, as has already been pointed out, it most blessedly illustrated
the special theme of this epistle, for in contrast from so much that
was mutable and transitory in Judaism, the Author of Christianity
abides essentially the same in all generations. Second, verse 8
supplies an additional and most powerful motive to fidelity. Some of
their spiritual guides had already passed away, and in those still
left, time and change would swiftly work their sure effects; but the
great Head of the Church remained, being alive for evermore. Jesus
Christ was the One who had supported their deceased leaders, who had
passed through their trials victoriously, and if trusted in, He would
sustain them, for He was the same gracious and powerful Shepherd of
the sheep. He is for you, as for them, "the same" Object of faith,
"the same" all-sufficient Savior, "the same" effectual Intercessor. He
is "the same" in His loving design and covenant faithfulness. Then
cleave to Him with unshakeable confidence.
Third, the blessed declaration of verse 8 lays a foundation on which
to base the exhortation which immediately follows. "The only way by
which we can persevere in the right faith is to hold to the
foundation, and not in the slightest degree depart from it, for he who
holds not to Christ knows nothing but mere vanity, though he may
comprehend heaven and earth" (John Calvin). The Lord Jesus is the
same, therefore, be ye not unstable and fickle. Christ is the same
teacher: His doctrine does not vary, His will does not fluctuate, nor
His purpose alter; therefore should we remain steadfast in the Truth,
shunning novelties and refusing all innovations. It is only by
"holding the Head" (Col. 2:19), submitting to His will, receiving His
doctrine, obeying His precepts, that we shall be fortified against
false teachers and persevere unto the end.
Thus, verses 7-9 are intimately related and together form a complete
hortatory passage: so far as we have light thereon, we understand them
to mean: Hold fast to the testimony of your former leaders, for they
proved the sufficiency of the Truth they proclaimed; Christian
doctrine does not vary from day to day, for Jesus Christ is ever the
same. The designation used of Him at once intimates that He is not
here contemplated so much as the second Person in the Godhead, as the
Mediator and Head of the Church. He is the same in His identity (Rev.
5:6), the same in His offices, the same in His efficacy, the same in
His will; therefore must we refuse to be led away by those who teach
anything different. The whole passage is a strong dissuasion against
vacillation. The Truth is fixed; the Gospel is everlasting, therefore
should we be "steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of
the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58).
"Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines: for it is a
good thing that the heart be established with grace: not with meats,
which have not profited them that have been occupied therein" (verse
9). This is the point to which the apostle had been leading in the
previous verses: trust in Christ, and cleave to Him according to the
instruction you have received from your fathers in the Faith, and give
not ear unto those who would unsettle and seduce you. "Divers
doctrines" are those which differ from pure Christianity; "strange"
doctrines are those which are foreign or opposed to the Gospel. To be
carried "about" by such is for the mind to be unsettled thereby,
producing an unsteadiness of conduct. To be immune from this evil the
heart has to be established with grace, which, because of its deep
importance, calls for a careful inquiry thereinto. "Not with meats"
has reference to the efforts of the Judaisers to graft the ceremonial
law on to the Gospel, a thing utterly unprofitable, yea, baneful.
"Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines." It is to be
duly noted that the noun is in the plural number. This is in marked
and designed contrast from the revelation which God has given us.
Truth is a perfect unit, but error is multiform. There is but "one
faith," as there is but "one Lord" (Eph. 4:5), namely, that which was
once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3) in the revelation made
of it by Christ and the apostles (Heb. 2:3, 4). Hence, when the Truth
is in view, it is always "doctrine" in the singular number, as "the
doctrine" (John 7:17), "the doctrine of Christ" (2 John 9) and see
Romans 16:17; 1 Timothy 4:16 etc. On the other hand, where error is
referred to the plural number is employed, as in "doctrines of men"
(Col. 2:22), "doctrines of demons" (1 Tim. 4:1). The Truth of God is
one uniform system and chain of doctrine, which begins in God and ends
in Him; but error is inconsistent and manifold.
"Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines." The very
fact that this dehortation was not only given verbally by the apostles
to the Christians of their own day, but is also preserved in the
written Word of God, clearly intimates that the people of God will
always have to contend against error unto the end of time. Christ
Himself declared, "Take heed that no man deceive you: for many shall
come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many" (Matthew
24:4, 5); and the last of His apostles wrote "try the spirits whether
they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the
world" (1 John 4:1). How unfeignedly thankful we should be that God
has put into our hands an unfailing plummet by which we may measure
every preacher and teacher. The doctrine of Christ changes not, and
whatever proceeds not from it and accords not with it, is alien to the
faith of the Church and is to be refused and rejected.
"Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines." As this
dehortation concerned the Hebrew saints the reference was, of course,
to the Mosaic institutions, as the remainder of our verse denotes:
"for it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace: not
with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied
therein." The Levitical law made distinctions of meats, and things of
a like nature, which the false teachers were pressing with much zeal.
It is plain from such passages as Romans 14:13-23, 1 Corinthians 8,
Galatians 4, etc., that determined efforts were being made by the
Enemy to corrupt the Gospel by attaching to it parts of the
ceremonialism of Judaism. When Paul says "which have not profited them
that have been occupied therein" he referred not to the O.T. saints
who had obeyed the Mosaic precepts, but to those who heeded the
errorists of his day.
The principle expressed in this dissuasion is as applicable to and as
much needed by the saints of each succeeding generation as it was by
those Hebrews. It is one of the marks of the Fall that man is fonder
of that which is material in religion, than he is of what is
spiritual; he is most prone--as history universally and sadly
shows--to concentrate on trivialities rather than upon essentials. He
is more concerned about the details of ordinances than he is of
getting his heart established with grace. He will lend a readier ear
to novel "doctrines" than to a solid exposition of the fundamentals of
the Faith. He will contend zealously for things which contribute
nothing to his salvation nor conduce an iota unto true holiness. And
the only sure way of being delivered from this evil tendency, and of
being preserved from false doctrines, is to buy the Truth and sell it
not, and to have the heart established with grace.
"For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace."
What is denoted by this weighty expression? First, what is it for the
heart to be "established" and then how it is so established "with
grace"? An established heart is the opposite from one which is
"carried about," which term is used again in, "that we henceforth be
no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind
of doctrine, by the sleight of men" (Eph. 4:14). It is a poetic
expression in allusion to sailing-ships and the impression of the wind
upon them. The figure is apt, and suggestive of the nature of strange
doctrines, the way in which they are spread, and their effects on the
minds of men. In themselves they are light and vain, "clouds which
hold no water" (Jude 12): there is nothing solid and substantial in
them for the soul. Those who would impose such doctrines on others,
generally do so with much bombast and blustering; unless we believe
and practice such things, we are denounced as heretics and unsaved
(Acts 15:1). The unlearned and unstable are disturbed by them, carried
out of their course, and are in danger of making shipwreck of their
faith. Hence, an "established heart" is one which is rooted and
grounded in the Truth, securely anchored in Christ, rejoicing in God.
The word "grace" is vastly comprehensive and has various meanings in
its Scripture usage. Its grand, original, fundamental signification is
to express the free, eternal, and sovereign layout of God toward His
people, for that is the spring and source of all the gifts, benefits
and blessings we receive from Him. From this infinite fountain of the
uncaused favor and special love of God--which is the "good pleasure of
His (immutable) will"--proceed all the acts of His grace toward, in,
and upon the elect. "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy
calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose
and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began"
(2 Tim. 1:9). From that blessed ocean of grace proceed our personal
and unconditional election in Christ, our union unto Him, interest in
Him, relation to Him, together with our being blessed in Him with all
spiritual blessings (Eph. 1:3-6). We read of "the grace of God and the
gift by grace" (Rom. 5:15): the former of which must mean the favor of
God in His own heart towards us, in distinction from all the favors He
bestows upon us; while the latter signifies the righteousness of
Christ imputed to us, as flowing from the original grace in God.
The operations, breathings, and influences of the Holy Spirit in
quickening, enlightening, revealing and applying Christ to us, so that
we are put into actual enjoyment of Him and His salvation, are the
outworkings of the everlasting Covenant of Grace; therefore it is all
of grace. The next most common use of the term is inherent or
indwelling grace, being used to designate that supernatural work which
is wrought in the Christian at his regeneration, whereby he is made
alive Godwards and is given a relish for spiritual things: such
passages as "He giveth more grace" (James 4:6), and "grow in grace" (2
Pet. 3:18) have respect to grace in the heart. Then too the whole
system of doctrine comprehended by "the Gospel" is so designated, for
when Paul said to the Galatians, "Whosoever of you are justified by
the law, ye are fallen from grace" (Heb. 5:4) he meant they had
forsaken the truth of grace. Among the less frequent uses of the term
we may note that its transforming effects age themselves called
"grace" (Acts 11:23); gifts for preaching beal' the title of "grace"
(2 Cor. 6:1), as do those virtues wrought in us by the Spirit (2 Cor.
12:9, 10).
"For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace." By
"grace" in this verse we understand, first, the doctrine of grace,
that is, the truth of God's free favor without us, in His own heart
towards us, which is made known to us in the Gospel (Acts 20:24).
Concerning this we read, "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation
hath appeared to all men" (Titus 2:11) i.e. it has been revealed in
His Gospel. The doctrine of grace is also styled, "wholesome words,
even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the doctrine which is
according to godliness" (1 Tim. 6:3). The doctrine of grace includes
all that sacred system of theology, all the fundamentals of the
everlasting Gospel of the blessed God, that grand "mystery" of His
mind and will which sets forth to us the complete counsel and covenant
of the Eternal Three, the record of God concerning His Son, by which
He declares that "he that believeth hath everlasting life."
As the whole of the Gospel, with the great salvation contained in it,
and the blessings, consolations, privileges and promises of it, were
fully, freely, and impartially preached by the apostles, so it was
attended with the Holy Spirit sent down from Heaven to the minds and
hearts of many who heard it, so that they were brought to a saving
knowledge of the Lord, and to a true and actual closure with Him, by
means of the Word of Truth. The doctrine of grace as proclaimed by
God's accredited servants, and as clothed with the power of the
Spirit, is the Divinely appointed means of turning the elect from
darkness unto light, from power of Satan into the kingdom of God's
dear Son (Acts 26:18). Their understandings are illumined to know from
the Gospel that it is God's will to save them through the appointed
Redeemer, and they are enabled to personally realize that Christ Jesus
came into the world to save sinners.
Second, it is most important and blessed for the heart to be
"established" with inherent grace: a fact which every one born of God
must more or less know and feel. Where the Holy Spirit of God dwells,
there sin is known in its guilt and felt in its power, while the
effects of the Fall on all the faculties of the soul are experienced.
When the Spirit has revealed the super-excellency of Christ, His
all-sufficiency as a Savior, His suitableness as such, this begets
some longings after Him, thirstings for Him, desires to be found in
Him, and high prizings of His blood and righteousness. But many there
are who, though quickened and called of God, have not yet closed in
with Christ, cannot say He died for them, `know not that their sins
are pardoned. The Spirit has thus far wrought with them that they feel
themselves to be vile sinners, justly deserving of the wrath of God;
yet they cannot affirm that their names are written in Heaven.
They are emptied of all creature dependency and self-sufficiency.
Their hearts are broken and humbled with a true and thorough sight and
sense of sin. They have heard of Christ, and of His infinite
tenderness and compassion, love and mercy, to sinners like themselves.
The Lord the Spirit has brought them so far as to listen attentively
to the preaching of the Gospel and the searching of the Scriptures.
Though they may be as bruised reeds and smoking flax, incapable of
expressing their wants to God, or of describing their case to others,
yet they find in the preaching of Christ crucified that which suits
them. Though they cannot yet confidently say of Him "who loved me and
gave Himself for me," nevertheless they wait on Him in his ordinances,
longing for Him to arise upon them as the Sun of righteousness with
healing in His wings. And though such may be called "seekers only,"
"inquirers after Christ," yet they are blessed: "Blessed are all they
that wait for Him" (Isa. 30:18); "let the heart of them rejoice that
seek the Lord" (1 Chron. 16:10).
Upon such persons the Lord, in His good time, causes His light of
grace to break forth more clearly, shining within them, causing their
spiritual faculties to expand, and be exercised more particularly upon
"the mystery of the Gospel" (Eph. 6:19) and the doctrine of grace.
Thereby their spiritual "senses" (Heb. 5:14) are brought to taste the
sweetness of Divine truth, to have a heart relish of it, to derive
nourishment from it, to perceive its spiritual excellency. In
receiving and digesting it, they are brought to find the doctrine of
God's free grace to be wholesome and sustaining. By this means they
are "nourished up" (1 Tim. 4:6) unto everlasting life. It is thus the
Lord carries on His work in the souls of His people. At regeneration
they are filled with joy in Him, and sin is but little felt within.
But as the work of grace is deepened, they are made to see and feel
their depravity, and their peace is clouded by increasing discoveries
of their vileness, which makes way for a growing appreciation of
grace.
Inherent grace, then, is a new nature or holy principle implanted by
the Spirit at the new birth. It consists in spiritual perceptions,
inward apprehensions, spiritual affections, in the souls of those who
are born of God, whereby they are fitted for Him and Divine things,
enabled to take holy delight in God, to have holy breathings after
Him, to hunger and thirst after righteousness, to yearn for a
consciousness of Christ's presence, to have a spiritual appetite to
feed upon Him as the Bread of Life. Thus, it is most profitable for
the saint to have his heart established with inherent grace, for he is
the personal subject of it, and it is for this reason that God's
people in general are so fond of experimental preaching--the tracing
out of the work of the Spirit in their hearts--thereby enabling them
to set to their seal that God is true, that He has thus far wrought in
them to the praise and glory of His grace.
Nor is there any legality in this, for the work of the Spirit, in all
its parts and phases, flows as freely from the Covenant of grace as
does the work of Christ. Yea, we are expressly said to be "saved by
the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit" (Titus
3:5), which is thus expressed to show that salvation depends equally
upon the distinct offices which the Eternal Three are engaged in on
behalf of the elect. It is helpful to converse at times with such as
are experimentally acquainted with God, and His Son Jesus Christ, and
who hold communion with Him by the Holy Spirit. Genuine Christian
experience consists principally in this: the Spirit is pleased to open
the Scriptures unto us, making them the ground of our faith, giving us
to feel their power, making the experience described in them our own,
revealing Christ as set forth in the Word to us, and filling our
hearts with His love agreeably to what is revealed of it in the
Gospel.
The people of God need to be taught and brought to an acquaintance
with the real work of God within them, with His method of
strengthening and comforting them, that they may learn the grounds of
spiritual assurance. There is a needs be that the heart be established
with grace as it respects their ascertaining for themselves that a
supernatural work is actually wrought within them, that Christ is in
them the hope of glory, that they "know the grace of God in truth"
(Col. 1:6), and that their works are "wrought in God" (John 3:21) as
Christ expressed it. Let us therefore diligently study the work of the
Spirit within us, comparing it with the written Word, and carefully
distinguishing between natural and spiritual affections, moral
refinements and supernatural regeneration. Nor let us forget that the
grace of God within us is only discovered to us as the Spirit shines
upon His own work in our souls.
It is also good for the heart to be established with the grace as it
respects the doctrine of it: in the belief of the Father's everlasting
love, the Son's complete salvation, and the Spirit's testimony
thereof, which strengthens the faith and confirms the hope of the
Christian. Confidence before God can be maintained on no other
foundation than that of His grace. There are seasons when the
believer's mind is filled with distress, when the guilt of sin presses
heavily on his conscience, when Satan is allowed to buffet him; then
it is that he is forced to cry "have respect to the Covenant" (Ps.
74:20). There are seasons when he cannot pray except with groanings
that cannot be uttered, being cast down with soul burdens and
conflicts, but they only serve to prove to him the deep need of his
heart being established with the truth of grace.
Thus, for the heart to be "established with grace" signifies, first,
the doctrine of God's free grace without us, in His own heart toward
us; and second, the blessed operations of the Spirit within us. When
God's free-grace salvation is brought home to the heart by the Spirit,
it produces blessed fruits and consequences in the person to whom it
becomes "the power of God" (Rom. 1:16). It is of vast importance to
hold forth a clear profession of the doctrine of grace, and it is of
incalculable worth to be able to declare a genuine work of grace
wrought in the heart by the Spirit agreeably to the truth we profess.
The doctrine of grace is the means, in the hands of the Spirit, of
begetting faith, promoting its growth, and supporting it. Therefore
there is a real need of God's everlasting love and Christ's finished
redemption being preached, though they be already known, and their
power felt in the heart, because our walk with God and our confidence
in Him receive all their encouragement therefrom.
While it is certain that the head must be enlightened with the
knowledge of Truth before the heart can experience the virtue and
efficacy of it, yet our text speaks of "the heart" so as to emphasize
the quickening and operative power of Divine truth, when it is
embraced and maintained in the soul. It is good for the heart to be
established with grace, for it promotes the believer's spiritual
growth, secures his well-being, and greatly contributes to his
comfort. It is also a preservative against error, an antidote against
unbelief, and a choice cordial to revive the soul in seasons of
distress.
N.B. For much in the second half of this chapter we are indebted to a
valuable sermon by S. E. Pierce.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 113
The Christian's Altar
(Hebrews 13:10)
__________________________________________
There is a saying that "a man usually finds what he is looking for,"
and there is a sense in which that principle holds good of not a
little consulting of the Scriptures. Various kinds of people approach
the Scriptures with the object of finding something in them which will
countenance their ideas, and no matter how foolish and far-fetched
those ideas may be, they generally succeed in locating that which with
some degree of plausibility supports them--that is why the scoffer
will often counter a quotation from God's Word with, "O you can prove
anything from the Bible." It matters not to those who are determined
to procure "proof" for their vagaries, that they "wrest the
Scriptures" (2 Pet. 3:16) either by detaching a sentence from its
context and giving it a meaning quite contrary to its setting, or by
interpreting literally that which is figurative, or giving a
figurative meaning to that which is literal.
Not only does practically every professedly Christian sect make a show
of producing Scriptural warrant for its peculiar beliefs and
practices, so that Universalists, Annihilationalists, Seventh-day
Adventists, quote a list of texts in proof of their errors, but others
who do not claim to be "Christian" appeal to the Bible in support of
their delusions. It would probably surprise some of our readers did
they know how artfully (but wickedly) Spiritists juggle with Holy
Writ, appearing to adduce not a little in favor of clairvoyance,
clairaudience, trance-speaking, etc., while Theosophists have the
affrontery to say that reincarnation is plainly taught in the Bible;
all of which goes to show how fearfully fallen man may abuse God's
mercies and profane that which is most sacred.
Nor are Romanists any exception. It is commonly supposed that they
have very little concern for Scripture, buttressing their
superstitions by an appeal to tradition and ancient customs. It is
true that the rank and the of the Papists are deprived of the
Scriptures, and are satisfied with "the authority of the church," as
sufficient justification for all they believe and do, but it is a big
mistake to suppose that her officers are incapable of making a
Scriptural defense of their positions. The writer of this article
discovered that more than a quarter of a century ago, in his first
pastorate. Situated in a mining-camp in Colorado, the only other
"minister" in the country was a Romish priest, with whom we got
acquainted. He volunteered to give us Scripture for every Popish dogma
and practice, and when we put him to the test (as we did, again and
again), we were amazed and awed by the subtle manner in which he
mis-"appropriated" the Word. It was then we learned the uselessness of
"arguing" about Divine things.
The above thoughts have been suggested by the opening words of our
present passage: "We have an altar." Most fearfully has this clause
been perverted by those who have given it a meaning and put it to a
use wholly foreign to the design of the Spirit in the passage from
which it is taken. Deceived by the mere sound of words, the
affirmation has been boldly made that not only did the Israelites in
O.T. times have a literal and material altar, but that "we,"
Christians, also "have," by Divine appointment, "an altar," that is, a
material one of wood and stone, and hence the "altar" and "high altar"
in many "protestant churches." But an altar calls for a sacrifice, and
hence the invention of "the mass" or "un-bloody sacrifice of the flesh
and blood of Christ" offered by the priests. Many who do not go thus
far, insist that the table used for the celebration of the Lord's
supper should be designated "an altar," and suppose that our text
authorizes them therein.
That such a conception as the one we have just mentioned is utterly
groundless and erroneous may quickly be demonstrated. In the first
place, whatever be signified by the "altar" in our passage, it is
manifestly opposed to, set in contrast from, the visible and material
altar of Judaism, so much so that they who officiated at the latter
were debarred from feasting on the former. In the second place, the
Jewish altar, like everything else in the tabernacle, was a shadow or
type, and surely it would be placing a severe strain upon the
imagination to conclude that the brazen altar of old was but a figure
of a table now used in our "churches"! Third, sufficient has been
advanced by the apostle in the preceding chapters to make it
unmistakably plain that Christ Himself--in His person, office, and
sacrificial work--is the antitype and substance of all the tabernacle
types! Finally, the Spirit Himself has made it quite clear that our
"altar" is a spiritual one, and that the "sacrifice" we are to offer
thereon is a spiritual one: see verse 15.
"We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the
tabernacle" (verse 10). In seeking to ascertain the meaning of this
verse, which has needlessly perplexed and been made the occasion of
much profitless controversy, it will greatly simplify the expositor's
task if he bears in mind that the primary aim of the Spirit throughout
this epistle is to set forth the transcendent excellency of Christ
over all persons through whom God had, in times past, spoken unto men,
and in the vast superiority of His office and work over all the
institutions which had foreshadowed them under the old covenant. As
the incarnate Son, He is infinitely above all prophets and angels
(chapters 1 and 2). Moses, "the servant in the house of God" retires
before the presence of Christ "the Son over His own house" (chapter
3). So in regard to all the Mosaic institutions: Christ fulfills
everything which they prefigured.
This is quite an elementary truth, yet is it one of basic importance,
for error at this point produces most pernicious and fatal
consequences. The entire system of worship that Jehovah appointed for
Israel was of a typical character, and the reality and substance of it
is now found in Christ. He is "the great High Priest" of whom the
priests under the law, Aaron himself not excepted, were but faint
adumbrations. His very body is "the greater and more perfect
tabernacle, not made with hands" (9:11). His was the sacrifice which
fully and forever accomplished that which all the Levitical offerings
proclaimed as necessary to redemption, but the repetition of which
clearly testified they had never effected. In like manner, Christ is
the grand Antitype of all the sacred vessels of the tabernacle: He is
the true Brazen-altar, Laver, Golden-altar of incense, Candlestick,
Table of shrewbread, Mercyseat, and Ark of the Covenant.
That the Lord Jesus is Himself the antitype of "the altar of burnt
offering" appears by comparing two of His own declarations: "Ye fools
and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that
sanctifieth the gift?" (Matthew 23:19); "And for their sakes I
sanctify Myself" (John 17:19). Both "the altar that sanctifieth the
gift" and "the gift" itself meet in Him--just as both the officiating
priest and the sacrifice which he offered find their fulfillment in
Him. It seems strange that some able writers have quite missed the
point of Matthew 23:19 when dealing with its fulfillment and
realization in the Lord Jesus. They have made "the altar" to be the
wooden cross to which the Savior was nailed, and that mistake has laid
the foundation for a more serious error. No, "the altar" on which "the
gift" was laid pointed to the Divine dignity of Christ's glorious
person, and it was that which gave infinite worth to His sacrifice. It
was for this reason the Spirit dwelt at such length upon the unique
glory of Christ's person in the earlier chapters of this epistle,
before He opened to us His sacrificial work.
What has just been pointed out above supplies the key to many a lovely
O.T. type. For instance, we are told that "Noah builded an altar unto
the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and
offered burnt offerings on the altar" (Gen. 8:20). Very blessed is
that. The first act of Noah as he came forth from the ark on to the
purified earth was not to build a house for himself, but to erect that
which spoke of the person of Christ--for in all things He must have
the pre-eminence. On that altar Noah expressed his thanksgiving by
presenting his burnt offerings, teaching us that it is only by Christ
we can acceptably present to God our sacrifice of praise (Heb. 13:15).
And we are told that Noah's offering was "a sweet savor unto the
Lord," and then we read "and God blessed Noah and his sons" (Gen.
9:1), for all blessing comes to us through Christ.
"And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give
this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared
unto him" (Gen. 12:7). That was equally blessed. This was the first
act of Abraham after he had left Chaldea, and then Haran where his
progress had been delayed for a season, and had now actually entered
Canaan. The Lord appeared to him here, as He had first done in Ur, and
made promise of the land unto him and his seed; and his response was
to set up an altar. And again we read "and he removed from thence unto
a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent between Bethel
on the west, and Hai on the east; and there he builded an altar unto
the Lord"
(Gen. 12:8). How significant! Bethel means "the house of God," while
Hai signifies "a heap of ruins." It was between them that Abram
pitched his tent--emblematic of the pilgrim character of the saint
while in this world, and erected his altar--symbol of his dependence
upon and worship of God. It was to this same altar he returned after
his failure in going down into Egypt: Genesis 13:3, 4.
Of Isaac we read, "And he builded an altar there, and called upon the
name of the Lord" (Gen. 26:25). How beautifully that brings out
another aspect of our type: here the "altar" is the place of prayer,
for it is only in the name of Christ--the antitype of the altar--that
we can present our petitions acceptably to God. Of Jacob we read, "And
he erected there an altar, and called it God, the God of Israel" (Gen.
33:20). That was immediately after his Divine deliverance from Esau
and his four hundred men--inti-mating that it is in and by Christ the
believer is eternally secure. Of Moses we read, that he "built an
altar, and called the name of it the Lord my Banner" (Ex. 17:15). That
was after Israel's victory over the Amalekites--denoting that it is
only by Christ that believers can overcome their spiritual enemies.
"And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and rose up early in the
morning, and builded an altar under the hill" (Ex. 24:4)--only by
Christ is the Law magnified and honored.
But it is more especially upon the brazen altar in the tabernacle that
our attention needs to be concentrated. A description of it is
supplied in Exodus 27:1-8, though other passages should be carefully
compared. This altar occupied a place of first importance among the
seven pieces of the furniture in the tabernacle, for it was not only
the largest of them all--being almost big enough to hold the
others--but it was placed "before the door" (Ex. 40:6), just inside
the outer court (Ex. 40:33), and would thus be the first object to
meet the eye of the worshipper as he entered the sacred precincts. It
was made of wood, but overlaid with brass, so that it could withstand
the action of fire, which was burning continually upon it (Lev. 6:13).
To it the sinner came with his Divinely-appointed sacrifice, wherein
the innocent was slain in the place of the guilty. At this altar the
high priest officiated on the great day of atonement (Lev. 16).
The brazen altar was the way of approach to God, for it was there that
the Lord promised to meet His people: "There I will meet with the
children of Israel" (Ex. 29:43): how that reminds us of the Savior's
declaration "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto
the Father, but by Me" (John 14:6)! This altar was really the basis of
the whole Levitical system, for on it the burnt offering, meal
offering, peace offering, and sin offering were presented to God.
Blood was put upon its horns, sprinkled upon it, round about it, and
poured out at its base. It was the chief connecting-link between the
people and Jehovah, they being so identified with it that certain
parts of the offerings there presented to Him were eaten by them, and
hence we read "Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat
of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?" (1 Cor. 10:18).
This was an altar for all Israel--and for none else!--and their
jealousy was promptly stirred if anything seemed to interfere with it.
A striking illustration of this is found in Joshua 22. There we read
that the two and a half tribe's whose inheritance lay on the far side
of Jordan erected an altar--"a great altar to see to" (verse 10). When
the other tribes heard of this, they were greatly alarmed and severely
censured them, for it appeared to deny the unity of the Nation and to
be a rival unto the altar for all the people. They were only satisfied
when the Reubenites assured them that they had not built this altar by
the Jordan to offer sacrifices thereon, but for a witness (verse 27),
declaring, "God forbid that we should rebel against the Lord, and turn
this day from following the Lord, to build an altar for burnt
offerings, for meat offerings, or for sacrifices, besides the altar of
the Lord our God that is before His tabernacle'' (verse 29).
We may see again the prominent place which was given to the altar by
Israel in the days of Ezra, for when they returned from the captivity,
it was the first thing they set up--thus signifying they could not
approach God or be connected with Him on any other ground. "Then stood
up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and
Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the
altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is
written in the law of Moses the man of God" (Ezra 3:2).
In view of its significance, its importance, its hallowed
associations, one can readily imagine what it meant to a converted Jew
to abandon the altar of Judaism. Unto his unbelieving brethren he
would necessarily appear as a renegade of his fathers, an apostate
from God, and a fool to himself. Their taunt would be, In turning your
back upon Judaism you have lost everything: you have no altar! Why,
you are worse off than the wretched Samaritans, for they do have a
place and system of worship on mount Gerizim: whereas vou Christians
have nothing! But here the apostle turns the tables upon them: he
affirms that not only do we "have an altar," but it was one which
those who still identified themselves with the temple and its services
had no right to. In turning from Judaism to Christ the believing
Hebrew had left the shadow for the substance, the figure for the
reality; whereas those who despised and rejected Christ merely had
that which was become "weak and beggarly elements" (Gal. 4:9).
The sad failure of the great mass of the Jews, under the
Gospel-preaching of the apostles, to turn their affections unto things
above, where Christ had passed within the veil, and their stubbornness
in clinging to the tangible system at Jerusalem, was something more
than a peculiarity of that nation--it exemplified the universal
fondness of man for that which is material in religion, and his
disrelish of that which is strictly spiritual. In Judaism there was
much that was addressed to the sense, herein too lies the power and
secret of Rome's success: the strength of its appeal to the natural
man lies in its sensuous show. Though Christians have no visible
manifestation of the Divine glory on earth to which they may draw near
when they worship, they do have access to the Throne of Grace in
Heaven; but it is only the truly regenerate who prefer the substance
to the shadow.
"We have an altar." Our altar, unlike that of Judaism, is inside the
veil: "whither the Forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus" (Heb.
6:20), after that He had appeared here upon earth to put away sin by
the sacrifice of Himself. To the Christian comes the blessed
exhortation, "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the
Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which He hath
consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh; and
having a High Priest, over the house of God, let us draw near with a
true heart in full assurance of faith" (Heb. 10:19-22). What a marvel
of mercy, what a wonder of grace that poor fallen sinners, through
faith in Christ's blood, may come into the presence of God without a
fear! On the ground of Christ's infinite merits, such are welcome
there. The presence of Christ on High is the proof that our sins have
been put away, and in the joyous consciousness thereof we may approach
God as worshippers.
But the special aspect in which our text sets forth Christ as "the
altar" of His people, is to present Him as the One who furnishes them
with that spiritual meat which is needed for nourishment and
sustenance in their worship and service. The apostle had just said,
"Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines: for it is a
good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats,
which have not profited them that have been occupied therein" (verse
9), and when he now adds "we have an altar," his obvious meaning is:
we have in Christ the true altar, which supplies us with "grace," that
better food which really establishes the heart before God. In other
words, the Holy Spirit here explains and declares the fulfillment of
those words of Christ "My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink
indeed: he that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in
Me, and I in him" (John 6:55, 56).
Let us now consider our verse a little closer in the light of its
immediate context: that there is an intimate connection between them
is obvious, for in verse 9 the apostle had spoken of "meats" and here
he still refers to "eating"! Of the one he had affirmed they "profited
not," concerning the latter he mentions those who have "no right"
thereto. Over against the "meats which profited not" he had set that
"grace" which establishes the heart, and now he contrasts "the altar"
from the defunct figures of Judaism. As we have shown in the preceding
article, to have the heart "established with grace" signifies two
things: first, to be weaned from self-righteousness and creature
dependence as to clearly apprehend that salvation from start to finish
is of the unmerited and unconditional favor of God; second, to have
the Spirit so shine upon His work within that as we diligently examine
the same and carefully compare it with the experience of saints as
described in the Scriptures, we may be definitely assured that we are
born of God.
Having affirmed the vast superiority of the heart being established
with grace over being occupied with "meats"--which expression referred
directly to the Mosaical distinctions between clean and unclean
articles of diet, but in its wider signification was a part put for
the whole ceremonial system--the apostle now declares that the
Christian is provided with far more excellent food for the soul. The
striking force of this is only apparent by a careful study of the
Levitical types and by closely following the apostle's argument in the
verses which immediately succeed our text. The Jewish altar had not
only typed out Christ offering Himself as a sacrifice to God for the
sins of His people, but it had also foreshadowed Him as the
life-sustenance of the true worshippers of God. How remarkably full
were the O.T. types, and how much we lose by ignoring the same and
confining our reading to the N.T.--no wonder so much in Hebrews seems
to be obscure and of little interest to the Gentile.
Of many of the offerings which were laid on the tabernacle altar only
parts of them were consumed by the fire, the remaining portions being
reserved as food for the priests, or for the offerer and his
friends--this food being regarded as particularly sacred, and the
eating of it as a great religious privilege. For instance, we read,
"This is the law of the meal offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer
it before the Lord, before the altar. And he shall take of it his
handful, of the flour of the meal offering, and of the oil thereof,
and all the frankincense which is upon the meal offering, and shall
burn it upon the altar for a sweet savor, the memorial of it, unto the
Lord. And the remainder thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat: with
unleavened bread shall it be eaten in the holy place" (Lev. 6:14-16).
"This is the law of the trespass offering: it is most holy . . . Every
male among the priests shall eat thereof . . . And the flesh of the
sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the
same day that it is offered" (Lev. 7:1,6,15) "And the Lord said unto
Aaron, Behold, I also have given thee the charge of Mine heave
offerings... In the most holy place shalt thou eat it: every male
shall eat it; it shall be holy unto thee" (Num. 18:8-10).
But the Christian has spiritual food far more holy and precious than
any Israelite ever had, or even Aaron the high priest was permitted to
taste. Christ is our food, the "Bread of life" to our souls. He is not
only our sacrifice but our sustenance; He has not only propitiated
God, but He is the nourishment of His people. It is true that we
should by faith, feed upon Him when remembering His death in the way
appointed, yet there is no reference in our text to "the Lord's
supper," nor is "the Lord's table" ever called an "altar" in
Scripture. Moreover it is our blessed privilege to feed upon Christ
not only at "Communion seasons," but constantly. And herein appears
again the immeasurable superiority of Christianity over Judaism.
Israel according to the flesh partook only of the symbols, whereas we
have the Reality. They had only certain parts of the offerings--as it
were the crumbs from God's table; whereas we feed with Him on the
fatted calf itself. They ate of the sacrifices only occasionally,
whereas Christ is our daily food.
"We have an altar," namely, Christ, and He is the only altar which God
owns, and the only one which must be recognized by us. For almost
nineteen centuries--since God employed the Romans to destroy
Jerusalem--the Jews have been without an altar, and are so to this
day. For Romanists to invent an altar, and make it both the foundation
and center of their entire idolatrous system, is the height of
presumption, and a fearful insult to Christ and the sufficiency of His
sacrifice. If those "which serve the tabernacle"--they who continued
officiating at Jerusalem in the days when the apostle wrote this
epistle--had "no right" to "eat" of the Christian's altar, that is,
enjoy and derive benefit from the person and sacrifice of Christ,
then, how much less have the pope and his satellites any title to the
benefits of Christ while they so wickedly usurp His place and
prerogative. That the Lord Jesus Himself is our "altar" as well as
interceding High Priest also appears from, "Another angel (Christ as
`the Angel of the Covenant') came and stood at the altar, having a
golden censer; and there was given unto Him much incense, that He
should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar
which was before the throne" (Rev. 8:3)!
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 114
Christ Our Sin Offering
(Hebrews 13:11, 12)
__________________________________________
In the verses at which we have now arrived the apostle once more sets
before us the O.T. shadow and the N.T. substance, which emphasizes the
importance and necessity of diligently comparing one portion of the
Scriptures with another, and particularly those sections which record
those ordinances that God gave unto Israel wherein the person, office
and work of His Son were so vividly, so blessedly, and so fully
foreshadowed. The study of the types, when conducted soberly and
reverently, yields a rich return. Its evidential value is of great
worth, for it affords an unmistakable demonstration of the Divine
authorship of the Scriptures, and when the Holy Spirit is pleased to
reveal bow that type and antitype fit in to each other more perfectly
than hand and glove, then the hidden harmony of the different parts of
the Word is unveiled to us: the minute analogies, the numerous points
of agreement between the one and the other, make it manifest that one
presiding Mind controlled the whole.
The comparing of type with antitype also brings out the wondrous unity
of the Scriptures, showing that beneath incidental diversity there has
ever been an essential oneness in God's dealings with His people.
Nothing so convincingly exposes the principal error of the
Dispensationalists than this particular branch of study. The immediate
design and use of the types was to exhibit unto God's people under the
old covenant those vital and fundamental elements of Truth which are
common alike to all dispensations, but which have received their
plainest discovery under the new covenant. By means of material
symbols a fitting portrayal was made of things to come, suitably
paving the way for their introduction. The ultimate spiritual
realities appeared first only in prospect or existed but in embryo.
Under the Levitical instructions God caused there to be shadowed forth
in parabolic representation the whole work of redemption by means of a
vivid appeal to the senses: "The law having a shadow of good things to
come" (Heb. 10:1).
The passage just quoted warrants the assertion that a spiritual study
of the O.T. types also affords a valuable aid to the interpretation of
much in the N.T. Just as the doctrine expounded in the Epistles rests
upon and is illustrated by the central facts recorded in the Gospels,
so much in both Gospels and Epistles can only be fully appreciated in
the light of the O.T. Scriptures. It is to be deplored that so many
Christians find the second half of Exodus and the whole of Leviticus
little more than a record of meaningless and effete ceremonial rites.
If the preacher would take his "illustrations" of Gospel truths from
the types, (instead of searching secular history for "suitable
anecdotes"), he would not only honor the Scriptures, but stir up and
direct the interest of his spiritual hearers in those portions of the
Word now so generally neglected. Christ is set forth as conspicuously
in Leviticus as He is in John's Gospel, for "in the volume of the
Book" it is written of Him.
The pity is that many of the more sober-minded and spiritual among
God's people have been prejudiced against the study of the types, and
the valuable use of them in interpreting the N.T., by the untimely
efforts of unqualified novices. The types were never designed by the
Holy Spirit to provide a field in which young men might give free play
to their imagination, or exercise their carnal ingenuity so as to
bring out a mystical meaning to the most prosaic facts, and startle
their unlearned hearers by giving to trifles a farfetched
significance. The wild allegorizing of Origen in the past should serve
as a lasting warning. There are essential principles and fixed rules
of interpreting the types which are never to be ignored. The
interpreter must concentrate his attention upon central truths and
basic principles, and not occupy his thoughts with petty agreements
and fanciful analogies. The central and all-important subjects
exemplified in the types are sin and salvation, the purifying of the
soul, and the dedication of the heart and life to God.
Again; familiarity with the types and the spiritual principles they
exemplify is a great help to the right understanding of prophecy. A
type necessarily possesses something of a prophetical character, for
it is a symbolical promise of the ultimate thing yet to appear, and
hence it is not at all surprising that in announcing things to come
the prophets, to a large extent, availed themselves of the characters
and events of past history, making them the images of a nobler future.
In the prospective delineations which are given us in Scripture
respecting the final issues of Christ's kingdom among men, while the
foundation of all lies in His own mediatorial office and work, yet it
is through the personages and ordinances of the old covenant that
things to come are shadowed forth. Thus, Moses spoke of the Messiah as
a Prophet like unto himself (Deut. 18:18). David announced Him as
Priest after the order of Melchizedek (Ps. 110), while Malachi
predicted His forerunner under the name of Elijah (Mal. 3:1, 4:5).
Herein are valuable hints for our guidance, and if they be duly
observed there will be no more excuse for interpreting "the Son of
David" (Matthew 1:1) in a carnal sense, than for literalizing the "we
have an altar" of Hebrews 13:10.
From what has been pointed out above on the manifold value of the
types--which might be indefinitely amplified, especially the last
point--it should be quite evident that they greatly err who look upon
the types as a mere kindergarten, designed only for the infancy of the
Church. The very fact that the Holy Spirit has preserved a record of
them in the imperishable Word of Truth, is clear intimation that they
possess far more than a local use and temporary purpose. The mind of
God and the circumstances of the fallen creature are substantially the
same in all ages, while the spiritual needs of the saints are the same
now as they were four thousand years ago, and were the same then as
they are today. If, then, the wisdom of God placed His people of old
under a course of instruction through the types, it is our folly and
loss if we despise the same today. A mathematician still has use for
the elementary principles of arithmetic, as a trained musician scorns
not the rudimentary scales.
The basic principles underlying the types were made use of by Christ
at the dawn of the N.T. era, thus intimating that the fundamental
methods employed by God are the same in all generations. Every miracle
the Lord Jesus performed was a type in history, for on the outward and
visible plane of Nature He displayed the Divine power and work which
He came here to accomplish in the higher realm of Grace. In every act
of healing men's bodily diseases, there was an adumbration to the eye
of sense of that salvation which He would provide for the healing of
the soul. In the demands which He made upon those whom He healed, a
revelation was given of the principles by which His salvation may be
procured by us. The facts of the Gospels are the key to the truths of
the Epistles, and the types of the O.T. are the key to the facts of
the Gospel. Thus, one part of Scripture is made dependent on the
other, just as no member of our body is independent of its
fellow-members.
"For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the
sanctuary by the high priest for sin. are burned without the camp.
Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own
blood, suffered without the gate" (verses 11, 12). In these verses the
apostle supplies a striking illustration and confirmation of what he
had just previously affirmed. In the preceding verse he had declared
that Christ is the altar of His people--the antitype of all that had
been shadowed out by the typical altars of O.T. times--which, as we
showed, signifies not only that Christ is their atoning sacrifice unto
God, but that He is also the sustenance, the food, for His people.
Then followed the solemn statement that those who stubbornly and
unbelievingly continued to adhere unto Judaism, deprived themselves of
the blessings enjoyed by Christians.
As we have so often pointed out, the Hebrew saints were being urged to
return unto the Divinely-instituted religion of their fathers. In
verse 9 the apostle presents to them two further dissausives. First,
he assured them they now possess the Antitype of all the types of
Judaism: why, then, be tempted by the shadows when they possessed the
Substance! Second, he solemnly affirms that those who still clung to
Judaism cut themselves off from the Christian privileges: they had "no
right," no Divine title to "eat" or partake of them. The application
of this principle to us today is obvious. The same two-fold argument
should suffice to draw off our hearts from doting upon ritualistic
rites and performances: possessing Christ as our great High Priest,
having access to the Throne of Grace, such things as bowing to the
east, elevating the offering (collection), candles, incense, pictures,
images, are needless and worthless, and if the heart be set on them
and a saving value be ascribed to them, they effectually exclude us
from an interest in Christ's salvation.
In the preceding article we showed how strikingly and blessedly the
O.T. types pointed to Christ as the nourishment of His people: only
parts of the sacrifices were burnt upon the altar, other portions
thereof being allotted to the priests or the offerer and his family.
But there was a notable exception to this, unto which the apostle now
directs our attention. "For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is
brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned
without the camp." The reference is unto the sin offerings. These were
slain on the altar in the outer court, but their blood was carried
inside the tabernacle and sprinkled before or upon the throne of
Jehovah, while their carcasses were utterly consumed outside the camp.
This was, of course, while Israel were sojourners in the wilderness
and lived in tents but the same order was observed after they entered
Canaan and the temple was built in Jerusalem--the bodies of the sin
offerings being carried out beyond the walls of the city to be
consumed there.
The apostle was referring to such passages as Leviticus 4:1-12, where
provision was made for an atonement when a priest had unwittingly
sinned against any of the commandments of the Lord. He was to bring a
bullock unto the door of the tabernacle for a sin offering, lay his
hand upon its head (as an act of identification, to denote that the
doom awaiting it was what he deserved), and kill it before the Lord.
Its blood was then to be brought into the tabernacle and sprinkled
seven times before the Lord, before the veil of the sanctuary, and
upon the horns of the incense altar, and the remainder thereof poured
out at the base of the brazen altar. The richest portions of the
animal were then burned upon the altar, but the remainder of it was
carried forth "without the camp," and there utterly consumed by fire.
The same order was followed when the whole congregation sinned through
ignorance (Lev. 4:12-21), the account closing with "He shall carry
forth the bullock without the camp, and burn him as he burned the
first bullock: it is a sin offering." The reader may also compare
Numbers 19:3, 9.
But there is no doubt that the apostle was alluding more particularly
unto the chief sin offering which was offered on the annual day of
atonement, when propitiation was made for all the sins of Israel once
a year, described at length in Leviticus 16. Concerning the blood of
this sacrifice we read, "And he (the high priest) shall take of the
blood of the bullock and sprinkle it with his finger upon the
mercyseat eastward, and before the mercyseat shall he sprinkle of the
blood with his finger seven times" (verse 14). Regarding the bodies of
those beasts used on this occasion we are told, "and the bullock for
the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was
brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall one carry forth
without the camp: and they shall burn in the fire their skins and
their flesh, and their dung" (verse 27). These passages, then, make it
quite clear to which particular class of sacrifices the apostle was
referring in Hebrews 13:10, 11.
The question now arises, Wherein lies the relevancy of this allusion
to these passages in Leviticus in our present text? What was the
apostle's particular design in referring to the sin offerings? It was
twofold. First, to substantiate his assertion that they who served the
tabernacle had "no right to eat" of the Christian's altar--i.e., had
no title to partake of the benefits of Christ, who has, as our next
verse shows, died as a sin offering. There was a Divine prohibition
which expressly forbade any feeding upon the same: "And no sin
offering, whereof any of the blood is brought into the tabernacle of
the congregation to reconcile withal in the holy place, shall be
eaten: it shall be burnt in the fire" (Lev. 6:30). Those, then, who
clung to Judaism were cut off from the Antitype's sin offering.
Second, to exhibit the superiority of Christianity: those who trust in
Christ eat His flesh and drink His blood (John 6:54-56).
But let us dwell for a moment on the spiritual significance of this
particular detail in the type. It presents to us that feature in the
sufferings of Christ which is the most solemn of all to contemplate,
namely, His being made sin for His people and enduring the penal wrath
of God. "Outside the camp" was the place where the leper was compelled
to dwell (Lev. 13:46), it was the place where criminals were condemned
and slain (Lev. 24:14 and cf. Joshua 7:25, 1 Kings 21:13, Acts 7:58),
it was the place where the defiled were put (Num. 5:3), it was the
place where filth was deposited (Deut. 23:12-14). And that was the
place, dear Christian reader, that the incarnate Son, the Holy One of
God, entered for you and for me! O the unspeakable humiliation when He
suffered Himself to be "numbered with the transgressors" (Isa. 53:12).
O the unutterable mystery of the Blessed One "being made a curse for
us" (Gal. 3:13). O the unspeakable anguish when the sword of Divine
justice smote Him (Zech. 13:7), and God forsook Him (Matthew 27:46).
Yet let it be emphatically insisted upon that Christ remained,
personally and essentially, the Untainted One, even when the fearful
load of the sins of His people was laid upon Him. This very point was
carefully guarded by God--ever jealous of the honor of His son--in the
types, yea, in the sin offerings themselves. First, the blood of the
sin offering was carried within the sanctuary itself and sprinkled
before the Lord (Lev. 4:6), which was not done with any other
offering. Second, "the fat that covereth the inwards" of the animal
was burned upon the altar (Lev. 4:8-10), yea, "for a sweet savor unto
the Lord," intimating that God still beheld that in His Son with which
He was well pleased even while He was bearing the sins of His people.
Third, it was expressly enjoined that the carcase of the bullock
should be carried forth "without the camp unto a clean place" (Lev.
4:12), signifying it was still holy unto the Lord, and not a polluted
thing.
Christ was "as pure, as holy, and as precious in the sight of God
whilst groaning under the infliction of damnatory wrath on the
accursed tree, as when He was in the bosom of the Father before all
worlds--the very same moment in which He was `bruised' and `made a
curse' for us, being also that in which He offered Himself for us `an
offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor.' Never was
the character of Jesus exhibited in more transcendent excellency;
never were His relations to God and to man maintained in greater
perfectness than during the time that He suffered for us on the Tree.
Never did the Father more delight in and appreciate the excellency of
the Son of His love; never did the Son more love and honor and delight
in the Father than when He uttered that bitter cry `My God, My God,
why hast Thou forsaken Me?' The very circumstances which placed Jesus,
outwardly, in the extreme of distance from Heaven and from God, only
proved that there was an essential nearness--an everlasting moral
nearness, which not even the fact of His being the Bearer of damnatory
wrath could for one moment alter" (B.W. Newton).
The immediate reason why none of the Israelites, not even the high
priest, was allowed to eat any portion of the sin offering, and why
its carcass was burnt outside the camp rather than upon the altar,
seems to lie in the distinctive nature and special design of this
offering. Had the priest eaten of any portion thereof, that had given
it the character of a peace offering, and had the whole been consumed
upon the altar it had too closely resembled the burnt offering. But,
as we have pointed out before, the ultimate reason and deeper design
was to denote that Judaism had to be abandoned before one could "eat"
or derive benefit from the Christian's "altar." Herein lies the
superiority of Christianity, that we are permitted to feed upon a
Sacrifice of the highest and holiest kind, receiving therefrom those
blessings and benefits which Christ has procured for His people by the
shedding of His precious blood.
The apostle, then, has furnished clear proof of what he had asserted
in vv. 9, 10, and that from the O.T. Scriptures themselves. There he
had said, "it is good that the heart be established with grace," which
means for the mind to have such a fixed persuasion of the Truth as to
enjoy peace with God, without which there can be no real and solid
tranquility. Then the apostle had said, "Not with meats, which have
not profited them that have been occupied therein," which must be
understood in the light of the previous clause: the ceremonial
distinctions of the Levitical law were altogether inadequate for
justification and peace with God. Moreover, that sacrifice which made
atonement for sin provided no food for those who offered it, and the
heart cannot be established before God where sins are not remitted.
"Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own
blood, suffered without the gate." Here is the Christian's altar, here
is the all-sufficient sacrifice offered once for all upon it, and here
is the blessed effect thereof, his sanctification. The opening
"wherefore" of this verse called for the line of thought developed in
the opening paragraphs of this article. It intimated that it was for
the express purpose of meeting the requirements of the O.T. types that
the Lord Jesus was "lead as a lamb to the slaughter" and suffered the
horrible ignominy of being cast out of the holy city and put to death
in the place where the worst of criminals were executed. What honor
did the Substance now place upon the shadows! A wide field of study is
here suggested to us, and a reverent and patient survey of it will
well repay our efforts.
How frequently in the four Gospels has the Holy Spirit assigned as the
reason for what Christ did "that the Scriptures might be fulfilled."
That expression is not to be restricted to Christ's design in
accomplishing the terms of Messianic prophecy--though, of course, that
is included--for it also and often has reference to His so acting in
order that the types which foreshadowed Him might be realized. The
will of God concerning the Mediator had been intimated in the legal
institutions, for in them a prefiguration was made of what Christ
should do and suffer, and His perfect obedience to the Father moved
Him unto a compliance therewith. Consequently, the fuller be our
knowledge of the types, the more shall we be able to understand the
recorded details of our Savior's earthly life (particularly of His
last week), and the more can we appreciate the motive which actuated
Him--complete subjection to the will of the One who had sent Him. That
particular which the Holy Spirit notes in our text is but one
illustration from many, if we take the trouble to search them out.
"The complete answering and fulfilling of all types in the person and
office of Christ, testifieth the sameness and immutability of the
counsel of God in the whole work of the redemption and salvation of
the Church, notwithstanding all the outward changes that have been in
the institutions of Divine worship" (John Owen). But it did something
else too: it left the unbelieving Jews without excuse: Christ's
implicit compliance with the types, His complete and perfect
production of all that had been foreshadowed of Him, furnished the
most indubitable demonstration that He was the promised Messiah, and
therefore His rejection by the Nation at large sealed their doom, and
was the reason why, a little later, God destroyed their sanctuary,
city, and heritage.
"Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own
blood, suffered without the gate." Christ Himself is the
all-sufficient sin-offering of His people. Just as all the iniquities,
transgressions and sins of natural Israel were, in a figure,
transferred to the typical offering (Lev. 16:21), so all the
iniquities, transgressions and sins of the spiritual Israel were
imputed to their Surety (Isa. 53:6, 7, 11, 12). Just as the goat
bearing the iniquities of natural Israel was sent away "into a land
not inhabited" (Lev. 16:22), so "as far as the east is from the west,
so far hath Christ removed our transgression from us" (Ps. 103:12).
And just as "on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you,
to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the
Lord" (Lev. 16:30), so "The blood of Jesus Christ God's Son cleanseth
us from all sin (1 John 1:7).
Observe that in strict keeping with the fact that the Redeemer is here
contemplated as the antitypical Sin-offering, He is referred to simply
as "Jesus," and not "Jesus Christ" as in verses 8, 21, still less "our
Lord Jesus" as in 5:20. He is not alluded to in these different ways
at random, nor for the mere purpose of variation. Not so does the Holy
Spirit order His speech: there is nothing haphazard in His language.
The various designations accorded the Savior in the Word are selected
with Divine propriety, and nothing affords a more striking evidence of
the verbal inspiration of the Scriptures than the unerring precision
with which they are used. "Jesus" is His personal name as man (Matthew
1:21); "Christ" is His official title, as the One anointed of God
(Matthew 16:16, 20); while "The Lord Jesus" points to His exalted
status and authority (John 13:13, Acts 2:36). When "Jesus" is used
alone, it is either for the special purpose of identification (as in
Acts 1:11), or to emphasize the infinite depths of humiliation into
which the Son of God descended.
"Wherefore (in fulfillment of the types which had defined the path He
should tread), Jesus also (the Antitype, the Just who had entered the
place of the unjust, the infinitely Glorious One who had descended
into such unfathomable depths of degradation), that He might sanctify
the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate." This was
the particular feature made most prominent in the type, for the
sin-offering was not only slain, and its carcass taken outside the
camp, but there is was utterly consumed. It spoke of Christ as the
Sin-bearer enduring the fiery indignation of a sin-hating God,
suffering His penal wrath. It spoke of Christ offering Himself to God
as a sacrifice for the sins of His people, to make atonement for them,
for His blood was shed, and blood was never employed under the types
except to make atonement (Lev. 17:11). It is, then, by the voluntary
and vicarious blood-shedding of their Covenant-head, and by that
alone, believers are sanctified.
"That He might sanctify the people." Ponder carefully, my reader, the
definiteness of the language here used. Scripture knows nothing of a
vague, general, undeterminable and futile shedding of the precious
blood of the Lamb. No indeed: it had a predestined, specific, and
invincible end in view. That blood was not shed for the whole human
race at large (a considerable portion of which was already in Hell
when Christ died!), but for "the people," each of whom are sanctified
by it. It was for "the sheep" He laid down His life (John 10:11). It
was to gather together in one "the children of God that were scattered
abroad" that He was slain (John 11:51, 52). It was for "His friends"
He endured the cross (John 15:13). It was for the Church He gave
Himself (Eph. 5:25).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 115
Outside the Camp
(Hebrews 13:12, 13)
__________________________________________
Were it not so pathetic and tragic, it would be most amusing if we
could obtain and read a complete record of the manner in which our
text has been employed by various individuals and groups during the
last four hundred years--to go no farther back. The reader would
thereby be supplied with a striking illustration of the fact that
"There is no new thing under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9) and see how
frequently history repeats itself. He would learn too how easily
simple souls were beguiled by a plausible tongue and how successfully
Satan deceives the unwary by the very letter of Scripture. He would
discover how the different divisive movements in the ecclesiastical
realm--whether in Poland, Germany, Great Britain, or the U.S.A.--all
started in much the same way, followed the same course, and, we might
add, met with a similar disappointing sequel. To be forewarned is to
be forearmed: it is because the rank and the of the people do so
little reading, and are so ignorant of religious history, that they so
readily fall a prey to those with high spiritual pretensions.
Hebrews 13:13 has ever been a great favorite with those who started
"Come out" movements. It has been used, or rather misused, again and
again by ambitious Diotrephes, who desired to head some new party or
cause. It has been made a sop for the conscience' by many a little
group of discontented and disgruntled souls, who because of some
grievance (fancied or real) against their religious leaders, church,
or denomination, forsook them, and set up an independent banner of
their own. It is a verse which has been called into the service of all
separatists, who urged all whose confidence they could gain to turn
away from--not the secular world, but their fellow-Christians, on the
ground of trifling differences. That which these men urged their dupes
to forsake was denounced as the God-abandoned and apostate "Camp,"
while the criticism they have (often justly) met with for their
pharisaic conduct, has been smugly interpreted as "bearing Christ's
reproach."
In his most interesting and instructive work, "The Laws of
Ecclesiastical Polity"--a standard work which long found a place in
all well-furnished libraries--Richard Hooker, three hundred years ago,
described the tactics followed by the Separatist leaders who preceded
or were contemporaneous with him. We will give here a very brief
digest of the same. First, in seeking to win the people's attention
unto their "cause," these would-be Separatists, loudly proclaimed the
faults and failings of those in high places, magnifying and reproving
the same with much severity, and thereby obtaining the reputation of
great faithfulness, spiritual discernment, love of holiness. Second,
those faults and corruptions which have their roots in human frailty,
are attributed to an unscriptural and evil ecclesiastical government,
whereby they are regarded as possessing much wisdom in determining the
cause of those sins they denounce: whereas in reality, the very
failures they decry will adhere to any form of government which may be
established.
Third, having thus obtained such sway in the hearts of their hearers,
these men now propose their own form of church government (or whatever
else they are pleased to designate their scheme or system), declaring
with a great blowing of trumpets that it is the only sovereign remedy
for the evils which poor Christendom is groaning under, embellishing
the same with an ear-tickling name or designation. Fourth, they now
"interpret" (?) the Scriptures in such a way that everything in them
is made to favor their discipline, and discredit the contrary. Fifth,
then they seek to persuade the credulous that they have been favored
with a special illumination of the Spirit, whereby they are able to
discern these things in the Word, while others reading it perceive
them not. Sixth, assured that they are led by the Spirit "This hath
bred high terms of separation between such and the rest of the world,
whereby the one sort are termed, The brethren, The godly, and so
forth; the other, worldlings, time-servers, pleasers of men not of
God" (Hooker, Volume 1, page 106).
Finally, the deceived are now easily drawn to become ardent
propagators of their new tenets, zealous proselytizers, seeking to
persuade others to leave the apostate "Camp" and join them on "the
true scriptural ground." "Let any man of contrary opinion open his
mouth to persuade them, and they close their ears: his reasons they
weigh not, all is answered with `We are of God, He that knoweth God
heareth us' (1 John 4:6), as for the rest, ye are of the world"
(Hooker). Such was the policy pursued by the "Fifth Monarchy men," the
"Brownists,' Thos. Cartwright and his following in the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries. Such too was the course taken by John Kelly in
Ireland, Alex. Campbell in Kentucky, more than a century ago--the
latter founding "the Christian Church," denouncing all others as
unscriptural. So that Mr. J.N. Darby followed a well-trodden path!
"Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His
reproach." After mentioning the Christian's altar and the suffering
and offering of Christ thereon, the apostle now draws an exhortation
unto that duty which is the basis of our whole Christian profession.
There are five things in this brief text which call for prayerful
consideration. First, the exact force of its "therefore"--requiring us
to ascertain the relation of our text to its setting. Second, what is
signified here by "the camp," both as it concerned the Hebrews and as
it respects us to-day. Third, in what sense we are to go forth from
it. Fourth, how in so doing we go unto Christ. Fifth, by what means
this duty is to be discharged.
"Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp." The duty which
is here enjoined on the believer is drawn from what had just been
declared: "Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people
with His own blood, suffered without the gate" (verse 12). There were
one or two points in that verse which we reserved for consideration in
this article. First, with regard to the meaning of "sanctify." We
cannot agree with those commentators (among them some for whom we have
a high regard) that would here restrict it to "expiate:" we see no
reason for this narrowing of its force. Personally, we consider the
term has as wide a signification here as elsewhere in Scripture: by
His perfect oblation Christ has separated His people from the world,
purified them from all their iniquities, consecrated them to God, so
that they stand before Him in all the acceptableness of their Head.
Many words have a wider scope in Scripture than in ordinary usage, and
the expositor needs to be constantly on his guard against narrowing
the meaning of important terms. It is blessedly true that at the cross
the believer's Surety expiated all his sins, that is, cancelled their
guilt, by making reparation to the Law; but it is the effects of that
which are here in view. The sanctification of His people was the grand
object which Christ had in view in becoming incarnate, and that He
steadily pursued throughout the whole of His life and sufferings. The
Church is now cleansed, set apart, and adorned by His atoning
sacrifice. Christ sustained all the transgressions of His people, made
atonement for them, removed the same from before God, and washed them
from all defilement by His soul travail, bloody sweat, and death; and
in consequence, they now stand before the Eye of infinite justice and
holiness as everlastingly righteous, and pure.
Herein we may behold once more the outstanding excellency of
Christianity above Judaism--something which we must ever be on the
lookout for if we are not to miss the principal design of the Spirit
in this epistle. These verses abound in details which exhibit the
privileges of the new covenant as far surpassing those of the old.
First, we have that "establishing of the heart" before God (verse 9)
which the natural Israel possessed not. Second, we have "an altar"
furnishing the highest and holiest sacrifice of all (verse 10), which
they had no right or title to partake of: their sin offerings were
burned, not eaten (verse 11). Third, we have an effectual and abiding
sanctification of our souls before God, whereas they had a
sanctification which was but external and evanescent "to the
(ceremonial) purifying of the flesh" (Heb. 9:13). Fourth, Jesus has
sanctified the people "with His own blood" (verse 12), which was
something that the high priests of Judaism could never do--they
offered to God the blood of others, even that of animals.
A further word now on the fact that the Savior "suffered without the
gate," that is, outside of the city of Jerusalem which answered to the
camp in the wilderness, wherein the tabernacle was first set up.
Sundry things were represented thereby. First, this signified that He
was not only a sacrifice for sin, but was being punished for sins,
dealt with as a malefactor and dying that death which by Divine
institution was a sign of the curse (Gal. 3:13). "They took Jesus, and
led Him away. And He bearing His cross went forth (out of Jerusalem)
into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the
Hebrew Golgotha: where they crucified Him, and two with Him" (John
19:16-18). This was done by the malice of the Jews, yet their
wickedness was "by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God"
(Acts 2:23), so that it might appear Christ is the true sin-offering.
Thus, God made the hatred of Satan and his agents to subserve His
purpose and accomplish His own will--how the knowledge of this should
comfort us when the wicked are plotting against us!
Second, in ordaining that His Son should be put to death outside the
city of Jerusalem, symbolic intimation was thereby given by God to the
Jews that He had put an end to all sacrificing in the temple, so far
as their acceptance by Him was concerned: now that Christ Himself was
laid on the altar, there was no longer any need for those offerings
which prefigured Him. The shadow and the substance could not stand
together: for the Levitical sacrifices to be continued after Christ's
death would denote either that He had not come, or that His offering
was not sufficient to obtain salvation. Third, Christ's going forth
out of Jerusalem signified the end of the church-state of the Jews,
and therefore as He left the city, He announced their destruction: see
Luke 23:28-30. Very solemn was this: Christ was no longer "in the
Church" of the Jews (Acts 7:38), their house was now left unto them
desolate (Matthew 23:38). If, then, a Jew desired to partake of the
benefits of the Messiah, he too must leave the camp--the whole temple
system.
What a depth and breadth of meaning there is to every action of our
blessed Redeemer! what important truths they illustrated and
exemplified! How much we lose by failing to meditate upon the details
of our Lord's passion! In addition to what had been pointed out above,
we may observe, fourth, that Christ's offering Himself as a sin
offering to God outside Jerusalem, clearly shows that His sacrifice
and its benefits were not confined to the elect among the Jews, but
extended equally unto the chosen remnant from the Gentiles. It was,
then, yet another sign that "the middle wall of partition" was now
broken down, that the barrier which had for so long existed between
Judaism and the world no more existed. As 1 John 2:2 declared, "He is
the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the
sins of the whole world"--for an exposition of which see our booklet
on "The Atonement."
Thus, the force of the "therefore" in our text is not difficult to
determine: because Jesus Himself "suffered without the gate, let us go
forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach." But
to make it still more simple for the reader to comprehend, let us
divide the "therefore" into its component parts. First and more
generally, because Christ has left us an example, let us follow His
steps. Second, since we partake of the food of our altar, let us use
the strength therefrom in a way pleasing and glorifying to Christ.
Third and more specifically, if the Son of God was willing to suffer
the ignominy of being cast out of Jerusalem in order to bear our doom,
surely it would ill-become the sons of God if they were unwilling to
go forth and bear His reproach! Fourth, if Christ in obedience to God
took the place of being scorned and hated by men, shall we in
disobedience to Him seek to be esteemed and flattered by His enemies?
Fifth, because Christ has "sanctified" us, let us evidence our
separation from the ungodly.
"Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His
reproach." The second thing requiring our careful consideration here
is what is meant by "the camp." "The apostle, in all this epistle,
hath respect unto the original institution of the Jewish church-state
and worship in the wilderness. Therefore he confines his discourse to
the tabernacle and the services of it, without any mention of the
temple or the city wherein it was built, though all that he speaks be
equally applicable unto them. Now the camp in the wilderness was that
space of ground which was taken up by the tents of the people, as they
were regularly pitched about the tabernacle. Out of this compass the
bodies of the beasts for the sin-offerings were carried and burned.
Hereunto afterwards answered the city of Jerusalem, as is evident in
this place; for whereas in the foregoing verse, Christ is said to
suffer `without the gate,' here He is said to be `without the camp':
these being all one and the same as to the purpose of the apostle"
(John Owen).
"The camp" of Israel, then, and later the city of Jerusalem, was the
seat and center of the political and religious life of the Jewish
church. To be in "the camp" was to have a right unto all the
advantages and privileges of the commonwealth of Israel (Eph. 2:12)
and the Divine service of the tabernacle. For to forfeit that right,
for any cause, for a season, meant that the offender was taken out of
the camp: Leviticus 14:3; 24:14; Numbers 5:2; 12:15. Now it was in
that camp that Christ had been "despised and rejected" by the Nation.
It was concerning that camp He had solemnly declared, "your house is
left unto you desolate" (Matthew 23:38). It was from that camp He had
suffered Himself to be conducted, when He went forth to the Cross.
Thus, at the time our epistle was written, "the camp" signified an
apostate Judaism, which would have none of Christ, which hated and
anathematized Him; and, in consequence, it was the place abandoned by
God, given up by Him to destruction--for a generation later it ceased
to be, even in a material and outward way.
But Judaism as such has long since passed away, what, then, is its
present counterpart? The question should not be difficult to decide,
though it meets with varied answers. Some say "the camp" is Romanism,
and call attention to the many striking points of analogy between it
and Judaism. Some say it is "the dead and carnal professing
church"--from which, of course, their denomination is an exception.
Others insist that it is "all the man-made sects and systems of
Christendom," from which they have withdrawn, only to set up another
system of their own, even more pharisaical than those they denounce.
But a single consideration is sufficient to dispose of all such
vagaries--which have, in the past, misled the writer. Is Christ
Himself hated and anathematised by either Rome or the deadest and most
erroneous portions of Protestantism? The answer is, NO. We must turn
to other scriptures (like Revelation 18:4 and 2 Timothy 3:5) to learn
God's will for us concerning Romanism or the carnal sects, for Hebrews
13:13 cannot be fairly applied to either of them. The very name of
Christ was abhorred by Judaism, it is not so by either Rome or
degenerate Protestantism.
Let us not be misunderstood at this point. We are not here expressing
our views on the whole subject of the Christian's separation from what
is dishonoring to Christ, nor are we holding a brief for the Papacy
and her daughters. Admittedly Christendom is in a far worse state
today than it was a century ago, and there is very much going on in it
with which the follower of the Lord Jesus should have no fellowship;
but that is a totally different thing from withdrawing from a company
where there are many of God's people and where all the fundamentals of
the Truth were faithfully pro-claimed--think of denouncing Spurgeon's
Tabernacle as a part of "Babylon," and refusing to allow those to
"break bread" who occasionally attended its services! No; our present
object is to define what "the camp" of Hebrews 13:13 actually
signifies, and then to show how erroneously that term has been applied
to something radically different.
As we have said above "the camp" was that degenerate Judaism which had
hounded the Lord of glory to death, and which could not be appeased by
anything less than putting Him to death as a base malefactor and
blasphemer. It is readily conceded that not only may numerous points
of analogy be drawn between Judaism and Romanism, but that large
sections of degenerate Protestantism now have many things in common
with it. But it was not its law, its priesthood, its ceremonialism,
nor even its corruptions which caused God to give up Jerusalem unto
destruction. The "camp" from which the apostle bade his readers "go
forth" was a Judaism which had not only rejected Jesus as the Christ
of God, denied that He was risen from the dead, but which also
insisted that He was a vile impostor, and reviled His very name. But
so far as we are aware, there is not a single church or company upon
earth that professes to be "Christian" of whom that can be said!
The fact is, there is nothing upon earth today which exactly
duplicates the Judaistic "camp" of the apostle's time. Yet there is
that which essentially corresponds to it, even though externally it
differs somewhat therefrom; and that is the world--the secular and
profane world. Concerning it we read, "the whole world lieth in the
Wicked one" (1 John 5:19). Those who comprise it are unregenerate,
unholy, ungodly. It is true that one of the effects of Christianity
has been to cast a veneer of morality and religious respectability
over large sections of the world; though that veneer is now getting
very thin. It is true that in some circles of it, it is still
fashionable to feign respect for Divine things, yet, if the exacting
claims of God be pressed upon them, it soon becomes apparent that the
carnal mind is enmity against Him. But for the most part, Christ is
openly hated by the masses, and His name fearfully blasphemed by them.
And there it is that we are plainly told, "the friendship of the world
is enmity with God: whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world
is the enemy of God" (James 4:4).
Our next consideration is, In what sense is the Christian to "go
forth" from the camp, i.e., from that which is avowedly and actively
hostile to Christ? This question needs to be carefully considered, for
here too the language of our text has been sadly wrested. Let us bring
the point to a definite issue: is it a corporeal or a mental act which
is here enjoined? is it by the body or the soul that the duty is
performed? is it by our feet or our hearts that obedience is rendered?
In other words, is it a "literal" or a metaphorical forsaking of the
world which God requires from us? Those who made the serious mistake
of supposing that it is the former, have betaken themselves to
monasteries and convents. The explanatory and qualifying words of the
apostle "for then (if separation from the wicked were to be taken
absolutely) must ye needs go out of the world" (1 Cor. 5:10) shows the
error of this; contrary also would it be to the spirit of the Lord's
prayer, "I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world"
(John 17:15).
Let us consider the case of the Jews in the apostle's time. When one
of them savingly believed on the Lord Jesus Christ was he required to
"literally" or physically get out of Jerusalem? No indeed: even the
apostles themselves continued to abide there (Acts 8:1)! It was not a
local departure which was intended--though a little later that was
necessary if their lives were to be preserved (Luke 21:30-32); rather
was it a moral and religious going forth from the camp. "There was
nothing that these Hebrews did more value and more tenaciously adhere
unto, than that political and religious interest in the commonwealth
of Israel. They could not understand how all the glorious privileges
granted of old unto that church and people, should so cease as that
they ought to forsake them. Hereon most of them continued in their
unbelief of the Gospel, many would have mixed the doctrine of it with
their old ceremonies, and the best of them found no small difficulty
in their renunciation. But the apostle shows them, that by the
suffering of Christ without the gate or camp, this they were called
unto" (John Owen).
The application of this principle unto us today is not difficult to
perceive. It may be stated thus: God requires us to forego and
renounce all advantages and privileges--whether social, financial,
political, or religious--which are inconsistent with an interest in
Christ, communion with Him, or fidelity to His cause. An illustration
of this is furnished in Philippians 3:4-10: those things which Saul of
Tarsus had formerly counted gain--his Jewish birth and orthodoxy, his
pharisaic strictness and righteousness, his persecution of the
Church--he now "counted loss for Christ." The same thing obtains now
in heathendom: when a Parsee, Buddhist, Mohammedan (or a Jew, or a
Romanist) is truly converted, he has to turn his back upon, relinquish
those things which he had hitherto most highly venerated. Love to
Christ moves him to now hate those things which are directly opposed
to Him.
Now for the fourth point in our text: by going forth from the camp we
go "unto Him," or, conversely, by going forth unto Christ we go
outside the camp. The two things are inseparable: they are convertible
terms. We cannot go unto, without going from, and we cannot go "from"
without going "unto." This is exactly what conversion is: a turning
round, a right-about face. It is the heart turning from Satan to God,
from sin to holiness, from things below to things above, from "the
camp" unto Christ. That which is opposed to the Lord Jesus is
renounced for His sake. The world is left, and He is followed.
Self-righteousness is dropped that an band may lay hold of His atoning
sacrifice. To "go forth unto Him" is to betake ourselves to Christ in
His office as the Prophet, Priest, and King of His Church, and thereby
find acceptance with God. It is to cleave unto and own Him under the
contempt and opposition of those who despise and reject Him.
To go forth unto Christ without the camp, then, signifies for us to be
so enlightened by the Spirit as for the eyes of our understanding to
see Him as the promised Messiah, the only Mediator between God and
men; to behold the One whom the Jews and Gentiles condemned to a
malefactor's death, as the all-sufficient Savior. It is for the heart
to be attracted by the supernal excellencies of His person, to be won
by Him, the soul perceiving Him to be "the Fairest of ten thousand."
It is for the will to be brought into subjection of Him, so that His
yoke is gladly accepted and His scepter readily submitted to. In a
word, it is to heartily approve of Him whom the world still hates,
becoming His humble follower, His willing disciple, and gladly
enduring for His sake all the ridicule and persecution which fidelity
to Him and His cause entails. Like the Gadarenes of old, the
professing world now says to Him "Depart out of our coasts" (Mark
5:17), but those who go forth unto Him exclaim, "my Beloved is mine,
and I am His" (Song 2:16).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
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Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 116
Outside the Camp
(Hebrews 13:13, 14)
__________________________________________
In the preceding article we endeavored to make clear to the reader
exactly what was "the camp" from which the apostle exhorted the
Hebrews to go forth. The more accurately a term be defined, the less
likelihood of its being wrongly employed. It was at this point the
present writer failed in an article which appeared in an issue nearly
ten years ago--many a sound sermon has been marred by heading it with
the wrong text. Dwelling upon many of the incidental analogies which
exist between much that now obtains in Christendom and that which
marked Judaism of old, we failed to concentrate upon that which was
essential and fundamental, and hence, made a wrong application of this
particular term "the camp." That which made the Judaism of Paul's day
to differ so radically from its worst state in the times of the
prophets, was, that it had hated, rejected, and murdered the incarnate
Son of God.
It is that particular point, the Jews' casting out of Christ,
anathematizing Him, condemning Him to a malefactor's death, which must
guide us when seeking to identify the modem counterpart of that
"camp." There is, really, no exact replica on earth today of that
Judaism which crucified the Lord Jesus: certainly neither
Romanism--blasphemous and horrible as are many of its dogmas and
practices--nor the most degenerate branches of Protestantism--rotten
as some of them are in doctrine and works--can rightly be designated
the present-day "camp." No, as we pointed out previously, that which
most closely resembles it, that which in principle is essentially like
thereto, is the secular, profane world. Its unregenerate and ungodly
members do not profess to love Christ: the very mention of Him is
hateful to them: they desire to banish Him entirely from their schemes
and thoughts--except when they take His holy name in vain.
Next, we sought to show in what sense the Lord requires His people to
go forth "outside the camp," that is, separate themselves from the
ungodly, from those who hate and revile Christ. This, as we saw, is
not to be understood "literally" or physically, but metaphorically or
morally. It is not a local withdrawal from the world, but a religious
and spiritual one. In other words, God does not bid His people be
fanatics and lead the lives of hermits. Taking refuge in monasteries
and convents is the Devil's perversion of this important practical
truth. No; the Christian is still left in the world, but he must not
be of it. Its policy and maxims must not regulate him, its pleasures
and attractions must not capture his heart, its friendship must not be
sought; its politics are no concern of his. In heart and
soul-interests he is a stranger here, and is to conduct himself as a
pilgrim passing through this scene--"using this world, but not abusing
it" (1 Cor. 7:31).
Then we pointed out that in going forth from the camp the Christian
goes unto Christ: it is the two-foldness of act which the word
"conversion" connotes. Yet it is not without reason that the Holy
Spirit has worded our text as it is: there is a particular emphasis in
it which requires to be noted. It is not, "Let us go forth therefore
without the camp unto Him," but "unto Him without the camp." The
difference is something more than verbal. It stresses the fact that
Christ Himself must be the grand object before the heart, and then the
poor baubles of this world will not possess much attraction for us. If
He is not, then, though we may become aesthetes, there will be no
contentment, still less joy: our case would be like that of many of
the Israelites who had "gone forth" from Egypt, yet continued to lust
after its fleshpots.
To go forth unto Christ without the camp means for the believer to
make a complete break from his former manner of life, to renounce
every thing which is opposed to Christ, to relinquish whatever would
hinder communion with Him. In a word, the exhortation of our text is
only another way of presenting that declaration of our Lord, "If any
man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross,
and follow Me" (Matthew 16:24). Sin must be mortified, the flesh with
its affections and lusts crucified, the world forsaken, and the
example which Christ has left us diligently followed. So, then, going
forth unto Him outside the camp is not a single act, done once for all
at conversion, but an habitual thing, a constant attitude of life. The
cross must be taken up by the Christian "daily:" Luke 9:23.
Obedience to this injunction involves "bearing Christ's reproach." The
believer is called unto fellowship with Christ: fellowship now with
His sufferings (Phil. 3:10), in the future with His glory. That
"reproach" assumes different forms and has various degrees in
different locations and periods, according as God is pleased to
restrain the enmity of the wicked against His people. But in every age
and in every place it has been verified that "all that will live godly
in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (2 Tim. 3:12). That
"persecution," that "reproach" of Christ may be cruel afflictions such
as the early Christians experienced; or it may take the milder form of
sneers, ridicule, and ostracism, which sensitive souls feel keenly. As
Christ declared, "The servant is not greater than his Lord. If they
have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you" (John 15:20). One
reason why God permits this, is because His people are so prone to
flirt with the world, and if we will not separate from them, He often
causes them to give us the cold shoulder and appose us.
The flesh shrinks from and desires to escape such opposition. It is
natural for us to want to be well thought of and nicely treated by
every one. But let the shrinking Christian call to mind what his
Master endured for his sake. In the types, the sin-offering was burned
without the camp--far off from the holy of holies where Jehovah had
His seat--to represent the sinner's final separation from God, his
being cast into "the outer darkness," there to suffer the vengeance of
eternal fire. And Christ endured the equivalent of that on the cross,
during those three hours of awful darkness. He bore the fearful load
of His people's sins, and was deprived of the comforts of God's
presence. For Christ it meant entering the place of distance from God,
but for us to "go forth without the camp" means going "unto Him"; for
Him it entailed enduring the curse, for us it involves naught but
Divine blessing! Then let us cleave to Him despite the world's scorn,
and stand by His cause on earth no matter what the cost to us.
But let us now consider by what means this duty of going forth unto
Christ is discharged. As we pointed out in the preceding article, it
is an act of the soul rather than of the body which is here in view.
But to particularize. First, the soul of the believer goes forth to
Christ by prayer, for real prayer is the breathing of the heart after
Him and turning unto Him. Its first cry is "Lord, save me, I perish."
There is the daily request for Him to make Himself more real to the
heart, to grant us closer communion with Himself, and to remove those
things which hinder the same. There is the asking Him to teach us how
to draw from His fullness, to make us more obedient, to conform us
more fully to His holy image. "Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His
mouth: for Thy love is better than wine" (Song 1:2) is the language of
one whose heart is "going forth unto Christ outside the camp"--seeking
from Him that which is infinitely superior to the best this poor world
affords.
Second, it is the motion of faith. Christ is the grand Object of
faith, and He can only be known and enjoyed now by faith. It was so at
our first conversion; it is so throughout the entire Christian course.
"The life which I now live in the flesh," said the apostle, "I live by
the faith of the Son of God (faith in Him), who loved me, and gave
Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20). When faith is inactive, there is no going
forth of the soul unto Christ, no real prayer, no communion with Him.
But when faith is operative the heart turns unto Him as instinctively
as the needle of the compass does unto the north. When faith is sickly
and listless the things of this world gain power over us: either its
pleasures attract, or its cares distract us. But when faith is healthy
and vigorous, the soul "mounts up with wings as eagles" and "runs and
is not weary." It is faith which makes Christ real and precious to the
soul. Then let us be more diligent in guarding against those things
which weaken and quench it.
Third, going forth unto Christ outside the camp is the act of hope.
This is the particular spiritual grace which keeps the heart of the
believer from falling into abject despair. There are times when he is
sorely tried and dismayed: sin rages within, the accusations of the
holy Law sting his conscience, and Satan tries hard to make him
believe that all is lost--that having abused his privileges, sinned
against much light, turned Divine grace into lasciviousness, there is
no remedy. So it seems to the cast-down soul: pray he cannot, and as
he reads the Scriptures, instead of finding comfort every page
condemns him. Then the Spirit applies some promise, and a little
encouragement follows: but conscience still smites, and he groans. Now
it is that hope acts: Christ had mercy on the leper, the publican, the
dying thief; He is full of compassion, I will cast myself afresh on
His pity. So too hope looks beyond this scene--with all its
disappointments, sorrows, and sufferings--and anticipates the time
when we shall be "forever with the Lord."
Fourth, going forth unto Christ without the camp is also the work of
love. The love of God which the Spirit sheds abroad in the hearts of
the regenerate is something more than beautiful sentiment: it is an
operative principle. Love yearns for the company of the beloved: it
cannot find satisfaction elsewhere. Christ is not to be met with in
worldly circles, and therefore when the heart of the believer is in a
healthy state, it seeks unto its Beloved outside the same. A word from
His lips, a smile from His face, an embrace from His arms, is prized
above rubies. To sit at His feet and drink from the fountain of His
love, is better than heaps of silver and gold. Christ is precious to
those whose sins have been removed by His blood, and their affections
"go forth" unto Him--not so fervently and frequently as they should,
or as they desire; nevertheless, there are seasons in the life of
every Christian when he is permitted to lean his head upon the
Savior's bosom. Christ's love to His own attracts their love to Him.
Fifth, going forth unto Christ outside the camp is the surrender of
the will to Him. There is a change of masters: service to the prince
of this world is renounced, and the Lordship of Christ accepted. There
is an enlisting under His banner, a putting on of His uniform, a
submission to His captaincy, and we act according to His will. How
different is all of this from what many suppose our text signifies!
One may identify himself with those who claim to have gone forth from
"all the man-made sects and systems," and yet the heart be quite dead
toward God. Or, one may belong to the most orthodox church, subscribe
to its doctrines, adopt their language, echo its groans, and have not
a spark of grace in the heart. One may separate from all the world's
politics, pastimes and pleasures, and have no love for Christ. There
must be the exercise of faith, the stirrings of hope, the actings of
love, the surrender of the will, and walking in the path of obedience,
in order to meet the terms of our text.
"For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come" (verse
14). Four questions are suggested by these words: what is their
relation to the preceding verse? what is signified by "no continuing
city"? what is the "one to come" that we seek? how or in what way do
we seek it? That there is a close connection between verse14 and the
previous one is obvious from its opening word. Now that connection is
twofold: first, verse14 supplies two further reasons to enforce the
duty specified in verse 13--additional to those implied in verses
10-12; second, verse 14 may also be regarded as explaining and
amplifying the language of verse 13.
The connection of verse 14 with verse 13 will be more apparent as we
turn to the second question and consider what is signified by "For
here have we no continuing city." Obviously, the "city" is used here
metaphorically, as a figure of that which is strong and stable: it is
that which provides refuge and rest to the great majority of earth's
inhabitants. "Change and decay in all around I see" said the poet:
there is nothing lasting, durable, dependable in this world. In
Genesis 4:17 we read that Cain "builded a city," and where is
it?--destroyed thousands of years ago by the Flood. Thebes, Nineveh,
Babylon were all powerful and imposing cities in their day, but where
are they now? they no longer exist, yea, their very site is disputed.
Such is this world, my reader: "the fashion of this world passeth
away" (1 Cor. 7:31), and one day "the earth also and the works that
are therein shall be burned up" (2 Pet. 3:10).
The things of this earth are transitory: that which the natural man
values so highly, and sells his soul to obtain, soon vanishes away.
All that is mundane is unstable and uncertain: that is the meaning, in
brief, of "here have we no continuing city." There is however an
emphasis in these words which we must not miss: it is not simply "here
there is no continuing city" but "here have we'' none--something which
can be predicated of none but believers. True, the worldling has none
in reality, but in his imagination, his plans, his affections, he
has--he sets his heart upon the things of this world and acts as
though he would enjoy them always: "Their inward thought is, that
their houses shall continue forever, and their dwelling-places to all
generations: they call their lands after their own names" (Ps. 49:11).
And how is the instability of everything mundane to affect and
influence the Christian? Thus: he is to renounce them in his
heart--leave "the camp"--that is the connection with verse 13.
"For here have we no continuing city" (verse 14). "A city is the
center of men's interests and privileges, the residence and seat of
their conversation. Hereby are they freed from the condition of
strangers and pilgrims; and have all that rest and security in this
world they are capable. For those who have no higher aims nor ends
than this world, a city is their all. Now it is not said of believers
absolutely that they belonged to no city, had none that was theirs in
common with other men; for our apostle himself pleaded that he was a
citizen of no mean city. This is intimated, as we shall see, in the
restriction of the assertion: a continuing city. But it is spoken on
other accounts" (John Owen). What those "other accounts" are we shall
see presently, meanwhile we will consider the more general meaning.
In His providential dealings with them, God often gives His people
painful reminders of the fact that "here have we no continuing city."
We are prone to be at ease in Zion, to fix our hearts on things below,
to settle down in this world. We like to feel that we are anchored for
a while at least, and make our plans accordingly. But God blows upon
our schemes and compels us to take up the stakes of our tents, saying,
"Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest; because it is
polluted" (Mic. 2:10). A significant word on this is found in, "As an
eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth
abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings; so the Lord
alone did lead him" (Deut. 32:11, 12). Ah, my reader, it is not a
pleasant experience to have our earthly "nest" stirred up, to have our
rest disturbed, and be obliged to change our abode; but as that is
essential if the eaglets are to be taught to use their wings, so it is
necessary for the Christian if he is to live as a stranger and pilgrim
in this scene.
God has called His people unto fellowship with Christ, and that means
something more than participating in His life and receiving His peace
and joy: it also involves entering into His experiences--enduring the
wrath of God alone excepted. "When He putteth forth His own sheep, He
goeth before them, and the sheep follow Him" (John 10:4). That denotes
two things: that we are not called to tread any path which He did not
Himself, traverse, and that we are to experience something of His
sorrows: are they which have continued with Me in My temptations" or
"trials" (Luke 22:28). Now what was Christ's experience in this word?
Even as a child He had no rest here: His parents had to carry Him down
into Egypt in order to escape the malice of Herod. Trace the record of
His earthly ministry, and how long do we find Him abiding in one
place? He was constantly on the move. "Jesus therefore being wearied
with His journey sat thus on the well" (John 4:6), and in some form or
other His people are required to drink from that same cup. If the Lord
of glory "had not where to lay His head" when in this world, shall we
deem it strange that God so often disturbs our rest?
But let us now consider the more specific meaning of our text. First,
the Christian has no city on earth which is the center of Divine
worship, whereunto it is confined, as had been the case with Judaism.
Herein the apostle points another contrast. After the Israelites had
wandered for many years in the wilderness, they were brought to rest
in Canaan, where Jerusalem became their grand center, and of that city
the Jews had for long boasted. But it was not to continue, for within
ten years of the writing of this epistle, that city was destroyed. How
this verse gives the lie to the pretentions of Rome! No, the Christian
has something far better than an insecure and non-continuing city on
earth, even the Father's House, with its many mansions, eternal in the
heavens!
Second, the believer has no city on earth which supplies him with
those things which are his ultimate aim: deliverance from all his
enemies, an end to all his trials, an eternal resting-place. His
"commonwealth" or "citizenship" is "in Heaven" (Phil. 3:20 R.V.). The
Christian does not regard this world as his fixed abode or final home.
This is what gives point to the preceding exhortation and explains the
force of the opening "For" in verse 14. The fact that everything here
is unstable and uncertain should spur the Christian to go forth from
the camp--in his heart renounce the world. And further, it should make
him willing to "bear the reproach of Christ," even though that
involves being driven from his birthplace and compelled to wander
about without any fixed residence on earth. Finally, it gives point,
as we shall see, to the last clause of our text.
"But we seek one to come" (verse 14). In view of what has been before
us, it is quite clear that the "one," the City, that we seek, is
Heaven itself, various aspects of which are suggested by the figure
here used of it. It is an abiding, heavenly, everlasting "City," which
the believer seeks, and the same is referred to again and again in
this epistle--in contrast from the temporal and transitory nature of
Judaism--under various terms and figures. This "City" is the same as
the "better and enduring substance" in Heaven of Hebrews 10:34. It is
that "Heavenly Country" of Hebrews 11:16. It is "the City of the
living God" of Hebrews 12:22, the seat and center of Divine worship.
It is the same as "those things which cannot be shaken" of Hebrews
12:27. It is "the Kingdom which cannot be moved," in its final form,
of Hebrews 12:28. It is the "Inheritance incorruptible and undefiled,
and that fadeth not away, reserved in Heaven for us" (1 Pet. 1:4).
An earlier reference to this grand object of the believer's desire and
quest was before us in "he looked for a City which hath foundations,
whose Builder and Maker is God" (Heb. 11:10). Those "foundations" are,
First, the everlasting good-will and pleasure of God toward His
people, which is the basis of all His dealings with them. Second,
God's foreordination, whereby He predestined His elect unto eternal
glory, concerning which we are told "The foundation of God standeth
sure, having this seal: The Lord knoweth them that are His" (2 Tim.
2:19). Third, the Everlasting Covenant of free, rich, and sovereign
Grace, which God entered into with the Head and Surety of the elect,
and which is "ordered in all things and sure." Fourth, the infinite
merits and purchase of Christ, for "other foundation can no man lay
than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 3:11). Fifth, the
whole being confirmed by and resting upon the immutable stability of
God's promise and oath: Hebrews 6:17-20.
In addition to the few brief remarks we made upon the signification of
this figure of the "City" when expounding Hebrews 11:10, we may note
the following--bearing in mind those characteristics of a "city" which
specially obtained in ancient times. First, a city was a place of
safety and security: "let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of
the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians: so we dwell at
Jerusalem" (Jer. 35:11). In Heaven there will be no wicked men to
persecute, no Devil to tempt. Second, a city is compact, being the
concentration of numerous houses and homes. So of Heaven Christ
declared that in it are "many mansions." There will dwell together
forever the myriads of holy angels and the entire Church of God.
Third, in a city is stored all manner of provisions and needful
commodities; so in Heaven there is nothing lacking to minister unto
the delights of its inhabitants.
Finally, as a "city" on earth is the center of the world's interests
and privileges, the resting-place of travelers and those who go
abroad, so Heaven will be the grand Terminal to the wanderings and
journeyings of the Christian. His pilgrimage is ended, for Home is
reached. On earth he was a stranger and sojourner, but now he has
reached the Father's House. There he will meet with no hardships,
encounter none to whom he is a hated foreigner, and no longer have to
earn his daily bread by the sweat of his brow. Unbroken rest, perfect
freedom, unassailable security, congenial society, inconceivable
delights, are now his portion forever. Faith then gives place to
sight, hope to fruition, grace is swallowed up in glory, and we are
"forever with the Lord," beholding His glory, bathing in the ocean of
His love.
How the anticipation of this should make us set our affection on
things above, spur us on to run the race before us, cause us to drop
every weight which hinders us in running! How the consideration and
contemplation of that "City" should work powerfully in us to look and
long, and prepare us for the same! This brings us to ponder for a
moment the meaning of "but we seek one to come." This, of course, does
not signify that the believer is searching after that which is
unknown, but endeavoring to obtain it. It is the treading of that
Narrow Way which leads to Heaven, and that with diligence and desire,
which is hereby denoted. "And God hath prepared a city of rest for us,
so it is our duty continually to endeavor the attainment of it, in the
ways of His appointment. The main business of believers in this world
is diligently to seek after the attainments of eternal rest with God,
and this is the character whereby they may be known" (John Owen).
Here, then, is the use which the believer makes of the uncertainty and
instability of everything in this world: his heart is fixed on the
Home above, and to get safely there is his great concern. The word
"seek" in our text is a very strong one: it is used in, "after all
these things (the material necessities of this life) do the Gentiles
seek" (Matthew 6:32)--i.e., seek with concentrated purpose, earnest
effort, untiring zeal. The same word is also rendered "labor" in
Hebrews 4:11: the Christian deems no task too arduous, no sacrifice
too much, no loss too great, if he may but "win Christ" (Phil. 3:8).
He knows that Heaven will richly compensate him for all the toils and
troubles of the journey which lead thither. "Him that overcometh will
I make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go no more out"
(Rev. 3:12).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 117
The Christian's Sacrifices
(Hebrews 13:15, 16)
__________________________________________
The verses which are now to engage our attention are closely related
with those which immediately precede, as is intimated by the
"therefore." The links of connection may be set forth thus. First, "We
have an Altar" (verse 10); what use are we to make of it? the answer
is, offer sacrifice thereon. Second, Jesus has sanctified His people
"with His own blood" (verse 12). What is to be their response? the
answer is, draw night to God as joyous worshippers. Third, we must go
forth unto Christ "without the camp." What then, is to be our attitude
towards those who despise and reject Him? The answer is, not one of
malice, but benevolence, doing good unto all as we have opportunity
and occasion. Such, in brief, is the relation between our present
portion and its context.
Calvin suggested, we believe rightly, that the apostle here
anticipated an objection which might have been made against what he
had previously advanced. In saying that Jesus "suffered without the
gate" (verse 11), plain intimation was given that God had done with,
abandoned Judaism as such. In bidding Hebrew believers to go forth
unto Christ "without the camp," the Holy Spirit signified they must
now turn their backs upon the temple and its service. But this
presented a serious difficulty: all the sacrifices--those of
thanksgiving as well as those of expiation--were inseparably connected
with the temple system, therefore it followed that if the temple was
to be deserted, the sacrifices also must have ceased. It was to meet
this difficulty, and to make known the superior privileges of
Christianity, that the apostle penned our text.
If the Christian was debarred from offering any sacrifice to God, then
he would occupy an inferior position and be deprived of a privilege
which the Jews of old enjoyed, for sacrifices were instituted for the
purpose of celebrating God's worship. The apostle therefore shows that
another kind of sacrifice remains for us to offer, which is no less
pleasing to God than those which He appointed of old, even the praise
of our lips. Here we are taught what is the legitimate way of
worshipping God under the new covenant, which presents another
striking contrast from that which obtained under the old. As our
"Altar" is not one of wood or stone, brass or gold, but Christ
Himself, so our "sacrifices" are not the fruits of the ground or the
firstlings of our herds, but the adoration of our hearts and the
devotion of our lives. The contrast, then, is between the outward and
ceremonial and the inward and spiritual.
The Jews offered to God a slain lamb each morning and evening, and on
certain special days bullocks and rams; but the Christian is to
present unto God a continual sacrifice of thanksgiving. This brings
before us a most interesting and blessed subject, namely, those
sacrifices of the Christian with which God is well pleased. The first
of these was mentioned by David: "The sacrifices of God are a broken
spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise"
(Ps. 51:17). "When the heart mourns for sins God is better pleased
than when the bullock bleeds beneath the axe. `A broken heart' is an
expression implying deep sorrow, embittering the very life; it carries
in it the idea of all but killing anguish in that region which is so
vital as to be the very source of life. A heart crushed is, to God, a
fragrant heart. Men condemn those who are contemptible in their own
eyes, but the Lord seeth not as man seeth. He despises what man
esteems, and values that which they despise. Never yet has God spurned
a lowly, weeping penitent" (C.H. Spurgeon).
John Owen pointed out that there were two things in connection with
the O.T. sacrifices: the slaying and shedding of the blood of the
beast, and then the actual offering of it upon the altar. Both of
these were required in order to the completing of a sacrifice. On the
one hand, the mere killing of the animal was no sacrifice unless its
blood was placed upon the altar; and on the other hand, no blood could
be presented there to God until it had been actually shed.
Corresponding to these, there is a twofold spiritual sacrifice in
connection with the Christian profession. The first is what has just
been made reference to in the paragraph above: the broken heart and
contrite spirit of the believer. That signifies evangelical repentance
and mortification, or the crucifixion of the flesh, which is the
Christian's first sacrifice, answering to the death of the beast
before the altar.
The second sacrifice which the believer presents unto God is his
offering of Christ each day. This is done by an act of faith--which is
ever preceded by repentance, just as we must feel ourselves to be
desperately sick before we send for the physician. As the awakened
sinner is convicted of sin and mourns for it before God, pride and
self-righteousness are subdued, and he is able to appreciate the Lamb
of God which taketh away the sin of the (elect) world. Christ appears
to him as exactly suited to his case and need. He perceives that He
was wounded for his transgressions and bruised for his iniquities. He
perceives that Christ took his place and endured the penal wrath of
God on his behalf. Therefore does he now lay hold of him by faith and
present the atoning sacrifice of Christ to God as the only ground of
his acceptance. And as he begins, so he continues. A daily sense of
defilement leads to a daily pleading of Christ's blood before the
throne of grace. There is first the appropriating of Christ, and then
the presenting of Him to God as the basis of acceptance.
Now it is this laying hold of Christ and the offering of Him to God in
the arms of faith which corresponds to the second thing in connection
with the tabernacle (and temple) sacrifices of old. As the fire fell
upon the oblation placed upon the altar, incense was mingled
therewith, so that the whole yielded a "sweet savor unto God." Just as
the mere slaying of the animal was not sufficient--its blood must be
laid upon the altar and fragrant incense be offered therewith; so the
Christian's sacrifice of a broken and contrite heart will not by
itself secure the favor of God. Essential as repentance is, it cannot
purchase anything from God. The broken heart must lay hold of Christ,
exercise faith in His blood (Rom. 3:25), and plead His merits before
God. Only then will our sacrifice of a contrite spirit be a "sweet
smelling savor" unto Him.
The third sacrifice which the Christian presents unto God is himself.
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service" (Rom. 12:1). That is an act of
consecration. It is the recognition and acknowledgement that I am no
longer my own, that I have been bought with a price, that I am the
purchased property of Another. Hence, of the primitive saints we read
that they "first gave their own selves to the Lord" (2 Cor. 8:5),
surrendering themselves to His scepter, taking upon themselves His
yoke, henceforth to live to His glory; that as they had formerly
served sin and pleased self, now they would serve God and seek only
His honor. As Christ gave Himself for us, we now give ourselves back
again to Him. Hereby alone can we know that we are saved: not only by
believing in Christ for the forgiveness of sins, but by yielding
ourselves up to His government, as living sacrifices for His use.
The fourth sacrifice of the Christian is that mentioned in our text,
namely, "the fruit of our lips"; but before taking up the same let us
say a few words on the order of what has now been before us. There can
be no acceptable sacrifice of praise until we have offered ourselves
unto God as those that are alive from the dead, for as Psalm 115:17
declares, "The dead praise not the Lord." No, those who are yet in
their sins cannot praise God, for they have no love for Him and no
delight in Him. The heart must first be made right before it is
attuned to make melody unto Him. God accepts not the lip service of
those whose hearts are estranged from Him. Of old He complained "This
people draw near Me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor Me,
but have removed their heart far from Me" (Isa. 29:13), and as Christ
affirmed "in vain do they worship" Him (Matthew 15:8). Such hypocrisy
is hateful to Him.
Nor can any man present himself acceptably to God until he has
believingly embraced Christ. No matter how willing I am to live
honestly in the future, satisfaction must be made for the debts
contracted in the past; and nothing but the atoning work of Christ can
satisfy the just demands which the Law has against us. Again; how can
I serve in the King's presence unless I be suitably attired? and
nothing short of the robe of righteousness which Christ purchased for
His people can gratify God's holy eye. Again; how could God Himself
accept from me service which is utterly unworthy of His notice and
that is constantly defiled by the corrupt nature still within me,
unless it were presented in the meritorious name of the Mediator and
cleansed by His precious blood. We must, then, accept Christ's
sacrifice before God will accept ours; God's rejection of Cain's
offering is clear proof thereof.
Equally evident is it, yet not so clearly perceived today by a
defectively-visioned Christendom, that no sinner can really accept
Christ's sacrifice until his heart be broken by a felt sense of his
grievous offenses against a gracious God, and until his spirit be
truly contrite before Him. The heart must be emptied of sin before
there is room for the Savior. The heart must renounce this evil world
before a holy Christ will occupy it. It is a moral impossibility for
one who is still in love with his lusts and the willing servant of the
Devil to appropriate Christ and present Him to God for his acceptance.
Thus, the order of the Christian's sacrifices is unchanging. First, we
bow in the dust before God in the spirit of genuine repentance; then
we appropriate Christ as His gracious provision, and present Him to
God for the obtaining of His favor. Then we yield ourselves to Him
unreservedly as His purchased property; and then we render praise and
thanksgiving for His amazing grace toward us.
"By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God
continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name"
(verse 15). This is an exhortation to duty, by way of inference from
what was declared concerning the Redeemer and the sanctification of
the people by His sufferings. Therein we are shown what use we are to
make of our Altar, namely, offer sacrifice. The worship which the
Christian presents unto God is the sacrifice of praise. Nothing is
more pleasing unto Him, and nothing is more honoring to Him, than the
praise of a renewed heart. Has He not declared, "Whoso offereth praise
glorifieth Me"? (Ps. 50:23). How thankful for that statement should
those believers be who feel themselves to be poor and feeble. Had God
said, whoso shall create a world, or even whoso shall preach wonderful
sermons and be a successful winner of souls, or whoso shall give a
huge sum of money to missions, they might well despair. But "whoso
offereth praise" opens a wide door of entrance to every believer.
And have not the redeemed abundant cause for praising God! First,
because He has granted them a vital and experimental knowledge of
Himself. How the excellencies of God's being, character and
attributes, thrill, as well as awe, the souls of the saints! Glance
for a moment at Psalm 145, which is entitled a "Psalm of Praise."
David begins with "I will extol Thee, my God, O King; and I will bless
Thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless Thee, and I will
praise Thy name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to
be praised" (verses 1-3). In the verses that follow, one perfection of
God after another passes in review and stirs the soul to adoration.
His "mighty acts" (verse 4), the "glorious honor of His majesty"
(verse 5), His "greatness" (verse 6), His "great goodness" and
"righteousness" (verse 7), His "fullness of compassion" and "great
mercy" (verse 8), His "power" (verse 11), the "glorious majesty of His
kingdom" (verse 12), His everlasting "dominion" (verse 13), His
providential blessings (verses 14-17), His dealings in grace with His
own (verses 18, 19), His preserving them (verse 20). No wonder the
Psalmist closed with, "my mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord,
and let all flesh bless His holy name for ever and ever."
If the Psalms be full of suitable petitions for us to present unto God
in prayer, and if they contain language well fitted for the lips of
the sobbing penitent, yet they also abound in expressions of gladsome
worship. "Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises unto our
King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye
praises with understanding" (Ps. 47:6, 7). What vehemency of soul is
expressed there! Four times over in one verse the Psalmist called upon
himself (and us) to render praise unto the Lord, and not merely to
utter it, but to "sing" the same out of an overflowing heart. In
another place the note of praise is carried to yet a higher pitch: "Be
glad in the Lord, and rejoice ye righteous; and shout for joy, all ye
that are upright in heart" (Ps. 32:11). Not in any formal and
perfunctory manner is the great God to be praised, but heartily,
joyously, merrily. "Sing forth the honor of His name: make His praise
glorious" (Ps. 66:2). Then let us offer Him nothing less than glorious
praise.
The "therefore" of our text intimates an additional reason why we
should praise God: because of Christ and His so great salvation. For
our sakes the Beloved of the Father took upon Him the form of a
servant, and was made under the Law. For our sakes the Lord of glory,
entered into unfathomable depths of shame and humiliation, so that He
cried "I am a worm and no man" (Ps. 22:6). For our sakes He bowed His
back to the cruel smiter and offered His blessed face to those who
plucked off the hair. For our sakes He entered into conflict with the
Prince of Darkness, and the pains of death. For our sakes He endured
the awful curse of the Law, and for three hours was forsaken by God.
No Christian reader can reverently contemplate such mysteries and
marvels without being stirred to the depths of his soul. And then, as
he seeks to contemplate what the shame and sufferings of Christ have
secured for him, "Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable Gift," must
be the fervent exclamation of his heart.
And observe well, dear reader, how God has allotted to Christ the
position of chief honor in connection with our subject. "By Him (the
One mentioned in verses 12, 13) let us offer the sacrifice of praise
to God." As the Lord Jesus Himself declared, "I am the Way, the Truth,
and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me" (John 14:6).
The saints can no more draw nigh unto God apart from Christ, than the
sinner can: we are as dependent upon His mediation to render our
worship acceptable to God, as we were at first for obtaining the
forgiveness of our sins. As our great High Priest Christ is the
"Minister of the Sanctuary" (Heb. 8:2). He meets us, as it were, at
the door of the heavenly temple, and we place our spiritual sacrifices
in His hands, that He may, in the sweet fragrance of His merits and
perfections, present them for God's acceptance. "Another Angel came
and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given
unto Him much incense, that He should offer it with the prayers of all
saints" (Rev. 8:3).
At every point God has made us dependent upon Christ, the Mediator.
Only by Him can we offer acceptable sacrifices unto God. First,
because it is through Christ's bloodshedding, and that alone, that our
persons have been sanctified, or made acceptable to God--note how in
Genesis 4:4 Jehovah had respect first to Abel himself, and then to his
offering! Second, because it is through Christ's atonement, and that
alone, that a new and living way has been opened for us into God's
presence: see Hebrews 10:19-21. Third, because He bears "the iniquity
of our holy things" (fulfilling the type in Exodus 28:38), that is,
through His perfect oblation our imperfect offerings are received by
God: His merits and intercession cancel their defects. Fourth, because
as the Head of the Church, He ministers before God on behalf of its
members, presenting their worship before Him. Thus, "By Him"
signifies, under His guidance, through His mediation, and by our
pleading His merits for acceptance with God.
What has just been before us supplies further proof of what was
pointed out in an earlier paragraph, namely, that it is impossible for
the unregenerate to worship God acceptably. "The sacrifice of the
wicked is an abomination to the Lord" (Prov. 15:8). And why? Not only
because he is utterly sinful in himself, but because there is no
Mediator to come between him and God. This is brought out strikingly
in the O. T. types. Not a single "song" is recorded in the book of
Genesis. In Eden our first parents were fitted to sing unto their
Creator, and join the angels in ascribing glory and thanksgiving to
the Lord. But after the Fall, sinners could only praise on the ground
of redeeming grace, and it is not until Exodus is reached that we have
the grand type of redemption. That book opens with Israel in Egypt,
groaning and crying in the house of bondage. Next, the paschal lamb
was slain, Egypt was left behind, the Red Sea was crossed, and on its
farther shore they looked back and saw all their enemies drowned:
"Then sang Moses and the children of Israel" (Ex. 15:1). Praise, then,
is on the ground of redemption.
"By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise." Every word of
Holy Writ is inspired of God, and throughout, its language is chosen
with Divine discrimination. Therefore it behooves us to carefully
weigh each of its terms, or we shall miss their finer shades of
meaning. Here is a case in point: it is not "let us render praise unto
God," but "let us offer a sacrifice of praise." Christ has made His
people "kings and priests unto God" (Rev. 1:6), and here they are
called upon to exercise their priestly functions. Thus we are
instructed to make a right use of our "Altar" (verse 10). We are not
only partakers of its privileges, but we are to discharge its duties,
by bringing our sacrifices thereto. The same aspect of truth is seen
again in 1 Peter 2:5, where we read that believers are "an holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by
Jesus Christ." Yes, offered "unto God" and not to angels or saints;
and, acceptable "by Jesus Christ," and not the Virgin Mary!
This particular expression "let us offer a sacrifice of praise to God"
not only emphasizes the fact that in their worship believers act in
priestly capacity, but it also signifies that we now have the
substance of what was shadowed forth by the Levitical rites. It also
denotes that the Christian ought to be as particular and diligent in
the discharge of his evangelical duties as the Jew was in the
performing of his ceremonial obligations. As he was required to bring
an offering that was without physical defect, so we must bring to God
the very best that our hearts can supply: "Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me, bless His holy name." Content not thyself
with offering to God a few formal utterances of thanksgiving, still
less hurry through thy worship as a task you are glad to get finished;
but strive after reality, fervency, and joy in the same.
When the worshipping Israelite approached the tabernacle or temple, he
did not come empty-handed, but brought with him a thank-offering. Then
"let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God." When the saints come
together for public worship, it should be not only for the object of
having their empty vessels filled and their hungry souls fed, but with
the definite purpose of offering to God that which will please Him.
The more closely we walk with God, and the more intimate be our
communion with Him, the easier the performance of this pleasant duty.
The more we delight ourselves in the Lord and regale our souls by the
contemplation of His perfections, the more spontaneous, fervent, and
constant, will be our worship of Him. The more we cultivate the habit
of seeing God's hand in everything, and are grateful to Him for
temporal blessings, the more will the spirit of thanksgiving possess
our hearts and find expression in songs of praise.
This sacrifice of praise is here designated "the fruit of our lips,"
which is a quotation from Hosea 14:2, where backsliding Israel vows
that in return for God's receiving them graciously, they will render
to Him "the calves of their lips"--the Hebrew word for "calves" being
the same as for "praise." The expression "fruit of our lips" may at
first strike us as strange, but a little reflection will reveal its
propriety. Isaiah 6:5, 6 serves to open its meaning. By nature our
"lips" are unclean: "Their throat is an open sepulcher, with their
tongues they have used deceit, the poison of asps is under their lips;
whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness" (Rom. 3:13, 14). But by
God's applying to us the virtues of Christ's atonement, our lips are
cleansed, and should henceforth be used in praising Him. "Fruit" is a
living thing: the product of the Holy Spirit. When, through
backsliding, the heart has cooled toward God and the music of joy has
been silenced, cry unto Him "O Lord, open Thou my lips, and my mouth
shall show forth Thy praise" (Ps. 51:15).
This "sacrifice of praise" is to be offered unto God not merely on the
Sabbath, but "continually." Have we not more cause to praise God than
to pray? Surely, for we have many things to thank Him for, which we
never ask for. Who ever prayed for His election, for godly parents,
for their care of us in helpless infancy, for their affection, for
their faithfulness in training us the way we should go! Does not God
daily heap upon us in favors beyond that we are able to ask or think?
Therefore we should be more in praising God than in petitioning Him.
"With thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God" (Phil.
4:6): ah, is it not our failure in the former which explains why we
are so often denied in the latter? "Continue in prayer, and watch in
the same with thanksgiving" (Col. 4:2); "with thanksgiving" is as much
a command as is the "continue in prayer."
"It is good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises
unto Thy name, O most High" (Ps. 92:1). Yes, it is not only glorifying
to God, but it is beneficial to the soul, To cultivate the habit of
praising God will preserve the believer from many evils. The trials of
life are more cheerfully borne if the spirit of thankfulness to God be
kept lively in the heart. A man cannot be miserable while he is
joyful, and nothing promotes joy so much as a heart constantly
exercised in praising God. The apostles forgot their smarting backs in
the Philippian dungeon as they "sang praise unto God" (Acts 16:25).
The happiest soul we have ever met was a sister in a London garret
(before the days of old-age pensions), who had neither eaten meat or
fruit nor had a glass of milk for years past, but was continually
praising the Lord.
Mary was offering to God a sacrifice of praise when she exclaimed "My
soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my
Savior" (Luke 1:46, 47). That was no mechanical act, but the
spontaneous outburst of a heart delighting itself in the Lord. It is
not enough that the believer should feel adoring emotions in his soul:
they must be expressed by his mouth--that is one reason why the
sacrifice of praise is defined in our text as "the fruit of our lips."
Vocal, articulated praise, is what becomes those who have received the
gift of speech: that is why the saints of all ages have expressed
their worship in holy songs and psalms. None of us sing as much as we
should--how often the worldling shames us I Then let us say with David
"I will praise Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth
all Thy marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in Thee: I will
sing praise to Thy name, O Thou Most High" (Ps. 9:1, 2).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
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An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 118
The Christian's Sacrifices
(Hebrews 13:15, 16)
__________________________________________
From the eighth verse onwards (of Hebrews 13) the apostle is engaged
in setting forth those spiritual duties of worship of which God
Himself is the Object. Therein a series of contrasts are drawn between
what obtained under the old covenant and that which pertains to the
new. The Christian's privileges greatly excel those which belonged to
Judaism as such. These superior blessings have been considered by us
as we have passed from verse to verse. What is before us in verse 15
supplies a further exemplification of this general principle. The
Levitical rites required God's earthly people to provide material
offerings: but the Christian's "sacrifices" are entirely spiritual in
their character. The Israelitish worshipper could not offer his
sacrifices to God directly, but had to allow the priests to officiate
for him: whereas Christians have themselves been made priests unto
God, and therefore may sacrifice to Him immediately. The
praise-sacrifices under the Law were only presented at particular
times and places (cf. the "Feasts" of Leviticus 23): but the Christian
may, through Christ, offer a sacrifice to God anywhere, at any
time--"continually."
"By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God
continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name"
(verse 15). More is implied than is expressed. The language of this
verse is restricted to the duties of worship and our oral praising of
God therein, yet we know full well that He accepts not thanksgiving
from us unless it be accompanied by what good old Matthew Henry called
"thanksgiving." Thus it is the entire compass of evangelical obedience
to God which is comprehended here. Those who have been dedicated to
Him by the blood of Christ are under the deepest obligations to please
and honor Him. The nature of Gospel obedience consists in
thanksgivings for Christ and grace by Him, and therefore the whole of
it may be suitably designated "a sacrifice of praise." Gratitude and
adoration axe the animating principles of all acceptable service.
Every act and duty of faith has in it the nature of a sacrifice to
God, wherein He is well-pleased.
John Owen suggests a threefold reason for the particular language in
which the Christian's duty of obedience is here expressed. "1st. The
great obligation that is upon us of continual thankfulness and praise
to God on account of Christ's atonement. The sum and glory of our
Christian profession, is, that it is the only way of praising and
glorifying God for His love and grace in the person and mediation of
Christ. 2nd. This obligation to praise succeeding in the room of all
terrifying legal constraints to obedience, alters the nature of that
obedience from what was required under and by the Law. 3rd. Where the
heart is not prepared for and disposed to this fundamental duty of
praising God for the death and oblation of Christ, no other duty or
act of obedience is accepted with God."
In bidding us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, two
things are denoted: freedom from the limitations of time and place as
were appointed under Judaism, and diligent perseverance and constancy
therein. To abound in fervent praise unto God is the abiding duty of
the Christian. But for that there must be the regular exercise of
faith. Calling into question the promises of God quenches the spirit
of worship; doubts snap the strings of our harps; unbelief is the
deadly enemy of praise. To praise God continually requires us to be in
daily communion with Him. It is not to be wondered at that the joy of
many believers is so sickly, when we consider how little fellowship
they have with the Lord: if there be so little heat around the bulb of
their thermometer, how can the mercury rise higher! To praise God
"continually" we must cultivate perpetual gratitude, and surely that
should not be difficult!
"I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be
in my mouth" (Ps. 34:1): at no lower standard than that must we aim.
How this meets the lament made by so many Christians. "There seems so
very little I can do to express my gratitude unto the Lord." Ah, my
brother, you may not be gifted with talents to exercise in public, you
may not have much money to give to God's cause, but what is to
withhold your offering unto Him a sacrifice of praise, and that
"continually"! Is not this God's due? Did Spurgeon express it too
strongly when he said, "Praise is the rent which God requires for the
use of His mercies." Then shall we rob God? Shall we withhold that in
which He delights? Does not God give us abundant cause to praise Him
"continually"!
"To show forth Thy loving kindness in the morning, and Thy
faithfulness every night" (Ps. 92:2). "I will sing unto the Lord as
long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being"
(Ps. 104:33). What a word is that for the aged and infirm Christian!
Ah, dear reader, your eyes may have become so dim that you can
scarcely read the Sacred page any more, your strength may have become
too feeble for you to walk to the house of prayer, but your lips can
still articulate and express thanksgiving! "I will be glad and rejoice
in Thy mercy: for Thou hast considered my trouble" (Ps. 31:7): rejoice
in His pardoning mercy, preserving mercy, providing mercy. "Who can
utter the mighty acts of the Lord? who can show forth all His praise?"
(Ps. 106:2). Well did Goodwin close his reflections upon the Psalms of
praise by saying, "My brother, let us pray for such a heart as this,
that the saints of the O.T. may not shame us who are Christians under
the New."
It is striking to note that the Hebrew word "bara" signifies "to
create," while "barak" means "to praise," intimating that the praising
of God is the chief end of our creation. Though nothing can be added
to God's essential glory, yet praise promotes His manifestative glory,
for it exalts Him before others. In this manner the angels glorify Him
for they are the choristers of Heaven, trumpeting forth His praise. An
old writer quaintly pointed out that believers are the "temples" of
God, and when their tongues are praising Him, their spiritual "organs"
are then sounding forth. We read that the saints in Heaven have
"harps" in their hands (Rev. 14:2), which are emblems of praise. Alas,
that so often our harps are "hung on the willows" (Ps. 137:2), and
murmurings and complaints are all that issue from our mouths. O my
reader, be more earnest and diligent in seeking for grace to enable
thee to be praising God continually.
"But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such
sacrifices God is well-pleased" (verse 16). Here is the fifth
sacrifice which the Christian is to offer unto God, namely, that of
ministering to others, for all the acts and duties of love may fitly
be termed "sacrifices." In the previous verse the apostle has shown
the great obligation Godwards which the sanctification of the Church
by the blood of Christ places upon its members, but here he makes
known what influence it ought to have upon our conduct manwards. Thus,
he turns from the first table of the Law to the second, and insists
that if redemption places us under additional obligations to love God
with all our hearts, it likewise supplies added reasons why we should
love our neighbors as ourselves.
The first word of verse 16 is a connective, but the commentators
differ as to how it should be translated. Calvin's annotators insist
it should be rendered "And"; John Owen suggested "Moreover"; our
translators preferred "But." There is no material difference in these
variants: if "but" be retained, it is not to be taken as exceptional,
as though it introduced something adverse unto what had previously
been presented. It is clearly a continuation, or an addition to the
duty mentioned in verse 15. As some might think that the entire duty
of the Christian was comprehended in rendering to God that homage and
devotion to which He is justly entitled, and that while we attend to
that, nothing else need concern us, the apostle added
"But"--notwithstanding the diligence required in the former
duty--forget not to do good unto men and minister to their needs.
Herein we may perceive once more how carefully the Scriptures preserve
the balance of truth at every point. The Divine Law is a unit, yet was
it written upon two tables of stone, and the one must never be exalted
to the disparagement of the other. True, there is an order to be
observed: God Himself ever has the first claim upon our hearts, time
and strength; nevertheless our fellow-creatures, and particularly our
fellow-believers, also have real claims upon us, which we must not
ignore. To disregard the second table of the Law, is not only to
inflict an injury upon our neighbors, but it is to disobey and
therefore to displease God Himself. There is an harmony in obedience,
and a failure in any one point disturbs the whole, as is evident from
James 2:10, 11. It is for this reason, then, that our verse closes
with, "for with such sacrifices God is well-pleased."
It was at this very point that Israel failed so often under the old
covenant. Instead of treating their servants considerately, they
imposed upon them; instead of ministering to the widow, they robbed
her; instead of relieving the poor, they oppressed them. Nevertheless,
they were very strict in keeping up their worship of Jehovah! A
striking example of this is recorded in the first half of Isaiah 58.
The prophet was bidden to cry aloud and spare not, but to show the
people their sins. They had sought God "daily," "forsook not His
ordinances," yea, took "delight" in approaching Him (verse 2). They
were diligent in "fasting," yet God accepted not their worship, saying
"Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of
wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go
free, and that ye break every yoke? Is is not to deal thy bread to the
hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house?
when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not
thyself from thine own flesh" (verses 6, 7).
Another solemn example is found in Zechariah 7. God challenges them by
asking, "When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month,
even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto Me, even to Me?"
(verse 5). Then the prophet cried, "Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts,
saying, Execute true judgment, and show mercy and compassions every
man to his brother; and oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the
stranger nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his
brother in your heart" (verses 9, 10). What a strange anomaly human
nature presents! How glaring its inconsistencies! Punctilious in the
performances of public worship, yet utterly remiss in attending to
private duties! Diligent and zealous in keeping the fasts and feasts
of the Lord, yet regardless of the needs and cries of their destitute
fellows! How is such to be accounted for? Easily: it bolsters up
self-righteousness, feeds the idea that the favor of God can be
purchased by the creature, and causes such pharisees to be looked up
to for their "holiness" (?) by certain superficial people.
Hence it is that the duties of benevolence inculcated in our text are
preceded by "forget not," intimating there is a more than ordinary
proneness in professors of the Gospel to neglect them. It is a sinful
neglect which is here prohibited. John Owen suggested four reasons or
vicious habits of mind from which such forgetfulness proceeds. First,
"an undue trust unto religious duties, as in many barren professors,"
by which he means those who set a high value upon their religious acts
and think to win Heaven thereby. How many there be who contribute
liberally to "the church" and yet under-pay their employees and
overcharge their customers!--the gifts of such are a stench in God's
nostrils.
Second, "from vain pleas and pretences against duties attended with
trouble and charge." It is much easier and pleasanter to go to the
house of prayer and sing God's praises, than it is to enter the
dwellings of the poor and personally wait upon those who are sick. It
costs less to put a coin in the collection-plate than it does to feed
and clothe the destitute. Third, "a want of that goodness of nature
and disposition which effectual grace will produce." The spirit of
Christ in the heart will produce consideration and concern for others,
and counteract our innate selfishness; but where Christ is absent, the
Devil rules the heart. Fourth, "A want of that compassion toward
sufferers, which is required of them that are still in the body: verse
3." May God preserve us from all religion that hardens and produces
callousness, stifling even "natural affection."
"But to do good and to communicate forget not." "It is the duty of
Christians to express their gratitude to God for His goodness to them,
through Christ Jesus, by doing good: i.e., by performing acts of
beneficence--in feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, relieving the
distressed; and in this way communicating to their poor and afflicted
brethren of the blessings Providence has conferred on them. While the
terms are of that general kind as to express beneficence and the
communication of benefits generally, it seems probable that the
apostle had a direct reference to doing good by communicating to
others those blessings for which they were especially bound to give
thanks. It is the duty of Christians to do good to their fellow-men by
communicating to them, so far as this is competent to them, those
heavenly and spiritual blessings for which they are bound continually
to give thanks to God" (John Brown).
"But to do good and to communicate forget not." That which is here
inculcated is the sacrifice of love unto our fellows. Two words are
used to set forth this duty. First, "do good" which concerns the whole
course of our lives, especially with regard to others. Three things
are included. First, a gracious propensity or readiness of mind
thereto: "the liberal deviseth liberal things" (Isa. 32:8): he does
not wait till he is asked, but seeks to be on the alert and anticipate
the needs of others. Second, the actual exercise of this benevolent
inclination, in all those ways which will be useful and helpful,
spiritually and temporally, to mankind. Idealizing and theorizing is
not sufficient: there must be the acting out of good will. Third, by
buying up all occasions and opportunities for the exercise of
compassion and loving-kindness to others.
A spirit of philanthropy and benevolence is to he manifested by
well-doing. It is not enough to be good; we must do good. "My little
children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and
in truth" (1 John 3:18). "Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple
named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman
was full of good works and alms deeds which she did" (Acts 9:36): her
charitable actions are called "good works" because they were
profitable and did good to others. Nor is this ministering to the
wants of others to be confined unto the members of our own family, or
even the limits of our denomination. "As we have therefore
opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto those who
are of the household of faith" (Gal. 6:10)--therein the spirit of
Christianity differs from the narrow and clannish spirit of all other
religions. God does good unto all men, and we are to be "emulators of
Him as dear children" (Eph. 5:1).
"But to do good and to communicate forget not." Christians are
"created in Christ Jesus unto good works" (Eph. 2:10), regeneration
capacitating them thereunto. Christ gave Himself for us that we should
be a people who are "zealous of good works" (Titus 2:14), for by them
we honor Him and adorn our profession. No matter what self-sacrifice
they entail, nor how ungrateful be the beneficiaries, we are to be
diligent and persevering in helping all we can: "But ye, brethren, be
not weary in well doing" (2 Thess. 3:13). "For so is the will of God,
that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish
men" (1 Pet. 2:15). And even though our well doing fails to silence
the criticism of those who believe not, yea, if our perseverance
therein brings down upon us increased opposition and persecution, yet
it is written, "Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will
of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well doing, as unto
a faithful Creator" (1 Pet. 4:19).
The second term used here in connection with the sacrifice of charity
is "communicate," which means passing on to others what God has
entrusted to us, according as their necessities do require. Literally,
the Greek word signifies "having something in common with others." It
is the actual exercise of that pity for the poor and indigent which is
required of us in the distribution of good things unto them, according
to our ability. This is an important evangelical duty which the
Scriptures repeatedly charge us with: the glory of God, the salvation
of our souls, and the honor of our profession, are highly concerned
therein. It is striking to note that when he commended the Corinthians
for their liberal contributions to the poor saints at Jerusalem, the
apostle declared that "they glorify God for your professed subjection
unto the Gospel of Christ" (2 Cor. 9:13)--obedience to the command in
our text is required by the Gospel!
John Owen rightly pointed out that "To be negligent herein is to
despise the wisdom of God in the disposal of the lots and conditions
of His own children in the world in so great variety, as He hath done
always, and will always continue to do." What light that throws on
those providential dispensations of God which are often so mysterious
and exercising to the hearts of many of His people! Here is an
important reason intimated why God blesses a few of His saints with
considerable of this world's goods and why many of them have scarcely
any at all: it is to provide opportunity and occasion for the exercise
of those graces in them which their several conditions call for. By
the unequal distribution of His material mercies, the rich have
opportunity for thankfulness, charity, and bounty; while the poor are
called upon to exercise patience, submission, trust, and humility.
Where those graces are mutually exercised, there is beauty, order, and
harmony, and a revenue of glory unto God.
Christians are rarely more sensible of God's goodness to them than
when giving and receiving in a proper manner. He that gives aright
feels the power of Divine grace at work in his heart, and he who
receives aright is very conscious of Divine love and care in such
supplies: God is near to both. Consequently, to be selfishly callous
on the one hand, or proudly independent and scornful of charity on the
other, is to impugn the wisdom of God in His disposal of the varied
temporal circumstances of His people. No man is rich or poor merely
for himself, but rather to occupy that place in the social order of
things which God has designed unto His own glory. From what has been
before us we may see how that many even of those who believe not are
the temporal gainers by the death of Christ and the fruits thereof in
the lives of His people.
Many and varied are the motives which Scripture employs to persuade
the saint unto this duty of ministering unto the needy of His fellows.
"He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which
he hath given will He pay him again" (Prov. 19:17). Do we really
believe this? Do we act as though we did? The Lord allows none to lose
by being generous, but repays him with interest one way or another,
either to him or his posterity. "He that giveth unto the poor shall
not lack; but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse" (Prov.
28:27): the selfish man exposes himself to the ill-will of those whom
he callously ignores, and brings himself under the providential curse
of God. "He that turneth away his ear from hearing the Law (on this
matter), even his prayer shall be abomination" (Prov. 28:9)--bear that
in mind, dear reader, if you wish to have and retain the ear of God.
"Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and
shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For
with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you
again" (Luke 6:38). What an inducement is that! how it should
stimulate unto liberality those who by nature have a miserly
disposition. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see
your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven" (Matthew
5:16): how that should encourage us in the performing of good works!
"But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly;
and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully" (2 Cor.
9:6): the writer has lived long enough to see many striking examples
of both of these classes. "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the
Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good" (Acts 10:38).
He was ever thinking of others and ministering to them: feeding the
hungry, healing the sick, relieving the distressed; and He has left us
an example that we should follow His steps.
Let it be pointed out, however, that God requires us to use discretion
and discrimination in the bestowments of charity. There is a class of
shiftless idlers who are ever ready to impose upon the compassionate
and generous hearted, and make the benevolence of others a reason for
their own indolence. It is positively wrong to encourage those who
seek to subsist on the liberality of others, instead of earning their
own bread. Indiscriminate giving often does more harm than good. It is
our bounden duty to go to the trouble of properly investigating each
case on its own merits, instead of allowing our sentiment to override
our judgment. God Himself has said, "This we commanded you, that if
any would not work, neither should he eat" (2 Thess. 3:10), and it is
sinful for us to negative that by giving money to able-bodied loafers.
"For with such sacrifices God is well-pleased." Whatever benefits the
Christian bestows on others God regards them as done to Himself, and
honors them with the name of "sacrifices." What gracious condescension
on His part, that He should dignify our worthless works as to
pronounce them holy and sacred things, acceptable to Himself! Rightly,
then, did Calvin point out, "When, therefore, love does not prevail
among us, we not only rob men of their right, but God Himself, who has
by a solemn sentence dedicated to Himself what He has commanded to be
done to men." How this consideration ought to stir us up to the
exercise of kindness towards our neighbor. The more we do so, the more
pleasure do we give unto Him to whom we are infinitely indebted.
Withhold not thy hand, then, from that which delights thy God.
"For with such sacrifices God is well-pleased." There is a twofold
emphasis in the word "such." First, it implies a contrast, denoting
that God no longer required those ancient sacrifices which He had
enjoined until an abrogation of the old covenant. Herein was a clear
intimation that Judaism had been set aside. Second, it graciously
stresses the fact that, though we deem our feeble praises and
charitable works as too poor to be worthy of notice or mention, God
Himself regards those very things as acts of worship that meet with
His hearty approbation.
A beautiful illustration of what has just been pointed out is found in
Philippians 4. The Philippian saints had sent a gift to the apostle
Paul, which he not only gratefully acknowledged, but declared that the
same was "an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable,
well-pleasing to God" (verse 18). "Beyond this the highest aspirations
of a Christian cannot go. It is all he can wish; it is above all that
he can think. To have the approbation of good men is delightful; to
have the approbation of our own conscience is more delightful still;
but to have the approbation of God, this is surely the highest
recompense a creature can reach. This approbation is very strongly
expressed in the Word: `God is not unrighteous to forget your work and
labor of love, which ye have showed toward His name, in that ye have
ministered to the saints, and do minister' (Heb. 6:10). It will be
still more illustriously displayed when the Son appears in the glory
of the Father, and in the presence of an assembled universe proclaims
to those who, as a token of gratitude to God for the blessings of
salvation, have done good and communicated: `For I was an hungered,
and ye gave Me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink; I was a
stranger, and ye took Me in; naked, and ye clothed Me... Inasmuch as
ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have
done it unto Me:' Matthew 25:35-40" (John Brown).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 119
Christian Rulers
(Hebrews 13:17)
__________________________________________
"Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for
they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they
may do it with joy, and not with grief; for that is unprofitable for
you" (verse 17). It is quite clear from the balance of the verse that
its opening words have reference to religious leaders, and not to
civil rulers. Adolph Saphir, who was very far from being a
"Nicolaitan" was right when he declared: "Verses 7 and 17 show that
there was a stated ministry, that there were recognized and regular
teachers and pastors in the congregation, whose gifts not only, but
whose office was acknowledged." It is impossible that any unprejudiced
and impartial mind should attentively consider the terms and
implications of these verses and come to any other conclusion. The
principle of subordination is absolutely essential to the well-being
of any society that is to be rightly ordered and conducted--adumbrated
even in the organization of our bodies.
In our text the Holy Spirit sets forth the third great duty which is
required in our Christian profession, on account of the sacrifice of
Christ and our sanctification by His blood. Most comprehensive and
all-inclusive are the exhortations found in verses 15-17. The first
respects our spiritual obligation, Godwards, rendering unto Him that
which is His due (verse 15). The second respects our social
obligation, rendering unto our needy fellows that which the
requirements of charity dictates, according to our ability. The third
has respect to our ecclesiastical obligation, rendering unto those
officers in the church that submission and respect to which they are
entitled.by virtue of the position and authority which Christ has
accorded them. This is a Gospel institution, which can only be
disregarded to the manifest dishonor of the Lord and to our own great
loss.
Ever since the great Reformation of the sixteenth century, there have
been wide differences of opinion among God's people concerning the
local church: its constitution, its officers, and its discipline. Even
where there was oneness of mind respecting the fundamentals of the
Faith, godly men have differed considerably in their ecclesiastical
views. Numbers of the most gifted of Christ's servants have, during
the last three hundred years, written extensively upon the polity and
policy of the local church, and though widely varying positions have
been taken, and though each claimed to appeal to Scripture only for
his authority, yet none succeeded in carrying the majority of
professing Christians with him, or of persuading his opponents that
their system was wrong.
While on the one hand we must admire the wisdom of Him who has
providentially ordered as great a variety of types in the
ecclesiastical sphere as He has in the physical and social--which
though not a rule for us to walk by, is a subject for our admiration;
yet on the other hand we cannot but deplore that they who are united
on the same foundations and agreed in all the cardinal truths of Holy
Writ, should lay such emphasis upon their circumstantial differences
in sentiments as to prevent the exercise of mutual love and
forbearance, and instead of laboring in concert within their
respective departments to promote the common cause of Christ, should
so often vex each other with needless disputes and uncharitable
censures. Far better be silent altogether than contend for any portion
of the Truth in a bitter, angry, censorious spirit.
No true Christian will hesitate to acknowledge that Christ Himself is
the one infallible, authoritative Legislator and Governor of His
Church, that He is the only Lord of conscience, and that nothing
inconsistent with His revealed will should be practiced, and that
nothing He has definitely enjoined be omitted, by those professing
allegiance to Him. But however generally acknowledged these principles
are, we cannot get away from the fact that the misconstruction and
misapplication of them have contributed more to divide the people of
God and to alienate their affections one from the other, than any
other cause that can be assigned. Surely those who are built upon the
common foundation, who are led by the same Spirit, who are opposed by
the same enemies, should love as brethren and bear each other's
burdens. But alas! a mistaken zeal for Christ's honor has filled them
with animosity against their fellow-disciples, split them into
innumerable factions, and given rise to fierce and endless
contentions.
We quite agree with the godly John Newton, when he said in his
"Apologia," nearly two hundred years ago: "Men are born, educated, and
called under a great variety of circumstances. Habits of life, local
customs, early connections, and even bodily constitution, have more or
less influence in forming their characters, and in giving a tincture
and turn to their manner of thinking. So that though, in whatever is
essential to their peace and holiness, they are all led by the same
Spirit and mind the same things; in others of a secondary nature,
their sentiments may, and often do differ, as much as the features of
their faces. A uniformity of judgment among them is not to be expected
while the wisest are defective in knowledge, the best are defiled with
sin, and while the weaknesses of human nature which are common to them
all, are so differently affected by a thousand impressions which are
from their various situations. They might, however, maintain a unity
of spirit, and live in the exercise of mutual love; were it not that
every party, and almost every individual, unhappily conceives that
they are bound in conscience to prescribe their own line of conduct as
a standard to which all their brethren ought to confirm They are
comparatively but few who consider this requisition to be as
unnecessary, unreasonable, and impracticable, as it would be to insist
or expect that every man's shoes should be exactly of one size.
"Thus, though all agree in asserting the authority and rights of the
Lord Jesus, as King and Head of His Church, the various apprehensions
they frame of the rule to which He requires them to conform, and their
pertinacious attachment to their own expositions of it, separate them
almost as much from each other, as if they were not united to Him by a
principle of living faith. Their little differences form them into so
many separate interests; and the heat with which they defend their own
plans, and oppose all who cannot agree with them in a tittle, makes
them forget that they are children in the same family, and servants of
the same Master. And while they vex and worry each other with
disputations and censures, the world wonders and laughs at them."
The position which has been taken by, perhaps, most of the leading
writers, was something like this: Get away from the conflicting views
of men, and read the N.T. prayerfully and impartially, and it will
quickly be apparent that the Lord Jesus has not left such an important
matter as the constitution of the churches undefined, but rather
directed His apostles to leave in their writings a pattern according
to which it was His will all His churches in future ages were to be
formed, and (according to the particular leanings of each respective
writer) that it will be seen the primitive churches were
"Congregational," "Baptist," "Presbyterian," or `Brethren Assemblies,"
and therefore any other system or scheme is unscriptural, and a
presumptuous deviation from the declared will of the Lord.
If, however, the reader cares to take the time and trouble to consult
a number of the writers in any one of these different schools, he will
find that though they are all agreed that a plain and satisfactory
model of this "Congregational" church (or "Baptist," or
"Presbyterian," or "Brethren Assembly," as the case may be) can easily
be collected and stated from a perusal of the N.T.; yet when these
same writers attempt to delineate and describe that church, they
differ considerably among themselves as to the nature and number of
its officers, powers and acts which are requisite to the constitution
and administration of a Gospel church. There is very far from being
that agreement among themselves which is certainly to be expected if
the plan from which they profess to copy be so clearly and expressly
revealed in the N.T. as to be binding upon believers in all ages.
It seems, then, that if every detail of the church's government and
worship be exhibited in the Scriptures, either in the form of a
precept or precedent, yet thus far God has not given sufficient skill
to any one so as to enable him to collect and collate the various
rules and regulations scattered throughout the Gospels, Acts,
Epistles, and the Revelation, and arrange them into a systematic and
orderly structure. But that none really takes this principle seriously
appears from his own practices. There are a number of things reported
of the primitive Christians which few if any companies of Christians
today make any attempt to emulate. For example, the holding of all
earthly possessions in common (Acts 2:44, 45), greeting one another
with a holy kiss (1 Cor. 16:20), making provision for their widows
when they reach the age of sixty (1 Tim. 5:9), or sending for the
elders of the church to pray over and anoint us when we are sick
(James 5:14)!
In reply to what has just been said, it will be pointed out that in
the days of the apostles the saints were endowed with extraordinary
gifts, and consequently there were some things practiced by them (in 1
Corinthians 14, for example) which are not proper for our imitation
today who have not those gifts. But that very admission surrenders the
basic principle contended for. To be told that we should study the
apostolic churches for our model, and then to be informed that some
parts of their practice were not designed for our emulation, is too
bewildering for the ordinary mind to grasp. Moreover, God has not told
us anywhere which of the primitive practices were but transient and
which were not. Where, then, is the man or men qualified to draw the
line and declare authoritatively in what respects the state of the
first Christians was hindered from being a pattern for us by the
extraordinary dispensations of that generation, and in what cases
their actions are binding on us now those extraordinary dispensations
have ceased?
To the above it will at once be objected: But consider the only other
alternative: surely it is most unreasonable to suppose that the Lord
has left His people without a complete church model for their
guidance! Is it not unthinkable that Christ would fail His people in
such a vitally important matter as to how He would have them order all
the concerns of the churches which bear His name, that He would leave
them in ignorance of His will, as to their constitution, officers,
order of worship, discipline, etc? If God ordered Moses to make all
things in the tabernacle according to the pattern shown him in the
mount, and if that pattern was so complete that every board and pin in
the house of worship was definitely defined, is it believable that He
has made less provision for His people today, now that the fullness of
time has come? This argument has indeed a most plausible sound to it,
and thousands have been misled thereby; but a dispassionate
examination of it shows it to be unwarrantable.
In the first place, there is no promise recorded in the N.T. that He
would do so, and no statement through any apostle that such a church
model has been provided! In the second place, the history of
Christendom clearly indicates the contrary. Had such a model been
given, it would be as clearly recognizable as the tabernacle pattern,
and all who really desired to please the Lord would have responded
thereto; and, in consequence, there had been uniformity among the true
followers of Christ, instead of endless diversity and variety. But in
the third place, this proves too much. If a Divine model has been
given supplying all the details for the ordering of N.T. churches and
their worship, as definite and as complete as was given for the
tabernacle, then we would have minute regulations concerning the size,
shape, and furnishings of the buildings in which we must worship, full
directions for the ministers apparel, and so on! The absence of those
details is clear proof that no model for the churches comparable to
the Divine pattern for the tabernacle has been vouchsafed us.
Then what conclusion are we forced to come to? This: a happy medium
between the two alternatives suggested by most of those who have
written on the subject. If on the one hand we cannot find in the N.T.
that which in any wise corresponds to the "pattern" for the tabernacle
(and the minute instructions God gave for the temple), on the other
hand the Lord has not left us so completely in ignorance of His will
that every man or company of Christians is left entirely to do that
which is right in his own eyes. In keeping with the vastly different
character of the two dispensations, the "liberty" of the Spirit (2
Cor. 3:17) has supplanted the rigid legality of Judaism, and therefore
has Christ supplied us with general principles (e.g., 1 Corinthians
14:26, 40), which are sufficiently broad to allow of varied
modification when applied to the differing circumstances of His
people, situated in various climes and generations--in contrast from
what was prescribed for the single nation of Israel of old.
In the N.T. we are furnished with a full revelation of all things
necessary unto salvation, the knowledge whereof man by his own powers
could never attain thereunto; yet there is much lacking there on other
matters which was furnished under the old covenant. God not only
supplied Israel with the ceremonial law, which was to regulate all
their church or religious life, but He also gave them a complete code
of precepts for their civil government, and no one pretends He has
done this for Christians! In the absence of that civil code, why
should it be thought strange that God has left many minor
ecclesiastical arrangements to the discretion of His servants? Unto
those who are indignant at such a statement, and who are still ready
to insist that the Lord has made known His will on all things
respecting church and religious affairs, we would ask, Where does the
New Testament prescribe what marriage rites should be used? or the
form of service for a funeral? But enough.
As Richard Hooker pertinently pointed out, "he who affirms speech to
be necessary among all men throughout the world, doth not thereby
import that all men must necessarily speak one kind of language. Even
so the necessity of polity and regimen in all churches may be held,
without holding any one certain form to be necessary in them all."
This is far from granting that all the various modes of church
government are equally agreeable to the spirit and genius of the
Gospel, or equally suited to the promotion of edification. Once again
we fully agree with John Newton when he said, "In essentials I agree
with them all, and in circumstancials I differ no more from any of
them than they differ among themselves. They all confess they are
fallible, yet they all decide with an air of infallibility; for they
all in their turn expect me to unite with them, if I have any regard
to the authority and honor of the Lord Jesus as Head of the church.
But the very consideration they propose restrains me from uniting with
any of them. For I cannot think that I should honor the headship and
kingly office of Christ by acknowledging Him as the Head of a party
and subdivision of His people to the exclusion of the rest.
"Every party uses fair sounding words of liberty; but when an
explanation is made, it amounts to little more than this: that they
will give me liberty to think as they think, and to act as they act;
which to me, who claim the same right of thinking for myself and of
acting according to the dictates of my own conscience, is no liberty
at all. I therefore came to such conclusions as these: that I would
love them all, that I would hold a friendly intercourse with them all,
so far as they should providentially come in my way (and, he might
have added, so far as they will allow me!); but that I would stand
fast in the liberty with which Christ has made me free, and call none
of them master; in fine, that if others sought to honor Him by laying
a great stress on matters of doubtful disputation, my way of honoring
Him should be by endeavoring to show that His kingdom is not of this
world, nor consists in meats and drinks, in pleading for form and
parties, but in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit; and
that neither circumcision is anything, nor un-circumcision, but a new
creature, and the faith which worketh by love.
This is the course which the writer has sedulously sought to follow
for the past ten years, both in connection with this magazine and in
oral ministry. But alas! notwithstanding the boasted "broadmindedness"
and "liberality" of this generation, we have found, everywhere we have
been the ecclesiastical barriers are as impregnable today as they were
a century ago, and that no church, circle, or company of professing
Christians is prepared to really welcome into their midst (no matter
what his reputation or credentials) one who is unprepared to join and
limit to their party, and pronounce all their shibboleths; and that
the vast majority are unwilling to read any religious publication
unless it bears upon it the label of their particular denomination. No
wonder that the Spirit of God is quenched and His power and blessing
absent, where such an un-Christ-like, sectarian, bigoted and
pharisaical spirit prevails.
We are not going to prescribe for others; let every man be fully
persuaded in his own mind. But as far as the writer is concerned, he
values his Christian liberty far too highly to voluntarily shut
himself up in any ecclesiastical prison, where he is excluded from
fellowship with his brethren and sisters scattered abroad. Of course
since sinless perfection is not to be found in any individual on
earth, it is not to be expected from any group of individuals. No one
denomination or party has all the light. On the one hand, if the
reader be a member of a church where unsound doctrine is preached or
where no Scriptural discipline is maintained, his course is clear:
Ephesians 5:11, 2 Timothy 3:5. But if on the other hand, he belongs to
any evangelical church which is honestly seeking to honor Christ and
where his soul is being fed, then, in our humble judgment, he will be
wise to remain there and "obey them that have the rule over him" yet
let him not look down upon others who differ from him.
In dissenting from the popular view that the N.T. record of primitive
Christianity furnishes a complete model of church government, and that
the same is an authoritative rule binding upon the Lord's people
throughout the entire course of this dispensation, we are far from
supposing that we shall carry with us the majority of our readers--by
this time the writer ought to be sufficiently acquainted with human
nature to prevent any such foolish day dreaming. And in affirming that
the N.T. rather supplies us with general rules and principles, which
are sufficiently elastic as to allow for human discretion to be
exercised in the application of them to particular instances of the
church's outward conduct, we are quite prepared to face the charge
that this statement is a "dangerous" one. Our reply is, that we are
affirming no more than what is universally acknowledged concerning the
regulation of the details of the life of the individual believer.
Is not the Christian daily made to cry unto God for wisdom how to act
in his temporal affairs, and that because there are no specific
precepts in the Word which prescribe for those particular exigencies?
Is he not obliged, after prayerful deliberation, to use his common
sense in applying the general rules of Scripture to a hundred minor
details of his life? So common an occurrence is this and so
universally does it obtain among the saints, that there is no need for
us to enlarge upon it by illustrating the point--there is no need to
prove what is self-evident. In view of this simple and obvious fact,
why should we be the least surprised that God has ordained that His
churches should follow a similar course, for what is a Gospel church
but a company of individual believers in organized relationship. If,
then, God has not told the individual believer at what hour he should
rise on the Sabbath and how many meals he should eat that day, would
we expect Him to state how long the minister's sermon is to be, or how
many hymns or psalms are to be sung?
"The Lord Christ in the institution of Gospel churches--their state,
order, rule, and worship--doth not require of His disciples that in
their observance of His appointments they should cease to be men, or
forego the use and exercise of their rational abilities, according to
the rule of that exercise, which is the light of nature, yea, because
the rules and directions are in this case to be applied unto things
spiritual and of mere revelation, He giveth wisdom and prudence to
make that application in a due manner, unto those to whom the guidance
and rule of the church is committed: wherefore, as unto all things
which the light of nature directs us unto, with respect unto the
observation of the duties prescribed by Christ in and unto the Church,
we need no other institution but that of the use of the especial
Spiritual understanding which the Lord Christ gives us for that end.
"There are in the Scripture general rules directing us in the
application of natural light, unto such a determination of all
circumstances in the acts of church-rule and worship, as are
sufficient for their performance decently and in order. Wherefore, as
was said before, it is utterly in vain and useless, to demand express
institution of all the circumstances belonging unto the government,
order, and worship of the church; or for the due improvement of things
in themselves indifferent unto its edification, as occasion shall
require. Nor are they capable to be any otherwise stated, but as they
lie in the light of nature and spiritual prudence directed by general
rules of Scripture." (John Owen).
Nor is this to discredit or disparage the Holy Scriptures. The
Testimony of God is true, perfect, and all-sufficient for the ends for
which it was given; but that Testimony is not honored but dishonored
by us, if we extravagantly attribute to it that which God never
designed for the same. Rome has erred grievously by declaring that the
Scriptures are not sufficient, that "traditions" must be added if we
are to have a full revelation of what is absolutely necessary, for us
to know in this life in order that we may be saved in the next. But
some Protestants have gone to another extreme, taking the position
that the Scriptures contain such a complete revelation of God's will
for the regulation of our lives, both as individuals and as churches,
that to act according to any other rule (be it the promptings of
conscience or the dictates of reason) is presumptuous and sinful.
But to insist that the conduct of the church must have an express
warrant from the N.T. for every detail of its procedure, and that to
act otherwise is displeasing to the Lord, is to go much farther than
that which obtained even under the O.T. What commandment from the Lord
did the Gileadites have to erect that altar spoken of in Joshua 22:10?
Did not congruity of reason--the fitness of things--induce them
thereto and suffice for defense of their act? What Divine commandment
had the women of Israel to yearly lament for Jephthah's daughter
(Judg. 11:40)? What "thus saith the Lord" or scriptural precedent did
Ezra have for making "a pulpit of wood" (Nehemiah 8:4), from which he
preached to the people? What Divine Commandment had the Jews to
celebrate the feast of "Dedication" (John 10:22), nowhere spoken of in
the Law, yet solemnized by Christ Himself! To condemn all that is "of
human invention" is not only to fly in the face of the judgment of
many of the wisest and most godly men, but is to go beyond what the
Scriptures themselves permit.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 120
Christian Rulers
(Hebrews 13:17)
__________________________________________
In the preceding article we have deviated from our usual custom in
this series of giving a word by word exposition of the verse before
us, deeming it well to first give it a topical treatment. This
magazine, small as is its circulation, goes to hundreds of the Lord's
people who are found in many different branches of Christendom. Some
of them are sorely perplexed by the babble of tongues which now
obtains in the religious realm. The high claims so dogmatically put
forth by various sects and systems, assemblies and circles of
fellowship, bewilder not a few honest souls, who are desirous of doing
that which is most pleasing to the Lord. It was with a desire to
afford them some help on what is admittedly a most difficult and
complicated subject, that according to the light which God has granted
us (or withheld from us), we sought to point out some of the fallacies
pertaining to the leading positions taken by ecclesiastical writers.
To say that the diverse denominations, even the evangelically
orthodox, cannot all be right, and therefore that among them there
must be one much more closely in accord with the Scriptures than the
others, sounds very feasible; nevertheless, the writer is satisfied
that, generally speaking, it has more of error than truth in it.
Comparisons are proverbially odious. As no one believer has all the
graces of the Spirit equally developed in him, so no one church or
denomination has all the Truth. Think of attempting to draw invidious
contrasts between Andrew and Peter, Paul and John, as to which was the
more Christ-like! As well might one set the rose over against the lily
of the valley, or wheat against oats. As 1 Corinthians 14:10 tells us,
"There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none
of them is without signification." So in the providence of God each
particular denomination has filled a place and served a purpose in His
plan concerning His cause upon earth.
Nothing is more offensive to God than creature pride (Prov. 6:16, 17),
and nothing is more to be deplored among those who bear the name of
Christ than that a company of them (be it large or small) shall claim
"we are the people"--the people who meet on the most scriptural
ground, the people who adhere closest to the Word. A spirit of bigotry
ill-becomes sinners saved by grace, while jealousies and contentions,
enmity and reviling, among members of the same Family are most
reprehensible: "the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God"
(James 1:20). Differences of opinion are inevitable while we are in
the flesh--permitted by God that we should have occasion to be
"forbearing one another in love" (Eph. 4:2). That form of church
government which accords most closely to the N.T., and where every
detail is scrupulously correct, would be valueless in the sight of God
unless it were conducted in love and its worship was "in spirit and in
truth."
Let it be attentively considered that at the dawn of Christianity the
first officers of the church were immediately called by Christ (Gal.
1:2), which none now are, nor have any since the decease of those who
were so called at the first; that they were endowed with extraordinary
gifts and power, but Christ has not continued to communicate such to
His servants; that those original officers were blest with Divine
inspiration and infallible guidance, both in preaching the Gospel and
appointing things necessary for the churches, which none can rightly
pretend unto today; that those first officers had a commission giving
them authority towards all the world for evangelization and over all
churches for their edification which no servant of Christ can claim
today. How utterly vain, then, is the claim, either unto a
"succession" of those officers, or to a perfect emulation of their
order of things. Nevertheless, church-rulers--bishops and
deacons--were to continue, as is clear from 1 Timothy 3, etc.
Now in every orderly society there must be rulers, and in all ages and
dispensations the same have been mercifully appointed by God: Moses,
Joshua, the judges and kings over Israel, are so many illustrations of
this principle. It is the same in this era, nor does the presence of
the Holy Spirit render unnecessary rulers in the churches. Christ is
not the Author of confusion: but endless confusion and turmoil is
inevitable where there are no accredited and acknowledged leaders.
True, the rulers Christ has instituted for His churches possess no
arbitrary power, for they are themselves subordinate to Him. Their
office is that of a steward (Titus 1:7), who is neither to lord it
over the household nor to be entirely under subjection to it, but to
superintend and provide for the family.
Take the chief steward or "lord chamberlain," of his majesty king
George, and while it may not be strictly parallel with the position
and duties of an official servant of Christ, yet there is sufficient
in common for the former to help us understand the latter. While on
the one hand the "lord chamberlain" has to be regulated by certain
rules and well established precedents, yet on the other hand he is far
more than an automaton mechanically acting according to a written
code. As one qualified for his position, he is allowed considerable
freedom in making many arrangements for the Royal household;
nevertheless, he is not free to act arbitrarily or follow naught but
his own preferences. No, that which regulates him is the well-being of
his august master: he plans and arranges so as to please him, to
promote his comfort, to serve his interests and honor; and when he is
in doubt as to his procedure, consults the king to ascertain his will.
Analagous is the position occupied by the pastor of a local church.
"Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made
ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is
that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing"
(Matthew 24:45, 46). Note carefully the following points in this
passage. First, the use of the singular number: one servant for each
local household! Second, that this servant is made "ruler over the"
household! Third, that he is given that position for the purpose of
supplying them "meat in due season," which, in its wider
signification, means to superintend all the arrangements, to care for
all its members, to protect and promote their well-being. Christ does
not call dolts and idiots to occupy this place, but men endowed with
good common sense, to which He graciously adds spiritual wisdom and
discernment.
Now the ruler of Christ's household is neither a supreme sovereign or
pope, nor a mere figure head without freedom of action. He, in turn,
is the servant, responsible to Him, there to uphold His honor, care
for those who are precious in His sight, and to whom he must yet
render a full account of his stewardship. Therefore, while on the one
hand he must act within the bounds of certain general rules and
principles prescribed for his conduct, and must not introduce anything
which would dishonor his royal Master or be inimical to His interests;
yet on the other hand he is required to use his own judgment in
applying those general rules to particular cases and to make whatever
minor arrangement he deems most for his Master's glory and the good of
His household; and when he is in doubt as to his right or best course,
it is his privilege to plead and count upon the promise of James 1:5.
To extend our analogy one point further. As the "lord chamberlain" has
other servants under him to assist in the discharge of his honorable
duties, servants who cooperate with him by carrying out his
instructions, so Christ has provided the pastor of a local church with
deacons, and, as many think, with "ruling elders" (or where the church
is a larger one as was the case with many of those in apostolic
times--with fellow-pastors or "elders"), to help him in his official
duties. So that when our text says "obey them that have the rule over
you" it takes in all the officers of the local church, whatever be the
technical names they now go under. These additional church officers
not only provide assistance for the chief ruler, but they also serve
as a check upon him, for if they be endowed with the qualifications
specified in 1 Timothy 3:8-13, they will not be a party to anything
which is obviously dishonoring to Christ.
If it be true (as many students of Scripture have concluded) that the
seven epistles of Revelation 2 and 3 furnish a prophetic outline of
the ecclesiastical history of Christendom, then it appears that the
trend of church government has passed from one extreme to another,
from Nicolaitanism (Rev. 2:6, 15), which signifies the subjugation of
the laity, to Laodiceanism (Rev. 3:14) which means the domination of
the laity. Nor need this surprise us, for the same change has taken
place in the political and social order. It is indeed striking to
observe how close is the resemblance between them. The development of
Nonconformity and the rapid spread of Independency in the religious
world was quickly followed by the rebellion of the American colonies
and the formation of Republics in the U.S.A. and in France. Side by
side with the growth of a democratic spirit in the churches, has been
the spread of "socialism" in the state, the one more and more
re-acting on the other.
One of the most radical and far reaching movements of the last century
was that which sought to obliterate all distinctions between the
clergy, and the laity, establishing a network of "assemblies" all over
the English-speaking world, wherein there are (professedly) no
officers, where a one-man-ministry is decried, and where the Spirit is
(avowedly) free to use whom He pleases. This modern movement also
claims to be founded entirely upon the Scriptures, yea, insists that
all other bodies of professing Christians are the daughters of Rome
and form part of that mystical and apostate Babylon from which God
commands His people to come out. This movement has also split up into
scores of conflicting parties, each claiming to be the only one which
truly "represents" the Body of Christ on earth. But enough; let us now
come to closer grips with our text.
"Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves; for
they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they
may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for
you (verse 17). In these words respect is had to be the ministerial
office. To bear "rule" intimates both the duty and dignity of Christ's
official servants. God has graciously appointed them to subserve His
honor by maintaining decency and order in His churches, and because
they are necessary and for the good of His people. To obey and submit
to their spiritual leaders is what church-members are here exhorted
unto. In verse 7 the apostle made known the particular duties unto
those of their guides who had finished their course; here he presses
upon them their obligations toward those who were still with them in
the body. To ignore those rulers or to rebel against their authority,
is to despise the One who has appointed them.
"Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves." It is
abundantly clear from these words that in the days of the Apostles
there were two distinct classes among God's people, namely, the rulers
and those that were ruled, and as this is not merely an historical
statement but a specific exhortation, it is equally clear that the
same is binding upon Christians throughout the entire course of this
dispensation. This, of course, presupposes a settled church state
among them, in which the distinctive duties of each class is here
distinctly defined, according to the office of the one and the
obligation of the other. The duties here prescribed contain a succinct
summary of all that relates to church rule and order, for all that
concerns its welfare is comprised in the due obedience of the church
to its rulers, and their due discharge of their office.
The Greek word for "them that have the rule over you" ("hegeomai") is
rendered "chief" in Luke 22:26 and "governor" in Acts 7:10--"and he
(Pharaoh) made him (Joseph) governor over Egypt and all his house,"
which sufficiently intimates its scope. They have received power from
Christ to preside over His assemblies, to declare His will and execute
His laws, to reprove, rebuke, exhort with all authority and
longsuffering. They have no arbitrary power except what Christ has
given them, yet within the limits He has prescribed, they are rulers,
and it is the duty of their members to obey them. "It is of equal
importance that the office-bearers in a church should not aspire to a
higher degree of authority, and should not be content with a lower
degree of authority, than that which their Master has assigned them;
and that the members of a church should equally guard against basely
submitting to a tyranny which Christ has never instituted, and
lawlessly rebelling against a government which He has appointed" (John
Brown).
John Owen declared that the twofold duty here enjoined with respect to
the ecclesiastical leaders has respect unto the two parts of their
office, namely, teaching and ruling: "obey their teaching and submit
to their rule." While it be true that their doctrine or preaching is
to be obeyed (so far as it accords with the Truth), and that their
authority is to be yielded unto as it respects their ordering of the
church's life, yet we rather regard the two exhortations as having a
distributive force, the second amplifying the first. The word "obey"
in our text means an obedience which follows a being persuaded: the
mind is first carried along with the preacher so that it believes, and
then the will acts--note the marginal alternative in Acts 5:36 for
"obeyed" is "believed." "And submit yourselves" seems to us to have
reference unto the spirit in which they were to obey--obedience was
not to be merely an outward act, but prompted by submissive hearts.
Thus, we take it that "obey them that have the rule over you" is not
to be restricted to their teaching (as Owen defined it), but includes
their ruling of the church as well; while the "submit yourselves" has
a wider significance than yielding to their rule, referring to the
spirit which was to regulate the whole of their obedience. As Calvin
well expressed it, "He commands first obedience and then honor to be
rendered to them. These two things are necessarily required, so that
the people might have confidence in their pastors, and also reverence
them. But it ought at the same time to be noticed that the apostle
speaks only of those who faithfully performed their office; for they
who have nothing but the title, nay, who use the title of pastors, for
the purpose of destroying the Church, deserve but little reverence and
still less confidence. And this also is what the apostle plainly sets
forth when he says, that they watch for their souls--a duty which is
not performed but by those who are faithful rulers."
The duty here enjoined, then, may be summed up in: cultivate an
obedient, compliant, and submissive spirit unto your pastors and
church officers. To "obey" and "submit" denotes such a subjection as
of inferiors to superiors. It is not a servile subjection, but that
reverent respect which God requires, a "submission" which issues from
love, and which has for its end the honoring of those to whom honor is
due. It would therefore include the doing of everything in the power
of the members which would make the lot of their rulers easier and
lighter, and, of course, would take in the providing for their
temporal sustenance. Those rulers are appointed by God, standing in
His immediate stead, so that the Lord Christ declared, "Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth
Me; and he that receiveth me receiveth Him that sent Me" (John 13:20).
"Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves." It
scarcely needs pointing out that those words are not to be taken
absolutely, any more than are "Let every soul be subject unto the
higher powers" (Rom. 13:1) or "As the Church is subject unto Christ,
so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing" (Eph. 5:24).
Each of these exhortations is qualified by others: the members of a
Gospel church are no more required to receive the pastor's teaching
when it be flagrantly opposed to Holy Writ, or to submit to any ruling
of his which is manifestly dishonoring to Christ and injurious to His
people, than they are to yield to a mandate of Nebuchadnezzar if he
sets up an image to himself and commands all to fall down and worship
it, or if an ungodly husband required from his wife anything contrary
to the laws of nature. No, it is not a blind and implicit obedience
which is here enjoined for that would be quite contrary to the whole
tenor of Gospel obedience, which is "our reasonable service."
The subjection required by our text is only unto that office
established by Christ Himself. If any usurp that office, and under
cloak thereof do teach or enjoin things contrary to what Christ has
instituted, then no obedience unto them is required by this command.
But it is just at this point that most difficulty is experienced
today. For many years past large numbers of professing Christians have
been demanding that the religious leaders should speak unto them
"smooth things," yea, prophesy unto them "deceits," declining to
listen unto what condemned their carnal and worldly lives and refusing
to heed the holy requirements of God. In consequence, He has suffered
their descendants to reap the evil sowings of their fathers, by
largely withholding "pastors after His own heart," and allowing
thousands of unregenerate men to occupy the modern pulpit. Instead of
"obeying" and "submitting" to them, God requires His people to turn
away from and have nothing to do with them.
The true servants of Christ are to be identified by the marks
specified in 1 Timothy 3. They are men who are "apt to teach," being
qualified by the Spirit to open up the Scriptures and apply them to
the consciences and lives of their hearers. They are "not greedy of
filthy lucre" nor covetous, demanding a salary which would enable them
to live above the level of their members, and declining to serve if
there were no pay attached to it. "Not a novice," with little or no
experience in the spiritual ups and downs of God's tried people, but
one who has himself tested and proved the reliability and sufficiency
of what he recommends to his hearers. He must be a man who is "not
self-willed, not soon angry, not given to wine," but "a lover of good
men, sober, just, holy, temperate" (Titus 1:7, 8), or otherwise he
could not commend what he teaches by his own example. The servants of
Christ, then, are endued with a measure of the spirit of their Master,
and it is by that they are to be distinguished from the false.
To refuse obedience and submission unto such, to contemptuously rail
against "the one man system," is to despise a Divine institution, for
the office of the "pastor" is as much the Lord's own appointment as is
the church itself, or the gifts and graces of its individual members.
It is true that men will and do abuse the good gifts of God, but if
some pastors are arbitrary, are not some members unruly? If there be
pride in the pulpit, is there none in the pew? Alas, in this Laodicean
and communistic age, when it has become the fashion to "despise
dominion and speak evil of dignities" (Jude 8) and when "the child
shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against
the honorable" (Isa. 3:5), almost every individual considers himself
qualified to judge and direct both civil and ecclesiastical rulers, to
prescribe for both state and church, to scrutinize and criticize
everything that is being done, and to say what ought to be done. May
the Lord have mercy and subdue the turbulent ragings of pride.
"For they watch for your souls." This is adduced as a reason why we
should show proper respect unto Church rulers. "The word used is
peculiar unto this place, and it denotes a watchfulness with the
greatest care and diligence, and that not without trouble or danger,
as Jacob kept and watched the flock of Laban in the night" (John
Owen). The true under-shepherds of Christ have no selfish aims, but
rather the spiritual and eternal good of those who are entrusted to
their care. Many a minister of the Gospel is often awake, burning
midnight oil, while the members of his flock are asleep. Many a one
can say, "I will very gladly spend and be spent for you" (2 Cor.
12:15). The ministerial office is no idler's one: it makes demands on
heart, mind, and nervous energy, such as none other does.
Here, then, is a motive, to move the members to gladly be subservient
to their rulers. The more labor any one undertakes for our sake and
the more difficulty and danger he incurs for us, the greater are our
obligations to him. Such is the office of bishops or elders; and the
heavier the burden they bear, the more honor they deserve. Let, then,
our gratitude be evidenced by giving them that which is their due. "We
beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are
over you in the Lord, and admonish you; and to esteem them very highly
in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves" (1
Thess. 5:12, 13). Let us also add that, young men aspiring unto the
ministerial office need to think twice about entering a calling which
demands ceaseless self-sacrifice, unremitting toil, and a love for
Christ and His people which alone will sustain amid sore
discouragements.
"They watch for your souls as they that must give account" supplies a
further motive. They are placed in a position of trust, commissioned
by the Lord, to whom they are immediately responsible. They often
render an account to Him now, keeping up a constant intercourse with
Him, spreading before Him the state and needs of His people, seeking
supplies of grace. A full and final account must be rendered of their
stewardship in the Day to come. Unspeakably solemn consideration is
that, and this it is which actuates them, for they "watch for the
souls of their church as those who must give account." They bear in
mind the awful warning of Ezekiel 33:5, and seek to heed the
exhortation of 1 Timothy 4:16. "That they may do it with joy, and not
with grief." Here is a further reason why church members should give
to their rulers that which is due them. If on the one hand nothing is
more encouraging to a pastor than for his people to be responsive and
docile, it is equally true that nothing is more disheartening and
saddening to him than to meet with opposition from those whose highest
interests he is serving with all his might. Every Christian minister
who is entitled to that designation, can, in his measure, say with the
apostle, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in
truth" (3 John 4).
"For that is unprofitable for you" furnishes the final motive. For the
members of a church to so conduct themselves as to be a constant
source of grief unto their minister is to despise their own mercies.
It not only prevents their receiving his instruction into their
hearts, which results in their spiritual barrenness, but it also saps
his vigor, quenches his zeal, causing him to proceed with a heavy
heart instead of with cheerfulness. What is still more solemn and
serious, the Lord Himself is highly displeased, and the tokens of His
favor are withdrawn, for He is very sensitive of the mistreatment of
His stewards. "We cannot be troublesome or disobedient to our pastors
without hazarding our own salvation" (John Calvin)--alas that such
erroneous ideas of "salvation" now so widely obtain. May the Lord
mercifully pardon any thing in these articles displeasing to Him, and
graciously add His blessing to that which is acceptable.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 121
A Good Conscience
(Hebrews 13:18, 19)
__________________________________________
Hebrews 13:18, 19 is closely connected with the verse which
immediately precedes. In our present portion the apostle mentions
another duty which believers owe to those who minister unto them in
spiritual things, and this is that they should earnestly remember them
before the Throne of Grace. The writer of this epistle besought the
prayers of the Hebrews, supporting his plea with a declaration of the
sincerity and fidelity with which he had sought to discharge his
office. The very fact that the true servants of Christ are so
conscientious in the performance of their work, should so endear them
to those they minister unto that a spirit of prayer for them ought to
be kindled in their hearts. They are the instruments through which we
receive the most good, and therefore the least we can do in return is
to seek to bear them up before God in the arms of our faith and love.
Before we consider this special need of Christ's servants, and our
privilege and duty in ministering unto the same, we propose to devote
the remainder of this article unto a careful consideration of the
particular reason here advanced by the apostle in support of his
request, namely, "for we trust we have a good conscience in all things
willing to live honestly." This expression "a good conscience" occurs
in several other passages in the N.T., and because of its deep
importance it calls for our closest attention. Much is said in the
Word about conscience, and much depends upon our having and preserving
a good one, and therefore it behooves us to give our best
consideration to this weighty subject. Not only is it one of great
practical moment, but it is especially timely in view of the
conscienceless day in which we live. What, then, is the conscience?
What is a good conscience, and how is it obtained and maintained? May
the Spirit of Truth be our Teacher as we seek to ponder these vital
questions.
Conscience is that faculty of the soul which enables us to perceive of
conduct in reference to right and wrong, that inward principle which
decides upon the lawfulness or unlawfulness of our desires and deeds.
Conscience has well been termed the moral sense, because it
corresponds to those physical faculties whereby we have communion with
the outward world, namely, the five senses of sight, hearing, touch,
taste and smell. Man has an ethical instinct, a faculty or moral
sensibility informing and impressing him. "It is far higher in the
scale and keener in its perceptions than any mere bodily sense. There
is an inner eye, that sees into the nature of right and wrong; an
inner ear, sensitive to the faintest whisper of moral obligation; an
inner touch, that feels the pressure of duty, and responds to it
sympathetically" (A.T. Pierson).
Conscience is that mysterious principle which bears its witness within
us for good or evil, and therefore it is the very center of human
accountability, for it greatly adds to his condemnation that man
continues sinning against the dictates of this internal sentinal.
Conscience supplies us with self-knowledge and self-judgment,
re-suiting in self-approbation or self-condemnation according to our
measure of light. It is a part of the understanding in all rational
creatures which passes judgment on all actions for or against them. It
bears witness of our thoughts, affections, and actions, for it
reflects upon and weighs whatever is proposed to and by the mind. That
it bears witness of emotions is clear from, "My conscience also
bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great heaviness and
continual sorrow in my heart" (Rom. 9:1, 2). So again we read, "Take
no heed unto all words that are spoken, lest thou hear thy servant
curse thee; for oftentimes also thine own heart (conscience) knoweth
that thou thyself likewise hast (inwardly) cursed others"
(Ecclesiastes 7:21, 22). Its voice is heard by the soul secretly
acquainting us with the right and wrong of things.
That conscience exists in the unregenerate is clear from Paul's
statement concerning the Gentiles: "Which show the work of the law
written in their hearts: their conscience also bearing witness, and
their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another"
(Rom. 2:15). Though the heathen never received the Scriptures, as
Israel did, yet they had within them that which accused or excused
them. There is within every man (save the idiot) that which reproves
him for his sins, yea, for those most secret sins to which none are
privy but themselves. Wicked men seek to stifle those inward chidings,
but are rarely if ever successful. "The sinners in Zion are afraid;
fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites" (Isa. 33:14). Unregenerate
men are without faith, yet not without fear: "The wicked flee when no
man pursueth" (Prov. 28:1). There is that within man which appalls the
stoutest Sinner after the commitral of any gross evil: his own heart
reproves him.
The Creator has gifted the human soul with various faculties, such as
the understanding, affections, and will; and He has also bestowed upon
it this power of considering its own state and actions, both inward
and outward, constituting conscience both a monitor and judge within
man's own bosom--a monitor to warn of duty, a judge to condemn for
neglect of the same. It is an impartial judge within us, that cannot
be suspected of either undue severity or ill-will, for it is an
intrinsic part of our own very selves. Conscience anticipates the
Grand Assize in the Day to come, for it forces man to pass verdict
upon himself, as he is subject to the judgment of God. It is resident
in the understanding, as is clear from 1 Corinthians 2:11, where the
conscience is termed our "spirit."
The presence of conscience within man supplies one of the clearest
demonstrations of the existence of God. To this fact the Holy Spirit
appeals in Psalm 53. "The fool hath said in his heart, there is no
God" (verse 1). Now how does he prove there is a God? Thus, "There
were they in great fear, where no fear was" (verse 5). Though there
was no outward cause for fear, none seeking to hurt them, yet even
those who lived most atheistically were under a fear. An illustration
is seen in the case of Joseph's brethren, who accused themselves when
there was none other to accuse them: "They said one to another, We are
verily guilty concerning our brother" (Gen. 42:21). Though a man
should hide himself from all the world, he cannot get away from
himself--his heart will pursue and condemn him. Now the very fact that
there is such a hidden fear in man after sinning, that their hearts
smite them for crimes done in secret, argues there is a God.
This fear is found in the most obstinate sinners, and in those who,
because of their high station and power are exempt from human justice.
History records how kings and emperors have followed their wickedness
without interference, yet even the infamous Caligula trembled when it
thundered. It was not a fear that they might be found out by man and
punished by him, for in some notable instances this fear prevailed to
such an extent that human punishment had been a welcome relief, and
failing which they perforce laid violent hands upon themselves. What
can be the reason for this, but that they feared a Judge and Avenger,
who would call them to account? As the apostle said of the heathen,
"They know the judgment of God" (Rom. 1:32): there is a witness in
their own souls that they are liable to His justice. Mark the fearful
consternation of Belshazzar: the paling of his countenance, smiting of
his knees, loosing of his joints, when he read the sentence on the
palace walls (Dan. 5:6).
"There is nothing in man that more challenges and demands adequate
explanation than his moral sense. Conscience is a court always in
session and imperative in its summons. No man can evade it or silence
its accusations. It is a complete assize. It has a judge on its bench,
and that judge will not be bribed into a lax decision. It has its
witness-stand, and can bring witnesses from the whole territory of the
past life. It has its jury, ready to give a verdict, `guilty' or `not
guilty,' in strict accordance with the evidence; and it has its
sheriff, remorse, with his whip of scorpions, ready to lash the
convicted soul. The nearest thing in this world to the bar of God, is
the court of conscience. And though it be for a time drugged into a
partial apathy, or intoxicated with worldly pleasure, the time comes
when in all the majesty of its imperial authority this court calls to
its bar every transgressor and holds him to a strict account" (A.T.
Pierson).
But though the presence of conscience in us bears witness to the
existence of a holy, righteous, sin-hating and sin-avenging God, it is
scarcely correct to say (as numbers have done) that the conscience is
the voice of God speaking in the soul, rather is it that faculty which
responds to what He says. When Christ declared "he that hath ears to
hear let him hear," He signified, him that has a conscience attuned to
the Most High, who desires to know His will and submit to His
authority. Conscience sits upon the bench of the heart as God's
vicegerent, acquitting or accusing. It acts thus in the natural man,
but in the regenerate it is a godly conscience, guided in its
operations by the Holy Spirit, bearing its testimony for or against
the believer according to his character and conduct, Godwards and
manwards.
The actual term conscience is derived from "scio" to know, and "con"
with. There is some difference of opinion as to the precise
application of the prefix, whether it be a knowledge we have in common
with God, or a knowledge according to His Law. Really, it is a
distinction with very little difference. The "knowledge" is of one
individual alone by himself, but this "knowledge with" is where two at
least share the same secret, either of them knowing it together with
the other. Conscience, then, is that faculty which combines two
together, and makes them partners in knowledge; it is between man and
God. God knows perfectly all the doings of a man, no matter how
carefully concealed; and man, by this faculty, also knows together
with God the same things of himself. Hence we read of "conscience
toward God" (1 Pet. 2:19), or as the Greek may also be rendered (see
margin of R.V.) "the conscience of God"--having Him for its Author and
Object. Conscience is God's vicegerent, acting for and under Him.
Thus, as the very term implies, conscience must have a rule to work
by: "knowledge together with." It is not only a knowledge, but a
knowledge coupled with a standard, according to which a process of
inward judgment is carried on. Now our only proper rule is the Word,
or revealed will of God. That is divided into two parts: what God
speaks to man in His holy Law, and what He says to him in His blessed
Gospel. If conscience departs from that Rule, then it is a rebellious
one, it has ceased to speak and judge for God, and then the light in
man is turned into darkness, for the (inward) eye has become evil
(Matthew 6:23). In his primitive condition man had only the Law, and
the proper work of conscience then was to speak warningly and
condemningly in strict accordance with that Rule, and to allow none
other. But our first parents listened to Satan's lie, broke the Law,
and came under its condemnation.
Wherever we go conscience accompanies us, whatever we think or do it
records and registers in order to the Day of accounts. "When all
friends forsake thee, yea, when thy soul forsakes the body, conscience
will not, cannot, forsake thee. When thy body is weakest and dullest,
the conscience is most vigorous and active. Never more life in the
conscience than when death makes its nearest approach to the body.
When it smiles, acquits, and comforts, what a heaven doth it create
within a man! But when it frowns, condemns and terrifies, how does it
becloud, yea, benight all the pleasures, joys and delights of this
world" (John Flavell). Conscience, then, is the best of friends or the
worst of enemies in the whole creation.
Much of our peace of mind and liberty of spirit in this world will be
according to the favorable testimony of conscience, and much of our
spiritual bondage, fear, and distress of mind will be according to the
charges of wrong-doing which conscience brings against us. When the
gnawings of conscience are intensified, they become unendurable, as
was the case with Cain, Judas and Sapphira, for they supply a real
foretaste of the internal torments of Hell. Most probably this is that
"worm that dieth not" (Mark 9:44) which preys upon the lost. As a worm
in the body is bred of the corruption that is therein, so the
accusations and condemnations of conscience are bred in the soul by
the corruptions and guilt that are therein; and as the worm preys upon
the tender and invisible parts of the body, so does conscience touch
the very quick of the soul.
But notwithstanding what has been predicated of the conscience above,
it is, nevertheless, defiled (Titus 1:15). In the natural man it is
exceeding partial in its office, winking at and indulging favorite
sins, whilst being strict and severe upon other sins to which a person
is not constitutionally prone. Thus we find the conscience of king
Saul exceedingly punctilious in a matter of the ceremonial law (1 Sam.
14:34), yet he scrupled not to slay eighty-five of God's priests! The
reason why the conscience is so uneven is because it has been
corrupted by the Fall: it is out of order, just as a foul stomach
craves certain articles of diet while loathing others which are
equally wholesome. So it is in the performance of duties: conscience
in the natural man picks and chooses according to its own perverted
caprice: neglecting what is distasteful, performing what is pleasing
and then being proud because it has done so.
Now conscience is either good or evil, and that, according as it is
governed by the revealed will of God. Briefly, the evil conscience
first. This is of several kinds. There is the ignorant and darkened
conscience, relatively so and not absolutely, for all (save idiots)
possess rationality and the light of nature. This is the condition of
the heathen, and alas, of an increasing number in Christendom, who are
reared in homes where God is utterly ignored. Then there is the brazen
and defiant conscience, which blatantly refuses to be in subjection to
God's known will: such was the case with Pharaoh. In the case of Herod
we see a bribed conscience, pretending that his oath obliged him to
behead John the Baptist. The seared and insensible conscience (1 Tim.
4:2) pertains to those who have long resisted the light and are given
over by God to a reprobate mind. The despairing and desperate
conscience leads its possessor to lay violent hands upon himself.
At the new birth the conscience is renewed, being greatly quickened
and enlightened by the Holy Spirit. Through the exercise of faith the
conscience is purified (Acts 15:9), being cleansed by an appropriation
of the blood of Christ (Heb. 9:14). A good conscience may be defined,
generally, as one that is set to please God in all things, for it
hates sin and loves holiness; it is one which is governed by the Word,
being in subjection to the authority of its Author. Its binding rule
is obedience to God. and to Him alone, refusing to act apart from His
light. Consequently, the more conscientious the Christian be, the more
he refuses all domination (the traditions and opinions of man) which
is not Divine, the more likely is he to gain the reputation of being
conceited and intractable. Nevertheless, each of us must be much on
his guard lest he mistake pride and self-will for conscientious
scruples. There is a vast difference between firmness and an
unteachable spirit, as there is between meekness and fickleness.
How is a good and pure conscience obtained? Briefly, by getting it
rightly informed, and by casting out its filth through penitential
confession. The first great need of conscience is light, for ignorance
corrupts it. "That the soul be without knowledge, it is not good"
(Prov. 19:2). As a judge that understands not the laws of his country
is unfit to give judgment on any matter that comes before him, or as a
dim eye cannot properly perform its office, so a blind or uninformed
conscience is incapable to judge of our duty before God. Conscience
cannot take God's part unless it knows His will, and for a full
acquaintance with that we must daily read and search the Scriptures.
"Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto
according to Thy Word" (Ps. 119:9). O to be able to say, "Thy Word is
a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Ps. 119:105).
Let us now mention some of the qualities or characteristics of a good
conscience. First, sincerity. Alas, how little of this virtue is left
in the world: what shams and hypocrisy now obtain on every side--in
the religious realm, the political, the commercial, and the social.
This is a conscienceless generation, and consequently there is little
or no honesty, fidelity, or reality. That which now regulates the
average person is a temporary expediency, rather than an acting
according to principle. But it is otherwise with the regenerate: the
fear of the Lord has been planted in his heart, and therefore can he
say with the apostle, "We trust we have a good conscience, in all
things willing to live honestly." A sincere conscience genuinely
desires to know God's will and is truly determined to be in subjection
thereto. Guile has received its death wound, and the heart is open to
the light, ready to be searched thereby.
Tenderness is another property of a good conscience. By this quality
is meant a wakefulness of heart so that it smites for sin upon all
occasions offered. So far from being indifferent to God's claims, the
heart is acutely sensitive when it has been ignored. Even for what
many consider trifling matters, a tender conscience will chide and
condemn. Job resolved to preserve a tender conscience when he said,
"my heart shall not reproach me as long as I live" (Job 27:6). Again;
we may understand this characteristic from its opposite, namely, a
seared conscience (1 Tim. 4:2), which is contracted by an habitual
practice of that which is evil, the heart becoming as hard as the
public highway. Pray frequently for a tender conscience, dear reader.
Fidelity. When conscience faithfully discharges its office there is a
constant judging of our state before God as a measuring of our ways by
His Holy Word. Thus the apostle Paul could say, "Men and brethren, I
have lived in all good conscience before God until this day" (Acts
23:1). The favorable judgment which others may entertain of him will
afford no satisfaction to an upright man unless he has the testimony
of conscience that his conduct is right in the sight of God. No matter
what may be the fashions of the hour nor the common custom of his
fellows, one whose heart beats true to God will not do anything
knowingly against conscience: his language will ever be, "whether it
be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God,
judge ye" (Acts 4:19). On the other hand, his frequent prayer is,
"Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts;
and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way
everlasting" (Ps. 139:23, 24).
Tranquillity. This is the sure reward of sincerity and fidelity, for
Wisdom's ways (in contrast from those of folly) "are ways of
pleasantness and all her paths are peace" (Prov. 3:17). An offended
conscience will offend us, and "a wounded spirit who can bear?" (Prov.
18:14). The Christian may as well expect to touch a live coal without
pain, as to sin without trouble of conscience. But a clear conscience
is quiet, condemning not, being unburdened by the guilt of sin. When
we walk closely with God there is a serenity of mind and peace of
heart which is the very opposite of the state of those who are lawless
and disobedient, "for the wicked are like the troubled sea, which
cannot rest." The tranquility of a good conscience is an earnest of
the undisturbed calm which awaits us on High.
But let it be pointed out that every peaceful conscience is not a good
one, nor is every uneasy conscience an evil one. The conscience of
some is quiet because it is insensible. "When a strong man armed
keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace" (Luke 11:21): that is a
quiet evil conscience, because put to sleep by the opiates of Satan.
True tranquility of conscience is to be determined from the other
properties: it must issue from sincerity, tenderness, and fidelity, or
otherwise it is a seared one. We must consider not how much inward
peace we have, but how much cause: as in a building, not the fairness
of the structure, but the foundation of it is to be most regarded. On
the other hand, a tender conscience is liable to err through lack of
sufficient light, and needlessly write bitter things against itself,
which is a "weak conscience" (1 Cor. 8:12); as we may also be troubled
by sins already pardoned.
Now a good conscience can only be maintained by constant diligence:
"herein do I exercise myself to have always a conscience void of
offense toward God and men" (Acts 24:16). The apostle made it his
daily employment to keep his conscience clear, that it might not
justly accuse him of anything, so that he should have the witness in
his own heart that his character and conduct was pleasing in the sight
of the Holy One. The maintenance of a good conscience is an essential
part of personal piety. "This charge I commit unto thee, son
Timothy... holding faith and a good conscience" (1 Tim. 1:18, 19):
that is the sum of personal godliness--faith being the principle of
things to be believed by us, conscience the principle of the things to
be done. Faith and a good conscience are linked together again in 1
Timothy 1:5 and 3:9, for we cannot hold the one without the other.
If the reader will turn back to Acts 24 he will find that Paul was
replying to charges brought against him. In verses 14-16 he made his
defense, giving therein a brief epitome of practical and experimental
Christianity. As the foundation he gives an account of his faith:
"believing all things which are written"; as the immediate proof
thereof--"and have hope toward God"; and then a brief account of his
conversation: "herein do I exercise myself to have always a conscience
void of offense." A saving knowledge of the Truth, then, is such a
belief of the Scriptures as produces an hope of eternal life, which is
evidenced by a keeping of the heart with all diligence. The same is
enumerated again in "The end of the commandment" (the design of the
Gospel institution) is that love which fulfils the Law, issuing from a
heart that beats true to God (1 Tim. 1:5).
"Herein do I exercise myself": we must make it our constant endeavor.
First, by a diligent and daily searching of the Scriptures that we may
discover the will of God. We are exhorted "Be not unwise, but
understanding what the will of the Lord is" (Eph. 5:17), and this in
order that we may ascertain what is pleasing to Him, so that we offend
not either in belief or worship. A conscience ill-informed is, at
best, a weak and ignorant one. Second, by a serious inquiry into the
state of our heart and ways: "Stand in awe, and sin not; commune with
your own heart upon your bed, and be still" (Ps. 4:4). We need to
frequently challenge and call ourselves to account. If we would have
conscience speak to us, we must speak often to it. It is given us for
this very reason that we may judge of our state and actions with
respect to the judgment of God. Then "Let us search and try our ways"
(Lam. 3:40). Take time, dear reader, to parley with yourself and
consider how matters stand between you and God. Short reckonings
prevent mistakes, so review each day and put right what has come
between you and God.
Third, a uniform course of obedience: "Hereby we know that we are of
the Truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him" (1 John 3:19).
Fourth, by a constant alertness: "Watch and pray, that ye enter not
into temptation" (Matthew 26:41). Fifth, by a serious resistance and
mortification of sin: cutting off the right hand and putting out the
right eye. Sixth, by a sincere repentance and confession when
conscious of failure. Seventh, by faith's appropriation of the
cleansing blood of Christ.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 122
Praying for Ministers
(Hebrews 13:18, 19)
__________________________________________
"Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things
willing to live honestly. But I beseech you the rather to do this,
that I may be restored to you the sooner." As was pointed out in the
opening paragraph of the previous article, this passage is closely
connected with verse 17, where believers are commanded to obey their
ecclesiastical leaders. Here is mentioned a further obligation of
Christians unto those who minister to them in spiritual things,
namely, that they should remember them before the throne of grace. A
due observance of this exhortation would probably do more than
anything else to counteract and countervail a widespread evil: those
who plead with God for blessings upon the preacher are far less likely
to go around criticizing them unto men. A spirit of faultfinding
stifles the breath of intercession; countrariwise, a spirit of prayer
will curb complaining and gossiping lips.
"Pray for us." The servants of Christ stand in real and urgent need of
the prayers of their people. They are but men themselves, ignorant,
weak, and erring, and unless they are granted a double portion of the
Spirit they are not equipped for their arduous and honorable calling.
They are the ones who bear the brunt of the battle, and are the
special objects of Satan's attacks. They are often tempted to
compromise, to keep back that which, though unpalatable to them, is
most profitable for their hearers. In the face of many disappointments
and discouragements, they are apt to grow weary in well doing. It is,
then, both our duty and privilege to supplicate God on their behalf
for daily supplies of grace to be granted them from on High; that they
may be delivered from temptations, kept faithful, steadfast and
devoted.
It is to be duly noted that this request was made by none other than
the writer of this epistle; if, then, the greatest of the apostles
stood in need of the intercessory support of his brethren, how much
more so the rank and the of God's ministers. How tenderly, how
earnestly, and how frequently Paul made this request! Here he adds, "I
beseech you"--language used again in Romans 15:30, where he besought
the saints to strive together with him in their prayers to God. In 2
Corinthians 1:11 he speaks of "helping together by prayer for us." A
beautiful type of the efficacy of the prayers of God's people to
support one of His servants is found in the holding up the hands of
Moses (Ex. 17:12), where we are significantly told, "And it came to
pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he
let down his hand Amalek prevailed."
"Pray for us." We agree with Owen that though the apostle here used
the plural number (as was his general custom) that it was for himself
alone he made this request: as the "I" in verse 19 intimates. It is a
pre-eminently Pauline touch, and, as we pointed out in our second
article of this series it supplies one of the many details which serve
to identify the writer of this epistle. There is no record in the N.T.
that any other of the apostles besought the prayers of the Church.
Paul did so in no less than seven of his epistles: Romans 15:30,
Ephesians 6:19, Colossians 4:3, 1 Thessalonians 5:25, 2 Thessalonians
3:1, Philemon 1:22 and here. "He who labored more than the other
apostles, and who was endowed with so many gifts, seems to have had
the greatest craving for sympathy, for affection, for communion, and
the most vivid conception that God only giveth the increase; that it
is not by might nor by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord" (A.
Saphir).
"Pray for us": though the immediate reference was to Paul himself, yet
obviously the exhortation applies to all the servants of Christ, and
is binding upon all to whom they minister. They are the ones, under
God, through whom we receive the most good. Oftentimes they are,
ministerially, our spiritual fathers (1 Cor. 4:15), our spiritual
nurses (1 Thess. 2:7), our guides, counselors, and nourishers. They
are to be esteemed very highly for their work's sake (1 Thess. 5:13),
and that esteem is to be evident by our constantly bearing them up
before God in the arms of faith and love. To earnestly supplicate the
throne of grace on their behalf, is the least return we can make them
for their loving labors, sacrificial endeavor, faithful ministrations.
There is no doubt that the more diligent the people are in discharging
this duty, the more help and blessing are they likely to receive
through their labors.
"Pray for us." The apostle was persuaded that all the blessing he
needed could be obtained from God, and from Him alone, and that prayer
was the appointed means of obtaining those blessings. Someone has said
that "If the due obedience of the church by all its members, unto the
rulers of it, be the best means of its edification and the chief cause
of order and peace in the whole body, certainly prayer for its leaders
and fellow-members is the appointed channel for obtaining it." Again,
by requesting the prayers of the Hebrew Christians, Paul intimated the
regard in which he held them as righteous men, whose prayers would
"avail much." His request also signified his confidence in their love
for him: a heart that tenderly and faithfully sought their good,
doubted not the warmth of their affection for him. Prayer for each
other is one of the principal parts of the communion of saints.
The apostle supported his plea for the prayers of his readers by a
striking and powerful reason; "For we trust we have a good conscience
in all things willing to live honestly." In saying "we trust" two
things were intimated. First, his becoming modesty: there was no
boastful "we know." Second, his assurance, for such language in
Scripture does not express a doubt. Thus though there was confidence
in his heart toward God, yet he expressed himself in humble terms--an
example we do well to heed in this boastful and egoistic age. It is a
grand thing when a minister of the Gospel can truly, though modestly,
appeal to the faithful performance of his labors as a reason why he
may claim the sympathy and support of his people. It is only when he
sincerely aims to do the right and maintains a good conscience that
the minister can, with propriety, ask for the prayers of his people.
Probably the reason why Paul here made particular reference to his
earnest endeavor to maintain a good conscience, was because he had
been so bitterly denounced by his own nation, and no doubt (for Satan
was the same then as now) the most unfavorable reports about him had
been circulated among the Hebrews. He had been cruelly scourged by his
own countrymen, and unjustly imprisoned by the Romans, yet he had the
witness within his own bosom that it was his desire and determination
to always act with integrity. "Though my name be cast out as evil, and
though I be suffering as a wrong-doer, yet I appeal to my faithfulness
in the Gospel ministry; I do not walk in craftiness nor handle the
Word of God deceitfully, nor do I make merchandise of the Gospel: I
have genuinely sought to act honorably under all circumstances." Happy
the man that can say that.
"For we trust that we have a good conscience." As we pointed out
previously, the conscience is that faculty with which the Creator has
endowed man, whereby he is capable of judging his state and actions
with respect to the judgment of God. Its office is twofold: to reveal
sin to us, and to discover our duty, according to the light shining
into it. There is a twofold light which men have to illumine
conscience: natural reason and Scripture revelation, and the Spirit
applying the same. If the conscience has only the twilight of nature,
as is the case with the heathen, it passes judgment on natural duties
and unnatural sins, but if it enjoys the supernatural light of the
Word, it judges of those sins and duties which can only be known by
Divine revelation. It registers a permanent record in the soul. The
more light we have, the greater is our responsibility: Luke 12:48.
Though the heathen possess not the Law delivered by revelation of God
to them, yet they have, in their moral sensibilities, the substance of
its precepts written in their hearts: Romans 2:15. When Paul said he
had "lived in all good conscience before God until this day" (Acts
23:1), it was parallel with his "touching the righteousness which is
in the law, blameless" (Phil. 3:6): there was a conformity of his
outward conduct to the light which he had in his conscience. Thus
"those that say there is no use of the moral law to the Christian, may
as well say there is no more use of the faculty of conscience in the
soul of a Christian. Tear that faculty out of a man's heart, if you
will tear out that other, namely, the obliging precepts. Even as if
God would annul colors and light, He must also take away and close up
the sense of sight" (Thomas Goodwin).
"The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward
parts of the belly" (Prov. 20:27). This moral sense has been rightly
denominated the Divine spy in man's soul. Its checks and reproofs are
a warning from God: it acts in His name, citing us before His
tribunal. It receives its instruction and authority from God, and is
accountable to Him and to none other--alas how many are regulated by
the customs and fashions of this world, and live upon the opinions and
reports of their fellows. Conscience is a part of that light which
"lighteth every man that cometh into the world" (John 1:9). In many
passages both the "heart" (1 John 3:20) and the "spirit" (Rom. 8:16, 1
Corinthians 2:11) signifies the conscience, while in Psalm 16:10 it is
called the "reins." In yet other passages it is likened unto the
physical "eye" (Luke 11:34-36): as the eye is the most sensitive
member of the body and its visual faculty so is the conscience to the
soul.
Conscience, then, is God's witness within man: it is the voice of His
Law directing and admonishing the heart, conveying to us a knowledge
of right and wrong. Its functions are to give testimony and force a
moral verdict. Its business is to pronounce upon each action, whether
it be good or evil, with the reward or punishment belonging to it, and
then by a reflex act it deposes or witnesses that we have done
righteously or unrighteously. Yet while conscience convicts of sin, it
in no wise helps us to believe the Gospel: on the contrary, its
workings withstand faith. No matter to what extent the natural
conscience be enlightened, it conduces nothing to faith, nay it is the
greatest enemy to it that the heart of man hath. Faith is the gift of
God, a supernatural bestowment, something which is the operation of
the Holy Spirit, altogether apart from and transcending the greatest
height to which the unaided faculties of fallen man can reach unto.
What has just been pointed out above may, at first sight, surprise the
reader; yet it ought not. Conscience is fully capable of hearing what
the Law says, for it is but the Law written in the heart naturally;
but it is quite deaf to what the Gospel says, and understands not a
word of it. If you speak to natural conscience about a Savior and urge
it to believe on Him, its answer will be like unto that of the Jews
(and it was this principle of conscience which made them so speak),
"as for Moses we know that God spake unto him, but as for this fellow
(Christ) we know not whence He is" (John 9:29). Talk to a man of the
Law, and conscience responds, for it knows what he ought to do; but as
for the Gospel its voice is that of a stranger to him. Conscience is
quite incapable of pointing out the way of deliverance from the
condemnation and penalty of sin, yea, "Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3).
It is true that the more conscience be enlightened, the more will it
discover to us all manner of sins, and rebuke us for them; yet
conscience alone will never discover unbelief to us, and convict us of
its heinousness--only the immediate light of the Holy Spirit shining
in the heart will do that. There are two great sins which lie outside
the jurisdiction of conscience to set them upon the heart, ordinarily.
First, the guilt of Adam's original transgression, which has been
justly imputed unto all his posterity. An instructed conscience may
perceive the depravity and corruption of a nature which has resulted
from our fall in Adam, but it will not convict of that fatal
condemnation we lie under because of our first father's offense.
Second, conscience will not acquaint us with our lack of faith in
Christ, and that this is the sin of all sins; only the special
operation of the Spirit upon the quickened heart can accomplish this.
Examine those who are most troubled in conscience, and it will be
found that none of them are burdened because of their unbelief.
Until conscience be subordinated unto faith, it is the greatest
hindrance to believing which the natural man hath. What is the chief
obstacle which an awakened and convicted soul encounters? Why, the
greatness of his sins, his heart telling him that he is beyond the
reach of mercy, and it is naught but the accusations of a guilty
conscience which produces that sense of hopelessness in the heart.
Conscience brings our sins to light, makes them to stare us in the
face, and terrifies us with their enormity. Conscience it is which
tells a distressed soul that salvation is far off from such an one as
I am. Conscience will set us working and doing, but only in a legal
way: so far from leading us into the path of true peace, it will take
us farther away from it. Thus it was with the Jews of old, and thus it
is still: "For they, being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going
about to establish their own righteousness" (Rom. 10:3).
In the case of a Christian, conscience and faith supplement each other
in their workings. If conscience convicts of sin or rebukes for the
omission of duty, faith eyes the mercy of God in Christ, penitently
confesses the fault, and seeks cleansing through the precious blood.
"The worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of
sins" (Heb. 10:2)--no more apprehensions of them as standing against
us. It is the believer's bounden duty to maintain a good conscience: 1
Timothy 1:19; 3:9, but in order to that there must be a continual
judging of ourselves and our ways. The revealed will of God is its
only rule, for nothing else can lawfully bind it; therefore it is
infinitely better to offend the whole world than God and conscience.
"All my familiars watched for my halting, saying, Peradventure he will
be enticed and we shall prevail against him," and what was the
prophet's response and recourse? This, "But Thou, O Lord of hosts,
that triest the righteous and seest the reins and the heart, let me
see Thy vengeance on them: for unto Thee have I opened my cause" (Jer.
20:10, 12).
The sole rule to regulate the conscience of the Christian is God's
written Word, for "whatsoever is not of faith (and therefore according
to the Word: (Rom. 10:17) is sin" (Rom. 14:23); that is, whatsoever is
not done from a settled persuasion of judgment and conscience out of
the Word, is sin. The defects of a good conscience are, First,
ignorance or error: some children of God are very imperfectly
established in the Truth and are much confused as to what is right and
wrong in the sight of God, especially in things indifferent,
concerning which there is much difference of opinion. They understand
not that liberty which Christ has purchased for His people (Gal. 5:1),
whereby they are free to make a right and good use of all things
indifferent--i.e, things not specifically forbidden by Scripture.
"Wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face
shine" (Ps. 104:15), which goes beyond bare necessities; to which we
may add those innocent recreations which refresh mind and body. How to
make a proper use of such things is defined in 1 Timothy 4:4, 5.
Second, and closely connected with the preceding, is what Scripture
calls a "weak conscience" (1 Cor. 8:12), which is due to lack of
light, wrong teaching, to personal prejudice and idiosyncrasies. It is
often trying and difficult to know how to act towards those thus
afflicted: on the one hand, love desires their good, and must be
patient with them and refrain from acting recklessly and needlessly
wounding them; but on the other hand, their fads and scruples are not
to he so yielded to by us that our own spiritual liberty is
annulled--Christ Himself refused to bring His disciples into bondage
by yielding to the traditions of men (Mark 7:2), even though He knew
they were spying for some fault in Him, and would be offended by His
conduct. Third, a doubting conscience: Romans 14: 22, 23. Fourth, a
wounded conscience, whose peace is disturbed by unrepented and
unconfessed sins.
The benefits and blessings are indeed rich compensation for every
effort we make to maintain a good conscience. First, it gives us
confidence Godwards. When we have sinned away our peace there is a
strangeness and distance between the soul and the Holy One. When our
inward monitor convicts and condemns us, the heart grows shy of God,
so that we cannot so comfortably look Him in the face. It is only when
everything is made right with God, by contrite confession and faith's
appropriation of the cleansing blood of Christ, that we can approach
the throne of grace with boldness. "Let us draw near with a true heart
in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience" (Heb. 10:22)--i.e. a conscience which no longer accuses us
before God. "If I regard iniquity in my heart (which is inconsistent
with a good conscience) the Lord will not hear me" (Ps. 66:18); but on
the other hand "If our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence
toward God; and whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep
His commandment and do those things that are pleasing in His sight" (1
John 3:21, 22).
Second, a clear conscience affords his chief relief when the believer
is falsely accused and aspersed by his enemies. What unspeakable
consolation is ours when we can rightfully appropriate that
benediction of Christ, "Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and
persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My
sake" (Matthew 5:11). This was the case with the apostle Paul: "For
our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that In
simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the
grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world" (2 Cor.
1:12). Third, a clear conscience vindicates its possessor against the
accusations of Satan. The great enemy of our souls is constantly
seeking to take away our peace and joy, and we are powerless against
his onslaughts when a guilty conscience confirms his charges. But when
we can appeal to a pure conscience and expose his lies, then his fiery
darts are successfully quenched. The Psalmist was very bold when he
said--see Psalm 7:3, 4, 5, 8.
Fourth, a pure conscience gives great advantage to its possessor when
he is lawfully reproving others. The admonitions of that Christian
whose life is inconsistent have no weight but he who walks closely
with God speaks with authority. That man who is upright before God and
his fellows, wields a moral force which is felt even by the ungodly.
Finally, a peaceful conscience affords unspeakable comfort in a dying
hour. When one has the inward witness that, despite many failures, he
has sincerely endeavored to do that which was right before God and
unto his fellows, he has an easy pillow to rest his head upon.
"Remember now, O Lord, I beseech Thee, how I have walked before Thee
in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in
Thy sight" (Isa. 38:3): that was an appeal to a good conscience by one
who was "sick unto death."
Paul's testimony of his having a good conscience consisted in this:
"in all things willing to live honestly." A resolute will and a
sincere endeavor to act rightly under all circumstances is the fruit
and evidence of a good conscience. Being "willing" signifies a desire
and readiness, with an accompanying effort and diligence. "In all
things" takes in our whole duty to God and man, expresses the
strictness and exactness of the apostle's course to maintain a
conscience "void of offense" (Acts 24:16). What a striking commentary
upon this declaration of Paul's is furnished in the account of his
manner of life at Ephesus: see Acts 20:18-27. How his devotion,
fidelity, and constancy puts to shame the flesh-loving indolence of so
many preachers today. What strictness of conscience God requires from
His servants: as the least bit of grit in the eye hinders its
usefulness, so any sin trifled with will trouble a tender conscience.
We are commanded to "Provide things honest in the sight of all men"
(Rom. 12:17): a good conscience respects the second table of the Law
equally with the first, so that we owe no man anything and are not
afraid to look anybody in the face. Any faith which does not produce
an impartial and universal obedience, is worthless. All the mysteries
of our most holy faith are mysteries of godliness (1 Tim. 1:9; 3:16).
But if the Word of God has come to us in word only and not in power,
then are we but Christians of the letter and not of the spirit. Alas,
how many today are sound in doctrine and have a carnal assurance of
eternal life, yet who exercise themselves not to maintain a conscience
void of offense. Alas, alas, what a conscienceless age our lot is cast
in. How many souls are stumbled by the loose living of the majority of
those who now profess to believe the Gospel.
"In all things willing to live honestly." We are exhorted to have our
conversation "honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak
against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they
shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation" (1 Pet. 2:12). The
Greek word in our text expresses more than is commonly understood by
"honestly," being the same as that used in "He hath done all things
well" (Mark 7:37). Its real force is "excellently" or "honorably." In
his "in all things willing to live honestly" the apostle again
expresses his humility and truthfulness. A sincere desire and a
diligent endeavor so to act is the highest perfection attainable in
this life, for we all fail in the carrying out of it. Thus, in all
ages the saints have prayed, "O Lord, I beseech Thee, let now Thine
ear be attentive to the prayer of Thy servant, and to the prayer of
Thy servants, who desire to fear Thy name" (Nehemiah 1:11). It is
blessed to be assured by God Himself that "For if there be first a
willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not
according to that he hath not" (2 Cor. 8:12).
"But I beseech you the rather to do this, that I may be restored to
you the sooner" (verse 19). In this verse Paul added a further reason
why he desired the Hebrew saints to pray for him. Many things are
intimated therein: that he had been with them previously, but
circumstances over which he had no control now prevented his
return--the best of ministers may be kept from their people (1 Kings
22:27, Jeremiah 38:6); that he greatly desired to come to them again,
which shows that not his own comfort (deliverance from prison) but
their good was uppermost in his mind; that he had strong confidence in
the prevalency of prayer and of their affection for him. "When
ministers come to a people as a return of prayer, they come with
greater satisfaction to themselves and success to the people. We
should fetch in all our mercies by prayer" (Matthew Henry.
The language used here by Paul denotes that he believed man's goings
are of the Lord, that He disposes the affairs of the Church much
according to their prayers, to His glory and their consolation. "That
I may be restored to you the sooner" is very striking, showing that
Paul was no blind fatalist: if God had decreed the exact hour, how
could prayer bring it to pass "the sooner"? Ah, it is utterly vain for
us to reason about or philosophize over the consistency between God's
eternal decrees and prayer: sufficient for us to be assured from
Scripture that prayer is both a bounden duty and blessed privilege. It
is God's way to make us feel the need of and then ask for the
bestowment of His mercies before He gives them: Ezekiel 36:37. We know
not if this prayer was answered, nor is it at all material: "according
to our present apprehensions of duty we may lawfully have earnest
desires after, and pray for such things, as shall not come to pass.
The secret purposes of God are not the rule of prayer" (John Owen).
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 123
The Apostle's Prayer
(Hebrews 13:20, 21)
__________________________________________
"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord
Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the
everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His
will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through
Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen" (verses 20,
21). Let us begin by considering the connection which these verses
have with what precedes: first with their wider context and then with
their more immediate. In them there is really a gathering up into a
brief but comprehensive sentence of the whole of what had been
previously set forth, except that the apostle here prays there might
be wrought in the Hebrews that unto which they had been exhorted. The
substance of the whole doctrinal portion of the epistle is included
therein, and the apostle now begs God to apply to the hearts of his
readers the benefits and fruit of all the important instruction which
he had presented to them. These verses, then, form a fitting
conclusion, for what follows them is virtually a postscript.
Viewing our text in the light of its immediate context, we perceive a
blessed exemplification of the fact that the apostle practiced what he
preached, for what he had required from his readers he is here seen
doing for them. In verses 18, 19 he had besought the prayers of the
Hebrews on his behalf, and now we find him supplicating the Throne of
Grace on their behalf. What a blessed example the chief of the
apostles has left unto all whom Christ has called unto public service.
If ministers desire the prayers of their people, then let them see to
it that they are not backward in praying for those God has committed
to their charge. This is an essential part of the minister's
functions. It is not sufficient that he faithfully preaches the Word:
he must also fervently and frequently ask God to bless that Word unto
those who have heard him. O that all who are called to the sacred
office may feelingly exclaim "God forbid that I should sin against the
Lord in ceasing to pray for you" (1 Sam. 12:23).
The verses which are now before us are in the form of an apostolic
benediction or prayer. In them is set forth, in a striking and
appropriate manner, the Object to whom the prayer was offered,
following which is the matter for which supplication was made. In this
article we shall confine ourselves unto the former. The Person to whom
the apostle prayed is here described first by one of His titles,
namely, "the God of peace"; and then by one of His works, the raising
of Christ from the dead, and this in turn is ascribed unto the blood
of the everlasting covenant. Those who have followed us through this
lengthy series of articles may perceive how aptly the apostle reduces
his grand exposition of the superiority of Christianity over Judaism
unto these three chief heads: the God of peace, the risen Shepherd of
the sheep, the blood of the everlasting covenant.
"The God of peace." The varied manner in which God refers to Himself
in Scripture, the different appellations He there assumes, are not
regulated by caprice, but ordered by infinite wisdom; and we lose much
if we fail to weigh diligently each one. It is not for the mere sake
of variation in diction, but each distinguishing title is selected in
strict accord with its setting. He is spoken of as "The God of
patience and hope" in Romans 15:5, because that is in keeping with the
subject of the four previous verses. In Romans 16:27 He is addressed
"To God only wise," because the immediate context has made known the
revelation of the mystery wherein His inscrutable wisdom had been
veiled. Before considering the significance of "the God of peace," let
it be pointed out that it is an entirely Pauline expression, occurring
nowhere in the writing of any other apostle--another identifying mark
of the penman of this epistle. It is found in Romans 15:33 and 16:20,
2 Corinthians 13:11, Philippians 4:9, 1 Thessalonians 5:23, 2
Thessalonians 3:16, and here--seven times in all.
"The God of peace." First, this title contemplates God in relation to
His people, and not mankind in general; yet in His forensic character,
that is, in His office of Judge. It will be remembered that in that
blessed passage where the two covenants are placed in antithesis and
Sion is contrasted from Sinai, it is said, "But ye are come... to God
the Judge of all" (Heb. 12:23), which is the climacteric feature of
the Gospel. The face of the Supreme Judge is wreathed in smiles of
benignity as He beholds His people in the face of His Anointed. But it
was not always thus. On the morning of creation as God saw us in Adam,
our federal head, He viewed us with complacency, as "very good" (Gen.
1.31). But alas! sin came in, a breach was made between the Creator
and the creature, and a state of alienation, mutual alienation,
ensued, for a holy God could not be at peace with sin.
It needs to be clearly recognized that from the beginning God has
sustained other relationships to man than those of Creator and
Benefactor. Adam, and the human race in him, were placed under law,
and therefore became subject to Divine government. In consequence of
this, God was his Lord, his King, his Judge. While he remained in
loyal subjection unto the Divine authority, yielding obedience to the
King's laws, His favor was enjoyed, but when he transgressed, all was
altered. Sin has not only defiled man, corrupting the whole of his
nature, but it has brought him under the curse of the Divine law, and
has subjected him to the Divine wrath. Fallen man, then has to do with
an offended Judge. This was speedily made evident unto the original
rebel, for we read, "therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the
garden of Eden, to till the ground from where he was taken. So He
drove out the man" (Gen. 3:23, 24).
Alas, how little is this most solemn aspect of the Truth preached
today! Sin has not only vitiated our nature, it has alienated us from
God: as it is written "alienated from the life of God" (Eph. 4:18).
Man has not only lost the image of God in which he was created, but he
had forfeited the favor of God in which he was instated. In
consequence of the fall, there is a mutual antagonism between God and
man. Sin has made a breach between them, so that all the harmony and
concord which there was, both spiritual and judicial, has been
completely destroyed. Not only is the carnal mind "enmity against God"
(Rom. 8:7), "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all
ungodliness and unrighteousness of men" (Rom. 1:18). That God is
alienated from the sinner and antagonistic to him, is as clearly
taught in the Scriptures as is man's enmity against God.
The One with whom fallen man has to do, is his outraged King and
offended Judge, and His own Word leaves us in no doubt as to His
judicial attitude toward the fallen creature. "Thou hatest all workers
of iniquity" (Ps. 5:5). "God is angry with the wicked every day" (Ps.
7:11). "But they rebelled and vexed His Holy Spirit: therefore He was
turned to be their Enemy, He fought against them" (Isa. 63:10). It was
for this reason that none other than our blessed Redeemer said, "Fear
not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but
rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell"
(Matthew 10:28), which is to be understood not simply of God's
absolute power or omnipotency, but also and chiefly of His judicial
power or rightful authority, as we are His prisoners and obnoxious to
His judgments. Why is the modern pulpit so culpably silent upon these
and similar passages?
God's holiness burns against sin, and His justice clamors for
satisfaction. But is He not also of infinite mercy? Blessed be His
name, He is, nevertheless His mercy does not override and nullify His
other perfections. Grace reigns but it reigns "through righteousness"
(Rom. 5:21), and not at the expense of it. When therefore God had
designs of mercy toward His people--who sinned and fell in Adam, in
common with the non-elect--His wisdom contrived a way whereby His
mercy might be exercised consistently with His holiness, yea, in such
a way, that His law was magnified and His justice satisfied. This
grand contrivance was revealed in the terms of the Everlasting
Covenant, which was entered into between God and the Mediator before
the foundation of the world, but in view of the entrance of sin and
the fall of the elect in Adam. Christ undertook to restore the breach
which had been made, to effect a perfect reconciliation between God
and His people, to make full satisfaction for all the harm which sin
had done to God's manifestative glory.
Many, adopting the horrible heresy of the Socinians ("Unitarians"),
will not allow that the reconciliation is mutual: but God has been
reconciled to His people as truly as they to Him. As we have shown
above, the Scriptures not only speak of enmity on men's part but also
of wrath on God's part, and that, not only against sin but sinners
themselves, and not the non-elect merely, but the elect too, for we
"were by nature the children of wrath (yes, of "wrath" in addition to
depravity!) even as others" (Eph. 2:3). Sin placed God and His people
at judicial variance: they the parties offending, He the party
offended. Hence, for Christ to effect perfect conciliation, it was
required that He turn away the judicial wrath of God from His people,
and in order to this, Christ offered Himself a propitiatory sacrifice
to God, Himself bearing that wrath which was due to them.
This central truth in the Atonement, now so generally repudiated, was
portrayed again and again in the O.T. types. For instance, when Israel
sinned so grievously in connection with the golden calf, we find
Jehovah saying to Moses, "Now therefore let Me alone, that My wrath
may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them" (Ex. 32:10).
But notice how blessedly the immediate sequel shows us the typical
mediator interposing between the righteous anger of Jehovah and His
sinning people, and turning away His wrath from them: see verses
11-14. Again we read in Numbers 16 that upon the rebellion of Korah
and his company, the Lord said unto Moses "Get you up from among this
congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment" (verse 45).
Whereupon Moses said unto Aaron "Take a censer, and put fire therein
from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the
congregation, and make an atonement for them; for there is wrath gone
out from the Lord: the plague is begun." Aaron did so, and we are
told, "he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was
stayed" (verses 46, 48).
Surely nothing could be plainer than the above examples, to which many
others might be added. All through the patriarchal and Mosaic
economies we find that sacrifices were offered for the specific
purpose of averting God's righteous wrath, to appease His judicial
displeasure, to turn away His anger, the effect of which being
expressly termed a "reconciliation:" see Leviticus 16:20, 2 Chronicles
29:24, Daniel 9:24. Most obviously the Israelites offered not their
sacrifices to turn away their own enmity against God. Inasmuch, then,
as those O.T. sacrifices were foreshadowings of Christ's oblation,
what a turning of things upside-down is it to affirm that the great
end of Christ's work was to reconcile sinners to God, instead of to
divert God's wrath from us. The testimony of the N.T. is equally plain
and emphatic: then let us bow to the same, instead of resisting and
reasoning against it.
Of Christ it is said, "Whom God hath set forth a propitiation through
faith in His blood, to declare (not His love or grace, but) His
righteousness" (Rom. 3:25). Now a "propitiation" is that which
placates or appeases by satisfying offended justice. The force of this
verse is by no means weakened by the fact that the Greek word for
"propitiation" is rendered "mercyseat" in Hebrews 9:5, for the
mercyseat was a blood-sprinkled one. It was the place where the
typical mediator applied the atoning sacrifice for the satisfying of
God's justice against the sins of His people. As a matter of fact the
Hebrew word for "mercyseat" signifies "a covering," and it was so
designated for two reasons: first, because it covered the ark, hiding
from view the condemning Law--the tables of stone beneath it; and
second, because the blood sprinkled upon it covered the offenses of
Israel from the eye of offended justice by an adequate compensation.
Thus it fittingly portrayed the averting of deserved vengeance by
means of a substitutionary interposition.
"For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death
of His Son; much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His
life" (Rom. 5:10). Yes, when we were "enemies," God's
enemies--obnoxious to His righteous judgment. This term denotes the
relation in which we stood to God as the objects of His governmental
displeasure and subject to the curse of His law. But we were
"reconciled," that is, restored unto His favor, and that, not by the
Spirit's work in us subduing our enmity, but by "the death"--the
propitiatory sacrifice--of God's Son. That this statement refers to
the turning away of God's anger from us and the restoring us to His
favor is clear from the previous verse: "Much more then, being now
justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him." Now
to be "justified is the same as God's being reconciled to us, His
acceptance of us into His favor, and not our conversion to Him. Being
"justified by His blood" points to the procuring cause of our
justification, and that blood was shed that we might be "saved from
wrath." God is now pacified toward us, because His wrath was exhausted
upon our Surety and Substitute.
"That He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross,
having slain the enmity thereby" (Eph. 2:16). "That He," that is, the
Mediator, the incarnate Son. "Might reconcile," that is, restore to
God's judicial favor. "Both," that is, elect Jews and elect Gentiles.
"Unto God," that is, considered as the moral Governor of the world,
the Judge of all the earth. "In one body," that is, Christ's humanity,
"the body of His flesh" (Col. 1:22)--here designated "one body" to
emphasize the representative character of Christ's atonement, as He
sustained the responsibilities and liabilities of all His people: it
is the One acting on behalf of the many as in Romans 5:17-19. "Having
slain the enmity thereby," that is, God's holy wrath, the hostility of
His law. The "enmity" of verse 16 cannot possibly refer to that which
existed between Jews and Gentiles, for that is disposed of in verses
14, 15. "Enmity" is here personified ("slain") as "sin" as in Romans
8:3. Thus, Ephesians 2:16 signifies, that all the sins of God's people
meeting on Christ, Divine justice took satisfaction from Him, and in
consequence God's "enmity" has ceased, and we are restored to His
favor.
Let it not be thought that we are here inculcating the idea that
Christ died in order to render God compassionate toward His people.
Not so, the Father Himself is the Author of reconciliation: 2
Corinthians 5:19. The gracious means by which He designed to effect
the reconciliation originated in His own love, yet the atonement of
Christ was the righteous instrument of removing the breach between us.
The term is entirely a forensic one, contemplating God in His office
as Judge. It concerns our relationship to Him not as our Creator, or
as our Father, but as our King. The reconciliation which Christ has
effected wrought no change in God Himself, but it has in the
administration of His government: His law now regards with approbation
those against whom it was formerly hostile. Reconciliation means that
transgressors have been restored to the judicial favor of God through
Christ's having closed the breach which sin had made. It was the
amazing love of God which gave Christ to die for us, and His atonement
was in order to the removing of those legal obstacles which our sins
had interposed against God's love flowing out to us in a way
consistent with the honor of His justice.
The great controversy between God and His people has been settled. The
fearful breach which their sins occasioned has been repaired. The
Prince of peace has silenced the accusations of the law and removed
our sins from before God's face. Peace has been made--not a peace at
any price, not at the cost of righteousness flouted; no, an honorable
peace. "The God of peace," then signifies, first, the Judge of all is
pacified; second, the King of Heaven has been reconciled to us; third,
Jehovah, by virtue of His covenant-promises, has received us to His
favor--for while He continued offended, we could not receive any gifts
of grace from Him. Just as surely as Christ turned away God's wrath
from His elect, so does He in due time send the Holy Spirit into their
hearts to destroy their enmity against God, this being a consequence
of the former.
We trust that what is next to be before us will render yet more
intelligible and forcible all that has been said above. "That brought
again from the dead our Lord Jesus." Here is the grand evidence that
God is pacified toward us. When God raised Christ from the dead, He
showed that He was propitiated, that He had accepted the ransom which
had been given for our redemption. Let it be carefully noted that in
our present verse it is the Father who is said to raise Christ, and
that, in His character of "the God of peace." We will consider these
two things separately. There is an order preserved in the personal
operations of the Godhead. Resurrection was a work of Divine power,
and that Divine power belongs in common to Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit, who being one and the same God concur in the same work. Yet
They concur in a way proper to Them: in all Their personal operations
it is ascribed to the Father, as the Fountain of working and Wellhead
of all grace, who doth all things from Himself, yet by the Son and
Spirit.
In the grand mystery of redemption God the Father sustains the office
of supreme Judge, and hence we read "Let all the house of Israel know
assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified,
both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36 and cf. 10:36). So it is in our text:
the raising of Christ is there viewed not so much as an act of Divine
power, as of rectoral justice. It is God exercising His judicial
authority which is emphasized, as is clear from the particular terms
used. We are ever the losers if, in our carelessness, we fail to note
each single variation of language. It is not who "raised again," but
"brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus." The force of that
expression may be ascertained by comparing Acts 16:35, 37, 39. The
apostles had been unlawfully imprisoned, and when, later, the
magistrates bade them go forth, they refused, demanding an official
delivery; and we are told "they came and brought them out of
prison"--compare also John 19:4, 13 for the force of this term
"brought."
When Christ was in the state of the dead, He was in effect a prisoner
under the arrest of Divine vengeance; but when He was raised, then was
our Savior let out of prison, and the word "brought again" suitably
expresses that fact. Christ possessed the power to raise Himself--and
considering His death and burial from another angle, He exercised that
power; but in His official character as Surety, He lacked the
necessary authority. The God of peace sent an angel to remove the
stone from the sepulcher, not to supply any lack of power in Christ,
but as the judge when he is satisfied sends an officer to open the
prison doors. It was God Himself, as the Judge of all, who "delivered"
Christ up for our offenses, and it was God who raised Him for our
justification (Rom. 4:25). This was very blessed, for it evidences the
perfect subjection of the Son to the Father even in the grave: He did
not exercise His might and break prison, but waited till God brought
Him forth honorably from the dead.
Let us next observe the particular office Christ sustained when the
God of peace brought Him again from the dead: "that great Shepherd of
the sheep." Note, not "the," but "that great Shepherd," because Paul
was writing to those who were familiar with the O.T. "That Shepherd"
signifies the One who was promised in such passages as "He shall feed
His flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm and
carry them in His bosom" (Isa. 40:11), "And I will set up one Shepherd
over them, and He shall feed them, even My Servant David: He shall
feed them, and He shall be their Shepherd" (Ezek. 34:23)--the Object
of the faith and hope of the Church from the beginning. Into the hands
of our blessed Redeemer God placed His flock, to be justified and
sanctified by Him. Let it be duly recognized that a shepherd is not
the lord of the flock, but a servant to take charge of and care for
it: "Thine they were, and Thou gavest them Me" (John 17:6) said
Christ.
Christ is the "Shepherd of the sheep" and not of the "wolves" (Luke
10:3)or the "goats" (Matthew 25:32, 33), for He has received no charge
from God to save them--how the basic truth of particular redemption
stares us in the face on almost every page of Holy Writ! There are
three main passages in the N.T. where Christ is viewed in this
particular character. He is "the good Shepherd" (John 10:11) in death,
the "great Shepherd" in resurrection, and the "chief Shepherd" in
glory (1 Pet. 5:4). The "great Shepherd" of the sheep calls attention
to the excellency of His person, while the "chief Shepherd" emphasizes
His superiority over all His un-dershepherds or pastors, the One from
whom they receive their authority. How jealously the Holy Spirit
guarded the glory of Christ at every point: He is not only the
"Shepherd" but "that great Shepherd," just as He is not only High
Priest, but our "great High Priest" (Heb. 4:14), and not merely King,
but "the King of kings."
"Through the blood of the everlasting covenant." This is obviously an
allusion to "As for Thee also, by the blood of Thy covenant I have
sent forth Thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water"--the
grave (Zech. 9:11). What is said of Christ is often applied to the
Church, and here what is said of the Church is applied to Christ, for
together they form "one Body." If, then, He was brought back from the
dead through the blood of the everlasting covenant, much more shall we
be. To say that God brought again from the dead "that great Shepherd
of the sheep" means, He was raised not as a private person, but as the
public Representative of His people. "The blood of the everlasting
covenant" was the meritorious cause; as it was "by His own blood He
entered in once into the Holy Place" (Heb. 9:12) and that we have
"boldness to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus" (10:19), so
it is according to the infinite value of His atoning blood that both
the Shepherd and His sheep are delivered from the grave.
As Christ (and His people) was brought into death by the sentence of
the Law, so from it He was restored by the law's Administrator, and
this according to His agreement with Him before the foundation of the
world. This it is which gives additional meaning to the Divine title
at the beginning of our verse: He is called "the God of peace" from
that compact which He made with the Mediator, concerning which we
read, "The counsel of peace shall be between Them Both" (Zech. 6:13);
"My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of
My peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee" (Isa.
54:10). The older commentators were about equally divided as to
whether the final clause of our verse refers to that eternal agreement
between God and the Mediator or to the new testament or covenant
(Matthew 26:28); personally, we believe that both are included. The
new covenant (about which we hope to have more to say later in our
Covenant articles) is proclaimed in the Gospel, wherein is made known
the terms on which we personally enter into the peace which Christ has
made, namely, repentance, faith, and obedience. The new covenant is
ratified by Christ's blood, and it is "everlasting" because its
blessings are eternal.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 124
The Apostle's Prayer
(Hebrews 13:20, 21)
__________________________________________
"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord
Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the
everlasting covenant; make you perfect in every good work to do His
will: working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through
Jesus Christ." Though this be in the form of a prayer yet it presents
a succinct summary of the entire doctrine of the epistle. The "blood
of the everlasting covenant" stands over against "the blood of bulls
and of goats," that "great Shepherd of the sheep," risen from the
dead, is in contrast from Moses, Joshua, David, etc., who had long ago
died; while "the God of peace" presents a striking antithesis to
Jehovah's descent upon Sinai "in fire." Let us briefly consider these
three things again, but this time in their inverse order.
"Through the blood of the everlasting covenant." We consider that this
clause has a threefold force, that it is connected--both grammatically
and doctrinally--with each of the preceding clauses. First, it is
through the blood which He shed for sinners that Christ became the
great Shepherd of the sheep--He was so previously by ordination, but
He became so actually by impetration--the sheep were now His purchased
property. Second, it was through or because of the atoning blood that
God delivered Christ from the grave, for having fully satisfied Divine
justice He was fully entitled to deliverance from prison. Third, it
was through or by virtue of the pacifying blood of Christ that God
henceforth became "the God of peace" unto His people, the whole
controversy which their sins raised having been satisfactorily
settled. And Christ shed His precious blood in fulfillment of the
stipulations of the Everlasting Covenant, or that agreement which He
entered into with the Father before the foundation of the world.
"That brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd
of the sheep." "The Father is frequently said to raise Christ from the
dead because of His sovereign authority in the disposal of the whole
work of redemption, which is every where ascribed unto Him. Christ is
said to raise Himself or take His life again when He was dead, because
of the immediate efficiency of His Divine person therein. But more is
intended here than an act of Divine power, whereby the human nature of
Christ was quickened. The word used is peculiar, signifying a recovery
out of a certain state: a moral act of authority is intended. Christ
as the great Shepherd of the sheep was brought into the state of death
by the sentence of the Law, and was therefrom restored by the God of
peace, to evidence that peace was now perfectly made. The bare
resurrection of Christ would not have saved us, for so any other man
may be raised by the power of God; but the bringing of Christ from the
dead through the blood of the everlasting covenant is that which gives
assurance of the complete redemption of the Church (condensed from
Owen).
"The God of peace." He is such first, because He takes this title from
the Covenant itself (Isa. 54:10). He is so second, because as the
supreme Judge He is pacified, and that because His law has received
perfect satisfaction from our Surety. He is so third, because He is,
in consequence, reconciled to us. Having accepted the person,
obedience, and soul-travail of Christ, God is at peace with all His
people in Him. Because He is at peace with them, He freely pardons all
their iniquities and bestows every needed blessing upon them. When God
removes from us all penalties and evils, and gives unto us all the
privileges and good of the justified (such as the Holy Spirit to break
the power and reign of sin in us) it is as the "God of peace" He does
so; yea, as the supreme Judge, acting according to the principles of
His government constituted in the everlasting covenant, by virtue of
the merits of Christ and of our interest in Him.
God is also called "the God of peace" because He is the Author of that
tranquility which is felt at times in the hearts and consciences of
His people, as He is also the Lover of that concord which obtains in
measure among them upon earth. Owen suggests a further reason why the
apostle uses this Divine title here. "He might have also herein an
especial respect to the present state of the Hebrews, for it is
evident that they had been tossed, perplexed, and disquieted with
various doctrines and pleas about the law, and the observance of its
institutions. Wherefore, having performed his part and duty in the
communication of the truth to them for the information of their
judgments, he now in the close of the whole applies himself by prayer
to the God of peace: that He, who alone is the Author of it, who
creates it where He pleaseth, would, through his instruction, give
rest and peace to their minds" (John Owen).
So completely is God appeased that there is a new covenant procured
and constituted, namely, the Christian Covenant, called here "the
everlasting covenant." First, because it shall never be repealed and
continueth unalterable, the called obtaining by it the title and
possession of an eternal inheritance (Heb. 9:15). Second, because
Christ's atoning blood is the foundation of this covenant, and as the
virtue of it never ceaseth, therefore is it made effectual to secure
its end, namely, the eternal salvation of sinful men who are converted
and reconciled to God. This new covenant is also designated "the
Covenant of Peace:" "I will make a covenant of peace with them" (Ezek.
37:26). First, because in the same this peace and reconciliation is
published, and offered to us: "The word which God sent unto the
children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ" (Acts 10:36 and
cf. Ephesians 2:17), because in this covenant the terms of this peace
between us and God are stated: God binding Himself to give to sinful
men forgiveness of sins and eternal life upon the conditions of
repentance, faith, and new obedience.
A most important practical question is, How do we come to be
interested in this Divine peace and reconciliation? A threefold answer
may be returned: by ordination, impetration, and application. First,
by the Father's eternal decree or foreordination, for as to who should
enter into the same has not been left to chance; hence, God's elect
are termed "the sons of peace" (Luke 10:6). Second, by the Son's
impetration or paying the purchase price: "having made peace through
the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself"
(Col. 1:20). Third, by the Spirit's application, who subdues our
enmity, bends our stubborn wills, softens our hard hearts, overcomes
our self-righteousness, and brings us into the dust before God as
self-condemned criminals suing for mercy. It is at our conversions
this Divine peace is actually conveyed to us, for it is only then that
God's wrath is removed from us (John 3:36) and that we are restored to
His favor. Further grace is given us day by day as those already
reconciled to God.
A final reason may now be advanced why God is here addressed as "the
God of peace," and that is, to afford us valuable instruction in
connection with prayer. It is very striking to note that in more than
half of the passages where this particular Divine title occurs, it is
where He is being supplicated--the reader may verify this for himself
by consulting Romans 15:33 and 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:11, Philippians
4:9, 1 Thessalonians 5:23, 2 Thessalonians 3:16, and here. Thus, it is
employed for the purpose of encouraging us in our addresses at the
Throne of Grace. Nothing will impart more confidence and enlarge our
hearts more than the realization God has laid aside His wrath, and has
only thoughts of grace toward us. Nothing will inspire more liberty of
spirit than to look upon God as reconciled to us by Jesus Christ:
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this
grace wherein we stand" (Rom. 5:1, 2).
"Make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you
that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ."
Before taking up the coherency of this sentence let us point out the
great practical lesson it contains. No matter how diligent the
minister has been in his pulpit preparations, nor how faithfully he
has delivered his message, his duty is by no means then fully
discharged: he needs to retire to the closet and beg God to apply the
sermon to those who heard it, to write it on their hearts, to make it
effectual unto their lasting good. This is what the great apostle did.
In the body of this epistle he had exhorted the Hebrews unto many good
works, and now he prays that God will enable them thereto. The same
thing holds good for those in the pew. It is not enough to listen
reverently and carefully, we must also entreat God to bless unto us
what we have heard. It is failure at this point which makes so much
hearing unprofitable.
Though the apostle's prayer be brief, it is a most comprehensive one.
It makes known the method by which Divine grace is administered to us.
The grand fountain of it is God Himself, as He is the God of peace:
that is, as in the eternal counsel of His will, He designed grace and
peace unto poor sinners, agreeably to His goodness, wisdom, justice
and holiness. The channel through which Divine grace is communicated,
and that in a way suitable in His death and resurrection. God would
have us know that while He is Himself the Giver, yet it is our Surety
who merited for us every spiritual blessing we enjoy. The nature of
this Divine grace relates particularly to our sanctification or
perfecting, and this is expressed under the two heads of this prayer,
namely, the grand end to be ever kept in view, and the means whereby
that end is attained.
Having dwelt at some length upon the solemn manner in which the
apostle addressed the Throne of Grace, we now turn to contemplate the
import of his prayer, observing the two things here asked for the
Hebrews. The first was that God would "make them perfect in every good
work to do His will." This will require us to enquire into the meaning
of this petition, to ponder its extensiveness, and then to mark its
implications. Different writers have given various definitions to the
"make you perfect," though they all amount to much the same thing.
Thos. Scott gives "rectifying every disorder of their souls and
completely fitting them for every part of His holy service." Matthew
Henry enters into more detail: "A perfection of integrity, a clear
mind, a clean heart, lively affections, regular and renewed wills, and
suitable strength for every good work to which they are called."
Owen rendered it "make you meet, fit and able." And adds "It is not an
absolute perfection that is intended, nor do the words signify any
such thing, but it is to bring the faculties of the mind into that
order so as to dispose, prepare, and enable them, so that they may
work accordingly." The Greek word for "make you perfect" is rendered
"fitted" in Romans 9:22, "framed" in Hebrews 11:3, and "prepared" in
Hebrews 10:5, where the product of Divine workmanship is seen in each
instance. In the case before us it is the gracious operations of the
Holy Spirit in connection with the progressive sanctification of the
believer. Personally, we regard the definition of Scott (given above)
as the best: the most accurate and elucidating.
The work of Divine grace in the elect begins when they are born again
by the quickening operations of the Holy Spirit, and this work of
grace is continued throughout the whole of their remaining days upon
earth. Perfection of grace is not attained in this life (Phil. 3:12,
13), yet additions to our present attainments in grace are to be
diligently sought (2 Pet. 1:5-7). No matter what spiritual progress
has, by grace, been made, we are never to rest satisfied with it: we
still need to be further strengthened for duties and fortified for
trials. A child grows until it becomes fit for all manly actions, yet
further progress is attainable after the state of manhood is reached.
So it is spiritually. God requires from us the mortification of every
lust, and an universal and impartial obedience from us, and therefore
we may perceive how perfectly suited is this prayer to our needs.
Next, we turn to consider the extensiveness of this petition: "Make
you perfect in every good work." This comprehensive expression
includes, as Gouge pointed out, all the fruits of holiness Godwards
and of righteousness manwards. There is to be no reservation. God
requires us to love Him with "all our hearts," that we be sanctified
in our "whole spirit, and soul, and body," and that we "grow up into
Christ in all things." Many will do some good, but are defective in
other things--usually in those which are most necessary. They single
out those duties which make the least demand upon them, which require
the least denying of self. But we shall never enjoy sound peace of
heart till we are conformed unto all the revealed will of God: "Then
shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all Thy commandments"
(Ps. 119:6). Then pray daily to be Divinely fitted unto every good
work, especially those which you will find the hardest and most
exacting.
"To do His will." Here we have a Scriptural definition of what is a
"good work:" it is the performing of God's preceptive will. There are
many things done by professing Christians which, though admired by
themselves and applauded by their fellows, are not regarded as "good
works" by the One with whom we have to do; yea, "that which is highly
esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God" (Luke 16:15).
Of old the Jews added their own traditions to the Divine commandments,
instituting fasts and feasts, so that the Lord asked "who hath
required this at your hand?" (Isa. 1:12). We see the same principle at
work today among the deluded Romanists, with their bodily austerities,
idolatrous devotions, arduous pilgrimages, and impoverishing payments.
Nor are many Protestants free from self-appointed deprivations and
superstitious exercises. It is not the heeding of religious impulses,
nor conforming to ecclesiastical customs, but doing the will of God
which is required of us.
The rule of our duty is the revealed will of God. The "works" of man
are his operations as a rational creature, and if his actions are
conformed to God's Law, they are good; if they are not, they are evil.
Therefore a man cannot be a good Christian without doing God's will.
If it be God's will that he should refrain from such an act or
practice, he dare not proceed to do it: see Jerermiah 35:6, Acts 4:19.
On the other hand, if it be the revealed mind of God that he should do
such a thing, he dare not omit it, no matter how it cross his
inclination or fleshly interests: "To him that knoweth to do good, and
doeth it not, to him it is sin" (James 4:17). his not enough that we
thoroughly understand the will of God: we must do it; and the more we
do it, the better shall we understand: John 7:17.
"Make you perfect in every good work to do His will." Various things
are clearly implied by these words. First, that we are imperfect or
not qualified unto every good work. Yes, even after we have been
regenerated, we are still unprepared to obey the Divine will.
Notwithstanding the life, light and liberty we have received from God,
yet we have not ability to do that which is well pleasing in His
sight. This is indeed an humbling truth, yet truth it is: Christians
themselves are unable to perform their duty. Though the love of God
has been shed abroad in their hearts, a principle of holiness or new
"nature" communicated to them, this of itself is not sufficient. Not
only are they still very ignorant of God's will, but there is that in
them which is ever opposed to it, inclining them in a contrary
direction. Nor do the Scriptures hesitate to press this solemn fact
upon us: rather is it frequently iterated for the humbling of
ourselves before God.
Second, yet our spiritual impotency is not to be excused, nor are we
to pity ourselves because of it; rather is it to be confessed to God
with self condemnation. Third, none but God can fit us for the
performing of His will, and it is both our duty and privilege to ask
Him so to do. We need to diligently beg Him to strengthen us with
might by His Spirit in the inner man, to incline our hearts unto His
testimonies and not to covetousness, to so bedew our souls that we
will grow in grace; for the new nature in the believer is entirely
dependent upon God. "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think
any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God" (2 Cor.
3:5). If we need Divine grace to think a good thought or conceive a
good purpose, much more do we need His strength to resolve and perform
that which is good. Therefore did the apostle pray for supplies of
sanctifying grace to be given unto the Hebrews, to enable them to
respond to the will of God in the duties of obedience required of
them.
"Working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight." This is
both in elucidation and amplification of that which has just preceded,
intimating how God makes us perfect or fits us unto every good work.
The previous petition expressed the grand end for which the apostle
prayed, namely, the progressive sanctification of his readers; here,
he expresses the means by which this was to be accomplished in them.
This is effected not by moral persuasion and instruction only, but by
an actual and effectual inworking of Divine power. So perverse are we
by nature, and so weak even as Christians, that it is not sufficient
for our minds to be informed by means of an external revelation of
God's will; in addition, He has to stimulate our affections and propel
our wills if we are to perform those works which are acceptable to
Him. "Without Me ye can no nothing."
"Working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight." This
respects the gracious operations of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of
the regenerate. It presents a striking and blessed contrast between
the unsaved and the saved. Of the former we read, "The prince of the
power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience" (Eph. 2:2); whereas of the latter it is said "It is God
which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure"
(Phil. 2:13). First, God puts within us the will or desire unto that
which is good, and then He bestows His strength to actually perform.
These are quite distinct, and the latter is never commensurate with
the former in this life. The distinction was clearly drawn by the
apostle when he said, "For to will is present with me, but how to
perform that which is good I find not" (Rom. 7:18): yet even that
"will" or desire had been wrought in him by Divine grace.
Only as these two truths are clearly recognized and honestly
acknowledged by us--the Christian's spiritual powerlessness, and the
efficiency of inwrought grace--will we rightly ascribe unto God the
glory which is His due. To Him alone is due the honor for anything
good which proceeds from us or is done by us: "By the grace of God I
am what I am: and His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in
vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the
grace of God which was with me" (1 Cor. 15:10). Not only do we owe to
God the new nature which He has placed within us, but we are entirely
dependent upon Him for the renewing of that new nature "day by day" (2
Cor. 4:16). It is God who worketh in His people spiritual aspirations,
holy desires, pious endeavors: "from Me is thy fruit found" (Hos.
14:8). The more this be realized, the more will our proud hearts be
truly humbled.
"Make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you
that which is well-pleasing in His sight." By linking the two
sentences together we are taught the most important lesson that there
cannot be conformity to the will of God in the life, till there be
conformity to Him in the heart. Herein we see the radical difference
between human efforts at reformation and the Divine method. Man
concentrates on that which is visible to the eyes of his fellows,
namely, the external: "Woe unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites!
for ye make clean the outside of the cup and the platter, but within
they are full of extortion and excess" (Matthew 23:25 and cf. 27). Not
so with Him who looketh on the heart: He worketh from within outward,
fitting us for an obedient walk by effectually exciting the affections
and empowering the will. It is thus that He continues and carries on
to completion His work of grace in the elect.
Ere passing on to the next clause, let it be duly pointed out that
while it is due alone to the gracious operations of the Spirit that we
understand, love, believe, and do the things which God requires from
us, it by no means follows that we are warranted to lie upon a bed of
ease. No, far from it: we are responsible to use every means which God
has appointed for our growth in grace and practical sanctification.
Those who are fondest of quoting "for it is God which worketh in you
both to will and to do of His good pleasure," are usually the slowest
to emphasize the preceding exhortation: "work out your own salvation
with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12). We are commanded to give all
diligence to add to our faith the other graces of the Spirit: 2 Peter
1:5-7. Then let us shake off our carnal security and lethargy: use the
means and God will bless our endeavors (2 Tim. 3:16, 17).
"That which is well-pleasing in His sight." First, let us endeavor to
live day by day in the consciousness that all we do is done in the
sight of God. Nothing can escape His view. He observes those who break
His law, and those who keep it: "The eyes of the Lord are in every
place, beholding the evil and the good" (Prov. 15:3). How it should
curb and awe us to realize that God is an observer of every action:
"in holiness and righteousness before Him" (Luke 1:75). Second, let
this be our great aim and end: to please God. That is sound piety, and
nothing else is. Pleasing man is the religion of the hypocrites, but
pleasing God is genuine spirituality. More than once does the apostle
inculcate this as the right end: "Not as pleasing men, but God"; "that
ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing" (Col. 1:10).
Third, let us see to it that all our works are so ordered as to be
pleasing to God. In order to this our actions must square with the
rule of His Word: only that which is agreeable to His will is
acceptable in His sight. But more: it is not sufficient that the
substance of what we do be right, but it must issue from a right
principle, namely, love to God and faith in Christ; "For without faith
it is impossible to please Him" (Heb. 11:6), yet it must be a faith
that "worketh by love" (Gal. 5:6)--not as forced, but as the
expression of gratitude. Finally, as to the manner of this: our good
works must be done with soberness and all seriousness: "serve God
acceptably with reverence and godly fear" (Heb. 12:28)--as becometh a
menial in the presence of His Majesty. Remember that God actually
takes delight in such works and those who do them: Hebrews 11:4--what
an incentive unto such!
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
____________________________________________________
About Us
What's New
Audio Works
Baptist History
Bible Study Courses
Eschatology Heretical Teachings
Theological Studies
TULIP
Webmaster
Comfort in a
Time of Sorrow Links & Resources
For the Cause of
God and Truth
Follow us on Twitter
Privacy Policy
Mobile Downloads Print Books
PB Home
Report Errors
Mobile RSS
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Contact Us
_________________________________________________________________
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An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 125
Divine Exhortations
(Hebrews 13:22)
__________________________________________
Before taking up our present verse let us offer some further remarks
upon the last portions of 5:21, which, through lack of space, we had
to omit from the preceding article. The central thing which we sought
to make clear in the previous paper was, that, while the believer
received at his regeneration a new nature or principle of grace (often
termed by the older writers "the habit of grace"), yet it is not
sufficient of itself to empower us unto the actual execution of good
works. At the beginning God did place in Adam everything necessary to
equip him for the performing of all obedience; but not so with the
Christian. God has not communicated to us such supplies of grace that
we are self-sufficient. No indeed: rather has He placed in Christ all
"fullness" of grace for us to draw on (John 1:16), thereby making the
members dependent on their Head. And, as we shall now see, it is from
Christ that fresh supplies of grace are communicated to us.
"Working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight through Jesus
Christ" (verse 21). The "through Jesus Christ" has a double reference:
to God's working in us, and to the acceptance of our works. First, in
the light of verses 20, 21 as a whole, it is clear that what is there
insisted upon is, that there are no communications of grace unto us
from the God of peace except in and by Jesus Christ--by His mediation
and intercession. This is a most important point to be clear upon if
the Redeemer is to have that place in our thoughts and hearts which is
His due: all the gracious operations of the Spirit within the
redeemed, from their generation to their glorification, are conducted
according to the mediation of the Savior and are in response to His
intercession for us. Therein we may perceive the admirable wisdom of
God, which has so contrived things that each Divine Person is exalted
in the esteem of His people: the Father as the fountain of all grace,
the One in whom it originates; the Son, in His mediatorial office, as
the channel through which all grace flows to us; the Spirit as the
actual communicator and bestower of it.
Second, in our judgment, these words "through Jesus Christ" have also
a more immediate connection with the clause "that which is
well-pleasing in His sight," the reference being to those "good works"
unto which the God of peace perfects or fits us. The best of our
duties, wrought in us as they are by Divine grace, are not acceptable
to God simply as they are ours, but only on account of the merits of
Christ. The reason for this is, that Divine grace issues through an
imperfect medium: sin is mixed with our best performances. The light
may be bright and steady, yet it is dimmed by an unclean glass through
which it may shine. We owe, then, to the Mediator not only the pardon
of our sins and the sanctification of our persons, but the acceptance
of our imperfect worship and service: "To offer up spiritual
sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 2:5) states
that aspect of truth we are here emphasizing.
"To whom be glory for ever. Amen." Here the apostle, as was his
custom, adds praise to petition. This is recorded for our instruction.
The same principle is inculcated in that pattern prayer which the Lord
Jesus has given to His disciples, for after its seven petitions He
teaches us to conclude with, "for Thine is the kingdom, and the power,
and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen" (Matthew 6:13). here is some
uncertainty as to whether the ascription of praise in our text be unto
the God of peace, to whom the whole prayer is addressed, or whether it
be unto Jesus Christ, the nearest antecedent. Personally, we believe
that both are included and intended. Both are equally worthy, and both
should receive equal recognition from us. In Philippians 4:20 praise
is offered distinctively unto the Father; in Revelation 1:5, 6 to the
Mediator; while in Revelation 5:13 it is offered unto both.
"And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation: for I
have written a letter unto you in few words" (verse 22). We will first
give a brief exposition of this verse, and then make some remarks upon
its central theme. The opening word is misleading in our Version, for
it is contrastive and not connective, being rightly rendered "But" in
the R.V. In the preceding verse, the apostle had spoken of God working
in His people that which is well-pleasing in His sight: here he
addresses their responsibility, and urges unto diligence on their
part. Herein we may perceive again how perfectly Paul ever preserved
the balance of truth: unto the Divine operations must be added our
endeavors. Though it is God who worketh in us both to will and to do
of His good pleasure, nevertheless, we are exhorted to work out our
own salvation with fear and trembling: Philippians 2:12, 13.
The "word of exhortation" refers, in our judgment, to the entire
contents of this epistle. The Greek word for "exhortation" is quite a
comprehensive one, including within its meaning and scope direction,
admonition, incitation, and comfort. It is usually translated
"consolation" or "exhortation," one as often as the other. Manifestly
it was very appropriate for the apostle to thus summarize the whole of
his epistle, for, from beginning to end, its contents are a most
powerful and impressive incitation unto perseverance in the faith and
profession of the Gospel, in the face of strong temptations to
apostasy. "The word of exhortation is the truth and doctrine of the
Gospel applied unto the edification of believers, whether by way of
exhortation or consolation, the one of them including the other" (John
Owen--and so all the best of the commentators). But let us observe the
tactfulness and gentleness with which the apostle urged the Hebrews to
attend unto the exhortations that had been addressed to them.
First, he said, "But I beseech you." This was "an affectionate request
that they would take kindly what on his part was meant kindly" (J.
Brown). Paul did not set himself on some lofty pedestal and command
them--as he might well have done by virtue of his apostolic
authority--but placing himself on their level, he tenderly urged them.
"This word of exhortation as it comes out of the bright atmosphere of
truth, so it comes out of the genial atmosphere of affection" (A.
Saphir). Second, he added, "I beseech you, brethren," "denoting (1)
his near relation unto them in nature and grace, (2) his love unto
them, (3) his common interest with them in the case to hand--all
suited to give an access unto his present exhortation" (John Owen); to
which we may add, (4) it evidenced his commendable humility and
lowliness of heart.
Third, he added "But I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of
exhortation." This of course implied there were things in this epistle
which were opposed to their corruptions and prejudices. This also
revealed once more the deep solicitude which the apostle had for the
Hebrews. He had written to them some pointed warnings and some severe
admonitions, and he was deeply concerned that they should not miss the
benefit thereof, either through their negligence or because of their
natural antipathy. "Probably he records (uses) the word of exhortation
for this reason: though men are by nature anxious to learn, they yet
prefer to hear something new, rather than to be reminded of things
known and often heard before. Besides, as they indulge themselves in
sloth, they can ill bear to be stirred and reproved" (John Calvin).
Here we may perceive again what a blessed example the apostle has left
all ministers of the Word. The preacher must be careful to stir up his
hearers to seek their own good: "Son of man, I have made thee a
watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the Word at My
mouth, and give them warning from Me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou
shalt surely die: and thou givest him not warning, nor speaketh to
warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked
man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at thine
hand" (Ezek. 3:17, 18). In nothing are our hearers (even the saints)
more backward than to appreciate and respond to the word of
exhortation. Yet exhortation was the apostle's keynote all through
this Epistle. God has given His Word to us for practical ends, and the
faith of God's elect is "the acknowledging of the truth which is alter
godliness" (Titus 1:1). The Holy Scriptures have been placed in our
hands that we may be furnished unto all good works, instructed in
every duty, fortified against every temptation. No doctrine is rightly
understood unless it affects our walk. But in pressing unto a
compliance with the Divine precepts let us seek grace that we may do
it with the fidelity, wisdom, humility, and tenderness that the
apostle evidenced and exemplified.
"For I have written a letter unto you in a few words." Strange to say,
some have been puzzled by this clause, because most of Paul's epistles
are much shorter than this one, and hence they have invented the wild
theory that verse 22 alludes only to this final chapter, which Sir
Robert Anderson strangely designated "a kind of covering letter." But
the apostle was not here referring absolutely to the length of his
epistle, but to the proportion between its length and the
momentousness and sublimity of the theme of which it treats. In
comparison with the importance and comprehensiveness of the many
subjects which he had touched upon, brevity had indeed marked his
treatment throughout. Nothing more than a short compendium had been
given of the new covenant, the office and work of Christ, the
superiority of Christianity over Judaism, the life of faith, and the
varied duties of the Christian.
The principal subject referred to in our present verse is the Divine
exhortations, which is one of the greatest practical importance and
value, yet alas, it is sadly neglected and generally ignored today. In
Calvin's time men preferred "to hear something new, rather than to be
reminded of things known and often heard before," but the present
generation is woefully ignorant of those paths of righteousness which
God has marked out in His Word, and so far from often heating of many
of those duties that God requires us to perform, most pulpits are
largely silent thereon, substituting themes and topics which are more
agreeable to the flesh, studiously avoiding that which searches the
conscience and calls for reformation. Now an "exhortation" is an
urging to the performance of duty, an incitation unto obedience to the
Divine precepts. In developing this theme, we feel that we cannot do
better than follow the order set forth in Psalm 119.
We are there shown, first, the blessedness of those who respond to
God's claims upon them: "Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who
walk in the Law of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep His
testimonies, that seek Him with the whole heart" (verses 1, 2). The
Psalmist began here because it is essential that we should have a
right understanding of what true blessedness consists. All men desire
to be happy: "There be many that say, Who will show us any good?" (Ps.
4:6). This is the cry of the world, "Good, good:" it is the yearning
of nature for contentment and satisfaction.
Alas, sin has so blinded our understandings that by nature we neither
know where real blessedness is to be found nor how it is obtained. So
thoroughly has Satan deceived men, they know not that happiness is the
fruit of holiness, a conscience testifying to God's approbation.
Consequently, all, until Divine grace intervenes, seek happiness in
riches, honors and pleasures, and thus they flee from it while they
are seeking it--they intend joy, but choose misery. "Thou has put
gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their
wine increased" (Ps. 4:7)--yes, "their corn and their wine:" not only
possessed by them, but chosen by them as their portion and felicity.
But David found that by treading the highway of holiness, God had put
a gladness in his heart to which the pleasures of the worldling could
not for a moment compare.
The main difference in thought between the first two verses of Psalm
119, wherein the secret of true happiness is revealed, is this: in the
former the outward conduct of the man of God is described; in the
latter, the inward principle which actuates him is seen, namely,
whole-hearted seeking unto the Lord. As it is out of the heart there
proceeds all the evils enumerated by Christ in Matthew 15:19, so it is
out of the heart there issues all the graces described in Galatians
5:22, 23. It is for this reason we are bidden, "Keep thy heart with
all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life" (Prov. 4:23).
This is very solemn and searching, for while "man looketh on the
outward appearance, the Lord looketh on the heart" (1 Sam. 16:7).
Therefore there must be the exercise of faith and of love before our
outward conduct can be pleasing unto God.
After affirming and describing the blessedness of those who walk in
the Law of the Lord (verses 1-3), the Psalmist next reminds us that
God has "commanded us to keep His precepts diligently" (verse 4).
First, he sets before us a most attractive inducement to heed the
Divine commands, and then we are reminded of God's righteous claims
upon us. We are His creatures, His subjects, and as our Maker and
Ruler He has absolute authority over us. God's will has been clearly
revealed in His Word, and we are obligated to give our best attention
and respect thereunto. God will not be put off with anything: He
requires to be served with the utmost care and exactness. Thus, it is
not left to our caprice as to whether or not we will walk in God's
Law--an absolute necessity is imposed.
"O that my ways were directed to keep Thy statutes" (verse 5). Awed by
a sense of the authority of God, conscious of the propriety of His
commanding His creatures, and of the justice of His claims, the
Psalmist now felt his own weakness and utter insufficiency, his deep
need of Divine grace, to enable him to fulfill his duty. This is one
of the marks of a regenerate soul: first he is enlightened, and then
he is convicted. Knowledge of the path of duty is communicated to him,
and then consciousness is awakened of his inability to walk therein.
Holiness begins with holy desires and aspirations: O that I were
walking in the Law of the Lord, and keeping His precepts diligently.
He realized that in the past, he had followed his own ways and paid
little or no attention unto God's authority. But now he longs for this
to be radically altered.
This panting after a conformity to the Divine will is the breathing of
the new nature, which is received at regeneration. A change of heart
is ever evidenced by new desires and new delights. "For they that are
after the flesh, do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are
after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit" (Rom. 8:5). When the love
of God is shed abroad in the heart, our love goes out to God, and as
His love is a regard for our good, so our love for Him is a regard for
His glory. Love to God is testified by a longing to be subject to Him:
"For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His
commandments are not grievous" (1 John 5:3). The more clearly the
believer discerns the wisdom, goodness, purity, and holiness of the
Divine precepts, the more earnestly does he long to obey them: "O that
my ways were directed to keep Thy statutes"--this is the longing of
the heart for directing grace.
Passing over the intervening verses, we observe, next, the Psalmist's
prayer for enabling grace: "Blessed art Thou O Lord: teach me Thy
statutes" (verse 12). One of the duties of God's people in connection
with the Divine precepts is to turn them into prayer. This is in
accord with the new covenant, where precepts and promises go hand in
hand. What God requires from us, we may ask of Him. "Why doth God
require what we cannot perform by our own strength? He doth it (1) to
keep up His fight; (2) to convince us of our impotency, and that upon
a trial: without His grace we cannot do His work; (3) that the
creature may express his readiness to obey; (4) to bring us to lie at
His feet for grace" (T. Manton).
Prayer is the expression of our desires, and if we truly long to obey
God, then we shall earnestly supplicate Him for enabling grace. The
first thing sought is that God would teach us His statutes, which has
reference to both the outward means and the inward grace. The letter
of the Word and the preaching thereof must not be despised, for it is
an ordinance which is appointed by God; yet it is only as the Divine
blessing attends the same that we are truly profited. When the Lord
Jesus taught His disciples we are told, that He first opened to them
the Scriptures, and then He opened their understandings (Luke 24:32,
35). The inward teaching of the Spirit consists in enlightening the
understanding, inflaming the affections, and moving the will, for
Divine teaching is ever accompanied by drawing (John 6:44, 45).
The great need for such inward teaching by the Spirit is our obstinacy
and prejudice. To live for eternity instead of for time, to walk by
faith and not by sight, to deny self and take up the cross dally,
seems utter foolishness to the natural man. To yield ourselves wholly
to God, is to row against the raging stream of our lusts. The old
nature has a long start on the new, so that we are confirmed in evil
habits, and therefore to act contrary to our natural bent and bias is
likened unto cutting off right hands and plucking out right eyes.
Moreover, every step we take, yea, attempt to take, along the highway
of holiness, is hotly opposed by Satan. Thus, the need is real,
urgent, imperative, that we should be Divinely empowered to discharge
our duties. None but God Himself can work in us both to will and to do
of His good pleasure.
Next we find the Psalmist declaring, "I will meditate in Thy precepts,
and have respect unto Thy ways" (verse 15). Prayer is vain unless it
be accompanied by faithful endeavor on our part. Here is David's
hearty resolution and purpose to discharge his responsibility. He knew
that he would never have that respect for God's ways of holiness which
is their due, unless he made His precepts the subject of his constant
thoughts. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." If our minds
were constantly engaged with sacred things, the savor thereof would be
apparent in our conversation. But the fear of God and a delight for
His Word must first be established in our hearts, for our thoughts
follow our affections--that which the heart has no relish for, the
mind finds irksome to dwell upon. Difficulties in holy duties lie not
in the duties themselves, but in the backwardness of our affections.
"I will meditate in Thy precepts and have respect unto Thy ways"
(verse 15). The order is deeply suggestive: meditation precedes
obedient conduct. Meditation is to be far more than a pious reverie:
it is an appointed means to God-pleasing conduct: "Thou shalt meditate
therein day and night, that thou mayest abserve to do according to all
that is written" (Josh. 1:8). Meditation is not for the purpose of
storing the mind with curious notions and subtle ideas, but is to be
turned to practical use. Observe well, dear readers, it is not "I will
meditate in Thy promises" (though that too has its proper place), but
"in Thy precepts." And why is it so essential that we should meditate
therein? That they may be fixed more permanently in the memory, that
they may make a deeper impression on the heart, and that we should the
better discern their manifold application unto the varied duties of
our lives.
"I will meditate in Thy precepts." This was no passing fancy with
David, like the forming of a New Year's resolution that is never
carried into execution. He repeats his determination "I will meditate
in Thy statutes" (verse 48), and again he declares, "I will meditate
in Thy precepts" (verse 78). It is often said that, in this strenuous
and bustling age, meditation is a lost art. True, and is not this one
of the chief reasons why obedience to God's commands is a lost
practice? God complained of old, "My people do not consider" (Isa.
1:3): what goes in at one ear, goes out at the other. "When anyone
heareth the Word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh
the Wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart"
(Matthew 13:19): and how can the Word be understood unless it be
prayerfully pondered, turned over and over in the mind. "Let these
sayings sink down into your ears" (Luke 9:44)--by means of serious
reflection and steady contemplation thereof.
"Make me to go in the path of Thy commandments, for therein do I
delight" (verse 35). Here we find David praying for compelling grace.
Though he was a regenerate man and delighted in the Divine precepts,
he was painfully conscious of the fact that there was still much in
him which pulled the other way. The flesh lusted against the spirit,
so that he could not do the things which he would. True, Divine grace
has placed within the born-again soul an inclination and tendency
toward that which is good, yet fresh supplies of grace are needed
daily before he has strength to perform that which is good. And for
this grace God would be sought unto. Why so? That we may learn that
power belongeth unto Him alone, and that we may be kept lowly in our
own esteem. Were God to send sufficient rain in a day to suffice for a
year, no notice would be taken of His acts of providence; and were He
to grant us sufficient grace at the new birth to suffice the rest of
our lives, we would quickly become prayerless.
It is a very humbling thing to be brought to realize that we must be
"made to go" in the path of God's commandments, yet sooner or later
each believer experiences the truth of it. Godly desires and holy
resolutions are not sufficient to produce actual obedience: God has to
work in us to do, as well as to "will" of His good pleasure. Peter's
resolution was strong when he declared that he would not deny Christ,
though all others should do so; yet in the hour of testing he
discovered that he was as weak as water. We are told of Hezekiah that
"God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his
heart" (2 Chron. 32:31); and at times He does this with all His
people, that they may discover that without Him they can do nothing.
When this discovery is made, the soul feels the suitability of this
prayer, "Make me to go in the path of Thy commandments."
"Incline my heart unto Thy testimonies, and not to covetousness"
(verse 36). In these words there is a confession implied, as well as a
supplication expressed. There is an acknowledgment that the natural
bent of the heart is away from God unto worldly things. That for which
he prayed was that the bias of his heart should be turned unto God and
His precepts. For the heart to be "inclined" unto God's Word means,
for the affections to be so inflamed unto holiness that the will is
carried after them. Just as the power of sin lies in the love it has
for the objects attracting us, so our aptness for godly duties lies in
the love we have for them. When God says "I will cause you to walk in
My statutes" (Ezek. 36:27), it means that He will so enlighten the
understanding and kindle the affections that the will is inclined
thereto.
But let it be said again that, diligent effort on our part must be
added to praying, for God will not heed the petitions of the slothful
and careless. Hence we must carefully note that not only did David beg
God to "Incline my heart unto Thy testimonies," but he also declared
"I have inclined mine heart to perform Thy statutes always" (verse
112). It is our bounden duty to incline our hearts unto God's Law, yet
it is only by God's enablement we can do so. Nevertheless, God deals
not with us as stocks and stones, but as rational agents. He sets
before us motives and inducements which it is our responsibility to
respond unto. He appoints means, which it is our duty to use. He
bestows blessings, which it is our obligation to improve--trading with
the pound He has given us. And this David had done. True, it was all
of grace, as he had been the first to acknowledge: nevertheless the
fact remained he had cooperated with grace: working out what God had
worked in; and all is vain till that be done.
Our space is exhausted. Does some captious critic ask, What has all
the above to do with Hebrews 12:22? We answer, much every way. How are
we to "suffer the Word of Exhortation"? Psalm 119 supplies a detailed
answer! By frequently reminding ourselves that compliance therewith is
the way of true blessedness; by constantly calling to mind the Divine
authority with which it is invested; by owning and bewailing our
perverse disinclination thereto; by earnest prayer for enabling grace;
by meditation daily thereon; by begging God to make us go in the path
of His commandments; by diligent improvement of the grace given.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 126
Spiritual Freedom
(Hebrews 13:23)
__________________________________________
Before turning to our present verse we must complete our observations
on the one which occupied our attention in the last article, for the
practical importance and value of it cannot be over-estimated or
over-emphasized. "Suffer the Word of Exhortation." In its local
meaning to the Hebrews this expression comprehended the entire
contents of the Epistle which Paul had addressed to them, for, from
beginning to end, it was in the nature of an earnest entreaty that
they would relinquish the now effete system of Judaism, and remain
steadfast in the profession of Christianity and the performance of
Gospel duties, This was, then, a final word from the apostle that his
readers would duly take to heart the message he had delivered to them,
that no matter how radically it conflicted with their traditions,
sentiments, and prejudices, their eternal welfare depended upon
receiving what was worthy of all acceptation. It was an affectionate
appeal to them that they would not, through natural disinclination,
miss and lose the inestimable value of what he had written.
But this expression "the Word of Exhortation" has a still wider
meaning and application for us. It may legitimately be taken for the
entire Word of God, for what are the Scriptures--considered from one
essential viewpoint--but a continuous exhortation? Just as in Romans
9:9 we read of "the Word of Promise" and in 2 Peter 1:19 of the more
sure "Word of Prophecy," so here the Scriptures are designated "the
Word of Exhortation"--the emphasis being changed in each case. And
just as responding to the Word of Exhortation meant to the Hebrews
that they must first relinquish something, and then adhere to another
thing in its place; so it is with us. The Hebrews were called upon to
forsake the Christ-dishonoring camp of Judaism and act by faith in the
revelation which God had made in His Son; whereas we are called upon
to forsake the world and its vanities, to forsake the pleasures of sin
and the indulging of our fleshly lusts, and to tread that highway of
holiness which alone conducteth unto Everlasting Life. No matter how
much the Divine exhortations cross our wills and oppose our
corruptions, obedience thereto is absolutely necessary if we are to
escape the wrath to come.
In our last article we sought to show how we are to "suffer the Word
of Exhortation," how we are to respond thereto, by making use of what
is found in Psalm 119 on this subject, for it is there, more fully
than anywhere else in Scriptures, we are taught how the man of God
conducts himself with reference to the Divine Law. We briefly touched
upon seven things, and pointed out that we are to "suffer" or give the
Word of Exhortation that place in our hearts and lives to which it is
entitled, by frequently reminding ourselves that obedience thereto is
the way of true blessedness (Ps. 119:1-3), by constantly calling to
mind the Divine authority with which it is invested (verse 4), by
earnestly praying for enabling grace (verses l2, 27), by frequently
meditating therein (verses 15, 48, 78), by begging God to make us go
in the path of His commandments (verse 35), by praying Him to incline
our hearts thereto (verse 36), by our own diligent improvement of the
grace which God has already given to us (verse 112): let us now add a
few more words upon this last point.
"I have inclined mine heart to perform Thy statutes always, even unto
the end" (verse 112). Was this creature boasting? Most certaintly not,
any more than Paul was guilty of the same when he declared "I have
fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the
faith." It is not unusual for Scripture to ascribe to us what God
works in us, and that because of our subservient endeavors to Divine
grace, as we pursue the work of God. The soul responds to the
impressions which the Spirit makes upon it. God gives us breath, yet
we breathe. God supplies food, yet we have to prepare and eat it. God
sets motives before us, but we have to respond thereto. God imparts
grace, but we must improve it. This is the way to get more: Luke 8:18.
It is our duty to heed that injunction "now set your heart and your
soul to seek the Lord your God" (1 Chron. 22:19); and as Paul "If that
I may apprehend (lay hold of) that for which also I am apprehended of
Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:12).
Moreover, there are certain aids and helps thereto, which it is our
privilege to employ. For example the Psalmist said, "I am a companion
of all them that fear Thee, and of them that keep Thy precepts" (Ps.
119:63). We are largely affected and influenced by the company we
keep: "Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man
thou shalt not go" (Prov. 22:24). We must not expect to love and obey
God's precepts if we have fellowship with those who despise them. But
communion with godly souls will be a stimulus to our own piety. "He
that walketh with wise men shall be wise" (Prov. 13:20). Here too our
responsibility is exercised, for we are free to choose our companions.
So far as Providence permits, it is our duty to cultivate acquaintance
with those who make conscience of obeying God's commands. Pious
conversation with them will kindle the spark of grace in our own
hearts: "Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness
of a man's friend by hearty counsel" (Prov. 27:9).
There is one other thing we would notice in Psalm 119 as it bears upon
the subject of obedience to God's commands, and that is, profiting
from Divine chastenings, begging God to sanctify to us the various
trials through which we pass. "Before I was afflicted I went astray:
but now have I kept Thy Word" (verse 67). It is in seasons of temporal
prosperity that we are most apt to decline spiritually, and generally
we have to pass through deep waters of trouble before we are
restored--the snapping dog of adversity is employed to recover the
strayed sheep. Afflictions are blessings in disguise when they cool
our lusts, wean us from the world, make us realize our weakness, and
cast us back immediately upon God. So declared the Psalmist: "It is
good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn Thy
statutes" (verse 71). Then "despise not thou the chastening of the
Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him" (Heb. 12:5).
Ere turning from this subject, let us remind the reader that the Greek
word rendered "exhortation" in Hebrews 13:22 is translated
"consolation" in Hebrews 6:18, for the term not only signifies to
entreat and incite, but it also means to relieve and refresh. It may
seem strange to some that the same word should have such different
forces as exhortation and consolation, yet these two things have a
much closer affinity than is generally realized, and this twofold
meaning is designed by the Spirit to inculcate an important practical
lesson. To despise the Word of Exhortation is to forsake our own
comforts, as many a backslidden Christian can testify. Obedience to
the Divine precepts carries its own reward now: peace of conscience,
tranquility of mind, contentment of heart, and assurance of God's
approbation. Divine consolation is secured by heeding the Word of
Exhortation!
"Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he
come shortly, I will see you" (verse 23). Following our usual custom
we will first raise the question, What is the connection between this
verse and the context? At first glance there does not appear to be any
relation between them, yet further examination seems to indicate
otherwise. Some of our readers may deem us fanciful, but it appears to
the writer that this historical allusion to the "liberty" of Timothy
Supplies an illustrative encouragement for us to respond to the call
contained in the preceding verse. Let us set it forth thus: those who
refuse to heed the Word of Exhortation, and instead give free play to
their own corruptions, are in the worst servitude of all--the bondage
of sin and Satan; but those who yield submission to the commands and
precepts of God enter into true spiritual freedom.
It is one of the great delusions of the natural man that he is free
only so long as he may please himself, supposing that to be placed
under the authority of another is to curtail his liberty and bring him
into bondage. But that is a putting of darkness for light and light
for darkness. For just so far as the language of our hearts be "let us
break Their bands asunder, and cast away Their cords from us" (Ps.
2:3) are we tyrannized over by our lusts. In proportion as we follow
the inclinations and devices of our evil hearts are we in servitude to
sin and Satan. Lawlessness is not liberty, but libertinism, which is
the worst bondage of all: "While they promise them liberty, they
themselves are the slaves of corruption, for of whom a man is
overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage" (2 Pet. 2:19).
Alas, what widespread ignorance and delusion abounds on this subject
today. Carnal liberty is but moral thraldom. To make this the more
evident let it be pointed out, first, that which most infringes upon a
man's real liberty is that which most hinders and disables him to
prosecute his true happiness. When the things of sense crowd Out the
things of the spirit, when the concerns of time oust the interests of
eternity, when Satan is given that place in our lives which belongs
only to God, then we are forsaking our own mercies and come under the
most cruel task-masters. Second, that which disorders the soul and
puts reason out of dominion, is certain spiritual bondage. When the
base prevail over the honorable, it is a sign that a country is
enthralled: and when our fleshly lusts, rather than our understanding
and conscience, prevail over the will, it is sure proof that we are in
Spiritual bondage.
Again; consider the great power and tyranny of sin. Sin, in various
forms and ways, has such complete dominion over the unconverted that
it robs them of all control over themselves and their actions: they
are "serving divers lusts and pleasures" (Titus 3:3). This is most
evident in the case of the confirmed drunkard and the drug
addict--what fetters they have forged for themselves, and how helpless
they are to break from them! Yet, the bondage of pleasure and worldly
pursuits is just as real, if not so apparent. Sin, even in its most
refined forms, obtains such a mastery over its victims that they have
no command of their affections and still less of their wills, so that
they are quite unable to forsake what they themselves believe to be
vanity or follow that which they know to be good. "Can the Ethiopian
change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good,
that are accustomed to do evil" (Jer. 13:23). Therefore do many of
them say, "There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices,
and we will everyone do the imagination of his evil heart" (Jer.
18:12).
Now on the contrary, true liberty is to be found in the ways of God,
for spiritual freedom is a freedom from sin and not to sin, a freedom
to serve God and not self, a freedom to take upon us the easy yoke of
Christ and not the despising of it. Genuine liberty is not a liberty
to do what we please, but to do what we ought. "Where the Spirit of
the Lord is, there is liberty" (2 Cor. 3:17); contrariwise, where
Satan rules there is captivity (2 Tim. 2:26). Said the Psalmist, "And
I will walk at liberty: for I seek Thy precepts" (119:45). Yes, just
so far as we walk according to the Divine precepts, are we freed from
the fetters of our corruptions. It is that miracle of grace which
brings the heart to love the Divine statutes, that sets the heart at
rest. "The way of holiness is not a track for slaves, but the King's
highway for freemen, who are joyfully journeying from the Egypt of
bondage to the Canaan of rest" (Spurgeon).
First, the way of God's precepts is in itself liberty, and therefore
God's Law is called "the perfect Law of liberty" (James 1:25). How
grievously are they mistaken, then, who accuse us of bringing souls
into bondage when we insist that the Law is the believer's Rule of
Life---the bondage of the Law from which Divine grace delivers, is
from the Law as a covenant of works, and therefore from its
condemnation and curse; and not from the preceptive authority of the
Law. Yet ever since we drank that poison, "ye shall be as gods" (Gen.
3:5), man affecteth dominion over himself and would be lord of his own
actions. But Scripture makes it clear that the most dreadful judgment
which God inflicts upon the wicked in this world is when He withdraws
His restraints and gives them over to do as they please: Psalm 81:12,
Romans 1:26-29.
Real liberty is found in the ways of God because it is there we are
directed to attain unto true felicity. The way of sin seems broad and
easy to the flesh, yet is it strait and painful to the spirit--"the
way of trangressors is hard." Contrariwise, the way of holiness seems
strait and narrow to the flesh, yet, because it is life and peace, it
is broad and easy to the spirit--all of Wisdom's ways are "ways of
pleasantness." He liveth the freest life who liveth under the bonds of
duty, who maketh conscience of pleasing God, for it is the Truth which
makes us free (John 8:32). The fuller be our obedience, the more
completely emancipated are we from the fetters of moral slavery. The
only unshackled ones are those who walk with God.
Second, liberty is given to walk in God's ways. At regeneration the
soul, hitherto in prison, is set free by Christ (Luke 4:18, John
8:36). "For the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me
free from the law of sin and death" (Rom. 8:2). Conversion is a change
of masters: "But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but
ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was
delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants
of righteousness" (Rom. 6:17, 18). Redemption is a being delivered
from the cruel task-masters of Egypt and coming under the Lordship of
Christ. In loving, fearing, serving, and praising God the highest
faculties of the soul are exercised in their noblest and most regular
way of operation. The soul is lifted above the things of time and
sense, elevated to occupation with heavenly and eternal things. (For
some things in the last few paragraphs we are indebted to Manton's
sermon on Psalm 119:45.)
We trust that the reader is now able to perceive the connection
between the deeper spiritual significance of Hebrews 13:23 and the
verse which immediately precedes it. The historical allusion to the
physical release of Timothy from his imprisonment, coming immediately
after the call for us to heed the Word of Exhortation, is to be
regarded as an illustration of the spiritual freedom which attends our
compliance with that Divine injunction. Just in proportion as we yield
subjection to the Divine precept, do we enter into and enjoy real
freedom of soul. If this should seem too fanciful to some of our more
prosaic readers, perhaps they will be willing that others should be
permitted to exercise their own judgment thereon.
"Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty." "Who this
Timothy was, what was his relation unto Paul, how he loved him, how he
employed him and honored him, joining him with himself in the
salutation prefixed unto some of his epistles, with what care and
diligence he wrote unto him with reverence unto his office of an
evangelist, is known out of his writings. This Timothy was his
perpetual companion in all his travels, labors and sufferings, serving
him as a son serveth his father, unless when he designed and sent him
unto any special work for the Church. And being with him in Judea, he
was well known unto the Hebrews also, as was his worth and usefulness"
(John Owen).
Timothy means "precious to God." His father was a Greek; his mother a
Jewess. Nothing is known of the former. That his mother was a true
believer we learn from 2 Timothy 1:5, where the apostle makes mention
of the unfeigned faith which "dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and
thy mother Eunice." The expression "unfeigned faith" testifies to the
reality and genuineness of it, in contradistinction from the empty
profession of others who, without just cause, posed as believers. From
the above reference many have concluded that Timothy, in his early
days, received a godly training. This is confirmed by "From a child
thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise
unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 3:15).
Apparently the family resided at Lystra.
The first visit of the apostle Paul to Lystra is recorded in Acts 14.
There he and Barnabas "preached the Gospel" (verse 7). There too God
wrought a mighty miracle through Paul, by healing an impotent man who
had never walked, being a cripple from his mother's womb (verse 10). A
deep impression was made upon the heathen inhabitants, who could
scarce be restrained from doing homage to the apostles as gods. But
shortly after, Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and persuaded the
people--so fickle is human nature--to stone Paul. The writer believes
that he was then actually stoned to death and that God restored him to
life. Possibly the following passage refers to that incident: "We
would not, brethren have you ignorant of our troubles which came to us
in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch
that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in
ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which
raiseth the dead: who delivered us from so great a death, and doth
deliver: in Whom we trust that He will yet deliver" (2 Cor. 1:8-10).
It was during this first visit of Paul to Lystra that young Timothy
was converted. This seems clear from the fact that in 1 Timothy 1:2 he
refers to him as "my own son in the faith"; while in 2 Timothy 3:10,
11 Paul reminds him now that he fully knew the persecutions and
afflictions which befell his spiritual father "at Antioch, at Iconium,
at Lystra." The expression "my own son in the faith" signifies that
Paul had, ministerially, begotten him through the Gospel (1 Cor.
4:17). The Lystrians had dragged the body of Paul outside the city
(Acts 14:19), but he rose up and returned into it. Next day he
departed to Derbe, but after preaching the Gospel there, he returned
to Lystra, "confirming the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to
continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter
into the kingdom of God" (verse 22).
What has been pointed out above explains the fact that when Paul
revisited Lystra some three or four years later, Timothy is already
spoken of as a "disciple" (Acts 16:1). The second verse intimates how
he had acquitted himself during the apostle's absence. During that
time he had established a reputation for godliness, not only in
Lystra, but in Iconium. He had become well known to the churches at
both dries, and was "well reported of." Probably it was this good
report which attracted Paul, who then stood in need of a
fellow-helper--Barnabas and Mark having in the interval deserted him
(Acts 15:39). The commendation of Timothy's "brethren" inclined Paul
to select him for a wider work. But there was, however, one hindrance
in the way: Timothy was a Gentile, and the Jewish Christians were not
yet, generally, prepared to receive an uncircumcised leader. To place
him in office as a teacher might arouse prejudice, so Paul, in
deference to their scruples, circumcised the young disciple.
Nothing is told us of what it must have cost Eunice to give up such a
son: but God took notice (Ps. 56:8). From now on Timothy figured
prominently in the history of Paul, becoming his companion and
fellow-laborer. Two of his epistles were addressed to him, and in six
others he is associated with him in the superscription: compare 2
Corinthians 1:1. Timothy was with the apostle during his second great
missionary tour, accompanied him to Jerusalem, and was with him in his
first imprisonment. In 1 Corinthians 4:17 we find Paul affirming that
Timothy was "faithful in the Lord." Philippians 2:19-22 presents to us
a lovely picture of the gracious power of the Spirit triumphing over
the affections of the flesh, and the love of Christ constraining unto
unselfishness. The apostle was prisoner in Rome, and Timothy, who was
there, was very dear unto him; yet was he willing to part with his
beloved companion, even in his sorrow and solitariness, He was
solicitous for the welfare of the Philippian saints, and having none
other he could send, authorized Timothy to visit them.
In referring to Timothy as being "like minded" with himself, Paul
gives us an insight into his ability. Not only was Timothy his "own
son in the faith" but he speaks of him "as a son with the father, he
hath served with me in the Gospel" (Phil. 2:22). Young believers
generally become like those with whom they associate most intimately.
Blessed is it when we see them growing up to follow the example of
godly leaders--"imitators of us and of the Lord" (1 Thess. 1:6). How
solemnly important it is, then, that the leaders should live so that
the younger Christians may not be made to stumble.
From the personal exhortations addressed by Paul to Timothy (in the
epistles bearing his name), it seems clear that he was of a sensitive,
shrinking, and timid nature. The word in 2 Timothy 1:6 (cf. 1 Timothy
4:12, 14, 16) seems to imply that he was almost ready to give up in
despair. The "God hath not given us the spirit of fear"--really
"cowardice" (2 Tim. 1:7) and the "be not ashamed" (verse 8) intimate
that there was need for the exhortation "fight the good fight of
faith" (1 Tim. 6:12) and "endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus
Christ" (2 Tim. 2:3, and cf. 4:5). That he was a man of frail
constitution is evident from 1 Timothy 5:23. Yet to Paul he was "his
dearly beloved son" (2 Tim. 1:2). Timothy's "tears" (2 Tim. 1:4) over
Paul's imprisonment show that he was a man of feeling.
"Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty: with whom, if he
come shortly, I will see you" (Heb. 13:23). This supplies one more
incidental confirmation that Paul was the writer of the Hebrews'
epistle, for it is clear from this verse that Timothy was the one who
accompanied him on his missionary journeys--there is no hint elsewhere
that Timothy was the fellow-worker of any one else but Paul. The
actual incarceration of Timothy is not recorded in the Acts or
elsewhere, but it is clear from this verse that he had been
restrained, but that he was now free. The imprisonment of faithful
ministers is an honor to them, yet is their release an occasion of
rejoicing to the saints; and therefore the apostle acquaints the
Hebrews of this good news, for he knew how highly they esteemed
Timothy. He had not yet returned to Paul himself--apparently having
been imprisoned at some other place than Rome, but if God directed him
thither, he purposed that they should both again visit the churches in
Judea. Whether this hope was realized, we know not.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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A. W. Pink Header
An Exposition of Hebrews
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 127
Conclusion
(Hebrews 13:24, 25)
__________________________________________
Everything down here comes, sooner or later, to its end. Terrible
prospect for the wicked, for there awaits them naught but the
blackness of darkness forever. Blessed outlook for the righteous, for
then they are done with sin and suffering forever, and only
everlasting glory and bliss Stretches before them. How would it be
with you, my reader, if the hand of time were now writing the final
lines of your earthly history? Did the apostle experience a pang of
regret as he arrived at the parting salutation? did his readers? We
cannot be sure, but this writer certainly feels sorry that the dosing
verses are now reached; and we are assured that not a few of those who
have followed us throughout this series will feel much the same. For
rather more than ten years we have journeyed together through this
epistle, and now we have come to the Conclusion.
It is very doubtful if the writer will ever again attempt a task of
such dimensions. Be that as it may, he certainly will never be engaged
with a more momentous and glorious subject. There is no book in the
N.T. of greater importance, and few of equal. First, it furnishes us a
sure guide to the interpretation of the O.T., the Holy Spirit moving
the apostle to here open up its principal types. Second, it supplies
us with a vivid description and explanation of the Mediator's office
and work, demonstrating the worthlessness and needlessness of all
other intermediaries between the soul and God. Third, it therefore
places in our hands the most conclusive exposure of the errors and
fallacies of the Papacy. Fourth, it makes clear to us why Judaism has
passed away, and how it can never again be restored.
The deep importance of this epistle is intimated by a feature which is
peculiar to it, namely, the absence of the writer's name. But let it
be noted that he did not conceal himself, for in Hebrews 13:18-24,
especially, Paul made it quite clear to the Hebrews who was the penman
of this epistle: he plainly declared himself and his circumstances as
one who was well known to them. The true reason why he did not prefix
his name to this epistle, as to his others, was this: in all his other
epistles he dealt with the churches by virtue of his apostolic
authority and the revelation of the Gospel which he had personally
received from Christ; but in dealing with the Hebrews, he laid his
foundation in the authority of the Holy Scriptures, which they
acknowledged, and resolved all his arguments and exhortations
thereunto.
They who regard the body of this epistle as concerned merely with the
refutation of those arguments brought against the Gospel by the
ancient Jews, do greatly err. That which the apostle here took up is
of vital moment for each generation. Human nature does not change, and
the objections brought against the Truth by its enemies are, in
substance, the same in every age. As the best means of getting rid of
darkness is to let in the light, So the most effectual antidote for
the poison of Satan is the pure milk of the Word. Only as we are
established in the Truth are we fortified against the sophistries of
error. In this epistle the apostle deals with the fundamental
principles of Christianity, and no effort should be spared to arrive
at a sound understanding of them. The foundations of the Faith are
ever being attacked, and the ministers of Christ can perform no better
service than to establish their people in the grand verities of the
Faith.
The chief design of the Holy Spirit in this epistle is to set forth
the great difference between the administration of the Everlasting
Covenant before Christ came and since His coming. The following
contrasts may be observed. First, the difference between the
instruments God used: the "prophets"--His own Son: Hebrews 1:1, 2.
Second, the difference between priesthood and Priesthood: Hebrews
7:11-17. Third, the difference between surety and Surety: Hebrews
7:21, 22. Fourth, the difference between the law and the "Oath:"
Hebrews 7:28. Fifth, the difference between mediator and Mediator:
Hebrews 8:6; 9:15. Sixth, between promises and Promises: Hebrews 8:6.
Seventh, between blood and Blood: Hebrews 9:12-14. Eighth, between
sacrifices and the Sacrifice: Hebrews 9:26. Ninth, between sprinkling
and Sprinkling: Hebrews 9:13, 14. Tenth, between tabernacle and
Tabernacle: Hebrews 9:8, 24. Eleventh, between the "shadow" and the
Substance: Hebrews 10:1 and cf. Colossians 2:17. Twelfth, between
"country" and Country: Hebrews 11:9, 16. In all these contrasts the
difference is between the Old and N.T. administrations of the
Everlasting Covenant.
The outstanding contrast between the Old and N.T. regimes is that the
one was but evanescent, whereas the other is abiding. Judaism was but
preparatory, a temporary economy; whereas Christianity is permanent,
ushering in an everlasting order of things. This is intimated in the
opening sentence of the epistle: "God hath in these last days spoken
unto us in His Son:" finality has now been reached!--there is no other
dispensation to follow this: cf. 1 Corinthians 10:11, 1 Peter 4:7, 1
John 2:19. In keeping with this we may note how frequently the
emphasis is laid upon the abidingness and finality of what is here
treated of. We read of "He became the Author of eternal salvation unto
all them that obey Him" (Heb. 5:9), of "eternal judgment" (Heb. 6:2),
that "He is able also to save them for evermore that come unto God by
Him" (Heb. 7:25), of "eternal redemption" (Heb. 9:12), of "the eternal
Spirit" (Heb. 9:14), of an "eternal inheritance" (Heb. 9:15), of "the
everlasting covenant" (Heb. 13:20).
"Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They
of Italy salute you" (verse 24). It was the custom of the apostle to
close his epistle with a warm greeting: not that this was merely a
courtesy or pleasantry, for in those days the love of Christians was
strong and fervent, both unto the Lord Himself and to His redeemed:
"But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for
ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another" (1 Thess. 4:9).
How radically different things were then from what they now are! Yet
only so in degree, and not in essence, for wherever the love of God is
shed abroad in the heart, the affections of that soul will necessarily
flow unto all His people. "We know that we have passed from death unto
life, because we love the brethren" (1 John 3:14), which is as true
today as it was in the first century.
Salute all that have the rule over you." This evinced the apostle's
good will unto the ministers and officers of the churches in Judea, as
well as according honor to whom honor is due. Mutual amity between the
servants of Christ is to be sedulously sought and lovingly maintained.
The large-heartedness of the apostle in this important particular
Shines forth again and again in the N.T. Calvin suggested that the
reason why this salutation was sent more particularly unto the rulers
of the churches was "as a mark of honor, that he might conciliate
them, and gently lead them to assent to his doctrine"--which was so
radically opposed to their earlier training. The "rulers" referred to
in this verse are, of course, the same as those mentioned in verses 7,
17.
"And all the saints." One lesson here inculated is that the servants
of Christ should be absolutely impartial, manifesting equal respect
unto the highest and lowest of God's dear people. This clause also
condemns that detestable spirit of eclecticism, fostered so much by
Rome. The Gospel has no secrets reserved for the initiated only, but
the whole of it is the common property of all believers. "This
epistle, containing strong meat for the perfect, is addressed to the
whole congregation. If any part of Scripture was to be kept from the
common people, we might fancy it would be this epistle. The writings
of the apostles, as well as the prophets, were read in the public
assembly; how much more ought it now to be left to every one to read
them according to his need" (Bengel).
Believers are here designated "saints" or separated ones, which is
their most common appellation in the N.T. They are so in a fourfold
respect. First, by the Father's sovereign choice, whereby before the
foundation of the world, He singled them out from the mass of their
fellows, to be the objects of His special favor. Second, by the Son's
redemption, whereby He purchased "a peculiar people" unto Himself,
thereby distinguishing between the sheep and the goats. Third, by the
Spirit's regeneration, whereby He quickens them unto newness of life,
thus making them to differ from those who are left in their natural
state--dead in trespasses and sins. Fourth, by their own consecration,
whereby they surrender themselves unto the Lord, and dedicate
themselves to His service. Their saintship is evidenced by their
lives: devoted to the love, fear, and will of God. Such are the only
proper members of a local church, and such are the only true members
of the Church of God.
"They of Italy salute you." They did so through the apostle unto the
entire body of the Hebrews: knowing of his intention of sending a
letter to them, they desired to be remembered to them. "They of Italy"
if not all of them Gentiles, certainly included many among their
number. A most significant detail was this. In the previous verse Paul
had referred to sending "Timothy" unto them, and his father was a
Gentile! But still more striking was this word: it was more than a
hint that the "middle wall of partition" was already broken down.
Certainly "Italy" was "outside the Camp" of Judaism: Jerusalem was no
longer the center of God's earthly witness!
"They of Italy salute you." This is very blessed, showing the victory
of the spirit over the flesh. "How does Christianity melt down
prejudices! Romans and Jews, Italians and Hebrews, were accustomed to
regard each other with contempt and hatred. But in Christ Jesus there
is neither Romans nor Jews, neither Italians nor Hebrews: all are one
in Him. Christians of different countries should take all proper
opportunities of testifying their mutual regards to each other. It is
calculated to strengthen and console, and to knit them closer and
closer in harmony. Proper expressions of love increase love on both
sides" (John Brown).
"Grace be with you all. Amen" (verse 25). The epistle closes with the
sign-manual of Paul himself. He commonly employed an amanuensis (Rom.
16:22), but this sentence was written by his own hand. This particular
apostolic benediction was his own distinctive token. "The salutation
of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle, so I
write: that the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you all. Amen" (2
Thess. 3:17, 18). If the reader will turn to the closing verse of each
of the other thirteen epistles of this apostle, it will be found that
the same token, substantially, is given in each one. This is the more
striking for neither James, Peter, John, nor Jude employed it. Thus,
this closing "grace be with you all" is conclusive evidence that Paul
was the writer of this epistle.
"Grace be with you all. Amen." This is the most comprehensive petition
that can be presented to God on behalf of His people, either
individually or collectively, for it comprises all manner of the
blessings of His free favor. Divine grace comprehends and contains all
things pertaining to life and godliness. By grace we are saved (Eph.
2:8), in grace we stand (Rom. 5:2), through grace we are preserved.
These words signify, Let the favor of God be toward you, His power be
working in you, bringing forth the fruits of holiness. Thus, the
epistle closes with prayer! "When the people of God have been
conversing together, by word or writing, it is good to part with
prayer, desiring for each other the continuance of the gracious
presence of God, that they may meet together in the world of glory"
(Matthew Henry.) "Grace be with you all" denoted their actual
participation therein.
And now our happy task is completed. Very conscious are we of our
limitations and infirmities. We can but commit our poor efforts to
God, pleading the merits of Christ to countervail our demerits, and
asking Him to bless that which was pleasing to Himself. Let those who
have accompanied us throughout these articles join the writer in
asking: do we now better understand the contents of this difficult yet
blessed epistle? Have we a deeper appreciation of that grand order of
things that has superceded Judaism? Is Christ more real and precious
to our souls? Are we more conscious of the sanctifying effects of the
doctrine which it inculcates? Are we now paying more diligent heed to
its weighty exhortations? Are our souls more deeply impressed by its
solemn warnings against apostasy? May Divine grace indeed be with us
all.
N.B. The articles comprising this series have been written on land and
sea. They were commenced in Australia, continued as we crossed three
oceans, resumed in England, considerably added to during the years we
spent in the U.S.A., and completed in Scotland and England.
__________________________________________
Intro
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26 Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
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The Sermon On The Mount
____________________________________________________
Introduction
___________________________________
Matthew's Gospel breaks the long silence which followed the ministry
of Malachi, the last of the Old Testament prophets. The silence
extended for four hundred years, and during that time God was
withdrawn from Israel. Throughout this period there were no angelic
manifestations, no prophet spoke for Jehovah, and though the Chosen
People were so rely pressed, yet were there no Divine interpositions
on their behalf. For four centuries God shut His people up to His
written Word. Again and again had He promised to send the Messiah, and
from Malachi onwards there was a believing remnant who anxiously
awaited the appearing of the predicted One. It is at this point that
Matthew picks up the thread dropped by the last of the Old Testament
prophets. The first purpose of Matthew's Gospel is to present Christ
as the Fulfiller of the promises made to Israel and the prophecies
which related to their Messiah. This is why the word "fulfilled"
occurs in Matthew fifteen times, and why there are more quotations
from the Old Testament in his Gospel than in the remaining three added
together.
The position which Matthew's Gospel occupies in the Sacred Canon
indicates its character and scope. Standing immediately after the Old
Testament and at the beginning of the New, it is therefore the
connecting link between them. Hence it is transitional, and also more
Jewish than any other book in the New Testament. Matthew reveals God
appealing to and dealing with His Old Testament people. The numerical
place of Matthew in the Divine library confirms this, for being the
fortieth book it shows us the nation of Israel in the place of
probation, being tested by the presence of Jehovah in their midst.
Matthew presents the Lord Jesus as Israel'; Messiah and King, as well
as the One who shall save His people from their sins. The opening
sentence gives the key to its contents: "The book of the generation of
Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham." Seven times over
Christ is addressed as "the Son of David" in this Gospel, and ten
times altogether is this title found there. "Son of David" connects
Christ with the throne, while "Son of Abraham" associates Him with the
altar.
This opening Gospel explains how it is that in the later books of the
New Testament Israel is viewed as cast off by God, why it is
Christendom has superseded the Jewish theocracy--the result of
rejecting their Messiah. A striking foreshadowment of this is found in
the second chapter, where a significant incident--passed over by the
other Evangelists--is recorded, namely the visit of the wise men who
came from the East to worship the Christ child. In the attendant
circumstances we may perceive a prophetic anticipation of what is
recorded throughout this Gospel and the New Testament. First, Christ
is seen outside of Jerusalem. Then we have the blindness and
indifference of the Jews to the presence of their Messiah: unaware
that He was now among them, undesirous of accompanying the Magi. Next
there are the strangers from a far country with a heart for the
Saviour, seeking Him out and worshipping Him. Finally, we behold the
civil head, so filled with hatred, determined to put Him to
death--presaging His crucifixion by the Jews.
Not until the middle of his fourth chapter does Matthew tell us, "From
that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom
of heaven is at hand" (v. 17). The time-mark here is, in the light of
its context, most significant, emphasizing the same solemn aspect of
truth as was adumbrated in chapter ii. First, we are told that our
Lord's forerunner had been "cast into prison" (v. 12). Second, we are
informed that Christ "leaving Nazareth" came "and dwelt in Capernaum"
(v. 13), for Nazareth (where He had dwelt so long: 2:23) had openly
rejected Him (see Luke 4:28-30). Third, it is here emphasized that the
Saviour had gone "beyond Jordan" into "Galilee of the Gentiles," where
"the people which sat in darkness saw great light" (v. 16)--another
illustrative anticipation of His rejection by the Jews and His turning
to the Gentiles.
The fourth chapter closes by telling us, "And His fame went throughout
all Syria: and they brought unto Him all sick people that were taken
with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with
devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy:
and there followed Him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and
from Decapolis," etc. (vv. 24, 25). Some have wondered why our Lord
performed these miracles of healing upon the bodies of the people
before He delivered His great Sermon on the Mount for the nourishing
of their souls. First, it should be noted that these miracles of
healing followed His "teaching in their synagogues and preaching the
gospel of the kingdom" (4:23). Second, these miracles of healing were
an essential part of His Messianic credentials (Isa. 35:4-6). Third,
these miracles of healing made way for His fuller preaching, by
disposing the people to listen unto One who manifested such Divine
power and mercy.
The preface to the Sermon is a very short one: "And seeing the
multitudes, He went up into a mountain, and when He was set, His
disciples came unto Him; and He opened His mouth, and taught them"
(5:1, 2). Yet brief as these verses be, there are several things in
them which call for careful consideration. First, we must notice the
place from which this Sermon was preached. "As in other things, so in
this, our Lord Jesus was but ill-accommodated: He had no convenient
place to preach in, any more than to lay His head on. While the
scribes and Pharisees had Moses' chair to sit in, with all possible
ease, honour, and state, and there corrupted the Law; our Lord Jesus,
the great Teacher of truth, is driven out to the desert, and finds no
better place than a `mountain' can afford.
"Nor was it one of the holy mountains, nor one of the mountains of
Zion, but a common mountain; by which Christ would intimate that there
is no distinguishing holiness of place now, under the Gospel, as there
was under the Law; but that it is the will of God that men should pray
and praise everywhere, anywhere. provided it be decent and convenient.
Christ preached this Sermon, which was an exposition of the Law, upon
a mountain, because upon a mountain the Law was given: and this was
also a solemn promulgation of the Christian Law. But observe the
difference: when the Law was given the Lord came down upon the
mountain, now the Lord `went up' into one; then He spoke in thunder
and lightning, now in a still small voice; then the people were
ordered to keep their distance, now they are invited to draw near--a
blessed change!" (Matthew Henry).
We believe there is yet a deeper significance in the fact that Christ
delivered this Sermon from a mountain. Very often the noting of the
place where a particular utterance was made supplies a key to its
interpretation. For example, in Matthew 13:36, Christ is seen entering
" into the house," where He made known unto His own the inner secrets
of His kingdom. In Luke's Gospel Christ is seen as man (the perfect
Man) among men, and there He delivers a sermon "in the plain"
(6:17)--descending as it were to a common level. But in Matthew His
royal authority is in view, and consequently He is seen again in an
elevated place. In the seventeenth chapter we behold Him transfigured
on the mount. In 24:3, He delivers His great prophetic discourse from
a mount. Then in 28:6, we see the Conqueror of death commissioning His
disciples from the mount. So here in verse 1, He ascends the mount
when about to give forth the manifesto of His kingdom.
Next we would notice that our Lord was seated when He preached this
Sermon. It seems to have been His usual manner to preach sitting: "I
sat daily with you teaching in the temple" (Matthew 26:55). This was
the custom of the Jewish teachers: "The scribes and the Pharisees sit
in Moses' seat" (Matthew 23:2). Nevertheless, we are persuaded that
the Spirit's notice of our Lord's posture on this occasion intimates
something more important and significant than that He accommodated
Himself to the prevailing mode of the day. In this Sermon Christ
enunciated the laws of His kingdom and spoke with an authority
infinitely transcending that of the Jewish leaders; and therefore His
posture here is to be regarded as emblematic of the King sitting upon
His throne, or the Judge upon the bench.
"And he opened His mouth and taught them." Here the Spirit of God has
noted the great Prophet's manner of speaking. First, it is to be
understood naturally, and carefully emulated by all His servants. The
first essential of any public speaker is that he open his mouth and
articulate clearly, otherwise, no matter how good may be his matter,
much will be lost on his hearers. Alas, how many preachers mutter and
mouth their words, or employ a pious whine which elderly people cannot
catch. It is most desirable that the young preacher should spare no
pains to acquire a free and clear delivery: avoiding shouting and
yelling on the one hand, and sinking his voice too much on the other.
Second, we may also behold here the perfections of our blessed
Redeemer. So far as Scripture informs us, from the age of twelve till
He reached thirty, Christ maintained a steady silence, for the time
appointed by His Father to deliver His great message had not then
arrived. In perfect submission to the One who had sent Him, the Lord
Jesus waited the hour which had been set Him--"There is a time to keep
silence, and a time to speak" (Eccl. 3:7). To one of His prophets of
old God said, "I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth,
that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover" (Ezek.
3:26). Later, He said, "now the hand of the Lord was upon me in the
evening.., and my mouth was opened, and I was no more dumb: then the
word of the Lord came unto me" (Ezek. 33:22, 23). So it was here with
the supreme Prophet: the time had come for Him to enunciate the laws
of His kingdom: the hand of God was upon Him, and He "opened His
mouth."
Third, as Scripture is compared with Scripture, this expression will
be found to bear yet another meaning. "Supplication for all saints;
and for me, that utterance may be give unto me, that I may open my
mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the Gospel" (Eph. 6:18,
19). The apostle was referring to a special kind of speech, upon far
more weighty matters than his ordinary conversation. So when we are
here told that Christ "opened His mouth and taught them" we are to
understand that He spoke with liberty and authority, with faithfulness
and boldness, delivering Himself upon matters of the deepest weight
and greatest importance. It means that, without fear or favour, Christ
openly set forth the truth, regardless of consequences. That this is
the meaning appears from what we read of at the finish of the Sermon:
"The people were astonished at His doctrine: for He taught them as one
having authority, and not as the scribes" (7:28, 29).
Let us now observe the persons to whom our Lord here addressed
Himself. There has been considerable difference of opinion concerning
the ones to whom this Sermon really applies: the saved or the unsaved.
Extreme positions have been taken on both sides, with a good deal of
unnecessary dogmatism. Personally, we regard this Sermon as a forecast
and an epitome of the entire oral ministry of Christ, that it
summarizes the general tenor of His whole teaching. The older we grow,
the less do we approve the drawing hard and fast lines through the
Scriptures, limiting their application by insisting that certain parts
belong only to such and such a class, and under the guise of "rightly
dividing" the Word, apportioning segments of it to the Jews only, the
Gentiles only, or the Church of God only. Man makes his canals rigidly
straight, but God's rivers wind in and out. God's commandment is
"exceeding broad" (Ps. 119:96), and we must be on our guard against
placing restrictions thereon.
A careful study of the four Gospels reveals that Christ's ministry
had, first, a special application to the afflicted people of God;
second, it evidently had a peculiar reference to His own immediate
disciples; and third, it had a general bearing upon the people at
large. Such we take it was also the case with the Sermon on the Mount,
embodying and illustrating these three distinctive features of
Christ's public ministry. First, its opening section (the
"Beatitudes") is most evidently addressed to those who were afflicted
in their souls--those deeply exercised before God. Second, its next
division referred to His public servants, as will be shown (D. V.)
when we take it up in detail. Third, its larger part was a most
searching exposition of the spirituality of the Law and the refutation
of the false teachings of the elders, and was meant mainly for the
people at large.
We do not think that W. Perkins went too far when he said of the
Sermon on the Mount, "It may justly be called the key of the whole
Bible, for here Christ openeth the sum of the Old and New Testaments."
It is the longest discourse of our Lord's recorded in the Scriptures.
He began His public ministry by insisting upon repentance (Matthew
4:17), and here He enlarges upon this vitally important subject in a
variety of ways, showing us what repentance really is and what are its
fruits. It is an intensely practical sermon throughout: as Matthew
Henry expressed it, "There is not much of the credenta of Christianity
in it--the things to be believed; but it is wholly taken up with the
agenda--the things to be done, for `If any man will do His will, he
shall know of the doctrine' (John 7:17)."
Though we are told at the beginning of chapter v that it was His
"disciples" whom Christ here taught, yet it is equally clear from the
closing verses of chapter vii that this Sermon was spoken in the
hearing of the multitudes. This must be steadily borne in mind
throughout, for while it contains much instruction for believers in
connection with their living a good, honest, and blessed life, yet not
a little in it is evidently designed for unbelievers, particularly
those sections which contain a most searching setting forth of the
spiritual nature of His kingdom and the character of those who enter
and enjoy its privileges. Romish teachers have greatly erred, for they
insist that Christ here propounded a new Law--far more perfect than
the Law of Moses--and that He delivered now entirely new counsel to
His disciples, which was never given in the Law or the Prophets;
whereas His intention was to clear the true meaning of the Law and the
Prophets, which had been greatly corrupted by the Jewish doctors. But
we will not further anticipate what we shall (D. V.) contemplate more
fully in the studies to follow.
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The Sermon On The Mount
____________________________________________________
Chapter One
The Beatitudes
"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall he comforted. Blessed are
the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do
hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the
pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers:
for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which
are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you,
and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake"
Matthew 5:3-11
___________________________________
At the close of our Introduction it was pointed Out that Christ's
public ministry had first a special application to the afflicted
people of God; second, a peculiar reference to His immediate
disciples, considered as His apostles or ministers; third, to the
people at large. Such is clearly the case with His Sermon on the
Mount, as will be made evident (D. V.) in the course of our exposition
of it. Herein Christ is seen discharging His prophetic office,
speaking as never (uninspired) man ever spoke. A careful study of the
Sermon reveals that it has twelve divisions-the number of Divine
government- varying considerably in length. It is the first of them
which is now to engage our attention. In it our Lord makes known
wherein true happiness or blessedness consists, disclosing to us a
secret which is hidden from the unregenerate, who suppose that outward
comforts and luxuries are absolutely indispensable to contentment of
mind and felicity of life. Herein too He strikes at the root of the
carnal conceit of the Jews, who vainly imagined that external peace
and prosperity were to result from a receiving of the Gospel.
It is indeed blessed to observe how this Sermon opens. Christ began
not by pronouncing maledictions on the wicked, but benedictions on His
people. How like Him was this, to whom "judgment" is a "strange work"!
Nevertheless, later, we also hear Him pronouncing "woe" after woe upon
the enemies of God: Matthew 23. It was not to the multitude at large
that the Redeemer first spoke, but to the elect, who had a special
claim upon Him, as given by the Father's love to Him (John 17:9, 10).
Nor was it to the favored apostles He addressed His opening remarks,
but rather to the poor of the flock, the afflicted in soul, those who
were conscious of their deep need. Therein He has left an example for
all His under shepherds: "Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm
the feeble knees;" "Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God"
(Isa. 25:3; 40:1).
"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"
(Matthew 5:3). In these words Christ began to draw a picture of those
characters upon whom the Divine benediction rests. It is a composite
picture, each line in it accentuating some distinct spiritual feature;
and with the whole we should honestly and carefully compare ourselves.
At what complete variance is this declaration of Christ's from the
popular view among men! The idea which commonly obtains, the world
over, is, Blessed are the rich, for theirs is the kingdom of the
world. But Christ says the fiat contrary: "Blessed are the poor in
spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," which is infinitely
better than all the kingdoms of the earth; and herein we may see that
the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God (1 Cor. 1). Who
before Christ ever regarded the poor in spirit as the blessed or happy
ones of the earth? And who, except genuine Christians, do so today?
How this opening word struck the keynote of all the subsequent
teaching of Him who was Himself born in a stable: not what a man does,
but what he is in the sight of God.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit." There is a vast difference between
this and being hard up in our circumstances. There is no virtue (and
often no disgrace) in financial poverty as such, nor does it, of
itself, produce humility of heart, for anyone who has any real
acquaintance with both classes soon discovers there is just as much
pride in the indigent as there is in the opulent. This poverty of
spirit is a fruit that grows on no merely natural tree. It is a
spiritual grace wrought by the Holy Spirit in those whom He renews. By
nature we are well pleased with ourselves, and mad enough to think
that we deserve something good at the hands of God. Let men but
conduct themselves decently in a civil way, keeping themselves from
grosser sins, and they are rich in spirit, pride filling their hearts,
and they are self-righteous. And nothing short of a miracle of grace
can change the course of this stream.
Nor is real poverty of spirit to be found among the great majority of
the religionists of the day: very much the reverse. How often we see
advertised a conference for "promoting the higher life," but who ever
heard of one for furthering the lowly life? Many books are telling us
how to be "filled with the Spirit," but where can we find one setting
forth what it means to be spiritually emptied-emptied of
self-confidence, self-importance, and self-righteousness? Alas, if it
be true that, "That which is highly esteemed among men is abomination
in the sight of God" (Luke 16:15), it is equally true that what is of
great price in His sight is despised by men-by none more so than by
modern Pharisees, who now hold nearly all the positions of prominence
in Christendom. Almost all of the so-called "ministry" of this
generation feeds pride, instead of starving the flesh; puffs up,
rather than abases; and anything which is calculated to search and
strip is frowned upon by the pulpit and is unpopular with the pew.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit." And what is poverty of spirit? It is
the opposite of that haughty, self-assertive and self-sufficient
disposition which the world so much admires and praises. It is the
very reverse of that independent and defiant attitude which refuses to
bow to God, which determines to brave things out, which says with
Pharaoh, "Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice?" To be "poor
in spirit" is to realize that I have nothing, am nothing, and can do
nothing, and have need of all things. Poverty of spirit is a
consciousness of my emptiness, the result of the Spirit's work within.
It issues from the painful discovery that all my righteousnesses are
as filthy rags. It follows the awakening that my best performances are
unacceptable, yea, an abomination to the thrice Holy One. Poverty of
spirit evidences itself by its bringing the individual into the dust
before God, acknowledging his utter helplessness and deservingness of
hell. It corresponds to the initial awakening of the prodigal in the
far country, when he "began to be in want."
God's great salvation is free, "without money and without price." This
is a most merciful provision of Divine grace, for were God to offer
salvation for sale no sinner could secure it, seeing that he has
nothing with which he could possibly purchase it. But the vast
majority are insensible of this, yea, all of us are until the Holy
Spirit opens our sin-blinded eyes. It is only those who have passed
from death unto life who become conscious of their poverty, take the
place of beggars, are glad to receive Divine charity, and begin to
seek the true riches. Thus "the poor have the Gospel preached to them"
(Matthew 11:5): preached not only to their ears, but to their hearts!
Poverty of spirit may be termed the negative side of faith. It is that
realization of my utter worthlessness which precedes the laying hold
of Christ, the eating of His flesh and drinking His blood. It is the
Spirit emptying the heart of self that Christ may fill it: it is a
sense of need and destitution. This first Beatitude, then, is
foundational, describing a fundamental trait which is found in every
regenerated soul. The one who is poor in spirit is nothing in his own
eyes, and feels that his proper place is in the dust before God. He
may, through false teaching or worldliness, leave this place, but God
knows how to bring him back; and in His faithfulness and love He will
do so, for it is the place of blessing for His children. How to
cultivate this God-honoring spirit is revealed in Matthew 11:29.
He who is in possession of this poverty of spirit is pronounced
"blessed." He is so because he now has a disposition the very opposite
of what was his by nature, because he has in himself the first sure
evidence that a Divine work of grace has been wrought in his heart,
because he is an heir of the "kingdom of heaven"-the kingdom of grace
here, the kingdom of glory hereafter. Many are the gracious promises
addressed to the poor in spirit. "I am poor and needy: yet the Lord
thinketh upon me: Thou art my help and my deliverer" (Ps. 40:17), "The
Lord heareth the poor" (Ps. 69:33), "He shall spare the poor and
needy, and shall save the souls of the needy" (Ps. 72:13), "Yet
setteth He the poor on high from affliction" (Ps. 107:41), "I will
satisfy her poor with bread" (Ps. 132:15), "To this man will I look,
even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My
word" (Isa. 66:2). Let such favors as these stir us up to pray
earnestly for more of this poverty of spirit.
"Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted" (v. 4).
Mourning is hateful and irksome to poor human nature: from suffering
and sadness our spirits instinctively shrink. It is natural for us to
seek the society of the cheerful and joyous. The verse now before us
presents an anomaly to the unregenerate, yet is it sweet music to the
ears of God's elect: if "blessed" why do they "mourn"? If they mourn,
how can they be blessed? Only the child of God has the key to this
paradox, for "happy are they who sorrow" is at complete variance with
the world's logic. Men have, in all places and in all ages, deemed the
prosperous and the gay to be the happy ones, but Christ pronounces
blessed those who are poor in spirit and who mourn.
Now it is obvious that it is not every species of mourning which is
here referred to. There are thousands of mourners in the world today
who do not come within the scope of our text: those mourning over
blighted hopes, over financial reverses, over the loss of loved ones.
But alas, so far from many of them coming beneath this Divine
benediction, they are under God's condemnation; nor is there any
promise that such shall ever be Divinely "comforted." There are three
kinds of "mourning" referred to in the Scriptures: a natural, such as
we have just referred to above; a sinful, which is a disconsolate and
inordinate grief, refusing to be comforted, or a hopeless remorse like
that of Judas; and a gracious, a "godly sorrow," of which the Holy
Spirit is the Author.
The "mourning" of our text is a spiritual one. The previous verse
indicates clearly the line of thought here: "Blessed are the poor in
spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Yes, "Blessed are the
poor," not the poor in purse, but the poor in heart: those who realize
themselves to be spiritual bankrupts in themselves, paupers before
God. That felt poverty of spirit is the very opposite of the
Laodiceanism which is so rife today, that self-complacency which says,
"I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing." In
like manner it is spiritual mourning which is in view here. Further
proof of this is found in the fact that Christ pronounces these
mourners "blessed." They are so because the Spirit of God has wrought
a work of grace within them, and hence they have been awakened to see
and feel their lost condition. They are "blessed" because God does not
leave them at that point: "they shall be comforted."
"Blessed are they that mourn." The first reference is to that initial
mourning which ever precedes a genuine conversion, for there must be a
real sense of sin before the remedy for it will even be desired.
Thousands acknowledge that they are sinners, who have never mourned
over the fact. Take the woman of Luke vii, who washed the Saviour's
feet with her tears: have you ever shed any over your sins? Take the
prodigal in Luke 15: before he left the far country he said, "I will
arise and go unto my Father and say unto Him, Father, I have sinned
against heaven, and before Thee, And am no more worthy to be called
Thy son"-where shall we find those today with this sense of their
sinnership? Take the publican of Luke 18: why did he "smite upon his
breast" and say "God be merciful to me a sinner"? Because he felt the
plague of his own heart. So of the three thousand converted on the day
of Pentecost: they were "pricked in their heart, and cried out."
This "mourning" springs from a sense of sin, from a tender conscience,
from a broken heart. It is a godly sorrow over rebellion against God
and hostility to His will. In some cases it is grief over the very
morality in which the heart has trusted, over the self-righteousness
which has caused such complacency. This "mourning" is the agonizing
realization that it was my sins which nailed to the Cross the Lord of
glory. When Israel shall, by faith, see Christ, "they shall mourn for
Him" (Zech. 12:10). It is such tears and groans which prepare the
heart to truly welcome and receive the "balm of Gilead," the comfort
of the Gospel. It is, then, a mourning over the felt destitution of
our spiritual state, and over the iniquities that have separated
between us and God. Such mourning always goes side by side with
conscious poverty of spirit.
But this "mourning" is by no means to be confined unto the initial
experience of conviction and contrition, for observe the tense of the
verb: it is not "have mourned," but "mourn"-a present and continuous
experience. The Christian himself has much to mourn over. The sins
which he now commits-both of omission and commission-are a sense of
daily grief to him, or should be, and will be, if his conscience is
kept tender. An ever-deepening discovery of the depravity of his
nature, the plague of his heart, the sea of corruption within-ever
polluting all that he does-deeply exercises him. Consciousness of the
surgings of unbelief, the swellings of pride, the coldness of his
love, and his paucity of fruit, make him cry, "O wretched man that I
am." A humbling recollection of past offences: "Wherefore remember
that ye being in time past" (Eph. 2:11).
Yes, "Ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even
we ourselves groan within ourselves" (Rom. 8:23). Does not the
Christian groan under the disciplining rod of the Father: "No
chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous" (Heb.
12:11). And is he not deeply grieved by the awful dishonor which is
now done to the Lord Jesus on every hand? The fact is that the closer
the Christian lives to God, the more will he mourn over all that
dishonors Him: with the Psalmist he will say, "Horror hath taken hold
upon me because of the wicked that forsake Thy law" (Ps. 119:53), and
with Jeremiah, "My soul shall weep in secret places for your pride;
and mine eyes shall weep sore and run down with tears, because the
Lord's flock is carried away captive" (13:17). But blessed be God, it
is written, "Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of
Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and
that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof"
(Ezek. 9:4). So too there is a sympathetic mourning over the
sufferings of others: "Weep with them that weep" (Rom. 12:15).
But let us return to the primary thought of our verse: "Blessed are
they that mourn" has immediate reference to the convicted soul
sorrowing over his sins. And here it is most important to note that
Christ does not pronounce them "blessed" simply because they are
mourners, but because they are such. mourners as "shall be comforted."
There are not a few in Christendom today who glory in their grief and
attempt to find comfort in their own inward wretchedness-as well seek
health from our sicknesses. True comfort is not to be found in
anything in self-no, not in perceiving our own vileness-but in Christ
alone. Distress of soul is by no means always the same thing as
evangelical repentance, as is clear from the case of Cain (Gen. 4:13).
But where the Spirit produces in the heart a godly sorrow for sin, He
does not leave him there, but brings him to look away from sin to the
Lamb of God, and then he is "comforted." The Gospel promises no mercy
except to those who forsake sin and close with Christ.
"They shall be comforted." This gracious promise receives its
fulfillment, first, in that Divine consolation which immediately
follows a sound conversion (i.e. one that is preceded by conviction
and contrition), namely the removal of that conscious load of guilt
which lies as an intolerable burden on the conscience. It finds its
accomplishment in the Spirit's application of the Gospel of God's
grace to the one whom He has convicted of his dire need of a Saviour.
Then it is that Christ speaks the word of power, "Come unto Me all ye
that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew
11:28)-observe that His language clearly presupposes the feeling of
sin to be a "burden" as that which impels to Him for relief; it is to
the sin-sick heart that Christ gives rest. This "comfort" issues in a
sense of a free and full forgiveness through the merits of the atoning
blood of Christ. This Divine comfort is the peace of God which passeth
all understanding, filling the heart of one who is now assured that he
is "accepted in the Beloved." First God wounds and then heals.
Second, there is a continual "comforting" of the mourning saint by the
Holy Spirit, who is the Comforter. The one who sorrows over his
departures from Christ is comforted by the assurance that "if we
confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). The one who
mourns under the chastening rod of God is comforted by the promise,
"afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them
which are exercised thereby" (Heb. 12:11). The one who grieves over
the awful dishonor done to his Lord in the religious world is
comforted by the fact that Satan's time is short, and soon Christ will
bruise him beneath His feet. Third, the final "comfort" is when we
leave this world and are done with sin for ever. Then shall "sorrow
and sighing flee away." To the rich man in hell, Abraham said of the
one who had begged at his gate, "now he is comforted" (Luke 16:25).
The best wine is reserved for the last. The "comfort" of heaven will
more than compensate for all the "mourning" of earth.
From all that has been before us learn, first, the folly of looking to
the wounds which sin has made in order to find consolation; view
rather the purging and healing blood of Christ. Second, see the error
of attempting to measure the helpfulness of the books we read or the
preaching we hear by the degree of peace and joy they bring to our
hearts. Yet how many there are who say, We have quite enough in the
world, or in the home, to make us miserable, and we go to church for
comfort. But it is to be feared that few of them are in any condition
of soul to receive comfort from the Gospel: rather do they need the
Law to search and convict them. Ah, the truth is, dear friend, that
very often the sermon or the article which is of most benefit is the
one which causes us to get alone with God and weep before Him. When we
have flirted with the world or indulged the lusts of the flesh the
Holy Spirit gives us a rebuke or admonition. Third, mark then the
inseparable connection between godly sorrow and godly joy: compare
Psalms 30:5; 126:5; Proverbs 14:10; Isaiah 61:3; 2 Corinthians 6:10; 1
Thessalonians 1:6; James 2:13.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Sermon On The Mount
by Arthur W. Pink
____________________________________________________
Chapter Two
The Beatitudes-Continued
___________________________________
"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew
5:5). There has been considerable difference of opinion as to exactly
what meekness consists of. When we wrote upon this verse some twelve
years ago, we defined it as humility, but it now appears to us that
that is inadequate, for there is no single term which is capable of
fully expressing all that is included in this virtue. A study of its
usage in Scripture reveals, first, that it is linked with and cannot
be separated from lowliness: "Learn of Me: for I am meek and lowly in
heart" (Matthew 11:29); "Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are
called; with all lowliness and meekness" (Eph. 4:1, 2). Second, it is
associated with and cannot be divorced from gentleness: "I beseech you
by the meekness and gentleness of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:1); "To speak
evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness
unto all men" (Titus 3:2). Third, "receive with meekness the engrafted
word" is opposed to "the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of
God" (Jam. 1:20, 21). Fourth, the Divine promise is "the meek will He
guide in judgment, and the meek will He teach His way" (Ps. 25:9),
intimating that this grace consists of a pliant heart and will.
Additional help in determining for us the meaning and scope of the
word "meek" is to be obtained from duly noting our present verse in
the light of the two preceding ones. It is to be kept steadily in mind
that in those Beatitudes our Lord is describing the orderly
development of God's work of grace as it is experientially realized in
the soul. First, there is a poverty of spirit: a sense of our
insufficiency and nothingness, a realization of our unworthiness and
unprofitableness. Next, there is a mourning over our lost condition,
sorrowing for the awfulness of our sins against God. And now we have
meekness as a by-product of self-emptying and self-humiliation; or, in
other words, there is a broken will and a receptive heart before God.
Meekness is not only the antithesis of pride, but of stubbornness,
fierceness, vengefulness. It is the taming of the lion, the making of
the wolf to lie down as a kid.
Thomas Scott rightly points out that "There is a natural meekness of
spirit, springing from love of ease, defect in sensibility and
firmness, and the predominancy of other passions, which should be
carefully distinguished from evangelical meekness. It is timid and
pliant, easily deterred from good, and persuaded to evil; it leads to
criminality in one extreme, as impetuosity of spirit does in another;
it is often found in ungodly men; and it sometimes forms the grand
defect in the character of pious persons, as in the case of Eli, and
of Jehoshaphat. Divine grace operates in rendering such men of an
opposite temper more yielding and quiet. The meekness to which the
blessing is annexed is not constitutional, but gracious: and men of
the most vehement, impetuous, irascible, and implacable dispositions,
by looking to Jesus through the grace of God, learn to curb their
tempers, to cease from resentment, to avoid giving offence by
injurious words and actions, to make concessions and forgive
injuries."
Meekness is the opposite of self-will toward God, and of ill-will
toward men. "The meek are those who quietly submit themselves before
God, to His Word, to His rod, who follow His directions and comply
with His designs, and are gentle toward men" (Matthew Henry). As
pointed out above, this is not constitutional, but gracious-a precious
fruit of the Spirit's working. Godly sorrow softens the heart, so that
it is made receptive to the entrance of the Word. Meekness consists in
the spirit being made pliant, tractable, submissive, teachable.
Speaking prophetically through Isaiah the Saviour said, "The Lord hath
anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek" (Isa. 16:1), for
they have bowed to the authority of the Law. And again it is written,
"For the Lord taketh pleasure in His people: He will beautify the meek
with salvation" (Ps. 149:4).
A word or two on the fruits of meekness. First, Godwards. Where this
grace is in the ascendant, the enmity of the carnal mind is subdued,
and its possessor bears God's chastenings with quietness and patience.
Illustrations thereof are seen in the cases of Aaron (Lev. 10:3), Eli
(1 Sam.3:18), and David (Ps. 39:9). Supremely it was exemplified by
Christ, who declared, "I am a worm, and no man" (Ps. 22:6), which had
reference not only to His being humbled into the dust, but also to the
fact that there was nothing in Him which resisted the judgments of
God: "The cup which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?"
(John 18:11). He was "led [not dragged] as a lamb to the slaughter":
when He was reviled, He reviled not again; when He was buffeted, He
threatened not. He was the very King of meekness.
Second, manwards. Inasmuch as meekness is that spirit which has been
schooled to mildness by discipline and suffering, and brought into
sweet resignation to the will of God, it causes the believer to bear
patiently those insults and injuries which he receives at the hands of
his fellows, and makes him ready to accept instruction or admonition
from the least of the saints, moving him to think more highly of
others than of himself. Meekness enables the Christian to endure
provocations without being inflamed by them: he remains cool when
others get heated. "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye
which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness:
considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted" (Gal. 6:1). This
means, not with a lordly and domineering attitude, not with a harsh
and censorious temper, not with a love of finding fault and desire for
inflicting the discipline of the church, but with gentleness, humility
and patience.
But meekness must not be confounded with weakness. True meekness is
ever manifested by yieldedness to God's will, yet it will not yield a
principle of righteousness or compromise with evil. God-given meekness
can also stand up for God-given rights: when God's glory is impeached,
we must have a zeal which is as hot as fire. Moses was "very meek,
above all the men which were upon the face of the earth" (Num. 12:3),
yet when he saw the Israelites dancing before the golden calf, in zeal
for Jehovah's honour, he broke the two tables of stone, and put to the
sword those who had transgressed. Note how firmly and boldly the
apostles stood their ground in Acts 16:35-37. Above all, remember how
Christ Himself, in concern for His Father's glory, made a whip of
cords and drove the desecrators out of the temple. Meekness restrains
from private revenge, but it in nowise conflicts with the requirements
of fidelity to God, His cause, and His people.
"For they shall inherit the earth" or "land," for both the Hebrew and
Greek words possess this double meaning. This promise is taken from
Psalm 37:11, and may be understood in a threefold way. First,
spiritually, as the second half of that verse intimates: "The meek
shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance
of peace." The spirit of meekness is what enables its possessor to get
so much enjoyment out of his earthly portion, be it small or large.
Delivered from a greedy and grasping disposition he is satisfied with
such things as he has: "A little that a righteous man hath is better
than the riches of many wicked" (Ps. 37:16). Contentment of mind is
one of the fruits of meekness. The haughty and covetous do not
"inherit the earth," though they may own many acres of it. The humble
Christian is far happier in a cottage than the wicked in a palace:
"Better is little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure and
trouble therewith" (Prov. 15:16).
Second, literally. The meek inherit the earth in regard of right,
being the members of Christ, who is Lord of all. Hence, writing to the
saints, Paul said, "For all things are yours; whether. . . the world,
or life, or death, or things present, or things to come, all are
yours" (1 Cor. 3:21, 22). Right or title to the earth is twofold:
civil and spiritual. The former is that which holds good-according to
their laws and customs-before men, and in regard thereof they are
called lords of such lands they have a right unto in the courts. The
latter is that which is approved before God. Adam had this spiritual
right to the earth before he fell, but by his sin he forfeited it both
for himself and his posterity. But Christ has regained it for all the
elect, hence the apostle said, "As having nothing, and yet possessing
all things" (2 Cor. 6:10). Third, mystically. Psalm 37:11, is an Old
Testament promise with a New Testament meaning: the land of Canaan was
a figure of heaven, of which meekness proves the possessor to be an
heir, and for which it is an essential qualification. From what has
been before us let us learn, first, the value of this spiritual grace
and the need of praying for an increase of the same: "Seek ye the
Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought His judgment: seek
righteousness, seek meekness" (Zeph. 2:3). As a further inducement to
this end, mark these precious promises: "The meek shall eat and be
satisfied" (Ps. 21:26), "The Lord lifteth up the meek" (Ps. 147:6),
"The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord" (Isa. 29:19).
Second, see the folly of those who are so diligent in seeking earthly
possessions without any regard to Christ. Since all right to the earth
was lost by Adam and is only recovered by the Redeemer, until they
have part in Him none can, with the comfort of a good conscience,
either purchase or possess any mundane inheritance. Third, let the
fact that the meek. through Christ, inherit the earth serve for a
bridle against all inordinate care for the world: since we are members
of Christ the supply of every need is certain, and an infinitely
better portion is ours than the perishing things of time and sense.
"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for
they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6). In the first three Beatitudes we
are called upon to witness the heart exercises of those who have been
awakened by the Spirit of God. First, there is a sense of need, a
realization of their nothingness and emptiness. Second, there is a
judging of self, a consciousness of their guilt and sorrowing over
their lost condition. Third, there is an end of seeking to justify
themselves before God, an abandonment of all pretences to personal
merit, a taking of their place in the dust before God. And here, in
the fourth, the eye of the soul is turned away from self to Another:
there is a longing after that which they know they have not got and
which they are conscious they urgently need. There has been much
needless quibbling as to the precise import of the word
"righteousness" in this verse, and it seems to us that most of the
commentators have failed to grasp its fullness.
In many Old Testament passages "righteousness" is synonymous with
"salvation," as will appear from the following. "Drop down ye heavens
from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth
open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring
up together; I the Lord have created it" (Isa. 45:8); "Hearken unto
Me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness: I bring near My
righteousness; it shall not be far off, and My salvation shall not
tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion" (Isa. 46:12, 13); "My
righteousness is near. My salvation is set forth, and Mine arms shall
judge the people: the isles shall wait upon Me, and on Mine arms shall
they trust" (Isa. 51:5): "Thus saith the Lord, Keep ye judgment and do
justice: for My salvation is near to come, and My righteousness to be
revealed" (Isa. 56:1); "He hath clothed me with the garments of
salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness" (Isa.
61:10). Yet after all, this does not bring us much nearer in that
"salvation" is one of the most comprehensive terms to be found in the
Scriptures. Let us, then, seek to define its meaning a little more
closely.
Taking it in its widest latitude, to "hunger and thirst after
righteousness" means to yearn after God's favour, image, and felicity.
"Righteousness" is a term denoting all spiritual blessings: "seek ye
first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33). More
specifically, "righteousness" in our text has reference, first, to the
righteousness of faith whereby a sinner is justified freely by Divine
grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. As the result of
his Surety's obedience being imputed to him, the believer stands
legally righteous before God. As sinners who have constantly broken
the Law in thought, word, and deed, we are utterly destitute of
righteousness. "There is none righteous, no not one" (Rom. 3:10). But
God has provided a perfect righteousness in Christ for all who
believe: it is the best "robe" put upon each returning prodigal. The
merits of Christ's perfect keeping of the Law is reckoned to the
account of every sinner who shelters in Him.
Second, this "righteousness," for which the awakened sinner longs, is
to be understood of inward and sanctifying righteousness, for as we so
often point out, justification and sanctification are never to be
severed. The one in whom the Spirit graciously works desires not only
an imputed righteousness, but an imparted one too; he not only longs
for a restoration to God's favour, but to have God's image renewed in
him. For this twofold "righteousness" the convicted "hunger and
thirst," expressive of vehement desire, of which the soul is acutely
conscious, for as in bodily hunger and thirst there are sharp pangs
and an intense longing for their appeasement, so it is with the soul.
First, the Spirit brings before the conscience the holy and inexorable
requirements of God. Next, He convicts the soul of its destitution and
guilt, so that he realizes his abject poverty and lost condition,
seeing there is no hope in and from himself. And then He creates a
deep hunger and thirst which causes him to lock unto and seek relief
from Christ, "The Lord our righteousness."
Like the previous ones, this fourth Beatitude describes a dual
experience: an initial and a continuous, that which begins in the
unconverted, but is perpetuated in the saved sinner. There is a
repeated exercise of this grace, felt at varying intervals. The one
who longed to be saved by Christ now yearns to be made like Him.
Looked at in its widest aspect, this hungering and thirsting refers to
that panting of the renewed heart after God (Ps. 42:1), that yearning
for a closer walk with Him, that longing for more perfect conformity
to the image of His Son. It tells of those aspirations of the new
nature for Divine blessings which alone can strengthen, sustain and
satisfy it. Our text presents such a paradox that it is evident that
no carnal mind ever invented it. Can one who has been brought into
vital union with Him who is the Bread of Life and in whom all fullness
dwells be found still hungering and thirsting? Yes, such is the
experience of the renewed heart. Mark carefully the tense of the verb:
it is not "Blessed are they which have," but "Blessed are they which
do hunger and thirst." This has ever been the experience of God's
saints (Ps. 82:4; Phil. 3:8, 14).
"They shall be filled." Like the first part of our text, this also has
a double fulfillment: an initial, and a continuous. When God creates a
hunger and thirst in the soul, it is that He may satisfy it. When the
poor sinner is made to feel his need of Christ, it is that he may be
drawn to and led to embrace Him. Like the prodigal who came to the
Father as a penitent, the believing sinner now feeds on the One
figured by the "fatted calf." He is made to exclaim, "Surely in the
Lord have I righteousness." "They shall be filled" with the peace of
God which passeth all understanding. "Filled" with that Divine
blessing to which no sorrow is added. "Filled" with praise and
thanksgiving unto Him who has wrought all our works in us. "Filled"
with that which this poor world can neither give nor take away.
"Filled" by the goodness and mercy of God, till their cup runneth
over. And yet, all that is enjoyed now is but a little foretaste of
what God has prepared for them that love Him: in the day to come we
shall be "filled" with Divine holiness, for we shall be made "like
Him" (1 John 3:2). Then shall we be done with sin for ever: then shall
we "hunger no more, neither thirst any more" (Rev. 7:16).
As this fourth Beatitude has been such a storehouse of comfort to many
a tried and troubled believer, let us point out the use which may be
made of it by Satan-harassed believers. First, by those whose faith is
little and weak. There are not a few in God's family who sincerely
long to please Him in all things and to live in no sin against their
conscience, and yet they find in themselves so much distrust and
despair of God's mercy that they are conscious of much more doubting
than faith, so that they are brought seriously to question their
election and state before God. Here, then, is Divine consolation for
them: if they genuinely hunger and thirst after righteousness, Christ
Himself pronounces them blessed. Those who are displeased with their
unbelief, who truly desire to be purged from distrust, who long and
pray for increased faith and assurance-evidencing their sincerity by
diligently using all proper means- are the subjects of God's
approbation.
Second, by those whose sanctification is so imperfect. Many there be
who are most anxious to please God and make conscience of all known
sins, yet find in themselves so much darkness of mind, activity of
rebellious corruption, forwardness in their affections. perverseness
in their wills, yea, a constant proneness to all manner of sins; and,
on the contrary, they can perceive so little of the fruits of
sanctification, so little evidence of spiritual life, so few signs of
Divine grace at work within, that they often seriously doubt if they
have received any grace at all. This is a fearfully heavy burden, and
greatly casts down the soul. But here is Divine consolation. Christ
pronounces "blessed" not those who are full of righteousness, but
those who "hunger and thirst" after it. Those who mourn over their
depravity, who grieve over the plague of their hearts, who yearn for
conformity to Christ-using the means constantly-are accepted of God in
Christ.
Third, by the more extreme case of one who has grievously departed
from God and long been a backslider, and now, conscious of his
wickedness, is in despair. Satan will tell him that his case is
hopeless, that he is an apostate, that hell is prepared for him and he
must surely be damned; and the poor soul is ready to believe that such
must really be the case. He is destitute of peace, all his evidences
are eclipsed, he cannot perceive a ray of hope. Nevertheless, here is
Divine comfort. If he truly mourns over his departure from God, hates
himself for his backsliding, sorrows over his sins, truly desires to
repent of them and longs to be reconciled to God and restored to
communion with Him, then he too is among the blessed: "Blessed are
they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be
filled."
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Three
The Beatitudes-Continued
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In these Beatitudes the Lord Jesus delineates the distinguishing
characteristics and privileges of those who are "His disciples
indeed," or the birthmarks by which the true subjects of His kingdom
may be identified. This is only another way of saying that His design
was to make known the character of those upon whom the Divine
benediction rests, or that He here revealed who are the truly happy.
Looking at these Beatitudes from another angle, we may regard them as
furnishing a description of the nature of true happiness, and as
propounding sundry rules by which it is attained. Very different
indeed is Christ's teaching here from the thoughts and the theories
which obtain in the carnal mind. Instead of attributing genuine
felicity unto the possession of outward things, He affirmed that it
consists in the possession and cultivation of spiritual graces. It was
God incarnate pouring contempt on the wisdom of this world and showing
how radically opposed are its concepts to the Truth.
"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy" (Matthew 5:7).
Grossly have these words been perverted by merit-mongers. Those who
insist that the Bible teaches salvation by works appeal to this verse,
among others, in support of their pernicious error. But nothing could
be less to their purpose, for there is not a word in it which affords
the slightest support to their fatal delusion. Our Lord was not here
describing the foundation on which rests the sinner's hope of
receiving mercy from God, but is tracing the spiritual features of His
own people, among which mercifulness is a prominent one. His evident
meaning was: mercy is an indispensable trait in that holy character
which God has inseparably connected with the enjoyment of that
happiness-both here and hereafter- which is the product of His own
sovereign kindness.
The place occupied by this particular Beatitude in the series
furnishes a sure key to its interpretation. The first four may be
regarded as describing the initial exercises of heart in one who has
been awakened by the Spirit, whereas the next four treat of the
subsequent fruits. In the preceding verse the soul is seen hungering
and thirsting after Christ, and then filled by Him, whereas here we
are shown the first effect and evidence of this. Having received mercy
from the Lord, the saved sinner now exercises mercy unto others. It is
not that God requires us to be merciful in order to obtain His
mercy-that would be to overthrow the whole scheme of grace-but having
been made the recipient of His wondrous grace. I cannot now but act
graciously toward others. That which is signs. fled by "they shall
obtain mercy" will come before us in the sequel.
"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." First, let us
endeavour to define the nature of this mercy. This mercifulness upon
which the Divine approbation rests is a holy compassion of soul,
whereby one is moved to pity and go to the relief of another in
misery. In saying that it is a compassion of soul, we mean that it
causes its possessor to make the case of another his own, so that he
is grieved by it, for when our heart is really touched by the state of
another, we are stirred within. "It is an aversion to everything
harsh, cruel, oppressive or injurious; a propensity to pity, alleviate
or remove the miseries of mankind; an unwillingness to increase
personal emolument or indulgence by rendering others uneasy; a
willingness to forgo personal ease, interest or gratification to make
others easy and happy" (Thomas Scott).
Mercifulness, then, is a gracious disposition toward our fellow
creatures and fellow Christians. It is a spirit of kindness and
benevolence which sympathizes with the sufferings of the afflicted, so
that we weep with those that weep. It ennobles its possessor so that
he tempers justice with mercy, and scorns the taking of revenge. But
it is a holy disposition in contrast with that foolish sentimentality
which flouts the requirements of justice, and which inclines many to
sympathize with those in deserved misery. That is a false and unholy
mercy which petitions the powers that be to cancel or modify a just
and fully merited sentence which has been passed upon some flagrant
offender. Therefore are we told, "And of some have compassion, making
a difference" (Jude 22)-king Saul defied this principle when he spared
Agag. It is also a holy compassion as opposed to that partiality which
is generous to some and harsh to others.
This mercifulness has not its roots in anything in the natural man.
True, there are some who make no profession of being Christians in
whom we often find not a little kindliness of disposition, sympathy
for the suffering, and a readiness to forgive those who have wronged
them, yet is it merely instinctive, and though amiable there is
nothing spiritual in it-instead of being subject to Divine authority
it is often opposed to God's law. That which Christ here inculcated
and commended is very different from and vastly superior to natural
amiability: it is such compassion as God approves of, which is a fruit
of His Holy Spirit and is commanded in His Word. It is the result of
Christ living in us. Was He moved with compassion? Did He weep with
the mourner? Was He patient with the dull-witted? Then if He indwells
me, that same disposition, however imperfectly manifested, must be
reproduced.
This mercy is something more than a feeling: it is an operative
principle. It not only stirs the heart, but it moves the hand to
render help unto those in need, for the one cannot be severed from the
other. So far from it being a well shut up or a fountain sealed, this
mercy is a copious source of acts of beneficence, from which issue
streams of blessing. It does not exhaust itself in profitless words,
but is accompanied by helpful deeds. "But whoso hath this world's
goods, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of
compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" (1 John
3:17): this verse makes it clear that no work of mercy is shown to
those in misery except that it proceeds from inward compassion. Thus
we see what is the "mercy" which is here mentioned: it is that which
exerts itself in doing good, being a fruit of the love of God shed
abroad in the heart.
This mercy may, through walking after the flesh, for a time be checked
and choked, but taking the general tenor of a Christian's character
and the main trend in his life, it is seen to be an unmistakable trait
of the new man. "The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again; but the
righteous showeth mercy, and giveth" (Ps. 37:21). It was "mercy" in
Abraham, after he had been wronged by his nephew, which caused him to
go after and secure the deliverance of Lot. It was "mercy" on the part
of Joseph, after his brethren had so grievously mistreated him, which
moved him to freely forgive them. It was "mercy" in Moses, after
Miriam had rebelled against him and the Lord had smitten her with
leprosy, which moved him to cry, "Heal her now, O God, I beseech Thee"
(Num. 12:13). It was "mercy" in David which caused him to spare the
life of his arch-enemy when the wicked Saul was in his hands. In
solemn contrast, of Judas we read "he remembered not to shew mercy,
but persecuted the poor and needy man" (Ps. 109:16).
Were we sermonizing Matthew 5:7, our next division would be the duties
of mercy, which are answerable to the miseries of those we should
relieve, as the form and degree of its manifestation is regulated by
our own station and circumstances. This mercy regards not merely the
bodies of men but also their souls, and here again it is sharply
distinguished from that natural and instinctive kind which pities and
ministers to the temporal needs of sufferers, but has no concern for
their eternal prospects. The preacher needs to carefully heed this
fifth Beatitude: so, too, the employer and the tradesman. But we must
dismiss this branch of our subject by calling attention to "he that
sheweth mercy with cheerfulness" (Rom. 12:8), which is what gives
chief value to the service rendered. If God loves a cheerful giver, it
is equally true that He takes notice of the spirit in which we respond
to His precepts.
A word now on the reward: "for they shall obtain mercy," which, as the
older theologians pointed out, is not the reward of condignity (wholly
deserved), but of congruity. This gives not the least countenance to
the horrible error of Rome, that by alms deeds we can make
satisfaction to God for our sins. Our acts of mercy are not
meritorious in the sight of God: had that been the case, Christ had
said, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain justice," for
what is meritorious is due reward by right. Our text has nothing to do
with salvation matters, but enunciates a principle pertaining to the
governmental ways of God, by which we reap what we sow and have
measured again to us according as we have meted out to others (Matthew
7:2). "He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life,
righteousness, and honour" (Prov. 21:21).
"For they shall obtain mercy." First, there is an inward benefit. The
one who shows mercy to others gains thereby: "the merciful man doeth
good to his own soul" (Prov. 11:17). There is a personal satisfaction
in the exercise of pity and benevolence, which the fullest
gratification of the selfish man is not to be compared with: "he that
hath mercy on the poor, happy is he" (Prov. 14:21). Second, he reaps
mercy at the hands of his fellows: the overruling providence of God
causes him to be dealt with mercifully by others. Third, he receives
mercy from God: "with the merciful Thou wilt show Thyself merciful"
(Ps. 18:25)-contrast "he shall have judgment without mercy that hath
showed no mercy" (Jam. 2:13). Mercy will be shown to the merciful in
the Day to come (see 2 Tim. 1:16, 18; Jude 21). Then let us
prayerfully heed the exhortations of Romans 12:10; Galatians 6:2;
Colossians 3:12.
"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8).
This is another of the Beatitudes which has been grossly perverted by
the enemies of the Lord: those who have, like their predecessors the
Pharisees, posed as the champions of the Truth and boasted of a
superior sanctity to that confessed by the true people of God. All
through this Christian era there have been poor deluded souls who have
claimed an entire purification of the old man, or have insisted that
God has so completely renewed them that the carnal nature has been
eradicated, and in consequence they not only commit no sins, but have
no sinful desires or thoughts. But God tells us, "If we say that we
have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John
1:8). Of course, such people appeal to the Scriptures in support of
their vain delusion, applying to experience verses which describe the
legal benefits of the Atonement, or by wresting such a one as that
which is now before us.
That purity of heart does not mean sinlessness of life is clear from
the inspired record of the history of all God's saints. Noah got
drunk, Abraham equivocated, Moses disobeyed God, Job cursed the day of
his birth, Elijah fled in terror from Jezebel, Peter denied Christ.
Yes, perhaps someone will exclaim, but all these were before
Christianity was established. True, but it has also been the same
since then. Where shall we go to find a Christian of superior
attainments to those of the apostle Paul? And what was his experience?
Read Romans 7 and see. When he would do good, evil was present with
him (v. 21); there was a law in his members warring against the law of
his mind, and bringing him into captivity to the law of sin (v. 23).
He did, with the mind, serve the Law of God, nevertheless with the
flesh he served the law of sin (v. 25). Ah, Christian reader, the
truth is, one of the most conclusive evidences that we do possess a
pure heart is to be conscious of and burdened with the impurity which
still indwells us.
"Blessed are the pure in heart." Here again we see the Lord exposing
the thoughts of the natural man, who errs greatly in his ideas of what
constitutes real blessedness. Therein He refutes the Pharisees, who
contented themselves with a species of external ceremonialism or mere
outward holiness, failing to realize that God requires "truth in the
inward parts" (Ps. 51:6). Very solemn and searching is this sixth
Beatitude, for it equally condemns most of that which now passes
current for genuine religion in Christendom. How many today rest
satisfied with a head religion, supposing that all is well if their
creed be sound; and how many more have nothing better than a hand
religion-busily engaged in what they term "Christian service." "But
the Lord looketh on the heart" (1 Sam. 16:7), which includes the mind,
conscience, affections and will.
How is purity of heart effected? for by nature the heart of fallen man
is totally depraved and corrupt, deceitful above all things and
desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9). How can it be otherwise when each of
us must make the humiliating confession, "Behold, I was shapen in
iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Ps. 51:5)? This
purity of heart is by no means to be restricted to inward chastity or
simplicity-being without guile and deceit-but has a far more
comprehensive meaning and scope. The heart of the Christian is made
pure by a fourfold operation of the Holy Spirit. First, by imparting a
holy nature at the new birth. Second, by bestowing a saving faith
which unites its possessor to a holy Christ. Third, by sprinkling him
with the precious blood of Christ, which purges his conscience.
Fourth, by a protracted process of sanctification so that we, through
His aid, mortify the flesh and live unto God. In consequence thereof,
the believer has a sincere desire and resolution not to sin against
God in thought or word or deed, but to please Him in all things.
In what measure is the heart of the Christian now made pure? Only in
part during this life, relatively and not absolutely. "The believer's
understanding is in part purified from darkness, his judgment from
error, his will from rebellion, his affections from enmity, avarice,
pride, sensuality" (T. Scott). The work of Divine grace in the soul is
begun here, but it is only completed hereafter (Phil. 1:6). We are not
wholly perfected, having received only "the first fruits of the
Spirit" (Rom. 8:23). Observe carefully the tense of the verb in Acts
15:9: it is not "purified their hearts by faith," but "purifying their
hearts by faith"-a continuous experience. So again "He saved us by the
washing of regeneration and (not "renewal" but) renewing of the Holy
Ghost" (Titus 3:5). Consequently it is written "in many things we all
stumble" (Jam. 3:2, R. V.). Yet it is our bounden duty to use every
legitimate means of purification: the daily denying of self, sincere
confession of our sins, walking in the paths of righteousness.
What is this purity of heart? a question which requires a somewhat
more definite answer than has been given above, where we have
intimated that this sixth Beatitude contemplates both the new heart or
nature received at regeneration and the transformation of character
which is the effect of a Divine work of grace in the soul. Spiritual
purity may be defined as undivided affections, sincerity and
genuineness, godly simplicity. It is the opposite of subtlety and
duplicity, for genuine piety lays aside not only hatred and malice,
hut guile and hypocrisy. It is not sufficient to be pure in words and
outward deportment: purity of desires, motives, intents, is what
should, and in the main does, characterize the child of God. Here,
then, is a most important test for each professing Christian to apply
to himself: Have I been freed from the dominion of hypocrisy? Are my
motives pure and intentions genuine? Are my affections set upon things
above? Do I meet with the Lord's people to commune with Him or to be
seen of men?
A "pure heart" is one which has a pure Object before it, being
attracted by "the beauty of holiness." It is one in which the fear of
the Lord has been implanted and the love of God shed abroad, and
therefore it hates what He hates and loves what He loves. The purer
the heart be, the more conscious it becomes of, and the more it
grieves over, indwelling filth. A pure heart is one which makes
conscience of foul thoughts, vile imaginations, and evil desires. It
is one that mourns over pride and discontent, unbelief and coldness of
affection, and weeps in secret over unholiness. Alas, how little is
this inward purity esteemed today: the great majority of professors
content themselves with a mere form of godliness, a shadow of the
reality. The heaviest burden of a pure heart is the discovery that
such an ocean of unclean waters still indwells him, constantly casting
up mire and dirt, fouling all that he does.
Consider now the attendant blessing: the pure in heart "shall see
God." Once again we would remind our readers that the promises
attached to these Beatitudes have both a present and a future
fulfillment; notably is this the case with the one now before us.
Corresponding to the fact that the Christian's purity of heart is only
in part in this life, but perfected in the life to come, is the
experience that "Now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to
face; now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am
known" (1 Cor. 13:12). To "see God" is to be brought nigh to Him (for
we cannot see an object which is a vast distance from us), to be
introduced into intimate intercourse with Him, which is the
consequence of having the thick cloud of our transgressions blotted
out, for it was our iniquities which separated us from Him (Isa.
59:2). We need scarcely say that it is a spiritual sight and not a
corporeal one, a heart knowledge of and communion with God.
The pure in heart possess spiritual discernment and with the eyes of
their understanding they obtain clear views of the Divine character
and perceive the excellency of His attributes. When the eye is single,
the whole body is full of light. It is by faith God is beheld. To "see
God" also has the force of enjoy Him, as in John 3:36, and for that a
pure heart is indispensable. That which pollutes the heart and
beclouds the vision of a Christian is unjudged evil, for when any sin
is "allowed" communion with God is broken, and can only be restored by
genuine repentance and unsparing confession. Since, then, the
privilege of seeing God is dependent upon the maintenance of the heart
purity, how essential it is that we give earnest heed to the
exhortations of Isaiah 1:16; 2 Corinthians 7:1; 1 Peter 3:15. Oh to be
able to say "I have set the Lord always before me" (Ps. 16:8).
"In the Truth, the faith of which purifies the heart, they 'see God.'
for what is that Truth but a manifestation of the glory of God in the
face of Jesus Christ-an illustrious display of the combined radiance
of Divine holiness and Divine benignity! . . . They who are pure in
heart 'see God' in this way, even in the present world; and in the
future state their knowledge of God will become far more extensive and
their fellowship with Him far more intimate. To borrow the words of
the Psalmist, we shall 'Behold His face in righteousness, and shall be
satisfied when we awake in His likeness' (Ps. 17:15). Then, and not
till then, will the full meaning of these words be understood, 'the
pure in heart shall see God'" (J. Brown).
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Four
The Beatitudes-Concluded
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"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of
God" (v. 9). "The Jews, in general, regarded the Gentile nations with
bitter contempt and hatred, and they expected that, under the Messiah,
there should be an uninterrupted series of warlike attacks made on
these nations, till they were completely destroyed or subjugated to
the chosen people of God (an idea based, no doubt, on what they read
in the book of Joshua concerning the experiences of their
forefathers-A. W. P.). In their estimation, those emphatically
deserved the appellation of 'happy' who should be employed under
Messiah the Prince to avenge on the heathen nations all the wrongs
these had done to Israel. How different is the spirit of the new
economy! How beautifully does it accord with the angelic anthem which
celebrated the nativity of its Founder: 'glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace, good will toward men!'" (J. Brown).
This seventh Beatitude has to do more with conduct than with
character, though, of necessity, there must first be a peaceable
spirit before there will be active efforts put forth to make peace.
Let it be remembered that in this first section of the Sermon on the
Mount, the Lord Jesus is defining the character of those who should be
subjects and citizens in His kingdom. First, He described them
according to the initial experiences of those in whom a Divine work is
wrought. The first four may be grouped together as setting forth the
negative graces of their hearts. They are not self-sufficient, but
consciously poor in spirit; they are not self-satisfied, but mourning
because of their spiritual state; they are not self-willed, but meek;
they are not self-righteous, but hungering and thirsting after the
righteousness of Another. In the next three, the Lord names their
positive graces: having tasted of the mercy of God, they are merciful
in their dealings with others; having received a spiritual nature,
they now hate impurity and love holiness; having entered into the
peace which Christ made by the blood of His Cross, they now wish to
live in amity with all.
Blessed are the peacemakers." This takes note of the horrible
contention and enmity which sin has brought into the world, for where
there is no strife there is no need for peacemakers. The world is
"living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another" (Titus
3:3): though attempts are often made to conceal this by the cloak of
hypocrisy yet it soon peeps forth again in its hideous nakedness, as
the history of the nations attests. And let not writer and reader
forget the solemn fact that such was once our own sad case, as the
opening words of Titus 3:3, declare-"for we ourselves also were." But
on the other hand, our text also brings into view the triumph of God
over the Devil: grace has brought in that which even now in measure,
and in the future completely, displaces the vile works of the flesh.
To be a lover of and worker after peace is one of the distinguishing
marks of those who are followers of the Prince of peace. That miracle
of grace which has made them at peace with God causes them to regard
their fellows with sincere benevolence, desiring to promote their best
interests, both here and hereafter. It is their care, so much as in
them lies, to live peaceably with all men, and therefore do they
abstain from deliberate injury of others. In each relationship they
occupy-domestic, social, ecclesiastical-it is their desire and
endeavour to prevent and allay strife. They are lovers of concord,
promoters of unity, healers of breaches. They delight to pour oil on
troubled waters, to reconcile those who are estranged, to right
wrongs, to strengthen the kindly ties of friendship. As the sons of
peace they bring into the fetid atmosphere of this world a breath from
the pure and placid air of heaven. How much the world is indebted to
their presence, only the Day to come will show.
Let it be pointed out that this lovely Christlike disposition is a
vastly different thing from that easy-going indolence which is so
often naught but cowardice or selfishness. It is not a peace at any
price which the Christian loves and aims to promote. No, indeed, that
is a false peace, unworthy to be called peace at all. "The wisdom that
is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be
entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and
without hypocrisy" (Jam. 3:17): note well the words "first pure-peace
is not to be sought at the expense of righteousness. Hence it is
important that we lose not the thread of connection between our
present Beatitude and the one which precedes it: as the "pure in
heart" modifies the "mercy" of verse 7, so also it qualifies the
"peace" of verse 9-it is such mercy and peace as God Himself approves
of. The same qualification is seen again in "follow peace with all men
and holiness" (Heb. 12:14). We are to avoid all needless occasions of
contention, yet not to the point of sacrificing the Truth,
compromising principle, or forsaking duty-Christ Himself did not so:
Matthew 10:34.
"If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all
men" (Rom. 12:18). The very terms of this exhortation denote that so
far from compliance therewith being a simple task, it is one which
calls for constant vigilance, self-discipline, and earnest prayer.
Such is the state of human nature, that offences must needs come,
nevertheless it is part of Christian duty to see to it that we so
conduct ourselves as to give no just cause of complaint against us. It
is for our own peace we do so, for it is impossible to be happy in
broils and enmities. Some believers are of a naturally contentious
disposition, and doubly do they need to beg God to hold His
restraining and calming hand upon them. When disturbance and turmoil
is aroused, we should diligently examine ourselves before the Lord as
to whether the cause for it lie in us, and if so, confess the sin to
Him and seek to reconcile those offended. If we be innocent, we must
meekly submit to it as an affliction.
If it be true that "Blessed are the peacemakers," it necessarily
follows that cursed are the peacebreakers. Then let us be diligently
on our guard against bigotry, intemperate zeal, and a quarrelsome
spirit: the things of God are too sacred for wrangling. Highly
important is it that we give earnest heed to the exhortation of
"Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace"
(Eph. 4:3). Let it be carefully noted that the preceding verse
specifies the chief aids to this. In order to the development of a
peaceful disposition we must first cultivate the grace of "lowliness,"
which is the opposite of pride, for "only by pride cometh contention"
(Prov. 13:10). Second, there must be the cultivation of "meekness,"
which is the opposite of self-assertiveness, the determination to
press my will at all costs: remember "a soft answer turneth away
wrath." Third, the grace of "long sufferance," which is the opposite
of impatience. Finally, "forbearing one another in love," for the
queen of the graces "endureth all things."
See here the blessedness of that work to which the ministers of God
are called: not merely to effect peace between man and man, but to
reconcile men to God. What a contrast is this from the task allotted
to Joshua and his officers under the Mosaic economy, of taking up the
sword to slay the enemies of the Lord! In this dispensation the
servants of Christ are commissioned to seek the reconciliation of
those who are at enmity with God. The heralds of the Cross are the
ambassadors of peace, bidding sinners throw down the weapons of their
warfare and enter into amnesty with God. They know there is no peace
for the wicked, and therefore do they exhort them to acquaint
themselves with God and be at peace (Job 22:21). Of them it is
written, " How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel
of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!" (Rom. 10:15).
There is still another way in which it is the holy privilege of
believers to be peacemakers, and that is by their prayers averting the
wrath of God from a guilty nation. In the day when the Lord's anger is
kindled against a sin-laden people and the dark clouds of providence
threaten an impending storm of judgment, it is both the duty and the
privilege of God's remembrancers to stand in the breach and by their
earnest supplication stay His hand, so making peace. Moses did so (Ex.
32:10); so too Aaron (Num. 16:47, 48), and David (2 Sam. 24:14). When
a fearful plague visits our country, or another nation threatens it
with war, we are to behold God raising His rod, and entreat Him to be
merciful: see Jeremiah 12:11; Ezekiel 22:30, 31. This is indeed a
blessed work of peace: to stay the Lord from the work of destruction,
as Abraham's intercession had done for Sodom if there were but ten
righteous persons in it. Once more we say, only the Day to come will
show how the wicked gained by the presence of the righteous remnant in
their midst.
A word now upon the reward: "for they shall be called the children of
God," which is a decisive proof that these Beatitudes contemplate not
the moral virtues of the natural man, but rather the spiritual graces
of the regenerate, To be made a child of God is to be renewed in His
image and likeness; to be called so is to be esteemed and regarded as
such. The Lord Himself is "the God of peace" (Heb. 13:20), and where
this holy disposition is manifested by His people He owns them as His
children-compare Hebrews 2:11, and 11:16, for this force of the word
"called." Furthermore, holy peacemakers are recognized as children of
God by their spiritual brethren. Have you received this grace of the
Spirit, so that you sincerely desire and endeavour to live at peace
with all men? Then that is an evidence you are a child of God, a
pledge of your adoption. Labour to maintain it. Ultimately, God will
make it manifest to all the universe that we are His children (Rom.
8:19).
"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness" sake: for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (v. 10). The Christian life is one
that is full of strange paradoxes which are quite insoluble to human
reason, but which are easily understood by the spiritual mind. God's
saints rejoice with joy unspeakable, yet do they mourn with a
lamentation to which the worldling is an utter stranger. The believer
in Christ has been brought into contact with a source of vital
satisfaction which is capable of meeting every longing, yet does he
pant with a yearning like unto that of the thirsty hart. He sings and
makes melody in his heart to the Lord, yet does he groan deeply and
daily. His experience is often painful and perplexing, yet would he
not part with it for all the gold in the world. These puzzling
paradoxes are among the evidences which he possesses that he is indeed
blessed of God. But who by mere reasoning would ever conclude that the
persecuted and reviled are "blessed"! Genuine felicity, then, is not
only compatible with hut is actually accompanied by manifold miseries
in this life.
"It is a strong proof of human depravity that men's curses and
Christ's blessings should meet on the same persons. Who would have
thought that a man could be persecuted and reviled, and have all
manner of evil said of him for righteousness' sake? And do wicked men
really hate justice and love those who defraud and wrong their
neighbors? No; they do not dislike righteousness as it respects
themselves: it is only that species of it which respects God and
religion that excites their hatred. If Christians were content with
doing justly and loving mercy, and would cease walking humbly with
God, they might go through the world, not only in peace, but with
applause; but he that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer
persecution (2 Tim. 3:12). Such a life reproves the ungodliness of men
and provokes their resentment" (Andrew Fuller). It is the enmity of
the Serpent-active ever since the days of Abel (1 John 3:12)-against
the holy seed.
"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake." The
connection between this and all that has been before us must not be
overlooked. It is not every sufferer, nor even every sufferer for
religion, who is entitled to appropriate such consolation. This
antagonism is not in return for wrong-doing or in response to what has
given just cause for offence. They who are morose, haughty, selfish,
or evil-speaking, have no right to seek comfort from this Beatitude
when people retaliate against them. No, it is where Christliness of
character and conduct is assailed, where practical godliness condemns
the worldly ways of empty professors and fires their enmity, where
humble yet vital piety cannot be tolerated by those who are devoid of
the same. The wicked hate God's holy image and those who bear it, His
holy Truth and those who walk in it. This pronouncement of Christ's
signifies, Blessed are the spiritual which the carnal detest; blessed
are the gentle sheep, whom the dogs snap at.
How many a Christian employee who has refused to violate his
conscience has suffered at the hands of an ungodly master or mistress!
Yet such persecution, painful though it may be, is really a blessing
in disguise. First, by means of the opposition which they encounter,
the Lord's people become the better acquainted with their own
infirmities and needs, for thereby they are made conscious that they
cannot stand for a single hour unless Divine grace upholds them.
Second, by persecution they are often kept from certain sins into
which they would most likely fall were the wicked at peace with them:
the rough usage they receive at the hands of world lings makes
impossible that friendship with them which the flesh craves. Third,
such persecution affords the believer opportunity to glorify God by
his constancy, courage, and fidelity to the Truth.
This searching word "for righteousness' sake" calls upon us to
honestly examine ourselves before God when we are being opposed: "But
let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an
evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters" (1 Pet. 4:15). The
same qualification is made in the verse which immediately follows the
last quoted: "Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be
ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf": this is a most
necessary caution, that the believer see to it that he is buffeted for
right doing and not on account of his own misconduct or foolish
behavior. It is to be observed that persecution is often so speciously
disguised that those guilty thereof are not conscious of the same,
yea, so deceitful is the human heart, they imagine they are doing God
a service (John 16:2). But "Blessed are they that are persecuted for
righteousness' sake: for theirs is [not "shall be"] the kingdom of
heaven "; its privileges and blessings (Rom. 14:17) are theirs even
now: though hated by men, they are "kings and priests unto God" (Rev.
1:6).
"Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and
shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake"
(Matthew 5:11). In verse 10 the Lord enunciates the general principle;
here He makes special application of it to His servants. Note
carefully the change from "them" throughout verses 5-10 to "ye" and
"your" in verses 11 and 12: opposition is the general lot of God's
people, but it is the special portion of His ministers. If faithful to
their calling, they must expect to be fiercely assailed. Such has ever
been the experience of the Lord's servants. Moses was reviled again
and again (Ex. 5:11; 14:11; 16:2; 17:2; etc.). Samuel was rejected (1
Sam. 8:5). Elijah was despised (1 Kings 18:17) and persecuted (1 Kings
19:2). Micaiah was hated (2 Chron. 18:17). Nehemiah was oppressed and
defamed (Neh. 4). The Saviour Himself, the faithful witness of God,
was put to death by the people to whom He ministered. Stephen was
stoned, Peter and John cast into prison, James beheaded, while the
entire course of Paul was one long series of bitter and relentless
persecutions.
"Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and
shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice
and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven; for so
persecuted they the prophets which were before you" (vv. 11 and 12).
In these words the Lord Jesus faithfully warns His servants what they
may fully expect to encounter, and then defines how they are to
respond thereto, how they are to conduct themselves under the fire of
their enemies. That blessedness which worldly leaders value and crave
is to be flattered and feted, humored and honored; but the felicity
and glory of the officers of Christ are to be made conformable to the
Captain of their salvation, who was "despised and rejected of men."
Yet instead of being downcast over and murmuring at the hostility they
meet with, ministers of the Gospel are to be thankful to God for the
high honour He confers upon them in making them partakers of the
sufferings of His Son. Because that is so difficult for flesh and
blood to do, the Lord here advances two reasons as encouragements.
It is true that persecution of both ministers and saints is today in a
much milder form than it assumed in other ages; nevertheless, it is
just as real. Through the goodness of God we have long been protected
from legal persecution, but the enmity of the Serpent finds other ways
and means for expressing itself. The words of Christ in John 15 have
never been repealed: "If ye were of the world, the world would love
his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you
out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word
that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his Lord. If
they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have
kept My saying, they will keep yours also" (vv. 19 and 20). Let it be
carefully noted that it was the professing and not the profane "world"
that Christ was alluding to: it was from religious leaders, those
making the greatest spiritual pretensions, that the Redeemer Himself
received the worst treatment. And so it is now: members and officers
of the "churches" stoop to methods and use means of opposition which
those outside would scorn to employ.
Let us carefully note the qualification made by Christ in the verses
we are now considering. This benediction of His is pronounced only on
them who have all manner of evil spoken against them falsely: they
have themselves given no just occasion for the same. No, far from it,
it is not for any lawful ground of accusation in themselves, but for
"My sake"-for their loyalty and fidelity to Christ, for their
obedience to His commission, for their refusal to compromise His holy
Truth. To be "reviled" is to suffer personal abuse: said Paul, "We are
made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things"
(1 Cor. 4:13). "Persecution" may involve acts of ill-treatment or
ostracism. To have "all manner of evil said against" us is to suffer
defamation of character: 1 Thessalonians 2:2, clearly implies that
even the moral reputation of the apostle was attacked. All these are
efforts of the Devil to destroy the usefulness of God's ministers.
The Lord Jesus here pronounced blessed or happy those who, through
devotion to Him, would be called upon to suffer. They are "blessed"
because such are given the unspeakable privilege of having fellowship
with the sufferings of the Saviour. They are "blessed" because such
tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience
hope, and such a hope that will not make ashamed. They are "blessed"
because they shall be fully recompensed in the Day to come. Here is
rich comfort indeed. Let not the soldier of the Cross be dismayed
because the fiery darts of the wicked one are hurled against him.
Remember that "The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to
be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Rom. 8:18).
"Rejoice and be exceeding glad": this too is spoken specially to
ministers. Those afflictions which faithfulness to Christ brings upon
them are to be endured not only with patience and resignation, but
thanksgiving and gladness, and that for a threefold reason. First,
that they come upon them for Christ's sake: if He suffered so much for
them, should they not rejoice to suffer a little for Him? Second, they
shall be richly recompensed hereafter: "great is your reward in
heaven"-not as of merit, but purely of grace, for there is no
proportion between them. Third, they bring them into fellowship with a
noble company of martyrs: "for so persecuted they the prophets which
were before you" -they too were ill-treated by members of the outward
Church: what an honour to share, in our measure, the lot of those holy
men! Verily there is cause to rejoice, no matter how fierce the
conflict may be. Oh, to emulate the apostles in Acts 5:41, and 16:25.
May Divine grace enable all the oppressed servants and saints of God
to draw from these precious words of Christ the comfort and strength
they need.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Five
The Ministerial Office
"Ye are the salt of the earth but if the salt have lost his savour,
wherewith shall it he salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but
to be cast out, and to he trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light
of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do
men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick
and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so
shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your
Father which is in heaven."
Matthew 5:13-16
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"Ye are the salt of the earth." These words (and those which follow to
the end of verse 16) are frequently regarded as being spoken of God's
people at large, but this we think is a mistake. First, because such
an interpretation is out of harmony with the immediate context. In our
last chapter we called attention to our Lord's changing of the pronoun
in verse 11 from the "they" in verses 1-10 to the "ye." In verse 10
Christ enumerated the general principle that "blessed are they which
are persecuted for righteousness sake," but in verse 11 He made
particular application to His own ministers: persecution is the usual
experience of God's people, but it is the special portion of His
servants. Clear confirmation of this distinction is found in verse 12,
where the maligned ministers of Christ are bidden to rejoice because
"so persecuted they the prophets which were before you"-not "the
saints," but the official servants of God.
Thus, the "Ye are the salt of the earth" obviously has reference to
those who now occupy the same position as did the "prophets" of old,
namely those called of God to act as His mouthpiece and interpret His
will. Additional proof is found in what immediately follows, where
after further designating them the "light of the world" Christ added,
"A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid a figure fitly pertinent
to the officers of Christ, who are made a spectacle to the world.
Finally, what is said in verse 15 plainly pertains to the ministers of
God rather than to their hearers, for the candle on a candlestick
again speaks of official dignity, and the giving "light to all that
are in the house" is plainly the one man ministering to the many.
Matthew Henry begins his comments on these verses by pointing out,
"Christ had lately called His disciples and told them they should be
'fishers of men' (4:19); here He tells them further what He designed
them to be-the salt of the earth and light of the world: that they
might be indeed what it was expected they should be." It is only in
recent generations, when the spirit of socialism has invaded the
religious realm, that this passage has been promiscuously applied to
Christians. The two emblems which Christ here employed are very
striking, and their order significant. He resembles His ministers to
"salt" to humble them, for salt is cheap, common, and insignificant;
to "light" to encourage them, for light is illuminating, conspicuous,
elevated.
The passage we are now to ponder forms the second section of our
Lord's Sermon on the Mount. In it Christ touches upon the office of
the apostles, and therein (according to their measure) that of all His
ministers. It was a distinct division of His address, yet there is a
manifest relation between it and the last one: only those whom the
Lord pronounces "blessed," whose characters correspond to that which
He portrayed in verses 1-11, are called by Christ to witness publicly
for Him. The ministers of God must themselves first be seasoned by the
Word: how could they fittingly apply salt to the consciences of others
who had never felt the bite of it on their own? The design of these
verses, then, is to stir up Christ's servants to diligence and
fidelity in declaring the will of God unto saint and sinner alike.
Thus, the first two sections of this Sermon are closely connected. The
coherence of our present portion with the former stands thus: Christ
had declared that there is a company on earth upon whom the Divine
benediction rests. Anticipating the question, How do they attain to
and maintain this felicity by such graces of the Spirit, which fits
them for that estate? He answers, the preaching of God's Word is the
principal means to work in the heart those graces to which true
happiness is promised. Because this is a high and holy privilege to
bring men to this estate, Christ exhorted His ministers unto
earnestness in their service by two weighty reasons, drawn from the
properties of their work, and propounded by two similitudes.
"Ye are the salt of the earth" (verse 13). "Ye," that is those whom I
have called to be apostles and set apart for the work of the ministry.
Ye are "salt," not literally, yet by resemblance; yet not in regard of
their persons, but of their lab ours. They are here likened to "salt":
they were to season souls for God by making them savory in heart and
life. From this emblem both ministers and people may learn their
respective duties. Ministers are to dispense the Word, both Law and
Gospel, in such a way as to express the qualities of salt. Now the
properties of salt as applied to raw flesh or fresh meats are
principally these: first, it will fret and bite, being of a hot and
dry nature; second, it makes meat savory to our taste; third, it
preserves meat from putrefaction by drawing out of it superfluous
moisture.
Salt is an indispensable necessity of life. It is God's great
antiseptic in a sphere of decay. It is wrought into the very rocks and
soil of earth so that the waters filtering through them become
purified thereby. It is a necessary element of the blood, which is the
life of our bodies. How well suited is it then as a figure of the
Truth, by which means the soul is sanctified, for as salt arrests
natural corruption, so the Word of God militates against moral
corruption. This figure, then, furnishes clear direction to every
minister of God as to his manner of preaching. Since the Word alone be
the savory salt whereby souls are seasoned for the Lord, then it ought
to be dispensed purely and sincerely. If salt be mixed with dust and
rubbish it loses its pungency and efficacy, and if the Word be mingled
with levity or exciting anecdotes its power is nullified.
This figure plainly warns the minister of his pressing need of
fortitude. It is "salt" and not sugar candy he is to employ: something
which the ungodly will be more inclined to spit out than swallow with
a smile, something which is calculated to bring water to the eyes
rather than laughter to the lips. The minister, then, must not expect
faithful preaching to be acceptable and popular. It is contrary to
nature for those whose consciences are pricked to be pleased with
those who wound them. Christ's servants must be prepared for their
hearers to fret and set themselves against what searches out their
corruptions. Such displeasure and opposition is a testimony that their
ministry is "salt," that it has bitten into the depravity of their
people. Instead of being discouraged and dismayed they are to
perseveres endeavoring to season their congregation more and more with
the pure salt of God's Word.
The hearer also is to receive instruction from this figure. Hereby
each one may see what he is in himself by nature: depraved and
corrupt, as unsavory flesh and stinking carrion in the nostrils of
God, or else what need of salt? How this should humble and cause us to
lay aside all pride and self-righteousness. Again, every one must
learn hereby to suffer the word of reproof, whereby his secret sins
are discovered and denounced. When our conscience is searched we must
be willing for salt to be rubbed into it, for mortification precedes
salvation. The hearer must give all diligence to be seasoned with this
heavenly salt so that the thoughts of his heart, the words of his
mouth, and the actions of his life may be acceptable to God (Col.
4:6). If we sit under the ministry of the Word (oral or written) and
be not seasoned thereby our case is doubly evil (Judges 9:45).
"But if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It
is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out, and to be trodden
underfoot of men" (v. 13). This was brought in by Christ to move His
servants unto fidelity and diligence in their ministry by the danger
attending the opposite. Infidelity in the ministry is like unsavory
salt: ineffectual, worthless, despicable, subject to a fearful curse.
This is the great danger of the pulpit: to become men-pleasers, to
yield unto the demand for smooth speaking, to tickle the ears of their
auditors with novelties. Such preachers become unsavory salt,
unprofitable in their ministry, failing to season souls so that they
are acceptable to God. Salt is useless when it loses its virtue and
acrimony. Ministers become such when through lack of prayer and
continuous study they fail to increase in spiritual knowledge, or when
adopting false doctrine they preach error, or when they cease to
denounce sin, or when they fail to practice what they preach.
The greatness of the danger attending ministers who become unfaithful
and unprofitable is here pointed out by Christ in His words "wherewith
shall it [i.e. the salt-cf. Mark 9:50] be salted." Those who depart
from fidelity are very seldom, and then only with great difficulty,
recovered and restored. Read what is recorded of the false prophets in
the Old Testament and of false apostles in the New and where is there
an instance that any repented? The same solemn principle is
exemplified in the case of almost all those preachers who have
forsaken Protestantism and gone over to Rome. How diligently, then, do
ministers need to take to heart that injunction, "Meditate upon these
things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to
all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them:
for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear
thee" (1 Tim. 4:15, 16); and again, "But thou, O man of God, flee
these things [cf. 5:10]; and follow after righteousness, godliness,
faith, love, patience, meekness" (1 Tim. 6:11).
The unprofitableness of unfaithful ministers is expressed in the words
"it is thenceforth good for nothing": just as unsavory salt is become
worthless to season meat, so unfaithful ministers are valueless to God
and man. The curse resting upon such is, "it is cast out and trodden
under foot of men," that is, such preachers are condemned both by the
Lord and by their fellow men. "Therefore have I also made you
contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not
kept My ways, but have been partial in the law" (Mal. 2:9), such was
the fate pronounced upon the renegade priests of old. No doubt Christ
was here making an oblique reference to the scribes and Pharisees of
His day, affirming their unprofitableness and announcing the impending
doom of Judaism. Solemn beyond words is this verse, and prayerfully
should it be laid to heart by all Christian ministers.
"Ye are the light of the world" (v. 14). Here Christ likens His
ministers unto "light," and that with the object of stirring them up
to preach the will of God. It was as though He said, Your position and
condition is such that your sayings and doings are open to the
cognizance of man, therefore be careful to please God therein.
Spiritually the world is in darkness (2 Pet. 1:19) and sits in the
shadow of death (Matthew 4:16), because in Adam it turned away from
Him who is Light. But ministers of the Word carry with them a Lamp of
Truth, and by the illumination of their ministry are they to shine
upon the benighted souls of men. By their preaching ignorance is to be
exposed, that their hearers may be "turned from darkness to light"
(Acts 26:18).
By this figure Christ shows how the Word is to be handled: it is to be
so applied to the minds and consciences of men that they may be made
to see their sins and their woeful wretchedness thereby, then bringing
before them the remedy for their misery, which is the person and work
of the Lord Jesus; and then to make plain that path of obedience in
all good duties to God and men which He requires in the life of a
Christian. Preachers may display great homiletical skill and deliver
flowery discourses, but only that is true preaching which conveys the
light of spiritual knowledge to the heart and leads souls to God. So,
too, since the ministers are the light of the world it is incumbent
upon all who hear them to raise the blinds of carnal prejudice and
open the windows of their souls so that the illuminating message may
receive due entrance.
"A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a
candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth
light unto all that are in the house" (vv. 14, 15). Such is the case
with God's ministers by virtue of their calling. Christ has
denominated His servants "the light of the world," and they may be
inclined to regard themselves as men of some renown, and therefore He
informs them with His intent therein. It was not to give them titles
of praise, to puff them up, but to acquaint them with the demands of
their office: by reason of their high calling they would be public
spectacles-heard and scrutinized by men-and therefore it doubly
behooved them to see to it that their message was acceptable to God
and their walk blameless before men, for if by their fidelity they
might "turn many to righteousness," infidelity would involve souls in
eternal destruction.
Hereby God's ministers must learn not to think it strange if they lie
more open to manifold reproaches and abuses of the world than do the
rank and file of God's people, and the more godly their conduct be the
more distasteful to the unregenerate. Hence it follows that God's
servants cannot without great sin hide the gifts and talents which He
has bestowed upon them, for they are as lighted candles which must not
be put under a bushel. That may be done in various ways: by refusing
to humble themselves and speak in terms suited to the capacity of the
most simple, by refusing to give out the Truth of God, by toning it
down through the fear of man. by flirting with the world and adopting
its ways.
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (v. 16). By "so
shine" is signified ministerial teaching, whereby God's will and grace
are made known to His people, backed up by a godly example. Seeing
that by your calling you are so conspicuous in the world, look well to
the holiness of your lives and the fruits of your labours, so that
God's people may not only hear your doctrine but also perceive your
good works, and thereby be moved to follow the same, and thus bring
honour and praise to the Lord. These two things must never be
separated: sound doctrine and holy deportment are ever to be conjoined
in a minister. He who teaches to write will give rules of writing to
the scholars, and then set before them a copy to follow. God will have
men learn His will in two ways: by hearing and seeing (cf. 1 Tim.
4:12).
In regard of this double charge which lies on every minister, his
hearers (or readers) must, for their part, remember in their prayers
to crave of God that their pastors may be Divinely enabled to preach
to them by lip and life. It is striking to note how often Paul
required the churches to which he wrote to pray for him in regard of
his ministry (see Rom. 15:30; 2 Cor. 1:11; Eph. 6:19). If, then, the
chief of the apostles had need to be prayed for, how much more so the
ordinary minister of God! Great reason is there for this, for the
Devil stood at the right hand of Israel's high priest to resist him
(Zech. 3:1). Though he opposes every Christian, yet he aims especially
at the minister to cause him to fail, if not in his teaching, then in
his conduct.
"That they may see your good works": your sincerity, fidelity, love,
self-sacrifice, perseverance, zeal, etc. "And glorify your Father
which is in heaven": this is the chief though not the whole end of
good works-subordinately, they enrich ourselves and benefit our
fellows. As regards God they serve, first, as means whereby we give
evidence of our homage by obeying His commands. Second, they serve as
tokens of our gratitude for all His mercies, both spiritual and
temporal, for thankfulness is to be expressed by life as well as lip.
Third, they serve to make us followers of God, who hath bidden us to
be holy as He is holy (1 Pet. 1:16) and to put into practice the
duties of love to our neighbor. This must be the main aim of the
minister: to bring men to glorify God. Though the unregenerate are
quite capable of perceiving the minister's failures, it is only real
Christians who can discern his spiritual graces and the fruit thereof,
as it is they alone who will glorify the Father because of the same.
Probably the Day to come will reveal that few things have evoked so
much genuine praise to God as His people's returning thanks for the
piety, integrity, and helpfulness of His servants, who untiringly
sought their good.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Six
Christ and the Law
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am
not come to destroy, hut to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till
heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass
from the law, till all be fulfilled."
Matthew 5:1, 18
___________________________________
The manifestation of Christ in Israel's midst was sudden and
startling. The first thirty years of His life on earth had been lived
in private, and outside His own immediate circle He seems to have
attracted little attention. But as soon as He appeared on the stage of
public action this was altered: the eyes of all were fixed upon Him
and the leaders of the nation were compelled to take notice of Him.
His meekness and lowliness at once distinguished Him from those who
sought the praise of men. His miracles of healing soon became heralded
far and wide. His call to repentance and proclamation of the Gospel
(Mark 1:15) made people wonder what was the real character and design
of His mission. Was He a revolutionary? Was it His purpose to
overthrow the existing order of things? What was His attitude towards
the Scriptures, and particularly to the Law of Moses? Did He disavow
their Divine authority? These were questions agitating the minds of
men, and calling for clear answers.
Christ's preaching was so entirely different from that of the
Pharisees and Sadducees (which was supposed to be based on the Old
Testament), that the people were inclined to imagine His intention was
to subvert the authority of God's Word and substitute His own in its
place. Because Christ despised "the traditions of the elders," the
religious leaders supposed Him to be a deceiver, going about to
destroy the very foundations of piety. Because He threw far more
emphasis upon great moral principles than upon ceremonial
institutions, many were ready to imagine that He repudiated the entire
Levitical system. Because He was the Proclaimer of grace and the
Dispenser of mercy, the "Friend of publicans and sinners," the idea
became current that He was opposed to the Law. The balance of Truth
had been lost, and because the Lord Jesus did not echo the prevailing
theology of the day, He was regarded as a heretic. Christ had refused
to identify Himself with any of the sects of His time, and because He
was outside them all, people wondered what was His real attitude to
the Law and the prophets.
For a long time past the view had more or less obtained that when the
Messiah appeared He would introduce radical changes and entirely
overthrow the ancient order of religion. Therefore did Christ here
assure the people that so far from being antagonistic to the Old
Testament Scriptures, He had come to fulfil them. He strongly
disavowed any hostile design in regard to the Word of God, and
proceeded to confirm its authority. The verses we are now to ponder
begin the third and longest section of the Sermon on the Mount: from
verse 17 to the end of chapter 5, Christ treats of the most important
subject of the moral Law, showing its true meaning, which had been
much corrupted by the Jewish teachers. First our Lord refuted the
erroneous ideas which the people had formed of Him by three emphatic
declarations, the force of which we shall now endeavour to bring out.
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets" (v.
17). The Old Testament Scriptures were comprehensively summarized
under the title, "the law and the prophets" (Matthew 7:12; Luke
16:16): thus the first and widest meaning of our Lord's words is,
Suppose not that My mission is to repudiate the authority of Holy
Writ; rather is it to establish and enforce the same. This will be the
more evident when we examine the verses which immediately follow. The
entire record of His ministry furnished clear proof of what He
asserted on this occasion. Christ venerated the sacred Scriptures, was
regulated by them in all His actions, and definitely set His
imprimatur upon their Divine inspiration. No fouler calumny could be
laid to His charge than to accuse Him of any antagonism to or
disrespect for the Divine oracles.
We must next duly note that Christ did not here speak of "the law and
the prophets," but "the law, or the prophets," a distinction we are
required to weigh and understand, for it presents quite a different
concept. The Law and the prophets are not here associated in such a
way as to comprise a unity, or as indicating the spirit of the Law by
another word. No, the two terms are here put together by the
disjunctive particle "or," and therefore each of them must represent a
distinct idea familiar to the Jews. Christ was here referring to the
prophets not so much as the commentators upon the Law, but as those
who had fore-announced His person, mission, and kingdom. His obvious
design, then, was to intimate that the Old Testament in all its parts
and elements-ethical or predicative-referred to Himself and was
accomplished in Himself.
It is also to be observed that no further reference is made to the
prophets throughout this Sermon (let those who have such a penchant
for prophecy take due note!), and that from verse 18 onwards it is the
Law which Christ treats of. Before proceeding farther we must next
inquire, Exactly what did Christ here signify by "the law"? We answer,
unhesitatingly, The whole Jewish Law, which was threefold: ceremonial,
judicial, and moral. The ceremonial described rules and ordinances to
be observed in the worship of God; the judicial described ordinances
for the government of the Jewish commonwealth and the punishment of
offenders: the former was for the Jews only; the latter primarily for
them, yet concerned all people in all times so far as it tended to
establish the moral Law. The moral Law is contained in the Ten
Commandments.
While the entire Jewish Law was comprehended by our Lord's expression
"the law," yet it is clear that He alluded principally to the moral
Law, for the subsequent parts of the Sermon refer directly and mainly
to it. But we must add that this term here also included the types,
the law of sacrifice, and especially the sin-offering; for the
question might well be asked, If there had been no real accomplishment
of the sacrificial emblems, what then became of all the references in
Moses to the propitiatory offerings and to the entire typical system?
If Christ had not accomplished them by presenting to God the substance
which they shadowed forth, then they would have been an unfulfilled
prophecy or pledge, for they manifestly pointed to Him. Christ, then,
came to present the reality of which they were the pledge.
"I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil" (v. 17). We must now
carefully inquire what our Lord here meant by "fulfil." We understand
Him to signify that so far from its being His purpose to annul the
moral Law, He had come with the express design of meeting its holy
demands, to offer unto God what it justly required-to magnify it by
rendering to it a perfect obedience in thought and word and deed; and
that so far from despising the prophets His mission was to make good
their predictions concerning Himself by performing the very work they
had announced He should do. In a word, we regard this statement of
Christ's as a definite declaration that He had entered this world with
the object of bringing in a perfect righteousness, which should be
imputed to all His believing people. But this vital and glorious truth
is now blankly repudiated by some who pose as being orthodox, and
therefore they viciously wrest this passage.
Unwilling to admit that Christ rendered to the Law any vicarious
obedience on behalf of His people, Socinians contend that the word
"fulfil" in this passage simply means to "fill out" or "fill full."
They imagine that in the remainder of the chapter Christ partly
cancels and partly adds to the moral Law. Even Mr. Grant, in his
Numerical Bible, rendered it "complete," and in his notes says, "What
would the Old Testament be without the New? Very much like a finger
pointing into vacuity." As quite a number of our readers have more or
less come under the influence of this error, we deem it necessary to
expose such a sophistry and establish the true meaning of Christ's
declaration. In essaying this we cannot do better than summarize the
arguments used by George Smeaton.
First, that "usage of language is opposed to such an interpretation
which here adopts the rendering 'to fill out' in preference to fulfil.
No example of such a usage can be adduced when the verb is applied to
a law or to an express demand contained in the spirit of the law; in
which case it uniformly means 'to fulfil.' Thus it is said, 'He that
loveth another hath fulfilled the law' (Rom. 8:8). The inflexible
usage of language rules the sense in such a phrase, to the effect that
Christ must be understood to say that He came not to fill out or to
supplement the Law by additional elements, but to fulfil it, by
obeying it or by being made under it."
Second, "fill out" is inadmissible as applied to the second term or
object of the verb: Christ did not come to fill out or expound the
prophets, but simply to fulfil their predictions. Whenever the word
here used is applied to anything prophetical, it is always found in
such a connection that it can only mean "to fulfil," and hence we must
not deviate from its uniform signification. Third, verse 18 must be
regarded as giving a reason for the statement made in verse 17. But
what sort of reason would be given if we were to render the connected
verses thus: "I came to fill out or to supplement the Law, for verily
I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, not one jot or tittle
shall in any wise pass from the Law till all be fulfilled"?
To these arguments we would add this forcible and (to us) conclusive
consideration: the term "fulfil" was here placed by Christ in direct
antithesis from "destroy," which surely fixes its scope and meaning.
Now to "destroy" the Law is not to empty it of meaning, but is to
rescind, dissolve or abrogate it. But to "fill out" or complete the
Law obviously presents no proper contrast with "destroy" or render
void. "To fulfil," then, is to be taken in its prime and natural
sense, as meaning to perform what they (the Law and the prophets)
required, to substantiate them, to make good what they demanded and
announced. Merely to rescue the Law from the corrupt glosses of the
Jews and to explain its higher meaning was business which could have
been done by the apostles, but to bring in an "everlasting
righteousness" no mere creature was capable of doing. Law can only be
"fulfilled" by perfect obedience.
If we take "fulfil" here in its widest scope, then we gladly avail
ourselves of the compound definition of W. Perkins. First, Christ
fulfilled the Law by His doctrine: both by restoring to it its proper
meaning and true use, and by revealing the right way in which the Law
may be fulfilled. Second, in His person: both by performing perfect
and perpetual obedience unto its precepts, and by suffering its
penalty, enduring death upon the Cross for His people. Third, in men:
in the elect by imparting faith to their hearts, so that they lay hold
of Christ who fulfilled it for them, and by giving them His own Spirit
which imparts to them a love for the Law and sets them on endeavoring
to obey it; in the reprobate when He executes the curse of the Law
upon them.
Taking our verses as a whole, we may perceive how that though the Law
and the Gospel vary in some respects very widely, yet there is a
perfect consonance and agreement between them. Many now suppose that
the one is the avowed enemy of the other. Not so. There is a sweet
consent between the Law and Gospel, for Christ came to fulfil the
former and is the substance of the latter, and therefore are we
informed through His chief apostle that "by faith we establish the
law" (Rom. 3:21), and that when Moses had given the Law unto the
people of Israel he offered sacrifices and sprinkled the blood thereof
upon the book and the people (Heb. 9:19, 20)-type of the shedding of
Christ's blood and which thus did notify the perfect harmony of the
Law and the Gospel.
What that blessed consonance is between the Law and the Gospel no
regenerate soul should have any difficulty in perceiving. Let us
briefly present it thus. The Law required perfect obedience and
pronounced death on the least breach thereof, and does not propose any
way of fulfilling the same in our own persons. But the Gospel directs
us to Christ, who, as the believer's Surety, fulfilled the Law for
him, for which reason Christ is called "The end of the law for
righteousness to everyone that believeth" (Rom. 10:4). And through
Christ it is that "the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in
us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (Rom. 8:4).
"For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one
tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled" (v.
18). In these words our Lord advances a conclusive argument for
clearing Himself from the false imputation that He had come to destroy
the Law, as the opening "For" (following His statement in v. 17)
clearly indicates. His argument is drawn from the very nature of the
Law, which is immutable. Since the Law is unchangeable, it must needs
be fulfilled-that its Author be vindicated and glorified; and since
fallen man was incapable of rendering perfect obedience to it, it was
essential that Christ Himself should perform and bring in that
everlasting righteousness which God required. Christ's argument, then,
may be stated thus: If the Law be inviolable and for observance
eternal, then I could not have come to destroy it. Because the Law is
immutable and eternal it necessarily follows that He came not to annul
but to accomplish it.
"Verily I say unto you" was a form of speech employed by the Saviour
when He would solemnly avouch any weighty truth, propounding it in His
own name. Herein He evidences Himself to be the grand "Amen," the
"faithful and true Witness," the antitypical Prophet, the Divine
Teacher of His Church, to whom we must hearken in all things, for He
cannot lie. In saying "till heaven and earth pass away"-the most
stable of all created objects-Christ affirmed the unchangeableness of
the Law, and that this might be rendered the more emphatic He made
reference to the minutiae of the Hebrew alphabet, that not so much as
its smallest part shall pass from the Law-the "jot" being the tiniest
letter, and the "tittle" the smallest curve of a letter.
The ceremonial law has not been destroyed by Christ, but the substance
now fills the place of its shadows. Nor has the judicial law been
destroyed: though it has been abrogated unto us so far as it was
peculiar to the Jews, yet, as it agrees with the requirements of civic
justice and mercy, and as it serves to establish the precepts of the
moral law, it is perpetual-herein we may see the blasphemous impiety
of the popes of Rome, who in the canons have dared to dispense with
some of the laws of consanguinity in Leviticus 18. While the moral law
remains for ever as a rule of obedience to every child of God, as we
have shown so often in these pages.
Let us learn from Christ's declaration of the immutability of the Law
that, first, the Scriptures are the very Word of God, and therefore a
sure resting place for our hearts. A Christian is subject to many
doubts of the truth of God's promises in times of trial and
temptation, but this should ever be remembered: not one jot or tittle
can pass till all be accomplished. Second, that no part of the
inspired Scriptures, still less any whole book of it, can be lost:
neither man nor devil can destroy one jot of it. Third, this
immutability of the Law shall stand against them for ever. Fourth,
Christ's setting His seal upon the inviolable authority of the Law
intimates its perfections: every part of it is needed by us, every
sentence evidences its Divine authorship, every precept calls for our
loving obedience.
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The Sermon On The Mount
____________________________________________________
Chapter Seven
Christ and the Law-Continued
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am
not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till
heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass
from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break
one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be
called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and
teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter
into the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 5:17-20
___________________________________
We are not unmindful of the fact that the passage now before us is one
which will possess little attraction for the great majority of
professing Christians in our degenerate age, and possibly some of our
own readers would be better pleased if we superficially summarized its
teaching rather than endeavoured to give a detailed exposition of its
weighty contents. Those verses which contain God's promises are far
more acceptable in this day of self-pleasing and self-gratification
than those which insist upon our obedience to the Divine precepts. But
this ought not to be, for the one is as truly a part of God's Word as
the other, and just as much needed by us. If any vindication of our
present procedure be required, it is sufficient to point out that the
words we are to examine are those of Christ Himself, and He ever
sought the glory of God and the good of souls, caring not for either
the praise or the criticism of His hearers.
Healthy Christianity can only be maintained where the balance is
properly preserved between a faithful exposition of the holy Law of
God and a pressing of its claims upon the conscience, and by tenderly
preaching the Gospel and applying its balm to stricken hearts. Where
the former predominates to the virtual exclusion of the latter,
self-righteous pharisaism is fostered; and where the proclamation of
the Gospel ousts the requirements of the Law, Antinomian
licentiousness is engendered. Daring the past hundred years
Christendom has probably heard fifty Gospel sermons or addresses to
one on the Law, and the consequence has indeed been disastrous and
deplorable: a light and backboneless religion, with loose and careless
walking. Therefore when a servant of God is expounding, consecutively,
any portion of the Scriptures, and in the course thereof arrives at a
passage upon the Law, it is now (more than ever before) his bounden
duty to tarry there and press its claims upon his hearers or readers.
Such a verse as the one which is to be particularly before us ought
indeed to search all our hearts, especially those of us who have been
called by the Lord to His service. Taken at its surface meaning
Matthew 5:19, emphasizes the deep importance of obedience to the
Divine commandment, and most solemnly warns against disobedience. Yet
it is at this very point that modern Christendom errs most grievously,
and the pulpit is chiefly to be blamed for this sad state of affairs.
Not only do many who pose as ministers of Christ themselves break the
commandments, but they publicly teach their hearers to do the same;
and this not with regard to the "least" of the Divine precepts, but in
connection with the most fundamental of God's laws. Should these lines
catch the eyes of any such men, we trust that it may please the Lord
to use the same in convicting them of the enormity of their sin.
Our Lord was on the point of correcting various corruptions of the Law
which obtained among the Jews of His day, and He prefaced what He had
to say by cautioning them not to misconstrue His design, as though He
were opposing either Moses or the prophets, neither of whose writings
were at any variance with the kingdom He had come to establish. So far
from setting Himself against Moses, He, with the most solemn
asseveration, declared the Law to be of perpetual obligation (v. 18),
and such was His regard for it that if anyone posing as a minister in
His kingdom should break the least of the Law's precepts and teach
others to make light of it, he should be as little in the eyes of the
Lord as the precept was in his eyes (v. 19); while those practicing
and inculcating the Law should have His highest approval.
Our passage begins at 5:17, in which our Lord made known in no
uncertain terms His attitude toward the Divine Law. False conceptions
had been formed as to the real design of His mission, and those who
were unfriendly toward Him sought to make the people believe that the
Lord Jesus was a revolutionary, whose object was to overthrow the very
foundations of Judaism. Therefore in His first formal public address
Christ promptly gave the lie to these wicked aspersions and declared
His complete accord with the Divine revelation at Sinai. Not only was
there no antagonism between Himself and Moses, but He had come to
earth with the express purpose of accomplishing all that had been
demanded in the name of God. So far was it from being His design to
repudiate the holy Law, He had become incarnate in order to work out
that very righteousness it required, to make good what the Levitical
institutions had foreshadowed, and to bring to pass the Messianic
predictions of Israel's seers.
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am
not come to destroy, but to fulfil" (Matthew 5:17). Well did Beza say
upon this verse, "Christ came not to bring any new way of
righteousness and salvation into the world, but to fulfil that in deed
which was shadowed by the figures of the Law: by delivering men
through grace from the curse of the Law; and moreover to teach the
true use of obedience which the Law appointed, and to grave in our
hearts the force of obedience." On the dominant word "fulfil,' Matthew
Henry pertinently pointed out, "The Gospel is 'The time of
reformation' (Heb. 9:10)-not the repeal of the Law, but the amendment
of it [i.e. from its pharisaical corruptions, A.W.P.] and,
consequently, its re-establishment."
"For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one
tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled" (v.
18). In these words our Lord affirmed the perpetuity of the Law,
insisting that it should never be abrogated. The grass withereth and
the flower fadeth, but the Word of God endureth for ever: the Old
Testament as much as the New, the Law as truly as the Gospel. The
"verily I say unto you" was the solemn asseveration of the Amen, the
faithful and true Witness. Everything in the Law must be fulfilled:
not only its prefigurations and prophecies, but its precepts and
penalty: fulfilled, first, personally and vicariously, by and upon the
Surety; fulfilled, second and evangelically, in and by His people; and
fulfilled, third, in the doom of the wicked, who shall experience its
awful curse for ever and ever. Instead of Christ's being opposed to
the Law of God, He came here to magnify it and render it honorable
(Isa. 42:21); and rather than His teachings being subversive thereof,
they confirmed and enforced it.
"Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and
shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of
heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be
called great in the kingdom of heaven" (v. 19). This afforded proof of
what Christ had declared in verses 17 and 18, for the language He here
employed manifestly implies the perpetual and inflexible obligation of
the Law throughout the entire course of the kingdom of heaven-this
Christian era. Not only so, but the words of Christ in this verse make
unmistakably clear the inestimable value which He placed upon the
Divine commandments, and which esteem He would strictly require and
exact from all who taught in His name: His disapproval falling on the
one who slighted the least of the Law's requirements, and His approval
resting on each who by his example and teaching honored the same.
"Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments,"
namely the "jot and tittle" of the previous verse-the smallest part of
the Law. Weigh carefully the word we have placed in italics: it
denotes two things. First, Christ is here illustrating or exemplifying
what He had so expressly affirmed in the previous verses and insists
that instead of encouraging His followers to disregard the Divine Law
He upheld its claims in the most certain manner, for the King Himself
would frown upon any of His officers who dared to disesteem its
smallest requirements. Second, Christ drew an obvious conclusion from
what He had laid down in the foregoing. If the Master Himself came not
to destroy the Law but rather to fulfil it, then it manifestly
followed that His servants too must keep the commandments and teach
others to do the same. It is in this way the ministers of Christ are
to be identified: by their following the example which He has left
them.
Let us take notice of how what immediately follows the "therefore"
clinches the interpretation we gave of the "destroy" and the disputed
but simple "fulfil" of verse 17. To "destroy" the Prophets would he to
deny their validity, to repudiate their inspiration, to annul their
authority, so that they would then possess no binding power on the
people of God. In like manner, to "destroy" the Law is not simply to
break it by transgression, but also to abolish it: it is such a
destruction as would rob it of all virtue and power so that it would
be no law at all. This is why the Lord added, "break one of these
commandments and teach men so." The order is significantly the same in
both verses: "destroy . . . fulfil" (v. 17), "break.. . do and teach
them" (v. 19).
Let us further observe how the contents of this verse establish the
definition we gave of "the law" in the preceding verses-a matter on
which there has been some difference of opinion among the
commentators. We pointed out that, while it is clear from the later
parts of the Sermon that Christ alluded principal1y to the moral law,
yet in view of the circumstances under which this Discourse was
delivered and in view of Christ's allusion to the "jot and tittle" of
the Law, the ceremonial and judicial aspects of it must not be
excluded. Throughout this passage "the law" is to be understood in its
widest latitude, as embracing the Mosaic Law. This is clear from our
Lord's reference to "one of these least commandments," for surely we
cannot think of the Ten Commandments in such a connection; for they
one and all belong to the fundamental statutes of the kingdom
Should anyone demur at what has just been said and insist that "the
law" is to be understood as here referring to the Ten Commandments
only, we shall not quarrel with him. It may indeed he pointed out,
inasmuch as the Divine Decalogue is a unit, and therefore all of its
commands possess equal authority, that no part of it can be of slight
obligation; yet some parts of it respect matters of, relatively, more
importance than do others. Transgressions of the first table are far
more heinous than those against the second: to take the Lord's name in
vain is much more sinful than stealing from a fellow creature. So too
there are degrees of criminality in offences against the precepts of
the second table: to murder is a graver crime than to bear false
witness against my neighbor. Thus, while none of the Ten Words is
trivial, some respect more momentous objects than the others.
Nevertheless, let not the solemn fact be forgotten that "whosoever
shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of
all" (Jam. 2:10).
Ere passing on it should be pointed out that the verse now before us
also definitely confirms our explanation of the "ye" in verses 13-16-a
point which is disputed by many of our moderns. When treating of that
passage we called attention to our Lord's change of the pronoun in His
second division of the Sermon. In verses 3 to 10 the Saviour
throughout used "theirs" and "they," but in verses 11 to 16 He
employed "ye" and "you." We insisted that this second section has
exclusive reference to Christ's official servants-the New Testament
successors of the "prophets" (verse 12), for they are, ministerially,
the salt of the earth and the light of the world. That Christ
continued to have in mind the same class, and was addressing Himself
not to the rank and file of His people, but to His official servants,
is clear from His "Whosoever shall do and teach them."
"Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and
shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of
heaven." The "kingdom of heaven" here, as in the great majority of
places, has reference to the sphere of profession. It is wider than
the Church which is 'Christ's body, for none but the elect of God are
members of that. The "kingdom of heaven" takes in all who claim to own
the sceptre of Christ, and therefore it includes the false as well as
the real, as is clear from our Lord's parables: the tares growing in
the same field as the wheat, the had fish being enclosed in the net
with the good; though at the end there shall be a severance of one
from the other. This at once removes any difficulty which may be felt
over a minister who teaches others to break God's commands having any
place at all therein. This kingdom was announced by Christ's
forerunner (3:2), and since that time has been preached (11:12).
Two different explanations have been given by the commentators as to
the meaning of "he shall be called the least in the kingdom of
heaven." First, that one is called "the least" because he is not
deemed worth y to have any part at all or any real inheritance in the
kingdom of Christ and of God: this is negated by the Lord's own words.
Second, and strange to say the one adopted by the best writers: this
person shall he held in such low esteem by his fellow citizens as to
be called by them the least in the kingdom. But we see nothing in our
verse which indicates that the reference is to the judgment of men.
Personally, we believe something far more solemn than that is in view:
the evil minister shall be judged "the least" by the King Himself.
Does not our verse look back to, "The ancient and the honourable, he
is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail" (Isa.
9:15)? It was Christ's condemnation of the unfaithful servant.
Not only does our present verse solemnly condemn Dispensationalists
(who repudiate one of the greatest of all God's commands: the
Sabbatic-statute), but it announces the disapproval of Christ upon
another class of errorists. Not a few Calvinists have pitted the
Gospel against the Law, and instead of showing the one as the handmaid
of the other, have represented them as being irreconcilable enemies.
These men have disgraced Divine grace, for they fail to show that
grace works through righteousness, and have taken from the Christian
his rule of life. Their conception of what Christian liberty consists
of is altogether wrong, denying that the believer is under Divine
bonds to walk in obedience to the Decalogue. Failing to see that
Romans 6:14, has reference to our justification and not our
sanctification, they repudiate the moral law, teaching that in no
sense are we under its authority. But though such men be held in high
esteem by many of the churches, they are the very "least" in the sight
of 'Christ, and must yet answer to Him for engaging in the very
practice which He here denounces.
Antinomianism (the repudiation of the moral law as the Christian's
rule of life) is as reprehensible and dangerous as papal indulgences.
If on the one hand we need to guard against legality (seeking to keep
the Law in order to merit something good at the hands of God), on the
other hand there is just as real a danger of dwelling so exclusively
on the grace of the Gospel that we lose sight of the holy living
required. "Let us then beware equally of Antinomian licentiousness and
of pharisaical self-righteousness; these are Scyalla and Charybdis,
the fatal rock and whirlpool: most men in shunning the one fall into
the other, and we need the Lord the Spirit to pilot us between them.
But the clear and full exposition of the holy Law of God, and the
scriptural application of it to the heart and conscience, forms one
most important preservative from these fatal extremes" (T. Scott).
"But whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great
in the kingdom of heaven." Note well the order here: "do and teach."
As Paul exhorted his son in the faith, "Take heed unto thyself, and
unto the doctrine" (1 Tim. 4:16): Christ requires integrity of life
and soundness of doctrine from His servants. The Lord is both mocked
and grievously insulted by ministers who practice one thing and preach
another: far better to quit preaching entirely if our lives be opposed
to our sermons. Furthermore, there will be no power in the preaching
of the man whose own walk clashes with his talk: his words will carry
no conviction to the hearts of his hearers-as one quaintly but
solemnly said to his minister, "I cannot hear what you say, from
seeing what you do." Finally, a minister cannot with any clearness of
conscience and joy of heart teach others their duty, unless he first
be a practicer of what he preaches.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Eight
Christ and the Law-Concluded
___________________________________
"For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter
into the kingdom of heaven" (v. 20). We purpose to expound this verse
by supplying answers to the following questions. First, who or what
were the scribes and Pharisees? Second, what was the character of
their righteousness? Third, what is the nature of that superior
righteousness which Christ requires from His subjects? Fourth, how is
it obtained? Fifth, how is it manifested? Sixth, wherein does it
exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees? Seventh, what
is signified by "ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven?
Eighth, what is the relation of verse 20 to the context?
Before seeking an answer to the above questions, let us point out what
a startling effect this statement of Christ's must have produced upon
His hearers. The scribes were the most renowned teachers of the Law,
and the Pharisees had the reputation of being the most exemplary
models of Judaism; and for our Lord to have solemnly affirmed that
such righteousness as they possessed was altogether inadequate for
entitling them to an entrance into the kingdom which He had come to
set up must have seemed a most radical and startling declaration. The
Pharisees were looked up to as those who had attained to the very
pinnacle of personal piety, and the common people supposed that such
heights of spirituality were quite beyond their reach. Men in general
imagined that they could not be expected to equal their attainments.
It was a proverb among the Jews that "If but two men were to enter
heaven, the one would be a scribe and the other a Pharisee."
First, who were the scribes and Pharisees? The word "scribe" is a name
of office, whereof there were two sorts among the Jews: civil and
ecclesiastical. The former were public notaries, registering the
affairs of state: such a one was Shimshai (Ezra 4:8). The latter were
employed in expounding the Scriptures: such a one was Ezra (7:1, 5,
6). It was to the latter Christ referred in this Gospel: see 8:52;
23:2-interpreters of the Law of Moses. They were of the tribe of Levi.
The name "Pharisee" betokens a sect, and not an office. They differed
from the scribes inasmuch as they formed a code of morals and of
ceremonial acts more rigid than the Law of Moses enjoined, basing it
on the traditions of the fathers: and were held in highest esteem
among the Jews: see Acts 23:6; 26:5. The scribes, then, were the
doctors of the Law; the Pharisees professing the purest practice of
it.
Second, what was the character of their righteousness, and wherein lay
its defectiveness? First, the righteousness of the scribes and
Pharisees was an external one only, consisting of certain outward
observances of the Law. They were strict in abstaining from such gross
sins as adultery, theft, murder and idolatry; but they made no
conscience of impure thoughts, covetousness, hatred, and coldness of
heart toward God; and therefore did Christ say unto them, "Woe unto
you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside
of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion
and excess," etc. (Matthew 23:25, 27, 28). Second, their observance of
God's Law was a partial one: they laid far more stress upon its
ceremonial precepts than upon its moral requirements; and therefore
did Christ say unto them, "Ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin,
and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy,
and faith" (Matthew 23:23). Third, their actions proceeded from
unsound principles: self-interest, rather than the glory of God, was
their ruling motive. They were forward in fasting, praying at street
corners, and giving alms ostentatiously; but it was all done to
enhance their reputation among men (Matthew 23:5-7).
Righteousness of soul, purity of heart, the scribes and Pharisees had
no regard for. In their religion we have an exemplification of what is
the natural persuasion of men the world over, namely, that a religion
of external performances will suffice to ensure a blissful eternity.
True, there are many who would deny this in words, but in works they
substantiate it. They bring their bodies to the house of prayer, but
not their souls; they worship with their mouths, but not "in spirit
and in truth." They are sticklers for immersion or early morning
communion, yet take no thought of keeping their hearts with all
diligence (Prov. 4:23). Multitudes of professing Christians abstain
from external acts of violence, yet hesitate not to rob their
neighbors of a good name by spreading evil reports against them.
Thousands who would not dare to rob openly, yet misrepresent their
goods and cheat their customers; which shows they have more fear of
breaking man's laws than they have of breaking those of God.
Third, what is the nature of that righteousness which Christ requires
from His subjects? There are three kinds of righteousness spoken of in
the Scriptures. First, inherent, which Adam had when he left the hands
of his Maker (Eccl. 7:29), which none possess by nature today. Second,
imputed righteousness (Rom. 4:6), which is the whole of our
justification before God. Third, imparted righteousness (Eph. 4:24),
when God the Spirit makes us new creatures. Most of the older writers
concluded that it was the second of these which Christ referred to
here in Matthew 5:20, but we are satisfied that this was a mistake. It
is true that the sinner's title for heaven can consist only of the
perfect righteousness of Christ being imputed to him upon his
believing, yet there must be an experimental meetness for the
inheritance of the saints in light as well as a legal right, and this
we obtain through our regeneration and sanctification.
We fully agree with Mr. J. C. Philpot when he pointed out on Matthew
5:20, "Christ did not mean an external righteousness wrought out by
His obedience to the Law for them, but an internal righteousness
wrought out by the Holy Spirit in them. Thus, we read of the inward as
well as the outward apparel of the Church: 'The King's daughter is all
glorious within; her clothing is of wrought gold' (Ps. 45:13). Two
kinds of righteousness belong to the queen: her imputed righteousness
is her outward robe, the 'clothing of wrought gold'; but imparted
righteousness is her inward adorning, which makes her 'all glorious
within.' This inward glory is the new man in the heart, with all his
gifts and graces." This must be so if the Church is conformed to her
head, for He was "without spot" externally, and "without blemish"
internally.
As this is a point which is much disputed, we must labour it a little
further. That righteousness which will bring men to heaven is not a
bare imputed one, but an imputed righteousness which is accompanied by
an imparted one. Justification and sanctification must never be
severed: wherever the former be pronounced, the other (in its
fundamental aspect) has already been bestowed. The one concerns our
standing before God, the other respects our state in ourselves. Romans
8 is just as vital and blessed a part of the Gospel as is Romans 5,
and it is to the irreparable loss of the saint if the one be
emphasized to the virtual exclusion of the other. Surely righteousness
alone secures for us a standing before God, but evangelical
righteousness is the certain proof thereof, and as the tree is known
by its fruits so imputed righteousness can be recognized in no other
way than by inward righteousness with its effects in the life.
To this writer the simplest and most conclusive way of ascertaining
the nature of the righteousness which Christ requires from all who
shall have part in His everlasting kingdom is to observe that it is
placed in direct antithesis from the righteousness of the scribes and
Pharisees. Now as we have pointed out, the defects of the latter lay
chiefly in three things. First, their righteousness was wholly an
external one, but God requires Truth in the inward parts: "Man looketh
on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart" (1 Sam.
16:7). Second. their righteousness was partial, stressing certain
parts of the Law which suited their tastes, while utterly ignoring or
nullifying other vital features thereof. The righteousness which God
requires is a universal obedience: a living by every word that
proceeds out of His mouth. Third, their righteousness issued from a
foul spring: instead of keeping the Law from a desire to please and
glorify its Giver, their observance of it was only in order to promote
their reputation among men.
This superior righteousness, then, consists of an obedience to the
Divine Law which would be acceptable to a holy but gracious God. Such
an obedience must necessarily spring from the fear of God and love to
God: that is, from a genuine reverence for His authority, and from a
true desire to please Him. It must comprise a strict conformity to the
revealed will of God, without any self-invented and self-imposed
additions thereto. It must give particular attention to the "weightier
matters of the law," namely justice, mercy and faith. It must be a
sincere and not a feigned obedience, a filial and not a slavish one, a
disinterested and not a selfish one. It must be a symmetrical or
complete one, having respect to all God's commandments. Such an
obedience will not puff up or encourage self-righteousness, but will
cause the one who sincerely aims thereat to walk softly before the
Lord, and will produce humility and denying of self.
Fourth, how is this superior righteousness obtained? Not by the
strivings of a fallen creature, but by the effectual working of Divine
grace. Such an obedience as we have delineated above can only proceed
from a heart that is reconciled to God, because "the carnal mind is
enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither
indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7). Now as 2 Corinthians 5:17, 18, so plainly
teaches us. God's reconciling us to Himself by Jesus Christ is the
immediate outcome of our being made new creatures in Christ. Initially
we become partakers of this righteousness at the new birth, when a
holy nature is communicated by the Spirit, so that there is now a
principle within us which "delights in the law of God" (Rom. 7:22) and
causes us to "serve" it (Rom. 7:25). Progressively, this inward
righteousness is developed as we "grow in grace and in the knowledge
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ," which is through our using the
appointed means and by learning to draw our strength from the Lord.
Perfectly, this inward righteousness will only be consummated at our
glorification, when we shall be filled with all the fullness of God.
Fifth, how is this evangelical righteousness manifested? Inasmuch as
this inward righteousness consists of and proceeds from a new creation
to holiness it is known by the fruits it produces. A radical change is
affected in the temper and life of its possessor, so that he now
loathes and shuns what he formerly delighted in, and loves and seeks
after the things he once disliked. It is evidenced by a real hatred of
sin and an unfeigned love of God. It is known by the felt antagonism
between the two natures in the believer. His indwelling corruptions
continually war against this principle of righteousness, so that often
he is prevented from doing the good which he desires and strives to
perform. This conflict with the flesh humbles the Christian, causes
him to mourn over his sad failures, and to confess he is but an
unprofitable servant. Nevertheless, he continues in his efforts to
mortify the old man and vivify the new. Another proof of indwelling
righteousness is that its possessor has an ever-deepening appreciation
of the forbearance of God and an increasing valuation of the precious
blood of Christ.
Sixth, wherein does this righteousness "exceed" the righteousness of
the scribes and Pharisees? The superiority of the Christian's
righteousness has already been shown in some detail, but one or two
other things may be pointed out in connection therewith. The
Christian's righteousness springs out of love and faith, whereas
theirs issued from an evil heart of unbelief. The Christian's
righteousness is the result of his being made a partaker of the Divine
nature (2 Pet. 1:4), whereas theirs was altogether human. The defects
of the Christian's righteousness are covered by the infinite merits of
Christ, whereas theirs has nothing to commend them unto God.
Evangelical righteousness-according to the terms of the new
covenant-is approved by God, but legal righteousness found no
provision in the Sinaitic compact for its acceptance by the Most High.
The righteousness of the Christian secures an entrance into heaven,
but that of the scribes and Pharisees will exclude them therefrom.
Seventh, what is signified by "Ye shall in no case enter the kingdom
of heaven," which is the Lord's verdict upon those who possess not
this righteousness? In our comments upon verse 19 we pointed out that
this expression, "the kingdom of heaven," is wider than the Church
which is Christ's body, covering the whole sphere of
profession-Christendom; thus including the counterfeit as well as the
genuine. But we were careful to qualify that definition by saying this
was its meaning in the "great majority of cases." There are one or two
notable exceptions: as for example, "Verily I say unto you, Except ye
be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into
the kingdom of heaven" (18:3), where the kingdom of heaven must refer
to the kingdom of glory. Such too is the case in our present verse:
Christ was speaking of real righteousness, and that alone will secure
entrance into heaven.
Eighth, what is the relation of our verse to its context? Let us
recall that in the whole of this passage our Lord was engaged in
refuting the erroneous conception which had been formed of His
mission. His detachment from the religious leaders of His day, His
disregard of the "traditions of the elders," and His proclamation of
grace in the synagogue at Nazareth (Luke 4:16-22), had inclined many
to regard Him as the opponent of Moses. True, He had come to bring in
something new, something vastly superior to that which then obtained
in Israel, nevertheless there was no real conflict between
Christianity and Judaism: though differing much in incidentals, there
is really perfect accord in fundamentals. Alas, that the spiritual
unity of the two economies is now so little perceived, yea, is
emphatically denied by most of the much-advertised "Bible teachers" of
our day.
First, Christ plainly and emphatically declared He had not come to
destroy the Law or the prophets, but to "fulfill" them (v. 17): in
what ways He was to "fulfill" them we have endeavored to show. Second,
He solemnly affirmed the perpetuity and immutability of the Law (v.
18), asserting that not the smallest part thereof could pass away till
all was fulfilled. Third, He insisted that His own servants must
maintain the integrity of the Law, both by practice and by preaching
(v. 19), otherwise they would not receive His approval. Fourth, so far
was He from being antagonistic to Moses, He demanded of His subjects a
righteousness which surpassed that of the scribes and Pharisees.
Hereafter there was not the slightest occasion for any of His hearers
to have any doubt of Christ's attitude toward the Law of God.
It is most important that we perceive clearly our Lord's design in
verse 20. It was not there His purpose to state the terms on which men
might obtain the Divine favour, rather was He describing the character
of those who already possessed the same. No doubt many of the
multitude which had there flocked around Him supposed-such is poor
human nature-that by attaching themselves to His cause they would
obtain greater latitude to indulge their lusts: it must therefore have
been a real shock for them to learn that the morality and spirituality
which was to distinguish the genuine citizens of His kingdom would be
of a far more exalted character than that taught by the scribes and
exemplified by the Pharisees: He would not regard anyone as His
subject unless his righteousness exceeded theirs. Thus, the nature and
demand of His kingdom was proof positive that He honored and
maintained the Law.
With regard to the relation of our passage to its yet wider context,
we may note how that one of the principal designs of Christ throughout
this Sermon was to awaken His hearers to feel their deep need of that
which alone could satisfy the requirements of a holy God. It was
ignorance of the Law which permitted pharisaism to flourish, for they
claimed to fulfill it in the outward letter, and consequently Christ
here aimed to arouse conscience by enforcing its true import and
requirements. It will be found that this Sermon returns again and
again to one main idea: that of awakening men to a sense of their
wretchedness, and shutting them up to the righteousness of God. That
object could only be obtained by a spiritual application of the Law
and by enforcing its inviolable exactions: thereby alone could they be
prepared to appreciate and embrace the Gospel.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Nine
The Law and Murder
"Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not
kill and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But
I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a
cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to
his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever
shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if
thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy
brother hath aught against thee; Leave there thy gift before the
altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then
come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, while
thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver
thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou
be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means
come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing."
Matthew 5:21-26
___________________________________
The discourse which our Lord delivered on this occasion entirely
corresponds with the new era which it marked in the history of God's
dispensations. The revelation from Sinai, though grafted on a covenant
of grace (i.e. the Abrahamic: Gal. 3:19-"added"), and uttered by God
as the Redeemer of Israel, was emphatically a promulgation of law. Its
direct and formal object was to raise aloft the claims of the Divine
righteousness, and meet, with repressive and determined energy, the
corrupt tendencies of human nature. The Sermon on the Mount, on the
other hand, begins with blessing. It opens with a whole series of
beatitudes, blessing after blessing pouring itself forth as from a
full spring of beneficence, and seeking, with its varied and copious
manifestations of goodness, to leave nothing unprovided for in the
deep wants and longing desires of men. Yet here also, as in other
things, the difference between the New and the Old Testament is
relative only, not absolute. There are the same fundamental elements
in both, but these differently adjusted, so as fitly to adapt
themselves to the ends they had to serve, and the times to which they
respectively belonged.
"In the revelation of law there was a substratum of grace, recognized
in the words which prefaced the ten commandments, and promises of
grace in blessing also intermingled with the stern prohibitions and
injunctions of which they consist. And so, inversely, in the Sermon on
the Mount, while it gives grace the priority and the prominence, it is
far from excluding the severer aspect of God's character and
government. No sooner, indeed, had grace poured itself forth in a
succession of beatitudes, than there appear the stern demands of
righteousness and law-the very same law proclaimed from Sinai-and that
law so explained and enforced as to bring fully under its sway the
intents of the heart, as well as the actions of the life, and by men's
relation to it determining their place and destinies in the Messiah's
kingdom" (P. Fairbairn).
It is with these "stern demands of righteousness" that we are now to
be engaged. The transition point is found in verse 17, though in the
verses preceding our Lord had intimated the trend of what was to
follow, by likening the ministry of His servants to the nature and
action of "salt." Verses 17-20 contain the preface of all that follows
to the end of chapter v. In affirming that He had come to "fulfill"
the Law, Christ signified, first, that it was His mission as the
faithful Witness of God and the Teacher of His Church to expound the
Law in its purity and spirituality, and to rescue it from the
corruptions of the false teachers of that day. Second, to exemplify
its righteousness in His own conduct by rendering to it a personal.
perfect, and perpetual obedience, in thought and word and deed. Third,
to endure its curse in His people's stead.
To understand a discourse, nothing is of greater importance than a
clear grasp of its object and design. If this be not definitely
understood, then the plainest statements may appear obscure, the most
conclusive arguments unsatisfactory, and the most pertinent
illustrations irrelevant. A great deal of the obscurity which, in most
men's minds, rests on many passages of the Scriptures is to be
accounted for on this principle. They do not distinctly perceive, or
they altogether misapprehend, the purpose of the inspired writer,
consequently they fail to understand his arguments and true meaning.
Considerable misapprehension has obtained in reference to those
sections of our Lord's Sermon which we are about to consider, in
consequence of mistakes as to their object or design. Yet there is no
excuse for this: by carefully weighing verses 17-20 the scope of what
follows is obvious.
The words of Christ in verse 17 make it plain that He had not come
here to antagonize or annul the Law of God, as they equally exclude
the idea that it was His design to replace it with a new law. Is it
not strange, then, to find Mr. Darby (in his "Synopsis)," after giving
an outline of the contents of the Sermon, subjoining a footnote to
verses 17-48 in which he says, "In these the exigencies of the law and
what Christ required are contrasted," which would be to pit the Son
against the Father! In verse 20 the Lord Jesus enunciated a general
principle, and from verse 21 onwards He was engaged in illustration,
by varied examples, how and wherein the righteousness of those whom He
would own as subjects of His kingdom exceeded the righteousness of the
scribes and Pharisees.
It should be self-evident that the distinctions which Christ proceeded
to draw between what had been said by the ancients on certain points
of moral and religious duty, and that which He Himself solemnly
affirmed, must have respect, not to the real and actual teaching of
the Law and the prophets, but rather to the erroneous conclusions
which had been drawn therefrom, and to the false notions founded
thereon, which were currently entertained at His advent. It were
blasphemy to imagine that Christ was so inconsistent as to contradict
Himself on this occasion. After so definitely asserting His entire
accord with the Law and the prophets and His own dependence upon them,
we cannot believe for a moment that He would immediately afterwards
set Himself in opposition to them. This must be settled at the outset
if we are to have hearts prepared to weigh what follows.
"The scribes and Pharisees of that age had completely inverted the
order of things. Their carnality and self-righteousness had led them
to exalt the precepts respecting ceremonial observances to the highest
place, and to throw the duties inculcated in the ten commandments
comparatively into the background, thus treating the mere appendages
of the covenant as of more account than its very ground and basis" (P.
Fairbairn). Therefore it was that when He proceeded to expose the
inadequacy and hollowness of "the righteousness of the scribes and
Pharisees," our Lord made His appeal to the testimony engraved on the
two tables, and most commonly, though not exclusively, to the precepts
of the second table, because He had to do more especially with
hypocrites, whose defects might most readily be revealed by a
reference to the duties of the second table (cf. Matthew 19:16; Luke
10:25 and 18:18).
The first commandment brought forward by Christ on this occasion was
the sixth of the Decalogue: "Thou shalt not kill." All that the
Pharisees understood by this was a prohibition of the act of murder;
but our Lord insisted that the commandment in its true import
prohibited not only the overt act but every evil working of the heart
and mind which led to it, such as unjust anger, with contempt and
provoking language. Such an interpretation should not stand in need of
any argument. The spiritual mind would rightly reason from such a law:
if He who desireth truth in the inward p arts (Ps. 51) condemns
murder, then it is evident we must abstain from all that might lead to
that culmination of wickedness; and so it would be discovered that
"Thou shalt not kill" really signifies "Thou shalt not hate."
"Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not
kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment"
(Matthew 5:21). To what, or rather to whom, did our Lord refer in His
"them of old time"? Certainly not to Moses, nor to His Father, as the
plural "them" unequivocally shows. Then to whom? In answering this
question, let us also show wherein lay the special need for Christ
here to expound and enforce the Law. Unfortunately for the nation,
there was ample opportunity for the scribes and Pharisees to corrupt
God's Law, for the rank and file of the people were unable to read the
Scriptures in their original tongue. When the Jews returned from the
Babylonian captivity they had largely forgotten their own language,
and therefore could not read the Hebrew text.
Obviously, it was the duty of the learned to supply the people with a
plain and simple translation of God's Word into the Chaldee or
Aramaic. But the proud and selfish rabbis were concerned not with the
glory of God and the good of the people, but with the exaltation of
their own order. Therefore, instead of preparing a translation which
could be read by the masses at large, they were accustomed, in the
synagogues, to read off a loose rendering of the sacred text (alleged
to be simpler than the original), intermingled with their own
explanatory remarks. It was this ancient paraphrase of the Law with
the comments of the rabbis that the scribes and Pharisees reiterated,
and to which our Lord alluded when He here mentioned "them of old
time."
God's commandment, "Thou shalt not kill," was capable of expansion
into the widest spiritual meaning, prohibiting all hatred against our
fellows. But the scribes and Pharisees restricted it to the bare act
of murder as an external crime, as is quite clear from the next verse,
where it is referred to as a crime for the consideration of the
judicial courts of earth. Thus they were guilty of restricting the
scope of God's command, and by connecting it with earthly courts both
suggested to their hearers that only external deeds are sinful, and
also removed the very wholesome fear of the judgment to come, when God
shall lay bare not only the actual deeds of men, but even their
innermost thoughts, and account the murderer in desire and intention
equally guilty with the actual slayer of his fellow.
Ere passing on, let us make three remarks. First, how strangely has
history repeated itself! If the religious leaders of Israel refused to
make a plain translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into the speech used
by the people upon their exodus from the Babylonish captivity. keeping
them in ignorance of the pure Word of God, determining to retain
matters in their own hands and exalting their own order; so the papacy
(after the desolating persecution of the early Church by the Roman
emperors) refused to make an accurate translation of the Scriptures
(clinging instead to the faulty rendition of the Vulgate version),
corrupting her dupes by the additions, restrictions, and alterations
she made to Divine revelation; her present-day prelates and priests
reiterating what was said by their predecessors "in old time."
Second, how worthless is antiquity as such! As there is a class of
people who make a fetish of what is modern and despise anything of the
past, so there is a certain type of mind which is strongly attracted
by the antique and which venerates hoary traditions. But antiquity is
no infallible mark of true doctrine, for this exposition of the sixth
commandment had obtained among the Jews for centuries past, yet
Christ, the great Doctor of the Church, rejected it as false, and
therefore the argument which the papists use for the establishment of
some of their dogmas and practices drawn from antiquity is of no
effect. Equally worthless are the appeals of Protestants to the
Reformers and the Puritans unless they can show that their teachings
rested upon a clear "Thus saith the Lord."
Third, how thankful we should be that we have the pure Word of God
reliably translated into our mother tongue! To the multitudes of His
day Christ said, "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time";
but to us He can exclaim, "Ye may read what God hath said." This is a
wondrous and inestimable privilege-purchased by the blood-shedding of
many of our forefathers-that the Holy Scriptures are no longer
confined to the learned and the abbot of the monastery. They are
accessible to the unlearned and the poor, everywhere, in simple
English. But such a privilege carries with it, my reader, a solemn
responsibility. What use are we making of this precious treasure? Do
we search it daily, as did the noble Bereans (Acts 17:11)? Are we
nourishing our souls thereby? Is our conduct governed by its teaching?
If not, double guilt lies at our door.
"But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without
cause, shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to
his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever
shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire" (v. 22). This
is far from being the easiest verse of Matthew v to interpret, and the
commentators vary in their explanations of its details; yet its
general meaning is plain enough. With His royally authoritative "I say
unto you," the Lord Jesus at once swept aside the rubbish of the
rabbis and placed the Law of God before His hearers in all its majesty
and holiness, propounding the true interpretation of the sixth
commandment. No matter what you may have heard the scribes and
Pharisees teach-whether from themselves or from the ancients-it was
but the bluntings of the sharp edge of God's precept. I, the incarnate
Son of God, who seekest only the glory of the Father and the good of
souls, declare unto you that there are three degrees of hatred,
falling short of the actual deed of murder, which expose a man to the
judgment of God as a violator of the sixth commandment.
First, "Whosoever is angry against his brother without cause "brother"
would be one Jew against another; for us, against a fellow Christian;
but in its widest scope, against a fellow man, for by creation all are
brethren. It is not anger simply which Christ here reprehends, but
unwarrantable and immoderate anger. There is a holy anger, as appears
from the example of Christ (Mark 3:5) and the apostolic precept, "Be
ye angry and sin not" (Eph. 4:26). It may be asked, How are we to
distinguish godly anger from that which is unlawful? The former
proceeds from love or righteousness, has in view the good of him
against whom it is exercised, and looks to the glory of God, whereas
unholy anger issues from pride and desires the injury of the one
against whom it is directed. Anger is lawful only when it burns
against sin, and this is equivalent to zeal for the Divine honour.
In His first singling out of unjust anger when expounding the sixth
commandment, Christ did hereby teach us in general that whenever God
forbids one sin He at the same time forbids all sins of the same kind,
with all the causes thereof; and in particular that specific passion
from which most murders proceed. Since, then, unjustified and
immoderate anger is a breach of the Decalogue deserving of Divine
punishment, how diligently and constantly we should be on our guard,
lest this headstrong affection break forth, seeking grace to restrain
and nip it in the bud. Now in order that we may subdue this lust that
it prevail not, lay to heart this commandment which forbids rash
anger, and frequently call to mind bow patiently and mercifully God
deals with us every day, and that therefore we ought to be likeminded
toward our brethren (Eph. 4:31, 32).
The second branch of the sin here condemned is, "whosoever shall say
to his brother, Raca," or, as the margin renders it, "vain fellow."
What is here prohibited is that scorn, arising from uncontrolled
temper, which leads to speaking contemptuously. All abusive language
is forbidden by the sixth commandment, all expressions of malignity
issuing from a bitter heart, for as Matthew Henry rightly pointed out,
"all malicious slanders and censures are 'adders' poison under their
lips' (Ps. 140:3), and kill secretly and slowly." The Spirit of God
refers to Ishmael's jeering at Isaac as "persecution" (Gal. 4:29), and
the same may be said of all bitter speaking. Yea, the prohibition here
extends to the gestures of our body-a sneer, the wagging of our head
(Matthew 27:29). Therefore are we required to make conscience of every
gesture, every casting of the eye (Gen. 4:6), as well as every
passionate word.
The third degree of murder mentioned by Christ is censorious reviling
or calling our brother a "fool." It is not the simple use of this
English word which renders us guilty of this crime, as is clear from
Luke 24:25; 1 Corinthians 15:36. A benevolent desire to make men
sensible of their folly is a good work, but the reviling of them from
an ungovernable rage is wickedness. With the Jews "fool" (moren)
signified a rebel against God, an apostate, so that the one using this
term arrogated to himself the passing of judicial sentence, consigning
his fellow to hell. This was the very word Moses used (in the plural
form) in Numbers 20:10, and for which he was excluded from Canaan. It
is to be observed that never once does the Lord designate His people
"rebels," though on several occasions He charges them with being
rebellious.
One other thing remains to be mentioned. In the different degrees of
penalty mentioned by Christ, He alluded unto the various courts of
judgment in vogue among the Jews for punishment, which He applied to
the Divine judgment which should fall upon those guilty of the sins He
here condemned. And let us say in conclusion, there is no way of
escaping the Divine curse upon these sins except by humbling ourselves
before God, penitently confessing the murderous passions of our
hearts, and the manifestation of the same in gesture and speech; suing
for His pardon through the atoning blood of Christ.
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Chapter Ten
The Law and Murder-Concluded
___________________________________
"Therefore, if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest
that thy brother hath aught against thee; leave there thy gift before
the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and
then come and offer thy gift" (vv. 23, 24). Christ here drew a
practical conclusion from what He had declared in the preceding
verses, in which He enforces the duty of preserving Christian love and
peace between brethren. First, He held up to view the false
interpretation of the sixth commandment given by the ancient rabbis
and perpetuated by the scribes and Pharisees (v. 21). Second, He gave
the true meaning of it (v. 22). And third, He here propounded certain
rules of concord between those that be at variance. If even a secret
feeling of anger, and much more so a contemptuous or maledictory
reproach, constitutes in God's sight a breach of His Law, and that He
will not accept the worship of those guilty of such a crime, we must,
without delay, remove every root of bitterness that might spring up
and produce so deadly a fruit.
Our Lord here spoke in the language of the dispensation then in force,
but the principles He enunciated on this occasion apply equally to
Christian ordinances, especially the Lord's supper: the maintenance of
righteousness and amity between one another is indispensable to
fellowship with the thrice holy God. "It was the doctrine of the
scribes, and the practice of the Pharisees corresponded with it, that
anger, hatred, and the expression of these, if they did not go so far
as overt acts of violence, were among the minor faults; and that God
would not severely judge men for these, if they were but regular in
presenting their sacrifices, and observing the other external duties
of religion. In opposition to this, our Lord teaches that, according
to the righteousness of His kingdom, having one's mind not subject to
the law of justice and love, would render all external religious
services unacceptable to God" (J. Brown).
Under the Mosaic law various gifts and sacrifices were presented to
Jehovah, some of them being absolutely obligatory, others
optional-"freewill offerings." Broadly speaking, those gifts were of
two kinds; propitiatory and eucharistic: the one for obtaining Divine
forgiveness, the other as expressions of thanksgiving. Christ alludes
here only to the latter, but under it He comprehended all manner of
true outward worship, whether legal or evangelistic. The Lord Jesus
had not yet offered Himself to God as the great anti-typical
sacrifice, and therefore He conveyed His lesson through the terms of
the ceremonial law; but we have no difficulty in transferring what He
then affirmed unto ourselves. It was as though He said, If thou comest
to worship God in any way, either by prayer, hearing His Word,
offering sacrifices of praise, or celebrating the Lord s supper, you
must live in peace with your brethren, or your worship will be
rejected.
It is indeed solemn and searching to ponder the important practical
principle which our Lord here enunciated. How deceptive is the human
heart, and what numbers impose upon themselves in this matter. But we
cannot impose upon that One before whom everything is naked and open.
Of old the Jews were guilty of this very thing. "To what purpose is
the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me? saith the Lord: I am full of
the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight
not in the blood of bullocks. . . .And when ye spread forth your
hands, I will hide Mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers,
I will not hear" (Isa. 1:11, 15). Why? "Your hands are full of blood."
While they cruelly oppressed their brethren, the worship they offered
unto God was an abomination unto Him. So again in Isaiah 58:5, 6, we
find Jehovah despising the religious fasts of Israel because they
omitted those acts of mercy which He required, and instead were guilty
of evilly treating their fellows.
The Lord charged the people with the same sins in the time of
Jeremiah: "Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear
falsely . . . and come and stand before Me in this house, which is
called by My name?" (7:9, 10). Other passages might be quoted, but
these are sufficient if we duly lay them to heart. From them we ma y
learn that the performance of any outward service unto God is
displeasing to Him if it be separated from unfeigned love of the
brethren. To serve God acceptably we must perform not only the duties
of the first table of the Law, but also those of the second. Make no
mistake, my reader, the Holy One abhors all professions of piety from
those who make no conscience of endeavoring to live in peace with
their brethren.
"Therefore, if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest
that thy brother bath aught against thee; leave there thy gift before
the altar" (vv. 23, 24). The words "thy brother hath aught against
thee" clearly signify, "If you have done him some injury" or he has
cause of complaint (either real or fancied) against you. If you have
treated him in some way inconsistent with the fraternal relationship,
if he be conscious that you have wronged him, then you must promptly
seek to right that wrong, no matter what the cost may be to your pride
or interests. It may be that you were guilty of what some would
lightly dismiss as "only an outburst of temper," which you regretted
afterwards; nevertheless, peace has been disrupted, and God requires
you to do everything in your power to lawfully restore it.
Does not failure to heed this rule go far to explain why the
supplications of so many of the Lord's people remain unanswered? What
numbers fondly imagine that so long as they are regular in their
attendance at the house of prayer, and maintain a reverent demeanor
therein, their petitions will prevail, even though they be at enmity
with some of their brethren. Not so; the words of the Psalmist on this
are much too pointed to be misunderstood. "If I regard iniquity in my
heart, the Lord will not hear me" (Ps. 66:18). Before bending the knee
in prayer, let us call to mind that we are about to draw near unto Him
who is as much the Father of the offended brother as He is ours, and
that He cannot receive us while we continue casting a stumbling-block
in the way of the other. No worship or service can be acceptable to
God while we are under the influence of a malicious spirit.
"Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be
reconciled to thy brother." This means there must be a sincere and
penitent acknowledgment of the offence committed and proper
restitution made for any injury done, so that by all proper means and
reasonable concessions we seek forgiveness from the one offended. "In
this case the person, instead of offering his gift, is to go
immediately to his brother, and to be reconciled to him; dismissing
all malignant feeling from his mind, he is to repair the injury he has
done to his brother. If he has deprived him of his property, he is to
restore it; if he has calumniated him, he is to do all that lies in
his power to counteract the effect of his calumny, and acknowledge his
regret for having acted so unbrotherly a part. In this way he is
likely to be reconciled to his brother, that is, to be restored to his
brother's favour" (J. Brown).
The question may be raised, What can be done in a case where the one
whom I have offended is no longer accessible to me?-one perhaps who
has moved to far-distant parts. Answer: every effort must be made to
obtain his or her address, and then write them a confession of your
fault and your grief for the same, as frankly as though you were
speaking to them. But suppose their address be unobtainable? Then in
such a case you are hindered by Divine providence and God will accept
the will for the deed, if there be a willing mind, providing you have
done all you can to right the wrong, and have humbly confessed the
same unto God and sought His forgiveness.
It should be pointed out that in this rule concerning reconciliation
with an aggrieved brother, the Lord furnished a third direction for
the expounding of God's commandments. First, He showed that under any
one sin prohibited in the commandment God forbids all sins of the same
kind, with all the causes thereof (v. 22). Second, that to the breach
of any commandment there is annexed a curse, whether it be
specifically expressed or not (v. 22). And now, third, that where any
vice is forbidden, there the contrary virtue is enjoined; and on the
contrary, where any virtue is commanded, the opposite vice is
reprehended. Herein the Divine laws evidence their superiority to
human, for man's laws are satisfied by abstaining from the crime
prohibited, though the contrary virtue be not practiced; so long as we
abstain from murder, it matters not though we fail to love our
brethren. But God requires not only abstention from vice, but also the
practice of virtue.
Another general principle is brought out in the verses before us, one
which is of considerable importance in the correct interpreting of
many New Testament passages, namely that to be "reconciled" to another
does not signify so much to cherish kindly feelings towards one with
whom we have been offended, as to be restored to the favour of one we
have offended. This throws light on such a statement as, "For if, when
we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son,
much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life" (Rom.
5:10), the primary reference in which is to the Redeemer's
propitiating God and obtaining for us His blessing-the same holds good
equally of Ephesians 2:16, and Colossians 1:21. In like manner, "Be ye
reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:20) means not only throw down the weapons
of your warfare against Him, but, primarily, be restored to His favor.
One other important principle enforced by Christ in our passage is
that there are degrees of value in the several duties of Divine
worship: all are not equal, but some are more and some less necessary.
The highest degree of holy worship is prescribed in the first
commandment: to love, fear, and rejoice in God above all, trusting Him
and His promises. The second degree is to love our neighbors as
ourselves, living in accord with them, and seeking reconciliation when
any division exists. The third degree consists of the outward
ceremonial duties of God's worship: and that these are inferior to the
other is clear from Christ's "first be reconciled to thy brother."
Even the outward solemnities of Sabbath keeping are to give place to
the works of love. God esteems mercy above sacrifice. Alas, how many
today are sticklers for the details of baptism and the Lord's supper
who will not even speak to some of their brethren!
"First be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift"
(v. 24). This is far from implying that the regaining of his brother's
esteem is a good work which entitles him to the favour of God. No; the
man who rests his hope of the acceptance of his religious services on
the consciousness that his brethren have nothing against him is
leaning on a broken reed; the only valid ground of hope for the
acceptance of either our persons or our worship is the free grace of
God. But it means that, when peace has been restored, he must not
forget to return and offer his gift; for although God will not receive
our worship unless-so far as in us lies-we are on loving terms with
our neighbors, yet the performance of our duty to men in nowise frees
us from obligation of direct service to God.
"Agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou art in the way with
him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the
judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till
thou hast paid the uttermost farthing" (vv. 25, 26). This is one of
the passages appealed to by the papists in support of their
Christ-insulting dogma of purgatory: that they have to apply to such
verses as these in order to bolster up their error shows how hard
pressed they are to find anything in the Scriptures which even appears
to favour their vile tenets.
The Roman expositors are not even agreed among themselves. Some take
the "adversary" to be the Devil, and the "judge" God Himself; but
others among them suppose the "adversary" to be God administering His
Law, the "judge" they regard as Christ, the "officer" an angel, and
the "prison" to be purgatory; "the way the span of our life on earth.
Agree with God while thou art in this life, lest thou come before
Christ in judgment, and He cause His angels to cast thee into
purgatory, and there thou remainest till thou hast made full
satisfaction for all thy venial sins. But such a concept utterly
ignores the context, where Christ lays down a rule of reconciliation
between man and man, and not between God and man. Moreover, such an
interpretation (?) pits the Father against the Son. Finally, it denies
the sufficiency of Christ's atonement, making the sinner himself the
one who provides satisfaction for his venial sins.
Many Protestant commentators regard verses 25 and 26 as a parable
which portrays the grave peril of the sinner and his urgent need of
believing the Gospel. Injurious conduct toward our fellow men renders
us noxious to the wrath of God, who is our Adversary-at-law. We are in
the way to the judgment-seat and our time here is but short at best.
But a way of reconciliation is revealed in the Gospel, and of this we
should avail ourselves immediately. If it be neglected and despised,
then we forsake our own mercies, and close the door of hope against
us. If we die with our sins unpardoned, then nothing awaits us but a
certain judgment, and we shall be cast into the prison of hell, and
being unable to offer any satisfaction to Divine justice we must there
suffer the due reward of our iniquities for ever and ever. Such a
concept may evidence the ingenuity of the commentator, but where is
the slightest hint in the passage that Christ was speaking
parabolically?
Personally, we see no reason whatever for not understanding our Lord's
words here literally. Christ had exhorted the party doing wrong to
seek to be reconciled with his brother, by acknowledging the offence
and making reparation according to the injury inflicted. In support
thereof, He had advanced the solemn consideration that until this be
done communion with God is broken and our worship is unacceptable to
Him. Here (knowing how proud and obstinate the human heart is, and how
slow men are to yield and submit to this duty) Christ descends to a
lower level, and points out another reason why it is highly expedient
for the offending believer to put matters right with him whom he has
wronged, namely lest the aggrieved one go to law, and this involve him
in costly litigation, or even procure his imprisonment.
"Agree with thine adversary" is just the same as "be reconciled to thy
brother," for "adversary" is a general name applied to all persons in
common who have a controversy or are at variance with each other.
"Agree with" the one you have provoked, seek restoration to his
favour, by repairing the injury you have done him. An injured one, or
a creditor, might at any time sue him, demanding that his case be
tried in a magistrate's court. While on their way thither, there was
still time to come to an amicable agreement between themselves, but
once they appeared before the magistrate the matter would pass out of
their hands, and be subject to the decision of the court, whose
business it is that strict justice be impartially enforced.
The view given above was held by the renowned Calvin, "If in this
place the judge signify God, the adversary the Devil, the officer an
angel, the prison purgatory, I will readily subscribe to them (the
Papists). But if it be evident to everyone that Christ thus intended
to show to how many dangers and calamities persons expose themselves,
who prefer obstinately exerting the rigor of the law to acting upon
the principles of equity and kindness, in order the more earnestly to
exhort his disciples to an equitable concord, pray where will
purgatory be found?" Verses 26 and 27 are to be regarded as a warning
of what may befall those who heed not the command in verses 24, 25. If
we refuse to humble ourselves and strive to preserve peace, we must
not be surprised if others deal harshly with us and sue us at law. In
closing, it may be observed, that Christ here approves of the
magisterial office, his proceeding against the guilty and of
imprisonment.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Eleven
The Law and Adultery
"Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not
commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman
to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his
heart. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it
from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members
should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee:
for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish,
and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. It bath been
said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of
divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his
wife saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit
adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth
adultery."
Matthew 5:27-32
___________________________________
Let us begin by pointing out once more that the several distinctions
drawn by Christ in this discourse between what had been said in
ancient times upon a number of matters of moral and religious duty,
and what He now affirmed, must have respect not to the real teaching
of the Law and the prophets but to the inadequate and erroneous views
entertained of their teaching by the rabbis and the false notions
founded upon them. After so solemnly and expressly declaring His
entire harmony with the Law and the prophets (5:17-20), we must regard
with abhorrence the idea that Christ, immediately after, proceeded to
pit Himself against them, affirming that Moses taught one thing and He
quite another. No, in every instance where a commandment is quoted as
among the things said in former times, it was the understanding and
views entertained thereof against which the Lord directed His
authoritative deliverances. It is not the Law per se which is under
consideration, but the carnal interpretations of it made by the
Pharisees.
It should prove a real help to the reader if he looks upon Matthew
5:20, as the text of this third division of the Sermon, and all that
follows to the end of chapter v as an enlargement thereof. That verse
enunciated a most important practical truth, and the verses which
immediately follow contain a series of illustrative examples of how
and wherein the righteousness of the citizens of the kingdom of heaven
must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. First, the
Law-giver Himself had freed the sixth commandment from the rubbish
which carnal men had heaped upon it (vv. 21-26), and now He proceeded
to restore the seventh commandment to its true sense and meaning, and
therefore to its proper use, purging it from the false interpretation
of the Jews. Thus, in the verses which are now to be before us, we
have the Saviour contrasting the righteousness of His kingdom with the
righteousness of the religious leaders of His day respecting the
all-important matter of chastity.
"Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not
commit adultery" (v. 27). Again we would carefully note that Christ
did not say, "Ye know that God said at Sinai," but instead, "ye have
heard that it was said by them of old time." This makes it quite clear
that He was continuing to refute the injurious traditions which the
Jews had accepted from their elders: "them of old time" referring to
the ancient teachers-compare our comments on verse 21. "Thou shalt not
commit adultery"; those were indeed the actual words of the Holy
Spirit, but the preceding clause makes it plain that our Lord was
alluding to them in the sense in which the scribes and Pharisees
understood them. They saw in the seventh commandment nothing more than
the bare injunction, "No man shall lie with another man's wife," and
hence they thought that so long as men abstained from that particular
sin, they met the requirements of this precept.
The ancient rabbis, echoed by the Pharisees, restricted the scope of
the seventh commandment to the bare act of unlawful intercourse with a
married woman. But they should have perceived, as in the case of the
sixth commandment, that the seventh spoke specifically of only the
culminating crime, leaving the conscience of the hearer to infer that
anything which partook of its nature or was calculated to lead up to
the overt deed was also and equally forbidden, even the secret thought
of unlawful lust. That the Pharisees did narrow the meaning of the
seventh commandment to the mere outward act of impurity is evident
from our Lord's contrastive exposition of it in the next verse, where
He insists that its true intent had a much wider scope, reaching also
to the inward affections, prohibiting all impure thoughts and desires
of the heart.
Once more we are shown the vast difference there is between the
spiritual requirements of a holy God and the low standard which is
deemed sufficient by His fallen creatures. The religion of carnal and
worldly men is merely political; so far as good and evil affect
society, they are in some measure concerned; but as to the honour and
glory of God, they have no regard. So long as the outside of the cup
and of the platter be clean, they are indifferent to whatever filth
may exist within (Matthew 23:25, 26). So long as the external conduct
of its citizens be law-abiding, the State is satisfied, no matter what
iniquity may be seething in their minds. Different far is it with the
Judge of all the earth: "The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man
looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart"
(1 Sam. 16:7). That which the world pays no attention to, God regards
as of first importance, for "out of the heart are the issues of life"
(Prov. 4:23). It is only "the pure in heart" who shall ever
see-commune with and eternally enjoy-God (Matthew 5:8).
In what has just been before us we may see a very real warning against
a slavish literalism, which has ever been the refuge into which not a
few errorists have betaken themselves. In this instance the Pharisees
kept themselves close to the letter of the Word, but sadly failed to
understand and insist upon its spiritual purport. Papists seek to
justify their erroneous dogma of transubstantiation by an appeal to
the very words of Christ, "this is My body," insisting on the literal
sense of His language. Unitarians seek to shelter behind His
declaration, "My Father is greater than I" (John 14:18), arguing
therefrom the essential inferiority of the Son. In like manner, the
ancient rabbis took the words of the seventh commandment at their face
value only, failing to enter into the full spiritual meaning of them.
Let pre-millenarians heed this warning against a slavish literalism or
a being deceived by the mere sound of words, instead of ascertaining
their
sense.
The great Teacher of the Church here supplied us with an invaluable
canon of exegesis or rule of interpretation by teaching us that God's
commandment "is exceeding broad" (Ps. 119:96), and that human language
becomes invested with a far fuller and richer meaning when used by God
than it has on the lips of men. This of itself should be sufficient to
silence those who condemn the servants of God when they spiritualize
Old Testament prophecies, objecting that they are reading into those
prophecies what is not there, and unwarrantably departing from their
plain sense. When the Lord Jesus affirmed, "But I say unto you, That
whoso looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery
with her already in his heart," had not the Pharisees as much occasion
to demur, and say, "The seventh commandment says nothing about lustful
looks: You are reading into it what is not there"?
Ere passing on, a few words need to be said on the special heinousness
of this particular crime. Adultery is the breach of wedlock. Even the
Pharisees did condemn it, for though they made light of disobedience
to parents (Matthew 15:4-6), yet they clamored for the death of the
woman guilty of this sin (John 8:4, 5). The grievousness of this
offence appears in that it breaks the solemn covenant entered into
between husband and wife and God, it robs another of the precious
ornament of chastity, it defiles the body and ruins the soul, it
brings down the vengeance of God upon the posterity, which Job called
"a fire that consumeth to destruction" (31:12). "Be not deceived;
neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers shall inherit the
kingdom of God" (1 Cor 6:9, 10). "Whoremongers and adulterers God will
judge" (Heb. 13:4).
"But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after
her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart" (v. 28).
Here we have an exposition of the seventh commandment by the supreme
Prophet of God, wherein He reveals the height, depth, and breadth of
the spirituality of the Divine Law. That commandment not only forbids
all acts of uncleanness, but also the desire of them. The Pharisees
made it extend no farther than to the outward and physical act,
supposing that if the iniquity was restricted to the mind, God would
be indifferent. Yet their own Scriptures declared, "If I regard
iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me" (Ps. 66:18), and
Christ here made it known that if a man allows himself to gaze upon a
woman till his appetites are excited and sexual thoughts are
engendered, then the holy Law of God judges him to be guilty of
adultery and subject to its curse; and if he indulges his licentious
imagination so as to devise means for the gratification thereof, then
is his guilt that much greater, even though providence thwart the
execution of his plans.
Our Lord here declared that the seventh commandment is broken even by
a secret though unexpressed desire. There is, then, such a thing as
heart adultery-alas, that this is so rarely made conscience of today.
Impure thoughts and wanton imaginations which never issue in the
culminating act are breaches of the Divine Law, All lusting after the
forbidden object is condemned. Where the lascivious desire is rolled
under the tongue as a sweet morsel, it is the commission of the act so
far as the heart is concerned, for there is then lacking nothing but a
convenient opportunity for the crime itself. He who weighs the spirits
judges the going out of the heart after that which is evil as sin, so
they who cherish irregular desires are transgressors of the law of
impurity.
"But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after
her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." ft is not
an involuntary glance which constitutes the sin, but when evil
thoughts are thereby prompted by our depraved natures. The first step
and degree, then, of this crime is when lust stirs within us. The
second stage and degree is when we deliberately approach unto-a
feeding of the eye with the sight of the forbidden fruit, where
further satisfaction cannot be obtained. Then if this lust be not
sternly mortified, the heart swiftly becomes enthralled and the soul
is brought into complete bondage to Satan, so that it is fettered by
chains which no human power can break. Such was the deplorable
condition of those mentioned by the apostle, "Having eyes full of
adultery, and that cannot cease from sin" (2 Pet. 2:14).
Well did Matthew Henry point out, "The eye is both the inlet and the
outlet of a great deal of wickedness of this kind; witness Joseph's
mistress (Gen. 39:7), Samson (Judges 16:1), David (2 Sam. 11:2). What
need have we, therefore, with holy Job, to 'make a covenant with our
eyes' (31:1) to make this bargain with them: that they should have the
pleasure of beholding the light of the sun and the works of God,
provided that they would never fasten or dwell upon anything that
might occasion impure imaginations or desires; and under this penalty,
that if they did, they must smart for it in penitential tears. What
have we the covering of our eyes for, but to restrain corrupt glances
and to keep out defiling impressions?" How much sorrow and humiliation
would be avoided if such wholesome counsel was duly laid to heart and
carried out in practice.
By clear and necessary implication, Christ here also forbade the using
of any other of our senses and members to stir up lust. If ensnaring
looks be reprehensible, then so much more unclean conversation and
wanton dalliances, which are the fuel of this hellish fire. Again, if
lustful looking be so grievous a sin, then those who dress and expose
themselves with desires to be looked at and lusted after-as Jezebel,
who painted her face, tired her head, and looked out of the window (2
Kings 9:30)-are not less, but even more guilty. In this matter it is
only too often the case that men sin, but women tempt them so to do.
How great, then, must be the guilt of the great majority of the modern
misses who deliberately seek to arouse the sexual passions of our
young men. And how much greater still is the guilt of most of their
mothers for allowing them to become lascivious temptresses.
As looking to lust is here forbidden, so by proportion are all other
like occasions unto adultery. The reading of books which make light of
immodesty and indecency, and that cater to those who relish the
suggestive and questionable, are therefore prohibited. So too is the
use of light and wanton talk and the jesting about loose morals: "But
fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once
named among you, as becometh saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish
talking, nor jesting" (Eph. 5:3, 4). Many who are given to this think
it a trifling matter, but in reality they are double offenders, for
not only have they a wanton eye, but a lascivious tongue also. In like
manner, promiscuous dancing and mixed bathing are most certainly
condemned by the seventh commandment, for in both there is additional
provocation unto lust.
How solemnly do these words of Christ in Matthew 5:28, condemn us, for
even though (by preserving grace) our bodies have not been defiled by
the outward act of adultery, yet who can say "My heart is clean"? Who
is free from a wanton eye, from evil desires, from impure
imaginations? Who can truthfully affirm that he has never been guilty
of questionable jesting and unchaste conversation? Must we not all of
us lay our hands upon our mouths and condemn ourselves as offenders in
the sight of God? Surely we have ample cause to humble ourselves
beneath His mighty hand and acknowledge our breach of the seventh
commandment. And if our repentance and confession be sincere, shall we
not be doubly on our guard against a repetition of these sins, seeking
to avoid temptations and taking heed of every occasion which may
incite us? Surely it is evident that if our hearts be honest before
God we cannot do less. Yea, shall we not with increased earnestness
pray, "Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken Thou me
in Thy way" (Ps. 119:37)?
Again, if the lust of the heart be adultery in the sight of God, then
with what diligence and care should we respond to that injunction,
"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse
ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting
holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1); that is, labour to keep our
hearts and minds as pure as our bodies. Unless they do so Christians
themselves will be deprived of a comforting assurance of their
personal interest in the love of God, for when they defile their minds
by harboring impure thoughts the Spirit is grieved, and withholds His
witness to our sonship. Nay, if we truly realize that the Holy One has
taken up His abode within our hearts, must we not put forth every
effort to keep the guest-chamber clean? As the best way to keep down
weeds is to plant the garden with vegetables and flowers, so the most
effective means of excluding from the mind those foul imaginations is
for it to be filled with thoughts of spiritual things, to have our
affections set upon things above. If we give God His proper place
within, Satan will be defeated.
We feel that we cannot do better in closing this article than by
quoting here the salutary counsels of another: "To temptations to
impurity in some of its forms we are commonly exposed, and it requires
constant vigilance to avoid falling before some of them. There are a
few advices which, on this subject, I would affectionately urge on the
attention of the young. Be on your guard against loose and
unprincipled companions. 'Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt
good manners.' It is impossible to associate intimately with the
profligate without danger. Abstain from the perusal of books tainted
with impurity. These are scarcely less mischievous-in many cases they
are more so-than the company of the wicked. The deliberate perusal of
such books is a plain proof that the mind and conscience are already
in a deeply polluted state. Keep at a distance from all indelicate and
even doubtful amusements-I allude chiefly to theatrical
amusements-where the mind is exposed, in many instances, to all the
evils at once of depraved society and licentious writing. Seek to have
your mind occupied and your affections engaged with 'things unseen and
eternal.' Habitually realize the intimate presence of that God, who is
of purer eyes, than to behold iniquity. Never forget that His eye is
on your heart, and that 'all things are naked and opened' to Him: and,
as one of the best and most effectual methods of mortifying your
members which are on the earth-crucifying the flesh with its
affections and lusts-"Seek the things which are at God's right hand.'
Never tamper with temptations, but flee youthful lusts" (J. Brown).
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The Sermon On The Mount
____________________________________________________
Chapter Twelve
The Law and Adultery-Continued
___________________________________
From what has been before us in Matthew 5:21-26, and still more so
from the searching and pride-withering declaration of Christ in verse
28, we may perceive again how deeply important is a right
understanding of the Divine Law, and what fatal consequences must
inevitably follow from inadequate and erroneous views thereof. It is
at this point, more than anywhere else, that the orthodoxy and
helpfulness of the preacher must be tested, for if he fails here-in
his interpretation and enforcement of the strictness and spirituality
of the Decalogue-the whole of his teaching must necessarily be
fundamentally faulty and injuriously misleading. This is evident from
the method followed by Christ in His first public sermon. No matter
how deplorable and general be the failure of the modern pulpit, let it
be said emphatically that all of us are bound and must yet be judged
by the holy Law of God, and no repudiation thereof, no modifying of
its high demands by unfaithful preachers, can n any wise justify our
disobedience to God's commands.
"Whilst we therefore view the strictness, spirituality, and
reasonableness of the precepts which we have been reading, as
expounded by our Divine Teacher; let us impartially compare our past
and present lives, our tempers, affections, thoughts, words, and
actions, with this perfect rule; then we shall find every
self-confident hope expire, and plainly perceive that, 'by the works
of the Law no flesh shall be justified in the sight of God'; then will
Christ and His salvation become precious to our souls. Whether we look
to our conduct towards those who have injured us, or those whom we
have offended; towards our superiors or inferiors, relatives, friends,
or servants; the state of our heart or the government of our passions;
to what we have or what we have not done; we shall see cause for
humiliation and need of forgiveness; and when we consider that we must
be made holy according to this standard, in order to the enjoyment of
God and heaven; we shall as evidently perceive our need of the
powerful influences of the Holy Spirit, and learn to value the
ordinances of God, through which that sacred assistance is obtained"
(T. Scott).
"And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from
thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should
perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell" (Matthew
5:29). In this and the following verse our Saviour furnishes heavenly
instruction for the avoiding of those offences against which He had
just spoken. It is supplied by Him in the way of answer to a secret
objection to the exposition He had given of the seventh commandment,
wherein He had condemned adultery of heart. Corrupt human nature would
be ready to at once murmur, It is impossible to be governed by so
exacting a law, it is a hard saying, who can bear it? Flesh and blood
cannot but look with pleasure on a beautiful woman, and it is
inevitable that there should be lusting after so attractive an object.
What, then, shall we do with our eyes, if an unchaste look be so evil
and fatal? It was to just such risings up of the depraved heart
against the spiritual requirements of a holy God that Christ here made
reply.
"And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from
thee." Here again the language of Christ is not to be taken at its
proper sense, i.e. it is not to be understood literally. One of the
rules in expounding Scripture is that where the literal sense of a
verse is against any of the commandments of the Law, then its words
must be regarded figuratively, for obviously one part of the Word must
not be made to contradict another. Now just as the seventh commandment
not only prohibited the physical act of adultery, but also all mental
impurity, so the sixth commandment not only forbade the taking of
life, but also reprehended any deliberate maiming of either our own
body or that of our neighbor. Therefore, no man can without sin pluck
out his eye or cut off his hand.
By the "eye" we are to understand, first, the eye of the body, yet not
that only but any other thing that is dear to us-the "eye" being one
of the most precious of our members. The word "offend" does not here
signify to displease, but to hinder: the reference is to anything
which occasions us to commit this sin, whatever would cause us to
stumble. Thus the figure is easily interpreted: whatever in our walk
or ways exposes the soul to the danger of unholy desires must, at all
costs, be abandoned. There must be the uncompromising excision of
everything hurtful to the soul. To pluck out the right eye means that
we are to rigidly restrain and strictly govern our senses and members,
deny ourselves, even though it involves present hindrance, financial
loss, and personal pain. No matter how pleasant and dear the presence
and use of certain things be to us, yet if they are occasions of sin
they must be relinquished and avoided.
Since the Lord Jesus so pointedly condemned unlawful desires and the
exercise of impure imaginations, then it is our bounden duty to
suppress and disallow them, to strive earnestly against the same, to
subdue the lusts from which they spring. Though the senses and members
of our bodies be the instruments of evil, yet the sin itself proceeds
from the lusts of our hearts, and if they be subdued, if every
idolized object be renounced within, then there will be no need either
to flagellate or mutilate our bodies. On the other hand, if we crucify
not the flesh with its affections and lusts, the mere plucking out of
an eye or the cutting off of a hand will profit the soul nothing. The
root of sin lies much deeper than the physical: "cleanse first that
which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be
clean also" (Matthew 23:26). Make the tree good, and the fruit will be
good (Matthew 12:33).
"Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication,
uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, etc. (Col.
3:5), not the mortification of our physical "members," but the
appetites and passions of the soul. This expresses the same idea as
our Lord was propounding. But the subjugation of sexual appetites, the
obtaining of victory over such strong desires of the heart, is no easy
matter, especially in cases where both constitution and habit have
united to enslave in these sins. No, the mortification of such lusts
cannot but be attended with most painful exercises and the sacrifice
of what has been delighted in and held dear. Nevertheless, though it
be as painful as the plucking out of an eye, it must be done. We are
obliged to choose between mortification and damnation, and therefore
the strongest corruptions are to be mastered and all that is within us
brought into subjection to God and subordinated to the eternal good of
our soul.
It is to be observed that this is one of many passages in the Gospels
in which we find the Son of God making definite reference to a future
state. How often did He refer to the resurrection of the body, and of
a hell into which the wicked shall be cast! He was continually
bringing these things to the attention of men and pressing them upon
their serious and solemn consideration. No flesh-pleasing sycophant
was He: the glory of God and not the praise of men was ever the object
before Him. And herein He has left an example to be followed by all
whom He has called to be officers in His kingdom; not to lull to sleep
by "smooth speaking," but to declare "the wrath of God is revealed
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men (Rom.
1:18). If men and women could be persuaded to weigh with due
deliberation the vast importance and endlessness of eternity, and the
brevity and uncertainty of this life, they would cease trifling away
so many of their swiftly passing hours and prepare to meet their God.
"For it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish,
and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell." Christ here
emphasizes the fact that lustful looks and wanton dalliances are so
disastrous and destructive to the soul that it is better to lose an
eye than to yield to this evil and perish eternally in it. This, as we
have pointed out, is in reply to the objection that heart adultery is
something no man can prevent, that it is beyond his power to resist
temptations to gaze with longing eyes upon an attractive woman.
Rightly did Matthew Henry point out: "Such pretences as these will
scarcely be overcome by reason, and therefore must be argued against
with the terrors of the Lord, and so they are here argued against."
Alas, that this powerful deterrent to evil and incitement to holiness
is so rarely made use of in our degenerate times, when little else
than honey and soothing-syrup is being handed out from the pulpit.
Different far was the course followed by the chiefest of the apostles.
When he stood before Felix, he "reasoned of righteousness, temperance,
and judgment to come," and we are told that the governor trembled
(Acts 24:25): but what is there in modern preaching-even that known as
"Calvinistic"-which is calculated to make sin-hardened souls to
tremble? Little wonder that the rising generation defy their parents
with such impudence, when their elders are unrestrained by fear of the
hereafter. "Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord [in the previous
verse he had spoken of the judgment-seat of Christ], we persuade men"
(2 Cor. 5:11), said the apostle, and so will every faithful servant of
God today. Ministers of the Gospel are required to conduct their
hearers to Sinai before they lead them to Calvary, to make known the
"severity of God (Rom. 11:22) as well as His goodness, to declare the
reality and awfulness of hell as well as the blessedness of heaven;
and if they do not so, then they are unfaithful to their trust, and
God will require at their hands the blood of their hearers" (Ezek.
33:6; Acts 20:26).
"And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee:
for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish,
and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell's (v. 30). This
is the same exhortation as was before us in the preceding verse, the
same stern and startling argument to restrain us from the sin of heart
adultery. Nor is this to be regarded as a needless multiplying of
words, for such repetitions in the Scripture have a particular use,
namely to signify that things thus delivered are of special importance
and worthy of our most careful observation and obedience. There is
indeed a slight variation, and what strikes us (though the
commentators seem to have missed it) as a designed gradation. As the
"eye" was a figure of what is dearest and most cherished by us, so the
"hand" is to be understood as what is most useful and profitable. Many
have wondered why our Lord did not mention the plucking out of an eye
last, as being the severer loss of the two; but it must not be
overlooked that He was not here addressing a company of the rich and
learned, but the common people, and to a laboring man the loss of the
right hand would be a far more grievous deprivation than the loss of
an eye!
Nor is it to be overlooked that Christ was here more immediately
speaking to His own disciples. This well may startle some today, yet
as Andrew Fuller rightly pointed out: "It is necessary for those whom
the Lord may know to be heirs of salvation, in certain circumstances,
to be threatened with damnation, as a means of preserving them from
it." Such passages as Romans 11:18-20; Galatians 6:7, 8; Hebrews
10:26-30; are addressed to believers! "Mature reflection on our
situation in this world will reconcile us to that self-denying and
painful, mortification of our sins to which we are indispensably
called; we shall see tender mercy crouch under the apparent harshness
of the requirement; that our safety, advantage, and felicity are
consulted; and that the grace and consolations of the Spirit will
render it practicable and even comfortable. And would we be preserved
from gross iniquities, our hearts must be kept with all diligence, and
our eyes and all our senses and faculties forbidden to rove after
those things which lead to transgression: the strictest rules of
purity and self-denial will be found, by experience, the most
conducive to true and solid comfort while in this world." (T. Scott).
By these exhortations, then, the Lord Jesus teaches us that we must
keep a strict watch over the senses and members of our body,
especially the eye and the hand, that they become not the occasions of
sinning against God: "Neither yield ye your members as instruments of
unrighteousness unto sin; but yield yourselves unto God, as those that
are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of
righteousness unto God" (Rom. 6:13). We must use our sight in
obedience to God. "Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids
look straight before thee" (Prov. 4:25): that is, we are to order our
sight according to the rule of the Word, for that is the way wherein
we are to walk. The necessity of heeding this Rule appears from many
solemn examples. Eve's looking on the forbidden fruit, contrary to the
Divine commandment, was the door of that sin into her heart. Ham was
cursed for looking upon his father's nakedness (Gen. 9); Lot's wife
was turned into a pillar of salt for looking back toward Sodom (Gen.
19); over fifty thousand men of Beth-shemesh were slain for looking
into the ark of the Lord against His revealed will (1 Sam. 6). Do not
these cases tell us clearly that before we look at anything we should
pause and ask whether the same will be for God's glory and our good?
Again, these exhortations of Christ teach us plainly that we must seek
diligently to avoid all the occasions of every sin, though it be most
painful to ourselves and attended with great temporal loss. As one old
writer expressed it: The fallen nature of man is like unto dry wood or
tow, which will quickly burn as soon as fire touches it. As mariners
at sea set a constant watch to avoid rock and sands, so should we most
warily avoid every occasion to sin. Self must be denied at all costs,
constant watch kept over the heart, the first risings of corruption
therein suppressed, temptations to sin shunned, the company of those
who would be a snare unto us avoided. So there must be a constant
seeking unto God for His grace, that we may be enabled so to walk in
the Spirit that we will not fulfil the lusts of the flesh.
The task unto which the Lord Jesus here calls us is that of
mortification, the putting to death of our evil lusts. That this is a
most unwelcome and painful work, He warns us by the figures He
employed. Unto those who object that the keeping of their hearts free
from unlawful desires and lustful imaginations is a task utterly
beyond their powers, Christ replies: If as you say it is impossible,
if there be no other way of governing your appetites [which, blessed
be God, through His grace, there is], then pluck out and cut off your
offending members rather than use them to the eternal undoing of your
souls. Who is there among us who would not consent to the amputation
of a gangrened limb, no matter how painful the operation and heavy the
loss, if persuaded that this was imperative in order for life itself
to be preserved? Then why refuse painful mortifications which are
essential to the saving of the soul? When tempted to shrink therefrom,
seriously consider the only other alternative-in hell both body and
soul will be tormented for ever and ever.
Not only must there be the uncompromising avoidance and refusal of all
that is evil, but we must abridge ourselves in or totally abstain from
things lawful in themselves if we find they are occasions of
temptation to us. "Take a familiar illustration. A person is fond of
wine; it is agreeable to his taste; it is useful in refreshing him
after severe exertion. But he finds that this taste has seduced him
into intemperance; he finds that there is constant danger of its doing
so. He has fallen before the temptation again and again. What is such
a person's duty? According to our Lord, it is obviously to abstain
from it entirely-on this plain principle, that the evil he incurs by
abstaining, however keenly felt, is as nothing to the evil to which
the intemperate use of wine subjects him, even everlasting punishment
in hell: and to make this abstinence his duty, it is not necessary
that he should know that he will fall before his temptation: it is
enough that he knows that, as he has repeatedly fallen before it, he
may fall before it again" (John Brown).
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The Sermon On The Mount
____________________________________________________
Chapter Thirteen
The Law and Adultery-Concluded
___________________________________
Most writers regard Matthew 5:32, 33, as forming a separate
subdivision of our Lord's sermon, but really it belongs to the same
section as verses 27-31, treating of the same subject and reprehending
the same sin, though a different aspect thereof. Under the general
head of adultery occurred another evil, namely the use and misuse of
divorce, concerning which the Law of Moses had been grossly corrupted.
Having shown the strictness and spirituality of the seventh
commandment, Christ here took occasion to condemn the lax views and
practices which then obtained in connection with the annulment of
marriages. The Jews had fearfully perverted one of the political
statutes of the Law, so that divorces were granted on the most
frivolous pretences, and it was this our Lord here condemned. Thus, in
reality, He was continuing to restore the seventh commandment to its
proper place and perfections.
In the passage which is to be before us, we are supplied with a
further illustration of the vast superiority of the righteousness of
Christ's kingdom over the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.
There is an invariable outworking of the principle that where
spirituality wanes morality also deteriorates. All history bears
witness to the fact that when vital godliness is at a low ebb, the
sacred institution of marriage is held in light esteem. It is both
solemn and sad to behold an exemplification of the same in our own
times; as the claims of God are less and less regarded by those of
high and low estate alike, the holy obligations of wedlock are
gradually whittled down and then increasingly disregarded. When a
country, avowedly Christian, begins to tamper with the institution of
marriage and make more elastic its divorce laws, it is a certain proof
of its ethical decadence.
Even those with only a smattering of ancient history are aware of the
fact that in the last few decades before the fall of both the Grecian
and Roman empires, marriage was held in such low esteem that it was a
common thing for the women to keep tab on their divorces by the number
of rings worn on their fingers. It may be replied, They were heathen
peoples. True, but what our moderns would term "highly civilized."
Moreover, human nature is the same the world over, and when the fear
of God is lost moral corruptions quickly abound. It was not otherwise
with the favored nation of Israel, as a glance at the prophets will
show. The case of the woman in John 4, to whom our Lord said, "Thou
hast had five husbands: and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband"
(v. 18), is not to be regarded as an exception. but rather as
symptomatic of a disease which had spread widely through the nation.
"It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give
her a writing of divorcement" (Matthew 5:31). The original statute on
this matter is found in Deuteronomy 24:1-4. But so perversely had that
injunction been interpreted, that one of the leading schools of
theology (that of Hillel) taught that a man might put away his wife
for any cause. In the Apocryphal writings we read: "The son of Sirach
saith, If she go not as thou wouldest have her, cut her off from thy
flesh, give her a bill of divorce, and let her go" (Ecclus. 25:26),
which is one of many definite indications that the Apocrypha was not
inspired by the Holy Spirit. Josephus also wrote: "The law runs thus:
He that would be divorced from his wife, for any cause whatever, as
many such causes there are, let him give her a bill of divorce." He
also confessed that he himself put away his wife after she had borne
him three children, because he was not pleased with her behavior.
Moses had indeed been Divinely directed to allow divorce in case of
uncleanness, for the prevention of yet worse crimes. But that which
had been no more than a temporary concession was changed by the
Pharisees into precept, and a so interpreted as to give license to the
indulging of their evil and selfish desires. And yet, hypocrites as
they were, they made a great parade of obeying Moses with regard to
the "bill of divorcement." The Talmudical writings, though they took
little trouble to describe the justice of divorce, were rigidly
definite with regard to the form of the bill, insisting that it must
be written in twelve lines, neither more nor less. Such is ever the
folly of those who strain at a gnat and swallow a camel.
Let us now consider a few details in Deuteronomy 24:1-4. The first
thing we notice is the kind of statute there given. It was not a moral
but a political or civil one, for the good ordering of the state.
Among such laws were those of tolerance or permission, which did not
approve of the evil things concerned, but only suffered them for the
prevention of greater evil-as when the sea makes a breach into the
land, if it cannot possibly be stopped, the best course is to make it
as narrow as possible. Such was the law concerning usury (Deut.
23:20), permitting the Jews to exact it of a stranger, but not to
exercise it towards a brother; similar too was the law regulating
polygamy (Deut. 21:15). These laws tolerated what God condemned, and
that for the purpose of preventing greater evils.
Such was the Mosaic law for divorce: not approving of the giving of a
bill of divorce for every trifling cause, but permitting it for the
sake of preventing greater misery and crime. For instance, if a man
took a strong and rooted dislike to his wife and wished to be rid of
her, he would be likely to ill-treat her, until she was in danger of
her very life. This law of divorce, then, was granted so as to remove
the temptation for a hard-hearted husband to commit murder Divorce is
always a deviation from the original marriage institution, consequent
upon human depravity. In this instance if a man found that in his
wife-something short of adultery, for that was to be punished by
death-which made her repulsive to him, he was permitted to divorce
her. But this was not to be done verbally and hurriedly, in a fit of
temper, but after due deliberation. A "bill of divorcement" had to be
legally drawn up and witnessed, making the transaction a solemn and
final one.
Second, we may note the strictness of this law. The man only was
permitted to give this bill of divorcement; neither here nor anywhere
else in the Old Testament was this liberty granted unto the wife. If
this strikes us as being unjust or unduly severe, two things are to be
taken into consideration. First, in the case of a husband being guilty
of immorality, the wife could bring it to the notice of the
magistrate, and relief was then afforded her by her guilty partner
suffering the death penalty. Second, this statute was expressly
designed for the prevention of violence and bloodshed, to protect the
weaker vessel; it being taken for granted that the man could protect
himself if his wife should attack him.
Third, a brief word now upon the force and effect of this law. It made
the bill of divorcement, given for the stipulated cause, to be regular
before men, and marriage thereafter lawful in human courts (Deut.
24:4); and whichever guilty party under such a divorcement married
again, committed adultery (Matthew 19:9). Now this law the Pharisees
had grossly perverted. They taught that it was a "commandment"
(Matthew 19:7), whereas Moses only gave a permission-as the language
of Deuteronomy 24:1, plainly denotes. So too they taught that for any
cause (Matthew 19:3) a man could divorce his wife and thereby be free
from her before God, and therefore at liberty to marry another.
"But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving
for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and
whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery" (v.
32). Here Christ refutes the corrupt interpretation of the scribes and
Pharisees, and positively affirms that divorce is permissible only in
the case of that sin which in God's sight disannuls the marriage
covenant, and even then it is only allowed, and not commanded. Many
have understood (being misled by the meaning of the English word) the
"saving for the cause of fornication" to refer to this sin being
committed before marriage and concealed by her till afterwards,
arguing that only a married person can be guilty of "adultery." This
leads us to raise the point, Do the Scriptures make any real and
definite distinction between fornication and adultery? And we answer,
No. True, in Matthew 15:19, and Galatians 5:19, they are mentioned
separately, yet in Revelation 2:20, 22, they are clearly used
interchangeably, while in Ezekiel 16:25-28, the wife of Jehovah is
said to commit both sins.
"But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving
for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and
whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery." These
words of our Lord are too plain to he misunderstood. "According to
this law, adultery is the only sufficient reason of divorce. He who
for any other cause puts away his wife, is to be held an adulterer if
he marry another woman; and she, by marrying him, commits adultery;
while, at the same time, he becomes the guilty occasion of adultery,
if the woman, who is still his wife, marry another man; for in this
case she commits adultery as he also who marries her" (J. Brown). No
matter how unscriptural be the laws of the land in which we live, or
lax the sentiments and practices of the public today, nothing can
possibly excuse anyone flying in the face of this express declaration
of the Son of God-repeated by Him in Matthew 19:9.
Something higher than the laws of man must govern and regulate those
who fear God. The laws of all "civilized" countries sanction the
practice of usury, but the Word of God condemns the same. The laws of
our land are open for men to go to court at the first, upon every
light occasion, without seeking for some means of agreement. But those
who do so are guilty before God, notwithstanding the liberty given
them by our political statutes. In like manner, human laws permit
divorce for "incompatibility" of disposition, "mental cruelty" and
various other things; but the Law of God condemns such licentiousness.
Papists allow divorce for religious reasons, appealing to "every one
that hath forsaken . . .father or mother, or wife. . . for My name's
sake" (Matthew 19:29), but in that place Christ refers not to divorce
at all, but to a separation caused by imprisonment, banishment, or
death.
Marriage is not a mere civil thing, but is partly spiritual and
Divine, and therefore God alone has the power to appoint the
beginning, the continuance, and the end thereof. Here the question is
likely to be asked, What of the innocent party where a divorce has
taken place: may such a one marry again with Divine sanction? To the
writer it seems strange that, though there is a decided consensus of
agreement, yet all Christians are not one on this matter. In seeking
the scriptural answer to the question, let it first be borne in mind
that infidelity on the part of either husband or wife annuls the
marriage covenant, the man and woman being no longer "one flesh," one
of them having been adulterously united to some other. Divorce goes
yet farther, for it legally dissolves and removes the marriage
relation. We are therefore in hearty accord with the Westminster
Catechism of Faith which declares: "In the case of adultery after
marriage, it is lawful for the innocent party to sue out a divorce,
and after the divorce to marry another, as if the offending party were
dead" (Chapter 24, section 5).
In his excellent piece, "Of Marriage after Divorce in Case of
Adultery," John Owen pointed Out that to insist that divorce simply
secures a legal separation but does not dissolve the marriage relation
would bring in a state harmful to men. God has appointed marriage to
he a remedy against incontinence (1 Cor. 7:2), but if innocent parties
lawfully divorced may not marry again, then they are deprived of this
remedy and debarred from this benefit. If the divorced person has not
the gift of continency, it is the express will of God that he should
marry for his relief; yet on the supposition of the objector he sins
if he marries again, yea is guilty of the horrible crime of adultery.
Is not this quite sufficient to expose the untenability of such an
anomaly?
Again, can we suppose for a moment that it is the will of a righteous
God for an innocent person to be penalized the remainder of his or her
earthly life because of the infidelity of another? Surely the very
idea is repugnant to all who are really acquainted with the Divine
goodness and mercy. Why, if an innocent man upon a divorce is not then
at liberty to marry again, he is deprived of his right by the sin of
another, which is against the very law of nature; and on such a
supposition it lies within the power of every wicked woman to deprive
her husband of his natural right. The right of divorce in case of
adultery, specified by Christ, for the innocent party to make use of,
is evidently designed for his liberty and relief; but on the
supposition that he may not again marry, it would provoke a snare and
a yoke to him, for if thereon he has not the gift of continence, he is
exposed to sin and judgment.
But apart from these convincing considerations, the Word of God is
plain and decisive upon the matter. In Matthew 5:32, Christ lays down
a general rule, and then puts in an exception thereto, the nature of
which exception necessarily implies and affirms the contrary to the
general rule. The general rule is: Whosoever putteth away his wife
causeth her to commit adultery, and he who marrieth her becometh
guilty of the same crime. The "exception" there must be a contrary,
namely that the innocent party in the divorce may lawfully marry
again, and the one marrying him or her is not guilty of adultery. But
that is the only exception. 1 Corinthians 7:15, has been appealed to
by some as warranting re-marriage in the case of total desertion: but
that passage is quite irrelevant, teaching no such thing. The verse
refers to an unbelieving husband deserting a believing wife: in such
case (says the apostle) she is not "bound" to pursue her husband and
demand support, nor to go to law on the matter; rather is she to
follow a course of "peace." The verse says nothing whatever about her
being free to marry again; nay, verse 39 of the same chapter says "The
wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth."
In Matthew 19:9, Christ declared, "Whosoever shall put away his wife,
except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth
adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit
adultery." Here again it is evident that the plain sense of these
words is: He who putteth away his wife for fornication and then
marrieth another is not guilty of adultery. In such a case the bond of
marriage has already been broken, and the one so putting away his
guilty wife is free to marry again. When our Lord condemned the
putting away and marrying again for every cause, the exception He made
of "fornication" clearly allows both divorce and re-marriage, for an
exception always affirms the contrary unto what is denied in the rule,
or denies what is affirmed in it. (Condensed from Owen, who closes his
piece by saying, "This is the constant practice of all Protestant
churches in the world.")
Prevention is better than cure. Even a temporary separation should be
the last resource, and every possible effort made to avoid such a
tragedy. Marriage itself is not to be entered into lightly and
hurriedly, but once the knot is tied, each party should most earnestly
consider the relationship which has been entered into and the serious
importance of its duties. If love rules, all will be well:
unselfishness and forbearance are to be mutually exercised. If the
husband gives honour to his partner as unto "the weaker vessel (1 Pet.
3:7), and the wife see to it that she render unto her husband "due
benevolence" (1 Cor. 7:3), much needless friction will be avoided. Let
them bear with each other's infirmities, study each other's
dispositions, and seek to correct each other's faults. Above all, let
them often together draw near unto the Throne of Grace and seek God's
blessing on their married life. The holier their lives, the happier
they will be. Nothing is more honoring to God than a home which bears
witness to the sufficiency of His grace and shadows forth the union
which exists between Christ and His Church.
N.B. Our purpose in adverting (above) to the writings of John Owen was
not because we felt our case needed the support of any human
authority, hut in order that our readers might know what was taught
and practiced by the godly Puritans.
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http://www.pbministries.org. All rights reserved.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Fourteen
The Law and Oaths
"Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou
shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine
oaths But I say unto you. Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it
is God's throne Nor by the earth; for it is His footstool neither by
Jerusalem for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou
swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or
black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay for
whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil."
Matthew 5:33-37
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The subject which is now to engage our attention is hardly one that is
likely to appeal very strongly to the average reader, probably because
it treats of matters which rarely engage his mind. Yet the very fact
that the Lord Jesus gave the same something more than a passing notice
in His first formal Sermon should indicate to us that it is one which
we cannot afford to ignore. The Son of God did not waste time on
trivialities nor make public deliverances on technicalities devoid of
practical value. No, rather did He concern Himself with vital matters
that directly affected the glory of God and concerned the eternal
welfare of immortal souls. It is therefore a slighting of His honour
and impugning of His wisdom if we refuse to attentively weigh and
prayerfully consider His teaching on the subject of oaths. Nor is this
the only occasion on which He brought it to the notice of His
congregations; as we shall see, in Matthew 23, He returned to the
theme and spoke at great length thereon.
Someone has said, "Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise,"
but such a silly statement savors more of insanity than perspicuity
and prudence. Blissful ignorance is often highly dangerous, and in
connection with the things of God, fatal. "My people are destroyed for
lack of knowledge" (Hosea 4:6) said the Lord of old. True, knowledge
itself will not always deter from sin, but often it serves as a
salutary restraint. It is much to be feared that millions of the
present generation, who are guilty of the crimes which Christ here
condemned, are totally ignorant of their wickedness in this matter.
Nothing is more prevalent today, among all classes, than cursing and
swearing, and it is high time that both the pulpit and the press
sounded a loud and solemn warning thereon.
The deep importance of our subject may further be intimated by
pointing out that it is essentially bound up with a right
understanding and observance of the third of the ten commandments. It
is therefore basic and vital, for the curse of God rests upon all
transgressors of His Law. If the reader will take the trouble to
examine a good concordance on the words "oaths," "swear" and "vow," he
may be surprised to find how many scores of passages there are
speaking thereof. Finally, when it is seen that the rightful taking of
an oath is an act of worship, we may then more clearly perceive the
momentousness and value of our present inquiry, for it deeply concerns
us all to be scripturally regulated on anything which has to do with
the worship of God, and it behooves us to spare no effort in seeing to
it that our worship be performed in a manner which will meet with
Divine approval and acceptance.
"Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou
shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine
oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it
is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is His footstool; neither by
Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou
swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or
black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for
whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil" (Matthew 5:33-37). This
time we propose to make only a few expository and explanatory remarks
on our passage, and then devote the remainder of our space unto a
topical treatment of the whole subject.
"Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou
shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine
oaths." It is almost ludicrous to see what shifts many of the
commentators have put themselves to in their efforts to identify this
statement of Christ's with one or more of the Mosaic statutes, ending
with the confession that His actual words cannot be found anywhere in
the Old Testament, and supposing that He here epitomized the teaching
of the Law thereon. Such confusion is inexcusable, and such an
explanation most unwarrantable. The fact is that our Lord does not
here refer to the Divine precepts at all, but instead to the Jews'
perversion of them. He pursues identically the same order in these
verses as He had followed in the preceding sections. First, He
mentions the pharisaic corruption of the Divine Law, and then sets
forth the character of that righteousness which He requires from the
citizens of His kingdom on the matter under discussion.
"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the
Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain" (Ex.
20:7). Here is the original and fundamental law concerning oaths, with
which we may also link "Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve
Him, and shalt swear by His name" (Deut. 6:13). Thus an oath was a
solemn appeal to the dread name of Jehovah, which, by awaking the
spirit of the swearer to a consciousness of the awe-inspiring presence
and cognizance of the Most High, gave all its sanctity and power to
it. And then, when anyone had so sworn, there was the solemn warning
that the Lord would not hold him guiltless that took His name in vain.
Thus it is quite clear that Israelites were permitted to swear by the
name of the Lord, but having once done so they must not change their
minds nor in any way fail to keep their promises.
It is striking to note that when the Psalmist delineated the character
of him who was fitted to "abide in the Lord's tabernacle" and "dwell
in His holy hill" (i.e. commune with God and enjoy His presence for
ever), one of the marks specified was "He that sweareth to his own
hurt, and changeth not" (Ps. 15:1, 4): that is, who at no cost will go
back upon his sworn word. It is therefore obvious from these passages
that the Mosaic law had a strong tendency to check the practice of
oath-taking and to restrict the same unto solemn occasions. The
interested reader may also consult such passages as Exodus 22:11, 12;
Leviticus 5:1; 19:12; Numbers 5:19-21.
But the Jewish doctors had found ways of perverting the Divine
statutes, and the Pharisees had perpetuated and added to their
corruptions. From the language used by Christ on this occasion we have
no difficulty in ascertaining the nature of their errors and evil
practices. First, it is clear from verse 33 that they had
unwarrantably restricted the Mosaic precepts upon oaths to the single
prohibition against perjury. They drew the wicked inference that there
was no evil in any oath, at any time, provided a man did not forswear
himself. Thus they opened wide the door for men to multiply oaths on
any matter and every trivial occasion.
Not only was perjury severely condemned by the Mosaic law, but any
vain and needless use of the name of God in our ordinary
communications was strictly prohibited. No man ought voluntarily to
take an oath unless it be a matter of controversy and the contention
cannot he settled without it: "For men verily swear by the greater:
and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife" (Heb.
6:16). But the Pharisees had so wrested the law they taught that so
long as men swore truthfully as to matters of fact, and performed
their vows in case of promise, all was well. They seem to have had no
conscience of swearing lightly. In order for an oath to be lawful, it
requires not only that the affirmation be true and the vows performed,
but that such a mode of affirmation or vowing be
necessary.
Second, it is equally plain from Christ's words in verses 34-36 that
the Jews had wrested the third commandment by inventing the idea of
swearing by the creature. Aiming to ingratiate themselves with men by
pandering to their corruptions-for it is ever the way of all false
teachers to accommodate the Truth to the blindness and lusts of their
dupes-the scribes devised a means whereby men might swear without the
guilt of perjury although they swore never so falsely; and this was to
swear not by the name of God, hut by the heavens or the earth, by
Jerusalem or the temple. They made a distinction between oaths:
according to them, some were binding, others were not-the obligation
of an oath depending upon the nature of the object by which the person
swore (Matthew 23:16).
It is not difficult to see why such a device was resorted to by the
leaders, or why it should be so popular with their followers. The Law
was very definite, "Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve Him,
and shalt swear by His name" (Deut. 6:13). To swear in the name of the
Lord was ordained not only for the placing of a solemn bridle upon
fallen man's proneness to lying, but also to restrain the act itself
unto serious matters and important occasions. Hence, this invitation
of swearing by some inanimate object removed the very awe with which
an oath should be invested and surrounded. Yet one can readily
perceive how easily those hypocrites could cloak their
wickedness-pretending such veneration for God that His name must not
be used by the people. Philo taught, "It is a sin and a vanity
presently to run to God or the Maker of all things, and to swear by
Him: it is lawful to swear by our parents, by heaven, and the stars.
Third, it is equally obvious from our Lord's words in verse 37 that
the Jews had been encouraged and permitted to make use of oaths
lightly and commonly in their ordinary conversation. This would
logically and inevitably follow upon the second evil to which we have
just referred, for such a device was not only dishonest and
demoralizing in itself, but it was sure to bring about an utter
disregard of the third commandment, for since such oaths (where the
name of God was omitted) would be lightly esteemed, men would be
inclined to resort unto oaths upon any matter or occasion. "With the
exception of oaths by the gold of the temple and by the sacrifices of
the altar-which, for some selfish or superstitious reason, they held
to be binding-they appear to have thought that to swear by any created
thing was of very little consequence, involved no obligation, and
might be done in common conversation without sin" (J. Brown).
"But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is
God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is His footstool; neither by
Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King" (vv. 34, 35). In
these verses and in the two which immediately follow our Lord inveighs
against the erroneous teachings and corrupt practices of the scribes
and Pharisees. Let it be clearly understood that all of the things
prohibited by our Saviour in this Sermon were in themselves and also
by virtue of the Law of God antecedently evil and unlawful. Most
certainly He is not here pitting Himself against any of the Mosaic
precepts; rather was He restoring them to their original place, purity
and power. It was the pharisaic veil of religious hypocrisy which
Christ rent asunder, exposing the corruptness of their traditions and
denouncing the soul-ruining sins into which the great body of people
had been drawn.
Let any of the immediately preceding sections of this Sermon be
considered, and it will at once be found that the particulars there
mentioned by Christ were things which were wrong in themselves, and
declared so in the positive Law of God. Was it not gross wickedness to
be angry with a brother without cause, and to call him "raca and
fool"? Was it not exceedingly sinful to look upon a woman so as to
lust after her? In like manner, what is here prohibited by Christ in
His "Swear not at all" is not the legitimate taking of an oath in law
courts, nor even between man and man so as to end a controversy; but
rather that which was directly opposed to the Mosaic statutes, yet
practiced and supported by the false interpretations of the Law by the
Pharisees.
"But I say unto you, Swear not at all." This injunction of Christ's
supplies another example of the need for careful interpretation of the
language of Scripture. Not a few good men have been misled here by the
mere sound of words, failing to ascertain their real sense. By taking
the prohibition absolutely, instead of relatively, they have certainly
erred. This verse also shows us the importance of comparing scripture
with scripture, for it is quite clear, not only from the Old Testament
but from many passages in the New, that in certain circumstances, and
when they are ordered by the rules of God's Word, oaths are lawful,
yea, necessary-we shall discuss this at more length in our next
(D.V.). But we do not have to go outside the bounds of our present
passage to find that Christ did not intend His prohibition to be taken
without any limitations. He Himself qualified it, first, by forbidding
us to swear by any creature; and second, by reprehending all oaths in
our ordinary conversation.
Had H is "Swear not at all" meant that He here forbade all oaths, in
any form and under every circumstance, it was needless to add anything
more, and in such a case what is found in the next two verses would
simply be a multiplying of words to no purpose. Instead, Christ
proceeded to amplify and explain His prohibition, and at the same time
expose the sophistry of the Pharisees' devices and show wherein lay
the sinfulness of the same. They had invented a method which they
supposed would clear the oath-taker from incurring the guilt of
breaking the third commandment, and that was to swear by some
creature, instead of doing so in the sacred name of the Lord God. This
it was which Christ was here reproving, and in so doing He once more
discovered to us the exceeding "breadth" of the Divine commandments
(Ps. 119:96).
"Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by
the earth; for it is His footstool; neither by Jerusalem; for it is
the city of the great King." Here Christ made it plain that by no
subtle subterfuge can men escape the solemn responsibility of an oath.
Though they may omit mentioning the fearful name of God, yet let them
know that His is the name of Creator and Owner of all things, and
therefore it is invoked in all the works of His hands. If men swear by
"heaven," as the Pharisees recommended, let them duly bear in mind
that that is God's "throne," and so it is really Himself that they
summon as a witness to their integrity. If men swear by "the earth,"
that is God's "footstool," and he who swears by it swears by the God
whose footstool it is; if by "Jerusalem," that was the capital, the
seat of His worship.
"Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one
hair white or black" (v. 36). A swearing by any creature necessarily
implies an appeal unto God Himself, because of its relation to Him.
The whole universe is the Lord's and therefore to swear by any part of
it is a reference to its august Maker and Ruler. If we swear by our
"head" that too has been given us by God, and is His far more than it
is ours. God has made it and has the sole disposing of it-a statement
easy of proof, for you are incapable of changing the color of a single
hair on it! An oath by your head, if it have any meaning at all, is an
oath by the universal Proprietor. Every oath, because it is an oath,
is an ultimate reference to Deity. Man's inability really to change
the color of his hair is here brought in by Christ to demonstrate that
he has no power over his head. If man has no power over the least
creature (a hair!), then how unlawful and ridiculous it is for him to
swear by any creature!
"But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is
more than these cometh of evil" (v. 37). In these words Christ makes
further amplification of His "Swear not at all," and lays down an
important rule which is binding upon all. "Your communication" means
your everyday dealings with your fellows, particularly your own common
speech or conversation. Thousands of things are true, which yet it
would be profaning the name of God to swear to. Christ was not here
referring to judicial transactions at all, but to the ordinary
intercourse of men with each other. "He did not censure His followers
for what was said before a magistrate, but for what passed in their
ordinary communications: that is, light and unnecessary oaths. This
was a sin so prevalent among the Jews that even Christians who were
called from among them stood in need of being warned against it (Jam.
5:12) (Andrew Fuller).
"Swear not at all . . . but let your communications be, Yea, yea; Nay,
nay." In its particular application to His own people, Christ here
struck at the root of the special evils He was now condemning, by
demanding from His followers veracity in every word. It was as though
He said, I not only forbid you to swear falsely, but to swear at
all-in your common speech. What need should there be for you to
swear?-you who are disciples of Him who is "the Truth"! As the
followers of the Holy One, you must speak the truth in every utterance
of your lips. Your character and conduct are to be such that all
acquainted with you have the assurance that your word is your bond. If
your communications are "yea" in the promise and "yea" in the
performance, then there will be no need for you to appeal to God in
witness of your veracity. Alas that the standard now set by the vast
majority of professing Christians is so very far beneath this, and
that the word of many of them is often worth less than that of those
who make no profession at all. "Whatsoever is more than these, cometh
of evil": that is, savoring of an oath; or even extravagant avowals in
our ordinary conversations are sinful in the sight of God.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Fifteen
The Law and Oaths-Concluded
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"Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou
shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine
oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it
is God's throne: Nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; neither by
Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou
swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or
black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for
whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil" (Matthew 5:33-37). In
the preceding article we gave an exposition of these verses, in which
we showed how our Lord here condemned the wicked devices of the
scribes and the evil practices of the Pharisees and their followers.
Now we propose to treat the subject topically, for there is real need
today for a scriptural enforcement of the whole subject.
"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the
Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain" (Ex.
20:7). This is the fundamental precept of God upon the matter of
oaths, and the scope of its prohibition and the range of its meaning
are far more extensive than is now commonly supposed. "Thy commandment
is exceeding broad" (Ps. 119:96), declared David of old, and clearly
was it made manifest in Christ's teaching. Those who have followed us
closely in the previous chapter will remember that in this Sermon the
Saviour has furnished us with some most important and invaluable rules
for interpreting the ten commandments. First, that when God forbids
one sin He at the same time prohibits all sins of the same kind, with
all the causes and occasions thereof. Second, that to the breach of
any commandment there is annexed a curse, whether it be expressed
specifically or not. Third, that where any vice is condemned the
opposite virtue is enjoined.
When God said, "Thou shalt not kill," He not only prohibited the overt
deed of murder, but also condemned every evil working of heart and
mind which had a tendency to lead up to it: all hatred, anger,
provoking language or gestures. When He said, "Thou shalt not commit
adultery," He not only forbade the actual act of immorality, but also
all unlawful lustings and desires, all impure thoughts and
imaginations. In like manner, when He said, "Thou shalt not take the
name of the Lord thy God in vain," He not only reprehended the vile
sin of using any of His sacred titles in cursing, He not only
prohibited the crime of perjury, but He also forbade us both to swear
by any of His creatures or take any unnecessary oaths, as well as
condemned all extravagant expletives.
Scholars tell us that an oath in the Hebrew is called shebuah, and
that there are two things observable about it. First, that the verb
"to swear" is used only in the niphal-a passive conjugation-which
implies that we should be passive in swearing; that is, we should not
take an oath unless called upon to do so, or at least unless
circumstances morally oblige us thereunto. Most significantly the
Hebrew word is taken from a root that signifies "seven," which perhaps
implies that it should be taken before many witnesses, and seven being
the sacred and complete number, the name of an oath may be derived
from it because it is appointed to put a complete end to differences.
The Greeks called it horkos, most probably from a root signifying "to
bind or strengthen," for by an oath a man takes a bond on his soul
which cannot be loosed ordinarily. The Latin juro and jus jurandum are
plainly derived from "jus," that is "right and law."
Let us now consider, first, the nature of an oath. An oath is a
religious and necessary confirmation of things doubtful by calling God
to be a Witness of truth and a Revenger of falsehood. That it is
confirmation is clear from Hebrews 6:16, where the Holy Spirit
expressly affirms the same. That it is a religious confirmation
appears from the fact that it is a part of Divine worship, God Himself
being invoked therein: in Isaiah 19:18, "swear to the Lord of hosts"
is used for the whole of His worship. It must be a necessary
confirmation, because any oath is unlawful which concerns only
trifling matters or things which need no solemn settlement. That God
is called in both as Witness and Revenger is self-evident, because
therein consists the form and all the force of an oath. The one who
thus swears acknowledges the Divine perfections, appealing to Him as
the God of truth and the hater of lies.
Properly speaking, then, in an oath there are four things. First, a
formal asseveration of the truth, which should always be spoken even
when no oath be taken. Second, a confession of the omnipotent presence
of the thrice holy Lord God, whereby we do most solemnly acknowledge
Him as Witness, Judge, and Revenger of falsehood. Third, an invocation
whereby God is called upon to bear witness to our conscience that what
we swear to is nothing but the truth. Fourth, an imprecation, in which
the swearer asks God to be the Revenger of all lies, binding himself
to Divine punishment if he swear falsely. Therefore it clearly follows
that an oath is not to be lightly entered into, that one is not to be
taken at all except in matters of real importance, and that it must be
taken in the most solemn manner, otherwise we violate the third
commandment and are guilty of the awful sin of taking the holy name of
the Lord God in vain.
Second, the design of an oath consists in a solemn confirmation of
what we affirm or deny by a religious invocation of the name of God,
as One that knoweth and owneth the truth. So far as God is thus
invoked in an oath, it is part of His worship, both as required by Him
and as ascribing glory to Him. When a man is admitted under oath he
is, as it were, discharged from an earthly tribunal, having betaken
himself to the Lord as the only Judge in the case. By what particular
expression this appeal unto God and invocation of Him is made is not
absolutely necessary unto the nature of an oath to determine. It is
sufficient that such expressions be used as are approved and received
signs of such an invocation and appeal among those that are concerned
therein. The placing of one hand upon a copy of God's holy Word while
we are being sworn in appears to us eminently desirable, while the
other hand might well be raised toward heaven; but the kissing of the
Book afterwards strikes us as both needless and unsuitable.
Third, a word now upon the qualifications or characteristics of lawful
oaths. These are clearly expressed by the prophet, so that nothing
needs to be added to them, and nothing must be taken from them. "Thou
shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in
righteousness" (Jer. 4:2). "Truth" is required in it, in opposition
unto guile and falsehood; for where this obtains not, God is called to
be Witness unto a lie, which is to deny His very being. It must be "in
judgment" we swear: not lightly, not rashly, not without a just and
sufficient cause. There must be discernment and careful discretion in
exercise, both in connection with the thing in question which is to be
confirmed, and also of the solemn nature of an oath and of the issue
of the same. "In righteousness" we must swear, namely that it be
equity which we wish to confirm, tending to the glory of God and the
good of our fellows.
When the above qualifications are complied with and where matters are
in controversy among men and the peace of human society in general or
particular depends upon the rightful determination of them, it is meet
and p roper for a believer, being lawfully called, to confirm the
truth which he knows by the invocation of God, with the design of
putting an end to strife. Oath-taking is a part of the natural worship
of God, which the light of nature leads unto. This is evident from the
example of the Lord Himself, who at sundry times took an oath both
before the Mosaic law (Gen. 22:16) and afterwards. Now it is obvious
that if men had not had from the light of nature an understanding of
the legitimacy and obligation of an oath, this would have had no
significance for them and would have been of no use to them.
In earliest times God often enlightened and more fully instructed men
by His own example. In compliance therewith we find that those who
walked the closest with Him, centuries before the giving of the Law at
Sinai, did solemnly swear one to another when occasion did require it,
and when they were legitimately warranted in so doing. Thus Abraham
swore to Abimelech (Gen. 21:23, 24), and required an oath to be taken
by his servant (Gen. 24:8, 9). In like manner Jacob swore with Laban
(Gen. 31:53). And so too Joseph swore to his father (Gen. 47:31). Let
it be duly noted that these instances had no respect unto the legal
institutions of Moses, and therefore there is no reason to think there
would be anything in the Gospel which condemned such a practice today.
One would think the above was quite simple and clear, but alas, such
is man that he will discover difficulties where none exist and twist
and wrest the plainest statement. Though the great majority of
professing Christians have rightly understood and acted upon the
teaching of Scripture on this subject, there have been a number that
err therein. The Society of Friends and a few others consider that the
New Testament expressly forbids the use of any oaths. They appeal to
Christ's saying, "Swear not at all" and to "But above all things, my
brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither
by any other oath: but let your Yea be yea; and your Nay, nay; lest ye
fall into condemnation" (Jam. 5:12), supposing these passages prohibit
us swearing under any circumstances whatever; and therefore they
refuse to bear witness upon oath even when called upon to do so by the
rulers of the land.
It is evident that the verse quoted from James is derived from and has
respect to the words of our Saviour in Matthew 5:33-37, it being an
exhortation inculcating His precept and directions on the same matter.
The same answer will therefore serve both places, nor will it be at
all difficult to expose and refute the errors based thereon. First of
all, it must be pointed out that there is nothing in the essential
nature of an oath which can make it criminal, or it would never have
been enjoined by Divine authority (Deut. 6:13). An oath is simply an
appeal to the Omniscient One (who searches the heart and is the great
Governor of the world, punishing fraud and falsehood) as to the
truthfulness of our testimony and the sincerity of our promises. As
this is a dictate of the light of nature no mere change of
dispensation could make right to be wrong.
Second, the prophecy of Isaiah 45:23, belongs and is expressly applied
to believers in the New Testament. "I have sworn by Myself, the word
is gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That
unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear"-see Romans
14:11. This had respect to what God had of old prescribed (Deut.
6:13). This now, says the prophet, shall in the days of the Gospel be
observed throughout the world, which certainly could not be the case
if it were unlawful to swear under any circumstances by that holy
Name. In like manner Jeremiah predicted concerning the calling and
conversion of the Gentiles under the new covenant, "It shall come to
pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of My people, to swear by
My name, The Lord liveth . . . then shall they be built in the midst
of My people" (12:16). But that could he no direction or encouragement
to converts of the Gentiles if it be unlawful for them to swear and if
it be not their duty when duly called upon.
Third, as we have fully shown in our exposition of Matthew 5:33-37 (in
the previous chapter), Christ was there condemning only those oaths
which were contrary to the Law, prohibiting things which were
essentially evil in themselves. It was the errors of the Jews He was
exposing, the wicked perversions of the Pharisees He was refuting.
That this must be the right way of understanding our Lord's teaching
in this passage appears plain from the principles which He had laid
down so emphatically at the beginning of this section of His Sermon:
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am
not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till
heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass
from the law, till all be fulfilled (vv. 17, 18). If oaths pertain to
"the law" or "the prophets" (and they did?, then it most certainly was
not Christ's purpose to annul them. The Giver and Fulfiller of the Law
is not also its Destroyer.
Fourth, in the matter of judicial oaths Christ Himself has left us an
example (which we should follow-1 Pet. 2:21), for when He stood before
the Sanhedrin, though He had previously refused to answer either His
accusers or the high priest, He immediately responded to Caiaphas when
he said, "I adjure Thee by the living God" (Matthew 26:63, 64). Fifth,
Paul, the greatest of the apostles, confirmed his testimony again and
again by calling God for a Witness (2 Cor. 1:23; Gal. 1:20; Phil. 1:8;
etc.). In such passages he most solemnly swears to the truth of his
own affirmations concerning himself and his sincerity therein (cf.
Rom. 9:1). It was not respecting any doctrine he taught that he did
swear to, for it needed no confirmation of an oath, deriving as it did
all its authority and assurance from Divine revelation. But it was
concerning his own heart and purpose, whereof there might be some
doubt, and. when it was of great concern to the Church to have the
Truth emphatically stated.
Sixth, Hebrews 6:16, tells us, "For men verily swear by the greater:
and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife." In this
verse Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, addressing the holy brethren
who are "partakers of the heavenly calling" (3:1), not only urges the
common usage of mankind, but lays down a certain maxim and principle
of the law of nature,, whose exercise was to be approved among all.
And if the practice thereof had not been lawful unto those to whom he
wrote, namely Christians, those who obeyed the Gospel, then he had
exceedingly weakened the whole design of his discourse there
concerning the oath of God, by shutting it up with this instance,
which could be of no force to them if it were unlawful for them to
practice the same or have an experience of its efficacy. Finally, if
oaths had become unlawful under the New Testament, then God would not
have continued their use in any kind, lest His people be encouraged to
act contrary to His command. But He did so, commissioning an angel to
"swear by Him that liveth for ever and ever" (Rev. 10:4-6).
From what has been before us in Matthew v, we may perceive the
importance and need of heeding two particular rules when interpreting
Scripture. First, that universal affirmations and negations are not
always to be universally understood, but are to be limited by their
occasions, circumstances, and the subject-matter treated of. Things
expressed in universal language must be regarded according to the
thing in hand. Thus, when the apostle declared, "I am made all things
to all men, that I might by a I means save some" (1 Cor. 9:22), if his
language were taken without limitation it would signify that he became
a blasphemer to blasphemers, etc., whereas his statement must be
restricted to things indifferent and innocent, in which he yielded to
the weakness of others. In like manner, when Christ said, "Swear not
at all," His obvious meaning (according to what follows) is swear not
blasphemously, needlessly or by any mere creature.
Second, it is a rule of real use in the interpreting of Holy Writ that
when anything is prohibited in one passage, but allowed in another,
not the thing absolutely considered is spoken unto in either case, but
rather some particular mode, cause, end, or reason is intended. So
here, in Matthew 5:34, swearing is forbidden, whereas in other
passages we find it is allowed and that examples thereof are proposed
unto us. Wherefore it cannot be swearing absolutely that is intended;
but evil and needless swearing is condemned by the one, and swearing
in right causes or for just ends is approved in the other.
Nor is the taking of an oath to be restricted to law courts only (Ex.
22:11), and the instances of Paul and his epistles prove otherwise. In
certain cases private oaths, between man and man, are perfectly
legitimate. "Boaz was a private person, who confirmed by an oath his
promise of marriage to Ruth (Ruth 3:13). Obadiah was a private person,
a righteous man, and one that feared the Lord, who declared with an
oath the fact of which he wished to convince Elijah (1 Kings 18:10). I
can find, therefore, no better rule than that we regulate our oaths in
such a manner that they be not rash or inconsiderate, wanton or
frivolous, but used in cases of real necessity" (John Calvin). The
awful solemnity of an oath appears from 1 Kings 8:31, 32. So too we
should duly lay to heart the fearful judgments of God which came upon
Israel of old when they were guilty of breaking the third commandment
(Jer. 5:7-9; Zech. 5:4).
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Sixteen
The Law and Retaliation
"Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth
for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil but whosoever
shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And
if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him
have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go
with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would
borrow of thee turn not thou away."
Matthew 5:38, 42
___________________________________
In what is now to be before us we may perceive once more the deep
importance of observing the scope of a speaker or writer, of
ascertaining the meaning and relation of the context, before
attempting to expound a passage. We will not enlarge any further here
upon this, having already done so in the introductory paragraphs of
one or more of the preceding chapters. It is failure at this very
point which has resulted in some commentators of renown quite missing
the force of our present portion. They suppose that our Lord here
announced a higher standard of spirituality than Moses did, that He
introduced a more merciful code of conduct than that which was
required during the Old Testament economy. Yet, incredible as it may
sound, these same men insist that other verses in this very chapter do
not belong to us at all, but pertain only to some "Jewish remnant" of
the future.
It does seem strange that men who have no slight acquaintance with the
letter of Scripture should err so flagrantly. Yet nothing is more
blinding than prejudice, and when a pet theory is allowed to dominate
the mind everything is twisted and forced to conform to it. Surely it
is perfectly plain to every unbiased soul that, as the same God is the
Author of old and new covenant alike, there can be no vital conflict
between them, that the fundamental principles underlying the one and
the other must be and are in full accord. If those who are so desirous
of being looked up to as men who "rightly divide the word of truth"
would cease their grotesque efforts to illustrate what they suppose
are "dispensational distinctions," and would rather seek to display
the wondrous and blessed unity of the Old and New Testaments, they
would be rendering a more profitable service and God would be far more
honored.
A few of our own readers imagine that in our contending for the
doctrinal and practical unity of the entire Scriptures we confound two
of its principal objects and subjects, and deny that there is any
radical difference between the Law and the Gospel. This is quite an
unwarrantable conclusion. Yet do not such mistakes have their roots in
the supposition that the Gospel is peculiar to the New Testament? But
we ask, Does the Old Testament contain nothing more than typifications
of the Gospel in the ceremonial law and predictions of it in the
prophecies of Isaiah? Surely it does. Galatians 3:8, tells us
expressly that the Gospel was preached unto Abraham, and Hebrews 4:2,
insists that it was proclaimed unto Israel in the wilderness. Does not
the whole of Hebrews 11 make it very plain that the Old Testament
saints were saved in precisely the same way and on exactly the same
ground as we are? Assuredly it does.
"Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth
for a tooth. But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but
whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other
also. And if any man will sue thee at the law and take away thy coat,
let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a
mile go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him
that would borrow of thee turn not thou away" (Matthew 5:28-42).
Christ is not here pitting Himself against the Mosaic law, nor is He
inculcating a superior spirituality. Instead He continues the same
course as He had followed in the context, namely to define that
righteousness demanded of His followers, which was more excellent than
the one taught and practiced by the scribes and Pharisees; and this He
does by exposing their error and expounding the spirituality of the
moral law.
"Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth
for a tooth" (v. 38). These words are found three times in the
Pentateuch. They occur first in Exodus 21, a chapter which opens thus,
"Now these are the judgments." The word "judgments" signifies judicial
laws. The statutes recorded therein were so many rules by which the
magistrates were to proceed in the courts of Israel when trying a
criminal. The execution of these statutes was not left to private
individuals, so that each man was free to avenge his own wrongs, but
they were placed in the hands of the public administrators of the law.
This is further borne out by the third occurrence of our text in
Deuteronomy 19, for there we read, "And the judges shall make diligent
inquisition . . . and thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for
life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot" (vv.
18, 21).
A century or so ago such verses as those last quoted were made the
object of bitter attacks both by atheists and infidels, but today not
a few who profess to be Christians denounce them as inhuman. In this
flabby age, when sentiment overrides principle, the doctrine of an eye
for an eye and a tooth for a tooth strikes many as being cruel and
barbarous. We shall not waste time in replying to such rebels: in due
course the Lord Himself will deal with them and vindicate His honour.
Nor is there anything in His Holy Word which requires any apology from
us: rather does it strengthen our faith when we find so many caviling
at its contents. Nevertheless, there may be a few of the saints who
are somewhat disturbed by the barking of these dogs, so for their sake
we would call attention to one or two details.
First, this Divinely prescribed rule was a just one: "And if a man
cause a blemish in his neighbour: as he hath done, so shall it be done
to him; Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath
caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again" (Lev.
24:19, 20). What is more equitable than an exact quid pro quo? Surely
it is a most elementary and unchanging principle of sound
jurisprudence that the punishment should be made to fit the
crime-neither more nor less. So far were the ancients in advance of
our moderns that we find a heathen owning the righteousness of such a
law: "But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught
him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes. And Adoni-bezek said,
Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and great toes cut off,
gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath
requited me" (Judges 1:6, 7). If it be objected that in this Christian
era justice is far more tempered with mercy than was the case in Old
Testament times, then we would remind the objector that "Whatsoever a
man soweth that shall he also reap" (Gal. 6:7) is found in the New
Testament. "With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you
again" (Matthew 7:2) are the words of Christ Himself.
Second, this Mosaic statute was a most merciful one. It is to be
observed that in Exodus 21, both before and after the rule recorded in
verses 23-25, legislation is given concerning the rights of "servants"
or, as the word really means, "slaves." If their masters, out of
brutality or in a fit of rage, maimed them, then the magistrates were
required to see to it that they in turn should be compelled to take a
dose of their own medicine. Who can fail to see, then, that such a law
placed a merciful restraint upon the passions of the owners and made
for the safeguarding of the persons of their slaves. Moreover, this
statute also curbed any judge who in righteous indignation at the
cruel injury of a slave was inclined to punish his master too
severely: he was not allowed to demand a life for an eye, or a limb
for a tooth!
Third, such an arrangement was a beneficent one for society as a
whole, for this law applied not only to masters and servants but to
all Israelites in general. It was designed to protect the weak against
the strong, the peaceful from lovers of violence. It was a wise and
necessary means for preserving law and order in the community. This is
clear from the closing verses of Deuteronomy 19: "Then shall ye do
unto him as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt
thou put the evil away from among you. And those which remain shall
hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil
among you" (vv. 19, 20). The fear of punishment-providing that
punishment be severe and summary-would deter the passionate and
vicious. Thus, so far from this law being a cruel and barbarous one,
it was a most just, merciful and beneficent one, calculated to remove
"evil" and produce that which is good.
Ere passing on let it be pointed out that this law of judicial
retaliation ought to be upon our statute books today and impartially
and firmly enforced by our magistrates. Nothing would so effectually
check the rapidly rising tide of crimes of violence. But alas, so
foolish and effeminate is the present generation that an increasing
number are agitating for the abolition of capital punishment and the
doing away with corporal punishment, and this in the face of the fact
that in those countries where capital punishment is most loosely
administered there is the highest percentage of murders, and that as
corporal punishment is relaxed crimes of brutal violence are greatly
increasing. Those who have no regard for the persons of others are
very tender of their own skins, and therefore the best deterrent is to
let them know that the law will exact from them an eye for an eye and
a tooth for a tooth.
"No man needs to be more merciful than God. The benefit that will
accrue to the public from this severity will abundantly recompense it.
Such exemplary punishment will be warning to others not to attempt
such mischiefs" (from Matthew Henry's comments on Deut. 19:19-21).
Magistrates were never ordained of God for the purpose of reforming
reprobates or pampering degenerates, but to be His instruments for
preserving law and order, and that by being "a terror to the evil"
(Rom. 13:3). The magistrate is "the minister of God," not to encourage
wickedness, but to be an "avenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth
evil" (Rom. 13:4). Let it not be forgotten that Christ Himself
affirmed of the judge who refused to "avenge" the poor widow of her
adversary that he was one "who feared not God neither regarded man"
(Luke 18:2).
Of course we do not expect to carry all our readers with us, and we
shall be rather surprised if we receive no letters condemning us for
such "harshness." But let us point out what we are firmly convinced
are the causes of the moral laxity and the immoral sentimentality
which now so widely prevails. We unhesitatingly blame the pulpit for
the present sad state of affairs. The unfaithfulness of preachers is
very largely responsible for the lawlessness which is now so rife
throughout the whole of Christendom. During the last two or three
generations thousands of pulpits have jettisoned the Divine Law,
stating that it has no place in this dispensation of grace. And thus
the most powerful of all restraints has been removed and license given
to the lusts of the flesh.
Not only has the Divine Law been repudiated, but the Divine character
has been grossly misrepresented. The attributes of God have been
perverted by a one-sided presentation thereof. The justice, the
holiness, and the wrath of God have been pushed into the background,
and a God that loves everybody thrust into the foreground. In
consequence, the masses of church-goers no longer fear God. For the
past fifty years the vast majority of pulpits have maintained a guilty
silence on Eternal Punishment so that few now have any dread of the
wrath to come. This logically follows from the former, for no one
needs to stand in any terror of One who loves him. The repercussions
have been unmistakable, drastic, and tragic. Sickly sentimentality
regulated the pulpit until it dominated the pew, and this evil leaven
has so spread that it now permeates the whole nation.
Conscience has been comatose: the requirements of justice are stifled:
maudlin concepts now prevail. As eternal punishment was
repudiated-either tacitly or in many cases openly-ecclesiastical
punishments were shelved. Churches refused to enforce sanctions, and
winked at flagrant offences. The inevitable outcome has been the
breakdown of discipline in the home and the creation of a "public
opinion" which is mawkish and spineless. School-teachers are
intimidated by foolish parents, so that the rising generation are more
and more allowed to have their own way without fear of consequences.
If some judge has the courage of his convictions and sentences a brute
to the "cat" for maiming an old woman, there is an outcry raised
against him. But enough. Most of our readers are painfully aware of
all this without our enlarging any further: but few of them realize
the causes which have led up to it-an unfaithful pulpit, the denial of
eternal punishment, the misrepresentation of God's character, the
rejection of His Law, the failure of the churches to enforce a
scriptural discipline, the breakdown of parental authority.
"Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth
for a tooth." This Divine statute, like those which were before us in
the previous sections, had been grossly perverted by the scribes and
Pharisees. They had wrested its purport and design by giving it a
false application. Instead of confining it to the magistrates in the
law courts, they had made the statute a promiscuous one. The Jewish
leaders had so expounded this precept as though God had given
permission for each individual to take the law into his own hands and
avenge his own wrongs. They intimated that it allowed each person to
take private revenge upon his enemies: if thy neighbour smite thee and
destroyeth one of thine eyes, then go thou and do likewise to him.
Thus a spirit of resistance was cherished and the act of retaliation
condoned.
Should it be asked, How came it that the scribes and Pharisees so
glaringly wrested this law which was manifestly designed for the
guidance of magistrates only? we would point out first that it is a
natural opinion that a man may avenge himself in private when wrong
has been done to him personally; second, answerable thereto there is a
very strong desire for revenge in everyone's heart by nature; and as
the Jewish leaders sought to ingratiate themselves with the people
rather than to please God, they pandered to this evil lust. In this we
may see the workings of the Devil; for in all ages his policy has been
directed to the overthrowing of the Divine order. The great enemy of
God and man has ever sought to move corrupt leaders, both civil and
religious, so to temper things to the depraved inclinations and
popular opinions of the people that true piety may be overthrown.
Perceiving the earthly-mindedness and materialistic outlook of the
Jews, the Devil moved their teachers to dream about a Messiah who
should dispense mundane rather than spiritual blessings, so that when
Christ came preaching salvation from sin and exhorting men to lay up
treasure in heaven, they despised and rejected Him. The Italians had
ever been greatly addicted to sorcery and idolatry, as ancient writers
testify; and though God vouchsafed them the true Gospel at the
beginning of the Christian era, yet the Devil, knowing their natural
disposition to superstition, soon corrupted the Truth among them, so
that in a short time their church abounded as much in idolatry as ever
they did when they were heathen. The like malicious tactics has the
Devil used among Protestants, for when he was unsuccessful in
corrupting doctrine in the mouths of its leaders, he has greatly
weakened it among the rank and file, by causing them to receive in
their hearts only that which accords with their evil proclivities.
It is at this very point that the true ministers of God stand out in
sharp contrast with the Devil's hirelings. The latter are unregenerate
men, with no fear of God in their hearts. "They are of the world, and
the world heareth them" (1 John 4:5). They trim their sails to the
winds of public opinion. They accommodate their preaching to the
depraved taste of their hearers. Their utterances are regulated by a
single motive: to please those who pay their salaries. But the
servants of Christ shun not to declare all the counsel of God, no
matter how distasteful and displeasing it may be to the natural man.
They dare not corrupt the Truth and refuse to withhold any part of
their God-given message. To glorify their Master and be faithful to
the trust He has committed to them is their only concern.
Consequently, they share, in their measure, the treatment which was
meted Out to Him.
"But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall
smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also" (v. 39). In
this verse and the three which follow Christ confutes the false
application which the scribes had made of the Mosaic statute, and it
is in this light that His exhortations here must be understood. To say
He is exhorting His followers absolutely to a passive endurance of any
and every injury they may receive at the hands of wicked and
unreasonable men is to give a meaning to our Lord's words which the
context does not warrant, and which other passages and important
considerations definitely forbid. That which He was refuting was the
taking of private vengeance on those who wrong us. Further proofs in
support of this must be left for our next.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Seventeen
The Law and Retaliation-Continued
___________________________________
"But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall
smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also" (v. 39). In
order to properly understand and rightly apply this injunction due
regard must be paid to its context, and the whole interpreted in
harmony with the general Analogy of Faith, otherwise we are in
imminent danger of making Scripture to contradict itself. As we sought
to show in our last, Christ was not here repealing an important Mosaic
statute and substituting in its place a milder and more merciful rule
for His followers to observe, but was (as in the preceding sections of
His Sermon) refuting an error of the scribes and reprehending the evil
practice of the Pharisees. They had given a promiscuous application to
a judicial regulation for the use of magistrates, a regulation which
placed strict bounds upon the punishment to be meted out unto those
guilty of deeds of maiming.
The statute pertaining to magistrates only had been given a general
application, so that the people were allowed to take the law into
their own hands, each individual being free to avenge his wrongs
privately, which not only condoned but encouraged the spirit of malice
and revenge. It was in view of this wicked perversion of the Divine
Law that our Saviour said "Resist not evil." More literally it is
"Resist not the evil one," that is, the evil individual who has
injured you. Resist not: think not of taking the law into your own
hands, requiting the adversary as he has done to you. Cherish not
against him the spirit of revenge, but be actuated by nobler
principles and more spiritual considerations. Such is plainly the
general purport of this precept: its particular implications must now
be considered.
Even Mr. F. W. Grant (a leader among the "Plymouth Brethren") agreed
that, "The righteousness of the law of course remains righteousness,
but it does not require of any that they exact for personal wrongs.
There is no supposition of the abrogation of law or of its penalties.
The government of the world is not in question, but the path of
disciples in it. Where they are bound by the law, they are bound, and
have no privileges. They are bound, too, to sustain it in its general
working, as ordained of God for good. Within these limits there is
still abundant room for such practice as is here enjoined. We may
still turn the left cheek to him that smites the right, or let the man
that sues us have the cloak as well as the coat which he has
fraudulently gained: for that is clearly within our rights. If the
cause were that of another, we should have no right of this kind, nor
to aid men generally in escape from justice or in slighting it. The
Lord could never lay down a general rule that His people should allow
lawlessness, or identify themselves with indifference to the rights of
others" (The Numerical Bible).
"Resist not evil." That which Christ here forbade was not the
resisting of evil by a lawful defence, but by way of private revenge.
Public reparation is when the magistrate, according to the justice and
mercy of the Divine Law, sentences an evil person who has injured his
fellow. Private revenge is when those who are not magistrates take
matters into their own hands and retaliate against those who have
wronged them. The former is clearly permitted, for an apostle declared
the magistrate is "the minister of God" for executing judgment upon
evil-doers, the same apostle as expressly forbids retaliation:
"Recompense no man evil for evil" (Rom. 12:17).
"But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil." There are many who err
in supposing that such a precept as this is peculiar to the New
Testament. A comparison of the two Testaments will show that
identically the same rule of duty obtained in both economies. "if
thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty,
give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his
head" (Prov. 25:21, 22); Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if
he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of
fire on his head" (Rom. 12:20). Rightly did one of the older writers
say, when commenting upon this passage in Proverbs 25, "The law of
love is not expounded more spiritually in any single precept either by
Christ or His apostles than in this exhortation." Its obvious meaning
is, seize the moment of distress to show kindness to him that hateth
thee.
Living in a sinful world, we must expect to meet with injustices and
unprovoked injuries. How, then, are we to conduct ourselves under
them? The answer is, first, God forbids us, both in the Law and in the
Gospel, to recompense evil for evil. The taking of private revenge,
either inwardly or outwardly, is expressly prohibited. "Say not thou
[no, not even in thine heart] I will recompense evil" (Prov. 20:22). I
must not so much as allow the thought that some day I shall have an
opportunity to get my own back: I am not even to hope it, still less
resolve the same. The Christian should not desire or determine
anything which he cannot in faith ask God to assist him in; and most
assuredly he would have no ground whatever to expect the Lord to help
him in the execution of a malicious revenge.
We may not requite evil for evil in thought, word, or deed to those
who mistreat us, but rather suffer injury and refer our cause to Him
who is the Judge of all the earth. Because this duty goes against our
natural inclinations, let us mention one or two persuasives thereto.
First, it is the expressly revealed will of God for us, and His
commands are not grievous. Second, vengeance belongeth unto the Lord,
and if we take it upon ourselves to avenge our wrongs privately, then
we rob Him of His right. Third, Christ has left us an example that we
should follow His steps, and "When He was reviled, reviled not again;
when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that
judgeth righteously" (1 Pet. 2:23); yea, when He was cruelly and
unjustly crucified, He prayed for His persecutors. Finally, Christ has
plainly warned us that if we forgive not men their trespasses, neither
will God forgive ours (Matthew 6:15).
But now we must face the question of how far this precept "Resist not
evil" is binding upon us. Is it to be regarded absolutely? Does it
recognize no limitation and make no allowance for exceptions? Is the
Christian passively to endure all wrong? Here is where we must seek
guidance from the Analogy of Faith, or in other words, ascertain the
teaching of collateral passages. If this be done, it will be found
that while our text enunciates a principle of general application, it
is not a universal one. To deduce from it the doctrine of unlimited
non-resistance to evil is to pervert its teaching, and to exalt the
letter above the spirit; just as to insist that the plucking out of a
right eye which offends or the cutting off of an offending right hand
(vv. 29, 30) must be understood and obeyed literally, would be to miss
entirely our Lord's meaning in those verses.
First, the teaching of Christ elsewhere manifestly forbids us to
understand "Resist not evil" in an unqualified and universal sense. He
gave explicit directions to His disciples concerning their duty toward
those who wronged them: "If thy brother shall trespass against thee,
go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear
thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then
take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three
witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to
hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the
church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican" (Matthew
18:15-17). Now that is very definite resistance to evil: it challenges
the wrong done, examines the offence, and punishes the wrong-doer.
There are more ways of resistance to evil than the employment of
physical force.
Second, the idea of an unqualified non-resistance to evil is contrary
to the example of Christ. He resisted evil, attacked wrong-doers, and
when smitten did not turn the other cheek. When He went up to
Jerusalem and found His Father's house turned into a house of
merchandise and a den of thieves, He made a scourge of small cords and
cast out of the temple both sheep and oxen. He scattered the money of
the desecrators and overthrew their tables (John 2:13-17). On another
occasion He drove them out, stopped the service, and refused to let
any man carry a vessel through the temple (Mark 11:15-17). That was
not passive resistance, but vigorous aggression. In the judgment-hall
of Caiaphas one of the officers struck the Saviour with his hand, but
instead of turning the other cheek Christ challenged the smiter (John
18:22, 23). He did not answer force with force and return blow for
blow, but He exposed and rebuked the wrong.
Third, were we to offer no resistance whatever unto injuries inflicted
upon us, no matter what their nature, or who their perpetrators, then
we should fail in supporting and co-operating with the Divine
ordinance of the magistrate, and be guilty of abetting evildoers. The
magistrate is God's lieutenant, His minister for vindicating the
oppressed and punishing criminals. Under certain circumstances it
would be our bounden duty to seek the protection and help of the
officers of the law, for they are one of God's means for preserving
order in the community. If it be right for me to bring an offending
brother before the church-the well-being of the church requiring that
it should be purged if he be rebellious; then by what principle can it
be wrong for me to summon a law-breaker before the magistrate, in
cases where the good of the community obviously requires it?
"This command of our Lord, illustrated by the examples He brings
forward, plainly does not forbid us to defend ourselves when we are in
danger. To do so is one of the strongest instincts of our nature, the
law of God written on our hearts. But with regard to personal
injuries, when there is no hazard of life, as in the case specified,
it is our duty to repress resentment and to abstain from violence. In
like manner, there are cases in which it is plainly a man's duty to
avail himself of the protection which the law gives to property.
Justice to his creditors, to the public, to his family, may require
him to defend his estate, though even this must not be done under the
impulse of private revenge. But we ought to have resort to the
tribunals of justice only when the cause is important and the call
urgent; we are to prosecute our claims with humanity, moderation, and
a spirit of peace; we are to be content with reasonable satisfaction"
(John Brown).
When the injury received is a personal and private one it is the
Christian's duty to bear it in the spirit of meekness, so long as by
so doing he is not encouraging evil-doers and thereby rendering them a
menace to others. If I am walking on the pavement and a drunken
motorist mounts the curb, knocks me down, and then drives off, it is
plainly my duty to take the number of his car, report the offence to
the police, and if required bear witness in the court. So too when a
wrong is done to others for whom we are responsible, resistance
becomes a duty. If a man's child is in peril at the hands of some
human fiend, is he to stand by and see it outraged or murdered? Did
not Abraham, the friend of God and the "father of all them that
believe," arm his servants, smite those who had taken his nephew
prisoner, and free him (Gen. 14:14-16)?
As we have so often pointed out in these pages, every truth of
Scripture has a balancing one, and it is only by heeding the same that
we are preserved from going to an unwarrantable extreme. Examples of
those guilty of lopsidedness, not only in doctrine but in practice,
are numerous. As there are those who put to false use Christ's "Swear
not at all" (v. 34), so there are not lacking others who place an
unjustifiable interpretation upon His "resist not evil." They suppose
that in this dispensation of grace it is the will of God that His
children should allow the principle of grace to regulate all their
actions. But certainly it is not God's will that the principle of
grace should override and swallow up all other principles of action.
The requirements of justice and the demands of holiness are also to be
honored by the Christian. Here too grace is to reign "through
righteousness" (Rom. 5:21) and not at the expense of it.
The same rule applies to other matters. Abstention from going to law
is a sound rule of life. It is a man's wisdom, generally speaking, to
keep free of litigation. The apostle condemned the Corinthians because
they took their contentions before the civil courts. But is a man, is
a Christian, never to resort unto law? What right have we to enjoy the
social and civil privileges of a community if we ignore its
obligations? Even though we may forgive an offence against our
property, have we no responsibility to our neighbors? If I corner a
burglar in my house am I at liberty to turn loose upon society one who
will plunder its property and imperil its security? There are times
when it is the clear duty of a Christian to hand a law-breaker over to
the law.
But exceptions do not nullify a rule, rather do they prove it. Care
must be taken, then, lest in turning from the letter we lose the
spirit of those precepts. "Resist not evil" is a plain command of
Christ's and as such it is binding upon us. His follower is to be a
man of peace, meekness, enduring wrong, suffering loss, accepting
hardship, full of compassion and simple faith. A contentious spirit is
evil: to be ever wrangling and always on the defensive is not
Christian. Going to law as a rule is neither seemly nor wise. But all
of that pertains to the negative side: as we shall yet see, there is a
positive one too. Good must be returned for evil, for only by good can
evil be overcome. Our business is not the punishment of sinners, but
the desiring and seeking after their salvation. Such was the life of
our Lord, and such also must be ours.
The very fact that the Lord Jesus here designated the evil-doer "the
evil one" makes it clear to us that it is the characteristic of an
evil man to inflict injury upon others. The giving of this title to
the wrong-doer gives us to understand that if we retaliate in the same
wicked spirit then we necessarily place ourselves in the same class to
which he belongs. We are therefore to suffer wrong patiently. There
are but two classes in the world, the good and the evil, and it is the
mark of the former that they do good unto all. They who do evil
evidence their likeness to the evil one; whereas the prosecution of
that which is good is Godlike. If we set ourselves to do harm unto
others, either by word or deed, we are in the sight of God evil men:
such are usurers and extortioners, profiteers, fraudulent traders,
those engaged in any enterprise which subverts morality, underminers
of health, Sabbath breakers. The Christian, then, must separate
himself from all such callings, and (though it entails a smaller
salary) engage in that which is pleasing to God.
Although by nature fallen men be likened unto untamed beasts and
fierce animals, resembling the "wild ass's colt" (Job 11:12), the
lion, the leopard, the wolf, the cockatrice (Isa. 11:6-8), whose
nature it is to hurt and devour other creatures, yet when God in His
infinite mercy is pleased to work in them a miracle of grace, bestow
upon them spiritual life and reconcile them to Himself, then they lay
aside their enmity and ferocity and live in peace with one another, so
that the ancient saying is fulfilled: "They shall not hurt nor destroy
in all My holy mountain" (Isa. 11:9). It is a property of Christ's
kingdom that His subjects shall "beat their swords into plowshares and
their spears into pruninghooks" (Micah 4:3)- weapons of bloodshed
being transmuted into instruments of usefulness. When men are truly
converted, they lay aside malice and wrath and become the doers and
promoters of good. This was notably exemplified in the case of Paul,
who, from a fierce persecutor, was transformed into a preacher of the
Gospel of peace.
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The Sermon On The Mount
____________________________________________________
Chapter Eighteen
The Law and Retaliation-Concluded
___________________________________
The section of our Lord's Sermon which we are now considering has been
misunderstood and wrested by not a few, fanatics attributing to it a
meaning which is flatly contradicted by other passages. For this
reason we deemed it necessary to enter into a detailed examination of
its terms. Two chapters have already been devoted thereto, but as
these appeared in the 1939 volume (Studies in the Scriptures), it is
requisite for us to present a brief summary of the ground therein
covered, that new readers may the better grasp what we now write.
First, it has been shown that Christ is not here repealing a Mosaic
statute and substituting in its place a more merciful and spiritual
rule, but that He was engaged (as in the previous sections of this
Sermon) in refuting a serious error of the scribes and Pharisees and
in presenting the high requirements of the Law.
The words, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" (v. 38), occur
three times in the Pentateuch. They enunciated one of the judicial
laws which the Lord gave to Israel. That law was prescribed solely for
the guidance and use of magistrates. Its design was threefold: to
protect the weak against the strong, to serve as a salutary warning
unto evil-doers, to prevent the judge from inflicting too severe a
punishment upon those guilty of maiming others. As such it was a just,
merciful and beneficent law. If the principle of this statute-the
infliction of corporal punishment on those convicted of crimes of
violence-was universally and strictly enforced today, it would make
this world a much safer place to live in. But this law had been
greatly perverted by the Jewish leaders, for instead of confining it
to the magistrates they had made a general application of it, teaching
that it gave to each person the right to avenge his wrongs privately;
and thereby they fostered the spirit of malice and condoned deeds of
violence.
"But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil" (v. 39). This signifies
that we are forbidden to take the law into our own hands, and requite
an adversary as he has done to us: nobler principles and spiritual
considerations are to actuate us. Nor is this precept in any wise
peculiar to the New Testament: such passages as Proverbs 20:22; 24:29;
25:21, 22, expressly prohibit the taking of private vengeance. Our
Lord, then, was continuing to press the high requirements of the moral
law. It is to be duly noted, however, that neither the Law nor the
Gospel requires from us an unqualified and universal non-resistance to
evil. There are times when an ignoring of wrongs done to us or of
injuries inflicted upon us would obviously be a failure to perform our
duty. We must never connive at the guilty escaping from justice nor in
the slighting of it. Righteousness is to mark us in all our ways.
Graciousness and lawlessness are widely different things. Though
gladly willing to forgo our own rights, we must not neglect the rights
of others by turning loose on society those who would imperil its
security. When a brother trespasses against us he must be challenged
and not winked at: if he be unreasonable and impenitent, the matter
must be brought before the Church: should he still prove to be defiant
and rebellious, then he is to be punished by being disfellowshipped
(Matthew 18:15-17). Christ Himself resisted evil in the temple, when
He found His Father's house had been turned into a house of
merchandise and a den of thieves (John 2:13-17). The office of the
magistrate is a Divine ordinance, and we are morally bound to support
and co-operate with it. Notwithstanding, we must never appeal to the
law in a spirit of malice and revenge, but only because God has
appointed and the good of society requires it.
But, on the other hand, exceptions do not nullify a rule, rather do
they serve to prove it. In turning from the strict letter of the
precept, we must beware of losing its spirit. The disciple of Christ,
the Prince of peace, is to be a man of peace, meekly enduring wrong,
patiently suffering loss, accepting hardships graciously. Not only are
we to refrain from the act of retaliation, but even the desire itself
must not be allowed, for God requires holiness of heart as well as of
life. All malice and bitterness, wrath and clamor, evil speaking and
unkind gestures are to be put off; and bowels of mercy, compassion,
and long-suffering put on-anything less is a falling short of the
Christian standard. Not only are we to refrain from returning evil for
evil, but we must return good for evil, blessing those who curse us
and praying for those who despitefully use us.
In what immediately followed, Christ amplified His "Resist not evil"
by three examples, wherein He shows how men are to behave themselves
when they are wronged. First, "But whosoever shall smite thee on thy
right cheek, turn to him the other also" (v. 39). Under these words
are expressed all injuries done to men's bodies, not only by words and
blows, but also in the contempt of their persons, which is intimated
by the reference to the "right cheek." Usually, men strike with the
right hand and the blow falls on the left cheek, so that if the right
cheek be smitten it is commonly with the back of the hand-a blow of
contempt, which is even more provoking of retaliation than one given
in anger. Nevertheless, says Christ, even such a blow must not be
returned, for the taking of private revenge is strictly prohibited.
Let the old saying be remembered: it takes two to make a
quarrel-though the aggressor be guilty of provocation, yet it is the
second party who gives consent to a quarrel if he hits back.
"But whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the
other also. There has been some controversy in certain quarters as to
whether or not these words are to be considered literally. The
question may be answered more readily by asking, Are they to be
regarded absolutely or comparatively? Obviously, it must be the
latter. First, were we to turn the other cheek to the smiter we should
be tempting him unto sin, by inviting him to repeat the offence, which
is manifestly wrong. Second, the example of Christ Himself refutes
such an interpretation, for when He was smitten upon the cheek He did
not turn the other unto the smiter. Third, the second half of this
verse must not be detached from the first. Resist not evil: no matter
how provoking be the occasion: revenge not thyself, but rather "give
place unto wrath" (Rom. 12:19). Rather than be guilty of malice and
violence, be willing to submit to further insults.
Our Lord certainly did not mean by these words, "Whosoever shall smite
thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also," that we should
court further wrongs, or that in all cases we must meekly submit to
such without any kind of resistance. When He was smitten before the
high priest, He did not return blow for blow, but He did remonstrate
against it. In so doing Christ was not actuated by a spirit of
retaliation, but of justice to His own character, and what He said had
a tendency to convict the offender and the assembly. This precept is
expressed in the strongest possible form to teach us that we must not
render evil for evil, but rather suffer wrong, and submit to a
repetition of an injury rather than go about to avenge ourselves. It
is the principle rather than the act which is inculcated, yet in
certain circumstances a literal compliance would be right, which
instead of disgracing us would raise us in the esteem of the godly.
Christ here condemned the common practice of fighting and quarrelling.
Even though sorely provoked by another, He will not allow us to strike
back. There is nothing to intimate that He disallowed the apostles
from carrying swords for self defence, but as soon as Peter drew his
to resist the officers who came to apprehend Him in the garden, He
bade him sheathe it again. In like manner, this precept reprehends the
challenging unto a duel, and also the acceptance of such: better be
dubbed a coward by our fellows than disobey and displease the Lord. If
it be said that it is a disgrace to show the white feather, the reply
is that it is true grace to abstain from sinning. Mark it well that a
slap in the face is a vastly different thing from life itself being
endangered: where that is the case, flight or calling for the help of
the law is our duty; yea, we must seek to defend ourselves rather than
be killed.
"And if any man will sue thee at the law and take away thy coat, let
him have thy cloke also" (v. 40). The first example cited by Christ
concerned insults to our persons, this one has to do with wrongful
attacks upon our possessions. It sets forth another characteristic of
evil men, namely to prey upon the goods of their fellows, either
privately or under cover of the law. Such a one was Zacchaeus, before
his conversion, for he had enriched himself by "false" or fraudulent
methods (Luke 19:8). But know thou, that all who resort to what are
called "tricks of the trade," all who trade upon the ignorance of
their fellows by means of "shady" devices, all who are successful in
the courts as the result of employing crafty lawyers, are-no matter
what be their reputation for shrewdness in the world-in the sight of
God evil men; and therefore the Christian must have no fellowship with
such.
It is to be duly noted that this second example respects one of a
trifling character. As the former concerned not the severance of a
limb by the sword, but only a slap in the face, so this relates not to
the seizure of our property but merely the loss of a garment. Unless
this be duly noted, we are likely to miss the force of our Lord's
exhortation and make an entirely unwarrantable application. That which
Christ here condemned was not the legitimate use of the courts, but
the going to law over mere trifles. The doing so evidences a
contentious spirit and a heart that is anxious for revenge, which ill
becomes a Christian, as the apostle shows in 1 Corinthians 6:1-8; yet
it is all too common a practice among men in general. Rather than
enter into litigation over the loss of a coat-the costs entailed in
such a procedure often being more than the purchasing of a new
garment-far better to suffer the loss of it.
"In cases of great importance, other duties may require him to avail
himself of the protection of the law: justice to his creditors, and to
the public, and even to his family, may require him to defend his
estate and to give a check to the exorbitancy of unreasonable men; and
a Christian may prosecute a criminal out of love to public justice,
though not from private revenge. Yet there will generally be men of
the world enough to deal with such depredators; and a disciple of
Christ will seldom have occasion to waste his time or lose his temper
about them" (Thomas Scott). Thus, on the one hand we must guard
against anything which would encourage evil in the wicked; and on the
other, conduct ourselves as those whose affections are set upon things
above. Divine wisdom and grace are necessary if we are properly to
preserve the balance here.
The ruling of our own spirit is far more important than the clothes
which we wear. The preservation of inward tranquillity is of greater
price than a coat or a cloak. Here our Lord teaches us to set lightly
by our temporal goods, that our time and strength may be devoted to
the concerns of eternity. Nothing more surely unfits us for the
pursuit of holiness than a heart which is resentful at and contentious
with others. Angry passions and the workings of a spirit of revenge
disqualify us for the worship of God. Meekness and lowliness of heart
are the graces which we particularly need to learn of Christ. Though
there may be cases where duty requires us to take legal action against
one who defrauds us, yet this must be our last resort, for it is
extremely difficult to handle pitch without the fouling of our
garments.
"And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain" (v.
41). The actual reference is to public transport service. The Roman
troops had power to requisition able-bodied men. Marching through a
district, they could compel men to act as porters or guides within a
certain area or limit: an illustration of which we have in the case of
Simon of Cyrene being compelled to bear the cross of Christ (Mark
15:21). Such service was not popular: often the demand was
inconvenient as well as laborious, and was apt to be rendered in a
reluctant and complaining spirit. Christ's command is that even when
service is constrained and unreasonable, it should never be performed
in a sullen and slavish spirit; but cheerfully and in excess of the
demand. Happily there remain but few occasions when we are impressed
into the service of the State. But in every life there are
circumstances that force to unwelcome tasks; every man has duties
which are undertaken not of choice but of necessity; they should be
performed readily and cheerfully.
This third example cited by Christ, in which He forbids us to resist
evil, has to do with the deprivation or curtailment of our personal
liberties. It is a case where superiors are guilty of wrongdoing to
their inferiors, wherein the injured one is prohibited from making
resistance by way of private revenge. That which is inculcated is the
abuse of authority and how the offended are to conduct themselves
under the same: rather than give way unto bitter resentment, we must
patiently bear the injustice, and even be ready to suffer the
repetition thereof. The prohibition here made by Christ condemns all
private reviling of the laws of the land, the railing of servants
against what they deem to be unreasonable in their masters, and the
refusal to pay our just dues.
In the example now before us we have noted a third kind of wickedness
in evil men, namely those in positions of power and authority wronging
those who are under them, by infringing on their personal rights and
unjustly curtailing their liberties. Those who are guilty of charging
exorbitant rents, overworking their employees, robbing them of their
Sabbath rest, and of grinding the faces of the poor, are-no matter
what their rank, wealth and honour in the world-evil men in the sight
of God, and as such they will meet with the due reward of their
iniquities in the Day to come. It is for this reason, among others,
that we are forbidden to resist or retaliate: in due time the Judge of
all will right every wrong, and make it manifest to the whole universe
that "the triumphing of the wicked is short."
"In reference to personal liberty there can be no doubt that, next to
the blessings of a good conscience and the hope of eternal life, it is
one of the most valuable privileges. Every Christian and every man
should be ready to do much and suffer much, in order to secure it and
retain it for himself and others. Yet at the same time, he will not
only patiently submit to every necessary burden and constitutional
restraint, but in obedience to our Lord's precept he will bear much of
the insolence of men-dressed up in a little brief authority-overlook
many stretches of power, and endure even a variety of acts of
oppression, rather than have recourse to violence and tumult" (J.
Brown).
"Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee
turn not thou away" (v. 42). This supplies a further illustration of
that noble and generous spirit which the righteousness of Christ's
kingdom requires of its subjects. That righteousness will not only
deter them from standing on every point of individual rights, but it
will incline them to do good unto others. Interpreting this precept in
the light of its setting, it sets forth the positive side of our duty:
not only does Christ forbid men to requite evil for evil, but He
commands them to return good for evil. It is better to give unto those
who have no claims upon us and to lend unto those who would impose
upon kindness, than to cause strife by a selfish or surly refusal. Our
possessions are to be held in stewardship for God and at the disposal
of the real need of our followers.
Unto those who object against the limitations we have placed upon the
other precepts and the exceptions that have been pointed out, we would
earnestly beg them to attend very closely to this one. Surely it is
self-evident that the application of this particular injunction is
strictly qualified. No one with any real acquaintance of the
Scriptures can suppose that Christ here imposed an indiscriminate
charity as a Christian duty: that we are to give or lend to every one
who asks. One of the growing curses of modern life is the ill-advised
charity of those who allow their sympathies to run away with them.
Lending is to be done "with discretion" (Ps. 112:5). The apostolic
principle is, "That if any would not work, neither should he eat" (2
Thess. 3:10): it is no part of duty-either of the individual or of the
State-to maintain in idleness those who are too lazy to work. If the
following passages be carefully pondered, the will of God for us in
this matter may be readily perceived: Proverbs 3:27; 1 Corinthians
16:2, 3; 2 Corinthians 8:13, 14; Ephesians 4:28; 1 John 3:17.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Nineteen
The Law and Love
"Ye have heard that it bath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour,
and hate thine enemy. But I say Unto you, Love your enemies, bless
them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them
which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the
children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh His sun to
rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on
the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye?
do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren
only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye
therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."
Matthew 5:43-48
___________________________________
"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour,
and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless
them that curse you, do good to them that hate you" (vv. 43 and 44).
Few sections of the Sermon on the Mount have suffered more at the
hands of expositors than has this one. Most of them, through failure
to attentively weigh and rightly understand the whole context, have
quite missed the scope of our passage. In consequence of such failure
our Lord's design in these verses has been misapprehended, the
prevailing but erroneous idea being held that they set forth the
vastly superior moral standard of the New Covenant over that which
obtained under Judaism. Many have wrongly defined its principal terms,
giving too restricted a meaning both to "neighbor" and "love."
Ludicrous indeed are the shifts made by some in the endeavors to
harmonize their interpretation of these verses with the theological
system to which they are committed.
How widely the commentators differ among themselves, and how ambiguous
and unsatisfactory are their explanations will appear from the
following quotations-taken from their remarks on "Love your enemies."
"We cannot have complacency in one that is openly wicked and profane,
nor put a confidence in one that we know to be deceitful; for are we
to love all alike; but we must pay respect to the human nature, and so
far honour all men; we must take notice with pleasure of that even in
our enemies which is amiable and commendable; ingenuity, good temper,
learning, moral virtue, kindness to others, profession of religion,
etc., and love that, though they are our enemies. We must have a
compassion for them, and a good will toward them" (Matthew Henry).
That seems to us about as clear as mud. First, this eminent author
virtually tells us that we cannot love an enemy: then he affirms we
must respect any good qualities we can discern in them: and closes
with the statement that we should wish them well.
Much to the same effect are the reflections of Thomas Scott, for
though he begins by asserting it as a Christian duty to love our
enemies, to regard them "with benevolence, to return good works and
kind wishes to their revilings and imprecations, and beneficent acts
to their injuries," yet he spoils this by adding: "As however there
are various favors which He bestows only on His people, so our
peculiar friendship, kindness and complacency must and ought to be
restricted to the righteous; yea, gratitude to benefactors and
predilections for special friends consist very well with this general
good will and good conduct toward enemies and persecutors." Here again
we are left wondering as to what our Lord really meant when He bade us
"love your enemies."
Andrew Fuller sought to cut the knot by having recourse to the
subtleties of the schoolmen, who insisted there are two different
kinds of love, both in God and in man-wherein they confounded mere
kindness with love. This writer said, "Much confusion has arisen on
this subject from not distinguishing between benevolence and
complacency. The one is due to all men, whatever be their character,
so long as there is any possibility or hope of their becoming the
friends of God; the other is not, but requires to be founded on
character" (On love to enemies). The substance of which is that the
love we exercise unto the enemies of God is of a totally different
order from that which we bear to His children.
Stranger still is the method followed by the renowned John Gill in his
effort to explain away Christ's injunction that we must love our
enemies. "I apprehend, the love with which Christ exhorts His people
to love their enemies is not to be understood quoad affectus (as
respecting the internal affections of love): I cannot believe that
Christ requires of me that I should love a persecutor as I do my wife,
my children, my real friend, or brother in Christ; but quoad effectus
(as to the effects), that is, I am required to do these things as they
lay in my way and according to my ability, as a man would do to his
neighbor whom he loves; that is, feed him when he is hungry, and give
him drink when thirsty" (from
Truth Defended).
The explanation given by Mr. Gill is the worst of them all, for it
contains a most serious error, implying as it does that outward
compliance with God's requirements will be accepted by Him even though
the one spring from which all such actions must proceed be inactive.
It is not the outward appearance, but the heart, God ever looks at.
Now "love is the fulfilling of the law" (Rom. 13:10), and love is
essentially a thing of the heart. Love is the fulfilling of the Law
because love to God and to man is all that it requires. Real obedience
is nothing more and nothing less than the exercise of love and the
directing of it to what God has commanded. Strictly speaking, there is
no ground for the distinction commonly made of internal and external
obedience: all true obedience is internal, consisting in the exercise
of love, and external obedience is simply the expression thereof.
Consequently, external conformity to the Divine commands which
proceeds not from love-holy affections-is worthless "dead works."
"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour,
and hate thine enemy" (v. 43). As we have passed from section to
section of Matthew 5, we have warned against and sought to repudiate
the widely held mistake that Christ was here setting up a more
spiritual and merciful law than the one which had been given at Sinai.
In the verse just quoted we have additional proof, clear and
conclusive, that our Lord was not engaged in pitting Himself against
the law of Moses, but rather that He was concerned with the refuting
and rejecting of the deadly errors of the Jewish teachers. The
Pentateuch will be searched in vain for any precept which required the
Israelites to entertain any malignity against their foes: thou shalt
"hate thine enemy" was a rabbinical invention pure and simple.
"Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of
thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the
Lord" (Lev. 19:18): such was the original commandment. Now our Lord
was not referring to this Divine statute at all, but to the Pharisees'
perversion of the same. True, they quoted the actual words, "thou
shalt love thy neighbour as thyself," but they misunderstood and
misapplied them. The lawyer's question to Christ, "Who is my
neighbour?" (Luke 10:29), asked in order to "justify himself,"
revealed the error of the party to which he belonged, as our Lord's
answer thereto made plain the scope of the term over which they
stumbled. The Jewish rabbis restricted the word "neighbour" to friends
or those closely related to them: to those of their nation and
particularly those who belonged to their own party.
The term "neighbour" is used in the Old Testament in a twofold manner:
a wider and more general, and a narrower and more specific. In its
common usage it includes anyone with whom we may come into contact,
having respect unto our fellow men. In its specific sense it signifies
one who is near to us by ties of blood or habitation. But anyone who
searches the Scriptures should have been left in no uncertainty as to
the Spirit's meaning. "Speak now in the ears of the people, and let
every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour,
jewels of silver, and jewels of gold" (Ex. 11:2): the reference here
is to the Egyptians among whom Israel then lived. "Strangers," equally
with "neighbours," are represented as the proper objects of such love
as we bear to ourselves, and that, in the very chapter where the
command to love our neighbour is recorded: "If a stranger sojourn with
thee in your land, ye shall not vex him; but the stranger that
dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou
shalt love him as thyself: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt"
(Lev. 19:33, 34).
So far from the Divine injunction, "thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself," being restricted to those who are amiable and friendly
toward us, in more than one passage in the Law even an adversary in a
law-suit is described as a neighbour: "When they have a matter, they
come unto me; and I judged between one and his neighbour" (Hebrew of
Ex. 18:16). Hence the inference which the Pharisees should have drawn
from the Divine statute would be, "Thou shalt love all men, even those
who are seeking to injure thee." When God prohibited His people from
bearing false witness against their neighbours, and when He forbade
them coveting the wife of a neighbour (Ex. 20:16, 17), the prohibition
must of necessity be understood without any limitation. Thus, the
commandment to love their neighbours, properly understood, bade them
to love all mankind.
As, then, this Divine precept commanded the Israelites to love all
men, it most certainly prohibited the harboring of a malignant spirit
against anyone. But not only did the Jewish rabbis unwarrantably
restrict the injunction to love their neighbours, but they also drew
from it the false and wicked inference "and hate thine enemy." How
excuseless was any such conclusion appears from the fact that the
command to love their neighbours was immediately preceded by the
prohibition, "thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the
children of thy people" (Lev. 19;18), while verse 34 bids them to love
as themselves any stranger living in their midst. To cherish any ill
feeling against any enemy was directly opposed to both the letter and
the spirit of the morality of the Law: no such sentiment was expressed
in any form of words.
How utterly opposed to the Law itself was this evil conclusion of the
rabbis will appear from the following scriptures. "If thou meet thine
enemy's ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to
him again. If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his
burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with
him" (Ex. 23:4, 5). "Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not
thine heart be glad when he stumbleth; lest the Lord see, and it
displease Him" (Prov. 24:17, 18). "If thine enemy be hungry, give him
bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink" (Prov.
25:21). Nor were these unqualified precepts in any wise annulled by
the special instructions Israel received through Moses and Joshua to
destroy the wicked inhabitants of Canaan, for in so doing they were
acting as the executioners of the righteous judgments of God, upon
those who were so corrupt and vile that they were a public menace. Nor
were they bidden to hate those miserable wretches. No foundation,
then, was laid in those extraordinary judgments on the Canaanites for
the general principle that hatred to enemies is lawful.
It may be objected to what has been pointed out above that there are
some passages which seem to make against our contention. For example,
we find David saying, "Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate Thee? And
am not I grieved with those that rise up against Thee? I hate them
with a perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies" (Ps. 139:21, 22).
Upon these verses we may remark that first we must distinguish sharply
between private and public enemies. The former is one who has done us
some personal injury: even so, we must not hate him or retaliate. The
latter is one who is in open and inveterate revolt against God, a
menace to His cause and people: even so, though we righteously hate
his evil cause and sins, we must not his person. So in the above
passage, it was the public enemies of Israel and of God whom David
hated.
From what has been before us we may see in the case of the rabbis two
abuses of the Scriptures, dangerous and disastrous abuses, against
which every teacher of the Word must most diligently guard, namely
misinterpretation and the drawing of seemingly logical but false
inferences. How necessary it is that terms of Holy Writ should be
rightly defined, and what labour is demanded from the teacher (often
the patient examination of scores and sometimes of hundreds of verses
to discover how the Spirit has used a particular term) in order to
achieve this; otherwise he is very liable to be guilty of causing
error to pass muster for the Truth. Doubly solemn is that exhortation,
"My brethren, be not many teachers, knowing that we shall receive the
greater condemnation" (Greek of James 3:1).
Again, from what has been before us we may discover an infallible mark
of a false teacher: he is one who deliberately panders to the corrupt
inclinations of his auditors, adapting his message to their perverted
inclinations, wresting the Scriptures so as to secure their
approbation. The teaching of the scribes and Pharisees was: Jews are
required to love and do good unto their brethren after the flesh, but
they are not only permitted, it is their bounden duty to cherish
bitter enmity against the Gentiles. Such a doctrine was only too
agreeable to the malignant and selfish principles of fallen human
nature, and accordingly we find the Jews generally acted under its
influence. "They readily show compassion to their own countrymen, but
they bear to all others the hatred of an enemy" (Tacitus); while Paul
describes them as "contrary to all men, forbidding us to speak unto
the Gentiles that they might be saved" (1 Thess. 2:15, 16).
Finally, we may behold here the fruit of false doctrine, namely evil
communications corrupting good manners. The Jews have ever been a
people marked by strong passions-loving their friends fervently and
hating their enemies intensely; and from the Pharisees' corrupting of
the law of God so as to make it square with the prejudices of their
disciples, the most evil consequences followed. Erroneous beliefs
necessarily lead to erroneous conduct, for "as a man thinketh in his
heart so is he." This principle is horribly exemplified in Romanism:
their evil practices resulting from their false traditions. Thus, they
regard their "places of worship" as more holy than any other
buildings, and consequently many of the deluded papists never-engage
in formal prayer except when they enter one of their "churches" or
"cathedrals."
"But I say unto you, Love your enemies." From all that has been before
us it should be quite plain that our Lord was not, in these words,
pitting Himself against any Mosaic precept, nor even making an
addition thereto: rather was He purging that Divine statute from the
corruptions of the scribes and Pharisees, and revealing the scope and
high spirituality of God's precepts. The love which the Divine Law
demands is something vastly superior to what we call "natural
affection": love for those who are nearest to us by ties of blood is
but a natural instinct or feeling-found in the heathen, and in a lower
degree among the animals. The love which the Divine Law requires is a
holy, disinterested, and spiritual one. This is unequivocally
established by the fact that our Lord linked inseparably together,
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart" and "thy
neighbour as thyself" (Matthew 22:37, 39)-our neighbour must be loved
with the very same love that God is.
"But I [God incarnate, the Giver of the original Law] say unto you,
Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that
hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute
you" (verse 44). In these words Christ does three things. First, He
expressly refutes the error of the scribes and Pharisees, who
restricted the term "neighbour" unto friends and acquaintances, and
shows that it is so all-embracive as to include "enemies": verily,
God's command is "exceeding broad" (Ps. 119:96). Second, He bluntly
repudiates their evil teaching that an enemy is to be hated, affirming
the very opposite to be the Truth, insisting that God commands us to
love even those who hate and injure us. Third, He makes crystal clear
what is signified by "love," namely a holy, inward, and spiritual
affection, which expresses itself in godly and kindly acts. Thus we
are assured beyond any shadow of doubt that the moral law is of Divine
origin, for who among men had ever conceived such a precept as "love
for enemies"?
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Twenty
The Law and Love-Continued
___________________________________
Strictly speaking, the contents of the last six verses of Matthew 5
contain a continuation of the same subject dealt with in the section
immediately preceding them (vv. 38-42). There, we saw our Lord taking
up the important matter of the Law and retaliation; here, He deals
with the same theme, though from a different angle. There, He treated
more especially with the negative side, declaring what the subjects of
His kingdom must not do when they are provoked by personal affronts
and private injuries: they are not to resist evil. But here, He takes
up the positive aspect, stating what His followers must do unto those
who hate and persecute them, namely return good for evil, love for
hatred. So far from being overcome with evil, the Christian is to
overcome evil with good (Rom. 12:20).
It will therefore be seen that in this concluding section of His
exposition of the moral law our Lord reached the climax in His showing
how far the holiness required of His subjects exceeded the
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees: as Christ had taken up one
commandment after another, He had made clear the vast difference which
separated the one from the other. They had systematically distorted
each precept that concerned man's relations with his fellows-lowering
the Divine standard and narrowing its scope so as to comport with the
depraved inclinations of their followers. Count after count the
Saviour had preferred against them: over against which He had set the
elevated and inexorable spirituality of God's requirements. The
contrast is radical and revolutionary: it is the contrast between
error and truth, darkness and light, corruption and holiness.
First, Christ had exposed their perversion of the Divine statute,
"Thou shalt not kill," and had revealed how far beyond their
representations this requirement extended (vv. 21-26). Second, He had
condemned their unwarrantable whittling down of the commandment, "Thou
shalt not commit adultery," and had shown that it reached to the very
thoughts and intents of the heart (vv. 27-32). Third, He had rebuked
their wicked tampering with the injunction, "Thou shalt not take the
name of the Lord thy God in vain," and had affirmed that all
unnecessary oaths of whatsoever kind were thereby prohibited (vv.
33-37). Fourth, He had shown how they had corrupted the magisterial
rule of "an eye for an eye (vv. 38-42). And finally, He dealt with
their vile corruption of the commandment, "Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself" (vv. 43-48).
In our last chapter we intimated that the commentators are all at sea
in their understanding of Christ's "But I say unto you, Love your
enemies": they failed to see that His purpose was to reinforce the
requirements of the Moral Law. The "Moral Laws" we say, not merely the
Mosaic Law, but that which God originally implanted in man's very
nature, to be the rule of his being. The requirements of that original
Moral Law (renewed at Sinai), are summed up in two things: first,
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy
soul, and with all thy mind" (Matthew 22:37), that is, thou shalt
esteem and venerate Him supremely, delight thyself in His excellency
superlatively, honour and glorify Him constantly.
"And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself" (Matthew 22:39). Here are three things. First, the duty
required: "thou shalt love." Second, the ground or reason of it:
because he is "thy neighbour," that is thy fellow man, of the same
order and blood as thyself. Third, the standard by which love to our
neighbour is to be regulated: "as thyself," which defines both its
nature and its measure. Such a requirement presupposes that we have a
right temper of mind: an upright, impartial, benevolent temper, even
to perfection, without the least tincture of anything to the contrary.
This is self-evident, for without such love we shall not, we cannot,
love our neighbour in a true light, nor think of, nor judge of, nor
feel toward him exactly as we ought. A wrong temper, a selfish,
uncandid, censorious, bitter spirit, will inevitably give a wrong turn
to all our thoughts and feelings unto him.
What is it to love our neighbour as ourselves? Our love to ourselves
is unfeigned, fervent, active, habitual and permanent: so ought to be
our love unto our neighbour. A regular self-love respects all our
interests, but especially our spiritual and eternal interests: so
ought our love unto our neighbour. A regular self-love prompts us to
be concerned about our welfare tenderly, to seek it diligently and
prudently, to rejoice in it heartily, and to be grieved for any
calamities sincerely: so ought our love unto our neighbour prompt us
to feel and conduct ourselves with regard to his welfare. Self-love
makes us take unfeigned pleasure in promoting our welfare: we do not
think it hard to do so much for ourselves: we ought to have just the
same genuine love to our neighbour, and thereby prove "it is more
blessed to give than to receive."
The kind of love which God requires us to have for our neighbour is
therefore vastly superior to what is commonly called human compassion,
for this is often found in the most lawless and wicked of men; it
takes not its rise from regard to the Divine authority or respect for
God's image in our fellows but springs merely from our animal
constitution. The same may be said of what men term good nature: just
as some beasts are better tempered than others, so some humans are
milder, gentler, humbler than their fellows, yet their amiability is
not influenced by any consideration for the commands of God. The same
may also be said of natural affection. Some of the most ungodly
cherish warm affection to their wives and children, yea, make
veritable idols of them-working and toiling day and night for them-to
the utter neglect of God and their souls. Yet all this affection to
their children does not prompt them to strive for their spiritual and
eternal welfare. It is but natural fondness, and not a holy love.
Now let it be dearly grasped that our Lord's purpose, in the last six
verses of Matthew 5, was to purge this great and general commandment
of the second table of the Law-"Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself"-from the corrupt interpretations of the Jewish teachers and
to restore it to its true and proper meaning. And as was His method in
the previous sections, Christ here specifies first the error of the
rabbis, and then proceeds to enforce the rightful application of the
Divine precepts. Their error was twofold: first, the unwarrantable
restricting of the term "neighbour" to those who were friendly
disposed towards them; second, the drawing from it of the false and
wicked inference that it was lawful to hate their enemies. How closely
modern Christendom approximates to degenerate Judaism in this respect
we must leave the reader to judge.
Having shown, again and again, what our Lord was engaged in doing
throughout the whole of this part of His Sermon (vv. 17-48) let us now
point out His evident design in the same. To make this the more
obvious, let the reader endeavour to place himself among Christ's
audience on this occasion and imagine that it was the first time he
had ever heard such teaching. As he listened carefully to Christ's
emphatic and searching words, "I say unto you, That except your
righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and
Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven" (v.
20), as he pondered His "But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry
with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment"
(v. 22), as he weighed His "But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh
on a woman to lust after hath committed adultery with her already in
his heart" (v. 28), what would be the effect produced upon him?
Face that question fairly and squarely, my reader. Had you stood on
the slope of that mount and listened to Him who spoke as never man
spoke-for He was God incarnate-the Lawgiver Himself now interpreting
and enforcing the demands of His holy, just, and spiritual Law; as you
honestly measured yourself by such pure and exalted requirements, what
had been your reaction? Had you not been obliged to hang your head in
shame, to acknowledge how far, far short you came of measuring up to
such a heavenly standard, to own that when weighed in such a balance
you were found woefully wanting, yea, that you were lighter than
vanity? If you were honest with yourself, could you say anything less
than that such a Law utterly condemned you at every point, that before
it you must confess yourself to be guilty, utterly undone, a lost
sinner?
And then as you listened to the passage we have now reached and heard
the Son of God affirm, "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless
them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them
which despitefully use you and persecute you" (v. 44), how had you
felt? Would you be filled with resentment and exclaim, Such a request
is impracticable and absurd. Why, I instinctively, automatically,
inevitably, resent ill treatment and feel ill-will against those who
hate and injure me. I cannot do otherwise: no efforts of mine can
reverse the spontaneous impulses of my heart: I cannot change my own
nature? Again we ask, would the attentive weighing of this demand
"Love your enemies" evoke the angry retort, Such a requirement is
preposterous, it is an impossibility, no man can obey it? If so, you
would be but furnishing proof that "the carnal mind is enmity against
God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be"
(Rom. 8:7).
Hearken now unto the final demand made by Christ in this connection:
"Be ye therefore perfect," and so that there should not be the
slightest room for uncertainty, He added "even as your Father which is
in heaven is perfect" (v. 48). Do you say that this is too high for us
to reach, that such a standard is unattainable by flesh and blood? We
answer, It is the standard which God Himself has set before us, before
all men. It was God's standard before the Fall, and it is His standard
still, for though man has lost his power to comply, God has not lost
His right to require what is due Him. And why is it that man is no
longer able to meet this righteous demand? Because his heart is
corrupt: because he is totally depraved. But that in no wise excuses
him: rather is it the very thing which renders him thoroughly guilty
and his case inexcusable.
Cannot the reader now perceive clearly the design of Christ in here
pressing upon His hearers the exalted spirituality of the Divine Law
and the inexorableness or immutability of its requirements? It was to
shatter the vain hopes of His hearers, to slay their
self-righteousness. Of old it had been said, "But who may abide the
day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is
like a refiner's fire" (Mal. 3:2), which was then receiving its
fulfillment, as the preceding verse (concerning John the Baptist)
shows. If the heart of a fallen man was so corrupt that he could not
love his enemies, then he was in dire need of a new heart. If to be
perfect as the Father in heaven is perfect was wholly beyond him, and
wholly contrary to him, then his need of being born again was
self-evident.
After all that has been before us none should be surprised to learn
that during the past fifty years there has been such a strong and
widespread effort made to get rid of the flesh-withering teaching of
this part of our Lord's ministry. Those professing to be the towers of
orthodoxy and the most enlightened among Bible teachers have blatantly
and dogmatically affirmed that "the Sermon on the Mount is not for
us," that it is "Jewish," that it pertains to a future dispensation,
that it sets forth the righteousness which will obtain in "the
millennial kingdom." And this satanic sop was eagerly devoured by
multitudes of those who attended the "Second Coming of Christ"
conferences, and was carried by them into many of the "churches,"
their pastors being freely supplied with "dispensational" literature
dealing with this fatal error. Slowly but surely this evil leaven has
worked until a very considerable and influential section of what
passes as orthodox Christianity has been poisoned by it.
The fundamental error of those men claiming to "rightly divide the
word of truth" is their opposition to and repudiation of the Law of
God: their insistence that it is solely Jewish, that the Gentiles were
never under it, and that it is not now the believer's rule of life.
Never has the Devil succeeded in palming off for the Truth a more
soul-destroying lie than this. Where there is no exposition of the
Moral Law and no presssing of its righteous demands, where there is no
faithful turning of its holy and searching light upon the deceitful
heart, there will be, there can be, no genuine conversions, for "by
the law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20). It is by the Law alone
we can learn the real nature of sin, the fearful extent of its
ramifications, and the penalty passed upon it. The Law of God is hated
by man-religious and irreligious alike-because it condemns him and
demonstrates him to be in high revolt against its Giver.
Knowing full well the detestation of their hearers for the Divine Law,
a large percentage of those who have occupied the pulpits during the
past few decades have studiously banished it therefrom, displacing it
with "studies in prophecy" and what they designate as "the Gospel of
the Grace of God." But the "gospel" preached by these blind leaders of
the blind was " another gospel" (Gal. 1:6): where there is no
enforcing the requirements of the Law, there can be no preaching of
God's Gospel, for so far from the latter being opposed to the former,
it "establishes" the same (Rom. 3:31). Consequently, the "churches"
became filled with spurious converts, who tram p led the Law of God
beneath their feet. And this, more than anything else, accounts for
the lawlessness which now obtains everywhere in Church and State
alike.
So far from the Gentiles never having received the Law of God, the
apostle to the Gentiles expressly declares, "Now we know that what
things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law:
that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty
before God" (Rom. 3:19). What could possibly be plainer? Even if the
"every mouth" did not signify all without exception, it must at the
very least mean all without distinction, and therefore would include
Jew and Gentile alike. But as though to remove any uncertainty, it is
added, "all the world," that is, the entire number of the ungodly.
However much the wicked may now murmur against God's Law, in the day
of judgment every one of them shall be silent-convicted and
confounded. Before the Divine tribunal every sinner will be brought in
guilty by the Law, to his utter confusion and eternal undoing. However
far they may have previously succeeded in an attempt at
self-extenuation or in vindicating themselves before their fellows,
when they shall stand "before God" their own consciences will utterly
condemn them.
Then how vitally important, how absolutely essential, it is that the
Law should be plainly and insistently enforced now. Nothing is more
urgently needed today than discourses patterned after our Lord's
Sermon on the Mount. It is the bounden duty of His servants to press
upon their hearers the Divine authority, the exalted spirituality, the
inexorable demands of the Moral Law. Nothing is so calculated to
expose the worthlessness of the empty profession of modern
religionists. Let them be informed that nothing less than loving God
with all their heart and strength, and to love their neighbours as
themselves, is required of them, and that the slightest failure to
render the same brings them in guilty, and thus exposes them to the
certainty of everlasting woe; and either they will bow in
self-condemnation before the Divine sentence or they will come out in
their true colors and rail against it.
Then see to it, preachers, that you faithfully set forth the
unchanging requirements of the thrice-holy God. Spare no efforts in
bringing your congregations to understand what is signified in loving
God with all the heart, and all that is involved in loving our
neighbours as ourselves. How otherwise shall they be brought to know
their guilt? Unless they are made to feel how totally contrary to God
is their depraved nature, how shall they discover their imperative
need of being born again? True, such preaching will not increase your
popularity, rather will it evoke opposition. But remember that the
Saviour Himself was hounded to death, not for proclaiming the Gospel,
but for enforcing the Law! Even though you be persecuted, yours will
be the satisfaction of knowing your skirts are clear from the blood of
your hearers.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Twenty-One
The Law and Love-Concluded
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"That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He
maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain
an the just and on the unjust" (v. 45). For a right understanding of
this most important verse it is highly essential that it be not
divorced from what is recorded in verses 43 and 44. As we have shown
at length in the last two chapters, our Lord's purpose in the last six
verses of Matthew v was to purge this great and general
commandment-"Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself"-from the
corrupt interpretations of the Jewish teachers, and to restore it to
its true and proper meaning. That love which the Moral Law demands is
something vastly superior to what we term "natural affection," which
is found in the most godless, and in a lesser degree even in animals.
The love which the Divine Law requires is a holy, pure, disinterested
and spiritual one-exemplified perfectly by Christ. Such a love the
unregenerate have not.
In these pages we have often affirmed that God's design in
regeneration is to bring us back unto conformity with His holy Law.
Therein we may perceive the beautiful harmony which exists between the
distinctive workings of each of the three Persons in the blessed
Trinity. The Father, as the supreme Governor of the world, framed the
Moral Law as a transcript of His holy nature and an authoritative
expression of His righteous will. The Son, in His office as Mediator,
magnified the Law and made it honorable by rendering to it a personal,
perfect and perpetual obedience, and then by voluntarily enduring its
curse in the stead of His people. who had broken it. The Holy Spirit,
as the Executive of the Godhead, convicts the elect of their wicked
violation of the Moral Law, slaying their enmity against it, and
imparting to them a nature or principle the very essence of which is
to delight in and serve that Law (Rom. 7:22, 25).
Originally, the Moral Law was imprinted upon the very heart of man.
Adam and Eve were made in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26,
27), which, among other things, signifies that they were morally
conformed unto their Maker. Consequently, the very "nature" of
unfallen man caused him to render loving and loyal obedience to his
King. But when he fell, this was reversed. The "image" of God was
broken and His "likeness" was greatly marred, though not completely
effaced, for, as the apostle points out, the heathen which had not the
Law in its written form "did by nature [some of] the things contained
in the law," and thereby they "showed the work of the law written in
their hearts," their conscience being proof of the same (Rom. 2:14,
15). At the Fall, love for the Divine Law was supplanted by hatred,
and submission and obedience gave place to enmity and opposition.
Such is the condition of unregenerate man the world over: he is a
rebel against the Most High, trampling His commandments beneath his
feet. For this very reason he needs to be born again, that is, be made
the subject of a miracle of grace wrought in his heart. At conversion
he is "reconciled to God": his hostility against Him has received its
death-wound and he throws down the weapons of his warfare. The new
birth is a being "renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that
created him" (Col. 3:10): it is a new creation, a creation "in
righteousness and true holiness" (Eph. 4:24). Thereby the regenerate
recover that which they lost in Adam-a nature which is in harmony with
the Divine will. At the new birth God makes good that promise, "I will
put My laws into their mind and write them in their hearts" (Heb.
8:10): putting His laws in our mind means effectually applying them
unto us, writing them in our hearts signifies the enshrining of them
in our affections.
What is the character of that righteousness which Christ requires from
the subjects of His kingdom-a righteousness which excels that
practiced by the scribes and Pharisees? It is conformity in heart and
life to the Moral Law of God. What evidence do Christians give that
they have been born again? Why, the fact that they now walk "in
newness of life." Wherein lies the proof that they are now reconciled
to God? In their heartily responding to His revealed will. How may we
identify those who have been renewed by the Spirit? By seeing
displayed in them the features of the Divine image. What is the fruit
of God's putting His laws into our minds and writing them in our
hearts? Surely, our running in the way of His commandments. Whereby
shall the world take knowledge of us that we have been with the Lord
Jesus? By seeing that we have drunk into His spirit and by our
producing that which rises above the level of mere nature, which can
issue only from a supernatural spring.
Now it is of this very thing that Christ speaks here in Matthew 5:45:
"That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He
maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good," etc. First, let
it be pointed out, "that ye may be the children of your Father"
certainly does not denote "that ye may become" such: no, they were
already His regenerate people, as is clear from Christ's contrasting
them with the world-"What do ye more than others?" (v. 47). "That ye
may be the children of your Father which is in heaven" denotes "that
ye may thereby approve yourselves so, that ye may manifest yourselves
to be such." Lest this interpretation appear somewhat strained, we
refer the reader to a parallel case in 2 Corinthians 6: "Wherefore
come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and
touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a
Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters" (vv. 17, 18).
Those exhortations were addressed to "saints" (2 Cor. 1:1), and the
promise was that upon their compliance therewith God would manifest
Himself as a Father unto them and they would give proof of being His
sons and daughters.
Because it is against the nature of fallen man to love his enemies,
therefore our Saviour here encouraged His followers unto the exercise
of such heavenly conduct by pressing upon them the benefit therefrom:
by so doing they would give demonstration that they were the children
of God. A similar inducement had been held out by Him in an earlier
section of this Sermon, when He said to the officers of His kingdom,
"Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works
and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (v. 16). It is not
sufficient that we profess ourselves to be the children of God: our
works must declare it. If we have to wear some button or badge on the
lapel of our coats so as to evidence we are Christians, that is a poor
way of doing so-we must by our "good works" glorify God (1 Pet. 2:12),
we must "show forth" His praises in our daily lives.
The force of the first half of verse 45 is clearly established by what
follows: "For He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good,
and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." Children resemble
their parents: there is an identifying likeness between them. The
character and conduct of God in this connection are well known: His
providences declare His benignity. Not only does God bear with much
longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction, but He
bestows upon them many favors. So far from making a distinction in
this matter, He disburses temporal blessings among the just and the
unjust alike. As the Gospel of Luke expresses it, "He is kind unto the
unthankful and to the evil" (6:35). Therein He sets His people an
example to follow, hence the force of the apostolic injunction, "Be ye
therefore followers [imitators] of God, as dear children; And walk in
love, as Christ also hath loved us and hath given Himself for us"
(Eph. 5:1, 2).
From this reason or inducement here given by Christ to enforce His
exhortation in verse 44, we may perceive what are the things in which
Christians should principally employ themselves, namely in those
things in the doing of which they may obtain evidence that they are
the children of God. How many Christians there are who lament their
lack of assurance. And in most cases this is not to be wondered at. If
they are so zealous in serving self rather than Christ, if they run so
greedily after the things the world is absorbed with, how can it be
otherwise? There is an inseparable connection between Romans viii, 14
and 16: we must be led of the Spirit (and not resist His motions) if
we are to have Him bearing witness with our spirit that we are the
children of God. We must be more diligent in cultivating supernatural
fruit if we would have clearer evidence of a supernatural
root-dwelling within us.
Ere passing on, let us note how Christ here spoke of the common gifts
of God in creation and providence: "He maketh His sun to rise." It is
not simply "the sun": it is His sun and not ours. It is His by
creation and His by regulation, making it go forward or backward as He
pleases. The Lord is the sole Author and Governor of this heavenly
body, for He continues to give it being and determines its power and
virtue. The same thing is equally true of every other creature in
heaven, earth, or sea. In like manner He "sendeth the rain" on its
specific mission: He has appointed where and when it shall fall, so
that "one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not
withered" (Amos 4:7). Finally, note the terms by which Christ
designates those who are the friends of God and those who are His
enemies: good and just, evil and unjust-the first term relating to
character, the second to conduct.
"For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even
the publicans the same?" (v. 46). In this and the following verse
Christ propounded another reason to persuade His disciples and hearers
to love their enemies, the force of which is only apparent when we
understand who the "publicans" were. The "publicans" were those
officers who collected taxes and tributes, rates and rents from the
Jews for the Roman emperor, to whom the Jews were then in subjection.
Some of the most degenerate of the Jews undertook this wretched work
for the money they could get out of it. From Luke 19:8, it appears
that the publicans resorted to injustice and oppression in order to
fatten their own purses, and consequently they were the most hated and
despised of all people (Matthew 9:11; 11:9). Yet (says Christ), even
these publicans, though devoid of conscience, would love those who
loved them; and if we do no more, what better are we than they?
It is not that Christ here forbids us to love those who love us, but
rather that He is condemning a merely carnal love: for one man to love
another simply because he is loved by the other is nothing else than a
man loving himself in another. In order to love our neighbour rightly
and in a manner acceptable to the Lord, we must heed the following
rule: all the commandments of the second table must be obeyed from the
same principle as those in the first table, namely love to God.
Parents are to be honored in God and for God, "Children obey your
parents in the Lord" (Eph. 6:1), and my neighbour must be loved in God
and for God, even though he be my enemy. Why? Because he is as truly
God's creature as I am, and because God has commanded me to love him.
That must be the ground of our obedience, though from other respects
our love may increase for our neighbour.
"For if ye love them that love you, what reward have ye?" In this
question Christ emphasizes a principle which it is our wisdom to heed
in the ordering of our lives, namely that we give ourselves especially
to the doing of those things to which is attached the promise of God's
reward. To make this the more forcible and impressive let us ask, What
was it that moved Moses to refuse to be called the son of Pharaoh's
daughter, which caused him to forsake the treasures of Egypt and to
suffer affliction with the people of God? The Holy Spirit has told us:
it was because he had "respect unto the recompense of the reward"
(Heb. 11:25, 26). But how little is this truth believed in and the
principle acted on today, or why so much trifling away of our time?
What reward can they look for at God's hand who give themselves up to
"the pleasures of sin?"
"And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do
not even the publicans the same?" (v. 47). Christ's drift in these
words is the same as in the previous verse, the design of such
repetition being that this weighty truth may be fixed the more firmly
and deeply in our minds. We are so slow in performing the duties of
love, particularly unto our enemies, that the duty of it needs to be
pressed upon us again and again. If He who spoke as never man spoke
saw well to repeat Himself frequently, His under-servants need not
hesitate to do the same. Not only are we to pray for those who hate
and injure us, but we are to greet them when they cross our path. How
wrong then deliberately to pass a brother on the street and treat him
as though he were an utter stranger to us! Nor do the words, "If there
come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into
your house, neither bid him God speed" (2 John 10), militate to the
slightest degree against what has just been said. It is personal or
private enemies that Christ had in view, whereas 2 John 10 refers to
those who are the open enemies
of God.
"What do ye more than others?" What a searching question is this! And
note well the precise form of it. It is not "What know ye more than
others," or "what profess ye more than others?" or even "what believe
ye more than others?" but "what do ye more than others?" Yet care must
be taken that this inquiry be not perverted. If on the one hand it is
of first importance that the Gospel trumpet gives forth no uncertain
sound when proclaiming the cardinal truth of justification by faith,
yet it is equally essential to make it plain that saving faith always
identifies itself by the works which is produces. Justification before
God is by faith alone, but it is not a faith which remains alone.
Saving faith is not a life. less, inoperative and sterile thing, but a
living, active, fruit-producing principle. And it is by the fruit
which a saving faith produces that it is distinguished from the
worthless and unproductive faith of the empty professor.
Saving faith is the gift of God. It is a supernatural principle
inwrought by the Holy Spirit at the new birth. And this faith is
evidenced by its fruits. It is a faith which "worketh by love" (Gal.
5:6). It is a faith that "purifieth the heart" (Acts 15:9). It is a
faith that "overcometh the world" (1 John 5:4). And since those who
are the favored subjects of this faith have more than others, they
ought to do more, they can do more, yea, they will do more than the
unregenerate. The thing which above all others has brought the cause
of Christ into such general contempt in the world is because millions
of those claiming to be His followers do not do more, but often
considerably less, than many who make no such profession: they are
less truthful, less honest, less unselfish, less benevolent. It is not
what we say, but how we conduct ourselves, which most impresses the
ungodly.
Christ has good reason to require more from His disciples than He does
from the children of the wicked one. They profess more, but unless
their profession be supported by facts, verified by works, then it is
a vain and hypocritical one: dishonoring to the Saviour, a
stumbling-block to His people, and an occasion of blasphemy to His
enemies. They are more than others. They are loved with an everlasting
love, redeemed at infinite cost, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, then
should they not produce more than others? "Unto whomsoever much is
given, of him shall much be required." It is certain that Christians
can do more than others. Said the apostle: "I can do all things
through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Phil 4:13). A supernatural
principle indwells them, the love of God has been shed abroad in their
hearts, the all-sufficient grace of God is available to them, and all
things are possible to him that believeth. "What do ye more than
others?" Answer this question in the presence of God.
"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is
perfect" (v. 48). From all that He had said, Christ now drew this
excellent consequence, exhorting His followers to perfection in all
the duties of love. "Be ye therefore perfect" is the unchanging
requirement of the Law, "even as your Father which is in heaven is
perfect" is the exalted standard which the Gospel presents to us. The
moral excellency of the Divine character is the copy and rule set
before us, and nothing short of that is to be our sincere, ardent and
constant endeavour. Though such an aim is never fully realized in this
life, yet we must say with Paul, "Not as though I had already
attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I
may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus"
(Phil. 3:12). In view of such a confession by the eminent apostle, how
baseless and absurd is the pretension of those claiming to have
already reached sinless perfection. The fact is that the closer we
walk with God, the more will it work in us self-abasement and
humiliation and not self-complacency and pride.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Twenty-Two
The Giving of Alms
"Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them:
otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before
thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that
they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their
reward. But when thou doest alms. let not thy left hand know what thy
right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father
which seeth in secret Himself shall reward thee openly."
Matthew 6:1-4
___________________________________
We now enter upon the fourth division of our Lord's Sermon, a section
which includes the first eighteen verses of Matthew vi, the general
subject of which is the performing of good works so as to secure the
approbation of God. As we shall see, Christ here takes up quite a
different aspect of Truth, yet is it one which is closely related to
what had formerly occupied His attention. There He had made it very
evident that He required more from His followers than the religion of
the scribes and Pharisees produced (vv. 20, 47). Here He insists that
a far higher quality is also absolutely necessary. There He had warned
His hearers against the erroneous doctrines of the Jewish teachers,
here He cautions them against their evil practices, particularly the
sins of hypocrisy and worldly-mindedness.
"Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them:
otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven"
(Matthew 6:1). There is no doubt whatever in our mind that in this
instance the rendering of the Revised Version is to be preferred:
"Take heed that ye do not your righteousness before men to be seen of
them," though the Revised Version rightly uses "alms" in verse 2. This
first verse enunciates a general principle in reference to moral and
spiritual duties, which in the succeeding verses is illustrated,
amplified, and enforced in the three particular duties of alms, prayer
and fasting-it is acts of righteousness which are in view. Thus it is
a case where an abstract noun is given a concrete sense: it is
similarly used in Matthew 3:15, and 5:20; in all three passages it has
the force of "righteousnesses" or "good works."
In verses 2-4 the general principle laid down in the opening sentence
is applied manward, Godward, and self-ward, and the three duties
specified have to do with our estates, our souls, and our bodies.
Those three good works of alms, prayer and fasting have occupied a
conspicuous place in all the leading religious systems, and have been
almost universally regarded as the chief means of obtaining salvation
and the clearest proofs of righteousness and sanctity. In their most
serious moments, all, except the most abandoned, have been willing to
practice some form and degree of self-denial, or perform acts of
devotion, in the hope that they might thereby appease the great God
whose wrath they feared.
In the teachings of the Koran, prayer, fasting and alms are the chief
duties required from the Mohammedan. Prayer, it is said, will carry a
man halfway to Paradise. fasting will bring him to the gates, and alms
will give him entrance. The great prominence which Romanism assigns to
almsgiving-especially when the alms are bestowed upon herself-to the
senseless repetition of prayers, and to bodily mortifications, is too
well known to need any enlarging upon. Similar ideas obtain among
other religions, especially in Buddhism-lamaism with its prayer-wheels
being a case in point. But in our present passage Christ shows us
that, as mere formal works, these religious acts are worthless in the
sight of God.
"Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them:
otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven" (v. 1).
It ought to be apparent that our Lord is not here reprehending the
giving of alms as such, but rather that He is condemning that
ostentatious bestowment of charity which is done for the purpose of
self-advertisement. As a matter of fact this particular admonition of
the Saviour's takes it for granted that His disciples were in the
habit of relieving the indigent, and this notwithstanding that most of
them had to labour for their own daily bread. That against which
Christ warned was the giving of unnecessary publicity in the discharge
of this duty, and the making the praise of men our ultimate object
therein. Most flagrantly did the Pharisees err at this very point.
Edersheim gives the following quotation as a specimen, "He that says,
I give this 'sela' that my sons may live, and that I may merit the
world to come, behold, this is the perfect righteousness."
To show pity unto the afflicted is but common humanity. It is a great
mistake to suppose that the exercise of beneficence is something
peculiar to this Christian era. Under the legal economy God commanded
His people, "If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren
within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth
thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy
poor brother; But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt
surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth"
(Deut. 15:7, 8). "And if thy brother be waxen poor and fallen in decay
with thee, then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger,
or a sojourner, that he may live with thee" (Lev. 25:35). Job
declared, "I was a father to the poor" (29;16). Said the Psalmist,
"Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in
time of trouble" (41:1).
"He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on
the poor, happy is he" (Prov. 14:21)-there was the fullest room for
the exercise of mercy under the Mosaic dispensation. "He that hath
pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given
will He pay him again" (Prov. 19:17): yes, for the poor, equally with
the rich, are His creatures, and the Lord will be no man's debtor.
"Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry
himself, but shall not be heard" (Prov. 21:13); we need hardly say
that the principle of this verse is still in operation. "He that
giveth unto the poor shall not lack, but he that hideth his eyes shall
have many a curse" (Prov. 28:27). At a time of great spiritual
declension in Israel, Jehovah brought against them the following
charges, "They sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair
of shoes. . . . For I know your manifold transgressions and your
mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn
aside the poor in the gate from their right" (Amos 2:6; 5:12).
It is therefore a most un-Christian attitude to argue, We have enough
to do to provide for our families: it is for the rich and not for the
laboring people to give alms. If the love of God has been shed abroad
in our hearts we shall feel for the afflicted, and according to our
ability shall be ready to relieve the needy, especially such as belong
to the Household of Faith; yea, if a situation requires it, shall
gladly deny ourselves comforts so as to do more for those in want. And
let us not overlook the fact that Christ here designates almsgiving as
"righteousness." The apostle struck the same note when he pressed
Psalm 112:9, on his hearers: "As it is written, He hath dispersed
abroad, he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for
ever" (2 Cor. 9:9). Those who refuse to give unto the poor are guilty
of a gross injustice, for inasmuch as they are but stewards over what
they possess they rob the needy of their due.
Thus, by making alms an essential branch of practical righteousness,
our Lord teaches us that the succouring of the poor is not a work of
freedom, left to our own choice, but something which is enjoined upon
us by Divine commandment. So far from the matter of providing for the
needy being left to our own option, it is one of bare justice, and
failure therein is a grievous breach both of the Law of God and of
nature. But the giving of alms to the poor is not only an act of
righteousness, it is also the exercise of kindness. The Greek word,
which is here rendered, "alms" is derived from a root which signifies
to have compassion or to be merciful. This takes us behind the act
itself to the spirit which prompts it: it is not the mere bestowment
of goods or money which constitutes "alms," but the merciful and
pitiful heart of the giver.
From what has just been pointed out we may also discover who are the
ones entitled to be relieved, the kind of persons whom we may
rightfully bestow alms upon, for we are not to act blindly in this
matter. It is those who are in such a condition as really to draw out
our pity: such as orphans and elderly widows, the maimed, the sick,
and the blind. If this principle be duly heeded, we shall be guarded
against indiscriminate giving, which often does a great deal more harm
than good-encouraging idleness and intemperance. Obviously, healthy
and robust beggars who would trade upon the generosity of others are
not entitled to receive alms: "This we commanded you, that if any
would not work, neither should he eat" (2 Thess. 3:10). Thus, in
abetting the indolent we are partners with those who defy Divine
authority.
"Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them."
This admonition is for the avoidance of an unlawful manner of giving
alms, for even a good deed may be done in an ill way. Alas, so very
deceitful and desperately wicked are our hearts that our most
beneficent actions may proceed from corrupt desires and thereby be
rendered not only void, but evil in the sight of Him with whom we have
to do. Christ's "take heed" intimates that we are in great danger of
erring at this very point. Acts of charity are specially offensive in
the sight of our gracious God when they are performed from a desire to
procure for ourselves a reputation of sanctity or generosity among our
fellows. Alas, how much of this obnoxious pride, this vaunting of
charity, is there today both in the religious world and the secular.
That against which Christ here warns His disciples is the secret pride
of their hearts. This pride is twofold: of the mind and will, and of
the affections. Pride of mind is a corrupt disposition whereby a man
thinks more highly of himself than he ought to do: this was the sin of
the Pharisees (Luke 18:12) and of the Laodiceans (Rev. 3:16). This
conceit is most dangerous, especially in the matter of saving grace,
for it has caused multitudes to deceive themselves by imagining they
had been born again when in fact they were dead in trespasses and
sins, and moving real Christians to imagine they possess more grace
than they actually do. Pride of will is an inward affection which
makes a man discontented with the estate in which God has p laced him,
leading him to hanker after a better: this was the sin of Adam and Eve
(Gen. 3:5, 6).
Now from these corrupt principles of pride of mind and pride of will
issues that exercise or practice of pride in a man's life whereby he
is determined to do whatever he can which will promote his own praise
and glory. Such pride is not something which is peculiar to a few
people only, but is found in every man by nature-the Lord Jesus alone
excepted. And where this pride is not mortified and held in leash by
God, it is so strong that it will not be crossed at any price, for
rather than have his proud will thwarted a person will commit any sin:
as Pharaoh when he asked, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey His
voice to let Israel go?" (Ex. 5:2); as Absalom, who was responsible
for the banishing of his father from his own kingdom; and as
Ahithophel, who went and hanged himself when his counsel was rejected.
It was just such pride as this which occasioned the fall of Satan
himself (Isa. 14; 1 Tim. 3:6).
Therefore, "take heed," says Christ: take every possible precaution to
guard against this sin. How? First, by unsparing self-examination. The
more careful we are to know the pride of our hearts, the less likely
are we to be deceived by it. Second, by sincere self-condemnation: "If
we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged" (1 Cor, 11:31). If
we would humble ourselves before God, we must hate ourselves for our
wicked pride and penitently confess it to Him. Third, by reminding
ourselves of the judgments of God upon this sin. Herod was eaten up of
worms because he took unto himself the glory due unto God (Acts
12:23). "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble" (1
Pet. 5:5). Fourth, by meditating upon the fearful sufferings of Christ
in Gethsemane and on Golgotha: nothing will more effectually humble my
proud heart than the realization that it was my very sins which
occasioned the death of God's Lamb.
"Otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven" (v.
1). The value of an action is determined by the principle from which
it proceeds. To give to the poor simply because it is customary is
merely the limitation of others. To minister unto the needy in order
to increase our own influence and power is a display of carnal
ambition. To give so as to advance worldly interests is a
manifestation of covetousness; if to seek applause, it is to gratify
pride; if to alleviate the sufferings of my fellows, it is only the
exercise of common humanity. But if I minister unto the needy out of a
respect to the Divine authority and with the desire of pleasing God,
acting from regard for His will, to which I long to be conformed in
all things, then it is a spiritual act and acceptable unto the Lord.
(Condensed from John Brown.)
"Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before
thee as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that
they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their
reward" (v. 2). "Sound not a trumpet" is a figurative way of saying,
Seek not to attract the attention of other people unto thyself. The
word "hypocrite" is a significant one, for it properly denotes an
actor who wears a mask, playing his part behind it. The Pharisees
posed as being most devout worshippers of Cod and lovers of their
fellow men, when in reality they were self-righteous and sought only
the applause of men: behind the outward appearance of piety and
generosity they were the slaves of worldly and selfish passions. They
performed their deeds of charity where the largest number of onlookers
congregated together. Their "reward" was the admiration of
shallow-minded men, as "dust" is the Serpent's meat.
The sin which Christ here reprehended is far more grievous than is
commonly supposed, and, we may add, far more prevalent, many of the
Lord's own people being guilty of it. It consists of making men,
rather than God, the judges and approvers of their actions. And do not
we often fall into this snare? When we do that which is right, and yet
incur thereby the displeasure of our fellows, are we not mole grieved
than when by sin we offend God Himself? If so, does not that clearly
prove that our hearts have more regard to the censure of men than of
the Lord? Are we not deeply hurt when our fellows dishonor God? Are we
more afraid of offending mortal man than the everlasting God? When in
sore straits, which comforts us the more: the assurances of earthly
friends to relieve us or the promises of the Lord?
"But when thou doest thine alms, let not thy left hand know what thy
right hand doeth" (v. 3). This Divine precept is designed to restrain
the corrupt ambition of our hearts after the praise of men. It goes
much farther than the commandment in verse 2. There the Lord had
forbidden that ostentatious giving of alms which is done for the
purpose of self-advertisement and the procuring of the applause of our
fellows; while here He prohibits any self-satisfaction or complacency
in the performing of this good work. It is strange how the
commentators see in verse 3 nothing more than the repetition of that
which is found in verse 2, quite missing the force of "let not thy
left hand know [approve of] what thy right hand doeth." We are to give
alms in simplicity, with the sole intent and desire of pleasing God
only. When a good work has been done, we should dismiss it from our
minds and not congratulate ourselves upon it, and press on to what is
yet before us.
"That thine alms may be in secret" (v. 4). Here is still another
instance where the language of Christ in this discourse must not be
taken literally and absolutely, or otherwise any act of mercy which
came under the cognizance of our fellows would be thereby prohibited.
Certainly the primitive Christians did not always conceal their
donations, as is clear from Acts 11:29, 30. Secrecy itself may become
a cloak to avarice, and under the pretence of hiding good works we may
hoard up our money to spend upon ourselves. There are times when a
person of prominence may rightly excite his backward brethren by his
own example of liberality. So we must not understand Christ as here
forbidding all charitable actions which may be seen by others, but
rather understand Him to mean that we should perform them as
unobtrusively as possible, making it our chief concern to aim at the
approbation of God therein.
"That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in
secret Himself shall reward thee openly" (v. 4). Though there be
nothing meritorious about our best performances, yea, though
everything we do is defiled, nevertheless "God is not unrighteous to
forget our work and labour of love, which ye have showed toward His
name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister" (Heb.
6:10). Nevertheless, it must be a work of faith-for "without faith it
is impossible to please Him"-and a labour of love, if it is to receive
God's commendation. In the Divine administration it is so ordered
that, in the end, the selfish person is disappointed, while he who
seeks the good of others is himself the gainer. The more we truly aim
at our Father's approbation, the less shall we be concerned about
either the praise or contempt of the world. The Divine reward, in the
day to come, will be given "openly," before an assembled universe.
"Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who
both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will make
manifest the counsels of the heart: and then shall every one have
praise of God" (1 Cor. 4:5).
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Twenty-Three
Prayer
"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for
they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the
streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They
have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet,
and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in
secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for
they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye
therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have
need of, before ye ask Him."
Matthew 6:5-8
___________________________________
As we pointed out in the opening paragraphs of our last chapter, we
are now in the fourth division of our Lord's Sermon, a division which
includes the first eighteen verses of Matthew 6, the general subject
of which is the performing of good works so as to secure the
approbation of God. In order to do this His disciples must shun not
only the false doctrines but also the evil practices of the scribes
and Pharisees. The keynote is struck in the opening verse, "Take heed
that ye do not your righteousness before men to be seen of them"
(R.V.). The general principle which is expressed in this warning is
enlarged upon in verses 2-18, being applied to three specific cases:
in "alms" manward, in "prayer" Godward, and in "fasting" selfward.
Having already dwelt upon the first, we now turn unto what Christ here
had to say upon the second. By keeping in mind the connection we shall
the better perceive His scope and design, and be preserved from an
erroneous interpretation of the clauses which are to be before us.
"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites" (v. 5).
The opening words make it quite clear that Christ takes it for granted
His disciples will pray, and in what follows He reveals the need there
is for them to be diligent to perform this duty in a way acceptable to
God. When the Lord assured Ananias of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus
He said, "Behold, he prayeth" (Acts 9:11). As a "Pharisee of the
Pharisees" he had made many long prayers, but not until the miracle of
grace had been wrought within him could it be said that he prayed.
Saying prayers and pouring out the heart before God are totally
different things: a self-righteous Pharisee may be diligent in the
former, only one who has been born again will do the latter. As
another has said, "The moment a spiritual babe is born into the new
creation it sends up a cry of helpless dependence toward the source of
its birth."
That which is now to engage our attention consists of the first
recorded utterance of Christ on the subject of prayer, and it is most
searching and solemn to note that it opens with a warning against
hypocrisy in the discharge of this duty. That particular species of
hypocrisy which is here reprehended is ostentatiousness in our
devotions, the public parading of our piety, the seeking to attract
the notice of others and win for ourselves the reputation of great
spirituality. Prayer is the expression of creature need and dependency
and therefore it is utterly inconsistent with thoughts of pride and
self-complacency. But alas, such is fallen man that he can unite these
opposites, and therefore our need of this caution: "And when thou
prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites." A "hypocrite" is one
who assumes a character which does not belong to him. The "hypocrites"
which Christ had immediately in view were the Pharisees (Matthew
23:13), for their "leaven" was hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).
"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites: for they
love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the
streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They
have their reward" (v. 5). We need hardly say that Christ is not here
condemning this posture of standing in prayer (for He Himself employed
it-John 11:41), nor is He forbidding His disciples to pray in public:
Paul gave thanks unto God in the presence of a whole ship's company
(Acts 27:35), and in his epistles gave order that "men pray
everywhere" (1 Tim. 2:8). No, rather was it the motive and manner of
prayer which our Lord here had in view. It is a caution against
vainglory, the seeking to commend ourselves unto our fellows. And what
sort of creatures are we that need this caution? Think of it-praying
to God, in order that we may be seen of men! In how many ways does the
evil of our hearts lead us away from godly simplicity and sincerity.
Sin defiles our very devotions, and unless we are very much on our
guard it will not only render them nugatory but an offence unto God.
Particularly does the minister need to place a strict watch upon
himself in his public praying, lest he be guilty of praying to the
congregation rather than unto God. Alas, does not a spirit of
hypocrisy often creep into the pulpit prayers of those who could not
justly be called "hypocrites?" It is but natural that the minister
should desire to be regarded as a highly spiritual man, as one who
enjoys very close communion with God, whose aspirations of soul are of
a most exalted order. It is no easy matter not to be mindful that
there are many critical ears which are listening to our petitions and
to be affected accordingly both in the matter and manner of our
supplications. Would not our public prayers often be simpler and
shorter if we were alone with God?
What need there is, then, that those who are accustomed to lead in
public prayer should diligently examine their hearts and cry earnestly
unto God for the mortifying of their pride. What is the good opinion
of fellow sinners worth if we have not the Lord's "Well done"? Let us
be more careful in seeing to it that our affections prompt each
petition, than in giving thought to the expressing of them in words
which will charm the ears of men. Truth and sincerity in the heart are
vastly more important than choice language or a correct demeanor. Let
us seek grace to heed that exhortation, "Keep thy foot when thou goest
to the house of God . . . Be not rash with thy mouth and let not thine
heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven,
and thou upon earth, therefore let thy words be few" (Eccl. 5:1, 2).
If the Divine perfections duly impress our souls, then we shall be
saved from much folly.
"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou
hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father" (v. 6). Having condemned the
vice of hypocrisy in the former verse our Lord now commends the virtue
of sincerity, and instructs us in the right manner of praying to God.
It seems strange that some have quite missed Christ's meaning here, a
few extremists supposing that He forbade all praying in the
congregation. That which our Lord was reprehending in the previous
verse was not public prayer, but personal praying in public, which was
done with the object of calling attention to ourselves. The Lord Jesus
encouraged social praying in His memorable declaration, "where two or
three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst"
(Matthew 18:20), which was specifically a promise to praying souls,
having no reference at all to the Lord's supper. That united prayer
was practiced by the early Christians is clear from many passages in
the Acts (see 1:14; 2:42; 6:4; 12:5; 16:13).
"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou
hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy
Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." In our
exposition of Matthew 5 we have shown repeatedly that much of our
Lord's language in this Sermon cannot be understood literally, and if
this principle be borne in mind we shall be preserved from
unwarrantably restricting His scope and meaning in this verse. Viewed
in the light of its immediate context, we regard this verse as, first,
giving most necessary directions to the one who leads in public
prayer. So far from engaging therein in order to win human esteem, we
must discharge the duty in precisely the same spirit of humility and
sincerity as though we were alone, engaged in private prayer. Entering
the closet and closing the door was a figurative way of saying, Shut
out from thy mind all thoughts of the creature and have respect unto
God alone; be not occupied with those present, but with Him who is
invisible.
While we are satisfied that the first reference in verse 6 is to
public prayer, yet (as the greater includes the less) there is also
important teaching here concerning private prayer. Three things in it
are to be noted: the place of prayer, the privacy, and privilege
thereof. "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet!" By the
"closet" we are to understand a place of seclusion and retirement. Our
omniscient Saviour knew the tendency of our minds to stray, how easily
our thoughts wander away from God, and therefore He exhorts us to get
away from everything which disturbs and distracts, to some quiet spot
where our communion with God may not be hindered. Private prayer is to
be as secret as possible, and this calls for a secluded spot, a place
free from the observations and interruptions of our fellows. When
Christ engaged in private prayer He withdrew from the crowd and
retired to the solitude of the mountain.
Ere passing on it should be pointed out that we must be careful not to
run to an unwarrantable extreme at this point, otherwise we should
make this verse clash with other passages. If on the one hand we must
be careful to avoid ostentation and seeking the praise of men, yet on
the other we must be on our guard against intimidation and being
unfaithful through the fear of men. Daniel closed not the windows of
his room when praying, even though he knew that he was thereby
endangering his life (6:10). Even when in a public place we should not
allow the sneers of others to hinder us from bowing our heads and
returning thanks to God at meal times, or kneeling by our bedside at
night if someone else be sharing the room.
"Enter into thy closet": these words suggest not only a silent and
secluded place, but also a stated place-whether it be in the fields,
the woods, or our own dwelling. When David received tidings of the
death of Absalom, we are told that he "went up to the chamber over the
gate" and wept (2 Sam. 18:33), as though that was the spot where he
was accustomed to pour out his griefs unto the Lord. When the widow of
Zarephath acquainted Elijah with the death of her son, the prophet
"carried him up into a loft where he abode, and laid him upon his own
bed," and then and there "he cried unto the Lord" (1 Kings 17:19, 20).
The same practice was evidently followed by our Saviour, for we read
that He "went [for the specific purpose of making supplication to God]
as He was wont [accustomed] to the mount of Olives" (Luke 12:39).
It is interesting to note that the Greek word for "closet" occurs but
four times in the original New Testament-in Matthew 24:26, it is
translated "secret chambers." Our Lord's language was most probably
adopted from Isaiah 26:20: "Come, My people, enter thou into thy
chambers, and shut thy doors about thee." Now what would these words
"enter into thy closet" suggest to a Jew? The "closet" is simply a
closed place, shut in for privacy, shut out from. obtrusion. What
would such a term naturally suggest to Christ's hearers? There was one
place in their midst which was preeminently a secret chamber, namely
the innermost section of the temple, where Jehovah had His special
dwelling in the holy of holies. It was peculiarly a "closet," from
which the people were excluded. It was a place marked by silence and
secrecy, seclusion and separation.
The holy of holies in the tabernacle and temple was of unique design.
It had neither door nor window, and unlike the inner courts of
Orientals which are opened to the sky, this one was roofed in and had
no skylight. None of the Levites were permitted to enter, save only
the high priest, who went there as the representative of the nation to
meet with God. Significantly enough there was in it but a single piece
of furniture, namely the sacred ark covered by the mercy-seat. How
unspeakably blessed: Aaron drew nigh to converse with God at a
blood-sprinkled mercy-seat. There was one notable exception to what we
have just pointed out: "and when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of
the congregation to speak with Him, then he heard the voice of One
speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of
testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spake unto him"
(Num. 7:89). Thus the Holy "closet" was where man spoke to God and God
to him.
There are two expressions in our verse which emphasize the note of
privacy in our individual devotions: "when thou hast shut thy door"
and "pray to thy Father who is in secret." The former suggests the
need for seclusion and silence, the getting away from all sights and
sounds which would disturb and distract. The latter means get alone
with God, enter the secret place of the Most High, converse and
commune with Him in the holy of holies. Let the reader carefully note
the special stress which is here laid upon the singular number of the
second personal pronoun: "but thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy
closet," etc. Here is something which is unique in all the Word of
God: no less than eight times in this one verse is the second person
used in the singular number. Nothing could bring out more strikingly
the imperative need of aloneness with God: for this the world must be
entirely shut out.
"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou
hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret." How clear
it is that both the spirit and the letter of this verse rebuke those
misguided souls who clamor for churches and chapels to be kept
perpetually open so that any member of the public may repair thither
for private devotions either day or night, as if buildings set apart
for religious exercises were any nearer to the throne of grace than
our own dwellings or the open fields. The Lord of heaven and earth
"dwelleth not in temples made with hands." He is "not far from every
one of us" (Acts 17:24, 27). The localization of worship was abolished
when Christ declared, "The hour cometh when ye shall neither in this
mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father. . . . God is a
spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in
truth" (John 4:21, 24). The argument that church buildings should be
kept open for the benefit of those away from home can have no weight
in the face of Matthew 6:5, 6. Such an innovation is certain to be
abused.
"Pray to thy Father which is in secret, and thy Father which seeth in
secret shall reward thee openly" (verse 6). Here is set forth the holy
and unspeakable privilege of prayer. Here we are invited to open our
minds and hearts freely unto Him who cares for us, acquainting Him
with our needs and cares, making known our requests with thanksgiving.
"Pray to thy Father which is in secret": He is invisible to carnal
sight, imperceptible to our bodily senses, but a living reality unto
faith. We must therefore labour to come into His conscious presence,
seek to acquaint ourselves with Him, and make Him real to our souls,
for He is "a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." In order to
this, after entering our closet and before offering up any petition,
we need to meditate upon God's wondrous perfections; ponder His
blessed attributes; dwell upon His ineffable holiness, His almighty
power, His unchanging faithfulness, His infinite mercy; above all
rejoice in the fact that He is our
Father.
"Pray to thy Father which is in secret, and thy Father which seeth in
secret shall reward thee openly." This is set over against "they have
their reward" of verse 5. Their "reward" is not the approbation of
God, but merely the worthless admiration of their silly dupes who are
imposed upon by an outward show of piety. They "have their reward,"
for there is nothing but the gall of bitterness awaiting them in the
future: "men of the world have their portion in this life" (Ps.
17:14). Different far is it with the Christian. His prayers do not and
cannot merit anything from God, yet if they are offered from right
principles and unto right ends they are pleasing unto Him, and are
rewarded even now by tokens of His favour, and in the Day to come they
shall be openly approved by Him.
"But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions as the heathen do: for
they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking" (v. 7).
That which our Lord here condemned is not our asking again and again
for the same thing, but the reducing of the duty and privilege of
prayer to a mere lip labour. In Psalm 119 we find David praying "teach
me Thy statutes" no less than seven times. Our Saviour in the garden
repeatedly asked for the removal of the cup, and Paul thrice besought
the Lord for the departure of his thorn in the flesh (2 Cor. 12:8). It
is vain repetitions that are prohibited, such as those used by the
prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:26), the worshippers of Diana (Acts
19:34), and the papists' "Paternosters" and "Ave Marias," which they
are taught to use without meaning or devotion and which they number by
counting strings of beads. Cold and formal extempore prayers are
equally forbidden, for they are mere babblings.
"Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what
things ye have need of, before ye ask Him" (v. 8). Here Christ
presents as an inducement to praying souls the very reason which
infidels use as an argument against prayer: if God be omniscient what
need is there for us to inform Him of our requirements? We do not
present our requests to God in order to acquaint Him with our wants,
but to render obedience unto His commandment which requireth this duty
from us. We pray unto God for the purpose of honoring Him,
acknowledging Him to be the Knower of our hearts and the Giver of all
mercies. Moreover, prayer is a means for us rightly to receive and
improve the gifts of heaven, being an indispensable preparation of our
souls thereto. It should be understood that this knowledge of our
Father's is far more than a bare cognition of our wants: it is such a
solicitation for our welfare that ensures the supply of every needed
thing.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Twenty-Four
Prayer-Continued
"After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as
it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our
debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the
glory, for ever. Amen."
Matthew 6: 9-13
___________________________________
It is only two years since we wrote a series of ten cover-page
articles on what is usually designated the Lord's Prayer, and
therefore we shall not now enter as fully into detail as we otherwise
would have done. Before taking up its several clauses, let us make one
or two general observations on the prayer as a whole. First, we would
note the words with which Christ prefaced it: "After this manner
therefore pray ye." This intimates that the Lord Jesus was supplying a
pattern after which our prayers are to be modeled. So ignorant are we
that "we know not what we should pray for as we ought" (Rom. 8:26),
and therefore in answer to our oft-repeated request, "Lord, teach us
to pray" (Luke 11:1), He has graciously furnished the instruction we
so sorely need, revealing the manner in which Christians should
approach God, the order in which their requests should be presented,
the things they most need to ask for, and the adoration which is due
to the One they are supplicating.
This model prayer is also found, in condensed form, in Luke's Gospel,
and there it is introduced by the words, "When ye pray, say," (11:2).
This makes it clear that this prayer is not only a pattern to be
copied, but also a form to be used verbatim, the plural pronouns
therein suggesting that it is appropriate for collective use when the
saints assemble together. The fact that its use as a form has been
perverted is no argument why it should never be thus employed. True we
need to be much on our guard against repeating it by rote, coldly and
mechanically, and earnestly seek grace to recite it reverently and
feelingly-in our judgment, once every public service, and always at
family worship. In view of the class to whom we write it is scarcely
necessary to add that many have made a superstitious use of this
prayer as though it were a magical charm.
A few of our readers may have been disturbed by the foolish and
harmful error that the Lord's prayer was not designed and is not
suited for use in this dispensation: that instead, it is "Jewish" and
intended for a godly remnant in some "great tribulation period" yet
future. One would think the very stating of such a fantasy quite
sufficient to expose its absurdity to those with any spiritual
intelligence. Neither our Lord nor any of His apostles gave any
warning that this prayer was not to be used by Christians, or any
intimation that it was designed for a future age. The fact that it is
found in Luke's Gospel as well as Matthew's is clear indication that
it is to be employed by Jewish and Gentile saints alike. There is
nothing whatever in this prayer which is unsuited to Christians now,
yea, everything in it is needed by them. That it is addressed to "our
Father" furnishes all the warrant we need for it to be used by all the
members of His family. Then let none of God's children allow Satan to
rob them of this valuable part of their birthright.
The more this blessed and wondrous prayer be pondered-one which we
personally love to think of as "the family prayer"-the more will the
perfect wisdom of its Author be apparent. Here we are taught both the
manner and method of how to pray, and the matter for which to pray.
Christ knew both our needs and the Father's good will toward us, and
therefore has He graciously supplied us with a simple but sufficient
directory. Every aspect of prayer is included therein: adoration in
its opening clause, thanksgiving at the close, confession of sin is
implied. Its petitions are seven in number, showing the completeness
of the outline here furnished us. It is virtually an epitome of the
Psalms and a most excellent summary of all prayer. Every clause in it
is taken from the Old Testament, denoting that our prayers cannot be
acceptable unless they be scriptural. "If we ask anything according to
His will, He heareth us" (1 John 5:14), and God's will can only be
learned from His Word.
"Our Father which art in heaven." This opening clause presents to us
the Object to whom we p ray and the most endearing relation which He
sustains to us. B y directing us to address the great God as "Our
Father which art in heaven" we are assured of His love and power: this
precious title being designed to raise our affections, excite to
reverential fear and confirm our confidence in the efficacy of prayer.
It is to a Divine person, One who has our best interests at heart,
that we are invited to draw nigh: "Behold what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us" (1 John 3:1)! God is our "Father" first
by creation: (Mal. 2:10). Second, He is our Father by
covenant-relationship, and this by virtue of our federal union with
Christ-because God is His Father, He is ours (John 20:17). Third, He
is our Father by regeneration: when born again we are "made partakers
of the Divine nature" (Gal. 4:6; 2 Pet. 1:4.) Oh, for faith to extract
the sweetness of this relationship.
It is blessed to see how the Old Testament saints, at a time of
peculiar trouble and distress, boldly pleaded this relationship to
God. They declared, "Thou didst terrible things . . . behold Thou art
wroth." They owned, "We are all as an unclean thing, and all our
righteousnesses are as filthy rags." They acknowledged, "Thou hast hid
thy face from us, and hast consumed us because of our iniquities." And
then they pleaded, "But now, O Lord, Thou art our Father" (Isa.
64:3-8). Though we have conducted ourselves very undutifully and
ungratefully toward Thee, yet we are Thy dear children: though Thou
hast chastened us sorely, nevertheless Thou art still our Father. To
Thee therefore we now in penitence turn, to Thee we would apply
ourselves in prayer, for to whom should we look for succour and relief
but our Father! That was the language of faith.
"Our Father." This teaches us to recognize the Christian brotherhood,.
to pray for the whole family and not for ourselves only. We must
express our love for the brethren by praying for them: we are to be as
much concerned about their needs as we are over our own. "Which art in
heaven." Here we are reminded of God's greatness, of His infinite
elevation above us. If the words "Our Father" inspire confidence and
love, "which art in heaven" should fill us with humility and awe. It
is true that God is everywhere, but He is present in heaven in a
special sense. It is there that He has "prepared His throne": not only
His throne of government, by which His kingdom rules over all, but
also His throne of grace to which we must by faith draw near. We are
to eye Him as God in heaven, in contrast with the false gods which
dwell in temples made by hands.
These words, "which art in heaven," should serve as a guide to direct
us in our praying. Heaven is a high and exalted place, and we should
address ourselves to God as One who is infinitely above us. It is the
place of prospect, and we must picture His holy eye upon us. It is a
place of ineffable purity, and nothing which defiles or makes a lie
can enter there. It is the "firmament of His power," and we must
depend upon Him as the One to whom all might belongs. When the Lord
Jesus prayed He "lifted up His eyes to heaven," directing us whence to
obtain the blessings we need. If God is in heaven then prayer needs to
be a thing of the heart and not of the lips, for no physical voice on
earth can rend the skies, but sighs and groans will reach the ears of
God. If we are to pray to God in heaven, then our souls must be
detached from all of earth. If we pray to God in heaven, then faith
must wing our petitions. Since we pray to God in heaven our desires
and aspirations must be heavenly.
"Hallowed be Thy name." Thus begins the petitionary part of this
blessed prayer. The requests are seven in number, being divided into a
three and a four: the first three concerning God, and the last four
(ever the number of the creature) our own selves-similarly are the Ten
Commandments divided: the first five treating of our duty Godward (in
the fifth the parent stands to the child in the place of God), the
last five our duty manwards. How clearly, then, is the fundamental
duty in prayer here set forth: self and all its needs must be given a
secondary place and the Lord freely accorded the preeminence in our
thoughts, desires and supplications. This petition must take the
precedence, for the glory of God's great name is the ultimate end of
all things: every other request must not only be subordinated to this
one, but be in harmony with and in pursuance of it. We cannot pray
aright unless the honour of God be dominant in our hearts. If we
cherish a desire for the honoring of God's name we must not ask for
anything which it would be against the Divine holiness to bestow.
By "Thy name" is meant God Himself, as in Psalm 20:1, etc. But more
particularly His "name" signifies God as He is revealed. It has
pleased the Maker of heaven and earth to make Himself known to us, not
only in His works, but in the Scriptures, and supremely so in Christ.
In the written and in the personal Word God has displayed Himself to
us, manifesting His glorious perfections: His matchless attributes of
omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence; His moral character of
holiness, righteousness, goodness and mercy. He is also revealed
through His blessed titles: the Rock of Israel, Him that cannot lie,
the Father of mercies, the God of all grace. And when we pray that the
name of God may be hallowed we make request that the glory thereof may
be displayed by Him, and that we may be enabled to esteem and magnify
Him agreeably thereto.
In praying that God's name be hallowed we ask that He will so act that
His creatures may be moved to render that adoration which is due Him.
His name has indeed been eminently glorified in all ages, in the
various workings of His providence and grace, whereby His power,
wisdom, righteousness and mercy have been demonstrated before the eyes
of angels and of men. We therefore request that He would continue to
glorify these perfections. In the past God has in the magnifying of
His name employed methods and measures which were strange and
staggering to finite intelligence: often allowing His enemies to
prosper for a time and His people to be sorely
persecuted-nevertheless, they glorified "the Lord in the fires" (Isa.
24:15). And so now, and in the future, when we ask for God to be
glorified in the prosperity of His Church, the dissemination of the
Gospel and the extension of His kingdom, we must subordinate our
request to the Divine sovereignty and leave it with Him as to where
and when and how these things shall be brought to pass.
"Hallowed be Thy name": how easy it is to utter these words without
the slightest thought of their profound and holy import! If we offer
this petition from the heart we desire that God's name may be
sanctified by us, and at the same time own the indisposition and utter
inability to do this of ourselves. Such a request denotes a longing to
be empowered to glorify God in everything whereby He makes Himself
known, that we may honour Him in all situations and circumstances.
Whatever be my lot, however low I may sink, through whatever deep
waters I may be called to pass, get to Thyself glory in me and by me.
Blessedly was this exemplified by our perfect Saviour. "Now is My soul
troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour: but
for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify Thy name" (John
12:27, 28): though He must be immersed in the baptism of suffering,
yet "Hallowed be Thy name."
"Thy kingdom come: Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." The
first petition has respect to God's honour, the second and third
indicate the means whereby His glory is manifested on earth. God's
name is manifestatively glorified here just in proportion as His
"kingdom" comes to us and His "will" is done by us. This is why we are
exhorted to "seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness"
(Matthew 6:33). In praying "Thy kingdom come" we acknowledge that by
nature we are under the dominion of sin and Satan, and beg that we may
be the more fully delivered therefrom and that the rule of God may be
more completely established in our hearts. We long to see the kingdom
of grace extended and the kingdom of glory ushered in. Accordingly we
make request that God's will may be more fully made known to us,
wrought in us and performed by us: "in earth as it is in heaven": that
is, humbly, cheerfully, impartially, promptly, constantly.
"Give us this day our daily bread." This is the first of the four
petitions more immediately relating to the supply of our own needs, in
which we can clearly discern an implied reference to each of the
Persons in the blessed Trinity. Our temporal wants are supplied by the
kindness of the Father; our sins are forgiven through the mediation of
the Son; we are preserved from temptation anti delivered from evil by
the gracious operations of the Holy Spirit. By asking for our "daily
bread" a tacit acknowledgment is made that "in Adam and by our own
sins we have forfeited our right to all the outward blessings of this
life, and deserve to be wholly deprived of them by God, and to have
them cursed to us in the use of them; and that neither they of
themselves are able to sustain us, nor we to merit, or by our own
industry to procure them, but prone to desire, get and use them
unlawfully; we pray for ourselves and others that they and we, waiting
upon the providence of God from day to day, in the use of lawful
means, may of His free gift, and as His Fatherly wisdom shall deem
best, enjoy a competent portion of them, and have the same continued
and blessed unto us in our holy and comfortable use of them and
contentment in them" (Larger Cat.).
"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." As it is
contrary to the holiness of God, sin is a defilement, a dishonor and
reproach to us; as it is a violation of His Law, it is a crime; and as
to the guilt which we contract thereby, it is a debt. As creatures we
owed a debt of obedience unto our Maker and Governor, and through
failure to render the same on account of our rank disobedience we have
incurred a debt of punishment, and it is for this latter that we
implore the Divine pardon. In order to the obtaining of God's
forgiveness we are required to address ourselves unto Him in faith and
prayer. The designed connection between this and the preceding
petition should not be missed: "Give us . . . and forgive us": the
former cannot profit us without the latter-what true comfort can we
derive from external mercies when our conscience remains burdened on
account of a sense of guilt! But since Christ here teaches us that He
is a giving God, what encouragement to look unto Him as a forgiving
God!
"And lead us not into temptation." The "us" includes all fellow
Christians on earth, for one of the first things which grace teaches
us is unselfishness; to be as much concerned about the good of my
brethren as I am about my own-not only for their temporal welfare, but
especially for their spiritual. In the preceding petition we have
prayed that the guilt of past sins may be remitted, here we beg to be
saved from incurring new guilt through being overcome by fresh sin.
This request makes acknowledgment of the universal providence of God,
that all creatures are at the sovereign disposal of their Maker, that
He has the same absolute control over evil as over good, and therefore
has the ordering of all temptations. It is from the evil of
temptations we ask to be spared: if God sees fit that we should be
tempted objectively (through providences which, though good in
themselves, offer occasion to sin within us), that we may not yield
thereto, or, if we yield, that we may not be absolutely overcome.
"But deliver us from evil." All temptations (trials and troubles) are
not evil either in their nature, design, or outcome. The Saviour
Himself was tempted of the Devil and was definitely led into the
wilderness by the Spirit for that very end. It is therefore from the
evil of temptations we are to ask for deliverance, as this final
petition indicates. We are to pray not for a total exemption from
them, but only for a removal of the judgment of them. This is clear
from our Lord's own example in prayer: "I pray not that Thou shouldest
take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the
evil" (John 17:15). To be kept from the evil of sin is a far greater
mercy than deliverance from the trouble of temptation. But how far has
God undertaken to deliver us from evil? First, as it would be hurtful
to our highest interests: it was for Peter's ultimate good that he was
suffered temporarily to fall. Second, from its having full dominion
over us, so that we shall not totally and finally apostatize. Third,
by an ultimate deliverance when He removes us to heaven.
"For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.
Amen." Thus the family prayer closes with a doxology or an ascription
of that glory which is due unto God, thereby teaching us that prayer
and praise should always go together. It is to be carefully noted that
this doxology of the Divine perfections is made use of as a plea to
enforce the preceding petitions: "deliver us from evil for Thine is
the kingdom," etc.-teaching us to back up our requests with scriptural
reasons or arguments. From the Divine perfections the suppliant is to
take encouragement to expect a gracious answer. There is nothing in or
from ourselves which is meritorious, and therefore hope must be
grounded upon the character of Him to whom we pray. His perfections
are not evanescent. but "for ever." The concluding "Amen" expresses
both a fervent desire, "so be it," and an avowal to faith, "it shall
be so."
_________________________________________________________________
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Twenty-Five
Prayer-Concluded
"For if ye forgive men their trespasses. your heavenly Father will
also forgive you But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither
will your Father forgive your trespasses."
Matthew 6:14, 15
___________________________________
"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will
also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither
will your Father forgive your trespasses" (vv. 14, 15). These verses
have received scant attention from most of those who have written on
the Lord's prayer. This ought not to be, for they form a most
important appendix to and round off the teaching of our Lord begun at
verse 6. It is significant to observe that the fifth petition in the
family prayer is the only one singled out by Christ for specific
comment-probably because the duty enforced in it is the most painful
of all to flesh and blood. But however distasteful the contents of
these verses may be to our sinful hearts, that is no reason why they
should be virtually shelved by most of the commentators.
Timely indeed are the brief remarks of Matthew Henry thereon: "If we
pray in anger, we have reason to fear that God will answer us in
anger. What reason is it that God should forgive us the talents [huge
sums] we are indebted to Him, if we forgive not our brethren the pence
they are indebted to us? Christ came into the world as the great
Peacemaker not only to reconcile us to God, but to one another; and in
this we must comply with Him. It is a great assumption and of
dangerous consequences for anyone to make a light matter of that which
Christ lays great stress upon. Men's passions must not frustrate God's
Word." Far too weighty and momentous are these solemn and searching
declarations of the Lord Jesus to be summarily dismissed with only a
brief and light notice of them.
It was the comparative failure of Christian expositors in the past to
adequately explain and enforce the teaching of Christ in the verses
now before us which made it so much easier for modern errorists to
foist their evil perversions on the uninstructed and unwary. For
example, take the following footnote from the Scofield Reference
Bible: "This is legal ground. Compare Ephesians 4:32, which is grace.
Under the Law forgiveness was conditioned upon a like spirit because
we have been forgiven." This is a fair example of the vicious method
followed by "Dispensationalists" who (under the pretence of "rightly
dividing the Word of Truth") delight in pitting the Old Testament
against the New, and lowering the standard of Christianity, presenting
a fictitious ''grace which does not '' reign through righteousness
(Rom. 5:21). Let us briefly examine this statement of Scofield's,
which has misled thousands.
By saying that because our receiving Divine forgiveness is dependent
upon our forgiving those who wrong us is "legal ground," attempt is
made to set aside the Lord's positive declaration. In the added
statement-"Compare Ephesians 4:32, which is grace"-we are asked to
believe that Matthew 6:14, 15, pertains not at all to this Christian
era. This is made quite plain in what follows where this "renowned
Bible teacher" opposes the one to the other. "Under the Law
forgiveness was conditioned upon a like spirit in us, under grace we
are forgiven for Christ's sake, and exhorted to forgive because we
have been forgiven." Such a declaration betrays the mental confusion
of its author. Under no dispensation has God bestowed mercy upon any
who maintained a vindictive spirit, nor does He now: were He to do so,
it would not be "grace," but a disgrace to His holiness. Throughout
the whole of the Old Testament economy penitent souls were pardoned
for Christ's sake, as truly as believers are today. There is no
conflict between the Law and the Gospel: the one is the handmaid of
the other.
"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will
also forgive you." What analogy is there between our forgiving of
others and God's forgiving us? Let us begin with the negative side.
First, it is not because our forgiving those who wrong us is in any
sense or degree a meritorious act which deserves well at the hands of
God. The meritorious ground on which God pardons our sins is the
atonement of Christ, and that alone. Our best performances are
imperfect, and in no way proportionate to the mercies we receive from
God. What proportion is there between God's pardoning of us and our
pardoning of others, either with respect to the parties interested in
the action, the subject matter, the manner of performance or the
issues of the action? God has laid a law upon us that we should
forgive others, and compliance therewith is simply discharging our
duty, and not something by which we bring the Lord into debt to us.
Second, it is not a rule so that our forgiving others should be a
pattern of forgiving to God. "Thy will be done in earth as it is in
heaven" does denote a conformity of the one to the other; but "forgive
us our debts as we forgive our debtors" is not a pattern or rule. We
are to be imitators of God, but He does not imitate us in pardoning
offenders-it would fare ill with us indeed if God were to forgive us
no better than we forgive one another. God is matchless in all His
work and all His ways. Let it be duly noted that when He declares,
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,
saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are
My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts"
(Isa. 55:8, 9), it is specifically said in connection with His
"abundant pardon" (see v. 7).
Third, nor do these words "For if ye forgive men their trespasses your
heavenly Father will also forgive you" signify a priority of order, as
though our acts had the precedency of God's, or as if we could
heartily forgive others before God had shown mercy to us. No, in all
acts of love God is first: His mercy to us is the cause of our mercy
to others. In the great parable on forgiveness (Matthew 18:23-35),
which forms the best commentary on the verses now before us, God's
forgiving us is the motive of our forgiving: "I forgave thee all that
debt, because thou desirest Me: shouldest not thou also have had
compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?" (vv. 32,
33). So again, "Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving
one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you" (Eph.
4:32)-in that manner, according to that example.
Turning now to the positive side. "If ye forgive men their trespasses,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you." Very searching indeed are
these words, constituting a severe test of discipleship, a test which
excludes from the ranks of God's children those professors who cherish
a spirit of malignity and revenge, refusing to forgive those who
injure them. Unless our pride be truly broken by a sense of sin, so
that we are not only willing to forgive others, but also rejoice in
those opportunities for exercising (in some small degree at least)
that loving kindness which we ourselves stand in such sore need of
from God, then we are not really penitent in heart and therefore
cannot be pardoned ourselves. If our prayers are to be acceptable unto
God we must "lift up holy hands, without wrath" (1 Tim. 2:8).
First, our forgiveness of others is a condition or necessary
qualification if we are to receive the continued pardon of God. "For
if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also
forgive you": these two are definitely joined together and must not be
sundered by us. Divine forgiveness always presupposes our repentance:
it is not bestowed on that account, yet it is inseparably connected
with it. Unless we forgive those who injure us we are in no moral
condition ourselves to receive the mercy of God. We have no scriptural
warrant whatever to expect the Divine pardon while we refuse to pardon
those who have trespassed against us. It is quite wrong to limit this
by saying that we cannot expect the comfort of God's pardon: so long
as we indulge implacable resentment it is presumptuous for us to hope
for Divine mercy.
Second, as intimated above, our forgiveness of others is a mark or
sign that we ourselves have been pardoned by God. "Hateful and hating
one another" (Titus 3:3) was our condition by nature; but if by grace
we have drunk of the blessed spirit of the Redeemer then shall we like
Him (Luke 23) pray for our enemies. Said the beloved apostle, "Howbeit
for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might
show forth all longsuffering" (1 Tim. 1:16). Where the grace of God
has wrought a miracle in the human heart graciousness is the
inevitable effect. Reconciliation with God is made manifest by a
conciliatory spirit to our fellows. If God has softened our hearts,
how can we be hard and mercilessly exacting toward others? "There is
none so tender to others as they which have received mercy themselves:
that know how gently God hath dealt with them" (Thomas Manton).
Third, the joining together of our forgiving of others with God's
forgiving of us is in order to show this is a duty incumbent upon
those who are pardoned. God has laid this necessity upon us. Every
time we beg His pardon we are to remind ourselves most solemnly of
this duty and bind ourselves to it in the sight of God. So that when
we pray "Forgive us our debts," we are required to add, "as we forgive
our debtors." It is a definite undertaking on our part, a formal
promise which we make to God: His showing of mercy to us will incline
us to show mercy unto others. In all earnest requests we are to bind
ourselves to the corresponding duties. In asking for our daily bread
we pledge ourselves to labour for it. In asking that we may not be led
into temptation, we agree not to place a stumbling-block before
others.
Fourth, it is an argument inspiring confidence in God's pardoning
mercy. We who have still so much of the old leaven of revenge left in
us find that the receiving of a spark of grace enkindles in our hearts
a readiness to forgive those who injure us, what may we not expect
from God! Clearly this is what is urged in "Forgive us our sins, for
we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us" (Luke 11:4): if we
who have so little grace find it possible to be magnanimous, how much
more so shall the God of all grace exceed the creature in this! Christ
employed the same kind of reasoning in His "If ye then, being evil,
know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall
your Father, which is in heaven, give good things to them that ask
Him?" (Matthew 7:11). Since fallen man is moved with affection toward
his weak and needy offspring, certainly the Father of mercies will not
be indifferent to our wants.
We must next inquire what is meant by our forgiving those who trespass
against us. Before answering this question in detail it should be
pointed out that we can only forgive those injuries which are directed
against ourselves, for none but God can forgive those which are
against Himself-He alone can remit that punishment which is due to the
transgressor for the violation of His Law. It should also be premised
that we are not required to forgive those injuries done to us which
constitute a flagrant violation of the laws of the land, whereby the
offender has committed a serious crime, for it belongs not to a
private person to condone evil-doing or to obstruct the course of
justice. Yet if we have recourse to human courts for the redress of
wrongs, it must not be in a spirit of malice, but only for the glory
of God and the public good.
What is meant by our forgiving others? First, forbearing ourselves and
withholding revenge. "Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to
me: I will render to the man according to his work" (Prov. 24:29).
Corrupt nature thirsts for retaliation, but grace must suppress it. If
someone has slandered us, that does not warrant us to slander him. "He
that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth
his spirit than he that taketh a city" (Prov. 16:32): we rule our
spirit when we overcome our passions. "Be not overcome of evil, but
overcome evil with good" (Rom. 12:21), for this will shame the
offender if his conscience be not utterly calloused. When David had
Saul at a disadvantage and forbore any act of revenge against him,
Saul acknowledged, "Thou art more righteous than I" (Sam. 24:17).
Second, Christians are required not only to forbear the avenging of
themselves, but actually to pardon those who have wronged them. There
must be the laying aside of all anger and hatred, and the exercise of
love toward my neighbour, remembering that by nature I am no better
than the offender (Gal. 6:1). If we have genuinely pardoned the one
who has injured us, we shall earnestly desire that God will pardon him
too, as Stephen prayed for his enemies, "Lord, lay not this sin to
their charge" (Acts 7:60). This forgiveness must be sincere and from
the heart. When Joseph's brethren submitted themselves to him, he not
only remitted their offences, but "comforted them and spake kindly
unto them" (Gen. 50:21).
Third, we must be ready to perform all the offices of love unto those
who have wronged us; if the offending one be not a brother in Christ,
yet is he still our fellow creature. Nor must we so magnify his faults
as to be blind to his compensating virtues. We are required to do good
unto those that hate us (Luke 6:27) and to pray for those who
despitefully use us and persecute us (Matthew 5:44). Though Miriam had
wronged Moses, yet he prayed to the Lord for her forgiveness and
healing (Num. 12:13). And surely it is fitting that we who need mercy
ourselves should show mercy unto others. It is a general rule that we
should do as we would be done unto. How we need to pray for more grace
if we are to be gracious unto others!
But are we required to forgive offenders absolutely and
unconditionally, whether they express contrition or no? Certainly not.
A holy God does not require us to condone evil-doing and countenance
sin. The teaching of our Lord on this point is crystal clear: first we
are bidden to seek out the offender, privately and meekly, and
expostulate with him, endeavoring to make him see that he has
displeased the Lord and wronged his own soul more than he has us
(Matthew 5:23, 24; 18:15). Second, "If thy brother trespass against
thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass
against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again
to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him" (Luke 17:3, 4). But
suppose the offender evidences no sign of repentance? Even then, we
must not harbor any malice or any revenge, yet we are not to act as
freely and familiarly as before. Third, we are to pray for him.
"But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father
forgive your trespasses." Unspeakably solemn is this, and each of us
needs diligently to search his heart in the light of it. Let us bear
in mind that other declaration of Christ's, "For with what judgment ye
judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be
measured to you again" (Matthew 7:2). God's government is a reality,
and He sees to it that whatsoever we sow that we do also reap. The
same truth, in principle, is enunciated in "Whoso stoppeth his ears at
the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be
heard" (Prov. 21:13). Many an earnest prayer is offered which never
reaches the ear of God. Why is it that such a verse as, "For He shall
have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no mercy" (Jam. 2:13),
has no place in the preaching of our day? How much that is distasteful
to flesh and blood is withheld by men-pleasers! Such will never
receive the Master's "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."
It will be seen, then, that the passage we have been considering
presents a very real test of discipleship. On the one hand it shows
that if we are merciful to others we shall ourselves "obtain mercy"
(Matthew 5:7). On the other hand it teaches that if we retain malice
and hatred against those who injure us, then is the hypocrisy of our
Christian profession plainly exposed. How necessary it is that we
diligently examine our hearts and test ourselves at this point. As a
guide therein, ponder before God the following queries. Do I secretly
rejoice when I hear of any calamity befalling one who has wronged me?
If so, I certainly have not forgiven him. Do I retain in my memory the
wrongs suffered and upbraid the transgressor with it? Or, assuming he
has repented, am I willing and anxious to do whatever I can to help
him and promote his interests?
It is abundantly clear from all that has been before us that God's
pardon of our sins and the reformation of our lives go together: the
one can only be known by the other. The more our hearts and lives are
regulated by a Christlike spirit, the clearer our evidence that we are
new creatures in Him. It is utterly vain for me to believe that I have
received the Divine pardon if I refuse to forgive those who injure me.
True, it is often difficult to forget the wrongs we have forgiven, and
the injuries we have received may still rankle with us. The flesh is
yet in us and indwelling sin mars all the actings of grace Yet if we
honestly strive to banish ill will and seek to cherish a meek
disposition toward our enemies, we may comfort ourselves that God will
be gracious unto us, for His love is infinitely superior to ours. If
our hearts condemn us not, then do we have confidence toward Him.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Twenty-Six
Fasting
"Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad
countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto
men to fast. Verily I say Unto you, They have their reward. But thou,
when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou
appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret:
and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly."
Matthew 6:16-18
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Our present passage brings before us still another subject upon which
multitudes of professing Christians are in much need of instruction.
Personally we have never heard a sermon or "Bible reading" on fasting,
and very little has come to our notice thereon which was written
during the last forty years, and most of that "little" left very much
to be desired. From conversations and communications with others it
appears that our experience has been by no means a singular one, and
therefore we do not feel it necessary to apologize for devoting two
chapters to the above verses. Following our usual custom, we will
first deal with our passage generally and topically, comparing with it
the teaching of other sections of Scripture on this theme; and then
consider our verses more specifically, seeking to expound and apply
their terms.
Four hundred years ago Calvin wrote in his Institutes, "Let me say
something on fasting: because many, for want of knowing its usefulness
undervalue its necessity, and some reject it as altogether
superfluous; while on the other hand, where the use of it is not well
understood, it easily degenerates into superstition." Upon this matter
the passing of the centuries has produced little or no improvement,
for the very conditions which confronted this eminent reformer prevail
extensively today. If on the one side Romanists have perverted a means
unto an end, and have exalted what is exceptional to a principal part
of their religious worship, Protestants have gone to the opposite
extreme, allowing what was practiced by primitive Christians to sink
into general disuse.
Though there may have been much formality and hypocrisy in some who
attended to this religious duty, yet that is no reason why the
practice itself should be discountenanced and discontinued. Nowhere in
our Lord's teaching is there anything to discourage religious fasting,
but not a little to the contrary. Most certainly He was not
reprehending this practice in the passage before us, rather was He
uttering a caution against hypocrisy therein. By saying, "When ye
fast, be not as the hypocrites," He takes it for granted that His
disciples will fast-as much so as He assumes by His "when thou
prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites" (v. 3) that they would
be men 6f prayer. Christ was here engaged in condemning the wicked
perversion of the Pharisees, from which He also took occasion to give
us valuable instruction upon our present theme.
When the heart and mind are deeply exercised upon a serious subject,
especially one of a solemn or sorrowful kind, there is a
disinclination for the partaking of food, and abstinence therefrom is
a natural expression of our unworthiness, of our sense of the
comparative worthlessness of earthly things, and of our desire to fix
our attention upon things above. Fasting, either total or partial,
seems to have been connected with seasons of peculiarly solemn
devotion in all ages. When Jonah testified to a guilty city, "Yet
forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown" (i.e. if it did not repent
and turn to God), we are told, "So the people of Nineveh believed God,
and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them
even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh and
he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered
him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be
proclaimed . . . Let neither man nor beast . . . feed nor drink water
and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil
way . . .Who can tell if God will turn and repent and turn away from
His fierce anger, that we perish not?" (Jonah 3:5-9).
There are a number of features about the above incident which are to
be carefully noted, for they throw not a little light on several
aspects of our present subject. This was no ordinary occasion when the
Ninevites fasted, but a time of exceptional gravity, when the black
clouds of Divine judgment hung heavy over their heads. It was not a
fast undertaken by the individual, but one into which the whole
populace entered. It was designed to express their deep humiliation
before God and was an appendage unto their crying "mightily" to Him.
It was not a duty performed in response to any express commandment
from the Lord, but was entered into voluntarily and spontaneously. Its
object was to divert the fierce anger of heaven against them, and as
the closing verse of Jonah 3 tells us, "And God saw their works, that
they turned from their evil way, and God repented of the evil that He
had said [provisionally] that He would do unto them; and He did it
not."
Our first main division, then, shall be occasions of fasting. Let us
preface our remarks thereon by pointing out that what we are about to
consider particularly is extraordinary fasting in contradistinction
from ordinary. As we shall yet see, Scripture mentions partial fasting
as well as total abstinence from food. There is an ordinary fasting
which is required from all men, especially from the saints, namely an
avoidance of gluttony and surfeiting, a making a "god" of our belly
(Phil. 3:19). This ordinary fasting consists in temperance and
sobriety, whereby the appetites are restrained from the use of food
and drink which exceeds moderation. We are to be temperate in all
things, and at all times. Rightly did the godly Payson point out:
"Fasting is not so much by total abstinence from food beyond
accustomed intervals, as by denying self at every meal, and using a
spare and simple diet at all times-a course well adapted to preserve
the mind and body in the best condition for study and devotional
exercises."
Now the occasion of an extraordinary religious fast is when a weighty
cause thereof is offered. This is when some judgment of God hangs over
our heads, such as the sword, famine or pestilence. In circumstances
of grave danger the pious kings and prophets of Israel called on the
people to engage in fasting as well as prayer. As examples of this we
may cite the following. When the hand of the Lord lay heavily upon
Israel and thousands fell in battle before the Benjamites, "Then all
the children of Israel, and all the people, went up and came unto the
house of God, and wept and sat there before the Lord, and fasted that
day until even, and offered burnt offerings" (Judges 20:26). When the
Moabites, Ammonites and others combined against Jehoshaphat in battle,
we are told that he "set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a
fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together, to
ask help of the Lord" (2 Chron. 20:3, 4). In a time of national
calamity Joel cried, "Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly . . .
and cry unto the Lord" (1:14).
The second general cause and occasion for fasting is when God is
earnestly sought for some special and particular blessing or the
supply of some great need. Thus on the annual day of atonement, when
remission was sought for the sins of the nation, the Israelites were
most expressly forbidden to do any manner of work, no not in their
dwellings, but instead to "afflict their souls" (Lev. 23:29-32). So
too upon the exodus of the Jews from Babylon Ezra tells us, "Then I
proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict
ourselves before our God, to seek of Him a right of way for us, and
for our little ones, and for all our substance" (8:21).
In addition to these examples of public fasting, Scripture also
mentions that of many pious individuals. When his child by the wife of
Uriah was smitten with sore sickness, we are told that "David
therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went and
lay all night upon the earth" (2 Sam. 12:16). On another occasion,
when sorely beset by enemies, David declared, "But as for me, when
they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with
fasting" (Ps. 35:13). When Nehemiah was informed that the remnant of
his people left of the captivity in the provinces were "in great
affliction and reproach" and the wall of Jerusalem was broken down and
its gates burned with fire, he "sat down and wept and mourned certain
days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven" (1:4). When
Daniel ardently desired the deliverance of the children of Israel from
their captivity in Babylon he "Set his face unto the Lord God, to seek
by prayer and supplications, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes"
(9:3).
It is a great mistake to suppose that either public or private fasting
on the part of the pious was a practice confined to the Old Testament
era. Of Anna we read, "She departed not from the temple, but served
God with fastings and prayers night and day" (Luke 2:37). When devout
Cornelius ardently desired more light from God concerning the Messiah,
he fasted and prayed (Acts 10:30). When the church at Antioch sought
God's special blessing upon the success of His servants in the Gospel,
they "fasted" (Acts 13:3). In like manner when Paul and Silas were
about to establish local churches, they "prayed with fasting" (Acts
14:23), because in a matter of such importance they looked for special
directions from God. In 1 Corinthians 7:5, the apostle gives plain
intimation that it was the ordinary and proper custom of Christians to
give themselves to "prayer and fasting" when special needs called for
the same.
Next, we will .consider the manner of fasting. Fasting consists in an
abstinence from meat and drink, yet not such an abstinence as would
impair health or injure the body-which is forbidden in Colossians
2:23, and would clash with Christ's directions that we should pray for
our "daily bread." It is the abstinence from such meals as would
interfere with an uninterrupted and earnest waiting upon God. Such
fasting would primarily be a denying ourselves of all dainties, as
Daniel "ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine into his
mouth, neither did he anoint himself at all, till three whole weeks
were fulfilled" (10:3). Coupled with the sparsest possible diet, there
must also be an abstaining from all the delights of nature (see Joel
2:15, 16). All of this is designed for the afflicting of ourselves, as
Paul in his "I keep under my body and bring it into subjection" (1
Cor. 9:27).
Ere proceeding farther it should be pointed out that there may be a
prolonged abstinence from food and yet no fasting in the scriptural
sense of the term. One may observe a weekly fast, and observe it
strictly, and yet not fast at all if it be no expression of an
evangelical sorrow of the soul. The mere non-partaking of food is not
fasting any more than the mere moving of the lips is prayer; and
certainly there is nothing whatever of it in the denying to oneself
meats while yet the hunger is appeased with eggs and fish. Unless our
fasting be that which marks such a heartfelt sense of sin and of
seeking unto God as will brook no diversion from its purpose, moving
us spontaneously and for the time being with a lack of appetite for
all things else, then it is but a superstition, a piece of morbid
formalism.
God is not to be imposed upon by any mere outward performance, no
matter how solemnly and decorously it be executed. It is at the heart
He ever looks, and unless our hearts be in our fasting we do but mock
the Most High with an empty show. Of old He asked Israel, "When ye
fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy
years, did ye at all fast unto Me, even to Me?" (Zech. 7:5). On
another occasion He refused to accept the fasting of the people
because they were flagrantly setting at naught the precepts of the
Second Table, saying, "Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for
a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush and
to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast,
an acceptable day to the Lord? Is not this the fast that I have
chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens
and let the oppressed go free?" (Isa. 58:5, 6). And at a later date
the Lord gave orders, "Rend your hearts and not your garments, and
turn unto the Lord your God" (Joel 2:13).
From the very nature of the case we should never let our minds dwell
on the act of fasting, as though we had therein discharged a duty.
Fasting is not to be undertaken for the mere sake of fasting. It is
not as the doing of penance that we are ever to abstain from food,
neither is it as though the abstaining were a process of holiness;
still less must we regard it as in any wise a meritorious performance.
Private fasting must issue from an urge within and not because it is
imposed from without. Private fasting should be spontaneous, the
result of our being under a great stress of spirit, and the simple act
itself be entirely lost sight of in the engrossing fervour which
prompted it. There had been little or no practical difficulties on the
subject of fasting if these simple rules had been understood and
observed.
And yet, so prone are we to run to extremes, a word of caution is
needed here lest what has just been said above be put to an evil use.
It would be quite wrong to draw the conclusion, seeing I feel no
inward urge to engage in fasting, therefore I am discharged from this
duty. The Christian reader should at once perceive that such an
argument would be quite invalid in connection with other spiritual
duties. If I feel no appetite for the heavenly manna or no desire to
draw near unto the throne of grace, then it is my bounden duty
penitently to confess unto God my coldness of heart and beg Him to
stir me up afresh unto a hearty use of the appointed means. The same
principle most certainly holds good in connection with fasting.
The particular seasons for fasting are to be determined mainly by the
governmental dealings of God, and therefore those who would improve
such seasons must be strict observers of the workings of Providence:
otherwise God may be calling aloud for weeping and girding of
sackcloth, while we hear not His call but indulge in joy and feasting
(Isa. 22:12, 13). As to the amount of time to be spent in either
individual or corporate fasting, the duty-the exigencies of the
situation-should regulate it and not it the duty. Various lengths of
time are mentioned in different cases (see 2 Sam. 12:16; Esther 4:16;
Dan. 10:2, 3). "Wherefore I judge that none are to be solicitous as to
what quantity of time, more or less, they spend in these exercises, so
that the work of the time bc done. Nay, I very much doubt, men lay a
snare to themselves in tying themselves to a certain quantity of time
in such cases" (Thomas Boston).
Let us now consider the purpose of fasting. Various designs are
mentioned in Scripture. The first end in fasting is the denying of
self, the bringing of our body and its lusts in subjection unto the
will and Word of God. Said the Psalmist, "I wept and chastened my soul
with fasting, that was to my reproach" (Ps. 69:10). Before men, yes;
but not so before God. Our Lord warned us, "Take heed to yourselves
lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and
drunkenness" (Luke 21:34). The body is made heavy, its senses dulled,
and the mind rendered sluggish by much eating or drinking, and thereby
the whole man becomes unfit for the duties of prayer and hearing of
the Word. That this unfitness may be avoided and that the lusts of the
flesh may be mortified and subdued, fasting is to be duly engaged in.
The second end of fasting is to stir up our devotions and to confirm
our minds in the duties of hearing and prayer. In this connection it
is to be duly noted that fasting and prayer are almost always linked
together in the Scriptures, or it would be more correct to say "prayer
and fasting" (Matthew 17:21; Acts 13:3 and 14:23) to intimate that the
latter is designed as an aid to the former, chiefly in that the
non-preparation and participation of meals leaves us the freer for
uninterrupted communion with God. When the stomach is full, the body
and mind are less qualified for the performance of spiritual duties.
For this reason we are told Anna "served God with fastings and
prayers," the design of the Holy Spirit being to commend her to our
notice for the fervency of her spirit, which she evidenced in this
manner.
The third end in fasting is to bear witness unto the humiliation and
contrition of our hearts, for the denying ourselves of nature's
comforts suitably expresses the inward sorrow and grief we feel over
our sins. "Proclaim a fast" is the Lord's requirement (Joel 1:14) when
He would have His people testify their contrition Surely it is obvious
that the participation of creature dainties or the indulgence of self
in similar ways is most incongruous at a time when we are mourning
before God and declaring our repentance. When convicted of our
iniquities God requires us to turn unto Him with fasting and mourning
and with the rending of our hearts.
The fourth end of fasting is to admonish us of our guilt and
uncleanness, to put us in mind of our utter unworthiness of even the
common mercies of Providence, that we deserve not food nor drink. It
is designed to make us conscious of our wants and miseries, and
thereby make us the more aware of our sins. If the Ninevites were made
to perceive the propriety of abstaining from food and drink when the
sword of Divine judgment was hanging over their heads (Jonah 3), then
how much more should we, with our vastly greater light and privileges,
be sensible of the same. If we duly "consider our ways" (Haggai 1:5)
must we not feel that sackcloth and ashes well become us? The main
peril to guard against in our fasting will be considered in our next.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Twenty-Seven
Fasting-Concluded
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"Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad
countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto
men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou,
when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou
appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret;
and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly."
These words brought to a close the fourth division of our Lord's
address, a division which covered the first eighteen verses of Matthew
vi, the subject of which is the performing of good works in such a
manner as to secure the approval of God. Fasting is mentioned last of
the three branches of practical righteousness because it is not so
much a duty for its own sake as a means to dispose us for other
duties.
Fasting is the abstaining from food for a religious purpose. Though
there is no express commandment in either the Law or the Gospel
binding us thereto, yet it is plain both from precept and practice in
the Old and New Testaments alike that there are occasions when fasting
is both needful and helpful. Though there is nothing meritorious in
it, fasting is both an appropriate sign and a valuable means. It
should be the outward sign of an inward mortification. It is the
opposite of feasting, which expresses joy and merriment. It is a
voluntary denying ourselves of those creature comforts to which we are
ordinarily accustomed. Rightly engaged in, it should be found a
valuable adjunct to prayer, particularly for afflicting our souls when
expressing sorrow for sin. As to the frequency and the duration
thereof this must largely be determined by our ordinary habits, our
constitutions, and our vocations.
So depraved is the human heart and so prone is man to rest in
externals that he changes what was originally the means or sign unto
the end itself. Thus we find the Pharisee boasting that he "fasted
twice in the week" (Luke 18:12). Thus that which was designed as a
simple means to further and to testify humiliation, repentance and
zeal in prayer was perverted into a meritorious performance which
produced self-complacency. But what was still worse, the Pharisees
made a stage-play of this holy ordinance and resorted to various
hypocritical devices therein, in order to further their reputation
among men for extraordinary piety and devotion. They advertised what
should have been a secret between their souls and God: they employed a
counterfeit sadness and ostentatious grief, and thereby reduced to a
farce and a mockery what should have been held in great sanctity.
"Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad
countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto
men to fast." This was our Lord's first word on the subject of
fasting, and like His first on prayer it consists in a warning against
hypocrisy therein. This is very searching and should be seriously
taken to heart by all of us. Every species of pride is exceedingly
foolish and most obnoxious unto the Lord, but the worst form of all is
spiritual pride, and especially that which aims at securing the
applause of our fellows. Fasting, if it be genuine, arises from a deep
sense of our utter unworthiness and is designed to express our
self-loathing before God. To make the same into a pedestal from which
we proclaim our humility and sanctity is indeed a turning of light
into darkness.
"When ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for
they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast." It
may be inquired, How is such a prohibition as this to be harmonized
with Joel 1:13, 14, where God required the Jews to "laments" and
"howl" in their fast, which could scarcely be without mournful and
appropriate gestures of the body? The answer is that Christ was not
here condemning a sorrowful countenance in fasting when a just
occasion for the same is offered, for godly Nehemiah looked sad (2:2).
Instead, our Lord was here engaged in reprehending the wicked deceits
of the Pharisees, who deliberately feigned an appearance of great
sorrow when in fact their hearts were devoid of contrition. This is
quite clear from His next words.
"When ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of sad countenance: for they
disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast." But to
this it might also be objected, Did not some of God's own people in
the past disfigure their faces in various ways, and that with Divine
approval? For example, are we not informed that Ezra plucked off the
hairs of his head and of his beard (9:3), and are we not told that
Joshua and his fellows fell to the ground upon their faces and put
dust upon their heads (7:6)? But all of those cases were spontaneous
expressions of deep sorrow of heart-something quite different from
what our Lord was here rebuking. He blames the Pharisees for
disfiguring their faces, first, because this was the chief, yea, the
only, thing they had respect unto in their fasts, namely the outward
show thereof, which God hated. And second, because the word
"disfigure" here signifies the very abolishing of their comeliness.
They deliberately took means to look wan and emaciated so that they
might the better advertise their fasting.
Instead of keeping to the privacy of their homes on fast days and
using the time in those sacred exercises of which fasting is both the
means and the sign, the Pharisees went abroad and, like stage-players,
paraded all the marks of a state of mind which they did not feel, but
which they desired that others should believe they experienced. They
assumed a sad countenance. "They employed all the usual tokens of deep
affliction and mental distress. They covered their heads with dust and
ashes, vailed their countenances, neglected their dress, and deformed
their features by contracting them into the most gloomy and dejected
looks. They studiously exhibited all the external appearances of
humiliation, while their hearts were lifted up in spiritual pride"
(Brewster).
Ere passing on let it be duly noted that it was the practice of the
scribes and Pharisees not only to fast but also to be very punctilious
in observing all the outward rites and signs pertaining to religious
fasts; nevertheless, as in the former works of almsgiving and prayer,
so in this, the principal thing was lacking, namely truth and
sincerity in the heart. Their grief-stricken faces proceeded not from
broken hearts. They were whole and righteous in their own conceits and
needed neither the great Physician nor regeneration of soul. In this
we may see a true exemplification of the properties of natural men in
matters of spiritual moment: they are more concerned with external
deeds than in having the Truth in their inward parts; they content
themselves with their outward performances and have little or no
regard to worshipping in the spirit. In like manner, the wicked Ahab
went to much trouble in humbling himself outwardly, from fear of
punishment (1 Kings 21:27), yet continued in his sins.
How often it was thus with Israel of old; they went through the form
of humbling themselves and seeking God's favour, when as David said,
"They did flatter Him with their mouth and they lied unto Him with
their tongues. For their heart was not right with Him, neither were
they stedfast in His covenant" (Ps. 78:36, 37). And thus it is
generally with natural men. The whole religion of the deluded papists
stands in outward ceremonial acts, partly Jewish and partly
heathenish, and when they have observed them they look no farther. And
it is no better with tens of thousands among the Protestants, who
content themselves with the external acts of going to church, hearing
the Word, and "receiving the sacrament" once or twice a year; and when
these duties are scrupulously observed they imagine that all is well
with them and think God is served sufficiently. Yea, let anyone set
before them the real requirements of a thrice holy God and he will at
once be sneered at by them as being too strict and precise,
puritanical and fanatical.
Since our Lord here condemned the fasting of the Pharisees because
they rested in the outward work and did it ostentatiously for the
praise of men, then how clear it is that the fasting of the papists is
an abomination in His sight, for theirs abounds with more numerous
abuses. First, they reduce the practice of fasting to a ludicrous
farce, by allowing fish and eggs to take the place of meats and by
placing no restriction at all upon wines and other drinks. Second,
they bind men in conscience to numerous days of fasting and make the
omission thereof a deadly sin, thereby taking away Christian liberty,
for neither the Saviour nor any of His apostles appointed any set fast
days. Third, they make fasting a meritorious performance, teaching
that a man thereby renders satisfaction unto Divine justice for his
sins, whereby they blasphemously derogate from the sufficiency of
Christ's obedience and sacrifice. How the godly should grieve at the
spread of such wicked superstitions in our midst.
It should now be quite apparent that Christ did not here forbid all
fasting as such, but was engaged in correcting the abuses of this
ordinance. His words, "When ye fast, be not as the hypocrites," not
only take it for granted that His disciples would fast, but manifestly
denote that the godly ought to do so, both in private and in public
upon just occasion. Nay, if the Saviour here rebukes the Pharisees for
their perversion of this holy means of grace, then much more must He
blame those who fast not at all. This is not a thing indifferent, left
to our option, but something which God requires from us, and for the
absence of which He may often increase His judgments (Isa. 22:12-14).
Sufficient has already been before us to show that God has given us
many inducements to stir up our hearts to engage in this exercise.
There is the worthy precedent of many holy men in the past who
carefully performed this duty when occasion offered, such as David,
Daniel, Ezra and Nehemiah. In like manner we have recorded examples in
the New Testament of the Saviour Himself (Matthew 4), Anna, Cornelius,
the apostles and elders of the churches. Moreover, we have among us
pressing occasions of fasting, both in public and in private. The
present state of God's cause upon earth, the withdrawal of the
Spirit's unction and blessing, the drying up of the streams of vital
godliness, the lack of fruit from the preaching of the Gospel, the
abounding error on every side, the rising tide of infidelity, iniquity
and immorality, and, above all, the national judgments of God now
hanging over our heads, call loudly for humiliation, afflicting of our
souls, and repentance.
"But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in
secret" (vv. 17, 18). This statement is not to be taken absolutely and
literally, but relatively and figuratively. These words of Christ must
be understood in the light of their setting, their scope being quite
apparent from the context. In oriental countries, where the air is hot
and dry, it is the common custom to anoint the head and face with oil
and ointments, which are there plentiful and cheap (Ruth 3:3; Luke
7:46; etc.)-"oil to make his face to shine" (Ps. 104:15). That Christ
is not to be here understood literally appears from His scope: He was
off-setting Pharisees' practice of disfiguring their faces. Second,
from the fact that He does not here command contraries: the use of
such things in fasting as are more appropriate for feasting, for the
anointing of the face is indicative of cheerfulness and joy.
The obvious meaning of Christ in the above words is: When thou
engagest in a private fast, so conduct thyself as it may not appear
unto men that thou art so engaged. Fasting is unto God, and our one
and only concern must be to perform this duty in a manner which is
pleasing unto Him. So far from parading this duty before men, we must
take every possible precaution to conceal our private devotions from
them. If we are to enter our chambers and shut to the door when
engaging in private prayer, equally necessary is it that we observe
the utmost secrecy in connection with our private fasting. Everything
which savors of pride and ostentation is to be rigidly eschewed.
Whenever we devote a portion of our time to extraordinary private
devotions there should be nothing in our deportment or general
appearance to indicate this unto others. So far from any show of our
religious feelings, we should do all we can to hide them from the
notice of others.
"But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head and wash thy face;
that thou appear not unto men to fast." "This exhortation certainly
does not mean that on these occasions men should assume a cheerfulness
they do not feel, but that there should be nothing in the dress or in
the appearance calculated to attract notice; that there should be no
abatement in the ordinary attention to cleanliness of person or
propriety of apparel; and that when, having brought the solemn
services of the closet to a termination, they go out to society, there
should be nothing to tell the world how they have been engaged" (John
Brown). The great thing to remember and be concerned about is that it
is with God we have to do, and not with men. It is with Him our hearts
are to be occupied, it is unto Him we are praying and fasting, it is
before Him we are to unburden ourselves. It is His pardon and favour
we are soliciting. The opinion and esteem of fellow mortals fades into
utter insignificance before the approval and reward of our heavenly
Father.
"When thou fastest anoint thine head and wash thy face." In these
instructions we are also taught that Christ requires us to take due
care of our bodies. There are two extremes to be avoided: undue
pampering and the careless neglecting of them-the former presenting
the more real danger in this effeminate age. Any species of gluttony
and intemperance is sinful, for it dulls the mind, stimulates our
lusts, and leads to further evil. Such excesses are forbidden in "make
not provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof" (Rom. 13:14).
On the other hand we are warned against the "neglecting of the body"
(Col. 2:23) under the pretence of honoring the soul: anything which
produces weakness and disability is to be avoided. That care of the
body which God requires is a moderate concern for its needs, a
temperate use of food so as to fit it for the discharge of duty.
In the above words of Christ we may also perceive that it is a
Christian duty to p reserve a cheerful countenance. While on the one
hand we must eschew all carnal frivolity and lightness, manifesting an
habitual seriousness and sobriety; yet on the other hand we must see
to it that we carefully avoid everything which savors of an affected
solemnity and melancholy. If we are bidden to guard against any
external displays of grief while engaged in those religious exercises
which from their very nature tend to sadden the countenance, then most
certainly it is our duty to manifest in our general deportment the
natural symptoms of a cheerful and contented mind.
It is our duty to refute the world's lie that Christianity is
incapable of making its subjects happy. Few things have done more
injury to the cause of the Gospel than the sourness, sadness, and
moroseness of a large class of its professors. Where Christ rules in
the heart He sheds abroad a peace which passes all understanding and a
joy which is unspeakable and full of glory. True we must not pretend a
peace and joy we do not possess, yet we should be most diligent in
opening our hearts unto the influences of that Truth which we profess
to believe. God's commands are not grievous, and in the keeping of
them there is great reward. Let us seek to make it evident to those
around us that Christ's yoke is not a hard one nor His burden heavy.
Let us make it appear that the Truth has not made us slaves, but free,
and that wisdom's ways are ways of pleasantness.
"But unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth
in secret, shall reward thee openly" (v. 18). These words contain a
warning against the one-sided idea of dispensationalists that Christ
will be the sole Judge and Rewarder-a concept which is plainly refuted
by such a passage as Hebrews 12:23. It is just as erroneous to
restrict the judicial office to the Son as to exclude the Father and
the Spirit (Job 33:4, etc.) from the work of creation. The truth is
that, with regard to deliberation, authority and con sent, the final
judgment shall be determined by the whole Trinity, yet with regard to
immediate execution by Christ.
We cannot do better than conclude these remarks by quoting from
Calvin. "It were far better that fasting should be entirely disused
than that the practice should be diligently observed, and at the same
time corrupted with false opinions, into which the world is
continually falling, unless it be presented by the greatest fidelity
of the pastors. The first caution necessary is 'Rend your heart and
not your garments' (Joel 2:13): that is, God sets no value on fasting
unless it be accompanied with a corresponding disposition of heart, a
real displeasure against sin, sincere self-abhorrence, true
humiliation, and unfeigned grief; and that fasting is of no use of any
other account than as an additional and subordinate assistance to
these things."
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Twenty-Eight
Covetousness Corrected
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust
doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up
for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth
corrupt, and l4here thieves do not break through nor steal: For where
your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Matthew 6:19-21
___________________________________
We are now to enter the fifth division of our Lord's sermon, and as we
do it is well to remind ourselves afresh of His first and primary
design in this important address, namely to correct and refute the
erroneous views of His hearers. The Jews held false beliefs concerning
the person of the Messiah, the character of His mission, and the
nature of the kingdom He would establish. As unregenerate men their
views were carnal and mundane, self-centered and confined to things
temporal. It requires little perspicuity to perceive that all through
this Sermon the Lord Jesus makes direct reference unto the false
notions which were generally entertained by the Jews respecting His
kingdom, to which He constantly opposed the holy claims of God, the
righteous requirements of His Law, and the imperative necessity of the
new birth for all who were to be His subjects and disciples.
What has just been pointed out explains why our Lord began His Sermon
with the Beatitudes, in which He described the characters and defined
the graces of those who enter His kingdom. The Jews looked for great
material enrichment, festivity and feasting, and supposed that those
who would occupy the principal positions of honour under the Messiah's
reign would be they who were fierce and successful warriors, and who,
though ceremonially holy, would avenge on the Gentiles all the wrongs
they had inflicted on Israel, and that henceforth they would be free
from all opposition and oppression. But Christ declared blessed those
who were poor in spirit, who mourned, who hungered and thirsted after
righteousness, who were merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, and were
persecuted for righteousness' sake. A greater contrast could not be
imagined.
So in His second division Christ announced that the officers of His
kingdom would not be the destroyers of men's bodies but the preservers
of their souls-the "salt of the earth"; not the suppressors of the
Gentiles but "the light of the world." In like manner, in His third
division Christ declared that so far from it being His mission to
overthrow the ancient order and introduce radical changes, He came not
to destroy the Law but to fulfil it. Thus too with what is now to be
before us: "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth . . . but
lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven." The Jews expected in their
Messiah a temporal prince, and the happiness they anticipated under
His sceptre was merely a high degree of worldly prosperity, to enjoy
an abundance of riches, honours and pleasures. But our Lord here
exposes their error, and declares that the happiness He imparts is not
carnal but spiritual, and that it will be found in its perfection not
on earth (Palestine) but in heaven.
Now it should be pointed out that the false notions generally
entertained by the Jews respecting the Messiah's kingdom originated in
principles which are common to unregenerate human nature. though
taking a peculiar form and color from their special circumstances.
Hence it is that the teachings of Christ in this sermon are pertinent
to all men in every age. Human nature is the same everywhere. The
citizens of this world have ever devoted the greater part of their
time and energy to procuring and accumulating something which they may
call their own, and in setting their hearts steadfastly upon the same
rather than upon God. So general is this practice that, providing they
are not unduly unscrupulous and do not injure their fellows in their
greedy quest, such a policy evokes approval rather than reproach: "Men
will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself" (Ps. 19:18). Those
who succeed in business are called shrewd and efficient, and those who
amass great wealth "the captains of industry," "financial wizards,"
etc.
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth" (v. 19). The order of
Truth followed by Christ in Matthew 6 is very striking and blessed,
and needs to be carefully heeded by us. In the first eighteen verses
we are conducted into the Sanctuary, instructed to have our hearts
occupied with Him who seeth in secret; in verse 19 and onwards we come
out to face the temptations and trials of the world. It is parallel
with what we find in Leviticus and Numbers: in the former, Israel is
engaged almost entirely with the services and privileges of the
tabernacle; in the latter we have a description of their walk and
warfare in the wilderness. It is of vital importance that we attend to
this order, for it is only as we duly maintain communion with God in
the secret place that we are equipped and enabled for the trials of
the way as we journey toward the heavenly Canaan. Unless our hearts be
firmly set upon the Promised Land, they will turn back to Egypt and
lust after its flesh-pots.
"Lay not up for ourselves treasures upon earth." From here to the end
of the chapter Christ's design is to divert the hearts of His hearers
from a spirit of covetousness, first delivering the prohibition and
then amplifying and enforcing the same by a variety of cogent reasons.
The word for "lay up" is more expressive and emphatic in the original
than is expressed here in the English: signifying first to gather
together, and second to hoard or heap up against the future-as in
Romans 2:5, heapeth up or "treasurest up unto thyself." "Treasure"
means wealth in abundance, costly things such as property, lands, gold
and precious stones. The words "upon earth" here refer not so much to
place as to the kind of treasures, for heavenly treasure may be laid
up while we are here on earth, and therefore it is the hoarding of
earthly and material treasures which is in view.
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth." There have been some
fanatics who interpreted this command literally, insisting that it is
to be taken without limitation as a prohibition against accumulating
money or adding to our earthly possessions. To be consistent they
should not stop there, but go on to "sell that thou hast and give to
the poor" (Matthew 19:21), for this is no less expressly required than
the former. But such a course would mean the overturning of all
distinctions between rich and poor, any possession of property, which
is clearly contrary to the whole trend of Scripture. Let us, then,
briefly point out what Christ did not here forbid. First, diligent
labour in a man's vocation, whereby he provides things needful for
himself and those dependent upon him: "not slothful in business" (Rom.
12:11) is one of the precepts of the Gospel.
Nor does Christ here forbid the fruit of our labours in the possession
of goods and riches, provided they be acquired honestly and used
aright. Let us not forget that scripture, "But thou shalt remember the
Lord thy God: for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth"
(Deut. 8:18). The Lord graciously prospered Abraham, Job and David,
and so far from their possession of wealth being a mark of His
disfavor it was the very opposite. Third, nor does Christ here forbid
the laying up in store for our own future use or for our family. Is
not the sluggard admonished to take a leaf out of the book of the
ants, who gather together their winter's food in the summertime (Prov.
6:6-8)? And has not the apostle declared that "the children ought not
to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children" (2 Cor.
12:14)? And again, "If any provide not for his own, and especially for
those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an
infidel" (1 Tim. 5:8).
What, then, is it which Christ here forbids? We answer, various forms
of covetousness. First, the excessive seeking after worldly wealth,
wherein men keep neither moderation nor measure: although God gives
them more than sufficient to supply their needs, yet they are not
content, their desire being insatiable. That it is not sinful for a
man to seek after the necessities of life-either for his present or
future use-we have shown above. As to what constitutes necessity, this
varies considerably in different cases, according to the station which
providence has allotted in this world: a workman requires tools, a
business man must have capital, the master of a large estate
sufficient to pay his servants. No precise rule can be laid down, but
the judgment and example of the godly who use the creature aright, and
not the practice of the covetous, must guide us.
Second, Christ here condemns those who seek principally after worldly
goods and disparage and disregard the true riches. This is clear from
the opposition made in the next verse, where "lay up for yourselves
treasures in heaven" is placed over against "lay not up for yourselves
treasures upon earth." Thus it was in the case of Esau, who sold his
birthright for a mess of pottage (Heb 12:16). Thus it was with the
Gadarenes, who upon the loss of their herds of swine besought Christ
that He would depart out of their coasts (Luke 8:37). Thus it has been
throughout the ages, and so it still is, that the great majority of
men spend their strength in laboring after that which "satisfieth not"
(Isa. 55:2), seeking after almost anything or everything rather than
after that which perisheth not. That is why there is so much preaching
and so little profiting: the hearers' thoughts and desires are taken
up with other things.
Third, Christ here condemns those who put their trust and confidence
in worldly things that they have treasured up, which is idolatry of
the heart. Whatever a man sets his heart upon and looks to for support
is his god, and therefore his covetousness is called "idolatry" (Col.
3:5). If we have stored up a supply against future need and this takes
us from dependence upon God for our daily sustenance, then we are
guilty of this sin. It is for this reason that Christ makes it so hard
for a rich man to enter heaven (Matthew 19:23, 24), because he trusts
in his riches, and if we are close observers we shall usually find
that rich men are proud-hearted and secure, neither heeding God's
judgments nor attending to the means of salvation. David's counsel
must therefore be followed, "If riches increase [not give them away,
but] set not your heart upon them" (Ps. 62:10).
The fourth practice here forbidden is the selfish laying up of
treasures for ourselves only, without regard to using the same for the
good of our generation, the support of the Gospel, or the praise of
God. This is indeed a devilish practice, for every one of us is but a
steward, to dispense our portion to the glory of God and the good of
his fellows. The poor are God's poor, the creatures of His hands, and
therefore He requires that each steward shall be found faithful in
seeing to it that each of them has his portion. God will yet call the
rich to an accounting, therefore let each of us live in the light of
that day of reckoning. Let us seek grace to be preserved from hoarding
up riches for our own selfish use, from putting our trust in them, and
from making them our chief delight.
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust
doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal." Here our
Lord gives a threefold reason for the enforcing of His precept, or
illustrates the corruption and uncertainty of worldly possession by
three examples: showing they are liable to destruction by such
creatures as moths, by the inherent decay which pertains to all
earthly things, and from the fact they may be taken from us by fraud
or violence. Have we procured an elaborate wardrobe, with large
supplies of apparel? In secret and silence the moth may be eating it
up. Have we invested in property? The ravages of time will soon wear
it away. Is it gold and platinum, diamonds and pearls we have hoarded
up? The hand of the marauder may soon seize them. Heaven is the only
safe place in which to deposit our riches.
As we have pointed out in an earlier paragraph, the vast majority of
our fellows make it their supreme aim in life to acquire as much as
possible of worldly wealth. With such an example on every side, and
the trend of their own hearts in the same direction, the disciples of
Christ are in greater danger from this sin than from most others. To
nullify this evil tendency Christ here emphasizes the relative
valuelessness of mundane things. "Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that
which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly
away as an eagle" (Prov. 23:5). What true satisfaction can there be in
the possession of things which are subject to decay and loss by
violence. One of the strongest proofs of human depravity and of the
diseased state of our minds is the extreme difficulty which most of us
experience in the realizing of this fact in such a way that it really
influences our actions.
"But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven" (v. 20). Having shown
what we must not do in respect of treasures here on earth, and knowing
his inclination to be such that man will needs have something for his
treasure, Christ here makes known what treasure we may lay up for
ourselves. But how shall we lay up treasure in heaven? For we cannot
of ourselves come there. No man can save himself: the beginning,
progress and end of our salvation is wholly of God. Answer: as often
in Scripture, the work of the efficient cause is here ascribed to the
instrument (cf. 1 Cor. 4:15; 1 Tim. 4:16). To make us rich with
heavenly treasure is the work of God alone, yet because we are
instrumental by His grace in the use of means to get this treasure,
this command is given to us as though the work is solely ours, though
God be alone the Author of it.
It is of the very first moment that we form a true estimate of what is
necessary for true happiness-where it is to be found and how it is to
be obtained-for the tenor of our thoughts, the direction of our
affections, and the pursuit of our energies will largely be regulated
thereby. Therefore does Christ here bid us, "Lay up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and
where thieves do not break through nor steal." That we may the better
understand and practice this command two points are to be carefully
and reverently considered: what this treasure is, and how a man may
lay it up for himself-matters of the greatest weight, for in the
practice thereof lies our salvation. As to the real treasure, which
neither time nor the creature can mar, it is the true and living God,
the triune Jehovah who made and governs all things: in Him alone is
all genuine good and happiness to be found.
This is clear from such scriptures as the Lord's statement to Abraham,
"I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward" (Gen. 15:1); the
words of Eliphaz to Job, "The Almighty shall be thy gold" (22:25,
margin); and the declaration of David: "The Lord is the portion of
mine inheritance . . . I have a goodly heritage"-i.e. He is my
treasure (Ps. 16:5, 6). Yet let it be said emphatically that it is God
as He is revealed in Christ who is our Treasure, for out of Christ He
is "a consuming fire." God incarnate is our true treasure, for in Him
are hid "all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2:3); our
very life is "hid with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3).
"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart
of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him" (1
Cor. 2:9). To what is the apostle there referring? Why, as the
previous verse shows, to that which God has treasured up for His
people in a crucified Christ: the Lord Jesus is the great Fountain and
Storehouse of all true blessings communicated from God to the saints,
and therefore do they exclaim, "Of His fulness [as out of a rich
treasure] have all we received, and grace for grace" (John 1:16).
Wouldest thou have remission of sins and righteousness with God? Then
Christ was "made sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made
the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21). Wouldest thou have
everlasting well-being? Then Christ Himself is "the true God, and
eternal life" (1 John 5:20). Whatever thou needest-wisdom to direct,
strength to energize, comfort to assuage grief, cleansing for
defilement-all is to be found in the Saviour.
How
may we lay up for ourselves in heaven the Divine and durable riches
which are to be found in Christ? First, by faith's appropriation: "as
many as received Him" (John 1:12)-so that I can say "my Beloved is
mine, and I am His" (Song of Sol. 2:16). God in Christ becomes our
everlasting portion when we surrender to and accept Him as He is
offered to us in the Gospel. Second, by daily communion with Christ,
drawing from His "unsearchable riches" (Eph. 3:8). "Mary hath chosen
that good part which shall not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:42).
And what was that "good part"? Why, to sit at His feet and drink in
His word (v. 39). Third, by emulating the example which Christ has
left us. And what did that example consist of? Why, complete
self-abnegation, living wholly in subjection to God-for which He was
richly rewarded (see Phil. 2:5-11). Fourth, by acting as His stewards
and using the goods He has entrusted to us by laying them out to His
glory (see Luke 12:33; Heb. 6:10, etc.).
Almost all will say they hope for happiness from God in the next
world, but what do they now make their chief good? What are they most
taken up with, both in the pursuit and enjoyment? It is at this point
each of us must examine and test himself. What things does my soul
most favour and relish, the things of the world or of God (see Rom.
8:5)? Which seasons of time do I regard as lost or as most gainful,
which are my days of richest income? Of the Sabbath the wicked ask,
"When will it be gone"? But the healthy saint declares, "A day in Thy
courts is better than a thousand" (Ps. 84:10)-because of the spiritual
gains it brings in. What is dearest to my heart, what engages my most
serious thoughts? This determines which I prize the more highly:
earthly or heavenly treasures.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Twenty-Nine
Covetousness Corrected-Concluded
___________________________________
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust
doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal" (v. 19). Let
it be borne in mind that when our Lord uttered these words there were
no such things as banks or government security-bonds, that the rich
were chiefly distinguished by their costly wardrobes, hoards of
precious metals and jewels. Nevertheless, modern life affords no real
guarantee of protection: it is still true that "riches certainly make
themselves wings: they fly away as an eagle" (Prov. 23:5). All
happiness of a worldly sort is evanescent: all carnal enjoyments are
perishable in themselves: all earthly possessions are liable to theft.
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth." It should be pointed
out that there is no sin in the possessing of a considerable amount of
earthly riches, providing they are come by honestly. God greatly
prospered Abraham in temporal things, yet He reminded him "I am thy
shield, and thy exceeding great reward" (Gen. 15:1). Job was the owner
of vast herds and flocks, and though for a season he was without them,
yet "The Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning:
for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a
thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses" (42:12). So, too,
David was permitted to acquire an immense amount of material wealth,
yet he regarded not his "treasure" as being in this world. On the
contrary he was sharply distinguished from worldlings, who had "their
portion in this life," declaring "As for me, I will behold Thy face in
righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness"
(Ps. 17:14, 15). It is just as true that it is the Lord who "giveth
thee power to get wealth" (Deut. 8:18) as it is that He alone enriches
the soul spiritually.
What, then, is it which Christ here prohibits, when He says "Lay not
up for yourselves treasures upon earth"? Why, He forbids us making
material things our chief concern, either in the pursuit or in the
enjoyment of them. He forbids us either seeking or expecting our
ultimate happiness in any earthly object. He forbids us setting our
affections on anything seen and temporal, with the fond imagination
that it is capable of satisfying the heart. It is not sinful for a man
to seek after the necessities of life, either for his present or
future use, but it is wrong for him to give way to a spirit of
covetousness and strive after worldly wealth without moderation. "Let
us, therefore, receive and lawfully enjoy that portion of this life
which our Father in heaven is pleased to bestow upon us, but let us
not set our affections upon them" (John Brown).
In the above commandment Christ condemned those who seek principally
after worldly goods, disparaging and disregarding the true riches.
This is clear from the opposition made in the next verse, where "lay
up for yourselves treasures in heaven" is placed over against "lay not
up for yourselves treasures upon earth." Such was the sin of Esau, who
is termed a "profane person" because he sold his birthright for a mess
of pottage. So, too, Christ here condemned those who put their trust
and confidence in the worldly things they amass, for this is idolatry
of the heart. In like manner He here reprehended the making of earthly
riches our chief good and delight for He warns us that where our
treasure is, there will our heart be also. Christ also condemned the
selfish practice of laying up for ourselves only, without regard to
using the same to the glory of God and the good of our generation,
which is a grievous betrayal of our stewardship. Each of us will yet
be called upon to render an account unto God.
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust
doth corrupt and where thieves break through and steal." In the second
part of this verse Christ enforced His commandment with reasons drawn
from the corruptibility and uncertainty of worldly possessions.
Therein He shows us the vanity of the creature, both in respect of its
nature and of its abuse. Be the treasures never so pure and costly, as
gold and silver, furs and silks, yet are they subject to either rust
or the moth. No matter how carefully they be tended, yet the thief may
come and seize them. If it be asked whence cometh this vanity of the
creature, the answer is, God has subjected them unto it for the fall
of man (Rom. 8:20), to let us see the grievousness of our sin and the
greatness of His anger upon it, by imprinting the stamp of His wrath
on the creature. Hence, when we see a moth upon our garments or rust
upon our silver, we ought to be humbled over our original apostasy and
taught to hold the creature with a light hand.
"But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor
rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal"
(v. 20). This was only another way of saying, "Labour not for the meat
which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting
life, which the Son of man shall give unto you (John 6:27). Instead of
setting our affections upon and spending our strength in the
acquirement of the perishing things of time and sense, we should
desire and seek our happiness in spiritual and Divine objects which
are incorruptible and eternal. Our real blessedness lies in a
knowledge of God, a conformity to His image. a walking in His ways, a
communing with Him: then shall we have a peace and joy which the
creature can neither impart nor take from us. Men are ever seeking a
safe place in which they may deposit their treasures, only to find
that no place and no thing in this world is secure. If, then, we would
have our treasure where no marauder can reach it, it must be hid in
Christ with God (Col. 3:3).
Let us consider five things in connection with this laying up for
ourselves treasures in heaven. First, the finding thereof. We can
neither obtain nor make use of the great Treasure until it is located.
This consists of God's revealing of it to us-for like Hagar of old
(Gen. 21:19) we are blind thereto until He opens our eyes to see it;
giving us to perceive our deep need of it-for until He does so we are
self-complacent; and making us feel we are poor without it-for until
He does so we are like the Laodiceans, "rich and increased with goods"
in our own esteem. Not till then do we seek God in Christ with all our
hearts. It is here we must examine and test ourselves: have we been
made to realize our wretchedness and want: our filthiness and guilt,
our deep need of cleansing and pardon? If so, are we truly hungering
and thirsting after Christ's righteousness?
Second, having found this great Treasure, as it is exhibited in the
Gospel and revealed in the soul by the power of the Holy Spirit, we
must highly prize and value it, above all that we have or desire,
regarding it as worth far more than the whole world. Such we find was
Paul's estimate of this Treasure: "I count all things but loss for the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have
suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I
may win Christ" (Phil. 3:8). The rating of Christ so highly is
absolutely necessary if we are to lay Him up for our Treasure. Here
too we must honestly and diligently test ourselves. Can we truly say
with David, "Whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none upon
earth that I desire besides Thee" (Ps. 73:25)? Does the general tenor
of our lives bear witness to the fact that we value spiritual things
above all else? Is it true of us that "The law of Thy mouth is better
unto me than thousands of gold and silver . . . I love Thy
commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold" (Ps. 119:72, 127)?
Third, having discovered this Treasure and perceived its inestimable
worth, we must strive to obtain the same and make it our own. As said
the wise man, "If thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy
voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest
for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of
the Lord and find the knowledge of God" (Prov. 2:3-5). We are required
to use the means which God has appointed for this purpose, which are
hearing, reading, praying, exercising faith. In His written Word and
preached Gospel God's two hands do, as it were, hold out to us this
heavenly Treasure and all spiritual blessings, and our faith is the
hand of the soul reaching out to receive, and by our prayers we
testify our faith.
Fourth, having obtained this Treasure we must labour to assure it unto
ourselves. To this end we must follow Paul's charge to rich men:
"Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded,
nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us
richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in
good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in
store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that
they may lay hold on eternal life" (1 Tim. 6:17-19). By trusting in
the living God, and then by giving liberally unto the needy, we "lay
up in store a good foundation." Are we saved, then, by performing such
good deeds? No, for the ground of our salvation Godwards is in Jesus
Christ (1 Cor. 3:11); but in our own conscience, for assurance of our
interest in Christ, the fruits of faith and the works of love are our
evidences. "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because
we love the brethren" (1 John 3:14). Compare 2 Peter 1:10, and
interpret "give diligence" by verses 5-7.
Fifth, being assured that this Treasure is ours, we must use the same
as a treasure. This means that since Christ is in heaven our hearts
are to be there too, and if our affections be set upon Him in desire
and delight then our behavior will be spiritual and heavenly. If our
souls be earthbound and our affections set wholly or even principally
on the things of time and sense, then Christ is not our "treasure" at
all. To use our Treasure aright means that we turn our earthly goods
into heavenly substance, which we do when we truly employ them to the
glory of God and the good of our fellows. "He that hath pity upon the
poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will He pay
him again" (Prov. 19:17). The merciful man, then, has the Lord for his
Debtor, for He sends the poor man as His messenger unto the rich, to
borrow of him such things as the poor man lacks; and the Lord's return
of payment is in heavenly and spiritual blessings.
"The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into
it, and is safe. The rich man's wealth is his strong city, and as an
high wall [affording protection], in his own conceit" (Prov. 18:10,
11). What a contrast is here presented between the use which the godly
and the godless make of their respective "treasures," and how often we
see it illustrated on the pages of Holy Writ. Take the case of Esau
and Jacob. When the former lost his birthright and wept, how did he
seek to comfort himself? by planning revenge (Gen. 27:41). But when
Jacob was "greatly afraid and distressed" (Gen. 32:7) what did he do?
Why, he had recourse to God (his "Treasure") and hoped in Him (vv.
9-11). So it was with Saul and David. When the former lost his kingdom
(his "treasure") he said to Samuel. "Honour me now, I pray thee,
before the elders of my people" (1 Sam. 15:30); but when David lost
all at Ziklag he "encouraged himself in the Lord his God" (1 Sam.
30:6). "Unless Thy law had been my delights, I should then have
perished in mine affliction" (Ps. 119:92) he exclaimed later. Whither
do you turn in trouble? from whence do you seek relief?
"Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor
rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal"
(v. 20). As in the preceding verse Christ backs up His precept with a
weighty consideration, one which is drawn from the unchangeability and
absolute security of heavenly riches. The world may deem His followers
crazy and losers because of their separation from its pursuits and
pleasures, but the Lord assures them they shall be the everlasting
gainers: whatever we do in His name and for His sake shall turn to our
account in the day to come. "Whosoever shall give to drink unto one of
these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple,
verily I say unto you. he shall in no wise lose his reward" (Matthew
10:42). God will liberally reward all denyings of self for Christ's
sake: "Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters,
or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My name's
sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting
life" (Matthew 19:29). Let us, then, turn our earthly goods into
heavenly substance and so heed our Saviour's exhortation: "Sell that
ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a
treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth,
neither moth corrupteth" (Luke 12:33).
Who can wish for a better increase than that: the exchange of what is
temporal and precarious for that which is eternal and imperishable?
What abundant cause have Christians to adore the triune God for having
begotten them unto "an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and
that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven" for them (1 Pet. 1:4). What
reason have they to love, trust, serve and glorify their God. Surely
we should rather part with all that we have than with this
Treasure-friends, goods, country, liberty, yea, life itself; thus it
was with the primitive saints, who "took joyfully the spoiling of
their goods, knowing in themselves that they had in heaven a better
and an enduring substance" (Heb. 10:34). Those who have Christ for
their Treasure find such satisfaction in Him that prosperity will not
lift them too high nor adversity cast them down too low.
"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (v. 21).
This verse contains a further reason to enforce the commandment in the
two preceding: it is common to both, persuading to the obedience of
each. The force of this reason may be stated thus: where your treasure
is, there will your heart be also: but your heart should not be wedded
to earthly objects but to heavenly, therefore lay not up for
yourselves treasures in earth but in heaven. By "treasure," as we have
stated before, must be understood things which are excellent and
precious in our esteem, things laid up for the time to come, wherein
we repose our trust and in which we take a special delight. By "heart"
we must conceive not only the affections but thoughts, imagination,
and will, with the effects of them in action, such as deliberation and
endeavor.
Let us try and point out some of the practical uses to which verse 21
may be put. First, how it shows the vast importance of our choosing
the right kind of treasure. Oh, how deeply it concerns us for time and
eternity that we make a wise selection, for the temper of our minds
and the tenor of our lives will be carnal or spiritual according as
our treasure is earthly or heavenly. "The heart follows the treasure
as the needle follows the loadstone" (Matthew Henry). Whichever way be
the direction of our deepest longings, thither will follow our
efforts. This from the very constitution of our nature: that which we
deem our chief good will employ our principal thoughts, draw forth our
fixed longings, stimulate our most earnest endeavors. If we think that
happiness is to be found in anything of earth then our whole character
will be "of the earth earthy," for our desires and pursuits will all
correspond with the object of our supreme satisfaction. But if we be
persuaded that true happiness is only to be found in knowing, loving
and serving God. walking and communing with Him, then will our
character be spiritual, and our thoughts, desires and pursuits will
correspond thereto.
Second, since heart and treasure go together, then how important it is
that we learn to search out and try the state of our own hearts. It is
true that the heart of fallen man is deceitful above all things and
that none of us can know it thoroughly, nevertheless if we rightly
apply this dictum of Christ unto ourselves, we ought to be able to
give a true judgment of our spiritual state. Consider: an earthly
treasure and an earthly heart: a heavenly treasure and a heavenly
heart-these cannot be severed from each other. Therefore we must
diligently inquire: Whereon is my love placed, my mind fixed, my care
bestowed, my labours directed, my delights found? If honesty requires
me to answer upon an earthly object, then my heart is earthly, and
consequently all my church attendance and religious profession is vain
(Ps. 10:4; Ezek. 33:31). But if my chief love and delight and my
constant concern be a conformity to His image, and my daily endeavour
be seeking to please and obey Him, then is my heart heavenly (Ps.
139:17, 18; Isa. 26:9).
Third, this coupling together of the heart and treasure shows us the
relative value of the two worlds (this and the one to come) and
informs us which of them should be chiefly esteemed and sought after
by us. In comparison with heaven, the earth and mundane life are to be
despised. We say the relative value of the two worlds, for we must not
be unthankful to God or look with contempt upon the products of His
hands. As earthly creatures are the workmanship of God and temporal
mercies His blessings, they are not to be hated but received with
gratitude and used to His glory; nevertheless, we must not suffer them
to obtain in our hearts that place which is due alone to the Creator
of earth and the Giver of every blessing. As high as heaven is above
the earth and as long as eternity exceeds the duration of time, so far
are spiritual things to be esteemed above material; and the more our
"treasure" truly is in heaven, the less disposed shall we be to amass
earthly wealth and the more inclined to improve (as means to an end)
the things of time and sense.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Thirty
The Single Eye
"The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single,
thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy
whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is
in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness."
Matthew 6:22, 23
___________________________________
Though there is substantial agreement among the commentators in their
interpretation of these verses, yet we find considerable difference
when it comes to their explanation of details, especially so in
connection with the repeated mention of the "eye" and exactly what is
connoted thereby. We therefore propose to examine carefully the
several terms here employed by our Lord; then seek to ascertain the
coherence of the passage, its relation to the context; and then look
for the practical application unto ourselves.
"The light of the body is the eye," rendered "the lamp of the body is
the eye" by both Bagster's Interlinear and the American R.V. We
believe this a more accurate translation, for the Greek word for
"light" in this clause is quite different from the one used in "full
of light" at the end of the verse, it being the same as that found in
Luke 12:35, 36. In describing the eye as the "lamp" of the body Christ
employed a most apt figure, since that organ has no light within
itself. The great source of light to the world and of all things
therein is the sun, yet such cannot illumine the body without the eye
as a medium. The eye is the receptacle of its light, and by means of
its rays, which flow into it, gives light to the body. The word for
"if therefore thine eye be single" occurs again only in Luke 12:34,
yet it is found in a slightly different form in "for our rejoicing is
this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly
sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have
had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward" (2
Cor. 1:12).
Thus the meaning of our Lord appears to be something like this: the
activities of the body are directed according to the light which is
received through the eye. When that organ is sound and functioning
properly, perceiving objects as they really are, the whole body is
illumined, and we are able to discharge our duties and to move with
safety and circumspection. But if the eye be blind, or its vision
faulty, then we perceive objects confusedly and without distinction,
and then we stumble as if in the dark, and cannot perform our task or
journey properly, being continually liable to lose our way or run into
danger. So far all is simple and plain. But what, we may ask, is
connoted by the "eye"? and what is here signified by "the whole body"?
That these are figures of speech is obvious, but figures of what? It
is at this point the commentators vary so much in their explanations.
Matthew Henry begins his exposition with, "The eye, that is, the heart
(so some), if that be single-free and bountiful, so the word is
frequently rendered as in Romans 12:8; 2 Corinthians 8:2-9, 11, 13;
James 1:5; and we read of a 'bountiful eye' (Prov. 22:9). If the heart
be liberally affected and stand inclined to goodness and charity, it
will direct the man to Christian actions, the whole conversation will
be 'full of light,' full of the evidences and instances of true
Christianity-that pure religion and undefiled before God and the
Father (Jam. 1:27); 'full of light,' or good works, which are our
light shining before man. But if the heart be 'evil,' covetous. hard,
and envious, grinding and grudging (such a temper of mind is often
expressed by an evil eye-Matthew 20:15; Mark 7:22; Prov. 23:6, 7), the
body will be 'full of darkness,' and the whole conversation will be
heathenish and un-Christian. The instruments of the churl are and
always will be 'evil,' but 'the liberal deviseth liberal things' (Isa.
32:5-8)."
Such an explanation agrees well with the context, both with the more
remote as well as the immediate. As we pointed out in the opening
paragraphs of chapter twenty-eight (page 185), in this fifth section
of His Sermon (which runs from 6:19, to the end of the chapter)
Christ's design was to correct the erroneous views of the Jews
concerning the character of His kingdom, and to divert the hearts of
His hearers from a spirit of covetousness, and this by a variety of
cogent reasons. Having warned them that our characters conform to that
which we treasure most, He now intimates that discernment in our
choice of treasure will be determined by the singleness of our eye or
aim. Yet a little consideration of the above interpretation shows it
is too narrow for the scope of our passage: the "eye" is here called
the light of "the whole body," but clearly a liberal mind is not the
regulator of all our affections and actions, but only of works of
mercy and bounty.
Continuing his remarks, Matthew Henry went on to say, "The eye, that
is, the understanding (so some): the practical judgment, the
conscience, which is to the other faculties of the soul as the eye is
to the body, to guide and direct their motions. Now if the eye be
'single,' if it make a true and right judgment, and discern things
that differ, especially in the great concern of laying up the treasure
so as to choose right in that, it will rightly guide the affections
and actions, which will all be 'full of light,' of grace and comfort.
But if the eye be 'evil,' corrupt, and instead of leading the inferior
powers, is led, and bribed, and biased by them, if this be erroneous
and misinformed, the heart and life must needs be 'full of darkness,'
the whole conversation corrupt. They that will not understand are said
to walk on in darkness (Ps. 82:5). It is said when the spirit of a
man, which should be 'the candle of the Lord,' is an ignis fatuus;
when the leaders of the people, the leaders of the faculties, cause
them to err, for then they that are led of them are destroyed (Isa.
9:16). An error in the practical judgment is fatal: it is that which
calls evil good and good evil (Isa. 5:20). therefore it concerns us to
understand things aright, to get our eyes anointed with eye-salve."
This we deem to be more satisfactory, though it is rather lacking in
perspicuity, drawing no clear distinction between the "eye" and the
eye being "single." We believe the "eye" in this parable of Christ's
is to be taken for the understanding, for this is the faculty of the
soul which more than any other gives direction to the whole man in all
his motions. What a man believes is what largely determines how he
lives-"as a man thinketh in his heart so is he." Such an
interpretation differentiates more definitely between what we have in
the previous verse as also in the one which follows. In verse 21 the
"heart" stands principally (though not exclusively) for the
affections, for they are what are fixed upon our "treasure." In verse
24 (the serving of God and mammon) it is the will which is primarily
in view. Thus in verses 21-24 we have the affections, the
understanding, and the will respectively, which together make up the
inner man.
"If the eye be single" or sound in vision. The contrast presented in
the next verse is that of the eye being "evil" or "wicked," so that a
"single" eye is a good or holy one. And what is a good "eye"? Plainly
it is a renewed understanding, an anointed eye, a mind illuminated by
the Spirit of God, a mind which is dominated and regulated by the
Truth. As the body is furnished with light for its activities by means
of the eye, so the mind is fitted for its operations only as it is
receptive to the influences of the Holy Spirit. A "single" eye has but
one object-God, the pleasing and glorifying of Him. This is borne out
by the other occurrence (in a slightly different form) of this word:
"For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in
simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the
grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more
abundantly to you-ward" (2 Cor. 1:12). The joyful confidence of the
apostle-which sustained him in his labours-consisted of the
consciousness of his sincerity, namely his "simplicity" (the opposite
of duplicity) and godly sincerity of spiritual translucence.
"The eye, that is, the aims and intentions. By the eye we set our end
before us, the mark we aim at, the place we go to, we keep that in
view, and direct our motion accordingly. In everything we do in
religion there is something or other that we have in our eye: now if
our eye be single, if we aim honestly, fix right ends, and move
rightly towards them, if we aim purely and only at the glory of God,
seek His honour and favour, and direct all entirely to Him, then the
eye is single. Paul's was so when he said, 'to me to live is Christ';
and if we be right here, 'the whole body will be full of light'-all
the actions will be regular and gracious, pleasing to God and
comfortable to ourselves. But if the eye be evil, if, instead of
aiming only at the glory of God and our acceptance with Him, we look
aside at the applause of men, and while we profess to honour God,
contrive to honour ourselves, and seek our own things under color of
seeking the things of Christ, this spoils all-the whole conversation
will be perverse and unsteady, and the foundations being thus out of
course, there can be nothing but confusion and every evil work in the
superstructure" (Matthew Henry).
So much then for the meaning of the principal terms of our passage.
Let us next consider its connection with the context. This appears to
be somewhat as follows: our discernment between things, our estimation
of values, our practical judgment of earthly and heavenly objects is
very largely determined by the condition of our understanding-whether
it be Divinely illumined or still in nature's darkness. An enlightened
understanding, perceiving objects according to their real nature and
worth, enables its possessor to form a true judgment, to make a wise
choice and to act aright respecting them. But a darkened
understanding, conveying a wrong estimate of things, results in an
erroneous choice and a disastrous end. In the latter case the "light
which is in" a man is unaided human reason, and moved according to its
dictates men imagine that they are acting wisely when instead they are
pursuing a course of egregious folly, and then how great is their
darkness!
Above we have intimated the general connection, but there was also a
more particular one with special reference to the Jews. In verses
19-21 Christ had pointed out that true happiness is of a spiritual and
not of a carnal nature, and that it is to be found (in perfection) not
on earth but in heaven. A firm conviction of this is indispensable if
our thoughts, desires and pursuits are to take that direction in which
true blessedness is to be obtained. But the bulk of the Jews were
expecting from their Messiah riches of a mundane and worldly nature,
and therefore they despised and refused the spiritual joys He made
known to them-their "treasure" being earthly (restored Palestine),
their hearts were so too. And why was this? Because the light in them
was darkness. They had been erroneously taught, and as unregenerate
men they could not perceive their error. They must be born again
before they could "enter" or even "see" the kingdom of God (John 3:3,
5).
The false notions of the Jews respecting the Messiah's kingdom
corresponded to the carnal desires of their corrupt hearts, and but
served to illustrate what is common to fallen human nature, for "as in
water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man" (Prov.
27:19). The Gentile no more than the Jew has any love or longing for
spiritual things, nor can either the one or the other perceive the
wretchedness of his condition, for the light which is in them is
darkness, great darkness. Proof of this is furnished by Christ in the
verses we are now considering: in them He may be regarded as replying
to a secret objection which the hearts of men were likely to frame
against the two commandments which He had just given. Should it be
asked, If there be such a necessity of laying up treasure in heaven
and of avoiding to lay up treasure on earth, why is it that the best
educated, the shrewdest, the great men of this world commonly seek
earthly riches far more than heavenly?
This is a question which, in one form or another, often exercises
young Christians and stumbles inquirers, if the true riches of the
soul are found not in the things of time and sense, why is it that our
fellows labour so hard for "that which satisfieth not" (Isa. 55:2)? If
the best which this world has to offer us perishes with the using of
it, why is it prized so highly by almost one and all? Here is the
explanation: because men view things through a vitiated eye, so that
the real appears but a phantom, and the shadows are mistaken for the
substance. Marvel not at this, says Christ, they lack the single eye,
the Divinely enlightened understanding, they are in nature's darkness:
they cannot discern between things that differ, they are incapable of
judging aright of the true treasure, and being ignorant of the
heavenly they seek only the earthly.
In order that we may have a better conception of what a single "eye"
consists of, we need to inquire diligently into what true wisdom is.
Spiritual wisdom is no common gift which every professing Christian
possesses, but is a special bestowment of God in Christ peculiar to
those who are regenerated, for Christ Himself is made wisdom unto them
(1 Cor. 1:30). And this, not only because He is the matter of their
wisdom-they being only truly wise when they are brought to know Christ
and Him crucified, but because He is the root thereof. In Christ "are
hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2:3), and as
believers are vitally united to Him they partake of His virtues, as a
branch derives vitality from its stock.
Now this heavenly wisdom has two actions: the first is to discern
aright between things that differ. Thus Paul prayed for the
Philippians: "that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge
and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent,"
or as the margin, "try things that differ" (Phil. 1:9, 10): that is
distinguish good from evil, heavenly from earthly. Thereby the
children of God distinguish the voice of Christ, the true Shepherd,
from the voice of all false shepherds. Thereby they put a difference
between the water of baptism and all other waters, and between the
Lord's supper and all other bread-discerning the Lord's body therein.
Thereby they discern their election and calling, perceiving more or
less in themselves the marks thereof. Thereby they see the hand of God
in providence, ever making all things minister to their ultimate good.
"He that is spiritual judgeth all things" (1 Cor. 2:15), which the
natural man cannot do.
The second action of this true and heavenly wisdom is to determine and
give sentence of things, what is to be done and what is not to be
done, what is good and what is evil in behavior. But here let it be
remembered that the principal work of this wisdom is to determine of
true happiness, whereto the whole life of man ought to be directed,
which happiness is the love and favour of God in Christ. Herein David
showed his wisdom to be far different from that of the godless around
him: "there be many that say, Who will show us any good?"-that is the
world's vain quest for happiness: "Lord, lift Thou up the light of Thy
countenance upon us" (Ps. 4:6)- wherein is the believer's true
happiness. So too with the apostle Paul (Phil. 3:8). The same should
be our wisdom, for if man have all learning and an intellect developed
to the highest possible point, yet if he fail rightly to determine of
true blessedness his sagacity is folly. Another important part of this
heavenly wisdom is the right use of means whereby we arrive at this
happiness.
Now the fruit of this single eye is to make "the whole body full of
light," that is to order the entire life aright, guiding it into the
paths of righteousness and making it abound in good works. "I
[wisdom-see vv. 1, 11] lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst
of the paths of judgment, that I may cause those that love me to
inherit substance" (Prov. 8:20, 21). How urgently it behooves us,
then, to seek after and endeavour to make sure we have obtained this
true wisdom: if the mind endowed thus possesses such powers of
discrimination, how necessary it is that we become partakers thereof.
In order to this we must be very careful to get the fear of God into
our hearts, for "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Ps.
111:10). This fear is a reverential awe of the heart toward God,
whereby a person is fearful to offend and careful to please Him in all
things. And this we obtain if we receive His Word with reverence,
apply it to our own souls as we read it, tremble when it searches our
conscience, and humbly submit ourselves unto it without repining.
David could say, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my
path" (Ps. 119:105), and therefore "Thou through Thy commandments hast
made me wiser than mine enemies" (v. 98). If we would be truly wise we
must cease leaning unto our own understanding and be directed by the
Word in all things.
Our deep need of diligently seeking after a single eye-an enlightened
understanding, a mind endued with true wisdom- appears in the solemn
fact that by nature each of us possesses an eye that is evil, filling
our whole body with darkness. In consequence of the fall we lost the
power to judge aright in spiritual things, so that we mistake evil for
good, things which ought to be refused for things which ought to be
chosen. The natural man perceives not the presence of God, or he would
be restrained from doing things which he is ashamed to do in the sight
of his fellows. The natural man perceives not the sufficiency of God,
or he would not trust in the creature far more than in the Creator.
The natural man is blind to the justice of God, or he would not
persuade himself that sin as he may yet he shall escape punishment. So
too the natural man is blind self-ward: he perceives not his own
darkness, his sinfulness, his impotency, his frailty, his true
happiness.
Since this evil eye is in each of us by nature, we should constantly
remind ourselves of our inability to judge rightly either of God or of
ourselves, for it is the first step in true knowledge to acknowledge
our own blindness. We must be suitably affected by such a realization,
judging ourselves unsparingly, bewailing our misery, that we have a
mind so corrupt that it disorders the whole of our conduct and seeks
by grace to mortify the same. Since this evil eye is common to human
nature, we discover therein what explains the mad course followed by
the unregenerate, why they are so infatuated by sin and so in love
with the world, and why the seriously inclined among them are deceived
by error and captivated by false doctrines. Since human reason is now
completely eclipsed, how profoundly thankful we should be for the
light of God's Word, yet if that light illumine us and we fail to walk
accordingly, suppressing its requirements, then doubly great will be
our darkness.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Thirty-One
The Single Eye-Concluded
___________________________________
"The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single,
thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy
whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is
in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!" In these words
Christ continues to illustrate and enforce the principle which He had
inculcated all through this part of His Sermon, namely the vital
importance and imperative necessity of a pure motive and right aim in
all we do. First, He had shown this in the matter of our "alms" or
deeds of charity, if the same are to meet with God's acceptance (vv.
2-4). Second, He had insisted thereon in connection with our
"prayers," if they were to meet with God's approval (vv. 5-15). Next,
He had pointed out the same in regard to "fasting," if we are to
receive anything more than the hypocrite's portion (vv. 16-18). Then
He had applied the same principle to the laying up of riches, pointing
Out that where our treasure is, there will our heart be also (vv.
19-21). And how are we to obtain right views of what the true and
imperishable " treasure" is, and where it is to be found? This is the
question which our Lord here anticipated and proceeded to answer.
By use of a striking figure Christ proceeded to urge upon His hearers
that their undivided gaze must be fixed upon the things which are
above. "The light [or better, "lamp"] of the body is the eye." This
refers in the first instance to the light of reason, which
distinguishes man from the lower orders of creation: animals are
guided by their instincts, but man was to be regulated by his
intelligence, an intelligence which capacitated him for communion with
his Maker, and so long as he remained in communion with Him who is
Light, his mind would so inform and govern his soul that all his ways
would be ordered to God's glory and meet with His approbation. But
alas, man forsook the Fountain of all blessing, left the place of
dependency, apostatized. As the consequence his "eye" became "evil"
or, in other words, his understanding was darkened, being alienated
from the life of God through the ignorance that is in him, because of
the blindness of his heart (Eph. 4:18). Hence the imperative need of
his being renewed in the spirit of his mind (Eph. 4:23).
In seeking to ponder the verses which are now before us, it needs to
be carefully borne in mind that Christ was not here addressing a
heathen audience or part of the profane world, but Jews who professed
to be the Lord's people. As such they were far from being atheists or
infidels, rather did they acknowledge the Supreme Being and perform
outward worship unto Him, though for the most part their hearts were
far from Him. Their aims and intentions were divided: that is why in
verse 24 the Saviour warns them, "No man can serve two masters," which
was the very thing they were vainly attempting. Hence it should be
carefully noted that Christ did not here say "if thine eye be good"
(which would be the most obvious antithesis from the "evil eye" in the
next verse), but "if thine eye be single," which both anticipates and
forms a link with verse 24. Yet it is also to be pointed out that our
Lord used the most suitable word pathologically, for a good or sound
vision is a "single" one-to see double or to look at different objects
or different parts of an object with each eye is proof that our visual
organs are defective, a sign of approaching blindness.
Now at regeneration the eye of the soul is renewed and its vision
rectified, the eye of faith is opened, the understanding is Divinely
enlightened, and God becomes its all-absorbing object and His glory
the chief concern of its possessor. In consequence, the whole of the
soul is now "full of light," all its faculties come under its
beneficent influences: the conscience being informed, the affections
warmed, the will moved to action in the right direction. An
enlightened understanding and a Divinely instructed conscience are now
able to distinguish between things that differ, between good and evil,
things heavenly and things earthly. Thereby the child of God
discriminates between the voice of Christ, the true Shepherd, and the
voices of all false shepherds; between the Source of true happiness
and those broken cisterns which hold no water. Thus the believer, by
means of his spiritual judgment (which is informed and educated by the
Word of God), determines and gives sentence of things: what is to be
done and what is to be avoided; endowed with heavenly wisdom he learns
the secret of real blessedness and joy unspeakable.
But let it be pointed out that it is only so long as the believer's
"eye" remains "single" in a practical way that his whole body (soul)
is "full of light." As the physical eye, the organ of sight, has no
light whatever of its own, but must be illumined from without, so the
renewed understanding is entirely dependent upon God for constant
enlightenment. As the physical eye is the receptacle of light, and by
means of its rays gives light to the body, so the understanding and
conscience are the medium through which spiritual instruction is
received into the soul. And as the body is left to grope its way in
darkness as soon as its eye no longer takes in the light, so the soul
is devoid of discernment when communion with God is broken. It is in
His light, and there alone, that we "see light" (Ps. 36:9). While the
glory of God be truly our aim and His word our rule, "good judgment"
will be ours, so that we shall see and avoid the snares of self-will
and the pitfalls of Satan; but when the gratification of self becomes
our end and carnal reason be our regulator, we shall be given up to
folly, confusion and disaster.
"But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness"
(v. 23). The "evil eye" is the mind or understanding of the
unregenerate man, having some light of intelligence in it by nature,
yet terribly blinded and darkened by the corruption of sin through our
fall in Adam. That the reader may have a more definite conception of
the havoc which sin has thus wrought in us, it should be pointed out
that man's understanding has lost the gift of discernment and judgment
in spiritual things, so that he mistakes evil for good, earthly for
heavenly, things to be refused for things to be chosen. This is clear
from the natural man's ignorance and blindness in the real knowledge
of God. It is true that the mind of the natural man possesses some
knowledge of God: he believes in His existence and professes to own
His supremacy. Yet such knowledge as he possesses, though rendering
him accountable to his Maker, exerts no spiritual influence upon his
soul and life. Proof of this appears in the following facts.
The natural man does not realize and own in a practical way the
presence of God, that "the eyes of the Lord are in every place,
beholding the evil and the good" (Prov. 15:3): if he did, he would
not, without fear and trembling, dare to commit those sins in God's
sight which he is afraid and ashamed to commit before the eyes of his
fellows. The natural man does not realize and own the particular
providences of God, for in time of want and distress, when outward
springs dry up, his heart is dead within him and the promise of help
from man does more to cheer him than any hope he has in God. How plain
it is then that he trusts more in the creature than he does in the
Creator. Again, the natural man does not realize and own the justice
of God, for he imagines that though he sins yet he shall escape
punishment: by his very conduct he says, "I shall have peace though I
walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst"
(Deut. 29:19). Though the natural man knows God must be worshipped,
yet he is quite incapable of discerning the right kind of worship: the
vast majority bow down before idols and images, and even those who
pretend outwardly to honour the true God have their hearts far from
Him while engaged in such exercises (Matthew 15:8).
What lamentable proofs are these that sin has debased man, corrupted
the very springs of his being, and blinded his understanding. What
unmistakable and irrefutable evidences are these that the "eye" of the
unregenerate is an evil one. Though blessed with rationality, though
endowed with the perception that God is and that He is to be owned and
worshipped, though capable of receiving intellectual instruction
concerning the character and claims of God, yet such knowledge avails
him nothing in a spiritual way. The unregenerate is blind to God's
glory, unaffected by His majesty, unawed by His sovereignty,
unsoftened by His goodness, unable to worship Him aright or do that
which is acceptable to Him. How clear it is that "the natural man
receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him; neither can he know them; because they are
spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14). Before he can have any spiritual
discernment or experiential acquaintance with God, before he can
obtain an effectual and transforming knowledge of Him, he must be born
again (1 John 5:20)
Not only does the blindness of the natural man appear in his crass
ignorance of God, but also with respect to himself. His mind is
totally lacking in spiritual discernment. This is evident from the
following facts. The unregenerate are completely unaware of the awful
darkness which rests upon their understandings. They deem themselves
to be wise, when in the things of God they are veritable fools: "the
way of peace have they not known" (Rom. 3:17). When really awakened by
the Holy Spirit they are made aware of this, for their cry then is,
"What must I do to be saved?" So blind is the natural man that he
cannot discern aright of his own sins nor see the vileness of them: if
he did, he would not continue therein as he does. He judges wrongly of
his frailty and mortality: others may be cut off in youth, but not so
himself; no matter how old, he still gives himself several more years.
This is why we are instructed to pray, "So teach us to number our
days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Ps. 90:12).
So blind is the natural man that he is incapable of discerning aright
the scope and end of his life, which is to aim at the glory of God and
be a help and blessing to his fellows. But so far from this
characterizing them, the unregenerate think little or nothing about
these things, but seek their own praise and are a stumbling-block unto
their neighbours. Nor can the natural man judge rightly of his own
true happiness. So stupid and sottish is he that he measures happiness
by outward things, esteeming the wealthy to be envied and the poor to
be pitied. Therefore does he regard phantoms as realities and
realities as phantoms, and spends his time and strength in pursuing
the shadows while he misses the substance. That is why we are exhorted
to set our affection "upon things above" (Col. 3:2), for by nature
they are fixed upon things below. From all of this it is unmistakably
evident that the eye of the natural man is an "evil" one, that sin has
debased his faculties, darkened his understanding, destroyed his
spiritual perception. And unless God is pleased to perform a miracle
of grace upon us, "the blackness of darkness" (Jude 13) must
inevitably be our portion for ever.
"But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall he full of darkness"
(v. 23). Here is the fruit of an evil eye: the whole man is affected.
If the understanding be Divinely illumined and the aim be the glory of
God, the whole soul will be rightly directed and its activities be
holy; but where the mind is blinded by sin and Satan, all the
faculties of the inner man are vitiated and all his actions are evil.
It is a striking fact in the natural realm that an injured optic
cannot bear the light, which solemnly shadows forth the awful
spiritual state of the unregenerate. They cannot endure the presence
of God, nor His Word which condemns them. Their eye is evil, their
judgment is blinded by love of the world, and therefore their whole
life is full of disorder and unrighteousness. How can it be otherwise,
when their most important faculty, which should discern between good
and evil and direct accordingly, is vitiated, disabled thereunto?
Thus, "The way of the wicked is as darkness, they know not at what
they stumble" (Prov. 4:19).
What cause is there for humiliation and self-judgment: that by nature
we are utterly unable to judge rightly either of God or of ourselves,
that we have a mind which is so corrupt that it produces nothing but
disorder in the whole of our life. How greatly we dread natural
blindness: what horror strikes the heart when we have reason to think
we are in imminent danger of being deprived of bodily vision; yet how
much worse is that spiritual darkness whereby the soul is kept from
God under the power of Satan! Fearful beyond words is such a state,
yet the vast majority of our fellows are quite insensible of their
wretched plight and indifferent when it is declared unto them. What
cause for thankfulness, then, if the writer and the reader have been
enabled to discover their blindness: in such case, how diligently
should we heed that word of the great Physician, "I counsel thee to
buy of Me . . . eyesalve, that thou mayest see" (Rev. 3:18). We must
seek from Him that enlightening of His Spirit, through the Word, for
this is that "anointing" which "teacheth us all things" (John 2:27).
Hereby we perceive how the course of the world, in regard to the state
of their minds, is to be reproved, for on every side we behold those
who are quite content with an evil eye. Even those who acknowledge, in
a formal way, that God is and He is to be loved and worshipped, and
that we should love our neighbours as ourselves, yet they seek no
farther. They have nothing more than the mere light of nature, the
remnants of intelligence left to them since the Fall. They are still
in spiritual darkness, "having no hope, and without God in the world"
(Eph. 2:12). Their life is full of darkness, and they shall yet be
"cast into the outer darkness" unless the Lord is pleased to have
mercy upon them. A natural knowledge of Divine things will save no
man. The homage of our lips and the external reformation of our lives
will not secure God's favour. Nothing but a new creation in Christ,
being renewed in the spirit of our minds, God commanding the light to
shine "in our hearts" (2 Cor. 4:6), will avail any for eternity.
Since this "evil eye" is in each of us by nature, what care we need to
take lest we be wise in our own conceits, especially in matters of
salvation: herein the Word of God must be our wisdom. "Ye shall not do
. . . every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes," but "all that I
command thee," says the Lord (Deut. 12:8-11). It is not for the
creature to say how the Creator is to be worshipped, nor for the
sinner to determine how he shall he saved, yet such is their blind
presumption that men will be their own masters in such things. The
Jew, the Mohammedan, the papist, has each his own different manner of
worshipping God and of seeking salvation, yet though they all depart
from the Truth, each is thoroughly convinced that his worship meets
with the Divine acceptance and that heaven will be his eternal home.
And so it is with the majority who have been brought up among
Protestants: either they rely on their own works, trust in their own
faith (such as it is), or else they persuade themselves that if they
repent at the last and commit their souls unto God all will be well.
Since this evil eye is in each of us by nature, then how earnestly we
should pray for and labour after the eye of faith, by which alone we
look unto the mercy of God in Christ and rest in His promises, for all
things needful both in life and in death. This eye looks out of self
for those supplies of grace which are lacking in natural knowledge. By
means of the eye of faith we are enabled to discern aright both of God
and of ourselves: His holiness and claims, our vileness and wants. By
this eye we are enabled to see things afar off, to be persuaded of
them, to embrace the same (Heb. 11:13). Yea, by it we are enabled to
perceive things which are invisible, for "faith is the substance of
the things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1). By
it Abraham saw the day of Christ, and was "glad" (John 8:56). This
will enable us to walk in the steps of the patriarchs unto the
heavenly city. Then let us earnestly beg God for this eye of faith,
that by becoming the children of the promise we may be counted for the
seed.
"If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that
darkness!" (v. 23). Unspeakably solemn is this. "The light that is in
thee" is the light of nature, the remnants of that moral and
intellectual perception with which man was originally endowed. It is
that knowledge of God and that discernment of good and evil which
though greatly dimmed and corrupted by the Fall has not been utterly
extinguished, for the veriest atheist and the most voluptuous wretch
still has some stirrings of conscience left within him, some inklings
that there is a God and that he is accountable to Him. But if that
remaining "light" be stifled, if no use be made of it, if its
promptings be constantly resisted, if the voice of conscience be
deliberately silenced, until God is denied and His Word rejected as a
Divine revelation, then even that "light" becomes "darkness" and its
possessors are given over by God to a reprobate mind. And then "how
great is that darkness": sin is committed greedily, without remorse;
there is then nothing in that man's life but brutish confusion and
devilish actions.
"If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that
darkness!" These words may also be legitimately applied unto those who
are led astray by religious error and given up to fanaticism. When men
deem themselves to have been extraordinarily illumined, to have
received some voice or vision from heaven which will not stand the
test of Holy Writ, some fancied "baptism of the Spirit" which renders
them independent of the Scriptures, supposing that this special light
within is all that they need, "how great is that darkness." Finally,
there is a yet more solemn application of these words of Christ to
those who have sat under a sound ministry: the light of the Truth has
shone upon their minds, only to be resisted and the Spirit quenched,
and how great is their darkness! "For if after they have escaped the
pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the
latter end is worse with them than the beginning" (2 Pet. 2:20).
If then the very light of nature may be put out and the light of the
Gospel quenched by us, how seriously we ought to meditate upon our
vileness, for we have within us such brutish lusts and devilish
desires that unless they be restrained and kept under, they will
surely plunge us into the blackness of darkness for ever. How the
realization of this should humble us! And hereby we should be
admonished to mortify our corrupt desires and unruly affections.
Before the Fall, the mind ruled the will and the affections, but now
these inferior faculties overrule the mind, so that they lead us into
folly against our better judgment. Our only safeguard is to deny our
perverse wills and corrupt desires, and strive to bring them into
subjection unto the Word of God. And how we need to heed that
injunction, "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil
heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God" (Heb. 3:12). Then
let us seek grace to embrace the Gospel, walk according to its
precepts, and beg God to unite our hearts to fear His name.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Thirty-Two
Serving God
"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and
love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the
other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon"
Matthew 6:24
___________________________________
Those who have read attentively the last few chapters of this series
will scarcely need for us to point out the relation of this verse to
the context. Its connection is obvious almost at a glance. All through
this part of His sermon Christ was separating the precious from the
vile, drawing a sharp line between the true and the false. He had
discriminated between the two worshippers-the genuine and the
hypocrite. He had distinguished between the two treasures-earthly and
heavenly. He had differentiated between the two eyes or wisdoms-the
single and the evil. Now He opposes the two masters-setting God over
against mammon. Herein He teaches the ministers of His Word a most
important lesson: that of drawing so clearly the line of demarcation
between the regenerate and unregenerate, the possessor and the mere
professor, that each hearer may have no difficulty in knowing which
side of the line he belongs on. It is the general lack of such
searching ministry, the substituting of superficial generalities,
which is bolstering up formalists and encouraging multitudes in a vain
hope.
But there is yet a closer link of connection between our present verse
and those more immediately preceding it. As we pointed out in the
introductory paragraphs of chapter twenty-eight (page 185), verse 19
to the end of chapter 6, our Lord's design was to turn the hearts of
His hearers from a spirit of covetousness or setting their affections
upon the things of time and sense: first He delivered the prohibition
and commandment, and then amplified and enforced the same by a variety
of cogent reasons. Those reasons so far as we have yet gone may be
summed up thus: Make not material things thy chief good, because
earthly treasure is of a perishing nature: moth, rust, and thieves of
various kinds depleting it in spite of all precaution. Because earthly
treasure captures the heart: men argue that it need not do so, but the
Son of God declares it will (v. 21). Because its pursuit ends in
darkness: people suppose that wealth brings light or happiness, but
instead it ends in darkness and misery (vv. 22, 23). Because it will
enslave us: if God be not our Master, the world and its
representative, mammon, will be.
More immediately, verse 24 may be regarded as Christ's refutation of a
second objection which the carnal heart of man is fond of making
against the commandments He has laid down in verses 19 and 20. There
He had forbidden the treasuring up of worldly riches and had commanded
the seeking of heavenly treasure. First, He had anticipated the
objection, if there be such an urgent necessity of laying up treasure
in heaven and abstaining from the laying up of treasures on earth, why
is it that the vast majority of men, including the shrewdest and best
educated, bend their energies to the seeking of earthly treasure
rather than heavenly? He bids His hearers to marvel not nor be
stumbled by this, seeing that the unregenerate lack a sound or single
eye and therefore are incapable of judging aright of the true riches.
Here in our text He refutes the common persuasion that it is possible
for us to seek both, and lay up for ourselves treasures on earth and
treasure in heaven as well. Men think to compound with God and the
world, dividing their affections and energies between them; but Christ
here exposes the utter fallacy of such an idea and the impossibility
of such a course.
Once again we must bear in mind the fact that our Lord was addressing
Himself more immediately to His Jewish hearers and reprehending their
false conceptions of His kingdom. They entertained certain vague
notions of happiness in a future regime under the Messiah, but their
minds were mainly engrossed with dreams of carnal prosperity,
supposing that the expectation of worldly aggrandizement and spiritual
happiness were quite consistent. Our Lord informs them of their
mistake: they needed to "repent" of this also-undergo a radical change
of mind. But it is not the Jews only who are infected with this
delusion: it is common to the Gentiles also. In every age there are
multitudes who fondly hope that though they seek their happiness in
earthly objects, yet it is possible for them, at the same time, to
secure the enjoyment of heavenly felicity. The hypocrite has ever
argued that it is well to have two strings to one's bow, but Christ
here exposes this cheat and demonstrates the impossibility of the
human heart being divided between God and the world.
He who has his eye partly on God and partly on self, who desires and
endeavors to grasp both worlds, deceives his own soul. Such a one is
in danger of losing both, and if he does not he will certainly miss
the kingdom of God. Our minds must be fixed supremely upon God in
Christ, and the world sought only in strict subservience to Him. Our
hearts must he given to the Lord, wholly or without reserve, and the
eyes of our soul he fixed upon Him alone. Here, then, is the reason
why spiritual blindness must inevitably be our portion unless both our
eyes are fixed steadfastly on a heavenly Object: a man's affections
cannot be divided; if he attempts to love the things of the world as
well as love God, he will certainly fail of the latter, for "the
friendship of the world is enmity with God: whosoever therefore will
be a friend of the world, is the enemy of God" (Jam. 4:4). The serving
of two masters is absolutely opposed to the single eye, for the eye
will be at the master's hand: "Unto Thee lift I up mine eyes, O Thou
that dwellest in the heavens. Behold, as the eves of servants look
unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the
hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until
that He have mercy upon us" (Ps. 123:1, 2).
The endeavor to lay up for ourselves both treasure upon earth and
treasure in heaven is an utter impossibility, for "no man can serve
two masters." But to seek both earthly and heavenly riches is an
attempt to serve two masters, to wit, God and mammon; and therefore no
man can seek them both. Proof of this is here set forth by Christ by
the effect of such attempts to serve, in contrary affections and
behavior: "For either he will hate the one and love the other, or else
he will hold to the one and despise the other." The conclusion
therefore is unmistakable: "ye cannot serve God and mammon." To "serve
God" is the same thing as to "lay up treasure in heaven," for by a
Divine appointment true happiness is to be found only there, and He
who has made this appointment has also ordained certain means by which
we may attain unto this happiness. He who makes the attainment of this
happiness, by the appointed means, the chief object in life is the
servant of God-for he does the will of God. Contrariwise, to "serve
mammon" is the same thing as to "lay up treasure on earth."
"No man can serve two masters." The force of our Lord's declaration is
more apparent in the Greek than it is here in the English. First, the
word "serve" does not signify to do an occasional act of obedience,
but to he a bondservant, a slave, the property of his master,
constantly and entirely subject to his will. No one can thus serve two
masters. The same Greek word occurs in, "Knowing this, that our old
man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed,
that henceforth we should not serve sin" (Rom. 6:6). It is also found
in "but now we are delivered from the law [as a covenant of works],
being dead to that wherein we were held, that we should serve in
newness of spirit" (Rom. 7:6). Second, there are two different words
in the Greek which both mean "other," but the one signifies another of
the same kind or order, while the second denotes another of an
entirely different genus or sort. When Christ here declared, "No man
can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one, and love the
other," He employed the latter term-signifying a master diametrically
opposed to the other. Therefore it is evident that no one can be
devoted unto two different and opposing masters.
"A man may be a servant to two masters in succession, even although
they should be of very different and directly opposite characters. A
man may serve two masters of opposite characters-the one in
profession, the other in reality. A man may serve two masters
unequally-occasionally doing an act of service to the one while he
usually, habitually, serves the other. A man may serve two or more
masters, if they are all on one side, all subordinate to one another:
a soldier may serve his king and at the same time his commanding
officer and his inferior officers, for in obeying them he is obeying
his prince; but no man can be at the same time, in reality, habitually
the servant of two masters who are hostile to each other, and whose
interests are entirely incompatible. In this sense our Lord says, 'Ye
cannot serve God and mammon'" (Jay).
"No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one"-that
is, the master commanding him, disliking that he should be his master,
and displeased with his orders-"and love the other"-that is, the
master in whom he takes delight and with whose orders he is well
pleased. "Or else he will hold to the one and despise the other,"
which words are an amplification and application of the former clause,
showing how it is made manifest that a servant hates one master and
loves the other. His holding to-leaning toward and cleaving unto-the
one declares his love unto him: that is, he applies himself to
respecting his master's pleasure and doing his commandments. And his
"despising the other" denotes his hatred-seen in his having no regard
to his master's will. Thus our Lord shows the impracticability and
impossibility of any man seeking to serve two opposing masters from
the contrary affections and behavior exercised by the servant.
"Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Mammon is a Syriac word which
denotes "riches," or as men term them, the good things of this world.
But it is evident that the word is used as a personification: one can
scarcely be said to serve inanimate things. Moreover, the figure used
here is that of "two masters," and as mammon is here opposed to God,
we must understand it to signify the god of riches, the Prince of this
world and the love of the world-its treasures and pleasures-which is
really the service of Satan. As, then, it is impossible to serve "two
masters," how much less two gods! "Love not the world, neither the
things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of
the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15). The influence which material
riches exert upon men's minds and affections, leading them to seek
happiness in them and moving them to devote their time and energies to
the acquiring of the same, indicate the fearful power of this prince
or master, and their yielding to that influence is the "service" which
multitudes render unto him. How utterly incompatible, then, are the
obtaining of heavenly happiness and the means thereto, and the seeking
of earthly happiness and the efforts put forth to secure the same.
"Their orders are diametrically opposed. The one commands you to walk
by faith, the other to walk by sight; the one to be humble, the other
to be proud; the one to set your affections on things above, the other
to set them on the things that are on the earth; the one to look at
the things unseen and eternal, the other to look at the things seen
and temporal; the one to have your conversation in heaven, the other
to cleave to the dust; the one to be careful for nothing, the other to
be all anxiety; the one to be content with such things as ye have, the
other to enlarge your desires as hell; the one to be ready to
distribute, the other to withhold; the one to look at the things of
others, the other to look only at one's own things; the one to seek
happiness in the Creator, the other to seek happiness in the creature.
Is it not plain there is no serving two such masters? If you love the
one, you must hate the other; if you cleave to the one, you must
despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon" (Jay).
From our text we may perceive clearly what it is to serve God. This is
a thing much spoken of, but little known, and practiced still less. To
serve God is to "love" Him and to "hold to" or "cleave unto" Him.
Alas, how very few out of the present-day multitudes who profess to
serve God manifest these marks! Love to God consists not of words and
lip patronage, but in deed and in truth. And it is to be carefully
noted that in this verse Christ insists God must be loved not only as
Father, but as He is a Lord and "Master," that is, commanding us. It
is in His Word, especially in the preceptive parts thereof, that His
will and pleasure are made known. It is there He has revealed the
service which He requires at our hands, and if our service be sincere
and genuine we must love God in His right of commanding, even though
He should bestow no reward upon us. The Lord God has Himself expressly
joined these two things together: "showing mercy unto thousands of
them that love Me and keep My commandments" (Ex. 20:6). David
exemplified this principle very clearly in Psalm 119: "I will delight
myself in Thy commandments, which I have loved" (v. 47 and see vv. 16,
54, 97, 127, 140, 159, 167).
Moreover, our text makes it crystal clear that if we are to serve God
acceptably it must be a wholehearted service that we render to Him. He
is a jealous God, and will brook no rival. He is a holy God, and will
tolerate no idols in the secret chambers of our souls. His demand is
stated in unmistakable language: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might"
(Deut. 6:5), and nothing short of that will satisfy Him: let it be
duly noted that the Lord Jesus insisted on no less in Matthew 22:37.
He who serves God must serve Hun singly, and his eye must be "single."
God requires all our affections and will not permit us to divide them
between Him and the world. Caleb could say, "I wholly followed the
Lord my God" (Joshua 14:8)- can we? David declared, "I will keep Thy
precepts with my whole heart" (Ps. 119:69)-is such our resolution? Or
must the Lord say of us, "They have not wholly followed Me" (Num.
32:11).
Furthermore, our text makes it plain that if we "serve" God acceptably
we must "hold to" or "cleave unto" Him, and thereby testify our love.
What is meant by cleaving to Him? This is answered for us in Luke 15,
where we are told of the prodigal son that he "joined himself to a
citizen of that country" (v. 15), which means that he resigned and
gave himself up to his service: so to cleave unto God is for a man to
resign himself unto His service, obeying all His commands and
embracing all His promises, not suffering himself to be drawn away
from any Divine precept, either by unbelief or disobedience, even
though all the world should set itself against him. This was the
policy of David: "I have stuck unto Thy testimonies: O Lord." "Then
shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all Thy commandments"
(Ps. 119:31, 6). On the contrary, when a man leans unto his own
understanding, follows the corrupt desires of his heart, gives place
to self-pleasing, or takes "the way of the heathen" (Jer. 10:2), he
departs from and despises the Lord, and if that be the general trend
of his conduct it is clear that he hates God, no matter what he
professes by his lips to the contrary (see Titus 1:16).
From what has been before us we may clearly perceive the gross
blindness and superstitious ignorance of the world. How many there are
in this so-called Christian land and day of enlightenment who think
that if they repeat the Lord's Prayer and the Apostles' Creed they
serve God well, let their lives be never so worldly and carnal. But
Christ here teaches us that in order to serve God acceptably we must
cleave unto Him both in the affections of our hearts and in the
activities of obedience of our lives. Thus did Abraham, the father of
all them that believe, for when God called him to leave the land of
his nativity he "went out not knowing whither he went"; and when the
Lord bade him slay his well-beloved Isaac, he promptly proceeded to do
so. Alas, Christendom is filled with atheists, for to hate and despise
God is rank atheism, and all who withdraw their hearts from God,
setting themselves to seek the things of this world to the neglect of
obedience to the Divine commandments, are here accounted by Christ the
despisers and haters of God, which is the very worst form of atheism.
From the fact that God and mammon are here opposed as two "masters,"
we may learn that "mammon," that is earthly riches, is a great lord in
the world, and therefore does Christ warn us against the same. If it
be asked, How can riches be a master or god? the answer is, They are
not so in themselves, being merely creatures, but the corrupt hearts
of men make an idol of such unto themselves. setting their love and
delight upon them, and trusting in them more than in God: for this
reason is covetousness called idolatry (Col. 3:5), and the covetous
person an idolator (Eph. 5:5). Whatever a man sets his heart upon,
making it his true happiness, that is his lord and god. Proof that men
do set up riches in their hearts as idols, and so become servants unto
that which should serve them, appears in the following facts: they
neglect the service of God for lucre and take greater delight in
earthly things than in heavenly graces: they derive more satisfaction
from them than from Divine ordinances: their loss of earthly goods
produces greater vexation and sorrow than all the Divine promises
produce comfort.
Herein we may perceive the dreadful state into which Christendom has
fallen, for the vast majority in it are plainly worshippers of mammon.
They are far more eager and diligent in their quest after worldly gain
than they are for personal piety and conformity to the image of
Christ. A spirit of covetousness possesses State and Church alike.
Greedy landlords (and landladies), profiteering merchants, the
cornering of commodities, on the one hand; discontented laborers, ever
demanding higher wages and more and more of the luxuries of life, on
the other: the rich hoarding up wealth and the poor insisting that it
be divided among them are sad witnesses to the idolatry which now
reigns supreme in the hearts of men. And God's professing people are
infected with the same evil spirit: the denying of self and living as
strangers and pilgrims here is a thing of the past, as their
extravagantly furnished homes and richly laden tables only too plainly
attest. And, worst of all, the rising generation of preachers, with
their motor-cars and elaborately furnished parsonages and manses, are
giving a lead to this wicked self-indulgence and mammon worship.
Is there any wonder, then, that the judgments of an angry God are now
falling so heavily upon us? Judgment began first at the house of God:
a grieved Spirit withdrew, and His power and unction are now
noticeably absent from the preaching of the Word. But instead of God's
people humbling themselves beneath His mighty hand, repenting of and
forsaking their sins, they have in large measure "lived in pleasure on
the earth and been wanton" (Jam. 5:5). Read Amos 6:1, 3-6, and see if
the extravagance of Israel has not been duplicated in Christendom: and
as God's wrath was poured out on them, so it is now being poured out
on us. Many scores of church buildings and hundreds of the homes of
rich and poor alike have been reduced to rubble and ashes. Why? Why
has God so visited us? Because He will not be mocked with impunity.
For the last fifty years Christendom has attempted to serve both God
and mammon: and having sown the wind, God is now making us reap the
whirlwind. "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Thirty-Three
Anxiety Forbidden
"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye
shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye
shall put on. is not the life more than meat, and the body than
raiment?"
Matthew 6:25
___________________________________
It will be seen from the title of our chapter that another subject of
practical importance is presented to our notice in the verse we have
now reached. It is a subject which immediately concerns each one of
us, for in varying degrees all are guilty of the very thing which is
here forbidden, namely worrying over material things, yielding to
anxiety about future supplies. This is something which is highly
dishonoring to God, a sin which we need to make conscience of,
confessing it with shame and seeking grace to avoid any further
repetitions thereof. The very fact that such anxiety is here forbidden
not only exhibits once more the exalted standard of piety which is set
before us in the Holy Scriptures, but also evidences their uniqueness,
their Divine Authorship, for there is no other book or religion in the
world which condemns inordinate solicitude over the temporal
necessities of life. Proof of this assertion appears in the fact that
the natural man is quite unaware that anxiety about food and clothing
is a SIN.
Not only is such anxiety wrong, but it is a sin of great gravity. It
is not simply a constitutional infirmity which we may excuse, a mere
trifle we need not be concerned about, but rather is it a foul
iniquity from which we should seek cleansing. To be fearful about the
supply of future needs, to be worried that we may yet be left to
suffer the lack of temporal necessities, is to be guilty of wicked
unbelief. It calls into question the goodness and care of our Creator.
It manifests a lack of faith in His wise and gracious providence. And
if we be Christians, it betrays doubt of our Father's love. And surely
these are evils of the deepest dye. Moreover, as we shall yet see,
such disquietude and distraction of mind is, in reality, the workings
of covetousness, the lusting after things we have not, which is a sin
of great magnitude. Oh, that the Spirit may convict us of this
wickedness and subdue this iniquity.
It has been pointed out in previous chapters that the main draft of
our Saviour's Sermon from verse 19 to the end of chapter 6 was to
dissuade and deliver His hearers from the spirit of covetousness.
Having forbidden the practice itself (v. 19), and disposed of those
objections which the corrupt heart of man might frame to excuse
himself in the committing thereof (vv. 22-24), Christ now struck at
the very root of covetousness and sought to remove the cause thereof,
namely a distrustful and inordinate care for the things of this life,
especially for such things as are necessary for the maintenance
thereof. This is clear from His words in verse 25, and the attentive
reader will note that the same line of thought is continued by Him to
the end of verse 34. Such unusual repetitions as "Take no thought for
your life, what ye shall eat" (v. 25), "Take no thought, saying, What
shall we eat?" (v. 31), "Take therefore no thought for the morrow" (v.
34) intimate not only the weightiness of this Divine precept, but also
our slowness in heeding the same.
"Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye
shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye
shall put on" (v. 25). Before proceeding to amplify what has been said
in the last paragraph, let us point out that there is a close
connection between this verse and those preceding. It may be regarded
as Christ's meeting a further objection against what He had insisted
on. He had forbidden the laying up of treasures on earth, and had
warned against the making of mammon our god. To this many might
answer, There is no danger of us doing that: so little of this world's
riches come our way that we can scarcely procure the bare necessities
of life. Even so, says Christ, you too are in grave danger: the fear
of poverty and worrying about the future as truly ensnare the souls of
the poor as the love of wealth does the rich. Distrustful and
distracting care about supplies of temporal needs is a sure sign that
the heart is fixed on earthly things.
"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life." This is
another declaration of Christ's which must not be taken absolutely or
without limitation (compare our remarks on 5:34, 42). If scripture be
compared with scripture, it will be found that there are two kinds of
"care": a godly and moderate one, a distrustful and inordinate. The
former is enjoined upon us by the Word of God. For example, in
Proverbs 6:6, wisdom sends the sluggard to the ant to learn diligence
and providence for things needful. The apostle Paul points out that it
is the duty of parents to "lay up" for their children (2 Cor. 12:14),
and declares that "If any provide not for his own, and specially for
those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an
infidel's (1 Tim. 5:8). From these passages it is quite clear that
there is a lawful care to be taken even for the things pertaining to
this life, nor do the words of Christ in the passage now before us
conflict with this to the slightest degree.
There is a solicitude about temporal things which is a duty, varying
according to a man's station in the world. God requires him to be
diligent in business and prudent in its management. He is obligated to
provide for himself and family so far as health and industry will
permit. He is required to live within his income, so that he may owe
no man anything." He is to guard against any of God's bounty being
wasted or squandered in prodigality. It is his business to look ahead
and seek to provide for those demands which may be made upon him in
the future-by additions to his family, by illness, by old age. He
should, so far as is consistent with piety and charity, endeavour to
make provision for those dependent upon him, so that if he should die
first, those left behind will not become a burden upon others. It is
not faith but presumption which would lead to carelessness therein,
fanaticism and not spirituality which inculcates the neglect of all
proper means.
Yet it should be pointed out that there is real danger lest the
above-mentioned duties be extended beyond due bounds. None ought to be
so occupied with the consideration of providing for the future that he
be unfitted for the discharge of present obligations or the enjoyment
of present privileges. None ought to attend to such duties in a way
that is distrustful of Divine providence. None ought to be weighed
down with anxiety over them. The following rules must regulate us
therein. First, attention to the needs of the body must be
subordinated to our seeking after the welfare of our souls, for
temporal affairs must never crowd out spiritual and eternal concerns.
Second, in diligently walking in our earthly calling we must strictly
see to it that we deal uprightly and honestly with our fellows,
seeking to acquire only those things which are needful and right.
Third, we must leave the issue or success of all our labors and
endeavors to God: ours is to use the means to the best of our ability
and opportunity, His is to bless and prosper according as He deems
best.
Let it be clearly understood then that when Christ gave commandment
"Take no thought for your life" He was very far from forbidding us to
look ahead and make provision against a future livelihood. Foresight
and foreboding are two very different things. That which our Lord here
prohibits is not the making of careful preparation for what is likely
to come, but the constant occupation of the mind and distraction of
the heart over what will never come. It is not the foresight of the
storm and the taking in of sail while there is yet time which He
reprehends, but that after we have taken in the sail we continue to
gaze at the horizon with such fear and unbelief that we are weakened
thereby and disqualified for the discharge of far more important
duties. To be tormented by anxious thoughts about the future is
unworthy of our manhood, let alone of our Divine sonship, and is most
dishonoring to our Creator.
"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life." Observe the
force of the opening "Therefore." Seeing that they who set their
hearts upon earthly treasures do neglect the true riches and do lack
the single eye of spiritual wisdom to discern heavenly treasure, and
are therefore the slaves of mammon, be not concerned, harbor not
immoderate and distrustful thoughts about things needful to your
temporal life. Because it is impossible at one and the same time to
make earthly and heavenly things the principal subject of your
thoughts, all anxiety about material things is improper. Note, too,
the "I say unto you"-I, your Master, upon whom you depend for
instruction and direction in all things needful for both soul and
body-so as to command their attention and compliance. "He says it as
the Lord and Sovereign of our hearts; He says it as our Comforter and
Helper of our joy" (Matthew Henry).
"Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your life" (Amer. R.V.),
which conveys the idea better than the A.V. The care which is here
forbidden is a tormenting one, which disquietens and distracts, which
disturbs our joy in God, and destroys our peace. When concern over
making provision for the future leads the heart away from God and
produces distrust, it has become sinful. Foresight must not degenerate
into foreboding, diligence into worrying. It is carking care and
distressing fear which are here reprehended. It is distrustful care we
are called upon to guard against. We are guilty of this when we
trouble ourselves about the issue of our labours: when having used the
means and performed our duty we vex ourselves over the success,
instead of relying upon God's providence for the blessing of the same.
It is this distrust of God which draws the covetous hearts of men to
employ unlawful means in the obtaining of worldly things-such as
lying, fraud, false weights, oppression of the weak.
"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye
shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye
shall put on." To take it on its lowest ground, such things as food
and clothing are not worth worrying about. In a few years at most we
shall no more need the staff of life to support us and shall be where
the coarsest shroud will serve as well as a royal robe. Of what worth
are those things over which death has dominion? Why be so foolish,
then, as to make our chief concern those things which perish with the
using? And how much worse is our offence if, instead of being content
with such things as a gracious God has provided us with, we lust after
and bend our best efforts to acquire something of a superior quality.
What will it matter a hundred years hence whether we fed on the fat of
the land or the poorest of fare, whether we were dressed in silks and
satins or the cheapest of garments? But it will matter everything
whether or not we fed on the Lamb and were clothed with the robe of
His righteousness!
But to look higher. Why is it that there is so little fruit from the
preaching of God's Word? How few realize that this worldly care one of
the chief hindrances thereto. Yet, that this is the case is clear from
the teaching of our Lord in His parable of the Sower. There He informs
us that "He also that received seed among the thorns is he that
heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of
riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful" (Matthew 13:22),
so that worry over poverty is as fatal to spiritual fruitfulness as is
gloating over wealth. Alas, what a large percentage there is in our
congregations who can neither pray, hear the Word, nor go home and
meditate thereon, without their poor minds being distracted with such
worldly thoughts and carnal anxieties. Our minds are so constituted
that they cannot at one and the same time be stayed upon the Lord and
fixed upon next winter's new coat or hat.
Having sought to show something of the sinfulness of worrying about
temporal things, let us seek to point out how it may be avoided. This
is to be found in following the counsel which is given to us in the
Word of Truth. "Commit thy way into the Lord: trust also in Him; and
He shall bring it to pass" (Ps. 37:5). "Cast thy burden upon the Lord,
and He shall sustain thee" (Ps. 55:22). "Commit thy works unto the
Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established" (Prov. 16:3). "Casting
all your care upon Him; for He careth for you" (1 Pet. 5:7). It is not
that these passages exempt us from performing the duties of our
calling and using all lawful means therein, but that in the
performance of duty and after the use of means we must leave the event
and issue for good success to the blessing of God. Such a course
involves the exercise of faith and the complete submitting of
ourselves unto the sovereign pleasure of Him with whom we have to do,
and who alone can give the increase.
Thus the tradesman, whose business it is to buy and sell, must be
careful and diligent in his business, disdaining all lying and deceit,
misrepresentation or overcharging, and then refer the success of his
trade to the blessing of God. Thus too with the farmer and crofter: he
must faithfully do his part in ploughing and sowing, and then leave
the harvest to God's good providence. This is the apostle's counsel:
"Be careful for nothing," that is, after a distrustful and distressing
sort. "But in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests be made known unto God" (Phil. 4:6). Thus it is
clear that the anxiety and worry are opposed to prayer and
thanksgiving, being a hindrance thereto. Instead, after using lawful
means, we are to pray God's blessing thereon, that when it comes we
may give Him thanks, yea, thank Him now by faith's anticipation.
But is it not hard for flesh and blood to abstain from anxiety about
success? How, then, shall we be enabled to leave it wholly with God?
By laying to heart the precious promises of God which are made to
those who depend upon His mercy and goodness, laboring to live by
faith thereon. "It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late,
to eat the bread of sorrows": while men trust to themselves or in the
means, moiling and toiling as they will, theirs is the bread of
fretfulness; but in sharp contrast therewith, "so He giveth His
beloved sleep" (Ps. 127:2). In sleep there is a laying aside of care
and a forgetfulness of need. Those who trust in and love the Lord are
delivered from fretting and fuming, and are given rest of soul. "The
young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord
shall not want any good thing" (Ps. 34:10). If we had no other promise
in the Scriptures than this, it is sufficient warrant to make us rest
upon God's providence, in the sober use of lawful means. "Trust in the
Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou
shalt be fed" (Ps. 37:3). What more can we ask than that?
"He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that
despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding
of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth
his eyes from seeing evil; He shall dwell on high; his place of
defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him, his
waters shall be sure" (Isa. 33:15, 16). No matter in what period of
the world's history our lot be cast, how evil the days, or how sore
and severe God's judgments upon the earth, if we fulfil His specified
conditions, then (even though drought and famine be upon the land, as
in the time of Elijah) our bread and water are sure. Nowhere has God
promised that His child shall be feasted with dainties, but "verily
thou shalt be fed." Such was the blessed assurance of the apostle,
"But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in
glory by Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19)-not all your desire or greed, but
need. Now if faith be really mixed with these promises, then we shall
be quietened from fear and our hearts will be kept in peace.
How shall we rely upon the mercy of God in the hour of death if we are
afraid to trust His providence for the things of this life? But when
serious losses a us and everything seems to be against us, must we not
redouble our efforts and look increasingly to the use of means? Nay,
rather is that the time to cleave more closely to God and rely upon
Him to undertake for us. If the blessing were in the means men would
not be so often crossed in them. God knows far better than we do what
is good for us, and therefore we should rest content with His
providence, no matter how He may disappoint our expectations for
temporal things. Lack is often better for God's child than plenty,
adversity than prosperity. So David found, "Before I was afflicted I
went astray: but now have I kept Thy word" (Ps. 119:67). And many a
saint since then has had reason to exclaim, "It is good for me that I
have been afflicted" (Ps. 119:71).
"Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall
drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life
more than meat, and the body than raiment?" Observe how Christ here
distinguishes between life and food, the body and the clothing, and
that He does so with the purpose of showing us how senseless is our
worrying over the supply of temporal things. This first reason of His
to dissuade us from such anxiety may be stated thus: the life is
greatly superior to food and the body to raiment, and since the
Creator has bestowed the former, therefore much more will He provide
the latter for their sustenance. Therein the Saviour teaches us to
make good use of our creation, and by a contemplation thereof to learn
confidence in God's providence for all things needful to our natural
life. "Thine hands have made me and fashioned me together round about;
yet Thou dost destroy me!" (Job 10:8): thus the patriarch persuaded
himself of preservation because God had made him. "Wherefore let them
that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their
souls to Hun in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator" (1 Pet. 4:19):
because God is our faithful Creator, in death we may fully rely upon
Him.
If the Christian be trusting in God and attending to duty, he need
have no fear that he will be deserted by Him and left to starve. God
called us into being and furnished us with a body without our care,
then is He not well able to sustain the one and clothe the other?
Dependence is the law of our being: we are obliged to leave unto God
the size, form, color, and age of our body: then count upon Him for
its maintenance. As long as God means us to live, He will assuredly
feed and clothe us. He who brought Israel out of Egypt with a high
hand and delivered them from death at the Red Sea did not suffer them
to perish from lack of food in the wilderness. "He that spared not His
own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him
also freely give us all things!" (Rom. 8:32): such a guarantee should
be amply sufficient to quieten every fear and allay all anxiety about
food and raiment.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Thirty-Four
Anxiety Forbidden-Continued
"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap,
nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye
not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one
cubit unto his stature?"
Matthew 6:26, 27
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"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life" (v. 25). In
the last chapter we pointed out that Christ was not here forbidding a
diligent use of all lawful means in our earthly calling, nor a
judicious laying by against a future rainy day; rather is He
prohibiting that worrying about the future which evidences a distrust
of Divine providence and a doubting of our Father's goodness. Yet so
senseless are we, so filled with unbelief, so slow to obey this
precept, that our Lord not only repeated the same in verse 31 but
condescends to reason with us and enforce His injunction by a great
variety of cogent arguments. This at once intimates to us the deep
importance which He attaches to a heart that is free from distrustful
anxiety and distracting fear, and also makes unmistakably evident the
exceeding sinfulness of such sins. Let us then seek grace to attend
closely unto our Lord's reasoning in this connection and treasure up
in our hearts His different arguments.
"Take no [anxious] thought for your life." As Matthew Henry tersely
summarizes it: "(1) Not about the continuance of it: refer it to God,
to lengthen or shorten as He please. (2) Not about the comforts of it:
refer it to God, to embitter or sweeten as He pleases." Our times are
in His hands. The One who communicated life to our bodies has
unalterably decreed the exact length of our earthly existence: "Thou
hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass" (Job 14:5), so that all
our fretting and fuming is needless and useless, for neither planning
nor worrying can prolong our natural life a single hour. And so long
as we faithfully perform our duty and trust in God we need not be the
slightest bit concerned as to how He is going to provide for us. The
Lord is not tied to ways and means, and when one source of supplies
fails us He will open another-as He did for Elijah.
"Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall
drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life
more than meat, and the body than raiment?" (v. 25). Here is the first
of seven reasons or arguments used by Christ on this occasion to show
us how foolish, how needless, how useless, how sinful, are anxious
thoughts and distracting fears over the supply of our temporal needs.
It is an inference drawn from the greater to the less: an argument
frequently made use of in Scripture, but one, alas, that we easily
forget-see the "much more" of Romans 5:9, 10, 15. It is an argument
based upon the infinite goodness and unchanging faithfulness of our
Creator: God Himself has given us life and a body, and He does not
stop half-way in His bestowments: when He implants life, He also
grants all that is needful for its sustenance. When God gives, He
gives royally and liberally, honestly and sincerely, logically and
completely. Therefore we may rest assured that when He bestows life
itself, He is not going to stultify His own gift by withholding
anything that is needful for our good and blessing.
"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap,
nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them, Are ye
not much better than they?" (v. 26). These words contain Christ's
second reason to dissuade us from distrustful care about things
needful. It is taken from the consideration of God's providing for
creatures inferior to us, His supplying needful things for them. It
was as though the Redeemer said, Do you want further assurance that
God will provide for all your temporal needs? Then lift up your eyes
to the air and mark its feathered inhabitants as they flit to and fro,
free from anxiety, filling the atmosphere with their cheerful songs.
Oh, how they should show us, who are so often distrustful and
despondent, how much more cause have we to celebrate the goodness of
our gracious God and show forth His praises. Yet it is much to be
feared that He receives less acknowledgment from us, fewer expressions
of gratitude, than He does from those creatures upon whom He has
bestowed the feeblest endowment.
"Behold the fowls of the air:" that is, take a serious view of,
thoughtfully contemplate them. From this we learn that it is our duty
duly to consider the works of God, laboring to behold His wisdom,
goodness, power, mercy and providence therein. This is the lesson
inculcated by Solomon: "Consider the work of God" (Eccl. 7:13), and by
Eliphaz, "Remember that thou magnify His work, which men behold" (Job
36:24). God has revealed Himself through His works as truly as He has
through His Word, and we are greatly the losers if we fail to examine
carefully and ponder prayerfully the wonders of creation, wherein the
Divine perfections are so blessedly displayed. "O Lord, how manifold
are Thy works! in wisdom hast Thou made them all: the earth is full of
Thy riches" (Ps. 104:24). "The works of the Lord are great, sought out
of all them that have pleasure therein . . . He hath made His
wonderful works to be remembered" (Ps. 111:2. 4). "Marvellous are Thy
works, and that my soul knoweth right well" (Ps. 139:14).
Why was it that the Lord God took six days to make one creature after
another, then took a particular view of them all after their creation,
beholding with pleasure the products of His hands (Gen. 1:31), and
then sanctified the seventh day for a holy rest? Was it not, among
other reasons, to teach us by His own example to consider distinctly
all the works of His hands, and that among other duties we should
meditate on the Lord's day upon the wondrous and glorious works of our
Creator? This was David's practice, as we learn from his Sabbath
Psalm: "For Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through Thy work: I will
triumph in the works of Thy hands. O Lord, how great are Thy works!
and Thy thoughts are very deep" (92:4, 5). Oh, to be able to say with
him, "I meditate on all Thy works: I muse on the work of Thy hands"
(Ps. 143:5). How otherwise can we intelligently discharge the duty
laid upon us in "One generation shall praise Thy works to another, and
shall declare Thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honour of
Thy majesty, and of Thy wondrous works" (Ps. 145:4, 5).
"Behold the fowls of the air." And what is it we are specially to
learn and take to heart in connection with them? Why, this: "They sow
not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly
Father feedeth them." They use not the means of provision which man
does, and therefore have not that care and anxiety which he has. They
are not required to perform those labors which are demanded of us, nor
commanded to eat in the sweat of their face; nevertheless, they do not
starve to death. Here is a marvelous fact which few ponder. The manner
in which the lower animals, the birds of the air, and the fish of the
sea, are provided with their food and clothing supplies a most
convincing and unbelief-rebuking demonstration of the superintendence
of God over this world, displaying as it does in so many ways His
manifold wisdom, His wondrous providence, His infinite goodness. His
unfailing faithfulness, His tender care, His compassions which are
"new every morning."
If the question be asked, Since the fowls of the air sow not, neither
reap nor gather into barns, how then are they provided for? the answer
is that they expect their food from God's own hand. "Who provideth for
the raven his food, when his young ones cry unto God" (Job 38:41). "So
is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable,
both small and great beasts . . . these wait all upon Thee, that Thou
mayest give them their meat in due season" (Ps. 104:25, 27). "The eyes
of all wait upon thee, and Thou givest them their meat in due season"
(Ps. 145:15). "He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young
ravens which cry" (Ps. 147:9). But how can irrational creatures be
said to cry unto God? They do not use prayer as men do, yet are they
said to "wait on God," because by a natural instinct in creation they
seek for that food which God has ordained for them and are content
therewith. By such phrases as "they cry to God" He would teach us that
they depend upon His providence wholly for provision and rest
satisfied therewith.
Here we may see how the irrational creatures, made subject to vanity
by the sin of man, come nearer to their first estate and better
observe the order of nature in their creation than man does, for they
seek only for that which God has provided for them, and when they
receive it are content; whereas man is deeply fallen from the estate
of his creation in regard to his dependency on God's providence for
temporal things. Though he be endowed with reason, and has the use of
means which the fowls of heaven lack, yet his heart is filled with
distrustful care, whether we respect the obtaining of or the use which
he makes of earthly things. This solemnly demonstrates that man is
more corrupt than other creatures, more vile and base than are the
brute beasts. How deeply this ought to humble every one of us under a
serious consideration of our sinfulness, that we have so debased our
nature that we are more rebellious to the laws of our being and more
distrustful of the Divine providence than are irrational creatures!
"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap,
nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them." How the
consideration of this truth ought to take us off from our useless and
senseless worrying. The feathered creatures of the air use not means,
yet are they fed. Man is required to use means, for God has ordained
them for his provision: if, then, we dutifully employ them, in
obedience to and trust in God, will He suffer us to want? Birds are
incapable of providing for themselves, unable to lay up a store of
food against the winter's snow and cold, yet their needs are supplied.
We are granted foresight and the means of providing for a rainy day:
if we are faithful therein, will God mock our industry? Surely not:
then how unnecessary, how dishonoring to God, how sinful, are our
carking care, our distrustfulness, our fretting and worrying!
"Yet your heavenly Father feedeth them." Herein we may observe God's
special and particular providence. The dictates of reason would lead
us to conclude that those creatures which are incapable of making
provision for themselves and laying up store in summertime against the
winter would starve when the earth yields not such means of
nourishment during the cold weather and when the ground is covered
with snow; yet they do not commonly do so. Yea, experience shows that
birds are for the most part fatter and fitter for human consumption in
the winter than they are in the summer! What a striking and blessed
manifestation of God's special providence is this: that He attends to
and meets the need of His feathered creatures and feeds them in the
dead of winter! Oh, how this should shame us for doubting His
providence, how it rebukes our wicked distrust of His care, how it
exposes the groundlessness and wickedness of our unbelief! Next time
you are tempted to worry over future supplies, dear reader, and rack
your poor brains over where they are going to come from, think of the
birds of the air and remember that a faithful Creator feeds them even
in the winter.
"Your heavenly Father feedeth them." Has He not here set before us an
example which we do well to follow? "Be ye therefore followers of God,
as dear children" (Eph. 5:1). If God is so merciful unto the fowls of
heaven as to feed them, then must not those who are His children
evidence their likeness to the Father by exercising mercy unto all His
creatures? True, He is not dependent upon our aid, yet is He often
pleased to make use of means: then next time the ground is covered
with snow, fail not to place some crusts of bread or lumps of suet in
your garden or back-yard, and when the ponds are frozen over put a cup
of hot water within the reach of your feathered friends. And let not
your kindness be limited unto the birds, but extend it also unto the
animals, the poor among men, and especially unto any indigent members
of the Household of Faith. In time of stress and scarcity, refrain
from profiteering and grinding the face of the poor.
"Are ye not much better than they?" (v. 26). Here is the application
which Christ makes of His second argument. Considered simply as
members of the human race we are creatures of a nobler order than the
fowls of the air, for we are endowed with rationality and designed for
an eternal destiny. If then God feeds the birds of the air, will He
fail to provide for those who are created in His own image? But
considered as sons and daughters of the Almighty, the objects of His
special love, of redeeming grace, of the quickening operations of the
Holy Spirit, as begotten unto an inheritance "incorruptible and
undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for us," think
you that the heavenly Father will suffer any of them to starve to
death while they pass through this wilderness of sin? If He provides
for the birds in the dead of winter, is He unable or unwilling to
minister to your temporal needs in sickness or old age? How small is
our faith in His goodness, His faithfulness, His tender care, if we
worry now about where our future bread or clothing is to come from!
"Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?"
(v. 27). Here is the third reason advanced by Christ against carking
care for worldly things. It is propounded in the way of a question,
which form of speech imports the affirming of or denying of the thing
spoken of with more vehemence. Here it has the force of an emphatic
negative: as though Christ had said, Certainly none of you by taking
care can add a single cubit to his height. This unanswerable argument
is taken from man's impotency: neither the most ambitious, the
strongest, nor the wisest is able to do so. We did not reach our
present weight or height by any efforts of our own, but solely by the
providence of God. "An infant of a span long has grown up to be a man
of six feet, and how was one cubit after another added to his stature?
Not by his own foresight or contrivance: he grew he knew not how, by
the power and goodness of God" (Matthew Henry).
A "cubit" varies from eighteen to twenty-one inches, being the measure
taken from the length of a man's arm from the elbow to the tip of his
middle finger. Now in the framing of a man's body, God brings it from
a span long in the mother's womb by gradual increase, adding to it
cubit after cubit until he has reached the height God ordained. The
exact height each man comes to, God has appointed, and no man, either
by his skill, his anxiety, or his industry, can exceed the stature God
has determined him. That is the work of the Creator: He who gives the
body decrees the stature, and by His providence brings it thereto by
daily increase. Hence, reasons Christ, since man cannot by the most
diligent use of means augment his stature one cubit, neither can he by
all his fretting and fuming, moiling and toiling, better his temporal
estate for things needful in this life, and therefore it is needless
and useless to vex our hearts therewith.
"We cannot alter the stature we are of, if we would: what a foolish
and ridiculous thing it would be for a man of low stature to perplex
himself, to break his sleep and beat his brains about it, and to be
continually taking thought how he might be a cubit higher; when, after
all, he knows he cannot effect it, and therefore he had better be
content and take it is as it is. . . . Now as we do in reference to
our bodily estate. (1) We should not covet an abundance of the wealth
of this world. (2) We must reconcile ourselves to our state, as we do
to our stature: we must set the conveniences against the
inconveniences, and so make a virtue of necessity-what cannot be
remedied must be made the best of. We cannot alter the disposals of
providence, and therefore must acquiesce in them and accommodate
ourselves to them" (Matthew Henry).
Certain it is that man's labour, care and industry are utterly vain
and fruitless without the blessing of God's providence. "Except the
Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it; except the
Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for
you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows"
(Ps. 127:1, 2). "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the
increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he
that watereth" (1 Cor. 3:6, 7): if two such men as these could do
nothing of themselves, what shall we think to do? This same truth-so
much lost sight of today-is brought out again in "Ye have sown much,
and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye
are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and
he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. .
. Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought
it home, I did blow upon it" (Hag. 1:6, 9). How this should teach us
to commend all the sober care and labour of our lawful callings to God
by prayer for His blessing, and when He has granted the same fail not
to return thanks unto Him.
No man can better his natural estate in this world either for wealth
or dignity, by all his care and labour, above that which God has
appointed him to reach unto. As the Creator has determined each man's
bodily stature which we cannot add to, so He has foreordained what
each man's estate shall be, whether of wealth or poverty, dignity or
disgrace, and it lies not in the power of any creature to alter the
same. "Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. For
promotion cometh neither from the east nor from the west, nor from the
south. But God is the Judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up
another" (Ps. 75:5-7). "The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: He
bringeth low, and lifteth up" (1 Sam. 2:7)-true alike naturally and
spiritually. The grand lessons to be drawn from all of this are that
we must learn to depend upon God in the sober use of lawful means,
humbly seek His blessing thereon, and rest content therewith, whether
it be more or less, accepting with gratitude and thanksgiving the
portion He has been pleased to allot us. We are completely dependent
upon God for our stature, so why not leave all things to Him!
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Thirty-Five
Anxiety Forbidden-Continued
"And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the
field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I
say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like
one of these."
Matthew 6:28, 29
___________________________________
"And why take ye thought for raiment?" (v. 28). In those words Christ
returns to the commandment which He had given in verse 25: "Therefore
I say unto you, Take no [anxious] thought for your life, what ye shall
eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put
on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?" In the
verse we have now arrived at our Lord restricts His remarks to the
matter of "raiment," while in verse 31 He again takes up the subject
of food and drink. "Why take ye [anxious] thought for raiment?" though
in the form of a question-to stir up our conscience-has the force of a
prohibition, and therefore is a repeating of the former precept. This
is very solemn and humbling, for it shows how unresponsive we are to
the voice of God: we have to be told again and again what we must do
and what we must avoid. There is so much self-will, so much in us
which is opposed to God, that a single order from Him is not
sufficient. What vile and intractable creatures we are, still are,
even if regenerate.
Observe, then, the method followed by the supreme Teacher of the
Church and the manner in which He propounded heavenly doctrine. He not
only propounded it, and then urged it by strong and forcible reasons,
but He proceeded to repeat it, and urge it by piecemeal. Whenever He
had a weighty truth in hand, because fallen man is unwilling to
receive and practice it, Christ, in addition to propounding and
confirming it, took it up in detail, pressing it upon us again and
again, that thereby it might the better find place in our hearts and
be the more effectual in bringing forth obedience in our lives. Herein
our blessed Redeemer has left an example to be followed by all who
teach God's Word to others: not only unto ministers, but unto parents.
"And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children" (Deut. 6:7):
the margin gives "whet" or "sharpen" for "teach diligently," the
Hebrew word referring to the sharpening of a dull tool or sword-that
so it may more deeply enter into the heart.
"And why take ye [anxious] thought for raiment?" All care for apparel
is not here forbidden. There is a lawful and godly concern, whereby we
may labour honestly and in a sober manner for such clothing as is meet
for the station of life which Divine providence has allotted us: such
as is needful to the health and comfort of our bodies. That which is
here prohibited is a carnal and inordinate care for clothing, which
arises either from distrust and fear of want or from pride and
discontentedness with such apparel as is meet and necessary. It is the
latter which is one of the crying sins of our age, when there is such
a lusting after strange and costly garments, when such vast sums are
wasted annually upon outward adornment, when there is such a making of
a "god" out of fashion, when maids covet the finery of their
mistresses and when their mistresses waste so much time on the
attiring of their bodies which ought to be spent upon more profitable
duties. Well may all such seriously face the question, "Why take ye
[such] thought for raiment?"
And why, we may well ask, has the pulpit for so long maintained a
criminal silence, instead of condemning this flagrant sin? It is not
one which only a few are guilty of, but is common to all classes and
ages. Preachers were not ignorant that many in their own congregations
were spending money they could ill afford in order to "keep up with
the latest styles"-styles often imported from countries whose morals
are notoriously corrupt. Why, then, has not the pulpit denounced such
vanity and extravagance? Was it the fear of man, of becoming
unpopular, which restrained them? Was it the sight of their own wives
and daughters in silk stockings, fur coats and expensive hats which
hindered them? Alas, only too often the minister's family, instead of
setting an example of sobriety, frugality and modesty, has given a
lead to the community in worldliness and wastefulness. The churches
have failed lamentably in this matter as in many others.
It may be that some preachers who read this article will be ready to
say, We have something better to do than give our attention to such
things, a far more important message to deliver than one relating to
the covering worn by the body. But such a rejoinder will not satisfy
God, who requires His servants to declare all His counsel and to keep
back nothing which is profitable. If the Scriptures be read
attentively it will be found that they have not a little to say upon
the subject of clothing, from the aprons of fig leaves made by our
first parents to the mother of harlots "arrayed in purple and scarlet
and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls" of Revelation 17.
Has not the Most High said, "The woman shall not wear that which
pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment:
for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God" (Deut.
22:5)? No wonder His wrath is upon us when our streets are becoming
filled with empty-headed women wearing trousers. No wonder so many
church houses are being destroyed when their pulpits have so long been
unfaithful!
"And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the
field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin" (v. 28).
The scope of these words is wider than appears at first glance. As
"raiment" must be taken to include all that is used for the adorning
as well as covering of the body, so we are to learn from the "lilies"
that which corrects every form of sin we may commit in connection with
apparel, not only in distrusting God to supply us with what we need,
but also our displeasing Him by setting our affections upon such
trifles, by following the evil fashions of the world, or by
disregarding 1-us prohibitions. In sending us to learn of the flowers
of the field Christ would humble our proud hearts, for notwithstanding
our intelligence there are many important and valuable lessons to be
learned even from these lowly and irrational creatures if only we have
ears to hear what they have to say unto us.
"Consider the lilies of the field." This is brought in here to correct
that inordinate care and that immoderate lusting which men and women
have concerning raiment. It seems to us that part of the force of our
Lord's design here has been generally missed, and this through failure
to perceive the significance of His following remarks. "Wherefore, if
God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is
cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you?" (v. 30). Thus:
though the lily be such a lovely flower, nevertheless it is but "the
grass of the field." Notwithstanding its beauty and delicacy, it
belongs to the same order and stands upon the same level as the common
grass, which withers and dies and is used (in oriental countries,
where there is no coal) for fuel. What ground or occasion then has the
lily to be proud and vain? None whatever: it is exceedingly frail, it
belongs to a very lowly order of creation, its loveliness quickly
vanishes, its destiny is but the oven.
In what has just been pointed out we may discover a forceful reason
why we should not be unduly concerned about either our appearance or
our raiment. There are some who are given gracefulness of body and
comeliness of feature, which, like the lilies, are much admired by
those who behold them. Nevertheless such people need to be reminded
that they come only of the common stock, that they are of the same
constitution and subject to the same experiences as their less favored
fellows. Physical beauty is but skin deep, and the fairest countenance
loses its bloom in a few short years at most: the ravages of disease
and the effects of sorrow dim the brightest eye and mar the roundest
cheek, and wrinkles will soon crease what before was so attractive.
"For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of
grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away" (1
Pet. 1:24), and the grave is the "oven" to which the handsomest
equally with the ugliest are hastening.
In view of the brevity of life and fleetingness of physical charm, how
groundless and foolish is pride over a handsome body! That beauty upon
which we need to fix our hearts and unto which we should devote our
energies is "the beauty of holiness" (1 Chron. 16:29), for it is a
beauty that fadeth not away, is not transient and disappointing, is
not destroyed in the grave, but endureth for ever. And what is the
beauty of holiness? It is the opposite of the hideousness of sin,
which is likeness unto the Devil. The beauty of holiness consists in a
conformity unto Him of whom it is said, "how great is His goodness!
and how great is His beauty! (Zech. 9:17). This is not creature
beauty, but Divine beauty, yet it is imparted to God's elect, for "the
King's daughter is all glorious within" (Ps. 45:13). Oh, how we need
to pray, "Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us" (Ps. 90:17),
then shall we be admired by the holy angels.
Not only does the evanescent beauty of the lily rebuke those who are
proud of their physical comeliness, but it condemns all who make an
idol of costly or showy apparel. Alas, such a sorry wretch is fallen
man that even when his food is assured (for the present, at any rate)
he must perforce harass himself over the matter of clothes-not merely
for warmth and comfort, but for display, to gratify a peacock vanity.
This gives as much concern to the rich as worrying about food does to
the poor. Then, "consider the lilies of the field"; they are indeed
clothed with loveliness, yet how fleeting it is, and the oven awaits
them! Does your ambition rise no higher than to be like unto them, and
to share their fate? Oh, heed that word, "Whose adorning let it not be
that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or
of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart,
in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and
quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price" (1 Pet.
3:3, 4).
But let us pass on to another thought. "Consider the lilies of the
field, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin." Here the
Saviour teaches us that the irrational creatures of the field do in
their kind yield more obedience unto God than man does, that we are
more rebellious than they are. Isaiah called heaven and earth to hear
his rebuke of the Jews for their ingratitude (1:2). Another prophet,
when rebuking Jeroboam for his idolatry, cried, "O altar, altar, thus
saith the Lord" (1 Kings 13:2). When Jeremiah condemned the king of
Judah, he exclaimed, "O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the
Lord" (22:29), while Ezekiel was bidden to prophesy to the mountains
of Israel (6:3). All of these go to show that if these insensible
creatures were endowed with the intelligence with which man is, they
would be more obedient to the will of their Creator than he is.
Again, in bidding us take the herbs of the field for our schoolmaster
Christ would signify that though we have these creatures before us
daily, beholding and using them, yet partly through our blindness and
ignorance and partly through neglect and inattention we do not discern
in them what we should, nor learn from them those valuable lessons
which they are fitted to teach us. "Because that which may be known of
God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the
invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly
seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal
power and Godhead: so that they are without excuse" (Rom. 1:19, 20).
Thus the Lord Jesus here gave a check to our dullness and neglect in
meditating upon the products of God's hand. And if we are so slow to
learn these things which are necessary to our temporal welfare, how
shall we do in those things which concern our eternal salvation!
But what must we learn in the lilies? "How they grow." Like all the
works of God this too is wonderful and should provoke our admiration.
In the winter season they lie dead in the earth, as though they were
not. They are covered with frost and snow: yet in the springtime they
spring up with stalks, leaves and flowers of such delicacy and
loveliness as surpasses the glory of Solomon in all his royalty. And
whence comes this? Is it of themselves or from man? Neither, for it is
"field" or "wild " lilies our Lord speaks of. Whence then? From the
original fiat of creation, uttered by God when He made these
creatures, saying, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding
seed" (Gen. 1:11). From that ever-operative word of the Almighty
Creator comes the earth to have power and virtue to bear the beautiful
lilies and every other herb. And the same God who by the Word of His
power gives being to the lilies of the field has uttered a Word of
providence that if we trust Him, using lawful means moderately, we
shall have raiment sufficient and everything else that is needful to
this life.
"They toil not, neither do they spin." Here the Saviour bids us take
note of how free from care the lilies are. They expend no labour in
order to earn their clothing, as we have to do. This is proof that God
Himself directly provides for them and decks them out so attractively.
And how forcibly does that fact press upon us the duty of contentment,
relying upon God's gracious providence without distracting care. Not
only have we title to Divine providence certainly not inferior to that
possessed by the herbs of the field, but God has allowed unto us for
our raiment the use of means which they lack. Though no man under the
pretence of relying on God's providence may live idly, neglecting the
ordinary lawful means to procure things honest and needful, yet Christ
here gives assurance to all who trust in Him and serve Him that even
though all means should fail them He will provide things needful for
them. If through sickness, injury or old age we can no longer toil and
spin, God will not suffer us to lack sufficient clothing.
"And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not
arrayed like one of these" (v. 29). In those words Christ rebukes that
folly of the vain which moves so many to make an idol of personal
adornment. Before we endeavour to show the force of our Lord's remark
in this verse it should be pointed out that in making mention of the
splendor of Solomon's royal apparel He did not condemn the same-had
that been His object, instead of mentioning the "glory" of Solomon,
Christ had termed it his "vain show" or "ostentatious folly." Though
the Word of God reprehends pride and superfluities in attire, yet it
allows unto princes and persons of high office the use of gorgeous and
costly raiment. When Joseph was advanced unto state dignity he refused
not to be arrayed in "garments of fine linen" and to have "a ring on
his hand and a chain of gold about his neck" (Gen. 41:42); nor did the
apostle reprove Agrippa and Bernice because they came to hear him 'in
great pomp" (Acts 25:23).
How senseless it is to be conceited over fine attire and to be so
solicitous about our personal appearance, for when we have done
everything in our power to make ourselves gay and attractive, yet we
come far short of the flowers of the field in their glorious array.
What cloth or silk is as white as the lily, what purple can equal the
violet, what scarlet or crimson is comparable with roses and other
flowers of that color? The arts of the workman may indeed do much, yet
they cannot equal the beauties of nature. If then we cannot vie with
the herbs of the field which we trample under our feet and cast into
the oven, why should we be puffed up with any showiness in our dress?
All worldly pomp is but vain, for in glory and beauty it is inferior
to that of the flowers, yet what is more frail and transitory than the
posies of the field!
Alas, so great is the depravity and perversity of man that he turns
into an occasion of feeding his vanity and of self-display what ought
to be a ground of humiliation and self-abasement. If we duly
considered the proper and principal end of apparel, we should rather
be humbled and abased when we put it on, than pleased with our gaudy
attire. Clothing for the body is to cover the shame of nakedness which
sin brought upon us. It was not ever thus, for of our first parents
before the Fall it is written, "And they were both naked, the man and
his wife, and were not ashamed" (Gen. 2:25). Raiment then is a
covering of our shame, the ensign of our sin, and we have no better
reason to be proud of our apparel than the criminal has of his
handcuffs or the lunatic of his straitjacket, for as they are badges
of wrongdoing or insanity so apparel is but the badge of our sin.
"Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." The
array of Solomon must indeed have been magnificent. Possessed of
illimitable wealth, owner of a fleet of ships which brought to him the
products of many foreign countries, nothing was lacking to make his
court one of outstanding splendor and pomp. No doubt on state
occasions he appeared in the richest and most imposing of clothes, yet
deck himself out as finely as he might, he came far short of the
beauty of the lilies. Rightly did Matthew Henry point out, "Let us
therefore be more ambitious of the wisdom of Solomon in which he was
outdone by none-wisdom to do our duty in our place-than the glory of
Solomon in which he was outdone by the lilies. Knowledge and grace are
the perfection of man, not beauty, much less fine clothes." To which
we would add, let us seek to be "clothed with humility" (1 Pet. 5:5)
rather than lust after peacock feathers.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Thirty-Six
Anxiety Forbidden-Continued
___________________________________
"AND why take ye thought for raiment?" (v. 28). As we pointed out in
our last, though in the form of a question-to stir up our minds and
search our hearts-these words of Christ are an express prohibition.
That prohibition is twofold: against inordinate care and against
immoderate desire. "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow:
they toil not, neither do they spin" (v. 28). Here Christ bids us
learn of the uncultivated flower that which rebukes our sinful
distrust on the one hand and which reveals the folly of our lusting
after an elaborate wardrobe on the other. The first of these lessons
is inculcated by the fact that they put forth no labour in order to
earn their raiment: if then God graciously provides for them, much
more will He do so for those who faithfully use the means He has
appointed that we may obtain things honest and needful. The second
lesson is expressed in, "And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in
all his glory was not arrayed like one of these" (v. 29). How foolish
then to be vainglorious of our apparel when, after all our trouble and
expense, it is less beautiful than that of the flowers.
"And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not
arrayed like one of these." Wherein lies the point of contrast? Was it
merely that the lily is clothed with a robe of more delicate texture
and of greater beauty than any man-made fabric? We believe there is
something else, something more important for our hearts, a deeper
truth adumbrated therein. All of Solomon's stately glory was but
artificial, put on from without, whereas the adornment of the flower
comes from within: theirs is no foreign drapery, but an essential part
of themselves, namely a development and result of what they really
are. So should it be, so must it be, with the Christian. That life and
light which God has communicated to his heart silently but surely
illumines his mind, sanctifies his affections, and brings forth the
fruits of righteousness. At the resurrection that Divine life in the
soul shall break through the body and envelop the whole person with
splendor: "then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the
kingdom of their Father" (Matthew 13:43).
Ah, my reader, it is a very profitable exercise to "Consider the
lilies of the field." A spiritual meditation thereon cannot but be
most instructive, for they are the handiwork of Him who is "wonderful
in counsel, excellent in working." If we "consider" and take to heart
"how they grow," we shall perceive that which will both humble and
encourage us. Their growth is gradual: first the blade, then the bud,
then the flower. Their growth is one of increasing loveliness. Is
ours? Are we gradually becoming more Christlike: more meek and lowly,
more gentle and unselfish? Are we really going from "strength to
strength" (Ps. 84:7) and being changed into the same image [of the
Lord] from glory to glory" (2 Cor. 3:18)? Their growth consists in an
increasing development and display of the life with which God has
endowed them. Are we so growing: making more and more manifest the
principle of grace which the Holy Spirit has communicated to our
hearts, "showing forth the praises of Him who hath called us out of
darkness into His marvellous light"?
"Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is,
and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you,
O ye of little faith?" (v. 30). Here is further instruction to be
derived from the flowers of the field, namely the frailty and brevity
of their life. If this be duly taken to heart by us, it will correct
that carnal lusting after fine clothes. Why should we set our
affections upon a lavish wardrobe, be proud of our raiment, or make
the putting on of apparel our "adornment," when after all we cannot
compete with the flowers of the field? Such childish vanity appears
still worse when we remind ourselves of the evanescence of such
displays. The beauty of the flowers lasts hut a few short hours, for
tomorrow they are withered and cast with other rubbish into the oven.
And our sojourn upon earth is only for a very short span at most: then
why be so proud of our clothes, which quickly lose their gloss and
shape, soon wear out, and we ourselves cast into the grave?
Not only is a lusting after showy apparel here rebuked, but also
anxiety about supplies of necessary clothing. In the opening
"wherefore" of verse 30 Christ applies His argument unto His disciples
and hearers. He enforces His prohibition in verse 28 by a contrast
drawn between men and herbs of the field. The pre-eminence of man over
them consists in these things: first, the herbs were made for man's
use and not man for them-besides other uses, they serve to act as
fuel. Second, the herbs of the field exist today, tomorrow they are
not, for being consumed they cease to be. Far otherwise is it with
man, for even though his body be reduced to ashes, yet his being is
not destroyed by reason of his immortal soul, which though it had a
beginning yet never shall have an end. Herein he far excels them:
their life arises from the matter whereof they consist and so vanishes
with it, but the soul of man is a different substance from his body
and perishes not when his body dies.
The vast difference between man and all the lower orders of creatures
is clearly intimated by God in connection with their respective
creations: God commanded the earth to "bring forth grass, the herb
yielding seed and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind" (Gen.
1:11). But when He created man, though He made his body from the dust
of the earth, yet his spirit and soul were immediately from his
Creator, who "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man
became a living soul" (Gen. 2:7). This preeminence of man Christ
insisted on when reproving the skeptical and materialistic Sadducees,
for He pointed out that God is "the God of Abraham," whose body had
returned to its native dust long before, yet said that "God is not the
God of the dead [that is, of those who had no being at all], but of
the living" (Matthew 22:32). Now this superiority of man strongly
enforces his duty to depend upon God's care and providence without
distracting anxiety, for if the Creator provides such glorious array
for the mere herb, surely He will not suffer the nobler creature of
His hand to go naked. This is the very conclusion which Christ here
draws.
"Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is,
and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you,
O ye of little faith?" (v. 30). Let us observe, first, how the Saviour
here gave God His proper place and honour: He did not ascribe the
loveliness of the lily to an impersonal "nature" or the outworking of
the law of its being, but expressly attributed it unto its Maker-"all
the excellencies of the creature flow from God, the Fount and Spring
of them" (Matthew Henry). Second, weigh well the "much more." If
Jehovah-Jireh supplies such lovely array for so short-lived and
comparatively useless creatures as the herbage of the field, most
certainly He will not suffer any of His own dear children to lack any
good thing. Then how plainly is it their duty to cast all their care
upon Him, knowing that He cares for them (1 Pet. 5:7). We have a more
excellent being than they: we are made for eternity, they for but a
few days; we are taken into a closer and dearer relationship to
God-His beloved people. Third, ponder well our Lord's rebuke, "O ye of
little faith," which reveals what is at the bottom of our inordinate
care-distrust.
"O ye of little faith." Those whom our Lord here chided were His own
disciples, and that for which He reproved them was not a total lack of
faith, but for the small measure of it, their distrust being more
powerful than their confidence in God's providence. Herein we may see
how one Christian differs from another (and how the experience of the
same believer varies at different times), for there are some who, like
Abraham, are so strong in faith that they rely wholly on God's
promise, nothing doubting when appearances are entirely against them
(Rom. 4:20). But there are others with a faith so weak, so mingled
with doubts, that they are like those disciples at this time. But
however weak such faith may be, however excuseless and reprovable, yet
the faith itself is a true and saving one, as appears plainly in their
case, for in verse 26 Christ acknowledged these fearing disciples to
be God's children by calling Him their "heavenly Father."
Let us pause for a moment and point out that such weakness of faith in
no wise jeopardizes our salvation, or that because we have more
unbelief than faith our unbelief will have more force to condemn than
our faith to save. Not so, for we are not saved because of our faith,
though we cannot be saved without it. It is not the degree or strength
of faith which renders it efficacious, but the clinging to the right
Object. Faith saves (instrumentally) when it lays hold of the mercy of
God in Christ, and weak faith may do that just as truly, though not
with such assurance and comfort, as a strong faith. The doubting and
weakness which is in a "little faith" does not damn us if we bewail it
and use the means for strengthening faith. None of God's children have
a perfect faith, and few of them attain unto the full assurance which
Abraham reached. To those of little faith we would say, though thy
distrust is a burden and grief to thee, comfort thyself with the
blessed fad that Christ will not break the bruised reed nor quench the
smoking flax (Isa. 42:3).
The reason why Christ chided His disciples for the littleness of their
faith was because they distrusted God for raiment. They were to be
blamed for this, for their heavenly Father's care of the least of His
creatures should have taught them better. Herein we may see one of the
properties of saving faith. It not only lays hold of the mercy of God
for the pardon of sin and everlasting life in Christ, but it also
relies on His promises for temporal blessings in this life. Does not
the greater include the less? If God gives Christ to him who believes,
shall He not also with Him freely give him all things (Rom. 8:32)? All
the promises of God are "Yea, and. . . Amen in Christ" (2 Cor. 1:20),
whether they respect eternal life or temporal life. Therefore the same
faith which says God will pardon my sins and save my soul for Christ's
sake will also trust Him to provide me with food and raiment while I
am left here below.
Noah's heart laid hold of the Divine promise of his preservation in
the ark by the same faith whereby he was made "heir of the
righteousness" (Heb. 11:7). So too Abraham by the same faith whereby
he was justified believed God's promise that he should have a son in
his old age (Rom. 4:18). Let this point then be duly observed and the
order remembered wherein faith lays hold of the Divine promises. It
first apprehends God's mercy in Christ and then His providential care
for us. This is so obvious and simple that it should need no laboring.
As the Christian expects to be saved by faith after death, so he must
live by faith in this world: if we rely on God's mercy for our souls,
we will also depend upon Him providing for our body, for how shall we
cast ourselves upon God's grace for heaven if we cannot depend upon
His goodness for food and raiment while He leaves us here upon earth?
It is at this point that we should make trial of our faith: what sort
it is, true or false; and the degree of it, whether it be weak or
strong. Christ here plainly intimates that the more distracted we are
by worldly cares the less is our belief in and reliance upon God, for
distrustful anxiety over temporal things issues from unbelief in
Divine providence. Thus it follows that the less we trust God for
temporal things, the less do we really believe in His eternal mercies,
for the selfsame faith lays hold on both. If we truly depend on God
for bodily blessings in the sober use of lawful means, then we shall
rest upon Him for the salvation of our souls. Such trial can scarcely
be made in prosperity, when we have abundance, but if in the day of
adversity we rely upon God then is our faith genuine; but if instead
we imagine that we shall starve, and hesitate not to steal in order to
supply our wants, then we have great reason to suspect that our faith
is spurious.
"Therefore take no [anxious] thought, saying, What shall we eat? or,
What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed" (v. 31).
Here Christ repeats the commandment which He had given against
distrustful care in verse 25. The reasons for this repetition are
these. First, to set an edge upon the commandment that so it may more
sharply and deeply enter into our hearts, as we pointed Out before.
Second, to further His disciples in the exercise of faith, for by this
repetition Christ gives them occasion to meditate and think upon this
duty the more frequently, whereby their faith must needs be much
confirmed. It is most important that we should recognize and
understand that, in order to obtain or strengthen faith in our hearts,
we are not to be mere passive patients, either in the reception or
development of it. Increase of faith comes not from God to us as
visions did to the prophets in a dream in the night, or as the print
of the seal is set into the wax, but He works this grace in His people
in the use of ordinary means.
There are some professing Christians who assume the attitude that they
have no responsibility in this matter: that since faith is a
supernatural principle, a Divine gift, it lies entirely outside their
power and province to do anything in order to obtain an increase
thereof. Such fatalistic listlessness, such senseless inertia, are
neither honoring to God nor helpful to themselves. Muscles unused
become flabby: faculties never exercised soon lose the strength which
they had. The way to get more faith is to put to work the measure
which we already have and to use the means God has appointed. Our duty
is to read daily God's Word, to meditate thereon, to strive and lay
the Divine promises on our hearts, to urge our souls to believe, to
strive and fight against doubting and distrust, to give ourselves to
earnest prayer for the working of God's Spirit within us.
Concerning Christ's commandment against distrustful care, we sought to
show (when considering v. 25) how far our duty extends in the matter
of securing the things needful for this life, and where it must stay.
It is to extend itself unto the diligent use of lawful ordinary means
to procure things needful, and there stay. There are two dangers
against which we need to be constantly on our guard: atheism on the
one hand and fanaticism on the other. We are so prone to fly to
extremes that much care is needed in order to strike the happy medium.
While diligently using means, they are not to be relied upon to the
exclusion of God: His appointment therein is to be recognized and His
blessing upon them definitely and humbly sought, for no means will
avail us anything except the Lord is pleased to prosper them. The most
industrious labours of the farmer will produce no crop unless God
sends sunshine and rain, and the most assiduous study of Scripture
profits not the soul unless the Holy Spirit sanctifies it unto us.
On the other side, there must be no disdaining of means under the
pretence of more fully trusting the Lord. Indolence is disobedience.
Scripture says, "if any would not work, neither should he eat" (2
Thess. 3:10). The farmer who prays and expects God to give him a good
harvest though he has neither ploughed nor sown his fields is guilty
of the wildest fanaticism. The able-bodied person who is out of
employment, and lazily sits down pleading the Divine promises to
supply his need instead of going forth to seek work, is tempting God
and not trusting Him. When he is ill, it is both the duty and the
privilege of the Christian to spread his case before the great
Physician, yet if he scorns to use the helps and remedies which Divine
providence sets before him, he acts presumptuously and not in faith.
The parent who fails to train and teach his child as the Word enjoins,
counting on Divine election to save him, is making an evil use of that
precious Truth.
Our duty in regard to the obtaining of temporal supplies is fully
discharged when we have diligently put forth honest endeavors, used
all lawful means, and humbly sought God's blessing thereon.
Self-effort is then to give place to the exercise of faith, trustfully
waiting upon Divine providence to prosper our endeavors. It is
corroding care and distrustful anxiety that distracts the heart which
Christ here forbids, and which is a spiritual disease infecting the
souls of the vast majority of our fellows. How far the reader may be
affected by this evil can be ascertained by sincerely testing himself
at these points: What is it which often breaks in upon your rest so
that you cannot sleep peacefully? What is it that first comes into
your mind when you awake? What principally engages your thoughts
throughout the day? What is it over which you take the greatest pains
and which gives you most delight when you are successful? If it be the
things of this world, then distrustful care infests your soul and must
be striven against.
In closing let us observe how Christ here describes this unlawful
anxiety by the effects it produces in distrustful persons. That there
may be no mistaking this God-dishonoring and soul-paralyzing disease,
the great Physician has plainly described its symptoms. It causes its
victims to ask, "What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or,
Wherewithal shall we be clothed?" These are the very complaints they
make when losses are encountered, adversities befall them, supplies
are apparently cut off. When those whose confidence and reliance are
not in the living God lose their job, or their investments miscarry,
or they are stricken with a disease which incapacitates their body,
they at once cry out, What will become of us? How shall we exist? It
is this which Christ is here rebuking: those unbelieving utterances
(for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh!) which
denote we have no faith in God's goodness and distrust His care of us.
The Christian must fight against such evil thoughts and murmuring
complaints, laying fresh hold on the Divine promises and assuring
himself that the "Lord will provide.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Thirty-Seven
Anxiety Forbidden-Continued
"(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly
Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye
first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things
shall he added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for
the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient
unto the day is the evil thereof."
Matthew 6:32-34
___________________________________
Let us summarize the verses which have already been before us in that
section of our Lord's Address which is completed at the end of Matthew
6. In verses 19-24 Christ forbade the practice of covetousness, and in
what follows He struck at the root from which that sin proceeds,
namely distrust and excessive care for the things of this 1sfe. F
trst, He tells us that such worry is needless: the bounty of God
assuring supplies (v. 25). Creation is a pledge of our preservation:
He who gives life will maintain it, He who provides a body will not
deny it food and raiment. Second, He shows us that such worry is
senseless: the providence of God unto inferior creatures evidencing it
(v. 26). If God provides for the fowls of the air, will He suffer His
own children to starve? Third, He proves it is useless: the impotency
of man demonstrating it (v. 27). Since no anxiety or industry of ours
can increase our stature, much less can worrying improve our earthly
estate. Fourth, He announces it is faithless (vv. 28-30). Since God
clothes the herbs of the field, will He suffer His dear people to lack
suitable covering?
None but the Divine Physician could have opened up so impressively the
hideous nature of this disease. In that Divine diagnosis we are given
to behold the excuselessness and the heinousness of this sin which is
so prevalent among professing Christians. Distressing ourselves over
the obtaining of future supplies, carking care in connection with
securing the necessities of temporal life, so far from being a trivial
infirmity which we need not take seriously to heart, is a sin of the
deepest dye which should humble us into the dust before God. Worrying
over tomorrow's food and clothing is needless, useless, senseless,
faithless, and therefore it is utterly excuseless. Then surely we
should make conscience of it, confess it contritely before God, and
seek from Him grace to mortify it. That which was spoken by Christ on
the Mount is addressed unto us today: Oh, that we may be given ears to
hear and hearts to improve the same.
"(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly
Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things" (v. 32). In
these words our Lord advances two additional reasons why His people
should not be unduly solicitous about temporal supplies. First,
because such anxieties are heathenish. This will appear more evident
to the ordinary reader when we point out that the Greek word which is
here rendered "Gentiles" is translated "heathen" in Acts 4:25;
Galatians 1:16, etc. At the time Christ made this statement the
"Gentiles" were without any written revelation from God and were in
complete spiritual darkness. In consequence, they had the most
erroneous ideas of the Divine character and government. Many of them
believed that all things were fixed by a blind and inexorable fate,
while others went to an opposite extreme, supposing that nothing was
predetermined, but that everything was left to capricious chance. Such
are the philosophizings of man's much-vaunted reason when unillumined
by the Spirit of Truth.
The concepts which the "Gentiles" formed of their "gods" were such
that they could have no trust in them. So far from regarding their
"gods" as beings of benevolence, who regarded their devotees with
compassion, they were looked upon as objects of dread, whose favour
could only be purchased by the most costly of offerings (appropriated
by the priests) and whose ire had to be placated by human sacrifices.
Of a future life beyond this vale of tears the heathen had but the
vaguest and gloomiest ideas. Consequently this world meant everything
to them, and therefore their whole thought was directed and their
energy devoted to the obtaining of its necessities and comforts,
making such their chief good. Their ambition rose no higher than to
eat and drink, to have a sufficiency of material things and make merry
therewith. And those of them who possessed little of this world-and
only a very small number had much-were weighed down with worry as to
how soon their slender resources might completely fail them.
"For after all these things do the Gentiles seek." It should be
pointed out that the word in the original whereby Christ described the
behavior of the heathen is more emphatic than our translation
intimates, denoting that they "set themselves to seek" or "seek with
all their might." This is a detail of some importance, for the mere or
simple seeking of things necessary for our welfare is a duty, but when
we give ourselves wholly to the quest thereof it is a sin, for it
proceeds from distrust of God. And this was precisely the case of the
Gentiles at that time: they were without the knowledge of the true
God, had not His Word and were ignorant of His providences. How vastly
and how radically different is the case of the Christian: God is
revealed to him in Christ, a written revelation from Him is in his
hands assuring him of the supply of all his need. How shameful then,
how wicked, for a child of God to come down to the level of the
heathen, as he does when carking care possesses his heart.
The force of our Lord's argument (that it is an argument or dissuasive
is clear from its opening "for") will probably be apparent if we
paraphrase it thus: because on all these things do wordlings set their
hearts-in the parallel passage it reads "For all these things do the
nations of the world seek after" (Luke 12:30). How utterly unworthy
for a Christian to be regulated by a mode of thinking and acting such
as governs the godless, to descend to the level of the unregenerate.
Yet, alas, how many of those now bearing the name of 'Christ do this
very thing. How grossly materialistic is this twentieth century. How
close is the resemblance between what men call "Christian
civilization" and the conditions which obtained in the degenerate
empires of ancient Greece and Rome. Human nature is the same in every
age, the same the world over, and will inevitably remain so except
where the Holy Spirit is pleased to work in His transforming power.
"Solicitude for the future is at bottom worldly-mindedness. The
heathen tendency in us all leads to an over-estimate of material good,
and it is a question of circumstances whether that shall show itself
in heaping up earthly treasures, or in anxious care. They are the same
plant, only the one is growing in the tropics of sunny prosperity, and
the other in the arctic zone of chill penury. The one is the sin of
the worldly-minded rich man, and the other is the sin of the
worldly-minded poor man. The character is the same turned inside out!
And therefore, the words 'ye cannot serve God and mammon' stand in
this chapter in the center, between our Lord's warning against laying
up treasures on earth, and His warnings against being full of cares
for earth. He would show us thereby that these two apparently opposite
states of mind in reality spring from one root, and are equally,
though differently, 'serving mammon.' We do not sufficiently reflect
upon that" (A. MacLaren).
There are some who seek to excuse their anxiety and worrying by saying
it is the result of temperament or circumstances. Even so, that does
not lessen their sin. Divine grace teaches its possessor to deny
ungodliness and worldly lusts (Titus 2:12) and lifts him above
circumstances (Phil. 4:11). The fact is that those who do not trust in
God's goodness and count not upon His faithfulness to supply all their
need are pagans, no matter what may be their profession. Pagans
believe not in Divine providence, and so rely upon the means, trusting
wholly in their own efforts and endeavors, and so make themselves
their own god. The real reason why empty professors are so anxious
about the things of this life and so troubled over future supplies is
that their hearts are earthbound and their desires heathenish. A
worldling is one whose anxieties and joys are both confined within the
narrow sphere of the material and the visible- take that from him, and
he has nothing left.
Observe now the ground on which this argument or dissuasive rests.
Real Christians have the true God for their God which the heathen have
not, and therefore they must differ from them in their behavior. God
clothed the grass of the field (v. 30)-yea, with a verdure and beauty
exceeding that of Solomon's royal robes-"therefore take no [anxiousl
thought, saying [unbelievingly and petulantly], What shall we eat? or,
What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?" (v. 31).
"For after all these things do the Gentiles seek," and ye must not be
like unto them. In all things the children of God should differ from
the heathen. "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the
world" said Christ (John 17:14), and as He evidenced His separation
from and unlikeness to it, so must we. "Be not conformed to this
world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Rom.
12:2). Sons of the King of heaven are not to conduct themselves like
the Devil's beggars.
"For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these
things" (v. 32). Here is still another reason, the most powerful of
all, for delivering believers from distressing fears and God
dishonoring anxieties about future supplies. "Your heavenly Father" is
set over against the inanimate and impotent "gods" of the heathen: His
knowledge or tender solicitude, against their ignorance and lack of
concern. The poor pagans might well say, If we are not wholly taken up
with seeking after the necessities and comforts of this life, then
pray who will provide them? But it is far otherwise with the
Christian. The One who made heaven and earth sustains to him the
relation of a heavenly Father: "Like as a father pitieth his children,
so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him" (Ps. 103:13). He knows what I
have need of, and will not deny it to me. "If ye then, being evil,
know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall
your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?"
(Matthew 7:11). The believer need trouble himself no further than
soberly to use all lawful means, calmly and confidently counting on
God to bless the same: God will provide what is needful for him and
therefore he need not vex his mind about it.
Let it be duly noted that Christ here repeats the note which He had
struck in verse 26: "your heavenly Father feedeth them." If He
provides for such inferior creatures as the fowls of the air, will He
suffer the members of His own family to want? He is their Creator and
so bountifully supplies their need; but He is the Christian's Father
and will not forget His own child. Here is double armor against the
arrows of anxiety: the intimate relation which the great God sustains
to His people, and the assurance that His knowledge of them is equal
to His love for them. The children of this world are indeed tormented
with anxiety as to how tomorrow's supplies will be obtained, nor is it
at all strange that they should be bowed down with such cares, for
they have no heavenly Father to whose infinite love and faithfulnes3
they may commit themselves. Consequently in this argument Christ is
putting His disciples to the proof, as to whether or not the relation
which God sustains to them be actual and counts for anything, or
whether it be mere theory and lip profession.
All distrustful anxiety concerning the supplies of things needful
proceeds on the assumption that God either does not know our wants or
that He cares not for us, which is precisely the attitude of the
worldling. But with the Christian it is very different. He has the
realization that "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up
for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"
(Rom. 8:32). He is assured from Holy Writ of God's special providence
over him, taking notice of his case whatever it may be and making all
things work together for his good. From this assurance he must learn
to practice contentment: depending upon God by simple faith and
trustfully leaving himself and all his interests in His gracious
hands. This contentment or acquiescence in the Divine will is to be
practiced in sickness as well as in health, under trials as well as
blessings, in adversity as in prosperity, realizing that whatever may
be our circumstances they are according to the good pleasure of our
heavenly Father, who is infinite in power and wisdom.
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all
these things shall be added unto you" (v. 33). In these words Christ
makes known the great counter-agent unto and remedy for covetousness.
As in the previous verses He had been striking at the root from which
that sin proceeds, namely distrust of God and excessive care for the
things of this life, so here He reveals the effectual specific: that
is, making the things of God our paramount concern. It is of no use
only to tell men that they ought to trust, that the birds of the air
might teach them to trust, that the flowers of the field might preach
resignation and confidence to them. It is no use to attempt to scold
them into trust, by telling them that distrust is heathenish. You must
fill the heart with supreme and transcendent desire after the one
supreme object; and then there will be no room and leisure left for
the anxious care after the lesser. Have inwrought into your being,
Christian man, the opposite of that heathen over-regard for earthly
things" (A. Maclaren).
The renowned Thomas Chalmers was the author of that impressive
expression "The impulsive power of a new affection." God and the
world, Christ and Belial, cannot possess the soul of the same person:
when the love of God is shed abroad in the heart the love of the world
is cast out: "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old
things are passed away, behold, all things are become new" (2 Cor.
5:17). Man is constituted that he cannot be devoted to two different
and diverse objects at one and the same time: it is utterly impossible
for him to serve two masters-God and mammon. Let his affections be set
upon things above and they will be detached from things below: the
more real and blessed (by the exercise of faith) become the former,
the less attractive will appear the latter, and the less hold will
they have. The best way to get a child to drop a filthy or dangerous
object is to offer it another one more satisfying. If the horse cannot
be induced to trot, turn its face homewards and it will quickly
improve its speed.
Having by one argument after another dissuaded His disciples from
distrustful care, Christ now shows unto them what that care is which
ought always to possess their hearts: to wit, care of the kingdom of
God and His righteousness. Three questions at once suggest themselves
to us. First, what is denoted by those particular terms? Second, what
is imported and included in our "seeking" after the kingdom of God and
His righteousness? Third, what is meant and included by the word
"first"? Most of the commentators regard " the kingdom of God and His
righteousness" as a comprehensive expression for Divine things in
general. Thus Matthew Henry says, "It is the sum and substance of our
whole duty." Thomas Scott gives, "The blessings of the Messiah's
kingdom, the righteousness in which His objects are justified, the
grace by which they are sanctified and the good works in which they
are to walk." To us it appears that such definitions are too brief and
too vague to convey any distinct concepts to the mind, and therefore
we shall endeavour to examine them more closely.
Among dispensationalists the grossest conceptions have obtained
concerning "the kingdom": they have literalized what is figurative and
carnalized what is spiritual. Strictly speaking the Greek word
basileia has reference to sovereignty rather than to territory, to
dominion than a geographical sphere. The "kingdom of God" signifies
the rule of God and therefore, in its widest latitude, takes in the
entire universe, for the Ruler of heaven and earth governs all
creatures and things: angels and demons, men elect and reprobate,
animals and fishes, planets and the elements. "Thine, O Lord, is the
greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the
majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is Thine;
Thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and Thou art exalted as head above all"
(1 Chron. 29:11). And again, "The Lord hath prepared His throne in the
heavens, and His kingdom ruleth over all" (Ps. 103:19). Rightly did
one of the Puritans affirm, "There is no such monarch as God is, for
largeness of empire, for absoluteness of power, and sublimity of His
throne." By some this aspect of it has been designated "the Kingdom of
Providence."
In its more contracted sense "the kingdom of God" has reference to a
certain order and estate of men, namely those who profess to be in
subjection unto the rule of God, who avow their allegiance to Him. As
the "kingdom" of Satan (Matthew 12:26) is found wherever we meet with
those in whom the prince of the power of the air "now worketh" (Eph.
2:2), so the kingdom of God exists wherever there be those in whose
hearts He reigns. This aspect of it is denominated "the kingdom of
grace." As such it is to be considered two ways: as externally
administered, and as internally received. Its external administration
consists of the ordinances and means of grace and the outward
profession men make thereunto-hence in the parables of the kingdom
Christ pictures tares as well as wheat, bad fish as well as good being
included therein. When He said to the Jews, "The kingdom of God shall
be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits
thereof" (Matthew 21:43) Christ had reference to the external
privileges of the means of grace. As internally received the kingdom
of God consists in Divine grace ruling in the hearts of His elect, so
that they are brought to submit themselves unto the obedience of
Christ. It is this aspect of the kingdom which is in view in Matthew
6:33.
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The Sermon On The Mount
____________________________________________________
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Anxiety Forbidden-Concluded
___________________________________
"BUT seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all
these things shall be added unto you" (v. 33). The heathen set their
hearts upon material necessities and comforts: be not ye like unto
them, says Christ-let a nobler, more essential and infinitely more
satisfying object engage your attention and energies. If God be given
His proper place in your hearts and lives you will not be the losers
even in this world, yea, only thus will you be able to form a true
estimate of the things of time and sense. Ah, my reader, it is failure
to make Him our portion which renders us troubled about many things.
Where there is the blessed realization that God is for us at e is
all-sufficient, a spirit of contentment and rest floods the soul.
Nothing but the love of God shed abroad in the heart by the Holy
Spirit will cast out dark and dismal forebodings. Where faith is in
exercise and there is conscious communion with God, anxiety cannot
cast us down.
By the "kingdom of God" is here meant a state or condition of men in
this life, a state whereby they enjoy through Christ the favour of God
and a title to everlasting felicity and glory. It is thus designated
because God rules in them as a king rules in his kingdom. The words
"and His righteousness" are added by way of explanation, that we may
know for ourselves when we have obtained this grand object: God's
kingdom stands in righteousness, as it is written, "The kingdom of God
is not meat and drink [material things]; but righteousness, and peace,
and joy in the Holy Ghost" (Rom. 14:17). Now by "the righteousness of
God" we are to understand two things: an imputed righteousness and an
imparted righteousness, one which is placed to our account or credit
and one which is communicated to our souls. The former or imputed
righteousness is that perfect obedience which Christ rendered to the
Law of God, which is legally reckoned to each one who believes in Him.
As it is written, "Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of
Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe," and again, "If
by one man's offence death reigned by one, much more they which
receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall
reign in life by one, Jesus Christ" (Rom. 3:22; 5:17). Therefore may
the Christian exclaim, "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul
shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of
salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness" (Isa.
61:10).
And how is anyone to know when the perfect obedience of Christ has
been made over to him, so that he stands justified before God, the Law
no longer able to prefer a single charge against him? Answer, by that
which ever accompanies it: imputed righteousness is made known by
imparted righteousness. Justification is never separated from
sanctification, both arising out of regeneration. All who are
justified by Christ's obedience are sanctified by the Holy Spirit that
henceforth they may walk in good works. "That ye put on the new man,
which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness" (Eph.
4:24). The reference is to the new birth, whereby a new nature or
principle is supernaturally communicated to the soul, a principle
whose character and element is righteousness and true holiness in
contrast with the character and element of the corrupt principle or
flesh, which is sin and wickedness. This "new man" which is created
(by God) in righteousness, believers are exhorted to "put on," that is
make evident, display before the world-let it appear you are the
children of God by your character and conduct. Therefore do we read,
"every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him" (1 John 2:29).
Now this kingdom and righteousness of God Christ here calls upon men
to "seek," and as we pointed out in the previous verse the word is a
very emphatic one, signifying to "set ourselves to seek" or "seek with
all our might." We all know how worldlings seek after the things of
time and sense: not reluctantly but heartily, not perfunctorily but
earnestly, not spasmodically but constantly, not carelessly but
diligently. In such a manner and in such a spirit are the things
pertaining to our eternal welfare to be sought. God has nowhere
promised that those who seek Him indolently and indifferently shall
find Him: rather has He declared, "Ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when
ye shall search for Me with all your heart (Jer. 29:13). So that there
might be no misunderstanding of His meaning, Christ added, "seek ye
first the kingdom of God and His righteousness," by which He meant
seek it chiefly, principally, above all other things in this world.
Let your paramount concern be to enter into that estate whereby ye may
enjoy God's favour through Christ-justified by His obedience and
sanctified by His Spirit.
From this command of Christ's it is evident that by nature we are all
of us outside of God's kingdom and destitute of His favour, otherwise
we should not be bidden to seek them. We were in fact, during our
unregeneracy, under the power of Satan and in his kingdom of darkness.
The Devil is called "the prince of this world" (John 12:31) and "the
god of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4), because all the world are his
vassals, yielding him homage in the works of sin, and therefore is he
also designated "the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that
now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Eph. 2:2) And how justly
has this misery come upon men: seeing they refuse to yield submission
to the sceptre of God, they are righteously left to the power of the
Devil, to be made his slaves and drudges. That the unregenerate are
outside the kingdom of God is very plain from the course of their
lives, for to the Almighty they say, "Depart from us; for we desire
not the knowledge of Thy ways" (Job 21:14).
But now the important question arises, How shall those who are by
nature outside of God's kingdom and destitute of His righteousness
seek an entrance into the one and an interest in the other? To this a
threefold answer may be returned. First, we must go to the place where
the kingdom of God is to be found. Second, we must then enter into it.
Third, we must wait for the full possession of it. For the first: this
kingdom of God is not to be found everywhere, but only where God is
pleased to manifest and reveal the same unto the sons of men. It is
made known in the Holy Scriptures, and therefore are they called "the
word of the kingdom" (Matthew 13:19), and hence it is to the Volume of
Inspiration we must turn, humbly seeking instruction from the Holy
Spirit. But since it has pleased God to call and equip His own
servants to expound His Word we should frequent the assemblies of His
saints (where such are to be found), for it is there (in normal times)
the evangel of His salvation is proclaimed, and the evangel is termed
"the gospel of the kingdom" (Matthew 4:23 and cf. Acts 28:31).
Second, when we have found this kingdom, that is when it has been
clearly revealed to us as set forth in the Word of Truth- whether
through the instrumentality of preachers or not-we must seek to enter
into it. It is not sufficient for us to be where it is or have it
presented to our view, for Christ said to the Pharisees, "the kingdom
is come upon you" (Luke 11:20), yet He declared of them, ye neither go
in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in"
(Matthew 23:13). Now it is to be pointed out that none can enter God's
kingdom of themselves without the special work of the Holy Spirit.
This is plain from those words of Christ's, except ye be converted and
become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of
heaven" (Matthew 18:3). Since conversion (a right-about-face, the
heart and life being turned from the world unto God) is a fruit or
consequence of regeneration, we must first be born of the Spirit.
"Except a man he horn of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into
the kingdom of God" (John 3:5). This is rarely insisted upon today,
yea, the very reverse is inculcated, for sinners are given to suppose
that salvation lies wholly within their own power, that they can turn
unto God whenever they are pleased to do so.
Now regeneration is a renewal of the soul, a rectifying of its
faculties, a work of grace is then begun and continued throughout the
whole process of sanctification, which is consummated in glory. At
conversion, which follows upon and may be termed the reflex action of
regeneration, the image of Satan in sin and corruption was thrown down
(not expelled, still less annihilated) and the image of God renewed in
the soul, in knowledge, righteousness and true holiness. At conversion
the proud heart of man is humbled, so that instead of continuing to
conduct himself as a "god"-independent and self-sufficient-he becomes
as "a little child"-tractable, teachable, meek and lowly. In
conversion we renounce our own lordship and submit, voluntarily and
gladly, to the rule of God, subjecting ourselves to His holy will. In
conversion we repudiate the filthy rags of our own self-righteousness,
and put our trust in the perfect obedience and blood of Christ. Thus,
experimentally, we enter into the favour and kingdom of God and an
interest in His righteousness is obtained by repentance and faith, by
forsaking sin and the world, taking upon us the yoke of Christ and
learning of Him, endeavoring to follow the example He has left us.
Third, we must then wait for the full fruition or possession of it. In
the preceding article we pointed out the distinction which exists
between the Divine kingdom of providence and the kingdom of grace: the
former taking in the entire universe, the latter being internally
received by the elect only, in whose hearts and lives God rules by His
Spirit. We must now call attention to the difference between the
kingdom of grace and the kingdom of glory, the latter consisting of
two degrees. The kingdom of grace is entered the moment a soul is born
again, the kingdom of glory is entered by the believer upon his
removal to heaven at the moment of death. It was to this aspect of it
the apostle referred when he said, "the Lord shall deliver me from
every evil work, and will preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom" (2
Tim. 4:18). Heaven is the upper compartment of the kingdom of grace,
for it is there Christ reigns supreme in the spirits of just men made
perfect-perfectly freed from sin, and admitted into the clear and open
vision of God, though their bodies remain in the grave awaiting their
redemption.
But the believer's entrance into heaven at the moment of
death-blessed, unspeakably blessed moment!-is but the kingdom of glory
begun. It is not the ideal and ultimate state, for not only does he
lack his glorified body, but the Church is not yet complete, Christ is
still waiting until His enemies be made His footstool, waiting to see
of the full travail of His soul. When the morning of the resurrection
breaks, that "morning without clouds," the last enemy shall be
destroyed, mortality shall be swallowed up of life, and Christ shall
"change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious
body, according to the working whereby He is able to subdue all things
unto Himself" (Phil. 3:21). Then shall the Redeemer say unto all His
redeemed, "Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34). It is to
this final phase of the kingdom that the following refers: "give
diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these
things, ye shall never fall: . . .For so an entrance shall be
ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 1:10, 11).
In the meantime he who has entered the kingdom of grace is left in
this world, that he may be a monument of God's sovereign mercy, that
he may give evidence of the transforming power of Divine grace, that
he may bring forth the fruits of regeneration. He is still left in the
enemy's country, surrounded by those who seek his destruction and
carrying a traitor within his own breast. He needs therefore to walk
with the utmost caution and circumspection, availing himself of all
appointed means of grace. He must spare no pains to keep faith and a
good conscience, walking in righteousness and true holiness before
God, and in the practice of love, uprightness and mercy toward his
fellows. When the question is asked, "Lord, who shall abide in Thy
tabernacle? who shall dwell in Thy holy hill?"-that is, Who shall
enter heaven?-the inspired answer is, "He that walketh uprightly, and
worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart" (Ps.
15:2). Herein we testify that we have entered the kingdom of grace,
which stands in "righteousness, and are on our way to the kingdom of
glory.
It now remains for us to say a few words on "seek ye first the kingdom
of God and His righteousness." This means, let the things of God and
your own eternal interests have the chief place in your thoughts and
desires, making the glory of God and your own spiritual blessing your
paramount concern. It is not that we are required to seek them solely
and exclusively to the neglect of temporal duties and
responsibilities, but that we must put first things first, and not
suffer them to be crowded out by matters of far less importance. Seek
them first in time, for the Divine promise is, "those that seek Me
early shall find Me" (Prov. 8:17). Seek them first each day, for only
as holy happiness be our quest are we fitted to bear bodily trials and
afflictions. And after you have, by repentance and faith, by complete
surrender to the authority of God, entered His kingdom of grace and
righteousness, continue to seek for the evidence of your regeneration,
endeavour after closer conformity to the image of Christ and the
example He has left us, and strive after more fruitfulness. Seek after
an enlargement of His kingdom, by praying for God's blessing on His
Word, that He will raise up and thrust forth more laborers into His
vineyard, and seek to encourage and help your fellow citizens in that
kingdom.
We turn now to look at the reason by which Christ enforces his
command: "and all these things shall be added unto you." Here is a
grand and glorious promise. In the previous verses our Lord had used
one argument after another to show the needlessness and folly of
carking care, calling attention to a variety of facts and drawing from
them irrefutable conclusions to evidence the sin of distrusting God.
But here He makes a plain and positive declaration, assuring us that
if we be truly concerned about God's interests He will take care of
ours, that if the Divine glory be our principal aim we shall not be
the losers temporally. If God be leading us to heaven, He certainly
will not deny us such things as bodily sustenance and raiment. "For
the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory:
no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly" (Ps.
84:11): where He gives "grace and glory" He will not withhold the good
things of this life. "Godliness is profitable unto all things, having
promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come" (1 Tim.
4:8).
"And all these things shall be added unto you." This phrase is very
significant in the original. It is taken from a custom which obtained
between buyers and sellers when things were sold by measure: the
seller adding an extra quantity or over-plus so as to ensure good
weight and please his customer. Even so the Lord promises to those who
truly seek His kingdom and righteousness that, besides the happy
fruition thereof, He will (as it were) throw in for nothing, add for
good measure, all the material things needful to this life. We read
that "the ark of the Lord continued in the house of Obed-edom the
Gittite three months: and the Lord blessed Obed-edom, and all his
household" (2 Sam. 6:11): how much more will He bless those who
receive His Spirit to rule in their hearts! It may be asked, Why then
are any of God's children reduced to destitution? Sometimes to correct
them for their sins; sometimes to exercise their faith in the trial of
patience. All promises of temporal blessings must always be understood
with this qualification: so far as God sees that such bestowments will
be for His glory and our highest good.
But let it not be forgotten that the above guarantee is given only to
those who meet its stipulation. Which, then, are we seeking first:
earthly or heavenly things, the things of self or of God, making good
in this world or making sure of an entrance into heaven? "It is
startling to see the tide of worldliness rising fast among Christians
almost everywhere, with a corresponding ebb in the desire for
spiritual prosperity: on all hands there are abounding symptoms of
spiritual decay, which it is to be feared will be followed by
increasing ambition for fleshly advantage. Our Master's question may
well ring in our ears and consciences today: 'What do ye more than
others?' Not what know ye more than others? We may pride ourselves on
knowing the things of God, which the poor worldling cannot possibly
perceive, but if we spend all our energies, crowd our minds, engage
our affections, and tax our wits for present worldly advantage, do not
the men of this world the same? If we content ourselves with just the
Lord's Day observances and meetings, do not religious worldlings the
same? If we do not bring forth the fruit of the Spirit in a godly
walk, in a faithful testimony, and devoted service, what do we more
than others? The most convincing book to the worldling is our manner
of living, but if, withal, we are as hard in our dealing, as keen for
selfish gains, as inconsiderate for others' rights in our bargains, as
shrewd and tricky in running our business as the most wide-awake
worldling, he will not believe the book, for its author is a living
contradiction" (E. Venn, 1901).
In view of what Christ said in verse 33 we may perceive the mad course
which is followed by the vast majority of our fellow men, for they
either utterly neglect or only half-heartedly set their affection on
the things of God, principally addicting themselves to the things of
this life. They take little or no serious thought for the eternal
state of their souls, but spend their time and strength in providing
for their bodies, which is to grasp at the shadow and ignore the
substance. That verse also teaches the Christian with what mind or
spirit he should seek temporal blessings, namely with the same honesty
and prayerfulness wherewith he seeks the kingdom of God, for they are
but appurtenances thereunto and depend upon it, and therefore with an
upright heart we must only use lawful means moderately for the getting
of them. So also this verse instructs us in the right end whereunto we
must use temporal mercies, namely for the furtherance of ourselves and
others towards the kingdom of God. Since temporal blessings are
dependent on God's kingdom, we must learn contentment in all temporal
losses: God's favour remains though worldly goods be gone.
"Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take
thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil
thereof" (v. 34). By "tomorrow" is here meant the future. In the
second half of this verse Christ answers a question which might be
evoked by His prohibition in the first: if we must not look forward
anxiously, how will it fare with us in the time to come? First, you
may be wasting your last hours on earth in fretting over a morrow you
may never see! But second, if you are preserved unto the morrow it
will bring with it tomorrow's God, and He has promised (1 Cor. 10:13)!
Third, what good can your worrying do? It does not empty tomorrow of
its trials, but it empties today of its strength and comfort; it does
not enable you to escape future trouble, but it unfits you to cope
with it when it does come. Fourth, instead of anticipating future
evil, discharge present duty-in the spirit of Philippians 4:6, 7.
Cross not your bridges before you come to them, but cheerfully
shoulder the burden of today and trustfully leave the future to God.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Thirty-Nine
Unlawful Judgment
"Judge not, that ye be not judged."
Matthew 7:1
___________________________________
The verses at which we have now arrived begin a new section of our
Lord's Sermon, and that it is by no means one of the simplest appears
from the diverse treatment which it has received at the hands of the
commentators. They are almost unanimous in allowing that our Lord's
prohibition "Judge not" cannot be understood in its widest possible
latitude, yet as to how far and wherein it is to be modified there is
little agreement. That Christ's forbidding us to exercise and pass
judgment upon others cannot be taken absolutely, few if any who are
acquainted with the general tenor of God's Word would deny, yet as
soon as they attempted to define its limitations a considerable
variety of opinions would be expressed. This should at once warn us
against coming to any hasty conclusion as to the meaning of Matthew
7:1, and guard us against being misled by the mere sound of its words.
Yea, it should drive us to our knees, begging God graciously to subdue
the prejudices of our hearts and enlighten our minds, and then
diligently search the Scriptures for other passages which throw light
upon the one now before us.
Not only is it very necessary for our own personal good that we spare
no pains in endeavoring to arrive at a right understanding of these
verses, for it is to our own loss that we misapprehend any portion of
Holy Writ, as it will be to our own condemnation if we transgress this
Divine commandment, but unless its meaning be opened unto us we shall
be at a loss to repel those who would bring us into bondage by the
corrupt use they make of it. There are few verses quoted more
frequently than the opening one of Matthew 7, and few less understood
by those who are so ready to cite it and hurl it at the heads of those
whom they ignorantly or maliciously suppose are contravening it. Let
the servant of God denounce a man who is promulgating serious error,
and there are those-boasting of their broadmindedness-who will say to
him, "Judge not, that ye be not judged." Let the saint faithfully
rebuke an offender for some sin, and he is likely to have the same
text quoted against him.
"Judge not, that ye be not judged." The word which is here rendered
"judge" is one that occurs frequently in the New Testament, and it is
used in quite a variety of senses. It is the one found in "I speak as
to wise men; judge ye what I say" (1 Cor. 10:15), and in "judge in
yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?" (1
Cor. 11:13), where "judge" means weigh carefully and form an opinion
or consideration. It occurs in "thou [Simon, whom Christ asked, "Which
of them will love Him most?"] hast rightly judged" (Luke 7:43), where
it signifies inferred or drawn a conclusion. It occurs in "If ye have
judged me to be faithful to the Lord" (Acts 16:15), that is, "if you
regard or account me so." "Take ye Him and judge Him according to your
law" (John 18:31) means, "put Him on trial before your court." In
Romans 14:3, "judge" has the force of despise, as is clear from the
first member of the antithesis. "Doth our law judge any man before it
hear him?" (John 7:51), where "judge" signifies condemn-its commonest
signification. Which or how many of these meanings the word "judge"
has in our text must be carefully ascertained and not hastily or
arbitrarily assumed.
Now the first thing to do when prayerfully studying a passage on which
opinions vary is to examine its context, first the remote and then the
immediate. In this instance the "remote" would be the particular
portion of the Word in which it occurs, namely the Sermon on the
Mount. As we pass from one section to another in this Sermon, it is
very important that we bear in mind our Lord's dominant object and
design therein, which was to show that He requires in the character
and conduct of His disciples something radically different from and
far superior to that religion which obtained among the Jews, the
highest form of which they regarded the scribes and Pharisees as
possessing. The keynote was struck by Christ when He told His hearers,
"except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the
scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of
heaven" (v. 20). That which precedes and all that follows to the end
of His discourse is to be pondered and interpreted in the light of
that statement.
In the earlier chapters we called attention frequently to what has
last been pointed out, and it must not be lost sight of as we enter
upon the present division of our Lord's address. That which
pre-eminently characterized the Pharisees was the very high regard
which they had for themselves and the utter contempt in which they
held all who belonged not to their sect. This is evident from the
words of Christ in Luke 18:9, where we are told, "He spake this
parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were
righteous, and despised others"; in what immediately follows we have
contrasted the Pharisee and the publican. The Pharisees took it upon
them to go up and down passing censorious and unjust judgment upon
others, while blind to their own glaring faults. The disciple of
Christ is to conduct himself in a manner exactly the reverse:
unsparingly judging himself and refusing to invade the office of God
where others are concerned.
The "more immediate context" of Matthew 7:1, is the verses which
follow it. In order to obtain a right understanding of verse 1, it is
important to recognize that the next four verses are inseparably
connected with it, that the five together form one complete section
treating of the same subject. The contents of verse 2 show plainly
that we have a continuation of the theme of verse 1, while the "and"
at the beginning of verse 3 and the "or" at the beginning of verse 4
denote the same thing, while verse 5 contains our Lord's application
of the whole. The value of preserving the link between the later
verses and the opening one lies in noting the threefold mention of
"thy brother" in verses 3, 4 and 5, and in observing what is there
said of his state and the state of the one who takes him to task. If
these details be kept in mind we shall be preserved from making an
erroneous interpretation and application of verse I. As we must not
too much anticipate what is to come we will leave these suggestions
with the reader for him to ponder.
After carefully weighing both the remote and immediate contexts of our
verse our next task is to search the Scriptures for all other passages
treating of or bearing upon the subject of judging others. It is most
essential that we do so if we are to be preserved from many erroneous
ideas. Some statements of Holy Writ are presented in a very terse and
contracted form, but elsewhere they are amplified and filled out:
others are expressed in seemingly absolute terms, but elsewhere are
modified and qualified. As an illustration of the latter, take the
fourth commandment. The Sabbath day is to be kept holy: "in it thou
shalt not do any work"; yet from the teachings of Christ we know that
works of piety, of mercy, and of necessity are lawful on that day. So
it is with our present text: unless we are very careful in our
interpretation of it we shall prohibit what is elsewhere required, and
be found censuring that which other passages commend.
"The capacity of judging, of forming an estimate and opinion, is one
of our most valuable faculties and the right use of it one of our most
important duties. 'Why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?'
(Luke 12:57) says our Lord; 'judge righteous judgment' (John 7:24). If
we do not form judgments as to what is true and false, how can we
embrace the one and avoid the other?" (John Brown). It is very
necessary that we have our "senses exercised to discern [Greek
"thoroughly judge"] both good and evil" (Heb. 5:14) if we are not to
be deceived by appearances and taken in by every oily-mouthed impostor
we encounter. It must not be thought that our Lord here forbade us to
act according to the dictates of common prudence and to form an
estimate of everything we meet with in the path of duty, nor even that
He prohibited us from judging men's characters and actions according
to their avowed principles and visible conduct, for in this very
chapter He bids us measure men by this rule, saying, "by their fruits
ye shall know them" (verse 20), and many duties to others absolutely
require us to form a judgment of men, with respect both to their state
and their conduct.
Unless we form estimates and come to a decision of what is good and
evil in those we meet with we shall be found rejecting the one and
condoning the other. "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in
sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves" (Matthew
7:15): how shall we heed this injunction unless we carefully measure
every preacher we hear by the Word of God? "Have no fellowship with
the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them" (Eph.
5:11): in order to obey this we are obliged to exercise a judgment as
to what are "works of darkness." "We command you, brethren, in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every
brother that walketh disorderly" (2 Thess. 3:6): this compels us to
decide who is "walking disorderly." "Mark them which cause divisions
and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid
them" (Rom. 16:17): this requires us to determine who are guilty of
such things. Thus it is abundantly clear that our Lord's prohibition
in Matthew 7:1, is by no means to be taken absolutely.
There are four kinds of judging which are lawful and required by the
Word: two public and two private. First, ecclesiastical judgment. This
belongs chiefly to the minister, who in preaching God's Word judges
men by admonishing their sins, and in his private dealings he must be
faithful to their souls and rebuke where necessary. The judgment of
the Church is exercised when it decides upon the credibility of the
profession of one applying for membership: so too in the maintenance
of discipline and exclusion of those who refuse to heed its reproofs.
Second, civil government. This pertains to the magistrate, whose
office it is to examine those charged with criminal offences, giving
judgment according to the laws of the land, acquitting the innocent,
sentencing those proved guilty. Legitimate private judgment is first
where one man in a Christian manner reprehends another for his sins,
which is required by the Lord (Lev. 19:17) and second where the
grosser faults of notorious offenders are condemned and others
informed thereof that they may be warned against them.
"Judge not:" that which is here forbidden is unlawful judging of our
fellows, of which we will instance a variety of cases. First,
officiously or magisterially, which lies outside the prerogative of
the private individual: this is assuming such an authority over others
as we would not allow them to exercise over us, since our rule is to
be "subject one to another and be clothed with humility" (1 Pet. 5:5).
We are required both by the law of nature (which includes rationality
and prudence) and the Scriptures to judge of things, and persons too,
as we meet them in the sphere of duty, but to judge whatever lies
outside of our path and province is forbidden. "Study to be quiet and
to do your own business" (1 Thess. 4:11): if we give full and proper
heed to this Divine precept we shall have little or no leisure left to
pry into the affairs of others. That which our text prohibits is the
passing beyond our legitimate sphere, that taking upon us to judge
that which is not set before us for judgment, intruding into the
circle of others: "let none of you suffer. . . as a busybody in other
men's matters" (1 Pet. 4:15).
Second, "judge not" presumptuously, which is done when we treat mere
suspicions or unconfirmed rumors as though they were authenticated
facts, and when we ascribe actions to springs which lie outside the
range of our cognizance. To pass judgment on the motives of another,
which are open to none save the eye of Omniscience, is highly
reprehensible, for it is an intrusion upon the Divine prerogative, an
invading of the very office of God. "Who art thou that judgest another
man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth" (Rom. 14:4)
places the Divine ban upon such conduct. A notable example of what is
here interdicted is recorded in Job 1. When the Lord commended His
servant unto Satan, saying "Hast thou considered My servant Job, that
there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one
that feareth God and escheweth evil?" the evil one answered, "Doth Job
fear God for nought? Hast not Thou made an hedge about him, and about
his house, and about all that he hath on every side? Thou hast blessed
the work of his hands and his substance is increased in the land: but
put forth Thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will
curse Thee to Thy face" (vv. 8-11), suggesting that Job only served
God for the gain thereof. Thus to judge presumptuously the motives of
another is devilish!
Third, "judge not" hypocritically. This form of unlawful judgment was
particularly before our Lord on this occasion, as appears from the
verses which immediately follow. The one who is quick to detect the
minor faults of others while blind to or unconcerned about his own
graver sins is dishonest, pretending to be very precise while giving
free rein to his own lusts. Such two-facedness is most reprehensible
in the sight of God, and to all right-minded people too. "Therefore
thou art inexcusable O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for
wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyseIf; for thou that
judgest doest the same things" (Rom. 2:1). No matter what may be his
social standing, his educational advantages, his religious profession,
the one who is guilty of partiality, who censures in others that which
he allows in himself, is inexcusable and self-condemned. That even
true, yea, eminent, saints are liable to this grievous sin appears
from the case of David, for when Nathan propounded the instance of the
rich man sparing his own flock and seizing the one lamb of his poor
neighbor's, David's anger was greatly kindled and he adjudged the
transgressor as worthy of death, while lying himself under guilt
equally heinous (2 Sam. 12:1-11).
Fourth, "judge not" hastily or rashly. Before thinking the worst of
any person we must make full investigation and obtain clear proof that
our suspicions are well grounded or the report we heard is a reliable
one. Before the Most High brought upon the world the confusion of
languages it is said that He "came down to see the city and the tower
which the children of men builded" (Gen. 11:5), as though He would
personally investigate their conduct before He passed sentence upon
them. So again, before He destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah,
He said, "I will go down now, and see whether they have done
altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto Me" (Gen.
18:21). Thus God would teach us that before we pass sentence in our
minds upon any offender we must take the trouble of obtaining decisive
proof of his guilt. We are expressly commanded "judge not according to
the appearance (John 7:24), for appearances are proverbially
deceptive. Always go to the transgressor and give him an opportunity
to clear himself: "he that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it
is folly and shame unto him" (Prov. 18:13).
Fifth, "judge not unwarrantably, which is to go beyond the rule which
is set before us. In God's Word certain things are commended, certain
things condemned, yet there is another class of things on which the
Scriptures pronounce no verdict, which we term "things indifferent,"
and to condemn anyone for using such things is to be "righteous over
much" (Eccl. 7:16). It was for just such offences that the apostle
reproved some of the saints at Rome, who were sitting in judgment upon
their brethren over different things as "meat and drink." So too he
admonished the Colossians who were being brought into bondage by the
"Touch not, taste not, handle not of the "commandments and doctrines
of men" (2:20-23). The Holy Spirit points out that in such cases to
judge a brother is to "speak evil of the law" (Jas. 4:11), which means
that he who condemns a brother for anything which God has not
proscribed regards the Law as being faulty because it has not
prohibited such things. "He who quarrels with his brother and condemns
him for the sake of anything not determined in the Word of God, does
there by reflect on His Word, as if it were not a perfect rule"
(Matthew Henry).
Sixth, "judge not" unjustly or unfairly, ignoring everything that is
favorable in another and fixing only on that which is unfavorable. It
is often far from being an easy matter to secure all the materials and
facts which in any case are necessary to form a judgment, yet to
pronounce judgment without them is to run a serious hazard of doing
another a cruel injustice. Many a one has rashly condemned another
who, had he known all, might have approved or at least pitied him.
Again, it is very unjust to censure one who has sincerely done his
best simply because his effort falls short of what satisfies us. Much
unjust judgment proceeds from a spirit of revenge and a desire to do
mischief. When David sent his servants to comfort Hanun, the king of
Ammon, upon the death of his father, that king suffered his nobles to
persuade him that the servants of David were spies on an evil mission
(2 Sam. 10): a horrible war was the outcome-behold how great a fire a
little matter kindleth!
Seventh, "judge not" unmercifully. While on the one hand we are
certainly not, as far too many today appear to think, obliged to
regard one who holds fundamental error or one who is thoroughly
worldly as a good Christian, yet on the other hand the law of charity
requires us to put the best construction we can on doubtful actions,
and never without proof ascribe good ones to evil principles or
motives. God does not require us to call darkness light or evil good,
nevertheless since we are so full of sin ourselves and so prone to
err, we must ever be on our guard lest we call light darkness and good
evil. We are not to go about with our eyes closed nor wink at sin when
we see it, yet it is equally wrong for us to hunt for something to
condemn and seize upon every trifle and magnify molehills into
mountains. We are not to make a man an offender for a word, nor harbor
suspicions where there is no evidence. Many a one has condemned
another, where no ground for judgment existed, out of personal
jealousy and ill will, which is doing Satan's work. May the Lord
graciously deliver both writer and reader from all these forms of
unlawfully judging others.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Forty
Judging Others
___________________________________
"Judge not, that ye be not judged" (v. 1). In the previous chapter we
were obliged, so as not to exceed the usual length, to confine
ourselves unto the first part of this brief verse. In it we sought to
show what is here not forbidden, that there is a lawful judging which
God requires us to exercise, both in public and in private. Then we
pointed out no less than seven forms of unlawful judging, indicating
that this prohibition of Christ's is a very comprehensive one. Our
apology, if such be needed, for entering into so much detail is,
first, because these words "judge not" are so frequently misunderstood
and misapplied; and second, because the sin which is here forbidden is
a very grievous one and has become exceedingly common. Some Christians
are more prone to it than others, one in one way and one in another.
It is a sin which may be committed in the house of prayer. When the
minister is rebuking some evil or failure in some particular duty,
there are often those present who will conclude he is addressing
himself to some others in the congregation, which is one reason why so
many reap so little from hearing the Word preached.
Now since it be wrong for us to judge one of our brethren or even our
fellows presumptuously, hypocritically, hastily, unwarrantably,
unjustly or unmercifully, how much more heinous must it be for us to
give audible expression to the same and transmit it to others! Equally
so is it for those who listen to us to repeat the same. "Thou shalt
not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people" (Lev. 19:16): yet
who among us can plead innocence therein? Alas, how many there are,
now that the pulse of love beats so feebly, who take a devilish
pleasure in spreading evil reports of fellow members and enlarging on
the same. "A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a
faithful spirit concealeth the matter" (Prov. 11:13). Equally
reprehensible is it for us to censure and hold up to scorn those of
another denomination, unless the Scriptures plainly condemn them.
"Speak evil of no man's (Titus 3:2) forbids us expressing anything to
the discredit or disadvantage of another to anyone but to oneself,
except where duty demands it-the putting others on their guard against
an evil-doer or a doctrinal corrupter.
It should be pointed out that veracity is not the only virtue which
needs to be exercised whenever we make report of the character and
conduct of another. To say of such and such a person, "He possesses
this or that virtue, but-well, least said, soonest mended," is far
worse than saying nothing at all, for such an utterance insinuates to
our hearers that there is some grave evil in the party to whom we have
alluded. We may say nothing but what is the truth, yet by the very
manner in which we express ourselves suggest that a certain person is
not to be trusted. Thus when David came to Ahimelech begging bread for
his men and requesting some weapon, and the priest granted him the
sword of Goliath (1 Sam. 21), Doeg, who witnessed the transaction, put
his knowledge to a wicked use by reporting the same unto Saul,
implying that Ahimelech had entered into a conspiracy with David
against the king's life; and the telling of the truth from such an
evil motive and in such a manner cost the lives of eighty-five priests
(1 Sam. 22:18): again we say, Behold how great a fire a little matter
kindleth!
"Judge not, that ye be not judged." After the commandment there
follows a reason which is designed to cause us to make conscience of
forming and expressing unlawful judgments; or, more accurately
speaking, the second part of the verse is a dissuasive, a warning
against the sin forbidden at the beginning of it. But precisely what
is the nature of this warning, exactly what did our Lord here have in
mind? Nearly all the expositors see in it nothing more than a threat
that we must be prepared for our fellows treating us just as we treat
them: that if we asperse people, others will slander us; that if we be
harsh and censorious in the estimates we form of our fellows, then we
in turn shall receive unkind treatment, being paid back again in our
own coin. On the other hand, if we be charitable and merciful, ready
to think the best and slow to think the worst of any, then others will
in turn deal gently and considerately with our reputation. In brief,
that the words "that ye be not judged" signify lest ye be unlawfully
and unfairly judged by men.
Now we do not believe this common interpretation of Christ's warning
gives the full or even the principal force of it, and that for several
reasons. First, because the usual sense accorded it is one which has
little weight with those who are walking with God. It is true there
are many professing Christians who are greatly concerned about what
others think and say of them, who are most anxious to shine in their
eyes, who are very jealous of their own reputations and easily hurt if
anyone slights them or speaks a word against them, yet all of this has
its roots in pride and self-esteem. But one who is walking with God,
who is painfully conscious of the plague of his heart, who in some
measure at least sees himself as God sees him, is so thoroughly aware
of his awful corruptions, his many inward and outward defects, that he
knows quite well that the worst men can say against him falls far
short of the estimate he has of himself. The one who unsparingly
judges himself is unruffled by the criticisms of others.
When one is truly walking with God his only concern is what his Divine
Master thinks of him. If he makes conscience of all that displeases
Him, if he daily confesses to Him every known sin and begs Him to
cleanse him from sins of ignorance and omission, if he be sincerely
endeavoring to walk in the path of obedience, it will trouble him very
little what other worms of the dust think or say about him. He is
conscious of the fact that God knows his heart, that if only he has
the approbation of the Lord this is worth infinitely more than the
highest esteem of all mankind. Said the apostle Paul, "But with me it
is a very small thing that I should be judged of you" (1 Cor. 4:3):
their opinion mattered nothing, his responsibility was not unto them.
"Yea, I judge not mine self," he added: Christ alone is my Lord and
Judge, by Him I stand or fall. Blessed liberty is it when we are
delivered from being in bondage to the fickle opinions and estimates
of man, who will one day cry Hosannah" and the next day "crucify."
It is not that walking with God produces a spirit of egotism which
causes one to have so high regard of himself that he considers he is
outside the range of human judgment: no, far otherwise. Nor will he
disdain a correction or admonition when he needs it: rather will he
say with David, "Let the righteous smite me, it shall be a kindness;
and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not
break my heady' (Ps. 141:5). A truly humble soul will weigh before God
the reproofs of the righteous. "Rebuke a wise man, and he will love
thee" (Prov. 9:8), for he knows full well that "faithful are the
wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." "As an
earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover
upon an obedient ear" (Prov. 25:12): alas, how few with an "obedient
ear" are now left! But while welcoming needful reproofs and being
thankful for the faithful dealings of those who wish him well, this is
vastly different from being the prey of public opinion, fearful of
being misunderstood, wondering what one and another will say of us,
even while we are doing that which is right.
Second, we find it very difficult to persuade ourselves that when the
Lord said "Judge not, that ye be not judged" He had reference to
nothing else, nothing more solemn and searching than, Refrain from
passing unlawful judgment upon others lest you meet with the same
treatment at the hands of your fellows. Such a warning has little
weight with the majority of professors and none at all with those who
are walking in the fear of God, for where His fear possesses the heart
it is delivered from the fear of man. Furthermore, it seems entirely
out of accord with the whole tenor of His Sermon, with the searching
character of all its details, that He should introduce and make so
prominent (note the following verse) what is after all but a secular
motive. In a discourse, one chief design of which was to make plain
the spirituality of the Christian character in contrast with the
worldly character of the Pharisee, Christ would surely employ a
weightier dissuasive than the mere fear of suffering from the fickle
judgments of fellow mortals.
Third, and what is more decisive, the idea that "judge not, that ye be
not judged" means we shall in this matter reap in this world exactly
as we sow-that if we defame others we also shall be defamed, that if
we refrain from rashly and censoriously censuring others we shall
ourselves be spared the experience-will not stand the test of Holy
Writ. Apply it to the Lord Jesus Christ and the treatment which He met
with from man: He never unjustly or unmercifully censured another, yet
how frequently were false and cruel charges preferred against Him.
Apply the principle to the life of the apostle Paul and see how
completely it breaks down; can we suppose that God had employed him to
write 1 Corinthians 13 had he been of a censorious, carping,
pharisaical spirit? Yet he was "defamed" on every side and accounted
"the offscouring of all things" (1 Cor. 4:13)! No, such an
explanation, such a theory, will stand neither the test of Scripture
nor of Christian experience and observation today.
"Judge not, that ye be not judged." In view of what has been pointed
out we cannot avoid the conviction that many of the commentators
unwittingly toned down this solemn portion of the Truth, blunting the
sharp edge of the sword of the Spirit, for it seems clear to us that
some vastly more awe-inspiring motive was in our Lord's mind, a far
weightier dissuasive from the sin forbidden than the treatment we
shall meet with at the hands of our fellows. We are persuaded that
what Christ here had reference to was not the judgments of men but the
judgments of God, not the decisions of time but the verdicts of
eternity. In reality it is but a sop for the conscience, a sewing of "
pillows to all armholes" (Ezek. 13:18), to tell people if they be
guilty of transgressing this precept and unlawfully judging others
that all they have to fear is being unrighteously judged by their
fellows. But for Christ to declare that such conduct will meet with
Divine judgment at the Awful Assize is a warning which may well make
the most thoughtless to consider and the stoutest heart to quake.
But it should be pointed out that this warning of Christ's is not to.
be understood as meaning: If you be generous in the verdicts you pass
upon others, God will be lenient in His judgment concerning you; that
if you be harsh and cruel, God will deal severely with you. No,
whatever our judgments of others may be, God's judgment will be
"according to truth" and that without "respect of persons" (Rom. 2:2,
11). Thus we understand our Lord to mean: Beware of forming wrong
judgments of your brethren and fellow men, especially hasty and
unmerciful ones, for all your judgments are to be reviewed in the
searching light of God's throne, and by those judgments you are
yourselves to be then judged. Not that the judgments we form of each
other are to be the sole test by which our profession will be weighed
and our character tried, but that this will be one of the tests. "By
thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be
condemned" (Matthew 12:37) will be another; our treatment of Christ's
brethren, as Matthew 25 plainly intimates, will be yet another. Take
care then that your judgments of others be such as will endure the
scrutiny of the Divine Judge, for if they are not they must lead to
disapproval.
We are well aware of the fact that what we have said above is contrary
to most of the teaching of the day even in orthodox circles. So much
emphasis has been laid upon certain favorite verses that the balance
of Truth has been lost here, as it has almost everywhere else. Such a
statement as He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath He
seen perverseness in Israel" (Num. 23:21) has been interpreted to mean
that God looks not upon His people as they are in themselves but ever
views them in Christ, and therefore sees them as without any sin. But
such an idea is flatly contradicted by Holy Writ. God does take
cognizance of our sins and plainly declares: "If His children forsake
My law and walk not in My judgments; . . . If they break My statutes
and keep not My commandments; . . . Then will I visit their
transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes" (Ps.
89:30-32). Believers are required to confess their sins, and both
their forgiveness and cleansing are made contingent thereon (1 John
1:9). It is blessedly true that the believer has a perfect standing or
status before God, yet that must not be made to swallow up his state
and present case.
We would not for a moment consciously weaken the glorious force of
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ
Jesus" (Rom. 8:1), and "he that heareth My Word, and believeth on Him
that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into
condemnation [Greek "judgment "I; but is passed from death unto life"
(John 5:24). Yet those verses must not be understood in such a way as
to clash with other portions of God's Word, such, for example, as "For
the time is come that judgment must begin at the House of God" (1 Pet.
4:17). No born-again soul shall ever suffer the eternal judgment of
God, for he has for ever passed beyond the reach of penal death or the
curse of the Law, Christ having suffered the curse on his behalf. But
though beyond the curse of the Law, Christians are subject to the
government of God, and that government will not make light of
wrongdoing nor relinquish its righteous requirements. Sin is no less
sinful when committed by a believer than by an unbeliever, and unless
it be repented of or put right before God in this life it will have to
he put right in the Day to come. And who that loves holiness would
wish it were otherwise? Many a breach between fellow Christians is
never healed in this world: must not things be put right between them
before they can spend eternity together in heaven?
Both the orthodox pulpit and what is regarded as sound literature
convey the impression that no matter how grievously the Christian may
have failed in his duty, he has nothing to fear so far as the next
life is concerned, that however careless and fruitless he has been,
unclouded bliss awaits him after death. But between death and eternity
proper is the Day of Judgment! But the Truth is now so watered down
and so accommodated to the carnal mind that the Lord's people are led
to believe complacently that so far as they are concerned that Day
will be solely one of receiving rewards and words of praise. But this
writer does not so read the Scriptures: he finds another class of
passages which set forth quite a different aspect of the Truth, and
though these passages be almost universally shelved, or "explained
away" when pressed upon the attention of those claiming to be
Christians, he dare not ignore them or fritter them down.
"But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought
thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of
Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall
bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God" (Rom. 14:10-11). We
merely call attention to the bare fact that the judgment seat of
Christ is here set before believers as a solemn motive to refrain from
judging their brethren, a motive which will have no force if
commendation is all they are to receive there; and that this warning
is immediately followed with "So then every one of us shall give
account of himself to God": that this rendering of accounts will be
something more than a mere formality scarcely needs to be pointed out.
"Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare
it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every
man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath
built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be
burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as
by fire" (1 Cor. 3:13-15). This has reference to the adjudication of
the labours of Christ's servants, when their work will be subjected to
the searching scrutiny of Divine holiness: "saved, yet so as by fire"
certainly does not suggest a happy experience-not that we understand
there is anything in these verses which furnishes the slightest
support to the popish "purgatory." Ministers would do well seriously
to ponder this passage and turn it into earnest prayer.
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ: that every
one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath
done, whether good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:10). The "we" takes in the whole
election of grace, all who are redeemed by Christ. That there will be
something more than the handing out of bouquets is plainly intimated
in "that every one may receive the things done in the body, according
to that he hath done, whether good or bad." An awe-inspiring
description of Christ in His office of Judge (when inspecting and
passing sentence upon His churches) is given in Revelation 1, where He
is seen with "His eyes as a flame of fire; And His feet like unto fine
brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and His voice as the sound of
many waters" (vv. 14, 15). "Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to
the Lord, and not unto men" (Col. 3:23): observe the solemn motive
given for enforcing this solemn precept: "Knowing that of the Lord ye
shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord
Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he
hath done: and there is no respect of persons" (vv. 24 and 25): that
some will be "ashamed before Him" in that Day is clear from 1 John
2:28. May the Lord enable both writer and reader to live his life more
and more with the judgment seat of Christ before him.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Forty-One
Dissuasives From Judging Others
"For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what
measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest
thou the mote that is in thy brother's eve, but considerest not the
beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother,
Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in
thine own eve?"
Matthew 7:2-4
___________________________________
Two chapters have already been devoted to the opening verse of Matthew
vii. Following our usual custom we first dealt with it in a topical
manner. There is now so much confusion and misunderstanding of what is
meant by that prohibition "Judge not" that we felt it was necessary to
show at length what is not there forbidden and then point out what is
reprehended, seeking to set before the reader the fact that God does
not forbid us making use of the critical faculty with which He has
endowed us, but rather that we are required to exert it and form an
estimate of whatever we meet with in the path of duty-otherwise, how
else shall we escape being deceived by false appearances and imposed
upon by every impostor we meet? On the other hand, there are many
forms of unlawfully judging others, against which we must be much on
our guard, the principal of which we sought to describe. Second, we
endeavoured to explain the first reason by which Christ enforced this
prohibition-"that ye be not judged." This is a far more solemn
dissuasive than is commonly believed: referring not so much to the
treatment we shall receive from our fellows, but of the Divine
disapproval at the judgment seat of Christ.
"For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what
measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again" (v. 2). These
words contain an amplification of the dissuasive employed by our Lord
against unlawful judging at the close of the preceding verse. They
warn us that there is One above whose eye is ever upon us and His ear
open to every word we utter. If that solemn fact were more seriously
laid to heart by us, it would act as a powerful restraint upon us. If
we add to that weighty consideration the yet more awe-inspiring truth
that we shall yet have to render an account unto God and that His
dealings with us in that Day will be regulated by how we have dealt
with our fellows, well may we take heed to our ways. "Your judging of
others shall afford materials for your being judged, and the measure
we have dealt out to others shall be employed, in part, as the ground
of determining what measure shall be awarded us. It is just as if our
Lord had said, Judging is a serious matter, for it brings after it a
fearfully important consequence (John Brown).
Though the Christian stands in a radically and vitally different
relation to God than the reprobate, yet both the regenerate and the
unregenerate are alike the subjects of His righteous government, and
He will no more wink at the sins of the one than He will at the sins
of the other. True, the believer does not and will not suffer the
penal consequences of his sins, for those were visited upon his
gracious Substitute. True he will not have to answer for any of the
sins he committed in the days of his unregeneracy, for they have all
been "blotted out" by the precious blood of the Lamb and removed from
before the face of God "as far as the east is from the west. Nor do we
believe that those sins committed after he became a Christian, and
which he has truly repented of and confessed to God, will come up
before him at the judgment seat of Christ, for they are "forgiven" and
from their unrighteousness he is "cleansed (1 John 1:9). Nevertheless,
it seems clear to us from Scripture that those sins which the
Christian has not repented of and confessed, and those wrongs against
his brethren which are not put right in this life, must be reviewed
and put right in the Day to come.
"For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what
measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." Surely these
words of Christ are very far from conveying the idea that His people
may unlawfully judge others without fear of any unpleasant
consequences attending such a course of conduct: that they mar
unjustly, uncharitably and unmercifully pass judgment on their
fellows, yea, upon their brethren, and then console themselves that
they will not be called upon to give an account of such reprehensible
behavior in the Day of Judgment. The fallacy of such a concept should
at once appear in the light of all that is revealed of the Divine
character. It is not so much a matter of appealing to specific
statements of Holy Writ, as it is of bearing in mind the general
Analogy of Faith: the ineffable holiness of God, the uniform dealings
of Him who is no respecter of persons, the One whose throne is founded
upon justice and judgment. It is the basic and broad principles of the
Divine government which enable us to envisage its particular exercise
and application to any given case.
In all of God's dealings with His people grace and righteousness are
outstandingly manifested, and never one without the other. It is by
grace they are saved, yet that very salvation is the proof of Christ's
having satisfied every demand of Divine righteousness in their behalf.
Though our God be "the God of all grace" (1 Pet. 5:10), yet His grace
reigns and is ever exercised toward us "through righteousness" (Rom.
5:21) and never at the expense of it. Why then should it be thought
strange if both the righteousness and the grace of God should be
displayed when He deals with His own people at the judgment seat of
Christ? While it be blessedly true that "grace" will be brought to us
"at the revelation [second coming] of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:13), yet
will not the dark background of sin be needed in order that grace may
shine forth the more illustriously? If the believer is confronted with
his unrepented sins, will he not then perceive as never before that
doom which he justly deserves and marvel at the grace which delivers
him from such a doom? If his sins be. not brought up then, what need
would there be that "he may find mercy of the Lord in that Day" (2
Tim. 1:18)!
In view of what has been said above it may be replied, But does not
God visit upon His wayward people the governmental consequences of
their sins in this life? Are they not made to reap here what they have
sown? If they are harsh in their judgment of others does not the
overruling and righteous hand of God so order things that they meet
with similar treatment at the hands of their fellows? And even if that
be not always the case, yet does not retribution smite them in their
conscience, so that their peace is marred and their joy greatly
diminished? Against this we have nothing further to say, except that
God in His sovereignty may deal more gently with one than with another
offender. But what we would point out is that there is nothing
whatever said in this passage (nor, so far as we are aware, in any
other) that the judgment which Christ announces as coming upon the
offender is one that is limited to this life, and where He has not so
qualified it, we dare not.
In reply to our last remark it may be asked what Scriptures we have
which warrant the idea that the sins of believers are to be dealt with
(or as we would prefer to express it "be reviewed and righted") in the
Day to come. Answer: In addition to those alluded to at the close of
the preceding article we would cite, "I charge thee therefore before
God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead
at His appearing and His kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in
season, out of season" (2 Tim. 4:1, 2). In this passage the apostle is
urging Timothy to persevere in the work to which he had been called,
warning him that the time would come when sound doctrine would be
objectionable to the hearers of it, when they should turn away their
ears from the Truth unto fables: nevertheless, says Paul, "But watch
thou in all things, endure afflictions" (vv. 3-5). That pressing
injunction was enforced by the solemn consideration brought before him
at the beginning of the chapter: the living and the dead should be
judged at the appearing of his Master. But how could that judgment be
a powerful persuasive unto fidelity and diligence unless his ministry
was to be thoroughly reviewed in that Day? Wherein lay its solemnity
unless he would have to give a full account of his stewardship?
"So speak ye and so do as they that shall be judged by the law of
liberty" (Jas. 2:12). This is a most weighty and solemn exhortation,
one which professing Christians of this heedless generation need
seriously and honestly to ponder. The "Law of Liberty" is a Divine
appellation of the Moral Law (the ten commandments), as is made
unmistakably clear by the immediate context. In verse 9 believers are
warned that if they have "respect to persons, that is, cherish and
exercise a spirit of partiality, esteeming the wealthy member of the
church more highly than the poorer ones (see vv. 1-5), they are guilty
of sin, being "convinced [brought in guilty] of the Law as
transgressors," for the Law requires us to love our neighbour as
ourselves. Those who committed this offence might deem it a trivial
one, far less heinous than adultery or murder; so the apostle reminds
his readers that the Law is a unit and its authority uniform, and
therefore to break any part of it brings in the transgressor as guilty
of breaking it as a whole (vv. 10, 11).
From what had been affirmed in verses 9-11 the apostle draws a
seasonable exhortation, one which would be really startling unto many
today if they pondered and believed it: the Lord's people are bidden
to conduct their lives now in the realization that they are yet to be
judged by the Law, they should order their speeches and actions in the
light of the Day to come if they would then survive the test of the
Law. So far from the Christian having nothing to do with the Law, he
is yet going to be examined by it, as to how near or how far short his
behavior has come in meeting its requirements. For though believers
have been delivered from the Law as a covenant of works, yet it is
still their rule of conduct; though they have been freed from its
terrors (its curse), they have not been freed from its
requirements-obedience. To unbelievers that Law is a Law of bondage
and death, but to those who have by grace been made partakers of the
nature of the Lawgiver it is one of freedom and life: said David "I
will walk at liberty: for I seek Thy precepts (Ps. 119:45).
Though the Law be one of liberty, it is not one of license: so far
from it, the Law will be the rule of the Christian's judgment and
therefore is he bidden so to order his speech and conduct that he may
endure its trial in the Day to come. Solemn indeed is it to know that
our speeches, as well as our actions, shall come under the judicature
of God. Still more solemn is the next verse: "For he shall have
judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth
against judgment" (Jas. 2:13). Those who have dealt unmercifully with
others shall find no mercy with God, but they who have acted leniently
and charitably shall then receive fulfillment of that promise "Blessed
are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy" (Matthew 5:7)-their
having dealt mercifully with their fellows is not the cause why God
will then extend mercy towards them but is the evidence they will
receive it. They who have been merciful will endure the test of the
Law, for they shall not only find judgment tempered with mercy but
overcome by it, for God will rejoice to deal mercifully with those who
imitated Himself.
"For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what
measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again" (v. 2). In this
amplification of the preceding sentence it seems to us our Lord
declares that the more rigidly or strictly we judge others, the more
strictly will God yet judge us. In other words, the more light we had,
the more we expected and demanded that the conduct of others should
square with our rule or measure up to the standard of our
apprehension, then let us know that God will deal with us accordingly.
There will be no room for us to plead ignorance, for we shall be
judged by the very light we had and insisted that others should walk
according to-compare Luke 12: 47, 48, for an illustration of this
principle. As Matthew Henry's commentary says on James 3:1, "Those who
set up themselves for judges and censurers shall receive the greater
condemnation. Our judging others will but make our judgment the more
strict and severe. Those who are curious to spy into the faults of
others and arrogate a power in passing censures upon them, may expect
that God will be as extreme in marking what they say and do amiss."
"And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but
considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou
say to thy brother, let me pull out the mote of thine eye; and,
behold, a beam is in thine own eye?" (vv. 3, 4). These verses contain
a second dissuasive from forming unlawful censures upon our brethren.
Reduced to its simplest terms the reason may be expressed thus: no one
is qualified or fit to censure another while he is himself an even
greater offender. One would think this so obvious that there was
scarcely need to state it, still less to urge it; yet experience
proves that all of us are so corrupted by sin, so prone to act the
part of a Pharisee, that we have real need to be warned thereon and to
translate the warning into earnest prayer. Unless we take heed of the
corruptness of our nature and are constantly on our guard against
indulging depravity, breaking forth in this reprehensible and vile
form, we shall soon find ourselves guilty of the very species of
hypocrisy which our Lord here condemned, yea, it is much to be feared
that if we reviewed the past and diligently examined ourselves, not
one of us -could truthfully claim to be free from this fault.
The first thing taught by this parabolic utterance of Christ's is that
sin exerts a blinding influence. Most clearly is this evidenced by the
unregenerate, for though blind to their own terrible condition they
are quick to perceive the faults and failings of others. And
regeneration does not free the believer from this evil tendency, for
sin still indwells him, and just in proportion as he fails to judge
himself unsparingly will he be inclined to censure others. The second
thing intimated by Christ's figurative language is that there are
degrees of sin, as appears from the "mote" and the "beam," just as
when He charged the scribes and Pharisees with straining at a "gnat"
and swallowing a "camel" (Matthew 23:34). Not that we may draw the
conclusion that any sins are mere trifles, for there can be no such
thing as a little sin against a great God, nevertheless there are
degrees of heinousness and guilt in different transgressions, as is
clear from Matthew 11:23 24; John 19:11; Hebrews 10:29. The contrast
pointed by Christ is between one who allows some lust to prevail over
him and yet presumes to criticize another for some infirmity or minor
offence.
Our Lord's questions "Why seest thou the mote?" and "How sayest thou
to thy brother, Let me pull out" have the force of, With what face,
with what honesty, can you act thus? Upon what ground do you set up
yourself as a scrutinizer and critic of the actions of others? Does
such a course of procedure issue from a good conscience? Here our Lord
teaches us that our deeds and words, yea, our very thoughts also, must
be conceived and uttered on a good ground and in a proper manner. In
Ecclesiastes 5:1, 2, we are forbidden to speak rashly in the house of
prayer or utter anything which has not been duly weighed, and here our
Saviour extends this rule to every thought of our hearts and word of
our mouths which concern our brethren. For by "brother" here we
understand a fellow member of the Household of Faith, which is what
makes Christ's admonition the more solemn and searching, for it is a
far more serious offence to wrong a brother or sister in Christ than a
worldling: in wounding the former we are wounding Christ Himself (Acts
9:1, 4).
"And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye?" The
majority of the commentators take the view that "brother" here has
merely the force of "neighbour," for they consider it is quite
inadmissible to regard as truly regenerate one whom our Lord
designates a "hypocrite": whatever difficulty that may raise we shall
deal with it when we come to verse 5. To us it seems clear that it is
two Christians who are in view, from the circumstance that the "eye"
mentioned is not altogether blind (which is spiritually the case with
the regenerate) but merely contains some foreign substance which needs
removing. Another thing suggested by the figure used by our Lord on
this occasion is that the "eye" (the understanding or faculty of
spiritual discernment) may be quite sound in itself though temporarily
damaged or put out of action by the presence of an intruding particle:
hence there is a tacit but real warning for us against being too ready
to denounce the inward condition of a brother simply because of some
outward act, which may be but the temporary result of neglect in
watching and prayer, followed by a temptation from without.
The first thing which Christ here reprehends is what we may term the
deliberateness and partiality of such conduct. The offender is
pictured as one who is definitely on the lookout for blemishes in his
brother, fixing his gaze on such: "why beholdest thou the mote that is
in thy brother's eye?" has the force of, How can you justify this
wretched practice of so eagerly searching for and so fixedly
concentrating upon his infirmities?-for a "mote" in the eye of another
could only be detected by one who was watching him very closely. It is
as though he is determined to overlook all that is good in his
brother, fixing his unfriendly gaze upon the tiniest fault he can
discern in him. This is indeed a deplorable state of soul to get into,
one which we require to watch diligently and pray earnestly against.
To overlook all that which the Spirit has wrought in another and to be
occupied only with that which is of the flesh is displeasing to God,
unfair to the brother, and highly injurious to our own good.
Far worse is such a course of conduct when we ourselves are guilty of
much greater sins than the one we condemn in our brother, which is the
principal thing which Christ is here condemning. The glaring
impropriety of such a wretched procedure must at once be apparent to
all fair-minded people. What right have I to complain at a tiny mote
in another's eye when I suffer a beam to remain in my own? To appear
so very solicitous about the welfare of a brother as to be concerned
over his minutest failings and anxious to correct his slightest
faults, while I completely disregard my own sad and far worse state,
is nothing but a species of downright hypocrisy. Thus it was with the
scribes and Pharisees, who condemned Christ for healing the sick on
the Sabbath and censured His disciples for plucking ears of corn on
that day to appease their hunger and for eating with "unwashen hands,"
yet themselves were guilty of encouraging men to hold their parents in
contempt. But again we must remind ourselves that we too are Pharisees
by nature, and so deeply corrupted are our hearts and so prone to this
sin of rashly judging others that nothing but Divine grace-definitely
and daily sought by us-can preserve us from the committal thereof.
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http://www.pbministries.org. All rights reserved.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Forty-Two
Helping Erring Brethren
"Thou hypocrite, first cast Out the beam out of thine own eye; and
then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's
eye."
Matthew 7:5
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The rule of conduct which the Word of God sets before us contains far
more than a series of negative prohibitions, forbidding certain
things: it also marks out a path to be walked in, setting forth
positive directions of action. To be preserved from sinning is good,
but to be impelled unto practical holiness is far better, the one
being the means of the other. It is not sufficient for the branches of
the vine to be kept free from blight and pests: they must produce
fruit if they are to justify their existence. It is not enough for a
garden to be clear of weeds: it must yield healthy vegetables if it is
to be of service to its owner. So of the Christian: "be not overcome
of evil" is only the first part of the duty laid upon him-"but
overcome evil with good" (Rom. 12:21) is what is especially required
of us. An illustration of this important principle, so frequently
inculcated by Christ and His apostles, appears in the passage now
before us. Our Lord did not stop short by merely condemning the evil
habit of unlawfully judging our brethren, but went on to give
instructions as to how we should deal with those needing assistance,
and particularly how we must deal with ourselves if we are to be
qualified for a ministry of helpfulness unto others.
From what our Lord has said in the opening verses of Matthew 7 it
might possibly be concluded that it is not permissible for us to
admonish a brother or seek the amendment of his fault, yet further
reflection should show us that that inference is entirely erroneous.
Christ has plainly warned us, "Think not that I am come to destroy the
law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil"
(Matthew 5:17)-"fulfil" it not only in His mediatorial and atoning
work, but in His teachings and by inspiring His followers to act
according to the requirements of the Law (Rom. 3:31; 7:22). Now the
Law had expressly enjoined, "Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine
heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin
upon him" (Lev. 19:17), and therefore it must not be supposed for a
moment that there was anything in the teaching of Christ which set
aside that statute. It cannot be insisted upon too strongly today that
there is not the slightest conflict between the Moral Law and the
Gospel, but rather the most perfect harmony. It cannot be otherwise,
since the Author of the one is equally the Author of the other, and He
"changeth not."
One of the most disastrous errors and follies of many preachers and
"Bible teachers" fifty years ago, the terrible effects of which are
now spread before those who have eyes to see, was their idea that
during the Old Testament era God's people were under the stern regime
of Law unrelieved by Divine grace, and that Christ came here to set
aside that harsh regime and bring in a much milder dispensation. Not
so: Christ came here to "magnify the law, and make it honorable" (Isa.
42:21). That Law needed no apology and no amendment, for it is "holy
and just and good," being "spiritual" (Rom. 7:12, 14). The sum of its
requirements is that we love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind
and strength and our neighbour as ourselves: and every requirement of
the Moral Law is enforced in the precepts of the Gospel. The great
difference between the Mosaic and the Christian dispensations lies not
in any change in the rule of conduct set before us, but in the more
effectual motives by which that rule is now enforced and the Divine
enablement which is now vouchsafed. As a nation Israel was
unregenerate and therefore the Law was "weak through the flesh" (Rom.
8:3); but Christians have received the spirit of "power" (2 Tim. 1:6)
and a holy nature which delights in the Law.
"Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any
wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him" (Lev. 19:17).
How different is the tenor of that from the maudlin sentimentality of
this effeminate generation. Nowadays, one who seeks to be faithful to
the standard of holiness and to his brethren is, in the vast majority
of instances, regarded as "lacking in love." People who speak thus
have no idea of what spiritual love is. Spiritual love is no sickly
sentiment but a holy principle. God is love, yet that prevents Him not
from using the rod on His children when they require it, but rather
moves Him to employ it. That parent who follows the line of least
resistance, allowing the children to do as they please and never
chastising them for their faults, is lacking in love towards his
offspring; but he who truly seeks their good, lays aside his own
feelings and inflicts corporal punishment when it is needed, is the
father who evidences the most love. Genuine love is faithful, sets
aside one's own interests and feelings, and ever seeks to promote the
well-being of the object of it.
Thus should it be between Christian brethren; thus it must be if
obedience is rendered to the Divine precepts. It is not love which
ignores a brother's failings, which refuses to perform the unpleasant
duty of seeking an amendment in his ways. No, it is a species of
hatred, as Leviticus 19:17, plainly intimates, for there is no third
quality between love and hatred, as there is no third alternative
between right and wrong. If I really have my brother's welfare at
heart, then love itself requires that I wink not at his sins, but
rather endeavour to save him from them-just as much as it would demand
me warning him when I perceive the first wisp of smoke issuing from
one of his windows: why wait till his house be half burned down before
giving the alarm? Furthermore, to ignore the sins of one with whom I
am intimate makes me (in some measure at least) a "partaker of them"
(1 Tim. 5:22), as is intimated by the alternative rendering of the
last clause of Leviticus 19:17: "that thou bear not sin for him"
(margin).
There was therefore nothing in Christ's teaching in Matthew 7 which in
any wise conflicted with Leviticus 19:17, but rather that which threw
light thereon. It was not the act of admonishing a brother which He
here forbade, but the wrong manner in which it may be done. This is
clear from the verse at which we have now arrived: "Thou hypocrite,
first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see
clearly to cast out the beam out of thy brother's eye." Here our Lord
makes known the course which we must follow if we are to be of real
help to those in whose case the old saying is likely to prove true, "a
stitch in time saves nine-helping to correct a man's fault often saves
from having to go to him about a much graver offence. But even here,
the removing of a tiny particle from the eye of another is not one
which any careless hand can successfully undertake, rather will such a
hand irritate the other's eye and make bad matters worse.
First a word needs to be said on the epithet used by Christ on this
occasion. It looks back to the case described in verses 3 and 4, where
this evil habit of rashly censuring others, to which we are all so
prone, is represented as one steadily fixing his unfriendly gaze upon
the mote that is in his brother's eye while indifferent to the beam
which is in his own-undertaking to correct some lesser fault in him
while allowing a much graver sin in himself. What else could our holy
Lord designate such a despicable person but a "hypocrite," that is,
the actor of a part, one pretending to be very zealous as to the
requirements of holiness while himself living in neglect of and
violating its plainest dictates? Uncompromising faithfulness would not
permit of Christ's using any milder term. Yet there is no more reason
why we should conclude from this word that the one to whom it is
applied was unregenerate than from His declaring to Peter "thou art an
offence to Me" (Matthew 16:23) or His terming two of His disciples
"fools" (Luke 24:25).
Had the one whom our Lord here addressed been an unregenerate soul,
not only would He have refrained from designating the one whom He
censured as "a brother," but we can scarcely conceive of Him going to
the pains of instructing one who was still dead in trespasses and sins
what he must first do in order that he might "see clearly to cast out
the mote out of his brother's eye." No, it appears to us that the Lord
designated this careless believer who failed to judge himself
unsparingly (though seeking to correct another) a "hypocrite" to
express His detestation of such conduct, to let us know how it appears
in His eyes, and therefore to bring home to our hearts the gravity of
a practice which we are so ready to tolerate in ourselves. Nothing is
more hateful to God than play-acting, and we are guilty of this very
thing when we pose as faithful guardians of our brother's interests
while we are faithless in our personal dealings with God Himself;
while nothing is more pleasing in His sight than honesty and
sincerity, which is the opposite of hypocrisy.
"First cast out the beam out of thine own eye" means be faithful in
dealing with yourself, unsparingly judging yourself before God,
putting away out of your heart and life whatsoever you know to he
displeasing unto Him. This is the grand remedy for the disease of
unlawfully judging others, as it is the chief requirement if you are
to be of any real help in ministering to your erring brethren. Not
only is it utterly incongruous for one who is allowing and indulging
in some flagrant lust to pose as being grieved over some infirmity in
another, but one who is almost totally blinded spiritually (by
arrogance and hypocrisy) is utterly incapable of performing such a
difficult and delicate operation as the removal of a mote from his
brother's eye: one who is under the influence of any gross sin not
only has his spiritual discernment obscured, but his spiritual
sensibilities are so blunted that he is unable to sympathize with a
suffering one: such a one is not only unfit to judge others, but
thoroughly disqualified as a critic and censor of their minor
failings.
Casting the beam out of my own eye signifies unqualified judging of
myself before God (1 Cor. 11:21). My first responsibility is to
diligently examine my own heart, carefully consider my own ways,
critically measure myself by the unerring standard of Scripture and
honestly and constantly confess my many sins to God (Lam. 3:40). If I
am sincerely desirous of pleasing God in all things, I shall beg Him
to show me what there is in my own life which is displeasing to Him
(Ps. 139:23, 24). If I truly long to show forth His praises (1 Pet.
2:9), I shall not excuse my fleshly conduct, but shall condemn it and
earnestly seek grace to forsake the same. And if I genuinely wish to
be of real spiritual help unto my erring brethren, I shall rigidly
purge myself of everything which would defeat such efforts. Only as I
am unflinchingly faithful with myself can I hope to be of any
assistance to others. Clear vision is needed to locate and remove a
"mote" from the eye of another, and clear vision comes only from my
own close walking with Him who is light (Ps. 36:9; John 8:12). How
much longer are we going to suffer the beam in our own eye?
One principal reason why we are so slow in casting the beam out of our
own eye is that we fail to "perceive" it, as is intimated by Christ in
verse 3. Obviously this does not mean that we are totally unaware of
its presence, but rather that we fail to make conscience of the same.
The expression "perceive it not" has reference to an act of the mind
which follows upon the bare sight of anything. consisting of serious
consideration and prolonged meditation. It is the word used in
"consider the lilies" of the field (Luke 12:27): that is, not only
look upon them but ponder them over in your mind. It is the word used
in "a man that beholdeth his natural face in a glass" (Jas. 1:23):
that is, who gazes steadily at it and considers each feature. Thus,
"perceive not" in Matthew 7:3, means a failure to consider and regard
attentively. If we are truly to perceive" the beam in our own eye,
with the purpose of casting it out, we must make conscience of the
same, seriously considering its heinousness in God's sight, laboring
to have our hearts affected by it. It should be obvious that we shall
never voluntarily and deliberately eject from our hearts and lives
that which we still love and cherish, and therefore we must labour to
have our hearts so affected by our lusts and sins that we shall sorrow
over and hate them. The converse of this is that awful deadness of
soul and security in sin, which if undisturbed is certain to lead to
the most fearful if not fatal consequences. Proof of this appears in
the case of the antediluvians, of whom Christ declared they "knew not
until the flood came and took them all away" (Matthew 24:29): though
they may have had some consciousness of their carnality and madness,
yet they thought not seriously thereon, and so remained secure in
their wickedness. A similar state of affairs existed in Israel in the
days of Jeremiah: the Lord complained that the people made no
conscience of their sins, remaining secure therein: "No man repented
him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done?" (8: 6). Nothing is
more serious and fatal than to commit sins and refuse to be humbled by
them, but instead to remain unconcerned. Sins must be laid to heart
and sorrowed over before they will be forsaken and expelled.
In order to be helpful at this point, it is necessary to be explicit,
so let us mention one or two things which are so often a "beam" in the
eyes of God's people. First, hypocrisy, which whenever it dominates
the heart prevents all spiritual growth and fruit. Christians are
guilty of allowing this vile weed to flourish far more than they are
aware of. This is the case where we are more anxious to please men
than the Lord; where we are more diligent in seeking to perform the
external requirements of the first table of the Law than of the
second-note how Christ pressed the commandment of the second table on
the rich young ruler (Luke 18:20)-where we are more careful to please
God in the outward action than we are with the strength of our hearts.
Another great "beam" is spiritual pride, which also is most abhorrent
unto Him with whom we have to do. This it is which makes us pleased
with ourselves, self-confident, and to look down upon others. It is an
inward poison which prevents the health of grace within. It is that
which marks Laodiceans (Rev. 3:17). Finally, any particular besetting
sin or lust which is not resisted and mortified soon assumes the
proportions of a "beam" and effectually blinds our judgment.
An important practical question which needs to be answered at this
stage is, What course should be followed in order that we may feel the
weight of these "beams" pressing upon our hearts? Surely it must be by
counteracting that tendency within us to regard our sins lightly, to
look upon our own constitutional faults as mere "motes," and that must
he done by faithfully examining them in the light of God's Word. More
particularly we ought to compare the sins of which we are guilty with
the original transgression of Adam. Are we not tolerating things in
our hearts and lives which are even greater evils than Adam's eating
of the forbidden fruit considered in the act? Yet by that sin he not
only brought death upon himself, but also upon all his posterity!
Again, if we would perceive and feel the exceeding sinfulness of our
sins we must view them in the light of Calvary, and observe the
fearful price which had to be paid for the atonement of them. Finally,
we must contemplate the heinousness and guilt of our sins in view of
the lake of fire and brimstone, for nothing short of everlasting
suffering is what they deserve.
It is only as we feel the dreadful weight of our sins and their
enormity in the sight of the Holy One that we shall really cry out,
"Hide Thy face from my sins and blot out all mine iniquities. Create
in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me" (Ps.
51:9, 10). But it is not sufficient that we sorrow over our sins and
seek God's forgiveness of them: we must labour to break them off and
amend our evil ways, striving by all means that sin may be weakened in
us more and more. It is the one who confesses and forsakes his sins
who finds mercy (Prov. 28:13): on the other band, "If I regard
iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me" (Ps. 66:18). Unless I
cast the beam out of my own eye, how can I attend to the mote in
another's? Unless I disallow and mortify my lusts I am totally
disqualified to rebuke sin in my brother. "Create in me a clean heart,
O God. . .Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways" (Ps. 51:10, 13);
when thou art converted, [recovered] strengthen thy brethren" (Luke
22:32)!
"And then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy
brother's eye." In order to remove a "mote" from another's eye one
must be close to hum! Therein Christ intimates who are the ones we
should seek to help by correcting their faults, namely those who are
near to us and not strangers: those who are members of our own family,
intimate friends, and those with whom we are in close church
fellowship. Much harm has been done through ignoring this obvious and
simple rule. My responsibility is first unto myself, then unto those
bearing intimate ties: alas, not only do many think highly of
themselves, but they allow sentiment to hinder faithful dealings with
those dear unto them. But this necessity of closeness to one from
whose eye I would remove a mote not only connotes a nearness of
relationship, but also a moral nearness, winning a p lace in his
affections and esteem; I cannot get close to another while standing on
a lofty pedestal of assumed self-superiority!
No service calls for more prayer, delicacy of feeling, spiritual
wisdom and meekness, than does this one. The motive impelling it must
he love: the end in view the glory of God: our aim the recovery of an
erring one. The eye is the most sensitive organ of the body and the
most easily damaged. A steady and gentle hand s required to extract
the foreign substance from it. Care should be taken in selecting the
best time to approach an erring brother, so that the reproof is likely
to be effectual: before Abigail admonished her husband for his
churlish conduct unto David, she waited till the wine had gone out of
his head (1 Sam. 25:36, 37)-never correct one while he is in a
towering rage. The nature of the fault in the erring one must be
weighed: whether it proceed from human frailty or be some deliberate
and high-handed sin, if we are to speak to him a word in season."
Pains should be taken to make him see that he is at fault, that he has
acted contrary to God's Word, for we are required to reprove and
rebuke "with all longsuffering and doctrine" (2 Tim. 4:2) and thereby
deliver the admonition not in our own name but in God's.
"Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual,
restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself,
lest thou also be tempted" (Gal. 6:1). Only he who "spiritual"-who
allows not sin in himself, walks softly with God- is fit to approach a
fellow believer for this necessary and difficult task. We are to
remember that we are so united together in one family and fellowship
that the wrongdoing of one concerns all, and that it is in the
interests of the whole household of faith to seek the restoration of
the erring one. Such restoration can only be per. formed "in the
spirit of meekness"-gentleness and lowliness of heart-for harshness
and arrogance repel, not win. Whatever fault he has committed, let us
not forget that but for Divine grace we too would fall in the same
way, as we acknowledge to God whenever we pray "lead us not into
temptation." What we say to him must not only be "a word in season"
but "fitly spoken" (Prov. 25:11)!
Finally, it should be pointed out that if we are to remove the mote
from another's eye he must he willing for us to do so-any spirit of
resistance makes the operation impossible. The very figure used by
Christ here plainly connotes that each of us should freely submit
ourselves to brotherly correction-"submitting yourselves one to
another in the fear of God" (Eph. 5:21). It is very reprehensible and
evidences a sad state of soul when we resent and oppose the faithful
admonitions of our Christian friends, like the Israelite said to Moses
when he reproved him, "Who made thee a prince and judge over us?" (Ex.
2:14). "Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction:
but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured" (Prov. 13:18). "He
that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth
reproof getteth understanding (Prov. 15:32). "It is better to hear the
rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools" (Eccl.
7:5): though the song of fools may be more pleasant to our ears, yet
the reproofs of the wise are more profitable to our souls, if we heed
the same.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Forty-Three
Unlawful Liberality
"Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your
pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn
again and rend you."
Matthew 7:6
___________________________________
Our present verse brings before us the seventh and shortest division
of our Lord's Sermon, for it manifestly treats of a different branch
of the Truth from any which has been dealt with in the previous
sections. Though Christ's language here be figurative (as so often in
this address), it is far from being ambiguous, yet its force and
purport were probably more easily perceived by His immediate audience
than by us. With few exceptions it is the state of our hearts rather
than the obscurity of its language which prevents our understanding
the meaning of some portion in Holy Writ. Such is certainly the case
here. It is greatly to be feared that there are many in Christendom
today who are much averse from heeding this Divine precept, and
therefore they pretend it is hard to be understood. None so blind as
those who refuse to see. How many smug professors in the churches
today would be highly offended if the minister dealt with them in the
same way as the Saviour did with the Canaanitish women, telling them,
"It is not meet to take the children's bread and to cast it to dogs"
(Matthew 15:26). Such discrimination does not at all suit this
latitudinarian age.
"Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your
pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn
again and rend you" (Matthew 7:6). It must be admitted that most of
the commentators appear to have experienced difficulty with this
verse, not because they found its terms obscure, but in the fixing of
their precise reference. It was not its interpretation which troubled
them so much as its application. The method we propose to follow in
our exposition of it is the following. First, to ascertain its precise
relation to the context. Second, to ponder it in the light of our
Lord's own example, for most assuredly He ever practiced what He
preached, and as we are called upon to "follow His steps" it is most
necessary for us to examine the path He trod-here as everywhere.
Third, to point Out its application to the ministers of Christ, for it
enunciates an important rule to regulate them in their dispensation of
the Word. And fourth, to show how this rule applies to the private
Christian. May the Spirit of Truth deign to guide our pen.
In examining the relation of our text to the context, we must take
into account both its more remote and nearer context. As we have so
often pointed out in this series of expositions, the principal key
which unlocks to us the contents of this Sermon is found in our Lord's
words, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets:
I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil" (v. 17). It therefore
behooves us to inquire, What was the teaching of the Law and the
prophets concerning the subject treated of in our text? The first
thing we learn there is that under the Law "dogs" and "swine" were
unclean and unholy animals, the Israelites being prohibited from using
them either for food or as sacrifices unto God, yea, they were not
permitted to bring "the price of a dog [the money from selling one]
into the house of the Lord" (Deut. 23:18). Second, we should observe
that the term "dog" was applied to persons of worthless character (1
Sam. 17:43; 2 Sam. 16:9; 2 Kings 8:13; etc.).
The sons of Aaron were required to "put difference between holy and
unholy, and between clean and unclean" (Lev. 10:10), to maintain the
line of demarcation which God had drawn between the sacred and the
profane. They were commanded to exclude the heathen from participating
in any of the religious privileges of God's covenant people (Deut.
23:3). In the days of Israel's degeneracy God complained that "her
priests have violated My Law and have profaned Mine holy things: they
have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they
shewed difference between the unclean and the clean" (Ezek. 22:26):
they had dealt with a latitude or "liberality" such as God had
expressly forbidden. He had ordered that His priests should "teach My
people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to
discern between the unclean and the clean" (Ezek. 44:23). A most
discriminating ministry was appointed unto Jeremiah, for the Lord
required him to "take forth the precious from the vile" (15:19): that
is, draw the line between the godly and ungodly, addressing to each
their distinctive and needed message. To Malachi it was promised,
"Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the
wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not"
(3:18).
Now, says Christ, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the
prophets." I have received no commission from My Father to break down
the barriers He has erected, to obliterate the lines He has drawn.
Rather am I come "to fulfil" (Matthew 5:17): to magnify the Law and
render it honorable, to vindicate the prophets and make good their
declarations. I am come to bring in the substance for the shadow, the
reality for the typical, the vital for the ceremonial. I too shall
discriminate between the clean and the unclean and p lace a fence
between the holy and the unholy. Did Moses prohibit the people of God
from intermarrying with idolators? Did he exclude the heathen from the
sacred temple? Did he declare that the food of the priestly family was
"most holy" (Lev. 10:12-15) and their exclusive portion or property?
Then I likewise command you, "Give not that which is holy unto the
dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine."
Coming now to the closer context. Is there not clearly a link between
our present text and what immediately precedes it? Did not Christ here
intimate that something more than clear vision and a kind and steady
hand was required if we are to succeed in removing a "mote" from
another's eye? As we pointed out at the close of the previous chapter,
the one with an injured eye must be agreeable to submit if you are to
help him; the one at fault be willing to receive an admonition. But
many are not so: so far from it; they will resent your well-meant
overtures and revile you for them-treading your admonitions under
their feet and venting their fury upon you. "Speak not in the ears of
a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of thy words" (Prov. 23:9).
Thus, having shown how to admonish, the Saviour now makes known who
are to be admonished, or rather who are not to be. To reprove a son of
Belial is wasted breath (1 Sam. 25:17).
In verse 5 the Lord had shown how an erring "brother" is to be dealt
with-meekly and gently: the rebuke is to be given in a loving and
humble spirit. But here in verse 6 Christ intimates that love must
discriminate: all are not "brethren" and will not suffer a rebuke, no
matter how graciously given. It is not sufficient then that we take
care to be spiritually qualified for reproving another, but we must
seek to make sure that there is some probability at least that our
efforts will not be worse than lost upon the one we desire to help.
Thus, after prohibiting evil-minded censures, Christ here warns
against imprudent ones. "Reprove not a scorner lest he hate thee"
(Prov. 9:8). Here, then, is a necessary caution: zeal must be directed
by knowledge and holy prudence. Not every person is a fit subject for
reproof. Unreasonable men will scoff at the mildest criticism of their
evil ways, and to quote Scripture to them only incites them to
blasphemy and is casting pearls before swine.
But we may discover a further connection between our text and the
verses preceding. In seeking to guard against hasty and harsh
judgments we must also beware of abusing grace. If on the one hand we
should watch against unjust and unmerciful censuring, on the other we
must not be guilty of judging laxly and loosely. There are not only
the "sheep" of Christ, but the "dogs" and "swine" of the world, and
they are to be treated as such. When an open worldling or obviously
carnal person applies for church membership, it would be quite wrong
to silence God-fearing objectors with "Judge not, lest ye be judged."
Grace must not be allowed to override the requirements of holiness so
that the unclean are permitted to enjoy those privileges reserved for
those who are washed in the blood of the Lamb. It is through failure
at this very point, through a false "charity," by refusing to heed
this command of Christ, that the grossest of evils have been tolerated
in the House of God, until the mystical Babylon is "now a cage of
every unclean and hateful bird."
Yet it must not be supposed that our text is to be restricted unto a
prohibition against imprudent reproving: rather does it enunciate a
general principle which is of wide application, for the better
perception of which we now turn to ponder it in the light of our
Lord's own personal example. A very wide field is here open for
investigation, yet we can only now call attention to a few of its most
distinctive features. If the reader will examine the four Gospels
afresh from this particular angle, he is likely to meet with some
surprises and find there the reverse of what the teaching he has
imbibed would lead him to expect. For example, would not the ordinary
churchgoer of today suppose that the Lord Jesus spent most of His time
in preaching the Gospel to the unsaved; that lie sought out the
unchurched masses, endeavoring to arouse them from their unconcern;
that He made it His business to go after the giddy worldling and
convince him of the folly of his ways; that He proclaimed the love of
God to every soul He could possibly make contact with? Then turn to
the first four books of the New Testament and see whether or not this
was so.
We do indeed read frequently that Christ taught both in the synagogue
and in the temple, yet even there He never so much as once mentioned
the love of God to sinners-though He had much to say about the
Father's love when He was alone with "His own." He frequently spoke of
His approaching death unto His disciples, but where did He ever preach
the atonement in the hearing of the multitude? lit is true that He
spoke often in the open air (though never on the streets!), yet it was
to those who sought unto Him (Mark 2:13; Luke 6:17)-He never pressed
His company on them (Mark 7:17). He spoke many things unto the
multitudes in parables, yet the interpretation of them was reserved
for God's elect (Matthew 13:8, 9, 11, 36). Our Lord was not
transfigured before the gaze of the vulgar crowd, but only in the
sight of a favored few. Nor was He seen by the unbelieving world after
His resurrection. The grand prophecy of Matthew 24 and 25 was
delivered in the hearing of none but believers. He never cast pearls
before swine: even when Pilate asked Him, "What is truth?" (John
18:37), He did not say, "I am the Truth," nor did He explain to him
the way of salvation.
But let us not be mistaken at this point. God forbid that we should be
found writing anything which would deter exercised souls from seeking
Christ, and giving them the impression that they would be unwelcome
did they come to Him in their deep distress. Nothing is made plainer
in the four Gospels than the glorious fact that the Lord Jesus is
accessible to every poor sinner who feels his need of Him and that He
is willing and ready to heal his soul. "All that the Father giveth Me
shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast
out" (John 6:37) is His own blessed declaration. He declined not an
invitation to eat with publicans and sinners, nor did He turn His back
upon the leper who sought Him. But what we have directed attention to
above is His attitude towards those who sought him not, to those who
evidenced no interest in Him, to those who opposed Him. Read again the
many recorded cases where the Pharisees antagonized Him: is there a
single instance where He preached the Gospel to them? So with the
Sadducees and lawyers who endeavoured to ensnare Him: He closed their
mouths, but He never opened His heart to them or gave that which was
holy unto dogs!
Third, our text enunciates an important principle for the minister of
Christ to be regulated by-it is to be borne in mind that the first
application of this Sermon is to ministers (Matthew 5:1, 2). That rule
may be stated thus: discrimination is to be exercised when dispensing
the Word of God. Nothing is more urgently needed and seldom found
today than a discriminating ministry, by which we mean a "taking forth
the precious from the vile" (Jer. 15:19). In our congregations both of
those classes are represented: those who are dear to God and those
abhorred by Him. Now though you cannot distinguish by name yet you can
by character. When addressing yourself to the people of God you should
make it quite plain that the unregenerate have "no part or lot in the
matter." When preaching from the Divine promises it is necessary to
describe the spiritual marks of those to whom such Divine dainties
really belong-to those who are not conformed to this world, who deny
themselves, take up their cross and follow Christ. The line of
demarcation must be drawn so plainly that each hearer knows to which
side of the line he belongs.
The Word of God has to be "rightly divided" (2 Tim. 2:15) if each
hearer is to obtain his legitimate portion. When the pulpit seeks to
expose the hypocrite care needs to be taken lest Christ's little ones
are stumbled, and when the minister seeks to comfort the distressed
saints, the cordial must be expressly labeled so that the ungodly are
not bolstered up in a false peace. Unless the minister exercises the
most prayerful caution, he will be unable to escape that solemn
charge, "with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I
have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he
should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life" (Ezek.
13:22). Again, Matthew vii, 6, is woefully contravened when those with
the most barren profession are received into a church fellowship: the
"judgment of charity" does not require of us to call darkness light.
Laxity is as much an evil as censoriousness. Admitting to the Lord's
table open worldlings is a flagrant violation of our text. And how
often is it disregarded in "funeral services and sermons"!
It is very necessary that this precept, "Give not that which is holy
unto the dogs" should be pressed upon the rank and file of God's
people. In certain circles it has been taught that as soon as a person
has experienced the saving grace of God in his heart it is his bounden
duty to preach Christ to all his acquaintances, to endeavour to become
a "soul winner," and that if he declines such "personal work" and
evangelistic endeavour, it is because he is cold and selfish,
indifferent to the eternal welfare of those around him. But where did
Christ or any of His apostles bestow such a commission on any young
convert? "Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what
He hath done for my soul" (Ps. 66:16). That qualification warns us
against publishing the most sacred experiences of our hearts to all
and sundry, for the unregenerate have no more capacity to appreciate
the sovereign operations of the Spirit than swine have to rate pearls
at their true value. But is not the young convert to "witness for
Christ"? Assuredly, but how? "Ye should shew forth the praises of Him
who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Pet.
2:9): a changed life, an unworldly walk, is the most effective
"witness" of all! (see Matthew 5:16).
Zeal needs to be tempered with knowledge. The holy things of the
Gospel are not to be bandied about indiscriminately: the precious
secrets of His love which the Lord has revealed to us are not to be
communicated to His enemies. If believers defy this Divinely imposed
restriction, they must not be surprised at meeting with insults and
incurring the ire of those upon whom they attempt to force the holy
mysteries of the faith. Of the Pharisees Christ said, "Let them alone"
(Matthew 15:14), not attempt to convert them from the error of their
ways. "Of some have compassion, making a difference" (Jude 22): what a
discriminating word is that! We are bidden to "Go from the presence of
a fool" (Prov. 14:7), and not lower our Christian dignity by arguing
with him. But are we not bidden to "Be ready always to give an answer
to every man that asketh a reason of the hope that is in us"? Yes,
when "asked" (cf. Prov. 22:21), and then "with meekness and fear" (1
Pet. 3:15) and not with bombast and impudence. The epistles of the New
Testament are to be read to "holy brethren" (1 Thess. 5:27), but we
know of no warrant to read them to worldlings.
It has long impressed the writer that that which takes place in the
secular sphere is but a shadowing forth of what has first happened in
the spiritual realm. For many years past the majority of the preachers
jettisoned the Divine Law, and in the utter lawlessness which fills
the world today we have the inevitable repercussion. They concentrated
on the promises but ignored the precepts, and in their failure to urge
upon God's children an obedient walk we have reaped the disobedience
and uncontrollableness of the modern child. Women were given the place
in the churches which Scripture prohibits (1 Cor. 14:34), and in
consequence a generation of self-assertive "he women" has arisen who
ape men in almost everything. Today we have a plague of dogs-over
three million in Great Britain-making the night hideous with their
howls, befouling the pavements and consuming vast quantities of food,
while human beings are strictly rationed. In the cities they have
become a curse, and we believe that this is a Divine judgment upon the
general disregard of Matthew 7:6. It is a common sight to behold a
child leading about a huge mastiff and silly women accompanied by two
or three poodles. "Beware of dogs" (Phil. 3:2). "For without are dogs"
(Rev. 22:15)-excluded from the Holy City.
In conclusion let us note the practical instruction hinted by the
figure of the "pearls." First, it intimates what we should regard as
our true riches, namely the contents of God's Word, for they
constitute the Christian's precious treasure. "Happy is the man that
findeth wisdom and the man that getteth understanding. For the
merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver and the
gain thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, and all
the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her" (Prov.
3:13-15). Second, it intimates wherein we should content ourselves in
the calamities and casualties of this life. We may lose our health and
wealth, our friends and fame, yet this treasure remains. Here is a
lamp for the darkest night (Ps. 119:105): here is to be found comfort
in the sorest affliction (Ps. 119:50): here are to be obtained songs
for our pilgrimage (Ps. 119:54). Third, it intimates how we are to use
the Word. A person possessed of valuable pearls is at great pains to
secure them; how much more so should we be with this Pearl of
pearls-storing it in our memories, locking it in our hearts: "Holding
the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience" (1 Tim. 3:9). This was
David's practice (Ps. 119:11), and Mary's (Luke 2:51): may it be ours
too.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Forty-Four
Seeking Grace
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and
it shall be opened Unto you; For every one that asketh receiveth; and
he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."
Matthew 7:7, 8
___________________________________
Verses 7 to 11 contain the eighth division of our Lord's Sermon. Every
commentator we have consulted thereon regards the passage as dealing
solely with the subject of prayer: personally we deem such a view to
be an undue narrowing of its scope. While the supplicating of God be
undoubtedly the principal duty enjoined therein, it is not the only
one. It seems to us that its theme is the seeking supplies of grace to
enable the believer to live a spiritual and supernatural life in this
world, and though such enablement is to be sought from the throne of
grace, yet that does not render needless or exempt the Christian from
diligently employing the other means of grace which God has appointed
for the blessing of His people. Prayer must not be allowed to induce
lethargy in other directions or become a lazy substitute for the
putting forth of our energies in other duties. We are called upon to
watch as well as pray, to deny self, strive against sin, take unto us
the whole armor of God, and fight the good fight of faith.
What has been suggested above concerning the scope of our present
passage will be the more apparent by viewing it in relation to its
whole context. From 5:20, onwards, Christ had presented a standard of
moral excellence which is utterly unattainable by mere flesh and
blood. He had inculcated one requirement after another, which it lies
not in the power of fallen human nature to meet. He had forbidden an
opprobrious word, a malignant wish, an impure desire, a revengeful
thought. He had enjoined the most unsparing mortification of our
dearest members (5:29, 30). He had commanded the loving of our
enemies, the blessing of those who curse us, the doing good unto those
who hate us, and the praying for those who despitefully use and
persecute us (5:44). In view of which the Christian may well exclaim,
"Who is sufficient for these things?" Such demands of holiness are
beyond my feeble strength: yet the Lord has made them-what then am I
to do?
Coming nearer still to our passage we find that in the opening verses
of chapter vii Christ gave two apparently contradictory commands.
First, He says, "Judge not, that ye be not judged": abstain from
forming harsh estimates and passing censorious censures on your
fellows. Second, "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs":
discriminate sharply between the clean and the unclean, that you may
not be guilty of obliterating the line which God has drawn between the
righteous and the wicked. But to steer safely between such rocks as
these requires not only spiritual strength but spiritual wisdom, such
wisdom as the natural man possesses not. What then is the poor
believer to do? The Lord here anticipates this difficulty and meets
this perplexity. He is well aware that, in our own wisdom and
strength, we are incapable of keeping His commands, but He at once
reminds us that the things which are ordinarily impossible to men can
be made possible to them by God.
Divine assistance is imperative if we are to meet the Divine
requirements. The Divine assistance is to be sought prayerfully,
believingly, diligently and persistently, and if it be thus sought it
will not be sought in vain. It was then for the obtaining of supplies
of Divine grace and heavenly strength that our Lord now exhorted and
encouraged His disciples. "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and
ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (7:7). In the
foregoing chapter Christ had touched upon the subject of prayer in a
way of warning, but here He refers to it as the appointed channel for
obtaining supplies of grace to obey those precepts which are so
contrary to flesh and blood. First He had given instructions
concerning the duty of prayer, but now He supplies gracious
encouragements for the exercise of it. Nevertheless, it is clear from
the general tenor of scripture that every other legitimate means must
be employed if we are to obtain the strength and help we so much need.
"Ask, and it shall be given you." Few texts have been more grossly
perverted than this one. Many have regarded it as a sort of blank
cheque which anybody, no matter what his state of soul or manner of
walk may be, can fill in just as he pleases, and he has only to
present the same before the throne of grace and God stands pledged to
honour it. Such a travesty of the Truth would not deserve refutation
were it not trumpeted about so extensively. James 4:3, expressly
affirms, "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss." Such are
those who seek this world first and then hope to make sure of the
world to come. Such are those who beg for mercy but refuse to forsake
their sins (Prov. 28:9), who seek salvation in a way of their own
devising-by a more flesh-pleasing method than that of the holy Gospel;
or who come in their own name in contempt of the appointed Mediator.
They "ask amiss" and receive not who make request for what God has not
promised, or who seek formally and hypocritically without any
deep-felt need of what they ask for.
Thus our text provides the minister of the Gospel with an admirable
opportunity for heeding the exhortation of the previous verse and
seeing to it that, in his interpretation and application, he refrains
from giving that which is holy unto the dogs or casting pearls before
swine. "Ask, and it shall be given you" is very far from affording
carte blanche to all and sundry. It is a supplicating supplies of
Divine grace which is here in view, and, moreover, there must be a
right asking (and not an asking "amiss ") if such are to be obtained;
but this right asking is impossible for the unregenerate, for not only
are they totally incapable of asking in faith, but to seek for Divine
grace is diametrically opposed to their very nature and disposition.
Grace is the antithesis of sin, a holy principle, and since the
natural man is wholly in love with sin, it is impossible that he
should have any love for or desire after that which is radically
opposed to sin. The thistle cannot bear grapes, nor can a heart at
enmity with God pant after conformity to Him.
It needs then to be made unmistakably clear that right seeking after
grace presupposes right desires for it, but the unregenerate are, in
the habitual temper of their heart, strangers to all spiritual
aspirations. To have genuine desires after the thing and an entire
contrariety to it in the whole soul and at the same time is a direct
contradiction. To that it may be rejoined, How then will you explain
the anomaly of some worldlings having at times an apparently hearty
desire after grace, so that they even persuade themselves they
sincerely and earnestly long for it? Easily: it is because they are
ignorant of the true nature of grace, unaware that it is a holy
principle, and therefore they have framed a false image of it in their
fancies, and for this fictitious "grace"-which makes light of sin,
which grants an indulgence for the lusts of the flesh-they have a
relish, for it is thoroughly in accord with their corrupt nature.
Many who sit under antinomian preaching are led to believe that God is
willing to save sinners without them forsaking their idols, throwing
down the weapons of their warfare against Him; without repentance.
They know not that salvation is not only a passport to heaven, but
that it is a first deliverance from the love and dominion of sin, that
the grace of God which brings salvation is a holy principle that
effectually teaches its subjects to "deny ungodliness and worldly
lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present
world" (Titus 23:11, 12). Did these deluded people but distinctly
apprehend the true character of grace, then their native contrariety
thereto would be no longer hid from them. Did not the Pharisees verily
believe they loved God and revered His Law? Yet they hated the Son of
God, who was the express image of the Father, and came into the world
to honour His Law; they must therefore have held erroneous notions of
God and His Law, as many now do of His grace.
But if we plainly announce that no unregenerate person can lay claim
to the promise of our text, will not such teaching take from the poor
sinner all motive to pray unto God and do anything else? Such a
question betrays either a woeful ignorance or else a declination to
face the facts of the case. So long as the sinner remains in his
natural condition he cares not one jot for God, nor will he engage in
any religious duty except for what he thinks he will gain thereby. Let
such a creature have a hundred motives to pray (excruciating pain of
body, the suffering of a loved one, the approach of death, or
pleadings of friends who assure him he has merely to ask God for mercy
and he will receive it) and he will only serve self and not God at
all. To tell the ungodly that such a promise as Matthew 7:7, 8,
belongs to them is to throw dust into their blind eyes, hiding from
them the desperateness of their plight, glossing over the solemn truth
that while they are wedded to their lusts they are the objects of
God's holy abhorrence and can have no access to Him.
Alas, where shall a faithful physician of souls be found today? The
vast majority of those who occupy the modern pulpit, instead of using
the lancet and knife and the Divine Law, please their unregenerate
hearers with soothing syrup or anesthetics, preaching smooth things to
them and crying "Peace, peace" when there is none. What encouragement
can the thrice holy God, consistently with His honour, give to those
who live solely for the pleasing of themselves? At most this: "Repent,
and pray God . . if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven
thee" (Acts 8:22). The wickedness of man's heart is such as no human
language can depict, and unless man sincerely repents of the same
there is no hope for him. The business of God's servants is not to
bestow false comfort, but to slay false confidence: not to persuade
those who lie under the wrath of God that they may be delivered
therefrom by betaking themselves to prayer, but faithfully and
honestly to let their unsaved hearers know the worst of their case.
It is not without good reason that we find Matthew 7:6, 7, in
juxtaposition. The Saviour with His Divine omniscience foresaw the
misuse which would be made of this precious promise, "Ask and it shall
be given you," and therefore He placed this emphatic warning
immediately before it: "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs,
neither cast ye your pearls before swine." Thus they are without
excuse who have so sadly perverted this blessed promise of God's Word.
That which needs to be pressed upon promiscuous congregations today is
the very same as Christ proclaimed in the hearing of "the multitudes"
(5:1; 7:28), namely the spirituality of Gods Law, the searching nature
of its requirements, the breadth and depth of its holy demands as set
forth in Matthew 5:17-7:5. Not until the hearer is humbled beneath the
mighty hand of God, not until he sees how completely he has failed to
meet the Divine requirements, not until he feels he is both "without
excuse" and "without strength," is he a fit subject for the comfort of
our text.
And now we must address ourselves to the genuine Christian, the one in
whom a miracle of Divine mercy and power has been wrought, the one
whose self-complacency and self-sufficiency have been shattered, the
one who has been given "repentance unto life." Such a one has had his
eyes opened to see that the Law of God is "holy, just and good" (Rom.
7:12), that though it condemns and curses him yet it is righteous and
excellent. Such a one has had communicated to him a love for that Law
(Ps. 119:174) and therefore a longing to live in full conformity
thereto. Yet such a one still finds himself utterly unable to measure
up to the exalted standard set before him. Nay, he discovers to his
grief that there is still a principle within him which is directly
opposed to the Law, that when he would do good evil is present to
prevent him. He finds to his perplexity and sorrow that indwelling
corruption is stronger than all his resolutions not to yield thereto,
that his lusts rage more fiercely than ever, that iniquities prevail
over him. He is bewildered, staggered.
It is to such a one as we have just described, and to none other, that
Christ says, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you. You need Divine power to
subdue your raging lusts, you need Divine quickening to animate your
feeble graces, you need Divine wisdom to solve your perplexities, you
need Divine ointment for your wounds, so address yourself to "your
Father which is in heaven" (v. 11), spread before Him your need,
acquaint Him with the longings of your soul, beg Him to relieve your
wants, and you will not supplicate Him in vain. Ah, this is what
genuine prayer, real prayer, is, my reader. It is not merely the
formal or mechanical performance of a religious exercise; it is not
simply the stringing together of pious expressions couched in eloquent
language: rather is it looking outside of ourselves and seeking help
from above. True prayer is artless, spontaneous, the irrepressible cry
of a soul in need. Prayer is the voicing of urgent longing of soul; it
is the heart turning to the Author of those longings for the
satisfying of them.
"Ask." How Divinely simple! Ask, as the hungry child does for its
mother's breast. Ask, as the starving beggar does for a crust of
bread. Ask, as the lost traveler does the first one whom he meets.
"Ask, and it shall be given you." How Divinely encouraging! Ask of
God, for He "giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not." Ask, for He
"is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think"
(Eph. 3:20). But "let him ask in faith, nothing wavering: for he that
wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord"
(Jas. 1:6, 7). To "ask in faith" is to ask with confidence in God,
with reliance upon His veracity, laying hold of His promise, pleading
it before Him and expecting an answer of peace. To "ask in faith" is
to say humbly but boldly unto the Lord, Thou hast promised Thy child,
"Ask, and it shall be given you": I beg to remind Thee of that
promise, now "do as Thou hast said" (2 Sam. 7:25).
But we hear more than one of our readers saying, I have asked, yet,
alas, I have not received. Yea, my case is worse than it was before.
So far from having more grace I have less; so far from increased
strength I am weaker; so far from being granted victory over my lusts
I am more frequently and woefully defeated than ever. Be it so, is
that proof your prayers have not been heard? You prayed for more
grace, may not the answer have been given in the form of increased
light, so that instead of your case being worse now than it was
formerly you perceive your sinfulness more clearly? And if that be so.
is it not something to be thankful for? You prayed for overcoming
grace, but possibly God saw you were in far greater need of humbling
grace, and if He has granted you a measure of the latter so that you
are farther out of love with yourself and brought more into the dust
before Him, surely that is proof that your asking has not been in
vain!
Yes, says the reader, that may be true, and God forbid that I should
despise small mercies, but surely you would not have me rest content
with such a Christ-dishonoring experience. Answer, you must not look
upon humility and mourning over your corruptions as "small mercies":
they are distinguishing favors which mark you as belonging to another
family than the self-righteous Pharisees and self-satisfied
Laodiceans. It is much to be thankful for if God hides pride from you
and keeps you low before Him. And what do you mean by your
"Christ-dishonoring experience"? Are you aware that there is still a
spirit within you which lusts after independence and self-sufficiency?
Would you, if you could, attain to some experience wherein you would
feel less deeply your dire need of Christ? They that are whole need
not a physician, but they that are sick! Christ is most honored when
we prize most highly His sacrifice, when we avail ourselves most
gladly of His cleansing blood, when we come to Him for healing and
strength.
But is not Christ able to impart spiritual health as well as bestow
spiritual healing? Assuredly He is. Then is it not my privilege to ask
Him for spiritual health? Certainly, yet in subordination to His
sovereign pleasure, for He knows the degree of health which will be
best for you. But observe the terms of our text: something more than
"asking" is required of thee-"seek, and ye shall find." That word
"seek" may be regarded two ways. First, as a higher degree of the
former, an intensification of the "asking." There must be an earnest
and fervent asking if we are to obtain: "ye shall seek Me, and find
Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart" (Jer. 29:13).
Second, it enlarges its scope: seeking is more extensive than praying.
He who sincerely longs for grace to equip for spiritual duties must
leave no stone unturned. The Word must be read, studied, memorized,
meditated upon. The Word must be heard if a faithful minister be
accessible. The writings of godly men of the past are often a great
help. "While I was musing the fire burned."
"Knock, and it shall be opened unto you." The thought suggested to us
by this clause is that grace is not to be come at easily. It is as
though the earnest asker and diligent seeker is now confronted by a
closed door. Even so, says Christ, be not discouraged and dismayed,
continue your quest, "knock." There are times when it seems as though
God turns away from us, hides Himself, and we have no access to Him.
This is to test our sincerity, to try our earnestness, to put us to
the proof as to whether we long for His grace as much as we imagine.
If we do, discouragements will only serve to redouble our efforts.
When the four men who bore one sick of the palsy could not come near
Christ because of the press, they broke through the roof and let down
the bed whereon the man lay, and so far from Christ being displeased
with their importunity, when He "saw their faith" He said unto the
sick of the palsy "Son, thy sins be forgiven thee" (Mark 2:4, 5).
Faith refuses to be deterred and continues asking, seeking, knocking
until its requests be granted.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Forty-Five
Seeking Grace-Continued
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It is often helpful to compare passages with each other, for the very
variations in them are found to be complementary and supplementary to
one another. Markedly is this the case in connection with the four
Gospels. The passage which is now before us in Matthew 7 is found also
in Luke 11. There the context is a different one, and it is
instructive to ponder the same. Luke 11 opens with one of the
disciples asking the Lord "Teach us to pray." This request is not made
by a stranger but by one of His own followers, signifying that
believers need to be Divinely taught this sacred art if they are to
supplicate aright. This is a very humbling truth for the proud heart
of man. Prayer, which is the simplest and most spontaneous exercise of
a Christian's soul, is nevertheless an art which he is not by nature
competent to perform. Nor can any human school qualify him for this
holy task. None but the Lord can teach him-experimentally and
effectually-how to obtain the ear of God and call down showers of
blessing upon himself and others. Oh, that both writer and reader may
be able to feel their deep need in this matter.
Nor let it be supposed that this request "Lord, teach us to pray" is
suited only to the case of a babe in Christ. True it is a most
appropriate and necessary petition for young believers to present, yet
there is the less need of urging it upon them than there is upon some
of their older brethren. Alas, how often added years are accompanied
by increased pride and self-sufficiency. How many who have the gift of
the gab, a ready flow of language, and are quick to memorize the
expressions which others use in their devotions, would be hurt if you
suggested that they had need to cry "Lord, teach us to pray." Yet such
is the case: the oldest and most experienced saint has need to be
shown the way of the Lord more perfectly: "If any man think that he
knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know" (1 Cor.
8:2). Growth in grace is not evidenced by growth in haughtiness, but
in increased humility. The most deeply taught believer is the one most
conscious of his need of teaching: a large part of wisdom consists of
consciousness of ignorance.
The Lord answered this request of His disciple by graciously
furnishing a brief directory and pattern, which we like to think of as
the family prayer. Then He appeared to anticipate the questions: Will
God really answer us? What is the actual design of this holy exercise:
is it only designed for our inward good or does it really bring down
blessings from above? Does it end with the benefit it works in us or
does it truly move the hand of God? The reply, though in the form of a
parable, is expressed with great clearness and force. As importunity
does most surely affect men, so earnestness and persistency are sure
to gain an answer from God. It is not a vain thing to supplicate the
mercy seat: our prayers are not lost on the air or expended merely
upon ourselves. Asking is attended with receiving, seeking with
finding, and knocking leads to opening. There is a connection
established between Divine decree and believing prayer, between the
requests that ascend from earth and the mercies which descend from
heaven.
It seems strange that so many have missed the meaning of that plain
parable in Luke 11. "And He said unto them, Which of you shall have a
friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend,
lend me three loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is come to
me and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall
answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children
are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you,
Though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend, yet
because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he
needeth" (vv. 5-8).
Now there is something more taught us in that parable than the need
for and value of perseverance in prayer, namely encouragement to be
earnest therein. Let us analyze its details. Why was the one sought
unto displeased at the request presented to him? Because it was made
not by a close relative, but simply a friend. Because the supplicant
was not asking on his own behalf, but for someone else. Because it was
presented at a most inopportune and inconvenient hour. Because it
concerned not an urgent and pressing need, but simply a matter of some
bread. Who would think of knocking up someone at midnight in order to
borrow food for another? Christ shows us the natural disposition of
our selfish hearts under such circumstances: "Trouble me not ... I
cannot rise and give thee"; yet because the request was repeated and
the suppliant would not accept a refusal, for the sake of importunity
and not that of friendship the petitioner gained his request.
Though the specific conclusion was not here formally drawn by
Christ-as it is in verse 13-how blessed it is for faith to do so. The
One whom the Christian supplicates is more than a "friend," namely his
heavenly Father. So far from there being any reluctance in Him to
supply the varied needs of His children, He "giveth liberally to all
and upbraideth not" (Jas. 1:5). Nor can we come to Him at any
inopportune season, for He "slumbereth not, neither is weary": at all
times we may address the throne of grace. Moreover, it is our
privilege to spread before Him our smallest needs. We would hesitate
to ask a man of prominence and importance for a mere trifle, knowing
he would be loath to be bothered therewith, but "in everything by
prayer and supplication let your requests be made known unto God" is
the royal invitation issued to the saint. Nor is it only our own needs
we are to be concerned with: those of our friends also we may beg the
Lord to relieve: thereby we honour Him, acknowledging Him to be Ruler
over all, the universal Supplier.
Then our Lord plainly declared, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek,
and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every
one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him
that knocketh it shall be opened," which is precisely the same as our
present portion in Matthew's Gospel. If the going to a mere friend, at
an opportune time, asking for material bread for another, received a
favorable answer, how much more will our heavenly Father, to whom
there are no inconvenient seasons, grant spiritual succour to His own
dear children! Here is the heart of God revealed as the ready and
bounteous Giver, whose fullness cannot be exhausted and whose word to
His people is "open thy mouth wide and I will fill it" (Ps. 81:10). A
wide door is here opened to the whole family of God, possibilities of
blessing which we can scarcely conceive, free leave to covet earnestly
the best things. No matter how enlarged our expectations may be, they
cannot exceed the bounty of the Lord. But does this mean that the
Christian may ask for anything he pleases and that God stands pledged
to grant the same? Are those absolute promises, without any
qualification? No. First, they are limited by our own unbelief, by the
meagerness of our faith, which we impose upon them. And second, they
are restricted by God's benignity: the only guard He has placed upon
those promises is that He will give us naught save that which is
really for our "good" (v. 11). And how thankful we should be for this.
In our ignorance and shortsightedness we often ask God for that which
would be for our ill, but in His mercy God withholds it. Not so does
He act with the wicked. Unbelieving Israel asked for flesh in the
wilderness and God granted their request, "But while their meat was
yet in their mouths, the wrath of God came upon them" (Psalm 78:30,
31). A later generation desired a king and he was given them "in His
anger" (Hosea 13:11). So too the demons had their request granted that
they might enter into the herd of swine (Matthew 8:31, 32).
It is most important that the above-noted qualification be kept in
mind, for in some quarters the crudest ideas obtain on this subject.
Taking Matthew 7:7, 8, at its face value, some have deduced the absurd
principle that we may have anything we please from God for the mere
asking, providing we ask in faith, and by "asking in faith" they
signify only a working themselves up to a firm persuasion that they
shall have their petitions granted. But that one word "give good
things to them that ask Him" at once disposes of such fanaticism. To
"ask in faith" requires that we lay hold of and plead before God one
of His own promises: it is not an expectation that He will grant
everything we may demand, but an assurance that He will bestow
whatsoever He is pledged to give. "If we ask anything according to His
will [not our will, but His, as it is revealed in Holy Writ], He
heareth us" (1 John 5:14), and we only ask "according to His will"
when we ask in faith for these things He knows will be for our good.
"Prayer is a simple, unfeigned, humble, ardent opening of the heart
before God, wherein we ask things needful or give thanks for benefits
received" (John Bradford, the martyr). And what is it which the
Christian, every Christian, is most urgently and constantly in need
of, without which it is impossible to improve or use aright all other
benefits and privileges? Is it not Divine grace: renewing grace,
enlightening grace, empowering grace, sanctifying grace? What is
knowledge worth unless it be sanctified to us? What do talents amount
to unless they be spiritually directed? And for this grace we are to
"ask": ask from a felt sense of want, trustfully supplicating God for
the supply thereof. For that grace we are to "seek": seek with care
and diligence, as that which is missing and lacking, and which is felt
to be of great value. For that grace we are to "knock": that is, ask
and seek, with earnestness and constancy, pressing our suit with
fervour and persistency, persevering notwithstanding delays,
oppositions and disappointments. Continuing in prayer till our request
be granted.
There is an "asking" which is mere formality and accomplishes nothing:
if the suppliant himself is scarcely able to remember an sour
afterwards that which he petitioned for, how can he expect to receive
answers? If an experienced mother knows the difference between a
child's asking for the mere sake of asking and making request out of a
sense of urgent need, how infinitely less can we impose upon the
Omniscient One. So also there is a "seeking" which is merely
mechanical and obtains not: half-heartedness and slothfulness are not
likely to be successful. We take very little pains in seeking for
something we regard as a mere trifle, but when an object is valued
highly and prized dearly then we hunt for it with real diligence. Yet
something more than earnest asking and diligent seeking is required:
"knocking" suggests an intensification of the one and a continuation
of the other. If at first we don't succeed, then try, try again. What
a word is that: "Ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence,
And give Him no rest" (Isa. 62:6, 7)!
"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and
watching thereunto with all perseverance" (Eph. 6:18). The walls of
Jericho did not fall down the first time they were encompassed, nor
did the beloved apostle obtain comforting assurance from the Lord the
first or the second time that he besought Him for the removal of the
thorn in his flesh. So far from its being a wrong thing for a
Christian to make repeated request for the same object, it is required
of him that he be importunate. If it be inquired, Why does God require
such importunity from His people? several answers may be given. First
and negatively, it is not that we have to overcome any reluctance on
God's side, for He is more ready to give than we are to seek blessings
from Him, yea, to do for us far more exceeding abundantly above all
that we ask or think. Still less is it because He would tantalize us:
"therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious" (Isa. 30:18).
Second, from the positive side, that we may give proof of our
earnestness. When someone makes request of us for anything and we find
that a single refusal is sufficient to get rid of him, we conclude he
was not very eager for it. But suppose a business man arrives late at
his office and his chief clerk announces that a stranger has sought an
interview, that he could not put him off, that he has waited for hours
determined to gain his quest; then it is clear that he is eager and
intent. Such intensity and perseverance are pleasing unto the Lord:
when a soul can say with Jacob, "I will not let Thee go, except Thou
bless me" (Gen. 32:26), success is sure. "Ye shall seek Me, and find
Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart" (Jer. 29:13).
Such importunity is required for the testing of our faith. An
unbelieving heart is soon discouraged: either opposition from man or
delay on the part of God, and the spirit of prayer is speedily
quenched. Not so with the trusting one: faith reassures the soul,
bidding it, "Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall
strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord" (Ps. 27:14). How the
faith of the Canaanitish woman was tried. First, she cried, "Have
mercy on me O Lord," and we are told, "He answered her not a word."
Then His disciples interposed and besought Him to send her away. Next
He said, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of
Israel." But, nothing daunted, she renewed her petition, "Lord, help
me": to which Christ replied, "It is not meet to take the children's
bread and cast it to the dogs." Yet even that did not dismay her:
having asked and sought, she continued knocking, begging for the
"crumbs." "O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou
wilt" (Matthew 15:28) was the triumphant outcome.
Such importunity is necessary for the developing of our patience. How
sadly impatient we are! How angry when our wills are crossed! What
fearful rebellion lurks and works in our hearts! Truly we are "like a
bullock unaccustomed to the yoke," fretful and resentful at every
restriction placed upon the fulfillment of our desires. But patience
must have her perfect work, and it is the trying of our faith which
"worketh patience" (Jas. 1:3). Real faith is not destroyed by God's
delay: it knows He waits to be gracious, and therefore its possessor
is enabled to "both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the
Lord" (Lam. 3:26). When Elijah had prayed that the long drought should
be ended, he bade his servant go and look for the first portent of the
coming rain, and when he returned saying, "there is nothing," his
master replied, "go again seven times" (1 Kings 18:43). Thus, by the
proving of our earnestness, the testing of faith and the developing of
patience, our souls are the better fitted to receive and can the more
appreciate the Lord's answer when it is vouchsafed.
But it is not for himself only that the Christian is earnestly,
diligently and persistently to seek Divine grace, but for his brethren
also. That is one reason why we referred to the parallel passage in
Luke 11, where these Divine promises are immediately prefaced by the
parable of one seeking the loaves on behalf of a needy friend. The
lesson should be too plain to miss: because he was unable personally
to supply that need, even though it was midnight, he went out and
supplicated another on his friend's behalf. Immediately following this
Christ says: "Ask [on the behalf of your friend] and it shall be given
you." Be just as earnest in asking, just as diligent in seeking, just
as importunate in knocking for grace to be given unto your needy
brethren and sisters in Christ as you are in seeking it for yourself.
They are bought with the same precious blood, and are members of the
same family, and thus they have pressing claims upon your affections;
and their need of Divine grace-to cleanse, to illumine, to fructify
and sanctify-is as real, as great, and as urgent, as yours.
Ah, is it not at this very point we fail so lamentably! Is not our
praying far too self-centered? Is there any wonder it is so
ineffectual? If I am so little concerned about the spiritual
well-being of my brethren and sisters at large, need I be surprised
that the Lord refuses me the grace which I seek for my own soul? God
will not put a premium upon selfishness. "Praying always with all
prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all
perseverance and supplication for all saints" (Eph. 6:18). Yes, not
merely for myself and family, or for my own church and denomination,
but for all the children of God which are scattered abroad. And this
not in a mere general way, and only once a week, but as definitely and
diligently, fervently and constantly, as I present my own personal
needs before the throne of grace. This is one of the chief lessons
inculcated by the prayer Christ taught His disciples: "When ye pray,
say, Our Father which art in heaven . . . give us . . . forgive us . .
. deliver us"!
"We know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the
brethren" (1 John 3:14). And how can our love be better expressed than
by making their case and cause our own case and cause before the mercy
seat! "Epaphras . . . always labouring fervently for you in prayers,
that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God" (Col.
4:12). Ah, if we had more like Epaphras Zion would not long remain in
its present languishing condition! If each of God's people earnestly,
trustfully and daily cried unto heaven on behalf of the whole
household of faith, that feeble knees might be strengthened,
backsliders reclaimed, graces quickened. fruitless branches purged,
half-dead preachers revived, we should soon witness showers of
blessing descending on the parched vineyard. God has not changed: His
arm is not shortened: the promises of Matthew 7:7, 8, are as available
to faith now as they were on the day of Pentecost. It is affections
that have waned, the footstool of prayer which has been neglected. "Ye
have not, because ye ask not."
Was there ever a time when prayer for the Church collectively and its
members individually was more urgently needed than now? We need
frequently to remind ourselves that the most striking deliverances
wrought in the past for God's people are recorded chiefly as monuments
of prevailing prayer. Such were the salvation of Israel at the Red
Sea, wrought in response to the supplication of Moses (Ex. 14:15), the
victory over Amalek at Rephidim (Ex. 17:12), the discomfiture of the
Philistines in the days of Samuel-the "Ebenezer" then erected was less
a monument of victory over powerful enemies than of the prophet's
prevailing prayer (1 Sam. 7:5, 9, 12)-the overthrow of the Moabites
and Ammonites in the days of Jehoshaphat (2 Chron. 20:1-13, 17,
22-24), the remarkable deliverance from Sennacherib king of Assyria
(Isa. 37:15-20, 35, 37). Such examples of Jehovah's readiness to show
Himself strong on the behalf of those who count upon His intervention
are recorded for our encouragement. Then ask, seek, knock.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Forty-Six
Seeking Grace-Concluded
"Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give
him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye
then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how
much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to
them that ask him?"
Matthew 7:9-11
___________________________________
Every Christian will grant that prayer is a bounden duty, that it is
obligatory upon us to own our dependence upon the Giver of all good
and perfect gifts, to seek from Him those things which we are in need
of both temporally and spiritually, to acknowledge the Lord's goodness
and lovingkindness and render thanks for His manifold mercies. To fail
at such a point is inexcusable, making us like unto those who live as
though there were no God, rendering not unto Him that which is His
undoubted due. Prayerlessness is not to be looked upon as an innocent
infirmity, but as a sin of the deepest dye, which is to be penitently
confessed. Christians will also grant that prayer is a precious
privilege, for by this ordinance they may obtain an audience with the
Majesty on high, delight themselves in the Lord, commune with the
Beloved of their souls, unburden their hearts before Him and prove Him
to be "a very present help in trouble." Alas, that we prize this
privilege so little and treat it so lightly.
Though it be free a lowed that prayer is a bounden duty and a precious
privilege, yet the fact remains that many professing Christians are
woefully slack in performing that duty and in availing themselves of
that privilege. Why is this? Let them not add to the sill of
prayerlessness the wickedness of seeking to throw the blame upon God,
by saying that He has withheld from them the spirit of prayer, that He
refuses them liberty of approach unto Him. That were to add insult to
injury. We make an evil use of it when we appeal to God's sovereignty
in order to excuse ourselves from discharging our responsibilities. If
we are not enjoying the light of God's countenance it is because our
sins have come in between as a thick cloud (Isa. 59:2). If we are not
receiving good things at His hands, it is because our iniquities have
withheld them (Jer. 5:24). If our hearts are cold and prayerless it is
because we have grieved the Holy Spirit. The fault is wholly ours, and
we must honestly own it.
Among the things that hinder a free and regular approach unto the
throne of grace we may mention the workings of pride. Pride begets a
spirit of independence and self-sufficiency. It goes against the
natural grain to take our place in the dust and come before God as
empty-handed beggars. True we did so at the beginning of our Christian
experience, for then we had been emptied of self and brought to look
entirely outside of self for deliverance. But alas, increased years
are rarely accompanied by increased humility. As we become better
versed in the letter of Holy Writ and more acquainted with the
mysteries of our faith, a sense of self-sufficiency is apt to possess
us. "Knowledge puffeth up," and the more puffed up we are the less our
sense of need and the more formal and infrequent our seeking after
Divine grace.
A spirit of sloth
is paralyzing to the prayer life. The soul loves its ease as well as
the body, that is why we are exhorted to "watch unto prayer" (1 Pet.
4:7). And how forceful that word from the pen of such a one! It was at
that very point Peter had first failed. The Lord had bidden him to
"watch and pray"; instead, he went to sleep. Prayer is likened unto
"striving" (Rom. 15:30) "labouring fervently" (Col. 4:12) and
"wrestling" (Eph. 6:12, 18), and such exertions are not possible when
lethargy has overcome us. The power of unbelief quenches the spirit of
prayer. Unbelief raises objections, is occupied with difficulties, and
leaves God entirely out of its considerations. Only where faith is in
healthy operation can we expect any success in this holy exercise. But
flirting with the world, yielding to the lusts of the flesh or heeding
the lies of Satan stifles the breath of faith, and then the soul is
left to gasp in the foul atmosphere of unbelief.
Now in that section of the Sermon on the Mount which we are here
considering, our Lord sets before His disciples one inducement after
another to stimulate them unto prayer. First, He gives them a gracious
invitation: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (v. 7). Second, He assures
them of an answer, by giving them a sure promise: "For every one that
asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that
knocketh it shall be opened" (v. 8). Third, He draws an infallible
inference from the Fatherhood of God: "Or what man is there of you,
whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a
fish, will be give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to
give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father
which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?" (vv. 9-11).
In order to get the full force of Christ's conclusion let us observe
its premise: "If ye then, being evil." First of all, observe how that
brief sentence expresses the Divine estimate of fallen mankind. How
those words abase the pride of man, affirming as they do the depravity
and corruption of human nature. Philosophers and poets, preachers and
politicians may prate all they please about the dignity and divinity
of man, the nobility and grandeur of human nature, but they fly in the
face of this solemn and inerrant verdict of the Son of God. Christ was
not deceived by the fair profession and religious pretensions of those
He met with, for when "many believed in His name when they saw the
miracles which He did," yet, "Jesus did not commit Himself unto them .
. . for He knew what was in man" (John 2:23-25). This "if ye then,
being evil" is yet more solemn and striking when we note that our Lord
said it not to those who were open enemies, but unto His own disciples
(see Luke 11:1, 2, 9, 13)-by nature they were polluted.
"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your
children." Notwithstanding the fact that you not only do that which is
evil but are yourselves evil-the fountain itself, from whence all
actions issue, being poisoned-yet you are kind to your offspring.
Parental love, by the wise and gracious arrangement of God, is one of
the most powerful of all the active principles of the human heart and
mind. No parent worthy of the name would refuse to supply the genuine
needs of his little ones when he had it in his power to do so. He
would neither turn a deaf ear to their cries nor mock them by
bestowing what was useless and noxious instead of that which was
requisite and beneficial for them. No, despite the ruin which the Fall
has entailed, men and women still respond to the instincts of
affection when they perceive that their offspring are in need, and use
their best judgment to relieve the same; certainly those who are
regenerate do so.
In what follows Christ drew a conclusion from this filial
relationship: "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts
unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven
give good things to them that ask Him?" It is an argument deduced from
the less to the greater, a species of reasoning frequently met with in
the Scriptures. "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord
pitieth them that fear Him" (Ps. 103:13). "Can a woman forget her
sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her
womb? yea, they may forget, yet will not I forget thee" (Isa. 49:15).
"I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him"
(Mal. 3:17). If godly parents respond to cries of need from their
bairns (children), what may we expect from Him who is supremely
excellent and kindly disposed unto His children? In knowledge, in
wisdom, in benevolence, in power, in resources, our heavenly Father
infinitely surpasses all earthly parents, and therefore we may
petition Him with the fullest assurance that He will supply all our
need. What conclusive reasoning is this! What persuasive appeal is
here!
But let us attend next to the connection between this gracious and
grand encouragement to seekers after Divine grace and that which
immediately precedes. As we sought to point out in our last, there is
a gradation or progressive development here in our Lord's teaching on
prayer-especially is this observable in Luke 11. First. there is the
invitation (v. 7), and then a reassuring promise (v. 8). And now
Christ disposes of an objection-a most foolish and wicked one, yet one
which is nevertheless raised by some. A grave doubt is apt to arise in
the distressed mind. True, God hears the petitions of His people, and
as a general rule makes responses of mercy to them; but I am such an
unworthy one, is He not therefore likely to be displeased at my
prayers and so answer me in wrath instead of love? Certainly I should
deserve it: if confessing my vileness, God should judge me out of my
own mouth and condemn me, what could I do? Ah, if we are afraid that
God will give us something evil when we have asked Him for that which
is good, then we are "evil" indeed.
A sense of sinfulness and the workings of unbelief cause you to fear
that if you ask something good at the hands of God He will mock you
with something evil, that instead of being gracious He will send you
something in righteous judgment. Does the reader deem this far-fetched
and suppose we are describing a very extreme and exceptional case?
Then we ask, Have you never prayed about a certain matter, prayed
earnestly, and the sequel has been that instead of things being
improved they grew worse, instead of relief being granted difficulties
increased and the pressure became more acute, until you were afraid to
pray any further for such a thing? Have you begged God again and again
to make you more patient, and the sequel has been such that it
appeared the Lord had mocked you by taking away what little you had
?If such has not been your experience, we can assure you that not a
few know something like unto it.
"Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give
him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?" (vv. 9,
10). Here is our Lord's refutation of such an objection. He bids us
ponder the conduct of earthly parents. Does a godly father
deliberately mock his son when a reasonable request is made of him? Of
course not. Then is that son afraid to come to his parent and acquaint
him with his need? No, he is assured that his parent is the very one
above all others who has his interests most at heart and is more
likely than anyone else to minister unto him. He has confidence in his
father's goodness; he trusts in his love, and therefore he hesitates
not to apply unto him. True, in his ignorance the child may ask for
something which is harmful, and then it is the wisdom and love of his
parent which withholds it; but if he asks for that which is needful
and beneficial, he will not receive that which is injurious in lieu of
it.
The spiritual application is obvious. As the child trusts his parent,
so must you your heavenly Father. "If ye then, being evil, know how to
give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father
which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?" As high as
God is above us, so high is the certainty that He will not fail His
beloved children. But to be more specific. You have perhaps been
earnestly beseeching God for guidance, to lead you in a plain path, to
make His way plain before your face. The result has been most
discouraging. Difficulties have increased, you seem more hedged in
than ever, you are now at your wits' end to know what to do. Well, do
not judge God harshly and conclude He has given you a stone instead of
bread! Your present lot is from the Lord, your circumstances are
ordered by Him who is too wise to err and too loving to be unkind. As
Spurgeon says, "It may seem hard perhaps; but may it not be the crust
of the bread for all that? Believe it to be so, but never suspect you
are being treated ungenerously by your Father."
Yet it appears to us that it is not so much of temporal mercies and
providential blessings as of spiritual things our passage treats. We
would therefore suggest that the "bread" stands for vital and
indispensable graces, and the "fish" for comforting ones. Bread is the
staff of life, and the graces of repentance and faith are necessary
unto salvation. Here is a soul that has prayed definitely and
sincerely for repentance. But he reads that Judas repented, yet
perished nevertheless. He hears some faithful servant of God draw the
line between legal bondage and evangelical repentance, between the
sorrow of the world and "godly sorrow which worketh repentance" (2
Cor. 7:10), and he is deeply concerned, wondering whether he has so
renounced sin, so detested it, so loathed it from the very bottom of
his heart, as to warrant him concluding that he has indeed been
granted "repentance unto life" (Acts 11:15). He therefore applies to
the throne of grace crying, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and
renew a right spirit within me."
So far so good; but now let us take the sequel. That individual
becomes better acquainted with the plague of his own heart and in the
light of God discovers corruption within such as he was not conscious
of before. Nay, indwelling sin now asserts itself with increasing
power and iniquities prevail. He seeks deliverance, but it comes not,
for the flesh remains unchanged to the end. He confesses his sins to
God, but so frequently that it appears to become mechanical. It seems
that his heart is as hard as a stone and he is ready to believe that
he was deceived, that after all he is a stranger to genuine
repentance. Here, then, is the remedy for such a case. Where did you
seek repentance? At the throne of grace, you answer. From whom, we
ask; from some creature? No, you reply, from God. Then has He mocked
you? If you sought simply, definitely, sincerely, from a sense of
need, has He given you a stone? Perish the thought. It is Satan who
seeks to persuade you that God has suffered you to be deluded. Believe
not his lie.
Take the grace of faith. We begged God for saving faith in His Son and
believed that He answered us. We renounced all our own doings and
trusted in the Lord Jesus. We saw Him in the glass of the Gospel
dying, the just for the unjust, and we cast ourselves on His atoning
sacrifice as the alone ground of our acceptance with God. But at times
the question is raised in our minds, Is mine true saving faith or
would it not be presumptuous for me to affirm that in Christ I am
pardoned? There is an historical faith: is mine no better than that? I
read that "the devils also believe" (Jas. 2:19): may not my faith be
of that sort? Do I have the genuine grace of faith or am I only
deluding myself? Come back to this touchstone, my friend: where did
you seek your faith? Did you ask your heavenly Father to give it you?
Have you not said to Him, If my faith be worthless, graciously work in
me the faith of Thine elect? Then dare you conclude that instead of
imparting faith by the Spirit's operation He has put into your heart a
carnal presumption and allowed you to be deluded? Even a godly human
parent would not act thus: how much less so the heavenly Father!
Take the grace of personal piety. You have longed for more holiness.
You have asked God for more purity of heart. You have sought earnestly
for a closer conformity to the image of His Son. You have knocked
again and again at the throne of grace, beseeching that you might be
sanctified wholly in spirit and soul and body. Great now is your
dismay, for you find yourself more sinful than ever, indwelling
corruption is increasingly active, and evil thoughts continually
harass you. Even so, once more we must bring you back to this: for
what did you ask? where did you seek this blessing? If from some
pretended priests and mediators, such as the poor papists have
recourse to, you would indeed be deceived and disappointed. But if you
sought from the great High Priest, the alone Mediator between God and
men, it is impossible that He should have palmed off on you something
which is evil. He has granted your request, though you perceive it
not: the holier He makes you, the more dissatisfied you will be with
yourself; the purer your heart, the more sensitive to the foulness
which invades it.
Take the grace of hope. This is a virtue which stays the heart in
seasons of distress, enabling the soul to look forward with firm
expectation to better things in the future. "For we are saved by hope:
but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he
yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with
patience wait for it" (Rom. 8:24, 25): the fulfillment of the promise
is not yet visible, but hope causes us to wait confidently for the
same. It was the grace of hope which moved Job to say, "When He hath
tried me, I shall come forth as gold" (23:10). The furnace might be
'hot, its flames most unpleasant to the flesh, the dross might sizzle
(as when he cursed the day of his birth), but he had no doubt of the
ultimate outcome. Ah, says the reader, I dare not cherish such an
assurance: it would be presumptuous of me to do so! What, presumption
to expect your heavenly Father to answer your prayers? Presumption to
expect Him to make good His promise: "He which hath begun a good work
in you will perform it" (Phil. 1:6)? Oh, insult Him not with such mock
humility, but trust Him to act like a Father unto you.
It is to be observed that in Luke 11 a third thing is mentioned: "Or
if he shall ask for an egg [something which only the wealthy ate in
those days], will he offer him a scorpion?" (v. 12). This seems to
carry the thought beyond asking for necessary or even comforting
graces, even for what we might term spiritual luxuries, as faith grows
and becomes bolder in seeking the highest enjoyments and enrichments
of the Spirit. The application is not difficult. The mature Christian
covets earnestly the best gifts. He begs that he may he drawn closer
to Christ and enjoy more intimate communion with Him. And what form
does the answer take? More persecution from the world, more opposition
from friends, more unkind treatment from brethren, which stirs up the
flesh and casts down the soul. Ah, but do not your heavenly Father the
injustice of concluding He has given you a scorpion instead of an egg:
malign not His character thus! Rather charge yourself with ignorance
and folly because you fail to realize that communion with Christ in
this life consists largely in "the fellowship of His sufferings"
(Phil. 3:10), which is the highest honour grace confers on His
followers.
In closing let us point out that if we are to enter into the comfort
and assurance of our passage faith must lay firm hold of the fatherly
character and relation of God. So long as we view Him only as the
stern Judge or as the most high Sovereign, we may expect little
liberty of approach or assurance of answers. There must be a childlike
confidence in His fatherly goodness and love, a believing He will give
good things unto the members of His dear family. There must be a
reliance upon His sufficiency. An earthly parent may "know how to give
good gifts unto his children," but straitened circumstances often
prevent him carrying out his desires. Not so our heavenly Father: He
not only "knoweth how," but actually gives unto His children. Then
doubt Him not and cease supposing He has substituted something
worthless for genuine grace.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Forty-Seven
The Golden Rule
"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,
do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."
Matthew 7:12
___________________________________
"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,
do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." This
single verse forms a distinct section, the ninth in this discourse of
our Lord's. Its theme is that of equity and justice, which must
regulate us in our dealings with one another. Its very brevity
evidences the Divine wisdom of Him who spoke as never man spoke, for
who else could have condensed so much into so few words? The manner in
which this rule is enforced manifests the fundamental unity of the two
economies: so far from the Gospel setting aside the requirements of
the Law it establishes the same (Rom. 3:31). Analyzing our present
verse we find it contains three things. First, a conclusion drawn from
the context: "therefore." Second, a commandment which presents to us a
standard of complete unselfishness: "whatsoever ye would that men
should do to you, do ye even so to them." Third, a commendation of
that standard: "for this is the law and the prophets."
The opening "therefore" looks back to what Christ had said in the
previous section (vv. 7-11). In it we behold the Divine Teacher making
a practical application of what He had just said upon prayer,
intimating that privilege and duty are never to be divorced, that
blessings from God are to enable us the better to discharge our
responsibilities unto men. "Fitly is the law of justice subjoined to
the law of prayer, for unless we be honest in our conversation, God
will not hear our prayers (Isa. 1:15, 17; 58:6, 9; Zech. 7:9, 13). We
cannot expect to receive good things from God if we do not fair things
and that which is lovely and of good report among men. We must not
only be devout, but honest, else our devotion is but hypocrisy"
(Matthew Henry). Alas, that this is so little insisted upon by the
pulpit today; alas, that the impression is generally created that we
may expect an answer to our petitions regardless of how we treat our
fellows: God requires a conscientious performance of all the duties of
civil righteousness as well as that we be earnest in acts of piety.
"How much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things
to them that ask Him? Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that
men should do to you, do ye even so to them." The connection between
these two things, then, shows that in the practice of this golden rule
Christians are to consider not only how they would be dealt with by
men, but by God Himself, thereby elevating the precept high above the
ethics of the heathen. Whatever usage we expect to meet with at the
hands of God, the same in our measure must we dispense to others. How
can we expect God to be merciful to us if we be merciless unto our
neighbour? How can we expect Him to deal liberally with us if we are
eaten up with selfishness? Let us not forget that whatever need others
have of us, the same need have we of God. According as we sow
sparingly or bountifully, so will our reaping be (2 Cor. 9:6). I am
therefore to consider how God will deal with me if I am rigid, severe,
and demand the uttermost farthing from those in my power.
It is also to be observed that a due regulation of our prayer life is
indispensable if we are to be fitted for dealing properly with our
fellows. All inordinate affection toward the world, which is the
impulse that moves men to over-reaching practices, has its root in a
distrust of God. "Were we daily to ask for all we want of Him, seeking
first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and relying upon His
promise to add other things as He sees them to be best for us, we
should have no inclination to covetousness or injustice. But if
instead of depending like sheep on the care of their shepherd we set
off like beasts of prey to forage the world for ourselves, we shall
often judge it to be wise and necessary to seize on that which equity
forbids" (Andrew Fuller). It is only by dwelling in (not paying an
occasional visit to) the secret place of the Most High that my heart
will be prepared to act becomingly toward my neighbour. It is only by
constant communion with Him who is both light and love that a spirit
of righteousness and grace will actuate me in my relations with men.
"How much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things
to them that ask Him? Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that
men should do to you, do ye even so to them." Consider the connection
also in this manner: since your Father in heaven gives good things to
you when you ask Him, make it your care to do good unto all who come
within the sphere of your influence. "Be ye therefore followers
[imitators] of God, as dear children" (Eph. 5:1). Since God has dealt
bountifully with you, practice generosity and liberality unto men. Let
not your conduct be determined by how your fellows treat with you, but
rather by how God treats with you. How immeasurably does this holy and
gracious standard from Christ exceed "the righteousness of the scribes
and Pharisees" (5:20)! How far had they departed from the Law and the
prophets! Nor need we fear that the unregenerate will take such an
unfair advantage of our magnanimity that we shall be the losers
thereby: "Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same
shall he receive of the Lord" (Eph. 6:8).
But how am I to determine what will be for the good of my neighbours?
Thus: "all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye
even so to them." This commandment consists of two parts: that which
is to be ordered, namely our actions unto other men; the rule which is
to regulate this, namely the law of justice and equity which is in
every man by nature. Whatever you would desire and deem best for
yourself were you in their place, that is what you must do unto
others. Nothing less than such a standard of unselfishness is our rule
of righteousness. "Christ came to teach us not only what we are to
know and to believe, but what we are to do: what we are to do, not
only toward God, but toward men; not only toward our fellow disciples,
those of our own party and persuasion, but toward men in general, all
with whom we have to do" (Matthew Henry). It is utterly vain to speak
like angels when on our knees before God, if we act like devils in our
transactions with men.
"The meaning of this rule lies in these three things. (1) We must do
that to our neighbour which we ourselves acknowledge to be fit and
reasonable, that the appeal being made to our own judgment, and the
discovery of our judgment is referred to that which is our own will
and expectation when it is our own case. (2) We must put other people
upon the level with ourselves, and reckon we are as much obliged to
them as they to us. We are as much bound to the duty of justice as
they are, and they are as much entitled to the benefit as we. (3) We
must in our dealing with men suppose ourselves in the same particular
case and circumstances with those we have to do with, and deal
accordingly. If I were making such a one's bargain, laboring under
such a one's infirmities and afflictions, how would I desire and
expect to be treated? And this is a just position, for we know not how
soon their case may really be ours; indeed we may fear, lest God by
His judgments should do to us as we have done to others, if we have
not done as we would be done by" (Matthew Henry).
This golden rule is God's witness in every human heart. Each one has
so much regard for himself as quickly to feel when he is wronged, and
to pass censure on the one injuring him. He has only then to apply
this principle to his conduct unto others and the right or wrong of
his actions must instantly appear. Hereby we are taught to abstain
from everything which would injure our neighbour, either in his body,
estate or good name-such as lying, slandering, dishonesty, oppression.
Nature itself teaches men this, for would they have men defame, rob or
oppress them? Then let them avoid such reprehensible practices toward
others. For the rule is not treat with men according as they deal with
you, but act toward them as you would desire them to act toward you.
It is the corruption of nature, the yielding to sinful inclinations,
which moves men to seek their own temporal advantage and advancement
by the loss and debasing of others. Alas, how far, far away is the
world from God and His righteousness.
How this precept cuts at the very root of all the pretensions and
sophistries used by men in their endeavors to justify crooked ways and
practices. How often they plead, "We must live," though they like not
to think that in a short time they also must die-"and after death, the
judgment"! Here these selfish creatures are reminded that their
fellows also must live, and have rights equal to their own. However
the unscrupulous may seek to excuse their dishonest tricks of the
trade, unmerciful employers grinding the faces of their employees,
harsh tyrants demanding their full pound of flesh from widows and
orphans under the plea of "business is business," let them come nearer
home and inquire whether they would like to be dealt with thus were
the positions reversed. "The money-lender may pretend he pleases the
poor, but his help is no better than he is, that gives a draught of
cold water to one that is in a burning fever, which seems pleasant at
the first but after increases his sufferings" (W. Perkins). Were this
rule heeded, the light weight, short change, and adulterated
commodities would be unknown.
This rule applies not only to giving, but forgiving, for as long as we
are in this world there will be infirmities and offences, and thus the
mutual need of forgiving and receiving forgiveness. "Forbearing one
another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a complaint
against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye" (Col. 3:13).
If we resent the idea that others should require flawless perfection
from us, then we must not demand it from them. If we desire that our
fellows view our unwitting failures with the eyes of charity, then we
must cultivate the same attitude. If we refuse to forgive those who
trespass against us, God will not forgive us our trespasses (Matthew
6:15). "Take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear
thy servant curse thee: For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth
that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others" (Eccl. 7:21, 22). The
meaning is, be not over affected when others speak evil of you, for
you know that you are not guiltless of that very thing; therefore,
meekly forbear. The realization that the flesh is still in us, and the
knowledge that we are compassed about with infirmities, should make us
pardon those who wrong us.
Let us mention another direction in which this precept needs to be
applied: where there are differences of religious opinion. Had this
principle been acted upon, then persecution in all its manifold and
cruel forms would have been unknown. Where is the man who would
acknowledge it to be right and proper to persecute him for his
conscientious convictions or for that conduct which is the necessary
result of them? Then if he deems such punishment to be unmerited and
unjust in his own case, by what principle can he regard such
punishment as being deserved by his fellows? Religious controversies
will obtain while ever men differ in their views, and regard the Truth
as valuable, but they would be conducted very differently from what
they are if those who engaged in them acted according to this golden
rule. Imputation of unworthy motives, scurrilous language, personal
abuse, malignant insinuations, and all the unworthy resorts by which
polemical discussions are so generally marred would be thrown to the
winds, and clear statement and fair argument take their place.
By this precept we are taught the secret of how to preserve a good
conscience in all our dealings with men in the world. If we are
regulated by this rule in our actings with others, our hearts will
condemn us not. For many particulars, express precepts are given in
the Scriptures telling us what to do and what not to do, and they are
strictly to be observed by us. But where we lack any specific command
from God, then we are to fall back upon this general rule and search
our conscience as to how we would have men deal with us in a similar
case or circumstance, and act accordingly with them. This will make us
jealous of the reputation of our neighbour, prevent us making false
and injurious statements and cause us to be cautious of heeding and
circulating any evil reports. We should then treat others with the
same courtesy and kindness as we would wish to be treated by them. We
should refrain from subjecting them to those slights and neglects
which, were we in their place and they in ours, we should feel
unpleasant and undeserved.
"It is a peculiar excellence of this rule of our Lord that it not only
shows us our duty, but its obvious tendency is to persuade us to
perform it. It brings duty before the mind in a peculiarly inviting
form. It not only enlightens the mind, but inclines the heart.
Self-love is the great obstacle in the way of doing our duty to our
neighbour. Our Lord makes even self-love become, as it were, the
handmaid of justice and charity. Having led us to change places with
our neighbour, to feel what are our rights, and how unreasonable it
would be to withhold them, He then says, These are his rights, and you
will be the unreasonable person to deprive him of them. We are made,
as it were, to declare what is our neighbor's due, when we suppose we
are only considering what was our own; and we cannot, without the
shame of conscious inconsistency, refuse to him what we clearly see,
were we in his place, we should account it unreasonable and unjust to
be deprived of" (John Brown).
From all that has been pointed out it follows that the breach of this
rule is more evil in the case of one who has tasted personally the
bitterness of unmercifulness and injustice at the hands of others than
those who have not done so, because experience gives a truer and
closer knowledge of things than a bare concept of them imparts. He who
knows things by mere contemplation knows them at hand and feels the
smart of them. Therefore conscience should work more in them by way of
restraint because they know what it is to be oppressed or disgraced
and remember how grievous it was when they lay under a wrong. "Thou
shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers
in the land of Egypt" (Ex. 22:21): the Hebrews knew from painful
experience what it was to be friendless under heavy yoke and cruelly
afflicted, and therefore should be the last people to oppress any
strangers who came into their hands. Servants who have groaned under
heavy tasks ought to make the kindest and most considerate masters and
mistresses if Providence raises their station in the world.
It should also be pointed out that this rule, like all the Divine
precepts, is spiritual, and concerns the inward man as well as the
outward: bearing upon our thoughts as well as our words and actions.
The whole Law of God is spiritual (Rom. 7:14). "The law of the Lord is
perfect, converting the soul" (Ps. 19:7): it is a guide riot only for
the motions of the body, but also for the intents and workings of the
heart. As is the first table, so is the second: "the second is like
unto it" (Matthew 22:39). How so? It is as spiritual as the first, and
therefore not only what I "do" but also what I think and purpose to do
unto others is comprehended in it. As we saw in Matthew 5, Christ
speaks of murder and adultery committed in the heart, by spiteful
anger and revengeful thoughts, by wanton desires and imaginations.
Thus secret grudgings in our hearts against others are forbidden, that
our affections be not alienated from them. Our neighbour is to be
loved as ourselves, and therefore the justice and equity required by
this rule is a righteousness which proceeds from a principle of love.
It will thus be seen that this golden rule is not only a guide to
conduct but a revealer of sin to the saints, for who that knows his
own heart will say that he measures up to it? Yet "Let all who
habitually neglect or violate this law recollect that whatever be
their profession they are not Christians. Even now Christ is saying to
them 'Why call Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I say?'"
(John Brown). How few real Christians there are, then, in the world.
How many are most resolute in standing up for their own rights, yet
have no regard for the rights of others; who are very strict in
demanding prompt payment from their debtors, yet are exceedingly slack
in meeting the dues of their creditors; who hotly resent being
slandered, yet care nothing of other men's names; who are very hurt
when friends fail to sympathize with them in their trouble, vet are
callously indifferent to the sorrows of their neighbours. It is vain
to parade our orthodoxy in doctrine and prate about the communion we
enjoy with Christ, while we pay little or no attention to this
important precept. God will not accept our worship if our conduct unto
our fellows contradicts our Christian profession.
"For this is the law and the prophets." This clause contains a
commendation of the preceding commandment. It is no strange and harsh
task which I am setting before you, says Christ, but one which God has
required from His people since the beginning. That golden rule is in
fact a remarkable epitome of the second table of the Moral Law, an
abridgment of the duties there demanded by it. "Whatsoever ye would
that men should do to you, do ye even so to them" is a gathering up
into one compendious maxim of all that the Old Testament teaches
concerns our converse and commerce with men. That golden rule is the
sum of what the Law and the prophets taught about the law of equity
and justice between man and man. In this declaration "For this is the
law and the prophets" Christ placed His imprimatur upon the
authenticity and authority of the Old Testament scriptures, for our
Lord had never backed up His own teaching with anything less than an
appeal unto that which was and is the very Word of God. The doctrine
of Moses and the prophets is of equal weight and worth as the doctrine
of Christ.
Perhaps a brief amplification is called for by the last sentence
above. If we compare Christ and Moses and the prophets, we must
distinguish between their doctrine and their persons. The doctrine of
Moses and the prophets is equal to the doctrine of Christ in two ways:
first in certainty of Truth, for they spoke nothing other than the
very Word of God, and Christ did no more. Second, in efficacy and
authority for the binding of conscience, theirs being thus equal with
His. Yet the person of Christ is infinitely above the persons of Moses
and the prophets, for He is God incarnate, whereas they were but holy
men; He is the Author and Fountainhead of Truth, whereas they were
only the amanuenses and channels thereof. Therefore Christ's doctrine
more binds us to obedience than the doctrine of the Old Testament
because the Person delivering it is of more excellency: this is
forcibly argued in Hebrews 1:1, 2; 2:1 ("we ought to give the more
earnest heed"); 12:25 (" much more.").
The Old Testament taught the imperative duty of seeking the good of
our neighbour as emphatically and clearly as does the New. It plainly
and repeatedly forbade the doing of anything which would in any wise
injure him. "Thou shalt not avenge nor bear any grudge against the
children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself:
I am the Lord" (Lev. 19:18). "If thou meet thy neighbour's ox or his
ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again" (Ex.
23:4): clearly that was enunciating the principle, do unto others as
you would like them to do unto you. "Thou shalt not harden thy heart
nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother; but thou shalt open thine
hand wide unto him. and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need,
and that which he wanteth" (Deut. 15:7, 8). "Rejoice not when thine
enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth"
(Prov. 24:17). "If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and
if he be thirsty, give him water to drink" (Prov. 25:21). Thus we may
perceive the error and senselessness of those who claim that the New
Testament contains a higher morality and spirituality than the Old.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Forty-Eight
The Way of Salvation
"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is
the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there he which go in
thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which
leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
Matthew 7:13, 14
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The verses to which we have now come are closely connected with the
previous sections of the Lord's Sermon, in which He had described the
character of those who were the subjects of His kingdom and had laid
down the rules by which they must walk. Such teaching as He had given
out was at direct variance with the popular views entertained by His
hearers. The Jews supposed that they were all to be the subjects of
the Messiah, simply from being the natural descendants of Abraham and
because they bore in their flesh the mark of the covenant. But
throughout this discourse the Lord Jesus had made it abundantly clear
that something more essential than physical lineage and submission to
ceremonial rites was required to make them spiritual heirs of the
patriarch. There was a straiter gate which had to be entered than any
privilege which natural birth gave admittance to, a narrower way to be
traversed than that religious life mapped out by the scribes and the
Pharisees. Only those are accounted the true children of Abraham who
have his faith (Rom. 4:16), who do his works (John 8:39), and who are
vitally united to Christ (Gal. 3:29).
If the teaching of Christ was radically different from that in which
the Jews of His day had been brought up, it is in equally sharp
contrast with most of the concepts which now prevail in Christendom.
If the Jews were completely ignorant of the high and searching
requirements of God's holiness it cannot be said that our own
generation is any better informed. If they plumed themselves on being
the children of Abraham, a large percentage of our people complacently
assume that they are members of a "Christian nation." If they believed
that the rite of circumcision secured for them the favour of God,
multitudes in our churches imagine that the sprinkling of water on the
brow of an infant obtains for it a passport to heaven. And even in
those circles which are better instructed, for the most part salvation
is offered on much easier terms, far more acceptable to the natural
man, than those prescribed by the incarnate Son of God. The analogy
may be extended still farther, for if it was the religious leaders of
Israel who most strenuously opposed our Lord, it is those now making
the loudest claims to orthodoxy that are the bitterest antagonists of
the Truth.
In support of our assertion that the doctrine of Christ is directly
contrary to the ideas now so prevalent in Christendom, take His solemn
and express declaration that few there be that find life, which, we
shall see as we proceed, means that only a few will reach heaven. But
who is there today that really believes this? Where is the place in
which such a truth is boldly and plainly uttered? We know of none. On
the contrary it is generally assumed, yea, said openly, that many,
that "millions," that the greater part of the human race will obtain
eternal felicity. Let any man who "attends church" die, and no matter
how worldly his life or how crooked his business dealings, do not his
friends say with one consent "he is now at rest," and is not the
preacher expected to declare in his funeral sermon that the deceased
is "better off"? If anyone should dare to dissent is he not at once
condemned for being "harsh and uncharitable"? The tree, forsooth, is
not to be known by its fruits but by the label some parsonic (parson)
gardener has attached to it.
The unwelcome but faithful objector may call attention to our Lord's
statement that His flock is a "little"-Greek "very little" -one (Luke
12:32), but the religious world will not listen to him. He must not
challenge the Christian profession of his fellows. He must not look
for perfect people in this world. We all have our failings, and though
some believe differently from himself, yet their hearts are right, and
though others may be slack in performing certain duties, let him
remember that they claim to be trusting in the finished work of
Christ, and therefore it is highly reprehensible for anyone to doubt
them. So far from believing that only a few will reach heaven, the
vast majority in Christendom today hold that somehow, in some way, the
greater part of our fellows will get there. Hell, if there be such a
place, is reserved for arch-criminals and villains, just as our
prisons house only a small fraction of the population-the
"unfortunates" and "misguided" ones.
And why is it that there are scarcely any left among us who really
believe that only the few will reach heaven? There can only be one
answer: because it is now generally held that heaven can be obtained
on much easier terms than those prescribed by Christ. The adulterous
generation in which our lot is cast are quite sure that heaven can be
reached without treading the only way which leads there, that the
kingdom of God can be entered without passing through "much
tribulation" (Acts 14:22), that we may be disciples of Christ without
denying self, taking up our cross and following Him (Matthew 16:24).
They do not believe that if their right eve offends it must be plucked
out and if their right hand offends it must be cut off (Matthew 5:29,
30). They do not believe that if they live after the flesh they shall
die, and that only if through the Spirit they mortify the deeds of the
body they shall live (Rom. 8:13). They are fully persuaded that a man
can serve two masters and succeed in "making the best of two worlds."
In short, they do not believe the gate is as "strait" nor the way as
"narrow" as Christ declared it to be.
All we have to do in order to be saved is to respond to Christ's
gracious invitation and "come unto Him." Ah, but that "all" is by no
means the simple matter that many think and that so many evangelists
falsely represent it to be. We have to turn our back upon the world
and forsake our cherished sins in order to turn our face unto Christ,
as the prodigal had to leave the far country, where he had spent his
substance in riotous living, before he could come to the Father.
Christ is the Holy One of God and will not be the minister of sin.
Love for the things of this world closes the heart against Him. What
caused the young man to go away from Christ sorrowing, after some fair
show of willingness to be His disciple, but love of possessions? What
restrained the invited guests from accepting the invitation to the
marriage feast, but immoderate affection to the husbanding of a farm
and proving of oxen (Matthew 22:5)? "Whosoever is under the government
of this lust (covetousness) can no more believe in Christ than a man
lying under a heap of rubbish or at the bottom of the sea can see the
glory of the heavens. The intentness of the eye on one object hinders
it from the view of another" (S. Charnock).
When the Philippian jailer asked "What must I do to be saved?" all the
apostle answered was "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt
be saved, and thy house." Waiving now the fact that that was not the
idle inquiry of one who was still in love with the world and taking
his fill of its pleasures, but instead the distressed cry of one who
was desperate, let it be pointed out that while believing in Christ is
a simple and easy act considered in itself, yet it becomes a very hard
and difficult thing to us by reason of the opposition made thereto by
our inward corruptions and the temptations of Satan. To forgive our
enemies and love those who persecute and despitefully use us is,
considered as a notion of the mind, easy to be performed, but try and
bring your heart to do the same and you will discover it lies beyond
your own unaided powers. As a motion of the mind it is both simple and
delightful to cast all our care upon Him who careth for us (1 Pet.
5:7), yet a poor man, in ill health and the father of a big family,
does not find it easy to perform. No heart can tear itself away from
the world and hate beloved lusts without first experiencing the mighty
operations of the Holy Spirit!'
"Enter ye in at the strait gate" says Christ at the beginning of our
passage, and that this is far from being an easy thing to do appears
from His word on another occasion: "Strive to enter in at the strait
gate" (Luke 13:24). That He should employ such an expression clearly
implies the slothfulness and carelessness which characterize mere
nominal professors, as it also denotes that there are real
difficulties and formidable obstacles to be overcome. The Greek word
there used for "strive" (agonizomai) is a very expressive and emphatic
one, meaning "agonize." It occurs again in 1 Corinthians 9:25, "and
every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things:"
the reference is to the athletes who took part in the marathon races,
willing to undergo the most self-denying discipline to be at their
fittest, thereby hoping to win an earthly crown. This word rendered
"strive" is translated "labouring fervently" in Colossians 4:12, and
"fight" in 1 Timothy 6:2! Ah, my reader, becoming a Christian is not
done simply by holding up your hand in a religious meeting or signing
some "decision" card. Alas, that such multitudes have been deceived by
these satanic catch-pennies.
"The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by
force" (Matthew 11:12), like an army storming a city and capturing the
same. We have often read of earthly kingdoms being obtained by
violence, but it seems surprising to hear of such means being used
upon the kingdom of heaven. How are we to understand this? Why, thus:
"violence" here does not signify unlawful assaults, but earnest
deliberation. It is not an injurious violence like that which seizes
earthly prizes, but a holy and industrious violence, intensity of
desire and endeavour, persevering zeal which refuses a denial. It is a
determination to master all difficulties, to break through all
impediments and surmount every obstacle. Such violence was necessary
then: "Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up
the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go n yourselves,
neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in" (Matthew 23:13),
but did all they could to oppose them. So now: godless relatives and
worldly companions will seek to deter the earnest seeker after Christ,
but he must not be deterred if he would find. "The kingdom of heaven
was never intended to indulge the ease of triflers, but to be the rest
of them that labour" (Matthew Henry).
"Enter ye in at the strait gate." It is not enough to listen to
preaching about this "gate," nor to study its structure or admire the
wisdom of its appointment: it must be entered. Sermons on repentance
and faith in Christ avail us nothing unless they move our hearts to
comply therewith. The Greek word here rendered "strait" signifies
restrained, cramped, or better "narrow" as it is rendered in the R.V.
And what is meant by this strait or narrow gate? A "gate" serves two
purposes: it lets in and shuts out. This gate is the only avenue of
admittance to that "way" which leads unto life, and all who enter not
by it are eternally barred from the presence of God and the realm of
ineffable bliss. The second use of this "gate" is solemnly illustrated
at the close of the parable of the virgins. The foolish ones lacked
the necessary "oil" (the work of the Spirit in the heart), and when
they sought to obtain it the Bridegroom came and "the door was shut"
(Matthew 25:10), and though they besought Him to open it unto them, He
answered "I know you not."
What is denoted by entering this narrow gate? Chiefly three things.
First, the acceptance of those teachings of truth, of duty, of
happiness, which were unfolded by Christ: the honest and actual
receiving into the heart of His holy, searching and flesh-withering
instructions. Those teachings may be summed up in His emphasis upon
the righteous claims and demands of God upon us and His insistence
upon our depraved state and wicked enmity against Him. No one can
become a Christian while he entertains any doubt upon the Divine
inspiration and authority of the Scriptures, or while he refuses to
bow to the verdict which God has pronounced upon him. We must know
ourselves to be utterly lost before there can be any desire for
salvation, and we must accept God's sentence of condemnation upon us
ere we know how guilty we are in His sight. There can be no traversing
the narrow way itself until we set to our seal that God is true when
He declares we are "all as an unclean thing," that there is "no
soundness" in us. It is by relinquishing error, the lies of Satan, and
receiving the Truth that we pass through the strait gate.
Second, the exercise of true repentance. "From that time Jesus began
to preach and to say, Repent" (Matthew 4:17). It was announced of His
forerunner that he should "prepare the way of the Lord." And how did
he do so? By making ready a people to receive Him when He appeared
before them as "the Lamb of God." And in what did that readiness
consist? This, that they repented, confessed their sins, and owned
that death was their due by being buried in baptism in the Jordan by
him (Luke 3:1-6). The Gospel is not less holy than the Law and
therefore it requires that our hearts bewail our former transgressions
of the Law and be firm and sincere in its resolution against all
future sin. "You and your sins must separate, or you and your God will
never come together. No one sin may you keep. They must all be given
up: they must be brought out like the Canaanitish kings from the cave
and hanged up before the sun. You must forsake them, abhor them, and
ask the Lord to overcome them" (C. H. Spurgeon). It is by abandoning
our idols and the pleasures of sin that we pass through the strait
gait.
Third, the complete surrender of ourselves to God in Christ. This will
anticipate an objection which some may be ready to make: not the Lord
Jesus "the Door" (John 10:9)? Yes, and He is so according to the three
principal functions of His mediatorial office: He is "the Door" into
God's presence as He is Prophet, Priest and King. To believe savingly
in Christ is to receive Him as Prophet to instruct us, as Priest to
atone for us, and as King to rule over us. Only as His holy teachings
are really accepted by a contrite heart is any soul prepared to place
any value on His cleansing blood, and the sincerity of our acceptance
of Him as Priest is evidenced by our readiness to submit to His royal
sceptre, for like His types He is first the King of righteousness and
after that the King of peace (Heb. 7:2). Christ's cleansing blood is
available to none who are unwilling to throw down the weapons of their
warfare against God: they must forsake their way if they would be
pardoned (Isa. 55:7). Only by a serious dedication of ourselves unto
God through Christ can we become enjoyers of the riches of His grace.
It is by a complete surrender of ourselves unto God that we pass
through the strait gate.
"Enter ye in at the strait gate." Here were "duty repentance" and
"duty faith" with a vengeance, for this exhortation is obviously
addressed unto the unsaved: "Enter ye in" definitely implies they were
yet outside. And unto whom was Christ speaking? Not to heathen
idolaters, who were without any knowledge of the true God. No, it was
to those who believed in Jehovah and who received the Scriptures as
His very Word. It was to those who averred "we have one Father, even
God" (John 8:41). Nevertheless, despite all their knowledge of the
Truth and enjoyment of external privileges, they had never entered
that gate which alone admitted to the only way which leadeth unto life
This same exhortation is equally applicable and pertinent today unto
multitudes of church members who, notwithstanding their profession and
performances, have never been born again. In this exhortation Christ
makes it plain to His ministers that He would have them recognize the
responsibility of their hearers, and call upon the unregenerate to
discharge their duties.
"For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to
destruction, and many there be which go in thereat." In those words
our Lord advanced a reason or argument to enforce His previous
exhortation. There is another gate than the "strait" one, altogether
different therefrom, for it is "wide" and gives entrance into a broad
way, but it leads to the bottomless pit. It is "the course of this
world" (Eph. 2:2), in which all its unregenerate citizens are found.
It is the path of self-will and self-gratification. It is "wide"
because those in it own no restrictions. They have broken down the
commandments of God which were designed to be a hedge about them. It
is therefore a pleasant and easy way to the flesh, for no inquiry or
diligent search has to be made in order to find it, no resolution and
perseverance are called for in order to continue treading it, no
self-denial has to be practiced to remain therein. A dead fish can
float with the stream, but only a living one can swim against it: so
the unregenerate mechanically follow this road, for there is nothing
in them to resist the law of gravity. The going is smooth and easy
because it is all downhill!
It is a crowded road, for "many there be which go in thereat." It is
the very width of it which renders it so attractive to the carnal
mind. Here there are no "quota" limitations, no barring of "aliens,"
no restrictions of color, caste or creed. There is plenty of room for
all. Men may walk in the ways of their hearts and in the sight of
their eyes, give rein to their lusts and full indulgence to their
inclinations, and none shall hinder them. This broad road is thronged
because all mankind are in it by nature, birth admitting them into the
same; nor has anyone the slightest desire to desert it unless a
miracle of grace be wrought upon him. Like Lot and his wife in Sodom
every last one of us is so loath to leave the city of destruction that
the Christian too had preferred to remain there and perish, unless the
Lord had sent His messengers to "pluck" him as a brand from the
burning. "Woe to the multitude of many people" (Isa. 17:12) says God
to this densely packed road.
It is a deceptive road, for few upon it have any idea of whither it is
taking them. Those upon it believe they are following the wise course,
for they regard as fools those who differ from them. We are only young
once, life is short, let us have a gay time while it lasts; let us
eat, drink and be merry seems to them the very dictates of common
sense. Ah, it is "the way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end
thereof are the ways of death" (Prov. 14:12). So sure are its
travelers they are right that they conclude anyone is afflicted with
"religious mania" who prefers the narrow way. Yet it is a fatal road,
for it "leadeth to destruction," hopeless and eternal destruction. It
conducts to the bottomless pit, the unquenchable fire, and the undying
worm. It is the way of the ungodly, and Scripture expressly declares
that "the way of the ungodly shall perish" (Ps. 1:6). And, my reader,
that fatal way can only be abandoned by conversion, by a radical right
about face, by turning from sin and self-pleasing and turning unto God
and holy living.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Forty-Nine
The Way of Salvation-Concluded
"Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto
life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which
come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening
wolves."
Matthew 7:14, 15
___________________________________
As Christ was the antitype of Melchizedek and Aaron, the antitype of
David and Solomon, so also was He the antitypical Moses (Deut. 18:18)
and Samuel, and therefore in the fulfillment of His commission He
could say unto His hearers, "I set before you the way of life, and the
way of death" (Jer. 21:8). This is precisely what He did in the verses
before us: He likens our passage through life to a journey, a journey
from time unto eternity. There are but two possible destinations unto
which each of us is travelling, for we are treading the path which
leads to heavenly bliss or the road which conducts to the eternal
torments of hell. That we may ascertain which of those ways we are on,
Christ gave a brief and clearly identifying description of each of
them, defining the entrance thereto, the breadth thereof, and the
numbers thereon. God has ordained two distinct places to be the final
abodes of men after this life, and between them He has fixed a great
gulf so that none can pass from the one to the other (Luke 16:26), and
equally great is the distance and the difference between the ways
leading to them and the character and conduct of those walking along
the one and the other, for the former are the children of God, whereas
the latter are the children of the Devil.
This drawing such drastic lines of discrimination, this definite and
circumscribed classification, is not at all acceptable to those who
traverse the spacious road leading to destruction. They pride
themselves on their broadmindedness and liberality and resent anything
which suggests that all is not well with them. They know their
characters are not white, yet would not allow for a moment they were
black, so persuade themselves they are a shade midway between. They
may not be good enough for heaven, but they are quite sure they are
not bad enough for bell. That is why the papish invention of a
"purgatory" is so popular with multitudes of people, and just as they
would fondly believe there is another place besides heaven and hell,
so they like to think there is another class besides saints and
sinners. But if our thoughts be formed according to the teaching of
Holy Writ we are shut up to this inevitable and sole alternative,
light or darkness, truth or error, Christ or Belial, holiness or sin,
salvation or damnation.
Christ began this solemn and searching portion of His Sermon with the
exhortation, "Enter ye in at the strait gate," which we understand to
mean: first, jettison all your own ideas and receive the Truth as a
little child (Matthew 18:3), bowing to its sentence of condemnation.
Second, abandon your course of self-pleasing, bewail your rebellion
against God and set your heart firmly against sill. Third, surrender
yourself to God's righteous claims and yield yourself unreservedly to
the Lordship of Christ. That exhortation is enforced by the following
reason: "for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to
destruction, and many there be which go in thereat." All who are
unconverted proceed along it. "It hath in it various paths suited to
men's different humors and inclinations. The covetous and the
spendthrift, the profligate and the hypocrite, the Antinomian and the
Pharisee, the sons and daughters of pleasure and the grave designing
politicians and proud philosophers, decent moralists and infamous
debauchees, have their several paths and their select companies; they
mutually despise and condemn each other, yet they all keep one another
in countenance by agreeing to oppose the holy ways of the Lord"
(Thomas Scott).
Yet pleasant as the broad way may be to the flesh and popular as it is
with the masses, it ends in unutterable woe and everlasting torments.
How necessary it is then, that each of us should give heed to that
injunction, "Ponder the path of thy feet" (Prov. 4:26). Men are ready
enough to do so in temporal matters, why not so in spiritual? They do
not enter a train or even a bus without first ascertaining where it is
bound for: then why not pause and ask, Whither will this godless mode
of life take me? In which direction are my feet pointed: heavenward or
hellward? So immeasurable is the distance betwixt those two bodies, so
vast is the difference between life and destruction, that we are
called upon to exercise the utmost care and conscience in using every
Divinely prescribed means for attaining the one and escaping the
other. In the verses we are now considering Christ faithfully warns us
that if we are to have a well-grounded hope of attaining the home of
the blessed we must give heed to that commandment, "Thou shalt not
follow a multitude to do evil" (Ex. 23:2).
There appears to have been some uncertainty in the minds of our
translators concerning the exact relation between verse 14 and its
immediate context, for it will be observed that they have suggested
"How" as an alternative to its opening "Because." In the preceding
verse our Lord had given a brief but emphatic exhortation which He had
followed with a solemn reason to enforce the same. What then is the
precise force of verse 14, which obviously returns to the original
exhortation? If we take the marginal rendering, then verse 14
constitutes an exclamation, occasioned by what has been said of the
broad way and the multitudes which choose to tread it. But if we take
it as it reads, and which we regard as preferable, then verse 14
contains an amplification. First, informing us that entering in at the
strait gate is not the end itself, but only a means thereto, for it
gives entrance to the "narrow way" which has to be traversed if life
is to be obtained. Second, it plainly announces that the walk thereon
will be both difficult and lonely, for only the "few" succeed in
finding it. And third, it offers encouragement or presents a powerful
incentive by assuring its travelers that life lies at the end of it.
It seems to us there is yet another way of ascertaining the relation
of verse 14 to its context, and that is by linking it not with the
whole of the preceding verse but with its last clause, thus: "and many
there be which go in thereat, because strait is the gate and narrow is
the way which leadeth unto life." Considered thus it is a word of
explanation, informing us why the multitudes prefer the road which
leads to destruction: the only alternative path repels them. The
straitness of its entrance and the narrowness of its course present no
attraction for the lovers of fleshly license and worldly pursuits and
pleasures; on the contrary, the way which leads unto life is
diametrically opposed to their ideas and inclinations. They may offer
a hundred excuses why they seek not the narrow way, but the real one
is that they have no heart for it. As a fish is out of its native
element when brought from the water and placed on the land, so the
unregenerate have no relish for godliness. None but those who have
communicated to them a new nature will desire to tread the highway of
holiness.
"Because strait [or "narrow"] is the gate." We have already pondered
this expression in the preceding article, yet so little is it
understood and so much is it contradicted by the claptrap evangelism
of our day that a further word on it is called for. Place by the side
of it another of our Lord's sayings: "That a rich man shall hardly
enter into the kingdom!" (Matthew 19:23). How far removed is that from
the idea now so prevalent! Do not thousands who take the lead in tract
distribution, open-air work, Gospel hall and mission hall services,
suppose it is just as easy for a rich man to be saved as a poor one,
seeing that all which either of them has to do is "simply believe the
record which God has given of His Son." Ah, my reader, the devils
believe the whole of that record (Jas. 2:19): believe in His deity
(Matthew 8:29), His virgin birth, His atoning death, His triumphant
resurrection, but does their belief make them any less devilish in
character? So of the vast majority of those who profess to have
received Christ as their personal Saviour; has their believing of the
Gospel made them less carnal and worldly, more truthful with their
fellows, more honest in their business dealings, less selfish; if it
has not, what is such "believing" worth? Less than nothing.
If saving faith were nothing but an act of the mind, an assent to the
Divine testimony, then it would be just as easy for a millionaire to
be saved as a pauper. But it is "with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness" (Rom. 10:10) and the heart is the seat of the
affections, and how can a person hate what he loves or love what he
hates? Can he do so by a mere "act of the will"? Of course not: It is
contrary to nature. A miracle of grace has to be performed within him
first, his heart must be "renewed," radically changed, before its
affections will move in a different direction. We are told that "the
disciples were astonished at His words," so they too were laboring
under the delusion that salvation was a simple matter for anybody.
"But Jesus answered again and saith unto them, Children, how hard is
it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!"
Faith is an attitude of heart Godward, and where material wealth is
made the heart's sufficiency in connection with temporal supplies, how
can it reverse its entire trend and trust God for spiritual and
eternal things?
"It is easier [continued Christ] for a camel to go through the eye of
a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." Now
face the issue frankly, dear reader: does that declaration of the Lord
Jesus denote that salvation is to be obtained cheaply, that anyone may
be saved any time he is willing to be? Should it be answered, This is
not a "salvation" passage, we reply, It most certainly is, for the
disciples at once asked, "Who then can be saved?" (Mark 10:26). To
which our Lord said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God, for
with God all things are possible." How utterly erroneous then is the
teaching that the matter of his salvation rests entirely with man's
will. They are deceivers of souls, blind leaders of the blind, who go
around telling the ignorant and unwary that getting saved is an easy
and simple thing. Not so, it is the most difficult thing of all; nay,
with men it is impossible, and the sooner this be recognized the
sooner we are likely to get down on our knees and cry to God in
earnest for the supernatural operations of His Spirit.
Trusting in riches is far from being the only thing which hinders man
from seeking God's salvation. "How can ye believe," said Christ on
another occasion, "which receive honour one of another and seek not
the honour that cometh from God only?" (John 5:44): the love of fame,
seeking the approbation of our fellows, is another fatal obstruction.
If the first three Gospels be read attentively (John's Gospel is for
Christians-1:16) it will be seen that the Lord Jesus was very far from
teaching that the attainment of heaven is a simple matter. He insisted
that right eyes have to be plucked out (cherished lusts mortified) and
right hands cut off (beloved idols destroyed)-Matthew 5:29, 30. He
likened the Christian unto a "house" which has to withstand "floods"
and "winds" beating upon it (Matthew 7:25). He declared that in order
to be His disciple a man must deny himself and take up his cross and
follow Him (Matthew 16:24). Instead of promising His followers a
smooth voyage through this world, He said, "If they have called the
Master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of
His household?" (Matthew 10:25). Instead of teaching that a single and
isolated act of faith was sufficient to secure heaven, He said, "But
he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved" (Matthew
24:13). Instead of seeking to rush men into believing, He bade them
"sit down first and count the cost" (Luke 14:28).
The gate or entrance then is a "strait" one, for it will not admit
those who are loaded with the weapons of rebellion against God, nor
can they squeeze through who are walking arm in arm with the world. To
enter that gate the heart has to be humbled, sinful pleasures have to
relinquished, worldly companions abandoned, Christ has to be received
in all His offices. And mark it well, this "gate" is but the entrance,
giving admittance to the one and only path which leadeth unto life.
That path Christ described as a "narrow way," to intimate that it is
no easier, wider or more pleasant than the gate itself. In 1
Thessalonians 3:4, the cognate term is rendered "suffer tribulation."
It is not on flowery beds of ease that the pilgrim is conducted to the
Father's house: rather does he have to force his way through briars
and thorns which cut and tear the flesh. There is not one path for the
Redeemer and another for the redeemed (John 10:4). His was a path of
affliction and ours cannot be otherwise if we follow the example He
has left us; and if we do not we shall not join Him on high.
"Narrow is the way which leadeth unto life." As this way is entered by
the heart's sincere acceptance of Christ's holy teaching, so it is
traversed by the heart and life being constantly regulated thereby.
They who tread this narrow way heed not the counsel of the ungodly
(Ps. 1:2), lean not unto their own understanding (Prov. 3:5), and
follow not "the customs of the people" (Jer. 10:3). Rather are the
believer's thoughts formed by the Scriptures and his conduct directed
by its statutes, so that God's Word becomes to him in fact and
experience "a lamp unto his feet and a light unto his path." The
narrow way is strictly marked and exactly defined in the Divine
Charter, and along it the Christian must go without turning aside
either to the right hand or the left (Prov. 4:27). When he meets with
an enemy that enemy must be overcome, or he will be overcome by him.
The going is strenuous and arduous, for the whole of it is uphill. Let
anyone who thinks otherwise read Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress and see
if that deeply taught soul pictured pilgrim's course to the celestial
city as all smooth sailing. Alas, that so much of the modern preaching
is the very reverse of what is contained in that faithful and helpful
work.
And why is the way such a "narrow" one? Because it is a single path,
whereas the way of death is manifold, containing sundry avenues. Just
as Truth is one, but error is a many-headed monster, so the highway of
holiness is a single track in contrast with the numerous pavements in
the broad road which leads to destruction. It is "narrow" because
those on it are shut in by the Divine commands, which make all else
forbidden territory. It is "narrow" because it excludes all fleshly
license and lawless liberty. It is "narrow" because it can only be
trodden by faith, and faith is not only opposed to sight but to sense,
to self-will and self-pleasing. It is "narrow" because all other
interests have to be subordinated to the pleasing of God. Thus it is a
way of difficulty and displeasure to corrupt nature, for our lusts are
impatient of any restraint. It is natural to be more concerned about
the body than the soul, to be absorbed with things present rather than
with things to come, and this natural tendency is fed by habit and
custom: "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?
then may ye also do good that are accustomed to do evil" (Jer. 13:23).
Walking along the narrow way denotes a steady perseverance in faith
and obedience to God in Christ. It signifies the overcoming of all
opposition and the rejecting of all temptations to turn off into what
Bunyan terms "Bypath meadow." That narrow way must be followed no
matter how much it may militate against my worldly interests. Our
minds, our affections, our wills, our speeches and actions have all to
be brought within the compass of God's Holy Word, within the compass
of both His Law and His Gospel. At ten fundamental points our liberty
is circumscribed by the Law, nor is the Gospel any less strict. Our
natural desire unto self-confidence and self-sufficiency,
self-complacency and self-righteousness is sternly repressed by it.
The duties which the Lord has enjoined must be discharged
conscientiously and circumspectly. Bounds are prescribed to our
thoughts and affections: though certain things be lawful yet they are
not expedient, and if things indifferent be used immoderately we sin
therein. Good works are to be performed from a holy principle, in a
holy manner, and with a holy design, and any failure therein is sin,
for sin is a "missing the mark."
The obedience of the Christian is very precise, for not only must the
rule be strictly observed but the motive must be pure-the pleasing and
glorifying of God. Even our prayers must be according to the Divine
will or they are not answered. Those who walk thus are bound to be
thought singular and peculiar. Their Lord has faithfully warned them
beforehand, "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it
hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but
because ye are not . . . the world hateth you" (John 15:18, 19). And
mark it well my reader, it was not the profane and heathen world that
hated Christ, but the professing and religious world, and so it is
still. If by grace you are enable-I to tread the narrow way it will be
church members, professing Christians, who will say, "Such strictness
is not required. I cannot see why you wish to cut yourself from us."
If you refuse to imitate their laxity, they will sneer at your "holy
preciseness" and mock at such "out-of-date puritanism." Ah, journeying
along the narrow way means swimming against the tide of popular
opinion!
"Narrow is the way which leadeth unto life." By "life" is meant that
glorious state of unclouded fellowship with God, the heart's being
satisfied with Him, the realization of His unspeakable excellency and
the fullness of joy there is in His immediate presence. Even now the
real Christian has the promise, yea, the earnest, of it, but life in
its fullness, in its unalloyed blessedness, in its ineffable
consummation is yet future, as is clear from its being placed over
against "destruction." "And few there be that find it." So let not the
saint be discouraged because he finds his path so unpopular and a
lonely one: his Master declared it would be so. This is one of the
surest indexes that he is on the right road. And why is it that so few
"find" it? Because so few diligently seek it. The great crowd of
religious professors imagine they are already on it, and therefore
they heed not that word, "Ask for the old paths, where is the good
way, and walk therein" (Jer. 6:16). We need to inquire for it. Where?
In God's Word, and then follow it, putting into practice what we
already know.
Even when a servant of God describes the narrow way to professing
Christians they heed him not, but charge him with teaching salvation
by works and bringing souls into bondage, knowing not that the Gospel
is the handmaid of the Law and not its enemy (Rom. 3:31). Saving faith
not only trusts in Christ but follows Him. It not only believes God's
promises but obeys His precepts. Saving faith is a fruitful thing,
abounding in good works. It enables its possessor to endure trials,
resist the Devil, and overcome the world (1 John 5:4). None tread the
narrow way save those who make vital godliness their chief concern,
the main business of life. Hence we see why it is that the vast
majority of our fellow men and women, yea, and of professing
Christians also, will fail to reach heaven: it is because they prefer
sin to holiness, indulging the lusts of the flesh to walking according
to the Scriptures, self to Christ, the world to God, the broad way to
the narrow. They are unwilling to forsake their sins, destroy their
idols, turn their backs on the world, and submit to Christ as
Lord.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Fifty
False Prophets
"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheeps clothing, but
inwardly they are ravening wolves."
Matthew 7:15
___________________________________
If there be any verse in Holy Writ where it is deeply important to
observe (and heed!) its connection it is surely the one at which we
have now arrived. It may appear to the casual reader that our Lord
here began an entirely new subject, having little or no relation to
what immediately precedes. It is true our present verse introduces a
distinct section of His Sermon, yet it also bears directly on what He
had just said. Having described most solemnly and searchingly the way
of life, like a faithful Guide Christ went on to warn us against one
of the chief impediments to walking in that way, namely false guides;
those who under the pretence of offering us Divine directions therein
will fatally deceive us if we give heed thereto. In every age, but
never more so than in our own, multitudes of gullible souls have been
allured into the broad road which leads to destruction by men
professing to be teachers of the Truth and ministers of Christ, yet
who had not His Spirit and who were none of His: blind leaders of the
blind, who with their dupes fall into the ditch.
"Beware of false prophets." The force of this exhortation will be the
better perceived if we take to heart what is found in the Old
Testament thereon, bearing in mind that history has ever repeated
itself since human nature is the same in all ages. "A wonderful and
horrible thing is committed in the land: The prophets prophesy
falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means" (Jer. 5:30, 31).
"Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in My name: I
sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake I unto
them; they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a
thing of nought and the deceit of their heart" (Jer. 14:14) "I have
seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit
adultery, and walk in lies; they strengthen also the hands of
evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness; they are all of
them unto Me as Sodom. . . . Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not
unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you, they make you
vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth
of the Lord" (Jer. 23:14,16). "There is a conspiracy of her prophets
in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have
devoured souls, they have taken the treasure and precious things, they
have made her many widows" (Ezek. 22:25). False prophets were one of
the chief factors in the apostasy and destruction of Israel, and these
passages are recorded for our admonition and warning.
It must not be supposed that such deceivers passed away with the
ending of the Mosaic economy. The Lord Jesus and His apostles
announced that there should be false teachers in this Christian
dispensation. Christ declared that "many false prophets shall rise and
shall deceive many," yea, they would present such imposing credentials
that "if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect" (Matthew
24:11, 24). Paul, announced, "I know this, that after my departing
shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also
of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw
away disciples after them. Therefore watch" (Acts 20:29-31). And again
he said, "Mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the
doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such
serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good
words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple" (Rom. 16:17,
18). Peter foretold, "But there were false prophets also among the
people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily
shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought
them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall
follow their pernicious ways" (2 Pet. 2:1, 2). John gave warning,
"believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of
God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world" (1 John
4:1).
Immediately after the parable of the Sower Christ declared, "His enemy
came and sowed tares among the wheat" (Matthew 13:25), the one so
closely resembling the other that He commanded, "Let both grow
together until, the harvest," when it will be seen there is no corn in
the ears of the deceitful tares. By placing those parables in
juxtaposition the Lord Jesus exposed the method and order of His
adversary. "As Jannes and Jambres [the magicians of Pharaoh] withstood
Moses" (2 Tim. 3:8) by their imitating his miracles, so when God sends
forth His servants to preach the Gospel the Devil soon after prompts
his emissaries to proclaim "another gospel": when God speaks the Devil
gives a mocking echo. Satan has found that he can work far more
effectively by counterfeiting the Truth than by openly denying it,
hence in every age "false prophets" have abounded, and therefore we
should be neither surprised nor stumbled by their number or success in
our own day. We fully agree with Andrew Fuller when he said, "As this
word 'beware of false prophets' was designed for Christians of every
age, the term rendered 'prophets' must here, as it often is elsewhere,
be used of ordinary teachers."
"Beware of false prophets" signifies in this dispensation, Be on your
guard against false teachers, heretical preachers. There are no longer
any "prophets" in the strict and technical sense of the term, though
there are a few of God's servants who in their gifts and special work
approximate closely thereto. Those against whom we are here warned are
men who have a false commission, never having been called of God to
the service they engage in; they preach error, which is subversive of
"the doctrine which is according to godliness" (1 Tim. 6:3); and the
fruit they bear is a base imitation of the fruit of the Spirit. The
chief identifying mark of the false prophets has ever been their
saying, "Peace, peace," when there is none (Jer. 23:17; Micah 3:5; 1
Thess. 5:3). They heal the wounds of sinners slightly (Jer. 8:11) and
daub "with untempered morter" (Ezek. 8:14; 22:28). They prophesy
"smooth things" (Isa. 30:10), inventing easy ways to heaven, pandering
to corrupt nature. There is nothing in their preaching which searches
the conscience and renders the empty professor uneasy, nothing which
humbles and causes their hearers to mourn before God; but rather that
which puffs up, makes them pleased with themselves and to rest content
in a false assurance.
The general characteristic of "false prophets" is that they make vital
godliness to he a less strict and easier thing than it actually is,
more agreeable to fallen human nature, and thus they encourage the
unregenerate to be satisfied with something which comes short of true
grace. So the Pharisees did, notwithstanding all their strictness
(Matthew 23:25). So the papists do, notwithstanding all their boasted
austerities. So Arminians do, notwithstanding all their seeming zeal
for good works. So the Antinomians do, notwithstanding their pretended
superior light and joy, zeal and confidence. This is the common mark
of all false teachers: rejecting the Divine way, they manufacture one
to suit themselves, and however they may differ among themselves, they
all agree to make the practice of piety and the Christian walk an
easier thing than the Scriptures do, to offer salvation on cheaper
terms, to make the gate wider and the way to heaven broader than did
Christ and His apostles. It is this which explains the secret of their
popularity: "They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world,
and the world heareth them" (1 John 4:5). But of such Christ warns his
people to "beware," for they feed souls with poison and not with the
pure milk of the Word.
"Which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening
wolves." In those words Christ emphasized the danger of these false
prophets: the character they assumed is well calculated to deceive the
unwary. The Lord here alluded to a device employed by false prophets
in former times who counterfeited the true servants of God by wearing
their distinctive attire. Elijah, in regard to his garments, was
called "a hairy man" (2 Kings 1:8), and therefore when John the
Baptist came "in the spirit and the power of Elias" (Luke 1:17) we are
told that he "had his raiment of camel's hair" (Matthew 3:4). When
then the agents of Satan posed as the true prophets they counterfeited
their attire that they might more easily seduce the people, as is
clear from Zechariah 13: 4, where Jehovah declared that a day would
come when the prophet should be ashamed of the vision he had
prophesied and should no more wear "a garment of hair to deceive."
Thus by this evident reference Christ intimated the plausible
pretences of the heretical teachers, the subterfuges which they would
employ to conceal their real character and design, thereby stressing
what dangerous persons they are and how urgent is the need for His
people to be constantly on their guard against those who seek their
destruction.
"Which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening
wolves." They pose as being the very opposite of what they really are.
They are agents of the evil one, yet claim to be the servants of the
Holy One. Their place is on the outside, in the forests and mountains,
yet. they intrude themselves within the fold. This intimates their
great craftiness and seeming piety. People think they are teaching
them the way to heaven, when in fact they are conducting them to hell.
Often they are difficult to discover, for they "creep into houses and
lead captive silly women" (2 Tim. 3:6), yea, even in apostolic times
some of them successfully "crept in unawares" (Jude 4) into the
assemblies of the saints. It was of such Paul wrote when he said, "For
such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves
into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel: for Satan himself is
transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if
his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness"
(2 Cor. 11:13-15). Though their clothing be "sheep's," yet they have
the fierceness and cruelty of wolves.
In addition to their subtlety and plausibility, frequently accompanied
by a most winsome personality and an apparently saintly walk, there is
a real danger of our being deceived by these false prophets and
receiving their erroneous teaching by virtue of the fact that there is
that within the Christian himself which responds to and approves of
their lies. How immeasurably this intensifies our peril! That which
flatters is pleasing to the flesh; that which abases is distasteful.
Paul complains of this very thing to the Corinthians. Some had
evidently resented his plain speaking in the first epistle, wherein he
had rebuked their sins, for in his second he wrote, "would to God ye
could bear with me a little" (11:1). The Galatians first received the
Gospel so gladly from him that they would have plucked out their eyes
had that advantaged him (4:15), yet soon after they imbibed deadly
error from the Judaizers, and when the apostle took them to task for
this he had to ask them, "Am I therefore become your enemy, because I
tell you the truth?" (v. 16). Thus it was with the multitudes in
connection with our Saviour: acclaiming Him with their hosannas and
less than a week later crying, "Away with Him, crucify Him," so fickle
and treacherous is the human heart.
What point does this give to our Lord's command, "take heed what ye
hear" (Mark 4:24). Corrupt nature is thoroughly in love with error and
will more readily and eagerly receive false than true doctrine. Should
any dispute our statement, we would refer them to "the prophets
prophesy falsely and the priests bear rule by their means; and My
people love to have it so" (Jer. 5:31). Said Christ unto the Jews,
"because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not" (John 8:45): what a
commentary on fallen human nature-had He preached lies they had
promptly received Him. Alas, what is man: he will run greedily after
something new and sensational, but is soon bored by the old story of
the Gospel. How feeble is the Christian, how weak his faith, how
fickle and unstable the moment he is left to himself. Peter, the most
courageous and forward of the apostles in his profession, denied his
Master when challenged by a maid. Even when given a heart to love the
Truth, we still have "itching ears" for novelties and errors, as the
Israelites welcomed the manna at first, but soon grew weary of it and
lusted after the fleshpots of Egypt. Real and urgent then is our need
to heed this command, "Beware of false prophets."
It is time that we should now proceed to amplify the thought expressed
in our opening paragraph. In the previous section of His Sermon Christ
had contrasted the broad road and the many who tread it and the narrow
way and the few who find it, adding immediately, "Beware of false
prophets." Now the narrow way, which leads unto life, is the way of
salvation, and therefore the warning given us must have respect to
those who teach or present an erroneous way of salvation, thereby
placing the souls of their listeners in imminent peril, for to accept
their false teachings is fatal. Thus the tremendous importance of our
present passage is at once apparent. As the verse quoted from 2 Peter
tells us, it is nothing short of "damnable heresies" which these false
prophets promulgate. It is about salvation matters they treat, but
damnation is the end of those who receive their lies, unless God
intervenes with a miracle of grace and disillusions their dupes, which
very rarely happens. It therefore behooves each of us seriously to
ask, Have I been deceived by these false prophets? Am I treading a way
which "seemeth right" unto me but which God declares is the way o(
"death" (Prov. 14:12)? Yea, it behooves us sincerely amid earnestly to
beseech God to make it unmistakably clear to us which "way" we are
really treading.
Now it is the duty of God's servants to provide help to exercised
souls on this supremely important matter, to expose the lies of these
"false prophets," to make plain the way of salvation. This may best be
done by defining and showing the relation of good works unto
salvation, for it is at this point more than any other that the
emissaries of Satan have fatally deceived souls. The principal errors
which have been advanced thereon may be summed up under these two
heads: salvation by works, and salvation without works. Romanists have
been the chief promulgators of the former, insisting that the good
works of the Christian have a meritorious value which entitles him to
heaven. Thereby they rob Christ of much of His glory, bringing in
something of ours in addition to His blood and righteousness to obtain
acceptance with God. Romanists do not repudiate in toto either the
grace of God or the redemption of Christ, but they nullify both by
attributing saving efficacy unto the rites of their church, and the
performances of the creature. Such an error is expressly repudiated by
such scriptures as Romans 11:6; Ephesians 2:8 and 9; 2 Timothy 1:9;
Titus 3:5.
Some of the propagators of the salvation-without-works error during
the last century have assumed the garb of the orthodox and thereby
obtained a hearing from many who had never listened to them had their
real characters been suspected. They have gone to the opposite extreme
and preached a "gospel" as far removed from the Truth as the Romish
lie of salvation by works. They teach that while good works from
Christians are certainly desirable yet they are not imperative, the
absence of them involving merely the loss of certain "millennial"
honours and not the missing of heaven itself. They have interpreted
those words of Christ's "It is finished" in such a way as to lull
multitudes of souls into a false peace, as though He wrought something
at the Cross which renders it needless for sinners to repent, forsake
their idols, renounce the world before they can be saved; that
"nothing is required from them but their simple acceptance of Christ
by faith;" that once they have "rested on His finished work"-no matter
what their subsequent lives-they are "eternally secure." So widely has
this fatal doctrine been received, so thoroughly have these "ravenous
wolves" deceived the religious world by their "sheep's clothing," that
with rare exceptions anyone who now denounces this deadly evil is to
call down upon himself the charge of being a "Legalist" or "Judaizer."
Before we endeavour to show the place which good works have in
connection with salvation, let us quote a few sentences from a brief
article we wrote in this magazine some years ago. "It is finished: do
those blessed words signify that Christ so satisfied the requirements
of God's holiness that that holiness no longer has any real and
pressing claims upon us? Did Christ 'magnify the Law and make it
honourable' (Isa. 42:21) that we might be lawless? Did He fulfil all
righteousness to purchase for us an immunity from loving God with all
our hearts and serving Him with all our faculties? Did Christ die in
order to secure a Divine indulgence that we might live to please self?
. . . Christ died not to make my sorrow for and hatred of sin useless.
Christ died not to absolve me from the full discharge of my
responsibilities unto God. Christ died not so that I might go on
retaining the friendship and fellowship of the world. . . . The
'finished work' of Christ avails me nothing if my heart has not been
broken by an agonizing consciousness of my sinfulness. It avails me
nothing if I still love the world (1 John 2:15). It avails me nothing
unless I am a new creature in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17)."
Since then salvation by works and salvation without works are equally
opposed to God's way of salvation, what is the place or relation which
"good works" hold to the saving of a soul? Let us first define our
terms. By "good works" we mean those operations of our hearts and
hands which are performed in obedience to God's will, which proceed
from evangelical principles and which have in view the Divine glory.
By "salvation" we include not only regeneration (which is simply the
beginning of it in our experience) but sanctification and an actual
entrance into heaven itself. Thus "godly sorrow worketh repentance to
salvation" (2 Cor. 7:10), unreserved surrender to the Lordship of
Christ (Matthew 11:29; Luke 14:33), the obedience of faith (Rom.
16:26; Heb. 5:9), enduring to the end in sound doctrine (1 Tim. 4:16),
love to God (Matthew 24:12, 13), and the way of holiness (Heb. 3:15)
are all "good works" and are indispensably necessary if we are to
escape the everlasting burnings. The good Shepherd "goeth before" His
sheep (John 10:4) and if they are to join Him on high they must
"follow Him"-"leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps"
(1 Pet. 2:21). There is no reaching heaven except by treading the only
path that leads there-the highway of holiness.
The subject we are now dealing with is far too important to be
condensed into a few brief and general statements, therefore, as our
present space is almost exhausted, we shall conclude with this
paragraph and enter into more detail in our next chapter. That good
works are neither the chief nor the procuring cause of salvation is
readily admitted, but that they are no cause whatever, that they are
simply "fruits" of salvation and not a means thereto, we as definitely
deny. On the one hand good works must be kept strictly subordinate to
the grace of God and the merits of Christ: on the other hand they must
not be entirely excluded. It is the corn he sows which produces the
crop, equally true that the fertility of the ground and the showers
and sunshine from heaven are indispensable for a harvest; but given
the finest seed, the richest soil, the most favorable season, would
the farmer have anything to reap if he failed to plough his ground and
sow his seed? But does that furnish room for the farmer to boast?
Certainly not; who provided him with the seed and ground, who
furnished him with health and strength, who granted the increase in
his labours? Nevertheless, had he remained inactive there would be no
crop.
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http://www.pbministries.org. All rights reserved.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Fifty-One
False Prophets-Continued
___________________________________
First a brief review of our last chapter. This warning against false
prophets or preachers of error forms an appendage to our Lord's
teaching on the "strait gate" and "narrow way" in verses 13 and 14.
The danger from these false prophets appears in the character they
assume-their "sheep's clothing" being thoroughly calculated to deceive
the unwary. They are to be found in the circles of "the most orthodox"
and pretend to have a fervent love for souls, yet they fatally delude
multitudes concerning the way of salvation. It is because there has
been so little instruction upon the relation of good works to
salvation that people fall such easy victims to these emissaries of
Satan. At one extreme there are those (like the papists) who insist
that salvation is procured by works, at the other extreme are those
(boasting most loudly of their "soundness in the Faith") who affirm
salvation may be secured without works, and rare indeed is it to find
anyone today who occupies the middle and true position. That middle
position shows that Divine grace does not set aside human
responsibility, that the Gospel is no opposer of the Law, and that the
"finished work" of Christ has not rendered unnecessary or
non-imperative good works on the part of those who are to reach
heaven.
Are good works necessary in order to the obtaining of salvation? We
answer-and are satisfied the Scriptures warrant our so doing- no and
yes. In order to solve that paradox or remove the seeming
contradiction we must first define the "good works," then explain
carefully what is meant by "necessary" and, last but not least, show
what is connoted and included in "salvation." To some of our readers
it may appear that entering into such details as these is really a
waste of time, as well as rendering complex and difficult that which
is really simple and easy. Such people would answer our opening
inquiry with a plain and emphatic No, concluding nothing more was
required. They would cite "By grace are ye saved through faith; and
that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any
man should boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9), and say that ended the matter. Yet it
is one thing to quote a passage and another thing to have a right
understanding of its terms. Nevertheless, the language of Ephesians
2:8, 9, appears to be so unambiguous and decisive that there seems to
be no need to enter upon a laborious study of the subject of which it
treats. Why then do we insist upon pressing the inquiry any further?
Why? Because many of the saints are confused thereon and need to have
expounded unto them "the way of God more perfectly." Why? Because
there is a balance of Truth to be observed here as every-where, and if
one half of it be ignored then the Truth is perverted and souls are
deceived. Why? Because it is at this very point that the "false
prophets" get in most of their pernicious and destructive work, and
unless we are forewarned we are not forearmed. Why? Because it is
required of the Christian minister that he should declare "all the
counsel of God" and not only favorite portions thereof. Why? Because
if on the one hand the exaltation of good works to an unwarrantable
place is to repudiate the grace of God, on the other hand the
excluding of good works from the place Scripture assigns them is to
turn the grace of God into lasciviousness. Why? Because what the Word
of God designates "good works" have well-nigh disappeared from
Christendom and therefore there is an urgent need for pressing the
same. Why? Because vast numbers of professing Christians are fatally
deceived thereon, going down to hell with a "lie in their right hand."
The first answer we returned to the question, Are good works necessary
in order to the obtaining of salvation? was No. Let us now proceed to
explain and amplify. Most emphatically we affirm that no descendant of
Adam can possibly perform any works which entitle him to God's
favorable regard. He can no more merit heaven by his own performances
than he could create a world. Sooner might the sinner build a ladder
which would obtain for him access to the dwelling place of the Most
High than he could do any deeds of charity which earned for him an
eternity of bliss. He enters this world a fallen and depraved creature
and from earliest infancy he has defiled and befouled the garments of
his soul: more readily then could he make white the skin of an
Ethiopian than cleanse his garments from their stains without having
recourse to the blood of Christ. Turning over a new leaf will not
erase the blots on the previous pages: if I could live sinlessly today
that would not cancel the guilt of yesterday. I am a
ten-thousand-talents debtor to God and have not a penny with which to
discharge it, and therefore unless His sovereign grace takes pity upon
me and gives me everything for nothing there is no hope whatever for
me.
No doubt all of our readers would subscribe heartily unto the last
paragraph, saying, That is just what I believe; and possibly a few
would add: I trust you will not bring in something further that jars
against it. Ah, suppose we were writing upon the righteousness of God,
and dwelt on His equity and justice. How glorious the contrast between
the Lord and most of earth's potentates and authorities: they can be
bribed or influenced unto dishonesty, but God is no respecter of
persons, giving to each his due, ever doing that which is right. But
then I must point out that pertains to His office as Judge and His
administration of the Law; but He is also sovereign anti distributes
His favors as He pleases, bestowing a single talent upon one, two on
another, and yet five on another. At once the Arminian protests and
says I have contradicted myself. Or, suppose I wrote upon the wondrous
mercy and love of God, as displayed in creation, in providence and in
grace: that His goodness and loving kindness are manifested on every
side. But I must also point out that God is holy and hates sin, and
will yet consign to the everlasting burnings all who continue defying
Him; and at once the Universalist says, Now you have spoilt the whole
thing. Probably some will bring the same charge against the remainder
of this chapter.
Above we have said that the language of Ephesians 2:8, 9, appears to
be so unambiguous and decisive that there seems to be no need to enter
upon a critical examination of its terms-the same may be said of John
3:16, with like disastrous consequences. Every verse of Scripture
requires prayerful and careful consideration, without which no man may
expect rightly to apprehend it. "By grace are ye saved" does not stand
alone as an absolute statement, but is immediately qualified by the
clause "through faith," and thus the salvation there referred to is no
more extensive than what is received through faith. This at once shows
that "saved" is not used in this verse in its widest latitude. Faith
itself is a part of God's "so-great salvation," yet faith is not
received "through faith." Regeneration is also an essential part of
salvation, yet so far from its coming to us through faith, faith is
impossible till the soul is born again, Divinely quickened. Again,
observe the restriction "by grace are ye saved," not "by grace are ye
and shall ye be saved through faith." The tense of the verb
necessarily limits the salvation here contemplated to that which the
believer is in present enjoyment of-it does not include his future
glorification and entrance into heaven itself.
What has just been pointed out evidences the importance of showing
what is connoted and included by the word "saved" or "salvation."
First it should be pointed out that it is not used with one uniform
sense and scope throughout the New Testament; sometimes it is employed
with a wider signification, at others with a narrower. For instance,
when we read, "God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation,
through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the Truth" (2
Thess. 2:13), the term "salvation" is to be understood in its widest
latitude as comprehending all the benefits which pertain to
redemption, all the gracious works of God toward and within us. But
when we read, "Who hath saved us and called us with an holy calling,
not according to our works but according to His own purpose and grace,
which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began" (2 Tim.
1:9), the word "saved" must be regarded in a more restricted sense,
for it is distinguished from our effectual call. "Salvation" is both
relative and personal, legal and experimental, what God has done for
His people and what He works in them: the former takes in election,
adoption, justification, acceptance in the Beloved; the latter
embraces their regeneration. sanctification, preservation, and
glorification.
As we must not confound what God has done for His people and what He
is now doing in them, so we must distinguish between the Christian's
having a right or title to salvation and his actual possession of
salvation. Faith in Christ secures an interest in all the benefits of
salvation, whether in this world or in the world to come, but it does
not convey a present participation in all of them. There is a
salvation "in hope" (Rom. 8:24), which is a legal right to that which
is yet future in realization: and there is a salvation which is
"obtained" now (2 Tim. 2:10). There are certain benefits which the
believer has not only a title to, but which he as fully possesses now
as he will in the future; such is his justification: he is as
righteous now in the sight of the Divine Judge as he will be in
heaven, only then there will be a fuller enjoyment of it. Even now we
are "the sons of God," but it is not yet made manifest all that favour
carries with it (1 John 3:2). Perfect sanctification is prepared by
grace in election from all eternity, yet none of the elect now on
earth are fully sanctified in their experience. Thus we must
distinguish between what is the believer's by title and that which is
accomplished by degrees and made good to him in time.
Once more, we must learn to distinguish sharply between the various
causes and means of salvation. The original cause is the sovereign
will of God, for nothing can come into being save that which He
decreed before the foundation of the world. The meritorious cause is
the mediatorial work of Christ, who "obtained eternal redemption"
(Heb. 9:22) for His people, purchasing for them all the blessings of
it by His perfect obedience to the Law and His sacrificial death. The
efficient cause is the varied operations of the Holy Spirit, who
applies to the elect the benefits purchased by Christ, capacitating
them to enjoy the same and making them meet for the inheritance of the
saints in light. The ministerial cause and means is the preaching of
the Word (Jas. 1:21), because it discovers to us where salvation is to
be obtained. The instrumental cause is faith, by which the soul
receives or comes into possession of and obtains an interest in Christ
and His redemption. Such distinctions as these are not merely
technicalities for theologians, but are part of the faith once
delivered unto the saints, and unless they apprehend the same they are
liable to be deceived by any Scripture-quoting false prophet who
accosts them.
The Christian's title to salvation, that is to salvation as a whole
and complete as it lay in the womb of God's decree, is entirely by
grace, for he has done and can do nothing whatever to earn the same.
We are not saved for our faith, for since it also is the gift of God,
wrought in us by the Spirit, it possesses no meritorious worth. We are
saved by grace through faith because faith let in salvation, being the
hand which receives it. Yet there is no salvation without faith: no
one is saved until he believes. It is by grace through faith that we
obtain deliverance from the curse of the Law and receive title to
everlasting life and righteousness. As Thomas Goodwin pointed out in
his masterly exposition of Ephesians 2:8: "We are saved through faith
as that which gives us the present right, or that which God doth give
us as a Judge, when we believe, before faith hath done a whit of
works; but we are led through sanctification and good works to the
possession of salvation." It must not be lost sight of that Ephesians
2:8, 9, is at once followed by, "For we are His workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that
we should walk in them." It is sometimes said, because God has
ordained it we shall walk in good works. That is true, but it is
equally true that we must do so if heaven is to be reached.
Are good works necessary in order to the obtaining of salvation? Our
answer was no and yes. Perhaps the reader is now better prepared to
follow us in such a seemingly paradoxical answer. Certainly no works
are required from us in order to induce God to show us favour. Nor are
they necessary in order to our justification, for they constitute no
part of that righteousness which we have before God. Nor do they
procure for us a title to heaven. But it is a great mistake to suppose
that because good works are not necessary for one particular end they
are not indispensable for any: that because they are not meritorious
therefore they are useless. Not so. Good works are necessary. They are
necessary in order to preserve us from that course and practice which
conducts to hell. They are necessary in order to the glorifying of God
and the magnifying of His grace. They are necessary in order to keep
us in the only way that leads to heaven. They are necessary in order
to communion with the thrice holy God. They are necessary in order to
prove the quality of our faith and the genuineness of our profession.
They are necessary in order to the making of our calling and election
sure. They are necessary in order to silence the detractors of the
Gospel.
As there is no pardon until we forsake our wicked ways (Isa. 55:7), no
blotting out of our sins until we repent and turn unto God (Acts
3:19), so there is no entering into life except by treading the only
way that leads thereto, and that is the path of obedience. So long as
the Christian remains in this world he is in the place of danger:
deliverance from hell is only the beginning of salvation, nor is it
completed until heaven is reached. Between justification and
glorification there is a fight to be fought, enemies to be conquered,
a victory to be won, and the prize is only for the victor. "Conversion
is a turning into the right road; the next thing is to walk in it. The
daily going on in that road is as essential as the first starting if
you would reach the desired end. To strike the first blow is not all
the battle: to him that overcometh the crown is promised. To start in
the race is nothing, many have done that who have failed; but to hold
out till you reach the winning post is the great point of the matter.
Perseverance is as necessary to a man's salvation as conversion" (C.
H. Spurgeon).
In what sense are good works "necessary" unto salvation-necessary in
order to final and complete salvation? First, they are requisite as
the way in which that final salvation is attained. As a destination
cannot be reached without journeying thither, neither can life be
entered except through the strait gate and treading the narrow way: it
is via the path of holiness that heaven is reached. Second, they are
requisite as part of the means which God has appointed: they are the
means of spiritual preservation. The only alternative to good works is
evil ones, and evil works slay their perpetrator-sin is destructive:
"if ye live after the flesh ye shall die" (Rom. 8:13; and cf. Gal.
6:8). Third, they are requisite as a condition of the possession of
full salvation. Not a condition like a stipulation in a bargain, but
as a connection between two things. As food must be eaten for the body
to be nourished, as seed must be sown in order to a harvest, so
obedience, equally as repentance and faith, precede the crowning.
Fourth, as an evidence of the genuineness of faith: the fruit must
manifest the tree.
Those who deny that good works are in any sense necessary to salvation
appeal to the instance of the thief on the cross, arguing that in his
case there was nothing more than a simple and single look of faith
unto the Saviour. We might dispose of such an appeal by pointing out
that his case is quite exceptional-for it is very rarely that God at
once removes to heaven him who believes-and that it is not permissible
to frame a rule from an exception. Instead, we meet the objector on
his own ground and show that his assertion is erroneous. There was far
more than a bare looking to the Saviour in his case. (1) He rebuked
his companion: "Dost not thou fear God?" (Luke 23:40). (2) He repented
of his sins: "we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our
deeds" (v. 41)-he condemned himself, owning that death was his due.
(3) He bore public witness to Christ's sinlessness: "this man hath
done nothing amiss." (4) In the face of a hostile mob, he testified to
Christ's Lordship and Kingship: "Lord, remember me, when Thou comest
into Thy kingdom."
In his sermon on Ephesians 2:10, Manton says: "Our well-doing is the
effect of salvation if you take it for our first recovery to God, but
if you take it for full salvation or our final deliverance from all
evil, good works go before it indeed, but in a way of order, not of
meritorious influence. To think them altogether unnecessary would too
much deprecate and lessen their presence or concurrence; to think they
deserve it would too much exalt and advance them beyond the line of
their due worth and value. The apostle steered a middle course between
both extremes. They are necessary but not meritorious. They go before
eternal life not as a cause but as a way. Let us now summarize it
thus: God has made promise of salvation unto His people: Christ has
purchased it for them: faith obtains title thereto: good works secure
actual admission into the full and final benefits of redemption, and
in order to empower the Spirit renews the believer day by day."
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Fifty-Two
False Prophets-Continued
___________________________________
It may appear to some of our readers that the preceding chapter of
this series had no connection at all with Matthew 7:15, that instead
of giving an exposition of the verse we wandered off to an entirely
different subject and entered into a lot of technicalities which few
are capable of understanding. Then let us remind such that we gave an
exposition of Matthew 7:15, in the previous chapter, at the close of
which we asserted that it is particularly in the matter of the
relation of good works unto salvation that the false prophets fatally
deceive souls: one school or class of them teaching that salvation is
by works, another insisting that it is entirely without works. The
issue thus raised is such an important and vital one that it would be
wrong to dismiss it with a few peremptory statements. Moreover, there
is now such confusion of tongues in the religious realm, and the
method followed by even the orthodox pulpit is so dreadfully
superficial-"preaching" having quite supplanted teaching-that the
Lord's own people are in real need of instruction thereon, and such
instruction demands diligence and study on the part of the one
imparting, and concentration and patience from those who would
receive. Truth has to be " bought" (Prov. 23:23).
In the preceding chapter we sought to define and explain the relation
of good works to salvation. First, we pointed out that they possess no
meritorious value: by which we mean, they deserve nothing at the hands
of God, that in no sense do they earn aught or contribute one mite to
our redemption. Second, we insisted that they are necessary, yea, that
without them salvation cannot be obtained. Not that any well-doing on
our part is required in order to obtain acceptance with God, nor that
they can atone for the failures and sins of the past. But rather that
the path of obedience must be trod if the realm of unclouded bliss is
to be reached. The doing of good works is indispensable in order to
the securing of full and final salvation, that is in order to an
actual entrance into heaven itself. We are well aware that such
language will have a strange sound to some of our friends, that it
will savor of "legality," yet if Scripture itself expressly declares
that Christ is "the Author of eternal salvation unto all them that
obey Him" (Heb. 5:9), need we hesitate to employ the same plain
language and press the force thereof?
That which we are here advancing is no departure from genuine
orthodoxy, but the doctrine propounded by the soundest of God's
servants in days gone by. In the last article we quoted from Goodwin
and Manton. Hear now the testimonies of other of the Puritans. "If we
consider every gracious work of patience, love, meekness, we shall see
blessedness is promised to them. Not that they justify, only the
justified person cannot be without them. They are the ordained means
in the use whereof we arrive at eternal life. It is faith only that
receives Christ in His righteousness, yet this faith cannot be
separated from an holy walk" (A. Burgess, 1656). "Freedom from
condemnation, from sin, for all the elect, which God Himself so
plainly asserts (Rom. 8:32, 33) doth not in the least set thee free
from the necessity of obedience, nor free thee from contracting the
guilt of sin upon the least irregularity or disobedience" (John Owen,
1670). "Christ will save none but those who are brought to resign
themselves sincerely to the obedience of His royal authority and laws"
(Walter Marshall, 1692). Alas, that there has been so widespread a
departure from the teaching of such worthies.
It is just because there has been such a grievous turning away from
the Truth as it was formerly so faithfully and fearlessly proclaimed,
by men not worthy to blacken their shoes, that so many today are
ignorant of the very first principles of Christianity. It is because
the pulpit, platform, and pamphlet hucksters of the nineteenth century
so wantonly lowered the standard of Divine holiness, and so
adulterated the Gospel in order to make it palatable to the carnal
mind, that it has become necessary to labour what is really
self-evident. Oh, the tragedy of it that at this late day we should
have to write chapter after chapter in the endeavour to purge some of
God's people of the antinomian poison they have imbibed. As well may
writer and reader hope to reach heaven without Christ as without good
works: "Whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot
be My disciple" (Luke 14:27). Did the Lord Jesus work so arduously
that His followers might be carried to glory on flowery beds of ease?
Was the Saviour so active that His disciples might be idle? Did he
become obedient unto death in order to exempt us from obedience?
Though it will retard our pace, yet because it is necessary to remove
stumbling stones out of the way of those anxious to be helped, we must
seek to resolve two or three difficulties which may arise in the minds
of the Lord's people. (1) It is likely to be objected that by such
teachings we are making man in part at least his own savior. But need
we be afraid to go as far as the language of Holy Writ goes? Was the
apostle legalistic when he cried, "save yourselves from this untoward
generation" (Acts 2:40)? Was the chief of the apostles derogating from
the glory of Christ and the grace of God when he bade Timothy, "Take
heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in
doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee" (1
Tim. 4:16)? But was not Timothy already a saved man when thus
exhorted? Regenerated and justified, yes: fully sanctified and
glorified, no. Because we press the perseverance of the Christian (as
well as his Divine preservation) do we make him his own keeper?
Suppose we do, are we going beyond Scripture? Did not David say, "By
the word of Thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer"
(Ps. 17:4)? Did not Paul say, "I keep under my body" (1 Cor. 9:27)?
Does not Jude exhort us, "keep yourselves in the love of God" (v. 21)?
It is against a dishonest one-sidedness that we so often protest in
these pages. The singling out of certain passages and then closing the
eyes against others has wrought untold damage. "Is there any doctrine
which you almost think is a truth, but your friends do not believe it,
and they might perhaps think you heretical if you were to accept it,
and therefore you dare not investigate any farther? Oh, dear friends,
let us be rid of all such dishonesty. So much of it has got into the
church that many will not see things that are as plain as a pikestaff.
They will not see, for truth might cost them too dear. They cover up
and hide away some parts of Scripture which it might be awkward for
them to understand, because of their connection with a church or their
standing in a certain circle." If C. H. Spurgeon found it necessary to
raise his voice against this reprehensible method of picking and
choosing from the Word of God, how much more so is such a condemnation
called for in this generation of dishonesty and hypocrisy.
(2) If good works be necessary in order to salvation, is not this
putting us back again under the covenant of works, the terms of which
were: "Do this and thou shalt live"? No indeed, nevertheless the fact
must not be lost sight of that it has pleased God in all ages to deal
with His people by way of covenant, and in the same way He will deal
with them to the end of the world. It is very largely because covenant
teaching has been given no place in modern "evangelism" that so much
ignorance now obtains. How few preachers today could explain the
meaning of "these are the two covenants" (Gal. 4:24). What percentage
of Christians now living understand the "better covenant," of which
Christ is "the Mediator" (Heb. 8:6) and wherein lies the difference
between the "new covenant" (Heb. 12:24) and the old one? How few
apprehend the blessedness of those words, "The blood of the
everlasting covenant" (Heb. 13:20). But let it not be overlooked that
there are covenant duties as well as covenant blessings: there is a
covenant for us to "make" with God (Ps. 1:5) and a covenant to "keep"
(Ps. 25:10; 103:18).
The new covenant or covenant of grace was in its original constitution
transacted between God and Christ as the Head of His people. That
covenant is published in the Gospel, and the application of its
benefits is made when we submit to its terms and fulfil its duties. It
is worthy of note that the self-same thing which the apostle calls the
"gospel" in Galatians 3:8, he terms the "covenant" in verse 17. Now a
covenant is a compact or contract entered into by two or more parties,
the one engaging himself to do or give something upon the fulfillment
of a stipulation agreed upon by the other. Thus in the Gospel Christ
makes known His readiness to save those who are willing to submit to
His Lordship. Hence conversion is termed "the love of thine espousals"
(Jer. 2:2), when the soul as it were signed the marriage contract,
vowing to love none other than the Lord and to be faithful to Him unto
death. This giving of ourselves to Christ to serve and love Him is
designated a "taking hold of the covenant" (Isa. 56:6). And that
covenant must be kept if we are to receive its benefits.
When defining the essence of the controversy between himself and his
opponents, John Flavel stated it thus: "The only question between us
is, Whether in the new covenant some acts of ours (though they have no
merit in them, nor can be done in our own strength) be not required to
be performed by us antecedently to (before) a blessing or privilege,
consequent by virtue of a promise; and whether such act or duty, being
of a suspending nature to the blessing promised, it have not the true
and proper nature of a Gospel condition." Mr. Flavel affirmed, his
opponent (Mr. Carey) denied. In proof of the conditionality of certain
of the new covenant blessings Mr. Flavel said, "We know not how to
express those sacred particles, "if not," "if," "except," "only," and
such like (Rom. 10:9; Matthew 18:8; Mark 11:26; Rom. 11:22; Col. 1:22,
23; Heb. 3:6, 14), which are frequently used to limit and restrain the
benefits and privileges of the new covenant, by any other word so fit
and so full as the word conditional."
In considering the new and better covenant, we must distinguish
sharply between the first sanction of it in Christ and the application
of its benefits to His people. Few men more magnified the grace of God
in his preaching and writings than did the Puritan, Thomas Boston, yet
we find him saying (in his View of the Covenant of Grace): "He gives
the rewards of the covenant in the course of their obedience. He puts
His people to work and labour: but not to work in the fire for vanity
as the slaves of sin do. They are to labour like the ox treading out
the corn, which was not to be muzzled, but to have access at once to
work and to eat. The service now done to Zion's King hath a reward in
this life as well as a reward in the life to come. By the order of the
covenant there is privilege established to follow duty as the reward
thereof, the which order is observed by the King in His
administration. Accordingly He proposeth the privilege of comfort to
excite to the duty of mourning (Matthew 5:4), the special tokens of
heaven's favour to excite unto a holy tender walk (John 14:21); in
like manner to excite to the same holy obedience He proposeth the full
reward in the life to come (1 Cor. 9:24; Rev. 3:21)."
The new covenant requires obedience as really and truly as did the
old, and therefore does God write the laws of the covenant on the
hearts of those with whom He makes the new covenant (Heb. 10:16).
Those who enter into this covenant with God do approve of the whole
Divine Law so far as they know it, declaring, "I esteem all Thy
precepts" (Ps. 119:128). They have an inclination of heart towards the
whole of God's Law so far as they know it, saying: "I love Thy
commandments above gold" (119:127). They heartily engage to conform to
the whole of God's Law so far as they know it, exclaiming, "O that my
ways were directed to keep Thy statutes!" (119:5). Where the Law is
written on a person's heart he will write it out again in his
conversation. Their souls lie open to what of God's Law they as yet
know not, praying "Make me to understand the way of Thy precepts" (Ps.
119:27).
But now if many (we say not all) of the blessings and benefits of the
new covenant are made conditional upon our obedience and fidelity,
wherein does it differ from the old, or Adamic covenant, the covenant
of works? Why, in these respects. First, under the old covenant, works
were meritorious, entitling to the inheritance: had Adam kept the Law,
he and all he represented would have entered life by legal right,
whereas under the new covenant Christ purchased the inheritance for
His people before a single thing was asked of them. Second, under the
old covenant man had to work in his own strength alone; but under the
new all-sufficient grace and enablement are available to those who
duly seek it. Third, under the covenant of works no provision was made
for failure: the obedience required must be perfect and perpetual
(Gal. 3:10): whereas under the covenant of grace God accepts imperfect
obedience, if it be sincere, because the blood of Christ hath made
atonement for its defects and disobedience is pardoned when we truly
repent of and forsake the same.
(3) If good works be necessary in order to final salvation, how is a
poor soul to ascertain when he has done sufficient of them? Such a
question is not likely to issue from a renewed heart, rather does he
bemoan his unfruitfulness and unprofitableness. He feels he can never
do enough to express his gratitude unto God for the unspeakable gift
of His Son. Instead of begrudging any sacrifice he is called upon to
make, or any hardship to encounter, by virtue of his being a
Christian. he deems it the highest honour conceivable to serve such a
Master and endure for His sake. But to the carping objector, we would
say, Scripture declares: "For we are made par-takers of Christ if we
hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end" (Heb.
3:14). The soldiers of Christ are not granted any furloughs or "leave"
in this life: they cannot take off their armor until the battle is
over. They know not at what hour their Lord may come, and therefore
are they required to have their loins girded and their lamps trimmed
without intermission.
But it should be pointed out that it is not quantity but quality which
God requires. A cup of cold water given to one of His little ones in
the name of Christ is infinitely more acceptable to the Father than a
million pounds donated by a godless magnate to social institutions. On
the one hand it is written, "that which is highly esteemed among men
is abomination in the sight of God" (Luke 16:15), on the other, "man
looketh on the outward appearance but the Lord looketh on the heart"
(1 Sam. 16:7). That which issues from love to God, which expresses
gratitude for His goodness, is what is well pleasing in His sight.
Quality, not quantity. Is not this the point in that saying of
Christ's, "if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say
unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove"
(Matthew 17:20)? What is smaller than a mustard seed and what larger
than a mountain? the one seemingly feeble and paltry, the other
ponderous and mighty. Ah, but the former is a living thing, the latter
but a mass of inert matter; the former is energetic and growing, the
latter stationary. It is quality versus quantity.
(4) If good works be necessary in order to final salvation, is there
not ground thereon for boasting? Yes, if they be perfect and flawless,
performed in our own strength, and we bring God into our debt thereby.
Before giving the negative answer, consider the case of the holy
angels in this connection. When Satan fell he dragged down with him
one third of the celestial hierarchy, the remainder remained steadfast
in their loyalty to God: did such fidelity puff them up? Throughout
their entire history it could ever be said of them that they "do His
commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word" (Ps. 103:20), yet
nowhere in Holy Writ is there so much as a hint that they are proud of
their obedience. On the contrary we find them veiling their faces in
the Divine presence and crying one unto another, "Holy, holy, holy, is
the Lord of hosts" (Isa. 6:3), and falling before the throne on their
faces and worshipping God (Rev. 7:11). How much less then may
hell-deserving sinners, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, find
anything in their own performances to afford self-gratulation.
Is there any danger that the doing of good works in order to final
salvation will lead to boasting? No, none whatever, if we bear in mind
that our best performances are but filthy rags in the sight of Him
with whom the very heavens are not clean. No, not if we bear in mind
that we are not sufficient of ourselves to think a godly thought (2
Cor. 3:5), still less carry it out into execution; apart from Christ
we can "do nothing." No, not if we squarely face and honestly answer
the question, "What hast thou that thou didst not receive?" (1 Cor.
4:7). No, not if we heed that word of Christ's, "So likewise ye, when
ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you [which
none of us ever did], say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done
that which was our duty to do" (Luke 17:10). Yes, "unprofitable
servants" so far as making God our Debtor is concerned. The very man
who wrought more miracles than any for his Master declared. "yet not
I, but the grace of God which was with me" (1 Cor. 15:10).
Again, the reader may be inclined to ask, But what bearing has all of
this on Matthew 7:15? We answer, Much every way, as we shall (D. V.)
seek to show in our next. Suffice it now to say that what we have been
stressing in this and the preceding chapter is expressly repudiated by
the "false prophets" of our day. They blankly deny that good works
have any part or place whatever in our salvation, that believing the
Gospel is all that is needed to ensure heaven for any sinner.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Fifty-Three
False Prophets-Continued
___________________________________
Our last two chapters of this series were devoted principally to
showing the relation of good works unto final salvation, this being
both pertinent and needful, forasmuch as many of the "false prophets"
of our day expressly repudiate all that we therein insisted upon. They
dogmatically affirm that "believing the Gospel is all that is needed
to ensure heaven for any sinner." And is it not so? Certainly not.
First, it requires to be pointed out that there is an order in
presenting the Gospel, and it is the business of those who preach to
observe that order: unless they do so nothing but disorder will ensue
and spurious converts will be the issue of their labors. If due
attention be paid to the Word of God, it will not be difficult to
discover what that order is: the proclamation and enforcing of the
Divine Law precedes the publication of the Divine Gospel. Broadly
speaking, the Old Testament is an exposition of the Law, while the New
Testament sets forth the substance and benefits of the Gospel.
The Gospel is a message of "good news." To whom? To sinners. But to
what sort of sinners? To the giddy and unconcerned, to those who give
no thought to the claims of God and where they shall spend eternity?
Certainly not. The Gospel announces no good tidings to them: it has no
music in it to their ears. They are quite deaf to its charms, for they
have no sense of their need of the Saviour. It is those who have their
eyes opened to see something of the ineffable holiness of God and
their vileness in His sight, who have learned something of His
righteous requirements from them and of their criminal neglect to meet
those requirements, who are deeply convicted of their depravity, their
moral inability to recover themselves, whose consciences are burdened
with an intolerable load of guilt and who are terrified by their
imminent danger of the wrath to come, who know that unless an almighty
redeemer saves them they are doomed, that are qualified to appreciate
and welcome the Gospel. "They that are whole need not a physician, but
they that are sick."
Now the natural man has no realization of the desperate sickness of
his soul. He is quite unconscious of what spiritual health consists
of, namely personal holiness. Never having sincerely measured himself
by the Divine standard, he knows not how far, far short he comes of it
at every point. God has no real place in his thoughts and therefore he
fails to comprehend how obnoxious he is in His sight. Instead of
seeking to glorify the One who made and sustains him, he lives only to
please self. And what is the means for enlightening him? What is the
sure "line and plummet" (Isa. 28:17) for exposing the crookedness of
his character? The preaching of God's Law, for that is the unchanging
rule of conduct and standard of righteousness. "By the law is the
knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20)- its nature, as rebellion against God;
its exceeding sinfulness as contrary to Divine holiness; its infinite
evil, as deserving of eternal punishment.
"I had not known sin but by the law" (Rom. 7:7) declares one who
formerly had prided himself on his integrity and righteousness. God's
Law requires inward conformity as well as outward: it addresses itself
to the motions of the heart as well as prescribes our actions, so that
we are sinless or sinful just in proportion as we conform or fail to
conform to the Law both internally and externally. Just so far as we
have false ideas of God's Law do we entertain false estimates of our
character. Just so far as we fail to perceive that the Law demands
perfect and perpetual obedience shall we be blind to the fearful
extent of our disobedience. Just so far as we realize not the
spirituality and strictness of the Law, that it pronounces a
lascivious imagination to be adultery and causeless anger against a
fellow creature to be murder, shall we be unaware of our fearful
criminality. Just so far as we hear nothing of the awful thunders of
the Law's curse shall we be insensible to our frightful danger.
It has been rightly said: "The Gospel has such respect to the Law of
God, and the latter is so much the reason and ground of the former,
and so essential to the wisdom and glory of it, that it cannot be
understood by him who is ignorant of the Law: consequently, our idea
and apprehension of the Gospel will be erroneous and wrong just so far
as we have wrong notions of God's Law" (S. Hopkins). The excellency of
the Mediator cannot be recognized until we see that the Law demands
flawless and undeviating obedience on pain of eternal damnation, and
that such a demand is right and glorious, and consequently that sin is
infinitely criminal and heinous. The essential work of the Mediator
was to honor and magnify that Law and make atonement for the wrongs
done to it by His people. And they who repudiate this Law, or who view
it not in its true light, are and must be totally blind to the wisdom
and glory of the Gospel, for while they never see sin in its real
odiousness and true ill-desert they are incapable of realizing or
perceiving their deep need of the Divine remedy.
That salvation which Christ came here to purchase for His people
consists first in the gift of His Spirit to overcome their enmity
against God's Law (Rom. 8:7) and produce in them a love for it (Rom.
7:22), and it is by this we may discover whether or not we have been
regenerated. Second, to bring them to a cordial consent to the Law, so
that each genuine Christian can say "So then with the mind I myself
serve the law of God" (Rom. 7:25). Third, to deliver them from the
curse of the Law by dying for their sins of disobedience against it,
Himself bearing its penalty in their stead (Gal. 3:13). Consequently,
they who are experientially ignorant of God's Law, who have never
heartily assented to it as "holy, just and good," have never been
sensible of sin in its true hideousness and demerits, have never been
subject to a supernatural work of grace within them, are yet in
nature's darkness, strangers to Christ, still in their sins, having
felt neither the strength of sin nor the power of the Gospel.
Again: the order which is to be observed in the presentation of the
Gospel is exemplified in the appointment of John the Baptist. He was
the forerunner of Christ, going before to "prepare His way" (Isa.
40:3). John came "in the way of righteousness" (Matthew 21:32), crying
"Repent ye" (Matthew 3:2). A saving faith in Christ must be preceded
by and accompanied with a heart-felt sense of the true odiousness and
ill-desert of sin. An impenitent heart is no more able to receive
Christ than a shuttered window is able to let in the rays of the sun.
None but the humbled, contrite, broken-hearted penitent is ever
comforted by the Lord Jesus, as none but such will ever desire Him or
seek after Him. This is the unchanging order laid down by Christ
Himself: "repent ye and [then] believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15): ye
"repented not afterward that ye might believe" (Matthew 21:32) was His
solemn affirmation. First "repentance toward God, and [then] faith
toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21) was what the apostle
testified to Jews and Gentiles alike.
It has often been said that nothing more is required of the sinner
than to come to Christ as an empty-handed beggar and receive Him as an
all-sufficient Saviour. But that assertion needs clarifying and
amplifying at two points lest souls be fatally misled thereby. To come
to Christ empty-handed signifies not only that I renounce any fancied
righteousness of mine, but also that I relinquish my beloved idols.
Just so long as the sinner holds fast to the world or clings to any
fond sin he cannot thrust forth an empty hand. The things which
produce death must be dropped before he can "lay hold on eternal
life." Furthermore, Christ cannot be received in part but only in the
entirety of His person and office: He must be received as "Lord and
Saviour" or He cannot be savingly received at all. There must be a
submitting to His authority, a surrendering to His sceptre, a taking
of His yoke upon us, as well as a trusting in His blood, or we shall
never find "rest unto our souls."
"But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons
of God" (John 1:12). This verse is often quoted by the self-appointed
"evangelists" of our day but it is rarely expounded. Instead of
throwing all the emphasis on "received," attention rather needs to be
directed unto "received Him." It is not "received it"-a mental
proposition or doctrine-nor even received "His"-some gift or
benefit-but "Him," in the entirety of His person as clothed with His
offices, as He is proposed in the Gospel. Such a "receiving" as is
here spoken of implies an enlightened understanding, a convicted
conscience, renewed affections-the exercise of love, an act of the
will-choice of a new Master, the acceptance of His terms (Luke 14:26,
27, 33). It is at this last point that so many balk: "why call ye me,
Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46), and
therefore is the inquirer bidden to "sit down first and count the
cost" (Luke 14:28). The order is first the person of Christ and then
His gifts (Rom. 8:32): thus God bestows and thus we receive.
Those, then, who declare that a bare believing of the Gospel is all
that is needed to ensure heaven for any sinner are "false prophets,"
liars and deceivers of souls. It also requires to be pointed out that
saving faith is not an isolated act but a continuous thing. When the
apostle contrasted genuine saints with apostates, he described them as
"them that believe to the saving of the soul" (Heb. 10:39): note well
the tense of the verb-not "them that believed" one day in the past,
but "them that believe" with a faith which is operative in the
present. In this he was holding fast "the form of sound words" (2 Tim.
1:13) employed by his Master, for He too taught "as Moses lifted up
the serpent in the wilderness even so must the Son of man be lifted
up, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have
everlasting life" (John 3:15, and cf. 3:18, 36; 5:24). In like manner
another apostle says, "If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is
gracious, to whom [not, ye "came," but] coming, as unto a living
stone" (1 Pet. 2:4)-coming daily, as needy as ever.
Saving faith is not an isolated act which suffices for the remainder
of a person's life, rather is it a living principle which continues in
activity, ever seeking the only Object which can satisfy it. Nor is it
a thing apart, but a productive principle which issues in good works
and spiritual fruits. "Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being
alone" (Jas. 2:17). A faith which does not bring forth obedience to
the Divine precepts is not the faith of God's elect. Saving faith is
something radically different from a mere mental assent to the Gospel,
believing that God loves me and that Christ died for me. The demons
assent to the whole compass of Divine revelation, but what does it
advantage them? Nor is the "faith" advocated by the false prophets of
any more value or efficacy. Saving faith, my reader, is one which
"purifieth the heart" (Acts 15:9). which "worketh by love" (Gal. 5:6),
which "overcometh the world" (1 John 5:4). And such faith man can
neither originate nor regulate. Has such a faith been Divinely
communicated to you?
Now it is in their opposition to those aspects of the Truth we have
been concerned with above that the false prophets may be identified.
Not that their preaching is all cast in the same mould: far from it.
As the servants of God are variously gifted-one to evangelize, another
to indoctrinate, another to exhort and admonish-so Satan accommodates
his emissaries to the different types of people they meet with. On the
one hand, Romanists and other legalists teach that salvation is by
obedience to the Law, that repentance and good works are meritorious;
on the other hand, there are those who insist that the Law is entirely
Jewish, that the Gentiles were never under it and have nothing to do
with it. But just as the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Herodians
differed widely the one from the other yet made common cause in
antagonizing Christ, so the false prophets, though far from being
uniform in their heterodoxy, nevertheless are one in opposing the
Truth. Conversely, whatever be their distinctive gifts and spheres of
service, the true ministers of God are always identifiable by their
fidelity to the faith once for all, delivered to the saints.
It is particularly the more subtle and less suspected kind of false
prophets we are here seeking to expose and warn against. For the last
two or three generations "wolves in sheep's clothing" have appeared in
circles from which it might be expected that they had been excluded.
They have deceived multitudes by their very seeming soundness in the
faith. They have denounced "Higher Criticism," and Evolutionism,
Christian Science and Russellism. They have affirmed the Divine
inspiration of the Scriptures and have made much of the mercy of God
and the atoning blood of Christ. But they have falsified God's way of
salvation. Christ bade His hearers "strive [agonize] to enter in at
the strait gate" (Luke 13:24): these men declare such striving to be
altogether unnecessary. He affirmed, "except ye repent, ye shall all
likewise perish": they say that sinners may be saved without
repentance. Scripture asks, "If the righteous scarcely be saved" (1
Pet. 4:18): these men aver that salvation is easy for anyone.
Scripture uniformly teaches that unless the believer perseveres in
holiness he will lose heaven: these men insist that he will merely
forfeit some "millennial crown."
As one of the Puritans quaintly yet truly expressed it, "The face of
error is highly painted and powdered so as to render it attractive to
the unwary." The false prophets, whether of the papist or the
Protestant order, make a great show of devotion and piety on the one
hand, and of zeal and fervour on the other, as did the Pharisees of
old with their fasting and praying and who "compassed sea and land to
make one proselyte" (Matthew 23:15). They are diligent in seeking to
discredit those truths they design to overthrow by branding them
"legal doctrines" and denouncing as "Judaizers" those who are set for
the defence of them. "With good words and fair speeches they deceive
the heart of the simple" (Rom. 16:18). They speak much about "grace,"
yet it is not that Divine grace which "reigns through righteousness"
(Rom. 5:21), nor does it effectually teach men to deny "ungodliness
and worldly lusts" (Titus 2:11, 12). With "cunning craftiness" they
"lie in wait to deceive" (Eph. 4:14) souls who have never been
established in the Truth and beguile with "enticing words" (Col. 2:4),
making a great show of quoting Scripture and addressing their converts
as "beloved brethren."
Many of the false prophets of Protestantism have popularized
themselves by granting their deluded followers the liberty of
preaching. As any reader of ecclesiastical history knows, it has been
a favorite device of false prophets in all ages to spread their errors
through the efforts of their converts, flattering their conceits by
speaking of their "gifts" and "talents": by multiplying lay preachers
they draw after them a host of disciples. Such incompetent novices are
themselves ignorant of the very A B C of the Truth, yet in their
egotism and presumption deem themselves qualified to explain the
deepest mysteries of the Faith. A great deal safer, and more
excusable, would it be to put an illiterate rustic into a dispensary
to compound medicines Out of drugs and spirits he understands not and
then administer the same unto his fellows, than for young upstarts
with no better endowment than self-confidence to intrude themselves
into the sacred office of the ministry: the one would poison men's
bodies, but the other their souls.
"But such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming
themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel, for Satan
himself is transformed into an angel, of light" (2 Cor. 11:13, 14). In
all opposition to the Truth there is an agent at work which it belongs
to the office of the Spirit of Truth to discover and unmask. If
"another gospel" (Gal. 1:6) be preached rather than the Gospel of
Christ, it is the fruit of satanic energy, the minds and wills of its
promulgators being led captive by the Devil. Satan is the
arch-dissembler, being the prince of duplicity as well as of
wickedness. When he had the awful effrontery to tempt the Lord Jesus
he came with the Word of God on his lips saying, "It is written"
(Matthew 4:6)! Though Satan's kingdom be that of darkness, yet his
craft is the mimicry of light, and thus it is that his agents work by
deception. They claim to be the "apostles [or "missionaries"] of
Christ," but they have received no call or commission from Him. Nor
should we marvel at their pretence when we remember the hold which the
father of lies has over men.
"Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed
as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to
their works" (2 Cor. 11:15). They are "deceitful workers," for they
pose as champions of the Truth and as being actuated by a deep love
for souls. As sin does not present itself to us as sin nor as paying
death for its wages, but rather as something pleasant and desirable,
and as Satan never shows himself openly in his true colors, so his
"ministers" put on the cloak of sanctity, pretending to be dead to the
world and very self-sacrificing. They are crafty, specious, tricky,
hypocritical. What urgent need, then, is there to be on our guard,
that we be not imposed upon by every mealy-mouthed and "gracious"
impostor who comes to us Bible in hand. How we should heed that
injunction, "Prove all things" (1 Thess. 5: 21). Certain it is, my
reader, that any preacher who rejects Gods Law, who denies repentance
to be a condition of salvation, who assures the giddy and godless that
they are loved by God, who declares that saving faith is nothing more
than an act of the will which every person has the power to perform,
is a false prophet, and should be shunned as a deadly plague.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Fifty-Four
False Prophets-Continued
"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but
inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits.
Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every
good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth
evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a
corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not
forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by
their fruits ye shall know them."
Matthew 7:15-20
___________________________________
"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but
inwardly they are ravening wolves" (v. 15). No idle or needless
warning was this, but one which should be seriously taken to heart by
all who have any concern for the glory of God or value their eternal
interests. Our danger is real and pressing, for "false prophets" are
not few in number but "many" (1 John 4:1), and instead of being found
only in the notoriously heretical sects, have "crept in" among saints
until they now dominate nearly all the centers of orthodoxy. If we are
deceived by them and imbibe their lies the result is almost certain to
be fatal, for error acts upon the soul as deadly poison does on the
body. The very fact that these impostors assume "sheep's clothing" and
pose as the servants of Christ greatly increases the peril of the
unwary and unsuspicious. For these reasons it is imperative that we
should be on our guard. But to be properly on our guard requires that
we should be informed, that we should know how to recognize these
deceivers. Nor has our Lord left us unfurnished at this vital point,
as the succeeding verses show.
"Ye shall know them by their fruits." Three questions are suggested by
this statement, to which it is necessary for us to obtain correct
answers if this rule here laid down by Christ is to be used by us to
good advantage. First, what sort of knowledge is it that is mentioned?
Is it relative or absolute? Is it the forming of a credible and
reliable judgment of the teachers we sit under and whose writings we
peruse, or is it an unerring discernment which precludes us from
making any mistake? Second, how is this knowledge obtained? Is it a
Divine endowment or a human acquirement? Is it one of the spiritual
gifts which accompanies regeneration, a sense of spiritual perception
bestowed upon the Christian, or is it something after which we must
labour, which can be procured only by our own diligence and industry?
Third, what are the "fruits" brought forth by the false prophets? Are
they their character and conduct, or is something else intended?
Really, it is this third question which is the principal one to be
pondered, but we will say a little upon the first two before taking it
up.
The answer to the first question should be fairly obvious, for even in
this day of human deification we have heard of none laying claim to
infallibility except the arch-humbug at Rome. But though the knowledge
here predicated be not an inerrant one, yet it is something much
superior to a vague and uncertain one. In those words our Lord lays
down a rule, and like all general rules we may make mistakes-both
favorable and unfavorable-in the application of it. The knowledge
which Christ here attributes to His people is such a persuasion as to
inform them how they should act toward those who appear before them as
preachers and teachers, enabling them to test their claims and weigh
their messages. Though it does not always enable its possessor to
penetrate the disguise worn by impostors, yet it is sufficient to
arouse his suspicion and, if acted on, to preserve him from falling a
prey to deceivers. It is a knowledge which fortifies the Christian
from being beguiled by religious seducers.
And how is this knowledge procured? It is both obtained and attained:
obtained from God, attained by practice. Spiritual discernment is one
of the accompaniments of the new birth: necessarily so, for
regeneration is a being brought out of darkness into God's marvelous
light. In that light the Christian is able to perceive things which
previously were hidden from him, yet he must perforce walk with Him
who is light if he is not to recede into the shadows. There are
degrees of light, and the measure of our spiritual illumination
decreases as distance increases between us and "the Sun of
righteousness." Moreover, sight is as essential as light for clear
vision. The faculty of spiritual perception belongs to each soul
renewed by the Spirit, yet faculties unemployed soon become useless to
their possessors. When the apostle was contrasting unhealthy saints
with the healthy (Heb. 5:11-14) he described the latter as "those who
by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and
evil." The more we walk in the light and the more we exercise our
spiritual faculties, the more readily shall we perceive the snares and
stumbling stones in our path.
"Ye shall know them by their fruits." False prophets are to he
identified by what they produce. By their "fruits" we understand,
principally, their creed, their character, and their converts. Is it
not by these three things that we recognize the true prophets? The
genuine servants of God give evidence of their Divine commission by
the doctrine they proclaim: their preaching is in full accord with the
Word of Truth. The general tenor of their lives is in harmony
therewith, so that their daily walk is an example of practical
godliness. Those whom the Spirit quickens and edifies under their
preaching bear the features of their ministerial fathers and follow
the lead of their shepherds. Conversely, the ministers of Satan,
though feigning to be the champions of the Truth, oppose and corrupt
it: some by denying its Divine authority, some by mingling human
tradition with it, others by wresting it or by withholding vital,
portions thereof. Though their outward conduct is often beyond
reproach, yet their inward character, the spirit which actuates them,
is that of the wolf-sly, cruel, fierce. And their converts or
disciples are like unto them.
The true prophet accords God His rightful place. He is owned as the
King of kings and Lord of lords, as the One who "worketh all things
after the counsel of His own will." He is acknowledged to be the
sovereign Ruler of heaven and earth, at whose disposal are all
creatures and all events, for whose pleasure they are created (Rev.
4:11), whose will is invincible and whose power is irresistible. He is
declared to be God in fact as well as in name: One whose claims upon
us are paramount and incontestable, One who is to be held in the
utmost reverence and awe, One who is to be served with fear and
rejoiced in with trembling (Ps. 2:11). Such a God the false prophets
neither believe in nor preach. On the contrary, they prate about a God
who wants to do this and who would like to do that, but cannot because
His creatures will not permit it. Having endowed man with a free will,
he must neither be compelled nor coerced, and while Deity is filled
with amiable intentions He is unable to carry them out. Man is the
architect of his fortunes and the decider of his own destiny, and God
a mere Spectator.
The true prophet gives Christ His rightful place, which is very much
more than to be sound concerning His person. Romanists are more
orthodox about the deity and humanity of Christ than are multitudes of
Protestants, yet the former as much as the latter are grossly
heterodox upon His official status. The true prophet proclaims the
Lord Jesus as the covenant Head of His people, who was set up before
the foundation of the world to fulfil all the terms of the covenant of
grace on their behalf and to secure for them all its blessings. He
sets forth Christ as the "Surety" and "Mediator" of the covenant (Heb.
7:22; 8:6), as the One who came here to fulfil His covenant
engagements: "Lo, I come, to do Thy will, O God"-it was a voluntary
act, yet in discharge of a sacred agreement. All that Christ did here
upon earth and that which He is now doing in heaven was and is the
working out of an eternal compact. Every. thing relating to the
Church's salvation was planned and settled by covenant stipulation
between the Eternal Three. Nothing was left to chance, nothing
remained uncertain, nothing was rendered contingent upon anything the
creature must do. About this glorious and fundamental truth the false
prophets are completely
silent.
It was to fit Him for His covenant engagements that the Surety became
incarnate. It was to redeem His people from the curse of the Law that
Christ was made under it, fulfilled its terms, endured its penalty in
the room and stead of His covenant people. It was for them, and no
others, that He shed His precious blood. Because He faithfully and
perfectly discharged His covenant obligations, the Father has sworn
with an oath that all for whom He acted shall be eternally saved, that
not one of these shall perish, solemnly declaring that "He shall see
of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied" (Isa. 53:11). God
has made with Christ, and His people in Hint, "an everlasting
covenant, ordered in all things, and sure" (2 Sam. 23:5). But the
false prophets reverse all this. They misrepresent the redemptive work
of Christ as being a vague, indefinite, general, promiscuous thing,
rendering nothing sure. They believe Christ shed His blood for Judas
equally with Peter, and for Pilate as truly as Paul. They preach a
salvation which is uncertain and contingent, as though it were for
anybody or nobody as the caprice of men shall decide: Christ provided
it and if we accept of it well and good; if not, He will be
disappointed.
The true prophet puts man in his proper place. He declares that man is
a depraved, ruined and lost creature, dead in trespasses and sins. He
points out that man is alienated from God, that his mind is enmity
against Him, that he is an inveterate rebel against Him. He shows this
to be true not only of those in heathendom, but equally so of those
born in Christendom: that "There is none righteous, no not one: There
is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God"
(Rom. 3:10, 11). He makes it clear that man is a total wreck, that no
part of his being has escaped the fearful consequences of his original
revolt from his Maker: that his understanding is darkened, his
affections corrupted, his will enslaved. Because of what transpired in
Eden man has become the slave of sin and the captive of the Devil. He
has no love for the true and living God, but instead a heart that is
filled with hatred against Him; so far from desiring or seeking after
Him, he endeavors by every imaginable means to banish Him from his
thoughts. He is blind to His excellency, deaf to His voice, defiant of
His authority and unconcerned for His glory.
The true prophet goes still farther. He not only portrays the sinner
as he actually is, but he announces that man is utterly unable to
change himself or better his condition one iota. He solemnly announces
man to be "without strength," that he cannot bring himself into
subjection to the Divine Law or perform a single action pleasing to
God (Rom. 8:7, 8). He insists that the Ethiopian can change his skin
or the leopard his spots more readily than they who are accustomed to
do evil can perform that which is good (Jer. 13:1, 23). In short, he
declares that man is hopelessly and irremediably lost unless a
sovereign God is pleased to perform a miracle of grace upon him. But
it is the very opposite with the false prophets. They speak "smooth
things" and flatter their hearers, persuading them that their case is
very far from being as desperate as it really is. If they do not
expressly repudiate the Fall, or term it (as the Evolutionists) a
"fall upward," they greatly minimize it, making it appear to be only a
slight accident which may be repaired by our own exertions, that man
is little affected by it, that he still has "the power to accept
Christ."
According as the fall of man be viewed and preached so will be the
conceptions of men concerning the need and nature of redemption.
Almost every Gospel truth will necessarily be colored by the light in
which we view the extent of the fall. Take the truth of election:
which is the deciding factor-God's will or mine? Why, if I be in
possession of freedom of will and am now on probation, everything must
turn on the use I make of this all-important endowment. But can this
be made to square with the Scriptures? Yes, by a little wresting of
them. It is true that false prophets hate the very word "election,"
but if they are pressed into a corner they will try and wriggle out of
it by saying that those whom God elected unto salvation are the ones
whom He foreknew would be willing to accept Christ, and that
explanation satisfies ninety-nine per cent of their hearers. The truth
is God foreknew that if He left men to their pleasure none would ever
accept Christ (Rom. 9:29), and therefore He made sovereign and
unconditional selection from among them. Had not God eternally chosen
me, I certainly had never chosen Him.
The same holds true of regeneration. If the sinner be spiritually
impotent and his case hopeless so far as all self-effort and help are
concerned, then he can no more quicken himself than can a rotten
corpse in the tomb. A dead man is powerless, and that is precisely the
natural condition of every member of the human race, religious and
irreligious alike: "dead in trespasses and sins." The individual
concerned in it contributes no more to his new birth than he did to
his first. This was expressly insisted upon by Christ when He
declared: "which were born not of blood [by descent from godly
parents], nor of the will of the flesh [by their own volition], nor of
the will of man [by a persuasive preacher], but of God" (John 1:13).
There must be an act of Divine creation before anyone is made a new
creature in Christ. But the false prophets represent man to be merely
"bruised" or at most crippled by the fall, and insist that he may be
born again simply by accepting Christ as his personal Saviour-a thing
which none can do until he is brought from death unto life.
The genuine prophet trumpets forth with no uncertain sound the grand
truth of justification. Rightly did Luther declare that "Justification
by faith is the doctrine of a standing or falling church," for those
who pervert it corrupt the Gospel at its very heart. In view of man's
fallen and depraved condition, in view of his being a transgressor of
the Divine Law, lying beneath its awful condemnation, the question was
asked of old, "How then can man be justified with God?" (Job 25:4). To
be "justified" is very much more than being pardoned: it is the
declaration by the Divine Judge that the believer is righteous, and
therefore entitled to the reward of the Law, but how is this possible
when man has no righteousness of his own and is totally unable to
produce any? The answer is that Christ not only bore in His own body
the sins of God's elect, but He rendered to the Law a perfect
obedience in their stead, and the moment they believe in Him His
obedience is reckoned to their account, so that each can say, "in the
Lord have I righteousness and strength" (Isa. 45:24). But the false
prophets deny and ridicule this basic truth of the imputed
righteousness of Christ.
The true prophet gives the Holy Spirit His rightful place, not only in
the Godhead, as co-eternal and co-equal with the Father and the Son,
but in connection with salvation. Salvation is the gift of the Triune
God: the Father planned it, the Son purchased it, the Spirit
communicates it. The genuine servant of God is very explicit in
declaring that the work of the Holy Spirit is as indispensable as the
work of Christ: the One serving for His people, the Other acting in
them. It is the distinctive office of the Spirit to illumine the
understanding of God's elect, to search their conscience and convict
of their ruined and guilty condition. It is His office to work
repentance in them, to communicate faith unto them, to draw out their
hearts unto Christ. The soundest and most faithful preaching in the
world will avail nothing else unless the Holy Spirit applies iii in
quickening power; the most winsome offers and persuasive appeals will
be useless until the Spirit bestows the hearing ear. The true prophet
knows this, and therefore has he no confidence in his own abilities,
but humbly seeks and earnestly prays for the power of the Spirit to
rest upon him. But how different is it with deceivers of souls!
The genuine servant of God not only realizes the truth of that word,
"Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of
hosts" (Zech. 4:6) in connection with the fruitage of his labours, but
he is also deeply conscious of his own need of being personally taught
by the Spirit. He has been made to feel his utter insufficiency to
handle sacred things, and to realize that if he is to enter into the
spiritual meaning of the Word he must be Divinely taught in his own
soul. A mere intellectual study of the letter of Scripture cannot
satisfy one who longs for a deeper experimental knowledge of the
Truth, nor will he be contented with simply informing the minds of his
hearers. As it is a tender conscience and a fuller heart-acquaintance
with God and His Christ that he covets for himself, so it is to the
conscience and heart of his hearers that he addresses himself. It is
the opposite with the false prophets: they are occupied solely with
the letter of Scripture, with outward profession: there is no deep
probing, nothing searching in their messages, nothing to disturb the
religious worldling.
Another mark by which many of the false prophets may be recognized is
the disproportionate place they give to prophecy in their preaching
and teaching. This has ever been a favorite device of religious
charlatans, as those versed in ecclesiastical history are well aware.
Nor should any observer of human nature be surprised at this. God has
placed an impenetrable veil upon the future, so that none can know
"what a day may bring forth" (Prov. 27:1). But man is intensely
curious about coming events and gives a ready ear to any who pretend
to be able to enlighten him. If on the one hand the irreligious will
flock to palmists, astrologers and other fortune-tellers, the
religious will crowd around anyone who claims to be able to explain
the mysterious contents of the Apocalypse. In times of war and
national calamity the curious are easily beguiled by men with charts
on the book of Daniel. The express prohibition of our Lord, "It is not
for you to know the times or the seasons" (Acts 1:7), should deter His
people from giving ear to those who claim to have "light" thereon.
In this chapter we have not dealt with false prophets generally, but
have confined ourselves to those who wear "sheep's clothing," whose
attacks are made upon the flock of Christ. These are men who boast of
their soundness in the Faith, and obtain a hearing among those who
regard themselves as the cream of orthodoxy. Thus far we have dwelt
upon their creed, on what they believe and teach: in our next we shall
describe some of the distinguishing traits of their characters, and
then point out that the type of converts they make also serves to
identify them by the "fruit" they produce. Our design in entering into
such detail is that young Christians may be furnished with a
full-length photo of these deceivers, and to make it clear that we are
not condemning such because they differ from us on one or two minor
matters, but because they are thoroughly corrupt in doctrine.
Furthermore, in all that has been before us it should be clear that we
should labour diligently to become thoroughly acquainted with God's
Word for ourselves-or how shall we be fitted to detect these seducers
of souls? Ponder Acts 17:11.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Fifty-Five
False Prophets-Concluded
___________________________________
During the days of His earthly ministry the Lord Jesus furnished full
proof that He was the perfect Preacher as well as the model Man. That
fact has not received the attention which it deserves, especially
among those responsible for training the future occupants of our
pulpits. We have perused numerous works on homiletics, but never came
across one which attempted to analyze and summarize the methods
followed by Christ in His public and private discourses. If the
believer finds it necessary and beneficial to ponder the prayers of
the Saviour in order that his devotional life may be directed and
enriched thereby, surely the minister of the Gospel should feel it
both essential and helpful to make a close study of how He approached
and addressed both sinners and saints. If he does so he will discover
the use Christ made of the Scriptures, the wealth of illustration He
drew from the simplest objects of nature, the particular aspects of
Truth on which He threw the most emphasis, the variety of motives to
which He appealed, the different parts of man's complex constitution
to which He addressed Himself, the repetitions He deemed needful, the
searching questions He so often asked, the homely comparisons He made,
and the sharp contrasts He drew.
Even if the student confines his attention to the Sermon on the Mount
he will perceive how wide was the range of this single Address, how
numerous were the themes covered, how diverse the characters dealt
with, and thus how many-sided is the work of the ministry. First the
Lord depicted those upon whom the benediction of God rests, describing
them according to their character and conduct. Next He defined the
function and purpose of His servants:
they are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Then He
declared His attitude unto the Law and the prophets and inculcated the
basic law of His kingdom (5:20). Next He expounded the spirituality of
the Law and showed it demands conformity of heart as well as of
action, displaying the high and holy standard which God will in no
wise lower. This was followed by a warning against hypocrisy,
especially in connection with prayer and fasting. Treasures in heaven
were contrasted with those on earth, and the futility of seeking to
serve two masters shown. Expostulation was made against covetousness
and carking care. The subject of judging others was opened up,
spiritual ambition encouraged, and the golden rule enunciated. The
ways of death and of life were faithfully drawn.
This brief summary brings us to our present passage, which opens with
a solemn warning. It is not sufficient to enforce the Law and expound
the Gospel. Nor has the pulpit completed its task by setting before
believers their various duties and calling to the discharge thereof.
There are enemies to be warned against. Doubtless it is a far more
delightful task to expatiate upon the riches of Divine grace and the
excellencies and glories of the Redeemer; but there are also other
matters which need attention. If the example of Christ and His
apostles is to be followed the saints are to be put on their guard
against those who would seduce them, who with "cunning craftiness. . .
lie in wait to deceive" (Eph. 4:14). Salvation is obtained by coming
to the knowledge of the Truth (1 Tim. 2:4), and they who are deluded
into believing a lie shall be damned (2 Thess. 2:11, 12). The very
fact that eternal destiny is involved by what we believe is sufficient
to show the deep seriousness of the issue here raised. He who has the
care of souls must spare no pains in sounding the alarm.
"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but
inwardly they are ravening wolves" (v. 15). Herein we behold their
"cunning craftiness." They do not appear in their true colors but are
cleverly disguised. They pose as true friends of the Lord's people
when in reality they are their deadliest foes. They proclaim
themselves to be genuine Christians, whereas in reality they are the
emissaries of Satan. They feign themselves to be the teachers of the
Truth, but their aim is to instill falsehoods. They work not outside
in the profane world, but among the assemblies of the saints,
pretending to he deeply taught of God, the champions of orthodoxy, men
filled with love, earnestly seeking the good of souls. Beware of them,
says the great Shepherd of the sheep, for inwardly they are ravening
wolves-fierce, merciless, seeking the destruction of the flock. Let
that fact alarm you, arouse you to your danger and make you vigilant
in guarding against it. Suffer not yourselves to be imposed upon.
And what is the best course to take in order to heed this solemn
warning? What is the wisest policy to follow so as to be safeguarded
from these murderers of souls? How shall we obtain the needed wisdom
that we may be enabled to detect and identify these subtle
dissemblers? Vitally important is it that we should obtain right
answers to these questions. First, let us duly note the place where
this warning occurs in our Lord's sermon. It is found not at the
beginning but near its close. Is there not both instruction and
comfort in that? Does it not intimate that if we have really taken to
heart Christ's teaching in the former sections we shall be fortified
against the danger He here warns against? That if we earnestly heed
His preceding exhortations, that if we diligently seek to cultivate
inward holiness and endeavour to walk according to the rules given by
our Master, that if we ourselves have a personal and experimental
knowledge of what it is to be a real disciple of His, then we shall
have little difficulty in recognizing the false ones?
"The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single,
thy whole body shall be full of light" (6:22). That clearly states the
principle to which we have alluded above. Our Lord's language here is
parabolic but its meaning is quite clear and simple. The activities of
the body are directed according to the light received through the eye,
and when that organ is sound and functioning properly, perceiving
objects as they really are, the whole body is illuminated and enabled
to discharge its duties, for we can then move with safety and
circumspection. In like manner the faculties of the soul are
principally directed by the dictates of the understanding, and where
that is enlightened by the Holy Spirit and dominated by the Truth we
shall be preserved from the snares of Satan and the stumbling-stones
of the world. A "single eye" has but one object-God, the pleasing and
glorifying of Him. "But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be
full of darkness." Thus the "single" eye is a holy one, being
contrasted with that which is evil or carnal.
When the "eye" is occupied with Him who is Light, its possessor is
able to distinguish between the things which differ and form a sound
and right judgment both of persons and things. Our estimation of
values is determined by whether our minds be Divinely illuminated or
still in nature's darkness. Where the soul is regulated by the Truth
it will be endowed with a wisdom which enables its possessor to
distinguish between good and evil; the understanding then becomes a
faculty which discerns between the genuine and the spurious. "Thou
through Thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies" (Ps.
119:98). Habitual submission to the Divine authority brings its own
reward in this life-part of which is a spiritual discretion which
preserves from impostures. When the understanding is dominated by the
Word the whole soul is "full of light," so that all its faculties are
under its beneficent influence: the conscience being informed, the
affections turned to their legitimate object, the will moved in the
right direction. In God's light we "see light" (Ps. 36:9), perceiving
the difference between good and evil, the things to be sought and
those to be avoided.
"If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether
it be of God" (John 7:17). The fundamental condition for obtaining
spiritual knowledge, discernment and assurance is a genuine
determination to carry out the revealed will of God in our daily
lives. "A good understanding have all they that do His commandments"
(Ps. 111:10). Capacity to distinguish Truth from error consists not in
vigor of intellect nor in natural learning, but in a sincere
willingness and earnest desire to yield ourselves unto the Divine
will. Where there is a genuine subjection to the Divine authority and
a deep longing to please the Lord, even though it appears to be
directly against our temporal interests and worldly prospects, and
even though it involves fierce opposition from enemies and ostracism
by our professed friends, there will be both spiritual discernment and
assurance. Where the heart puts the glory of God before everything
else it will be raised above and delivered from the prejudices of
pride, self-love, carnal fears, and fleshly aspirations which cloud
and bias the understanding of the unregenerate. "Then shall we know,
if we follow on to know the Lord" (Hosea 6:3) is the sure promise.
Bagster's Interlinear gives a more literal translation of John vii,
17: "If any one desire His will to practice he shall know concerning
the teaching, whether from God it is." The Greek word rendered
"desire" signifies no fleeting impression or impulse but a deep-rooted
determination. Certainty may be arrived at in connection with the
things of God, but in order thereto the heart must first be right
toward Him, that is surrendered to Him. Where there is a resolution to
perform God's will at all costs, there will be a capacity and an
enablement to discern and embrace the Truth and to detect and refuse
error. It is the state of our souls which makes us receptive to or
repellent against the temptations and lies of the enemy: when the
heart is yielded to God and conformed to His will, we have no
difficulty in seeing through the deceits of Satan. It is those who are
governed by self-will and devoted to self-pleasing who fall such easy
victims to "seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils" (1 Tim. 4:1).
The Truth frees from deception, but only as the Truth is appropriated
and assimilated.
"Ye shall know them by their fruits" (v. 16). Ah, but note well to
whom this is said. The Lord does not predicate this of all who make a
bare profession of faith: it is very far from being a knowledge common
to all in Christendom. The "ye" is definitely restricted to God's own
people, to those who have entered the strait gate and are walking in
the narrow way of the immediate context, True, even they need to be on
their guard, but if they give heed to this warning of Christ, as
assuredly they will, they shall at once recognize these impostors. Ye
shall know them: but none other will. It is because the sheep "follow"
the good Shepherd that "they know His voice," and because they know
His voice "a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him,
for they know not the voice of strangers" (John 10:14, 15). It is the
obedient ear, and that only, which distinguishes between the voice of
the true and the false shepherds. II the ear be attuned to the
precepts of Scripture it will reject the sophistries of religious
charlatans.
"Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns or
figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit,
but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring
forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast
into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them" (vv.
16-20). In these words our Lord intimates that His people should have
no difficulty in recognizing the false prophets: if they do but
exercise ordinary precaution they will detect the imposture which is
sought to be played upon them. The masqueraders are to be identified
by their "fruits." At a distance trees look very much the same, but a
closer inspection of them enables us to distinguish the fruitful from
the fruitless ones, and whether the fruit be wholesome or injurious.
In like manner there needs to be a careful examination of those who
appear before us as the servants of God, that the true ones may be
distinguished from the counterfeit.
In the preceding chapter we suggested that there is a threefold
reference in the "fruits" produced by the false prophets, namely their
creed, their character, and their converts. Having dwelt therein at
some length on the first, a few words now upon the second and third.
The character of these men is clearly indicated by Christ's
descriptive words: "inwardly they are ravening wolves." It was none
other than the Lord of love who employed what this supercilious
generation would term "harsh language." Love is faithful as well as
gentle, and it was love to His own which moved Christ to tear off
their disguise and reveal these enemies of His flock in their real
character. He who denounced the scribes and Pharisees as "hypocrites"
and "blind guides," and termed Herod "that fox" (Luke 13:32),
hesitated not to brand these subtle deceivers as "ravening wolves."
When a bottle of deadly poison is placed among others containing
healing lotions it needs to be plainly labeled.
That Christ here left an example for His servants to follow appears
clearly from the instance of the apostle Paul. When taking leave of
the elders of the Ephesian church, he warned them that "after my
departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the
flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse
things, to draw away disciples after them" (Acts 20:29, 30). In that
last clause we have another mark of the false prophets. They are
inveterate proselytizers. They continually obtrude themselves upon
people's attention. They are ever creeping into houses, "leading
captive silly women led away with divers lusts." They are continually
coaxing and wheedling folk to come to their meetings. But the true
prophet never attempts guile or presses anyone to attend his services.
No, he is content to follow his Master's practice: "he that hath ears
to hear let him hear," and there he leaves it. When a place receives
them not they "go their way" (Luke 10:10) instead of pleading and
arguing and seeking to draw disciples "after them."
"But inwardly they are ravening wolves." What a solemn but suggestive
and revealing word is that. The wolf, like the fox, is tricky and
treacherous, subtle and sly, hence the words "cunning craftiness" in
connection with the purveyors of error who "lie in wait to deceive" of
Ephesians 4:14. They scruple not to employ the most dishonorable
tactics and resort to tricks which honest men of the world would scorn
to use. The wolf is cruel and merciless: so are these deceivers of
souls. They prate about love, but they are full of hatred toward those
who expose them. They are greedy, having voracious appetites, and
false prophets are men of insatiable ambition, hungry for applause,
avaricious. Jeremiah 23:32, speaks of their "lightness" or
irreverence, and Zephaniah 3:4, also says, "their prophets are light
and treacherous." So far from being sober and solemn they are
frivolous and frothy: it cannot be otherwise, for the fear of God is
not upon them.
"By their fruits ye shall know them." Not by their profession, nor
their sanctimoniousness, nor their zeal, but their "fruits" we
understand; third, the converts they make. Like produces like. The
parent is more or less reproduced in his children. In Jeremiah 23:16,
it is said of those who give ear to the false prophets, "they make you
vain." Egotistical themselves, their disciples are also conceited:
proud of their letter-knowledge of the Scriptures, boastful of their
orthodoxy, claiming to have light which those in the "man-made
systems" are without. But their walk betrays them: no traces of
humility, no mourning over sin, no experimental acquaintance with the
plague of their hearts. They loudly boast of their assurance, but
produce not the evidences on which scriptural assurance is based. They
prate about eternal security but refuse to examine their hearts and
see whether they be in the faith. They have much to say about their
peace and joy, but are strangers to the groanings of Romans 7. They
boast that they are "not under the law" and give proof thereof in
their characters and conduct.
In conclusion let us anticipate a question: why does God permit these
false prophets which work such havoc in Christendom? This is a very
solemn question, and we must restrict ourselves to what the Scriptures
say by way of reply. "Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of the
prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you,
to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul" (Deut. 13:3). From those words it is clear that God
suffers teachers of error for the same reason as He does persecutors
of His people: to test their love, to try their fidelity, to show that
their loyalty to him is such that they will not give ear unto His
enemies. Error has always been more popular than the Truth, for it
lets down the bars and fosters fleshly indulgence, but for that very
reason it is obnoxious to the godly. The one who by grace can say "I
have chosen the way of Truth" will be able to add "I have stuck unto
Thy testimonies" (Ps. 119:30, 31), none being able to move him
therefrom.
"For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are
approved may be made manifest among you" (1 Cor. 11:19). Error serves
as a flail, separating the chaff from the wheat. Let some plausible
and popular preacher come forward with an old error decked out in new
clothes and empty professors will at once flock to his standard; but
not so with those who are established in the Faith. Thus, by means of
the false prophets, God makes it appear who are the ones who hold the
Truth in sincerity: they are faithful to Him despite all temptations
to turn away unto a "broader-minded" way. The genuine gold endures
every test to which it is subjected. Thus too are the unregenerate
"converts" revealed: the counterfeit gold will not withstand the fire.
Those who are attracted by a novelty do not wear but are soon carried
away by some newer innovation. "They went out from us, but they were
not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have
continued with us: but they went out that they might be made manifest
that they were not all of us" (1 John 2:19). Thus, they who turn away
from orthodoxy to heterodoxy must not be regarded as real Christians.
The false prophets are also ordained of God for the punishment of
those who receive not the love of the Truth. "For this cause God shall
send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie: That they
all might be damned, who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness" (2 Thess. 2:10-12). Ahab could not endure Elijah and
Micaiah, the servants of God, therefore he was suffered to follow the
priests of Baal unto his destruction.
It is very clear from Matthew 24:5, 11, etc., that Israel's rejection
of Christ was followed by the appearing of many false christs in their
midst who fatally deceived large numbers of the Jews. It was not until
primitive and genuine Christianity had been jettisoned that the
religious world was plagued by the monster of Romanism. A very large
proportion of those found in the false cults of our day were once
members of or regular attenders at churches which were more or less
sound in the Faith. Beware, my reader, if you despise God's Truth you
will fall into love with Satan's lies.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Fifty-Six
Profession Tested
"Not every one that saith Unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in
heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in
Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess Unto them,
I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity. Therefore
whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken
him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain
descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and heat upon that
house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one
that heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them not, shall he
likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And
the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and heat
upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."
Matthew 7:21-27
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"Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in
heaven" (v. 21). With these words our Lord commenced the twelfth and
final division of this notable Sermon. It was perhaps the most
searching and solemn section in it. Here the One who cannot be imposed
upon by any deceit makes known His inexorable demand for reality. Here
the One who shall yet officiate as the Judge of all the earth declares
that at the Grand Assize all who have deceived themselves and deluded
others will stand forth in their real characters. Here the One who
knows every thought and imagination of the heart, before whose
omniscient eye all things are naked and opened, makes it crystal clear
that lip service is worthless and that even the most imposing deeds
count for nothing where vital and practical godliness is lacking. The
more this passage be thoughtfully pondered the less surprised are we
that so many seek to get rid of this Sermon by terming it "Jewish" and
insisting "it is not for this dispensation."
If it be true that Matthew 5-7 is more hated by our moderns than any
other portion of God's Word, it is equally true that none is more
urgently needed by them. Never were there so many millions of nominal
Christians on earth as there are today, and never was there such a
small percentage of real ones. Not since before the days of Luther and
Calvin, when the great Reformation effected such a grand change for
the better, has Christendom been so crowded with those who have "a
form of godliness" but who are strangers to its transforming power. We
seriously doubt whether there has ever been a time in the history of
this Christian era when there were such multitudes of deceived souls
within the churches, who verily believe that all is well with their
souls when in fact the wrath of God abideth on them. And we know of no
single thing better calculated to undeceive them than a full and
faithful exposition of these closing verses of our Lord's Sermon on
the Mount.
The relation of this passage to the context is easily determined.
Taking the more remote one, this final section forms a fitting
conclusion to the whole address, which, be it remembered, was
delivered in the hearing of the multitude (5:1; 7:28), though more
immediately to His "disciples." It was a most suitable climax. Christ
had commenced by delineating the character of those who are approved
of God, and He finished by describing those upon whom eternal judgment
will fall. Herein we may see how the chief of the apostles patterned
his ministry after the example of his Master. If on the one hand
"love" constrained him, on the other hand it was by "the terror of the
Lord," that he sought to persuade men. Thus. when standing before
Felix, "he reasoned of righteousness, temperance and judgment" so that
the governor "trembled" (Acts 24:25). Alas, how little of this
faithful dealing with souls is there in this degenerate day: how
little probing of the conscience, how little plain speaking of the
awful doom awaiting the ungodly, how little shaking them out of their
fatal complacency.
If we look at the more immediate context we shall be increasingly
impressed with the appropriateness of this solemn peroration. Our Lord
had just uttered warning against the false prophets, who are to be
recognized by the "fruits" which they bear, or in other words by the
"converts" which they make, the disciples they draw after them. It is
the antinomian beguilers who are there more specially in view, as is
clear from our Lord's words "which come to you in sheep's clothing,"
thereby concealing their real character. In like manner their
adherents assume a sanctimonious pose and employ the most pious
language, carrying a Bible with them wherever they go and being able
to quote it freely. They refer to the Redeemer in most reverent terms,
being particular to accord Him His title of "Lord." Nevertheless, when
weighed in the balances they are found wanting, for they are lacking
in vital godliness. Their hearts are not renewed, their wills are not
surrendered to God, their conduct corresponds not with their high
pretensions.
It is the juxtaposition of Matthew 7:19, and 7:20, which enables us
clearly to perceive the scope of the latter. Though the Saviour had
said in verse 16 "Ye shall know them by their fruits," He repeats this
identifying mark of these deceivers of souls in verse 20, and then
immediately adds "Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall
enter into the kingdom." The intimate connection then between these
two sections of His Address is too plain to miss: the converts made by
the false prophets are big talkers but little doers. They claim to be
devoutly attached to Christ but their claim is invalid, being
unsupported by the evidence which is necessary to give it credibility.
Their fine talk is not corroborated by a Christian walk, and therefore
it is insufficient to obtain for them an entrance into His kingdom. If
the blind follow the blind both fall into the ditch. It takes
something more than "sheep's clothing" to make one a servant of
Christ, and something more than lip service is needed before He will
own anyone as a true disciple of His. It is empty and windy professors
whom He here exposes.
"Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven: but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in
heaven." Let us consider first the application of these words to those
who were immediately addressed. Many of the Jews were so impressed by
the miracles wrought by Christ that they were disposed to be His
disciples while ignorant of and in fact strongly opposed to His
doctrine concerning salvation and the requirements of the kingdom of
God. "When He was in Jerusalem at the passover in the feast day, many
believed in His name, when they saw the miracles which He did. But
Jesus did not commit Himself unto them" (John 2:23, 24). Nicodemus
expressed the attitude of some of the more influential when he said
"Rabbi, we know that Thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can
do these miracles that Thou doest, except God be with him" (John 3:2).
But so far from allowing Nicodemus to entertain the idea that an
acknowledgment of Him as a "teacher sent from God" would secure for
him the blessings He came to bestow, He told him frankly that except
he were born again he could neither see nor enter the kingdom of God.
When Christ had fed the great multitude with the five loaves and two
small fishes, so deeply were they impressed that we are told: "Then
those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did. said, This
is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world." Yet "When
Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take Him by force
and make Him a king, He departed again into a mountain Himself alone"
(John 6:14, 15). This it was which directly occasioned the searching
declaration of the section which is now before us. Very far was He
from taking advantage of a temporary and superficial bias of men in
His favour: plain speaking and honest dealings characterized the whole
of His transactions with His countrymen. It was to prevent them from
imagining that their owning Him as Prophet, or even acknowledging Him
as the Messiah in the sense that they understood the term, was
sufficient that He here impressed upon His hearers that they must be
actually and personally doers of God's will before they were qualified
to participate in the blessings of His spiritual and eternal kingdom.
While the verses before us were addressed first and locally to the
Jews of Christ's day, yet it is obvious that they have a far wider
application, that they belong to the Gentiles of our day. As we have
proceeded through this Sermon section by section, we have endeavoured
to point out again and again and make clear the force and relevancy of
our Lord's words as they respected His immediate hearers and also
their pertinency unto and bearing upon ourselves. There was nothing
provincial or evanescent in the teaching of Christ: it was designed
for all nations and for all generations, and by it all men will yet be
judged (John 12:48). This declaration of Christ's then is full of
important instruction to all in every country and every age, wherever
the Gospel is presented to the examination and reception of men. It
was true at the beginning, it is just as true today, and will continue
so long as the world lasts, that some, yea, many, will go no farther
than a mere lip profession, and consequently will be excluded from the
kingdom: and that only those who really perform the Divine will shall
enter into the enjoyment of the blessings of Christianity.
This expression "the kingdom of heaven" need not detain us very long,
for we have explained its meaning in previous chapters. As it is
employed here it is synonymous with "the kingdom of God" in John 3:3,
as a comparison of Matthew 18:3, and Luke 18:17, clearly proves. It
had reference to the new order of things introduced by the Messiah,
being in contrast with and the successor of Judaism. That new order of
things may be contemplated as beginning in this present life and
perfected in the life to come, they being two aspects of the one
economy: the former we designate the kingdom of grace and the latter
the kingdom of glory. Most of the older commentators understood "the
kingdom of heaven" in the verse now before us as referring to the
second aspect, and therefore as being equivalent to the state of
celestial blessedness: but personally we see no reason for this
restriction. A mere lip profession fails to secure even a present
participation in the peculiar privileges of Christianity, for it
obtains neither reconciliation with God, the forgiveness of sins, nor
an enjoyment of that holy happiness which is the portion now of those
truly converted. It inevitably follows that those who enter not the
kingdom of grace on earth will never enter the kingdom of glory in
heaven.
"Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven," or as we find it in Luke 6:46, "Why call ye Me,
Lord, Lord. . .?" This expression is equivalent to acknowledging
Christ as Teacher and Master, even owning Him as the Son of God, the
alone Saviour of sinners. There is a designed emphasis in the "Lord,
Lord," for it is meant to express not merely profession, but a
decided, open, habitual profession. Thus Christ here declares that a
mere verbal acknowledgment of the truth concerning His person or a lip
profession that we are His disciples, prepared to accept His teaching,
however explicit, public, and often repeated that profession be, does
not open the way to the enjoyment of the special blessings of His
kingdom, unless it is proved to be the result of true repentance and
sound conversion, and unless it be accompanied with a corresponding
course of conduct in doing the will of the Father. An outward
profession of the most orthodox religion is useless if it be joined
not with vital godliness and sincere obedience. Even the demons owned
Him as the "Son of God" (Matthew 8:29), but what did it avail them?
It scarcely needs to be pointed out that no entrance into the kingdom
of God is possible unless Christ is owned as "Lord." Unitarians and
those "modernists" who deny that Christ is anything more than the
ideal Man are certainly outside the pale of salvation. "The words
before us obviously imply, what is very distinctly stated in other
parts of Scripture, that a profession of discipleship and
acknowledgment of our submission in mind and heart to Christ Jesus is
absolutely necessary in order to our enjoying the privileges of
discipleship. No person who does not call Christ 'Lord, Lord' can
enter into the kingdom of God: no man who is ignorant of His claims,
who treats these claims with neglect, who rejects these claims, or who
though he may be all but persuaded that these claims are just, yet
from worldly motives does not acknowledge them-no such person can
participate in the peculiar blessings of His disciples, either on
earth or in heaven" (John Brown, to whom we are indebted for some
things above and in what follows). "Ye call Me Master and Lord: and ye
say well; for so I am" (John 13:13). "Whosoever transgresseth, and
abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God" (2 John 9).
But while the necessity of owning Christ as Lord is clearly implied in
His words here, the truth which they more directly teach is that
profession, however necessary in connection with faith and obedience,
cannot of itself secure a participation in the spiritual blessings of
the new economy. No matter how loudly a man avows his acceptance of
the teachings of Christ, unless he be a doer of the Word his avowals
count for nothing. He who requires the heart will not be put off with
shadows for the substance, the mere semblance for the reality, words
instead of works. Empty compliments are not worth the breath which
utters them. They who trust in a form of godliness which is devoid of
its power are building their hopes upon a foundation of sand. Not only
is a bare profession insufficient for the saving of the soul, but it
is an insult to Christ Himself. It is a horrible mockery to call Him
Lord while we continue to do only what is pleasing to ourselves, to
profess to obey Him while we treat His commands with contempt. It is
obedience which marks men as His disciples and distinguishes them from
the subjects of Satan.
Let us now describe the different types of professors. First, there
are those who are simply nominal ones. They bear the name of
"Christians" and that is all. They happen to have been born in a
country where Christianity is the prevailing religion and where it is
regarded as a mark of respectability to give some recognition and
assent to it. A few drops of water were sprinkled upon them in infancy
by a preacher and possibly they received some kind of instruction in
the rudiments of religion during the days of their childhood. But
after reaching maturity, excepting for an occasional visit to a
church, probably at "Christmas" or "Easter," that is as far as they
go. Yet if asked to declare themselves they readily affirm they are
"Christians," but that means little or nothing more than that they are
not Jews, pagans or open infidels. Such persons usually are grossly
ignorant of the very fundamentals of the Faith and often the lives of
respectable heathen would put theirs to shame. Surely such people are
outside the kingdom of God. They cannot participate in its blessings
either on earth or in heaven: if they could, its blessings would not
be spiritual ones.
Second, formal professors. This class is made up of those who regard
themselves as much in advance of the ones in the former. They are able
to repeat some catechism, or at least give a fairly intelligent
account of both the doctrine and the laws of Christ. If not members of
a church they are at least "adherents" and regular attenders at its
services. They claim to be submissive to Christ's authority and
observe all the outward acts of worship which characterize His
followers, but they know nothing of the blessedness of communion with
the Lord, nor is His joy their strength. Their religion is but a
mental assent to an orthodox creed and going through a round of
external observances. They evince no desire for the Truth to have a
dominating power over their affections and wills, and most of them
regard as deluded enthusiasts and canting hypocrites those who regard
experimental godliness as the only genuine Christianity, and pant
after a deeper acquaintance with God. It is plain that these, too, are
outside the kingdom, being strangers to those operations of the Spirit
which alone make us meet for it.
Third, deceived professors. "There is a generation that are pure in
their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness" (Prov.
30:12). Those in this class look with pharisaical pity upon those
described above. These deem themselves better taught. They place no
reliance upon infant sprinkling, no subscription to the soundest
confession of faith, rather do they pride themselves upon an
intellectual assent to the letter of Holy Writ. They are quite sure
that Christ died for them and that they have accepted Him as their
personal Saviour. None can shake their assurance. Yet meekness and
lowliness characterize them not, forbearing one another and forgiving
one .another they are strangers to, the fruit of the Spirit and
practical godliness are missing from their daily lives. Their
associates address them as "Brother" or "Sister" and that suffices.
But what does it profit me to have the reputation of being a wealthy
man if I have not the wherewithal to purchase the necessities of life?
What avails it to call me a healthy person if disease be eating away
my very vitals? If Christ bars the door of the kingdom against me no
personal assurance will give me entrance.
Fourth, hypocritical professors. The number in this class, we are fain
to believe, is much smaller than in the preceding ones: for them there
is some hope while life lasts, but for these we can see none.
Hypocritical professors are those who deliberately assume a role: they
are consciously playing a part. They know that they are not
Christians, but for one reason or other are anxious to make their
fellows believe they are so. Some of them belonged formerly to one of
the other groups, to the third especially, then they discovered the
emptiness of their profession or that they had been deceived; too
dishonest to disclaim themselves as Christians they took increased
pains to persuade others of their piety. Not content with a dull,
formal round of duties, they put on the appearance of a deep interest
in the things of God and of zeal in seeking to promote His cause. This
is incomparably the vilest of the four classes we have sketched. Such
conduct is no less contemptible than irrational. God cannot be imposed
upon and no affronts are likely to be more severely punished than
dishonor done to His omniscience. The hypocrite's portion will be the
"outer darkness" where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Fifth, the genuine professor. This is the real Christian, who enjoys
the blessings of the kingdom of grace here and will be admitted to the
bliss of the kingdom of glory hereafter. He is described here
according to his conduct or actions: "but he that doeth the will of My
Father which is in heaven." Two points need determining: what is here
signified by the Father's will, and what is meant by the doing of it?
"The fundamental part of doing the will of God is revealed in these
words: 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye
Him' (Matthew 17:5). Where this is complied with, everything else
follows" (J. Brown). The will of the Father is perfectly made known by
the incarnate Word, for He is the final Spokesman of God (Heb. 1:1,
2), all judgment being committed unto Him (John 5:22). The will of the
Father is that we should forsake our sins, trust in His Son, take His
yoke upon us, and follow Him; to do less and yet call Him our Lord is
most horrible mockery. So perfect and intimate is the oneness of the
Father and the Son that Christ goes on to say: "Whosoever heareth
these sayings of Mine, and doeth them," is like one who builds his
house upon a rock (v. 24 and cf. Luke 6:46).
What is meant by doing the Divine will? Obviously it does not connote
a perfect or flawless performance thereof, for there is no Christian
who has ever attained to such excellence in this life, though nothing
short of this is the standard set before us (Matthew 5:48). It means
that I have surrendered my heart and will to the claims of Christ, so
that I truly desire Him to "reign over" me (Luke 19:14) and order my
life. It means that I have subjected myself to His authority and that
it is the prevailing bent of my mind and constant endeavour to please
and honour Him in all things. It means that I genuinely aim to be both
internally and externally conformed to His holy image, and that it is
my greatest grief when I do those things which displease Him. It means
I truly seek that my thoughts, affections and actions are regulated by
His precepts. It is not a sinless obedience which is here in view, but
it is a sincere one. It is not a forced one, but prompted by love. It
is not merely an external compliance with the Divine commands but a
"doing the will of God from the heart" (Eph. 6:6).
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Fifty-Seven
Profession Tested-Continued
___________________________________
"Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in
heaven." In the preceding chapter we sought to supply an exposition of
this verse: explaining the meaning of its terms, pointing out its
bearing upon the Jews of that day, and its application unto our own.
On this occasion we propose to deal with it more in a topical manner.
Obviously the theme of this verse is the inadequacy of a mere lip
profession of Christian discipleship, and since so many are fatally
deceived at this very point we deem it advisable to devote another
chapter to the subject. We shall now endeavour to show something of
the attainments possible to the formalist and how near he may come to
the kingdom of Christ without actually entering it. It is the third
class of professors, the deceived ones, that we have chiefly in view.
We shall seek to examine and test them at four simple but essential
points and show of each one wherein they come short of that which is
the experience and portion of the regenerate.
1. Knowledge. It is plain from the teaching of Holy Writ that there
are two distinct orders or types of knowledge of spiritual and Divine
things, and that the difference between them is not merely one of
degree but of kind, a radical and vital difference. There is a
knowledge of God and of His Word which is a saving one, but there is
also a knowledge of the same Objects which-though it may be accurate
and extensive-is a non-saving one. Thus it is of vast importance that
everyone who values his soul should be properly informed as to the
essential differences between these two kinds of knowledge, so that he
may diligently examine himself and ascertain which of them is his.
That the above distinction is no arbitrary one, no imaginary one of
ours, is evident from many passages. When the apostle declared that
the Colossian saints "knew the grace of God in truth" (1:6) he was
employing discriminating language, for there are others who know the
grace of God only in theory. "This is life eternal, that they might
know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent"
(John 17:3), which is a saving knowledge. "When they knew God they
glorified Him not as God," but became idolators and were abandoned of
Him (Rom. 1:21-24): that was a non-saving knowledge of God.
"Though I have the gift of prophesy, and understand all mysteries, and
all knowledge; . . . and have not charity, I am nothing" (1 Cor.
13:2). Nor is that an altogether unlikely case. Far from it. It is
possible for the natural man to acquire a much fuller and more
intelligent grasp of the Truth than that which is possessed by the
majority of genuine Christians. If he be endowed with a competent
intellect, if he has received a good education, if he closely applies
himself to the study of Scripture (as he might to one of the arts or
sciences), then he may become expertly proficient in a letter
knowledge and notional understanding of the same. By patient industry
he may master the Hebrew and Greek languages in which they were
originally written. By reading and rereading sound theological works
he may secure a comprehension of the whole doctrinal system of Truth.
By consulting able commentators he may obtain light upon perplexing
passages. He may even arrive at an understanding of the "mysteries" of
iniquity and of godliness, so that he is quite sound in the Faith. And
if he be a fluent speaker, he may discourse upon Divine things so that
none may legitimately take issue with his orthodoxy, yea, many may
find his preaching instructive and helpful.
There are also very many unregenerate listeners who by waiting upon
the ministry of the Word max' obtain a wide knowledge thereof. A
considerable number are possessed with an insatiable curiosity, or
appetite, for the acquisition of religious information, and, by
regular attendance at church, close attention to what they hear and
the aid of retentive memories, become well instructed in spiritual
things, especially where this be supplemented by the reading of a
considerable amount of devotional literature. Though unregenerate
obtain clear views of the whole Gospel scheme and those gifted with
clear minds often grasp more of the profounder aspects of Truth than
many of God's own children are capable of understanding (for "not many
wise men after the flesh" [1 Cor. 1:26] are among His elect), and dig
more deeply into the mines of Truth and make greater discoveries than
do the saved. They may apprehend things so clearly as to satisfy their
judgment and express their notions so distinctly to others as to
convince, yea, to defend their beliefs so tellingly and argue about
the same to such effect as to silence any who differ from them.
Nor is this knowledge limited to the doctrinal side of the Truth. They
may attain unto well-proportioned conceptions of the Divine character
and perfections and correct views of the person and work of Christ,
the office and operations of the Holy Spirit. By sitting under the
faithful preaching of God's servants and by reading articles of a
searching nature they may secure a good understanding of the
experimental side of things. They may be quite clear upon the miracle
of regeneration and be able to draw the lineaments of the new creature
as true to life as though they had the image thereof in their own
souls. They may be able to describe the work of grace as accurately as
though they had an experience of it in their own hearts. They may
depict the conflicts between the flesh and spirit as though such
opposition were taking place within themselves. They may speak as
glowingly of the Christian's graces as if they were the possessors of
them. They may narrate the actings of certain graces under such and
such a temptation as though they were recounting their own history.
They may have the exact idea and true notion of all these things in
their heads when there is nothing whatever of them in their hearts.
Yet in spite of all that we have predicated above of these
unregenerate yet orthodox preachers and hearers, authors and readers,
they are those who are "ever learning and never able to come to the
knowledge of the truth" (2 Tim. 3:7), that is to say they do not and
cannot arrive at the saving knowledge of it. And why is this so?
Because they lack the necessary faculty for its entrance. "The natural
man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are
foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14). A saving knowledge of the Truth
is impossible unto the unregenerate. There must needs be a suitability
between the instrument and its task, between the agent and that which
is to be apprehended. An animal is incapable of entering into what the
human intellect may comprehend, and one who has no spiritual faculty
is unable to receive spiritual things in a spiritual way. The natural
man may acquire theoretical and notional knowledge of things, but he
cannot obtain a spiritual or saving knowledge of them, for he is
totally devoid of spiritual life.
Let us now attempt to answer the question, What is the essential
difference between these two kinds of knowledge, wherein does a
natural and notional knowledge of Divine things come short of a
spiritual and saving knowledge of them? Consider the following: "I
have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth
Thee" (Job 42:5): we give not an exposition of those words, but use
them illustratively of this contrast. One may listen for years to
sermons but when the soul actually has Christ revealed in him (Gal.
1:16) he learns the tremendous difference there is between a hearsay
knowledge of Him and a spiritual perception as He stands manifested to
the soul as a living Reality. Let us endeavour still further to
simplify by a human analogy. A child is born with such a filament over
his eyes that he is quite blind. He receives a good education and
loved ones seek to use their eyes on his behalf and take pains in
describing to him some of the beauties and wonders of nature: by their
word pictures he obtains clear concepts of many objects. But suppose a
specialist performs a successful operation and vision is vouchsafed
him: how vastly different his own sight of a glorious sunset from the
previous notion he had formed of it!
No matter how carefully and accurately his friends have described a
sunset to him, how vivid the contrast when he beheld one for himself!
Equally real, equally radical, equally vivid is the difference between
a second-hand knowledge of the Truth and a personal acquaintance and
experience of its power. Following out the analogy a little farther:
while blind, that man may have thought his friends exaggerated the
grandeur of a sunset, but as soon as he has seen one for himself he
knows that neither poet's tongue nor artist's brush could possibly do
it justice. He may even have entertained doubts as to the thing
itself, wondering if his friends were but drawing upon their
imagination and seeking to amuse him with a fairy tale, but now all
uncertainty is at an end. So with the regenerate soul and Christ: once
his sin-blinded eyes are opened to behold the Lamb, he exclaims with
one of old, "I know that my Redeemer liveth." A saving knowledge of
Christ ravishes the soul and so draws the heart unto Him as to esteem
all else as dross in comparison with the excellency of the knowledge
of Him (Phil. 3:8).
A Laplander may have read about honey, but not until he has eaten some
does he really know what it is like. Nor does the soul truly know the
Lord until he has "tasted that He is gracious" (1 Pet. 2:3). The
formalist knows God is omniscient, the Christian has an inward
experience thereof, by His detecting to him the heart's deceitfulness
and discovering secret sins. The former knows God is almighty, but the
latter has felt His omnipotency working within him: enabling him to
believe (Eph. 1:19), subduing his lusts, overcoming the world. The one
kind of knowledge then is speculative, the other practical; the one is
merely notional, the other experimental; the one is acquired
second-hand, the other is communicated directly. He "hath shined in
our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6). Natural knowledge puffs up,
but spiritual humbles and makes the soul painfully conscious of its
spiritual ignorance. Observe how in Psalm 119 David prays no less than
eight times "teach me." Natural knowledge produces no spiritual fruit,
and it is vain to boast of spiritual learning if it be not accompanied
with a holy life.
2. Repentance. There are four principal acts and exercises in
repentance: confession of sin, hatred of sin, sorrow for sin,
resolution against sin; and each of these may be and has been
performed by the unregenerate. Cain cried out at the weight and
grievousness of his sin saying, "My punishment [or "iniquity"] is
greater than I can bear" (Gen. 4:13). Pharaoh acknowledged his sin and
condemned himself for it (Ex. 9:27), so did Israel when they had
provoked the Lord (Num. 14:40), so did Saul (1 Sam. 15:14), so did
Judas (Matthew 27:3). As to hatred of sin, Jehu detested the idols of
Baal and destroyed them, yet his heart was not upright (2 Kings
10:26-28, 31). After their lengthy captivity in Babylon Israel were
delivered from their love of idolatry, so that the Spirit said "thou
that abhorrest idols" (Rom. 2:22). Many there are who hate injustice
and oppression, unmercifulness and cruelty, lying and dishonesty.
Concerning sorrow for sin: Israel mourned alter their worship of the
golden calf (Ex. 33:4) and "mourned greatly" (Num. 14:39) after they
had sorely provoked the Lord, and yet continued in their provocations
(v. 44). Ahab expressed sore grief for his wickedness (1 Kings 21:27).
As to resolution against sin, a strong case of such is seen in Balaam
(Num. 22:18, 38).
If the unregenerate may go thus far in a way of repentance, wherein do
they fall short? If theirs be not "repentance unto life" (Acts 11:18),
where is it to be found? Saving repentance proceeds from sorrow for
sin, whereas the sorrow of the formalist is defective at these points.
First, they mourn not for sin itself, but over its consequences. Not
as their deeds are contrary to God, a violation of His Law, opposed to
His holy will, but because they involve unpleasant effects. Second,
not for consequences in reference to God, but themselves: not because
He is dishonored, His authority spurned, and the creature preferred
above Him. If they mourn because of His displeasure, it is rather for
the effects of His anger. They care nothing about Satan being
gratified and the cause of Christ reproached so long as they are not
afflicted in their persons or estates. Third, they mourn not for all
its consequences in reference to themselves: not as it defiles the
soul, keeps at a distance from God, hardens the heart and renders it
more incapable of holy duties, but only as it deprives of mercies and
produces miseries.
Their hatred of sin is defective. It is not extended to all sin: they
cannot say, "I hate every false way." They may hate gross sins such as
the state penalizes, but wink at lesser ones. They may hate open
wickedness but not secret faults. They may abominate theft and
uncleanness, yet make no conscience of pride and self-righteousness.
They may hate those things which are cried down by people among whom
they now live, and yet enter into the same heartily if they move to
another part of the earth. They may hate an unprofitable sin, but
refrain not from those which bring them in a revenue. They may hate a
sin which is contrary to their peculiar temperament, but not that
which is agreeable to their constitution. They may hate others' sin
rather than their own, as Judas complained at the prodigality of Mary;
but such hatred is directed rather against the persons than the sins
of others. Their hatred is superficial. It is not with all their
heart: it reaches not to the corruptions of their nature, nor is it
accompanied with mortifying endeavors.
Their resolutions against sin are defective. In their rise. They issue
not from a renewed heart, from a principle of holiness and love to
Christ, but from apprehensions of unpleasant effects and future
damnation. Or from the restraining power of God, which keeps them from
purposing to sin rather than moves them to full resolution against it:
so that their resolutions are negative rather than positive. Thus it
was with Balaam, who said not "I will not" but "I cannot" (Num. 22;18,
38)-he had a mind to, but the Lord prevented him. In their
continuance. Their good resolutions are not followed out to full
execution, but are quickly broken. The cause from which they proceed
is not constant, and therefore the effects are evanescent. They flow
no longer when the spring from which they issue runs dry. That spring
is but a momentary anguish or flash of fear, and when that vanishes
their resolutions fail. Their goodness is but as "the morning cloud"
and "early dew" (Hosea 6:4), which quickly disappear. David feared the
danger of this when he prayed, "Keep this for ever in the imagination
of the thoughts of the heart of Thy people, and prepare their heart
unto Thee" (1 Chron. 29:18).
3. Faith. We read of those who "stay themselves [rely] upon the God of
Israel" (Isa. 48: 2), yet it was "not in truth, nor in righteousness"
(v. 1), for they were obstinate and their neck "as an iron sinew."
There are those who have a faith so like unto a Justifying one that
they themselves take it to be the very same and even Christians regard
it as the faith of God's elect. Simon Magus, for example, "believed"
(Acts 8:13), and gave such a profession of it that Philip and the
local church received him into their fellowship and privileges. Those
who received the Seed into stony ground did "for a while believe"
(Luke 8:13), and according to its description it differed nothing from
saving faith except in its root-the difference not being evident but
lying underground. The unregenerate may have a faith which receives
unquestionably the Bible as the Word of God, for the Jews entertained
no doubts that the Scriptures were the very oracles of God. Agrippa
believed in the veracity of the prophets and received their testimony
without question (Acts 26:26, 27). They may have a faith which leads
to the owning of Christ as their Lord and worshipping Him as such
(Matthew 7:21). They may even have a faith which produces strong
assurance: those who opposed Christ were quite sure they were
"Abraham's seed" and not the slaves of Satan (John 8:33, 34).
Wherein does this faith come short of a saving one? Wherein is it
defective? It is merely an intellectual assent to the letter of
Scripture and not "with the heart" (Rom. 10:10), so as to bring Christ
into it (Eph. 3:17), just as one may read and accredit a historical
work and no spiritual effect be produced thereby. It is a faith which
is "alone" (Jas. 2:17), for it is unaccompanied by other graces.
whereas a saving faith has as its concomitants love, meekness,
holiness, perseverance, etc. Such a faith consents not to take a whole
Christ: it will embrace Him as a Saviour, but is not willing for Him
to reign over them as King. Those with such a faith desire Christ's
pardon but not His sceptre, His peace but not His yoke. They will
accept Him to deliver them from hell, but not to sanctify and cast out
of their temples whatever God abominates. They are not willing to
subscribe to Christ's terms of discipleship, which are the denying of
self, the taking up of the cross, and following Him whithersoever He
leads: such terms they consider harsh and unnecessary.
The faith of the formalist and empty professor is a lifeless and
barren one. "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without
works is dead" (Jas. 2:26). In that chapter the apostle points out.
first, the worthlessness of a bare profession of charity. To give good
words to a brother in need, bidding him, "Depart in peace, be ye
warmed and filled," yet withholding those things needful to him, is
cruel hypocrisy (vv. 15, 16); equally so is such a faith a mockery if
we say we believe in the Holy One and a day of judgment and yet live
impiously (v. 17). Second, such a faith is inferior to that of the
demons, for they "believe and tremble" (v. 19), whereas empty
professors are not afraid to mock God. Third, such a faith is
radically different from that possessed and exercised by the father of
all who believe, for he rendered unreserved obedience unto the Divine
commands (vv. 21-24). A faith which does not purify the heart (Acts
15:9), work by love (Gal. 5:6), overcome the world (1 John 5:4), and
bring forth fruit acceptable to God, will not conduct anyone to
heaven.
4. Good works. The unregenerate may make an exceedingly fair show on
the practical side of religion, that is in their deportment, both in
their addresses to God and dealings with men, in public and private
alike. They may go far in their external conformity to the rule of
righteousness and visible compliance with the revealed will of God,
both as to moral and positive precepts. The outward carriage of the
Pharisees, by Christ's own testimony, was "beautiful" (Matthew 23:27)
and among their fellows they were esteemed as exceptionally holy men.
Such may not only abstain from all gross sins but meet all the
external requirements of morality and piety. Paul declares that, while
unconverted, he was "blameless" as to his observance of the Law (Phil.
3:6), and the rich young ruler affirmed of the commandments, "all
these have I kept from my youth up" (Luke 18:21), nor did Christ
charge him with idle boasting. They may practice great austerities in
order to mortify the flesh, as some of the Gnostics had for their
rule, "Touch not, taste not, handle not" (Col. 2:21). A spirit of
fanaticism may induce some of them to suffer martyrdom (1 Cor. 13:3).
Wherein lies the defectiveness of the works of the unregenerate?
First, in the state of the persons performing them. They are not
reconciled to God and how can He accept aught from His enemies? The
individual must first be reconciled to God before He will receive
anything at his hands: "the Lord had respect to Abel and to his
offering" (Gen. 4:4). Second, in the root from which their actions
proceed: their fruits are but the wild grapes of a degenerate vine:
they must be renewed in the inner man before anything spiritual can be
borne. Third, in the motive which prompts them, which is either
servile fear or a spirit of legality rather than love; a dread of
hell, or an attempt to gain heaven instead of from gratitude. Fourth,
in the end which they have in view, which is a selfish one instead of
seeking to promote the Divine honour: it is to pacify God rather than
glorify Him. Fifth, in the absence of Christ's merits: their works are
neither wrought for Christ's sake nor offered in His name, and since
none may come unto the Father but by Him (John 14:6) all their works
are refused, as Cain's offering was.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Fifty-Eight
Profession Tested-Continued
___________________________________
There are few passages in all the Word of God which are more solemn
than Matthew 7:21-23, and which are more calculated to induce the
sober believer to work out his own salvation with fear and trembling.
Certainly this writer regards it as much too important to skim over
hastily. In these verses the Lord makes it known that there are those
who regard themselves as genuine Christians merely because they have
certain resemblances to the children of God, and who are even looked
upon as such by others simply because of their outward conformity to
the principles and ordinances of Christianity, and yet are denounced
by Christ as "ye that work iniquity." So presumptuous are they that
they are firmly convinced heaven is theirs, yea, they are here
represented as complaining to their Judge when He closes the door
against them, putting in a plea for their claim at the bar of justice
and arguing as though it were unfair that they should be excluded from
the everlasting bliss of the righteous. Thus it is clearly implied
that they lived and died in the full assurance that they were the
objects of God's approbation, that they were completely secured from
the wrath to come.
Nor is this fatal delusion cherished by a comparative few, for our
Lord here gives plain intimation that there are "many" who have
implicit confidence in their salvation, but who will nevertheless hear
from His lips those terrible words, "depart from Me." How is their
infatuation to be explained? The general answer would be, The
deceitfulness of the human heart plus the sophistries of Satan. But on
so deeply serious a matter as this we need something more than
generalizations. When a thoughtful person learns that some dangerous
disease is menacing the community, he wants to learn all he can about
its nature, its symptoms, and especially the best means of prevention,
of safeguarding himself against it. If we deem no pains and care too
much in fortifying ourselves against a bodily disease, will the reader
complain at the slowness of the writer's progress if he endeavors to
give a more specific and detailed answer to this weighty question: how
shall we account for such a fatal confidence? We will seek to point
out the grounds on which such a delusion rests, that we may avoid this
woeful mistake.
I. Ignorance. In our last we showed at some length the insufficiency
of a mere intellectual acquaintance with the letter of Scripture, but
let it not be concluded therefrom that a notional knowledge of the
Truth is of no value because it falls short of a saving one, still
less derive encouragement for slothfulness. It is in the use of means
that God is often pleased to meet with souls, and while they are
reading and meditating on His Word to shine into their hearts.
Scripture places no premium upon ignorance or indolence. Instead of
asking, If such knowledge will not bring a man to heaven, to what
purpose is it to labour after knowledge? rather say to yourself, How
far must I be from heaven if I lack even that knowledge I What we
brought out on the subject of a notional knowledge of the Truth in our
last, instead of affording comfort to the ignorant should rather
strike them with fear and trembling. If so much knowledge will not
secure salvation, then how much worse is my case when I am destitute
of what even he possesses. If those who come so near to the kingdom as
to be able to view it cannot enter, then what hope is there for those
who are content to remain far off from it.
So near are the ignorant to hell that they are within the very shadow
of it. "Darkness . . . and shadow of death" are joined together in
Scripture (Matthew 4:16). Ignorance is spiritual darkness, the very
shadow of eternal death. There is but a thin partition between those
immersed in spiritual ignorance and hell itself. Hell is termed "the
outer darkness" (Matthew 8:12) because ignorance is the inner
darkness, the next room as it were to hell itself. Sad indeed is the
condition of such. If those who come so near to Canaan as to obtain a
taste of its wondrous fruits yet fall in the wilderness so that they
never enter it, how can they expect to enter Canaan who refuse to stir
out of Egyptian darkness? One with much knowledge may possibly perish,
but one who is quite ignorant of spiritual things shall certainly
perish. When God makes mention of "a people of no understanding," He
at once adds, "therefore He that made them will not have mercy on
them" (Isa. 27:11). "Where ignorance is bliss 'tis folly to be wise"
certainly does not hold good here.
We do not have to go as far afield today as what is termed heathendom:
there are millions within Christendom, yea, countless thousands of
churchgoers and members, who know not what is necessary to bring a
soul to heaven. They know not that regeneration is imperative, that
"except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God," that as
a fish cannot live out of water because away from its own element, so
man is totally unfit for communion with the Holy One until he be
renewed within. They know not that there must be a new creation, a
miracle of grace wrought in the soul to make fallen man a new
creature, so that it can be said of him, "old things are passed away;
behold, all things are become new" (2 Cor. 5:17). The new Jerusalem is
for new creatures. They know not that God must communicate to the
heart a principle of holiness before there can be any holy affections,
motions or fruits. Without holiness no man shall see the Lord (Heb.
12:14), and by nature man does not have the least grain of it.
So ignorant are the vast majority of those even in places reputed to
be sound and orthodox that they know not that there must be the
denying of self before anyone can become a follower of Christ: a
repudiation of our own wisdom, righteousness, strength, desires, will,
and interests. They know not that there must be a renunciation of the
world before anyone can be a follower of Him who left the glories of
heaven and entered the manger of Bethlehem: that we must be crucified
unto the world and the world unto us or we shall never enter into the
benefits and blessings purchased by the crucifixion of Christ. They
know not that there must be a plucking out of right eyes and a cutting
off of right hands, a mortifying of the flesh with its affections and
lusts, so that we die daily. They know not that there must be a taking
up of the cross if any man will come after Christ, which will cost him
the loss of godless companions, the scorn of professors, many a tear
and groan. They know not that the Christian life is a fierce wrestling
(Eph. 6:12), a continual fight, a race that has to be run with all our
might if the crown is to be obtained. If they really knew these things
they would not be nearly so confident of heaven when they are total
strangers to the very things required of all those for whom heaven is
intended.
2. Negligence and slothfulness. Those who do have a vague and general
idea of the things mentioned above are too indolent to lay them to
heart, make them their chief concern and prayerful meditation, that
they may understand them more clearly. Even if they know them they
will not take the pains seriously to examine their state by them: they
will not go to the trouble of comparing their hearts with the Divine
rule. So little interested are they in their eternal welfare that they
will not spare a few hours to inquire solemnly whether or not they
measure up to what the Word of God requires of them. Alas, for the
wretched carelessness of the vast majority concerning their souls and
everlasting state. They conduct themselves as atheists, acting as
though there be no God, no day of reckoning, no lake of fire. They
carry themselves as madmen, chasing shadows, playing with dynamite,
sporting on the edge of the pit. They are indeed beside themselves
(Luke 15:17), devoid of "the spirit . . . of a sound mind" (2 Tim.
1:7). If they were sane they would study God's Word to discover its
directions concerning salvation, and would test themselves by those
directions.
Their very indifference and carelessness demonstrate the mass of our
fellows to be practical atheists and spiritual lunatics. If they were
sane they would be deeply concerned whether heaven or hell was to be
their eternal abode. They would deem no trouble too great to ascertain
which they were journeying unto, which their personal condition fitted
them for. They would snatch a few of their swiftly passing hours and
devote them to diligent inquiry and self-examination. They would not
proffer idle excuses and postpone the task, but would promptly and
earnestly set about it. Only those bereft of spiritual sense and
reason would neglect a matter the issue of which is either everlasting
life or everlasting death. But no; rather than seriously trouble
themselves, they will complacently assume all is well with them and
take it on trust that they are bound for heaven, when the only grounds
they have for such trust are the lies of Satan and that which their
own deceitful hearts prompt; and thus they rest the whole weight of
eternity upon a cobweb and pin the everlasting concern of their souls
upon a shadow.
What makes it more inexcusable is the fact that these same people are
quite competent and painstaking over their temporal affairs. If a new
position be offered them they make careful inquiries before committing
themselves. If they purpose making an investment they go to much
trouble in ascertaining the soundness of it. If they think of
purchasing a property they make full investigations as to its
title-deeds and value. But when it comes to eternal things they are
dilatory and slipshod, half-hearted and lazy. They make no serious
preparation to meet their God, and when His call comes it finds them
wanting. They are sluggards and therefore the sluggard's portion and
doom will be theirs. Thus, when men and women are so slack and
careless about their souls, when they will not make serious and solemn
inquiry about their state, we need not wonder that so many are so
woefully mistaken as to promise themselves heaven when in reality
nothing but hell is reserved for them.
3. Misapprehensions of God. Where people are in ignorance and where
they are too sottish to make any real and serious effort to dispel
their ignorance, false conceptions of the Divine character are certain
to obtain. True there are degrees of ignorance and therefore there are
considerable differences in the erroneous ideas men form of God. But
those formed by the unregenerate, whether they be the gross ones of
the heathen or the more refined ones of Christendom, are alike false.
Viewing God through the blurred lens of depraved hearts and minds they
fashion Him as one suited to their corrupt inclinations. They invent a
God who treats sin lightly, who looks with indulgence upon their
waywardness, who is willing to accept a few religious performances as
sufficient compensation for all their debt. "Thou thoughtest that I
was altogether such an one as thyself" is the charge which He prefers
against them, but adds: "I will reprove thee, and set them in order
before thine eyes" (Ps. 1:21).
They do not believe that God is inexorably just so that He will "by no
means clear the guilty," but that every transgression and disobedience
must receive a due recompense of reward, unless a sinless Substitute
make atonement for them. They do not believe it is impossible to mock
God with impunity, that as men sow they reap, so that if they sow to
the flesh they must of necessity reap corruption. They do not believe
that God is omniscient, that "His eyes are in every place, beholding
the evil and the good," for if they did it would act as a curb upon
them. They do not believe God is so strict that He will call us to
account for "every idle word" and that He "weigheth the spirits"
(Prov. 16:2)-the springs of action, the motives which prompt. They do
not believe He is ineffably holy, so that sins of thought as well as
deed, of omission as well as commission, are hateful to Him. They do
not believe that God is "a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29) so that this
world and all its works will be burned up and that everyone whose name
is not written in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire.
They do not believe that God is absolute sovereign, so that "He hath
mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will He hardeneth" (Rom.
9:18).
Even where there is sufficient light and conviction as to reveal to
sinners that they come short of the Divine rule, and where they
perceive that what the Word insists is necessary to salvation is not
found in them, instead of abandoning their false hopes they persuade
themselves that God is more merciful than the Scriptures represent Him
to be. It is true, says the sinner, in such a case, that the way to
heaven is a narrow one and that God's kingdom can only be entered
"through much tribulation" (Acts 14:22), but God will save me even
though I fail here and there and I he lacking in this and that. It is
true that God is merciful, yet for one sin He banished our first
parents from Eden! It is true that God is merciful, but for one sin
His curse descended upon Ham and his posterity. It is true that God is
merciful, but for one sin Lot's wife was turned into a pillar of salt,
Achan and his family were stoned to death, Gehazi was smitten with
leprosy, Ananias and Sapphira became corpses. God is merciful, yet He
sent the flood upon the world of the ungodly, rained fire and
brimstone upon the cities of the plain, sent His angel and slew all
the firstborn of Egypt and destroyed Pharaoh and his hosts at the Red
Sea.
Though they allow themselves in this sin and that, though they are
thoroughly self-willed and self-pleasing, they tell themselves that
God is lenient. Though they ignore God's righteous claims upon them
and make no effort to meet His holy requirements, they comfort
themselves with the thought that He is gracious. They refuse to allow
that He is as strict and rigid as His faithful servants declare Him to
be. They petulantly ask, Even though I be not so precise and
puritanical as some are, shall I not be saved even as they? Though 1
come not up to their standard, yet God is very pitiful and knows how
weak we are, and therefore He will lower the standard for me so that I
may be saved as well as the best of them. Poor deluded souls, if that
be all their hope, their case is indeed hopeless. Will God be so
merciful as to contradict Himself and go contrary to His Word? Must He
show them so much mercy as to despise His own Truth and make Himself a
liar? What cause have they to tremble who have nothing to bear up
their hopes of heaven but downright blasphemy!
4. Self-love and self-esteem. This is as prolific and powerful a cause
of self-deception as any of those mentioned above. Sinners compare
themselves with their fellows and award themselves the first prize
every rime. He who is immoral regards himself as better than those who
grind the poor and rob the widow. He who is a liar and a thief prides
himself that he is no murderer. He who is outwardly religious deems
himself vastly superior to the openly profane. Each one discovers some
cause or other to say with the self-righteous Pharisee, "I thank God
that I am not as this publican." This is because they measure
themselves by a wrong standard. Even a soiled handkerchief looks
comparatively clean if it be placed on a miry road, but were it laid
on newly fallen snow its uncleanness would soon be evident. So it is
with those who are blind to their deplorable condition. But men are
possessed with such a high estimate of themselves, and entertain such
a good opinion of their souls' condition, that even if they can be
induced to measure themselves by the rule of God's Word and examine
their state they come to the work prepossessed, prejudiced in their
own favour. Self-love will not suffer them to deal impartially with
their souls.
When they read some condemnatory passage of Scripture they refuse to
appropriate it: when they hear a particularly solemn and searching
sermon they take it not home to themselves but apply it to some of
their fellows. If they be awakened in some measure to the awfulness of
sinning against God and alarmed at the fearful punishment reserved for
such, this mood is only fitful and fleeting, for they quickly reassure
themselves that no such guilt rests upon them. Sudden death may strike
down some of their companions, but self-delusion blinds them to their
own peril. A manifest judgment from God may fall upon their community,
but they persuade themselves that they are in no danger of the wrath
to come. The fact is that there are very few indeed who abandon all
hope, give way to utter despair and conclude they will experience the
everlasting burnings, and yet there is only a very little company who
will escape them. The multitudes continue defying God, sinning with a
high hand, and go on walking along the road which leads to the pit,
and yet by one means or another each persuades himself he shall not
enter there. "For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his
iniquity be found to be hateful" (Ps. 36:2).
Yes, the sinner "flattereth himself in his own eyes." If he did not,
he would be in terrible distress and anguish. He would not go on so
cheerfully and gaily if he really believed himself in danger of hell.
But he has too good an estimate of himself for that: he does not think
he has ever done anything worthy of such a doom, he is sure he is not
bad enough for such a place. Men flatter themselves that they do not
live in vice, but are decent citizens and good neighbours. They can
see no reason why God should be angry with them. They do not take His
name in vain nor scoff at religion. Yea, they flatter themselves that
they have done much to commend themselves to Him and obtain His
approbation. They read their Bibles occasionally and say their
prayers. They attend church and contribute to its upkeep. They send
their children to the Sabbath school. They resolve that later on they
will be even better, out and out for Christ. but meanwhile they want
to enjoy the world a little longer, "trust in themselves that they are
righteous" (Luke 18:9) and are comparatively clean in their own sight,
and yet they are not washed from their filthiness (Prov. 30:12).
There be others, many such, who flatter themselves that they are
genuine Christians. They persuade themselves that they have repented
of their past, believed the Gospel, and that their sins are forgiven.
Consequently when they hear or read anything solemn it makes no
impression upon them. Self-love and self-esteem blind them to their
true condition. They are Laodiceans who say, "I am rich [spiritually]
and increased with goods [have made considerable progress and grown in
grace] and in need of nothing," but as the Lord declares, "and knowest
not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and
naked" (Rev. 3:17). And nothing shakes them out of their
self-complacency. They continue flattering themselves "until their
iniquity be found to be hateful"-until they are disillusioned in hell.
As a blind man cannot judge of colors, so prejudiced in their own
favour are the self-righteous that it is impossible for them to judge
of the complexion of their souls, whether the image of God or the
image of the Devil be stamped upon it. As one has well said, "Satan
blinds one eye and self-love closes the other," and the deceitfulness
of sin seals both, and thus they assure themselves that they are on
the way to heaven when they are on the high road to hell. Doubtless a
number of such will read this very article and be quite unsearched by
it, sure that it pertains not to their case.
A closing word to Christian readers. Since the four things described
above are the principal ones among the more immediate causes of deceit
concerning the state of the soul, then how sincerely ought the
regenerate to examine themselves at these points and seek to make sure
they are not imposing on themselves. How they should "cease from man"
and search the Scriptures without bias to ascertain the general tenor
of their teaching as to what God requires if they are to dwell with
Him for ever, not confining themselves to such verses as John 3:16,
and Romans 10:13, but comparing such as Isaiah 55:7; Acts 3:19;
Hebrews 5:9, so as to obtain a full answer to the question, "What must
I do to be saved?" How cautiously and conscientiously should we
examine ourselves, testing the grounds of our hope, determining
whether or not there really is in us that which meets God's terms,
whether or not our righteousness exceeds that of the religious
formalist (Matthew 5:20). Nor can such a task be discharged hurriedly:
"Give diligence to make your calling and election sure" (2 Pet.
1:10)-with what earnestness should we give ourselves to this work!
"Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom.
neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man
glory in his riches; But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he
understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord which exercise
lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth" (Jer. 9:23,
24). Yes, "knoweth Me," the living God, and not a fantasy devised by
your own sentiment. To believe in a God who has no existence save in
their own imagination is the case with multitudes in the churches
today. "Acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace" (Job 22:21).
To cherish the image of a fictitious god entails a fictitious peace.
Eternal life is to "know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
whom Thou hast sent" (John 17:3): how we should labour after such a
knowledge of Him! Finally if self-love and esteem effectually hinder
an impartial examination of myself, if it he the case with a host of
my fellows that "a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he
cannot deliver his soul nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?"
(Isa. 44:20), how earnestly should I cry to God to grant me an honest
heart which desires to know the truth and nothing but the truth about
my case.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Fifty-Nine
Profession Tested-Continued
___________________________________
What is the relation between our present verses and the one
immediately preceding? Matthew Henry gives the following as his
analysis of verses 21-23: "(1) Christ here shows by a plain
remonstrance that an outward profession of religion, however
remarkable, will not bring us to heaven, unless there be a
correspondent conversation. (2) The hypocrite's plea against the
strictness of this law, offering other things in lieu of obedience.
(3) The rejection of this plea as frivolous." Personally we think
William Perkins perceived more clearly the connection between verses
22, 23 and verse 21: "In these two verses Christ returns to explain
and confirm the first conclusion of the former verse concerning those
professors that shall not be saved. The words contain two parts:
first, a description of the persons by their behavior; secondly, a
declaration of their condemnation." For our own part we regard the
verses which are now to be before us as containing an exemplification
and amplification of what had been affirmed in the preceding one,
showing that the most gifted and eminent professors will not be
treated as exceptions if they fail to meet the fundamental requirement
of God's kingdom.
In the previous verse Christ had declared, "Not every one that saith
unto Me, Lord. Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he
that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven": something far
more important and radical than a mere lip profession is needed in
order to participate in spiritual blessings, even a full surrendering
of ourselves unto Christ and a performing of the Divine will from the
heart. But now the Lord went on to affirm something still more solemn
and searching: "Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we
not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and
in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto
them, I never knew you: depart from Me ye that work iniquity." Here it
is not simply the rank and file of those claiming to be the followers
of Christ who are in view, but the most influential ones among them,
their leaders and preachers. Nor does He single out a few exceptional
cases, but declares that there are "many" who have occupied positions
of prominence and authority, who wrought mighty works in His name, but
so far from enjoying His approbation are denounced by Him as workers
of iniquity.
First, it should be pointed out that the gifts and works of these men
are described according to the nature of those which obtained in Bible
times. Strictly speaking there is no such thing as "prophesying"
today, nor has there been for eighteen centuries past. A prophet was
the mouthpiece of God. Under an afflatus of the Holy Spirit he gave
forth a Divine revelation. In other words, he spoke by Divine
inspiration. It was not an ordinary and natural gift, but an
extraordinary and spiritual one. It was withdrawn when the Canon of
Scripture was completed, for in His written Word we now have the
Divine will fully revealed, containing as it does a complete and
perfect rule of faith and practice (2 Tim. 3:16, 17). Consequently,
any person who now poses as a Divine prophet, claiming to have a
special message from God, is either an impostor or a fanatic: an
emissary of Satan seeking to beguile the unwary, or a neurotic who
suffers his enthusiasm to run away with him, or an egoist who desires
to direct attention to himself and occupy the limelight.
Because a man spoke by Divine inspiration in Bible times it was no
proof that he was regenerate. Here, as everywhere else, God exercised
His sovereignty, employing as His mouthpiece whom He pleased. Thus we
find Balaam, the soothsayer, uttered some remarkable predictions
concerning Israel, the Messiah Himself, and the judgments which should
overtake various nations; all of which were fulfilled. We are told
that "the Lord put a word in Balaam's mouth" (Num. 23:5), that he
"knew the knowledge of the most High" and "saw the vision of the
Almighty" (Num. 24:6), yet he "loved the wages of unrighteousness" (2
Pet. 2:15) and perished amid the enemies of the Lord (Num. 31:8). So
also of the apostate king of Israel it is written, "the Spirit of God
came upon him, and he prophesied," so that it became a proverb: "Is
Saul also among the prophets?" (1 Sam. 10:10, 11). More remarkable
still is the case of Caiaphas, the man who delivered up the Redeemer
into the hands of Pilate, for of him we are told: "And this spake he
not of himself [but by Divine inspiration]: but being high priest that
year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; and not for
that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the
children of God that were scattered abroad" (John 11:51, 52).
"And in Thy name have cast out devils" or "demons." This was another
of the supernatural gifts or powers bestowed upon men at the beginning
of the Christian era, and yet it was not confined to the regenerate.
It is at least open to doubt whether the man mentioned in Luke 9:49,
was such, for there we are told that "John answered and said, Master,
we saw one casting out demons in Thy name and we forbade him, because
he followeth not with us." But a clearer case to the point is that of
the betrayer of our Lord. In Matthew 10:1, we are expressly told that
"when Christ had called unto Him His twelve disciples, He gave them
power over unclean spirits, to cast them out," and one of that company
was Judas Iscariot! Had Judas failed to perform this feat his fellow
apostles had at once had their suspicions aroused, and when the
Saviour announced, "One of you shall betray Me," instead of asking,
"Lord, is it I?" had at once known He referred to Judas. "And in Thy
name done many wonderful works" or "works of power," miraculous
works-the Greek word occurring again in Matthew 11:20, in connection
with Christ's "mighty works." This power too was conferred upon Judas.
If it should be asked, Why should God so remarkably endow the
unregenerate, even using them as His mouthpieces? several answers
might be returned. First, as has been intimated above, in order to
exemplify God's uncontrollable sovereignty over and ownership of all
men. He can employ His creatures as He pleases and select as His
agents and instruments whom He will and none can say Him nay. Second,
to display His invincible power. "The king's heart is in the hand of
the Lord . . . He turneth it whithersoever He will" (Prov. 21:1), and
if the king's heart, so every man's; but how little is that realized
today. Balaam was but a puppet in His hands, unable to resist His
will. Caiaphas was the enemy of Christ and yet compelled to utter a
remarkable prophecy about Him! Third, to evince that supernatural
gifts and endowments-though highly esteemed among men-are not the most
precious of His bestowments: something infinitely more valuable is
reserved for the objects of His everlasting love. What comparison is
there between Balaams prophecy and the "new song" in the mouths of the
redeemed, between the miracles performed by Judas and being made meet
for the inheritance of the saints in light?
Our Lord thus plainly intimates that men may conduct themselves as His
commissioned servants-acting in His name-that they may be endowed with
the most remarkable gifts, that they may perform supernatural works,
and yet not be saved. It was so at the beginning of this dispensation;
it is so now. It would be a great mistake to draw the conclusion that
because our Lord describes these unregenerate professors according to
the terminology of the first century, when ministers were endowed with
extraordinary gifts and exercised supernatural powers, that it has no
direct bearing on leaders among professing Christians in this
twentieth century. Because verse 22 depicts conditions which no longer
obtain in kind that is no proof that it has no immediate application
unto men of prominence in the religious realm today. Rather should we
reason that, if such a fearful warning was needed at the beginning of
this era, when men were so wonderfully gifted, how much more pertinent
is it to those of lesser talents and abilities in this degenerate
generation!
The modern equivalent of prophesying in the name of Christ would be
preaching in His name: the casting out of demons would find its
present counterpart in the deliverance of Satan's slaves chronicled by
our "city missions"-such as the reforming of drunkards, reclaiming of
fallen women, recovering of drug addicts; while the "wonderful works"
may be taken as referring to the costly buildings termed "churches"
with their huge memberships, and the sensational achievements of
"missionaries" in heathen lands. Not that we wish to imply that all
engaged in such activities are unregenerate; nevertheless, after close
observation and personal contact with many of these workers, we
seriously doubt whether more than a small percentage of them have
really been born again. Nor should this at all astonish us. Our Lord
Himself distinctly declared of "many" of those serving in His name, "I
never knew you," and if that were true of those who wrought during the
palmiest days of the Christian era, why should it be thought strange
that such a state of affairs pertains now that Christendom is so
apostate?
Here then is what is most solemn of all in this awe-inspiring passage:
that there will be many preachers, Christian leaders and workers-and
in view of our Lord's use of the word in verse 13, probably the great
majority of them-who will be shut out of heaven. Sad and awful as this
is, yet from our observation in many sections of Christendom and from
what generally obtains we cannot say it surprises us. Among the young
men accepted as students for the ministry is there any larger
percentage of regenerate ones than of the young men making a Christian
profession who enter not the ministry? We are far from believing they
are all hypocrites. Doubtless there are many thousands who select the
ministry as their avocation because of the social prestige and
financial remuneration it affords. But large numbers of youths who
receive the Word "with joy" (Matthew 13:20) mistake their religious
enthusiasm and fervour for a call from God and love for souls, and
having more zeal than knowledge, and friends who encourage rather than
counsel caution, they make the great mistake.
Once the young man is accepted as a student for the ministry his
regeneration is (with very rare exceptions) tacitly assumed. And what
is there then which is in any wise calculated to open his deceived
eyes? Some of the denominations require him to spend years at a
university in order to obtain a degree, and there his time and
energies are strenuously occupied with subjects that contain nothing
whatever for the soul, but only that which is apt to foster
intellectual conceit. One who has mistaken carnal ambition and
enthusiasm for a call from God is not likely to find a course in
sociology, psychology, logic, philosophy, etc., likely to disillusion
him. And even when the young man is not required to enter a
university, he has to take a course in "divinity." In other words he
is introduced to the sacred study of theology as a subject on which to
exercise his intellectual powers, as a text book over which he must
pore and whose contents he must master in order to pass examinations
thereon. The result is that in the vast majority of cases he is so
sickened therewith that after his ordination he never again opens a
theological treatise.
Nor is there any more hope, humanly speaking, that his eyes may be
opened to his lost condition after he has been ordained and called to
a charge. If he is to "make good" therein such a multitude of duties
demand his attention that there is little opportunity for the careful
examination of his own soul. There are so many departments of the
church he has to superintend, so many sermons and addresses he must
prepare each week, so many calls to make, that he has little leisure
for self-introspection. He is so occupied with the concerns and needs
of others that attention to the ministerial injunction "take heed unto
thyself" (1 Tim. 4:16) is crowded out. It is greatly to be feared that
thousands of ministers today have ground to lament "they made me the
keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept" (Song
of Sol. 1:6). But whatever be the contributing causes and occasions of
this tragic fatality, the fact remains that the Divine Judge is yet
going to say unto many of those who preached and wrought in His name,
"I never knew you."
"And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me
ye that work iniquity" (v. 23). There are five things here which claim
our attention, though utterly insufficient is any mortal to do them
justice. First, the time-mark: "then." Second, the character in which
Christ is here viewed: as the Judge of men. Third, the solemn verdict
announced: "I never knew you." Fourth, the fearful sentence imposed:
"depart from Me." Fifth, the real character of religious formalists:
"ye that work iniquity." It would not he possible to assemble together
five things of greater gravity and moment than these. And what human
pen is competent to comment upon subjects so awesome? Oh, that both
writer and reader may approach the same with becoming reverence and
solemnity.
"And then" looks back to the 'in that day' of the previous verse. It
is the day of final retribution, when "every man's work shall be made
manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed
by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is"
(1 Cor. 3:13). It is "the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous
judgment of God" (Rom. 2:5), "because He hath appointed a day, in the
which He will judge the world. . . by that Man whom He hath ordained"
(Acts 17:31). Who can conceive of the consternation which will possess
the hearts of impenitent rebels, of unmasked hypocrites, of
disillusioned formalists, as they are compelled to stand with an
assembled universe before the dread tribunal? Then will the books be
opened, the secrets of all hearts disclosed, the hidden things of
darkness brought to light. Then shall each one who has trampled upon
the Divine Law, rejected the only Mediator, and done despite to the
Spirit of grace, stand forth in his true colors, stripped of the
disguise with which he imposed upon his fellow creatures. "The heaven
shall reveal his iniquity; and the earth shall rise up against him"
(Job 20:27). They will be speechless with guilt, utterly overwhelmed,
unable to "stand in the judgment" (Ps. 1:5).
"And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you, depart from Me,
ye that work iniquity." The Speaker is the Lord Jesus, ye not as
presenting Himself as the Saviour of sinners, but rather officiating
as their Judge, pronouncing their doom. In this solemn passage our
Lord gave plain intimation that He was more than man, that He is none
other than the Arbiter of every man's eternal state, from whose
decision there can be no appeal. Amazing indeed was the contrast
between His lowly appearance and external circumstances and this
language of conscious majesty and power. While delivering this sermon
on the mount Christ appeared before men's eyes as a Galilean peasant,
yet both the tone and tenor of it proclaimed Him to be none other than
Immanuel, God manifest in flesh. No wonder we are told that "when
Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at His
doctrine: For He taught them as one having authority and not as the
scribes" (vv. 28, 29) And it is before this very Judge that both
writer and reader must yet appear!
"I never knew you." This does not mean that Christ was totally
unacquainted with their persons, that He was not cognizant of their
character and conduct. No, rather does it signify that He did not
approve of or accept them. When it is said, "The Lord knoweth the way
of the righteous" (Ps. 1:6), it is to be understood that He is pleased
with the same. Here then is the awful verdict: "I never knew you"; no,
not even when you were preaching and working in My name. You may have
deceived yourselves and those to whom you ministered, but it was
impossible to impose upon Me. In His "I will profess unto them," He
seems to speak ironically: you have professed much, made free use of
My name, maintained your standing as leaders in the Church-so now hear
My profession! "I never knew you" makes it quite clear they were not
such as had fallen from grace, as it also looks back to eternity past:
they had never been born again, never evangelically repented, never
believed savingly, and had not been among the favored company upon
whom His approbation rested before the foundation of the world.
"Depart from Me." Here is the fearful sentence imposed. They may have
been highly respected in the churches, but they are objects of
abhorrence to the Lord Christ. They frequently had His name on their
lips, but since He dwelt not in their hearts they are totally
disqualified for the celestial courts. "If the most admired and useful
preacher on earth had no better evidence of his conversion than his
abilities and success as a preacher, he would preach to others and be
himself a castaway" (T. Scott). "Depart from Me" is the announcement
of their just condemnation. They had been near to Him by their
profession and by the position they held in the Church, but now they
must go to the only place for which they are fitted, which is
banishment from the Holy One. Herein we discover the force of that
terrible expression "the second death" (Rev. 21:8): it is not
extinction of being or the annihilation of the soul, but eternal
separation from Christ, alienation from the life of God; it is a being
"punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord,
and from the glory of His power" (2 Thess. 1:9), cut off for ever from
the Bestower of blessing, tormented in the lake of fire.
"Ye that work iniquity." How different is the Divine estimate from the
human! These preachers and leaders pleaded that they had wrought many
"wonderful works," but because they had not proceeded from renewed
hearts, because they had been done to win the applause of their
fellows, rather than for the glory of God, the One who cannot be
imposed upon declares they are "works of iniquity." Ah, my reader, we
may look upon and admire the outward show, but the One who will yet
judge us "looketh on the heart" (1 Sam. 16:7), and therefore "that
which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God"
(Luke 16:15)-even the righteousnesses of the natural man are but
"filthy rags" in His sight.
"Deeds of greatness as we deemed them
He will show us were but sin;
Cups of water we'd forgotten
He will tell us were for Him."
Not only the gross external crimes, but pride and presumption and the
religious performances of hypocrites are "works of iniquity."
In view of the chapters preceding this one there is no need for us to
make a lengthy application here. The chief lesson for us to take to
heart from the above is the utter insufficiency of the most imposing
gifts. Yet how many there are who suppose that the exercise of unusual
abilities in the church is evidence of great spirituality. As uncommon
natural endowments are by no means always accompanied by moral worth,
so the presence of abnormal powers is no proof of regeneration. We
must learn to distinguish between the performing of wonderful works
and the possession of spiritual graces, for the former is no guarantee
of the latter. Showy talents may raise a man above his fellows, even
above genuine Christians, but unless he is indwelt by the Spirit of
God what are they worth? "Though I have the gift of prophecy, and
understand all mysteries. . .and have not charity, I am nothing" (1
Cor. 13: 2). Then let us search ourselves and see whether or not we
have something better than those to whom Christ will yet say, "I never
knew you." A principle of holiness within evidenced by a godly walk
without is infinitely to be preferred above the power to cast out
demons and heal the sick. To commune with God in private is an
inestimably grander privilege than to speak with tongues in public.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Sixty
Profession Tested-Continued
___________________________________
Verses 24-27 form the conclusion of our Lord's Address. Upon them
Spurgeon said, "These were the closing words of our Say jour's most
famous sermon upon the mount. Some preachers concentrate all their
powers upon an effort to conclude with a fine thing called a
peroration, which being interpreted means a blaze of rhetorical
fireworks, in the glory of which the speaker subsides. They certainly
have not the example of Christ in this discourse to warrant them in
the practice. Here is the Saviour's peroration, and yet it is as
simple as any other part of the address. There is an evident absence
of all artificial oratory. The whole of His hill-sermon was intensely
earnest, and that earnestness was sustained to the end, so that the
closing words are as glowing coals, or as sharp arrows of the bow. Our
Lord closes not by displaying His own powers of elocution, but by
simply and affectionately addressing a warning to those who, having
heard His words, should remain satisfied with hearing, and should not
go forth and put them into practice."
"Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I
will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and
the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat
upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock" (vv.
24, 25). Simple as that language is, many have misunderstood its
meaning and missed its import. No two of the commentators give a
uniform exegesis of these verses, and though there is more or less
substantial agreement with the older and soundest expositors, yet even
among them there is considerable difference of opinion. When we
consult more recent writers thereon, especially those who may be
broadly classed as belonging to the "fundamentalist school," while
there is much more of a saying of the same thing, yet we are
personally convinced it is a saying of the wrong thing. A critical
examination of the view they have taken obliges one to point out that
they have read into this passage what is not there, that they have
utterly failed to bring out what is there, and this because they have
missed the scope of our passage through ignoring its context.
According to the antinomian interpretation of this passage our Lord
ought to have said, "Whosoever believeth the Gospel and trusts in My
atoning blood, I will liken him unto a wise man who built his house
upon the rock; and everyone who endeavors to heed My precepts and then
trusts in his own good works to obtain for him acceptance with God, I
will liken unto a foolish man who built his house upon the sand." But
in the verses before us, Christ said nothing of the sort. And why?
Because He was dealing with something more solemn and searching than
what constitutes the ground of a sinner's acceptance with God. It is
perfectly true, blessedly true, that every sinner who exercises a
saving faith in the sacrifice of Christ is a wise man, and that he is
eternally secure; as it is equally true that anyone who relies upon
his own obedience to the Divine commandments in order to obtain a
passport into everlasting bliss is a fool, as he will prove in the day
of testing. But we say again, Christ is not here speaking of either
the object or ground of saving faith, but of something far more
probing and revealing, and we throw everything into the utmost
confusion if we confound the two things.
Before we are ready to weigh the terms of our passage we must first
ascertain and determine its scope, and that calls for a careful noting
of its context. In the verses immediately preceding it is clearly the
testing of profession which is in view, the making evident of the
reality which lies behind all surface appearances, and in this closing
section Christ continues to show what it is which distinguishes the
genuine and living Christian from a nominal and lifeless one. In some
passages the "house" or home is a figure of the place of affection and
rest, but here it is viewed as a shelter and refuge from the storm.
The stability and security of a house depend ultimately on the
strength of its foundation. For if that be faulty, no matter how good
the materials of which it is composed or how reliable the workmanship
of those engaged in its construction, when a hurricane strikes it will
fall. This obvious fact has been grasped by all the commentators, but
as to what our Lord signified by the "rock" foundation there is wide
difference of opinion.
Probably the passage which occurs most readily to the minds of many of
our readers in this connection is Isaiah 28:16, "Thus saith the Lord
God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a
precious corner stone, a sure foundation," and from Acts 4:11 and 1
Peter 2:5-7, we know that that precious "stone" and "sure foundation"
is Christ Himself. Yet we make a great mistake if we suppose that
every New Testament passage containing the word "foundation" looks
back to Isaiah 28:16, or refers to the same thing. Not so. "The
foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth
[loveth, and therefore preserveth] them that are His" (2 Tim. 2:19):
as the contrast with the preceding verse denotes, the "foundation"
here signifies the Divine decree or foreordination, which cannot be
overthrown. "Built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone" (Eph. 2:20) refers
to the ministerial foundation, the Truth proclaimed. Hebrews 6:1,
speaks of "the foundation of repentance from dead works," for one has
not made a start in practical godliness until that has been laid. Thus
there is a need for the teacher here who is qualified to distinguish
between things that differ.
There is one other passage which it is important to consider in this
connection, namely "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they
be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living
God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that
they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to
communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation
against the time to come, hat they may lay hold on eternal life" (1
Tim. 6:17-19). Why is this passage so infrequently cited and still
more infrequently expounded and enforced? For every time allusion is
made to it, "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid,
which is Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 3:11) is quoted twenty times. Is that
handling the Word honestly? No, it is not, and the churches have
suffered greatly because of such unfaithfulness in the pulpit. This
passage, be it noted, is addressed to the minister of the Gospel.
specifying one of the duties his office obligates him to perform, but
has one preacher in a hundred, during the past fifty years,
conscientiously discharged it? Have not the vast majority toadied to
their wealthy members and withheld from them that which they most
needed?
But does this passage teach that we are required to perform deeds of
charity for the purpose of acquiring "merit" before God and thereby
purchase for ourselves His favorable regard, or, as one has expressed
it, "raise a cloud of gold-dust which will waft us to heaven"?
Certainly not: there is nothing here which fosters the fatal delusion
of papists. Nevertheless, there is important instruction which we
cannot afford to ignore. It is Christians that are "rich in this
world" who are to be thus charged: "Be not high-minded," affecting
yourselves to be superior to the poor of the flock, "nor trust in
uncertain riches," which may speedily disappear, "but in the living
God," who changes not, and is your true Portion; "Who giveth us richly
all things to enjoy," but not to squander on overindulgence; "That
they do good" with what God has loaned to them, faithfully discharging
their stewardship; "Laying up for themselves a good foundation" in
their conscience, a reliable basis for their hope, a sure ground of
assurance, thereby confirming their personal interest in Christ, for
"good works" are the evidences of the genuiness of our faith.
"Laying up in store for themselves [not "before God"] a good
foundation against the time to come": whether it be adversity that
overtakes you through financial reverses, so that those you have aided
will be the readier to assist you; or a bed of lingering illness, so
that you may not have the additional anguish of a conscience accusing
you of selfishness and callousness; or the hour of death itself, that
you may have the comfort of knowing you have discharged your
stewardship faithfully and that the poor call you blessed; or the day
to come, when "they that have done good" will come forth "unto the
resurrection of life" (John 5:29) and their "good works" will be owned
and rewarded by the Judge of all the earth. "That they may lay hold on
eternal life": obtaining a firmer conscious grip on the same, for the
"good works" of the Christian are so many testimonies of his portion
in heaven. Having our affections set upon Christ and our true riches
in Him, let us act like wise merchants, not grasping at shadows and
uncertainties, but using for His glory and the good of our fellows
what He has entrusted to us, thereby laying up for ourselves
"treasures in heaven" (Matthew 6:20) and acquiring additional
confirmation that we already possess the "earnest" of "eternal life."
The "house" of such a one is built upon a "rock"!
It will be seen from the last four paragraphs that the term
"foundation" is found in different connections, that it is not always
used to denote precisely the same thing, and therefore that its
significance in a particular verse must be sought by ascertaining the
scope and meaning of the passage in which that verse occurs; and that
is no task for the "novice," but rather for the experienced expositor.
What, then, is the scope (the dominating subject and design) of
Matthew 7:24, 25? As already stated, it is the testing of profession,
a furnishing proof of the reality or worthlessness of the same.
Rightly did Andrew Fuller point out: "Our Lord is not discoursing on
our being justified by faith, but on our being judged according to our
works, which, though consistent with the other, is not the same thing,
and must not be confounded with it. The character described is not the
self-righteous rejecter of the Gospel, but one who, though he may hear
it and profess to believe it, yet brings forth no corresponding fruit.
It is not a passage suited to expose the errors of Romanists, but one
which needs to be pressed upon Antinomians-they who hold only believe,
and all is well."
Our passage opens with the word "Therefore," which indicates our Lord
was drawing a conclusion from what He had just been saying. In the
preceding verses He was certainly not describing work-mongers, those
who trusted in their good deeds and religious performances to gain
them acceptance with God. Rather is He there calling upon His hearers
to enter in at the strait gate (vv. 13, 14), warning against false
prophets (vv. 15-20), denouncing an empty profession. In the verse
immediately before (23), so far from presenting Himself as the
Redeemer, tenderly wooing sinners, He is seen as the Judge, saying to
the hypocrites "depart from Me, ye that work iniquity." Thus to say
the least, this would be a very strange point in His discourse at
which to abruptly introduce the Gospel of the grace of God and
announce that His own finished work is the only saving foundation for
sinners to rest their souls upon: this would give no meaning whatever
to the opening "therefore." Moreover, in what at once follows, instead
of speaking of our need of trusting in His atoning blood, Christ shows
how indispensable it. is that we render obedience to His precepts.
John Brown, the renowned Scottish expositor, brought out quite clearly
the force of our Lord's "Therefore" both in reference to what preceded
and to what follows. "Surely, if not every one who calls Christ 'Lord,
Lord' shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he only who does the
will of His Father which is in heaven'; if to all workers of iniquity,
even although they shall have prophesied and cast out devils, and done
many wonderful works in the name of Christ,' it shall at last be said
by our Lord, declaring by His judgment the final state of men, 'depart
from Me: I never knew you'; then it certainly follows that he who
hears and does our Lord's sayings is a wise man, and that he who hears
them and does them not is a fool. The one saves, the other loses, the
salvation of the soul, the happiness of eternity." As Matthew Henry
also pointed out, "The scope of this passage teaches us that the only
way to make sure work for our souls and eternity is to hear and do the
sayings of the Lord Jesus." They who think they are savingly trusting
the blood of Christ while disregarding His commands are fatally
deceiving themselves.
In many respects Matthew 7:24-27, is closely analogous to 25:1-12.
Both passages treat of professing Christians. In each case those
professors are divided into two classes, called the "wise" and the
"foolish." In each case these radically different characters had
something in common: in the former, both are likened unto builders and
each erects a house: in the latter, both are termed "virgins" and both
go forth to meet the Bridegroom with lamps in their hands. In each
case the latter is found wanting when put to the proof and meets with
irretrievable disaster: in the former when the storm bursts the house
of the fool falls, in the latter when the Bridegroom arrives the fool
faces a closed door. In each case the difference between the two
classes was nothing external, but that which lay out of sight-the
faulty "foundation" of the former and the lack of oil "in their
vessels" with the latter. We have compared these two passages together
not only to note the interesting correspondence which exists between
them, but chiefly because the latter throws light upon the former and
helps to fix its interpretation.
Let us duly note what Christ does not here say of the one He terms
wise, "he that heareth these sayings of Mine and understandeth them,"
nor even "he that heareth these sayings of Mine and believeth in Ale":
what He did say goes much farther than that. There are multitudes who
believe in Christ who do not put His precepts into practice. In the
same way that there are millions in India who believe in Buddha,
millions in China who believe in Confucius, millions in Africa who
believe in Mohammed, so vast numbers in Christendom believe in Christ.
And because "they believe in Christ" they suppose that all is well
with them and that when they die they will go to heaven. Nor are there
many now left on earth who are likely to disillusion them. The great
majority of the preachers in this apostate age are only adding to the
number of the deceived, by telling them that all God requires of them
is to believe in the Gospel and receive Christ as their personal
Saviour. They quote such passages as John 3:16, and Acts 16:31, which
contain the word "believe," but are guiltily silent on the many verses
which insist on repentance, forsaking of sins, denying of self, and
which call to obedience.
How often, for example, we hear quoted, "For in Christ Jesus neither
circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new
creature [or creation]" (Gal. 6:15), especially by those who (rightly)
wish to show that neither the ceremonial ordinances of Judaism nor
baptism and the Lord's supper of Christianity are of any worth in the
justifying of sinners before God. So, too, though not quite so
frequently, we are reminded that "For in Jesus Christ neither
circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which
worketh by love" (Gal. 5:6), that is out of gratitude to God for His
unspeakable Gift and not from a legal motive which works only for what
it may obtain. But how very rarely is this one ever mentioned:
"Circumcision is nothing. and uncircumcision is nothing, but the
keeping of the commandments of God" (1 Cor. 7:19). That which concerns
our submission to the Divine authority, our walking in subjection to
His will, is studiously kept in the background: such partiality is
most reprehensible. It is only by placing these three verses side by
side that we obtain a complete and balanced view. We are not vitally
united to Christ unless we have been born again; we are not born again
unless we possess a faith which "worketh by love"; and we have not
this saving faith unless it is evidenced by a "keeping of God's
commandments."
No wonder there is now so much dishonesty among those in the pew when
there has been such dishonesty in the pulpit. The unsaved are
frequently told, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall
be saved" (Rom. 10: 13), but who is faithful enough to tell them that
none ever did or could savingly "call upon" Him out of an impenitent
heart? Fewer still will remind them that Christ is "the Author of
eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him" (Heb. 5:9). In like
manner, when addressing those who profess to be Christians, how many
preachers give great prominence to the comforting promises of God, but
say little about His holy requirements. There is also a certain class
of Calvinists who are fond of citing "Greater love hath no man than
this, that a man lay down his life for his friends," but they fail to
add "ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you" (John
15:13, 14), which is the surest identifying mark of those for whom
Christ died. There are thousands who glibly talk of their love for
Christ, but how rarely are they reminded. "And hereby we do know that
we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that saith, I know Him,
and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in
him" (1 John 2:3, 4).
In the passages before us Christ continues to insist upon the
imperative necessity of practical godliness. The regard or disregard
which we pay to His precepts in this life He likens unto building our
house on a sound or a worthless foundation, and the issue thereof in
the Day of testing is compared to a tempest which puts to the p roof
our labours. Only those who have actually done that which lie
enjoined, who have rendered sincere obedience to His laws, will endure
the test. He who has heard Christ's sayings and talked about
repentance but has never repented, he who has admired the statutes
issued by Christ but never rendered personal submission to them, shall
be put to utter confusion in the hour of crisis. For the last time in
this sermon our Lord enforced what may be termed its text: "except
your righteousness shall exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees,
ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." It is not
sufficient to eulogize the practical righteousness which He taught: it
must be embodied and expressed in our personal character and conduct.
Saving faith is a practical persuasion of the truth of Christ's
teaching which is followed by a wholehearted obedience to His
authority.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Sixty-One
Profession Tested-Continued
___________________________________
A pondering of Matthew 7:24-27, suggests the need of our seeking to
supply answers to the following questions. First, what is the force of
the opening "Therefore"? Second, who are represented by the "wise" and
the "foolish" men? Third, what is denoted by the "rock" and the "sand"
on which they build? Fourth, what is signified by the "house" which
each one erects? Fifth, what is portrayed by the hurricane which
bursts upon the "house" and tests its security? Simple as these
questions are, the replies returned thereto will determine the
soundness or unsoundness of any exposition given to the passage. In
seeking our answers recourse must also be had unto the parallel
passage in Luke 6:47-49, which supplies a number of additional
details. The best analysis of these verses we have met with was
furnished by one of the earliest of the Puritans, W. Perkins, 1590. He
focused attention on three things: the duty inculcated-obedience; the
property of this duty-wisdom; the reward-security. The three parts of
this wisdom lay in digging deep, in securing a rock foundation, and in
building thereon.
First, the force of the opening "Therefore." In addition to the more
general remarks made thereon in the previous article let us now point
out that Christ was here drawing a plain but searching conclusion from
His solemn statement in verses 21-23. There He had declared that not
everyone who renders lip-service to His Lordship shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of the Father as made
known by the Son; yea, that the many who substitute preaching and
performing wonderful works for actual obedience to His commands, He
will yet say unto such, "Depart from Me, ye that work iniquity." Then
He at once added, "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine
and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his
house upon a rock." Is not the connection, then, between the two
passages unmistakably indicated? Is not our Lord's design and meaning
in the verses now before us crystal clear? In verses 21-23 Christ is
viewed in His office of Judge, testing professors, making known unto
us who it is that will survive the fiery trial of that dread Day; and
in verses 24-27 He reveals the path which must be trod if that Day is
to be wisely and successfully anticipated.
In the Day of testing, not what we have said but what we have done in
obedience to the Divine will shall alone be accepted as evidence: not
the profession we have made, but the verification we have given of it
in our Christian walk; not the doctrines we believed, but the fruits
they bore in our daily lives. It will be useless to plead that we
possessed extraordinary gifts and employed them in "Christian
service," that we were leaders in the churches and did much in the
name of Christ, if we wore not His yoke and followed not the example
He has left us. Real practical godliness is the only thing which will
be approved in that Day. Personal holiness is little esteemed here,
but it will be everything there (Heb. 12:14). In that Day the Judge of
all the earth will "give to every man according as his work shall be"
(Rev. 22:12). Therefore, the man who acts wisely now is the one who
makes conscience of the commandments of Christ, who regulates his
conduct by them; conversely, the one who disregards the revealed will
of God and follows a course of self-pleasing, no matter what garb of
religion he wears, is playing the part of the fool, as he will yet
discover to his eternal undoing.
The answer to our second question has largely been anticipated in what
we wrote in the preceding chapter. The "wise" man is the one who
"heareth these sayings" of Christ, who "cometh to" Him (Luke 6:47),
which involves turning his back upon the world and forsaking the
service of Satan, and who "doeth them." "These sayings of Mine" are
emphatic, having particular reference to the principles Christ had
enunciated and the precepts He had inculcated in the previous sections
of this Sermon on the Mount. We have to go unto other parts of the New
Testament to learn Christian doctrine, but here we have described
Christian practice. Some, like Tolstoi, have magnified this Sermon to
the disparagement of the Epistles; others, like the
Dispensationalists, have exalted the Epistles above the Sermon: the
one is as reprehensible as the other. One part of Scripture must not
be pitted against another part. Both this Sermon and the Epistles are
essential parts of the revealed will of God. "Who have, in every age,
uprightly and unreservedly, obeyed these sayings of our Lord, except
they who have firmly believed the doctrines of the Gospel as more
clearly and fully revealed in the apostolic epistles?" (T. Scott).
The "wise" man, then, is the one who comes to Christ, hears His
instructions and does them. To do that which He has commanded
includes, first, a believing of them, that is a definite appropriation
of His precepts, a taking of them home to myself. It involves an
understanding of them, and that calls for humility and meekness of
mind rather than keenness of intellect; a meditation upon Christ's
words and a crying unto Him, "that which I see not teach Thou me." It
involves a making conscience of them, the realization that these
sayings of Christ contain not only good counsel which it is my wisdom
to heed, but that they are His imperative requirements which I
disregard at my peril. It involves an actual putting of them into
practice so that I abstain from those things which He forbids and
perform those duties which He specifies: "If ye know these things,
happy are ye if ye do them" (John 13:17). "All the sayings of Christ:
not only the laws he has enacted, but the truths He has revealed must
be done by us. They are a light not only unto our eyes, but to our
feet, and are designed not only to inform our judgments but to reform
our hearts and lives" (Matthew Henry).
We regard the word "doth" as the all-important one in our present
passage, and care needs to be taken lest we improperly limit its
meaning. To "do" our Lord's sayings includes very much more than the
mere outward performance of those actions which He requires. Our whole
inner and outer man must be conformed to them; our character must be
moulded by them, our affections must be regulated, our wills governed,
and our habits of thought dominated by them, as well as our actions
being in accord with them. The Word of Christ must "dwell in" us, and
that "richly" (Col. 3:16), and that calls for a definite process of
spiritual horticulture. We must "lay apart all filthiness and
superfluity of naughtiness" if we are to "receive with meekness the
engrafted Word which is able to save our souls" (Jas. 1:21). Note well
that expression "the engrafted Word": that which is addressed to us
must be rooted in us, planted in the soul, drawing all the sap of the
stock to itself-"all that is within us" serving the Word. Thereby ye
are "transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Rom. 12:2). This, and
nothing short of this, is what constitutes a genuine "conversion."
From what has been said above it will appear how intimately related
are the several answers unto those questions we formulated in the
opening paragraph, how that they necessarily grow naturally out of
each other. Cannot the reader now decide for himself what is denoted
by this "rock" on which our Lord represents the wise man as building
his house? Bearing in mind the scope of our passage and its relation
to the context, does not the first half of verse 24 furnish a decisive
index to the meaning of the second half? It is "these sayings" of
Christ, understood, believed and obeyed, which are the "rock" here.
"These sayings are the dictates of eternal truth and righteousness,
and the everlasting mountains shall be sooner rooted up than any one
of these shall be falsified. This is the foundation on which the wise
builder places his edifice: not his own conjectures or reasonings, nor
the arguments and reasonings of other men, but the 'true and faithful
sayings of God'" (J. Brown)-to which may be added, and not following
the carnal desires of our own hearts. If the reader still insists that
the "rock" here is Christ Himself, we reply, If so, Christ considered
as Prophet and not as Priest, as Lord and not as Saviour, as Teacher
and not Redeemer.
There should be little difficulty in determining what is signified by
the "house" which the builder here erects upon the "rock" or "sayings"
of Christ, though a certain latitude should be allowed as to how it be
stated. The principal definitions made by the best of the expositors
are: the profession he makes, the character that is formed, the hope
which is cherished. When analyzed these three expressions or things
differ little in essence. The profession made is valid only if it be
verified by a character which is formed by the whole range of Christ's
teaching in this Sermon, a character which is displayed by conduct in
accordance therewith. So too the hope cherished by the believer, the
assurance he possesses, that God has accepted him in the Beloved, is
but presumption, a mere carnal confidence, unless it be grounded upon
this "rock," that is unless the one claiming such a hope be possessed
of that character which alone warrants the expectation of everlasting
bliss. Furthermore, the cherishing of a good hope, the possession of a
peaceful assurance that I am a child of God, is an essential p art of
a character which is formed by an appropriation and assimilation of
the "sayings" of Christ.
This figure of the building of a house to represent the formation of a
Christian character under the teaching of Christ is employed
frequently in the Acts and Epistles. When taking leave of the elders
of Ephesus Paul commended them to God and the Word of His grace "which
is able to build you up" (Acts 20:32). The Colossian saints were
exhorted, "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so
walk ye in Him: Rooted and built up in Him" (2:7, 8); while Jude bade
the saints be "building up yourselves on your most holy faith" (v.
20). The same word here rendered "built" is also translated "edify."
Thus, "Follow after the things which make for peace and things
wherewith one may edify another" (Rom. 14:19); "Let every one of us
please his neighbour for his good to edification" (Rom. 15:2). "Let no
corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is
good to the use of edifying" (Eph. 4:29). "Wherefore comfort [or
"exhort "] yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye
do" (1 Thess. 5:11). Timothy was instructed, "Neither give heed to
fables and endless genealogies which minister questions, rather than
godly edifying which is in faith" (1 Tim. 1:4). How careful we should
be in our converse with each other that what we say be of a
spiritually constructive character and not destructive.
The "house," then, may be taken first for the profession made, which
is yet to be put to the proof in the day of testing. Or more
definitely it represents the character of the one making a Christian
profession; and by "character" we include the whole frame of his
beliefs, sentiments, affections, and active habits. Having by the
faith of the Truth found the only sure foundation, he erects on it an
edifice of thoughts, feelings and volitions. He is moulded according
to "that form of doctrine which was delivered you" (Rom. 6:17). He is
not regulated by his own carnal desires, nor the opinions and examples
of his fellows, but by the sure and authoritative precepts of Christ.
Accordingly he cherishes a "hope of eternal life" (Titus 1:2) and it
is a "good hope through grace" (2 Thess. 2:16), for it is based upon a
reliable foundation, grounded on the precepts and promises of the
Lord; which precepts have been laid hold of and translated into
practice, and which promises have been mixed with faith and made our
own. Such a hope will prove both "sure and stedfast" in the hour of
testing.
From all that has been before us on the different points it will be
seen that everything goes back to and turns upon the word "doeth":
that strikes the keynote of the verse, and therefore its dominant
theme is our practical compliance with the Divine will. The importance
which God attaches to and the value which He places upon obedience
comes out plainly in the words of His prophet, "Behold, to obey is
better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams" (1 Sam.
15:22). To keep strictly to the path of the Divine commandments is
more pleasing unto God than any of the outward forms of religion or
the most liberal contributions to His earthly cause. Well did T. Scott
point out with regard to the Levitical sacrifices, "their value was
entirely from the appointment of God, and they were not acceptable
except offered in obedience to Him, and with a penitent, believing and
pious mind. When therefore they were substituted in the place of true
piety or trusted in as meritorious when the means were used to
compensate for the neglect of the end, they became an abomination,
however costly and numerous they were." So now.
The same insistent emphasis upon obedience was made by Christ. When
interrupted in His talking to the people by one who informed Him that
His mother and brethren stood without, desiring to speak with Him, He
made answer by stretching forth His hand "toward His disciples" and
saying, "Behold My mother and My brethren. For whosoever shall do the
will of My Father which is in heaven, the same is My brother and
sister and mother" (Matthew 12:46-50). It was as though He said, Those
that are nearest and dearest to Me, spiritually speaking, are My
"disciples," and they are described as the ones who comply with the
Divine will. Again, when a certain woman said to Him, "Blessed is the
womb that bare Thee and the paps which Thou hast sucked," He replied,
"Yea, rather, blessed are they that hear the Word of God and keep it"
(Luke 11:27, 28). The ones on whom the benediction of God rests are
they who keep His Word-in their hearts, as their most precious
possession; in their minds, by frequent meditation; in their lives, as
the rule of practice.
Conscientious souls are likely to be troubled at this point, sensible
that their obedience is so imperfect and faulty. It remains therefore
that we should endeavour to set their fears at rest and attempt to
show more definitely what Christ did not signify and what He did imply
by "whoso heareth these sayings of Mine and doeth them." Our Lord did
not mean that His disciples perpetually and flawlessly perform His
precepts, for He does not remove from them the carnal nature at their
regeneration, nor does He grant them such a measure of His grace in
this world as to enable them to render a sinless obedience. God could
have done both had He thought well, but it has pleased Him to exalt
imputed righteousness rather than inherent in this life. Not only does
every saint fail to render that obedience which is required by God's
Law as a whole, but he does not obey any single commandment perfectly,
for every duty we perform, yea, our highest act of worship, is marred
by sin. In the most holy men corruption deprives them of the purity
that ought to be there, and lusts fight against the perfect holiness
they desire and strive after (Rom. 7:18-21; Gal. 5:17).
Christians perform the sayings of Christ sincerely though not
perfectly, in spirit and in truth, though not in the letter and full
execution. When Christ said to the Father of His apostles, "They have
kept Thy word" (John 17:6), He did not mean they had done so as
flawlessly and excellently as He had Himself done. And when we read
"hereby we do not know that we know Him if we keep His commandments"
(1 John 2:3), consistency requires us to understand it that as we only
"know Him" in part in this life (1 Cor. 13:12) so we only "keep His
commandments" in part. Where there is a genuine willingness (Rom.
7:18; Heb. 13:18; 1 Tim. 6:18), God accepts it for the deed (2 Cor.
8:12). Because His people have His Law written in their hearts (Heb.
10:16), because they delight in it with their inner man (Rom. 7:22),
because they truly desire to obey it fully (Ps. 119:5), and pray
earnestly to that end (Ps. 119:35), and repent of and confess their
disobedience (Ps. 32:5), God is pleased-according to the terms of the
covenant of grace, and for Christ's sake-to accept their imperfect
obedience and account it as a keeping of His Law.
To prevent wrong conclusions being drawn from the last paragraph two
things need to be pointed out. First, it must not be inferred that God
has lowered His standard in order to meet our infirmities: that
standard is par excellence and shall never be altered. But the Surety
of God's people fully conformed to it and His perfect obedience is
reckoned to the account of those who savingly believe on Him, so that
imputatively they are flawlessly righteous in the sight of the Law.
Inherently they are righteous in the sense that they fully approve of
the Law, delight in it, and sincerely set themselves to an unreserved
obedience of the whole of it; and thus "the righteousness of the law
is fulfilled in them" (Rom. 8:4). Yet because of their remaining
depravity they fail to realize their desires (Phil. 3:12), mourn over
and confess their sinful failures, and are forgiven for Christ's sake.
In this life they are more active in seeking from God the remission of
their failures than they are in offering to Him that which is
faultless. Some of the old writers were wont to say that the present
perfection of a Christian consists in a penitential acknowledgment of
his imperfection.
Second, the nature and scope of this sincere but imperfect obedience
needs to be amplified and honestly stated. (1) The Christian's
compliance with "these sayings" of the Lord is internal and spiritual
as well as external. If any man should respond to every positive and
negative precept of Christ in his outward conduct and yet his inner
man be not affected and influenced by them, it would be like a body
minus a soul-a corpse. As someone has aptly expressed it, obedience of
soul is the soul of obedience. It is at this point, especially, that
the righteousness of the saints exceeds that of the scribes and
Pharisees, for while they rested wholly on their outward obedience of
the Law, within they were full of unmortified lusts. The Law is
"spiritual" (Rom. 7:14) and requires spiritual compliance thereto. The
only worship God will accept is that which is "in spirit and in truth"
(John 4:24). Nevertheless, our obedience is not to consist solely of
spiritual meditation and contemplating the mortification of our lusts
and the cultivation of our graces: there must be an external walking
in the Truth also.
(2) Sincere obedience is impartial, extending to the whole Law as it
is explained in the precepts and exhortations of both the Old
Testament and the New. To affect much devotion unto the things
pertaining to God and then evince an utter lack of conscience and
equity in things pertaining to men is horrible hypocrisy. The
Pharisees were notorious in this: they made long prayers, yet devoured
widows' houses; they fasted twice a week, yet laid burdens on their
disciples grievous to he borne; they tithed, yet taught that neither
father nor mother was to be relieved if men had placed their substance
under a vow to God. Oh, my reader, your attendance at "early morning
communion" or "the breaking of bread" is a vile mockery if you are
unscrupulous and grasping in your dealings with men. Your psalm
singing and lauding of the person and perfections of Christ are a
stench in God's nostrils if you lie and thieve. On the other hand,
however honest and truthful with your fellows, if you rob God of the
submission, devotion and praise which are His due, your heart is
rotten. Of the parents of the Baptist it is written, "They were both
righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances
of the Lord blameless" (Luke 1:6).
(3) Sincere obedience is universal, by which we mean it includes
things to be believed as well as practiced, and hence it is termed
"the obedience of faith" (Rom. 1:5). God's commandments must not be
limited to the prohibition of wickedness, but extended also to false
doctrines. If the Epistles be read attentively it will be found that
the apostles were as emphatic and stern in their denunciation of
teachers of errors as of lascivious livers, and that they pressed the
necessity of a sound and holy faith as vehemently as they did a good
and pure conscience. A sincere heart is set against heresies as
definitely and diligently as against sinful conduct, and sinful
conduct as heresies. One who is opposed to ungodliness but indifferent
about false doctrines may justly suspect the soundness of his heart;
while one who denounces false doctrine but tolerates wickedness in
himself or his family has serious reason to question the validity of
his profession. Christians are given no more license in matters of
faith than of deportment. Stubborn heretics are to be cast out of the
church equally with the openly immoral.
This chapter is already long enough, so we must postpone our answer to
the fifth question-What is portrayed by the hurricane which bursts
upon the "house" and tests its security?-till we consider verse 27.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Sixty-Two
Profession Tested-Continued
___________________________________
"And every one that heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them not,
shall he likened unto a foolish man which built his house upon the
sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew,
and heat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it"
(vv. 26, 27). It is scarcely necessary to point out that our Lord was
here using parabolic language, but what is the force of the figure He
employed? What is signified by this building a house upon the sand?
Clearly He had in view those who claim to be His followers, but whose
profession has no reality behind it: a class of people who expect to
go to heaven, but whose hopes rest upon a faulty foundation; those who
trust in something which will fail them in the hour of testing.
Unspeakably solemn, then, are these verses, containing that which
should cause every reader who values his soul to tremble at them, and
to re-examine himself with sevenfold thoroughness, to discover whether
or not they describe his own perilous condition.
For the last time in this Sermon our Lord enforced the text on which
it is based: "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall
exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no
case enter into the kingdom of heaven" (v, 20). Wherein lay the
defectiveness of their "righteousness"? First, there was a total
neglect of their internal condition: "Woe unto you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which
indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's
bones, and of all uncleanness" (Matthew 23:27)-there was no
mortification of their lusts. Second, they failed to put first things
first: "Ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted
the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy and faith" (23:23).
Third, they wrought for their own glory, from a principle of
self-interest: "But all their works they do for to be seen of men"
(23:5) and not for the purpose of obeying and honoring God. Fourth,
they practiced not what they preached: "they say, and do not"
(23:3)-their talk was all right, but their walk was all wrong.
Spirituality of soul, purity of heart, integrity of conduct, the
scribes and Pharisees had no regard for. They were forward in fasting,
praying at street corners, and giving of alms ostentatiously, but it
was all done with the object of enhancing their reputation among men.
And in their religion we have an exemplification of what is the
natural persuasion of men the world over, namely that a religion of
external performances will suffice to ensure a blissful eternity.
Undoubtedly there are many who would in words deny this, but who in
their works substantiate it. They bring their bodies to the house of
prayer, but not their souls; they worship with their mouths, but not
"in spirit and in truth." They are sticklers for immersion or early
morning communion, yet take no thought about keeping their hearts with
all diligence. They boast of their orthodoxy, but disregard the
precepts of Christ. Multitudes of professing Christians abstain from
external acts of violence, yet hesitate not to rob their neighbours of
a good name by spreading evil reports against them. They contribute
regularly to the "pastor's salary," but shrink not from
misrepresenting their goods and cheating their customers, persuading
themselves that "business is business." They have more regard for the
laws of man than those of God, for His fear is not before their eyes.
After dwelling at such length in the previous chapter on the "wise"
builder, there should be little difficulty in identifying the various
groups which are commonly classified as the "foolish." They are all
those, no matter what their profession and pretensions, who do not the
"sayings" of Christ. Even F. W. Grant, in his brief notes on this
passage, said: "He who puts His sayings livingly into practice shall
build a house that will endure the storm. None else and nothing else
will": though we are very much afraid that scarcely two out of a
hundred of those wont to read his Numerical Bible really believe any
such thing. In Luke's account of the "wise" builder an additional item
is added: "Whosoever cometh to Me, and heareth My sayings, and doeth
them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built
an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock" (6:47,
48). The "foolish" ones failed to "dig deep." As this is the vital
point which distinguishes the two classes let us endeavour to show
what is signified by this "digging deep."
If ever there was a time when these words "digged deep" needed to be
pressed upon the notice of professing Christians it is today. We are
living in an age characterized by superficiality and shallowness, when
religion itself has degenerated into a mere surface thing. There is no
deep ploughing, no spade work, no foundation exercises, no brokenness
of heart. If I have never mourned over my waywardness, I have no solid
ground for rejoicing. "Want of depth, want of sincerity, want of zeal
in religion-this is the want of our times. Want of an eye to God in
religion, lack of sincere dealing with one's soul, neglect of using
the lancet with our hearts, neglect of the search-warrant which God
gives out against sin, carelessness concerning living upon Christ;
much reading about Him, much talking about him, but too little feeding
upon His flesh and drinking of His blood-these are the causes of
tottering professions and baseless hopes." If Spurgeon found occasion
for making such complaint as far back as 1870, how sadly conditions
have worsened since then!
A saving apprehension or laying hold of Christ is not the simple thing
so many suppose. Man must be humbled into the dust before he will, as
a beggar, betake himself to the Redeemer. The Divine Law is the
appointed schoolmaster to drive sinners to Christ, but so many people
play truant-run away from school. Not a few attempt to build upon
Christ, but there has been no proper foundation-work, and so in the
day of testing the floods of opposition and persecution come in
between their hearts and Christ, and temptations part them to the
overthrow of their profession. By nature our hearts are so filled with
self-love and self-pity that there is no room for Christ. Many are
willing to receive Him for His benefits who have no love for His
person and no resolution to bow to His Lordship, which is like a woman
marrying a man solely for his money. Observe Paul's order: "For whom I
have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that
I may win Christ, And be found in Him, not having mine own
righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through the faith
of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith" (Phil. 3:8,
9)-first Christ Himself and then His righteousness!
1. He "digs deep" who does not enter upon a Christian profession
hurriedly and lightly, but instead "sits down and counts the cost"
(Luke 14:28). There are some who say they are saved before they have
any feeling sense that they are lost. There are others who profess to
receive Christ who yet have no realization of the claims of His
sceptre. There are those who present themselves for baptism who know
nothing about the terms of Christian discipleship. Such people rush
into a profession of religion, and in most cases rush out of it again.
They receive the Word "with joy" rather than with painful convictions
of sin, but they have "not root in themselves" and so "dureth for a
while" only (Matthew 13:20, 21), Hence it was that when one said unto
Him, "I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest," Christ told him
that he had not "where to lay His head"; and when another lightly
said, "I will follow Thee," He answered, "No man, having put his hand
to the plough [and ploughing is no easy work!], and looking back, is
fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:58-62); while to His apostles He
gave the warning "Remember Lot's wife" (Luke 17:32).
2. He "digs deep" who labours to be emptied of self-righteousness,
self-esteem, and self-sufficiency. The sinner needs first to be
convicted of his utter inability to come to Christ-that God must give
him a heart which is willing to receive Him as King to rule over him.
Observe how the Lord Himself pressed this fact upon His hearers: "No
man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him"
(John 6:44)-but who believes that today when the "free will" of man is
so much cried up! "They that be whole need not a physician, but they
that are sick" (Matthew 9:12). Why should I seek unto the great
Physician for strength when I have no consciousness of my weakness,
for cleansing while I am quite unaware of my foulness? Only God can
subdue our innate pride and self-complacency, and in order thereto
there must needs be ardent wrestlings of soul with Him that He would
graciously put forth His power and overcome that in me which rises up
against Him.
3. He "digs deep" who strives after an experimental and inward
knowledge of the Truth. A mere notional or theoretical acquaintance
with it will not suffice him. He longs to have a practical knowledge
of the Truth so that it becomes deeply rooted within him, so that it
finds a home in the "hidden parts" (Ps. 51:6). Truth has to be bought
(Prov. 23:23), and the wise builder is quite willing to pay the
necessary price-sacrificing worldly interests so to do. As Spurgeon
said, "Seek an inwrought experience of Divine Truth. Ask to have it
burnt into you. Why is it that people give up the doctrines of grace
if they fall in with eloquent advocates of free will? Why is it that
they renounce the orthodox creed if they meet with smart reasoners who
contradict it? Because they have never received the Word in the power
of the Holy Spirit so as to have it sealed in their hearts. . . . It
is one thing to have a creed, it is quite another thing to have the
Truth graven upon the tables of the heart. Many fail here because
Truth was never made experimentally their own."
4. He "digs deep" who balks not at the work of mortification, who
follows Christ as the grand Exemplar of mortification. What the
Saviour suffered in His pure flesh by way of expiation, those who
would be saved must suffer in their corrupt flesh by way of
mortification. It is true the flesh in us is reluctant, as was the
holy humanity of Christ, saying, "let this cup pass from Me," but the
spirit is willing, crying "Father, Thy will be done" even in the
crucifixion of my dearest lusts. Christ died a violent death, and sin
must not die an easy and comfortable one. His body was nailed to the
tree till His soul was separated from it, and the body of sin must be
so nailed till the soul of sin-the will and love of it- depart. Christ
died a tormenting death, in pains and agonies, and we must so die to
sin that we "suffer in the flesh" (1 Pet. 4:1). Christ died a
lingering death, and so does sin languish little by little,
mortification upon mortification, dying "daily." Alas, how few dig
deep enough to come to the denying of self!
5. He "digs deep" who endeavors to hide God's Word in his heart so
that he may be kept from sinning against Him (Ps. 119:11). By "hiding"
is not here meant concealing but treasuring, so that it may be
preserved. To so "hide" means, first, to obtain a spiritual
understanding of it-and for that, diligence and labour are required
(Prov. 2:1-4). Only then does "wisdom" enter the heart and knowledge
become pleasant unto the soul (Prov. 2:10). Second, when it is
assented unto by faith, otherwise it will quickly vanish: "The word
preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that
heard it" (Heb. 4:2). Third, when it is kindly entertained: Christ
complained to the Jews, "ye seek to kill Me, because My word hath no
place in you" (John 8:37). Fourth, when it is deeply rooted, settled
in the affections, so that it becomes the "engrafted word" (Jas.
1:21). The Word must not be studied out of curiosity, or for the
object of teaching others, nor for our comfort, but with this prime
end in view: that it may deliver us from sin-storing our minds with
what is holy, resisting Satan's temptations with an, "It is written,"
its promises sustaining us in times of trial.
6. He "digs deep" who sincerely endeavors to have his heart sensibly
affected by the exceeding sinfulness of sin. Since sin be that
abominable thing which God hates, that which occasioned the death of
Christ, and that which is the cause of all his own misery, the
believer seeks to obtain a deeper horror for and hatred of sin. To
this end he frequently reminds himself of and meditates upon the
fearful tragedy which the first sin introduced into Eden, how that it
corrupted at its source the stream of human nature. He constantly
ponders the fact that all the sorrow and suffering in the world is the
immediate effect of sin. He essays to view sin in the light of eternal
punishment. "When I meet with professors who talk lightly of sin, I
feel sure that they have built without a foundation. If they had ever
felt the Spirit's wounding and killing sword of conviction, they would
flee from sin as from a lion. Truly forgiven sinners dread the
appearance of evil as burnt children dread the fire. Superficial
repentance always leads to careless living. Pray earnestly for a
broken heart" (Spurgeon).
7. He "digs deep" who makes diligent search and thorough examination
within to make sure that God has written His Word on his heart (2 Cor.
13:5; 2 Pet. 1:10). He is so concerned about his eternal welfare, so
aware of the deceitfulness of the human heart, that he dare not take
anything for granted. He is determined to prove his own self, that a
supernatural work of grace has been truly wrought within him. He
spares no pains to measure himself by the Word to see whether the
fruits of regeneration are really being brought forth in the garden of
his soul. He earnestly seeks the Divine assistance in the
all-important matter, crying to God, "Examine me, O Lord, and prove
me; try my reins and my heart" (Ps. 26:2): let me not be mistaken, but
graciously make known to me my real condition, and if I be one of Thy
redeemed cause Thy blessed Spirit to bear witness with my spirit that
I am a child of Thine. And if the seeker be sincere and importunate
his quest will not be in vain, neither will his request fall upon deaf
ears.
Let us now describe several kinds of "foolish" builders. First, they
build "upon the sand" whose hope is based upon a round of religious
performances. The one who counts upon church membership, church
attendance, the saying of prayers and the reading of the Bible as
being all that is needed to ensure for him an entrance into the
everlasting kingdom is resting on a broken reed. That was the case
with the Pharisees. They fasted and tithed, made long prayers and were
most punctilious in attending to ceremonial rites, but they were
outside the pale of God's mercy. "Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3) no matter how zealous he be
in attending "communions," how liberal in supporting "missionaries,"
or how "faithful to the cause." Until I have a heart which receives
Christ as my Prophet, Priest and King, which unfeignedly loves Him,
which obeys Him, there is no hope for me.
Second, they build "upon the sand " whose hope is based on visions,
dreams and happy feelings. There is a class in Christendom, larger
than some suppose, whose trust reposes in those very things. Ask them
to tell you their experience, inquire what ground they have for
concluding that God has met with them in saving grace, and they will
relate to you so me mysterious vision, some remarkable dream, some
voice which spoke to them, many years ago, saying "thy sins be
forgiven thee," which produced an ecstasy of joy and assurance which
nothing can shake. Now we will not positively affirm that they were
deluded into imagining such things, yet we would point out that Satan
transforms himself as an "angel of light" and can produce remarkable
impressions. Whatever remarkable experience you met with in the past,
unless you are now trusting in the blood and righteousness of Christ
and sincerely endeavoring to perform His precepts, you are trusting in
what will fail you in the Day to come.
Third, they build "upon the sand" whose hope is based on a "faith in
Christ" which produces no obedience to Him. Unto such He searchingly
says, "Why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?"
(Luke 6:46). A mere intellectual assent to the Gospel or a belief in
the historical Christ is worthless, for it brings forth no spiritual
fruits. To hear and acquiesce and then perform not is a mocking of
God. As there were many who "believed in His name when they saw the
miracles which He did" to whom the Saviour "did not commit Himself"
(John 2:23, 24), so there are thousands today who non-savingly
"believe in Christ" yet have not "the root of the matter" (Job 19:28)
within them. The faith of God's elect is one which in a vital and
practical way is "the acknowledging the truth which is after
godliness" (Titus 1:1), which issues in "purifying their hearts" (Acts
15:9), which "worketh by love" (Gal. 5:6) and which "overcometh the
world" (1 John 5:4). Only such a faith will suffice for time and
eternity.
Fourth, they build "upon the sand" whose hope rests on a merely
intellectual knowledge of the Truth. The difference between
theoretical and practical knowledge is one both of kind and of degree.
Theoretical knowledge is fluctuating and evanescent, constantly
subject to alteration; but practical knowledge is deep-rooted and
permanent. Once I have experienced the burning effects of fire no
sophistical arguments can persuade me it is harmless. Once I have
tasted that the Lord is gracious none can convince me that He is not.
The difference between the two is apparent also from the effects
produced. Pilate had a theoretical knowledge that it was contrary to
the evidence before him to condemn Christ to death, but when the issue
of his own interests with Caesar was raised (John 19:12) his practical
judgment determined him to save his prestige. One who has a
theoretical acquaintance with the precepts may talk well about them,
but only one with a practical knowledge will walk according to them.
One with a theoretical knowledge of the Truth may admire it, but only
one with a practical knowledge thereof would die for it.
Fifth, they build "upon the sand" who make not conscience of
confessing sin. There is a radical difference between the unregenerate
and the regenerate in this matter. The former, being dead toward God
and having but light thoughts upon sin, are not weighed down by it;
but to the latter it is their heaviest burden, and therefore are they
thankful to unbosom themselves unto the Lord. Christ has bidden them
pray to their Father "forgive us our sins" (Luke 11:4). Scripture
warns them, "he that covereth his sins shall not prosper" (Prov.
28:13), and so David proved: "When I kept silence, my bones waxed old
through my roaring all the day long"; but eventually he said, "I will
confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and Thou forgavest the
iniquity of my sin" (Ps. 32:3, 5). After his sad fall, Peter went out
and "wept bitterly." Read through the second half of Romans vii and
observe how keenly distressed Paul was by indwelling corruption. The
believer has a sensitive conscience and keeps short account with God;
but the conscience of the unbeliever is calloused, and he neither
mourns over nor confesses his sins.
To sum up. No matter what experience I have had, or what be the
character and strength of my faith, or how deep and steady be my
assurance, or how eminent my gifts, unless any or all of these issue
in a life of practical obedience to Christ they will avail nothing
when death overtakes me. And that is no harsh verdict of ours, but the
decision of the Son of God: "every one that heareth these sayings of
Mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man who
built his house upon the sand." Not that the Christian will "do" them
perfectly-"For in many things we offend all" (Jas. 3:2)-though he
ought to, and must not excuse but rather mourn over and confess his
failure. No, the obedience of the Christian is not a faultless one,
yet it is real and actual. It is not flawless, yet it is sincere. It
is the genuine desire, resolution and endeavour of the Christian to
please Christ in all things, and it is his greatest grief when he
displeases Him. Lord, "Make me to go in the path of Thy commandments;
for therein do I delight" (Ps. 119:35).
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A. W. Pink Header
The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Sixty-Three
Profession Tested-Concluded
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It now remains for us to ascertain what is signified by the hurricane
which struck the "house" of the "wise" and of the "foolish" builder.
Concerning that of the former it is said, "And the rain descended, and
the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it
fell not: for it was founded upon a rock" (v. 25). Identically the
same thing is narrated in connection with the latter, except in regard
to the outcome: "it fell, and great was the fall of it." After having
entered into such detail concerning the "wise" and the "foolish" man,
the "digging deep" of the former and this fatal omission by the
latter, the foundation of "rock" and that of "sand," and the "house"
which each one erected, there should be little difficulty in
discovering the general drift of what is denoted by the storm: though
the language used be figurative, its purport is obvious. By means of
the storm the strength and stability or the weakness and insecurity of
the "house" was demonstrated.
The hurricane was that by which the work of each man was put to the
proof and his wisdom or folly made evident. Thus it is clear that once
more what is here before us is the testing of profession and the
making manifest of its worth or worthlessness. This had been the
dominating theme of our Lord's Sermon from 7:13, onwards. The "strait
gate" and "the narrow way" correspond to the digging deep and the
foundation of rock, while the "wide gate" and "broad way" correspond
to the omission of digging deep and the foundation of sand. In like
manner we may see in the "wise" builder the "good tree" which brings
forth "good fruit," and in the "foolish" builder the "corrupt tree"
with its "evil fruit." In the "he that doeth the will of My Father
which is in heaven" we have the one whose house stands firm, while in
the many to whom Christ will say, "I never knew you, depart from Me,
ye that work iniquity" we have those whose building is overthrown by
the storm.
We must not, however, conclude that nothing more is signified by our
Lord in this figure of the storm bursting upon the house than the
testing of Christian profession, though scarcely any of the
commentators seem to have seen anything further in it. Surely due
attention to the immediate setting, to say nothing of the more remote
or general context, requires us to enlarge our viewpoint. Consider the
outcome of the storm. In the case of the "wise man" it beat upon his
house in vain: in spite of all its fury, his building stood firm. And
why? Because it was founded upon a "rock." And what did that purport?
Why, that the wise man was something more than a hearer of the Word,
namely a doer of it, one who heeded its warnings, who responded to its
exhortations, who performed its precepts, whose character and conduct
were moulded and regulated by its teachings. This, and nothing but
this, is what Christ insists upon at the beginning of our passage:
"Whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine and doeth them, I will liken
him unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock."
Among the "sayings" of Christ are some peculiarly distasteful to flesh
and blood, yea, at direct variance with the inclinations of fallen
human nature. To pluck out right eyes and cut off right hands, to love
our enemies, bless them which curse us, do good to them that hate us,
and pray for them which despitefully use and persecute us, is not so
simple as it may sound-see, then, the appropriateness of our Lord's
similitude of "digging deep" when portraying such tasks. To distribute
our alms and perform our devotions in secret, to expressly ask the
Father to forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors-being told
that if we forgive not neither shall we be forgiven-to take no anxious
thought for the morrow but to have a heart freed from carking care, to
have such confidence in the providential bounty of God that we
trustfully count upon Him supplying our every need, are duties which
will tax our abilities to the utmost. True, but we shall not be the
losers by practicing such precepts.
"And it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock": that is what we
desire to lay hold of in this connection. Here is encouragement
indeed. Instead of being so occupied with the narrowness of the way,
cast your eye forward to the glorious goal to which it conducts
you-even life. Instead of being so concerned about the painfulness of
the work of mortification, think rather of what it is the appointed
means of saving you from-even from being "cast into hell" (5:29).
Instead of complaining about the difficulties of obedience, consider
its rich compensation. God has definitely assured us that in the
keeping of His commandments "there is great reward" (Ps. 19:11), such
as "the answer of a good conscience," peace of soul, the enjoyment of
His approbation. It is this aspect of the Truth which Christ is here
pressing upon our attention: the one who does His "savings" is assured
of safety in the day of testing and trial. The "house" of such a one
will not, cannot, be overthrown by the storm. Is not that a recompense
well worth striving for?
Throughout this Sermon on the Mount the Lord Jesus had presented a
most exalted and unique standard of morality and spirituality, one
which calls for real self-sacrifice on the part of those who sincerely
endeavour to measure up to it and perform the duties it enjoins. But
here He shows how great is the reward of those who submit themselves
unto His yoke. In the stability and security of the wise man's "house"
we have depicted one of the principal fruits of an obedient walk: the
actual doing of these "sayings" of Christ delivers from the fatal
assaults of the Devil, the world and the flesh. This consideration
ought to move us to perform obedience readily and gladly, for this is
a benefit which no human monarch can bestow. Neither wealth, education
nor social prestige can confer security on the soul-rather do such
things generally occasion destruction to their possessors. Neither
human wit nor strength of resolution can procure preservation in the
hour of trial and tribulation: nothing hut the keeping of Christ's
Word will obtain it, but that does. How this promise should encourage
us and stimulate unto unreserved obedience!
The force of the figure which was here used by Christ would he more
impressive to His immediate hearers than to those of us who live in
strong houses and in those parts of the earth where devastating floods
and tornadoes are seldom or never experienced. "In Judea, as in other
oriental countries, the rains are periodical. When they descend, they
often descend in torrents, and continue to do so, with unabated
violence, for a number of days. In consequence of this, the most
trifling mountain brook becomes a mighty river-a deluge rushing down
with dreadful impetus from the high grounds to the plains, converting
them into one wide waste of waters. The huts of the inhabitants,
generally formed of clay hardened in the sun, are exposed to great
danger. They are often literally melted down by the heavy rains or
overturned by the furious gusts of wind; and, when not founded on the
solid rock, undermined and swept away by the resistless torrent. In
such a country, it is the part of a wise man to take good care that
the foundation on which he builds his habitation be solid. He who
attends to this precaution is likely to find the advantage of doing
so, and he who neglects this precaution is likely to pay dear for his
folly" (J. Brown).
Spurgeon was right when he said, "Whether your religion be true or
false, it will be tried; whether it he chaff or wheat the fan of the
great Winnower will surely he brought into operation upon all that
lies on the threshing floor. If thou hast dealings with God, thou hast
to do with a 'consuming fire.' Whether thou be really or nominally a
Christian, if thou comest near to Christ He will try thee as silver is
tried. Judgment must begin at the house of God, and if thou darest to
come into the house of God, judgment will begin with thee." It is
God's will that whosoever takes upon him the profession of His name
shall he tried and proved. Adam and Eve were tempted and tried by
Satan. God made trial of Abraham when He bade him take his only and
dearly loved son and offer him up for a burnt offering on mount Moriah
(Gen. 22). For the trial of his faith and patience He gave Job and all
that he had, except his life, into Satan's hand. God left Hezekiah to
himself to try him and make known what was in his heart, when the
ambassadors of Babylon came to inquire of him what wonders God had
done in the land of Israel (2 Chron. 32:31).
It will he gathered from the above that we do not accept the view of
those who restrict this trial of the "house" to the hour of death or
the day of judgment. It is true that at death "the spirit shall return
unto God who gave it" (Eccl. 12:7) and that it then enters paradise or
is consigned to the abode of the damned. At the Grand Assize the worth
or worthlessness of the profession will he made manifest to an
assembled universe. But we can see nothing in our present passage
which requires us to limit the meaning of this storm unto the final
testing, while on the other hand there is much in Scripture which
makes it clear that both real and empty profession is, in a variety of
ways but in different degrees, put to the proof in this life. When our
Lord announced of His apostles "Satan hath desired to have you, that
he may sift you as wheat" (Luke 22:31). which desire was granted, He
expressed that which applies to all His people. It is as requisite
that the faith of the saints should be tried by afflictions as gold is
tried in the fire (1 Pet. 1:7).
When the apostle said to believers, "Beloved, think it not strange
concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange
thing happened unto you" (1 Pet. 4:12), he was referring unto an
experience which is met with in this life, and one which, as his
language denotes, is by no means exceptional. For example, for a Jew
belonging to an orthodox family to make public profession of the
Christian faith has always involved dishonor and disgrace; his family
disinherit and disown him, and in the sight of all his brethren he is
regarded as "the offscouring of all things." In the first two
centuries A.D., being a Christian frequently involved forfeiture of
citizenship, the "spoiling of his goods" and being cast unto the
lions, or at least living in caves "destitute and afflicted." Yet
notwithstanding such trials the faith of God's elect remained
unshaken. During the past century the Lord's people, and especially
His servants, have been tested in a more subtle manner: they have had
to suffer the reproach of credulity and simple-mindedness, of being
hopelessly behind the times, because they refused to believe the
agnostic scientists and the theories of "modern scholarship"-sensitive
natures find such reproaches harder to bear than physical sufferings.
In this day, the test is to resist the seductions of an alluring
world, to refuse to compromise.
Having generalized so much upon the verses before us, it is time that
we turned to examine more closely their several details. First, "And
the rain descended." This may be taken as a figure of the providential
trials and adverse dispensations by which those bearing the name of
Christ are put to the proof. "These rains typify afflictions from
heaven. God will send you adversities like showers, tribulations as
many as the drops of the dew. Between now and heaven, oh, professor,
you will feel the pelting storm. Like other men, your body will be
sick; or if not, you shall have trial in your house: children and
friends will die, or riches will take to themselves wings and fly like
an eagle. You must have trials from God's hand, and if you are not
relying on Christ, you will not be able to bear them. If you are not
by real faith one with Christ, even God's rains will be too much for
you" (C. H. Spurgeon). The response of the heart, the manner in which
we act in times of adversity, reveals our state; if unregenerate, our
unbelieving heart will betray itself by acting as the worldling
does-seeking to drown our sorrow amid carnal pleasures, or sinking in
despair.
Second, "and the floods came," or as Luke 6:48, says, "the floods
arose." Thus it is a thing of the earth which is here in view, namely
opposition from the world. By this also must the professor be tested,
to demonstrate whether or not his claim to being a Christian is
genuine. It is true that in former days the floods of persecution
raged more furiously than they do now; nevertheless, they are far from
having totally subsided. The world's opposition assumes many forms:
sometimes it is ridicule-and how often have the gibes and sneers of
the ungodly tumbled down the "houses" of those who made a fair show in
the flesh! Cruel mockings are still used against the people of God. In
other cases it is reproach and slander, the "cold shoulder,"
boycotting, and only those who have a rock foundation will bear up
under them. Not that the ones exposed always drop their profession
entirely: far from it-often they retain the name of Christian, but
compromise and walk arm-in-arm with the world to escape its
persecutions.
Third, "and the winds blew and beat upon the house." Here it is "the
prince of the power of the air" (Eph. 2:2) who is at work: in other
words, it is Satan assaulting the one who claims to be saved. At times
he will Cast a cloud of despondency over the human spirit, assailing
with artful insinuations and blasphemous suggestions, particularly so
when God's providences seem to be all against us, seeking to fill the
soul with doubts of the Divine goodness and faithfulness. At other
times he seeks to beguile with error, and only those established in
the Truth will withstand him. He employs various tactics, according as
he approaches in the form of a serpent or seeks to terrify as the
roaring lion. He attracts by the world, appeals to the carnal nature,
and only those whose "treasure" is really in heaven scorn his gilded
baubles. He suggests a compromise, the making the best of both worlds,
the serving of two masters, and none save they who have truly
"received Christ Jesus the Lord" (Col. 2:6) resist him.
The Lord plainly teaches us in this passage that he who takes upon him
the Christian profession must expect a stormy passage through this
world. He who is Truth incarnate painted no false and flattering
picture of what Christian discipleship involves, but faithfully warns
us that severe testings and trials await those who profess to he His
followers. So far from being carried to heaven on "flowery beds of
ease," they may expect to meet with fierce opposition from the world,
the flesh and the Devil. He who was despised and rejected of men,
tempted of the Devil, hated by the world, opposed by the religious
leaders, deserted by those who should have stood by Him, has said,
"the disciple is not above his Master." "We must through much
tribulation enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22), and they who
deny this are false prophets. "All that will live godly in Christ
Jesus shall suffer persecution" (2 Tim. 3:12), yet that very
persecution shall be made to work together for their good.
"And it fell not." Here are consolation and compensation indeed.
Severely assaulted and shaken their "house" may be, but overthrown it
shall not be. And why? "For it was founded upon a rock," that is to
say the profession was a genuine one, and, therefore, one which
endures and survives every testing. It is no comfortable thing to live
through such an experience as this hurricane: Ah, but dwell upon the
happy issue. It is no pleasant experience to meet with the sneers of
acquaintances, the loss of friends, the opposition of the world and
the enmity of Satan, but is it not worth all these and much more if,
like the three Hebrews, we come forth from the fires unharmed? While I
do Christ's "sayings," Satan can gain no advantage over me: while I
tread the path of obedience the "flesh" is denied and cannot bring
about my ruin. Neither in this life, the hour of death, nor the day of
judgment will the "house" of such a one fall.
"And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and
beat upon that house; and it fell; and great was the fall of it" (v.
27). Here is the solemn contrast. Here is the fearful outcome for the
one who erects his house upon the sand. Here is the certain fate of
all who rest their hope and base their confidence on a worthless
foundation. Here is the fearful ruin which overtakes the empty
professor. He who makes no conscience of Christ's "saying," joins not
practice to profession, who refuses to walk in the path of the Divine
commandments, is headed for eternal damnation. An empty professor may
withstand the lighter gusts of opposition in days of peace and
prosperity, but he is not at all likely to survive the temptations of
the times in which our lot is cast, as witness the multitudes now
making shipwreck of the faith they once affirmed. And even those who
continue to call themselves Christians but refuse the Master's yoke
will find in the hour of death that they have no refuge from the
judgment awaiting them.
Sometimes God exposes those who have made an eminent profession by
sending them such anguish of conscience and foretastes of hell that at
the end they are exposed to all around them. A notable example of this
was Francis Spira in the seventeenth century. For weeks he lay
groaning on his couch, not from physical pain but from anguish of
soul, and though numbers of God's servants spoke to and prayed with
him, no relief was obtained. Said he to the ministers and friends
around his bed, "Take heed of relying on that faith which worketh not
a holy and unblamable life, worthy of a believer. Credit me, it will
fail. I have tried it. I presumed I had gotten the right faith. I
preached it to others. I had all places of Scripture in memory that
might support it. I thought myself sure, and in the meantime lived
impiously and carelessly. And behold now the judgment of God hath
overtaken me: not to correction, but to damnation." He felt the fires
of God's wrath burning in his soul as few have ever experienced them
in this world, and expired thus. His house "fell" and great was the
fall of it.
What has been before us should dispel the influence of the world, move
us to self-judgment, and warn us against a superficial use of God's
Word. If we allow Satan's world so to ensnare us that, for the sake of
enjoying it, we consent to ignore Christ's rules for separation from
evil and holiness of life, then dire will be the consequences. Such a
passage as this ought to bring home to us both the heinousness and
madness of our acts of disobedience, cause us contritely to confess
the same, and entreat the Lord's pardon while it may yet be obtained.
Finally, we would press upon our readers that the will of God, the
standard He has appointed, cannot be known by mere casual and
occasional glances at the Bible. Too many are but text-mongers,
singling out favorite passages which appeal to them. It is only by
carefully and earnestly searching the Scriptures, by a systematic and
continuous pondering of them, that we can discover "all the counsel of
God." Those who do so will have their souls sustained by grace and
upheld by the power of Christ in the day of trial, and will have no
regrets for so employing their time and energies when the hour of
death is upon them.
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The Sermon On The Mount
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Chapter Sixty-Four
Conclusion
"And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people
were astonished at His doctrine For He taught them as one having
authority, and not as the scribes."
Matthew 7:28, 29
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Once more we have been permitted and enabled to complete a lengthy
though pleasant task, for after writing sixty-three chapters on
Matthew 5-7 our present business is to pen the closing one. Those
three chapters record what is commonly designated our Lord's Sermon on
the Mount. Really, it is far more than a sermon, being what might well
be termed the Messiah's manifesto, the magna charta (or
"constitution") of His kingdom, for therein He unfolded the laws and
conditions under which alone we can enter His kingdom. In our second
chapter we pointed out that, in keeping with its character and design,
this address had twelve divisions-the governmental number. They may be
expressed thus:
1. The character of those on whom the Divine blessing rests (5:3-11).
2. The ministerial office (5:12-16).
3. The spirituality and authority of the Moral Law (5:17-48).
4. Practical righteousness or good works (6:1-19).
5. Warning against covetousness (6:20-34).
6. Unlawful judgment (7:1-5).
7. Unlawful liberality (7:6).
8. Seeking grace (7:7-11).
9. The golden rule (7:12).
10. The way of salvation (7:13, 14).
11. False prophets (7:15-19).
12. Profession tested (7:20-27).
In the verses which are to be before us we are informed of the effect
which our Lord's sermon had upon the large concourse that heard it.
This writer often closes his eyes and seeks to visualize the various
scenes presented in Holy Writ. On this occasion the incarnate Son of
God, but known only as "Jesus of Nazareth" to the Jews at that time,
sat down upon the mountain side-perhaps on some slight eminence, that
all might see and hear Him the better. Follow Him then throughout the
whole of Matthew 5-7 and attempt to enter into the feelings of His
audience. Remember there was no halo of glory about His head, that to
their eyes He appeared simply as a Galilean peasant. Yet again and
again He sets over against "Ye have heard that it was said by them of
old time" His imperative and imperial "But I say unto you." He
denounced the Pharisees as "hypocrites." He declared that in the Day
to come He would say unto the empty professors, "I never knew you:
depart from Me, ye that work iniquity." He closed by insisting that
men's eternal destiny would be regulated by how they complied with
"these sayings of Mine."
"And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people
were astonished at His doctrine: For He taught them as one having
authority, and not as the scribes" (7:28 and 29). Here is made known
to us the impression which our Lord's discourse produced upon its
auditors. They were amazed, and well they might be. The Speaker had
not graduated from the rabbinical schools, nor had He been granted a
"preaching license" by the Sanhedrin; yet He declared, "Think not that
I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to
destroy, but to fulfil." Then He added, "For I say unto you, That
except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and
Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." He
went on to declare that causeless anger was incipient murder and that
those who indulged in lustful glances were guilty of adultery. He bade
them, "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them
that hate you." He made it evident that it was not merely good advice
or salutary counsel He was offering them, but rather was issuing
peremptory demands. It was as the King of righteousness He spoke.
The crowd was astonished both at the matter and manner of His
preaching, for He spoke with weight, a majesty, an earnestness which
carried conviction. They were filled with a temporary wonderment: yet
it is not said that they repented or believed on Him or became His
disciples. We too admire the matchless wisdom of His discourse,
maintaining as it did throughout a perfect balance of Truth. We are
made to marvel at its scope: that He covered so much ground in so
brief a space, containing that which was suited to all classes and
conditions of men, be they lost or saved, babes or fathers in Christ.
We are made to tremble at the fearful solemnity of its utterances: the
repeated reference to "hell" and "hell fire." We are solemnized as we
learn from its final section that in the Great Assize the Preacher of
this sermon will personally officiate as the Judge of men, pronouncing
sentence of doom upon those who conform not to the Divine will. No
wonder that, on another occasion, the officers sent by the Pharisees
to arrest Christ returned without Him, saying "Never man spake like
this man" (John 7:46).
"The people were astonished at His doctrine." Have we not good reason
to be astonished that they were not much more than "astonished"? Ought
they not to have been brought to His feet in worship, perceiving it
was more than man who addressed them? Ought they not to have been
convicted and converted by His teaching: made deeply sensible of bow
far, far short they fell of such a standard of holiness, turning to
Him in contrition and crying Out for mercy? Alas, what is man, even
when he hears the Truth from the lips of Truth incarnate! Capable of
being impressed by a Divine message when it falls on his ears from
without, but incapable of perceiving his own inward depravity and
wretchedness in the light of that message. How true it is that "except
a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3), no,
not even when it is brought nigh to him by the King Himself. Then let
us not be surprised when only temporary effects are produced under the
most faithful and earnest preaching; rather let us be deeply thankful
if the message has found an abiding home in our heart.
It may be asked, Why did not Christ put forth His Divine power and
turn the hearts of His hearers unto Himself? If three thousand were
converted under the Pentecostal sermon of Peter (Acts 2:41), why were
not a similar number at least brought from death unto life by this
address of the Saviour's? Most certainly He could, had He so pleased,
have imparted to the whole of that multitude a saving knowledge of the
Truth. Then why was He not pleased to do so? Why should the apostles
perform "greater works" (John 14:12) than He wrought? Because He had
taken upon Him the "form of a servant" (Phil. 2:7), and therefore did
He aver, "I came down from heaven not to do Mine own will, but the
will of Him that sent Me" (John 6:38). The exercise of His Divine
attributes was entirely subordinated unto the will of the Father. Not
only did He refuse to work miracles on His own behalf (Matthew 4:3,
4), but He only put forth His power for the good of others as He had
orders to do so from above. This lovely perfection of Christ's, which
is the glory of His mediatorial holiness, has not received anything
like the attention which it justly calls for.
The obedience of Christ was the absolute conformity of His entire
spirit and soul to the mind and will of the Father, His ready and
cheerful performance of every duty and every thing which God commanded
Him. As He Himself declared, "My meat is to do the will of Him that
sent Me" (John 4:34). Familiar as are these words to the saints, how
few have perceived the fullness of Christ's obedience or recognized
that His every act during the thirty-three years He tabernacled among
men was distinctly and designedly an act of submission to God. But
this will be the more plainly seen if the reader traces through the
four Gospels that oft-repeated expression, "that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken by- the prophet," and then ponders the import of
those words. The whole of Christ's course had been marked out for Him.
Thus it was that "He came and dwelt in Capernaum" (Matthew 12:12-14).
It was not the force of circumstances which drove the Lord Jesus to
select that place as His ministerial headquarters, nor was it out of
personal inclination: that town had been selected by God for Him long
before He came to earth, and it was in subjection to the Divine will
that He went there. Christ made obedience to the Father the one great
business of His life.
His miracles of mercy were wrought in obedience to the Father's
revealed will. "When the even was come they brought unto Him many that
were possessed with devils: and He cast out the spirits with His word:
and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was
spoken by Isaiah the prophet" (Matthew 8:16). How striking is the
particular aspect of Truth here made known to us! Christ was tender,
sympathetic, full of compassion, yet the first and deepest motive
which moved Him to heal the sick was that the will of God might be
done. In the volume of the Book it was written of Him, and therefore
did He say, "I delight to do Thy will, O my God" (Ps. 40:7, 8). A
striking and beautiful illustration of this is found in John 11.
Lazarus was taken seriously ill, and his sisters sent the Saviour an
urgent message, saying: "Lord, behold, he whom Thou lovest is sick"
(v. 3). Then we read, "Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and
Lazarus," yet the very next thing recorded is "when He had heard
therefore that Lazarus was sick, He abode two days still in the same
place where He was." Mysterious delay! But the mystery was solved by
His own declaration, "this sickness is not unto death, but for the
glory of God" (v. 4). Not even His affection for those sorely tried
souls would move Him to respond to their appeal until the Father's
hour had arrived.
In like manner, Christ's saving of sinners was in order to the
rendering of obedience to God. "All that the Father giveth Me shall
come to Me and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out. For I
came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him
that sent Me" (John 6:37, 38). What a view does this present to us of
the redemptive work of Christ! How it magnifies His blessed submission
unto the One who had commissioned Him! Here then is the explanation
why He put not forth His own Divine power to convert the whole of His
hearers by this Sermon on the Mount: because He had no word from the
Father so to do. Admire then and adore the Lord of glory as He so
perfectly discharged His office as Servant. What an example of entire
submission to God has He left us. Does the reader desire that we press
the question a stage farther back and ask, Why was it the Father's
pleasure that His incarnate Son should so often suspend the exercise
of His Divine attributes and restrain from putting forth His own
power? Surely if no other answer was available than what has been
pointed our above, it would be sufficient: to display the perfect
oneness between the Son and the Father, to evidence that the Former
would not act independently of the Other, to manifest His moral
perfections and thereby leave His people an example.
But there were other reasons why it was fitting that a veil should be
cast over the Divine glory of the incarnate Son. This was the season
of His humiliation, when He came not to rule over the earth as King of
kings and Lord of lords, but to have "not where to lay His head." He
had entered the place of subserviency, of obedience, yea, He had
become "obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:8).
And in order thereto it was necessary that He should come unto His own
and that His own receive Him not (John 1:11), yea, that He should be
"despised and rejected of men." He had descended from heaven to earth
in order that He should be "taken, and by wicked hands crucified and
slain" (Acts 2:23), yet at the same time offer Himself as a sacrifice
to God, as a sin-offering on behalf of His people. It was not then the
season for Him to convert men en masse, to overthrow Satan's kingdom
and deliver his captives. The corn of wheat must fall into the ground
and die before the fruit thereof is brought forth (John 12:24). In due
time God would exalt Him "with His right hand to be a Prince and a
Saviour, for to give repentance to [the spiritual] Israel, and
forgiveness of sins" (Acts 5:31), for then would "the rod of His
strength" go out of Zion and His people be made willing "in the day of
His power" (Ps. 110:2, 3).
Again, by cloaking His Divine power, yet at the same time acting as a
Minister of the circumcision for the Truth of God, to confirm the
promises made to the fathers and that the Gentiles might glorify God
for His mercy (Rom. 15:8, 9) an admirable test was made of men. Though
He stopped short of renewing their hearts, yet by acting as the final
Spokesman of God (Heb. 1:1, 2), by speaking to men as they had never
been spoken to before, Christ addressed Himself to the responsibility
of His hearers. The Light shone in midday splendor, but the darkness
comprehended it not. And why? Because men loved darkness rather than
light. Thereby their real character was unmistakably revealed: as
incorrigibly and inveterately opposed to God, steeled against Him even
when speaking to them through His own Son. Nor could they plead lack
of clear evidence that Christ was the Messiah Himself, for the
miracles He wrought unequivocally established His credentials. Thus,
in their not being converted by such a Sermon as this, they were left
"without excuse." Christ, then, put not forth His power to regenerate
them, first, because He had no commission from the Father so to do;
second, because it was not the time for Him to exercise His royal
prerogative; third, because by leaving His auditors to the exercise of
their own wills, their accountability was put to the proof and their
utter depravity demonstrated.
But further: the Father was pleased that His Son should restrain the
power of His Godhead even from His public ministry that it might be
more clearly evidenced when His term of obedience had expired, that He
was vested with all-sufficient unction and invincible might. After His
resurrection Christ affirmed "all power is given unto Me in heaven and
in earth" (Matthew 28:18), and on the day of Pentecost after the
public descent of the Holy Spirit Peter announced, "Let all the house
of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye
have crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36), where "made" has
not the force of "constituted" but signifies made manifest, for it was
from Christ that the Spirit had been given (v. 33). God would have it
made known unto His people that the Mediator, being ascended, was not
only "set down on the right hand of the Majesty on high," where He is
"upholding all things by the word of His power" (Heb. 1:3), ruling as
King in His royal office, but also that He governs His Church by His
Word and Spirit (Rev. 3:1). it was for this reason, when promising the
apostles that they should do "greater works" than He had wrought, that
He added by way of proof "because I go unto My Father" (John
14:12)-there to rule His people and remain until His enemies are made
His footstool.
Finally, there appears to us to be yet another and more solemn reason
why (so far as the inspired narrative informs us) not one soul was
born again through the instrumentality of this Sermon. We cannot shake
off the conviction that here in Matthew 5-7 we have, as it were, a
miniature tableau, a typical representation and anticipation of the
Great Assize. Christ seated on the mount was a figure of His taking
His place on the throne of judgment. Encircled by His disciples and
the "multitudes" before Him gives a picture of the dread Day to come.
The contents of this Sermon reveal both the order of procedure which
will then be followed and the grounds on which the verdicts will be
passed: "His own" vindicated by the benediction (the "Blessed are ye"
pronounced upon them) and all the others weighed and found wanting in
the balance of the very laws which He here enunciated. The effect upon
the people will be the same. For though the visible appearance of
Christ in that day will be very different, though He will be seen with
"His eyes as a flame of fire" and wearing "many crowns" (Rev. 19:12),
yet none shall he brought to repentance and faith by such a sight
"Astonished" they may well be as they learn who it is they despised
and rejected, overwhelmed with horror they will be as they hear His
"Depart from Me ye cursed into everlasting fire," but saved by such a
spectacle and sentence none will be.
"For He taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes."
Apparently no deeper impression was made on the people than a sense of
wonderment, which caused them to draw an invidious distinction between
Christ and the scribes, who dwelt mainly on "the traditions of men"
and such matters as tithing mint and cummin and the ceremonial
washings of pots and pans. That Christ should teach with authority was
intimated in prophecy, when it was announced that Jehovah would put
His own words in His mouth and that He should speak unto Israel all
that had been commanded Him (Deut. 18:18). It is remarkable that even
His enemies bore witness, "Master, we know that Thou art true, and
teachest the way of . . . Truth, neither carest Thou for any man"
(Matthew 22:16). "Though Christ were here in a mean and base state,
yet He would not suffer His calling to be condemned, but gets grace
thereto" (W. Perkins, 1590, to whom we have been indebted in the
course of these expositions). Herein Christ has left His servants an
example, for the minister of the Gospel is bidden to "exhort and
rebuke with all authority" (Titus 2:15), which he can do only as he
cleaves closely to the Word and exhorts in the name of Christ.
Let our closing reflection be this: the words of "authority" in
Matthew 5-7 are addressed as directly to us as to those who first
heard them! By its precepts and rules our conduct must be directed: by
its promises and encouragements our souls are to be sustained, for in
these very scales shall we be weighed in the Day of testing and
adjudication. To us this Sermon comes with even greater authority than
to those who heard it preached in Palestine, for in moving His apostle
by the Spirit to register the same as a permanent record of His will
He speaks to us from heaven. Hence the force of that exhortation, "See
that ye refuse not Him that [not "hath spoken" but] speaketh. For if
they escaped not who refused Him that spake on earth, much more shall
not we escape, if we turn away from Him that speaketh from heaven"
(Heb. 12:25). Then let us earnestly seek grace to be something more
than "astonished" with this Sermon, namely receive it into our hearts
and minds and incorporate it into our daily walk.
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Booklets and Pamphlets
by A.W. Pink
1 John 2:2
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THERE is one passage more than any other which is I appealed to by
those who believe in universal redemption, and which at first sight
appears to teach that Christ died for the whole human race. We have
therefore decided to give it a detailed examination and exposition.
"And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but
also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2). This is the
passage which, apparently, most favors the Arminian view of the
Atonement, yet if it be considered attentively it will be seen that it
does so only in appearance, and not in reality. Below we offer a
number of conclusive proofs to show that this verse does not teach
that Christ has propitiated God on behalf of all the sins of all men.
In the first place, the fact that this verse opens with "and"
necessarily links it with what has gone before. We, therefore, give a
literal word for word translation of I John 2 :1 from Bagster's
Interlinear: "Little children my, these things I write to you, that ye
may not sin; and if any one should sin, a Paraclete we have with the
Father, Jesus Christ (the) righteous". It will thus be seen that the
apostle John is here writing to and about the saints of God. His
immediate purpose was two-fold: first, to communicate a message that
would keep God's children from sinning; second, to supply comfort and
assurance to those who might sin, and, in consequence, be cast down
and fearful that the issue would prove fatal. He, therefore, makes
known to them the provision which God has made for just such an
emergency. This we find at the end of verse 1 and throughout verse 2.
The ground of comfort is twofold: let the downcast and repentant
believer (1 John 1:9) be assured that, first, he has an "Advocate with
the Father"; second, that this Advocate is "the propitiation for our
sins" Now believers only may take comfort from this, for they alone
have an "Advocate", for them alone is Christ the propitiation, as is
proven by linking the Propitiation ("and") with "the Advocate"!
In the second place, if other passages in the New Testament which
speak of "propitiation," he compared with 1 John 2:2, it will be found
that it is strictly limited in its scope. For example, in Romans 3 :25
we read that God set forth Christ "a propitiation through faith in His
blood". If Christ is a propitiation "through faith", then He is not a
"propitiation" to those who have no faith! Again, in Hebrews 2:17 we
read, "To make propitiation for the sins of the people." (Heb. 2:17,
R. V.)
In the third place, who are meant when John says, "He is the
propitiation for our sins"? We answer, Jewish believers. And a part of
the proof on which we base this assertion we now submit to the careful
attention of the reader.
In Galatians 2:9 we are told that John, together with James and
Cephas, were apostles "unto the circumcision" (i.e. Israel). In
keeping with this, the Epistle of James is addressed to "the twelve
tribes, which are scattered abroad" (1:1). So, the first Epistle of
Peter is addressed to "the elect who are sojourners of the Dispersion"
(1 Pet. 1:1, R. V.). And John also is writing to saved Israelites, but
for saved Jews and saved Gentiles.
Some of the evidences that John is writing to saved Jews are as
follows. (a) In the opening verse he says of Christ, "Which we have
seen with our eyes . . . . and our hands have handled". How impossible
it would have been for the Apostle Paul to have commenced any of his
epistles to Gentile saints with such language!
(b) "Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old
commandment which ye had from the beginning" (1 John 2:7). The
"beginning" here referred to is the beginning of the public
manifestation of Christ-in proof compare 1:1 ; 2:13, etc. Now these
believers the apostle tells us, had the "old commandment" from the
beginning. This was true of Jewish believers, but it was not true of
Gentile believers.
(c) "I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known Him from the
beginning" (2:13). Here, again, it is evident that it is Jewish
believers that are in view.
(d) "Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that
Antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we
know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were
not of us" (2:18, 19).
These brethren to whom John wrote had "heard" from Christ Himself that
Antichrist should come (see Matthew 24). The "many antichrists" whom
John declares "went out from us" were all Jews, for during the first
century none but a Jew posed as the Messiah. Therefore, when John says
"He is the propitiation for our sins" he can only mean for the sins of
Jewish believers.*
In the fourth place, when John added, "And not for ours only, but also
for the whole world", he signified that Christ was the propitiation
for the sins of Gentile believers too, for, as previously shown, "the
world" is a term contrasted from Israel. This interpretation is
unequivocally established by a careful comparison of 1 John 2:2 with
John 11:51, 52, which is a strictly parallel passage: "And this spake
he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that
Jesus should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but
that also He should gather together in one the children of God that
were scattered abroad". Here Caiaphas, under inspiration, made known
for whom Jesus should "die". Notice now the correspondency of his
prophecy with this declaration of John's:
"He is the propitiation for our (believing Israelites) sins."
"He prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation."
"And not for ours only." "And not for that nation only."
"But also for the whole world"-That is, Gentile believers scattered
throughout the earth.
"He should gather together in one the children of God that were
scattered abroad."
In the fifth place, the above interpretation is confirmed by the fact
that no other is consistent or intelligible. If the "whole world"
signifies the whole human race, then the first clause and the "also"
in the second clause are absolutely meaningless. If Christ is the
propitiation for every-body, it would be idle tautology to say, first,
"He is the propitiation for our sins and also for everybody". There
could be no "also" if He is the propitiation for the entire human
family. Had the apostle meant to affirm that Christ is a universal
propitiation he had omitted the first clause of verse 2, and simply
said, "He is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world."
Confirmatory of "not for ours (Jewish believers) only, but also for
the whole world"-Gentile believers, too; compare John 10:16; 17:20.
In the sixth place, our definition of "the whole world" is in perfect
accord with other passages in the New Testament. For example: "Whereof
ye heard before in the word of the truth of the Gospel; which is come
unto you, as it is in all the world" (Col. 1:5,6). Does "all the
world" here mean, absolutely and unqualifiedly, all mankind? Had all
the human family heard the Gospel? No; the apostle's obvious meaning
is that, the Gospel, instead of being confined to the land of Judea,
had gone abroad, without restraint, into Gentile lands. So in Romans
1:8: "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that
your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world". The apostle is
here referring to the faith of these Roman saints being spoken of in a
way of commendation. But certainly all mankind did not so speak of
their faith! It was the whole world of believers that he was referring
to! In Revelation 12:9 we read of Satan "which deceiveth the whole
world". But again this expression cannot be understood as a universal
one, for Matthew 24 :24 tells us that Satan does not and cannot
"deceive" God's elect. Here it is "the whole world" of unbelievers.
In the seventh place, to insist that "the whole world" in 1 John 2:2
signifies the entire human race is to undermine the very foundations
of our faith. If Christ is the propitiation for those that are lost
equally as much as for those that are saved, then what assurance have
we that believers too may not be lost? If Christ is the propitiation
for those now in hell, what guarantee have I that I may not end in
hell? The blood-shedding of the incarnate Son of God is the only thing
which can keep any one out of hell, and if many for whom that precious
blood made propitiation are now in the awful place of the damned, then
may not that blood prove inefficacious for me! Away with such a
God-dishonoring thought.
However men may quibble and wrest the Scriptures, one thing is
certain: The Atonement is no failure. God will not allow that precious
and costly sacrifice to fail in accomplishing, completely, that which
it was designed to effect. Not a drop of that holy blood was shed in
vain. In the last great Day there shall stand forth no disappointed
and defeated Saviour, but One who "shall see of the travail of His
soul and be satisfied" (Isa. 53:11). These are not our words, but the
infallible assertion of Him who declares, "My counsel shall stand, and
I will do all My pleasure" (Isa. 64:10). Upon this impregnable rock we
take our stand. Let others rest on the sands of human speculation and
twentieth-century theorizing if they wish. That is their business. But
to God they will yet have to render an account. For our part we had
rather be railed at as a narrow-minded, out-of-date, hyper-Calvinist,
than be found repudiating God's truth by reducing the
Divinely-efficacious atonement to a mere fiction.
* It is true that many things in John's Epistle apply equally to
believing Jews and believing Gentiles. Christ is the Advocate of the
one, as much as of the other. The same may be said of many things in
the Epistle of James which is also a catholic, or general epistle,
though expressly addressed to the twelve tribes scattered abroad.
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A Great Deception
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One of the most popular beliefs of the day is that God loves
everybody, and the very fact that it is so popular with all classes
ought to be enough to arouse the suspicions of those who are subject
to the Word of Truth. God's love towards all His creatures is the
favorite tenet of Universalists, Unitarians, Theosophists, Christian
Scientists, Spiritualists, Russellites, etc. . . . So widely has this
dogma been proclaimed, and so comforting it is to the heart which is
at enmity with God, we have little hope of convincing many of there
error.
To tell the Christ-rejecter that God loves him is to cauterize his
conscience as well as to afford him a sense of security in his sins.
The fact is, the love of God is a truth for the saints only, and to
present it to the enemies of God is to take the children's bread and
to cast it to the dogs.
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Another Gospel
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Satan is not an initiator but an imitator. God has an only begotten
Son-the Lord Jesus, so has Satan-"the son of Perdition" (2 Thess.2:3).
There is a Holy Trinity, and there is likewise a Trinity of Evil (Rev.
20:10). Do we read of the "children of God," so also we read of "the
children of the wicked one" ( Matthew 13:38). Does God work in the
former both to will and to do of His good pleasure, then we are told
that Satan is "the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience" (Eph 2:2). Is there a "mystery of godliness" (1 Tim.
3:16), so also is there a "mystery of iniquity" (2 Thess 2:7). Are we
told that God by His angels "seals" His servants in their foreheads
(Rev 7:3), so also we learn that Satan by his agents sets a mark in
the foreheads of his devotees (Rev. 13:16). Are we told that "the
Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God" (1 Cor.
2:10), then Satan also provides his "deep things" (Greek-Rev. 2:24).
Did Christ perform miracles, so also can Satan (2 Thess. 2:9). Is
Christ seated upon a throne, so is Satan (Greek-Rev. 2:13). Has Christ
a Church, then Satan has his "synagogue" (Rev 2:9). Is Christ the
Light of the world, then so is Satan himself "transformed into an
angel of light" (2 Cor. 11:14). Did Christ appoint "apostles," then
Satan has his apostles, too (2 Cor. 11:13). And this leads us to
consider: "The Gospel of Satan."
Satan is the arch-counterfeiter. The Devil is now busy at work in the
same field in which the Lord sowed the good seed. He is seeking to
prevent the growth of the wheat by another plant, the tares, which
closely resembles the wheat in appearance. In a word, by a process of
imitation he is aiming to neutralize the Work of Christ. Therefore, as
Christ has a Gospel, Satan has a gospel too; the latter being a clever
counterfeit of the former. So closely does the gospel of Satan
resemble that which it parodies, multitudes of the unsaved are
deceived by it.
It is to this gospel of Satan the apostle refers when he says to the
Galatians, "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from Him that called
you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: which is not
another, but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the
Gospel of Christ" (Gal. 1:6,7). This false gospel was being heralded
even in the days of the apostle, and a most awful curse was called
down upon those who preached it. The apostle continues, "But though
we, or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that
which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." By the help of
God we shall now endeavor to expound, or rather, expose this false
gospel.
The gospel of Satan is not a system of revolutionary principles, nor
yet a program of anarchy. It does not promote strife and war, but aims
at peace and unity. It seeks not to set the mother against her
daughter nor the father against his son, but fosters the fraternal
spirit whereby the human race is regarded as one great "brotherhood."
It does not seek to drag down the natural man, but to improve and
uplift him. It advocates education and cultivation and appeals to "the
best that is within - It aims to make this world such a comfortable
and congenial habitat that Christ's absence from it will not be felt
and God will not be needed. It endeavors to occupy man so much with
this world that he has no time or inclination to think of the world to
come. It propagates the principles of self-sacrifice, charity and
benevolence, and teaches us to live for the good of others, and to be
kind to all. It appeals strongly to the carnal mind and is popular
with the masses, because it ignores the solemn facts that by nature
man is a fallen creature, alienated from the life of God, and dead in
trespasses and sins, and that his only hope lies in being born again.
In contradistinction to the Gospel of Christ, the gospel of Satan
teaches salvation by works. It inculcates justification before God on
the ground of human merits. Its sacramental phrase is "Be good and do
good"; but it fails to recognize that in the flesh there dwelleth no
good thing. It announces salvation by character, which reverses the
order of God's Word--character by, as the fruit of, salvation. Its
various ramifications and organizations are manifold. Temperance,
Reform Movements, "Christian Socialist Leagues," Ethical Culture
Societies, "Peace Congresses" are all employed (perhaps unconsciously)
in proclaiming this gospel of Satan--salvation by works. The pledge
card is substituted for Christ; social purity for individual
regeneration, and politics and philosophy, for doctrine and godliness.
The cultivation of the old man is considered more practical than the
creation of a new man in Christ Jesus; whilst universal peace is
looked for apart from the interposition and return of the Prince of
Peace.
The apostles of Satan are not saloon-keepers and white-slave
traffickers, but are for the most part ordained ministers. Thousands
of those who occupy our modern pulpits are no longer engaged in
presenting the fundamentals of the Christian Faith, but have turned
aside from the Truth and have given heed unto fables. Instead of
magnifying the enormity of sin and setting forth its eternal
consequences, they minimize it by declaring that sin is merely
ignorance or the absence of good. Instead of warning their hearers to
"flee from the wrath to come" they make God a liar by declaring that
He is too loving and merciful to send any of His own creatures to
eternal torment. Instead of declaring that "without shedding of blood
is no remission," they merely hold up Christ as the great Exemplar and
exhort their hearers to "follow in His steps." Of them it must be
said, "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about
to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves
unto the righteousness of God" (Rom. 10:3). Their message may sound
very plausible and their aim appear very praiseworthy, yet we read of
them--"for such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming
themselves (imitating) into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for
Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it is
no great thing [not to be wondered at] if his ministers also be
transformed as the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be
according to their works" (2 Cor. 11:13-15).
In addition to the fact that today hundreds of churches are without a
leader who faithfully declares the whole counsel of God and presents
His way of salvation, we also have to face the additional fact that
the majority of people in these churches are very unlikely to learn
the Truth themselves. The family altar, where a portion of God's Word
was wont to be read daily is now, even in the homes of nominal
Christians, largely a thing of the past. The Bible is not expounded in
the pulpit and it is not read in the pew. The demands of this rushing
age are so numerous, that multitudes have little time and still less
inclination to make preparation for the meeting with God. Hence the
majority who are too indolent to search for themselves, are left at
the mercy of those whom they pay to search for them; many of whom
betray their trust by studying and expounding economic and social
problems rather than the Oracles of God.
In Proverbs 14:12 we read, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a
man; but the end thereof are the ways of death." This "way" which ends
in" death" is the Devil's Delusion--the gospel of Satan--a way of
salvation by human attainment. It is a way which "seemeth right," that
is to say, it is presented in such a plausible way that it appeals to
the natural man: it is set forth in such a subtle and attractive
manner, that it commends itself to the intelligence of its hearers. By
virtue of the fact that it appropriates to itself religious
terminology, sometimes appeals to the Bible for its support (whenever
this suits its purpose), holds up before men lofty ideals, and is
proclaimed by those who have graduated from our theological
institutions, countless multitudes are decoyed and deceived by it.
The success of an illegitimate coiner depends largely upon how closely
the counterfeit resembles the genuine article. Heresy is not so much
the total denial of the truth as a perversion of it. That is why half
a lie is always more dangerous than a complete repudiation. Hence when
the Father of Lies enters the pulpit it is not his custom to flatly
deny the fundamental truths of Christianity, rather does he tacitly
acknowledge them, and then proceed to give an erroneous interpretation
and a false application. For example: he would not be so foolish as to
boldly announce his disbelief in a personal God; he takes His
existence for granted and then gives a false description of His
character. He announces that God is the spiritual Father of all men,
when the Scriptures plainly tell us that we are "the children of God
by faith in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:26), and that "as many as received
him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God" (John 1:12).
Further, he declares that God is far too merciful to ever send any
member of the human race to Hell, when God Himself has said,
"Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the
Lake of Fire" (Rev. 20:15). Again; Satan would not be so foolish as to
ignore the central figure of human history--the Lord Jesus Christ; on
the contrary, his gospel acknowledges Him to be the best man that ever
lived. Attention is drawn to His deeds of compassion and works of
mercy, the beauty of His character and the sublimity of His teaching.
His life is eulogized, but His vicarious Death is ignored, the
all-important atoning work of the cross is never mentioned, whilst His
triumphant and bodily resurrection from the grave is regarded as one
of the credulities of a superstitious age. It is a bloodless gospel,
and presents a crossless Christ, who is received not as God manifest
in the flesh, but merely as the Ideal Man.
In 2 Corinthians 4:3 we have a scripture which sheds much light upon
our present theme. There we are told, "if our Gospel be hid, it is hid
to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world [Satan] hath
blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the
glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God should shine unto
them." He blinds the minds of unbelievers through hiding the light of
the Gospel of Christ, and he does this by substituting his own gospel.
Appropriately is he designated "The Devil and Satan which deceiveth
the whole world" (Rev. 12:9). In merely appealing to "the best that is
within man," and in simply exhorting him to "lead a nobler life" there
is afforded a general platform upon which those of every shade of
opinion can unite and proclaim this common message.
Again we quote Proverbs 14:12--"There is a way which seemeth right
unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." It has been
said with considerable truth that the way to Hell is paved with good
intentions. There will be many in the Lake of Fire who commended life
with good intentions, honest resolutions and exalted ideals--those who
were just in their dealings, fair in their transactions and charitable
in all their ways; men who prided themselves in their integrity but
who sought to justify themselves before God by their own
righteousness; men who were moral, merciful and magnanimous, but who
never saw themselves as guilty, lost, hell-deserving sinners needing a
Saviour. Such is the way which "seemeth right." Such is the way that
commends itself to the carnal mind and recommends itself to multitudes
of deluded ones today. The Devil's Delusion is that we can be saved by
our own works, and justified by our own deeds; whereas, God tells us
in His Word : "By grace are ye saved through faith. ..not of works
lest any man should boast." And again, "Not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us."
A few years ago the writer became acquainted with one who was a lay
preacher and an enthusiastic "Christian worker." For over seven years
this friend had been engaged in public preaching and religious
activities, but from certain expressions and phrases he used, the
writer doubted whether this friend was a "born again" man. When we
began to question him, it was found that he was very imperfectly
acquainted with the Scriptures and had only the vaguest conception of
Christ's Work for sinners. For a time we sought to present the way of
salvation in a simple and impersonal manner and to encourage our
friend to study the Word for himself, in the hope that if he were
still unsaved God would be pleased to reveal the Saviour he needed.
One night to our joy, the one who had been preaching the Gospel (?)
for several years, confessed that he had found Christ only the
previous night. He acknowledged (to use his own words) that he had
been presenting "the Christ ideal" but not the Christ of the Cross.
The writer believes there are thousands like this preacher who,
perhaps, have been brought up in Sunday School, taught about the
birth, life, and teachings of Jesus Christ, who believe in the
historicity of His person, who spasmodically endeavor to practice His
precepts, and who think that that is all that is necessary for their
salvation. Frequently, this class when they reach manhood go out into
the world, encounter the attacks of atheists and infidels and are told
that such a person as Jesus of Nazareth never lived. But the
impressions of early days cannot be easily erased, and they remain
steadfast in their declaration that they "believe in Jesus Christ."
Yet, when their faith is examined, only too often it is found that
though they believe many things about Jesus Christ they do not really
believe in him. They believe with the head that such a person lived
(and, because they believe this imagine that therefore they are
saved), but they have never thrown down the weapons of their warfare
against Him, yielded themselves to Him, nor truly believed with their
heart in Him.
The bare acceptance of an orthodox doctrine about the person of Christ
without the heart being won by Him and the life devoted to Him, is
another phase of that way "which seemeth right unto a man" but the end
thereof are "the ways of death." A mere intellectual assent to the
reality of Christ's person, and which goes no further, is another
phase of the way which "seemeth right unto a man" but of which the end
thereof "are the ways of death," or, in other words, is another aspect
of the gospel of Satan.
And now, where do you stand? Are you in the way which "seemeth right,"
but which ends in death; or, are you in the Narrow Way which leadeth
unto life? Have you truly forsaken the Broad Road which leadeth to
death? Has the love of Christ created in your heart a hatred and
horror of all that is displeasing to Him? Are you desirous that he
should "reign over" you? (Luke 19:14). Are you relying wholly on His
righteousness and blood for your acceptance with God?
Those who are trusting to an outward form of godliness, such as
baptism or "confirmation!" those who are religious because it is
considered a mark of respectability; those who attend some Church or
Chapel because it is the fashion to do so; and, those who unite with
some Denomination because they suppose that such a step will enable
them to become Christians, are in the way which "ends in death"--death
spiritual and eternal. However pure our motives, however noble our
intentions, however well-meaning our purposes, however sincere our
endeavors, God will not acknowledge us as His sons, until we accept
His Son.
A yet more specious form of Satan's gospel is to move preachers to
present the atoning sacrifice of Christ and then tell their hearers
that all God requires from them is to "believe" in His Son. Thereby
thousands of impenitent souls are deluded into thinking they have been
saved. But Christ said, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise
perish" (Luke 13:3). To "repent" is to hate sin, to sorrow over it, to
turn from it. It is the result of the Spirits making the heart
contrite before God. None except a broken heart can savingly believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Again, thousands are deceived into supposing that they have "accepted
Christ" as their "personal Saviour," who have not first received Him
as their LORD. The Son of God did not come here to save His people in
their sin, but "from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). To be saved from
sins, is to be saved from ignoring and despising the authority of God,
it is to abandon the course of self-will and self-pleasing, it is to
"forsake our way" (Isa. 55:7). It is to surrender to God's authority,
to yield to His dominion, to give ourselves over to be ruled by Him.
The one who has never taken Christ's "yoke" upon him, who is not truly
and diligently seeking to please Him in all the details of life, and
yet supposes that he is "resting on the Finished Work of Christ" is
deluded by the Devil.
In the seventh chapter of Matthew there are two scriptures which give
us approximate results of Christ's Gospel and Satan s counterfeit.
First, in verses 13-14, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is
the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many
there be which go in thereat. Because strait is the gate, and narrow
is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
Second; in verses 22-23, "Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord,
have we not prophesied [preached] in Thy name? and in Thy name cast
out demons, and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I
profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from Me, ye that work
iniquity." Yes, my reader, it is possible to work in the name of
Christ, and even to preach in his name, and though the world knows us,
the Church knows us, yet to be unknown to the Lord! How necessary is
it then to find out where we really are; to examine ourselves and see
whether we be in the faith; to measure ourselves by the Word of God
and see if we are being deceived by our subtle Enemy; to find out
whether we are building our house upon the sand, or whether it is
erected on the Rock which is Jesus Christ. May the Holy Spirit search
our hearts, break our wills, slay our enmity against God, work in us a
deep and true repentance, and direct our gaze to the Lamb of God which
taketh away the sin of the world.
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Anxiety
"Be anxious for nothing" Philippians 4:6
Philippians 4:6
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Worrying is as definitely forbidden as theft. This needs to be
carefully pondered and definitely realized by us, so that we do not
excuse it as an innocent "infirmity." The more we are convicted of the
sinfulness of anxiety, the sooner are we likely to perceive that it is
most dishonoring to God, and "strive against" it (Heb. 12:4). But how
are we to "strive against" it?
First, by begging the Holy Spirit to grant us a deeper conviction of
its enormity. Second, by making it a subject of special and earnest
prayer, that we may be delivered from this evil. Third, by watching
its beginning, and as soon as we are conscious of harassment of mind,
as soon as we detect the unbelieving thought, lift up our heart to God
and ask Him for deliverance from it.
The best antidote for anxiety is frequent meditation upon God's
goodness, power and sufficiency. When the saint can confidently
realize "The Lord is My Shepherd," he must draw the conclusion, "I
shall not want!" Immediately following our exhortation is, "but in
everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your
request be made known unto God." Nothing is too big and nothing is too
little to spread before and cast upon the Lord. The "with
thanksgiving" is most important, yet it is the point at which we most
fail. It means that before we receive God's answer, we thank Him for
the same: it is the confidence of the child expecting his Father to be
gracious.
"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought (anxious concern) for your
life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your
body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the
body than raiment?" "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew
6:25,33)
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Bearing The Rod
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"Man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward" (Job 5:7). How can
it be otherwise, living as he is in a world which is under the curse
that Adam's sin entailed, and, what is worse, under God's judgment
because of its casting out of His beloved Son. Yet the subject of
"trouble" needs to be "rightly divided" if we are to properly heed
that exhortation, "Be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will
of the Lord is" (Eph. 5:17), an important part of which consists in
understanding the meaning and message of our Father to us in all the
"trouble" which we encounter and experience. As we turn to the Holy
Scriptures for light upon this subject of Trouble, Suffering,
Affliction, Tribulation, Persecution etc., we discover two distinct
and different lines of Truth thereon, running all trough the Word. On
the one hand we read that, "We must through much tribulation enter
into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22), parallel with which are such
passages as Luke 6:26, 2 Timothy 3:12 etc. But on the other hand, we
read that "the curse causeless shall not come" (Prov. 26:2), that God
does not "afflict willingly" (Lamentations 3:33), and that "if we
would judge ourselves, we should not be judged" (1 Cor. 11:31). Much
of the "trouble" and "affliction" experienced by us, we bring upon
ourselves, through our own folly. We see this plainly exemplified in
the natural realm: how many are now suffering bodily ills through
intemperate eating and drinking: how many are nervous wrecks as the
result of "burning the candle at both ends"! The same principle holds
good in the spiritual realm: the chastening rod of God is upon many of
His children because of their self-will and self-pleasing: some of
them are passing through sore financial straits because their "sins
have withholden" God's temporal mercies (Jeremiah 5:25); still others,
who have been favored with clear and definite light from God as to a
certain course of duty--e.g. separating themselves from religious
associations which dishonor Christ--and because they have not walked
therein, the Lord has "hedged up their way with thorns" (Hosea 2:6).
Nevertheless, it would be a serious mistake to draw the inference that
every time we see a suffering Christian, we behold one who has
seriously displeased God, and therefore is now being severely
chastised by Him. It would be wrong to form such a conclusion
concerning every case, because trouble and suffering issue from other
causes, and are sent by God for other purposes than the reproof of
sin--sent sometimes to experimentally fit the recipient for greater
and higher usefulness in the service of Christ: compare 2 Corinthians
1:4. Now from what has been pointed out above, it should be quite
clear that real exercise of heart is called for from each one of us
whenever painful trials come upon us; that we need to get down before
God, and cry, "show me wherefore Thou contendedest with me" (Job
10:2). To take this attitude is the part of wisdom, for if God be
dealing with us over something that has displeased Him, and we fail to
humble ourselves before Him and learn of Him what it is which is now
choking the channel of His highest blessing toward us, and obtain
grace from Him to put right what is wrong, then the chastening
"profits" us not, and further and increased chastisement must be our
portion; for it is not until we are "exercised thereby," exercised in
conscience, that we have any promise it will issue in "the peaceable
fruit of righteousness" (Heb. 12:11). If the "trouble" through which
we are passing at any period of our lives be a reproof from God
because of our sins or unfaithfulness, and instead of suspecting that
He is displeased with us and taking our place in the dust before Him,
begging Him to put His finger on the festering sore in our hearts: if
instead, we proudly imagine that there is nothing wrong in our lives,
that we have given God no cause to smite us, and complacently assume
that we are suffering only for "righteousness' sake," and draw comfort
from such promises as Matthew 5:11, 12, we are deceived by Satan, and
are but "forsaking our own mercy" (Jonah 2:8). It is written, He that
covereth his sins shall not prosper" (Prov. 28:13). Thus, whenever
"trouble" comes upon a Christian it is always the safest policy to
come to the Lord and say, "Teach me, and I will hold my tongue: and
cause me to understand wherein I have erred" (Job 5:24). From what has
been said above, it will be seen that it often falls to the lot of
God's servants to perform a duty which is most unpleasant to the
flesh. When they come into contact with a Brother or Sister who is
passing through deep waters, their natural desire is to administer
comfort, but in some instances (at least) to do so would be guilty of
"healing also the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly": and how
is this done? The same verse tells us, by "saying, Peace, peace, when
there is no peace" (Jer. 6:14). That was what the `false prophets" had
done to Israel, and that was the very thing which carnal Israel
desired: their demand was, "Prophesy not unto us right things, speak
to us smooth things, prophesy deceits" (Isa. 30:10); and human nature
has not changed any since then!It is a thankless task for any true
servant of Christ today to be faithful to his Master, and faithful to
the souls of those with whom he deals. Not that God requires him to
think the worst of every case that comes to his notice, but that it is
his burden duty to exhort each one to act on Job 10:2. But if he does
do so, he may be assured at the beginning, that in the majority of
cases he will be looked upon as harsh, hypercritical, unkind, like one
of Job's censorious comforters; for there are few indeed who have an
honest heart, are ready to know the worst about themselves, and are
willing to be cut by the knife of God's Word. The great majority want
only comfort , the "promises" of Scripture, the message of "Peace,
peace.But do not the Promises of God belong unto His children?
Certainly they do: but here too "there is a season, and a time to
every purpose" (Eccl. 3:1): there is a time when we may rightfully
draw consolation and strength from the promises, and there is a time
when we may not legitimately do so. When all is right between our
souls and God, when every known sin has been confessed, and forsaken
in sincere purpose of heart, then may we righteously draw milk from
the breasts of Divine consolation. But just as there are times when it
would be injurious for us to eat some of the things we do when we are
well, so to take unto ourselves comfort from the Divine promises while
sin is cherished in our hearts, is baneful and sinful.
The above (now slightly revised) recently sent by us in a letter to
one passing through deep waters. It occurred to us that it might be a
timely word for others. Many are now in the fiery furnace, and few
indeed are there capable of speaking to them a word in season. It is
not sufficient to bid them "Trust in God," and assure them that
brighter days are ahead. The conscience needs to be searched; the
wound must be probed and cleansed, before it is ready for "the balm of
Gilead"; we must humble ourselves "beneath the mighty hand of God" (1
Pet. 5:6), if we are to be exalted again by Him in "due time." May the
Lord be pleased to bless the above unto some of "His own".
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"Chosen to Salvation"
"But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren
beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to
salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the
truth"
2 Thessalonians 2:13
_________________________________________________________________
There are three things here which deserve special attention. First,
the fact that we are expressly told that God's elect are "chosen to
salvation": Language could not be more explicit. How summarily do
these words dispose of the sophistries and equivocations of all who
would make election refer to nothing but external privileges or rank
in service! It is to "salvation" itself that God has chosen us.
Second, we are warned here that election unto salvation does not
disregard the use of appropriate means: salvation is reached through
"sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth" It is not true
that because God has chosen a certain one to salvation that he will be
saved willy-nilly, whether he believes or not: nowhere do the
Scriptures so represent it. The same God who "chose unto salvation",
decreed that His purpose should be realized through the work of the
spirit and belief of the truth. Third, that God has chosen us unto
salvation is a profound cause for fervent praise. Note how strongly
the apostle express this - "we are bound to give thanks always to God
for you. brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the
beginning chosen you to salvation", etc. Instead of shrinking back in
horror from the doctrine of predestination, the believer, when he sees
this blessed truth as it is unfolded in the Word, discovers a ground
for gratitude and thanksgiving such as nothing else affords, save the
unspeakable gift of the Redeemer Himself.
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Christian Fools
"Then He said unto them, O fools and slow of heart
to believe all that the prophets have spoken."
Luke 24:25
_________________________________________________________________
Those of you who read the religious announcements in the newspapers of
yesterday would see the subject for my sermon this evening is
"Christian Fools." Possibly some of you thought there was a printer's
error and that what I really meant to announce was "Professing
Christian fools." The paper gave it quite correctly. My subject
tonight is "Christian Fools." Probably some of you think that this is
a most unsuitable title for a servant of God to give to his sermon,
and yet I make no apology whatever for it. It fits exactly my subject
for tonight: it expresses accurately what I am going to speak about:
and--"what is far more to the point--it epitomizes our text: "Then He
said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the
prophets have spoken."
Those words were spoken by Christ on the day of His resurrection:
spoken not to worldlings but to Christians. That which occasioned them
was this. The disciples to whom He was speaking were lopsided in their
theology: they believed a certain part of God's truth and they refused
to believe another part of the truth that did not suit them; they
believed some Scriptures but they did not believe all that the
prophets had spoken, and the reason they did not was because they were
unable to harmonize the two different parts of God's truth. They were
like some people today: when it comes to their theology; they walk by
reason and by logic rather than by faith.
In the Old Testament there were many prophecies concerning the coming
Messiah that spoke of His glory. If there was one thing the Old
Testament prediction made plain, it was that the Messiah of Israel
should be glorious. It spoke of His power, His honor, His majesty, His
dominion, His triumphs. But on the other hand, there were many
prophecies in the Old Testament that spoke of a suffering Messiah,
that portrayed His humiliation, His degradation, His rejection, His
death at the hands of wicked men. And these disciples of Christ
believed the former set of prophecies, but they would not believe in
the second: they could not see how it was possible to harmonize the
two. If the coming Messiah was to be a glorious Messiah, possessing
power and majesty and dominion: if He would be triumphant, then how
could He, at the same time, be a suffering Messiah, despised,
humiliated, rejected of men? And because the disciples could not fit
the two together, because they were unable to harmonize them, they
refused to believe both, and Christ told them to their faces that they
were fools. He says, "O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that
the prophets have spoken."
I suppose some of us have wondered how it was possible for these
disciples, these followers of Christ, who had been privileged to be
with Him during His public ministry and those who had been so intimate
with Him, had been instructed by Him, had witnessed His wonderful
miracles; how it was possible for such men to err so grievously and to
act so foolishly. And yet we need not be surprised; the same thing is
happening all around us today. Christendom tonight is full of men and
women who believe portions of God's truth, but who do not believe all
that the prophets have spoken. In other words, my friends, Christendom
tonight is full of men and women that the Son of God says are "fools"
because of their slowness of heart to believe.
Now very likely, the sermon tonight will make some of my hearers
angry: probably they are the ones who most need the rebuke of the
text. When a servant of God wields the sword of the Spirit, if he does
his work faithfully and effectively, then some of his hearers are
bound to get cut and wounded: and, my friends, that is always God's
way. God always wounds before He heals. And I want to remind you at
the outset that this text is no invention of mine. These are the
words of One who never wounded unnecessarily, but they are also the
words of the True and Faithful Witness who never hesitated to preach
the whole truth of God, whether men would receive it or whether they
would reject it. I know it is not a pleasant thing to be called a
fool, especially if we have a high regard for ourselves and rate our
own wisdom and orthodoxy very highly--it wounds our pride. But we need
to be wounded, all of us. We need to be humbled; we need to be
rebuked; we need to have that word from the lips of Christ which is as
a two-edged sword.
Now notice, dear friends, that Christ did not upbraid these disciples
because they did not understand, but because of their lack of faith.
The trouble with them was they reasoned too much. Very likely they
prided themselves on their logical minds and said, Well, surely we are
not asked to believe impossibilities and absurdities: both of these
cannot be true; one is true and the other cannot be. Either the
Messiah of Israel is going to be a glorious and a triumphant Messiah,
or else He is going to be a rejected and a humiliated one: they cannot
both be true. That is why Christ said to them--not because of their
failure to understand, but because of their lack of faith--"O fools,
and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken."
I am afraid that today there are many who only believe what they can
understand, and if there is something else that they cannot
understand, they do not believe it. If they have devised to themselves
a systematized theology (or more probably they have adopted someone
else's system of theology), and they hear a sermon (no matter how much
Scripture there may be in it) which they cannot fit into their little
system of theology, they won't have it. They place a higher value on
consistency than they do on fidelity. That is just what was the matter
with these disciples: they could not see the consistency of the two
things and therefore they were only prepared to believe the one.
The same thing, my friends, is true today with many preachers. There
are multitudes of preachers in Australia tonight whose theology is
narrower than the teaching of this Book. Then away to the winds with
theology! --I mean human systems of theology which are narrower than
Scripture. For example, there are men today who read God's Word, and
they see that the gospel is to be preached to every creature, and that
God commands all who hear that gospel to believe in Christ; then they
come across some texts on election, predestination:--"Many are called
but few are chosen," and they say, Well, I cannot harmonize this, I
cannot see how it is possible to preach, unhampered, a gospel to every
creature, and yet for election to be true. And because they cannot
harmonize the two things, they neither believe the two nor will they
preach both. They cannot harmonize election with a gospel that is to
be preached to every creature, and so the Arminians preach the gospel
but they leave out election.
Yes, but there are many Calvinists who equally come under the rebuke
of our text. They believe in the sovereignty of God, but they refuse
to believe in the responsibility of man. I read a book by a
hyper-Calvinist only a few weeks ago, by a man whose shoe-latchet the
present speaker in many things is not fit to stoop down and unloose--a
man of God, a faithful servant of His, one from whom I have learned
not a little--and yet he had the effrontery to say, that
responsibility is the most awful word in the English language, and
then went on to tirade against human responsibility. They cannot
understand how that it is possible for God to fix the smallest and the
greatest events, and yet not to infringe upon man's
accountability--men themselves choosing the evil and rejecting the
good--and therefore because they cannot see both they will only
believe in one.
Listen! If man were nothing more than clay in the hands of the Potter
there would be no difficulty. Scripture affirms in Romans 9 that man
is clay in the hands of the Potter, but that only gives you one aspect
of the truth. That emphasizes the absoluteness of God's control over
all the works and creatures of His hands; but from other Scriptures we
learn that man is something more than lifeless clay. Man has been
endowed with understanding; man has been given a will. Yes, I freely
admit that his understanding is darkened; I fully allow that his will
is in bondage; but they are still there; they have not been destroyed.
If man was nothing more than a block of wood or a block of stone, it
would be easy to understand how that God could fix the place that he
was to occupy and the purpose that he was to fulfil; but, my friends,
it is very far from easy to understand how that God can shape and
direct all history and yet leave man fully responsible and not
infringe upon his accountability.
Now there are some who have devised a very simple but a most
unsatisfactory method of getting rid of the difficulty, and that is to
deny its existence. There are Arminians who have presented the
"free-will" of man in such a way as to virtually dethrone God, and I
have no sympathy whatever with their system. On the other hand, there
have been some Calvinists who have presented a kind of fatalism (I
know not what else to term it) reducing man to nothing more than a
block of wood, exonerating him of all blame and excusing him for his
unbelief. But they are both equally wrong, and I scarcely know which
is the more mischievous of the two. When the Calvinist says, All
things happen according to the predestination of God. I heartily say
Amen, and I am willing to be called a Calvinist; but if the Arminian
says that when a man sins the sin is his own, and that if he continues
sinning he will surely perish, and that if he perishes his blood is on
his own head, then I believe the Arminian speaks according to God's
truth; though I am not willing to be called an Arminian. The trouble
is when we tie ourselves down to a theological system.
Now listen a little more closely still. When the Calvinist says that
faith is the gift of God and that no sinner ever does or can believe
until God gives him that faith, I heartily say Amen; but when the
Arminian says that the gospel commands all who hear it to believe, and
that it is the duty of every sinner to believe, I also say Amen. What?
you say, You are going to stand up and preach faith-duty-duty-faith? I
know that is jolting to some of you. Now bear with me patiently for a
moment and I will try and not shock you too badly. Whose is the
gospel? It is God's. Whose voice is it that is heard speaking in the
gospel? It is God's. To whom has God commanded the gospel to be
preached? To every creature. What does the gospel say to every
creature? It says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." It says,
"Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting
life." It says, "The gospel of Christ is the power of God unto
salvation to everyone that believeth." God commands, not invites. God
commands every man, woman and child that hears that gospel to believe
it, for the gospel is true; therefore it is the duty of every man to
believe what God has said. Let me give you the alternative. If it is
not the duty of every sinner to believe the gospel, then it is his
duty not to believe it--one or the other. Do you mean to tell me it is
the duty of an unconverted sinner to reject the gospel? I am not
talking now about his ability to believe it.
Some of you say, Well how can it be his duty to believe it, when he
cannot do so? Is it his duty to do an impossibility? Well, listen! Is
my duty, is my responsibility measured by my ability, by my power to
perform? Here is a man who has ordered a hundred pounds' worth of
furniture; he receives it, and he is given thirty days' credit in
which to pay for it; but during the next thirty days he squanders his
money, and at the end of the month he is practically bankrupt. When
the firm presents their bill to him, he says, "I am sorry but I am
unable to pay you." He is speaking the truth. "I am unable, it does
not lie within my power to pay you." Would the head of that business
house say, "All right, that ends the matter then: sorry to hear that
you do not have the power, but evidently we cannot do anything." No,
my friend, ability does not measure our responsibility. Man is
responsible to do many things that he is not able to do. You that are
Christians are responsible to live a sinless life, for God says to
you, "Awake to righteousness and sin not," and in the first Epistle of
John we read, "These things write I unto you, that ye sin not." God
sets before you and me a standard of holy perfection. There is not one
of us that is capable of measuring up to it, but that is our
responsibility, and that is what we are going to be measured by when
we stand before the judgment-seat of Christ.
Now then there are many Arminian preachers who are afraid to preach
sermons on certain texts of the Bible. They would be afraid to stand
up and preach from John 6:44--"No man can come to Me, except the
Father which hath sent Me draw him." They would be afraid to stand up
and preach from Romans 9:18--"Therefore hath He mercy on whom He will
have mercy, and whom He will He hardeneth." Yes, and it is also true
that there are many Calvinist preachers who are equally afraid to
preach from certain texts of the Scriptures lest their orthodoxy be
challenged and lest they be called Freewillers. They are afraid to
stand up and preach, for example, on the words of the Lord Jesus:
--"How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a
hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" Or on
such a verse as this: --"The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and
the violent take it by force;" or "Strive (agonize) to enter in at the
Strait Gate." And to show you that I am not imagining things, I am
just going to read you three lines. Listen! "At the meeting at. . . [I
will leave out the name] on January 15^th last, the question was asked
to the effect: Had not some of our ministers for the sake of orthodoxy
abstained from preaching from certain texts, and the answer was in the
affirmative." I am reading now from a Strict Baptist magazine! That
was a meeting of Strict Baptist preachers and they were honest enough
to admit, themselves, that because they were afraid of their orthodoxy
being challenged, they were silent on certain texts of Scripture. O
may God remove from all of us the fear of man.
Some of you perhaps are thinking right now in your own minds, Well,
Brother Pink, I do not see how you are consistent with yourself. My
friends, that does not trouble me one iota, and it won't cause one
hair in my head to go gray if I am inconsistent with any Calvinistic
creed: the only thing that concerns me is to be consistent with the
Holy Spirit, and to teach as the Holy Spirit shall enable, the whole
counsel of God; to leave out nothing, to withhold nothing, and to give
a proportionate presentation of God's truth. Do you know, I believe
that most of the theological errors of the past have grown out of, not
so much a denial of God's truth, as a disproportionate emphasis of it.
Let me give you a simple illustration. The most comely countenance
with the most beautiful features would soon become ugly if one feature
were to grow while the others remained undeveloped. You can take the
most beautiful baby there is in the world tonight and if that baby's
nose were to grow while its eyes and its cheeks and its mouth and its
ears remained undeveloped, it would soon become unsightly. The same is
true with every other member of its face.
Beauty is mainly a matter of proportion and this is true of God's
Word. It is only as truth is presented in its proper proportions that
the beauty and blessedness to it are maintained in the hearts and
lives of God's people. The sad thing is that almost everywhere today
there is just one feature of truth being disproportionately
emphasized.
And listen again! If God's truth is to be presented proportionately
and effectively then each truth of God's Word must be presented
separately. If I am speaking upon the humanity of Christ, if I am
seeking to emphasize the reality of His manhood, how that He was made
like unto His brethren in all things, how that He was tempted in all
points as they were--sin excepted--I would not bring into my sermon a
reference to His Godhood; and if you were to hear me preach the next
twelve Sunday nights on the manhood of Christ and never refer to His
Deity in those sermons, I hope none of you brethren would be so
foolish as to draw the conclusion, Oh dear me, Brother Pink no longer
believes in the Godhood of our Savior.
Again, if I am preaching on the wrath of God, the holy hatred of God
for sin and His vengeance upon it, I would be weakening my sermon to
bring in at the close a reference to His tenderness, mercy and love,
for in my judgment that would be to blunt the point of the special
truth I was seeking to press on the unconverted. And, in the same way,
if I am pressing on the unconverted their need, their duty and
importance of seeking the Lord, calling upon, coming to and believing
on Him for themselves, I would not bring in or explain the work of the
Holy Spirit in conversion.
Each truth needs to be presented separately that it may have its clear
outline presented to the heart and to the mind. And after all, my
friends, we are not saved by believing in the Spirit, we are saved by
believing in Christ. We are not saved by believing in the work of the
Spirit within us (no man was ever saved by believing that); we are
saved by trusting in the work of Christ outside of us. O may God help
us to maintain the balance of truth. There is something more in this
Book, brethren and sisters, beside election, particular redemption and
the new birth. They are there, and I would not say one word to weaken
or to repudiate them, but that is not all that is in this Book. There
is a human side. There is man's responsibility. There is the sinner's
repentance. There is the sinner's believing in Christ. There is the
pressing of the gospel upon the unsaved; and I want to tell you
frankly that is a church does not evangelize it will fossilize: and,
if I am not much mistaken, that is what happened to some of the Strict
Baptist Churches in Australia. Numbers of them that once had a
healthy existence are now no more; and some others are already dead
but they are not yet buried; and I believe one of the main reasons for
that is this--they failed at the vital point of evangelism. If a
church does not evangelize it will fossilize. That is God's method of
perpetuating His work and of maintaining His churches. God uses means,
and the means that the Holy Spirit uses in His work is the preaching
of the gospel to the unconverted, to every creature. True, the
preaching will avail nothing without the Spirit's blessing and
application. True, no sinner will or can believe until God has
quickened him. Yet he ought to, and is commanded to.
Now I meant, if time had allowed me, to come back again to the text
and give you a few striking examples of where many have failed in
holding the balance of God's truth. Take for example the Unitarians. I
have met numbers of Unitarians who believe this Book is God's word,
and believe that they can prove their creed from this Book. They
appeal to such Scriptures as Deuteronomy 6:4--"The Lord our God is one
Lord." Their creed is the unity of God and they argue that if there be
three divine persons there must be three Gods; they cannot harmonize
them, they cannot reconcile three persons with one God; so what do
they do? Well, they hold fast to the one and they let go the other.
They say the two won't mix--either God is one or else He is three; He
cannot be both. When they come to the Person of Christ they emphasize
such passages as--"He grew in wisdom." Well, they say, if He was a
divine person, how could He grow in wisdom? They emphasize such
passages as "He prayed," and they say it is an absurdity to think of
God praying to God. They say, He died--how could God die? No, He
cannot be divine: He is a good man; He is a holy man; He is a perfect
man; and because they cannot reconcile the two classes of Scriptures
they believe the one and reject the other. And Christ says to them, Ye
are fools because ye are slow of heart to believe all.
Take the Universalists. I have met numbers of Universalists--several
here in Sydney. I was going to say that I have less suspicion of the
reality of their own salvation than I have of some of yours. At any
rate they seem to give such evidence in their daily walk that they
commune with Christ that it really makes one wonder where they are.
Well now, the Universalists are staggered by the doctrine of eternal
punishment. They say "God is love." "The mercy of God endureth
forever." God is good: how can a merciful, loving God send any to
eternal suffering? The Universalist say they cannot both be true: if
there is such a thing as eternal punishment, then God can't be love:
if God is love, there cannot be such a thing as eternal punishment.
You see what they are doing? They are reasoning: they are walking by
logic: they have drawn up their own scheme and system of theology and
that which they cannot fit exactly into that scheme, somewhere, well,
away with it!
But the Unitarians and the Universalists and the Arminians are not the
only ones who are guilty of that. I am sorry to say that it is equally
true, in some respects, of many Calvinists. They are unsound when it
comes to the gospel. They are all at sea when it comes to the matter
of believing. I am not going to keep you very much longer, but listen
closely now. There are many Calvinists who say, Believing is an
evidence of our salvation, but it is not a condition or the cause of
salvation. But, my friends, I make so bold as to say that those who so
teach take issue with this Book. Now I want you to turn with me to
four passages in the New Testament. I am not asking you to take my
word for anything. You turn with me now to four passages in God's own
word. First of all Romans l:16-17--"For I am not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation." The power of
God unto salvation to whom? --"the power of God unto salvation to
everyone that believeth." Now I have no hesitation whatever in saying
to every grown-up person in this room tonight, if you had read that
verse just now for the first time in your life, and had never read a
page of either Calvinistic or Arminian literature; if you read that
verse without any bias one way or the other, it would only mean one
thing to you.
Now turn to Romans 13:11--"And that, knowing the time, that now it is
high time to awake out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than
when we believed." The salvation that is spoken of there is the
salvation of the body, the glorification of the believer, the final
consummation of our redemption: but what I want you to notice is where
the Holy Spirit Himself puts the starting point. "Now is our salvation
nearer than when we believed." THAT is when it begins, so far as our
actual experience is concerned.
Now turn to Hebrews 10:39, and you have one there that is plainer
still--that is outside the realm of debate--that has no ambiguity
about it: "But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of
them that believe to the saving of the soul." You cannot get around
that if you live to be a thousand years old. "Them that believe to
the saving of the soul." The sinner's believing does have something to
do with his salvation: God says so! If you deny it you are taking
issue with God. "Believe to the saving of the soul."
Now turn to Luke 7:50--"And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved
thee." He did not say thy faith is an evidence that you have been
saved. "Thy faith hath saved thee." Now in the light of those last two
verses I make this assertion, that believing in Christ is the cause of
the sinner's salvation. But listen closely to this qualification. It
is neither the meritorious cause nor is it the effectual cause! You
must put these three things together to get the complete thing. The
blood of Christ is the meritorious cause of salvation; the
regenerating work of the Spirit is the effective cause of salvation;
but the sinner's own believing is the instrumental cause of his
salvation. We believe to the saving of the soul. I repeat that. The
blood of Christ is the meritorious cause: without that all the
believing in the world could not save a soul. The regenerating work of
the Spirit is the effectual cause: without this, no sinner would come
or will believe with the heart. But the believing of the sinner in
Christ is the instrumental cause--that which extends the empty hand to
receive the gift that the gospel presents to him--and where there is
no personal trust in Christ there is no salvation--"I did not say
"quickening."
Now I want to make this very plain and I am going to weigh my words.
If instead of you trusting in the sacrificial blood of Christ, you are
trusting in something that you believe the Spirit has done in you, you
are building your house upon the sand, which in time of testing will
fall to the ground.
"On Christ the solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand."
If you are building your hope for eternity on what you think or feel
that the Spirit of God has done in you, instead of putting your trust
in what Christ did for sinners, you are building your house on the
sand. And that may apply to some church-members here tonight. O my
friends, the gospel of God does not invite you to look inside and pin
your faith to what you think the Holy Spirit has done in you; the
gospel of God commands you to look outside of yourself, away from all
your feelings and frames, to what the Lord Jesus Christ did on the
cross for sinners as sinners.
Now my last word tonight is directed to the unconverted, for my text
also applies directly to them. Last Sunday evening I said a good deal
about the necessity of being quiet, of standing still, of waiting upon
God; but I want to supplement those remarks in concluding tonight by
saying that those are all admonitions that are given to the converted,
and that the Holy Scriptures speak in very different terms to those of
you who are unconverted. The Bible does not bid you to sit still, to
wait and be quiet; the Bible commands you to flee from the wrath to
come. It bids you to strive to enter in at the strait gate. I am
quoting Scripture now. It bids you seek the Lord. It bids you come
unto Him. It bids you believe in Him, and if you do not you will be
damned, whoever you are.
I am very much afraid that there are some here tonight who entertain
the notion that all they have to do is just to sit still and wait
until God comes and saves you. My friends, I do not know of a single
promise of God that He will do so. I do not know of a single line in
this Book that encourages you to continue in your sinful inactivity. I
am going to speak very plainly now. The devil will tell you there is
no cause for you to be concerned: there is not a bit of need for you
to worry: if your name is in the Lamb's Book of Life you will be
saved, whether you believe or no. That is the devil's lie! It is not
God's truth. The devil will tell you that if you have been elected to
salvation there is not a bit of need for you to be alarmed, disturbed
or exercised; no need at all for you to seek and search after the
Lord; that when God's good time comes He is going to do it all for
you: not a bit of good for you to read the Bible and cry out to Him:
and if He has not elected you, well, there is no need for sure, for
it's useless.
Yes, the devil will speak in those tones and terms and he will come
quoting Scripture to you. But there is no salvation for the sinner
apart from his believing in Christ. I close with this quotation--2
Thessalonians 2:13, "God hath from the beginning chosen you to
salvation through--Through what? "Sanctification of the Spirit and
belief of the truth." That is how God saves. That is how God carries
out His purpose--by the sanctification of the Spirit and by your
belief of the truth.
And my friends, I have not limited God. God could, if He so chose,
make the fields to grow crops without the farmer plowing them and
sowing the seed, but that is not His way; that is not the method He
selects. God could keep us in health and strength without our taking
any food at all or wasting time in sleeping if He so chose, but that
is not His way. And God could save every sinner on earth tonight
without them believing if He wanted to, but it is not His way! I am
not limiting God, I am describing to you the plan and method that God
Himself has set forth in His Word, and if you would be saved, sinner,
you have got to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for yourself. I say
it reverently: the Holy Spirit won't believe for you. The Holy Spirit
may put it into your heart and give you the desire to believe. If you
have the desire it is because He has put it there, but He won't
believe for you: believing is a human act. It is the sinner himself,
in all his wretchedness and need, coming to Christ, as a drowning man
clutches a straw, and as the old hymn says--"Just as I am without one
plea, But that thy blood was shed for me."
O sinner, Christ is saying to you tonight, "O fools and slow of heart
to believe all." You do believe much as you sit there. There are some
of you who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. There are some of you
who believe that He is the only Savior who can save any sinner. You
believe that, then why not believe all? Why not believe in Him for
yourself? Why not trust His precious blood for yourself; and why not
tonight? God is ready to save you now if you believe on Him. The blood
has been shed, the sacrifice has been offered, the atonement has been
made, the feast has been spread. The call goes out to you tonight,
"Come, for all things are now ready." And I say again, the devil will
tell you as you are sitting there, "There is no need for me to come
tonight; I will just wait till God gets ready to come and save me."
How do you know that while you are waiting death may not come and
smite you down. "Boast not thyself of tomorrow for thou knowest not
what a day may bring forth." The Holy Spirit saith, "Today if ye will
hear His voice harden not your hearts." Yes, man can "harden" his
heart: God says so; and God calls to you: "Harden not your heart."
That is something you do yourself--not the devil--you do it. God is
speaking to you through His Word tonight. O may His grace forbid that
He shall say our text to any of you after you have left this room--O
God forbid that you should be among those "fools" who believe not all.
You do believe that Christ is God's appointed Savior for sinners, why
not your Savior? O may the Spirit draw you by the cords of love to
that One who has said, "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast
out."
Preached by Arthur W. Pink in Sydney, Australia--1927.
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Booklets and Pamphlets
by A.W. Pink
Churches of God
Studies in the Scriptures
Dec. 1927, pp. 277-281
"For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God
which in Judea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like
things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews".
1 Thessalonians 2:14
_________________________________________________________________
The ignorance which prevails in Christendom today concerning the truth
about the Churches of God is deeper and more general than error on any
other Scriptural subject. Many who are quite sound evangelically and
are well taught on what we call the great fundamentals of the faith,
are most unsound ecclesiastically. Mark the fearful confusion that
abounds respecting the term itself. There are few words in the English
language with a greater variety of meanings than "church." The man in
the street understands by "church" the building in which people
congregate for public worship. Those who know better, apply the term
to the members in spiritual fellowship who meet in that building.
Others use it in a denominational way and speak of "the Methodist
Church" or "Presbyterian Church." Again, it is employed nationally of
the state-religious institution as "the Church of England" or "the
Church of Scotland." With Papists the word "church" is practically
synonymous with "salvation," for they are taught that all outside the
vale of "Holy Mother Church" are eternally lost.
Many of the Lord's own people seem to be strangely indifferent
concerning God's mind on this important subject. One from whose
teachings on the church we differ widely has well said, "Sad it is to
hear men devoted in the Gospel, clear expounders of the Word of God,
telling us that they do not trouble themselves about church doctrine;
that salvation is the all-important theme; and the establishing of
Christians in the fundamentals is all that is necessary. We see men
giving chapter and verse for every statement, and dwelling upon the
infallible authority of the Word of God, quietly closing their eyes to
its teachings upon the church, probably connected with that for which
they can give no Scriptural authority, and apparently contented to
bring others into the same relationship."
What constitutes a New Testament church? That multitudes of professing
Christians treat this question as one of trifling importance is plain.
Their actions show it. They take little or no trouble to find out.
Some are content to remain outside of any earthly church. Others join
some church out of sentimental considerations, because their parents
or partner in marriage belonged to it. Others join a church from lower
motives still, such as business or political considerations. But this
ought not to be. If the reader is an Anglican, he should be so,
because he is fully persuaded that his is the most Scriptural church.
If he is a Presbyterian, he should be so, from conviction that his
"church" is most in accord with God's Word. So, if he is a Baptist or
Methodist, etc.
There are many others who have little hope of arriving at a
satisfactory answer to the question, What constitutes a New Testament
church? The fearful confusion which now obtains in Christendom, the
numerous sects and denominations differing so widely both as to
doctrine and church-order and government, has discouraged them. They
have not the time to carefully examine the rival claims of the various
denominations. Most Christians are busy people who have to work for a
living, and hence they do not have the leisure necessary to properly
investigate the Scriptural merits of the different ecclesiastical
systems. Consequently, they dismiss the matter from their minds as
being one too difficult and complex for them to hope of arriving at a
satisfactory and conclusive solution. But this ought not to be.
Instead of these differences of opinion disheartening us, they should
stimulate to greater exertion for arriving at the mind of God. We are
told to "buy the truth," which implies that effort and personal
sacrifice are required. We are bidden to "prove all things."
Now, it should be obvious to all that there must be a more excellent
way than examining the creeds and articles of faith of all the
Denominations. The only wise and satisfactory method of discovering
the Divine answer to our question, What constitutes a New Testament
church? is to turn to the New Testament itself and carefully study its
teachings about the "church." Not some godly man's views; not
accepting the creed of the church to which my parents belonged; but
"proving all things" for myself! God's people have no right to
organize a church on different lines from those which governed the
churches in New Testament times. An institution whose teachings or
government are contrary to the New Testament is certainly not a New
Testament "church."
Now if God has deemed it of sufficient importance to place on record
upon the pages of Inspiration what a New Testament church is, then
surely it should be of sufficient importance for very redeemed man or
woman to study that record, and not only so but to bow to its
authority and conform their conduct thereto. We shall thus appeal to
the New Testament only and seek God's answer to our question.
1. A New Testament church is a local body of believers. Much confusion
has been caused by the employment of adjectives which are not to be
met with in the N.T. Were you to ask some Christians, To what church
do you belong? they would answer, The great invisible church of
Christ-a church which is as intangible as it is invisible. How many
recite the so-called Apostles' Creed, "I believe in the holy catholic
Church," which most certainly was not an article in the Apostles'
"creed." Others speak of "the Church militant" and "the Church
triumphant," but neither are these terms found in Scripture, and to
employ them is only to create difficulty and confusion. The moment we
cease to "hold fast the form of sound words" (2 Tim. 1:13) and employ
unscriptural terms, we only befog ourselves and others. We cannot
improve upon the language of Holy Writ. There is no need to invent
extra terms; to do so is to cast reflexion on the vocabulary of the
Holy Spirit. When people talk of "the universal Church of Christ" they
employ another unscriptural and antiscriptural expression. What they
really mean is "the Family of God." This latter appellation includes
the whole company of God's elect; but "Church" does not.
Now the kind of church which is emphasized in the N.T. is neither
invisible nor universal; but instead, visible and local. The Greek
word for "church" is ecclesia, and those who know anything of that
language are agreed that the word signifies "An Assembly." Now an
"assembly" is a company of people who actually assemble. If they never
"assemble," then it is a misuse of language to call them "an
Assembly." Therefore, as all of God's people never have yet assembled
together, there is today no "universal Church" or "Assembly." That
"Church" is yet future; as yet it has no concrete or corporate
existence.
In proof of what has been said above, let us examine those passages
where the term was used by our Lord Himself during the days of His
flesh. Only twice in the four Gospels do we find Christ speaking of
the "church." The first is in Matthew 16:18 where He said unto Peter,
"Upon this Rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall
not prevail against it." What kind of a "church" was the Savior here
referring to? The vast majority of Christians have understood it as
the great invisible, mystical, and universal Church, which comprises
all His redeemed. But they are certainly wrong. Had this been His
meaning He had necessarily said, "Upon this Rock I am building My
church." Instead, He used the future tense, "I will build," which
shows clearly that at the time He spoke, His "church" had no
existence, save in the purpose of God. the "church" to which Christ
referred in Matthew 16:18 could not be a universal one, that is, a
church which included all the saints of God, for the tense of the verb
used by Him on this occasion manifestly excluded the O. T. saints!
Thus, the first time that the word "church" occurs in the N. T. it has
no reference to a general or universal one. Further, our Lord could
not be referring to the Church in glory, for it will be in no danger
of "the gates of hell"! His declaration that, "the gates of hell shall
not prevail against it," makes it clear beyond all doubt that Christ
was referring to His church upon earth, and thus, to a visible and
local church.
The only other record we have of our Lord speaking about the "church"
while He was on earth, is found in Matthew 18:17, "If he shall neglect
to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the
church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican." Now
the only kind of a "church" to which a brother could relate his
"fault" is a visible and local one. So obvious is this, there is no
need to further enlarge upon it.
In the final book of the N. T. we find our Savior again using this
term. First in Revelation 1:11 He says to John, "What thou seest,
write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in
Asia." Here again it is plain that the Lord was speaking of local
churches. Following this, we find the word "church" is upon His lips
nineteen more times in the Revelation, and in every passage the
reference was to local churches. Seven times over He says, "He that
hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches,"
not "what the Spirit saith unto the Church"-which is what would have
been said had the popular view been correct. The last reference is in
Revelation 22:16, "I Jesus have sent Mine angel to testify unto you
these things in the churches:" The reason for this being, that as yet,
the Church of Christ has no tangible and corporate existence, either
in glory or upon earth; all that He now has here is His local
"churches."
In further proof that the kind of "church" which is emphasized in the
N. T. is a local and visible one we appeal to other facts of
Scripture. We read of "The church which was at Jerusalem" (Acts 8:1).
"The church that was at Antioch" (Acts 13:1), "The church of God which
is at Corinth" (1 Cor. 1:2)--note carefully that though this church is
linked with, yet is it definitely distinguished from "all that in
every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord,"! Again; we
read of "churches" in the plural number: "Then had the churches rest
throughout all Judea, and Galilee, and Samaria" (Acts 9:31), "The
churches of Christ salute you" (Rom. 16:16), "Unto the churches of
Galatia" (Gal. 1:2). Thus it is seen that, that which was prominent
and dominant in N. T. times was local and visible churches.
2. A New Testament church is a local body of baptized believers. By
"baptized believers" we mean Christians who have been immersed in
water. Throughout the N. T. there is not a single case recorded of any
one becoming a member of a church of Jesus Christ without his first
being baptized; but there are many cases in point, many indications
and proofs that those who belonged to the churches in the days of the
apostles were baptized Christians.
Let us turn first to the last clause of Acts 2:47: "And the Lord added
to the church daily such as should be (the V. R. correctly gives it
"were") saved." Note carefully it does not say that "God," or "the
Holy Spirit," or "Christ," but "The Lord added." The reason for this
is as follows: "The Lord" brings in the thought of authority, and
those whom He "added to the church" had submitted to His lordship. The
way in which they had "submitted" is told us in vv. 41-42: "Then they
that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there
were added unto them about three thousand souls," etc. thus, in the
earliest days of this dispensation, "the Lord added" to His church
saved people who were baptized.
Take the first of the Epistles. Romans 12:4-5 shows that the saints at
Rome were a local church. Turn back now to Romans 6:4-5 where we find
the apostle saying to and of these church members at Rome, "Therefore
we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was
raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also
should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together
in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His
resurrection." Thus, the saints in the local church at Rome were
baptized believers.
Take the church at Corinth. In Acts 18:8 we read, "Many of the
Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized." Further proof that
the Corinthian saints were baptized believers is found in 1
Corinthians 1:13-14; 10:2,6; 1 Corinthians 12:13 rightly translated
and punctuated (we hope to deal with this passage separately in a
future article) expressly affirms that entrance into the local
assembly is by water baptism.
Ere passing to the next point let it be said that a church made up of
baptized believers is obviously and necessarily a "Baptist
church"-what else could it be termed? This is the name which God gave
to the first man whom He called and commissioned to do any baptizing.
He named him "John the Baptist." Hence real "Baptists" have no reason
to be ashamed of or to apologize for the scriptural name they bear. If
someone asks, Why did not the Holy Spirit speak of the "Baptist church
at Corinth" or "The Baptist churches of Galatia"? We answer, for this
reason: there was, at that time, no need for this distinguishing
adjective; there were no other kind of churches in the days of the
apostles but Baptist churches. They were all "Baptist churches" then;
that is to say, they were all composed of scripturally-baptized
believers. It is men who have invented all other "churches" (?) and
church-names now in existence.
3. A New Testament church is a local body of baptized believers in
organized relationship. This is necessarily implied in the term
itself. An "Assembly is a company of people met together in organized
relationship, otherwise there would be nothing to distinguish it from
a crowd or mob. Clear proof of this is found in Acts 19:39, "But if ye
inquire anything concerning other matters, it shall be determined in a
lawful assembly." These words were spoken by the "town clerk" to the
Ephesian multitude which was disturbing the peace. Having "appeased
the people," and having affirmed that the apostles were neither
robbers of churches nor blasphemers of their goddess, he reminded
Demetrius and his fellows that "the law is open, and there are
deputies," and bade them "implead one another." The Greek word for
"assembly" in this passage is ecclesia, and the reference was to the
Roman court, i.e., an organization governed by law.
Again, the figures used by the Holy Spirit in connection with the
"church" are pertinent only to a local organization. In Romans 12 and
in 1 Corinthians 12 He employs the human "body" as an analogy or
illustration. Nothing could be more unsuitable to portray some
"invisible" and "universal" church whose members are scattered far and
wide. The reader scarcely needs to be reminded that there is not a
more perfect organization on this earth than the human body-each
member in its appointed place, each to fulfil its own office and
perform its distinctive function. Again, in I Timothy 3:15 the church
is called the "house of God." The "house" speaks of ordered
relationships: each resident having his own room, the furniture being
suitably placed, etc.
Further proof that a New Testament "church" is a local company of
baptized believers in organized relationship is found in Acts 7:38,
where the Holy Spirit applies the term ecclesia to the children of
Israel--"the church in the wilderness." Now the children of Israel in
the wilderness were a redeemed, separated baptized, organized
"Assembly." Some may be surprised at the assertion that they were
baptized. But the Word of God is very explicit on this point.
"Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that
all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea" (1 Cor.
10:1-2). So, too, they were organized; they had their "princes" (Num.
7:2) and "priests," their "elders" (Ex. 24:1) and "officers" (Deut.
1:15). Therefore, we may see the propriety of applying the term
ecclesia to Israel in the wilderness, and discover how its application
to them enables us to define its exact meaning. It thus shows us that
a New Testament "church" has its officers, its "elders" (which is the
same as "bishops"), "deacons" (1 Tim. 3:1,12), "treasurer" (John 12:6;
2 Cor. 8:19), and "clerk"--"number of names" (Acts 1:15) clearly
implies a register.
4. A New Testament church is a local body of baptized believers in
organized relationship, publicly and corporately worshipping God in
the ways of His appointment. To fully amplify this heading would
necessitate us quoting a goodly portion of the N.T. Let the reader go
carefully through the book of Acts and the Epistles, with an
unprejudiced mind, and he will find abundant confirmation. Attempting
the briefest possible summary of it, we would say: First, by
maintaining "the apostles' doctrine and fellowship" (Acts 2:42).
Second, by preserving and perpetuating Scriptural baptism and the
Lord's Supper: "keep the ordinances" as they were delivered to the
church (I Cor. 11:2). Third, by maintaining a holy discipline: Hebrews
13:17; 1 Timothy 5:20-21, etc. Fourth, by going into all the world and
preaching the Gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15).
5. A New Testament church is independent of all but God. Each local
church is entirely independent of any others. A church in one city has
no authority over a church in another. Nor can a number of local
churches scripturally elect a "board," "presbytery," or "pope" to lord
it over the members of those churches. Each church is self-governed,
compare 1 Corinthians 16:3; 2 Corinthians 8:19. By church-government
we mean that its work is administrative and not legislative.
A N.T. church is to do all things "decently and in order" (1 Cor.
14:40), and its only authoritative guide for "order" is the Holy
Scriptures. Its one unerring standard, its final court of appeal, by
which all issues of faith, doctrine, and Christian living are to be
measured and settled, is the Bible, and nothing but the Bible. Its
only Head is Christ: He is its Legislator, Resource, and Lord.
The local church is to be governed by what "the Spirit saith unto the
churches." Hence it necessarily follows that it is altogether separate
from the State, and must refuse any support from it. While its members
are enjoined by Scripture to be "subject unto the higher powers that
be" (Rom. 13:1), they must not permit any dictation from the State in
matters of faith or practice.
The administration of the government of a N. T. church resides in its
own membership, and not in any special body or order of men, either
within or without it. A majority of its members decide the actions of
the church. This is clear from the Greek of 2 Corinthians 2:6,
"Sufficient to such a man (a disorderly brother who had been
disciplined) is this punishment, which was inflicted of many." The
Greek for the last two words is hupo ton pleionon." Pleionon is an
adjective, in the comparative degree, and literally rendered the
clause signifies "by the majority," and is so rendered by Dr. Charles
Hodge, than whom there have been few more spiritual and competent
Greek scholars. Bagster's Interlinear renders it "by the greater
portion," and the margin of the R.V. gives "Greek the more." The
definite article obliges us to render it "by the more" or "by the
majority."
To sum up. Unless you have a company of regenerated and believing
people, scripturally baptized, organized on N. T. lines, worshipping
God in the ways of his appointing-particularly in having fellowship
with the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, maintaining the
ordinances, preserving strict discipline, active in evangelistic
endeavor--it is not a "New Testament church," whatever it may or may
not call itself. But a church possessing these characteristics is the
only institution on this earth ordained, built, and approved of by the
Lord Jesus Christ. Hence, next to being saved, the writer deems it his
greatest privilege of all to belong to one of His "churches." May
Divine grace increasingly enable him to walk as becometh a member of
it.
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Communion
"Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you"
1 Peter 5:7
_________________________________________________________________
This means just what it says. Christian reader, there ought to be no
restraint between you and the Lover of your soul. He would have you be
on, and maintain, more intimate terms with Himself, than with any
human creature. He is always accessible, and never changes in His
feelings toward you. He would have you make Him your "Friend": not
only your Counselor, but your Confident-the One into whose ear (and
the only one) you are to pour the very secrets of your heart. He would
have you be quite artless and natural, just like a little child coming
to its mother, pouring into her ear its every little woe, trouble, and
disappointment. when harassed by any soul-troubles, such as a feeling
of coldness of heart toward Him, burdened about a lack of faith, or
because your thoughts so often wander when you try to meditate on
Divine things, or in prayers; come to Him, tell Him all about it,
unburden yourself to Him: cast "all your care upon Him," keep back
nothing when something has irritated you, disturbed your composure of
mind and peace of soul: when someone has said or done something which
causes a resentment to rise within you, and you find it hard to
forgive them; go and tell the Lord about it: confess to Him that this
ought not to be, that you are ashamed of yourself, and ask Him to lay
His calming hand upon you, and to give you a forgiving spirit. Or
suppose something in the household arrangements has "gone wrong,"
something which you could not help: perhaps the milkman or the baker
is late, or the stove is not cooking as you wish, and you are
disturbed: go to Him, tell Him about it, cast this "care" upon Him.
You can never weary" the Lord.It is the Christian's holy privilege to
cultivate the most familiar converse with Christ. Nothing more honours
Him, nothing more delights Him, for this is giving Him His true place
in your daily life. The "Christian life" is not the vague and mystical
thing which the unsaved deem it to be, and which some preachers have
made people think it is. No, it is an intensely practical and blessed
thing. It is pride (quite unsuspected) which hinders so many from
maintaining this simple and childlike converse and communion with
Christ. People are ready to call upon Him when some big thing (as they
think it) confronts them, some really urgent need comes up; but the
little (?) things they seek to carry and work out them selves. But
God's Word says, "in everything by prayer and supplication let your
requests be made known unto God" (Phil. 4:6).
Above, we have said that it is "pride" which keeps back the Christian
from casting all (every) his care upon Christ. The proof of this is
intimated in the verse immediately preceding (1 Pet. 5:7): for there
we read, "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God,
that He may exalt you in due time." It is an humbling thing to our
haughty flesh, our self-sufficiency, our proud reason, to be made to
feel the truth of Christ's words "without Me ye can do nothing" (John
15:5)--acceptably to God. But it is a blessed thing for the heart when
we are brought to the place of complete conscious dependency upon the
Lord for everything. That is the place of rest, joy, victory. May the
Lord be pleased to add His blessing to these few lines.
The Lord's Care of His People
"Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you." (1 Pet. 5:7)
what a perfect rest do we get when on coming to the Lord Jesus we take
His yoke upon us, the yoke which He Himself ever wore, and which He
now lovingly imposes upon all His people. O, it is an easy yoke and a
light burden. Love joyfully accepts what infinite love imposes. We
then are satisfied in knowing that every interest of ours is
unspeakably precious to Him: that every hair is counted: every tear is
put into His bottle, and that every sigh is noted. Nothing can harm
those whom He keeps as the apple of His eye. Our one and only danger
is that we begin to plan for ourselves and thus virtually take
ourselves out of His hands. He will bring us at whatever cost of
suffering to us, to commit ourselves absolutely to His loving and
perfectly trusted hands.
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Cross-Bearing
"When said Jesus unto His disciples, if any man will come after
Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and follow me"
Matthew 16:24
_________________________________________________________________
"Then said Jesus unto His disciples, if any man will"--the word "will"
here means "desire to" just as in that verse, "If any will live
godly." It signifies "determine to." "If any man will or desires to
come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross (not a
cross, but his cross) and follow me." Then in Luke 14:27 Christ
declared, "And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me,
cannot be My disciple." So it is not optional. The Christian life is
far more than subscribing to a system of truth or adopting a code of
conduct, or of submitting to religious ordinances. Preeminently the
Christian life is a person; experience of fellowship with the Lord
Jesus, and just in proportion as your life is lived in communion with
Christ, to that extent are you living the Christian life, and to that
extent only.
The Christian life is a life that consists of following Jesus. If any
man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross,
and follow Me." O that you and I may gain distinction for the
closeness of our walk to Christ, and then shall we be "close
communionists" indeed. There is a class described in Scripture of whom
it is said, "These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He
goeth." But sad to Say, there is another class, and a large class, who
seem to follow the Lord fitfully, spasmodically, half-heartedly,
occasionally, distantly. There is much of the World and much of self
in their lives, and so little of Christ. Thrice happy shall he be who
like Caleb followeth the Lord fully.
Now, beloved, our chief business and aim is to follow Christ, but
there are difficulties in the way. There are obstacles in the path,
and it is to them that the first part of our text refers. You notice
that the words "follow Me" come at the end. Self, self stands in the
way, and the world with its ten thousand attractions and distractions
is an obstacle; and therefore Christ says, "If any man will come after
Me--(first) let him deny himself, (second) take up his cross, (third)
and follow Me." And there we learn the reason why so few professing
Christians are following Him closely, manifestly, consistently.
The first step toward a daily following of Christ is the denying of
self. There is a vast difference, brethren and sisters, between
denying self and so-called self-denial. The popular idea that obtains
both in the world and among Christians is that of giving up things
which we like. There is a great diversity of opinion as to what should
be given up. There are some who would restrict it to that which is
characteristically worldly, such as theatre-going, dancing, and the
racecourse. There are others who would restrict it to a certain season
when amusements and other things which are followed during the
remainder of the year are rigidly eschewed at that time. But such
methods as those only foster spiritual pride, for surely I deserve
some credit if I give up so much as. My friends, what Christ speaks of
in our text (and O may the spirit of God apply it to our souls this
morning) as the first step toward following him, is, the denial of
self itself not simply some of the things that are pleasing to self.
not some of the things after which self hankers, but the denying of
self itself. What does that mean--"If any man will come after Me, let
him deny himself?" It means in the first place, abandoning his own
righteousness; but it means far more than that. That is only its first
meaning. It means refusing to rest upon my own wisdom. It means far
more than that. It means ceasing to insist upon my own rights. It
means repudiating self itself. It means ceasing to consider our own
comforts, our own ease, our own pleasure, our own aggrandizement, our
own benefits. It means being done with self. It means, beloved, saying
with the apostle, For me to live is, not self, but Christ. For me to
live is to obey Christ, to serve Christ, to honor Christ, to spend
myself for Him. That is what it means. And "if any man will come after
Me," says our Master, "let him deny himself, " let self be repudiated,
be done with. In other words it is what you have in Romans 12:1,
"Present your bodies a living sacrifice unto God."
Now the second step toward following Christ is the taking up of the
cross. "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take
up his cross." Ah, my friends, to live out the Christian life is
something more than a passive luxury; it is a serious undertaking. It
is a life that has to be disciplined in sacrifice. The life of
discipleship begins with self-renunciation and it continues by
self-mortification. In other words, our text refers to the cross not
simply as an object of faith, but as a principle of life, as the badge
of discipleship, as an experience in the soul. And, listen! Just as it
was true that the only way to the Father's throne for Jesus of
Nazareth was by the cross, so the only way for a life of communion
with God and the crown at the end for the Christian is via the cross.
The legal benefits of Christ's sacrifice are secured by faith, when
the guilt of sin is cancelled: but the cross only becomes efficacious
over the power of indwelling sin as it is realized in our daily lives.
I want to call your attention to the context. Turn with me for a
moment to Matthew 16, verse 21: "From that time forth began Jesus to
show unto His disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and
suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be
killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took Him, and
began to rebuke Him." He was staggered and said, "Pity Thyself, Lord."
That expressed the policy of the world. That is the sum of the world's
philosophy--self shielding and self-seeking; but that which Christ
preached was not spare "but" sacrifice." The Lord Jesus saw in Peter's
suggestion a temptation from Satan and He flung it from Him . Then He
turned to His disciples and said, if any man will come after Me, let
him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." In other
words what Christ said was this: I am going up to Jerusalem to the
cross: if anyone would be My follower there is a cross for him. And,
as Luke 14 says, "Whosoever doth not bear his cross cannot he My
disciple." Not only must Jesus go up to Jerusalem and be killed, but
everyone who comes after Him must take up his cross. The "must" is as
imperative in the one case as in the other. Mediatorialy the cross of
Christ stands alone, but experimentally it is shared by all who enter
into life.
Now then, what does "the cross" stand for? What did Christ mean when
He said that except a man take up his cross? My friends, it is
deplorable that at this late date such a question needs to he asked,
and it is more deplorable still that the vast majority of God's own
people have such unscriptural conceptions of what the "cross" stands
for. The average Christian seems to regard the cross in this text as
any trial or trouble that may be laid upon him. Whatsoever comes up
that disturbs our peace, that is unpleasing to the flesh, that
irritates our temper is looked upon as a cross. One says, "Well, that
is my cross," and another says, "Well, this is my cross," and someone
else says something else is their cross. My friends, the word is never
so used in the New Testament.
The word `cross" is never found in the plural number, nor is it ever
found with the indefinite article before it--"a cross," Note also that
in our text the cross is linked to a verb in the active voice and not
the passive. It is not a cross that is laid upon us, but a cross which
must be "taken up"! The cross stands for definite realities which
embody and express the leading characteristics of Christ's agony.
Others understand the "cross" to refer to disagreeable duties which
they reluctantly discharge, or to fleshly habits which they grudgingly
deny. They imagine that they are cross-bearing when, prodded at the
point of conscience, they abstain from things earnestly desired. Such
people invariably turn their cross into a weapon with which to assail
other people. They parade their self-denial and go around insisting
that others should follow them. Such conceptions of the cross are as
Pharisaical as false, and as mischievous as they are erroneous.
Now, as the Lord enables me, let me point out three things that the
cross stands for. First, the cross is the expression of the world's
hatred. The world hated the Christ of God and its hatred was
ultimately manifested by crucifying Him. In the 15th chapter of John,
seven times over, Christ refers there to the hatred of the world
against Himself and against His people; and just in proportion as you
and I are following Christ, just in proportion as our lives are being
lived as His life was lived, just in proportion as we have come out
from the world and are in fellowship with Him, so will the world hate
us.
We read in the Gospels that one man came and presented himself to
Christ for discipleship, and he requested that he might first go and
bury his father--a very natural request, a very praiseworthy one
surely (?) and the Lord's reply is almost staggering. He said to that
man, "Follow Me: and let the dead bury their dead." What would have
happened to that young man if he had obeyed Christ? I do not know
whether he did or not, but if he did, what would happen? What would
his kinsfolk and his neighbours think of him? Would they be able to
appreciate the motive, the devotion that caused him to follow Christ
and neglect what the world would call a filial duty? Ah, my friends,
if you are following Christ the world will think you are mad, and some
natures and dispositions find it very hard to bear reflections on
their sanity. Yes, there are some who find the reproaches of the
living a harder trial than the loss of the dead.
Another young man presented himself to Christ for discipleship and he
requested the Lord that he might first be allowed to go home and say
farewell to his friends--a very natural request, surely--and the Lord
presented to him the cross: "No man, having put his hand to the plow,
and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God!" Affectionate natures
find the wrench of home ties hard to bear; harder still are the
suspicions of loved ones and friends for having been slighted. Yes,
the reproach of the world becomes very real if we are following Christ
closely. No man can keep in with the world and follow Him.
Another young man came and presented himself to Christ and fell at His
feet and worshipped Him, and said, "Master, what good thing shall I
do?" and the Lord presented to him the cross. "Sell all that thou hast
and give to the poor. ..and come and follow Me." And the young man
went away sorrowful. And Christ is still saying to you and to me this
morning, "Whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot
be My disciple." The cross stands for the reproach and the hatred of
the world. But as the cross was voluntary for Christ, so it is for His
disciple. It can either be avoided or accepted; ignored or "taken up"!
But secondly, the cross stands for a life that is voluntarily
surrendered to the will of God. From the standpoint of the world the
death was a voluntary sacrifice. Turn for a moment to the 10th of
John, beginning at the 17th verse: "Therefore doth My Father love Me,
because I lay down My life, that I might take it again. No man taketh
it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down,
and I have power to take it again." Why did He thus lay down his life?
Look at the closing sentence of verse 18: "This commandment have I
received of My Father." The cross was the last demand of God upon the
obedience of His Son. That is why we read in Philippians 2 that, He
"being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with
God; but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of
a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in
fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death"
(that was the climax, that was the end of the path of obedience)
--"even the death of the cross."
Christ has left us an example that we should follow His steps. The
obedience of Christ should be the obedience of the
Christian--voluntary, not compulsory--voluntary, continuous, faithful,
without any reserve, unto death. The cross then stands for obedience,
consecration, surrender, a life placed at the disposal of God. "If any
man will come after Me, let him take up his cross and follow Me" and
"Whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after Me, cannot be My
disciple." In other words, dear friends, the cross stands for the
principle of discipleship, our life being actuated by the same
principle that Christ's was. He came here and He pleased not Himself:
no more must I. He made Himself of no reputation: so must I. He went
about doing good: so should I. He came not to be ministered unto but
to minister: so should we. He became obedient unto death, even the
death of the cross. That is what the cross stands for: First, the
reproach of the world--because we have antagonized it, raised its ire
by separating ourselves from it, and are walking on a different plane,
and through being actuated by different principles from those by which
it walks. Second, a life sacrificed unto God--laid down in devotion to
Him.
In the third place, the cross stands for vicarious sacrifice and
suffering. Turn to the first Epistle of John, the third chapter, verse
16: "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down his life
for us: and we ought to lay down our lives." That is the logic of
Calvary. We are called unto fellowship with Christ, our lives to be
lived by the same principles that His was lived by--obedience to God,
sacrifice for others. He died that we might live and, my friends, we
have to die that we may live. Look at the 25th verse of Matthew 16:
"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it": that means every
Christian, for Christ was speaking there to disciples. Every Christian
who has lived a self-centered life, considering his own comforts, his
own peace of mind, his own welfare, his own advantages and benefits,
that "life" is going to be lost forever--all wasted so far as eternity
is concerned; wood, hay and stubble, that will go up in smoke. But
"whosoever will lose his life for My sake, " that is, whosoever has
not lived his life considering his own wellbeing, his own interests,
his own profit, his own advancement, but has sacrificed that life, has
spent it in the service of others for Christ's sake; he shall
find--"find" what? --he shall find it, not something else: it, not
another: he shall find it. That life has been immortalized,
perpetuated, it has been built of imperishable materials that will
survive the testing-fire in the day to come. He shall find "it". He
died that we might live, and we have to die if we are to live!
"Whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it."
Again, in the 20th chapter of John, Christ said to His disciples, "As
the Father hath sent Me, even so send I you." What was Christ sent
here to do? To glorify the Father: to express God's love; to manifest
God's grace; to weep over Jerusalem; to have compassion on the
ignorant and those that are out of the way; to toil so assiduously
that He had no leisure so much as to eat; to live a life of such
self-sacrifice that even His kinsfolk said, "He is beside Himself."
and, "as the Father hath sent Me, even so," says Christ, "send I you":
In other words, I send you back into the world out of which I have
saved you. I send you back into the world to live with the cross
stamped upon you. O brethren and sisters, how little "blood" there is
in our lives! How little is there the bearing of the dying of Jesus in
our bodies (2 Cor. 4:10)
Have we begun to "take up the cross" at all? Is there any wonder that
we are following Him at such a distance? Is there any wonder that we
have such little victory over the power of indwelling sin? There is a
reason for that. Mediatorially the Cross of Christ stands alone, but
experimentally the cross is to be shared by all His disciples. Legally
the cross of Calvary annulled and put away our guilt, the guilt of our
sins; but, my friends, I am perfectly convinced that the only way of
getting deliverance from the power of sin in our lives and obtaining
mastery over the old man within us, is by the cross becoming a part of
the experience of our souls. It was at the cross sin was dealt with
legally and judicially: it is only as the cross is "taken up" by the
disciple that it becomes an experience-- slaying the power and
defilement of sin within us. And Christ says, "Whosoever doth not bear
his cross, cannot be My disciple". O what need has each Christian here
this morning to get alone with the Master and consecrate Himself to
His service.
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"Doctor" or "Brother
_________________________________________________________________
What strange methods God sometimes employs in teaching His Children
much needed lessons! This has recently been the writer's experience. I
have been approached by a "university" to accept from them a degree of
"D. D." Asking for time to be given so that I might prayerfully seek
from God, through His written word, a knowledge of His will, fuller
light came than was expected. I had very serious doubt's as to the
permissibility of one of God's servants accepting a title of fleshly
honor. I now perceive that it is wrong for me to receive it even
complimentary. Various friends, as a mark of respect, have addressed
me as "Dr. Pink." I now ask them to please CEASE from doing so. Let it
not be understood that I hereby condemn other men for what they allow.
No, to their own Master they stand or fall. The principal passages
which have helped me I now mention, praying that it may please God to
also bless them to others.
FIRST, to the false comforters of Job, Elihu (God's representative)
said. "Let me not, I pray you, accept any man's person, neither let me
give FLATTERING TITLES unto men" (Job 32:31). SECOND, "Be NOT ye
called Rabbi" or teacher" (Matthew 23:8), which is what "Doctor"
signifies. THIRD, John 5:44 reproves those who "receive honor one of
another" and bids us seek "the honor that cometh from God ONLY."
FOURTH, none of the Lord's servants in the New Testament ever employed
a title. "Paul, an apostle, "but never "the apostle Paul." FIFTH, the
Son of God "made Himself of no reputation" (Phil. 2:7); is it then
fitting that His servants should now follow an opposite course? SIXTH,
Christ bids us learn of Him who was "meek and lowly" (Matthew 11:29).
SEVENTH, one of the marks of the apostasy as "having men's persons in
admiration because of advantage" (Jude 17). EIGHTH, we are bidden to
go forth unto Christ outside the camp "bearing His reproach" (Heb.
13:13).
For these reasons it does not seem to me to be fitting that one who is
here as a representative and witness for a "despised and rejected"
Christ should be honored and flattered of men. Please address me as
"BROTHER PINK"
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Does First Corinthians 12 Mean The Universal
Church or A Local New Testament Church
_________________________________________________________________
For almost ten years after his regeneration the writer never doubted
that the "body" spoken of in 1 Corinthians 12 had reference to "the
Church Universal." This was taught him by those known as "Plymouth
Brethren," which is found in the notes of the Scofield Reference
Bible, and is widely accepted by evangelicals and prophetic students.
Not until God brought him among Southern Baptists (a high privilege
for which he will ever be deeply thankful) did he first hear the above
view challenged. But it was difficult for him to weigh impartially an
exposition which meant the refutation of a teaching received from men
highly respected, to say nothing of confessing he had held an
altogether erroneous concept so long, and had allowed himself to read
1 Corinthians 12 (and similar passages) through other men's
spectacles. However, of late, the writer has been led to make a
prayerful and independent study of the subject for himself, with the
result that he is obliged to renounce his former view as utterly
untenable and unscriptural.
The Authorized Version of 1 Corinthians 12:13 reads as follows: "For
by one Spirit are we all baptized into the body"--concerning this we
shall have more to say later on. On 1 Corinthians 12 Dr. Scofield, in
his Reference Bible, has this to say: "Chapter 12 concerns the Spirit
in relation to the body of Christ. This relation is twofold: (1) The
baptism with the Spirit forms the Body by uniting believers to Christ,
the risen and glorified Head, and to each other (vs. 12, 13). The
symbol of the Body thus formed is the natural, human body (v. 12), and
all the analogies are freely used (vs. 14-26). (2) To each believer is
given a spiritual enablement and capacity for specific service," etc.,
etc. In capitalizing the word "body" Dr. Scofield unquestionably has
in mind "the Church Universal." Should there be any doubt upon this
point it is at once dispelled by a reference to the notes of Dr.
Scofield on Hebrews 12:23--"The true church, composed of the whole
number of regenerate persons from Pentecost to the First Resurrection
(1 Cor. 15:52,) united together and to Christ by the baptism with the
Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:12, 13), is the Body of which He is the Head."
It is to be noted that in both places the Doctor speaks of "the
baptism with the Spirit," but in 1 Corinthians 12:13 there is no
mention made at all of any baptism "with" the Holy Spirit, either in
the English or in the Greek; such is merely a figment of the Doctor's
imagination.
The Revised Version of 1 Corinthians 12:13 reads thus: "For in one
Spirit were we all baptized into one body." We believe this is much
better and a more accurate translation of the Greek than the
Authorized Version rendering. But we have one fault to find with the
Revised Version rendering too. The capitalizing of the word "spirit"
(pneumati) is utterly misleading, and while it is well nigh impossible
to get the real meaning of the verse. For the benefit of those who do
not read the New Testament in the Greek, we may say that in the
language in which the New Testament was originally written there are
no capital letters used, except at the beginning of a book or
paragraph. Pneuma is always written in the Greek with a small "s," and
it is a question of exposition and interpretation, not of translation
in any wise, whether a small "s" or a capital "S" is to be used each
instance where the word for spirit is used. In many instances it is
translated with a small "s"--spirit (Matt. 5:3; Rom. 1:4; 1:9; 1 Cor
2:11; 5:3; etc.). In others, where the Holy Spirit of God is referred
to, a capital is rightly employed. Furthermore, the Greek word pneuma
is used not only to denote sometimes the Holy Spirit of God, and at
others the spirit of man ( as contra-distinguished from his soul and
body), but it is also employed psychologically; we read of "the spirit
(neuma)of meekness" (1 Cor. 4:21), and of "the spirit (neuma) of
cowardice" (2 Tim. 1:7), etc. Again, in Philippians 1:27 we read
"stand fast in one spirit." Here "spirit" has the force of oneness of
thought, accord, object. Note that in Philippians 1:27 the Greek for
"in one spirit" is precisely the same in every respect, as the Greek
at the beginning of 1 Corinthians 12:13, and in Philippians 1:27 even
the translators of the Authorized Version have used only a small "s"
for "spirit"--as they most certainly ought to have done in 1
Corinthians 12:13. One other point concerning the Greek: The
preposition translated "by" in 1 Corinthians 12:13 is "en," which is
translated in the New Testament "among" 114 times, "by" 142, "with"
139, "in" 1,863 times. Comment is needless. "In one spirit were we all
baptized" should be the rendering of 1 Corinthians 12:13. The
"baptism" here is not Holy Spirit baptism at all, but water baptism.
Note: whenever we read of "baptism" in the New Testament without
anything in the verse or context which expressly describes it (as in
Gal. 3:27; Eph. 4:5, etc.), it is always water baptism which is in
view.
"In one spirit were we all baptized into one body." Into what body?
The "church Universal" or a local church of Christ? We submit that a
careful study of 1 Corinthians 12 can furnish only one possible
answer--a local Baptist church. Note the following points.
(1) The head of the "body" described here in 1 Corinthians 12 is seen
to be on earth--verse 16, 17. Now it would be utterly incongruous to
represent the Head of the mystical, universal church (supposing such a
thing existed, which, as yet it certainly does not) as on earth, for
the Head of that church which, in the future, will be the universal
Church of Christ, is in heaven, and it is in heaven the universal
church will assemble (see Heb. 12:22-24). But it is perfectly fitting
to represent (in the illustration of the human body) the head of the
local church as on earth, for wherever a local New Testament church
assembles for worship or to transact business for Christ, He is in
their midst (Matt. 18:20).
(2) In 1 Corinthians 12:22, 23, we read of members of the body which
seem to be "more feeble," and of those "less honorable" and of
"uncomely" parts of members. Now such characteristics of members of
the human body accurately illustrates the differences which exist
between the spiritual states of various members in a local assembly,
but the illustration of the "body" here fails completely if the
"Church Universal" is in view, for when the Church Universal meets in
heaven every member of it will be "like Christ," "fashioned into the
body of glory," and such comparisons as "more feeble," "less
honorable," "uncomely members," will forever be a thing of the past!
(3) In 1 Corinthians 12:24 the apostle speaks of what God has done in
order that there should be no schism in the body (v. 25). Now let any
impartial reader ask, in what body is a schism (division) possible?
Certainly not in the Church Universal for that is solely of Divine
workmanship, into which human responsibility and failure do not enter.
When the church of the First-Born assembles in heaven, glorified, "not
having spot or wrinkle or anything," there will be no "schism" there.
But in the church which the apostle is contemplating in 1 Corinthians
12 there was "schism" (see 1 Cor. 11:18, etc.). Therefore it is proof
positive that it is the local church, and not the Church Universal,
which is in view in 1 Corinthians 12.
(4) In Corinthians 12:26 we read "and whether one member suffer, all
the members suffer with it: or one member be honored, all the members
rejoice with it." Now is this true of a Universal Church? Certainly
not. Is it true that whenever a believer in Christ in India or China
(of whom I have never even heard) "suffers" that "all the members,"
all believers in America, "suffers" with it or him? Certainly not. But
it is true ideally, and often in experience that when one member of a
local church "suffers" all the members of that local church suffer
too. We must refrain from adding further arguments.
Sufficient has been advanced, we trust, to prove that the "body"
referred to in 1 Corinthians 12:13 is a local church, and that the
"human body" is here used to illustrate the mutual dependence and
relationship existing between its various members. From this
established and incontrovertible fact several conclusions follow:
First, the "baptism" by which one enters "into" a New Testament church
is water baptism, for the Holy Spirit does not "baptize" anybody into
a local assembly.
Second, no matter what our nationality--Jew or Gentile--no matter what
our social standing--slave or freeman--all the members of the local
church have been baptized "in one spirit," that is, in one mind,
purpose, accord, and there is therefore oneness of aim for them to
follow, oneness of privilege to enjoy, oneness of responsibility to
discharge. Furthermore, they are said to "drink of one spirit," that
is, they are one, and all appropriate (symbolized by "drink") this
oneness of spirit.
Third, there is only one way of entrance into a local church of the
Lord Jesus Christ, and that is by "baptism" scripturally performed by
a scripturally qualified and scripturally authorized administrator,
for we read "in one spirit we were all baptized into one body." It
therefore follows that none save those who have been Scripturally
"baptized" have entered "into" a New Testament Church, all others
being members of nothing but man-made institutions. Hence the
tremendous importance of "keeping the ordinances" as they have been
delivered by Christ Himself to His churches.
The writer would apologize for writing at such length (he has
condensed as much as he possibly could) but cherishes the hope that
his own personal confession with which he began this article will
exercise others to search the Scriptures more diligently and to "prove
all things" for themselves, not accepting the teaching of any man, no
matter who he may be. Brethren, let us covet to be "Bereans."
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Evangelical Preaching
_________________________________________________________________
The question which is before us for consideration and (attempted)
elucidation really concerns the preacher's efforts to "win souls"
(Prov. 11:30), and as to how far the Word warrants him going towards
the realization of his longings to see sinners converted under his
ministry. And here, it seems to the writer, there are two extremes to
be guarded against. On the one hand, we believe those preachers come
short of discharging their duties who rest content with simply setting
forth in an abstract and impersonal way what are termed "the Doctrines
of Grace'. To say, "I have faithfully declared all the counsel of God
and now I must leave results with him", sounds very pious, but it
leaves the way open for several serious questions. It is perfectly
true that "results" rest entirely with God, for he alone "giveth the
increase' (1 Cor. 3:7). But, have we declared all the counsel of God
when we have fully expounded the "five points" of Calvinism? We think
not. The preacher is something more than a human gramophone,
mechanically repeating a scriptural formula.
Of the forerunner of Christ it is said that he was "A burning and a
shining light" (John 5:3). He was "the voice of one crying in the
wilderness". No correct but cold formalist was he. Of our Saviour it
is recorded that he wept over Jerusalem because her children would not
come to him. No heartless fatalist was he. The great apostle to the
Gentiles wrote, "Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade
men" (2 Cor. 5:11). Do you do this, brother preacher? Query: Were Paul
on earth today saying, "We persuade men" would his orthodoxy be
suspected? Again; he announced, "Now then we are ambassadors for
Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray (plead) you in
Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:20). Do these
methods characterize our evangelical ministrations? Surely we all have
need to pray earnestly for more devotion to Christ, more love for
souls, more fervour and power in preaching the gospel.
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Experimental Salvation
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Salvation may be viewed from many angles and contemplated under
various aspects, but from whatever side we look at it we must ever
remember that "Salvation is of the Lord." Salvation was planned by the
Father for His elect before the foundation of the world. It was
purchased for them by the holy life and vicarious death of His
incarnate Son. It is applied to and wrought in them by His Holy
Spirit. It is known and enjoyed through the study of the Scriptures,
though the exercise of faith, and though communion with the triune
Jehovah.
Now it is greatly to be feared that there are multitudes in
Christendom who verily imagine and sincerely believe that they are
among the saved, yet who are total strangers to a work of divine grace
in their hearts. It is one thing to have clear intellectual
conceptions of God's truth, it is quite another matter to have a
personal, real heart acquaintance with it. It is one thing to believe
that sin is the awful thing that the Bible says it is, but it is quite
another matter to have a holy horror and hatred of it in the soul. It
is one thing to know that God requires repentance, it is quite another
matter to experimentally mourn and groan over our vileness. It is one
thing to believe that Christ is the only Savior for sinners, it is
quite another matter to really trust Him from the heart. It is one
thing to believe that Christ is the Sum of all excellency, it is quite
another matter to love him above all others. It is one thing to
believe that God is the great and holy One, it is quite another matter
to truly reverence and fear Him. It is one thing to believe that
salvation is of the Lord, it is quite another matter to become an
actual partaker of it through His gracious workings.
While it is true that Holy Scripture insists on man's responsibility,
and that all through them God deals with the sinner as an accountable
being; yet it is also true that the Bible plainly and constantly shows
that no son of Adam has ever measured up to his responsibility, that
every one has miserably failed to discharge his accountability. It is
this which constitutes the deep need for God to work in the sinner,
and to do for him what he is unable to do for himself. "They that are
in the flesh cannot please God" (Rom. 8:8). The sinner is "without
strength" (Rom. 5:6). Apart from the Lord, we "can do nothing" (John
15:5).
While it is true that the Gospel issues a call and a command to all
who hear it, it is also true that All disregard that call and disobey
that command--"They all with one consent began to make excuse" (Luke
14:18). This is where the sinner commits his greatest sin and most
manifests his awful enmity against God and His Christ: that when a
Savior, suited to his needs, is presented to him, he "despises and
rejects" Him (Isa. 53:3).
This is where the sinner shows what an incorrigible rebel he is, and
demonstrates that he is deserving only of eternal torments. But it is
just at this point that God manifests His sovereign and wondrous
Grace. He not only planned and provided salvation, but he actually
bestows it upon those whom He has chosen.
Now this bestowal of salvation is far more than a mere proclamation
that salvation is to be found in the Lord Jesus: it is very much more
than an invitation for sinners to receive Christ as their Savior. It
is God actually saving His people. It is His own sovereignty and
all-powerful work of grace toward and in those who are entirely
destitute of merit, and who are so depraved in themselves that they
will not and cannot take one step to the obtaining of salvation. Those
who have been actually saved owe far more to divine grace than most of
them realize. It is not only that Christ died to put away their sins,
but also the Holy Spirit has wrought a work in them--a work which
applies to them the virtues of Christ's atoning death.
It is just at this point that so many preachers fail in their
exposition of the Truth. While many of them affirm that Christ is the
only Savior for sinners, they also teach that He actually became ours
only by our consent. While they allow that conviction of sin is the
Holy Spirit's work and that He alone shows us our lost condition and
need of Christ, yet they also insist that the decisive factor in
salvation is man's own will. But the Holy Scriptures teach that
"salvation is of the Lord" (Jonah 2:9), and that nothing of the
creature enters into it at any point. Only that can satisfy God which
has been produced by God Himself. Though it be true that salvation
does not become the personal portion of the sinner until he has, from
the heart, believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, yet is that very
believing wrought in him by the Holy Spirit: "By grace are ye saved
through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God" (Eph
2:8).
It is exceedingly solemn to discover that there is a "believing" in
Christ by the natural man, which is not a believing unto salvation.
Just as the Buddists believe in Budda, so in Christendom there are
multitudes who believe in Christ. And this "believing" is something
more than an intellectual one. Often there is much feeling connected
with it - the emotions may be deeply stirred. Christ taught in the
Parable of the Sower that there is a class of people who hear the Word
and with joy receive it, yet have they no root in themselves (Matthew
13:20, 21). This is fearfully solemn, for it is still occurring daily.
Scriptures also tell us that Herod heard John "gladly " Thus, the mere
fact that the reader of these pages enjoys listening to some sound
gospel preacher is no proof at all that he is a regenerated soul. The
Lord Jesus said to the Pharisees concerning John the Baptist, "Ye were
willing for a season to rejoice in his light," yet the sequel shows
clearly that no real work of grace had been wrought in them. And these
things are recorded in Scripture as solemn warnings!
It is striking and solemn to mark the exact wording in the last two
Scriptures referred to. Note the repeated personal pronoun in Mark
6:20: "For Herod feared John (not `God'!), knowing that he as a just
man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many
things, and heard him gladly." It was the personality of John which
attracted Herod. How often is this the case today! People are charmed
by the personality of the preacher: they are carried away by his style
and won by his earnestness for souls. But if there is nothing more
than this, there will one day be a rude awakening for them. That which
is vital is a "love for the truth," not for the one who presents it is
this which distinguishes the true people of God from the "mixed
multitude" who ever associate with them.
So in John 5:35 Christ said to the Pharisees concerning His
forerunner: "Ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light,"
not "in the light"! In like manner, there are many today who listen to
one whom God enables to open up some of the mysteries and wonders of
His Word and they rejoice "in his light" while in the dark themselves,
never having personally received "an unction from the Holy One." Those
who do "love the truth" (2 Thess. 2:10) are they in whom a divine work
of grace has been wrought. They have something more than a clear,
intellectual understanding of the Scripture: it is the food of their
souls, the joy of their hearts (Jer. 15:16). They love the truth, and
because they do so, they hate error and shun it as deadly poison. They
are jealous for the glory of the Author of the Word, and will not sit
under a minister whose teaching dishonors Him; they will not listen to
preaching which exalts man into the place of supremacy, so that he is
the decider of his own destiny.
"Lord, Thou wilt ordain peace for us: for Thou also hast wrought all
our works in us" (Isa. 26:12). Here is the heart and unqualified
confession of the true people of God. Note the preposition: "Thou also
hast wrought all our works in us." This speaks of a divine work of
grace wrought in the heart of the saint. Nor is this text alone. Weigh
carefully the following: "It pleased God, who separated me from my
mother's womb, and called me by His grace, to reveal His Son in me"
(Gal. 1:15,16).
"Unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we
ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us" (Eph 3:20).
"Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good
work in you will perform it" (Phil 1:6). "It is God which worketh in
you both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Phil 2:13). "I will
put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them"
(Heb. 10:16). "Now the God of peace. . . make you perfect in every
good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing
in His sight" (Heb 13:20). Here are seven passages which speak of the
inward workings of God's grace; or in other words of experimental
salvation.
"Lord, Thou wilt ordain peace for us: for Thou also hast wrought all
our works in us" (Isa. 26:12). Is there an echoing response in our
heart to this, my reader? Is your repentance something deeper than the
remorse and tears of the natural man? Does it have its root in a
divine work of grace which the Holy Spirit hath wrought in your soul?
Is your believing in Christ something more than an intellectual one?
Is your relation to Him something more vital than what some act of
yours has brought about, having been made one with Him by the power
and operation of the Spirit? Is your love for Christ something more
than a pious sentiment, like that of the Romanist who sings of the
"gentle" and "sweet" Jesus? Does your love for Him proceed from an
altogether new nature, that God has created within you? Can you really
say with the Psalmist:
"Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And there is none upon earth that I
desire beside Thee." Is your profession accompanied by true meekness
and lowliness of heart? It is easy to call yourself names, and say, "I
am an unworthy and unprofitable creature." But do you realize yourself
to be such? Do you feel yourself to be "less than the least of all
saints?" Paul did! If you do not; if instead, you deem yourself
superior to the rank and file of Christians, who bemoan their
failures, confess their weakness, and cry, "O wretched man that I
am!"--there is grave reason to conclude you are a stranger to God!
That which distinguishes genuine godliness from human religiousness is
this: the one is external, the other internal. Christ complained of
the Pharisees, "Ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the
platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess" (Matthew
23:25). A carnal religion is all on the surface. It is at the heart
God looks and with the heart God deals. Concerning His people He says:
"I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write
them" (Heb. 10:16).
"Lord, Thou wilt ordain peace for us: for Thou also hast wrought all
our works in us." How humbling is this to the pride of man! It makes
everything of God and nothing of the creature! The tendency of human
nature the world over, is to be self-sufficient and self-satisfied; to
say with the Laodiceans, "I am rich, and increased with goods, and
have need of nothing" (Rev. 3:17). But here is something to humble us,
and empty us of pride. Since God has wrought all our works in us, then
we have no ground for boasting. "What hast thou that thou didst not
receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou
hadst not received it?" (1 Cor. 4:7).
And who are the ones in whom God thus works? From the divine side; His
favored, chosen, redeemed people. From the human side: those who, in
themselves have no claim whatever on His notice; who are destitute of
any merit; who have everything in them to provoke His holy wrath;
those who are miserable failures in their lives, and utterly depraved
and corrupt in their persons. But where sin abounded, grace did much
more abound, and did for them and in them what they would not and
could not do for themselves.
And what is it God "works" in His people?--All their works. First, He
quickens them: "It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth
nothing" (John 6:63). "Of His own will begat He us with the word of
truth" (Jas. 1:18). Second, He bestows repentance: "Him hath God
exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, for to give
repentance to Israel" (Acts 5:31). "Then hath God also to the Gentiles
granted repentance unto life" (Acts 11:18; 2 Tim. 2:25). Third, He
gives faith: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God" (Eph. 2:8). "Ye are risen with Him
through the faith of the operation of God" (Col. 2:12). Fourth, He
grants a spiritual understanding: "And we know the Son of God is come,
and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true"
(1 John 5:20). Fifth, He effectuates our service: "I labored more
abundantly than they all: yet not I , but the grace of God which was
with me" (1 Cor. 15:10). Sixth, He secures our perseverance: "who are
kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation" (1 Pet. 1:5).
Seventh, He produces our fruit: "From Me is thy fruit found" (Hosea
14:8). "The fruit of the Spirit" (Gal. 5:22). Yes, He has wrought all
our works in us.
Why has God thus "wrought all our works in us?" First, because unless
He had done so, all had eternally perished (Rom. 9:29). We were
"without strength," unable to meet God's righteous demands. Therefore,
in sovereign grace, He did for us what we ought but could not do for
ourselves. Second, that all the glory might be His. God is a jealous
God. He says so. His honour He will not share with another. By this
means He secures all the praise, and we have no ground for boasting.
Third, that our salvation might be effectually and securely
accomplished. Were any part of our salvation left to us it would be
neither effectual nor secure. Whatever man touches he spoils: failure
is written across everything he attempts. But what God does is perfect
and lasts for ever: "I know that whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for
ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God
doeth it, that men should fear before Him" (Eccl. 3:14).
But how may I be sure that my works have been "wrought in me" by God?
Mainly by their effects. If you have been born again, you have a new
nature within. This new nature is spiritual and contrary to the
flesh--contrary in its desires and aspirations. Because the old and
new natures are contrary to each other, there is a continual war
between them. Are you conscious of this inward conflict?
If your repentance be a God-wrought one, then you abhor yourself If
your repentance be a genuine and spiritual one, then you marvel that
God did not long ago cast you into hell. If your repentance be the
gift of Christ, then you daily mourn the wretched return which you
make to God's wondrous grace; you hate sin, you sorrow in secret
before God for your manifold transgressions. Not simply do you do so
at conversion, but daily do so now.
If your faith be a God-communicated one, it is evidenced by your
turning away from all creature confidences, by a renunciation of your
own self-righteousness, by a repudiation of all your own works. If
your faith be "the faith of God's elect" (Titus 1:1), then you are
resting alone on Christ as the ground of your acceptance before God.
If your faith be the result of "the operation of God," then you
implicitly believe His Word, you receive it with meekness, you crucify
reason, and accept all He has said with childlike simplicity.
If your love for Christ be the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:25), then
it evidences itself by constantly seeking to please Him, and by
abstaining from what you know is displeasing to Him: in a word, by an
obedient walk. If your love for Christ be the love of "the new man,"
then you pant after Him, you yearn for communion with Him above
everything else. If your love for Christ be the same in kind (though
not in degree) as His love for you, then you are eagerly looking
forward to His glorious appearing, when He shall come again to receive
His people unto Himself, that they maybe forever with the Lord. May
the grace of spiritual discernment be given the reader to see whether
his Christian profession be real or a sham whether his hope is built
upon the Rock of Ages or the quicksands of human resolutions, efforts,
decisions, or feelings; whether, in short, his salvation is "of the
Lord" or the vain imagination of his own deceitful heart.
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Faith
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him" - Hebrews 11 :6
"But the Word preached did not profit them,
not being mixed with faith in that heard it," - Hebrews 4:2
_________________________________________________________________
The linking together of these verses shows us the worthlessness of all
religious activities where faith be lacking. The outward exercise may
be performed diligently and correctly, but unless faith be in
operation God is not honored and the soul is not profited. Faith draws
out the heart unto God, and faith it is which receives from God; not a
mere intellectual assent to what is revealed in Holy Writ, but a
supernatural principle of grace which lives upon the God of Scripture.
This, the natural man, no matter how religious or orthodox he be, has
not; and no labours of his, no act of his will, can acquire it. It is
the sovereign gift of God.
Faith must be operative in all the exercises of the Christian if God
is to he glorified and he is to be edified. First, in the reading of
the Word: "But these are written, that ye might believe" (John 20:31).
Second, in listening to the preaching of God's servants: "The hearing
of faith" (Gal. 3:2). Third, in praying: "Let him ask in faith,
nothing wavering" (Jas. 1:6). Fourth, in our daily life: "For we walk
by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7); "the life which I now live in
the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God" (Gal. 2:20). Fifth,
in our exit from this world: "These all died in faith" (Heb. 11:13).
What the breath is to the body, faith is to the soul; for one who is
destitute of faith to seek to perform spiritual actions, is like
putting a spring within a wooden dummy and making it go through
mechanical motions.
Now an unregenerate professor may read the Scriptures and yet have no
spiritual faith. Just as the devout Hindu peruses the Upanishads and
the Mohammedan his Koran, so many "Christian" countries take up the
study of the Bible, and yet have no more of the life of God in their
souls than have their heathen brethren. Thousands in this land read
the Bible, believe in its Divine authorship, and become more or less
familiar with its contents. A mere professor may read several chapters
every day, and yet never appropriate a single verse. But faith applies
God's Word: it applies his fearful threatenings, and trembles before
them; it applies His solemn warnings, and seeks to heed them; it
applies His precepts, and cries unto Him for grace to walk in them.
It is the same in listening to the Word preached. A carnal professor
will boast of having attended this conference and that, of having
heard this famous teacher and that renowned preacher, and be no better
off in his soul than if he had never heard any of them. He may listen
to two sermons every Sunday, and fifty years hence be as dead
spiritually as he is today. But the regenerated soul appropriates the
message and measures himself by what he hears. He is often convicted
of his sins and made to mourn over them. He tests himself by God's
standard, and feels that he comes so far short of what he ought to be,
that he sincerely doubts the honesty of his own profession. The Word
pierces him, like a two-edged sword, and causes him to cry, "O
wretched man that I am!"
So in prayer. The mere professor often makes the humble Christian feel
ashamed of himself. The carnal religionist who has "the gift of the
gab" is never at a loss for words: sentences flow from his lips as
readily as do the waters of a babbling brook; verses of Scripture seem
to run through his mind as freely as flour passes though a sieve.
Whereas the poor burdened child of God is often unable to do any more
than cry "God be merciful to me a sinner." Ah, my friends, we need to
distinguish sharply between a natural aptitude for "making" nice
prayers and the spirit of true supplication: the one consists merely
of words, the other of "groanings which cannot be uttered"; the one is
acquired by religious education, the other is wrought in the soul by
the Holy Spirit.
Thus it is too in conversing about the things of God. The frothy
professor can talk glibly and often orthodoxly of "doctrines," yes,
and of worldly things, too: according to his mood, or according to his
audience, so is his theme. But the child of God, while being swift to
hear that which is unto edification, is "slow to speak." Ah, my
reader, beware of talkative people; a drum makes a lot of noise but it
is hollow inside! "Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness;
but a faithful man who can find?" (Prov. 20:6). When a saint of God
does open his lips about spiritual matters, it is to tell of what the
Lord, in His infinite mercy, has done for him; but the carnal
religionist is anxious for others to know what he is "doing for the
Lord."
The difference is just as real between the genuine Christian and the
nominal Christian in connection with their daily lives: while the
latter may appear outwardly righteous, yet within they are "full of
hypocrisy and iniquity" (Matthew 23:28). They will put on the skin of
a real sheep, but in reality they are "wolves in sheeps' clothing."
But God's children have the nature of sheep, and learn of Him who is
"meek and lowly in heart," and, as the elect of God, they put on
"mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering" (Col.
3:12). They are in private what they appear in public. They worship
God in spirit and in truth, and have been made to know wisdom in the
hidden parts of the heart.
So it is on their passing out of this world. An empty professor may
die as easily and as quietly as he lived deserted by the Holy Spirit,
undisturbed by the Devil; as the psalmist says, "there are no bands in
their death" (73:4). But this is very different from the end of one
whose deeply ploughed and consciously-defiled conscience has been
"sprinkled" with the precious blood of Christ: "Mark the perfect man,
and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace" (Ps. 37:37)
yes, a peace which "passeth all understanding": Having lived the life
of the righteous, he dies "the death of the righteous" (Num. 23:10).
And what is it which distinguishes the one character from the other,
wherein lies the difference between the genuine Christian and he who
is one in name only? This: a God-given, Spirit-wrought faith in the
heart. Not a mere head-knowledge and intellectual assent to the Truth,
but a living, spiritual, vital principle in the heart--a faith which
"purifies the heart" (Acts 15:9), which "worketh by love" (Gal. 5:6),
which "overcometh the world" (1 John 5:4). Yes, a faith which is
Divinely sustained amidst trials within and opposition without; a
faith which exclaims "though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him" (Job
13:15).
True, this faith is not always in exercise, nor is it equally strong
at all times. The favored possessor of it must be taught by painful
experience that as he did not originate it neither can he command it;
therefore does he turn unto its Author, and say, "Lord I believe, help
Thou mine unbelief." And then it is that, when reading the Word he is
enabled to lay hold of its precious promises; that when bowing before
the Throne of Grace, he is enabled to cast his burden upon the Lord;
that when he rises to go about his temporal duties, he is enabled to
lean upon the everlasting arms; and that when he is called upon to
pass through the valley of the shadow of death, he triumphantly cries
"I will fear no evil for Thou art with me." "Lord, increase our
faith."
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Booklets and Pamphlets
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Family Worship
_________________________________________________________________
There are some very important outward ordinances and means of grace
which are plainly implied in the Word of God, but for the exercise of
which we have few, if any, plain and positive precepts; rather are we
left to gather them from the example of holy men and from various
incidental circumstances. An important end is answered by this
arrangement: trial is thereby made of the state of our hearts. It
serves to make evident whether, because an expressed command cannot be
brought requiring its performance, professing Christians will neglect
a duty plainly implied. Thus, more of the real state of our minds is
discovered, and it is made manifest whether we have or have not an
ardent love for God and His service. This holds good both of public
and family worship. Nevertheless, It is not at all difficult to prove
the obligation of domestic piety.
Consider first the example of Abraham. the father of the faithful and
the friend of God. It was for his domestic piety that he received
blessing from Jehovah Himself, "For I know him, that he will command
his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way
of the Lord, to do justice and judgment" (Gen. 18:19). The patriarch
is here commended for instructing his children and servants in the
most important of all duties, "the way of the Lord" - the truth about
His glorious person. His high claims upon us, His requirements from
us. Note well the words "he will command" them; that is, he would use
the authority God had given him as a father and head of his house, to
enforce the duties of family godliness. Abraham also prayed with as
well as instructed his family: wherever he pitched his tent, there he
"built an altar to the Lord" (Gen. 12:7; 13:4). Now my readers, we may
well ask ourselves, Are we "Abraham's seed" (Gal. 3:29) if we "do not
the works of Abraham" (John 8:39) and neglect the weighty duty of
family worship?
The example of other holy men are similar to that of Abraham's.
Consider the pious determination of Joshua who declared to Israel, "As
for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (24:15). Neither the
exalted station which he held, nor the pressing public duties which
developed upon him, were allowed to crowd out his attention to the
spiritual well-being of his family. Again, when David brought back the
ark of God to Jerusalem with joy and thanksgiving, after discharging
his public duties, he "returned to bless his household" (2 Sam 6:20).
In addition to these eminent examples we may cite the cases of Job
(1:5) and Daniel (6:10). Limiting ourselves to only one in the New
Testament we think of the history of Timothy, who was reared in a
godly home. Paul called to remembrance the "unfeigned faith" which was
in him, and added, "which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois and thy
mother Eunice." Is there any wonder then that the apostle could say
`from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures" (2 Tim. 3:15)!
On the other hand, we may observe what fearful threatenings are
pronounced against those who disregard this duty. We wonder how many
of our readers have seriously pondered those awe-inspiring words "Pour
out Thy fury upon the heathen that know Thee not, and upon the
families that call not on Thy name" (Jer. 10:25)! How unspeakably
solemn to find that prayerless families are here coupled with the
heathen that know not the Lord. Yet need that surprise us? Why there
are many heathen families who unite together in worshiping their false
gods. And do not they put thousands of professing Christians to shame?
Observe too that Jeremiah 10:25 recorded a fearful imprecation upon
both classes alike: "Pour out Thy fury upon . . ." How loudly should
these words speak to us. It is not enough that we pray as private
individuals in our closets; we are required to honor God in our
families as well. At least twice each day--in the morning and in the
evening--the whole household should be gathered together to bow before
the Lord--parents and children, master and servant--to confess their
sins, to give thanks for God's mercies, to seek His help and blessing.
Nothing must be allowed to interfere with this duty: all other
domestic arrangements are to bend to it. The head of the house is the
one to lead the devotions. but if he be absent, or seriously ill, or
an unbeliever, then the wife should take his place. Under no
circumstances should family worship be omitted. If we would enjoy the
blessing of God upon our family then let its members gather together
daily for praise and prayer. "Them that honour Me I will honour" is
His promise.
An old writer well said, "A family without prayer is like a house
without a roof, open and exposed to all the storms of Heaven." All our
domestic comforts and temporal mercies issue from the loving-kindness
of the Lord, and the best we can do in return is to gratefully
acknowledge together, His goodness to us as a family. Excuses against
the discharge of this sacred duty are idle and worthless. Of what
avail will it be when we render an account to God for the stewardship
of our families to say that we had no time available, working hard
from morn till eve? The more pressing be our temporal duties, the
greater our need of seeking spiritual succor. Nor may any Christian
plead that he is not qualified for such a work: gifts and talents are
developed by use and not by neglect.
Family worship should be conducted reverently, earnestly and simply.
It is then that the little ones will receive their first impressions
and form their initial conceptions of the Lord God. Great care needs
to be taken lest a false idea be given them of the Divine Character,
and for this the balance must be preserved between dwelling upon His
transcendency and imminency, His holiness and His mercy, His might and
His tenderness. His justice and His grace. Worship should begin with a
few words of prayer invoking God's presence and blessing. A short
passage from His Word should follow, with brief comments thereon. Two
or three verses of a Psalm may be sung. Close with a prayer of
committal into the hands of God. Though we may not be able to pray
eloquently, we should earnestly. Prevailing prayers are usually brief
ones. Beware of wearying the young ones.
The advantages and blessings of family worship are incalculable.
First, family worship will prevent much sin. It awes the soul, conveys
a sense of God's majesty and authority, sets solemn truths before the
mind, brings down benefits from God on the home. Personal piety in the
home is a most influential means, under God, of conveying piety to the
little ones. Children are largely creatures of imitation, loving to
copy what they see in others. "He established a testimony in Jacob and
appointed a law in Israel. which He commanded our fathers that they
should make them known to their children: That the generation to come
might know them, even the children which should be born; who should
arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their
hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His
commandments" (Ps. 78:5, 7). How much of the dreadful moral and
spiritual conditions of the masses today may be traced back to the
neglect of their fathers in this duty? How can those who neglect the
worship of God in their families look for peace and comfort therein?
Daily prayer in the home is a blessed means of grace for allaying
those unhappy passions to which our common nature is subject. Finally,
family prayer gains for us the presence and blessing of the Lord.
There is a promise of His presence which is peculiarly applicable to
this duty: see Matthew 18:19, 20. Many have found in family worship
that help and communion with God which they sought for with less
effect in private prayer.
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Godly Companions
"I am a companion of all that fear thee,
and of them that keep thy precepts"
Psalm 119:63
_________________________________________________________________
In the above verse we have a description of God's people according to
the course of their lives and conduct. They are a people marked by two
things: fear and submission, the latter being the fruit of the former.
Regenerated souls obey God conscientiously out of reverence to His
majesty and goodness, and from a due regard of His will as made known
in His Word. The same description is given of them in Acts 10:35, "In
every nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted
with Him.," It is a filial fear which is awed by God's greatness and
is careful not to offend Him, which is constrained by His love and is
anxious to please Him. Such are the only ones fit to be a Christian's
"companions."
A "companion" is, properly speaking, one whom I choose to walk and
converse with in a way of friendship. Inasmuch as the companions we
select is an optional matter, it is largely true that a person may be
known by the company he or she keeps; hence the old adage, "Birds of a
feather flock together." Scripture asks the searching question, "Can
two walk together but except they be agreed?" (Amos 3:3). A Christian,
before his conversion, was controlled by the Prince of darkness and
walked according to the course of this world (Eph. 2:2,3), and
therefore did he seek and enjoy the company of worldlings. But when he
was born again the new nature within him prompted new tastes and
desires, and so he seeks a new company, delighting only in the saints
of God. Alas, that we do not always continue as we began.
The Christian is to have good will toward all with whom he comes in
contact, desiring and seeking their best interests (Gal. 6:10), but he
is not to be yoked to (2 Cor. 6:14) nor have any fellowship with (Eph.
5:11) those who are unbelievers, nor is he to delight in or have
complacency toward those who despise his Master. "Shouldest thou help
the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord?" (2 Chron. 19:2). Would
you knowingly take a viper into your bosom? "The wicked is an
abomination unto the righteous" (Prov. 29:26). So said David, "Do not
I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and am I not grieved with those
that rise up against thee? I hate them with a perfect hatred: I count
them mine enemies" (Ps. 139:21, 22). That holy man could not be
confederate with such.
Evil company is to be sedulously avoided by the Christian lest he
become defiled by them. "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise;
but a companion of fools shall be destroyed" (Prov. 13:20). Nor is it
only the openly lawless and criminal who are to be shunned, but even,
yea especially, those professing to be Christians yet who do not live
the life of Christians. It is this latter class particularly against
which the real child of God needs to be most on his guard: namely,
those who say one thing and do another; those whose talk is pious, but
whose walk differs little or nothing from the non-professor, The Word
of God is plain and positive on this point: "Having a form of
godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away" (2 Tim.
3:5). This is not merely good advice, but a Divine command which we
disregard at our peril.
In selecting your "companions" let not a pleasing personality deceive
you. The Devil himself often poses as "an angel of light," and
sometimes his wolfish agents disguise themselves in "sheep's clothing"
(Matthew 7:15). Be most careful in seeing to it that what draws you
toward and makes you desire the companionship of Christian friends is
their love and likeness to Christ and not their love and likeness to
you. Shun as you would a deadly plague those who are not awed by the
fear of God, i.e., a trembling lest they offend Him. Let not the Devil
persuade you that you are too well established in the faith to be
injured by intimacy with worldly "Christians" (?). "Be not deceived,
evil communications corrupt good manners" (1 Cor. 15:33). Rather
"follow righteousness, faith, love, peace, with them that call on the
Lord out of a pure heart" (2 Tim. 2:22).
"Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners" (1 Cor.
15:33). The Greek word here for "communications" properly means "a
bringing together, companionships." And evil companionships "corrupt."
All evil is contagious and association with evildoers, whether they be
"church members" or open infidels, has a defiling and debasing effect
upon the true child of God. Mark well how the Holy Spirit has prefaced
His warning: "be not deceived." Evidently there is a real danger of
God's people imagining that they can play with fire without getting
burned. Not so: God has not promised to protect us when we fly in the
face of his danger signals. Observe too the next verse which is
inseparably connected with the one to which we have directed
attention. "Awake to righteousness and sin not: for some have not the
knowledge of God: I speak (this) to your shame" (1 Cor. 15:34). The
word "awake" signifies to arouse as from a torpor or state of
lethargy. It is a call to shake off the delusive spell that a
Christian may company with Christless companions without being
contaminated by them. "And sin not" in this respect. To cultivate
friendship with religious worldlings Is sin, for such "have not the
knowledge of God": they have no experimental acquaintance with Him,
His fear is not on them, His authority has no weight with them. "I
speak (this) to your shame." The child of God ought to be abashed and
filled with confusion that he needs such a word as this. I am a
companion of all that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts."
Such are the only "companions" worth having, the only ones who will
give you any encouragement to continue pressing forward along the
"Narrow Way." It is not those who merely pretend to "believe" God's
precepts, or profess to "stand for" them, but those who actually
"keep" them. But where are such to be found these days? Ah, where
indeed. They are but "few" in number (Matthew 7:14) one here and one
there. Yea, so very "few" are they that we are constrained to cry,
"Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from
among the children of men" (Ps. 12:1).
It is indeed solemn to read the words that immediately follow the
last-quoted scripture and find how aptly they apply to and how
accurately they describe the multitude of godless professing
"Christians" all around us: "they speak vanity every one with his
neighbour, with flattering lips, with a double heart do they speak"
(v. 2). Note three things about them. First, they "speak vanity" or
"emptiness." Their words are like bubbles, there is nothing edifying
about them. It cannot be otherwise for "out of the abundance of the
heart the mouth speaketh" (Matthew 12:34). Their poor hearts are empty
(Matthew 12:44). So their speech is empty too. Second, they have
"flattering lips," which is the reason why they are so popular with
the ungodly. They will seek to puff you up with a sense of their own
importance, pretend to admire the "much light" you have, and tell you
it is your duty to "give it out to others". Third. they have a "double
heart." They are (vainly) seeking to serve two masters: (cf. 2 Kings
17:32, 33).
"I am a companion of all that fear thee, and of them that keep thy
precepts." There is a very real sense in which this is true even where
there is no outward contact with such. Faithfulness to God, obedience
to His Word, keeping His precepts, companying only with those who do
so, turning away from everybody else, has always involved a lonely
path. It was thus with Enoch (Jude 14). It was thus with Abraham (Isa.
51:2). It was thus with Paul (2 Tim. 1:5). It is the same today. Every
city in the land is tilled with "churches," "missions," "Gospel
Halls," "Bible Institutes," etc., etc., but where are those who give
plain evidence that they are living in this world as "strangers and
pilgrims" and as such abstaining "from fleshly lusts which war against
the soul" (1 Pet. 2:11)?
But thank God. though the path of faithfulness to Him be a lonely one,
it brings me into spiritual fellowship with those who have gone
before. We are to walk by faith and not by sight, and faith perceives
that walking with Christ "outside the camp" (Heb. 13:13) necessarily
brings into communion with "all" His redeemed, be they on earth or be
they in heaven. Thus the apostle John in his lonely exile on Patmos
referred to himself as "your brother and companion in tribulation, and
in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ" (Rev. 1:9). Yes,
Christian reader, for a little while it means companionship "in
tribulation," but, praise God it will not mean enduring the throes of
the swiftly- approaching portion of Christless professors left behind
when Christ comes for His own (2 Thess. 2:10-12). For a little while
it means companionship in "the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ,"
soon it will be in the kingdom and glory of Christ. May Divine mercy
so enable us to live now that in that Day we shall receive His "Well
done."
Back to Books and Pamphlets by A.W. Pink
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Gospel Preaching Commanded
_________________________________________________________________
There are those who misrepresent the doctrine of election in this way.
Here I am sitting down at my table tonight with my family to tea. It
is a cold winter's night, and outside on the street are some hungry
starving tramps and children, and they come and knock on my door and
they say, "We are so hungry, Sir, Oh, we are so hungry and cold, and
we are starving: won't you give us something to eat?"
Give you something to eat? No, you do not belong here, get off with
you." Now people say that is what election means, that God has spread
the gospel feast and some poor sinners conscious of their deep need
come to the Lord and say, "Have mercy upon me, and the Lord says, "No,
you are not among My elect." Now, my friends, that is not the teaching
of this Book, nor anything like that. That is absolutely a false
representation of God's truth. I do not believe anything like that, my
friends, and I would not insult you by asking you to come here night
by night and listen to anything like that.
1. Compel them to come in
Now then, here is the truth. God has spread the feast but the fact is
that nobody is hungry. and nobody wants to come to the feast, and
everybody makes an excuse to keep away from the feast. and when they
are bidden to come they say, "No, we do not want to, or We are not
ready yet." Now God knew that from the beginning, and if God had done
nothing more than spread the feast every seat at His table would have
been vacant for all eternity! I have no hesitation in saying there is
not one man or woman in this church tonight, but who made excuses time
after time before you first came to Christ. You are just like the
rest. You made excuses. so did I, and if God had done nothing more
than just spread the feast every chair would have been vacant,
therefore what do you read in that parable in Luke 14? Because the
feast was not furnished with guests God sent forth His "servants". Oh,
put your glasses on. It does not say "servants", it says God sent
forth His "servant" and told Him to "compel" them to come in that His
feast might be furnished with guests. And there is not a man or a
woman In this church tonight or in any other church that would ever
sit down at the marriage-supper of the Lamb unless you had been
compelled to come in, and compelled by God.
Well, you say, what do you mean by "compelled?" I mean this, that God
had to overcome the resistance of your will, God had to overcome the
reluctance of your heart, God had to overcome your loving of pleasure
more than loving of God, your love of the things of this world more
than Christ. I mean that God had to put forth His power and draw you,
and if any of you know anything of the Greek or have a Strong's
Concordance, look up that Greek verb for "draw" in John 6:44, "No man
can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him" --It
means "use violence". It means to drag by force. There is not a Greek
scholar on earth that can challenge that statement--I mean--and back
it up with proof. It's the same Greek word that is used in John 21
when they drew the net to the land full of fishes. They had to pull
with all their might for it was full of fishes. They had to drag it,
Yes, my friend, and that is how you were brought to Christ. You may
not have been conscious of it. you may not have known inside yourself
what was taking place, but every last one of us was a rebel against
God, fighting against Christ, resisting His Holy Spirit, and God had
to put forth almighty power and overcome that resistance and bring us
to our knees, and if any of you object to that strong language, then I
am here to tell you, you do not believe in the teaching of this Book
on the absolute depravity of man.
Man is lost, and man is dead in trespasses and sins by nature. Listen,
it is not simply that man is sick and needs a little medicine: it is
not simply that man is ignorant and needs a little teaching: it is not
simply that man is weak and needs a little hope: man is dead, dead in
trespasses and sins, and only almighty power from heaven can ever
resurrect him and bring him from death unto life. That is the gospel I
believe in and I do not preach the gospel because I believe the sinner
has power in himself to respond to it. Well, you say, then what is the
use of preaching the gospel if men are dead? What is the use of
preaching it? I will tell you. Listen! Here was a man with a withered
hand, paralyzed, and Christ says. "Stretch forth thine hand"; It was
the one thing that he could not do! Christ told him to do a thing that
was impossible in himself. Well then you say why did Christ tell him
to stretch forth his hand? Because Divine power went with the very
word that commanded him to do it! Divine power enabled him to. The man
could not do it of himself. If you think that he could you are ready
for the lunatic asylum, I don't not care who you are. Any man or woman
here who thinks that that man was able to stretch forth his paralyzed
arm by an effort of his own will is ready for the lunatic asylum! How
can paralysis move?
Well, I will give you something stronger than that. You need something
strong today, you need something more than skim-milk, you need strong
meat if ever you are going to be built up and grow and become strong
in the Lord and the power of His might--Here is a man who is dead and
buried and his body has already begun to corrupt so that it stank.
There he was in the grave and someone came to that graveside and said,
"Lazarus. come forth", and if that someone had been anyone else than
God Himself manifest in flesh. he might have stood there till now
calling, "Come forth". What on earth was the use of telling a dead man
to come forth? None at all, unless the One Who spoke that word had the
power to make that word good.
Now then my friends, I preach the gospel to sinners, not because I
believe the sinner has any power at all in himself to respond to it: I
do not believe that any sinner has any capacity in himself whatever.
But Christ said, "the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and
they are life", and by God's grace I go forth preaching this Word
because it is a word of power, a word of spirit, a word of life. The
power is not in the sinner, it is in the Word when God the Holy Spirit
is pleased to use it. And my friends, I say in all reverence; if God
told me in this Book to go out and preach to the trees. I would go!
Yes sir. God once told one of His servants to go and preach to bones
and he went. I wonder if you should have gone! Yes, that has a local
application as well as a future interpretation prophetically:
2. Preach the Gospel to Every Creature
Now the question arises again, why are we to preach the gospel to
every creature?--if God has only elected a certain number to be saved?
The reason is, because God commands us to do so. Well, but, you say,
it does not seem reasonable to me That has got nothing to do with it;
your business is to obey God and not to argue with Him. God commands
us to preach the gospel to every creature and it means what it
says--every creature and it is solemn thing. Every Christian in this
room tonight has yet to answer to Christ why he has not done
everything in his power to send that gospel to every creature! Yes, I
believe in missions--probably stronger than most of you do, and if I
preached to you on missions perhaps I would hit you harder than you
have been hit yet. The great majority of Gods people who profess to
believe in missions, are just playing at them--I make so bold as to
say of our evangelical denominations today that we are just playing at
missions and that is all. Why my friends. there is almost half of the
human race--think of it--in this 20^th century--travel so easy and
cheap. Bibles printed in almost every language under heaven, and as we
sit here tonight there is almost half of the human race that never yet
heard of Christ, and we have got to answer to Christ for that yet! You
have and I have, Oh. yes, I believe in man's responsibility. I do not
believe in man's "freedom" but I do in man's responsibility, and I
believe in the Christian's responsibility in a double way, and
everyone of us here tonight has yet got to face Christ and look into
those eyes as a flame of fire, and He is going to say to us, I
entrusted to you My gospel. It was committed as a "trust" to you, (See
1 Thess. 2:4) It is required in stewards that a man be found faithful.
Oh, my friends, we are playing at things. We have not begun to take
religion seriously, any of us. We profess to believe in the coming of
Christ, and we profess to believe that the one reason why Christ has
not come back yet is because His Church, His Body, is not yet
complete. We believe that when His body is complete He will come back.
And my friends, His "body" never, never, will be complete until the
last of His elect people will be called out, and His elect people are
called out under the preaching of the gospel by the power of the Holy
Spirit, and if you are really anxious for Christ to come back soon,
then you had better be more wide awake to your responsibility in
connection with taking or sending the gospel to the heathen!
Christ's word, and it is Christ's word to us, is "Go ye into all the
world and preach the gospel", He does not say "Send ye", He says "Go
ye", and you have to answer to Christ yet because you have not gone!
Well, you say, do you mean by that that everyone of us here tonight
ought to go out to the mission field? I have not said that, I am not
any man's judge, Many of you here tonight have a good reason which
will satisfy Christ why you have not gone. He gave you work to do
here. He put you in a position here. He has given you responsibilities
to discharge here, but every Christian who is free to go, and does not
go, has got to answer to Christ for it yet.
"Go ye into all the world." Well then you say, Where am I to go? Oh,
that is very easy. You say, easy? Yes, I mean it: it is very easy.
There is nothing easier in the world than to know where you ought to
begin missionary work. You have it in the first chapter of Acts and
the eighth verse: "Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is
come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem
(that is the city in which they were) and in all Judea (that is the
State in which their city was), and in Samaria (that is the adjoining
State), and unto the uttermost part of the earth", If you want to
begin missionary work, you have to begin it in your home-town, and my
friends if you are not interested in the salvation of the Chinese in
Sydney, then you are not really interested in the salvation of the
Chinese in China, and you are only fooling yourselves if you think you
are! Oh, I am calling a spade a spade tonight. If you are anxious
about the souls of the Chinese in China, then you will be equally
anxious about the souls of the Chinese here in Sydney, and I wonder
how many in this building tonight have ever made any serious effort to
reach the Chinese in Sydney with the gospel! I wonder? I wonder how
many here tonight have been round to the Bible House in Sydney and
have said to the Manager there, "Do you have any New Testaments in the
Chinese language, or do you have any Gospels of John in the Chinese
language? How much are they per hundred? or per dozen?" And I wonder
how many of you have bought a thousand or a hundred, and then have
gone round to the houses in the Chinese quarter and have said, "My
friend, this is a little gift that will do your soul good if you will
read it."
Ah, my friends, we are playing at missions, it is just a farce, that
is all! "Go ye" is the first command. Go where? Those around me first.
Go what with? The gospel! Well, you say, "Why should I go?" Because
God has commanded you to! Well, you say, "What is the use of doing it
if He has just elected certain ones?" Because that gospel is the means
that God uses to call out His own elect, that is why! You do not know,
and I do not know, and nobody here on earth knows, who are God's elect
and who are not. They are scattered over the world, and therefore we
are to preach the gospel to every creature, that it may reach the ones
that God has marked out among those creatures.
From a sermon preached in Sydney
during his Australian ministry in the 1920's.
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Have You Truly Come To Christ?
_________________________________________________________________
HAVE YOU TRULY COME TO CHRIST
By the way of introduction let us bring before the reader the
following Scriptures:
1. "Ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life" (John 5:40).
2. "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest" (Matthew 11:28)
3. "No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw
him" (John 6:44).
4. "All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me: and him that
cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37)
5. "If any man come to Me, and hate not his father, and mother, and
wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own
life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whosoever doth not bear
his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple" (Luke
14:26,27).
6. "To whom coming, as unto a living Stone, disallowed indeed of men,
but chosen of God, and precious" (1 Peter 2:4).
7. "Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come
unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for
them" (Heb 7:25).
The first of these passages applies to every unregenerate man and
woman on this earth. While he is in a state of nature, no man can come
to Christ. Though all excellencies both Divine and human, are found
in the Lord Jesus, though "He is altogether lovely" (Song 5:16), yet
the fallen sons of Adam see in Him no beauty that they should desire
Him. They may be well instructed in "the doctrine of Christ," they may
believe unhesitatingly all that Scripture affirms concerning Him, they
may frequently take His name upon their lips, profess to be resting on
His finished work, sing His praises, yet their hearts are far from
Him. The things of this world have the first place in their
affections. The gratifying of self is their dominant concern. They
surrender not their lives to Him. He is too holy to suit their love of
sin; His claims are too exacting to suit their selfish hearts; His
terms of discipleship are too severe to suit their fleshly ways. They
will not yield to His Lordship - true alike with each one of us till
God performs a miracle of grace upon our hearts.
The second of these passages contains a gracious invitation, made by
the compassionate Savior to a particular class of sinners. The "all"
is at once qualified, clearly and definitely, by the words which
immediately follow it. The character of those to whom this loving
word belongs is clearly defined: It is those who "labor" and are
"heavy laden." Most clearly then it applies not to the vast majority
of our light-headed, gay-hearted, pleasure-seeking fellows who have no
regard for God's glory and no concern about their eternal welfare. No,
the word for such poor creatures is rather, "Rejoice, O young man, in
thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and
walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes; but
know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee to judgment"
(Eccl. 11:9). But to those who have "labored" hard to keep the law
and please God, who are "heavy laden" with a felt sense of their utter
inability to meet His requirements, and who long to be delivered from
the power and pollution of sin, Christ says: "Come unto Me, and I will
give you rest."
The third passage quoted above at once tells us that "coming to
Christ" is not the easy matter so many imagine it, nor so simple a
thing as most preachers represent it to be. Instead of its so being,
the incarnate Son of God positively declares that such an act is
utterly impossible to a fallen and depraved creature unless and until
Divine power is brought to bear upon him. A most pride-humbling,
flesh-withering, man-abasing word is this. "Coming to Christ" is a
far, far different thing from raising your hand to be prayed for by
some Protestant "priest," coming forward and taking some cheap-jack
evangelist's hand, signing some "decision" card, uniting with some
"church," or any other of the "many inventions" of man (Eccl 7:29).
Before any one can or will "come to Christ" the understanding must be
supernaturally enlightened, the heart must be supernaturally changed,
the stubborn will must be supernaturally broken.
The fourth passage is also one that is unpalatable to the carnal mind,
yet is it a precious portion unto the Spirit-taught children of God.
It sets forth the blessed truth of unconditional election, or the
discriminating grace of God. It speaks of a favored people whom the
Father giveth to His Son. It declares that every one of that blessed
company shall come to Christ. Neither the effects of their fall in
Adam, the power of indwelling sin, the hatred and untiring efforts of
Satan, nor the deceptive delusions of blind preachers, will be able to
finally hinder them - when God's appointed hour arrives, each of His
elect is delivered from the power of darkness and is translated into
the kingdom of His dear Son. It announces no matter how unworthy and
vile he be in himself, no matter how black and long the awful
catalogue of his sins, He will by no means despise or fail to welcome
him, and under no circumstances will He ever cast him off.
The fifth passage is one that makes known the terms on which alone
Christ is willing to receive sinners. Here the uncompromising claims
of His holiness are set out. He must be crowned Lord of all, or He
will not be Lord at all. There must be the complete heart-renunciation
of all that stands in competition with Him. He will brook no rival.
All that pertains to "the flesh," whether found in a loved one or in
self, has to be hated. The "cross" is the badge of Christian
discipleship: not a golden one worn on the body, but the principle of
self-denial and self-sacrifice ruling the heart. How evident is it,
then, that a mighty, supernatural, Divine work of grace must be
wrought in the human heart, if any man will even desire to meet such
terms!
The sixth passage tells us the Christian is to continue as he began.
We are to "come to Christ" not once and for all, but frequently,
daily. He is the only One who can minister unto our needs, and to Him
we must constantly turn for the supply of them. In our felt emptiness,
we must draw from His "fullness" (John 1:16). In our weakness, we must
turn to him for strength. In our ignorance we must apply to Him for
wisdom. In our falls into sin, we must seek afresh His cleansing. All
that we need for time and eternity is stored up in Him: refreshment
when we are weary (Isa 40:31), healing of body when we are sick (Ex.
15:26), comfort when we are sad (1 Pet 5:7), deliverance when we are
tempted (Heb 2:18). If we have wandered away from Him, left our first
love, then the remedy is to "repent and do the first works" (Rev 2:5),
that is, cast ourselves upon Him anew, come just as we did the first
time we came to Him--as unworthy, self-confessed sinners, seeking His
mercy and forgiveness.
The seventh passage assures us of the eternal security of those who do
come. Christ saves "unto the uttermost" or "for ever more" those who
come unto God by Him. He is not of one mind today and of another
tomorrow. No, He is "the same yesterday, and today, and for ever (Heb
13:8). "Having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them
unto the end" (John 13:1), and blessedly does He give proof of this,
for "He ever liveth to make intercession for them." Inasmuch as His
prayers are effectual, for He declares that the Father hears Him
"always" (John 11:42), none whose name is indelibly stamped on the
heart of our great High Priest can ever perish. Hallelujah!
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"He Instructed Him"
"He found him in a desert land, and in the
waste howling wilderness; He led him about.
He instructed him, He kept him
as the apple of His eye" -
Deuteronomy 32:10
_________________________________________________________________
"He instructed him." So He does us. It was to instruct us that God, in
His great mercy, gave us THE SCRIPTURES. He has not left us to grope
our way in darkness, but has provided us with a lamp for our feet and
a light for our path. Nor are we left to our own unaided powers in the
study of the Word. We are supplied with an infallible Instructor. The
Holy Spirit is our teacher, "Ye have an unction from the Holy One, and
ye know all things ... the anointing ye have received of Him abideth
in you, and ye need not that any man teach you" (1 John 2:20, 27).
Right views of God's truth are not an intellectual attainment, but a
blessing bestowed on us by God. It is written, "a man can receive
nothing, except it be given him from heaven" (John 3:27). No matter
how legibly a letter may be written, if the recipient is blind he
cannot read it. So we are told, "the natural man receiveth not the
things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him:
neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned" (1
Cor. 2:14). And spiritual discernment is imparted only by the Holy
Spirit.
"He instructed him." How patiently God bears with our dullness! How
graciously He repeats "line upon line and precept upon precept" (Is.
28:10)! Yet slow as we are, He perseveres with us, for He has promised
to perfect that which concerns us (Ps. 138:8). Has He "instructed"
you, my reader? Has He taught you the total depravity of man and the
utter inability of the sinner to deliver himself? Has He taught you
the humbling truth "Ye must be born again", and that regeneration is
solely the work of God, man having no part or hand in it (Jn. 1:13)?
Has He revealed to you the infinite value and sufficiency of the
atoning sacrifice of Christ whose blood cleanses "FROM ALL SIN"? Then
what cause you have to be thankful for such Divine instruction.
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"It Is Finished"
"When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said,
It is finished: and he gave up the ghost."
John 19:30
_________________________________________________________________
How terribly have these blessed words of Christ been misunderstood,
misappropriated and misapplied! How many seem to think that on the
cross the Lord Jesus accomplished a work which rendered it unnecessary
for the beneficiaries of it to live holy lives on earth. So many have
been deluded into thinking that, so far as reaching heaven is
concerned, it matters not how they walk provided they are "resting on
the finished work of Christ." They may be unfruitful, untruthful,
disobedient, yet (though they may possibly miss some millennial crown)
so long as they repudiate all righteousness of their own and have
faith in Christ, they imagine they are "eternally secure."
All around us are people who are worldly-minded, money-lovers,
pleasure-seekers, Sabbath-breakers, yet who think all is well with
them because they have "accepted Christ as their personal Saviour." In
their aspiration, conversation, and recreation, there is practically
nothing to differentiate them from those who make no profession at
all. Neither in their home-life nor social-life is there anything save
empty pretensions to distinguish them from others. The fear of God is
not upon them, the commands of God have no authority over them, the
holiness of God has no attraction for them.
"It is finished." How solemn to realize that these words of Christ
must have been used to lull thousands into a false peace. Yet such is
the case. We have come into close contact with many who have no
private prayer-life, who are selfish, covetous, dishonest, but who
suppose that a merciful God will overlook all such things provided
they once put their trust in the Lord Jesus. What a horrible
perversion of the truth! What a turning of God's grace "into
lasciviousness"! (Jude 4). Yes, those who now live the most
self-seeking and flesh-pleasing lives, talk about their faith in the
blood of the Lamb, and suppose they are safe. How the devil has
deceived them!
"It is finished." Do those blessed words signify that Christ so
satisfied the requirement of God's holiness that holiness no longer
has any real and pressing claims upon us? Perish the thought. Even to
the redeemed God says, "Be ye holy, for I am holy" (1 Pet. 1:16). Did
Christ "magnify the law and make it honorable" (Isa. 42:21) that we
might be lawless? Did He "fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:15) to
purchase for us an immunity from loving God with all our hearts and
serving Him with all our faculties? Did Christ die in order to secure
a divine indulgence that we might live to please self? Many seem to
think so. No, the Lord Jesus has left His people an example that they
should "follow (not ignore) His steps."
"It is finished." What was "finished? The need for sinners to repent?
No indeed. The need for turning to God from idols? No indeed. The need
for mortifying my members which are upon earth? No indeed. The need
for being sanctified wholly, in spirit, and soul, and body? No indeed.
Christ died not to make my sorrow for, hatred of, and striving against
sin, useless. Christ died not to absolve me from the full discharge of
my responsibilities unto God. Christ died not so that I might go on
retaining the friendship and fellowship of the world. How passing
strange that any should think that He did. Yet the actions of many
show that this is their idea.
"It is finished." What was "finished?" The sacrificial types were
accomplished, the prophecies, of His sufferings were fulfilled, the
work given Him by the Father had been perfectly done, a sure
foundation had been laid on which a righteous God could pardon the
vilest transgressor of the law who threw down the weapons of his
warfare against Him. Christ had now performed all that was necessary
in order for the Holy Spirit to come and work in the hearts of His
people; convincing them of their rebellion, slaying their enmity
against God, and producing in them a loving and obedient heart.
O, dear reader, make no mistake on this point. The "finished work of
Christ" avails you nothing if your heart has never been broken through
an agonizing consciousness of your sinfulness. The "finished work of
Christ" avails you nothing unless you have been saved from the power
and pollution of sin (Matthew 1:21). It avails you nothing if you
still love the world (I John 2:15). It avails you nothing unless you
are a "new creature" in Him (2 Cor .5:17). If you value your soul,
search the Scriptures to see for yourself; take no man's word for it.
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Keeping the Heart
_________________________________________________________________
In Christendom today there are thousands of professing Christians
against whom little or nothing in the way of fault could be found so
far as their outward lives are concerned. They live moral, clean,
upright, honest lives while at the same time the state of their hearts
is totally neglected. It is not sufficient to bring our outward
deportment into harmony with the revealed will of God. He holds us
accountable for what goes on inside, and requires us to keep check on
the springs of our actions, the motives which inspire and the
principles which regulate us.
God requires "truth in the inward parts" (Ps. 51:6). Christ has
enjoined us to "take heed" to ourselves "lest at any time our hearts
be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkeness, and cares of this life"
(Luke 21:34). If I do not look within how then shall I be able to
ascertain whether I possess that poverty of spirit, mourning for
unholiness, meekness, hungering and thirsting after righteousness and
purity of heart upon which the Saviour pronounces His benediction
(Matthew 5:1-8)? We must remember that salvation itself is both
subjective and objective, for it consists not only of what Christ did
FOR His people, but also what He by the Holy Spirit did in them. I
have no evidence whatever of my justification apart from my
regeneration and sanctification. The one who can say "I am crucified
with Christ" judicially can also add "Christ liveth in me"
(experimentally), and living by faith in Him is proof that "He loved
me and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).
The heart is the center of man's moral nature, of the personality; it
equals the whole inner man, it is the fount out of which everything
else comes, and is the seat of his thoughts and of his affections and
of his will (Gen. 6:5). To guard the heart means that we should live
to the glory of God in every respect; that that should be the supreme
desire of our life, that we desire to know Him, love Him and serve
Him.
If we are to be approved of God it is by no means sufficient that "we
make clean the outside of the cup and platter", yet many suppose that
that is all that matters. "Cleanse first that which is within"
(Matthew 23:26) is our Lord's command. This is rarely given any
attention these days, or none at all. It is the devil who seeks to
persuade people that they are not responsible for the state of their
hearts, that it is impossible for them to change them. Such is most
agreeable unto those who think to be "called to heaven on flowery beds
of ease." But no regenerate soul, with God's Word before him, will
credit such falsehood. The Divine command is plain: "Keep thy heart
with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life" (Prov.
4:23). This is the principal task set before us, for it is at the
heart God ever looks, and there can be no pleasing Him while it is
unattended to; yea, woe be unto those who disregard it. He who makes
no honest endeavor to cast out sinful thoughts and evil imaginations,
and who does not mourn over their presence, is a moral leper. He who
makes no conscience of the workings of unbelief, the cooling of his
affections, the surgings of pride, is a stranger to any work of grace
in his soul.
Not only does God bid thee to "keep thy heart," but He requires that
you do it "with all diligence;" that is, that you make it your main
concern and constant care. The Hebrew word of "keep" signifies to
"guard," to watch over this heart (that is, the soul or inward man) as
a precious treasure of which thieves are ever ready to rob thee. The
devotions of your lips and the labors of your hands are unacceptable
to the Lord if your heart is not right in His sight. What husband
would appreciate the domestic attentions of his wife if he had good
reasons to believe that her affections were alienated from him?
God takes note not only of the matter of our actions but the springs
from which they are done and the design of the same. If we become
slack and careless in any of these respects, it shows that our love is
cooled and that we have become weary of God. The Lord God is He that
"ponders the heart" (Prov. 24:12) observing all its motions. He knows
whether your alms-deeds are done in order to be seen of men and
admired by them, or whether they issue from disinterested benevolence.
He knows whether your expressions of good will and love to your
brethren are feigned or genuine!
The Bible lays open, as no other book, the turpitude (shameful
depravity) and horrid nature of sin as "that abominable thing" which
God "hates" (Jer. 4:4), and which we are to detest and shun. It never
gives the least indulgence or disposition to sin, nor do any of its
teachings lead to licentiousness. It sternly condemns sin in all its
forms, and makes known the awful curse and wrath of God which are its
due. It not only reproves sin in the outward lives of men, but
discovers the secret faults of the heart which is its chief seat. It
warns against the first motions, and legislates for the regulating of
our spirits, requiring us to keep clean the fountain from which are
"the issues of life." Its promises are made unto holiness, and its
blessings bestowed upon "the pure in heart." The ineffable (that which
cannot be expressed) and exalted holiness of the Bible is its chief
and peculiar excellence, as it is also the principal reason why it is
disliked by the majority of the unregenerate. The Bible forbids all
impure desires and unjust thoughts as well as deeds. It prohibits envy
(Prov. 23:17), and all forms of selfishness (Rom. 15:1). It requires
us to "cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,
and to perfect holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1), and bids us
to "abstain from all appearance of evil" (1 Thess. 5:22). Heavenly
doctrine is to be matched with heavenly character and conduct. Its
requirements penetrate into the innermost recesses of the soul,
exposing and censuring all the corruptions found there. The law of man
goes no farther than "Thou shall not steal," but that of God "Thou
shalt not covet." The law of man prohibits the act of adultery, but
the law of God reprehends (finds fault with, censures, blames) the
looking upon a woman "to lust after her" (Matthew 5:28). The law of
man says, "Thou shalt not murder," that of God forbids all ill-will,
malice or hatred (1 John 3:15). It strikes directly at that which
fallen nature most cherishes and craves. "Woe unto you when all men
shall speak well of you" (Luke 6:26). It prohibits the spirit of
revenge enjoins the forgiveness of injuries. and, contrary to the
self-righteousness of our hearts, inculcates humility.
Such a task calls for Divine aid, hence help and grace need to be
earnestly and definitely sought of the Holy spirit each day. And as,
so many today are just playing with the solemn realities of God, never
embracing and making them their own. How about you, reader? Is this
true of you? Selah.
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Knowing God
_________________________________________________________________
God can only be known by means of a supernatural revelation of Himself
Apart from the Scriptures, even a theoretical acquaintance with Him is
impossible. It still holds true that 'the world by wisdom knew not
God' (I Cor. 1:21). Where the Scriptures are ignored, God is "the
unknown God' (Acts 17:23).
But something more than the Scriptures is required before the soul can
know God, know Him in a real, personal, vital way. This seems to be
recognized by few today. The prevailing practice assumes that a
knowledge of God can be obtained through studying the Word, in the
same way as a knowledge of chemistry may be secured by mastering its
textbooks.
An intellectual knowledge of God maybe; not so a spiritual one. A
supernatural God can only be known supernatural (i.e. known in a
manner above that which mere nature can acquire), by a supernatural
revelation of Himself to the heart. 'God, who commanded the light to
shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of
the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ' (11
Cor. 4:6). The one who has been favored with this supernatural
experience has learned that only 'in thy light shall we see light'
(Ps. 36:9).
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Love of the Truth or For the Truth?
_________________________________________________________________
It is not simply a knowledge of the Truth that saves, but a love of it
that is the essential prerequisite. This is clear from 2 Thessalonians
2:10, "Because they received not the love of the truth, that they
might be saved..."
Since then there is love for the Truth in contradistinction from a
love of the Truth, and a natural love for Christ in contrast with a
spiritual love of Him, how am I to be sure which mine is? We may
distinguish between these "loves" thus.
First, the one is partial, the other is impartial; the one esteems the
doctrines of scripture but not the duties it enjoins, the promises of
Scripture but not the precepts, the blessings of Christ but not His
claims, His priestly office but not His kingly rule; but not so with
the spiritual lover.
Second, the one is occasional, the other is regular; the former balks
when personal interests are crossed, not so the latter.
Third, the one is evanescent and weak, the other lasting and powerful;
the former quickly wanes when other delights compete, and prevails not
to control the other affections; the latter rules the heart, and is
strong as death.
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Personal Holiness
_________________________________________________________________
"That opinion that personal holiness is unnecessary to final
glorification is in direct opposition to even dictate of reason, to
even declaration of Scripture." - Augustus Toplady
By our fall in Adam we not only lost the favor of God but also the
purity of our nature and therefore we need to be both reconciled to
God and renewed in our inner man, for without personal holiness "no
man shall see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). "As He which hath called you is
holy; so be ye holy in all manner of conversation (behavior); because
it is written, Be ye holy for I am holy" (1 Pet. 1:15, 16), God's
nature is such that unless we be sanctified there can be no
intercourse between Him and us. But can persons be sinful and holy at
one and the same time? Genuine Christians discover so much carnality,
filth, and vileness in themselves that they find it almost impossible
to be assured they are holy. Nor is this difficulty solved, as in
justification, by recognizing that though completely unholy in
ourselves we are holy in Christ, for Scripture teaches that those who
are sanctified by God are holy in themselves, though the evil nature
has not been removed from them.
None but "the pure in heart" will ever" see God" (Matthew 5:8). There
must be that renovation of soul whereby our minds, affections and
wills are brought into harmony with God. There must be that impartial
compliance with the revealed will of God and abstinence from evil
which issues from faith and love. There must be that directing of all
our actions to the glory of God, by Jesus Christ, according to the
Gospel. There must be a spirit of holiness working within the
believer's heart so as to sanctify his outward actions if they are to
be acceptable unto Him in whom "there is no darkness" True, there is
perfect holiness in Christ for the believer, but there must also be a
holy nature received from him. There are some who appear to delight in
the imputed obedience of Christ who make little or no concern about
personal holiness. They have much to say about being arrayed in "the
garments of salvation and covered with the robe of righteousness"
(Isa. 61:10), who give no evidence that they "are clothed with
humility" (1 Pet. 5:5) or that they have "put on. . . bowels of
mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering,
forebearing one another and forgiving one another" (Col. 3:12).
How many there are today who suppose that if they have trusted in
Christ all is sure to be well with them at the last even though they
are not personally holy. Under the pretense of honoring faith, Satan,
as an angel of light, has deceived and is now deceiving multitudes of
souls. When their "faith" is examined and tested, what is it worth?
Nothing at all so far as insuring an entrance into Heaven is
concerned: it is a powerless, lifeless, fruitless thing. The faith of
God's elect is unto "the acknowledging of the truth which is after
godliness" (Titus 1:1). It is a faith which purifieth the heart (Acts
15:9), and it grieves over all impurity. It is a faith which produces
an unquestioning obedience (Heb. 11:8). They therefore do but delude
themselves who suppose they are daily drawing nearer to Heaven while
they are following those courses which lead only to Hell. He who
thinks to come to the enjoyment of God without being personally holy,
makes Him out to be an unholy God, and puts the highest indignity upon
Him. The genuiness of saving faith is only proved as it bears the
blossoms of experimental godliness and the fruits of true piety.
In Christ God has set before His people that standard of moral
excellence which He requires them to aim and strive after. In His life
we behold a glorious representation in our own nature of the walk of
obedience which He demands of us. Christ conformed Himself to us by
His abasing incarnation, how reasonable therefore it is that we should
conform ourselves to Him in the way of obedience and sanctification.
"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5).
He came as near to us as was possible for Him to do, how reasonable
then is it that we should endeavor to come as near as it is possible
for us to do. "Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me" (Matthew 11:29).
If "even Christ pleased not Himself" (Rom. 15:3). how reasonable is it
that we should be required to deny ourselves and take up our cross and
follow Him (Matthew 16:24), for without so doing we cannot be His
disciples (Luke 14:27). If we are to be conformed to Christ in glory
how necessary that we first be conformed to Him in holiness: "he that
saith he abideth in Him ought himself so to walk even as He walked:"(1
John 2:6). "Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from
iniquity" (2 Tim. 2:19): let him either put on the life of Christ or
drop the name of Christ.
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Poor Yet Rich
by Arthur W. Pink
One of the prayers which the Lord teaches His people to pray is, "Bow
down Thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy" (Psa. 86:1).
Empty professors filled with pride, by their very attitude and
actions, boast that they are "rich, and increased with goods, and have
need of nothing" (Rev. 3:17). But the real child of God, whose eyes
have been opened by the Holy Spirit to see his utter worthlessness,
freely acknowledges that he is (in himself) "poor and needy"; and the
Lord Jesus declares "Blessed are the poor in spirit" (Matt. 5:3). May
more of this poverty be our felt portion.
Above we have said that the child of God is in himself "poor and
needy": that is a most necessary qualification, for in Christ he is
rich and possesses all things (1 Cor. 3:21). In Christ there is an
infinite "fulness," and it is the office and work of faith to draw
upon and draw from the same. It is the Chrisitan's unspeakable
privilege to recognize that he is now (not simply will be in Heaven) a
"joint-heir" with Christ. It is his glorious privilege to perceive
that Christ is the Head of His people, and as a wife turns to her
husband for money to meet the household expenses, so His Spouse should
act toward her Husband--coming to Him for counsel, help, supplies of
need, in full confidence that His love will freely bestow them.
Thus we have sought, again, to preserve the balance of Truth. Not
until we are made to feel anew our emptiness, nothingness, sinfulness,
woe-begone condition, shall we continue to turn unto Him whose
exhaustless riches are ever available when the empty hand of faith is
extended toward Him. Alas, so many of His dear people have been left
with the impression (if not expressly taught so) that there is nothing
better for them, while here in this wilderness, than to feel their
helplessness and groan over their wretchedness, remaining spiritual
paupers to the end of their journey. No doubt that is greatly to be
preferred to the self-sufficiency and self-righteousness of the
bloated and Satan-deceived "free-willers." Yes, indeed; a million
times better for any of us to lie wounded, stripped, groaning, and
half-dead by the wayside, than be left by God wholly dead in a state
of carnal complacency. And yet, beloved, it is far from glorifying to
the Lord, as it is far from our entering into the Inheritance which is
now ours, to be the helpless "victim of circumstances," the captive of
the flesh, or the doormat of Satan.
Daily living by faith on Christ is what makes the difference between
the sickly and the healthy Christian, between the defeated and the
victorious saint. Not that we are suggesting it is possible for any of
us to attain a state or experience where we are no longer tripped up
by Satan, or wounded by the flesh. No; but rather that the Christian
should refuse to continue in that wounded state and go on lying on the
ground moaning and groaning. Our duty is to search out what it was in
us which gave Satan the occasion to trip us up and the flesh to wound
us; confess it to God, put it under the Blood, and seek grace to
enable us to be more watchful against a repetition of the same. We
should eye the all-sufficient Atonement, count upon its efficacy to
cleanse from the guilt and defilement of the fall we experienced; and
having put the matter right with God refuse to allow it now to hinder
our communion with Him--our free approaches unto and our delighting
ourselves in His promises.
Does the reader say, in answer to what has just been said, "That is
easier said than done." Of course, for all "doing" requires effort!
After the confession of a failure and fall, a feeling of shame and
heaviness frequently oppresses the soul and makes it exceedingly
difficult to approach the Holy One with filial freedom. What then is
to be done? This: begin by thanking God for the marvelous grace which
has made such full provision for our wretched failures: praise Him for
laying all your sins upon Christ. Then what? Why, continue praising
Him that the blood of Christ is of such amazing potency, of such
infinite efficacy, that it "cleanseth us from all sin." Bless the God
of all grace that He invites needy souls to come to His throne for
mercy. That, my Christian reader, is the way to overcome heaviness of
soul when filled with shame (after confession), and the way to
overcome Satan's efforts to keep you depressed: thanksgivings and
praises for the provisions of mercy for failing saints will give
"freedom of access" and restore unto the joy of communion quicker than
anything.
It is written "the joy of the LORD is your strength" (Neh. 8:lo).
There can be no spiritual energy for the cheerful performance of duty,
no buoyant heart for the trials of life, unless the joy of the Lord
fills the soul. It was by the "joy that was set before Him" that
Christ "endured the cross" (Heb. 12:2). True, He was "the Man of
Sorrows," and "acquainted with grief" to an extent which none of us
ever are; yet those sorrows did not incapacitate Him for attending to
His Father's business: that deep "grief" hindered Him not from daily
going about "doing good." No, there was a "joy" which sustained, which
nerved, which energised Him for the doing of God's will. And beloved
fellow-pilgrim--groaning it may be over vile corruptions felt within,
or disheartened and dismayed by the multiplying difficulties and
obstacles without--that blessed One is still saying "If any man
thirst, (for joy, or any spiritual grace) let him come unto Me, and
DRINK" (John 7:37)--draw from My fulness.
It is striking to observe the setting of these words "the joy of the
LORD is your strength" (Neh. 8:10). They were spoken to the godly
remnant in a "day of small things." That remnant had listened to the
reading and expounding of the law (Neh. 8:7, 8). As they listened,
they were rebuked, reproved, condemned; and, in consequence "all the
people wept when they heard the words of the law." That was startling,
unusual, blessed: to behold a contrite and broken-hearted people is
both a rare and precious sight. But were they to continue thus? lying
in the dust sobbing and groaning? No, to them the words came "Neither
be ye sorrowful"--dry up your tears, "for the joy of the LORD is your
strength." There is "a time to weep" and there is also "a time to
laugh"; "a time to mourn, and a time to dance" (Eccl. 3:4)! After
grief for sin there should be joy for forgiveness.
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Practical Godliness
"Be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers
only; deceiving your own selves"
James 1:22
_________________________________________________________________
It is much, very much to be thankful for when the Holy Spirit has
illumined a man's understanding, dispersed the mists of error, and
established him in the Truth. Yet that is only the beginning. The Holy
Scriptures are "profitable" not only for "doctrine" but also for
"reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Tim.
3:16). Observe well the order there: before we are ready to be
instructed "in righteousness" (right doing), there is much in our
lives that God "reproves" and which we must "correct." Necessarily so,
for before conversion everything in our lives was wrong! For all we
did was for the gratifying of self, with no thought or concern for
God's honour and glory. Therefore, the first great need, and the
primary duty of every young convert is not to study the Old Testament
types, or puzzle his brains over prophecy, but to diligently search
the Scriptures in order to find out what is pleasing and displeasing
to God, what He forbids and what He commands.
If you have been genuinely converted, then your first concern must be
to form all the details of your life-in the home, in the church, in
the world-so as to please God. And in the actual bringing of this to
pass, the order will be "cease to do evil; learn to do well" (Isa.
1:16-17); "Depart from evil, and do good" (Ps. 34:14 and cf. 37:27).
There has to be a breaking down before there can be a building up
(Eccl. 3:3). There has to be an emptying of self before there is the
filling of the Spirit. There has to be an unlearning before there is a
true learning. And there has to be a hating of `evil" before there is
a loving of the "good" (Amos 5:15 and cf. Rom. 12:9).
Now to the extent the young Christian does use the Holy Scriptures in
a practical way, regulating his thoughts, desires and actions by their
warnings and encouragements, their prohibitions and precepts, will
very largely determine the measure in which he will enjoy God's
blessing on his life. As the moral Governor of the world God takes
note of our conduct, and sooner or later manifests His displeasure
against our sins, and His approval of a righteous walk, by granting
that measure of prosperity which is most for our good and His glory.
In the keeping of His commandments "there is great reward" (Ps. 19:11)
in this life (1 Tim. 4:8). O how much temporal and spiritual blessing
most Christians miss through careless and disobedient conduct: see
Isaiah 48:18!
The tragic thing is that instead of the average young Christian
studying diligently God's Word so as to discover all the details of
the divine will for him, he does almost anything and everything else.
Many a one engages in "personal work" or some form of Christian
"service" while his own life remains full of things displeasing to
God! The presence of those displeasing things in his life hinders
God's blessings upon his soul, body, and temporal affairs; and to him
it has to be said: "Your sins have withholden good things from you"
(Jer. 5:25). God's Word to His people is: "Work out your own salvation
with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12). But O how little of this "fear
and trembling" is to be found anywhere today! Instead, there is
self-esteem, self-confidence, boasting and carnal security.
There are others who give themselves unto the diligent study of
doctrine, but, generally, they fail to realize that the doctrine of
Scripture is not a series of intellectual propositions, but is the
"doctrine which is according to godliness" (1 Tim. 6:3). The
"doctrine" or "teaching" of God's Holy Word is given not for the
instruction of our brains, but for the regulation of all the details
of our daily lives; and this in order that we may "adorn the doctrine
of God our Saviour in all things" (Titus 2:10). But that can only be
realized by a constant reading of the Word with one dominant
purpose-to discover what God forbids and what he commands; by our
meditating frequently on what we have read, and by fervent prayer for
supernatural grace to enable us to obey. If the young convert does not
early form the habit of treading the path of practical obedience to
God, then he will not have His ear when he prays! John states plainly
one of the main conditions which we must constantly seek grace to
heed, if our petitions are to meet with acceptance: "and whatsoever we
ask we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those
things that are pleasing in His sight" (1 John 3:22). But if instead
of submitting unto God's holy requirements, we follow our own
inclinations, then it will be said, "Your iniquities have separated
between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you,
that He will not hear" (Isa. 59:2). This is unspeakably solemn. O what
a difference it makes whether or not we have experimental access to
God!
Not only does the young Christian, by following a course of
self-pleasing, reduce his prayers to empty words, but he brings down
upon himself the rod of God, and everything goes wrong in his life.
That is one reason why many Christians are suffering just as sorely as
the poor worldlings are: God is displeased with their ways, and does
not show Himself strong on their behalf (2 Chron. 16:9). In this
connection we have sought to point out in the past the remedy, which
calls for real heart-humbling before the Lord, godly sorrow, true
repentance, unsparing confession, the firm determination to reform our
ways; and then (and not before) faith's counting on God's mercy and a
patient expectation that He will work wonders for us if we now tread
the path of full submission to Him.
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Prayer
"What things soever ye desire when ye pray believe
that ye receive them, and ye shall have them"
Mark 11:24
_________________________________________________________________
By the words "believe that ye receive them": we understand, expect God
to give them to you. But it is at this point that so many of God's
people fail oftenest in their prayer lives. There are three chief
things to be attended to in prayer.
First, make sure that you are asking for something that is in
accordance with God's Word: see 1 John 5:14. But right here, the devil
will foil you unless you are upon your guard. He will come as an angel
of light and preach a sermon to you on God's holy will. O yes, the
devil is quite capable even of that! It is our privilege and duty to
know what God's will is! "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but
understanding what the will of the Lord is" (Eph. 5:17). It is the
revealed will of God which is in view in these passages, for with His
"secret" will, we have nothing to do; that is none of our business.
God's revealed will is made known in His Word. Fix this in your mind;
never allow Satan inject a thought (Eph. 4:27) to shake you thereon,
that everything God has commanded you to do, every precept and
exhortation addressed to you, is "God's will" for you, and is to be
turned into prayer for enabling grace. It is God's will that you
should be "sanctified" (1 Thess. 4:2), that you should "rejoice"
(Phil. 4:4), that you should "make your calling and election sure" (2
Pet. 1:10), that you should "grow in grace and in the knowledge of the
Lord" (2 Pet. 3:18).
Second, having made sure that what you are praying for is according to
God's revealed will, then plead His promises, such as Matthew 7:7,
Philippians 4:19, etc. Plead them in the name of Christ, asking God to
give you the "desires of thine heart" (Ps. 37:4) for Christ's sake,
that He may be honored in and by a Godly walk from you, and that His
people may be helped and encouraged by your example. Those are pleas
which God cannot deny.
Third, and this is what we would earnestly and lovingly press upon the
Christian reader: Expect God to do what you have asked. Unless there
is an expectancy, faith is not fully in exercise. It is this expecting
from Him which honours and pleases God, and which always draws down
from Him answers of peace. There may be some difficulty, problem,
trial, looming ahead of you, which assumes the proportions of a
mountain. Never mind that: do not let it depress, discourage, or
dismay you. Praise God it stands written in the eternal Word of Truth,
"Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith and doubt not...ye shall say
unto this mountain be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; It
shall be done" (Matthew 21:21). Notice carefully, it is not "If thou
doubt not and have faith, "but if ye have faith" and then (while you
are awaiting God's answer) "doubt not", but continue the fulfillment
of His promise. When you first get down on your knees, beg God in the
name of Christ and for His own glory's sake, to work in you by His
Spirit that expectancy of faith which will not take "NO" from Him;
which reverently, but confidently says, "I will not let Thee go,
except Thou bless me" (Gen. 32:26). That is what honours God, that is
what pleases Him, that is what obtains answers from Him.
"A friend at court!" No doubt that expression is more or less familiar
to the older readers, but it has almost dropped out of use in this
generation. It denoted that one had a friend possessing influence with
another in authority, and using it on my behalf. How unspeakably
blessed to know that the Christian has a friend at court, the Court of
Heaven; "A friend that sticketh closer than a brother." He has the ear
of God, for on earth He declared "Thou hearest me always" (John
11:42). Then, make use of Him, and ask Him to present them to His
Father and your Father, accompanied by His own all-prevailing merits;
and, if they are for God's glory and thy (real) good, be fully assured
that they shall be granted. Thus will Christ be honored and your faith
strengthened.
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Preaching False and True
_________________________________________________________________
Licentious Preaching
The twofoldness of Divine Truth is broadly illustrated by the dividing
of God's Word into its two Testaments, wherein, characteristically
speaking, we have set forth the Divine Law and the Divine Gospel, and
where distinctively (though not exclusively) God is revealed
respectively as "Light" and "Love." The same twofoldness of Truth
appears in each of those grand objects and subjects; though this is
far from being as clearly apprehended as it should be. The Law which
God gave unto Israel was a dual one, consisting of the Moral and the
Ceremonial: the Moral Law specially exemplifying God's righteousness
and the Ceremonial His grace--the merciful provision which He made and
which was available for those who came under the condition of the
former. In like manner, the Gospel contains a dual manifestation of
the Divine character and perfections: while it is "the Gospel of the
grace of God" (Acts 20:24) proclaiming the free favor of God to the
undeserving, it is also denominated "the ministration of
righteousness" (II Cor. 3:9) and "the Word of righteousness" (Heb.
5:13). Paul declared "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ.. .for
therein is the righteousness of God revealed"(Rom.1:16,17).
In view of this twofoldness of Truth and the opposition of the carnal
mind thereto, it should no more surprise us that such diverse elements
as legality and lawlessness are found in the same persons than we
should be to read that Pilate and Herod who "were at enmity between
themselves," on the day of our Saviour's mock trial before them "were
made friends together" (Luke 23:12), and that they made common cause
in opposing and condemning Him. Legality is the perverting of God's
Law. Lawlessness or licentiousness is the corrupting of the Gospel: or
if we speak of these evils as they apply to the distinctive features
of each, legality is the wresting of the righteous element in both the
Law and the Gospel, while licentiousness is the abuse of the grace
element in them. For while it be true that grace is the outstanding
and predominant characteristic of the Gospel, yet it must ever be
insisted upon that it is not a grace which is exercised at the expense
of righteousness, rather does it reign "through righteousness" (Rom.
5:21).
Now since it be true that the roots of both legality and
licentiousness are found in every man by nature, it behooves the
servant of God to be on his most prayerful and careful guard against
giving place to either of these evils, for in proportion as he does so
the Truth is falsified and the souls of his hearers are poisoned. If
he be guilty of preaching in a legalistic way, the person and work of
Christ is dishonored and the spirit of self-righteousness is fed to
those who sit under him. Unless he makes it crystal clear that none
but Christ can avail the sinner and that there is in Him a sufficiency
to meet his every need, unless he expresses himself beyond a
peradventure of being misunderstood that the merits of Christ's
righteousness and blood are the sole means for delivering a believing
sinner from the curse of the broken law and his alone title to
everlasting bliss, he has failed at the most vital point of his
mission and duty. The trumpet he is called upon to blow must give
forth no uncertain sound at this point: nothing but faith in the
finished work of Christ, and nothing added thereto, can supply the
sinner with a standing-ground before the thrice holy God.
On the other hand, it is equally important and essential that the
minister steer clear of the opposite extreme. If he be guilty of
preaching in a licentious way then the person and work of Christ is
equally dishonored and the spirit of religious bolshevism is fostered
in his hearers. Unless he makes it as plain as an object bathed in the
light of the noonday sun that God hates sin, all sin, and will not
compromise with or condone it in any one; unless he declares and
insists that Christ came to save His people from their sins--from the
love of them, from the dominion of them--he has failed at the most
essential part of his task. The great work of the pulpit is to press
the authoritative claims of the Creator and Judge of all the earth, to
show how sort we have come of meeting God's just requirements, to
announce His imperative demand of repentance--the sinner must throw
down the weapons of his rebellion and forsake his evil way before he
can trust in Christ to the saving of his soul: that Christ is to be
received as King to rule over him as well as Priest to atone for him,
to surrender to Him as his rightful Lord ere he can embrace him as his
gracious Saviour.
Such a task as we have briefly outlined above is no easy one, and only
those who are called and qualified by God are fitted to discharge it.
To preserve the balance of Truth so that the requirements of
righteousness and the riches of grace are equally poised: to avoid
Arminianism on the one side and Antinomianism on the other is an
undertaking far beyond the capacity of any "novice" (1 Tim. 3:6). It
requires a "workman" and not a lazy man, a student and not a sloven,
one who studies to "show himself approved unto God" (2 Tim. 2:15) and
not one who seeks the applause and the shekels of men. Nor can any
human education or self-development of the intellectual faculty impart
this capacity. No indeed: only in the school of Christ can this
accomplishment be acquired; only as the Holy Spirit is his Teacher can
any man be furnished unto such an undertaking. The preacher must first
be taught himself, taught experimentally and effectually, taught in
his soul to love what God loves and hate what God hates, and then be
given wisdom from above to express the same according to the
Scriptural pattern before he is ready to show unto others the way of
life.
It is because so many untaught men, unregenerate men, now occupy the
pulpits that "another gospel" (Gal. 1:6) is being so widely and
generally disseminated. Multitudes who have neither "tasted that the
Lord is gracious" nor have "the fear of the Lord" in them have, from
various motives and considerations, invaded the sacred calling of the
ministry, and out of the abundance of their corrupt hearts they speak.
Being blind themselves, they lead the blind into the ditch. Having no
love for the Shepherd they have none for the sheep, being but
"hirelings." They are themselves "of the world" and therefore "the
world heareth them" (1 John 4:5), for they preach that which is
acceptable unto fallen human nature, and as like attracts like, they
gather around themselves a company of admirers who flatter and support
them. They will bring in just enough of God's Truth to deceive the
unwary and give the appearance of orthodoxy to their message, but not
sufficient of the Truth, especially the searching portions thereof, to
render their hearers uncomfortable by destroying their false peace.
They will name Christ but not preach Him, mention the Gospel but not
expound it.
Some of these men will preach legality under the pretense of
furthering morality and honoring the Divine Law. They will preach up
good works, but lay no foundation on which they may be built. They
confound justification and sanctification, making personal holiness to
be the ground of the sinner s acceptance before God. They sow their
vineyards with "divers seed" (Deut. 22:9) so that Law and Gospel,
Divine grace and creature performances are so mingled together that
their distinctive characters are obliterated. Others preach
Licentiousness under the guise of magni1~ying the grace of God. They
omit the Divine call to repentance, say nothing about the necessity of
forsaking our sins if we are to obtain mercy (Prov. 28:13), lay no
stress upon regeneration as a being made" a new creature In Christ" (2
Cor. 5:17), but declare that the sinner has simply to accept Christ as
his personal Saviour--though his heart be still unhumbled, without
contrition and thoroughly in love with the world--and eternal life is
now his. The -result of this preaching is well calculated to bolster
up the deluded, for instead of insisting that saving faith is
evidenced by its spiritual fruits, instead of teaching that the
Christian life is a warfare against the world, the flesh and the devil
and that none but the overcomer will reach Heaven, they are
assured--no matter how carnal their walk--that "once saved, always
saved," and thus they are soothed in their sins and comforted with a
false peace unto they awake in Hell. Shun all such preaching, my
reader, as you would a deadly plague. "Cease, my son, to he~r the
instruction that causeth thee to err from the words of knowledge"
(Prov. 19:27).
Evangelical Preaching
Evangelical preaching is that preaching which accords with the spirit
and substance of the Gospel of with neither legality nor
licentiousness: which gives full place to both the grace of God and
the righteousness of God. It maintains the claims of Divine holiness,
yet without bringing the soul into bondage. It proclaims a free
salvation without making light of sin. It presents a Saviour who is
suited to and sufficient for the very chief of sinners, yet affirms
that only those who have been brought to loathe themselves and are
sick of sin will welcome such a holy Physician. It announces the
glorious liberty into which the sons of God have been brought and
urges them to stand fast in the same, yet it also points out that such
liberty is the very reverse of being a license granted us to indulge
the lusts of the flesh without fear of consequences. While denying
that good works enter at all into the ground of our acceptance with
God, care is taken to show that a faith which does not produce good
works is worthless and saves no one.
Our lot is cast in a day of such spiritual darkness, ignorance, and
corrupting of the Truth that there is as much need for pointing out
what true evangelical preaching consists of, as there is for showing
what is not either legal or licentious preaching. Where real
evangelism is to be found (and few are the places where is now exists)
so great is the confusion in many minds that there are not a few who
will charge that preacher with either legality or licentiousness. Both
are items of opprobrium, the former especially being one which Satan
is very fond of using or discrediting the servants of God, and once
the rumor gains. currency that such and such a preacher is
"Legalistic" many people will shun his ministrations. Those who insist
that the Moral Law is the believer's Rule of conduct and who press the
perceptive parts of Scripture are often dubbed "Legalists" and charged
with bringing God's people into bondage, but such an accusation is
both baseless and slanderous, and must not be heeded by lovers of the
Truth.
Our object before us in writing on our present subject is that the few
servants of God now remaining may be freed from the unjust aspersions
which religious libertines are so fond of heaping upon them, and that
those Christians who read this chapter may be more on their guard
against giving ear to false accusations. Those who declare that
sanctification or practical holiness is an essential part of
salvation, who insist upon a godly walk as the necessary evidence of a
credible profession, and who faithfully warn the lord's people that
looseness of conduct and lack of strictness in their deportment will
certainly sever communion with their Beloved, will be most unfairly
charged with "legality." Those who lay much emphasis upon the vital
importance of maintaining a conscience void of offense toward God and
men, who insist upon the needs-be of the Christian's daily confessing
every known sin before his Father, and of making full restitution unto
every fellow-creature he has wronged in any way, will be unjustly
charged with bringing the saints into bondage.
Not only should the reader be much on his guard against forming or
entertaining any unwarrantable criticisms of a true servant of God,
but he needs to be watchful lest he gives ear unto any of Satan's lies
against himself So difficult is it to keep the scales equally poised,
so easily do we fail to heed both sides of the Truth, that we are ever
prone to lose the balance. Yet, knowing our danger here, yea even when
preserved therefrom, the great Enemy of our souls will seek to
persuade us we are guilty of erring. When such a scripture as "Let us
draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our
hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with
pure water" (Heb. 10:22) is before us and we perceive that a moral
fitness is required in order to obtain an audience with the Majesty on
high, the Devil will be ready to tell us that we are denying the
sufficiency of Christ's blood to give us access-- confounding out
legal title to do so with our experimental meetness. When we give heed
to such a word as "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not
hear me" (Ps. 66:18) the Devil will come as an angel of light bidding
us beware of entertaining the thought that God's answering of our
prayers is dependent upon something good in ourselves.
Now evangelical preaching is designed to equip the Lord's people so
that they can repel such assaults of the Enemy and preserve them from
the two extremes to which they are prone. Evangelical preaching will
expound the Everlasting Covenant which God has made with His people in
Christ and show that the whole of their corruption becomes their
greatest burden and grief. At regeneration God puts His laws into
their hearts and writes them in their minds (Heb. 10:16) and so places
His holy fear within them that they shall never fully or finally
depart from Him (Jer. 32:40). After their regeneration the Spirit
renews them day by day (2 Cor. 4:16), causing them to walk in the
paths of righteousness and recovering them when they stray therefrom.
Evangelical preaching places the crown of honor where it rightfully
belongs: not upon the creature, but upon the head of the Lord Jesus.
It makes nothing of man and everything of Christ. It ever reminds the
believer that it is a sovereign God who makes him to differ from the
reprobate and that he has nothing good whatever in himself save what
has been communicated to him by the blessed Spirit (1 Cor. 4:7). It
teaches him that "all his springs" are in the Lord (Ps. 87:7), that he
must draw upon and draw from Him all that he needs, receiving out of
His exhaustless "fullness, grace for grace" (John 1:16). It teaches
him that Christ is his "life" (Col. 3:4), that he has no life apart
from Christ, so that he must daily live in Christ, live on Christ,
live unto Christ. Said the apostle, "Christ liveth in me: and the life
which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God
who loved me, and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20); and again, "for me
to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Phil. 1:21); and yet again, "I
can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (4:13).
At the same time evangelical preaching is careful to insist upon human
responsibility and to call for the full discharge of Christian duty.
If presents to view the exalted and changeless standard at which we
must ever aim: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is
in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). It warns us against making any
excuse for failure to attain unto that standard, bidding us judge
ourselves unsparingly for all failure, and to renew our efforts in
pressing forward to the same. It tells us we have no strength of our
own but must seek it from above, yet points out that the way to obtain
more is to use what we already have (Luke 8:18). It calls the believer
to a life of unreserved obedience to his Lord, but insists that the
motive for the same must be love and gratitude for all He suffered on
his account. It faithfully declares that backsliding will bring severe
chastisement upon the Christian (Ps. 89:30-32), and that if he would
have the rod removed he must forsake that which occasioned it.
Evangelical preaching avoids the snare of legality by bringing in
Christ as the believer's Object: the One to whom he owes everything,
the One to whom he must apply for the supply of every need, the One
whom he is to glorify by a walk which is pleasing in His sight.
Evangelical preaching lays the axe at the roots of self-righteousness
by constantly reminding the believer of his continual indebtedness to
Divine grace, that nothing he can do is to be least degree
meritorious, and that should he fully perform his duty he is still "an
unprofitable servant." On the other hand, evangelical preaching avoids
the snare of licentiousness by steadily holding up the Divine standard
of "Be ye holy in all manner of conversation" or "behavior" (1 Pet.
1:15), but constantly pressing both the exhortations and warnings of
Scripture, and by reminding its hearers "without holiness no man shall
see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). Well may every true servant of God exclaim
"Who Is sufficient for these things!" (2 Cor. 2:16); and well it is
when he can--humbly, dependently, but truthfully--add, "our
sufficiency Is of God" (2 Cor. 3:5).
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Real Christianity
_________________________________________________________________
Alas, how very little real Christianity there is in the world today!
Christianity consists in being conformed unto the image of God's Son
"Looking unto Jesus" constantly, trustfully, submissively, lovingly,
the heart occupied with the example which Christ has left me, just in
proportion as I am living upon Him and drawing from His fullness, am I
realizing the ideal He has set before me. In Him is the power, from
Him must he received the strength for running "with patience" or
steadfast perseverance, the race. Genuine Christianity is a life lived
in communion with Christ: a life lived by faith, as His was. "for me
to live is Christ" (Phil 1:21); "Christ liveth in me: and the life
which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God"
(Gal. 2:20) -- Christ living in me and through me.
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"Rejoice in the Lord Alway"
Philippians 4:4
_________________________________________________________________
Why should I, who am by nature no different from the careless and
godless throngs all around, have been chosen in Christ before the
foundation of the world and now blest with all spiritual blessings in
the heavenlies in Him? Why was I, that once was an alien and a rebel,
signaled out for such wondrous favors? Ah, that is something I cannot
fathom. Such grace, such love, "passeth knowledge." But if my mind is
unable to discern a reason, my heart can express its gratitude in
praise and adoration.
But not only should I be grateful to God for His grace toward me in
the past, His present dealings will fill me with thanksgivings. What
is the force of that word "Rejoice in the Lord alway" (Phil. 4:4)?
Mark it is not "Rejoice in the Saviour", but we are to "Rejoice in the
Lord", as "Lord", As THE MASTER OF EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE. Need we remind
the reader that when the apostle penned these words he was himself a
prisoner in the hands of the Roman government. A long course of
affliction and suffering lay behind him. Perils on land and perils on
sea, hunger and thirst, scourging and stoning, had all been
experienced. He had been persecuted by those within the church as well
as by those without: the very ones who ought to have stood by him had
forsaken him. And still he writes, "Rejoice in the Lord alway" What
was the secret of his peace and happiness? Ah! had not this same
apostle written, "And we know that all things work together for good
to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His
purpose" (Rom. 8:28)? But how did he, and how do we, "know", that all
things work together for good?
The answer is, Because all things are under the control of and are
being regulated by the Supreme Sovereign, and because He has naught
but thoughts of love toward His own, then "all things are so ordered
by Him that they are MADE TO MINISTER TO OUR ULTIMATE GOOD. It is for
this cause we are to give "thanks always for all things unto God and
the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph. 5:20). Yes,
give thanks for "all things" for, as it has been well said "Our
disappointments are but His appointments." To the one who delights in
the sovereignty of God the clouds not only have a 'silver lining' but
they are silvern all through, the darkness only serving to offset the
light!
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Repent or Perish
_________________________________________________________________
These were the words of the incarnate Son of God. They have never been
cancelled; nor will they be as long as this world lasts. Repentance is
absolute and necessary if the sinner is to make peace with God (Isa.
27:5), for repentance is the throwing down the weapons of rebellion
against Him. Repentance does not save, yet no sinner ever was or ever
will be saved without it. None but Christ saves, but an impenitent
heart cannot receive Him.
A sinner cannot truly believe until he repents. This is clear from the
words of Christ concerning His forerunner, "For John came unto you in
the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans
and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented
not afterward, that ye might believe him" (Matthew 21:32). It is also
evident from His clarion call in Mark 1:15, "Repent ye, and believe
the gospel." This is why the apostle Paul testified "repentance toward
God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21). Make no
mistake on this point dear reader, God "now commandeth all men every
where to repent" (Acts 17:30).
In requiring repentance from us, God is pressing His righteous claims
upon us. He is infinitely worthy of supreme love and honor, and of
universal obedience. This we have wickedly denied Him. Both an
acknowledgement and amendment of this is required from us. Our
disaffection for Him and our rebellion against Him are to be owned and
made an end of. Thus repentance is a heartfelt realization of how
dreadfully I have failed, all through my life, to give God His
rightful place in my heart and daily walk.
The righteousness of God's demand for my repentance is evident if we
consider the heinous nature of sin. Sin is a renouncing of Him who
made me. It is refusing Him His right to govern me. It is the
determination to please myself; thus, it is rebellion against the
Almighty. Sin is spiritual lawlessness, and utter disregard for God's
authority. It is saying in my heart: I care not what God requires, I
am going to have my own way; I care not what be God's claim upon me, I
am going to be lord over myself. Reader, do you realize that this is
how you have lived?
Now true repentance issues from a realization in the heart, wrought
therein by the Holy Spirit, of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, of the
awfulness of ignoring the claims of Him who made me, of defying His
authority. It is therefore a holy hatred and horror of sin, a deep
sorrow for it, and acknowledgement of it before God, and a complete
heart-forsaking of it. Not until this is done will God pardon us. "He
that covereth his sins shall not prosper: But whoso confesseth and
forsaketh them shall have mercy" (Prov. 28:13).
In true repentance the heart turns to God and acknowledges My heart
has been set upon a vain world, which could not meet the needs of my
soul; I forsook Thee, the fountain of living waters, and turned unto
broken cisterns which held none: I now own and bewail my folly. But
more, it says: I have been a disloyal and rebellious creature, but I
will be so no longer. I now desire and determine with all my might to
serve and obey Thee as my only Lord. I betake myself to Thee as my
present and everlasting Portion.
Reader, be you a professing Christian or no, it is repent or perish.
For every one of us, church members or otherwise, it is either turn Or
burn; turn from your course of self-will and self-pleasing; turn in
brokenness of heart to God, seeking His mercy in Christ; turn with
full purpose of heart to please and serve him: or be tormented day and
night, for ever and ever, in the Lake of Fire. Which shall it be? Oh,
get down on your knees right now and beg God to give you the spirit of
true repentance.
"Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Savior,
for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins" (Acts
5:31).
"For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented
of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death" (2 Cor 7:10).
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Signs of the Times
Studies in the Scriptures
Vol. XVI December 1937 No. 12
_________________________________________________________________
No, let us assure the spiritual reader at the outset that we are not
going to waste his time nor our space by a consideration of the latest
doings of Hitler, Mussolini, and Co. "Let the potsherd strive with the
potsherds of the earth" (Isa. 45:9): the child of God has nothing to
do with their activities. It is something far more solemn than
anything occurring in the political realm that we are now going to
write upon, namely, the soul-deceiving character of most of the
"Evangelism" of this degenerate and apostate generation.
It is generally recognized that spirituality is at a low ebb in
Christendom, and not a few perceive that sound doctrine is rapidly on
the wane, yet many of the Lord's people take comfort from supposing
that the Gospel is still being widely preached and that large numbers
are being saved thereby. Alas, their optimistic supposition is
ill-founded and grounded in sand. If the "message" now being delivered
in Mission Halls be examined, if the "tracts" which are scattered
among the unchurched masses be scrutinized, if the "open air" speakers
be carefully listened to, if the "sermons" or "addresses" of a
"Soul-winning campaign" be analyzed; in short, if modern "Evangelism"
be weighed in the balances of Holy Writ, it will be found
wanting--lacking that which is vital to a genuine conversion, lacking
what is essential if sinners are to be shown their need of a Saviour,
lacking that which will produce the transfigured lives of new
creatures in Christ Jesus.
It is in no captious spirit that we write, seeking to make a man an
offender for a word. It is not that we are looking for perfection, and
complain because we cannot find it; nor that we criticize others
because they are not doing things as we think they should be done. No;
no, it is a matter far more serious than that. The "evangelism" of the
day is not only superficial to the last degree, but it is radically
defective. It is utterly lacking a foundation on which to base an
appeal for sinners to come to Christ. There is not only a lamentable
lack of proportion (the mercy of God being made far more prominent
than His holiness, His love than His wrath), but there is a fatal
omission of that which God has given for the purpose of imparting a
knowledge of sin. There is not only reprehensible introducing of
"bright singing," humorous witticisms and entertaining anecdotes, but
there is a studied omission of the dark background upon which alone
the Gospel can effectually shine forth.
But serious indeed as is the above indictment, it is only half of
it--the negative side, that which is lacking. Worse still is that
which is being retailed by the cheap-jerk evangelists of the day. The
positive content of their message is nothing but a throwing of dust in
the eyes of the sinner. His soul is put to sleep by the Devil's
opiate, ministered in a most unsuspecting form. Those who really
receive the "message" which is now being given out from most of the
"orthodox" pulpits and platforms today are being fatally deceived. It
is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but unless God sovereignly
intervenes by a miracle of grace, all who follow it will surely find
that the ends thereof are the ways of death. Tens of thousands who
confidently imagine they are bound for Heaven will get a terrible
disillusionment when they awake in Hell.
What is the Gospel? Is it a message of glad tidings from Heaven to
make God-defying rebels at ease in their wickedness? Is it given for
the purpose of assuring the pleasure-crazy young people that,
providing they only "believe" there is nothing for them to fear in the
future? One would certainly think so from the way in which the Gospel
is presented--or rather perverted--by most of the "evangelists," and
the more so when we look at the lives of their "converts." Surely
those with any degree of spiritual discernment must perceive that to
assure such that God loves them and His Son died for them, and that a
full pardon for all their sins (past, present, and future) can be
obtained by simply "accepting Christ as their personal Saviour," is
but a casting of pearls before swine.
The Gospel is not a thing apart. It is not something independent of
the prior revelation of God's Law. It is not an announcement that God
has relaxed His justice or lowered the standard of His holiness. So
far from that, when Scripturally expounded the Gospel presents the
clearest demonstration and the most positive proof of the
inexorableness of God's justice and of His infinite abhorrence of sin.
But for Scripturally expounding the Gospel, beardless youths and
businessmen who devote their spare time to "evangelistic effort," are
quite unqualified. Alas that the pride of the flesh suffers so many
incompetent ones to rush in where those much wiser fear to tread. It
is this multiplying of novices that is largely responsible for the
woeful situation now confronting us, and because the "churches" and
"assemblies" are so largely filled with their "converts," explains why
they are so unspiritual and worldly.
No, my reader, the Gospel is very, very far from making light of sin.
It reveals to us the terrible sword of His justice smiting His beloved
Son in order that atonement might be made for the transgressions of
His people. So far from the Gospel setting aside the Law, it exhibits
the Saviour enduring the curse of it. Calvary supplied the most solemn
and awe-inspiring display of God's hatred of sin that time or eternity
will ever furnish. And do you imagine that the Gospel is magnified or
God glorified by going to worldlings and telling them that they "may
be saved at this moment by simply accepting Christ as their personal
Saviour" while they are wedded to their idols and their hearts still
in love with sin? If I do so, I tell them a lie, pervert the Gospel,
insult Christ, and turn the grace of God into lasciviousness.
No doubt some readers are ready to object to our "harsh" and
"sarcastic" statements above by asking, When the question was put
"What must I do to be saved?" did not an inspired Apostle expressly
say "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved?" Can we
err, then, if we tell sinners the same thing today? Have we not Divine
warrant for so doing? True, those words are found in Holy Writ, and
because they are, many superficial and untrained people conclude they
are justified in repeating them to all and sundry. But let it be
pointed out that Acts 16:31 was not addressed to a promiscuous
multitude, but to a particular individual, which at once intimates
that it is not a message to be indiscriminately sounded forth, but
rather a special word, to those whose characters correspond to the one
to whom it was first spoken.
Verses of Scripture must not be wrenched from their setting, but
weighed, interpreted, and applied in accord with their context; and
that calls for prayerful consideration, careful meditation, and
prolonged study; and it is failure at this point which accounts for
these shoddy and worthless "messages" of this rush-ahead age. Look at
the context of Acts 16:31, and what do we find? What was the occasion,
and to whom was it that the Apostle and his companion said "Believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ"? A sevenfold answer is there furnished, which
supplies a striking and complete delineation of the character of those
to whom we are warranted in giving this truly evangelistic word. As we
briefly names these seven details, let the reader carefully ponder
them.
First, the man to whom those words were spoken had just witnessed the
miracle-working power of God. "And suddenly there was a great
earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and
immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were
loosed" (Acts 16:26). Second, in consequence thereof, the man was
deeply stirred, even to the point of self-despair: "He drew out his
sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had
been fled" (v. 27). Third, he felt the need of illumination: "Then he
called for a light" (v. 29). Fourth, his self-complacency was utterly
shattered, for he "came trembling" (v. 29). Fifth, he took his proper
place (before God)--in the dust, for he "fell down before Paul and
Silas" (v. 29). Sixth, he showed respect and consideration for God's
servants, for he "brought them out" (v. 30). Seventh, then, with a
deep concern for his soul, he asked "what must I do to be saved?"
Here, then, is something definite for our guidance--if we are willing
to be guided. It was no giddy, careless, unconcerned person, who was
exhorted to "simply" believe; but instead, one who gave clear evidence
that a mighty work of God had already been wrought within him. He was
an awakened soul (v. 27). In his case there was no need to press upon
him his lost condition, for obviously he felt it; nor were the
apostles required to urge upon him the duty of repentance, for his
entire demeanor betokened his contrition. But to apply the words
spoken to him unto those who are totally blind to their depraved state
and completely dead toward God, would be more foolish than placing a
bottle of smelling-salts to the nose of one who had just been dragged
unconscious out of the water. Let the critic of this article read
carefully through the Acts and see if he can find a single instance of
the Apostles addressing a promiscuous audience or a company of
idolatrous heathen and "simply" telling them to believe in Christ.
Just as the world was not ready for the New Testament before it
received the Old, just as the Jews were not prepared for the ministry
of Christ until John the Baptist had gone before Him with his call to
repentance, so the unsaved are in no condition today for the Gospel
till the Law be applied to their hearts, for "by the law is the
knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20). It is a waste of time to sow seed on
ground which has never been plowed or spaded! To present the vicarious
sacrifice of Christ to those whose dominant passion is to take their
fill of sin, is to give that which is holy unto the dogs. What the
unconverted need to hear about is the character of Him with whom they
have to do, His claim upon them, His righteous demands, and the
infinite enormity of disregarding Him and going on their own way.
The nature of Christ's salvation is woefully misrepresented by the
present-day "evangelist." He announces a Saviour from Hell, rather
than a Saviour from sin. And that is why so many are fatally deceived,
for there are multitudes who wish to escape the Lake of Fire who have
no desire to be delivered from their carnality and worldliness. The
very first thing said of Him in the New Testament is, "thou shalt call
his name JESUS: for He shall save His people (not "from the wrath to
come," but) from their sins" (Matt. 1:21). Christ is a Saviour for
those realizing something of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, who felt
the awful burden of it on their conscience, so loathe themselves for
it, who long to be freed from its terrible dominion; and a Saviour for
no others. Were He to "save from Hell" those who were still in love
with sin, He would be the Minister of sin, condoning their wickedness
and siding with them against God. What an unspeakably horrible and
blasphemous thing with which to charge the Holy One!
Should the reader exclaim, I was not conscious of the heinousness of
sin nor bowed down with a sense of my guilt when Christ saved me, then
we unhesitatingly reply, Either you have never been saved at all, or
you were not saved as early as you supposed. True, as the Christian
grows in grace he has a clearer realization now what sin is--rebellion
against God-- and a deeper hatred of and sorrow for it: but to think
that one may be saved by Christ whose conscience has never been
smitten by the Spirit and whose heart has not been made contrite
before God, is to imagine something which has no existence whatever in
the realm of fact. "They that be whole need not a physician, but they
that are sick" (Matt. 9:12): the only ones who really seek relief from
the Great Physician are they that are sick of sin--who long to be
delivered from its God-dishonouring works and its soul-defiling
pollutions.
Inasmuch, then, as Christ's salvation is a salvation from sin--from
the love of it, from its dominion, from its guile and penalty--then it
necessarily follows that the first great task and the chief work of
the evangelist is to preach upon SIN: to define what sin (as distinct
from crime) really is, to show wherein its infinite enormity consists;
to trace out its manifold workings in the heart; to indicate that
nothing less than eternal punishment is its desert. Ah, and preaching
upon sin--not merely uttering a few platitudes concerning it, but
devoting sermon after sermon to explaining what sin is in the light of
God--will not make him popular nor draw the crowds, will it? No, it
will not, and knowing this, those who love the praise of men more than
the approbation of God, and who value their salary above immortal
souls, trim their sails accordingly. "But such preaching will drive
people away!" We answer, Far better drive the people away by faithful
preaching than drive the Holy Spirit away by unfaithfully pandering to
the flesh.
The terms of Christ's salvation are erroneously stated by the
present-day evangelist. With very rare exceptions he tells his hearers
that salvation is by grace and is received as a free gift: that Christ
has done everything for the sinner, and nothing remains but for him to
"believe"--to trust in the infinite merits of His blood. And so widely
does this conception now prevail in "orthodox" circles, so frequently
has it been dinned in their ears, so deeply has it taken root in their
minds, that for one to now challenge it and denounce it as being so
inadequate and one-sided as to be deceptive and erroneous, is for him
to instantly court the stigma of being a heretic, and to be charged
with dishonouring the finished work of Christ by inculcating salvation
by works. Yet notwithstanding, the writer is quite prepared to run
that risk.
Salvation is by grace, by grace alone, for a fallen creature cannot
possibly do anything to merit God's approval or earn His favour.
Nevertheless, Divine grace is not exercised at the expense of
holiness, for it never compromises with sin. It is also true that
salvation is a free gift. but an empty hand must receive it, and not a
hand which still tightly grasps the world! But it is not true that
"Christ has done everything for the sinner." He did not fill the
sinner's belly with the husks which the swine eat and find them unable
to satisfy. He has not turned the sinner's back on the far country,
arisen, gone to the Father, and acknowledged his sins--those are acts
which the sinner himself must perform. True, he will not be saved for
the performance of them, yet it is equally true that he cannot be
saved without the performance of them--any more than the prodigal
could receive the Father's kiss and ring while he still remained at a
guilty distance from Him!
Something more than "believing" is necessary to salvation. A heart
that is steeled in rebellion against God cannot savingly believe: it
must first be broken. It is written "except ye repent, ye shall
likewise perish" (Luke 13:3). Repentance is just as essential as
faith, yea, the latter cannot be without the former: "Repented not
afterward, that ye might believe" (Matt. 21:32). The order is clearly
enough laid down by Christ: "Repent ye, and believe the Gospel" (Mark
1:15). Repentance is sorrowing for sin. Repentance is a
heart-repudiation of sin. Repentance is a heart determination to
forsake sin. And where there is true repentance grace is free to act,
for the requirements of holiness are conserved when sin is renounced.
Thus, it is the duty of the evangelist to cry "Let the wicked forsake
his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto
the LORD (from whom he departed in Adam), and He will have mercy upon
him" (Isa 55:7). His task is to call on his hearers to lay down the
weapons of their warfare against God, and then to sue for mercy
through Christ.
The way of salvation is falsely defined. In most instances the modern
"evangelist" assures his congregation that all any sinner has to do in
order to escape Hell and make sure of Heaven is to "receive Christ as
his personal Saviour." But such teaching is utterly misleading. No one
can receive Christ as Saviour while he rejects Him as Lord. It is true
the preacher adds that the one who accepts Christ should also
surrender to Him as Lord, but he at once spoils it by asserting that
though the convert fails to do so, nevertheless Heaven is sure to him.
That is one of the Devil's lies. Only those who are spiritually blind
would declare that Christ will save any who despise His authority and
refuse His yoke: why, my reader, that would not be grace but a
disgrace--charging Christ with placing a premium on lawlessness.
It is in His office of Lord that Christ maintains God's honour,
sub-serves His government, enforces His Law; and if the reader will
turn to those passages--Luke 1:46, 47; Acts 5:31; 2 Peter 1:11, 2:20,
3:2, 3:18-- where the two titles occur, he will find that it is always
"Lord and Saviour," and not "Saviour and Lord." Therefore, those who
have not bowed to Christ's sceptre and enthroned Him in their hearts
and lives, and yet imagine that they are trusting in Him as their
Saviour, are deceived, and unless God disillusions them they will go
down to the everlasting burnings with a lie in their right hand (Isa.
44:20). Christ is "the Author of eternal salvation unto all them that
obey Him" (Heb. 5:9), but the attitude of those who submit not to His
Lordship is "we will not have this Man to reign over us" (Luke 19:14).
Pause then, my reader, and honestly face the question: are you subject
to His will, are you sincerely endeavouring to keep His commandments?
Alas, alas, God's "way of salvation" is almost entirely unknown today.
The nature of Christ's salvation is almost universally misunderstood,
and the terms of His salvation misrepresented on every hand. The
"Gospel" which is now being proclaimed is, in nine cases out of every
ten, but a perversion of the Truth, and tens of thousands, assured
they are bound for Heaven, are now hastening to Hell, as fast as time
can take them. Things are far, far worse in Christendom than even the
"pessimist" and the "alarmist" suppose. We are not a prophet, nor
shall we indulge in any speculation of what Biblical prophecy
forecasts--wiser men than the writer have often made fools of
themselves by so doing. We are frank to say that we know not what God
is about to do. Religious conditions were much worse, even in England,
one hundred and fifty years ago. But this we greatly fear; unless God
is pleased to grant a real revival, it will not be long ere "the
darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people" (Isa.
60:2), for the light of the true Gospel is rapidly disappearing.
Modern "Evangelism" constitutes, in our judgment, the most solemn of
all the "signs of the times."
What must the people of God do in view of the existing situation?
Ephesians 5:11 supplies the Divine answer: "Have no fellowship with
the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them," and
everything opposed to the light of the Word is "darkness." It is the
bounden duty of every Christian to have no dealings with the
"evangelistic" monstrosity of the day; to withhold all moral and
financial support of the same, to attend none of their meetings, to
circulate none of their tracts. Those preachers who tell sinners they
may be saved without forsaking their idols, without repenting, without
surrendering to the Lordship of Christ, are as erroneous and dangerous
as others who insist that salvation is by works and that Heaven must
be earned by our own efforts.
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Subjection Under God's Chastisement
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By nature we are not in subjection. We are born into this world filled
with the spirit of insubordination. As the descendants of our
rebellious first parents we inherit their evil nature. "Man is born
like a wild ass's colt" (Job 11:12). This is very unpalatable and
humbling, but nevertheless it is true. As Isaiah 53:6 tells us, "we
have turned every one to his own way" and that way is opposition to
the revealed will of God. Even at conversion this wild and rebellious
nature is not eradicated. A new nature is given, but the old one lusts
against it. It is because of this that discipline and chastisement are
needed by us, and the great design of these is to bring us into
subjection to the Father of Spirits. We shall now attempt two things:
explain the meaning of this expression "be in subjection unto the
Father," and enforce this with reasons presented in our text.
I. The Subjection Designed:
To be "in subjection unto the Father" is a phrase of extensive import,
and it is well that we should understand its various significations.
1. It denotes an acquiescence in God's sovereign right to do with us
as He pleases.
See Psalm 39:9. "I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because Thou didst
it". It is the duty of saints to be mute under the rod and silent
beneath the sharpest afflictions. But this is only possible as we see
the hand of God in them. If God's hand be not seen in the trial, the
heart will do nothing but fret and fume. Read 2 Samuel 16:10,11. "And
the king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? so let
him curse, because the Lord hath said unto him, Curse David. Who shall
then say, Wherefore hast thou done so? And David said to Abishai, and
to all his servants, Behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels,
seeketh my life: how much more now may this Benjamite do it? Let him
alone, and let him curse for the Lord hath bidden him." What an
example of complete submission to the sovereign will of the Most High
was this! David knew that Shimei could not curse him without God's
permission.
"This will set my heart at rest,
What My God appoints is best".
But with rare exceptions many chastenings are needed to bring us to
this place, and to keep us there.
2. It implies a renunciation of Self-will.
To be in subjection unto the Father presupposes a surrendering and
resigning of ourselves to Him. A blessed illustration of this is found
in Leviticus 10:1-3, "And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took
either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and offered strange
fire before the Lord, which He commanded them not. And there went out
fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.
Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying I
will be sanctified in them that come nigh Me and before all the
people. And Aaron held his peace." They could grow forever by walking
in constant communion with God and in obedience to His Word.
Consider the circumstances. Aaron's two sons, most probably
intoxicated at the time, were suddenly cut off by Divine judgment.
Their father had no warning to prepare him for this trial; yet he
"held his peace"! O quarrel not against Jehovah. Be clay in the hands
of the Potter. Take Christ's yoke upon you and learn of Him who was
"meek and lowly in heart."
3. It signifies an acknowledgement of God's righteousness and wisdom
in all His dealings with us.
We must vindicate God. This is what the Psalmist did. "I know, O Lord,
that Thy judgments are right, and that Thou in Faithfulness has
afflicted me" (119:75). Let us see to it that Widsom is ever justified
by her children. Let our confession of her be "righteous art Thou, O
Lord, and upright are Thy judgments" (Ps. 119:137). Whatever is sent,
we must vindicate the Sender of all things. The Judge of all the earth
cannot do wrong.
The Babylonian captivity was the severest affliction which God ever
brought upon His earthly people during Old Testament times. Yet even
then a renewed heart acknowledged God's righteousness in it: "Now
therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who
keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before
Thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our
priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all Thy
people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day. Howbeit
Thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for Thou hast done
right, but we have done wickedly." (Neh. 9:32,33). God's enemies may
talk of His injustice; let His children proclaim His righteousness.
Because God is good, He can do nothing but what is right and good.
4. It includes a recognition of His care and a sense of His love.
There is a sulking submission and there is a cheerful submission.
There is a fatalistic submission which takes this attitude--this is
inevitable, so I must bow to it; and there is a thankful submission,
receiving with gratitude whatever God may be pleased to send us. "It
is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn Thy
statutes" (Ps. 119:71). The Psalmist viewed his chastisements with the
eye of faith, and doing so he perceived the love behind them. Remember
that when God brings His people into the wilderness it is that they
may learn more of His sufficiency; when He casts them into the furnace
it is that they may enjoy His presence.
5. It involves an active performance of His will.
Submission to the "Father of spirits" is something more than a passive
thing. The other meanings to this expression which we have already
considered are more or less of a negative character. But there is also
a positive and an active side to it as well. To be "in subjection"
also means to walk in His precepts and run in the way of His
commandments. It means being submissive to His Word, our thoughts
being formed and our ways being regulated by it. There is a doing as
well as a suffering of God's will. God requires obedience from His
children, a performance of duties. When we pray "Thy will be done"
something more is meant than a pious acquiescence in the will of the
Almighty; it also signifies, May Thy will be performed by me.
Subjection unto the Father of spirits, then, is the practical owning
of His Lordship.
II. Reasons for this Subjection:
1. Because He is our Father.
It is but right and meet that children should be in subjection to
their father. How much more so when we have such a Father! There is
nothing tyrannical about Him; His commandments "are not grievous?" but
are designed for our good. How profoundly thankful we should be that
the great God now stands revealed as our "Father"! This is one of the
distinctive revelations of the N.T. I very much doubt if Aaron or Eli,
Job or David knew God in this relationship; yet they "submitted"! How
much more ought we! May grace ever enable us to say with the Saviour,
"the cup which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it!" (John
18:11).
2. Because this is the secret of true happiness.
I believe that the force of the last two words in our text are "and be
happy". The word "live" or "life" is used in this sense in Deut. 5:23
- note "prolong your days" is in addition. Such is its force in Psalm
119:116. It is the fretful, the murmuring and rebellious, who are
miserable and wretched. Making the will of God our haven is the true
resting place for our hearts. Our lives conformed to His will is the
secret of contentment and joy. "Take My yoke upon you and ye shall
find rest unto your souls," declared the Saviour. In keeping God's
commandments there is great reward. "Great peace have they that love
Thy law", said the Psalmist. May the Spirit of God work in all of us;
the true spirit of subjection, even though it takes severe
chastisement to effect it.
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That Worthy Name
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"Yours in the name of Jesus." How many who owe their all, both for
time and eternity, to the peerless One, refer thus to Him who was "God
manifest in the flesh" (1 Tim. 3:16). It is "Jesus" this and "Jesus"
that. But is it becoming for worms of the dust, for sinners, even for
sinners saved by grace, to thus speak of Him? Jesus is the Lord of
Glory, and surely it is due the dignity and majesty of His person that
this be recognized and owned, even in our references to Him in common
speech. Those who despise and reject the Saviour speak of Him as "The
carpenter," "The Nazarene," as "Jesus." But should those who have been
given an "understanding, that we may know Him that is true" (1 John
5:20) ignore His Lordship? In a word, can we who have been redeemed by
His precious blood do less than confess Him as the "Lord Jesus
Christ?"
Our modern hymns are largely responsible for the dishonor that is now
so generally cast upon "That Worthy Name." And we cannot but raise our
voices in loud protest against much of the trash which masquerades
under the name of hymns. "There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus"
is utterly erroneous and highly akin to blasphemy. There is not a
"lowly" Jesus today except the one created by the imagination and
sentimentality of the moderns. Instead of being "lowly," the Lord
Jesus Christ is seated "on the right hand of the Majesty on High"
(Heb. 1:3), from whence He will shortly descend in flaming fire to
take vengeance on them that know not God and obey not His gospel (2
Thess. 1:7-8).
Above we have said that the apostles never once addressed our Lord
simply as "Jesus." Mark, now, how they did refer to the blessed One.
"And Peter answered Him and said, LORD, if it be Thou, bid me come
unto Thee on the water" (Matthew 14:28). "Then came Peter to Him and
said, LORD, how oft shall my brother sin against me and I forgive
him?" (Matthew 18:21). "And they were exceeding sorrowful and began
everyone of them to say unto Him LORD, is it I?" (Matthew 26:22). "And
when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, LORD, wilt Thou
that we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them" (Luke
9:54). "And they rose up the same hour and returned to Jerusalem and
found the eleven gathered together and them that were with them,
saying, the LORD is risen indeed" (Luke 24:33-34). "Thomas said unto
Him LORD, we know not whither Thou goest" (John 14:5). "Therefore that
disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, it is the LORD" (John
21:7).
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The Christian In Romans 7
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In this chapter the apostle does two things:
First, he shows what is not and what is the Law's relation to the
believer--judicially, the believer is emancipated from the curse or
penalty of the Law (7:1-6); morally, the believer is under bonds to
obey the Law (vv. 22, 25). Secondly, he guards against a false
inference being drawn from what he had taught in chapter 6. In 6:1-11
he sets forth the believer's identification with Christ as "dead to
sin." (vv. 2, 7, etc.) Then, from verse 11 onwards, he shows the
effect this truth should have upon the believer's walk. In chapter 7
he follows the same order of thought. In 7:1-6 he treats of the
believer's identification with Christ as "dead to the law" (see vv. 4,
6). Then, from verse 7 onwards he describes the experiences of the
Christian. Thus the first half of Romans 6 and the first half of
Romans 7 deal with the believer's standing, whereas the second half of
each chapter treats of the believer's state; but with this difference:
the second half of Romans 6 reveals what our state ought to be,
whereas the second half of Romans 7 (vv. 13-25) shows what our state
actually is.
The controversy which has raged over Romans 7 is largely the fruitage
of the Perfectionism of Wesley and his followers. That brethren, whom
we have cause to respect, should have adopted this error in a modified
form, only shows how widespread today is the spirit of Laodiceanism.
To talk of "getting out of Romans 7 into Romans 8" is excuseless
folly. Romans 7 and both apply with undiminished force and pertinence
to every believer on earth today. The second half of Romans 7
describes the conflict of the two natures in the child of God: it
simply sets forth in detail what is summarized in Galatians 5:17;
Romans 7:14, 15, 18, 19, 21 are now true of every believer on earth.
Every Christian falls far, far short of the standard set before
him--we mean God's standard, not that of the so-called "victorious
life" teachers. If any Christian reader is read to say that Romans
7:19 does not describe his life, we say in all kindness, that he is
sadly deceived. We do not mean by this that every Christian breaks the
laws of men, or that he is an overt transgressor of the laws of God.
But we do mean that his life is far, far below the level of the life
our Savior lived here on earth. We do mean that there is much of "the
flesh" still evident in every Christian--not the least in those who
make such loud boastings of their spiritual attainments. We do mean
that every Christian has urgent need to daily pray for the forgiveness
of his daily sins (Luke 11:4), for "in many things we all stumble"
(Jas. 3:2, R. V.).
In what follows we shall confine ourselves to the last two verses of
Romans 7, in which we read, "O wretched man that I am! who shall
deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus
Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God;
but with flesh the law of sin" (vv.24, 25).
This is the language of a regenerate soul, and it sums up the contents
of the verses immediately preceding. The unregenerate man is wretched
indeed, but he is a stranger to the "wretchedness" here expressed, for
he knows nothing of the experience which evokes this wail. The whole
context is devoted to a description of the conflict between the two
natures in the child of God. "I delight in the law of God after the
inward man" (v. 22), is true of none but born-again persons. But the
one thus "delighting" discovers "another law in his members." This
reference must not be limited to his physical members, but is to be
understood as including all the various parts of his carnal
personality. This "other law" is also at work in the memory, the
imagination, the will, the heart, etc.
This "other law," says the apostle, warred against the law of his mind
(the new nature), and not only so, it brought him "into captivity to
the law of sin." (v. 23) To what extent he was brought into
"captivity" is not defined. But brought into captivity he was, as is
every believer. The wandering of the mind when reading God's Word, the
issuing from the heart (Mark 7:21) of evil thoughts when we are
engaged in prayer, the horrid images which sometimes come before us in
the sleep-state-- to name no others--are so many examples of being
"brought into captivity to the law of sin." "If the evil principle of
our nature prevails in exciting one evil thought, it has taken us
captive. So far it has conquered, and so far are we defeated, and made
a prisoner" (Robert Haldane).
It is the consciousness of this warring within him and this being
brought into captivity to sin, which causes the believer to exclaim,
"O wretched man that I am!" This is a cry brought about by a deep
realization of indwelling sin. It is the confession of one who knows
that in his natural man there dwelleth no good thing. It is the
mournful plaint of one who has discovered something of the horrible
sink of iniquity which is in his own heart. It is the groan of a
divinely-enlightened man who now hates himself--his natural self--and
longs for deliverance.
This moan, "O wretched man that I am," expresses the normal experience
of the Christian, and any Christian who does not so moan is in an
abnormal and unhealthy state spiritually. The man who does not utter
this cry daily is either so out of communion with Christ, or so
ignorant of the teaching of Scripture, or so deceived about his actual
condition, that he knows not the corruptions of his own heart and the
abject failure of his own life.
The one who bows to the solemn and searching teaching of God's Word,
the one who there learns the awful wreckage which sin has wrought in
the human constitution, the one who sees the exalted standard of
holiness which God has set before us, cannot fail to discover what a
vile wretch he is. If he is given to behold how far short he falls of
attaining to God's standard; if, in the light of the divine sanctuary,
he discovers how little he resembles the Christ of God; then will he
find this language most suited to express his godly sorrow. If God
reveals to him the coldness of his love, the pride of his heart, the
wanderings of his mind, the evil that defiles his godliest acts, he
will cry, "O wretched man that I am." If he is conscious of his
ingratitude, of how little he appreciates God's daily mercies; if he
marks the absence of that deep and genuine fervor which ought ever to
characterize his praise and worship of that One who is "glorious in
holiness;" if he recognizes that sinful spirit of rebellion, which so
often causes him to murmur or at least chafe against the dispensations
of God in his daily life; if he attempts to tabulate not only the sins
of commission but the sins of omission, of which he is daily guilty,
he will indeed cry, "O wretched man that I am."
Nor is it only the "back-slidden" Christian, now convicted, who will
mourn thus. The one who is truly in communion with Christ, will also
emit this groan, and emit it daily and hourly. Yea, the closer he
draws to Christ, the more will he discover the corruptions of his old
nature, and the more earnestly will he long to be delivered from it.
It is not until the sunlight floods a room that the grime and dust are
fully revealed. So, it is only as we really come into the presence of
Him who is the light, that we are made aware of the filth and
wickedness which indwell us, and which defile every part of our being.
And such a discovery will make each of us cry, "O wretched man that I
am!"
"But," inquires someone, "does not communion with Christ produce
rejoicing rather than mourning?" We answer, It produces both. It did
with Paul. In verse 22 of our chapter he says, "I delight in the law
of God." Yet only two verses later he cries, "O wretched man that I
am!" Nor does this passage stand alone. In 2 Corinthians 6 the same
apostle says, "As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing" (v. 10). Sorrowful
because of his failures, because of his daily sins. Rejoicing because
of the grace which still bore with him, and because of the blessed
provision which God has made even for the sins of His saints. So again
in Romans 8:1 after declaring, "There is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus," and after saying, "The Spirit
Himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of
God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with
Christ" (vv. 16-17); the apostle adds, "But ourselves also, which have
the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within
ourselves, waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body." (v.
23) Similar is the teaching of the apostle Peter, "Wherein ye greatly
rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness
through manifold temptations" (1 Pet. 1:6). Sorrow and groaning, then,
are not absent from the highest spirituality.
In these days of Laodicean complacency and pride, there is
considerable talk and much boasting about communion with Christ, but
how little manifestation of it do we behold! Where there is no sense
of utter unworthiness, where there is no mourning over the total
depravity of our nature, where there is no sorrowing over our lack of
conformity to Christ, where there is no groaning over being brought
into captivity to sin; in short, where there is no crying, "O wretched
man that I am," it is greatly to be feared that there is no fellowship
with Christ at all.
When Abraham walked with the Lord, he exclaimed, "Behold now, I have
taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes.
(Gen. 18:27) When Job came face to face with God, he said, "Behold I
am vile" (40:4), and again, "I abhor myself." (42:6) When Isaiah
entered the divine Presence, he cried, "Woe is me! for I am undone;
because I am a man of unclean lips." (Isa. 6:5) When Daniel had that
wondrous vision of Christ (Dan. 10:5-6), he declared, "There remained
no strength in me: for comeliness was turned in me into corruption."
(v.8) And in one of the last epistles by the beloved apostle to the
Gentiles, we read, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all
acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of
whom I am chief' (1 Tim. 1:15). These utterances proceeded not from
unregenerate men, but came from the lips of God's saints. Nor were
they the confessions of back-slidden believers: rather were they
voiced by the most eminent of the Lord's people. Where, today, shall
we find any who are fit to be placed along side of Abraham, Job,
Isaiah, Daniel and Paul? Where indeed! And yet, these were the men who
were so conscious of their vileness and unworthiness! saying, "The
Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the
children of God:
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with
Christ" (vv. 16-17); the apostle adds, "But ourselves also, which have
the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within
ourselves, waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body." (v.
23) Similar is the teaching of the apostle Peter, "Wherein ye greatly
rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness
through manifold temptations" (1 Pet. 1:6). Sorrow and groaning, then,
are not absent from the highest spirituality.
"O wretched man that I am." This then is the language of a regenerate
soul. It is the confession of the normal (undeceived and undeluded)
Christian. The substance of it may be found not only in the recorded
utterances of Old and New Testament saints, but as well, in the
writings of the most eminent Christians who have lived during the last
five hundred years. Different indeed were the confessions and
witnessings borne by eminent saints of the past from the ignorant and
arrogant boastings of modern Laodiceans! It is refreshing to turn from
the present-day biographies to those written long ago. Ponder the
following excerpts:
Mr. Bradford, of holy memory, who was martyred in the reign of bloody
queen Mary, in a letter to a fellow-prisoner in another penitentialy,
subscribed himself thus: "The sinful John Bradford: a very painted
hypocrite: the most miserable, hard-hearted, and unthankful sinner,
John Bradford." (1555 A.D.)
Godly Rutherford wrote, "This body of sin and corruption embitters and
poisons our enjoyment. Oh that I were where I shall sin no more."
(1650 A.D.)
Bishop Berkeley wrote, "I cannot pray, but I sin; I cannot preach, but
I sin; I cannot administer, nor receive the holy sacrament, but I sin.
My very repentance needs to be repented of: and the tears I shed need
washing in the blood of Christ." (1670 A.D.)
Jonathan Edwards, in whose home died that remarkable man Mr. David
Brainerd (the first missionary to the Indians, and whose devotion to
Christ was witnessed to by all who knew him), and with whom he was
intimately acquainted, says in his "Memoirs of Mr. Brainerd," "His
religious illuminations, affections, and comfort, seemed to a great
degree to be attended with evangelical humiliation; consisting in a
sense of his own utter insufficiency, despicableness, and odiousness;
with an answering disposition and frame of heart. How deeply affected
was he almost continually with his great defects in religion; with his
vast distance from that spirituality and holy frame of mind that
become a child of God; with his ignorance, pride, deadness,
barrenness! He was not only affected with the remembrance of his
former sinfulness, before his conversion, but with the sense of his
present vileness and pollution. He was not only disposed to think
other saints better than he; yea to look on himself as the worst and
least of saints; but, very often, as the vilest and worst of mankind."
Jonathan Edwards himself, than whom few men have been more honored of
God, either in their spiritual attainments or in the extent to which
God has used them in blessing to others, near the end of his life
wrote thus: "When I look into my heart and take a view of its
wickedness, it looks like an abyss infinitely deeper than hell. And it
appears to me, that, were it not for free grace, exalted and raised up
to the infinite height of all the fulness and glory of the great
Jehovah, I should appear sunk down in my sins below hell itself; far
below the sight of everything, but the eye of sovereign grace, that
alone can pierce down to such a depth. And it is affecting to think
how ignorant I was, when a young Christian [alas, that so many older
Christians are still ignorant of it.--A.W.P.], of the bottomless
depths of wickedness, pride, hypocrisy and deceit left in my heart"
(1743 A.D.).
Augustus Toplady, author of "Rock of Ages," wrote thus in his private
diary under December 31, 1767--"Upon a review of the past year, I
desire to confess that my unfaithfulness has been exceeding great; my
sins still greater; God's mercies greater than both." And again, "My
short-comings and my mis-doings, my unbelief and want of love, would
sink me into the lowest hell, was not Jesus my righteousness and my
Redeemer."
Listen to the words of that godly woman, the wife of that eminent
missionary A. Judson: "Oh how I rejoice that I am out of the
whirlpool! Too gay, too trifling, for a missionary's wife! That may
be, but after all, gaiety is my lightest sin. It is my coldness of
heart, my listlessness, my want of faith, my spiritual inefficiency
and inertness, by love of self, the inherent and every-day pampered
sinfulness of my nature, that makes me such a mere infant in the cause
of Christ--not the attractions of the world."
John Newton, writer of that blessed hymn, "Amazing grace, how sweet
the sound, that saved a wretch like me; I once was lost, but now am
found, was blind, but now I see;" when referring to the expectations
which he cherished at the outset of his Christian life, wrote thus:
"But alas! these my golden expectations have been like South Sea
dreams. I have lived hitherto a poor sinner, and I believe I shall die
one. Have I, then, gained nothing? Yes, I have gained that which I
once would rather have been without! Such accumulated proof of the
deceitfulness and desperate wickedness of my heart, as I hope by the
Lord's blessing has, in some measure, taught me to know what I mean
when I say, Behold, I am vile. . .I was ashamed of myself, when I
began to seek it, I am more ashamed now.
James Ingliss (Editor of Wayrnarks in the Wilderness) at the close of
his life, wrote Mr. J.H. Brookes, "As I am brought to take a new view
of the end, my life seems so made up of squandered opportunities, and
so barren of results, that it is sometimes very painful; but grace
comes in to meet it all, and He will be glorified in my humiliation
also" (1872). On which Mr. Brookes remarked, "How like him, and how
unlike the boastings of those who are glorying in their fancied
attainments!"
One more quotation: this time from a sermon by the late C. H.
Spurgeon. Said the prince of preachers, "There are some professing
Christians who can speak of themselves in terms of admiration; but,
from my inmost heart, I loathe such speeches more and more every day
that I live. Those who talk in such a boastful fashion must be
constituted very differently from me. While they are congratulating
themselves, I have to lie humbly at the foot of Christ's Cross, and
marvel that I am saved at all, for I know that I am saved. I have to
wonder that I do not believe Christ more, and equally wonder that I am
privileged to believe in Him at all--to wonder that I do not love Him
more, and equally to wonder that I love Him at all--to wonder that I
am not holier, and equally to wonder that I have any desire to be holy
at all considering what a polluted debased, depraved nature I find
still within my soul, notwithstanding all that divine grace has done
in me. If God were ever to allow the fountains of the great deeps of
depravity to break up in the best man that lives, he would make as bad
a devil as the devil himself is. I care nothing for what these
boasters say concerning their own perfections; I feel sure that they
do not know themselves, or they could not talk as they often do. There
is tinder enough in the saint who is nearest to heaven to kindle
another hell if God should but permit a spark to fall upon it. In the
very best of men there is an infernal and well-nigh infinite depth of
depravity. Some Christians never seem to find this out. I almost wish
that they might not do so, for it is a painful discovery for anyone to
make; but it has the beneficial effect of making us cease from
trusting in ourselves, and causing us to glory only in the Lord."
Other testimonies from the lips and pens of men equally pious and
eminent might be given, but sufficient have been quoted to show what
cause the saints of all ages have had for making their own these
words, "O wretched man that I am." A few words now on the closing
verse of Romans 7.
"Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" "Who shall deliver
me?" This is not the language of despair, but of earnest desire for
help from without and above himself. That from which the apostle
desired to be delivered is termed "the body of this death." This is a
figurative expression for the carnal nature is termed "the body of
sin," and as having "members." (Rom. 7:23) We therefore take the
apostle's meaning to be, Who shall deliver me from this deadly and
noxious burden--my sinful self!
In the next verse the apostle answers his question, "I thank God
through Jesus Christ our Lord." It should be obvious to any impartial
mind that this looks forward to the future. His question was, "Who
shall deliver me?" His answer is, Jesus Christ will. How this exposes
the error of those who teach a present "deliverance" from the carnal
nature by the power of the Holy Spirit. In His answer, the apostle
says nothing about the Holy Spirit; instead, he mentions only "Jesus
Christ our Lord." It is not by the present work of the Spirit in us
that Christians will be delivered "from this body of death," but by
the yet future coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for us. It is then that
this mortal shall put on immortality, and this corruption shall put on
incorruption.
But, as though to remove all doubt that this "deliverance" is future,
the apostle concludes by saying, "So then with the mind I myself serve
the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin." Let every reader
note carefully that this comes after he had thanked God that he would
be "delivered." The last part of verse 25 sums up what he had said in
the second part of Romans 7. It describes the Christian's dual life.
The new nature serves the law of God; the old nature, to the end of
history, will serve "the law of sin." That it was so with Paul himself
is clear from what he wrote at the close of his life, when he termed
himself "the chief' of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). That was not the
exaggeration of evangelical fervor, still less was it the mock modesty
of hypocrisy. It was the assured conviction, the felt experience, the
settled consciousness of one who saw deeply into the depths of
corruption within himself, and who knew how far, far short he attained
to the standard of holiness which God set before him. Such, too, will
be the consciousness and confession of every other Christian who is
not blinded by conceit. And the outcome of such a consciousness will
be to make him long more ardently and thank God more fervently for the
promised deliverance at the return of our Savior and Lord, when He
shall "change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His
glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to
subdue all things unto Himself' (Phil. 3:2 1); and having done so, He
will "present us faultless before the presence of His glory with
exceeding joy" (Jude 24). Hallelujah, what a Savior!
It is remarkable that the only other time the word "wretched" (the
only other time in the Greek too) is found in the New Testament occurs
in Revelation 3:17, where to the Laodiceans Christ says, and knowest
not that thou art wretched!" Their boast was that they had "need of
nothing." They were so puffed up with pride, so satisfied with their
attainments, that they knew not their wretchedness. And is not this
what we witness on every hand today? Is it not evident that we are now
living in the Laodicean period of the history of Christendom? Many
were conscious of the "need," but now they fancy they have received
"the second blessing," or "the baptism of the Spirit," or that they
have entered into "victory;" and, fancying this, they fondly imagine
that their "need" has been met. And the proof of this is, they are the
very ones who "know not" that they are "wretched." With an air of
spiritual superiority they will tell you that they have "got out of
Romans 7 into Romans 8." With pitiable complacency they will say that
Romans 7 no longer depicts their experience. With smug satisfaction
they will look down in pity upon the Christian who cries, "O wretched
man that I am," and like the Pharisee in the temple, they will thank
God that it is otherwise with them. Poor blinded souls! It is to just
such that the Son of God here says, "And knowest not that thou art
wretched." We say "blinded" souls for mark it is to these Laodiceans
that Christ says, "Anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest
SEE!" (Rev. 3:18) It is to be observed that in the second half of
Romans 7 the apostle speaks in the singular number. This is striking
and most blessed. The Holy Spirit would intimate to us that the
highest attainments in grace do not exempt the Christian from the
painful experience there described. The apostle portrays with a master
pen--himself sitting for the picture--the spiritual struggles of the
child of God. He illustrates by a reference to his own personal
experience the ceaseless conflict which is waged between the
antagonistic natures in the one who has been born again.
May God in His mercy so deliver us from the spirit of pride which now
defiles the air of modern Christendom, and grant us such an humbling
view of our own uncleanness that we shall join the apostle in crying
with ever-deepening fervor, "O wretched man that I am!" Yea, may God
vouchsafe to both writer and reader such a view of their own depravity
and unworthiness that they may indeed grovel in the dust before Him,
and there praise Him for His wondrous grace to such hell-deserving
sinners.
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¸ Copyright 2004-2012 Providence Baptist Ministries
http://www.pbministries.org. All rights reserved.
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Booklets and Pamphlets
by A.W. Pink
The Covenant Allegory
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The last eleven verses of Galatians 4 are far from being free of
difficulties appears from the diverse expositions of the commentators.
Nor will the limited space now at our disposal allow us to enter into
as full an elucidation as could be wished, nor permit the pausing now
and again to furnish collateral proofs for what is advanced, as would
be our desire. Brevity has its advantages, but it does not always make
for clarity. We must, however, content ourselves now with a
comparatively terse running comment on this passage, and that,
according to the limited light which we have therefrom.
Galatians 4:21-31 is in several respects very similar to the contents
of 2 Corinthians 3. In each case the apostle is opposing himself to
the errors which had been sedulously propagated amongst his converts
by Judaisers. In each case he shows that the fundamental issue between
them concerned the covenants, for any teacher who is confused thereon
is certain to go astray in all his preaching. In each case the apostle
appeals to well-known incidents in the Old Testament Scripture, and
with the wisdom given him from above proceeds to bring out the deep
spiritual meaning thereof. In each case he establishes conclusively
the immeasurable superiority of Christianity over Judaism, and thus
completely undermined the very foundations of his adversaries'
position. Though of peculiar importance to those unto whom the apostle
wrote immediately, yet this passage contains not a little of great
value for us today. "Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do
ye not hear the law?" (Gal. 4:21). Here the apostle addresses himself
to those who had been lending a ready ear to their spiritual enemies.
By his "ye that desire to be under the law" signified those who
hankered after subjection to Judaism. His "do ye not hear the law?"
means, Are you willing to listen unto what is recorded in the first
book of the Pentateuch and have pointed out to you the dispensational
significance of the same? Paul's design was to show those who were so
anxious to be circumcised and submit themselves to the whole Mosaic
system, that, so far from such a course being honorable and
beneficial, it would be fraught with danger and disgrace. To yield
unto those who sought to seduce them spiritually would inevitably
result in "bondage" (see 4:9) and not "liberty" (5:1). To prevent
this, he begs them to listen to what God had said.
"For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid,
the other by a free woman. But he who was born of the bondwoman was
born after the flesh; but he of the free woman was by promise. Which
things are an allegory" (vv. 22.24). Very remarkable indeed is this,
for we are here divinely informed that not merely did the Mosaic rites
possess a typical significance, but the lives of the patriarchs
themselves had a figurative meaning. Not only so, but their affairs
were so controlled by providence that they were shaped to shadow forth
coming events of vast magnitude. Paul was here moved by the Spirit to
inform us that the domestic occurrences in Abraham's household were a
parable in action, which parable he had interpreted for us. Thus we
are granted an insight to passages in Genesis which no human wisdom
could possibly have penetrated.
The transactions in the family of Abraham were divinely ordered to
presage important dispensational epochs. The domestic affairs of the
patriarch's household were invested with a prophetic significance. The
historical incidents recorded in Genesis 16 and 21 possessed a typical
meaning, contained beneath their surface spiritual truths of profound
importance. The apostle here reminds his readers of the circumstances
recorded of the two wives of Abraham, and of their respective
offspring, and declares that the mothers adumbrated the two covenants,
and their sons, the respective tendencies and results of those
covenant, in other words, Sarah and Hagar are to be viewed as the
representatives of the two covenants, and the sons which they bore as
representatives of the kind of worshipers which those covenants were
fitted to produce.
"For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid
the other by a free woman." The apostle's design was to wean those
Galatians who were Judaistically inclined from their strange
infatuation for an obsolete and servile system, by unfolding to them
its true nature. This he does by referring them to an emblematic
representation of the two economies. Abraham had a number of other
sons besides Ishmael and Isaac, but it is to them alone--the
circumstances of their birth, subsequent conduct, history, and
fate--that Paul's discussion exclusively relates.
In her unbelief and impatience (unwilling to wait for God to make good
His word in His own time and way) Sarah gave her maid to Abraham in
order that he might not be wholly without posterity. Though this
caused confusion and brought trouble upon all concerned, yet it was
ordained by God to presage great dispensational distinctions, nor did
it in any wise thwart the accomplishment of His eternal purpose.
"Abraham had two sons", Ishmael, the son of an Egyptian, a bondslave;
Isaac, the son of Sarah, a free woman, of the same rank as her
husband. As we have already said, these two mothers prefigured the two
covenants, and their children the worshipers which those covenants
tended to produce.
"But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of
the free woman was by promise" (v. 23). Great as was the disparity
between the two mothers, greater still was the difference between the
way in which their respective sons were born. Ishmael was born in the
ordinary course of generation, for "after the flesh" signifies to the
carnal counsel which Sarah gave to Abraham, and by the mere strength
of nature. In connection with the birth of Ishmael there was not any
special promise given, nor any extraordinary divine interposition.
Vastly different was it in the case of Isaac. for he was the child of
promise and born in direct consequence of the miracle-working power of
God, and was under the benefit of that promise as long as he lived.
What is here specially emphasized by the apostle is that the son of
the slave was in an Inferior condition from the very beginning.
"Which things are an allegory" (v. 24). An allegory is a parabolic
method of conveying instruction, spiritual truths being set forth
under material figures. Allegories are in words what hieroglyphics are
in printing, both of which abound among the Orientals--Bunyan's
Pilgrim's Progress is the best-sustained allegory in the English
language. "For these (feminine) are the two covenants" (v. 24). Here
the apostle proceeds to give us the occult meaning of the historical
facts alluded to in the preceding verse. He affirms that the domestic
incidents in the family of Abraham constituted a divinely ordained
illustration of the basic principles in regard to the condition of
spiritual slaves and of spiritual freemen, and are to be regarded as
adumbrating the bondage which subjection to the law of Moses produced
and the liberty which submission to the gospel secures.
"These are the two covenants." This cannot of course be understood
literally, for it was neither intelligible nor true that Sarah and
Hagar were actually two covenants in their own persons. The words is
and are frequently have the force of represent. When Christ affirmed
of the sacramental bread "This is my body," He meant, this bread
emblematizes My body. When we read of the cliff smitten by Moses in
the wilderness (out of which gushed the stream of living water) "that
rock was Christ" (1 Cor. 10:4), it obviously signifies, that rock
prefigured Christ. So too when we are told "the seven stars are the
angels of the seven churches and the seven candlesticks which thou
sawest are the seven churches" (Rev. 1:20), we are to understand that
the one symbolized the other.
"These are the two covenants." There has been much difference of
opinion as to exactly which covenants are intended. Some insist that
the reference is to the everlasting covenant of grace and the Ademic
or covenant of works; others argue it is the Abrahamic or covenant of
promise and the Sinaitic; while others conclude it is the Sinaitic and
the Christian or that which is made with the people of God in the
gospel. Really, it is more a matter of terms than anything else, for
whatever nomenclature we adopt it comes to much the same thing. "The
one from mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Hagar" (v.
24): by which is meant, that order of things under which the nation of
Israel was placed at Sinai, appointed for the purpose of keeping them
a separate people, and which because of its legalistic nature was
fitly foreshadowed by the bondslave.
"The one (covenant) from mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage" or
produces those of a servile spirit, for it made slaves of all who
sought justification and salvation by their own doings. It is to be
carefully borne in mind that the relation entered into between God and
Israel at Sinai was entirely a natural one, being made with the nation
as such; and consequently all their descendants, upon their being
circumcised, automatically became subjects of it without any spiritual
change being wrought in them. "So far as this covenant gave birth to
any children, those were not true children of God, free, spiritual,
with hearts of filial confidence and devoted love; but miserable
bondmen, selfish, carnal, full of mistrust and fear. Of these children
of the Sinaitic covenant we are furnished with the most perfect
exemplar in the Scribes and Pharisees of our lord's time" (P.
Fairbairn).
"For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia" (v. 25). Here again Is
signifies "represents": Hagar prophetically anticipated and prefigured
Mount Sinai--not the literal mount, but that covenant which Jehovah
there entered into with the nation of Israel. Nor is this mode of
expression by any means unusual in Scripture: when representing
Samaria and Jerusalem by two women the prophet said, "Samaria is
Aholah and Jerusalem Aholibah" (Exek. 23:4). "And answereth to
Jerusalem which now is" (v. 25). "Answereth to" signifies "corresponds
with," or as the margin gives it, is in the same rank with": the
origin, status, and condition of Hagar supplied an exact analogy to
the state of Jerusalem in the apostle's time. Jerusalem, which was the
metropolis of Palestine and the headquarters of its religion, stands
for Judaism.
"And is in bondage with her children (v. 25). Judaism was subject to
an endless round of ceremonial institutions, which the apostles
themselves declared to be a yoke "which neither our fathers nor we
were able to bear" (Acts 15:10). Those under it enjoyed none of that
spiritual liberty which the gospel bestows upon those who submit to
its terms. That large part of the nation which had no interest in the
covenant of promise made with Abraham (whereof faith was an
indespensable prerequisite for entering into the good of it), was
indeed outwardly a part of Abraham's family and members of the visible
church (as Hagar was a member of his family); yet (like Ishmael) they
were born in servitude. and all their outward obedience was of a
slavish character, and their privileges (as his) but carnal and
temporal.
"But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all"
(v. 26). Here Paul shows what was prefigured by Sarah. Three things
are said in describing the covenant and constitution of which she was
the appropriate emblem, each of which must be duly noted in the
framing of our definition.
1. "Jerusalem which is above." This word "above" (ano) is generally
employed of location, and would thus signify the heavenly Jerusalem
(Heb.12:22) in contrast from the earthly. But here it is placed in
antithesis from "which now is" (v. 25) and would thus mean the prior
and primitive Jerusalem, of which Melchizedec was king (Heb. 7:2) and
to whose order of Priesthood Christ's pertains. Or the "above" may
have the force of excellency or supremacy as in "high calling" (Phil.
3:14). Combining the three: Sarah shadowed forth the entire election
of grace; all true believers from the beginning to the end of time.
2. Which "is free": such was the status and state of Sarah in contrast
from that of Hagar, the bondslave. Suitably did Sarah set forth that
spiritual liberty which is to be found in Christ, for He redeems all
His people from the bondage of sin and death. Believing Gentiles are
freed from the curse of the moral law, and believing Jews are freed
from the dominion of the ceremonial law as well.
3. "Which is the mother of us all." The reference is not to the church
either visible or invisible, for she cannot be the parent of herself;
rather is it the everlasting covenant of grace which is in view, in
which were included all true believers. Thus the difference between
the systems represented by Hagar and Sarah are: the one was earthly,
carnal, slavish, temporary; the other, heavenly, spiritual. free,
eternal.
"For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that barest not; break forth
and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more
children than she which hath a husband" (v. 27). This was obviously
brought in by Paul to confirm the interpretation he had made of the
covenant allegory. It is a quotation from the predictions of Isaiah.
Four things call for our consideration: (1) the needs-be for this
comforting promise which God then gave; (2) the precise place in
Isaiah's prophecy from which this quotation is taken; (3) the
particular manner in which it is here introduced; (4) its striking
pertinency to the apostle's purpose.
The needs-be for this reassuring word given by the lord is His
believing yet sorrowing people in the days of Isaiah is not difficult
to perceive, if we bear in mind the exact terms of the promise
originally given to the patriarch and his wife, and then consider the
state of Israel under Judaism. The grand promise to Abraham was that
he should be "a father of many nations" (Gen. 17:4), and that Sarah
should be "a mother of nations" (Gen. 17:16). But at Sinai Sarah's
natural children were placed under a covenant which erected a middle
wall of partition, shutting them off from all other nations. How
rigorous the restrictions of the covenant were and the exclusiveness
it produced, appear plainly in the unwillingness of Peter (till
supernaturally authorized by God) to enter the house of Cornelius
(Acts 10:28).
The Sinaitic covenant consisted largely in "meats and drinks and
carnal ordinances"; yet was it imposed only "till the time of
reformation" (Heb. 9:10). It was well adapted to Israel after the
flesh, for it encouraged them to obedience by the promise of temporal
prosperity and restrained by fear of temporal judgments. Amid the
great mass of the unregenerate Jews there was always a remnant
according to the election of grace, whose heart God had touched (1
Sam. 10:26), in whose heart was His law (Isa. 51:7). But the nation as
a whole had become thoroughly corrupt by the time of Isaiah, being
deaf to the voice of Jehovah and fast ripening for judgment (1:2-6).
The godly portion had diminished to "a very small remnant" (1:9), and
the outlook was fearfully dark. It was to strengthen the faith of the
spiritual and comfort their hearts that Isaiah was raised up.
The quotation here made by Paul was from Isaiah 54:1, and its very
location intimated clearly that it looked forward to gospel times, for
coming immediately after that graphic description of the Redeemer's
sufferings in the previous chapter, it at once suggests that we are
then given a picture of those new covenant conditions which followed
His death. This is ever God's way: in the darkest night He causes the
stars of hope to shed forth their welcome light, bidding His people to
look beyond the gloomy present to the brighter future. God had not
forgotten His promise to the patriarch; and though many centuries had
intervened, the coming of His Son would make good the ancient oracles,
for all the divine promises are established in Christ (2 Cor. 1:19,
20).
Let us next note the manner in which Paul 9 introduces Isaiah's
prediction into his discussion: "For it is written." It is clear that
the apostle cites the prophet to establish what he had affirmed
regarding the allegorical significance of the circumstances of
Abraham's household. This at once fixes for us the elucidation of the
prophecy. Paul had pointed out that Abraham had sons by two diverse
wives, that those sons represented the different type of worshipers
which the two covenants produced. that Sarah, (as representing the
Abrahamic covenant) which he here likened unto "Jerusalem which is
above," is "the mother of us all." In turn, Isaiah refers to two
women, views them allegorically; apostrophizing the one as "barren"
and contrasting her from one "who had a husband," assuring the former
of a far more numerous progeny.
How pertinent Isaiah's prediction was to the apostle's argument is
evident. His design was to turn away the hearts of the Galatians from
Judaism, and to accomplish this he demonstrates that that system had
been superseded by something far more blessed and spiritually
productive. "For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren." Whom was the
prophet there addressing? Immediately, the godly remnant in Israel,
the children of faith, those who had their standing in and derived
their blessing from the Abrahamic covenant. Isaiah addressed them in
the terms of the allegory. Just as the historical Sarah was childless
for many years after she became the wife of Abraham, so the mystical
Sarah (Abrahamic covenant) had for long centuries shown no sign
whatever of coming to fruition. But as the literal Sarah ultimately
became a mother, so the mystical one should bear a numerous seed.
Marvelous indeed are the ways of God, and remarkably is His decree
wrought out through His providences. That parable in action in the
household of Abraham contemplated that which took thousands of years
to unfold. First, was the marriage between Abraham and Sarah, which
symbolized the covenant union between God and His people. Second, for
many years Sarah remained barren, foreshadowing that lengthy period
during which God's purpose in that covenant was suspended. Third,
Hagar, the bondslave, took Sarah's place in the family of Abraham,
typifying his natural descendants being placed under the Sinaitic
covenant. Fourth, Hagar did not permanently supplant Sarah,
adumbrating the fact that Judaism was of but temporary duration.
Fifth, ultimately Sarah came into her own and was divinely enabled to
bear a supernatural seed--an emblem of the spiritual children of God
under the new covenant.
"Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not." The Abrahamic covenant is
here represented as a wife who (like Sarah) had long remained
childless. Comparatively few real children had been raised up to God
among the Jews from Moses onward. True, the nation was in outward
covenant with Him, and thus was (like Hagar in the type) "she who hath
a husband"; but all the fruit they bore was like unto Ishmael--that
which was merely natural, the product of the flesh. But the death of
Christ was to alter all this: though the Jews would reject Him, there
should be a great accession to the spiritual family of Abraham from
among the Gentiles, so that there would be a far greater number of
saints under the new covenant than had pertained under the old.
"Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise" (v. 28).
Here the apostle begins his application of the allegory. As Sarah
prefigured the covenant of grace, so Isaac represented the true
children of God. Paul was here addressing himself to his spiritual
brethren, and therefore the "we" includes all who are born from
above-- believing Gentiles as well as Jews. "We," the children of the
new covenant, represented in the allegory by Isaac. Our standing and
state is essentially different from Ishmael's, for he (like the great
mass of those under the Sinaitic covenant) belong to the ordinary
course of mere nature; whereas genuine Christians are "the children of
promise"-- of that made to Abraham, which, in turn, made manifest what
God had "promised before the world began" (Titus 1:2). The relation
into which believers are brought with God originates in a miracle of
grace which was the subject of divine promise.
"But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was
born after the Spirit, even so it is now" (v. 29). Here the apostle
brings in a further detail supplied by the allegory which was germane
to his subject. He refers to the opposition made against Isaac by the
son of Hagar, recorded in Genesis 21:9. This received its counterpart
in the attitude of the Judaisers toward Christians. They who still
adhere to the old covenant were hostile to those who enjoyed the
freedom of the new. Probably one reason why the apostle mentioned this
particular was in order to meet an objection: How can we be the
"children of promise" (God's high favorites) seeing we are so bitterly
hated and opposed by the Jews? The answer is, No marvel, for thus it
was from the beginning: the carnal have ever persecuted the spiritual.
"Nevertheless what saith the Scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her
son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of
the free woman" (v. 30). Here is the final point in the allegory
(taken from Gen. 21:10, 12) and which incontestably clinched the
apostle's argument that Israel after the flesh are finally set aside
by God. Hagar represented the Sinaitic covenant and Ishmael its carnal
worshipers, and their being cast out of Abraham's household
prophetically signified God's setting aside of Judaism and the fact
that the natural descendants of Abraham had no place among his
spiritual children and could not share their heritage (cf. John 8:34,
35). The two cannot unite: pure Christianity necessarily excludes
Judaism. In its wider application (for today): none who seek salvation
by law-keeping shall enter heaven.
"So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the
free" (v. 31). Here the plain and inescapable conclusion is drawn;
since Christians are the children of promise, they and not carnal Jews
are the true heirs of Abraham. Since the new covenant is superior to
the old and believers in Christ are freed from all debasing servitude,
it obviously follows they must conduct themselves as the lord's
freemen. The time had now arrived when to cling to Judaism was fatal.
The controversy turned on the question of who are the real heirs of
Abraham (see 3:7, 16, 29). In chapter 4 the apostle exposes the empty
pretensions of those who could claim only fleshly descent from the
patriarch. We are the children of Abraham, said the Judaisers.
Abraham had two sons, replies Paul--the one of free, the other of
servile birth: to which line do you belong? whose spirit have you
received?
To sum up. Paul's design was to deliver the Galatians from the
Judaisers. He showed that by submitting to Judaism they would forfeit
the blessings of Christianity. This he accomplished by opening up the
profound significance of the covenant allegory, which presented three
principal contrasts: birth by nature as opposed to grace; a state of
bondage as opposed to liberty; a status of temporary tenure as opposed
to permanent possession. Just as Hagar was rightfully the handmaid of
Sarah but was wrongfully accorded the position of Abraham's wife, so
the Sinaitic covenant was designed to supplement the Abrahamic but was
perverted by the Jews when they sought from it salvation and
fruitfulness.
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The Cross and Self
"Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any will come after Me
let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me"
Matthew 16:24
Ere developing the theme of this verse let us comment on its terms.
"If any": the duty enjoined is for all who would join Christ's
followers and enlist under His banner. "If any will": the Greek is
very emphatic, signifying not only the consent of the will, but full
purpose of heart, a determined resolution. "Come after Me": as a
servant subject to his Master, a scholar his Teacher, a soldier his
Captain. "Deny": the Greek means "deny utterly." Deny himself: his
sinful and corrupt nature. "And take up": not passively bear or
endure, but voluntarily assume, actively adopt. "His cross": which is
scorned by the world, hated by the flesh, but is the distinguishing
mark of a real Christian. "And follow Me": live as Christ lived-- to
the glory of God.
The immediate context is most solemn and striking. The Lord Jesus has
just announced to His apostles, for the first time, His approaching
death of humiliation (v. 21). Peter was staggered, and said, "Pity
Thyself, Lord" (v. 22 mar.). That expressed the policy of the carnal
mind. The way of the world is self-seeking and self-shielding. "Spare
thyself" is the sum of its philosophy. But the doctrine of Christ is
not "save thyself" but sacrifice thyself. Christ discerned in Peter's
counsel a temptation from Satan (v. 23), and at once flung it from
Him. Then turning to Peter, He said: Not only "must" Jesus go up to
Jerusalem and die, but everyone who would be a follower of His must
take up his cross (v. 24). The "must" is as imperative in the one case
as in the other. Mediatorially the cross of Christ stands alone, but
experimentally it is shared by all who enter into life.
What is a "Christian"? One who holds membership in some earthly
church? No. One who believes an orthodox creed? No. One who adopts a
certain mode of conduct? No. What, then, is a Christian? He is one who
has renounced self and received Christ Jesus as Lord (Col. 2:6). He is
one who takes Christ's yoke upon him and learns of Him who is "meek
and lowly in heart" (Matthew 11:29). He is one who has been "called
unto the fellowship of God's Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Cor. 1:9):
fellowship in His obedience and suffering now, in His reward and glory
in the endless future. There is no such thing as belonging to Christ
and living to please self. Make no mistake on that point "Whosoever
doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple,"
(Luke 14:27) said Christ. And again He declared, "But whosoever shall
[instead of denying himself] deny Me before men [not "unto" men: it is
conduct, the walk which is here in view], him will I also deny before
My Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 10:33).
The Christian life begins with an act of self-renunciation, and is
continued by self-mortification (Rom. 8:13). The first question of
Saul of Tarsus, when Christ apprehended him, was, "Lord, what wouldst
Thou have me to do?" The Christian life is likened unto a "race," and
the racer is called upon to "lay aside every weight, and the sin which
doth so easily beset" (Heb. 12:2), which "sin" is in the love of self,
the desire and determination to have our "own way" (Isa. 53:6). The
one great aim, end, task, set before the Christian is to follow Christ
-to follow the example He has left us (1 Pet. 2:21), and He "pleased
not Himself" (Rom. 15:3). And there are difficulties in the way,
obstacles in the path, the chief of which is self. Therefore this must
be "denied." This is the first step toward "following" Christ.
What does it mean for a man to utterly "deny himself"? First, it
signifies the complete repudiation of his own goodness. It means
ceasing to rest upon any works of our own to commend us to God. It
means an unreserved acceptance of God's verdict that "all our
righteousnesses [our best performances] are as filthy rags" (Isa.
64:6). It was at this point that Israel failed: "For they being
ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their
own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the
righteousness of God" (Rom. 10:3). But contrast the declaration of
Paul: "And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness" (Phil.
3:9).
For a man to utterly "deny himself" is to completely renounce his own
wisdom. None can enter the kingdom of heaven except they become "as
little children" (Matthew 18:3). "Woe unto them that are wiser in
their own eyes and prudent in their own sight" (Isa. 5:21).
"Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools" (Rom. 1:21).
When the Holy Spirit applies the Gospel in power to a soul, it is to
the "casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth
itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every
thought to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5). A wise motto for
each Christian to adopt is "Lean not unto thine own understanding"
(Prov. 3:5).
For a man to utterly "deny himself" is to completely renounce his own
strength. It is to have "no confidence in the flesh" (Phil. 3:3). It
is the heart bowing to Christ's positive declaration "Without Me ye
can do nothing" (John 15:5). It was at this point Peter failed:
(Matthew 26:33). "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty
spirit before a fall" (Prov. 16:18). How necessary it is, then, that
we heed 1 Corinthians 10:12: "Let him that thinketh he standeth take
heed lest he fall"! The secret of spiritual strength lies in realizing
our personal weakness: (see Isa. 40:29; 2 Cor. 12:9). Then let us "be
strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 2:1).
For a man to utterly "deny himself" is to completely renounce his own
will. The language of the unsaved is, "We will not have this Man to
reign over us" (Luke 19:14). The attitude of the Christian is, "For to
me to live is Christ" (Phil. 1:21)--to honour, please, serve Him. To
renounce our own wills means heeding the exhortation of Phil. 2:5,
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus," which is
defined in the verses that immediately follow as that of
self-abnegation. It is the practical recognition that "ye are not your
own, for ye are bought with a price" (1 Cor. 6:19,20). It is saying
with Christ, "Nevertheless not what I will, but what Thou wilt" (Mark
14:36).
For a man to utterly "deny himself" is to completely renounce his own
lusts or fleshly desires. "A man's self is a bundle of idols" (Thomas
Manton, Puritan), and those idols must be repudiated. Non-Christians
are "lovers of their own selves" (2 Tim. 3:1); but the one who has
been regenerated by the Spirit says with Job, "I am vile" (40:4), "I
abhor myself" (47:6). Of non-Christians it is written, "all seek their
own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's" (Phil. 2:21); but of
God's saints it is recorded, "they loved not their own lives unto the
death" (Rev. 12:11). The grace of God is "Teaching us that, denying
ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously,
and godly in this present world" (Titus 2:12).
This denial of self which Christ requires from all His followers is to
be universal. There is to be no reserve, no exceptions made: "Make not
provision for the flesh, to the lusts" (Rom. 13:14). It is to be
constant, not occasional: "If any man will come after Me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me" (Luke 9:23). It
is to be spontaneous, not forced, performed gladly, not reluctantly:
"And whatsoever ye do, do heartily, as to the Lord" (Col 3:23). O how
wickedly has the standard which God sets before us been lowered! How
it condemns the easy-going, flesh-pleasing, worldly lives of so many
who profess (but vainly), that they are "Christians"!
"And take up his cross." This refers to the cross not as an object of
faith, but as an experience in the soul. The legal benefits of Calvary
are received through believing, when the guilt of sin is cancelled,
but the experimental virtues of Christ's Cross are only enjoyed as we
are, in a practical way, "made conformable unto his death" (Phil.
3:10). It is only as we really apply the cross to our daily lives,
regulate our conduct by its principles, that it becomes efficacious
over the power of indwelling sin. There can be no resurrection where
there is no death, and there can be no practical walking "in newness
of life" until we "bear about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus"
(2 Cor. 4:10). The "cross" is the badge, the evidence, of Christian
discipleship. It is his "cross" and not his creed, which distinguishes
a true follower of Christ from religious worldlings.
Now in the New Testament the "cross" stands for definite realities.
First, it expresses the world's hatred. The Son of God came here not
to judge, but to save; not to punish but to redeem. He came here "full
of grace and truth." He was ever at the disposal of others:
ministering to the needy, feeding the hungry, healing the sick,
delivering the demon-possessed, raising the dead. He was full of
compassion: gentle as a lamb; entirely sinless. He brought with Him
glad tidings of great joy. He sought the outcast, preached to the
poor, yet scorned not the rich; He pardoned sinners. And how was He
received? What welcome did men accord Him? They "despised and
rejected" Him (Isa. 53:3). He declared, "They hated Me without a
cause" (John 15:25). They thirsted for His blood. No ordinary death
would appease them. They demanded that He should be crucified. The
Cross, then, was the manifestation of the world's inveterate hatred of
the Christ of God.
The world has not altered, any more than the Ethiopian has changed his
skin or the leopard his spots. The world and Christ are still in open
antagonism. Hence it is written, "Whosoever therefore will be a friend
of the world is the enemy of God" (Jas. 4:4). It is impossible to walk
with Christ and commune with Him until we have separated from the
world. To walk with Christ necessarily involves sharing his
humiliation: "Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp,
bearing His reproach" (Heb. 13:13). This is what Moses did: (see Heb.
11:24-26). The closer I am walking with Christ, the more shall I be
misunderstood (1 John 3:2), ridiculed (Job 12:4) and detested by the
world (John 15:19). Make no mistake here it is utterly impossible to
keep in with the world and have fellowship with the Holy Christ. Thus,
to "take up" my "cross" means, that I deliberately court the enmity of
the world through my refusing to be "conformed" to it (Rom. 12:2). But
what matters the world's frowns if I am enjoying the Saviour's smiles!
Taking up my "cross" means a life voluntarily surrendered to God. As
the act of wicked men, the death of Christ was a murder; but as the
act of Christ Himself, it was a voluntary sacrifice, offering Himself
to God. It was also an act of obedience to God. In John 10:18 He said,
"No man taketh it [His life] from Me, but I lay it down of Myself."
And why did He? His very next words tell us: "This commandment have I
received of My Father." The cross was the supreme demonstration of
Christ's obedience. Herein He was our Exemplar. Once again we quote
Philippians 2:5, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ
Jesus." In what follows we see the Beloved of the Father taking upon
Him the form of a Servant, and becoming "obedient unto death, even the
death of the cross." Now the obedience of Christ must be the obedience
of the Christian--voluntary, gladsome, unreserved, continuous. If that
obedience involves shame and suffering, reproach and loss, we must not
flinch, but set our face "like a flint" (Isa. 50:7). The cross is more
than the object of the Christian's faith, it is the badge of
discipleship, the principle by which his life is to be regulated. The
"cross" stands for surrender and dedication to God: "I beseech you
therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, your reasonable
service (Rom. 12:1).
The "cross" stands for vicarious service and suffering. Christ laid
down His life for others, and His followers are called on to be
willing to do the same: "We ought to lay down our lives for the
brethren" (1 John 3:16): that is the inevitable logic of Calvary. We
are called to follow Christ's example, to the fellowship of His
sufferings, to be partners in His service. As Christ made himself "of
no reputation" (Phil. 2:7) we must not. As He "came not to be
ministered unto, but to minister" (Matthew 20:28), so must we. As He
"pleased not Himself" (Rom. 15:3), no more must we. As He ever thought
of others, so must we: "Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with
them; them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves in the body"
(Heb. 13:3).
"For whosoever will save his life, shall lose it; and whosoever will
lose his life for My sake, shall find it" (Matthew 16:25). Words
almost identical with these are found again in Matthew 10:39, Mark
8:35, Luke 9:24; 17:33, John 12:25. Surely, such repetition argues the
deep importance of our noting and heeding this saying of Christ's. He
died that we might live (John 12:24), so must we (John 12:25). Like
Paul we must be able to say, "Neither count I my life dear unto
myself" (Acts 20:24). The "life" that is lived for the gratification
of self in this world, is "lost" for eternity; the life that is
sacrificed to self-interests and yielded to Christ, will be "found"
again, and preserved through eternity.
A young university graduate, with brilliant prospects, responded to
the call of Christ to a life of service for Him in India among the
lowest caste of the natives. His friends exclaimed, What a tragedy! A
life thrown away! Yes, "lost" so far as this world is concerned, but
"found" again in the world to come!
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The Cure for Despondency
"Why art thou cast down, O my soul?
and why art thou disquieted in me?"
Psalm 42:5
_________________________________________________________________
When the Psalmist gave utterance to these words, his spirit was
dejected and his heart was heavy within him. In the checkered career
of David there was not a little which was calculated to sadden and
depress: the cruel persecutions of Saul, who hunted him as a partridge
upon the mountains, the treachery of his trusted friend Ahithophel,
the perfidy of Absalom, and the remembrance of his own sins, were
enough to overwhelm the stoutest. And David was a man of like passions
with us: he was not always upon the mountain-top of joy, but sometimes
spent seasons in the slough of despond and the gorge of gloom.
But David did not give way to despair, nor succumb to his sorrows. He
did not lie down like a stricken beast and do nought but fill the air
with his howling. No, he acted like a rational creature, and like a
man, looked his troubles squarely in the face. But he did more; he
made diligent inquiry, he challenged himself, he sought to discover
the cause of his despondency: he asked, "Why art thou cast down, O my
soul?" He desired to know the reason for such depression. This is
often the first step toward recovery from dejection of spirit.
Repining arid murmuring get us nowhere. Fretting and wringing our
hands bring no relief either temporally or spiritually. There needs to
be self-interrogation, self-examination, self condemnation.
"Why art thou cast down, O my soul?" We need to seriously take
ourselves to task. We need to fearlessly face a few plain questions.
What is the good of giving way to despair? What possible gain can it
bring me? To sit and sulk is not "redeeming the time" (Eph 5:16). To
mope and mourn will not mend matters. Then let each despondent one
call his soul to account, and inquire what adequate cause could be
assigned for peevishness and fretting. "We may have great cause to
mourn for sin, and to pray against prevailing impiety: but our great
dejection, even under the severest outward afflictions or inward
trials, springs from unbelief and a rebellious will: we should
therefore strive and pray against it" (Thomas Scott).
"Why art thou cast down, O my soul?" Cannot you discover the real
answer without asking counsel from others? Is it not true that, deep
down in your heart, you already know, or at least suspect, the root of
your present trouble? Are you "cast down" because of distressing
circumstances which your own folly has brought you into? Then
acknowledge with the Psalmist, "I know, O Lord, that Thy judgments are
right, and Thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me" (119:75). Is it
because of some sin, some course of self-will, some sowing to the
flesh, that you are now of the flesh reaping corruption? Then confess
the same to God and plead the promise found in Proverbs 28:13: "He
that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and
forsaketh them shall have mercy." Or are you grieved because
Providence has not smiled upon you so sweetly as it has on some of
your neighbors? Then heed that injunction, "Fret not thyself because
of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity"
(Ps. 37:1).
Perhaps the cases suggested above do not exactly fit that of some of
our readers. Not a few may say, "My soul is cast down and my heart is
heavy because my finances are at so low an ebb, and the outlook is so
dark." That is indeed a painful trial, and one which mere nature often
sinks under. But, dear friend, there is a cure for despondency even
when so occasioned. He who declares "the cattle upon a thousand hills
are Mine," still lives and reigns! Cannot He who fed two million
Israelites in the wilderness for forty years minister to you and your
family? Cannot He who sustained Elijah in the time of famine keep you
from starving? "If God so clothe the grass of the field, which today
is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe
you. O ye of little faith!" (Matthew 6:30).
Returning to our opening text, let us observe how that David not only
succumbed not to his sorrows, interrogated his soul, and rebuked his
unbelief, but he also preached to himself: "Hope thou in God!" Ah,
that is what the despondent needs to do: nothing else will bring real
relief to the hearer. The immediate outlook may be dark, but the
Divine promises are bright. The creature may fail you, but the Creator
will not, if you truly put your trust in Him. The world may be at its
wits' end, but the Christian needs not be so. There is One who is "a
very present help in trouble" (Ps. 46:1), and He never deserts those
who really make Him their refuge. The writer has proved this, many,
many a time, and so may the reader. The fact is that present
conditions afford a grand opportunity for learning the sufficiency of
Divine grace. Faith cannot be exercised when everything needed is at
hand to sight.
"Hope thou in God"--In His mercy: You have sinned, sinned grievously
in the past, and now you are receiving your just deserts. True, but if
you will penitently confess your sins, there is abundant mercy with
the Lord to blot them all out (Isa 55:7).
In his power: Every door may he shut against you, every channel of
help be closed fast; but nothing is too hard for the Almighty!
In His faithfulness: Men may have deceived you, broken their promises,
and now desert you in the hour of need; but He who cannot lie is to be
depended upon--O doubt not His promises.
In His love: "Having loved His own which were in the world, He loved
them unto the end" (John 13:1).
"For I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance." Such is
ever the blessed assurance of those who truly hope in God. They know
that, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord
delivereth him out of them all" (Psa 34:19). God has told them that
"weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning" (Ps.
30:5). So Christian reader, when the fiery trial has done its work,
and your bonds are burned off (Dan. 3:25), you will thank Him for the
trials which are now so unpleasant; Then hopefully anticipate the
future. Count upon God, and He will not fail you.
Let each Christian reader who is not now passing through deep waters
join with the writer in fervent prayer to God, that He will graciously
sanctify the "present distress" unto the spiritual good of His own
people, and mercifully supply their temporal needs.
Back to Books and Pamphlets by A.W. Pink
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The Eye of Faith
_________________________________________________________________
"I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye
seeth Thee" (Job 42:5). What did Job signify by this? Obviously his
words are not to be understood literally. No, by employing a common
figure of speech, he meant that the mists of unbelief (occasioned by
self-righteousness) had now been dispelled, and faith perceived the
being of God as a glorious and living reality. ("Mine eyes are ever
toward the Lord" Ps. 25:15), by which is meant that his faith was
constantly in exercise. Of Moses it is said that "he endured as seeing
Him who is invisible" (Heb. 11:27), that is, his heart was sustained
through faith's being occupied with the mighty God.
Faith is frequently represented in Scripture under the metaphor of
bodily sight. Our Lord said of the great patriarch, "Your father
Abraham rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it and was glad" (John
8:56), meaning that his faith looked forward to the day of Christ's
humiliation and exaltation. Paul was commissioned unto the Gentiles to
"open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, and from the
power of Satan unto God" (Acts 26:18); or, in other words, to be the
Divine instrument of their conversion through preaching to them the
Word of Faith. To some of his erring children he wrote, "O foolish
Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth,
before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently (plainly) set
forth, crucified among you" (Gal. 3:1).
Now what we wish to point out in this article is, that when scripture
speaks of faith under the notion of bodily sight, its writers were
doing something more than availing themselves of a pertinent and
suitable figure of speech. The Author of Scripture is the One who
first formed the eye, that marvelous organ of vision and without a
shadow of doubt He so fashioned it as to strikingly adumbrate in the
visible that which now plays so prominent a part in the Christian's
dealings with the invisible. Everything in the material world shadows
forth some great reality in the spiritual realm, as we should perceive
had we but sufficient wisdom to discern the fact. A wide field is here
opened for observation and meditation, but we shall now confine
ourselves to a single example, namely, the eye of the body as it
symbolizes the faith of the heart.
1. The eye is a passive organ. The eye does not send out a light from
itself, nor does it give anything unto the objects it beholds-what can
the eye communicate to the sun, moon, and stars, when it gazes upon
them! No, the eye merely receives the print or image of them into the
mind (on the retina, which is then transmitted to the brain) without
adding anything to them. Just so is it with faith: it gives nothing
unto God, or to what it beholds in the Word of His grace. It simply
receives or takes them into the heart as they are presented to the
soul's view in the light of the Divine revelation. What did the bitten
Israelites communicate unto the brazen serpent when they looked unto
it, and were healed? As little do we add unto Christ, when we "look"
unto Him and are saved (Isa. 45:22).
2. The eye is a directing organ. The man that has the light of day and
his eyes open can see his way, and is not so likely to stumble into
ditches or fall into a precipice as a blind man, or one who walks at
nighttime. So it is with faith: "The way of the wicked is as darkness,
they know not at what they stumble," but "the path of the just is as
the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day"
(Prov. 4:19, 18). Of Christians it is said that "we walk by faith, not
by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7). By "looking off unto Jesus" (faith's viewing
our Exemplar) we are enabled to run the race which is set before us.
3. The eye is a very quick organ, taking up things at a great
distance. Within a fraction of a moment I can turn my gaze from things
lying on the ground and focus it upon the mountains which are many
miles away; nay, more, I can look away altogether from the things of
earth and mount up among the stars, and in a second view the entire
expanse of the heavens. What an optical marvel is that! Equally
wonderful is the power of faith: it is indeed a quick-sighted grace,
taking up things at a great distance, as the faith of the patriarchs
did, who saw the things promised "afar off' (Heb. 11:13). So too, in a
moment faith may look back to an eternity past and view the
everlasting springs of electing love, active on its behalf before the
foundations of the earth were laid, and then, in the same breath, it
can turn itself towards an eternity yet to come, and take a view of
the hidden glories of an invisible world within the vail.
4. The eye, though it be little, is a very capacious organ. The man
that has the light of day and has his eyes open may see all that comes
with the range of his vision: he may look around and see things
behind, forward and view things ahead, downward upon the waters in a
well or a stream at the bottom of a deep ravine, upwards and gaze upon
bodies in the distant heavens. So is it with faith: it extends itself
unto everything that lies within the vast compass of God's Word. It
takes knowledge of things in the distant past, it also apprehends
things that are yet to come; it looks into Hell, and penetrates into
Heaven. It is able to discern the vanity of the world all around us.
It is true that there may be a genuine faith that takes in but little
of the light of Divine revelation at first. Yet here again the earthly
adumbration accurately shadows forth this spiritual truth. The eye of
an infant takes in the light and perceives external objects, but with
a good deal of weakness and confusion, until as it grows more its
vision extends further and further. So it is with the eye of faith. At
first, the light of spiritual knowledge is but dim: the babe in Christ
is unable to see afar off. But as faith grows deeper and deeper into
the Divine mysteries, until it comes at length to be swallowed up on
open vision (John 17:24).
5. The eye is a very assuring faculty. Of the five bodily senses, this
is the most convincing. What are we more sure of, than what we see
with our eyes! Some fools may seek to persuade themselves that matter
is a mental delusion, but no one in his right mind will believe them.
If a man sees the sun shining in the heavens, he knows that it is day.
In like manner, faith is a grace which carries in its very nature a
great deal of certainty: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped
for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1). Skeptics may deny
the Divine inspiration of the Scriptures, but when the eye of faith
has gazed upon its supernatural beauties, the point is settled once
for all. Others may regard the Christ of God as a pious myth, but once
the saint has really beheld the Lamb of God, it can say "I know that
my Redeemer liveth."
6. The eye is an impressing organ: what we see, leaves an impression
upon our minds, that is why we need to pray often "Turn away mine eyes
from beholding vanity" (Ps. 119:37); that is why the prophet declared
"mine eye affecteth mine heart" (Lam. 3:51). If a man looks steadily
at the sun for a few moments an impression of the sun is left in his
eye, even though he turn his eyes away from it, or shuts them. In like
manner, real faith leaves an impression of the Sun of righteousness
upon the heart: "they looked unto Him, and were lightened" (Ps. 34:5).
Even more definite is 2 Corinthians 3:18: "But we all, with open face
beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the
same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord." As the
mighty power of Christ will, in a coming day, transform the bodies of
His people from mortality to life and from dishonor to glory, so also
does the Holy Spirit now exert a moral transforming power on the
character of those who are His, and that by calling faith into
exercise, the activity of which more and more conforms the soul to the
image of God's Son.
7. The eye is a wondrous organ. Those who are competent to express an
opinion, affirm that this particular member is the most curious and
remarkable of any part of the human body: there is much of the wisdom
and power of the Creator to be discovered in the formation of the
visive faculty. So too faith is a grace that is curiously and
wondrously wrought in the soul. There is more of the wisdom and power
of the Divine Workman discovered in the formation of the grace of
faith than in any other part of the new creature. Thus we read of the
"work of faith with power" (2 Thess. 1:11), yea, that the same
exceeding great and mighty power which was put forth by God in the
raising of Christ from the dead is exerted upon and within them that
believe (Eph. 1:19).
8. The eye of the body is a very tender thing: it is soon hurt and
easily damaged. A very tiny cinder will cause pain and make it weep
and it is very striking to note that that is the very way to
recovery-it weeps out the dust or mote that gets into it. So too faith
is a most delicate grace, thriving best in a pure conscience: hence
the apostle speaks of "holding the mystery of the faith in a pure
conscience" (1 Tim. 3:9). The lively actings of faith are soon marred
by the dust of sin, or by the vanities of the world getting into the
heart where it is seated. And where ever true faith is, if it be hurt
by sin, it vents itself in a way of godly sorrow.
N.B. For most of the above we are indebted
to a sermon preached by Ebon Erskine in 1740.
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"The Fear of the Lord is
the Beginning of Wisdom"
Proverbs 1:7
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"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Prov. 1:7). Happy
the soul that has been awed by a view of God's majesty, that has had a
vision of God's awful greatness, His ineffable holiness, His perfect
righteousness, His irresistible power, His sovereign grace. Does
someone say, "But it is only the unsaved, those outside of Christ, who
need to fear God"? Then the sufficient answer is that the saved, those
who are in Christ, are admonished to work out their own salvation with
"fear and trembling." Time was when it was the general custom to speak
of a believer as a "God-fearing man." That such an appellation has
become nearly extinct only serves to show whither we have drifted.
Nevertheless, it still stands written, "Like as a father pitieth his
children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him" (Psalm 103:13).
When we speak of godly fear, of course we do not mean a servile fear,
such as prevails among the heathen in connection with their gods. No,
we mean that spirit which Jehovah is pledged to bless, that spirit to
which the prophet referred when he said, "To this man will I (the
Lord) look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and
trembleth at my word" (Isa. 66:2). It was this the apostle had in view
when he wrote, "Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor
the king" (I Pet: 2:17). And nothing will foster this godly fear like
a recognition of the Sovereign Majesty of God.
Back to Books and Pamphlets by A.W. Pink
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The God of Jacob
"The God of Jacob is our refuge."
Psalm 46:7
_________________________________________________________________
This divine title--"The God of Jacob"--is found at least fourteen
times in the Old Testament, and in addition, three times we read of
"The mighty God of Jacob." Such frequent repetition argues a deep
significance, and suggests valuable lessons to be learned. We never
read of the God of Moses, the God of Joshua, or the God of Solomon.
Why then has God identified Himself with Jacob? What is there in the
Lord's dealings with this man which will suggest to us the import of
this title? What is the particular significance of this expression
which occurs and recurs through the Psalms like a familiar refrain?
1. The God of Jacob is the God of Election. Jacob supplies us with the
clearest and most unmistakable illustration of God's sovereign choice
to be met with in all the Bible. Whatever quibbles may be raised in
reference to God's choice of Abraham to be the father of the faithful,
or of the nation of Israel to be the recipients of His peculiar
favors, there is no getting round God's election of Jacob. The case of
Jacob gives the most emphatic refutation to the theory that God's
choice is dependent upon something in the creature--something either
actual or foreseen--and shows that the eternal election of certain
individuals unto salvation is due to no worthiness in the subjects but
results solely from God's sovereign grace. The case of Jacob proves
conclusively that God's choice is entirely arbitrary, wholly
gratuitous, and based upon nothing save His own good pleasure. "When
Rebecca also had conceived by one, even our father Isaac (for the
children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil,
that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of
works, but of Him that calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall
serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have
I hated" (Rom. 9:10-13).
The God of Jacob then is the God who chooses one and passes by
another. He is the One who exercises and exhibits His own sovereign
will. He is one who shows Himself to be the Most High ruling in heaven
and earth and disposing Of His creatures according to His own eternal
purpose. He is the One who singles out the most unlikely and unworthy
objects to be fashioned into vessels of glory. Yet, He is the One who
necessarily acts always in harmony with His own perfections.
Election is not as some have supposed, harsh and unjust, but is a most
merciful provision on the part of God. Had he not from the beginning
chosen some to salvation, all would have perished. Had he not before
the foundation of the world chosen certain ones to be conformed to the
image of His Son, the death of Christ would have been in vain so far
as the human race is concerned.
Reduced to its simplest terms, Election means that God chose me before
I chose Him. Said our Lord, "Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen
you" (John 15:16). We love Him because He first loved us. Election
means that before I was born, yea, before the foundation of the world,
I was chosen in Christ and predestinated unto a place in God's family.
Election means that we believed because He made us willing in the day
of His power. Election then strips the creature of all merit, removes
all ground of boasting, strikes us helpless in the dust, and ascribes
all the glory to God.
2. The God of Jacob is the God of All grace. If ever there was a man
who illustrated in his own person that God hath chosen the "base
things of the world, things which are despised" (1 Cor. 1:28) it was
Jacob. According to the flesh there was nothing winsome, or attractive
about him. Selfish, scheming, deceitful, treacherous, untruthful, he
was a most unlovely character. What was there in him to attract the
love of God. Absolutely nothing. We should have thought that Esau was
a fitter subject for God's favors. Exactly. But God's thoughts are not
our thoughts, neither are His ways our ways. Spiritual things are
hidden from the wise and prudent and are revealed unto babes.
Self-righteous Pharisees are passed by, while publicans and harlots
are constrained to partake of the Gospel banquet. The rich are
ignored, while to the poor the Gospel is preached. Esau is hated while
the "worm" Jacob is loved with an everlasting and unfathomable love.
The full force of this divine title, "The God of Jacob," can only be
apprehended by a careful study of the patriarch's experiences. The
first time we see God entering his life that memorable night at
Bethel. A fugitive from his father's house, fleeing from his brother's
wrath, with probably no thought of God in his mind at all, the son of
Isaac "lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night,
because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and
put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep" (Gen.
28:11). As we see him there, asleep on the bare ground, we get a
striking picture of man in his natural state. Man is never so helpless
as when asleep! It was while he was in this condition that God
appeared to him, and said, "I am the God of Abraham thy father, and
the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it,
and to thy seed; And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in
all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this
land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have
spoken to thee of." The God of Jacob then, is the God who met Jacob
while he had nothing, and deserved nothing but wrath, and who gave him
everything. Happy indeed are they who have such a God for their God.
3. The God of Jacob is the God of Infinite Patience. A careful study
of the whole life of Jacob as it is recorded in Genesis is necessary
to discover the whole force of this fact. We can now only call
attention to the leading events in that life, leaving our readers to
work out the details for themselves. To say that Jacob was naturally a
most despicable character, and that as a believer he lived a most
God-dishonoring life, is only to state a fact which is well known to
all Bible students. What we desire to particularly emphasize in this
connection is the continued and marvelous forbearance of God in
dealing with His wayward child.
At the hour of his birth God made known the fact that Jacob was to
have the firstborn's portion, yet, instead of waiting God's own good
time and way to secure for him his inheritance, Jacob resorted to
ignoble and underhanded methods to obtain it for himself. The picture
presented in Genesis 27 is truly a pathetic one. In brief, the facts
were as follows:
God announced to Rebecca that Esau was to serve his younger brother,
Jacob, which was the equivalent of saying that the place and portion
of the firstborn was promised by God to Jacob. Now Esau was Isaac's
favorite son and he rebelled against the idea of Jacob being exalted
above him. He thereupon conceives a plot. In the time of his old age
he calls Esau to him, speaks of his approaching death, bids his son
prepare food for him and at the same time gives him the patriarchal
blessing. The hurry and secrecy which marked his actions reveal a
determined effort to thwart the purpose of God and to transfer the
blessing to his older son. Though Esau must have been acquainted with
the divine purpose and though he had actually sold his inheritance to
Jacob at an earlier date, yet, seeing an opportunity to recover and
regain his lost birthright, he readily falls in with his father's
plan. But Rebecca, with whom Jacob was the favorite, had overheard
Isaac's plot, so she sets out to neutralize it with a counter-plot.
She is determined to preserve for Jacob the blessing which Jehovah had
promised him. She felt a great wrong was about to be done her
favorite; she imagined the purpose of God was in danger; she believed
that wrong means would justify a right end. Having laid her plans, she
takes Jacob into her confidence, and instructs him how to proceed in
order to get the better of Esau. Now what ought Jacob to have done?
Clearly, it was a sore trial of faith. God's promise seemed about to
fail: apparently His purpose was to be defeated. There was only one
right course for him to follow, and that was to lay the whole matter
before God and supplicate His aid. Man's extremities are God's
opportunities. But God was not in his thoughts; he had more confidence
in fleshly means, and therefore he agreed to carry out his mother's
scheme.
It is important to note here that Jacob's fall was no mere succumbing
to a sudden and unexpected temptation. The twelfth verse of Genesis 27
unmistakably brings out the fact that the deception which Jacob
practiced upon his father was a deliberate and premeditated act. He
clearly saw the sin of it in the sight of God, and feared that he
might bring down upon him the divine curse, yet, nevertheless, he
defiantly complies with his mother's suggestions. His preparations
were quickly and cleverly made, and the food which his mother had
prepared is brought to his father. He boldly declares that he is the
firstborn, lie follows lie, Isaac is completely deceived, and Jacob
obtains the blessing. The sequel is well known. The plot is uncovered,
the deception is unveiled, Esau's anger is kindled, and Jacob flees
for his life.
It is at this point that the marvelous grace and patience of our God
comes out. On the first night of his absence from home God reveals
Himself in a vision to Jacob and promises Himself to be with the
fugitive, to protect him wherever he went, and to bring him back again
into the promised land. Jacob's response to these gracious
declarations reveals the conditions of his heart: "And Jacob vowed a
vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that
I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I
come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the Lord be my
God" (Gen. 28:20, 21). This vow which Jacob made well reveals the
bargaining spirit of the man, and shows how little he knew of the
character of God.
Passing over the years which he spent upon the farm of his
father-in-law, we note the next appearance of God to Jacob. "And the
Lord said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy father's, and to thy
kindred; and I will be with thee" (Gen. 31:3). Years before, on the
night when He was first revealed to him, God had promised to bring His
erring child back again to the land of promise. No doubt an intense
longing had filled Jacob's heart throughout his exile. The time had
come for God to commence the fulfillment of His promise and to reveal
to Jacob that it was now His will for him to start on his homeward
journey, and once more God assures him that He will be with him. What
is Jacob's response to this? His first thought was to secure the wages
which were due him from Laban--wages which were in the form of cattle
and sheep, many of which had been gotten by a trick. His next thought
was to steal away secretly. Instead of telling his father-in-law that
God had commanded him to return to Canaan, "he stole away unawares"
(v. 20) taking with him the cattle of his getting which, he had gotten
in Padan-Aram" (v. 18). Confidence in God was altogether lacking;
faith in His gracious promises was a negative quantity; and his
conduct was most unworthy and unbecoming in one so highly favored by
Jehovah.
"And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. And when
Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host: and he called the name of
this place Mahanaim" (Gen. 32:1,2). This was one of God's tender
mercies and provisions for the way. A long and difficult journey lay
before Jacob, so the Lord assures His child that angels are his
attendants. But no sooner have these heavenly visitants appeared and
disappeared than Jacob forgets all about them and acts as though they
had no existence. "And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his
brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom. And he commanded
them, saying, Thus shall ye speak to my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob
saith thus; I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now:
and I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and men servants, and women
servants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in
thy sight" (vv. 3-5). As he journeys toward the land of Canaan memory
revives and conscience is at work. He thinks of the brother he has
wronged and is afraid. You may say that was quite natural. True, had
Jacob been an unbeliever. But God had promised to be with him and
bring him back again into the land of his fathers, and He was well
able to deal with Esau. But again we see that God was not in his
thoughts. He has more confidence in his own wisdom and devices than in
divine aid. The message which he sent to Esau was utterly beneath the
dignity of a child of God: such fawning phrases as "my lord Esau" and
"thy servant Jacob" tell their own sad tale. But Jacob's hopes are
disappointed. No friendly greeting comes from Esau; on the contrary,
there are indications that he has designs upon his brother's life.
Esau was coming to meet Jacob, and with him four hundred men.
Jacob is now thoroughly afraid: "And Jacob was greatly afraid and
distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the
flocks, and the herds, and the camels, into two bands; and said, If
Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company
which is left shall escape" (vv. 7, 8). Instead of casting himself
upon the Lord, he at once begins to plan and scheme. Having completed
his plans, he then turns unto God and supplicates His aid. Alas! how
true to human nature. Scarcely had he risen from his knees than once
more he leans upon the arm of flesh, Esau's host drove out of his mind
"the host of God." Having divided his party and possessions into two
companies, so that in case one was attacked and destroyed the other
might escape, and thus a part at least be spared, Jacob then prepares
and sends on ahead a costly present for Esau, that by this means his
brother's wrath might be appeased (vv. 13-20). Thus instead of
allowing God to manage Esau, Jacob by his obsequious cringing seeks to
buy his brother's favor. Truly, "The fear of man bringeth a snare."
But the above only provides a dark background upon which may shine
forth the riches of divine grace. In spite of all his unbelief, lack
of confidence in God, and trust in himself; Jehovah once more appears
to His servant, this time in the form of a man who wrestled with Jacob
all night (Gen. 32:24-30), but even so, Jacob has still to learn that
"Whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe." The actual
meeting with Esau still had to be faced, and when the crisis is
reached the old Jacob once more came to the fore. As Esau approached
him, seven times Jacob bowed himself to the ground (33:3)--what an
unbecoming position to take for one occupying the relationship to God
which Jacob enjoyed. The excessive deference here shown to the brother
he had wronged betokened to servile fear; the waning obloquy was
evidently designed to suggest that he was still prepared to
acknowledge Esau's superiority.
The generous way in which Esau acted put Jacob to shame. He showed
himself quite friendly toward this brother, in fact anxious to help
him. How often the children of God compare unfavorably with the
children of the world! Esau suggests that the two companies unite, and
that they journey together to the old home. Jacob meets this generous
proposal in a very characteristic way, and by means of a plausible
excuse cleverly declined it. Fear still possessed him. Esau's mood
perhaps might change. The old enmity might awaken. Jacob therefore
suggests that Esau go on ahead, while he with his children and flocks
come along more slowly in the rear. He promises to meet him at Seir
(33:14). But no sooner had Esau and his four hundred men departed than
Jacob deliberately journeys in the opposite directions, and went and
settled in Succoth. Thus by his lying and treachery, once more Jacob
dishonored the Lord. Moreover, Jacob did not content himself with
temporary stay in Succoth; he built him a house there, evidently
purposing to abide in that place. This act of his was not only a wrong
done to Esau, but in defiance of God's plain command "Return to the
land of thy fathers" (Gen.313).
"Where sin abounded grace did much more abound", The more unworthy the
subject the more is God's grace glorified. In spite of Jacob's
waywardness and wickedness, in spite of his distrust and disobedience,
in spite of his repeated failures, God still deals with him in mercy.
"And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padan-Aram,
and blessed him. And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name
shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name; and
He called his name Israel. And God said unto him, I am God Almighty:
be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be
of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins. And the land which I
gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed after
thee will I give the land" (Gen. 35:9-12). How incomparable is God's
patience! How infinite is His forbearance! How matchless is His grace!
Jacob is a pattern case. Unless our eyes be dim, we can not help but
see in the sad history of the old patriarch a faithful description of
our own characters. Our experience is very much like his. The evil
heart of unbelief abides in us, and only too often regulates the life
of the believer. Like Jacob, we are ever planning and scheming, and
then asking God's blessing upon our devices. Like it was with Jacob,
God has appeared to us again and again, cheered us with His promises,
delivered us out of the hand of the enemy, guided us by His Spirit,
protected us with His angels, yet we continue to grieve and dishonor
Him. We are slow to learn. Fresh crises invariably result in fresh
failures. But blessed be His name, Jacob's God is our God. He bears
with us in infinite patience. He suffers our dullness with wondrous
forbearance. He never leaves us nor forsakes us. he is with us to the
end. Happy, thrice happy, they who can say, "The God of Jacob is our
refuge."
4. The God of Jacob is the God of Transforming Power. "At evening time
it shall be light." The sunset of Jacob's life reveals the triumph of
God's mighty grace. In the closing scenes of his life we see the
spirit victorious over the flesh. Not only is it deeply interesting to
study closely the last pages of the patriarch's biography, but they
bring before us the marvelous transforming effects of God's power.
"And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto
Jacob their father, and told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he
is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart fainted, for
he believed them not. And they told him all the words of Joseph, which
he had said unto Them and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent
to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. And Israel
said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him
before I die" (Gen. 45:25-28). At first, the news that Joseph was
alive seemed too good to be true, but the wagons he had sent to
reassure his father convinced him; his spirit revived and he at once
set out on the journey to Egypt. It is beautiful to note that the
first thing recorded after the journey was begun was an act of worship
on the part of the aged patriarch: "And Israel took his journey with
all that he had, and came to Beersheba and offered sacrifices unto the
God of his father Isaac" (46:1). Long years of discipline in the
school of experience had at last taught him to put God first. Ere he
goes down to Egypt he worships the God of his father Isaac! At once
God met him, and said, "Jacob, Jacob." Note the ready response
(46:2)--"Here I am." No need now to send an angel--Jacob had learned
to recognize the voice of God himself. Another scene brings out the
remarkable change which divine grace wrought in Jacob's character.
"And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh:
and Jacob blessed Pharaoh." (Gen. 47:7) The aged and feeble patriarch
is brought before the monarch of the mightiest empire in the world.
And what dignity now marks Jacob! What a contrast to the day when he
bowed himself seven times before Esau! There is no cringing and
fawning here. Jacob takes the true place of a child of God. He was the
son of the King of Kings, an ambassador of the Most High. Brief is the
record, yet how much the words suggest -- "And Jacob said unto
Pharaoh. The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and
thirty years" (v. 9).At last Jacob had learned that his home was not
here, that he was but a stranger and sojourner on the earth. He sees
now that his life is but a journey, with a starting-point and a
goal--the starting point, conversion; the goal, heavenly glory.
"And the time drew near that Israel must die: and he called his son
Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight,
put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly
with me: bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt: But I will lie with my
fathers, and thou shalt carry me Out of Egypt, and bury me in their
burying place" (Gen. 47:29, 30).Once more we see the evidences of the
change which had been wrought in Jacob. This request of his not to be
buried in Egypt but in Canaan, carries with it far more than appears
on the surface. God had promised, many years before, to give Jacob and
his seed the land of Canaan, and now the promise is "embraced." Jacob
had never possessed the land, and now he is dying in a strange
country. But he knows God's Word is true, and his faith evidently
looks forward to resurrection. At last the easily besetting sin
(unbelief) is laid aside and faith triumphs. This is confirmed by the
words which immediately follow: "And he swear unto him. And Israel
bowed himself upon the bed's head" (Gen. 47:3 1), the word "bowed"
signifying "worship."
"By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph;
and worshiped, leaning upon the top of his staff" (Heb. 11:21). The
account of this is found in Genesis 48. All through this chapter we
see how God was now in all Jacob's thoughts, and how His promises are
the stay of his heart. He recounts to Joseph how God had appeared to
him at Luz (v. 14) and how He had promised to give the land of Canaan
to him and his seed for an everlasting possession. He spake of God as
the One who "fed me all my life long unto this day" (v. 15), and as
the One "who redeemed me from all evil." Setting aside the
inclinations of the flesh, and the will of man (Joseph's own desire),
Jacob bows to God's will and by faith blesses Joseph's sons, setting
"Ephraim before Manasseh" (v. 20). After blessing Joseph's sons, Jacob
turns to their father and says, "Behold, I die; but God shall be with
you. and bring you again unto the land of your fathers" (v. 21).
How unlikely this appeared! Joseph was now thoroughly settled and
established in Egypt. No longer is Jacob walking by sight. Firm now
was his confidence, and with an unshaken faith he grasps the promises
of God (that his seed shall inherit Canaan) and speaks out of a heart
filled with a quiet assurance.
The last scene (Gen. 49) presents a fitting climax, and demonstrates
the power of God's grace. The whole family is gathered about the dying
patriarch, and one by one he blesses them. All through his earlier and
mid life, Jacob was occupied solely with himself; but at the end he is
occupied solely with others! In days gone by he was mainly concerned
with planning about things present, but now (see Gen. 49:1) he has
thought for nothing but things future! One word here is deeply
instructive:
"I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord" (49:18). We saw at the
beginning of his life "waiting" was something quite foreign to his
nature: instead of waiting for God to secure for him the promised
birthright, he sought to obtain it himself. But now the hardest lesson
of all has been learned. Grace has taught him now to wait. Verily,
"the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and
more unto the perfect day"!
To sum up: God took Jacob as the one through whom he could best show
forth His grace and power. What more suited for the display of His
grace than the chief of sinners! Whom shall He take up to exhibit His
power but the one who by nature was the most intractable! And the God
of Jacob is our refuge. He is the God of Sovereign election, the God
of matchless grace, the God of infinite patience, the God of
transforming power. This is the One "with whom we have to do." Those
of us who have already "passed from death unto life" already know
something of His wondrous grace and marvelous forbearance. May we
experience more and more of His might transforming power.
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The "god" of This Generation
_________________________________________________________________
The "god" of this twentieth century no more resembles the Supreme
Sovereign of Holy Writ than does the dim flickering of a candle the
glory of the mid-day sun. The god who is now talked about in the
average pulpit, spoken of in the ordinary Sunday School, mentioned in
most of the religious literature of the day, and preached in most of
the so-called Bible conferences is a figment of human imagination, an
invention of over-emotional sentimentality.
The heathen outside the pale of Christendom form gods out of wood and
stone, while the millions of heathen inside Christendom manufacture a
god out of their own carnal minds. In reality, they are but atheists;
FOR THERE IS NO OTHER POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE BETWEEN AN ABSOLUTE SUPREME
GOD AND NO GOD AT ALL! A "god" whose will is resisted, whose designs
are frustrated, and whose purpose is checkmated, possesses no title to
Deity, and SO FAR FROM BEING A FIT OBJECT OF WORSHIP, MERITS NOUGHT
BUT CONTEMPT
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The Gospel of Satan
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Satan is the arch-counterfeiter. As we have seen, the Devil is now
busy at work in the same field in which the Lord sowed the good seed.
He is seeking to prevent the growth of the wheat by another plant, the
tares, which closely resembles the wheat in appearance. In a word, by
a process of imitation he is aiming to neutralize the Word of Christ.
Therefore, as Christ has a Gospel, Satan has a gospel too; the latter
being a clever counterfeit of the former. So closely does the gospel
of Satan resemble that which it parades, multitudes of the unsaved are
deceived by it.
It is to this gospel of Satan the apostle refers when he says to the
Galatians "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from Him that called
you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: which is not
another, but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the
Gospel of Christ" (1:6,7). This false gospel was being heralded even
in the days of the apostle, and a most awful curse was called down
upon those who preached it. The apostle continues, "But though we, or
an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which
we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." By the help of God we
shall now endeavor to expound, or rather, expose, false gospel.
The gospel of Satan is not a system of revolutionary principles, nor
yet a program of anarchy. It does not promote strife and war, but aims
at peace and unity. It seeks not to set the mother against her
daughter nor the father against his son, but fosters the fraternal,
spirit whereby the human race is regarded as one great "brotherhood".
It does not seek to drag down the natural man, but to improve and
uplift him. It advocates education and cultivation and appeals to "the
best that is within us". It aims to make this world such a congenial
and comfortable habitat that Christ's absence from it will not be felt
and God will not be needed. It endeavors to occupy man so much with
this world that he has no time or inclination to think of the world to
come. It propagates the principles of self-sacrifice, charity and
benevolence, and teaches us to live for the good of others, and to be
kind to all. It appeals strongly to the carnal mind and is popular
with the masses, because it ignores the solemn facts that by nature
man is a fallen creature, alienated from the life of God, and dead in
trespasses and sins, and that his only hope lies in being born again.
In contradistinction to the Gospel of Christ, the gospel of Satan
teaches salvation by works. It inculcates justification before God on
the ground of human merits. Its sacramental phrase is "Be good and do
good"; but it fails to recognize that in the flesh there dwelleth no
good thing. It announces salvation by character, which reverses the
order of God's Word--character by, as the fruit of, salvation. Its
various ramifications and organizations are manifold. Temperance,
Reform movements, "Christian Socialist Leagues", ethical culture
societies, "Peace Congresses" are all employed (perhaps unconsciously)
in proclaiming this gospel of Satan--salvation by works. The
pledge-card is substituted for Christ; social purity for individual
regeneration, and politics and philosophy for doctrine and godliness.
The cultivation of the old man is considered more practical" than the
creation of a new man in Christ Jesus; whilst universal peace is
looked for apart from the interposition and return of the Prince of
Peace.
The apostles of Satan are not saloon-keepers and white slave
traffickers, but are or the most part ordained ministers. Thousands of
those who occupy our modern pulpits are no longer engaged in
presenting the fundamentals of the Christian Faith, but have turned
aside from the Truth and have given heed unto fables. Instead of
magnifying the enormity of sin and setting forth its eternal
consequences, they minimize it by declaring that sin is merely
ignorance or the absence of good. Instead of warning their hearers to
"flee from the wrath to come" they make God a liar by declaring that
He is too loving and merciful to send any of His own creatures to
eternal torment.
Instead of declaring that "without shedding of blood is no remission",
they merely hold up Christ as the great Examplar and exhort their
followers to "follow in His step". Of them it must be said, "For they
being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish
their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the
righteousness of God" (Rom. 10:3). Their message may sound very
plausible and their appear very praiseworthy, yet we read of them,
"for such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming
themselves (imitating) into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for
Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is
no great thing (not to be wondered at) if his ministers also be
transformed as the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be
according to their works" (2 Cor. 11:13-15).
In addition to the fact that today hundreds of churches are without a
leader who faithfully declares the whole counsel of God and presents
His way of salvation, we also have to face the additional fact that
the majority of people in these churches are very unlikely to learn
the Truth for themselves. The family altar, where a portion of God's
Word was wont to be read daily is now, even in the homes of nominal
Christians, largely a thing of the past. The Bible is not expounded in
the pulpit and it is not read in the pew. The demands of this rushing
age are so numerous that the multitudes have little time and still
less inclination to make preparation for their meeting with God. Hence
the majority who are too indolent to search for themselves are left at
the mercy of those whom they pay to search for them; many of which
betray their trust by studying and expounding economic and social
problems rather than the Oracles of God . . . .
And now, my reader, where do you stand? Are you in the way which
"seemeth right", but which ends in death? Or are you in the Narrow Way
which leadeth unto life? Have you truly forsaken the Broad Road that
leadeth to death? Has the love of Christ created in your heart a
hatred and horror of all that is displeasing to Him? Are, you desirous
that He should "reign over" (Luke 19:14) you? Are you relying wholly
on His righteousness and blood for your acceptance with God? . . . .
A yet more specious form of Satan's gospel is to move preachers to
present the atoning sacrifice of Christ and then tell their hearers
that all God requires from them is to "believe" in His Son. Thereby
thousands of impenitent souls are deluded into thinking that they have
been saved. But Christ said, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise
perish" (Luke 13:3). To "repent" is to hate sin, to sorrow over, to
turn from it. It is the result of the Spirit's making the heart
contrite before God. None except a broken heart can savingly believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Again; thousands are deceived into supposing that they have "accepted
Christ" as their "personal Saviour", who have not first received Him
as their LORD. The Son of God did not come here to save people in
their sins, but "from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). To be saved from
sins, is to be saved from ignoring and despising the authority of God,
it is to abandon the course of self-will and self-pleasing, it is to
"forsake our way" (Isa. 55:7). It is to surrender to God's authority,
to yield to His dominion, to give ourselves over to be ruled by Him.
The one who has never taken Christ's "yoke" upon him, who is not truly
and diligently seeking to please Him in all the details of his life,
and yet supposes that he is "resting on the Finished Work of Christ"
is deluded by the Devil.
In the seventh chapter of Matthew there are two scriptures which give
us approximate results of Christ's Gospel and Satan's counterfeit.
First, in verses 13 and 14, "Enter ye in at the strait gate. For, wide
is the gate and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction and many
there be which go in thereat. Because strait is the gate and narrow is
the way which leadeth unto life and few there be that find it."
Second, in verses 22 and 23, "Many will say to Me in that day, Lord,
Lord, have we not prophesized (preached) in Thy name? And in Thy name
have cast out demons, and in Thy name have done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you, depart from Me,
ye that work iniquity." Yes, my reader, it is possible to work in the
name of Christ, and even to preach in His name, and though the world
knows us, and the Church knows us, yet to be unknown to the Lord! How
necessary it is then to find out where we really are; to examine
ourselves to see whether we be in the faith; to measure ourselves by
the Word of God and see if we are being deceived by our subtle Enemy;
to find out whether we are building our house upon the sand, or
whether it is erected on the Rock which is Christ Jesus. May the Holy
Spirit search our hearts, break our wills, slay our enmity against
God, work in us a deep and true repentance, and direct our gaze to the
Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.
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The Holiness of God
_________________________________________________________________
Because God is holy, acceptance with Him on the ground of
creature-doings is utterly impossible. A fallen creature could sooner
create a world than produce that which would meet the approval of
infinite Purity. Can darkness dwell with Light? Can the Immaculate One
take pleasure with "filthy rags" (Isa. 64:6)? The best that sinful man
brings forth is defiled. A corrupt tree cannot bear good fruit. God
would deny Himself, vilify His perfections, were He to account as
righteous and holy that which is not so in itself; and nothing is so
which has the least stain upon it contrary to the nature of God. But
blessed be His name, that which His holiness demanded His grace has
provided in Christ Jesus our Lord. Every poor sinner who has fled to
Him for refuge stands "accepted in the Beloved" (Eph. 1:6).
Hallelujah!
It has been well said that "true worship is based upon recognized
greatness, and greatness is superlatively seen in Sovereignty, and at
no other footstool will men really worship." In the presence of the
Divine King upon His throne even the seraphim 'veil their faces.'
Divine sovereignty is not the sovereignty of a tyrannical Despot, but
the exercised pleasure of One who is infinitely wise and good! Because
God is infinitely wise He cannot err, and because He is infinitely
righteous He will not do wrong. Here then is the preciousness of this
truth. The mere fact itself that God's will is irresistible and
irreversible fills me with fear, but once I realize that God wills
only that which is good, my heart is made to rejoice. Here then is the
final answer to the question (concerning our attitude toward God's
sovereignty) - What ought to be our attitude toward the sovereignty of
God? The becoming attitude for us to take is that of godly fear,
implicit obedience, and unreserved resignation and submission. But not
only so: the recognition of the sovereignty of God, and the
realization that the Sovereign Himself is my Father, ought to
overwhelm the heart and cause me to bow before Him in adoring worship.
At all times I must say, "Even so, Father, for so it seemeth good in
Thy sight."
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The Hope of His Calling
"The eyes of your understanding being enlightened,
that ye may know what is the hope of His calling."
Ephesians 1:18
_________________________________________________________________
What is meant by "the hope of His calling"? This is really a double
question: What is meant by the word hope in this passage, and what is
meant by His calling?
In Scripture hope always respects something future, and signifies far
more than a mere wish that it may be realized. It sets forth a
confident expectation that it will be realized (Ps. 16:9). In many
passages hope has reference to its object, that is, to the thing
expected (Rom 8:25), the One looked to: "O Lord, the hope of Israel"
(Jer. 17:13). In other passages refers to the grace of hope, that is,
the faculty by which we expect. Hope is used in this sense in 1
Corinthians 13:13: "Now abideth faith, hope, charity." Sometimes hope
expresses the assurance we have of our personal interest in the thing
hoped for: "tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience;
and experience, hope; and hope maketh not ashamed" (Rom. 5:3, 5). That
is, hope deepens our assurance of our personal confidence in God. In
still other cases hope has reference to the ground of our expectation.
The clause "there is hope in Israel concerning this thing" (Ezra 10:2)
means there were good grounds to hope for it. "Who against hope
believed in hope" (Rom. 4:18): though contrary to nature, Abraham was
persuaded he had sufficient ground to expect God to make good His
promise. The unregenerate are without hope (Eph. 2:12). They have
hope, but it is based on no solid foundation.
Now in the last mentioned sense we regard the word hope as being used
in our present passage: that you may know the ground on which rests
your expectation of His calling, that you may be assured of your
personal interest therein, that you may stand in no doubt regarding
the same, that you may be so enlightened from above as to be able to
clearly perceive that you have both part and lot in it. In other
words, that your evidence of this ground of faith may be clear and
unmistakable. First, Paul prayed for an increased knowledge of God,
that is, such spiritual sights and apprehensions of Him as led to more
real and intimate fellowship with Him, which is the basic longing of
every renewed soul. And what did he desire next to that? Was it not
that which contributed most to his peace and comfort, namely, to be
assured of his own filial relation to God? What does it avail my soul
to perceive the excellency of the divine character unless I have
scriptural warrant to view Him as God? That is what I need to have
continually kept fresh in my heart.
What is Meant by "His calling"?
Here is another term which is used by no means uniformly in the
Scriptures. Broadly speaking, there is a twofold calling of God or
call from God: an external one and an internal one. The former is made
to all who hear the gospel: "Unto you, O men, I call; and My voice is
to the sons of man" (Prov. 8:4). "Many are called, but few chosen"
(Matthew 20:16). That external call through the Scriptures is
addressed to human responsibility and meets with universal rejection.
"I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out My hand, and no
man regarded" (Prov. 1:24). "Come, for all things are now ready; and
they all with one consent began to make excuse" (Luke 14:18).
But God gives another call to His elect; a quickening call, an inward
call, an invincible call, what the theologians term His effectual
call. "Whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He
called, them He also justified" (Rom. 8:30). This is calling from
death to life. Out of darkness into God's "marvelous light" (1 Pet.
2:9). As the closing verses of 1 Corinthians1 tell us, not many
receive this call; it is one of mercy and discriminating grace.
Our Text Then Speaks of the effectual call, and it is called His
calling, because God is the Author of it. The regenerate are "the
called according to His (eternal) purpose" (Rom. 8:28), because God is
the Caller. Yet, having said that much, we have only generalized, and
we must bring out the various shades of meaning which the same word
bears in different verses. In some passages the effectual call which
God gives His people refers to that work of grace itself, as in 1
Peter 2:9. In others it concerns more especially that to which God has
called them--"unto His kingdom and glory" (1 Thess. 2:12), "unto
holiness" (1 Thess. 4:7). There seems to be nothing in our present
verse which requires us to restrict the scope of the word, so we shall
interpret it in its double sense; "that ye may be assured ye have been
made partakers of God's effectual or regenerative call: that ye may
perceive the sure grounds of hope which God has called you unto."
Take the Calling Itself first. Paul desired that the Ephesians might
have a better knowledge or assurance that they had been supernaturally
quickened, personally called out of darkness into God's light. If the
Christian measures himself impartially by the Word, he should have no
difficulty on that score. He should be certain of his salvation. he
ought to be able to say, humbly yet confidently, "one thing I know,
that, whereas I was blind, now I see" (John 9:25). If I see, with a
feeling sense in my heart, what a heinous and filthy thing all sin is,
what a depraved and loathsome creature I am by nature, what a sink of
iniquity still remains within me, what a suitable and sufficient
Savior Christ is for such a wretch as me, what a lovely and desirable
thing holiness is, then I must have been called to life. If I am now
conscious of holy desires and endeavors to which I was previously a
stranger, then I must be alive in Christ.
Take, second, that to which the Christian is called - in this verse,
an assured expectation: "that ye may know what is the hope of His
calling." As God has called His people to holiness, so also He has
called them to be full of hope and good cheer. The apostle prayed in
another place, "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in
believing, that ye may abound in hope through the power of the Holy
Ghost" (Rom. 15:13). Thus, we may understand that by His calling we
may know that hope which God has commanded us as Christians to have;
--(1 Thess. 4:7), "God hath called us not to uncleanness, but unto
holiness," means that He bids us to be holy, for the third verse of
the same chapter declares "This is the will of God, even your
sanctification." In that passage the will and calling of God are one
and the same thing. Thus it may also be understood here: "That ye may
know the hope of His revealed will," which He requires us to have.
"That Ye May Know," not being ignorant or doubtful. This denies one of
the doctrines of the Council of Trent: "If any affirm that a
regenerate and justified man is bound to believe that he is certainly
in the number of the elect, let such a one be accursed."--The very
fact that Paul was inspired to place on record this petition shows
clearly that it is God's will for His people to have assurance, that
it is both their privilege and duty to earnestly seek it, and that an
increased experience of assurance should be theirs. A doubting Thomas
does not honor God.
Now let us put the whole together. Only as the eyes of our
understanding are divinely enlightened are we able to know "what is
the hope of His calling"--know it, not by carnal presumption nor by
mental acumen but perceive it with anointed vision. Nevertheless, if
our eyes are not enlightened, the fault is entirely our own, for it is
the revealed will of God that each regenerate person should have
assurance that he is a new creature in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit
has given us one whole epistle to that very end: "These things have I
written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye
may know that ye have eternal life" (1 John 5:13). Hence, those who
would have the Christian believe that a firm and abiding assurance is
not desirable, are standing on an unscriptural doctrine.
Note how Emphatic it is: "the eyes of your understanding being
enlightened that YE may know." That cannot signify less than that your
own eyes should see what grounds of assurance the Christian really has
to know that eternal life is his, that his own heart may realize the
hope which God has bidden him to exercise. Not to see with someone
else's eyes, not to read through creedal spectacles, not to take any
man's say-so for it, but to live by your own God-given faith and read
in the light of Holy Writ your own clear evidences. The apostle prayed
here that they might know what great, infallible, multitudinous
grounds of hope God had called them to; that they might appreciate
what grounds of assurance and evidence they had that heaven was
theirs; that they might have assurance of their own interest in
heaven! Every time I truly mourn over my sins, feel my poverty of
spirit, hunger and thirst after righteousness, I have an indubitable
evidence that I am among the "blessed".
Precepts and Petitions are complementary one to the other. The
precepts tell me what God requires and therefore what I need to ask
Him for most, that enabling grace may be given me to perform the same.
The prayers intimate what it is my privilege and duty to make request
for, thus they indirectly reveal my duty.
"Give diligence to make your calling and election sure" (2 Pet. 1:10),
is the divine precept making known my duty. That "the Father of glory,
may give unto you... wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,
the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know
what is the hope of His calling" is a request that I may be enabled to
successfully carry out that task of making my election sure. This
petition tells us we ought to labor after and pray earnestly for a
clearer insight into and a fuller acquaintance with the great objects
of the Christian's hopes and expectations.
We cannot obtain a true and influential knowledge of the grounds which
regeneration gives its subject to hope that he has passed from death
to life, nor realize what confidence in God He has bidden him to have
(for both things are included) unless our eyes are divinely anointed.
No matter how clearly and vividly the landscape appears when the sun
is shining, a blind man does not behold it. Christ is manifestly set
forth in the gospel, but the hearer must be given spiritual sight
before he will perceive the absolute suitability of such a Savior in
his own desperate case. Even after regeneration, the Christian is
still completely dependent on divine illumination in order for him to
continue apprehending spiritual things.
No reading of commentaries can secure an answer to his petition, and
even a searching or study of the Scriptures will not of itself convey
to the believer a spiritual and influential knowledge. Only as and
when the eyes of his understanding are enlightened will that
delightful and wondrous experience be his.
Quoting Thomas Watson on Exodus 20:2;
In former times (before the Reformation) we worshipped God after a
false manner: we had purgatory, indulgences, the idolatrous mass, the
Scriptures locked up in an unknown tongue, invocation of saints and
angels, image-worship. O what cause have we to bless God for
delivering us from popery!
If it be a great blessing to be delivered from Egypt, popish
idolatry; then it shows their sin and folly, who, being brought out
of Egypt, are willing to return into Egypt again; having put off
the yoke of Rome, would fain put it on again. The apostle says,
"Flee from idolatry." But these rather flee to idolatry; herein
they are like the people of Israel, who, notwithstanding all the
idolatry and tyranny of Egypt, yet longed to go back to Egypt; "Let
us make a captain and let us return into Egypt" (Num. 14:4). But
how shall they go back into Egypt? How shall they have food in the
wilderness? Will God rain down manna any more upon such rebels? How
will they get over the sea? Will God divide the water again by
miracle for such as leave His service, and go into idolatrous
Egypt? Yet they say, Let us make a captain, --And are there not
such spirits amongst us, who say, "Let us make a captain, and go
back to the Romish Egypt again?" And if we do, what shall we get by
it? I am afraid the leeks and onions of Egypt will make us sick. Do
we ever think, if we drink in the cup of fornication, we shall
drink in the cup of salvation? O that any should so forfeit their
reason, as to enslave themselves to the see of Rome! That they
should be willing to hold a candle to a mass-priest, and bow down
to a strange god. Let us not say we will make a captain; but rather
say as Ephraim, "What have I to do any more with idols?" Pray that
the true Protestant religion may still flourish among us, that the
sun of the gospel may still shine in our horizon.
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The Impotency of The Human Will
_________________________________________________________________
Does it lie within the province of man's will to accept or reject the
Lord Jesus as Saviour? Granted that the Gospel is preached to the
sinner, that the Holy Spirit convicts him of his lost condition, does
it, in the final analysis, lie within the power of his own will to
resist or yield himself up to God? The answer to this question defines
our conception of human depravity. That man is a fallen creature all
professing Christians will allow, but what many of them mean by
"fallen" is often difficult to determine. The general impression seems
to be that man is now mortal, that he is no longer in the condition in
which he left the hands of his Creator, that he is liable to disease,
that he inherits evil tendencies; but, that if he employs his powers
to the best of his ability, somehow he will be happy at last.
O, how far short of the sad truth! Infirmities, sickness, even
corporeal death, are but trifles in comparison with the moral and
spiritual effects of the Fall! It is only by consulting the Holy
Scriptures that we are able to obtain some conception of the extent of
that terrible calamity.
When we say that man is totally depraved, we mean that the entrance of
sin into the human constitution has affected every part and faculty of
man's being. Total depravity means that man is, in spirit and soul and
body, the slave of sin and the captive of the Devil--walking
"according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now
worketh in the children of disobedience" (Eph. 2:2). This statement
ought not to need arguing: it is a common fact of human experience.
Man is unable to realize his own aspirations and materialize his own
ideals. He cannot do the things that he would. There is moral
inability which paralyzes him. This is proof positive that he is no
free man, but instead, the slave of sin and Satan. "Ye are of your
father the Devil, and the lusts (desires) of your father ye will do."
(John 8:44). Sin is more than an act or a series of acts; it is a
man's make-up. It has blinded the understanding, corrupted the heart,
and alienated the mind from God. And the will has not escaped. The
will is under the dominion of sin and Satan. Therefore, the will is
not free. In short, the affections love as they do and the will
chooses as it does because of the state of the heart, and because the
heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked "There is
none that seeketh after God" (Rom. 3:11).
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The Longsuffering of God
_________________________________________________________________
"How wondrous is god's patience with the world today. On every side
people are sinning with a high hand. The Divine law is trampled under
foot and God Himself openly despised. It is truly amazing that he does
not instantly strike dead those who so brazenly defy Him. Why does He
not suddenly cut off the haughty infidel and blatant blasphemer, as He
did Ananias and Sapphira? Why does He not cause the earth to open its
mouth and devour the persecutors of His people, so that, like Dothan
and Abiram, they shall go down alive into the Pit? And what of
apostate Christendom, where every possible form of sin is now
tolerated and practiced under cover of the holy name of Christ? Why
does not the righteous wrath of Heaven make an end of such
abominations? Only one answer is possible: because God bears with
"much lonqsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction."
And what of the writer and the reader? Let us review our own lives. It
is not long since we followed a multitude to do evil, had no concern
for God's glory, and lived only to gratify self. How patiently He bore
with our vile conduct! And now that grace has snatched us as brands
from the burning, giving us a place in God's family, and has begotten
us unto an eternal inheritance in glory, how miserably we requite Him.
How shallow our gratitude, how tardy our obedience, how frequent our
backslidings! One reason why God suffers the flesh to remain in the
believer is that He may exhibit His "lonqsuffering to usward" (2 Peter
3:9). Since this Divine attribute is manifested only in this world,
God takes advantage to display it toward "His own."
May our meditation upon this Divine excellence soften our hearts, make
our consciences tender, and may we learn in the school of holy
experience the "patience of saints", namely, submission to the Divine
will and continuance in well doing. Let us earnestly seek grace to
emulate this Divine excellency. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your
Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:48). In the immediate
context of this verse Christ exhorts us to love our enemies, bless
them that curse us, do good to them that hate us. God bears long with
the wicked notwithstanding the multitude of their sins, and shall we
desire to be revenged because of a single injury?"
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The Meaning of "KOSMOS" in John 3:16
_________________________________________________________________
It may appear to some of our readers that the exposition we have given
of John 3:16 in the chapter on "Difficulties and Objections" is a
forced and unnatural one, inasmuch as our definition of the term
"world" seems to be out of harmony with the meaning and scope of this
word in other passages, where, to supply the world of believers (God's
elect) as a definition of "world" would make no sense. Many have said
to us, "Surely, `world' means world, that is, you, me, and everybody."
In reply we would say: We know from experience how difficult it is to
set aside the "traditions of men" and come to a passage which we have
heard explained in a certain way scores of times, and study it
carefully for ourselves without bias Nevertheless, this is essential
if we would learn the mind of God.
Many people suppose they already know the simple meaning of John 3:16,
and therefore they conclude that no diligent study is required of them
to discover the precise teaching of this verse. Needless to say, such
an attitude shuts out any further light which they otherwise might
obtain on the passage. Yet, if anyone will take a Concordance and read
carefully the various passages in which the term "world" (as a
translation of "kosmos") occurs, he will quickly perceive that to
ascertain the precise meaning of, the word "world" in any given
passage is not nearly so easy as is popularly supposed. The word
"kosmos," and its English equivalent "world," is not used with a
uniform significance in the New Testament. Very far from it. It is
used in quite a number of different ways. Below we will refer to a few
passages where this term occurs, suggesting a tentative definition in
each case:
"Kosmos" is used of the Universe as a whole: Acts 17: 24 - "God that
made the world and all things therein seeing that He is Lord of heaven
and earth." is used of the Universe as a whole: Acts 17: 24 - "God
that made the world and all things therein seeing that He is Lord of
heaven and earth."
"Kosmos" is used of the earth: John 13:1; Eph. 1:4, etc., etc.- "When
Jesus knew that his hour was come that He should depart out of this
world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in the world He
loved them unto the end." "Depart out of this world" signifies, leave
this earth. "According as He hath chosen us in Him before the
foundation of the world." This expression signifies, before the earth
was founded--compare Job 38:4 etc.
"Kosmos" is used of the world-system: John 12:31 etc. "Now is the
judgment of this world: now shall the Prince of this world be cast
out"-- compare Matt. 4:8 and I John 5:19, R. V.
"Kosmos" is used of the whole human race: Rom. 3: 19, etc.--"Now we
know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are
under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may
become guilty before God."
"Kosmos" is used of humanity minus believers: John 15:18; Rom. 3:6 "If
the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you."
Believers do not "hate" Christ, so that "the world" here must signify
the world of unbelievers in contrast from believers who love Christ.
"God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world." Here is another
passage where "the world" cannot mean "you, me, and everybody," for
believers will not be "judged" by God, see John 5:24. So that here,
too, it must be the world of unbelievers which is in view. is used of
humanity minus believers: John 15:18; Rom. 3:6 "If the world hate you,
ye know that it hated Me before it hated you." Believers do not "hate"
Christ, so that "the world" here must signify the world of unbelievers
in contrast from believers who love Christ. "God forbid: for then how
shall God judge the world." Here is another passage where "the world"
cannot mean "you, me, and everybody," for believers will not be
"judged" by God, see John 5:24. So that here, too, it must be the
world of unbelievers which is in view.
"Kosmos" is used of Gentiles in contrast from Jews: Rom. 11:12 etc.
"Now if the fall of them (Israel) be the riches of the world, and the
diminishing of them (Israel) the riches of the Gentiles; how much more
their (Israel's) fulness." Note how the first clause in italics is
defined by the latter clause placed in italics. Here, again, "the
world" cannot signify all humanity for it excludes Israel!
"Kosmos" is used of believers only: John 1:29; 3:16, 17; 6:33; 12;47;
I Cor. 4:9; 2 Cor. 5:19. We leave our readers to turn to these
passages, asking them to note, carefully, exactly what is said and
predicated of "the world" in each place. is used of believers only:
John 1:29; 3:16, 17; 6:33; 12;47; I Cor. 4:9; 2 Cor. 5:19. We leave
our readers to turn to these passages, asking them to note, carefully,
exactly what is said and predicated of "the world" in each place.
Thus it will be seen that "kosmos" has at least seven clearly defined
different meanings in the New Testament. It may be asked, Has then God
used a word thus to confuse and confound those who read the
Scriptures? We answer, No! nor has He written His Word for lazy people
who are too dilatory, or too busy with the things of this world, or,
like Martha, so much occupied with "serving," they have no time and no
heart to "search" and "study" Holy Writ! Should it be asked further,
But how is a searcher of the Scriptures to know which of the above
meanings the term "world" has in any given passage? The answer is:
This may be ascertained by a careful study of the context, by
diligently noting what is predicated of "the world" in each passage,
and by prayer fully consulting other parallel passages to the one
being studied. The principal subject of John 3:16 is Christ as the
Gift of God. The first clause tells us what moved God to "give" His
only begotten Son, and that was His great "love;" the second clause
informs us for whom God "gave" His Son, and that is for, "whosoever
(or, better, `every one') believeth;" while the last clause makes
known why God "gave" His Son (His purpose), and that is, that everyone
that believeth "should not perish but have everlasting life." That
"the world" in John 3:16 refers to the world of believers (God's
elect), in contradistinction from "the world of the ungodly" (2 Pet.
2:5), is established, unequivocally established, by a comparison of
the other passages which speak of God's "love." "God commendeth His
love toward US"--the saints, Rom. 5:8. "Whom the Lord loveth He
chasteneth"--every son, Heb. 12:6. "We love Him, because He first
loved US"--believers, I John 4:19. The wicked God "pities" (see Matt.
18:33). Unto the unthankful and evil God is "kind" (see Luke 6:35).
The vessels of wrath He endures "with much long-suffering" (see Rom.
9:22). But "His own" God "loves"!!
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The Narrow Way
"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is
the way,
that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth
unto life, and few there be that find it"
Matthew 7:13-14
The second half of Matthew 7 forms the applicatory part of that most
important discourse of our Lord's, known as "the Sermon on the Mount."
One leading design of the Sermon was to show the spiritual nature and
wide extent of that obedience which characterizes the true subjects of
Christ's kingdom, and which obedience is absolutely necessary for the
enjoyment of that ultimate state of blessedness which Divine grace has
provided for them. As the Prophet of God, Christ made known that the
righteousness which obtains in His kingdom greatly exceeds the
"righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees."
Now the Jews imagined that they were all of them the subjects of the
Messiah's kingdom; that by virtue of their descent from Abraham, they
were the rightful heirs of it; that the "righteousness of the scribes
and Pharisees" (that system of religious and moral duty taught by
them) met all the requirements of God's law. But this delusion the
Lord Jesus here exposed fleshly descent from Abraham could not give
title unto a spiritual kingdom: That which was merely natural was no
qualification for the supernatural realm: Only they were accounted the
true children of Abraham who had his faith (Rom. 4:16), who did his
works (John 8:39), and who were united to Christ (Gal. 3:29).
In the Sermon on the Mount the Lord delineated the inward state of
those who belonged to His spiritual kingdom (5:4-11); described the
outward conduct by which they might be identified (5:13-16); expounded
the personal righteousness which God's justice demanded (5:17-28); and
defined that utter repudiation of sin which he required from His
people (5:29-30). So high are the demands of the thrice holy One, so
uncompromising are the requirements of His ineffable character, that
none can dwell with him eternally who do not in time, loathe, resist,
and turn from all that is repulsive to His pure eye. Nothing short of
the complete denying of self, the abandoning of the dearest idol, the
forsaking of the most cherished sinful course-figuratively represented
under the cutting off of a right hand and the plucking out of a right
eye-is what He claims from every one who would have communion with
Himself.
Such plain and pointed declarations of Christ must have seemed "hard
sayings" to the multitudes who listened to Him; such piercing and
flesh-withering demands would probably cause many of his Jewish
hearers to think within themselves, "Who then can be saved? This is
indeed a strait gate and a narrow way." Anticipating their secret
objections, the Lord plainly declared that the Gate unto salvation is
"Strait" and the Way which leadeth unto life is "Narrow;" yet, He went
on to point out, it is your wisdom, your interest, your duty to enter
that "Gate" and walk that "Way." He acknowledged and faithfully warned
them that there was a "Wide gate" soliciting their entrance, and a
"Broad road" inviting them to walk therein; but that gate leads to
perdition, that road ends in Hell. The "Strait Gate" is the only gate
to "life," the "Narrow Way" is the only one which conducts to Heaven.
Few indeed find it, few have the least inclination for it; but that
very fact ought only to provide an additional incentive to my giving
all diligence to enter therein. In the verses which are now to be
before us, Christ defined and described the Way of salvation, though
we (sorrowfully) admit that modern evangelists (?) rarely expound it.
What we shall now endeavor to set forth is very different from what
most have been taught, but you reject it at your peril. We repeat,
that in that passage we are about to consider, He who was Truth
incarnate made known the only way of escaping Perdition and securing
Heaven, namely, by entering the "Strait Gate" and treading the "Narrow
Way."
The Strait Gate
The Greek word for "Strait" signifies restrained or "Narrow" and is so
rendered in the R.V. Now a "Gate" serves two purposes: it lets in and
it shuts out. All who enter this Narrow Gate gain admittance to that
"Way" which "leadeth unto life;" but all who enter not by this Narrow
Gate, are eternally barred from God's presence. The second use of this
Gate is solemnly illustrated at the close of the parable of the
virgins. There, our Lord pictures the foolish ones as being without
the necessary "oil" (the work of the Spirit in the heart), and while
they went to buy it, the Bridegroom came, and "the door was shut"
(Matthew 25:10); and though they then besought him to open it to them,
He answered "I know you not."
1. What is denoted by this figure of the "Narrow Gate?" We believe the
reference is to the searching and solemn teaching of Him who is Truth
incarnate. It is only as the heart bows to the righteousness of God's
claims and demands upon us as set forth by His Son, that any soul can
enter that path which alone leads to Him. While the heart is
rebellious against Him there can be no approach to Him, for--"Can two
walk together except they be agreed?" It is true, blessedly and
gloriously true, that Christ Himself is "the Door" (John 10:9), and He
is so in a threefold way, according to the three principal functions
of His mediatorial office. He is "the Door" into God's presence as the
Prophet, the Priest, and the King.
Now it is only as Christ is truly received as God's authoritative
Prophet, only as His holy teachings are really accepted by a contrite
heart, that any one is prepared to savingly welcome Him as Priest.
Christ is the "Way" and "the Truth" before he is the "Life" (John
14:6), as he is "first King of righteousness, and after that, also
King of peace" (Heb. 7:2). In other words, His cleansing blood is only
available for those who are willing to throw down the weapons of their
warfare against God, and surrender themselves to his holy rule. The
wicked must forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, if
he is to be pardoned by God (Isa. 55:7); and this is only another way
of saying that Christ must be received as Prophet, before he is
embraced as Priest.
2. Why is this Gate a "Narrow" one? For at least three reasons:
First, because of sin. "The wicked shall be turned into Hell, all the
nations that forget God" Psa. 9: 17. The gate of heaven is far too
narrow to admit such characters. The New Testament plainly affirms the
same fact: "For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person,
nor covetous man who is an idolator, hath any inheritance in the
kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words:
for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children
of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them" (Eph.
5:5-7).
Second, because of the Law. There are two principal errors about the
Law, and I know not which is the more dangerous and disastrous: that
one can earn heaven by obeying it; that one may enter heaven without
that personal and practical godliness which the Law requires. "Follow
peace with all, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord"
(Heb. 12:14): where there is not this personal conformity to the will
of God, the strong hand of the Law will close the door of heaven.
Third, because none can take the world along with him: this Gate is
far too "Narrow" to admit those who love the world.
3. What is meant by "entering" this Narrow Gate?
First, the acceptance of those teachings of truth, of duty, of
happiness, which were unfolded by Christ; the honest and actual
receiving into the heart of His holy, searching, flesh-withering
instructions. Such acceptance as a person, with great difficulty,
forcing his way through a circumscribed entrance. I say "with great
difficulty," for Christ's precepts and commandments are, to the last
degree, unpalatable to an unrenewed heart, and cannot be willingly and
gladly received without a rigid denial of self and relinquishment of
sinful pleasures, pursuits, and interests. Christ has plainly warned
us that it is impossible for a man to serve two masters. Self, must be
repudiated, and Christ received as "the Lord" (Col. 2:6), or He will
not save us.
Second, a deliberate abandoning of the Broad Road, or the
flesh-pleasing mode of life. Until this has been done, there is no
salvation possible for any sinner. Christ Himself taught this plainly
in Luke 15: the "prodigal" must leave the "far country" before he
could journey to the Father's House! The same pointed truth is taught
again in James 4:8-10, "Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to
you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double
minded. Be afflicted and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned
to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight
of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.
Ah, my friend, to really and actually enter this "Narrow Gate" is no
easy matter. For that reason the Lord bade the people "Labour not for
the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto
everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you" (John
6:27). Those words do not picture salvation as a thing of simple and
easy attainment. Ponder also Christ's emphatic exhortation in Luke
13:24 "Strive to enter in at the Strait Gate." That He should utter
such a word, clearly implies the great idleness and sloth which
characterizes nominal professors, as it also intimates there are
formidable difficulties and obstacles to be overcome. Let it be
carefully noted that the Greek word for "strive" (viz. "agonizomai")
in Luke 13:24 is the same one that is used in 1 Corinthians 9:25--"And
every one that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things;"
and is also rendered "labouring fervently" in Colossians 4:12, and
"fight" in 1 Timothy 6:12!
And how are we to "strive" so as to "enter" the Narrow Gate? The
general answer is, "lawfully" (2 Tim. 2:5); but to particularize: We
are to strive by prayer and supplication, diligently seeking
deliverance from those things which would bar our entrance. We are to
earnestly cry to Christ for help from those foes which are seeking to
overcome us. We are to come constantly to the Throne of Grace, that we
may there find grace to help us repudiate and turn away with loathing
from everything which is abhorred by God, even though it involves our
cutting off of a right hand and plucking out of a right eye; and grace
to help us do those things which He has commanded. We must be
"temperate in all things," especially those things which the flesh
craves and the world loves.
But why is such "striving" necessary?
First, because Satan is striving to destroy thy soul. "Be sober, be
vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh
about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Pet. 5:8); therefore must he be
resisted "steadfast in the faith."
Second, because natural appetites are striving to destroy thee:
"Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from
fleshly lusts, which war against the soul" (1 Pet. 2:11).
Third, because the whole world is arrayed against thee, and if it
cannot burn, it will seek to turn thee by alluring promises,
Delilah-like guiles, fatal enticements. Unless you overcome the world,
the world will overcome you to the eternal destruction of thy soul.
From what has been before us, we may plainly discover why it is that
the vast majority of our fellow-men and women, yea, and of professing
Christians also, will fail to reach Heaven: it is because they prefer
sin to holiness, indulging the lusts of the flesh to walking according
to the scriptures, self to Christ, the world to God. It is as the Lord
Jesus declared-"Men loved darkness rather than light, because their
deeds were evil" (John 3:19): men refuse to deny self, abandon their
idols, and submit to Christ as Lord; and without this, none can take
the first step toward Heaven!
The Narrow Way
Just as entering the "Narrow Gate" signifies the heart's acceptance of
Christ's holy teaching, so to walk along the "Narrow Way" means for
the heart and life to be constantly regulated thereby. Walking along
the Narrow Way denotes a steady perseverance in faith and obedience to
the Lord Jesus; overcoming all opposition, rejecting every temptation
to forsake the path of fidelity to Him. It is called the "Narrow Way"
because all self-pleasing and self-seeking is shut out. In
Genesis18:19 it is called "the Way of the Lord;" in Exodus13:21, 32:8
"the Way;" in 1 Samuel 12:23 "the good and right Way;" in Psalm 25:9
"His Way;" in Proverbs 4:11 "the Way of wisdom;" in Proverbs 8:20 "the
Way of righteousness;" in Proverbs 10:17 "the Way of life;" in Isaiah
35:8 "the Way of holiness;" in Jeremiah 6:16 "the good Way;" in 2
Peter 2:2 "the Way of truth;" in 2 Peter 2:15 "the right Way,"
The Narrow Way must be followed, no matter how much it may militate
against my worldly interests. It is right here that the testing point
is reached: it is much easier (unto the natural man) and far
pleasanter to indulge the flesh and follow our worldly propensities.
The Broad Road, where the flesh is allowed "liberty" --under the
pretense of the Christian's not "being under the law" --is easy,
smooth, and attractive; but it ends in "destruction!" Though the
"Narrow Way" leads to life, only few tread it. Multitudes make a
profession and claim to be saved, but their lives give no evidence
that they are "strangers and pilgrims" here, with their "treasure"
elsewhere. They are afraid of being thought narrow and peculiar,
strict and puritanical. Satan has deceived them: they imagine that
they can get to heaven by an easier route than by denying self, taking
up their cross daily, and following Christ!
There are multitudes of religionists who are attempting to combine the
two "ways," making the best of both worlds and serving two masters.
They wish to gratify self in time and enjoy the happiness of Heaven in
eternity. Crowds of nominal Christians are deluding themselves into
believing that they can do so; but they are terribly deceived. A
profession which is not verified by mortifying the deeds of the body
in the power of the Spirit (Rom. 8:13), is vain. A faith which is not
evidenced by complete submission to Christ, is only the faith of
demons. A love which does not keep Christ's commandments, is an
imposition (John 14:23). A claim to being a Christian, where there is
no real yieldedness to the will of God, is daring presumption. The
reason why so few will enter Life is because the multitudes are not
seeking it in the way of God's appointing: none seek it aright save
those who pass through the Narrow Gate, and who, despite many
discouragements and falls, continue to press forward along the Narrow
Way.
Now notice, carefully, the very next thing which immediately followed
our Lord's reference to the two ways in Matthew 7: "Beware of false
prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are
ravening wolves" (Matthew 7:15). Why does this come in next? Who are
the "false prophets" against which a serious soul needs to be on his
guard? They are those who teach that Heaven may be reached without
treading the Narrow Way! They are those who loudly insist that eternal
life may be obtained on much easier terms. They come in "sheep's
clothing:" they appear (to undiscerning souls) to exalt Christ, to
emphasize His precious blood, to magnify God's grace. But they do not
insist upon repentance; they fail to tell their hearers that nothing
but a broken heart which hates sin can truly believe in Christ; they
declare not that a saving faith is a living one which purifies the
heart (Acts 15:9) and overcomes the world (1 John 5:4).
These "false prophets" are known by their "fruits," the primary
reference being to their "converts"-the fruits of their fleshly
labours. Their "converts" are on the Broad Road, which is not the path
of open wickedness and vice, but of a religion which pleases the
flesh: it is that "way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end
thereof are the ways of death" (Prov. 14:12). Those who are on this
Broad Road (this way which "seemeth right" to so many), have a
head-knowledge of the Truth, but they walk not in it. The "Narrow Way"
is bounded by the commandments and precepts of Scripture; the Broad
Road is that path which has broken out beyond the bounds of Scripture.
Titus 2:11-12 supplies the test as to which "way" we are in: "For the
grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should
live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world."
Ere closing, let us anticipate and seek to remove an objection.
Probably many of you are saying, "I thought Christ was the Way to the
Father" (John 14:6). So He is, but how?
First, in that He has removed every legal obstacle, and thereby opened
a way to heaven for His people.
Second, in that He has "left us an example that we should follow HIS
steps." The mere opening of a door does not give me entrance into a
house: I must tread the path leading to it, and mount the steps.
Christ has, by His life of unreserved obedience to God, shown us the
Way which leads to Heaven: "When He putteth forth His own sheep, HE
goeth before them, and the sheep follow Him" (John 10:4).
Third, in that He is willing and ready to bestow grace and strength to
walk therein. Christ did not come here and die in order to make it
unnecessary for me to please and obey God. No indeed: "He died for
all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves,
but unto Him which died for them" (2 Cor. 5:15). "Who gave Himself for
our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world" (Gal.
1:4). "Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all
iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good
works" (Titus 2:14). Christ came here to "save His people from their
sins" (Matthew 1:21); and if you are not now delivered from the power
of sin, from the deceptions of Satan, from the love of the world, and
from the pleasing of self, then you are NOT saved. May it please the
God of all grace to add His blessing.
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The Nature of Christ's Salvation Misrepresented
by the Present-day "Evangelist."
_________________________________________________________________
The nature of Christ's salvation is woefully misrepresented by the
present-day "evangelist." He announces a Savior from hell rather than
a Savior from sin. And that is why so many are fatally deceived, for
there are multitudes who wish to escape the Lake of fire who have no
desire to be delivered from their carnality and worldliness. The very
first thing said of Him in the New Testament is, "Thou shalt call His
name Jesus, for He shall save His people (not "from the wrath to
come," but) from their sins." (Matt. 1:21) Christ is a Savior for
those realizing something of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, who feel
the awful burden of it on their conscience, who loathe themselves for
it, who long to be freed from its terrible dominion; and a Savior for
no others. Were He to "save from hell" those still in love with sin,
He would be a Minister of sin, condoning their wickedness and siding
with them against God. What an unspeakably horrible and blasphemous
thing with which to charge the Holy One!
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The Ordained Lamp
"I have ordained a lamp for Mine Anointed"
Psalm 132:17
_________________________________________________________________
The first part of this Psalm records a series of prayer-petitions;
from verse 11 to the close are a number of great and precious promises
relating to David and his family in the type, but mainly and
ultimately to Christ and His New Testament church in the antitype. Let
the reader constantly bear in mind this important principle and fact,
namely, that everything in the Old Testament Scriptures typified or
represented Gospel or Eternal realities. First, God here promises to
fix His residence in the church (vv. 13-14). Then, to bless the
provision He makes for her (v. 15). To give her faithful and
successful ministers (v. 16). That, however low the interests of
Christ on earth may be brought, even though (like Himself) it may
appear a root in a dry place, yet, like a tree well planted in the
ground, but sore lopt and hacked by man and Satan, it will sprout
again (v. 16).
In our present verse three things are before us. First, the
designation which is given unto the Saviour of sinners by the Father:
He calls Him "Mine Anointed." Though despised and rejected of men,
though an unbelieving world see no form nor comeliness in Him, God
owns Him as the Prophet, Priest, and King of His church: compare Psalm
89:20-21. Second, the chief agency of God's ordering for the
manifestation of Christ to a lost world: "I have ordained a lamp for
Mine Anointed." This is the Gospel. The use of a lamp is to give light
to people in the darkness of the night: so the proclamation of
Christ's glorious person, offices, and work, is a light shining in a
dark place, until the day of glory dawns. Third, the sovereign
authority by which this Gospel "lamp" is lighted and carried through
this dark world: it is "ordained" of God: it is by Divine command that
His servants preach and spread the light of the Gospel: compare Mark
16:15, 20.
This Gospel "lamp" was first set up in the purpose of God from
eternity, in the "counsel of peace" (Zech. 6:13 and cf. Prov. 8:22-23,
31), when the whole plan of salvation through Christ was laid. Second,
this "lamp" was first lighted in this lower world immediately after
the fall in paradise: when a dark and dismal night of woe had spread
itself over our first parents, a gleam of hope then shone out through
the promise of Genesis 3:15. Third, the lamp of the Gospel shone
prophetically (Gal. 3:8) and typically (Heb. 4:2) during all the Old
Testament period. It shone, as it were, through a veil. Fourth, after
the coming of Christ in the flesh, and His resurrection and ascension
into Heaven, the lamp of Gospel light was brightened and its blessed
rays were more widely diffused, but even then (and now) according to
the sovereign pleasure of God. To show how much God is concerned about
this "lamp" of the everlasting Gospel, we mention several things which
He had ordained concerning it.
1. God has appointed those places and parts of the world where the
Gospel lamp shall be set up and shine: "The wind bloweth where it
listeth ....so is every one that is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). It
was so in Old Testament times: "He showeth His Word unto Jacob, His
statutes and His judgments unto Israel. He hath not dealt so with any
nation: and as for His judgments, they have not known them" (Ps.
147:19-20). It was so when Christ was upon Earth: to His apostles He
said, "Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the
Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house
of Israel" (Matthew 10:5-6). It was so after His ascension: "Now when
they had gone throughout Phrygia and the regions of Galatia, and were
forbidden of the Holy Spirit to preach the Word in Asia. After they
were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit
suffered them not" (Acts 16:6-7).
That which regulates God in His providential dealings concerning the
Gospel--opening doors or shutting them, sending one of His ministers
to a place or withdrawing him--is whether or not there be some of
those for whom Christ died in that particular locality: for the
"sheep" shall hear His voice (John 10:16). Where there is no Gospel
preaching for a protracted period, it is an indication that none of
God's elect are there. "Also I have withholden the rain from you, when
there were yet three months to the harvests: and I caused it to rain
upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece
was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered" (Amos
4:7). So it is spiritually, and for the reason thus given.
2. God has appointed how long the Gospel lamp shall remain in each
place, before it be sent to another part of the earth. He ordered how
long it should shine among the Jews, namely, until Christ came. He
ordained how long it should shine in each of the seven churches in
Asia before He came and removed His candlestick. So He has decreed
where and when the Gospel shall continue in this country. There is
probably more real Gospel preaching in China today, than there is in
the U.S.A. Many a church which was once a bright testimony for Christ
is so no longer, nor does it know that "Ichabod" ("the glory is
departed") has been written over it. Many a town which formerly was
blest with the ministry of a true servant of God is now left desolate.
3. God has appointed which persons should be converted and edified
under the Gospel, when He sends it to any nation or congregation. The
Most High has not left it to the caprice of His servants nor to the
whims of their hearers, what measure of success the proclamation of
His truth shall enjoy. No, the Lord holds in His own right hand the
instruments which He employs (Rev. 1:16), and causes His Word to be
either a "savor of death unto death" or "a savor of life unto life."
Paul was bidden by the Lord to remain at Corinth, for, said He, "I
have much people in this city" (Acts 18:10). On the other hand, God
suffered him not to go into Bithynia (Acts 16:7).
When a servant of God settles in a new place he knows not who are the
particular ones that he has been ordained a blessing unto. His
business is to preach the Word to all who will hear him, leaving it
with the Spirit to make whatever application He pleases. The election
of grace shall obtain eternal life, the rest will be blinded (Rom.
11:7). Some will prove to be wayside hearers, others stony-ground
hearers, and yet others thorny-ground hearers: only a few will give
evidence that they are good-ground hearers; but that is all in the
hands of "the Lord of the harvest." Nor should we desire it to be
otherwise. God is working out His own eternal purpose, and absolute
subjection to the Master's will is what is required of servants. A
beam of the Gospel lamp will shine into one heart, when many others
are left in nature's darkness.
"Why was I made to hear His voice
And enter while there's room?
While others make a wretched choice,
And rather starve than come.
`Twas the same love that spread the feast,
Which sweetly forced me in;
Else I had still refused to taste,
And perished in my sin."
4. God has ordained by what instrument or minister the Gospel lamp
shall be brought unto a people or a particular person. Paul was
ordained for the Gentiles, Peter for the Jews; but every one of
Christ's servants is guided by the hand of the sovereign Lord to
labour in this, or that, or the other part of His vineyard. The stars
are held in His right hand (Rev. 1:16), and He causes them to shine in
this or that orb of His church; and, when he pleases, He removes them
from one place to another in His kingdom, where He has other work for
them; and when He takes them to heaven, then they that "turn many to
righteousness" shall shine "as the stars forever and ever" (Dan.
12:3).
It is not by chance of "good luck" (horrible expression for any child
of God to use!) that any one is privileged to sit under the ministry
of a man of God to whom the Spirit blesses such to his conversion. No,
when God works, He works at both ends of the line, making "all things
work together for good" unto His own. It was sovereign grace which
selected the Lord of glory to be the one who should preach the Word of
life to the Samaritan adulteress (John 4). It was sovereign grace
which appointed Philip to be the Spirit's mouthpiece to the Ethiopian
eunuch (Acts 8). It was sovereign grace which determined that Peter
should give forth the word of salvation to Cornelius and his household
(Acts 10): Cornelius was a Roman, and Paul (already then saved) was
the apostle to the Gentiles, yet Peter (the apostle to the
circumcision) was the one sent to him!
5. God has ordained the measure of fruit which each servant of His
shall reap from his labours, the degree of success which each Gospel
lamp-bearer shall have. He has determined what number of souls should
be edified, and which shall be hardened by his light. "So then neither
is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that
giveth the increase" (1 Cor. 3:7). It is not always the most gifted
ministers, nor the most godly, who are the most successful. So far as
we can ascertain from the Gospel records, fewer souls were saved under
the preaching of Christ Himself than under Peter's on the day of
Pentecost! Why? "Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in Thy sight"
(Matthew 11:26) must be the answer.
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The Prodigal Son
^11"And he said, A certain man had two sons: ^12 And the younger of
them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that
falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. ^13 And not
many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his
journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with
riotous living. ^14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty
famine in that land; and he began to be in want. ^15 And he went
and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him
into his fields to feed swine. ^16 And he would fain have filled
his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave
unto him. ^17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired
servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I
perish with hunger! ^18 I will arise and go to my father, and will
say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before
thee, ^19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as
one of thy hired servants. ^20 And he arose, and came to his
father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him,
and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
^21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against
heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy
son. ^22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best
robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on
his feet: ^23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and
let us eat, and be merry: ^24 For this my son was dead, and is
alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
^25^ Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew
nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. ^26 And he called
one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. ^27 And he
said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the
fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. ^28^ And
he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out,
and intreated him. ^29 And he answering said to his father, Lo,
these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any
time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I
might make merry with my friends: ^30 But as soon as this thy son
was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast
killed for him the fatted calf. ^31 And he said unto him, Son, thou
art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. ^32 It was meet
that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was
dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found."
Luke 15:11-32
_________________________________________________________________
Before we attempt to expound this portion of Scripture in detail let
us first make a few general observations. Who does the "prodigal son"
represent? Is it an unregenerate sinner, or a backslidden believer
that is in view? There is a division of sentiment upon this point.
Personally, we have no doubt whatever that in this part of the parable
of the Salvation of the Lost, the Lord Jesus pictures an unregenerate
sinner. Our interpretation will proceed along this line, but before we
give it, let us first present some proofs that it is not a backslidden
believer that is before us.
First, the whole context shows plainly the class that is portrayed
throughout the entire chapter. In the first two verses of Luke 15 we
are told, "Then drew near unto Him all the publicans and sinners for
to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man
receiveth sinners, and eateth with them." Here, then, Christ is seen
in connection with the lost. It was in answer to this criticism of the
Pharisees and scribes that our Savior proceeded to utter the parable
which has brought life and peace to countless souls since then. And in
this parable the Lord is not warning His disciples against the danger
of backsliding, but is vindicating Himself for "receiving sinners."
That part of the parable which treats of what has been termed "the
prodigal son" begins at the eleventh verse, but what we have here and
in the verses that follow is only a continuation of what the Lord said
as recorded in the previous verses. In these previous verses He
depicts a man going after a lost sheep until he finds it; and also a
woman who loses one piece of silver, and who sweeps the house and
seeks diligently until she finds it. Surely there can be no doubt
whatever as to who is figured by the "lost sheep," and the "lost piece
of silver." Surely it is obvious that these picture an unregenerate
soul and not a backsliden believer.
In the third place, the words which the "father" spoke when the
wandering son returned, furnish another proof that it is a sinner and
not an erring son, who is before us. Said he, "Bring forth the best
robe, and put it on him." (v. 22) The "best robe" here speaks of the
Robe of Righteousness which each sinner receives when he first comes
to Christ. Had it been a backslidden believer, his need would be to
have his feet "washed." (John 13)
Finally, the "father's" statement concerning his son is proof positive
that it is no erring Christian that is here in view. The father said,
"For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is
found." (v. 24) This is conclusive to all who believe that "the gifts
and calling of God are without repentance." (Rom. 11:29) Every
believer is in present possession of eternal life, which he has
received from God as his "gift" (Rom. 6:23); and this "gift" is never
recalled. If then the believer is in present possession of eternal
life he can never die. (See John 8:51.) That the father spoke of the
returning prodigal as one who "was dead," and who "was lost" is proof
positive that an unregenerate sinner is here in view.
There is only one argument that is of any force against what we have
said above, and that we will briefly consider. We are asked to explain
how Christ could speak of this wanderer as a "son" if he represented
an unregenerate sinner. Insuperable as the difficulty appears at first
sight it is, nevertheless, capable of simple solution. We answer in a
word that this wanderer who came to the "father" was a son by
election. He was a son in the purpose of God. If we should be asked to
point to a scripture which justifies such an assertion, where those of
God's elect are termed "sons" before they are actually regenerated, we
would at once refer to John 11:51, 52: "He prophesied that Jesus
should die for that nation; and not for that nation only, but that
also He should gather together in one the children of God that were
scattered abroad." Here we are told that the ones who were to
definitely benefit from the death of Christ, and who should be
"gathered together in one" (that is, into one family), were, at that
time "scattered abroad," nevertheless, they were denominated "the
children of God"! Another scripture which enunciates the same
principle is John 10:16 where we find the Savior declaring "And other
sheep I have which are not of this fold: them also I must bring": even
before they were brought to Himself the Good Shepherd terms them His
sheep.
Before giving a detailed exposition of the closing verses of Luke 15,
we would point out that this chapter does not contain three parables,
as is commonly supposed, but instead, one parable, in three Parts. In
verse 3 we are told, "He spake this parable unto them, saying, What
man of you having an hundred sheep," etc. Again in verse 8 we read how
that the Savior continued to say, without any break, "Either what
woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lost one piece," etc. Then
in verse 11 it is recorded, "And He said, A certain man had two sons,"
etc. This parable as a whole has to do with the Salvation of a lost
sinner, and much of its beauty is missed by failing to discern its
unbroken unity. It gives a beautiful and marvelous picture of the
concern of each of the three Persons of the Holy Trinity in the
salvation of the lost. In the third part of this parable we are shown
a sinner coming into the presence of the Father. But in order to
appreciate the preciousness of this we must pay careful attention to
what precedes.
In the second part of this one parable, we have brought before us, in
figurative form, the work of the Holy Spirit, and this, we know, is
what precedes the coming of any sinner into the presence of the
Father. And on what is the work of the Holy Spirit based? The answer
is, upon the work of Christ; and this is what we have portrayed in the
first part of the parable, where the Shepherd is in view. We pause to
notice very briefly a few details in connection with these two things.
In verses 4 to 7 we see the work of Christ as the Good Shepherd.
First, He is the One "having an hundred sheep"; He is the One to whom
the "sheep" belong--they belong to Him because they're given to Him by
the Father. Second, He is the One that is said to "go after that which
is lost": this pictures Christ leaving His home on high and coming
down to this earth where His lost sheep were. Third, next we are told
that He goes after the lost "until He find it": this brings us to the
Cross--the place of death, for it was there the "sheep" were, and only
there could they be found. Fourth, "And when He hath found it, He
layeth it on His shoulders": this tells of the tender care of the
Savior for His own, and also assures us of the safe place which we now
have in Him--it is blessed to note that in Isa. 9:6 where Christ's
future kingship is in view, we are told "The government shall be upon
His shoulder," the singular number being used; whereas it is the
plural number when the place which the sheep has is
mentioned--shoulder upholds the government of the world, shoulders
give double guarantee to our preservation. Fifth, "He layeth it on His
shoulders, rejoicing." How wondrous is this! We can understand that
the sheep should find abundant cause to rejoice over the Shepherd, but
that the Savior (the Self-Sufficient One) should have occasion to
rejoice in the salvation of poor hell-deserving sinners "passeth
knowledge." Sixth, "And when He cometh home": this tells of the
blessed issue of the Savior's work and the happy success of the
Shepherd's quest. Notice that Heaven is here termed "Home"--a figure
that will well repay prolonged meditation. Seventh, "And when He
cometh home, He calleth together His friends and neighbors, saying
unto them, Rejoice with Me; for I have found My sheep which was lost":
how this reveals to us the heart of Christ! Not only does He rejoice
over the salvation of the lost, but He will call upon the angels to
share His joy.
In verses 8 to 10 we see the work of the Holy Spirit. Notice three
things. First, that the "woman" who here prefigures Him, lights a
candle, ere she was lost. How accurate the figure! This is precisely
what the Spirit of God does in His operations. He uses a light, and
that light is the Lamp of Life the Word of God--the entrances of the
very words of which "giveth light." In the second place, unlike the
work of the Shepherd, which was on the outside, the sphere of the
woman's operations was on the inside "the house." So, the external
Work of Christ was done for us, but the Work of the Spirit is done in
us. In the third place, the gracious patience and blessed perseverance
of the Holy Spirit in His divine work within those who by nature are
rebels, is here portrayed in the fact that we are told the woman will
"seek diligently till she find." The result of the first part of this
parable which portrays the Work of Christ, and of the second part of
the parable which depicts the Work of the Holy Spirit, is brought
before us in the third part of the parable which shows us the poor
sinner actually coming into the presence of the Father.
This parable then tells us three things about the Godhead: the
Shepherd's toil, the Spirit's search, and the hearty welcome which the
Father gives to the sinner that comes back to Himself. But this is not
all: the striking thing is that we have here a marvelous
representation of the mystery of the Holy Trinity. As already pointed
out, Luke 15 does not give us three parables, but instead one parable
in three parts, and each one of these three parts brings before us
separately, each of the three Persons in the Godhead: so that we have
here one in three, and three in one.
We are also taught three outstanding things in connection with the
sinner. In the first part of the parable he is seen under the figure
of a sheep that is lost; this intimates the stupidity of the sinner
who, like a lost sheep, is unable to find his way home, and who if he
is to be restored must be sought. In the second part of the parable he
is seen under the figure of a coin and is lost: here we have an
inanimate object, in other words, that which accurately portrays the
solemn fact that the sinner is spiritually dead. In the third part of
the parable he is seen under the figure of a dissolute son, away in
the far-country: this gives us a representation of the natural man's
moral condition: alienated from God and wayward at heart.
It is the third part of this parable which is now to engage our
attention, that part of the parable which views the sinner coming into
the presence of God. It is the human side that is now made prominent.
Here we are shown the sinner's consciousness of his need: he "began to
be in want." Here we are shown the sinner exercising his will: "I will
arise." Here we are shown the sinner repenting: "I ... will say unto
him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no
more worthy to be called thy son." But let it be borne in mind that
before the sinner does any of these three things God has previously
been at work upon him. Let us not forget that in this wonderful and
blessed parable the Lord Jesus gives us the divine side first, before
He makes mention of the human side. Therefore, let those who desire to
"follow His steps" give careful heed to this principle." We shall now
consider--
1. He had a "substance" or "portion."
"A certain man had two sons: and the younger of them said to his
father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And
he divided unto them his living." (vv. 11, 12) In addition to our
natural endowments or talents, and our time and strength, God has
given to every one of His creatures a soul. This soul may be regarded
as capital in hand with which to do our trading both for time and
eternity. It is a most valuable portion, for it is worth more than
"the whole world"; it is worth more than the whole world because it
will endure after the world and all its works have been burnt up.
This parable begins by bringing into view the sinner before he goes
out into the "far country," or to use the language of the parable,
before he "took his journey into a far country." It was while in the
father's house that he received his "portion of goods," and that "he
(the father) divided unto them (his) living," so that the portion
received was a living portion. This can only refer to the creature,
prior to his birth into this world, receiving from "the Father of
spirits" (Heb. 12:9) a "living soul."
2. He "took his journey into a far country" (v. 13).
The "far country" is the world which is away from God, so far away
that "the whole world lieth in the wicked one." (Jas. 5:19) As the
result of Adam's sin, man was separated from God, and all of Adam's
descendants enter this world "alienated from the life of God." (Eph.
4:18) There is a great gulf between the thrice holy God and the sinful
creature which none but Christ can bridge. The sinner is away from God
in his heart, in his thoughts, in his ways. How much this explains!
It explains Atheism. Atheism, is simply man's attempt to hide from the
discomfiture of God's acknowledged presence. Men will give you many
reasons as to why they are infidels, agnostics, and atheists, but
these reasons are, in reality, only so many "excuses" (Luke 14:18):
the real reason is that men are determined to get away from the avowed
acknowledgement of God.
This explains the general neglect among men of the Bible. They will
give you many reasons as to why they do not read it--they cannot find
the time, there is much in it they cannot understand, and there are so
many conflicting interpretations of its contents, and so they leave it
alone. Men esteem the holy Word of God less highly than they do the
writings of their fellow sinners. And yet the Scriptures treat of many
subjects of profound importance and vital moment: they furnish the
only reliable information concerning the origin of man, the nature of
man, the purpose of man's existence, and the life beyond the grave,
etc. Impelled by an uneasy conscience many will read a chapter in the
Bible now and again, but that is all, and the real reason for this is
because the Bible brings man into the presence of God, and that is the
very last thing the natural man desires. What a proof is this, then,
that he is in "the far country"; that at heart he is away from the
Father!
This explains why it is that sinners, as such, have no delight in
prayer. Real prayer is a direct speaking to God through the mediation
of Christ. It is that which brings us into contact and communion with
the Great Invisible. But the sinner has no heart for this. He finds no
enjoyment in pouring out his soul to God. If he prays at all, prayer
is an irksome task and a mere repetition of words. He had rather do
almost anything than pray, and the reason for this is because he wants
to keep away from God.
This explains why it is that the sinner has no real delight in the
public worship of God. It is true that he may go to church: a vague
sense of duty may take him there, or it may be from force of habit
acquired through a Christian upbringing, or it may be an uneasy
conscience which renders him a punctual attendant. Nor is he always an
uninterested hearer. When the preacher delivers his message with
oratorical fire and with rhetorical embellishments that are pleasing
to the ear, he is not only interested but gratified. But let the
preacher forget his rhetoric, let him leave his generalizations--let
him address himself directly to the sinner's conscience, and say "Thou
art the man"; let him be brought into the presence of God and the poor
unsaved listener will at once he rendered uneasy, and it is more than
doubtful whether he will return any more to hear that preacher.
3. He "wasted his substance with riotous living." (v. 13)
As pointed out above, "the substance" is the living soul which every
man receives from his Creator, and which is to be regarded as capital
in hand with which to do his trading both for time and eternity. And
here is how the sinner, every sinner, uses the "portion" that he has
received from the Father of spirits. He squanders it. Let it be said
emphatically that this `prodigal son' is not merely a representation
of some particular class of sinners who are more wicked than their
fellows, whose offences against God are more flagrant than the general
run of sinners; but instead, the `prodigal son' pictures the course
that is followed by every descendant of Adam.
"And there wasted his substance with riotous living." From the hour of
his birth the natural man has never cherished a single feeling,
exercised a single thought, or performed a single deed that is
acceptable to God. So far as eternity is concerned he is spiritually
barren: his life is fruitless. But not only has he ignored the claims
of God, not only has he neglected the things of God, not only has he
failed to love the Lord his God with all his heart, but he has
squandered his time, misused his talents, and lived entirely for
himself.
4. He encountered "a mighty famine." (v. 14)
"And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land."
(v. 14) "That land" is the "far country." It is the world, that world
which is away from God, and which, in consequence, "lieth in the
wicked one." And in that land there is "a mighty famine" all the
while. It is to be noted, however, that we are told "there arose a
mighty famine in that land." It was not so there, always. The famine
"arose" when man became separated from God, i.e. at the Fall. The
"famine" has reference to the fact that there is nothing whatever in
this world that can minister to man's soul.
5. He "began to be in want." (v. 14)
Here, in the history of a sinner who is saved eventually, is where
hope begins. There are many living in this "far country" today where
there is "a mighty famine" but, the tragic thing is, that they are
unconscious of it. They are satisfied with what they find here. They
are sensible of no need which this world fails to meet. It is only
after God begins His work upon the soul that the sinner discovers that
everything here is only "vanity and vexation of spirit." Happy the one
who has reached this point. Happy the one who has begun "to be in
want." Happy the one who is conscious of an aching void in his heart,
of a yearning in his soul, of a need in his spirit, which the things
of this world and the pleasures of sin have failed to satisfy. Such an
one is "not far from the kingdom." Nevertheless, the beginning to be
"in want" is but the initial experience. There are other experiences,
painful ones, to be passed through before the sinner actually comes to
God. Let us follow further the history of "the prodigal son" which so
accurately traces the course pursued by each of us.
6. He "went and joined himself to a citizen of that country." (v. 15)
How true to life! Notice he did not decide at once to return to his
father--that did not come until later. Instead of returning to the
father, he turned to man for relief, and went to work, for as we read,
"he (the citizen of that country) sent . . . him into his field to
feed swine." Does the Christian reader need an interpreter here? Does
not his own past experience supply the key to the meaning of verse 15?
The beginning to be "in want" finds its counterpart in the first
awakening of the soul, or to use other terms, it corresponds to
conviction of sin. And when a soul has been awakened, when it has been
convicted of sin, when it has been made conscious of a "want" not yet
supplied, what does such an one, invariably, do? Did you, dear reader,
turn at once to the Savior? Not if your experience was anything like
that of the writer and the vast majority of other Christians he has
talked with. If your experience corresponds in anywise with his and
theirs, after you were first awakened you began to attempt to work out
a righteousness of your own, you betook yourself to the work of
reformation, and to aid you in this you turned to man for counsel and
help. And unless the sovereign grace of God overruled it, instead of
seeking help from a real Christian who (if he had intelligence in the
things of God) would at once have urged you to "search the Scripture"
to discover God's remedy, you turned to some professing Christian, who
in reality was only a "citizen of that country"--the world. And if you
turned to such an one, he did for you precisely what we read here in
the parable--he sent you "to feed swine." Allowing scripture to
interpret scripture, the "swine" here represents professing
Christians, who ultimately apostatize. (See 2 Pet. 2:20-22.) The one
to whom you went for advice told you that what you needed to do was to
"engage in Christian service." "work for the Lord," "get busy in
helping others"--and this while you were still dead in trespasses and
sins! Perhaps you were asked to teach a class of unsaved children in
the Sunday School, or to be an officer of a young people's society
(the majority of whom were, probably, like yourself--unsaved), and
thus "feed the swine."
7. He "came to himself." (v. 17) :
"And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine
did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he
said," etc. (vv. 16, 17) And again we say, How true to life! What did
this joining of himself to a citizen of that country, and this working
in the field amount to? What relief did it bring to his hungry soul?
Just nothing. All there was for him there were "the husks that the
swine did eat." And what did all your labors as an awakened but
unregenerate sinner amount to? What relief did they afford your poor
heart? None whatever. All your zeal and sacrifices in your so-called
"Christian service provided you with nothing but "husks," the same
husks that the swine "did eat." And how pathetic are the words that
follow next--"And no man gave unto him"! Ah! the need of the awakened
sinner lies deeper than any "man can reach unto. It is this lessen
that the sinner must next be taught. He must learn to turn away from
man and look unto Christ Himself. It is not until he does this that
there will be any relief.
"And when he came to himself." This means that he had recovered his
sanity, for previously he was "beside himself--out of his mind. The
Scriptures represent the sinner as suffering from spiritual insanity,
and regeneration as the bestowment of a right mind. In Ephesians
4:17,18 the saints of God are exhorted to "walk not as other Gentiles
walk in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened,
being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in
them, because of the blindness of their heart." Again, in Mark 5 we
have in the demoniac a type of the sinner in bondage to Satan, who,
when delivered by our Lord, is seen sitting, and clothed, and in his
right mind." Finally, in 2 Timothy 1:7 the change which the new birth
produces is described in the following terms: "For God has not given
us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound
mind." Insanity is the lack of capacity to think correctly, and to
form proper estimates of ourselves and others. It is a suffering from
various forms of hallucination. An unmistakable evidence of insanity
is, that the one whose mind is deranged is quite ignorant of the fact,
and supposes himself to be all right. What is true in the natural
realm has its counterpart in the spiritual. The sinner's understanding
is darkened; his mind is full of strange delusions; he is unable to
arrive at correct conclusions; and what is the saddest part of it all
is, that he is totally unconscious of his spiritual disease. But when
the Holy Spirit of God has worked upon a man, these hallucinations are
removed, the darkness is taken away from his understanding and, like
the "prodigal," he "comes to himself."
8. He said, "I will arise and go to my father."(v. 18):
It is not until after the sinner has been made to feel "the mighty
famine" that exists in the far country, it is not until he has
discovered that "no man" can give unto him, and it is not until he has
"come to himself," that he begins to reason aright and remind himself
that in his father's house there is "bread enough and to spare." And
it is only then that he declares "I will arise and go to my father,"
which means, it is only then that the will begins to move Godwards.
And what is the next thing that we read? Why, that the prodigal not
only determines to arise and go to his father, but he announces that
he will "say unto him, Father I have sinned against heaven and before
thee." In other words, he is now willing to take the place of a lost
sinner before God. That is what repentance is.
9. He is still legalistic.
I will say, "I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no
more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired
servants." (Luke 15:18,19) Applying the language of this to the
history of the sinner coming to God, we here reach the point where,
though the Holy Spirit has done much for the awakened one--discovering
his need, and enlightening his mind, directing his will, and producing
conviction--the work of grace is not yet complete. The sinner is now
deeply conscious of his own utter unworthiness, but not yet has he
learned of the marvelous grace of God which more than meets his deep
need. This comes out in the fact that the highest conception that the
mind of the returning "prodigal" rose to was that of being made one of
the "hired servants." How legalistic the mind of man is! How
tenaciously he clings to his own performances! How strenuously he will
contend for the need of bringing in his own works! A "hired servant"
is one who has to work for all he gets.
10. He "arose and came to his father." (v. 20)
Blessed be His name, God does not cease His patient work within us
until this point has been reached. Dull of comprehension though we
are, our minds at enmity against Him, our wills essentially opposed to
Him, He graciously perseveres with us until our understandings have
been enlightened, our enmity has been removed, our wills so subdued
that we arise and come to Him.
And what was the reception the prodigal met with? Do you know what
portion was meted out to a "prodigal son" under the Law? Read with me
the following passage: "If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son,
which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his
mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto
them: then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring
him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;
And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is
stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton,
and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with
stones, that he die." (Deut. 21:18-21) How then did the father receive
this "prodigal"? And this brings us to consider:
II. THE PRODIGAL'S RECEPTION
How many an exercised heart has wondered what sort of a reception he
would meet with if he came to God. Blessed it is to ponder the closing
portion of the third part of this matchless parable. In expounding the
significance of what is recorded of this "prodigal son" as he departed
from the "father," we have seen portrayed the representative
experiences of the sinner. As we turn now to the happy sequel, we
shall see that what happened to him as he returned to the "father,"
also pictures:
1. The Hearty Welcome He Received
"And he arose, and came to his father, But when he was yet a great way
off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his
neck, and kissed him." (v. 20) How inexpressibly blessed this is! Five
things (the number of grace) are here predicated of "his father."
First when he was yet a great way off his father "saw him." And what
does this tell us? Why, that the father was looking out for him! The
father was eagerly waiting for him. And how keen are love's eyes! Even
while he was yet a "great way off" his father saw him. But how
solemnly this brings out the distance in which by nature we were from
God! Even after the sinner has "come to himself," and turned his back
upon the "far country," and has set his face homewards, he is "yet a
great way off"! Nevertheless, all praise to His sovereign grace, "But
now, in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by
the blood of Christ." (Eph. 2:13)
Second, his father "had compassion." The "prodigal must have presented
a miserable appearance: he had devoured his living with harlots (v.
30)--the illicit love for the things of the world, instead of loving
God with "all our hearts"--he had suffered the effects of the "mighty
famine" (v. 14), and he had gone out into the fields to--"feed swine."
(v. 15) What a pitiable object he must have been! Yet did his father
have "compassion" on him! And O dear Christian reader, how did you and
I look just before the Father received us? Understandings darkened,
hearts desperately wicked, wills rebellious, His great love wherewith
He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us
together with Christ." (Eph. 2:4,5)
Third, his father "ran" to meet him: We do not read of the "prodigal"
running as he set out to return to his "father." All that is said of
him is that "he arose, and came to his father." But of the "father" it
is said that he "ran"! Do you know dear reader, that this is the only
verse in all the Bible which represents God has being in a hurry! In
the restoration of the ruined earth He acted orderly, we might say
leisurely. In everything else but this, God is viewed as acting with
calmness and deliberation, as befits One who has all eternity at His
disposal. But here is what we term the impatience of divine Love.
Fourth, his father "fell on his neck." He not only "saw him" while a
great way off, he not only had "compassion" on this wee-begone
prodigal, he not only "ran" to meet him, but he "fell on his neck": he
embraced him: he flung around him the welcoming arms of love.
Fifth, his father "kissed him." Once more we would point out that
nothing is said here of the son kissing the father. It is the "father"
who takes the lead at every stage! He "kissed" him, not rebuffed him.
He "kissed" him, not bade him depart. He "kissed" him, not chided him
for his wanderings. What marvelous grace! How all this reveals the
Father's heart! The "kiss" speaks of love, of reconciliation, of
intimate relationship.
2. The Prodigal's Response
Notice now the "prodigal's" response. "And the son said unto him,
Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more
worthy to be called thy son" (v. 21) Notice three things. First, he is
deeply conscious of his sinful condition, and he hesitates not to
confess it. And the nearer we approach the thrice holy God the clearer
shall we perceive our vileness. Second, he was profoundly convinced of
his unworthiness, and delayed not to own it. It is a discovery of the
marvelous grace of God which brings us to a deeper realization of how
thoroughly undeserving we are, for grace and merit are as much opposed
to each other as light and darkness. Third, observe that he says
nothing new about being made a "hired servant"! No; the wondrous grace
of the "father" had taught him better.
3. The Robe Which Was Put Upon Him
"But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and
put it on him." (v. 22) There are four things to be noted here. First,
the position the "son" yet occupied. We cannot but admire the
marvelous accuracy and beauty of every line in this divinely drawn
picture. The previous verses have shown us the happy meeting between
the father and the son, the father's hearty welcome, the son's
broken-hearted confession. And this, be it remembered, is viewed as
occurring some distance away from the father's house, for he "ran" out
to meet him. Now, as the father and son draw near to the house, the
father calls to his servants, and says, "Bring forth the best robe."
Ah! the "father" could not have the prodigal at his table in his
filthy rags. No; that would be setting aside the righteous
requirements of His House: "Grace reigns through righteousness" (Rom.
5:21), and never at the expense of it. Beautiful it is, then, to
behold grace which ran out to meet the "prodigal," and now the
righteousness which makes provision for the covering of his filthy
rags!
Second, We behold with thankful hearts the provision that is made for
the poor wanderer. Note it carefully that the prodigal did not bring
his "robe" with him out of the far country, nor did he procure it on
his homeward journey. No indeed; it was provided for him, was
furnished by the father. It was there ready for him, waiting for him!
Third, admire the quality of the clothing provided for him. Said the
father, "Bring forth the best robe." What marvelous grace was this!
The "best robe" in the father's house was reserved for the prodigal!
And what can this signify, but that the sinner saved by grace shall be
robed in a garment more glorious than that worn by the unfallen
angels! But we exclaim, Can such a thing be? Is that possible? And
dear reads, what is this "best robe"? Why it is the imputed
righteousness of Christ Himself which shall cover the filthy rags of
our righteousness--that "imputed righteousness" which was wrought out
for us in the perfect obedience and vicarious death of our Savior.
Read with me Isaiah 61:10: "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my
soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the
garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of
righteousness."
How remarkable it is to notice that this "best robe" was the first
thing which the "prodigal" received at the hands of his father! Right
here is the answer to the objection made by those who reject the
evangelical interpretation of this parable, for in the "best robe" we
have that which speaks of the life and death of Christ.
Fourth, notice that the "best robe" was placed upon him--"Bring forth
the best robe, and put it on him." (v. 22) Everything was done for
him. Not only was the "best robe" provided for him, it was also placed
upon him. How this reminds us of what we read in Genesis 3:21: "Unto
Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and
clothed them." The Lord God not only Himself supplied the "coats of
skins," but He "clothed" our first parents! We find the same thing
again in Zechariah 3:4--"Take away the filthy garment from him. And
unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from
thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment." "Oh to grace how
great a debtor"!
4. The Ring Placed Upon His Hand
"And put a ring on his hand." (v. 22) Again we notice that the ring
was not supplied by him, but provided for him, And, too, it was not
handed to him, but put on him! Not a thing did he do for himself. And
of what does the "ring," put "on his hand," speak? The "ring" is the
seal of love, of plighted troth. Later it becomes the symbol of wedded
union. And, is it not true that the returning sinner receives not only
the "best robe" of Christ's imputed righteousness, but also God's
seal, which "seal" is the Holy Spirit Himself: "Who hath also sealed
us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." (2 Cor. 1:22)
Yes, the Holy Spirit is the Seal of God's love, the evidence of a
plighted troth, for, "grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye
are sealed unto the day of redemption." (Eph. 4:30) And, again, it is
the Holy Spirit who unites us to Christ: "But he that is joined unto
the Lord is one spirit." (1 Cor. 6:17) The "ring" also speaks of
ownership: the woman who wears my ring does so as a sign that she is
mine--my wife. So, too, the Holy Spirit in us tells that we belong to
Christ:
"If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." (Rom.
8:9) And once more, in Scripture the "ring" is given as a mark of high
honor and esteem: "And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and
put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen,
and put a gold chain about his neck . . . and they cried before him,
Bow the knee." (Gen. 41:42,43) This "ring" which the "father" gave to
the "prodigal" was put on his hand. Now the hand speaks of labor. As
then the "ring" is here the emblem of the Holy Spirit, does not this
signify that henceforth, all our works should be performed in the
power of that same Spirit?
5. The Shoes Provided For His Feet
"And shoes on his feet." (v. 22) Once more we are constrained to say,
How marvelously complete is this lovely parabolic picture. Here we see
every need of the believer met. The "kiss" of reconciliation to assure
him of a hearty welcome; the "best robe" to cover his filthy rags; the
"ring" put on his hand, to show that he belongs to God, and to denote
that his labors henceforth must be in the power of the Spirit. And now
the "shoes" for his "feet" speak of God's provision for the daily
walk.
In giving instructions to Moses concerning the observance of the
Passover, the Lord said, "And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins
girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand." (Ex.
12:11) They were not prepared to go forth on their pilgrimage until
"shoes" were on their feet. And how blessed is the sequel: forty years
later Moses reminded them, that though the Lord had led them for forty
years in the wilderness, "Your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and
thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot"! So, again, when the Lord
sent forth the twelve, he said to them, "be shod with sandals." (Mark
6:9) And in Ephesians 6 where believers are exhorted to "put on the
whole armor of God," one of the specifications is, "And your feet shod
with the preparation of the Gospel of peace." Not until our feet are
thus shed are we prepared to go forth with the Gospel of God's grace
to a perishing world. It is exceedingly blessed to contrast these two
passages: "Their feet (the wicked) run to evil, and they make haste to
shed innocent blood." (Isa. 59:7); "How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace;
that bringeth good things of good, that publisheth salvation!" (Isa.
52:7)
6. The Fatted Calf killed and Eaten
"And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it: and let us eat, and be
merry." (v. 23) First, note the contrast between the words of the
"father" in connection with the "best robe," and here with the "fatted
calf." In the former it was "bring forth," which indicated that the
"prodigal" was on the outside. But now that be has been clothed, now
that he has had put on him the "best robe," now that he has been
suitably adorned for the father's presence--"Made us meet to be
partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light" (Col. 1:12)--he
is now inside the "father's" house, hence the "bring hither." How
marvelously and minutely accurate!
The "fatted calf" speaks of Christ Himself in all His excellency,
provided, too, by the Father. The killing of the "calf" tells of the
Savior's death for us, thus making it possible for sinners to be
reconciled to a holy God. But the "fatted calf" was not only killed,
it was, like the Passover "lamb," to be eaten, and eating here speaks
of communion. And observe the word of the "father" here: it was not,
and let him eat," but "let us eat." It is the Father with the now
reconciled sinner, coming together, and they communing together over
that which speaks of Christ. It is the sacrifice of Christ which is
the ground of our fellowship with the Father.
7. The Resultant Joy
"And let us eat, and be merry: for this my son was dead, and is alive
again; he was lost and is found. And they began to be merry." (vv. 23,
24) How inexpressably blessed is this! What a glorious climax! Here is
the prodigal, now a son at the Father's table, a place--not among the
"hired servants," but--in the Father's family is now His. Together
they commune over that which tells of Christ the perfect One, slain
for us. And what is the fruit of "communion"? Is it not joy, such
merriment of heart of which this poor world knows nothing. And note
again the plural number: it is not only that "he," the son, was
"merry," but "they began to be merry." The Father finds His delight,
together with His children, feeding upon Christ the Son.
It is indeed striking to contrast what is before us here in Luke 15
with another scene presented in the Old Testament Scriptures. In 1
Samuel 28 we have brought before us the apostate Saul and the Witch of
Endor--a greater contrast could not be imagined! And here, too, we
read of a fatted calf being killed, but how great the difference! "And
the woman had a fat calf in the house; and she hasted, and killed it,
and took flour, and kneaded it, and did bake unleavened bread thereof:
And she brought it before Saul, and before his servants; and they did
eat Then they rose up, and went away that night." (1 Sam. 28:24,25)
Yes, they did "eat," but notice that nothing was said of them being
"merry." No indeed. They represented that large company found among
the professed people of God who take the name of Christ on their lips,
and even go through the form of communing with Him. as they come to Hi
"table." But after all, it is only a pretense, a mechanical
performance. Their hearts are not in it. Their souls do not feed upon
Christ.
And note, too, another striking contrast. Of Saul and his servants it
is said, "They did eat. Then they rose up, and went away that night."
(1 Sam. 28:25) Ah! solemn thought, unspeakably solemn. The formal
professor rises from the "table," and goes away--leaves that which
speaks of Christ; goes away as joyless and empty as he came; goes away
into that dark "night" which shall never end.
But how entirely different is what we read of concerning the
reconciled "prodigal!" He, together with his father, sits down to eat
of the fatted calf and "they began to be merry." And there the picture
leaves them! Nothing is said about going "away," still less is there
any reference to the "night." And "they began to be merry," and that
merriment is only just begun. Blessed be God, it shall know no ending.
Together with the Father, finding our joy in Christ we shall be
"merry" forever and ever.
And now perhaps a closing word should be said upon the "elder son." It
seems strange to us that so many have experienced difficulty here. Who
is represented by the "elder son"? Almost endless are the answers
given. Personally, we are satisfied that the elder son represents the
same class as do the ninety and nine sheep," and the nine pieces of
silver. These picture the "Pharisees and scribes" who murmured against
the Savior because He received and ate with sinners. (v. 2) The one
parable in three parts was designed by Christ to show how that God did
go after that which was lost and what was the blessed portion which
they received from Him. Then He contrasts the lot of those who,
because they deem themselves righteous, refuse to take the place of
sinners before Him. He meets them on the ground of their own
profession, and therefore does He speak of them as "sheep" and the
"elder son." But oh, what a portion is theirs!
In the first part of the parable the self-righteous formalists who
despise the grace of God are represented as being left in the
wilderness (see v. 4), while in the last part of the parable he is
seen outside the father's house. How accurate and yet how tragic is
the picture Christ here draws of the Pharisee. "Now his elder son was
in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard
music and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what
these things meant." (vv. 25, 26) Ah! he is a stranger to the
merriment of those in fellowship with God. He knows not why they
should be so supremely happy, and therefore does he have to ask "what
these things meant." And when explanation is made to him we are told,
"he was angry, and would not go in." (v. 28) But more, "therefore came
his father out, and intreated him. And he answering said to his
father, In, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I
at any time thy commandment; and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that
I might make merry with my friends." (vv. 28, 29) He speaks of
"serving" his father for this is all he knows. He boasts of his
obedience, and then he confesses his lack of that which speaks of
communion. And how he betrayed himself when he said, "Yet thou never
gayest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends," not "with
thee"! The closing verses of the chapter must be interpreted in the
light of the whole context: "Thou art ever with me." Here Christ puts
into the mouth of this elder son that which was the boast of the proud
Pharisee, but it should be carefully noted that throughout he is
carefully pictured as being on the outside, see especially verse
28.But let our final word be upon the "prodigal." By comparing
carefully six clauses it will be found they are arranged in couplets,
and each couplet points a striking contrast. First, we read "There
arose a mighty famine in the land" (v. 14): next contrast what we read
in verse 20, "And he arose, and came to his father." Second, "He came
to himself" (v. 17): now contrast what is said in verse 20, he "Came
to his father." Third, "He began to be in want" (v. 14): now contrast
what we have in verses 24, 25 "And they began to be merry." And how
striking is the order of these.
Now dear reader, is this intelligible to you, or have I been speaking
in an unknown tongue? Have you felt the "famine" of this world? Have
you been "in want"--your soul crying out for a satisfying portion?
Have you "come to yourself," come to your senses, and discovered the
"exceeding sinfulness of sin"? If so, have you come to God and taken
the place of a lost sinner before Him? Have you cast yourself upon His
sovereign grace and reckoned as your own this wondrous Provision He
has made for hell-deserving sinners? If you have, then you know the
blessedness of belonging to God's family. If you have not, and will
come to God now just as you are, confessing your utter sinfulness and
unworthiness, and casting yourself on His free grace, you too shall
receive a hearty welcome, the kiss of reconciliation the robe of
righteousness and a place in communion with God Himself. "Come, for
all things are now ready."
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The Snare of Service
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The main business and the principal concern of the Christian should be
that of thanking, praising and adoring that blessed One who has saved
him with an everlasting salvation, and who, to secure that salvation,
left Heaven's glory and came down to this sin-cursed earth, here to
suffer and die the awful death of the cross, that His people might be
"delivered from this present evil world" (Gal.1:4). "Praise is comely
for the upright" (Psa.33:1). But to see the upright praising God is
something which Satan cannot endure, and he will employ every art and
device to turn aside the happy Christian from such blissful
occupation.
Our great enemy is very, very subtil in the methods and means he uses.
He cares not what the object may be as long as it serves to engross
the believer and hinder his giving to Christ that consideration
(Heb.3:l) and adoration (Rev. 5:12) which are His due. Satan's aim is
gained if he can occupy the believer with perishing sinners rather
than the Lord of glory. The tactics which the devil uses with the
saints are the same he uses so successfully with the unsaved. What is
the chief thing he employs to shut out Christ from the vision of the
lost (2 Cor.4:4)? Is it not getting them occupied with their own deeds
and doings? Assuredly it is. In like manner he deals with God's
people: he seeks to get them engaged in "service" as a substitute for
communing with Christ. It is the dragon posing as an angel of light,
stirring up the feverish nature and restless energy of the flesh, to
find some outlet that appears to be pleasing to God.
Above we have said that the great aim and chief exercise of the
Christian should be that of worshiping and adoring his blessed and
wondrous Savior, which is, really, heaven begun on earth. Yet, let it
be pointed out, this ought not to terminate at the lips, our very
lives ought to show forth His praise (1 Pet. 2:9), our daily walk
ought to be pleasing and honoring unto Him (1 Cor. 10:31), our every
act needs to be brought into conformity to His holy will (Prov.3:6).
To these statements many, perhaps all, Christians will assent. But do
they perceive what is necessarily involved? We fear not. It involves a
life's task. And what is that? This: a constant searching of the
Scriptures with a prayerful and earnest desire to find out what is
pleasing to Him, a holy determination to discover the details of His
revealed mind. This is the service to which God has called each of His
people: to serve Him, to take His yoke upon them, to submit to His
rule over them, to be in all things in subjection to His holy will.
But, we say again, the learning of what His will really is, in all its
fullness, is a life's task which requires and calls for the utmost
attention in the cultivation of our own soul's garden. "Exercise
thyself unto godliness" (1 Tim. 4:7). "Take heed unto thyself" (1 Tim.
4:16). "Keep thyself pure" (1 Tim.5:22). "Study to show thyself
approved unto God" (2 Tim. 2:15). These are some of the exhortations
of Holy Writ which much need to be taken to heart by God's dear people
in these hustling, bustling days. But, alas, they are unheeded by
many.
And what is one of the chief causes of hindrance? What is it that in
these times so often prevents the child of God from "taking heed" unto
himself? This: he is far to much engrossed in attempting to "take
heed" for others. The woman who has spent much of the day in attending
to domestic duties, the man who has been toiling for his daily bread,
instead of spending the evening quietly in spiritual devotions,
prayerfully studying God's Word, giving "attendance to reading" (1
Tim. 4:13), and thus feeding his soul, removing the world's stains
acquired through the day, and conversing with his family upon the
things of God, has a round of religious meetings which he must attend,
numerous church duties which he must perform. So it is with many on
the holy Sabbath. Instead of that being, as God has designed, chiefly
a day of rest, only too often it becomes the busiest of the whole
week. No wonder that so many are little better than nervous wrecks!
And all because of departing from God's arrangements.
It is greatly to be feared that when the saints shall stand before the
judgment-seat of Christ that everyone may receive the things done in
the body" (2 Cor. 5:10) that many of the redeemed will have to make
the sad lament, "they made me keeper of the vineyards; mine own
vineyard have I not kept" (Song of Sol. 1:6). Note carefully the first
word, it is not, "He made me keeper of the vineyards." No, His yoke is
"easy" and His burden is "light" (Matt. 11:30); but "they." Ah, it is
the Egyptian taskmasters who spur on the people of God to engage in
works in which the Lord has never called them to do. Martha is not
alone in being "cumbered" (weighted down) with "much serving" (Luke
10:40).
The witness of our lives is far more weighty than that of our lips. If
we spent more time in secret communion with Christ, people would take
knowledge of us that we had "been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13). If we were
more diligent and painstaking to find out and to put into practice the
precepts and commands which God has recorded in His Word for the
regulation of our lives; if, in consequence, we were really walking
with Him, filled with that peace which passeth all understanding,
rejoicing in the Lord; then instead of our going to the people and
pressing upon all and sundry the precious things of Christ--thus
disobeying Him who has bidden His disciples, "Give not that which is
holy unto the dogs" (Matthew 7:6) --some, at least, would come to us
and ask "a reason of the hope" that is "in us" (1 Pet. 3:15).
But, as we have said above, the restless energy of the flesh longs to
find some outlet, and our hearts are only too eagerly inclined to
substitute service toward others for personal dealing with God for
ourselves. It calls for less exercise of soul to memorize a few texts
for the purpose of quoting them to someone else than it does to
measure myself by the Scriptures, confess my sad failures and beg God
to write His Word upon my heart. Ah, it is a comforting sop for our
conscience to persuade ourselves that, though our walk is so far from
being what it should be, yet we can "do our duty" in warning the
wicked, or engage in some form of "Christian service." Yes, and Satan
will whisper in our ears, `You have been faithful there,' and instead
of being humbled and chastened before God for our miserable failures
to live to Christ, our evil hearts are puffed up by the devil's
flatteries that we have, at least, faithfully preached Christ.
Let not the reader conclude from what has been said that the writer is
opposed to either public worship or the Christian's being engaged in
any good works for the benefit of others. Not so, though we would
earnestly warn against any attempt to worship with those who are not
walking with God, or engaging in works which are not really glorifying
to Him. Our main design has simply been to show the need of putting
first things first.
Our first great need is not seeking to minister to others, but
ourselves being ministered unto by the Lord. Our highest privilege is
not that of being engaged in service for Christ, but of enjoying daily
communion with Him. Our first obligation is not that of being
concerned over the welfare of our neighbors, but making our own
calling and election sure. Our first great task is not to serve our
fellowmen, but to serve our God by studying His Word, learning His
will, and then doing it. Our first circle of responsibility is not
towards strangers and distant acquaintances, but our own home. Our
chief ambition should not be the proclamation of Christ with our lips,
but the preaching of Him by our lives.
If we have not learned to worship God in the secret place, we cannot
do so in public assembly. If we are not ourselves really following
Christ, walking and communing with Him, it is but mockery to speak of
Him to others. If we preach Him in words but deny Him in our works,
then we are only a stumblingblock to those who hear us. If our
"service" for Christ is robbing us of the time so urgently needed for
the cultivation of our personal "vineyard," then it is a snare and a
curse to us. Then "take heed unto thyself," "lay aside" every weight
(Heb. 12:1) which hinders you from running the race which God "has set
before" us. As a well known hymn says, "Take time to be holy," or,
better still, as a Scripture says, "The kingdom of God is...
righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he that in
these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men"
(Rom. 14:17,18).
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The Sovereignty of God
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The sovereignty of God is an expression that once was generally
understood. It was a phrase commonly used in religious literature. It
was a theme frequently expounded in the pulpit. It was a truth which
brought comfort to many hearts and gave virility and stability to
Christian character. But today, to make mention of God's sovereignty
is, in many quarters, to speak in an unknown tongue. Were we to
announce from the average pulpit that the subject of our discourse
would be the sovereignty of God, it would sound very much as though we
had borrowed a phrase from one of the dead languages. Alas! that it
should be so. Alas! that the doctrine which is the key to history, the
interpreter of providence, the warp and woof of scripture, and the
foundation of Christian theology should be so sadly neglected and so
little understood.
The "Sovereignty of God." What do we mean by this expression? We mean
the SUPREMACY of God, the KINGSHIP of God, the GODHOOD of God. To say
that God is sovereign is to declare that GOD IS GOD! To say that God
is sovereign is to declare that He is the Most High, "doing according
to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the
earth, so that none can stay His hand or say unto Him what doest Thou?
(Dan. 4:35), To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the
Almighty, the possessor of all power in heaven and earth so that none
can defeat His counsels, thwart His purpose, nor resist His will (Psa.
115:3). To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is "the
governor among the nations" (Psa. 22:28), setting, up kingdoms,
overthrowing empires, and determining the course of dynasties as
pleases Him best. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He
is the "only potentate, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords" (I
Tim. 6:15). Such is the God of the Bible.
Back to Books and Pamphlets by A.W. Pink
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The Sovereignty of God in Creation
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"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honor, and power: for
Thou hast created all things and for Thy pleasure they are and were
created." (Rev. 4:11)
Sovereignty characterizes the whole Being of God: let us observe how
it marks all His ways and dealings.
In the great expanse of eternity, which stretches behind Genesis 1:1,
the universe was unborn and creation existed only in the mind of the
great Creator. In His sovereign majesty, God dwelt all alone. We refer
to that far distant period before the heavens and the earth were
created. There were then no angels to hymn God's praises, no creatures
to occupy His notice, no rebels to be brought to subjection. The great
God was all alone amid the awful silence of His own vast universe. But
even at that time, if time it could be called, God was sovereign. He
might create or not create according to His own good pleasure. He
might create this way or that way; He might create one world or one
million worlds, and who was there to resist His will? He might call
into existence a million different creatures and place them on
absolute equality, endowing them with the same faculties and placing
them in the same environment; or, He might create a million creatures
each differing from the others, and possessing nothing in common save
their creaturehood, and who was there to challenge His right? If He so
pleased, He might call into existence a world so immense that its
dimensions were utterly beyond finite computation; and were He so
disposed, He might create an organism so small that nothing but the
most powerful microscope could reveal its existence to human eyes. It
was His sovereign right to create, on the one hand, the exalted
seraphim to burn around his throne, and on the other hand, the tiny
insect which dies the same hour that it is born. If the mighty God
chose to have one vast gradation in His universe, from loftiest seraph
to creeping reptile, from revolving worlds to floating atoms, from
macrocosm to microcosm, instead of making everything uniform, who was
there to question His sovereign pleasure?
BEHOLD THEN THE EXERCISE OF DIVINE SOVEREIGNTY LONG BEFORE MAN EVER
SAW THE LIGHT. With whom took God counsel in the creation and
disposition of His creatures? See the birds as they fly through the
air, the beasts as they roam the earth, the fishes as they swim in the
sea, and then ask, Who was it that made them to differ? Was it not
their Creator who sovereignly assigned their various locations and
adaptations to them?!
TURN YOUR EYE TO THE HEAVENS and observe the mysteries of divine
sovereignty which there confront the thoughtful beholder: "There is
one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory
of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory" (1
Cor. 15:41). But why should they? Why should the sun be more glorious
than all the other planets? Why should there be stars of the first
magnitude and others of the tenth? Why such amazing inequalities? Why
should some of the heavenly bodies be more favorably placed than
others in their relation to the sun? And why should there be "shooting
stars", "falling stars", "wandering stars" (Jude 13), in a word,
ruined stars? And the only possible answer is, "For Thy pleasure they
are and were created" (Rev. 4:11)
COME NOW TO OUR OWN PLANET Why should two thirds of its surface be
covered with water, and why should so much of its remaining third be
unfit for human cultivation or habitation? Why should there be vast
stretches of marshes, deserts and icefields? Why should one country be
so inferior, topographically, from another? Why should one be fertile,
and another almost barren? Why should one be rich in minerals and
another own none? Why should the climate of one be congenial and
healthy, and another uncongenial and unhealthy? Why should one abound
in rivers and lakes, and another be almost devoid of them? Why should
one be constantly troubled with earthquakes, and another be almost
entirely free from them? WHY? Because thus it pleased the Creator and
Upholder of all things.
LOOK AT THE ANIMAL KINGDOM and note the wondrous variety. What
comparison is possible between the lion and the lamb, the bear and the
kid, the elephant and the mouse? Some, like the horse and the dog, are
gifted with great intelligence; while others, like sheep and swine,
are almost devoid of it. Why? Some are designed to be beasts of
burden, while others enjoy a life of freedom. But why should the mule
and the donkey be shackled to a life of drudgery, while the lion and
tiger are allowed to roam the jungle at their pleasure? Some are fit
for food, others unfit; some are beautiful, others ugly; some are
endowed with great strength, others are quite helpless; some are fleet
of foot, others can scarcely crawl-contrast the hare and the tortoise;
some are of use to man, others appear to be quite valueless; some live
for centuries, others a few months at most; some are tame, others
fierce. But why all these variations and differences?
What is true of the animals is equally true of the birds and fishes.
But CONSIDER NOW THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM. Why should roses have thorns,
and lilies grow without them? Why should one flower emit a fragrant
aroma and another have none? Why should one tree bear fruit which is
wholesome and another that which is poisonous? Why should one
vegetable be capable of enduring frost and another wither under it?
Why should one apple tree be loaded with fruit, and another tree of
the same age and in the same orchard be almost barren? Why should one
plant flower a dozen times a year and another bear blossoms but once a
century? Truly, "whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did He in heaven,
and in the earth, in the seas, and all deep places" (Psa. 135:6).
CONSIDER THE ANGELIC HOSTS. Surely we shall find uniformity here. But
no; there, as elsewhere, the same sovereign pleasure of the Creator is
displayed. Some are higher in rank than others; some are more powerful
than others; some are nearer to God than others. Scripture reveals a
definite and well-defined gradation in the angelic orders. From the
arch-angel, past seraphim and cherubim, we come to "principalities and
powers" (Eph. 3:10), and from principalities and powers to "rulers"
(Eph. 6:12), and then to the angels themselves, and even among them we
read of "the elect angels" (1 Tim. 5: 21) Again we ask, Why this
inequality, this difference in rank and order? And all we can say is,
"Our God is in the heavens, He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased"
(Psa. 115:3).
If then we see the sovereignty of God displayed throughout all
creation, why should it be thought a strange thing IF WE BEHOLD IT
OPERATING IN THE MIDST OF THE HUMAN FAMILY? Why should it be thought
strange if to one God is pleased to give five talents and another only
one? Why should it be thought strange if one is born with a robust
constitution and another of the same parents is frail and sickly? Why
should it be thought strange if Abel is cut off in his prime, while
Cain is suffered to live on for many years? Why should it be thought
strange that some should be born black and others white; that some be
born idiots and others with high intellectual endowments; some be born
constitutionally lethargic and others full of energy; some be born
with a temperament that is selfish, fiery, egotistical, and others who
are naturally self-sacrificing, submissive and meek? Why should it be
thought strange if some are qualified by nature to lead and rule,
while others are only fitted to follow and serve? Heredity and
environment cannot account for all these variations and inequalities.
No; it is GOD who maketh one to differ from another. Why should He?
"Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight" must be our
reply.
Learn then this basic truth, that THE CREATOR IS ABSOLUTELY SOVEREIGN,
EXECUTING HIS OWN WILL, PERFORMING HIS OWN PLEASURES, AND CONSIDERING
NOUGHT BUT HIS OWN GLORY "The Lord hath made all things FOR HIMSELF"
(Prov. 16:4). And had He not a perfect right to? Since God IS God, who
dare challenge His prerogative? To murmur against Him is rank
rebellion. To question His ways is to impugn His wisdom. To criticise
Him is sin of the deepest dye. Have we forgotten WHO He is? Behold,
All nations before Him are as nothing; and they are counted to Him
less than nothing, and vanity. To whom then will ye liken God? (Isa.
40; 17,18)
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The Wrong Emphasis!
_________________________________________________________________
Once a man makes the conversion of sinners his prime design and
all-consuming end and NOT THE GLORY OF GOD, he is exceedingly apt to
adopt a wrong course. Instead of striving to preach the Truth in all
its purity, he will tone it down so as to make it more palatable to
the unregenerate. Impelled by a single force, moving in one fixed
direction, his object is to make conversion easy; and therefore,
favorite passages (like John 3:16) are dwelt upon incessantly, while
others are ignored or pared away. It inevitably reacts upon his own
theology; and various verses in the Word are shunned, if not
repudiated. What place will he give in his thoughts to such
declarations as, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard
his spots?" (Jer. 13:23); "No man can come to Me, except the Father
which hath sent Me draw Him" (John 6:44); "Ye have not chosen Me, but
I have chosen you" (John 15:14)?
He will be sorely tempted to modify the truth of God's sovereign
election, of Christ's particular redemption, of the imperative
necessity for the super-natural operations of the Holy Spirit.
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True Christian Love
_________________________________________________________________
Love is the Queen of the Christian graces. It is a holy disposition
given to us when we are born again by God. It is the love of God shed
abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. True spiritual love is
characterized by meekness and gentleness, yet it is vastly superior to
the courtesies and kindnesses of the flesh.
We must be careful not to confuse human sentimentality, carnal
pleasantries, human amiability and affability with true spiritual
love. The love God commands, first to Himself and then to others, is
not human love. It is not the indulgent, self-seeking love which is in
us by nature. If we indulgently allow our children to grow up with
little or, no Scriptural discipline, Proverbs plainly says we do not
love them, regardless of the human sentimentality and affection we may
feel for them. Love is not a sentimental pampering of one another with
a loose indifference as to our walk and obedience before the Lord.
Glossing over one another's faults to ingratiate ourselves in their
esteem is not spiritual love.
The true nature of Christian love is a righteous principle which seeks
the highest good of others. It is a powerful desire to promote their
welfare. The exercise of love is to be in strict conformity to the
revealed will of God. We must love in the truth. Love among the
brethren is far more than an agreeable society where views are the
same. It is loving them for what we see of Christ in them, loving them
for Christ's sake.
The Lord Jesus Himself is our example. He was not only thoughtful,
gentle, self-sacrificing and patient, but He also corrected His
mother, used a whip in the Temple, Severely scolded His doubting
disciples, and denounced hypocrites. True spiritual love is above all
faithful to God and uncompromising towards all that is evil. We cannot
declare, 'Peace and Safety' when in reality there is spiritual decay
and ruin!
True spiritual love is very difficult to exercise because it is not
our natural love. By nature we would rather love sentimentally and
engender good feelings. Also many times true spiritual love is not
received in love, but is hated as the Pharisees hated it. We must pray
that God will fill us with His love and enable us to exercise it
without dissimulation toward all.
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Vile!
_________________________________________________________________
We are rather afraid that its title will deter some from reading this
article: we hope it will not be so. True, it does not treat of a
popular theme, nay one which is now very rarely heard in the pulpit;
nevertheless, it is a scriptural one. Fallen man is "vile," so vile
that it has been rightly said "he is half brute, half devil." Nor does
such a description exceed the truth. Man is "born like a wild ass's
colt" (Job 11:12), and he is "taken captive by the devil at his will"
(2 Tim. 2:26). Perhaps the reader is ready to reply, Ah, that is man
in his unregenerate state, but it is far otherwise with the
regenerate. From one viewpoint that is true; from another, it is not
so.
Did not the Psalmist acknowledge, "So foolish was I, and ignorant: I
was a beast before Thee" (Ps. 73:22) unteachable, untractable, kicking
against God's providential dealings, not behaving like a man, much
less like a saint! Again, did not Agur confess, "Surely I am more
brutish than any man" (Prov. 30:2). True, we never hear such
lamentations as these from those who claim to have received their
"Pentecost" or "second blessing," nor from those who boast they are
living "the victorious life." But to those who are painfully conscious
of the "plague" of their own heart, such words may often describe
their case. Only recently we received a letter from a dear brother in
Christ, saying "the vanity and corruption that I find within, which
refuses to be kept in subjection, is so strong at times that it makes
me cry out 'my wounds do stink and are corrupt.'"
Does the reader object against our appropriation of the Psalms and
Proverbs, and say, We in this New Testament age occupy much higher
ground than those did. Probably you have often been told so by men,
but are you sure of it from the Word of God? Listen, then, to the
groan of an eminent Christian: "I am carnal, sold under sin" (Rom.
7:14). Do you never feel thus, my reader? Then we are sincerely sorry
for you. As to the other part of the description of fallen man, "half
devil": did not Christ say to regenerate Peter, "Get thee behind Me,
Satan: thou art an offense unto Me" (Matthew 16:23)? And are there not
times when writer and reader fully merits the same reproof? Speaking
for myself, I bow my head with shame, and say, Alas there is.
"Behold, I am vile" (Job 40:4). This was not said by Cain in a
remorseful moment after his murder of Abel, nor by Judas after he had
betrayed the Saviour into the hands of His enemies; instead, it was
the utterance of one of whom God said, "There is none like him in the
earth, a perfect (sincere) and an upright man, one that feareth God,
and escheweth evil" (Job 1:8). Was Job's language the effect of
extreme melancholy, induced by his terrible afflictions? If not, was
he justified in using such strong language of self-deprecation? If he
was, are Christians today warranted in echoing the same?
In order to arrive at the correct answer to the above questions, let
us ask another: when was it that Job said, "Behold, I am vile?" Was it
when he first received tidings of his heavy losses? No, for then he
exclaimed, "the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be
the name of the Lord" (1:21). Was it when his friends reasoned with
and reproved him? No, for then he vindicated himself and boasted of
his goodness. Then when was it that Job declared "Behold, I am vile"?
It was when the Lord appeared to him and gave him a startling
revelation of His own wondrous perfections! It was when he stood in
the all-penetrating light of God's immaculate holiness and was made to
realize something of His mighty power.
Ah, when a soul is truly brought into the presence of the living God,
boasting ceases, our comeliness is turned into corruption (Dan. 10:8),
and we cry, "Woe is me! for I am undone" (Isa. 6:5). When God makes to
the soul a personal revelation of His wondrous perfections, that
individual is effectually convinced of his own wretchedness. The more
we are given to discern the ineffable glory of the Lord, the more will
our self-complacency wither. It is in God's light, and in that only,
"we see light" (Ps. 36:9). When He shines into our understandings and
hearts, and brings to light "the hidden things of darkness," we
perceive the utter corruption of our nature, and are abominable in our
own eyes. While we measure ourselves by our fellows, we shall, most
likely, think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think (Rom.
12:3); but when we measure ourselves by the holy requirements of God's
nature, we cry "I am dust and ashes" (Gen. 18:27). True repentance
changes a man's opinion of himself.
Is, then, a Christian today warranted in saying "Behold, I am vile"?
Not as faith views himself united to the One who is "altogether
lovely"; but as faith discerns, in the light of the Word, what he is
by nature, what he is in and of himself he may. Not that he is to
hypocritically adopt such language in order to gain the reputation of
great humility; nay, such an utterance is only to be found upon our
lips as it is the feeling expression of our hearts: particularly is it
to be owned before God, when we come to Him in contrition and in
confession. Yet is it also to be acknowledged before the saints, even
as the apostle Paul cried publicly, "O wretched man that I am!" (Rom.
7:24). It is part of our testimony to own (before those who fear the
Lord) what God has revealed to us.
"Behold; I am vile": such is the candid and sorrowful confession of
the writer.
1.) I am vile in my imaginations: O what scum rises to the surface
when lusts boil within me. What filthy pictures are visioned in "the
chambers of my imagery" (Ezek. 8:12). What unlawful desires run riot
within. Yes, even when engaged in meditating upon the holy things of
God, the mind wanders and the fancy becomes engaged with what is foul
and fetid. How often does the writer have to acknowledge before God
that "from the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no
soundness" in him, "but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores" (Isa.
1:6). Nightly does he avail himself of that Fountain which has been
opened "for sin and for uncleanness" (Zech. 13:1).
2.) I am vile in my self-will: How fretful am I when God blows upon my
plans and thwarts my desires. What surgings of rebellion within my
wicked breast when God's providences displease. Instead of lying
placidly as clay in the Potter's hand, how often do I act like the
restive colt, which rears and kicks, refusing to be held in with bit
and bridle, determined to have my own way. Alas, alas, how very little
have I learned of Him who was "meek and lowly in heart." Instead of
"the flesh" in me being purified, it has putrefied; instead of its
resistance to the spirit weakening, it appears to be stronger each
year. O that I had the wings of a dove, that I could fly away from
myself.
3.) I am vile in my religious pretenses: How often I am anxious to
make "a fair show in the flesh" and be thought highly of by others.
What hypocrisies have I been guilty of in seeking to gain a reputation
for spirituality. How frequently have I conveyed false impressions to
others, making them suppose it was far otherwise within me than was
actually the case. What pride and self-righteousness have swayed me.
And of what insincerity have I, at times, been guilty of in the
pulpit: praying to the ears of the congregation instead of to God,
pretending to have liberty when my own spirit was bound, speaking of
those things which I had not first felt and handled for myself. Much,
very much cause has the writer to take the leper's place, cover his
lips, and cry "Unclean, unclean!"
4.) I am vile in my unbelief: How often am I still filled with doubts
and misgivings. How often do I lean unto my own understanding instead
of upon the Lord. How often do I fail to expect from God (Mark 11:24)
the things for which I ask Him. When the hour of testing comes, only
too frequently are past deliverances forgotten. When troubles assail,
instead of looking off unto the things unseen, I am occupied with the
difficulties before me. Instead of remembering that with God all
things are possible, I am ready to say, "Can God furnish a table in
the wilderness?" (Ps. 78:19). True it is not always thus, for the Holy
Spirit graciously keeps alive the faith which He has placed within;
but when He ceases to work, and a trial is faced, how often do I give
my Master occasion to say, "How is it that ye have no faith?" (Mark
4:40).
Reader, how closely does your experience correspond with the above? Is
it true that, "As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man
to man" (Prov. 27:19)? Have we been describing some of the symptoms of
your diseased heart? Have you ever owned before God "Behold, I am
vile"? Do you bear witness to the humbling fact before your brethren
and sisters in Christ? It is comparatively easy to utter such words,
but do you feel them? Does the realization of this truth make you
"blush" (Ezra 9:6) and groan in secret? Have you such a person and
painful sense of your vileness that often, you feel thoroughly unfit
to draw nigh unto a holy God? If so:
1. You have abundant cause to be thankful to God that his Holy Spirit
has shown you something of your wretched self, that He has not kept
you in ignorance of your woeful state, that He has not left you in
that gross spiritual darkness that enshrouds millions of professing
Christians. Ah my stricken brother, if you are groaning over the ocean
of corruption within, an feel utterly unworthy to take the sacred name
of Christ upon your polluted lips, then you should be unfeignedly
thankful that you belong not to that great multitude of
self-complacent and self-righteous religionists of whom it is written,
"They were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore
shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation
they shall be cast down" (Jer. 8:12). Much cause have you to praise
the God of all grace that He anointed your sin-blinded eyes, and that
now, in His sight, you are able to see a little of your hideous
deformities, and cry "I am black" (Song of Sol. 1:5).
2. You have abundant cause to walk softly before God. Must not the
realization of our vileness truly humble us before Him, make us smite
upon our breast, and cry "God be merciful to me, the sinner!" Yes,
such a prayer is as suited to the mature saint as it was when first
convicted of his lost estate, for he is to continue as he began:
Colossians 2:6, Revelation 2:5. But alas, how quickly does the
apprehension of our vileness leave us! How frequently does pride again
dominate us. For this reason we are bidden to, "Look unto the rock
whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged"
(Isa. 5 1:1). Beg God to daily show you your vileness that you may
walk humbly before Him.
3. You have abundant cause to marvel at the surpassing love of the
Triune God towards you. That the Eternal Three should have set Their
heart upon such a wretch is indeed the wonder of all wonders. That God
the Father should foreknow and foresee every sin of which you would be
guilty in thought and word and deed, and yet have loved thee "with an
everlasting love" must indeed fill you with astonishment. That God the
Son should have laid aside the robes of His glory and be made in the
likeness of sin's flesh, in order to redeem one so foul and filthy as
me, was truly a love "that passeth knowledge." That God the Holy
Spirit should take up His residence and dwell in the heart of one so
vile, only proves that where sin abounded grace did much more abound.
"Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood;
and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father: to Him be
glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen" (Rev. 1:5, 6).
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What Ought to be Our Attitude
Toward the Sovereignty of God?
_________________________________________________________________
It has been well said that "true worship is based upon recognized
greatness, and greatness is superlatively seen in Sovereignty, and at
no other footstool will men really worship." In the presence of the
Divine King upon His throne even the seraphim 'veil their faces.'
Divine sovereignty is not the sovereignty of a tyrannical Despot, but
the exercised pleasure of One who is infinitely wise and good! Because
God is infinitely wise He cannot err, and because He is infinitely
righteous He will not do wrong. Here then is the preciousness of this
truth. The mere fact itself that God's will is irresistible and
irreversible fills me with fear, but once I realize that God wills
only that which is good. My heart is made to rejoice. Here then is the
final answer to the question (concerning our attitude toward God's
sovereignty)--What ought to be our attitude toward the sovereignty of
God? The becoming attitude for us to take is that of godly fear,
implicit obedience, and unreserved resignation and submission. But not
only so: the recognition of the sovereignty of God, and the
realization that the Sovereign Himself is my Father, ought to
overwhelm the heart and cause me to bow before Him in adoring worship.
At all times I must say, "Even so, Father, for so it seemeth good in
Thy sight."
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Worship
_________________________________________________________________
One of the most solemn and soul-destroying fallacies of the day is
that unregenerate souls are capable of worshipping God. Probably one
chief reason why this error has gained so much ground is because of
the wide-spread ignorance which obtains concerning the...
Real Nature of True Worship
People imagine that if they attend a religious service, are reverent
in their demeanor, join in the singing of the hymns, listen
respectfully to the preacher, and contribute to the collection, they
have really worshipped God. Poor deluded souls, a delusion which is
helped forward by the priest-craft and preacher-graft of the day. Over
against this delusion are the words of Christ in John 4:24, which are
startling in their plainness and pungency: "God is Spirit: and they
that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth."
Vanity of False Worship
"Well hath Isaiah prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This
people honoureth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.
Howbeit in vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the
commandments of men" (Mark 7:6, 7). These solemn words were spoken by
the Lord Jesus to the scribes and Pharisees. They had come to Him with
the complaint that His disciples did not conform to their traditions
and practices in connection with ceremonial washings and cleansings.
In His reply, Christ exposed the worthlessness of their religion...
These scribes and Pharisees were raising the question of the
ceremonial "washing of hands," while their hearts, remained filthy
before God. Ah, dear reader, the traditions of the elders may be
diligently attended to, their religious ordinances strictly observed,
their doctrines devoutly upheld, and yet the conscience had never been
searched in the presence of God as to the question of sin. The fact is
that religion is one of the greatest hindrances against the truth of
God blessing men's souls.
God's truth addresses us on the ground that God and man are as far
apart as sin is from holiness: therefore his first great need is
cleansing and reconciliation. But "religion" proceeds on the
assumption that depraved and guilty men may have dealings with God,
may approach unto Him, yea, worship and serve Him. The world over,
human religion is based on the fallacy that fallen and sinful man can
have dealings with God. Religion is the principal means used by Satan
to blind men to their true and terrible condition. It is the devil's
anesthetic for making lost sinners feel comfortable and easy in their
guilty distance from God. It hides God from them in His real
character--as a holy God who is of "purer eyes than to behold evil,
and canst not look on iniquity" (Hab. 1:13).
A flood of light is thrown upon this side of our subject if we weigh
attentively the awful incident recorded in Matthew 4:8,9. "Again, the
devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him
all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto
Him, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and
worship me." The devil seeks worship. How few in Christendom are aware
of this, or realize that the principal activities of the enemy are
carried on in the religious sphere!
Listen to the testimony of Deuteronomy 32:17--"They sacrificed unto
demons, not to God; to gods whom they knew not." That refers to Israel
in the early days of their apostasy. Listen again to 1 Corinthians
10:20, "But I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they
sacrifice to devils & demons, and not to God." What light does that
cast on the idolatries and abominations of heathendom! Listen again to
2 Corinthians 4:4, "In whom the god of this world bath blinded the
minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel
of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." This
means that Satan is the inspirer and director of the world's religion.
Yes, he seeks worship, and is the chief promoter of all false worship.
The Exclusiveness of True Worship
"God is Spirit; and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit
and in truth" (John 4:24). This "must" is final; there is no
alternative, no choice in the matter. It is not the first time that we
have this very emphatic word in John's Gospel. There are two notable
verses where it occurs previously. "Marvel not that I said unto thee,
Ye must be born again" (John 3:7). "As Moses lifted up the serpent in
the wilderness, even so must the son of man be lifted up" (John 3:14).
Each of these three "musts" is equally important and unequivocal. The
first has reference to God the Spirit, for He it is who regenerates.
The second refers to the work of God the Son, for He it is who made
atonement for sin. The third has reference to God the Father, for He
it is that seeketh worshippers (John 4:23). This order cannot be
changed; it is only those who have been born of the Spirit, and who
are resting upon the atoning work of Christ, that can worship the
Father.
To quote again the words of Christ to the religionists in His day,
"This people honoureth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from
Me. Howbeit in vain do they worship Me." Ah, my reader the worldling
may be a generous philanthropist, a sincere religionist, a zealous
denominationalist, a devout churchman, a regular communicant, yet is
he no more capable of worshipping God than a dumb man is of singing.
Cain tried it, and failed. He was not irreligious, He "brought of the
fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord" (Gen. 4:3). But "unto
Cain and his offering He had not respect. Why? Because he refused to
own his undone condition and his need of an atoning sacrifice.
In order to worship God, God must be known: and He cannot be known
apart from Christ. Much may be predicated and believed about a
theoretical or a theological "God", but He cannot be known apart from
the Lord Jesus. Said he, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no
man cometh unto the Father but by me" (John 14:6). Therefore it is a
sinful make-believe, a fatal delusion, a wicked farce, to cause
unregenerate people to imagine that they can worship God. While the
sinner remains away from Christ, he is the "enemy" of God, a child of
wrath. How then can he worship God? While he remains in his
unregenerate state he is "dead in trespasses and sins"; How then can
he worship God.
What has just been said above is almost universally repudiated today,
and repudiated in the name of Religion. And, we repeat, religion is
the principal instrument used by the devil in deceiving souls, for it
insists--whether it be the "Buddhist religion," or the "Christian
religion"--that man, yet in his sins, can have dealings with and
approach unto the thrice holy God. To deny this is to stir up the
enmity and call down upon one so doing the opposition of all mere
religionists. Yes, it was that very thing which brought down upon
Christ the merciless hatred of the religionists of His day. He refuted
their claims, exposed their hypocrisy, and so incurred their wrath.
To the "chief priests and the elders of the people" (Matthew 21:23),
Christ said, "The publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of God
before you" (Matthew 21:31), and at the close of his discourse it is
added, "They sought to lay hands on Him" (v. 46). They attended to
outward things, but their inward state was neglected. And why was it
that the "publicans and harlots" entered the kingdom of God before
them? Because no religious pretentions stood in their way; they had no
self-righteous profession to maintain at all costs, no pious
reputation to keep up. Under the preaching of the Word they were
convicted of their lost condition, so took their true place before God
and were saved. Only such can be worshippers.
The Nature of True Worship
"God is Spirit; and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit
and in truth." To worship "in spirit" stands contrasted from the
fleshly rites and imposing ceremonies of Judaism. To worship "in
truth" stands opposed to the superstitions and idolatrous delusions of
the heathen. To worship God "in spirit and in truth" means in a manner
suited to the full and final revelation which God has now made of
Himself in Christ. It means to worship spiritually and truly. It means
giving to Him the homage of an enlightened understanding and the love
of a regenerated heart.
To worship "in spirit and in truth" stands opposed to a carnal worship
which is external and spectacular. It bars out all worshipping of God
with the senses. We cannot worship Him who is "Spirit" by gazing on
ornate architecture and stained glass windows, by listening to the
peals of a costly organ, by smelling sweet incense or "telling" of
beads. We cannot worship God with our eyes and ears, or nose and
hands, for they are "flesh" not "spirit." "Must worship in spirit and
in truth" excludes everything that is of the natural man.
To worship "in spirit and in truth" bars out all social worship. The
soul is the seat of the emotions, and very much of the so-called
worship of present-day Christendom is only social. Touching anecdotes,
stirring appeals, thrilling oratory of a religious character, are all
calculated to produce this very thing. Beautiful anthems by a
well-trained choir, rendered in such a way as to move to tears or to
ecstasies of joy may stir the soul, but will not and cannot affect the
inner man.
True worship is the adoration of a redeemed people, occupied with God
Himself The unregenerate look upon "worship" as an obeisance which God
exacts from them, and which gives them no joy as they seek to proffer
it. Far different is it with those who have been born from above and
redeemed with precious blood. The first time the word "redeemed"
occurs in Scripture is in Exodus 15, and it is there also, for the
first time, we behold a people "singing," worshipping, adoring God
Himself. There, on the far shores of the Red Sea, that Nation which
had been brought out from the house of bondage and delivered from all
their enemies united in praising Jehovah.
"Worship" is the new nature in the believer stirred into activity,
turning to its Divine and heavenly Source. It is that which is
"spirit" (John 3:6) turning to Him who is "Spirit". It is that which
is the "workmanship" of Christ (Eph. 2:10) turning to Him who
re-created us. It is the children spontaneously and gratefully turning
in love to their Father. It is the new heart crying out, "Thanks be to
unto God for His unspeakable Gift" (2 Cor. 9:15). It is sinners,
cleansed by blood, exclaiming "Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in
the heavenlies in Christ" (Eph. 1:3). That is worship; assured of our
acceptance in the Beloved, adoring God for what He has made Christ to
be unto us, and what He has made us to be in Christ.
It is worthy of our closest attention to observe that the only time
the Lord Jesus ever spoke on the subject of Worship was in John 4.
Both Matthew 4:9 and Mark 7:6,7, were quotations from the Old
Testament. It should indeed stir our hearts to discover that the sole
occasion when Christ made any direct and personal observations on
worship was when He was speaking, not to a religious man like
Nicodemus, nor even to His apostles, but to a woman, an adulteress, a
Samaritan--a semi-heathen! Truly God's ways are different from ours.
To that poor woman our blessed Lord declared, "The hour cometh, and
now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit
and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship Him" (John 4:23).
And how did the Father "seek" worshippers? Does not the whole of the
context supply the answer? At the beginning of the chapter the Son of
God is seen taking a journey (vv. 3, 4). His object was to seek out
one of His lost sheep, to reveal Himself to a soul that knew Him not,
to wean her from the lusts of the flesh, and fill her heart with His
satisfying grace; and this, in order that she might meet the longings
of Divine love and give in return that praise and adoration which only
a saved sinner can give.
Who can fail to see in the journey which He took to Sychar's well in
order to meet that desolate soul and win her to Himself, that we have
a most blessed adumbration of that still greater journey which God's
Son took--leaving heaven's peace and bliss and light, coming down to
this world of strife and darkness and wretchedness. He came here
seeking sinners, not only to save them from sin and death but to give
them to drink in and enjoy the love of God as no angel can enjoy it;
that from hearts overflowing with the consciousness of their
indebtedness to the Saviour and His dear Son for them, they, realizing
and accepting His superiative excellency, might pour forth unto Him
the sweet incense of praise. That is worship, and the remembrance of
God's seeking love and Christ's redeeming blood are the springs of it.
One of the most blessed and beautiful examples recorded in the New
Testament of what worship is, is found in John 12:2, 3. "There they
made Him a supper, and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that
sat at the table with Him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of
spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His
feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the odour of the
ointment." As another has said, "She came not to hear a sermon, though
the Prince of preachers was there. To sit at His feet and hear His
word was not now her object, blessed as that was in its proper place.
She came not to meet the saints though precious saints were there; but
fellowship with them, though blessed, was not now her object. She came
not, after a week's toil, for refreshment; though none knew better the
blessed springs of refreshment which are in Him. No, she came to pour
out upon Him that which she had long treasured up, which was the most
valuable of all her earthly possessions. She thought not of Simon the
leper, sitting there a cleansed man; she passed by the apostles; so,
too, Martha and Lazarus, her sister and brother in the flesh and in
Christ. The Lord Jesus filled her thoughts: He had won her heart and
now absorbed all her affections. She had eyes for no one but Him.
Adoration and homage were now her one thought to pour out her heart's
devotion before Him." That is worship.
The subject of worship is most important, yet it is one upon which
many have but the haziest ideas. We read in Matthew 2, that the wise
men" were laden with treasures" to present to Christ (v. 11). They
brought to Him rich "gifts." That is what worship is. It is not a
coming to receive from Him, but to render unto Him. It is the pouring
out of the heart's adoration. O that we may bring to the Saviour "gold
and frankincense and myrrh," i.e. adoring Him because of His Divine
glory, His moral perfections, His fragrant death.
The object of worship is God: and the inspirer of worship is God. Only
that can satisfy God which He has Himself produced. "Lord.. .Thou also
hast wrought all our works in us" (Isa. 26:12). It is only as the Lamb
is exalted in the power of the Spirit that saints are made to cry, "My
soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my
Saviour" (Luke 1:46,47). The general and conspicuous absence of that
worship which is "in the spirit and in truth" is due to an order of
things over which the Spirit of God does not preside, where the world,
the flesh and the devil have free play. But even in circles where
worldliness, in its grosser forms at least, is not tolerated, and
where outward orthodoxy is still preserved, there is, almost always, a
noticeable absence of that unction, that freedom, that joyousness,
which are inseparable from the spirit of true worship. Why is this?
Why is it that in numbers of churches, meeting houses, Brethren
assemblies, where the letter of God's Word is ministered, that we now
so rarely find those overflowings of heart, those spontaneous
outbursts of adoration, that "sacrifice of praise" which should ever
be found among God's people? Ah, is the answer hard to find? It is
because there is a grieved spirit in the midst. This, my brethren, is
the reason why there is so little living, refreshing,
worship-producing ministry of Christ today.
Hindrances to Worship
What is worship? Praise? Yea, more; it is the adoration flowing forth
from a heart which is fully assured of the excellency of Him before
whom it bows, expressing its profoundest gratitude for His unspeakable
Gift. There it is at once apparent that the first hindrance to worship
in a child of God is lack of assurance. Whilst I entertain doubts as
to my acceptance in Christ, as long as I remain in a state of
uncertainty as to whether my sins were atoned for at Calvary, I
cannot, really, praise and adore Him for His death for me; I cannot
actually say, "my Beloved is mine, and I am His." It is one of the
favorite devices of the enemy to keep Christians in the "Slough of
Despond," his object being that Christ should not receive from them
the homage of their hearts...
Another great hindrance to worship is failure to judge ourselves by
the Holy Word of God. The priests of Israel did not remain at the
brazen alter in the outer court of the tabernacle. It needs to be
pointed out that before they passed into the holy place, there to burn
incense, they were required to wash at the laver. Approach unto the
laver of brass speaks of the believer's unsparing judgment of and upon
himself (cf. 1 Cor. 11:31). The using of its water points to the
application of the Word to all our works and ways.
Now just as the sons of Aaron were required under pain of death (Ex.
30:20) to wash at the laver before they entered the holy place to burn
incense, so must the Christian today have the defilements of the way
removed before he can suitably approach unto God as a worshipper.
Failure at this point brings in death, that is, I remain under the
contaminating power of dead things. The defilements of the way are the
result of my passing through a world which is "alienated from the life
of God" (Eph 4:18). If these are not removed, then I continue under
the power of death in a spiritual way, and worship becomes impossible.
This is brought out fully in John 13 where the Lord said to Peter, "If
I wash thee not, thou hast no part with Me." How many Christians there
are who, through failure to place their feet in the hands of Christ
for cleansing, are hindered from exercising their priestly functions
and privileges.
One other fatal hindrance to worship needs to be mentioned, and that
is worldliness, which means the things of the world obtaining a place
in the Christian's affections, his ways becoming "conformed to this
world" (Rom. 12:2). A solemn example of this is found in the history
of Abraham. When God called him to leave Chaldea and go into Canaan,
he compromised: he went only as far as Haran (Gen. 11:31; Acts 7:4)
and settled down there. Haran was Half-way House, the wilderness lying
between it and the borders of Canaan. Later Abraham fully responded to
God's call and entered Canaan, and there "he builded an altar [which
speaks of worship] unto the Lord" (Gen. 12:7). But there is no mention
of his building any "altar" during the years he dwelt in Haran! O how
many children of God today are compromising, dwelling at Half-way
House, and in consequence they are not worshippers. O that the Spirit
of God may so work upon and within all of us that the language of our
lives, as well as that of our hearts and lips, may be "Worthy is the
Lamb"--worthy of whole-hearted consecration, worthy of unstinted
devotion, worthy of that love which is manifested by keeping His
commandments, worthy of real worship May it be so for His name's sake.
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Comfort for Christians by Arthur Pink
Introduction
The work unto which the servant of Christ is called is many-sided. Not
only is he to preach the Gospel to the unsaved, to feed God's people
with knowledge and understanding (Jer. 3:15), and to take up the
stumbling stone out of their way (Isa. 57:14), but he is also charged
to "cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show
My people their transgression" (Isa. 58:1 and cf. 1 Tim. 4:2). While
another important part of his commission is stated in, "Comfort ye, My
people, said your God" (Isa. 40:1).
What an honorable title, "My people!" What an assuring relationship:
"your God!" What a pleasant task: "comfort ye My people!" A threefold
reason may be suggested for the duplicating of the charge. First,
because sometimes the souls of believers refuse to be comforted (Ps.
77:2), and the consolation needs to be repeated. Second, to press this
duty the more emphatically upon the preacher's heart, that he need not
be sparing in administering cheer. Third, to assure us how heartily
desirous God himself is that His people should be of good cheer (Phil.
4:4).
God has a "people," the objects of His special favour: a company whom
He has taken into such intimate relationship unto Himself that He
calls them "My people." Often they are disconsolate: because of their
natural corruption's, the temptations of Satan, the cruel treatment of
the world, the low state of Christ's cause upon earth. The "God of all
comfort" (2 Cor. 1:3) is very tender of them, and it is His revealed
will that His servants should bind up the broken-hearted and pour the
balm of Gilead into their wounds. What cause have we to exclaim "Who
is a God like unto Thee!" (Micah 7:18), who has provided for the
comfort of those who were rebels against His government and
transgressors of His Law.
May it please Him to use His Word as expounded in this book to speak
peace to afflicted souls today, and the glory shall be His alone.
--A. W. Pink, 1952
Contents Intro 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
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Comfort for Christians by Arthur Pink
Chapter 1
No Condemnation
_________________________________________________________________
"There is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus"
Romans 8:1
_________________________________________________________________
"There is therefore now no condemnation." The eighth chapter of the
epistle to the Romans concludes the first section of that wonderful
epistle. Its opening word "Therefore" ("There is" is in italics,
because supplied by the translators) may be viewed in a twofold way.
First, it connects with all that has been said from 3:21. An inference
is now deduced from the whole of the preceding discussion, an
inference which was, in fact, the grand conclusion toward which the
apostle had been aiming throughout the entire argument. Because Christ
has been set forth "a propitiation through faith in His blood" (3:25);
because He was "delivered for our offences and raised again for our
justification" (4:25); because by the obedience of the One the many
(believers of all ages) are "made righteous," constituted so, legally,
(5:19); because believers have "died (judicially) to sin" (6:2);
because they have "died" to the condemning power of the law (7:4),
there is "therefore now NO CONDEMNATION."
But not only is the "therefore" to be viewed as a conclusion drawn
from the whole of the previous discussion, it is also to be considered
as having a close relation to what immediately precedes. In the second
half of Romans 7 the apostle had described the painful and ceaseless
conflict which is waged between the antagonistic natures in the one
who has been born again, illustrating this by a reference to his own
personal experiences as a Christian. Having portrayed with a master
pen (himself sitting for the picture) the spiritual struggles of the
child of God, the apostle now proceeds to direct attention to the
Divine consolation for a condition so distressing and humiliating. The
transition from the despondent tone of the seventh chapter to the
triumphant language of the eighth appears startling and abrupt, yet is
quite logical and natural. If it is true that to the saints of God
belongs the conflict of sin and death, under whose effect they mourn,
equally true is it that their deliverance from the curse and the
corresponding condemnation is a victory in which they rejoice. A very
striking contrast is thus pointed. In the second half of Romans 7 the
apostle treats the power of sin, which operates in believers as long
as they are in the world; in the opening verses of chapter eight, he
speaks of the guilt of sin from which they are completely delivered
the moment they are united to the Saviour by faith. Hence in 7:24 the
apostle asks "Who shall deliver me" from the power of sin, but in 8:2
he says, "hath made me free," i.e. hath delivered me, from the guilt
of sin.
"There is therefore now no condemnation." It is not here a question of
our heart condemning us (as in 1 John 3:21), nor of us finding nothing
within which is worthy of condemnation; instead, it is the far more
blessed fact that God condemns not the one who has trusted in Christ
to the saving of his soul. We need to distinguish sharply between
subjective and objective truth; between that which is judicial and
that which is experimental; otherwise, we shall fail to draw form such
Scriptures as the one now before us the comfort and peace they are
designed to convey. There is no condemnation to them who are in Christ
Jesus. "In Christ" is the believer's position before God, not his
condition in the flesh. "In Adam" I was condemned (Rom. 5:12); but "in
Christ" is to be forever freed from all condemnation.
"There is therefore now no condemnation." The qualifying "now" implies
there was a time when Christians, before they believed, were under
condemnation. This was before they died with Christ, died judicially
(Gal. 2:20) to the penalty of God's righteous law. This "now," then,
distinguishes between two states or conditions. By nature we were
"under the (sentence of) law," but now believers are "under grace"
(Rom. 6:14). By nature we were "children of wrath" (Eph. 2:2), but now
we are "accepted in the Beloved" (Eph. 1:6). Under the first covenant
we were "in Adam" (1 Cor. 15:22), but now we are "in Christ" (Rom.
8:1). As believers in Christ we have everlasting life, and because of
this we "shall not come into condemnation."
Condemnation is a word of tremendous import, and the better we
understand it the more shall we appreciate the wondrous grace that has
delivered us from its power. In the halls of a human court this is a
term which falls with fearful knell upon the ear of the convicted
criminal and fills the spectators with sadness and horror. But in the
court of Divine Justice it is vested with a meaning and content
infinitely more solemn and awe-inspiring. To that Court every member
of Adam's fallen race is cited. "Conceived in sin, shapen in iniquity"
each one enters this world under arrest - an indicted criminal, a
rebel manacled. How, then, is it possible for such a one to escape the
execution of the dread sentence? There was only one way, and that was
by the removal from us of that which called forth the sentence, namely
sin. Let guilt be removed and there can be "no condemnation."
Has guilt been removed, removed, we mean, from the sinner who
believes? Let the Scriptures answer: "As far as the east is from the
west so far hath he removed our transgressions from us" (Ps. 103:12).
"I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions" (Isa. 43:25).
"Thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back" (Isa. 38:17). "Their sins
and iniquities will I remember no more" (Heb. 10:17).
But how could guilt be removed? Only by it being transferred. Divine
holiness could not ignore it; but Divine grace could and did transfer
it. The sins of believers were transferred to Christ: "The Lord hath
laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isa 53:6). "For he hath made him
to be sin for us" (2 Cor. 5:21).
"There is therefore no condemnation." The "no" is emphatic. It
signifies there is no condemnation whatsoever. No condemnation from
the law, or on account of inward corruption, or because Satan can
substantiate a charge against me; there is none from any source or for
any cause at all. "No condemnation" means that none at all is
possible; that none ever will be. There is no condemnation because
there is no accusation (see 8:33), and there can be no accusation
because there is no imputation of sin (see 4:8).
"There is therefore no condemnation to them which are in Christ
Jesus." When treating of the conflict between the two natures in the
believer the apostle had, in the previous chapter, spoken of himself
in his own person, in order to show that the highest attainments in
grace do no exempt from the internal warfare which he there describes.
But here in 8:1 the apostle changes the number. He does not say, There
is no condemnation to me, but "to them which are in Christ Jesus."
This was most gracious of the Holy Spirit. Had the apostle spoken here
in the singular number, we should have reasoned that such a blessed
exemption was well suited to this honored servant of God who enjoyed
such wondrous privileges; but could not apply to us. The Spirit of
God, therefore, moved the apostle to employ the plural number here, to
show that "no condemnation" is true of all in Christ Jesus.
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ
Jesus." To be in Christ Jesus is to be perfectly identified with Him
in the judicial reckoning and dealings of God: and it is also to be
one with Him as vitally united by faith. Immunity from condemnation
does not depend in any-wise upon our "walk," but solely on our being
"in Christ." "The believer is in Christ as Noah was enclosed within
the ark, with the heavens darkening above him, and the waters heaving
beneath him, yet not a drop of the flood penetrating his vessel, not a
blast of the storm disturbing the serenity of his spirit. The believer
is in Christ as Jacob was in the garment of the elder brother when
Isaac kissed and blessed him. He is in Christ as the poor homicide was
within the city of refuge when pursued by the avenger of blood, but
who could not overtake and slay him" (Dr. Winslow, 1857). And because
he is "in Christ" there is, therefore, no condemnation for him.
Hallelujah!
Contents Intro 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
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Comfort for Christians by Arthur Pink
Chapter 2
The Christian's Assurance
_________________________________________________________________
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that
love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose."
Romans 8:28
_________________________________________________________________
How many of God's children have, through the centuries, drawn strength
and comfort from this blessed verse. In the midst of trials,
perplexities, and persecutions, this has been a rock beneath their
feet. Though to outward sight things seemed to work against their
good, though to carnal reason things appeared to be working for their
ill, nevertheless, faith knew it was for otherwise. And how great the
loss to those who failed to rest upon this inspired declaration: what
unnecessary fears and doubtings were the consequence.
"All things work together." The first thought occurring to us is this:
What a glorious Being our God be, who is able to make all things so
work! What a frightful amount of evil there is in constant activity.
What an almost infinite number of creatures there are in the world.
What an incalculable quantity of opposing self-interests at work. What
a vast army of rebels fighting against God. What hosts of super-human
creatures over opposing the Lord. And yet, high above all, is GOD, in
undisturbed calm, complete master of the situation. There, from the
throne of His exalted majesty, He worketh all things after the counsel
of His own will (Eph. 1:11). Stand in awe, then, before this One in
whose sight "all nations are as nothing; and they are counted as less
than nothing, and vanity " (Isa. 40:17). Bow in adoration before this
"high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity" (Isa. 57:15). Lift high
your praise unto Him who from the direct evil can educe the greatest
good.
"All things work." In nature there is no such thing as a vacuum,
neither is there a creature of God that fails to serve its designed
purpose. Nothing is idle. Everything is energized by God so as to
fulfill its intended mission. All things are laboring toward the grand
end of their Creator's pleasure: all are moved at His imperative
bidding.
"All things work together." They not only operate, they co-operate;
they all act in perfect concert, though none but the anointed ear can
catch the strains of their harmony. All things work together, not
simply but conjointly, as adjunct causes and mutual helps. That is why
afflictions seldom come solitary and alone. Cloud rises upon cloud:
storm upon storm. As with Job, one messenger of woe was quickly
succeeded by another, burdened with tidings of yet heavier sorrow.
Nevertheless, even here faith may trace both the wisdom and love of
God. It is the compounding of the ingredients in the recipe that
constitutes its beneficent value. So with God: His dispensations not
only "work," but they "work together." So recognized the sweet singer
of Israel--"He drew me out of many waters" (Psa. 18:16).
"All things work together for good to," etc. These words teach
believers that no matter what may be the number nor how overwhelming
the character of adverse circumstances, they are all contributing to
conduct them into the possession of the inheritance provided for them
in heaven. How wonderful is the providence of God in over-ruling
things most disorderly, and in turning to our good things which in
themselves are most pernicious! We marvel at His mighty power which
holds the heavenly bodies in their orbits; we wonder at the
continually recurring seasons and the renewal of the earth; but this
is not nearly so marvelous as His bringing good out of evil in all the
complicated occurrences of human life, and making even the power and
malice of Satan, with the naturally destructive tendency of his works,
to minister good for His children.
"All things work together for good." This must be so for three
reasons. First, because all things are under the absolute control of
the Governor of the universe. Second, because God desires our good,
and nothing but our good. Third, because even Satan himself cannot
touch a hair of our heads without God's permission, and then only for
our further good. Not all things are good in themselves, nor in their
tendencies; but God makes all things work for our good. Nothing enters
our life by blind chance: nor are they any accidents. Everything is
being moved by God, with this end in view, our good. Everything being
subservient to God's eternal purpose, works blessing to those marked
out for conformity to the image of the Firstborn. All suffering,
sorrow, loss, are used by our Father to minister to the benefit of the
His elect.
"To them that love God." This is the grand distinguishing feature of
every true Christian. The reverse marks all the unregenerate. But the
saints are those who love God. Their creeds may differ in minor
details; their ecclesiastical relations may vary in outward form;
their gifts and graces may be very unequal; yet, in this particular
there is an essential unity. They all believe in Christ, they all love
God. They love Him for the gift of the Saviour: they love Him as a
Father in whom they may confide: they love Him for His personal
excellencies - His holiness, wisdom, faithfulness. They love Him for
His conduct: for what He withholds an for what He grants: for what He
rebukes and for what He approves. They love Him even for the rod that
disciplines, knowing that He doth all things well. There is nothing in
God, and there is nothing from God, for which the saints do not love
Him. And of this they are all assured, "We love Him because He first
loved us."
"To them that love God." But, alas, how little I love God! I
sofrequently mourn my lack of love, and chide myself for the coldness
of my heart. Yes, there is so much love of self and love of the world,
that sometimes I seriously question if I have any real love for God at
all. but is not my very desire to love God a good symptom? Is not my
very grief that I love Him so little a sure evidence that I do not
hate Him? The presence of a hard and ungrateful heart has been mourned
over by the saints of all ages. "Love to God is a heavenly aspiration,
that is ever kept in check by the drag and restraint of an earthly
nature; and from which we shall not be unbound till the soul has made
its escape from the vile body, and cleared its unfettered way to the
realm of light and liberty" (Dr. Chalmers).
"Who are called." The word "called" is never, in the New Testament
Epistles, applied to those who are the recipients of a mere external
invitation of the Gospel. The term always signifies an inward and
effectual call. It was a call over which we had no control, either in
originating or frustrating it. So in Romans 1:6,7 and many other
passages: "Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: to all
that be in Rome, beloved of God, called saints." Has this call reached
you, my reader? Ministers have called you: the Gospel has called you,
conscience has called you: but has the Holy Spirit called you with an
inward and irresistible call? Have you been spiritually called from
darkness to light, from death to life, from the world to Christ, from
self to God? It is a matter of the greatest moment that you should
know whether you have been truly called of God. Has, then, the
thrilling, life-giving music of that call sounded and reverberated
through all the chambers of your soul? But how may I be sure that I
have received such a call? There is one thing right here in our text
which should enable you to ascertain. They who have been efficaciously
called, love God. Instead of hating Him, they now esteem Him; instead
of fleeing from Him in terror, they now seek Him; instead of caring
not whether their conduct honored Him; their deepest desire now is to
please and glorify Him.
"According to His purpose." The call is not according to the merits of
men, but according to the Divine purpose: "Who hath saved us, and
called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to this own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ
Jesus before the world began" (2 Tim. 1:9). The design of the Holy
Spirit in bringing in this last clause is to show that the reason some
men love God and others do not is to be attributed solely to the mere
sovereignty of God: it is not for anything in themselves, but due
alone to His distinguishing grace.
There is also a practical value in this last clause. The doctrines of
grace are intended for a further purpose than that of making up a
creed. One main design of them is to move the affections; and more
especially to reawaken that affection to which the heart oppressed
with fears, or weighed down with cares, is wholly insufficient--even
the love of God. That this love may flow perennially from our hearts,
there must be a constant recurring to that which inspired it and which
is calculated to increase it; just as to rekindle your admiration of a
beautiful scene or picture, you would return again to gaze upon it. It
is on this principle that so much stress is laid in Scripture on
keeping the truths which we believe in memory: "By which also ye are
saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you" (1 Cor. 15:2).
"I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance," said the apostle (2
Pet. 3:1). "Do this in remembrance of me" said the Saviour. It is,
then, by going back in memory to that hour when, despite our
wretchedness and utter unworthiness, God called us, that our affection
will be kept fresh. It is by recalling the wondrous grace that then
reached out to a hell-deserving sinner and snatched you as a brand
from the burning, that your heart will be drawn out in adoring
gratitude. And it is by discovering this was due alone to the
sovereign and eternal "purpose" of God that you were called when so
many others are passed by, that your love for Him will be deepened.
Returning to the opening words of our text, we find the apostle (as
voicing the normal experience of the saints) declares, "We know that
all things work together for good." It is something more than a
speculative belief. That all things work together for good is even
more than a fervent desire. It is not that we merely hope that all
things will so work, but that we are fully assured all things do so
work. The knowledge here spoken of is spiritual, not intellectual. It
is a knowledge rooted in our hearts, which produces confidence in the
truth of it. It is the knowledge of faith, which receives everything
from the benevolent hand of Infinite Wisdom. It is true that we do not
derive much comfort from this knowledge when out of fellowship with
God. Nor will it sustain us when faith is not in operation. But when
we are in communion with the Lord, when in our weakness we do lean
hard upon Him, then is this blessed assurance ours: "Thou wilt keep
him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he
trusteth in Thee" (Isa. 26:3).
A striking exemplification of our text is supplied by the history of
Jacob--one whom in several respects each of us closely resembles.
Heavy and dark was the cloud which settled upon him. Severe was the
test, and fearful the trembling of his faith. His feet were almost
gone. Hear his mournful plaint: "And Jacob their father said unto
them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is
not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me"
(Gen. 42:36). And yet those circumstances, which to the dim eye of his
faith wore a hue so somber, were at that very moment developing and
perfecting the events which were to shed around the evening of his
life the halo of a glorious and cloudless sunset. All things were
working together for his good! And so, troubled soul, the "much
tribulation" will soon be over, and as you enter the "kingdom of God"
you shall then see, no longer "through a glass darkly" but in the
unshadowed sunlight of the Divine presence, that "all things" did
"work together" for your personal and eternal good.
Contents Intro 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
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Comfort for Christians by Arthur Pink
Chapter 3
Sufferings Compensated
_________________________________________________________________
"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not
worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us"
Romans 8:18
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Ah, says someone, that must have been written by a man who was a
stranger to suffering, or by one acquainted with nothing more trying
than the milder irritations of life. Not so. These words were penned
under the direction of the Holy Spirit, and by one who drank deeply of
sorrow's cup, yea, by one who suffered afflictions in their acutest
forms. Hear his own testimony: "Of the Jews five times received I
forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I
stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in
the deep; in journeyings often, in perils of robbers, in perils of
mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city,
in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among
false brethren; in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in
hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness" (2 Cor.
11:24-27).
"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy
to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." This,
then was the settled conviction not of one of "fortune's favorites,"
not of one who found life's journey a carpeted pathway, bordered with
roses, but, instead, of one who was hated by his kinsmen, who was
oft-times beaten black and blue, who knew what it was to be deprived
not only of the comforts but the bare necessities of life. How, then
shall we account for his cheery optimism? What was the secret of his
elevation over his troubles and trials?
The first thing with which the sorely-tried apostle comforted himself
was that the sufferings of the Christian are but of brief
duration--they are limited to "this present time." This is in sharp
and solemn contrast from the sufferings of the Christ-rejector. His
sufferings will be eternal: forever tormented in the Lake of Fire. But
far different is it for the believer. His sufferings are restricted to
this life on earth, which is compared to a flower that cometh forth
and is cut down, to a shadow that fleeth and continueth not. A few
short years at most, and we shall pass from this vale of tears into
that blissful country where groans and sighs are never heard.
Second, the apostle looked forward with the eye of faith to "the
glory." To Paul "the glory" was something more than a beautiful dream.
It was a practical reality, exerting a powerful influence upon him,
consoling him in the warmest and most trying hours of adversity. This
is one of the real tests of faith. The Christian has a solid support
in the time of affliction, when the unbeliever has not. The child of
God knows that in his Father's presence there is "fullness of joy,"
and that at His right hand there are "pleasures forever more." And
faith lays hold of them, appropriates them, and lives in the
comforting cheer of them even now. Just as Israel in the wilderness
were encouraged by a sight of what awaited them in the promised land
(Num. 13:23,26), so, the one who today walks by faith, and not by
sight, contemplates that which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, but
which God by His Holy Spirit hath revealed unto us (1 Cor. 2:9,10).
Third, the apostle rejoiced in "the glory which should be revealed in
us." All that this means we are not yet capable of understanding. But
more than a hint has been vouchsafed us. There will be:
1. The "glory" of a perfect body. In that day this corruption shall
have put on incorruption, and this mortal, immortality. That which was
sown in dishonor shall be raised in glory, and that which was sown in
weakness shall be raised in power. As we have borne the image of the
earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly (1 Cor. 15:49).
The content of these expressions is summarized and amplified in Phil.
3:20,21: "For our conservation is in heaven: from whence also we look
for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile
body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according
to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto
Himself."
2. There will be the glory of a transformed mind. "For now we see
through a glass darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but
then shall I know even as also I am known" (1 Cor. 13:12). O what an
orb of intellectual light will be each glorified mind! What range of
light will it encompass! What capability of understanding will it
enjoy! Then will all mysteries be unraveled, all problems solved, all
discrepancies reconciled. Then shall each truth of God's revelation,
each event of His providence, each decision of His government, stand
yet more transparently clear and resplendent than the sun itself. Do
you, in your present quest for spiritual knowledge, mourn the darkness
of your mind, the weakness of your memory, the limitations of your
intellectual faculties? Then rejoice in hope of the glory that is to
be revealed in you--when all your intellectual powers shall be
renewed, developed, perfected, so that you shall know even as you are
known.
3. Best of all, there will be the glory of perfect holiness. God's
work of grace in us will then be completed. He has promised to
"perfect that which concerneth us" (Psa. 138:8). Then will be the
consummation of purity. We have been predestinated to be "conformed to
the image of His Son" (Rom. 8:29), and when we shall see Him, "we
shall be like him" (1 John 3:2). Then our minds will be no more
defiled by evil imaginations, our consciences no more sullied by a
sense of guilt, our affections no more ensnared by unworthy objects.
What a marvelous prospect is this! A "glory" to be revealed in me who
now can scarcely reflect a solitary ray of light! In me--so wayward,
so unworthy, so sinful; living so little in communion with Him who is
the Father of lights! Can it be that in me this glory shall be
revealed? So affirms the infallible Word of God. If I am a child of
light--through being "in Him" who is the effulgence of the Father's
glory--even though now dwelling amid the world's dark shades, one day
I shall outshine the brightness of the firmament. And when the Lord
Jesus returns to this earth. he shall "be admired in all them that
believe" (2 Thess. 1:10).
Finally, the apostle here weighed the "sufferings" of this present
time over against the "glory" which shall be revealed in us, and as he
did so he declared that the one is "not worthy to be compared" with
the other. The one is transient, the other eternal. As, then, there is
no proportion between the finite and the infinite, so there is no
comparison between the sufferings of earth and the glory of heaven.
One second of glory will outweigh a lifetime of suffering. What were
the years of toil, of sickness, of battling with poverty, of sorrow in
any or every form, when compared with the glory of Immanuel's land!
One draught of the river of pleasure at God's right hand, one breath
of Paradise, one hour amid the blood-washed around the throne, shall
more than compensate for all the tears and groans of earth. "For I
reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be
compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." May the Holy
Spirit enable both writer and reader to lay hold of this with
appropriating faith and live in the present possession and enjoyment
of it to the praise of the glory of Divine grace.
Contents Intro 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
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About Us
What's New
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Baptist History
Bible Study Courses
Eschatology Heretical Teachings
Theological Studies
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Time of Sorrow Links & Resources
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God and Truth
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Comfort for Christians by Arthur Pink
Chapter 4
The Great Giver
_________________________________________________________________
"He that spared not His own Son, but delivered
Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him
also freely give us all things?"
Romans 8:32
_________________________________________________________________
The above verse supplies us with an instance of Divine logic. It
contains a conclusion drawn from a premise; the premise is that God
delivered up Christ for all His people, therefore everything else that
is needed by them is sure to be given. There are many examples in Holy
Writ of such Divine logic. "If God so clothe the grass of the field,
which today is and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much
more clothe you?" (Matt. 6:3O). "If when we were enemies we were
reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being reconciled,
we shall be saved by his life" (Rom. 5:10). "If ye then being evil,
know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall
your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"
(Matt. 7:11). So here in our text the reasoning is irresistible and
goes straight to the understanding and heart.
Our text tells of the gracious character of our loving God as
interpreted by the gift of His Son. And this, not merely for the
instruction of our minds, but for the comfort and assurance of our
hearts. The gift of His own Son is God's guarantee to His people of
all needed blessings. The greater includes the less; His unspeakable
spiritual gift is the pledge of all needed temporal mercies. Note in
our text four things:
1. The Father's Costly Sacrifice.
This brings before us a side of the truth upon which I fear we rarely
meditate. We delight to think of the wondrous love of Christ, whose
love was stronger than death, and who deemed no suffering too great
for His people. But what must it have meant to the heart of the Father
when His Beloved left His Heavenly Home! God is love, and nothing is
so sensitive as love. I do not believe that Deity is emotionless, the
Stoic as represented by the Schoolmen of the middle ages. I believe
the sending forth of the Son was something which the heart of the
Father felt, that it was a real sacrifice on His part.
Weigh well then the solemn fact which premises the sure promise that
follows: God "spared not His own Son"! Expressive, profound, melting
words! Knowing full well, as He only could, all that redemption
involved--the Law rigid and unbending, insisting upon perfect
obedience and demanding death for its transgressors. Justice, stern
and inexorable, requiring full satisfaction, refusing to "clear the
guilty." Yet God did not withhold not the only suitable Sacrifice.
God "spared not His own Son," though knowing full well the humiliation
and ignominy of Bethlehem's manger, the ingratitude of men, the not
having where to lay His head, the hatred and opposition of the
ungodly, the enmity and bruising of Satan--yet He did not hesitate.
God did not relax ought of the holy requirements of His throne, nor
abate one whit of the awful curse. No, He "spared not His own Son."
The utmost farthing was exacted; the last dregs in the cup of wrath
must be drained. Even when His Beloved cried from the Garden, "if it
be possible, let this cup pass from Me," God "spared" Him not. Even
when vile hands had nailed Him to the tree, God cried "Awake, O sword,
against My Shepherd, and against the man that is My Fellow, saith the
Lord of Hosts; smite the Shepherd" (Zech. 13:7).
2. The Father's Gracious Design.
"But delivered him up for us all." Here we are told why the Father
made such a costly sacrifice; He spared not Christ, that He might
spare us! It was not want of love to the Saviour, but wondrous,
matchless, fathomless love for us! O marvel at the wondrous design of
the Most High. "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten
Son." Verily, such love passeth knowledge. Moreover, He made this
costly sacrifice not grudgingly or reluctantly, but freely out of
love.
Once God had said to rebellious Israel, "How shall I give thee up,
Ephraim?" (Hosea 11:8). Infinitely more cause had He to say this of
the Holy One, His well-beloved, the One in whom His soul daily
delighted. Yet, He "delivered Him up"--to shame and spitting, to
hatred and persecution, to suffering and death itself. And He
delivered Him up for us--descendants of rebellious Adam, depraved and
defiled, corrupt and sinful, vile and worthless! For us who had gone
into the "far country" of alienation from Him, and there spent our
substance in riotous living. Yes, "for us" who had gone astray like
sheep, each one turning to "his own way." For us "who were by nature
the children of wrath, even as others," in whom there dwelt no good
thing. For us who had rebelled against our Creator, hated His
holiness, despised His Word, broken His commandments, resisted His
Spirit. For us who richly deserved to be cast into the everlasting
burnings and receive those wages which our sins so fully earned.
Yes, for thee fellow Christian, who art sometimes tempted to interpret
your afflictions as tokens of God's hardness; who regard your poverty
as a mark of His neglect, and your seasons of darkness as evidences of
His desertion. O, confess to Him now the wickedness of such
dishonoring doubtings, and never again question the love of Him who
spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all.
Faithfulness demands that I should point out the qualifying pronoun in
our text. It is not God "delivered him up for all," but "for us all."
`This is definitely defined in the verses which immediately precede.
In v. 31 the question is asked, "If God be for us, who can be against
us?" In v. 30 this "us" is defined as those whom God did predestinate
and has "called" and "justified." The "us" are the high favorites of
heaven, the objects of sovereign grace. God's elect. And yet in
themselves they are, by nature and practice, deserving of nothing but
wrath. But yet, thank God, it is "us all" --the worst as well as the
best, the five-hundred-pounds-debtor equally as much as the
fifty-pence-debtor.
3. The Spirit's Blessed Inference.
Ponder well the glorious "conclusion" which the Spirit of God here
draws from the wondrous fact stated in the first part of our text, "He
that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how
shall he not with him also freely give us all things." How conclusive
and how comforting is the inspired reasoning of the apostle. Arguing
from the greater to the less, He proceeds to assure the believer of
God's readiness to also freely bestow all needed blessings. The gift
of His own Son, so ungrudgingly and unreservedly bestowed, is the
pledge of every other needed mercy.
Here is the unfailing guaranty and talisman of perpetual reassurance
to the drooping spirit of the tried believer. If God has done the
greater, will He leave the less undone? Infinite love can never
change. The love that spared not Christ cannot fail its objects nor
begrudge any needed blessings. The sad thing is that our hearts dwell
upon what we have not, instead of upon what we do have. Therefore the
Spirit of God would here still our restless thoughts and quiet the
ignorant discontent with a soul-satisfying knowledge of the truth; by
reminding us not only of the reality of our interest in the love of
God, but also of the extent of that blessing that flows from that
love.
Weigh well what is involved in the logic of this verse. First, the
great Gift was given unasked; will He not bestow others for the
asking? None of us supplicated God to send forth His Beloved; yet He
sent Him! Now, we may come to the throne of grace and there present
our requests in the virtuous and all-efficacious name of Christ.
Second, the one great Gift cost Him much; will He not then bestow the
lesser gifts which cost Him nothing save the delight of giving! If a
friend were to give me a valuable picture, would he begrudge the
necessary paper and string to wrap it in? Or if a loved one made me a
present of a precious jewel, would he refuse a little box to carry it
in? How much less will He who spared not His own Son, withhold any
good thing from them that walk uprightly.
Third, the one Gift was bestowed when we were enemies; will not then
God be gracious to us now that we have been reconciled and are His
friends? If He had designs of mercy for us while we were yet in our
sins, how much more will He regard us favorably now that we have been
cleansed from all sin by the precious blood of His Son!
4. The Comforting Promise.
Observe the tense that is used here. It is not "how has he not with
him also freely given us all things," though this is also true, for
even now are we "heirs of God" (Rom. 8:17). But our text goes further
than this: "How shall he not with Him also freely give us all things?"
The second half of this wondrous verse contains something more than a
record of the past; it supplies reassuring confidence both for the
present and for the future. No time-limits are to be set upon this
"shall." Both now in the present and forever and ever in the future
God shall manifest Himself as the great Giver. Nothing for His glory
and for our good will He withhold. The same God who delivered up
Christ for us all is "without variableness or shadow of turning" (Jas.
1:17).
Mark the manner in which God gives: "How shall he not with him also
freely give us all things?" God does not have to be coaxed; there is
no reluctance in Him for us to overcome. He is ever more willing to
give than we are to receive. Again; He is under no obligations to any;
if He were, He would bestow of necessity, instead of giving "freely."
Ever remember that He has a perfect right to do with His own as He
pleases. He is free to give to whom He wills.
The word "freely" not only signifies that God is under no constraint,
but also means that He makes no charge for His gifts, He places no
price on His blessings. God is no retailer of mercies or barterer of
good things; if He were, justice would require Him to charge exactly
what each blessing was worth, and then who among the children of Adam
could find the wherewithal? No, blessed be His name, God's gifts are
"without money and without price" (Isa. 55:1), unmerited and unearned.
Finally, rejoice over the comprehensiveness of this promise: "How
shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" The Holy Spirit
would here regale us with the extent of God's wondrous grant. What is
it you need, fellow Christian? Is it pardon? Then has He not said, "If
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9)? Is it grace?
Then has He not said, "God is able to make all grace abound toward
you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound
to every good work" (2 Cor. 9:8)? Is it a "thorn in the flesh"? this
too will be given "there was given to me a thorn in the flesh" (2 Cor.
12:7). Is it rest? Then heed the Saviour's invitation, "Come unto Me .
. . and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). Is it comfort? Is He not
the God of all comfort (2 Cor. 1:3)?
"How shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" Is it
temporal mercies that the reader is in need of? Are your circumstances
adverse so that you are filled with dismal forebodings? Does your
cruse of oil and barrel of meal look as though they will soon be quite
empty? Then spread your need before God, and do it in simple childlike
faith. Think you that He will bestow the greater blessings of grace
and deny the lesser ones of Providence? No, "My God shall supply all
your need" (Phil. 4:19). True, He has not promised to give all you
ask, for we often ask "amiss." Mark the qualifying clause: "How shall
he not with him also freely give us all things?" We often desire
things which would come in between us and Christ if they were granted,
therefore does God in His faithfulness withholds them.
Here then are four things which should bring comfort to every renewed
heart. (1) The Father's costly sacrifice. Our God is a giving God and
no good thing does He withhold from them that walk uprightly. (2) The
Father's gracious design. It was for us that Christ was delivered up;
it was our highest and eternal interests that He had at heart. (3) The
Spirit's infallible inference. The greater includes the less; the
unspeakable Gift guarantees the bestowment of all other needed favors.
(4) The comforting promise. Its sure foundation, its present and
future scope, its blessed extent, are for the assuring of our hearts
and the peace of our minds. May the Lord add His blessing to this
little meditation.
Contents Intro 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
____________________________________________________
About Us
What's New
Audio Works
Baptist History
Bible Study Courses
Eschatology Heretical Teachings
Theological Studies
TULIP
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Time of Sorrow Links & Resources
For the Cause of
God and Truth
Follow us on Twitter
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Comfort for Christians by Arthur Pink
Chapter 5
The Divine Rememberer
_________________________________________________________________
"Who remembered us in our low estate:
for His mercy endureth forever"
Psalm 136:23
_________________________________________________________________
"Who remembered us." This is in striking and blessed contrast from our
forgettings of Him. Like every other faculty of our beings, the memory
has been affected by the Fall and bears on it the marks of depravity.
This is seen from its power to retain what is worthless and the
difficulty encountered to hold fast that which is good. A foolish
nursery-rhyme or song heard in youth, is carried with us to the grave;
a helpful sermon is forgotten within twenty-four hours! But most
tragic and solemn of all is the ease with which we forget God and His
countless mercies. But, blessed be His name, God never forgets us. He
is the faithful Rememberer.
We were very much impressed when, on consulting the concordance, we
found that the first five times the word "remember" is used in
Scripture, in each case it is connected with God. "And God remembered
Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in
the ark" (Gen. 8:1). "And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will
look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God
and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth" (Gen.
9:16). "And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the
plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of
the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt"
(Gen. 19:29), etc. The first time it is used of man we read, "Yet did
not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him" (Gen. 40:23)!
The historical reference here is to the children of Israel, when they
were toiling amid the brick-kilns of Egypt. Truly they were in a "low
estate": a nation of slaves, groaning beneath the lash of merciless
task-masters, oppressed by a godless and heartless king. But when
there was none other eye to pity, Jehovah looked upon them and heard
their cries of distress. He "remembered" them in their low estate. And
why? Exodus 2:24,25 tells us: "And God heard their groaning, and God
remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And
God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto it."
Our text is not to be limited to the literal seed of Abraham: it has
reference to the whole "Israel of God" (Gal. 6:16). The saints of this
present Day of salvation also unite in saying, "Who remembered us in
our low estate." How "low" was our "estate" by nature! As fallen
creatures we lay in our misery and wretchedness, unable to deliver or
help ourselves. But, in wondrous grace, God took pity on us. His
strong arm reached down and rescued us. He came to where we lay, saw
us, and had compassion on us (Luke 10:33). Therefore can each
Christian say, "He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of
the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings"
(Psa. 40:2).
And why did He "remember" us? The very word "remember" tells of
previous thoughts of love and mercy towards us. As it was with the
children of Israel in Egypt, so it was with us in our ruined condition
by nature. He "remembered" His covenant, that covenant into which He
had entered with our Surety from everlasting. As we read in Titus 1:2
of eternal life "which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world
was. Promised to Christ, that He would give that eternal life to those
for whom our covenant Head should transact. Yes, God "remembered" that
He had "chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world" (Eph.
1:4), therefore did He, in due time, bring us from death unto life.
Yet this blessed word goes beyond our initial experience of God's
saving grace. Historically, our text refers not only to God
remembering His people while they were in Egypt, but also, as the
context shows, while they were in the Wilderness, on their way to the
Promised Land. Israel's experiences in the desert but foreshadow the
saints' walk through this hostile world. And Jehovah's "remembrance"
of them, manifested in the daily supply of their every need,
adumbrated the rich provisions of His grace for us while we journey to
our Home on High. Our present estate, here on earth, is but a lowly
one, for we do not now reign as kings. Yet, is our God ever mindful of
us, and hourly does He minister to us.
"Who remembered us in our low estate." Not always are we permitted to
dwell upon the mount. As in the natural world, so in our experiences.
Bright and sunny days give place to dark and cloudy ones: summer is
followed by winter. Disappointments, losses, afflictions, bereavements
came our way, and we were brought low. And ofttimes just when we
seemed to most need the comfort of friends, they failed us. Those we
counted on to help, forgot us. But, even then, there was One "who
remembered us" and showed Himself to be "the same yesterday and today
and forever," and then did we prove afresh that "His mercy endureth
forever" (1 Chron. 16:34)
"Who remembered us in our low estate." There are some who may read
these lines that will think of another application of these words:
namely, the time when you left your first love, when your heart grew
cold, and your life became worldly. When you were in a sadly
back-slidden state. Then, indeed, was your estate a low one; yet even
then did our faithful God "remember" thee. Yes, each of us has cause
to say with the Psalmist "He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me in the
paths of righteousness for His name's sake" (23:3).
"Who remembered us in our low estate." Still another application of
these words may be made, namely, to the last great crisis of the
saint, as he passes out of this world. As the vital spark of the body
grows dim and nature fails, then too is our "estate" low. But then
also the Lord remembereth us, for "His mercy endureth for ever. Man's
extremity is but God's opportunity. His strength is made perfect in
our weakness. It is then that he "remembers" us by making good His
comforting promises, "Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not
dismayed, for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help
thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness"
(Isa. 41:10).
"Who remembered us in our low estate." Surely this text will furnish
us with suitable words to express our thanksgiving when we are at
Home, present with the Lord. How we shall then praise Him for His
covenant faithfulness, His matchless grace, and His loving kindness,
for having "remembered us in our low estate! Then shall we know, even
as we are known. Our very memories will be renewed, perfected, and we
shall remember all the way the Lord our God hath led us" (Deut. 8:2),
recalling with gratitude and joy His faithful remembrances,
acknowledging with adoration that "His mercy endureth for ever."
Contents Intro 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
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Comfort for Christians by Arthur Pink
Chapter 6
Tried by Fire
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"But he knoweth the way that I take; when
he hath tried me I shall come forth as gold"
Job 23:10
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Job here corrects himself. In the beginning of the chapter we find him
saying: "Even today is my complaint bitter: my stroke is heavier than
my groaning" (vv. 1, 2). Poor Job felt that his lot was unbearable.
But he recovers himself. He checks his hasty outburst and revises his
impetuous decision. How often we all have to correct ourselves! Only
One has ever walked this earth who never had occasion to do so.
Job here comforts himself. He could not fathom the mysteries of
Providence but God knew the way he took. Job had diligently sought the
calming presence of God, but, for a time, in vain. Behold I go
forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him.
On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him" (vv. 8,
9). But he consoled himself with this blessed fact--though I cannot
see God, what is a thousand times better, He can see me--"He knoweth."
One above is neither unmindful nor indifferent to our lot. If He
notices the fall of a sparrow, if He counts the hairs of our heads, of
course "He knows" the way that I take.
Job here enunciates a noble view of life. How splendidly optimistic he
was! He did not allow his afflictions to turn him into a skeptic. He
did not permit the sore trials and troubles through which he was
passing to overwhelm him. He looked at the bright side of the dark
cloud--God's side, hidden from sense and reason. He took a long view
of life. He looked beyond the immediate `fiery trials" and said that
the outcome would be gold refined. "But he knoweth the way that I
take: when he hath tried me I shall come forth as gold." Three great
truths are expressed here: let us briefly consider each separately.
1. The Divine Knowledge of My Life.
"He knoweth the way that I take." The omniscience of God is one of the
wondrous attributes of Deity. "For his eyes are upon the ways of man,
and he seeth all his goings" (Job 34:21). "The eyes of the Lord are in
every place, beholding the evil and the good (Prov. 15:3). Spurgeon
said, "One of the greatest tests of experimental religion is, What is
my relationship to God's omniscience?" What is your relationship to
it, dear reader? How does it affect you? Does it distress or comfort
you? Do you shrink from the thought of God knowing all about your way?
perhaps, a lying, selfish, hypocritical way! To the sinner this is a
terrible thought. He denies it, or if not, he seeks to forget it. But
to the Christian, here is real comfort. How cheering to remember that
my Father knows all about my trials, my difficulties, my sorrows, my
efforts to glorify Him. Precious truth for those in Christ, harrowing
thought for all out of Christ, that the way I am taking is fully known
to and observed by God.
"He knoweth the way that I take." Men did not know the way that Job
took. He was grievously misunderstood, and for one with a sensitive
temperament to be misunderstood, is a sore trial. His very friends
thought he was a hypocrite. They believed he was a great sinner and
being punished by God. Job knew that he was an unworthy saint, but not
a hypocrite. He appealed against their censorious verdict. "He knoweth
the way that I take: when he hath tried me I shall come forth as
gold." Here is instruction for us when like circumstanced.
Fellow-believer, your fellow-men, yes, and your fellow Christians, may
misunderstand you, and misinterpret God's dealings with you: but
console yourself with the blessed fact that the omniscient One knows.
"He knoweth the way that I take." In the fullest sense of the word Job
himself did not know the way that he took, nor do any of us. Life is
profoundly mysterious, and the passing of the years offer no solution.
Nor does philosophizing help us. Human volition is a strange enigma.
Consciousness bears witness that we are more than automatons. The
power of choice is exercised by us in every move we make. And yet it
is plain that our freedom is not absolute. There are forces brought to
bear upon us, both good and evil, which are beyond our power to
resist. Both heredity and environment exercise powerful influences
upon us. Our surroundings and circumstances are factors which cannot
be ignored. And what of providence which "shapes our destinies"? Ah,
how little do we know the way which we "take." Said the prophet, "O
Lord I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man
that walketh to direct his steps (Jer. 10:23). Here we enter the realm
of mystery, and it is idle to deny it. Better far to acknowledge with
the wise man, "Man's goings are of the Lord; how can a man then
understand his own way?" (Prov. 20:24).
In the narrower sense of the term Job did know the way which he took.
What that "way" was he tells us in the next two verses. "My foot hath
held his steps. his way have I kept, and not declined. Neither have I
gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words
of his mouth more than my necessary food" (Job 23:11, 12). The way Job
chose was the best way, the scriptural way, God's way--"His way." What
do you think of that way, dear reader? Was it not a grand selection?
Ah, not only "patient," but wise Job! Have you made a similar choice?
Can you say, My foot hath held his steps. his way have I kept, and not
declined?" (v. 11). If you can, praise Him for His enabling grace. If
you cannot, confess with shame your failure to appropriate His
all-sufficient grace. Get down on your knees at once, and unbosom
yourself to God. Hide and keep back nothing. Remember it is written
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Does
not verse 12 explain your failure, my failure, dear reader? Is it not
because we have not trembled before God's commandments, and because we
have so lightly esteemed His Word, that we have "declined" from His
way! Then let us, even now, and daily, seek grace from on high to heed
His commandments and hide His Word in our hearts.
"He knoweth the way that I take." Which way are you taking?--the
Narrow Way which leadeth unto life, or `the Broad Road that leadeth to
destruction? Make certain on this point, dear friend. Scripture
declares, "So every one of us shall give account of himself to God"
(Rom. 14:12). But you need not be deceived or uncertain. The Lord
declared, "I am The Way" (John 14:6).
2. Divine Testing
"When he hath tried me." "The fining pot is for silver, and the
furnace for gold: but the Lord trieth the hearts" (Prov. 17:3). This
was God's way with Israel of old, and it is His way with Christians
now. Just before Israel entered Canaan, as Moses reviewed their
history since leaving Egypt, he said, "And thou shalt remember all the
way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the
wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, and to know what as in
thine heart, whether thou wouldst keep his commandments, or no" (Deut.
8:2). In the same way God tries, tests, proves, humbles us.
"When he hath tried me." If we realized this more, we should bear up
better in the hour of affliction and be more patient under suffering.
The daily irritations of life, the things which annoy so much--what is
their meaning? why are they permitted? Here is the answer: God is
"trying" you! That is the explanation (in part, at least) of that
disappointment, that crushing of your earthly hopes, that great loss;
God was, is, testing you. God is trying your temper, your courage,
your faith, your patience, your love, your fidelity.
"When he hath tried me." How frequently God's saints see only Satan as
the cause of their troubles. They regard the great enemy as
responsible for much of their sufferings. But there is no comfort for
the heart in this. We do not deny that the Devil does bring about much
that harasses us. But above Satan is the Lord Almighty! The Devil
cannot touch a hair of our heads without God's permission, and when he
is allowed to disturb and distract us, even then it is only God using
him to "try" us. Let us learn then, to look beyond all secondary
causes and instruments to that One who worketh all things after the
counsel of His own will (Eph. 1:11). This is what Job did.
In the opening chapter of the book which bears his name we find Satan
obtaining permission to afflict God's servant. He used the Sabeans to
destroy Job `s herds (v. 15): he sent the Chaldeans to slay his
servants (v. 17): he caused a great wind to kill his children (v. 19).
And what was Job's response? This: he exclaimed "The Lord gave, and
the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord" (1:21). Job
looked beyond the human agents, beyond Satan who employed them, to the
Lord who controls all. He realized that it was the Lord trying him. We
get the same thing in the New Testament. To the suffering saints at
Smyrna John wrote, "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer;
behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be
tried" (Rev. 2:10). Their being cast into prison was simply God trying
them.
How much we lose by forgetting this! What a stay for the
trouble-tossed heart to know that no matter what form the testing may
take, no matter what the agent which annoys, it is God who is "trying"
His children. What a perfect example the Saviour sets us. When He was
approached in the garden and Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear
of Malchus, the Saviour said, "The cup which My Father hath given Me,
shall I not drink it?" (John 18:11). Men were about to vent their
awful rage upon Him, the Serpent would bruise His heel, but He looks
above and beyond them. Dear reader, no matter how bitter its contents,
(infinitely less than that which the Saviour drained) let us accept
the cup as from the Father's hand.
In some moods we are apt to question the wisdom and right of God to
try us. So often we murmur at His dispensations. Why should God lay
such an intolerable burden upon me? Why should others be spared their
loved ones, and mine taken? Why should health and strength, perhaps
the gift of sight, be denied me? The first answer to all such
questions is, "O man, who art thou that repliest against God?"! It is
wicked insubordination for any creature to call into question the
dealings of the great Creator. "Shall the thing formed say to him that
formed it, Why hast Thou made me thus?" (Rom. 9:20). How earnestly
each of us need to cry unto God, that His grace may silence our
rebellious lips and still the tempest within our desperately wicked
hearts!
But to the humble soul which bows in submission before the sovereign
dispensations of the all-wise God, Scripture affords some light on the
problem. This light may not satisfy reason, but it will bring comfort
and strength when received in child-like faith and simplicity. In I
Pet. 1:6 we read; "Wherein (God's salvation) ye greatly rejoice,
though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through
manifold temptations (or trials): That the trial of your faith, being
much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried
with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the
appearing of Jesus Christ." Note three things here. First, there is a
needs-be for the trial of faith. Since God says it, let us accept it.
Second, this trying of faith is precious, far more so than of gold. It
is precious to God (cf. Ps. 116:15) and will yet be so to us. Third,
the present trial has in view the future. Where the trial has been
meekly endured and bravely borne, there will be a grand reward at the
appearing of our Redeemer.
Again, in 1 Peter 4:12, 13 we are told: "Beloved, think it not strange
concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange
thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of
Christ's sufferings: that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be
glad also with exceeding joy." The same thoughts are expressed here as
in the previous passage. There is a needs-be for our "trials" and
therefore we are to think them not strange--we should expect them.
And, too, there is again the blessed outlook of being richly
recompensed at Christ's return. Then there is the added word that not
only should we meet these trials with faith's fortitude, but we should
rejoice in them, inasmuch as we are permitted to have fellowship in
"the sufferings of Christ." He, too, suffered: sufficient then, for
the disciple to be as his Master.
"When he hath tried me." Dear Christian reader, there are no
exceptions. God had only one Son without sin, but never one without
sorrow. Sooner or later, in one form or another, trial-sore and
heavy--will be our lot. "And sent Timotheus our brother . . . to
establish you, and comfort you concerning your faith: That no man
should be moved by these afflictions; for yourselves know that we are
appointed thereunto" (I Thess. 3:2, 3). And again it is written, "We
must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts
14:22). It has been so in every age. Abram was "tried," tried
severely. So, too, were Joseph, Jacob. Moses, David, Daniel, the
Apostles, etc.
3. The Ultimate Issue
"I shall come forth as gold." Observe the tense here. Job did not
imagine that he was pure gold already. "I shall come forth as gold,"
he declared. He knew full well that there was yet much dross in him.
He did not boast that he was already perfect. Far from it. In the
final chapter of his book we find him saying, "I abhor myself" (42:6).
And well he might: and well may we. As we discover that in our flesh
there dwelleth "no good thing," as we examine ourselves and our ways
in the light of God's Word and behold our innumerable failures, as we
think of our countless sins, both of omission and commission, good
reason have we for abhoring ourselves. Ah, Christian reader, there is
much dross about us. But it will not ever be thus.
"I shall come forth as gold." Job did not say, "When he hath tried me
I may come forth as gold," or "I hope to come forth as gold," but with
full confidence and positive assurance he declared, "I shall come
forth as gold." But how did he know this? How can we be sure of the
happy issue? Because the Divine purpose cannot fail. He which hath
begun a good work in us "will finish it" (Phil. 1:6).How can we be
sure of the happy issue? Because the Divine promise is sure: "The Lord
will perfect that which concerneth me" (Ps. 138:8). Then be of good
cheer, tried and troubled one. The process may be unpleasant and
painful, but the issue is charming and sure.
"I shall come forth as gold." This was said by one who knew affliction
and sorrow as few among the sons of men have known them. Yet despite
his fiery trials he was optimistic. Let then this triumphant language
be ours. "I shall come forth as gold" is not the language of carnal
boasting, but the confidence of one whose mind was stayed upon God.
There will be no credit to our account--the glory will all belong to
the Divine Refiner (Jas. 1:12).
For the present there remain two things: first, Love is the Divine
thermometer while we are in the crucible of testing--"And he shall sit
(the patience of Divine grace) as a Refiner and Purifier of silver,"
etc. (Mal. 3:3). Second, the Lord Himself is with us in the fiery
furnace, as He was with the three young Hebrews (Dan. 3:25). For the
future this is sure: the most wonderful thing in heaven will not be
the golden street or the golden harps, but golden souls on which is
stamped the image of God--"predestinated to be conformed to the image
of his Son!" Praise God for such a glorious prospect, such a
victorious issue, such a marvelous goal.
Contents Intro 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
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What's New
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God and Truth
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Comfort for Christians by Arthur Pink
Chapter 7
Divine Chastisement
_________________________________________________________________
"Despise not thou the chastening of the Lord,
nor faint when thou are rebuked of him"
Hebrews 12:5
_________________________________________________________________
It is of first importance that we learn to draw a sharp distinction
between Divine punishment and Divine chastisement: important for
maintaining the honour and glory of God, and for the peace of mind of
the Christian. The distinction is very simple, yet is it often lost
sight of. God's people can never by any possibility be punished for
their sins, for God has already punished them at the Cross. The Lord
Jesus, our Blessed Substitute, suffered the full penalty of all our
guilt, hence it is written "The blood of Jesus Christ his Son
cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). Neither the justice nor the
love of God will permit Him to again exact payment of what Christ
discharged to the full. The difference between punishment and
chastisement lies not in the nature of the sufferings of the
afflicted: it is most important to bear this in mind. There is a
threefold distinction between the two. First, the character in which
God acts. In the former God acts as Judge, in the latter as Father.
Sentence of punishment is the act of a judge, a penal sentence passed
on those charged with guilt. Punishment can never fall upon the child
of God in this judicial sense because his guilt was all transferred to
Christ: "Who his own self bear our sins in his own body on the tree"
(1 Pet. 2:24)
But while the believer's sins cannot be punished, while the Christian
cannot be condemned (Rom. 8:3), yet he may be chastised. The Christian
occupies an entirely different position from the non-Christian: he is
a member of the Family of God. The relationship which now exists
between him and God is that of parent and child; and as a son he must
be disciplined for wrongdoing. Folly is bound up in the hearts of all
God's children, and the rod is necessary to rebuke, to subdue, to
humble.
The second distinction between Divine punishment and Divine
chastisement lies in the recipients of each. The objects of the former
are His enemies. The subjects of the latter are His children. As the
Judge of all the earth, God will yet take vengeance on all His foes.
As the Father of His family, God maintains discipline over all His
children. The one is judicial, the other parental.
A third distinction is seen in The design of each: the one is
retributive, the other remedial. The one flows from His anger, the
other from His love. Divine punishment is never sent for the good of
sinners, but for the honoring of God's law and the vindicating of His
government. But Divine chastisement is sent for the well-being of His
children: "We have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we
gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto
the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days
chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we
might be partakers of his holiness" (Heb. 12:9-10).
The above distinction should at once rebuke the thoughts which are so
generally entertained among Christians. When the believer is smarting
under the rod let him not say, God is now punishing me for my sins.
That can never be. That is most dishonoring to the blood of Christ.
God is correcting thee in love, not smiting in wrath. Nor should the
Christian regard the chastening of the Lord as a sort of necessary
evil to which he must bow as submissively as possible. No, it proceeds
from God's goodness and faithfulness, and is one of the greatest
blessings for which we have to thank Him. Chastisement evidences our
Divine son-ship: the father of a family does not concern himself with
those on the outside: but those within he guides and disciplines to
make them conform to his will. Chastisement is designed for our good,
to promote our highest interests. Look beyond the rod to the All-wise
hand that wields it!
The Hebrew Christians to whom this Epistle was first addressed were
passing through a great fight of afflictions, and miserably were they
conducting themselves. They were the little remnant out of the Jewish
nation who had believed on their Messiah during the days of His public
ministry, plus those Jews who had been converted under the preaching
of the apostles. It is highly probable that they had expected the
Messianic Kingdom would at once be set up on earth and that they would
be allotted the chief places of honour in it. But the Millennium had
not begun, and their own lot became increasingly bitter. They were not
only hated by the Gentiles, but ostracized by their unbelieving
brethren, and it became a hard matter for them to make even a bare
living. Providence held a frowning face. Many who had made a
profession of Christianity had gone back to Judaism and were
prospering temporally. As the afflictions of the believing Jews
increased, they too were sorely tempted to turn their back upon the
new Faith. Had they been wrong in embracing Christianity? Was high
Heaven displeased because they had identified themselves with Jesus of
Nazareth? Did not their suffering go to show that God no longer
regarded them with favour?
Now it is most instructive and blessed to see how the Apostle met the
unbelieving reasoning of their hearts. He appealed to their own
Scriptures! He reminded them of an exhortation Found in Proverbs
3:11-12, and applied it to their case. Notice, first, the words we
place in italics: "Ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh
unto you." This shows that the exhortations of the Old Testament were
not restricted to those who lived under the old covenant: they apply
with equal force and directness to those of us living under the new
covenant. Let us not forget that "all Scripture is given by
inspiration of God and is profitable" (2 Tim. 3:16) The Old Testament
equally as much as the New Testament was written for our learning and
admonition. Second, mark the tense of the verb in our opening text:
"Ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh." The Apostle quoted
a sentence of the Word written one thousand years previously, yet he
does not say "which hath spoken," but "which speaketh." The same
principle is illustrated in that sevenfold "He that hath an ear, let
him hear what the Spirit saith (not "said") unto the churches" of Rev.
2 and 3. The Holy Scriptures are a living Word in which God is
speaking today!
Consider now the words "Ye have forgotten." It was not that these
Hebrew Christians were unacquainted with Proverbs 3:11 and 12, but
they had let them slip. They had forgotten the Fatherhood of God and
their relation of Him as His dear children. In consequence they
misinterpreted both the manner and design of God's present dealings
with them, they viewed His dispensation not in the light of His Love,
but regarded them as signs of His displeasure or as proofs of His
forgetfulness. Consequently, instead of cheerful submission, there was
despondency and despair. Here is a most important lesson for us: we
must interpret the mysterious providences of God not by reason or
observation, but by the Word. How often we "forget" the exhortation
which speaketh unto us as unto children: "My son, despise not thou the
chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him."
"Unhappily there is no word in the English language which is capable
of doing justice to the Greek term here. "Paideia" which is rendered
"chastening" is only another form of "paidion" which signifies "young
children," being the tender word that was employed by the Saviour in
John 21:5 and Hebrews 2:13. One can see at a glance the direct
connection which exists between the words "disciple" and "discipline":
equally close in the Greek is the relation between "children" and
"chastening." Son-training would be better. It has reference to God's
education, nurture and discipline of His children. It is the Father's
wise and loving correction.
Much chastisement comes by the rod in the hand of the Father
correcting His erring child. But it is a serious mistake to confine
our thoughts to this one aspect of the subject. Chastisement is by no
means always the scourging of His refractive sons. Some of the
saintliest of God's people, some of the most obedient of His children,
have been and are the greatest sufferers. Oftentimes God's chastenings
instead of being retributive are corrective. They are sent to empty us
of self-sufficiency and self-righteousness: they are given to discover
to us hidden transgressions, and to teach us the plague of our own
hearts. Or again, chastisements are sent to strengthen our faith, to
raise us to higher levels of experience, to bring us into a condition
of usefulness. Still again, Divine chastisement is sent as a
preventative, to keep under pride, to save us from being unduly elated
over success in God's service. Let us consider, briefly, four entirely
different examples.
David. In his case the rod was laid upon him for grievous sins, for
open wickedness. His fall was occasioned by self-confidence and
self-righteousness. If the reader will diligently compare the two
Songs of David recorded in 2 Samuel 22 and 23, the one written near
the beginning of his life, the other near the end, he will be struck
by the great difference of spirit manifested by the writer in each.
Read 2 Samuel 22:22-25 and you will not be surprised that God suffered
him to have such a fall. Then turn to chapter 23, and mark the blessed
change. At the beginning of v. 5 there is a heart-broken confession of
failure. In verses 10-12 there is a God-glorifying confession,
attributing victory unto the Lord. The severe scourging of David was
not in vain.
Job. Probably he tasted of every kind of suffering which falls to
man's lot: family bereavements, loss of property, grievous bodily
afflictions came fast, one on top of another. But God's end in it all
was that Job should benefit therefrom and be a greater partaker of His
holiness. There was not a little of self-satisfaction and
self-righteousness in Job at the beginning. But at the end, when He
was brought face to face with the thrice Holy One, he "abhorred
himself" (42:6). In David's case the chastisement was retributive, in
Job's corrective.
Abraham. In him we see an illustration of an entirely different aspect
of chastening. Most of the trials to which he was subjected were
neither because of open sins nor for the correction of inward faults.
Rather were they sent for the development of spiritual graces. Abraham
was sorely tried in various ways, but it was in order that faith might
be strengthened and that patience might have its perfect work in him.
Abraham was weaned from the things of this world, that he might enjoy
closer fellowship with Jehovah and become the "friend" of God.
Paul. "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the
abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the
flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted
above measure (2 Cor. 12:7). This "thorn" was sent not because of
failure and sin, but as a preventative against pride. Note the "lest"
both at the beginning and end of the verse. The result of this "thorn"
was that the beloved apostle was made more conscious of his weakness.
Thus, chastisement has for one of its main objects the breaking down
of self-sufficiency, the bringing us to the end of our selves.
Now in view of these widely different aspects chastenings
(retributive, corrective, educative, and preventative), how
incompetent are we to diagnose, and how great is the folly of
pronouncing a judgment concerning others! Let us not conclude when we
see a fellow-Christian under the rod of God that he is necessarily
being taken to task for his sins. In our next meditation we shall
consider the spirit in which Divine chastisements are to be received.
Contents Intro 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
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Chapter 8
Receiving Divine Chastisement
_________________________________________________________________
"My Son, despise not thou the chastening of
the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him"
Hebrews 12:5
_________________________________________________________________
Not all chastisement is sanctified to the recipients of it. Some are
hardened thereby; others are crushed beneath it. Much depends on the
spirit in which afflictions are received. There is no virtue in trials
and troubles in themselves: it is only as they are blest by God that
the Christian is profited thereby. As Hebrews 12:11 informs us, it is
those who are "exercised" under God's rod that bring forth "the
peaceable fruit of righteousness." A sensitive conscience and a tender
heart are the needed adjuncts.
In our text the Christian is warned against two entirely different
dangers: despise not, despair not. These are two extremes against
which it is ever necessary to keep a sharp look-out. Just as every
truth of Scripture has its balancing counterpart, so has every evil
its opposite. On the one hand there is a haughty spirit which laughs
at the rod, a stubborn will which refuses to be humbled thereby. On
the other hand, there is a fainting which utterly sinks beneath it and
gives way to despair. Spurgeon said, "The way of righteousness is a
difficult pass between two mountains of error, and the great secret of
the Christian's life is to wind his way along the narrow valley."
1. Despising the Rod.
There are a number of ways in which Christians may "despise" God's
chastenings. We mention four of them:
a. By callousness. To be stoical is the policy of carnal wisdom: make
the best of a bad job. The man of the world knows no better plan than
to grit his teeth and brave things out. Having no Divine Comforter,
Counselor or Physician, he has to fall back on his own poor resources.
It is inexpressibly sad when we see a child of God conducting himself
as does a child of the Devil. For a Christian to defy adversities is
to "despise" chastisement. Instead of hardening himself to endure
stoically, there should be a melting of the heart.
b. By complaining. This is what the Hebrews did in the wilderness; and
there are still many mumurers in Israel's camp. A little sickness, and
we become so cross that our friends are afraid to come near us. A few
days in bed, and we fret and fume like a bullock unaccustomed to the
yoke. We peevishly ask, Why this affliction? What have I done to
deserve it? We look around with envious eyes, and are discontented
because others are carrying a lighter load. Beware, my reader: it goes
hard with murmurers. God always chastises twice if we are not humbled
by the first. Remind yourself of how much dross there yet is among the
gold. View the corruptions of your own heart, and marvel that God has
not smitten you twice as severely. "My Son, despise not thou the
chastening of the Lord."
c. By criticisms. How often we question the usefulness of
chastisement. As Christians we seem to have little more spiritual good
sense than we had natural wisdom as children. As boys we thought that
the rod was the least necessary thing in the home. It is so with the
children of God. When things go as we like them, when some unexpected
temporal blessing is bestowed, we have no difficulty in ascribing all
to a kind Providence. But when our plans are thwarted, when losses are
ours, it is very different. Yet, is it not written, "I form the light
and create darkness. I make; peace and create evil: I the Lord do all
these things" (Isa. 45:7)?
How often is the thing formed ready to complain, "Why hast thou made
me thus?" We say, I cannot see how this can possibly profit my soul.
If I had better health I could attend the house of prayer more
frequently! If I had been spared those losses in business I would have
more money for the Lord's work! What good can possibly come of this
calamity? Like Jacob, we exclaim: "All these things are against me.
What is this but to "despise" the rod? Shall thy ignorance challenge
God's wisdom? Shall thy shortsightedness arraign omniscience?
d. By carelessness. So many fail to mend their ways. The exhortation
of our text is much needed by all of us. There are many who have
"despised" the rod, and in consequence they have not profited thereby.
Many a Christian has been corrected by God, but in vain. Sickness,
reverses, bereavements have come, but they have not been sanctified by
prayerful self-examination.
O brethren and sisters, take heed. If God be chastening thee "consider
your ways (Hag. 1:5), "ponder the path of thy feet" (Prov. 4:26). Be
assured that there is some reason for the chastening. Many a Christian
would not have been chastised half so severely had he diligently
inquired the cause of it.
2. Fainting Under It.
Having been warned against "despising" the rod, now we are admonished
not to give way to despair under it. There are at least three ways in
which the Christian may "faint" beneath the Lord's rebukes:
a. When he gives up all exertion. This is done when we sink down in
despondency. The smitten one concludes that it is more than he can
possibly endure. His heart fails him; darkness swallows him up; the
sun of hope is eclipsed, and the voice of thanksgiving is silent. To
"faint" means rendering ourselves unfit for the discharge of our
duties. When a person faints, he is rendered motionless. How many
Christians are ready to completely give up the fight when adversity
enters their life. How many are rendered quite inert when trouble
comes their way. How many, by their attitude, say, God's hand is heavy
upon me: I can do nothing. Ah, beloved, "sorrow not, even as others
which have no hope'' (1 Thess. 4:13) . ``Faint not when thou art
rebuked of Him." Go to the Lord about it: recognize His hand in it.
Remember thine afflictions are among the "all things" which work
together for good.
b. When he questions his sonship. There are not a few Christians who,
when the rod descends upon them, conclude that they are not sons of
God after all. They forget that it is written "Many are the
afflictions of the righteous" (Ps. 34:19), and that "we must through
much tribulation enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). One says,
"But if I were His child I should not be in this poverty, misery,
pain." Listen to verse 8: "But if ye be without chastisement, whereof
all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons." Learn, then,
to look upon trials as proofs of God's love purging, pruning,
purifying thee. The father of a family does not concern himself much
about those on the outside of his household: it is they who are within
whom he guards and guides, nurtures and conforms to his will. So it is
with God.
c. When he despairs. Some indulge the fancy that they will never get
out of their trouble. One says, I have prayed and prayed, but the
clouds have not lifted. Then comfort yourself with this reflection: It
is always the darkest hour that precedes the dawn. Therefore, "faint
not" when thou art rebuked of Him. But, says another, I have pleaded
His promise, and things are no better. I thought He delivered those
who called upon Him; I have called, and He has not answered, and I
fear He never will. What, child of God, speak of thy Father thus! You
say He will never leave off smiting because He has smitten so long.
Rather say He has now smitten so long I must soon be delivered.
Despise not: faint not. May Divine grace preserve both writer and
reader from either sinful extreme.
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Chapter 9
God's Inheritance
_________________________________________________________________
"For the Lord's portion is his people;
Jacob is the lot of his inheritance"
Deuteronomy 32:9
_________________________________________________________________
This verse brings before us a most blessed and wonderful line of
truth, so wonderful that no human mind could possibly have invented
it. It speaks of the mighty God having an "inheritance," and it tells
us that this inheritance is in His own people! God refused to take
this world for His inheritance--it will yet be burnt up. Nor did
heaven, peopled with angels, satisfy His heart. In eternity past
Jehovah said, by way of anticipation, "My delights were with the sons
of men" (Prov. 8:31).
This is by no means the only scripture which teaches that God's
inheritance is in His saints. In Psalm l35:4 we read, "For the Lord
hath chosen Jacob unto Himself, and Israel for His peculiar treasure."
In Malachi 3:17 the Lord speaks of His people as His "special
treasure" (see margin)--so "special" that the highest manifestations
of His love are made to them, the richest gifts of His hand are
bestowed on them, the mansions on High are prepared and reserved for
them!
The same wondrous truth is taught in the New Testament. In Ephesians 1
we behold the apostle Paul praying that God would give unto His people
the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: the eyes
of their understanding being enlightened that they might know "what is
the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His
inheritance in the saints" (v. 18). This is a truly amazing
expression; not only do the saints obtain an inheritance in God, but
He also secures an inheritance in them! How overwhelming the thought
that the great God should deem Himself the richer because of our
faith, our love and worship! Surely this is one of the most marvelous
truths revealed in Holy Writ--that God should pick up poor sinners and
make them His "inheritance"! Yet so it is.
But what need has God of us? How can we possibly enrich Him? Does He
not have everything--wisdom, power, grace and glory? All true, yet
there is something that He needs, yes, needs, namely, vessels. Just as
the sun needs the earth to shine upon, so God needs vessels to fill,
vessels through which His glory may be reflected, vessels on which the
riches of His grace may be lavished.
Mark that God's people are not only called His "portion," His "special
treasure," but also His "inheritance." This suggests three things.
First, an "inheritance is obtained through death: so God's inheritance
is secured to Him through the death of His beloved Son. Second, an
"inheritance" denotes perpetuity--"to a man and his heirs forever" are
the terms often used. Third, an "inheritance" is for possession, it is
something which is entered into, lived upon, enjoyed. Let us now
consider five things about God's inheritance:
1. God purposed to have such an inheritance: "Blessed is the nation
whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own
inheritance" (Ps. 33:12). The "nation" here is identical with the holy
nation," the "chosen generation, royal priesthood, peculiar people" of
1 Peter 2:9. This favored people was chosen by God to be His
inheritance: it was not an afterthought with Him, but decreed by Him
in eternity past. Ere the foundation of the world God fixed His heart
upon having them for Himself.
2. God has purchased His people for an inheritance. In Ephesians 1:14
we are told that the Holy Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance
until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of
His glory." So again in Acts 20:28 we read of "the Church of God which
He hath purchased with His own blood." God has not only redeemed His
people from bondage and death but for Himself.
3. God comes and dwells in the midst of His inheritance: "For the Lord
will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance"
(Ps. 94:14) --a clear proof that these scriptures are not referring to
the nation of Israel after the flesh. Just as Jehovah tabernacled in
the midst of the redeemed Hebrews, so He now indwells His church, both
collectively and individually. "Know ye not that ye (plural) are the
temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (1 Cor.
3:16). "Know ye not that your body (singular) is the temple of the
Holy Spirit?" (1 Cor. 6:19).
4. God beautifies His inheritance: Just as a man who has inherited a
house or an estate takes possession of it and then makes improvements,
so God is now fitting His people for Himself. He who has begun a good
work within His own is now performing it until the day of Jesus Christ
(Phil. 1:6). He is now conforming us to the image of His Son: each
Christian can say with the Psalmist, "the Lord will perfect that which
concerneth me" (Ps. 138:8). Nor will God be satisfied until we have
been glorified. The Lord Jesus Christ "shall change our vile body,
that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the
working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself"
(Phil. 3:21). "When he shall appear, we shall be like him" (1 John
3:2).
5. And what of the future? God will yet possess, live upon, enjoy His
inheritance. In the unending ages yet to be, God will make known the
"riches of his glory" on the vessels of His mercy (Rom. 9:23). The
glory which God shall ever live upon--as upon an inheritance--shall
rise out of His people. What a marvelous statement is that which is
found at the close of Ephesians 2, where the saints are likened unto a
building "fitly framed together (which) groweth unto an holy temple in
the Lord," of whom it is said, "in whom ye also are builded together
for an habitation of God through the Spirit."
A. wonderful and glorious is the picture presented before us in
Revelation 21: "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first
heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more
sea. And I, John, saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down
from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle
of God is with men, and he will rest in his love, he will joy over
thee with singing; and God himself shall be with them, and be their
God" (vv. 1-3).
What a marvelous statement is that in Zephaniah 3:17: "The Lord thy
God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over
thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with
singing." The great God will yet say, "I am satisfied: here will I
rest. This is Mine inheritance that I will live upon forever, even the
glory which I have bestowed on redeemed sinners." Surely we have to
say with the Psalmist, "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is
high, I cannot attain unto it" (139:6). May Divine grace enable us to
walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called.
Contents Intro 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
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Chapter 10
God's Securing His Inheritance
_________________________________________________________________
"He found him in a desert land, and in the waste
howling wilderness; he led him about. He
instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye"
Deuteronomy 32:10
_________________________________________________________________
In the previous verse we have the amazing statement that the Lord's
"portion" is His people, and that there may be no misunderstanding,
the same truth is expressed in another form: "Jacob is the lot of his
inheritance." Here in our text we learn something of the pains which
God takes to secure His heritage. There are four things to be noted
and feasted upon.
1. Jehovah Finding His People.
"He found him in a desert land." It needs hardly to be said that the
word "found" necessarily implies a "search." Here then we have
presented to our view the amazing spectacle of a seeking God! Sin came
in between the creature and the Creator, causing alienation and
separation. Not only so, but, as the result of the Fall, every human
being enters this world with a mind that is "enmity against God."
Consequently, there is none that seeketh after God. Therefore, God, in
His marvelous condescension and grace, becomes the Seeker.
The word "found" not only implies a search but, when we consider the
sinful character and unworthiness of the objects of His search, it
also tells of the love of the Seeker. The great God becomes the Seeker
because He set His heart upon those whom He marked out to be the
recipients of His sovereign favors. God had set His heart upon
Abraham, and therefore did He seek and find him amid the heathen
idolators in Ur of Chaldea. God set His heart upon Jacob, and
therefore did He seek out and find him as a fugitive from his
brother's vengeance, when he lay asleep on the bare earth. So too it
was because He had loved Moses with an everlasting love that the Lord
sought out and found him in Midian, at "the backside of the desert."
Equally true is this with every real Christian living in the world
today: "I was found of them that sought me not; I was manifest unto
them that asked not after me (Rom. 10:20).
Has God "found" you? To help you answer this question, ponder the
remainder of the first clause of our text: "He found him in a desert
land, and in the waste howling wilderness." Is that how this world
appears unto you? Do you find everything under the sun only "vanity
and vexation of spirit"? Are you made to groan daily at what you
witness on every hand? Do you find that the world furnishes nothing to
satisfy the heart, yea nothing to even minister to it? Is the world,
really, a "waste howling wilderness" to you?
Let a second test be applied: when God truly "finds" one of His own He
reveals Himself. He imparts to the soul a realization of His sovereign
majesty, His awe-some power, His ineffable holiness, His wondrous
mercy. Has He thus made Himself known unto you? Has He given you, in
any measure, a vision of His Divine glory, His sovereign grace, His
wondrous love? Has He? "This is life eternal, that they might know
Thee, the 0ne true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent" (John
17:3).
Here is a third test: If God has revealed Himself, He has given you a
sight of yourself, for in His light we "see light." A most humbling,
painful, and never-to-be-forgotten experience this is. When God was
revealed to Abraham, he said, "I am but dust and ashes" (Gen. 18:27).
When He was revealed to Isaiah, the prophet said, "Woe is me for I am
undone, because I am a man of unclean lips" (Isa. 6:5). When God
revealed Him-self to Job, he said, "I abhor myself, and repent in dust
and ashes" (Job 42:6)--note, not merely I abhor my wicked ways, but my
vile self. Is this your experience, my reader? Have you discovered
your depravity and lost condition? Have you found there is not a
single good thing in you? Have you seen yourself to be fit for and
deserving only of hell? Have you, truly? Then that is good evidence,
yea, it is proof positive that the Lord God has "found" you.
2. Jehovah Leading His People.
"He led him about." The "finding" is not the end, but only the
beginning of God's dealings with His own. Having found him, He remains
never more to leave him. Now that He has found His wandering child He
teaches him to walk in the Narrow Way. There is a beautiful word on
God "leading" in Hosea 11:3: "I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them
by their arms. Just as a fond mother takes her little one, whose feet
are yet too weak and untrained to walk alone, so the Lord takes His
people by their arms and leads them in the paths of righteousness for
His name's sake. Such is His promise: "He will keep the feet of His
saints" (1 Sam. 2:9). There is a threefold "leading" of the Lord:
Evangelical.--The Lord Jesus declared, "I am the way, the truth, and
the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me" (John 14:6). But
again He said, `No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath
sent Me draw him" John 6:44). Here then is how God leads: He leads the
poor sinner to Christ. Have you, my reader, been brought to the
Saviour? Is Christ your only hope? Are you trusting in the sufficiency
of His precious blood? If so, what cause have you to praise God for
having led you to His blessed Son!
Doctrinal.--The Lord Jesus declared, "When He the Spirit of truth is
come, He will guide you into all the truth" John 16:13). We are not
capable of discovering or entering into the Truth of ourselves,
therefore do we have to be guided into it. "As many as are led by the
Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." (Rom. 8:14). It is He who
makes us to lie down in the "green pastures of Scripture and who leads
us beside the "still waters" of His promises. How thankful we ought to
be for every ray of light which has been granted us from the lamp of
God's Word.
Providential.--"Thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in
the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day,
to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to show
them light, and the way wherein they should go" (Neh. 9:19). Just as
Jehovah led Israel of old, so today He leads us step by step through
this wilderness-world. What a mercy this is. "The steps of a good man
are ordered by the Lord and he delighteth in his way" (Ps. 37:23).
Yes, every detail of our lives is regulated by the Most High.
All my times are in Thy hand,
All events at Thy command,
All must come and last and end,
As doth please our Heavenly Friend.
3. God Instructing His People.
"He instructed him." So He does us. It was to instruct us that God, in
His great mercy, gave us the Scriptures. He has not left us to grope
our way in darkness, but has provided us with a lamp unto our feet and
a light unto our path. Nor are we left to our own unaided powers in
the study of the Word. We are supplied with an infallible Instructor.
The Holy Spirit is our teacher, "Ye have an unction from the Holy One,
and ye know all things . . . the anointing ye have received of Him
abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you" (I John 2:20,
27).
Right views of God's truth are not an intellectual attainment, but a
blessing bestowed upon us by God. It is written, "a man can receive
nothing, except it be given him from heaven" (John 3:27). No matter
how legibly a letter may be written, if the recipient be blind he
cannot read it. So we are told, "the natural man receiveth not the
things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him:
neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned" (1
Cor. 2:14). And spiritual discernment is imparted only by the Holy
Spirit.
"He instructed him." How patiently God bears with our dullness! How
graciously He repeats "line upon line and precept upon precept"! (Isa.
28:10) Yet slow as we are, He perseveres with us, for He has promised
to perfect that which concerns us (Ps. 138:8). Has He "instructed"
you, my reader? Has He taught you the total depravity of man and the
utter inability of the sinner to deliver himself? Has He taught you
the humbling truth "Ye must be born again," and that regeneration is
the sole work of God--man having no part or hand in it (John 1:13).
Has He revealed to you the infinite value and sufficiency of the
atoning sacrifice of Christ, that His blood cleanses "from all sin"?
Then what cause you have to be thankful for such Divine instruction.
4. God Preserving His People.
"He kept him as the apple of his eye" (Deut. 32:10) A religion of
conditions, contingencies, and uncertainties is not Christianity--its
technical name is Arminianism, and Arminianism is a daughter of Rome.
It is that God dishonoring, Scripture-repudiating, soul-destroying
system of Popery--whose father is the Devil--which prates about human
merit, creature-ability, works of supererogation and a lot more
blasphemous rubbish, and leaves its blinded dupes in the fogs and bogs
of uncertainty. Christianity deals with certainties which originated
in the purpose and love of an unchanging God, who when He begins a
good work always completes it.
"For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are
preserved forever (Ps. 37:28). How blessed is this! Did Jehovah
"forsake" Noah when he got drunk? No, indeed. Did He "forsake" Abraham
when he lied to Abimelech? No, indeed. Did He "forsake" Moses for
smiting the rock in anger? No, indeed, as His appearance on the Mount
of Transfiguration abundantly proves. Did He "forsake" David when he
committed those sins which ever since have given occasion for the
enemies of the Lord to blaspheme? No, indeed. He led him to
repentance, caused him to confess his awful wickedness, and then sent
one of His servants to say, "The Lord hath put away thy sin" (2 Sam.
12:13).
"The Lord is thy Keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.
The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord
shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The
Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from `this time
forth and even for evermore" (Ps. 121:5-8). Here are the covenant
verities of our faithful God: here are the infallible "shall's" of the
triune Jehovah: here are the sure promises of Him who cannot lie. Note
there were no "if's" or preadventure's, but the unconditional and
unqualified declarations of the Most High. No circumstances can ever
place the believer beyond the reach of Divine preservation. No change
can alter or affect this Divine certainty. Wealth may ensnare, poverty
may strip, Satan may tempt, inward corruptions may annoy, but nothing
can ever destroy or lead to the destruction of a single sheep of
Christ; nay, all these things only serve to display more manifestly
and more gloriously the preserving hand of our God.
We "are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to
be revealed in the last time" (1 Pet. 1:5). The rage of heathen
monarchs, with their den of lions and fiery furnace, may be employed
to try the faith of God's elect, but destroy them, harm them, they
cannot. O brethren in Christ, what cause we have to praise the
finding, instructing, and preserving, Triune Jehovah!
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Comfort for Christians by Arthur Pink
Chapter 11
Mourning
_________________________________________________________________
"Blessed are they that mourn"
Matthew 5:4
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Mourning is hateful and irksome to poor human nature. From suffering
and sadness our spirits instinctively shrink. By nature we seek the
society of the cheerful and joyous. Our text presents an anomaly to
the unregenerate, yet is it sweet music to the ears of God's elect. If
"blessed" why do they "mourn"? If they "mourn" how can they be
"blessed"? Only the child of God has the key to this paradox. The more
we ponder our text the more we are constrained to exclaim, never man
spake like this Man" (John 7:46)! "Blessed (happy) are they that
mourn" is at complete variance with the world's logic. Men have in all
places and in all ages, deemed the prosperous and the gay the happy
ones, but Christ pronounces happy those who are poor in spirit and who
mourn.
Now it is obvious that it is not every species of mourning that is
here referred to. There is a "sorrow of the world which worketh death"
(2 Cor. 2:10). The mourning for which Christ promises comfort must be
restricted to that which is spiritual. The mourning which is blessed
is the result of a realization of God's holiness and goodness which
issues in a sense of our own wickedness--the depravity of our natures,
the enormity and guilt of our conduct and the sorrowing over our sins
with a godly sorrow.
We shall consider the eight Beatitudes as arranged in four pairs. The
first of the eight is the blessing that Christ pronounced on those who
are poor in spirit, which we took to mean, they who have been awakened
to a sense of their own nothingness and emptiness. Now the transition
from such poverty to mourning is easy to follow, in fact, it follows
so closely that it is rather its companion.
The mourning which is here referred to is manifestly more than that of
bereavement, affliction or loss. It is mourning for sin. `It is
mourning over the felt destitution of our spiritual state, and over
the iniquities that have separated between us and God; mourning over
the very morality in which we have boasted, and the self-righteousness
in which we have trusted; sorrow for rebellion against God, and
hostility to His will; and such mourning always goes side by side with
conscious poverty of spirit" (Dr. Person).
A striking illustration and exemplification of the spirit upon which
the Saviour here pronounced His benediction is to be found in Luke 18.
There a vivid contrast is presented to our view. First, we are shown a
self-righteous Pharisee looking up toward God and saying, "God, I
thank Thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust,
adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week; I give
tithes of all that I possess." This may have been all true as he
looked at it, yet this man went down to his house in a state of
condemnation. His fine garments were rags, his white robes were
filthy, though he knew it not. Then we are shown the publican,
standing afar off, who, in the language of the Psalmist was so
troubled by his iniquities that he was not able to look up (Ps.
40:12). He dared not so much as lift up his eyes to Heaven, but smote
upon his breast, conscious of the fountain of corruption within, and
cried, "God be merciful to me a sinner," and that man went down to his
house justified, because he was poor in spirit and mourned for sin.
Here then are the first birth-marks of the children of God, and he who
has never come to be poor in spirit, and has never known what it is to
really mourn for sin, though he belong to a church and be an
office-bearer in it, has neither entered nor seen the kingdom of God.
How thankful the Christian reader ought to be that the great God
condescends to dwell in the humble and contrite heart! Where can we
find anything in all the Old Testament more precious than that?--that
He, in whose sight the heavens are not clean, who cannot find in any
temple that man ever builded for Him, however magnificent, a proper
dwelling place, has spoken Isaiah 66:2 and Isaiah 57:15 to us!
"Blessed are they that mourn. Though the primary reference be to that
initial mourning, usually termed `conviction of sin,'' it is by no
means to be limited to this. Mourning is ever a characteristic of the
normal Christian state. There is much that the believer has to mourn
over--the plague of his own heart makes him cry, O wretched man that I
am"; the unbelief which "doth so easily beset us" and the sins which
we commit that are more in number than the hairs of our head, are a
continual grief; the barrenness and unprofitableness of our lives make
us sigh and cry; our propensity to wander from Christ, our lack of
communion with Him, the shallowness of our love for Him, cause us to
hang our harps upon the willows. But this is not all. The hypocritical
religion prevailing on every hand, having a form of godliness but
denying the power thereof; the awful dishonor done to the truth of God
by the false doctrines taught in countless pulpits; the divisions
among the Lord's people, the strife between brethren, occasion
continual sorrow of heart. The awful wickedness in the world, men
despising Christ, the untold sufferings around, make us groan within
ourselves. The closer the Christian lives to God, the more will he
mourn over all that dishonors Him. With the Psalmist he will say:
119:53; with Jeremiah, 13:17; 14:17; with Ezekiel, 9:4.
"They shall be comforted." This refers first of all to the removal of
the conscious guilt which burdens the conscience. It finds its
fulfillment in the Spirit's application of the Gospel of God's grace
to the one whom He has convicted of his dire need of a Saviour. It
issues in a sense of free and full forgiveness through the merits of
the atoning blood of Christ. This Divine comfort is the peace of God
which passeth all understanding filling the heart of the one who is
now assured that he is "accepted in the Beloved." God wounds before
healing, abases before He exalts. First there is a revelation of His
justice and holiness, then the making known of His mercy and grace.
"They shall be comforted" also receives a constant fulfillment in the
experience of the Christian. Though he mourns his excuseless failures
and confesses them to God, yet he is comforted by the assurance that
the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses him from all sin. Though he
groans over the dishonor done to God on every side, yet is he
comforted by the knowledge that the day is rapidly approaching when
Satan shall be removed from these scenes and when the Lord Jesus shall
sit upon the throne of His glory and rule in righteousness and peace.
Though the chastening hand of the Lord is often laid upon him and
though "no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but
grievous," nevertheless, he is consoled by the realization that this
is all working out for him "a far more exceeding and eternal weight of
glory." Like the Apostle, the believer who is in communion with his
Lord can say, "As sorrowful yet always rejoicing." He may often be
called upon to drink of the bitter waters of Marah, but God has
planted nearby a tree to sweeten them. Yes "mourning" Christians are
comforted even now by the Divine Comforter, by the ministrations of
His servants, by encouraging words from fellow Christians, and when
these are not to hand, by the precious promises of the Word being
brought home in power to his memory and heart.
"They shall be comforted." The best wine is reserved for the last.
Sorrow may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. During
the long night of His absence, the saints of God have been called to
fellowship with Him who was the Man of Sorrows. But, blessed be God,
it is written, "If we suffer with Him we shall also be glorified
together." What comfort and joy will be ours when shall dawn the
morning without clouds! Then shall "sorrow and sighing flee away"
(Isa. 35:10). Then shall be fulfilled the saying of Revelation 21:3-4.
Contents Intro 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
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Comfort for Christians by Arthur Pink
Chapter 12
Hungering
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"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst
after righteousness; for they shall be filled"
Matthew 5:6
_________________________________________________________________
In the first three Beatitudes we are called upon to witness the heart
exercises of one who has been awakened by the Spirit of God. First,
there is a sense of need, a realization of my nothingness and
emptiness. Second, there is a judging of self, a consciousness of my
guilt and sorrowing over my lost condition. Third, there is an end of
seeking to justify myself before God, an abandonment of all pretences
to personal merit, a taking of my place in the dust before God. Here,
in the fourth, the eye of the soul is turned away from self to
Another: there is a longing after that which I know I have not got and
which I am conscious I urgently need.
There has been much needless quibbling as to the precise import of the
word "righteousness" in our present text. The best way to ascertain
its significance is to go back to the Old Testament scriptures where
this term is used, and then turn on these the fuller light furnished
by the New Testament Epistles.
"Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down
righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation,
and let righteousness spring up together; I, the Lord have created it"
(Isa. 45:8). The first half of this verse refers, in figurative
language, to the advent of Christ to this earth; the second half to
His resurrection, when He was "raised again for our justification.
"Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness: I
bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation
shall not tarry; and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my
glory" (Isa. 46:12-14). "My righteousness is near; my salvation is
gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait
upon me, and on mine arms shall they trust" (Isa. 51:5). "Thus saith
the Lord, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near
to come, and my righteousness to be revealed" (Isa. 56:1). "I will
greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he
hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me
with the robe of righteousness" (Isa. 61:10). These passages make it
clear that God's "righteousness" is synonymous with God's "salvation."
The above scriptures are unfolded in the Epistle to the Romans where
the "Gospel" receives its fullest exposition, see 1:1. In 1:16, 17, we
are told "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the
power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew
first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God
revealed from faith to faith." In 3:22, 24 we read, "Even the
righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and
upon all them that believe, for there is no difference: For all have
sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by
His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." In 5:19 the
blessed declaration is made, "for as by one man's disobedience many
were made (legally constituted) sinners, so by the obedience of One
shall many be made (legally constituted) righteous." While in 10:4 we
learn, "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one
that believeth."
The sinner is destitute of righteousness, for "there is none
righteous, no not one." God has therefore provided in Christ a perfect
righteousness for each and all of His people. This righteousness, this
satisfying of all the demands of God's holy law against us, was
wrought out by our Substitute and Surety. This righteousness is now
imputed--legally placed to the account of the believing sinner. Just
as the sins of God's people were all transferred to Christ, so His
righteousness is placed upon them, see 2 Corinthians 5:21. Such is a
brief summary of the teaching of Scripture on this vital and blessed
subject of "Righteousness."
"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness."
Hungering and thirsting express vehement desire, of which the soul is
acutely conscious. First, the Holy Spirit brings before the heart the
holy requirements of God. He reveals to us His perfect standard, which
He can never lower. He reminds us that "Except your righteousness
exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no
case enter the kingdom of heaven." Second, the trembling soul,
conscious of its own abject poverty, realizing his utter inability to
measure up to God's requirements, sees no help in self. This is a
painful discovery, which causes him to mourn and groan. Have you done
so? Third, the Holy Spirit now creates in the heart a deep "hunger and
thirst," which causes the convicted sinner to look for relief and seek
a supply outside of himself. The eye is now directed to Christ, "The
Lord our Righteousness" (Jer. 23:6).
Like the previous ones, this fourth Beatitude de begins in the
unconverted, but is perpetuated in the saved sinner. There is a
repeated exercise of this grace, felt at varying intervals. The one
who longed to be saved by Christ now yearns to be made like Him.
Looked at in its widest aspect, this hungering and thirsting refers to
that panting of the renewed heart after God (Ps. 42:1), that yearning
for a closer walk with Him, that longing for more perfect conformity
to the image of His Son. It tells of those Inspirations of the new
nature for Divine blessing which alone can strengthen, sustain and
satisfy.
Our text presents such a paradox that it is evident no carnal mind
ever invented it. Can one who has been brought into vital union with
Him who is the Bread of Life, and in whom all fullness dwells, be
found still hungering and thirsting? Yes, such is the experience of
the renewed heart. Mark carefully the tense of the verb: it is not
"Blessed are they which have," but "Blessed are they which do hunger
and thirst." Do you, dear reader? Or are you content with your
attainments and satisfied with your condition? Hungering and thirsting
after righteousness has ever been the experience of God's saints: (see
Psalm 82:4; Phil. 3:8, 14, etc).
"They shall be filled." Like the first part of our text, this also has
a double fulfillment--an initial and a continuous. When God creates a
hunger and a thirst in the soul it is that He may satisfy them. When
the poor sinner is made to feel his need of Christ, it is that he may
be drawn to and led to embrace Him. Like the prodigal, who came to the
Father as a penitent, the believing sinner now feeds on the One
figured by the "fatted calf." He is made to exclaim "surely in the
Lord have I righteousness."
"They shall be filled." Not with wine wherein is excess, but "filled
with the Spirit." "Filled" with "the peace of God that passeth all
understanding." "Filled" with Divine blessing to which no sorrow is
added. "Filled" with praise and thanksgiving unto Him who has wrought
all our works in us. "Filled" with that which this poor world can
neither give nor take away. "Filled" by the goodness and mercy of God,
till their cup runneth over. And yet, all that is enjoyed now is but a
little foretaste of what God has prepared for them that love Him. In
the Day to come we shall be "filled" with Divine holiness, for we
shall be "like him" (1 John 3:2). Then shall we be done with sin
forever; then shall we "hunger no more, neither thirst anymore" (Rev.
7:16).
Contents Intro 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
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Comfort for Christians by Arthur Pink
Chapter 13
Heart Purity
_________________________________________________________________
"Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God"
Matthew 5:8
_________________________________________________________________
This is another of the Beatitudes which has been grossly perverted by
the enemies of the Lord; enemies who have, like their predecessors the
Pharisees, posed as the champions of the truth and boasted of a
superior sanctity to that confessed by the true people of God. All
through this Christian era there have been poor deluded souls who have
claimed an entire purification of the old man, or who have insisted
that God has so completely renewed them that the carnal nature has
been eradicated, and in consequence that they not only commit no sins
but have no sinful desires or thoughts. But God tells us: "If we say
we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (I
John 1 18). Of course such people appeal to the Scriptures in support
of their vain delusion, applying to experience verses which describe
the legal benefits of the Atonement. "The blood of Jesus Christ His
Son cleanseth us from all sin" does not mean that our hearts have been
washed from the corrupting defilements of evil, but that the sacrifice
of Christ has availed for the judicial blotting out of sins. "Old
things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Cor.
5:17) refers not to our state in this world, but to the Christian's
standing before God.
That purity of heart does not mean sinlessness of life is clear from
the inspired record of the history of all of God's saints. Noah got
drunk; Abraham equivocated; Moses disobeyed God; Job cursed the day of
his birth; Elijah fled in terror from Jezebel; Peter denied Christ.
Yes, perhaps someone will exclaim, But all these were before
Christianity was established. True, but it has also been the same
since then. Where shall we go to find a Christian of superior
attainment to those of the apostle Paul? And what was his experience?
Read Romans 7 and see. When he would do good, evil was present with
him (v. 21); there was a law in his members warring against the law of
his mind, and bringing him into captivity to the law of sin (v. 23).
He did, with the mind, serve the law of God; nevertheless, with the
flesh he served the law of sin (v. 25). Ah, Christian reader, the
truth is that one of the most conclusive evidences that we do possess
a pure heart is the discovery and consciousness of the impurity of the
old heart dwelling side by side within. But let us come closer to our
text.
"Blessed are the pure in heart." In seeking an interpretation to any
part of this Sermon on the Mount the first thing to bear in mind is
that those whom our Lord was addressing had been reared in Judaism. As
said one who was deeply taught of the Spirit: "I cannot help thinking
that our Lord, in using the terms before us, had a tacit reference to
that character of external sanctity or purity which belonged to the
Jewish people, and to that privilege of intercourse with God which was
connected with that character. They were a people separated from the
nations polluted with idolatry; set apart as holy to Jehovah; and, as
a holy people, they were permitted to draw near to their God, the only
living and true God, in the ordinances of His worship". On the
possession of this character, and on the enjoyment of this privilege,
the Jewish people plumed themselves.
"A higher character, however, and a higher privilege, belonged to
those who should be the subjects of the Messiah's reign. They should
not only be externally holy, but, `pure in heart'; and they should not
merely be allowed to approach towards the holy place, where God's
honour dwelt, but they should `see God,' be introduced into the most
intimate intercourse with Him. Thus viewed, as a description of the
spiritual character and privileges of the subjects of the Messiah, in
contrast with the external character and privileges of the Jewish
people, the passage before us is full of the most important and
interesting truth." (Dr. John Brown).
"Blessed are the pure in heart." Opinion is divided as to whether
these words of Christ are to be understood literally or figuratively;
whether the reference be to the new heart itself received at
regeneration, or to the moral transformation of character which
results from a Divine work of grace being wrought in the soul.
Probably both aspects of the truth are combined here. In view of the
late place which this Beatitude occupies in the series, it would
appear that the purity of heart upon which our Saviour pronounced His
blessing, is that internal cleansing which accompanies and follows the
new birth. Yet, inasmuch as no heart purity exists in the natural man,
what is here affirmed by Christ must be traced back to regeneration
itself.
The Psalmist said, "Behold Thou desirest truth in the inward parts;
and in the hidden part Thou shalt make me to know wisdom" (Ps. 51:6).
How far this goes beneath the outward renovation and reformation which
comprises such a large part of the efforts now being put forth in
Christendom! Much that we see around us is a hand religion--seeking
salvation by works--or a head religion, which rests satisfied with an
orthodox creed. But God looketh on the heart--an expression which
appears to include the understanding, the affections and the will. It
is because God looketh within that He gives a "new heart" (Ezek.
36:26) to His own people, and "blessed" indeed are they who have
received such, for it is a "pure heart."
As intimated above, we believe this sixth Beatitude contemplates both
the new heart received at regeneration and the transformation of
character which follows God's work of grace in the soul. First, there
is a "washing of regeneration" (Titus 3:5) by which we understand a
cleansing of the affections, which are now set upon things above,
instead of things below; this is parallel with "purifying their hearts
by faith" (Acts 15:9). Accompanying this is the cleansing of the
conscious--"having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience" (Heb.
10:22), which refers to the removal of the burden of conscious guilt,
the inward realization that being justified by faith we "have peace
with God."
But the purity of heart commended here by Christ goes further than
this. What is purity? Freedom from defilement, undivided affections,
sincerity and genuineness. As a quality of Christian character, we
would define it as godly simplicity. It is the opposite of subtlety
and duplicity. Genuine Christianity lays aside not only malice, but
guile and hypocrisy. It is not enough to be pure in words and in
outward deportment; purity of desires, motives, intents, are what
should, and do in the main, characterize the child of God. Here then
is a most important test for every professing Christian to apply to
himself: Are my affections set upon things above? Are my motives pure?
Why do I assemble with the Lord's people?--to be seen of men, or to
meet with the Lord and enjoy sweet communion with Him?
"For they shall see God." Once more we would point out how that the
promises attached to these Beatitudes have both a present and a future
fulfillment. The pure in heart possess spiritual discernment and with
the eyes of their understanding they obtain clear views of the Divine
character and perceive the excellency of His attributes. When the eye
is single the whole body is full of light. In the truth, the faith of
which purifies the heart, they `see God'; for what is that truth but a
manifestation of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ--an
illustrious display of the combined radiance of Divine holiness and
Divine benignity!. . . .And he not only obtains clear and satisfactory
views of the Divine character, but he enjoys intimate and delightful
communion with God. He is brought very near God; God's mind becomes
his mind; God's will becomes his will; and his fellowship is truly
with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
"They who are pure in heart `see God' in this way, even in the present
world; and in the future state their knowledge of God will become far
more extensive and their fellowship with Him far more intimate; for
though, when compared with the privileges of a former dispensation,
even now `as with open face we behold the glory of the Lord,' yet, in
reference to the privileges of a higher economy, we yet see but
`through a glass darkly'--we `know but in part'--we understand but in
part, we enjoy but in part. But `that which is in the part shall be
done away,' and `that which is perfect shall come.' We shall yet see
face to face and know even as we are known (1 Cor. 13:9-12); or to
borrow the words of the Psalmist, we `shall behold his face in
righteousness, and shall be satisfied when we awake in his likeness'
(Ps. 17:15). Then, and not till then, will the full meaning of these
words be understood `the pure in heart shall see God.'" (Dr. John
Brown).
Contents Intro 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
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Comfort for Christians by Arthur Pink
Chapter 14
The Beatitudes and Christ
The Beatitudes and Christ The Beatitudes and Christ Our meditations
upon the Beatitudes would not be complete unless they turned our
thoughts to the person of our blessed Lord. As we have endeavored to
show, they describe the character and conduct of a Christian, and as
Christian character is nothing more or less than being experimentally
conformed to the image of God's Son we must turn to Him for the
perfect pattern. In the Lord Jesus Christ we find the brightest
manifestations of the highest exemplifications of the different
spiritual graces which are found, dimly reflected, in His followers.
Not one or two but all of these perfections were displayed by Him, for
Me is not only "lovely," but "altogether lovely." May the Holy Spirit
who is here to glorify Him take now of the things of Christ and show
them unto us.
First, "Blessed are the poor in spirit." Most blessed is it to see how
the Scriptures speak of Him who was rich becoming poor for our sakes,
that we through His poverty might be rich. Great indeed was the
poverty into which He entered. Born of parents who were poor in this
world's goods, He commenced His earthly life in a manger. During His
youth and early manhood He toiled at the carpenter's bench. After His
public ministry had begun He declared that though the foxes had their
holes and the birds of the air their nests, the Son of Man had not
where to lay His head. If we trace out the Messianic utterances
recorded in the Psalms by the Spirit of prophecy, we shall find that
again and again He confessed to God His poverty of spirit: "I am poor
and sorrowful" (Ps. 69:29); and, "Bow down thine ear, O Jehovah, for I
am poor and needy" (Ps. 86:1); and again, "For I am poor and needy,
and My heart is wounded within me" (Ps. 109:22).
Second, "Blessed are they that mourn. Christ was indeed the chief
Mourner. Old Testament prophecy contemplated Him as "the Man of
Sorrows and acquainted with grief." See Him "grieved for the hardness
of their hearts" (Mark 3:5) Behold Him "sighing" ere He healed the
deaf and dumb man (Mark 7:34). Mark Him weeping by the graveside of
Lazarus. Hear His lamentation over the beloved city, "O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem . . . how often would I have gathered thy children together"
(Matthew 23:37). Draw near and reverently behold Him in the gloom of
Gethsemane, pouring out His petitions to the Father "with strong
crying and tears" (Heb. 5:7). Bow in worshipful wonderment as you hear
Him crying from the cross, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken
Me?" (Mark 15:34). Hearken to His plaintive plea, "Is it nothing to
you, all ye that pass by? Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like
unto My sorrow" (Lam. 1:12).
Third, "Blessed are the meek." A score of examples might be drawn from
the Gospels illustrating the lovely lowliness of the incarnate Lord of
glory. Mark it in the men selected by Him to be His ambassadors: He
chose not the wise, the learned, the great, the noble, but poor
fishermen for the most part. Witness it in the company which He kept:
He sought not the rich and renowned, but was "the Friend of publicans
and sinners." See it in the miracles which He wrought: again and again
He enjoined the healed to go and tell no man what had been done for
them. Behold it in the unobtrusiveness of His service: unlike the
hypocrites who sounded a trumpet before them, He sought not the
lime-light, shunned advertising, and disdained popularity. When the
crowds would make Him their Idol, He avoided them (Mark 1:45; 7:17).
When they would come and "Take Him by force to make Him a king, he
departed again into a mountain himself alone" (John 6:15). When His
brethren urged, "Show Thyself to the world," He declined, and went up
to the feast in secret (John 7) . When He, in fulfillment of prophecy,
presented Himself to Israel, as their King, He entered Jerusalem
"lowly, and riding upon an ass" (Zech. 9:9).
Fourth, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after
righteousness.'' What a summary is this of the inner life of the Man
Christ Jesus! Before the Incarnation, the Holy Spirit announced,
"Righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins" (Isa. 4:5). When He
entered this world, He said, "Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God" (Heb.
10:17). As a Boy of twelve He asked, "Wist ye not that I must be about
My Father's business?" (Luke 2:41). At the beginning of His public
ministry He declared, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or
the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill" (Matthew
5:17). To His disciples He declared, "My meat is to do the will of him
that sent me (John 4:34). Of Him the Holy Spirit has said, "Thou
lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, Thy God,
hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows" (Ps.
45:7). Well may He be called "The Lord our righteousness."
Fifth, "Blessed are the merciful." In Christ we see mercy personified.
It was mercy to poor lost sinners which caused the Son of God to
exchange the glory of Heaven for the shame of earth. It was mercy,
wondrous and matchless, which took Him to the Cross, there to be made
a curse for His people. So it is "not by works of righteousness which
we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us" (Titus 3:5). He
still exercises mercy to us as our "merciful and faithful High Priest"
(Heb. 2:17). So also we are to be "looking for the mercy of our Lord
Jesus Christ unto eternal life" (Jude 21), because He will show us
mercy in "that Day" (2 Tim. 1:18).
Sixth, "Blessed are the pure in heart." This too was perfectly
exemplified in Christ. He was the Lamb "without spot and without
blemish. In becoming Man, He was uncontaminated, contracting none of
the defilement's of sin. His humanity was "holy" (Luke 1:35). He was
"holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners (Heb. 7:26). "In him
was no sin" (1 John 3:5), therefore He "did no sin" (1 Pet. 2:22) and
"knew no sin" (2 Cor. 5:21). "He is pure" (1 John 3:3). Because He was
absolutely pure in nature, His motives and actions were always pure.
"I seek not Mine own glory" (John 8:50) sums up the whole of His
earthly career.
Seventh, "Blessed are the peacemakers." Supremely true is this of our
blessed Saviour. He is the One who "made peace through the blood of
his cross" (Col. 1:20). He was appointed to be "a propitiation" (Rom.
3:25), that is, the One who should pacify God's wrath, satisfy every
demand of His broken law, glorify His justice and holiness. So, too,
has He made peace between the alienated Jew and Gentile: see Eph.
2:14-15. In a coming day He will yet make peace on this sin-cursed and
war-stricken earth. When He shall sit upon the throne of His father,
David, then shall be fulfilled that word, "Of the increase of his
government and peace, there shall be no end" (Isa. 9:7). Well may He
be called "The Prince of Peace."
Eighth, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness'
sake." None was ever persecuted as was the Righteous One. What a word
is that in Revelation 12:4! By the spirit of prophecy He declared, "I
am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up" (Ps. 88:15). On His
first public appearance we are told they "rose up, and thrust him out
of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city
was built, that they might cast him down headlong" (Luke 4:29). In the
temple precincts they "took up stones to cast at him" (John 9:59). All
through His ministry His steps were dogged by enemies. The religious
leaders charged Him with having a demon (John 8:38). Those who sat in
the gate spake against Him, and He was the song of the drunkards (Ps.
69:12). At His trial they plucked off His hair (Isa. 50:6) , spat in
His face, buffeted Him, and smote Him with the palms of their hands
(Matthew 26:67). After He was scourged by the soldiers and crowned
with thorns, carrying His own cross, He was led to Calvary, where they
crucified Him. Even in His dying hours He was not left in peace, but
was persecuted by revilings and scoffings. How unutterably mild in
comparison is the persecution we are called on to endure for His sake!
In like manner, each of the promises attached to the Beatitudes find
their accomplishment in Christ. Poor in spirit He was, but His
supremely is the kingdom. Mourn He did, yet will He be comforted as He
sees of the travail of His soul. Meekness personified, yet shall He
Sit on a throne of glory. He hungered and thirsted after
righteousness, yet now is He filled with satisfaction as He beholds
the righteousness He wrought imputed to His people. Pure in heart, He
sees God as none other does (Matthew 11:27). As the Peacemaker, He is
owned the Son of God by all the blood-bought children. As the
persecuted One, great is His reward, having been given the Name above
all others. May the Spirit of God occupy us more and more with Him who
is fairer than the children of men.
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Comfort for Christians by Arthur Pink
Chapter 15
Affliction and Glory
_________________________________________________________________
"For our light affliction, which is but for
a moment, worketh for us a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory"
2 Corinthians 4:17
_________________________________________________________________
These words supply us with a reason why we should not faint under
trials nor be overwhelmed by misfortunes. They teach us to look at the
trials of time in the light of eternity. They affirm that the present
buffetings of the Christian exercise a beneficent effect on the inner
man. If these truths were firmly grasped by faith they would mitigate
much of the bitterness of our sorrows. "For our light affliction,
which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and
eternal weight of glory." This verse sets forth a striking and
glorious antithesis, as it contrasts our future state with our
present. Here there is "affliction," there "glory." Here there is a
"light affliction," there a "might of glory." In our affliction there
is both levity and brevity; it is a light affliction, and it is but
for a moment; in our future glory there is solidity and eternity! To
discover the preciousness of this contrast let us consider,
separately, each member, but in the inverse order of mention.
1. "A far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." It is a
significant thing that the Hebrew word for "glory," kabod, also means
"weight." When weight is added to the value of gold or precious stones
this increases their worth. Heaven's happiness cannot be told out in
the words of earth; figurative expressions are best calculated to
convey some imperfect views to us. Here in our text one term is piled
up on top of another. That which awaits the believer is "glory," and
when we say that a thing is glorious we have reached the limits of
human language to express that which is excellent and perfect. But the
"glory" awaiting us is weighted, yea it is "far more exceeding"
weighty than anything terrestrial and temporal; its value defies
computation; its transcendent excellency is beyond verbal description.
Moreover, this wondrous glory awaiting us is not evanescent and
temporal, but Divine and eternal; for "eternal" it could not be unless
it were Divine. The great and blessed God is going to give us that
which is worthy of Himself, yea that which is like Himself, infinite
and everlasting.
2. "Our light affliction, which is but for a moment."
a. "Affliction" is the common lot of human existence; "Man is born
unto trouble as the sparks fly upward" (Job 5:7). This is part of the
entail of sin. It is not meet that a fallen creature should be
perfectly happy in his sins. Nor are the children of God exempted;
"Through much tribulation we must enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts
14:22). By a hard and rugged road does God lead us to glory and
immortality.
b. Our affliction is "light." Afflictions are not light in themselves
for oft times they are heavy and grievous; but they are light
comparatively! They are light when compared with what we really
deserve. They are light when compared with the sufferings of the Lord
Jesus. But perhaps their real lightness is best seen by comparing them
with the weight of glory which is awaiting us. As said the same
apostle in another place, "For I reckon that the sufferings of this
present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall
be revealed in us" (Rom. 8:18).
c. "Which is but for a moment. Should our afflictions continue
throughout a whole lifetime, and that life be equal in duration to
Methuselah's, yet is it momentary if compared with the eternity which
is before us. At most our affliction is but for this present life,
which is as a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes
away. O that God would enable us to examine our trials in their true
perspective.
3. Note now the connection between the two. Our light affliction,
which is but for a moment, "worketh for us a far more exceeding and
eternal weight of glory." The present is influencing the future. It is
not for us to reason and philosophize about this, but to take God at
His Word and believe it. Experience, feelings, observation of others,
may seem to deny this fact. Oft times afflictions appear only to sour
us and make us more rebellious and discontented. But let it be
remembered that afflictions are not sent by God for the purpose of
purifying the flesh: they are designed for the benefit of the "new
man." Moreover, afflictions help to prepare us for the glory
hereafter. Affliction draws away our heart from the love of the world;
it makes us long more for the time when we shall be translated from
this scene of sin and sorrow; it will enable us to appreciate (by way
of contrast) the things which God had prepared for them that love Him.
Here then is what faith is invited to do: to place in one scale the
present affliction, in the other, the eternal glory. Are they worthy
to be compared? No, indeed. One second of glory will more than
counterbalance a whole lifetime of suffering. What are years of toil,
of sickness, of battling against poverty, of persecution, yea, of a
martyr's death, when weighed over against the pleasures at God's right
hand, which are for evermore! One breath of Paradise will extinguish
all the adverse winds of earth. One day in the Father's House will
more than counterbalance the years we have spent in this dreary
wilderness. May God grant unto us that faith which will enable us to
anticipatively lay hold of the future and live in the present
enjoyment of it.
Contents Intro 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
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Comfort for Christians by Arthur Pink
Chapter 16
Contentment
_________________________________________________________________
"I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content"
Philippians 4:11
_________________________________________________________________
Discontent! Was there ever a time when there was so much restlessness
in the world as there is today? We very much doubt it. Despite our
boasted progress, the vast increase of wealth, the time and money
expended daily in pleasure, discontent is everywhere. No class is
exempt. Everything is in a state of flux, and almost everybody is
dissatisfied. Many even among God's own people are affected with the
evil spirit of this age.
Contentment! Is such a thing realizable, or is it nothing more than a
beautiful ideal, a mere dream of the poet? Is it attainable on earth
or is it restricted to the inhabitants of heaven? If practicable here
and now, may it be retained, or are a few brief moments or hours of
contentment the most that we may expect in this life? Such questions
as these find answer, an answer at least, in the words of the apostle
Paul: "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in
whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content" (Phil. 4:11).
The force of the apostle's statement will be better appreciated if his
condition and circumstances at the time he made it be kept in mind.
When the apostle wrote (or most probably dictated) the words, he was
not luxuriating in a special suite in the Emperor's palace, nor was he
being entertained in some exceptional Christian household, the members
of which were marked by unusual piety. Instead, he was "in bonds" (cf.
Phil. 1:13, 14); "a prisoner" (Eph. 4:1), as he says in another
Epistle. And yet, notwithstanding, he declared he was content!
Now, there is a vast difference between precept and practice, between
the ideal and the realization. But in the case of the apostle Paul
contentment was an actual experience, and one that must have been
continuous, for he says, "in whatsoever state I am." How then did Paul
enter into this experience, and of what did the experience consist?
The reply to the first question is to be found in the word, "I have
learned . . . to be content." The apostle did not say, "I have
received the baptism of the Spirit, and therefore contentment is
mine." Nor did he attribute this blessing to his perfect
"consecration." Equally plain is it that it was not the outcome of
natural disposition or temperament. It is something he had learned in
the school of Christian experience. It should be noted, too, that this
statement is found in an Epistle which the apostle wrote near the
close of his earthly career!
From what has been pointed out it should be apparent that the
contentment which Paul enjoyed was not the result of congenial and
comfortable surroundings. And this at once dissipates a vulgar
conception. Most people suppose that contentment is impossible unless
one can have gratified the desires of the carnal heart. A prison is
the last place to which they would go if they were seeking a contented
man. This much, then, is clear: contentment comes from within not
without; it must be sought from God, not in creature comforts.
But let us endeavor to go a little deeper. What is "contentment"? It
is the being satisfied with the sovereign dispensations of God's
providence. It is the opposite of murmuring, which is the spirit of
rebellion--the clay saying to the Potter, "Why hast Thou made me
thus?" Instead of complaining at his lot, a contented man is thankful
that his condition and circumstances are no worse than they are.
Instead of greedily desiring something more than the supply of his
present need, he rejoices that God still cares for him. Such an one is
"content" with such as he has (Heb. 13:5).
One of the fatal hindrances to contentment is covetousness, which is a
canker eating into and destroying present satisfaction. It was not,
therefore, without good reason, that our Lord gave the solemn
commandment to His followers--Take heed, and beware of covetousness"
(Luke 12:15). Few things are more insidious. Often it poses under the
fair name of thrift, or the wise safeguarding of the future--present
economy so as to lay up for a "rainy day." The Scripture says,
covetousness which is idolatry" (Col. 3:5), the affection of the heart
being set upon material things rather than upon God. The language of a
covetous heart is that of the horseleach's daughter, Give! Give! The
covetous man is always desirous of more, whether he has little or
much. How vastly different the words of the apostle--"And having food
and raiment let us be therewith content" (1 Tim. 6:8). A much needed
word is that of Luke 3:14: "Be content with your wages"!
"Godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Tim. 6:6). Negatively,
it delivers from worry and fretfulness, from avarice and selfishness.
Positively, it leaves us free to enjoy what God has given us. What a
contrast is found in the word which follows: "But they that will be
(desire to be) rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many
foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and
perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while
some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced
themselves through with many sorrows" (1 Tim. 6:9,10). May the Lord in
His grace deliver us from the spirit of this world, and make us to be
"content with such things as we have."
Contentment, then, is the product of a heart resting in God. It is the
soul's enjoyment of that peace which passeth all understanding. It is
the outcome of my will being brought into subjection to the Divine
will. It is the blessed assurance that God doeth all things well, and
is, even now, making all things work together for my ultimate good.
This experience has to be "learned" by "proving what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Rom. 12:2). Contentment is
possible only as we cultivate and maintain that attitude of accepting
everything which enters our lives as coming from the Hand of Him who
is too wise to err, and too loving to cause one of His children a
needless tear.
Let our final word be this: real contentment is only possible by being
much in the presence of the Lord Jesus. This comes out clearly in the
verses which follow our opening text; "I know both how to be abased,
and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed
both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and suffer need. I
can do all things through Christ which strengthens me" (Phil. 4:12,
13). It is only by cultivating intimacy with that One who was never
discontent that we shall be delivered from the sin of complaining. It
is only by daily fellowship with Him who ever delighted in the
Father's will that we shall learn the secret of contentment. May both
writer and reader so behold in the mirror of the Word the glory of the
Lord that we shall be "changed into the same image from glory to
glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18).
Contents Intro 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
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Comfort for Christians by Arthur Pink
Chapter 17
Precious Death
_________________________________________________________________
"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints"
Psalm 116:15
_________________________________________________________________
This is one of the many comforting and blessed statements in Holy
Scripture concerning that great event from which the flesh so much
shrinks. If the Lord's people would more frequently make a prayerful
and believing study of what the Word says upon their departure out of
this world, death would lose much, if not all, of its terrors for
them. But alas, instead of doing so, they let their imagination run
riot, they give way to carnal fears, they walk by sight instead of by
faith. Looking to the Holy Spirit for guidance, let us endeavor to
dispel, by the light of Divine revelation, some of the gloom which
unbelief casts around even the death of a Christian.
"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." These
words intimate that a dying saint is an object of special notice unto
the Lord, for mark the words "in the sight of." It is true that the
eyes of the Lord are ever upon us, for He never slumbers nor sleeps.
It is true that we may say at all times "Thou God seest me." But it
appears from Scripture that there are occasions when He notices and
cares for us in a special manner. "God is our refuge and strength, a
very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1). "When thou passest through
the waters, I will be with thee" (Isaiah 43:2).
"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." This
brings before us an aspect of death which is rarely considered by
believers. It gives us what may be termed the Godward side of the
subject. Only too often, we contemplate death, like most other things,
from our side. The text tells us that from the viewpoint of Heaven the
death of a saint is neither hideous nor horrible, tragic or terrible,
but "precious." This raises the question, Why is the death of His
people precious in the sight of the Lord? What is there in the last
great crisis which is so dear unto Him? Without attempting an
exhaustive reply, let us suggest one or two possible answers.
1. Their persons are precious to the Lord.
They ever were and always will be dear to Him. His saints! They were
the ones on whom His love was set before the earth was formed or the
heavens made. These are they for whose sakes He left His Home on high
and whom He bought with His precious blood, cheerfully laying down His
life for them. These are they whose names are borne on our great High
Priest's breast and engraven on the palms of His hands. They are His
Father's love-gift to Him, His children, members of His body;
therefore, everything that concerns them is precious in His sight. The
Lord loves His people so intensely that the very hairs of their heads
are numbered: the angels are sent forth to minister unto them; and
because their persons are precious unto the Lord so also are their
deaths.
2. Because death terminates the saint's sorrows and sufferings.
There is a needs-be for our sufferings, for through much tribulation
we must enter into the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). Nevertheless, the
Lord does not "afflict willingly" (Lam. 3:33). God is neither
unmindful of nor indifferent to our trials and troubles. Concerning
His people of old it is written, "In all their affliction he was
afflicted" (Isa. 63:9). "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the
Lord pitieth them that fear him" (Ps. 103:13). So also are we told
that our great High Priest is "touched with the feeling of our
infirmities" (Heb. 4:15). Here, then, may be another reason why the
death of a saint is precious in the sight of the Lord--because it
marks the termination of his sorrows and sufferings.
3. Because death affords the Lord an opportunity to display His
sufficiency.
Love is never so happy as when ministering to the needs of its
cherished object, and never is the Christian so needy and so helpless
as in the hour of death. But man's extremity is God's opportunity. It
is then that the Father says to His trembling child, "Fear thou not;
for I am with thee: be not dismayed, for I am thy God: I will
strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with
the right hand of my righteousness" (Isa. 41:10). It is because of
this that the believer may confidently reply, "Yea, though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for
Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me." Our very
weakness appeals to His strength, our emergency to His sufficiency.
Most blessedly is this principle illustrated in the well-known words
"He shall gather the lambs (the helpless ones) with his arm, and carry
them in his bosom" (Isaiah 40:11). Yes, His strength is made perfect
in our weakness. Therefore is the death of the saints "precious" in
His sight because it affords the Lord a blessed occasion for His love,
grace and power to minister unto and undertake for His helpless
people.
4. Because at death the saint goes direct to the Lord.
The Lord delights in having His people with Himself. Blessedly was
this evidenced all through His earthly ministry. Wherever He went, the
Lord took His disciples along with Him. Whether it was to the marriage
at Cana, to the holy feasts in Jerusalem, to the house of Jairus when
his daughter lay dead, or to the Mount of Transfiguration, they ever
accompanied Him. How blessed is that word in Mark 3:14, "He ordained
twelve, that they should be with him." And He is "the same yesterday
and today and for ever." Therefore has He assured us, "If I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto
Myself, that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:3). Precious
then is the death of the saints in His sight, because absent from the
body we are "present with the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:8).
While we are sorrowing over the removal of a saint, Christ is
rejoicing. His prayer was "Father, I will that they also, whom Thou
hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory"
(John 17:24), and in the entrance into Heaven of each one of His own
people, He sees an answer to that prayer and is glad. He beholds in
each one that is freed from "this body of death" another portion of
the reward for His travail of soul, and He is satisfied with it.
Therefore the death of His saints is precious to the Lord, for it
occasions Him ground for rejoicing.
It is most interesting and instructive to trace out the fullness of
the Hebrew word here translated "precious." it is also rendered
"excellent." "How excellent is Thy loving kindness, O God!" (Ps.
36:7). "A man of understanding is of an excellent spirit" (Prov.
17:27). However worthily or unworthily he may live, the death of a
saint is excellent in the sight of the Lord.
The same Hebrew word is also rendered "honorable." "Kings" daughters
were among thy honorable women" (Ps. 45:9). So Ahasuerus asked of
Haman "What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to
honour?" (Esther 6:6). Yes, the exchange of heaven for earth is truly
honorable, and "This honour have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord."
This Hebrew word is also rendered "brightness." "If I beheld the sun
when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness" (Job 31:26). Dark
and gloomy though death may be unto those whom the Christian leaves
behind, it is brightness "in the sight of the Lord": "at evening time
it shall be light" (Zech. 14:7). Precious, excellent, honorable,
brightness in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. May
the Lord make this little meditation precious unto His saints.
Contents Intro 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
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Divine Covenants by A.W. Pink
Introduction
The covenants occupy no subordinate place on the pages of divine
revelation, as even a superficial perusal of Scripture will show. The
word covenant is found no fewer than twenty-five times in the very
first book of the Bible; and occurs again scores of times in the
remaining books of the Pentateuch, in the Psalms and in the Prophets.
Nor is the word inconspicuous in the New Testament. When instituting
the great memorial of His death, the Savior said, This cup is the new
covenant in my blood (Luke 22:20). When enumerating the special
blessings which God had conferred on the Israelites, Paul declared
that to them belonged the covenants (Rom. 9:4). To the Galatians he
expounded the two covenants (4:24-31). The Ephesian saints were
reminded that in their unregenerate days they were strangers to the
covenants of promise. The entire Epistle to the Hebrews is an
exposition of the better covenant of which Christ is mediator (8:6).
Salvation through Jesus Christ is according to the determinate counsel
and foreknowledge of God (Acts 2:23), and He was pleased to make known
His eternal purpose of mercy unto the fathers, in the form of
covenants, which were of different characters and revealed at various
times. These covenants enter into the very nature, and pervade with
their peculiar qualities, the whole system of divine truth. They have
an intimate connection with each other and a common relation to a
single purpose, being, in fact, so many successive stages in the
unfolding of the scheme of divine grace. They treat the divine side of
things, disclosing the source from which all blessings come to men,
and making known the channel (Christ) through which they flow to them.
Each one reveals some new and fundamental aspect of truth, and in
considering them in their Scriptural order we may clearly perceive the
progress of revelation which they respectively indicated. They set
forth the great design of God accomplished by the redeemer of His
people.
It has been well pointed out that "it is very obvious that because God
is an intelligence He must have a plan. If He be an absolutely perfect
intelligence, desiring and designing nothing but good; if He be an
eternal and immutable intelligence, His plan must be one, eternal,
all-comprehensive, immutable; that is, all things from His point of
view must constitute one system and sustain a perfect logical relation
in all its parts. Nevertheless, like all other comprehensive systems
it must itself be composed of an infinite number of subordinate
systems. In this respect it is like these heavens which He has made,
and which He has hung before our eyes, as a type and pattern of His
mode of thinking and planning in all providence.
"We know that in the solar system our earth is a satellite of one of
the great suns, and of this particular system we have a knowledge
because of our position, but we know that this system is only one of
myriads, with variations, that have been launched in the great abyss
of space. So we know that this great, all-comprehensive plan of God,
considered as one system, must contain a great many subordinate
systems which might be studied profitably if we were in the position
to do so, as self-contained whole, separate from the rest" (Lectures
by A. A. Hodge). That "one system" or the eternal "plan" of God was
comprised in the everlasting covenant; the many "subordinate systems"
are the various covenants God made with different ones from time.
The everlasting covenant, with its shadowings forth His temporal
covenants, form the basis of all His dealings with His people. Many
proofs of this are to be met with in Holy Writ. For example, when God
heard the groanings of the Hebrews in Egypt, we are told that He
remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob (Ex.
2:24; cf. 6:2-8). When Israel was oppressed by the Syrians in the days
of Jehoahaz, we read, And the Lord was gracious unto them, and had
compassion on them, and had respect unto them, because of his covenant
with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (2 Kings 13:23; cf. Ps. 106:43-45). At
a later period, when God determined to show mercy unto Israel, after
He had sorely afflicted them for their sins, He expressed it thus,
Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy
youth (Ezek. 16:60). As the psalmist declared, He hath given meat unto
them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant (111:5).
The same blessed truth is set forth in the New Testament that the
covenant is the foundation from which proceed all the gracious works
of God. This is rendered as the reason for sending Christ into the
world: To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember
his holy covenant (Luke 1:72). Remarkable too is that word in Hebrews
13:20: Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord
Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the
everlasting covenant. Another illustration of the same principle is
found in Hebrews 10:15,16: Whereof the Holy Spirit also is a witness
to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I
will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my
laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them the words
.. supply proof that the good which God does unto His people is
grounded on His covenant. Anything which in Scripture is said to be
done unto us for Christ's sake signifies it is done by virtue of that
covenant which God made with Christ as the head of His mystical body.
In like manner, when God is said to bind Himself by oath to the heirs
of promise - Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the
heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an
oath (Heb. 6:17)-- it is upon the ground of His covenant engagement
that He does so. In fact the one merges into the other, for in
Scripture covenanting is often called by the name of swearing, and a
covenant is called an oath. That thou shouldest enter into covenant
with the Lord thy God, and into his oath, which the Lord thy God
maketh with thee this day. . . Neither with you only do I make this
covenant and this oath (Deut. 29:12,14). Be ye mindful always of his
covenant, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations: even
of the covenant which he made with Abraham, and of his oath unto Isaac
(1 Chron. 16:15,16). And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord
God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul. .
.And they sware unto the Lord with a loud voice ... And all Judah
rejoiced at the oath (l Chron. 15:12,14, l5).
Sufficient should have already been said to impress us with the
weightiness of our present theme, and the great importance of arriving
at a right understanding of the divine covenants. A true knowledge of
the covenants is indispensable to a correct presentation of the
gospel, for he who is ignorant of the fundamental difference which
obtains between the covenant of works and the covenant of grace is
utterly incompetent for evangelism. But by whom among us are the
different covenants clearly understood? Refer unto them to the average
preacher, and you at once perceive you are speaking to him in an
unknown tongue. Few today discern what the covenants are in
themselves, their relations to each other, and their consequent
bearings upon the design of God in the Redeemer. Since the covenants
pertain unto the very "rudiments of the doctrine of Christ," ignorance
of them must cause obscurity to rest upon the whole gospel system.
During the palmy days of the Puritans considerable attention was given
to the subject of the covenants, as their writings evince,
particularly the works of Usher, Witsius, Blake, and Boston. But alas,
with the exception of a few high Calvinists, their massive volumes
fell into general neglect, until a generation arose who had no light
thereon. This made it easier for certain men to impose upon them the
crudities and vagaries, and make their poor dupes believe a wonderful
discovery had been made in the rightly dividing of the word of truth.
These men shuffled Scripture until they arranged the passages treating
of the covenants to arbitrarily divide time into "seven dispensations"
and partitioned off the Bible accordingly. How dreadfully superficial
and faulty their findings are appear from the popular (far too popular
to be of much value--Luke 16:15!) Scofield Bible, where no less than
eight covenants are noticed, and nothing is said about the everlasting
covenant!
If some think we have exaggerated the ignorance which now obtains upon
this subject, let them put the following questions to their
best-informed Christian friends, and see how many can give
satisfactory answers. What did David mean when he said, Although my
house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting
covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my
salvation (1 Sam. 23:5? What is meant by The secret of the Lord is
with them that fear him, and he will show them his covenant (Ps.
25:14)? What does the Lord mean when He speaks of those who take hold
of my covenant (Isa. 56:6)? What does God intend when He says to the
Mediator: As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant, I have sent
forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water? To what does
the apostle refer when he says, That the covenant, that was confirmed
before of God is (or "to") Christ (Gal. 3:17)?
Before attempting to furnish any answers to these questions, let us
point out the nature of a covenant: in what it consists. "An absolute
agreement between distinct persons, about the order and dispensing of
things in their power, unto their mutual concern and advantage" (John
Owen). Blackstone, the great commentator upon English law, speaking of
the parts of a deed, says, "After warrants, usually follow covenants,
or conventions, which are clauses of agreement contained in a deed,
whereby either party may stipulate for the truth of certain facts, or
may bind himself to perform, or give something to the other" (Vol. 2,
p. 20). So he includes three things: the parties, the terms, the
binding agreement. Reducing it to still simpler language, we may say
that a covenant is the entering into of a mutual agreement, a benefit
being assured on the fulfillment of certain conditions.
We read of Jonathan and David making a covenant (1 Sam. 18:3) which,
in view of 1 Samuel 20:11-17,42, evidently signified that they entered
into a solemn compact (ratified by an oath: 1 Sam. 20:17) that in
return for Jonathan's kindness in informing him of his father's
plans--making possible his escape--David, when he ascended the throne,
would show mercy to his descendants: (cf. 2 Sam. 9:1). Again, in 1
Chronicles 11:3 we are told that all the elders of Israel (who had
previously been opposed to him) came to David and he made a covenant
with them, which, in the light of 2 Samuel 5:1-3 evidently means that,
on the consideration of his captaining their armies against the common
foe, they were willing to submit unto him as their king. Once more, in
2 Chronicles 23:16 we read of Jehoiada the priest making a covenant
with the people and the king that they should be the Lord's people,
which, in the light of what immediately follows obviously denotes that
he agreed to grant them certain religious privileges in return for
their undertaking to destroy the system of Baal worship. A careful
consideration of these human examples will enable us to understand
better the covenants which God has been pleased to enter into.
Now as we pointed out in previous paragraphs, God's dealings with men
are all based upon His covenant engagements with them--He promising
certain blessings upon their fulfillment of certain conditions. This
being so, as G. S. Bishop pointed out, "It is clear that there can be
but two and only two covenants possible between God and men--a
covenant founded upon what man shall do for salvation, a covenant
founded upon what God shall do for him to save him: in other words, a
Covenant of Works and a Covenant of Grace" (Grace in Galatians, p.
72). Just as all the divine promises in the Old Testament are summed
up in two chief ones--the sending of Christ and the pouring out of the
Spirit--so all the divine covenants may be reduced unto two, the other
subordinate ones being only confirmations or adumbrations of them, or
having to do with their economical administration.
We shall then take up in the chapters which follow, first, the
everlasting covenant or covenant of grace, which God made with His
elect in the person of their head, and show how that is the sure
foundation from which proceed all blessings unto then. Next we shall
consider the covenant of works, that compact into which the Creator
entered with the whole race in the person of their human and federal
head, and show how that had to be broken before the blessings agreed
upon in the covenant of grace could be bestowed. Then we shall look
briefly at the covenant God made with Noah, and more fully at the one
with Abraham, in which the everlasting covenant was shadowed forth.
Then we shall ponder the more difficult Sinaitic covenant, viewing it
as a confirmation of the covenant of works and also in its peculiar
relation to the national polity of Israel. Some consideration will
also have to be given to the Davidic covenant, concerning which we
feel greatly in need of more light. Finally, we shall point out how
the everlasting covenant has been administered under the old and new
covenants or economies. May the Holy Spirit graciously preserve us
from all serious error, and enable us to write that which shall be to
the glory of our covenant God and the blessing of His covenant people.
Contents | Intro | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8
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Divine Covenants by A.W. Pink
Part One-The Everlasting Covenant
I.
The Word of God opens with a brief account of creation, the making of
man, and his fall. From later Scripture we have no difficulty in
ascertaining that the issue of the trial to which man was subjected in
Eden had been divinely foreseen. "The Lamb slain (in the purpose of
God) from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8) makes it clear
that, in view of the Fall, provision had been made by God for the
recovery of His people who had apostatized in Adam, and that the means
whereby their recovery would be effected were consistent with the
claims of the divine holiness and justice. All the details and results
of the plan of mercy had been arranged and settled from the beginning
by divine wisdom.
That provision of grace which God made for His people before the
foundation of the world embraced the appointment of His own Son to
become the mediator, and of the work which, in that capacity, He
should perform. This involved His assumption of human nature, the
offering of Himself as a sacrifice for sin, His exaltation in the
nature He had assumed to the right hand of God in the heavenlies, His
supremacy over His church and over all things for His church, the
blessings which He should be empowered to dispense, and the extent to
which His work should be made effectual unto the salvation of souls.
These were all matters of definite and certain arrangement, agreed
upon between God and His Son in the terms of the everlasting covenant.
The first germinal publication of the everlasting covenant is found in
Genesis 3:15 "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and
between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou
shalt bruise his heel." Thus, immediately after the Fall, God
announced to the serpent his ultimate doom through the work of the
Mediator, and revealed unto sinners the channel through whom alone
salvation could flow to them. The continual additions which God
subsequently made to the revelation He gave in Genesis 3:15 were, for
a considerable time, largely through covenants He made with the
fathers, covenants which were both the fruit of His eternal plan of
mercy and the gradual revealing of the same unto the faithful. Only as
those two facts are and held fast by us are we in any position to
appreciate and perceive the force of those subordinate covenants.
God made covenants with Noah, Abraham, David; but were they, as fallen
creatures, able to enter into covenant with their august and holy
Maker? Were they able to stand for themselves, or be sureties for
others? The very question answers itself. What, for instance, could
Noah possibly do which would insure that the earth should never again
be destroyed by a flood? Those subordinate covenants were less than
the Lord's making manifest, in an especial and public manner, the
grand covenant: making known something of its glorious contents,
confirming their own personal interest in it, and assuring them that
Christ, the great covenant head, should be of themselves and spring
from their seed.
This is what accounts for that singular expression which occurs so
frequently in Scripture: "Behold, I establish my covenant with you and
your seed after you" (Gen. 9:9). Yet there follows no mention of any
conditions, or work to be done by them: only a promise of
unconditional blessings. And why? because the "conditions" were to be
fulfilled and the "work" was to be done by Christ, and nothing
remained but to bestow the blessings on His people. So when David
says, "He hath made with me an everlasting covenant" (2 Sam. 23:5) he
simply means, God had admitted him into an interest in the everlasting
covenant and made him partaker of its privileges. Hence it is that
when the apostle Paul refers to the various covenants which God had
made with men in Old Testament times, he styles them not "covenants of
stipulations" but covenants of promise" (Eph 2:12).
Above we have pointed out that the continual additions which God made
to His original revelation of mercy in Genesis 3:15 were, for a while,
given mainly through the covenants He made with the fathers. It was a
process of gradual development, issuing finally in the fullness of
gospel grace; the substance of those covenants indicated the
outstanding stages in this process. They are the great landmarks of
God's dealings with men, points from which the disclosures of the
divine mind expanded into increased and established truths. As
revelations they exhibited in ever augmented degrees of fullness and
clearness the plan of salvation through mediation and sacrifice of the
Son of God; for each of those covenants consisted of gracious promises
ratified by sacrifice (Gen. 8:20; 9:9; 15:9-11, 18). Thus, those
covenants were so many intimations of that method of mercy which took
its rise in the eternal counsels of the divine mind.
Those divine revelations and manifestations of the grace decreed in
the everlasting covenant were given out at important epochs in the
early history of the world. Just as Genesis 3:15 was given immediately
after the Fall, so we find that immediately following the flood God
solemnly renewed the covenant of grace with Noah. In like manner, at
the beginning of the third period of human history, following the call
of Abraham, God renewed it again, only then making a much fuller
revelation of the same. It was now made known that the coming
deliverer of God's people was to be of the Abrahamic stock and that
all the families of the earth should be blessed in Him--a plain
intimation of the calling of the Gentiles and the bringing of the
elect from all nations into the family of God. In Genesis 15:5,6, the
great requirement of the covenant--namely, faith--was then more fully
made known.
Unto Abraham God gave a remarkable pledge of the fulfillment of His
covenant promises in the striking victory which He granted him over
the federated forces of Chedorlaomer. This was more than a hint of the
victory of Christ and His seed over the world: carefully compare
Isaiah 41:2,3,10,15. Genesis 14:19, 20 supplies proof of what we have
just said, for upon returning from his memorable victory, Abraham was
met by Melchizedek (type of Christ) and was blessed by him. A further
revelation of the contents of the covenant of grace was granted unto
Abraham in Genesis 15, where in the vision of the smoking furnace
which passed through the midst of the sacrifice, an adumbration was
made of the sufferings of Christ. In the miraculous birth of Isaac,
intimation was given of the supernatural birth of Christ, the promised
Seed. In the deliverance of Isaac from the altar, representation was
made of the resurrection of Christ (Heb 11:19).
Thus we may see how fully the covenant of grace was revealed and
confirmed unto Abraham the father of all them that believe, by which
he and his descendants obtained a clearer sight and understanding of
the great Redeemer and the things which were to be accomplished by
Him. "And therefore did Christ take notice of this when He said,
Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and was glad" (John 8:56). These last
words clearly intimate that Abraham had a definite spiritual
apprehension of those things. Under the Sinaitic covenant a yet fuller
revelation was made by God to His people of the contents of the
everlasting covenant: the tabernacle, and all its holy vessels; the
high priest, his vestments, and service; and the whole system of
sacrifices and ablutions, setting before them its blessed realities in
typical forms, they being patterns of heavenly things.
Thus, before seeking to set forth the everlasting covenant itself in a
specific way, we have first endeavored to make clear the relation
borne to it of the principal covenants which God was pleased to make
with different men during the Old Testament era. Our sketch of them
has necessarily been brief, for we shall take them up separately and
consider them in fuller detail in the succeeding chapters. Yet
sufficient has been said, we trust, to demonstrate that, while the
terms of the covenants which God made with Noah, with Abraham, with
Israel at Sinai, and with David, are to be understood, first, in their
plain and natural sense, yet it should be clear to any anointed eye
that they have a second and higher meaning--a spiritual content. The
things of earth have been employed to represent heavenly things. In
other words, those subordinate covenants need to be contemplated in
both their letter and spirit.
Coming now more directly to the present aspect of our theme, let it be
pointed out that, as there is no one verse in the Bible which
expressly affirms there are three divine persons in the Godhead,
co-eternal, coequal, co-glorious; nevertheless, by carefully comparing
Scripture with Scripture we know that such is the case. In like manner
there is no one verse in the Bible which categorically states that the
Father entered into a formal agreement with the Son: that on His
executing a certain work, He should receive a certain reward.
Nevertheless, a careful study of different passages obliges us to
arrive at this conclusion. Holy Scripture does not yield up its
treasures to the indolent; and as long as the individual preacher is
willing to let Dr. Scofield or Mr. Pink do his studying for him, he
must not expect to make much progress in divine things. Ponder
Proverbs 2:1-5!
There is no one plot of ground on earth on which will be found growing
all varieties of flowers or trees, nor is there any part of the world
in which may be secured representatives of every variety of
butterflies. Yet by expense, industry, and perseverance, the
horticulturist and the natural historian may gradually assemble
specimens of every variety until they possess a complete collection.
In like manner, there is no one chapter in the Bible in which all the
truth is found on any subject. It is the part of the theologian to
diligently attend unto the various hints and more defined
contributions scattered throughout Scripture on any given theme, and
carefully classify and coordinate them. Alas, those genuine and
independent theologians (those unfettered by any human system) have
well-nigh disappeared from the earth.
The language of the New Testament is very explicit in teaching us the
true light in which the plan of mercy is to be viewed, and in showing
the saint that he is to regard all his spiritual blessings and
privileges as coming to him out of the everlasting covenant. It speaks
of "the eternal purpose which God purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord"
(Eph 3:11). Our covenant oneness with Christ is clearly revealed in
Ephesians 1:3-5, that marvelous declaration reaching its climax in
1:6: "to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us
accepted in the beloved." "Accepted in the beloved" goes deeper and
means far more than "accepted through him." It denotes not merely a
recommendatory passport from Christ, but a real union with Him,
whereby we are incorporated into His mystical body, and made as truly
partakers of His righteousness as the members of the physical body
partake of the life which animates its head.
In like manner, there are many, many statements in the New Testament
concerning Christ Himself which are only pertinent and intelligible in
the light of His having acted in fulfillment of a covenant agreement
with the Father. For example, in Luke 22:22 we find Him saying, "And
truly the Son of man goeth as it was determined:" "determined" when
and where but in the everlasting covenant! Plainer still is the
language in John 6:38,39: "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine
own will, but the will of him that sent me: and this is the Father's
will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should
lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." Three
things are there to be seen: (1) Christ had received a certain charge
or commission from the Father; (2) He had solemnly engaged and
undertaken to execute that charge; (3) The end contemplated in that
arrangement was not merely the announcement of spiritual blessings,
but the actual bestowal of them upon all who had been given to Him.
Again, from John 10:16 it is evident that a specific charge had been
laid upon Christ. Referring to His elect scattered among the Gentiles
He did not say "them also I will bring," but "them also I must bring."
In His high priestly prayer we hear Him saying, "Father, I will that
they also whom thou hast given me, be with me, where I am" (John
17:24). There Christ was claiming something that was due Him on
account of or in return for the work He had done (v. 4). This clearly
presupposes both an arrangement and a promise on the part of the
Father. It was the surety putting in His claim. Now a claim
necessarily implies a preceding promise annexed to a condition to be
performed by the party to whom the promise is made, which gives a
right to demand the reward. This is one reason why Christ, immediately
afterward, addressed God as righteous Father, appealing to His
faithfulness in the agreement.
II.
The everlasting covenant or covenant of grace is that mutual agreement
into which the Father entered with His Son before the foundation of
the world respecting the salvation of His elect, Christ being
appointed the mediator, He willingly consenting to be their head and
representative. That there is a divine covenant to which Christ stands
related, and that the great work which He performed here on earth was
the discharge of His covenant office, is very plain from many
Scriptures, first of all, from the covenant titles which He bears. In
Isaiah 42:6 we hear the Father saying to the Son: "I the Lord have
called thee in righteousness, and will hold throe hand, and will keep
thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the
Gentiles." As a covenantee in it, Christ is thus "given" unto His
people, as the pledge of all its blessings (cf. Rom. 8:32). He is the
representative of His people in it. He is, in His n person and work,
the sum and substance of it. He has fulfilled all its terms, and now
dispenses its rewards.
In Malachi 3:1 Christ is designated "the messenger of the covenant,"
because a came here to make known its contents and proclaim its glad
tidings. He came forth from the Father to reveal and publish His
amazing grace for lost sinners. In Hebrews 7:22 Christ is denominated
"the surety at a better covenant." A surety is one who is legally
constituted the representative of others, and thereby comes under an
engagement to fulfill certain obligations in their name and for their
benefit. There is not a single legal obligation which the elect owed
unto God but what Christ has fully and perfectly discharged; He has
paid the whole debt of His insolvent people, settling all their
liabilities. In Hebrews 9:16 Christ is called "the testator" of the
covenant or testament, and this, because to Him belong its riches, to
Him pertain its privileges; and because He has, in His unbounded
goodness, bequeathed them as so many inestimable legacies unto His
people.
Once more, in Hebrews 9:15 and 12:24 Christ is styled "the mediator of
the new covenant," because it is by His efficacious satisfaction and
prevailing intercession that all its blessings are now imparted to its
beneficiaries. Christ now stands between God and His people,
advocating their cause (1 John 2:1) and speaking a word in season to
him that is weary Isa. 50:4). But how could Christ sustain such
offices as these unless the covenant had been made with Him (Gal.
3:17) and the execution of it had been undertaken by Him (Heb.
10:5-7)? "Now the God of peace, which brought again from the dead our
Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the
everlasting covenant" (Heb. 13:20): that one phrase is quite
sufficient to establish the fact that an organic connection existed
between the covenant of grace and the sacrifice of Christ. In response
to Christ's execution of its terms, the Father now says to Him, "By
the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners those given
to Him before the foundation of the world, but in Adam fallen under
condemnation) out of the pit wherein is no water" (Zech. 9:11).
The covenant relationship which the Gown mediator sustains unto God
Himself is that which alone accounts for and explains the fact that He
so frequently addressed Him as "my God." Every time our blessed
Redeemer uttered the words "my God" He gave expression to His covenant
standing before the God-head. It must be so; for considering Him as
the Second Person of the Trinity, He was God, equally with the Father
and the Holy Spirit. We are well aware that we are now plunging into
deep waters; yet if we hold fast to the very words of Scripture we
shall be safely borne through them, even though our finite minds will
never be able to sound their infinite depths. "Thou art my God from my
mother's belly" (Ps. 22.:10), declared the Savior. From the cross He
said, "My God." On the resurrection morning He spoke of "my God" (John
20:17). And in the compass of a single verse (Rev. 3:12) we find the
glorified Redeemer saying "my God" no less than four times.
What has been pointed out in the above paragraph receives confirmation
in many other Scriptures. When renewing His covenant with Abraham,
Jehovah said: "I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and
thy seed after thee in their generations, for an everlasting covenant,
to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee" (Gen. 17:7). That is
the great covenant promise: to be a God unto any one sides that He
will supply all their need (Phil. 4:19)--spiritual, temporal, and
eternal. It is true that God is the God of all men, inasmuch as He is
their Creator, Governor and judge; but He is the God of His people in
a much more blessed sense. "For this is the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord: I will put
my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts; and 1 will be
to them a God, and they shall be to me a people" (Heb. 8:10). Here
again we are shown that it is with respect unto the covenant that, in
a special way, God is the God of His people.
Before leaving Hebrews 8:10let us note the blessed tenor of the
covenant as expressed in the words immediately following: "And they
shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother,
saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the
greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their
sins and their iniquities will I remember no more" (vv. 11, 12). What
conditions are there here? What terms of fulfillment are required from
impotent men? None at all: it is all promise from beginning to end. So
too in Acts 3:25 we find Peter saying, "Ye are the children of the
prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers." Here
the covenant (not "covenants") is referred to generally; then it is
specified particularly: "saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall
all the kindreds of the earth" be laid under conditions? No; be
required to perform certain works? No; but, "shall be blessed,"
without any regard to qualifications or deeds of their own--entitled
by virtue of their interest in what was performed for them by their
covenant head.
Let us consider now the various features of the everlasting covenant.
1. The Father covenanted with Christ that He should be the federal
head of His people, undertaking for them, freeing them from that
dreadful condemnation wherein God foresaw from eternity they would
fall in Adam. This alone explains why Christ is denominated the "last
Adam," the "second man" (1 Cor. 15:45, 47). Let it be very carefully
noted that in Ephesians 5:23 we are expressly told "Christ is the head
of the church, and He is the saviour of the body." He could not have
been the Savior unless He had first been the head; that is, unless He
had voluntarily entered into the work of suretyship by divine
appointment, serving as the representative of His people, taking upon
Him all their responsibilities and agreeing to discharge all their
legal obligations; putting Himself in the stead of His insolvent
people, paying all their debts, working out for them a perfect
righteousness, and legally meriting for them the reward or blessing of
the fulfilled law.
It is to that eternal compact the apostle makes reference when he
speaks of a certain "covenant that was confirmed before of God in [or
"to"] Christ" in Galatians 3:17. There we behold the covenant parties:
on the one side, God, in the Trinity of His persons; and on the other
side Christ, that is, the Son viewed as the God-man mediator. There we
learn of an agreement between Them: a covenant or contract, and that
confirmed or solemnly agreed upon and ratified. There too, in the
immediate context, we are shown that Christ is here viewed not only as
the executor of a testament bequeathed to the saints by God, or that
salvation was promised to us through Christ, but there twice over we
are specifically told (v. 16) that the promises were made to Abraham's
"seed, which is Christ"! Thus we have the clearest possible Scriptural
proof that the everlasting covenant contained something which is
promised by God to Christ Himself.
Most blessedly were several features of the everlasting covenant typed
out in Eden. Let us consider these features:
1. Christ was set up (Prov. 8:23) in the eternal counsels of the
three-one Jehovah as the head over and heir of all things: the figure
of His headship is seen in the Creator's words to Adam, "have dominion
over the fish of the sea," and so forth (Gen. 1:28). There we behold
Him as the lord of all creation and head of all mankind. But, second,
Adam was alone: among all the creatures he ruled, there was not found
a help-meet for him. He was solitary in the world over which he was
king; so Christ was alone when set up by God in a past eternity.
Third, a help-meet was provided for Adam, who was one in nature with
himself, as pure and holy as he was, in every way suitable to him: Eve
became his wife and companion (Gen. 2:21-24). Beautifully did that set
forth the eternal marriage between Christ and His church
(Eph.45:29-32). Let it be carefully noted that Eve was married to
Adam, and was pure and holy, before she fell; so it was with the
church (Eph. 1:3-6). (For much in this paragraph we are indebted to a
sermon by J. K. Popham.).
2. In order for him to execute His covenant engagement it was
necessary for Christ to assume human nature and be made in all things
like unto His brethren, so that He might enter their place, be made
under the law, and serve in their stead. He must have a soul and body
in which He was capable of suffering and being paid the just wages of
His people's sins. This explains to us that marvelous passage in
Hebrews 10:5-9, the language of which is most obviously couched in
covenant terms: the whole displaying so blessedly the voluntary
engagement of the Son, His perfect readiness and willingness in
acquiescing to the Father's pleasure. It was at the incarnation Christ
fulfilled that precious type of Himself found in Exodus 21:5. Out of
love to His Lord, the Father, and to His spouse the church, and His
spiritual children, He subjected Himself to a place of perpetual
servitude.
3. Having voluntarily undertaken the terms of the everlasting
covenant, a special economical relationship was now established
between the Father and the Son-the Father considered as the appointer
of the everlasting covenant, the Son as the God-man mediator, the head
and surety of His people. Now it was that the Father became Christ's
"Lord" (Ps. 16:2, as is evident from vv. 9, 11; Mic. 5:4), and now it
was that the Son became the Father's "servant" (Isa. 42:1; cf. Phil.
2:7), undertaking the work appointed. Observe that the clause "took
upon him the form of a servant" precedes "and was made in the likeness
of men." This explains His own utterance "as the Father gave me
commandment, even so I do" (John 14:31; cf. 10:18;12:49). This
accounts for His declaration, "My Father is greater than I" (John,
14:28), wherein our Savior was speaking with reference to the covenant
engagement which existed between the Father and Himself.
4. Christ died in fulfillment of the covenant's requirements. It was
absolutely impossible that an innocent person--absolutely considered
as such--should suffer under the sentence and curse of the law, for
the law denounced no punishment on any such person. Guilt and
punishment are related; and where the former is not, the latter cannot
be. It was because the Holy One of God was relatively guilty, by the
sins of the elect being imputed to Him, that He could righteously be
smitten in their stead. Yet even that had not been possible unless the
spotless substitute had first assumed the office of suretyship; and
that, in turn, was only legally valid because of Christ's federal
headship with His people. The sacrifice of Christ owes all its
validity from the covenant: the holy and blessed Trinity, by counsel
and oath, having appointed it to be the true and only propitiation for
sin.
So too it is utterly impossible for us to form any clear and adequate
idea of what the Lord of glory died to achieve if we have no real
knowledge of the agreement in fulfillment of which His death took
place. What is popularly taught upon the subject today is that the
atonement of Christ has merely provided an opportunity for men to be
saved, that it has opened the way for God to justly pardon any and all
who avail themselves of His gracious provision. But that is only a
part of the truth, and by no means the most important and blessed part
of it. The grand fact is that Christ's death was the completion of His
agreement with the Father, which guarantees the salvation of all who
were named in it--not one for whom He died can possibly miss heaven:
(John 6:39). This leads us to consider--
5. That on the ground of Christ's willingness to perform the work
stipulated in the covenant, certain promises were made to Him by the
Father: first, promises concerning Himself; and second, promises
concerning His people. The promises which concerned the Mediator
Himself may be summarized thus. First, He was assured of divine
enduement for this discharge of all the specifications of the covenant
(Isa. 11:1-3; 61:1; cf. John 8:29). Second, He was guaranteed the
divine, protection under the execution of His work (Isa. 42:6; Zech.
3:8, 9; cf. John 10:18). Third, He was promised the divine assistance
unto a successful conclusion (Isa. 42:4; 49:8-10; cf. John 17:4).
Fourth, those promises were given to Christ for the stay of His heart,
to be pleaded by Him (Ps. 89:26; 2:8); and this He did (Isa. 50:8-10;
cf. Heb. 2:13). Fifth, Christ was assured of success in His
undertaking and a reward for the same (Isa. 53:10, 11; Ps. 89:27-29;
110:1-3; cf. Phil.2:9-11). Christ also received promises concerning
His people. First, that He should receive gifts for them (Ps. 68:18;
cf. Eph. 4:10, 11). Second, that God would make them willing to
receive Him as their Lord (Ps. 110:3; cf. John 6:44). Third, that
eternal life should be theirs (Ps. 133:3; cf. Titus 1:2). Fourth, that
a seed should serve Him, proclaim His righteousness, and declare what
He had done for them (Ps. 22:30, 31). Fifth, that kings and princes
should worship Him (Isa.49:7).
Finally, let it be pointed out that this compact made between the
Father and the Son on behalf of the whole election of grace is
variously designated. It is called an "everlasting covenant" (Isa.
55:3) to denote the perpetuity of it, and because the blessings in it
devised in eternity past will endure forever. It is called a "covenant
of peace" (Ezek. 34:2,5; 37:26) because it secures reconciliation with
God, for Adam's transgression produced enmity, but by Christ the
enmity has been removed (Eph. 2:16), and therefore is He denominated
the "Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6). It is called the "covenant of life"
(Mal. 2:15), in contrast from the covenant of works which issued in
death, and because life is the principal thing pledged in it (Titus
1:2). It is called the "holy covenant" (Luke 1:72), not only because
it was made by and between the persons of the Holy Trinity, but also
because it secures the holiness of the divine character and provides
for the holiness of God's people. It is called a "better covenant"
(Heb. 7:22), in contrast from the Sinaitic arrangement, wherein the
national prosperity of Israel was left contingent on their own works.
Contents | Intro | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8
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Divine Covenants by A.W. Pink
Part Two-The Adamic Covenant
I.
It is of vital importance for a right understanding of much in God's
Word to observe the relation which Adam sustained to his posterity.
Adam was not only the common parent of mankind, but he was also their
federal head and representative. The whole human race was placed on
probation or trial in Eden. Adam acted not for himself alone, but he
transacted for all who were to spring from him. Unless this basic fact
be definitely apprehended, much that ought to be relatively clear to
us will be shrouded in impenetrable mystery. Yea, we go further, and
affirm that, until the federal headship of Adam and God's covenant
with him in that office be actually perceived, we are without the key
to God's dealings with the human race, we are unable to discern man's
relation to the divine law, and we appreciate not the fundamental
principles upon which the atonement of Christ proceeded.
"Federal headship" is a term which has almost entirely disappeared
from current religious literature--so much the worse for our moderns.
It is true that the expression itself does not verbally occur in
Scripture; yet like the words Trinity and the divine incarnation, it
is a necessity in theological parlance and doctrinal exposition. The
principle or fact which is embodied in the term "federal headship" is
that of representation. There been but two federal heads: Adam and
Christ, with each of whom God entered into a covenant. Each of them
acted on behalf of others, each legally represented as definite
people, so much so that all whom they represented were regarded by God
as being in them. Adam represented the whole human race; Christ
represented all those whom the Father had, in His eternal counsels,
given to Him.
When Adam stood in Eden as a responsible being before God, he stood
there as a federal head, as the legal representative of all his
posterity. Hence, when Adam sinned, all for whom he was standing are
accounted as having sinned; when he fell, all whom he represented
fell; when he died, they died. So too was it with Christ. When He came
to this earth, He, too, stood in a federal relationship to His own
people; and when He became obedient unto death, all for whom He was
acting were accounted righteous; when He rose again from the dead, all
whom He represented rose with Him; when He ascended on high, they were
regarded as ascending with Him. "For as in Adam all die, even so in
Christ shall all be made alive" (1 Cor. 15:22).
The relationship of our race to Adam or Christ divides men into two
classes, each receiving nature and destiny from its respective head.
All the individuals who comprise these two classes are so identified
with their heads that it has justly been said, "There have been but
two men in the world, and two facts in history." These two men are
Adam and Christ; the two facts are the disobedience of the former, by
which many were made sinners, and the obedience of the latter, by
which many were made righteous. By the former came ruin, by the latter
came redemption; and neither ruin nor redemption can be Scripturally
apprehended except as they are seen to be accomplished by those
representatives, and except we understand the relationships expressed
by being "in Adam" and "in Christ."
Let is be expressly and emphatically affirmed that what we are here
treating of is purely a matter of divine revelation. Nowhere but in
Holy Scripture do we know anything about Adam, or of our relation to
him. If it be asked how the federal constitution of the race can be
reconciled with the dictates of human reason, the first answer must
be, it is not for us to reconcile them. The initial inquiry is not
whether federal headship be reasonable or just, but, is it a fact
revealed in the Word of God? If it is, then reason must bow to it and
faith humbly receive it. To the child of God the question of its
justice is easily settled: we know it to be just, because it is a part
of the ways of the infinitely holy and righteous God.
Now the fact that Adam was the federal head of the human race, that he
did act and transact in a representative capacity, and that the
judicial consequences of his actings were imputed to all those for
whom he stood, is clearly revealed in God's Word. In Romans 5 we read:
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by
sin; and so death passed upon all men, in whom all sinned" (v. 12);
"through the offence of one many be dead" (v. 15); "the judgment was
by one to condemnation" (v. 16); "by one man's offence death reigned"
(v. 17); "by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to
condemnation" (v. 18); "by one man's offence many were made [legally
constituted] sinners" (v. 19). The meaning of these declarations is
far too plain for any unprejudiced mind to misunderstand. It Pleased
God to deal with the human race as represented in and by Adam.
Let us borrow a simple illustration. God did not deal with mankind as
with a field of corn, where each stalk stands upon its own individual
root; but He dealt with it as with a tree, all the branches of which
have one common root and trunk. If you strike with an axe at the root
of a tree, the whole tree falls--not only the trunk, but also the
branches: all wither and die. So it was when Adam fell. God permitted
Satan to lay the axe at the root of the tree, and when Adam fell, all
his posterity fell with him. At one fatal stroke Adam was severed from
communion with his maker, and as the result "death passed upon all
men."
Here, then, we learn what is the formal ground of man's judicial
condemnation before God. The popular idea of what renders man a sinner
in the sight of heaven is altogether inadequate and false. The
prevailing conception is that a sinner is one who commits and
practices sin. It is true that this is the character of a sinner, but
it certainly is not that which primarily constitutes him a sinner. The
truth is that every member of our race enters this world a guilty
sinner before he ever commits a single transgression. It is not only
that he possesses a sinful nature, but he is directly "under
condemnation." We are legally constituted sinners neither by what we
are nor by what we are doing, but by the disobedience of our federal
head, Adam. Adam acted not for himself alone, but for all who were to
spring from him.
On this point the teaching of the apostle Paul is plain and
unambiguous. The terms of Romans 5:12-19, as we have shown above, are
too varied and distinct to admit of any misconception: that it is on
account of their sin in Adam, men, in the first instance, are
accounted guilty and treated as such, as well as partake of a depraved
nature. The language of 1 Corinthians 15:22 is equally unintelligible
except on the supposition that both Adam and Christ sustained a
representative character, in virtue of which the one involved the race
in guilt and ruin, and the other, by His obedience unto death, secured
the justification and salvation of ell who believe in Him. The actual
condition of the human race, throughout its history, confirms the
same: the apostle's doctrine supplies the only adequate explanation of
the universal prevalence of sin.
The human race is suffering now for the sin of Adam, or it is
suffering for nothing at all. This earth is the scene of a grim and
awful tragedy. In it we see misery and wretchedness, pain and poverty,
decay and death, on every side. None escape. That "man is born unto
trouble as the sparks fly upward" is an indisputable fact. But what is
the explanation of it? Every effect must have a previous cause. If we
are not being punished for Adam's sin, then, coming into this world,
we are "children of wrath," alienated from God, corrupt and depraved,
and on the broad road which leadeth to destruction, for nothing at
all! Who would contend that this was better, more satisfactory, then
the Scriptural explanation of our ruin?
But it will be said, It was unjust to make Adam our federal head. How
so? Is not the principle of representation a fundamental one in human
society? The father is the legal head of his children during their
minority: what he does, binds the family. A business house is held
responsible for the transactions of its agents. The heads of a state
are vested with such authority that the treaties they make are binding
upon the whole nation. This principle is so basic it cannot be set
aside. Every popular election illustrates the fact that a constituency
will act through a representative and be bound by his acts. Human
affairs could not continue, nor society exist without it. Why, then,
be staggered at finding it inaugurated in Eden?
Consider the alternative. "The race must have either stood in a full
grown man, with a full-orbed intellect, or stood as babies, each
entering his probation in the twilight of self-consciousness, each
deciding his destiny before his eyes were half-opened to what it all
meant. How much better would that have been? How much more just? But
could it not have been some other way? There was no other way. It was
either the baby or it was the perfect, well-equipped, all--calculating
man--the man who saw and comprehended everything. That man was Adam"
(G. S. Bishop). Yes, Adam, fresh from the hands of his creator, with
no sinful ancestry behind him, with no depraved nature within. A man
made in the image and likeness of God, pronounced by Him "very good,"
in fellowship with heaven. Who could have been a more suitable
representative for us?
This has been the principle on which and the method by which God has
acted all through. The posterity of Canaan were cursed for the single
transgression of their parent (Gen. 9). The Egyptians perished at the
Red Sea as the result of Pharaoh's wickedness. When Israel became
God's witness in the earth it was the same. The sins of the fathers
were to be visited upon the children: in consequence of Achan's one
sin the whole of his family were stoned to death. The high priest
acted on behalf of the whole nation. Later, the king was held
accountable for the conduct of his subjects. One acting on behalf of
others, the one responsible for the many, is a basic principle both of
human and divine government. We cannot get away from it; wherever we
look, it stares us in the face.
Finally, let it be pointed out that the sinner's salvation is made to
depend upon the same principle. Beware, my reader, of quarreling with
the justice of this law of representation. This principle wrecked us,
and this principle alone can rescue us. The disobedience of the first
Adam was the judicial ground of our condemnation; the obedience of the
last Adam is the legal ground on which God alone can justify the
sinner. The substitution of Christ in the place of His people, the
imputation of their sins to Him and of His righteousness to them, is
the cardinal fact of the gospel. But the principle of being saved by
what another has done is only possible on the ground that we are lost
through what another did. The two stand or fall together. If there had
been no covenant of works there could have been no death in Adam,
there could have been no life in Christ.
"By one man's disobedience many were made sinners" (Rom. 5:19). Here
is cause for humiliation which few think about. We are members of a
cursed race, the fallen children of a fallen parent, and as such we
enter this world "alienated from the life of God" (Eph. 4:18), with
nothing in us to prompt unto holy living. Oh, that God may reveal to
you, dear reader, your connection with the first Adam, that you may
realize your deep need of clinging to the last Adam. The world may
deride this doctrine of representation and imputation, but that only
evidences it to be of God. If the gospel (the genuine gospel) were
welcomed by all, that would prove it was of human manufacture; for
only that is acceptable to fallen roan which is invented by fallen
man. That the wise of this world scoff at the truth of federal
headship, when it is faithfully presented, only goes to manifest its
divine origin.
"By the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation"
(Rom. 5:18). In the day that Adam fell, the frown of God came upon all
His children. The holy nature of God abhorred the apostate race. The
curse of the broken law descended upon all Adam's posterity. It is
only thus we can account for the universality of depravity and
suffering. The corruption which we inherit from our parents is a great
evil, for it is the source of all our personal sins. For God to allow
this transmission of depravity is to inflict a punishment. But how
could God punish all, unless all were guilty? The fact that all do
share in this common punishment proves that all sinned and fell in
Adam. Our depravity and misery are not, as such, the appointment of
the Creator, but are instead the retribution of the judge.
"By one man's disobedience many were made sinners" (Rom. 5:19). The
word "made" in that verse calls for a definition and explanation. It
does not refer directly and primarily to the fact that we inherit from
Adam a corrupt and sinful nature--that we learn from other Scriptures.
The term "were made sinners" is a forensic one, and refers to our
being constituted guilty in the sight of God. A parallel case is found
in 2 Corinthians 5:21: "He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no
sin." Clearly those words "made him [Christ] to be sin" cannot refer
to any change which our Lord underwent in His nature or character. No,
rather the blessed Savior so took His people's place before God that
He was treated and dealt with as guilty: their sins were not imparted,
but imputed to Him.
Again, in Galatians 3:13--we read that Christ was "made a curse for
us": as the substitute of God's elect, He was judicially regarded as
beneath the condemnation of the law. Our guilt was legally transferred
to Christ: the sins we committed, He was regarded as responsible for;
what we deserved, He endured. In like manner, Adam's offspring were
"made sinners" by their head's disobedience: the legal consequences of
their representative's transgression were charged to their account.
They were judicially constituted guilty, because the guilt of Adam's
sin was charged to them. Hence we enter this world not only with the
heritage of a corrupt nature, but "under condemnation." We are by
nature "children of wrath" (Eph. 2:3), for "the wicked are estranged
from the womb" (Ps. 58:3)--separated from God and exposed to His
judicial displeasure.
II.
In the preceding chapter we pointed out at some length that when Adam
stood in Eden as a responsible being before his creator, he stood
there as the federal head of our race, that he legally transacted on
the behalf of all his posterity, that in the sight of the divine law
we were all so absolutely identified with him as to be accounted "in
Adam." Hence what he did, all are regarded as having done: when he
sinned, we sinned; when he fell, we fell; when he died, we died. The
language of Romans 5:12-19 and 1 Corinthians 15:22 is so plain and
positive on this point as to leave no valid room for any uncertainty.
Having viewed, then, the representative office or position which Adam
occupied, we turn to consider the covenant which God made with him at
that time. But before so doing, let us observe how admirably equipped
Adam was to fill that eminent office and transact for all his race.
It is exceedingly difficult, if not altogether impossible in our
present state, for us to form any adequate conception of the most
excellent and glorious endowment of man in his first estate.
Negatively, he was entirely free from sin and misery: Adam had no evil
ancestry behind him, no corruption within him, nothing in his body to
distress him. Positively, he was made in the image and likeness of
God, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, endued with a wisdom and holiness to
which Christians are as yet, in themselves, strangers. He was blest
with unclouded communion with God, placed in the fairest of
environments, given dominion over all creatures here below, and
graciously provided with a suitable helpmate. Fair as the morning was
that blissful heritage into which Adam was estated. Made "upright"
(Eccl. 7:29) and endowed with full ability to serve, delight in, and
glorify his creator.
Though pronounced by God Himself as "very good" (Gen. 1:31) on the day
of his creation, Adam was, nevertheless, a creature, and as such
subject unto the authority of the One who had given him being. God
governs all rational beings by law, as the rule of their obedience to
Him. To that principle there is no exception, and in the very nature
of things cannot be, for God must enforce His rights as Lord over all.
Angels (Ps. 103:20), unfallen man, fallen men, redeemed men--all are
subject to the moral government of God. Even the beloved Son, when He
became incarnate, was "made under the law" (Gal. 4:4). Moreover, in
the case of Adam his character was not yet confirmed, and therefore,
like the angels, he must be placed on probation, subjected to trial,
to see whether or no he would render allegiance to the Lord his maker.
Now the law which God gave to Adam, under which He placed him, was
threefold: natural, moral, and positive. By the first we mean that
subjection to his creator--acting for His honor and glory--was
constituted the very law of his being. Being created in the image and
likeness of God, it was his very nature to delight himself in the Lord
and reproduce (in a creaturely measure) God's righteousness and
holiness. Just as the animals are endowed with a nature or instinct
which prompts them to choose and do that which makes for their
well-being, so man in his pristine glory was endued with a nature
which prompted him to do that which is pleasing unto God and that
which promoted his own highest interests--the remains of which appear
in fallen man's rationality and conscience.
By the "moral" law which was given to Adam by God, we mean that he was
placed under the requirements of the Ten Commandments, the summary of
which is "Thou shah love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all
thy mind, and with all thy strength, and thy neighbor as thyself."
Nothing less than that was due unto Adam's maker, and nothing short of
it became him as an upright creature. By "positive" law we mean that
God also placed certain restrictions upon Adam which had never
occurred to him from either the light of nature or from any moral
considerations; instead, they were sovereignly appointed by God and
were designed as a special test of Adam's subjection to the imperial
will of his King. The term "positive law" is employed by theologians
not as antithetical to "negative," but in contrast from those laws
which are addressed to our moral nature: prayer is a "moral" duty:
baptism is a "positive" ordinance.
This threefold law under which Adam was placed may be clearly
discerned in the brief records of Genesis 1 and 2. The marriage
between Adam and Eve illustrates the first: "Therefore shall a man
leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and
they shall be one flesh" (Gen. 2:24). Any infraction of the marital
relationship is a violation of the very law of nature. The institution
and consecration of the Sabbath exemplifies the second: "And God
blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because that in it he had
rested from all his work" (2:3): a procedure that would be
inexplicable except as furnishing the ground for a like procedure on
the part of man, for otherwise the hallowing and benediction spoken of
must have lacked both a proper subject and a definite aim. In every
age man's observance of the holy Sabbath has been made the supreme
test of his moral relation to the Lord. The command for Adam to care
for the garden ("dress and keep it": Gen. 2:15) demonstrates the third
aspect, the positive: even in the unfallen state man was not to be
idle and shiftless.
From the above it is plainly evident that there was the distinct
recognition of an outward revelation to Adam of those three great
branches of duty which appertain to man in every possible condition of
mortal existence, and which unitedly comprehend every obligation upon
man in this life; namely, what he owes to God, what he owes to his
neighbor, and what he owes to himself. Those three embrace everything.
The sanctification of the Sabbath, the institution of marriage, and
the command to dress and keep the garden were revealed as outward
ordinances, covering the three classes of duties, each of supreme
importance in its own sphere: the spiritual, the moral, and the
natural. Those intrinsic elements of divine law are immutable: they
preceded the covenant of works, and would have remained had the
covenant been kept--as they have survived its breach.
But there was need for something of a still more specific kind to test
man's adherence to the perfect rectitude incumbent upon him; for in
Adam humanity was on trial, the whole race not only having been
potentially created in him, but being federally represented by him.
"The question, therefore, as to its proper decisiveness, must be made
to turn on conformity to an ordinance at once reasonable in its nature
and specific in its requirements--an ordinance which the simplest
should understand and respecting which no uncertainty could exist
whether it had been broken or not. Such in the highest degree was the
appointment respecting the tree of knowledge of good and evil,
forbidden of God to be eaten on pain of death--an appointment positive
in its character, in a certain sense arbitrary, yet withal perfectly
natural" (P. Fairbairn, The Revelation of Law in Scripture).
Adam was now subjected to a simple and specific test as to whether the
will of God was sacred in his eyes. Nothing less than perfect
conformity of heart and unremitting obedience in act to the whole
revealed will of God could be required of man. The command not to eat
of the fruit of a certain tree was now made the decisive test of his
general obedience. The prohibitory statute was a "positive" precept.
It was not sinful per se to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil, but only so because God had forbidden it. It was, therefore,
a more suitable test of faith and obedience than a "moral" statute
would have been, submission being required for no other reason than
the sovereign will of God. At the same time let it be clearly observed
that, disobedience of that "positive" precept certainly involved
defiance of the "moral" law, for it was a failure to love God with all
the heart, it was contempt of divine authority, it was coveting that
which God had forbidden.
On the basis of the threefold constitution under which God had placed
Adam--amenable to natural, moral, and positive law; on the basis of
his threefold responsibility--to perform the duty which he owed unto
God, unto his neighbor, unto himself; and on the basis of the
threefold equipment with which he had been endowed--created in the
image of God, pronounced "very good," indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and
thus fully furnished to discharge his responsibility, God entered into
a solemn compact with him. Clothed in dignity, intelligence, and moral
excellence, Adam was surrounded on every side by exquisite beauty and
loveliness. The occupant of Eden was more a being of heaven than of
earth: an embodiment of wisdom, purity, and uprightness. God Himself
deigned to visit and cheer him with His presence and blessing. In body
perfectly sound; in soul completely holy; in circumstances blissfully
happy.
The ideal fitness of Adam to act as the head of his race, and the
ideal circumstances under which the decisive test was to be made, must
forever shut every fair and honest mouth against objecting to the
arrangement God proposed to Adam, and the fearful consequences which
his sad failure have brought down upon us. It has been well said, "Had
we been present--had we and all the human race been brought into
existence at once--and had God proposed to us, that we should choose
one of our number to be our representative that he might enter into
covenant with him on our behalf--should we not, with one voice, have
chosen our first parent for this responsible office? Should we not
have said, `He is a perfect man and bears the image and likeness of
God,--if any one is to stand for us let him be the man'; Now,--since
the angels who stood for themselves, fell--why should we wish to stand
for ourselves. And if it be reasonable that one stand for us--why
should we complain, when God has chosen the same person for this
office, that we would have chosen, had we been in existence, and
capable of choosing ourselves?" (G. S. Bishop).
"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shah not eat
of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shah surely die"
(Gen. 2:17). The contracting parties in this covenant were God and
Adam. First, God as supreme Lord, prescribing what was equitable: God
as goodness itself, promising communion with Himself--in which man's
happiness principally lies--while treading the path of obedience and
doing that which was well-pleasing to his maker; but God also as
justice itself, threatening death upon rebellion. Second, Adam
considered both as man and as the head and representative of his
posterity. As man, he was a rational and responsible being, endowed
with sufficient powers to fulfill all righteousness, standing not as a
feeble babe but a fully developed man--a fit and fully qualified
subject for God to enter into covenant with him. As head of the race,
he was now called upon to transact in the nature and strength with
which the Creator had so richly furnished him.
Yet it is clear that the covenant of works proceeded on the assumption
that man in his original condition--though "made upright" --was
capable of falling, just as the covenant of grace proceeds on the
assumption that man, though fallen and depraved, is--through
Christ--capable of being restored. "God made man male and female, with
righteousness and true holiness, having the law of God in their
hearts, and power to fulfil it; and yet under a possibility of
transgressing, being left to the liberty of their will, which was
subject to change" (Westminster Confession of Faith). In the closing
words of that quotation some light is cast upon that mysterious
question, How could a sinless creature first sin? How could one made
"upright" fall? How could one whom God Himself had pronounced "very
good" give ear to the devil, apostatize, and drag down himself and his
posterity to utter ruin?
While in our present state perhaps it is not possible for us to fully
solve this profound problem, yet it is our conviction that we may
perceive the direction in which the solution lies. In the first place,
Adam was mutable or subject to change. Necessarily so, for mutability
and creaturehood are correlative terms. There is only One "with whom
is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" (Jam. 1:17). The
essential attributes of God are incommunicable: for the Deity to
bestow omniscience, omnipotence, or immutability on others would not
be to bring into existence creatures, but would be raising up gods,
equal with Himself. Therefore, while Adam was a perfect creature, he
was but a creature, mutable and not immutable; and being mutable, he
was subject to change either for the better or for the worse, and
hence, liable to fall.
In the second place, Adam was constituted a responsible being, a moral
agent, being endowed with a free will, and therefore he was capable of
both obedience and disobedience. Moreover, though the first man was
endowed with both natural and spiritual wisdom amply sufficient for
all his needs, leaving him entirely without excuse if he made a false
and foolish choice, nevertheless, he was but fallible, for
infallibility pertains unto God alone, as Job 4:18 more than hints.
Therefore, being fallible, Adam was capable of erring, though to do so
was culpable to the highest degree. Mutability and fallibility are the
conditions of existence of every creature; and while they are not
blemishes, yet they are potential dangers, which can only be prevented
from working ruin by the creature constantly looking to the Creator
for his upholding grace.
In the third place, as a responsible being, as a moral agent, as one
who was endowed with free will, Adam had necessarily to be placed on
probation, submitted to a real test of his fealty unto God, before he
was confirmed, or given an abiding standing in his creature
perfections. Because Adam was a creature, mutable and fallible, he was
entirely dependent upon his creator; and therefore he must be put on
trial to show whether or no he would assert his independency, which
would be open revolt against his maker and the repudiation of his
creaturehood. Every creature must necessarily come under the moral
government of God, and for free agents that necessarily implies and
involves two possible alternatives--subjection or insubordination. The
absolute dominion of God over the creature and the complete dependence
and subjection of the creature to God, holds good in every part of the
universe and throughout all ages. The inherent poison in every error
and evil is the rejection of God's dominion and of man's dependence
upon his maker, or the assertion of his independency.
Being but mutable, fallible, and dependent, the noblest and highest
creature of all is liable to fall from his fair estate, and can only
be preserved therein by the sovereign power of his creator. Being
endowed with free will, man was capable of both obedience and
disobedience. Had He so pleased, God could have upheld Adam, and that
without destroying his accountability or infringing upon his liberty;
but unless Adam had been left to his own creature wisdom and strength,
there had been no trial of his responsibility and powers. Instead, God
offered to man the opportunity of being confirmed as a holy and happy
creature, secured on the condition of his own personal choice; so that
his probation being successfully closed, he had been granted a firm
standing before God. But God permitted Adam to disobey, to make way
for the more glorious obedience of Christ; suffered the covenant of
works to be broken that the far better covenant of grace might be
administered.
III.
Before entering into detail upon the nature and terms of the compact
which God made with Adam, it may be well to obviate an objection which
some are likely to make against the whole subject; namely, that since
the word covenant is not to be found in the historical account of
Genesis, therefore to speak of the Adamic covenant is naught but a
theological invention. There is a certain class of people, posing as
ultraorthodox, who imagine they have a reverence and respect for Holy
Writ as the final court of appeal which surpasses that of their
fellows. They say, Show me a passage which expressly states God made a
covenant with Adam, and that will settle the matter; but until you can
produce a verse with the exact term "Adamic covenant" in it, I shall
believe no such thing.
Our reason for referring to this paltry quibble is because it
illustrates a very superficial approach to God's Word which is
becoming more and more prevalent in certain quarters, and which stands
badly in need of being corrected. Words are only counters or signs
after all (different writers use them with varying latitude, as is
sometimes the case in Scripture itself); and to be unduly occupied
with the shell often results in a failure to obtain the kernel within.
Some Unitarians refuse to believe in the tri-unity of God, merely
because no verse can be found which categorically affirms there are
"three Persons in the Godhead" or where the word Trinity is used. But
what matters the absence of the mere word itself, when three distinct
divine persons are clearly delineated in the Word of truth! For the
same reason others repudiate the fact of the total depravity of fallen
man, which is the height of absurdity when Scripture depicts him as
corrupt in all the faculties of his being.
Surely I need not to be told that a certain person has been born again
if all the evidences of regeneration are clearly discernible in his
life; and if I am furnished with a full description of his immersion,
the mere word baptism does not make it any more sure and definite to
my mind. Our first search, then, in Genesis, is not for the term
covenant, but to see whether or not we can trace the outlines of a
solemn and definite pact between God and Adam. We say this not because
the word itself is never associated with our first parents--for
elsewhere it is--but because we are anxious that certain of our
readers may be delivered from the evil mentioned above. To dismiss
from our minds all thoughts of an Adamic covenant simply because the
term itself occurs not in Genesis 1 to 5 is to read those chapters
very superficially and miss much which lies only a little beneath
their surface.
Let us now remind ourselves of the essential elements of a covenant.
Briefly stated, any covenant is a mutual agreement entered into by two
or more parties, whereby they stand solemnly bound to each other to
perform the conditions contracted for. Amplifying that definition, it
may be pointed out that the terms of a covenant are (1) there is a
stipulation of something to be done or given by that party proposing
the covenant; (2) there is a re-stipulation by the other party of
something to be done or given in consideration; (3) those stipulations
must be lawful and right, for it can never be right to engage to do
wrong; (4) there is a penalty included in the terms of agreement, some
evil consequence to result to the party who may or shall violate his
agreement--that penalty being added as a security.
A covenant then is a disposition of things, an arrangement concerning
them, a mutual agreement about them. But again we would remind the
reader that words are but arbitrary things; and we are never safe in
trusting to a single term, as though from it alone we could collect
the right knowledge of the thing. No, our inquiry is into the thing
itself. What are the matters of fact to which these terms are applied?
Was there any moral transaction between God and Adam wherein the above
mentioned four principles were involved? Was there any proposition
made by God to man of something to be done by the latter? any
stipulation of something to be given by the former? any agreement of
both? any penal sanction? To such interrogations every accurate
observer of the contents of Genesis 1 to 3 must answer affirmatively.
"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat
of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die"
(Gen. 2:17). Here are all the constituent elements of a covenant: (1)
there are the contracting parties, the Lord God and man; (2) there is
a stipulation enjoined, which man (as he was duty bound) engaged to
perform; (3) there was a penalty prescribed, which would be incurred
in case of failure; (4) there was by clear and necessary implication a
reward promised, to which Adam would be entitled by his fulfillment of
the condition; (5) the "tree of life" was the divine seal or
ratification of the covenant, as the rainbow was the seal of the
covenant which God made with Noah. Later, we shall endeavor to furnish
clear proof of each of these statements.
"We here have, in the beginning of the world, distinctly placed before
us, as the parties to the covenant, the Creator and the creature, the
Governor and the governed. In the covenant itself, brief as it is, we
have concentrated all those primary, anterior, and eternal principles
of truth, righteousness, and justice, which enter necessarily into the
nature of the great God, and which must always pervade His government,
under whatever dispensation; we have a full recognition of His
authority to govern His intelligent creatures, according to these
principles, and we have a perfect acknowledgment on the part of man,
that in all things he is subject, as a rational and accountable being,
to the will and direction of the infinitely wise and benevolent
Creator. No part of a covenant therefore, in its proper sense, is
wanting" (R. B. Howell, The Covenant, 1855).
There was, then, a formal compact between God and man concerning
obedience and disobedience, reward and punishment, and where there is
a binding law pertaining to such matters and an agreement upon them by
both parties concerned, there is a covenant (cf. Gen. 21:27, and what
precedes and follows Gen. 31:44). In this covenant Adam acted not as a
private person for himself only, but as the federal head and
representative of the whole of his posterity. In that capacity he
served alone, Eve not being a federal head jointly with him, but was
included in it, she being (later, we believe) formed out of him. In
this Adam was a type of Christ, with whom God made the everlasting
covenant, and who at the appointed time acted as the head and
representative of His people: as it is written, "over them that had
not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the
figure of him that was to come" (Rom. 5:14).
The most conclusive proof that Adam did enter into a covenant with God
on the behalf of his posterity is found in the penal evils which came
upon the race in consequence of its head's disobedience. From the
awful curse which passed upon all his posterity we are compelled to
infer the legal relation which existed between Adam and them, for the
judge of all the earth, being righteous, will not punish where there
is no crime. "Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and
death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that [or "in
whom"] all sinned" (Rom. 5:12). Here is the fact, and from it we must
infer the preceding cause of it: under the government of a righteous
God, the suffering of holy beings unconnected with sin is an
impossibility. It would be the very acme of injustice that Adam's sin
should be the cause of death passing on all men, unless all men were
morally and legally connected with him.
That Adam stood as the federal head of his race and transacted for
them, and that all his posterity were contemplated by God as being
morally and legally (as well as seminally) in Adam, is clear from
almost everything that was said to him in the first three chapters of
Genesis. The language there used plainly intimates that it was spoken
to the whole human race, and not to Adam as a single individual, but
spoken to them and of them. The first time "man" is mentioned it
evidently signifies all mankind, and not Adam alone: "And God said,
Let us make man and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
and over the fowls of the air, and over the cattle, and over [not
simply "the garden of Eden," but] all the earth" (Gen. 1:26). All men
bear the name of their representative (as the church is designated
after its head: 1 Cor. 12:12), for the Hebrew for "every man" in Psalm
39:5, 11 is "all Adam" --plain evidence of their being one in the eye
of the law.
In like manner, what God said to Adam after he had sinned, was said to
and of all mankind; and the evil to which he was doomed in this world,
as the consequence of his transgression, equally falls upon his
posterity: "Cursed is the ground for thy sake, in sorrow thou shalt
eat of it all the days of thy life. In the sweat of thy face shalt
thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground: for out of it wast
thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" (Gen.
3:17, 19). As this sentence "unto dust shalt thou return" did not
respect Adam only, but all his descendants, so the same language in
the original threat had respect unto all mankind: "in the day thou
eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." This is reduced to a certainty
by the unequivocal declarations of Romans 5:12 and 1 Corinthians
15:22. The curse came upon all; so the sin must have been committed by
all.
The terms of the covenant are related in or are clearly inferable from
the language of Genesis 2:17. That covenant demanded perfect obedience
as its condition. Nor was that in any way difficult: one test only was
instituted by which that obedience was to be formally expressed;
namely, abstinence from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
God had endowed Adam, in his creation, with a perfect and universal
rectitude (Eccl. 7:29), so that he was fully able to respond to all
requirements of his maker. He had a full knowledge of God's will
concerning his duty. There was no bias in him toward evil: having been
created in the image and likeness of God, his affections were pure and
holy (cf. Eph. 4:24). How simple and easy was the observance of the
obligation! How appalling the consequences of its violation!
"The tendency of such a Divine precept is to be considered. Man is
thereby taught, 1. that God is Lord of all things; and that it is
unlawful for man even to desire an apple, but with His leave. In all
things therefore, from the greatest to the least the mouth of the Lord
is to be consulted, as to what He would, or would not have done by us.
2. That man's true happiness is placed in God alone, and nothing is to
be desired but with submission to God, and in order to employ it for
Him. So that it is He only, on whose account all things appear good
and desirable to man. 3. Readily to be satisfied without even the most
delightful and desirable things, if God so command: and to think there
is much more good in obedience to the Divine precept than in the
enjoyment of the most delightful thing in the world. 4. That man was
not yet arrived at the utmost pitch of happiness, but to expect a
still greater good, after his course of obedience was over. This was
hinted by the prohibition of the most delightful tree, whose fruit
was, of any other, greatly to be desired; and this argued some degree
of imperfection in that state in which man was forbid the enjoyment of
some good" (The Economy of the Covenants, H. Witsius, 1660).
Unto that prohibitive statute was annexed a promise. This is an
essential element in a covenant: a reward being guaranteed upon its
terms being fulfilled. So here: "In the day that thou eatest thereof
thou shah surely die" necessarily implies the converse-- "If thou
eatest not thereof thou shah surely live." Just as "Thou shah not
steal" inevitably involves "thou shah conduct thyself honestly and
honorably," just as "rejoice in the Lord" includes "murmur not against
Him," so according to the simplest laws of construction the
threatening of death as a consequence of eating, affirmed the promise
of life to obedience. God will be no man's debtor: the general
principle of "in keeping of them the divine commandments there is
great reward" (Ps. 19:11) admits of no exception.
A certain good, a spiritual blessing, in addition to what Adam and Eve
(and their posterity in him) already possessed, was assured upon his
obedience. Had Adam been without a promise, he had been without a
well-grounded hope for the future, for the hope which maketh not
ashamed is founded upon the promise (Rom. 4:18, etc.). As Romans 7:10
so plainly affirms: "the commandment which was ordained to life," or
more accurately (for the word ordained is supplied by the translators)
"the commandment which was unto life" --having life as the reward for
obedience. And again, "the law is not of faith: but, The man that
doeth them shall live in them" (Gal. 3:12). But the law was "weak
through the flesh" (Rom. 8:3), Adam being a mutable, fallible, mortal
creature.
Against what has been said above it is objected, Adam was already in
possession of spiritual life; how, then, could life be the reward
promised for his obedience? It is true that Adam was in the enjoyment
of spiritual life, being completely holy and happy; but he was on
probation, and his response to the test God gave him--his obedience or
disobedience to His command--would determine whether that spiritual
life would be continued or whether it would be forfeited. Had Adam
complied with the terms of the covenant, then he would have been
confirmed in his creature standing, in the favor of God toward him, in
communion with his maker, in the happy state of an earthly paradise;
he would then have passed beyond the possibility of apostasy and
misery. The reward, or additional good, which would have followed
Adam's obedience was a state of inalienable blessedness both for
himself and his posterity.
The well-informed reader will observe from the above that we are not
in accord with H. Witsius and some other prominent theologians of the
Puritan period, who taught that the reward promised Adam upon his
obedience was the heavenly heritage. Their arguments upon this point
do not seem to us at all conclusive, nor are we aware of anything in
Scripture which may be cited in proof thereof. An inalienable title to
the earthy paradise is, we think, what the promise denoted. Rather was
it reserved for the incarnate Son of God, by the inestimable worth of
His obedience unto death, to merit for His people everlasting bliss on
high. Therefore we are told that He has ushered in "a better covenant"
with "better promises" (Heb. 8:6). The last Adam has secured, both for
God and for His people, more than was lost by the defection of the
first Adam.
IV.
In the previous chapters we have seen that at the beginning man was
"made upright" (Eccl. 7:29), which language necessarily implies a law
to which he was conformed in his creation. When anything is made
regular or according to rule, the rule itself is obviously
presupposed. The law of Adam's being was none other than the eternal
and indispensable law of righteousness, the same which was afterwards
summed up in the Ten Commandments. Man's uprightness consisted in the
universal rectitude of his character, his entire conformity to the
nature of his maker. The very nature of man was then fully able to
respond to the requirements of God's revealed will, and his response
thereto was the righteousness in which he stood.
It was also shown that man was, in Eden, placed on probation: that as
a moral being his responsibility was tried out. In other words, he was
placed under the moral government of God; and being endowed with a
free will, he was capable of both obedience or disobedience--his own
free choice being the determining factor. As a creature, he was
subject to his creator; as one who was indebted to God for all he was
and had, he was under the deepest obligation to love Him with all his
heart, and serve Him with all his might; and perfectly was he fitted
so to do. Thus created, and thus qualified, it pleased the Lord God to
constitute Adam the federal head and legal representative of his race;
and as occupying that character and office, God entered into a solemn
covenant or agreement with him, promising a reward upon the
fulfillment of certain conditions.
It is true that the actual "covenant" does not occur in the Genesis
record, in connection with the primordial transaction between God and
man, but the facts of the case present all the constituent elements of
a covenant. Brief as is the statement furnished in Genesis 2:17, we
may clearly discern concentrated in it those eternal principles of
truth, righteousness, and justice which are the glory of God's
character, and which necessarily regulate His government in all
spheres and in all ages. There is an avowal of His authority to govern
the creature of His hands, a revelation of His will as to what He
requires from the creature, a solemn threat of what would surely
follow upon his disobedience, with a clearly implied promise of reward
for obedience. One test only was stipulated, by which obedience was to
be formally expressed: abstinence from the fruit of the one forbidden
tree.
"The covenant of works was in its nature fitted, and designed to give,
and did give uninterrupted happiness, as long as its requisitions were
observed. This is true throughout the whole moral universe of God, for
man is not the only being under its government. It is the law of
angels themselves. To their nature, no less to man's while in a state
of holiness, it is perfectly adapted. Those of them who `have kept
their first estate,' arc conformed perfectly to all its demands. They
meet and satisfy them fully by love; fervent love to God, and to all
their celestial associates. Heaven is pervaded consequently with the
unbroken harmonies of love. And how unspeakably happy! `The man' said
Paul, `that doeth these things, shall line by them' (Rom. 10:5). His
bliss is unfading" (R. B. Howell, 1855).
God, then, entered into a covenant with Adam, and all his posterity in
him, to the effect that if he obeyed the one command not to eat of the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he should receive as his
reward an indefectibility of holiness and righteousness. Nor was that
transaction exceptional in the divine dealings with our race; for God
has made covenants with other men, which have vitally affected their
posterity: this will appear when we take up His covenant with Noah and
Abraham. The compact which the Lord God entered into with Adam is
appropriately termed "the covenant of works" not only to distinguish
it from the covenant of grace, but also because under it life was
promised on condition of perfect obedience, which obedience was to be
performed by man in his own creature strength.
We come now to consider the penal sanction of the covenant. This is
contained in the words "In the day thou eatest thereof thou shah
surely die" (Gen. 2:17). Here was made known the terrible penalty
which would most certainly follow upon Adam's disobedience, his
violation of the covenant. All the blessings of the covenant would
instantly cease. Transgression of God's righteous law would not only
forfeit all blessings, but would convert them into so many fountains
of wretchedness and woe. The covenant of works provided no mediator,
nor any other method of restoration to the purity and bliss which was
lost. There was no place given for repentance. All was irrevocably
lost. Between the blessing of obedience and the curse of disobedience
there was no middle ground. So far as the terms of the covenant of
works was concerned, its inexorable sentence was: "The soul that
sinneth, it shall die."
"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shah not eat
of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shah surely die"
(Gen. 2:17). It is to be duly noted what God here threatened was the
direct consequence and immediate punishment of sin, to be inflicted
only upon the rebellious and disobedient. That death which now seizes
fallen man is no mere natural calamity, but a penal infliction. It is
not a "debt" which he owes to "nature," but a judicial sentence which
is passed upon him by the divine judge. Death has come in because our
first parent, our federal head and representative, took of the
forbidden fruit, and for no other reason. It was altogether meet to
God's authority and holy will that there should be an unmistakable
connection between sin and its punishment, so that it is impossible
for any sinner to escape the wages of sin, unless another should be
paid them in his stead--of which the covenant of works contained no
hint.
"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat
of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shah surely die,"
or, as the margin renders it, "dying thou shah die." That dread threat
was couched in general terms. It was not said, "thou shah die
physically," nor "thou shalt die spiritually," but simply "thou shalt
surely die." The absence of any modifying adverb shows that the term
death is here taken in its widest scope, and is to be defined
according to whatever Scripture elsewhere signifies by that term. It
is the very height of presumption for us to limit what God has not
limited. Far be it from us to blunt the sharp point of the divine
threatening. The "dying thou shalt die" --which expresses more
accurately and forcibly the original Hebrew--shows the words are to be
taken in their full emphasis.
First, corporeal death, the germs of which are in our bodies from the
beginning of their existence, so that from the moment we draw our
first breath, we begin to die. And how can it be otherwise, seeing
that we are "shapen in iniquity" and "conceived in sin" (Ps. 51:5)!
From birth our physical body is indisposed, and entirely unfitted for
the soul to reside in eternally; so that there must yet be a
separation from it. By that separation the good things of the body,
the "pleasures of sin" on which the soul so much dotes, are at once
snatched away; so that it becomes equally true of each one, "Naked
came I out of my mother's womb [the earth] and naked shall I return
thither" (Job 1:21). God intimated this to Adam when He said, "Till
thou return unto the ground: for out of it wast thou taken: for dust
thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" (Gen. 3:19).
Second, "by death is here understood all that lasting and hard labor,
that great sorrow, all the tedious miseries of this life, by which
life ceases to be life, and which are the sad harbingers of certain
death. To these things man is condemned: see Gen. 3:16-19--the whole
of that sentence is founded on the antecedent threatening of Gen.
2:17. Such miseries Pharaoh called by the name `death' (Ex. 10:17).
David called his pain and anguish `the bands (sorrows) of death' (Ps.
116:3): by those `bands' death binds and fastens man that he may
thrust them into and confine them in his dungeon. As `life' is not
barely to live, but to be happy; so, `death' is not to depart this
life in a moment, but rather to languish in a long expectation, dread
and foresight, of certain death, without knowing the time which God
has foreordained" (H. Witsius).
Third, "death" in Scripture also signifies spiritual death, or the
separation of the soul from God. This is what the apostle called
"being alienated from the life of God" (Eph. 4:18), which "life of
God" illuminates, sanctifies, and exhilarates the souls of the
regenerate. The true life of the soul consists of wisdom, pure love,
and the rejoicing of a good conscience. The spiritual death of the
soul consists in folly, evil lustings, and the rackings of an evil
conscience. Therefore when speaking of those who were "alienated from
the life of God," the apostle at once added, "Through the ignorance
that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: who being
past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness." Thus,
the unregenerate are totally incapacitated for communion with the holy
and living God.
"But I would more fully explain the nature of this (spiritual) death.
Both living and dead bodies have motion. But a living body moves by
vegetation, while it is nourished, has the use of its senses, is
delighted, and acts with pleasure. Whereas, the dead body moves by
putrefaction to a state of dissolution, and to the production of
loathsome animals. And so in the soul, spiritually alive, there is
motion, while it is fed, repasted, and fattened with Divine delights,
while it takes pleasure in God and true wisdom; while, by the strength
of its love, it is carried to and fixed on that which can sustain the
soul and give it a sweet repose. But a dead soul has no feeling; that
is, it neither understands truth, nor loves righteousness, but wallows
and is spent in the sink of concupiscence, and brings forth the worms
of impure thoughts, seasonings and affections" (H. Witsius).
Fourth, eternal death is also included in Genesis 2:17. The preludes
of this are the terrors of an evil conscience, the soul deprived of
all divine consolation, and often an anguished sense of God's wrath,
under which it is miserably pressed down. At physical dissolution the
soul of the sinner is sent into a place of torments (Luke 16:23-25).
At the end of the world, the bodies of the wicked are raised and their
souls are united thereto, and after appearing before the great white
throne they will be cast into the lake of fire, there to suffer for
ever and ever the "due reward of their iniquities." The wages of sin
is death, and that the word death there involves and includes eternal
death is unmistakably plain from the fact that it is placed in direct
antithesis with "eternal life": Romans 6:23. The same appears again in
Romans 5:21, which verse is the summing up of verses 12-20.
Let us now pause for a moment and review the ground already covered.
First, we have seen the favorable and happy state in which Adam was
originally created. Second, we have contemplated the threefold law
under which he was placed. Third, we have observed that he stood in
Eden as the federal head and legal representative of all his
posterity. Fourth, we have pointed out that all the constituent
elements of a formal covenant are clearly observable in the Genesis
record: there were the contracting parties--the Lord God and Adam;
there was the stipulation enjoined--obedience; there was the penalty
attached--death upon disobedience; there was the necessarily implied
promise of reward--an immutable establishment in holiness and an
inalienable title to the earthly paradise.
In order to follow out the logical sequence, we should, properly,
examine next the "seal" of the covenant; that is, the formal symbol
and stamp of its ratification; but we will postpone our consideration
of that until our next chapter, which will conclude what we have to
say upon the Adamic covenant. Instead, we will pass on to Adam's
consent unto the compact which the Lord God set before him. This may
be inferred, first of all, from the very law of his nature: having
been made in the image and likeness of God, there was nothing in him
contrary to His holy will, nothing to oppose His righteous
requirements: so that he must have readily attended.
"Adam, being holy, would not refuse to enter into a righteous
engagement with his Maker: and being intelligent, would not decline an
improvement in his condition" (W. Sledd): an "improvement" which, upon
his fulfillment of the terms of the covenant, would have issued in
being made immutably holy and happy, so that he would then have had
spiritual life as indefectible, passing beyond all point of apostasy
and misery. The only other possible alternative to Adam's freely
consenting to be a party to the covenant would be his refusal, which
is unthinkable in a pure and sinless being. Eve's words to the serpent
in Genesis 3:2, 3 make it plain that Adam had given his word not to
disobey his maker. We quote from another who has ably handled this
point:
"The voluntary assent of the parties, which is in every covenant: one
party must make the proposition: God proposed the terms as an
expression of His will, which is an assent or agreement. God's
commanding man not to eat, is His consent. As to man, it has been
already observed, he could not without unreasonable opposition to his
Creator's will, refuse any terms which the wisdom and benevolence of
God would allow Him to proffer. Hence we should conclude, Adam must
most cheerfully accede to the terms. But this the more readily, when
their nature is inspected--when he should see in them every thing
adapted for his advantage, and nothing to his disadvantage.
"The same conclusion we deduce from an inspection of the Scripture
history. For 1., there is not a hint at any thing like a refusal on
the part of Adam, before the act of violation. The whole history is
perfectly consistent with the supposition that he did cheerfully
agree. 2. It is evident that Eve thought the command most reasonable
and proper. She so expressed herself to the serpent, giving God's
commandment as a reason of her abstinence. This information she must
have derived from her husband, for she was not created at the time the
covenant was given to Adam. We hence infer Adam's consent. 3. Adam
was, after his sin, abundantly disposed to excuse himself: he cast the
blame upon the woman, and indirectly upon God, for giving her to him.
Now most assuredly, if Adam could in truth have said, I never
consented to abstain--I never agreed to the terms proposed--I have
broken no pledge--he would have presented this apology or just answer
to God; but according to Scripture he offered no such apology. Can any
reasonable man want further evidence of his consent? Even this may be
had, if he will. 4. Look at the consequences. The penal evils did
result: sorrow and death did ensue; and hence, because God is
righteous, we infer the legal relations. The judge of all the earth
would not punish where there is no crime" (Geo. Junkin, 1839).
V.
We will now consider the seal which the Lord God made upon the
covenant into which He entered with the federal head of our race. This
is admittedly the most difficult part of our subject, and for that
reason, the least understood in most circles today. So widespread is
the spiritual ignorance which now prevails that, in many quarters, to
speak of "the seal" of a covenant is to employ an unintelligible term.
And yet the seal is an intrinsic part and an essential feature in the
various covenants which God made. Hence, our treatment of the Adamic
covenant would be quite inadequate and incomplete did we fail to give
attention to one of the objects which is given a central place in the
brief Genesis record. Mysterious as that object appears, light is cast
on it by other passages. Oh, that the Holy Spirit may be pleased to
guide us into the truth thereon!
"And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is
pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the
midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil" (Gen.
2:9). First of all, let it be said emphatically that we regard this
verse as referring to two real and literal trees: the very fact that
we are told they were "pleasant to the sight" obliges us to regard
them as tangible and visible entities. In the second place, it is
equally obvious from what is said of them that those two trees were
extraordinary ones, peculiar to themselves. They were placed "in the
midst of the garden"; and from what is recorded in connection with
them in Genesis 3, it is clear that they differed radically from all
the other trees in Eden. In the third place, we cannot escape the
conclusion that those literal trees were vested with a symbolical
significance, being designed by God to give instructions to Adam, in
the same way as others of His positive institutions now do unto us.
"It hath pleased the blessed and almighty God, in every economy of His
covenants, to confirm, by some sacred symbols, the certainty of His
promises and at the same time to remind man in covenant with Him of
his duty" (H. Witsius). Examples of that fact or illustrations of this
principle may be seen in the rainbow by which God ratified the
covenant into which He entered with Noah (Gen. 9:12, 13), and
circumcision which was the outward sign of confirmation of the
covenant entered into with Abraham (Gen. 17:9, 11). From these cases,
then, we may perceive the propriety of the definition given by A. A.
Hodge: "A seal of a covenant is an outward visible sign, appointed by
God as a pledge of His faithfulness, and as an earnest of the
blessings promised in the covenant." In other words, the seal of the
covenant is an external symbol, ratifying the validity of its terms,
as the signatures of two witnesses seal a man's will.
Now as we have shown in previous chapters, the language of Genesis
2:17 not only pronounced a curse upon the disobedient partaking of the
fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but by necessary
implication it announced a blessing upon the obedient non-eating
thereof. The curse was death, with all that that involved and
entailed; the blessing was a continuance and confirmation in all the
felicity which man in his pristine innocence enjoyed. In His infinite
condescension the Lord God was pleased to confirm or seal the terms of
His covenant with Adam--contained in Genesis 2:17--by a symbolic and
visible emblem ratifying the same; as He did to Noah by the rainbow,
and to Abraham by circumcision. With Adam, this confirmatory symbol
consisted of "the tree of life" in the midst of the garden.
A seal, then, is a divine institution of which it is the design to
signify the blessings promised in the covenant, and to give assurance
of them to those by whom its terms have been fulfilled. The very name
of this symbolic (yet real) tree at once intimated its design: it was
"the tree of life." Not, as some have erroneously supposed, that its
fruit had the virtue of communicating physical immortality--as though
anything material could do that. Such a gross and carnal conception is
much more closely akin to the Jewish and Mohammedan fables, than to a
sober interpretation of spiritual things. No, just as its companion
(yet contrast) was to Adam "the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil" --of "good" while he preserved his integrity and of "evil" as
soon as he disobeyed his maker--so this other tree was both the symbol
and pledge of that spiritual life which was inseparably connected with
his obedience.
"It was chiefly intended to be a sign and seal to Adam, assuring him
of the continuance of life and happiness, even to immortality and
everlasting bliss, through the grace and favor of his Maker, upon
condition of his perseverance in his state of innocency and obedience"
(M. Henry). So far from its being a natural means of prolonging Adam's
physical life, it was a sacramental pledge of endless life and
felicity being secured to him as the unmerited reward of fidelity. It
was therefore an object for faith to feed upon--the physical eating to
adumbrate the spiritual. Like all other signs and seals, this one was
not designed to confer the promised blessing, but was a divine pledge
given to Adam's faith to encourage the expectation thereof. It was a
visible emblem to bring to remembrance what God had promised.
It is the fatal error of Romanists and other Ritualists that signs and
seals actually convey grace of themselves. Not so: only as faith is
operative in the use of them are they means of blessing. Romans 4:11
helps us at this point: "And he received the sign of circumcision, a
seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being
uncircumcised; that he might be the father of all them that believe,
though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed
unto them also." Unto Abraham, circumcision was both a sign and a
seal: a sign that he had previously been justified, and a seal
(pledge) that God would make good the promises which He had addressed
to his faith. The rite, instead of conferring anything, only confirmed
what Abraham already had. Unto Abraham, circumcision was the guarantee
that the righteousness of faith which he had (before he was
circumcised) should come upon or be imputed unto believing Gentiles.
Thus as the rainbow was the confirmatory sign and seal of the covenant
promises God had made to Noah, as circumcision was the sign and seal
of the covenant promises God had made to Abraham, so the tree of life
was the sign and seal of the covenant promises He had made to Adam. It
was appointed by God as the pledge of His faithfulness, and as an
earnest of the blessings which continued fidelity would secure. Let it
be expressly pointed out that, in keeping with the distinctive
character of this present antitypical dispensation--when the substance
has replaced the shadows--though baptism and the Lord's Supper are
divinely appointed ordinances, yet they are not seals unto the
Christian. The seal of "the new covenant" is the Holy Spirit Himself
(see 2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13; 4:30)! The gift of the blessed Spirit is
the earnest or guaranty of our future inheritance.
The references to the "tree of life" in the New Testament confirm what
has been said in the above paragraphs. In Revelation 2:7 we hear the
Lord Jesus saying, "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the
tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." Those
words express a promise of eternal life--the perfection and
consummation of holiness and happiness--couched in such terms as
obviously allude to Genesis 2:9. This is the first of seven promises
made by Christ to the overcomer of Revelation 2 and 3, showing that
this immutable gift (eternal life) is the foundation of all the other
inestimable blessings which Christ's victory has secured as the
inheritance of those who by His grace are faithful unto death. Each
victorious saint shall eat of "the tree of life"; that is, be
unchangeably established in a state of eternal felicity and bliss.
"And the Lord God said, behold, the man is become as one of us, to
know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also
of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the Lord
God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from
whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the
east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword, which
turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life" (Gen. 3:22-24).
This is the passage which carnal literalists have wrested to the
perversion of the symbolical and spiritual significance of the seal of
the covenant. By God's words "lest he put forth his hand and take also
of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever," they conclude that
the property of that tree was to bestow physical immortality. We trust
the reader will bear with us for mentioning such an absurdity; yet,
inasmuch as it has obtained a wide hearing, a few words exposing its
fallacy seem called for.
It was not the mere eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil which was able of itself to impart any knowledge;
rather was it that by taking of its fruit contrary to God's command,
Adam and Eve obtained experimental acquaintance with the knowledge of
evil in themselves, that is, by experiencing the bitterness of God's
curse, as previously through their obedient abstinence, they had a
personal knowledge of good, that is, by experiencing the sweetness of
God's blessing. In like manner, the mere eating of the tree of life
could no more bestow physical immortality than feeding upon the
heavenly manna immortalized the Israelites in the wilderness. Both of
those trees were symbolical institutions, and by the sight of them
Adam was reminded of the solemn yet blessed contents of the covenant
of which they were the sign and the seal.
To suppose that the Lord God was apprehensive that our fallen parents
would now eat of the tree of life and continue forever their earthly
existence, is the very height of absurdity; for His sentence of death
had already fallen upon them. What, then, did His words connote?
First, had Adam remained obedient to God, had he been confirmed in a
state of holiness and happiness, spiritual life would have become his
inalienable possession--the divine pledge of which was this
sacramental tree. But now that he had broken the covenant, he had
forfeited all right to its blessings. It must be carefully borne in
mind that by his fall Adam lost far more than physical immortality.
Second, God banished Adam from Eden "lest" the poor, blinded, deceived
man--now open to every error--should suppose that by eating of the
tree of life, he might regain what he had irrevocably lost.
"So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of
Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword, which turned every way, to keep
the way of the tree of life" (Gen. 3:24). Unspeakably solemn is this:
thereby our first parent was prevented from profanely appropriating
what did not belong to him, and thereby he was made the more conscious
of the full extent of his wretchedness. His being driven out from the
presence of the tree of life, and the guarding of the way thereto by
the flaming sword, plainly intimated his irrevocable doom. Contrary to
the prevailing idea, I believe that Adam was eternally lost. He is
mentioned only once again in Genesis, where we read: "And Adam lived
an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness"
(5:3). He is solemnly missing from the witnesses of faith in Hebrews
11! He is uniformly presented in the New Testament as the fountainhead
of death, as Christ is of life (Rom. 5:12-19; 1 Cor. 15:22).
In its deeper significance, the tree of life was an emblem and type of
Christ. "The tree of life signified the Son of God, not indeed as He
is Christ and Mediator (that consideration being peculiar to another
covenant), but inasmuch as He is the life of man in every condition,
and the fountain of all happiness. And how well was it spoken by one
who said, that it became God from the first to represent, by an
outward sign, that person whom He loves, and for whose glory He has
made and does make all things; that man even then might acknowledge
Him as such. Wherefore Christ is called `the Tree of Life' (Rev.
22:2). What indeed He now is by His merit and efficacy, as Mediator,
He would have always been as the Son of God; for, as by Him man was
created and obtained an animal life, so, in like manner, he would have
been transformed by Him and blessed with a heavenly life. Nor could He
have been the life of the sinner, as Mediator, unless He had likewise
been the life of man in his holy state, as God; having life in
Himself, and being life itself" (H. Witsius).
Here, then, we believe was the first symbolical foreshadowment of
Christ, set before the eyes of Adam and Eve in their sinless state;
and a most suitable and significant emblem of Him was it. Let us
consider these prefigurements.
1. Its very name obviously pointed to the Lord Jesus, of whom we read,
"In him was life, and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4). Those
words are to be taken in their widest latitude. All life is resident
in Christ--natural life, spiritual life, resurrection life, eternal
life. "For to me to live is Christ" (Phil. 1:21) declares the saint:
he lives in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), he lives on Christ (John 6:50-57),
he shall for all eternity live with Christ (1 Thess. 4:17).
2. The position it occupied: "in the midst of the garden" (Gen. 2:9).
Note how this detail is emphasized in Revelation 2:7, "in the midst of
the paradise of God," and "in the midst of the street" (Rev. 22:2),
and compare "in the midst of the elders stood a Lamb" (Rev. 5:6).
Christ is the center of heaven's glory and blessedness.
3. In its sacramental significance: In Eden the symbolic tree of life
stood as the seal of the covenant, as the pledge of God's
faithfulness, as the ratification of His promises to Adam. So of the
antitype we read, "For all the promises of God in him [Christ] are
yea, and in him [Christ] Amen, unto the glory of God by us" (2 Cor.
1:20). Yes, it is in Christ that all the promises of the everlasting
covenant are sealed and secured.
4. Its attractiveness: "pleasant to the sight and good for food" (Gen.
2:9). Superlatively is that true of the Savior: to the redeemed He is
"fairer than the children of men" (Ps. 45:2), yea, "altogether lovely"
(Song of Sol. 5:16). And when the believer is favored with a season of
intimate communion with Him, what cause he has to say, "His fruit was
sweet to my taste" (Song of Sol. 2:3).
5. From the symbolical tree of life the apostate rebel was excluded
(Gen. 3:24); likewise from the antitypical tree of life shall every
finally impenitent sinner be separated: "Who shall be punished with
everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the
glory of His power" (2 Thess. 1:9).
"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right
to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city"
(Rev. 22:14). Here is the final mention of the tree of life in
Scripture--in marked and blessed contrast from what is recorded in
Genesis 3:22-24. There we behold the disobedient rebel, under the
curse of God, divinely excluded from the tree of life; for under the
old covenant no provision was made for man's restoration. But here we
see a company under the new covenant, pronounced "blessed" by God,
having been given the spirit of obedience, that they might have the
right to enjoy the tree of life for all eternity. That "right" is
threefold: the right which divine promise has given them (Heb. 5:9),
the right of personal meetness (Heb. 12:14), and the right of
evidential credentials (Jam. 2:21-25). None but those who, having been
made new creatures in Christ, do His commandments, will enter the
heavenly Jerusalem and be eternally regaled by the tree of life.
VI.
This primordial compact or covenant of works was that agreement into
which the Lord God entered with Adam as the federal head and
representative of the entire human family. It was made with him in a
state of innocency, holiness, and righteousness. The terms of that
covenant consisted in perfect and continuous obedience on man's part,
and the promise of confirming him in immutable holiness and happiness
on God's part. A test was given whereby his obedience or disobedience
should be evidenced. That test consisted of a single positive
ordinance: abstinence from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil, so named because so long as Adam remained dutiful and
faithful, he enjoyed that inestimable "good" which issued from
communion with his maker, and because as soon as he disobeyed he
tasted the bitter "evil" which followed the loss of communion with
Him.
As we have seen in the previous chapters, all the essential elements
of a formal covenant between God and Adam are clearly to be seen in
the Genesis record. A requirement was made--obedience; a penal
sanction was attached--death as the penalty of disobedience; a reward
was promised upon his obedience--confirmation in life. Adam consented
to its terms; the whole was divinely sealed by the tree of life--so
called because it was the outward sign of that life promised in the
covenant, from which Adam was excluded because of his apostasy, and to
which the redeemed are restored by the last Adam (Rev. 2:7). Thus
Scripture presents all the prime features of a covenant as coexisting
in that constitution under which our first parent was originally
placed.
Adam wickedly presumed to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree, and
incurred the awful guilt of violating the covenant. In his sin there
was a complication of many crimes: in Romans 5 it is called the
"offence," "disobedience," "transgression." Adam was put to the test
of whether the will of God was sacred in his eyes, and he fell by
preferring his own will and way. He failed to love God with all his
heart; he had contempt for His high authority; he disbelieved His holy
veracity; he deliberately and presumptuously defied Him. Hence, at a
later date, in the history of Israel, God said, "But they like Adam
have transgressed the covenant, they have dealt treacherously against
me" (Hos. 6:7, margin). Even Darby (notes on Hosea, in Synopsis, vol.
2, p. 472) acknowledged, "It should be rendered `But they like Adam
have transgressed the covenant.'"
It is to this divine declaration in Hosea 6:7 the apostle makes
reference, when of Adam he declares that he was "the figure of him
that was to come." Let it be duly noted that Adam is not there viewed
in his creation state simply, but rather as he is related to an
offspring whose case was included in his own. As the vicar of his race
Adam disobeyed the Eden statute in their room and stead, precisely as
Christ, the "last Adam" (1 Cor. 15:45), obeyed the moral law as the
representative of His people in their room and stead. "By one man sin
entered into the world" (Rom. 5:12). This is a remarkable statement
calling for the closest attention. Eve sinned too; she sinned before
Adam did; then why are we not told that "by one woman sin entered into
the world"?--the more so seeing that she is, equally with Adam, a root
of propagation.
Only one answer is possible to the above question: because Adam was
the one public person or federal head that represented us, and not
she. Adam was the legal representative of Eve as well as of his
posterity, for she was taken out of him. Remarkably is this confirmed
by the historical record of Genesis 3: upon Eve's eating of the
forbidden fruit no change was evidenced; but as soon as Adam partook,
"the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were
naked" (Gen. 3:7). This means that they were instantly conscious of
the loss of innocency, and were ashamed of their woeful condition. The
eyes of a convicted conscience were opened, and they perceived their
sin and its awful consequences: the sense of their bodily nakedness
only adumbrating their spiritual loss.
Not only was it by Adam (rather than by Eve) that sin entered into the
world, "the judgment was by one [offence] to condemnation, but the
free gift is of many offences unto justification" (Rom. 5:16). The
fact that Eve is entirely omitted from Romans 5:12-19 shows that it is
the guilt of our federal head being imputed to us which is there in
view, and not the depravity of nature which is imparted; for
corruption has been directly derived through her as much as from Adam.
The fact that it was by Adam's one offense that condemnation has come
upon all his posterity, shows that his subsequent sins are not imputed
to us; for by his original transgression he lost the high honor and
privilege conferred upon him: in the covenant being broken, he ceased
to be a public person, the federal head of the race.
Man's defection from his primordial state was purely voluntary and
from the unconstrained choice of his own mutable and self-determining
will. Adam was "without excuse." By eating of the forbidden fruit, he
broke, first, the law of his very being, violating his own nature,
which bound him unto loving allegiance to his maker: self now took the
place of God. Second, he flouted the law of God, which requires
perfect and unremitting obedience to the moral Governor of the world:
self had now usurped the throne of God in his heart. Third, in
trampling upon the positive ordinance under which he was placed, he
broke the covenant, preferring to take his stand alongside of his
fallen wife.
"Every man at his best estate is altogether vanity" (Ps. 39:5). Thus
was Adam. In full-grown manhood, with every faculty perfect, amid
ideal surroundings, he rejected the good and chose the evil. He was
not deceived: Scripture declares he was not (1 Tim. 2:14). He knew
well what he was doing. "Deliberately he wrecked himself and us.
Deliberately he jumped the precipice. Deliberately he murdered
unnumbered generations. Like many another who has loved `not wisely
but too well,' he would not lose his Eve. He chose her rather than
God. He determined he would have her if he went to Hell with her" (G.
S. Bishop). Direful were the consequences: the death sentence fell
upon Adam the day in which he sinned, though for the sake of his
posterity the full execution of it was delayed.
As Romans 5:12 declares, "Wherefore as by one man [the first man, the
father of our race] sin [guilt, criminality, condemnation entered [as
a solemn accuser in the witness stand into the world [not into "the
universe," for that had previously been defiled by the rebellion of
Satan and his angels; but the world of fallen humanity], and death [as
a judicial infliction] by sin [the original offense], and so death [as
the divine punishment] passed [as the penal sentence from the judge of
all the earth], upon all men, (none, not even infants, being
exempted), in whom [the correct rendering--see margin all have
sinned"--that is, sinned in the "one man," the federal head of the
race, the legal representative of the "all men"; note, not all now
"sin," nor all are inherently "sinful" (though sadly true), but "in
whom all have sinned" in Eden.
Direful and dreadful as was the outcome of the Adamic covenant, yet we
may, with awe, perceive and admire the divine wisdom in the same. Had
God permitted and enabled Adam to stand, all his posterity had been
eternally happy. Adam had then been in a very real sense their savior,
and while enjoying everlasting bliss, all his posterity would have
exclaimed, "For all this we are indebted to our first parent." Ali,
what anointed eye can fail to discern that that would have been far
too great a glory for any finite creature to have borne. Only the last
Adam was entitled to and capable of sustaining such an honor. Thus,
the first man, who was of the earth, earthy, must fall, so as to make
way for the second man, who is "the Lord from heaven."
It must also be pointed out that, in taking this way of staining human
pride (involving the dreadful fall of the king of our race),
displaying His own infinite wisdom, and securing the glory of His
beloved Son (so that in all things He has "the pre-eminence"), God
made not the slightest infraction of His justice. In decreeing and
permitting Adam's fall, with the consequent imputation of the guilt of
his offense unto all his posterity, God has wronged no man. This needs
to be emphatically insisted upon and plainly pointed out, lest some in
their blatant haughtiness should be guilty of charging the Most High
with unfairness. God is inflexibly righteous, and all His ways are
right and just. Nor is the one which we are now considering any
exception; and this will be seen, once it is rightly understood.
In saying that the guilt of Adam's offense is imputed to all his
posterity, we do not mean the human race is now suffering for
something in which they had no part, that innocent creatures are being
condemned for the act of another which cannot rightly be laid to their
account. Let it be clearly understood that God punishes none for
Adam's personal sin, but only for his own sin in Adam. The whole human
race had a federal standing in Adam. Not only was each of us seminally
in his loins the day God created him, but each of us was legally
represented by him when God instituted the covenant of works. Adam
acted and transacted in that covenant not merely as a private being,
but as a public person; not simply as a single individual, but as the
surety and sponsor of his race. Nor is it lawful for us to call into
question the meetness of that arrangement: all God's works are
perfect, all His ways are ordered by infinite wisdom and
righteousness.
Of necessity the creature is subject to the Creator, and his loyalty
and fealty must be put to the proof. In the nature of the case only
two alternatives were possible: the human family must either be placed
on probation in the person of a responsible and suitable head and
representative, or each individual member must enter upon his
probation for himself. Once again we quote the words of Bishop: The
race must have either stood in a full-grown man, with a full-orbed
intellect, or stood as babies, each entering his probation in the
twilight of self-consciousness, each deciding his destiny before his
eyes were half-opened to what it all meant. How much better would that
have been? How much more just? But could it not have been some other
way? There was no other way. It was either the baby or it was the
perfect, well-equipped, all-calculating man--the man who saw and
comprehended everything. That man was Adam."
The simplest and most satisfactory way of reconciling with human
reason the federal constitution which was given to Adam, is to
recognize it was of divine appointment. God cannot do what is wrong.
It must therefore have been right. The principle of representation is
inseparable from the very constitution of human society. The father is
the legal representative of his children during their minority, so
that what he does binds his family. The political heads of a nation
represent the people, so that their declarations of war or treaties of
peace bind the whole commonwealth. This principle is so fundamental
that it cannot be set aside: human affairs could not move nor society
exist without it. Founded in man's nature by the wisdom of God, we are
compelled to recognize it; and being of His appointment we dare not
call into question its rightness. If it was unjust for God to impute
to us Adam's guilt, it must equally have been so to impart to us his
depravity; but seeing God has righteously done the latter, we must
vindicate Him for doing the former.
The very fact that we go on breaking the covenant of works and
disobeying the law of God, shows our oneness with Adam under that
covenant. Let that fact be duly weighed by those who are inclined to
be captious. Our complicity with Adam in his rebellion is evidenced
every time we sin against God. Instead of challenging the justice
which has charged to our account the guilt of the first human
transgression, let us seek grace to repudiate Adam's example, standing
out in opposition to his insubordination by gladly taking upon us the
easy yoke of God's commandments. Finally, let it again be pointed out
that if we were ruined by another, Christians are redeemed by Another.
By the principle of representation we were lost, and by the same
principle of representation--Christ transacting for us as our surety
and sponsor--we are saved.
In what sense is the covenant of works abrogated? and in what sense is
it still in force? We cannot do better than subjoin the answers of one
of the ablest theologians of the last century. "This Covenant having
been broken by Adam, not one of his natural descendants is ever able
to fulfil its conditions, and Christ having fulfilled all of its
conditions in behalf of all His own people, salvation is offered now
on the condition of faith. In this sense the Covenant of Works having
been fulfilled by the second Adam is henceforth abrogated under the
Gospel.
"Nevertheless, since it is founded upon the principles of immutable
justice, it still binds all men who have not fled to the refuge
offered in the righteousness of Christ. It is still true that `he that
doeth these things shall live by them,' and `the soul that sinneth it
shall die.' This law in this sense remains, and in consequence of the
unrighteousness of men condemns them, and in consequence of their
absolute inability to fulfil it, it acts as a schoolmaster to bring
them to Christ. For he having fulfilled alike its condition wherein
Adam failed, and its penalty which Adam incurred, He has become the
end of this covenant for righteousness to every one that believeth,
who in Him is regarded and treated as having fulfilled the covenant,
and merited its promised reward" (A. A. Hodge).
It only remains for us now to point out wherein the Adamic covenant
adumbrated the everlasting covenant. While it be true that the
covenant of works and the covenant of grace are diametrically opposed
in their character--the one being based upon the principle of do and
live, the other on live and do--yet there are some striking points of
agreement between them.
That engagement which the Father entered into with the Mediator before
the foundation of the world was foreshadowed in Eden in the following
respects.
1. Adam, the one with whom the covenant was made, entered this world
in a manner that none other ever did. Without being begotten by a
human father, he was miraculously produced by God; so with Christ.
2. None but Adam of the human family entered this world with a pure
constitution and holy nature; so was it with Christ.
3. His wife was taken out of him, so that he could say, "This is now
bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh" (Gen. 2:23); of Christ's
bride it is declared, "We are members of his body, of his flesh, and
of his bones" (Eph. 5:30).
4. Adam voluntarily took his place alongside of his fallen wife. He
was not deceived (1 Tim. 2:14), but had such a love for Eve that he
could not see her perish alone; just so Christ voluntarily took on
Himself the sins of His people (cf. Eph. 5:25).
5. In consequence of this, Adam fell beneath the curse of God; in like
manner Christ bore the curse of God (cf. Gal. 3:13).
6. The father of the human family was their federal head; so is
Christ, the "last Adam," the federal head of His people.
7. What Adam did is imputed to the account of all those whom he
represented; the same is true of Christ. "For as by one man's
disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall
many be made righteous" (Rom. 5:19).
Contents | Intro | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8
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Divine Covenants by A.W. Pink
Part Three-The Noahic Covenant
I.
Noah is the connecting link between "the world that then was," which
"being overflowed with water, perished," and the earth which now is
"reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of
ungodly men" (2 Pet. 3:6, 7). He lived upon both, was preserved from
the awful judgment which swallowed up the former, and given dominion
over the latter in its pristine state. A period of sixteen centuries
intervened between the covenant of works which God entered into with
Adam and the covenant of grace which He made with Noah. So far as
Scripture informs us, no other covenant was instituted by the Lord
during that interval. There were divine revelations, divine promises
and precepts--in fact, the antediluvians enjoyed very much more light
from heaven than they are commonly credited with. But during those
early centuries, where grace abounded, sin did much more abound, until
"God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh
had corrupted his way upon the earth" (Gen. 6:12).
"The longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark
was a preparing" (1 Pet. 3:20), and "space" was granted the ungodly to
turn from their wickedness. Enoch prophesied, "Behold, the Lord cometh
with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to
convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds,
which they have ungodly committed, and of their hard speeches which
ungodly sinners have spoken against him" (Jude 14, 15). Noah too was
"a preacher of righteousness" (2 Pet. 2:5), and therefore must have
warned his hearers that "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth
in unrighteousness" (Rom. 1:18). But it was all to no avail: "Because
sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the
heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil" (Eccl.
8:11). The evil continued to increase, till the divine patience was
thoroughly exhausted. The threatened punishment came, the ungodly were
swept from the earth, and the first great period in the world's
history closed in judgment.
The facts briefly stated above require to be carefully kept in mind,
for they throw not a little light upon the covenant which the Lord God
made with Noah. They explain the reason for the transaction itself,
and impart at least some aid toward a right conception of the
particular form it took. The background of that covenant was divine
judgment: drastic, unsparing, effectual. Every individual of the
ungodly race perished: the great Deluge completely relieved the earth
of their presence and crimes. In due time the water subsided, and Noah
and his family came from their place of refuge to people the earth
afresh. It is scarcely possible for us to form any adequate conception
of the feelings of Noah on this occasion. The terrible and destructive
visitation, in which the hand of God was so manifest, must have given
him an impression of the exceeding sinfulness of sin and of the
ineffable holiness and righteousness of God such as he had not
previously entertained.
"In one respect the world seemed to have suffered material loss by the
visitation of the deluge. Along with the agents and instruments of
evil there had also been swept away by it the emblems of grace and
hope--paradise with its tree of life and its cherubim of glory. We can
conceive Noah and his household, when they first left the ark, looking
around with melancholy feelings on the position they now occupied, not
only as being the sole survivors of a numerous offspring, but also as
being themselves bereft of the sacred memorials which bore evidence of
a happy past, and exhibited the pledge of a yet happier future. An
important link of communion with Heaven, it might well have seemed,
was broken by the change thus brought through the deluge on the world"
(P. Fairbairn).
As I pointed out many years ago in my Gleanings in Genesis, the
contents of Genesis 4, though exceedingly terse, intimate that from
the time of Adam onward, there was a specific place where God was to
be worshiped. When we are told in verses 3 and 4 that Cain and Abel
"brought an offering unto the Lord," the implication is clear that
they came to some particular location of His appointing. When we read
that Abel brought "the firstling of his flock and the fat thereof," we
cannot escape the conclusion that there was an altar where the victim
must be offered and upon which its fat must be burned. These necessary
inferences receive clear corroboration in the words of verse 16, "And
Cain went out from the presence of the Lord," which can hardly mean
less than that he was formally prohibited from the place where the
presence of Jehovah was symbolically manifest. That place of worship
appears to have been located at the east of the Garden of Eden.
In their commentary on Genesis, Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown translate
the last verse of chapter 3 as follows: "And he [God] dwelt at the
east of the Garden of Eden between the Cherubim, as a Shekinah [a fire
tongue or fire sword] to keep open the way to the tree of life." The
same thought is presented in the Jerusalem Targum. Thus it would seen,
that when man was excluded from the garden, God established a
mercy-seat, protected by cherubim, the fire tongue or sword being the
emblem of His presence, and whosoever would worship Him must approach
that mercy-seat with a bloody sacrifice. We may add that the Hebrew
word "shaken" which in Genesis 3:24 is rendered "placed," is defined
in Young's concordance "to tabernacle;" eighty-three times in the Old
Testament it is translated "to dwell," as in Exodus 25:8, and so
forth.
The signal and sovereign mercy which God had displayed toward Noah
must have deeply affected him. He would be strongly constrained to
give some sweet expression to the overwhelming emotions of his heart.
Accordingly, his very first act on taking possession of the new earth
was to engage in a service of solemn worship: "And Noah builded an
altar unto the Lord: and took of every clean beast, and of every clean
fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar" (Gen. 8:20). Nothing
could have been more becoming and appropriate: it was an
acknowledgment of his deep obligations to the Lord, an expression of
gratitude for the rich grace shown him, an intimation of his sense of
personal unworthiness, an exercise of faith in the promised Seed
through whom alone divine blessings were conferred, and an avowal of
his determination to consecrate himself to God and walk before Him in
humble obedience.
It was in connection with this act of worship that the Lord God now
entered into a covenant with the new head of the race; but before
examining its terms, let us further ponder the circumstances in which
Noah now found himself, and try to form some idea of the thoughts
which must then have exercised his mind. "However remarkable the
deliverance he had experienced, whatever the conclusions he might have
been warranted to draw from it in regard to the certainty of the
Divine favor towards himself, and however ardent his gratitude in the
view of the great mercy of which he had been the recipient, he was
still a man, and his novel situation could hardly fail to awaken
anxiety and apprehension on several distinct grounds. He and his
family were few in number, and with very slender means of shelter and
defense in their reach. His condition was far from secure.
"Although the natural disposition of the animals preserved with him in
the ark had been by Divine power brought under restraint, he could not
be ignorant that, when again left at large, their natural tempers and
the instinctive ferocity of some of them would be resumed; and
multiplying, in a more rapid ratio than his own family, he might
probably have distrusted his ability to cope with them, and might have
anticipated the likelihood of perishing before their destructive
violence. He knew, too, that the heart of man was full of evil, and
that however his naturally bad propensities may have been awed by the
fearful catastrophe from which he had recently escaped, the effect of
it was not likely to be lasting; the time he might well fear would
come--and that at no distant period--when the sinful tendencies of the
heart would acquire strength, would be excited by temptation, and soon
issue in the most disastrous consequences.
"He must have had a distinct and painful remembrance of those sins of
lawlessness and violence with which he had been familiar in the old
world. He might reasonably dread their repetition, and look forward to
times when human life would be held cheap, and when wanton passion
would not scruple to sacrifice it in the furtherance of its selfish
purposes, unrestrained by any competent authority, and only feebly
checked by the dread of revenge. The prospect would have been anything
but cheering, and it cannot be thought surprising that he should have
contemplated it with feelings of concern and dismay. He could form his
views of the future simply from what he knew of the past, and his
memory could recall little but what was painful and distressing" (John
Kelly, 1861).
But more; Noah had not only witnessed the out-breakings of human
depravity in its worst forms, he had also seen the failure of all the
religious means employed to restrain the same. Outside of his own
little family, the worship of God had entirely ceased, the preaching
of His servants was completely disregarded, and profligacy and
violence universally prevailed. Even his building of the ark--"by the
which he condemned the world" (Heb. 11:7)--had no effect upon the
wicked. The divine warnings were openly flouted, until the Flood came
and swept them all away. Nor had Noah any reason now to believe that
human nature had undergone any radical change for the better, or that
sin had been eradicated from the hearts of the few survivors of the
Deluge. As Noah reflected upon the past, his anticipations of the
future must have been anxious and gloomy.
What assurance could he have that the evil propensities of fallen men
would not again break out in works just as heinous as any performed by
those who had found a watery grave? Would not men still be impatient
against divine restraints, and treat the divine warnings with reckless
contempt? Were such fears realized, should the corruption of the human
heart once more develop in enormities and unlimited crimes, then what
else could be expected than a repetition of the judgment which he had
just survived? And where could such a recurrence of crime and
punishment end? Did there not seem but one likely answer: the
Almighty, in His righteous indignation, would utterly exterminate a
guilty race which refused to be reclaimed. Such fears would not be the
bogies of unwarrantable pessimism, but the natural and logical
conclusions to be drawn from what had already transpired upon the
theater of this earth. It is only by thus entering into the exercises
of Noah's heart that we can really appreciate the pertinency of that
assurance which Jehovah now gave him.
But as we endeavor to follow the thoughts which must have presented
themselves to our patriarch's mind, we must not overlook one bright
ray of comfort which doubtless did much to relieve the darkness of his
trepidations. When God had declared unto Noah, "And, behold, I, even
I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh,
wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven, and every thing that
is in the earth shall die," He also added, "But with thee will I
establish my covenant" (Gen. 6:17, 18). That gracious promise provided
a resting place for his poor heart during the dreary days and months
when he had been shut up in the ark, and must also have imparted some
cheer as he now stood upon the judgment-swept and desolate earth. Yet,
who that has any personal experience of the fierce assaults made by
carnal reasonings (unbelief) can doubt but what Noah's faith now met
with a painful conflict as it sought to withstand the influence of
gloom and anxiety.
Some readers may consider that we have gone beyond due bounds in what
has been said above, and that we have drawn too much upon our own
imagination. But Scripture says, "As in water face answereth to face,
so the heart of man to man" (Prov. 27:17). How had you felt, dear
reader, had you been in Noah's place? What had been my thoughts, had I
been circumstanced as he was? Would we have had no such fears as those
we have sought to describe? Had we anticipated the unknown future
without any such dark forebodings? Could we have passed through such a
fearful ordeal, and have returned to an earth from which the last of
our former companions had been swept away, without wondering if the
next storm of divine judgment would not quite complete its awful work?
Would we, only eight all told, have been quite confident that the wild
beasts would leave us unmolested? Why, it is just this very mental
background which enables us to appreciate the tender mercy in what God
now said unto Noah.
"And God blessed Noah, and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful,
and multiply, and replenish the earth. And the fear of you and dread
of you [why such repetition, but for the sake of emphasis?] shall be
upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon
all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea;
into your hand are they delivered. Every moving thing that liveth
shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all
things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof,
shall ye not eat. . . .And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with
him, saying, And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with
your seed after you; And with every living creature that is with you,
of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you;
from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. And I
will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut
off any more by the waters of a flood, neither shall there any more be
a flood to destroy the earth" (Gen. 9:1-4, 8-11). What does such
language imply? What fears were such gracious declarations designed to
calm? What other conclusions can logically be drawn from these verses
than those that we have sketched in the preceding paragraphs? To me,
at least, an endeavor to place myself in Noah's position and follow
out the thoughts most likely to engage his mind, has caused me to
admire as never before the suitability of the divine revelation then
given to Noah.
That which we have assayed to do in this first chapter on the Noahic
covenant has been to indicate its background, the occasion of it, and
why it took the particular form it did. Just as the various Messianic
prophecies, given by God at different times and at wide intervals,
were suited to the local occasions when they were first made, so it
was in the different renewals of His covenant of grace. Each of those
renewals--unto Abraham, Moses, David and so forth--adumbrated some
special feature of the everlasting covenant into which God had entered
with the Mediator; but the immediate circumstances of each of those
favored men molded, or gave form to, each particular feature of the
eternal agreement which was severally shadowed forth unto them. We
trust that the reader will now the better perceive the reasons why God
gave unto Noah the particular statements recorded in Genesis 9.
II.
Having contemplated the occasion when the Lord God entered into
covenant with Noah, the unspeakably solemn circumstances which formed
its background, we are now almost ready to turn our attention to the
covenant itself and examine its terms. The covenants which the Lord
established at successive intervals with different parties were
substantially one, embracing in the main the same promises and
receiving similar confirmation. The Sinaitic covenant--although it
possessed peculiar features which distinguished it from all
others--was no exception. They were all of them revelations of God's
gracious purpose, exhibited at first in an obscure form, but unfolding
according to an obvious law of progress: each renewal adding something
to what was previously known, so that the path of the just was as the
shining light, which shone more and more unto the perfect day, when
the shadows were displaced by the substance itself.
We are not to suppose that the divine promises, of which the covenant
was the expression and confirmation, were not previously known. The
antecedent history shows otherwise. The declaration made by Jehovah to
the serpent in Genesis 3:15, while it announced his doom, clearly
intimated mercy and deliverance unto the woman's "seed" --an
expression which is by no means to be restricted to Christ personally,
but which pertains to Christ mystically, that is, to the head and His
body, the church. The divine institution of sacrifices opened a wide
door of hope to those who were convicted of their sinful and lost
condition by nature, as the recorded case of Abel clearly shows (Heb.
11:4). The spiritual history of Enoch, who walked with God and before
his translation received testimony that he pleased Him (Heb. 11:5), is
a further evidence that the very earliest of the saints were blessed
with considerable spiritual light, and were granted an insight into
God's eternal counsels of grace.
There is a word in Genesis 5:28, 29 which we should carefully ponder
in this connection. There we read that "Lamech lived an hundred eighty
and two years, and begat a son: and he called his name Noah, saying,
This same shall comfort us, concerning our work and toil of our hands,
because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed." This is the first
mention of Noah in Scripture, and there is no doubt he had his name
prophetically given him. His name signifies "Rest," and was bestowed
upon him by his father in the confident expectation that he would
prove more than an ordinary blessing to his generation: he would be
the instrument of bringing in that which would speak peace and inspire
hope in the hearts of the elect--for the "us" and "our" (spoken by a
believer) obviously refer to the godly line.
The words of the believing Lamech had respect unto what had been said
in Genesis 3:15, and were also undoubtedly a prophecy which looked
forward to Christ Himself, in whom it was to receive its antitypical
fulfillment, for He is the true rest-giver (Matthew 11:28) and
deliverer from the curse (Gal. 3:13). The full scope and intent of
Lamech's prophetic language is to be understood in the light of those
blessings which were pronounced on Noah by God after the Flood
blessings which, as we shall see, were infinitely more precious than
that which their mere letter conveys. They were blessings to proceed
through the channel of the everlasting covenant of grace and by means
of the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. The proof of this is found
in the fact that they were pronounced after sacrifice had been
offered. This requires us to glance again at Genesis 8:20-22.
"And Noah budded an altar unto the Lord, and took of every clean
beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the
altar" (v. 20). The typical teaching of this carries us much further
than that which was foreshadowed by Abel's offering. Here, for the
first time in Scripture, mention is made of the "altar." The key which
unlocks the meaning of this is found in Matthew 23:19--"the altar that
sanctifieth the gift." And what was the altar which sanctified the
supreme gift? Why, the Person of Christ Himself: it was who He was
that rendered acceptable and efficacious what He did. Thus, while the
offering of Abel pointed forward to the sacrifice of Christ, the altar
of Noah adumbrated the One who offered that sacrifice; His person
being that which gave infinite value unto the blood which He shed.
"And the Lord smelled a sweet savour" (v. 21). Here again our present
type rises much higher than that of Abel's: in the former case it was
the manward aspect which was in view; but here it is the godward that
is brought before us. Blessed indeed is it to learn what the sacrifice
of Christ obtained for His people--deliverance from the wrath to come,
securing an inheritance in Heaven forever; but far more blessed is it
to know what that sacrifice meant unto Him to whom it was offered. In
the sacrifice of Christ, God Himself found that which was "a sweet
savour," with which He was well pleased, that which not only met every
requirement of His righteousness and holiness, but also which
satisfied His heart.
"And the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any
more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from
his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as
I have done" (v. 21). The unusual words "The Lord said in his heart"
emphasize the effect which the "sweet savour" of the sacrifice had
upon Him. The remainder of the verse appears, at first sight, to mar
the unity of the passage; for it seems to bear no direct relation unto
what immediately precedes or follows. But a more careful pondering of
it reveals its pertinency. The reference to human depravity comes in
here with a solemn significance, intimating that the waters of
judgment had in nowise changed the corruption of fallen man's nature,
and announcing that it was not because of any change in the flesh for
the better that the Lord now made known His thoughts of peace and
blessing. No, it was solely on the ground of the sweet smelling
sacrifice that He dealt in grace.
The blessings which were included in the benedictions which God
pronounced upon Noah and his sons were granted on a new foundation, on
the basis of a grant quite different from any revelation or promise
which the Lord gave to Adam in his unfallen condition, even on the
ground of that covenant of grace which He had established with the
Mediator before' ever the earth was. That eternal charter anticipated
Adam's offense, and provided for the deliverance of God's elect from
the curse which came in upon our first parent's sin; yea, secured for
them far greater blessings than any which pertained to the earthly
paradise. It is of great importance that this fact should be clearly
grasped: namely, that it was on the sure foundation of the everlasting
covenant of grace that God here pronounced blessing upon Noah and his
sons--as He did later on Abraham and his seed.
What has just been pointed out would have been more easily grasped by
the average reader had the chapter break between Genesis 8 and 9 been
made at a different point. Genesis 8 should close with verse 19. The
last three verses of Genesis 8 as they stand in our Bibles should
begin chapter 9, and then the immediate connection between Noah's
sacrifice and the covenant which the Lord made with him would be more
apparent. The covenant was Jehovah's response to the offering upon the
altar. That offering was "a sweet savour" to Him, clearly pointing to
the offering of Christ. Christ's sacrifice was not yet to be offered
for over two thousand years; so the satisfaction which Noah's typical
offering gave unto Jehovah must have pointed back to the everlasting
covenant, in which the great sacrifice was agreed upon.
Noah's passing safely through the Flood, in the ark, was a type of
salvation itself. For this statement we have the authority of Holy
Writ: see 1 Peter 3:20, 21. Noah and his sons were delivered from the
wrath of God which had destroyed the rest of the world, and they now
stepped out onto what was, typically, resurrection ground. Yes, the
earth having been swept clean by the besom of divine judgment, and a
fresh start now being made in its history, it was virtually
new-creation ground onto which the saved family came as they emerged
from the ark. Here is another point in which our present type looked
unto higher truths than did the types which had preceded it. It is in
connection with the new creation that the inheritance of the saints is
found (1 Pet. 1:3, 4). We are therefore ready now to consider the
blessing of the typical heirs.
"And God blessed Noah and his sons" (Gen. 9:1). This is the first time
that we read of God blessing any since the Fall had occurred. Before
sin entered the world we read that "male and female created he them:
and God blessed them" (Gen. 1:27, 28). No doubt there is both a
comparison and a contrast suggested in these two verses. First, and
from the natural viewpoint, God's blessing of Noah and his sons was
the formal announcement that the same divine favor which the Creator
had extended to our first parents should now rest upon the new
progenitors of the human race. But second, and more deeply, this
blessing of Noah and his sons after the offering upon the altar, and
in connection with the covenant, denoted their blessing upon a new
basis. Adam and Eve received blessing on the ground of their creature
purity; Noah and his sons (as the representatives of the entire
election of grace) received blessing on the ground of their acceptance
and perfection in Christ.
"And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful,
and multiply, and replenish the earth. And the fear of you and the
dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every
fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the
fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. Every moving
thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I
given you all things" (Gen. 9:1-3). These verses (together with the
closing ones of chap. 8) introduce us to the beginning of a new world.
In several respects it resembles the first beginning: there was the
divine blessing upon the heads of the human family; there was the
renewed command for the propagation of the human species--the earth
having been depopulated; and there was the promise of the subjection
of the lower creatures to man. But there was one great and vital
difference, which has escaped the notice of most of the commentators:
all now rested on the covenant of grace.
This difference is indeed radical and fundamental. Adam was placed as
lord over the earth on the ground of the covenant of works. His tenure
was entirely a conditional one, his retention thereof depending wholly
upon his own conduct. Consequently, when he sinned he not only
forfeited the blessing and favor of his creator, but lost his dominion
over the creature; and as a discrowned monarch he was sent forth to
play the part of a common laborer in the earth (Gen. 3:17-19). But
here we see man reinstated over the lost inheritance, not on the basis
of creature responsibility and human merits, but on the basis of
divine grace--for Noah "found grace in the eyes of the Lord" (Gen.
6:8); not on the foundation of creature doings, but on the foundation
of the excellency of that sacrifice which satisfied the heart of God.
Consequently it was as the children of faith that the heirship of the
new world was given to Noah and his seed.
"Man now rises, in the person of Noah, to a higher place in the world;
yet not simply as man, but as a child of God, standing in faith. His
faith had saved him amid the general wreck of the old world, to become
in the new a second head of mankind, and an inheritor of earth's
domain, as now purged and rescued from the pollution of evil. He is
`made heir,' as it is written in Hebrews, `of the righteousness which
is by faith,'--heir, that is, of all that properly belongs to such
righteousness, not merely of the righteousness itself, but also of the
world, which in the Divine purpose it was destined to possess and
occupy. Hence, as if there had been a new creation, and a new head
brought in to exercise over it the right of sovereignty, the original
blessing and grant to Adam was substantially renewed to Noah and his
family: (Gen. 9:1-3). Here, then, the righteousness of faith received
direct from the grace of God the dowry that had been originally
bestowed upon the righteousness of nature--not a blessing merely, but
a blessing coupled with the heirship and dominion of the world" (P.
Fairbairn ).
"Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is
natural; and afterward that which is spiritual" (1 Cor. 15:46). Though
these words have reference immediately to the bodies of the saints,
yet they enunciate a cardinal principle in the ways of God in the
outworking of His eternal purpose. Divine grace cannot clearly appear
as grace until it shines forth from the dark background of man's sin
and ruin. It was therefore requisite that the covenant of works with
Adam should precede the covenant of grace with Noah. The failure of
the first man did but make way and provide a suitable foil for the
triumph of the Second Man--whom Noah clearly foreshadowed, as his name
and the prophetic utterance of his father concerning him plainly
announced. The more clearly this be grasped the easier will it be to
perceive the deeper meaning of the Noahic covenant.
Everything was now clearly placed on a fresh footing and established
upon a new basis. This fact throws light upon or brings out the
significance of several details which, otherwise, are likely to be
passed by unappreciated. For example, that "eight souls were saved by
water" (1 Pet. 3:20), for in the language of Bible numerics eight
speaks of a new beginning. Hence, too, the reverent student of Holy
Writ, who delights to see the finger of God in its minutest details,
will regard as something more than a coincidence the fact that the
word covenant is found in connection with Noah just eight times:
Genesis 6:18; 9:9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17. It is to be carefully noted
that the entire emphasis is upon the Lord's making a covenant with
Noah, and not of Noah with God: He was the initiator and sole
compactor. In it there were no conditions stipulated, no "ifs"
interposed; all was of grace--free, pure, unchangeable.
The blessed promises recorded in Genesis 8:22 and 9:2, 3 were all well
calculated to still the fears of Noah's heart and establish his
confidence. Therein he was graciously assured that in God's full view
of the evil which still remained in the heart of man, a similar
judgment, at least to the same extent, would never again be repeated;
that not only would man be preserved on the earth, but that also the
whole animal creation should be in subservience to his use. By these
divine assurances his fears were effectually relieved--adumbrating the
fact that God delights to bring His children, sooner or later, into
the full assurance of faith, and of confidence and joy in His
presence.
III.
In the previous chapter we intimated that the blessings contained in
the benediction which the Lord pronounced upon Noah and his sons were
infinitely more precious than the mere letter conveys. In order to
attain a right understanding of the various covenants which God made
with different men, it is highly essential that we carefully
distinguish between the literal and the figurative, or the outward
form and its inner meaning. Only thus shall we be able to separate
between what was merely local and evanescent, and that which was more
comprehensive and enduring. There was connected with each covenant
that which was literal or material, and also that which was mystical
or spiritual; and unless this be duly noted, confusion is bound to
ensue. Yea, it is at this very point that many have
erred--particularly so with the Abrahamic and Sinaitic covenants.
Literalists and futurists have been so occupied with the shell or
letter, that they have quite missed the kernel or spirit. Allegorizers
have been so much engaged with the figurative allusions, they have
often failed to discern the historical fulfillment. Still others have
so arbitrarily juggled the two, that they have carried out and applied
neither consistently. It is, therefore, of the utmost importance that
we use the best possible care in seeking to distinguish between the
carnal and the spiritual, the transient and the eternal, what pertains
to the earthly and what adumbrated the heavenly in the several
covenants. The reader should already have been prepared, in some
measure at least, to follow us in what we are now saying, by what was
brought out in our examination of the Adamic covenant.
When studying the Adamic covenant we discovered the need for throwing
upon the Genesis record the light of later Scripture, finding in the
Prophets and Epistles that which helped to open the meaning of the
historical narrative. We saw the necessity of regarding Adam as
something more than a private individual--namely, as a public head or
federal representative. We learned that the language of Genesis 2:17
conveyed not only a solemn threat, but, by necessary implication, also
contained a blessed promise. We also perceived that the "death" there
threatened was something far more dreadful than physical dissolution.
We ascertained from other passages that while the "tree of life" in
the center of the garden was a real and tangible one, yet it also
possessed an emblematic significance, being the seal of the covenant.
Let us seek to keep in mind these principles as we proceed to our
consideration of the other covenants.
Each covenant that God made with men shadowed forth some element of
the everlasting covenant which He entered into with Christ before the
foundation of the world on behalf of His elect. The covenants which
God made with Noah, Abraham, and David as truly exhibited different
aspects of the compact of grace as did the several vessels in the
tabernacle typify certain characteristics of the person and work of
Christ. Yet, just as those vessels also had an immediate and local
use, so the covenants respected what was earthly and carnal, as well
as what was spiritual and heavenly. This dual fact receives
illustration and exemplification in the covenant which is now before
us. That which was literal and external in it is so obvious and well
known that it needs no enlarging upon by us here. The sign and seal of
the covenant--the rainbow--and the promise connected therewith were
tangible and visible things, which the senses of men have verified for
themselves from then till now. But is that all there was to the Noahic
covenant?
The note made upon the Noahic covenant in the Scofield Bible reads as
follows: "The elements of: (1) The relation of man to the earth under
the Adamic Covenant is confirmed (Gen. 8:21). (2) The order of nature
is confirmed (Gen. 8:22). (3) Human government is established (Gen.
9:1-6). (4) Earth is secured against another universal judgment by
water (Gen. 8:21; 9:11). (5) A prophetic declaration is made that from
Ham will descend an inferior and servile posterity (Gen. 9:24, 25).
(6) A prophetic declaration is made that Shem will have a peculiar
relation to Jehovah (Gen. 9:26, 27). All Divine revelation is made
through Semitic men, and Christ, after the flesh, descends from Shem.
(7) A prophetic declaration is made that from Japheth will descend the
`enlarged' races (Gen. 9:27). Government, science, and art, speaking
broadly, are and have been Japhetic, so that history is the
indisputable record of the exact fulfillment of these declarations."
This is a fair sample of the superficial contents to be found in this
popular catch-penny, and we strongly advise our readers not to waste
their money in purchasing or their time in perusing the same.
Asking our readers' pardon for so doing, let us glance for a moment at
the above summary. The last three items in Scofield's "Elements" do
not belong at all to the Noahic covenant, having no more connection
with it than does that which is recorded in Genesis 9:20-23. The first
four elements Mr. S. mentions all concern that which is mundane and
political. The whole is a lifeless analysis of the letter of the
passage. There is absolutely nothing helpful in it. No effort is
attempted at interpretation: no mention is made of the significant and
blessed connection there is between the offering on the altar (8:20)
and the Lord's covenant with Noah: no notice is taken of the new
foundation upon which the divine grant is made: no hint is given of
the precious typical instruction of the whole: and the thought does
not seem to have entered the editor's mind that there was anything
mystical or spiritual in the covenant.
Was there no deeper meaning in the promises than that the earth should
never again be destroyed by a flood, that so long as it existed its
seasons and harvests were guaranteed, that the fear of man should be
upon all the lower creatures? Had those things no spiritual import?
Assuredly they have, and in them may be clearly discerned--by those
favored with anointed eyes--that which adumbrated the contents of the
everlasting covenant. Noah and his family had been wondrously saved
from the wrath of God, which had destroyed the rest of the race. Now
that the world was to be restored from its ruined state, what more
suitable occasion than that for a fuller revelation of various aspects
of the believer's so-great salvation! It was ever God's way in Old
Testament times to employ the event of some temporal deliverance of
His people, to renew His intimation of the great spiritual deliverance
and restoration by Christ's redemption. Who can doubt that it was so
here, immediately after the Flood?
It seems pitiable that at this late date it should be necessary to
labor a point which ought to be obvious to all God's people. And
obvious it would be, at least when pointed out to them, were it not
that so many have had dust thrown into their eyes by carnal
"dispensationalists" and hucksters of "prophecy." Alas, that I myself
once had my own vision dimmed by them, and even now I often have to
exert myself in order to refuse to look at things through their
colored spectacles. That there were temporal benefits bestowed upon
Noah and his seed in Jehovah's covenant grant is just as sure as that
Noah built a tangible altar and offered real sacrifices thereon. But
to confine those benefits to the temporal, and ignore (or deny) their
spiritual import, is as excuseless as would be a failure to discern
Christ and His sacrifice in what Noah presented and which was a "sweet
savour" unto God.
Yet so dull of spiritual comprehension are many of God's own people,
so prejudiced and stupefied are they by the opiates which false
teachers have ministered to them, we must perforce proceed slowly, and
take nothing for granted. Therefore, before we seek to point out the
various typical, mystical, and spiritual features of the Noahic
covenant, we must first establish the fact that something more than
the temporary interests of this earth or the material well-being of
its inhabitants was involved in what God said to our patriarch in
Genesis 9. Nor is this at all a difficult matter. Leaving for our
closing chapter the contemplation of later Scriptures which cast a
radiant glow upon the seal of the covenant, the rainbow, we turn to
one passage in the prophets which clearly contains all that can be
required by us.
In Isaiah 54:5-10 we read: "Fear not; for thou shah not be ashamed;
neither be thou confounded, for thou shalt not be put to shame: for
thou shah forget the shame of thy youth, and shah not remember the
reproach of thy widowhood any more. For thy Maker is thy husband; the
Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel:
The God of the whole earth shall he be called. For the Lord hath
called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of
youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. For a small moment have
I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a
little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with
everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy
Redeemer. For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have
sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so
have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee."
The connection of Isaiah 54 with the preceding chapter (on the
atonement) suggests that gospel times are there in view, which is
confirmed by the use Paul makes of it in Galatians 4:27, and so forth.
The church, under the form of the Israelitish theocracy, is pictured
as a married woman, who (like Sarah) had long continued barren.
Comparatively few of the real children of God had been raised up among
the Jews. At the time of Christ's advent pharisaical formality and
Sadducean infidelity were well-nigh universal, and this was a sore
grief unto the little remnant of genuine saints. But the death of
Christ was to introduce better times, for many from among the Gentiles
would then be saved. Accordingly, the barren woman is exhorted to
break forth into singing, faith being called upon to joyfully
anticipate the promised blessings. Gracious assurances were given that
her hope should not be confounded.
True, the church was then at a low ebb and seemingly deserted by the
Lord Himself, but the hiding of His face was only temporary, and He
would yet gather an increasing number of children into His family, and
that with "great mercy" and with "everlasting kindness." God's
engagements to this effect were irrevocable, as His covenant
testified. In the days of that patriarch the Lord had contended with
the world in great wrath for a whole year, the "waters of Noah" having
completely destroyed it. Nevertheless, He returned in "great mercy,"
yea, with "everlasting kindness," as His covenant with Noah attested.
Though the world has often been highly provoking to God since then,
yet He has faithfully kept His promise, and will continue doing so
unto the end. In like manner there is often much in His people to
displease and try God's patience, but He will not utterly cast them
off (Ps. 89:34).
Here in Isaiah 54 the Noahic covenant is appealed to in proof of the
perpetuity of God's gracious purpose in the midst of His sore
chastenings. There we find definite interpretation of its original
import, confirming what we said in the earlier paragraphs. The prophet
Isaiah was announcing God's mercy to the church in future times, and
he adduces His oath unto Noah as a sure pledge of the promised
grace--an assurance of its certain bestowment, notwithstanding the
afflictions which the people of God were then enduring and of the low
condition to which they had been reduced. The unalterableness of the
one is appealed to in proof of the unalterableness of the other. How
plainly this shows that the covenant with Noah not only afforded a
practical demonstration of the unfailing faithfulness of God in
fulfilling its temporal promise to the world, but also that the church
was the chief object and subject concerned in it.
Why did the Lord promise to preserve the earth until the end time, so
that it should not again be destroyed by a flood? The answer is,
Because of the church; for when the full number of the elect have been
gathered out of every clime and brought (manifestatively) into the
body of Christ, the world will come to an end. That the Noahic
covenant has a clear connection with the everlasting covenant (called
in Isaiah 54 "the covenant of peace" because based upon reconciliation
effected) and that it has a special relation to the church, is
abundantly evident from what the prophet there says of it: "For this
[namely, `with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee'] is as
the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of
Noah shall no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I would not
be wroth with thee"--the church.
From all that has been said it should now be abundantly clear that,
while the literal aspect of the promises made to Noah concerned the
temporal welfare of the earth and its inhabitants yet their mystical
import had respect unto the spiritual well-being of the church and its
members. This same two-foldedness will come before us again yet more
plainly, when we consider the rainbow, which was the sign and seal of
the Noahic covenant. It seems strange that those who perceived that
the laws which God gave unto Israel respecting the eating only of
fishes with scales and fins and animals which divided the hoof and
chewed the cud, had not only a temporal or hygienic value, but a
mystical or spiritual meaning as well, should have failed to discern
that the same dual feature holds good in respect to all the details of
the Noahic covenant.
Once this key is firmly grasped by us, it is not difficult to reach
the inner contents contained in the benediction which the Lord
pronounced after He had smelled the sweet savor of Noah's offering.
The guarantee that the earth should not again be destroyed by a flood
(as the Adamic earth had been) pointed to the eternal security of the
saints--a security assured by the vastly superior position which is
now theirs from what they had in Adam, namely, their inalienable
portion in Christ. The promise that while the earth remained seedtime
and harvest should not fail, contained as its inner kernel the divine
pledge that as long as the saints were left below, God would supply
all their need "according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." The
fact that those blessings were promised after Noah and his family had
come on to resurrection and new-creation ground, foreshadowed the
blessed truth that the believer's standing is no longer "in the
flesh."
Noah is the figure of Christ. First, as the remover of the curse from
a corrupted earth, and as the rest-giver to those who, with sorrow of
heart and sweat of the brow, had to till and eat of it (Gen. 5:29;
Matthew 11:28). Second, as the heir of the new earth, wherein there
shall be "no more curse" (Gen. 8:21; Rev. 22:3). Third, as the one
into whose hands all things were now delivered (Gen. 9:2; John 17:2;
Heb. 1:2). Noah's sons or seed were the figure of the church. With him
they were "blessed" (Gen. 9:1; cf. Eph. 1:3). With him they were given
dominion over all the lower creatures: so the saints have been made
"kings and priests unto God" (Rev. 1:6) and shall "reign with him" (2
Tim. 2:12). With him they were bidden to be "fruitful" and "bring
forth abundantly" (Gen. 9:7): so Christians are to abound in fruit and
in every good work. The fact that this covenant was an absolute or
unconditional one tells us of the immutability of our blessings in
Christ.
IV.
"While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat,
and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease" (Gen. 8:22).
These promises were made by God upward of four thousand years ago; and
the unfailing fulfillment of them annually, all through the centuries,
affords a striking demonstration of His faithfulness. Moreover, in
their fulfillment we have exemplified a fact which is generally lost
sight of by the world today; namely, that behind nature's "laws" is
nature's Lord. Skepticism would now shut God out of His own creation.
A casual observance of nature's "laws" reveals the fact that they are
not uniform in their operation; and therefore if we had not Scripture,
we would be without any assurance that the seasons might not radically
change and the whole earth again be inundated. Nature's "laws" did not
prevent the Deluge in Noah's days. How then should they hinder a
recurrence of it in ours? How blessed for the child of God to listen
to this guarantee of his Father!
See here also the aboundings of God's mercy in proceeding with us by
way of a covenant, binding Himself with a solemn oath that He would
never again destroy the earth by water. He might well have exempted
the world from this calamity and yet never have told men that He would
thus act. Had He not granted such assurance, the remembrance of the
Deluge would have been like a sword of terror suspended over their
heads. But in His great goodness, the Lord sets the mind of His
creatures at rest upon this score, by promising not to repeat the
Flood. Thus does He deal with His people: "That by two immutable
things [His revealed purpose of grace and His covenant oath] in which
it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation,
who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us"
(Heb. 6:18).
" `I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake' (Gen.
8:21), was the word of God to Noah, when accepting the first offering
presented to Him on the purified earth. It is, no doubt, to be
understood relatively; not as indicating a total repeal of the evil,
but only a mitigation of it; yet such a mitigation as would render the
earth a much less afflicted and more fertile region than it had been
before. This again indicated that, in the estimation of Heaven, the
earth had now assumed a new position; that by the action of God's
judgment upon it, it had become hallowed in His sight, and was in a
condition to receive tokens of the divine favor, which had formerly
been withheld from it" (P. Fairbairn). We pointed out the mystical
significance of Genesis 8:21 in our last chapter.
"And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, And I,
behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after
you; and with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of
the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go
out of the ark, to every beast of the earth. And I will establish my
covenant with you: neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the
waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy
the earth. And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I
make between me and you, and every living creature that is with you,
for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall
be for a token of a covenant [literally, "My bow I have set in the
cloud, and it shall be for a covenant sign"] between me and the earth.
And it shall come to pass when I bring a cloud over the earth, that
the bow shall be seen in the cloud: and I will remember my covenant,
which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh;
and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh"
(Gen. 9:8-15).
The above words contain the fulfillment of the promise which the Lord
had given to Noah in Genesis 6:18, and amplify what He had said in
Genesis 8:21, 22. That which we shall now concentrate upon is the
"token" or "sign" of the covenant. There is no doubt whatever in our
own mind it was now that the rainbow appeared for the first time in
the lower heavens, for the purpose of allaying men's fears against the
calamity of another universal flood and to provide them with a visible
pledge in nature for the performance of her existing order and
constitution; for had this divine marvel appeared before unto the
antediluvians, it would have possessed no special and distinctive
meaning and message after the Flood. The fact that the rainbow was an
entirely new phenomenon, something which was quite unknown to Noah
previously, supplies a striking demonstration of the silent harmony of
Scripture; for it is clear from Genesis 2:6 that no rain had fallen
before the Flood!
The first rain was sent in divine judgment; but now God turns it into
a blessing. The sunshine of heaven falls upon the rain on earth, and
lo, the beautiful rainbow! How blessedly suited, then, was the rainbow
to serve as the sign of the covenant which God had made with Noah.
"There is an exact correspondence between the natural phenomenon it
presents and the moral use to which it is applied. The promise in the
covenant was not that there should be no future visitations of
judgment upon the earth, but that they should not proceed to the
extent of again destroying the world. In the moral, as in the natural
sphere, there might still be congregating vapors and descending
torrents; indeed, the terms of the covenant imply that there should be
such, and that by means of them God would not fail to testify His
displeasure against sin, and keep in awe the workers of iniquity. But
there should be no second deluge to diffuse universal ruin; mercy
should always so far rejoice against judgment.
"Such in the field of nature is the assurance given by the rainbow,
which is formed by the luster of the sun's rays shining on the dark
cloud as it recedes; so that it may be termed, as in the somewhat
poetical description of Lange, `the sun's triumph over the floods; the
glitter of his beams imprinted on the rain-cloud as a mark of
subjection'! How appropriate an emblem of that grace which should
always show itself ready to return after wrath! Grace still sparing
and preserving, even when storms of judgment have been bursting forth
upon the guilty! And as the rainbow throws its radiant arch over the
expanse between heaven and earth, uniting the two together again as
with a wreath of beauty, after they have been engaged in an elemental
war, what a fitting image does it present to the thoughtful eye of the
essential harmony that still subsists between the higher and the lower
spheres! Such undoubtedly is its symbolic import, as the sign
peculiarly connected with the covenant of Noah; it holds out, by means
of its very form and nature, an assurance of God's mercy, as engaged
to keep perpetually in check the floods of deserved wrath, and
continue to the world the manifestation of His grace and goodness" (P.
Fairbairn).
But God's bow in the clouds was not only an assurance unto men at
large that no more would the world be destroyed by a flood, it was
also the seal of confirmation of the covenant which God had made with
the elect seed, the children of faith. Blessed it is to know that, not
only our eyes, but His too are upon the bow; and thus this gives us
fellowship with Himself in that which tells of the storm being over,
of peace displacing turmoil, of the dark gloom now being irradiated by
the shining of the sun. It was the rain which broke up the light into
its separate rays, now reflected in the bow: the blue or heavenly ray,
the yellow or golden ray, the crimson ray of atonement. Thus it is in
the everlasting covenant that God is fully revealed as light and as
love, as righteous yet merciful, merciful yet righteous. The covenant
of grace is beautifully expressed in the rainbow. For the following
nine points on this covenant we are indebted to a sermon by Ebenezer
Erskine, preached about 1730.
1. It is of God's ordering: "I have set my bow in the clouds." So the
covenant of grace is of God's ordering: "I have made a covenant with
my chosen" (Ps. 89). Though it be our duty to "take hold of" the
covenant (Isa. 56:4), and to come under engagements through the grace
thereof, yet we have no part in appointing or ordering it. The
covenant of grace could no more have been made by man, than he can
form a bow in the clouds.
2. The bow was set in the clouds upon God's smelling a sweet savor in
Noah's sacrifice; so that the covenant of grace is founded upon and
sealed with the blood of the Lamb--a reminder thereof being set before
us every time we sit down to partake of the Lord's Supper.
3. The rainbow is a divine security that the waters should return no
more to destroy the earth; so the covenant of grace guarantees against
the deluge of God's wrath, that it shall never return again to destroy
any soul that by faith flees to Christ (Isa. 54:9).
4. It is the sun which gives being to the rainbow. Remove it from the
firmament and there could not be its glorious reflection in the
clouds. So Christ, the Sun of righteousness, gives being to the
covenant of grace. He is its very life and substance: "I will preserve
thee and give thee for a covenant of the people" (Isa. 49:8).
5. Although the arch of the bow is high above us, reaching to the
heaven, yet the ends of it stoop down and reach to the earth. Just so
it is with the covenant of grace: although the great covenant Head be
in heaven, yet, through the gospel, He stoops down to men upon earth
"The word is nigh thee" (Rom. 10:6-8).
6. God's bow in the clouds is very extensive, reaching from one end of
heaven to the other; so His covenant of grace is wide in its reach,
stretching back to eternity past and reaching forward to eternity
future, embracing some out of every nation and kindred, and tribe and
tongue.
7. As the rainbow is a security against a universal deluge, so it is
also a prognostic of refreshing showers of rain to the thirsty earth.
So the bow of the covenant which encircles the throne of God (Rev.
4:3) not only secures against vindictive wrath, but gives assurance of
the rain--the Spirit's influences.
8. The visible appearance of the rainbow is but of a short
continuance, for usually it appears only for a few minutes and then
vanishes. So the sensible and lively views which the believer gets of
the covenant of grace are usually of brief duration.
9. Although the rainbow disappears, and that for a long while
together, yet we do not conclude therefrom that God's covenant is
broken or that a flood will come and destroy the earth. So too the
saint may not now be favored with a sensible sight of the covenant of
grace; yet the remembrance of former views thereof will keep the soul
from fears of wrath.
The following paragraph is quoted from our work Gleanings in Genesis.
"There are many parallels between the rainbow and God's grace. As the
rainbow is the joint-product of storm and sunshine, so grace is the
unmerited favor of God appearing on the dark background of the
creature's sin. As the rainbow is the effect of the sun shining on the
drops of rain in a cloud, so Divine grace is manifested by God's love
shining through the blood shed by our blessed Redeemer. As the rainbow
is the telling out of the varied hues of the white light, so the
`manifold grace of God' (1 Pet. 4:10) is the ultimate expression of
God's heart. As nature knows nothing more exquisitely beautiful than
the rainbow, so heaven itself knows nothing that surpasses in
loveliness the wondrous grace of God. As the rainbow is the union of
heaven and earth-spanning the sky and reaching down to the ground--so
grace in the one Mediator has brought together God and man. As the
rainbow is a public sign of God hung out in the heavens that all may
see it, so `the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to
all men' (Titus 2:11). Finally, as the rainbow has been displayed
throughout all the past forty centuries, so in the ages to come God
will show forth `the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness
toward us through Christ Jesus' (Eph. 2:7)."
The later references in Scripture to the rainbow are inexpressibly
blessed. Thus, in the visions of the glory of God which Ezekiel was
favored with at the beginning of his ministry, we find part of the
imagery thus described, "As the appearance of the bow that is in the
cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness
round about" (Ezek. 1:28). It is to be duly noted that this verse
comes in at the close of one of the most awe-inspiring representations
of heavenly things to be found in Scripture. It is a vision of the
ineffable holiness of God, hence the presence of the cherubim. There
is then the fervid appearance of metallic brightness and flashes of
liquid flame, which shone forth from all parts of the vision. Then
wheels of vast proportion are added to the cherubim: wheels full of
eyes, speaking of the terrible energy which was going to characterize
the divine providences. Above all was the throne of God, on which He
Himself sat in human form.
It is well known that at the time of this vision the people of Israel
were in a most distressed condition. Those amongst whom Ezekiel
prophesied were in captivity, and the ruin of their country was nigh
at hand. How blessed, then, was the introduction here of the sign of
the rainbow into this vision! It intimated that the purpose and
promises of divine grace were sure. Though God's judgment would fall
heavily upon the guilty nation, yet because of the elect remnant
therein, it would not be utterly cast off; and after the storm had
passed, times of restoration and peace would follow. It was the divine
assurance, for faith to rest upon and enjoy, that what Jehovah had
pledged in the covenant would be made good.
"And there was a rainbow round about the throne in sight like unto an
emerald" (Rev. 4:3). The canopy of God's throne is a rainbow. We
understand this vision in Revelation 4 to have immediate reference to
the glorious exercise of divine grace under the New Testament economy.
There is a manifest allusion in it to Genesis 9: it signifies that God
deals with His people according to His covenant engagements. Its
emerald or green color denotes that, because of the faithfulness of
Him who sits upon the throne of grace, His covenant is ever the same,
ever fresh, without any shadow of turning. "Its surrounding the throne
denoted that the holiness, and justice of God, and all His
dispensations as the Sovereign of all worlds, had respect to His
covenant of peace and engagements of love, which He had ratified to
His believing people, and harmonized with them" (T. Scott).
Thus the Noahic covenant served to bring out in a new light, and
establish on a firmer basis, the unfailing faithfulness of Jehovah and
the immutability of His purpose. An assurance to that effect was
specially needed just after the Flood, for it was over that basic
truth that the judgment of the Deluge had seemed to cast a shadow. But
the promises made to Noah, solemnly given in covenant form and sealed
by the token of the rainbow, effectually reestablished confidence and
stands out still--after all these many centuries--as one of the grand
events in God's dealings with men; assuring us that, however the sins
of the world may provoke the justice of God, the purpose of His grace
unto His chosen people stands unalterably sure.
Contents | Intro | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8
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Divine Covenants by A.W. Pink
Part Four-The Abrahamic Covenant
I.
We shall now consider one of the most illustrious characters set
before us in the pages of Holy Writ, one who is expressly designated
"the friend of God" (Jam. 2:23), and from whom Christ Himself derives
one of His titles, "the son of Abraham" (Matthew 1:1). Not only was he
the one from whom the favored nation of Israel sprang, but he is also
"the father of all them that believe" (Rom. 4:11). It is scarcely
consonant with our present design to review here the remarkable life
of this man; yet the history of Abraham--in its broad outlines, at
least--is so closely bound up with the covenant which Jehovah made
with him, that it is hardly possible to give any exposition of the
latter without paying more or less attention to the former.
Nevertheless, we shall be obliged to pass by many interesting episodes
in his varied experience if our discussion of the Abrahamic covenant
is to be kept within anything like reasonable bounds.
A period of more than three hundred years passed from the time that
the Lord made the covenant with Noah and the appearing of Abraham upon
the stage of sacred history. We may here note briefly two things which
occurred in that period, and we do so because of the bearing which
they have and the light they throw upon our present subject. The first
of these is the remarkable prophecy uttered by Noah in Genesis
9:25-27. Passing by the sad incidents which immediately preceded and
gave rise to the prediction, we would observe particularly its
pronouncements as they intimated the future development of God's
purpose of grace. This comes out first in the "Blessed be the Lord God
of Shem," or as it should more properly be rendered, "Blessed be [or
"Praised be"] Jehovah, the God of Shem." This is the first time in
Scripture that we find God calling Himself the God of any particular
person; moreover, it was as Jehovah He should be related to Shem.
Jehovah is God made known in covenant relationship: it is God in His
manifested personality as taking subjects into His free favor; it is
God granting a revelation of His institutions for redemption. These
were to be the specific portion of Shem--in sharp contrast from the
curse pronounced upon Ham; not of Shem simply as an individual, but as
the head of a distinct section of the human race. It was with that
section God was to stand in the nearest relation: it was a spiritual
distinction which they were to enjoy: a covenant relation, a priestly
nearness. A special interest in the divine favor is what was denoted
in this primitive prediction concerning Shem. His descendants were to
be the line through which the divine blessing was to flow: it was
among them that Jehovah was to be known, and where His kingdom was to
be set up and established.
"God shall enlarge Japheth, and he [Japheth] shall dwell in the tents
of Shem." The obvious meaning of the first clause is, God would give
Japheth a numerous posterity, with widely extended territories, which
has been fulfilled in the fact that they have not only gained
possession of all Europe, North and South America, and Australia, but
likewise a large portion of Asia. The stock of Japheth was to be the
most energetic and ambitious of Noah's descendants, giving themselves
to colonization and diffusive operations, pushing their way and
establishing themselves far and wide. But it is the second clause of
Genesis 9:27 we are now more concerned with: "and he shall dwell in
the tents of Shem"--he was to enjoy fellowship in the high spiritual
privileges of Shem. Japheth was to come under the divine protection
and be admitted to the blessings which were the peculiar but not
exclusive portion of Shem.
Throwing the light of the New Testament upon this ancient prophecy, we
find it clearly announced that it was through the line of Shem that
the gifts of grace and the blessings of salvation were more
immediately to flow. Yet so far from them being confined unto that
section of the human family, the larger portion of it (Japheth) would
also share their good. The Shemites were to have them firsthand, but
the descendants of Japheth were also to participate in them. "The
exaltation of Shem's progeny into the nearest relationship to God, was
not that they might keep the privilege to themselves, but that first
getting it, they should admit the sons of Japheth, the inhabitants of
the isles, to share with them in the boon, and spread it as wide as
their scattered race should extend" (P. Fairbairn).
Here, then, in this early prediction through Noah we have the germ of
what is more fully developed in later Scripture. It was only by
entering the tents of Shem that Japheth could enter the place where
divine blessing was to be found, which, in the language of the New
Testament is only another way of saying that from the Jews would
salvation flow forth unto the Gentiles. But before we develop that
thought a little further, we would mention a very striking point
brought out by E. W. Hengstenberg in his most suggestive three volume
work on The Christology of the Old Testament. Amid his dry and
technical notes on the Hebrew text, he shows how that "as the reaction
against Ham's sin had originated with Shem (Gen. 9:23), Japheth only
joining himself in it; so in the future, the rich home of salvation
and piety would be with Shem, to whom Japheth, in the felt need of
salvation, should come near."
"And he [Japheth] shall dwell in the tents of Shem." The earth was to
be possessed and peopled by the three sons of Noah. Of them, Shem was
the one selected to be the peculiar channel of divine gifts and
communications; but these were to be not for his own exclusive
benefit, but rather to the end that others might share in the
blessing. The kingdom of God was to be established in Shem, but
Japheth should be received into its community. Therein was intimated
not only that "salvation is of the Jews" (John 4:22), but also the
mystery of Romans 11:11, and so forth. Though "salvation is of the
Jews," nevertheless, Gentiles should be partakers of it. Though Shem
alone be the real root and trunk, yet into their tree the Gentiles
should be "grafted!" Though he appeared to speak dark words, yet, by
the Holy Spirit, Noah was granted amazing light and was given a deep
insight into the secret counsels of the Most High.
The connection between what we have briefly dwelt upon above with our
present subject is so obvious that few words are called for in
connection therewith. The remarkable prophecy of Noah began to receive
its historical unfolding when the Lord announced to the patriarch, "In
thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 12:3). Abraham
was of the stock of Shem (Gen. 11:1, 23, 26), and he was now made the
depository of the divine promises (Gal. 3:16); yet God's blessing was
to be confined neither to himself nor to his lineal descendants, but
"all families of the earth" were to be the gainers thereby. Yet,
notwithstanding, it was only through Abraham that the Gentiles were to
be advantaged: "In thee shall all families of the earth be
blessed"--the central promise in the Abrahamic covenant. What was that
but reaffirming, in more specific detail, "God shall enlarge Japheth,
and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem"? How perfect is the harmony
of God's wondrous Word!
The second thing to be noted, which happened during the interval
between the Noahic and the Abrahamic covenants, and which clearly had
a bearing upon the latter, is the incident recorded in Genesis
11--namely, the building and overthrow of the tower of Babel. It is a
great mistake to regard that event as an isolated occurrence; rather
is it to be considered as the heading up of an evil course and
movement. Of the events which transpired from the Deluge to the call
of Abraham embracing an interval of over four centuries--the
information we possess is brief and summary, yet enough is recorded to
show that the character of man is unchanged, the same in principle and
practice as it had been before the Flood. It might perhaps have been
expected that so terrible a judgment would have left upon the
survivors and their descendants for many generations a deep and
salutary impression, which would have acted as a powerful restraint
upon their evil propensities. Alas, what is man!
Even in the family of Noah, and while the remembrance of the awful
visitation of God's wrath was still fresh in their minds, there were
indications which testified to both the existence and exercise of
sinful dispositions, which the recent judgment had failed to eradicate
or even curb. The sad failure of Noah himself, and the wicked behavior
of his son on beholding the fall of his father, afforded awful proof
that the evil which is in the heart of fallen man is so deeply rooted
and so powerful that nothing external, no matter how frightful, can
subdue it; and supplied a distinct foreboding of what was soon made
manifest on a wider scale and in a much worse form. Idolatry itself
quickly found an entrance and speedily established itself among the
inhabitants of the earth in their dispersion. Joshua 27:2 gives us
more than a hint of this, while Romans 1:21-23 casts a flood of light
upon that dark situation.
Within a short time after the Deluge, human depravity resumed its old
course and manifested itself in open defiance of heaven. As the
population of the earth increased, evil schemes of ambition began to
be entertained; and soon there appeared on the scene one who took the
lead in wickedness. He is first brought before us in Genesis 10:8:
"Nimrod: who began to be a mighty one in the earth." It is to be noted
that he belonged to the line of Ham, upon which the divine curse had
been pronounced, and significantly enough "Nimrod" means "the
Rebel"--suitable title for the one who headed a great confederacy in
open revolt against God. This confederacy is described in Genesis 11;
and that it was an organized revolt against Jehovah is clear from the
language of Genesis 10:9: "Nimrod, the mighty hunter before the Lord."
If that expression be compared with "The earth also [in the days of
Noah] was corrupt before God," the impression conveyed is that this
"Rebel" pursued his impious and ambitious designs in brazen defiance
of the Almighty.
Four times over we find the word mighty connected with Nimrod. First,
in Genesis 10:8 it said that "he began to be a mighty one in the
earth," which suggests that he struggled for the preeminence, and by
force of will and ability obtained it; the "mighty one in the earth"
intimates conquest and subjection, becoming a leader and ruler over
men. This is confirmed by "the beginning of his kingdom was Babel"
(Gen. 10:10), so that he reigned as a king. In the previous verse we
are told, "He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is
said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord"--the reference
probably is to his being a hunter of men. In so brief a description
the repetition of those words "mighty hunter before the Lord" are
significant. The word for "mighty" is gibbor, and is translated in the
Old Testament "chief" and "chieftain." In 1 Chronicles 1:10 we are
told, "And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be mighty upon the earth."
The Chaldee paraphrase of this verse says, "Cush begat Nimrod, who
began to prevail in wickedness, for he slew innocent blood and
rebelled against Jehovah."
"And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel" (Gen. 10:10). Here is the
key to the first nine verses of chapter 11. In the language of that
time "Babel" meant "the gate of God" (see Young's Concordance); but
afterwards, because of the divine judgment inflicted there, it came to
mean "confusion." By coupling together the various hints which the
Holy Spirit has here given us, it seems quite clear that Nimrod
organized not only an imperial government over which he presided as
king, but that he also introduced a new and idolatrous worship, most
probably demanding--under pain of death--that divine honors be paid
his own person. As such he was an ominous and striking type of the
Antichrist. "Out of that land he went forth into Assyria [margin] ,
and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah," and so forth
(vv. 11, 12). From these statements we gather the impression that
Nimrod's ambition was to establish a world empire.
Though Nimrod is not mentioned by name in Genesis 11, it is clear from
10:10 that he was the "chief" and "king" who organized and headed the
movement and rebellion there described. "And they said, Go to, let us
build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let
us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the
whole earth." Here is discovered a concerted effort in most blatant
defiance of God. He had said, "Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish
the earth" (9:1); but Nimrod and his followers deliberately refused to
obey that divine command, given through Noah, saying, "Let us make us
a name lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth."
It is clear from Genesis 10 that Nimrod's ambition was to establish a
world empire. To accomplish this, two things were necessary. First, a
center of unity, a city-headquarters; and second, a motive for the
inspiration and encouragement of his fellows. The first was secured in
"the beginning of his kingdom was Babel" (10:9); the second was
supplied in the "let us make us a name" (11:4), which intimated an
inordinate desire for fame. Nimrod's aim was to keep mankind together
under his leadership--"lest we be scattered abroad." The idea
suggested by the "tower"--considered in the light of its whole
setting--was that of strength, a stronghold; while its name, "the gate
of God," tells us that Nimrod was arrogating to himself divine honors.
In it all, we may discern Satan's initial attempt to forestall the
purpose of God concerning His Christ, by setting up a universal ruler
of men of his providing.
The response of heaven was swift and drastic. "And the Lord said,
Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this
they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which
they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound
their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So
the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the
earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of
it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of
all the earth" (11:6-9). Once again the human race had been guilty of
open apostasy. Therefore did God intervene in judgment, bringing to
naught the ambitious scheme of Nimrod, confounding the speech of his
subjects, and scattering them abroad on the face of the earth.
The effect of God's intervention was the origination of the different
nations and the formation of "the world" as it continued up to the
time of Christ. It was then that men were abandoned to their own
devices, when God "suffered all nations to walk in their own ways"
(Acts 14:16). Then was executed that terrible judicial hardening, when
"God also gave them up to uncleanness," when "God gave them up unto
vile affections," when "God gave them over to a reprobate mind" (Rom.
1:24, 26, 28). Then and thus it was that the way was cleared for the
next stage in the outworking of the divine plan of mercy; for where
sin had abounded, grace was now to superabound. Having abandoned
(temporarily) the nations, God now singled out one man, Abraham, from
whom the chosen nation was to spring.
II.
"And therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious" (Isa.
30:18)--wait until the most suited time, wait until the stage is
prepared for action, wait until there is a fit background for Him to
act from; wait, very often, until man's extremity has been reached.
"When the fulness of time was come, God sent forth his Son" (Gal.
4:4). Winter's frosts and snows must do their work before vegetation
is ready to bud and blossom. As it is in the material creation, so it
is in the realm of divine providence. There is a wonderful order in
all God's works, an all-wise timing of the divine actions. Not that
the Almighty is hampered or hindered by finite creatures of the dust,
but that His wondrous ways may be the more admired by those who are
granted spirituality to discern them. "Great and marvelous are thy
works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of
saints" (Rev. 15:3).
Having dealt in judgment at Babel, God was then pleased to manifest
His grace. This has ever been, and will ever be, true of all God's
dealings. According to His infinite wisdom, judgment (which is God's
"strange" work) only serves to prepare the way for a greater and
grander outflow of His redeeming love. Having abandoned (temporarily)
the nations, God now singled out the man from whom the chosen nation
was to spring. Later, God's rejection of Israel resulted in the
enriching of the Gentiles. And we may add, that the judgment of the
great white throne will be followed by the new heaven and new earth,
wherein righteousness shall dwell and upon which the tabernacle of God
shall be with men. Thus it was of old: the overthrow of the tower of
Babel and the dispersion of Nimrod's impious followers were succeeded
by the call of Abraham, through whom, ultimately, the divine blessing
should flow to all the families of the earth.
The lesson to be learned here is a deeply important one: the
connection between Genesis 11 and 12 is highly significant. The Lord
God determined to have a people of His own by the calling of grace, a
people which should be taken into privileged nearness unto Himself,
and which should show forth His praises; but it was not until all the
claims of the natural man had been repudiated by his own wickedness,
not until his utter worthlessness had been clearly exhibited, that
divine clemency was free to flow forth on an enlarged scale. Sin was
suffered to abound in all its hideousness, before grace superabounded
in all its blessedness. In other words, it was not until the total
depravity of men had been fully demonstrated, first by the
ante-diluvians and then again by the concerted apostasy at Babel, that
God now dealt with Abraham in sovereign grace and infinite mercy.
That it was grace, grace alone, sovereign grace, which called Abraham
to be the friend of God, appears clearly from his natural state and
circumstances when the Lord first appeared to him. Abraham belonged
not to a pious family where Jehovah was acknowledged and honored;
instead his progenitors were idolaters. It seems that once more "all
flesh had corrupted his way in the earth." The house from which
Abraham sprang was certainly no exception to the rule; for we read,
"Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even
Terah the father of Abraham and the father of Nachor, and they served
other gods" (Josh. 24:2). There was nothing whatever, then, in the
object of the divine choice to commend him unto God, nothing in
Abraham that merited His esteem. No, the cause of election is always
to be traced to the discriminating will of God; for election itself is
"of grace" (Rom. 11:5) and therefore it depends in no wise upon any
worthiness in the object, either present or foreseen. If it did, it
would not be "of grace."
That it was not at all a matter of any goodness or fitness in Abraham
which moved the Lord to single him out to be the special object of His
high favor is further seen from Isaiah 51:1, 2: "Look unto the rock
whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.
Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you." While it
be true that God never acts capriciously or at random, nor
arbitrarily--that is, without some wise and good reason for what He
does--yet the spring of all His actions is His own sovereign pleasure.
The moment we ascribe any of God's exercises unto aught outside of
Himself, we are guilty not only of impiety, but of affirming a gross
absurdity. The Almighty is infinitely self-sufficient, and can no more
be swayed by the creatures of His own hand, than an entity can be
influenced by nonentities. Oh, how vastly different is the Deity of
Holy Writ from the "God" which present-day Christendom dreams about!
"The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in
Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran. And said unto him, Get thee out
of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I
will shew thee" (Acts 7:2, 3). The divine title employed here is a
remarkable one, for we regard it as intimating that the shekinah
itself was manifested before Abraham's wondering gaze. God always
suits the revelation which He makes of Himself according to the effect
which is to be produced. Here was a man in the midst of a heathen
city, brought up in an idolatrous home. Something vivid and striking,
supernatural and unmistakable, was required in order to suddenly
change the whole course of his life. "The God of glory"--in blessed
and awesome contrast from the "other gods" of his sires--"appeared
unto our father Abraham." It was probably the first of the theophanic
manifestations, for we never read of God appearing to Abel or Noah.
If our conclusion be correct that this was the earliest of all the
theophanic manifestations (God appearing in human form: cf. Gen.
32:24; Josh. 5:13, 14; etc.) that we read of in the Old Testament,
which anticipated the incarnation itself, as well as marked the
successive revelations of God to men; and if this theophany was
accompanied by the resplendent glory and majesty of the shekinah, then
great indeed was the privilege now conferred upon the son of Terah.
Nothing in him could possibly have merited such an amazing display of
divine grace. The Lord was here "found" of one that "sought him not"
(Isa. 65:1), as is the case with each of all those who are made the
recipients of His everlasting blessing; for "there is none that
seeketh after God" (Rom. 3:11). It is not the lost sheep which seeks
the Shepherd, but the Shepherd who goes after it, and reveals Himself
unto it in all His love and grace.
God said unto Abraham: "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy
kindred, and come into the land which I will show thee." Those were
the terms of the divine communication originally received by our
patriarch. This command from the Most High came to Abraham in
Mesopotamia, in the city of Ur of the Chaldeans, which was situated
near the Persian Gulf. It was a call which demanded absolute
confidence in and full obedience to the word of Jehovah. It was a call
for definite separation from the world. But it was far more than a
bare command issuing from the divine authority: it was an effectual
call which demonstrated the efficacy of divine grace. In other words,
it was a call accompanied by the divine power, which wrought mightily
in the object of it. This is a distinction which is generally lost
sight of today: there are two kinds of the divine call mentioned in
Scripture, the one which falls only on the outward ear and produces no
definite effect; the other which reaches the heart, and moves unto a
real response.
The first of these calls is found in such passages as, "Unto you, O
men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of men" (Prov. 8:4), and "For
many be called" (Matthew 20:16). It reaches all who come under the
sound of God's Word. It is a call which presses upon the creature the
claims of God, and the call of the gospel, which reveals the
requirements of the Mediator. This call is universally unheeded: it is
unpalatable to fallen human nature, and is rejected by the
unregenerate: "I have called, and ye refused" (Prow. 1:24); "And they
all with one consent began to make excuse" (Luke 14:18). The second of
these calls is found in such passages as "Whom he called, them he also
justified" (Rom. 8:30); "Called you out of darkness into his marvelous
light" (1 Pet. 2:9).
The first call is general; the second, particular. The first is to all
who come under the sound of the Word; the second is made only to the
elect, bringing them from death unto life. The first makes manifest
the enmity of the carnal mind against God; the second reveals the
grace of God toward His own. It is by the effect produced that we are
able to distinguish between them. "He calleth his own sheep by name,
and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he
goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice"
(John 10:3, 4)--follow the example which He has left them (1 Pet.
2:21). They follow Him along the path of self-denial, of obedience, of
living to the glory of God. Here, then, is the grand effect wrought
upon the soul when it receives the effectual call of God: the under
standing is illuminated, the conscience is convicted, the hard heart
is melted, the stubborn will is conquered, the affections are drawn
out unto Him who before was despised.
Such an effect as we have just described is supernatural: it is a
miracle of divine grace. The proud Pharisee is humbled into the dust;
the stout-hearted rebel is brought into subjection; the lover of
pleasure is now made a lover of God. He who before kicked defiantly
against the pricks, bows submissively and cries, "Lord, what wouldest
Thou have me to do?" But let it be said emphatically, nothing but the
immediate power of God working upon the heart can produce such a
blessed transformation. Neither financial losses, family bereavements,
nor a dangerous illness can effect it. Nothing external will suffice
to change the depraved heart of fallen man. He may listen to the most
faithful sermons, the most solemn warnings, the most win some
invitations, and he will remain unmoved, untouched, unless the Spirit
of God is pleased to first quicken him into newness of life. Those who
are spiritually dead can neither hear, see, nor feel spiritually.
Now it is this effectual call that Abraham was the subject of when
Jehovah suddenly appeared to him in Ur of Chaldea. This is evident
from the effect produced in him. He was bidden to "get thee out of thy
country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I will
show thee" (Acts 7:3). Think of what that involved: to forsake the
land of his birth, to sever the nearest and dearest of all natural
ties, to make a complete break with his old manner of life, and step
out on what appeared to carnal reason to be an uncertain venture. What
was his response? "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into
a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and
he went out, not knowing whither he went" (Heb. 11:8). Ah, my reader,
that can only be satisfactorily accounted for in one way: almighty
power had wrought within him; invincible grace had conquered his
heart.
Before proceeding further, let us pause and take stock of our own
souls. Have we experienced anything which at all corresponds to this
radical change in the life of Abraham? Have you, have I, been made the
subjects of a divine call which has produced a right-about-face in our
lives? Have we been the subjects of a divine miracle, so that grace
has wrought effectually upon our hearts? Have we heard something more
than the language of Scripture falling upon our outward ears? Have we
heard God Himself speaking in the most secret recess of our souls, so
that it may be said, "The gospel came not unto you in word only, but
also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance" (1
Thess. 1:5)? Can it be said of us, "The word of God, which effectually
worketh also in you that believe" (1 Thess. 2:13)? Is the Word working
effectually in us, so as to govern our inner and outer man, so as to
produce an obedient walk, and issue in fruit to God's glory?
Though the response made by Abraham to the call which he had received
from the Lord clearly demonstrated that a miracle of divine grace had
been wrought within him, nevertheless, God suffered sufficient of the
"flesh" to appear in him so as to evidence that he was still a sinful
and failing creature. While regeneration is indeed a wonderful and
blessed experience, yet it is only the beginning of God's "good work"
in the soul (Phil. 1:6), and requires His further operations of
sanctification to carry it forward to completion. Though a new nature
is imparted when the soul is brought from death unto life, the old
nature is not removed; though the principle of holiness is
communicated, the principle of sin is neither annihilated nor
exterminated. Consequently, there is not only a continual conflict
produced by these contrary principles, but their presence and exercise
prevent the soul from fully attaining its desires and doing as it
would (Gal. 5:17).
Abraham's obedience to the divine command was both partial and tardy.
God had bidden him to leave his own country, separate from his
kindred, and "come into the land" which He would show him (Acts 7:3).
His failure is recorded in Genesis 11:31: "And Terah took Abram his
son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in
law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of
the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran,
and dwelt there." He left Chaldea; but instead of leaving behind his
kindred, his father and nephew accompanied him. This was the more
excuseless because Isaiah 51:2 expressly declares that God had called
Abraham "alone." It is significant to note that the word "Terah" means
"delay," and such his presence occasioned Abraham, for instead of
entering the land of Canaan at once, he stopped short at Haran, and
there he remained for five years until Terah died (Gen. 11:32; 12:4,
5).
And why did the Lord suffer the "flesh" in Abraham to mar his
obedience? To indicate to his spiritual children that absolute
perfection of character and conduct is not attainable in this life. We
do not call attention to this fact so as to encourage loose living or
to lower the exalted standard at which we must ever aim, but to cheer
those who are discouraged because their honest and ardent efforts
after godliness so often fall below that standard. Again; there is
only One who has walked this earth in perfect obedience to God in
thought and word and deed, and that not occasionally, but constantly
and uninterruptedly; and He must "have the pre-eminence in all
things." Therefore God will not suffer Christ's glory to be reduced by
fashioning others to honor Him as He did. Finally, God's permitting
the flesh to exist and be active in Abraham further magnified the
divine grace, by making it still further manifest that it was through
no excellency in him that he had been called.
"Then came he out of the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Haran:
and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this
land" (Acts 7:4). Though God had suffered the flesh in Abraham to mar
his obedience, yet He would not allow it to completely triumph. Divine
grace is not only magnified by the unworthiness of its object, but it
is glorified in triumphing over the flesh and producing what is
contrary thereto. The hindrance to Abraham's obedience was removed,
and now we see him actually entering the place to which God had called
him.
III.
The first thing recorded of Abraham after he had actually entered the
land of Canaan is the Lord's appearing unto him and his building an
altar: "And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem,
unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. And
the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this
land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord" (Gen. 12:6, 7).
There are several details here which claim our attention.
1. Abraham did not settle down and enter into possession of the land,
but "passed through it," as Acts 7:5 tells us: "And he gave him none
inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set foot on."
2. The presence there of "the Canaanite"--to challenge and contest the
possession of it. So it is with the believer: the flesh, the devil,
and the world unite in opposing his present enjoyment of the
inheritance unto which he has been begotten; while hosts of wicked
spirits in the heavenlies wrestle with those who are partakers of the
heavenly calling (Eph. 6:12).
3. "The Lord appeared unto Abram." He had done so originally as the
"God of glory," when He revealed Himself to the patriarch in Chaldea.
There is no intimation of Abraham receiving any further revelation
from God during his delay at Haran; but now that God's call had been
fully obeyed, he was favored with a fresh manifestation of Him.
And now Abraham's obedience is rewarded. At the beginning the Lord had
said, "Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred, and from thy
father's house, unto a land that I will show thee" (Gen. 12:1); now He
declared, "Unto thy seed will I give this land" (v. 7). This brings
before us a most important principle in the ways of God, which has
often been lost sight of by men who only stress one side of the truth.
That principle is that divine grace never sets aside the requirements
of divine righteousness. God never shows mercy at the expense of His
holiness.
God is "light" as well as "love," and each of these divine perfections
is exemplified in all His dealings with His people. Moreover, in the
exercise of His sovereignty God never enforces the responsibility of
the creature; and unless we keep both of these steadily in view, we
not only become lopsided, but lapse into real error. The grace of God
must not be magnified to the beclouding of His righteousness, nor His
sovereignty pressed to the exclusion of human accountability. The
balance can only be preserved by our faithfully adhering to Scripture.
If we single out favorite verses and ignore those which are
unpalatable to the flesh, we are guilty of handling the Word of God
deceitfully, and fall under the condemnation of "according as ye have
not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law" (Mal. 2:9). The
principles of law and gospel are not contradictory, but supplementary,
and neither can be dispensed with except to our irreparable loss.
What has been pointed out above supplies the keys to a right
understanding of the Abrahamic covenant; and unless those dual
principles be steadily kept before us in our contemplation of the
same, we are certain to err. Some writers when referring to the
Abrahamic covenant speak of it as "a covenant of pure grace," and such
it truly was; for what was there about Abraham to move the God of
glory to so much as notice him? Nevertheless, it would be equally
correct to designate the Abrahamic covenant "a covenant of
righteousness," for it exemplified the principles of the divine
government as actually as it made manifest the benignity of the divine
character. Other writers have referred to the Abrahamic covenant as an
"unconditional one," but in this they erred, for to talk of "an
unconditional covenant" is a flat contradiction in terms. Suffer us to
quote here from our first chapter:
"Let us point out the nature of a covenant; in what it consists. `An
absolute complete covenant is a voluntary convention, pact, or
agreement between distinct persons, about the ordering and dispensing
of things in their power, unto their mutual concern and advantage' (J.
Owen). Blackstone, the great commentator upon English law, speaking of
the parts of a deed, says, `After warrants, usually follow covenants,
or conventions, which are clauses of agreement, contained in a deed,
whereby either party may stipulate for the truth of certain facts, or
may bind himself to perform, or give something to the other' (Vol. 2,
p. 20). So he includes three things: the parties, the terms, the
binding agreement. Reducing it to still simpler language, we may say
that a covenant is the entering into of a mutual agreement, a benefit
being assured on the fulfillment of certain conditions."
We supplement by a quotation from H. Witsius: "The covenant does, on
the part of God, comprise three things in general. 1st. A promise of
consummate happiness in eternal life. 2nd. A designation or
prescription of the condition, by the performance of which, man
acquires a right to the promise. 3rd. A penal sanction against those
who do not come up to the prescribed condition. . . .Man becomes the
other party when he consents thereto: embracing the good promised by
God, engaging to an exact observance of the condition required; and
upon the violation thereof, voluntarily owning himself obnoxious to
the threatened curse."
Let it now be pointed out that in this chapter we are turning to
another side of the subject from what we have mainly dwelt upon in the
previous ones. In those we amplified what we said in the fourth and
fifth paragraphs of the second chapter. Having dwelt so largely upon
the divine sovereignty and grace aspects, we need to weigh carefully
the divine righteousness and human responsibility elements. Having
shown how the various covenants which God made with men adumbrated the
central features in the everlasting covenant which He made with
Christ, we are now required to consider how that in them God
maintained the claims of His righteousness by what He required from
the responsible agents with whom He dealt. It was not until after Noah
"did according to all that God commanded him" (Gen. 6:22) by preparing
an ark "to the saving of his house" (Heb. 11:7), that God confirmed
His "with thee will I establish my covenant" (Gen. 6:18) by "I
establish my covenant" (9:9). Noah having fulfilled the divine
stipulations, God was now prepared to fulfill His promises.
The same thing is clearly seen again in connection with Abraham. There
is no hint in Scripture that the Lord entered into any covenant with
him while he was in Ur of Chaldea. Instead, the land of Canaan was
then set before him provisionally: "The Lord said unto Abram, Get thee
out of thy country, and from thy kindred and from thy father's house,
unto a land that I will show thee" (Gen. 12:1). The order there is
unmistakably plain. First, God acted in grace, sovereign grace, by
singling out Abraham from his idolatrous neighbors, and by calling him
to something far better. Second, God made known the requirements of
His righteousness and enforced Abraham's responsibility by the demand
there made upon him. Third, the promised reward was to follow
Abraham's response to God's call. These three things are conjoined in
Heb. 11:8: "By faith Abraham, when he was called [by divine grace] to
go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance
[the reward], obeyed [the discharge of his responsibility]; and he
went out, not knowing whither he went."
Nor does what has just been said in anywise conflict with what was
pointed out in previous chapters. The above elements just as truly
shadowed forth another fundamental aspect of the everlasting covenant
as did the different features singled out from the Adamic and the
Noahic. In the everlasting covenant, God promised a certain reward
unto Christ upon His fulfilling certain conditions--executing the
appointed work. The inseparable principles of law and gospel, grace
and reward, faith and works, were most expressly conjoined in that
compact which God entered into with the Mediator before the foundation
of the world. Therein we may behold the "manifold wisdom of God" in
combining such apparent opposites; and instead of carping at their
seeming hostility, we should admire the omniscience which has made the
one the handmaid of the other. Only then are we prepared to discern
and recognize the exercise of this dual principle in each of the
subordinate covenants.
Not a few writers supposed they magnified the grace of God and honored
the Mediator when affirming that Christ Himself so fulfilled the
conditions of the covenant and so met every requirement of God's
righteousness that His people have been entirely freed of all legal
obligations, and that nothing whatever is left for them to do but
express their gratitude in lives well-pleasing to Him. It is far
easier to make this mistake than it is to expose it. It is true,
blessedly true, gloriously true, that Christ did perfectly discharge
His covenant engagements, magnified the law and made it honorable,
that God received from Him a full satisfaction for all the sins of His
people. Yet that does not mean that the law has been repealed, that
God rescinds His righteous claims upon the creature, or that believers
are placed in a position of privilege from which obligation is
excluded; nor does it involve the idea that saints are freed from
covenant duties. Grace reigns, but it reigns "through righteousness"
(Rom. 5:21) and not at the expense of it.
Christ's obedience has not rendered ours unnecessary: rather has it
rendered ours acceptable. In that sentence lies the solution to the
difficulty. The law of God will accept nothing short of perfect and
perpetual obedience; and such obedience the Surety of God's people
rendered, so that He brought in an everlasting righteousness which is
reckoned to their account. Yet that is only one half of the truth on
this subject. The other half is not that Christ's atonement has
inaugurated a regime of lawlessness or license, but rather has it
placed its beneficiaries under additional obligations. But more: it
had procured the needed grace to enable those beneficiaries to
discharge their obligations--not perfectly, but nevertheless,
acceptably to God. And how? By securing that the Holy Spirit should
bring them from death unto life, impart to them a nature which
delights in the law, and work in them both to will and to do of God's
good pleasure. And what is God's good pleasure for His people? The
same as it was for His incarnate Son: to be perfectly conformed to the
law in thought and word and deed.
God has one and the same standard for the head and the members of His
church; and therefore we are told, "he that saith he abideth in him
ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked" (1 John 2:6). In 1
Peter 2:21 we read, "Christ also suffered for us." With what end in
view? That we might be relieved from all obligation to God? That we
might pursue a course of lawlessness under the pretense of magnifying
"grace"? No, indeed; but rather "leaving us an example that ye should
follow his steps." And what is the nature of that example which Christ
has left us? What, but "fulfilling the law" (Matthew 5:17), loving the
Lord His God with all His heart and mind and strength, and His
neighbor as Himself? But in order to do this there must be a nature in
harmony with the law and not enmity against it. Could Christ declare,
"I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart"
(Ps. 40:8), so can each of His redeemed and regenerated people say, "I
delight in the law of God after the inward man," (Rom. 7:22). And were
there nothing else in them but the new man they would render perfect
obedience to the law. Such is their honest desire, but the presence of
the old man thwarts them.
The everlasting covenant was, in its nature and contents, a mixed one,
for the principles of both law and grace were operative therein. It
was grace pure and simple which ordained that any from Adam's fallen
race should be saved, as it was amazing and infinite grace that
provided the Son of God should become incarnate and serve as their
surety. But it was law pure and simple that the Surety should earn and
purchase their salvation by His rendering unto God a perfect
satisfaction on their behalf. Christ was "made under the law" (Gal.
4:4). His whole life was perfectly conformed to the precepts of the
law, and His death was an enduring of the penalty of the law; and all
of this was in fulfillment of His covenant engagements. In like
manner, these two principles of grace and law are operative in
connection with the administration of the everlasting covenant--that
is, in the application of its benefits to those on whose behalf Christ
transacted. "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid:
yea, we establish the law" (Rom. 3:31).
The work of Christ has released the believer from the law as a
procuring cause of his justification, but it has in nowise abolished
it as his rule of life. Divine grace does not set aside its
recipient's responsibility, nor does the believer's obedience render
grace any the less necessary. God requires obedience (conformity to
His law) from the Christian as truly as He does from the
non-Christian. True, we are not saved for (because of) our obedience;
yet it is equally true that we cannot be saved without it. Unless Noah
had heeded God and built the ark, he had perished in the Flood; yet it
was by the goodness and power of God that the ark was preserved. It is
through Christ, and Christ alone, that the believer's obedience is
acceptable to God. But it may be asked, Will God accept an imperfect
obedience from us? The answer is yes, if it be sincere; just as He is
pleased to answer our poor prayers when presented in the
all--meritorious name of His Son.
Once again we would point out that any covenant necessarily signifies
a mutual agreement, with terms to be carried out by both parties. A
vivid but most solemn example of this is found in the case of Judas
and the chief priests of the Jews, concerning whom we read: "they
covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver" (Matthew 26:15). That
is to say, in return for his fulfilling the contract to betray his
Master into their hands, they would pay him this sum of money, which,
in Acts 1:18, is denominated "the reward of iniquity." It is only by
paying close attention to all the expressions used in Scripture of
God's covenant and of our relation thereto, that we can obtain a right
and full conception thereof. We read of those "that take hold of my
covenant" (Isa. 56:4, 6); "that thou shouldest enter into covenant
with the Lord thy God" (Dent. 23:12); "those that have made a covenant
with me by sacrifice" (Ps. 50:5); "mercy and truth unto such as keep
his covenant and his testimonies" (Ps. 25:10); "be ye mindful always
of his covenant" (1 Chron. 16:15); "Ye break my covenant" (Lev.
26:15); "them that forsake the holy covenant" (Dan. 11:30).
Against what has been said above, it may be objected that this reduces
the covenant of grace to one and the same level with the covenant of
works. Not so, we reply; for though those covenants have something in
common, yet there is a real and radical difference between them. Each
of them maintains the claims of God's righteousness by enforcing the
requirements of the law, but the covenant of works had no mediator,
nor was any provision made for those who failed under it; whereas the
covenant of grace supplies both. Moreover, under the covenant of works
obedience was rendered unto an absolute God, whereas under the
covenant of grace it is given to God in Christ, and there is a world
of difference between those two things. The application of these
principles to the case of Abraham we must consider next.
IV.
In the application unto Abraham of those divine principles considered
in the preceding chapter, it should be quite obvious that the law of
his obedience was attended with both promises and threatenings,
rewards and punishments, suited unto the goodness and holiness of God,
and fitted for the discharge of his moral responsibility. It may be
asked, Where is there any hint in Scripture of any provisos and terms
attached to the Abrahamic covenant, or any clear statement that God
stipulated any terms to him? Such a question is capable of several
answers. In the first place, unless there were such provisos and
terms, no covenant had been made at all. Second, the extreme brevity
of the Genesis account must be borne in mind; and instead of expecting
a full categorical statement, its fragmentary details need to be
carefully pieced together. Third, Genesis 12:1 shows plainly that
Canaan was first set before him provisionally.
In addition to what has just been said, we would point out what the
Lord declared in connection with the sign and seal of this covenant:
"the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not
circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people: he hath
broken my covenant" (Gen. 17:14). Here, then, it is clear that a
condition was stipulated, the failure to meet which broke the
covenant. Again, in Genesis 18:19 we find God saying, "For I know him,
that he will command his children and his household after him, and
they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that
[in order that] the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath
spoken of him." Abraham had to "keep the way of the Lord," which is
defined as "to do justice and judgment"; that is, walk obediently, in
subjection to God's revealed will, if he was to receive the
fulfillment of the divine promises. Once more, we read "Abraham obeyed
my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my
laws" (Gen. 26:5). Thus, while God dealt with Abraham in pure grace,
it is plain that he was also placed under the law.
Some readers are likely to object, This is a wretched subversion of
the glorious covenant of grace: by your "conditions," "terms," and
"provisos" you reduce it to a contingency and uncertainty, instead of
its being "ordered in all things and sure. "Our first rejoinder is
that we have not introduced the conditions and provisos into the
covenant; instead, they are so stated in Scripture. God did not make
an absolute grant of Canaan unto Abraham when He first revealed
Himself to him in Chaldea. Rather was he required to tread the path of
obedience unto that land "which he should after receive for an
inheritance." Nor does God make an absolute (or unconditional) grant
of heaven when the sinner first believes in Christ. Instead, He
requires him to walk the narrow way which alone leadeth unto life, and
faithfully warns him that it is to his imminent peril if he converges
therefrom.
It may be replied, But this is to leave all at an uncertainty. It all
depends upon the angle from which you view it. Considered as the
object of God's everlasting love, as chosen in Christ, as redeemed by
Him, as indwelt and sealed by the Spirit, the believer's safely
reaching heaven is placed beyond all peradventure. But consider the
believer as a responsible agent, as still having the "flesh" in him,
living in a world where he is beset by temptation on every side,
called upon to "fight the good fight of faith" and to "lay hold on
eternal life," and the matter appears in quite another light; and the
one viewpoint is just as real and actual as is the other! The
difficulty here as to whether or not the believer's "keeping" or
"breaking" the covenant renders all insecure, is precisely the same as
showing the consistency between divine preservation and Christian
perseverance. Though the "ifs" of John 8:31 and Colossians 1:23 do not
annul the promise of Philippians 1:6, nevertheless, they are there,
and must be taken into account by us.
From the divine side, the covenant of grace is "ordered in all things
and sure." There is not the slightest possibility of anything in it
failing. Christ will "see of the travail of his soul and be
satisfied," and not one of those given to Him by the Father before the
foundation of the world will be lost. But that does not alter the fact
that while the elect are left here in this world they are bidden to
"make their calling and election sure" (2 Pet. 1:10), "if they may
apprehend [lay hold of] that for which also they were apprehended of
Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:12). The covenant has provided for the
communication of effectual grace to secure the saints' obedience and
perseverance; yet that does not alter the fact that God still enforces
His righteous claims upon them and deals with them as moral agents who
are required to heed His warnings, obey His precepts, and use the
means He has appointed for their preservation.
Some experience difficulty in fitting together those Scriptures which
present eternal life as the present and inalienable possession of the
believer with other passages that place it in the future and as only
being attained unto by following a course of self-denial. Such verses
as John 5:24 and Romans 6:23 are quite simple to them; but Romans
6:22; 8:13; Galatians 6:8; and Jude 21 they are at a loss to know what
to do with. But there is nothing inconsistent between a believer
acting from a principle of grace and life already communicated to him
by the Holy Spirit, and his so acting that he may live. A man must be
alive before he can eat; yet he must eat in order that he may live.
Were he to cease entirely from the taking of food, would there be any
life for him in a month's time? Neither would the Christian enter
heaven if he entirely neglected the means of grace appointed for his
spiritual preservation.
Of old, Moses said unto Israel, "The Lord thy God will circumcise
thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with
all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live" (Deut.
30:6). Was he, then, inconsistent when, at the close of the same
address, he declared: "I call heaven and earth to record this day
against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and
cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his
voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: For he is thy life, and
the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the
Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to
give them" (vv. 19, 20)? Was Moses there setting before them a "yea
and nay gospel"? Emphatically, no; for he was the mouthpiece of
Jehovah Himself. Nor was this appeal a "legal" one, but a strictly
"evangelical" one. Alas, that so many today err, "not knowing the
Scriptures." "Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the
faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him
and keep his commandments to a thousand generations"--not merely from
Moses till Christ (Deut. 7:9)--yes, and with no others. This verse is
just as much a part of the holy and inspired Word of God as is
Ephesians 2:8, 9; and the one is needed by us as much as the other.
It might be objected, This is bringing in a legalistic inducement and
inculcating a mercenary spirit to put the believer upon using means in
order to obtain his preservation, and setting before him heaven or
eternal life as a reward for his faithfulness. In reply, let us quote
from the renowned and evangelical Dutch theologian: "A mercenary
baseness is certainly unworthy of the high-born sons of God, but their
heavenly Father does not forbid them to have any regard to their own
advantage in the exercise of holiness. David himself confesseth that,
the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. `By them
is Thy servant warned, and in keeping of them there is great reward'
(Ps. 19:9, 11). And the faith of Moses is commended because `he had
respect unto the recompense of the reward' (Heb. 11:26). Yea, that
faith is required of all who come to God, that they `must believe that
He is, and that He is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek
Him'--Heb. 11:6" (from Irenicon, by H. Witsius, 1696).
To anticipate one more objection--not with any expectation of
convincing the carping critic, but rather in the hope of helping some
who are in a state of bewilderment from the one-sided teaching of our
unhappy day--But does not all of the above inculcate the principle of
human merit? No, for it is due alone to divine grace that the believer
has had communicated to him a principle of obedience--a heart or
nature which desires to please God. Furthermore, it is solely for
Christ's sake that God so liberally rewards the sincere endeavors of
His people, for apart from the Mediator and His merits, they could not
be accepted by Him. Finally, there is no proportion whatever between
the Christian's obedience and the reward he receives--the inheritance
infinitely exceeding his poor efforts--any more than there was in
God's giving Canaan to Abraham and his seed because he left Chaldea.
Coming closer now to our immediate theme, it should be pointed out
that the Abrahamic covenant is not to be regarded as a thing apart,
having no direct connection with what went before or what followed it;
but rather is it to be viewed as a part of and a further step in the
unfolding unto God's people of His eternal counsels. The call of
Abraham was a most important step in the outworking of God's purpose.
It was one of those remarkable epochs in the history of the church
which produced a new order of things, in perfect keeping with, yet
greatly in advance of, what had previously been communicated. The work
of preparation for the appearance of the Messiah now assumed a more
tangible form and entered on a phase bearing more visibly upon the
attainment of the ultimate result. The line from which the promised
Seed was to spring was now more definitely defined, while the scope of
divine grace was more clearly revealed.
The declaration made by the Lord God in Eden after Adam's
transgression, that the Seed of the woman should triumph over and
destroy the serpent, had been the ground of the saints' faith and the
object of their hope during the first two thousand years' history of
the world. Until the time of Abraham, nothing more had been revealed
concerning the person of the coming deliverer (so far as Scripture
records) than that He was to be of the human race; but of what
particular family, or even of which nation, no one was informed. Where
men were to look for Him, whether in Egypt, in Babylon, or in some
other land, did not yet transpire. But in the covenant which God made
with Abraham, not only was the promise of a Savior renewed, but His
family and place were now made known. For this great honor the "friend
of God" was selected: to him it was revealed that the Messiah should
spring from his stock, and that the land of Canaan would be the scene
of His glorious mission.
Not only should the Abrahamic covenant be regarded as part of a
greater whole rather than an isolated transaction, but attention must
not be restricted to any single episode in the patriarch's life or
God's dealings with him. We fully agree with John Kelly when he said,
"If we would form an accurate estimate of that covenant, and of the
truth which it was the means of revealing, we must not confine
ourselves to any one particular transaction in which allusion is made
to it, however important that transaction may have been. Our
examination must embrace all the incidents recorded. We must bear in
mind that everything that occurred to Abraham, from his call to the
close of his life, was intended to explain and illustrate the nature
of the Covenant."
It was not by one specific communication that the mind of God was
fully disclosed unto Abraham. Several were made at different times,
all relating to the same subject and unfolding the import of the
covenant; while the character of Abraham himself--shaped by the
various trials through which he was called to pass and molded by grace
through faith--throws important light upon the conceptions which he
entertained of what had been revealed to him. All these form one
homogeneous whole; and from them, thus considered, we are to form our
views of the covenant. When Abraham was first called by the Lord, a
bare hint was given him of the divine purpose, which, under the
Spirit's blessing, was the means of quickening his faith and producing
the decision which he made. Yet only a glimpse was then afforded him
of what God designed: it was not the formal establishment of the
covenant. That event took place subsequently, after an interval of
some years.
What has just been said appears to receive confirmation from Galatians
3:16, 17: "Now to Abraham and his seed was the promise made. He saith
not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, and to thy seed, which
is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed
before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty
years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none
effect." "Four hundred and thirty years" prior to the giving of the
law at Sinai takes us back to the beginning of God's dealings with
Abraham, recorded in Genesis 12, though the actual term covenant is
not found in that chapter. It is not until we reach Genesis 15:18 that
we find the transaction itself: "In that same day, the Lord made a
covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land."
Then in Genesis 17 we find the sign and seal of the
covenant--circumcision--given. To the covenant there are other
references in the chapters which follow: in Genesis 22 the covenant is
confirmed. Thus, in fact, the covenant received important and
successive enlargements during the intercourse which God, in infinite
condescension, continued to have with His servant. Hebrews 6:13-18
links together the great promise of Genesis 12:3 and the oath of
Genesis 22:15-18.
In our endeavor, then, to obtain a correct and comprehensive view of
the divine transaction in the Abrahamic covenant, we are required to
carefully examine all the information which the Genesis narrative
supplies: the leading events in Abraham's own life (which are designed
as a contribution for imparting an explanation), and the light which
the New Testament casts upon them both, and regard all in its entire
unity as illustrative of the covenant. To confine ourselves to one
passage, however important it may seem to be, would be doing injustice
to the subject. It is failure at this point which has resulted in so
many superficial, inadequate, and one-sided discussions of the same by
various writers. Those who approach the examination and consideration
of the Abrahamic covenant (or any other Scriptural theme) with a
single pet theory or idea in their minds, which they are determined to
establish at all costs, cannot expect to obtain a right and full view
of the covenant as a whole.
We shall, then, regard the Abrahamic covenant as a striking advance in
the development of God's gracious purpose toward men, and yet as only
a part of a greater and grander whole. In so doing, what will claim
our special attention is, What was the particular nature and what the
amount of the truth, which it was the means of revealing? Upon these
points a very wide diversity of opinion obtains, both among the older
and more recent writers. Exactly what did the Abrahamic covenant make
manifest to the minds and hearts of God's people of old? And how far
does the same apply to us now? The proper answers to these questions
must be drawn from Holy Writ itself, fairly interpreted. Perhaps our
best course is to single out the leading particulars, and then comment
thereon as each may seem to require.
V.
"Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and
from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will
show thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless
thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I
will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and
in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 12:1-3).
In this simple narrative we have the original promise made to Abraham
that the Messiah should come of his family. This divine pledge was
made to the patriarch when he was only a little short of seventy-five
years of age. It was given at a point in human history halfway between
the creation of the first Adam and the incarnation of the last Adam
that is, two thousand years after the entrance of sin into the world
and two thousand years before the advent of the Savior.
The first great purpose of the Abrahamic covenant was to make known
the stock from which the Messiah was to spring. This was the most
prominent aspect of truth revealed in it: the appearing of the
promised Seed in Abraham's own line. The primary intimation of this
was given to the patriarch when God first appeared to him: "In thee
shall all the families of the earth be blessed." Two things are to be
noted in the language there used. First, the "all families of the
earth be blessed" obviously looks back to Genesis 3:17, for the "all
families" was sufficiently definite to announce the international
scope of the blessing. It is indeed very striking to observe that in
Genesis 12:3 God did not use the word eretz (as in Gen. 1:1; 14:19;
18:25, etc.), but adamah (as in Gen. 3:17). The manifest link between
"Cursed is the ground" (Gen. 3:17) would have been made more evident
had Genesis 12:3 been rendered "in thee shall all families of the
ground be blessed"--the curse was to be removed by Christ!
Second, the terms of this Messianic intimation were quite general in
their character. Later, this original promise was repeated in more
specific form: the "in thee shall all the families of the earth be
blessed" being defined as "in thy seed shall all the nations of the
earth be blessed." This illustrates an important principle which tray
be discerned throughout the divine revelation, namely, that of
progressive unfolding: "first the blade, then the ear, after that the
full corn in the ear" (Mark 4:28). This is evident here by a
comparison of the far-reaching promises made to Abraham with the
prophecies of Noah concerning his three sons. Jehovah was the God of
Shem, yet Japheth should dwell in his tents (Gen. 9:26, 27); now He
becomes known as "the God of Abraham," but all families of the ground
should be blessed in him and his seed. What a striking advance was
here made in the divine plan, by revealing the breadth of its meaning
and the explicitness of its purpose!
"By his call Abraham was raised to a very singular pre-eminence and
constituted in a manner the root and center of the world's future
history, as concerned the attainment of real blessing. Still, even in
that respect, not exclusively. The blessing was to come chiefly to
Abraham, and through him; but, as already indicated in the prophecy on
Shem, others were to stand, though in a subordinate rank, on the same
line--since those also were to be blessed who blessed him; that is,
who held substantially the same faith, and occupied the same friendly
relation to God. The cases of such persons in the patriarch's own day,
as his kinsman Lot, who was not formally admitted into Abraham's
covenant, and still more of Melchizedek, who was not even of Abraham's
line and yet individually stood in some sense higher than Abraham
himself, clearly showed, and were no doubt partly raised up for the
purpose of showing, that there was nothing arbitrary in Abraham's
position, and that the ground he occupied was to a certain extent
common to believers generally.
"The peculiar honour conceded to him was, that the great trunk of
blessing was to be of him, while only some isolated twigs or scattered
branches were to be found elsewhere; and even these could only be
found by persons coming, in a manner, to make common cause with him.
In regard to himself, however, the large dowry of good conveyed to him
in the Divine promise could manifestly not be realized through him
personally. There could at the most be but a beginning made in his own
experience and history: and the widening of the circle of blessing to
other kindreds and regions, till it reached to the most distant
families of the earth, must necessarily be affected by means of those
who were to spring from him. Hence the original word of promise `In
thee shall all families of the earth be blessed,' was afterwards
changed into `In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be
blessed' "(P. Fairbairn).
It needs pointing out, though, that each of those expressions had its
own specific significance and importance, and that they must be
conjoined so as to bring out the full design of God in the calling of
Abraham. The promised blessing was to be wrought out in its widest
sense not by Abraham individually and immediately, but through him
mediately, by means of the seed that should be given to him. This
clearly implied that that seed must possess far higher qualities than
any to be found in Abraham himself, since blessing from it would flow
out so widely; yea, it only thinly veiled the truth that there should
be a wondrous commingling of the divine with the human. Christ, then,
as the essential kernel of the promise and the Seed of Abraham, rather
than Abraham himself, was to have the honor of blessing all nations.
But what we have just called attention to by no means evacuates the
force of the original "in thee shall all families of the earth be
blessed"; for by so definitely connecting the good with Abraham
himself as well as with his seed, the organic connection was marked
between the one and the other. "The blessing to be brought to the
world through his line had even in his time a present though small
realization--precisely as the kingdom of Christ had its commencement
in that of David, and the one ultimately merged into the other. And
so, in Abraham as the living root of all that was to follow, the whole
and every part may be said to take its rise" (P. Fairbairn). Not only
was Christ after the flesh "the son of Abraham" (Matthew 1:1), but
every believer in Christ is of Abraham's seed (Gal. 3:29); and the
entire company of the redeemed shall have their place and portion
"with Abraham" in the kingdom of God (Matthew 8:11).
Other promises followed, such as "unto thy seed will I give this land"
(Gen. 12:7), "to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee" (Gen.
17:7), and so forth, which we shall consider later. That which
immediately concerns us is the meaning of the term "seed" in these
passages. The Scripture which throws the most light thereon is
Galatians 3:16, 17: "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises
made. He saith not, and to seeds, as of many; but as of one, and to
thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, that was
confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and
thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise
of none effect." Yet strange to say, this passage has occasioned the
commentators much trouble, no two of them agreeing in its
interpretation. It is commonly regarded as one of the most abstruse
passages in all the Pauline Epistles.
Matthew Henry says, "The covenant is made with Abraham and his Seed.
And he (the apostle) gives us a very surprising exposition of that,"
but he attempts no detailed interpretation at all. J. N. Darby seeks
to cut the knot by changing the apostle's "promises" to "the promise,"
restricting the reference to Genesis 22. Yet not only is the Greek in
the plural number, but such an idea is plainly refuted by the "four
hundred and thirty years after," which necessarily carries us back to
Genesis 12. Albert Barnes discusses at great length what he terms "the
perplexities of this very difficult passage of Scripture." But as
usual, the commentators have created their own difficulties: partly by
failing to take into full account the immediate context, and partly
through a slavish adherence to "the letter," thereby missing the
"spirit" of the verse.
"Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made." Abraham was the
"father" of a twofold "seed," a natural and a spiritual; and if we
attend unto the context here, there is not the slightest difficulty in
determining which of them the Holy Spirit has in view. In verse 6 He
had said, "Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him
for righteousness"; from which the conclusion is drawn, "Know ye
therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of
Abraham" (v. 7). What could be plainer than that? They which are "of
faith," genuine believers, are "the children of Abraham": that is, his
spiritual children--he being their "father" as the pattern to which
they are conformed. In other words, sinners today are justified by God
in precisely the same way as Abraham was--by faith.
"And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen
[Gentiles] through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham: In
thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are
blessed with faithful Abraham" (Gal. 3:8, 9). The same truth is here
reaffirmed. In view of God's purpose to justify Gentiles by faith, He
proclaimed that gospel to Abraham himself, saying, "In thee shall all
nations be blessed." Let it be carefully noted that the Holy Spirit
here quotes from Genesis 12, and not from Genesis 22. The same
conclusion is again drawn: believers receive the identical spiritual
blessing that Abraham did, namely, the righteousness of Christ imputed
to their account, so that they now measure up to every requirement of
the law. And that, because "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of
the law, being made a curse for us" (v. 13); this having opened the
way "that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through
Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through
faith" (v. 14).
"Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's
covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth
thereto" (Gal. 3:15). But in the case before us we have far more than
"a man's covenant"--we have a divine covenant, for God solemnly
ratified His promises to Abraham by covenant. "Now to Abraham and his
seed were the promises made" (v. 16). Now in the light of "the
children of Abraham" (v. 7), "they which be of faith are blessed with
faithful Abraham" (v. 9), and "that the blessing of Abraham might come
on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ" (v. 14), "to Abraham and his
seed" must mean "to Abraham and his spiritual seed were the promises
made." Collateral proof of this is supplied by Romans 4:16, "Therefore
it is of faith, that it might be by grace, to the end the promise
might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law,
but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father
of us all"; for it is only all of his spiritual seed who are assured
of the blessings promised.
"He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy
seed, which is Christ" (Gal. 3:16). This is the clause which many have
found so perplexing. They have pointed out that, both in the Old
Testament and the New, the term "seed" often refers to descendants
without limitation, just as the word posterity does with us.
Furthermore, it is a fact, which a use of the concordance will amply
confirm, that this term "seed" is never used in the plural at all to
denote a posterity, the singular form being constantly employed for
that purpose; indeed the plural form of the word never occurs except
here in Galatians 3:16. This presents a problem for which no
literalist can supply any satisfactory solution, which plainly
intimates that it was not with the surface meaning of the term the
apostle was here treating.
"The force of his reasoning here depends not on the mere dictionary
word `seed,' but upon the great scriptural idea which, more and more
clearly in Old Testament revelation, becomes manifested through that
word--the idea of an individual person, who should sum up in Himself
the covenant people as well as (for them) the covenant blessings, that
is, the promised Messiah, Christ" (Jas. MacGregor, on Galatians,
1879). This is the only writer we are acquainted with who has
indicated the direction in which we must look for the true explanation
of the apostle's terms, namely, not in their merely literal
signification, but in the spiritual concept which they embodied--just
as the term "christ" literally signifies "anointed," but is employed
as the special title of the Savior, and is given to Him not as a
private but public person, including both the Head and members of the
church (1 Cor. 12:12).
"He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy
seed, which is Christ." To sum up. The promises of God were never by
human procreation, the other by divine regeneration. But the promises
were not made to both of his seeds, but to one of them only, namely,
the spiritual, the mystical "Christ"--the Redeemer and all who are
legally and vitally united to Him. Thus the antithesis drawn by the
apostle is between the unity of the "seed" in contrast from ,the
diversity of the "seeds." This had been strikingly shadowed forth on
the earth plane. Abraham had two sons; but one of them, Ishmael, was
excluded from the highest privileges: "In Isaac shall thy seed be
called" (Gen. 21:12). But those words did not signify, All the
descendants of Isaac are destined unto heavenly bliss; rather do they
affirm that it was from Isaac that the promised Messiah would,
according to the flesh, descend.
Later, the line of Messiah's descent was more definitely restricted;
for of Isaac's two sons, Esau was rejected and Jacob was chosen as the
progenitor of Christ. Out of Jacob's twelve sons, Judah was selected
as the tribe from which the promised Seed should issue. Out of all the
thousands of Judah, the family of Jesse was the one honored to give
birth to the Savior (Isa. 11:1). Of Jesse's eight sons (1 Sam. 16:10,
11), David was appointed to be the father of the Messiah. Thus we may
see that as time went on, the channel through which Abraham's Seed
should issue was more definitely narrowed down and defined, and
therein and thereby God gradually made it known how His original
promises to Abraham were to receive their fulfillment. The limitation
of these promises was evidenced by the rejection of Ishmael, and then
of Esau, which clearly intimated that all of Abraham's descendants
were not included therein; until, ultimately, it was seen that their
fulfillment was received in Christ Himself and those united to Him.
Had the promises of God to Abraham embraced both branches of his
family including Ishmael as well as Isaac, then some other term than
"seed" would have been used. But God so ordered that so different were
the circumstances of their births and future lives, so diverse were
the prophecies respecting them, and so utterly dissimilar were the two
races that sprang from them, that in Scripture the descendants of
Ishmael ceased to be spoken of as the posterity of Abraham. And
therein God adumbrated the wide gulf which separated the natural
descendants of Abraham (the Jews) from his spiritual children
(Christians), and has thereby rendered excuseless our confounding the
one with the other when looking for the fulfillment of the promises.
The promises were limited originally, and that limitation was
evidenced more clearly by successive revelations, until it was shown
that none but Christ (and those united to Him) were included: "And to
thy seed, which is Christ" (mystical)!
"He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one. And to thy
seed, which is Christ." To sum up. The promises of God were never made
to all the descendants of Abraham, like so many different kinds of
"seed," but were limited to the spiritual line, that is, to "Christ"
mystical. Hence the unbelieving descendants of Jacob were as much
excluded from those promises as were the posterity of Ishmael and
Esau. Contrariwise, believing Gentiles, one with Christ in the
everlasting covenant, were as truly embraced by them, as were Isaac
and Jacob and all the godly Israelites.
VI.
What was before us in the last chapter is of fundamental importance:
not only to a right understanding of the Abrahamic covenant itself,
but also for a sound interpretation of much of the Old Testament. Once
it is clearly recognized that the type merges into the antitype, that
believers in Christ are Abraham's "children" (Rom. 4:16; Gal. 3:7),
citizens of the free and heavenly Jerusalem (Gal. 4:16; Eph. 2:19;
Rev. 21:2, 14), the "circumcision" (Phil. 3:3), the "Israel of God"
(Gal. 6:16; Eph. 2:12, 13), the "comers unto Mount Zion" (Heb. 12:22),
it will be found that we have a reliable guide for conducting us
through the mazes of prophecy, without which we are sure to lose
ourselves in inextricable confusion and uncertainty. This was common
knowledge among the saints in days gone by, but alas a generation
succeeded them boasting they had new light, only to plunge themselves
and their followers into gross darkness.
The promises of God to Abraham and his seed were never made to his
natural descendants, but belonged to those who had a like faith with
him. It could not be otherwise, "For all the promises of God in him
[Christ] are yea, and in him amen, unto the glory of God by us" (11
Cor. 1:20). All the "promises" (not "prophecies") of God are made in
Christ; that is, all the blessings promised are placed in the hands of
the Mediator, and none who are out of Christ can lay claim to a single
one of them. All who are out of Christ are out of God's favor; and
therefore the divine threatenings, and not the promises, are their
portion. Here, then, is our reply to those who complain, "You apply to
the church all the good things of the Old Testament, but the bad ones
you relegate to the Jews." Of course we do; the blessings of God
pertain to all who are in Christ; the curses of God to all--Jews or
Gentiles--who are out of Christ.
Thus, the unbelieving descendants of Jacob were as much excluded from
the Abrahamic promises as were the posterity of Ishmael and Esau;
whereas those promises belonged as really and truly to believing
Gentiles as they did to Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. But alas this basic
truth, so clearly revealed in Scripture, is repudiated by
"dispensationalists," who are perpetuating the error of those who
opposed Christ in the days of His flesh. When He spoke of the
spiritual freedom which He could bestow, His unregenerate hearers
exclaimed, "We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any
man" (John 8:33). When He made mention of His Father, the carnal Jews
answered, "Abraham is our father"; to which the Savior replied, "If ye
were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham" (John
8:39). Alas, alas, that so many of our moderns know not who are
"Abraham's children."
The vital importance of what we sought to present in the last chapter
will appear still more evident when it be pointed out that believers
in Christ have a joint heritage with Abraham, as well as a common
standing before God. But many will at once object to this, That cannot
be; why, the inheritance of Abraham and his seed was an earthly
one--it was the land of Canaan which God promised them! Our first
answer is, Such was the firm belief of those who crucified the Lord of
glory; such is still the conviction of all the "orthodox" Jews on
earth today--Jews who despise and reject the Christ of God. Are they
safe guides to follow? To say the least, professing Christians who
share this view are not in very good company! The very fact that this
idea is so widely entertained among Jews who have not the Spirit of
God, should raise a strong suspicion in those claiming to have
spiritual discernment.
Our second answer is that, If the inheritance of Abraham was an
earthly one, namely, the land of Canaan, then most certainly the
Christians' inheritance is an earthly one too, for we are all joint
heirs with Abraham. Are you, my reader (no matter what you may have
received from "deep students of prophecy"), prepared to settle this
question by the plain teaching of Holy Scripture? If you are, it may
quickly be brought to a simple issue: "And if ye be Christ's, then are
ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Gal. 3:29).
What could be clearer than that: "If children, then heirs" (Rom.
8:17)--if children of God, then heirs of God; and in like manner, if
children of Abraham, then heirs of and with Abraham. There is no
legitimate escape from that obvious conclusion.
In the last verse of Galatians 3 the apostle drew the unavoidable
inference from the premises which he had established in the context.
Let us return for a moment to Galatians 3:16, and then observe what
follows. There the plain statement is made: "Now to Abraham and to his
seed were the promises made"; and, as we fully proved in our last
chapter, the reference is to his spiritual seed. But as though to
remove all possible uncertainty, the Holy Spirit has added: "and to
thy seed, which is Christ"--Christ mystical as in 1 Corinthians 12:12
and Colossians 1:24; that is, Christ Himself and all who are united to
Him. Thus there is no room left for a shadow of doubt as to whom the
Abrahamic promises belonged--his carnal seed being expressly excluded
in the "he saith not, and to seeds, as of many."
"And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God
in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after,
cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect" (Gal.
3:17). The only difficulty lies in the words "in Christ." Inasmuch as
"the covenant" here mentioned was confirmed only four hundred and
thirty years before the law (at Sinai), the reference cannot be to the
everlasting covenant--which was "confirmed" by God in Christ ere the
world began (Titus 1:2, etc.). Hence we are obliged to adopt the
rendering given by spiritual and able scholars: "the covenant that was
confirmed before of God concerning Christ"--just as eis Christon is
translated "concerning Christ" in Ephesians 5:32 and eis auton is
rendered "concerning him" in Acts 2:25. Here, then, is a further word
from God that His covenant with Abraham concerned Christ, that is,
Christ mystical--Abraham's "Seed."
Now the special point that the apostle was laboring in Galatians 3 was
that the promises given by God to Abraham (which were solemnly
"confirmed" by His covenant oath) were given centuries before the
Sinaitic economy was established; and that inasmuch as God is faithful
so that His word cannot be broken (v. 15), then there could be nothing
in connection with the giving of the law that would to the slightest
degree invalidate what He was pledged to bestow: "The law, which was
four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should
make the promise of none effect." Be it observed that here "the
promise" is in the singular number, the reason for this being that the
apostle was about to confine himself to one particular promise,
namely, that which respected the inheritance (v. 18).
"For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but
God gave it to Abraham by promise" (v. 18). The inheritance was given
to Abraham by God long before the law. The question now before us is,
What was the inheritance which God gave to Abraham? Easily answered,
replies someone: Genesis 12:7, 13:15, and so forth tell us it was "the
land of Canaan"; and when God said "this land" He means that, and
nothing else. Not quite so fast, dear friend. When a young believer
reads Exodus 12, with its varied details of the slaying of the lamb,
and the promise of shelter beneath its blood, and wonders what is the
spiritual significance thereof, by far his best course is to turn to
the New Testament, and prayerfully search for the answer. Eventually
he will find that answer in 1 Corinthians 5:7: "Christ our Passover is
sacrificed for us."
When the young believer reads Leviticus 16, describing the elaborate
ritual which the high priest of Israel was required to observe on the
annual day of atonement, and is concerned to discover the spiritual
meaning of the same, the ninth chapter of Hebrews will give him much
light thereon. In like manner, those reading the historical account in
Genesis 14 of Melchizedek, the king of Salem and priest of the Most
High God, bringing forth bread and wine and blessing Abraham, to whom
the patriarch paid tithes, may learn from Hebrews 7 that Melchizedek
supplied a striking foreshadowment of the Lord Jesus in His official
character. Now let us point out two things which are common to all
these three examples. First, the New Testament teaching thereon in
nowise reduces those important Old Testament incidents to mere
allegories: it neither repudiates their historicity nor evacuates
their literality. Second, but the New Testament does reveal that those
Old Testament events possessed a higher meaning than their literal
significance, that the historical was but a shadowing forth on earth
of that which has its reality or antitype in heaven.
Why not, then, apply this same principle to God's promise to give the
land of Canaan to Abraham and his seed? Since believers in Christ are
Abraham's children and "heirs according to the promise," then it
clearly follows that they are interested in all that was said or
promised to him. It is a great mistake to regard certain of the
Abrahamic promises as being simply of a temporal kind and restricted
to his natural descendants, and that others were of a celestial
character and pertained to his spiritual seed. The fact is that the
outward and the temporal never existed by itself nor for itself, but
was appointed as an adumbration of the spiritual and eternal, and as a
means for the obtaining thereof. The outward and the temporal must be
consistently viewed throughout as the shell and shadow of the
spiritual and eternal.
Nor is the establishing of this important principle left in any doubt
as it applies to the subject of the inheritance of Abraham and his
seed. In chapter 11 of Hebrews we find the patriarchs themselves
identifying their prospects of a future inheritance with ours. "By
faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country,
dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same
promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose
builder and maker is God. These all died in faith, not having received
the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of
them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and
pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly
that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that
country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to
have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, a
heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he
hath prepared for them a city" (vv. 9-16). How clear it is from these
verses that they looked beyond the literal purport of the promises,
unto a heavenly and eternal inheritance, namely, to the same described
in 1 Peter 1:4.
We are not now concerned with considering the immediate ends which
were served by the natural descendants of Abraham occupying the
earthly Canaan--a consideration parallel with the temporal advantages
enjoyed by those who lived under the literal exercise of the Aaronic
priesthood. Whatever be or be not the future of Palestine in relation
to the Jews, even though they again occupy it for a thousand years,
certain it is that the promise of God that Abraham and his seed should
have "the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession" (Gen. 17:8)
has not, will not, and cannot be fulfilled in his natural posterity;
for that land, in common with the whole earth, is to be destroyed! No,
rather are we now concerned with the spiritual and antitypical meaning
thereof.
Our third answer, then, to the oft-made affirmation that the
inheritance of Abraham and his seed was an earthly one, is that it is
repudiated by Scripture itself. Was the inheritance of Moses an
earthly one? No, indeed; for of him we read, "Esteeming the reproach
of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had
respect unto the recompense of the reward" (Heb. 11:26). Was the
inheritance of David an earthly one? No, indeed; for after his kingdom
was established, he declared, "Hold not thy peace at my tears, for I
am a stranger with thee; and a sojourner, as all my fathers were" (Ps.
39:12); and again, "I am a stranger in the earth" (Ps. 119:19). The
"land of Canaan" is no more to be understood in a carnal way than the
"seed" of Abraham is to be regarded as his natural posterity. The land
of Canaan was no more given to the Jews after the flesh than the
"blessing of Abraham" (namely, the Holy Spirit--Galatians 3:14) has
come upon them.
"For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not
made to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the
righteousness of faith" (Rom. 4:13). Observe two things: first, it was
promised that Abraham should be not merely "the heir of Palestine,"
but "of the world"; and second, this promise was made to Abraham and
"to his seed," which "seed" is defined in Romans 4:12 as those who
"walk in the steps of that faith" which their "father Abraham" had. In
perfect harmony with this our Lord declared, "Blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit [possess, have dominion over, enjoy] the earth"
(Matthew 5:5). If literalists have cast such a shadow over this verse
that some readers find it hard to understand, then we suggest that
they ponder it in the light of 1 Corinthians 3:21-23 and I John 5:4!
In concluding this important chapter we feel that we cannot do better
than give the spiritual Calvin's comments on Romans 4:13, which are a
refreshing contrast from the carnalizings of "dispensationalists."
"Since he now speaks of eternal salvation, the apostle seems to have
somewhat unseasonably led his readers to `the world'; but he includes
generally under this word `world,' the restoration which was expected
through Christ. The chief thing was indeed the restoration of life; it
was yet necessary that the fallen state of the whole world should be
repaired. The apostle, in Heb. 1:2, calls Christ the Heir of all the
good things of God; for the adoption which we obtain through His
favour restores to us the possession of the inheritance which we lost
in Adam; and as under the type of the land of Canaan, not only the
hope of a heavenly life was exhibited to Abraham, but also the full
and complete blessing of God, the apostle rightly teaches us that the
dominion of the world was promised to him. Some taste of this the
godly have in the present life; for how much soever they may at times
be oppressed with want, yet as they partake with a peaceable
conscience of those things which God has created for their use, and as
they enjoy through His mercy and good-will His earthly benefits no
otherwise than as pledges and earnests of eternal life, their poverty
does in no degree prevent them from acknowledging heaven and the
earth, and the sea, as their own possessions.
"Though the ungodly swallow up the riches of the world, they can yet
call nothing as their own; but they rather snatch them as it were by
stealth; for they possess them under the curse of God. It is indeed a
great comfort to the godly in their poverty, that though they fare
slenderly, they yet steal nothing of what belongs to another, but
receive their lawful allowance from the hand of their heavenly Father,
until they enter on the full possession of their inheritance, when all
creatures shall be made subservient to their glory; for both heaven
and earth shall be renewed for this end,--that according to their
measure they may contribute to render glorious the kingdom of God." It
will repay the reader to reread the above and meditate thereon as a
helpful opening up of Romans 4:13, with its application to us.
VII.
In the last two chapters on this most interesting subject we sought to
establish the basic fact that the promises of God to Abraham were
never made to his natural descendants, but rather to his spiritual
seed--that is, to those possessing a like faith with his.
Consequently, the unbelieving posterity of Jacob were as much excluded
from the spiritual blessings of the covenant as were the offspring of
Ishmael and Esau. Then we sought to show, by an appeal to Romans
4:13-16; Galatians 3:16-18, 29; and Hebrews 11:9-16 that all who
belong to Christ have a joint heritage with Abraham. At the close of
the preceding chapter we endeavored to dispose of the objection that
the inheritance promised to Abraham was merely an earthly one. Before
proceeding further, we make a suggestive quotation from the writings
of Robert Haldane.
"The land of Canaan was a type of the heavenly country. It was the
inheritance given by promise to Abraham and his posterity: as his
descendants after the flesh inherited the one, so his spiritual seed
shall inherit the other. Canaan was the land of rest, after the toils
and dangers of the wilderness. To make it a fit inheritance, and an
emblem of that inheritance which is undefiled, and into which there
shall in no wise enter any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever
worketh abomination, it was cleared of the ungodly inhabitants. As the
introduction of the people of Israel into that land was not effected
by their own power or efforts (Joshua 24:12; Ps. 44:4), but by the
unmerited goodness and power of God; so the children of God do not
obtain possession of the heavenly inheritance by their own power or
efforts, but by the free grace and power of God (Rom. 9:16). As those
who believed not were excluded from Canaan, so all unbelievers will be
excluded from Heaven. As Moses could not lead the people of Israel
into Canaan, that honour being reserved for Joshua, so it is not by
the law that the people of God shall enter Heaven, but by the Gospel
of Jesus Christ, the true Joshua. No other country on earth could have
been selected as a fitter emblem of Heaven: it is called in Scripture
`the pleasant land', `the glory of all lands,' `a land flowing with
milk and honey.'"
Not only was Palestine a striking and beautiful type of heaven, but
the promise of the heavenly Canaan was couched under the promise of
the earthly Canaan. The patriarchs themselves so understood it, as is
abundantly evident from Hebrews 11. "By faith Abraham, when he was
called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an
inheritance, obeyed" (v. 8). That place which he was to afterward
receive for an inheritance could not be the earthly Canaan, for we are
distinctly told that God "gave him none inheritance in it, not so much
as to set his foot on" (Acts 7:5), and in the absence of any
Scriptural statement to that effect, it would seem most incongruous to
suppose that after spending four thousand years in heaven, the
patriarch, after the resurrection, will again reside upon earth. No,
his hope concerned a "heavenly country" (Heb. 11:14, 16); yet no
promise concerning it is found anywhere in the Old Testament unless it
be the real kernel inside the promise of the earthly Canaan. That our
"hope" is the same as Abraham's is clear from Hebrews 6:17-19.
In addition to the two great promises which our patriarch received
that in him should all the families of the earth be blessed and the
inheritance be secured to them--was the still greater and yet more
comprehensive assurance "to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after
thee . . . I will be their God" (Gen. 17:7, 8). This divine
declaration was designed to make known the infinitely condescending
relation which Jehovah meant to sustain to His believing people, and
to encourage them in the exercise of strong confidence in Him. It was
a new revelation to Abraham of the gracious intercourse which He would
maintain with them; for so far as Scripture records, no similar word
had been given to any of the saints which preceded. Here, then, was a
further and fuller unfolding of the divine communications under the
Abrahamic covenant, a distinct advance upon what had been previously
revealed.
When the Most High promises to be a God unto any, it is in effect
declaring that He takes them into His favor and under His protection;
that He will be their portion, and that there is nothing good--with a
wise respect to their welfare--which He will withhold from them. All
there is of evil which needs to be averted, all there is of real good
that can suitably be bestowed, is included in this grand assurance.
Our finite minds are incapable of defining the capacity of God to
bless, or to adequately comprehend all that such a statement includes.
Its application is not limited to this life only, but also looks
forward to the never-ending ages of eternity. The great Jehovah is
solemnly pledged to guide, guard, glorify His covenant people: "My God
shall supply all your need, according to his riches in glory by Christ
Jesus" (Phil. 4:19).
Now each of the promises to Abraham receives a double fulfillment: a
"letter" and a "spirit" or, as we prefer to designate them, a carnal
and a spiritual. "Thou shalt be a father of many nations . . . and
kings shall come out of thee" (Gen. 17:4, 6). In addition to the
Israelites, Abraham was the father of the Ishmaelites and the various
children of Keturah (Gen. 25:1, 2). But these were all born after the
flesh (Gal. 4:23), and were only a figure of the real seed, the
spiritual.
This is clear from, "Therefore it is by faith, that it might be by
grace, to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed: not to
that only which is of the law, but that also which is of the faith of
Abraham, who is the father of us all--as it is written, I have made
thee a father of many nations" (Rom. 4:16, 17). Thus, in the truest
and highest sense Abraham was the father of believers, whether Jews or
Gentiles, and of them only. In John 8:39 and 44 Christ emphatically
denied that Abraham was the father of the unbelieving Jews of His day.
"And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed
after thee in their generations, for an everlasting covenant" (Gen.
17:7). The making good of this was adumbrated when Israel after the
flesh was taken into covenant by Jehovah at Sinai, whereby He formally
became their God and acknowledged them as His people (Ex. 19:5, 6;
Lev. 26:12, etc.). But the actual and ultimate accomplishment of
Genesis 17:7 is in connection with the spiritual Israel, Abraham's
children by faith, and this by a "better covenant:" for with the true
house of Israel He says, "I will put my laws into their mind, and
write them in their hearts; and I will be to them a God, and they
shall be to me a people . . . I will be merciful to their
unrighteousnesses, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember
no more" (Heb. 8:10, 12).
"And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land
wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an
everlasting possession" (Gen. 17:8). Israel's conquest and occupation
of the earthly Canaan in the days of Joshua was the figurative and
lower fulfillment of this promise. As we have already shown, its
spiritual realization lies in the possession of the "better country"
which those who are of the faith of Abraham shall eternally inherit.
Thus it was that the patriarchs themselves understood this promise, as
is unmistakably evident from Hebrews 11:9:16: their faith was more
especially directed to the "heavenly country," of which the earthly
was but an emblem.
The same truth was brought out clearly in our Lord's reasoning with
the Sadducees, who denied all that was spiritual. "Now that the dead
are raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord
the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" (Luke
20:37). The covenant promises taught the patriarchs that their
resurrection and glorification was necessary to the fulfillment of
them. That the "Canaan" in which they were to dwell after the
resurrection was to be, not on earth, but in heaven, is equally plain
from the previous part of this same conversation of Christ: "The
children of this world [the earthly Canaan in which the Sadducees then
were] marry and are given in marriage; but they who shall be counted
worthy to obtain that world [the heavenly Canaan] and the resurrection
from the dead, [to prepare them for it] neither marry nor are given in
marriage; neither can they die any more, for they are equal unto the
angels" (vv. 34-36).
The apostle Paul gave an exposition of the covenant promises in
perfect accord with what we have just considered from the lips of the
Lord Jesus. In his defense before King Agrippa, he hesitated not to
say, and that in the presence of the Jewish leaders (Acts 25:7): "I
stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our
fathers: unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving day
and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am
accused of the Jews" (Acts 26:6, 7). And what was that promise? Their
unimpeded and happy enjoyment of the land of Palestine? No, indeed;
but "why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God
should raise the dead?" (v. 8). So also, when before Felix, he
declared: "I confess unto thee, that after the way that they [the
unbelieving Jews] call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers,
believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets.
And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there
shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and of the
unjust" (Acts 24:14, 15).
But where is the promise made unto the fathers of the resurrection
from the dead "written in the law"? The answer is, nowhere, unless it
be in the covenant promises made to Abraham and repeated to Isaac and
Jacob; nor is it there, except in the sense in which they have now
been explained. God will raise from the dead all the spiritual seed of
Abraham, and will give them "for an everlasting possession" that
Canaan above, of which the Canaan on earth was the appointed emblem
and shadow. Rightly did James Haldane point out that "One great means
by which Satan has succeeded in corrupting the Gospel, has been the
blending [we may add "the confusing"] of the literal and spiritual
fulfillment of these promises--thus confounding the old and new
covenants. This is seen in the attempts made to apply to the carnal
`seed' of believers (Christians) the promises made to the spiritual
`seed of Abraham.'"
We are not unmindful that some of our readers are likely to object
strongly to what they would term this "spiritualizing" method of
interpreting Scripture. But let it be pointed out that this giving to
the covenant promises both a "letter" and "spirit" significance is not
a theory formed to serve a purpose: it is in keeping with and required
by every part of the Old Testament dispensation, wherein the things of
earth were employed to shadow forth heavenly realities, types pointing
forward to antitypes. Take for example the temple: it was "the house
of God" in the letter, but Christ and His church are so in the spirit.
To now call any earthly building "the house of God" is as far below
the sense which that expression bears when it is applied to the church
of Christ, as calling the nation of Israel the "people of God" was far
below the meaning of that phrase when applied to the spiritual Israel
(Gal. 6:16).
Things are said of the house of God in the letter which only fully
suit the spirit. Solomon declared, "I have surely built thee a house
to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in forever" (1 Kings
8:13). Now the incongruity of supposing that He whom "the heaven of
heavens cannot contain" should dwell in any earthly and material house
forever, as "a settled habitation," is only removed by referring it to
the spirit. Christ's body (personal and mystical) is the only "temple"
(John 2:19, 21; Eph. 2:18-22) of which this is fully true. This is not
open to argument: God did not "dwell forever" in the temple built by
Solomon, for it was destroyed thousands of years ago; but in His
spiritual temple it is accomplished to its utmost extent. According to
the same principle must the covenant promises be interpreted: the
temporal things promised therein being but images of those "better
things" which God promised to bestow upon Abraham's believing
children.
Reviewing the ground now covered, let us point out that the first
great purpose of the covenant was to make known the stock from which
the Messiah was to spring. Second, this covenant revealed that God's
ultimate design was the worldwide diffusion of the benefits it
announced. Before Nimrod, the whole race spoke one language and had an
easy intercourse with each other. But upon the confusion of tongues,
they were divided and scattered abroad, and were all alike fast
falling into a state of confirmed defection from God. When Abraham was
called, and his family selected as a people to whom God was to
communicate a knowledge of His will and attach (by sovereign grace) to
His service, it would be natural to infer that the rest of the nations
were totally and finally abandoned to their own evil devices, and that
only the one favored nation would participate in the triumphs of the
future deliverer. It is instructive to note how this logical but
erroneous conclusion was anticipated by God from the beginning, and
refuted by the very terms of the covenant which He made with Abraham.
The patriarch and his descendants were indeed set apart from all
others; peculiar privileges and blessings of the highest value were
conferred upon them; but at the very conferring of them the Lord gave
an express intimation that those privileges were confined to them in
trust, and that the Israelitish theocracy was only a temporary
arrangement, for in Abraham would "all families of the earth be
blessed." Thus clear announcement was made that the time would come
when the middle wall of partition would be broken down and all
restrictions removed, and the blessings of Abraham be extended to a
far wider circle. The external arrangements of the covenant were
simply a necessity for a time, with the object of securing grander and
more comprehensive results. "In thy seed shall all nations of the
earth be blessed" (Gen. 22:18) was a definite publication of the
international scope of the divine mercy.
Thus, the Abrahamic covenant, taken as a whole, not only defined the
particular line from which the Messiah was to spring, announced the
needful (temporal) arrangements in preparation for His appearing, and
the extent to which His glorious work was destined to reach; but it
placed in a clearer light the relation which (in consequence of it)
God condescended to sustain to His redeemed people; and it supplied a
striking intimation and typification of the nature of the blessings,
which, in virtue of that relation, He designed to confer upon them. It
was a wonderful enlargement of revelation; it was the gospel in
figure, and is so regarded in the New Testament (John 8:56; Gal. 3:8).
The apostle Paul refers to the Abrahamic covenant again and again as
foreshadowing and illustrating the privileges bestowed upon
Christians, and of the principle on which those privileges are
conferred--a faith which is evidenced by obedience.
VIII.
The grand promises of the Abrahamic covenant, as originally given to
the patriarch, are recorded in Genesis 12:2, 3, 7. The covenant itself
was solemnly ratified by sacrifice, thus making it inviolable, in
Genesis 15:9-21. The seal and sign of the covenant, circumcision, is
brought before us in Genesis 17:9-14. The covenant was confirmed by
divine oath in Genesis 22:15-18, which provided a ground of "strong
consolation" (Heb. 6:17-19). There were not two distinct and diverse
covenants made with Abraham (as the older Baptists argued), the one
having respect to spiritual blessings and the other relating to
temporal benefits. The covenant was one, having a special spiritual
object, to which the temporal arrangements and inferior privileges
enjoyed by the nation of Israel were strictly subordinated, and
necessary only as a means of securing the higher results contemplated.
It is true that the contents of the covenant were of a mixed kind,
involving both the natural descendants and the spiritual seed of
Abraham, its promises receiving a minor and major fulfillment. There
was to be a temporary accomplishment of those promises to his natural
offspring here on earth, and there was to be an eternal realization of
them to his spiritual children in heaven. Unless this twofoldness of
the contents of the covenant be steadily borne in mind, it is
impossible to obtain a right and clear view of them. Nevertheless it
is highly essential that we distinguish sharply between the two, lest
we fall into the error of others who insist that the spiritual
blessings belonged not only to the natural seed of Abraham, but to the
offspring of Christians as well. Spiritual blessings cannot be
communicated by carnal propagation.
Nothing could more clearly establish what has just been pointed out
than, "For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: neither
because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, in
Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, they which are the children
of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of
the promise are counted for the seed" (Rom. 9:6-8). All of Abraham's
descendants did not participate in the spiritual blessings promised to
him, for to some of them Christ said, "Ye shall die in your sins"
(John 8:24), which was shadowed forth in the fact that Ishmael and
Esau were excluded from even the temporal privileges enjoyed by the
offspring of Isaac and Jacob. Nor do all the children of Christians
enter into the spiritual privileges promised to Abraham, but only
those which were eternally chosen unto salvation; and who they are
cannot be known until they believe: "Know ye therefore that they which
are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham" (Gal. 3:7).
Let us point out in the next place that Abraham's covenant was
strictly peculiar to himself; for neither in the Old Testament nor in
the New is it ever said that the covenant with Abraham was made on
behalf of all believers, or that it is given to them. The great thing
that the covenant secured to Abraham was that he should have a seed,
and that God would be the God of that seed; but Christians have no
divine warrant that He will be the God of their seed, nor even that
they shall have any children at all. As a matter of fact, many of them
have no posterity; and therefore they cannot have the covenant of
Abraham. The covenant of Abraham was as peculiar to himself as the one
God made with Phinehas, "And he shall have it, and his seed after him,
even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood" (Num. 25:13), and as
the covenant of royalty which God made with David and his seed (2 Sam.
7:12-16). In each case a divine promise was given securing a
posterity; and had no children been born to those men, then God had
broken His covenant.
Look at the original promises made to Abraham: "And I will make of
thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great;
and thou shah be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee,
and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the
earth be blessed" (Gen. 12:2, 3). Has God promised every Christian
that He will make of him a "great nation"? or that He will make his
"name great"--celebrated like the patriarch's was and is? or that in
him "all the families of the earth shall be blessed"? Surely there is
no room for argument here: the very asking of such questions answers
them. Nothing could be more extravagant and absurd than to suppose
that any such promises as these were made to us.
If God fulfills the covenant with Abraham and his seed to every
believer and his seed, then He does so in accord with the terms of the
covenant itself. But if we turn to and carefully examine its contents,
it will at once appear that they were not to be fulfilled in the case
of all believers, in addition to Abraham himself. In that covenant God
promises that Abraham should be "a father of many nations," that
"kings shall come out of thee," that "I will give thee and to thy seed
after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of
Canaan, for an everlasting possession" (Gen. 17:5-8). But Christians
are not made the fathers of many nations; kings do not come out of
them; nor do their descendants occupy the land of Canaan, either
literally or spiritually. How many a godly believer has had to mourn
with David: "Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made
with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure, for
this is all my salvation" (2 Sam. 23:5).
The covenant established no spiritual relation between Abraham and his
offspring; still less does it establish a spiritual relation between
every believer and his babes. Abraham was not the spiritual father of
his own natural offspring, for spiritual qualities cannot be
propagated by carnal generation. Was he the spiritual father of
Ishmael? Was he the spiritual father of Esau? No, indeed; instead,
Abraham was "the father of all them that believe" (Rom. 4:11). So far
as his natural descendants were concerned, Scripture declares that
Abraham was "the father of circumcision to them who are not of the
circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our
father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised" (Rom. 4:12).
What could be plainer? Let us beware of adding to God's Word. No
theory or practice, no matter how venerable it be or how widely held,
is tenable, if no clear Scripture can be found to warrant and
establish it.
The question may be asked, But are not Christians under the Abrahamic
covenant? In the entire absence of any word in Scripture affirming
that they are, we answer No. The blessing of Abraham has indeed "come
on the [believing] Gentiles through Jesus Christ" (Gal. 3:14), and
what this blessing is, the very same verse tells us--namely, "that we
might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. "That blessing
consists not in creating spiritual relations between believers and
their infant offspring, but is for themselves, in response to the
exercise of their faith. Plainer still is Galatians 3:9 in defining
for us what the "blessing of Abraham" is which has come upon the
Gentiles: "So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful
Abraham." And again, "Know ye therefore that they which are of faith,
the same are the children of Abraham" (v. 7). The only spiritual
children of Abraham are such as have faith.
We must now turn to and consider the seal of the covenant. "And God
said unto Abraham, Thou shah keep. my covenant therefore, thou, and
thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant which ye
shall keep between me and you and thy seed after thee: Every man-child
among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of
your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and
you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you,
every man-child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or
bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. He that
is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs
be circumcised; and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an
everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised man-child whose flesh of
his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his
people; he hath broken my covenant" (Gen. 17:9-14).
In seeking to ascertain the significance of the above passage, we
cannot do better than throw upon it the light of the New Testament.
There we are told, "And he [Abraham] received the sign of
circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had
yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that
believe, though they be not circumcised: that righteousness might be
imputed unto them also" (Rom. 4:11). The first observation we would
make upon this verse is that it definitely establishes the unity of
the Abrahamic covenant, for in Romans 4:3 the apostle had quoted from
Genesis 15--where the word covenant occurs for the first time in
connection with Abraham; and now he refers us to Genesis 17, thereby
intimating it is one and the same covenant in both chapters. The main
difference between the two chapters is that the one gives us more the
divine side (ratifying the covenant), the other the human side (the
keeping of the covenant, or obedience to the divine command).
The next thing we would observe is that circumcision was "a seal of
the righteousness of the faith which he had." Again we would say, Let
us be on our guard against adding to God's Word, for nowhere does
Scripture say that circumcision was a seal to anyone but to Abraham
himself; and even in his case, so far was it from communicating any
spiritual blessing, it simply confirmed what was already promised to
him. As a seal from God, circumcision was a divine pledge or guaranty
that from him should issue that seed which would bring blessing to all
nations, and that, on the same terms as justifying righteousness had
become his--by faith alone. It was not a seal of his faith, but of
that righteousness which, in due time, was to be wrought out by the
Messiah and Mediator. Circumcision was not a memorial of anything
which had already been actualized, but an earnest of that which was
yet future--namely, of that justifying righteousness which was to be
brought in by Christ.
But did not God enjoin that all the males of Abraham's household, and
in those of his descendants, should also be circumcised? He did, and
in that very fact we find definite confirmation of what has just been
said above. What did circumcision seal to Abraham's servants and
slaves? Nothing. "Circumcision neither signed nor sealed the blessings
of the covenant of Abraham to the individuals to whom it was by Divine
appointment administered. It did not imply that they who were
circumcised were accounted the heirs of the promises, either temporal
or spiritual. It was not applied to mark them individually as heirs of
the promises. It did not imply this even to Isaac and Jacob, who are
by name designated heirs with Abraham. Their interest in the promises
was secured to them by God's expressly giving them the covenant, but
was not represented in their circumcision. Circumcision marked no
character, and had an individual application to no man but Abraham
himself. It was the token of this covenant; and as a token or sign, no
doubt applied to every promise in the covenant, but it did not
designate the individual circumcised as having a personal interest in
these promises. The covenant promised a numerous seed to Abraham;
circumcision, as the token of that covenant, must have been a sign of
this; but it did not sign this to any other. Any other circumcised
individual, except Isaac and Jacob, to whom the covenant was given by
name, might have been childless.
"Circumcision did not import to any individual that any portion of the
numerous seed of Abraham should descend through him. The covenant
promised that all nations should be blessed in Abraham--that the
Messiah should be his descendant. But circumcision was no sign to any
other that the Messiah should descend from him,--even to Isaac and
Jacob this promise was peculiarly given, and not implied in their
circumcision. From some of Abraham's race, the Messiah, according to
the covenant, must descend, and circumcision was a sign of this: but
this was not signed by circumcision to any one of all his race. Much
less could circumcision `sign' this to the strangers and slaves who
were not of Abraham's posterity. To such, even the temporal promises
were not either `signed' or sealed by circumcision. The covenant
promised Canaan to Abraham's descendants, but circumcision could be no
sign of this to the strangers and slaves who enjoyed no inheritance in
it" (Alexander Carson, 1860).
That circumcision did not seal anything to anyone but to Abraham
himself is established beyond shadow of doubt by the fact that
circumcision was applied to those who had no personal interest in the
covenant to which it was attached. Not only was circumcision
administered by Abraham to the servants and slaves of his household,
but in Genesis 17:23 we read that he circumcised Ishmael, who was
expressly excluded from that covenant! There is no evading the force
of that, and it is impossible to reconcile it with the views so widely
pervading upon the Abrahamic covenant. Furthermore, circumcision was
not submitted to voluntarily, nor given with reference to faith, it
was compulsory, and that in every instance: "He that is born in thy
house, and he that is bought with thy money must needs be circumcised"
(Gen. 17:13)--those refusing, being "cut off from his people" (v. 14).
How vastly different was that from Christian baptism!
It maybe asked, If, then, circumcision sealed nothing to those who
received it, except in the one case of Abraham himself, then why did
God ordain it to be administered to all his male descendants? First,
because it was the mark He selected to distinguish from all other
nations that people from whom the Messiah was to issue. Second,
because it served as a continual reminder that from the Abrahamic
stock the promised Seed would spring--hence, soon after He appeared,
circumcision was set aside by God. Third, because of what it typically
foreshadowed. To be born naturally of the Abrahamic stock gave a title
to circumcision and the earthly inheritance, which was a figure of
their title to the heavenly inheritance of those born of the Spirit.
The servants and slaves in Abraham's household "bought with money"
beautifully adumbrated the truth that those who enter the kingdom of
Christ are "bought" by His blood.
It is a mistake to suppose that baptism has come in the place of
circumcision. As that which supplanted the Old Testament sacrifices
was the one offering of the Savior, as that which superseded the
Aaronic priesthood was the high priesthood of Christ, so that which
has succeeded circumcision is the spiritual circumcision which
believers have in and by Christ: "In whom also ye are circumcised with
the circumcision made without hands, in, putting off the body of the
sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ" (Col. 2:11)--how
simple! how satisfying! "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye
are risen with him" (v. 12) is something additional: it is only
wresting Scripture to say these two verses mean "Being buried with him
in baptism, ye are circumcised." No, no; verse 11 declares the
Christian circumcision is "made without hands," and baptism is
administered by hands! The circumcision "made without hands in putting
off [judicially, before God the body of the sins of the flesh" has
taken the place of the circumcision made with hands. The circumcision
of Christ has come in the place of the circumcision of the law. Never
once in the New Testament is baptism spoken of as the seal of the new
covenant; rather is the Holy Spirit the seal: see Ephesians 1:13;
4:30.
To sum up. The grand design of God's covenant with Abraham was to make
known that through him should come the One who would bring blessing to
all the families of the earth. The promises made to him were to
receive a lower and a higher fulfillment, according as he was to have
both natural and spiritual children--for "kings shall come out of
thee" (Gen. 17:6) compare Revelation 1:6; for "thy seed shall possess
the gate of his enemies" (Gen. 22:17) compare Colossians 2:15; Romans
8:37; I John 5:4. Abraham is called a "father" neither in a federal
nor in a spiritual sense, but because he is the head of the faith clan
the prototype to which all believers are conformed. Christians are not
under the Abrahamic covenant, though they are "blessed with him" by
having their faith counted unto righteousness. Though New Testament
believers are not under the Abrahamic covenant, they are, because of
their union with Christ, heirs of its spiritual inheritance.
It only remains for us now to point out wherein the Abrahamic covenant
adumbrated the everlasting covenant. First, it proclaimed the
international scope of the divine mercy: some out of all nations were
included in the election of grace. Second, it made known the ordained
stock from which the Messiah and Mediator was to issue. Third, it
announced that faith alone secured an interest in all the good God had
promised. Fourth, in Abraham's being the father of all believers was
shadowed forth the truth that Christ is the Father of His own
spiritual seed (Isa. 53:10, 11). Fifth, in Abraham's call from God to
leave his own country and become a sojourner in a strange land, was
typed out Christ's leaving heaven and tabernacling upon earth. Sixth,
as the "heir of the world" (Rom. 4:13), Abraham foreshadowed Christ as
"the heir of all things" (Heb. 1 :2). Seventh, in the promise of
Canaan to his seed we have a figure of the heavenly inheritance which
Christ has procured for His people.
(It seems a sad tragedy that the people of God are so divided on the
subject of baptism. Though we have strong convictions on the subject
we have refrained from pressing--or even presenting--them in this
study. But it seemed impossible to deal faithfully with the Abrahamic
covenant without making some slight reference thereto. We have sought
to write temperately in the above chapter, avoiding harsh expressions
and needless reflections. We trust the reader will kindly receive it
in the spirit in which it is written).
Contents | Intro | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8
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A. W. Pink Header
Divine Covenants by A.W. Pink
Part Five-The Sinaitic Covenant
I.
We have now arrived at a stage of our subject which we fear is not
likely to be of much interest to many of our readers; yet we would ask
them to kindly bear with us for the sake of those who are anxious to
have a systematic exposition thereof. We write, therefore, for those
who desire answers to such questions as the following: What was the
precise nature of the covenant which God entered into with Israel at
Sinai? Did it concern only their temporal welfare as a nation, or did
it also set forth God's requirements for the individual's enjoyment of
eternal blessings? Was a radical change now made in God's revelation
to men and what He demanded of them? Was an entirely different "way of
salvation" now introduced? Wherein is the Sinaitic covenant related to
the others, particularly to the everlasting covenant of grace and to
the Adamic covenant of works? Was it in harmony with the former, or a
renewal of the latter? Was the Sinaitic covenant a simple or a mixed
one: did it have only a "letter" significance pertaining to earthly
things or a "spirit" as well, pertaining to heavenly things? What
specific contribution did it make unto the progressive unfolding of
the divine plan and purpose?
We deem it of great importance that a clear conception be obtained of
the precise nature and meaning of that august transaction which took
place at Sinai, when Jehovah proclaimed the Ten Commandments in the
hearing of Israel. No one who has given any due attention thereto can
fail to perceive that it marked a memorable epoch in the history of
that people. But it was far more than that: it possessed a much deeper
and broader significance--it was the beginning of a new era in the
history of the human race, being a momentous step in that series of
divine dispensations toward fallen mankind. Yet it must be frankly
acknowledged that the subject is as difficult as it is important: the
great diversity of opinion which prevails among the theologians and
divines who have studied the subject is proof thereof. Yet this is no
reason why we should despair of obtaining light thereon. Rather should
it cause us to cry to God for help, and to prosecute our inquiry
cautiously, humbly, and carefully.
What was the precise character of the transaction which Jehovah
entered into with Israel at Sinai? That there was a bona fide covenant
made on that occasion cannot be gainsaid. The term is actually used in
Exodus 19:5: "Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep
my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all
people." So again we read, "And he took the book of the covenant, and
read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the Lord
hath said will we do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, and
sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold, the blood of the
covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these
words" (Ex. 24:7, 8). Years after, when rehearsing God's dealings with
Israel, Moses said, "The Lord our God made a covenant with us in
Horeb" (Deut. 5:2). Not only is the word covenant used, but the
transactions at Sinai contained all the elements of a covenant: the
contracting parties were the Lord God and Israel; the condition was,
"If ye will obey my voice indeed"; the promise was, "Ye shall be unto
me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex. 19:6); the penalty was
the curses of Deuteronomy 28:15, and so forth.
But what was the nature and design of that covenant? Did God mock His
fallen creatures by formally renewing the (Adamic) covenant of works,
which they had already broken, under the curse of which all by nature
lay, and which He knew they could not keep for a single hour? Such a
question answers itself. Or did God do with Israel then as He does
with His people now: first redeem, and then put under law as a rule of
life, a standard of conduct? But if that were the case, why enter into
this formal "covenant"? Even Fairbairn virtually cuts the knot here by
saying that the form of a covenant is of no consequence at all. But
this covenant form at Sinai is the very thing which requires to be
accounted for. Christians are not put under the law as a covenant,
though they are as a rule. No help is to be obtained by dodging
difficulties or by denying their existence; they must be fairly and
prayerfully grappled with.
There is no doubt in my mind that many have been led astray when
considering the typical teaching of Israel's history and the antitype
in the experience of Christians, by failing to duly note the contrasts
as well as the comparisons between them. It is true that God's
deliverance of Israel from the bondage of Egypt blessedly foreshadowed
the redemption of His elect from sin and Satan; yet let it not be
forgotten that the majority of those who were emancipated from
Pharaoh's slavery perished in the wilderness, not being suffered to
enter the promised land. Nor are we left to mere reasoning at this
point: it is placed upon inspired record that "behold, the days come
saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of
Israel and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that
I made with their fathers, in the day when I took them by the hand to
lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my
covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord" (Heb. 8:8, 9). Thus
we have divine authority for saying that God's dealings with Israel at
Sinai were not a parallel with His dealings with His people under the
gospel, but a contrast!
Herman Witsius took the view that the Sinaitic compact was neither,
formally, the covenant of grace nor the covenant of works, but a
national covenant which presupposed them both, and that it promised
"not only temporal blessings . . . but also spiritual and eternal." So
far so good. But when he states (bk. 4, sec. 4, par. 43-45) that the
condition of this covenant was "a sincere, though not, in every
respect, a perfect obedience of His commands," we certainly cannot
agree. Witsius held that the Sinaitic covenant differed from the
covenant of works--which made no provision or allowance for the
acceptance of a sincere though imperfect obedience; and that it
differed from the covenant of grace, since it contained no promises of
strength to enable Israel to render that obedience. Though plausible,
his position is not only erroneous but highly dangerous. God never
promised eternal life to men on the condition of an imperfect but
sincere obedience--that would overthrow the whole argument of Romans
and Galatians.
Thomas Bell (1814) in his heavy work on The Covenants insists that
"the covenant of works was delivered from Sinai, yet as subservient to
the Covenant of Grace." Such an accurate thinker was bound to feel the
pressure of those difficulties which such a postulate involves, yet he
took a strange way of getting out of them. Appealing to Deuteronomy
29:1, Bell argued that God made "two distinct covenants with Israel,"
and that "the one made in Moab was the Covenant of Grace," and that
"the two covenants mentioned in Deuteronomy 29:1 are as opposite as
the righteousness of the law and the righteousness of faith." We will
not here attempt to show the unsatisfactoriness and untenability of
such an inference; suffice it to say there is less warrant for it than
to conclude that God made two totally distinct covenants with Abraham
(in Genesis 15 and 17): the covenant at Moab was a renewal of the
Sinaitic, as the ones made with Isaac and Jacob were of the original
one with Abraham.
Quite a different idea has been advanced by those known as the
Plymouth Brethren. Darby (who had quite a penchant for novelties)
advanced the theory that at Sinai Israel made a fatal blunder,
deliberately abandoning the ground of receiving all from God on the
basis of pure grace, and in their stupidity and self-sufficiency
agreeing henceforth to earn His favors. The idea is that when God
rehearsed His merciful dealings with them (Ex. 19:4) and then added,
"Now therefore if ye will obey my voice indeed and keep my covenant,
then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people," that
Israel was guilty of perverting His words, and evidenced their
carnality and pride by saying, "All that the Lord hath spoken, we will
do." Those are regarded as most disastrous words, leading to most
disastrous results; for it is supposed that, from this time, God
entirely changed His attitude toward them.
In his Synopsis, Darby concludes his remarks on Exodus 18 and opens 19
by saying, "But having thus terminated the course of grace the scene
changes entirely. They do not keep the feast on the mount, whither
God, as He had promised, had led them--had brought them, bearing them
as on eagles `wings, to Himself.' He proposes a condition to them: If
they obeyed His voice, they should be His people. The people--instead
of knowing themselves, and saying, `We dare not, though bound to obey,
place ourselves under such a condition, and risk our blessing, yea,
make sure of losing it'--undertake to do all that the Lord has spoken.
The blessing now took the form of dependence, like Adam's on the
faithfulness of man as well as of God. . . . The people, however, are
not permitted to approach God, who hid Himself in the darkness."
C. H. Mackintosh, in his comments on Exodus 19, says, "It [the scene
presented at the end of 18] was but a brief moment of sunshine in
which a very vivid picture of the kingdom was afforded; but the
sunshine was speedily followed by the heavy clouds which gathered
around that `palpable mount,' where Israel, in a spirit of dark and
senseless legality, abandoned His covenant of pure grace for man's
covenant of works. Disastrous movement! A movement fraught with the
most dismal results. Hitherto as we have seen no enemy could stand
before Israel--no obstacle was suffered to interrupt their onward and
victorious march. Pharaoh's hosts were overthrown, Amalek and his
people were discomfitted with the edge of the sword; all was victory,
because God was acting on behalf of His people in pursuance of His
promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
"In the opening verses of the chapter now before us, the Lord
recapitulates His actions toward Israel in the following touching and
beautiful language: see Ex. 29:3-6. Observe, it is `My voice' and `My
covenant.' What was the utterance of that `voice'? and what did that
`covenant' involve? Had Jehovah's voice made itself heard for the
purpose of laying down the rules and regulations of a severe and
unbending lawgiver? By no means. It had spoken to demand freedom for
the captive, to provide a refuge from the sword of the destroyer, to
make a way for the ransomed to pass over, to bring down bread from
heaven, to draw forth water out of the flinty rock; such had been the
gracious and intelligible utterance of Jehovah's `voice' up to the
moment at which `Israel camped before the mount.'
"And as to His `covenant,' it was one of unmingled grace. It proposed
no condition, it made no demands, it put no yoke on the neck, no
burden on the shoulder. When `the God of glory appeared unto Abraham'
in Ur of the Chaldees, He certainly did not address him in such words
as thou shall do this, and thou shall not do that, ah, no; such
language was not according to His heart. It suits Him far better to
place `a fair mitre' upon a sinner's head than to put a `yoke upon his
neck.' His word to Abraham was `I will give.' The land of Canaan was
not to be purchased by man's doings, but to be given by God's grace.
Thus it stood; and in the opening of the Book of Exodus we see God
coming down in grace to make good His promise to Abraham's seed. . . .
However, Israel was not disposed to occupy this blessed position."
As so many have been misled by this teaching, we will digress for a
moment and show how utterly un-Scriptural it is. It is a serious
mistake to say that in the Abrahamic covenant God "proposed no
conditions, and made no demands, it put no yoke on the neck." As we
pointed out in our chapters thereon when studying the Abrahamic
covenant, attention is not to be confined unto one or two particular
passages; but the whole of God's dealings with that patriarch are to
be taken into consideration. Did not God say to Abraham: "Walk before
me, and be thou upright, and I will make a covenant between me and
thee" (Gen. 17:1)? Did He not say: "For I know him, that he will
command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep
the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that [in order that]
the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him"
(Gen. 18:19)? Abraham had to "keep the way of the Lord," which is
defined as "to do justice and judgment"--that is, to walk obediently,
in subjection to God's revealed will--if he was to receive the
fulfillment of the divine promises.
Again: did not the Lord expressly confirm His covenant to Abraham by
oath in saying: "By myself have I sworn, with the Lord, for because
thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only
son, That in blessing I will bless thee," and so forth (Gen. 22:16,
17). It is true, blessedly true, that God dealt with Abraham in pure
grace; but it is equally true that He dealt with him as a responsible
creature, as subject to the divine authority and placed him under law.
At a later date, when Jehovah renewed the covenant to Isaac, He said:
"I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will
give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the
nations of the earth be blessed [the original covenant promise]
because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my
commandments, my statutes, and my laws" (Gen. 26:4, 5). That is clear
enough; and nothing could be plainer that God introduced no change in
His dealings with Abraham's descendants when He said to Israel at
Sinai, "Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my
covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all
people" (Ex. 19:5).
Equally clear is it from Scripture that the nation of Israel was
itself under law before they reached Sinai: "If thou wilt diligently
hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is
right in his sight, and will give ear to his commandments and keep all
his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon you" (Ex. 15:26).
Is it not strange to see men ignoring such plain passages? Lest the
quibble be raised that the reference to God's "commandments and
statutes" in that passage was prospective--that is, in view of the law
which was shortly to be given them--note the following, "Behold, I
will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and
gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they
will walk in my law, or no" (Ex. 16:4). The meaning of this is
explained in "tomorrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord"
(Ex. 16:23). Alas for their response: "There went out some of the
people on the seventh day to gather" (v. 27). Now mark carefully God's
complaint: "How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?"
(Ex. 16:28). So the reference in 16:4 was not prospective, but
retrospective: Israel was under law long before they reached Sinai!
But in further rebuttal of the strange theory mentioned above, we
would ask, Was it not the Lord Himself who took the initiative in this
so-called abandonment of the Abrahamic covenant? For it was He who
sent Moses to the people with the words (Ex. 19:5) which manifestly
sought to evoke an affirmative reply! Again, we ask, If their reply
proceeded from carnal pride and self-sufficiency, if it displayed an
intolerable arrogance and presumption, why did it call forth no formal
rebuke? So far from the Lord being displeased with Israel's promise,
He said to Moses: "Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the
people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee forever" (Ex.
19:9). Again: why, at the rehearsal of this transaction, did Moses
say, "The Lord said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of
this people, which they have spoken unto thee; they have well said all
that they have spoken," and then breathed the wish, "O that there were
such an heart in them, that would fear me, and keep all my
commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their
children forever" (Deut. 5:28, 29).
How utterly excuseless and untenable is this theory (which has been
accepted by many and echoed in the Scofield Bible) in the light of the
plain facts of Holy Writ. Had Israel acted so madly and
presumptuously, would the Lord have gone through all the formalities
of a covenant transaction (Ex. 24:3-8)? Had the words uttered by Him,
and responded to by the people, been based on impossible conditions on
the one side and palpable lies on the other, a covenant would be
unthinkable. Finally, let it be carefully observed that so far from
God pronouncing a judgment upon Israel for their promise at Sinai, He
declared that, on their performance of the same, they would be
peculiarly honored and blessed (Ex. 23:27-29; Deut. 6:28).
II.
In approaching the study of the Sinaitic covenant, several things need
attending to. First, it is to be viewed in connection with all that
had preceded it (particularly the earlier covenants), rather than
regarded as an isolated transaction: only thus can its details be seen
in their proper perspective. Second, it is to be pondered in relation
to the eternal purpose of God, and the gradual and progressive
unfolding thereof which He gave unto His people: there was something
more in it than what is merely temporal and evanescent. Third, the
full light of the later communications from God must not be read back
into it; nevertheless, the direct references to the Mosaic
dispensation in the New Testament are to be carefully weighed in
connection therewith.
Let us start, then, by considering what had preceded the Sinaitic
covenant. Confining ourselves to that which relates the closest to our
present inquiry, let us remind ourselves that under the preceding
covenant God had made it known that the promised Messiah and Redeemer
should spring from the line of Abraham. Now, clearly, that
necessitated several things. The existence of Abraham's descendants as
a separate people became indispensable, so that Christ's descent could
be undeniably traced and the leading promise of that covenant clearly
verified. Moreover, the isolation of Abraham's descendants (Israel)
from the heathen was equally essential for the preservation of the
knowledge and worship of God in the earth, until the fullness of time
should come and a higher dispensation succeed. In pursuance of this,
to Israel were committed the living oracles, and amongst them the
ordinances of divine worship were authoritatively established.
It was not until the large family of Jacob had developed (seventy-five
souls: Acts 7:14) that the Abrahamic covenant, in its natural aspect,
began to bud toward fulfillment. There was then a fair prospect of
their progressive increase; yet considerable time would be required
before they could attain that augmentation in numbers which would
justify their political organization as a separate nation and put them
into a condition to occupy the promised inheritance. In order for
that, the providence of God gave them a temporary settlement in Egypt,
which was greatly to their advantage. A season in the midst of the
most learned nation of antiquity afforded the Israelites an
opportunity of obtaining instruction in many important branches of
knowledge, of which they took advantage, as their subsequent history
shows; while the fact that "every shepherd was an abomination to the
Egyptians" (Gen. 46:34) kept the two nations apart religiously, so
that to a considerable extent the Hebrews were preserved from
idolatry. Later, the cruel bondage they experienced there made them
glad to leave.
In Egypt, the descendants of Abraham had multiplied so extensively
that by the time of the great Exodus there were probably at least two
million souls. If, then, they were to be organized into a nation, and
brought into proper subjection to God, it was necessary that He should
make a full revelation of His will for them, giving them laws and
precepts for the regulation of all phases of their corporate and
individual lives; and, above all, prescribe the nature and
requirements of the divine worship. This is what Jehovah graciously
did at Sinai. There, God gave Israel a full declaration of His claims
upon them and what He required of them, providing a "constitution"
which had in view naught but their own good and the glorifying of His
great name; the whole being ratified by a solemn covenant. This was a
decided advance on all that had gone before, and marked another step
forward in the unfolding of the divine plan.
But at this point we are faced with a formidable difficulty, namely,
the remarkable diversity in the representation found in later
Scripture respecting the tendency and bearing of the law on those who
were subject to it. On the one hand, we find a class of passages which
represent the law as coming expressly from Israel's redeemer,
conveying a benign aspect and aiming at happy results. Moses extolled
the condition of Israel as, on this very account, surpassing that of
all other people: "For what nation is there so great, who hath God so
nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon
him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and
judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this
day?" (Deut. 4:7, 8). The same sentiment is echoed in various forms in
the Psalms. "He showed his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his
judgments unto Israel. He hath not dealt so with any nation; and as
for his judgments, they have not known them" (Ps. 147:19, 20). "Great
peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall offend them"
(Ps. 119:165).
But on the other hand, there is another class of passages which appear
to point in the very opposite direction. In these the law is
represented as a source of trouble and terror--a bondage from which it
is true liberty to escape. "The law worketh wrath" (Rom. 4:15); "the
strength of sin is the law" (1 Cor. 15:56). In 2 Corinthians 3:7, 9
the apostle speaks of the law as "the ministration of death, written
and engraven in stones," and as "the ministration of condemnation."
Again, he declares, "For as many as are of the works of the law are
under the curse" (Gal. 3:10). "Stand fast therefore in the liberty
wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with
the yoke of bondage. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be
circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to
every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole
law" (Gal. 5:1-3).
Now it is very obvious that such diverse and antagonistic
representations could not have been given of the law in the same
respect, or with the same regard, to its direct and primary aim. We
are obliged to believe that both these representations are true, being
alike found in the volume of inspiration. Thus it is clear that
Scripture requires us to contemplate the law from more than one point
of view, and with regard to different uses and applications of it.
What those different viewpoints are, and what the varied uses and
applications of the law, will be pointed out later on. For the
present, we confine ourselves to a consideration of the place which
the law holds in the Mosaic economy. This is surely the only logical
order to follow, for it is the happier class of representation which
are found in the Pentateuch, occupying the foreground; while the
others come in afterward, and must be noticed by us subsequently.
"The national covenant with Israel was here (Ex. 19:5) meant; the
charter upon which they were incorporated, as a people, under the
government of Jehovah. It was an engagement of God, to give Israel
possession of Canaan, and to protect them in it: to render the land
fruitful, and the nation victorious and prosperous, and to perpetuate
His oracles and ordinances among them; so long as they did not, as a
people, reject His authority, apostatize to idolatry, and tolerate
open wickedness. These things constitute a forfeiture of the covenant;
as their national rejection of Christ did afterwards. True believers
among them were personally dealt with according to the Covenant of
Grace, even as true Christians now are; and unbelievers were under the
Covenant of Works, and liable to condemnation by it, as at present:
yet, the national covenant was not strictly either the one or the
other, but had something in it of the nature of each.
"The national covenant did not refer to the final salvation of
individuals: nor was it broken by the disobedience, or even idolatry,
of any number of them, provided this was not sanctioned or tolerated
by public authority. It was indeed a type of the covenant made with
true believers in Christ Jesus, as were all the transactions with
Israel; but, like other types, it `had not the very image,' but only
`a shadow of good things to come.' When, therefore, as a nation, they
had broken this covenant, the Lord declared that He would make `a new
covenant with Israel, putting His law,' not only in their hands, but
`in their inward parts'; and `writing it,' not upon tables of stone,
`but in their hearts; forgiving their iniquity and remembering their
sin no more' (Jer. 31:32-34; Heb. 8:7-12; 10:16, 17). The Israelites
were under a dispensation of mercy, and had outward privileges and
great advantages in various ways for salvation: yet, like professing
Christians, the most of them rested in these, and looked no further.
The outward covenant was made with the Nation, entitling them to
outward advantages, upon the condition of outward national obedience;
and the covenant of Grace was ratified personally with true believers,
and sealed and secured spiritual blessings to them, by producing a
holy disposition of heart, and spiritual obedience to the Divine law.
In case Israel kept the covenant, the Lord promised that they should
be to Him `a peculiar treasure.' `All the earth' (Ex. 19:5) being the
Lord's, He might have chosen any other people instead of Israel: and
this implied that, as His choice of them was gratuitous, so if they
rejected His covenant, He would reject them, and communicate their
privileges to others; as indeed He hath done, since the introduction
of the Christian dispensation" (Thomas Scott).
The above quotation contains the most lucid, comprehensive, and yet
simple analysis of the Sinaitic covenant which we have met with in all
our reading. It draws a clear line of distinction between God's
dealings with Israel as a nation, and with individuals in it. It shows
the correct position of the everlasting covenant of grace and the
Adamic covenant of works in relation to the Mosaic dispensation. All
were born under the condemnation of their federal head (Adam), and
while they continued unregenerate and in unbelief, were under the
wrath of God; whereas God's elect, upon believing, were treated by Him
then, as individuals, in precisely the same way as they are now. Scott
brings out clearly the character, the scope, the design, and the
limitation of the Sinaitic covenant: its character was a supplementary
combination of law and mercy; its scope was national; its design was
to regulate the temporal affairs of Israel under the divine
government; its limitation was determined by Israel's obedience or
disobedience. The typical nature of it--the hardest point to
elucidate--is also allowed. We advise the interested student to reread
the last four paragraphs.
Much confusion will be avoided and much help obtained if the Sinaitic
economy be contemplated separately under its two leading aspects,
namely, as a system of religion and government designed for the
immediate use of the Jews during the continuance of that dispensation;
and then as a scheme of preparation for another and better economy, by
which it was to be superseded when its temporal purpose had been
fulfilled. The first design and the immediate end of what God revealed
through Moses was to instruct and order the life of Israel, now formed
into a nation. The second and ultimate intention of God was to prepare
the people, by a lengthy course of discipline, for the coming of
Christ. The character of the Sinaitic covenant was, in itself, neither
purely evangelical nor exclusively legal: divine wisdom devised a
wondrous and blessed comingling of righteousness and grace, justice
and mercy. The requirements of the high and unchanging holiness of God
were clearly revealed; while His goodness, kindness, and
long-suffering were also as definitely manifested. The moral and the
ceremonial law, running together side by side, presented and
maintained a perfect balance, which only the corruption of fallen
human nature failed to reap the full advantage of.
The covenant which God made with Israel at Sinai required outward
obedience to the letter of the law. It contained promises of national
blessing if they, as a people, kept the law; and it also announced
national calamities if they were disobedient. This is unmistakably
clear from such a passage as the following: "Wherefore it shall come
to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep and do them, that
the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which
he sware unto thy fathers: And he will love thee, and bless thee, and
multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit
of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of
thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto
thy fathers to give thee. Thou shalt be blessed above all people:
there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your
cattle. And the Lord will take away from thee all sickness, and will
put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee;
but will lay them upon all them that hate thee. And thou shalt consume
all the people which the Lord thy God shall deliver thee" (Deut.
7:12-16).
In connection with the above passage notice, first, the definite
reference made to God's "mercy," which proves that He did not deal
with Israel on the bare ground of exacting and relentless law, as some
have erroneously supposed. Second, observe the reference which the
Lord here made unto His oath to their fathers, that is Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob; which shows that the Sinaitic covenant was based upon, and
not divorced from, the Abrahamic--Israel's occupation of Canaan being
the "letter" fulfillment of it. Third, if, as a nation, Israel
rendered unto their God the obedience to which He was entitled as
their King and Governor, then He would love and bless them--under the
Christian economy there is no promise that He will love and bless any
who live in defiance of His claims upon them! Fourth, the specific
blessings here enumerated were all of a temporal and material kind. In
other passages God threatened to bring upon them plagues and judgments
(Deut. 28:15-65) for disobedience. The whole was a compact promising
to Israel certain outward and national blessings on the condition of
their rendering to God a general outward obedience to His law.
The tenor of the covenant made with them was, "Now therefore, if ye
will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a
peculiar treasure unto me above all people; for all the earth is mine,
and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation" (Ex.
19:5, 6). "Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the
way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of
him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your
transgressions: for my name is in him. But if thou shalt indeed obey
his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine
enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries" (Ex. 23:20-22).
Nevertheless, a provision of mercy was made where true repentance for
failure was evidenced: "If they shall confess their iniquity, and the
iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed
against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; and that
I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the
land of their enemies: if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled,
and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity: Then will I
remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and
also my covenant with Abraham. . . . These are the statutes and
judgments and laws which the Lord made between him and the children of
Israel in Mount Sinai by the hand of Moses" (Lev. 26:40-42, 46).
The Sinaitic covenant in no way interfered with the divine
administration of either the everlasting covenant of grace (toward the
elect) nor the Adamic covenant of works (which all by nature lie
under); it being in quite another region. Whether the individual
Israelites were heirs of blessing under the former, or under the curse
of the latter, in no wise hindered or affected Israel's being as a
people under this national regime, which respected not inward and
eternal blessings, but only outward and temporal interests. Nor did
God in entering into this arrangement with Israel mock their impotency
or tantalize them with vain hopes, any more than He does so now, when
it still holds good that "righteousness exalteth a nation; but sin is
a reproach to nations" (Prov. 14:34). Though it be true that Israel
miserably failed to keep their national engagements and brought down
upon themselves the penalties which God had threatened, nevertheless,
the obedience which He required of them was not obviously and
hopelessly impracticable: nay, there were bright periods in their
history when it was fairly rendered, and the fruits of it were
manifestly enjoyed by them.
III.
Considered as a part of the gradual and progressive unfolding of God's
eternal purpose, the Sinaitic transaction marked a decided step
forward upon the Abrahamic covenant, while it was also a most suitable
scheme of preparation for Christianity; considered separately by
itself, the Sinaitic transaction was the giving of a system of
government designed for the immediate use of the Jews. These two
leading aspects must be kept distinct if hopeless confusion is to be
avoided. It is of the second we continue to treat, namely the Sinaitic
covenant as it pertained strictly to the nation of Israel. It
announced certain outward and temporal blessings on the condition that
Israel as a people remained in subjection to their divine King, while
it threatened national curses and calamities if they rejected His
scepter and flouted His laws. This supplies the key to the entire
history of the Jews.
As an example and exemplification of what has just been said, take the
following, "Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord,
and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and
I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a
stretched out arm, and with great judgments; And I will take you to me
for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am
the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of
the Egyptians. And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the
which I did sware to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I
will give it you for a heritage: I am the Lord" (Ex. 6:6-8). Now that
passage has presented a formidable difficulty to those who have
thoughtfully pondered it, for scarcely any of the adults whom God
brought out of Egypt ever entered Canaan! How, then, is this to be
explained?
Thus: first, that promise concerned Israel as a people, and did not by
any means necessarily imply that all, or even any of that particular
generation were to enter Canaan. The divine veracity was not sullied:
forty years later the nation did obtain the promised inheritance.
Second, other passages must be compared with it. In Exodus 6 no
express condition was mentioned in connection with the promise, not
even the believing of it. Yet, so far as that generation was
concerned, this, as the sequel clearly shows, was implied; for if it
had been an absolute, unconditional promise to that generation, it
must have been performed, otherwise God had failed to make good His
word. That the promise to that generation was suspended upon their
faith is plain from Hebrews 3:18, 19. Third, therein we see the
contrast: the fulfillment of every condition is secured for us in and
by Christ.
The Sinaitic covenant, then, was a compact promising to Israel as a
people certain material and national blessings on the condition of
their rendering to God a general obedience to His laws. But at this
point it may be objected that God, who is infinitely holy and whose
prerogative it is to search the heart, could never be satisfied with
an outward and general obedience, which in the case of many would be
hollow and insincere. The objection is pertinent and presents a real
difficulty: how can we meet it? Very simply: this would be true of
individuals as such, but not necessarily so where nations are
concerned. And why not, it may be asked? For this reason: because
nations as such have only a temporary existence; therefore they must
be rewarded or punished in this present world, or not at all! This
being so, the kind of obedience required from them is lower than from
individuals, whose rewards and punishments shall be eternal.
But again it may be objected, Did not the Lord declare, "I will take
you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God" (Ex. 6:7)? Is
there not something far more spiritual implied there than a national
covenant, something in its terms which could not be exhausted by
merely outward and temporal blessings? Once more we must insist upon
drawing a broad line between what pertains to individuals and what is
applicable to nations. This objection would be quite valid if that
promise described the relation of God to the individual soul, but the
case is quite different when we remember the relation in which God
stands to a nation as such! To ascertain the exact purport and scope
of the divine promises to Israel as a people we must take note of the
actual engagements which we find He entered into with them as a
nation. This is quite obvious, yet few theologians have followed it
out consistently when dealing with what is now before us.
Let it next be pointed out that the view we have propounded above (and
in the preceding chapter) of the nature and scope of the Sinaitic
covenant, agrees fully with the statements made regarding it in the
New Testament, the most important of which is found in Hebrews 8,
where it is contrasted from the better and new covenant under which
Christians are now living. At first view it may appear that the
antithesis drawn between the two covenants in Hebrews 8 is so radical
that it must be an opposition between the covenant of works made with
Adam and the covenant of grace made with believers under the gospel;
in fact, several able commentators so understand it. But this is quite
a mistake, and one which carries serious implications, for error on
one point affects, more or less, the whole of our theological
thinking. A little reflection should quickly determine this matter.
In the first place, the people of God, even before the incarnation of
Christ, were not under the broken covenant of works, with its
inevitable curse, but enjoyed the blessings of the everlasting
covenant which God had made with their surety before the foundation of
the world. In the second place, such a view of the Sinaitic covenant
(i.e., making it a repetition of the one entered into with Adam) would
be in flat contradiction to what is said in the Epistle to the
Galatians, where it is specifically declared that, whatever may have
been God's purpose in the giving of the law, it was not meant to and
could not annul the promises made to Abraham or supersede the previous
method of salvation by faith which was revealed to that patriarch. But
if we understand the apostle (and remember he was addressing Jews in
the Hebrews Epistle) to be drawing a contrast between the national
covenant made with their fathers at Sinai, and the far higher and
better covenant into which Jews and Gentiles are brought by faith in
Christ, then we get a satisfactory explanation of Hebrews 8 and one
that brings it into complete harmony with Galatians 3.
Observe carefully what is said in Hebrews 8 to be the characteristic
difference between the new and the old economies: "I will put my laws
into their minds and write them in their hearts" (v. 10). No promise
in any wise comparable to this was given at Sinai. But the absence of
any assurance of the Spirit's internal and effectual operations was
quite in keeping with the fact that the Mosaic economy required not so
much an inward and spiritual, as an outward and natural obedience to
the law, which for them had nothing higher than temporal sanctions.
This is a fundamental principle which has not received the
consideration to which it is entitled: it is vital to a clear
understanding of the radical difference which obtains between Judaism
and Christianity. Under the former God dealt with one nation only; now
He is manifesting His grace to elect individuals scattered among all
nations. Under the former He simply made known His requirements; in
the latter He actually produces that which meets His requirements.
Galatians 3 shows plainly that the Sinaitic covenant was subsidiary to
the promises given to Abraham concerning his Seed: "Wherefore then
serveth the law [i.e., the entire legal economy]? It was added because
of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was
made" (v. 19). Thus it is clear that from the first the Mosaic economy
was designed to be but temporary, to last only from the time of
Israel's sojourn in the wilderness till Christ. It was needed because
of their "transgressions." The children of Israel were so intractable
and perverse, so prone to depart from God, that without such a
divinely provided hedge, they would have lost their national identity,
mixing themselves with the surrounding nations and becoming sunk in
their idolatrous ways. The Holy Spirit was not then so largely given
that, by the potent influences of His grace, such a disastrous issue
would have been prevented. Therefore a temporary arrangement, such as
Judaism provided, was essential to preserve a pure stock from which
the promised Messiah should issue; and this end the Sinaitic covenant,
with its promises and penalties, did effect!
But there was another and deeper reason for the legal economy. Though
the Sinaitic compact was not identical with the covenant of works made
with Adam, yet, in some respects, it closely resembled it: it was
analogous to it, only on a lower plane. During the fifteen hundred
years which elapsed between Sinai and Bethlehem, God carried out a
practical demonstration with the two great divisions of the human
race. The Gentiles were left to the light of nature: they were
"suffered to walk in their own ways" (Acts 14:16; cf. 17:26-30), and
this in order to supply an answer (for men) to the question, "Can
fallen man, in the exercise of his own unaided reason and conscience
find out God, and raise himself to a higher and better life?" One has
only to consult the history of the great nations of that period--the
Egyptians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans--to see the
hopelessness of such an attempt. Romans 1:21-31 gives the inspired
comment thereon.
Running parallel with God's suffering all nations (the Gentiles) to
walk in their own ways, was another experiment (speaking from the
human side of things, for from the divine side "Known unto God are all
his works from the beginning of the world": Acts 15:18), conducted on
a smaller scale, yet quite as decisive in its outcome. The Jews were
placed under a covenant of law to supply an answer to this further
question, "Can fallen man, when placed in most favorable
circumstances, win eternal life by any doings of his own? Can he, even
when separated from the heathen, taken into outward covenant with God,
supplied with a complete divine code for the regulation of his
conduct, conquer indwelling sin and act so as to secure his acceptance
with the thrice holy God?" The answer furnished by the history of
Israel is an emphatic negative. The lesson supplied thereby for all
succeeding generations of the human race is written in unmistakable
language: If Israel failed under the national covenant of outward and
general obedience, how impossible it is for any member of Adam's
depraved offspring to render spiritual and perfect obedience!
In the spirit of it, the Sinaitic covenant contained the same moral
law as the law of nature under which Adam was created and placed in
Eden--the tenth commandment giving warning that something more than
outward things were required by God. Yet only those who were divinely
illumined could perceive this--it was not until the Holy Spirit
applied that tenth commandment in power to the conscience of Saul of
Tarsus that he first realized that he was an inward transgressor of
the law (Rom. 7:7, etc.). The great bulk of the nation, blinded by
their self-sufficiency and self-righteousness, turned the Sinaitic
compact into the covenant of works, elevating the handmaid into the
position of the married wife--as Abraham did with Hagar. Galatians 4
reveals that, while the Sinaitic covenant was regarded as subservient
to the covenant of grace, it served important practical ends; but when
Israel perversely elevated it to the place which the better covenant
was designed to hold, it became a hindrance and the fruitful mother of
bondage.
The grievous error into which so many of the Jews fell concerning the
design of God in giving them His law has been perpetuated, though in a
modified form, by some of our own theologians. This is due to their
failure to properly recognize the condition of Israel at Sinai. But
once we see what they already possessed, it rules out of court the
idea of the law being intended to convey the same to them. When was it
that they received from God His law? Not while they were still in the
land of Pharaoh, nor while they were on the Egyptian side of the Red
Sea, but after they had been completely delivered from their
taskmasters. It is clear then beyond contradiction, from the very time
of its introduction, that the law was not given to Israel in order to
deliver them from evil or as a procurer of blessing. It could not have
for its design the delivering of them from death or the obtaining of
God's favor, for such blessings were already theirs.
It is of great importance to keep distinctly in view what the law was
never designed to effect. If we exalt it to a position which it was
never meant to occupy, or expect benefits from it which it was never
fitted to yield, then we shall not only err in our own reckonings, but
deprive ourselves of any clear knowledge of the dispensation to which
it belonged. It was in order to define the negative side of the
law--what it was not intended to procure--that the apostle declared:
"And this I say, the covenant, that was confirmed before of God
concerning Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years
after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none
effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of
promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise" (Gal. 3:17, 18). This
is decisive, yet perhaps a few words of explanation will enable the
reader to more easily grasp its purport.
It was because the Jews had, for the most part, come to regard their
obedience to the law as constituting their title to the inheritance,
and because certain of the Judaizers were beginning to corrupt the
Galatian converts with the leaven of their self-righteousness, that
the apostle was here moved by the Spirit to check this evil, and to
expose the basic error from which it proceeded. He presses upon them
the Scriptural facts of the nature and design of Jehovah's covenant
with Abraham, which he declares was "confirmed before of God
concerning Christ." The covenant promise made to Abraham is said to be
"concerning Christ," first, because it had preeminent regard to Him;
and second, because it had in view the covenant of redemption which He
was to establish. The particular point which the apostle now
emphasized was, that the Abrahamic covenant expressly conferred on his
posterity, as God's free gift, the inheritance of the land of
Canaan--which entailed their deliverance from the land of bondage and
their safe passage through the wilderness, which were necessary in
order for them to enter and take possession thereof.
Thus the apostle made it unmistakably clear that Israel's title to
Canaan could not possibly need to be reacquired by a law righteousness
performed by them personally, for in such a case the law would revoke
the covenant of promise, and thereby the latter revelation which God
made at Sinai would overthrow the foundation of what He had laid in
His promises to Abraham. That the Lord never meant for the law to
interfere with the gifts and promises of the Abrahamic covenant is
abundantly clear from what He said to Israel immediately before the
law was formally announced from Sinai: "Ye have seen what I did unto
the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you
unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep
my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all
people: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom
of priests, and a holy nation" (Ex. 19:4-6).
From the above quotation it will be seen that God addressed Israel as
already standing in such a blessed relation to Him as evidenced for
them an interest in His love and faithfulness. He appealed to the
proofs which He had given of this, as being not only sufficient to set
their hearts at rest, but also to encourage them to expect whatever
might still be needed to complete their felicity. "Now therefore, if
ye will obey my voice": not because ye have obeyed it have I wrought
so mightily for you: but these things have been done that ye might
render me loving and loyal subjection. So too He prefaced the Ten
Commandments with "I am the Lord thy God which have brought thee out
of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage" (Ex. 20:2). He
rests His claims to their obedience on the grace that He had already
bestowed upon them.
(For much in the early paragraphs of this chapter we are indebted to
an able discussion of the character of the Sinaitic covenant by Robert
Balfour, which appeared in the British and Foreign Evangelical Review
of July 1877.)
IV.
When God established His covenant with Abraham He said to him, "Know
of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not
theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred
years. And also that nation, whom they shall serve will I judge; and
afterwards shall they come out with great substance" (Gen. 15:13, 14).
Accordingly, when the time approached for the execution of judgment on
their oppressors, the servitude of Israel had reached its extreme
point, and the bitterness of their bondage had awakened in their minds
an earnest desire for deliverance. Their discipline was an essential
part of their preparation for the benefits which God designed to
bestow upon them. Contemporaneously with those events, Moses was
raised up as the instrument of their deliverance, and was divinely
qualified for the work assigned him.
Moses, acting under divine directions and by a series of remarkable
judgments upon Egypt, extorted from Pharaoh a reluctant permission for
their departure from his land, with all their possessions. Those
judgments were designed not only to afford a practical confutation of
the idolatry of the Egyptians and a retribution for their cruel
oppression of God's people, but more particularly an open vindication
of the supremacy of Jehovah in the sight of the surrounding nations,
and at the same time to influence the hearts of the people themselves
so as to induce a heartfelt acknowledgment of God, and a prompt and
cheerful obedience to Him. Assuredly, no course could have been more
fitted to accomplish those ends. The manifestations of divine power
Israel had witnessed, the marked separation between them and the
Egyptians--being preserved from the plagues which smote their
oppressors and their miraculous escape from the judgment which
overwhelmed the Egyptians at the Red Sea--were well suited to create
deep and lasting effects upon them.
Those impressive events all indicated God's interposition for their
deliverance in a manner to which it was impossible that even the
blindest among them could have been insensible. They were well
calculated to awaken a deep conviction of the divine presence in their
midst in a special manner. Such manifestations of God's power,
faithfulness, and grace on their behalf ought to have produced in them
a ready compliance with every intimation of His holy will. He had
dealt with them as He had dealt with no other people. How much they
needed those object lessons, and how little they really benefited from
them, their future conduct shows.
Their moral conditions the Lord well knew--their faintheartedness,
their perversity, their unbelief. In order to more effectually prepare
them for the immediate future, as well as of formally establishing
that covenant by which He indicated the relation which He was
graciously pleased to sustain toward them and the principles by which
His future dealings with them would be regulated, He led them through
the wilderness and brought them to Sinai. There the Lord granted a
fresh manifestation of His glory: amidst thunderings and lightnings,
flames and smoke, He delivered to them the Ten Words. The object of
God in that solemn transaction was clearly intimated in the language
He addressed to them immediately before (see Ex. 19:5, 6). But
although the law of the Ten Commandments constituted the leading
feature of the Sinaitic covenant and gave to the entire transaction
its distinctive character, yet we must conclude that it was limited
thereto.
It is true that God added no more to the Ten Commandments at that
time, not because there was nothing more to be revealed, but because
the people in terror entreated that Moses might be the medium of all
further communications (Deut. 5:24-27). Accordingly we find the law
itself was followed by a number of statutes (Ex. 21-23), which were in
part explanatory of the great principles of the law and in part
enjoining the ordinances for the regulation of their worship--which
later received much enlargement. Both the basic law and the subsidiary
statutes were immediately put on permanent record, and the whole
sealed by "the book of the covenant" being read in the audience of the
people and blood being sprinkled on them (Ex. 24:4-8). It was to that
solemn ratification of this covenant which the apostle makes reference
in Hebrews 9:18-20--it was substantially a repetition of the same
significant ceremony which attended the establishment of the earlier
covenants.
Thus it is clear that while the Ten Commandments was the most
prominent and distinctive feature of the Sinaitic covenant, yet it
embraced the entire body of the statutes and judgments which God gave
Moses for the government of Israel, as well in their civil as in their
religious capacity. They formed one code, in which the moral law and
the ceremonial law were blended in a way peculiar to the special
constitution under which the nation of Israel was placed. Speaking
generally, the civil had a religious and the religious a civil aspect,
in a sense found nowhere else. All the particulars of that code were
not equally important: some things were vital to it, the violation of
which involved the practical renunciation of the covenant; others were
subordinate, enjoined because necessary as means of attaining the
grand end in view. Yet were they all parts of the one covenant,
demanding a prompt and sincere obedience.
In the above paragraphs we have purposely gone back to the beginnings
of God's dealings with Israel as a nation, in order to show once more
how unique was the Mosaic economy, that there was much connected with
it which, in the very nature of the case, has no parallel under the
present gospel order of things. The Sinaitic covenant was the
foundation of that political constitution which the people of Israel
enjoyed: in consequence thereof Jehovah sustained a special relation
to them. He was not only the God of all the earth (Ex. 19:5), but, in
a peculiar sense, the King and Legislator of Israel. Any attempt on
their part to change the divinely instituted system of law, given for
their government, was expressly forbidden: "Ye shall not add unto the
words which I command you, neither shall ye diminish aught from it,
that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God" (Deut. 4:2).
That code was complete in itself--that is, as considered in relation
to the particular condition of that people for whose government it was
intended.
"It is of great importance to the right interpretation of many
passages in the O.T., that this particular be well understood and kept
in view. Jehovah is very frequently represented as the Lord and God of
all the ancient Israelites; even where it is manifest that the
generality of them were considered as destitute of internal piety, and
many of them as enormously wicked. How, then, could He be called their
Lord and their God, in distinction from His relation to Gentiles
(whose Creator, Benefactor, and Sovereign He was), except on the
ground of the Sinai covenant? He was their Lord as being their
Sovereign, whom, by a federal transaction they were bound to obey, in
opposition to every political monarch who should at any time presume
to govern them by laws of his own. He was their God, as the only
Object of holy worship; and whom, by the same National covenant, they
had solemnly engaged to serve according to His own rule, in opposition
to every Pagan idol.
"But that National relation between Jehovah and Israel being long
since dissolved, and the Jew having no prerogative above the Gentile;
the nature of the Gospel economy and of the Messiah's kingdom
absolutely forbids our supposing that either Jews or Gentiles are
warranted to call the Universal Sovereign their Lord or their God, if
they do not yield willing obedience to Him and perform spiritual
worship. It is, therefore, either for want of understanding, or of
considering the nature, aspect, and influence of the Sinai
Constitution, that many persons dream of the New Covenant in great
numbers of places where Moses and the Prophets had no thought of it,
but had the Convention at Horeb directly in view. It is owing to the
same ignorance, or inadvertency, that others argue from various
passages in the O.T. for justification before God by their own
obedience, and against the final perseverance of real saints.
"Again, as none but real Christians are the subjects of our Lord's
kingdom, neither adults nor infants can be members of the Gospel
Church in virtue of an external covenant or a relative holiness. A
striking disparity this, between the Jewish and the Christian Church.
A barely relative sanctity [that is, a sanctity accruing from
belonging to the nation of God's choice, A.W.P.] supposes its
possessors to be the people of God in a merely external sense; such an
external people supposes an external covenant, or one that relates to
exterior conduct and temporal blessings; and an external covenant
supposes an external king. Now an external king is a political
sovereign, but such is not our Lord Jesus Christ, nor yet the Divine
Father.
"Under the Gospel Dispensation, these peculiarities have no existence.
For Christ has not made an external covenant with any people. He is
not the king of any particular nation. He dwells not in a temple made
with hands. His throne is in the heavenly sanctuary, nor does He
afford His visible presence in any place upon earth. The
partition--wall between Jews and Gentiles has long been demolished:
and, consequently, our divine Sovereign does not stand related to any
people or to any person so as to confer a relative sanctity, or to
produce an external holiness.
"The covenant made at Sinai having long been obsolete, all its
peculiarities are vanished away: among which, relative sanctity [that
is, being accounted externally holy, because belonging to the nation
separated unto God, A.W.P.] made a conspicuous figure. That National
Constitution being abolished, Jehovah's political sovereignty is at an
end. The Covenant which is now in force, and the royal relation of our
Lord to the Church, are entirely spiritual. All that external holiness
of persons, of places, and of things, which existed under the old
economy, is gone for ever; so that if the professors of Christianity
do not possess a real, internal sanctity, they have none at all. The
National confederation at Sinai is expressly contrasted in Holy
Scripture with the new covenant (see Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:7-13), and
though the latter manifestly provides for internal holiness,
respecting all the covenantees, yet it says not a word about relative
sanctity" (Abraham Booth, 1796).
Jehovah, then, was King in Israel: His authority was supreme. He gave
them the land in which they dwelt; settled the conditions on which
they held it; made known the laws they were required to obey; and
raised up from time to time, as they were demanded, leaders and
judges, who for a season exercised, under God, authority over them.
This is what is signified by the term theocracy--a government
administered, under certain limitations, directly by God Himself. Such
a relation as Jehovah sustained toward Israel, condemning all idolatry
and demanding their separation from other nations, largely regulated
the legislation under which they were placed. So far as righteousness
between man and man was concerned, there was of course much which
admitted of a universal application, resting on common and unalterable
principles of equity; but there were also many enactments which
derived their peculiar complexion from the special circumstances of
the nation. The most cursory examination of the Pentateuch suffices to
show this.
The Books of Moses reveal the singular provisions made for a
self-sustaining nation, carefully fenced around and protected from
moral danger from without, so far as civil arrangements could effect
this end. Encouragement was indeed given to such strangers as might,
on the renunciation of idolatry, become converts to the faith of
Israel and settle amongst them, though they were not permitted to have
any share in the earthly inheritance; but all connection and ensnaring
alliances with any people beyond their own confines were rigorously
guarded against. The law of jubilee, which secured to each family a
perpetual interest in the property belonging to it; the restrictions
on marriage; the practical discouragement of commerce; the hindrances
placed in the way of aggressive warfare--in the prohibition of
cavalry, then the chief strength of armies: these were all of a
restricted character and illustrated that special exclusiveness of
Judaism.
The nature of God's immediate government of Israel involved a special
providence as essential to its administration. It is true that eternal
rewards and punishments were not employed for this purpose, because
nations, as such, have no hereafter. In the judgment men will be dealt
with not according to their corporate but in their individual
capacity. Yet it must not be inferred that Israel had no knowledge of
a future state, for they had; but that knowledge could not be formally
employed to enforce their civil obedience. Social relations are an
affair of this world, and the laws which regulate them must find their
sanctions in considerations bearing on the mere interests of this
present life. Accordingly, God, as the political head of Israel, by
special and extraordinary providences, intimated His approval or
displeasure as their conduct called for. Prosperity, peace, and an
abundance of material things were the rewards of national obedience;
wars, famines, and pestilences were the punishment of their sin. The
whole history of the nation shows with what uniformity the course of
this intimation was pursued toward them.
Such, then, was the nature and design of the constitution conferred
upon Israel; yet it must be remembered that the great benefits it
involved were not the fruit of the Sinaitic covenant. True, their
continued enjoyment of them depended on their obedience to that
covenant; but their original bestowment was the effect of the
Abrahamic covenant. Of this fact they were definitely reminded by
Moses: "The Lord did not set his heart upon you, nor choose you,
because ye were more in number than any people: for ye were the fewest
of all people; but because the Lord loved you, and because he would
keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers" (Deut. 7:7, 8). In
keeping therewith we find that when serious crises arose because of
their sins, those who interceded before God in their behalf sought
forgiveness on the ground of the promises made to Abraham (see Ex.
32:13; Deut. 9:27; 2 Kings 13:23).
By undeserved and sovereign grace the Israelites were chosen to be the
people of God, and their obedience was not intended to purchase
advantages and immunities not already possessed, but rather to
preserve to them the possession of what God had already bestowed. This
is what indicates the place which the moral law occupied in regard to
the nation at large. It proceeded on the recognition of their existing
relation to God: He had chosen, redeemed, and made them His people;
and now it was their privilege and duty to live in subjection to Him.
It set before them the character and conduct which that existing
relation required from them, and on which its perpetuation, with all
the advantages connected with it, depended. "And ye shall be holy unto
me, for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people,
that ye should be mine" (Lev. 20:26). At the same time it was the
standard to which their political code was adjusted, so far as their
circumstances allowed.
The place which the moral law occupied, the express terms in which
love to God was enforced as its leading principle (Deut. 6:5), and the
solemn circumstances under which it was given, were all fitted to
teach the people that something more was required from them than a
mechanical performance of duties--something in their heart and inward
state, without which no service they were capable of performing could
meet the approval of the Holy One. To suppose that a mere external
conformity to the law was all that was expected from the people is to
overlook the plainest statements and the most obvious facts recorded
in the Old Testament. God required truth "in the inward parts" (Ps.
51:6), and scores of passages revealed the fact that nothing but a
right state of heart toward Him could secure the service He commanded.
Nothing but the blindness which sin occasioned could have made the
Israelites insensible to this basic truth, otherwise the charges
brought against them by Christ had been quite groundless and
pointless; it had been meaningless for Him to denounce them for making
clean the outside while they were full of corruption within.
V.
The moral law (the Ten Commandments), which formed so prominent and
distinctive a feature of the Sinaitic covenant, was accompanied by
much which was of an evangelical nature. This consisted not so much in
the announcement of what was absolutely new, as in giving greater
fullness, precision, and significancy, to what had been already
revealed. It is true that this was communicated largely through the
medium of symbols; yet the instruction imparted by them was at once
most impressive and adapted to the condition of Israel. While in
Egypt, they were not in a situation which admitted of any extension of
the means of worship. But now that they were about to take their place
as an independent nation, in a country of their own, the time had
arrived for the formal appointment of those institutions and
ordinances which the regulation of their religious life required.
Moreover, this was rendered the more needful from the prominence which
the moral law was given in that economy.
Designed to be subservient to the great purposes of the previous
covenant, it was requisite that the law should be counterbalanced by a
more full and instructive disclosure of the grand truths which that
covenant embraced, in order that the law might not override and
neutralize them. We must always bear in mind that the Abrahamic
covenant was in nowise superseded or placed in abeyance by the
revelation given through Moses; it was still in unabated force. The
law was, in reality, an "addition" to it and designed to more
effectually secure its objects. It was therefore fitting that the
grace and mercy made known to Abraham should receive such enlargement
and illustration as might make the law not a hindrance, but the
handmaid, to the believing reception of its truth. The grace of the
Abrahamic covenant and the law of Moses had an important mutual
relation. They threw light on one another, and in combination were
designed to secure a common end.
It was, then, the Levitical institutions which supplied the enlarged
instruction that the circumstances of the nation now rendered
necessary. First and foremost were the directions given for the public
manifestation of that fellowship and intercourse with God which it was
the privilege of Israel to enjoy. A sanctuary was to be erected, the
pattern of which was revealed to Moses in the mount, and the materials
for which were to be supplied by the freewill offerings of the
people--intimating that all must be regulated by the divine will, but
that only a free and spontaneous worship from them was acceptable. The
tabernacle was at once a pledge that God dwelt in their midst, and a
visible means of enjoying that communion with Him to which He had
graciously admitted them: it was a perpetual memorial of it, and a
help to train them to those more spiritual apprehensions of the
worship of God which the gospel alone has fully revealed and realized.
A priesthood was appointed, and one which presented a marked contrast
from those which existed in other nations. Among the heathen, the
priesthood was a distinct caste, a body of men standing apart from and
even in antagonism to those for whom they officiated; and
characterized by all the pride and tyrannical tendencies which caste
distinctions engender. But the Hebrew priesthood belonged to all the
people, representing them in their divine calling. One family alone,
Aaron's, was permitted to enter the sacred precincts of the Lord's
house and officiate for them. When the high priest entered the holy of
holies he bore the names of all the tribes on his breastplate, and
confessed all their transgressions. Thus the high honor of being
permitted to draw nigh unto God was impressively taught the people,
the sanctity of His house was emphasized, and the hindrance which sin
imposed was borne testimony to.
An elaborate system of sacrifices was enjoined. These were not only
incorporated with the institutions of worship, but were explanatory of
their importance and design. They were appointed to expiate the guilt
of offenses committed, with the express declaration that "the life of
the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar
to make an atonement for your souls" (Lev. 17:11). A day was set apart
annually for atonement to be formally made for the sins of the people
(Lev. 16), and the elaborate services of it were so arranged as to
concentrate therein, in the most impressive manner, the various
lessons which the sacrifices inculcated. That those sacrifices could
not, in themselves, take away sins, their frequent repetition
indicated; and the fact that there were certain sins for which no
sacrifices were provided, further showed their limitation.
Nevertheless, they gave assurance that God was gracious, furnished a
ground of hope, and supplied an inducement for them to unreservedly
surrender themselves to their God, who was both righteous and
merciful.
The special design of prolonging these chapters is to seek to help
those who have been deceived by "dispensationalists," and others who
have been misled by unwarrantable conclusions drawn from Old Testament
premises. What has been pointed out above should make it evident that
they are quite wrong who suppose that the Mosaic economy was a pure
covenant of works which gave no hope to transgressors. God never made
a promulgation of law to sinful men in order to keep them under mere
law, without also setting before them the grace of the covenant of
redemption, by which they might escape the wrath which the law
denounced. The awful curse of Deuteronomy 27:26 must not be magnified
to the exclusion of the wondrous blessing of Numbers 6:24-27. The
justice of the moral law was tempered by the mercy of the ceremonial
law, and the "severity" of the Sinaitic constitution was modified by
the "goodness" of the Abrahamic covenant being still administered.
"The legal and evangelical dispensations have been but different
dispensations of the same Covenant of Grace and of the blessings
thereof. Though there is now a greater degree of light, consolation,
and liberty, yet if Christians are now under a kingdom of grace where
there is pardon upon repentance, the Lord's people under the Old
Testament were (as to the reality and substance of things) also under
a kingdom of grace" (James Fraser). "Moreover, brethren, I would not
that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the
cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto
Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual
meat and did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of
that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ" (1
Cor. 10:1-4). In the light of that passage as a whole, being "baptized
unto Moses" can only mean that he is there set forth as the minister
of grace, the typical savior who had led them out of Egypt.
The tabernacle, the priesthood, and the Levitical offerings were
really an amplification and explanation of the grace revealed in the
promises of the Abrahamic covenant. The place which the moral law held
in the Mosaic economy and its relation to that grace is clearly
defined in, "Wherefore, then, serveth the law? It was added because of
transgressions, till the seed should come" (Gal. 3:19). At Sinai God
did not give the law as a message explaining how justification could
be obtained by obedience thereto, for such obedience as it required
was impossible to fallen man. In such a case, the law had not been
"added" to the "promise," but would be in direct opposition to it. The
previous verse makes it clear that if the law had been set up for such
an end, it had completely disannulled the promise: "For if the
inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise; but God gave it
to Abraham by promise" (v. 18).
So far, then, from the Mosaic economy canceling the Abrahamic
promises, it was added thereto. Had that economy been one exclusively
of works (as some of our moderns imagine), then the whole of Israel
had been damned the first day it was instituted. Had it been a strict
regime of law, untempered by mercy, then no pardon had been available
(which flatly contradicts Lev. 26:40-46), and in such a case the
Sinaitic covenant could not have been reckoned among Israel's
blessings (Rom. 9:4). The word "added" in Galatians 3:19 proves that
the dispensation of law was not established as a thing distinct by
itself alone, but was an appendix to the grace of the Abrahamic
covenant. In other words, the moral law and the ceremonial law which
accompanied it were given with evangelical ends: to show sinners their
need of Christ, and to indicate how He would meet that need.
Again: had the law been promulgated in divine wrath, with the object
of its issuing in naught but death, then it had been in the hand of an
executioner, and not as Galatians 3:19 states, "in the hand of a
mediator," whose office is to effect reconciliation. This supplies the
key to and explains that much disputed and little understood statement
in the next verse, "Now a mediator is not of one, but God is one" (v.
20). "God is one" signifies that His purpose and design is the same in
both the Abrahamic and Sinaitic covenants; in other words, the law was
published with a gracious end in view. Therefore when the apostle
proceeds to ask the definite question, "Is the law then against the
promises of God" (i.e., does it clash with or annul the gracious
revelation made to Abraham), the emphatic answer is, "God forbid" (v.
21).
In the preceding chapter we affirmed that the Sinaitic covenant was a
compact promising the Israelites as a people certain material and
national blessings, on the condition of their rendering to God a
general obedience to His law. Let it now be pointed out that something
higher was required to achieve individual communion with the Lord.
This is clear from such a passage as, "Lord, who shall abide in thy
tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh
uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his
heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to this
neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor" (Ps. 15:1-3).
No loose or mechanical compliance with the requirements of the law
would suffice: God's glory is inseparably bound up with the interests
of righteousness, and there can be no righteousness where the heart is
divorced from Him.
In like manner we read again, "Who shall ascend into the hill of the
Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands,
and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor
sworn deceitfully: he shall receive the blessing from the Lord" (Ps.
24:3-5). Here was described the character of the true worshipers of
God, as contra-distinguished from hypocrites. The ascending into the
hill of the Lord, standing in his holy place, and abiding in his
tabernacle is but figurative language to express spiritual access and
spiritual fellowship with the Most High. It is striking to note that
both of these searching passages were delivered at a time when the
tabernacle service was about to be renewed (by Solomon) with increased
splendor. Plainly they were designed as a warning to the people that
whatever regard was paid to the solemnities of public worship, it
could avail them nothing if there was not first practical
righteousness in the offerer of it.
It is to be particularly observed that in the above passages it was
not so much the righteousness of the law in general that the psalmist
pressed for, as that establishing of the second table, because
hypocrites and formalists have so many ways of counterfeiting the
works of the first table. The same principle was pressed by the
prophets again and again. "What hast thou to do to declare my
statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? Seeing
thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee. When thou
sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been a
partaker with adulterers. Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy
tongue framest deceit. Thou sittest and speakest evil against thy
brother; thou slanderest thine own mother's son" (Ps. 50:16-20). And
yet in their blindness and self-complacency they had dared to talk of
God's statutes and prate about His covenant. But no outward adherence
to the worship of Jehovah could be accepted while the divine commands
were trampled underfoot.
Isaiah was still more severe in his denunciations. He encountered
those who feigned great respect for the temple, multiplying their
offerings, treading the holy courts, keeping the feasts with much
diligence, and making "many prayers." Yet he addressed them as the
"rulers of Sodom" and as the "people of Gomorrah," and affirmed that
their sacrifices and religious performances were nauseating to God,
that His soul hated such pretensions, and that He would not hearken to
their prayers because they oppressed the needy and ground down the
fatherless and the widow (Isa. 1:10-17). There was no sincerity in
their devotions: to pose as pious in the house of the Lord while
iniquity filled their own dwellings was a grievous offense. Hence, he
told them that their altar gifts were "lying offerings" (so "vain
oblations" of v. 13 should be rendered), and that the whole of their
worship was an abomination in the sight of the Holy One.
In like manner we hear Jeremiah saying, "Amend your ways and your
doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Trust ye not in
lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord,
The temple of the Lord, are these. For if ye thoroughly amend your
ways and your doings; if ye thoroughly execute judgment between a man
and his neighbor; if ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and
the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk
after other gods to your hurt; then will I cause you to dwell in this
place that I gave to your fathers forever and ever" (Jer. 7:2-8). Thus
he exposed and condemned the blatant folly of those who trusted in the
temple and its services for a blessing, when by their ungodliness and
wicked works they had turned the temple into a resort of evil doers.
Ezekiel too rebuked religious hypocrites, and showed how God could be
satisfied with nothing less than that reality which was evidenced by
practical righteousness between man and man (chaps. 18 and 33).
On the one hand, then, there was a godly remnant in Israel, who used
the law "lawfully" (1 Tim. 1:8) by causing its spirituality and
holiness to cast them back on the grace and promises of the Abrahamic
covenant, turning to God as their redeemer and healer. It is in such
passages as Psalm 119 we find their experience described. There was a
realization of the excellence, the breadth, the height of the divine
law; its suitability to man's condition; the blessedness of being
conformed to its requirements; and the earnest longings of the pious
heart after all that properly belongs to it. Those acknowledgments and
aspirations are interspersed with confessions of backsliding, prayers
for divine mercy and restoring grace, and fresh resolutions are formed
in dependence upon divine aid to resist evil and strive after higher
attainments in the righteousness which the law enjoins. In many other
passages we find the consciousness of sin and moral weakness driving
the soul to God for deliverance and help, especially in the
appropriation of the gracious provision made in the sacrifices for
expiation of guilt and restoration of peace to the troubled
conscience.
On the other hand, there was a far greater number of the godless in
Israel who made a wrong use of the law, perverting the design of the
Sinaitic constitution, divorcing it from the Abrahamic covenant. These
shut their eyes to the depths and spirituality of the law's
requirements, for they were determined to attain unto a righteousness
before God on a merely legal basis, and therefore they reduced the
Decalogue to an outward performance of certain rules of conduct. This,
of course, engendered a servile spirit, for where duties are not
performed from high motives and grateful impulses, they necessarily
become a burden and are discharged solely for the wages to be paid in
return. Such a spirit actuated the scribes and Pharisees who were
"hirelings" and not sons. Moreover, such a degradation of the law
could only result in formality and hypocrisy. Finally, those who thus
erred concerning the law's place and spirit could neither look rightly
for the Messiah nor welcome Him when He appeared.
VI.
As we have seen, that which preeminently characterized the Mosaic
dispensation was the prominent and dominant position accorded to the
law. Not only was that dispensation formally inaugurated by Jehovah
Himself proclaiming the Decalogue from Sinai--the Exodus from Egypt
and the journey across the wilderness being but introductory
thereto--but those Ten Words were given the place of supreme honor.
The tables of stone upon which they had been inscribed were assigned
to the tabernacle. Now the most sacred vessel in the tabernacle, and
that which formed the very center of all the services connected with
it, was the ark. It was the special symbol of the Lord's covenant
presence and faithfulness, for upon its cover was the throne on which
He sat as King in Israel. Yet that ark was made on purpose to house
the two tables of the law, and was called "the ark of the covenant"
simply because it contained the agreed upon articles of the covenant.
Thus those Ten Words were plainly recognized as containing in
themselves the sum and substance of that righteousness which the
covenant strictly required.
The very position, then, which the two tables of stone occupied,
intimated most plainly that the observance of the law was God's great
end in the establishment of Judaism. The law, perfect in its character
and perpetual in its obligation, formed the foundation of all the
symbolical institutions of worship which were afterwards imposed. As
the center of Judaism was the tabernacle, so the center of the
tabernacle was the law; for the sacred ark, which was enshrined in the
holy of holies, had been built specially for the housing of it. Thus
the thoughtful worshiper could scarcely fail to perceive that
obedience to the law was the preeminent reason for which the Levitical
economy was appointed. Every strictly religious rite and institution
ordained by God through Moses was intended as a means to enforce the
principles and precepts of the law, or as remedies to provide against
the evils which inevitably arose from its neglect and violation.
The real relation which existed between the ceremonial and the moral
law has not been sufficiently recognized, and therefore we will now
consider at more length the true design and spiritual purpose of the
Levitical code. The Decalogue itself was the foundation of the
tabernacle service, all its symbolical ceremonies pointing to it as
their common ground and center. In other words, the ceremonial
institutions were entirely subservient to the righteousness which the
law required. Let it be remembered that it was not until after the
Sinaitic covenant had been formally ratified that the ritual of the
Levitical system was given. Thus its very place in the history denotes
that the ceremonial law is to be regarded not as of primary, but only
of secondary moment in the constitution of God's kingdom in Israel.
God had called Israel to occupy a place of peculiar nearness to
Himself; so He first made known to them the great principles of truth
and righteousness which were to regulate their lives, and then that
there should be a visible bond of fellowship, by placing in their
midst a dwelling place for Himself; appointing everything in
connection therewith in such a manner as to impress them with the
character of their King and of what became them as His subjects.
Most strikingly was the subserviency of the ceremonial to the moral
law signified in connection with the divine appointments concerning
the tabernacle. All was to be ordered according to the pattern shown
to Moses in the mount, while the people were to signify their
readiness to submit to God's will by contributing the required
materials (Ex. 25:2-9). Now the first thing to be made was not the
framework (walls) of the tabernacle itself, nor that which belonged to
the outer court, but instead the ark of the covenant (Ex. 25:20-22),
which was the repository of the Decalogue. The ark was given the
precedence of everything else--altar, layer, lampstand, and table of
shewbread. Thus it was plainly intimated that the ark was the most
sacred piece of furniture pertaining to the house of God--the center
from which all spiritual fellowship with the Lord was to proceed and
derive its essential character. Thus an unmistakable link of
connection between the ceremonial and the moral law, and the
subordination of the one to the other, was impressed from the first on
the very constitution of the tabernacle.
Now the chief lesson inculcated by the ceremonial law, proclaimed by
numerous rites and ordinances, was that the holy and righteous have
access to God's fellowship and blessing; whereas the unclean and
wicked are excluded. But who constituted the one class, and who the
other? Not simply those who observed, or refused to observe, the mere
letter of the ceremonial law, but rather those who possessed in
reality what was therein symbolized, and that was ascertained only in
the light of God Himself. He had revealed His character in that law of
moral duty which He took for the foundation of His throne and the
center of His government in Israel. There the "line and plummet" of
right and wrong, of holy and unholy in God's sight, was set up, and
the Levitical code itself implied that very "line and plummet," and
called men's attention to it by its manifold prescriptions concerning
clean and unclean, defilement and purification.
The "divers washing" of the ceremonial law and its ever recurring
atonements by blood pointed to existing impurities, but what many have
failed to recognize is that those very impurities were such because at
variance with the law of righteousness. "The Decalogue had pointed, by
the predominantly negative form of its precepts, to the prevailing
tendency in human nature to sin; and in like manner the Levitical
code, by making everything that directly bore on generation and birth
a source of uncleanness, perpetually reiterated in men's ears the
lesson that corruption cleaved to them, that they were conceived in
sin and brought forth in iniquity. The very institution of a separate
order for immediate approach to God, and performing, in behalf of the
community, the most sacred offices of religion, was a visible sign of
actual shortcomings and transgressions among the people: it was a
standing testimony that they were not holy after the lofty pattern of
holiness exhibited in the law of Jehovah's throne.
"The distinction, also, between clean and unclean in food, while it
deprived them of nothing that was required either to gratify the taste
or minister nourishment to the bodily life--granted them, indeed, what
was best adapted for both--yet served as a daily monitor in respect to
the spiritual dangers that encompassed them and of the necessity of
exercising themselves to a careful choosing between one class of
things and another; reminded them of a good that was to be followed
and of an evil to be shunned. And then there is a whole series of
defilements springing from contact with what is emphatically the wages
of sin--death, or death's livid image, the leprosy, which, wherever it
alighted, struck a fatal blight in the organism of nature and rendered
it a certain prey to corruption: --things, the very sight and touch of
which, formed a call to humiliation, because carrying with them the
mournful evidence, that, while sojourners with God, men still found
themselves in the region of corruption and death" (The Revelation of
Law in Scripture, by P. Fairbairn, 1869, to whom we are also indebted
for other thoughts in this chapter).
In the light of what has been said above, it will be seen that "the
law of carnal ordinances" contained most important instruction for the
people--that is, not when considered by itself, but when regarded
(according to its proper design) as an auxiliary to the Ten
Commandments. But if the ceremonial law be isolated from them, and be
regarded as possessing an independent use and value, then its message
had flatly repudiated the truth; for in such case it had encouraged
men to rely upon mere outward distinctions and rest in corporeal
observances. But that had been contradictory rather than complementary
of the Decalogue, for it throws all the emphasis upon the moral
element, both in the divine character and the obedience which He
requires from His people. Kept, however, in its proper place of
subordination to the moral law, the Levitical code furnished most
important instruction for Israel, keeping steadily before them the
fact that sin brought defilement and shut out from fellowship with the
Holy One.
That the Levitical ordinances had merely a subsidiary value, and that
they derived all their importance from the connection in which they
stood with the moral precepts of the law, is evident from other
considerations. It is clearly demonstrated by the fact that when the
special judgments of heaven were denounced against the covenant
people, it never was for neglect of the ceremonial observances, but
always for flagrant violations of the Ten Commandments. Let the reader
carefully ponder the following passages in proof: Jeremiah 7:22-31;
Ezekiel 8 and 18:1-3; Hosea 4:1-3; Amos 3:4-9; Micah 5 and 6. It is
evident again from the fact that whenever the indispensable conditions
of entrance to God's house and of abiding fellowship with Him are set
forth, they are seen to be in conformity to the moral precepts, and
not to the ceremonial observances (Ps. 15 and 24). Finally, it is
evident from the fact that when the people exalted ceremonialism above
practical obedience, the procedure was denounced as idolatry and the
service rejected as a mockery (see 1 Sam. 15:22; Ps. 45:7; Isa. 1:2;
Micah 6:8).
Having dwelt upon the relation which existed between the ceremonial
and the moral law--the one being strictly subservient to the other,
the one reiterating the testimony of the other concerning holiness and
sin--let us now consider another and quite different aspect of it. The
Decalogue itself proclaimed the righteous requirements of the Lord,
and therefore it made no allowance for disobedience and no provision
for the disobedient: all it did was to threaten condemnation, and the
awful penalty it announced could inspire nought but terror. But with
the Levitical code it was quite otherwise: there was a mediatorial
priesthood, there were sacrifices for obtaining forgiveness, there
were ordinances of cleansing; and the design of these was to secure
restoration of fellowship with God for those whose sins excluded them
from His holy presence. Thus, while these ordinances were far from
making light of sin, for those who repented and humbled themselves,
they mercifully procured reconciliation to the lawgiver.
It should, however, be carefully noted that God imposed very definite
limits to the scope of the expiatory sacrifices. And necessarily so:
had there been no restrictions, had the way been open, at all times,
for any one and every one, to obtain remission and cleansing, then the
Levitical code had granted a corrupt and fatal license; for in that
case men could have gone on in a deliberate course of evil, assured
that further sacrifices would expiate their guilt. Therefore we see
divine holiness tempering divine mercy, by appointing sacrifices for
the sins of ignorance only, or for those defilements which were
contracted unwittingly or unavoidably; whereas for flagrant and
willful transgressors of the Ten Commandments there remained nought
but summary judgment. Thereby a gracious provision was made for what
we may term sins of infirmity, while justice was meted out to the
lawless and defiant.
The distinction to which we have just called attention, or the
limitation made in the Levitical code for the obtaining of pardon, is
clearly expressed in, "If any soul sin through ignorance, then he
shall bring a she goat of the first year for a sin offering. And the
priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly,
when he sinneth by ignorance before the Lord, to make an atonement for
him; and it shall be forgiven him. Ye shall have one law for him that
sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the
children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them.
But the soul that doeth aught presumptuously [with a high hand,
whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth
the Lord; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
Because he hath despised the word of the Lord, and hath broken his
commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be
upon him" (Num. 15: 27-31).
But while there was this great difference between the ceremonial and
the moral law--a merciful provision made for certain transgressors of
it--yet we may clearly perceive how divine wisdom protected the
Decalogue from dishonor, yea, by the very limitations of that
provision upheld its righteous demands. "So that here, again, the
Levitical code of ordinances leant on the fundamental law of the
Decalogue, and did obeisance to its supreme authority. Only they who
devoutly recognized this law, and in their conscience strove to walk
according to its precepts, had any title to and interest in the
provisions sanctioned for the blotting out of transgression. Then, as
now, `to walk in darkness' or persistently adhere to the practice of
iniquity, was utterly incompatible with having fellowship with God--1
John 1:6" (P. Fairbairn).
Yet, let it be pointed out, on the other hand, that God is sovereign,
high above all law, and by no means tied by the restrictions which He
has placed on His creatures. This grand truth ever needs to be clearly
and boldly proclaimed, never more so than in our day, when such low
and dishonoring views of God so widely prevail. When Jehovah made
known Himself to Moses He said, "The Lord God, merciful and gracious,
longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth; keeping mercy for
thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will
by no means clear the guilty: visiting the iniquity of the fathers
upon the children" (Ex. 34:6, 7). That precious word was ever
available to faith, as Numbers 14:17-20 and other passages blessedly
show. True, even in this passage there is a solemn warning that
justice will not forgo its claims, that obstinate rebels should meet
their deserts. Yet that is given the second place, while grace
occupies the foreground.
It was that which inspired relief in humble and penitent hearts: God
is gracious. Thus, though at every point the Israelite was taught that
sin is a most solemn and serious matter, and that neither the moral
nor the ceremonial law made any provision of mercy where certain
offenses were committed, yet that did not prevent the Lord dealing
with them on a footing of pure grace. The revealed character of God
opened a door of hope unto contrite souls, even when their case
appeared utterly hopeless. A striking illustration of this is found in
psalm 51. There we see David, after the commission of sins for which
the law demanded the death penalty, and for which no Levitical
sacrifice was of any avail (v. 16), acknowledging with a broken heart
his heinous transgressions, casting himself on God's unconditional
forgiveness (v. 1), and obtaining pardon from Him.
To give completeness to our present line of study, one other feature
respecting the Levitical institutions requires to be noticed.
Considered from one viewpoint the ceremonial oblations and ablutions
were a real privilege of the Israelite, but from another they added to
his obligations of duty--illustrating the fact that increased
blessings always entail increased responsibility. The Levitical
institutions were as truly legal enactments as were the Ten
Commandments, and willful violators of them were as much subject to
punishment as those who profaned the Sabbath or committed murder (see
Lev. 7:20; 17:4, 14; Num. 9:13).
The reason why those who transgressed the Levitical ordinances were
subject to judgment was because the ceremonial statutes were invested
with the same authority as were those commandments which pertained
strictly to the moral sphere, and therefore to set them at nought was
to dishonor the divine Legislator Himself. Moreover, it was to despise
the means which He had graciously appointed--the only available
means--for having guilt remitted and defilement removed, and which
therefore remained unforgiven, yea, aggravated, by the despite that
was done to the riches of God's mercy. Therein we may perceive a clear
foreshadowing of that which pertains to the gospel, but our
consideration of that must be deferred.
VII.
The Sinaitic covenant needs to be studied from three independent
viewpoints: (1) the relation which it sustains to the previous
revelations which had been granted by God, being a marked advance
thereon in the unfolding of His eternal purpose; (2) considered with
regard to the peculiar relation in which it stood to the Jewish
nation, furnishing as it did a unique constitution and a complete code
for their guidance; (3) in its relation to the future, being admirably
designed to pave the way for the advent of Christ and the dawn of
Christianity. The first two of these have already engaged our
attention; the third, which involves the most difficult aspects of our
subject, we must now consider.
Until we had carefully contemplated the Mosaic economy as it related
to the nation of Israel, their political and temporal welfare, we were
not ready to view it in its wider and ultimate significance. God's
first and immediate design in connection with the Sinaitic covenant
was to furnish a "letter" fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham:
to give him a numerous seed, to establish them in the land of Canaan,
to preserve pure the stock from which the Messiah was to spring, to
continue them there until Christ actually appeared in the flesh. Thus
the Mosaic economy had served its purpose when the Son of God became
incarnate. But, second, God's ultimate design under the Mosaic economy
was to furnish a clear and full demonstration of the utter inability
of fallen man, even under the most favorable conditions or
circumstances, to meet His holy and righteous requirements; thereby
making manifest the exceeding sinfulness of sin and the imperative
need of an all-sufficient Savior.
From one standpoint it certainly appears that the Sinaitic covenant
completely failed to achieve its object and that the whole of the
Mosaic economy was a pathetic tragedy. In nowise did Israel as a
nation conduct themselves as the beloved, called, and redeemed people
of God. They rendered not to the moral law the obedience which it
required, and the mercies of the ceremonial law they perverted to
God's dishonor and their own spiritual undoing. Instead of the law
leading sinners to Christ, "He came unto his own, and his own received
him not" (John 1:11). Yet there is no failure with the Most High, no
breakdown in His plan, no thwarting of His imperial will. The very
failure of Israel only served to subserve the divine purpose, for it
demonstrated the imperative need of something superior to that which
Judaism, as such, supplied, and reserved for Christ the honor of
bringing in that which is perfect.
In seeking to ascertain wherein the Mosaic economy paved the way for
the introduction of Christianity, we shall notice, first, the
imperfection or inadequacy of the provision supplied by Judaism; and
second, briefly consider the typification and foreshadowment it made
of the better covenant yet to be established. Though the order of
things which was instituted by the Sinaitic covenant was a great
advance upon that which obtained under the Abrahamic--for it not only
supplemented the covenant of promise (which pledged the divine
faithfulness to bestow every needed blessing) by the covenant of law,
which bound Israel to yield that dutiful obedience to which the Lord
was entitled; but it also brought the natural seed of Abraham into a
relation of corporate nearness to the God of Abraham, providing in the
tabernacle a visible representation that He was in their midst--yet it
belonged unto a state of comparative immaturity and the relative
twilight of divine revelation.
That which outstandingly characterized Judaism was that it concerned
the outward and objective, rather than the inward and subjective. The
Decalogue was written not upon the hearts of Israel, but upon tables
of stone. It was a lord over them, demanding implicit submission, a
schoolmaster to instruct them, but it supplied (as such) no power to
produce obedience and no influence to move the secret springs of the
heart. The same feature marked the Levitical institutions: they too
were formally addressed to them from without, and pertained only to
bodily exercises. The whole was an external discipline, in keeping
with "a worldly sanctuary." True, what the law required was love; yet
law as such does not elicit love. Fear was what predominated--the
dread of suffering the wrath of an offended God, which the penalties
of His law threatened on every hand.
It is true that great relief was provided by the ceremonial law, for
provision was there made for obtaining forgiveness. The means for
effecting this was the sacrifices-- "the life--blood of an irrational
creature, itself unconscious of sin, being accepted by God in His
character of Redeemer for the life of the sinner. A mode of
satisfaction no doubt in itself unsatisfactory, since there was no
just correspondence between the merely sensuous life of an unthinking
animal and the higher life of a rational and responsible being; in the
strict reckoning of justice the one could form no adequate
compensation for the other. But in this respect it was not singular;
it was part of a scheme of things which bore throughout the marks of
relative imperfection" (P. Fairbairn).
This same characteristic of relative imperfection appears on the
tabernacle. A provisional arrangement was made whereby transgressors,
otherwise excluded, might obtain the remission of their sins and enjoy
again the privilege of fellowship with Jehovah; yet even here there
was a conspicuous incompleteness, for though the reconciled were
permitted to enter the outer court, yet they had no direct and
personal access to the immediate presence chamber of the Lord. How
far, far below the freedom of intercourse which all believers may now
have with God, was the entrance of a few ministering priests into the
courts of the tabernacle, with access to the holy of holies granted to
one person alone, and to him only one day in the year! While the
tabernacle itself, in dimensions but a hundred cubits by fifty cubits,
and in materials composed of earthly and perishable things--how
inadequate a representation of the dwelling place of Him who filleth
heaven and earth!
The law exhibited the ineffable holiness of the divine character and
bound Israel by covenant engagement to make that the standard after
which they must seek to regulate all their conduct: "Ye shall be holy,
for I the Lord your God am holy" (Lev. 9:2; cf. Ex. 19:6). But when it
was enlightened and aroused by the lofty ideal of truth and duty thus
presented before it, conscience would be but the more sensible of
transgressions committed against the very righteousness required. The
law is addressed to the conscience; and when once searched by it, men
could not fail to perceive its extent and spirituality. Just in
proportion as an Israelite's mind was honestly in exercise, he would
come to understand that outward acts were far from being the only
things which the law demanded, that it reached unto the thoughts and
intents, affections and motives of the heart; he would find it, as the
psalmist expressed it, "exceeding broad" (119:96). He might, indeed,
have attempted to silence the deep and distressing sense of guilt thus
awakened; but unless deceived, those attempts would have brought him
no help.
The law, then, was far from inculcating or encouraging a spirit of
self-righteousness. Instead of being a witness to which men could
appeal in proof of their having met the requirements of God, it became
an accuser, testifying against them of broken vows and violated
obligations. Thereby it kept perpetually alive in the conscience a
sense of guilt, and served to awaken in the hearts of those who really
understood its spiritual meaning a feeling of utter helplessness and a
sense of deep need. Goaded by the demands of a law which they were
altogether incapable of fulfilling, their case must have seemed
hopeless. Nor did the ordinances of the ceremonial law afford them any
more than a very imperfect relief. To them it must have been apparent
that "the blood of calves and of goats could not take away sins." A
striking proof of this is furnished by the case of Isaiah; for upon
beholding the manifested presence of Jehovah, he cried out, "Woe is
me! for I am undone" (6:5) --clear evidence that his conscience was
more oppressed by a sense of sin than comforted by the blessing of
forgiveness.
Such a case as Isaiah's makes it plain that where there was an
exercised heart (and there were such in Israel at every stage of their
history), the holy law of God had produced convictions much too deep
for the provisions of the ceremonial law "to make him that did the
service perfect as pertaining to the conscience" (Heb. 9:2). But more
emphatic still is the testimony supplied by the Psalms, which, be it
remembered, were used in the public service of God, being designed to
express the sentiments of all sincere worshipers. Not only do those
Psalms extol the manifold perfections of the law (see especially the
19th and the 119th), but they also record the piercing accusations
which it wrought. "For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as a
heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds stink and are
corrupt because of my foolishness. I am troubled; I am bowed down
greatly: I go mourning all the day long. For my loins are filled with
a loathsome disease, and there is no soundness in my flesh. I am
feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of
my heart. Lord, all my desire is before thee, and my groaning is not
hid from thee" (Ps. 38:4-9). "For innumerable evils have compassed me
about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able
to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my
heart faileth me. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, make
haste to help me" (Ps. 40:12, 13).
Thus the divine law, by presenting a standard of perfect righteousness
and by convicting men of their utter inability to meet its holy
demands, prepared their minds for the coming Redeemer. This supplies
the key to such passages as we have just quoted above. Awakened souls
were made to feel iniquity cleaving to them like a girdle, and inward
corruption like a deadly virus poisoning their very nature, breaking
out continually in unholy tempers, defiling all they did or attempted,
and thus destroying all hope of justification or acceptance with God
on the ground of personal conformity to His requirements. Alive to the
truth of an ineffably holy and infinitely perfect God, they were also
alive to painful misgivings and fears of guilt; and hence their
confessions of sin, sobs of penitence, and cries for mercy.
It was because the present deliverance furnished by the ceremonial law
bore on it such marks of imperfection--the inadequacy of the blood of
animals to atone for offenses so heinous, and the blessing secured
being only a restored entrance to the outer court of the
tabernacle--that it intimated a far better provision in the future;
for nothing short of perfection could satisfy the One with whom they
had to do. Because the Decalogue awakened a sense of guilt and
alienation from the Lord which the ordinances of the ceremonial law
could not perfectly remove, because wants and desires were aroused
which could not then be more than partially satisfied, the Mosaic
economy was well fitted to raise expectations in the bosom of the
worshiper of some "better thing to come," disposing him to gladly
receive the intimations of this which it was the part of prophecy to
announce.
It was, then, the spiritual design of the law (in addition to its
dispensational purpose--to restrain sin, etc.) to quicken conscience,
to produce a deep sense of guilt, to slay the spirit of
self-righteousness, to impart a pungent sense of personal
helplessness, thereby moving exercised souls to look forward in faith
and hope to the promised Savior. That this was the effect produced by
the law in an elect remnant, we have seen; that it ought to have been
produced in all, cannot be fairly questioned. Thus, the law materially
contributed to the right understanding of the dispensation under which
Israel was placed, and was also a wise and gracious means for
disciplining their faith to look onward to the future for the proper
fulfillment of what their carnal ordinances only shadowed in type,
thereby confirming the expectations which their ritual encouraged but
could not, in the nature of things, satisfy.
The only course open to the awakened and exercised in Israel was to
cast themselves unreservedly on the free mercy of God, in the sure
hope that the future would reveal the perfect remedy and ransom when
the promised Seed should appear, as the intimations of their
figurative worship led them to expect, and by which all the exigencies
of their case would be met. "Thus the Lord schooled them, fenced their
path on every side, led them by the hand, and guided them to expect
from the distant future what the present could not supply. Its
convictions pointed to the relief which the Gospel alone was destined
to furnish; it shut them up to the exercise of faith in the coming
Redeemer" (John Kelly).
It is scarcely necessary for us to point out that God's order in the
dispensations (i.e., the Mosaic preceding the Christian and paving the
way for it) is precisely the same as His order now in connection with
each truly converted soul. It still remains true that "by the law is
the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20), and the sinner must be searched and
humbled by it before he will be brought heartily to rejoice in the
message of the gospel. Not until the soul is conscious that it is
under the law's sentence of death will it desire and appreciate the
life that is to be found in Christ, and in Him alone--this the apostle
Paul testified he found to be the case in his own experience (Rom.
7:7-10). The law is a perfect rule of righteousness; and when we
measure ourselves by it, our innumerable shortcomings and sins are at
once made apparent. When, then, an Israelite was quickened by the
Spirit, he at once perceived the law's true character, became deeply
sensible of his guilt, and longed for something higher and better than
was then provided for his true consolation.
The same fundamental principle receives plain and striking
exemplification on the opening pages of the New Testament. The way of
the Redeemer was prepared by one who proclaimed with trumpet voice the
law's righteousness, evoking the terrors of its threatenings: the
ministry of John the Baptist must ever precede that of Christ. There
will never be a genuine revival until we get back to this basic fact
and act accordingly. The Lord Jesus Himself entered upon His blessed
work of evangelization by unfolding the wise extent and deep
spirituality of the law's requirements; for a large portion of the
Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5) was devoted to a clear and searching
exposition of the law's righteousness, rescuing it from the false
glosses of men and pressing its holy claims upon the multitudes. This
is why that "sermon" is now so much hated by our moderns!
VIII.
In the preceding chapter we sought to show how the inadequacy and
imperfections of the Mosaic economy only served to pave the way for
the introduction of Christianity. Such marks of imperfection were
stamped on the very nature of the Levitical institutions; for they
were, to a large extent, as the apostle termed them, "weak and
beggarly elements" (Gal. 4:9). This was because it was then the
comparative minority of the church, and the materials of a more
spiritual economy did not exist. "The atonement was yet but
prospective; the Holy Spirit did not operate as He does under the
Gospel; and God's gracious designs as regards the redemption of our
race (rather "of the elect") lay embedded and concealed in the obscure
intimations that the Seed of the woman should bruise the Serpent's
head and in the promises to Abraham. Nor were those defects perfectly
remedied throughout the whole course of the dispensation. To the last
the Jew walked in comparative darkness" (Litton's "Bampton" Lectures).
In the historical outworking of the economy, not only imperfection,
but, as we all know, gross failure, characterized the entire history
of Israel as a nation--ominously foreshadowed at the beginning, when
Aaron lent himself to the awful idolatry of the golden calf at the
very base of Sinai itself. In the vast majority, spirituality was so
lacking and love to God beat so feebly in their hearts, that the
requirements of the law were regarded as an oppressive yoke. Only too
often, those who ought to have been the most exemplary in performing
what was enjoined, and from their position in the commonwealth should
have checked the practice of evil in others, were themselves the most
forward in promoting it. Consequently, the predominating principle of
the Mosaic economy--namely, the inseparable connection between
obedience and blessing, transgression and punishment--was obscured,
for souls which should have been "cut off" from the congregation as
deliberate covenant breakers were allowed to retain their standing in
the community and to enjoy its privileges.
It should be pointed out that this expression "that soul shall be cut
off," which occurs so frequently in the Pentateuch, signifies
something far more solemn and awful than does being "disfellowshipped
from the church" today--such an explanation or definition on the part
of not a few learned men is quite unpardonable. "That soul shall be
cut off" refers primarily to God's act; for it occurs in connections
and cases where those in human authority could not interfere, the
violations of the law being secret ones (see Lev. 17:10; 18:29; 22:2).
In fact, in a number of instances God expressly said, "I will cut off"
(Lev. 20:3, 5, etc.). But where the act was open and the guilt known,
God's decision was to be carried out by the community (as in Num.
15:30; Josh. 7:24-26). Yet even when Israel's judges or magistrates
failed to enforce this, the guilty were cut off in God's judgment.
It was very largely through the failure of the responsible heads in
Israel to execute the sentence of the law upon its open violators that
the nation fell into such a low state, bringing down upon itself the
providential judgments of Jehovah. Alas that history has repeated
itself, for at no one point is the failure of Christendom more
apparent than in the almost universal refusal of the so-called
churches to enforce a Scriptural discipline upon its refractory
members--sentiment and the fear of man have ousted a love of holiness
and the fear of God. And just as surely, the consequence has been the
same; though, in keeping with the more spiritual character of this
dispensation, the divine judgments have assumed another form: error
has supplanted truth, a company of godless worldlings occupy the
pulpits, so that those who long for bread are now being mocked with a
stone.
Had Israel been faithful to their covenant engagement at Sinai, had
they as a nation striven in earnest, through the grace offered them in
the Abrahamic covenant, to produce the fruits of that righteousness
required by the Mosaic, then, as another has beautifully expressed it,
"delighting in the Law of the Lord and meditating therein day and
night, in their condition they should assuredly have been `like a tree
planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth its fruit in his
season, whose leaf doth not wither and whatsoever he doeth shall
prosper.'" Canaan would then, indeed, have verified the description of
"a land flowing with milk and honey." But alas, the law was despised,
discipline was neglected, self-will and self-pleasing was rampant; and
consequently, famines, pestilences, and wars frequently became their
portion.
Just in proportion as practical holiness disappeared from Israel's
midst, so was there a withdrawal of God's blessing. Israel's history
in Canaan never presented anything more than a most faulty display of
that righteousness and prosperity which, like twin sisters, should
have accompanied them all through their course. Yet again we would
point out that Israel's failure by no means signified that the plan of
the Almighty had been overthrown. So far from that, if the reader will
turn to and glance at Deuteronomy 28 and 32 he will find that the Lord
Himself predicted the future backslidings of the people, and from the
beginning announced the sore afflictions which should come in
consequence upon them. Thus, coincident with the birth of the
covenant, intimations were given of its imperfect nature and temporal
purpose: it was made clear that not through its provisions and
agencies would come the ultimate good for Israel and mankind.
But it is high time that we now pointed out, second, wherein the types
under the Mosaic economy prepared the way for the dawn of
Christianity. A large field is here before us, but its ground has been
covered so thoroughly by others that it is not necessary to do more
than now call attention to its outstanding features. Ere doing so, let
us again remind the reader that the Old Testament types were divinely
designed to teach by way of contrast, as well as by comparison. The
recognition of this important principle at once refutes the God
insulting theory that the types were defective and often misleading.
The reason for this should be obvious: the antitypes far excelled the
types in value. God is ever jealous of the glory of His beloved Son,
and to Him was reserved the honor of producing and bringing in that
which is perfect.
First, let us notice the special and peculiar relation which Israel
sustained to the Lord. They were His chosen people, and He was their
God in a way that He was the God of no others. It was as the
descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as the children of promise,
that God dealt with them from the beginning (see Ex. 2:24, 25; 6:5).
It was in fulfillment of His holy promise to Abraham that "he brought
forth his people with joy, his chosen with gladness" (Ps. 105:42, 43)
from the cruel bondage of the land of Egypt. This basic fact must be
steadily borne in mind when pondering all of God's subsequent dealings
with them. Therein we find a perfect foreshadowment of God's dealings
with His people today: each of them receives mercy on a covenant
basis--the everlasting covenant made with Christ--and on the ground of
it are they delivered from the power of Satan and translated into the
kingdom of Christ.
Second, what we have just said above supplies the key to our right
understanding of the typical significance of God's giving the
Decalogue to Israel. The revelation of law at Sinai did not come forth
in independence of what had preceded, as if it were to lay the
foundation of something altogether new. It did not proceed from God
considered simply as the Creator, exercising His prerogative to impose
commands on the consciences of His creatures, which, with no other
helps and endowments but those of mere nature, they were required with
unfailing rectitude to fulfill. The history of Israel knows nothing of
law in connection with promise and blessing. It was as the Redeemer of
Israel that God announced the Ten Words, as being in a special sense
"the Lord their God" (Ex. 20:2), proclaiming Himself therein to be the
God of mercy as well as holiness (20:5, 6), and recognizing their
title to the inheritance of Canaan as His own sovereign gift to them
(20:12).
The law, then, was not given to Israel as a deliverer from evil, nor
as the bestower of life. Its design was not to rescue from bondage,
nor found a title to the favor and blessing of Jehovah, for all that
was already Israel's (see Gal. 3:16-22). "So that grace here also took
precedence of law, life of righteousness; and the covenant of law,
assuming and rooting itself in the prior covenant of grace (the
Abrahamic) only came to shut the heirs of promise up to that course of
dutiful obedience toward God, and brotherly kindness toward each
other, by which alone they could accomplish the higher ends of their
calling. In form merely (viz., the Law now given as a covenant) was
there anything new in this, not in principle. For what else was
involved in the command given to Abraham . . . . `I am the almighty
God, walk before Me and be thou perfect' (Gen. 17:1)--a word which was
comprehensive of all true service and righteous behavior.
"But an advance was made by the entrance of the Law over such
preceding calls and appointments, and it was this: the obligation to
rectitude of life resting upon the heirs of promise was now thrown
into a categorical and imperative form, embracing the entire round of
moral and religious duty; yet, not that they might by the observance
of this work themselves into a blissful relation to God, but that, as
already standing in such a relation, they might walk worthy of it, and
become filled with the fruits of righteousness, which alone could
either prove the reality of their interest in God, or fulfil the
calling they had received from Him" (P. Fairbairn).
Therein we have a striking exemplification of the relation which the
law sustains to the people of God in all dispensations, most blessedly
so in this Christian era. In every dispensation God has first revealed
Himself unto His people as the giver of life and blessing and then as
the requirer of obedience to His commands. Their obedience, so far
from entitling them to justification, can never be acceptably rendered
until they are justified. All the blessings of Israel were purely and
solely of grace, received through faith. And what is faith but the
acceptance of heaven's gifts, or the trusting in the record wherein
those gifts are promised. The order of experience in the life of every
saint, as it is so clearly set forth in the Epistle to the Romans
(summed up in 12:1), is first participation in the divine mercy, and
then, issuing from it, a constraining obligation to run in the way of
God's commandments.
How could it be otherwise? Surely it is not more obvious than that it
is impossible for fallen and depraved creatures, already lying under
the divine condemnation and wrath, to earn anything at God's hands, or
even to perform good works acceptable in His sight, until they have
become partakers of His sovereign grace. Can they, against the tide of
inward corruption, against the power of Satan and the allurements of
the world, and against God's judicial displeasure, recover themselves
and set out on a journey heavenward, only requiring the aid of the
Spirit to perfect their efforts? To suppose such an absurdity betrays
an utter ignorance of God's character in reference to His dealings
with the guilty. If He "spared not his own Son" (Rom. 8:32), how shall
He refuse to smite thee, O sinner! But, blessed be His name, He can,
for His Son's sake, bestow eternal life and everlasting blessing on
the most unworthy; but He cannot stoop to bargain with criminals about
their acquiring a title to it, through their own defective services.
Third, if the circumstances of God's placing Israel under the law
typified the fact that it was not given to unredeemed sinners in order
for them to procure the divine favor, on the other hand, it is equally
clear that it exemplifies the fact that the redeemed are placed under
the law. Otherwise, one of the most important of all the divine
transactions of the past (Ex. 19) would have no direct bearing upon us
today. The Christian needs the law. First, to subdue the spirit of
self-righteousness. Nothing is more calculated to produce humility
than a daily measuring of ourselves by the exalted standard of
righteousness required by the law. As we recognize how far short we
come of rendering what unremitting love demands, we shall be
constantly driven out of self unto Christ. Second, to restrain the
flesh and hold us back from lawlessness. Third, as a rule of life,
setting before us continually that holiness of heart and conduct
which, through the power of the Spirit, we should be ever striving to
attain.
Should it be objected that the believer has perfect freedom, and must
not be entangled again in the yoke of bondage, the answer is, Yes, he
is "free to righteousness" (Rom. 6:18); he is free to act as a servant
of Christ, and not as a lord over himself. Believers are not free to
introduce what they please into the service of God, for He is a
jealous God, and will not suffer His glory to be associated with the
vain imaginations of men; they arc free to worship Him only in spirit
and truth. "The freedom of the Spirit is a freedom only within the
bounds of the Law" (P. Fairbairn). Subjection to the law is that which
alone proves our title to the grace which is in Christ Jesus. None has
any legitimate ground to conclude that he has savingly trusted in the
Savior, unless he possesses a sincere desire and determination of
heart to serve and glorify God. Faith is not a lawless sentiment, but
a holy principle, its sure fruit being obedience. Love to God ever
yields itself willingly to His requirements.
But let us now observe a conspicuous contrast in the type. At Sinai
God said: "Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed [as
enunciated in the Ten Words] , and keep my covenant, then ye shall be
a peculiar treasure unto me above all people. . . . Yet shall be unto
me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation" (Ex. 19:5, 6). There was a
contingency: Israel's entering into those blessings turned upon their
fulfillment of the condition of obedience. But the terms of the "new
covenant," under which Christians live, are quite otherwise. Here
there is no contingency, but blessed certainty; for the condition of
it was perfectly fulfilled by Christ. Hence God now says, "I will make
an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them
to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they
shall not depart from me" (Jer. 32:40); and, "I will put my Spirit
within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my
judgments and do them" (Ezek. 36:27). Therein we may adore God for the
antitype excelling the type: the if concerning Israel being displaced
by His shall.
Yet in concluding our consideration of this branch of the subject, let
us say very emphatically that the only ones who are entitled to draw
comfort from those precious "shalls" of God, are they who correspond
to the characters described in the immediate context. Jeremiah depicts
them as those in whose hearts God puts His holy fear. If, then, the
fear of God is not in me, if I do not stand in awe of His majesty and
dread a despising of His authority, then I have no reason to conclude
that I am numbered amongst those to whom the promises belong. Ezekiel
describes those who "shall keep God's judgments and do them" as they
from whom He takes away the stony heart and gives a heart of flesh.
If, then, my heart is unresponsive to the divine voice and impenitent
when I have disregarded it, then I am not one of the characters there
delineated. Finally, God says of them, "I will put my laws into their
minds and write them in their hearts" (Heb. 8:10). If, then, I do not
"delight in the law of God after the inward man" and "serve the law of
God" (Rom. 7:22, 25), then I have no part or lot in the better
covenant.
IX.
Continuing our survey of the typical teachings of the Mosaic economy
as they anticipated and prepared the way for the establishing of
Christianity, we note, fourth, the corporate character of Israel. This
was a distinct line in the typical picture, and a feature in marked
advance of anything that had preceded. Under the previous covenants,
God treated only with particular persons; and throughout the history
associated therewith, everything was peculiarly individualistic. But
at Sinai the Lord established a formal bond between Himself and the
favored nation. It was then, for the first time, that we see the
people of God in an organized condition. It is true that they were
divided into twelve separate tribes; yet their union before God was
most blessedly evidenced when the high priest, as the representative
of the whole nation, ministered before Jehovah in the holy place with
their names inscribed on his breastplate.
Israel in their national capacity was a people set apart from all
others, and the degree in which they fulfilled the end of their
separation foreshadowed the church of God, the true kingdom over which
the Messiah presides. Vain indeed is the claim of any church or
collection of churches, any party or "assemblies," that it or they are
either the antitype or the "representation" of the true church, though
this arrogant pretension is by no means confined to the Roman
hierarchy. The purest churches on earth are but most imperfect shadows
of that true kingdom wherein dwelleth righteousness. "The true
antitype is `the Church of the Firstborn, whose names are written in
Heaven' (Heb. 12:23) --that willing and chosen people, the spiritual
seed of Abraham, of whom Christ is the Head, in whose character the
Law will be perfectly transcribed, and who will be all righteous, not
in profession merely, but in fact" (John Kelly).
That church will be revealed in its corporate character or collective
capacity only when Christ comes the second time "without sin unto
salvation," to conduct them to that inheritance which He hath prepared
for them from the foundation of the world. Yet it is in the New
Testament, in those Scriptures which more especially pertain to the
Christian dispensation, that we find the clearest and fullest
unfolding of the people of God in their corporate character. It is
there that the body of Christ--the sum total of the elect, redeemed,
regenerated people of God of all ages--is revealed as the object of
His love and the reward of His sacrificial work. Though Christian
churches are in nowise the antitype of the commonwealth of Israel, nor
the prototype of the church in glory, yet in proportion as they are
"Christian," they supply a continuous testimony to the practical
separation of God's people from this present evil world.
Fifth, the representation given of the blessed truth of
sanctification. Though justification and sanctification cannot be
separated, yet they may be distinguished. That is to say, though these
divine blessings always go together, so that those whom God justifies
He also sanctifies, still they are capable of being considered singly.
When this be essayed, then they should be taken up in the order
wherein they are presented to us in the Epistle to the Romans: in
chapters 4 and 5 the apostle expounds the doctrine of justification,
in chapters 6 to 8 he treats the various aspects of sanctification.
This same order is observable in connection with the covenants: under
the Abrahamic, the blessed truth of justification received clear
illustration (Gen. 15:6); under the Sinaitic, the equally blessed
truth of sanctification was plainly demonstrated. The same order is
also exemplified in Israel's own history: they had been redeemed from
Egypt before the great transaction at Sinai took place.
Now in order really to practice true holiness there must be a
deliverance from the power of Satan and the dominion of sin, for none
are free to serve God in newness of spirit until they have been
emancipated from the old bondage of depravity. Thus, the deliverance
of Israel from the serfdom and slavery of Pharaoh laid the necessary
foundation for them to enter the service of Jehovah. The grace which
makes believers free from the dominion of sin supplies the strongest
argument and motive imaginable to resist and mortify sin, and the
greatest obligation to the practice of holiness. Most vividly was this
adumbrated in Jehovah's dealings with the seed of Abraham, who had for
so long groaned in the brick kilns of Egypt: the gracious deliverance
from their merciless taskmasters placed them under deep obligations to
render a grateful obedience to their Benefactor, which He accordingly
emphasized in His preface to the Ten Commandments.
That which occurred at Sinai typified the sanctification of the
church. The first words Jehovah addressed to Israel after they had
reached the holy mount were, "Ye have seen what I did unto the
Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto
myself" (Ex. 19:4). Here was their relative or positional
sanctification: Israel had not only been separated from the heathen,
but they were taken into a place of nearness to the Lord Himself. Then
followed, "Now therefore if ye will obey my voice indeed and keep my
covenant . . . ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and a holy
nation." Next, Moses was bidden to "go unto the people, and sanctify
them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes" (Ex. 19:10):
here there was a prefiguration of practical sanctification. In giving
to them the law, God provided Israel with the rule of holiness, the
standard to which all conduct is to be conformed. Finally, in
sprinkling the blood upon the people (Ex. 24:8) there was shadowed
forth that which is declared in, "Wherefore Jesus also, that he might
sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate"
(Heb. 13:12).
Sixth, the teaching of the tabernacle and the ceremonial institutions.
And here we must distinguish between God's immediate design in
connection with them and their ultimate purpose. The significance of
the tabernacle and its worship can only be rightly understood when we
apprehend the place given to it in connection with the ceremonial law.
And, as we have shown in a previous chapter, the ceremonial law can
only be understood when we clearly perceive its subordination to the
moral law. The ceremonial law was an auxiliary of the moral, and the
Levitical institutions were, in their primary aspect, an exhibition
(by means of symbolical rites) of the righteousness enjoined in the
Decalogue, by which the heart might be brought into some conformity
therewith. Only by a clear insight, then, into the prior revelation of
the Decalogue and of the prominent place it was designed to hold in
the Mosaic economy, are we prepared to approach and consider that
which was merely supplementary thereto.
It is failure to observe what has just been pointed out which leads to
regarding the tabernacle and its service as too exclusively typical,
causing recent writers to seek therein an adumbration of the person
and work of Christ as the only reason for the things belonging
thereto. This is not only a mistake, but it ignores the key to sound
interpretation, for only as we perceive the symbolical design of the
Levitical institutions are we prepared to understand their typical
purport. The more fully the ceremonial parts of the Mosaic legislation
were fitted to accomplish their prime end of enforcing the
requirements of the Decalogue--setting forth the personal holiness it
demanded and supplying the means for the removal of unholy
pollutions--the more must they have tended to fulfill their ultimate
design: by producing convictions of sin and by testifying to the
defilement which it produced, the heart was prepared for Christ!
The sanctuary is not only called "the tabernacle of the congregation"
(Ex. 40:2, 32, etc.) or as the Hebrew more literally signifies "the
tent of meeting," but also "the tabernacle of the testimony" (Ex.
38:21, etc.) or "the tent of witness" (Num. 17:17, 18). The "witness"
there borne conspicuously and continually, had respect more
immediately to the ineffable holiness of God, and then by necessary
implication to the fearful sinfulness of His people. The tables of
stone in the ark "testified" to the righteous demands of the former,
while they also witnessed in a condemnatory manner unto the latter.
Thus, the meeting which God's people were to have with Him in His
habitation was not simply for fellowship, but it also bore a prominent
respect unto sins on their part (against which the law was ever
testifying) and the means provided for their restoration to His favor
and blessing.
"By the Law is the knowledge of sin" and Israel's sense of their
shortcomings would be in exact proportion to the insight they obtained
of its true spiritual meaning and scope. The numerous restrictions and
services of a bodily kind which were imposed by the Levitical
statutes, speaking (symbolically) as they did of holiness and sin,
must have produced deeper impressions of guilt in those who honestly
listened to them. "The law entered that the offence might abound"
(Rom. 5:20); for while the ceremonial statutes were bidding men to
abstain from sin, they were at the same time multiplying the occasions
of offense. They made things to be sins which were not so before, or
in their own nature--as the prohibition from certain foods, the
touching of a carcass, manufacturing the anointing oil for personal
use, and so forth. Thus it increased the number of transgressions and
the burden upon the conscience.
Two things were thus outstandingly taught the Israelites. First, the
ineffable holiness of God and the exalted standard of purity up to
which He required His people to measure. Second, their own utter
sinfulness, continually failing at some point or other to meet the
divine requirements. To the thoughtful mind it must have appeared that
there was a struggle which was continually being waged between God's
holiness and the sinfulness of His creatures. And what would be the
immediate outcome? Why, the oftener they were oppressed by a sense of
guilt, the oftener would they resort to the blood of atonement.
Necessarily so, for until sin was remitted and defilement removed they
could not enter the holy habitation and commune with the Lord. How
strikingly all of this finds its counterpart in the experience of the
Christian! The more he is enlightened by the Holy Spirit, the more
does he perceive his vileness and what a complete failure he is; and
then the more is he made to appreciate the precious blood of Christ
which "cleanseth from all sin."
Having viewed the tabernacle as "the tent of witness," a brief word
now on it as "the tent of meeting." It was the place where God met
with His people, and where they were permitted to draw nigh unto Him.
This received its typical realization, first in Christ personally,
when He "became flesh and tabernacled among us" (John 1:14), for in
Him "dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9). But
second, it finds its realization in Christ mystical, for as the
fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ, so again He dwells in the
church of true believers as His "fullness" (Eph. 1:23). The dwelling
of God in the man Christ Jesus was not for Himself alone, but as the
medium of intercourse between God and the church, and therefore is the
church called "the house of God" (1 Tim. 3:15) or "his habitation
through the Spirit" (Eph. 2:21, 22). Thus the grand truth symbolized
of old in the tabernacle and temple receives its antitypical
realization not in Christ apart, but in Christ as the head of His
redeemed, for through Him they have access to the Father Himself.
Seventh, the significance of the promised land. Canaan was the type of
heaven, and therefore the constitution appointed for those who were to
occupy it was framed with a view of rendering the affairs of time an
image of eternity. The representation was, of course, imperfect, as
was everything connected with the Mosaic economy, and rendered the
more so by the failure of the people. Nevertheless, there was a real
and discernible likeness furnished of the true, and it had been far
more so had Israel's history approximated more closely to the ideal.
Canaan was (as heaven is) the inheritance and home of God's redeemed.
It was there Jehovah had His abode. It was the place of life and
blessing (the land of "milk and honey"), and therefore death was
regarded as abnormal and treated as a pollution. The inheritance was
inalienable or untransferable; for if an Israelite sold his land, it
reverted back to him at the jubilee.
"Canaan stood to the eye of faith the type of heaven; and the
character and condition of its inhabitants should have presented the
image of what theirs shall be who have entered on the kingdom prepared
for them from the foundation of the world. The condition of such, we
are well assured, shall be all blessedness and glory. The region of
their inheritance shall be Immanuel's land, where the vicissitudes of
evil and the pangs of suffering shall be alike unknown--where
everything shall reflect the effulgent glory of its Divine Author, and
streams of purest delight shall be ever flowing to satisfy the souls
of the redeemed. But it is never to be forgotten that their condition
shall be thus replenished with all that is attractive and good,
because their character shall first have become perfect in holiness.
No otherwise than as conformed to Christ's image can they share with
Him in His inheritance" (P. Fairbairn). Hence, God's demand that
Israel should be a holy and obedient people; and hence their
banishment from Canaan when they apostatized.
In concluding this chapter let us pause and admire that wondrous
comingling of justice and mercy, law and grace, holiness and leniency
which was displayed throughout the Mosaic economy. This marvel of
divine wisdom--for there is nothing that can be compared with it in
all the productions of man--appears at almost every point. We see it
in the "adding" of the Sinaitic covenant to the Abrahamic (Gal. 3:19);
for whereas promises predominated in the one, precepts were more
conspicuous in the other. We see it in God's delivering Israel from
the bondage of Egypt and then taking them into His own service. We see
it in the giving of the ceremonial law as a supplement to the moral.
We see it in the fact that while the Levitical institutions were
constantly emphasizing the purity which Jehovah required from His
people, condemning all that was contrary thereto, yet means were
provided for the promotion of the same and the removal of impurities.
The whole is well summed up in "The law was given that grace might be
sought; grace was given that the law might be fulfilled" (Augustine).
The entire ritual of the annual Day of Atonement (Lev. 16), which
manifested the ground on which Jehovah dwelt in the midst of His
people--the maintenance of His honor and the removal of their guilt
made it very evident that sin is a most solemn and serious matter, and
that there was no hope for the guilty except on a footing of pure
grace. Yet it just as clearly demonstrated the fact that sovereign
mercy was exercised in a way that conserved the supremacy of the law.
What else was the obvious meaning of Aaron's sprinkling the blood of
atonement upon the very cover of the ark wherein were preserved the
tables of stone (Lev. 16:14)? Each time Israel's high priest entered
the holy of holies, the people were impressively taught that in the
enjoyment of their national privileges their sinful condition was not
lost sight of and that it was in no disregard of the law that they
were so highly favored; for its just demands were satisfied by the
blood of an innocent victim. Thus, the true object of all God's
gracious conduct toward His people was to make them holy, delighting,
after the inward man, in His law.
X.
In bringing to a close these chapters on the Sinaitic covenant we
propose to review the ground which has been covered, summarize the
various aspects of truth which have been before us, and endeavor to
further clarify one or two points which may not yet be quite clear to
the interested reader. We began this study by asking a number of
questions which we will now repeat and briefly answer.
"What was the precise nature of the covenant which God entered into
with Israel at Sinai?" It was an arrangement or constitution which
pertained to them as a nation, and was for the regulation of their
religious, political, and social life. "Did it concern only their
temporal welfare as a nation, or did it also set forth God's
requirements for the individual's enjoyment of eternal blessings?" The
latter; for the substance of the covenant was according to the
unchanging principles on which God's throne is founded: none but those
who are partakers of the divine holiness and are conformed to the
divine righteousness can commune with God and dwell with Him forever.
"Was a radical change now made in God's revelations to men and what He
demanded of them?" No, for it had for its foundation the everlasting
covenant of grace, while in substance it was a renewal of the Adamic
covenant of works. Moreover, as we have shown, the Sinaitic
transaction must not be considered as an isolated event, but as an
appendage to the Abrahamic covenant, the ends of which it was designed
to carry forward to their accomplishment.
In saying that the Mosaic economy was founded upon the everlasting
covenant of grace, we mean that it was owing to the eternal compact
which the three Persons of the Godhead had made with the Mediator,
Christ Jesus, that the Lord dealt with Israel in pure grace when He
delivered them from the bondage of Egypt and brought them unto
Himself. When we say that in substance it was a renewal of the Adamic
covenant of works, we mean that Israel was placed under the same law
(in principle) as the federal head of the race was, and that as Adam's
continued enjoyment of Eden was contingent upon his obedience. In
saying that the Sinaitic constitution was an appendage to the
Abrahamic covenant, we mean that it gathered up into itself the
primordial and patriarchal institutions--the sabbath, sacrifices,
circumcision--while it added a multitude of new ordinances which,
though in themselves "weak and beggarly elements," were both
instructive symbols and typical prefigurations of future spiritual
blessings.
"Was an entirely different `way of salvation' now introduced?" Most
certainly not. Salvation has always been by grace through faith, never
on the ground of works, but always producing good works. When Jude
says that he proposed to write of "the common salvation" (v. 3), he
signified that the saints of all ages have participated in the same
salvation. The regenerated in Israel looked beyond the sign to the
thing signified and saw in the shadow a figure of the substance, and
obtained through Christ acceptance with God. Every aspect of the
cardinal truth of justification is found in the Psalms just as it is
set forth in the New Testament. First, the same confession of sin and
depravity (Ps. 14:1). Second, the same acknowledgment of guilt and
ill-desert (Ps. 40:12, 13). Third, the same fear of God's righteous
judgment (Ps. 6:1). Fourth, the same sense of inevitable condemnation
on the ground of God's law (Ps. 143:2). Fifth, the same cry for
undeserved mercy (Ps. 51:1). Sixth, the same faith in God's revealed
character as a just God and Savior (Ps. 25:8). Seventh, the same hope
of mercy through redemption (Ps. 130:7). Eighth, the same pleading of
God's name (Ps. 15:11). Ninth, the same trust in another righteousness
than his own (Ps. 71:16; 84:9). Tenth, the same love for the Son (Ps.
2:12). Eleventh, the same joy and peace in believing (Ps. 89:15, 16).
Twelfth, the same assurance in God's faithfulness to fulfill His
promises (Ps. 89:1, 2). Let the reader carefully ponder these passages
from the Psalms, and he will discover the gospel itself in all its
essential elements.
"Wherein is the Sinaitic covenant related to the others, particularly
to the everlasting covenant of grace and the Adamic covenant of works?
--was it in harmony with the former or a renewal of the latter?" These
questions raise an issue which presents the chief difficulty to be
elucidated. In seeking its solution, several vital and basic
considerations must needs be steadily borne in mind, otherwise a
one-sided view of it is bound to lead to an erroneous conclusion.
Those important considerations include the relation which the Sinaitic
compact bore to the Abrahamic covenant; the distinction which must be
drawn between the relation that existed between Jehovah and the nation
at large, and between Jehovah and the spiritual remnant in it; and the
contribution which God designed the Mosaic economy should make toward
paving the way for the advent of Christ and the establishment of
Christianity.
Now the Holy Spirit has Himself graciously made known to us in
Galatians 3 the relation which the Sinaitic covenant sustained to the
Abrahamic. The latter did not, "cannot disannul" the former (v. 17),
it was "added" thereto (v. 19), it is "not against" it (v. 21), it had
a gracious design (vv. 23, 24). It was "added" not by way of amendment
or alteration, not to discredit it, nor to be blended with it as water
may be mixed with wine; no, it still remained subservient to the
promises made to Abraham concerning his seed. And yet it was not set
up by itself alone, but was brought in as a necessary appendix, which
clearly proves that God gave Israel the law with an evangelical design
and purpose.
"It was added because of transgressions," which probably has a double
reference. First, because sin was then so rampant in the world, and
Israel had acquired so many of the ways of the heathen during their
long sojourn in Egypt, the law (both moral and ceremonial) was
formally given at Sinai to serve as a restraint, and preserve a pure
seed till the Messiah appeared. Second, in order to convict Israel of
their guilt and convince them of the need of another righteousness
than their own, thus preparing their hearts for Christ. If I preach
the law to the unsaved, showing its spirituality and the breadth of
its requirements, pressing upon them the justice of its demands,
proving they are under its righteous condemnation, and all of this
with the object of driving them out of themselves to Christ, then I
make a right and legitimate service of the law. I "use it lawfully" (1
Tim. 1:8) and do not pit it against the gospel.
In the historical order and dispensational relation between the
Abrahamic and Sinaitic covenants we see again that marvel of divine
wisdom which conjoins such opposites as law and grace, justice and
mercy, requirement and provision. The fact that the latter was "added"
to the former, shows that the one was not set aside or ignored by the
other, but was acknowledged in its unimpaired validity. Now under the
Abrahamic covenant, as we saw when examining the same, there was a
striking conjunction of grace and law, yet the former more largely
predominated--as is evident from the frequent references to the
"promises" (Gal. 3:7, 8, 16, 18, 21) and from the "preached before the
gospel to Abraham" (Gal. 3:8); so too under the Mosaic economy grace
and law were both exhibited, yet the latter was far more
conspicuous--as is clear from the contrast drawn in "for the law was
given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."
The Sinaitic covenant was supplementary and subsidiary to the
Abrahamic, serving to promote both its natural and spiritual ends. Its
object was not to convey, but to direct life. Its immediate design was
to make clear to Abraham's seed how it behooved them to act toward God
and toward each other, as a chosen generation, as the people of
Jehovah. It made evident the character and conduct required from those
who were partakers of the grace revealed in the promises. It made
manifest the all-important principle that redemption carries in its
bosom a conformity to the divine will, and that only when the soul
really responds to the righteousness of heaven is the work of
redemption completed. It trained the mind and stimulated the
conscience of the regenerate unto a more enlightened apprehension of
the mercy revealed, and which its instituted symbols served more fully
to explain.
It was grace alone which delivered Israel from Egypt, but as God's
acknowledged people they were going to occupy for their inheritance
that land which the Lord claimed as more peculiarly His own. They must
go there, then, as (typically, at least) partakers of His holiness,
for thus alone could they either glorify His name or enjoy His
blessings. Hence the holiness of Israel was the common end aimed at in
all the Levitical institutions under which they were placed. Take, for
example, the laver, at which the priests (under pain of death: Exodus
30:20, 21) were always required to wash their hands and feet before
either serving at the altar or entering the tabernacle. That was
symbolical of the inward purity which God required. The psalmist
clearly intimates this, and shows he held it to be no less applicable
to himself, when he says, "I will wash mine hands in innocency; so
will I compass thine altar, O Lord" (26:6). That he spoke of no bodily
ablution, but of the state of his heart and conduct, is evident from
the whole tenor of the psalm.
By undeserved and sovereign goodness the Israelites were chosen to be
the people of God, and their obedience to the law was never intended
to purchase immunities or advantages not already theirs. Such an idea
is preposterous. No, their obedience simply preserved to them the
possession of what God had previously bestowed. The moral law made
known the character and conduct which He required from His children
(Deut. 14:1). That it revealed to them their shortcomings and
convicted them of their depravity, only served to make the spiritually
minded seek more earnestly fresh supplies of grace and be increasingly
thankful for the provisions of mercy supplied for the removal of their
sins and maintenance of fellowship with the Lord.
In requiring the guilty Israelite to lay his hand on the head of the
sacrificial victim (Lev. 4:24), it was plainly taught that the
worshiper could never approach God in any other character than that of
a sinner, and by no other way than through the shedding of blood. On
the annual Day of Atonement the people were required to "afflict their
souls" (Lev. 16:29). The same principle is equally applicable under
the new covenant era: the atonement of Christ becomes available to the
sinner only as he approaches it with heartfelt convictions of sin, and
with mingled sorrow and confidence disburdens himself of the whole
accumulation of guilt at the foot of the cross. Repentance toward God
and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ must grow and work together in the
experience of the soul.
What has been said in the last eight paragraphs is all fairly obvious
and simple, for it finds its exact counterpart in the New Testament.
Everything connected with the earthly and temporal inheritance of
Israel was so ordered as to plainly exhibit those principles by which
God alone confers upon His people the tokens of His favor. God's ways
with Israel on earth were designed to disclose the path to heaven.
True obedience is possible only as the effect of sovereign grace in
redemption. But grace reigns "through righteousness" (Rom. 5:21), and
never at the expense of it; and therefore are the redeemed placed
under the law as their rule of life. It is perfectly true that the
gospel contains far higher examples of the morality enjoined in the
law than any to be found in the Old Testament, and provides much more
powerful motives for exercising the same; but that is a very different
thing from maintaining that the morality itself is higher or
essentially more perfect.
But the real problem confronts us when we consider the relation of the
law to the great masses of the unregenerate in Israel. Manifestly it
sustained an entirely different relation to them than it did to the
spiritual remnant. They, as the fallen descendants of Adam, were born
under the covenant of works (i.e., bound by its inexorable
requirements), which they, in the person of their federal head, had
broken; and therefore they lay under its curse. And the giving of the
moral law at Sinai was well calculated to impress this solemn truth on
them, showing that the only way of escape was by availing themselves
of the provisions of mercy in the sacrifices--just as the only way for
the sinner now to obtain deliverance from the law's condemnation is
for him to flee to Christ. But the spiritual remnant, though under the
law as a rule of life, participated in the mercy contained in the
Abrahamic promises, for in all ages God has been administering the
everlasting covenant of grace when dealing with His elect.
This twofold application of the law, as it related to the mass of the
unregenerate and the remnant of the regenerate, was significantly
intimated in the double giving of the law. The first time Moses
received the tables of stone from the hands of the Lord (Ex. 32:15,
16), they were broken by him on the mount--symbolizing the fact that
Israel lay under the condemnation of a broken law. But the second time
Moses received the tables (Ex. 34:1), they were deposited in the ark
and covered with the mercy-seat (Ex. 40:20), which was sprinkled by
the atoning blood (Lev. 16:14) --adumbrating the truth that saints are
sheltered (in Christ) from its accusations and penalty. "The Law at
Sinai was a covenant of works to all the carnal descendants of
Abraham, but a rule of life to the spiritual. Thus, like the pillar of
cloud, the law had both a bright and a dark side to it" (Thomas Bell,
1814, The Covenants).
The predication made by Thomas Bell and others that the covenant of
works was renewed at Sinai, requires to be carefully qualified.
Certainly God did not promulgate the law at Sinai with the same end
and use as in Eden, so that it was strictly and solely a covenant of
works; for the law was most surely given to Israel with a gracious
design. It was in order to impress them with a sense of the holiness
and justice of Him with whom they had to do, with the spirituality and
breadth of the obedience which they owed to Him, and this, for the
purpose of convicting them of the multitude and heinousness of their
sins, of the utter impossibility of becoming righteous by their own
efforts, or escaping from the divine wrath, except by availing
themselves of the provisions of His mercy; thus shutting them up to
Christ.
The double bearing of the Mosaic law upon the carnal in Israel, and
then upon the spiritual seed, was mystically anticipated and
adumbrated in the history of Abraham--the progenitor of the one and
the spiritual father (pattern) of the other. Promise was made to
Abraham that he should have a son, yet at first it was not so clearly
revealed by whom the patriarch was to have issue. Sarah, ten years
after the promise, counseled Abraham to go in to Hagar, that by her
she might have children (Gen. 16:3). Thus, though by office only a
servant, Hagar was (wrongfully) taken into her mistress's place. This
prefigured the carnal Jews' perversion of the Sinaitic covenant,
putting their trust in the subordinate precept instead of the original
promise. Israel followed after righteousness, but did not obtain it,
because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of
the law (see Rom. 9:32, 33; 10:2, 3). They called Abraham their father
(John 8:39), yet trusted in Moses (John 5:45). After all his efforts,
the legalist can only bring forth an Ishmael--one rejected of God--and
not as Isaac!
When Thomas Bell insisted that the Sinaitic covenant must be a renewal
of the covenant of works (though subservient to the Abrahamic) because
it was not the covenant of grace, and "there is no other," he failed
to take into account the unique character of the Jewish theocracy.
That it was unique is clear from this one fact alone, that all of
Abraham's natural descendants were members of the theocracy, whereas
only the regenerate belong to the body of Christ. The Sinaitic
covenant formally and visibly manifested God's kingdom on earth, for
His throne was so established over Israel that Jehovah became known as
"King in Jeshurun" (Deut. 33:5), and in consequence thereof Israel
became in a political sense "the people of God," and in that character
He became "their God." We read of "the commonwealth (literally
"polity") of Israel" (Eph. 2:12), by which we are to understand its
whole civil, religious, and national fabric.
That commonwealth was purely a temporal and external one, being an
economy "after the law of a carnal commandment" (Heb. 7:16). There was
nothing spiritual, strictly speaking, about it. It had a spiritual
meaning when looked at in its typical character; but taken in itself,
it was merely temporal and earthly. God did not, by the terms of the
Sinaitic constitution, undertake to write the law on their hearts, as
He does now under the new covenant. As a kingdom or commonwealth,
Israel was a theocracy; that is, God Himself directly ruled over them.
He gave them a complete body of laws by which they were to regulate
all their affairs, laws accompanied with promises and threatenings of
a temporal kind. Under that constitution, Israel's continued
occupation of Canaan and the enjoyment of their other privileges
depended on obedience to their King.
Returning to the questions raised at the beginning of this section,
"Was the Sinaitic covenant a simple or mixed one: did it have only a
letter significance pertaining to earthly things, or a `spirit' as
well, pertaining to heavenly things?" This has just been answered in
the last two paragraphs; a "letter" only when viewed strictly in
connection with Israel as a nation; but a "spirit" also when
considered typically of God's people in general. "What specific
contribution did it make unto the progressive unfolding of the divine
plan and purpose?" In addition to all that has been said on this point
in previous chapters, we will now, in closing, answer by pointing out
how that further details of the everlasting covenant which God made
with Christ were therein strikingly adumbrated.
By making the Sinaitic covenant with the nation of Israel, the Church
of Christ was there prefigured in its corporate character.
By treating through Moses in all his dealings with Israel, God
signified that we receive all His blessings through "the mediator of
the better covenant" (Heb. 8:6).
By first redeeming Israel from Egypt and then placing them under the
law, God intimated that His grace reigns "through righteousness" (Rom.
5:21).
By taking upon Himself the office of king (Deut. 33:5), God showed
that He requires implicit submission (obedience) from His people.
By setting up the tabernacle in Israel's midst, God revealed that
place of nearness to Himself into which He has brought us.
By the various institutions of the ceremonial law, we learn that
"without holiness no man shall see the Lord."
By bringing Israel into the land of Canaan, God supplied an image of
our heavenly inheritance.
Contents | Intro | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8
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Divine Covenants by A.W. Pink
Part Six-The Davidic Covenant
I.
In this chapter we shall attempt little more than to point out the
connecting links between the Sinaitic and the Davidic covenants. The
various covenants recorded in the Old Testament, as we have previously
stated, mark the principal stages in the development of God's purpose
of mercy toward our fallen race. Each one brought to light some
further aspect of truth, and that, in keeping with particular
incidents in the circumstances of God's people on earth. The covenants
and the history are so intimately related that some knowledge of the
one is indispensable to an understanding of the other, for each throws
light upon the other. Only when the divine covenants and the sacred
history connected with them are mutually studied, can we be in a
position to trace the divine wisdom in those epoch-making
transactions. But in order not to extend this study unto too great a
length, our review of the history must necessarily be brief and
incomplete.
The statutes and ordinances given for the regulation of Israel, the
covenant people, assumed a definite form sometime before the death of
Moses, who, on account of his sin, was not allowed to lead the people
into the promised land. In view of his removal, he was divinely
instructed to select Joshua as his successor, to whose leadership the
nation was entrusted in the great enterprise which lay before them.
The previous life of this eminent man had supplied a suitable training
for the work which was assigned to him, and his future conduct
manifested qualities which evidenced him to be equal to all the
exigencies of his high service. Under his administration, the conquest
of Canaan was, to a large extent, successfully accomplished, and the
land was divided by lot to the several tribes. On the eve of his
decease he was able to say, "Behold, this day I am going the way of
all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts . . . that not one thing
hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake
concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, not one thing hath
failed thereof" (Josh. 23:14).
The above language (like much in Scripture) is not to be taken
absolutely, as though the entire conquest of Canaan was now complete
and the inheritance fully secured-the fact was otherwise. No, it is to
be understood as affirming that up to this time no assistance had been
withheld which their project required or that had been promised to
them, and it was designed to strengthen their faith and encourage
their hearts in regard to further success in its future prosecutions.
Joshua had no successor, nor was any needed. Though Israel was a
single nation, with common laws, under one King, yet each tribe had
its own rulers, sufficient for orderly self-government and to take
possession of that portion of the inheritance which had been allotted
them. In some cases the land had yet to be acquired, and the tribes
whose property it was were obligated to effect its conquest, whether
by their own efforts or with the aid of their fellows. All of this is
sufficiently apparent from the facts of the sacred history.
After the death of Joshua, Judah, assisted by the tribe of Simeon, was
the first to go up, under divine direction, to fight against the
Canaanites. For a time success attended their efforts, but soon they
fell into the awful sin of idolatry (Judg. 2:11-13), and divine
punishment quickly followed. Jehovah sold them into the hands of their
enemies, until in pity for their affliction, He interposed for their
relief. The historical account of their condition during a lengthy
period is but fragmentary. The Book of judges does not give us a
continuous and connected narrative, but merely relates the principal
disasters in which, at different times, their transgressions involved
them, and of the various means which God graciously employed for their
deliverance. If the reader will consult Judges 2:12-18 he will
discover that the remainder of that book is but a series of
illustrations of what is there stated.
The judges were extraordinary officers raised up by God, occasionally,
by special designation, yet always acting with the free concurrence of
the people. While their rule in most instances extended over the whole
nation, in some it seems to have been confined to particular tribes
only; but so far as their commission reached, they had under God
supreme authority. Usually, they were the leaders in the military
operations undertaken against the oppressors of Israel; though in some
instances they were appointed for the suppression of disorders
prevailing among the tribes themselves. Special circumstances alone
determined their appointment. Their power was real; yet so far as the
inspired record informs us, their habits continued simple. They had no
external badge of distinction, received no emolument for their
services, and enjoyed no exclusive privileges that were capable of
being transmitted to the members of their several families.
The Book of judges is mainly limited to giving us a summary statement
of the official acts of these men. There are considerable intervals in
respect to which we have no information-possibly because those
particular periods were marked by comparative peace and prosperity,
during which the worship of Jehovah was maintained and His blessing
enjoyed. Of that state of things the Book of Ruth supplies a pleasing
illustration. Throughout the whole of this period, the Levitical
institutions supplied the people with all the instruction which was
necessary for their direction in divine worship and the maintenance of
that fellowship with God to which they had been admitted. Nothing in
the form of addition was made to the truth which through the
instrumentality of Moses had been disclosed and placed on permanent
record. Some were raised up endowed with the gift of prophecy, but
they appear to have been few in number, appearing only on rare
occasions, their utterances being confined to what concerned the
present duty of the people.
Though no new truth was given, nor even any amplification of what had
been previously revealed, yet even so, Israel then supplied a striking
type of the kingdom of God as it is now revealed under the gospel.
They were a people under the immediate government of God, subject to
His authority alone, bound together by ties which their relation to
Him created, and enjoying the privilege of access to His mercy-seat
(through their high priest) for counsel and aid in every emergency. Is
it not thus, though in a truer and higher sense, with the saints of
this dispensation? The Lord is enthroned in their hearts, His yoke
they have freely taken upon them, and whatever distinctions in other
respects may exist among them, they are one in fealty to Him and unite
in the practical homage which He requires. But Israel understood not
their position and appreciated not their advantages. They were
discontented, distrustful, stiff-necked, ever forsaking their own
mercies.
In one particular respect their outward condition remained defective:
they had not yet acquired the full and peaceful possession of their
inheritance. Their enemies were still powerful and involved them in
perpetual trouble. This, however, was the effect of their own
unfaithfulness. Had they resolutely obeyed the voice of the Lord and
continued in the task to which He had called them, had they in humble
dependence on His power and promised grace fulfilled their
instructions, they would soon have realized a state of prosperity
equal to all they were warranted to expect (Ps. 81:13-16). But their
indolence and unbelief deprived them of blessings which were within
their reach. They were unsettled. Their very worship was in a degree
as yet provisional-indicated by the removal of the ark of the covenant
from place to place. They were content that it should be so, being too
carnal minded to really value the peculiar constitution which it was
their privilege to enjoy.
Samuel was the last of the judges, and from his time the stream of
history flows on in a more continuous course. Received in answer to
prayer, he was from his birth consecrated to God. That consecration
was graciously accepted, and while yet a child he became the subject
of divine communications. Thus early did the Lord indicate the nature
of that service in which his life was to be spent. Samuel, we are
told, "grew, and the Lord was with him, and let none of his words fall
to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that
Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord" (1 Sam. 3:19, 20).
At what time he publicly assumed the office of judge we are not
directly informed: probably while yet a youth he was understood to be
designed thereto, but only in mature life acknowledged in that
capacity by the tribes assembled at Mizpeh (1 Sam. 7:6).
Since Moses, no one exercised a more beneficial influence upon Israel,
in every respect, than did Samuel. His administration was singularly
able and prosperous. When the infirmities of age came upon him, he
associated his sons with him in the office, doubtless with the
concurrence of the people; but, as so often follows in such a case,
the arrangement did not work well. The young men were very different
in character from their aged parent, and they acted accordingly: "And
his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and
took bribes, and perverted judgment" (1 Sam. 8:3). The evil course
they pursued seems to have been systematic and open, and was publicly
felt to be all the more intolerable because of its marked contrast
from the integrity which had uniformly marked the official conduct of
Samuel himself.
Such scandalous conduct on the part of Samuel's sons caused the people
to be loud in their expression of dissatisfaction, which was followed
by a demand for which the aged servant of God was not prepared: "Then
all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to
Samuel unto Ramah. And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy
sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the
nations" (1 Sam. 8:4, 5). Various considerations incline us to form
the conclusion that this proposal was far from being a sudden one on
the part of the people. Although Samuel was neither slow nor
unsuccessful in repelling the attacks of their enemies, yet his
government was, on the whole, a pacific one, such as the condition of
the people then called for. While much yet remained to be done for the
complete conquest of their inheritance, they were enfeebled by
unbelief and all its consequences, and therefore practically unfitted
for the work assigned to them.
Time and training were required for their restoration to that state of
efficiency on which, humanly speaking, their success depended. This
was the result at which the administration of Samuel aimed. But there
is reason to believe that his wise policy was anything but agreeable
to them. However ill qualified for it, the passion for conquest had
sprung up amongst the people. They had become dissatisfied with the
occasional military efforts of the judges and, enamored with the regal
pomp of the surrounding nations, they formed extravagant expectations
of what a vast improvement in their condition the settled rule of a
race of kings would produce. This, we take it, is what led up to and
lies behind the demand which they made upon Samuel in the present
instance.
But the demand involved a marked departure from the constitution which
God had established amongst them. Jehovah Himself was their King, and
He had given no outward intimation that things should not continue in
the observance of those simple arrangements under which their
political condition had been settled, with the assurance that the Lord
was ever present with them, ready to afford them the counsel and aid
which they needed. Their past history, notwithstanding their deep
unworthiness, had abundantly proved how promptly and graciously that
assurance had been made good. But this state of privilege the people
were too earthly to value. In the intention of the mass of the people,
the request made to Samuel was a practical renunciation of the
theocracy. The demand itself, then, was wrong; and in spirit and
purpose it was still more reprehensible.
The demand presented to Samuel indicated an unreasonable
dissatisfaction with the divine goodness, and a rejection of the
divine claims. In this light it was regarded by God Himself. The Lord
said unto Samuel, "Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that
they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have
rejected me, that I should not reign over them" (1 Sam. 8:7). That the
change now desired would be ultimately sought was foreseen from the
first. An intimation to that effect was given through Moses and
accompanied with instructions for the guidance of the people when that
event occurred. "When thou art come unto the land which the Lord thy
God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and
shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are
about me; thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the Lord
thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king
over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy
brother. But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the
people to return to Egypt," etc. (Deut. 17:14-20).
It is to be duly noted that the terms of the above passage simply
anticipated what would assuredly happen: they neither ordered the
change itself, nor expressed approval of it. The request made by
Israel to Samuel was indeed granted, yet in such a way as to
demonstrate the fallacy of the expectations which they had
entertained, and to bring with it chastisement for their sin. God gave
them their own desire, but mocked their vain hopes. The regal dignity
was first conferred on Saul, one possessing the very qualifications
which Israel desired: a man after their own heart. He was comely in
person, commanding in appearance, just such a one as to suit their
carnal tastes. To his appointment some dissatisfaction was at first
shown, but this was speedily silenced by the success of his early
actions, and subsequently his election was confirmed at Gilgal with
the general concurrence of Israel (1 Sam. 11:15).
But the reign of Saul was a disastrous one. He was grievously
defective in those moral and spiritual qualities indispensable to the
requirements of his high position. The defects of his character soon
became apparent: he proved himself to be rash, self-willed, jealous,
and disobedient to the divine command. His administration was marked
by injustice and cruelty; disorder and feebleness increased toward the
close of his reign, and, forsaken of God, he ultimately perished on
the battlefield, where the armies of Israel suffered an ignominious
defeat. Sorely wounded, he put an end to his miserable existence by
taking his own life. Fearfully humiliating, then, was Israel's
punishment for their presumptuous sin. To this sad episode the words
of the prophet applied, when through him God said, "I gave thee a king
in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath" (Hos. 13:11).
II.
How mysterious and yet how perfect are the ways and works of "the Lord
God omnipotent" (Rev. 19:6)! He makes all things subservient to His
own glory, so directing the affairs of earth as to promote His own
gracious designs. Though He be in no sense chargeable with the sins of
the creature, yet He maketh "the wrath of man" to praise Him (Ps.
76:10). A striking, solemn, and yet blessed illustration of this
appears in that incident of Israel's history which we are now
considering-namely, their discontent at having Jehovah Himself for
their King, and their demand for a human monarch, that they might be
like the heathen nations surrounding them (1 Sam. 8:5). This was most
evil and wicked on their part, and as such, highly displeasing unto
the Lord, who bade Samuel "protest solemnly unto them" (1 Sam. 8:9).
This was followed by God's chastening them by appointing Saul, whose
reign was a most disastrous one for Israel.
So much for the human side; but what of the divine? The change now
produced in the political constitution of Israel, though sinful in its
origin and disastrous in its immediate effects, was in divine mercy
overruled to disclose some new aspects of the divine purpose toward
our fallen world. It became the means of unfolding by a fresh series
of types the future exaltation of the Messiah, the nature and extent
of His kingdom, and the beneficial effects of His administration. When
the rejection of Saul was definitely intimated, steps were quickly
taken under divine direction in the choice of his successor; and in
this instance the carnal views of the people were in nowise consulted.
God chose a man after His own heart: one whom His grace had prepared,
and who in his official character, unlike Saul, would pay implicit
deference to every intimation of the divine will.
But before we take a closer view of David himself, let us add a
further word to the above upon what brought about the institution of
the kingly office in the constitution of Israel. As we have seen, it
was a sin for the people to seek a king, yet it was of the Lord that
they sought one. This is a deep mystery; yet its underlying principle
is being constantly exemplified. God accomplishes His holy counsels by
the free actions of sinful men. According to God's sovereign purpose
Saul must be made king of Israel; yet in bringing this to pass only
the working of natural laws was employed. From the human side it was
because the sons of Samuel were corrupt in judging, and in consequence
the people had asked him for a king. Had those sons been of the same
caliber as their father, the people would have been satisfied and no
king would have been requested. It was by His ordinary providential
control that God brought this to pass.
In nowise was the divine holiness compromised: the divine decree was
accomplished, yet the people acted freely, and the guilt of their
action was justly visited upon them. It may be asked, "Why did not
Providence prevent this occasion of sin to His people? Why did His
providence lay this stumblingblock before them? If God designed to
give them a king, why did He not give them a king in a way that would
have presented them with no occasion of rejecting Himself as King? God
designed to show that rebellion was in them, and His providence
manifests this, even in the way of fulfilling His own purposes, which
coincided with theirs. Here is sovereignty" (Alexander Carson). Yes,
and here is also infinite wisdom, that can bring to pass His own
foreordinations without doing any violence to the responsibility of
man, that can guide his evil inclinations, without any complicity
therein. But to return to our more immediate inquiry.
At the time David was selected to be the successor of Saul, he was in
the bloom of youth-the youngest son of his father's house. Although
the intimation given of the high honor awaiting him was too distinct
to be missed, it did not produce any injurious effects upon him. He
continued to serve Saul as if he had been wholly ignorant of what God
had designed. He was not puffed up with his prospects, nor did he give
any intimation of a selfish ambition. He never presumed to anticipate
by any effort of his own the fulfillment of the divine purpose, but
left it entirely with God to effect the same in His own time and way.
From Saul himself he received sufficient provocation to have tempted
him to pursue an opposite course, but he quietly submitted to God's
sovereignty and waited for Him to make good His promise. Well may we
seek grace to emulate such becoming meekness and patience.
In due time God fulfilled His word. On the death of Saul, the tribe of
Judah anointed David king at Hebron (2 Sam. 2:4), and seven years
later, every hindrance having been providentially removed, all the
other tribes concurred in his election (2 Sam. 5:3). During the early
part of his reign, the attention of David was directed to suppressing
the assaults of the Philistines and other enemies. His military
operations were most successful, and the foes of Israel were humbled
and subdued. On the establishment of peace throughout his kingdom,
David's thoughts were directed to the removal of the ark, which had
hitherto been migratory, to a settled place in Jerusalem. That city,
in its entire extent, had recently come into his possession and had
been chosen as the royal residence and the seat of divine worship. The
conquering of the promised land, through the divine blessing on his
administration, was now in a great measure completed; and David
concluded that the time was ripe for him to erect a fixed and
permanent habitation for the worship of Jehovah.
He formed the resolution to build a house for the Lord, and made known
the same unto. the prophet Nathan, by whom he was at first encouraged.
But though God approved the thought of David's heart, He would not
permit him to give effect to his intentions. That particular honor was
reserved for his son and successor, Solomon, although he was not then
born. The reason for this is expressly stated: God said to him, "Thou
hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars; thou shalt not
build a house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the
earth in my sight" (1 Chron. 22:8). This statement does not mean that
the wars in which David had engaged were unauthorized and sinful; on
the contrary, they were undertaken by divine orders, and their success
was often secured by signal manifestations of God's interposition. But
that aspect of the divine character revealed in those events was
different from that which worship mainly disclosed; therefore, there
had been an evident incongruity in one who had shed so much blood
erecting a house for the God of mercy and grace.
By the intended house of prayer, symbolic instruction was designed to
be conveyed, and in order for that to be accomplished, peaceful
conditions were required in association with its erection. Accordingly
Nathan was sent to David to prohibit the accomplishment of his design.
The divine message, however, was accompanied with the most striking
assurances of the favor of God toward himself. After reminding David
of the humble condition from which he had been taken to be ruler over
Israel, and of the invariable proofs of the divine presence and
blessing which had attended all his enterprises, the prophet declared,
"The Lord telleth thee that he will make thee a house. And when thy
days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set
up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I
will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I
will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his
Father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten
him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men.
But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul,
whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be
established forever before thee: thy throne shall be established
forever" (2 Sam. 7:11-16).
It is pitiable that any should raise a quibble that because there is
no express mention here of any "covenant" being made, therefore we are
not warranted in so regarding this event. It is true we have no formal
account of any sacrifices being offered in connection with it, no
express figurative ratification of it, such as we find attending every
similar transaction of which mention is made in Scripture. But the
silence observed on this point is no proof that no such formality took
place. The legitimate inference rather is that those observances were
so customary on such occasions, and were so well understood, as to
make any specific allusion to them here quite unnecessary. However,
that it was a true covenant is evident from the distinct and frequent
mention of it under this very designation in other passages.
That the great transaction narrated in 2 Samuel 7 was thus regarded by
David himself as a covenant is clear from his own declaration:
"Although my house be not so with God, yet he hath made with me an
everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure; for this is all
my salvation, and all my desire" (2 Sam. 23:5). When was it that God
made this everlasting covenant with David, if not in the place which
we are now considering? But what is still more to the point, the Lord
Himself refers to the same as a covenant, as we may see from His
response to Solomon's prayer: "If thou wilt walk before me, as David
thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee,
and shalt observe my statutes and my judgments; then will I establish
the throne of thy kingdom according as I have covenanted with David
thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in
Israel" (2 Chron. 7:17, 18). With these statements before us, we
cannot doubt that this divine transaction with David was a true
covenant, even though there is no formal record of its ratification.
That the Davidic covenant constituted another of those remarkable
revelations which at different times distinguished the history of the
Jewish people, a cursory examination of its contents is sufficient to
show. Like every similar transaction which occurred during the Old
Testament era, it has certain typical aspects which were the figures
of higher spiritual blessings. Those had special reference to David
and his family. He was, for instance, assured that the temple should
be built by his immediate successor, and that his family was destined
to occupy a prominent place in the future history of Israel, and that
the regal dignity conferred upon him should be perpetuated in his
descendants so long, at least, as they did not by their sins forfeit
the earthly advantages those secured to them. Those temporal promises
were the ground on which the covenant rested, and were the elements
which expanded into richer spiritual blessings in the distant future.
Viewed in relationship to the more spiritual results, David affirmed
that the covenant was "ordered in all things, and sure" (2 Sam. 23:5).
Against every possible contingency provision was made; nothing should
ever prevail to defeat the fulfillment of those promises. Even the
sins of the individuals of his race, though they would certainly meet
with righteous punishment and might terminate in the ruin of those who
committed them and in the permanent depression of the family, (as in
fact they did), would not annul them. It is with these higher aspects
of the Davidic covenant we shall be chiefly concerned. From them we
may gather the true nature of the solemn engagements it contained, and
estimate the addition made by it to the sum of revealed truth-the
increased light which it shed on the scheme of divine mercy, then in
the course of disclosure.
The substance of the information conveyed by this covenant had
reference to the exaltation, kingdom, and glory of the Messiah. Hints
of a similar kind, though few, obscure, and isolated, are certainly to
be found in the previous portions of Scripture, the most striking of
which is the intimation given through Jacob, that "the sceptre shall
not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until
Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be" (Gen.
49:10). But those hints were then, and up to the time of David, very
imperfectly, if at all, understood, even by the most spiritually
minded of the people. They do not seem to have attracted notice; now,
however, they were concentrated in and amplified with far greater
distinctness through the promises of the Davidic covenant. For the
first time the regal dignity of the Messiah was exhibited, which,
especially when enlarged by the later prophetic representations, the
Jews were not slow to interpret in accord with their carnal ideas.
Thus far all has been, comparatively, plain sailing; but when we come
to the actual interpretation of the promises made to David in 2 Samuel
7, real difficulty is encountered. Those which relate particularly to
the ultimate design of the covenant require a much closer examination,
and when attempting it a reference to other passages treating of the
same subject will be essential. But before entering these deeper
waters, let it be pointed out that, by the terms of this covenant a
further and distinct limitation was given as to the actual line from
which the promised Seed should spring. In the progress of divine
revelation, the channel through which the future Deliverer should
issue was, at successive periods, considerably narrowed. Though this
has often been traced out by others, it is too important and
interesting for us to ignore.
The first prediction, recorded in Genesis 3:15, was couched in the
most general form, simply intimating that the Vanquisher of the
serpent would assume humanity, though supernaturally. On the
destruction of the old world, the promise was renewed to Noah,
together with an intimation that it would be through Seth its
fulfillment should take place (Gen. 9:27). A further step forward was
taken when Abraham was chosen as the progenitor of Him in whom all the
families of the earth should be blessed. His descendants, in the line
of Isaac, on whom the promise was entailed, were, however, so numerous
that no definite view could be taken as to the precise quarter from
which its fulfillment might be looked for. Subsequently, the tribe of
Judah was indicated, but this being one of the most numerous of the
tribes, the same indefiniteness, though in a less degree, would exist
as to the particular family on whom this honor was to be conferred.
Time rolled on, and now the family of David was selected as the medium
through which the promise was to take effect. To that family the
longings of all who looked for the Hope of Israel was henceforth
restricted, and greater facility was thereby afforded for obtaining
the requisite proof of the claims of the Messiah when He should
appear. Thus, by a succession of steps God defined the course through
which His gracious purpose would be wrought out, and with increasing
distinctness concentrated the attention of the faithful toward the
true direction in which the divine promise would be realized; the last
limitation possessing a definiteness to which none of the others could
lay claim.
(In these two chapters we have followed closely John Kelly in his work
[1861] on The Divine Covenants.)
III.
We closed the previous chapter by pointing out the successive steps by
which God gradually made known the counsels of His will which were to
eventuate in the advent and incarnation of His Son. Under the Davidic
covenant, the royal dignity of the Messiah was for the first time
definitely revealed. It should however be pointed out that a
remarkable anticipation of this was given through the inspired song of
Hannah, recorded in 1 Samuel 2:1-10. Therein we find a blessed
blending of the typical with the prophetical, whereby the former
pointed forward to things of a similar nature but of higher and wider
importance. In other words, typical transactions supplied the material
for a prediction of something analogous yet much loftier and grander
in kind. The future was anticipated by present incidents, so ordered
by God as to foreshadow gospel verities, the historical thus serving
as a mold to give prophetic shape to the future things of God's
kingdom.
Hannah's song was evoked, under the moving of the Holy Spirit, by the
birth of Samuel. The spiritual life of Israel was then at a very low
ebb. The natural barrenness which had previously characterized Hannah
adumbrated the sterility of the nation Godward. The provocation which
she received from "her adversary" and which provoked her sorely (1
Sam. 1:5) was a figure of the contempt in which Israel was held by her
foes, the surrounding nations. The feebleness of Eli and his lack of
discernment imaged the decrepitude of the religious leaders in
general: "in those days there was no open vision" (1 Sam. 3:1). The
corruptness of Eli's sons and the readiness of the people to offer
them bribes indicates clearly the sad level to which conditions had
sunk. Such, in brief, is a historical outline of the situation at that
time, typically featured in the items we have mentioned.
The gratitude and joy of Hannah when the Lord opened her womb served
as a suitable occasion for the Spirit to utter through her the
prophetic song alluded to above. Deeply moved at having received the
child of her hopes and prayers, which she had devoted from his birth
as a Nazarite to the Lord's service, her soul was stirred by a
prophetic impulse and her vision enlarged to perceive that her
experience in becoming a mother was a sign of the spiritual
fruitfulness of the true Israel of God in the distant future. Under
that prophetic impulse she took a comprehensive survey of the general
scheme of God, observing that gracious sovereignty which delights to
exalt a humble piety, but which pours contempt on the proud and
rebellious, until in the final crescendo she exclaimed, "The
adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces; out of heaven shall
he thunder upon them; the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and
he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his
anointed" (1 Sam. 2:10).
Remarkable indeed is that language. The final words "his anointed" are
literally "his Messiah" or "Christ." This is the first time in Holy
Writ that that blessed title is found in its most distinctive sense,
though as we all know it occurs hundreds of times afterward as the
synonym for the consecrated King, or Head of the divine kingdom. The
other expressions in the same verse "The adversaries of the Lord shall
be broken in pieces" and "the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth"
show that it was of the Messiah's kingdom that Hannah was moved by the
Holy Spirit to speak. How striking, then, is it to see that the
historical features of Hannah's day possessed an undoubted typical
significance, and that they formed the basis of a prophecy which was
to receive its fulfillment in the distant future! This supplies a
valuable key to many of the later Messianic predictions.
Any possible doubt as to the prophetic purport of Hannah's song is at
once removed by a comparison of the "Magnificat" uttered by Mary at
the announcement of the Messiah's birth (see Luke 1:46-55). It is
indeed striking to find how the Virgin reechoed the same sentiments
and in some instances repeated the very words used by the mother of
Samuel a thousand years previously. "Why should the Spirit, breathing
at such a time in the soul of Mary, have turned her thoughts so nearly
into the channel that had been struck out ages before by the pious
Hannah? Or why should the circumstances connected with the birth of
Hannah's Nazarite offspring have proved the occasion of strains which
so distinctly pointed to the manifestation of the King o-f Glory, and
so closely harmonize with those actually sung in celebration of the
event? Doubtless to mark the connection really subsisting between the
two. It is the Spirit's own intimation of His ultimate design in
transactions long since past, and testimonies delivered centuries
before-namely, to herald the advent of Messiah, and familiarize the
children of the kingdom with the essential character of the coming
dispensation" (P. Fairbairn).
The combination of typical history with prophetic utterance which we
observe in Hannah's song is seen again and again in the later
Scripture, where the predictive feature is more extended and the
typical element in the transactions which gave rise to it more
definite. Such is especially the case with the Messianic psalms, which
being of a lyrical character afforded a freer play of the emotions
than could be suitably introduced into more formal prophecy. But this,
in turn, had its basis in the intimate connection there was between
the present and the future, so that the feelings awakened by the one
naturally incorporated themselves into the delineations of the other.
It was the very institutions of the temporal kingdom in the person and
family of David which constituted both the ground and occasion of the
predictions concerning Christ's future kingdom, and how beautifully
the type prefigured the antitype it will be our delight yet to notice.
The introduction of the royal scepter into the hands of an Israelitish
family produced a radical change in the theocracy, one that was
calculated to draw the attention of the people more to the earthly and
visible, and remove their minds from the heavenly and eternal. The
constitution under which Jehovah, through Moses, had placed them,
though it did not absolutely prohibit the appointing of a king, yet
was of such a character that it seemed far more likely to suffer than
be aided by the allowing of what would consist so largely of the human
element. Till the time of Samuel it was strictly a theocracy: a
commonwealth that had no recognized head but the Lord Himself, and
which placed everything that concerned life and well-being under His
immediate government. It was the distinguishing glory of Israel as a
nation that they stood in this near relation to God, evoking that
outburst of praise from Moses: "The eternal God is thy refuge, and
underneath are the everlasting arms. . . . Happy art thou, O Israel:
who like thee, O people saved by the Lord: the shield of thy help"
(Deut. 33:27, 29).
But alas! Israel were far too carnal to appreciate the peculiar favor
God had shown them, as was made evident when they sought to be like
the Gentiles by having a human king of their own. That was tantamount
to saying they no longer desired that Jehovah should be their
immediate sovereign, that they lusted after a larger measure of
self-government. But this was not the only evil likely to result from
the proposed change. "Everything under the Old Covenant bore reference
to the future and more perfect dispensation of the Gospel; and the
ultimate reason of any important feature or material change in respect
to the former, can never be understood without taking into account the
bearing it might have on the future state and prospects of men under
the Gospel. But how could any change in the constitution of ancient
Israel, and especially such a change as the people contemplated, when
they desired a king after the manner of the Gentiles, be adopted
without altering matters in this respect to the worst.
"The dispensation of the Gospel was to be, in a peculiar sense, the
`kingdom of heaven' or of God, having for its high end and aim the
establishment of a near and blessed intercourse between God and man.
It attains to its consummation when the vision seen by St. John, and
described after the pattern of the constitution actually set up in the
wilderness, comes into fulfillment-when `the tabernacle of God is with
men, and He dwells with them.' Of this consummation it was a striking
and impressive image that was presented in the original structure of
the Israelitish commonwealth, wherein God Himself sustained the office
of king, and had His peculiar residence and appropriate manifestations
of glory in the midst of His people. And when they, in their carnal
affection for a worldly institute, clamored for an earthly sovereign,
they not only discovered a lamentable indifference toward what
constituted their highest honor, but betrayed also a want of
discernment and faith in regard to God's prospective and ultimate
design in connection with their provisional economy" (P. Fairbairn).
In view of what has been before us, it is not to be wondered at that
God manifested His displeasure at the fleshly demand for a human king,
and that He declared to Samuel that the nation had thereby virtually
rejected Himself (1 Sam. 8:7). It is but natural that we should
inquire why, then, did the Lord yield to their evil desire? Ali,
wondrous indeed are the ways of Him with whom we have to do: the very
thing which the people, in their sin, lusted after, served to supply
on a lower plain a striking adumbration of the nature and glory which
Christ's kingdom should yet assume on a higher plane. It was the
eternal purpose of God that He would ultimately entrust the rule of
the universe unto the Man of His own right hand! Thus the divine
procedure on this occasion supplies one of the most striking instances
found in all the Old Testament of the overruling providence of God,
whereby He is able to bring a clean thing out of an unclean.
God not only averted the serious damage which Israel's demands
threatened to do unto the theocracy, but He turned it to good account,
in familiarizing the minds of future generations with what was
designed to constitute the grand feature of the Messianic kingdom,
namely, the Son of God assuming human nature. After the people had
been solemnly admonished for their guilt in the appointing of a king
after their worldly principles, they were permitted to raise one of
their number to the throne, though not as an absolute and independent
sovereign, but as the deputy of Jehovah, ruling in the name and in
subordination to the will of God; and for this reason his throne was
called "the throne of the Lord" (1 Chron. 29:23). But to render His
purpose the more evident to those who had eyes to see, the Lord
allowed the earthly throne to be first occupied by one who was little
disposed to submit to the authority of heaven, and was therefore
supplanted by another who, as God's representative, is over thirty
times called His "servant."
It was in this second person, David, that the kingly administration of
Israel properly began. He was the root and foundation of the earthly
kingdom-as a "kingdom" --in which the divine and the human were
officially united, as they were ultimately to be in a hypostatic or
personal union. Most remarkably did the shaping providence of God
cause the preparatory and typical to shadow forth the ultimate and
antitypical, making the various trials through which David passed ere
he reached the throne, and the conflicts in which he engaged
subsequently, to prefigure throughout the sufferings, work, and
kingdom of the Messiah. A whole volume might well be devoted to a full
amplification of that statement, showing how, in the broad outlines,
the entire history of David possessed a typical significance, so that
it was really a prophetic panorama. The same principle applies with
equal force to many of his psalms, where we find historical events
turned into sacred songs in such a way that they became predictions of
what was to be realized by Christ on a grander scale.
It was in this way that what had otherwise tended to veil the purpose
of God, and obstruct the principal design of His preparations under
the old covenant, was made to be one of the most effective means for
revealing and promoting it. "The earthly head, that now under God
stood over the members of the commonwealth, instead of overshadowing
His authority, only presented this more distinctly to their view, and
served as a stepping-stone to faith, in enabling it to rise nearer to
the apprehension of that personal indwelling of Godhead, which was to
constitute the foundation and the glory of the Gospel dispensation.
For occasion was taken to unfold the more glorious future in its
practical features with an air of individuality and distinctness, with
a variety of detail and vividness of coloring, not to be met with in
any other portions of prophetic Scripture" (P. Fairbairn).
As an illustration of this combination of typical history with
prophecy, we refer to Psalm 2--which we hope to consult again in a
later chapter. It has been termed "an inaugural hymn" designed to
celebrate the appointment and triumph of Jehovah's King. The heathen
nations are pictured as opposing (vv. 1, 2), as vowing together that
if such an appointment was consummated, they would defy it (v. 3).
Notwithstanding, the Most High, disdaining the threats of such puny
adversaries (v. 4), accomplishes His counsel. The everlasting decree
goes forth that the anointed King is established on Zion; and, because
He is God's own Son, He is made the heir of all things, even to the
uttermost limits of the earth (vv. 5-9). The psalm therefore closes
with a call to earth's rulers to submit to the scepter of the King of
kings, warning them of the sure doom that would follow defiance.
Before pointing out the obvious connection of this psalm with the life
and history of David, let us carefully note the entire absence of any
slavish literality. In his elevation to the throne of Israel, David
was not opposed by heathen nations and their rulers, for they probably
knew little and certainly cared less about it. Again, his being
anointed king certainly did not synchronize with his being set on the
holy hill of Zion, for there was an interval of some years between
them. Moreover, when he was established in the kingdom, there is no
record of his pressing the claims of his dominion on other, monarchs,
demanding that they pay allegiance to him. We emphasize these points,
not to suggest there is any failure in the type, but as a warning
against that modern species of literalism which so often reduces
Scripture to an absurdity.
Shall we, then, go to an opposite extreme, and say there is no real
relation between this Messianic psalm and the life and kingdom of
David? Surely not. Certainly it has, and a relation so close that his
experiences were the beginning of what, on a higher plane and on a
larger scale, was to be accomplished in his Son and Lord. While the
language there employed for celebrating the Messianic King and His
kingdom rises high above the experiences which pertain to His
prototype, yet it bears the impress of them. In both alike we see the
sovereign determination on the part of God to the regal office. In
each case there is opposition of the most violent and heathenish kind
to withstand that appointment--in David's case, first on the part of
Saul, and then of Abner and Ishbosheth. In each case we behold the
slow but sure removal of all the obstacles raised against the purpose
of God, and the extension of the sphere of empire till it reaches the
limits of the divine grant. The lines of history are parallel, the
agreement between type and antitype unmistakable.
IV.
We recently saw an article which was headed "Humility and the Second
Advent"; but after reading through the same, we laid it down with a
feeling of disappointment. We had hoped from its title that the writer
of it (quite unknown to us) would emphasize the deep need for
lowliness of heart when taking up the prophetic Scriptures. God's holy
Word ought ever to be approached with great reverence and sobriety,
but particularly is this the case with prophecy, for on no other
subject (except it be the vexed question of church government) have
God's servants differed more widely than in their views of things to
come. It seems as though God has put not a little into His Word for
the express purpose of staining human pride. Certainly, dogmatism ill
becomes any of us where so many have erred.
We dare not say it is in a spirit of true humility that we now take up
our pen, for the heart is very deceitful, and it generally follows
that when we deem ourselves most humble, pride is at work in its
subtlest form. It is, however, with considerable diffidence that we
continue these chapters on the Davidic covenant, for it presents to me
the most difficult aspect of the whole subject. Possibly this is
because of my early training, for it is never an easy matter to get
quite away from our first thoughts and impressions on a subject.
During the years of our spiritual infancy we heard and read nothing
but the premillennial interpretation of prophecy, and, of course (as a
spiritual child), we readily accepted all that our teachers said. But
for the last decade, we have sought to carefully examine what was
taught us, and we have discovered that, some of it at least, was but
"fairy tales."
Common fairness compelled us to weigh the postmillennial view. In
doing so, we recognized a very real danger of allowing our mind to run
to an opposite extreme. We are free to admit that, upon a number of
important points this system of prophetic interpretation is no more
satisfying to us than the "pre"; and therefore at the present time we
are not prepared to commit ourselves to the entire position of either
the one or the other. Nor does that which is known as amillennialism
completely solve the problems. In other words, we now have no definite
ideas concerning coming events, applying to ourselves those words of
the Lord, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which
the Father hath put in his own power" (Acts 1:7). But this makes it
the more difficult to write on our subject, and we can do so only
according to that measure of light which God has vouchsafed us, urging
our readers to "prove all things; hold fast that which is good" (1
Thess. 5:21).
We seem to be fully warranted in saying that what serves to divide
interpreters of prophecy more than anything else is whether its
language is to be taken literally or figuratively. This, of course,
opens a wide and most important field of study, into which we must not
now enter. Yet we cannot forbear from pointing out that--it certainly
seems to me--we have a most solemn warning in the papist perversion of
the Lord's Supper, of the real danger there is of wresting Scripture
at the very time we appear to honor it (by "childlike" faith and
simplicity) in taking it at its face value. If Rome's insistence that
"this is my body" means just what it says, shows us what serious
results follow when mistaking the emblem for the reality which it
represents, ought not this to serve as a very real check against the
gross carnalizings of chiliasm which literalizes what is spiritual and
makes earthly what is heavenly?
The above remarks have been prompted by the promises contained in the
Davidic covenant, recorded in 2 Samuel 7:11-16. In view of all that
has been before us in connection with the preceding covenants, it is
but reasonable to expect that this one too has both a "letter" and a
"spirit" significance. This expectation is, we believe, capable of
clear demonstration: in their primary and inferior aspects those
promises respected Solomon and his immediate successors, but in their
ultimate and higher meaning they looked forward to Christ and His
kingdom. In the account which David gave to the princes of Israel of
the divine communications he had received concerning the throne, he
affirmed that God said unto him, "Solomon thy son, he shall build my
house and my courts: for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be
his Father" (1 Chron. 28:6). Yet the application of the same words to
Christ Himself-- "I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a
Son" (Heb. 1:5) --leaves us in no doubt as to their deeper spiritual
import.
The thrice occurrence of "for ever" in 2 Samuel 7:13, 16 obliges us to
look beyond the natural posterity of David for the ultimate
accomplishment of those promises. God did indeed set the carnal seed
of David upon the throne of Israel and establish his kingdom, though
certainly not unto all generations. Those who have contended that this
covenant of royalty guaranteed to David the occupancy of his throne by
one of his own descendants until the coming of the Messiah, take a
position which it is impossible to defend--the facts of history flatly
contradict them. David transmitted the kingdom of Israel to Solomon,
and he in turn to Rehoboam, but there the reign of the family of David
over all Israel actually (and so far as I perceive, forever) ceased.
Let us enlarge upon this a little.
Rehoboam, by the haughtiness of his bearing and the cruelty of his
measures, forfeited the attachment of his subjects. Ten of the tribes
revolted unto Jeroboam, being completely dissevered from their
brethren, and were never after recovered to their government. Thus,
the reign of David's family over all Israel lasted, from beginning to
end, at most but three generations, or about a century. Over Judah
alone, his descendants continued to reign for several centuries more,
until, at length Nebuchadnezzar invaded and conquered the nation,
destroyed Jerusalem, burned the temple, carried the people into
captivity, and desolated the whole land. With this overthrow, which
occurred some six centuries before the birth of Christ, ended the
reign of David even over the tribe of Judah. His literal throne exists
no more!
It is true that after the Babylonian captivity, which continued
seventy years, a remnant of the people returned and for another
century Judah was ruled by Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah. The first
of these was of the house of David, but both the others belonged to
the tribe of Levi! None of them, however, were kings in any sense, but
merely governed under foreign authority. During the next two centuries
Judah was governed by their high priests, all of whom pertained to the
house of Aaron! Meanwhile, the nation was tributary successively to
the Persians, Greeks, Egyptians, and Syrians. From the close of this
period, until Judea became a Roman province under Herod, when Christ
was born, the Jews were under the government of the Asmonian family,
known as the Maccabees, all of whom belonged to the priestly tribe.
History, then, manifestly refutes that interpretation of the Davidic
covenant which asserts that it promised David that his natural seed
should reign upon his literal throne until Christ appeared. We are
therefore forced to seek another interpretation.
Before considering the spiritual and higher import of the divine
promises in the Davidic covenant, further attention must be given to
their application unto David's natural descendants, and particularly
in connection with their failures; and here we cannot do better than
quote from P. Fairbairn. "On that prophecy (2 Sam. 7:5-17), as on a
sure foundation, a whole series of predictions began to be announced,
in which the eye of faith was pointed to the bright visions in
prospect, and, in particular, to that Child of promise, in whom the
succession from David's loins was to terminate, and who was to reign
forever over the heritage of God. But while the appointment itself was
absolute, and the original prophecy was so far of the same character,
that it indicated no suspension in the sovereignty of David's house,
or actual break in the succession to his throne, David himself knew
perfectly that there was an implied condition, which might render such
a thing possible, and that the prophecy behooved to be read in the
light of those great principles which pervade the whole of the Divine
economy.
"Hence, in addition to all he had penned in his Psalms, he gave forth
in his dying testimony, for the special benefit of his seed, a
description of the ruler, such as the Word of promise contemplated,
and such as ought to have been, at least, generally realized in those
who occupied the throne of his kingdom: `he that ruleth over men must
be just, ruling in the fear of God' (2 Sam. 23:3). Not only so, but in
his last and still more specific charge, delivered to his immediate
successor on the throne, he expressly rested his expectation of the
fulfillment of the covenant made with him, on the faithful adherence
of those who should follow him to the law and testimony of God. For
after enjoining Solomon to walk in the ways and keep the statutes of
God, he adds as a reason for persuading to such a course, `that the
Lord may continue His word, which He spake concerning me, saying, If
thy children take heed to their way to walk before Me in truth, with
all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee a
man on the throne of Israel' (1 Kings 2:4).
"But when this fundamental condition was violated, as it began to be
in the time of Solomon himself, the prophetic word became, in a
manner, responsive to the change; so that now it spoke almost in the
same language respecting the house of David, which had formerly been
addressed to that of Saul--'I will rend the kingdom from thee, and
give it to thy servant:' 1 Kings 11:11 compared with 1 Samuel 15:28;
coupled only with the reservation that so much was still to be left to
the house of David as was needed for maintaining the essential
provisions of the covenant. Even this, however, appeared for a time to
give way; the inveterate folly and wickedness of the royal line called
forth such visitations of judgment, that the stately and glorious
house of David, as it appears in the original prophecy, came
afterwards to look like a frail tabernacle, and even this at a still
future stage, as fallen prostrate to the ground-according to the
figure in Amos 9:11.
"In consequence of these changes, darkness settled down on the hearts
of God's people, and fearful misgivings arose in their minds
concerning the faithfulness of God to His covenant engagements. The
painful question was stirred in their bosoms, `Has His promise failed
for evermore?' The thought even escaped from their lips, `He has made
void the covenant of His servant.' The whole Psalm from which these
words are taken (the 89th), is a striking record of the manner in
which faith had to struggle with such doubts and perplexities, when
the house of David was (for a time) cast down from its excellency, and
God's plighted word, like the ark of His covenant, seemed to be given
up into the hands of His enemies.
"God, however, vindicated in due time the truthfulness of His word,
and the certainty of the result which it contemplated. The prophecy
stood fast as regarded the grand article of its provisions-only in
travelling on to its accomplishment, it had to pass through apparent
defections and protracted delays, which could scarcely have been
anticipated from the terms of its original announcement, and which
were, in a sense, forced on it by human unbelief and waywardness. And
so, within certain definite limits-those, namely, which connected the
Divine promise with the sphere of man's responsibility, and bore on
the time and mode of its fulfillment--it might justly be said to carry
a conditional element in its bosom, in respect to those whom it more
immediately concerned; while still, from first to last, the great
purpose which it enshrined, varied not and continued to be, as a
determinate counsel of Heaven, without shadow of turning."
We must not here anticipate too much what we hope to yet take up in
detail, but in bringing this chapter to a close it is pertinent to
point out that, in view of what was before us in the previous
chapter-on the terms of Messianic prophecy being cast, more or less,
in the mold of the typical history of Israel--we surely should not
repeat the mistake of the carnal Jews, who expected Christ to sit on
an earthly throne. When Old Testament prediction announced that the
Messiah was to occupy the throne and kingdom of David, was it not
intimated that He was to rule over God's heritage, and accomplish
spiritually and perfectly what His prototype did but temporally and
partially namely, bring deliverance, security, and everlasting
blessing to the people of God? In view of the divine personality of
the Messianic King and the worldwide extent of His kingdom, all of
necessity rises to a higher plane, Immanuel's reign must be of another
order than that of the son of Jesse-spiritual, heavenly, eternal.
It should be quite obvious to those who are really acquainted with the
earlier Scriptures that, in keeping with the character and times of
the old covenant, any representation then made of Christ's throne and
kingdom would, in the main at least, be of a figurative and symbolic
nature, exhibited under the veil of the typical images supplied by
Israel's commonwealth and history. It was thus that all the "better"
things of the new covenant were shadowed forth. The immeasurable
superiority of Christ's person over all who were His types compels us
to look for a far grander and nobler discharge of His offices than
which pertained unto them. It is true there is a resemblance between
Christ as prophet and Moses (Deut. 18:18); nevertheless the contrast
is far more evident (Heb. 3:3, 5). It is true that there is an
agreement between Christ as priest and Melchizedek and Aaron (Heb.
5:1-5; 7:21); nevertheless the antitype far excels them (Rev. 5:6,
etc.). So the throne He sits on and the kingdom He administers is
infinitely higher than any that David or Solomon ever occupied (Heb.
2:9; 1:3). Beware of degrading the divine King to the level of human
ones!
The Lord of glory no more stood (or stands) in need of any outward
enthronement or local seat of government on earth, in order to prove
His title to David's kingdom, than He required any physical
"anointing" to constitute Him priest forever, or a material altar for
the due presentation of His sacrifice to God. As another has well
said, "Being the Son of the living God, and as such, the Heir of all
things, He possessed from the first all the powers of the kingdom, and
proved that He possessed them by every word He uttered, every work of
deliverance He performed, every judgment He pronounced, every act of
mercy and forgiveness He dispensed, and the resistless control He
wielded over the elements of nature and the realms of the dead. These
were the signs of royalty He bore about with Him upon earth; and
wonderful though they were, eclipsing in real grandeur all the glory
of David and Solomon, they were still but the earlier preludes of that
peerless majesty which David described from afar when he saw Him, as
the Lord, seated in royal state at His Father's right hand."
V.
In the preceding chapter we pointed out that in view of all which has
been before us in connection with the earlier covenants, it is but
reasonable to expect that the Davidic one also has both a "letter" and
"spirit" significance. This expectation is, we believe, capable of
clear demonstration: in their primary and inferior aspects the
promises in 2 Samuel 7:11-16 respected Solomon and his immediate
successors, but in their higher and ultimate meaning, they looked
forward to Christ and His kingdom. And is not this fact evident from
the immediate sequel? Does not that which is recorded in 2 Samuel
7:18-25 plainly intimate that David himself was enabled to perceive
the spiritual purport of those promises, that they had to do with
Christ Himself? There is not a doubt in my mind that such was the
case, and we shall now endeavor to make this clear to the reader.
"Then went king David in, and sat before the Lord" (2 Sam. 7:18). His
posture was, we think, indicative of the earnest consideration which
David was giving to the message he had just received. As he pondered
the divine promises and surveyed the wondrous riches of divine grace
toward him, he burst forth in self-effacing and Godhonoring language:
"And he said, `Who am I, O Lord God? and what is my house, that thou
hast brought me hitherto?" (v. 18). Why, his "house" pertained to the
royal tribe: he was the direct descendant of the prince of Judah, so
that he was connected with one of the most honorable families in all
Israel. Yes, but such fleshly distinctions were now held very lightly
by him. "Brought me hitherto": why, he had been brought to the throne
itself, and given rest from all his enemies (7:1). Yes, but these
faded into utter insignificance before the far greater things of which
Nathan had prophesied.
"And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord God; but thou
hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come. And
is this the manner of men, O Lord God? And what can David say more
unto thee? for thou, Lord God, knowest thy servant" (vv. 19, 20). Here
again we see the effect which the Lord's message had wrought upon the
mind of David. "He beheld in spirit another Son than Solomon, another
Temple than one built of stones and cedar, another Kingdom than the
earthly one, on whose throne he sat. He perceived a sceptre and a
crown of which his own on mount Zion were only feeble types-dim and
shadowy manifestations" (Krummacher's David and the Godman). That the
patriarch David understood the whole of those promises to receive
their fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ, is evident from his next
utterance.
"For thy Word's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done
all these great things, to make thy servant to know them" (v. 21). The
reference was to the personal Word, Him of whom it is declared, "In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God" (John 1:1); and "according to thine own heart" meant
according to God's gracious counsels. That David was not referring to
God's spoken or written Word is evident from the fact that nothing of
the kind had been uttered to him before, while of the written Word
there was no Scripture then extant which predicted Christ, either
personal or mystical, under the similitude of a "house." Let it be
duly noted that all later references in Scripture to Christ under this
figure are borrowed from and based upon this very passage. Unto David
in vision was then given the first revelation, and hence it is that in
that wondrous 89th Psalm we have other great features of it more
particularly marked.
"I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever: with my mouth will I
make known thy faithfulness to all generations. For I have said, Mercy
shall be built up forever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in
the very heavens. I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn
unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish forever, and build up
thy throne to all generations. Selah" (Ps. 89:1-4). Of that oath, God
the Holy Spirit was graciously pleased to tell the church by the mouth
of Peter on the day of Pentecost: "Therefore being a prophet, and
knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of
his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on
his throne" (Acts 2:30). Here, then, is the most decided and express
proof that not David's son Solomon, nor any of the seed of Adam after
the flesh, but to Christ Himself 2 Samuel 7:11-16 definitely alluded.
David fully understood it so, that it was of Christ and Him alone the
promises referred, and it was this which so overwhelmed his mind and
moved him to burst forth with such expressions of humility.
What has just been before us supplies an illustration of the fact that
all the patriarchs and saints of Old Testament times lived and died in
the faith of Christ: "not having received the promises, but having
seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them"
(Heb. 11:13). Hence it was that by faith, with an eye to Christ, Abel
offered unto God an acceptable sacrifice. Hence by faith, Noah
prepared an ark, as beholding Christ set forth therein as a hiding
place from the wind and a covert from the tempest. Hence too, by faith
Abraham offered up his only-begotten son, expressly with an eye to the
offering of God's only-begotten Son in the fullness of time. Therefore
it was that David eyed Christ in the promises of God to build him a
house, in the confidence whereof he took comfort amidst all the sad
circumstances of himself and his children (2 Sam. 23:5).
These holy men of old, and all the faithful in each generation of the
church before the coming of Christ, lived in the blessed assurance of
that faith. They beheld the promises afar off, yet that did not have
the slightest effect in lessening their conviction in the veracity of
them. Their faith gave to them a present subsistence: it substantiated
and realized them, as if those saints had the fulfillment in actual
possession, just as a powerful telescope will bring near to the eye
objects far remote. Their faith gave as great an assurance of the
reality of what God promised as though they had lived in the days when
the Son of God became incarnate and tabernacled among men. In like
manner, it is only by the exercise of a similar faith that we can now
have a real knowledge of Christ by union and communion with Him.
Before we give further consideration to the contents of Psalm
89--which supplies a divine exposition of the promises made to David
in 1 Samuel 7--we must first turn again to Psalm 2. As C. H. Spurgeon
said in his introductory remarks thereon, "We shall not greatly err in
our summary of this sublime Psalm if we call it `The Psalm of Messiah
the Prince, for it sets forth, as in a wondrous vision, the tumult of
the people against the Lord's Anointed, the determinate purpose of God
to exalt His own Son, and the ultimate reign of that Son over all His
enemies. Let us read it with the eye of faith, beholding, as in a
glass, the final triumph of our Lord Jesus Christ over all His
enemies."
This second psalm is divided into four sections of three verses each.
The first tells of the widespread opposition to the kingdom and
government of Christ: His enemies cannot endure His yoke and they
rebel against His commandments; these verses (1-3) were applied by
Peter under the immediate inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to the
opposition which Christ met with and the indignities that He suffered
at the hands of the Jews and Gentiles (see Acts 4:24-27). The second
section of it reveals God's utter contempt of those who sought to
thwart His purpose: He derides their foolish counsels and puny
efforts, and makes known the accomplishment of His will. He does not
smite them, but gallingly announces that He has performed what they
sought to prevent. "While they are proposing, He has disposed the
matter. Jehovah's will is done, and so man's will frets and fumes in
vain. God's Anointed is appointed, and shall not be disappointed" (C.
H. Spurgeon).
"Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion" (Ps. 2:6). It is
the investiture of Christ in His kingly office which is here in view.
Just as Jehovah defeated the efforts of all his enemies and set the
son of Jesse on the throne, making him king in Jerusalem over all
Israel, so He raised His own Son from the dead, exalted Him as head of
the church, and seated Him as victorious King upon His mediatorial
throne, and therefore did the risen Redeemer declare, "All power is
given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matthew 28:18). Scholars tell
us that "Zion" is derived from tzun, which means "a monument raised
up." Such indeed is the church of God: a monument of grace now, and of
glory hereafter; raised up to all eternity. It was there that David
built his city, a type of the City of God in Christ. It was there that
Solomon built the temple, a type also of Christ's mystical body.
Hence, when we read, "The Lord hath founded Zion, and the poor of his
people shall trust in it" (Isa.. 14:32), when we hear Him saying,
"Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a
precious corner stone, a sure foundation" (Isa.. 28:16--the Holy
Spirit moving an apostle to tell the church that this is Christ: 1
Peter 2:6-8), and when with the eye of faith we behold "a Lamb stood
on mount Zion, and with him a hundred forty and four thousand, having
his Father's name written in their foreheads" (Rev. 14:1), who can
refrain from exclaiming, "Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion"
(Ps. 65:1).
It seems strange that any should question the fact, or, shall we say,
challenge the statement, that even now the Lord Jesus is King and
discharging His royal office. The whole burden of the Epistle to the
Hebrews is the proffering of proof that He is Priest "after the order
of Melchizedek": that is, Priest-King. Collateral confirmation of this
is found in the statement that believers are "a royal priesthood" (1
Peter 2:9), and they are so only because of their union with the
antitypical Melchizedek. Christ has already been "crowned," not with
an earthly or material diadem, but "with glory and with honour" (Heb.
2:9). He has "sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high," and
therefore is He "upholding all things by the word of his power" (Heb.
1:3). The "sceptre of righteousness" is wielded by Him (Heb. 1:8),
"ambassadors" have been sent forth by Him (2 Cor. 5:20), and both men
and angels are subject to Him.
Christ is the King of His enemies, and He shall reign till He has
placed the last of them beneath His feet. "Who would not fear thee, O
king of nations" (Jer. 10:7). True, many of them do not own His
scepter, yea, some deny His very being; nevertheless He is their
sovereign, "the prince of the kings of the earth" (Rev. 1:5), and this
because God has already "highly exalted him and given him a name which
is above every name" (Phil. 2:9). This was the reward for His
sufferings: the head that once was crowned with thorns is crowned with
glory now: a royal diadem adorns the mighty victor's brow. "He hath on
his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of kings, and Lord
of lords" (Rev. 19:16). Ali, my reader, what are all the great, the
mighty, and honorable men of the earth in comparison with Him who is
"the only Potentate" (1 Tim. 6:15).
Again: Christ is King of the church: "The King of saints" (Rev. 15:3).
He is King of the evil and King of the good: He is King over the
former, He is King in the latter. Christ rules over the wicked by His
might and power; He rules in the righteous by His Spirit and grace.
This latter is His spiritual kingdom, where He reigns in the hearts of
His own, where His sovereignty is acknowledged, His scepter kissed,
His laws heeded. This is brought about by the miracle of regeneration,
whereby lawless rebels are transformed into loyal subjects. As the
King of Zion Christ exercises His royal authority by appointing
officers, both ordinary and extraordinary, for His church (see Eph.
4:11, 12). It is the prerogative of the king to nominate and call
those who serve him in the government of his kingdom: this Christ
does. He also exerts His royal authority by ordering His officers in
their governing of His subjects to teach no other things than those He
has commanded (Matthew 28:19). Oh, that both writer and reader may
render to Him that allegiance and fealty which are His due!
Finally, be it noted that Christ is the Father's King, and this in at
least three respects. First, by the Father's appointing: "I appoint
unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me" (Luke 22:29).
Christ is eminently qualified to bear the government upon His
shoulder; and being infinitely dear to the Father this honor He
delighted to confer upon Him. Second, by the Father's investiture: "I
have set my King upon my holy hill of Zion." God has entrusted Christ
with the sole administration of government and judgment: "And hath
given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of
man" (John 5:27). Third, because Christ rules for His Father: to
fulfill His purpose, to glorify His name. That Christ rules for His
Father is clear from, "Then cometh the end, when he shall have
delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father" (1 Cor. 15:24). It
is the Father's kingdom; and therefore do we pray, "Thy kingdom come,"
that is, in its fuller open manifestation. Yet it is the Son's kingdom
(Col. 1:14) because administered by Him Christ's power as the King of
Zion is absolute and universal. Alas that this is now so dimly
perceived and so feebly apprehended by many of those bearing His name.
Dispensationalists will have much to answer for in the coming Day, for
by denying His present kingship, postponing His rule unto "the
millennium," they both rob Him of His personal honors and deprive us
of precious comfort. Christ is sovereign, supreme over all creatures.
He bridles both man and demons, saying to them, as He does to the
proud waves of the sea, "Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further." As
the King of Zion, Christ has His chain about the necks of Satan and
all his wicked instruments; and when they have gone their appointed
lengths, they are obliged to stop. We see this in the case of job:
when the devil was permitted to harass him, he went only so far as his
chain allowed. So it is now.
This royal and absolute power of Christ He is exercising in protecting
His church in the midst of grave and imminent dangers. A vivid
portrayal of this was made unto Moses when Christ appeared to him in
the burning bush. He saw the bush burning in the midst of the fire;
yet it was not consumed. That represented the situation of the church
in Egypt at that time: under the tyranny of most cruel taskmasters,
lorded over by Pharaoh who hated them and thirsted for their
annihilation. Yet under the care of Christ, He delivered them from
being swallowed up by their enemies. This He has done in all ages,
shielding His people when their foes threatened to swallow them up.
In the third section of Psalm 2 Christ is heard declaring His
sovereign rights, with the Father's response thereto. We would
recommend those who have access to the works of John Newton to read
his sermon on Psalm 2:9. Therein he has shown how that, since Christ's
enemies will not submit to the golden scepter of His grace, they are
under His iron rod. This iron rule over them consists, first, in the
certain and inseparable connection He has established between sin and
misery: where the Lord does not dwell, peace will not inhabit. Second,
in His power over conscience: what awful thoughts and fears sometimes
awaken them in the silent hours of the night! Third, in that terrible
blindness and hardness of heart to which some sinners are given up.
VI.
In the opening chapter of this study it was pointed out that the
various covenants which God entered into with men, from time to time,
adumbrated different features of the everlasting covenant which He
made with the Mediator ere time began. As we have followed the
historical stream it has been shown wherein the Adamic, the Noahic,
and the Sinaitic covenants shadowed forth the essential features of
that eternal compact which constituted the basis of the salvation of
God's elect. In connection with the Davidic it is observable there is
an absence of those details which marked the earlier ones, that
renders it less easy to determine the exact purpose and purport of it
so far as the "letter" of it was concerned. Yet the reason for this is
not far to seek: as the last of the Old Testament covenants, the type
merged more definitely with the antitype. This becomes the more patent
when we examine carefully those Scriptures bearing directly thereon,
for in some of them it is almost impossible to say whether the type or
the antitype be before us.
A notable instance of this is furnished by Psalm 89. Though we cannot
be sure of the precise time when it was first penned, there seems good
reason to conclude that it is to be dated from the reign of Rehoboam.
Its closing verses make it quite plain that it was written at a period
when the honor and power of David's royal line had been reduced to a
very low ebb; yet before the destruction of Jerusalem and its
temple-for no hint of that calamity is here given. It was in the days
of Rehoboam ten of the tribes revolted from him; and that the one
placed over them because his powerful adversary, while the king of
Egypt so weakened and humbled him that it appears he only retained his
kingdom at all by the clemency of Shishak. A sad condition had
arrived, for the fortunes of David's family had sunk to a deplorable
degree.
It was under such circumstances Psalm 89 was composed. That its writer
was fearfully agitated appears from its last fourteen verses, though
perhaps he was there voicing the general sentiment which then
obtained. Everything looked as though the divine promises to David had
failed and were on the eve of being made completely void. It was then
that faith had its opportunity, and ignoring the black clouds which
covered the firmament, took refuge in Him who dwelleth above it. It
was in the covenant faithfulness of the Father of mercies that the
psalmist now found comfort. "I will sing of the mercies of the Lord
forever: with my mouth will I make known of thy faithfulness to all
generations. For I have said, Mercy shall be built up forever: thy
faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens. I have made a
covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant: thy seed
will I establish forever, and build up thy throne to all generations.
Selah" (Ps. 89:1-4).
One view only has obtained among the spiritually minded. Said the
Puritan Brooks, "There are many passages in the Psalm which do clearly
evidence it is to be interpreted of Christ, yea there are many things
in this Psalm which cannot be clearly and pertinently applied to any
but Christ." Toplady (author of the hymn "Rock of Ages") asked, "Do
you suppose this was spoken of David in his own person only? No
indeed, but to David as type and forerunner of Christ." "The whole
contexture of the Psalm discovers the design of it to be to set forth
some higher Person than David, for it seems to be too magnificent and
lofty for an earthly prince" (S. Charnock). "The whole of the 89th
Psalm, which is altogether devoted to the covenant, is expressly said
to be a vision in which Jehovah spake to His Holy One (v. 19), and all
the purport of it is to show how Jehovah had entered into covenant
engagement with Christ for the redemption of His people" (Robert
Hawker).
Psalm 89, then, is the key to 2 Samuel 7:4-17. Not only does it unlock
for us the meaning of the Davidic covenant, but it also fixes the
interpretation of those passages in the prophets which obviously look
back to and are based upon the same. "The covenant is made with David,
the covenant of royalty is made with him, as the father of his family,
and all his seed through him, and for his sake, representing the
Covenant of Grace made with Christ as Head of the Church, and with all
believers in Him. . . . The blessings of the covenant were not only
secured to David himself, but were entailed on his family. It was
promised that his family should continue-`thy seed will I establish
forever,' so that `David shall not want a son to reign' (Jer. 33:17).
And that it should continue a royal family: `I will build up his
throne to all generations.' This has its accomplishment only in
Christ" (Matthew Henry).
"I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my
servant" (v. 3). "David was the Lord's elect, and with him a covenant
was made, which ran along in the line of his seed until it received a
final and never-ending fulfillment in `the Son of David.' David's
house must be royal: as long as there was a sceptre in Judah, David's
seed must be the only rightful dynasty; the great `King of the Jews'
died with that title above His head in the three current languages of
the then known world, and at this day He is owned as King by men of
every tongue. The oath sworn to David has not been broken, though the
temporal crown is no longer worn, for in the covenant itself his
kingdom was spoken of as enduring forever. In Christ Jesus there is a
covenant established with all the Lord's chosen, and they are by grace
led to be the Lord's servants, and then are ordained kings and priests
by Jesus Christ .... After reading this (2 Sam. 7:12-16), let us
remember that the Lord has said to us by His servant Isaiah, `I will
make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David'
" (C. H. Spurgeon).
"Thy seed will I establish forever, and build up thy throne to all
generations" (v. 4). "David must always have a seed, and truly in
Jesus this is fulfilled beyond his hopes. What a seed David has in the
multitude which have sprung from Him who was both his Son and his
Lord. The Son of David is the great Progenitor, the last Adam, the
everlasting Father, He sees His seed, and in them beholds of the
travail of His soul. David's dynasty never decays, but on the
contrary, is evermore consolidated by the great Architect of heaven
and earth. Jesus is a king as well as a progenitor, and His throne is
ever being built up-His kingdom comes-His power extends. Thus runs the
covenant: and when the Church declines, it is ours to plead it before
the ever-faithful God, as the Psalmist does in the latter verses of
this sacred song. Christ must reign, but why is His name blasphemed
and His Gospel so despised? The more gracious Christians are, the more
will they be moved to jealousy by the sad estate of the Redeemer's
cause, and the more will they argue the case with the great
Covenant-maker, crying day and night before Him, `Thy kingdom come' "
(C. H. Spurgeon).
We shall not proceed any further with a verse by verse comment of this
psalm, but rather seek to call attention to its more essential
features, as they serve to elucidate the Davidic covenant. The first
section of the psalm closes with the declaration, "Justice and
judgment are the habitation of thy throne." This has reference to the
mediatorial throne of God in Christ, as is clear from the remainder of
the verse and what follows: justice and judgment are the establishment
(margin) of His throne-the firmest foundations on which any throne can
be settled. The Son of God, as the surety of His elect, undertook to
satisfy divine justice, by rendering perfect obedience to the precepts
of the law and by suffering its penalty, whereby He brought in
everlasting righteousness. God's administration of grace, then, is
founded upon the complete satisfaction of His justice by Christ as the
sponsor of His people (Rom. 3:24-26; 5:21).
Having at some length praised the God of Israel by celebrating His
perfections, the psalmist next declared the happiness of the true
Israel of God, closing with the blessed affirmation, "For the Lord is
our defense, and the Holy One of Israel is our king" (v. 18). The
people that "know the joyful sound" (v. 15) are they whose ears have
been opened by the Spirit to take in the glad tidings of the gospel,
so that they understand the covenant promises and perceive their own
personal interest therein. They walk in the light of Jehovah's
countenance, for they are accepted in the Beloved. In God's
righteousness they shall continue to be exalted, for divine justice is
on their side and not against them. In God's favor their horn or
spirit shall be elevated, for nothing so exhilarates the heart as a
realization of God's free grace. As their King, the Holy One of Israel
will both rule and protect them.
At verse 19 the psalmist returns to a consideration of the covenant
which God made with David, enlarging upon his previous reference
thereto; and pleading it before God for His favor unto the royal
family, now almost ruined. Yet one has only to weigh the things here
said to perceive that they go far beyond the typical David; yea, some
of them could scarcely apply to him at all, but receive their
fulfillment in Christ and His spiritual seed. The covenant which God
made with the son of Jesse was an outward adumbration of that eternal
compact He had entered into with the Mediator on behalf of His people:
it was a publishing on earth something of what transpired in the
secret councils of heaven. The ultimate reference in "Then thou
spakest in vision to thy holy one" is unto the Father's intercourse
with the Son before time began (see Prov. 8:22, 23, 30; Matthew 11:27;
John 5:20).
"I have laid help upon one that is mighty" (v. 19). How fully was that
demonstrated in Christ's life, death, and resurrection! He was mighty
because He is the Almighty (Rev. 1:8). As God the Son in personal
union with the Son of Man, He was in every way qualified for His
stupendous undertaking. None but He could magnify the law and make it
honorable, make atonement for sin, vanquish death, bruise the
serpent's head, and so preserve His church on earth that the gates of
Hades should not prevail against it. As this mighty one, "the Lion of
the tribe of Judah," the apostle John beheld Him in the Patmos visions
(Rev. 5:5). Because He is such, therefore "he is able to save unto the
uttermost them that come unto God by him" (Heb. 7:25).
"I have exalted one chosen out of the people" (v. 19). It is this,
essentially, which qualifies Christ to occupy the mediatorial throne,
for not only is He "the mighty God" (Isa. 9:6), but as the woman's
seed (Gen. 3:15) He has taken unto Himself our very nature: "In all
things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might
be a merciful and faithful high priest" (Heb. 2:17). One of the titles
by which God addresses the redeemer is, "Behold my servant, whom I
uphold; mine elect [or chosen in whom my soul delighteth" (Isa..
42:1). And this blessed one God has exalted to His own right hand.
"I have found David my servant: with my holy oil I anointed him" (v.
20). "This must also be expounded of the Prince Emmanuel: He became
the Servant of the Lord for our sakes, the Father having found for us
in His person a mighty Deliverer, therefore upon Him rested the Spirit
without measure, to qualify Him for all the offices of love to which
He was set apart. We have not a Savior self-appointed and unqualified,
but one sent of God and Divinely endowed for His work. Our Savior
Jesus is also the Lord's Christ, or anointed. The oil with which He is
anointed is God's own oil, and holy oil; He is Divinely endowed with
the Spirit of holiness-cf. Luke 4:18" (Spurgeon). In the prophets
Christ is called "David" again and again, the name meaning "the
Beloved," for He is most dearly beloved of the Father. "He shall cry
unto me, Thou art my father, my God" (v. 26). Where is there any
record that David ever addressed God by this endearing term? Obviously
the reference is to Him who, on the morning of His resurrection,
declared, "I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God,
and your God" (John 20:17). "Also I will make him my firstborn, higher
than the kings of the earth" (v. 27). This too is intelligible only of
the true David, who must have the preeminence in all things. Christ
was made higher than the kings of the earth when God seated Him at His
own right hand in the heavens, "far above all principality, and power,
and might, and dominion, and every name that is named" (Eph. 1:20,
21).
"His seed also will I make to endure forever" (v. 29). Here again, the
type loses itself in the antitype. Literally, David's seed lives on
forever in the person of Christ, who was made of David according to
the flesh (Rom. 1:3). But spiritually, it is the seed of the true
David, namely, believers; for they alone own His scepter and are His
subjects. "Saints are a race that neither death nor hell can kill"
(Spurgeon). Of old it was declared of Christ, "He shall see his seed
.... He shall see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied" (Isa..
53:10, 11). In a coming Day, Christ shall exclaim, "Behold I and the
children which God hath given me" (Heb. 2:13). "And his throne as the
days of heaven" (v. 29). Let it be duly noted that both here and in
verse 36 Christ's "seed" and His "throne" are coupled together, as
though His throne could not stand if His seed should fail. Well did
Charnock ask: "If His subjects should perish, what would He be King
of? If His members should consume, what would He be head of?" It is
His mediatorial throne and its perpetuity which are here in view: on
the new earth there will be "the throne of God and of the Lamb" (Rev.
22:1).
If any doubt remains in the reader's mind as to the accuracy or truth
of our interpretation above, that which is recorded in verses 30-37
should at once completely remove it. Nothing could be plainer than
that the believing children of the antitypical David are there in
view. In this most previous passage God makes known His ways--the
principles according to which He deals with the redeemed: operative in
all dispensations. Christ's children still have a sinful nature, and
thus are ever prone to forsake God's law, yet even though they do so
this will not annul the promises which God made to them in Christ.
True, God is holy, and therefore will not wink at their sins; He is
righteous, and so chastises them for their iniquities; but He is also
both faithful and gracious, and so will not break His word to Christ,
nor take away His loving-kindness from those for whom His Son died.
God had declared, "I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn
unto David my servant: Thy seed will I establish forever" (vv. 3, 4).
Yes; but suppose David's seed should prove thoroughly unworthy and
unfaithful-what then? Will God cast them out of His covenant? No
indeed: this is why verses 30, 31 began with "If": an objection is
anticipated, the Arminian bogie of falling from grace and being lost
is here laid by the heels. If the seed of the antitypical David break
God's statutes and keep not His commandments, will divine rejection
and eternal destruction be their inevitable portion? No; God will make
them smart severely for their perverseness, yet it is the disciplinary
rod He uses, and not the sword or axe of the executioner. God is not
fickle: whom He loves, He loves forever; and therefore neither man nor
Satan shall ever destroy any of the seed of the true David.
VII.
In the preceding chapter it was pointed out how that the historical
account of the Davidic covenant lacks that fulness of detail which
marked the earlier ones: the reason for this being, the nearer the
approach unto the advent of Christ the more the type merged into the
antitype. It was also shown how that Psalm 89 supplies us with the
divine interpretation of the promises given through the prophet Nathan
to the son of Jesse. The superlative importance of this fact cannot be
too strongly insisted upon, for it settles the vexing question as to
the character and location of Christ's throne and kingdom. It is here
that we are furnished with clear and conclusive answers to the
questions and disputes which have been raised concerning the terms
found in 2 Samuel 7:11-16.
What we are most anxious to make clear to the reader is this: is the
seed promised to David in 2 Samuel 7:12 a carnal or a mystical one? Is
His kingdom (v. 12) an earthly or a heavenly one? Is His house and
throne a material or spiritual one? If one of these questions can be
definitely and finally settled, then the others will be, for it is
obvious that the passage must be dealt with consistently throughout.
All is to be understood literally or all mystically, carnally or
spiritually. Now all doubt is removed as to the answer to the first
question: the seed promised to David, like the seed promised to
Abraham (Gal. 3:7, 16) is a mystical one; that is to say, it finds its
accomplishment not in Christ personally, but in Christ mystically,
that is, Christ together with the members of His body-the church of
which He is the head. The proof of this is found in Psalm 89.
In 11 Samuel 7 God promised David, "I will set up thy seed after thee.
. . . I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit
iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes
of the children of men" (vv. 12-14). In Psalm 89 God declared, "I have
found David my servant. . . . He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father
. . . my covenant shall stand fast with him .... If his children
forsake my law then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and
their iniquity with stripes" (vv. 20, 26, 28, 29, 31). Nothing could
be plainer than this: the "if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him
with the rod" of 2 Samuel 7:14 is here changed to "I will visit their
transgressions with the rod." Thus the seed of David is Christ and His
children. Their absolute identification is further emphasized in "I
will visit their transgressions with the rod, nevertheless my
loving-kindness will I not take from him" (vv. 32, 33). Thus, the
Redeemer and the redeemed are inseparably linked, for together they
form one (mystical) body.
The grand promise made to David in 2 Samuel 7 was that though his seed
should commit iniquity God's mercy would "not depart away from him,"
but that his house and kingdom should be "established forever" (vv.
14-16). It was no fleshly or earthly blessing, but a spiritual and
eternal one. Therein it differs radically from what had gone before.
Both Adam in Eden and Israel in Canaan had forfeited their heritage,
but the inheritance Christ secured for His people is an inalienable
one. This is made so prominent in Psalm 89: of Christ God declared,
"His seed also will I make to endure forever" (v. 29). This is God's
covenant engagement with the Mediator, and no failure or sin on the
part of His people shall cause God to cancel it. True, He will
severely chastise them for their transgressions--for in God's family
the rod is not spared nor the children spoiled-but He will not cast
them off as incorrigible rebels. The atonement of Christ fully met all
their liabilities; and as He enjoys God's favor forever, so must those
vitally united to Him.
The same grand feature marks the throne and kingdom of Christ,
distinguishing it from all that pertains to the earth: "I will
establish the throne of his kingdom forever" (2 Sam. 7:13). That there
should be no uncertainty on this point, God repeats: "Thy throne shall
be established forever" (v. 16). It is no temporal and temporary
throne which the true David occupies, enduring only for a thousand
years; as the New Testament expressly declares, "Of his kingdom there
shall be no end" (Luke 1:33). The same grand truth is emphasized in
Psalm 89; "And his throne as the days of heaven" (v. 29)-not "as the
days of earth." "His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the
sun before me; it shall be established forever as the moon" (vv. 36,
37): the most enduring objects in nature are selected as the figure
and proof of the absoluteness of the perpetuity affirmed. That
Christ's kingdom is celestial and not earthly is seen in "and as a
faithful witness in heaven" (v. 37).
Another psalm which casts its light upon the character and contents of
the Davidic covenant is the 132nd, upon which we must offer a few
remarks. It has two divisions. In the first (vv. 1-10) there is a
pleading with Jehovah to be merciful unto His people "for David's
sake" (v. 10); in the second section (vv. 11-18) we have His response,
promising, "I will make the horn of David to bud, upon himself shall
his crown flourish" (vv. 17, 18). In the first, God is reminded of
David's deep concern to supply a permanent house for the holy ark; in
the second, the Lord declares that He has found a satisfying and
eternal resting place in Zion. In the first, prayer is made that God's
priests might be "clothed with righteousness"; in the second, God
affirms that He will clothe His priests "with salvation." The second
half strictly balances the first throughout.
Now that which invests this 132nd Psalm with particular interest for
us is what is found therein concerning God's resting place and the
relation of this to the Davidic covenant. It will be remembered that 2
Samuel 7 opens with an account of David's anxiety to provide a
suitable residence for the ark, and that it was in response thereto
Nathan made such a wondrous and gracious revelation to him. Let it be
duly noted that among the covenant promises which God then made to
David concerning the blessed one who (according to the flesh) should
descend from him, was this declaration: "He shall build a house for my
name"; and to Him God says, "Thine house and thy kingdom shall be
established forever" (vv. 13, 16). Like the throne and kingdom
mentioned in the same passage, this house is not material, earthly,
and temporal, but a spiritual, heavenly, and eternal one; it is no
mere Jewish temple for "the millennium," but a divine dwelling place
for the ages of the ages.
The tabernacle, as is well known, was the symbol of God's residing
among the covenant people and of the divine fellowship to which He had
graciously admitted them. This symbolical significance was transferred
to the temple, with the additional idea-suggested by its very
structure-of durability and permanency. With this place of worship the
throne of David was indissolubly bound up. The destruction of the
temple only became possible as the effect of the confirmed apostasy of
the occupants of David's throne, and its restoration was only to be
expected as the work of someone of the royal race being brought into
renewed fellowship with God. This is verified in the reconstruction of
the second temple by Zerubbabel. The symbol, however, was the type of
something higher: the true temple of God is the sanctified hearts of
His saints. It is with His spiritual church that the throne of David,
as occupied by the Redeemer, is permanently and inseparably united.
The kingdom of Christ and the house of God are one and the same,
viewed from different angles. It is the redeemed who constitute the
true subjects of Christ's kingdom, for they alone own His scepter:
where there are no subjects, there can be no kingdom. And it is the
redeemed who provide God with a satisfying resting place. In the later
prophets it was expressly foretold, "Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts,
saying, Behold the man whose name is The Branch: and he shall grow up
out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord: even he
shall build the temple of the Lord, and he shall bear the glory"
(Zech. 6:12, 13). Now the true house in which God dwells is a
spiritual one, composed of living stones, converted souls, which is
"built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ
himself being the chief cornerstone; in whom all the building fitly
framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord" (Eph. 1:20,
21).
Returning to Psalm 132. "The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David: He
will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy
throne. If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I
shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for
evermore" (vv. 11, 12). These verses make it clear beyond all doubt
that our psalm has to do directly with the Davidic covenant. In their
"letter" significance, they respected David's throne upon earth and
the condition which determined its continuance--a condition which was
not met by his descendants. In their spiritual purport they concern
the antitypical David and His children, His infinite merits assuring
that God would grant the needed grace for them to render to Him that
obedience which the new covenant required namely, a real and sincere
one, though not flawless and perfect. (This will be carefully
considered by us when we take up the new covenant.) Such Scriptures as
the following are to be pondered for the fulfillment of this promise
of Christ's children occupying His throne: Luke 22:29, 30; 1 Cor. 6:2,
3; 1 Peter 2:9 ("a royal priesthood"); Revelation 3:21.
"For the Lord hath chosen Zion: he bath desired it for his habitation"
(v. 13). "It was no more than any other Canaanite town till God chose
it, David captured it, Solomon built it, and the Lord dwelt in it. So
was the Church a mere Jebusite stronghold till grace chose it,
conquered it, rebuilt it, and dwelt in it. Jehovah has chosen His
people, and hence they are His people; He has chosen the Church, and
hence it is what it is. Thus in the covenant David and Zion, Christ
and His people, go together. David is for Zion, and Zion for David;
the interests of Christ and His people are mutual" (C. H. Spurgeon).
In Hebrews 12:22 the kingdom of Christ is expressly denominated "Mount
Zion."
"This is my rest forever. Here will I dwell; for I have desired it"
(v. 14). "Again are we filled with wonder that He who fills all things
should dwell in Zion--should dwell in His Church. God does not
unwillingly visit His chosen; He desires to dwell with them; He
desires them. He is already in Zion, for He says here, as one upon the
spot. Not only will He occasionally come to His Church, but He will
dwell in it, as His fixed abode. He cared not for the magnificence of
Solomon's temple, but He determined that at the mercy-seat He would be
found by suppliants, and from thence He would shine forth in
brightness of grace among the favored nation. All this, however, was
but a type of the spiritual house, of which Jesus is foundation and
cornerstone, upon which all the living stones are budded together for
an habitation of God through the Spirit. O the sweetness of the
thought that God desires to dwell in His people and rest among them!"
(C. H. Spurgeon).
If further proof be required that the church is the dwelling place of
God, it is forthcoming in "that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to
behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living
God, the pillar and ground of the truth" (1 Tim. 3:15). Here, then, is
the ultimate accomplishment of those promises God made through Nathan.
The antitypical David has built the house for God's name (2 Sam. 7:13;
cf. his use of the word "build" in Matt. 16:18). Unto Him God said,
"Throe house and thy kingdom shall be estabfished forever" (2 Sam.
7:16); for the Father and the Son are one. In this House the Lord
Jesus presides, for we read, "But Christ as a son over his own house:
whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing
of the hope firm unto the end" (Heb. 3:6). When the first heaven and
the first earth are passed away, it shall be said, "Behold, the
tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they
shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their
God" (Rev. 21:3). The Lord God will then "rest in his love" (Zeph.
3:17).
Nor was David himself left in ignorance as to the higher and spiritual
purport of the covenant promises which the Lord had made to him. This
appears first in the expressions of his deep wonderment and
overwhelming gratitude at the time they were first made to him (2 Sam.
7:18-29): "Thou bast also spoken of thy servant's house for a great
while to come," he declared, language which connotes a period of vast
extent, far in excess of that covered by the lengthiest human
dynasties. Then he added, "Is this the manner [or "law," margin] of
man, O Lord God?" Christ's kingdom shall be ordered by a principle
securing for it a perpetuity which was wholly inapplicable to any
human rule, and therefore all pertaining to His kingdom obviously
stands in marked contrast from the established order of things which
belongs to all merely human dynasties.
David's own understanding of the deeper import of the contents of the
covenant also appears in those Messianic psalms of which he was the
author. As we have already seen, in Psalm 2 David declares of that one
whom God was to establish King in Zion, that He would possess the
dominion of the whole earth, kings being commanded to acknowledge Him
on pain of incurring His ruinous disfavor-something which plainly
denoted that a greater than Solomon was in view. From the many things
he predicated in Psalm 89 of his seed, it is evident David must have
known that in no proper sense could they be applied to his immediate
successors on the throne. While in Psalm 110 David himself calls his
promised descendant his Lord: "The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at
my right hand until I make throe enemies thy footstool" (v. 1).
Not only does it appear from the psalms that David's mind was freely
occupied with the covenant promises and that God granted him much
light thereon, but we also learn from Scripture that they formed the
principal solace and joy in the prospect of his dissolution, for when
the world was fast receding from his view, he clung to them as "all
his salvation and all his desire." As he contemplated death, the
future of his family seriously engaged his thoughts. Sorely had he
suffered from and by his children, and few if any appeared to have the
fear of God upon them. He was probably exercised as to who should
succeed him in the kingdom. Then it was he exclaimed, "Although my
house be not so with God; yet he bath made with me an everlasting
covenant, ordered in all things and sure: for this is all my salvation
and all my desire, although he make it not to grow" (2 Sam. 23:5).
"Although my house be not so [i.e., as described in vv. 3, 4] with
God, yet . . . although he make it not to grow," that is, it declines
and diminishes naturally. Absalom was dead; Adonijah, another of his
sons, would be slain (1 Kings 2:24, 25); yet God would preserve him a
seed from which Christ would come. The dying king was convinced that
nothing could prevail to prevent the fulfillment of the divine
promises, that full provision was made for every possible contingency.
VIII.
From the Psalms we turn now to the Prophets, in which we find a series
of divine predictions based upon the promises made to David in 2
Samuel 7. Before turning to some of the more important of these, let
it be again pointed out that the new things of Christ's kingdom were
portrayed under the veil of the old, that when the Holy Spirit made
mention of gospel times they necessarily partook of a Jewish coloring.
In other words, existing things and institutions were employed to
represent other things of a higher order and nobler nature, so that
the fulfillment of those ancient predictions are to be looked for in
the spirit and not in the letter, in substance and not in regards to
actual form. Only as this clearly established principle is held fast
shall we be delivered from the carnalizing of the Jews of old, and the
gross literalizing of dispensationalists of today.
Many pages might be written in amplification of what has just been
said and in supplying proof that it is "a clearly established
principle." The person, the office, and the work of Christ, as well as
the blessings which He purchased and procured for His people, were
very largely foretold in the language of Judaism. But the fact that
the antitype is spoken of in the terms of the type should not cause us
to confuse the one with the other. The Old Testament is to be
interpreted in the light of the New-not only its types, but its
prophecies also. When we read that "Christ our Passover is sacrificed
for us" (1 Cor. 5:7) we understand what is meant thereby. When we are
told that Christians are the seed and children of Abraham (Gal. 3 and
4) we perceive the fulfillment of God's promise to the patriarch that
he should have a numerous seed. In the light of the Epistles we have
no difficulty in recognizing that a spiritual cleansing was denoted by
"then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean"
(Ezek. 36:25).
Take again the wondrous events of the day of Pentecost. Peter
explained them by declaring, "This is that which was spoken by the
prophet Joel: And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I
will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your
daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and
your old men shall dream dreams" (Acts 2:16). The apostle did not mean
that Joel's prophecy had received an exhaustive accomplishment in the
phenomena of that particular day, for they were, in measure, repeated
in both Acts 8 and 10; nevertheless, there was an actual fulfillment
in the larger spiritual endowments then granted the Twelve. But let it
be carefully noted it was not a literal fulfillment. The freer
communications of the Spirit were foretold under the peculiar form of
visions and dreams, because such was the mode when Joel lived in which
the more especial gifts of the Spirit were manifested. The promised
gift of the Spirit was conferred, yet with a new mode of operation far
higher than that of which the Old Testament prophet was cognizant.
Let what has been said above be carefully borne in mind in connection
with all that follows. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is
given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name
shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting
Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and
peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his
kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with
justice from henceforth even for ever." (Isa.. 9:6, 7). The relation
between this illustrious passage and its context shows that the scope
of the Holy Spirit in the whole was to intimate the character of
Christ's kingdom. In the previous chapter the prophet had spoken of
dark and dismal days of trouble and distress, and then he comforted
and encouraged the hearts of true believers by announcing the good and
grand things which the Messiah would provide. Three New Testament
blessings are spoken of in Old Testament terms.
The first was that great light should spring up in a lost world: "The
people that walk in darkness without a written revelation from God
have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of
death, upon them hath the light shined" (v. 2). We are not left in any
doubt as to the meaning of this, for the Holy Spirit has explained it
at the beginning of the New Testament. In Matthew 4 we read that the
Lord Jesus came and dwelt in Capernaum "that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken by Isaiah," quoting this very verse. The following
facts were thereby unequivocally established: that the prophecy of
Isaiah 9 referred to no far distant "millennium," but to this
Christian dispensation; that its accomplishment lies not in some
remote era, but in the present; that it concerned not Jews as such,
but "the Gentiles"; that the blessing foretold was not a carnal or
material one, but a spiritual.
The second blessing here announced was an enlargement, and rejoicing
in the Lord: "Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the
joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men
rejoice when they divide the spoil" (v. 3). The "nation" is that "holy
nation" of 1 Peter 2:9-compare Matthew 21:43. By means of the
promulgation of the gospel light (spoken of in the previous verse),
the holy nation of the New Testament church would be multiplied, as
the Book of Acts records. Those who are supernaturally enlightened by
the Spirit become partakers of a spiritual joy, so that they "rejoice
with joy unspeakable and full of glory." The clause "not increased the
joy" signifies it is not a carnal happiness which is in view (such as
the Jews dreamed of), but "they joy before thee." Their lot in this
world is "as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing" (2 Cor. 6:10).
The third blessing is spiritual liberty and freedom: "For thou hast
broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod
of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. For every battle of the
warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this
shall be with burning and fuel of fire" (vv. 4, 5). As Gideon was an
instrument in the hand of God for breaking the heavy yoke of
oppression that Midian had placed on the neck of Israel, so Christ,
upon His coming, would deliver poor sinners from the hands of all
their enemies-sin, Satan, the world, and the curse of a broken law,
unto which they were in bondage (cf. Luke 1:74, 75; 4:18).
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given." The opening
"For" shows the definite connection with the context, and announces
who it is that would secure those grand blessings for His people. "For
unto us a child is born" refers not to the fleshly descendants of
Abraham, but to the entire election of grace. The "government" upon
His shoulder is no mere rule over Palestine, but is over the entire
universe; for all power is given unto Christ in heaven and in earth
(Matt. 28:18). Nor is His a temporary reign for a thousand years only,
but "even forever" (v. 7). That which the throne and kingdom of the
natural David dimly foreshadowed is now being cumulatively, and shall
be increasingly, accomplished by the spiritual David on an infinitely
higher plane and in a far grander way.
"And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for
an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek, and his rest
shall be glorious" (Isa.. 11:10). The theme of this blessed chapter is
the ministry of the Lord Jesus, and the infinitely and eternally
glorious and delightful effects thereof. Its details are to be
understood in accord with its main drift, so that its metaphors and
similes are to be taken in their proper and figurative sense. To take
them literally would be like taking the Levitical priesthood for the
priesthood of Christ, whereas the former was only intended to
represent the latter. It would be like taking the earthly Canaan for
that inheritance which is incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth
not away. As its contents have been so grievously corrupted, we offer
a few remarks thereon.
"And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a
Branch shall grow out of his roots" (v. 1). Thus the opening words of
the chapter indicate clearly enough that its language is not to be
taken literally. The rod is the symbol of the rule and governing power
of Christ, as in "The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of
Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies" (Ps. 110:2). "And a
Branch shall grow out of his roots" signifies Christ's fruitfulness
(cf. John 15:2), which fruitfulness is the result of the Spirit's
being given to Him without measure (vv. 2, 3). Next follows in verses
4, 5 a description of Christ's ministry and the principles which
regulated it-righteousness, equity, and faithfulness. Then we have a
figurative description of the effects of His ministry in the
conversion of sinners. They to whom the ministry of Christ is
sent-that is, those to whom the gospel comes in its saving power-are
here likened to the beasts of the field.
We are so distorted and degraded by the Fall that we are fitly
compared to wild beasts and creeping things (vv. 6-8). Yet these were
to undergo such a transformation that God declares, "They shall not
hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain" (v. 9). The whole of this is
to be understood spiritually. A mountain is a local elevation of the
land, and to be on a mountain is to be raised and exalted. So
conversion brings us to a state of elevation before God, conducting us
from our low and depraved state by nature and elevating us into the
holiness we have in Christ. Observe that this mountain is called "my
holy mountain," being the same as that described in "the Lord bless
thee, O habitation of justice, and mountain of holiness" (Jer. 31:231:
called the "habitation of justice" because the Mediator is there, a
"mountain of holiness" because He has made an end of all our sins.
But let it not be supposed that believers only reach this "holy
mountain" when they arrive at heaven. No, they are brought there
experimentally in this life, or they will never reach heaven in the
next; for it is written "Ye are come unto mount Zion" (Heb. 12:22).
And who is it that are come thither? Those who by nature are likened
by the prophet to wolves and lambs, leopards and kids. In Acts 10 they
are likened to "all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild
beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air" (v. 12), which
makes it unmistakably clear that the language used by Isaiah is to be
understood spiritually and not literally, as the dispensationalists
vainly dream. Let us use the terms of Peter's vision to interpret the
figures of Isaiah 11, noting the fourfold classification.
The "fourfooted beasts of the earth," that is, sheep and oxen, are
distinguished from the "wild beasts." There is a difference between
men, not in nature but in outward conduct-the consequence of
disposition, civilization, or religious upbringing: some being more
refined, moral, and conscientious than others. "That our sheep may
bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets" (Ps. 144:13)
refers to this first class; and was it not actually the case in the
time of the apostles when thousands were converted (Acts 4:4). A
solemn portrayal of the "wild beasts" is found in Psalm 22, where the
suffering Savior exclaims, "Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls
of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me with their mouths,
as a ravening and roaring lion" (vv. 12, 13). Was not Saul of Tarsus
one of these wild bulls and ravening lions (see Acts 9:1; 22:4); and
yet grace tamed him.
In Micah 7 we have a beautiful description of the third class, or
"creeping things." "The nations [Gentiles] shall see and be confounded
at all their might" (v. 16). Yes, when grace works it humbles, so that
we are ashamed at what we once boasted of as our righteousness, and
confounded at our former self-sufficiency. "They shall lay their hand
upon their mouth," having no longer anything to say in
self-vindication. "Their ears shall be deaf" to anything Satan says
against the gospel. "They shall lick the dust like a serpent,"
humbling themselves beneath the mighty hand of God. "They shall move
out of their holes like worms of the earth"-margin, like "creeping
things"! Yes, the gospel unearths us, making us to set our affection
on things above. "They shall be afraid of the Lord our God, and shall
fear because of thee"-when His holy law is applied to their hearts.
And what is the effect produced? Hear their blessed testimony: "Who is
a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the
transgression of the remnant of his heritage" (Micah 7:18).
And what of the fourth class, the "fowls of the air"? Do we not see
them beautifully portrayed in Ezekiel 17? The "cedar" was the tribe of
Judah, and "the highest branch of it" (v. 2) was the royal house of
David. The "tender branch" in verse 22 is Christ (cf. Isa. 53:2), of
whom it was promised, "In the mountain of the height of Israel will I
plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs and bear fruit, and be a
goodly cedar; and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the
shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell" (v. 23). But let us
now notice, though it must be very briefly, the blessed transformation
which is wrought when these creatures, so intractable by nature, are
converted unto God.
"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie
down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling
together; and a little child shall lead them" (Isa.. 11:6). How
wondrous the grace which brings the wolfish rebel into the mildness
and meekness of the lamb! How mighty the power that changes the
ferocity of the lion so that a child may lead it! Their enmity against
God and His truth is subdued, and they are brought down to the feet of
Christ. The more they grow in grace, the lower estimation they have of
themselves. "And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones
shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox" (v.
7). The lion passes from the carnivorous to the graminivorous: take
that literally and it amounts to little, understand it spiritually and
it signifies a great deal-when born again we can no longer find
satisfaction in creature things, but long for heavenly food. "And the
sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child
shall put his hand on the cockatrice's den" (v. 8); this is victory
over the enemy (cf. Ps. 91:13, 14; Luke 10:19).
"They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain" (v. 9). Here
is the perfect safety of the Lord's people. Comparing again Psalm 144,
the 13th verse of which we quoted above, what immediately follows?
This, "that our oxen may be strong to labor: that there be no breaking
in, nor going out" (v. 14). They are absolutely safe in this mystic
fold: none of Christ's sheep shall perish. And what is it that ensures
their safety in God's holy mountain? This, "for the earth shall be
full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" (v. 9)
--not the material globe, but the spiritual "earth," the church. "All
thy children shall be taught of the Lord" (Isa.. 54:13). It is the new
covenant "earth" or family: "For all shall know me, from the least to
the greatest" (Heb. 8:11). "And in that day there shall be a root of
Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the
Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious" (v. 10). And thus we
have completed the circle-it is the antitypical David whose banner
waves over the whole election of grace.
IX.
"And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure
mercies of David" (Isa.. 55:3). "As we had much of Christ in the 53rd
chapter and much of the Church of Christ in the 54th, so in this
chapter we have much of the covenant of grace made with us in Christ"
(Matthew Henry). The chapter opens with a gracious invitation, for
those who felt their need of them, to partake of spiritual blessings.
The prophet seems to personate the apostles as they went forth in the
name of the Lord calling His elect unto the marriage supper. Then he
expostulates with those who were laboring for that which satisfied
not, bidding them hearken unto God, and assuring them that He would
then place Himself under covenant bonds and bestow upon them rich
blessings.
The "sure mercies of David" were the things promised to the
antitypical David in Psalm 89:28, 29, and so forth. That it is not the
typical David or son of Jesse who is here intended is clear from
various considerations. First, the natural David had died centuries
before. Second, this David whose mercies are sure was yet to come when
the prophet wrote, as is plain from verses 4, 5. Third, none but the
Messiah, the Lord Jesus, answers to what is here predicated. Finally,
all room for uncertainty is completely removed by the apostle's
quotation of these very words in "And as concerning that he raised him
up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this
wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David" (Acts 13:34). Thus
"the sure mercies" of the true David signified God would raise Him
from the dead unto everlasting life.
These "sure mercies" are extended by Isaiah unto all the faithful as
the blessings of the covenant, and therefore may be understood to
denote all saving benefits bestowed on believers in this life or that
to come. This need occasion no difficulty whatever. Those "mercies"
were Christ's by the Father's promise and by His own purchase, and at
His resurrection they became His in actual possession, being all laid
up in Him (2 Cor. 1:20); and from Him we receive them (John 1:16;
16:14-16). The promises descend through Christ to those who believe,
and thus are "sure" to all the seed (Rom. 4:16). It was the covenant
which provided a firm foundation of mercy unto the Redeemer's family,
and none of its blessings can be recalled (Rom. 11:32).
Those "sure mercies" God swore to bestow upon the spiritual seed or
family of David (2 Sam. 7:15, 16; Ps. 89:2, 29, 30), and they were
made good in the appearing of Christ and the establishing of His
kingdom on His resurrection, as Acts 13:34 so clearly shows, for His
coming forth from the grave was the necessary step unto His assumption
of sovereign power. God not only said, "Behold, I have given him for a
witness to the people," but also a "leader and commander to the
people" (v. 4). As the "witness" Christ is seen in Revelation 1:5 and
3:14, and again in John 18 where He declared to Pilate, "My kingdom is
not of this world, else would my servants fight" (v. 36). It is not
based on the use of arms as was David's, but on the force of truth
(see v. 37).
Christ became "commander" at His resurrection (Matthew 28:19); as the
apostles expressly announced, "Him hath God exalted with his right
hand to be a Prince and a Saviour" (Acts 5:31). It is the wielding of
His royal scepter which guarantees unto His people the good of all the
promises God made unto Him-- "the sure mercies of David." "Behold,
thou [it is God speaking to the antitypical David, designated in verse
4 "witness" and "commander"] shalt [showing this was yet future in
Isaiah's time] call a nation whom thou knowest not," which is referred
to in "The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a
nation bringing forth the fruits thereof" (Matthew 21:43)-the "holy
nation" of 1 Peter 2:9. "And nations that know not thee shall run unto
thee" (v. 5), which manifestly has reference to the present calling of
the Gentiles.
"I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my
servant David: he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd"
(Ezek. 34:23). This is Jewish language with a Christian meaning. The
reference here, as also in Psalm 89:3, Jeremiah 30:9, and Hosea 3:5,
is to the antitypical David. "David is in the prophets often put for
Christ in whom all the promises made unto David are fulfilled"
(Lowth). A threefold reason may be suggested why Christ is thus called
David. First, because He is the man after God's own heart-His
"Beloved" which is what "David" signifies. Second, because David,
particularly in his kingship, so manifestly foreshadowed Him. Third,
because Christ is the root and offspring of David, the one in whom
David's horn and throne is perpetuated forever.
"The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son
of Abraham" (Matthew 1:1). These words are to be understood not only
as an introduction to the Gospel of Matthew, but rather as the divine
summary of the whole of the New Testament. The Redeemer is here
presented in His official and sacrificial characters: the true
Solomon, the true Isaac. Inasmuch as the beloved Son of God willingly
submitted to the altar, and being now risen from the dead, He is
seated upon the throne. It was to Him as the Son of David that the
poor Canaanitish woman appealed. Dispensationalists tell us she was
not answered at first because she, being a Gentile, had no claim upon
Him in that character-as though our compassionate Lord would be (as
another has expressed it) "a stickler for ceremonial, for court
etiquette!" The fact is that she evidenced a faith in the grace
associated with that title which was sadly lacking in the Jews, for
one of the things specially connected with Solomon was his grace to
the Gentiles.
"Behold, thou shah conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and
shah call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the
Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of
his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke 1:31-33). First, let
it be duly noted that this is recorded by Luke, the essentially
Gentile Gospel. Second, herein it was expressly announced that Christ
should reign "forever," and not merely for a thousand years; and that
of His kingdom "there should be no end," instead of terminating at the
close of "the millennium." Third, the prophecy of verse 32 has already
been fulfilled, and that of verse 33 is now in course of fulfillment.
Christ is already upon the throne of David and is now reigning over
the spiritual house of Jacob. Clear proof of this is furnished in Acts
2, to which we now turn.
The argument used by Peter in his Pentecostal sermon is easily
followed, and its conclusions are decisive. The central purpose of
that sermon was to furnish proof that Jesus of Nazareth, whom the Jews
had wickedly crucified, was the promised Messiah and Savior. We cannot
now analyze the whole of Peter's inspired address, but confine
ourselves to that portion which is pertinent to our present subject.
In verse 24 declaration is made that God had loosed Jesus from the
pains of death. Then follows a quotation from Psalm 16. Upon that
quotation the apostle made some comments. First, David was not there
referring to himself (v. 29). Second, it was a Messianic prediction,
for God having made known that his seed should sit upon his throne,
David wrote his psalms accordingly (i.e., with an eye to the Messiah);
and therefore Psalm 16 must be understood as referring to Christ
Himself (vv. 30, 31); the apostles themselves being eyewitnesses of
the fact that God had raised up Christ (v. 32).
In Acts 2:33-36 the apostle made application of his discourse. First,
he showed that what he had just set forth explained the wondrous
effusion of the Holy Spirit in the extraordinary gifts He had bestowed
upon the Twelve. In verse 12 the people had asked "What meaneth
this?"-the apostles speaking in tongues. Peter answers that this Jesus
having been exalted to the right hand of the Majesty on high, and
having received the promised Spirit from the Father, had now "shed
forth" that which they both saw and heard (v. 33). Second, this was
self-evident, for David had not ascended into heaven, but his Son and
Lord had, as he himself foretold in Psalm 110:1 (vv. 34, 35). Third,
therefore this proved what we are all bound to believe, namely, that
Jesus of Nazareth is the true Messiah and Savior of sinners, for God
bath made Him "both Lord and Christ" (v. 36).
It is with verse 30 of Acts 2 we are here more especially concerned:
that God swore to David that Christ should sit on his throne. Let us
consider the negative side first: there is not a hint or a word in
Peter's comments that Christ would ascend David's throne in the
future, and when in verse 34 he quoted Psalm 110:1 in fulfillment of
Christ's ascension-"The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right
hand" he did not add "until thou assume the throne of David," but
"until I make thy foes thy footstool"! Coming now to the positive
side, we have seen that the scope of the apostle's argument was to
show that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah, and that He was
risen from the dead, had ascended to heaven, and we now add, was
seated upon David's throne.
That which clinches the last-made statement is the "therefore" of
verse 36. The apostle there draws a conclusion, and unless his logic
was faulty (which it would be blasphemy to affirm), then it must
cohere with his premise, namely, Christ's present possession of the
throne of David in fulfillment of the oath God had sworn to the
patriarch. For the purpose of clarity we paraphrase: the premise was
that Christ should sit on David's throne (v. 30): the conclusion is
that God bath made Jesus "both Lord and Christ" (v. 36). None but
those whose eyes are closed by prejudice can fail to see that in such
a connection, being "made Lord and Christ" can mean nothing else than
that He is now seated on David's throne. Peter's hearers could come to
no other possible conclusion than that God's promise to the patriarch,
re the occupancy of his throne, had now received its fulfillment.
Nor does the above passage stand alone. If the reader will carefully
consult Acts 4:26, 27 it will be found that the apostles were
addressing God, and that they quoted the opening verses of Psalm 2,
which spoke of those who were in governmental authority combining
together against Jehovah and His Christ, which the apostles (by
inspiration) applied to what had recently been done to the Redeemer
(v. 27). They referred to the Savior thus: "For of a truth against thy
holy child [or "servant"] Jesus, whom thou hast anointed" (v. 27). Now
in such a connection the mention of Jesus as the one whom God had
anointed could only mean what is more fully expressed in Psalm 2, "my
anointed king"-"yet have I anointed [see margin my king upon my holy
hill of Zion" (Ps. 2:6). Otherwise the application of Psalm 2 to the
crucifixion had been fitted only to mislead.
"In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen"
(Amos 9:11). This is another old covenant promise possessing a new
covenant significance, as will appear by the inspired interpretation
of it in Acts 15. Let us first notice its time-mark: "in that day."
The immediate context explains this: it was to be the day when "the
sinful kingdom" of Israel would be destroyed by God "from off the face
of the earth" (v. 8, saving that He would not utterly destroy the
house of Jacob-the godly remnant), when He would "sift the house of
Israel among all nations" (v. 9), when "all the sinners of his people
should die by the sword" (v. 10). What follows in verses 11, 12
predicted the establishment of Messiah's kingdom. Second, let us now
observe its citation in Acts 15.
In verses 7-11 Peter spoke of the grace of God having been extended to
the Gentiles, and in verse 12 Paul and Barnabas bore witness to the
same fact. Then in verses 13:21 James confirmed what they said by a
reference to the Old Testament. "And to this [i.e., the saving of a
people from the Gentiles and adding them to the saved of Israel: see
vs. 8, 9, 11] agree the word of the prophets" (Acts 15:14). Yes, for
the promised kingdom of the Messiah, in the Old Testament, was not
placed in opposition to the theocracy, but as a continuation and
enlargement of it. See 2 Samuel 7:12 and Isaiah 9:6, where it was said
that the Prince of peace should sit on David's throne and prolong His
kingdom forever; while in Genesis 49:10 it was announced that the
Redeemer should spring from Judah and be the enlarger of his dominion.
Then James quoted Amos: "After this I will return, and will build
again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build
again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: that the residue of men
might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles upon whom my name is
called" (Acts 17). The "tabernacle of David" was but another name for
God's earthly kingdom (note how in 1 Kings 2:12 we read, "Then sat
Solomon upon the throne of David his father," while in 1 Chronicles
29:23 it is said, "Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord"), for
during the last thousand years of Old Testament history His kingdom on
earth was inseparably identified with David's throne. But now the
shadow has been displaced by the substance, and it is the "tabernacle"
of the antitypical David. The church militant is aptly designated a
"tabernacle" in allusion to the tabernacle in the wilderness, for it
is (as that was) God's habitation, the place where the divine
testimony is preserved, and where He is worshipped.
The setting up of the kingdom of Christ was designated a raising of
the fallen tabernacle of David, first, because Christ Himself was the
Seed of David, the one through whom the promises of 2 Samuel 7 were to
be made good. Second, because He is the antitypical and true David: as
the natural David restored the theocracy by delivering it from its
enemies (the Philistines, etc.) and established it on a firm and
successful basis, so Christ delivers the kingdom of God from its
enemies and establishes it on a sure and abiding foundation. Third,
because Christ's kingdom and church is the continuance and
consummation of the Old Testament theocracy-New Testament saints are
added to the Old (Eph. 2:11-15; 3:6; Heb. 11:40). Thus the prophecy of
Amos received its fulfillment, first, in the raising up of Christ (at
His incarnation) out of the ruins of Judah's royal house; second, when
(at His ascension) God gave unto Christ the antitypical throne of
David-the mediatorial throne; third, when (under the preaching of the
gospel) the kingdom of Christ was greatly enlarged by the calling of
the Gentiles. Thus Acts 15:14-17 furnished us with a sure key to the
interpretation of Old Testament prophecy, showing us it is to be
understood in its spiritual and mystical sense.
"And again Isaiah saith, There shall be the Root of Jesse, and he that
ariseth [Greek in the present tense] to rule [reign] over the
Gentiles: on him shall the Gentiles hope" (Rom. 15:12, RV). This was
quoted here by the apostle for the express purpose of demonstrating
that the true David was the Savior of and King over the Gentiles. If
the Davidic reign or kingdom of Christ were yet future, this quotation
would be quite irrelevant and no proof at all. In verse 7 the apostle
had exhorted unto unity between the Hebrew and Gentile saints at Rome.
In verse 8 and 9 he declared that Christ became incarnate in order to
unite both believing Jews and Gentiles into one body. Then in verses
9-12 he quotes four Old Testament passages in proof multiplying texts
because this was a point on which the Jews were so prejudiced.
"These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the
key of David, he that openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no
man openeth" (Rev. 3:7). This need not detain us long, for the meaning
of these words is obvious. In Scripture the key is the well-known
symbol of authority, and the key of David signifies that Christ is
vested with royal dignity and power. To one of those who foreshadowed
Christ, God said, "I will commit thy government into his hand, and he
shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of
Judah. And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder;
he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall
open" (Isa.. 22:21, 22). Note well, dear reader, that Revelation 3:7
was spoken by Christ to a Christian church, and not to the Jews! The
use of the present tense utterly repudiates the ideas of those who
insist that Christ's entering upon His Davidic or royal rights is yet
future.
"Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath
prevailed to open the book" (Rev. 5:5). We cannot now enter into a
detailed examination of the blessed scene presented in Revelation 5,
but must content ourselves with the briefest possible summary. First,
we take it that the sealed book is the title deeds to the earth, lost
by the first Adam (cf. Jer. 36:6-15). Second, Christ as the Lion of
Judah "prevailed" to open it: He secured the right to do so by His
conquering of sin, Satan, and death. Third, it is as the "Lamb" He
takes the book (vv. 6, 7), for as such He redeemed the purchased
possession. Fourth, He is here seen "in the midst of the throne,"
showing He is now endowed with royal authority. There is no hint in
the chapter that its contents respect the future, and therefore we
regard the vision as a portrayal of God's placing His King upon the
hill (mountain) of His holiness, and giving to Him the uttermost parts
of the earth for His possession. Christ's throne is a heavenly and
spiritual one: "Even so might grace reign through righteousness unto
eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 5:21).
Contents | Intro | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8
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A. W. Pink Header
Divine Covenants by A.W. Pink
Part Seven-The Messianic Covenant
I.
We have designated this final covenant "the Messianic" rather than
"the Christian" or "the New" covenant, partly for the sake of
alliteration and partly for the sake of emphasis. Before we consider
its special nature and contents, we must first bridge the interval
that elapsed between the making of the Davidic covenant and the
commencement of the Christian era--an interval of approximately one
thousand years. From the times of David a special feature gradually
became more prominent in the history of the covenant people. The gift
of prophecy, enjoyed by the psalmist, was now more widely diffused
than it had been previously, and was conferred in greater fullness and
upon a larger number of individuals, who in succession were raised up
and in different degrees exercised a most important influence upon the
nation of Israel.
This gift of prophecy was by no means a new one. Moses possessed it in
a large measure, yet under conditions which separated him from all who
followed up to the coming of Christ. With him God spake "mouth to
mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches, and the similitude
of the Lord did he behold" (Num. 12:8). In this respect he was an
eminent type of Him that was to come, on whom the prophetic influence
rested in unlimited measure: of this God, through Moses, gave
intimation when He said, "I will raise them up a prophet from among
their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth;
and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it
shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words,
which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him" (Deut.
18:18,19). To others, during the life of Moses, the gift was
communicated, if only for a season. The most striking case was that of
Balaam, a worthless character, who, against his own intentions, was
constrained to pronounce blessings on Israel.
In the period that followed we find traces of its bestowment, though
only occasionally, and after considerable intervals, until the last of
the judges. That eminent person, Samuel, was not only a prophet
himself, but on him was conferred the honor of founding schools for
young men for the prophetic office. The object of those institutions,
so far as we can gather, seems to have been to impart a knowledge of
the law to men suitably endowed, fitting them to teach and influence
the nation. From what little is recorded of them, we may conclude that
those sons of the prophets enjoyed, as circumstances required, special
assistance from God in the work to which they were devoted. On David,
however, the gift was conferred in unusual measure, the fruit of which
appears in his inspired psalms. Several of his contemporaries were
similarly endowed. From this period the prophetic element, with some
brief intervals, became more prominent and influential in Israel,
increasing in the copiousness of its communications till the
depression of the house of David during the captivity.
The peculiar work of the prophet has not always been correctly
understood. That element in some of them which had respect to the
foretelling of future events has attracted undue attention and been
magnified out of all proper proportions. This may be accounted for
from its striking uniqueness, and the use to which it has been put as
an important department of Christian evidence--drawing from it an
invincible argument for the divine inspiration of Scripture. Yet this
concentration upon the predictive aspect of prophecy has served to
create a widespread misconception concerning the nature of the gift
itself and the chief design in its exercise. The main purpose of the
prophetic office has almost been lost sight of. By many today it is
unknown that its leading object contemplated the practical spiritual
interests of the people: that the prophets were principally employed
in imparting instruction to them, exposing their sins, calling them to
repent, setting before them the paths of duty, and in various ways
seeking to promote their religious improvement.
Prediction, in the strict sense of the term, occupies a very
inconspicuous place in the ministry of Moses, the chief of all the
prophets. Some of the more prominent among them--as Samuel, Elijah,
and Elisha--seem hardly to have uttered any predictions at all. Their
business consisted mainly in denouncing the idolatrous practices of
the people and in vindicating the claims of God to their homage and
service. It is true that in the writings of two or three, predictions
largely abound; nevertheless, if they are examined with care it will
quickly be seen that their ministry had largely to do with the
existing spiritual conditions of those among whom they labored. Take
for example Isaiah, who of all the prophets was perhaps most honored
with revelations of the future. A cursory investigation will show that
foretelling constituted only one portion of the message he delivered.
The true idea of the prophet is that of a man raised up to witness for
God, His mouthpiece to the people--to rebuke sin, counsel in
perplexity, and instruct them in the ways of the Lord.
Even the positive predictions delivered by the prophets, while
contemplating the benefit of future generations (by which alone, on
their fulfillment they could be fully understood), were subservient to
the immediate purposes of their ministry, by affording encouragement
and hope unto those who feared God amidst the general disorders and
declension of the times in which they lived. This plain view of the
case, which numerous and obvious facts support, must be understood in
order to gain a correct conception of the prophetical Scriptures in
their general structure. On the subject of the covenants, the
predictive portions of their writings, as would naturally be expected,
have the more direct bearing; yet the practical parts, which deal with
the sins and duties of the people, make their own contribution--the
practical sections furnishing many striking illustrations of the
previous revelations and giving definiteness to the meaning of many
particulars embraced in the covenants.
The didactic and the practical are often strangely mingled. Statements
which at first bear on present duty, sometimes insensibly, and at
other times more abruptly, pass into representations of the future
which startle us, not less by the suddenness of their introduction,
than by the vividness of their coloring. All, however, is made
strictly subservient to the immediate purpose which the prophets had
in view. The intimate blending of these different elements makes it
far from easy to separate them in all instances, nor is it necessary
to attempt it. As they now stand, they more effectually promoted the
end in view in the spiritual improvement of the people. The glowing
prospects of the future either supplied an incentive to the discharge
of present duty, or ministered to their support under present trial.
Still, to the predictions, strictly so called, we must look as the
chief means of furnishing the fullest light on the prospective
covenant transactions of God with His people.
The nature and extent of the help we shall derive from these
intimations of the future will turn, to a large extent, on the mode in
which we deal with them. The interpretation of prophecy, in all its
principles and results, is a large subject, but a few words are called
for here so as to prevent misconception. A slight examination of the
prophetical Scriptures is enough to show that their language is not
infrequently taken--leaving out of consideration the figures which
natural scenery supply--either from past events in the history of
Israel or from the sacred institutions and arrangements with which
they had long been familiar. And of course this is quite natural when
we bear in mind the typical character impressed on the Old Testament
dispensation throughout; yea, probably it was necessary as the best
means of imparting to the Jewish people an intelligible representation
of the future.
The creation of an entirely new nomenclature in literal adaptation to
the better things to come, instead of being understood, would only
have occasioned perplexity and defeated the object for which the
revelation was given. Be this as it may, the fact is certain that in
terms peculiar to the theocracy, or descriptive of theocratic events,
the revelation of future things was made. In other words, the language
of the type is familiarly employed in delineation of the antitype.
Thus, for example, "Israel" is the term used in reference to the
spiritual seed; "visions and dreams" (the current mode of the divine
communications in those times describe the future operations of the
Holy Spirit under the gospel dispensation; "David," in like manner, is
the name applied again and again to the Messiah, the true Shepherd of
Israel; and the events of the future are represented in terms derived
from the dispensation then existing. Occasionally express statements
are made affirming that the order of things then in being was destined
to pass away--as in Jeremiah 3:16; at other times the change impending
was as plainly implied.
On this principle, then, these predictions are constructed almost
throughout, and on no other can they be correctly interpreted. It was
thus that the apostles dealt with them, yet it is sadly overlooked by
many of our moderns. A slavish adherence to a literal interpretation
which is the survival of a Jewish error--if consistently carried out,
necessarily leads to consequences which few are prepared to face,
opposed as they are to both the letter and the spirit of the gospel.
It is certainly a humiliating proof of human infirmity, even in good
men, that at this late date, the principle on which so large a part of
the Word is to be interpreted has yet to be settled, and that from the
same prophetical statements the most diverse conclusions are derived.
Surely it should be apparent that since the literal cannot be fairly
applied without eliciting conclusions contradicting apostolic
testimony, we are bound to abide by the typical and figurative as the
only safe principle.
There is one other misconception against which we must guard. It must
not be concluded that because the Messianic predictions are for the
most part plain to us, acquainted as we are with the events in which
they found their fulfillment, that therefore they must have been
equally plain unto those to whom they were first delivered, but from
whose times these events were far distant. In dealing with those
Scriptures for our own edification, it is our privilege to take
advantage of all the light furnished by the New Testament, but in so
doing we must not forget that our position is vastly different from
that of those amongst whom the prophets exercised their ministry.
Take, for instance, the predictions respecting the Messiah--the great
subject of the covenant promises. Consider the many references to His
lowly condition, His sufferings and death, and then to the triumphant
strain in which His exaltation and glory are so largely set forth.
Some passages represent Him as a man amongst His fellowmen; others as
the mighty God. How perplexing must those representations--apparently
so much at variance with each other--have been to the Jews!
Keeping these things in mind, we may now observe that the ministry of
the prophets, commencing with David, and, after a break, continuing
from Joel onwards, was of considerable value in filling up the truth
which, in brief outline, the covenants exhibited, yet leaving much to
be still supplied by the actual fulfillment of the promises they
contained. No one contributed more to this result than Isaiah. On the
one hand, he furnishes the most vivid portrayals of the treatment
which the Messiah would receive from His countrymen, and of the nature
and severity of the sufferings He was to endure, both at the hands of
God and of men, in the accomplishment of His work. On the other hand,
he supplies the most blessed testimony to the essential dignity of His
person, and the most animating assurances of the extent and glory of
His kingdom; and, under highly figurative language, describes the
beneficent and peaceful effects of His government and the spiritual
results of His reign.
With few exceptions, the rest of the prophets corroborated and
supplemented the testimony of Isaiah. The person and work of the
Messiah are represented from various angles, the stupendous results of
His undertaking depicted under striking imagery, and divine wisdom is
clearly evidenced in the phraseology--derived from the religious
institutions of the Jews or from events of their history--which is
employed to give vividness to their representations. The effects of
this must have been to impart to the mass of the people a new and
deeper realization of the magnitude of the results involved in the
covenants under which they were placed, however perverted their views
of the nature of these results may have been; and to awaken in the
godly remnant of them expectations of a future immensely surpassing
anything yet realized in their history--a future with which, in some
mysterious way, their own spiritual life was bound up.
As the earthly prospects of Israel became darker, through the growing
corruption of the nation, hastening toward that catastrophe which
destroyed their temple, and for a time removed them as captives into a
strange land, those prophets who then exercised their ministry were
far more explicit in regard to the nature of the great alteration
which the appearing of the Messiah would produce and of the blessings
which He would dispense. In their hands the future assumed a more
precise shape, and the expectations warranted by their language
exhibited an expansion far in advance of anything to be found in
Scripture. This was just what the circumstances of the time required.
One can readily conceive the despondency with which the pious Jews
must have looked on the course which events were taking. The
idolatrous propensities of the masses, the general immorality which
was encouraged by idol worship, the common contempt with which God's
servants were treated, the wickedness of their kings, and the frequent
invasion of their land by hostile forces, all presaged the dissolution
of their state.
When assured that the divine patience was at last exhausted, that the
infliction of the oft-threatened punishment was nigh at hand, and that
the triumph of their enemies was certain, at what conclusion could
they arrive than that for their sins they were forsaken of God, that
the covenant was about to be made void, and that all their hopes would
soon be buried in the ruin of their country? They might not
unreasonably have supposed that the stability of the covenant was
dependent upon their obedience, and since that obedience had been
withheld, and all the gracious measures taken to reclaim them had
failed--since, in the review of their past history, no lesson was so
impressively taught as their incurable tendency to sin--they might
have concluded that God was absolved from His promise, and that even
His righteousness demanded the people should be cut off and left to
the ruin which they had so persistently courted, the near approach of
which everything seemed to indicate.
Such a despondent condition required special encouragement, and the
form which that encouragement assumed deserves particular attention.
It consisted in the assurance of a thorough change in the dispensation
under which Israel had hitherto been placed, and of the establishment
of a new covenant under the immediate administration of the Messiah,
the purely spiritual character of which is described in language far
more explicit than had hitherto been given. This more glorious
constitution of things they were taught was the designed issue of all
God's dealings toward them, and to it their hopes were henceforth to
be confined. Notwithstanding their present calamities, the continuance
of their national existence was assured to them until in due time the
new order of things was inaugurated. Could anything be conceived
better fitted to kindle the hopes and communicate the richest
consolation to the devout portion of the Jews than such an assurance?
II.
In the preceding chapter it was pointed out that, following the times
of David, the prophets occupied a more and more prominent place in
Israel, and that the primary purpose of their office was a practical
one, designed for the good of those to whom they immediately
ministered. As the spiritual life of the nation degenerated, the voice
of the prophets was heard more frequently--pressing the claims of God,
rebuking the people for their sins, and affording comfort to the
faithful. It was this third item that we enlarged upon in the closing
paragraphs of our last chapter, calling particular attention to the
large place given in the communications of the "major" prophets unto
things to come. Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound; for as
things went from bad to worse in the earthly kingdom of Israel, God
was pleased to grant much fuller revelations concerning the heavenly
kingdom of the Messiah.
What has just been pointed out reveals a principle which is of great
practical value for our own souls today. The further Israel's
religious apostasy advanced and wickedness increased, the more were
the godly handful among them taught to look away from the present to
the future, to walk by faith and not by sight, to regale their
desponding hearts with those covenant blessings which the Messiah
would obtain for all His people. It is not necessary to suppose that
they fully understood the import of what the prophets set before them;
yea, they were far from comprehending the entire truth which they
contained. Nevertheless, they must have gathered sufficient from them
to relieve their minds from that distressing anxiety which their
present circumstances had awakened. Those predictions which more
particularly dealt with the new order of things which God promised
should yet be ushered in, supply the real key to the interpretation of
the numerous predictions regarding the Messiah's work with which they
had long been familiar.
Here, then, is the grand lesson for us to heed. Though the present
state of Christendom be so deplorable and saddening; though the enemy
has come in like a flood, threatening to carry everything before him;
though the voice of the true servant of God be no more heeded today
than was the prophets' before the captivity, yet God still has a
remnant of His people upon the earth. Heavy indeed are their hearts at
the dishonor done to the name of their Lord, at the low state of His
cause on earth, at their own spiritual leanness. Yet, while it is meet
they should sigh and cry for the abominations in the churches, deplore
the wickedness abounding in the world, and penitently confess their
own sad failures, nevertheless it is their privilege to look forward
unto the grand future which lies before them, to the sure
accomplishment of all God's covenant promises. Nor is it necessary
that they should understand the order of coming events, or the details
of unfulfilled prophecy: sufficient for them that Christ will yet see
of the travail of His soul and be satisfied, reign till every enemy be
placed under His feet, and come again to receive His people unto
Himself.
Both the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel, who exercised their ministry
about the same time among different portions of the covenant people,
spoke the same language and gave the same assurances, in close
connection with the promise of their future reestablishment in their
own land. That particular promise was partly accomplished in their
return from Babylon, but is fully understood only when viewed in the
light of the typical import of the language used. The grand statement
found in Jeremiah 31:31-34 is repeated with equal definiteness in
chapter 32: "Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither
I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath:
and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to
dwell safely, And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me
forever, for the good of them, and of their children after them. And I
will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away
from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts,
that they shall not depart from me." So again in 33:14-16.
In a similar strain and in terms equally explicit, Ezekiel addresses
that portion of the Jews amongst whom he exercised his ministry. "I
will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my
servant David: he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And
I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince amongst
them: I the Lord have spoken it. And I will make with them a covenant
of peace, and will cause the wild beasts to cease out of the land: and
they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. And
I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I
will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be
showers of blessing" (34:23-26). And again: "Then will I sprinkle
clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness
and from all your idols will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I
give you and a new spirit will I put within you. . . and cause you to
walk in my statutes" (36:25-27).
But the clearest of all of these later communications by the prophets
is that furnished in Jeremiah 31:31-34: "Behold, the days come, saith
the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel,
and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made
with their fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand to bring
them out of the land of Egypt: which my covenant they brake, although
I was a husband unto them, saith the Lord. But this shall be the
covenant that I will make with the house of Israel: after those days,
saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it
in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and , every man
his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from
the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I
will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."
On the two main points adverted to by us, namely, the change of the
then existing dispensation, and the spiritual nature of that which was
to succeed, its testimony is most decisive.
First, we must seek to remove a radical misconception which obtains in
certain quarters as to the ones with whom God here promised to make
this "new covenant," namely, "with the house of Israel and with the
house of Judah." Modem dispensationalists insist that this says just
what it means, and means just what it says; and with this I am in
hearty accord. Nevertheless, we would point out that it is entirely a
matter of interpretation if we are to rightly understand what is said;
and this can only be accomplished as the Spirit Himself enlightens our
minds. Any method of Bible study, or any system of interpretation (if
such it could be called) that renders us self-sufficient, independent
of the Holy Spirit, is self-condemned. An unregenerate man, by
diligent application and the use of a good concordance, may soon
familiarize himself with the letter of Scripture, and persuade himself
that because he takes its letter at its face value, he has a good
understanding of it; but that is a vastly different thing from a
spiritual insight into spiritual things.
The first time the name "Israel" occurs upon the sacred page is in
Genesis 32:28, where it was given to Jacob: "And he said, Thy name
shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou
it power with God and with men, and hast prevailed." This is most
suggestive and significant: it was not his name by nature, but by
grace! In other words, "Israel" stamped Jacob as a regenerate man,
thereby intimating that this name primarily pertains to the spiritual
seed of Abraham and not to his natural descendants. That this term
"Israel" would henceforth possess this double significance (primary
and secondary) was more than hinted at here in Genesis 32, for from
this point onward the one to whom it was originally given became the
man with the double name: sometimes he is referred to as "Jacob," at
other times he is designated "Israel," and this according as the flesh
or the spirit was uppermost in him.
In what has just been before us there was most accurately anticipated
the subsequent usage of the term, for while in many passages "Israel"
has reference to the natural descendants through Jacob, in many others
it is applied to his mystical seed. Take for example: "Truly God is
good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart" (Ps. 73:1). Who
are the ones referred to under the name "Israel" in this verse?
Obviously it does not refer to the nation of Israel, to all the
fleshly descendants of Jacob who were alive at the time Asaph wrote
this psalm, for most certainly it could not be said of by far the
greater part of them that they were "of a clean heart" (cf. Ps. 12:1).
A clean heart is one which has been cleansed by the sanctifying
operations of divine grace (Titus 3:5), by the sprinkling of the blood
of Jesus on the conscience (Heb. 10:22), and by a God--communicated
faith (Acts 15:9). Thus, the second clause of Psalm 73:1 obliges us to
understand the Israel of the first clause as the spiritual
Israel--God's chosen, redeemed, and regenerated people.
Again: when the Lord Jesus exclaimed concerning Nathanael, "Behold an
Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile" (John 1:47), exactly what did
He mean? Was nothing more signified than, "Behold a fleshly descendant
of Jacob"? Assuredly it was this: Christ's language here was
discriminating, as discriminating as when He said, "If ye continue in
my word, then are ye my disciples indeed" (John 8:31). When the Savior
declared that they were "disciples indeed," He intimated they were
such not only in name, but in fact; not only by profession, but in
reality. And in like manner, when He affirmed that Nathanael was "an
Israelite indeed," He meant that he was a genuine son of Israel, a man
of faith and prayer, honest and upright. The added description "in
whom is no guile" supplies still further confirmation that a spiritual
and saved character is there in view: compare "Blessed is the man unto
whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity and in whose spirit there is no
guile" (Ps. 32:2.).
"Behold Israel after the flesh" (1 Cor. 10:18). Here again
discriminating language is used; why speak of "Israel after the flesh"
unless it be for the express purpose of distinguishing them from
Israel after the Spirit--that is, the regenerated and spiritual
Israel. Israel "after the flesh" were the natural descendants of
Abraham, but spiritual Israel, whether Jews or Gentiles, are those who
are born again and who worship God in spirit and in truth. Surely it
must now be plain to every unbiased reader that the term Israel is
used in Scripture in more senses than one, and that it is only by
noting the qualifying terms which are added, that we are able to
identify which Israel is in view in any given passage. Equally clear
should it be that to talk of Israel being an "earthly people" is very
loose and misleading language, and badly needs modifying and defining.
Admittedly it is easier to determine which Israel is in view in some
passages than in others--the natural or the spiritual; yet in the
great majority of instances, the context furnishes a definite guide.
When Christ said, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house
of Israel" (Matthew 15:24), He certainly could not intend the fleshly
descendants of Jacob; for, as many Scriptures plainly state, He was
equally sent unto the Gentiles. No, "the lost sheep of the house of
Israel" there means the whole election of grace. "Of this man's seed
hath God, according to his promise, raised unto Israel a Saviour,
Jesus" (Acts 13:23). Here too it is the spiritual Israel which is
meant, for He did not save the nation at large. So too when the
apostle declared, "For the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain"
(Acts 28:20), he must have had in view the antitypical Israel. "And as
many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and
upon the Israel of God" (Gal. 6:16). This could not possibly refer to
the nation, for God's curse was on that. It is the Israel chosen by
the Father, redeemed by the Son, regenerated by the Spirit.
"Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are
not all Israel, which are of Israel" (Rom. 9:6). In this verse the
apostle begins his discussion of the. rejection of the Jews and the
calling of the Gentiles, and shows that God had predetermined to cast
off the nation as such and extend the gospel call to all men
indiscriminately. He does this by showing God was free to act thus
(vv. 6-24), that He had announced through His prophets He would do so
(vv. 25-33). This was a particularly sore point with the Jew, who
erroneously imagined that the promises which God had made to Abraham
and his seed included all his natural descendants, that those promises
were sealed unto all such by the rite of circumcision, and that those
inherited all the patriarchal blessings: hence their claim, "We have
Abraham to our father" (Matthew 3:9). It was to refute this error,
common among the Jews (and now revived by the dispensationalists),
that the apostle here writes.
First, he affirms that God's Word was not being annulled by his
teaching (v. 6, first clause), no indeed; his doctrine did not
contravene the divine promises, for they had never been given to men
in the flesh, but rather to men in the spirit--regenerate. Second, he
insisted upon an important distinction (v. 6, second clause), which we
are now seeking to explain and press upon our readers. He points out
there are two kinds of Israelites: those who are such only by carnal
descent from Jacob, and others who are so spiritually, these latter
being alone the "children of the promise" (v. 8) (cf. Galatians 4:23,
where "born after the flesh" is opposed to born "by promise"). God's
promises were made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as believers; and
they are the spiritual food and property of none but believers (Rom.
4:13,16). Until this fact be clearly grasped, we shall be all at sea
in understanding scores of the Old Testament promises.
When the apostle here affirms that "they are not all Israel, which are
of Israel" (Rom. 9:6), he means that not all the lineal descendants of
Jacob belonged unto "the Israel of God" (Gal. 6:16)--those who were
God's people in the highest sense. So far from that being the case,
many of the Jews were not God's children at all (see John 8:42,44),
while many who were Gentiles by nature, have (by grace) been made
"fellow-citizens with the [Old Testaments saints" (Eph. 2:19) and
"blessed with faithful Abraham" (Gal. 3:9). Thus the apostle's
language in the second clause of Romans 9:6 has the force of: Not all
who are members of the (ancient) visible church are members of the
true church. The same thought is repeated in Romans 9:7, "Neither
because they are the [natural] seed of Abraham, are they all children"
--that is, the "children [or inheritors] of the promise," as verse 8
explains--but "in Isaac the line of God's election and sovereign
grace] shall thy true and spirituals seed be called." God's promises
were made to the spiritual seed of Abraham, and not to his natural
descendants as such.
This same principle of double application holds equally good of many
other terms used of the covenant people. For example, Christ said to
His spouse, "Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as
Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners" (Song of Sol. 6:4). Now
the church goes under this name of "Jerusalem" in both the Old
Testament and the New. "Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem" (Isa.
40:2). Obviously this did not mean the literal city, nor even its
inhabitants in general, for the great majority of them were
unregenerate idolaters, and God sends no message of comfort to those
who despise and oppose Him. No, it was the godly remnant. "For this
Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now
is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above
is free, which is the mother of us all" (Gal. 4:25, 26). One of
Christ's promises to the overcomes is "I will write upon him the name
of my God, and the name of the city of my God--new Jerusalem" (Rev.
3:12)!
III.
In the second half of the last chapter it was shown that the name
Israel has a twofold application, both in the Old Testament and in the
New, being given to the natural descendants of Jacob and also to all
believers. Nor should this in anywise surprise or stumble us, seeing
that the one whom God first denominated "Israel" was henceforth the
man with the double name, according as he was viewed naturally or
spiritually. It should also be duly noted that God's giving this name
unto Jacob is recorded twice in Genesis: "And he said, Thy name shall
be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power
with God and with men, and hast prevailed" (32:28); "And God said unto
him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob,
but Israel shall be thy name" (35:10). Is there not here something
more than bare emphasis--namely, a divine intimation to us of the dual
application or usage of the name?
This double significance of the word Israel holds good for other
similar terms. For example, to the "seed of Abraham": "Know ye
therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of
Abraham" (Gal. 3:7). The "children of Abraham" are of two kinds,
physical and spiritual, those who are his by nature and those who are
connected with him by grace. "To be the children of a person in a
figurative sense, is equivalent to `resemble him, and to be involved
in his fate, good or bad.' The idea is of similarity both in character
and in circumstances. To be `the children of God,' is to be like God;
and also, as the apostle states, it is to be `heirs of God.' To be
`the children of Abraham' is to resemble Abraham, to imitate his
conduct, and to share his blessedness" (John Brown). To which we may
add, to be "the children of the wicked one" (Matthew 13:38) is to be
conformed to his vile image, both in character and in conduct (John
8:44), and to share his dreadful portion (Matthew 25:41).
The carnal Jews of Christ's day boasted that "Abraham is our father,"
to which He made answer, "If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do
the works of Abraham" (John 8:39). Ali, the spiritual children of
Abraham "walk in the steps of that faith" which he had (Rom. 4:12).
Those who are his spiritual children are "blessed with faithful
Abraham" (Gal. 3:9). The apostle was there combating the error which
the Judaizers were seeking to foist upon the Gentiles namely, that
none but Jews, or Gentiles proselyted by circumcision, were the
"children of Abraham," and that none but those could be partakers of
his blessing. But so far from that being the case, all unbelieving
Jews shut heaven against themselves, while all who believed from the
heart, being united to Christ--who is "the son of Abraham" (Matthew
1:1) --enter into all the blessings which God covenanted unto Abraham.
The double significance pertaining to the expression "children" or
"seed" of Abraham was very plainly intimated at the beginning, when
Jehovah said unto the patriarch, "In blessing I will bless thee, and
in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heavens,
and as the sand which is upon the seashore" (Gen. 22:17). What
anointed eye can fail to see in the likening of Abraham's seed unto
the stars of heaven a reference to his spiritual children, who are
partakers of the heavenly calling (Heb. 3:1); and in the likening of
his seed unto the sand which is upon the seashore a reference to his
natural descendants, who occupied the land of Palestine.
Again, the same is true of the word "Jew." "For he is not a Jew, which
is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the
flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is
that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise
is not of men, but of God" (Rom. 2:28, 29). What could be plainer than
that? In the light of such a Scripture, is it not passing strange that
there are today those--boasting loudly of their orthodoxy and bitterly
condemning all who differ--who insist that the name "Jew" belongs only
to the natural descendants of Jacob, and ridicule the idea that there
is any such thing as spiritual Jews. When the Holy Spirit here tells
us "he is a Jew, who is one inwardly," He manifestly signifies that
the true Jew, the antitypical Jew is a regenerate person, who enjoys
the "praise" or approbation of God Himself.
Here, then, is the reply to the childish prattle of those who declare
that "Israel" means Israel, and "Jew" means Jew, and that when
Scripture speaks of "Jerusalem" or "Zion" nothing else is referred to
than those actual places. But this is nothing more than a deceiving of
ourselves by the mere sound of words: as well argue that "flesh"
signifies nothing more than the physical body, that "water" (John
4:14) refers only to that material element, and that "death" (John
5:24) means naught but physical dissolution. There is an end to all
interpretation when such a foolish attitude is adopted. Each passage
calls for careful and prayerful study, and it has to be fairly
ascertained which the Spirit has in view; whether the carnal Israel or
the spiritual, the literal seed of Abraham or the mystical, the
natural Jew or the regenerate, the earthly Jerusalem or the heavenly,
the typical Zion or the antitypical. God has not written His Word so
that the ordinary reader is made independent of that help which He
deigns to give through His accredited teachers.
It may seem to some of our readers that we have wandered a
considerable distance away from the subject of the Messianic covenant.
Not so: that covenant is made with "the house of Israel and with the
house of Judah"; and it is impossible to understand those terms aright
until we can determine which Israel is meant. So many, assuming that
there is but one Israel in Scripture, namely, the Hebrew nation, have
insisted that the promise of Jeremiah 31:31 is entirely future,
receiving its accomplishment in "the millennium." To make good their
contention, they must show: first, that it does not and cannot refer
to the mystical Israel; second, that it has not already been made
good; third, that it will be accomplished in connection with the
literal nation in a day to come--concerning which we ask, Where is
there one word in the New Testament which declares God will yet make a
new covenant with national Israel?
What, then, does Jeremiah 31:31 signify? Has that divine promise
already received its fulfillment, or is it now in course of receiving
its fulfillment, or does it yet await fulfillment? This is far more
than a technical question devoid of practical interest. It raises the
issue, Has the Christian a personal interest therein? If the older
commentators be consulted--the ablest teachers God has granted to His
people since the Reformation--it will be found that they unanimously
taught that Jeremiah 31:31 receives its accomplishment in this present
dispensation. While we freely grant this is not conclusive proof that
they were right, and while we must call no man (or set of men)
"father," yet the writer for one is today very slow in allowing that
the godly Puritans were all wrong on this matter, and slower still to
turn away from those luminaries which God granted in the brightest
period of the church's history since the time of the apostles, in
order to espouse the theories of our moderns. Then let us seek to
"Prove all things: hold fast that which is good" (1 Thess. 5:21).
In his comments on Jeremiah 31:31-33 Matthew Henry said, "This refers
to Gospel times . . . for of Gospel times the apostle understands it
(Heb. 8:8, 9), where the whole passage is quoted, as a summary of the
covenant of grace made with believers in Jesus Christ." "The first
solemn promulgation of this new covenant, made, ratified and
established, was on the day of Pentecost, seven weeks after the
resurrection of Christ. It answered to the promulgation of the Law on
mount Sinai, the same space of time after the deliverance of the
people out of Egypt. From this day forward the ordinances of worship
and the institutions of the new covenant became obligatory upon all
believers" (John Owen). To which we may also add that C. H. Spurgeon
throughout his sermon on Jeremiah 31:32 speaks of that covenant as the
Messianic one: "In the covenant of grace God conveys Himself to you
and becomes yours."
But we are not dependent upon human authorities. Each one may see for
himself that the New Testament makes it unmistakably plain that the
promises contained in Jeremiah 31:31-33 are made good in the Christian
economy. In the Epistle to the Hebrews--which supplies an infallible
key to the interpretation of Old Testament Scripture--Paul quotes this
very passage for the express purpose of showing that its terms
provided an accurate description of gospel blessings. The apostle's
argument in Hebrews 8 would be entirely meaningless did not Jeremiah's
prediction supply a vivid portrayal of that order of things which
Christ has established. First, he declares, "But now [and not in some
future "millennium!"] hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by
how much also He is [not "will be!"] the mediator of a better
covenant, which was established upon better promises" (v. 6); and what
is added is in confirmation of this statement.
Before turning to the light which the New Testament casts upon
Jeremiah 31, it should be noted that at the time God announced His
purpose and promise through the prophet, the fleshly descendants of
Abraham were divided into two hostile groups. They had separate kings
and separate centers of worship, and were at enmity one with another.
As such they fitly adumbrated the great division between God's elect
among the Jews and the Gentiles in their natural and dispensational
state. There was between these a "middle wall of partition" (Eph.
2:14); yea, there was actual "enmity" between them (Eph. 2:16). But
just as God announced through Ezekiel that Judah and the Gentiles are
now one in Christ (Gal. 3:28; Eph. 2:14-18); and therefore all
born-again believers are designated the "children" and "seed" of
Abraham, and blessed with him (Gal. 3:7, 9, 29).
It is pertinent to raise the point, if the principal reference in
Jeremiah's prophecy was unto the gospel church of this era, wherein
Gentiles so largely predominate, why is the covenant there said to be
made with "the house of Israel and the house of Judah"? Several
answers may be given to this question. First, to make it clear that
this covenant is not made with all the fallen descendants of Adam, but
only with God's chosen people. Second, because during Old Testament
times the great majority of God's elect were taken out of the Hebrew
nation. Third, to signify that the Jewish theocracy has given place to
the Christian church: "He taketh away the first [covenant that he may
establish the second" (Heb. 10:9; cf. Matthew 21:43). Fourth, to
intimate that the Old Testament saints and the New Testament saints
form one body, being the same church of God in different
dispensations. Fifth, because it is a common thing to call the
antitype by that designation which belongs to its type.
Returning now to Hebrews 8. The grand design of the apostle in this
epistle was to demonstrate that the Lord Christ is the mediator and
surety of a vastly superior covenant (or economy) than that wherein
the worship and service of God obtained under the old covenant or
economy of the law. From which it necessarily followed that His
priesthood was far more excellent than the Aaronic, and to this end he
not only gives Scriptural proof that God had promised to make a new
covenant, but he declares the very nature and properties of it in the
words of the prophet. In particular, from this Old Testament citation,
the imperfections of the old covenant (the Sinaitic) is evident by its
issues: it did not effectually secure peace and fellowship between God
and the people, for being broken by them, they were cast off by Him,
and this rendered all its other benefits and advantages useless. This
demonstrated the need for a new and better covenant, which would
infallibly secure the obedience of the people forever.
"For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place
have been sought for the second" (Heb. 8:7). The reference is to that
solemn transaction which took place at Sinai. That was not the "first"
covenant absolutely, but the first entered into with Israel
nationally. Previously, God made a covenant with Adam (Hosea 6:6),
which in some respects the Sinaitic adumbrated, for it was chiefly one
of works. So too He had made a covenant with Abraham, which shadowed
out the everlasting covenant, inasmuch as grace predominated in it.
The "faultiness" of the Sinaitic covenant was due to the fact that it
was wholly external, being accompanied by no internal efficacy: it set
before Israel an objective standard, but it communicated no power for
them to measure up to it. It treated with natural Israel, and
therefore the law was impotent "through the weakness of the flesh"
(Rom. 8:3). It provided sacrifices for sin; yet their value was only
ceremonial and transient. Because of its inadequacy a new and better
covenant was needed.
"For finding fault with them, He said, Behold, the days come, saith
the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and
with the house of Judah" (Heb. 8:8). The opening "For" intimates that
the apostle was now confirming what he had declared in verses 6,7. The
"finding fault" may refer either to the covenant or the covenantees--
"with it" or "with them." In view of what is said in verse 9, the
translation of the Authorized Version is to be preferred: it was
against the people God complained, for their having broken His
covenant. The word "Behold" announces the deep importance of what
follows, calling our diligent and admiring attention to the same. The
time fixed for the making of this new covenant is defined in "the days
[to] come." In the Old Testament the season of Christ's appearing was
called "the world to come" (Heb. 2:5), and it was a periphrasis of Him
that He was "he that should come" (Matthew 11:3). The faith of the Old
Testament church was principally exercised in the expectation of His
advent.
The subject matter of what Jeremiah specially announced was a
"covenant." "The new covenant, as collecting into one all the promises
of grace given from the foundation of the world, accomplished in the
actual exhibiting of Christ, and confirmed in His death, and by the
sacrifice of His blood, thereby became the sole rule of new spiritual
ordinances of worship suited thereunto, being the great object of the
faith of the saints of the O.T., and is the great foundation of all
our present mercies. `Whereof the Holy Spirit also is witness to us:
for after that He had said before, this is the covenant that I will
make with them after those days, saith the Lord:' Heb. 10:15, 16--yes,
`is witness to us,' and not to those who live in some future
`millennium.' A. W.P. ]
"There was in it a recapitulation of all promises of grace. God had
not made any promise, any intimation of His love or grace unto the
Church in general, nor unto any particular believer, but He brought it
all into this covenant, so as that they should be esteemed, all and
every one of them, to be given and spoken unto every individual person
that hath an interest in this covenant. Hence all the promises made
unto Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, with all the other patriarchs, and the
oath of God whereby they were confirmed, are all of them made unto us,
and do belong unto us, no less than they did unto them to whom they
were first given, if we are made partakers of this covenant. The
apostle gives an instance of this in the singular promise made unto
Joshua, which he applies unto Christians: 13:5" (John Owen).
IV.
The apostle's design in Hebrews 8 is to evidence the immeasurable
superiority of Christ's priesthood above the Aaronic, and he does so
by showing the far greater excellency of that covenant or dispensation
of grace of which the Lord Jesus is the mediator. When mentioning the
"first covenant," he refers to that economy or order of things under
which the Hebrew people were placed at Sinai, and of which the
Levitical priests were the mediators, interposing between God and the
people. The "second" or "new covenant" is that grand economy or order
of things which has been introduced and established by Christ, of
which He is the sole mediator. In proof of this Paul quoted Jeremiah
31:31-33, and it is quite obvious that the passage would have no
relevancy whatever to his argument, if the prophet was there referring
to God's dealings with carnal Israel in a period which is yet future.
That covenant is made with the gospel church, the "Israel of God"
(Gal. 6:14), on which peace rests forever.
Let us next point out that this "new covenant," the Messianic, has
assumed a form which no other covenant ever did or could, due to the
death of its covenanter, namely, a "testament." The same Greek term
does duty for both English words, being rendered "covenant" in Hebrews
8:6,8,9, and "testament" in 9:15-17. No word is more familiar to the
reader of Scripture, for the second main division is rightly termed
"The New Testament," yet it had been just as accurate to designate it
"The New Covenant." But let it be clearly understood that it is called
"New" not because its contents differ from the Old, for it is simply a
fulfillment and confirmation of all that went before, everything in
the Old Testament containing the shadow and type of the substance of
the New Testament. The peculiar reason for naming it the New Testament
is because it was newly accomplished and sealed by the precious blood
of Christ just before it was written.
The second grand division of God's Word sets forth the gospel in all
its unveiled fullness, and the gospel (in contrast to the law, the
predominant revelation of the Old Testament) was called "the New
Testament" because it contains those legacies and testamentary effects
which Christ has bequeathed His people. How inexpressibly blessed,
then, should be the very name of the New Testament unto every one of
the Lord's people, who by the regenerating operations of the Holy
Spirit can establish his own personal interest in the contents of it.
"This is my blood of the new testament" (Matthew 26:28). By His death
Christ has ratified the new covenant and turned it into a "testament,"
making .all its riches and legacies secure and payable to His people:
"For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no
strength at all while the testator liveth" (Heb. 9:17). What has
Christ left? to whom has He bequeathed His vast property? The answer
is, every conceivable blessing: temporal, spiritual, eternal--the most
durable treasure of all; unto "His own," whom He loved with an
unquenchable love.
Before His departure, Christ expressed Himself to His disciples on
this blessed subject when He said, "Peace I leave with you, my peace 1
give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you" (John 14:27).
Thus we see that the Savior's legacies are to His dear people, His
beloved spouse. As men before they die make their wills, and give
their property to their relatives and friends, so did the Redeemer:
"Father, I will, that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me
where I am" (John 17:24). Oh, for grace to "prove" the Savior's will,
to personally lay claim to all the rich legacies it contains! Have I
been brought out of nature's darkness and become a new creature in
Christ? Has the Lord given me a new heart and mind? Then I have an
interest in Christ's will, and He died to make His testament valid,
and ever liveth to be the executor and administrator of it.
The covenant (the "new," the "second," the Messianic) to which the
apostle alludes so often in his writings, particularly in the Hebrews
Epistle, is ratified by the death of Him who makes it, and therefore
it is a testament as well. This covenant was confirmed by Christ, both
as that His death was the death of the testator and as was accompanied
by the blood of sacrifice. Hence it is such a covenant as that in it
the Covenanter bequeaths His goods in the way of a legacy, and thus we
find Him calling this very covenant "the new testament in my blood."
It is in full accord with this that the believer's portion is designed
an "inheritance" (Rom. 8:16, 17; Eph. 1:18; I Peter 1:4), for in a
will or testament there is an absolute grant made of what is
bequeathed. The title which the believer has to his portion is not in
himself: it has been made over to him by the death of Christ, and
nothing can possibly rob him of it.
We must next consider the substance or contents of the Messianic
covenant. Broadly speaking, it is distinctly a covenant of promise,
which gives security by pure grace for the sanctification of God's
people and their preservation in a state and course of holiness, to
their final salvation. In other words, their right of inheritance is
not by the law or their own works: "For if they which are of the law
be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect . .
. therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the
promise might be sure to all the seed" (Rom. 4:14, 16). But is it not
true that if the Christian should wholly and finally depart from God,
that this would deprive him of all the benefits of grace? This
hypothetical supposition
The Messianic Covenant is undoubted truth, yea, it is presupposed in
the promise itself, which is likewise of certain and infallible truth:
"I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn
away from them to do them good: but I will put my fear in their
hearts, that they shall not depart from me" (Jer. 32:40).
Considering the contents of this covenant, we are fully in accord with
John Owen that there is in it "a recapitulation and confirmation of
all the promises of grace that have been given unto the Church from
the beginning, even all that was spoken by the mouth of the holy
prophets that had been since the world began (Luke 1:70)." The
original promise (Gen. 3:15) contained in germ form the whole essence
and substance of the new covenant: all promises given unto the church
afterward being but expositions and confirmations of it. In the whole
of them there was a full declaration of the wisdom and love of God in
the sending of His Son, and of His grace unto men thereby. God
solemnly confirmed those promises with an oath that they should be
accomplished in their season. Thus the covenant promised by Jeremiah
included the sending of Christ for the accomplishment thereof, all
promises being there gathered together in one glorious constellation.
"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, with the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind,
and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they
shall be to me a people" (Heb. 8:10). In passing, be it duly noted
that God did not here promise He would establish the nation in any
earthly land, or bestow upon them any material inheritance. No,
indeed; the blessings of this covenant immeasurably transcend any
mundane or fleshly portion. Briefly, its contents may be summed up in
four words: regeneration, reconciliation, sanctification, and
justification. We will explain and amplify in what follows.
"I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts."
The "law" here signifies that which enjoins supreme love to God, and,
flowing out of it, love to our neighbor. Of this grand principle the
whole round of duty is to be the fruit and expression, and from it
each duty it to take its character. If love be not the animating
spring, then our obedience is little worth. When it is said God will
put His law in our inmost parts and write it in our hearts, it
signifies that preparation of soul which is effected by divine power
so that the law is cordially received into our affections. Elsewhere
this miracle of grace is spoken of as "I will take away the stony
heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh" (Ezek.
36:26). It implies an inward spiritual appreciation of its goodness
and equity--the result of divine illumination; an assimilation of the
tastes or inclinations of the heart to it, and the conformity of the
will to its righteous requirements.
There must be a true delight in the purity which the law inculcates,
for this is the only effectual preparation for obedience. So long as
the law of God utters its voice to us from without only, so long as
there is no sympathy in the soul with its demands, so long as the
heart is alienated from its spirituality, there can be no obedience.
worthy of the name. We may be awed by its peremptory utterances,
alarmed at the consequences of its transgression, and driven to
attempt what it requires, but the effort will be cold, partial, and
insincere. We shall feel it a hard bondage, the pressure of which will
certainly irritate, and against the restraints of which we shall
inwardly rebel. Such is the real character of all graceless obedience,
however it may be disguised. How can it be otherwise when "the carnal
mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God,
neither indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7) --as true today as nineteen
centuries ago, as the modern hatred of and outcry against the law
clearly manifests.
Concerning the Hebrew nation at Sinai, who had stoutly affirmed, "All
that the Lord hath said, will we do," God declared, "Oh, that there
were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my
commandments always" (Deut. 5:29). Ah, that explains their wilderness
perverseness, and the whole of their subsequent history: they had no
heart to serve God, their affections were divorced from Him. And it is
just at this point that the new covenant differs so radically from the
old. God has given no new law, but He has bestowed upon His people a
heart--a heart in harmony with its holiness and righteous
requirements. This enables them to render unto Him that obedience,
which, through the mediation of Christ, is accepted by Him. Each of
them can say with the apostle, "I delight in the law of God after the
inward man" (Rom. 7:22).
Once the law in all its spirituality and extent is not only
intellectually apprehended but wrought into the affections, once our
inmost inclinations and tendencies are molded by it and brought into
unison with it, genuine obedience will be the natural and necessary
result. This is the import of the first great blessing here enumerated
in the Messianic covenant. It necessarily comes first; for the miracle
of regeneration is the foundation of reconciliation, justification,
and sanctification. The one in whom this divine work of grace is
wrought finds enlargement of heart to run in the way of God's
commandments. He now serves in "newness of spirit." What was before
regarded as bondage is now found to be the truest liberty. What was
before an irksome task is now a delight. Love for God inspires a
desire to please Him: love for its Author produces a love for His law.
"I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts."
The terms in which this blessing is expressed indicate a designed
contrast between the old and new covenants. Under the former, the law
was written upon tables of stone--not only to denote its abiding
character, but also to symbolize the hardheartedness of those to whom
it was then given; and publicly exhibited as a rule which they were
under solemn obligations to observe. But it contained no provision to
secure obedience. By the vast majority of the people its design was
misunderstood and its requirements practically disregarded, proving to
them the ministration of condemnation and death. Under the Messianic
covenant, the law is written on the heart--incorporated with the
living springs of action in the inward parts, thus bringing the whole
man into harmony with the will of God.
A further contrast is implied in the second blessing here specified:
"I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people" (Heb.
8:10). While the Hebrews were yet in Egypt the Lord announced, "I will
take you to me for a people and I will be to you a God" (Ex. 6:7).
Later He declared, "I will set my tabernacle among you, and my soul
shall not abhor you; and I will walk among you, and will be your God,
and ye shall be my people" (Lev. 26:11,12). But that was a vastly
different thing from what now obtains under the new covenant: that was
a natural relationship, this a spiritual; that was external, this
internal; that was national, this is individual; that was temporal,
this is eternal. Under the theocracy all of Abraham's natural
descendants were true subjects and properly qualified members of the
Jewish church--such only excepted as had not been circumcised
according to the order of God, or were guilty of some capital crime.
To be an obedient subject of the civil government and a full member of
the ecclesiastical state was manifestly the same thing; because by
treating Jehovah as their political Sovereign, they owned Him as the
true God and were entitled to all the blessings of the national
covenant.
Under the Sinaitic economy Jehovah acknowledged all those to be "His
people" and Himself to be "their God" who performed an external
obedience to His commands, even though their hearts were disaffected
to Himself (Judg. 8:23; I Sam. 8:6, 7; etc.). Those prerogatives were
enjoyed irrespective of sanctifying grace, or of any pretension to
fit. But the state of things under the Christian economy is entirely
different. God will not now acknowledge any as "His people" who do not
know and revere Him, love and obey Him, worship Him in spirit and in
truth. Only those are now owned as His people who have His law written
on their hearts, and He is their God in a far higher and grander sense
than ever He was of the nation of Israel: He is their enduring and
satisfying portion. They are His people not by outward designation
only, but by actual surrender of their hearts to Him. To be "their
God" necessarily denotes they have been reconciled to Him, and have
voluntarily accepted Him as such.
"I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people." This is a
distinct promise which comprises and comprehends all the blessings and
privileges of the covenant. It is placed in the center of the whole as
that from whence all the grace of it doth issue, wherein all the
blessedness of it doth consist, and whereby it is secured. This
relationship necessarily implies mutual acquiescence in each other,
for it could not exist if the hearts and minds of those who are taken
into it were not renewed. God could not approve of, still less rest in
His love toward them, --while they were at enmity against Him; nor
could they find satisfaction in Himself so long as they neither knew
nor loved Him. Because they still have sin in them, this relationship
is made possible through the infinite merits of the Mediator.
V.
The substance of the Christian covenant is, broadly speaking, divine
promises which pledged the sanctification of God's people and their
effectual preservation in a state and course of holiness to their
final salvation. Those promises are summarized in Hebrews 8:10-12, and
are four in number. First, is the declaration that the Lord would
write His laws in the hearts of those for whom Christ died, which
signifies such a change being wrought in them that the divine statutes
are cordially received in their affections. Second, is the assurance
that the Lord will be the God of His people, giving Himself to them in
all His perfections and relationships, so that the supply of their
every need is absolutely guaranteed: "They shall call on my name, and
I will hear them: I will say, It is my people; and they shall say, The
Lord is my God" (Zech. 13:9). He is the God of His people in a
spiritual and everlasting sense, through the meritorious mediation of
Christ.
"And they shall not teach every man his neighbour and every man his
brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least
to the greatest" (Heb. 8:11). This is the third promise, and like the
two preceding it points a marked and blessed contrast from that which
obtained under the regime of the old covenant, and that in connection
with the knowledge of God. During the Mosaic dispensation, God granted
many revelations of Himself, discovering various aspects of His
character, and these were augmented by frequent descriptions of His
perfections and dealings through the prophets, all of which placed the
Jews in a condition of privilege immeasurably superior to the rest of
the nations. Nevertheless, there were difficulties connected with
those divine discoveries which even the most spiritual of Israel could
not remove, while the great majority of them knew not God in the real
sense of the word. The truth about God was apprehended but dimly and
feebly by most, and by the great mass of them it was not rightly
apprehended at all.
So far as the nation at large was concerned, the revelation God
granted them of Himself was wholly external, and for the most part
given through symbols and shadows. Many of them trusted in the letter
of Scripture, and rested in human teaching--often partial and
imperfect at the best. They had no idea of their need of anything
higher. Complaints of their ignorance are common throughout the Old
Testament: "The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib;
but Israel doth not know"(Isa. 1:2); "They know not the way of the
Lord nor the judgment of their God .... They proceed from evil to
evil, and they know not me, saith the Lord" (Jer. 5:4; 9:3). Ignorance
of God, notwithstanding all their advantages, was their sin and their
ruin. Ultimately, their teachers became divided into schools and
sects: Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and so forth, until the last of
their prophets declared: "The Lord will cut off the man that doeth
this: the master and the scholar out of the tabernacles of Jacob"
(Mal. 2:12).
"For all shall know me, from the least to the greatest" --that is, all
who belong to the true Israel of God. God has now given not only a
fuller, yea, a perfect revelation of Himself, in the person of His
incarnate Son (John 1:18; Heb. 1:2), but the Holy Spirit is given to
guide us into all truth; and it is at this point the vast superiority
of the new covenant again appears. Those for whom Christ is the
mediator receive something more than an external revelation from God,
namely, an internal: "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of
darkness, bath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (II Cor.
4:6). They have something far better than human teachers to explain
the law to them, even the Holy Spirit to effectually apply it unto
their consciences and wills. It was to this Christ referred when He
said, "They shall all be taught of God" (John 6:45): "taught" so that
they know Him truly and savingly.
It is to this individual, inward, and saving knowledge of God that the
apostle referred: "Ye have an unction from the Holy One and ye shall
know all things . . . the anointing which ye have received of him
abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the
same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no
lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him" (I John
2:20, 27). That unction operates on their souls with an ever
quickening power. Nor is this some special blessing reserved for a
select few of the redeemed: all interested in the covenant are given a
sanctifying knowledge of God. It is far more than a correct
intellectual conception of God which was promised, namely, such a
transforming revelation of Him that they will fear, love, and serve
Him. It is an obediental knowledge of God which is here in view. It
was the absence of that kind of knowledge in Israel of old that God
complained of: "The Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of
the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God"
(Hos. 4:1). The external method of teaching under the old economy was
ineffectual, for the Spirit taught not the nation inwardly as He does
the church.
"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and
their iniquities will I remember no more" (v. 12). This is the fourth
promise, and embraces in its blessed arms the pardon of all their
sins, the forgiveness of all their iniquities, and declares that these
shall be so completely blotted out that their very remembrance, so to
speak, shall be removed from the mind of God. Once more we would ask
the reader to pay careful attention to the order of these promises,
for it is almost universally disregarded, nay, contradicted in modern
preaching. Three times over in this verse occurs the pronoun their,
emphasizing the particularity of those persons whose sins alone are
pardoned--namely, those who have been regenerated, reconciled, and
given a sanctifying knowledge of God. God forgives none save those who
are in covenant relation with Him.
Nothing could be plainer than what has been just pointed out, for the
coherence of our passage is unmistakable. "I will be merciful to their
unrighteousness": to whose unrighteousness? Why, to those with whom
God makes this new covenant, namely, the members of the spiritual
house of Israel (v. 10). And of what does this covenant consist?
First, God declares, "I will put my laws into their minds and write
them in their hearts," which is accomplished at their regeneration,
and that lays a necessary foundation for what follows. Second, God
affirms, "And I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a
people," which denotes a mutual reconciliation, after a mutual
alienation. Third, He promises, "All shall know me, from the least to
the greatest," which signifies their sanctification, for it is such a
knowledge that produces love, trust, submission. Finally, "For I will
be merciful to their unrighteousness," and so forth, which at once
disposes of the figment of a general atonement and universal
forgiveness: as the mediator of the covenant (Heb. 8:6) Christ acts
only for the covenantees.
"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and
iniquities will I remember no more." Once again we may perceive how
greatly the new covenant excels the old. Under the Levitical economy
there was forgiveness, but with limitations, and with a degree of
obscurity resting upon it which testified to the defectiveness of the
existing order of things. For certain sins no atonement was provided;
though on sincere repentance, such sins were forgiven, as the case of
David shows. At no point were the imperfections of the Mosaic economy
more evident than in this vital matter of remission: as the Epistle of
Hebrews reminds us: "But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance
again made of sins every year" (10:3). Thus were the Jews impressively
taught that they had to do with "the shadow" of good things to come,
which could not make the comers thereunto perfect as pertaining to the
conscience (Heb. 10:1). In blessed contrast therefrom, the forgiveness
bestowed under the new covenant is free, full, perfect, and
everlasting.
"For I will be merciful unto their unrighteousness." The word which is
here rendered "merciful" is "propitious," emphasizing the fact that it
is not absolute mercy without any satisfaction having been made to
justice, but rather grace exercised on the ground of propitiation
(Rom. 3:24, 25; 5:21). Christ died to render God propitious toward
sinners (Heb. 2:17), and in and through Him alone is God merciful
toward the sins of His people. So long as Christ is rejected, is the
sinner under the curse. Therein the glory of the covenant shines
forth, for the unsearchable wisdom of God is displayed and the perfect
harmony of His attributes evidenced. No finite intelligence had ever
found a solution to the problem: how can justice be inexorably
enforced and yet mercy shown to the guilty? how can sinners be freely
pardoned without the claims of righteousness being flouted? Christ is
the solution, for He is "the surety" of the covenant (Heb. 7:22).
It is to be duly noted that no less than three terms are used in verse
12 to describe the fearful evils of which the sinner is guilty, thus
emphasizing his obnoxiousness to the holy God, and magnifying the
amazing grace which saves him. First, "unrighteousness": as God is the
supreme Lord and governor of all, as He is our benefactor and
rewarder, and as all His laws are just and good, the first notion of
righteousness in us is the rendering to God that which is His due,
namely, universal obedience to all His commands; hence,
unrighteousness signifies a wrong done unto God. Second, "sin" is a
missing of the mark, an erring from that end at which it is ever our
duty to aim, namely, the glory of God. Third, "iniquity" has the force
of lawlessness, a setting up of my will against that of the
Almighty's, a determination to please myself and go my own way. How
marvelous, then, is the propitious favor of God toward those who are
guilty of such multiplied enormities. How great and how grand the
contrast between the covenants: under the Sinaitic, a regime of
justice was supreme; under the Christian economy, grace reigns through
righteousness.
Such, then, are the particulars of the remarkable prophecy made
through Jeremiah, anticipating--in fact, giving a grand description
of--the gospel. They disclose beyond the possibility of mistake, the
spiritual character of this covenant. The Messianic covenant, unlike
the Sinaitic, effectually accomplished the eternal salvation of all
who are interested in it. The blessings conferred upon them, as here
enumerated, are the "things which accompany salvation" (Heb. 6:9),
yea, they are the constituent elements of salvation itself. It
therefore has respect to the antitypical Israel, the spiritual seed,
and to them alone. The mere possession of external privileges, however
valuable they may be in themselves, and the correct observance of
religious worship, however consistently maintained, avails nothing in
proof of being within the bounds of this covenant. Nothing can afford
sure evidence that this covenant has been made with us, save a living
faith uniting the soul to Christ and producing conformity to Him in
one's life.
What has been last said ought never to be overlooked, for it is one
main feature distinguishing this covenant from the Sinaitic. The new
covenant actually does for those who are in it what the old one failed
to do for the Jewish people. To them God gave a revelation, but it
came to them in letter only; to the New Testament saints His
revelation comes in power also (I Cor. 4:20; I Thess. 1:5). To them
God gave the law as written upon tables of stone; to the New Testament
saints God also gives the law, but writes it upon their hearts.
Consequently, they chafed at the law, whereas we (after the inward
man) delight in it (Rom. 7:22). Hence, too, they walked not in God's
statutes, but continually transgressed them; whereas of His New
Testament people it is written, "Ye have obeyed from the heart that
form of doctrine which was delivered you" (Rom. 6:17). That which
makes all the difference is that the Holy Spirit is given to indwell
and energize the latter, which He was not in those who were in the
Sinaitic covenant as such--we say "as such," for there was ever a
godly remnant who were indwelt by the Spirit on the ground of the
everlasting covenant.
Again, we may observe that this covenant is a display of rich and
unmerited grace: such are all its arrangements and provisions. The
very circumstances under which the Christian covenant was formally
introduced furnishes clear proof of this: succeeding, as it did, an
economy set aside on account of its unprofitableness--an economy
inherently weak for spiritual ends, and perverted by the people who
enjoyed its privileges. The abuse of the Sinaitic covenant deserved
not higher favors, but merited summary judgment; yet it was among the
Jews that God's Son tabernacled and performed His works of mercy. The
application of the blessings of the Messianic covenant does, in every
instance, also bear witness: to those blessings no man can lay claim.
If conferred at all, they come as free gifts of undeserved grace. Its
blessings are the bestowment of sovereign goodness. They who are
brought within the covenant are the objects of God's electing love. To
grace alone they owe all they become, the service they are enabled to
perform, and all the blessedness they shall enjoy in heaven hereafter.
The stability and perpetuity of the new covenant are plainly involved
in the statement made by Jeremiah (31:31-35). The very nature of its
blessings is a proof of this. They effectually secured the great end
which God has in view in His dealings with men, namely, the formation
of a holy people for His everlasting praise. This end once attained,
there is no room for any improvement. But that could not be said of
the Sinaitic covenant: as it regarded this result it failed, and that
almost continuously throughout the long history of the Jews. But so
far from being unexpected, that failure was distinctly foreseen. From
the first the Levitical economy partook of the nature of a preparation
for something better. Its perceptible unprofitableness for those
higher ends should have taught the people that it could not have been
intended for permanency. Ultimately, they were plainly informed (Jer.
31) that their economy was to be superseded by another covenant, the
blessings of which, in their very nature, securing what the existing
arrangement had never attained unto. Here, too, its surpassing
excellency appears.
VI.
"Jesus the mediator of the new covenant" (Heb. 12:24). From the
contents or blessings of the covenant we turn now to consider the
measures and means which were to give effect unto their actual
communication. First and foremost among these is the Mediator--a word
denoting one who goes between two parties, to arrange any matters of
importance in which they may have a common interest, or to settle any
differences with a view to their permanent reconciliation.
It is in the latter sense the term is used in such connections as the
present. What the precise work of the Mediator is, what He does to
make his intervention efficient, depends of course on the relation of
the parties toward each other and the matters of disagreement which
have separated them. Now the character of that covenant of which
Christ is the mediator enables us to form a definite conception of the
nature and extent of His mediation.
The Messianic covenant is a dispensation of free promises of grace and
mercy to guilty and condemned sinners. Should it be asked, Wherein lay
the need for a mediator in connection with such gracious promises?
Might they not have been given and fulfilled without requiring the
intervention of a middle party? It would be sufficient answer to say
that this question relates to the realm of fact and not of
supposition. It is not at all a matter of what God might or might not,
could or could not do, but what He has done; it has pleased Him to
appoint a mediator. It has seemed most meet unto God, out of a regard
to what is due unto Himself, to determine that His blessings shall be
dispensed under certain definite conditions; and therefore it is for
us to humbly acquiesce and gratefully accept what is graciously
offered us, on the terms on which that offer is made. Nevertheless, it
has pleased God to intimate sufficiently as to demonstrate unto us His
matchless wisdom in such a constitution of things as the mediatorship
of Christ discloses.
First, sin is an evil so offensive and malignant, and attended with
consequences so sweeping and disastrous, as to necessitate (under the
regime divinely appointed) a separation between God and those who
commit it--a separation which can only be removed by means which shall
leave the character and government of God uncompromised, and shall
effectually stay the ravages of so fearful a plague. To represent the
Most High as simply a loving Father to His creatures is not only
extremely partial, but altogether an erroneous view of His relations
to us. His love is indeed the originating impulse of all the blessings
of the covenant. But God is also a moral Governor, a righteous King,
whose character is reflected in the government which He exercises; and
therefore does He manifest His holy hatred of sin and justly punishes
it. Hence it is that when He seeks the return of sinners unto Himself
it is by a system of mediation which vindicates His perfections and
magnifies His law.
Second, sinners themselves need a mediator. They are enemies: not such
as those who have indeed wandered from God, but are still influenced
by some lingering affection for Him and would be glad to return if
they only knew how; they are sinners not through inadvertence, but
transgressors of settled purpose and from the heart. The holiness of
God, just in proportion as they obtain glimpses of it, is hated by
them. They choose the evil and loathe the good: they love darkness
rather than light. They do not like to retain the knowledge of God in
their minds, but do all they can to dismiss Him from their thoughts.
It is neither carelessness nor involuntary ignorance which occasions
this feeling, but positive hostility: the carnal mind is enmity
against God. When confronted with the truth and made to feel they are
under the divine condemnation, they regard God as their worst enemy,
committed to their punishment, and are conscious of feelings of
aversion, which nothing can allay but such views of God as mediation
unfolds.
Nor is this all. We require someone to undertake for us who shall not
only have power to bring us to a state of subjection and obedience,
but to take care of our interests: to tend us and bear with us under
our manifold infirmities. Our very consciousness testifies to the need
of this. Our helplessness is painfully felt from the moment we are
awakened to perceive the reality of our awful condition. And even
though provision has been made for our access to God, and we are
freely invited to avail ourselves of the same, yet so awe-inspiring
are the views we must have of the divine character that we
instinctively shrink from His ineffable purity. We are unmistakably
aware that even in our sincerest approach to the thrice holy God we
have need of someone to intervene between us: some "Daysman" (as job
expressed it) who can lay His hand upon us both.
Third, Christ Himself is thereby greatly glorified. This is the
supreme end in the divine administration, for He is the Alpha and the
Omega in all the counsels of God. It is entirely useless to speculate
as to what might have been the particular status of Christ or what
office He had filled, if sin had never defiled the universe. Evil has
entered, entered by the permission of God, and that for His own wise
reasons. That the entrance of sin into our world has provided
opportunity for God to display His incomparable wisdom, and that it
has been overruled to the magnifying of His dear Son, needs no labored
effort of ours to show. The perfect love of Christ to the Father,
evidenced by His voluntary self-abasement and obedience unto death,
shines forth in meridian splendor. The grand reward He has received
for His stupendous undertaking, and the revenue of praise which He
receives from those on whose behalf He suffered, affords full
compensation. On His head are "many crowns" (Rev. 19:12) --in virtue
of His mediatorial office.
No formal mention of mediation was contained in the earliest
covenants, though by implication they involved the idea of it. The
covenants made during the infancy of our race were but partial
disclosures of the scheme of mercy, bringing to light particular
features of God's gracious purposes, adapted to the times when they
were respectively given. Yet the germ of the truth respecting
mediation was in both the Noahic and Abrahamic covenants, for the
sacrifices which accompanied them bespoke a special intervention as
the appointed means of ratifying the promises they contained. The
promise (to Abraham) of a Seed in whom all the nations of the earth
should be blessed, and (to David) of a righteous King under whose
government the people of God should dwell in safety, only needed that
expansion of meaning which was subsequently given, to realize all that
the most effective mediation comprehends.
In the Sinaitic covenant, though, this grand truth came out much more
distinctly. When on the mount God drew near to the people and spake to
them out of the thick cloud, they said to Moses, "Behold, the Lord our
God hath showed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his
voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God
doth talk with man, and he liveth. Now therefore why should we die?
For this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the Lord
our God any more, then shall we die. For who is there of all flesh,
that hath heard the voice of the living God, speaking out of the midst
of the fire, as we have, and lived? Go thou near, and hear all that
the Lord our God shall say; and speak thou unto us all that the Lord
our God shall speak unto thee; and we will hear and do it" (Dent.
5:24-27). Thus, at the request of the people, Moses became their
mediator: an arrangement which the Lord approved of as wise and
beneficial (v. 28).
It is quite apparent that the visible manifestation of God amidst the
fire of Sinai and the awful utterances which struck upon their ears,
were the things which influenced the great majority of the people in
preferring their request: they were too destitute of spiritual
apprehension to be capable of looking beyond what met their physical
senses. Yet who can doubt that there were some, at least, of the
people, sufficiently enlightened to feel most painfully their
unfitness for any direct intercourse with God, and to whom the
intervention of a mediator was a matter of felt necessity in order for
them to feel confident in their worship. To elicit that very feeling
on the part of the godly remnant was one end of the divine
manifestation at Horeb, for the divine statement in reply to their
request involved the assurance that they were right in entertaining
this conviction, and accordingly God promised to raise up a prophet
from amongst them like unto Moses, through whom all future intercourse
with God should be conducted (Deut. 18:15-18).
It is apparent, then, that the appointment of a mediator is
indispensable to the existence of any spiritual intercourse between a
holy God and sinful men. The true reason for this springs from the
nature of sin, viewed in connection with the relation which the Most
High sustains to our guilty race. Accurate conceptions of what that
relation involves, and of what sin is in itself and in its effects,
will go far to determine the character of the Mediator's work as made
known in Scripture, on the complete accomplishment of which the
success of His mediation depends. Mistakes on these points vitiate our
entire views of the gospel. The terms on which divine intercourse with
sinners is possible is a matter of vital importance. That awful breach
could not be healed by anything done by the offenders: the
righteousness of God's character and government must by vindicated and
the law honored before grace is conferred and true fellowship with God
established. To effect this was the object of the work committed to
Christ.
When Scripture refers to Christ as the mediator that term is
comprehensive of the entire work of mediation in all its departments,
which, as the spiritual deliverer of His people, He voluntarily
undertook. We may dwell upon the different offices He sustains; we may
delineate and illustrate the character and results of His actings in
those offices separately; but His mediation embraces them all.
Mediation is not something additional to what He does in the several
capacities in which He is held forth in Scripture, but rather is it a
term which, in the fullness of its meaning, includes them all; His
prophetical, priestly, and regal offices are all essential to His
mediation. Thus, in giving a brief exposition of His mediation, all
that is necessary to our present design is to present a mere outline
of the particulars. We cannot continue indefinitely this already
lengthy study, so must now content ourselves with a succinct
statement, which will afford a comprehensive view of the true state of
the case.
First, Christ, as mediator, is the supreme prophet. Although in one
aspect, His priestly work is the foundation of all His other dealings
as mediator, yet since it is with His prophetical office that we first
come into contact, we begin here. As prophet, Christ is the great
revealer of the character and will of God. In His earliest
instruction--the Sermon on the Mount--He explained and vindicated the
revelation previously given, but which through the errors of blind
guides had been perverted. In addition, He furnished in His own
mission the supreme manifestation of God's love and grace. He
revealed, too, the true nature of that salvation which fallen men
needed, the character of that change which the Holy Spirit must effect
in them, the certainty of a future life of bliss or woe according to
present character, and the solemnities of that judgment with which the
present order of things shall close. To His apostles He assigned the
duty, under His own superintendence, of amplifying what He had in
substance taught.
Christ, too, is the source of all inward illumination, whereby the
truth is, in any case, practically apprehended and savingly believed.
"No man knoweth . . . who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom
the Son will reveal him" (Luke 10:22) is His own statement. A clear
and Scriptural knowledge of the truth is obtained only by divine
teaching. Nor does this arise from any deficiency in the truth itself;
the hindrance lies in the mind and heart of the sinner. There is a
moral blindness, an aversion to holy truth, which no means--be they
perfectly adapted to the object in view--can ever remove. The fallen
sinner is so utterly depraved, so opposed to the divine requirements,
that he has neither will nor desire to apprehend what is holy; and
none but the Spirit of Christ can effect a cure. It is the province of
Christ, as the great prophet of the church, to heal this diseased
state. He enables the mind to understand and the heart to receive the
truth.
Second, Christ, as mediator, is the great high priest, an office which
involved the making of expiation and intercession. To these two
particulars the Levitical dispensation bore a continuous and ample
testimony: the numerous sacrifices, and the annual intervention of the
high priest under the law were types--dim figures of what was to be
realized in Him who was to come. The true meaning of those sacrifices
may be gathered from the distinct explanations which accompanied them.
They were substitutionary satisfactions for the soul that sinned, for
it is "the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul." They were
designed to teach the people the idea of the necessity for expiation
for sin; and the intercession for them before God, founded on these
sacrifices, completed the truth intended to be taught: they clearly
intimated the arrangement by which alone their sins could be remitted,
and the blessings which they needed obtained. And Christ, by His life
and death, provided the substance or reality.
The views of the priestly work of Christ supplied by the types under
the old economy, receive full confirmation in the testimony of the
apostles. In their teaching there is no uncertain sound on this
subject. As samples we cite the following: "A merciful and faithful
high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the
sins of the people"; "But this man, because he continueth ever, hath
an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to
the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make
intercession for them" (Heb. 2:17; 7:24, 25; cf. Rev. 1:5, 6). As the
personally sinless One, Christ was (legally) made sin for His people,
that they might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Such is the
very essence of the gospel; and they who deny it, place themselves
outside the pale of divine mercy.
Third, Christ, as mediator, is the King of Zion. Under the Davidic
covenant not only was this prefigured in the sovereignty conferred
upon the man after God's own heart, but definite promises were given
of the raising up of a righteous King, under whose government truth
and peace should abound; and it is in Christ that they receive their
perfect fulfillment. The New Testament represents His exaltation and
the authority with which He is now invested as the designed recompense
of the work which He accomplished (see Eph. 1:19-23; Phil. 2:8-11).
It was part of the divine arrangement that the administration of the
economy of grace should be committed to Him by whose sufferings and
death the foundation has been laid for a true intercourse between God
and sinful men. The supreme object for conferring the regal dignity
upon the Messiah was His own vindication and glory, but the
subordinate design was that He should give practical effect to the
divine purpose in the actual saving of all God's elect. The very
nature of that purpose serves to determine the character and extent of
the work committed to Him. That purpose respects the spiritual
deliverance of God's people, scattered throughout the world, and
therefore is it a work effected against every conceivable opposition.
The rule of the Messiah is supreme and universal, for nothing short of
that is adequate to the occasion. "Who is gone into heaven, and is on
the right hand of God: angels and authorities and powers being made
subject unto him" (I Peter 3:22). It is by the discharge of these
three offices Christ effectually performs His work of mediation.
VII.
First and foremost among the means ordained by God for the actual
communication of the blessings of the covenant was the appointing of
His Son to the mediatorial office, involving of course His becoming
man. The covenant itself is a dispensation of free promises of grace
to guilty and condemned sinners; the measures to give effect unto
these promises are the terms on which the divine intercourse with
sinners is alone possible; and the means are that by which true
fellowship with God is established and maintained. As we have said,
first among these measures and means was the ordination of Christ to
the mediatorial office; and to equip Him for the discharge thereof
during the days of His humiliation, He was anointed with the Holy
Spirit (Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38). Thus was He furnished for all the
exigencies of the stupendous undertaking upon which He entered, an
undertaking that is executed by the exercise of His prophetic,
priestly, and royal functions.
By the successful conclusion of His earthly mission and work, Christ
laid a sure foundation for the recovery of God's fallen people and for
their true fellowship with Him; yet more was still needed for the
actualizing of the divine purpose of grace. As it is through Christ
all its blessings are conveyed, so it is by Him the covenant is
administered. Consequently, upon His exaltation to the right hand of
God, He received a further and higher anointing, obtaining the promise
of the Father in the gift of the Spirit, to be by Him dispensed to His
church at His will (see Acts 2:33; Heb. 1:9; Rev. 3:1). Thus is He
effectually equipped to secure the salvation of all His people. He has
been exalted to be "a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to
Israel, and forgiveness of sins" (Acts 5:31). He is endowed with "all
power in heaven and in earth" (Matthew 28:18). He "must reign till he
hath put all enemies under his feet" (1 Cor. 15:25). God has assured
Him that "he shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be
satisfied" (Isa. 53:11).
The administration of the covenant in the actual application of its
blessings, and in securing, beyond the possibility of the slightest
failure, its ordained results, is an essential part of the mediatorial
work of Christ. Therefore was he exalted to the right hand of the
Majesty on high, to exercise sovereign power. His cross was but the
prelude to His crown. The latter was not only the appointed and
appropriate reward of the former, but having begun the work of
salvation by His death, to Him was reserved the honor of completing it
by His reigning power. "God raised him from the dead and set him at
his own right hand . . . and hath put all things under his feet, and
gave him to be the head over all things to the church which is his
body" (Eph. 1:19). The salvation of the church, and the unlimited
power and authority with which the Redeemer is now entrusted, are
indispensable to its successful attainment.
The administration of the covenant by the Mediator as bearing on the
salvation of sinners is a subject of vast importance. Christ now
reigns, and nothing is more consoling and stabilizing than a deep
conviction of this fact. His rule is not an imaginary one, but a
reality; His reign is not figurative, but personal. He is now on the
throne, and is exercising the power and authority committed to Him as
the Messiah, in the complex constitution of His person, for the
accomplishment of His people's salvation. But not only is this now
denied by those who imagine that Christ's personal reign is as yet
entirely future, it is most feebly grasped by many of those who
profess to believe that the Savior is already on the mediatorial
throne. It is one thing to admit it in words, and another to act
thereon and enjoy the living power of it. It is the holy privilege of
the Christian to have personal dealings with One who is invested with
supreme sovereignty, and yet at the same time ever has his best
interests at heart.
From the period of His ascension, the royal supremacy of Christ was
distinctly recognized and frankly owned by all the apostles. They
steadfastly believed in Him as their King and their God--ever
accessible, ever near to them. They sought His direction in duty, and
under His authority they acted. They relied upon His grace for the
performance of their work, and to Him they ascribed their success. The
assurance of His presence was a vital consideration with them: it
strengthened their faith, energized their service, sustained them in
their afflictions, and gave them victory over their enemies. Of this,
their writings afford abundant evidence. It is impossible to peruse
them attentively without perceiving that a living, ever-present
Savior, invested with mediatorial power and glory, was their life and
strength and joy. And with this, all healthy Christian experience,
ever since their day, thoroughly coincides.
The government of Christ is administered by a wisely adapted system of
means, appointed and directed by Himself. Chief among these means, in
the matter of salvation, are His Word and His Spirit, the former
containing all that it is necessary for us to know for our spiritual
deliverance. It reveals the character of the Lord God, the nature of
the relation He sustains to us, the things He requires of us, and the
principles on which He will deliver us. It depicts what we are as
fallen creatures, what sin is, and what are its wages. It unfolds the
divine method of salvation through the sacrifice and mediation of the
Son, His all-sufficiency for the work assigned Him, the way in which
we become interested in its blessings, and the character of that
obedience which, as the subjects of His grace, we must render to Him.
As a means, the Word is perfect for its purpose: it is fully and
admirably fitted to produce the most practical effect on all who are
brought to understand it. But Scripture declares, and innumerable
facts echo its testimony, that this body of truth meets with such
resistance from sinful men that no mere means can ever remove: that
plain as are its statements, and satisfactory and conclusive its
evidence, sinners naturally have not eyes to see nor hearts to
receive. Fallen men are so utterly depraved, there is such an aversion
in their hearts to all that is holy, that had they been left to
themselves, revelation with all its merciful disclosures must have
been given in vain. It is here that the work of the Spirit comes in: a
gracious provision of Christ's to meet man's otherwise hopeless
malady. By His power, the Spirit of Christ dispels the darkness of the
understanding and subdues the enmity of the heart. This He does by
regenerating us, which imparts a capacity for receiving and loving the
truth.
When a sinner, after a career of heedless insensibility to the claims
of God, is awakened to a consciousness of his guilt and danger,
brought under deep and painful conviction, and after exercise of heart
more or less protracted, is led to accept the mercy of the gospel and
to find peace in Christ, it is in every instance a work of divine
grace, the fruit of the Spirit's operation. True, every conviction is
not the proof of a saving work, for some proceed from natural
conscience or are aroused by some special providence: it is the result
and not the degree of suffering attending them, which is the only sure
criterion of their saving nature. Those convictions alone are gracious
which truly humble the sinner, leading to the renunciation of all
self-righteous dependence, inducing him to justify God in his
condemnation and take the blame of his sins upon himself, and leave
him a conscious suppliant for undeserved mercy. This is a state of
heart which the Spirit of God alone can produce.
The actual reception of Christ in order that salvation may be a
conscious possession and enjoyment is by faith, and that faith is
obviously the consequence of the spiritual and radical change which
has passed on the heart. We say "obvious," for an unhumbled and
impentient heart cannot savingly believe (Matthew 21:32), any more
than one who is yet a rebel can surrender to the Lordship of Christ
and take His yoke upon him. There can be no communion between light
and darkness, no fellowship between Christ and Belial. While the heart
remains hard and unbroken the Word obtains no entrance therein, as our
Lord's parable of the sower makes unmistakably plain. The faith which
saves is one that receives Christ as He is presented in the Word,
namely, as one who abhors self-righteousness, hates sin, yet is full
of compassion to those who are sick of sin and long to be healed by
Him. Of such faith the Holy Spirit is the author in every instance.
In His administration of the covenant, then, Christ fulfils its
promises by means of the ministry of the Word, under the agency of the
Spirit. God's people are effectually called by His grace: by faith
they accept His mercy and surrender to His will. The effectual call
concerns their salvation, for it is a call to His kingdom and glory,
this being its specific design. From the moment that spiritual
principles and gracious affections exist in the heart, in however
feeble a form, salvation commences; and we may rest fully assured that
everyone in whom this good work is begun by the Spirit will continue
and persevere in the course on which they have entered, until their
salvation is completed and present grace passes into future glory.
Between the first incipient manifestation of grace in the heart and
finished redemption in the everlasting blessedness of heaven, there is
an intimate, and by divine appointment, a necessary and sure
connection. The very nature of the covenant insures this, for its
blessings are entirely spiritual, providing for permanent relations
with God.
Between the condition of Adam in a state of innocence and renewed and
believing saints, there is a vast difference. The former stood in his
own righteousness, and there was no guarantee against his defection.
He did fall, even when placed in the most favorable circumstance, from
continued obedience. If, then, believers now, with indwelling sin and
all the infirmities which still cleave to them, amidst the manifold
forms of temptation surrounding them--things which Adam in his purity
never knew--have no higher security than he had, what could prevent
their inevitable apostasy and destruction? But the effects of divine
grace and the faithfulness of the Redeemer are pledged for their
safety. He who pitied them when they were dead in trespasses and sins,
and brought them to know and love Himself, will never leave nor
forsake them. The grace which first blessed them will continue to
bless them unto the end. To render their salvation certain is the
immediate purpose of the Mediator's government.
"The gifts and calling of God are without repentance" (Rom. 11:29). Of
this the covenant itself supplies an express assurance, not only by
its general statements, from which an inference to this effect might
be fairly drawn, but in distinct terms. In one remarkable passage we
find it thus stated: "They shall be my people, and I will be their
God. And I will give them one heart, and one way; that they may fear
me forever, for the good of them and of their children after them. And
I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn
away from them to do them good; but I will put my fear in their
hearts, that they shall not depart from me" (Jer. 32:38-40). The
covenant does not provide a pardon for sinners, and then leave them in
their sins. It is no licenser of ungodliness, or shelterer of the
libertine. There is nothing in it which to the least degree encourages
those embraced by it to sin that grace may abound.
The "fear" which God puts into the hearts of renewed souls is the
divine antidote against indwelling sin, for as Proverbs 8:13 tells us,
"The fear of the Lord is to hate evil"; and as we again read, "By the
fear of the Lord men depart from evil" (Prov. 16:6). Therefore, until
the sinner has by grace been brought to hate evil and depart from it,
he is a stranger to the covenants of promise. Mark well, dear reader,
God does not promise to place His doctrine in our heads--many have
that, and nothing more--but His fear in our hearts. A merely
intellectual knowledge of doctrine puffs up with pride and
presumption; but His fear in the heart humbles and produces a godly
walk. "I will not turn away from them to do them good." True, says the
Arminian; but they may turn from Him to do evil. Not wholly,
constantly, and finally so, as we are here positively assured: "I will
put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me."
Thus far we have dwelt exclusively on the divine side of this aspect
of our subject: the measures God has taken and the means He has
appointed for fulfilling His purpose of grace in the covenant. Now we
must turn to the human side, and consider what God requires from us
before the blessings of the covenant can be bestowed upon us. Alas
that in the few pulpits where the divine side is clearly enunciated,
most of them are silent on the human, or vehemently assert there is no
human side to it. It is another example of the woeful lack of balance
which now obtains so widely in Christendom. Those to whom we are
alluding are very, very fond of quoting, "He hath made with me an
everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure" (II Sam. 23:5),
but one never, never hears them cite, still less expound, "Incline
your ear, and come unto me; hear, and your soul shall live: and I will
make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David"
(Isa. 55:3).
In the passage last quoted we learn just who are the characters with
whom God proposes to make this covenant, and the terms with which they
must comply if He is to do so. First, it is with those who had
hitherto closed their ears against Him, refusing to heed His
requirements, and steeling themselves against His warnings and
admonitions. To "incline your ear" signifies cease your rebellious
attitude, submit yourselves to My righteous demands. Second, it is
with those who are separated and alienated, at a guilty distance from
Him. "Come unto me" means throw down the weapons of your warfare, and
cast yourselves on My mercy. Third, it is with those who are destitute
of spiritual life, as the "hear and your souls shall live" clearly
enough denotes. It is human responsibility which is here being
enforced. Comply with these terms, says God, and I will make this
covenant with you.
This enforcing of our responsibility is most meet for the honor of
God; and as the honor of His Father lies nearer to the heart of Christ
than anything else, He will not dispense the blessings of His grace
except in that way which is most becoming to God's perfections. There
is a perfect consonance between the impetration of God's favor and the
application of it. As the justice of God deemed it meet that His wrath
should be appeased and His law vindicated by the satisfaction made by
His Son, so His wisdom determined that the sinner must be converted
before pardon is bestowed upon him (Acts 3:19). We must be on our
guard here, as everywhere, against extolling one of God's perfections
above another. True, the covenant is entirely of grace--pure, free,
sovereign grace--nevertheless, here too, grace reigns through
righteousness, and not at the expense of it.
God will not disgrace His grace by entering into covenant with those
who are impenitent and openly defy Him. It is not that the sinner must
do something to earn the grand blessings of the covenant. No, no, he
contributes not a mite toward the procuring of them. That price--and
infinitely costly it was--was fully paid by Christ Himself. But though
God requires naught from us in the way of purchasing or meriting these
blessings, He does in the matter of our actual receiving of them. "The
honor of God would fall to the ground if we should be pardoned without
submission, without confession of past sin, or resolution of future
obedience; for till then we neither know our true misery, nor are we
willing to come out of it; for they that securely continue in their
sins, they despise both the curse of the Law and the grace of the
Gospel" (T. Manton).
VIII.
The assertion that there is a human side to our becoming the
recipients of God's spiritual blessings, that there are certain terms
which He requires us to first comply with, should occasion no
difficulty. For as we have pointed out so frequently in this study, a
covenant is a mutual compact, the second party agreeing to do or
bestow certain things in return for what has been done or agreed upon
by the first party to it. Before the sinner can enter into the actual
benefits of Christ's atonement, he must consent to return to the duty
of the law and live in obedience to God; for He never pardons any
while they are in their rebellion and live under the full dominion of
sin. This is clear from many passages: see, for example, Isaiah
1:16-18; 55:7; Acts 3:19. Therefore, till there be a genuine
repentance (which is not only a sorrow for past offenses, but also a
sincere purpose to live henceforth according to the will of God) we
have no interest in the grace of the new covenant.
First, we are required to enter into solemn covenant with God,
yielding ourselves unreservedly up to Him (2 Cor. 8:5), henceforth to
live for His glory: "Gather my saints together unto me: those that
have made a covenant with me by sacrifice" (Ps. 50:5). Second, we are
required to keep this solemn covenant, to live in a course of
universal holiness: "All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth
unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies" (Ps. 25:10). Only
those who endure unto the end shall be saved, and for that there must
be a diligent practicing of God's precepts and a constant taking to
heart of His warnings and admonitions. "Perseverance in their course
is not promoted by a blind confidence and easy security: but by
watchfulness, by self-jealousy, by a salutary fear of coming short of
the promised rest, prompting them to earnest effort and habitual
self-denial. Perseverance does not suppose the certainty of salvation
however careless a Christian may be, but implies a steady continuance
in holiness and conformity to the will of Christ in order to that end"
(John Kelly, to whom we are indebted for much in these articles).
"Though there are no conditions properly so called of the whole grace
of the covenant, yet there are conditions in the covenant, taking that
term in a large sense, for that which by the order of Divine
constitution precedeth some other things, and hath an influence to
their existence. For God requireth many things of them whom He
actually takes into covenant, and makes partakers of the promises and
benefits of it. Of this nature is that whole obedience which is
prescribed unto us in the Gospel, in our walking before God in
uprightness; and there being an order in the things that belong
hereunto, some acts, duties and parts of our gracious obedience, being
appointed to be means of the further additional supplies of the grace
and mercies of the covenant, they may be called conditions required of
us in the covenant, as well as duties prescribed unto us" (John Owen).
It will be evident from this last quotation that we are not advocating
any strange doctrine when we insist that the terms of the covenant
must be met if its privileges are to be enjoyed. None was clearer and
more definite than Owen in his magnifying of the free grace of God;
yet none saw more clearly than he did that God treats with men
throughout as moral agents. (We can readily repeat the same teaching
from others of the Puritans.) Let it be pointed out, that the first
blessing of the covenant--regeneration or God's putting His laws in
our hearts--depends on no condition on our part: that is purely a
sovereign and gratuitous act on the part of God. But to a full or
complete interest in all the promises of the covenant, faith on our
part (with which evangelical repentance is inseparable) is required.
Here, too, we insist that if on the one hand there can be no
justification without believing, yet on the other hand that very faith
is given to us and wrought in us.
In further corroboration of the point we are now laboring is the usage
of the term "earnest" in the New Testament. In both 2 Corinthians 1:22
and 5:5 we read of "the earnest of the Spirit," while in Ephesians
1:13,14 we are told that He is "the earnest of our inheritance." Now
an earnest is a token payment or installment of what has been agreed
upon between two or more parties, being a guaranty of the full and
final discharge. This figurative expression is used because the right
which the believer has to eternal life and glory is by compact or
covenant. On the one side, the sinner agrees to the terms stipulated
(the forsaking of sin and his serving of the Lord), and yields himself
to God by repentance and faith. On the other side, God binds Himself
to give the believer forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among the
sanctified; and the gift of the Spirit clinches the matter. When we
consent to the terms of the gospel, God engages Himself to bestow the
inestimable blessings purchased for us by Christ.
Under the new covenant God requires the same perfect obedience from
the Christian as He did from unfallen Adam. "Although God in them (His
commands) requireth universal holiness of us, yet He doth not do it in
that strict and rigorous way as by the Law (i.e. as given to Adam), so
as that if we fail in any thing either as to the matter or manner of
its performance, and in the substance of it or as to the degrees of
its perfection, that thereon both that and all we do besides should be
rejected. But He doth it with a contemperation of grace and mercy, so
as that if there be a universal sincerity in respect unto all His
commands, He both pardoneth many sins and accepts of what we do,
though it come short of legal perfection; and both on the account of
the mediation of Christ. Yet this hindereth not but that the command
of the Gospel doth still require universal holiness of us, and a
perfection therein, which we are to do our utmost endeavor to comply
withal, though we have a relief provided in sincerity on the one hand,
and mercy on the other. For the commands of the Gospel do still
declare what God approves and what He doth condemn, which is no less
than all holiness on the one hand, and all sin on the other; as
exactly and extensively as under the Law. For this the very nature of
God requireth, and the Gospel is not the ministry of sin, so as to
give an allowance unto the least, although in it pardon be provided
for a multitude of sins by Jesus Christ.
"The obligation on us unto holiness is equal as unto what it was under
the Law, though a relief be provided where unavoidably we come short
of it. There is, therefore, nothing more certain, than that there is
no relaxation given us as unto any duty of holiness by the Gospel, nor
any indulgence unto the least sin. But yet upon the supposition of the
acceptance of sincerity, and a perfection of parts instead of degrees,
with the mercy provided for our failings and sins; there is an
argument to be taken from the command of it unto an indispensable
necessity of holiness, including in it the highest encouragement to
endeavor after it. For, together with the command, there is also grace
administered enabling us unto that obedience which God will accept.
Nothing, therefore, can avoid or evacuate the power of this command
and argument from it, but a stubborn contempt of God arising from the
love of sin" (J. Owen).
A threefold contrast may be pointed out in connection with the
obedience required by God under the Adamic and under the Messianic
covenants. First, the design of it is entirely different. Under the
covenant of works man was obliged to render obedience to the law in
order for his justification; but not so under the covenant of grace,
for there the believing sinner is justified on the ground of Christ's
obedience being imputed to him, and the obedience of the Christian
afterwards is necessary only that God might be honored thereby as an
expression of his gratitude.
Second, the enablement to it, for under the new covenant God works in
us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Under the covenant of
works man was left to his own natural and created strength. Under the
one, God gave the bare command; under the other, He furnished His
grace and Spirit so that we are empowered unto that sincere and
evangelical obedience which He accepts of us. When God bids us come to
Him, He doth likewise draw us to Him.
Third, in the acceptance of it. Under the covenant of works no
provision was made for any failure, for it had neither sacrifice nor
mediator; consequently, the only obedience which God would accept
under it was a perfect and perpetual one. While God requires the same
flawless obedience under the new covenant, yet provision has been made
for failure, and if our efforts be genuine, God accepts an imperfect
obedience from us because its defects are fully compensated for by the
infinite merits of Christ which are reckoned to the believer's
account. This sincere obedience (called by many writers "new
obedience" and by others "evangelical obedience") is required from us
as the means whereby we show our subjection to God, our dependence
upon Him, our thankfulness unto Him, and as the only way of converse
and communion with Him.
We must now consider the time when this covenant came into operation.
This cannot be restricted to any one moment absolutely, as though all
that is included in God's making of it did consist in any single act.
If we revert for a moment to the original promise it will be found
that God said, "Not according to the covenant that I made with their
fathers, in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of
the land of Egypt" (Jer. 31:32). Now that was not a literal day of
twenty-four hours, but a season into which much was crowded: many
things happened between Israel's Exodus from the house of bondage and
their actual encamping before Sinai, things which were preparatory to
the making and solemn establishment of the old covenant. So was it
also in connection with the making and establishing of the new
covenant: it was gradually made and established by sundry acts both
preparatory and confirmatory. In his able discussion of this point,
Owen mentioned six degrees: we here condense his remarks, adding a few
observations of our own.
The first entrance into the making of the new covenant was made by the
mission of John the Baptist, who was sent to prepare the way of the
Messiah, and therefore is his mission called "the beginning of the
gospel" (Mark 1:1,2). Until his appearing, the Jews were bound
absolutely and universally by the Sinaitic covenant, without
alteration or addition in any ordinance of worship. But his ministry
was designed to prepare them, and cause them to look unto the
accomplishment of God's promise to make a new covenant. He therefore
called the people off from resting in and trusting upon the privileges
of the old covenant, preaching unto them the doctrine of repentance
and instituting a new ordinance of worship--baptism--whereby they
might be initiated into a new condition and relationship with God;
pointing them to the predicted Lamb. This was the beginning of the
fulfillment of Jeremiah 31:31-33; compare to Luke 16:16.
Second, the incarnation and personal ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ
Himself was an eminent advance and degree thereof. True, the
dispensation of the old covenant yet continued, for He Himself, as
made of a woman, was made under the law (Gal. 4:4), yielded obedience
to it, observing all its precepts and institutions. Nevertheless, His
appearing in flesh laid an axe to the root of that whole dispensation.
Hence, upon His birth the substance of the new covenant was proclaimed
from heaven as that which was on the eve of taking place (Luke
2:13,14). But it was made more evident later on by His public
ministry, the whole doctrine whereof was preparatory unto the
immediate introduction of this covenant. The proofs He gave of His
messiahship, the fulfillment He provided of the prophecies concerning
Him, were so many signs that He was the appointed mediator of that
covenant.
Third, the way for the introduction of this covenant being thus
prepared, it was solemnly enacted and confirmed in and by His death,
for therein He offered that sacrifice to God by which it was
established, and hereby the promise properly became a "testament"
(Heb. 9:14-16). There the apostle shows how the shedding of Christ's
blood answered to those sacrifices whose blood was sprinkled on the
people and the book of the law in confirmation of the first covenant.
The cross, then, was the center whence all the promises of grace did
meet, and from whence they derive all their efficacy. Henceforth the
old covenant, and its administration, having received their full
accomplishment, no longer had any binding force (Eph. 2:14-16; Col.
2:14,15) and only abode by the patience of God, to be taken away in
His own good time and manner.
Fourth, this new covenant had the complement of its making and
establishment in the resurrection of Christ. God did not make the
first covenant simply that it should continue for a season, die of
itself, and be arbitrarily removed. No, the Levitical economy had a
special end to be accomplished, and nothing in it could be removed
until God's design was realized. That design was twofold: the perfect
fulfilling of that righteousness which the law enjoined, and the
undergoing of its curse. The one was accomplished in the perfect
obedience of Christ, the surety of the covenant, in the stead of those
with whom the covenant was made; the other was endured by Him in His
sufferings; and His resurrection was the public proof that He was
discharged from the claims of the law. The old covenant then expired,
and the worship pertaining to it was continued for a few years longer
only by the forbearance of God toward the Jews.
Fifth, the first formal promulgation of the new covenant, as made and
ratified, was on the day of Pentecost, seven weeks after the
resurrection of Christ. Remarkably did this answer to the promulgation
of the law on Mount Sinai, for that too occurred the same space of
time after the deliverance of the people of God out of Egypt. From the
day of Pentecost onward, the ordinances of worship and all the
institutions of the new covenant became obligatory unto all believers.
Then was the whole church absolved from any duty with respect to the
old covenant and its worship, although it was not manifest as yet in
their consciences. When Peter said to those of his hearers who were
pricked in the heart that "the promise is unto you and to your
children," he was announcing the new covenant unto members of the
house of Judah, and his "and to them that are afar off" (compare Dan.
9:7) extended it to the dispersion of Israel; and when he added "save
yourselves from this untoward generation" (Acts 2:39,40) he intimated
the old covenant had waxed old and was about to vanish away. Sixth,
this was confirmed in Acts 15:23-29.
It only remains for us to say a few words on the relation between the
original and final covenants. It is important that we should
distinguish clearly between the everlasting covenant which God made
before the foundation of the world, and the Christian covenant which
He has instituted in the last days of the world's history. First, the
one was made in a past eternity; the other is made in time. Second,
the one was made with Christ alone; the other is made with all His
people. Third, the one is without any conditions so far as we are
concerned; the other prescribes certain terms which we must meet.
Fourth, under the one Christ inherits; under the other Christians are
heirs: in other words, the inheritance Christ purchased by His
fulfilling the terms of the everlasting covenant is now administered
by Him in the form of a "testament."
Should a reader ask, Does my getting to heaven depend upon the
everlasting covenant or the new one? The answer is upon both. First
upon what Christ did for me in executing the terms of the former;
second, upon my compliance with the conditions of the latter. Many are
very confused at this very point. They who repudiate man's
responsibility will not allow that there are any "ifs" or "buts,"
restricting their attention to God's "wills" and "shalls"; but this is
not dealing honestly with the Word. Instead of confining ourselves to
favorite passages, we must impartially compare Scripture with
Scripture, and over against God's "I will" of Hebrews 8:10-12 must be
placed the "But Christ as a Son over his own house: whose house are we
if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto
the end . . . for we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the
beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end" of Hebrews 3:6,
14! Does this render such a vital matter uncertain, and place my
eternal interests in jeopardy? By no means: if I have turned "from
transgression" God has made an everlasting covenant with me and has
given to me the same Spirit which abode--without measure--on the
Mediator (Isa. 59:20,21). Nevertheless, I can have Scriptural
assurance of this only so long as I tread the path of obedience.
Contents | Intro | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8
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Divine Covenants by A.W. Pink
Part Eight-The Covenant Allegory
Those of our readers who are particularly interested in the divine
covenants would be disappointed if we closed our lengthy comments
thereon and ignored the last eleven verses of Galatians 4, and
therefore we feel it necessary to devote a chapter to their
consideration. That this passage is far from being free of
difficulties appears from the diverse expositions of the commentators,
for scarcely any two of them agree even in substance. Nor will the
limited space now at our disposal allow us to enter into as full an
elucidation as could be wished, nor permit the pausing now and again
to furnish collateral proofs for what is advanced, as would be our
desire. Brevity has its advantages, but it does not always make for
clarity. We must, however, content ourselves now with a comparatively
terse running comment on this passage, and that, according to the
limited light which we have there from.
Galatians 4:21-31 is in several respects very similar to the contents
of 2 Corinthians 3. In each case the apostle is opposing himself to
the errors which had been sedulously propagated amongst his converts
by Judaizers. In each case he shows that the fundamental issue between
them concerned the covenants, for any teacher who is confused thereon
is certain to go astray in all his preaching. In each case the apostle
appeals to well-known incidents in the Old Testament Scripture, and
with the wisdom given him from above proceeds to bring out the deep
spiritual meaning thereof. In each case he establishes conclusively
the immeasurable superiority of Christianity over Judaism, and thus
completely undermined the very foundations of his adversaries'
position. Though of peculiar importance to those unto whom the apostle
wrote immediately, yet this passage contains not a little of great
value for us today.
"Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?"
(Gal. 4:21). Here the apostle addresses himself to those who had been
lending a ready ear to their spiritual enemies. By his "ye that desire
to be under the law" was signified those who hankered after subjection
to Judaism. His "do ye not hear the law?" means, Are you willing to
listen unto what is recorded in the first book of the Pentateuch and
have pointed out to you the dispensational significance of the same?
Paul's design was to show those who were so anxious to be circumcised
and submit themselves to the whole Mosaic system, that, so far from
such a course being honorable and beneficial, it would be fraught with
danger and disgrace. To yield unto those who sought to seduce them
spiritually would inevitably result in "bondage" (see 4:9) and not
"liberty" (5:1). To prevent this, he begs them to listen to what God
had said.
"For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid,
the other by a free woman. But he who was born of the bondwoman was
born after the flesh; but he of the free woman was by promise. Which
things are an allegory" (w. 22-24). Very remarkable indeed is this,
for we are here divinely informed that not merely did the Mosaic rites
possess a typical significance, but the lives of the patriarchs
themselves had a figurative meaning. Not only so, but their affairs
were so controlled by providence that they were shaped to shadow forth
coming events of vast magnitude. Paul was here moved by the Spirit to
inform us that the domestic occurrences in Abraham's household were a
parable in action, which parable he had interpreted for us. Thus we
are granted an insight to passages in Genesis which no human wisdom
could possibly have penetrated.
The transactions in the family of Abraham were divinely ordered to
presage important dispensational epochs. The domestic affairs of the
patriarch's household were invested with a prophetic significance. The
historical incidents recorded in Genesis 16 and 21 possessed a typical
meaning, contained beneath their surface spiritual truths of profound
importance. The apostle here reminds his readers of the circumstances
recorded of the two wives of Abraham, and of their respective
offspring, and declares that the mothers adumbrated the two covenants,
and their sons, the respective tendencies and results of those
covenants. In other words, Sarah and Hagar are to be viewed as the
representatives of the two covenants, and the sons which they bore as
representatives of the kind of worshipers which those covenants were
fitted to produce.
"For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid
the other by a freewoman." The apostle's design was to wean those
Galatians who were Judaistically inclined from their strange
infatuation for an obsolete and servile system, by unfolding to them
its true nature. This he does by referring them to an emblematic
representation of the two economies. Abraham had a number of other
sons besides Ishmael and Isaac, but it is to them alone-the
circumstances of their birth, subsequent conduct, history, and
fate-that Paul's discussion exclusively relates.
In her unbelief and impatience (unwilling to wait for God to make good
His word in His own time and way) Sarah gave her maid to Abraham in
order that he might not be wholly without posterity. Though this
caused confusion and brought trouble upon all concerned, yet it was
ordained by God to presage great dispensational distinctions, nor did
it in any wise thwart the accomplishment of His eternal purpose.
"Abraham had two sons": Ishmael, the son of an Egyptian, a bondslave;
Isaac the son of Sarah, a free woman, of the same rank as her husband.
As we have already said, these two mothers prefigured the two
covenants, and their children the worshipers which those covenants
tended to produce.
"But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of
the free woman was by promise" (v. 23). Great as was the disparity
between the two mothers, greater still was the difference between the
way in which their respective sons were born. Ishmael was born in the
ordinary course of generation, for "after the flesh" signifies to the
carnal counsel which Sarah gave to Abraham, and by the mere strength
of nature. In connection with the birth of Ishmael there was not any
special promise given, nor any extraordinary divine interposition.
Vastly different was it in the case of Isaac, for he was the child of
promise and born in direct consequence of the miracle working power of
God, and was under the benefit of that promise as long as he lived.
What is here specially emphasized by the apostle is that the son of
the slave was in an inferior condition from the very beginning.
"Which things are an allegory" (v. 24). An allegory is a parabolic
method of conveying instruction, spiritual truths being set forth
under material figures. Allegories are in words what hieroglyphics are
in printing, both of which abound among the Orientals--Bunyan's
Pilgrim's Progress is the best-sustained allegory in the English
language. "For these (feminine) are the two covenants" (v. 24). Here
the apostle proceeds to give us the occult meaning of the historical
facts alluded to in the preceding verse. He affirms that the domestic
incidents in the family of Abraham constituted a divinely ordained
illustration of the basic principles in regard to the condition of
spiritual slaves and of spiritual freemen, and are to be regarded as
adumbrating the bondage which subjection to the law of Moses produced
and the liberty which submission to the gospel secures.
"These are the two covenants." This cannot of course be understood
literally, for it was neither intelligible nor true that Sarah and
Hagar were actually two covenants in their own persons. The words is
and are frequently have the force of represent. When Christ affirmed
of the sacramental bread "This is my body," He meant, this bread
emblemizes My body. When we read of the cliff smitten by Moses in the
wilderness (out of which gushed the stream of living water) "that rock
was Christ" (1 Cor. 10:4), it obviously signifies, that rock
prefigured Christ. So too when we are told "the seven stars are the
angels of the seven churches and the seven candlesticks which thou
sawest are the seven churches" (Rev. 1:20), we are to understand that
the one symbolized the other.
"These are the two covenants." There has been much difference of
opinion as to exactly which covenants are intended. Some insist that
the reference is to the everlasting covenant of grace and the Adamic
or covenant of works; others argue it is the Abrahamic or covenant of
promise and the Sinaitic; while others conclude it is the Sinaitic and
the Christian or that which is made with the people of God in the
gospel. Really, it is more a matter of terms than anything else, for
whatever nomenclature we adopt it comes to much the same thing. "The
one from mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Hagar" (v.
24): by which is meant, that order of things under which the nation of
Israel was placed at Sinai, appointed for the purpose of keeping them
a separate people, and which because of its legalistic nature was
fitly foreshadowed by the bondslave.
"The one [covenant] from mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage" or
produces those of a servile spirit, for it made slaves of all who
sought justification and salvation by their own doings. It is to be
carefully borne in mind that the relation entered into between God and
Israel at Sinai was entirely a natural one, being made with the nation
as such; and consequently all their descendants, upon their being
circumcised, automatically became subjects of it without any spiritual
change being wrought in them. "So far as this covenant gave birth to
any children, those were not true children of God, free, spiritual,
with hearts of filial confidence and devoted love; but miserable
bondmen, selfish, carnal, full of mistrust and fear. Of these children
of the Sinaitic covenant we are furnished with the most perfect
exemplar in the Scribes and Pharisees of our Lord's time" (P.
Fairbairn).
"For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia" (v. 25). Here again "is"
signifies "represents": Hagar prophetically anticipated and prefigured
Mount Sinai-not the literal mount, but that covenant which Jehovah
there entered into with the nation of Israel. Nor is this mode of
expression by any means unusual in Scripture: when representing
Samaria and Jerusalem by two women the prophet said, "Samaria is
Aholah and Jerusalem Aholibah" (Ezek. 23:4). "And answereth to
Jerusalem which now is" (v. 25). "Answereth to" signifies "corresponds
with," or as the margin gives it, "is in the same rank with": the
origin, status, and condition of Hagar supplied an exact analogy to
the state of Jerusalem in the apostle's time. Jerusalem, which was the
metropolis of Palestine and the headquarters of its religion, stands
for Judaism.
"And is in bondage with her children" (v. 25). Judaism was subject to
an endless round of ceremonial institutions, which the apostles
themselves declared to be a yoke "which neither our fathers nor we
were able to bear" (Acts 15:10). Those under it enjoyed none of that
spiritual liberty which the gospel bestows upon those who submit to
its terms. That large part of the nation which had no interest in the
covenant of promise made with Abraham (whereof faith was an
indispensable prerequisite for entering into the good of it), was
indeed outwardly a part of Abraham's family and members of the visible
church (as Hagar was a member of his family); yet (like Ishmael) they
were born in servitude, and all their outward obedience was of a
slavish character, and their privileges (as his) but carnal and
temporal.
"But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all"
(v. 26). Here Paul shows what was prefigured by Sarah. Three things
are said in describing the covenant and constitution of which she was
the appropriate emblem, each of which must be duly noted in the
framing of our definition.
1. "Jerusalem which is above." This word "above" (ano) is generally
employed of location, and would thus signify the heavenly Jerusalem
(Heb. 12:22) in contrast from the earthly. But here it is placed in
antithesis from "which now is" (v. 25) and would thus mean the prior
and primitive Jerusalem, of which Melchizedek was king (Heb. 7:2) and
to whose order of priesthood Christ's pertains. Or the "above" may
have the force of excellency or supremacy, as in "high calling" (Phil.
3:14). Combining the three: Sarah shadowed forth the entire election
of grace, all true believers from the beginning to the end of time.
2. Which "is free": such was the status and state of Sarah in contrast
from that of Hagar, the bondslave. Suitably did Sarah set forth that
spiritual liberty which is to be found in Christ, for He redeems all
His people from the bondage of sin and death. Believing Gentiles are
freed from the curse of the moral law, and believing Jews are freed
from the dominion of the ceremonial law as well.
3. "Which is the mother of us all." The reference is not to the church
either visible or invisible, for she cannot be the parent of herself;
rather is it the everlasting covenant of grace which is in view, in
which were included all true believers. Thus the differences between
the systems represented by Hagar and Sarah are: the one was earthly,
carnal, slavish, temporary; the other, heavenly, spiritual, free,
eternal.
"For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that barest not; break forth
and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more
children than she which hath a husband" (v. 27). This was obviously
brought in by Paul to confirm the interpretation he had made of the
covenant allegory. It is a quotation from the predictions of Isaiah.
Four things call for our consideration: (1) the needs-be for this
comforting promise which God then gave; (2) the precise place in
Isaiah's prophecy from which this quotation is taken; (3) the
particular manner in which it is here introduced; (4) its striking
pertinency to the apostle's purpose.
The needs-be for this reassuring word given by the Lord to His
believing yet sorrowing people in the days of Isaiah is not difficult
to perceive, if we bear in mind the exact terms of the promise
originally given to the patriarch and his wife, and then consider the
state of Israel under Judaism. The grand promise to Abraham was that
he should be "a father of many nations" (Gen. 17:4) and that Sarah
should be "a mother of nations" (Gen. 17:16). But at Sinai Sarah's
natural children were placed under a covenant which erected a middle
wall of partition, shutting them off from all other nations. How
rigorous the restrictions of the covenant were and the exclusiveness
it produced, appear plainly in the unwillingness of Peter (till
supernaturally authorized by God) to enter the house of Cornelius
(Acts 10:28).
The Sinaitic covenant consisted largely in "meats and drinks and
carnal ordinances"; yet was it imposed only "till the time of
reformation" (Heb. 9:10). It was well adapted to Israel after the
flesh, for it encouraged them to obedience by the promise of temporal
prosperity and restrained by fear of temporal judgments. Amid the
great mass of the unregenerate Jews there was always a remnant
according to the election of grace, whose heart God had touched (I
Sam. 10:26), in whose heart was His law (Isa. 51:7). But the nation as
a whole had become thoroughly corrupt by the time of Isaiah, being
deaf to the voice of Jehovah and fast ripening for judgment (1:2-6).
The godly portion had diminished to "a very small remnant" (1:9), and
the outlook was fearfully dark. It was to strengthen the faith of the
spiritual and comfort their hearts that Isaiah was raised up.
The quotation here made by Paul was from Isaiah 54:1, and its very
location intimated clearly that it looked forward to gospel times; for
coming immediately after that graphic description of the Redeemer's
sufferings in the previous chapter, it at once suggests that we are
then given a picture of those new covenant conditions which followed
His death. This is ever God's way: in the darkest night He causes the
stars of hope to shed forth their welcome light, bidding His people to
look beyond the gloomy present to the brighter future. God had not
forgotten His promise to the patriarch; and though many centuries had
intervened, the coming of His Son would make good the ancient oracles,
for all the divine promises are established in Christ (2 Cor. 1:19,
20).
Let us next note the manner in which Paul introduces Isaiah's
prediction into his discussion: "For it is written." It is clear that
the apostle cites the prophet to establish what he had affirmed
regarding the allegorical significance of the circumstances of
Abraham's household. This at once fixes for us the elucidation of the
prophecy. Paul had pointed out that Abraham had sons by two diverse
wives, that those sons represented the different type of worshipers
which the two covenants produced, that Sarah (as representing the
Abrahamic covenant), which he here likened unto "Jerusalem which is
above," is "the mother of us all." In turn, Isaiah refers to two
women, views them allegorically, apostrophizing the one as "barren"
and contrasting her from one "who had a husband," assuring the former
of a far more numerous progeny.
How pertinent Isaiah's prediction was to the apostle's argument is
evident. His design was to turn away the hearts of the Galatians from
Judaism, and to accomplish this he demonstrates that that system had
been superseded by something far more blessed and spiritually
productive. "For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren." Whom was the
prophet there addressing? Immediately, the godly remnant in Israel,
the children of faith, those who had their standing in and derived
their blessing from the Abrahamic covenant. Isaiah addressed them in
the terms of the allegory. Just as the historical Sarah was childless
for many years after she became the wife of Abraham, so the mystical
Sarah (Abrahamic covenant) had for long centuries shown no sign
whatever of coming to fruition. But as the literal Sarah ultimately
became a mother, so the mystical one should bear a numerous seed.
Marvelous indeed are the ways of God, and remarkably is His decree
wrought out through His providences. That parable in action in the
household of Abraham contemplated that which took thousands of years
to unfold. First, was the marriage between Abraham and Sarah, which
symbolized the covenant union between God and His people. Second, for
many years Sarah remained barren, foreshadowing that lengthy period
during which God's purpose in that covenant was suspended. Third,
Hagar, the bondslave, took Sarah's place in the family of Abraham,
typifying his natural descendants being placed under the Sinaitic
covenant. Fourth, Hagar did not permanently supplant Sarah,
adumbrating the fact that Judaism was of but temporary duration.
Fifth, ultimately Sarah came into her own and was divinely enabled to
bear a supernatural seed-emblem of the spiritual children of God under
the new covenant.
"Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not." The Abrahamic covenant is
here represented as a wife who (like Sarah) had long remained
childless. Comparatively few real children had been raised up to God
among the Jews from Moses onward. True, the nation was in outward
covenant with Him, and thus was (like Hagar in the type) "she who hath
a husband"; but all the fruit they bore was like unto Ishmaelthat
which was merely natural, the product of the flesh. But the death of
Christ was to alter all this: though the Jews would reject Him, there
should be a great accession to the spiritual family of Abraham from
among the Gentiles, so that there would be a far greater number of
saints under the new covenant than had pertained under the old.
"Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise" (v. 28).
Here the apostle begins his application of the allegory. As Sarah
prefigured the covenant of grace, so Isaac represented the true
children of God. Paul was here addressing himself to his spiritual
brethren, and therefore the "we" includes all who are born from above
believing Gentiles as well as Jews. "We," the children of the new
covenant, represented in the allegory by Isaac. Our standing and state
is essentially different from Ishmael's, for he (like the great mass
of those under the Sinaitic covenant) belong to the ordinary course of
mere nature; whereas genuine Christians are "the children of
promise"--of that made to Abraham, which, in turn, made manifest what
God had "promised before the world began" (Titus 1:2). The relation
into which believers are brought with God originates in a miracle of
grace which was the subject of divine promise.
"But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was
born after the Spirit, even so it is now" (v. 29). Here the apostle
brings in a further detail supplied by the allegory which was germane
to his subject. He refers to the opposition made against Isaac by the
son of Hagar, recorded in Genesis 21:9. This received its counterpart
in the attitude of the Judaizers toward Christians. They who still
adhered to the old covenant were hostile to those who enjoyed the
freedom of the new. Probably one reason why the apostle mentioned this
particular was in order to meet an objection: How can we be the
"children of promise" (God's high favorites) seeing we are so bitterly
hated and opposed by the Jews? The answer is, No marvel, for thus it
was from the beginning: the carnal have ever persecuted the spiritual.
"Nevertheless what saith the Scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her
son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of
the free woman" (v. 30). Here is the final point in the allegory
(taken from Gen. 21:10, 12) and which incontestably clinched the
apostle's argument that Israel after the flesh are finally set aside
by God. Hagar represented the Sinaitic covenant and Ishmael its carnal
worshipers, and their being cast out of Abraham's household
prophetically signified God's setting aside of Judaism and the fact
that the natural descendants of Abraham had no place among his
spiritual children and could not share their heritage (cf. John 8:34,
35). The two cannot unite: pure Christianity necessarily excludes
Judaism. In its wider application (for today): none who seek salvation
by law keeping shall enter heaven.
"So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the
free" (v. 31). Here the plain and inescapable conclusion is drawn:
since Christians are the children of promise, they and not carnal Jews
are the true heirs of Abraham. Since the new covenant is superior to
the old and believers in Christ are freed from all debasing servitude,
it obviously follows they must conduct themselves as the Lord's
free-men. The time had now arrived when to cling to Judaism was fatal.
The controversy turned on the question of who are the real heirs of
Abraham-see 3:7, 16, 29. In chapter 4 the apostle exposes the empty
pretensions of those who could claim only fleshly descent from the
patriarch. We are the children of Abraham, said the Judaizers. Abraham
had two sons, replies Paul-the one of free, the other of servile
birth: to which line do you belong? whose spirit have you received?
To sum up. Paul's design was to deliver the Galatians from the
Judaizers. He showed that by submitting to Judaism they would forfeit
the blessings of Christianity. This he accomplished by opening up the
profound significance of the covenant allegory, which presented three
principal contrasts: birth by nature as opposed to grace; a state of
bondage as opposed to liberty; a status of temporary tenure as opposed
to permanent possession. Just as Hagar was rightfully the handmaid of
Sarah but was wrongfully accorded the position of Abraham's wife, so
the Sinaitic covenant was designed to supplement the Abrahamic but was
perverted by the Jews when they sought from it salvation and
fruitfulness.
Contents | Intro | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8
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Divine Healing: Is It Scriptural?
by A.W. Pink
Introduction
_________________________________________________________________
Every once in a while we receive an inquiry or a request for help on
this subject, usually from one who has come into contact with some
belonging to a cult which gives prominence to "Divine healing," to the
removal of physical ills without the aid of a doctor and medicine, in
response to faith and prayer. Such inquiring friends are generally
more or less perplexed. They have heard nothing on the subject in
their own churches and feel they are more or less in the dark on the
matter. Those who press this "Divine healing" teaching upon them
appear to be ill-balanced people and not at all orthodox in doctrine.
If they are induced to attend their meetings they are not favorably
impressed, and sense that something is wrong. The absence of
reverence, the allowing of women to take part in the services before a
mixed congregation, the prominence of the spectacular element, and the
general spirit of excitement which prevails, makes the normal child of
God feel quite out of place in such a gathering. The zeal displayed
does not appear to be according to knowledge and the fervid
emotionalism strikes him as being "strange fire" (Lev. 10:1)--not
kindled at the Divine altar.
But what of their teaching on "Divine healing?" Is it scriptural or
unscriptural? This is a question which it is not easy to answer in a
single sentence. Many passages on healing may be cited from God's
Word, but that raises the question of their interpretation--in accord
with the context and also in harmony with the general Analogy of
Faith: as it also calls for a careful examination of all inferences
drawn from and conclusions based upon those passages. Moreover, these
modern cults who stress "Divine healing" are by no means uniform in
their teaching thereon, some being more radical and extreme than
others, so that the refutation of one erroneous presentation of this
subject would not hold good of a similar error in an entirely
different dress. Though familiar with all the principal varieties of
them, we do not propose to waste the reader's time by taking them up
seriatim but rather deal with the broad principles which apply to them
all.
First it must be said that much of the teaching which has been given
out on this subject is decidedly unscriptural. For example, the
majority of those who emphasize "Divine healing" insist that it was
"in the Atonement," that on the Cross Christ was as truly our
sickness-bearer as our sin-bearer, that He purchased healing for the
body as well as salvation for the soul, and that therefore every
Christian has the same right to appropriate by faith the cure of
bodily disorders as he has forgiveness for his transgressions. In
support of this contention appeal is made to Christ who "healed all
that were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah
the prophet: Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses"
(Matt. 8:16, 17). Here is where the expositor is needed if the
unlettered and unstable are to be preserved from jumping to an
erroneous conclusion, where the mere sound of the words is likely to
convey a wrong impression unless their sense be carefully
ascertained--just as, "the dead know not anything" (Eccl. 9:5) is not
to be understood absolutely, as though they who have departed this
life are in a state of utter unconsciousness.
Had those words "Christ bare our sicknesses" occurred in some passage
in the Acts or Epistles where one of the apostles was explaining the
purpose and character of Christ's death, then we should have been
obliged to regard them as meaning that the Lord Jesus vicariously
endured the sicknesses of His people while on the Cross, though this
would present a very great difficulty, for there is no hint anywhere
in the Word that the Redeemer experienced any illness at that time.
But instead, Matthew 8:16, 17 has reference to what transpired during
the days of His public ministry, the meaning of which we take to be as
follows. Christ employed not the virtue that was in Him to cure
infirmity and sickness as a matter of mere power, but in deep pity and
tenderness He entered into the condition of the sufferer. The great
Physician was no unfeeling stoic, but took upon His own spirit the
sorrows and pains of those to whom He ministered. His miracles of
healing cost Him much in the way of sympathy and endurance. Thus He
"sighed" (Mark 7:34) when He loosed the tongue of the dumb, "wept" by
the grave of Lazarus, and was conscious of virtue going out of Him
(Mark 5:30) as He cured another. By a compassion, such as we are
strangers to, He was afflicted by their afflictions.
That the interpretation we have given above (briefly suggested by the
Puritan, Thomas Goodwin) is the correct meaning of "Himself took our
infirmities and bare our sicknesses" appears from several
considerations. If those words signified what the "Divine healing"
cults say they do, then they mean that in His act of healing the sick
Christ was then making atonement, which is absurd on the face of it.
Again, if the healing of the body were a redemptive right which faith
may humbly but boldly claim, then it necessarily follows that the
believer should never die, for every time he fell ill he could plead
before God the sacrifice of His Son and claim healing. In such a case,
why did not Paul exhort Timothy to exercise faith in the Atonement
rather than bid him "use a little wine for his stomach's sake" (1 Tim.
5:23), and why did he leave Trophimus at "Miletum sick" (2 Tim. 4:20)?
A glorified body, as well as soul, is the fruit of Christ's atonement,
but for that the believer has to wait God's appointed time.
One error leads to another: most of those who teach that Divine
healing is in the Atonement argue that therefore it must constitute an
essential element in and part of the Gospel, and thus their favorite
slogan is: "Christ our Saviour, Christ our Sanctifier, Christ our
Healer, Christ our Coming King," and hence "the Fourfold Gospel" is
the leading caption of most of them. But such a contention will not
bear the light of Holy Writ. In the book of Acts we find the apostles
preaching the Gospel of God both to Jews and Gentiles, yet, though in
the course of their ministry miracles of healing were performed by
them (to authenticate their mission, for none of the N. T. had then
been written), yet nowhere did the removal of physical maladies form
part of their message. In 1 Corinthians 15:1-3 a brief summary of the
Gospel is given, namely, that "Christ died for our sins according to
the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the
third day"--mark the omission of His dying for our sicknesses! In
Romans we are furnished with a systematic and full unfolding of "the
Gospel of God" (see 1:1), yet "healing" of bodily ills is never
referred to.
If it were true that Christ made atonement for our sicknesses as well
as our sins, then it would follow that all bodily disorders are the
immediate consequence of some iniquity. We say, "immediate
consequence," for of course it is readily granted that all the ills
which man is heir to are so many effects and results of the great
transgression of our first parents. It is only reasonable to conclude
that had sin never entered this world suffering in any form had been
unknown here, for we know that in Heaven the absence of the former
ensures the absence of the latter. Thus there is a vital difference
between saying that a physical disorder which occasions great
discomfort and pain finds its remote cause in the tragedy of Eden, and
affirming that it is the direct result of the person's own wrong
doing, as most of the "Divine healing" cults insist. Our Lord's reply
to His disciples in John 9:2, 3 expressly forbids any such sweeping
conclusion. There is much suffering, especially among children, which
is due to ignorant and innocent breaking of natural laws rather than
to violation of the Moral Law. Moreover, if this contention of "Divine
healing" were valid, we should be obliged to conclude that every
sickness severed the soul from communion with God, which is falsified
by the experiences of many of the saintliest persons who ever trod
this earth.
Those who hold that Christ made atonement for our sicknesses as well
as for our sins are quite consistent in maintaining that deliverance
from the former must be obtained in precisely the same way as
salvation from the latter: that the sole means must be the exercise of
faith, without the introduction or addition of any works or doings of
our own. Thus the "Divine healing" cults teach that the service of a
physician or the aid of drugs is as much a setting aside of the
finished work of Christ as reliance upon baptism or deeds of charity
for the securing of pardon would be. The untenability of this logical
inference will at once show that while in some cases God was pleased
to cure the sick without means, yet in other instances He both
appointed and blessed the use of means. For the healing of the bitter
waters of Marah, Moses was instructed to cast into them a tree which
"the Lord showed him" (Ex. 15:25). When God promised to heal Hezekiah
who was sick unto death, Isaiah bade the king "take a lump of figs"
and we are told "they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered"
(2 Kings 20:7). So with Timothy in 1 Timothy 5:23.
We are certainly not prepared to hold any brief in defence of the
present-day medical fraternity as a whole. The greed for gold, the
love of novelty (experimentation), the deterioration of moral
character in all walks of life, fails to inspire confidence in any
class or clique, and the writer for one would prefer to suffer pain
than place himself at the mercy of the average surgeon. Yet this does
not mean that we regard all medical practitioners as either charlatans
or knaves, still less do we believe with "Faith-healing" fanatics that
they are the special emissaries of Satan. The Holy Spirit would never
have termed Luke "the beloved physician" (Col. 4:14) had he been
employed in the service of the Devil.
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Divine Healing: Is It Scriptural?
by A.W. Pink
1. The Positive Side
_________________________________________________________________
Having exposed the cardinal errors promulgated by the "Divine healing"
cults, we turn now to the positive side of the subject. And there is
pressing need to do so, for the pulpit has failed grievously here as
in so many other directions. Of old God complained, "My people are
destroyed for lack of knowledge" (Hos. 4:6), and history has repeated
itself. It was prophesied, "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God,
that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread nor a
thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord" (Amos 8:11),
and that fearful prediction is now in course of fulfillment. In the
vast majority of places rank error rather than the Truth is being
given out, and even in the few remaining centers of orthodoxy the
preacher confines himself to such a narrow compass that his people are
scarcely any better indoctrinated at the end of the year than they
were at the beginning: there is no longer a bringing forth of "things
new" as well as "things old" (Matt. 13:52). How many of our readers,
we wonder, ever heard a sermon on their duties and privileges in
connection with sickness! Very, very few we fear. Little wonder that
so many ill-informed members of "evangelical churches" fall such easy
victims to modern religious fads.
It is no sufficient reply for preachers to say, We have far weightier
and more essential themes to expound. True, the salvation of the soul
is immeasurably greater than the healing of the body, nevertheless the
Scriptures have much to say concerning the body, and it is to our very
great loss if we ignore or remain ignorant about the same. Is it of no
moment at all whether the Christian be healthy or sickly? Has our
loving heavenly Father left His children without any instruction
concerning the laws of health? And when they fall ill is their
situation no better than that of the unbelieving world? Must they too
lean upon the arm of flesh when sickness overtakes them, and seek the
help of a doctor--often an infidel? The Lord is "a very present help
in trouble" (Ps. 46:1): does that mean nothing more than that the
saint must, in every instance, seek grace from Him to patiently endure
his afflictions? God has promised to supply "all the need" of His
people (Phil. 4:19): does that include nothing better than drugs and
medicines, such as the Christ-rejector has access to, when I am ill?
These are not questions to be lightly dismissed, but prayerfully
pondered in the light of Holy Writ.
If the Divine healing cults have gone to one extreme, that of
unbalanced fanaticism, have not most of the Lord's people in this
matter gone to the opposite extreme--that of unbelieving stoicism or
fatalistic inertia? Is not the attitude of only too many something
like this? O well, man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward,
so as I cannot expect immunity from physical sufferings, hence I must
take what remedies I can for relief, and then make the best of a bad
job; or, since this be my appointed lot, I must endeavor to bear it as
patiently as I can. Of course when pain is acute they cry unto the
Lord and beg Him to ease their anguish, just as Pharaoh did when God's
sore plagues were upon his land. And when Christians pray for
recovery, how many of them really do so with the expectation of its
being granted? how many know where to turn for a pertinent promise and
then plead the same prevailingly? Yet some of them feel they are
living beneath their privileges as sons and daughters of the Almighty,
and when they hear or read what is advanced by the "faith healing"
people wonder how much of it is true and how much false.
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Divine Healing: Is It Scriptural?
by A.W. Pink
2. The Subject of Health
_________________________________________________________________
Now it seems to us that we should begin with the subject of health,
for prevention is better than cure. O what a priceless boon is a sound
body and good health: a boon which is denied to some from birth, and
which few really appreciate till it be taken from them. It has long
impressed the writer what a remarkable thing it is that any of us
enjoy any health at all, seeing that we have six thousand years of
sinful heredity behind us! It is due alone to the goodness and
kindness of God that the great majority enter this world with more or
less sound bodies and reach youth in the bloom of health. But sin and
folly then take heavy toll and the constitutions of millions are
wrecked before middle life is reached. Nor is it always brought about
by wicked intemperance and dissipation. Often it is the outcome of
ignorance, through failure to heed some of the most elementary laws of
hygiene. Alas the majority of people will learn in no other school
than that of hard and bitter experience and consequently most of them
only discover how to live when the time comes for them to die. True we
cannot put old heads on young shoulders, yet if the inexperienced are
too proud to heed the counsels of the mature then they must reap the
consequences.
Now surely, other things being equal, the Christian ought to enjoy
better health than the non-Christian. Why so? Why, because if his walk
be regulated by God's Word he will at least be preserved from those
diseases which are the fruit of certain transgressions. The English
word "holiness" means wholeness, soundness. The more we are kept from
sinning the more shall we escape its consequences. "Godliness is
profitable unto all things (the body as well as the soul), having
promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come" (1 Tim.
4:8). One of the basic laws of health is the Sabbatic statute. "The
Sabbath was made for man" (Mark 2:27), for his good, because he needed
it. It was made for man that he might be a man, something more than a
beast of burden or a human treadmill. His body needs it as truly as
does his soul. This has been unmistakably demonstrated in this
country. When France collapsed and the British Isles faced the most
desperate crisis of their long history, the government foolishly
ordered that those in the coal mines and munitions factories must work
seven days a week, but they soon learned that the workmen produced
less than they did in six days--they could not stand up to the
additional strain.
By resting from manual toil on the Sabbath man is enabled to
recuperate his strength for the labors of the week lying ahead, yet
that cannot be accomplished by attending one meeting after another on
that day, nor by exhausting one's strength through lengthy walks to
and from the services--moving the tent nearer the altar is the
remedy--still less by profaning the Sabbath in carnal "recreation."
Another Divine precept which promotes health is, "he that believeth
shall not make haste" (Isa. 28:16). Side by side with the speeding
tempo of modern life we behold the multiplying nervous disorders, and
those who are murdered or maimed on the highway. For many years we
have avoided motor cars, buses and trains whenever the distance to be
covered was not too great to walk, not using them more than two or
three times in a twelve-month. Rushing around, hurrying and scurrying
hither and thither, is not only injurious but a violation of the
Divine rule: "He that hasteth with his feet sinneth" (Prov.
19:2)--which means exactly what it says.
"Take therefore no anxious thought for the morrow" (Matt. 6:34). How
good health is promoted by obedience to this precept scarcely needs
pointing out. It is carking care and worry which disturbs the mind,
affects circulation, impairs digestion, and prevents restful sleep. If
the Christian would cast all his care on the Lord (1 Pet. 5:7) what
freedom from anxiety would be his. "The joy of the Lord is your
strength" (Neh. 8:10)--physically as well as spiritually. What a tome
to a wearied body and tired mind it is to delight ourselves in the
Lord: "a merry heart doeth good like a medicine" (Prov. 17: 22). "My
son, attend to My words . . . for they are life unto those that find
them and health to all his flesh" (Prov. 4:20, 22): do we really
believe this? "Fear the Lord and depart from evil: it shall be health
to thy navel and marrow to thy bones" (Prov. 3:7, 8).
Godly living is conducive to healthiness of mind and body, and other
things being equal that will be one of its bi-products. By "other
things being equal" we mean: as in the case of one who is not
suffering for the sins of his father; who did not ruin his
constitution by debauchery before conversion; and who exercises
ordinary common sense in attending to the elementary rules of hygiene.
One who is "temperate in all things" (1 Cor. 9:25) will escape many or
all of those ills which is the price which has to be paid for
intemperance. Scripture does not require us to be either Spartans or
Epicureans but to "let our moderation be known unto all" (Phil. 4:5).
God "giveth richly all things to enjoy" (1 Tim. 6:17), yet not to
abuse. "Every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused" (1
Tim. 4:4) providing it is used aright, but His choicest creatures p
rove harmful if used to excess. God has provided great variety in
nature, and each one has to learn for himself what best suits him and
deny himself of that which disagrees.
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Divine Healing: Is It Scriptural?
by A.W. Pink
3. The Duties and Privileges of Christians in Illness
_________________________________________________________________
What are the duties and privileges of the Christian when he falls ill?
First, endeavor to ascertain the occasion and cause of his sickness.
As intimated in the previous chapters, many physical ailments are due
to inattention unto the most simple and obvious rules of hygiene. Much
illness is brought about by our own carelessness and folly. Those
guilty of gluttony are inviting trouble. But there are various forms
of gluttony as well as degrees thereof. There is an intemperance of
quality as well as of quantity. They who disdain plain and wholesome
food, and who concentrate principally on fancy things and a rich diet
must not be surprised if their systems become upset; in such cases a
two or three days' complete fast, followed by a return to a simpler
and saner mode of living, is the best remedy. Those with weak chests
should not needlessly expose themselves to the night air. Wet shoes
are to be removed as soon as possible if colds are to be avoided. If
we ignore the dictates common prudence then we may easily discover
what has injured and how to correct it.
But suppose upon careful reflection we are unable to trace our present
ill health to any physical neglect or folly, then what are we to do?
Seek to ascertain the moral cause thereof. "Let us search and try our
ways" (Lam. 3:40), making an honest endeavor to find out what it is
which has grieved the Spirit. If conscience be allowed to do her work
the probability is we shall soon be made aware that there is an Achan
in our camp, an Achan which must be dealt with unsparingly if we are
to enjoy the smile of the Lord again. If we have set up some idol it
must be thrown down; if we have indulged some lust it must be
mortified: if we have entered a forbidden path it must be forsaken: if
we have willfully departed from some path of duty it must be returned
unto, otherwise "some worse thing" is likely to come upon us. All
known sins must be judged, mourned over, confessed in detail unto God:
"I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and Thou
forgavest the iniquity of my sin" (Ps. 32:5).
But suppose after an honest and careful review of my ways conscience
does not convict me of any particular sin, then what must I do?
Prayerfully seek the help of the Holy Spirit. Get down before the Lord
and cry "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me and know my
thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the
way everlasting" (Ps. 139:23, 24). Though there may be nothing in my
outward conduct for which the Lord is chastising me, yet it is likely
there is something within against which He is intimating His
displeasure and for which He requires me to humble myself. A spirit of
selfishness, the allowing of pride, the workings of self-will, the
stirrings of rebellion when Divine Providence crosses me, the exercise
of self-righteousness, may be the plague-spot of my soul which needs
purging.
In the rush and pressure of every-day life the "little foxes which
spoil the vines" (Song of Sol. 2:15) are apt to be neglected, and if
we are careless then we must not be surprised if we are placed on our
backs for a season, that there may be time for reflection and
opportunity for closer dealings between the soul and God, that the
hidden things of darkness may be brought out into the light and
faithfully dealt with.
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Divine Healing: Is It Scriptural?
by A.W. Pink
4. 2 Chronicles 7:14 Considered
_________________________________________________________________
"If My people which are called by My name shall humble themselves, and
pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I
hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their
land" (2 Chron. 7:14). This passage bears directly on our present
subject and contains important and definite instruction for us. First,
it shows that God sends physical judgments upon His people because of
their transgressions. Second, it makes known what they are to do when
the Divine rod falls upon them. Third, it contains a pertinent and
precious promise for faith to lay hold of. Against this it may be
objected that such a passage is not applicable to us; that God's
dealings with His people in this Christian era are on very different
principles than those which actuated Him under the Mosaic economy;
that He dealt with them according to the Law, whereas He deals with us
according to the riches of His grace. Such a contention is entirely
unscriptural. God's governmental dealings are the same in all
dispensations: maintaining the requirements of holiness and exercising
mercy toward the penitent have ever characterized God's "ways." Had
the O.T. regime been one of stern and unrelieved justice, there had
been no "healing" promised upon repentance, for Law as such knows no
pity and shows no mercy.
Let it be carefully noted that the teaching of the New Testament is
precisely the same on this subject as in the Old Testament. "For he
that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation
(judgment) to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause
many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep" (1 Cor. 11:29,
30). The Corinthians had been guilty of profaning the Lord's table,
turning the holy Supper into a carnal feast. God would not tolerate
such irreverence and impiety in this dispensation any more than He
would under the Mosaic, and evidenced His sore displeasure by visiting
them with a temporal judgment, smiting them in their bodies. Thus this
passage is strictly analogous to that in 2 Chronicles 7. But more, as
there so here, the remedy is also graciously made known: "For if we
would judge ourselves we should not be judged" (v. 31). If the
Corinthians would unsparingly condemn themselves for their unseemly
conduct and mourn over it before God, His judgment would be removed
and the many weak and sickly ones recovered and not be made to "sleep"
(die). If we sit in judgment on ourselves we shall not be judged by
the Lord. "But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that
we should not be condemned with the world" (v. 31): God chastening us
here that we may escape eternal woe hereafter.
Let us return then to 2 Chronicles 7:14. There we find the Lord's
people being dealt with for their sins. A temporal judgment bears
heavily upon them: how is deliverance therefrom to be obtained? First,
they must "humble themselves." And what is meant by that? The same as
in 1 Corinthians 11:31, "judge ourselves." A word in Leviticus 26:41
will supply the needed help: "if then their uncircumcised hearts be
humbled and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity, then
will I remember My covenant." To "humble" ourselves beneath the rod of
God is to cease asking, What have I done to deserve this? to stop
resisting the rod, and meekly bowing thereto, acknowledging that my
wicked conduct deserves it. David "humbled" himself when he owned "I
know, O Lord, that Thy judgments are right, and that Thou in
faithfulness hast afflicted me" (Ps. 119:75). To "judge ourselves" is
to take sides with God against ourselves: not until we do so does the
rod begin to obtain its designed effect. The "peaceable fruit of
righteousness" is only obtained under Divine chastisement "unto them
which are exercised thereby" (Heb. 12:11 )--exercised in their
conscience. We must "hear the rod" (Micah 6:9) if we are to profit
therefrom, and when we have heard its rebuking message, endorse the
righteousness of it.
"If My people which are called by My name shall humble themselves":
that is the first thing, and it is vain to proceed further until it be
properly attended to, for pride is more hateful to God than anything
else. "And pray" is the next thing. Until we have truly humbled
ourselves before God there can be no real prayer, but having taken our
place in the dust and condemned ourselves, then we may make known our
requests unto Him. And what is it, under such circumstances, that we
most need to pray or? Surely for a deeper sense of His holiness and of
our vileness, for a contrite and broken heart for faith in His mercy,
for cleansing and restoration to fellowship. Such requests issue not
from the Pharisee, but they are the breathings of humility. "And seek
my face": is that but a repetition of the previous clause? No, it goes
further: it expresses increased definiteness, diligence and fervor.
The omniscient One cannot be imposed upon by mere lip service: He
requires the heart. There has to be more than a bare asking, namely, a
"seeking," and such a "seeking" that we actually "draw near" and have
a face-to-face meeting with Him we have displeased. God will not gloss
over our sins, neither must we.
"And turn from their wicked ways." It was their departure from the
paths of righteousness and entering into forbidden territory which
brought down upon them the displeasure and rod of the Holy One, and
therefore if they are to be delivered from His judgment they must of
necessity forsake their sins. "Turn from their wicked ways" with
loathing and abhorrence, with no secret reserve but with firm purpose
of heart to abandon them and go back to them no more (Ps. 85:8).
Repentance is something more than sorrowing over the past: it includes
the resolution there shall be no repetition in the future. Idols must
be destroyed and not put away in a cupboard from which they may be
taken out again. "Then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their
sin, and will heal their land." Here is the gracious promise. But mark
well its opening "Then": only when its preceding conditions have been
fully met: we have no warrant to look for its fulfillment until its
qualifying terms are observed by us. Note too its scope: hearing from
God is granted, forgiveness is assured, and healing is available for
faith to claim.
"Then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will
heal their land" (2 Chron. 7:14). We have no time to waste on any who
would raise the quibble that this verse refers to the healing of
"land" and not of our bodies. But some who perceive that the
principles of this verse are pertinent to cases of personal affliction
will ask, Are we then to understand that where God has visited His
people with temporal judgment and they have complied with the
conditions He has here specified, He will in every instance remove
that judgment; that He will bestow immediate and complete healing? Ah!
the terms of that question go beyond the terms of that promise: 2
Chronicles 7:14 neither says that He would heal their land
"immediately" nor "completely." Nor must we when pondering the subject
of Divine healing confine ourselves to this particular verse. For
instance, we read that the men of Jericho sought unto Elisha on behalf
of their ground, saying "the water is naught and the ground barren."
And we are told the prophet said "Bring me a new cruse and put salt
therein. And they brought it to him. And he went forth unto the
springs of the waters and cast the salt in them and said, Thus saith
the Lord, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from hence
any more death or barren land" (2 Kings 2:21).
God could have healed those waters without any salt, as He could have
made sweet the bitter waters at Marah without bidding Moses to cast a
certain tree into them (Ex. 15:23-25). Sometimes the Lord is pleased
to use means, and at other times to dispense with them: for He
exercises His sovereignty here as elsewhere. Perhaps some will say,
this makes the subject more complex and hence more perplexing.
Doubtless, and God may have so designed it. The natural man wants
everything to be made smooth and easy for him. But God's way is to
stain human pride, to make us feel our insufficiency, to drive us to
our knees. God would have our hearts to be exercised before Him, and
instead of assuming we must now act in the same way as we did before
in a similar situation, look to Him for instruction and directions.
"My soul wait thou only upon God, for my expectation is from Him" (Ps.
62:5).
God is sovereign and does not act uniformly, and we are both
responsible agents and utterly dependent upon Him, and therefore must
act neither irrationally nor presumptuously. God is sovereign: He did
not always afflict Israel's land with drought or pestilence when they
displeased Him, nor does He afflict the Christian's body each time he
backslides or forsakes the highway of holiness. And when God did cause
His judgment to fall upon Israel's land, He did not always remove His
stroke as soon as confession of sin was made and reformation of
conduct was affected; nor will He in every instance removed sickness
when the afflicted one acknowledges his fault and does his "first
works." And, as already pointed out, when God was pleased to heal
Israel's land sometimes it was by blessing the means of His own
appointing, and at other times it was without the use of any means at
all. Thus it is when He heals our bodies. To one blind man Christ gave
sight instantly, but to another He put His hands on his eyes a second
time before he was fully restored (Mark 8:22-25).
Does some one say, All of this seems very confusing and gets me
nowhere. No doubt it is so to the carnal mind. It is for the tried
child of God we write and not for those who wish to be spared all
exercise of heart, like patients going to a doctor for a prescription
so that nothing is required of them but to hand it to the chemist for
him to make up. As intimated at the beginning of the preceding paper,
the first duty of the ailing Christian is to inquire into the occasion
or cause of his sickness: whether it be due to imprudence or
intemperance, whether God be chastening him for some breach of His
Law, or whether there be some other reason for it, for afflictions are
sometimes sent upon the saints for their refining and pruning rather
than for correction, that they may yield some of the choicest of all
the spiritual fruits. Thus the believer who desires light on his
situation must wait upon the Lord and say "show me wherefore Thou
contendest with me" (Job 10:2).
If the Lord has shown that the sickness is a mark of His displeasure
because we have followed some wicked way, then our course is clear,
namely, to conduct ourselves according to the requirements of 2
Chronicles 7:14. Having done so, then what? Appropriate its promise,
yet meekly and not presumptuously. Having righted the wrong before
God, having obtained His ear, now plead His Word. Say, Lord, I have
sought to humble myself, pray, and seek Thy face, and renounce my
wicked ways, and Thou assurest me Thou wilt forgive and heal me: do as
Thou hast said. But Lord, I am a poor ignorant creature and knowest
not Thy mind: what wouldest Thou have me to do? Is it Thy pleasure to
lay Thy restoring hand upon me this very moment? If so, enable me to
trust in Thee with all my heart; or wouldest Thou have me to use some
means? if so, graciously direct my mind and hand to them and cause me
to count upon Thy making them efficacious unto me, so that I may trust
Thee and not them, that the glory may be all Thine own.
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Divine Healing: Is It Scriptural?
by A.W. Pink
5. The Pertinency of Matthew 9:29
_________________________________________________________________
"According to your faith be it unto you" (Matt. 9:29) is most
pertinent unto our present inquiry. God is pledged to honor faith
wherever He finds it: never does He fail those who trust Him fully;
no, not when they count upon Him working a miracle, as many can
testify. But what is the "faith" here spoken of? It is one which rests
upon the sure Word of God. It is one which is made up of two chief
elements: expectation and submission. There are some who suppose those
two things are subversive of each other, that the attitude of not my
will but Thine be done makes real expectation impossible. But that is
wrong, through a mistaken conception of what spiritual expectation
consists of. Let it first be said that where there is not first
genuine resignation there can be no true expectation. Spiritual
submission is spreading my case before the Lord and asking Him to deal
with it as He sees best, and if I count upon His wisdom and goodness,
that is the exercise of faith; and if I have confidence that He will
do so, that is the expectation of faith--the expectation not that He
will grant what my carnal nature desires, but that He will give what
is most for His glory and my highest good; anything other than that is
not faith but presumption.
Some bodily infirmities are produced by the devil, probably more than
are commonly suspected. Job's boils were caused by him, and we read of
a daughter of Abraham "whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen
years" (Luke 13:16). Certainly it is neither an honor to the Lord nor
a credit to His child for one of them to be overcome by the Enemy. Nor
need he be, for it is written "Resist the devil, and he will flee from
you" (James 4:7), to which should be added "whom resist steadfastly in
the faith" (1 Pet. 5:9). Many years ago it was arranged that we should
speak in a certain city church, and a few hours before the service we
were suddenly attacked by a heavy cold and developed a high
temperature. The friends with whom we were staying urged us to cancel
the engagement and phone another preacher to deputize, for it was
pouring with rain and a long walk was before us. But we realized that
Satan was hindering and committed ourselves into the hands of our
Master, counting upon Him to protect us from any harm. He did so, and
the next morning we were quite normal. On another occasion we lost our
voice and could speak in only a hoarse whisper, but we trusted the
Lord to undertake, and preached for an hour and a half without any
inconvenience and could easily be heard in the remotest corners of the
large building; yet as soon as we left the pulpit we could not speak
at all. No, He never fails those who trust HIM.
The subject is many-sided and much has to be left unsaid. It is clear
to us that many Christians are living below their privileges in this
matter. "Jehovah-Rophi" ("The Lord that healeth thee": Ex. 15:26) is
as truly one of His titles as "Jehovah-Tsidkneu"("The Lord our
righteousness": Jer. 23:5), yet how few count upon Him as such, having
more confidence in human physicians and their medicines. Fewer still
seem to know anything about trusting the Lord for the body (1 Cor.
6:13). It is written "the prayer of faith shall save the sick" (James
5:15), yet the exercise of faith is not subject to a mere effort of
the will. It is our duty to pray "Lord, increase our faith," yet that
prayer will not be answered unless we use what we already have (Luke
8:18). Broadly speaking, when sickness prevents the discharge of duty,
it is our privilege to count upon the Lord to remove the hindrance.
Here let it be said, we are far from affirming that all who resort to
material remedies are missing the Lord's best, though in many
instances that is probably the case; nor that God is always ready to
heal if we trust Him. Rather is it His will that some should glorify
Him "in the fires" (Isa. 24:15). God sent an angel to deliver Peter
from prison, but suffered Stephen to be stoned to death. Some plants
thrive best in burning heat, whereas ferns flourish in the shade.
Certain graces, like zeal and intrepidity, are exercised on the
battlefield, whereas meekness and patience are developed under
suffering. God does not intend that many should do such a work as Geo.
Muller did and therefore He gives not faith for it, and those who
imitate him fail. The privilege and duty of each Christian is defined
in "Commit thy way unto the Lord: trust also in Him, and He shall
bring to pass" (Isa. 37:5). Bring what to pass? His way, the best way,
though it may be the very opposite of what you wish. Commit thy case
unto Him, trustfully, and leave Him to decide what will be most for
His glory. If sickness persists, beg God to sanctify it to you.
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Divine Healing: Is It Scriptural?
by A.W. Pink
6. Appendix on James 5:14-16
_________________________________________________________________
A number of friends who appreciated our recent articles on this
subject have written to us expressing the desire for a few words on
James 5:14-16. We respond to their wish with a certain amount of
diffidence, for we are not sure in our own mind either as to its
interpretation or application. This is a passage which has long been
an occasion of controversy and debate, and those who took part therein
found--as is often the case--that it was easier to refute the
arguments of their opponents than to establish their own position.
When we are uncertain about the meaning of Scripture we usually remain
silent thereon, but in this instance we will give the leading views
which have been expressed, and state how we feel toward them.
First, Romanists insist that this "anointing with oil" is a standing
ordinance in the church and James 5:14, 15 is the principal passage
appealed to by them in support of their dogma and practice of "extreme
unction." But here as everywhere the papists go contrary to the
Scriptures, for instead of anointing the sick as a healing ordinance,
they only administer it to those at the point of death. We have no
hesitation in denouncing their perversion as a mere hypocritical
pageantry. The "unction" they use must be olive oil mixed with balsam,
consecrated by a bishop, who must nine times bow the knee, saying
thrice "Ave sanctum oleum" (Hail, holy oil), and thrice "Ave Sanctum
chrisma" (Hail, holy chrism), and thrice more, "Ave, sanctum Balsamum"
(Hail, holy balsam). The members anointed are the eyes, ears, nose,
mouth, and for the extremities, the reins and feet: in women, the
navel. The design thereof is, the expulsion of the relics of sin and
to equip the soul for its conflicts with the powers of evil in the
moment of death. One has but to mention these things to reveal their
absurdity.
Second, the position generally taken by the Reformers and Puritans,
was, that this anointing the sick with oil was not designed as a
sacrament, they being but two in number: baptism and the Lord's
supper. They pointed out that so far from this being a standing rite,
the apostles themselves seldom used oil in the healing of the sick:
they wrought cures by a touch (Acts 3:7), by their shadow (Acts 5:15),
by handkerchiefs (Acts 19:12), by laying on of hands (Acts 28:8), by
word of mouth (Acts 9:34). Nor does it appear that they were permitted
to employ this gift indiscriminately, no not even among brethren in
Christ dear to them, or why should Paul leave Trophimus at Miletum
sick (2 Tim. 4:20) or sorrow so much over the illness of Epaphroditus
(Phil. 2:27)? In this too God exercised His sovereignty. But what is
more to the point, this supernatural endowment was only of brief
duration: "But that grace of healing has disappeared, like all other
miraculous powers, which the Lord was pleased to exhibit for a time,
that He might render the power of the Gospel, which was then new, the
object of admiration forever" (Calvin).
A list of the "charismata" or supernatural gifts which obtained during
the apostolic period is found in 1 Corinthians 12: "to another faith,
by the same Spirit; to another the gift of healing, by the same
Spirit; to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to
another discerning of spirits, to another divers kinds of tongues, to
another the interpretation of tongues" (vv. 9, 10.).They were designed
chiefly for the authenticating of Christianity and to confirm it in
heathen countries. Their purpose, then, was only a temporary one, and
as soon as the canon of Scripture was closed they were withdrawn. As 1
Corinthians 13 plainly intimates "whether there be prophecies
(inspired messages from God) they shall fail (to be given any more);
whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be
(supernatural) knowledge, it shall vanish away" (v. 8). It was the
view of Matthew Henry, Thomas Manton, John Owen, and in fact nearly
all of the Puritan divines, that James 5:14, 15 refers to the exercise
of one of those supernatural gifts which the church enjoyed only in
the first century.
Among the leading arguments advanced in support of this contention are
the following. First, the "anointing with oil" clearly appears to look
back to Mark 6:13 where we are told of the twelve, they "anointed with
oil many that were sick, and healed them." Second, the positive
promise of healing, verse 15, seems to be an unconditional and general
one, as though no exceptions, no cases of failure, were to be looked
for. Third, "healing" was certainly one of the miraculous gifts
specified in 1 Corinthians 12. Moreover, it hardly seems likely that
the "faith" here mentioned is an ordinary one: though whether it
differed in kind or only in degree is not easy to determine. There was
the "faith of miracles"--either to work them or the expectation of
them on the part of those who were the beneficiaries, as is clear from
Matthew 21:24; Mark 11:24; 1 Corinthians 13:2. The "anointing with
oil'' after the praying over the sick is regarded as a seal or pledge
of the certainty of healing or recovery.
On the other side, we find such a deeply-taught man and so able an
expositor as Thomas Goodwin (1600-1680) insisting on the contrary. He
pointed out, first, that James 5:14 is quite different from Mark 6:13,
for here the anointing with oil is joined with prayer, whereas prayer
is not mentioned there, but only the miraculous gift. Second, the ones
to be sent for were not specified as men endowed with the gift of
healing, but the "elders," and there is nothing to show that all of
them possessed that gift. The "elders" were standing officers who were
to continue. Third, the ones to be healed are the "sick" or infirm,
but extraordinary healing would have extended further--to the blind,
the deaf and dumb, and would have reached to unbelievers instead of
being restricted to church members: cf. 1 Corinthians 14:22. Fourth,
the means commanded: oil and prayer on all such occasions, whereas the
extraordinary gift of healing was not so confined, but was frequently
effected without any means at all, by mere word of mouth.
Third, rather more than a century ago, a certain Edward Irving,
founder of the "Catholic Apostolic Church," propounded the theory that
the supernatural gifts which existed in the early Church had been lost
through the unbelief and carnality of its members, and that if there
was a return to primitive order and purity, they would again be
available. Accordingly he appointed "apostles," and "prophets" and
"evangelists." They claimed to speak in tongues, prophesy, interpret
and work miracles. There is little doubt in our mind that this
movement was inspired by Satan, and probably a certain amount of
abnormal phenomena attended it, though much of it was explainable as
issuing from a state of high nervous tension and hysteria. Irving's
theory, with some modifications and some additions has been
popularized and promulgated by the more recent so-called `Pentecostal
movement," where a species of unintelligible jabbering and
auto-suggestion cum mesmerism is styled "speaking in tongues," and
"faith healing." Many of their devotees and dupes attempt to carry out
James 5:14, 15, but with very meager and unsatisfactory results.
Fourth, there is the grotesque idea of the Dispensationalists. These
is a class of men who pose as being exceptionally enlightened, and
under the guise of "rightly dividing the Word of Truth" arbitrarily
partition the Scriptures, affirming "this is not for us," "that does
not pertain to this present era of Grace," "that relates to the
Tribulation period," "this will be fulfilled in the Millennium."
Because the opening verse of James reads, "To the twelve tribes which
are scattered abroad, greetings," these robbers of God's children
declare this epistle is "entirely Jewish;" as well might they reason
that the first epistle of Paul is designed only for Papists because it
is addressed "To all that be in Rome" (Rom. 1:1). The epistle of James
belongs to all the "beloved brethren," to all born-again souls (1:16,
18). It is surely striking that the very passage we are here
considering (5:14-16) comes right between a reference to Job (a
Gentile) who endured patiently his affliction and found the Lord to be
"pitiful and of tender mercy" (v. 11) and to Elijah who is described
as "a man subject to like passions as we are" yet mighty in prayer (v.
17)--as though the Spirit was anticipating and refuting this mad
notion.
Now where such widely-different interpretations are given of a
passage, it usually follows that the true one lies somewhere between
two extremes, and such we believe is the case here. We are very loathe
to regard our passage as being an obsolete one, that it refers to
something which pertained only to the apostolic age and relates not at
all to us. When referring to the Papish travesty of this "anointing
with oil" Thomas Goodwin said, "The Reformed churches seeing that such
a sacrament could not be and this must needs be a perversion of it,
did justly reject it, only in rejecting it (as in some other things)
they went too far, even denying it to have that use of restoring the
sick as a seal of the promise, and an indefinite means to convey that
blessing which God in mercy hath appointed it to be." We are strongly
inclined to agree with this eminent Puritan that the churches which
grew out of the Reformation went too far when they set aside this
passage as containing Divine directions to be followed by Gospel
churches throughout this Christian era. Such a sweeping conclusion
needs qualifying.
The knotty point to be settled is, how far and at which points is this
qualification to be made? Personally we believe the general principle
and promise of the passage holds good for all generations--seasons of
great spiritual declension and deadness only excepted. In normal times
it is the privilege of the saint--when seriously ill, or suffering
great pain, and not on every light occasion--to send for the "elders"
(pastors, ministers) of the local Gospel church to which he belongs,
for they who preach God's Word to him should surely be the fittest to
spread his case before Him: cf. Job 42:8. They are to pray over him,
commending him to the mercy of God and seeking recovery for him if
that be according to the Divine will: whether or not the "anointing
with oil" should accompany the praying is a detail on which we are not
prepared to dogmatize; but where the sick one desires it, his request
should be complied with. The kind of oil is not specified, though most
likely olive oil was used in the first century.
It should be pointed out that those promises of God which relate to
temporal and eternal mercies are quite different from those pertaining
to spiritual and eternal things, the former being general and
indefinite and not unconditional and absolute as are many of the
latter, and therefore as God reserves to Himself the freedom to make
them good when, as, and to whom He pleases, we must ask in full
submission to His sovereign pleasure. To illustrate: if I am starting
out on a journey I ask God to preserve me from all harm and danger if
that be His holy will (Rom. 1:10), but I make no such proviso when I
request Him to deliver me from those who assault my soul (2 Tim.
4:18). Thus "the prayer of faith" here is not a definite expectation
that God will heal, but a peaceful assurance that He will do that
which is most for His glory and the sick one good. That the promise of
James 5:15 is an indefinite and not an absolute one is clear from this
consideration: if it were not so, he could continually claim the
promise and so never die-- the "and IF he have committed sins" further
confirms the indefiniteness of what is here in view.
Some are likely to object against what has been pointed out in the
last paragraph and say, But faith must have a foundation to rest upon,
and it has none other than the Word of God: if then there be here no
definite promise to lay hold of and plead before God, the "prayer of
faith" is impossible, for there is no assurance the sick one will be
healed. That may sound very plausible and pious, yet it is wrong.
There is a faith of reliance and submission as well as a faith of
expectation. There is no higher, no stronger, no grander faith than
one which has such confidence in the wisdom and goodness of God as
leads me to present my case to Him and say "Do as seemeth Thee good."
It is always a help when we can plead a promise, but God is greater
than all His promises and where some specific need or emergency be not
covered by some express promise, faith may count upon the mercy and
power of God Himself-- this is what Abraham did: Hebrews 11:19!
Personally we greatly fear that there are very few "elders" now left
on earth whom it would be any good to send for in an emergency: only
those living close to God and blessed with strong faith would be of
any use. This is a day of "small things," nevertheless the Lord
remains unchanged and ready to show Himself strong on behalf of those
who walk uprightly. Though there be no spiritual elders available, yet
God is accessible; seek unto Him, and if He grants you the "prayer of
faith" then healing is certain either by natural means or by
supernatural intervention. "The Lord is undoubtedly present with His
people to assist them in all ages, and when necessary He heals their
diseases as much as He did in ancient times; but He does not display
those miraculous powers or dispense miracles by the hands of apostles,
because that gift was only of temporary duration" (Calvin)
"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye
may be healed" (v. 16). Here the scope of our passage is widened: in
verse 13 the afflicted or tried one is to pray for himself, in verse
14 the ministers are to pray for the one seriously sick, now
fellow-Christians are to pray for each other. But first they are
bidden to confess their faults one to another, which does not mean
revealing the secrets of their hearts or acquainting their brethren
with that which is suited only for the ear of God: but cases where
they have tempted or injured one another or consented to the same evil
act--tattling, for example. A mutual acknowledgement of those faults
which cause coldness and estrangement, exciting one another to
repentance for the same, promotes the spirit of prayer and fellowship,
The "healing" here is also wider, referring primarily to that of the
soul (Ps. 41:4) and breaches (Heb. 12:13), being the term used in 1
Peter 2:24, yet also includes removal of physical chastisements.
Observations in Conclusion
A few brief observations on our passage in conclusion.
Personal prayer (v. 13) is enjoined before ministerial (v. 14) and
social (v. 16): individual responsibility cannot be shelved.
God is not indifferent to the sickness of His people (v. 14), but
cares for their bodies as well as their souls.
Are not ministers too free in visiting the sick and praying over
them, instead of waiting until they are sent for (v. 14)?
If none but "elders" (ministers) were to anoint with oil, surely
they alone are eligible to administer baptism and the Lord's
supper!
All sickness is not occasioned by sin or the "if" of verse 15 would
be meaningless.
Yet God does sometimes visit with physical chastisements as the
"if" denotes.
The mutual confession of verse 16 refutes the Papish error of
"auricular confession," for the priest does not confess his sins to
those revealing to him the secrets of their souls!
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
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Eternal Punishment by A.W. Pink
_________________________________________________________________
Introduction
This time we take up our pen to write on one of the most solemn truths
taught in the Word. And ere we began we turned to the Lord and
earnestly sought that wisdom and grace which we are conscious we
sorely need; making request that we might be preserved from all error
in what we shall say, and that nothing may find a place in these pages
which shall be displeasing to that Holy One, "whose we are, and whom
we serve." O that we may write in the spirit of One who said, "Who
knoweth the power of Thine anger, even according to Thy fear, so is
Thy wrath" (Ps. 90:11).
The subject before us is one that needs stressing in these days. The
great majority of our pulpits are silent upon it, and the fact that it
has so little place in modern preaching is one of the signs of the
times, one of the many evidences that the Apostasy must be near at
hand. It is true that there are not a few who are praying for a
world-wide Revival, but it appears to the writer that it would be more
timely, and more scriptural, for prayer to be made to the Lord of the
harvest, that He would raise up and thrust forth laborers who would
fearlessly and faithfully preach those truths which are calculated to
bring about a revival.
While it is true that all genuine revivals come from God, yet He is
not capricious in the sending of them. We are sure that God never
relinquishes His sovereign rights to own and to bless where and as He
pleases. But we also believe that here, as everywhere, there is a
direct connection between cause and effect. And a revival is the
effect of a previous cause. A revival, like a genuine conversion, is
wrought of God by means of the Word--the Word applied by the Holy
Spirit, of course. Therefore, there is something more needed (on our
part) than prayer:
the Word of God must have a place, a prominent place, the prominent
place. Without that there will be no Revival, whatever excitement and
activities of the emotions there may be.
It is the deepening conviction of the writer that what is most needed
today is a wide proclamation of those truths which are the least
acceptable to the flesh. What is needed today is a scriptural setting
forth of the character of God--His absolute sovereignty, His ineffable
holiness, His inflexible justice, His unchanging veracity. What is
needed today is a scriptural setting forth of the condition of the
natural man--his total depravity, his spiritual insensibility, his
inveterate hostility to God, the fact that he is "condemned already"
and that the wrath of a sin-hating God is even now abiding upon him.
What is needed today is a scriptural setting forth of the alarming
danger in which sinners are--the indescribably awful doom which awaits
them, the fact that if they follow only a little further their present
course they shall most certainly suffer the due reward of their
iniquities. What is needed today is a scriptural setting forth of the
nature of that punishment which awaits the lost--the awfulness of it,
the hopelessness of it, the unendurableness of it, the endlessness of
it. It is because of these convictions that by pen as well as by voice
we are seeking to raise the alarm.
It may be thought that what we have said in the above paragraph stands
in need of qualification. We can imagine some of our readers saying,
Such truths as these may be needed by the lost, but surely you do not
wish to be understood as saying that these subjects ought to be
pressed upon the Lord's people! But that is exactly what we do mean
and do say. Re-read the Epistles, dear friends, and note what place
each of these subjects has in them! It is just because these truths
have been withheld so much from public ministrations to the saints
that we now find so many backboneless, sentimental, lop-sided
Christians in our assemblies. A clearer vision of the awe-inspiring
attributes of God would banish much of our levity and irreverence. A
better understanding of our depravity by nature would humble us, and
make us see our deep need of using the appointed means of grace. A
facing of the alarming danger of the sinner would cause us to
"consider our ways" and make us more diligent to make our "calling and
election sure." A realization of the unspeakable misery which awaits
the lost (and which each of us fully merited) would immeasurably
deepen our gratitude, and bring us to thank God more fervently that we
have been snatched as brands from the burning and delivered from the
wrath to come; and too, it will make us far more earnest in our
prayers as we supplicate God on behalf of the unsaved. Moreover,
scriptural and searching addresses along these lines would, in some
cases at least, lay hold of those who have a form of godliness but who
deny the power thereof. They would have some effect on that vast
company of professors who are "at ease in Zion." They would, if God
were depended upon, arouse the indifferent, and cause some who are now
careless and unconcerned to cry, "What must 1 do to be saved?"
Remember that the ground must be plowed before it is ready to be
sowed: and the truths mentioned above are needed to prepare the way
for the Gospel.
Concerning the eternal punishment of the wicked there are few, it
seems, who realize the vital importance of a ringing testimony to this
truth, and fewer still who apprehend the deep seriousness of what is
involved in a denial of it. The importance of a clear witness to this
doctrine may be seen by noting what a prominent place it holds in the
Word; and contrariwise, the seriousness of denying it is evidenced by
the fact that such denial is a rejection of God's truth. The need of
giving this solemn subject a prominent place in our witness is
apparent, for it is our bounden duty to warn sinners of their fearful
peril and bid them flee from the wrath to come. To remain silent is
criminal; to substitute anything for it is to set before the wicked a
false hope. The great importance of expounding this doctrine, freely
and frequently, also appears in that, excepting the Cross of Christ,
nothing else so manifests the heinousness of sin, whereas every
modification of eternal punishment, only serves to minimize the evil
of it.
We propose to deal with our present theme under the following
divisions. First, we shall examine briefly some of the leading
objections brought against the truth of eternal punishment. Second, we
shall classify various passages which treat of the destiny of the
lost, showing that death seals the sinner's doom, that his condition
is then beyond hope, that the punishment awaiting him is interminable.
Third, we shall examine those scriptures which throw light upon the
nature of the punishment which awaits the lost. Finally, we shall seek
to make a practical application of the whole subject.
Contents | Introduction | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
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Eternal Punishment by A.W. Pink
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I. Objections Considered
In taking up the objections made against the truth of eternal
punishment it would be a hopeless task were we to attempt to notice
every argument which the fertile mind of unbelief (under the control
of Satan, as it is) has devised. We shall, however, consider those of
greatest weight, and those which have received the widest acceptance
among unbelievers. These we shall classify as follows: First,
deductions drawn from the Divine perfections. Second, passages
appealed to by Universalists. Third, passages appealed to by
Annihilationists. Fourth, assertions that punishment is not penal and
retributive but disciplinary and remedial.
1. DEDUCTIONS DRAWN FROM THE DIVINE PERFECTIONS.
(1) God is love, From this scriptural premise the conclusion is drawn
that He will never cast any of His creatures into endless woe. But we
must remember that the Bible also tells us that "God is light," and
between light and darkness there can be no fellowship, Divine love is
not a sentimental passion which overrides moral distinctions. God's
love is a holy love, and because it is such He hates all evil; yea, it
is written, "Thou hatest all workers of iniquity" (Ps. 5:5). Startling
as it may sound, it is nevertheless a fact, that the Scriptures speak
much more frequently of God's anger and wrath, than they do of His
love and compassion. Let any one consult Young's or Strong's
Concordance and they may verify this for themselves. To argue, then,
that because God is love, He will not inflict eternal torment on the
wicked, is to ignore the fact that God is light, and is to asperse His
holiness.
(2) God is merciful. Man may be a sinner, and holiness may require
that he should be punished, but it is argued that Divine mercy will
intervene, and if the punishment be not entirely revoked it is
imagined that the sentence will be modified and the term of punishment
be shortened. We are told that the eternal torment of the lost cannot
be harmonized with a God of mercy. But if by the mercy of God be meant
that He is too tenderhearted to apportion such miseries to His
creatures, then we might as logically reason that seeing God's mercy,
like all His attributes, is infinite, therefore, none of His creatures
will be permitted to suffer at all. Yet this is manifestly erroneous.
Facts deny it. His creatures do suffer, ofttimes excruciatingly, even
in this life. Look out on the world today and mark the untold misery
which abounds on every hand, and then remember that, however
mysterious all this may be to us, nevertheless, it is all permitted by
a merciful God. So, too, read in the Old Testament the accounts of the
deluge, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by fire and brimstone
from heaven, the plagues upon Egypt, the judgments which were visited
upon Israel, and then bear in mind that these were not prevented by
the mercy of God! To reason, then, that because God is merciful He
will not cast into the Lake of Fire every one whose name is not found
written in the book of life, is to fly in the face of all God's
judgments in the past!
(3) God is just. It is often said it would be unjust for God to
sentence any of His erring creatures to eternal perdition. But who are
we to pass judgment upon the justice of the decisions of the All-Wise?
Who are we to say what is consistent or inconsistent with God's
righteousness? Who are we to determine what shall best vindicate the
Divine benevolence or equity? Sin has so enfeebled our power of
righteous judgment, so darkened our understanding, so dulled our
conscience, so perverted our wills, so corrupted our hearts, that we
are quite incompetent to decide. We are ourselves so infected and
affected by sin that we are altogether incapable of estimating its due
merits. Imagine a company of criminals passing judgment on the equity
and goodness of the law which had condemned them! The truth of the
matter is--and how often is it lost sight of!--that God is not to be
measured by human standards.
But have we realized that to deny the justice of eternal punishment is
also to repudiate the grace of God? If endless misery be unjust, then
exemption from it must be the sinner's right, and if so, his salvation
could never be attributed to grace, which is unmerited favor!
Moreover, to deny the justice of eternal punishment is to fly in the
face of Christian consciousness, which universally witnesses to the
fact that punishment, and only punishment, is all that each of us
deserves. Moreover, if the sinner has despised and rejected eternal
happiness, is there any reason why he should complain against the
justice of eternal misery? Finally, if there is an infinite evil in
sin--as there is--then infinite punishment is its due reward.
(4) God is holy. Because God is infinitely holy, He regards sin with
infinite abhorrence. From this scriptural premise it has been
erroneously concluded that, therefore, God will ultimately triumph
over evil by banishing every last trace of it from the universe;
otherwise, it is said, His moral character is gone. But against this
sophistry we reply; God's holiness did not prevent sin entering His
universe, and He has permitted it to remain all these thousands of
years, therefore a holy God can and does coexist with a world of sin!
To this it may be answered: There are good and sufficient reasons why
sin should be allowed now. Quite so, is our rejoinder; and who knows
what these reasons are? Conjecture we may; but who knows? God has not
told us in His Word. Who, then, is in the position to say that there
may not be eternal reasons--necessities-- for the continued existence
of sin? That God will triumph over evil is most certainly true. His
triumph will be manifested by incarcerating every one of His foes in a
place where they can do no more damage, and where in their torments
His holy hatred of sin will shine for ever and ever. The Lake of Fire
so far from witnessing to Satan's victory, will be the crowning proof
of his utter defeat.
2. THE PASSAGES APPEALED TO BY UNIVERSALISTS.
Universalists may be divided, broadly, into two classes: those who
teach the ultimate salvation of every member of Adam's race, and those
who affirm the ultimate salvation of all creatures, including the
Devil, the fallen angels, and the demons. The class of passages to
which both appeal are verses where the words "all," "all men," "all
things," "the world" are to be found. The simplest way to refute their
contentions on these passages is to show that such terms are
restricted usually modified by what is said in the immediate context.
The issue raised by Universalists narrows itself down to the question
of whether "all men" and "all things" are employed, in passages which
speak of salvation, in a limited or unlimited sense. Let us, then,
point to a number of passages where these general terms occur, but
where it is impossible to give them an absolute force or meaning:
"And there went out unto him all the land of Judea, and they of
Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan,
confessing their sins" (Mark 1:5). "And as the people were in
expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he
were the Christ or not" (Luke 3:15). "And they came unto John, and
said unto him, Rabbi, He that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom
thou barest witness, behold the same baptizeth, and all come to Him"
(John 3:26). "And early in the morning He came again into the temple,"
and "all the people came unto Him; and He sat down, and taught them"
(John 8:2). "For thou shalt be His witness unto all men of what thou
hast seen and heard (Acts 22:15). "Ye are our epistle written in our
hearts, known and read of all men" (2 Cor. 3:2).
In none of the above passages has "all," "all men," "all the people"
an unlimited scope. In each of those passages these general terms have
only a relative meaning. In Scripture "all" is used in two ways:
meaning "all without exception" (occurring infrequently), and "all
without distinction" (its general significance), that is, all classes
and kinds--old and young, men and women, rich and poor, educated and
illiterate, and in many in-stances Jews and Gentiles, men of all
nations. Very frequently the "all" has reference to all believers, all
in Christ.
What we have just said concerning the relative use and restricted
meaning of the terms "all" and "all men" applies with equal force to
"all things." In Scripture this is another expression which often has
a very limited meaning. We give a few examples of this: "For one
believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth
herbs" (Rom. 14:2). "For meat destroy not the work of God. All things
indeed are pure" (Rom. 14.20). "I am made all things to all, that I
might by all means save some" (1 Cor. 9:22). "All things are lawful
for me, but all things are not expedient" (1 Cor. 10:23). "Tychicus, a
beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to
you all things" (Eph. 6:2 1). I can do all things through Christ which
strengtheneth me" (Phil. 4:13). In each of these passages "all things"
has a restricted force.
Another class of passages appealed to by Universalists are verses
where "the world" is mentioned. But a careful examination of every
passage where this term occurs in the New Testament will show that we
are not obliged to understand it as referring to the entire human
race, because in a number of instances it means far less. Take the
following examples. "For the bread of God is He which cometh down from
heaven and giveth life unto the world" (John 6:33). Mark that here it
is not a matter of proffering "life" to the world, but of giving
"life." Does Christ "give life"--spiritual and eternal life, for that
is what is in view--to every member of the human family? "If thou do
these things, show Thyself to the world" (John 7.4). Here it is plain
that "the world" is an indefinite expression--show Thyself in public,
to men in general, is its obvious meaning here. "The Pharisees
therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how we prevail nothing?
Behold, the world is gone after Him" (John 12:19). Did the Pharisees
mean that the entire human race had "gone after" Christ? Surely not.
"First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your
faith is spoken of throughout the whole world" (Rom. 1:8). Must this
mean that the faith of the Roman saints was known and spoken of by all
the race of mankind? Did all men everywhere "speak" of it? Did one man
out of every ten thousand in the Roman Empire know anything about it?
"The word of the truth of the Gospel, which is come unto you, as it is
in all the world" (Col. 1:5, 6). Does "all the world" here mean,
absolutely and unqualifiedly, all mankind? Had all men everywhere
heard the Gospel? Surely the meaning of this verse is, that the
Gospel, instead of being confined to the land of Judea and the lost
sheep of the house of Israel, had gone forth abroad without restraint,
into many places. "And all the world wondered after the beast" (Rev.
13:3). That the reference here cannot be to all men without exception
we know from other scriptures.
It will be seen, then, from the passages cited above that there is
nothing in the words themselves which compel us to give an unlimited
meaning to "all men," "all things," "the world." Therefore when we
insist that "the world" which is saved, and the "all men" who are
redeemed, are the world of believers and the all men who receive
Christ as their personal Saviour, instead of interpreting the
Scriptures to suit ourselves we are explaining them in strict harmony
with other passages. On the other hand, to give to these terms
unlimited scope and to make them mean all without exception is to
interpret them in a way which manifestly clashes with the many
passages which plainly teach there are those who will be finally lost.
One other remark may be made upon Universalism before turning to our
next sub-division, and that is, the very fact that Universalism is so
popular with the wicked, is proof irresistible, that it is not the
system taught in the Bible. 1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us "the natural
man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned." That the natural man does receive the teaching
that every one will ultimately be saved, is a sure sign it does not
belong to "the things of the Spirit of God." The wicked hate the
light, but love the darkness; hence, while they deem as "foolishness"
the truth of God and reject it, they esteem as reasonable the Devil's
lies, and greedily devour them.
3. PASSAGES APPEALED TO BY THE ANNIHILATIONISTS.
Truth is one: consistent: eternally unchanged. Error is hydra-headed,
inconsistent and contradictory, ever wavering in its forms. So
determined are men to persuade themselves that the eternal punishment
of the wicked is a myth, the enmity of the carnal mind has devised a
variety of ways of ridding themselves of this truth which is so
hateful to them. "God hath made man upright; but they have sought out
many inventions" (Eccl. 7:29). One of these inventions is the theory
that at death the wicked pass into oblivion, and that after their
resurrection and judgment at the Great White Throne, they are
annihilated in the Lake of Fire. Incredible as this view appears,
nevertheless it has had and still has many advocates and adherents;
and what is even more unthinkable, the Word of God is appealed to in
support of it. It is because of this that we make a brief notice of it
here.
The first class of passages to which they appeal are verses where
"death" is mentioned. Death is regarded in the most absolute sense.
Death they take to mean the passing from existence into non-existence;
an utter extinction of being. Death is applied to the soul as well as
the body. How, then, is this error to be met? We answer, By an appeal
to God's Word. The meaning of a word is to be defined not from its
derivation, not from its employment by heathen writers, not from the
definition supplied by a standard English dictionary, nor from the
lexicons, but from its usage in the Holy Scriptures. What, then, does
death mean as used by the Holy Spirit?
Let us turn first to 1 Corinthians 15:36: "Thou fool, that which thou
sowest is not quickened, except it die." Here is the Holy Spirit's
illustration and type of the death and resurrection of a believer.
Now, does the living germ in the seed sown become extinct before it
brings forth fruit? Surely not. There is a decaying, of course, of its
outer shell--and therein lies the analogy with the death of man--but
the living germ within dies not, otherwise there could be no harvest.
Death, then, according to this illustration of the Holy Spirit is not
annihilation. The same illustration was used by our Lord. Said He,
"Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth
alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (John 12:24). The
stalk and ear of corn in harvest time are but the life-germ fully
developed. So it is with man. The body dies; the soul lives on. Note
how this comes out, unmistakably, in the Saviour's words as recorded
in Matt. 10:28: "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not
able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy
both soul and body in hell." The "soul" man is unable to kill! But God
is able--and mark carefully the distinction--"to destroy (not kill)
both soul and body in hell." As the word "destroy" is another word
misused and erroneously defined by the Annihilationists, a few words
must be said upon it.
As used in Scripture the words "destroy," "destruction," "perish" etc.
never signify cessation of existence. In Matthew 10:7 one of the
principal Greek words for "destroyed" is rendered "the lost sheep of
the house of Israel." Those Israelites had not ceased to be, but were
away from God! In Mark 2:22 the same word is translated "marred" in
connection with "bottles" of skins which the new wine burst. So, too,
the word "perish" never signifies annihilation in Scripture. In 2
Peter 3:6 we read, "The world" that then was, being overflowed with
water, perished." The "world" that perished, whether the reference be
to the pre-Adamic earth or the world destroyed by the Flood, was not
reduced to nothing. When, then, Scripture speaks of the wicked as
perishing and as being destroyed, it is in order to expose the error
of those who assert that they have a gospel for those who die unsaved,
That the wicked have "perished" excludes all hope of their subsequent
salvation. 1 Timothy 5:6 tells us there is a living-death even
now--"She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth"--so will
there be in eternity.
The absurdity and unscripturalness of Annihilationism are easily
exposed. If at death the sinner passes out of existence, why resurrect
him in order to annihilate him again? Scripture speaks of the
"punishment" and "torment" of the wicked; but any one can see that
annihilation is not these! If annihilation were all that awaits the
wicked, they would never know that they had received their just
deserts and the "due reward" of their iniquities! Scripture speaks of
degrees of punishment for the lost; but annihilation would make this
impossible; annihilation would level all distinctions and ignore all
degrees of guilt. In Isaiah 33:14 we are told, "Who among us shall
dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with
everlasting burnings?" So far from sinners being annihilated they
shall dwell with the devouring fire! Scripture speaks again and again
of the "wailing and gnashing of teeth" of those who are cast into
hell, and this, at once, gives the lie to those who affirm extinction
of being.
4. THE THEORY THAT THE PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED IS DISCIPLINARY AND
REMEDIAL.
There are those who allow that the wicked will be cast into hell, and
yet they insist that the punishment is corrective rather than
retributive. A sort of Protestant Purgatory is invented, the fires of
which are to be purifying rather than penal. Such a conception is
grossly dishonoring to God. Some who hold this view make a great
pretense of honoring Christ, yet in reality they greatly dishonor Him.
If men who died rejecting the Saviour are yet to be saved, if the
fires of hell are to do for men what the blood of the Cross failed to
effect, then why was the Divine Sacrifice needed at all--all might
have been saved by the disciplinary sufferings of hell, and so God
could have spared His Son. Again; if God compassionates His enemies
and cherishes nothing but gracious designs of infinite pity toward
those who have despised and rejected His Son, we may well ask, Then
why does He take such dreadful measures with them? If loving
discipline be all that they need, cannot Divine wisdom devise some
gentler measure than consigning them to the "torment" of the Lake of
Fire for "the ages of the ages?" This is an insuperable difficulty in
the way of the theory we are now refuting. But once we see that the
Lake of Fire is the place of punishment, not discipline, and that it
is Divine wrath and not love that casts the reprobate into it, then
the difficulty entirely disappears.
Utterly inconsistent though it be, there are those who argue that the
fires of hell owe their disciplinary efficacy to the blood of Christ.
These enemies of the truth have been well answered by Sir Robert
Anderson: "Such punishment, therefore, must be the penalty due to
their sins; else it were unrighteous to impose it. If, then, the lost
are ultimately to be saved, it must be either because they shall have
satisfied the penalty; or else through redemption--that is, because
Christ has borne that penalty for them. But if sinners can be saved by
satisfying Divine justice in enduring the penalty due to sin, Christ
need not have died. If, on the other hand, the redeemed may yet be
doomed, though ordained to eternal life in Christ, themselves to
endure the penalty for sin, the foundations of our faith are
destroyed. It is not, I repeat, the providential or disciplinary, but
the penal consequences of sin, which follow the judgment. We can
therefore understand how the sinner may escape his doom through his
debt being paid vicariously, or we can (in theory, at all events)
admit that he may be discharged on payment personally of "the
uttermost farthing;" but that the sinner should be made to pay a
portion of his debt, and then released because someone else had paid
the whole before he was remitted to punishment at all--this is
absolutely inconsistent with both righteousness and grace" ("Human
Destiny").
Again; if it be true that the damned in the Lake of Fire are still the
objects of Divine benevolence; that as the creatures of His hand, the
Lord still looks upon them with the most benign regard, and the
unquenchable fire is nothing more than a rod in the hand of a wise and
loving Father, we ask, How can this be harmonized with the manner in
which Scripture uniformly speaks of unbelievers? God has not left us
in ignorance of how He regards those who have openly and persistently
defied Him. Again and again the Bible makes known to us the solemn
fact that God looks upon the wicked as cumberers of the earth, as
repugnant to Him. They are represented as "dross" not gold (Ps.
119:119); as worthless "chaff (Matt. 3:12); as "vipers" (Matt. 12:34);
as "vessels unto dishonor" and "vessels of wrath" (Rom. 9:21, 22); as
those who are to be made the Lord's footstool (1 Cor. 15:2 7) as
"trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by
the roots" (Jude 12) and therefore fit for nothing but the fire; as
those who will be "spued out of the Lord's mouth" (Rev. 3:16), that
is, as objects of revulsion. Some of these passages describe Jewish
reprobates, others sinners of the Gentiles; some refer to those who
lived in a by-gone dispensation, others belong to the present; some
speak of men this side of the grave, some of those on the other side.
One purpose in calling attention to them is to show how God regards
his enemies. The estimate expressed in the above passages (and they
might easily be multiplied) cannot be harmonized with the view that
God still looks upon them in love and entertains only the most tender
regards for them.
Another class of passages may be referred to in this connection. "For
I lift up My hand to heaven, and say, I live forever. If I whet My
glittering sword, and Mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render
vengeance to Mine enemies, and will reward them that hate Me. I will
make Mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh;
and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the
beginning of revenges upon the enemy" (Deut. 32:40-42). Can this be
made to square with the theory that God has naught but compassion
toward those who have despised and defied Him?
"Because I have called, and ye have refused; I have stretched out My
hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all My counsel,
and would none of My reproof; I also will laugh at your calamity; I
will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation,
and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish
cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon Me, but I will not answer;
they shall seek Me early, but they shall not find Me" (Prov. 1:24-28).
Is this the language of One who still has designs of mercy toward His
enemies?
"I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none
with Me; for I will tread them in Mine anger, and trample them in My
fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon My garments, and I will
stain all My raiment" (Isa. 63:3). Weigh this carefully, and then ask
if such treatment is meted out toward those unto whom the Lord
cherishes nought but compassion.
Should it be said, Each of these passages is from the Old Testament,
it would be sufficient to say, True, but it is the same God as the New
Testament reveals that is there speaking. But consider one verse from
the New Testament also. The Christ of God is yet going to say to men,
"Depart from Me, ye cursed into everlasting fire" (Matt. 25:41). Is it
thinkable that the Son of God would pronounce this awful malediction
upon those who are merely appointed to a season of disciplinary
chastisement, after which they will be forever with him in perfect
bliss!
Thus we have sought to show that the various objections brought
against eternal punishment will not stand the test of Holy Writ; that,
though often presented in a plausible form, and with the avowed
intention of vindicating the Divine character. yet, in reality, they
are nothing more than the reasonings of that carnal mind which is
enmity against God.
Having disposed of the principal objections brought against the truth
of Eternal Punishment, we now turn to consider:
Contents | Introduction | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
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Eternal Punishment by A.W. Pink
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II. The Destiny Of The Wicked
There is deep need for us to approach this solemn subject impartially
and dispassionately. Let writer and reader cry earnestly to God that
all prejudices and preconceptions may be removed from our minds. It
ill becomes us to sit at the feet of Infinite Wisdom determined to
hold fast to our foregone conclusions. Nothing can be more insulting
to God than to presume to examine His Word, professing a desire to
learn His mind, when we have already settled to our own satisfaction
what it will say. Some one has said that we ought to bring our minds
to the Scriptures as blank paper is brought to the printing press,
that it may receive only the impress of the type. May such grace be
vouchsafed to us all that we may ever present our minds to the Holy
Spirit's teaching that only the impress may be left which God has
designed. May our only desire be to hear "What saith the Lord?"
1. THE CERTAINTY OF THEIR JUDGMENT.
It is written "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this
the judgment" (Heb. 9:27). This is one of the many verses which refute
the errors of the Annihilationists, who make the judgment of the
sinner to be, itself, death. But here death and judgment are clearly
distinguished. The one follows the other.
The fact of a future judgment for sinners is established by numerous
passages. In Ecclesiastes 11:9 we read, "Rejoice, O young man, in thy
youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk
in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know
thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment."
Again, in Ecclesiastes 12:14, we are told, For God shall bring every
work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or
whether it be evil." The New Testament witnesses to the same truth:
"He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in
righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained" (Acts 17:31). The
judgment itself is described in Revelation 20:11-15.
Of the certainty of this coming judgment we are left in no doubt--"The
Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to
reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished" (2 Pet.
2:9). It will be impossible for the sinner to evade it. Escape there
will be none--"How can ye escape the damnation of hell?" (Matt.
23.33). Resistance, individually or collectively, will be
futile--"Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished"
(Prov. 11:2 1). No confederacy of His foes shall hinder God from
taking vengeance upon them.
2. DEATH SEALS THE SINNER'S FATE.
Scripture teaches plainly that man's opportunity for salvation is
limited to the period of his earthly life. If he dies unsaved his fate
is sealed inexorably. There are two passages in the New Testament most
generally relied upon by those who affirm that there is for the lost a
hope beyond death. These are both found in the 1st Epistle of Peter. A
brief notice then shall be taken of them.
"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust,
that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but
quickened by the Spirit: By which also He went and preached unto the
spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the
longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a
preparing" (3:18-20). But these verses make no reference whatever to
any preaching heard by those who had already passed out of this life.
They simply tell us that the Spirit of God preached through Noah,
while the ark was being built, to those who were disobedient; and
because they refused to respond to that preaching they are now
"spirits in prison." It was not Christ Himself who "preached," but the
Holy Spirit, as is plain from the opening words of v. 19--"By which
also:" the "by which" points back to "the Spirit" at the end of v. 18.
That the Holy Spirit did address Himself to the antediluvians we know
from Genesis 6:3--"My Spirit shall not always strive with man." The
Spirit strove through Noah's preaching. That Noah was a "preacher" we
learn from 2 Peter 2:5.
The second passage is found in 1 Peter 4:6, "For this cause was the
Gospel preached also to them that are dead." But this need not detain
us. The Gospel was preached, not is now being preached, or, will again
be preached to them! That such passages as these are appealed to only
serves to show how untenable and impossible is the contention they are
supposed to support.
That death seals the doom of the lost, we may prove negatively by the
fact--and this is conclusive of itself--that we have not a single
instance described in either the Old Testament or the New of a sinner
being saved after death. Nor is there a single passage which holds out
any promise of this in the future. But there are passages which
contain positive teaching to the contrary. Several of these are now
submitted.
We turn first to Proverbs 29:1: "He, that being often reproved
hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without
remedy." This is so explicit and unequivocal it needs no words of ours
either to expound or enforce it. Once the rebellious sinner is "cut
off" he is "without remedy." Nothing could be clearer: at death his
doom is sealed.
Again, in Matthew 9:6 we read, "But that ye may know that the Son of
Man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith He to the sick of
the palsy) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house." Why did
not the Lord simply say, "The Son of Man hath power to forgive sins,"
and then stop? That would have been sufficient reply to His critics.
The only reason that we can suggest why the Saviour should have added
the qualifying words--"The Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive
sins--was because He would give us to understand that after a sinner
leaves the "earth" the Son of Man (Christ in His mediatonal character)
has not the "power" (or "authority" as exousia really means) to
forgive sins!
A similar instance to the above is found in John 12:25: "He that
loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this
world shall keep it unto life eternal." Notice that the antithesis
would be complete without the restricting words "in this world"
--"He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life
shall keep it unto life eternal." Again, we say, that the only reason
we can see why Christ added the qualifying clause, "He that hateth his
life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal" was in order to
show that destiny is fixed once we leave this world.
In 2 Corinthians 5:10, which speaks of believers, we have another
example of this careful employment of qualifying language: "We must
all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may
receive the things done in his body." The saints are to be dealt with
not merely according to what they have done, but that they may receive
"the things done in the body." What they have done after they left the
body and prior to the resurrection is not taken into account.
In John 8:21 it is recorded how that Christ said to His enemies, "I go
My way, and ye shall seek Me, and shall die in your sins; whither I
go, ye cannot come." Observe carefully the order of the last two
clauses. Once they died in their sins, it was impossible for them to
go to heaven. The solemn force of this verse comes out even more
clearly if we contrast with it John 13:36: "Simon Peter said unto Him,
Lord, whither goest Thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst
not follow Me now; but thou shalt follow Me afterwards." Mark the
absence of the qualifying "now" in John 8:21. To Peter it was said, as
to a representative saint, "Thou shalt follow Me (to heaven)
afterwards;" but to the wicked, Christ declared, "Whither I go, ye
cannot come!"
3. WHAT AWAITS THE SINNER AT DEATH
We naturally turn for light on this to the teaching of the Lord, for
more was said through Him than through any other concerning the future
of the wicked. Nor shall we turn in vain to the record of His words.
In Luke 16 we find Him drawing aside the veil which hides from us what
lies beyond death. He tells us of a rich man who died "and was buried"
(v. 22). But he had not ceased to exist. So far from it, the Lord went
on to say, "And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments." That
Christ was here describing the actual experience of this rich man
after death there is no good reason to doubt; to say otherwise, is to
be guilty of blasphemously charging the Son of God with using language
which He knew would mislead countless numbers of those who later would
read the record of His words. No one who comes to this passage with an
unprejudiced mind would ever suppose that it gave anything else than a
plain and simple picture of what befalls the wicked after death. It is
only those who have previously arrived at the foregone conclusion that
there is no torment for the unbeliever after death, who approach this
passage determined to explain away its obvious meaning, who rule out
of it what is there and read into it what is not there.
"In Hades he lift up his eyes, being in torments." The Greek word here
translated hell is "Hades," which is a generic term for the unseen
world, into which the souls of all pass at death. No doubt it is due
to the fact that the souls of saints as well as sinners are
represented as entering Sheol at death that caused the translators to
render it "grave" in many instances. But the fact that in both the
Hebrew and the Greek there is an entirely different word used for
"grave" ought to have prevented such a mistake. The Holy Spirit has
carefully preserved the distinction between the two terms throughout.
A careful examination of every passage in the Old and New Testaments
where these words occur will show that many things are said of the
grave" (Heb. "queber"; Gk. "mnemeion") which could never be said of
"Sheol" or "Hades;" and many things are said of the latter which are
never predicated of the former. For example: both the Hebrew and Greek
words for "grave" occur in the plural again and again; Sheol and Hades
never do so. The Hebrew and Greek words for "grave" are frequently
referred to as the possession of individuals--"My grave" (Gen. 50:5);
"grave of Abner" (2 Sam. 3:32); "His own (Joseph's) new tomb" (Matt.
27:60); "The sepulchers of the righteous" (Matt. 23:29); etc. In Gen.
50:5 we read, "In my grave which I have digged for me;" of "mnemeion"
we read, "And he laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in
the rock" (Matt. 27:60). Sheol and Hades are never so referred to. The
body enters "queber" and mnemion," but it is never said to enter Sheol
or Hades. Sufficient has been said to demonstrate that Sheol or Hades
is not the grave. We may, therefore, confidently affirm that neither
Sheol or Hades should ever be rendered "grave" or "the grave."
Hades refers to the same place as Sheol. Their identification is
unequivocally established by a comparison of Psalm 16:10 with Acts
2:27; "Thou wilt not leave My soul in Sheol" (Ps. 16:10), is "Thou
shalt not leave My soul in Hades" in Acts 2:27. But it is important to
bear in mind that Sheol or Hades had two compartments, reserved
respectively for the saved and the lost. And "between" these two, our
Lord tells us there is "a great gulf fixed" (Luke 16:26). The
compartment we are now considering is that which receives the souls of
the wicked. In this, Christ declares, is a "flame" which torments.
This is in perfect harmony with the teaching of the Old Testament
concerning Sheol. In Deuteronomy 33:22 we read, "For a fire is kindled
in Mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest Sheol." Again; in the
parable of the tares our Lord said, "I will say to the reapers, Gather
ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them"
(Matt. 13:30). The explanation of this is found in vv. 40-42 of the
same chapter: "As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the
fire; so shall it be in the end of this age. The Son of Man shall send
forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His Kingdom all things
that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a
furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." As
this takes place at the end of this age and before the judgment
begins, the "furnace of fire" must refer to Hades rather than the Lake
of Fire.
Returning then to the teaching of Luke 16 concerning the experience of
the wicked immediately after death, we read, "And in hell he lift up
his eyes, being in torments." Here we have a sentient being, a
conscious person, in a definite place; suffering there excruciatingly.
He was in "torments." So great was his anguish he begged that one
might "dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue" (v. 24).
But such alleviation was denied him. He was bidden to "remember" how
he had lived--a worshipper of Mammon. Such, we are assured, will be
the doom of every one that dies in his sins.
4. THE UTTER HOPELESSNESS OF THE LOST.
Thus far we have seen, first, that the judgment of the wicked is
certain; second, that death seals their doom; third, that at death the
souls of unbelievers go to Hades, into that compartment of the unseen
world reserved for the lost, there to be tormented in the flame. There
they remain until the judgment, when they shall be resurrected and
brought before the Great White Throne to receive their final sentence.
We, therefore, devote a separate section to show that after the wicked
are brought out of Hades there is even then, no hope whatever of their
salvation.
The first scripture we appeal to in proof of this is John 5:29: "All
that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth;
they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life, and they that
have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." This is the
solemn announcement of the Son of God. Let His words be well weighed.
Here He tells us briefly, what awaits the sum total of the dead. They
are divided into two classes: they that have done good, and they that
have done evil. For the one there is the "resurrection of life;" for
the other the resurrection of damnation." For evil-doers there is no
resurrection of probation, and no resurrection of salvation; but
simply and solely the resurrection of damnation. How this removes the
very foundation on which any might desire to build a future hope for
the wicked!
In 1 Thessalonians 4:13 we read, "But I would not have you to be
ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow
not, even as others which have no hope." Here the apostle draws a
contrast between the Christian grieving over the death of believing
loved ones, and the heathen who mourned the loss of their dear ones.
The Christian may sorrow over the departure of a saved relative or
friend, but he can also comfort himself with the blessed hope
presented to him in the Scriptures, the hope of being re-united at the
coming of the Lord. This hope the heathen, and the unsaved in
Christendom who mourn the loss of unsaved friends, have not. Yea, they
have "no hope." This is not weakened at all by the fact that in Eph.
2:12, 13 we read of those once "without hope" who had nevertheless,
been "made nigh by the blood of Christ." The Ephesian scripture speaks
of those alive in the world, and while here there is always a hope
they may be saved; though while they remain unsaved they are "without
hope," that is, without any scripturally-warranted hope. But the
Thessalonian passage speaks of those who have passed out of this world
unsaved, and for them there is "no hope." Whatever vain hopes the
wicked may now cherish in the day to come, the very "expectation of
the wicked shall perish" (Prov. 10:28)!
Another scripture which proves the hopeless state of those who have
rejected God's truth is to be found in Hebrews 10:26-29: "For if we
sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth,
there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful
looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the
adversaries, He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two
or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he
be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and
hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified,
an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the spirit of grace?" For
our present purpose we need not stop to consider of whom this passage
is specifically speaking. Sufficient to know that it treats of those
who have wilfully resisted the light. For these we are told "there
remaineth no more sacrifice for sins." If there remaineth no more
sacrifice for sins, then they must themselves suffer the Divine
penalty for them. What that penalty is this same passage tells us; it
is "fiery indignation" which shall devour them. It is a judgment
"without mercy." It is a "punishment" sorer than that which befell him
that despised Moses' law.
"For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no mercy;
and mercy rejoiceth against judgment" (James 2:13). It is true that
the apostle is here writing to saints, but in the verse we have just
quoted there is a noticeable change in his language, and here he is
obviously speaking of the unsaved, In the previous verse he had said
"Ye," but now he changes to "he." He that hath showed no mercy (to his
fellow-men) shall have "judgment without mercy" from God; and this, in
spite of the fact that "mercy rejoiceth against judgment." The last
clause is plainly for the purpose of adding solemnity to what
precedes. Judgment "without mercy" is language which looks back to
Isaiah 27:11, where we read, "It is a people of no understanding:
therefore He that made them will not have mercy on them, and He that
formed them will show them no favor." If, then, this judgment is
"without mercy" how it closes the door against all possibility of a
final reprieve, or even a modification of the dread sentence! And how
it exposes the baselessness of that hope which is cherished by many,
viz., that in the last great Day they think to cast themselves upon
the mercy of that One whom they now despise and defy! Vain will it be
to cry for mercy then. Of old God said to Israel, "Therefore will I
also deal in fury: Mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity:
and though they cry in Mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not
hear them." So it will be at the last Judgment. One other scripture
may be considered in this connection: "Raging waves of the sea,
foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the
blackness of darkness forever" (Jude 13). Unspeakably solemn is this.
This verse is referring to the future portion of those who now turn
"the grace of our God into lasciviousness" and deny "the only Lord God
and our Lord Jesus Christ" (Jude 4). Unto them is reserved "the
blackness of darkness forever." The endless night of their doom shall
never be relieved by a single star of hope. Thus have we sought to
show that the Word of God by a variety of expressions, each of which
is unambiguous and conclusive, reveals the utter hopelessness of those
taking part in "the resurrection of damnation." We shall next
consider:
5. THE LAST ABODE OF THE LOST.
This is given at least two different names in the New Testament:
"Gehenna" and "Lake of Fire." Let us now examine the teaching of
Scripture concerning them.
First, "Gehenna" is the Grecianized form of the Hebrew for "valley of
Hinnom," which was a deep gorge on the east of Jerusalem. This valley
of Hinnom was first used in connection with idolatrous rites (2 Chron.
28:3). Later it became a burial ground (Jer. 7:31), or more probably a
crematorium. Still later it became the place where the garbage of
Jerusalem was thrown and burned (Josephus). Its fires were kept
constantly alight so as to consume the filth and rubbish deposited
therein.
Second, this valley of Hinnom foreshadowed the great
garbage-receptacle of the universe--Hell, just as other places and
persons in the Old Testament Scriptures adumbrated other objects more
vile--for example, the "king of Tyre" in Ezekiel 28. Just as what is
there said of this king has in view one more sinister than he, so what
is said of the valley of Hinnom symbolized that which was far more
awful. We can no more limit Gehenna to the valley outside of Jerusalem
than we can restrict "the king of Tyre" to a mere man of the past.
Third, the valley of Hinnom our Lord used as an emblem of Hell, and
stamped with the hall-mark of His authority the wider and more solemn
scope of the word. It should be carefully noted that when speaking of
Gehenna He never referred to the mere literal valley outside of
Jerusalem, but employed it to designate the place of eternal torments.
Fourth, Gehenna, in its New Testament usage, refers to a place. "And
if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for
it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish. and
not that thy whole body should be cast into Gehenna" (Matt. 5:29. See
also Matt. 18:9).
Fifth. the fire of Gehenna is eternal. "And if thy hand offend thee,
cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than
having two hands to go into Gehenna, into the fire that never shall be
quenched: where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched"
(Mark 9:43, 44).
Sixth, Gehenna is the place in which both soul and body are destroyed.
"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the
soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body
in Gehenna" (Matt. 19:28). This passage is most important, for more
than any other it enables us to gather the real scope of this term.
The fact that the "soul" as well as the body is destroyed there, is
proof positive that our Lord was not referring to the valley of
Hinnom. So, too, the fact that the "body" is destroyed there, makes it
certain that "Gehenna"is not another name for "Hades." In pondering
this solemn verse we should remember that "destroy" does not mean to
annihilate. Some have raised a quibble over the fact that Christ did
not here expressly say that God would "destroy both soul and body in
hell," but merely said "Fear Him which is able to. " This admits of a
simple and conclusive reply. Surely it is apparent on the surface that
Christ is not here predicating of God a power which none can deny, but
which, notwithstanding, He will never exert! He was not simply
affirming the omnipotence of God, but uttering a solemn threat which
will yet be executed. That such was His meaning is established beyond
the shadow of doubt when we compare Matthew 10:28 with the parallel
passage in Luke 12:5: "But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear:
fear Him, which after He hath killed hath power to cast into hell;
yea, I say unto you, fear him." This threat we know will be fulfilled.
Seventh, Gehenna is identical with the Lake of Fire. There are four
things which indicate this, and taken together they constitute a
cumulative but clear proof. First, the fact that in Gehenna God
"destroys" both soul and body (Matt. 10:28). This shows the wicked who
are there destroyed have already received their resurrection bodies.
Second, the fact that the fire of Gehenna is eternal: it will "never
be quenched" (Mark 9:43). This is nowhere said of the fires of sheol
or hades. Third, in Isaiah 30:33 we learn that "Tophet" is ordained
for "the king"--it is "the king" of Daniel 11:36, that is the
Antichrist, "the Assyrian" of Isaiah 30:30. Now "Tophet" is another
name for the valley of Hinnom, as may be seen by a reference to
Jeremiah 7:31, 32. In Rev. 19:20 we are told that the Beast (the
Antichrist) together with the False Prophet will be "cast alive into a
lake of fire burning with brimstone." Thus by comparing Isaiah 30:33
with Revelation 19:20 we learn that Gehenna and the Lake of Fire are
one and the same. Finally, notice the absence of "Gehenna" in
Revelation 20:14, "And death and hades were cast into the lake of
fire." The meaning of this is the people whom death and hades had
seized
--"death" capturing the body; "hades" claiming the soul. That the
casting of "death and hades" into the Lake of Fire refer to their
captives is clear from the concluding words of the verse
--"This is the second death," i.e. for their victims. Note then that
we are not told that "Gehenna" was cast into the Lake of Fire because
Gehenna and the Lake of Fire and one and the same place.
We shall now offer a few remarks upon the Lake of fire and brimstone.
The following analysis indicates the teaching of Scripture concerning
it.
First, it is the place which finally receives the Beast and the False
Prophet: Revelation 19:20.
Second, it is the place which finally receives the Devil: Revelation
20:10.
Third, it is the place which finally receives all whose names are not
found written in the book of life: Revelation 20:15 and cf. 21:8.
Fourth, it is a place of "torment;" Revelation 20:10.
Fifth, it is a place whose torment is ceaseless and interminable, "day
and night for ever and ever:" Revelation 20:10 and cf. 14:11.
Sixth, it is also termed "The Second Death:" Revelation 20:14; 21:8,
etc.
Seventh, it has "no power" on the people of God: Revelation 20:6 and
cf. 2:11.
In the sixth item above we have pointed out that the Lake of Fire is
also denominated "The Second Death." At least three reasons may be
suggested for this. First, this designation intimates that the endless
torments of the Lake of Fire are the penalty and wages of sin. "The
wages of sin is death." Second, the use of this appellation calls
attention to the fact that all who are cast into the Lake of Fire will
be eternally separated from God. As the first death is the separation
of the soul from the body, so the second death will be the eternal
separation of the soul from God--"Punished with everlasting
destruction from the presence of the Lord" (2 Thess. 1:9). Third, such
a title emphasizes the dreadfulness of the Lake of Fire. To the normal
man death is the object he fears above all others. It is that from
which he naturally shrinks, It is that which he most dreads. When,
then, the Holy Spirit designates the Lake of Fire the "Second Death"
He is emphasizing the fact that it is an object of horror from which
the sinner should flee.
6. THE ETERNALITY OF THE SUFFERINGS OF THE LOST.
Upon this point the language of Scripture is most explicit. In Matthew
25:41 we read of "everlasting fire." In Matthew 25:46 of "everlasting
punishment." In Mark 6:29 of "eternal damnation." And in 2
Thessalonians 1:9 of "everlasting destruction." We are aware that the
enemies of God's truth have sought to tamper with this word rendered
everlasting and eternal. But their efforts have been entirely futile.
The impossibility of rendering the Greek word by any other English
equivalent appears from the following evidence:
The Greek word is "aionios" and its meaning and scope has been
definitely defined for us by the Holy Spirit in at least two passages.
"While we look not at the things which are seen: but at the things
which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but
the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Cor. 4:18). Here a
contrast is drawn between things "seen" and things "not seen," between
things "temporal" and things "eternal." Now it is obvious that if the
things "temporal" should last forever, there would be no antithesis
between them and the things "eternal." It is equally obvious that if
the things "eternal" are merely "age-long," then they cannot be
properly contrasted with things that are temporal. The difference
between things temporal and things eternal in this verse is as great
as the difference between the things "seen" and the things "not seen."
The second example, which is of the same character as the one
furnished in 2 Corinthians 4:18, is equally conclusive. In Philemon 15
we read, "For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou
shouldest receive him forever." Here the Greek for "forever" is
aionios. The apostle is beseeching Philemon to receive Onesimus, who
had left his master, and whom Paul had sent back to him. When the
apostle says "receive him forever," his evident meaning is, never
banish him, never sell him, never again send him away. "Aionios" is
here contrasted with "for a season," showing that it means just the
opposite of what that expression signifies.
Eternal or everlasting is the one and unvaried meaning of aionios in
the New Testament. The same word translated "everlasting destruction,"
"everlasting punishment," "everlasting fire," is rendered "everlasting
life" in John 3:16; "the everlasting God" in Romans 16:26; "eternal
salvation" in Hebrews 5:9; "His eternal glory" in 1 Peter 5:10. No
argument needs to be made to prove that in these passages it is
impossible to fairly substitute any other alternative for everlasting
and eternal, And it is thus with the other class of passages. The
"everlasting fire" will synchronize with the existence of "the
everlasting God." The "everlasting punishment" of the lost will
continue as long as the "everlasting life" of believers. The "eternal
damnation" of the wicked will no more have an end than will the
"eternal salvation" of the redeemed. The "everlasting destruction" of
unbelievers will prove as interminable as the "everlasting glory" of
God. To deny the former is to deny the latter. To affirm the
everlastingness of God is to prove the endlessness of the misery of
His enemies.
7. THE FINALITY OF THEIR STATE.
The doom of those who shall be cast into the Lake of Fire is
irrevocable and final. Many independent considerations prove this.
Forgiveness of sins is limited to life on this earth. Once the sinner
passes out of this world there remaineth "no more sacrifice for sins."
The fact that at death the soul of the wicked goes at once into the
"furnace of fire" (Matt. 12:42) witnesses to the fixity of his future
state. The fact that, later, his resurrection is one "of damnation"
(John 5:29) excludes all possibility of a last-hour reprieve. The fact
that he is cast soul and body into a lake of fire argues that then he
receives his final portion. The fact that the Lake of Fire is
denominated the "Second Death" denotes the hopelessness of his
situation. Just as the first death cuts him off forever from this
world, so the second death cuts him off forever from God.
In Philemon 3 the apostle Paul speaks of the enemies of the Cross of
Christ, and moved by the Holy Spirit he tells us that their "end is
destruction" (v. 19). Stronger and more unequivocal language could not
be used. There is nothing beyond the "end." And the end of the enemies
of the Cross of Christ is "destruction" not salvation. The Greek word
here translated "end" is "telos." It is found in the following
passages: "Of His Kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke 1:33); "Christ
is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth"
(Rom. 10:4); "Having neither beginning of days nor end of life" (Heb.
7:3); "I am ... the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last"
(Rev. 22:13).
As we have already seen, the twentieth chapter of Revelation describes
the final judgment of the wicked before the Great White Throne, after
which they are cast into the Lake of Fire. The chapters which
follow--the last two in the Bible--may be read carefully and searched
diligently, but they will not be found to contain so much as a single
hint that those cast into the Lake of Fire shall ever be delivered
from it. Instead, we find in the very last chapter of God's Word the
solemn statement, "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he
which is filthy, let him be filthy still" (Rev. 22:11). Thus the
finality of their condition is expressly affirmed on the closing page
of Holy Writ.
In the last two articles we have considered some of the principal
sophistries which unbelief has brought against the truth of eternal
punishment, and have also examined the teaching of Scripture
concerning the Destiny of the wicked. We approach now the most solemn
aspect of our subject, namely:
Contents | Introduction | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
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Eternal Punishment by A.W. Pink
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III. The Nature Of Punishment Awaiting The Lost
1. THE PORTION OF THE WICKED IMMEDIATELY AFTER DEATH.
We turn first to the teaching of our Lord found in Luke 16. Here, we
learn the following facts; First, that in Hades the lost are in full
possession of all their faculties and sensibilities. They see, for the
rich man saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom (v. 23). They
feel, for he was in "torments" (v. 24). They cry for mercy, for he
asked--but in vain--for a drop of water to cool his tongue (v. 24).
They are in possession of memory, for the rich man was bidden to
"remember" what he had received during his lifetime on earth (v. 25).
It is impossible for them to join the redeemed: there is "a great gulf
fixed" between them (v. 26).
Unspeakably solemn is all this. Not only will the lost be tormented in
flames, but their anguish will be immeasurably increased by a sight of
the redeemed being "comforted." Then shall they see the happy portion
of the blest which they despised, preferring as they did the pleasures
of sin for a season. And how the retention of "memory" will further
augment their sufferings! With what unfathomable sorrows will they
recall the opportunities wasted, the expostulations of parents and
friends slighted, the warnings of God's servants disregarded, the
proclamations of God's Gospel spurned. And then to know there is no
way of escape, no means of relief, no hope of a reprieve! Their lot
will be unbearable; their awful portion, beyond endurance. The Son of
God has faithfully forewarned that "there shall be wailing and
gnashing of teeth" (Matt. 13:42). It is very significant that Christ
referred to this just seven times--denoting the completeness of their
misery and anguish; see Matthew 8:12; 13:42-50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30;
Luke 13:28.
2. THE FINAL PORTION OF THE WICKED.
(1) This is spoken of as being "punished with everlasting destruction
from the presence of the Lord" (2 Thess. 1:9). None but one who really
knows God can begin to estimate what it will mean to be eternally
banished from the Lord. Forever separated from the Fount of all
goodness! Never to enjoy the light of God's countenance! Never to bask
in the sunshine of His presence. This, this is the most awful of all.
2 Thessalonians 1:9 furnishes clear intimation that the judgment of
Matthew 25, with its eternal sentence, looks beyond the Assize.
"Destruction from the presence of the Lord" is paralleled with "depart
from Me ye cursed."
(2) The final portion of the wicked is spoken of as "everlasting
punishment" (Matt. 25:46). In 1 John 4:18 the same Greek word is
rendered "torment." This term announces the satisfying of God's
justice. In the punishing of the wicked God vindicates His outraged
majesty. Herein punishment differs from correction or discipline.
Punishment is not designed for the good of the one who suffers it. It
is intended for the enforcing of law and order; it is necessary for
the preservation of government.
(3) The final portion of the wicked is spoken of as a "tormenting. "
This is proven by the fact that the everlasting fire into which the
wicked depart is "prepared for the Devil and his angels" (Matt. 25:41)
which emphasizes the awfulness of this punishment, rather than
specifies who are going to endure. This verse sets forth the severity
of the punishment of the lost. If the everlasting fire be "prepared
for the Devil and his angels," then how intolerable it will be! If the
place of eternal torment into which all unbelievers shall be cast is
the same as that in which God's arch-enemy will suffer, how dreadful
that place must be.
That this everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his angels,
produces the most awful suffering is clear from Revelation 20:10,
where we are told that Satan shall be "tormented day and night for
ever and ever." No doubt this torment will be both internal and
external, mental and physical. The word occurs for the first time in
the New Testament in Matthew 8:6. "Lord, my servant lieth at home sick
of the palsy, grievously tormented." The same word occurs again in
Revelation 9:5 where we read of infernal locusts, issuing from the
Pit, and which are given power to torment men, the nature of which is
explained as "the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man." So
intense will be the suffering caused therefrom "men shall seek death
and shall not find it, and they shall desire to die, and death shall
flee from them" (Rev. 9:6). This torment then cannot mean less than
the most excruciating pain which we are now capable of conceiving. How
much the pains of Hell will exceed the pains of earth we know not.
(4) The final portion of the wicked is spoken of as "suffering the
vengeance of eternal fire" (Jude 7). But many say this is merely a
figurative expression. We ask, How do they know that? Where has God
told them so in His Word? Personally, we believe that when God says
"fire" He means "fire." We refuse to blunt the sharp edge of His Word.
Was the Deluge figurative? Was it figurative "fire and brimstone"
which descended from heaven and destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah? Were the
plagues upon Egypt figurative ones? Is it figurative fire which shall
yet burn this earth, and cause the very elements to "melt with fervent
heat?" No' in each of these cases we are obliged to take the words of
Scripture in their literal signification. Let those who dare affirm
that Hell-fire is non-literal answer to God. We are not their judges;
but we refuse to accept their toning down of these solemn words.
Literal fire in Hell presents no difficulty at all to the writer. The
lost will have literal bodies when they are cast into Hell. The
"angels" also have bodies; and for all we know to the contrary, the
Devil has too.
But the question is often asked, How can the bodies of the lost be
tormented eternally by literal fire? Would not the fire utterly
consume them? Even though we were unable to furnish an answer to this
question, we should still believe that Scripture meant what it said.
But we are satisfied that God's Word answers this question. In Exodus
3 we read of the bush in the wilderness burning with fire, and yet was
not consumed! In Daniel 3 we read of the three Hebrews being cast into
the fiery furnace of Babylon, yet they were not consumed. Why was
this? Because, m some way unknown to us, God preserved the bush, and
the bodies of the three Hebrews. Is God, then, unable to preserve the
bodies of the damned from being consumed? Surely not. But we are not
left even to this unescapable inference. In Mark 9:47-49 we are told,
"It is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye,
than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: where their worm dieth
not, and the fire is not quenched. For every one shall be salted with
fire." The expression salted with fire" confirms what we have said
above. Salt is a preservative; hence, when we are told that "every
one" who is cast into Gehenna shall be "salted with fire" we learn
that the very fire itself so far from consuming shall preserve. If it
be asked, How can this be? We answer, Because that fire is "prepared"
by God (Matt. 25:41).
(5) The final portion of the wicked is described as an association
with the vilest of the vile. "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and
the abominable, and murderers, and whore-mongers, and sorcerers, and
idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which
burneth with fire and brimstone" (Rev. 21:8). O dear reader, weigh
well this solemn language. You may be a person of culture and
refinement: judged by moral standards your life may be exemplary and
spotless: you may pride yourself on your honesty and truthfulness: you
may be very particular in your choice of friends and very careful to
avoid the company of the profane and vicious: you may even be
religious, and look down in scorn and pity upon the idolaters of
heathendom; but God says that if you die in unbelief your portion
shall be with "the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and
murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all
liars." Think of what it will mean to spend eternity in the
Prison-house of the universe with Cain, and Pharaoh, and Judas! Think
of what it will mean to be shut up with the vile Sodomites! Think of
being incarcerated forever with every blasphemer who has ever lived!
(6) The final portion of the wicked is described as "the blackness of
darkness forever" (Jude 13). Unrelieved will be their fearful
sufferings; interminable their torments. No means of escape. No
possibility of a reprieve. No hope of deliverance. Not one will be
found who is able to befriend them and intercede with God for them.
They had the offer of a Mediator often made them in this world; but no
such offer will be made them in the Lake of Fire. "There is no peace,
saith my God, to the wicked." There will be no resting-place in Hell;
no secret corner where they can find a little respite; no cooling
fountain at which they may refresh themselves. There will be no change
or variation of their lot. Day and night, forever and ever, shall they
be punished. With no prospect of any improvement they will sink down
into blank despair.
(7) The final portion of the wicked will be beyond the creature's
power of resistance. "And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be
broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder"
(Matt. 21:44). There are many who now say, If at the end I find myself
in Hell, I will bear it as well as I can, as if by strength of will
and firmness of mind they shall, in measure at least, be able to
support themselves. But alas! Their resolutions will count for
nothing.
It is common with men in this world to shun calamities, but if they
find this is impossible, they set themselves to bear it: they fortify
their spirits and resolve to support themselves under it as well as
they can. They muster up all their courage and resolution in the
determination to keep their hearts from sinking. But it will be
utterly vain for sinners to do this in the Lake of Fire. What would it
help a worm which was about to be crushed by some great rock, to
collect its strength and endeavor to set itself to bear up against its
weight, and so seek to prevent itself from being crushed? Much less
will a poor damned soul be able to support itself under the weight of
the wrath of Almighty God. No matter how much the sinner may now
harden himself, in order to endure the pains of Hell, the first moment
he shall feel the flames, his heart will melt like wax before the
furnace --"Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in
the days that I shall deal with thee? I the Lord have spoken it, and
will do it" (Ezek 22:14).
If such then be the case with impenitent sinners, that they can
neither escape their punishment, nor deliver themselves from it, nor
bear up under it, what will become of them? I answer in the words of
another:
"They will wholly sink down into eternal death. There will be that
sinking of heart, of which we now cannot conceive. We see how it is
with the body when in extreme pain. The nature of the body will
support itself for a considerable time under very great pain, so as to
keep from wholly sinking. There will be great struggles, lamentable
groans and panting, and it may be convulsions. These are the
strugglings of nature to support itself under the extremity of the
pain. There is, as it were, a great lothness in nature to yield to it;
it cannot bear wholly to sink. But yet sometimes pain of body is so
very extreme and exquisite, that the nature of the body cannot support
itself under it; however loth it may be to sink, yet it cannot bear
the pain; there are a few struggles, and throes, and pantings, and it
may be a shriek or two, and the nature yields to the violence of the
torments, sinks down, and the body dies. This is the death of the
body. So it will be with the soul in Hell; it will have no strength or
power to deliver itself; and its torment and horror will be so great,
so mighty, so vastly disproportioned to its strength, that having no
strength in the least to support itself, although it be infinitely
contrary to the nature and inclination of the soul utterly to sink;
yet it will sink, it will utterly and totally sink, without the least
degree of remaining comfort, or strength, or courage, or hope. And
though it will never be annihilated, its being and perception will
never be abolished: yet such will be the infinite depth of gloominess
that it will sink into, that it will be in a state of death, eternal
death.
"The nature of man desires happiness; it is the nature of the soul to
crave and thirst after well-being; and if it be under misery, it
equally pants after relief; and the greater the misery is, the more
easily doth it struggle for help. But if all relief be withholden, all
strength overborne, all support utterly gone; then it sinks into the
darkness of death. We can conceive but little of the matter; we cannot
conceive what that sinking of the soul in such a case is. But to help
your conception, imagine yourself to be cast into a fiery oven, all of
a glowing heat, or into the midst of a blowing brick-kiln, or of a
great furnace, where your pain would be as much greater than that
occasioned by accidentally touching a coal of fire, as the heat is
greater. Imagine also that your body were to lie there for a quarter
of an hour, full of fire, as full within and without as a bright coal
of fire, all the while full of quick sense; what horror would you feel
at the entrance of such a furnace! And how long would that quarter of
an hour seem to you! If it were to be measured by a glass, how long
would the glass seem to be running! And after you had endured it for
one minute, how overbearing would it be to you to think that you had
yet to endure the other fourteen.
"But what would be the effect on your soul, if you knew you must lie
there enduring that torment to the full for twenty-four hours! And how
much greater would be the effect, if you knew you must endure it for a
whole year, and how vastly greater still, if you knew you must endure
it for a thousand years! O then, how would your heart sink, if you
thought, if you knew, that you must bear it forever and ever! That
there would be no end! That after millions of millions of ages, your
torment would be no nearer to an end, than ever it was; and that you
never, never should be delivered! But your torment in Hell will be
immeasurably greater than this illustration represents. How then will
the heart of a poor creature sink under it! How utterly inexpressible
and inconceivable must the sinking of the soul be in such a case."
(Jonathan Edwards).
Such, in brief, is the portion awaiting the lost--eternal separation
from the Fount of all goodness; everlasting punishment; torment of
soul and body; endless existence in the Lake of Fire, in association
with the vilest of the vile; every ray of hope excluded; utterly
crushed and overwhelmed by the wrath of a sin-avenging God. And let us
remember in Whose Word these solemn statements are found! They are
found in the Word of Him who is faithful and therefore has He written
in plain and positive language so that none need be deceived, They are
found in the Word of Him who cannot lie, and therefore He has not
employed the language of exaggeration. They are found in the Word of
Him who says what He means and means what He says, and therefore the
writer, for one, dares do nothing else than receive them at their face
value.
Contents | Introduction | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
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Eternal Punishment by A.W. Pink
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IV. The Application Of The Subject
1. In what has been before us we learn HOW the character and Throne of
God will be vindicated. What can be too severe a judgment upon those
who have despised so great a Being as the Almighty? If he that is
guilty of treason against an earthly government deserves to lose his
life, what punishment can be great enough for one who has preferred
his own pleasure before the will and glory of a God who is infinitely
good? To despise infinite excellence merits infinite misery. God has
commanded the sinner to repent, He has courted him with overtures of
grace, He has bountifully supplied his every need, and He has
presented before him the Son of His love--His choicest treasure --and
yet men persist in their wicked course. No possible ground, then, will
the sinner have to appeal against the sentence of the Judge of all the
earth, seeing that He not only tendered mercy toward him, but also
bore with him in so much patience when He might justly have smitten
him down upon the first crime he ever committed and removed him to
Hell upon the first refusal of his proffered grace.
That God shall punish every rebel against Himself is required by the
very perfections of His high sovereignty, It is but meet that He
should display His governmental supremacy. The creature has dared to
assert its independency: the subject has risen up in arms against his
King; therefore, the right of God's throne must be vindicated--"I know
that the Lord is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they
dealt proudly He is above them" (Ex. 18:11). When Pharaoh dared to pit
himself against Jehovah, God manifested His authority by destroying
him at the Red Sea. Another king He turned into a beast, to make him
know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men. So, when the
history of this world is wound up, God will make a full and final
manifestation of His sovereign majesty. Though He now endures (not
"loves") with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to
destruction; it is that, in the coming Day, He may "show His wrath and
make His power known" (Rom. 9:22).
2. What has been before us serves to expose the folly and madness of
the greater part of mankind in that for the sake of present momentary
gratification, they run the serious risk of enduring all these eternal
torments. They prefer a small pleasure, or a little wealth, or a
little earthly honor and fame (which lasts but "for a season") to an
escape from the Lake of Fire. If it be true that the torments of Hell
are everlasting, what will it profit a man if he gain the whole world
and lose his own soul? How mad men are who hear and read of these
things and pretend to believe them, who are alive but a little while,
a few short years at most, and yet who are careless about what becomes
of themselves in the next world, where there is neither change nor
end.! How mad are they who hear that if they go on in sin, they shall
be eternally miserable, and yet are not moved, but hear it with as
much indifference as if they were not concerned in the matter at all!
And yet for all they know to the contrary, they may be in fiery
torments before another week is at an end!
How sad to note that this unconcern is shared by the great majority of
our fellows. Age makes little difference. The young are occupied with
pleasures, the middle-aged with worldly advancement, the aged with
their attainments or lack of them; with the first it is the lust of
the flesh, with the second it is the lust of the eyes, with the third
it is the pride of life, which banishes from their minds all serious
thoughts of the life to come. "The heart of the sons of men is full of
evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that
they go to the dead" (Eccl. 9:3). O the blinding power of sin! O the
deceitfulness of riches! O the perversity of the human heart! Nothing
so reveals these things as the incredible sight of men and women
enjoying themselves and being at rest, while they are suspended over
the eternal burning by the frail thread of mortality, which may be
snapped at any moment.
3. What has been before us ought to make every unsaved reader to
tremble as he scans these pages. These things are no mere
abstractions, but dread realities, as countless thousands have already
discovered to their bitter cost. They may not seem real to you now,
but in a short time at most--should you continue to reject the Christ
of God--they will be your portion. You, too, shall lift up your eyes
in Hell, and behold the saints in heaven. You, too, shall crave a drop
of water to alleviate your fearful agony; but it will be in vain. You,
too, shall cry for mercy; but then it will be too late. O unsaved
reader, we pray you not to throw this aside and seek to dismiss the
subject from your thoughts. That is how thousands before you have
acted, and the very memory of their folly only accentuates their
misery. Far better had you been made wretched now for a time, than
that you should weep and wail and gnash your teeth forever. Far better
that you have your present false peace broken, than that you should be
a stranger to real peace for all eternity.
"Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." Whoever you are,
whether young or old, whether rich or poor, whether religious or
irreligious, if you are in a Christless state, then this is what
awaits you at the end of your present course. This, this is the Hell
over which you now hang, and into which you are ready to drop this
very moment. It is vain for you to flatter yourself with hopes that
you shall avoid it, or to say in your heart, Perhaps it may not be;
perhaps things have been represented worse than they really are. These
things are according to the Word of Truth, and if you will not be
convinced by that Word when presented to you by men in the name of
God, then God Himself will yet undertake to prove to you that these
things are so.
Think it not strange that God should deal so severely with you, or
that the wrath you shall suffer shall be so great. For great as it is,
it is no greater than the mercy which you now despise. The love of
God, His marvellous grace in sending His own Son to die for sinners,
is every whit as great and wonderful as this inexpressible wrath. You
have refused to accept Christ as the Saviour from the wrath to come,
you have despised God's dying love, why then should you not suffer
wrath as great as that grace and love which you have rejected? Does it
still seem incredible that God should so harden His heart against a
poor sinner as to bear down upon him with infinite power and merciless
wrath? Then pause and ask, Is it any greater than it is for me to
harden my heart against Him, against infinite mercy, against the Son
of His love? O dear friends, face this question of Christ Himself,
"How can ye escape the damnation of Hell?" (Matt. 23:33). There is
only one way of escape, and that is to flee to the Saviour. If you
would not fall into the hands of the living God, then cast yourself
into the arms of the Christ who died--"Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
and ye perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him" (Ps. 2:12).
4. What has been before us ought to make every professing Christian
diligently examine himself Weigh carefully the tremendously solemn
issues which turn on whether or not you have really passed from death
unto life. You cannot afford to be uncertain. There is far too much at
stake. Remember that you are prejudiced in your own favor. Remember
that you have a treacherous heart. Remember that the Devil is the
great Deceiver of souls. Remember that "there is a way that seemeth
right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death" (Prov.
14:12). Remember it is written that "Many shall say unto Me in that
day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name
have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works?" And
then He will answer them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, ye that
work iniquity" (Matt. 7:22, 23).
There are many who now wear the guise of saints, who appear like
saints, and their state, both in their own eyes and that of their
neighbors is satisfactory. And yet they have on only sheep's clothing;
at heart, they are wolves. But no disguise can deceive the Judge of
all. His eyes are as a flame of fire: they search the hearts and try
the reins of the children of men. Wherefore, let each take earnest
heed that he be not deceived. Compare yourself with the Word of God,
for that is the rule by which you will be tried. Test your works, for
it is by those you will be made manifest. Inquire whether you are
really living a Christian life; whether or not the fear of God is upon
you; whether or not you are mortifying your members which are upon the
earth; whether or nor you are "denying ungodliness and worldly lusts,"
and whether you are living "soberly, righteously, and godly in this
present world," for it is thus that "grace" teaches the saints to
live. Cry unto God earnestly and frequently that He will reveal you to
yourself, and discover to you whether you are building upon the Rock,
or upon the sand. Make the Psalmist's prayer yours--"Search me, O God,
and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts. And see if there be
any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Ps. 139:23,
24). God will search you hereafter, and make fully manifest what you
are, both to yourself and to others. Let each of us, then, humbly
request Him to search us now. We have urgent need of Divine help in
this matter, for our heart is "deceitful above all things, and
desperately wicked."
5. What has been before us should cause those who really enjoy the
full assurance of faith to praise God with a loud voice. To each of
you we say, God has given you wonderful cause for gratitude and
thanksgiving. You, too, justly deserved to suffer the full weight of
the wrath of a sin-hating and sin-avenging God. It is not long since
you loved darkness rather than light, It is only a short time since
you turned a deaf ear to both God's commands and entreaties. It is
only a few years at most since you despised and rejected His beloved
Son. What marvelous grace was it then that snatched you as a brand
from the burning! What wondrous love was it that delivered you from
the wrath to come! What matchless mercy it was that changed you from a
child of Hell (Matt. 23:15) to a child of God! O how you should praise
the Father for having ever set His love upon you. How you should
praise the Son for having died to save you from the Lake of Fire. How
you should praise the blessed Spirit for having quickened you into
newness of life. And how your appreciation ought to be expressed now
in a life that is glorifying to the triune God. How diligently ought
you to seek to learn what is well-pleasing in His sight. How earnestly
should you seek His will. How quick should you be to run in the way of
His commandments. Let your life correspond with the praises of your
lips.
6. What has been before us ought to stir up all of God's people to a
deepened sense of their duty. Fellow-Christian, have you no
obligations toward your godless neighbors? If God has made clear these
solemn truths to you, does it not deepen your responsibility toward
the unsaved? If you have no love for souls, it is greatly to be feared
that your own soul is in imminent danger. If you can witness, unmoved,
men and women hurrying down the broad road which leadeth to
destruction, then it is seriously to be doubted if you have within you
the Spirit of that One who wept over Jerusalem. It is true you have no
power of your own to save a soul from death, but are you faithfully
giving out that Word which is the instrument which God uses to bring
souls from death unto life? Are you supplicating God as you ought and
depending on Him to bless your efforts to point the lost to the Lamb
of God? Are you as fervent as you should be in your cries to God on
behalf of the lost? Alas, must you not join the writer as he hangs his
head in shame? Is there not reason for each of us to ask God to give
us a clearer vision of that indescribably awful portion which awaits
every Christ rejecter, and to enable us to act in the power of such a
vision!
7. What has been before us will yet be the occasion of profoundest
praise to God. Whatever difficulties the eternal punishment of the
wicked may present to us now--and it is freely granted that it is
difficult for our reason to grasp it, and that of necessity, for we
are incapable of discerning the infinite malignity of sin, and
therefore unable to see what punishment it really deserves--yet, in
the Day to come it will be far otherwise. When we behold God's
righteous dealings with His enemies, when we hear the sentences being
given according to their works, when we see how justly and thoroughly
they deserve merciless wrath, and stand by as they are cast into the
Lake of Fire, so far from shrinking back in horror our hearts will
give vent to gladsome praise. Just as of old the overthrow of God's
enemies at the Red Sea caused His people to burst forth in worshipful
song, so in the coming Day we shall be moved to rejoicing when we
witness the final display of God's holiness and justice in the
overthrow and punishment of all who have defied Him. Remember that in
the destruction of the wicked God will be glorified and this it is
which will be the occasion of the rejoicing of His people. Not only
will God be "clear" when He judges (Ps. 51:4), but His perfections
will be magnified in the sentences pronounced.
Contents | Introduction | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
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Eternal Security by A.W. Pink
Foreword
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Eternal Security is the teaching that God shall with no uncertainty
bring into their eternal inheritance those who are actually
justified--delivered from the curse of the law and have the
righteousness of Christ reckoned to their account--and who have been
begotten by the Spirit of God. And further it is the teaching that God
shall do this in a way glorifying to Himself, in harmony with His
nature and consistent with the teaching of Scripture concerning the
nature of those who are called saints. Why is this important? Why is
it important for every Christian to know that once God has taken him
for His own, He will never let him go? Arthur W. Pink gives many
reasons for this in this book on Eternal Security. For one thing, it
is necessary in order to strengthen young and fearful Christians in
their faith--by safeguarding the honor and integrity of God and His
Word. And it is also necessary in order to preserve one of the grand
and distinctive blessings of the Gospel, which to deny is to attack
the very foundations of the believer's comfort and assurance.
But let the reader be warned right from the start. Those who think
that they are opposed to what Pink finds in Scripture may be surprised
to find themselves agreeing with him. And those on the other side may
find that Pink has gone way beyond the mere statement and proof of a
doctrine to implications that they may have to accept for their own
lives. The author is no shallow student of the Word, but asks us to
follow Out its teaching so as to relate it properly to God's scheme of
things.
It is important for the reader to avoid wrong impressions as he begins
to read. The book has been titled Eternal Security because today that
is the name given to the doctrine dealt with in this book. But
historically the doctrine was called Perseverance of the Saints, and
Pink himself preferred that title. But whether it is called Eternal
Security or Perseverance of the Saints, it is the same doctrine that
has been held down through the years. We must not take issue with him
because at some points he used different words from what we are
accustomed to.
As he begins, the reader may also mistakenly get the impression that
Pink is arguing against Eternal Security at the same time he claims to
be for it. We assure the reader that this is not so. Pink is not
attempting to undermine this doctrine through trickery, not in the
least. If then he doesn't seem clear, we ask the reader to be patient
and give him a chance to explain himself (esp. in chap. 7). We, as
Pink did, should realize that many doctrines of Scripture cannot be
fairly stated as simple slogans. Eternal Security is one of these. Let
us endeavor to study out this doctrine to its final conclusion since
it is so important to our welfare as we walk the Christian life.
It may help to know that Pink originally came out from a group of
rather sectarian hyper-Calvinistic Baptists in England. He clearly
reacted strongly to some of their distinctive tenets. This is
especially true of their Antinomian tendencies, in which they inclined
toward the view that since all of man's actions and circumstances are
predestined, a Christian need not bother with his
responsibilities--God will bring all that is needed into his life so
that he will automatically be directed to do what He wants.
But though he rejected this kind of thinking very strongly (Pink's
book Practical Christianity gives a very helpful, balanced view), he
did not overreact. He remained unashamedly Calvinistic. Yet it was his
desire to avoid all lopsidedness, and it is for that reason that he
may truly be said to be of value to all. No matter what he wrote on,
he gave careful consideration to all who in any way try to base their
view on Scripture.
Pink was unusually thorough in his writings. One can read dozens of
books by other writers on a subject and find that questions have been
left unanswered by them all. Not so with Pink. It rarely happens that
he will not deal with a pressing question. He decried superficiality
and compromise. The result was a full but practical treatment of each
subject he wrote on.
Yet he did not get bogged down in philosophical theology. Pink was
first and foremost a careful expositor of Scripture, and this carried
over in his handling of doctrine. He did not quote a text of Scripture
and leave it up to the reader to make the connections. Rather, he
usually took the time to deal with it positively, relating each part
to the subject and establishing beyond question that the particular
Scripture applies. He was also a master in showing the meaning of a
text of Scripture by a careful consideration of its context. Time
after time he demonstrates in this way that it cannot mean what some
have claimed. Thus he avoids the proof-text method of developing a
doctrine. The reader will see this for himself in this book.
Eternal Security is a doctrine that complements and completes other
truths. It is the truth which establishes a Christian in assurance of
salvation. The doctrine of election in itself cannot do this.
Justification cannot do this. The doctrine of sanctification cannot do
this. Not even the doctrine of glorification does so. Yet each of
these is incomplete without Eternal Security. Election, Justification,
Sanctification, and Glorification are all hypothetical--mere
possibilities--until Eternal Security complements and completes them
by showing how they are applied to specific individuals. And it is
also practical because it brings believers to assurance of salvation,
which according to many Scripture passages they are to have.
There is, however, the possibility of self-deception. Assurance of
salvation must be based on a right understanding of what God's Word
teaches concerning Eternal Security. D. L. Moody told a story that
illustrates the danger. A drunk stopped Moody one time and said,
"Don't you remember me? I'm the man you saved here two years ago."
"Well," said Moody, "it must have been me, because the Lord certainly
didn't do it." Too many are "saved" by men, and not saved by God. In
other words, one can have assurance of salvation -- like the drunk
--without being saved. We must contend for Eternal Security for those
who are really saved -- who are born anew, and have been changed
within. This is what Arthur W. Pink explains so well in this book.
The material for this book was taken from a series of 34 articles in
Pink's Studies in the Scriptures (Vols. 21-23), written under the
title "The Saint's Perseverance," and first published as a separate
book under that title in 1972.
Contents | Forward | Intro | | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11
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Eternal Security by A.W. Pink
Chapter 1
Introduction
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In previous volumes we have expounded at some length (though not in
this precise order) the great truths of Divine Election or
Predestination unto salvation; the Atonement or perfect Satisfaction
which Christ rendered unto the Law on behalf of His people; fallen
man's total impotency unto good; the miracle of Regeneration, whereby
the elect (who are born into this world dead in trespasses and sins)
are quickened into newness of life; Justification by faith, whereby
the believing sinner is delivered from the curse of the Law, the
righteousness of Christ being reckoned to his account; the believer's
Sanctification, whereby he is set apart unto God, constituted a temple
of the Holy Spirit, delivered from the reigning power of sin, and made
meet for Heaven. It is therefore fitting that we should now take up
the complementary and completing truth of the final perseverance of
the saints, or the infrustrable certainty of their entrance into the
Inheritance purchased for them by Christ and unto which they have been
begotten by the Spirit.
This blessed subject has been an occasion for fierce strife in the
theological world, and nowhere is the breach between Calvinists and
Arminians more apparent than in their diverse views of this doctrine.
The former regard it as the very salt of the covenant, as one of the
principal mercies purchased by the redemption of Christ, as one of the
richest jewels which adorns the Gospel's crown, as one of the choicest
cordials for the reviving of fainting saints, as one of the greatest
incentives to practical holiness. But with the latter it is the very
reverse. Arminians regard this doctrine as an invention of the Devil,
as highly dishonoring to God, as a poisoning of the Gospel fountain,
as giving license to self-indulgence and being subversive of all real
piety. In this instance it is impossible to seek a golden mean between
two extremes, for one party must be extremely right and the other
extremely wrong.
While we have no doubt whatever in which of those two camps the truth
is to be found, yet we are far from allowing that Calvinists have
always presented this doctrine in its Scriptural proportions; yea it
is our firm conviction that during the last two or three generations
especially it has been dealt with by many novices in such a manner as
to do far more evil than good. Large numbers of men have contended for
the "Security of the Saints" in such a crude and lopsided way that not
a few godly souls were stumbled, and in their revolt against such
extremism supposed their only safeguard was to reject the whole
subject in toto. Such a course was wrong: if some amateur
would-be-bakers turn out uneatable loaves, that is no reason why I
should henceforth decline all bread--I should be the loser if I acted
so radically.
We have no sympathy whatever with the bald and unqualified declaration
"Once saved always saved." In a publication issued by a widely-known
"Bible Institute" appears the following. "I went to the death cell of
that condemned man in prison a few days ago. I went to tell him of a
pardon from my King. I had no right to offer him a pardon from the
state . . . but I could tell him of the One who took his place on
Calvary's cross, offering eternal redemption from the penalty of sin,
so that he could be justified before the `Judge of all the earth' in
the court of heaven, for all the endless ages. Thank God! I found that
man clear on the plan of salvation, for years ago under the ministry
of he had accepted Jesus as his personal Savior. But through the years
he had grown cold and indifferent: he had lost his fellowship with his
Lord, not his salvation. And the result was a life of sin. It took an
awful experience to turn him from his self-willed way; but as I talked
with him in his prison cell, I was convinced that he was born again
and repentant for his crime."
While it lies entirely outside our province to form any judgment as to
the eternal destiny of that murderer, yet a few comments on the
preacher's account of the above incident seem to be called for. What
impression is likely to be made on the mind of the average
light-headed professor by the reading of such a case? What effect is
it calculated to produce upon those church members who are walking arm
in arm with the world? First, we are told that this murderer was
"clear on the plan of salvation": so also is the Devil, but what does
such mental knowledge avail him! Next it is said that years before
this condemned man "had accepted Jesus as his personal Savior" under
the ministry of a certain well-known "Revivalist." But before any soul
can receive Christ as Savior, he must first throw down the weapons of
his rebellion, repent of his sins, and surrender to Christ as Lord.
The Savior is the Holy One of God, who saves His people "from their
sins" (Matt. 1:2 1) and not in their sins: who saves them from the
love and dominion of their sins. How different was the preaching of
Spurgeon from that of the cheapjack "evangelists" who have followed
him. Said he, "Go not to God and ask for mercy with sin in thy hand.
What would you think of the rebel who appeared before the face of his
sovereign and asked for pardon with the dagger sticking in his belt
and with the declaration of his rebellion on his breast? Surely he
would deserve double doom for thus mocking his monarch while he
pretended to be seeking mercy. If a wife has forsaken her husband do
you think she would have the impudence, with brazen forehead, to come
back and ask his pardon leaning on the arm of her paramour? Yet so it
is with you--perhaps asking for mercy and going on in sin--praying to
be reconciled to God and yet harboring and indulging your lusts. . .
cast away your sin or He cannot hear you. If you lift up unholy hands
with a lie in your right hand, prayer is worthless on your lips"
(C.H.S., 1860).
Returning to the above incident. This preacher declares of the man in
the condemned cell, "But through the years he had grown cold and
indifferent: he had lost his fellowship with his Lord, not his
salvation, and the result was a life of sin." Such a statement is a
flat contradiction in terms. Salvation and sin are opposites. "If any
man be in Christ he is a new creature: old things are passed away,
behold all things are become new" (2 Cor. 5:17). Divine salvation is a
supernatural work which produces supernatural effects. It is a miracle
of grace which causes the wilderness to blossom as the rose. It is
known by its fruits. It is a lie to call a tree good if it bears evil
fruit. Justification is evidenced by sanctification. The new birth is
made manifest by a new life. Where one makes a profession of being
saved and then follows it with "a life of sin" it is a case of "the
dog turning again to his vomit and the washed sow to her wallowing in
the mire" (2 Pet. 2:22).
Before dismissing this case a word should be said upon the preacher's
statement "I could tell him of the One who took his place on Calvary's
cross" which occurs, be it noted, at the beginning of the narrative.
Surely the first thing to press upon a murderer would be the awfulness
of his condition: to remind him that he had not only grievously
wronged a fellow-creature, but had sinned against the Holy One; to
faithfully set before him the solemn fact that in a few days he would
have to appear before the Divine Judge. Then he could speak of the
amazing grace of God which had provided a Savior for sinners, even the
very chief of sinners, and that He is freely offered to all by the
Gospel, on the terms of repentance and faith. But the Scriptures
nowhere warrant us to tell any indifferent, impenitent sinner that
Christ `took his place on the cross": the substitutionary work of
Christ is a truth for the comfort of believers and not a sop for
unbelievers. 0 the ignorance and confusion now obtaining in
Christendom.
In the N. T. the salvation of God is presented under three tenses:
past, present and future. As a work "begun" (Phil. 1:6), but not
completed in a moment of time. "Who hath saved us" (2 Tim. 1:9), "work
out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12), "now is
our salvation nearer than when we believed" (Rom. 13:11). These verses
do not refer to three different salvations, but to three distinct
phases and stages of salvation: salvation as an accomplished fact, as
a present process, and as a future prospect. First, God saves from the
pleasure of sin, causing the heart to loathe what it formerly loved.
That which is displeasing to God is made bitter to the soul, and sin
becomes its greatest grief and burden. Next, faith is communicated by
the Spirit and the penitent sinner is enabled to believe the Gospel,
and thereby he is saved from the penalty of sin. Then it is he enters
upon the Christian life, wherein he is called upon to "fight the good
fight of faith", for there are enemies both within and without which
seek to bring about his destruction.
For that "fight" God has provided adequate armor (Eph. 6:11), which
the Christian is bidden to take unto himself. For that fight he is
furnished with effective weapons, but these he must make good use of.
For that fight spiritual strength is available (2 Tim. 2:1), yet it
has to be diligently and trustfully sought. It is in this fight, a
lifelong process, a conflict in which no furloughs are granted, the
Christian is being saved from the power of sin. In it he receives many
wounds, but he betakes himself to the great Physician for healing. In
it he is often cast down, but by grace he is enabled to rise again.
Finally, he shall be saved from the presence of sin, for at death the
believer is for ever rid of his evil nature.
Now it is that third aspect of salvation which concerns us in this
present series of articles, namely, the believer's perseverance: his
perseverance in the fight of faith. The doctrine which is to be before
us relates to the Christian's being saved from the power of indwelling
sin during the interval which elapses between his being saved from its
penalty and the moment when he will be saved from its presence.
Between his being saved from Hell and his actual entrance into Heaven
he needs saving from himself, saving from this evil world in which he
is still left, saving from the devil who as a roaring lion goes about
seeking whom he may devour. The journey from Egypt to Canaan lies not
for the most part through green pastures and by the still waters but
across an arid desert with all its trials and testings, and few who
left that House of Bondage reached the Land of milk and honey: the
great majority fell in the wilderness through their unbelief--types of
numerous professors who begin well but fail to endure unto the end.
There are multitudes in Christendom to-day deluded with the idea that
a mere historical faith in the Gospel ensures their reaching Heaven:
who verily suppose they have "received Christ as their personal
Savior" simply because they believe that He died on the cross as an
atoning sacrifice for the sins of all those who repudiate their own
righteousness and trust in Him. They imagine that if under the
influence of religious emotion and the pressing appeals of an
evangelist, and assured that "John 3:16 means what it says", they were
persuaded to "become Christians", that therefore all is now well with
them: that having obtained a ticket for Glory they may, like
passengers on a train, relax and go to sleep, confident that in due
time they shall arrive at their desired destination. By such
deceptions Satan chloroforms myriads into Hell. So widespread is this
deadly delusion that one who undertakes to expose its sophistry is
certain to be regarded by many as a heretic.
The Christian life commences amid the throes of the new birth, under
acute travail of soul. When the Spirit of God begins His work in the
heart conscience is convicted, the terrors of the Law are felt, the
wrath of a sin-hating God becomes real. As the requirements of Divine
holiness begin to be apprehended the soul, so long accustomed to
having its own way, "kicks against the pricks," and only in the day of
God's power is it "made willing" (Psa. 110:3) to take the yoke of
Christ upon it. And then it is that the young believer, conscious of
the plague of his own heart, fearful of his own weakness and
instability, aware of the enmity of the Devil against him, anxiously
cries out, How shall I be able to keep from drowning in such a world
as this? what provision has God made that I shall not perish on my way
to everlasting bliss? The Lord has done great things for me, whereof I
am glad; but unless He continues to exert His sovereign power on my
behalf, I shall be lost.
Moreover, as the young Christian holds on his way he observes how many
of those who took up a Christian profession walk no more in the paths
of righteousness, having returned to the world. This stumbles him and
makes him ask, Shall I also make shipwreck of the faith? Ah, none
stand more sure and safe than those who feel they cannot stand, whose
cry is "Hold Thou me up, and I shall be safe" (Psa. 119:117). "Happy
is the man who feareth always" (Prov. 28:14). Happy the soul who is
possessed of that holy fear which drives him to the Lord, keeps him
vile in his own eyes and causes him to ever depend upon the promise
and grace of a faithful God, which makes him rejoice with trembling,
and tremble with hope.
In the case which we have just supposed--and it is one which is true
to life--we discover an additional reason for taking up the present
subject. It is necessary that the young and fearing Christian should
be further strengthened in the faith, that he should be informed the
good Shepherd does not leave His lambs undefended in the midst of
wolves, that full provision is made for their safety. Yet it is at
this stage especially that heavenly wisdom is needed by the instructor
if he is to be of real help. On the one hand he must be careful not to
cast pearls before swine, and on the other he must not be deterred
from giving to the children of God their rightful and needful Bread.
If he must be on his guard against ministering unlawful comfort to
carnal professors, he must also see to it that legitimate comforts and
cordials are not withheld from saints with feeble knees and whose
hands hang down because of their discouragements.
Each of the dangers we have alluded to will be avoided by due
attention unto the terms of our theme and an amplification thereof. It
is the final perseverance of the saints we shall write about, the
enduring of those who have been washed in the blood of the Lamb and
not those who have been whitewashed by self-reformation. It is the
final perseverance of saints along the Narrow Way, along the paths of
righteousness. It is their perseverance in the fight of faith and the
performance of obedience. The Word of God nowhere teaches that once a
man is born again he may give free rein to the lusts of the flesh and
be as worldly as he pleases, yet still be sure of getting to Heaven.
Instead, Scripture says, and the words are addressed to believers,
"For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die" (Rom. 8:13). No, if a
man is born again he will desire, purpose and endeavor to live as
becometh a child of God.
There has been some deliberation in our mind as to which is the better
title for this doctrine: the preservation or the perseverance of the
saints. At first sight the former seems preferable, as being more
honoring to God, throwing the emphasis on His keeping power. Yet
further reflection will show that such preferableness is more seeming
than real. We prefer the latter because rightly understood it includes
the former, while at the same time pressing the believer's
responsibility. Moreover, we believe, it to be more in accord with the
general tenor of Scripture. The saints are "kept by the power of God
through faith" (1 Pet. 1:5). He does not deal with them as
unaccountable automatons, but as moral agents, just as their natural
life is maintained through their use of means and by their avoidance
of that which is inimical to their wellbeing, so it is with the
maintenance and preservation of their spiritual lives.
God preserves His people in this world through their
perseverance--their use of means and avoidance of what is destructive.
We do not mean for a moment that the everlasting purpose of the Most
High is made contingent on the actions of the creature. The saints'
perseverance is a Divine gift, as truly as is health and strength of
body. The two sides of this truth, the Divine and the human, are
brought together in "work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do
of His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:12, 13): it is God who works in the
believer both the desire and performance in using the means, so that
all ground for boasting is removed from him. When God begins His work
of grace in a soul the heart then turns to Him in penitence and faith,
and as He continues that work the soul is kept in the exercise of its
graces. As we seek to unfold this theme our emphasis will change from
time to time according as we have before us those who repudiate it and
those who pervert it--when we shall treat of the Divine foundations on
which it rests or the safeguards by which it is protected. O for
wisdom to steer clear of both Arminianism and Antinomianism.
Contents | Forward | Intro | | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11
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Eternal Security by A.W. Pink
Chapter 2
Its Importance
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The theme of this present series of articles is far more than a
theological dogma or sectarian tenet: it is an essential portion of
that Faith once for all delivered to the saints, concerning which we
are exhorted to "contend earnestly". In it is displayed, respectively,
the honor and glory of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and therefore they who repudiate this truth cast a most horrible
aspersion upon the character of the triune Jehovah. The final
perseverance of the saints is one of the grand and distinctive
blessings proclaimed by the Gospel, being an integral part of
salvation itself, and therefore any outcry against this doctrine is an
attack upon the very foundations of the believer's comfort and
assurance. How can I go on my way rejoicing if there be doubts in my
mind whether God will continue to deal graciously with me and complete
that work which He has begun in my soul? How can I sincerely thank God
for having delivered me from the wrath to come if it is quite possible
I may yet be cast into Hell?
Above we have said that the honor and glory of Jehovah is bound up in
the final perseverance of the saints: let us now proceed to amplify
that assertion. God the Father predestinated His people "to be
conformed to the image of His Son" (Rom. 8:29), which conformity is
not fully wrought in any of them in this life, but awaits the day of
Christ's appearing (1 John 3:2). Now is the Father's eternal purpose
placed in jeopardy by the human will? is its fulfillment contingent
upon human conduct? or, having ordained the end will He not also make
infallibly effectual all means to that end? That predestination is
founded upon His love: "I have loved thee (says the Father to each of
His elect) with an everlasting love, therefore with lovingkindness
have I drawn thee" (Jer. 31:3). Nor is there any variation in His
love, for God is not fickle like us: "I am the Lord, I change not:
therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed" (Mal. 3:6). Were it
possible for one of God's elect to totally apostatize and finally
perish it would mean the Father had purposed something which He failed
to effect and that His love was thwarted.
Consider God the Son in His mediatorial character. The elect were
committed unto Him as a trust by the Father: said He Thine they were
and Thou gayest them Me" (John 17:6). In the covenant of redemption
Christ offered to act as their Surety and to serve as their Shepherd.
This involved the most stupendous task which the history of the
universe records: the Son's becoming incarnate, magnifying the Divine
Law by rendering to it perfect obedience, pouring out His soul unto
death as a sacrifice to Divine justice, overcoming death and the
grave, and ultimately presenting `faultless" before God (Jude 24) the
whole of His redeemed. As the good Shepherd He died for His sheep, and
as the great Shepherd it is His office to preserve them from this
present evil world. If He failed in this task, if any of His sheep
were lost, where would be His faithfulness to His engagement? where
would be the efficacy of His atonement? how could He triumphantly
exclaim at the end "Behold land the children which God hath given Me"
(Heb. 2:13)?
The person of the Holy Spirit is equally concerned in this vital
matter. It is not sufficiently realized by the saints that they are as
definitely indebted to the third Person of the Godhead as truly as
they are to the first and second Persons. The Father ordained their
salvation, the Son in His mediatorial character purchased it, and the
Spirit "applies" and effectuates it. It is the blessed Spirit's work
to make good the Father's purpose and the Son's atonement: "He saved
us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit"
(Titus 3:5). Said Christ to His disciples "I will not leave you
orphans (though I leave this world): I will come to you" (John 14:18).
That promise given on the eve of His death was made good in the gift
of the Spirit "But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father
will send in My name, the same shall teach you all things" (John
14:26). Christ's redeemed were thus entrusted to the love and care of
the Spirit, and should any of them be lost where would be the Spirit's
sufficiency? where His power? where His faithfulness?
This, then, is no trivial doctrine we are now concerned with, for the
most momentous considerations are inseparably connected with it. We
are satisfied it is because of their failure to realize this that so
many professing Christians perceive not the seriousness of their
assenting to the opposing dogma of the total apostasy of saints. If
they understood more clearly what was involved in affirming that some
who were truly born again fell from grace, continued in a course of
sin, died impenitent and were eternally lost, they would be slower to
set their seal unto that which carried such horrible implications. Nor
may we regard it as a matter of indifference where such grave
consequences are concerned. For any of the elect to perish would
necessarily entail a defeated Father, who was balked of the
realization of His purpose: a disappointed Son, who would never see
the full travail of His soul and be satisfied; and a disgraced Spirit,
who had failed to preserve those entrusted to His care. From such
awful errors may we be delivered.
The importance of this truth further appears from the prominent place
which is accorded it in the Holy Scriptures. Whether we turn to the O.
T. or the New it makes no difference; whether we consult the Psalms or
the Prophets, the Gospels or the Epistles, we find it occupies a
conspicuous position. If we cited every reference we should have to
transcribe literally hundreds of verses. Instead, we will quote only a
few of the lesser known ones. Here is one from the Pentateuch:
"He loved the people, all His saints are in Thy hand" (Deut. 33:3).
One from the Historical books: "He will keep the feet of His saints"
(1 Sam. 2:8). One from Job: "When he hath tried me I shall come forth
as gold" (23:10). One from the Psalms: "The Lord will perfect that
which concerneth me" (138:8). One from the Proverbs: "The root of the
righteous shall not be moved" (12:3 contrast Matt. 13:2 1). One from
the Prophets: "I will put My fear in their hearts that they shall not
depart from Me" (Jer. 32:40). These are fair samples of the Divine
promises throughout the O. T.
Observe the place given to this truth in the teaching of Christ. "Upon
this Rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hell shall not
prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18). "False Christs and false prophets
shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if possible,
even the elect" (Mark 14:22)--it is not possible for Satan to fatally
deceive any of the elect. "Whosoever cometh to Me and heareth My
sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like: he is
like a man which built a house and digged deep, and laid the
foundation on a rock; and when the flood arose, the storm beat
vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it; for it was founded
upon a rock" (Luke 6:47-48). "This is the Father's will which hath
sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me I should lose nothing"
(John 6:39). The writings of the apostles are full of it. "For if when
we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son;
much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life" (Rom.
5:10). "Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and
heirs of the kingdom which He hath promised to them that love Him"
(James 2:5). "Kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation"
(1 Pet. 1:5). "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for ~f
they had been of us, they would have continued with us" (1 John 2:19).
"Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling" (Jude 24).
The tremendous importance of this doctrine is further evidenced by the
fact that it involves the very integrity of the Scriptures. There is
no mistaking their teaching on this subject: the passages quoted above
make it unmistakably plain that every section of them affirms the
security of the saints. He then who declares the saints are insecure
so long as they remain in this evil world, who insists that they may
be eternally lost, yea that some of them--like king Saul and
Judas--have perished, repudiates the reliability of Holy Writ and
signifies that the Divine promises are worthless. 0 my reader, weigh
this well: the very veracity of the Lord God is concerned therein. He
has promised to keep the feet of His saints, to deliver them from
evil, to preserve them unto His heavenly kingdom, and "God is not a
man that He should lie, neither the son of man that He should repent:
hath He said, and shall He not do it? Or hath He spoken, and shall He
not make it good? (Num. 23:19).
Elisha Coles the Puritan used a forcible argument from the less to the
greater, the substance of which shall here be given. Since the Lord
made good His word in things of a lower consideration, how much more
will He in the eternal salvation of His people. If certain persons
were destined by Him to eminent service in this world, notwithstanding
the greatest of difficulties and natural impossibilities which stood
in the way to obstruct it, how much more certain is the accomplishment
of His purpose concerning those vessels of mercy which He has ordained
for heavenly glory! God promised Abraham that his seed should have the
land of Canaan (Gen. 12:7). Years passed and when little short of a
century his wife was still barren, but a miracle was wrought and Isaac
was born. Isaac married and for twenty years his wife remained
childless, when in answer to prayer the Lord gave her conception
(25:21). They had two children but the Lord rejected the elder, and
the younger to whom the promise belonged was in daily danger of being
killed by Esau (27:41), and to save his life he fled to Padanaram.
While in Padanaram Laban dealt harshly with him, and when he decided
to return home his father-in-law followed him with evil intentions,
but the Lord interposed and warned him in a dream (Gen. 31:23, 24).
But no sooner had Jacob escaped from Laban than Esau comes against him
with four hundred men, determined to revenge his old grudge (32:6),
but the Lord melted his heart in a moment and caused him to receive
Jacob with affection. When Simeon and Levi so highly provoked the
Canaanites there appeared to be every prospect that Jacob and his
family would be exterminated (34:25), but the Lord caused such a
terror to fall on them that they touched not a single one (35:5). When
a seven years famine came on the land, threatening to consume them, by
a strange providence the Lord provided for them in Egypt. There,
later, Pharaoh sought their destruction; but in vain. By His mighty
power Jehovah brought them forth from the house of bondage, opened a
way through the Red Sea, conducted them across the wilderness and
brought them into Canaan. Shall He do less for the spiritual seed of
Abraham to whom He has promised the heavenly Canaan for an everlasting
heritage?
Joseph was one whom the Lord would honor, and in several dreams
intimated he should be exalted to a position of dignity and
preeminence (Gen. 37). Because of that his brethren hated him,
determined to frustrate those predictions and slay him (v. 18). And
how shall Joseph escape? for they are ten to one and he the least. In
due course they cast him into a pit, where it seemed likely he must
perish; but in the good providence of God some Midianites passed that
way ere any wild beast had found him. He is delivered into their hands
and they bring him to Egypt and sell him to the captain of Pharaoh's
guard -- a man not at all likely to show kindness to him. But the Lord
is pleased to give him favor in his master's eyes (39:3, 4), yet if
Joseph's hopes now rose how quickly were they disappointed. Through
the lies of his mistress he was cast into prison, where he spent not a
few days but many years. What prospect now of preferment? Nevertheless
the counsel of the Lord was made good and he became lord over Egypt!
God promised the kingdom of Israel unto David and while yet a youth he
was anointed to it (1 Sam. 16:13). What! notwithstanding all
interveniences? Yes, for the Lord had said it and shall He not do it!
Therefore if Saul cast a javelin at him, unsuspected, to nail him to
the wall, a sharpness of eye and agility of body shall be given him to
discern and avoid it (18:11). If he determined evil against him,
Jonathan is moved to inform him (19:7). If he send messengers to
Naioth to arrest him, they shall forget their errand and fall a
prophesying (2 0-24). If he be in a city that will betray him, and no
friend there to acquaint him of his peril, the Lord Himself is his
intelligencer and sends him out (23:12). If Saul's army encompasses
him about and no way to escape is left, the Philistines invade his
land and the king turns away to meet them (vv. 26, 27). Though there
were not on earth to deliver "He (said David) shall send from heaven
and save me" (Ps. 57:3). Shortly after Saul was slain and David came
to the throne!
"And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the
Lord unto Bethel; and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. And
he cried against the altar in the word of the Lord, and said 0 altar,
altar, thus saith the Lord: Behold, a child shall be born unto the
house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the
priests of the high places that burn incense, and men's bones shall be
burnt upon thee" (1 Kings 13:1, 2). Most remarkable was this prophecy.
The kingdom of Judah had been despised and deserted by the ten tribes,
yet a day will come when the house of David should so recover its
power that a member of it would demolish that altar. Nothing seems
more contingent and arbitrary than the giving of names to persons, yet
here the name of this man is foretold centuries before his birth, and
in due time he was called Josiah. During the interval of three hundred
and fifty years between this prediction and its fulfillment (2 Kings
23:15, 16) things transpired which made dead against its
accomplishment. Athaliah determined to destroy all the royal seed of
David, but Joash is stolen from the rest and preserved (2 Kings 11:2).
Hezekiah falls sick unto death, but fifteen years is added to his life
rather than Manasseh, who must be Josiah's grandfather, should be
unborn (20:6, 21).
"Paul was a chosen vessel, appointed to preach Christ to the Gentiles
(Acts 9: 15) and at last to bear witness of Him at Rome (23:11). This
must be done although bonds, imprisonment and death itself do attend
him in every place. If, therefore they lie in wait for him at Damascus
and watch the gates night and day to kill him, he shall be let down by
the wall in a basket and so escape them (Acts 9:24, 25). If all
Jerusalem be in an uproar to kill him the chief captain shall come in
with an army and rescue him (21:31, 32) though no friend to Paul nor
to his cause. If more than forty men had bound themselves with an oath
that they will neither eat nor drink until they have killed him, his
kinsmen shall hear of it, and by his means the chief captain shall be
his friend again and grant him a sufficient convoy (23:14-23). . .not
his being once stoned, nor his thrice suffering shipwreck, nor
anything else, shall make void the purpose of God for bearing witness
of Christ at Rome" (Elisha Coles).
Now my reader, why, think you, are such instances as the above
recorded in the sacred Scriptures? Is it not for our instruction and
consolation? Is it not to assure us that the promises of God are
unimpeachable, that His counsel shall stand, that once the word has
gone forth from His mouth all earth and hell combined is powerless to
negative it? If the Lord was so exact in carrying out His word in
these lesser things, which related only to time and earth, executing
His purpose despite all outward oppositions, working miracles in order
to accomplish His pleasure, how much more will He be punctilious in
securing the eternal welfare of those whom He has appointed to
Heavenly glory! If He bore His people of old "upon eagles wings" (Ex.
19:17), above the reach of danger, if He kept them as "the apple of
His eye" (Deut. 32:10)--with all possible care and tenderness--till He
brought them to Himself, think you that He will now do less for any
for whom Christ died!
One of the outstanding glories of the Gospel is its promise of eternal
security to all who truly believe it. The Gospel presents no
third-rate Physician who is competent to treat only the milder cases,
but One who heals "all manner of sickness" who is capable of curing
the most desperate cases. It proclaims no feeble Redeemer, but One who
is "mighty to save": though the world, the flesh and the Devil,
combine against Him, He cannot be frustrated. He who triumphed over
the grave cannot be thwarted by any feebleness or fickleness in His
people. "He is able (which would not be true if their unwillingness
could balk Him) to save unto the uttermost them that come unto God by
Him" (Heb. 7:25). Those whom He pardons He preserves. Therefore each
one who trusts in Him, though conscious of his own weakness and
wickedness, may confidently exclaim "I know whom I have believed, and
am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto
Him against that day."
The importance of this truth appears clearly if we suppose the
opposite. Assume that those who flee to Christ for refuge should
finally end in the regions of woe: then what? Why, to what purpose
would be the proclamation of a Gospel which announced "so-great
salvation" only for its participants to be eventually disappointed?--
it would be no better than a beautiful mirage seen by parched
travelers in the desert: presenting to their view a life-giving
stream, only to mock those who sought it. Why, to what purpose did
Christ offer Himself as a sacrifice to God if His blood avails not for
those who trust in it? Why, to what purpose is the Holy Spirit given
to God's children if He is unable to subdue the flesh in them and
overcome their proclivities to wander? To what purpose is the Divine
gift of faith if it fails its possessor in the ultimate outcome? If
the final perseverance of the saints be a delusion, then one must
close his Bible and sit down in despair.
Contents | Forward | Intro | | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11
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Eternal Security by A.W. Pink
Chapter 3
Its Nature
_________________________________________________________________
We purpose dealing with this theme, and particularly with that aspect
of it which is now to be before us, in rather a different manner than
that which was followed by most of the Calvinistic divines in the
past; or rather, we propose to throw most of our emphasis upon another
angle of it than what they did. Their principal object was to
establish this truth, by rebutting the error of Arminians, who insist
that those who have been redeemed by Christ and regenerated by the
Holy Spirit may nevertheless totally and finally apostatize from the
Faith, and so eternally perish. Our chief aim will rather be to
counteract the crude manner in which this doctrine has been only too
often handled in more recent times and the evil use to which an
adulterous generation has put it. While Arminianism has by no means
disappeared from Christendom, yet it is the more recent inroads of
Antinomianism (the repudiation of the Divine Law and the turning of
God's grace into lasciviousness) which have wrought the most damage in
our own lifetime.
It is not sufficiently realized by many of the Lord's own people that
far more harm than good is likely to be done by immature "Gospellers",
who have more zeal than knowledge, and who expect to reap a harvest
(secure "results") before the ground is ploughed and harrowed. Many an
ignorant evangelist has given his hearers the impression that once
they "accept Christ as their personal Savior" they need have no
concern about the future, and thousands have been lulled into a fatal
sleep by the soothing lullaby "once saved, always saved". To imagine
that if I commit my soul and its eternal interests into the hands of
the Lord henceforth relieves me of all obligation, is to accept
sugar-coated poison from the father of lies. When I deposit my money
in the bank for safe custody, then my responsibility is at an end: it
is now their duty to protect the same. But it is far otherwise with
the soul at conversion--the Christian's responsibility to avoid
temptation and shun evil, to use the means of grace and seek after
good, lasts as long as he is left in this world.
If our ancestors erred on the side of prolixity their descendants have
often injured the cause of Christ by their brevity. Bare statements,
without qualification or amplification, are frequently most
misleading. Brief generalizations may content the superficial, who
lack both the incentive and the patience to make a thorough
examination of any subject, but those who value the Truth sufficiently
to be willing to "buy" it (Prov. 23:23) appreciate a detailed
analysis, if so be that their contemplation thereof enables them to
obtain an intelligent and balanced grasp of an important Scriptural
theme. The man who accepts a piece of money--be it of paper or
metal--after a cursory glance, is far more likely to be deceived with
a counterfeit than he who scrutinizes it closely. And they who give
assent to a mere summarized declaration of this doctrine are in far
greater danger of being deluded than the ones who are prepared to
carefully and prayerfully examine a systematic exposition thereof. It
is, of course, for the latter we write.
Much confusion and misunderstanding has been caused through failure to
clearly define terms. Those who assail this doctrine usually set up a
"man of straw" and then suppose they have achieved a notable victory
because so little difficulty was experienced in demolishing so feeble
an object; and it must be confessed that only too often those who have
posed as the champions of the Truth are largely to blame for this. It
needs little argument to demonstrate that one who is in love with sin
and drinks in iniquity like water does not have his face Heavenwards,
no matter what experience of grace he claims to have had in the past.
Yet it must not be concluded that the Arminian has gained the day when
he appeals to the Christian's spiritual instincts and asks: Does it
comport with God's holiness for Him to own as His dear child one who
is trampling upon His commandments? The Calvinist would return a
negative reply to such an iniquity as promptly and emphatically as
would his opponent.
"The righteous shall hold on his way" (Job 17:9). As Spurgeon
pertinently pointed out, "The Scripture does not teach that a man will
reach his journey's end without continuing to travel along the road;
it is not true that one act of faith is all, and that nothing is
needed of daily faith, prayer and watchfulness. Our doctrine is the
very opposite, namely, that the righteous shall hold on his way: or,
in other words, shall continue in faith, in repentance, in prayer, and
under the influence of the grace of God. We do not believe in
salvation by a physical force which treats a man as a dead log, and
carries him whether he will it or not towards heaven. No, `he holds on
his way', he is personally active about the matter, and plods on up
hill and down dale till he reaches his journey's end. We never thought
that merely because a man supposes that he once entered on this way he
may therefore conclude that he is certain of salvation, even if he
leaves the way immediately. No, but we say that he who truly receives
the Holy Spirit, so that he believes in the. Lord Jesus Christ, shall
not go back, but persevere in the way of faith. . .We detest the
doctrine that a man who has once believed in Jesus will be saved even
if he altogether forsook the path of obedience."
In order to define our terms we must make it quite clear who it is
that perseveres and what it is in which he perseveres. It is the
saints, and none other. This is evident from many passages of
Scripture. "He will keep the feet of His saints" (1 Sam. 2:9). "For
the Lord loveth judgment and forsaketh not His saints: they are
preserved forever" (Ps. 37:28). "He preserveth the souls of His
saints: He delivereth them out of the hand of the enemy" (Ps. 87:10).
"He maketh intercession for the saints" (Rom. 8:27). "He shall come to
be glorified in His saints" (2 Thess. 1:10). All such are preserved in
God's love and favor, and accordingly they persevere in the Faith,
eschewing all damnable errors; they persevere in a life of faith,
clinging to Christ like a drowning man to a life-buoy; they persevere
in the path of holiness and obedience, walking by the light of God's
Word and being directed by His precepts--not perfectly so, nor without
wandering, but in the general tenor of their lives.
Now a "saint" is a sanctified or separated one. First, he is one of
those who were chosen by the Father before the foundation of the world
and predestinated to be conformed unto the image of His Son. Second,
he is one of those who were redeemed by Christ, who gave His life a
ransom for them. Third, he is one who has been regenerated by a
miracle of grace, brought from death unto life, and thereby set apart
from those who are dead in sin. Fourth, he is indwelt by the Holy
Spirit, whereby he is sealed unto the day of redemption. But how may I
know whether or not I am a saint? By impartially examining myself in
the light of Holy Writ to see if I possess the character and conduct
of one. A "saint" is one whose back is toward the world and his face
toward God; whose affections are drawn unto things above, who yearns
for communion with his Beloved, who grieves over that in himself which
displeases God, who makes conscience of his sins and confesses them to
God, who prayerfully endeavors to walk as becometh a Christian, but
who daily mourns his many offences.
Only those persevere unto the end who have experienced the saving
grace of God. Now grace is not only a Divine attribute inherent in His
character, it is also a Divine principle which He imparts to His
people. It is both objective and subjective. Objectively, it is that
free favor with which God eternally and unchangingly regards His
people. Subjectively, it is that which He communicates to their souls,
which resists their native depravity and enables them to hold on their
way. A saint is one who not only has "found grace in the eyes of the
Lord" (Gen. 6:8), but who has also received "abundance of grace" (Rom.
5:17) --"unto every one of us is grace given" (Eph. 4:7). The Lord
"giveth grace unto the humble" Games 4:6), and His grace is an
operative, influential, and transforming thing. The Lord Jesus is
"full of grace and truth," and of His fulness do all His people
receive, "and grace for grace" (John 1:14,16). That grace teaches its
recipients "to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live
soberly, righteously and godly in this present world" (Titus 2:11,
12). They come to the Throne of Grace and "find grace to help in time
of need" (Heb. 4:16) and thereby prove the Divine declaration "My
grace is sufficient for thee" (2 Cor. 12:9).
From all that has been pointed Out above it follows that when we
affirm the final perseverance of the saints we do not mean,
1. That every professing Christian will reach Heaven. The sprinkling
of a few drops of water on the head of an infant does not qualify it
for the inheritance of the saints in light, for in a few years' time
that child is seen to be no different than others who received not
this ordinance. Nor does an avowal of faith on the part of an adult
demonstrate him to be a new creature in Christ. Many born of Papish
parents have been convinced of the folly of bowing before idols,
confessing their sins to a priest and other such absurdities, but
conversion to Protestantism is not the same as regeneration, as many
evidenced in the days of Luther. Many a Jew has been convinced of the
Messianic claims of Jesus Christ and has believed on Him as such, yet
this is no proof of saving grace, as John 2:23, 24; 6:66 plainly
shows. Thousands more have been emotionally stirred under the hypnotic
appeals of evangelists and have "taken their stand for Christ" and
"joined the church", but their interest quickly evaporated and they
soon returned to their wallowing in the mire.
2. Nor do we mean that seeming grace cannot be lost. Satan is a clever
imitator so that his tares are indistinguishable by men from the
wheat. By reading theological works and sitting under the preaching of
the Word an attentive mind can soon acquire an intellectual
acquaintance with the Truth and be able to discuss the mysteries of
the Gospel more readily and fluently than can an unlettered child of
God. Keen mentality may also be accompanied by a naturally religious
disposition which expresses itself in fervent devotions,
self-sacrificing effort and proselytizing zeal. But if such an one
relapse and repudiates the Truth, that does not overthrow our
doctrine: it simply shows he was never born of God. "They went out
from us, but they were not of us; for of they had been of us, they
would have continued with us" (1 John 2:19). Such characters had never
been received into the fellowship of apostolic assemblies unless they
gave credible appearance of possessing real grace, yet their
subsequent departure was proof they had it not. "Whosoever hath not
(in reality) from him shall be taken away even that which he seemeth
to have" (Luke 8:18).
3. Nor do we mean that initial and preparatory grace is a guarantee of
glorification. What percentage of blossoms on the apple and plum trees
mature and bear fruit? And that is an adumbration in the natural of
what is found in the spiritual realm. Many a promising bud is nipped
by the frosts of spring and never develops into a flower. In like
manner there is a large number who so far from despising and rejecting
it, "receive the Word with joy, yet hath not root in himself, but
dureth from a while" (Matt. 13:20, 21). That was the case when Christ
Himself sowed the Seed, and many a faithful servant of His has found
the same thing duplicated in his own ministerial labors. How often has
he seen the buds of promise appearing in the lives of some of his
young people, only to be saddened later by the discovery that their
"goodness was as a morning cloud and as the early dew it went away"
(Hos. 6:4). "Ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light"
(John 5:35) said Christ of certain ones who sat under the preaching of
His forerunner; but observe He declared not that they had "sorrowed
unto repentance".
Blazing comets and meteors are soon spent and fall from heaven like
lightning, but the stars keep their orbits and stations--as do the
spiritual "stars" held fast in Christ's right hand (Rev. 2:1). There
is an initial grace which produces a real but transient effect, and
there is a saving grace which secures a permanent result. Hebrews 6:4,
5 supplies a solemn illustration of the former. There we read of those
"who were once enlightened", that is, whose minds were illumined from
on high, so that they perceived clearly the excellency of Divine
things. They "tasted of the heavenly gift," so that for a season they
lost their relish for the things of the world. They "were made
partakers of the Holy Spirit," being convicted by Him of their sins
and brought to say with Balaam "let me die the death of the righteous"
(Num. 23:10); but thorns sprang up and choked the good Seed, so that
they "bring (forth) no fruit to perfection" (Luke 8:14). Such are cast
forth "like an untimely birth."
4. Nor do we mean that true grace if left in our hands would not be
lost. If Adam and Eve when left to themselves lost their innocency,
how much more would those who are still affected by indwelling sin
destroy themselves, did not the Lord renew them in the inner man "day
by day" (2 Cor. 4:16). Regeneration does not make the Christian a
God--independent and self-sufficient. No, it unites him as a branch to
the true Vine, as a member of Christ's mystical body; and just as a
bough detached from the tree immediately withers and as an arm or leg
cut off from its body is a lifeless thing, so would the saint perish
if it were possible to sever him from the Savior. But the believer is
not his own keeper: "your life is hid with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3)
declares the apostle. At the new birth our self-righteousness received
its death-wound, so that we were glad to look outside of ourselves to
the righteousness of Another, and the more we grow in grace the more
conscious are we of our weakness and the more are we made "strong in
the Lord and in the power of His might."
5. Nor do we mean that true grace may not be hindered in its
operations and suffer a relapse. "The flesh lusteth against the
spirit" (Gal. 5:17): being contrary the one to the other, there is
ever a warfare going on between them, one being uppermost to-day and
the other so tomorrow. Christian perseverance is to be gauged not so
much from single actions as by the more regular habits of the soul. As
the functions of the body may be hindered by a swoon or fit, as the
activities of the mind are impaired by delirium, so the stirrings of
indwelling grace may be interrupted by the power of our natural
corruptions. The more the saint yields to the solicitations of the
flesh, the feebler become the workings of the principle of grace. That
true grace may suffer a serious, though not a fatal, relapse, appears
in the cases of Noah, Abraham, David and Peter, which are recorded for
our warning and not for our imitation. The health of the soul varies
as does that of the body, and as the latter is frequently the
consequence of our own carelessness and folly, such is always the case
in connection with the former.
6. Nor do we mean that the comforts of true grace cannot be eclipsed.
We may indeed lose the sense of it though not the substance. Communion
with Christ is lost when we experience a fall by the way, yet union
with Him is not severed thereby. Mutual comforts may be suspended
between man and wife though the conjugal knot be not dissolved.
Believers may be separated from Christ's smile yet not so from His
heart. If they wander from the Sun of righteousness how can they
expect to enjoy His light and warmth. Sin and wretchedness, holiness
and happiness are inseparably joined together. The way of the
transgressor is hard, but peace and joy are the portion of the
upright. As a parent suffers his child to scorch his fingers at the
flame that he may learn to dread the fire, so God permits His people
to lose their comforts for a season that they may prove the bitterness
of sin, but He draws them back again unto Himself before they are
destroyed thereby.
7. Nor do we mean that the presence of indwelling grace renders it
unnecessary that its possessor should persevere. Yet this is one of
the silly inferences which Arminians are fond of drawing. They say,
"If it is absolutely certain that God will preserve His people from
total apostasy, then there is no real need why they must persevere" -
as well might we argue that it is unnecessary for us to breathe
because God gives us breath, or that Hezekiah needed no longer to eat
and drink because God had promised he should live another fifteen
years. Wherever saving grace is bestowed it is accompanied by "the
spirit of a sound mind" (2 Tim. 1:6) so that the soul is preserved
from trifling with God or reasoning like a madman. Christians are
called upon to work out their own salvation "with fear and trembling,"
not to conduct themselves recklessly, and to enable them thereto God
worketh in them "both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Phil
2:12, 13). Grace does not annul our responsibility but fits us to
discharge it; it relieves from no duties, but equips for the
performance of them.
We turn now to the positive side: having dwelt upon what is not
signified or implied by the final perseverance of the saints, let us
now endeavor to show whereof it consists. And here it should be duly
noted that the Holy Spirit has not restricted Himself to a single
expression but has used a great variety of words to describe this duty
and blessing. In matters of great spiritual importance God has
employed many different terms in His Word, for the instruction,
comfort and support of His people. Out of the scores which set forth
the believer's perseverance we may cite these. It is to "continue
following the Lord our God" (1 Sam. 2:14), to "walk in the paths of
righteousness" (Ps. 23:5), to be "steadfast in the Covenant" (Ps.
78:37), to "endure unto the end" (Matt. 24:13), to "deny self and take
up the cross daily" (Luke 9:23), to "abide in Christ" (John 15:4), to
"cleave unto the Lord" (Acts 1L23), to "press toward the mark" (Phil.
3:14), to "continue in the faith grounded and settled" (Col. 1:13), to
"hold faith and a good conscience" (1 Tim. 1:19), to "hold fast the
confidence and rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end" (Heb. 3:6), to
"run with patience the race that is set before us" (Heb. 12:1), to
"stablish our hearts" (James 5:8), to "be faithful unto death" (Rev.
2:10).
In the limited space at our disposal it is advisable to epitomize the
main branches of this subject under a few heads.
1. Spiritual perseverance is the maintaining of a holy profession or a
continuance in the word and doctrine of Christ. Wherever saving faith
is imparted the soul receives the Scriptures as a Divine revelation,
as the very Word of God. Faith is the visive faculty of the heart, by
which the majesty and excellency of the Truth is perceived and by
which such conviction and certainty is conveyed that the soul knows it
is none other than the living God speaking to him. Faith "hath
received His testimony" and thereby "hath set to his seal that God is
true" (John 3:33). Henceforth he takes his stand on the impregnable
rock of Holy Writ and neither man nor Devil can move him therefrom:
"the voice of a stranger he will not follow" (John 10:5). While one
who is not regenerated may intellectually believe and verbally profess
his faith in the whole of revealed Truth, yet no regenerated person
will repudiate the same.
"Some shall depart from the Faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and
doctrines of demons" (1 Tim. 4:1). How many have done so within the
memory of our older readers! Those who were looked upon as towers of
orthodoxy succumbed to "evolutionism" and the "higher criticism."
Those who were regarded as staunch Protestants became ensnared by
Romanism. Multitudes of the rank and file who were once members of
evangelical churches and teachers in the Sunday Schools, have been
poisoned by infidelity and repudiated their former beliefs. But all
such cases were merely the chaff being separated from the wheat,
thereby causing the true to stand out more plainly from the false:
"For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are
approved may be made manifest" (1 Cor. 11:19). When many of Christ's
disciples went back and walked no more with Him the apostles were not
shaken, for when He asked them "Will ye also go away?" their spokesman
answered "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal
life" (John 6:66, 68).
"Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue
in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed" (John 8:31). That is one
of the marks of those who are disciples of Christ in reality and not
only in appearance. They are all "taught of the Lord" (Isa. 54:13) and
not merely by men, and "I know that whatsoever God doeth it shall be
forever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it" (Eccl.
3:14). False Christs and false prophets may seek to beguile them, but
it is not possible to deceive the elect (Matt. 24:24). Hymeneus and
Philetus may err concerning the Truth, even denying the resurrection,
and in consequence "overthrow the faith of some," yet we are at once
assured "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this
seal, the Lord knoweth them that are His" (2 Tim. 2:17-19)--none with
a saving faith can be overthrown. And why? Because they are enabled to
continue in God's Word. Uninfluenced by "current opinion" or "modern
thought," the child o-f God even though the last one left on earth,
would "hold fast the profession of faith without wavering" (Heb.
10:23).
2. The maintaining of holy affections and principles. It should be
clearly understood that perseverance is not a distinct and particular
grace, separate from all others, rather is it a virtue which crowns
all virtues, a grace which sets a glory on every other grace. The
first stirrings of the new life are seen in conviction of sin and
contrition for the same, yet repentance is not an act to be performed
once for all, but a grace to be exercised constantly. Faith is that
which lays hold of Christ and obtains from Him pardon and cleansing,
yet so far from that being something which needs not to be repeated,
it is an experience which requires to be renewed day by day. The same
holds good of love, of hope, of zeal. Perseverance is the continued
exercise of holy affections and principles so that we do not merely
trust for a while, love for awhile, obey for a while, and then cease;
but forgetting those things which are behind we press forward to those
before. "These all died in faith" (Heb. 11:13): they not only lived by
faith, but they continued doing so to the very end of their earthly
pilgrimage.
"Blessed are they that mourn" (Matt. 5:4). Mark well the tense: not
they that mourned in the past, but who still do so. Even Pharaoh and
Ahab, yea Judas also, had transient qualms of conscience, but those
were nothing more than the stirrings of nature. But the child of God
has within him a deeper principle, a principle of holiness which is
contrary to evil, and this makes its possessor grieve over his
sinfulness. "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after
righteousness"; not only who once hungered after righteousness, but
who long ardently for it now. "Blessed is the man that endureth
temptation" (James 1:12): how much theology is to be found in the
grammar of Scripture! "To whom coming as unto a living Stone,
disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, precious" (1 Pet. 2:4):
yes "coming" for fresh supplies of grace, for further counsel and
instruction, for heart-reviving communion. "Blessed is he that
watcheth and keepeth his garments" (Rev. 16:15): they upon whom the
benediction of God rests are not those who once ran well, but whose
graces continue in exercise.
Christians are "kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation
ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Pet. 1:5). God does not
preserve His people by the mere putting forth of physical power, but
by renewing their graces, particularly their faith. It is through
their continued reliance upon Christ, their trusting in the Divine
promises and on God's perfections as engaged to fulfill them, their
keeping of His commands and their overcoming the world (1 John 5:4)
that the saints are secured from fatality. And their faith is
maintained by Christ's constant intercession -- "I have prayed for
thee that thy faith fail not"--and God's response thereto, who
fulfills "all the good pleasure of His goodness in them and the work
of faith with power" (2 Thess. 1:11). This does not mean that the
Christian's faith continues in unabated exercise all his days, for as
the most fruitful tree passes through a wintertime of non-bearing so
it often is in the experience of the believer, yet as the life is
still in the tree though leafless so faith remains and bursts forth
afresh. "Lord I believe, help Thou mine unbelief" expresses his
general course.
3. The maintaining of holy conduct or good works. When a person s
understanding has been supernaturally enlightened and his affections
Divinely renewed there cannot but follow a radical change of conduct,
though this is made more prominent and radical in some cases than in
others. The difference is much more apparent in one who was thoroughly
irreligious and guilty of gross outward sins before his new birth than
another who was regulated by the training of pious parents and
preserved from debauchery. Yet even with the latter a "new creation"
must express itself in a new life: the Word will be read and meditated
upon not so much as a duty but a delight, prayer will be engaged in
not perfunctorily but heartily, the Lord's people will not only be
respected but loved for whatever of Christ may be seen in them,
honesty and truthfulness will mark his dealings with his fellows not
only because this is right but because he would not grieve the Spirit,
while daily work is performed not as an irksome task which must be
done but as a service gladly rendered unto Him whose providence has
wisely and graciously ordered his lot.
At regeneration God imparts spiritual life to the soul, and all life
is followed by motion and operation. Before the new birth the soul was
spiritually dead, and at the new birth it was entirely passive, being
wrought upon by God; but after the new birth the soul becomes active.
Perseverance then is the endeavors of the soul to concur with God's
quickening of it. Hence it is that the Christian life is often
described under the figure of walking: "for we are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10). The motions of the
body are transferred to the soul, which by faith and love is conducted
along the way of God's statutes (Ezek. 36:2 7). Walking is a voluntary
action and the renewed soul has pleasure in the path of godliness.
Walking is a steady and continuous action, and not a spasmodic and
irregular one: so the Christian pursues an obedient course not by fits
and starts but steadily and steadfastly. Walking is a progressive
motion, moving onwards to a goal: so the Christian normally goes on
"from strength to strength" (Ps. 84:7). Walking as such is incessant,
for it ceases as soon as we sit down by the wayside: so the Christian
life is a walking to the very end of his pilgrimage and until Heaven
is reached perfect rest is not entered into.
"But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith,
praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God,
looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life"
(Jude 20, 21). It is by such exhortations that the Christian is
stirred to use the means that make for constancy. Care has to be taken
if there is to be spiritual growth. It is not sufficient to be
established in the faith, we must daily increase therein: the
foundation is laid that a house may be erected thereon, and that is
built steadily, bit by bit. For this, prayer is required: this is the
channel through which health and strength is obtained. Neglect of
prayer is followed by arrested growth, nay by decay of graces, for if
we go not forward we backslide. To pray aright the assistance of the
Holy Spirit has to be sought. Further, we must keep ourselves in God's
love by avoiding everything which displeases Him and by maintaining
close and regular communion with Him. Should we leave our first love,
then we must repent and do the first works (Rev. 2:4). Finally, hope
must be kept in exercise: the heart fixed upon the glorious prospect
and consummation awaiting us.
4. Such maintaining of a holy profession, holy affections and holy
action is necessary in order to salvation. The very term "salvation"
clearly implies danger, and of none can it be said that they are
completely saved until they are completely delivered from danger, and
certainly the Christian is not so while sin remains in him and he is
left in a wicked world and exposed to the assaults of the Evil One.
"See that ye refuse not Him that speaketh: for if they escaped not who
refused Him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape if we
turn away from Him that speaketh from heaven" (Heb. 12:25). Multitudes
of those who came out of Egypt, crossed the Red Sea, fed on the manna
and drank of the water from the smitten rock, afterward perished in
the wilderness, and we are told "Now all these things happened unto
them for ensamples, and they are written for our admonition..
.wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall"
(1 Cor. 12:10, 11), for a holy God will no more be mocked now than He
would be then.
As we have seen in an earlier paragraph 1 Pet. 1:5 places salvation in
the future--as also does Rom. 13:11; 1 Tim. 4:16 -- unto which the
saints are kept by the power of God through faith. Heaven can only be
reached by continuing along the sole path that leads thither, namely,
the "Narrow Way." Those who persevere not in faith and holiness, love
and obedience, will assuredly perish. Whatever temporal faith, natural
love, goodly attainments, and confident assurance may appear for a
while, they are a bed shorter than a man can stretch himself upon and
a covering narrower than the soul can wrap itself in (Isa. 28:20).
"Many false prophets shall arise and shall deceive many, and because
iniquity shall abound the love of many shall (not merely wane or cool
off, but) wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same
shall be saved" (Matt. 24:13). All temptations to deny the Faith, to
forsake Christ, to go back unto the world, to give free rein to the
lusts of the flesh, must be resisted to our last breath, or our
profession will prove worthless.
5. Enablement for this perseverance is wrought in the saints by God.
Their deliverance from a total and final falling away is not owing to
any power or sufficiency in themselves. Though their moral agency be
not impaired and though continuance in well doing be required of them,
yet their enduring unto the end is not to be attributed unto their
fidelity nor to the strength of the new nature which they received at
regeneration. No, Christian perseverance depends wholly and entirely
on the will and fidelity, the influence and energy of God, working in
them both to will and to do of His good pleasure, making them perfect
in every good work to do His will, working in them that which is well
pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ (Heb. 13:21). It is God,
who having begun a good work in them, will carry it on until the day
of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:6). If the Holy Spirit were taken from the
believer, and he left to himself to stand or fall, he would
immediately cease to be a believer and fall totally from a state of
grace" (S. Hopkins).
Freely will any renewed person subscribe to the following lines:--
"If ever it should come to pass
That any sheep of Christ should fall away,
My feeble, fickle soul, alas!
Would fall a thousand times a day;
Were not Thy love as firm as free,
Thou soon would'st take it Lord, from me".
6. Christian perseverance is consistent with being sanctified but in
part. It is most important that this be clearly stated, lest the
Lord's people conclude they are outside the pale of the Covenant. At
the new birth a holy principle or nature is imparted to them, but the
old and sinful nature is not eradicated, nor is it to the slightest
degree improved. Indwelling corruptions are as much opposed to God as
they were before conversion, and just as active. Pray against them as
he may, strive against them as he will, yet the believer is constantly
overcome by them: frequently does he have to exclaim with David
"iniquities prevail against me (Ps. 65:3). The experience described in
Romans 7:14-25 is that of every genuine Christian. God gives no man
such a measure of grace in this life as to make him sinless. "In many
things we all offend" (James 3:2), and by sudden surprisals and under
great temptations believers may fall into particular gross outward
acts of sin, yet they will not become totally corrupt and sinful as
the unregenerate are, nor do they sin with their whole heart.
Christian sanctification then is the maintaining of holy affections
and actions in the midst of native depravity and all its out-flows.
Despite great discouragements their faith and grace never wholly fail.
Sanctified but in part now, glorified in the future.
7. From all that has been before us it will thus be seen that
perseverance can be predicated only of those who "know the grace of
God in truth" (Col. 1:6), who experience its supernatural operations
in their own souls. Not a suppositionary grace which may be held in
reckless abandonment, but a spiritual grace which causes its possessor
to walk cautiously. What Scripture teaches is that, there never was,
never will be, and never can be such a thing as the total and final
falling away of one who has really repented and trusted on Christ;
that in every instance where a Divine miracle of grace has been
wrought that soul shall stand when this world and all its works shall
be burned up. Rightly has it been said, "The question of the
perpetuity of grace is the question of a genuine Gospel. Is grace
permanent, then the Gospel is a reality. Is grace temporary, then the
Gospel is a will o' the wisp, a phantom benediction, a dream of
blessedness from which one may awake, to find himself bereft of all
that raptured him" (G. S. Bishop).
Contents | Forward | Intro | | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11
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Eternal Security by A.W. Pink
Chapter 4
Its Marvel
_________________________________________________________________
This is an aspect of our subject which has received far too little
attention from those who have written and preached thereon. Amid all
the dust which controversy has raised up, only too often one of the
grandest wonders of Divine grace has been hidden from the sight of the
theological contestants: alas, how frequently is this the case, that
being so occupied with the shell we reach not the kernel. Even those
who have sought to defend this truth against the assault of Papish and
Arminian antagonists did not sufficiently hold up to view the glorious
miracle which it embodies. The security of the saint concerns not only
the Divine veracity and faithfulness but it also exemplifies the
workings of Divine power. The believer's cleaving unto the Lord,
despite all hindrances and temptations to the contrary, not only
manifests the efficacy of God's so-great salvation but displays the
marvels of His workmanship therein. That the gates of Hell shall not
prevail against the Church of Christ, that Satan is unable to destroy
a single member of it, that the weakest shall be more than conqueror
through Him that loved them, should fill us with admiration and
adoration.
All the blessings of the Christian's life may be summed up in two
eminent ones, for they include all the others of which he is the
recipient from the moment of the new birth to his arrival in Heaven,
namely, regeneration or instating him into life and the preservation
of that life through all the difficulties and dangers of his
pilgrimage to the safe conducting him unto glory. Hence it is we so
often find them linked together in Scripture. Just as the work of
creation at the first and then the upholding of all things by Divine
power and providence are yoked together as works of like wonder (Heb.
1:2, 3) so we find regeneration and preservation joined together as
the sum of the operations of grace. "Hath He not made thee and
established thee" (Deut. 32:6); "I have made and will bear, even I
will carry and deliver you" (Isa. 46:4). In Psalm 66:9 both are
comprehended in one word "who putteth (margin) thy soul in life" and
"who holdeth thy soul in life," first imparting life and then
sustaining it. So also in the N. T.: "I give unto them eternal life
and they shall never perish" (John 10:28); "begotten us again unto a
living hope. . . kept by the power of God through faith" (1 Pet. 1:3,
5): "sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ" (Jude
1).
This great marvel of Divine preservation is enlarged upon and
celebrated in Psalm 66. After saying "O bless our God, ye people, and
make the voice of His praise to be heard: which holdeth our soul in
life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved" (vv. 8, 9) the Psalmist
pointed out first, they had been proved and tried "as silver is tried"
(v. 10), which denotes the sorest of trials (Ezek. 22:22). Second, God
had brought them "into the net" and had "lain affliction upon their
loins" (v. 11): that is, He had so encompassed them round about with
afflictions that there was no way of escaping out of them (cf. Isa. 5
1:20). Third, God had caused men to "ride over their heads" (v. 12):
that is, they were delivered to the will of cruel enemies, who treated
them as slaves. Fourth, they had gone "through fire and water" (v.
12), which denotes the extremity of evils. Nor were these various
dangers perils to their outward man only, but tryings and testings of
their faith, as "Thou, Lord, hast proved us" (v. 10) intimates. Yet
through all of them they had been sustained and preserved. God had
supported their faith and upheld them under His sorest chastenings.
Having blessed God on behalf of other saints and invited his readers
to do the same, the Psalmist added a personal testimony, recounting
the Lord's goodness unto himself. "Come and hear, all ye that fear
God, and I will declare what He hath done for my soul" (v. 16), which
confession continues to the end of the Psalm. That testimony is not to
be divorced from its context but regarded as the continuation of what
he had affirmed in the preceding verses. It was as though he said,
what I ask you to praise the Lord for is not something with which I
have had no firsthand acquaintance but rather of that I have
experienced in my own checkered history. The Lord put and held my soul
in life during the many buffetings I have passed through. He did not
suffer the waters to completely submerge me but kept my head above
them. Give me an audience, ye fellow pilgrims, while I recount to you
the wonder workings of the God of all grace with me. Let me review the
whole of my wilderness journey and tell of God's failing not to show
Himself strong on my behalf: "I cried unto Him. . . blessed be God who
hath not turned away my prayer nor His mercy from me" (v. 20).
Ah, could not each child of God emulate the Psalmist in that. We are
greatly interested and delighted when we read or hear of how different
ones were brought Out of darkness into God's marvelous light. We
marvel at and admire the variety of the means and methods employed by
Him in convicting of sin and discovering Christ to different ones. We
are awed and rejoiced when we learn of how some notorious rebel was
brought to the foot of the Cross. But equally interesting, equally
wonderful, equally blessed is the story of each Christian's life after
conversion. If the mature believer looks back at the whole of his
journey and reviews all God's gracious dealings with him, what a tale
he could unfold! Let him describe the strange twistings and windings
of his path, all ordered by infinite Wisdom, as he now perceives. Let
him tell of the tempests and tossings. through which his frail craft
has come and how often the Lord said to the winds and waves "be
still." Let him narrate the providential help which came when he was
in sore straits, the deliverances from temptation when he was almost
overcome, the recoveries from backslidings, the revivings after
deadness of heart, the comfortings in sorrow, the upliftings when
borne down by difficulties and discouragements, the answers to prayer
when things appeared hopeless, the patience which has borne with
dullness, the grace with unbelief, the joys of communion with the Lord
when cut off from public means of grace. What a series of miracles the
Christian has experienced.
The saint is indeed a marvel of marvels: without strength yet
continuing to plod along his uphill course. Think of a tree
flourishing in the midst of a sandy desert, where there is neither
soil nor water; imagine a house suspended in mid-air, with no visible
means of support above or below; conceive of a man living week after
week and year after year in a morgue, yet maintaining his vigor;
suppose a lone lamb secure in the midst of hungry wolves, or a maid
keeping her garments white as she ploughs her way through deep mud and
mire, and in such figures you have an image of the Christian life. The
new nature is kept alive between the very jaws of death. Health of
soul is preserved while breathing a fetid atmosphere and surrounded by
those with the most contagious and fatal diseases. It is like a
defenseless dove successfully eluding droves of hawks bent on her
destruction. It is like a man subsisting on a barren wilderness where
there is neither food nor drink. It is like a traveler on some icy
summit, with unfathomable precipices on either side, where a false
step means certain destruction. 0 the wonder of Christian perseverance
in the face of such handicaps and obstacles.
1. This is seen in the character of those who are chosen by God. We
would naturally conclude that if He determined to have a people in
this world through whom He would show forth His praises, that He will
select the most promising and excellent: those of strong intellectual
power, those of noble birth, those of sweet disposition, those of
outstanding moral character. But His ways are different from ours. He
singles out the most unlikely and unworthy ones to be the vessels of
mercy. Thus it was in the O. T. era. Why were the Hebrews taken to be
the most favored of all nations? Had they a stronger natural claim
than others? Assuredly not. The Egyptians were a more intelligent
race, as the monuments of their industry attest to this day. The
Chaldeans were more ancient, more numerous, more civilized, and albeit
exerted a much greater influence on the rest of the world. Was it then
because the Israelites were more spiritual, more likely to prove
amenable to the Divine government? No, for ere they set foot upon
Canaan it was expressly declared unto them "Understand therefore that
the Lord thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy
righteousness, for thou art a stiffnecked people" (Deut. 9:6).
It is the same thing in the N. T. dispensation. "For ye see your
calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not
many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the
foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God hath chosen
the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God
chosen, and things which are not to bring to nought things that are"
(1 Cor. 1:26-28). How remarkable is this: the ones chosen to
successfully resist Satan, overcome the world, persevere in the
difficult path of faith and obedience and finally win through to
Heaven, are the feeble, the weak, the base, the despised, and the mere
nobodies. This has ever presented a stumblingblock to the proud
Pharisee: "have any of the rulers believed on Him?" (John 7:48). That
the priests and scribes be passed by and publicans and harlots called
to feast with Christ, that heavenly things should be hidden from the
wise and prudent and revealed to babes, evokes the sneer of the
learned "Christianity is only suited to old women and children." And
why is this God's way? "That no flesh should glory in His presence" (1
Cor. 1:29), that the crown of honor should he placed on the head of
Him who alone is entitled to wear it, that we may learn the marvel of
perseverance is the result of sovereign and miraculous grace.
2. This is seen in the fewness of them. There is but "a remnant
according to the election of grace" (Rom. 11:5) even among those who
bear the name of the Lord, and in comparison with the hundreds of
millions in heathendom who worship false gods and the vast multitudes
in Christendom who make no profession at all, the real people of God
constitute such an insignificant handful as to be almost lost to view.
One had naturally thought that if the Lord purposed to have a people
on earth who should glorify His name that they would be conspicuous in
size, commanding attention and respect. Is it not a maxim of worldly
wisdom that "there is strength in numbers" and did not Napoleon give
expression thereto in his satirical dictum "God is always on the side
of the biggest battalions"? Ah, but here too God's thoughts and ways
are the very opposite of the world's, for His strength is "made
perfect in weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9) and the things which are highly
esteemed among men are "abomination in the sight of God" (Luke 16:15).
Turn, my reader, to Judges 7:2 and ponder anew the lesson Jehovah
taught Gideon when He said, "The people that are with thee are too
many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt
themselves!"
Not only have the Lord's people always been in the minority but they
have never included more than a fractional percentage of earth's
population. Only eight were delivered from the flood. From the days of
Noah unto Moses -- a period of roughly eight and a half centuries --
we may count upon our fingers those recorded in Holy Writ who gave
evidence of spiritual life. It requires no courage or resolution to
follow the tide of popular opinion, for one is likely to encounter
less opposition when he is on the side of the majority. What a miracle
that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob preserved their piety in Canaan when
surrounded by the heathen! The principle which we are now engaged in
illustrating was emphasized by Moses when he said unto Israel "The
Lord did not set His love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were
more in number than any people; for ye are the fewest of all people"
(Deut 7:7). It is the same in this N. T. dispensation. Near the close
of Paul's life Christians were referred to as a sect "everywhere
spoken against" (Acts 28:22). The Lord Jesus declared that His flock
was a "little" one (Luke 12:32), which increases the wonder of its
survival, and though in recent years the membership of the "churches"
swelled to huge proportions, more and more it is now becoming apparent
that with rare exceptions they were but nominal professors and that
only a "few" tread that Way which leadeth unto Life (Matt. 7:14).
3. This is seen in God's leaving them in this world. We might well
suppose that since the Father hath set His heart upon them He would
take them Home as soon as they are brought from death unto life.
Instead they are left down here, most of them for many years, in a
hostile country in the Enemy's territory, for "the whole world lieth
in the Wicked one" (1 John 5:19). And why? that they may have
opportunity to manifest their love for Him, that despite ceaseless
opposition and innumerable temptations to cast off their allegiance
they will, by His grace, remain faithful unto death. We marvel that
Noah was preserved in the ark, when the devastating flood without
swept away the entire human race from the earth and when he was
surrounded by all manner of wild beasts within. Why was he not torn to
pieces by the lions and tigers? or poisoned by the stench from the
dung of all the animals? Though he remained there no less than a year,
yet at the end thereof he and all his household stepped forth alive
and well. Not less wonderful is the survival of the Christian in a
world where there is nothing to help spiritually but everything to the
contrary.
The believer may be compared to an individual who has thrown off
allegiance to his king, has disowned his country, and refuses
obedience to its laws, yet continues to dwell in the land he has
renounced and hard by the sovereign he has forsworn. The grace of God
has called us out of the world, but the providence of God has sent us
into the world. We may therefore expect nothing but hatred and
hostility from it. The world will never forgive the act by which we
broke from its thralldom, renounced its sway, relinquished its
pleasures and resigned its friendship. Nor can it look with
complacency upon the godly, self-denying and unworldly life of the
Christian, which is a constant rebuke of its own carnality and folly.
First it will veil its opposition and conceal its malignity beneath
smiles and flattery, seeking to win back the one it has lost. But when
that effort proves unavailing it changes its course and with venomed
tongue, tireless zeal and devilish tactics seeks by detraction and
falsehood to wound and injure the people of God. We marvel at the
three Hebrews not being destroyed in Babylon's fiery furnace, but it
is not less a miracle for a believer to persevere in the path of
holiness amid the contagious sinfulness, seductive allurements and
relentless persecutions of an evil world.
4. This is seen in the old nature being left in the saint. Since God
is pleased to leave His people in this howling wilderness for a
season, where everything seems to be dead against them, surely He will
rid them of that which is most of all calculated to lead to their
fatal undoing. If He requires them to be "holy in all manner of
conversation" (1 Pet. 1:15), will He not purge them of all inward
corruptions? If the sons of God are to be "without rebuke in the midst
of a crooked and perverse generation," among whom they are to "shine
as lights in the world" (Phil. 2:15), will He not remove all darkness
from their understanding? And again we are made to realize how
worthless is all human reasoning upon spiritual matters. Indwelling
sin remains in the believer: the flesh is neither eradicated nor
transformed. But how can we expect those with a sink of iniquity still
within them to maintain a godly walk? Ah, therein we are brought to
see again the marvel of the saint's perseverance. If a lorry has to
pass down a street where the buildings on either side are burning
fiercely, would it not greatly augment the wonder of its journeying
through successfully when we learned that the lorry was laden with
barrels of gunpowder and dynamite?
This is precisely the case of the believer: there is that in him which
is responsive to the evil without him. The world and his heart are in
a confederacy against the good of his soul, so that he can neither eat
nor drink, work nor sleep in safety because of enemies without and
treacherous lusts within. For a holy angel to dwell here would involve
him in no danger, for in freedom from all inward corruptions there
would be nothing in him to which the allurements of the world could
appeal. But the Christian has a stack of dry tinder ready to ignite as
soon as the sparks of temptation alight thereon. 0 the policy and
power, the strength and prevalency, the nearness and treachery of
indwelling sin. It is something which cleaves to all the faculties:
not only in us but part and parcel of us. It dwells there (Rom. 7:17)
ever seeking our overthrow. Such is our native depravity that it is
capable of transmuting blessings into cursings, making things lawful
into snares and entangling us with everything we meet with. Ah, my
reader, if it was a miracle when Elisha caused iron to swim (2 Kings
2), not less so is it when our affections are set upon things above
and our minds stayed on Jehovah.
5. This is seen in grace's dwelling place. In what uncongenial and
inimical surroundings is the new nature set -- in the depraved soul of
a fallen creature. Not only is there nothing in man capable of
nourishing the principle of holiness but everything which is directly
opposed thereto: "the flesh lusteth against the spirit" (Gal. 5:17).
Birds do not fly beneath the waves nor will fish live on dry ground
because they are out of their native element: then what a wonder it is
for grace to be preserved and grow in a heart which by nature is
desperately wicked. Would trees grow if their seeds were planted in
salt: why then should communicated grace take root and bring forth the
fruit of the Spirit when planted in the midst of corruption? That is
truly a miracle of Divine horticulture: a miracle which is far too
little attended unto and admired. Well may each believer exclaim "I am
a wonder to many" (Ps. 71:7) not failing to add "but Thou art my
refuge." The Christian is a mystery to himself, an enigma to the
unregenerate, who cannot understand his denying himself the things
they delight in and finding pleasure in what they loath: but he is a
"wonder," a prodigy of grace, unto his brethren and sisters in Christ.
The miracle of the survival of the principle of grace in a human soul
will be the more manifest if we contrast the present case of the
believer with that of Adam in the day of this pristine purity. Grace
was connatural with our first parents when their Maker pronounced them
"very good;" if then they so quickly lost their grace when it was
placed in a pure soil, what a wonder it is that it should be preserved
in a heart which is essentially evil! When the Son of God became
incarnate Herod moved the whole country in a determined attempt to
slay Him: and when Christ comes into the heart the whole soul rises up
in opposition against Him. The carnal mind, the lusts of the flesh, an
intractable will, are all antagonistic to every breathing after
holiness. The preservation of grace in the saint is more remarkable
than for one to succeed in carrying an unprotected but lighted candle
across an open moor in a boisterous wind. Yea, as the Puritans were
wont to say, it is as though a fire were kept burning year after year
in the midst of the ocean. Grace is not only preserved but maintains
its purity amid indwelling sin: as gold cannot be altered in its
nature by the dross or transmuted into the rubbish amid which it lies,
neither can the new nature be defiled by the mass of corruption
wherein it dwells.
6. This is seen in their exposure to Satan's attacks. If there were no
Devil at all it would be a miracle that any believer should persevere
in the path of obedience while living in such a world as this.
Surrounded as he is by the ungodly, ever seeking to allure him into
their own sinful ways, carrying within him lusts which are in full
accord with the evil around him, it is a wonder of wonders that he
should remain steadfast. But over and above that, he is called upon to
resist the arch-enemy of God, the mightiest of all His creatures, who
is filled with enmity against him and bent upon his destruction. We
are plainly warned "your adversary the Devil, as a roaring lion,
walketh about seeking whom he may devour" (1 Pet. 5:8): how then shall
feeble lambs hope to successfully resist him! We are told that when
the woman brought forth the "man-child who was to rule all nations"
that, the red dragon "stood before the woman which was ready to be
delivered for to devour her child" (Rev. 12:4). As the dragon acted
thus toward the Head Himself so does he still seek to vent his malice
upon the members of His mystical body.
Who is capable of estimating the power of Satan and the hosts of evil
spirits he commands. And who can adequately describe the weakness and
frailty of those called upon to withstand his attacks. If Adam in
paradise with no lust within to entice and no world under the curse
all around him, fell under the very first assault of Satan upon him,
who are we to engage him in conflict. Fallen man could as well move a
mountain with his finger as overcome the Prince of this world.
Nevertheless of renewed men it is written "For we wrestle not against
flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the
rulers of the darkness of this world, against wicked spirits in the
heavenlies" (Eph. 6:12). Satan with all his wisdom, his power, his
myrmidons are marshaled and exerted in tremendous opposition to the
interests of the children of God, as the histories of Job, of David (1
Chron. 21:1), of Joshua, (Zech. 3:1), of Peter (Luke 22:31), and of
Paul (1 Thess. 2:15) clearly show. We have often marveled at the
deliverance of Daniel while spending a night in the lions' den, no
less a miracle is the Christian's preservation from the continuous
attacks of Satan and all his demons. "They overcame Him by the blood
of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony" (Rev. 12:11).
7. This is seen in the renunciations they are required to make. "If
any come to Me and hate not his father and mother, and wife and
children, and brethren and sisters, yea and his own life also, he
cannot be My disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross and come
after Me, he cannot be My disciple. So likewise whosoever he be of you
that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple" Who can
be expected to accept Christian discipleship on such exacting terms as
these! No wonder that man of all shades of theological opinion have
invented terms which are easier and pleasanter to the flesh, yet such
are only blind leaders of the blind. Christ will receive none who
refuse His yoke. God will not own as His people those who refuse to
give Him their hearts. Sin must be hated, lusts must be mortified, the
world must be renounced. A Christian is one who repudiates his own
wisdom, strength and righteousness. A Christian is one who holds
himself and all that he hath at the disposal of the Lord. As Abram at
the call of God turned his back on the old manner of life, so those
who are his believing children are made willing to sacrifice all their
temporal interests, counting not their lives dear unto themselves.
What a marvel is this that grace enables its possessor to pluck out
right eyes and cut off right hands, yea which empowers timid women and
children to go to the stake rather than apostatize.
8. This is seen in the Way they are required to walk in. It is a
"narrow" way, for it is shut in on either side by the Divine
commandments, which forbid all that is contrary to the Divine will. It
is the way of "holiness," without which no man shall see the Lord. It
is the way of obedience, of complete and continuous subjection to the
Lord, wherein my own will is set aside. It is a difficult way, hard to
find and harder still to traverse, for the whole of it is uphill. It
is a lonely way, for there are but few upon it. It is therefore a way
which is entirely contrary to flesh and blood, which presents no
attraction to fallen human nature. Yet it is the only way which
leadeth unto life. That narrow way of self-abnegation is the one which
Christ trod and sufficient for the disciple to be as his Master. He
has left us an example that we should follow His steps, so that there
is no following of Christ without walking in the way He went, and that
way was one of sacrifice, of bearing reproach, of enduring suffering.
"Whosoever will save his life (for himself) shall lose it, and
whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it" (Matt. 16:25).
No cross, no crown. What a marvel it is for any sinful creature to
voluntarily choose such a path, to accept the cross as the dominant
principle of his life.
9. This is seen in the frailty of the Christian. We would naturally
think that since God requires His people to overcome such formidable
obstacles, perform such difficult tasks and wrestle with such enemies,
He would make them strong and powerful. Surely if they are to maintain
their piety in a world like this, discharge duties which are contrary
to flesh and blood, resist the Devil and all his hosts, the Lord will
make each of His saints as mighty spiritually as Samson was
physically. If one of them shall chase a thousand and two of them put
ten thousand to flight must it not be because of their superior might.
How shall they endure opposition, overcome temptations, be fruitful
unto every good work unless they be endued with abundant grace. But
here again the Lord's thoughts are the very opposite of ours. His
people are so frail and helpless in themselves that He declares
"without Me ye can do nothing" and sooner or later each of them is
made to realize this for himself. Apart from the Lord the believer is
as weak as water. Power for the conflict lies not in himself, but in
Another: "be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might" (Eph.
6:10). Peter thought he was strong enough in himself to overcome
temptation, but he soon discovered that though the spirit was willing
the flesh was weak.
But is there not such a thing as growing in grace and in the knowledge
of the Lord? Certainly there is, but such progress is of a very
different nature from what many imagine. Growth in grace is a
deepening realization of where our strength, our wisdom, the supply
for every need is to be found. Growing in grace is not an increasing
self-sufficiency but an increasing dependency upon God. Those who are
spiritually the strongest are they who know most of their own
weakness. It is the empty vessel which God fills. "He giveth power to
the faint, and to them that have no might (of their own) He increaseth
strength" (Isa. 40:29). Surely none of us can hope to attain a higher
measure than that of the most favored of the apostles: yet he
acknowledged "when lam weak then am I strong" (2 Cor. 12:10). Here
then is truly a miracle: that one who is compassed with infirmity, who
is not sufficient of himself to think any thing as of himself (2 Cor.
3:5)--and therefore still less able to do anything good--who has "no
might" of his own, who is utterly helpless in himself, should
nevertheless fight a good fight, finish the course and keep the faith.
"God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things
which are mighty."
10. This is seen in the fruits which the Christian bears. We have
already called attention to the survival of the principle of grace
despite the uncongenial soil in which it is placed and the foul
atmosphere of this world where it grows, and equally wonderful is that
which issues from it. This line of thought might be extended
considerably, but space requires us to abbreviate. What a marvel that
the Christian's faith should be preserved amid so many trials and
buffetings, betrayals by false brethren, and even the hidings of God's
face: that notwithstanding the most painful crosses and losses it
affirms "yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil." Not only have God's saints remained steadfast
under persecution, but after being "beaten" they rejoiced that they
were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Jesus" (Acts 5:40,
41), while others "took joyfully the spoiling of their goods" (Heb.
10:34). What a marvelous fruit is this, to "glory in tribulation"
(Rom. 5:3), to "sing praise unto God" (Acts 16:25) while lying in a
dungeon with backs bleeding. Such fruits are not the products of
nature. To hope against hope (Rom. 4:18), to acknowledge "it is good
for me that I have been afflicted" (Ps. 119:71), to cry "Lord, lay not
this sin to their charge" (Acts 7:60) while being stoned to death, are
the fruits of Divine grace.
11. This is seen in their submission under and triumph of faith over
the severest chastisements. It is natural to murmur when everything
appears to go wrong and the face of Providence wears a dark frown, but
it is supernatural to meekly submit and say "the will of the Lord be
done." When "fire from the Lord" went out and devoured Nadab and Abihu
because of their presumptuous conduct, so far from their father making
an angry outburst at the severity of their punishment we are told that
he "held his peace" (Lev. 10:3). When the awful tidings was broken to
the aged Eli that both of his wayward sons were to be smitten by
Divine judgment on the same day, he quietly acquiesced saying "It is
the Lord: let Him do what seemeth Him good" (1 Sam. 3:18). When Job's
sons and daughters were suddenly stricken with death and his flocks
and herds carried away by thieves, he exclaimed "The Lord gave, and
the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord" (1:2 1),
and when his own body was smitten with "sore boils from the sole of
his foot unto his crown," so far from losing all confidence in God and
apostatizing he declared "though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him"
(Job 13:15).
12. This is seen in their perseverance in piety when deprived of all
public means of grace. When the under-shepherds are taken away what
shall the poor sheep do? When corporate testimony breaks down what
will become of the individual? When Zion is made desolate and the
Lord's people are carried captives into a strange land, will they not
pine away? True this is an exceptional state of affairs, yet at
various stages of history it has pleased God to deprive numbers of His
people of all the external means of grace and preserve them as
isolated units. It was thus at a very early stage. Behold Abraham, the
father of the faithful, dwelling alone amid the heathen, yet
maintaining communion with the Lord. Behold Daniel in Babylon, in the
face of deadly peril, preserving his piety. Some of us used to sing as
children "Dare to be a Daniel, dare to stand alone, dare to have a
purpose true, and dare to make it known." Is not our own lot cast in a
day when not a few of the scattered children of God have to lament "I
am as a sparrow alone upon the housetop" (Ps.102:7)! Even so, as God
miraculously sustained Elijah in the solitudes of Cherith so He will
preserve each of them.
13. This is seen in their deliverance from apostasy. What numbers have
been fatally deceived by Romanism. What multitudes of the outer-court
worshippers have been stumbled by the multiplication of sects in
Protestantism, each claiming to take the Scriptures for their guide
yet often differing on the most fundamental truths. What crowds have
been attracted by the false prophets and heretical teachers,
especially in America, during the past century. But though the real
children of God may have been bewildered yet it drove them to search
His Word more closely for themselves, for they know not the voice of
strangers (John 10:5). In our own day, because iniquity or lawlessness
abounds the love of many has waxed cold and tens of thousands who a
little time ago appeared to "run well" have gone right back into the
world. Yet there is still a remnant who cleave unto the Lord, and the
very fewness of their numbers emphasizes the marvel of their
preservation. It is a miracle of grace that any "hold fast the
confidence and rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end," never more so
than in this dark day.
What an amazing thing it was that Jonah should be cast overboard into
the sea, without a lifebelt and with no boat to rescue him, and yet
that he was not drowned. Still more remarkable that he should be
swallowed by a whale and remain alive in its belly for three days and
nights. Most wonderful of all that the whale disgorged the prophet not
in the ocean, but vomited him out on the land. So amazing is this that
it has been made the favorite subject of jest by infidels. Yet it
presents no difficulty to the Christian, who knows that "with God all
things are possible." We not only believe the authenticity of this
miracle but have long been convinced it is a designed type not only of
the resurrection of the Redeemer but of the preservation of the
redeemed. The case of Jonah not only adumbrates a backsliding
believer, but an extreme case of backsliding at that: showing that
when a saint yields to self-will and forsakes the way of obedience,
though he will be severely chastened yet the arm of the Lord will
reach after and restore him to the paths of righteousness.
14. This is seen in God's manifold workings in and for them. This
necessarily follows from all that has been said under the preceding
heads. The perseverance of saints must be the consequence of the
Divine preservation of them: since believers have no spiritual wisdom
and no spiritual strength of their own, God must work in them both to
will and to do of His good pleasure. His preventing grace: as the
martyr observed a murderer on his way to the gallows he exclaimed
"there goes John Bradford but for the grace of God." From how many
temptations and sins on which their hearts were set are Christians
delivered, as David from slaying Nabal. Protecting grace: "mercy shall
compass him about" as a shield (Ps. 32:10). Quickening grace, whereby
the principle of holiness is enlivened: "the inward man is renewed day
by day" (2 Cor. 4:16). Confirming grace, whereby we are kept from
being tossed to and fro: "Now He which stablisheth us with you in
Christ, and hath anointed us, is God" (2 Cor. 1:21 and cf. 2 Thess.
2:17). Fructifying grace: "From Me is thy fruit found" (Hos. 14:8).
Maturing grace: "make you perfect in every good work to do His will"
(Heb. 13:22). These and other operations of Divine grace are all
summed up in that acknowledgement "Thou also hast wrought all our
works in us" (Isa. 26:12) to which every saint freely ascribes and
which alone explains the marvel of his perseverance.
Contents | Forward | Intro | | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11
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Eternal Security by A.W. Pink
Chapter 5
Its Springs
_________________________________________________________________
We now turn to contemplate the most important and blessed aspect of
our subject, yea, the very heart and crux thereof. The believer's
perseverance in faith and holiness is no detached and isolated thing,
but an effect of an all-sufficient cause. It must not be viewed as a
separate phenomenon but as the fruit of Divine operations. The
believer's continuance in the paths of righteousness is a miracle, and
miracle necessarily requires the immediate agency of God. Our present
concern then is to trace this stream back to its source and to show
the springs from which this marvel issues; to admire the impregnable
foundations on which it rests. Only as those springs and foundations
are clearly revealed shall we ascribe the glory unto Him to whom alone
it is due, only so shall we be able to apprehend the absolute security
of the saints, only so shall we perceive the vanity and uselessness of
all the Enemy's attacks upon this cardinal truth. The perseverance of
the saints is assured by so many infallible guarantees that it is
difficult to know which to bring before the reader and which to omit.
The doctrine for which we are here contending follows as a logical
consequence from the Divine perfections: whatever is agreeable to
them, and they make necessary, must perforce be true; contrariwise
whatever is contrary to them and reflects dishonor upon them must be
false. Now the doctrine of the saints' final perseverance is agreeable
to the Divine perfections, yea is made entirely necessary by them, and
therefore must be true; and the contrary doctrine of the falling away
of real saints so as to perish everlastingly is repugnant to them and
reflects great dishonor upon them, and therefore must be false. That
which we have here briefly affirmed will be illustrated in detail and
demonstrated at length in all that follows in this and the succeeding
section. Summarizing what we propose to set before the reader it will
be found that the eternal security of the Christian rests upon the
good will of the Father, the mediation of the Son, and the office and
operations of the Holy Spirit, and therein we have a "threefold cord"
which cannot possibly be broken.
1. The unchanging love of God. This argument however is one which can
have little weight with those who have imbibed Arminianism and
accepted their false interpretation of John 3:16; but they who
perceive the Divine love to be a discriminating and particular and not
an indefinite and general one will find here that which is sweeter
than the honey or the honeycomb. If it were true that God loves the
whole human race then, seeing a large part thereof is already in Hell,
I could draw no assurance therefrom that I shall never perish. But
when I discover that God's love is restricted to those whom He chose
in Christ and that He loves them with an "everlasting love," then I
unhesitatingly conclude that "many waters" cannot quench that love
(Song of Sol. 8:7). It would lead too far afield, for us to show
wherein so many err concerning the meaning of John 3:16 or to evidence
at length the discriminating character of God's love: suffice it here
to point out that "For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth" (Heb. 12:6)
would be meaningless did He love everybody--the next clause "and
scourgeth every son whom He receiveth" at once defines the objects of
His affection. "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated" (Rom.
9:13): therefore Jacob is now in Heaven, but his brother has received
the due reward of his iniquities.
"We love Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). God does not
love His people because they love Him. No, we read of "His great love
wherewith He loved us even when we were dead in sins" (Eph. 2:4, 5):
when we had no desire to be loved by Him, yea when we were provoking
Him to His face and displaying the fierce enmity of our unrenewed
hearts. God loved His people before they had a historical existence,
for while they were yet sinners Christ died for them (Rom. 5:8). Why,
He declares "I have loved thee with an everlasting love" (Jer. 3 1:3).
That love then derives not its strength or its streams from anything
in us, but flows spontaneously from the heart of God, finding its deep
wellspring within His own bosom. Since God is love He can no more
cease to love than He can cease to be, and since God changes not there
can be no variation and fluctuation in His love.
The object of God's love is His Church, which is His special delight.
From all eternity He loved His elect, and loved them as His elect, as
having peculiar propriety in them. He loved them in Christ, chose them
in Christ, and blessed them with all spiritual blessings in Christ
(Eph. 1:3). He loved them so as to predestinate them unto the adoption
of children (Eph. 1:5). He loved their persons in Christ with the same
love wherewith He loves Christ their Head (John 17:23). He loved them
so as to make them "accepted in the Beloved" (Eph. 1:6). It is a love
which can never decay, for it is founded on the good pleasure of His
will towards them. God's love to Christ knows no change nor can it to
the members of His body: "and hast loved them as Thou hast loved Me"
(John 17:23), declares the Savior, and He is speaking there as the
Head of His Church. We are loved in Christ and according to the
relation we stand in to Him, that is, as members to an Head--loved as
freely and immutably.
Though the effects of God's love vary in their manifestations, yet
there is no diminution of His affection and none in its perpetuity.
Men often love those who prove otherwise than they expected, and come
to repent of the affection lavished upon them. But it is not so with
God, for He foreknew all that ever we would be and do--our sins,
unworthiness, rebellions; yet set His heart upon us
notwithstanding--so that He can never say we turned out other than He
thought we would. Had God's love been set upon us because of some good
or excellency in us, then when that goodness declined, His love would
diminish too. "God foresaw all the sins you would ever have: it was
all present to His sacred mind, and yet He loved you, and loves you
still" (C. H. Spurgeon). The child of God may for a season depart from
the paths of righteousness, and then will his Father visit his
transgression with the rod and his iniquity with stripes,
"nevertheless My lovingkindness will I not make void from him nor
suffer My faithfulness to fail" (Ps. 89:32, 33) is His own
declaration.
Because God's love is uncreated it is unchanging. God does not love by
fits and starts, but forever. Because it is founded upon nothing in
its object, no change in that object can forfeit it. In every state
and condition into which the elect can come, God's love unto them is
invariable and unalterable, constant and permanent. We may repent of
the love which we bestowed an some of our fellows because we were
unable to make them good: the more we loved them, the more they took
advantage of it. Not so with God: whom He loves He makes holy. This is
one of the effects of His love: to shed abroad His love in the hearts
of its objects, to stamp His own image upon them, to cause them to
walk in His fear. His love to the elect is perpetual because it is in
Christ; they are joined to Christ by an union which cannot be
dissolved. God must cease to love Christ their Head before He can
cease to love any member of His Body. Then what madness, what
blasphemy, to think of any of them perishing!
Over this blessed attribute of Divine love is written in letters of
light "Semper idem," always the same. Those who are once the objects
of God's love are so always. If God has ever loved you, my reader, He
does so today: loves you with the same love as when He gave His Son to
die for you; loves you with the same love as when He sent His Holy
Spirit into your heart crying "Abba Father;" loves you with the same
love as He will in Heaven throughout the endless ages. And nothing can
or shall separate you from that love (see Rom. 8:38, 39). A preacher
once called upon a farmer. As he approached his residence he saw over
the barn a weathervane and on the top of it in large letters the text
"God is love." When the farmer appeared the preacher pointed to that
vane and said in tones of rebuke "Do you imagine God's love is as
variable as the weather?" No, said the farmer, I put that text there
to remind me that no matter what the direction of the wind. God is
love!
"His love no end or measure knows,
No change can turn its course,
Immutably the same it flows
From one eternal source."
2. The immutability of God. The guarantee for the perpetuity of God's
love unto His people is found in the immutability of His nature. From
everlasting Jehovah is God: underived, independent, self-sufficient,
nothing can in anywise affect Him or produce any change in Him. Says
the Psalmist "Of old hast Thou laid the foundation of the earth and
the heavens are the work of Thy hands. They shall perish, but Thou
shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment: as a
vesture shalt Thou change them and they shall be changed. But Thou art
the same and Thy years shall have no end" (102:25-27). This is one of
the excellencies of the Creator which distinguishes Him from all
creatures. God is perpetually the same: subject to no change in His
being, attributes, or determinations. All that He is today He ever has
been and ever will be. He cannot change for the better for He is
already perfect, and being perfect He cannot change for the worse. He
only can say "I am that I am" (Ex. 3:14). Unaffected by anything
outside Himself, improvement or deterioration is impossible. His glory
is an unfading one.
Now in this immutability of God lies the eternal security of His
people. "For I am the Lord, I change not: therefore ye sons of Jacob
are not consumed" (Mal. 3:6). If any of them were lost, "consumed" by
His wrath, then He must change in His attitude toward them, so that
those whom He once loved He now hates. But that would also involve an
alteration in His purpose concerning them, so that whereas He has
appointed them "to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" (1
Thess. 5:9), He must consign them over to destruction. How entirely
different would such a variable and fickle character be from the God
of Holy Writ! Of Jehovah it is said "He is of one mind, and who can
turn Him?" (Job 23:13). It is because God changes not His people are
not consumed: His love wanes not, His will is stable, His word sure.
Because He is "The Father of lights, with whom is no variableness
neither shadow of turning" (James 1:17) we have an immovable rock on
which to stand while everything around us is being swept away.
The foundation of our preservation unto the end is the immutability of
God's being, whereunto His love is conformed, so that His everlasting
Deity must undergo alteration before any of His children could perish.
This is clearly the force of both Malachi 3:6 and James 1:17. In the
latter the apostle speaks of "every good and every perfect gift" which
the saints receive from their Father, prefacing the same with "Do not
err my beloved brethren. "The gifts bestowed upon the elect at their
regeneration are not like Jonah's gourd which flourished only for a
brief season. No, they are from Him with whom is "no variableness"
either in His love or will. "For the gifts and calling of God are
without repentance" (Rom. 11:29) or change of mind, and therefore they
are never revoked. Let it be noted that those words were added to
clinch the certainty of the purpose of God towards the remnant of the
Jews according to the election of grace. Thus the immutability of God
is the guarantee of the stability of His love and the irrevocableness
of His grace unto us.
3. The irreversible purpose of God. Having set His heart upon a chosen
people, God formed a purpose of grace toward them: "in love having
predestinated them" (Eph. 1:5) and the immutability of His being
insures the fulfillment of that purpose. The Most High does not
determine to do a thing at one time and decide not to do it at
another. "The counsel of the Lord standeth forever, the thoughts of
His heart to all generations" (Ps. 33:11): because He has counseled
everlasting glory unto His people, nothing can alter it. "For the Lord
of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it?" (Isa. 14:27).
There are indeed many changes in the external dispensations of His
providence toward His elect, but none concerning the thoughts of His
heart for them. "I am God, and there is none like unto Me, declaring
the end from the beginning and from ancient times the things that are
not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand and I will do all My
pleasure. . .1 have spoken, I will also bring it to pass; I have
purposed, I will also do it" (Isa. 46:9-11). What a foundation is
there here for faith to rest upon: the Divine will is inflexible, His
counsels irreversible.
"God is not a man that He should lie, neither the son of man that He
should repent" (Num. 23:19). Consider the things which move men to
change their minds and alter their purposes, and then mark how utterly
inapplicable such things are to the Almighty. Men form a plan and then
cancel it through fickleness and inconstancy: but God is immutable.
Men make a promise and then revoke it because of their depravity and
untruthfulness: but God is infinitely holy and cannot lie. Men devise
a project and fail to carry it through because of lack of ability or
power: but God is omniscient and omnipotent. Men determine a certain
thing for want of foresight and because the unexpected intervenes they
are thwarted: but God knows the end from the beginning. Men change
their schemes because the influence or threats of superiors deter
them: but God has no superior or equal and fears none. No unforeseen
occasion can arise which would render it expedient for God to change
His mind.
In Romans 8:28 we read of a company who are "the called according to
His purpose" and what that signifies the verses which immediately
follow tell us. It was a purpose they could neither originate nor
frustrate. "For whom He did foreknow" with a knowledge of approbation
(contrast "I never knew you": Matt. 7:23) "He also did predestinate,"
appoint and fore-arrange. That Divine predestination results in their
being effectually called out of darkness into God's marvelous light
and their being justified or accounted righteous before God because
Christ's perfect obedience is reckoned to their account. And then, so
infallibly certain is the accomplishment of God's purpose, the apostle
added "and whom He justified them He also (not "will glorify," but)
glorified." "God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of
promise the immutability of His counsel (the immovable fixedness of
His design), confirmed it by an oath" (Heb. 6:17). What more can we
desire: the Holy One must foreswear Himself before one of His own can
perish.
4. The everlasting covenant of God. Having set His heart upon a
special people God formed a purpose of grace toward them and that
purpose is attested and secured by formal contract. By express
stipulation the Eternal Three solemnly undertook for every heir of
promise to do all for and in them, so that not one of them shall
perish. "I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will
not turn away from them to do them good, but I will put My fear in
their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me" (Jer. 32:40). How
comprehensive are those promises! First, Jehovah assures His people
that there shall be no alteration in His good will toward them. To
that it might be objected, True, God will not turn away from them, but
they may turn away from Him, yea utterly apostatize. Therefore He here
declares that He will put His fear in their hearts, or grant them such
supplies of grace, as to preserve them from falling away. "Were they
to return to the service of Satan, He could not continue to do them
good consistently with the holiness of His character, but He will
preserve them in such a state that He may hold fellowship with them
without any impeachment of His holiness" (J. Dick).
This covenant of grace is made with the elect in Christ before the
foundation of the world, wherein He became their "Surety" (Heb. 7:22),
undertaking to discharge all their liabilities and make full
satisfaction for them. Accordingly God has promised the Surety "I will
put my laws into their mind and write them upon their hearts: and I
will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people" (Heb. 8:10).
Those promises are of free grace, and there is no contingency or
uncertainty about them, for they are "yea," and "Amen" in Christ (2
Cor. 1:20). Mark how God Himself regards His engagement therein: "My
covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of My
lips" (Ps. 89:34). "He will ever be mindful of His covenant" (Ps.
111:5). 0 what grounds for confidence, for joy, for praise is there
here! Therefore may each believer affirm with David "He hath made with
me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure: for this
is all my salvation and all my desire" (2 Sam. 23:5). "For the
mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall
not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be
removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee" (Isa. 54:10).
To summarize what has yet been before us. If any saint were eventually
lost it could only be because the being and character of God Himself
had undergone a change for the worse. His affections must alter, so
that one whom He loved must become the object of His hatred. His
purpose concerning him must change, so that whereas He appointed him
to salvation He must consign him to destruction. He must reverse the
promises made and the blessings bestowed upon him. His faithfulness
must fail, so that His Word can no longer be relied upon. Thus it is
obvious that the alternative to what has been set forth above is
unthinkable and impossible. The wisdom of God requires that in
appointing the end (the glorification of His people) He has also
ordained that the means thereto are sufficient, and His power insures
that those means shall prove effectual. Every perfection of God
guarantees that all His people shall get safely to Heaven.
5. The irrepealable promises of God. The "exceeding great and precious
promises" (2 Pet. 1:4) which God hath made to His people have been
likened unto streams along which His covenant engagements run, for
they all go back to and have their source in that eternal compact
which He made with the elect in Christ. Their Surety undertook to do
certain things for them and in return thereof God agreed that certain
things should be bestowed upon them on whose behalf He transacted.
What those things were that God stipulated to impart unto those Christ
represented are revealed in the various promises which He has made
unto them. Those promises are God's free and gracious dispensations or
discoveries of His good will unto the elect in Christ in a covenant of
grace. Therein, upon His veracity and faithfulness, He engages Himself
to be their God, to give His Son unto them and for them, and His
Spirit to abide with and in them, guaranteeing to supply everything
that they need in order to make them acceptable before Him and to
bring them all unto the everlasting enjoyment of Himself.
Those promises are free and gracious as to the rise or origin of them,
being given to us merely by the good pleasure of God, and not in
return for anything demanded of us: that which is of promise is
opposed to that which is in any way demanded or procured by us (Rom.
4:13, 14; Gal. 3:18). These promises are made unto us as sinners, and
under no other qualification whatever, it being by sovereign mercy
alone that any are delivered out of their fallen and depraved state.
The promises are given unto them as "shut up under sin" (Gal. 3:22).
These discoveries of God's good will are made known in Christ as the
sole Medium of their accomplishment and as the alone procuring Cause
of the good things contained in them. "For all the promises of God in
Him are yea and in Him amen" (2 Cor. 1:20)--in and by Christ's
mediation they have all their confirmation and certainty to us. The
foundation of our assurance of their accomplishment is the character
of their Maker: they are the engagements of Him "who cannot lie"
(Titus 1:2; Heb. 6:17, 18)--heaven and earth shall pass away but His
word shall endure forever.
The grand fountain-head promise from which all the others flow is that
God will be "The God of His people" (Jer. 24:7; 31:33; Ezek. 11:20).
In order that He may be "our God" two chief things are required.
First, that all breaches and differences between Him and us shall be
removed, perfect peace and agreement made, and we rendered
well-pleasing in His sight: sin must be put away and everlasting
righteousness brought in. In order to this Christ acted as our Surety,
our Priest, our Redeemer, and has become "our Peace" (Eph. 2:14),
being of God "made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and
redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30). He "gave Himself for the Church, that He
might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word,
that He might present it to Himself a glorious Church" (Eph. 5:25,
26). Second, that we might be kept meet for communion with Him as our
God and for our eternal enjoyment of Him as our Portion. From this
flows the promise of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5; 2:33) that He would
exercise unto us all the acts of His love and work in us that
obedience which He required from and accepts of us in Jesus Christ, so
preserving us unto Himself. This promise of the Spirit in the covenant
is witnessed in Isaiah 59:21; Ezekiel 36:27, etc.
From the fountain promise that God will be our God in covenant
relationship flow the two broad streams that He would give Christ for
us and the Holy Spirit to us, and Out from these two main streams
issue a thousand rivulets for our refreshment. From those two streams
come forth all the blessings Christ hath purchased for us and all the
graces that the Holy Spirit produces in the elect, by the first of
which they are made acceptable unto God and by the latter of which
they have an enjoyment of Him. All the promises of mercy and
forgiveness, faith and holiness, obedience and perseverance, joy and
consolation, affliction and deliverance issue from them, Thus it
follows that whoever hath an interest in one promise hath an interest
in them all and in the fountain head from which they flow. Have we a
hold on any promise? that is by the Holy Spirit, and from Him to
Christ, and thence unto the bosom of the Father. Hence also the most
conditional of the promises are ultimately to be resolved into the
absolute and unconditional love of God: He who promises to us life
upon believing, works faith in us: "according as His Divine power hath
given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness": 2
Peter 1:3. (Most of the above is condensed from John Owen, the
Puritan).
Let us cite a few of the particular promises wherein the Lord has
engaged Himself to grant such supplies of His Spirit that we shall be
supported against all opposition and preserved from such sins as would
separate any of His saints from Him. "For the Lord loveth judgment and
forsaketh not His saints: they are preserved forever" (Ps. 37:28).
"They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be
moved, but abideth forever. As the mountains are round about
Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about His people from henceforth even
forever" (Ps. 125:1, 2). "Even to your old age lam He, and even to
hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made and I will bear, even I will
carry and deliver you" (Isa. 46:4). "For the mountains shall depart
and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from them,
neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed, saith the Lord that
hath mercy on thee" (Isa. 54:10). "He shall confirm you unto the end"
(1 Cor. 1:8). "1 will never leave thee nor forsake thee" (Heb. 13:5).
The same Divine protection unto everlasting bliss is confirmed by many
assertory passages as well as promissory. "Surely goodness and mercy
shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house
of the Lord forever" (Psa. 23:4). "I am continually with thee. Thou
hast holden me with Thy right hand: thou shalt guide me with Thy
counsel and afterward receive me to glory" (Ps. 73:23, 24). "The Lord
shall deliver me from every evil work and will preserve me unto His
heavenly kingdom" (2 Tim. 4:18). "They went out from us, but they were
not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with
us" (1 John 2:19). God must forsake His integrity before He would
abandon one of His people. But that cannot be: "faithful is He that
calleth you, who also will do it" (1 Thess. 5:24). "The Lord is
faithful, who shall stablish you and keep you from evil" (2 Thess.
3:3). They who affirm that any of God's children will perish are
guilty of the fearful sin of charging Him with perjury.
6. The gracious acts of God toward His people. These are of such a
nature as insure their everlasting salvation. In addition to His acts
of electing them, making a sure covenant with His Son on their behalf
and the putting of them into His hands with all grace and glory for
them, we may mention the adoption of them into His family. This is an
inestimable blessing, little understood today. It is a sonship-in-law,
God bestowing upon His elect the legal status of sons. This is "by
Jesus Christ" (Eph. 1:5): since Christ is Son of God essentially and
the elect are united to Him, they are the sons-in-law of God. Christ
as God-man was set up as the Prototype and we are modeled after Him.
As a woman becomes a man s daughter-in-law by his son's betrothing
himself to her, so we are sons-in-law unto God an inalienable legal
title--as the term "adoption" plainly signifies--by marriage union. It
is by their relation to the Son of God that the elect are the sons of
God. It is not by faith they become sons, rather does faith manifest
them to be such.
"Because ye are sons (not to make us such), God hath sent forth the
Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying Abba Father" (Gal. 4:6).
"Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we
should be called the children of God" (1 John 3:1). From thence flows
all our dignities and honours: "if sons (Greek) then heirs, heirs of
God and joint heirs with Christ" (Rom. 8:17). Is Christ King and
Priest, so also are we "kings and priests unto God and His Father"
(Rev. 1:6). Is Christ Jehovah's "Fellow" (Zech. 13:7)? so are we
Christ's "fellows" (Ps. 45:7). Is Christ God's "Firstborn" (Ps.
89:27)? so we read of "The Church of the firstborn" (Heb. 12:22). Even
now are we the sons of God, but "it doth not yet appear what we shall
be," it is not yet made manifest before the universe, "but we know
that when He shall appear we shall be like Him" (1 John 3:2). And why
are we so assured? Because "Whom God did foreknow, He also did
predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son that He might be
the Firstborn among many brethren" (Rom. 8:30). Because God
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
Himself "according to the good pleasure of His will" (Eph. 1:5)--by
sovereign grace and not because of anything of ours--nothing can
possibly sever or annul this wondrous relationship.
The justification of God's people. This is also a legal act. It takes
place in the supreme court of Heaven, where God sits as the Judge of
all the earth. The believing sinner is measured by the holy Law and
pronounced righteous. Of old the question was asked "But how shall man
be just before God?" (Job 9:2), for the Law requires nothing less than
perfect and perpetual obedience, and pronounces him accursed who
continues not in all that it enjoins (Gal. 3:10). Had that question
been left for solution to finite intelligence it had remained unsolved
forever. How could God show mercy yet not abate one iota of what His
justice requires. How could He treat with the guilty as though they
were innocent? How could He righteously bestow the reward on those who
merited it not? How could He pronounce righteous those who were
unrighteous? Such a thing seems utterly impossible, nevertheless
Divine omniscience has solved these problems, solved them without
tarnishing His honor, yea unto His everlasting glory and to our
everlasting admiration. It is the setting forth of this grand display
of the Divine wisdom which constitutes the supreme blessedness of the
Gospel.
According to the terms of the everlasting covenant Christ became the
Sponsor of His people. "When the fulness of the time was come God sent
forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the Law" (Gal. 4:4). To the
Law the incarnate Son rendered a complete and flawless obedience
thereby magnifying and making it honorable (Isa. 42:21): the Divine
dignity of His person bestowed more honor on the Law by His obedience
thereto than it had been dishonored by all our manifold disobedience.
Having perfectly fulfilled the Law, Christ then suffered its curse in
His peoples' stead, thereby blotting Out their sins. That perfect
obedience of Christ is reckoned to our account the moment we believe
on Him, so that believers may say "The Lord our righteousness" (Jer.
23:6). On the ground of Christ's righteousness legally becoming ours,
God pronounces us justified (Rom. 3:24; 5:19; 2 Cor. 5:21). And
therefore because it is "God that justifieth, who is he that
condemneth?" (Rom. 8:33,34). Those justified by God can never be
unjustified. The righteousness by which they are justified is an
"everlasting" one (Dan. 9:24), the sentence of exoneration passed upon
them in the high court of Heaven can never be revoked by man or devil.
They have a title to everlasting glory and cannot come into
condemnation.
7. The death of Christ. When Adam, the federal head as well as the
father of the human race, apostatized, the elect equally with the
non-elect fell in him, and thus they are "by nature the children of
wrath even as others" (Eph. 2:3). From that dreadful and direful state
they are recovered by the mediation of Christ and the operation of the
Spirit, the latter being a fruit of the former. We have briefly
touched upon the mediation of Christ in the two preceding paragraphs,
but as this is of such vital concern to our present theme, it requires
to be considered in more detail. A large field is here opened before
us, but we can now take only a brief glance at it. Once again we would
point out that what we are about to advance can have little weight
with Arminians, who erroneously suppose that the mediatory work of
Christ was general or universal in its character and design; but to
those who have learned from Holy Writ that the redemption of Christ is
definite and particular, a specific ransom for a specific people,
there will be found here a sufficient answer to every accusation of
Satan and an assurance which none of the tribulations of life can
shake.
"Who is he that condemneth?" the apostle asks: "it is Christ that
died" is his triumphant reply (Rom. 8:34). The force of that reply
turns upon the fact that Christ's death is a substitutionary and
atoning one. "For the transgression of My people was He stricken" says
God (Isa. 53:8). "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the
Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God" (1 Pet. 3:18). "He
was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities:
the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we
are healed" (Isa. 53:5). Jehovah laid upon Christ the iniquities of
His people (Isa. 53:6) and then cried "Awake 0 sword against My
Shepherd and against the Man that is My Fellow, saith the Lord of
hosts, smite the Shepherd" (Zech. 13:7). On the cross Christ rendered
to God a full satisfaction for the sins of all those whom the Father
gave to Him. Being a merciful and faithful High Priest in things
pertaining to God "to make propitiation (Gk.) for the sins of the
people" (Heb. 2:13). Because Christ was made a curse for sin (Gal.
3:13) nought but blessing is now our portion.
All for whom Christ died shall most certainly be saved, because He
paid the full price of their redemption. As a surety stands in the
room of the person he represents, the latter reaps the benefit of what
the surety has done in his name, so that if his debt has been paid by
the surety, the creditor can no more demand payment from him. Since
Christ made full reparation to God's Law, making complete atonement
for the sins of His people, then it would be a flagrant violation of
Divine justice if ever one of them should be punished for the same.
Christ has purchased His people by His precious blood, then can we
suppose that God will suffer His most avowed enemy to rob His Son of
any of them? Were that to happen, the Redeemer's name would be
rendered meaningless, for God Himself said "thou shalt call His name
Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21).
Were that to happen, it could not be true that the Redeemer "shall see
of the travail of His soul and be satisfied" (Isa. 53:10).
Since all the believer's sins were laid upon Christ and atoned for,
what is there that can possibly condemn him? and if there be nothing,
how can he be cast into Hell? True, none can reach Heaven without
persevering in holiness, but since the atonement of Christ possesses
Divine virtue and is of everlasting efficacy, all for whom it was made
must and shall persevere in holiness. God's wrath against His people
was exhausted upon their Substitute: the black cloud of His vengeance
was emptied at Calvary. "When I think of my sin it seems impossible
that any atonement should ever be adequate: but when I think of
Christ's death it seems impossible that any sin should ever need such
an atonement as that. There is in the death of Christ enough and more
than enough. There is not only a sea in which to drown our sins, but
the very tops of the mountains of our guilt are covered" (C. H.
Spurgeon). Therefore is God able to save unto the uttermost them that
come unto Him by Christ (Heb. 7:25), yea, even though they have sinned
as did Manasseh or Saul of Tarsus.
Christ has removed everything which could cause separation between God
and His people. First, He has taken away the guilt of their sins, that
it shall never prevail with the Lord to turn from them. Christ hath
"obtained eternal redemption" (Heb. 9:12), for them: not a transient
and unstable redemption, but an abiding and efficacious one. In
consequence thereof God declares, "their sins and iniquities will I
remember no more" (Heb. 10:17). How could He do so, seeing that the
Redeemer was to "make an end of sins" (Dan. 9:24)--as to the
controversy of them between God and those for whom He died. Christ has
so satisfied God's justice and fulfilled His Law that no sentence of
condemnation can be pronounced against them, and therefore they must
infallibly be saved. Second, as Christ removed that which alone might
turn God from believers, so He has annulled that which might cause
them to depart from God: neither indwelling sin, Satan or the world,
can so prevail as to make them totally fall away. Christ has destroyed
Satan's right to rule over them (Col. 2:15; Heb. 2:14), and He has
abolished his power by "binding" him. (Matt. 12:29), and therefore are
we assured "sin shall not have dominion over you" (Rom. 6:14)--how
could it since the Holy Spirit Himself indwells us!
"Since Christ bore our sins, and was condemned in our place; since by
His expiatory death the claims of Divine justice are answered, and the
holiness of the Divine Law is maintained, who can condemn those for
whom He died? Oh, what security is this for the believer in Jesus!
Standing beneath the shadow of the cross, the weakest saint can
confront his deadliest foe; and every accusation alleged and every
sentence of condemnation uttered, he can meet, by pointing to Him who
died. In that one fact he sees the great debt cancelled, the entire
curse removed, the grand indictment quashed and `No condemnation to
them that are in Christ Jesus' are words written as in letters of
living light upon the cross" (O. Winslow).
8. The resurrection of Christ. It seems strange that so many receive
more comfort at the cross than they do at the empty grave of Christ,
for Scripture itself hesitates not to say, "If Christ be not raised
your faith is vain, ye are yet in your sins" (1 Cor. 15:17). A dead
Savior could not save: one who was himself vanquished by death would
be powerless to deliver sin's slaves. Here is one of the chief defects
of Romanism--its deluded subjects are occupied with a lifeless Christ,
worshippers of a crucifix. Nor are Protestant preachers above
criticism in this matter, for only too often many of them omit the
grandest part of the Evangel by going no further than Calvary. The
glorious Gospel is not fully preached until we proclaim a risen and
victorious Redeemer (1 Cor. 15:1-3; Acts 5:3 1). Christ was "delivered
(up to death) for our offences and was raised again for our
justification" (Rom. 4:24), and as the apostle goes on to declare,
"For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of
His Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life"
(Rom. 5:10).
What avail would it have been that Christ died for His people if death
had conquered and overwhelmed Him? Had the grave held Him fast, He had
been a prisoner still. But in rising from the tomb Christ made
demonstration of His victory over sin and death: thereby He was
"declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of
holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (Rom. 1:4); "For to this
end Christ both died and rose and revived that He might be Lord both
of the dead and living" (Rom. 14:9). Christ's sacrificial work was
finished at the cross, but proof was needed of its Divine acceptance.
That proof lay with Him who was pleased to "bruise Him and put Him in
grief," and by raising the Redeemer God furnished incontestable
evidence that all His claims had been met. The death of Christ was the
payment of my awful debt: His resurrection God's receipt for the same;
it was the public acknowledgement that the bond had been cancelled.
Christ's resurrection sealed our justification: it was necessary to
give reality to the atonement, and to provide a sure foundation for
our faith and hope. Since God is satisfied, the trembling sinner may
confide and securely repose upon the work of a triumphant Savior.
"Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather that is
risen again" (Rom. 8:34). Here the resurrection of Christ is presented
as the believer's security against condemnation. But how does the
former guarantee the latter? There is a causal connection between the
two things. First, because Christ rose again not simply as a private
person but as the Surety, the Head and Representative of all His
people. It has not been sufficiently recognized and emphasized that
the Lord Jesus lived, died and rose again as "the Firstborn among many
brethren." As all whom the first Adam represented fell when he fell,
died when he died, so all whom the last Adam represented died when He
died and rose again when He arose. God "quickened us together with
Christ, and hath raised us up together" (Eph. 2:5, 6). "Risen with
Christ" (Col. 3:1) is judicially true of every believer. The Law can
no more condemn him: he has been fully and finally delivered from the
wrath to come. Infallibly certain and absolutely secure is he by
virtue of his legal union with the risen Savior. "Christ being raised
from the dead dieth no more: death hath no more dominion over Him"
(Rom. 6:9), nor over me, for His deliverance was mine, the second
death cannot touch me.
Second, because there is a vital union between Christ and His people.
Said the Lord Jesus, "I am the resurrection and the life: he that
believeth on Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever
liveth and believeth in Me shall never die" (John 11:25, 26). Nothing
could possibly be plainer or more decisive than that. Spiritual
resurrection makes the believer one with Him who is "alive for
evermore" so that he is forever beyond the reach of death. Well then
may we exclaim with the apostle, "Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy hath begotten
us again unto a living hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead" (1 Pet. 1:3). Regeneration or being begotten by God is the
communication to the soul of the life of the risen Christ. A faint yet
striking illustration of this is seen in our awakening each morning
out of slumber. While our head sleeps, every member of the body sleeps
with it. But the head awakes, and awakes first, and with that
awakening each member awakens also -- after the head, yet in union
with it. Thus it is with the mystical Body of Christ the Head was
first quickened, and then in God's good time His life is imparted to
each of His members, and before any member could perish the Head must
die.
Third, because as Christ was our Surety here so He is our
Representative on high, and as He endured our penalty so justice
requires that we should enjoy His fulness. Accordingly we read, "Now
the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus,
that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting
covenant, make you perfect in every good work, to do His will, working
in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ;
to whom be glory for ever, Amen" (Heb. 13:20, 21). Note well the
coherence of this passage. It is in His character as "the God of
peace" He thus acts. Having been pacified or propitiated, God brought
again from the dead our Lord Jesus, not as a private person but in His
official character, as the "Shepherd," and that, in fulfillment of
covenant stipulation and promise. In consequence thereof, God makes
perfect (or complete) in every good work the "sheep," preserving and
sanctifying them by working in them that which is well pleasing in His
sight, and this "through Jesus Christ," or in other words, by
communicating to His members the grace, the life, the fulness, which
is in their Head.
9. The Exaltation of Christ. There is a little clause, but one of vast
purport, which the apostle added to "yea rather that is risen again,"
namely, "who is even at the right hand of God" (Rom. 8:34). That brief
sentence is frequently overlooked, yet is it one which also guarantees
the safety and perpetuity of the Church. The ascension of Christ is as
vital and cardinal a part of the Truth as is His death and
resurrection, and provides the same rich food for faith to feed upon.
As it was not possible for death to hold Him, so it was not fitting
for the earth to retain Christ. He who humbled Himself and became
obedient unto death has been "highly exalted and given a name which is
above every name (Phil. 2:9). The head which once was crowned with
thorns is crowned with glory now, a royal diadem adorns the mighty
Victor's brow. Christ is now in heaven as an everlasting Mediator, as
a glorified High Priest over the House of God, as the sceptred King
ruling with sovereign sway all things in heaven and earth, angels and
principalities and powers being made subject to Him (1 Pet. 3:22). And
Christ is entered heaven in our nature, in our name, on our behalf.
The One who descended into the deepest depth has been elevated to the
grandest glory. The crowning act of Christ's triumph was not when He
issued forth a Victor from the tomb, but when He entered the courts of
celestial bliss, when the everlasting doors lifted up their heads and
the King of glory went in (Ps. 24:9). The raising of Christ was in
order to His glorification. And it was in our nature He is exalted
above all: the very hands which were nailed to the cross now wield the
sceptre of universal dominion. How well fitted then is such an One to
succor and "save unto the uttermost!" As faith follows the descent of
the Father's Beloved to Bethlehem's manger, to Golgotha, to the
sepulcher, so let it follow Him to the loftiest heights of dignity and
bliss. This "same Jesus" who was rejected and degraded by Jew and
Gentile alike has been "crowned with honor and glory" (Heb. 2:9). The
exaltation of Christ was a necessary part of His Mediatorship, for it
is from on high He administers His kingdom and makes effectual
application of redemption. The ascension of Christ is also an
essential part of the gospel.
"Who is even at the right hand of God." First, this is the place of
honor and dignity. When Bathsheba appeared before Solomon we are told
that the king rose up to meet her and bowed himself unto his mother,
and sitting down on this throne he caused a seat to be set for her "on
his right hand" (1 Kings 2:19) as a mark of special favor and honor.
After the royal proclamation concerning Christ "Thou lovest
righteousness and hatest wickedness: therefore God, Thy God, hath
anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows; all Thy
garments smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia, out of the ivory palaces
whereby they have made Thee glad," it is added, "Kings' daughters were
among Thy honorable women: upon Thy right hand did stand the Queen in
gold of Ophir" (Psa. 45:7-9), indicating the place of privilege and
honor which is reserved for the Lamb's wife. "The God of Abraham and
of Isaac and of Jacob (God of covenant relationship), the God of our
fathers, hath glorified His Son Jesus" (Acts 3:13)--this was His
mediatorial glory in answer to His prayer in John 17:5. Christ has
"sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Heb. 1:3).
Second, the "right hand of God" is the place of supreme authority and
power. As we read in Ex. 15:6 "Thy right hand, 0 Lord, is become
glorious in power." "And set Him at His own right hand in the
heavenlies: far above all principality and power, and might and
dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world but
also in that which is to come: and hath put all things under His feet,
and gave Him to be the Head over all things to the Church which is His
body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all" (Eph. 1:20-23). Our
Surety, then, was not only delivered from prison but exalted to
universal dominion, "all power in heaven and in earth" being conferred
upon Him. Then how well suited is He to fight our battles, subdue our
iniquities and supply our every need! Christ has been elevated high
above all ranks of creatures, however exalted in the scale of being or
whatever their titles and dignities, and all have been placed in
absolute subjection to Him, as "under His feet" signifies. Thus the
entire universe is under His control ("upholding all things by the
word of His power": Heb. 1:3) for the well-being of His people, so
that no weapon formed against them can prosper. No wonder it is
required "that all should honor the Son even as they honor the Father"
(John 5:23).
Third, it is the place of all blessedness. Our bounties and
benevolences are distributed by our "right hand" (Matt. 6:3). "At Thy
right hand there are pleasures for evermore" (Ps. 16:11)--one of the
great Messianic Psalms. "It is spoken assuredly of such pleasures as
Jesus Christ by way of prerogative enjoyeth beyond all the saints and
angels, He being at God's right hand so as none of them are. It was
the peculiar encouragement that Jesus Christ had, not to be in Heaven
only as a common saint, but to be in Heaven at God's right hand; and
to have pleasures answerable, far above all the pleasures of men and
angels. . .God doth communicate and impart to Him to the utmost all
His felicity, so far forth as that human nature is capable of" (Thos.
Goodwin), Thus in the "joy" that was set before Him (Heb. 12:2) Christ
has the "preeminence" as in all things else. In accord with this third
meaning of the expression, Christ will "set the sheep on His right
hand" saying to them "Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matt.
25:34).
Fourth, this setting of Christ at the right hand of the Majesty on
high denotes the endowing His humanity with capacity and ability
accordant with the exalted dignity conferred upon Him. It was not like
an earthly king advancing his favorite to high honor, or even
elevating his son to share his throne, but that God bestowed upon
Christ superlative endowments (anointing Him with the oil of gladness
"above His fellows," i.e. giving to Him the Spirit "without measure"),
fitting Him to discharge such an office. This is clear from the
immediate context of Ephesians 1:21, where prayer is made that we may
understand God's "mighty power which He wrought in Christ when He
raised Him from the dead and set Him at His own right hand in the
heavenlies" (vv. 19, 20). This fitting of Christ for His exalted
position appears in Rev. 5. There a mysterious book is held forth, but
none either in heaven or earth was found worthy to open it till the
Lamb appeared. And wherein lay His fitness? The Lamb as it had been
slain, possessed "seven horns and seven eyes" (v. 6)--perfect power
and perfect intelligence.
"Who is even at the right hand of God." Here then is a further
guarantee of the safety and perpetuity of the Church, and O what
consolation and encouragement should it afford the tried and trembling
believer. He went up "with a shout" (Ps. 47:5)--of conquest, leading
captivity captive. His being seated in heaven is proof that His work
is finished and His sacrifice accepted (Heb. 10:11, 12). It was as the
Head and Representative of His people Christ entered Heaven to take
possession for them: "whither the Forerunner is for us entered, even
Jesus" (Heb. 6:20). It is in our nature and name He had gone there, to
"prepare a place" for us. (John 14:2). Thus we have a Friend at Court,
for "if any one sin we have an Advocate with the Father" (1 John 2:1).
His great authority, power, dominion and glory is being exercised on
our behalf. The government of the universe is on His shoulder, for the
well-being, security and triumph of His Church. Hallelujah, what a
Savior! God has laid our help "upon One that is mighty" (Ps. 89:19).
10. Christ's Intercession. "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ
that died, yea rather that is risen again, who is even at the right
hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us" (Rom. 8:34). Here is
the grand climax. First, Christ made a complete atonement for the sins
of His people. Next He rose from the dead in proof that His sacrifice
was accepted by God. Then He was advanced to the place of supreme
honor and power in reward of His undertaking. And now He sues out or
asks for His people the benefits He purchased for them. The
inexpressible blessedness of this appears in the above order. How many
who have been suddenly elevated from poverty to wealth, from ignominy
to honor, from weakness to power, promptly forget their former
associates and friends. Not so the Lord Jesus. Though exalted to
inconceivable dignity and dominion, though crowned with unrivalled
honor and glory, yet this made no difference in the affections of
Christ toward His people left here in this world. His love for them is
unabated, His care of and concern for His Church undiminished. The
good will of the Savior unto His own remains unchanged.
The ascended Christ is not wrapped up in His own enthronement, but is
still occupied with the well-being of His people, maintaining their
interests, seeking their good: "He ever liveth to make intercession
for them" (Heb. 7:25). He knows they are weak and helpless in
themselves, and are surrounded by those desiring and seeking their
destruction, and therefore does He pray, "I am no more in the world,
but these are in the world, and I come to Thee, holy Father, keep
through Thine own Name those whom Thou hast given Me" (John 17:11);
and He bases that request on the finished work by which He glorified
God (v. 4). The plea which our great High Priest urges cannot rest
upon our merit, for we have none; it is not in recognition of our
worthiness, for we are destitute of such. Nor does our wretchedness
furnish the reason which the Intercessor urges on our behalf, for that
very wretchedness has been brought upon us by our sins. There are no
considerations personal to ourselves which Christ can plead on our
behalf. No, His all-sufficient sacrifice is the alone plea, and that
must prevail. Christ intercedes in Heaven because He died for us on
earth (Heb. 9:24-6).
If left entirely to themselves believers would perish. Temptations and
tribulations from without and corruptions from within would prove too
strong for them, and therefore does Christ make intercession on their
behalf, that God would grant them such supplies of grace and pardoning
mercy that they will be preserved from total apostasy. It is not that
He prays they may be kept from sin absolutely, but from a fatal and
final departure from God. This is evident from the case of the eleven
on the night of His betrayal: not one only but all of them "forsook
Him and fled" (Matt. 26:56). It was the prevalency of His intercession
which brought them back again. That was made more especially evident
in the case of Peter. The Lord Jesus foresaw and announced that he
would deny Him thrice (and lower than that it would seem a Christian
cannot fall), yet He prayed that his faith should fail not: not did
it--it wrought by love and produced repentance.
That for which our great High Priest particularly asks is the
continuance of our believing. Arminians seek to evade this by saying:
Christ prays not for the perseverance of the saints in their faith, or
that they who once believed should never cease from believing however
wicked they may become, but only for saints while they continue
saints; that is, as long as they continue in faith and love God will
not reject them. But the very thing Christ does pray for is "that thy
faith fail not" (Luke 22:32): for the continuance of a living faith,
for where that is, there will be good works. And that for which Christ
asks must be performed: not only because He is the Son of God (and
therefore could ask for nothing contrary to the Father's will), but
because His intercession is based upon His sacrifice: He pleads His
own merits and sues only for those things which He has purchased for
His people--the things to which they are entitled.
That for which Christ intercedes is clearly revealed in John 17: it is
for the preservation, unification, sanctification and glorification of
His people. The substance of His petitions is found in verse 11, where
(in effect) He says: Holy Father, Thou art concerned for each of these
persons and hast been viewing them with unspeakable satisfaction from
everlasting: Thou gayest them Me as a special expression of Thy love:
My heart is set upon them and My soul delighteth in them because they
are Mine by Thy free donation. As I am going to leave them behind Me
and they are weak and defenseless in themselves, exposed to many
enemies and temptations, I pray Thee keep them. Let them have the
person of the Holy Spirit to indwell them: let Him renew their
spiritual life and graces day by day: let Him preserve them in Thy
sacred Truth. That prayer will be fully answered when Christ will
"present the Church to Himself a glorious Church" (Eph. 5:27).
11. The love of Christ. Ah, what pen is capable of expatiating upon
such a theme when even the chief of the apostles was obliged to own
that it "passeth knowledge" (Eph. 3:19). Such was His wondrous love
that in order to save His people the Son of God left Heaven for earth,
laid aside the robes of His glory and took upon Him the form of a
Servant. Such was His wondrous love that He voluntarily became the
homeless Stranger here, having not where to lay His head. Such was His
wondrous love that He shrank not from being despised and rejected of
men, suffering Himself to be spat upon, buffeted and His hair plucked
out. Yea, such was His wondrous love for His Church that He endured
the cross, where He was made a curse for her, where the wrath of a
sin-hating God was poured upon Him, so that for a season He was
actually abandoned by Him. Truly His love is "strong as death. . .
.many waters cannot quench it, neither can the floods drown it" (Song
of Sol. 8:6, 7).
Mark how that love was tried and proved by the unkind response it met
with from the most favored of His disciples. So little did they lay to
heart His solemn announcement that He was about to be delivered into
the hands of men and be slain by them, they "disputed among themselves
who should be the greatest" (Mark 9:31, 34). When the awful cup of woe
was presented to Him in Gethsemane and His agony was so intense that
He sweat great drops of blood the apostles were unable to watch with
Him for a single hour. When His enemies, accompanied by a great rabble
armed with swords and staves, came to arrest Him, "all the disciples
forsook Him and fled" (Matt. 26:56)--and had writer and reader been in
their place we had done no otherwise. Did such base ingratitude freeze
the Savior's affection for them and cause Him to abandon their cause?
No indeed; "having loved His own which were in the world, He loved
them unto the end" (John 13:1)--to the end of their unworthiness and
unappreciativeness.
Ah my reader, His people are the objects of Christ's everlasting love.
Before ever the earth was His delights were with them (Prov. 8:3 1)
and have continued ever since. As the Father hath loved Christ
Himself, so Christ loves His people (John 15:9)--with a love that is
infinite, immutable, eternal. Nothing can separate us from it (Rom.
8:35). Those whom He loves are the special portion and inheritance
given to Him by the Father, and will He lose His portion when it is in
His power to keep it? No, He will not: "they shall be Mine, saith the
Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels" (Mal. 3:17). When
they were given to Him by the Father it was with the express charge
"that of all which He hath given Me I should lose nothing, but should
raise it up again at the last day" (John 6:39), and therefore do we
find Him saying to the Father, "those that Thou gayest Me I have kept,
and none of them is lost but (not `except') the son of perdition, that
the Scripture might be fulfilled" (John 17:12), and he was a devil
from the beginning.
Consider well the various relations which believers sustain to Christ.
They are the mystical Body of which He is the Head: "members of His
body, of His flesh and of His bones" (Eph. 5:30). They are "the
fulness of Him that filleth all in all" (Eph. 1:23) and thus He would
be incomplete, mutilated, if one of them perished. They are laid upon
Him as a "foundation" that is "sure" (Isa. 28:16), built upon Him as a
"rock" against which "the gates of hell shall not prevail" (Matt.
16:18). They are His "redeemed," bought with a price, purchased at the
cost of His life's blood, then how must He regard them! Consider well
the terms of endearment used of them. Christians are "of the travail
of His soul" (Isa. 53:11). They are His "brethren" (Rom. 8:29), His
`fellows" (Ps. 45:7), His "wife" (Rev. 19:7). They are set as a seal
upon His heart (Song of Sol. 8:6), engraved in the palms of His hands
(Isa. 49:16). They are His "crown of glory" and "royal diadem" (Isa.
62:3). Since they are so precious in His sight He will not suffer one
to perish.
12. The gift of the Holy Spirit. In contemplating the person and work
of the Spirit in the economy of redemption we must needs view Him in
connection with the everlasting covenant and the mediation of Christ.
The descent of the Spirit is inseparably related to what has been
before us in the previous sections. When the Savior ascended on high
He "received gifts for men, yea for the rebellious also" (Ps. 68:18),
and as His exaltation was in reward for His triumphant undertaking, so
also were those "gifts," chiefest of which was the Holy Spirit (Acts
2:33). As Christ is the unspeakable gift of the Father unto us, so the
Holy Spirit is the supreme gift of Christ to His people. Since Christ
is Man as well as God, it is required of Him that He make request for
whatever He receives at the hands of the Father: "Ask of Me, and I
shall give Thee the heathen (the Gentiles) for Thine inheritance and
the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession" (Ps. 2:8). "I
will pray the Father and He shall give you another Comforter, that He
may abide with you forever" (John 14:16).
The redemptive work of Christ merited the Spirit for His people. The
Spirit was given to Christ in consequence of His having so
superlatively glorified God on the earth and in answer to His
intercession. It is due to His praying that the Holy Spirit not only
renews the regenerate day by day, but that He first brought them from
death unto life. This is intimated in the `for the rebellious also" of
Psalm 68:18--even while they were in a state of alienation from God.
The dispensing of the Spirit is in the hands of the exalted Christ,
therefore is He spoken of as "He that hath the seven Spirits of God"
(Rev. 3:1) -- the Holy Spirit in the fulness or plenitude of His
gifts. To His immediate care is now committed the elect of God. As
Christ preserved them during the days of His earthly sojourn (John
17:12), so the Spirit safeguards them while He is on high. This is
clearly intimated in John 14:3 where the Lord Jesus declares "I will
come again and receive (not "take") you unto Myself, that where lam
there ye may be also"--they will be handed back to Him by the blessed
Spirit.
13. The indwelling of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit was purchased for
His people by the oblation of Christ and is bestowed upon them through
His intercession, to abide with them forever. The manner in which He
abides with those on whom He is bestowed is by a gracious indwelling.
"God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the Law, to
redeem them that were under the Law, that we might receive the
adoption of sons (that is, that we might have conferred upon us the
legal status of sonship). And because ye are sons (by virtue of legal
oneness with the Son), God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into
your hearts" (Gal. 4:4-6). What a marvelous yet mysterious thing this
is: that the third Person of the Trinity should take up His abode
within fallen creatures! It is not merely that the influences or
graces of the Spirit are communicated to us, but that He Himself
dwells within us: not in our minds (though they are illumined by Him)
but in our hearts--the center of our beings, from which are "the
issues of life" (Prov. 4:23).
This was the grand promise of God in the Covenant: "I will put My
Spirit within you" (Ezek. .36:27 and cf. 37:14), the fulfillment of
which our Surety obtained for us--"being by the right hand of God
exalted and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy
Spirit, He hath shed forth this" (Acts 2:33), for the dispensing of
Him is now in the hands of Christ as we have pointed Out above. Thus
it is that the inhabitation of the Spirit is the distinguishing mark
of the regenerate: "But ye are not in the flesh (as to your legal
standing before God) but in the spirit, if so be that the Spirit of
God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is
none of His" (Rom. 8:9). It is the indwelling of the Spirit of God
which identifies the Christian, and thus He is called "the Spirit of
Christ" because He occupies the believer with Christ and conforms him
to His image. The apprehension of this wondrous fact exerts a sobering
influence upon the believer, causing him to "possess his vessel in
sanctification and honour," "What! know ye not that your body is the
temple of the Holy Spirit?" (1 Cor. 6:19).
Now the Spirit takes up His residence in the saints not for a season
only but never to leave them. "This is My covenant with them, saith
the Lord (unto the Redeemer, see v. 20), My Spirit that is upon Thee
and My word which I have put in Thy mouth shall not depart out of Thy
mouth, nor out of the mouth of Thy seed, nor out of the mouth of Thy
seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and forever" (Isa.
59:21): that was a solemn promise of the Father unto the Mediator that
the Spirit should continue forever with the Redeemer and the redeemed.
The blessed Spirit comes not as a transient Visitor but as a permanent
Guest of the soul: "And I will pray the Father and He shall give you
another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever" (John 14:16).
Since then the Spirit takes up His abode in the renewed soul forever,
how certain it is that he will be preserved from apostasy. This will
be the more evident from our next division, when it will appear that
the Spirit is a powerful, active and sanctifying Agent with the
Christian.
14. The operations of the Spirit. These are summed up in "He which
hath begun a good work in you will finish it" (Phil. 1:6). The
reference is to our regeneration, completed in our sanctification,
preservation and glorification. First He imparts spiritual life to one
who is dead in trespasses and sins and then He sustains and maintains
that life by nourishing it and calling it forth into exercise and act,
so that it becomes fruitful and abounds in good works. Every growth of
spirituality is the work of the Holy Spirit: as the green blade was
His so is the ripening corn. The increase of life, as much as the
beginning thereof, must still come by the gracious power of the Spirit
of God. We never have more life or even know we need more or groan
after it, except as He works in us to desire and agonize after it.
Were the Spirit totally withdrawn from the Christian he would soon
lapse back into spiritual death. But thank God there is no possibility
of any such dire calamity: every born-again soul has the infallible
guarantee "the Lord will perfect that which concerneth me" (Ps.
138:8).
Let us now consider more particularly some eminent acts of the Spirit
in the believer and effects of His grace exercised in them. He
empowers and moves them unto obedience: "I will put My Spirit within
you and cause you to walk in My statutes and ye shall keep My
judgments and do them" (Ezek. 36:27). The two things are inseparable:
an indwelling Spirit and holy conduct from those indwelt. "As many as
are led by the Spirit of God they are the sons of God" (Rom. 8:14).
The Spirit guides into the paths of righteousness by a blessed
combination of invincible power and gentle suasion: not forcing us
against our wills, but sweetly constraining us. He directs the
activities of the Christian by enlightening his understanding, warming
his affections, stimulating his holy inclinations and moving his will
to do that which is pleasing unto God. In this way is that divine
promise fulfilled, "lam the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to
profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go" (Isa.
48:17), and thus is his prayer answered "Order my steps in Thy Word"
(Ps. 119:133). By His gracious indwelling the Spirit affords the
saints supportment: "likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities"
(Rom. 8:26). If the believer were left to himself he would never see
(by faith) the all-wise hand of God in his afflictions, still less
would his heart ever honestly say concerning them, "Thy will be done."
If left to himself the believer would never seek grace to patiently
endure chastisement, still less cherish the hope that afterward it
would "yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness" (Heb. 12:11). No,
rather would he chafe and kick like "a bullock unaccustomed to the
yoke" (Jer. 31:18) and yield to the vile temptation to "curse God and
die" (Job 2:9). If the believer were left to himself he would never
have the assurance that his acutest sufferings were among the all
things which work together for his ultimate good, still less would he
glory in his infirmity that the power of Christ might rest upon him (2
Cor. 12:9). No, such holy exercises of heart are not the products of
fallen human nature: instead they are the immediate, gracious, lovely
fruits of the Spirit, brought forth in such uncongenial soil.
By His gracious indwelling the Spirit energies the believer:
"strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man" (Eph. 3:16).
This is manifested in many directions. How often He exerts upon the
believer a restraining influence, subduing the lusts of the flesh and
holding him back from a course of folly by causing a solemn awe to
fall upon him: "the fear of the Lord is to depart from evil," and the
Spirit is the Author of that holy fear. "That good thing which was
committed unto thee keep by the Holy Spirit which dwelleth in us" (2
Tim. 1:14)--He is the one who oils the wheels of the saint's
obedience. "For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of
righteousness by faith" (Gal. 5:5) otherwise the deferring of our hope
would cause the soul to utterly pine away. Hence we find the Spouse
praying to the Spirit for invigoration and fructification, "Awake 0
north wind, and come thou south; blow upon my garden that the spices
thereof may flow out" (Song of Sol. 4:16).
The graces which the indwelling Spirit produces are durable and
lasting, particularly the three cardinal ones: "now abideth faith,
hope, love" (1 Cor. 13:13). Faith is that grace which is "much more
precious than of gold that perisheth" (1 Pet. 1:7)-- it is its
imperishability which constitutes its superior excellency. It is "of
the operation of God" (Col. 2:12) and we know that whatsoever is of
Him "it shall be forever" (Eccl. 3:14), Christ praying that it "fail
not," and therefore no matter how severely it shall be tested its
possessor can declare "though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him"
(Job 13:15). The hope of the Christian is "as an anchor of the soul
both sure and steadfast," for it is cast on Christ the foundation,
from whence it can never be removed (Heb. 6:18, 19). As to the
believer's love, though its initial ardor may be cooled yet it cannot
be quenched, though first love any be "left" it cannot be lost. Under
the darkest times Christ is still the object of his love, as the cases
of the Church in Song of Solomon 3:1-3 and of Peter (John 21:17)
evidence.
15. The relations which the Holy Spirit sustains to the Christian. In
Ephesians 1:14 He is designated "the earnest of our inheritance until
the redemption of the purchased possession" (cf. 2 Cor. 1:22). Now an
"earnest" is part payment assuring the full reward in due season: it
is more than a pledge, being an actual portion and token of that which
is promised. If the inheritance were precarious, suspended on
conditions of uncertain performance, the Spirit could not in truth or
propriety be termed the earnest thereof. If an "earnest" is a guaranty
among men, much more so between God and His people. He is also "the
first fruits" of glorification unto the believer (Rom. 8:23), an
antepast of Heaven, the initial beams of the rising sun of eternal
bliss in the Christian's soul. He is also the "anointing" which we
have received from Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 1:21) and this "abideth" in us
(1 John 2:17). Again, He is the believer's seal: "grieve not the Holy
Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption" (Eph.
4:30), that is, until their bodies are delivered from the grave. Among
other purposes a "seal" is to secure: can then the treasure which the
Spirit guards be lost? No: as Christ was "sealed" (John 6:27) and in
consequence "upheld" by the Spirit so that He failed not (Isa. 42:1,
4), so is the believer. It is impossible for any saint to perish.
Contents | Forward | Intro | | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11
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Eternal Security by A.W. Pink
Chapter 6
Its Blessedness
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In an earlier section we dwelt upon the deep importance of this
doctrine, here we wish to show something of its great preciousness.
Let us begin by pointing Out the opposite. Suppose that the Gospel
proclaimed only a forgiveness of all sins up to the moment of
conversion and announced that believers must henceforth keep
themselves from everything unworthy of this signal mercy: that means
are provided, motives supplied, and warnings given of the fatal
consequences which will surely befall those who fail to make a good
use of those means and diligently respond to those motives; that
whether or not he shall ultimately reach Heaven is thus left entirely
in the believer's own hands. Then what? We may well ask what would be
the consequences of such a dismal outlook: what would be the thoughts
begotten and the spirit engendered by such a gospel? what effect would
it produce upon those who really believed it? Answers to these
questions should prepare us to the more deeply appreciate the
converse.
It hardly requires a profound theologian to reply to the above
queries; they have only to be carefully pondered and the simplest
Christian should be able to perceive for himself what would be the
inevitable result. If the Christian's entrance into Heaven turns
entirely upon his own fidelity and his treading the path of
righteousness unto the end of his course, then he is far worse off
than was Adam in Eden, for when God placed him under the covenant of
works he was not heavily handicapped from the beginning by indwelling
sin, but each of his fallen descendants is born into this world with a
carnal nature which remains unchanged to the moment of death. Thus the
believer would enter into the fight not only without any assurance of
victory but face almost certain defeat. If such a gospel were true
then those who really believed it would be entire strangers to peace
and joy, for they must inevitably spend their days in a perpetual
dread of Hell. Or, the first time they were overcome by temptation and
worsted by the Enemy, they would at once abandon the fight and give
way to hopeless despair. "I will not turn away from them to do them
good" (Jer. 32:40). "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee" (Heb.
13:5). Nothing whatever can or "shall be able to separate us from the
love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:39). "He will
keep the feet of His saints" (1 Sam. 2:9). How immeasurable the
difference between the vain imaginations of men and the sure
declarations of God: it is the contrast of the darkness of a moonless
and starless midnight from the radiance of the midday sun. "Of them
which Thou gayest Me have I lost none" (John 18:9) affirmed the
Redeemer. Is not that inexpressibly blessed! That every one of the
redeemed shall be brought safely to Heaven. The final apostasy of a
believer is an utter impossibility, not in the nature of things but by
the Divine constitution: not one who has once been received into the
Divine favor can ever be cast out thereof. God has bestowed on each of
His children a life than cannot die, He has brought him into a
relationship which nothing can change or effect, He has wrought a work
in him which lasts "for ever" (Eccl. 3:14).
It is sadly true that multitudes of empty professors have "wrested"
this truth to their destruction, just as many of our fellows have put
to an ill use some of the most valuable of God's temporal gifts; but
because foolish gluttons destroy their health through intemperance
that is no reason why sane people should refuse to be nourished by
wholesome food; and because the carnal pervert the doctrine of Divine
preservation that is no valid argument for Christians being afraid to
draw comfort from the same. Most certainly it is the design of God
that His people should be strengthened and established by this grand
article of the faith. Note how in John 17 Christ mentions again and
again the words "keep" and "kept" (vv. 6, 11, 12, 13, 15). And His
reason for so doing is clearly stated: "these things I speak in the
world that they may have My joy fulfilled in them" (v. 13). He would
not have them spend their days in the wretchedness of doubts about
their ultimate bliss, uncertain as to the issue of their fight. It is
His revealed will that they should go forward with a song in their
hearts, praising Him for the certainty of ultimate victory.
But the joy which issues from a knowledge of our security is not
obtained by a casual acquaintance with this truth. Christ's very
repetition "I kept them those that Thou gayest Me I have kept" (John
17:12) intimates to us that we must meditate frequently upon this
Divine preservation unto eternal life. It is to be laid hold of in no
transient manner but should daily engage the Christian's heart till he
is warmed and influenced by it. A few sprinklings of water do not go
to the roots of a tree, but frequent and plentiful showers are needed:
so it is not an occasional thought about Christ's power to keep His
people safe for Heaven which will deeply affect them, but only a
constant spiritual and believing pondering thereon. As Jacob said to
the Angel "I will not let thee go except thou bless me" (Gen. 32:26),
so the believer should say to this truth, I will not turn from it
until it has blessed me.
When our great High Priest prayed "Holy Father, keep through Thine own
name those whom Thou hast given Me" (John 17:11) it was not (as the
Arminians say) that He asked merely that they might be provided with
adequate means, by the use of which they must preserve themselves. No,
my reader, it was for something more valuable and essential. The
Savior made request that faith should be continually wrought in them
by the exceeding greatness of God's power (Eph. 1:19), and where that
is there will be works of sincere (though imperfect) obedience and it
will operate by responding to the holiness of the Law so that sins are
mortified. The Father answers that prayer of the Redeemer's by working
in the redeemed "both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Phil.
2:13), fulfilling in them "all the good pleasure of His goodness and
the work of faith with power" (2 Thess. 1:11) preserving them "through
faith unto salvation" (1 Pet. 1:5). He leaves them not to their feeble
and fickle wills, but renews them in the inner man "day by day" (2
Cor. 4:16).
That Christ would have His redeemed draw comfort from their security
is clear again from His words "Rejoice because your names are written
in heaven" (Luke 10:20). To what purpose did the Lord Jesus thus
address His disciples, but to denote that infallible certainty of
their final salvation by a contrast from those who perish: that is,
whose names were written only "in the earth" (Jer. 17:13) or on the
sands which may be defaced. Surely He had never spoken thus if there
was the slightest possibility of their names being blotted Out.
Rejoice because your names are written in heaven;" is not the
implication both necessary and clear as a sunbeam; such rejoicing
would be premature if there was any likelihood of final apostasy. This
call to rejoice is not given at the moment of the believer's death, as
he sees the angels about to convoy him to the realm of ineffable
bliss, but while he is still here on the battlefield. Those names are
written by none other than the finger of God, indelibly inscribed in
the Book of Life, and not one of them will ever be erased.
Take again His words in the parable of the lost sheep: "I say unto
you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that
repenteth" (Luke 15:7). "Such exalted hosannas would not resound on
these occasions among the inhabitants of the skies if the doctrine of
final perseverance was untrue. Tell me, ye seraphs of light; tell me,
ye spirits of elect men made perfect in glory, why this exuberance of
holy rapture on the real recovery of a sinner to God? Because ye know
assuredly that every true conversion is (1) a certain proof that the
person converted is one of the elect number, and (2) that he shall be
infallibly preserved and brought to that very region of blessedness
into which ye yourselves are come. The contrary belief would silence
your harps and chill your praises. If it be uncertain whether the
person who is regenerated today may ultimately reign with you in
heaven or take up his eternal abode among apostate spirits in hell,
your rejoicings are too sanguine and your praises too presumptuous.
You should suspend your songs until he actually arrives among you and
not give thanks for his conversion until he has persevered unto
glorification" (A. Toplady).
1. What encouragement is there here for the babe in Christ! Conscious
of his weakness, he is fearful that the flesh and the world and the
Devil may prove too powerful for him. Aware of his ignorance,
bewildered by the confusion of tongues in the religious realm, he
dreads lest he be led astray by false prophets. Beholding many of his
companions, who made a similar profession of faith, so quickly losing
their fervour and going back again into the world, he trembles lest he
make shipwreck of the faith. Stumbled by the inconsistencies of those
called "the pillars of the church," chilled by older Christians who
tell him he must not be too extreme, he is alarmed and wonders how it
can be expected that he shall hold on his way almost alone. But if
these fears empty him of self-confidence and make him cling the closer
to Christ, then are they blessings in disguise, for he will then prove
for himself that "underneath are the everlasting arms," and that those
arms are all-mighty and all-sufficient.
The babe in Christ is as much a member of God's family as is the
mature "father" (1 John 2:13) and the former is as truly the object of
Divine love and faithfulness as is the latter. Yea, the younger ones
in His flock are more the subjects of the Shepherd's care than are the
full-grown sheep: "He shall gather the lambs with His arm and carry
them in His bosom" (Isa. 40:11). The Lord does not break the bruised
reed nor quench the smoking flax (Matt. 12:20). He gave proof of this
in the days of His flesh. He found some "smoking flax" in the nobleman
who came to Him on behalf of his sick son: his faith was so weak that
he supposed the Savior must come down to his house and heal him ere he
died--as though the Lord Jesus could not recover him while at a
distance or after he had expired (John 4:49): nevertheless He cured
him. So too after His ascension, He took note of a "little strength"
(Rev. 3:8) and opened a door which none can shut. The highest oak was
once an acorn and God was the maintainer of its life. When we affirm
the final perseverance of every born-again soul we do not mean that
saints are not in themselves prone to fall away, nor that at
regeneration such a work is wrought in them once for all that they now
have sufficient strength of their own to overcome sin and Satan and
that there is no likelihood of their spiritual life decaying. So far
from it, we hesitate not to declare that the very principle of grace
(or "new nature") in the believer considered abstractedly in itself --
apart from the renewing and sustaining power of God -- would assuredly
perish under the corruptions of the flesh and the assaults of the
Devil. No, the preservation of the Christian's faith and his
continuance in the path of obedience lies in something entirely
external to himself or his state. Wherein lay the impossibility of any
bone of Christ being broken? Not because they were in themselves
incapable of being broken, for they were as liable to be broken as His
flesh to be pierced, but solely because of the unbreakable decree of
God. So it is with the mystical Body of Christ: no member of His can
perish because of the purpose, power and promise of God Himself.
How important it is then that the babe in Christ should be instructed
in the ground of Christian perseverance, that the foundation on which
his eternal security rests is nothing whatever in himself but wholly
outside. The preservation of the believer depends not upon his
continuing to love God, believe in Christ, tread the highway of
holiness, or make diligent use of the means of grace, but on the
Covenant-engagements entered into between the Father and the Son. That
is the basic and grand Cause which produces as a necessary and
infallible effect our continuing to love God, believe in Christ and
perform sincere obedience. O what a sure foundation is that! What a
firm ground for the soul to rest upon! What unspeakable peace and joy
issues from faith's apprehension of the same! Though fickle in
ourselves, the Covenant is immutable. Though weak and unstable as
water we are, yet that is "ordered in all things and sure." Though
full of sin and unworthiness, yet the sacrifice of Christ is of
infinite merit. Though often the spirit of prayer be quenched in us,
yet our great High Priest ever liveth to make intercession for us.
Here then is the "anchor of the soul," and it is "both sure and
steadfast" (Heb. 6:19).
Ere concluding this subdivision it is necessary to point out in such
days as these that it must not be inferred from the above that because
the grace, the power and the faithfulness of God insures the
preservation of the feeblest babe in Christ that henceforth he is
relieved of all responsibility in the matter. Not so: such a blessed
truth has not been revealed for the purpose of encouraging
slothfulness, but rather to provide an impetus to use the means of
preservation which God has appointed. Though we must not anticipate
too much what we purpose to bring before the reader under a later
division of our subject, when we shall consider at more length the
safeguards which Divine wisdom has placed around this truth, yet a few
words of warning, or rather explanation, should be given here to
prevent a wrong conclusion being drawn from the preceding paragraphs.
The babe in Christ is weak in himself, he is left in a hostile world,
he is confronted with powerful temptations, both from within and from
without, to apostatize. But strength is available unto faith, armor is
provided against all enemies, deliverance from temptations is given in
answer to prevailing prayer. But he must seek that strength, put on
that armor, and resist those temptations. He must fight for his very
life, and refuse to acknowledge defeat. Nor shall he fight in vain,
for Another shall gird his arm and enable him to overcome. The
blessedness of this doctrine is that he shall not be left to himself
nor suffered to perish. The Holy spirit shall renew him day by day,
quicken his graces, move him to perseverance and make him "more than
conqueror through Him that loved him."
2. What comfort is there here for fearing saints! All Christians have
a reverential and filial fear of God and an evangelical horror of sin.
Some are beset with legal fears, and most of them with anxieties which
are the product of a mingling of legal and evangelical principles.
These latter are occasioned more immediately by anxious doubts,
painful misgivings, evil surmisings of unbelief. More remotely, they
are the result of the permissive appointment of God, who has decreed
that perfect happiness must be waited till His people get home to
Heaven. Were our graces complete, our bliss would be complete too. In
the meantime it is needful for the Christian traveler to be exercised
with a thorn in the flesh, and that "thorn" assumes a variety of forms
with different believers; but whatever its form it is effectual in
convincing them that this earth is not their rest or a mount whereon
to pitch tabernacles of continuance. In many instances that "thorn"
consists of anxious misgivings, as the frequent "fear not" of
Scripture intimates: the fear of being completely overcome by
temptation, or making shipwreck of the faith, of failing to endure
unto the end.
Once again we would quote those words of Christ, "Of them whom Thou
hast given Me have I lost none" (John 18:9). Is not that inexpressibly
blessed! That every one of the dear children whom the Father has
entrusted to the care and custody of the Mediator shall be brought
safely to glory; the feeblest as much as the strongest, those with the
least degree of grace as those of the highest, the babes as truly as
the full grown. Where true grace is imparted, though it be as a grain
of mustard seed, yet it shall be quickened and nourished so that it
shall not perish. This should be of great consolation to those timid
and doubting ones who are apt to think it will be well with Christians
of great faith and eminent gifts, but that such frail creatures as
they know themselves to be will never hold out, who dread that Satan's
next attack will utterly vanquish them. Let them know that the
self-same Divine protection is given to all the redeemed. It is not
because one is more godly than another, but because both are held fast
in the hand of God. The tiny mouse was as safe in the ark as the
ponderous elephant.
What encouragement is there here for the godly, who when they view the
numerous Anakims in the way and hear of the giants and walled cities
before them are prone to dread their meeting with them. How many a one
has trembled as he has pondered that word of Christ's "Verily I say
unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of
heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go
through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the
kingdom of God" (Matt. 19:23, 24) and said with the apostles, "Who
then can be saved?" If it be such a difficult matter to get to Heaven,
if the gate be so strait and the way so narrow, and so many of those
professing to tread it turn out to be hypocrites and apostates, what
will become of me? When thus exercised, remember Christ's answer to
the astonished disciples, "with God all things are possible." He who
kept Israel on the march for forty years without their shoes wearing
out, can quite easily preserve thee, O thou of little faith.
"Thou has a mighty arm: strong is Thy hand, high is Thy right hand"
(Ps. 89:13). Grandly is that fact displayed in creation. Who has
stretched out the heavens with a span? Who upholds the pillars of the
earth? Who has set limits to the raging ocean, so that it cannot
overflow its bounds? Whose finger kindled the sun, the moon, and the
stars, and kept those mysterious Lamps of the sky alight all these
thousands of years? Whose hand has filled the sea with fishes, the
fields with herds, and made the earth fertile and fruitful? So too the
mightiness of the Lord's arm is manifest in providence. Who directs
the destinies of nations and shapes the affairs of kingdoms? Who sets
the monarch upon his throne and casts him from thence when it so
pleases Him? Who supplies the daily needs of a countless myriad of
creatures so that even the sparrow is provided for when the earth is
blanketed with snow? Who makes all things work together for good
--even in a world which lieth in the Wicked one -- to them that love
Him, who are the called according to His purpose?
When a soul is truly reconciled to God and brought to delight in Him,
it rejoices in all His attributes. At first it is apt to dwell much
upon His move and mercy, but as it grows in grace and experience it
delights in His holiness and power. It is a mark of spiritual
understanding when we have learned to distinguish the manifold
perfections of God, to take pleasure in each of them. It is a proof of
more intimate communion with the Lord when we perceive how adorable is
the Divine character, so that we meditate upon its excellences
separately and in detail, and praise and bless Him for each of them.
The more we are given to behold all the varied rays of His pure light,
the more we are occupied with the many glories of His crown, the more
shall we bow in wonderment before Him. Not only shall we perceive how
infinitely He is above us, but how there is everything in Him suited
to our need; grace to meet our unworthiness, mercy to pardon our sins,
wisdom to supply our ignorance, strength to minister to our weakness.
"Who is like unto Thee, 0 Lord among the gods? who is like Thee,
glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders!" (Ex. 15:11).
How this glorious attribute of God's power ensures the final
perseverance of the saints! Some of our readers have passed through
sore trials and severe tribulations, yet they prevailed not against
them: they shook them to their foundations, but they did not overthrow
their faith. "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord
delivereth him out of them all" (Ps. 34:19). Fierce were the foes
which many a time gathered against thee, and had not the Lord been on
thy side thou hadst quickly been devoured, but in Him thou didst find
a sure refuge. The Divine strength has been manifested in your
weakness. Is it not so, my brother, my sister: that such a frail worm
as yourself has never been crushed by the weight of opposition that
has come upon you--Ah, "underneath were the everlasting arms." Though
you trembled at your feebleness, yet, "out of weakness were made
strong" (Heb. 11:34) has been your case too. Kept alive with death all
around you, preserved when Satan and his hosts encompassed you. Must
you not say "strong is Thy right hand!"
3. What comfort is there here for souls who are tempted to entertain
hard thoughts of God! The awful corruptions of the flesh which still
remain in the believer and which are ever ready to complain at the
difficulties of the way and murmur against the dispensations of Divine
providence, and the questionings of unbelief which constantly ask, Has
God ceased to be gracious? how can He love me if He deals with me
thus? are sufficient in themselves to destroy his peace and quench his
joy. But when to these are added the infidelities of Arminianism which
declares that God takes no more care of His children than to suffer
the Devil to enter in among and devour them, that the Lord Jesus, that
great Shepherd of the sheep, affords no more security to His flock
than to allow wolves and lions to come among and devour them at their
pleasure, how shall the poor Christian maintain his confidence in the
love and faithfulness of the Lord? Such blasphemies are like buckets
of cold water poured upon the flames of his affection for God and are
calculated only to destroy that delight which he has taken in the
riches of Divine grace.
The uninstructed and unestablished believer is apt to think within
himself I may for the present be in a good state and condition, but
what assurance is there that I shall continue thus? Were not the
apostate angels once in a far better state and more excellent
condition than mine: they dwelt in Heaven itself, but now they are
cast down into Hell, being "reserved in everlasting chains under
darkness unto the judgment of the great day" (Jude 6)! Adam in
paradise had no lusts within to tempt and seduce him, no world without
to oppose and entangle, yet "being in honor" he continued not, but
apostatized and perished. If it was not in their power to persevere
much less so in mine, who am "sold under sin" and encompassed with a
world of temptations. What hope is there left to me? Let a man be
exercised with such thoughts as these, let him be cast back solely
upon himself, and what is there that can give him any relief or bring
his soul to any degree of composure? Nothing whatever, for the
so-called "power of free will" availed not either the angels which
fell or our first parents.
And what is it which will deliver the distressed soul from these
breathings of despair? Nothing but a believing laying hold of this
grand comfort: that the child of God has an infallible promise from
his Father that he shall be preserved unto His heavenly kingdom, that
he shall be kept from apostasy, that the intercession of his great
High Priest prevents the total failing of his faith. So far from God
being indifferent to the welfare of His children and failing in His
care for them, He has sworn that "I will not turn away from them to do
them good." So far from the good Shepherd proving unfaithful to His
trust, He has given express assurance that not one of His sheep shall
perish. Rest on those assurances my reader, and thy hard thoughts
about God will be effectually silenced. As to the stability and
excellency of the Divine love, is it not written, "The Lord thy God in
the midst of thee is mighty, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He
will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing" (Zeph.
3:17). What can more endear God to His people than that! How it should
fix their souls in their love to Him. Well might Stephen Charnock say
of Arminians, "Can these men fancy Infinite Tenderness so unconcerned
as to let the apple of His eye be plucked out, as to be a careless
Spectator of the pillage of His jewels by the powers of Hell, to have
the delight of His soul (if I may so speak) tossed like a tennis ball
between himself and the Devil." He that does the greater thing for His
people shall He not also do the less: to regenerate them is more
wonderful than to preserve them, as the bestowal of life exceeds the
maintaining of it. The reconciliation of enemies is far harder than
dealing with the failings of friends: "while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us. Much more then being now justified by His blood we
shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies,
we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son much more, being
reconciled, we shall be saved by His life" (Rom. 5:8-10). If there was
such efficacy in the death of Christ, who can estimate the virtue of
His resurrection! "He ever liveth to make intercession for us."
4. What comfort is there here for aged pilgrims! Some perhaps may be
surprised at this heading, supposing that those who have been longest
in the way and have experienced most of God's faithfulness have the
least need of consolation from the truth. But such a view is sadly
superficial to say the least of it. No matter how matured in the faith
one may be, nor how well acquainted with the Divine goodness, so long
as he is left down here he has no might of his own and is completely
dependent upon Divine grace to preserve him. Methuselah stood in as
much need of God's supporting hand during the closing days of his
pilgrimage as does the veriest babe in Christ. Look at it from the
human side of things: the aged believer, filled with infirmities, the
spiritual companions of his youth all gone, perhaps bereft of the
partner of his bosom, cut off from the public means of grace, he looks
forward to the final conflict with trepidation.
"And even to your old age I am He, and even to hoar hairs will I carry
you" (Isa. 46:4). Why has such a tender and appropriate promise been
given by God if His aged saints have no need of the same? They, any
more than the young, are not immune from Satan's attacks. He is not
slow to tell the tottering believer that as many a ship has foundered
when in sight of port so the closing storm of life will prove too much
for him: that though God has borne long with his unbelief and
waywardness, even His patience is now exhausted. How then is he to
meet such assaults of the Fiend? In the same way as he has done all
through his course. By taking the shield of faith, wherewith he shall
be able to quench all the fiery darts of the Wicked one (Eph. 6:16),
by having recourse to the sure promise of Him who has said "Lo, I am
with you alway, even unto the end."
Ah, my aged friend, how often have you proved in your experience the
truth of those words "thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee"
(Deut. 33:29). What a shameless liar the Devil is! Did he not tell
thee in some severe trial, The hand of the Lord is gone out against
thee: He has forsaken thee and will no more be gracious to thee: He
has deserted thee as He did Saul the king and now thou art wholly
given up unto the powers of evil: the Lord will no more answer thee
from His holy oracle; He has utterly cast thee off. Yet you found that
God had not deserted you after all, and this very day you are able to
join the writer in thanking Him for His lovingkindness and to testify
of His unfailing faithfulness. How often has thine own unbelief
whispered to thee, I shall one day perish at the hand of this foe who
seeks my life: my strength is gone, the Spirit withholds His
assistance, I am left alone and must perish. Yet year after year has
passed, and though faint you are still pursuing, though feeble you
will hold on your way.
Has not Satan often told you in the past, Your profession is a sham,
iniquities prevail over you, the root of the matter is not in thee.
Thou was a fool to make a profession and cast in thy lot with God's
people: there is no stability in thee, thou art certain to apostatize
and bring reproach upon the cause of Christ. And did not your own
doubts second his motion, telling you that your experience was but a
flash in the pan, some evanescent emotion, which like a firebrand
would die out into black ashes. Unbelief has whispered a thousand
falsehoods into your ear, saying this duty is too difficult, this toil
will prove too great, this adversity will drown you. What madness it
was to lend an ear to such lies. Can God ever cast away one on whom He
has fixed His everlasting love? Can He renounce one who was purchased
by the blood of Christ? Thus will it prove of thy last fears: "Thine
enemies shall be found liars unto thee."
5. What comfort is there here for preachers! Many a rural minister
views with uneasiness the departure into cities of some of his young
converts. And may well he be exercised at the prospect of them leaving
their sheltered homes to be brought into close contact with
temptations to which they were formerly strangers. It is both his duty
and privilege to give them godly counsel and warning, to follow them
with his prayers, to write them: but if they he soundly converted he
need not fear about their ultimate well-being. Servants of God called
to move into other parts are fearful about the babes in Christ which
they will leave behind, yet if they really be such they may find
consolation in the blessed fact that the great Shepherd of the sheep
will never leave nor forsake them.
Contents | Forward | Intro | | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11
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http://www.pbministries.org. All rights reserved.
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A. W. Pink Header
Eternal Security by A.W. Pink
Chapter 7
Its Perversion
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Nowhere is the depravity of man and the enmity of their minds against
God more terribly displayed than in the treatment which His Holy Word
receives at their hands. By many it is criminally neglected, by others
it is wickedly wrested and made to teach the most horrible heresies.
To slight such a revelation, to despise such an inestimable treasure,
is an insult which the Most High will certainly avenge. To corrupt the
sacred Scriptures, to force from them a meaning the opposite of what
they bear, to handle them deceitfully by picking and choosing from
their contents, is a crime of fearful magnitude. Yet this, in varying
measure, is what all the false cults of Christendom are guilty of.
Unitarians, Universalists, those who teach the unconsciousness of the
soul between death and resurrection and the annihilation of the
wicked, single out certain snippets of Scripture but ignore or explain
away anything which makes against them. A very high percentage of the
errors propagated by the pulpit are nothing more or less than Truth
itself, but the Truth distorted and perverted.
Broadly speaking the doctrine which we have been expounding in this
series has been perverted by two main classes. First, by open
Arminians, who expressly repudiate most of what has been advanced in
the preceding sections. With them we are not here directly concerned.
Second, by what we can only designate "mongrel Calvinists." This class
deny the sovereign and unconditional election of God and also the
limited or particular redemption of Christ. They are one with
Arminians in believing that election is based on God's foreknowledge
of those who would believe the Gospel, and they affirm Christ atoned
for the sins of all of Adam's race, and yet they term themselves
"Calvinists" because they hold the eternal security of the saints, or
"once in grace, always in grace." In their crude and ill-balanced
presentation of this doctrine they woefully pervert the Truth and do
incalculable damage unto those who give ear to them. As they do not
all proceed along exactly the same line or distort the Truth at the
same particular point we will divide this branch of our subject so as
to cover as many errors as possible.
1. It is perverted by those who predicate of mere professors what
pertains only to the regenerate. Here is a young man who attends a
service at a church where a "special evangelistic campaign" is being
held. He is not seriously inclined, in fact rarely enters a place of
worship, but is visiting one now to please a friend. The evangelist
makes a fervent emotional appeal and many are induced to "go forward"
and be prayed for, our young man among them--again to please his
friend. He is persuaded to "become a Christian" by signing a "decision
card" and then he is congratulated on the "manly step" he has taken.
He is duly "received into the church" and at once given a class of
boys in the "Sunday School." He is conscious there has been no change
within and though somewhat puzzled supposes the preacher and
church-members know more about the matter than he does. They regard
him as a Christian and assure him he is now safe for eternity. Here is
another young man who is passing a "Gospel Hall" on a Lord's day
evening; attracted by the hearty singing, he enters. The speaker
expatiates at length on John 3:16 and similar passages. He declares
with such vigor that God loves everybody and points out in proof
thereof that He gave His Son to die for the sins of all mankind. The
unsaved are urged to believe this and are told that the only thing
which can now send them to Hell is their unbelief. As soon as the
service is over the speaker makes for our young man and asks him if he
is saved. Upon receiving a negative reply, he says, "Would you not
like to be, here and now?" Acts 16:3 1 is read to him and he is asked
"Will you believe?" If he says yes, John 5:24 is quoted to him and he
is told that he is now eternally secure. He is welcomed into the homes
of these new friends, frequents their meetings and is addressed as
"Brother."
The above are far more than imaginary cases: we have come into
personal contact with many from both classes. And what was the sequel?
In the great majority of instances the tide of emotion and enthusiasm
soon subsided, the novelty quickly wore off, attending "Bible
readings" soon palled, and the dog returned to its vomit and the sow
to her wallowing in the mire. They were then regarded as "backsliders"
and perhaps told "The Lord will bring you back again into the fold,"
and some of these man-made converts are foolish enough to believe
their deceivers and assured that "once saved, saved forever" they go
on their worldly way with no trepidation as to the ultimate outcome.
They have been fatally deceived. And what of their deceivers? They are
guilty of perverting the Truth, they have cast pearls before swine,
they have taken the children's bread and thrown it to the dogs; they
gave to empty professors what pertained only to the regenerate.
2. It is perverted by those who fail to insist upon credible evidences
of regeneration, as is the case with the above examples. The burden of
proof always rests upon the one who affirms. When a person avers that
he is a Christian that averment does not make him one, and if he be
mistaken it certainly is not kindness on my part to confirm him in a
delusion. A church is weakened spiritually in proportion to the number
of its unregenerate members. Regeneration is a supernatural work of
grace and therefore it is a great insult to the Holy Spirit to imagine
that there is not a radical difference between one who has been
miraculously quickened by Him and one who is dead in trespasses and
sins, between one who is indwelt by Him and one in whom Satan is
working (Eph. 2:2). Not until we see clear evidence that a
supernatural work of grace has been wrought in a soul are we justified
in regarding him as a brother in Christ. The tree is known by the
fruits it bears: good fruit must be manifested on its branches ere we
can identify it as a good tree.
We will not enter into a laboured attempt to describe at length the
principal birth-marks of a Christian; instead we will mention some
things which if they be absent indicate that "the root of the matter"
(Job 19:28) is not in the person. One who regards sin lightly, who
thinks nothing of breaking a promise, who is careless in the
performance of temporal duties, who gives no sign of a tender
conscience which is exercised over what are commonly called "trifles,"
lacks the one thing needful. A person who is vain and self-important,
who pushes to the fore seeking the notice of others, who parades his
fancied knowledge and attainments, has not learned of Him who is "meek
and lowly in heart." One who is hyper-sensitive, who is deeply hurt if
some one slights her, who resents a word of reproof no matter how
kindly spoken, betrays the lack of a humble and teachable spirit. One
who frets over disappointments, murmurs each time his will is crossed
and rebels against the dispensations of Providence, exhibits a will
which has not been Divinely subdued.
That a person belongs to some "evangelical church" or "assembly" and
is regular in his attendance there, is no proof that he is a member of
the Church which is Christ's (mystical) body. That a person goes about
with a Bible in his hand is no guaranty that the Divine Law is within
his heart. Though he may talk freely and fluently about spiritual
things, of what worth is it if they do not regulate his daily walk?
One who is dishonest in business, undutiful in the home, thoughtless
of others, censorious and unmerciful, has no title to be regarded as a
new creature in Christ Jesus, no matter how saintly his pose be on the
Sabbath Day. When the Pharisees and Sadducees came to Christ's
forerunner to be baptized of him, he said, "Bring forth therefore
fruits meet for repentance" (Matt. 3:8): I must first see some signs
of godly sorrow for sin, some manifestations of a change of heart,
some tokens of a transformed life. So we must demand the evidences of
regeneration before we are justified in crediting a Christian
profession, otherwise we endorse what is false and bolster up one in
his self-deceit.
3. It is perverted by those who sever the cause from its necessary
effect. The cause of the believer's perseverance is one and
indivisible, for it is Divine and nothing whatever of the creature is
mingled with it; yet to our apprehension at least it appears as a
compound one and we may view its component parts separately. The
unchanging love, the immutable purpose, the everlasting covenant and
the invincible power of God are conjoint elements in making the saint
infallibly secure. But each of those elements is active and brings
forth fruit after its own kind. God's love is not confined to the
Divine bosom but is "shed abroad" in the hearts of His people by the
Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5), from whence it flows forth again unto its
Giver: "we love Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). Our love
is indeed feeble and fluctuating, yet it exists, and cannot be
quenched, so that we can say with Peter "Thou knowest that I love
Thee." "I know My sheep and (though imperfectly) am known of Mine."
(John 10:14) shows the response made.
The preacher who has much to say upon the love of God and little or
nothing about the believer's love to Him is partial and fails in his
duty. How can I ascertain that I am an object of God's love but by
discovering the manifest effects of His love being shed abroad in my
heart? "If any man love God, the same in known of God" (1 Cor. 8:3).
"All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who
are the called according to His purpose" (Rom. 8:28). It is by their
love for Him they give proof they are the subjects of His effectual
call. And how is genuine love for God to be identified? First, by its
eminency: God is loved above all others so as He has no rival in the
soul: "whom have I in heaven but Thee, and there in none upon earth
that I desire beside Thee" (Ps. 73:25). All things give way to His
love; "Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall
praise Thee" (Ps. 63:3). The real Christian is content to do and
suffer anything rather than lose God's favor, for that is his all.
Second, true love for God may be recognized by its component parts.
Repentance is a mourning love, because of the wrongs done its Beloved
and the loss accruing to ourselves. Faith is a receptive love,
thankfully accepting Christ and all His benefits. Obedience is a
pleasing love, seeking to honor and glorify the One who has set His
heart upon me. Filial fear is a restraining love which prevents me
offending Him whom I esteem above all others. Hope is love expecting,
anticipating the time when there shall be. nothing to come between my
soul and Him. Communion is love finding satisfaction in its Object.
All true piety is the expression and outflow of love to God and those
who bear His image. Hungering and thirsting after righteousness is
love desiring more of God and His holiness. Joy is the exuberance of
love, delighting itself in its all-sufficient portion. Patience is
love waiting for God to make good His promise, moving us to endure the
trials of the way until He comes to our relief. Love "beareth all
things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things"
(1 Cor. 13:7).
Third, real love for God expresses itself in obedience. Where there is
genuine love for God it will be our chief concern to please Him and
fulfill His will. "He that hath My commandments and keepeth them, he
it is that loveth Me" (John 14:21). "This is the love of God, that we
keep His commandments" (1 John 5:3). Inasmuch as it is the love of an
inferior to a superior it must show itself in a respectful subjection,
in the performance of duty. God returneth love with love: "I love them
that love Me" (Prov. 8:17 and cf. John 14:21). "A Christian is
rewarded as a lover rather than as a servant: not as doing work, but
as doing work out of love" (Manton). If we love God we shall do his
bidding, promote His interests, seek His glory. And this not
sporadically but uniformly and constantly; not in being devout at
certain set times and the observance of the Lord's supper, but
respecting His authority in all the details of our daily lives. Only
thus does love perform its function and fulfill its design: "whoso
keepeth His Word, in him verily is the love of God perfected (attains
its proper goal): hereby know we that we are in Him"(1 John 2:5).
From what has been pointed out in the last three paragraphs it is
clear that those who dwell upon the love of God for His people to the
virtual exclusion of their love for Him do pervert the truth of the
security of the saints, as the individual who persuades himself that
he is the object of God's love without producing the fruit of his love
for Him is treading on very dangerous ground. This divorcing of the
necessary effect from its cause might be demonstrated just as
conclusively of the other elements or parts, but because we entered
into so much detail with the first we will barely state the other
three. The immutability of God's purpose to conduct His elect to
Heaven must not be considered as a thing apart; the means have been
predestinated as much as the end, and they who despise the means
perish. The very term "covenant" signifies a compact entered into by
two or more persons, wherein terms are prescribed and rewards
promised: nowhere has God promised covenant blessings to those who
comply not with covenant stipulations. Nor have I any warrant to
believe the saving power of God is working in me unless I am expressly
proving the sufficiency of His grace.
4. It is perverted by those who lose the balance of Truth between
Divine preservation and Christian perseverance. We may think it vastly
more honoring unto God to write or say ten times as much about His
sovereignty as we do upon man's responsibility, but that is only a
vain attempt to be wise above what is written, and therefore is to
display our own presumption and folly. We may attempt to excuse our
failure by declaring it is a difficult matter to present the Divine
supremacy and human accountability in their due proportions, but with
the Word of God in our hands it will avail us nothing. The business of
God's servant is not only to contend earnestly for the Faith but to
set forth the Truth in its Scriptural proportions. Far more error
consists in misrepresenting and distorting the Truth than in expressly
repudiating it. Professing Christians are not deceived by an avowed
infidel or atheist, but are taken in by men who quote and re-quote
certain portions of Holy Writ, but are silent upon all the passages
which clash with their lop-sided views.
Just as we may dwell so much upon the Deity of Christ as to lose sight
of the reality of His humanity so we may become so occupied with God's
keeping of His people as to overlook those verses where the Christian
is bidden to keep himself. The incarnation in nowise changed or
modified the fact that Christ was none other than Immanuel
tabernacling among men, that "God was manifest in flesh," nevertheless
we read "Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto
His brethren" (Heb. 2:17), and again "Jesus increased in wisdom and
stature and in favour with God and man" (Luke 2:51). The theanthropic
person or the Mediator is grossly caricatured if either His Godhead or
manhood be omitted from consideration. Whatever difficulty it may
involve to our finite minds, whatever mystery which transcends our
grasp, yet we must hold fast to the fact that the Child born, the Son
given, was "the mighty God" (Isa. 9:6); nor must we suffer the truth
of God's garrisoning of His people to crowd out the necessity of their
discharging their responsibility.
It is perfectly true there is a danger in the other side and that we
need to be on our guard against erring in the opposite direction. Some
have done so. There are those who consider the humanity of Christ
could not be true humanity in the real sense of that word unless it
were peccable, arguing that His temptation was nothing more than a
meaningless show unless He was capable of yielding to Satan's attacks.
One error leads to another. If the last Adam met the Devil on the same
plane as did the first Adam, simply as a sinless man, and if His
victory (as well as all His wondrous works) is to be attributed solely
to the power of the Holy Spirit, then it follows that the exercise of
His divine prerogatives and attributes were entirely suspended during
the years of His humiliation. Hence we find that those who hold this
fantastic view endorse the "kenosis" theory, interpreting the "made
Himself of no reputation" or "who emptied Himself" of Phil. 2:7 as the
temporary setting aside of His omniscience and omnipotence.
Contending for Christian perseverance no more warrants the repudiation
of Divine preservation than insisting on the true manhood of Christ
justifies the impugning of His Godhood. Both must be held fast: on the
one hand reasoning must be bridled by refusing to go one step further
than Scripture goes; on the other hand faith must be freely exercised,
receiving all that God has revealed thereon. That which is central in
Philippians 2:5-7 is the position Christ entered and the character in
which He appeared. He who was "in the form of God" and deemed it not
robbery "to be equal with God" took upon Him "the form of a servant"
and was "made in the likeness of men." He laid aside the robes of His
incomprehensible glory, divested Himself of His incommunicable honors,
and assumed the mediatorial office instead of continuing to act as the
universal Sovereign. He descended into the sphere of servitude, yet
without the slightest injury to His Godhead. There was a voluntary
abnegation of the exercise of full dominion and sovereignty, though He
still remained "The Lord of glory" (1 Cor. 2:8). He "became obedient
unto death" but He did not become either feeble or fallible. He was
and is both perfect and "the mighty God."
As the person of the God-man Mediator is falsified if either His
Godhead or manhood be denied, or perverted if either be practically
ignored, so it is with the security of the saints when either their
Divine preservation or their own perseverance is repudiated, or
perverted if either be emphasized to the virtual exclusion of the
other. Both must be maintained in their due proportions. Scripture
designates our Savior "the true God" (1 John 5:20), yet it also speaks
of Him as "the man Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. 2:5); again and again He is
denominated "the Son of man," yet Thomas owned Him as "my Lord and my
God." So too the Psalmist affirmed "He will not suffer thy foot to be
moved: He that keepeth thee, will not slumber. . . The Lord shall
preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul. The Lord
shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth
and for evermore" (121:3, 7, 8); nevertheless, He also declared "By
the Word of Thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer"
(17:4), and again "I have kept the ways of the Lord. . .1 have kept
myself from mine iniquity" (18:21, 23).Jude exhorts believers "keep
yourselves in the love of God" and then speaks of Him "that is able to
keep you from falling" (21:24). The one complements, and not
contradicts, the other.
5. It is perverted by those who divorce the purpose of God from the
means through which it is accomplished. God has purposed the eternal
felicity of His people and that purpose is certain of full fruition,
nevertheless it is not effected without the use of means on their
part, any more than a harvest is obtained and secured apart from human
industry and persevering diligence. God has made promise to His saints
that "bread shall be given" them and their "water shall be sure" (Isa.
33:16), but that does not exempt them from the discharge of their duty
or provide them with an indulgence to take their ease. The Lord gave a
plentiful supply of manna from heaven, but the Israelites had to get
up early and gather it each morning, for it melted when the sun shone
on it. So His people are now required to "labour for the meat which
endureth unto everlasting life "(John 6:2 7). Promises of Divine
preservation are not made to sluggards and idlers but those called
unto the use of means for the establishing of their souls in the
practice of obedience; those promises are not given to promote
idleness but are so many encouragements to the diligent, assurances
that sincere endeavors shall have a successful issue.
God has purposed to preserve believers in holiness and not in
wickedness. His promises are made to those who strive against sin and
mourn over it, not to those who take their full thereof and delight
therein. If I presume upon God's goodness and count upon His shielding
me when I deliberately run into the place of temptation, then I shall
be justly left to reap as I have sown. It is Satan who tempts souls to
recklessness and to the perverting of the Divine promises. This is
clear from the attack which he made upon the Saviour. When he bade Him
cast Himself from the pinnacle of the temple and to rely upon the
angels to preserve Him from harm, it was an urging Him to presume upon
the end by disdaining the means; Our Lord stopped his mouth by
pointing out that, notwithstanding His assurance from God and of His
faithfulness concerning the end, yet Scripture requires that the means
tending to that end be employed, the neglect of which is a sinful
tempting of God. If I deliberately drink deadly poison I have no
ground for concluding that prayer will deliver me from its fatal
effects.
The Divine preservation of the saints no more renders their own
activities, constant care and exertions superfluous, than does God's
gift of breath make it unnecessary for us to breathe. It is their own
preservation in faith and holiness which is the very thing made
certain: they themselves, therefore, must live by faith and in the
practice of holiness, for they cannot persevere in any other way than
by watching and praying, carefully avoiding the snares of Satan and
the seductions of the world, resisting and mortifying the lusts of the
flesh, working out their own salvation with fear and trembling. To
neglect those duties, to follow a contrary course, is to "draw back
unto perdition" and not to "believe to the saving of the soul" (Heb.
10:39). He who argues that since his perseverance in faith and
holiness is assured he needs exercise no concern about it or trouble
to do anything toward it, is not only guilty of a palpable
contradiction but gives proof that he is a stranger to regeneration
and has neither part nor lot in the matter. "Make me to go in the path
of Thy commandments, for therein do I delight" (Ps. 119:35) is the cry
of the renewed.
6. It is perverted by those who deny the truth of Christian
responsibility. In this section we shall turn away from the "mongrel
Calvinists" to consider a serious defect on the part of
"hyper-Calvinists," or as some prefer to call them, "fatalists." These
people not only repudiate the general offer of the Gospel, arguing
that it is a virtual denial of man's spiritual impotency to call upon
the unregenerate to savingly repent and believe, but they are also
woefully remiss in exhorting believers unto the performance of
Christian duties. Their favorite text is "without Me ye can do
nothing. "but they are silent upon "I can do all things through Christ
which strengtheneth me" (Phil. 4:13). They delight to quote the
promises wherein God declares "I will" and "I shall" but they ignore
those verses which contain the qualifying "if ye" (John 8:31) and "if
we" (Heb. 3:6).
They are sound and strong in the truth of God's preservation of His
people, but they are weak and unsound on the correlative truth of the
saints' perseverance. They say much about the power and operations of
the Holy Spirit, but very little on the method He employs or the means
and motives He makes use of.
"As many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sons of God"
(Rom. 8:14). He does not compel but inclines: it is not by the use of
physical power but by the employment of moral suasion and sweet
inducements that He leads for He deals with the saints not as stocks
and stones but as rational entities. "I will instruct thee and teach
thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye"
(Ps. 32:8), The meaning of that is more apparent from the contrast
presented in the next verse: "Be ye not as the horse (rushing where it
should not) or as the mule (stubbornly refusing to go where it should)
which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and
bridle. " God does not drive His children like unintelligent animals,
but guides by enlightening their minds, directing their inclinations,
moving their wills. God led Israel across the wilderness by a pillar
of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night: but they had to respond
thereto, to follow it. So the good Shepherd goes before His sheep, and
they follow Him.
It is true, blessedly true, that God "draws," yet that drawing is not
a mechanical one as though we were machines, but a moral one in
keeping with our nature and constitution. Beautifully is this
expressed in Hosea 11:4, "1 drew them with cords as a man, with bands
of love." Every moral virtue, every spiritual grace, is appealed to
and called into action. There is perfect love and gracious care on
God's part toward us; there is the intelligence of faith and response
of love on our part toward Him; and thereby He keeps us in the way.
Blessed and wondrous indeed is the inter-working of Divine grace and
the believer's responsibility. All the affections of the new creature
are wrought upon by the Holy Spirit. He draws out our love by setting
before us God's love: "we love Him, because He first loved us," but we
do love Him, we are not passive, nor is love inactive. He quickens our
desires and revives our assurance, and we "rejoice in hope of the
glory of God." He brings into view "the prize of the high calling" and
we "press toward the mark, forgetting those things which are behind
and reaching forth unto those things which are before" (Phil. 3:13,
14). It is very much like a skilled musician and a harp: as his
fingers touch its strings they produce melodious sounds. God works in
us and produces the beauty of Holiness. But how? By setting before our
minds weighty considerations and powerful motives, and causing us to
respond thereto. By giving us a tender conscience which is sensitive
to His still small voice. By appealing to every motive-power in us:
fear, desire, love, hatred, hope, ambition. God preserves His saints
not as He does the mountain pine which is enabled to withstand the
storm without its own concurrence, but by calling into exercise and
act the principle that was imparted to them at the new birth. There is
the working of Divine grace first, and then the outflow of Christian
energy. God works in His people both to will and to do of His good
pleasure, and they work out their own salvation with fear and
trembling (Phil. 2:12,13). And it is the office of God's servants to
be used as instruments in the hands of the Spirit. It is their task to
enforce the responsibility of the saints, to admonish slothfulness, to
warn against apostasy, to call unto the use of means and the
performance of duty.
If the hyper-Calvinist preacher compares the method he follows with
the policy pursued by the apostles, he should quickly perceive the
vast difference there is between them. True, the apostles gave
attention to doctrinal instruction, but they also devoted themselves
to exhortation and expostulation. True, they magnified the free and
sovereign grace of God and were careful to set the crown of glory upon
the One to whom alone it belonged, yet they were far from addressing
their hearers as so many paralytics or creatures who must lie impotent
till the waters be moved. "No," they said, "Let us not sleep, as do
others" (1 Thess. 5:6), but "awake to righteousness and sin not" (1
Cor. 15:34). They bade them "run with patience the race that is set
before us" (Heb. 12:2) and not sit down and mope and hug their
miseries. They called upon them to "resist the Devil" (James 4:7), not
take the attitude they were helpless in the matter. They gave
direction "keep yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:21) and did not at
once negative it by adding, "but you are unable to do so." When the
apostle said "I think it meet, as long as lam in this tabernacle, to
stir you up by putting you in remembrance" (2 Pet. 1:13), he was not
usurping the prerogative of the Spirit but was enforcing the
responsibility of the saints.
7. It is perverted by those who use the doctrine of justification to
crowd out the companion doctrine of sanctification. Though they are
inseparably connected yet they may be and should be considered singly
and distinctly. Under the Law the ablutions and oblations, the
washings and sacrifices went together, and justification and
sanctification are blessings which must not be disjointed. God never
bestows the one without the other, yet we have no means of knowing we
have received the former apart from the evidences of the latter.
Justification refers to the relative or legal change which takes place
in the status of God's people. Sanctification to the real and
experimental change which takes place in their state, a change which
is begun at the new birth, developed during the course of their
earthly pilgrimage and is made perfect in Heaven. The one gives the
believer a title to Heaven, the other a meetness for the inheritance
of the saints in light; the former clears him from the guilt of sin,
the latter cleanses from sin's defilement. In sanctification something
is actually imparted to the believer, whereas in justification it is
only imputed. Justification is based entirely on the work which Christ
wrought for His people, but sanctification is principally a work
wrought in them.
By our fall in Adam we not only lost the favor of God but also the
purity of our nature, and therefore we need to be both reconciled to
God and renewed in our inner man, for without personal holiness "no
man shall see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). "As He which hath called you is
holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation (behavior); because
it is written, Be ye holy for lam holy" (1 Pet. 1:15, 16). God's
nature is such that unless we be sanctified there can be no
intercourse between Him and us. But can persons be sinful and holy at
one and the same time? Genuine Christians discover so much carnality,
filth and vileness in themselves that they find it almost impossible
to be assured they are holy. Nor is this difficulty solved, as in
justification, by recognizing that though completely unholy in
ourselves we are holy in Christ, for Scripture teaches that those who
are sanctified by God are holy in themselves, though the evil nature
has not been removed from them.
None but "the pure in heart" will ever "see God" (Matt. 5:8). There
must be that renovation of soul whereby our minds, affections and
wills are brought into harmony with God. There must be that impartial
compliance with the revealed will of God and abstinence from evil
which issues from faith and love. There must be that directing of all
our actions to the glory of God, by Jesus Christ, according to the
Gospel. There must be a spirit of holiness working within the
believer's heart so as to sanctify his outward actions if they are to
be acceptable unto Him in whom "there is no darkness." True, there is
perfect holiness in Christ for the believer, but there must also be a
holy nature received from Him. There are some who appear to delight in
the imputed obedience of Christ who make little or no concern about
personal holiness. They have much to say about being arrayed in "the
garments of salvation and covered with the robe of righteousness"
(Isa. 61:10), who give no evidence that they "are clothed with
humility" (1 Pet. 5:4) or that they have "put on. . .bowels of
mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering,
forbearing one another and forgiving one another" (Col. 3:12).
How many there are today who suppose that if they have trusted in
Christ all is sure to be well with them at the last, even though they
are not personally holy. Under the pretence of honoring faith, Satan,
as an angel of light, has deceived and is now deceiving multitudes of
souls. When their "faith" is examined and tested, what is it worth?
Nothing at all so far as insuring an entrance into Heaven is
concerned: it is a powerless, lifeless, fruitless thing. The faith of
God's elect is unto "the acknowledging of the truth which is after
godliness" (Titus 1:1). It is a faith which purifieth the heart (Acts
15:9), and it grieves over all impurity. It is a faith which produces
an unquestioning obedience (Heb. 11:8). They therefore do but delude
themselves who suppose they are daily drawing nearer to Heaven while
they are following those courses which lead only to Hell. He who
thinks to come to the enjoyment of God without being personally holy,
makes Him Out to be an unholy God, and puts the highest indignity upon
Him. The genuineness of saving faith is only proved as it bears the
blossoms of experimental godliness and the fruits of true piety.
Sanctification consists of receiving a holy nature from Christ and
being indwelt by the Spirit so that the body becomes His temple, set
apart unto God. By the Spirit's giving me vital union with "the Holy
One" I am "sanctified in Christ Jesus" (1 Cor. 1:2). Where there is
life there is growth, and even when growth ceases there is a
development and maturing of what has grown. There is a living
principle, a moral quality communicated at the new birth, and under
sanctification it is drawn out into action and exercised in living
unto God. In regeneration the Spirit imparts saving grace, in
sanctification He strengthens and develops it: the one is a birth, the
other a growth.. Therein it differs from justification: justification
is a single act of grace, sanctification is a continued work of grace;
the one is complete the other progressive. Some do not like the term
"progressive sanctification" hut the thing itself is clearly taught in
Scripture. "Every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it that it may
bring forth more fruit" (John 15:2). "I pray that your love may abound
yet more and more in knowledge and all judgment" (Phil. 1:9). That you
"may grow up in Him in all things" (Eph. 4:15) is an exhortation
thereto.
8. It is perverted by those who fail to accord the example of Christ
its proper place. Few indeed have maintained an even keel on this
important matter. If the Socinians have made the exemplary life of
Christ to be the whole end of the incarnation, others have so stressed
His atoning death as to reduce His model walk to comparative
insignificance. While the pulpit must make it clear that the main and
chief reason why the Son of God became flesh, was in order that He
might honor God in rendering to the Law a perfect satisfaction on
behalf of His people, yet it should also make equally plain that a
prominent design and important end of Christ's incarnation was to set
before His people a pattern of holiness for their emulation. Thus
declares The Scriptures: "He hath left us an example that we should
follow His steps" (1 Pet. 2:21) and that example imperatively
obligates believers unto its imitation. If some have unduly pressed
the example of Christ upon unbelievers, others have woefully failed to
press it on believers. Because it has no place in the justification of
a sinner, it is a serious mistake to suppose it exerts no influence
upon the sanctification of a saint.
The very name "Christian" intimates that there is an intimate relation
between Christ and the believer. It signifies "an anointed one," that
he has been endued with a measure of that Divine unction which his
Master received "without measure" (John 3:34). And as Flavel, the
Puritan, pointed out "Believers are called `fellows' or co-partners
(Ps. 45:7) of Christ from their participation with Him of the same
Spirit. God giveth the same spirit unto us which He most plentifully
poured out upon Christ. Now where the same spirit and principle is,
there the same fruits and operations must he produced, according to
the proportions and measures of the Spirit of grace communicated. Its
nature also is assimilating, and changeth those in whom it is into the
same image with Christ, their heavenly Head (2 Cor. 3:18)." Again;
believers are denominated "Christians" because they are disciples of
Christ (Matt. 28:19 margin, Acts 11:26), that is, learners and
followers of His, and therefore it is a misuse of terms to designate a
man a "Christian" who is not sincerely endeavoring to mortify and
forsake whatever is contrary to His character: to justify his name he
must be Christlike.
Though the perfect life of Christ must not be exalted to the exclusion
of His atoning death, neither must it be omitted as the believer's
model. If it be true that no attempt to imitate Christ can obtain a
sinner's acceptance with God, it is equally true that the emulating of
Him is imperatively necessary and absolutely essential in order to the
saints' preservation and final salvation. "Every man is bound to the
imitation of Christ under penalty of forfeiting his claim to Christ.
The necessity of this imitation convincingly appears from the
established order of salvation, which is fixed and unalterable. Now
conformity to Christ is the established method in which God will bring
many souls to glory. `For whom He did foreknow, He also did
predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be
the Firstborn among many brethren' (Rom. 8:29). The same God who hath
predestinated men to salvation, hath in order thereto, predestinated
them unto conformity to Christ, and this order of heaven is never to
be reversed. We may as well think to be saved without Christ, as to be
saved without conformity to Christ" (John Flavel).
In Christ God has set before His people that standard of moral
excellence which He requires them to aim and strive after. In His life
we behold a glorious representation in our own nature of the walk of
obedience which He demands of us. Christ conformed Himself to us by
His abasing incarnation, how reasonable therefore is it that we should
conform ourselves to Him in the way of obedience and sanctification.
"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5).
He came as near to us as was possible for Him to do, how reasonable
then is it that we should endeavor to come as near as it is possible
for us to do. "Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me." If "even
Christ pleased not Himself" (Rom. 15:3), how reasonable is it that we
should be required to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow
Him (Matt. 16:24), for without so doing we cannot be His disciples
(Luke 15:27). If we are to he conformed to Christ in glory how
necessary that we first be conformed to Him in holiness: "he that
saith he abideth in Him ought himself so to walk even as He walked" (1
John 2:6). "Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from
iniquity" (2 Tim. 2:19): let him either put on the life of Christ or
drop the name of Christ.
Contents | Forward | Intro | | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11
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A. W. Pink Header
Eternal Security by A.W. Pink
Chapter 8
Its Safeguards
_________________________________________________________________
There may be some who will at once take exception to the employment of
this term in such a connection, affirming that the Truth of God
requires no safeguarding at the hands of those called by Him to
expound it: that their business is to faithfully preach the same and
leave results entirely to its Author. We fully agree that God's
eternal Truth stands in no need of any carnal assistance from us,
either in the way of dressing it up to render it more attractive or
toning down to make it less offensive; yea, we heartily subscribe to
the apostle's dictum that "we can do nothing against the Truth, but
for the Truth" (2 Cor. 13:8)--God overrules the opposition of those
who hate it and makes the wrath of His enemies to praise Him.
Nevertheless in view of such passages as Mark 4:33; John 16:12; 1 Cor.
3:2; Heb. 5:12 it is clear that our presentation of the Truth needs to
be regulated by the condition of those to whom it is ministered.
Moreover, this raises the question, What is faithfully presenting the
Truth? Are there not other modifying adverbs which are not to be
omitted?
The Truth should not only be preached "faithfully" but wisely,
proportionately, seasonably as well. There is a zeal which is not
according to knowledge nor tempered by wisdom. There is an unbalanced
presentation of the Truth which accomplishes more harm than good. We
read of "the present Truth" (2 Pet. 1:12) and of "a word in due
season" (Prov. 15:23 and cf. Isa. 50:4), which implies there is such a
thing as speaking unseasonably, even though it be the Truth itself
which is spoken and that "faithfully." What is a "word in season?" Is
it not a timely and pertinent one, a message suited to the condition,
circumstances and needs of the persons addressed? In His wisdom and
goodness God has provided cordials for the faint and comfort for those
who mourn, as He has also given exhortations to the slothful,
admonitions to the careless, solemn warnings to the reckless, and
fearful threatenings to those who are defiant. Discrimination needs to
be used in our appropriation and application of the Scriptures. As it
would be cruel to quote terrifying passages to one who is already
mourning over his sins, so it would be wrong to press the promises of
Divine preservation upon a professing Christian who is living a carnal
and worldly life.
"Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed
is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matt. 26:41). Those words furnish
an illustration of a "word in due season." The disciples (not Peter
only) had boasted "though I should die with Thee, yet will I not deny
Thee." They were self-confident and temporarily blind to their own
instability. Their Lord therefore bade them guard against
self-reliance and seek grace from above, for though they were quite
sincere in their avowal, yet were they much too feeble to resist
Satan's attacks in their own strength. They thought themselves immune
from such a horrible sin as denying their Master, but instead of
bolstering them up in their sense of security He warned them of their
danger. Another example of a seasonable word is the apostle's
exhortation to the one who claims that he "standeth by faith," namely,
"Be not high-minded, but fear. For if God spared not the natural
branches take heed lest He also spare not thee. Behold therefore the
goodness and severity of God: on those that fell, severity; but toward
thee goodness, if thou continue in His goodness; otherwise thou also
shalt be cut off" (Rom. 11:20,22).
But it is rather those safeguards by which God Himself has hedged
about the subject of the everlasting security of His people that we
would now particularly consider, those defenses which are designed to
shut out unholy trespassers from this garden of delights; or to change
the figure, those descriptions of character and conduct which serve to
make known the particular persons to whom alone His promises belong.
In the preceding section we dwelt at some length on how this blessed
doctrine is misrepresented by Arminians and perverted by Antinomians.
To use a term employed by an apostle, it has been grievously
"wrested," torn from its setting, disproportionately contorted,
divorced from its qualifying terms, detached from the necessary means
by which it is attained, applied unto those to whom it does not
belong. Hence our present object is to direct attention unto some of
the principal bulwarks by which this precious truth is protected and
which must be duly emphasized and continually pressed by the servants
of God if it is to be portrayed in its true perspective and if souls
are not to be fatally misled. Only thus shall we "faithfully" present
this truth.
1. By insisting that it is the preservation of saints and not every
one who deems himself a Christian. It is of deep importance to define
clearly and sharply the character of those who are Divinely assured of
being preserved unto the heavenly kingdom--that God be not dishonored,
His Truth falsified, and souls deceived. "He preserveth the souls of
His saints" (Ps. 87:10), but of none others. It is so easy to
appropriate (or misappropriate) such a promise as "Thou shalt guide me
with Thy counsel and afterward receive me to glory" (Ps. 73:24), but
before so doing honesty requires that I ascertain whether the
experiences of the one described in the context are those of mine.
Asaph confesses to being envious at the prosperity of the wicked (vv.
3, 12) until he felt he had cleansed his own heart and hands "in vain"
(v. 13). But he checks himself, tender lest by such murmuring he
should stumble God's children (v. 15), recording how his "heart was
grieved" and his conscience pricked at giving way to such foolish
repinings, until he owned unto God "I was as a beast before Thee" (v.
22). The recollection of God's gracious forbearance (v. 23) moved him
to say "it is good for me to draw near to God" (v. 28).
When I can find such marks in myself as the Psalmist had, such graces
operating in my heart as did in, his, then--but not before -- am I
warranted in comforting myself as he did. If I challenge the
utterances of my mouth as to whether or no they are likely to offend
God's little ones, if I make conscience of envying the prosperity of
the wicked and mourn over it, if I am deeply humbled thereby, if I
realize "my steps had well nigh slipped" (v. 2) and that it was a
longsuffering God who had "holden me by my right hand," alone
preserving me from apostasy; if this sense of His sovereign goodness
enables me to affirm "Whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is
none upon earth that I desire besides Thee" (v. 25); if all of this
produces in me such a sense of my utter insufficiency as to own "My
flesh and my heart faileth, but God is the strength of my heart" (v.
26), then am I justified in saying "Thou shalt guide me with Thy
counsel and afterward receive me to glory." Yes, God "preserveth the
souls of His saints," but what avails that for me unless I be one of
them!
Again; how many there are who eagerly grasp at those words of Christ
concerning His sheep, who have only the vaguest idea of the ones whom
He thus designates: "And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall
never perish; neither shall any pluck them out of My hand" (John
10:27). The very fact that the verse opens with "and" requires us to
ponder what immediately precedes, and because His flock is but a
"little" one (Luke 12:32) it behooves each one who values his soul to
spare no pains in seeking to ascertain whether he belongs to it. In
the context the Savior says "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them,
and they follow Me." Observe diligently the three things which are
here predicated of them. First, they hear Christ's voice. Now to hear
His voice means far more than to be acquainted with His words as they
are recorded in Scripture--more than believing they are His words.
When it was said unto Israel "the Lord will not hear you in that day"
(1 Sam. 8:18) it signified that He would not heed their requests or
grant their petitions. When God complained "When I spake, ye did not
hear," it was not that they were physically deaf but their hearts were
steeled against Him, as the remainder of the verse indicates: "But did
evil before Mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not"
(Isa. 65:12).
When God says "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased: hear
ye Him" (Matt. 17:5) He is requiring something more of us than that we
simply listen respectfully and believingly to what He says: He is
demanding that we submit ourselves unreservedly to His authority, that
we respond promptly to His orders, that we obey Him. In Prov. 8:33
"hearing" is contrasted from refusing, and in Heb. 3:15 we read "If ye
will hear His voice harden not your hearts." When Christ declares of
His flock "My sheep hear My voice" He signifies they heed it -- they
are not intractable but responsive, doing what He bids. Second, He
declares "and I know them," that is, with a knowledge of approbation.
Third, "and they follow Me ": not the bent of the flesh, not the
solicitations of Satan, not the ways of the world, but the example
which Christ hast left them (1 Pet. 2:21). Of this it said "they
follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth" (Rev. 14:4) But in order to
follow Christ, self has to be denied and the cross taken up (Matt.
16:24). Only those who thus "hear," are "known" of Christ, and who
"follow" Him, shall "never perish."
2. By insisting that no person has any warrant to derive comfort from
the doctrine of Divine Security until he is sure that he possesses the
character and conduct of a saint. This naturally grows out of the
first point, though we have somewhat anticipated what should be said
here. Not every one who bears the name of Christ will enter Heaven,
but only His sheep. It therefore follows that only those bearing the
marks of such have any claim upon the promises made to that favored
company. And the burden of proof always rests upon the one who
affirms. If one answers some advertisement from an employer of labour
for a skilled workman, he is required to give evidence of his
qualifications by well-accredited testimonials. If a person puts in a
claim to an estate he must produce proof that he is a legitimate heir
and satisfy the court of his bona fides. If a captain requires an
additional hand for his ship he demands that the applicant show his
papers or give demonstration that he is a fully qualified seaman.
Before I can procure a passport I must produce my birth certificate.
And one who avers himself a saint must authenticate his profession and
evidence his new birth before he is entitled to be regarded as such.
God's saints are distinguished from all other people, not only by what
He has done for them but also by what He has wrought in them. He set
His heart upon them from all eternity, having loved them "with an
everlasting love" (Jer. 31:3) and therefore were they "blessed with
all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ," chosen in Him
before the foundation of the world, predestinated "unto the adoption
of children by Jesus Christ to Himself," and "accepted in the Beloved"
(Eph. 1:3-6). It is true that they fell in Adam and became guilty
before God, but an all-sufficient Redeemer was provided for them,
appointed to assume and discharge all their liabilities and make full
reparation to the broken Law on their behalf. It is also true that
they are "by nature the children of wrath even as others," being born
into this world "dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1-3); but at the
ordained hour a miracle of grace is performed within them so that they
become "new creatures in Christ Jesus" (2 Cor. 5:17) and their bodies
are made "the temple of the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor. 6:19). Faith and
holiness have been communicated to them, so that though they are still
in the world they are not of it (John 17:14).
The saints are endowed with a new life, with a spiritual and
supernatural principle or "nature" which affects their whole souls. So
radical and transforming is the change wrought in them by this miracle
of grace that it is described as a passing from death unto life (John
5:24), from the power of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son
(Col. 1:13), from "having no hope and without God in the world" to
being "made nigh by the blood of Christ" (Eph. 2:12, 13), from a state
of alienation to one of reconciliation (Col. 1:21), out of darkness
into God's marvelous light (1 Pet. 2:9). Of them God says "This people
have I formed for Myself: they shall show forth My praise" (Isa.
43:21). Obviously such a tremendous change in their state and standing
must effect a real and marked change in their character and conduct.
From rebellion against God they are brought unto subjection to Him, so
that they throw down their weapons of opposition and yield to His
sceptre. From love of sin they are turned to hate it, and from dread
of God they now delight in Him. Formerly they thought only of
gratifying self, now their deepest longing is to please Him who has
shown them such amazing grace.
The saints are those who enter into a solemn covenant with the Lord,
unreservedly dedicating themselves unto Him, making His glory their
paramount concern. "Formerly soldiers used to take an oath not to
flinch from their colors, but faithfully to cleave to their leaders;
this they called sacramentum militare, a military oath; such an oath
lies upon every Christian. It is so essential to the being of a saint,
that they are described by this: "gather My saints together unto Me;
those that have made a covenant with Me" (Ps. 50:5). We are not
Christians till we have subscribed this covenant, and that without any
reservation. When we take upon us the profession of Christ's name, we
enlist ourselves in His muster-roll, and by it do promise that we will
live and die with Him in opposition to all His enemies. . .He will not
entertain us till we resign up ourselves freely to His disposal, that
there may be no disputing with His commands afterwards, but, as one
under His authority, go and come at His word" (W. Gurnall, 1660).
3. By insisting that perseverance is an imperative necessity.
Adherence to the Truth no matter what opposition is encountered,
living a life of faith in and upon God despite all the antagonism of
the flesh, steadfastly treading the path of obedience in face of the
scoffs of the world, continuing to go forward along the highway of
holiness notwithstanding the hindrances of Satan and his emissaries,
is not optional but obligatory. It is according to the unalterable
decree of God: no one can reach Heaven except by going along the only
way that reaches there--Christ "endured the cross" before He received
the crown. It is according to the irreversible appointment of God:
"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Eph.
2:10). It is according to the established order of God: "that ye be
not slothful but followers of them who through faith and patience (the
Greek word may be rendered, perseverance with equal propriety) inherit
the promises" (Heb. 6:12). It is according to the design of the
Atonement, for Christ lived and died that He might "purify unto
Himself a peculiar people zealous of good works" (Titus 2:14)
Assurance of Divine preservation no more renders less imperative the
saints own perseverance than God's informing Hezekiah he should live a
further fifteen years abolished the necessity of his eating and
drinking, resting and sleeping, as hitherto. "The elect are as much
chosen to intermediate sanctification on their way as they are to that
ultimate glorification which crowns their journey's end, and there is
no coming to the one but through the other. So that neither the value,
nor the necessity, nor the practical value of good works is superseded
by this glorious truth. . .It is impossible that either the Son of
God, who came down from heaven to propose and make known His Father's
will; or that the Spirit of God, speaking in the Scriptures and acting
on the heart, should administer the least encouragement to negligence
and unholiness of life. Therefore that opinion that personal holiness
is unnecessary to final glorification is in direct opposition to every
dictate of reason, to every declaration of Scripture" (A. Toplady).
Alas, the attitude of multitudes of professing Christians is, "Soul,
thou hast much good laid up. . .take thine ease" (Luke 12:19), and the
doom of the fool will be theirs.
Concerning the imperativeness of perseverance C.H. Spurgeon said in
the introductory portion of his sermon on "The righteous shall hold on
his way" (Job 17:9), "The man who is righteous before God has away of
his own. It is not the way of the flesh, nor the way of the world; it
is a way marked Out for him by the Divine command, in which he walks
by faith. It is the king's highway of holiness, the unclean shall not
pass over it: only the ransomed of the Lord shall walk there, and
these shall find it a path of separation from the world. Once entered
upon the way of life, the pilgrim must persevere in it or perish, for
thus saith the Lord `If any man draw back, My soul shall have no
pleasure in him.' Perseverance in the path of faith and holiness is a
necessity of the Christian, for only `he that endureth to the end
shall be saved.' It is in vain to spring up quickly like the seed that
was sown on the rock, and then by-and-by to wither when the sun is up;
that would but prove that such a plant has no root in itself, but `the
trees of the Lord are full of sap' and they abide and continue and
bring forth fruit, even in old age, to show that the Lord is upright.
"There is a great difference between nominal Christianity and real
Christianity, and this is generally seen in the failure of the one and
the continuance of the other. Now, the declaration of the text is,
that the truly righteous man shall hold on his way: he shall not go
back, he shall not leap the hedges and wander to the right hand or the
left, he shall not lie down in idleness, neither shall he faint and
cease to go upon his journey; but he `shall hold on his way.' It will
frequently be very difficult for him to do so, but he will have such
resolution, such power of inward grace given him, that he will hold on
his way' with stern determination, as though he held on by his teeth,
resolving never to let go. Perhaps he may not always travel with equal
speed; it is not said that he shall hold on his pace, but he shall
hold on his way. There are times when we run and are not weary, and
anon when we walk and are thankful that we do not faint; ay, and there
are periods when we are glad to go on all fours and creep upwards with
pain; but still we prove that `the righteous shall hold on his way.'
Under all difficulties the face of the man whom God has justified is
steadfastly set towards Jerusalem, nor will he turn aside till his
eyes shall see the King in his beauty."
4. By insisting on continuance in well doing. It is not how a person
commences but how he ends which is the all-important matter. We
certainly do not believe that one who has been born of God can perish,
but one of the marks of regeneration is its permanent effects, and
therefore I must produce those permanent fruits if my profession is to
be credited. Both Scripture and observation testify to the fact that
there are those who appear to run well for a season and then drop out
of the race. Not only are there numbers induced to "come forward" and
"join the church" under the high-pressure methods used by the
professional evangelists, who quickly return to their former manner of
life: but there are not a few who enter upon a religious profession
more soberly and wear longer. Some seem to be genuinely converted:
they separate from ungodly companions, seek fellowship with God's
people, manifest an earnest desire to know more of the Word, become
quite intelligent in the Scriptures, and for a number of years give
every outward sign of being Christians. But gradually their zeal
abates, or they are offended at some wrong done them, and ultimately
they go right back again into the world.
We read of a certain class "who for a while believed, and in time of
temptation fall away" (Luke 8:13). There were those who followed
Christ for a season, yet of them we read "From that time many of His
disciples went back and walked no more with Him" (John 6:66). There
have been many such in every age. All is not gold that glitters, and
not every one who makes a promising start in the race reaches the
goal. It is therefore incumbent upon us to take note of those passages
which press upon us the necessity of continuance, for they constitute
another of those safeguards which God has placed around the doctrine
of the security of His saints. On a certain occasion "many believed on
Him" (John 8:30), but so far from Christ assuring them that Heaven was
now their settled portion, we are told "Then said Jesus to those Jews
which believed on Him, IF ye continue in MY word then are ye My
disciples indeed" (v. 31). Unless we abide in subjection to Christ,
unless we walk in obedience to Him unto the end of our earthly course,
we are but disciples in name and semblance.
We read of certain men who "came to Antioch and spake unto the
Grecians there, preaching the Lord Jesus." The power of God
accompanied them and richly blessed their efforts, for "The hand of
the Lord was with them and a great multitude believed and turned unto
the Lord" (Acts 11:20,21). Tidings of this reached the church at
Jerusalem, and mark well their response: they sent Barnabas to them,
"who, when he came and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and
exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto
the Lord" (v. 22). Barnabas was not one of those fatalistic
hyper-Calvinists who argued that since God has begun a good work in
them all would be well, that the Holy Spirit will care for, instruct,
and guard them, whether or no they be furnished with ministerial
nurses and teachers. Instead, he recognized and discharged his own
Christian responsibility, dealt with them as accountable agents,
addressed to them suitable exhortations, pressed upon them the
indispensable duty of their cleaving to the Lord. Alas that there are
so few like Barnabas today.
At a later date we find that Barnabas returned to Antioch accompanied
by Paul, and while there they were engaged in "confirming the souls of
the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith" and warning
them that "we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of
God" (Acts 14:22). How far were they from believing in a mechanical
salvation, reasoning that if these people had been genuinely converted
they would necessarily "continue in the faith!" Writing to the
Corinthians, the apostle reminded them of the Gospel he had preached
unto them and which they had received, yet failing not to add "By
which also ye are saved IF ye hold fast that which I preached unto
you, unless ye have believed in vain" (1 Cor. 15:2). In like manner he
reminded the Colossians that they were reconciled to God and would be
preserved unblameable and unreproveable "IF ye continue in the faith,
grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the
Gospel" (1:23). There are those who dare to say there is no "if" about
it, but such people are taking direct issue with Holy Writ.
Even when writing to a minister of the Gospel, his own "son in the
faith," Paul hesitated not to exhort him, "Take heed unto thyself and
unto the doctrine; continue in them," adding "for in doing this thou
shalt both save thyself (from apostasy) and them that hear thee" (1
Tim. 4:6). To the Hebrews he said "But Christ as a Son over His own
house, whose house are we IF we hold fast the confidence and the
rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end" (3:6). And again, "For we are
made partakers of Christ IF we hold the beginning of our confidence
steadfast unto the end" (3:15). How dishonestly has the Word of God
been handled by many! Such passages as these are never heard from many
pulpits from one year's end to another. It is much to be feared that
many pastors of "Calvinistic" churches are afraid to quote such verses
lest their people should charge them with Arminianism. Such will yet
have to face the Divine indictment "Ye have not kept My ways, but have
been partial in the Law" or Word (Mal. 2:9).
We find precisely the same thing in the writings of another apostle.
James though addressing those whom he terms "my beloved brethren,"
calls upon his readers "But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers
only, deceiving your own selves. For if any one be a hearer of the
Word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face
in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and
straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was (that is, nothing but
a superficial and fleeting effect is produced upon him). But whoso
looketh into the perfect Law of liberty, and continueth therein, he
being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall
be blessed in his deed" (1:22-25). The word for `beholdeth" is a
metaphor taken from those who not only glance at a thing but bend
their bodies towards it that they may carefully scrutinize it --used
in Luke 24:12, and 1 Peter 1:12; denoting earnestness of desire, and
diligent enquiry. To "continue therein" signifies a persevering study
of the Truth, and abiding in the belief of and obedience to the same,
thereby evidencing our love for it. Many have a brief taste for it,
but their appetite is quickly quenched again by the things of this
world.
It is perfectly true, blessedly true, that there is no "if," no
uncertainty, from the Divine side in connection with the Christian's
reaching Heaven: everyone who has been justified by God shall without
fail be glorified. Those who have been Divinely quickened will most
assuredly continue in the faith and persevere in holiness unto the end
of their earthly course. This is clear from 1 John 2:19, where the
apostle alludes to some in his day who had apostatized: "They went out
from us, but they were not of us"--they belonged not to the family of
God, though for a while they had fraternized with some of its members.
"For" adds the apostle, "if they had been of us (had they really been
one in a personal experience of the regenerating power of the Spirit)
they would have continued with us" --nothing could have induced them
to heed the siren voice of their seducers. "But they went Out from us
that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us"--but
merely temporary professors, stony-ground hearers, nominal Christians,
members of a totally different family. Previously they had every
appearance of being the genuine article, but by their defection they
were exposed as counterfeits. No, there is no "if" from the Divine
side.
Nevertheless, there is an "if" from the human side of things, from the
standpoint of our responsibility, in connection with my making sure
that I am one of those whom God has promised to preserve unto His
heavenly kingdom. Continuance in the faith in the path of obedience,
in denying self and following Christ, is not simply desirable but
indispensable. No matter how excellent a beginning I have made, if I
do not continue to press forward I shall be lost. Yes, lost, and not
merely miss some particular crown or millennial honors as the deluded
dispensationalists teach. It is persevere or perish: it is final
perseverance or perish eternally--there is no other alternative.
Romans 11:22 makes that unmistakably clear; "Behold therefore the
goodness and severity of God: on them that fell (the unbelieving Jews)
severity: but toward thee (saved Gentiles, v. 11) goodness, IF thou
continue in His goodness; otherwise thou also shalt be cut off" To
continue in God's goodness is the opposite of returning to our
badness. The evidence that we are the recipients of God's goodness is
that we continue in the faith and obedience of the Gospel. The end
cannot be reached apart from the appointed means.
But I cannot see the consistency between what has been set forth in
the last two paragraphs, some will exclaim. What of it: who are you?
who am I? Merely short-sighted creatures of yesterday, upon whom God
has written "folly and vanity." Shall human ignorance set itself
against Divine wisdom! Does any reader dare call into question the
practice of Christ and His apostles: they pressed the "if" and
insisted upon the needs-be for this "continuing"; and those ministers
who fail to do so--no matter what their standing or reputation--are no
servants of God. Can you see the consistency between the apostle
affirming so positively of those who have received the Holy Spirit
from Christ "ye shall abide ("continue" - the same Greek word as in
all the above passages) in Him," and then in the very next breath
exhorting them "And now, little children, abide ("continue") in Him"
(1 John 2:27,28)--if you cannot it must be because of theological
blinders. Can you see the consistency of David asserting so
confidently "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: Thy mercy
0 Lord, endureth forever" and then immediately after praying, "forsake
not the works of Thine own hands" (Ps. 138:8)--if you cannot then this
writer places a big question-mark against your religious profession.
5. By insisting that there are dangers to guard against. Here again
there will be those who object against the use of this term is such a
connection. What sort of dangers, they will ask: dangers of the
Christian's severing his fellowship with God, losing his peace,
spoiling his usefulness, rendering himself unfruitful?--granted, but
not of missing Heaven itself. They will point Out that safety and
danger are opposites and that one who is secure in Christ cannot be in
any peril of perishing. However plausible, logical, and apparently
Christ-honoring that may sound, we would ask, Is that how Scripture
represents the case? Do the Epistles picture the saints as being in no
danger of apostasy? Or, to state it less baldly: are there no sins
warned against, no evils denounced, no paths of unrighteousness
described, which if persisted in do not certainly terminate in
destruction? And is there no responsibility resting on me in
connection therewith? Apostasy is not reached at a single bound, but
is the final culmination of an evil process, and it is against those
things which have a tendency unto apostasy against which the saints
are repeatedly and most solemnly warned.
One who is now experiencing good health is in no immediate danger of
dying from tuberculosis, nevertheless if he recklessly exposes himself
to the wet and cold, if he refrains from taking sufficient nourishing
food which supplies strength to resist disease, or if he incurs a
heavy cough on his chest and makes no effort to break it up, he is
most likely to fall a victim to consumption. So, while the Christian
remains spiritually healthy he is in no danger of apostatizing, but if
he starts to keep company with the wicked and recklessly exposes
himself to temptation, if he fails to use the means of grace, if he
experiences a sad fall, and repents not of it and returns to his first
works, he is deliberately heading for disaster. The seed of eternal
death is still in the Christian: that seed is sin, and it is only as
Divine grace is diligently and constantly sought, for the thwarting of
its inclinations and suppressing of its activities, that it is
hindered from developing to a fatal end. A small leak which is
neglected will sink a ship just as effectually as the most boisterous
sea. And as Spurgeon said on Psalm 19:13, "Secret sin is a
steppingstone to presumptuous sin, and that is the vestibule of `the
sin which is unto death' " (Treasury of David).
Did no dangers menace Israel after Jehovah brought them Out of Egypt
with a high hand and by His mighty arm conducted them safely through
the Red Sea? Did all who entered upon the journey to Canaan actually
arrive at the promised land? Perhaps some one replies, They were under
the old covenant and therefore supply no analogy to the case of
Christians today. What says the Word? This, they "were all baptized
unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and did all eat the same
spiritual meat, and did all drink the same spiritual drink, for they
drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was
Christ." What analogy could be closer than that? Yet the passage goes
on to say, "But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they
were overthrown in the wilderness" (1 Cor. 10:2-5). And what is the
use which the apostle makes of this solemn history? Does he say that
it has no application unto us? The very reverse: "Now these things
were our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil
things as they also lusted. . .neither let us tempt Christ, as some of
them also tempted and were destroyed of serpents" (vv. 6-9). Here is a
most deadly danger for us to guard against.
Nor did the apostle leave it at that. He was still more definite,
saying "Neither murmur ye as some of them also murmured, and were
destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them
for examples, and they are written for our admonition upon whom the
ends of the world are come," making this specific application unto
Christians, "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed
lest he fall" (vv. 10-12). Paul was no fatalist but one who ever
enforced moral responsibility. He inculcated no mechanical salvation,
but one which must be worked Out "with fear and trembling." Chas.
Hodge of Princeton was a very strong Calvinist, yet on 1 Corinthians
10:12 he failed not to say: "There is perpetual danger of falling. No
degree of progress we have already made, no amount of privileges which
we may have enjoyed, can justify the want of caution. `Let him that
thinketh he standeth,' that is, who thinketh himself secure. .
.neither the members of the church nor the elect can be saved unless
they persevere in holiness, and they cannot persevere in holiness
without continual watchfulness and effort," i.e., against the dangers
menacing them.
The above is not the only instance when the apostle made use of the
case of those Israelites who perished on their way to Canaan to warn
N.T. saints of their danger. After affirming that God was grieved with
that generation, saying "They do alway err in their heart and they
have not known (loved) My ways, so I sware in My wrath, They shall not
enter into My rest," Paul added, "Take heed, brethren, lest there be
in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living
God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today, lest any
of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin" (Heb. 3:12, 13).
We are not here warned against an imaginary peril but a real one.
"Take heed" signifies watch against carelessness and sloth, be on the
alert as a soldier who knows the enemy is near, lest you fall an easy
prey. Those here exhorted are specifically addressed as "brethren" to
intimate there are times when the best of saints need to be cautioned
against the worst of evils. An "evil heart of unbelief" is a heart
which dislikes the strictness of obedience and universality of
holiness which God requires of us.
After referring again to those "whose carcasses fell in the
wilderness" to whom God sware "they shall not enter into My rest,
because of their unbelief" or "disobedience" (3:18, 19), the apostle
said "Let us therefore fear lest a promise being left us of entering
into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it" (Heb. 4:1).
"Fear" is as truly a Christian grace as is faith, peace or joy. The
Christian is to fear temptations, the dangers which menace him, the
sin which indwells him, the warnings pointed by others who have made
shipwreck of the faith and the severity of God in His dealings with
such. He is to fear the threatenings of God against sin and those who
indulge themselves in it. It was because Noah was "moved with fear" at
the warning he had received from God that he took precautions against
the impending flood (Heb. 11:7). God has plainly announced the awful
doom of all who continue in allowed sin, and fear of that doom will
inspire caution and circumspection, and will preserve from carnal
security and presumption. And therefore are we counseled "passing the
time of your sojourn here in fear" (1 Pet. 1:17)--not only in
exceptional seasons, but the whole of our time here.
We can barely glance at a few more of the solemn cautions addressed
not merely to formal professors but to those who are recognized as
genuine saints. "Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the
Devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour.
Whom resist steadfast in the faith" (1 Pet. 5:8, 9). Obviously such a
warning would be meaningless if the Christian were not threatened with
a most deadly danger. "Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these
things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of
the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness" (2 Pet. 3:17). This
warning looks back to the false prophets of (2:1, 2) and what is said
of them in vv. 18-22. The "error of the wicked" here cautioned against
includes both doctrinal and practical, especially the
latter--forsaking of the "narrow way," the highway of holiness which
alone leads to Heaven. "Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man
take thy crown" (Rev. 3:11)--cling tenaciously to the Truth you have
received, the faith which has been planted in your heart, to the
measure of grace given you.
But how do you reconcile the Christian's danger with his safety? There
is nothing to reconcile, for there is no antagonism. It is enemies and
not friends who need reconciling, and warnings are the Christian's
friend, one of the safeguards which God has placed around the truth of
the security of His people, preventing them from wresting it to their
destruction. By revealing the certain consequences of total apostasy
Christians are thereby cautioned and kept from the same: a holy fear
moves their hearts and so becomes the means of preventing the very
evil they denounce. A lighthouse is to warn against recklessness as
mariners near the coast, so that they will steer away from the fatal
rocks. A fence before a precipice is not superfluous, but is designed
to call to a halt those journeying in that direction. When the driver
of a train sees the signals change to red he shuts off steam, thereby
preserving the passengers under his care. The danger signals of
Scripture to which we have called attention are heeded by the
regenerate and therefore are among the very means appointed by God for
the preservation of His people, for it is only by attending to the
same they are kept from destroying themselves.
In the foregoing volume we devoted four sections to a setting forth of
the principal springs from which the final perseverance of the saints
(in their cleaving unto the Lord, their love of the Truth, and their
treading the path of obedience) does issue, or the grounds on which
their eternal security rests.
In this book we devoted a chapter to a setting forth of the principal
springs from which the final perseverance of the saints (in their
cleaving unto the Lord, their love of the Truth, and their treading
the path of obedience) does issue, or the grounds on which their
eternal security rests. It is therefore fitting, if the balance of
truth is to be duly observed, that we should give space unto a
presentation of the safeguards by which God has hedged about this
doctrine, thereby forbidding empty professors and presumptuous
Antinomians from trespassing upon this sacred ground. In this chapter
we have already dwelt upon five of these safeguards and we now proceed
to point out others. In such a day as this it is the more necessary to
enter into detail upon the present branch of our subject that the
mouths of certain enemies of the Truth may be closed, that formalists
may be shown they have no part or lot in the matter, that
hyper-Calvinists may be instructed in the way of the Lord more
perfectly, and His own people stirred out of their lethargy.
6. By insisting on the necessity for using the means of grace. There
are some who assert that if God has regenerated a soul he is
infallibly certain of reaching Heaven whether or not he uses the means
appointed, yea that no matter to what extent he fails in the
performance of duty or how carnally he lives, he cannot perish. Now we
have no hesitation in saying that such an assertion is a grievous
perversion of the Truth, and in view of Satan's words to Christ "If
Thou be the Son of God cast Thyself down (from a pinnacle of the
temple),for it is written, He shall give His angels charge over Thee,
and in their hands they shall bear Thee up" (Matt. 4:6), there is no
room for doubt as to who is the author of such a lie. It is a grievous
perversion because a tearing asunder of what God Himself has joined
together. The same One who has decreed the end has also ordained the
means necessary unto that end. He has promised certain things unto His
people, but He requires to be inquired of concerning them; and if they
have not, it is because they ask not.
Even among those who would turn away with abhorrence from the extreme
form of Antinomianism mentioned above, there are those who regard the
use of means quite indifferently in this connection, arguing that
whatever be required in order to preserve from apostasy the Lord
Himself will attend unto, that He will so work in His people both to
will and to do of His good pleasure that it is quite unnecessary for
ministers of the Gospel to be constantly addressing exhortations unto
them and urging to the performance of duty. But such a conclusion is
thoroughly defective and erroneous, for it quite loses sight of the
fact that God deals with His people throughout as moral agents,
enforcing their responsibility. Whether or not we can see the
consistency between the Divine foreordination and the discharge of
human accountability, between the Divine decree and the imperativeness
of our making use of the means of grace, is entirely beside the point.
Christ exhorted and admonished His apostles, and they in turn the
churches; and that is sufficient. It is vain to pit our puny
objections against their regular practice.
Just as God has ordained material means for the accomplishment of His
pleasure in the material realm, so He has appointed that rational
agents shall use spiritual means for the fulfilling of His will in
connection with spiritual things. He could make the fields fertile and
the trees fruitful without the instrumentality of rain and sunshine,
but it has pleased Him to employ secondary causes and subordinate
agents in the production of our food. In like manner He could cause
His people to grow in grace, make them fruitful unto every good work,
and preserve them from everything injurious to their welfare, without
requiring any industry and diligence on their part; but it has not so
pleased Him to dispense with their concurrence. Accordingly we find
Him bidding them "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling"
(Phil. 2:12), "Labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man
fall after the same example of unbelief" (Heb. 4:11). Promises and
precepts, exhortations and threatenings, suitable to moral agents are
given to them, calling for the employment of those faculties and the
exercise of those graces which He has bestowed upon them.
It is a serious mistake to suppose that there is any conflict between
one class of passages which contain God's promises of sufficient grace
unto His people, and another class in which He requires of them the
performance of their duty. In his exposition of Hebrews 3:14 John Owen
pointed out that the force of the Greek rendered "if we hold the
beginning of our confidence firm unto the end" denotes "our utmost
endeavor to hold it fast and to keep it firm and steadfast"; adding
"Shaken it will be, opposed it will be, kept it will not be, without
our utmost diligence and endeavour. It is true our persistency in
Christ does not, as to the issue and event, depend absolutely on our
own diligence. The unalterableness of our union with Christ, on the
account of the faithfulness of the covenant, is that which does and
shall eventually secure it. But yet our own diligent endeavor is such
an indispensable means for that end that without it, it will not be
brought about." Our diligent endeavor is necessitated by the precept,
which God commands us to make use of, and by the order He has
established in the relations of one spiritual thing to another.
The older writers were wont to illustrate the consistency between
God's purpose and our performance of duty by an appeal to Acts 27. The
ship which carried the apostle and other prisoners encountered a
fearful gale and it continued so long and with such severity that the
inspired narrative declares "all hope that we should be saved was then
taken away" (v. 20). A Divine messenger then assured the apostle,
"Fear not Paul, thou must be brought before Caesar; and lo God hath
given thee all (the lives of) them that sail with thee," and so sure
was the apostle that this promise would be fulfilled, he said unto the
ship's company "Be of good cheer, for there shall be no loss of life
among you, but of the ship, for I believe that it shall be even as it
was told me" (vv. 21-25). Yet next day, when the sailors feared they
would be smashed upon the rocks and started to flee out of the ship,
Paul said to the centurion "except these abide in the ship, ye cannot
be saved" (v. 31)!
Now there is a nice problem which we would submit to the more extreme
Calvinists: how can the positive promise "there shall be no loss of
life" (v. 22) and the contingent "except these abide in the ship ye
cannot be saved" (v. 31) stand together? How are you going to
reconcile them according to your principles? But in reality there is
no difficulty: God made no absolute promise that He would preserve
those in the ship regardless of their use of appropriate means. They
were not irrational creatures He would safeguard, but moral agents who
must discharge their own responsibility, and neither be inert nor act
presumptuously. Accordingly we find Paul bidding his companions "take
meat," saying "This is for your health" (v. 34), and later the ship
was lightened of its cargo (v. 38) and its main-sail hoisted (v. 40),
which further conduced to their safety. The certainty of God's promise
was not suspended upon their remaining in the ship, but it was a
making known of the means whereby God would effect their security.
Reverting to Owen's exposition of Hebrews 3:14, he said: "Our
persistency in our subsistence in Christ is the emergence and effect
of our acting grace unto that purpose. Diligence and endeavors in this
matter are like Paul's mariners when he was shipwrecked at Melita. The
preservation of their lives depended absolutely on the faithfulness
and power of God, yet when the mariners began to fly out of the ship
Paul tells the centurion that unless his men stayed therein they could
not be saved. But why need he think of the shipmen when God took upon
Himself the preservation of them all? He knew full well that He would
preserve them; but yet that He would do so in and by the use of means.
If we are in Christ God has given us the lives of our souls, and hath
taken upon Himself, in His covenant, the preservation of them. But yet
we may say, with reference unto the means that He hath appointed, when
storms and trials arise, unless we use our own diligent endeavors we
cannot be saved." Alas that some who profess to so greatly admire this
Puritan and endorse his teaching have wandered so far from the course
which he followed.
If it be asked, Did the purpose of God that Paul and his companions
should all reach land safely depend upon the uncertain will and
actions of men? The answer is, No, as a cause from which the purpose
of God received its strength and support. But yes, as a means,
appointed by Him, to secure the end He had ordained, for God has
decreed the subordinate agencies by which the end shall be
accomplished as truly as He has decreed the end itself. In His Word
God has revealed a conjunction of means and ends, and there is a
necessity lying upon men to use the means and not to expect the end
without them. It is at our peril that we tear asunder what God has
joined together and disrupt the order He has appointed. The same God
who bids us believe His promises, forbids us to tempt His providences
(Matt. 4:7). Even though the means may appear to us to have no
adequate connection with the end, seeing God has enjoined them, we
must use the same. Naaman must wash in the Jordan if he would be
cleansed of his leprosy (2 Kings 4:10) and Hezekiah must take a lump
of figs and lay it on his boil if he is to be recovered (2 Kings
20:4-7).
They are greatly mistaken who suppose that since the preservation of
believers is guaranteed in the covenant of grace that this renders all
means and motives, exhortations and threatenings, useless and
senseless. Not so. The doctrine of the everlasting security of the
saint does not mean that God will preserve him whether or not he
perseveres, but rather that He has promised to give him all needed
grace for him to continue in the path of holiness. This supposes that
believers will be under such advantages and have suitable aids used
with them in order to this, and that they shall have motives
constantly set before them which induce and persuade unto obedience
and personal piety and to guard them against the contrary. Hence the
propriety and usefulness of the ordinances of the Gospel, the
instructions and precepts, the promises and incentives which are
furnished us to perseverance, without which the purpose of God that we
should persevere could not be effected in a way suited to our moral
nature.
Christians are indeed "kept by the power of God" (1 Pet. 1:5), yet it
needs to be pointed out that they are not preserved mechanically, as a
child is kept in the nursery from falling into the fire by a tall
metal fender or guard, or as the unwilling horse is held in by bit and
bridle; but spiritually so by the workings of Divine grace in them and
by means of motives and inducements from without which call forth that
grace into exercise and action. We quite miss the force of that
declaration unless we complete the verse: "Who are kept by the power
of God through faith, unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last
time." It is not "for" or "because of faith" but "through faith" yet
not without it, for faith is the hand which, from a sense of utter
insufficiency and helplessness, clings to God and grasps His
strength--not always firmly, but often feebly; not always consciously,
but instinctively. Though the saint be "kept by the power of God" yet
he himself has to fight every step of the way. If we read of "this
grace wherein ye stand" (Rom. 5:2), we are also told "for by faith ye
stand" (2 Cor. 1:24).
Viewing the event from the standpoint of the Divine decree it was not
possible that Herod should slay Christ in His infancy, nevertheless
God commanded Joseph to use means to prevent it, by fleeing into
Egypt. In like manner, from the standpoint of God's eternal purpose it
is not possible that any saint should perish, yet He has placed upon
him the necessity of using means to prevent apostasy and everything
which has a tendency thereto. True, he must not trust in the means to
the exclusion of God, for those means are only efficacious by His
appointment and blessing; on the other hand, it is presumption and not
faith which talks of trusting God while the means are despised or
ignored. Nor have we said anything in this section which warrants the
inference that Heaven is a wage that we earn by our own industry and
fidelity, rather do the means appointed by God mark out the course we
must take if we would reach the desired Goal. It is "through faith and
patience" we "inherit the promises" (Heb. 6:12): our glorification
will not be bestowed in return for them, yet there can be no
glorification to those devoid of these graces.
The sun shines into our rooms through their windows: those windows
contribute nothing whatever to our comfort and enjoyment of the sun,
yet are they necessary as means for its beams to enter. The means and
mediums which God has designed for the accomplishment of His ends
concerning us are not such as to be "conditions" on which those ends
are suspended in uncertainty as to their issue, but are the sure links
by which He has connected the one with the other. Exhortations and
warnings are not so much the means whereby God's promises are
accomplished, as the means by which the things promised are wrought.
God has promised His people sufficient grace to enable and cause them
to make such a use of the means that they will be preserved from fatal
sins or apostasy, and the exhortations, consolations, admonitions of
Scripture are designed for the stirring up into exercise of that
grace. The certainty of the end is assured not by the nature or
sufficiency of the means in themselves considered, but because of
God's ordination in connection therewith.
God has assured His people that His grace shall be all-sufficient and
that His strength shall be made perfect in their weakness, but nowhere
has He promised a continuance of His love and favor unto dogs
returning to their vomit or to sows which are content to wallow in the
mire. If our thoughts on this subject be formed entirely by the
teaching of God's Word (and not partly by carnal reason), then we
shall expect perseverance only in that way wherein God has promised
it, and that is by availing ourselves of the helps and advantages He
has provided, especially the study of and meditation upon His Word and
the hearing or reading the messages of His servants. Though God has
promised grace unto His people, yet He requires them to--sincerely,
believingly, earnestly--seek it: "Let us therefore come boldly unto
the Throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help
in time of need" (Heb. 4:16). And that grace we are constantly in need
of as long as we are left here:--"Day by day the manna fell, O to
learn that lesson well."
Much confusion has resulted on this and other points through failure
to distinguish between impetration and application, or what Christ
purchased for His people and God's actually making over the same unto
them according to the order of things He has established. As faith is
indispensable before justification so is perseverance before
glorification, and that necessarily involves the use of means. True,
our faith adds nothing whatever to the merits of Christ in order to
our justification, yet until we believe, we are under the curse of the
Law; nor does our perseverance entitle us to glorification, yet only
those who do persevere unto the end will be glorified. Now as God
requires obedience from all the parts and faculties of our souls, so
in His Word He has provided motives to the obedience required, motives
suited unto "all that is within us" -- that love, fear, hope, etc. may
be called into action. Of ourselves we are not sufficient to make a
good use of the means, and therefore we beg God to work in us that
which He requireth: Colossians 1 :29.
God has promised to repair the spiritual decays of His people and to
heal their backslidings freely, yet He will do so in such a way as
wherein He may communicate His grace righteously to the praise of His
glory. Therefore are duties, especially that of confession of sins to
God, prescribed to us in order thereto. "He that covereth his sins
shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have
mercy" (Prov. 28:13). "I will heal their backsliding" (Hos. 14:4):
there is the promise and the end. But first "Take with you words and
turn to the Lord: say unto Him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us
graciously" (v. 2): there is the duty and the means unto that end.
Although repentance and confession be not the procuring cause of God's
grace and love, from whence alone our healing or recovery proceeds,
yet are they required in the appointed method of God's dispensing His
grace.
It must be insisted upon that the Christian's concurrence with the
Divine will by no means warrants the horrible conclusion that he is
entitled to divide the honors with God. How could this possibly be,
seeing that if he does what he is bidden he remains but an
"unprofitable servant?" How could it be, when to whatever extent he
does improve the means it is only the power of Divine grace which so
enabled him? How could it be, when he is most sensible in himself that
far more of failure than success attends his efforts? No, when the
redeemed have safely crossed the Jordan and are safely landed on the
shores of the heavenly Canaan they will exclaim with one accord "Not
unto us, 0 Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy
mercy, for Thy Truth's sake" (Ps. 115:1).
To sum up. The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, in the
pursuit and practice of holiness as it is set forth in God's Word,
provides no shelter for either laziness or licentiousness: it supplies
no encouragement for us to take our regeneration and glorification for
granted, but bids us "give diligence to make your calling and election
sure" (2 Pet. 1:10). Exhortations and threatenings are not made unto
us as those already assured of final perseverance, but as those who
are called to the use of means for the establishment of our souls in
the ways of obedience, being annexed to those ways of grace and peace
which God calls His saints unto. Perseverance consists in a continual
exercise of spiritual graces in the saints, and exhortations are the
Divinely appointed means for stirring those graces into action and for
a further increase of them. Therefore those preachers who do not press
upon the Lord's people the discharge of their duties and are remiss in
warning and admonishing them, fail grievously at one of the most vital
points in the charge committed to them.
7. By enforcing the threatenings of Scripture. The One with whom we
have to do is ineffably holy and therefore does He hate sin wherever
it is found. He will not ignore sin in His own children when it is
unjudged and unconfessed any more than He will in those who are the
children of the Devil. The pope and his underlings may traffic in
their vile "indulgences" and "special dispensations," but the Lord God
never lowers His standard, and even those in Christ are not exempted
from bitter consequences if they pursue a course of folly. But God is
also merciful and faithful, and therefore He threatens before He
punishes and warns before He smites. In His Word He has described
those ways which lead to disaster and destruction, that we may shun
them; yet those who deliberately follow them may know for certain that
they shall receive the due reward of their defiance. It is therefore
incumbent upon the minister of the Gospel to press the Divine
threatenings, as it is the part of wisdom for his hearers or readers
to take the same to heart.
"If ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father
forgive your trespasses" (Matt. 6:15). "And that servant which knew
his Lord's will and prepared not himself, neither did according to His
will, shall be beaten with many stripes" (Luke 12:47--spoken to Peter:
5:41). "Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing
come unto thee" (John 5:14). "If a man abide not in Me, he is cast
forth as a branch and is withered, and men gather them and cast into
the fire and they are burned" (John 15:6--spoken to the eleven
apostles). "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye
through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live"
(Rom. 8:13). "Be not deceived, God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man
soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh,
shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the spirit,
shall of the spirit reap life everlasting" (Gal. 6:7, 8). Have such
passages as these been given due place in the preachings and writings
of the orthodox during the past fifty years? No indeed: why?
There are three particular passages which claim a fuller notice from
us in this connection, passages which are among the most solemn and
frightful to be found in all the Word of God, yet which are
nevertheless addressed immediately unto the people of God. Before
citing the same we would preface our remarks upon them with this
general observation: they have not received the attention they ought
in the practical ministrations of God's servants. The minister of the
Gospel has only discharged half his duty when he clears these verses
of the false glosses which his opponents have placed upon them. It is
quite true that Arminians have made an altogether unwarrantable and
wrong use of them, but probably God suffered His enemies to thereby
bring them into prominent notice because His friends ignored them. The
Christian teacher must not only show there is no conflict between
these passages and such verses as John 10:28 and Phil. 1:6, but he
must also bring out their positive meaning and the solemn bearing
which they have upon Christians themselves.
"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have
tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy
Spirit, and have tasted the good Word of God, and the powers of the
world to come, if they shall fall away--to renew them again unto
repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh,
and put Him to an open shame. For the earth which drinketh in the rain
that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs, meet for them by
whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God. But that which
beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose
end is to be burned" (Heb. 6:4-8). Those words are addressed to "holy
brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling" (3:1), and their
connection is as follows. In 5:11-14 the apostle had reproved the
Hebrews for being slow in their apprehension of the Truth and in
walking suitably thereto, and after the exhortation of 6:1-3 he warns
them of the awful danger of continuing in a slothful state--"For it is
impossible."
But, it may be objected. Surely it is not the intention of our
Heavenly Father to terrorize His own dear children. No, certainly not;
yet He would have them suitably affected thereby. Though such
threatenings are not designed to work in Christians a fear of
damnation, yet they should beget in them a holy care and diligence of
avoiding the evils denounced. There is no more incongruity between a
Christian's being comforted by the Divine promises and alarmed by the
Divine threatenings, than there is between his living a life of joyful
confidence in God and also one of humble dependence upon Him. We must
distinguish between things that differ: there is a fear of caution as
well as of distrust, a fear that produces carefulness and watchfulness
as well as one which fills with anxiety. There is a vast difference
between a thing that is meant to weaken the security of the flesh, and
the confidence that faith has in Christ. Assurance of perseverance is
quite consistent with and ought ever to be accompanied by "fear and
trembling" (Phil. 2:12, 13).
In his opening remarks on Hebrews 6:4-6 John Owen said, It "is a
needful and wholesome commination (denunciation) duly to be considered
by all professors of the Gospel." And in the course of his masterly
exposition pointed out, "For not to proceed in the way of the Gospel
and obedience thereto is an untoward entrance into a total
relinquishment of the one and the other. That they therefore may be
acquainted with the danger hereof, and be stirred up to avoid that
danger, the apostle gives them an account of those who, after a
profession of the Gospel, beginning at a non-proficiency under it, do
end in apostasy from it. And we may see that the severest comminations
are not only useful in the preaching of the Gospel, but exceeding
necessary towards persons that are observed to be slothful in their
profession." Scripture nowhere teaches that the saint is so secure
that he needs not to be wary of himself, nor unmindful of the
defection of those who for a time seemed to run well.
Another of the Puritans said on this passage, "Certainly all of us
should stand in fear of this heavy judgment of being given up to
perish by our apostasy, to an obstinate heart, never to reconcile
ourselves by repentance, even the children of God; for he proposeth it
to them. . .The apostle saith, It is impossible they should be saved,
because it is impossible they should repent. This is a fearful state,
and yet, as fearful as it is, it is not unusual: it is a thing we see
often in some that have made a savory profession of the name of God,
and afterwards have been blasted. 0, then, you that have begun and
have had a taste of the ways of God, and to walk closely with Him, you
should lay this to heart! Therefore this is propounded to believers,
that they should keep at a very great distance from such a judgment,
lest we grow to such an impenitent state as to be given up to a
reprobate mind and vile affections" (Thos. Manton). The best
preventative is a conscience kept tender of sin, which mourns over and
confesses to God our transgressions, and seeks grace to mortify our
lusts.
"For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of
the Truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins; but a certain
fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall
devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy
under two or three witnesses; of how much sorer punishment, suppose
ye, shall he be thought worthy who bath trodden under foot the Son of
God, and bath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith He was
sanctified an unholy thing, and bath done despite unto the Spirit of
grace? For we know Him that bath said, Vengeance belongeth unto Me, I
will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge His
people. It is a fearful thing to fall in to the hands of the living
God" (Heb. 10:26-31). It is outside our present design to give an
exposition of these verses (which we did when going through that
Epistle), as we shall not now expose the Arminian errors thereon
(which we hope to very shortly); rather do we now direct attention
unto them as another example of the fearful threatenings which are
directly addressed to Christians, and which it is madness and not
wisdom to scoff at.
The scope of the above passage is easily grasped: Hebrews 10:23 gives
an exhortation, verses 24, 25 announce the means of continuing in that
profession, while verses 26-31 declare what will befall those who
relinquish the Truth. In his comments John Owen points out, "The
apostle puts himself among them ("if we sin" etc.), as is his manner
in comminations: both to show that there is no respect of persons in
this matter, but that those who had equally sinned shall be equally
punished; and to take off all appearances of severity towards them,
seeing he speaks nothing of this nature but on such suppositions as
wherein if he were himself concerned he pronounceth it against himself
also. The word `willingly' signifies, of choice--without surprisal,
compulsion or fear . . . If a voluntary relinquishment of the
profession of the Gospel and the duties of it be the highest sin, and
be attended with the height of wrath and punishment, we ought
earnestly to watch against everything that inclineth or disposeth us
thereto."
John Owen concluded his remarks on these verses by saying, "This
therefore is a passage of Holy Writ which is much to be considered,
especially in these days wherein we live, wherein men are apt to grow
cold and careless in this profession, and to decline gradually from
what they had attained unto. To be useful in such a season it was
first written, and it belongs unto us no less than unto them to whom
it was first originally sent. And we live in days wherein the security
and contempt of God, the despite of the Lord Christ and His Spirit,
are come to the full, so as to justify the truth that we have insisted
on." If the pressing of this passage on the attention of all
professing Christians was deemed so necessary in the palmy days of the
Puritans, how much more so in the dark times in which our lot is cast!
How woefully remiss, then, are those preachers who not only fail to
devote a whole sermon to these verses, but who never so much as quote
them from one years' end to another, except it be to refute the
Arminians in such a manner that empty professors are made to believe
there is nothing for them to fear.
"For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through
the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again
entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them
than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known
the way of righteousness, than after they have known it, to turn from
the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them
according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit
again, and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire" (2
Pet. 2:20-22). At the close of his remarks on this passage Matthew
Henry says, "If the Scriptures give such an account of Christianity on
the one hand and of sin on the other as we have in these verses, we
certainly ought highly to approve of the former and persevere therein,
because it is a `way of righteousness' and a `holy commandment,' and
to loathe and keep at the greatest distance from the latter because it
is set forth as offensive and abominable." Far better never to make a
profession, than make a fair one and then sully and repudiate it.
"He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be
cut off, and that without remedy" (Prov. 29:1). The solemn
threatenings of Scripture are so many discoveries to the Church in
particular and to the world in general of the severity of God against
sin and that He adjudges them worthy of eternal destruction who
persist therein. If professing Christians turn a deaf ear to
exhortations, admonitions and warnings, if they steel their hearts
against entreaties and threatenings, and determine to follow a course
of self-will and self-pleasing, they place themselves beyond the hope
of mercy. It is therefore the imperative duty of the servant of Christ
to faithfully warn God's people of the fearful danger of backsliding
and of what awaits them if they remain in that state: to definitely
point out the connection which God has established between sin and
punishment, between apostasy and damnation, so that a holy fear may be
instilled to preserve them from making shipwreck of the faith, and to
prevent carnal professors from indulging the vain hope of once in
grace always in grace.
8. By holding up the rewards. Many preachers have failed to do so,
allowing the fear of man to withhold from God's children a portion of
their necessary bread. Because certain enemies of the Truth have
wrested this subject, they deemed it wisest to be silent thereon.
Because Papists have grievously perverted the teaching of Scripture
upon "rewards," insidiously bringing in their lie of creature-merits
at this point, not a few Protestants have been chary of preaching
thereon, lest they be charged with leaning toward Romanism. Rather
should this very abuse move them to be the more diligent and zealous
in presenting their right and true meaning and use. Threatenings and
rewards: does not the one naturally suggest the other? The former to
act as deterrents, the latter as stimulants: deterrents against evil
doing, stimulants or incentives unto the discharge of duty. But if the
one has been shelved in the pulpit, the other has received scant
attention even in orthodox quarters. We can but briefly touch upon the
subject here, but hope to devote a separate article to it in the next
section.
In Scripture "eternal life" is presented both as a "gift" and as a
"reward"--the reward of perseverance. To some it may appear that such
terms and concepts are mutually opposed. Yet is not prayer both a
privilege and a duty? Is not the natural man startled when he finds
that God bids His people to "rejoice with trembling"--what a seeming
paradox! The apparent difficulty is removed when it is seen that the
"rewards" which God has promised His people are not those of justice
but of bounty; that they are not a proportioned remuneration or return
for the duties which we perform or the services we have rendered, but
the end to which our obedience is suited. Thus the rewards proposed
unto us by God are not calculated to work in His people a legal spirit
but are designed to support our hearts under the self-denials to which
we are called, to cheer us amid the sufferings we encounter for
Christ's sake, and to stir us to acts of obedience meet for what is
promised. Certainly Moses was inspired by no mercenary spirit when "he
had respect unto the recompense of the reward" (Heb. 11:26).
That eternal life and glory is set forth in God's Word as the reward
and end of perseverance which await all faithful Christians is clear
from Hebrews 10:35, to cite no other passages now: "Cast not away
therefore your confidence which hath great recompense of reward." On
those words Matt. Henry said, "He exhorts them not to cast away their
confidence, that is, their holy courage and boldness, but to hold fast
the profession for which they had suffered so much before, and borne
those sufferings so well. Second, he encourages them to this by
assuring them that the reward of their holy confidence is very great:
it carries a present reward in it, in holy peace and joy and much of
God's presence and power visited upon them; and it shall have a great
recompense of reward hereafter." While the Christian sincerely
endeavors to walk obediently and mix faith with God's promises the
Spirit comforts and witnesses with his spirit that he is a child of
God; but when he becomes careless of duty, and neglects the means of
grace, He not only withholds His witness but suffers the threatenings
of Scripture to so lay hold of him that Psalm 38:2, 3 becomes his
experiences.
9. By insisting on steadfastness. "Let us hold fast the profession of
our faith without wavering" (Heb. 10:23). Press forward along the path
of holiness, no matter what obstacles and opposition you meet with.
Your very safety depends upon it, for if you deny the faith either by
words or actions, you are "worse than an infidel" who never professed
it. The very fact that we are here bidden to "hold fast" our Christian
profession implies that it is no easy task assigned us, that there are
difficulties to be overcome which call for the putting forth of our
utmost strength and endeavors in the defence and furtherance of it.
"Without wavering" means, with unvarying and unflinching constancy.
Sin is ever seeking to vanquish the Christian; the world is ever
endeavoring to draw him back into its seductive embraces; the Devil,
like a roaring lion, is ever waiting to devour him. Therefore the call
to him is "be ye steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of
the Lord"-- the duties He has assigned (1 Cor. 15:58).
The need for pressing such exhortations as the above appears from the
solemn warning addressed to those whom the apostle calls "beloved" in
2 Pet. 3:17: "Beware lest ye also being led away with the error of the
wicked, fall from your own steadfastness." Upon this Matt. Henry says,
"We are in great danger of being seduced and turned away from the
Truth. Many who have the Scriptures and read them do not understand
what they read, and too many of those who have a right understanding
of the sense and meaning of the Word are not established in the belief
of the Truth, and all these are liable to fall into error. Few attain
to the knowledge and acknowledgement of doctrinal Christianity; and
fewer find so as to keep in the way of practical godliness, which is
the narrow way which only leadeth unto life. There must be a great
deal of self-denial and suspicion of ourselves, and submitting to the
authority of Christ Jesus our great Prophet, before we can heartily
receive all the truths of the Gospel, and therefore we are in great
danger of rejecting the Truth." Ministers of Christ, then, need to
insist much upon the imperativeness of steadfastness and constancy.
10. By withholding from backsliders the comfort of the truth of
eternal security. After all that has been said under the previous
heads there is little need for us to enlarge upon this point. Any
preacher who encourages the slothful and the undutiful is doing great
harm to souls. To tell those who have deserted the paths of
righteousness that because they once believed in Christ all will come
out well with them in the end, is to put a premium on their carnality.
To assure those who have forsaken the means of grace and gone back
again into the world that because they formerly made a credible
profession God will recover and restore them, is to say what Scripture
nowhere warrants. A griping purgative and not rich and savory viands
is what is needed by one whose system is out of order. The Divine
threatenings and not the promises need to be pressed upon those who
are following the desires and devices of their own hearts. Only by
heeding the ten things mentioned in these sections is the precious
truth of the eternal security of the saints safeguarded from
profanation.
Contents | Forward | Intro | | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11
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Eternal Security by A.W. Pink
Chapter 9
Its Opposition
_________________________________________________________________
It has been shown at length in earlier sections that the concept of a
total and final apostasy of a regenerated soul is not according to
Truth. To postulate the eternal destruction of one to whom Divine
grace has been savingly communicated to the soul is contrary to the
whole tenor of the Covenant of redemption, to the attributes of God
engaged in it, to the design and work of the Redeemer in it, to the
Spirit's mission and His abiding with God's children "forever" (John
14:16). One who is indwelt by the Triune God shall not and cannot so
fall from holiness and serve sin as to give himself wholly to its
behests (authoritative commands). One who has been delivered from the
power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son
shall never again become the willing subject of Satan. One who has
been made the recipient of a supernatural experience of the Truth
shall never be fatally deceived by the Devil's lies. True, his will is
mutable, but God's promise is unchangeable; his own strength is
feeble, but God's power is invincible, his prayers are weak, but
Christ's intercession is prevalent.
Yet in all ages this doctrine of the final perseverance of the saints
has been opposed and denied. Satan himself believed in the apostasy of
Job and had the effrontery to avow it unto Jehovah (Job 1:8-11). We
need not be surprised then to find that the supreme imposture of the
religious realm repudiates most vehemently this precious truth and
pronounces accursed all who hold it. The merit-mongers of Rome are
inveterately opposed to everything which exalts free grace. Moreover,
they who so hotly deny unconditional election, particular redemption,
and effectual calling, must, in order to be consistent, deny the
eternal security of the Christian. Since Papists are such rabid
sticklers for the "free will" of fallen man, logically, they must deny
the indefectibility of all who are in Christ. If I have by an act of
my own volition brought myself into a state of grace, then it clearly
follows that I am capable of forsaking the same. If the "free will" of
the sinner first inclines him to exercise repentance and faith, then
obviously he may relapse into a state of confirmed impenitence and
unbelief.
But Rome has by no means stood alone in antagonizing this blessed
article of the Father. Others who differ widely from her in many other
respects have made common cause with her in this. Considerable
sections of "Protestantism," whole denominations which claim to take
the Word of God for their sole Rule of faith and practice, have also
strenuously and bitterly fought against those who maintained this
truth. These are what are known as Arminians, for James Arminius or
Van Harmin, a Dutchman of the sixteenth century, was the first man of
any prominence in orthodox circles who opposed the theology taught by
John Calvin--opposed it covertly and slyly and contrary to the most
solemn and particular promise and pledge which he gave to the Classis
(church governing bodies) before he was installed as professor of
divinity at Leyden in 1602. Since then, for the purpose of theological
classification, non-Calvinists and anti-Calvinists have been termed
"Arminians." The one man who did more than any other to popularize and
spread Arminianism in the English-speaking world was John Wesley.
We shall now make it our business to examine the attacks which
Arminians have made upon this truth of the final perseverance of the
saints and the leading arguments they employ to prejudice and overturn
it. But let us say at the outset, it is not because we entertain any
hope of delivering such people from their errors that we are now
writing, still less that we are prepared to enter the lists against
them. No, it is useless to argue with those whose hearts are set
against the Truth: convince a man against his will and he is of the
same opinion still. Moreover God's eternal Truth is infinitely too
sacred to be made the matter of carnal debate and wrangling. Rather is
it our design to help those of God's people who have been harassed by
the dogs who yapped at their heels and show that their bark is worse
than their bite. We write now with the object of delivering the
"babes" from being "corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ"
(2 Cor. 11:3).
1. By misrepresenting and misstating the truth for which we contend.
It is a favorite device of Arminians to set up a "man of straw" and
because he is incapable of withstanding their assaults, pretend they
have overthrown the Calvinistic tenet itself. To caricature a doctrine
and then hold up that caricature to ridicule, to falsify a doctrine
and then denounce that falsification as a thing of evil, is tantamount
to acknowledging that they are unable to overthrow the doctrine as it
is held and presented by its friends. Yet this is the very practice of
which Arminian dialecticians are guilty. They select a single part of
our doctrine and then take it up as though it were the whole. They
sever the means from the end and claim we teach that the end will be
reached irrespective of the means. They ignore the safeguards by which
God has hedged around this part of His Truth, and which His true
servants have ever maintained, and then affirm that such a doctrine is
injurious, dangerous, inimical to the promotion of practical
godliness. In plain language, they seek to terrify the simple by a
bogey of their own manufacture.
That we have not brought an unjust and unfair charge against Arminians
will appear from the following citation. "The common doctrine that
perseverance requireth and commandeth all saints or believers to be
fully persuaded, and this with the greatest and most indubitable
certainty of faith, that there is an absolute and utter impossibility
either of a total or a final defection of their faith: that though
they shall fall into ten thousand enormities and most abominable sins
and lie wallowing in them like a swine in the mire, yet they should
remain all the while in an estate of grace, and that God will by a
strong hand of irresistible grace bring them off from their sins by
repentance before they die." Those were the words of one of the most
influential of English Arminians in the palmy days of the Puritans,
issuing from the pen of one, John Goodwin, a nephew of the pious and
eminent expositor, Thos. Goodwin. In the light of what we have written
in previous sections of this series few of our readers should have
much difficulty in perceiving the sophistry of this miserable shift.
No well-instructed scribe of Christ ever set forth the doctrine of the
saints perseverance in any such distorted manner and extravagant terms
as the above, yet such is a fair sample of the devices employed by
Arminians when engaged in assailing this truth: they detach a single
element of it and then render repugnant their one-sided
misrepresentation of the whole. The perseverance which we contend for,
and which the operations of Divine grace effectually provide for and
secure, is a perseverance of faith and holiness,--a continuing
steadfast in believing and in bringing forth all the fruits of
righteousness. Whereas as any one can see at a glance, the travesty
presented in the above quotation is a preservation in spite of and in
the midst of perseverance in abominable sins and lie wallowing in them
like a swine in the mire (i.e. quite at home in such filth and content
therewith), and yet they shall remain all the while in an estate of
grace" is a palpable contradiction of terms, for an "estate of grace"
is one of subjection and obedience to God.
Again, Goodwin makes out the Calvinist to say in God's name, "You that
truly believe in My Son, and have been made partakers of the Holy
Spirit, and therefore are fully persuaded and assured from My will and
command given unto you in that behalf, yea, according to the
infallible Word of Truth you have from Me, that you cannot possibly,
no, not by the most horrid sins and abominable practices, that you
shall or can commit, fall away either totally or finally from your
faith; for in the midst of your foulest actings and courses, there
remains a seed in you which is sufficient to make you true believers,
and to preserve you from falling away finally, that it is impossible
you should die in your sins; you that know and are assured that I will
by an irresistible hand work perseverance in you, and consequently
that you are out of all danger of condemnation, and that heaven and
salvation belong unto you, and are as good as yours already, so that
nothing but giving of thanks appertains to you."
The incongruity of such a fiction should at once be apparent. First,
all true saints do not have a firm and comfortable assurance of their
perseverance: many of them are frequently beset by doubts and fears.
Second, it is by means of God's promises and precepts, exhortations
and threatenings, that they are stirred up to the use of those things
by which perseverance is wrought and assurance is obtained. Third, no
rightly-taught saint ever expected his perseverance or the least
assurance of it under such a foul supposition as falling into and
continuing in horrid sins and abominable practices." Fourth, the
promises of eternal security are made to those in whose mind God
writes His laws and in whose hearts He places His holy fear, so that
they shall not depart from Him: they are made to those who "hear" the
voice of the good Shepherd and who "follow" the example He has left
them. Fifth, so far from "nothing but giving of thanks" appertaining
to them, they are bidden to work out their own salvation with fear and
trembling, to run with patience the race set before them, to make
their calling and election sure by adding to their graces and bringing
forth the fruits of righteousness.
Let us say once more, and it cannot be insisted upon too frequently
and emphatically in this degenerate age, that the perseverance of
saints which is depicted in Holy Writ is not a simple continuance of
Christians on this earth for a number of years after regeneration and
faith have been wrought in them, and then their being admitted as a
matter of course to Heaven, without any regard to their moral history
in the intervening period. No, though that may be how incompetent
novices have portrayed it, and how Antinomians have perverted it, yet
such a concept is as far removed from the reality as darkness is from
light. The perseverance of the saints is a steady pressing forward in
the course on which they entered at conversion--an enduring unto the
end in the exercise of faith and in the practice of holiness. The
perseverance of the saints consists in a continuing to deny self, to
mortify the lusts of the flesh, to resist the Devil, to fight the good
fight of faith; and though they suffer many falls by the way, and
receive numerous wounds from their foes, yet, if "faint," they "hold
on their way."
2. By insisting that this doctrine encourages loose living. We have
heard numbers of Arminians declare "If I were absolutely sure that
Heaven would be my everlasting portion; then I would drop all religion
and take my fill of the world," to which we replied, Perhaps you
would, but the regenerate feel quite different: they find their
delight in One who is infinitely preferable to all that can be found
in this perishing world. Yet Arminians never tire of saying that this
article of the non-apostasy of the saints is a vicious and dangerous
one, affording great encouragement unto those who believe themselves
to be Christians to indulge themselves in iniquities, such as Lot,
David, Solomon and Peter committed. It is granted that those who
commit such sins and die without repentance for them and faith in the
blood of the Lamb have no inheritance in the kingdom of God and
Christ. It is also a fact that God visited the transgressions of those
men with His rod and recovered them from their falls. Nor are such
instances recorded in the Word to encourage us in sin, but rather to
caution us against and make us distrustful of ourselves.
Such a gross view as is propounded in the above objection loses sight
entirely of the nature of regeneration, tacitly denying that the new
birth is a miracle of grace, effecting a radical change within,
renewing the faculties of the soul, giving an entirely different bent
to a person's inclinations. To talk of a child of God falling in love
again with sin is tantamount to suggesting that there is no real
difference between one who has passed from death unto life, who has
had the principle of holiness communicated to him, who is indwelt by
the Spirit of God, and those who are unregenerate. That one who has
been merely intellectually impressed and emotionally stirred to
temporarily reform his outward conduct may indeed return to his former
manner of life, is readily conceded; but that one who has experienced
a supernatural work of grace within, who has been made "a new creature
in Christ Jesus," can or will lose all relish for spiritual things and
become satisfied with the husks which the swine feed on, we
emphatically deny.
3. By asserting our doctrine deprives God's people of the sharpest bit
which He has given for curtailing the flesh in them. It is affirmed by
many Arminians that the most effectual means for restraining their
evil inclinations, alike in the regenerate and the unregenerate, is
the fear of the everlasting burnings, and from this premise they draw
the conclusion that when a person is definitely assured he has been
once and for all delivered from the wrath to come, the strongest
deterrent against carnality and lasciviousness has been taken from
him. There would be considerable force in this objection if God had
not communicated to His children that which operates in them more
mightily and effectually than the dread of punishment, and since He
has, then the argument has little point or weight to it. Whatever
influence the fear of Hell exerts in curtailing the lusts of the
flesh, certain it is that the righteous are withheld from a life of
sin by far more potent considerations. Faith purifieth the heart (Acts
15:9), faith overcometh the world (1 John 5:4), but Scripture nowhere
ascribes such virtues to a dread of the Lake of fire. An unruly horse
needs to be held in by a bridle, but one that is well broken in is
better managed by a gentler hand than a biting bit.
The case of the saint would certainly be a perilous one if there was
no stronger restraint upon his lusts than the fear of Hell: how far
does such fear restrain the ungodly! As the nature of a cause
determines the nature of its effects, and as a man's conduct will be
determined by the most powerful principle governing him, so a slavish
fear can produce only slavish observance, and surely God requires
something better than that from His people. Such service as the fear
of Hell produces will be weak and wavering, for nothing more unsettles
the mind and enervates the soul than alarms and horrors. Nabal's heart
"died within" him for fear (1 Sam. 25:37), and the soldiers that kept
the sepulchre "became as dead men" for fear (Matt. 28:4): thus any
obedience from thence can only be a dead obedience. Moreover, it will
be fickle and fleeting at the best: Pharaoh relaxed his persecution of
the Hebrews when no longer tormented by God's plagues, and even gave
them permission to leave Egypt; but soon after he repented of his
leniency, chiding himself for it, and pursued them with murder in his
heart (Ex. 14:5). Those hypocrites whom "fearfulness" surprised,
remained hypocrites still (Isa. 33:14).
It is true that believers are bidden to "fear Him which is able to
destroy both body and soul in Hell" (Matt. 10:28), yet it should be
pointed out that there is a vast difference between fearing God and
dreading eternal punishment: in the parallel and fuller passage Christ
added, "yea, I say unto you, fear Him" (Luke 12:5)--not fear Hell! One
of the covenant promises which God has made concerning His elect is,
"I will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from
Me" (Jer. 32:40), and that is a filial fear, a respect for His
authority, an awesome veneration of His majesty; whereas the fear of
the unregenerate is a servile, anxious and tormenting one. The holy
fear of the righteous causes them to be vigilant and watchful against
those ways which lead to destruction, but the fear of the wicked is
occupied only with the destruction itself: the one is concerned about
the evils which occasion God's wrath, the other is confined to the
effects of His wrath. But the exercise of faith and the operations of
filial fear are not the only principles which regulate the saint: the
love of Christ constrains him, gratitude unto God for His wondrous
grace has a powerful effect upon his conduct.
4. By declaring it neutralizes the force of exhortations. The argument
used by Arminians on this point may be fairly stated thus: if it be
absolutely certain that all regenerated souls will reach Heaven then
there can be no real need to bid them tread the path that leads
thither, that in such case it is meaningless to urge them to run with
patience the race set before them; but since God has uttered such
calls to His people, then it follows that their final perseverance is
by no means sure, the less so seeing that failure to heed those calls
is threatened with eternal death. It is insisted upon that
exhortations to effort, watchfulness, diligence etc., clearly imply
the contingency of the believer's salvation, that all such calls to
the discharge of these duties signify that security is conditional
upon his own fidelity, upon the response which he makes unto these
demands of God upon him. It should be a sufficient reply to point out
that if this objection were really valid then no Christian could have
any firm persuasion of his everlasting bliss so long as he was left
upon earth: hence the inference drawn by Arminians from the
exhortations must be an erroneous one.
What strange logic is this: because I am persuaded that God loves me
with an unchanging and unquenchable love therefore I feel free to
trample upon His revealed will, and have no concern whether my conduct
pleases or displeases Him. Because I am assured that Christ, at the
cost of unparalleled shame and suffering, purchased for me eternal
redemption, an inalienable inheritance, therefore I am encouraged to
forsake instead of to follow Him, vilify rather than glorify Him. That
might be the theology of devils, and those they possess, but it would
be repudiated and abhorred by any one renewed by the Holy Spirit. How
preposterous to argue that because a person believes he shall
persevere to the end, that he will therefore despise and neglect
everything that promotes such perseverance. Such an argument as the
above is tantamount to saying that because God has regenerated a soul
He now requires no obedience from him, whereas one of the chief ends
for which he is renewed is to capacitate him for obedience, that he
may be conformed to the image of His son.
So far from the absolute promises of God concerning the everlasting
safety of His people weakening the force of motives to righteousness,
they are the very means made use of by the Spirit to stir up the
saints, and to encourage them in the practice of righteousness and
engage them in the continuance thereof. Most certainly the apostles
perceived no inconsistency or incongruity between the Divine promises
and the precepts. They did not judge it meaningless to argue from such
blessed assurances to the performance of the duties of holiness. One
of them said "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us
cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,
perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1). Those promises
were, "I will dwell in them and walk in them, and I will be their God
and they shall be My people: I will be a Father unto you and ye shall
be My sons and daughters"(6:16, 18), and on them he based his
exhortation. After saying, ye "are kept by the power of God through
faith unto salvation" another apostle proceeded to urge, "Wherefore
gird up the loins of your mind, be sober and hope to the end. . . And
if ye call on the Father ... pass the time of your sojourning here in
fear" (1 Pet. 1:5, 13, 17)--apparently it never occurred to him that
such exhortations had been neutralized or even weakened by the
doctrine before advanced.
5. By appealing to cases and examples which, though plausible, are
quite inconclusive. In order to prove their contention that a real
child of God may so backslide as to lose all relish for spiritual
things, renounce his profession and die an infidel, Arminians are fond
of referring to alleged illustrations of this very thing. They will
point to certain men and women who have come before their own
observation, people who were genuinely and deeply convicted of sin,
who earnestly sought relief from a burdened conscience, who eventually
believed the Gospel, put their faith in the atoning blood of Christ
and found rest unto their souls. They will tell of the bright
profession made by these people, of the peace and joy which was
theirs, of the radical change made in their lives, and how they united
with the church, had blessed fellowship with the saints, lifted up
their voices in praise and petition at the prayer meetings, were
diligent in speaking to their companions of their eternal welfare, how
they walked in the paths of righteousness and caused the saints to
thank God for such transformed lives. But alas these bright meteors in
the religious firmament soon faded out.
It is at this point that the Arminian seeks to make capital out of
such cases. He tells of how, perhaps in a few months, the religious
ardor of these "converts" cooled off. He relates how the temptations
of the world and lusts of the flesh proved too strong for them, and
how like dogs they returned to their vomit. The Arminian then alleges
that such cases are actual examples of men and women who have "fallen
from grace," who have apostatized from the faith, and by appealing to
such he imagines he has succeeded in overthrowing the doctrine of the
final perseverance of the saints. In reality, he has done nothing of
the sort. He has merely shown how easily Christians may be mistaken,
and thus pointed a warning for us not to be too ready to indulge in
wishful thinking and imagining all is gold which glitters. Scripture
plainly warns us there is a class whose "goodness is as a morning
cloud and as the early dew it goeth away" (Hos. 6:4). Christ has told
us of those who received the Word with joy, yet had not root in
themselves (Matt. 13:20,21). The foolish virgins carried the lamp of
their profession, but they had no oil in their vessels. One may come
"near" to the kingdom yet never enter it (Mark 12:34).
In order to make good his objection the Arminian must do something
more than point to those who made a credible profession and afterwards
falsified and renounced it: he must prove that a person who is truly
regenerated, born from above, made a new creature in Christ, then
apostatized and died an apostate. This he cannot possibly do, for none
such ever existed or ever will. The fact is that while there are many
who, in varying degrees, adopt the Christian religion, there are very
few indeed who are ever born of the Spirit, and the only way in which
we may identify the latter is by their continuance in holiness. He who
does not persevere to the end was never begotten by God. Nor is that
statement a begging of the question at issue: it is insisting upon the
teaching of Holy Writ. "The righteous also shall hold on his way" (Job
17:9): observe that it is not "he ought to" nor merely that "he may do
so," but a positive and unqualified "shall." Therefore any one who
fails to "hold on his way," be he a religious enthusiast, a professing
Christian, or zealous church-member, was never "righteous" in the
sight of God.
We will labor this point a little further because it is probably the
one which has presented more difficulty to our readers than any other.
Yet it should not, for when resolved by the Word all is clear as a
sunbeam. "I know that whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever:
nothing can be put to it nor anything taken from it: and God doeth it,
that men should fear before Him" (Eccl. 3:14). This is one of the
distinctive marks of the Divine handiwork: its indestructibility, its
permanency, and therefore it is by this mark we must test both
ourselves and our fellows. "The orthodox doctrine does not affirm the
certainty of salvation because we once believed, but certainty of
perseverance in holiness if we have truly believed, which perseverance
in holiness, therefore, in opposition to all weaknesses and
temptations, is the only sure evidence of the genuineness of past
experience or of the validity of our confidence as to our future
salvation" (A. A. Hodge). "Whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall
never die" (John 11:26) said Christ, for the life that He gives is an
"eternal" one, which the Devil himself cannot destroy (see Job 2:6!).
Thus, unless we acknowledge our mistake in concluding the apostates
were once regenerate, we give the lie to the Word of God.
6. By asserting that this doctrine makes all warnings and threatenings
pointless. Arminians argue that if the believer be eternally secure in
Christ he cannot be in any peril, and that to caution him against
danger is a meaningless performance. First, let it be said that we
have no quarrel with those who insist that most solemn warnings and
awful threatenings are addressed immediately to the children of God,
nor have we the least accord with those who seek to blunt the point of
those warnings and explain away those threatenings: so far from it, in
a previous chapter of this book we have shown that God Himself has
safeguarded the truth of the final perseverance of His people by these
very measures, and have insisted there are very real dangers they must
guard against and genuine threatenings they are required to heed. So
long as the Christian is left in this world he is beset by deadly
dangers, both from within and from without, and it would be the part
of madness to ignore and trifle with them. It is faith's recognition
of the same which causes him to cry out "Hold Thou me up, and I shall
be safe"(Ps. 119:117).
Yet what we have just admitted above in no way concedes that there is
any conflict between the promises and warnings of God: that the one
assures of preservation while the other forecasts destruction. For
what is it that God has promised unto His people? This: that they
"shall not depart from Him" (Jer. 32:40), that they shall "hold on
their way" (Job 17:9), and that to this end He will "work in them both
to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13), granting unto
them all-sufficient grace (2 Cor. 12:9), and supplying all their need
(Phil. 4:19). In perfect accord with these promises are the warnings
and threatenings addressed to them, by which God has made known the
inseparable connection there is, by His appointment, between a course
of evil and the punishment attending the same. Those very threatenings
are used by the Spirit to produce in Christians a holy circumspection
and caution, so that they are made the means of preventing their
apostasy. Those warnings have their proper use, and efficacy in
respect of the saints, for they cause them to take heed to their ways,
avoid the snares laid for them, and serve to establish their souls in
the practice of obedience.
Whether or not we can perceive the consistency between the assurances
God has made His people and the grounds He has given them to tremble
at His Word, between the comforting promises and the stirring
exhortations, between the witnesses to their safety and the warnings
of their danger, certain it is that Scripture abounds with the one as
much as with the other. If on the one hand the Christian is warranted
in being fully persuaded that "neither principalities nor powers"
shall be able to separate him from the love of God in Christ Jesus,
and that God shall tread Satan under his feet shortly (Rom. 8:38, 39;
16:20): on the other hand, he is bidden to "put on the whole armour of
God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil. For
we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and
powers" (Eph. 6:12,13), and "Be sober, be vigilant, because your
adversary the Devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he
may devour" (1 Pet. 5:8). Yet though the believer is warned "Let him
that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall," it is immediately
followed by the declaration "but God is faithful, who will not suffer
you to be tempted above that ye are able" (1 Cor. 10:13, 14). Then let
us beware of being wise in our own conceit and charging the Almighty
with folly.
Because the enemies of the Christian are inveterate, subtle, and
powerful, and the exercise of his graces inconstant, it is salutary
that he should live under a continual remembrance of his weakness,
fickleness and danger. He needs to be ever watchful and prayerful lest
he enter into temptation, recalling what befell the self-confident
Peter. Because indwelling corruption remains a part of himself, while
he is left in this scene, it behooves him to keep his heart with all
diligence, for he who trusteth in his own heart is a fool (Prov.
27:26), unmindful of his best interests. We are only preserved from
presumption while a real sense of our own insufficiency is retained.
The consciousness of indwelling sin should cause every child of God to
bend the suppliant knee with the utmost frequency, humility and
fervour. Let not the Christian mistake the field of battle for a bed
of rest. Let him not indulge in a slothful profession or carnal
delights, while his implacable foes, the flesh, the world, and the
devil are ever seeking to encompass his ruin. Let him heed the
warnings of a faithful God and he will prove Him to be an unerring
Guide and invincible Guard.
7. By drawing a false inference from the Divine righteousness.
Arminians are fond of quoting that "God is no respecter of persons,"
from which they argue that His justice requires Him to apportion the
same retribution unto sinning Christians as He does unto
non-Christians who transgress; and since our doctrine gives no place
to the eternal punishment of a saint, it is said we charge God with
partiality and injustice. That the Lord "is righteous in all His ways
and holy in all His works" (Ps. 145:17) is contended for as earnestly
for by us as by our opponents; but what the Arminian denies is
maintained by the Calvinist, and that is, the absolute sovereignty of
God. That the Most High is obliged to apportion equal punishment to
equal faults and equal rewards to equal deservings, cannot be allowed
for a moment. Being above all law, the Framer and not the subject of
it, God's will is supreme, and He doeth whatsoever pleaseth Him. If
God bestows free grace and pardoning mercy to those in Christ and
withholds it from those out of Christ, who shall say unto Him, What
doest Thou? Has He not the right to do what He chooses with His own:
to give a penny to him who labors all day and the same to him that
works but one hour (Matt. 20:12-15)!
To argue that because God is no respecter of persons that therefore He
must deal with Christians and non-Christians alike is to ignore the
special case of the former. They sustain a nearer relation to Him than
do the latter. Shall a parent treat a refractory child as he would an
insubordinate employee--he would dismiss the one from his service,
must he turn the other out of his home? The Scriptures teach that God
the Father is tender to His own dear children, recovering them from
their sins and healing their backslidings, while He suffers aliens to
lie wallowing in their rebellions and pollutions all their lives.
Furthermore a Surety stood for them and endured in their stead the
utmost rigor of the Law's sentence, so that God is perfectly righteous
in remitting their sins. Nevertheless, so that they may know He does
not look lightly upon their disobedience, He "visits their
transgressions with the rod and their iniquity with stripes" (Ps.
89:32). Finally, they are brought to sincere repentance, confession,
and forsaking of their sins, and thereby they obtain the relief
provided for them, which is never the case with the children of the
Devil.
8. By alleging our doctrine makes its believers proud and
presumptuous. That the carnal may wrest this doctrine, like other
portions of the Truth, to their own destruction, is freely admitted (2
Pet. 3:16); but that any article of the Faith which God has delivered
unto His saints has the least tendency unto evil, we indignantly deny.
In reality, the doctrine of the saints' perseverance in holiness, in
humble dependence upon God for supplies of grace, lays the axe at the
very root of the proud and presumptuous conceits of men, for it casts
down their high thoughts and towering imaginations concerning their
own native ability to believe the Gospel, obey its precepts, and
continue in the faith and practice thereof. We rest wholly on the
goodness and faithfulness of God, the merits of Christ's blood and the
efficacy of His intercession, the power and operations of the Spirit,
having "no confidence in the flesh" (Phil. 3:3). Only the Day to come
will reveal how many who "trusted in themselves" and were persuaded of
their inherent power to turn unto God and keep His commandments, were
thereby hardened and hastened to their eternal ruin.
Let any candid reader ponder the following question. Which is the more
likely to promote pride and presumption: extolling the virtues and
sufficiency of man's "freewill," or emphasizing our utter dependence
upon God's free grace? Which is more apt to foster self-confidence and
self-righteousness: the Arminian tenet that fallen man has the power
within himself to turn unto God when he chooses and do those things
which are pleasing in His sight, or the Calvinist's insistence upon
the declarations of Scripture that even the Christian has no strength
of his own, that apart from Christ he can "do nothing" (John 15:5),
that we are "not sufficient of ourselves" to so much as "think
anything as of ourselves" (2 Cor. 3:5), that "all our springs" are in
God (Ps. 87:7), and that because of our felt weakness and acknowledged
helplessness, God graciously keeps our feet and preserves us from
destruction? It is just because our doctrine is so flesh-abasing and
pride-mortifying that it is so bitterly detested and decried by the
pharisees.
9. By pretending our doctrine renders the use of means superfluous. If
Christians are secure in the hand of God and He empowers them by His
Spirit, why should they put forth their energies to preserve
themselves? But such reasoning leaves out of account that, throughout,
God deals with His people as moral agents and accountable creatures.
Rightly did Calvin point out, "He who has fixed the limits of our
life, has also entrusted us with the care of it; has furnished us with
means and supplies for its preservation; has also made us provident of
dangers, and, that they may not oppress us unawares, has furnished us
with cautions and remedies. Thus it is evident what is our duty."
Grace is not given to render our efforts needless but to make them
effectual. To say that assurance of final salvation cuts the nerve of
enterprise is contrary to all experience: who will work the harder,
the man without hope or even a half-expectation, or one who is sure
that success will crown his labors.
10. By arguing that our doctrine makes "rewards" meaningless. If it be
God who preserves us, then there is no room left for the recognition
of our fidelity or owning of our efforts. If there be no possibility
of the saint falling away finally, then is his perseverance incapable
of reward by God. Answer: Heaven is not something which the Christian
earns by his obedience or merits by his fidelity, nevertheless,
everlasting felicity is held before him as a gracious encouragement,
as the goal of his obedience. Let it be recognized that the reward is
not a legal one but rather one of bounty, in accord with the tenor of
the Covenant of Grace, and all difficulty should vanish. Let this
point be decided in the light of our Surety's experience: was it not
impossible that Christ should fail of His obedience? yet did not God
reward Him (Phil. 2:10, 11)! So, in our tiny measure, because of the
"joy set before us" we despise our cross and endure suffering for
Christ's sake.
And now a word by way of application. Since this article of Faith be
so much criticized and condemned as a thing fraught with evil
tendencies, let the Christian make it his studied business that his
conduct gives the lie to the Arminians' objections. Let him make it
his constant concern to "adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all
things" (Titus 2:10), by taking heed to his ways, giving no license to
the flesh, attending to the Divine warnings, and rendering glad and
full response to His exhortations. Let him show forth by his daily
life that this preservation is a continuance in faith, in obedience,
in holiness. Let him see to it that he evidences the reality of his
profession and the spirituality of his creed by growing in grace and
bringing forth the fruits of righteousness. Let him earnestly endeavor
to keep himself in the love of God, and to that end avoid everything
calculated to chill the same, and thereby he will most effectually
"put to silence the ignorance of foolish men" (1 Pet. 2:15).
In the above discussion we sought to show how pointless is the
reasoning of Arminians in the opposition which they make to this
blessed article of the Faith: but now in that which follows we shall
seek to demonstrate that their use of Scripture is equally unhappy. If
the charges they bring against this doctrine be baseless, if the
inferences they draw and the conclusions they make upon it are wide of
the mark, certainly their interpretations and applications of Holy
Writ concerning this subject are quite erroneous. Nevertheless they do
appeal directly to God's Word and attempt to prove from its contents
that one and another of the saints renounced the Faith, went right
back again into the world, and died in their sins; that certain
specific cases of such are there set before us of men who not only
suffered a grievous fall by the way or entered into a backslidden
state, but who totally, finally and irremediably apostatized. In
addition to these specific examples, they quote various passages which
they contend teach the same fearful thing. It is therefore incumbent
upon us to examine attentively the cases they point to and weigh
carefully the passages they cite.
Before entering immediately into this task, however, one or two
general remarks need to be made that the issue between Calvinists and
Arminians may be the more clearly drawn. First, it must be laid down
as a broad principle that God's Word cannot contradict itself. It is
human to err and the wisest of mortals is incapable of producing that
which is without flaw, but it is quite otherwise with the Word of
Truth. The Scriptures are not of human origin, but Divine, and though
holy men were used in the penning of them, yet so completely were they
controlled and moved by the Holy Spirit in their work that there is
neither error nor blemish in the Sacred Volume. That affirmation
concerns, of course, the original manuscripts: nevertheless we have
such confidence in the superintending providence of God, we are fully
assured He has guarded His own holy Word with such jealous care, that
He has so ordered the translation of the Hebrew and Greek into our
mother tongue that all false doctrine has been excluded. Since then
the Scriptures are Divinely inspired they cannot teach in one place it
is impossible that the child of God should be eternally lost, and in
another place that he may be, and in yet another that some have been
so.
Second, it has been shown at length in previous sections that God's
Word clearly teaches the final perseverance of His saints, and that,
not in one or two vague and uncertain verses but in the most positive
and unequivocal language of many passages. It has been shown that the
eternal security of the Christian rests upon a foundation that
"standeth sure," which Satan and his emissaries cannot even shake;
that his everlasting felicity depends, ultimately upon nothing in or
from himself, but is infallibly secured by the invincibility of the
Father's purpose, the immutability of His love, and the certainty of
His covenant faithfulness; that it is infallibly secured by the Surety
engagements of Christ, by the sufficiency of His atonement, and by the
prevalency of His unceasing intercession; that it is infallibly
secured by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, by His abiding
indwelling, and by the efficacy of His keeping power. The very honor,
veracity, and glory of the Triune Jehovah is engaged, yea, pledged in
this matter. In order "more abundantly to show unto the heirs of
promise the immutability of His counsel" the Most High has gone so far
as to "confirm it by an oath" (Heb. 6:17). Thus, the indefectibility
of the Church is made infallibly certain, and no "special pleading" of
men, however subtle and plausible, can have the slightest weight in
the balance against it.
Third, in view of what has been pointed out in the last paragraph it
should be patent to all honest and impartial minds that the cases
cited by Arminians as examples of children of God apostatizing and
perishing must be susceptible of being diagnosed quite differently,
and that the Scriptures they appeal to in support of their contention
must be capable of being interpreted in full harmony with those which
clearly affirm the opposite. It is a basic principle of exegesis that
no plain passage of the Word is to be neutralized by one whose meaning
appears to be doubtful or ambiguous, that no explicit promise is to be
set aside by a parable the significance of which is not readily
determined, that no doctrinal declaration is to be nullified by the
arbitrary interpretation of a figure or type. That which is uncertain
must yield to what is simple and obvious, that which is open to
argument must be subordinated to what is beyond any debate. True, the
Calvinist must not resort to any subterfuges to avoid a difficulty,
nor wrest a passage adduced by his opponents so as to make it teach
what he wants. If he be unable to explain a verse he must honestly
admit it, for no single man has all the light; nevertheless, we must
believe there is an explanation, and that, in full accord with the
Analogy of Faith, we must humbly wait upon God for further light.
Fourth, in order to disprove the doctrine of the final perseverance of
the saints the Arminian is bound to do two things: produce the case of
one who was truly born again, and then demonstrate that this person
actually died in a state of apostasy, for unless he can do both his
example is not to the point. It is not sufficient for him to bring
forward one who made a credible profession and then repudiated it, for
Scripture itself shows emphatically that such a person was never
regenerate: the man who "dureth for a while" only, and then in a
season of temptation or persecution is "offended" and falls away, is
described by Christ as one "who hath not root in himself" (Matt.
13:21) - had the "root of the matter" (Job 19:28) been in him he had
survived the testing. To the same effect the apostle declares of such
"they went out from us, but they were not of us; if they had been of
us, they would have continued with us"(1 John 2:19). Nor is it
sufficient for the Arminian to point to genuine children of God who
backslide or meet with a grievous fall: such was the experience of
both David and Peter; yet so far from being abandoned of God and
suffered to die in that state, each was graciously brought to
repentance and restored to communion with the Lord. Let us now look at
the examples advanced.
1. The case of Adam. Here is one who was the immediate workmanship of
God's own hands, created in His image and likeness, "blessed" by the
Lord and pronounced "very good" (Gen. 1:28, 31). Here is one who had
no sinful heredity behind him and no corruption within him, instated
in the Divine favor, placed in a garden of delights and given dominion
over all terrestrial creatures. Yet he abode not in that fair estate,
but fell from grace, disobeyed his Maker, and brought upon himself
spiritual death. When he heard the voice of the Lord God, instead of
fleeing to Him for mercy, he hid himself; when arraigned before Him,
instead of penitently confessing his sin he sought to brazen it out,
seeking to throw the blame upon Eve and casting the onus upon God for
giving her to him. In the sequel his awful doom is plainly intimated,
for the Lord God "drove out the man" from Eden and barred his way back
to "the tree of life" by stationing around it "cherubim and a flaming
sword" (Gen. 3:24). Now, say our opponents, what could be more to the
point! Adam certainly had "the root of the matter" within him, and it
is equally certain that he apostatized and perished. If sinless Adam
fell then obviously a Christian who still has sin indwelling him may
fall and be lost.
How, then, is the fatal fall of Adam to be explained consistently with
the doctrine of the final perseverance of the saints? By calling
attention to the immeasurable difference there was between him and
them. What does the case of Adam make manifest? This: the
defectibility of man when placed in the most favorable and
advantageous circumstances. This: that creaturehood and mutability are
correlative terms: "man being in honor abideth not" (Ps. 49:12). This:
that if the creature is to be kept from committing spiritual suicide a
power outside of himself must preserve him. The case of Adam supplies
the dark background which brings out more vividly the riches of Divine
grace which it is the glory of the Gospel to exhibit. In other words,
it serves to demonstrate beyond any peradventure of a doubt the
imperative necessity of Christ if the creature--be he fallen or
unfallen--is to be saved from himself. There is the fundamental,
tremendous, vital difference between the case of Adam and that of the
Christian: he was never in Christ, whereas they are; he was never
redeemed by blood of infinite worth, they have been; there was none to
intercede for him before God, there is for them.
"Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is
natural; and afterward that which is spiritual" (1 Cor. 15:46). Though
the immediate application of these words be unto the bodies of
believers, yet they enunciate a general and basic principle in the
ways of God with men, in the manifestation of His purpose concerning
them. Adam appears on the earth before Christ: Cain was given to Eve
before Abel; Ishmael was born before Isaac and Esau before Jacob: the
elect are born naturally before they are born again supernaturally. In
like manner, the Covenant of Works took precedence over the Covenant
of Grace, so far as its revelation was concerned. Thus Adam was
endowed with a natural power, namely, that of his own free will, but
the Christian is endowed with a spiritual and supernatural power, even
God's working in him "both to will and to do of His own good
pleasure." Adam was given no promise of Divine preservation, but the
saints are. Adam stood before God in dependence upon his own creature
righteousness, and when that was lost, all the blessings and virtues
arising from it were lost; whereas the believer's righteousness is in
Christ: "in the Lord have I righteousness and strength" (Isa. 45:24)
is his joyous confession, and since his righteousness is in Christ it
is an unassailable and non-forfeitable one.
Adam was placed under a covenant of works: do this and thou shalt
live, fail to do and thou must die. It was a covenant of strict
justice, unmixed with mercy, no provision being made for any failure.
The grace or strength or power with which Adam was endowed, was
entrusted to himself and his own keeping. But with His saints God has
made a "better covenant" (Heb. 8:6), of which Jesus is the "Surety"
(Heb. 7:22) and in Him are treasured up inexhaustible supplies of
grace for them to draw upon. This "better covenant" is one in which
justice and mercy harmoniously blend together, wherein "grace reigns
through righteousness." In this "better covenant" God has promised to
keep the feet of His saints, to put His fear in them so that they
"shall not depart from" Him (Jer. 32:40). In this covenant God has
made provision for our failures, so that "if we confess our sins He is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Thus our state by redemption and
regeneration is far, far better than was that of our first parents by
creation, for we are given what unfallen Adam had not, namely,
confirmation of our wills in holiness--though not every act is
such--For He "works in us that which is well pleasing in His sight
through Jesus Christ" (Heb. 13:21), which He never did in Adam. We may
add that most of what has been said above applies to the case of the
angels who fell.
2. The case of king Saul. It is affirmed by Arminians that this king
of Israel was a regenerate man. In support of this contention they
appeal to a number of things recorded about him. First, that the
prophet Samuel "took a vial of oil and poured it upon his head and
kissed him" (1 Sam. 10:1). Second, because it is said that "God gave
him another heart" (v. 9). Third, because we are told "the Spirit of
God came upon him and he prophesied" (v. 11). Then it is pointed out
that Saul acted in fearful presumption and disobedience (1 Sam. 13:9,
13), thereby displeasing the Lord so that it was announced the kingdom
should be taken from him (vv. 13, 14). That because of God's
displeasure "the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an evil
spirit from the Lord troubled him" (16:14). That later, when menaced
by the Philistines, he "enquired of the Lord" but "the Lord answered
him not" (28:6). Finally, how that he had recourse to a witch and
ultimately fell upon the field of battle sorely wounded, and ended his
life by taking a sword and falling upon it (31:4), thereby sealing his
doom by the unpardonable act of suicide.
In reply thereto we would say: we grant the conclusion that Saul
passed out into an eternity of woe, but we do not accept the inference
that he was ever a regenerate man. At the outset it must be remembered
that the very installation of Saul upon the throne expressed the
Lord's displeasure against Israel, for as He declared to the prophet
"I gave thee a king in Mine anger (cf. 1 Sam. 8:5,6) and took him away
in My wrath" (Hos. 13:11). Concerning the three things advanced by
Arminians to show that Saul was a regenerate man, they are no proofs
at all. Samuel's taking of the vial of oil and kissing him were simply
symbolic actions, betokening the official status that had been
conferred upon Saul: this is quite clear from the remainder of the
verse, where the prophet explains his conduct, "Is it not because the
Lord hath anointed thee to be captain over His inheritance?" (10:1) --
not because "The Lord delighteth in thee" or because thou art "a man
after His own heart." It is not said the Lord gave Saul "a new heart,"
but "another. "Moreover, the Hebrew word (haphak) is never translated
"gave" elsewhere, but in the great majority of instances "turned": it
simply means the Lord turned his heart from natural timidity (see 1
Sam. 10:21, 22) to boldness (cf. 1 Sam. 11:1-7; 13:1-4). That the
Spirit of God came upon him so that he prophesied is no more than is
said of Balaam (Num. 22:38; 24:2) and Caiaphas (John 11:51).
3. The case of Solomon. This is admittedly the most difficult one
presented in Scripture, and it is our belief that God meant it to be
such. His history is such a solemn one, his fall so great, his
backsliding so protracted, that had his spiritual recovery and
restoration to fellowship with the Lord been made unmistakably plain,
a shelter would be provided for the careless and presumptuous. In
Solomon the monarchy of Israel reached its zenith of splendor, for he
reaped the harvest of glory for which David both toiled and suffered,
entering into such a heritage as none else before or since has ever
enjoyed. But in Solomon, too, the family of David entered its decline,
and for his sins the judgments of God fell heavily on his descendants.
Thus he is set before us as an awful warning of the fearful dangers
which may surround and then overthrow the loftiest virtues and most
dazzling mundane greatness.
That Solomon was a regenerate man we doubt not: that he enjoyed the
favor of God to a most marked degree the inspired narrative makes
plain. That he suffered a horrible decline in character and conduct is
equally evident. Neither the special wisdom with which he was endowed,
the responsibilities of the exalted position he occupied, nor the
superior privileges which were his, rendered him proof against the
temptations he encountered. He fell from his first estate and left his
first love. His honor and glory were sadly eclipsed, and so far as the
historical account of the books of Kings and Chronicles is concerned,
he was buried in shame, the dark shadows of a misspent life and
wrecked testimony shrouded his grave. Over the fate of Solomon there
rests such a cloud and silence that many good men conclude he was
lost: on the other hand there are those who do not believe that he so
fell as to lose the favor of God and perish eternally.
With others, it is our own conviction that before the end of his
earthly pilgrimage Solomon was made to repent deeply of his
waywardness and wickedness. We base this conviction upon three things.
First, the fact that he was the writer of the book of Ecclesiastes
(1:1) and that it was penned at a later period of his life than the
Proverbs and Canticles (see 1 Kings 4:32). Now to us it seems
impossible to ponder Ecclesiastes without being struck with its
prevailing note of sadness and without feeling that its writer is
there expressing the contrition of one who has mournfully returned
from the paths of error. In that book he speaks out the bitter
experiences he had gone through in pursuing a course of folly and
madness and of the resultant "vexation of spirit"--see especially 7:2,
3, 26, 27 which is surely a voicing of his repentance. Second, hereby
God made good His express promise to David concerning Solomon: "I will
be his Father and he shall be My son. If he commit iniquity, I will
chastise him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children
of men: but My mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from
Saul" (2 Sam. 7:14, 15). Third, centuries after his death the Spirit
declared, "Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet
among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his
God" (Neh. 13:26).
4. The case of Judas. Though his be not nearly so difficult of
solution, nevertheless it is admittedly a very mysterious one, and
there are features about it which pertain to none other. But that
which more immediately concerns us here is to show there is nothing in
this awful example which militates in the least against the doctrine
for which we are contending. That Judas is eternally lost there is no
room to doubt: that he was ever saved there is no evidence whatever to
show. Should it be said that the Lord would never have ordained a bad
man to be one of His favored apostles, the answer is, that God is not
to be measured by our standards of the fitness of things: He is
sovereign over all, doing as He pleases and giving no account of His
matters. Moreover, He has told us that our thoughts and ways are not
as His. The mystery of iniquity is a great deep, yet faith has full
confidence in God even where it cannot understand.
That Christ was in nowise deceived by Judas is clear from John 6:64,
"For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not,
and who should betray Him." Furthermore, we are told that He declared
on this solemn occasion, "Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you
is a devil" (v. 70). Notably and blessedly did that act make manifest
the moral excellency of the Saviour. When the Son became incarnate He
averred "Lo I come to do Thy will, 0 God" (Heb. 10:7), and God's will
for Him was revealed "in the volume of the Book." In that Book it was
written that a familiar friend should lift up his heel against Him
(Ps. 41:9). This was a sore trial, yet the perfect Servant balked not
at it, but complied therewith by calling a "devil" to be one of His
closest attendants. Christ rendered full obedience to the Father's
pleasure though it meant having the son of perdition in most intimate
association with Him for three years, constantly dogging His steps
even when He retired from His carping critics to be alone with the
twelve.
Appeal is made by the Arminians to John 17:12, "While I was with them
in the world, I kept them in Thy name: those that Thou gayest Me I
have kept, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the
Scripture might be fulfilled." Yet there is nothing here which
supports their contention. Judas was "given to" Christ and "chosen" by
Him as an apostle, but he was never given to Him by a special act of
grace, nor "chosen in Him" and united to Him as a member of Him, as
the rest of the apostles and as all the election of grace are. This is
clear from His words in John 13:19, "I speak not of you all (cf. vv.
10, 11): I know whom I have chosen"; that is chosen unto eternal life,
for otherwise He had chosen Judas equally with the others. Let it be
carefully noted that in John 17:12 Christ says not "none of them is
lost except the son of perdition." In using the disjunctive "but" He
sharply contrasted Judas from the rest, showing he belonged to an
entirely different class: compare Matt. 12:4; Acts 27:22; Rev. 21:27,
where the "but" is in direct opposition to what precedes.
Christ's statement in John 17:12 was designed to show that there had
been no failure in the trust committed to Him, but rather that He had
complied with His commission to the last detail. It also served to
assure the eleven of this, that their faith might not be staggered by
the perfidy of their companion. It gave further proof that He had not
been deceived by Judas, for before he betrayed Him, He terms him "the
son of perdition." Finally, it declared God's hand and counsel in it:
Judas perished "that the Scripture might be fulfilled." Among the
reasons why God ordered that there should be a Judas in the
apostolate, we suggest it was in order that an impartial witness might
bear testimony to the moral excellency of Christ: though in the
closest possible contact with Him by day and night, he could find no
flaw in Him, but confessed "I have betrayed the innocent blood" (Matt.
27:4). It was not from saving grace Judas "fell," but from "ministry,
and apostleship" (Acts 1:25).
We turn now to look at some of those Scriptures appealed to by
Arminians in support of their contention that those who have been born
of the Spirit may fall from grace and eternally perish. We say "some
of them," for were we to expound every passage cited and free them
from the false meaning attached thereto, this section would be
extended to an undue and wearisome length. We shall therefore single
Out those verses which our opponents are fondest of quoting, those
which they regard as their chief strongholds, for if they be
overthrown we need not trouble with their weaker defenses. It is
hardly necessary to say that there is not one passage in all the Word
of God which expressly states the dogma the Arminians contend for, and
therefore they are obliged to select those which abound in figurative
expressions, or which treat of national and temporal destruction, or
those relating to unregenerate professors, thereby deceiving the
unwary by the mere sound of words and wresting the Scriptures by
straining fragments divorced from their contexts.
John Wesley in his "Serious Thoughts" on the apostasy of saints framed
his first proposition thus: "That one who is holy and righteous in the
judgment of God Himself may nevertheless so fall from God as to perish
everlastingly." In support of this he quoted, "But when the righteous
turneth away from his righteousness and committeth iniquity and doeth
according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he
live?AlI his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned:
in his trespass that he hath trespassed and in his sin that he hath
sinned, in these shall he die" (Ezek. 18:24). That the founder of
Wesleyan Methodism understood this to refer to eternal death is
evident from the purpose for which he adduced it. As this passage is
generally regarded by Arminians as "unanswerable and unassailable" we
will consider it at more length.
This construing of "shall he die" as "shall perish eternally" is
contrary to the entire scope and design of Ezek. 18, for this chapter
treats not of the perseverance or apostasy of the saints, neither of
their salvation nor damnation. Its sole aim is to vindicate the
justice of God from a charge that He was then punishing the Jews
(temporally) not for their own sins but for the sins of their
forebears, and therefore there was manifest unfairness in His dealings
with them. This chapter has nothing whatever to do with the spiritual
and eternal welfare of men. The whole context concerns only the house
of Israel, the land of Israel, and their conduct in it, according to
which they held or lost their tenure of it. Thus it has no relevancy
whatever to the matter in hand, no pertinency to the case of
individual saints and their eternal destiny.
Again, though the man here spoken of is indeed acknowledged by the
Lord to be "righteous," yet that righteousness by which he is
denominated only regards him as an inhabitant of the land of Palestine
and as giving him a claim to the possession and enjoyment of it, but
not as justifying him before God and giving him title to everlasting
life and felicity. For this "righteousness" is called "his" (v. 24)
and not Another's (Isa. 45:24; Jer. 23:6), that which he had "done"
(v. 24 and cf. vv. 5-9) and not what Christ had done for him (Rom.
5:19); it was a righteousness of works and not of faith (Rom. 4:5,
Phil. 3:9). This man was "righteous" legally but not evangelically.
Thus, if a thousand such cases were adduced it would not militate one
iota against the eternal security of all who have been constituted
righteous before God on the ground of Christ's perfect obedience being
reckoned to their account and who have been inwardly sanctified by the
Spirit and grace of God.
Let the reader carefully peruse the whole of chapter 18. The mission
of the prophet Ezekiel was to call Israel to repentance. He pointed to
the awful calamities which had come upon the nation as proof of their
great guilt. They sought to escape that charge by pleading "The
fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on
edge." The prophet answers, that, though in His governmental and
providential dealing God often visits the father's sin on sinful
children, yet the guilt of sinful fathers is never in His theocracy
(according to the covenant of Horeb) visited on righteous children. He
went further, and reminded them that temporal prosperity was restored
to the Nation as soon as an obedient generation succeeded a
rebellious, and that as soon as a rebellious individual truly repented
he was forgiven, just as when a righteous man became wicked he was
plagued in his body or estate.
"Then the Lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed
him and forgave him the debt . . . And his lord was wroth and
delivered him to the tormentors" (Matt. 18:27, 34). This is quoted to
prove that "persons truly regenerated and justified before God, may
through high misdemeanors in sinning, turn themselves out of the
justifying grace and favor of God, quench the spirit of regeneration,
and come to have their portion with hypocrites and unbelievers."
Arminians are not the only ones who wrest this passage, for Socinians
quote verses 24-27 to disprove the atonement of Christ, arguing
therefrom that God freely forgives sins out of His "compassion,"
without any satisfaction being rendered to His broken Law. Both of
these erroneous interpretations are the consequence of ignoring the
scope and design of this passage: Christ was not there showing either
the ground on which God bestows pardon or the doom of apostates.
The scope and intention of Matt. 18:23-35 is easily perceived if the
following details be attended to. 1. Christ is replying to Peter's
"how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? (v.
21). 2. It is a parable or similitude of "the kingdom of heaven" (v.
23), which has to do with a mixed condition of things, the whole
sphere of profession, in which the tares grow together with the wheat.
3. From Christ's application in v. 35 we see that He was enforcing
Matt. 6:14, 15. On account of the mercy and forgiveness which the
Christian has received from God in Christ, he ought to extend
forgiveness and kindness to his offending brethren (Eph. 4:32).
Failure so to do is threatened with awful vengeance. "IF" I forgive
not from my heart those who offend me, then I am only an unregenerate
professor. Note how Christ represented this character at the
beginning: no quickened soul would boast "I will pay Thee all" (v.
26)!
Luke 11:24-26, appealed to by Arminians, need not detain us, for the
last clause of Matt. 12:45 proves it is a parable about the nation of
Israel -- freedom from the spirit of idolatry since the Babylonian
captivity, but possessed by the Devil himself when they rejected
Christ and demanded His crucifixion. Nor should John 15:6 occasion any
serious difficulty. Without proffering a detailed exposition, it is
sufficient to point out that the "Vine" is not a figure of vital
relationship (as is "the body": 1 Cor. 12:11; Col. 1:24), but only of
external and visible. This is clear from such passages as Psalm
80:8-14; Jeremiah 2:21; Hosea 10:1; Revelation 14:18,19. Thus there
are both fruitful and fruitless "branches" (as "good" and "bad" fishes
Matt. 13:48): the latter being in Christ only by profession --hence
the "as a branch." Confirmatory of this the Father is here designated
"the Husbandman" (v. 1) -- a term having a much wider scope than "the
Dresser" of His vineyard (Luke 13:9).
"For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest He also
spare not thee" (Rom. 11:21). But such a passage as this (vv. 17-24)
is nothing to the purpose. The "natural branches" were the unbelieving
portion of the Jews (v. 20), and they were "broken off" from the
position of witness for God in the earth, the "kingdom" being taken
from them and given to others: Matt. 2 1:43. What analogy is there
between these and the supposed case of those united to Christ and
later becoming so severed from Him as to perish? None whatever: a much
closer parallel would be found in a local church having its
candlestick removed" (Rev. 2:5): set aside as Christ's witness on
earth. True, from their case the apostle points a solemn warning (v.
22) but that warning is heeded by the truly regenerate, and thus is
made a means of their preservation.
"Through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish for whom Christ
died?" (1 Cor. 8:11). 1. It is not affirmed that the weak brother had
"perished"! 2. From the standpoint of God's purpose and the
sufficiency of His keeping power, the feeblest of His children will
not perish. 3. But the strong Christian is here warned of and dehorted
from a selfish misuse of his "liberty" (v. 9) by pointing out the
horrible tendency of the same. Though Christ will preserve His lambs,
that does not warrant me in casting a stumblingstone before them. No
thanks were due the Roman soldier that not a bone of Christ's body was
broken when he thrust his spear into the Savior's side, and the
professing Christian who sets an evil example before babes in Christ
is not guiltless because God preserves them from becoming infidels
thereby. My duty is to so walk that its influence on others may be
good and not bad.
First Corinthians 9:27 simply informs us of what God required from
Paul (and all His servants and people), and what, by grace he did in
order to escape a possible calamity. 2 Corinthians 6:1 refers not to
saving grace but to ministerial as v. 3 shows: as laborers together in
Christ's vineyard they are exhorted to employ the gifts bestowed upon
them. "Ye are fallen from grace" (Gal. 5:4) is to be interpreted in
the light of its setting. The Galatians were being troubled by
Judaizers who affirmed that faith in Christ was not sufficient for
acceptance with God, that they must also be circumcised. The apostle
declares that if they should be circumcised with the object of gaining
God's favor then Christ would profit them nothing (v. 2), for they
would thereby abandon the platform of grace, descending to fleshly
ceremonies; in such case they would leave the ground of free
justification for a lower and worthless plane.
"Holding faith and a good conscience, which some having put away,
concerning faith have made shipwreck; of whom is Hymeneus and
Alexander" (1 Tim. 1:19, 20). So far from these being regenerated men
who spiritually deteriorated, Hymeneus was a profane and vain babbler,
who increased from one degree of impiety "unto more ungodliness" (2
Tim. 2:16, 17); while Paul said of Alexander that he did him "much
harm" and "greatly withstood his preaching" (2 Tim. 4:16, 17). Their
"putting away" a good conscience does not necessarily imply they
formerly had such, for of the unbelieving Jews who contemptuously
refused the Gospel (Acts 13:45, 46) it is said--the same Greek word
being used--that they "put it from" them. They made shipwreck of the
Christian Faith they professed (cf. Gal. 1:23) for they denied a
future resurrection (2 Tim. 2:18), which resulted in overthrowing the
doctrinal faith of some of their hearers; but as 2 Tim. 2:19 shows
this was no apostasy of real saints.
Hebrews 6:4-8. There are two sorts of "enlightened" persons: those who
are savingly illuminated by the Holy Spirit, and those intellectually
instructed by the doctrine of the Gospel. In like manner, there are
two kinds of "tasting" of the heavenly gift, the good Word of God, and
the powers of the world to come: those who under a fleeting impulse
merely sample them, and those who from a deep sense of need relish the
same. So there are two different classes who become "partakers of the
Holy Spirit:" those who only come under His awe-inspiring and
sin-convicting influences in a meeting where His power is manifest,
and those who receive of His grace and are permanently indwelt by Him.
The "repentance" of those viewed here is but that of Cain, Pharaoh and
Judas, and those who openly repudiate Christ become hopelessly
hardened, given up to a reprobate mind.
The description furnished of the above class at once serves to
identify them, for it is so worded as to come far short of the marks
of the children of God. They are not spoken of as God's elect, as
those redeemed by Christ, as born of the Spirit. They are not said to
be justified, forgiven, accepted in the Beloved, or "made meet for the
inheritance of the saints in light." Nothing is said of their faith,
love or obedience. Yet these are the very things which distinguish the
saints from all others! Finally, the description of this class in
terms which fall below what pertains to the regenerate is employed
again in v. 9: "But (not and'), beloved, we are persuaded better
things of you (in contrast from them) and things which (actually)
accompany salvation."
Hebrews 10:26-29. The apostle says nothing here positively of any
having actually committed this fatal sin, but only supposes such a
case, speaking conditionally. This particular "sin" referred to here
must be ascertained from the Epistle in which this passage occurs: it
is the deliberate repudiation of Christianity after being instructed
therein and making a public profession thereof and going back to an
effete Judaism--the condition of such would be hopeless. The nearest
approach to such sin today would be for one who had been taught the
Truth and intelligently professed to the same, renouncing it for, say,
Romanism, or Buddhism. To renounce the way of salvation set forth by
the Gospel of Christ is to turn the back on the only Mediator between
God and men. "There remaineth no more sacrifice for sins" for those
who prefer "calves and goats" (Judaism) or "Mary and the saints"
(Romanism) rather than the Lamb of God.
"Now the just shall live by faith, but if any man draw back My soul
shall have no pleasure in him" (Heb. 10:38). This also is purely
hypothetical, as the "if" intimates: it announces what would follow
should such a thing occur. To quote what is merely suppositionary
rather than positive, shows how weak the Arminian case is. That there
is nothing here whatever for them to build upon is clear from the very
wording and structure of the sentence: it is not "Now the just shall
live by faith and if any man draw back." The "but if any man draw
back" places him in opposition to the class spoken of in the first
clause. This is further evident in what immediately follows: "But we
are not of them that draw back unto perdition, but of them that
believe to the saving of the soul" (v. 39). Thus, so far from this
passage favoring the total apostasy of real saints, it definitely
establishes the doctrine of their final perseverance.
"There shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in
damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them" (2 Pet.
2:1). Any seeming difficulty here is at once removed if attention be
carefully paid to two things. First, it is not said they were
redeemed, but only "bought." The first man was given "dominion" over
all things terrestrial (Gen. 1:28), but by his fall lost the same, and
Satan took possession by conquest. Christ does not dispossess him by
the mere exercise of Divine power, but as the Son of man He secured by
right of purchase all that Adam forfeited. He "buyeth that field"
(Matt. 13:44) which is "the world" (v. 39)--i.e. the earth and all in
it. Second, it is not said they were bought by Christ, but "the Lord,"
and the Greek word is not the customary "kurios" as in vv. 9, 11, 20,
but "Despotes," which signifies dominion and authority -- translated
"masters" in 1 Tim. 6:1, 2; Titus 2:9; 1 Pet. 2:18. It was as a Master
He bought the world and all in it, acquiring thereby an unchallengable
title (as God-man) to rule over it. He therefore has the right to
demand the submission of every man, and all who deny Him that right,
repudiate him as the Despotes.
2 Pet. 2:20-22. There are none of the distinguishing marks of God's
children ascribed to the characters mentioned in this passage, nothing
whatever about them to show they were ever anything more than formal
professors. Attention to the following details will clarify and
simplify these verses. 1. The "pollutions of the world" here "escaped"
are the gross and outward defilements (in contrast from the inward
cleansing of the regenerate), as is clear from the "again entangled
therein." 2. It was not "through faith in" but "through the knowledge
of the Lord and Savior" that this reformation of conduct and amendment
of walk was effected. 3. These are not said to have "loved the way of
righteousness" (Ps. 119:47, 77, 159), but merely to have "known" it:
there is a twofold knowledge of the Truth: natural and spiritual,
theoretical and vital, ineffectual and transforming -- it is only the
former the apostates had. The heart of stone was never taken from
them. 4. They were never "saints" or "sheep" but "dogs" domesticated
and "swine" externally washed.
"These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you,
feeding themselves without fear; clouds they are without water,
carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth; without fruit,
twice dead, plucked up by the roots" (Jude 12). It is the words twice
dead which the Arminian fastens upon, but we have quoted the whole
verse that the reader may see that it is couched in the language of
imagery. A manifestly figurative expression is taken literally: if
"twice dead," it is argued they were twice alive -- the second time by
the new birth, the life from which they had killed. The Epistle in
which this expression occurs supplies the key to it. Its theme is
Apostasy: of the Israelites (v. 5), angels (v. 6), and lifeless
professors in Christendom (vv. 8-19), from which the saints are
"preserved" (v. 1) and "kept" (v. 24 ).Those of v. 12 were dead in sin
by nature, and then by apostasy -- by defection from the faith, they
once professed. "I will not blot out his name" (Rev. 3:5) is a promise
to the overcomer, every believer (1 John 5:4).
Contents | Forward | Intro | | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11
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Eternal Security by A.W. Pink
Chapter 10
Its Benefits
_________________________________________________________________
It has been pointed out on a previous occasion that what has been
engaging our attention is far more than a subject for theological
debate: it is full of practical value. It must be so, for it occupies
a prominent place in the Divinely-inspired Scriptures which are
"profitable for doctrine" (2 Tim. 3:16), and that, because it is "the
doctrine which is according to godliness" (1 Tim. 6:3)--revealing the
standard of piety and actually promoting piety in the soul and life of
him who receives it by faith. Everything revealed in the Word and all
the activities of God have two chief ends in view: His own glory and
the good of His people. And as we draw to the close of this book it is
fitting that we should seek to set before readers some of the benefits
which are conferred by a believing apprehension of this truth, some of
the blessed effects it produces and fruits it yields. We somewhat
anticipated this aspect of our subject by what we said under its
Blessedness (in chap. 6 of this book), yet as we then did little more
than generalize it behooves us now to more definitely particularize.
In attempting to describe some of the benefits which this doctrine
affords we shall be regulated by whether we are viewing it from the
Divine side or the human, for as we have sought to make clear in the
preceding sections, the perseverance of the saints in holiness and
obedience is the direct effect of the continued operations of Divine
grace and power within them, and those operations are guaranteed by
the promises of the everlasting covenant. Viewed from the Divine side,
perseverance in the faith and in the paths of righteousness is itself
a gift, a distinct gift from God: "who shall also confirm you unto the
end" (1 Cor. 1:8). Absolutely considered God's preservation of His
people turns upon no condition to be fulfilled by them, but depends
entirely on the immutability and invincibility of the Divine purpose.
Nevertheless, God does not preserve His people by mere physical power
and without their concurrence, as He keeps the planets steadfast in
their orbits. No, rather does He treat them throughout as moral agents
and responsible creatures, drawing them with the cords of love,
inclining their hearts unto Himself, rendering effectual the motives
He sets before them and the means which He requires them to use.
The infallible certainty of the Divine operations on behalf of and
within His saints and the mode of their working cannot be insisted
upon too emphatically or repeated too often. On the one hand, the
crown of honor and glory must be ascribed to the King Himself; and on
the other hand, the response and concurrence or loyalty of His
subjects is to be made equally plain. God preserves His people by
renewing them in the inner man day by day (2 Cor. 4:16), by quickening
them according to His Word, by granting them fresh supplies of grace,
and also by moving them to heed His warnings and respond to His
exhortations; in a word, by working in them both to will and to do of
His good pleasure (Phil. 2:13). Thus our portrayal of some of the
benefits and fruits of this doctrine will be governed by our
viewpoint: whether we trace Out what follows faith's appropriating of
the Divine promises or what follows from faith's appropriation of the
Divine precepts. God has promised to carry forward in sanctification
and complete in glorification the work begun in regeneration, yet not
without requiring us to perform the duties of piety and avoid
everything contrary thereto.
1. Here is cause for adoring God. The doctrine set forth in this book
most certainly redounds more to the glory of God than does the
contrary one, which leaves our everlasting felicity in uncertainty. It
exemplifies God's power, whereby He not only restrains our external
foes from overthrowing our salvation, but also by fixing the wavering
disposition of our wills that we do not cease from the love of and
desire after holiness. Also His truth in the promises of the Covenant,
on which we securely rely, being assured that He who gave them will
certainly make the same good. His goodness, whereby He patiently bears
with our weakness and dullness, so that when we fall into sin, He does
not cast us off, but by His loving chastenings recovers us through
moving us to renewed repentance. His holiness, when because of our
folly we trifle with temptation for a season, disregarding His
warnings, He makes us conscious of His displeasure by withholding
tokens of His favor and declining an answer to our prayers, bringing
us to confess and forsake our sins, that fellowship with Him may be
restored and that peace and joy may again be our portion.
2. Here is peace for the soul in a world of strife and where men's
hearts fail them for fear of the future. This is evident if we
consider the opposite. In themselves believers are weak and unstable,
unable to do anything as they ought. They have no strength of their
own to keep themselves in the love of God, but carry about with them a
body of sin and death. They are continually exposed to temptations
which ensnare the wisest and overthrow the strongest. Suppose then
they had received no guarantee of the unchangeableness of God's
purpose, no infallible word of the continuance of His love, no pledge
that He will keep and secure them by the working of His mighty power,
no declaration that unfailing supplies of His Spirit and grace shall
be vouchsafed them, no assurance that He will never leave them nor
forsake them, no revelation of an Advocate on high to plead their
cause and of the sufficiency of His mediation and the efficacy of His
intercession. But rather that they are left to their own fidelity: and
in consequence some of the most eminent saints have apostatized from
the faith, that thousands have utterly fallen out of God's love and
favor, and so been cast from His covenant, from whence few have ever
recovered; and all confidence and peace will be at an end, and fear
and terror fill their place.
How vastly different is the teaching of the Word from what we have
supposed above. There we find God, as it were, saying to His people: I
know your weakness and insufficiency, your dullness and darkness, how
that without My Son and continual supplies of His Spirit you can do
nothing. The power and rage of your indwelling sin is not hidden from
Me, and how with violence it brings you into captivity against your
desires. I know that though you believe, yet you are frequently made
to groan over your unbelief, and that you are then ready to fear the
worst. And when in that case Satan assaults and tempts, seeking to
devour you; that first he acts like a serpent, attempting to beguile
and ensnare, and then as a lion to terrify. But be not ignorant of his
devices: resist him steadfast in the faith: take unto you the whole
armor of God, watch night and day that ye be not seduced by him, and
you shall overcome him by the blood of the Lamb. "Fear thou not, for I
am with thee: be not dismayed, for I am thy God: I will strengthen
thee, yea I will help thee, yea I will uphold thee with the right hand
of My righteousness" (Isa. 41:10). Though you may be tripped up, ye
shall not utterly fall. Though you be fearful, My kindness shall not
be removed from you. So be of good cheer, and run with patience the
race that is set before you.
3. Here is solid comfort for the saints in a day of declension, when
there is a great "falling away" of those who once appeared to run
well. Though what is termed "organized Christianity" be a demonstrated
failure, though corporate Christendom be now in ruins, though ten
thousands have apostatized yet let the saints be fully assured that
God has and will reserve to Himself a remnant who bow not the knee to
Baal; and therefore may those who have the living God for their
"refuge" confidently exclaim "Therefore will not we fear though the
earth (the most stable and ancient establishments) be removed, and
though the mountains (the leaders and most towering professors) be
carried (by the winds of false doctrine) into the midst of the sea" --
the masses of the wicked: Isa. 5 7:20. When many of the nominal
disciples of Christ "sent back and walked no more with Him," He turned
to the apostles and said "Will ye also go away?" Whereupon Simon Peter
as their spokesman answered "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the
words of eternal life" (John 6:66-68). Thus it was then, has been
throughout the centuries, and will be unto the end of time. The sheep
are secure, while the goats turn aside and perish.
Observe how Paul emphasizes this very note in 2 Tim. 2. Hymeneus and
Philetus eminent men in the church had apostatized, and by their
defection and false teaching had overthrown the doctrinal faith of
some; yet says the apostle, This is no reason why the real children of
God should be made to quake and imagine that their end is uncertain.
"Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal:
the Lord knoweth them that are His; and, let every one that nameth the
name of Christ depart from iniquity" (v. 19). Note the two sides of
that "seal," preserving the balance of Truth: on the one side there is
a cordial--those who are built upon the foundation of God's unchanging
purpose and love shall not be prevailed against; on the other there is
a warning--trifle not with "iniquity," whether it be doctrinal or
practical, but "depart" from it. Similarly John assures believers who
might be shaken at seeing certain in their assemblies being seduced by
the antichrists of that day, but such were only unregenerate
professors (1 John 2:19), and therefore that the regenerate, held in
the hand of Christ, shall not be overcome by deceivers.
4. Here is ground for holy confidence. The Lord knows how difficult is
the task assigned His people and how deep is the sense of their own
insufficiency. He knows too that nothing more enervates their hearts
and enfeebles their hands than doubts and fears, and therefore has He
made absolute promise to those who hear His voice and follow Him that
"they shall never perish" (John 10:29). It was this which armed Joshua
to the battle: "There shall not a man be able to stand before thee all
the days of thy life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I
will not fail thee nor forsake thee." And from thence the Lord drew an
argument -- the very opposite of that which the legalistic Arminian
infers --namely, "Be strong and of a good courage" (Josh. 1:5, 6).
Such a promise would not make a Joshua reckless or lax, whatever
effect it might have upon a self-righteous freewiller. No, rather
would it produce a holy confidence, which prompted to the use of
lawful means and gave assurance of God's blessing thereon. Such a
confidence causes its possessor to trust in the Lord with all his
heart and lean not unto his own understanding.
Such encouragement is conveyed and such confidence is engendered by
the Divine declaration "the righteous shall hold on his way" (Job
17:9). As the young believer contemplates the likely length of the
journey before him and the difficulties of the road which has to be
trod, he is apt to give way to despair; but if his faith lays hold of
this promise that he shall certainly reach the desired goal, new
strength will be imparted to his feeble knees and increased resolution
to his fainting heart. It is the confidence that by continuing to plod
along the weary traveler will reach home, which causes him to take
courage and refuse to give in. It is the assurance of success which is
to the right-minded and best stimulus of labor. If the Christian be
persuaded that the world shall not overcome him, that sin shall not
slay him, that Satan shall not triumph over him, then will he take
unto him the shield of faith and the Sword of the Spirit and fight
like a man and be more than conqueror. As it has been truly said "This
is one of the reasons why British troops have so often won the fight:
because the drummer boys know not how to beat a retreat and the
soldiers refused to believe in the possibility of defeat."
5. Here is consolation for us in the severest trials. Let us
illustrate this point from the case of Job, for it is difficult to
conceive one more acute and extreme than his. You know how severe, how
many, and how protracted were those afflictions. You know how far
Satan was permitted to proceed with him. You know how his wife turned
against and his so-called friends tantalized him. His cup of trouble
was indeed filled to the brim, yet we find him looking above his
afflictions and censorious critics, exclaiming "He knoweth the way
that I take: when He hath tried me I shall come forth as gold"
(23:10). Weigh well those words and bring to mind the situation of the
one who uttered them. Observe that there was no doubt or uncertainty
in his mind about the issue of his afflictions: it was not "I fear I
shall perish in the furnace," for he refused to allow those fiery
trials to turn him into a skeptic. Nor did he merely cherish a
flattering hope that things might possibly be well with him at the
end, and say "I may come forth as gold." No, there was the undoubting,
positive conviction "I shall!"
Ah, my reader, Job saw "the bright light in the cloud" (37:21). He
drew comfort from what assured Cowper when he wrote those lines:
"Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace:
Behind a frowning providence,
He hides a smiling face."
Job knew that God maketh "all things work together for good to them
that love Him, to them who are the called according to His purpose"
(Rom. 8:28), and therefore he knew there could be no possibility of
his perishing in the fires. And why was there no doubting as to the
outcome of his trials? Because he could say "For I know that my
Redeemer liveth" and therefore could he add "and though after my skin
worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God" (19:25, 26).
That was the ground of his confidence--nothing in himself. That was
what caused him to triumphantly exclaim "I shall come forth as gold."
Cheer up fellow believer: the process may be painful, but the end is
sure; the path may be rough and you may feel faint, but the prospect
is entrancing and certain.
6. Here is cause for praise. Why should I be found still holding on my
way when so many who made a bright profession and who appeared to make
much faster progress in spiritual things than I did, have long ago
dropped out of the race, and have gone right back into the world?
Certainly not because I was any better by nature. No, I freely ascribe
all the glory unto God who has so graciously ministered unto me and
continued to work in me; who has been so longsuffering and recovered
me when I strayed. 0 what thanks are due unto Him. How often have I
had occasion to say "He restoreth my soul" (Psa. 23:3)--as He did
Abraham's, Jacob's, Peter's. Thus I may say with David "I will sing of
the mercies of the Lord forever" (Psa. 89:1). Not today or tomorrow,
but for "forever"; not only when I come to the brink of the Jordan,
but after I have passed safely through it, the high praises of His
faithfulness shall be the theme of my song throughout eternity.
7. Here is a powerful incentive to confirm Christians in their
spiritual lives and to spur them unto the duties of piety. This is
evident from what regeneration works in them. All the arguments drawn
from the possibility of the apostasy of saints are derived from the
terror of dreadful threatenings and the fear of eternal punishment;
whereas those taken from the assurances conveyed by the everlasting
covenant breathe nothing but the sweetness of grace. Since the
children of God have received "the spirit of adoption, whereby they
cry Father, Father" (Rom. 8:15), they are more powerfully drawn by the
cords of love than by the scourge of horror. Moreover since all
acceptable obedience springs from gratitude, then that which most
effectually promotes gratitude must be the most powerful spring of
obedience, and as to whether a grace bestowed by the Lord is perpetual
or one which may be lost is likely to inspire the deepest gratitude,
we leave to the judgment of our readers. The more firmly be secured
the reward of duty, the more diligent shall we be in performing duty.
8. Here is an incentive to practical godliness. If Christian
perseverance is one of continuance in the path of obedience and
holiness, then will the saints make diligent use of the aids which God
has provided for them and eschew the contrary. Especially will they be
encouraged to ask for and seek after the grace which God has promised.
As it is a sight and sense of Christ's being crucified because of my
heinous sins which produces evangelical repentance (Zech. 12:10), so
it is a realization of the immutability of God's purpose, the
unchangeableness of His love, and the preciousness of His promises
which strengthen faith and inflame love to serve and please Him. This
twofold doctrine of Divine preservation and perseverance in holiness
supplies effectual motives unto piety. Negatively, it removes
discouragements by letting us know that our denials of self,
mortifications of the flesh and efforts to resist the Devil, are not
in vain (1 Cor. 15:58; Gal. 6:9). Positively, it places upon us the
most powerful obligations to live unto God, to show forth His praises,
and adorn the doctrine we profess (2 Cor. 7:1).
9. Here we are shown the need of continual diligence in order to
persevere unto the end. But, says the Arminian, I would have concluded
the very opposite, since final perseverance be guaranteed. That is due
to his misconception. God has declared "The righteous shall hold on
his way:" not become slack and sit down, still less that he will
forsake it for the way of the ungodly. That very promise is the best
means of producing the desired result. If a man could be definitely
assured that in a certain line of business he would make a fortune,
would such assurance cause him to refuse that business or lead him to
lie in bed all day? No, rather would it be an incentive to diligence
in order to prosper. Napoleon believed he was "the man of destiny:"
did that conviction freeze his energies? No, the very opposite. God's
promising a thing unto His children causes them to pray for the same
with greater confidence, earnestness and importunity. God hath
promised to bless our use of lawful means and therefore we employ them
with diligence and expectation.
10. Here is a truth to humble us. Admittedly it has been wrested by
Antinomians and perverted unto the feeding of a spirit of presumption.
But it is "ungodly men" and not the saints who turn the grace of our
God into lasciviousness (Jude 4). Different far is the effect of this
truth upon the regenerate. It works in them a sense of their own
insufficiency, causing them to look outside of themselves for help and
strength. So far from rendering them slothful, it deepens their
desires after holiness and makes them seek it more earnestly. As the
Christian realizes "Thou hast commanded us to keep Thy precepts
diligently," he is moved to pray "0 that my ways were directed to keep
Thy statutes diligently.. .Make me to go in the path of Thy
commandments, for herein do I delight" (Psa. 119:4, 5, 35). The more
he is taught of the Spirit the more will he cry "Hold Thou me up, and
I shall be safe" (Psa. 119:117).
Contents | Forward | Intro | | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11
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Pink-Chapter 11-Conclusion
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It now remains for us to gather up a few loose ends, to summarize what
has been before us, make a practical application of the whole, and our
present task is completed. Not that we have said anything like all
that could be said thereon; yet we have sought to set before the
reader the principal aspects of this subject and to preserve a due
balance between the Divine and human sides of it--God's operations in
connection therewith and the Christian's concurrence therein. Much of
the opposition which has been raised against what is termed "the
dangerous tendency" of this truth arose from a defective view of the
same, through failure to apprehend that the perseverance of the saints
exhibited in the Scriptures is their continuance in faith and
holiness: that the One who has made infallible promise they shall
reach the desired goal has also decreed they shall tread the one path
which leads to it, that the means as well as the end are ordained by
Him, and that He moves them to make diligent use of those means and
blesses and makes effectual their labor in the same.
That for which we have contended throughout these chapters is
steadfastness in holiness, constancy in believing, and in bringing
forth the fruits of righteousness. Saving faith is something more than
an isolated act: it is a spiritual dynamic, a principle of action,
which continues to operate in those who are the favored subjects of
it. This is brought out very clearly and decisively in the great Faith
chapter. In Heb. 11 the Holy Spirit sets before us the faith of Abel,
of Enoch, of Noah, of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Jacob, and after
describing various exercises and fruits of the same, declares "these
all died in faith" (v. 13), not one of them apostatized from the same.
The "faith" spoken of, as the context shows, was both a justifying and
sanctifying one, and those who had received the same from God not only
lived by it but died in it. Theirs was a faith which wore and lasted,
which overcame obstacles and triumphed over difficulties, which
endured to the end. True, the patriarchs had to wrestle against their
natural unbelief, and, as the inspired records show, more than once
they were tripped up by the same, yet they continued fighting and
emerged conquerors.
The Christian is required to continue as he began. He is to daily own
his sins to God and he is daily to renew the same acts of faith and
trust in Christ and His blood which he exercised at the first. Instead
of counting upon some past experience, he is to maintain a present
living on Christ. If he continues to cast himself on the Redeemer,
putting his salvation wholly in His hands, then He will not, cannot,
fail him. But in order to cast myself upon Christ I must be near Him;
I cannot do so while following Him "afar off." And to be near Him, I
must be in separation from all that is contrary to Him. Communion is
based upon an obedient walk (John 15:10): the one cannot be without
the other. And for the maintenance of this, I must continue to "show
the same diligence" I did when first convicted of my lost estate, when
I perceived that sin was my worst enemy, that I was a rebel against
God and His wrath upon me, and when I fled to Christ for refuge,
surrendering myself to His lordship and trusting entirely to the
sufficiency of His sacrifice to save me from my sins -- their
dominion, their pollution, and their guilt.
"Show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end"
(Heb. 6:11). The selfsame earnestness and pains which actuated my
heart and regulated my acts when I first sought Christ must be
continued unto the end of my earthly course. This means persevering in
a holy life, in the things which are appointed by and are pleasing to
God, and unto this the servants of God are to be constantly urging the
saints. "Ministerial exhortation unto duty is needful unto those who
are sincere in the practice of it, that they may abide and continue
therein" (J. Owen). In no other way can the "full assurance of hope"
(a confident expectation of the issue or outcome) be Scripturally
maintained. The Christian has to be constant in giving "the same
diligence" to the things of Cod and the needs of his soul as he did at
the outset. "He said, to the end, that they might know they had not
reached the goal, and were therefore to think of further progress. He
mentioned diligence that they might know they were not to sit down
idly, but to strive in earnest." And who think you, my reader, was the
author of that quotation? None other than John Calvin! How grievously
has Calvinism been perverted and misrepresented.
"That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and
patience inherit the promises" (Heb. 6:12). The apostle here warns
against the vice which is the antithesis of the virtue previously
enjoined, for slothfulness is the opposite of diligence. The indolence
dehorted is in each of us by nature, for spiritual laxity is not
something peculiar to those of a lazy disposition. The evil principle
of the "flesh" remains in every Christian and that principle hates and
therefore is opposed to the things of God. But the flesh must be
resisted and the desires of the "spirit" or principle of grace heeded.
When conscious of this indisposition unto practical holiness, this
native enmity against the same, the believer must pray with renewed
earnestness "draw me, we will run after Thee" (Song of Sol. 1:4),
"Order my steps in Thy Word, and let not any iniquity have dominion
over me" (Ps. 119: 133). It is this which distinguishes the true child
of God from the empty professor: his wrestling with the Lord in secret
to enable him to press forward in the race set before him.
"But followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the
promises." The immediate reference is to the patriarchs who, by
continuing steadfast in the faith, persevering in hope amid all the
trials to which they were subjected, had no entrance into the promised
blessings. Their faith was far more than a notional one: it was
influential and practical, causing them to live as "strangers and
pilgrims" in this scene (see Heb. 11:13). The word for "patience" here
is usually rendered "longsuffering. " It is a grace which makes its
possessor refuse to be daunted by the difficulties of the way or be so
discouraged by the trials and oppositions encountered as to desert the
course or forsake the path of duty. It is just such faith and patience
which are required of the saint in every age, for there never has been
and never will be any journeying to Heaven on "flowery beds of ease."
If the continued exercise of such graces was required of the
patriarchs--persons who were so high in the love and favor of
God--then let not us imagine they may be dispensed with in our case.
The things promised are not obtained "for faith and patience," but
they are entered into "through" them.
Assurance of final perseverance neither renders needless wariness and
care (1 Cor. 10:12), nor the unwearied use of the appointed means of
grace (Gal. 6:9). We must distinguish sharply between confidence in
Christ and a weakening of the security of the flesh. The teaching that
carnal security and presumption is no bar to eternal glory is a
doctrine of the Devil. David prayed "Teach me, O Lord, the way of Thy
statutes, and I shall keep it unto the end" (Ps. 119:33). Upon it
Spurgeon said, "The end of which David speaks is the end of life, or
the fullness of obedience. He trusted in grace to make him faithful to
the utmost, never drawing a line and saying to obedience `Hitherto
shalt thou go but no further.' The end of our keeping the Law will
come only when we cease to breathe: no good man will think of marking
a date and saying, `It is enough, I may now relax my watch, and live
after the manner of men.' As Christ loves us to the end so must we
serve Him to the end. The end of Divine teaching is that we may serve
to the end" (Treasury of David, Vol. 6). O for more of this
well-balanced teaching.
When faith and the spirit of obedience are inoperative the features of
the new birth are under a cloud, and when we have no evidence of
regeneration we lack any warrant to entertain the assurance of eternal
happiness. The man who gives free rein to the flesh and takes his fill
of the world gives the lie to his profession that he is journeying to
Heaven. It is the glory of the Gospel that while it announces mercy
unto the chief of sinners, yet if any be encouraged by this to persist
in a course of evil-doing it pronounces his doom. The Gospel
encourages hope, but it also promotes holiness; it imparts peace, but
it also inculcates godly piety; it cherishes confidence, yet not by
looking back to conversion but forward to the desired haven. It
justifies the expectation of preservation, but only as we persevere in
the path of duty. While it declares emphatically that the believer's
continuance in and maintenance of his faith depend wholly on something
extraneous to himself or his present case, yet with equal clearness it
insists that the believer's perseverance is carried on and perfected
by his use of all the appointed means.
It is freely granted that many of the objections which are made
against this subject apply most pertinently to the Antinomian
perversion of it, for hyper-Calvinists have been guilty of presenting
this truth in such an unguarded and one-sided manner as to virtually
set a premium on loose walking. They have dwelt to such an extent upon
the Divine operations as to quite crowd out human responsibility,
picturing the Christian as entirely passive. Others who were quite
unqualified to write on such a theme have given much occasion to the
enemies of the Truth by their crudities, representing the security of
the believer as a mechanical thing, divorcing the end from the means,
ignoring the safe-guards by which God Himself has hedged about this
doctrine, and prating about "once saved, always saved" no matter what
the daily walk may be. Nevertheless such abuses do not warrant anyone
in repudiating the doctrine itself and opposing the teaching of
Scripture thereon, for there is nothing in the Word of God which has
the slightest tendency to make light of sin or countenances loose
living, but rather everything to the contrary.
When expressing his hatred of the truth of the eternal security of
Christ's sheep, John Wesley exclaimed "How pleasing is this to flesh
and blood," which is the very thing it is not. Such a doctrine can
never be agreeable to fallen human nature. Depraved man is essentially
proud, and hence any scheme of perseverance accomplished by the
strength of man's own will power is pleasing to the vanity of his
mind; but a perseverance dependent upon the faithfulness and power of
God, a perseverance which is not the result of any human sufficiency
but rather of the merits and intercession of Christ, is most
unpalatable unto the self-righteous Pharisee. Only the one who has
been given to feel the prevailing power of indwelling sin, who has
discovered that his own will and resolutions are wholly incompetent to
cope with the corruptions of his heart, who has proved by painful
experience that he is completely "without strength" and that apart
from Christ he can do nothing, will truly rejoice that none cam pluck
him out of the Redeemer's hand. As only the consciously sick will
welcome the Physician, so none but those who realize their own
helplessness will really find the doctrine of Divine preservation
acceptable to them.
Moreover, the duties inculcated by this doctrine are most repugnant to
flesh and blood. Subjection to Christ's authority and the daily taking
of His yoke upon us is a requirement very far from welcome to those
who wish to please themselves and follow their own devices. The
standard of piety, the spirituality of God's Law, the nature of
holiness, the insistence that we must keep ourselves unspotted from
this world, are directly contrary to the inclinations of the natural
man. That we must discipline our affections, regulate our thoughts,
mortify our carnal appetites, cut off a right hand and pluck out a
right eye, are certainly not good news to the unregenerate, especially
when God insists that such mortification is never to be remitted but
continued until mortality be swallowed up of life. No, it is
impossible that fallen man will ever be pleased with a doctrine of
perseverance in denying self, taking up his cross daily and following
a holy Christ who is despised and rejected by this world. Thus it will
abundantly appear from all that has been said, how baseless and
pointless is the Arminian objection that the preaching of this
doctrine encourages laxity and makes for licentiousness.
How can it be supposed that the proclamation of this blessed truth
will lead to carelessness and carnality when we lay it down as a
fundamental maxim that no one has any shadow of reason to consider
himself interested in the blessing of perseverance except as he has
and gives clear evidence that he is inwardly conformed to God and
outwardly obedient to His commands? Yet it must be allowed, no matter
how carefully and proportionately the doctrine of Scripture be set
forth by God's servant, there will always be those ready to wrest to
their own destruction. If the Lord Jesus was falsely charged with
"perverting the nation" (Luke 23:2) His ministers must not expect
immunity from similar criminations. If the apostle Paul was
slanderously reported of teaching "Let us do evil, that good may come"
(Rom. 3:8), we must not be surprised if the enemies of God should
falsify our assertions and draw erroneous inferences from them. Yet
this must not deter us from proclaiming all the counsel of God or
keeping back anything that would be profitable to His people (Acts
20:27, 20). And now to make practical application of all that has been
before us.
1. How earnest should sinners be of becoming Christians. In Christ
alone is salvation and safety to be found. Security of person and of
estate is the principal concern of men in this world, but security of
soul has little or no place in the thoughts of the majority. How
fearful to be in imminent danger of death and eternal punishment, and
how alarming the condition of those indifferent to their everlasting
welfare. Where there is an underground shelter which is out of range
of artillery and below the reach of falling bombs, how eagerly will
the sane turn thither when the siren sounds. "The name of the Lord is
a strong tower, the righteous runneth into it and is safe" (Prov.
18:10). O let every reader who has not yet done so make haste into his
closet, fall upon his knees and rise not till he has committed himself
wholly unto Christ for time and eternity. Halt no longer between two
opinions. The wrath of God is upon thee, and there is but one way of
escape: then flee for refuge to the hope set before you in the Gospel
(Heb. 6:18). Christ stands ready to receive if you will throw down
your weapons of warfare.
2. How diligently you should examine whether or not you are in Christ,
the place of eternal security. You should know whether or not you have
complied with the requirements of the Gospel, whether or not you have
closed with Christ's gracious offer therein, whether spiritual life
has come to your soul, whether you have been made a new creature in
Christ. These things may be known with definite certainty. Put these
questions to your soul. Had I sincere resolution to forsake my wicked
way when I came to Christ? Did I relinquish all dependence upon my own
works? Did I come to Him empty-handed, resting on His promise "him
that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out?" Then you may upon us is
a requirement very far from welcome to those who wish to please
themselves and follow their own devices. The standard of piety, the
spirituality of God's Law, the nature of holiness, the insistence that
we must keep ourselves unspotted from this world, are directly
contrary to the inclinations of the natural man. That we must
discipline our affections, regulate our thoughts, mortify our carnal
appetites, cut off a right hand and pluck out a right eye, are
certainly not good news to the unregenerate, especially when God
insists that such mortification is never to be remitted but continued
until mortality be swallowed up of life. No, it is impossible that
fallen man will ever be pleased with a doctrine of perseverance in
denying self, taking up his cross daily and following a holy Christ
who is despised and rejected by this world. Thus it will abundantly
appear from all that has been said, how baseless and pointless is the
Arminian objection that the preaching of this doctrine encourages
laxity and makes for licentiousness.
How can it be supposed that the proclamation of this blessed truth
will lead to carelessness and carnality when we lay it down as a
fundamental maxim that no one has any shadow of reason to consider
himself interested in the blessing of perseverance except as he has
and gives clear evidence that he is inwardly conformed to God and
outwardly obedient to His commands? Yet it must be allowed, no matter
how carefully and proportionately the doctrine of Scripture be set
forth by God's servant, there will always be those ready to wrest . to
their own destruction. If the Lord Jesus was falsely charged with
"perverting the nation" (Luke 23:2) His ministers must not expect
immunity from similar criminations. If the apostle Paul was
slanderously reported of teaching "Let us do evil, that good may come"
(Rom. 3:8), we must not be surprised if the enemies of God should
falsify our assertions and draw erroneous inferences from them. Yet
this must not deter us from proclaiming all the counsel of God or
keeping back anything that would be profitable to His people (Acts
20:27,20). And now to make practical application of all that has been
before us. 1. How earnest should sinners be of becoming Christians. In
Christ alone is salvation and safety to be found. Security of person
and of estate is the principal concern of men in this world, but
security of soul has little or no place in the thoughts of the
majority. How fearful to be in imminent danger of death and eternal
punishment, and how alarming the condition of those indifferent to
their everlasting welfare. Where there is an underground shelter which
is out of range of artillery and below the reach of falling bombs, how
eagerly will the sane turn thither when the siren sounds. "The name of
the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous runneth into it and is safe"
(Prov. 18:10). O let every reader who has not yet done so make haste
into his closet, fall upon his knees and rise not till he has
committed himself wholly unto Christ for time and eternity. Halt no
longer between two opinions. The wrath of God is upon thee, and there
is but one way of escape: then flee for refuge to the hope set before
you in the Gospel (Heb. 6:18). Christ stands ready to receive if you
will throw down your weapons of warfare.
2. How diligently you should examine whether or not you are in Christ,
the place of eternal security. You should know whether or not you have
complied with the requirements of the Gospel, whether or not you have
closed with Christ's gracious offer therein, whether spiritual life
has come to your soul, whether you have been made a new creature in
Christ. These things may be known with definite certainty. Put these
questions to your soul. Had I sincere resolution to forsake my wicked
way when I came to Christ? Did I relinquish all dependence upon my own
works? Did I come to Him empty-handed, resting on His promise "him
that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out?" Then you may be assured
on the infallible Word of God that Christ received you, and you are
most grievously insulting Him if you doubt it. Do you value Christ
above all the world? Do you desire to be conformed more and more to
His holy image? Is it your earnest endeavor to please Him in all
things, and is it your greatest grief and confession to Him when you
have displeased Him? Then these are the sure marks of every one who is
a member of His mystical Body.
3. How jealously we should watch over and seek to protect this tree of
God's planting, from the winds of false doctrine and the pests which
would fain destroy it. If we arc to do so then we must give due
attention to that injunction, "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for
out of it are the issues of life" (Prov. 4:23). We must make
conscience of everything which is harmful to godliness. We must walk
in separation from the world and have "no fellowship with the
unfruitful works of darkness." We must feed daily upon the Word of
God, for otherwise growth is impossible. We must have regular recourse
to the throne of grace, not only to obtain pardoning mercy for the
sins committed but to find grace to help for present needs. We must
make constant use of the shield of faith for there is no other defense
against the fiery darts of Satan. A good beginning is not sufficient:
we must press forward unto the things before. A small leak will
eventually sink a ship if it be not attended to: many a noble vessel
now lies wrecked upon the rocks.
4. How we should beware of wresting this doctrine. Let none encourage
themselves in carelessness and fleshly indulgence through presuming
upon their security in Christ. It is those who "hear" (heed) His voice
and that "follow Him to whom He has made promise "they shall never
perish" (John 10:27, 28). The ones of whom the Lord has declared "They
shall not depart from Me" are those to whom He said "I will put My
fear in their hearts" (Jer. 32:40), but He gives no such assurance to
those who trifle with Him. God has promised a victory to His people,
but that very promise implies a warfare: victories are not gained by
neglect and sloth. When Divine grace brings salvation to a soul it
teaches him to deny "ungodliness and worldly lusts" and to "live
soberly, righteously and godly in this present world" (Titus 2:12),
and if it is not so teaching me, then I am a stranger to saving grace.
There is nothing which has so much forwarded the Arminian error of
apostasy as the scandalous lives of professing Christians: see that
your life gives the lie to it.
5. How we must ascribe all the glory unto God. If you have stood firm
while others have been swept away, if you have held on your way when
many who accompanied you at the beginning have forsaken the paths of
righteousness, if you have thrived when others have withered, it is
due entirely to the distinguishing mercy and power of God. "Who maketh
thee to differ, and what hast thou that thou didst not receive" (1
Cor. 4:7): you have no cause whatever to boast. "But the Lord is
faithful, who shall stablish you and keep you from evil" (2 Thess.
3:3): if the Lord, then not myself. It is true we "will" and do, but
it is God who worketh both in us (Phil. 2:13). Our sufficiency is of
Him and not of ourselves, and due acknowledgment should be made of
this; and it will be by real saints. "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto
us, but unto Thy name give glory, for thy mercy, for Thy truth's sake"
(Ps. 115:1).
6. How we should magnify the grace of God. The mind is incompetent to
perceive how much we are beholden to the Lord for His interest in and
care of us. As His providence is virtually a continual creation, an
upholding of all things by His `power, without which they would lapse
back again into nonentity: so the Christian's preservation is like a
continual regeneration, a maintenance of the new creation by the
operations of the Spirit and the bestowing fresh supplies of grace. It
was the realization of this fact that moved David to acknowledge of
God, "Which holdeth our soul in life and suffereth not our feet to be
moved" (Ps. 66:9). As Charnock well said, "It is a standing miracle in
the world that all the floods of temptation shall not be able to
quench this little heavenly spark in the heart, that it shall be
preserved from being smothered by the streams of sin which arise in
us, that a little smoking flax shall burn in spite of all the buckets
of water which are poured upon it." Thus God perfects His strength in
our weakness. "O give thanks unto the Lord, for His goodness, for His
mercy endureth forever" (Ps. 106:1).
7. How compassionate we should be unto weaker brethren. The more you
are mindful of the Lord's upholding hand, the more compassionate will
you be unto those with feeble knees. "If a man be overtaken in a
fault, ye which are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of
meekness, considering thyself lest thou also be tempted" (Gal. 6:1).
Call to mind how patiently the Lord has borne with you. Remember how
ignorant you were but a short time ago, and expect not too much from
babes in Christ. Has not the Lord often recovered you when you did
wander? Have not your brethren still occasion to bear with many
blemishes in you? If so, will you be hyper-critical and censorious
toward them! Despise not small grace in any, but seek to encourage, to
counsel, to help. Christ does not break the bruised reed, nor must we.
Contents | Forward | Intro | | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
Chapter 1
___________________________________
That Which Occupies the central and dominant place in what the Spirit
has been pleased to record of the life of Elisha is the miracles
performed by and connected with him. Far more miracles were wrought by
him or were granted in answer to his prayers than any other of the Old
Testament prophets. In fact the narrative of his history consists of
little else than a record of supernatural acts and events. Nor need
this at all surprise us, though it is strange that so few seem to
grasp its implication and significance. The character of Elisha's
mission and ministry was in thorough keeping with Israel's condition
at that time. The very fact that these miracles were needed indicates
the state into which Israel had fallen. Idolatry had held sway for so
long that the true and living God was no longer known by the nation.
Here and there were individuals who believed in the Lord, but the
masses were worshipers of idols. Therefore by means of drastic
interpositions, by awe-inspiring displays of His power, by
supernatural manifestations of His justice and mercy alike, God forced
even the skeptical to recognize His existence and subscribe to His
supremacy.
Prophecy and Miracles
It is fitting here that we should make a few remarks upon the reason
for and meaning of miracles. Prophecy and miracles partake of much the
same nature. Prophecy is really an oral miracle, and miracles are
virtually prophecies (forthtelling of God) in action. As God sends
forth one of His prophets only in a time of marked declension and
departure of His people from Himself, so miracles were quite
unnecessary while the sufficiency of His Word was practically
recognized. The one as much as the other lies entirely outside the
ordinary line or course of things, neither occurring during what we
may term normal times. Which of the patriarchs, the priests, or the
kings performed any miracles? How many were wrought during the lengthy
reign of Saul, David, or Solomon? Why, then, were so many wonders done
during the ministry of Elijah and still more so during that of Elisha?
The mission and ministry of Elisha was the same in character as that
which God did in Egypt by the hand of Moses. There Jehovah was
unknown: entirely so by the Egyptians, largely so by the Israelites.
The favored descendants of Abraham had sunk as low as the heathen in
whose midst they dwelt, and God, by so many remarkable signs and
unmistakable interventions, brought them back to that knowledge of
Himself which they had lost. Unless the Hebrews in Egypt had been
thoroughly convinced by these displays of divine power that Moses was
a prophet sent from God, they never would have submitted to him as
their leader. How reluctantly they owned his authority on various
occasions! So also in the conquest of Canaan, God wrought four
miracles in favor of His people: one in the water, in the crossing of
Jordan; one in the earth, in throwing down the walls of Jericho; one
in the air, in destroying their enemies by hail; and one in the
heavens, by slowing the course of the sun and the moon. Thereby the
nations of Canaan were furnished with clear proof of Jehovah's
supremacy, that the God of Israel possessed universal dominion, that
He was no local deity but the Most High reigning over all nature.
But, it may be asked, how do the miracles wrought by Christ square
with what has been said above? Surely they should present no
difficulty. Pause and ask the question, Why did He work miracles? Did
not His teaching make clearly evident His divine mission? The very
officers sent to arrest Him had to acknowledge, "Never man spake as
this man." Did not the spotless holiness of His life make manifest the
heavenliness of His person? Even Pilate was forced to testify, "I find
no fault in Him." Did not His conduct on the cross demonstrate that He
was no imposter? The centurion and his fellows owned, "Truly this was
the Son of God" (Matthew 27:54). Ah, but men must be left without the
shadow of an excuse for their unbelief. The whole world shall have it
unmistakably shown before their eyes that Jesus of Nazareth was none
other than "God manifest in flesh." The Gentiles were sunk in
idolatry; Judaism was reduced to a lifeless formality and had made
void the Word of God by traditions. Therefore did Christ reveal the
wisdom and power of God as none other before or since by a series of
miracles which warranted His saying, "He that hath seen Me hath seen
the Father."
Thus it will be seen that there is another characteristic which links
closely together prophecy and miracles: the character of the times in
which they occur supply the key both to their implication and their
significance. Both of them may be termed abnormalities, for neither of
them are given in the ordinary course of events. While conditions are
relatively decent, God acts according to the ordinary working of the
laws of creation and operations of His providence. But when the Enemy
comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord lifts up a more apparent
and noticeable standard against him, coming out more into the open and
obliging men to take cognizance of Him. But there is this difference:
the one intimates there is a state of grievous departure from God on
the part of His people; the other indicates that the knowledge of the
true and living God has publicly disappeared, that He is no longer
believed in by the masses. Drastic diseases call for drastic remedies.
Elijah and Elisha
The missions of Elijah and Elisha form two parts of one whole, the one
supplementing the other, though there was a striking contrast between
them. Therein we have an illustration of the spiritual significance of
the number two. Whereas one denotes there is no other, two affirms
there is another and therefore a difference. That difference may be
for good or for evil, and therefore this number bears a twofold
meaning according to its associations. The second that comes in may be
for opposition or for support. The two, though different in character,
may be one in testimony and friendship. "The testimony of two men is
true" (John 8:17 and cf. Numbers 35:30). Thus two is also the number
of witnesses, and the greater the contrast between the two witnesses
the more valuable their testimony when they agree therein. Hence it is
that all through the Scriptures we find two persons linked together to
present a contrast: as in such cases as Cain and Abel, Abraham and
Lot, Ishmael and Isaac, Jacob and Esau; or two bearing witness to the
truth: as Enoch and Noah, Moses and Aaron, Caleb and Joshua, Naomi and
Ruth, Ezra and Nehemiah, the sending forth of the apostles by twos
(Mark 6:7 and cf. Revelation 11:3).
This linking together of two men in their testimony for God contains
valuable instruction for us. It hints broadly at the twofoldness of
truth. There is perfect harmony and unity between the two great
divisions of Holy Writ, yet the differences between the Old and New
Testaments are apparent to every thoughtful reader of them. It warns
against the danger of lopsidedness, intimating the importance of
seeking to preserve the balance. The chief instruments employed by God
in the great Reformation of the sixteenth century were Luther and
Calvin. They took part in a common task and movement, yet how great
was the difference between the two men and the respective parts they
were called upon to play. Thus with Elijah and Elisha: there are
manifest parallels between them, as in the likeness of their names,
yet there are marked contrasts both in their missions and their
miracles. It is in the observing of their respective similarities and
dissimilarities that we are enabled to ascertain the special reaching
which they are designed to convey to us.
At first glance it may appear that there is a much closer resemblance
than antithesis between the two men. Both of them were prophets, both
of them dwelt in Samaria, and they were confronted with much the same
situation. The falling of Elijah's mantle upon Elisha seems to
indicate that the latter was the successor of the former, called upon
to continue his mission. The first miracle performed by Elisha was
identical with the last one wrought by his master: the smiting of the
waters of the Jordan with the mantle, so that they parted asunder for
him (2 Kings 2:8, 14). At the beginning of his ministry Elijah had
said unto Ahab king of Israel, "As the Lord God of Israel liveth,
before whom I stand" (1 Kings 17:1). And when Elisha came into the
presence of Ahab's son he also declared, "As the Lord of hosts liveth,
before whom I stand" (2 Kings 3:14). As Elijah was entertained by the
widow of Zarepath and rewarded her by restoring her son to life (1
Kings 17:22), so Elisha was entertained by a woman at Shunem (2 Kings
4:8-10) and repaid her by restoring her son to life (2 Kings 4:35-37).
Striking as the points of agreement are between the two prophets, the
contrasts in their careers and works are just as vivid and certainly
more numerous. One appeared suddenly and dramatically upon the stage
of public action, without a word being told us of from whence he
sprang or how he had previously been engaged; but of the other the
name of his father is recorded, with an account of his occupation at
the time he received his call into God's service. The first miracle of
Elijah was that for the space of three and a half years there should
be neither dew nor rain according to his word, whereas the first
public act of Elisha was to heal the springs of water (2 Kings 2:21,
22) and to produce an abundance of water (2 Kings 3:20). One of the
most noticeable features of Elijah's life was his loneliness, dwelling
apart from the apostate masses of the people; but Elisha seems to have
spent most of his life in the company of the prophets, presiding over
their schools. The different manner in which their earthly careers
terminated is even more marked: the one was taken to heaven in a
chariot of fire, and the other fell sick in old age and died a natural
death.
The principal contrast between the two prophets appears in the
character of the miracles wrought by and connected with them. The
majority of those performed by Elijah were associated with death and
destruction, whereas by far the greater of those attributed to Elisha
were works of healing and restoration. If the former was the prophet
of judgment, the latter was the prophet of grace; if the course of one
was fittingly closed by a "whirlwind" removing him from this scene, a
peaceful dove would be the more appropriate emblem of the other.
Elisha's ministry consisted largely of divine interpositions in a way
of mercy, interventions of sovereign goodness, rather than judicial
dealings. He commenced his mission by a miracle of blessing, healing
the death-dealing springs of water. What immediately followed was the
establishing of his authority, the symbol of his extraordinary office.
The work of Elijah was chiefly a protest against evil, while the work
of Elisha was an almost continuous testimony to the readiness of God
to relieve the distressed and respond to the call of need wherever
that call came from a contrite and believing heart.
Unto many it may seem really astonishing that a ministry like that of
Elisha should immediately follow after Elijah's, for in view of the
desperate defiance he encountered we would naturally suppose the end
had been reached, that the patience of God was at last exhausted. But
if we take into account what has been before us above on the
significance of miracles, we shall be less surprised. As we have
pointed out, a state of general infidelity and idolatry forms the
historical background, and thus is the reason for and purpose of His
breaking through the darkness and making Himself manifest to a people
who are God's, but know Him not. Now since God is "light" (1 John
1:5), that is, the ineffably holy one, it necessarily follows that
when revealing Himself He will do so as the hater and punisher of sin.
But it is equally true that God is "love" (1 John 4:8), that is, the
infinitely benevolent one, and consequently when appearing more
evidently before the eyes of His creatures, it is in wondrous works of
kindness and benevolence. Thus we have the two sides of the divine
character revealed in the respective ministries of Elijah and Elisha:
deeds of vengeance and deeds of mercy.
While their two missions may certainly be considered separately, yet
Elisha's ministry should be regarded primarily as the complement of
Elijah's. The two, though dissimilar, make one complete whole--and
only subordinately a thing apart. On the one hand Elijah's mission was
mainly of a public character; on the other, Elisha's was more in
private. The former had to do principally with the masses and those
who had led them astray, and therefore his miracles consisted chiefly
of judgments, expressive of God's wrath upon idolatry. The latter was
engaged mostly with the Lord's prophets and people, and consequently
his acts were mainly those of blessing, manifestations of the divine
mercy. The comforting and assuring lesson in this for Christians today
is, that even in a season of apostasy and universal wickedness, when
His rod is laid heavily upon the nations, the Lord will neither forget
nor forsake His own, but will appear unto them as "the God of all
grace." Things may become yet worse than they are now. Even so the
Lord will prove Himself to be "a very present help" to His people.
Coming now to the subordinate viewpoint and considering Elisha's
career as the sequel to Elijah's, may we not find in it a message of
hope in this dark, dark hour. Those with any measure of spiritual
discernment cannot fail to perceive the tragic resemblance there is
between the time in which Elijah's lot was cast and our own sad day.
The awful apostasy of Christendom, the appalling multiplication of
false prophets, the various forms of idolatry now so prevalent in our
midst, and the solemn judgments from heaven which have been and are
being visited upon us and the blatant refusal of the multitudes to pay
any heed to them by mending their ways, all furnish an analogy which
is too plain to be missed. There is therefore a real temptation to
conclude that the end of all things is at hand--some say an end of the
age, others the end of the world. Many thought the same when Napoleon
was desolating Europe and again in 1914-18 but they were wrong, and it
is quite likely that they who think the same today will have their
conclusions falsified. There is at least a warning for us here: Elijah
was followed by Elisha! Who can tell what mercy God may yet show to
the world?
We must be on our guard against missing the consolation which this
portion of Scripture may contain for us. The darkest night is followed
by the morning's light. Even if the present order of "civilization" is
doomed to destruction, we know not what favors from God await this
earth in generations to come. Of necessity there will be a time when
this world and all its works will be burned up, and that event may be
very near. On the other hand that event may be thousands of years
away. If such be the case, then black as is the present outlook and
blacker it may yet become, yet the clouds of divine judgment will
again disperse and the sun of Righteousness arise once more with
healing in His wings. More than once the times of Elijah have been
substantially duplicated even during this Christian era, yet each time
they were followed by an Elisha of mercy. Thus it may be again, yea
will be unless God is now on the point of bringing down the curtain
upon human history.
The Written Record
Very little indeed seems to have been written upon the life of Elisha,
yet this is not difficult to account for. Though there is almost twice
as much recorded about him than his predecessor, his history is not
given in one connected piece or consecutive narrative. Rather it is
disjointed, the current of his life being crossed again and again by
references to others. The scattered allusions to the prophet's career
do not lend themselves so readily to biographical treatment as do the
lives of Abraham, Jacob, or David. Why is this? For there is nothing
meaningless in Scripture; perfect wisdom directs the Holy Spirit in
every detail. May it not be that we have a hint here of the method
which will be followed by the Lord in that era which will possibly
succeed the period of Christendom's history foreshadowed by Elijah's
life? May not the broken and disconnected account of Elisha's deeds
presage the form God's dealings will take in a future generation: that
instead of being a regular stream they will be occasional showers of
blessing at intervals?
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
HIS CALL
Chapter 2
___________________________________
In The Introduction we noted the close connection between the missions
and ministries of Elijah and Elisha. Let us now consider the personal
relation that existed between the two prophets themselves. This is
something more than a point of interest. It throws light upon the
character and career of the latter, and it enables us to discern the
deeper spiritual meaning which is to be found in this portion of the
Word. There was a twofold relation between them: one official, and the
other more intimate. The former is seen in 1 Kings 19:16 where we
learn that Elijah was commanded to "anoint Elisha to be prophet," and
it is worthy of note that while it is generally believed all the
prophets were officially "anointed" yet Elisha's case is the only one
expressly recorded in Scripture. Next we learn that immediately
following his call, Elisha "went after Elijah and ministered unto him"
(1 Kings 19:21), so the relation between them was that of master and
servant, confirmed by the statement that he "poured water on the hands
of Elijah" (2 Kings 3:11).
But there was more than an official union between these two men; the
ties of affection bound them together. There is reason to believe that
Elisha accompanied Elijah during the last ten years of his earthly
life, and during the closing scenes we are shown how closely they were
knit together and how strong was the love of the younger man to his
master. During their lengthy journey from Gilgal to the Jordan, Elijah
said to his companion again and again, "Tarry ye here, I pray thee."
But nothing could deter Elisha from spending the final hours in the
immediate presence of the one who had won his heart or make him
willing to break their communion. So they "still went on, and talked"
(2 Kings 2:11). Observe how the Spirit has emphasized this. First
"they went down to Bethel" (2 Kings 2:2), but later "they two went on"
(2 Kings 2:6); "they two stood by Jordan" (2 Kings 2:7); "they two
went on dry ground" (2 Kings 2:8). They refused to be separated. But
when it was necessary, Elisha cried, "My father, my father" (a term of
endearment), and in token of his deep grief "took hold of his own
clothes and rent them in two pieces."
God's Command to Elijah
As the invariable rule of Scripture, it is the first mention which
supplies the key to all that follows: "Elisha, the son of Shaphat, of
Abel-melolah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room" (1 Kings
19:16). Those words signify something more than that he was to be his
successor. Elisha was to take Elijah's place and act as his accredited
representative. This is confirmed by the fact that when he found
Elisha, Elijah "cast his mantle upon him" (1 Kings 19:19) which
signified the closest possible identification. It is very remarkable
to find that when Joash the king of Israel visited the dying Elisha he
uttered the selfsame words over him as the prophet had used when
Elijah was departing from this world. Elisha cried, "My father, my
father, the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof"--the real
defense of Israel (2 Kings 2:12), and Joash said, "O my father, my
father, the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof" (2 Kings
13:14). That not only marked the identification of Elisha with Elijah,
but the identification was actually acknowledged by the king himself.
Another detail which serves to manifest the relation between the two
prophets is found in the striking reply made by Elisha to the question
of his master: "Ask what I shall do for thee before I be taken from
thee," namely, "I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be
upon me" (2 Kings 2:9). That his request was granted appears clear
from the sequel. "If thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall
be so unto thee," and 2 Kings 2:12 assures us "and Elisha saw."
Moreover, when the young prophets saw him smite the waters of the
Jordan with his master's mantle so that they "parted hither and
thither," they exclaimed, "The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha"
(2 Kings 2:15). The "double portion" was that which pertained to the
firstborn or oldest son and heir: "But he shall acknowledge the son of
the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all
that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength: the right of
the firstborn is his" (Deut. 21:17; and cf. 1 Chronicles 5:1).
Elisha, then, was far more than the historical successor of Elijah. He
was appointed and anointed to be his representative--we might almost
say, his "ambassador." He was the man who had been called by God to
take Elijah's place before Israel. Though Elijah had left this scene
and gone on high, yet he would be so in spirit. Elisha was to be in
"his room" (1 Kings 19:16), for the starting point of his mission was
the ascension of his master. Now what, we may ask, is the spiritual
significance of this? What is the important instruction to be found in
it for us today? Surely the answer is not far to seek. The relation
between Elijah and Elisha was that of master and servant. Since the
anointing of Elisha into the prophetic office is the only case of its
kind expressly recorded in Scripture, are we not required to look upon
it as a representative or pattern one? Since Elijah was a figure of
Christ, is it not evident that Elisha is a type of those servants
specially called to represent Him here upon earth?
The conclusion drawn above is manifestly confirmed by all the
preliminary details recorded of Elisha before he entered upon his
life's work. Those details may all be summed up under the following
heads: his call, the testings to which he was submitted and from which
he successfully emerged, the oath he was required to follow, and the
special endowment which he received equipping him for his service. The
closer these details are examined and the more they are prayerfully
pondered, the more evidently will it appear to anointed eyes that the
experiences through which Elisha passed are those which,
substantially, each genuine servant of Christ is required to
encounter. Let us consider them in the order named. First, the call of
which he was the recipient. This was his induction into the sacred
ministry. It was a clear and definite call by God, the absence of
which makes it the height of presumption for anyone to invade the holy
office.
Elijah Summons to Elisha
The summons which Elisha received to quit his temporal avocation and
to henceforth devote the whole of his time and energies to God and His
people is noted in, "So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son
of Shaphat, who was ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and
he was with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him and cast his mantle
upon him" (1 Kings 19:19). Observe how that here, as everywhere, God
took the initiative. Elisha was not seeking Him, but the Lord through
Elijah sought him out. Elisha was not found in his study but in the
field, not with a book in his hand, but at the plow. As one of the
Puritans said when commenting thereon, "God seeth not as man seeth,
neither does He choose men because they are fit, but He fits them
because He hath chosen them." Sovereignty is stamped plainly upon the
divine choice, as appears also in the calling of the sons of Zebedee
while "mending their nets" (Matthew 4:21), of Levi while he was
"sitting at the receipt of custom" (Matthew 9:9), and Saul of Tarsus
when persecuting the early Christians.
Though Elisha does not appear to have been seeking or expecting a call
from the Lord to engage in His service, yet it is to be noted that he
was actively engaged when the call came to him, as was each of the
others alluded to above. The ministry of Christ is no place for idlers
and drones, who wish to spend much of their time driving around in
fancy cars or being entertained in the homes of their members and
friends. No, it is a vocation which calls for constant self-sacrifice,
and which demands tireless devotion to the performance of duty. Those
then are most likely to be sincere and energetic in the ministry who
are industrious and businesslike in their temporal avocation. Alas,
how many who wish to shirk their natural responsibilities and shelve
hard work have entered the ministry to enjoy a life of comparative
ease.
Elisha
means "God is Savior" and his father's name Shaphat signifies;
"judge." Abel-meholah is literally "meadow of the dance" and was a
place in the inheritance of Issachar, at the north of the Jordan
valley. Elisha's father was evidently a man of some means for he had
"twelve yoke of oxen" engaged in plowing, yet he did not allow his son
to grow up in idleness as is so often the case with the wealthy. It
was while Elisha was usefully engaged, in the performance of duty,
undertaking the strenuous work of plowing, that he was made the
recipient of a divine call into special service. This was indicated by
the approach of the prophet Elijah and his casting his mantle--the
insignia of his office--upon him. It was a clear intimation of his own
investiture of the prophetic office. This call was accompanied by
divine power, the Holy Spirit moving Elisha to accept the same, as may
be seen from the promptness and decidedness of his response.
Before we look at his response, let us consider the very real and
stern test to which Elisha was subjected. The issue was clearly drawn.
To enter upon the prophetic office, to identify himself with Elijah,
meant a drastic change in his manner of life. It meant the giving up
of a lucrative worldly position, the leaving of the farm, for the
servant and soldier of Jesus Christ must not "entangle himself with
the affairs of this life" (2 Tim. 2:4). (Paul's laboring at
"tent-making" was quite the exception to the rule and a sad reflection
upon the parsimoniousness of those to whom he ministered.) It meant
the breaking away from home and natural ties. Said the Lord Jesus, "He
that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he
that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me" (Matthew
10:37). If such immoderate affection was an effectual bar to Christian
discipleship (Luke 14:26), how much more so from the Christian
ministry. The test often comes at this very point. It did so with the
present writer, who was called to labor in a part of the Lord's
vineyard thousands of miles from his native land, so that he did not
see his parents for thirteen years.
Elisha's Response to the Call
There was first, then, the testing of Elisha's affections, but he
shrank not from the sacrifice he was now called upon to make. "And he
left the oxen and ran after Elijah." Note the alacrity, the absence of
any reluctance. And he said, "Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and
my mother and I will follow thee." Observe his humble spirit. He had
already taken the servant's place, and would not even perform a filial
duty without first receiving permission from his master. Let any who
may be exercised in mind as to whether they have received a call to
the ministry search and examine themselves at this point, to see if
such a spirit has been wrought in them. The nature of Elisha's request
shows clearly that he was not a man devoid of natural feelings, but an
affectionate son, warmly attached to his parents. Far from being an
excuse for delaying his obedience to the call, it was a proof of his
promptness in accepting it and of his readiness to make a deliberate
break from all natural ties.
"And he [Elijah] said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to
thee?" (1 Kings 19:20). It was as though the prophet said, "Do not act
impulsively, but sit down and count the cost before you definitely
commit yourself." Elijah did not seek to influence or persuade him.
"It is not to me but to God you are accountable--it is His call which
you are to weigh." He knew quite well that if the Holy Spirit were
operating, He would complete the work and Elisha would return to him.
Oh that the rank and file of God's people would heed this lesson. How
many a young man, never called of God, has been pressed into the
ministry by well-meaning friends who had more zeal than knowledge.
None may rightly count upon the divine blessing in the service of
Christ unless he has been expressly set apart thereto by the Holy
Spirit (Acts 13:2). One of the most fearful catastrophies which has
come upon the churches (and those terming their's "assemblies") during
the past century has been the repetition of what God complained of
old: "I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran" (Jer. 23:21). To
intrude into the sacred office calls down heaven's curse (2 Sam.
6:6-7).
But Elisha's acceptance of this call from God not only meant the
giving up of a comfortable worldly position and the breaking away from
home and natural ties; it also involved his following or casting his
lot with one who was very far from being a popular hero. Elijah had
powerful enemies who more than once had made determined attempts on
his life. Those were dangerous times, when persecution was not only a
possibility but a probability. It was well then for Elisha to sit down
and count the cost; by consorting with Elijah, he would be exposed to
the malice of Jezebel and all her priests. The same is true in
principle of the Christian minister. Christ is despised and rejected
of men, and to be faithfully engaged in His service is to court the
hostility not only of the secular but of the religious world as well.
It was on religious grounds that Jezebel persecuted Elijah, and it is
by the false prophets of Christendom and their devotees that the
genuine ministers of God will be most hated and hounded. Nothing but
love for Christ and His people will enable Elisha to triumph over his
enemies.
"And he returned back from him and took a yoke of oxen and slew them
and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto
the people and they did eat." This farewell feast was a token of joy
at his new calling, an expression of gratitude to God for His
distinguishing favor, and the burning of the oxen's tackle a sign that
he was bidding a final adieu to his old employment. Those oxen and
tools of industry, wherein his former labors had been bestowed, were
now gladly devoted to the celebration of the high honor of being
called to engage in the service of God Himself. Those who rightly
esteem the sacred ministry will freely renounce every other interest
and pleasure, though called upon to labor amid poverty and
persecution; yea, they who enter into the work of our heavenly Master
without holy cheerfulness are not at all likely to prosper therein.
Levi the publican made Christ "a great feast in his own house" to
celebrate his call to the ministry, inviting a great company thereto
(Luke 5:27-29).
"Then he arose and went after Elijah." See here the power of the Holy
Spirit! The evidence of God's effectual call is a heart made willing
to respond. Divine grace is able to subdue every lust, conquer every
prejudice, surmount every difficulty. Elisha left his worldly
employment, the riches to which he was heir, his parents and friends,
and threw in his lot with one who was an outcast. Thus it was with
Moses, who "refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to
enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of
Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect
unto the recompence of the reward" (Heb. 11:24-26). Love for Christ
and His saints, faith in His ultimate "Well done," were the
motive-springs of his actions. And such must prompt one entering the
ministry today.
"Then he arose and went after Elijah and ministered unto him" (1 Kings
19:21). That was the final element in this initial test. Was he
prepared to take a subordinate and lowly place, to become a servant,
subjecting himself to the will of another? That is what a servant is:
one who places himself at the disposal of another, ready to take
orders from him, desirous of promoting his interests. He who would be
given important commissions must prove himself. Thus did God approve
of Stephen's service to the poor (Acts 7:1, 2). Because Philip
disdained not to serve tables (Acts 6:2, 5) he was advanced to the
rank of missionary to the Gentiles (Acts 8:5, 26). On the other hand,
Mark was discontented to be merely a servant of an apostle (Acts 13:5,
13) and so lost his opportunity of being trained for personal
participation in the most momentous missionary journey ever
undertaken. Elisha became the servant of God's servant, and we shall
see how he was rewarded.
_________________________________________________________________
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
HIS TESTINGS
Chapter 3
___________________________________
In Our Last Chapter we pointed out that the peculiar relation which
existed between Elijah and Elisha foreshadowed that which pertains to
Christ and His servants, and that the early experiences through which
Elisha passed are those which almost every genuine minister of the
gospel is called upon to encounter. All the preliminary details
recorded of the prophet before his mission commenced must have their
counterpart in the early history of any who are used of God in the
work of His kingdom. Those experiences in the case of Elisha began
with a definite call from the Lord, and that is still His order of
procedure. That call was followed by a series of very real testings,
which may well be designated as a preliminary course of discipline.
Those testings were many and varied. There were seven in number, which
at once indicates the thoroughness and completeness of the ordeals
through which Elisha went and by which he was schooled for the future.
If we are not to ignore here the initial one, there will of necessity
be a slight overlapping between this section and what was before us in
our last chapter.
First, the Testing of His Affections
This occurred at the time he received his call to devote the whole of
his time and energies to the service of God and His people. A stern
test it was. Elisha was not one who had failed in temporal matters and
now desired to "better his position," nor was he deprived of those who
cherished him and were therefore anxious to enter a more congenial
circle. Far from it. He was the son of a well-to-do farmer, living
with parents to whom he was devotedly attached. Response to Elijah's
casting of the prophetic mantle upon him meant not only the giving up
of favorable worldly prospects, but the severing of happy home ties.
The issue was plainly drawn: which should dominate--zeal for Jehovah
or love for his parents? That Elisha was very far from being one of a
cold and unfeeling disposition is clear from a number of things. When
Elijah bade him remain at Bethel, he replied, "I will not leave thee"
(2 Kings 2:2); and when his master was caught away from him, he
evidenced his deep grief by crying out, "My father! My father," and by
rending his garments asunder (2 Kings 2:12).
No, Elisha was no stoic, and it cost him something to break away from
his loved ones. But he shrank not from the sacrifice demanded of him.
He "left the oxen" with which he had been ploughing and "ran after
Elijah" asking only, "Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my
mother, and I will follow thee" (1 Kings 19:20). When permission was
granted, a hasty farewell speech was made and he took his departure;
and the sacred narrative contains no mention that he ever returned
home even for a brief visit. Dutiful respect, yea, tender regard, was
shown for his parents, but he did not prefer them before God. The Lord
does not require His servants to callously ignore their filial duty,
but He does claim the first place in their hearts. Unless one who is
contemplating an entrance into the ministry is definitely prepared to
accord Him that, he should at once abandon his quest. No man is
eligible for the ministry unless he is ready to resolutely subordinate
natural ties to spiritual bonds. Blessedly did the spirit prevail over
the flesh in Elisha's response to this initial trial.
Second, the Testing of His Sincerity
This occurred at the outset of the final journey of the two prophets.
"And it came to pass when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by
a whirlwind that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. And Elijah said
unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee" (2 Kings 2:1-2). Various reasons
have been advanced by the commentators as to why the Tishbite should
have made such a request. Some think it was because he wished to be
alone, that modesty and humility would not suffer that his companion
should witness the very great honor which was about to be bestowed
upon him. Others suppose it was because he desired to spare Elisha the
grief of a final leave-taking. But in view of all that follows, and
taking this detail in connection with the whole incident, we believe
these words of the prophet bear quite a different interpretation,
namely, that Elijah was now making proof of Elisha's determination and
attachment to him. At the time of his call Elisha had said, "I will
follow thee," and now he was given the opportunity to go back if he
were so disposed.
There was one who accompanied the apostle Paul for awhile, but later
he had to lament, "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present
world, and is departed unto Thessalonica" (2 Tim. 4:10). Many have
done likewise. Daunted by the difficulties of the way, discouraged by
the unfavorable response to their efforts, and their ardor cooled,
they concluded they had mistaken their calling; or, because only small
and unattractive fields opened to them, they decided to better
themselves by returning to worldly employment. To what numbers do
those solemn words of Christ apply: "No man, having put his hand to
the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke
9:62). Far otherwise was it with Elisha. No fleeting impression had
actuated him when he declared to Elijah, "I will follow thee." And
when he was put to the test as to whether or not he was prepared to
follow him to the end of the course, he successfully gave evidence of
his unwavering fidelity. "As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth,
I will not leave thee" was his unflinching response. Oh for like
stability.
Third, the Testing of His Will or Resolution
From Gilgal, Elijah and his companion had gone on to Bethel, and there
he encountered a subtle temptation, one which had prevailed over any
whose heart was not thoroughly established. "And the sons of the
prophets that were at Beth-el came forth to Elisha and said unto him,
Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to
day?" (2 Kings 2:3). Which was as much as saying, Why think of going
on any further, what is the use of it, when the Lord is on the point
of taking him from you? And mark it well, they who here sought to make
him waver from his course were not the agents of Jezebel but those who
were on the side of the Lord. Nor was it just one who would deter
Elisha, but apparently the whole body of the prophets endeavored to
persuade him that he should relinquish his purpose. It is in this very
way God tries the mettle of His servants: to make evident to
themselves and others whether they are vacillating or steadfast,
whether they are regulated wholly by His call and will or whether
their course is directed by the counsels of men.
A holy independence should mark the servant of God. Thus it was with
the chief of the apostles: "I conferred not with flesh and blood"
(Gal. 1:16). Had he done so, what trouble would he have made for
himself; had he listened to the varied advice the other apostles would
offer, what a state of confusion his own mind would have been in! If
Christ is my Master, then it is from Him, and from Him alone, I must
take my orders. Until I am sure of His will I must continue to wait
upon Him; once it is clear to me, I must set out on the performance of
it, and nothing must move me to turn aside. So it was here. Elisha had
been Divinely called to follow Elijah, and he was determined to cleave
to him unto the end, even though it meant going against well-meant
advice and offending the whole of his fellows. "Hold ye your peace"
was his reply. This was one of the trials which this writer
encountered over thirty years ago, when his pastor and Christian
friends urged him to enter a theological seminary, though they knew
that deadly error was taught there. It was not easy to take his stand
against them, but he is deeply thankful he did so.
Fourth, the Testing of His Faith
"And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the
LORD hath sent me to Jericho" (2 Kings 2:4). "Tarry here." They were
at Bethel, and this was a place of sacred memories. It was here that
Jacob had spent his first night as he fled from the wrath of his
brother. Here he had been favored with that vision of the ladder whose
top reached unto heaven and beheld the angels of God ascending and
descending on it. Here it was Jehovah had revealed Himself and given
him precious promises. When he awakened, Jacob said, "Surely the Lord
is in this place... this is none other but the house of God and this
is the gate of heaven" (Gen. 28). Delectable spot was this: the place
of divine communion. Ah, one which is supremely attractive to those
who are spiritually minded, and therefore one which such are entirely
loath to leave. What can be more desirable than to abide where such
privileges and favors are enjoyed! So felt Peter on the holy mount. As
he beheld Christ transfigured and Moses and Elijah talking with Him,
he said, "Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt let us make
here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for
Elijah." Let us remain and enjoy such blessing. But that could not be.
God still tests His servants at this very point. They are in some
place where the smile of heaven manifestly rests upon their labors.
The Lord's presence is real, His secrets are revealed to them, and
intimate communion is enjoyed with Him. If he followed his own
inclinations he would remain there, but he is not free to please
himself: he is the servant of another and must do His bidding. Elijah
had announced, "the LORD hath sent me to Jericho" and if Elisha were
to "follow" him to the end then to Jericho he too must go. True,
Jericho was far less attractive than Bethel, but the will of God
pointed clearly to it. It is not the consideration of his own tastes
and comforts which is to actuate the minister of Christ but the
performance of duty, no matter where it leads to. The mount of
transfiguration made a powerful appeal unto Peter, but at the base
thereof there was a demon-possessed youth in dire need of deliverance!
(Matthew 17:14-18). Elisha resisted the tempting prospect, saying
again, "I will not leave thee." Oh for such fidelity.
Fifth, the Testing of His Patience
This was a twofold test. When the two prophets arrived at Jericho, the
younger one suffered a repetition of what he had experienced at
Bethel. Once again "the sons of the prophet" from the local school
accosted him, saying, "Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy
master from thy head today?" Elijah himself they left alone, but his
companion was set upon by them. It is the connection in which this
occurs that supplies the key to its meaning. The whole passage brings
before us Elisha being tested first in one way and at one point and
then at another. That he should meet with a repetition at Jericho of
what he had encountered at Bethel is an intimation that the servant of
God needs to be especially on his guard at this point. He must not put
his trust even in "princes," temporal or spiritual, but cease entirely
from man, trusting in the Lord and leaning not on his own
understanding. Though it was annoying to be pestered thus by these
men, Elisha made them a courteous reply, yet one which showed them he
was not to be turned away from his purpose: "Yea, I know it, hold ye
your peace."
"And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath
sent me to Jordan." This he said to prove him, as the Savior tested
the two disciples on the way to Emmaeus when He "made as though he
would have gone further" (Luke 24:28). Much ground had been traversed
since they had set out together from Gilgal. Was Elisha growing tired
of the journey, or was he prepared to persevere to the end? How many
grow weary of well doing and fail to reap because they faint. How many
fail at this point of testing and drop out when Providence appears to
afford them a favorable opportunity of so doing. Elisha might have
pleaded, "I may be of some service here to the young prophets, but of
what use can I be to Elijah at the Jordan?" Philip was being greatly
used of God in Samaria (Acts 8:12) when the angel of the Lord bade him
arise and go south "unto Gaza, which is desert" (Acts 8:26). And he
arose and went, and God honored his obedience. And Elisha said to his
master, "I will not leave thee," no, not at the eleventh hour; and
great was his reward.
Sixth, the Testing of His Character
"And it came to pass, when they were gone over [the Jordan], that
Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be
taken away from thee" (2 Kings 2:9). Here is clear proof that Elijah
had been making trial of his companion when he had at the different
stopping places, bade him "Tarry here" or remain behind, for certainly
he would have extended no such an offer as this had Elisha been
disobedient and acting in self-will. Clearly the Tishbite was so well
pleased with Elisha's devotion and attendance that he determined to
reward him with some parting blessing: "Ask what I shall do for thee."
If this was not the most searching of all the tests, certainly it was
the most revealing. What was his heart really set upon? What did he
desire above all else? At first glance it seemed surprising that
Elijah should fling open so wide a door and offer to supply anything
his successor should ask. But not only had they spent several years
together; Elisha's reaction to the other testings convinced him that
this faithful soul would ask nothing which was incongruous or which
God could not give.
"And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be
upon me." He rose above all fleshly and worldly desires, all that the
natural heart would crave, and asked for that which would be most for
the glory of God and the good of His people. Elisha sought neither
wealth nor honors, worldly power nor prestige. What he asked for was
that he might receive that which marked him out as Elijah's firstborn,
the heir of his official patrimony (Deut. 21:17). It was a noble
request. The work to which he was called involved heavy
responsibilities and the facing of grave dangers, and for the
discharge of his duties he needed to be equipped with spiritual power.
That is what every servant of God needs above everything else: to be
"endued with power from on high." The most splendid faculties, the
ablest intellect, the richest acquirements, count for nothing unless
they be energized by the holy One.
The work of the ministry is such that no man is naturally qualified
for it; only God can make any meet for the same. For that endowment
the apostles waited upon God for ten days. To obtain it Elisha had to
successfully endure the previous testings, pass through Jordan, and
keep his eye fixed steadily upon his master.
Seventh, the Testing of His Endowment
When we ask God for something it is often His way to test our
earnestness and importunity by keeping us waiting for it, and then
when He grants our request, He puts our fidelity to the proof in the
use we make of it. If it is faith that is bestowed, circumstances
arise which are apt to call into exercise all our doubts and fears. If
it is wisdom which is given, situations soon confront us where we are
sorely tempted to give way to folly. If it is courage which is
imparted, then perils will have to be faced which are calculated to
make the stoutest quake. When we receive some spiritual gift, God so
orders things that opportunity is afforded for the exercise of it. It
was thus with Elisha. A double portion of Elijah's spirit was granted
him, and the prophetic mantle of his master fell at his feet. What use
would he make of it? As this comes up in our next chapter, suffice it
now to say that he was confronted by the Jordan--he was on the wrong
side of it and no longer was there any Elijah to divide asunder its
waters!
We turn now from the testings to which Elisha was subjected unto the
course which he had to take. The spiritual significance of his journey
has also to receive its counterpart in the experiences of the servant
of Christ. That journey began at Gilgal (2 Kings 2:1), and none can
work acceptably in the kingdom of God until his soul is acquainted
with what that place stands for. It was the first stopping-place of
Israel after they entered Canaan, and where they were required to
tarry before they set out on the conquest of their inheritance (Josh.
5:9). It was there that all the males who had been born in the
wilderness were circumcised. Now "circumcision" speaks of separation
from the world, consecration to God, and the knife's application to
the flesh. Figuratively it stood for the cutting off of the old life,
the rolling away of "the reproach of Egypt." There is a circumcision
"of the heart" (Rom. 2:29), and it is that which is the distinguishing
mark of God's spiritual children, as circumcision of the flesh had
identified His earthly people. Gilgal, then, is where the path of
God's servant must necessarily begin. Not until he unsparingly
mortifies the flesh, separates from the world, and consecrates himself
unreservedly to God is he prepared to journey further.
From Gilgal Elisha passed on to "Bethel," which means "the house of
God." As we have seen, it was originally the place of hallowed
memories, but in the course of time it had been grievously defiled.
Bethel had been horribly polluted; for it was there that Jeroboam set
up one of his golden calves, appointed an idolatrous priesthood, and
led the people into terrible sin (1 Kings 12:28, 33). Elisha must
visit this place so that he might be suitably affected with the
dishonor done unto the Lord.
History has repeated itself. The house of God, the professing church,
is defiled, and the servant of Christ must take to heart the apostate
condition of Christendom today if his ministry is to be effective.
From Bethel they proceeded to Jericho, a place that was under God's
curse (Josh. 6:26). The servant of God needs to enter deeply into the
solemn fact that this world is under the curse of a holy God. And what
is that "curse"? Death (Rom. 6:23), and it is of that the Jordan (the
final stopping-place) speaks. That too must be passed through in the
experience of his soul if the minister is to be effective.
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
FIRST MIRACLE--PASSAGE THROUGH JORDAN
Chapter 4
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The Relation Between Elijah and Elisha was that of master (2 Kings
2:16) and servant (2 Kings 3:11), and thus it set forth that which
exists between Christ and His ministers. For some time Elijah himself
occupied the state of action; but upon the completion of his mission
and after a miraculous passage through Jordan, he was supernaturally
removed to heaven. Thus it was with the One whom he foreshadowed: when
the Savior had finished the work given Him to do and had risen in
triumph from the grave, He ascended on High. But men were appointed by
Him to serve as ambassadors in the world from which He departed, to
act in His name and perpetuate His mission. So it was with His type.
Elisha was to succeed Elijah and carry forward what he had
inaugurated. In order to do this he had been called by him. Then we
saw in our last chapter how Elisha was subjected to a series of
testings, which shadowed forth the disciplinary experiences by which
the servant of Christ approves himself and through which he is
schooled for his life's work. Then we viewed the path which Elisha was
required to tread and pointed out briefly its spiritual significance
in connection with the preparatory history of the minister of the
gospel. One other preliminary feature remains for our consideration,
namely, the endowment Elisha received.
It will be remembered that when Elijah had put to his companion that
searching question, "Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken
away from thee," Elisha had replied, "I pray thee, let a double
portion of thy spirit be upon me." This we believe showed three
things.
First, it revealed his modesty and humility, being an acknowledgment
of his weakness and insufficiency. He was conscious of his unfitness
for his mission and felt that nothing but a plentiful supply of the
Spirit which had rested upon the Tishbite would be enough for the
tasks confronting him. Happy is the young servant of Christ who is
aware of his own impotence, for in felt weakness lies his strength.
Happy is the one who has experimentally learned the force of that
word, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD"
(Zech. 4:6).
Second, if Elisha were to take Elijah's place at the head of the
schools of the prophets, then he needed a superior endowment to
theirs--a double supply of the Spirit of wisdom and power.
Third, as the accredited servant of God, he needed more than the rank
and file of His people: not only the Spirit's indwelling, but also the
Spirit's resting upon him.
We have only to turn to the final discourse of our Lord to His
apostles, recorded in John 14-16, to discover the part which the Holy
Spirit must play if His servants are to be duly equipped for their
work. First, He declared He would pray the Father that another
Paraclete or Comforter should be given them, who would abide with them
forever (John 14: 16). Then He promised that this blessed Comforter,
sent in His name, would teach them all things (John 16:13). It was by
means of the Spirit of truth given unto them that they would be
enabled to bear testimony unto their Master (John 15:26-27). He would
guide them into all truth, show them things to come, and glorify
Christ by a fuller revelation to them of the mystery of His person,
office, and work (John 16:13-15). In the book of Acts we see how those
promises were made good. These servants were already indwelt by the
Spirit of life (John 20:22) but the "power of the Holy Ghost" was to
come upon them (Acts 1:8). This took place on the day of Pentecost,
when "there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it
sat upon each of them. And they [the apostles, Acts 1:26] were all
filled with the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:3-4).
This, then, is the deep need of the servant of Christ: that he be
endowed by the Spirit, for without such an anointing his labors can
only prove ineffective. It was thus that Christ Himself was furnished
(Matthew 3:16; Acts 10:38), and the disciple is not greater than his
Lord. Much has been said and written on this subject of the minister
being endowed and empowered by the Holy Spirit, and varied indeed are
the directions given as to what must be done in order to enter into
this blessing. Personally, we have long been convinced that the
position occupied by the apostles was unique, and therefore we are
certainly not warranted in praying and looking for any supernatural
endowment such as they received. On the other hand we must be careful
not to go to an opposite extreme and conclude there is no special and
distinct anointing by the Spirit which the servants of God need today.
Elisha shows otherwise, for this case we believe is a typical and
representative one.
Taking it for granted then that most of our readers will concur in the
last remarks, we proceed to the important question. What is required
of the minister if he is to enjoy a double portion of the Spirit? In
answering this inquiry we will restrict ourselves to what is recorded
of Elisha. In his case there were two things. First, the passage
through Jordan, for it is to be duly noted that Elijah did not ask him
"what shall I do for thee" until they had gone through its divided
waters. Now, the Jordan stands for death, and death must be
experimentally passed through before we can know the power of
resurrection. The minister has to die to self, to all self-pleasing
and self-seeking, before the Spirit of God will use him. Second, the
prophet had to keep his eye fixed steadily upon his master if his
desire was to be realized (2 Kings 2:10). It is all summed up in those
words of Paul, "Not I, but Christ" (Gal. 2:20). Just in proportion as
self is set aside and the magnifying of Christ is the goal of my
ministry, is an ungrieved Spirit likely to use me.
"And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold,
there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them
both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven. And Elisha
saw it" (2 Kings 2:11-12). Of course he did. God never disappoints
those who renounce self and are occupied solely with Christ. Elijah
had made the granting of Elisha's request turn upon this very thing:
"If thou seest me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto
thee." Additional incentive then had the young prophet to keep his
gaze steadfastly on his master. Those who follow on to know the Lord,
who press forward in the race set before them, who allow nothing to
turn them aside from fully following Christ, are permitted to behold
things which are hidden not only from the world but also from their
halfhearted brethren. A vision of the unseen is ever the reward which
God grants to faith and fidelity. It was so with Abraham (Gen.
22:11-12), with Moses (Ex. 19:3-4), with Stephen (Acts 7:55), with
John (Rev. 1:1).
But something more than spiritual vision was granted unto Elisha,
namely spiritual perception. He not only saw, but understood the
significance of what he beheld. "And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My
father, my father, the hariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof." (2
Kings 2:12). Only as we ponder carefully the words of that sentence
will the force of it be apparent. He did not say "the chariot of
fire," nor even "the chariot of God," but "the chariot of Israel."
What did he mean? And why preface that explanation with the cry "My
father, my father"? He was interpreting for us the wondrous vision
before him, the supernatural phenomenon described in the preceding
verse. There was a divine suitability in Elijah's being removed from
this scene in a chariot of fire driven by horses of fire. No other
conveyance could have been more suitable and suggestive, though we
have met no writer who appears to have grasped the significance of it.
Why did God send a fiery chariot to conduct His servant to heaven? Let
us endeavor to find the answer to that question.
Scripture interprets Scripture, and if we turn to other passages where
"chariots" and "horses" are mentioned we shall obtain the key which
opens to us the meaning of the one here before us. "Some trust in
chariots and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD
our God" (Ps. 20:7). Israel had good reason for saying that. Go back
to the beginning of their national history. Behold them in their
helplessness before the Red Sea as "Pharaoh's horses, his chariots,
and his horsemen" (Ex. 14:23) menaced their rear. Ah, but behold the
sequel! They are all safe on the other side, singing "The LORD is a
man of war: the LORD is his name. Pharoah's chariots and his host hath
he cast into the sea . . . The depths have covered them:...Thy right
hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O Lord,
hath dashed in pieces the enemy" (Ex. 15:3-6). The ungodly may look to
such things as horses and chariots for protection and prowess, but the
saints will find their sufficiency in the name of the Lord their God.
It is sad indeed to see how woefully the favored nation of Israel
failed at this very point. "They soon forgat his works;" yea, they
"forgat God their savior" (Ps. 106:13, 21) and relied upon the arm of
flesh. They even sought alliances with the heathen until one of their
prophets had to cry, "Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and
stay on horses, and chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen,
because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of
Israel, neither seek the LORD!" (Isa. 31:1). Now set over against this
our present passage and is not its meaning clear? As Elisha beheld
that awe-inspiring sight, his soul perceived its significance: "My
father, my father, the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof."
His master, had been in the band of the Lord of Israel's real chariot
and horses, their true defense against Jezebel and Baal's prophet
which are bent on their destruction. The nation was too carnal, too
much given to idolatry to recognize what they were losing in the
departure of Elijah; but Elisha realized it was "the chariot of
Israel," which was being taken from them.
First, the Time of the Miracle
This brings us then to the time when Elisha performed his first
miracle. It was what men generally would deem a most unpropitious one,
when the prophet's spirits were at their lowest ebb. His beloved
master had just been taken from him and deeply did he feel the loss.
"He took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces" (2
Kings 2:12). That action was emblematic of his grief, as a comparison
of Genesis 37:34 and Joshua 7:6, shows; yet it was a temperate sorrow,
a controlled sorrow, and not an inordinate one. He only rent his
garments in two pieces; had he done more they would have been
wastefully ruined. His action may also have betokened Israel's
rejection of Elijah (cf. 1 Samuel 15:26-28). But severe as his loss
was and heavy as his heart must have been, Elisha did not sit down in
despair and wring his hands with inconsolable dejection. Pining over
the loss of eminent ministers accomplishes no good to those left
behind, but rather enfeebles them. Man's extremity is God's
opportunity. The darkest hour of all is the best time to prove His
sufficiency. This is what Elisha did now.
Second, the Object of the Miracle
Consider now the object on which it is wrought. A formidable one it
was, none less than the river Jordan. He had friends, the prophets at
Jericho, on the other side; the problem was how to come to them.
Probably he was unable to swim, or surely he would have done so, since
miracles are not wrought where there is no urgent need for them. There
was no boat to take him over; how then was he to cross? A very real
difficulty confronted him.
Let us note that he looked the difficulty squarely in the face. He
"went back, and stood by the bank of the Jordan" (2 Kings 2:13),
instead of foolishly playing the part of an ostrich, which buries its
head in the sand when menaced by danger. To close our eyes to
difficulties gets us nowhere, nor is anything gained by
underestimating or belittling them. The Jordan was a challenge to
Elisha's faith; so he regarded it and so he dealt with it. That is why
God lets His servants and saints be confronted with difficulties: to
try them and see of what metal they are made.
Third, the Instrument and Means for the Miracle
"He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went
back, and stood by the bank of Jordan" (2 Kings 2:13). When his
master's mantle fluttered to his feet, Elisha knew beyond doubt that
heaven had granted his request. Not only had he seen Elijah at the
moment of his departure, but the gift of his prophetical garment was
an additional token of receiving a double portion of his spirit. And
now came the test: what use would he make of his master's mantle!
Testing always follows the bestowment of a divine gift. After Solomon
had asked the Lord for "an understanding heart" that he might judge
His people wisely and well and "discern between good and bad," he was
quickly confronted by the two women each claiming the living child as
hers (1 Kings 3:9, 16-27). No sooner did the Spirit of God descend
upon Christ than He led Him into the wilderness to be tempted of the
devil. Scarcely had the apostles been endowed with power from on High
and begun to speak with other tongues, than they were charged with
being "full of new wine." So here: Elijah's mantle fell at his feet,
but before Elisha smote the Jordan!
Fourth, the Mode of the Miracle
This is of deep interest and importance, for it inculcated a truth of
the greatest possible moment. "And he took the mantle of Elijah that
fell from him, and smote the waters" (2 Kings 2:14). That was what the
mantle had been given to him for--not to be idolized as a venerable
memento, but to be made practical use of. "For whosoever, hath to him
shall be given" (Luke 8:18), which means that he that has in reality,
evidences it by improving the same, by investing it for interest. By
cleaving so steadfastly to his master, Elisha had already given proof
that he was indwelt by the Spirit, and now the double portion became
his. This too he used, and used in the right way. He followed strictly
the example his master had left him. In the context we are told,
"Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the
waters" (2 Kings 2:8). Now his disciple did precisely the same thing.
Is not the lesson for us clear? If the servant of Christ would work
miracles, his ministry must be patterned closely after his Master's
example.
Fifth, the Meaning of the Miracle
In view of all that has been before us, this should now be apparent.
As we have sought to show, Elisha is to be regarded all through the
piece as the representative servant, as a figure of the ministers of
Christ: in their call, their testings, the path they must tread, their
spiritual endowment; and the miracles he performed are not to be taken
as exceptions to the rule. What then is the meaning and message of
this first miracle, the smiting of and dividing asunder the waters of
the Jordan? Clearly it is victory over death, ministerial victory. The
servant of Christ is sent forth to address those who are dead in
trespasses and sins. What an undertaking! How is he to prevail over
the slaves and subjects of Satan? As Elisha did over the Jordan! He
must be divinely equipped: he must obtain a double portion of the
Spirit. By acting as Elijah did: using what has been given him from
above. As he smote the waters in the exercise of faith, he said "Where
is the LORD God of Elijah?" or, "Give proof that Thou art with me
too."
Sixth, the Value of the Miracle
"And when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and
thither: and Elisha went over" (2 Kings 2:14). There was the proof
that though Elijah was not present, the God of Elijah was! There was
the proof that he had received a double portion of his master's
spirit. There was the proof that by using the same means as his master
had employed, God was pleased to honor his faith and grant the same
result. Three times in Scripture do we read of a miraculous crossing
of the Jordan. See Joshua 3:17 for the first example. Typifying, I
believe, the victory of Christ over the grave, the deliverance of the
church from spiritual death, and the resurrection of our bodies in the
day to come.
Seventh, the Recognition of the Miracle
"And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw
him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they
came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him" (2
Kings 2:15). The miracle they had witnessed convinced them, and they
accepted him as the successor or representative of Elijah. The parted
waters of the Jordan demonstrated the presence of the Holy Spirit. So
the regeneration of souls makes manifest that the servant of God has
been endowed with power from on high, and those with spiritual
perception will accept and honor him as such, for faithful ministers
are to be esteemed "very highly in love for their work's sake" (1
Thess. 5:13). If Romanists have gone to one extreme in exalting the
priesthood and making it a barrier to prevent the individual Christian
from having direct dealings with God Himself, the democratic spirit of
our day has swung so far to the other side as to level all
distinctions. Those who have received a double portion of the Spirit
are to "be counted worthy of double honor" if they "rule well" (1 Tim.
5:17).
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
SECOND MIRACLE--SALT-HEALED WATERS
Chapter 5
___________________________________
"And They Said Unto Him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty
strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest
peradventure the Spirit of the Lord hath taken him up, and cast him
upon some mountain, or into some valley" (2 Kings 2:16). Two things
must be borne in mind in connection with this request, lest we be too
severe in our criticism of those who made it. First, these young
prophets had known that Elijah was to be removed from Elisha that day,
as is clear from their words to him on a former occasion: "Knowest
thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day?" (2
Kings 2:5). As to how they had learned of this, we cannot be sure; nor
do we know how full was their information. Yet it seems clear they
knew nothing more than the general fact that this was the day which
would terminate the earthly career of the renowned Tishbite.
Second, we are told, "And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went,
and stood to view afar off: and they two [Elijah and Elisha] stood by
Jordan"(2 Kings 2:7). Here again we cannot be certain what it was or
how much they actually saw. Perhaps, some are ready to exclaim, if
they were definitely on the lookout, they must have seen the
remarkable translation of Elijah, for the "chariot of fire and the
horses of fire" in midair would surely have been visible to them. Not
necessarily. Probably that "fire" was very different from any that we
are acquainted with. Moreover we must bear in mind that on a later
occasion "the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round
about Elisha," yet his own personal attendant saw them not until the
prophet asked, "LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see" (2
Kings 6:17)! We are therefore inclined to believe that as these young
prophets watched, Elijah suddenly and mysteriously disappeared from
their view, without their actually seeing his miraculous translation
to heaven. Consequently they felt that something unprecedented and
supernatural had taken place, and they ascribed it to a divine
intervention, as their reference to "the Spirit of the LORD"
intimates.
Though they must have realized that an event quite extraordinary had
occurred, yet they were uneasy, fearful that something unpleasant had
befallen their teacher. They were deeply concerned, and veneration and
love for Elijah prompted their petition. Let us seek to put ourselves
in their place and then ask, Would we have acted more intelligently?
At any rate, was their request any more foolish than Peter's on the
mount of transfiguration when he said to Christ, "If thou wilt, let us
make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one
for Elijah" (Matthew 17:4)! Moreover it should be observed that they
did not rashly take matters into their own hands, but respectfully
submitted their request to Elisha. Before criticizing them too harshly
let us make sure that our hearts are as warmly attached to God's
servants as theirs, and that we are as troubled over their departure
as they were.
Elisha tersely refused their request. "Ye shall not send." But why did
he not explain to them the uselessness of such a quest, by informing
them exactly what had happened to Elijah? Probably because he
concluded that if the Lord had intended them to know of His servant's
miraculous exit from this scene, He would have opened their eyes to
behold what he himself had been permitted to see. Not all of the
twelve witnessed Christ's transfiguration either. Moreover, is there
not a hint here as to why this privilege had been withheld from them,
in the statement that "they stood to view afar off"? Not so Elisha,
who followed his master fully. It is only those who "draw near" that
enjoy the highest privileges of grace. Finally we may learn from
Elisha's reticence that there are some experiences which are too
sacred to describe to others. Oh for more of such holy reserve and
modesty in this day of curiosity and vulgar intruding into one
another's spiritual privacy.
"And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent
therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not" (2
Kings 2:17). Let it not be forgotten that up to this time only one
individual from all mankind had gone to heaven without passing through
the portals of death, and it is very doubtful if the contemporaries of
Enoch (or those who lived later) knew of his translation, for the
words, "He was not found" (Heb. 11:5) intimate that search was also
made for him. Elisha's being "ashamed" means that he felt if he were
to continue refusing them they would likely think he was being
influenced by an undue desire to occupy Elijah's place of honor. "And
when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said unto
them, Did I not say unto you, Go not?" (2 Kings 2:18). Now they must
have felt ashamed. "This would make them the more willing to acquiesce
in his judgment another time" (Matthew Henry).
First, the Order of the Miracle
This brings us to Elisha's next miracle. First, let us consider the
order of it. It was Elisha's second one, and the scriptural
significance of that numeral casts light upon this point. One
expresses unity and sovereignty. One stands all alone; but where there
are two, another element has come in. So in the first miracle Elisha
acted alone. But here in this one Elisha is not alone. A second human
element is seen in connection with it--the "men of Jericho." They were
required to furnish a "new cruse" with "salt therein" before the
wonder was performed. Probably this very fact will prove a serious
difficulty to the thoughtful reader. Those who have followed closely
the preceding chapters will remember how we pointed out again and
again that Elisha is to be regarded as a representative character, as
a figure of the servants of Christ. Some may conclude the type fails
us at this point, for it will be said, Surely you do not believe that
ministers of the gospel demand something at the hands of sinners in
order to be saved! Our answer will be given under the meaning of this
miracle.
Second, the Place of the Miracle
Let us take note of the place where this occurred: it was at Jericho.
This too is very illuminating. Jericho had been the first city of the
Canaanites to defy the children of Israel, for it was closed and
barred against them (Josh. 6:1). Whereupon it was pronounced
"accursed," and orders were given that Israel should not appropriate
anything in it unto themselves: "And ye, in any wise keep yourselves
from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye
take of the accursed thing" (Josh. 6:18). By the power of Jehovah,
Jericho was overthrown, following which His people "burnt the city
with fire, and all that was therein" (Josh. 6:24). Afterward the
fearful denunciation went forth, "Cursed be the man before the LORD,
that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho" (Josh. 6:26). But both
of those divine prohibitions were flouted. The first was by Achan, who
"saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred
shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold" (Josh. 7:21), which he coveted
and stole, for which he and his family were stoned to death and their
bodies destroyed by fire.
The second prohibition was broken centuries later, in the reign of the
apostate Ahab: "In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho" (1
Kings 16:34). Thus Jericho was the city of the curse. It was the first
place in Canaan where defiance of the Lord and His people was
displayed. It was there that Israel, in the person of Achan, committed
their first sin in the land of promise. A fearful curse was pronounced
against the man who should have the effrontery to rebuild the city.
That there is an unmistakable parallel between these things and what
occurred in Eden scarcely needs pointing out. But we must not
anticipate. That which is now before us is the fact that, in defiance
of the divine threat, Jericho had recently been rebuilt--probably the
attractiveness of its locality was the temptation to which Hiel
yielded (as the pleasantness of the fruit in Eve's eyes induced her to
partake: Genesis 3:6), for we are told "And the men of the city said
unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is
pleasant" (2 Kings 2:19).
Third, the Object of the Miracle
"And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the
situation of this city is pleasant, as my Lord seeth: but the water is
naught, and the ground barren" (2 Kings 2:19). Herein God had
evidenced His displeasure on that accursed rebuilding of Jericho by
making its water unwholesome and the ground barren, or as the margin
notes, "causing to miscarry." The Jewish commentators understood this
to mean that these waters caused the cattle to cast their young, the
trees to shed their fruit before it was mature, and even the women to
be incapable of bearing children. The Hebrew word which is rendered
"the water is naught" ("ra") is a much stronger one than the English
denotes. In the great majority of cases it is translated "evil" (as in
Genesis 6:5; Proverbs 8:13), and "wicked" no less than thirty-one
times. Its first occurrence is in "the tree of knowledge of good and
evil" (Gen. 2:9)! But it signifies not only evil but that which is
harmful or injurious to others, being translated "the hurtful sword"
(Ps. 144:10).
Jericho then was a pleasant location, but there was no good water for
its inhabitants or their flocks and herds. This was a serious matter,
a vital consideration, for the Israelites were an essentially pastoral
people. (Observe how often we find mention of the "wells" in their
early history: Genesis 16:14; 21:25; 26:15, 22; 29:2; Numbers
21:16-18, etc.) Jericho in spite of all its ideal qualities then
lacked the one thing essential.
How this reminds us of another and later incident in the career of
Elisha: "Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a
great man with his master, and honorable, because by him the LORD had
given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valor, but
he was a leper" (2 Kings 5:1). In spite of his exalted position, his
wealth, his exploits, he lacked the one thing needful--health. He was
a leper and that nullified everything else. And thus it is with every
man in his natural sinful condition; however favored by creation and
by providence, the springs of his life are defiled.
Fourth, the Means Used for the Miracle
"And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they
brought it to him. And he went forth unto the spring of the waters,
and cast the salt in there" (2 Kings 2:20-21). The appropriateness of
this particular means for counteracting the effects of the curse is at
once apparent. Salt is the grand purifier and preserver. It is by
means of the salty vapors which the rays of the sun distill from the
ocean that the atmosphere of our earth is kept healthy for its
inhabitants. That is why the sea breezes act as such a tonic to the
invalid and the convalescent. Salt prevents putrefaction. Hence, after
the backs of prisoners were scourged, salt was rubbed into the wounds;
though extremely painful, it prevented blood poisoning. Salt is the
best seasoning; how insipid and unsavory are many foods without a
sprinkling of it. Salt is the emblem of divine holiness and grace, and
so we read of the "covenant of salt" (Num. 18:19; 2 Chronicles 13:5).
Hence also the exhortation, "Let your speech be alway with grace,
seasoned with salt" (Col. 4:6), the savor of true piety. The ministers
of Christ are therefore denominated "the salt of the earth" (Matthew
5:13).
Fifth, the Instrument of the Miracle
Obviously the salt itself could not heal those unwholesome waters, any
more than the "rods" or twigs of the trees with their "white streaks"
that Jacob set before the flocks, were able to cause the cattle to
bring forth young ones that were "ringstreaked, speckled and spotted"
(Gen. 30:37-39). Though the men of Jericho were required to furnish
the salt, and though the prophet now cast the same into the springs,
yet he made it clear this would avail nothing unless the blessing of
Jehovah accompanied the same. His power must operate if anything good
was to be accomplished. Therefore we find that as Elisha cast in the
salt he declared "Thus saith the LORD, I have healed the waters; there
shall not be from thence any more death or miscarrying" (2 Kings 2:21,
ASV). Thereby the prophet disclaimed any inherent power of his own.
Yet he was instrumentally employed of God, for the very next verse
says, "So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the
saying of Elisha which he spake"! How very similar to Paul's
experience, which he expressed, "I have planted, Apollos watered [they
were the instruments]; but God gave the increase" (1 Colossians 3:6).
Sixth, the Meaning or Typical Significance of the Miracle
The first key to the meaning is found in the order of it. Under that
point we intimated that probably some readers would find a difficulty
in the men of Jericho being required to furnish the salt and be
inclined to object that surely the minister of the gospel (for as a
figure of such Elisha is to be viewed here) does not demand anything
at the hand of sinners in order for them to be saved. But such a
difficulty is self-created through entertaining vague and general
concepts instead of distinguishing sharply between things that differ.
When we speak of "salvation" we refer to something that is many-sided.
If on the one hand we must guard most carefully against the error of
man's contributing to his regeneration, on the other we must watch
against swinging to the opposite extreme and denying that man is
required to concur with God in connection with his reconciliation,
preservation, etc. The typical picture which is here set before us is
divinely perfect; yet we need to view it closely if we are to see its
details in their proper perspective.
The first miracle, the smiting of the Jordan, suggests the ministerial
power of the evangelist over spiritual death, in connection with
salvation. But this second miracle foreshadows a later, second
experience in the history of those truly converted. This miracle at
Jericho speaks of neutralizing the effects of the curse, overcoming
the power of innate depravity. And here the minister of the gospel
acts not alone, for in this matter there is the conjunction of both
the divine and the human elements. Thus the second key to its meaning
lies in the place where it occurred. It is true that the conjunction
of the divine and human elements in conversion cannot be so closely
defined as to express the same in any theological formula;
nevertheless the reality of those two elements can be demonstrated
both from Scripture and experience. We do not like the expression
"man's cooperating with God" for that savors too much of a dividing of
the honors, but man's "concurring with God" seems to be both
permissible and necessary.
The third key is contained in the fact that these men of Jericho are
represented as taking the initiative, coming unto Elisha, acquainting
him with their need, supplicating his assistance! Apparently they knew
from his dress that Elisha was a prophet; and as he no doubt still
carried Elijah's mantle, they hoped he would use his power on their
behalf. The servant of God ought to be readily identified by his
(emblematic) "garments" or spiritual graces, easily accessible and
approachable, one to whom members of a community will gladly turn in
their troubles. Elisha did not repulse them by saying this lay outside
his line of things, that his concern lay only with the young prophets.
Instead he at once intimated his willingness to help. Yet something
was required of them (compare 2 Kings 4:41 and 5:10 for other
illustrations of the same principle). They were told to provide a "new
cruse" with salt therein. That was a test as to whether they were
willing to follow the prophet's instructions. They promptly heeded.
How different from many who disregard the directions of God's
servants!
This miracle then does not give us a history of the servant of God
going to those who are utterly unconcerned, dead in trespasses and
sins, but rather that of awakened souls, seeking help, acquainting the
minister with their need. In the first miracle it is God acting in
sovereign power, enabling His servant to ministerially triumph over
death; here it is His servant addressing human responsibility. In
bidding awakened and inquiring sinners to provide a "new cruse and put
salt therein," he is saying to them, "Cast away from you all your
transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart
and a new spirit" (Ezek. 18:31 and cf. James 4:8). These men of
Jericho could not have procured the new cruse and the salt unless God
had first placed it at their hands, and the sinner cannot bring a
responsive and obedient heart to the minister until God has previously
quickened him. That this miracle is, instrumentally, attributed to the
"saying of Elisha" (the Hebrew term dabar is rendered "word" in 1
Kings 17:2, 8) denotes that awakened sinners are delivered from the
effects of the curse as they obey the instructions of God's faithful
servants.
Seventh, the Permanency of the Miracle
"Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be
from thence any more death or miscarrying: so the waters were healed
unto this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spake" (2
Kings 2:21-22, ASV). It was no superficial and temporary change that
was wrought, but an effectual and permanent one. "I know that,
whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it,
nor any thing taken from it" (Eccl. 3:14). Herein we see again the
appropriateness of the salt, the emblem of incorruption, used in the
covenant to express its perpetuity. Placing in a "new cruse" and then
casting into "the springs of water" give figures of the new and honest
heart, out of which are "the issues of life" (Prov. 4:23). The nature
of fallen men, even the most attractive specimens, is like unwholesome
water and barren soil; it must be renewed by God before any good works
can be produced. Make the tree good and its fruit will be good. The
miracle is attributed, instrumentally, not to the faith or the prayer
of Elisha (though there was both), but to his word. By His response
God avouched His prophet and sustained his testimony in Israel.
_________________________________________________________________
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
THIRD MIRACLE--TWO AVENGING BEARS
Chapter 6
___________________________________
"And He Went Up From Thence unto Beth-el: and as he was going up by
the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked
him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.
And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of
the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare
forty and two children of them" (2 Kings 2:23-24).
First, the Connection of the Miracle
In seeking to give an exposition of this miracle let us observe its
connection. It will be noted that our passage opens with the word
"And." Since there is nothing meaningless in Scripture, it should be
duly pondered. It evidently suggests that we should observe the
relation between what we find here and that which immediately
precedes. The context records the wonders which God wrought through
Elisha at the Jordan and at Jericho. Thus the truth which is here
pointed to by the conjunction is plain: when the servant has been used
by his Master he must expect to encounter the opposition of the enemy.
There is an important if unpalatable truth illustrated here, one which
the minister of Christ does well to take to heart if he would be in
some measure prepared for and fortified against bitter disappointment.
After a period of blessing and success, he must expect sore trials.
After he has witnessed the power of God attending his efforts he may
count upon experiencing something of the rage and power of Satan; for
nothing infuriates the devil so much as beholding his victims
delivered from spiritual death and set free. Elisha has been favored
both at the Jordan and at Jericho, but here at Bethel he hears the
hiss of the serpent and the roaring of the lion against him. Yes, the
minister of the gospel is fully aware of this principle and even often
reminds his hearers of it. He knows it was the case with his Master;
for after the Spirit of God had descended upon Him and the Father had
testified to His pleasure in Him, He was at once led into the
wilderness to be tempted of the devil. Yet how quickly is this
forgotten when he himself is called to pass through this contrasting
experience.
It is one thing to know this truth theoretically, and it is quite
another to have a personal acquaintance with it. The servant of Christ
is informed that the smile of heaven upon his labors will arouse the
enmity of his great adversary, yet how often is he taken quite unaware
when the storm of opposition bursts upon him! It ought not to be so,
but so often it is. "Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial
which is to try you" (1 Pet. 4:12). Various indeed are the ups and
downs which are encountered by those who labor in the Christian
vineyard. What a striking contrast is here presented to our view! At
Jericho Elisha is received with respect, the young prophets render
obeisance to him, and the men of the city seek his help. Here at
Bethel he is contemptuously ridiculed by the children. At Jericho, the
city of the curse, he is an instrument of blessing; at Bethel, which
signifies "the house of God" and where blessing might therefore be
expected, he solemnly pronounces a curse upon those who mock him.
Second, the Occasion of the Miracle
The insulting of God's servant occasioned this miracle. As Elisha was
approaching Bethel, "there came forth little children out of the city
and mocked him." Upon reading this incident it is probable that some
will be inclined to say that it seems that children then were much
like what they are now--wild, rude, lawless, totally lacking in
respect for their seniors. From this analogy the conclusion will be
drawn: therefore we should not be surprised nor unduly shocked at the
present-day delinquency of some of our youth. But such a conclusion is
entirely unwarranted. It is true there is "nothing new under the sun"
and that fallen human nature has been the same in every age. But it is
not true that the tide of evil has always flowed uniformly and that
each generation has witnessed more or less the same appalling conduct
which now stigmatizes the young in every part of the world. No, very
far from it.
When there was an ungrieved Spirit in the churches, the restraining
hand of God was held upon the baser passions of mankind. That
restraint operated largely through parental control--moral training in
the home, wholesome instruction and discipline in the school, and
adequate punishment of young offenders by the state. But when the
Spirit of God is "grieved" and "quenched" by the churches, the
restraining hand of the Lord is removed, and there is a fearful moral
aftermath in all sections of the community. When the divine law is
thrown out by the pulpit, there inevitably follows a breakdown of law
and order in the social realm, which is what we are now witnessing all
over the so-called civilized world. That was the case to a
considerable extent twenty-five years ago; and as the further an
object rolls down hill the swifter becomes its momentum, so the moral
deterioration of our generation has proceeded apace. As the majority
of parents were godless and lawless, it is not to be wondered at that
we now behold such reprehensible conduct in their offspring.
Older readers can recall the time when juveniles who were guilty of
theft, wanton destruction of property, and cruelty to animals were
sternly rebuked and punished for their wrong doing. But a few years
later such conduct began to be condoned, and "boys will be boys" was
used to gloss over a multitude of sins. So, far from being shocked,
many parents were pleased and regarded their erring offspring as
smart, precocious, and cute. Educational authorities and psychologists
insisted that children must not be suppressed and repressed but
"directed." These professionals prated about the evils inflicted on
the child's character by "inhibitions," and corporal punishment was
banished from the schools. Today the parent who acts according to
Proverbs 13:24, 19:18, 22:15, and 23:14 will not only be called a
brute by his neighbors, but is likely to be summoned before the courts
for cruelty; and instead of supporting him the magistrate will
probably censure him. The present permissive treatment of children is
not normal but abnormal. What is recorded in our passage occurred in
the days of Israel's degeneracy! Child delinquency is one of the plain
marks of a time of apostasy. It was so then; it is so now.
Third, the Location of the Miracle
As with the former miracles, the place where this one happened also
throws much light upon that which occasioned it. Originally Bethel was
called "the house of God" (Gen. 28:16-19), but now it had become a
habitation of the devil, one of the principal seats of Israel's
idolatry. It was here that Jeroboam had set up one of the calves.
Afraid that he might not be able to retain his hold upon those who had
revolted from Rehoboam, especially if they should go up to Jerusalem
and offer sacrifices in the temple, he "made two calves of gold, and
said unto them. It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold
thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan . . . And he
made an house of high places and made priests of the lowest of the
people which were not of the sons of Levi. And Jeroboam ordained a
feast for the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like
unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did
he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he
placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made" (1
Kings 12:28-29, 31-33).
Thus it will be seen that, far from Bethel being a place which basked
in the sunshine of Jehovah's favor, it was one upon which His frown
now rested. Its inhabitants were no ordinary people, but high rebels
against the Lord, openly defying Him to His face, guilty of the most
fearful abominations. This it was which constituted the dark
background of the scene that is here before us. This accounts for the
severity of the judgment which fell upon the youngest of its
inhabitants; this explains why these children conducted themselves as
they did. What occurred here was far more than the silly prank of
innocent children; it was the manifestation of an inveterate hatred of
the true God and His faithful servant. Israel's worship of Baal was
far more heinous than the idolatry of the Canaanites, for it had the
additional and awful guilt of apostasy. And apostates are always the
fiercest persecutors of those who cleave to the truth, for the very
fidelity of the latter is a witness against and a condemnation of
those who have forsaken it.
Fourth, the Awfulness of the Miracle
The fearful doom which overtook those children must be considered in
the light of the enormity of their offense. Our degenerate generation
has witnessed so much condoning of the greatest enormities that it may
find it difficult to perceive how this punishment fitted the crime.
The character of God has been so misrepresented by the pulpit, His
claims so little pressed, the position occupied by His servants so
imperfectly apprehended, that there must be a returning to the solemn
teaching of Holy Writ if this incident is to be viewed in its proper
perspective. God had said, "Touch not mine anointed, and do my
prophets no harm" (Ps. 105:15). They are His messengers, His
accredited representatives, His appointed ambassadors, and an insult
done to them is regarded by God as an insult against Himself. Said
Christ to His ministers, "He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he
that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me" (Matthew 10:40);
conversely, he that despises and rejects the one sent forth by Christ,
despises and rejects Him. How little is this realized today! The curse
of God now rests on many a place where His ministers were mocked.
"And we went up from thence unto Bethel; and as he was going up by the
way, there came forth little children out of the city and mocked him,
and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head." After the vain search which
had been made for Elijah (2 Kings 2:17), it is likely that some
inkling of his supernatural rapture was conveyed to the prophets at
Jericho, and from them to their brethren at Bethel (2 Kings 2:3).
Hence we may conclude that his remarkable translation had been noised
abroad--received with skepticism and ridicule by the inhabitants of
Bethel. In their unbelief they would mock at it. Today apostate
leaders of Christendom do not believe that the Lord Jesus actually
rose again from the dead and that He ascended to heaven in a real
physical body, and they make fun of the Christian's hope of his Lord's
return and of being caught up to meet Him in the air (1 Thess.
4:16-17). Thus in saying, "Go up, thou bald head," the children were,
in all probability, scoffing at the tidings of Elijah's
translation--scoffs put into their mouths by their elders.
Thomas Scott says,
They had heard that Elijah was "gone up to heaven" and they
insultingly bade Elisha follow him, that they might be rid of him
also, and they reviled him for the baldness of his head. Thus they
united the crimes of abusing him for a supposed bodily infirmity,
contemptuous behavior towards a venerable person, and enmity
against him as the prophet of God. The sin therefore of these
children was very heinous: yet the greater guilt was chargeable on
their parents, and their fate was a severe rebuke and awful warning
to them.
How true it is that "the curse causeless shall not come" (Prov. 26:2).
"And he turned back and looked on them," which indicates he acted
calmly, and not on the spur of the moment. "And he cursed them in the
name of the LORD," not out of personal spite, but to vindicate his
insulted Master. Had Elisha sinned in cursing these children, divine
providence would have prevented it. This was a fair warning from God
of the awful judgment about to come upon Israel for their sins.
Fifth, the Ethics of the Miracle
The passage before us is one which infidels have been quick to seize
upon, and lamentable indeed have been many of the answers returned to
them. But the Word has survived every opposition of its enemies and
all the puerile apologies of its weak-kneed friends. Nor are the
Scriptures in any danger whatever in this skeptical and blatant age.
Being the Word of God, they contain nothing which His servants have
any need to be ashamed of, nothing which requires any explaining away.
It is not our province to sit in judgment upon Holy Writ: our part is
to tremble before it (Isa. 66:2) knowing that one day we shall be
judged by it (John 12:48). As Jehovah was able to look after the
sacred ark without the help of any of His creatures (2 Sam. 6:6-7), so
His truth is in need of no carnal assistance from us. It is to be
received without question and believed in with all our hearts. It is
to be preached and proclaimed in its entirety without hesitation or
reservation.
Certain so-called Christian apologists have replied to the taunts of
infidels by a process of what is termed "toning down" the passage,
arguing that it was not little children but young men who were cursed
by the prophet and torn to pieces by the bears: but such an effeminate
explanation is as senseless as it is needless. We quite agree with
Thomas Scott when he says,
Some learned men have endeavored to prove that these offenders were
not young children but grown-up persons, and no doubt the word
rendered "children" is often used in that sense. The addition,
however of the word "little" seems to clearly evince they were not
men, but young boys who had been brought up in idolatry and taught
to despise the prophets of the Lord.
Others roundly condemn Elisha, saying he should have meekly endured
their taunts in silence and that he sinned grievously in cursing them.
It is sufficient to point out that his Master deemed otherwise.
Instead of rebuking His servant, He sent the bears to fulfill his
curse, and there is no appeal against His decision.
Some Bible teachers have asserted mistakenly that this drastic
punishment was necessary because the Old Testament period was governed
by the law, but that under New Testament grace, this would not warrant
immediate judgment. Let such teachers remember that Ananias and
Sapphira fell dead as soon as they sinned against the Holy Spirit
(Acts 5).
God is even now giving the most awe-inspiring and wide-reaching proof
of His wrath against those who flout His Law, visiting the earth with
sorer judgments than any He has sent since the days of Noah! The New
Testament equally with the Old teaches "it is a righteous thing with
God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you" (2 Thess.
1:6). In the incident before us, God was righteously visiting the sins
of the fathers upon the children, as He was by the death of their
children also smiting the parents in their tenderest parts. At almost
the end of the Old Testament era we read that Israel "mocked the
messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets,
until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was
no remedy" (2 Chron. 36:16). Here at Bethel God was giving a warning,
a sample of His coming wrath, unless they reformed their ways and
treated His servants better.
Sixth, the Meaning of the Miracle
At first glance it certainly appears that there can be no parallel
between the above action of Elisha and that which should characterize
the servants of Christ, and many are likely to conclude that it can
only be by a wide stretch of imagination or a flagrant wresting of
this incident that it can be made to yield anything pertinent for this
age. But it must be remembered that we are not looking for a literal
counterpart but rather a spiritual application. Viewing it thus, our
type is solemnly accurate. Ministers of the gospel are "unto God a
sweet savor of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that
perish: To the one we are the savor of death unto death; and to the
other the savor of life unto life" (2 Cor. 2:14-15). Certainly the
evangelist has no warrant to anathamatize any who oppose him, but he
can point out that they are accursed of God who love not Christ and
who obey not His law (1 Cor. 16:22; Galatians 3:10).
Seventh, the Sequel of the Miracle
This is recorded in the closing verse of 2 Kings 2. "And he went from
thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria." In
the violent death of those children as the outcome of Elisha's
malediction, we behold the estating of the prophet's divine authority,
the sign of his extraordinary office, and the fulfillment of the
prediction that he should "slay" (1 Kings 19:17)! After his unpleasant
experience at Bethel, the prophet went to Carmel, which had been the
scene of Elijah's grand testimony to a prayer-answering God (1 Kings
18). By heading for the mount this servant of God intimated his need
for the renewing of his strength by communion with the Most High and
by meditation upon His holiness and power. Samaria was the country
where the apostate portion of Israel dwelt, and by going there, Elisha
manifested his readiness to be used of his Master as He saw fit in
that dark and difficult field of labor.
There is only space left for us to barely mention some of the more
outstanding lessons to be drawn from this solemn incident. First,
"Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God" (Rom. 11:22): if
the previous miracle exemplified His "goodness," certainly this one
demonstrated His "severity," and the one is as truly a divine
perfection as the other!
Second, the words as well as actions of children, even "little
children," are noticed by God! (Prov. 20:11). They should be informed
of this and warned against showing disrespect to God's servants.
Third, what must have been the grief of those parents when they beheld
the mangled bodies of their little ones! But how much greater the
anguish of parents in the day of judgment when they witness the
everlasting condemnation of their offspring if it has been occasioned
by their own negligence and evil example.
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
FOURTH MIRACLE--VALLEY OF DITCHES
Chapter 7
___________________________________
First, the Background of the Miracle
It Has Pleased the Holy Spirit in this instance to provide a somewhat
lengthy and complicated miracle, so it will be wise for us to
patiently ponder the account He has given of what led up to and
occasioned this exercise of God's wonder-working power. Just as a
diamond appears to best advantage when placed in a suitable setting,
so we are the more enabled to appreciate the works of God when we take
note of their connections. This applies equally to His works in
creation, in providence, and in grace. We are always the losers if we
ignore the circumstances which occasion the varied actings of our God.
The longer and darker the night, the more welcome the morning's light,
and the more acute our need and urgent our situation, the more
manifest is the hand of Him that relieves and His goodness in
ministering to us. The same principle holds good in connection with
the Lord's undertaking for our fellows, and if we were not so
self-centered we should appreciate and render praise for the one as
much as for the other.
In 2 Kings 3 we read, "Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over
Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah,
and reigned twelve years. And he wrought evil in the sight of the
LORD; but not like his father, and like his mother: for he put away
the image of Baal, that his father had made. Nevertheless he cleaved
unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin;
he departed not therefrom" (2 Kings 3:1-3). Five things are taught us
in these verses about that "abominable thing" which God "hates" and
which is the cause of all the suffering and sorrow that is in the
world, namely, sin.
1. God Himself personally observes our wrongdoing. It was "in the
sight of the LORD" that the guilty deeds of Jehoram were performed.
How much evil doing is perpetrated secretly and under cover of
darkness, supposing none are witness. But though evildoing may be
concealed from human gaze, it cannot be hidden from the omnipresent
One, for "The eyes of the LORD are in every place (by night as well as
by day), beholding the evil and the good" (Prov. 15:3). What curb this
ought to place on us.
2. God records our evil deeds. Here is a clear case in point. The evil
which Jehoram wrought in the sight of the Lord is set down against
him, likewise that of his parents before him, and further back still
"the sin of Jeroboam." Unspeakably solemn is this: God not only
observes but registers against men every infraction of His Law. They
commit iniquity and think little or nothing of it, but the very One
who shall yet judge them has noted the same against them. It may all
be forgotten by them, but nothing shall fade from what God has
written. And when the dead, both small and great, stand before Him,
the "books" will be opened, and they will be "judged out of those
things which were written in the books, according to their works"
(Rev. 20:12). And my reader, there is only one possible way of escape
from receiving the awful wages of your sins, and that is to throw down
the weapons of your warfare against God, cast yourself at the feet of
Christ as a guilty sinner, put your trust in His redeeming and
cleansing blood. Then God will say, "I have blotted out, as a thick
cloud, thy transgressions" (Isa. 44:22).
3. God recognizes degrees in evildoing. Jehoram displeased the Lord;
yet it is said, "but not like his father, and like his mother." Christ
declared to Pilate, "he [Judas] that delivered me unto thee hath the
greater sin" (John 19:11). Again we are told, "He that despised Moses'
law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer
punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden
under foot the Son of God" (Heb. 10:28-29). There are many who ignore
this principle and suppose that since they are sinners it makes no
difference how much wickedness they commit. They madly argue, "I might
as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb," but are only treasuring up
unto themselves wrath against the day of wrath (Rom. 2:5), for "every
transgression and disobedience" will yet receive "a just recompence of
reward" (Heb. 2:2).
4. God observes whether our reformation is partial or complete. This
comes out in the fact that we are told Jehoram "put away the image [or
`statue'] that his father had made," but he did not destroy it, and a
few years later Baal worship was restored. God's Word touching this
matter was plain: "thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break
down their images" (Ex. 23:24). Sin must be dealt with by no unsparing
hand, and when we resolve to break away, we must burn our bridges
behind us or they are likely to prove an irresistible temptation to
return to our former ways.
5. God duly notes our continuance in sin. Here it is recorded that
Jehoram not only "cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam" but also that "he
departed not therefrom" which greatly aggravated his guilt. To enter
upon a course of wrongdoing is horrible wickedness, but to
deliberately persevere in it is much worse. How few heed that word
"break off thy sins by righteousness" (Dan. 4:27).
"And Mesha king of Moab was a sheepmaster, and rendered unto the king
of Israel an hundred thousand lambs, and an hundred thousand rams,
with the wool. But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king
of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel" (2 Kings 3:4-5). In
fulfillment of Balaam's prophecy (Num. 24:17) David had conquered the
Moabites. They became his "servants" (2 Sam. 8:2), and they continued
in subjection to the kingdom of Israel until the time of its division,
when their vassalage and tribute was transferred to the kings of
Israel, as those of Edom remained to the kings of Judah. But upon the
death of Ahab they revolted. Here we see the divine Providence
crossing His sons in their affairs. This rebellion on the part of Moab
should be regarded in the light of "When a man's ways please the LORD,
he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him" (Prov. 16:7); but
when our ways displease Him, evil from every quarter menaces us.
Temporal as well as spiritual prosperity depends entirely on God's
blessing. To make His hand more plainly apparent, God frequently
punishes the wicked after the manner of their sins. He did so to
Ahab's sons: they had turned from the Lord, and Moab was moved to
rebel against them.
As we ponder this incident we are made to realize that there is no new
thing under the sun. Discontent, strife, jealousies, and
blood-shedding have characterized the relations of one nation to
another all through history. Instead of mutual respect and peace,
"living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another" (Titus
3:3) have marked them all through the years. How aptly were the great
empires of antiquity symbolized by "four great beasts" (Dan.
7:3)--wild, ferocious, and cruel ones, at that! Human depravity is a
solemn reality, and neither education nor legislation can eradicate or
sublimate it. What, then, are the ruling powers to do? Deal with it
with a firm hand: "For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to
the evil . . . He beareth not the sword in vain: for he [the
governmental and civil ruler] is the minister of God [to maintain law
and order], a revenger [to enforce law and order]... upon him that
doeth evil" (Rom. 13:4).
"But it came to pass, when Ahab was dead, that the king of Moab
rebelled against the king of Israel." The Moabites were the
descendants of the son which Lot had by his elder daughter. They
occupied a territory to the southeast of Judah and east of the Red
Sea. They were a strong and fierce people--"the mighty men of Moab"
(Ex. 15:15). Balak, who sent for Balaam to curse Israel, was one of
their kings. Even as proselytes they were barred from entering the
congregation of the Lord unto the tenth generation. They were
idolators (1 Kings 11:33). For at least a hundred and fifty years they
had apparently paid a heavy annual tribute, but upon the death of Ahab
they had decided to throw off the yoke and be fined no further.
"And king Jehoram went out of Samaria the same time, and numbered all
Israel" (2 Kings 3:6). There was no turning to the Lord for counsel
and help. He was the One who had given David success and brought the
Moabites into subjection, and Jehoram should have turned to Him now
that they rebelled. But he was a stranger to Jehovah; nor did he
consult the priests of the calves, so apparently he had no confidence
in them either. How sad is the case of the unregenerate in the hour of
need; no divine comforter in sorrow, no unerring counselor in
perplexity, no sure refuge when danger menaces them. How much men lose
even in this life by turning their backs upon the One who gave them
being. Nothing less than spiritual madness can account for the folly
of those who "observe lying vanities" and "forsake their own mercies"
(Jon. 2:8). Jonah had to learn that lesson in a hard school. Alas, the
vast majority of our fellows never learn it, as they ultimately
discover to their eternal undoing. Will that be the case with you, my
reader?
"And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The
king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against
Moab to battle?" (2 Kings 3:7). Both Thomas Scott and Matthew Henry
suppose that it was merely a political move on the part of Jehoram
when he "put away the image of Baal that his father had made." They
think this external reformation was designed to pave the way for
obtaining the help of Jehoshaphat, who was a God-fearing, though
somewhat vacillating, man. The words of Elisha to him in verses 2
Kings 3:13-14 certainly seem to confirm this view, for the servant of
God made it clear that he was not deceived by such a device and
addressed him as one who acted the part of a hypocrite. Any student of
history is well aware that many religious improvements have been
granted by governments simply from what is termed "state policy"
rather than from spiritual convictions or a genuine desire to promote
the glory of God. Only the One who looks on the heart knows the real
motives behind much that appears fair on the surface.
"And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people,
and my horses as thy horses" (2 Kings 3:7). It seems strange that
Jehoshaphat was willing to unite with Jehoram in this expedition, for
he had been severely rebuked on an earlier occasion for having "joined
affinity with Ahab" (2 Chron. 18:1-3). Jehu the prophet said to him,
"Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD?
therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD" (2 Chron. 19:2).
How, then, is his conduct to be explained on this occasion? No doubt
his zeal to heal the breach between the two kingdoms had much to do
with it, for 2 Chronicles 18:1-3 intimates he was anxious to promote a
better spirit between Judah and Israel. Moreover, the Moabites were a
common enemy, for we learn from 2 Chronicles 20:1 that at a later date
the Moabites, accompanied by others, came against Jehoshaphat to
battle. But it is most charitable to conclude that Jehoshaphat was
deceived by Jehoram's reformation. Yet we should mark the absence of
his seeking directions from the Lord on this occasion.
Second, the Urgency of the Miracle
"And he said, Which way shall we go up? And he answered, The way
through the wilderness of Edom. So the king of Israel went, and the
king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they fetched a compass of
seven days' journey: and there was no water for the host, and for the
cattle that followed them. And the king of Israel said, Alas! that the
LORD hath called these three kings together to deliver them into the
hand of Moab" (2 Kings 3:8-10). Note that Jehoram was quite willing
for the king of Judah to take the lead, and that he made his plans
without seeking counsel of God. The course he took was obviously meant
to secure the aid of the Edomites, but by going so far into the
wilderness they met with a desert where there was no water. Thus the
three kings and their forces were in imminent danger of perishing.
This struck terror into the heart of Jehoram and at once his guilty
conscience smote him--unbelievers know sufficient truth to condemn
them! "The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart
fretteth against the LORD" (Prov. 19:3). What an illustration of that
is furnished by the words of Jehoram on this occasion.
"But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD, that
we may enquire of the LORD by him? And one of the king of Israel's
servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which
poured water on the hands of Elijah. And Jehoshaphat said, The Word of
the LORD is with him. So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the
king of Edom went down to him" (2 Kings 3:11-12). Here we see the
difference between the unrighteous and the righteous in a time of dire
calamity. The one is tormented with a guilty conscience and thinks
only of the Lord's wrath; the other has hope in His mercy. In those
days the prophet was the divine mouthpiece, so the king of Judah made
inquiry for one, and not in vain. It is blessed to observe that as the
Lord takes note of and registers the sins of the reprobate, so He
observes the deeds of His elect, placing on record here the humble
service which Elisha had rendered to Elijah. Appropriately was Elisha
termed "the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof" (2 Kings
13:14). He was their true defense in the hour of danger, and to him
did the three kings turn in their urgent need.
Third, the Discrimination of the Miracle
"And Elisha said unto the king of Israel, What have I to do with thee?
get thee to the prophets of thy father, and to the prophets of thy
mother" (2 Kings 3:13). Mark both the dignity and fidelity of God's
servant. Far from feeling flattered because the king of Israel
consulted him, he deemed himself insulted and let him know he
discerned his true character. It reminds us of the Lord's words
through Ezekiel, "These men have set up their idols in their hearts,
and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should
I be inquired of at all by them?" (Ezek. 14:3).
"And the king of Israel said unto him, Nay: for the LORD hath called
these three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab," as
much as to say, "Do not disdain me; our case is desperate."
"And Elisha said, "As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand,
surely, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king
of Judah, I would not look toward thee, nor see thee" (2 Kings 3:14).
Little do the unrighteous realize how much they owe, under God, to the
presence of the righteous in their midst.
Fourth, the Requirement of the Miracle
"But now bring me a minstrel" (2 Kings 3:15). In view of 1 Samuel
16:23, Scott and Henry conclude that his interview with Jehoram had
perturbed Elisha's mind and that soothing music was a means to compose
his spirit, that he might be prepared to receive the Lord's mind.
Possibly they are correct, yet we believe there is another and more
important reason. In the light of such passages as "Sing unto the LORD
with the harp;... and the voice of a psalm" (Ps. 98:5), and "Jeduthun,
who prophesied with a harp, to give thanks and to praise the LORD" (1
Chron. 25:3 and cf. 1 Chronicles 25:1), we consider that Elisha was
here showing regard for and rendering submission to the order
established by God. The Hebrew word for "minstrel" signifies "one who
plays on a stringed instrument," as an accompaniment to the psalm he
sang. Thus it was to honor God and instruct these kings that Elisha
sent for the minstrel. "And it came to pass when the minstrel played,
that the hand of the Lord (cf. Ezekiel 1:3, 3:22) came upon him." The
Lord ever honors those who honor Him.
Fifth, the Testing of the Miracle
"And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches.
For thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see
rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink,
both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts" (2 Kings 3:16-17). A pretty
severe test was this, when all outward sign of fulfillment was
withheld. It was a trial of their faith and obedience, and entailed a
considerable amount of hard work. Had they treated the prophet's
prediction with derision, they would have scorned to go to so much
trouble. It was somewhat like the order Christ gave to His disciples
as He bade them make the multitudes "sit down" when there was nothing
in sight to feed so vast a company, only a few loaves and fishes. The
sequel shows they heeded Elisha and made due preparation for the
promised supply of water. As Henry says, "They that expect God's
blessings must prepare room for them."
Sixth, the Meaning of the Miracle
The very number of this miracle helps us to apprehend its
significance. It was the fourth of the series, and in the language of
scripture numerics it stands for the earth--for instance, the four
seasons and the four points of the compass. What we have in this
miracle is one of the Old Testament foreshadowments that the gospel
was not to be confined to Palestine but would yet be sent forth
throughout the earth.
Prior to His death Christ bade His disciples, "Go not into the way of
the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: but Go
rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 10:5-6 and
cf. John 4:9); but after His resurrection He said, "Go ye therefore,
and teach all nations" (Matthew 28:19). But there is more here.
"Salvation is of the Jews" (John 4:22), and we Gentiles are "their
debtors" (Rom. 15:26-27).
Strikingly is this typified here, for it was solely for the sake of
the presence of Jehoshaphat this miracle was wrought and that the
water of life was made available for the Israelites and the Edomites!
Thus it is a picture of the minister of the gospel engaged in
missionary activities that is here set forth.
Seventh, the Timing of the Miracle
"And it came to pass in the morning, when the meat-offering was
offered, that, behold, there came water by the way of Edom, and the
country was filled with water" (2 Kings 3:20). This hour was chosen by
the Lord for the performing of this miracle to intimate to the whole
company that their deliverance was vouchsafed on the ground of the
sacrifices offered and the worship rendered in the temple in
Jerusalem. It was at the same significant hour that Elijah had made
his effectual prayer on Mount Carmel, (1 Kings 18:36), when another
notable miracle was wrought. So too it was at the hour "of the evening
oblation" that a signal blessing was granted unto Daniel (Dan. 9:21).
Typically, it teaches us that it is through the merits of the
sacrifice of Christ that the life-sustaining gospel of God now flows
unto the Gentiles.
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
FIFTH MIRACLE--A POT OF OIL
Chapter 8
___________________________________
IN CREATION we are surrounded with both that which is useful and that
which is ornamental. The earth produces a wealth of lovely flowers as
well as grain and vegetables for our diet. The Creator has graciously
provided things which charm our eyes and ears as well as supply our
bodies with food and raiment. The same feature marks God's Word. The
Scriptures contain something more than doctrine and precept: there are
wonderful types which display the wisdom of their Author and delight
those who are able to trace the merging of the shadow into the
substance, and there are mysterious prophecies which demonstrate the
foreknowledge of their giver, and minister pleasure to those granted
the privilege of beholding their fulfillment. These types and
prophecies form part of the internal evidence which the Bible
furnishes of its divine inspiration, for they give proof of a wisdom
which immeasurably transcends that of the wisest of mortals.
Nevertheless one has to turn unto the doctrinal and preceptive
portions of Holy Writ in order to learn the way of salvation and the
nature of that walk which is pleasing to God.
In our earlier writings we devoted considerable attention to the types
and prophecies, but for the last decade, we have concentrated chiefly
upon the practical side of the truth. Observation taught us that many
of those who were keenly interested in a Bible reading on some part of
the tabernacle or an attempt to explain some of the predictions of
Daniel, appeared quite bored when we preached upon Christian duty or
deportment; yet they certainly needed the latter for they were quite
deficient therein. A glorious sunset is an exquisite sight, but it
would supply no nourishment to one that was starving. The perfumes of
a garden may delight the senses, but they would be a poor substitute
for a good breakfast to a growing child. Only after the soul has fed
upon the doctrine of Scripture and put into practice its precepts is
it ready to enjoy the beauties of the types and explanations of the
mysteries of prophecy.
This change of emphasis in our writings has lost us hundreds of
readers. Yet if we could relive the past fifteen years, we would
follow the same course. The solemn days through which we are passing
demand, as never before, that first things be put first. There are
plenty of writers who cater to those who read for intellectual
entertainment; our longing is to minister to those who yearn for a
closer walk with God. What would be thought of a farmer who in the
spring wasted his time in the woods listening to the music of the
feathered songsters, while his fields were allowed to remain unplowed
and unsown? Would it not be equally wrong if we dwelt almost entirely
on the typical significance of the miracles of Elisha, while ignoring
the simpler and practical lessons they contain for our hearts and
lives? Balance is needed here as everywhere, and if we devote more
space than usual on this occasion to the spiritual meaning of the
miracle before us (and similarly in the "Dagon" articles), it will not
be because we have made or shall make a practice of so doing.
First, the Connection of the Miracle
Great service had Elisha done in the foregoing chapter for the
three kings: to his prayers and prophecies they owed their lives
and triumphs. One would have expected that the next chapter should
have told us what honors and what dignities were conferred on
Elisha for this: that he should have been immediately preferred at
court, and made prime-minister of state; that Jehoshaphat should
have taken him home with him and advanced him in the kingdom. No,
the wise man delivered the army, but no man remembered the wise man
(Ecclesiastes 9:15). Or, if he had preferment offered him, he
declined it: he preferred the honor of doing good in the schools of
the prophets, before that of being great in the courts of kings.
God magnified him and that sufficed him: magnified him indeed, for
we have him here employed in working no less than five miracles
(Henry).
He who has, by grace, the heart of a true servant of Christ, would
not, if he could, exchange places with the monarch on his throne or
the millionaire with all his luxuries.
Second, the Beneficiary of the Miracle
"Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the
prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou
knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come
to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen" (2 Kings 4:1). The one for
whom this miracle was wrought was a woman, "the weaker vessel" (1 Pet.
3:7). She was a widow, a figure of desolation: "how doth the city sit
solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow!"
(Lam. 1:1). Contrast the proud boast of corrupt Babylon: "I sit a
queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow" (Rev. 18:7). Not only
was she bereft of her husband but she was left destitute, in debt and
without the means of paying it. A more pitiable and woeful object
could scarcely be conceived. In her sad plight she went to the servant
of Jehovah and told him her dire situation. Her husband may have died
while Elisha was absent with the kings in their expedition against the
Moabites, and thus he was unacquainted with her troubles.
Third, the Urgency of the Miracle
The situation confronting this poor widow was indeed a drastic one.
Her human provider and protector had been removed by the hand of
death. She had been left in debt and had not the wherewithal to pay
it, a burden that would weigh heavily on a conscientious soul. And now
she was in immediate danger of having her two sons seized and taken
from her by the creditor to serve as bondmen to him. Observe that in
the opening words of 2 Kings 4 it is not said, "Now there came a
certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha"
but "there cried a certain woman," which indicates the pressure of her
grief and the earnestness of her appeal to the prophet. Sometimes God
permits His people to be brought very low in their circumstances; nor
is this always by way of chastisement or because of their folly. We do
not think that such was her case. The Lord is pleased to bring some to
the end of their own resources that His delivering hand may be more
plainly seen acting on their behalf.
One of the outstanding characteristics of the regenerate is that they
are given honest hearts (Luke 8:15). Therefore is it their careful
endeavor to "provide things honest in the sight of all men" and to
"owe no man anything" (Rom. 12:17, 13:8). They are careful to live
within their income and not to order an article unless they can pay
for it. It is because so many hypocrites under the cloak of a
Christian profession have been so dishonest in financial matters and
so unscrupulous in trade, that reproach has so often been brought upon
the churches. Yet, in certain exceptional cases, even the most thrifty
and upright may run into debt. It was so with her. The deceased
husband of this widow was a man who "did fear the LORD" (2 Kings 4:1);
nevertheless he left his widow in such destitution that she was unable
to meet the claims of her creditor. There has been considerable
speculation by the commentators as to the cause of this unhappy
situation, most of which this writer finds himself quite unable to
approve. What then is his own explanation?
In seeking the answer to the above question three things need to be
borne in mind. First, as we pointed out in our introduction to this
study, a prophet was an abnormality; that is, there was no place for
him, no need of him in the religious life of Israel during ordinary
times. It was only in seasons of serious declension or apostasy that
he appeared on the scene. Thus, no stated maintenance was provided for
him, as it was for the priests and Levites under the law. Consequently
the prophet was dependent upon the gifts of the pious or the
productions of his own manual labors. Judging from the brief records
of Scripture, one gathers the impression that most of them enjoyed
little more than the barest necessities of life.
Second, for many years past Ahab and Jezebel had been in power, and
not only were the pious persecuted but the prophets went in danger of
their lives (1 Kings 18:4).
Third, it seems likely to us that this particular prophet obtained his
subsistence from the oil obtained from an olive grove, and that
probably there had been a failure of the crop during the past year or
two--note how readily the widow obtained from her "neighbors" not a
few "empty vessels."
"And Elisha said unto her, what shall I do for thee?" Possibly the
prophet was himself momentarily nonplussed, conscious of his own
helplessness. Possibly his question was designed to emphasize the
gravity of the situation. "It is beyond my power to extricate you."
More likely it was to make her look above him. "I too am only human."
Or again, it may have been to test her. "Are you willing to follow my
instructions?" Instead of waiting for her reply, the prophet at once
asked a second question, "Tell me, what hast thou in the house?" (2
Kings 4:2). Perhaps this was intended to press upon the widow the
seriousness of her problem, for the prophet must have known that she
possessed little or nothing, or why should she have sought him? Or, in
the light of her answer, its force may have been an admonition not to
despise small mercies. Her "not anything, save a pot of oil" reminds
of Andrew's "but what are they among so many" (John 6:9). Ah, do not
we often reason similarly!
Fourth, the Test of the Miracle
"Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbors,
even empty vessels; borrow not a few"
(2 Kings 4:3). It was a test both of her faith and her obedience. To
carnal reason it would appear that the prophet was only mocking her,
for of what possible service could a lot of empty vessels be to her?
But if her trust was in the Lord, then she would be willing to submit
herself to and comply with His word through His servant.
Are not His thoughts and ways ever the opposite of ours? Was it not so
when He overthrew the Midianites? What a word was that to Gideon: "The
people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites
into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying,
Mine own hand hath saved me" (Judg. 7:2). And in consequence, his army
was reduced from over twenty-two thousand to a mere three hundred
(Judg. 7:3-7); and when that little company went forth, it was with
trumpets and "empty pitchers" and lamps inside the pitchers in their
hands (Judg. 7:16)! Ah, my reader, we have to come before the Lord as
"empty vessels"--emptied of our self-sufficiency--if we are to
experience His wonder-working power.
Fifth, the Requirement of the Miracle
"And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and
upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou
shalt set aside that which is full" (2 Kings 4:4). This was to avoid
ostentation. Her neighbors were not in on the secret, nor should they
be permitted to witness the Lord's gracious dealings with her. It
reminds us of Christ's raising of the daughter of Jairus: when He
arrived at the house it was filled with a skeptical and scoffing
company, and the Savior "put them all out" (Mark 5:40) before He went
in and performed the miracle. The same principle stands today in
connection with the operations of divine grace. The world is totally
ignorant of this mystery--God's filling of empty vessels: "the Spirit
of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not,
neither knoweth him" (John 14:17). Yes, she must shut the door, so
"that in retirement she and her sons might the more leisurely ponder
and adore the goodness of the Lord" (Scott).
Sixth, the Means of the Miracle
This was the "pot of oil" which appeared to be so utterly inadequate
to meet the demands of the widow's creditor. It was so in itself, but
under the blessing of God it proved amply sufficient. The five barley
loaves and the two small fishes (John 6:9) seemed quite useless for
feeding a vast multitude, but in the hands of the Lord they furnished
"as much as they would," and even "when they were filled" there
remained a surplus of twelve baskets full. Ah, it is the little things
which God is pleased to use. A pebble from the brook when slung by
faith is sufficient to overthrow the Philistine giant. A "little
cloud" was enough to produce "a great rain" (1 Kings 18:44-45). A
"little child" was employed by Christ to teach His disciples humility
(Matthew 18:2). A "little strength" supplied by the Spirit enables us
to keep Christ's Word and not deny his name (Rev. 3:8). Oh, to be
"little" in our own sight (1 Sam. 15:17). It is blessed to see that
this widow did not despise the means, but promptly obeyed the
prophet's instructions, her faith laying hold of the clearly-implied
promise in "all those vessels" (2 Kings 4:4).
Seventh, the Significance of the Miracle
In this miracle we have a most blessed, striking, and remarkable,
typical picture of the grand truth of redemption, a subject which is,
we fear, rather hazy in the minds even of many Christians. The gospel
is preached so superficially today, its varied glories are so lost in
generalizations, that few have more than the vaguest idea of its
component parts. Redemption is now commonly confused with atonement;
the two are quite distinct, one being an effect of the other. The
sacrifice which Christ offered unto divine holiness and justice was
"that he might bring us to God" (1 Pet. 3:18)--a comprehensive
expression covering the whole of our salvation, both in the removal of
all hindrances and in the bestowal of all requisites. In order to
bring us to God it was necessary that all enmity between us and God
should be removed--that is reconciliation; that the guilt of our
transgressions should be cancelled--that is remission of sins; that we
should be delivered from all bondage--that is redemption; that we
should be made, both experimentally and legally, righteous--that is
regeneration and justification.
Redemption, then is one of the grand effects or results of the
atonement, the satisfaction which Christ rendered unto the law. God's
elect are debtors to the law, for they have broken it; and they are
prisoners to His justice, for they are "by nature the children of
wrath, even as others" (Eph. 2:3). And our deliverance (or
"salvation") is not a mere emancipation when adequate compensation has
been made. No, while it is true our redemption is of grace and
affected by sovereign power, yet it is so because a ransom is offered,
a price paid, in every way equivalent to the discharge secured. In the
words, "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem
them from death" (Heb. 13:14) we are taught that the latter is the
consequence of the former. Ransom is the paying of the price required.
Redemption is the setting free of those ransomed, and this deliverance
is by the exercise of divine power. "Not accepting deliverance" (Heb.
11:35); the Greek word "deliverance" here is commonly rendered
"redemption"; they refused to accept it from their afflictions on the
dishonorable terms (apostasy) demanded by their persecutors.
Redemption necessarily presupposes previous possession. It denotes the
restoration of something which has been lost, and returned by the
paying of a price. Hence we find Christ saying by the Spirit of
prophecy, "I restored that which I took not away" (Ps. 69:4)! This was
strikingly illustrated in the history of Israel, who on the farther
shores of the Red Sea sang, "Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the
people which thou hast redeemed" (Ex. 15:13). First, in the book of
Genesis, we see the descendants of Abraham sojourning in the land of
Canaan. Later, we see the chosen race in cruel servitude, in bondage
to the Egyptians, groaning amid the brick kilns, under the whip of
their taskmasters. Then a ransom was provided in the blood of the
pascal lamb, following which, the Lord by His mighty hand brought them
out of serfdom and brought them into the promised inheritance. That is
a complete picture of redemption.
There are many who perceive that Christians were a people in bondage,
lost to God, but recovered and restored to Him; yet some fail to
perceive they belonged to the Lord before Christ freed them. The elect
belonged to Christ long before He shed His blood to ransom them, for
they were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4)
and made over to Him as the Father's love-gift (John 17:9). But they
too fell and died in Adam, and therefore did He come to seek and to
save that which was lost. Christ purchased the church of God with His
own blood (Acts 20:28) and therefore does the Father say to Him, "By
the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the
pit wherein is no water" (Zech. 9:11). He has a legal right to them.
There is no unavailing redemption: all whom Christ purchased or
ransomed shall be redeemed; that is, delivered from captivity, set
free from sin. Judicially they are so now, experientially too in part
(John 8:36), but perfectly so only when glorified--hence the future
aspect in Luke 21:28 and Romans 8:23.
Now observe how all the leading features of redemption are typically
brought out in 2 Kings 4.
1. The object of it is a widow. She had not always been thus. Formerly
she had been married to one who "feared the Lord," but death had
severed that happy bond and left her desolate and destitute--apt
figure of God's elect, originally in union with Him, and then through
the fall alienated from Him (Eph. 4:18).
2. Her creditor was enforcing his demands. He had actually come to
seize her sons "to be bondmen." The Hebrew word rendered "creditor" in
2 Kings 4:1 signifies "one who exacts" what is justly due to him, and
is so translated in Job 11:6. It looks back to, "And if thy brother
that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt
not compel him to serve as a bondservant: But as an hired servant, and
as a sojourner, he shall be with thee, and shall serve thee unto the
year of jubile" (Lev. 25:39-40). Our Lord had reference to this
practice in His parable of Matthew 18:23-25. Thus the "creditor" of 2
Kings 4:1 who showed no mercy to the poor widow is a figure of the
stern and unrelenting law.
3. The widow was quite unable to pay her creditor. So we are utterly
incompetent to satisfy the demands of the law or effect our own
redemption.
4. She, like us, could rely only on the mere favor of God. "Being
justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus" (Rom. 3:24). That is exactly what we should expect to find in
this miracle, for five is the number of grace (see Gen. 43:34, 45:22;
1 Cor. 14:19). Note also the means used, the "oil" multiplied. Oil is
a figure of the superabounding grace of God (Ps. 23:5; Isa. 61:3).
5. Yet it was a grace that was wrought "through righteousness" (Rom.
5:21). It obtained the freedom of the widow's sons by meeting the full
due of her creditor.
6. Both aspects of redemption are seen here. First, the price: "Sell
the oil, and pay thy debt" (2 Kings 4:7); Second, the power: the
miraculous supply of oil.
7. It was not a general and promiscuous redemption. It was a definite
and particular one. For a "widow" was the special object of God's
notice (Deut. 24:19; Ps. 68:5; Jam.1:27), and not a mere abstraction
of "freewillism."
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
SIXTH MIRACLE--A GREAT WOMAN
Chapter 9
___________________________________
First, the Connection of the Miracle
Our Present Narrative opens with the word "And" which intimates that
the incident described here is closely related to the preceding
miracle, though we must not conclude that this by any means exhausts
its force. Sometimes the Spirit of God has placed two things in
juxtaposition for the purpose of comparison that we may observe the
resemblances between them; at other times, it is with the object of
pointing a contrast, that we may consider the points of dissimilarity.
Here it is the latter: note the following antitheses. In the former
case the woman's place of residence is not given (2 Kings 4:1), but
here it is (2 Kings 4:8). The first was a widow (2 Kings 4:1); this
woman's husband was alive (2 Kings 4:9). The former was financially
destitute; this one was a woman of means. The one sought out Elisha;
the prophet approached the other. Elisha provided for the former; this
one ministered unto him. The widow had "two sons," but the married
woman was childless. The one was put to a severe test (2 Kings 4:3-4);
the other was not.
Second, a Word on the Location of the Miracle
The place where this miracle was wrought cannot be without
significance, for there is nothing meaningless in Holy Writ, though in
this instance we confess to having little or no light. The one who was
the beneficiary of this miracle resided at Shunem, which appears to
mean "uneven." This place is mentioned only twice elsewhere in the Old
Testament. First, in Joshua 19:18, from which we learn that it was
situated in the territory allotted to the tribe of Issachar. Second,
in 1 Samuel 28:4, where we are told it was the place that the
Philistines gathered themselves together and pitched in battle array
against Israel, on which occasion Saul was so terrified that, after
inquiring in vain of the Lord, he sought out the witch of Endor.
Matthew Henry tells us that "Shunem lay in the road between Samaria
and Carmel, a road which Elisha was accustomed to travel, as we gather
from 1 Samuel 2:25." It seems to have been a farming district, and in
this pastoral setting a lovely domestic scene is laid.
Third, the Beneficiary of the Miracle
"And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great
woman" (2 Kings 4:8). The Hebrew word (gadol) is used in varied
connections. In Genesis 1:16, 21 and many other passages it refers to
material or physical greatness. In Exodus 32:21, "great sin," it has a
moral force. In 2 Kings 5:1, Job 1:3, and Proverbs 25:6 it is
associated with social eminence. In Psalm 48:1 and numerous other
places, it is predicated of the Lord Himself.
This, woman was one of substance or wealth, as is intimated by the
servants her husband had and their building and furnishing a room for
the prophet. God has His own among the rich and noble. This woman was
also "great" spiritually. She was great in hospitality; in
discernment, perceiving that Elisha was "a holy man of God"; in
meekness, by owning her husband's headship; in thoughtfulness for
others, the care she took in providing for the prophet's comfort; in
contentedness, 2 Kings 4:13; in wisdom, realizing Elisha would desire
retirement and quietness; and in faith, confidently counting upon God
to show Himself strong on her behalf and work a further miracle as we
shall see.
"And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great
woman; and she constrained him to eat bread." Elisha seems to have
resided at or near Mount Carmel (2 Kings 2:25, 4:25); but went his
circuit through the land to visit the seminaries of the prophets and
to instruct the people, which probably was his employment when he was
not sent on some special service. "At Shunem there lived a woman of
wealth and piety, who invited him to come to her house, and with some
difficulty prevailed" (Scott). Several practical points are suggested
by this. The minister of the gospel should not be forward in pressing
himself upon people, but should wait until he is invited to partake of
their hospitality. Nor should he deliberately court the intimacy of
the "great," except with the object of doing them good. "Mind not high
things, but condescend to men of low estate" (Rom. 12:16) is one of
the rules God has given His people to walk by, and His servants should
set them an example in this matter.
The Lord's servants, like those to whom they minister, have their ups
and downs, not only in their inward experience but also in external
circumstances. Yes, they have their ups as well as their downs. They
are not required to spend all their days in caves or sojourning by
brooks. If there are those who oppose, God also raises up others to
befriend them. Was it not thus with our blessed Lord when He
tabernacled here? Though for the most part He "had not where to lay
his head," yet there were many women who "ministered unto him of their
substance" (Luke 8:2-3), and the home at Bethany welcomed Him. So with
the apostle Paul; though he was made as the off-scouring of all things
to the Jewish nation, yet the saints loved and esteemed him highly for
his work's sake. If he was cast into prison, yet he also makes mention
of "Gaius mine host" (Rom. 16:23). It has ever been thus. The
experience of Elisha was no exception, as the present writer can
testify, for in his extensive journeyings the Lord opened the hearts
and homes of many of His people unto him.
Hospitality (Rom. 12:13) is required of the saints, and of God's
servants too (Titus 3:2; Titus 1:8), and that "without grudging" (1
Pet. 4:9), and this held good equally during the Old Testament era. It
is to be noted that this woman took the initiative, for she did not
wait until asked by Elisha or one of his friends. From the words "as
often as he passed by" we gather that she was on the lookout for him.
She sought occasion to do good. Nor was her hospitality any formal
thing, but earnest and warmhearted. Hence it may strike us as all the
more strange that the prophet demurred and that she had to constrain
him to enter her home. This intimates that the servant of God should
not readily respond to every invitation received, especially from the
wealthy. "Seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not" (Jer.
45:5) is to regulate his conduct. Elisha responded to her importunity,
and after becoming better acquainted with her, never failed to partake
of her kindness whenever he passed that way.
"And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an
holy man of God, which passeth by us continually. Let us make a little
chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed,
and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he
cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither" (2 Kings 4:9-10). Herein
we have manifest several other features of her moral greatness.
Apparently she was the owner of this property, for her husband is not
termed a "great man." Yet we find her conferring with him and seeking
his permission. Thereby she took her proper place and left her sisters
an admirable example. The husband is "the head of the wife, even as
Christ is the head of the church," and therefore explains the command,
"Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord"
(Eph. 5:22-23). Instead of taking matters into her own hands and
acting independently, this "great woman" sought her husband's consent
and cooperation. How much domestic strife would be avoided if there
was more of this mutual conferring.
This lady of Shunem was endowed with spiritual discernment, for she
perceived that Elisha was a holy man of God. The two things are not to
be separated; it is those who walk in subjection to the revealed will
of God who are granted spiritual perception: "He that is spiritual
judgeth [discerneth] all things" (1 Cor. 2:15), and the spiritual
person is the one who is regulated by the precepts of Holy Writ, who
is humble and meek and takes the place which the Lord has appointed.
"If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of
light" (Matthew 6:22); it is acting in self-will which beclouds the
vision. "I understand more than the ancients" said David. And why so?
"Because I keep thy precepts" (Ps. 119:100). It is when we forsake the
path of obedience that our judgment is clouded and our perception
dimmed.
While admiring the virtues and graces of this woman, we must not
overlook the tribute she paid to Elisha. Observe how she refers to
him. Not as a "charming" or "nice man"; how incongruous such an
appellation for a servant of God! No, it was not any such carnal or
sentimental term she employed. Nor did she allude to him as a "learned
man," for scholarship and spirituality by no means always go together.
Rather as "an holy man of God" did she designate the prophet. What a
description! What a searching word for every minister of the gospel to
take to heart. It is "holy men of God" who are used by the Spirit (2
Pet. 1:21). And how did she perceive the prophet's holiness? Perhaps
by finding him at prayer, or reading the Scriptures. Certainly from
the heavenliness of his conversation and general demeanor. Ah, my
reader, the servant of God should need no distinctive manner of dress
in order for people to identify him. His walk, his speech, his
deportment ought to be sufficient.
Returning to the "great woman," let us next take note of her
constancy. The inviting of Elisha into her home was actuated by no
fleeting mood of kindness, which came suddenly upon her and as
suddenly disappeared; it rather was a steady and permanent thing. Some
people are mere creatures of impulse. But the conduct of those who act
on principle is stable.
How often a church is elated when a minister is installed, and its
members cannot do too much to express their appreciation for him; but
how soon such enthusiasm often cools off. The best of us are spasmodic
if not fickle, and need to bear in mind the injunction "let us not be
weary in well doing" (Gal. 6:9). It is blessed to see that this woman
did not tire of ministering to God's servant but continued to provide
for his need and comfort, and at considerable trouble and expense.
Fourth, the Occasion of the Miracle
"And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the
chamber, and lay there. And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this
Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him" (2 Kings
4:11-12). Elisha did not complacently accept as a matter of course the
loving hospitality which had been shown him, as though it were
something due him by virtue of his office. No, he was truly grateful
and anxious to show his appreciation. In this he differed from some
ministers we have met, who appeared to think they were fully entitled
to such kindness and deference. While resting from his journey,
instead of congratulating himself on his good fortune, he thought upon
his benefactress and wondered how he could best make some return. She
was in no financial need; apparently she lacked none of the good
things of this life. What then should be done for her? He was at a
loss to know; but instead of dismissing the thought, he decided to
interrogate her directly.
Fifth, the Peculiarity of the Miracle
"And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been
careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee?
wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the
host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people" (2 Kings 4:13).
This miracle differed from most of those we have previously considered
in that it was unsought, proposed by the prophet himself. He suggested
that royal honors might be bestowed on herself or husband if she so
desired. Thomas Scott says,
Elisha had no doubt acquired considerable influence with Jehoram
and his captains by the signal deliverance and victory obtained for
him (2 Kings 3:4-27), and though he would ask nothing for himself,
he was willing to show his gratitude on behalf of his kind hostess
by interposing on her behalf, if she had any petition to present.
Yet we feel that the prophet knew her too well to imagine her heart
was set upon such trifles as earthly dignities, and that he gave her
this opportunity to declare herself more plainly.
"And she answered, I dwell among mine own people" (2 Kings 4:13). It
looks as though the prophet's offer to speak to the king for her
intimated that positions of honor could be procured for her and her
husband in the royal household. Her reply seems to show this, for it
signified, "I am quite satisfied with the portion God has given me. I
desire no change or improvement in it." How very rare is such
contentment! She was indeed a "great woman." Also, today there are so
few like her. As Henry points out, "It would be well with many, if
they did but know when they are well off." But they do not. A roving
spirit takes possession of them, and they suppose they can improve
their lot by moving from one place to another, only to find as the old
adage says, "A rolling stone gathers no moss." "The wicked are like
the troubled sea, when it cannot rest" (Isa. 57:20), but it should be
far otherwise with the people of God. It is much to be thankful for
when we can contentedly say, "I dwell among mine own people."
Sixth, the Nature of the Miracle
"And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered,
Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old. And he said, Call
her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door. And he said,
About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a
son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto
thine handmaid. And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season
that Elisha had said unto her" (2 Kings 4:14-17). Observe the
prophet's humility: in his perplexity, he did not disdain to confer
with his servant. He was now pleased to use his interests in the court
of heaven, which was far better than seeking a favor from Jehoram. It
should be remembered that in Old Testament times the giving of a son
to those who had long been childless was a special mark of God's favor
and power, as in the cases of Abraham, Isaac, Manoah, and Elkanah. We
are not sure whether her language was that of unbelief or of
overwhelming astonishment; but having received a prophet in the name
of a prophet, she received "a prophet's reward" (Matthew 10:41).
Seventh, the Meaning of the Miracle
This may be gathered from the miracle preceding. There we had before
us a typical picture of redemption, a setting free from the exactions
of the law, a deliverance from bondage. What then is the sequel of
this? Surely it is that which we find in the lives of the redeemed,
namely, their bringing forth fruit unto God. This order of cause and
effect is taught us in "being made free from sin... ye have your fruit
unto holiness" (Rom. 6:22 and cf. 1 Corinthians 6:20). But it is not
the products of the old nature transformed bringing forth after its
own evil kind, for the "flesh" remains the same unto the end. No, it
is altogether supernatural, the "fruit of the spirit," the
manifestation of the graces of the new nature communicated by God at
the new birth. Accordingly we have here the fruit of the womb, yet not
by the ordinary workings of nature, but, as in the case of John the
Baptist (Luke 1:7, 57), that which transcends nature, which issues
only from the wonder-working power of God.
It is to be carefully noted in this connection that the beneficiary of
our miracle is designated a "great woman." As we have pointed out in a
previous paragraph, this appellation denotes that she was one upon
whom divine providence had smiled, furnishing her liberally with the
things of this life. But she was also morally and spiritually "great."
In both respects she was an appropriate figure of that aspect of
salvation which is here before us. Redemption finds its object, like
the widow of the foregoing miracle, in distress--poor, sued by the
law, unable to meet its demands. But redemption does not leave its
beneficiaries thus. No, God deals with them according to "the riches
of his grace" and they can now say, "He `hath made us kings and
priests unto God and his Father'" (Rev. 1:6). The righteousness of
Christ is imputed to them, and they are "great" indeed in the eyes of
God. They are "the excellent, in whom is all my delight" (Ps. 16:3) is
how He speaks of them. Such are the ones in whom and by whom the
fruits of redemption are brought forth.
Everything recorded of this woman indicates that she was one of the
Lord's redeemed. She honored and ministered unto one of His servants,
in a day when prophets were far from being popular. Moreover, Elisha
accepted her hospitality, which he surely would not have done unless
he discerned in her the marks of grace. The very fact that at first
she had to "constrain" him to partake of her kindness indicates he
would not readily receive favors from anybody and everybody. But
having satisfied himself of her spirituality, "as oft as he passed by,
he turned in thither to eat bread." Let it be remarked that that
expression to "eat bread" means far more to an Oriental than to us. It
signifies an act of communion, denoting a bond of fellowship between
those who eat a meal together. Thus by such intimacy of communion with
the prophet, this woman gave further evidence of being one of God's
redeemed.
As the procuring of our redemption required miracles (the divine
incarnation, the death of the God-man, His resurrection), so the
application of it unto its beneficiaries cannot be without
supernatural operations, both before and after. Redemption is received
by faith; but before saving faith can be exercised, the soul must be
quickened, for one who is dead to God cannot move toward Him. The same
is true of our conversion, which is a right about-face, the soul
turning from the world unto God. This is morally impossible until a
miracle of grace has been wrought upon us: "Turn thou me, and I shall
be turned" (Jer. 31:18). Such a miracle as regeneration and
conversion, whereby the soul enters into the redemption purchased by
Christ, is necessarily followed by one which shows the miraculous
fruits of redemption. Such is the case here, as we see in the child
bestowed upon the great woman. Remarkably enough, that gift came to
her unsought and unexpected. And is it not thus in the experience of
the Christian? When he came to Christ as a sin-burdened soul,
redemption was all that he thought about; there was no asking for or
anticipation of subsequent fruit.
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
SEVENTH MIRACLE--A CHILD RESTORED
Chapter 10
___________________________________
"And The Woman Conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha
had said unto her, according to the time of life" (2 Kings 4:17). As
Matthew Henry pointed out,
We may well suppose, after the birth of this son, that the prophet
was doubly welcome to the good Shunammite: he had thought himself
indebted to her, but from henceforth, as long as she lives, she
will think herself in his debt, and that she can never do too much
for him. We may also suppose that, the child was very dear to the
prophet, as the son of his prayers, and very dear to the parents as
the son of their old age.
What is more attractive than a properly trained and well-behaved
child! And what is more objectionable than a spoiled and naughty one?
From all that is revealed of this great woman, we cannot doubt that
she brought up her boy wisely and well, that he added to the
delightfulness of her home, that he was a pleasure and not a trial to
visitors. Alas that there are so few of her type now left. Godly and
well-conducted homes are the choicest asset which any nation
possesses.
First, the Occasion of the Miracle
"And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to
his father to the reapers" (2 Kings 4:18). The opening clause does not
signify that he was now a fully-developed youth, but that he had
passed out of infancy into childhood. This is quite obvious from a
number of things in the sequel. When he was taken ill, a "lad" carried
him back home (2 Kings 4:19); for some time he "sat on her knees" (2
Kings 4:20), and later she--apparently unaided--carried him upstairs
and laid him on the prophet's bed (2 Kings 4:21). Yet the child had
grown sufficiently so as to be able to run about and be allowed to
visit his father in the harvest field. While there, he was suddenly
stricken with an ailment, for "he said unto his father, My head, my
head" (2 Kings 4:19). It is hardly likely that this was caused by a
sunstroke, for it occurred in the morning, a while before noon.
Seemingly the father did not suspect anything serious, for instead of
carrying him home in his own arms, he sent him back with one of his
younger workers. How incapable we are of foreseeing what even the next
hour may bring forth!
"And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on
her knees till noon" (2 Kings 4:20). What a lovely picture of maternal
devotion! How thankful should each one be who cherishes the tender
memories of a mother's love, for there are tens of thousands in this
country who were born of parents devoid of natural affection, who
cared more for cocktail lounges and the parties than for their
offspring. But powerful as true mother love is, it is impotent when
the grim reaper draws near, for our verse adds "and then died." Death
strikes down the young as well as the old, as the tombstones in our
cemeteries bear ample witness. Sometimes it gives more or less advance
notice of its gruesome approach; at others, as here, it smites with
scarcely any warning. How this fact ought to influence each of us! To
put it on its lowest ground, how foolish to make an idol of one who
may be snatched away at any moment. With what a light hand should we
grasp all earthly objects. So, then, the occasion of this miracle is
the death of the child.
Second, the Mystery of the Miracle
How often the Lord's dealings seem strange to us. Hopes are suddenly
blighted, prospects swiftly changed, and loved ones snatched away.
"All flesh is grass" (Isa. 40:6), "which to day is and to morrow is
cast into the oven" (Matthew 6:30). Thus it was here. The babe had
survived the dangers of infancy, only to be cut down in childhood.
That morning, apparently full of life and health, he trotted merrily
off to the harvest field; at noon he lay a corpse on his mother's
knee. But in her case such a visitation was additionally inexplicable.
The boy had been given to her by the divine bounty because of the
kindness she had shown to one of God's servants; and now, to carnal
reason, it looked as though He was dealing most unkindly with her. A
miracle had been wrought in bestowing the child, and now that miracle
is neutralized. Yes, God's ways are frequently "a great deep" unto
human intelligence. Yet let the Christian never forget that those ways
are ever ordered by infinite love and wisdom.
It is indeed most blessed to observe how this stricken mother
conducted herself under her unexpected and severe trial. Here, as
throughout the whole of this chapter, her moral and spiritual
greatness shines forth. There was no wringing her hands in despair, no
giving way to inordinate grief. Nor was there any murmuring at
Providence, any complaint that God had ceased to be gracious unto her.
It is in such crises and by their demeanor under them that the
children of God and the children of the devil are manifest. We do not
say that the former always conduct themselves as the great woman, yet
they sorrow not as do others who have no hope. They may be staggered
and stunned by a crushing affliction, but they do not give way to an
evil heart of unbelief and become avowed infidels. There may be
stirrings of rebellion within, and Satan will seek to foster hard
thoughts against God, but he cannot induce the true child to curse Him
and commit suicide. Divine grace is a glorious reality, and in his
measure every Christian is given to prove the sufficiency of it in
times of stress and trial.
Third, the Expectation of the Miracle
"And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut
the door upon him, and went out" (2 Kings 4:21). This must be pondered
in the light of her subsequent actions if we are to perceive the
meaning of her conduct here. There was definite purpose on her part;
and in view of what immediately follows, it seems clear that these
were the actions of faith. She cherished the hope that the prophet
would restore her son to her. She made no preparations for the burial
of the child, but anticipated his resurrection by laying him upon
Elisha's bed. Her faith clung to the original blessing: God, by the
prophet's promise and prayers, had given him unto her, and now she
takes the dead child to God (as it were) and goes to seek the prophet.
Her faith might be tried even to the straining point, but in that
extremity she interpreted the inexplicable dealings of God by those
dealings she was sure of, reasoning from the past to the future, from
the known to the unknown. The child had been given unto her unasked,
and she refused to believe he had now been irrecoverably taken away
from her.
Her faith was indeed put to a severe test, for not only was her child
dead, but at the very time she seemed to need him the most, Elisha was
many miles away! Ah, that was no accident but was wisely and
graciously ordered by God. How so? That there might be fuller
opportunity for bringing forth the evidences and fruits of faith. A
faith which does not triumph over discouragements and difficulties is
not worth much. The Lord often causes our circumstances to be most
unfavorable in order that faith may have the freer play and rise above
them. Such was the case here. Elisha might be absent, but she could go
to him. Most probably she had heard of the raising of the widow's son
at Zarephath (1 Kings 17:23) by Elijah, and she knew that the spirit
of Elijah now rested on Elisha (2 Kings 2:15). And therefore with
steadfast confidence, she determined to seek him. That she did act in
faith is clear from Hebrews 11:35, for that chapter which chronicles
the achievements of faith of the Old Testament saints says that
through faith "women received their dead raised to life again." There
were but two who did so, and the great woman of Shunem was one of
them.
"And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one
of the young men, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of
God, and come again" (2 Kings 4:22). While faith triumphs over
difficulties, it does not act unbecomingly by forcing a way through
them and setting aside the requirements of propriety. Urgent as the
situation was, she did not rush away without informing her husband of
her intention. The wife should have no secrets from her partner, but
take him fully into her confidence; failure at this point leads to
suspicions, and where they exist love is soon chilled. Nor did this
stricken mother content herself with scribbling a hurried note,
telling her husband to expect her return within a day or so. No, once
again she took her proper place and owned her subjection to him.
Though she made known to him her desire, she demanded nothing, but
respectfully sought his permission, as her "I pray thee" plainly
shows. Faith is bold and venturesome, but it does not act unseemly and
insubordinately.
Thomas Scott says,
It is happy and comely when harmony prevails in domestic life: when
the husband's authority is tempered with affection, and
unsuspecting confidence; when the wife answers that confidence with
deference and submission, as well as fidelity, and when each party
consults the other's inclinations, and both unite in attending on
the ordinances of God and supporting His cause.
But such happiness and harmony is attainable only as both husband and
wife seek grace from God to walk in obedience to His precepts, and as
family worship is duly maintained. If the wife suffers herself to be
influenced by the spirit which is now so common in the world and
refuses to own the lordship of her husband (1 Pet. 3:6), or if the
husband acts as a tyrant and bully by failing to love, nourish, and
cherish his wife (Eph. 5:25, 29) and "giving honor unto the wife, as
unto the weaker vessel" (1 Pet. 3:7), then the smile of God will be
forfeited, their prayers will be "hindered," and strife and misery
will prevail in the home.
"And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? it is neither new
moon nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well" (2 Kings 4:23).
While we admire her virtues, her husband appears in a much less
favorable light. His question might suggest that he was still ignorant
of the death of his son, yet that scarcely seems likely. If he had
made no inquiry about the child he must have been strangely lacking in
tender regard for him, and his wife's desire to undertake an arduous
journey at such a time ought to have informed him that some serious
emergency had arisen. It is difficult to escape the conclusion that
his language was more an expression of irritability, that he resented
being left alone in his grief. At any rate, his words served to throw
light upon another praiseworthy trait in his wife: that it was her
custom to attend the prophet's services on the feast days and the
sabbath. Though a great woman, she did not disdain those unpretentious
meetings on Mount Carmel. No genuine Christian, however wealthy or
high his station, will consider it beneath him to meet with his poorer
brethren and sisters.
Those words of her husband may be considered from another angle,
namely, as a further testing of her faith. Even where the deepest
affection exists between husband and wife, there is not always
spiritual equality, not even where they are one in the Lord. One may
steadily grow in grace while the other makes little or no progress.
One may enter more deeply into an experimental acquaintance with the
truth, which the other is incapable of understanding and discussing.
One may be given a much increased measure of faith without the other
being similarly blessed. None can walk by the faith of another, and it
is well for those of strong faith to remember that. Certainly there
was no cooperation of faith in this instance; the husband of our great
woman seemed to discourage rather than to encourage her. She might
have reasoned with herself, Perhaps this is an intimation from God
that I should not seek unto Elisha. But faith would argue, This is but
a further testing of me, and since my reliance is in the Lord, I will
neither be daunted nor deterred. It is by our reactions to such
testings that the reality and strength of our faith is made evident.
Faith must not expect a smooth and easy path.
"And she said, It shall be well." That was the language of firm and
unshaken confidence. "Then she saddled an ass, and said to her
servant, Drive and go forward, slack not thy riding for me, except I
bid thee"
(2 Kings 4:24). Her husband certainly does not shine here. Had he
discharged the duties of love, he would have undertaken this tiring
journey instead of his wife, or at the very least offered to accompany
her. But he would not exert himself enough to saddle the ass for her,
but left her to do that. How selfish many husbands are! How slack in
bearing or at least sharing their wives' burdens! Marriage is a
partnership or it is nothing except in name; and the man who allows
his wife to become a drudge and does little or nothing to make her lot
lighter and brighter in the home, is not worthy to be called
"husband." Nor is it sufficient reply to say, It is only lack of
thought on his part. Inconsiderateness and selfishness are synonymous
terms, for unselfishness consists largely in thoughtfulness of others.
The best that can be said for this man is that he did not actually
forbid his wife to start out for Carmel.
We know not how far distant Shunem was from Carmel, but it appears
that the journey was long and hard, in a mountainous country. But love
is not quenched by hardships, and faith is not rendered inoperative by
difficulties. And in the case of this mother, both of these graces
were operative within her. Love can brook no delay and thinks not of
personal discomfort, as her language to the servant shows. It is also
the nature of faith to be speedy and to look for quick results;
patience is a distinct virtue which is only developed by much hard
schooling. An intense earnestness possessed the soul of this woman,
and where such earnestness is joined with faith, it refuses all
denial. While our faith remains a merely mental and mechanical thing
it achieves nothing, but when it is intense and fervent it will
produce results. True, it requires a deep sense of need, often the
pressure of an urgent situation, to evoke this earnestness. That is
why faith flourishes most in times of stress and trial, for it then
has its most suitable opportunity to declare itself.
"So she went and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came
to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi
his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite" (2 Kings 4:25). There
are several things of importance to be noticed here. First, like his
predecessor, Elisha was the man of the mount (2 Kings 2:25),
symbolical of his spiritual elevation, his affections set upon things
above. Second, mark how he conducts himself: not in haughty pride of
fancied self-superiority. He did not wait for the woman to reach him,
but dispatched his servant to meet her, thereby evidencing his
solicitude. Third, was it not a gracious token from the Lord to cheer
her heart near the close of a trying journey? How tender are God's
mercies! Fourth, "that Shunammite" denotes either that she was the
only pious person in that place or that she so towered above her
brethren and sisters in spirituality that such an appellation was
quite sufficient for the purpose of identification.
"Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with
thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she
answered, It is well" (2 Kings 4:26). Incidentally, this shows that
younger men engaged in the Lord's service and occupying lowlier
positions are required to execute commissions from their seniors (cf.
2 Timothy 4:11-13). We do not regard the woman's "it is well" as
expressing her resignation to the sovereign will of God, but rather as
the language of trustful expectation. She seems to have had no doubt
whatever about the outcome of her errand. It appears to us that
throughout the whole of this incident, the great woman regarded the
death of her child as a trial of faith. Her "it is well" looked beyond
the clouds and anticipated the happy outcome. Surely we must exclaim,
Oh woman, great is thy faith. Yes, and great too was its reward, for
God never puts to confusion those who really count upon Him showing
Himself strong on their behalf. Let us not forget that this incident
is recorded for our learning and encouragement.
"And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by
the feet: but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God
said, Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the LORD
hath hid it from me, and hath not told me" (2 Kings 4:27). We are
reminded of the two women who visited the Lord's sepulcher and that He
eventually met them saying, "All hail. And they came and held him by
the feet, and worshipped him" (Matthew 28:9). In the case before us,
the great woman appears to have rightly viewed Elisha as the
ambassador of God, and to have humbly signified that she had a favor
to ask of him. In the rebuffing from Gehazi, we see how her faith met
with yet another trial. And then the Lord tenderly interposed through
His servant and rebuked the officious attendant. The Lord was
accustomed to reveal His secrets unto the prophets (Amos 3:7), but
until He did so they were as ignorant and as dependent upon Him as
others, as this incident plainly shows.
Here was still a further test of faith; the prophet himself was in the
dark, unprepared for her startling request. But the Lord has just as
good a reason for concealing as for revealing. In the case before us,
it is not difficult to perceive why He has withheld from Elisha all
knowledge of the child's death; He would have him learn from the
mother herself, and that, that she might avow her faith. "Then she
said, Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive
me?" (2 Kings 4:28). Those were powerful arguments to move Elisha to
act on her behalf. "As she did not impatiently desire children, she
could not think that her son had been given her, without solicitation,
merely to become the occasion of her far deeper distress" (Scott). The
second question evidenced that her dependence was entirely upon the
word of God through His servant. "However the providence of God may
disappoint us, we may be sure the promise of God never did, nor ever
will deceive us: hope in that will not make us ashamed" (Henry).
_________________________________________________________________
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|Contents
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About Us
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
SEVENTH MIRACLE--HIS MOTHER'S FAITH
Chapter 11
___________________________________
In the last chapter we dwelt, first, upon the occasion of this
miracle, namely, the death of the "great woman's" son. Second, we
considered the mystery of it. To all appearances, the child had been
quite well and full of life in the morning, yet by noon he was a
corpse. In this case such a disaster was doubly inexplicable, for the
son had been given to her by the divine bounty because of the kindness
she had shown to one of God's servants; and now, to carnal reason, it
looked as though He was dealing most unkindly with her. Furthermore,
the wonder-working power of God had been engaged in bestowing a son
upon her, and now this miracle was neutralized by his suddenly being
snatched away. Third, we expanded upon its expectation. It is
inexpressibly blessed to behold how this stricken mother reacted to
the seeming catastrophe; throughout the whole narrative it is made
evident that she regarded this affliction as a trial of her faith, and
grandly did her confidence in God triumph over it.
Fourth, the Means of the Miracle
"Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine
hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any
salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of
the child" (2 Kings 4:29). Some think the prophet believed that the
child was only in a swoon. Yet we can hardly conceive of the mother
leaving the boy under such circumstances; rather she would have sent a
message by one of her servants. Nor is it likely that Elisha's
instructions to the servant would be so peremptorily expressed if such
had been the case. Matthew Henry says "I know not what to make of
this." Another of the Puritans suggests that, "It was done out of pure
conceit, and not by Divine instinct, and therefore it failed of the
effect." Thomas Scott acknowledged, "It is difficult to determine what
the prophet meant by thus sending Gehazi." He had divided Jordan by
using Elijah's mantle, and perhaps he thought that the prophet's
design was to teach Gehazi a much needed lesson. However, this much
seems clear from the incident: no servant of God should delegate to
another that which it is his own duty to do.
"And the mother of the child said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul
liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her" (2
Kings 4:30). It is clear from her words that, whatever was or was not
the prophet's design in ordering his servant to hurry to where the
child lay, she regarded his action as another testing of her faith.
She evidently had no confidence in Gehazi, or in Elisha's staff as
such. She was not to be put off in this way. Her language was both
impressive and emphatic, signifying, "I swear that I will not return
home unless you come with me. The situation is desperate; my
expectation is in you, Elisha, as the Lord's ambassador, and I refuse
to take any no." Here we behold the boldness and perseverance of her
faith. Whether there was any unwillingness on Elisha's part to set out
on this journey, or whether he was only putting her to the test, we
cannot be sure; but such earnestness and importunity won the day and
now stirred the prophet to action.
"And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of
the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he went
again to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked" (2
Kings 4:31). Young's concordance gives "denier" as the meaning of the
name Gehazi. If the various references made to him are carefully
compared it will be seen that his character and conduct were all alike
and in keeping with his name.
Why Elisha should have had such a man for his personal attendant we
know not; yet in view of there being a Judas in the disciples, we need
not be unduly surprised. First, we see him seeking to officiously
thrust away the poor mother when she cast herself at his master's feet
(2 Kings 4:27). Here we note the absence of prayer unto the Lord, and
the nonsuccess of his efforts. Later, we find him giving expression to
selfish unbelief, a complete lack of confidence in the power of Elisha
(2 Kings 4:43). Finally, his avarice masters him and he lies to
Naaman, and is stricken with leprosy for his deception (2 Kings
5:20-27). Thus in the verse before us, we have a picture of the
unavailing efforts of an unregenerate minister, and his failure made
manifest to others.
"And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead,
laid upon his bed" (2 Kings 4:32). In previous paragraphs we have
dwelt much upon the remarkable faith of the child's mother. Yet we
must not allow it to so occupy our attention as to obscure the faith
of the prophet, for his was equally great. It was no ordinary demand
which was now made upon him, and only one who was intimately
acquainted with God would have met it as he did. The death of this
child was not only quite unexpected by him, but must have seemed
bewilderingly strange. Yet though he was in the dark as to the reason
of this calamity, he refused to accept it as final. The mother had
taken her stand upon the divine bounty and kindness, expecting an
outcome in keeping with God's grace toward her, and no doubt the
prophet now reasoned in the same way. Though he had never before been
faced with such a desperate situation, he knew that with God all
things are possible. The very fact that the dead child had been placed
upon his bed was a direct challenge to his faith, and nobly did he
meet it.
"He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed
unto the LORD" (2 Kings 4:33). We are not quite clear whether "them
twain" refers to himself and the child or to the mother, and Gehazi,
who had most probably accompanied him; but whichever it was, his
action in closing the door denoted his desire for privacy. The prophet
practiced what he preached to others. In the miracle recorded at the
beginning of chapter four, Elisha had bidden the widow "shut the door
upon" herself and her sons (2 Kings 4:4) so as to avoid ostentation,
and here Elisha follows the same course. Moreover, he was about to
engage the Lord in most urgent and special prayer, and that is
certainly something which calls for aloneness with God. The minister
of the gospel needs to be much on his guard on this point, precluding
everything which savors of advertising his piety like the Pharisees
did (see Matthew 6:5-6). Here, then, was the means of this miracle:
the unfaltering faith of the mother and now the faith of the prophet,
expressed in prayer unto his Master--acknowledging his own
helplessness, humbly but trustfully presenting the need to Him,
counting upon His almighty power and goodness.
Fifth, the Procedure of the Miracle
"And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his
mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes,... and the flesh of the child waxed
warm" (2 Kings 4:34). The means used by the prophet and the policy he
followed are so closely linked together that they merge into one
another without any break, the faith of Elisha finding expression in
prayer. Considering the extraordinary situation here, how that act of
the prophet's serves to demonstrate that he was accustomed to count
upon God in times of emergency, to look for wondrous blessings from
Him in response to his supplications. He was fully persuaded nothing
was too hard for Jehovah and therefore no petition too large to
present unto him. The more faith looks to the infinite power and
all-sufficiency of the One with whom it has to do, the more is He
honored. Next, the prophet stretched himself on the body of the little
one, which was expressive of his deep affection for him and his
intense longing for the lad's restoration, as though he would
communicate his own life and thereby revive him.
Those who are familiar with the life and miracles of Elijah will at
once be struck with the likeness between Elisha's actions here and the
conduct of his predecessor on a similar occasion. In fact so close is
the resemblance between them, it is evident the one was patterned
after that of the other--showing how closely the man of God must keep
to the scripture model if he would be successful in the divine
service. First, Elijah had taken the lifeless child of the Zarephath
widow, carried him upstairs, and laid him on his own bed, thereby
preventing any human eyes from observing what transpired. Next, he
"cried unto the Lord" and then "he stretched himself upon the child"
(1 Kings 17:19-21). In addition to what had been pointed out in the
previous paragraph, we believe this stretching of the prophet on the
one for whom he prayed signified an act of identification, and it was
a proof that he was putting his whole soul into the work of
supplication. If we are to prevail in interceding for another, we must
make his or her case ours, taking his need or burden upon our own
spirit, and then spreading it before God.
"Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro" (2 Kings 4:35).
Let it be noted that even the prayer of an Elisha did not meet with an
immediate and full answer. Why then should we be so soon disheartened
when heaven appears to be tardy in responding to our crying! God is
sovereign in this, as in everything else; by this we mean that He does
not deal uniformly with us. Sometimes our request is answered
immediately, at the first time of asking, but often He calls for
perseverance and persistence, requiring us to wait patiently for Him.
We have seen how many rebuffs the faith of the mother met with, and
now the faith of the prophet is tested too. It is true that he had
been granted an encouragement by the waxing warm of the child's
body--as the Lord is pleased to often give us "a token for good" (Ps.
86:17) before the full answer is received; but as yet there was no
sign of returning consciousness, and the form of the little one still
lay silent and inert before him. And that also has been recorded for
our instruction.
"Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up,
and stretched himself upon him" (2 Kings 4:35). This pacing up and
down seems to denote a measure of mental perturbation, for the
prophets were "subject to like passions as we are" (James 5:17) and
compassed with the same infirmities. But even if Elisha was now at his
wit's end, he did not give way to despair and regard the situation as
hopeless. No, he continued clinging to Him who is the giver of every
good and perfect gift, and again stretched himself upon the child. Let
us take this important lesson to heart and put it into practice, for
it is at this point so many fail. It is the perseverance of faith
which wins the day (see Matthew 7:7).
Scott has pointed out,
It is instructive to compare the manner in which Elijah and Elisha
wrought their miracles, especially in raising the dead, with that
of Jesus Christ. Every part of their conduct expressed a
consciousness of inability and an entire dependence upon Another,
and earnest supplication for His intervention; but Jesus wrought by
His own power: He spake, and it was done: "Young man, I say unto
thee arise; Talitha cumi; Lazarus come forth."
In all things He has the preeminence.
Sixth, the Marvel of the Miracle
The marvel of this was nothing less than the quickening of the child,
the restoring of "a dead body to life" (2 Kings 8:5). After the
prophet had again stretched himself upon the child, we are told that
"the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes" (2
Kings 4:35). See how ready God is to respond to the exercise of real
faith in Himself! In this case neither the mother nor the prophet had
any definite or even indefinite promise they could plead, for the Lord
had not said the child should be preserved in health or recovered if
he fell ill. But though they had no promise, they laid hold of the
known character of God. Since He had given the child unasked, Elisha
did not believe He would now withdraw His gift and leave his
benefactress worse off than she was before. Elisha knew that with the
Lord there is "no variableness, neither shadow of turning" (James
1:17), and he clung to that. True, it makes prayer easier when there
is some specific promise we can claim, yet it is a higher order of
faith that lays hold of God Himself.
There was no promise that God would pardon a penitent murderer, and no
sacrifice was appointed for such a sin, yet David appealed not in vain
to the multitude of His tender mercies (Ps. 51:1).
"And the child opened his eyes" (2 Kings 4:35). See what a
prayer-hearing, prayer-answering God is ours! Hopeless as our case may
be so far as all human aid is concerned, it is not too hard for the
Lord. But we must "ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that
wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed,"
and therefore is it added, "Let not that man think that he shall
receive anything from the Lord" (Jam. 1:6-7). No, rather it is the one
who declares with Jacob, "I will not let thee go, except thou bless
me" (Gen. 32:26) who obtains his request. What must have been Elisha's
delight when he saw the child revive and obtained this further
experience of God's grace in answer to his petition, delivering him
from his grief! How great must have been his joy as he called for
Gehazi and bade him summon the mother, and when he said to her, "Take
up thy son!" Blessed is it to behold her silent gratitude--too full
for words--as she "fell at his feet," and in worship to God, "bowed
herself to the ground." Then, she "took up her son, and went out" (2
Kings 4:37), to get alone with God and pour out her heart in
thanksgiving to Him.
Seventh, the Meaning of the Miracle
Some help is obtained here by noting that this passage opens with the
connective conjunction (2 Kings 4:18). That "And" not only intimates
the continuity of the narrative and notes a striking contrast between
the two principal divisions of it, but it also indicates there is an
intimate relation between them. As we have pointed out on previous
occasions, the word "and" is used in Scripture sometimes with the
purpose of linking two things together, but at other times with the
object of placing two objects or incidents in juxtaposition in order
to display the contrasts between them. In the present instance it
appears to be used for both reasons. As we hope to show, light is
thrown on the typical significance of this miracle by carefully noting
how it is immediately linked to the one preceding it. When we look at
the respective incidents described, we are at once struck with the
antitheses presented. In the former we behold Elisha journeying to
Shunem; in the latter it is the woman who goes to him herself. First,
it was the woman befriending the prophet; here he is seen befriending
her. Previously a son is miraculously given to her; in this he is
taken away.
The typical meaning of that does not appear on the surface, and
therefore it will not be a simple matter for us to make it clear to
the reader. Only the regenerate will be able to follow us
intelligently, for they alone have experienced spiritually that which
is here set forth figuratively. That which is outstanding in this
incident is the mysteriousness of it: that a child should be
miraculously given to this woman, and then that the hand of death
should be laid upon him! That was not only a sore trial to the poor
mother, but a most perplexing providence. To carnal reason it seemed
as though God was mocking her. But is there not also something equally
tragic, equally baffling, in the experience of the Christian? In the
previous miracle we were shown a picture of the fruit of redemption,
and here death appears to be written on that fruit. Ah, my reader, let
it be clearly understood that we are as dependent upon God for the
maintenance of that fruit as we were for the actual gift of it.
And what is the "fruit of redemption" as it applies to the individual?
From the side which looks Godward: reconciliation, justification,
sanctification, preservation. But from the selfward side, what a list
might be drawn up. Peace, joy, assurance, fellowship with God and His
people, delight in His Word, liberty in prayer, separation from the
world, affections set upon things above. Oh the inexpressible
sweetness of our "espousals" (Jer. 2:2) and of our "first love" (Rev.
2:4). But, in many cases, how soon is that joy dampened and that love
is left! How wretched then is the soul; like Rachel mourning for her
children, we refused to be comforted. How sore the perplexity! How
Satan seeks to take advantage and persuade such an one that God has
ceased to be gracious. How strange that such a blight should have
fallen upon the fruit of the spirit! How deeply mysterious the
deadness which now rests upon the garden of God's planting, causing
the soul to say with the poet,
Where is the blessedness I knew
When first I saw the Lord;
Where is the soul-refreshing view
Of Jesus and His Word?
What peaceful hours I once enjoyed!
How sweet their memory still,
But now I feel an aching void
The world can never fill.
Yes, it does indeed seem inexplicable that the child of God's own
workmanship should pine away, and in a sense, lie cold and lifeless.
Ah, but we must not stop there. We must not sit down in despair and
conclude that all is lost. The incident before us does not end at that
point; the death of the child was not the final thing! There is "good
hope" for us here, important instruction to heed. That "great woman"
did not give away to dejection and assume that all hope was gone. Very
far from it. And if the Christian who is aware of spiritual decays, of
languishing graces, of his dire need of being renewed in the inner
man, would experience a gracious reviving, then he should emulate this
mother and do as she did. And again we would point out that she did
not faint in the day of trouble and indulge in self-pity; she did not
bemoan her helplessness and say, What can I do in the presence of
death? And if she did not, why should you!
Mark attentively what this stricken woman did. (1) She regarded this
inexplicable and painful event as a testing of her faith, and she
acted accordingly. (2) She moved promptly. Without delay she carried
the child upstairs and laid him on the prophet's bed, in anticipation
of the Lord's showing Himself strong on her behalf. (3) She vigorously
bestirred herself, going to some trouble in order to obtain relief,
starting out on an arduous journey. (4) She refused to be deterred
when her own husband half-discouraged her. (5) She sought the One who
had promised the son in the first instance. The soul must turn to God
and cry "quicken thou me according to thy word" (Ps. 119:25). (6) She
clung to the original promise and refused to believe that God had
ceased to be gracious (2 Kings 4:28). (7) She declined to be put off
by the unavailing intervention of an unregenerate minister (2 Kings
4:29-30). (8) She persisted in counting upon the power of Elisha, who
was to her the representative of God. And gloriously was her faith
rewarded.
Regarding the illustrative value of this miracle in connection with
Elisha himself, it teaches us the following points. (1) The servant of
God must not be surprised if those in whose conversion he has been
instrumental should later experience a spiritual decay, especially
when he is absent from them. (2) If he would be used to their
restoration, no half measures will avail, nor may he entrust the work
to a delegate. (3) Believing, expectant, fervent prayer, must be his
first recourse. (4) In seeking to revive a languishing soul, he must
descend to the level of the one to whom he ministers (2 Kings 4:34)
and not stand as on some pedestal, as though he were a superior being.
(5) He must not be discouraged because there is not an immediate and
complete response to his efforts, but should persevere. (6) No cold
and formal measures will suffice; he must throw himself into this work
heart and soul. (7) The order of recovery was: renewed circulation (2
Kings 4:34), sneezing, eyes opened. We can draw a three-fold
application here for the steps of spiritual renewal: the affections
warmed, the head cleared (understanding restored), vision.
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
EIGHTH MIRACLE--MEAL-HEALED POTTAGE
Chapter 12
___________________________________
The Passage which is before us (2 Kings 4:38-41) has in it practical
instruction as well as spiritual lessons for us, for the Scriptures
make known the evils and dangers which are in this world as well as
the glory and bliss of the world to come. Elisha was visiting the
school of the prophets at Gilgal, instructing them in the things of
God. At the close of a meeting he gave orders that a simple meal
should be prepared for them; for though he was more concerned about
their spiritual welfare, he did not overlook their physical. It was a
time of "dearth" or famine, so one went out into the field to gather
herbs, that they might have a vegetable stew. He found a wild vine
with gourds. Securing a goodly quantity, he returned and shred them
into the pot of pottage, quite unconscious that he was making use of a
poisonous plant. Not until after the broth was poured out was the
peril discovered, for when they began eating the men cried out, "There
is death in the pot." How little we realize the many and varied forms
in which death menaces us, and how constantly we are indebted to the
preserving providence of God.
The effects of the curse which the Lord God pronounced upon the sin of
Adam have been by no means confined unto the human family. "Cursed is
the ground for thy sake" (Gen. 3:17) was part of the fearful sentence,
and as Romans 8:22 informs us, "The whole creation groaneth and
travaileth in pain together until now." No matter where one looks, the
observant eye can behold the consequences of the fall. No section of
creation has escaped; even the fields and the woods bring forth not
only thistles and thorns, but that which is noxious and venomous. Some
of the most innocent-looking herbs and berries produce horrible
suffering and death if eaten by man or beast. Yet for the most part,
in fact with rare exceptions, God has mercifully provided adequate
protection against such evils. The instinct of the animals and the
intelligence of men causes each of them to leave alone that which is
harmful. Either the eye discovers, the nostril detects, or the palate
perceives their evil qualities, and thereby we are guarded against
them.
It scarcely needs to be pointed out that what we have alluded to above
in the material world suggests that which we find in the religious
realm. Among that which is offered for intellectual and spiritual
food, how much is unwholesome and vicious. The fields of Christendom
have many "wild gourds" growing in them, the use of which necessarily
entails "death in the pot," for fatal doctrine acts upon the soul as
poison does upon the body. This is clear from that apostolic
declaration, "Their word will eat as doth a canker" or "gangrene" (2
Tim. 2:17), where the reference is to the evil doctrine of heretical
teachers. But just as God has mercifully endowed the animals with
instincts and man with sufficient natural intelligence to avoid what
is physically injurious, so He has graciously bestowed upon His people
spiritual "senses" which, if exercised, "discern both good and evil"
(Heb. 5:14). Thus they instinctively warn against unsound writings and
preachers, so that "a stranger will they not follow, but will flee
from him: for they know not the voice of strangers" (John 10:5).
The mercy of the Creator appears not only in the protecting "senses"
with which He has endowed His creatures, but also in providing them
with suitable remedies and effective antidotes. If there be herbs
which are injurious and poisonous, there are others which are
counteracting and healing. If the waters of Marah are bitter and
undrinkable, there is a tree at hand which when cut down and cast into
the waters renders them sweet (Ex. 15:25). If we read at the beginning
of the Scriptures of a tree the eating of whose fruit involved our
race in disaster and death, before that volume is closed we are told
of another tree, the leaves of which are "for the healing of the
nations" (Rev. 22:2). This fact, then, holds good in both the physical
and the spiritual realms: for every evil, God has provided a remedy,
for every poison an antidote, for every false doctrine a portion of
the truth which exposes and refutes it. With these introductory
observations, we may now consider the details of Elisha's eighth
miracle.
First, the Location of the Miracle
"And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land"
(2 Kings 4:38). It will be remembered that it was from this place that
Elisha had started out with his master on their final journey together
before Elijah was raptured to heaven (2 Kings 2:1), where his
sincerity had been put to the proof by the testing, "Tarry here, I
pray thee." From Gilgal they had passed to Bethel (2 Kings 2:2), and
from there to Jericho, and finally to the Jordan. It is striking to
note that our hero wrought a miracle at each of these places in
inverse order of the original journey. At the Jordan he had divided
its waters so that he passed over dry-shod before the wondering gaze
of the young prophets (2 Kings 2:14-15). At Jericho he had healed the
evil waters (2 Kings 2:19-22). At Bethel he had cursed the profane
children in the name of the Lord and brought about their destruction
(2 Kings 2:23-25). And now here at Gilgal Elisha again exercises the
extraordinary powers with which God had endowed him. Wherever he goes,
the servant of God should, as opportunity affords, use his ministerial
gifts.
"And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land"
(2 Kings 4:38). Gilgal was to the east of Jericho, close to the
Jordan, where there would be more moisture and vegetation than further
inland. It was a place made memorable from the early history of
Israel. It was there that the nation had set up twelve stones as a
monument to God's gracious intervention, when He had caused them to
pass through the river dry-shod (Josh. 4:18-24). It was there too that
they had circumcised those who had been born in the wilderness
wanderings, thereby rolling away the reproach of Egypt from off them.
This evidenced their separation from the heathen, as being God's
peculiar people, who made the circumcision of the heart (Jer. 4:4;
Romans 2:29), which is the distinguishing mark of God's spiritual
children. It was there also that they had first partaken of "the old
corn of the land" (Josh. 5:11) so that miraculous supplies of manna
ceased. Yet even such a favored spot as this was affected by the
dearth, for great wickedness had also been perpetrated there (1 Sam.
15:21-23 and cf. Hosea 9:15).
Second, the Occasion of the Miracle
"There was a dearth in the land." The Hebrew word for "dearth" (raab)
signifies a famine, and is so rendered in 1 Kings 18:2. This is one of
the "four sore judgments" which the Lord sends when He expresses His
displeasure against a people: "the sword, and the famine, and the
noisome beast, and the pestilence" (Ezek. 14:21). In our day the
"famine" with which a righteous God afflicts a land is one far more
solemn and serious than that of dearth of material food, as that
threatened in Amos 8:11: "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD,
that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a
thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD." Such a
"famine" is upon Christendom today. It has not yet become quite
universal, but almost so. Thousands of places dedicated to divine
worship have become social centers, political clubs, ritualistic
playhouses, and today they are heaps of rubble. The vast majority of
those still standing provide nothing for people desiring spiritual
food, and even in the very few where the Word of God is ostensibly
ministered, it is no longer so in the power and blessing of the
Spirit. It is this which gives such pertinence to our present passage.
"And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land;
and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him" (2 Kings 4:38).
What a blessed and beautiful conjunction of things was this. How
instructive for the under-shepherd of Christ and for His sheep in a
day like this. Though God was acting in judgment, the prophet did not
consider that that warranted him ceasing his labors until conditions
became more favorable. So far from it, he felt it was a time when he
should do all in his power to "strengthen the things that remain, that
are ready to die" (Rev. 3:2), and encourage those who are liable to
give way to dejection because of the general apostasy. "Preach the
word; be instant in season, out of season" (2 Tim. 4:2) is the
injunction which God has laid upon His ministers. In seasons of
"dearth" the servant of Christ needs to be particularly attentive to
the spiritual needs of young believers, instructing them in the
holiness and righteousness of a sin-hating God when His scourge is
upon the nation; and also making known His faithfulness and
sufficiency unto "His own" in the darkest hour, reminding them that
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Ps.
46:1).
See here what a noble example Elisha has left those called by God to
engage in proclaiming His truth. The prophet was not idle; he did not
wait for needy souls to come to him, but took the initiative and went
to them. Times of national distress and calamity do not exempt any
from the discharge of spiritual duties nor justify any slackness in
employing the appointed means of grace. Nor did these "sons of the
prophets" raise the objection that Elisha sought them at an
inopportune time and make the excuse they must busy themselves looking
after their temporal interests. No, they gladly availed themselves of
their golden opportunity, making the most of it by attentively
listening to the instructions of Elisha. Their "sitting before him"
showed respect and attentiveness. It reminds us of Mary who "sat at
Jesus' feet, and heard his word" (Luke 11:39), which Christ designated
that "good part," the one thing "needful" (Luke 11:42). And though
many today no longer may hear the Word preached, they can still sit
and read it. Be thankful for the printed page, if it contains that
which strengthens faith and promotes closer walking with God.
Third, the Beneficiaries of the Miracle
"And he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe [boil
or concoct] pottage for the sons of the prophets" (2 Kings 4:38). The
order of action in this verse is significant, for it shows how the
needs of the soul take precedence over those of the body. Elisha saw
to it that they had spiritual food set before them before arranging
for material food. On the other hand, the prophet did not conduct
himself as a fanatic and disdain their temporal needs. Here, as
everywhere in Scripture, the balance is rightly preserved. Attention
to and enjoyment of fellowship with God must never be allowed to crowd
out the discharge of those duties pertaining to the common round of
life. As Christ thought of and ministered to the bodily needs of the
hungry multitudes after He had broken unto them the bread of life, so
His servant here was concerned about the physical well-being of these
students: a plain and simple meal in either case; in the one, bread
and fish; in the other, vegetable stew.
"And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild
vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and
shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not" (2 Kings
4:39). Apparently this person took it upon himself to go out and
gather herbs in the field; no doubt his intention was good, but so far
as the narrative is concerned, it records no commission from Elisha to
act thus--a clear case where the best intentions do not warrant us to
act unless we have a definite word from God, and to use only those
means He has appointed. It is possible this person may have returned
thanks to God when his eye fell upon those gourds and felt that his
steps had been directed by Him to the place where they were growing.
If so, we have a warning how easily we may misunderstand the divine
providences when we are acting in self-will and interpret them in a
way which justifies and apparently sanctifies the course we have
taken. When Jonah fled from the command the Lord had given him, to
"flee unto Tarshish" and went down to Joppa, he "found a ship going"
to that very place (Jon. 1:3)!
Seasons of "death" are peculiarly dangerous ones. Why so? Because in
times of famine, food is scarce, and, because there is less to select
from, we are very apt to be less particular and act on the principle
of "beggars cannot be choosers." Certainly there is a warning here to
be careful about what we eat at such times, and especially of that
which grows wild. The Hebrew word here rendered "wild" means
uncultivated, and is generally connected with "wild beasts," which
were not only ceremonially unclean under the Mosaic law but unfit for
human consumption. It is to be duly noted that there was a plentiful
supply of these "wild gourds" even though there was a "dearth" in the
land. So it is spiritually; when there is a "famine" of hearing the
words of the Lord, Satan sees to it that there is no shortage of
spurious food. Witness the number of tracts from cultists and
pornographic booklets which are so freely circulated, to say nothing
of the vile literature in which the things of God are openly derided.
Yet though these gourds were "wild," they must have borne a close
resemblance to wholesome ones; or he who gathered them would not have
been deceived by them, nor would it be said of those who stood by
while he shred them into the pot of pottage that "they knew them not."
This too has a spiritual counterpart, as the enemy's "tares" sown
among the wheat intimates. Satan is a subtle imitator. Not only does
he transform himself "into an angel of light" but his "deceitful
workers" transform themselves "into the apostles of Christ" (2 Cor.
11:13-14). They come preaching Jesus and His gospel, but as the Holy
Spirit warns us, it is "another Jesus" and "another gospel" than the
genuine one (2 Cor. 11:4). Those who looked on while this person was
shredding the wild gourds into the pot raised no objection, for they
were quite unsuspicious, instead of carefully examining what they were
to eat. What point this gives to the apostolic exhortation, "Prove all
things; hold fast that which is good" (1 Thess. 5:21); and if we
refuse to do so, who is to blame when we devour that which is
injurious?
Fourth, the Necessity of the Miracle
"So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they
were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man
of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof" (2
Kings 4:40). It was not until the eleventh hour that they discovered
their peril, for the deadly danger of these "wild gourds" was not
exposed until they had begun eating them; not only had the gourds'
appearance deceived them, but they had no offensive or suspicious odor
while cooking. The case was particularly subtle, for seemingly it was
one of their own number who had gathered the poisonous herbs. Ah, note
how the apostle commended the Bereans for carefully bringing his
teaching to the test of Holy Writ (Acts 17:11). Much more do we need
to do so with the preachings and writings of uninspired men. We need
to "consider diligently" what is set before us by each ecclesiastical
ruler (Prov. 23:1 and cf. Matthew 24:45), for though they be
"dainties" and "sweet words," yet they may be "deceitful meat" (Prov.
23:2, 8). How we need to make Psalm 141:4 our prayer!
It was when the sons of the prophets began to eat the pottage that
they discovered its deadly character. Ah, my reader, are you able to
discriminate between what is helpful to the soul and what is harmful?
Is your spiritual palate able to detect error from truth, Satan's
poison from "the sincere [pure] milk of the word?" Do you really
endeavor so to do, or are you lax in this matter? "Hear my words, O ye
wise men, and give ear unto me, ye that have knowledge. For the ear
trieth words, as the mouth tasteth meat" (Job 34:2-3). But let us not
miss the moral link between what is said in 2 Kings 4:40 and that
which was before us in verse 38. It was those who had just previously
been sitting at the feet of Elisha who now discovered the poisonous
nature of these gourds. Is not the lesson plain and recorded for our
learning? It is those who are instructed by the true servant of God
who have most spiritual discernment and better judgment than others
not so favored. Then "take heed what ye hear" (Mark 4:24) and what ye
read.
Fifth, the Nature of the Miracle
"They cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the
pot. And they could not eat thereof." What made them aware of their
peril we know not. Nor is the child of God always conscious of it when
some secret repression or unseen hand prevents him from gratifying his
curiosity and turns his feet away from some synagogue of Satan where
there is "death in the pot" being served in that place. Have not all
genuine Christians cause to say with the apostle, "Who delivered us
from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will
yet deliver us" (2 Cor. 1:10). From that pot of death., Elisha, under
God, delivered them.
Sixth, the Means of the Miracle
"But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he
said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no
harm [or `evil thing'] in the pot" (2 Kings 4:41). The "meal" we
regard as the Word of God: either the written or the personal Word.
One of the great types of Christ is seen in the meat (i.e., meal)
offering of Leviticus 2. It is only by the Word we are safeguarded
from evil. See how graciously God provided for "His own." Though there
was a "dearth in the land," yet these sons of the prophets were not
without "meal"! How thankful we should be for the Word of God in our
homes in such a day as this. Though someone else fetched the meal, "he
[Elisha] cast it into the pot"!
Seventh, the Meaning of the Miracle
Much of this has been intimated in what has already been pointed out.
Let it not be overlooked that verse 38 of 2 Kings 4, begins with
"And": after a reviving, be careful where you go for your food! If you
are suspicious of the soundness of a religious publication, take
counsel of a competent "man of God." Let not a time of spiritual
"dearth" render you less careful of what you feed upon. In seasons of
famine the servant of God should be diligent in seeking to strengthen
the hands of young believers. Only by making the Word of God our
constant guide shall we be delivered from the evils surrounding us.
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
NINTH MIRACLE--TWENTY LOAVES OF BARLEY
Chapter 13
___________________________________
It Seems Strange so few have perceived that a miracle is recorded in 2
Kings 4:42-44, for surely a careful reading of those verses makes it
evident that they describe the wonder-working power of the Lord. How
else can we explain the feeding of so many with such a little and then
a surplus remaining? It is even more strange that scarcely any appear
to have recognized that we have here a most striking foreshadowment of
the only miracle wrought by the Lord Jesus which is narrated by all
the four evangelists, namely, His feeding of the multitude from a few
loaves and fishes. In all of our reading, we have not only never come
across a sermon thereon, but so far as memory serves, not so much as a
quotation from or allusion to this striking passage. Thomas Scott
dismisses the incident with a single paragraph, and though Matthew
Henry is a little fuller, he too says nothing about the supernatural
character of it. We wonder how many of our readers, before turning to
this article, could have answered the question, Where in the Old
Testament is described the miracle of the feeding of a multitude
through the hands of a man?
First, the Occasion of the Miracle
Though there was a "dearth [famine] in the land" (2 Kings 4:38) yet we
learn from the first verse of our passage that it was not a total or
universal one: some barley had been grown in Baal-shalisha. In this we
may perceive how in wrath the Lord remembers mercy. Even where the
crops of an entire country are a complete failure--an exceedingly
exceptional occurrence--there is always food available in adjoining
lands. Therein we behold an exemplification of God's goodness and
faithfulness. He declared, "While the earth remaineth, seedtime and
harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night
shall not cease" (Gen. 8:22). Though more than four thousand years
have passed since then, each returning one has furnished clear
evidence of the fulfillment of that promise--a demonstration both of
the divine veracity and of God's continuous regulation of the affairs
of earth. As we have said, it is very rare for there to be a total
failure of the crops in arty single country, for as the Lord declares,
"I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon
another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereon it
rained not withered" (Amos 4:7).
Second, the Contributor to the Miracle
"And there came a man from Baal-shalisha, and brought the man of God
bread of the firstfruits" (2 Kings 4:42). Let us begin by observing
how naturally and artlessly the conduct of this unnamed man is
introduced. Here was one who had a heart for the Lord's servant in a
time of need, who thought of him in this season of scarcity and
distress, and who went to some trouble to minister to him. Shalisha
adjoined Mount Ephraim (1 Sam. 9:4), and probably a journey of
considerable distance had to be taken in order to reach the prophet.
Ah, but there was more behind this man's action than meets the eye; we
must look deeper if we are to discover the springs of his deed. It is
written, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD" (Ps.
37:23). And thus it was in the case before us. This man now befriended
Elisha because God had worked in him "both to will and to do of his
good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13). It is only by comparing scripture with
scripture we can discover the fullness of meaning in any verse.
Before passing on let us pause and make application to ourselves of
the truth to which attention has just been called. It has an important
bearing on each of us, and one which needs to be emphasized in this
day of practical atheism. The whole trend of things in our evil
generation is to be so occupied with what are termed "the laws of
Nature," that the operations of the Creator are lost sight of; man and
his doings are so eulogized and deified that the hand of God in
providence is totally obscured. It should be otherwise with the saint.
When some friend comes and ministers to your need, while being
grateful to him, look above him and his kindness to the One who has
sent him. I may pray, "Give us this day our daily bread" and then,
because I am so absorbed with secondary causes and the instruments
which He may employ, fail to see my Father's hand as He graciously
answers my petition. God is the giver of everything temporal as well
as spiritual, even though He uses human agents in the conveying of
them.
"And there came a man from Baal-shalisha." This town was originally
called "Shalisha" but the evil power exerted by Jezebel had stamped
upon it the name of her false god, as was the case with other places
(cf. "Baal-hermon," 1 Chronicles 5:23). But even in this seat of
idolatry there was at least one who feared the Lord, who was regulated
by His law, and who had a heart for His servant. This should be a
comfort to the saints in a time of such fearful and widespread
declension as now prevails. However dark things may get, and we
believe they will yet become much darker before there is any
improvement, God will preserve to Himself a remnant. He always has,
and He always will. In the antediluvian world there was a Noah, who by
grace was upright in his generations and walked with God. In Egypt,
when the name of Jehovah was unknown among the Hebrews, a Moses was
raised up, who refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. So
now there is one here and there as a voice in the wilderness. Though
the name of this man from Shalisha is not given, we doubt not it is
inscribed in the Book of Life.
"And there came a man from Baal-shalisha, and brought the man of God
bread of the firstfruits." Again we point out that there is more here
than meets the careless eye or is obvious to the casual glance. Other
passages which make mention of the "firstfruits" must be compared if
we are to learn the deeper meaning of what is here recorded and
discover that this man's action was something more than one of
thoughtfulness and kindness to Elisha. "The first of the firstfruits
of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the LORD thy God" (Ex.
23:19, 34:26). The "firstfruits," then, belonged to the Lord, being an
acknowledgment both of His goodness and proprietorship; a fuller and
very beautiful passage is found in Deuteronomy 26:1-11. From Numbers
18:8-13 we learn that these became the portion of the priests.
"Whatsoever is first ripe in the land, which they [the people] shall
bring unto the LORD, shall be thine [Aaron's and his sons]; every one
that is clean in thine house shall eat of it" (Num. 18:13). The same
holds good in the rebuilt temple. "The first of all the firstfruits...
shall be the priest's" (Ezek. 44:30).
This man from Shalisha then, was, in principle, acting in obedience to
the divine law. We say "in principle," because it was enjoined that
the firstfruits should be taken into "the house of the LORD" and that
they became the priest's portion. But this man belonged to the kingdom
of Israel and not of Judah; he lived in Samaria and had no access to
Jerusalem, and even had he gone there, entrance to the temple had been
forbidden. In Samaria there were none of the priests of the Lord, only
those of Baal. But though he rendered not obedience to the letter, he
certainly did so to the spirit, for he recognized that these
firstfruits were not for his own use; and though Elisha was not a
priest he was a prophet, a servant of the Lord. It is for this reason,
we believe, that it is said he brought the firstfruits not to "Elisha"
but to "the man of God." That designation occurs first in Deuteronomy
33:1 in connection with Moses, and is descriptive not of his character
but of his office--one wholly devoted to God, his entire time spent in
His service. In the Old Testament it is applied only to the prophets
and extraordinary teachers (1 Sam. 2:27, 9:6; 1 Kings 17:18); but in
the New Testament it seems to belong to all of God's servants (1 Tim.
6:11; 2 Tim. 3:17).
What has been pointed out above should throw light on a problem which
is now troubling many conscientious souls and which should provide
comfort in these evil days. The situation of many of God's people is
now much like that which prevailed when our present incident occurred.
It was a time of apostasy, when everything was out of order. Such is
the present case of Christendom. It is the clear duty of God's people
to render obedience to the letter of His Word wherever that is
possible; but when it is not, they may do so in spirit. Daniel and his
fellow Hebrews could not observe the Passover feast in Babylon, and no
doubt that was a sore grief to them. But that very grief signified
their desire to observe it, and in such cases God accepts the will for
the deed. For many years past, this writer and his wife have been
unable to conscientiously celebrate the Lord's supper; yet (by grace)
we do so in spirit, by remembering the Lord's death for His people in
our hearts and minds. "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves
together" (Heb. 10:25) is very far from meaning that the sheep of
Christ should attend a place where the "goats" predominate, or where
their presence would sanction what is dishonoring to their Master.
Before passing on, we should point out another instructive and
encouraging lesson here for the humble saint. This man from Shalisha,
acting in the spirit of God's law, journeying with his firstfruits to
where Elisha was, could have had no thought in his mind that by this
action he was going to be a contributor to a remarkable miracle. Yet
such was actually the case, for those very loaves of his became the
means, by the wonder-working power of God, of feeding a large company
of people. And this is but a single illustration of a principle which,
under the government of God, is of frequent occurrence, as probably
most of us have witnessed. Ah, my reader, we never know how
far-reaching may be the effects and what fruits may issue for eternity
from the most inconspicuous act done for God's glory or for the good
of one of His people. How often has some obscure Christian, in the
kindness of his heart, done something or given something which God has
been pleased to bless and multiply in a manner and to an extent which
never entered his (or her) mind.
"And brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of
barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof." How it appears
that it delighted the Holy Spirit to describe this offering in detail.
Bearing in mind that a time of serious "dearth" then prevailed, may we
not see in the varied nature of this gift thoughtfulness and
consideration on the part of him that made it. Had the whole of it
been made up in the form of "loaves," some of it might have become
moldy before the whole of it was eaten. At best it would need to be
consumed quickly; to obviate that, part of the barley was brought in
the husk. On the other hand, had all been brought in the ear, time
would be required for the grinding and baking, and in the meanwhile
the prophet might be famished and fainting. By such a division, both
disadvantages were prevented. From the whole, we are taught that in
making gifts to another or in ministering to his needs we should
exercise care in seeing that it is in a form best suited to his
requirements. The application of this principle pertains to spiritual
things as well as temporal.
Third, the Generosity of the Miracle
Before noting the use to which Elisha put this offering, let us
observe that gifts sometimes come from the most unexpected quarters.
Had this man come from Bethel or Shunem there would be no occasion for
surprise, but that one from Baal-shalisha should bring God's servant
an offering of his firstfruits was certainly not to be looked for. Ah,
does not each of God's servants know something of this experience! If
on the one hand some on whose cooperation he had reason to count,
failed and disappointed him, others who were strangers befriended him.
More than once or twice have the writer and his wife had this pleasant
surprise. We cherish their memory, while seeking to forget the
contrasting ones. Joseph might be envied and mistreated by his
brethren, but he found favor in the eyes of Potiphar. Moses may be
despised by the Hebrews, but he received kindly treatment in the house
of Jethro. Rather than have Elijah starve by the brook Cherith, the
Lord commanded the ravens to feed him. Our supplies are sure, though
at times they may come from strange quarters.
"And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat" (2 Kings 4:42).
In the preceding miracle this same trait is manifest: nothing is there
said of Elisha partaking of the pottage, nor even of the young
prophets in his charge, but rather "the people." Such liberality will
not go unrewarded by God, for He has promised "Give, and it shall be
given unto you" (Luke 6:38). Such was the case here, for the very next
thing recorded after his "Pour out for the people that they may eat"
(2 Kings 4:41) is the receiving of these twenty loaves. And what use
does he now make of them? His first thought was not for himself, but
for others. We must not conclude from the silence of this verse that
the prophet failed either to perceive the hand of God in this gift or
that he neglected to return thanks unto Him. Had the Scriptures given
a full and detailed account of such matters, they would run into many
volumes. According to the law of analogy we are justified in
concluding that he did both. Moreover, what follows shows plainly that
his mind was stayed upon the Lord.
The situation which confronted Elisha is one that in principle has
often faced God's people. What the Lord gives to one is not to be used
selfishly but is to be shared with others. Yet sometimes we are in the
position that what is on hand does not appear sufficient for that
purpose. My supply may be scanty and the claims of a growing family
have to be met. If I contribute to the Lord's cause and minister to
His servants and people, may not my little ones go hungry? Here is
where the exercise of faith comes in. Lay hold of such promises as
Luke 6:38 and 2 Corinthians 9:8; act on them and you shall prove that
"the liberal soul shall be made fat" (Prov. 11:25). Especially should
the ministers of Christ set an example in this respect; if they be
close-handed, it will greatly hinder their usefulness. Elisha made
practical use of what was designed as an offering to the Lord, as
David did not hesitate to take the "shewbread" and give to his hungry
men.
Fourth, the Opposition to the Miracle
"And his servitor said, What! should I set this before an hundred
men?" (2 Kings 4:43). Ah, the servant of God must not expect others to
be equally zealous in exercising a gracious spirit or to cooperate
with him in the works of faith. No, not even those who are his
assistants--none can walk by the faith of another. (When Luther
announced his intention of going to Worms, even his dearest brethren
sought to dissuade him.) But was not such an objection a natural one?
Yes, but certainly not spiritual. It shows how shallow and fleeting
must have been the impression made on the man by the previous
miracles. It was quite in keeping with what we read elsewhere of this
"servitor," Gehazi. His language expressed incredulity and unbelief.
Was he thinking of himself? Did he resent his master's generosity and
think, We shall need this food for ourselves? And this, after all the
miracles he had seen God work through Elisha! Ah, it takes something
more than the witnessing of miracles to regenerate a dead soul, as the
Jews made evident when the Son of God was in their midst.
Fifth, the Means of the Miracle
Faith in God and His Word was the only human means involved. "He said
again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the LORD,
They shall eat, and shall leave thereof" (2 Kings 4:43). Where there
is real faith in God it is not stumbled by the unbelief of others; but
when it stands in the wisdom of men, it is soon paralyzed by the
opposition it encounters. When blind Bartimaeus began to cry out,
"Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me," and many charged him
that he should hold his peace, "he cried the more a great deal" (Mark
10:46, 48). On the other hand, one with a stony-ground hearer's faith
endures for awhile, "for when tribulation or persecution ariseth
because of the word, by and by [quickly] he is offended" (Matthew
13:21). When Elisha had first said, "Give unto the people, that they
may eat," it was the language of faith. 2 Kings 4:41 seems to show
that the people had been seeking the prophet in the extremity of their
need. His own barrel of meal had probably run low, and it is likely he
had been praying for its replenishment. And here was God's answer--yet
in such a form or measure as to further test his faith! Elisha saw the
hand of God in this gift and counted upon His making it sufficient to
meet the needs of the crowd. Elisha regarded those twenty loaves as an
"earnest" of greater bounties.
Do we regard such providences as "a token for good," or are we so
wrapped up in the token itself that we look no further? It was a bold
and courageous faith in Elisha; he was not afraid the Lord would put
him to confusion and cause him to become a laughingstock to the
people. At first his faith was a general (yet sufficient) one in the
character of God. Then it met with a rebuff from Gehazi, but he
refused to be shaken. And now it seems to us that the Lord rewarded
His servant's faith by giving him a definite word from Himself. The
way to get more faith is to use what has already been given us (Luke
8:18), for God ever honors those who honor Him. Trust Him fully and He
will then bestow assurance. The minister of Christ must not be
deterred by the carnality and unbelief of those who ought to be the
ones to strengthen his hands and cooperate with him. Alas, how many
have let distrustful deacons quench their zeal by the difficulties and
objections which they raise. How often the children of Israel opposed
Moses and murmured against him, but "by faith . . . he endured, as
seeing him who is invisible" (Heb. 11:27).
Sixth, the Antitype of the Miracle
There is no doubt whatever in our minds that the above incident
supplies the Old Testament foreshadowment of our Lord's miracle in
feeding the multitude, and it is both interesting and instructive to
compare and contrast the type with its antitype. Note, then, the
following parallels: (1), in each case there was a crowd of hungry
people; (2), Elisha took pity on them, and Christ had compassion on
the needy multitude (Matthew 14:14); (3), a few "loaves" formed the
principal article of diet, and in each case they were barley ones
(John 6:9); (4), in each case, the order went forth "give [not `sell']
the people that they may eat" (cf. Mark 6:37); (5), in each case an
unbelieving attendant raised objection (John 6:7); (6), Elisha fed the
crowd through his servant (2 Kings 4:44) and Christ through His
apostles (Matthew 14:19); (7), in each case a surplus remained after
the people had eaten (2 Kings 4:44 and cf. Matthew 14:20).
And now observe wherein Christ has the preeminence: (1), He fed a much
larger company, over five thousand (Mark 14:21) instead of one
hundred; (2), He employed fewer loaves--5 (Matthew 14:17), instead of
twenty; (3), He supplied a richer feast, fish as well as bread; (4),
He wrought by His own power.
Seventh, the Meaning of the Miracle
It will suffice if we just summarize what we have previously dwelt
upon. (1) The servant of God who is faithful in giving out to others
will not himself be kept on short rations. (2) The more one obtains
from God, the more should he impart to the people: "Freely ye have
received, freely give." (3) God ever makes His grace abound to those
who are generous. (4) A true servant of God has implicit confidence in
the divine character. (5) Though he encounters opposition, he refuses
to be stumbled thereby. (6) Though other ministers ridicule him, he
acts according to God's Word. (7) God does not fail him, but honors
his trust.
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17 | 18 | 19 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30
|Contents
____________________________________________________
About Us
What's New
Audio Works
Baptist History
Bible Study Courses
Eschatology Heretical Teachings
Theological Studies
TULIP
Webmaster
Comfort in a
Time of Sorrow Links & Resources
For the Cause of
God and Truth
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
TENTH MIRACLE--NAAMAN THE LEPER
Chapter 14
___________________________________
The Healing Of Naaman is the best known one of all the wonders wrought
through Elisha. It has been made the subject of numerous sermons in
the past, supplying as it does a very striking typical picture of
salvation. Not in all its varied aspects--for salvation is
many-sided--but as portraying the condition of him who is made its
subject, his dire need because of the terrible malady of which he was
the victim, the sovereign grace which met with him, the requirements
he had to comply with, his self-will therein, and how his reluctance
was overcome. Yet there is not a little in this incident which is
offensive to our supercilious age, inclining present-day preachers to
leave it alone, so that much that has been said about it in the past
will be more or less new to the present generation. As it has pleased
the Holy Spirit to enter into much more detail upon the attendant
circumstances of this miracle, this will require us to give it a
fuller consideration.
It is their spiritual import which renders the Old Testament
Scriptures of such interest to us upon whom the ends of the ages are
come: "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for
our learning" (Rom. 15:4). That which is set before us more abstractly
in the epistles is rendered easier to understand by means of the
concrete and personal illustrations supplied under the previous
dispensations, when figures and symbols were employed more freely.
Noah and his family in the ark preserved from the flood which swept
away the world of the ungodly; the Hebrews finding security under the
blood of the pascal lamb when the angel of death slew all the
firstborn of the Egyptians; healing being conveyed by faith's look at
the brazen serpent on the pole; the cities of refuge affording asylum
to the manslayer who fled for refuge from the avenger of blood, are so
many examples of simple yet graphic prefigurations of different
aspects of the redemption which is found in Christ Jesus. Another is
before us here in 2 Kings 5.
Before taking up the spiritual meaning of what is recorded of Naaman,
one thing mentioned about him deserves separate notice, and we will
look at it now so that our main line of thought may not be broken into
later on. In the opening verse of 2 Kings 5, it is stated that Naaman
was "a great man with his master, and honorable, because by him the
LORD had given deliverance [victory] unto Syria." This teaches us that
there can be no success in any sphere of life unless God gives it, for
"the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to
direct his steps" (Jer. 10:23), still less to insure their outcome.
"Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it [as
was made evident when God brought to nought the lofty ambitions of
those erecting the tower of Babel!]: except the LORD keep the city,
the watchman waketh but in vain" (Ps. 127:1)-- as Belshazzar
discovered, when the Medes surprised and overcame his sentinels and
captured Babylon.
Not only can there be no success in any human undertaking unless the
Lord is pleased to prosper the same, but He exercises His own
sovereignty in the instruments or agents employed in the carrying out
of His purposes, whether it be in the communicating of blessings or
the execution of judgments. It is therefore to be duly observed that
it was not because Naaman was a good man that the Lord caused his
military efforts to thrive; far from it, for he was an idolator, a
worshiper of Rimmon. Moreover, not only was he a stranger to God
spiritually but he was a leper, and therefore ceremonially unclean,
shut out by the Mosaic law. From this we may learn that when the Most
High is pleased to do so, He makes use of the wicked as well as the
righteous--a truth which needs pressing on the attention of the world
today. Temporal success is far from being an evidence that the
blessing of God rests upon either the person or the nation enjoying
it. All men are in God's hands to employ as and where He pleases--as
truly so in the political and military realms as in the churches.
First, the Subject of the Miracle
Six things (the number of man) are h ere recorded about Naaman. (1) He
was "captain of the host of the king of Syria." In modern language
this would be commander-in-chief of the king's army. Whether or not he
had risen from the ranks we cannot be sure, though the reference to
his "valor" suggests that he had been promoted from a lower office.
Whether that was so or not, he now occupied a position of prominence,
being at the summit of his profession.
(2) He was "a great man with his master." It has been by no means
always the case that the head of the military forces was greatly
esteemed by his master. History records many instances where the
reigning monarch has been jealous of the popularity enjoyed by the
general, fearful in some cases that he would use his powerful
influence against the interests of the throne. But it was quite
otherwise in this case, for as the sequel goes on to show, the king of
Syria was warmly devoted to the person of his military chieftain.
(3) "And honorable." Far from the king's slighting Naaman and keeping
him in the background, he stood high in the royal favor. Naaman had
furthered the interests of his kingdom securing notable victories for
his forces, and his master was not slow to show his appreciation and
reward his valorous general. The brilliant exploits of many a brave
officer have passed unnoticed by the powers that be, but not so here.
(4) His military success is here directly ascribed to God, for our
passage goes on to say, "by him the LORD had given deliverance unto
Syria." The blessing of heaven had attended him and crowned his
efforts, and therein he was favored above many. Not that this
intimated he personally enjoyed the approbation of God, but that
divine providence made use of him in accomplishing His will.
(5) He was naturally endowed with qualities which are highly esteemed
among men, being possessed of great bravery and fortitude, for we are
told, "he was also a mighty man in valor"--daring and fearless--and
thus well equipped for his calling.
It might well be asked, What more could any man desire? Did he not
possess everything which is most highly prized by the children of this
world? What he not what they would designate "the darling of fortune,"
having all that the human heart could wish? He had, as men express it,
"made good in life." He occupied a most enviable position. He
possessed those traits which were admired by his fellows. He had
served his country well and stood high in the king's regard and favor.
Even so there was a dark cloud on his horizon. There was something
which not only thoroughly spoiled the present for him, but took away
all hope for the future. For, (6) "he was a leper." Here was the
tragic exception. Here was that which cast its awful shadow over
everything else. He was the victim of a loathsome and incurable
disease. He was a pitiful and repulsive object, with no prospect
whatever of any improvement in his condition.
Yes, my reader, the highly-privileged and honored Naaman was a leper,
and as such he portrayed what you are and what I am by nature. God's
Word does not flatter man: it lays him in the dust--which is one
reason why it is so unpalatable to the great majority of people. It is
the Word of truth, and therefore instead of painting flattering
pictures of human nature, it represents things as they actually are.
Instead of lauding man, it abases him. Instead of speaking of the
dignity and nobility of human nature, it declares it to be
leprous--sinful, corrupt, depraved, defiled. Instead of eulogizing
human progress, it insists that "every man at his best state is
altogether vanity" (Ps. 39:5). And when the Holy Scriptures define
man's attitude toward and relationship with God, they insist that
"There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that
understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God" (Rom. 3:10-11).
They declare that we are His enemies by our wicked works (Col. 1:21),
and that consequently we are under the condemnation and curse of God's
law, and that His holy wrath abides on us (John 3:36).
The Word of truth declares that by nature all of us are spiritual
lepers, foul and filthy, unfit for the divine presence: "being
alienated from the life of God" (Eph. 4:18). You may occupy a good
position in this world, even an eminent station in the affairs of this
life; you may have made good in your vocation and wrought praiseworthy
achievements, by human standards; you may be honorable in the sight of
your fellows, but how do you appear in the eyes of God? A leper, one
whom His law pronounces unclean, one who is utterly unfit for His holy
presence. That is the first outstanding thing; the dominant lesson
taught by our present passage. As it was with Naaman, so it is with
you: a vast difference between his circumstances and his condition.
There was the horrible and tragic exception: "a great man . . . but a
leper"!
We would not be faithful to our calling were we to glide over that in
God's Word which is distasteful to proud flesh and blood. Nor would we
be faithful to our readers if we glossed over their frightful and
fatal natural condition. It is in their souls' interests they should
face this humiliating and unpleasant fact: that in God's sight they
are spiritual lepers. But we must individualize it. Have you, my
reader, realized this fact in your own case? Have you seen yourself in
God's light? Are you aware that your soul is suffering from a disease
that neither you nor any human being can cure? It is so, whether you
realize it or not. The Scriptures declare that from the sole of your
foot to the crown of your head there is no soundness in you, yes, that
in the sight of the holy one, you are a mass of "wounds, and bruises,
and putrifying sores" (Isa. 1:6). Only as you penitently accept that
divine verdict is there any hope for you.
All disease is both the fruit and the evidence of sin, as was plainly
intimated to Israel. Under the Levitical law God might well have
required separate purifications for every form of disease. But He did
not, and thereby He displayed His tenderness and mercy. Had such a
multiplicity of ceremonial observances been required it would have
constituted an intolerable burden. He therefore singled out one
disease as a standing object lesson, one that could not fail to be a
fit representation and most effective symbol of sin. This disease was
white leprosy, described with much minuteness of detail in Leviticus
13 and 14. Leprosy, then, was not only a real but a typical disease,
corresponding in a most solemn and striking manner to that fearful
malady--sin--with which we are infected from the center to the
circumference of our being. While it is true that the type is only
intelligible in the light of its antitype, the shadow in the presence
of its substance, yet the former is often an aid to the understanding
of the latter.
That the disease of leprosy was designed to convey a representation of
the malady of sin appears from these considerations. (1) The
ceremonial purification whereby the stain of leprosy was cleansed
pointed to the Lord Jesus as making atonement for the cleansing of His
people. (2) It was not a physician but the high priest who was the
person specifically appointed to deal with the leper. (3) There was no
prescribed remedy for it; it could only be cured by a direct miracle.
(4) The leper was cut off from the dwelling place of God and the
tabernacle of His congregation, being put "outside the camp." Thus it
will be seen from these circumstances that leprosy was removed from
the catalog of ordinary diseases, and had stamped upon it a peculiar
and typical character. It was a visible sign of how God regarded the
sinner: as one unsuited to the presence of Himself and His people. How
unspeakably blessed then, to discover that, though not the first He
performed, yet the first individual miracle of Christ's recorded in
the New Testament is His healing of the leper (Matthew 8:2-4).
For the particular benefit of young preachers and for the general
instruction of all, we will close this chapter with an outline.
1. Leprosy has an insignificant beginning. To the nonobservant eye it
is almost imperceptible. It starts as "a rising, a scab, or bright
spot" (Lev. 13:2). It is so trivial that usually no attention is paid
to it. Little or no warning is given of the fearful havoc it will
work. Was it not thus with the entrance of sin into this world? To the
natural man the eating of the forbidden fruit by our first parents
appears a very small matter, altogether incommensurate with the awful
effects it produced. The unregenerate discern not that sin is
deserving of and exposes them to eternal destruction. They regard it
as a trifle, unduly magnified by preachers.
2. Leprosy is inherited. It is a communicable disease. It poisons the
blood, and so is readily transmitted from parent to child. It is so
with sin. "By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin;
and so death passed upon all men, for that all sinned" (Rom. 5:12).
None has escaped this dreadful entail. "Behold, I was shapen in
iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Ps. 51:5) is equally
true of every member of Adam's race. None is born spiritually pure;
depravity is communicated in every instance from sire to son, from
mother to daughter. Human nature was corrupted at its fountainhead,
and therefore all the streams issuing therefrom are polluted.
3. Leprosy works insidiously and almost imperceptibly. It is a disease
which is attended by little pain; only in its later stages, when its
horrible effects reveal themselves, is it unmistakeably manifest. And
thus it is with that most awful of all maladies. Sin is subtle and
sly, so that for the most part its subjects are quite unconscious of
its workings. Hence we read of "the deceitfulness of sin" (Heb. 3:13).
It is not until the Spirit convicts, that one is made aware of the
awfulness and extent of sin, and begins to feel "the plague of his own
heart" (1 Kings 8:38). Yes, it is not until a person is born again
that he learns his very nature is depraved. Only as the sinner grows
old in sin does he discover what a fearful hold his lusts have upon
him.
4. Leprosy spreads with deadly rapidity. Though it begins with certain
spots in the skin which are small at first, they gradually increase in
size; slowly but surely the whole body is affected. The corruption
extends inwardly while it spreads outwardly, vitiating even the bones
and marrow. Like a locust on the twig of a tree, it continues eating
its way through the flesh, till nothing but the skeleton is left. This
is what sin has done in man; it has corrupted every part of his being,
so that he is totally depraved. No faculty, no member of his complex
constitution has escaped defilement. Heart, mind, will,
conscience--spirit and soul and body--are equally poisoned. "I know
that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing" (Rom.
7:18).
5. Leprosy is highly infectious. Inherited inwardly, contagious
outwardly. The leper communicates his horrible disease to others
wherever he goes. That is why he was quarantined under the Mosaic law,
and when he saw anyone approaching, he was required to give warning by
crying, "Unclean, unclean." The analogy continues to hold good. Sin is
a malady which is not only inherited by nature, but it is developed by
association with the wicked. "Evil communications corrupt good
manners" (1 Cor. 15:33). That is why the righteous are bidden, "Enter
not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
Avoid it [as a plague], pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away"
(Prov. 4:4-5). Such repetition bespeaks our danger and intimates how
slow we are to be warned against it. "Shun profane and vain babblings:
. . . their word will eat as doth a canker" (2 Tim. 2:16-17).
6. Leprosy is peculiarly loathsome. There is nothing more repellent to
the eye than to look upon one on whom this awful disease has obtained
firm hold. Except with the most callous, despite one's pity, he or she
is obliged to turn away from such a nauseating sight with a shudder.
Under Judaism there was no physician who ministered to the leper, and
hence it is said of his putrefying sores that "they have not been
closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment" (Isa. 1:6).
The leper may well appropriate to himself the language of Job, "All my
inward [or `intimate'] friends abhorred me: and they whom I love are
turned against me" (Job 19:19). All of which is a figure of how
infinitely more repellent is the sinner in the sight of Him who is "of
purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity" (Hab.
1:13).
7. Leprosy is a state of living death. There is a discoloration of the
skin, loss of sensation, and spreading ulceration. The fingers, toes,
and nose atrophy. Vision is impaired and sometimes blindness results.
As one has said, "The leper is a walking sepulcher." And this is
precisely what sin is: a state of spiritual death--a living on the
natural side of existence, but dead to all things spiritual. Thus we
find an apostle declaring "she that liveth in pleasure is dead while
she liveth" (1 Tim. 5:6). The natural man is "dead in trespasses and
sins" (Eph. 2:1); he is alive sinward and worldward but dead Godward.
8. Leprosy was dealt with by banishment. No leper was allowed to
remain in the congregation of Israel. The terms of the Mosaic law were
most explicit: "he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his
habitation be" (Lev. 13:46). In the center of the camp was Jehovah's
abode, and around His tabernacle were grouped His covenant people.
From them the leper was excluded. How rigidly that was enforced may be
seen from the fact than even Miriam, the sister of Moses (Num.
12:10-15), and Uzziah the king (2 Kings 15:5) were not treated as
exceptions. The leper was deprived of all political and ecclesiastical
privileges, dealt with as one dead, excluded from fellowship. It is a
visible sign of how God regards the sinner, for sin shuts out from His
presence (Isa. 59:2; 2 Thessalonians 1:9).
9. Leprosy makes its victim an object of shame. It could not be
otherwise. Robbing its subject of the bloom of health, replacing it
with that which is hideous. Excluding him from God and His people,
placing him outside the pale of decency. Consequently the leper was
required to carry about with him every mark of humiliation and
distress. The law specified that "his clothes shall be rent, and his
head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall
cry, Unclean, unclean" (Lev. 13:45). What a spectacle! What a picture
of abject misery! What a solemn portrayal of the natural man! Sin has
marred the features of God's image, in whose likeness man was
originally made, and stamped upon him the marks of the devil.
10. Leprosy was incurable so far as the Old Testament was concerned.
One really stricken with this disease was beyond all human aid. The
outcome was inevitably fatal. Modern medical science has reported some
cured cases; and by lengthy treatment with sulfone drugs, the
tubercular form is usually arrestable. But there is no sure cure;
research still goes on. In like manner sin is beyond human cure; it
cannot be eradicated. No power of will or effort of mind can cope with
it. Neither legislation nor reformation is of any avail. Education and
culture are equally impotent. Sooner can the Ethiopian change his skin
or the leopard his spots than those do good who are accustomed to do
evil (Jer. 13:23).
But what is beyond the power of man is possible with God. Where the
science of the ages stands helpless, the Savior manifests His
sufficiency. "He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come
unto God by him" (Heb. 7:25). To the leper He said, "I will; be thou
clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed" (Matthew 8:3).
Blessed, thrice blessed is that! In view of the ten points above, how
profoundly thankful every Christian should be that "the blood of Jesus
Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7).
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
TENTH MIRACLE--A LITTLE JEWISH MAID
Chapter 15
___________________________________
In The Preceding Article our attention was confined to the subject of
this miracle, namely Naaman, the Syrian, who was stricken with the
horrible disease of leprosy--a striking type of the natural man,
corrupted by sin, unfit for the presence of a holy God. The most
fearful thing of all was that leprosy was incurable by the hand of
man. Naaman was quite incapable of ridding himself of his terrible
burden. No matter what plan he followed, what attempts he made, no
help or relief was to be obtained from self-efforts. (Have you
realized the truth of this, in its spiritual application, my reader?
There is no deliverance from sin, no salvation for your soul by
anything that you can do.) There was no physician in Syria who could
effect a cure; no matter what fee Naaman offered, what quack he
applied to, none was of any avail. And such is the case of each of us
by nature. Our spiritual malady lies deeper than any human hand can
reach; our condition is too desperate for any religious practitioner
to cure. Man can no more deliver himself, or his fellows, from the
guilt and defilement of sin than he can create a world.
Most solemnly was the fact shadowed forth under the system of Judaism.
No remedy was provided for this fearful disease under the Mosaic law;
no directions were given to Israel's priesthood to make use of any
application, either outward or inward. The leper's healing was left
entirely to God. All the high priest of the Hebrews could do was to
examine closely the various symptoms of the complaint, have the leper
excluded from his fellows, and leave him to the disposal of the Lord.
Whether the sufferer was healed or not, whether he lived or died, was
wholly to be decided by the Almighty. So it is in grace. There is no
possible salvation for any sinner except at the hands of God. There is
no other possible alternative, no other prospect before the sinner
than to die a wretched death and enter a hopeless eternity unless
distinguishing mercy intervenes, unless a sovereign God is pleased to
work a miracle of grace within him. It is entirely a matter of His
will and power. Again we ask, do you realize that fact, my reader? God
is your Maker, and He is the determiner of your destiny. You are clay
in His hands to do with as He pleases.
Second, the Contributor to the Miracle
"And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away
captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on
Naaman's wife" (2 Kings 5:2). In one of the many periods in which the
name of Jehovah was blasphemed among the heathen, through the
unfaithfulness of His ancient people, a little Jewish maid was taken
captive by the Syrians. In the dividing of the spoils, she fell into
the hands of Naaman the commander of the Syrian forces. Observe the
series of contrasts between them. He was a Gentile, she a hated Jew.
He was a "great man," she but "a little maid." He was "Naaman," she
was left unnamed. He was "captain of the host of Syria," while she was
captive in the enemy's territory. But he was a leper; while strange to
say, she was made a contributing instrument unto his healing. It has
ever been God's way to make use of the despised and feeble, and often
in circumstances which seem strange to human wisdom. Let us take note
how this verse teaches us a most important lesson in connection with
the mysteries of divine providence.
"And had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little
maid." Visualize the scene. One fair morning the peace of Samaria was
rudely broken. The tramp of a hostile army was heard in the land. A
cruel foe was at hand. The Syrians had invaded the country, and heaven
was silent. No scourge from God smote the enemy; instead, he was
permitted to carry away some of the covenant people. Among the
captives was "a little maid." Ah, that may mean little to us today,
but it meant much to certain people at that day. A home was rendered
desolate! Seek to enter into the feelings of her parents as their
young daughter was ruthlessly snatched from them. Think of the anguish
of her poor mother, wondering what would become of her. Think of her
grief-stricken father in his helplessness, unable to rescue her.
Endeavor to contemplate what would be the state of mind of the little
girl herself as she was carried away by heathen to a strange country.
Bring before your mind's eye the whole painful incident until it lives
before you.
Do you not suppose, dear friend, that both the maid and her parents
were greatly perplexed? Must they not have been sorely tried by this
mysterious providence? Why, oh why? must have been asked by them a
hundred times. Why had God allowed the joy of their home to be
shattered? If the maiden had reflected at all, must she have thought
her lot strange. Why was she, a favored daughter of Abraham, now a
servant in Naaman's household? Why this enforced separation from her
parents? Why this cruel captivity? Such questions she might have asked
at first, and asked in vain. Ah, does the reader perceive the point we
are leading up to? It is this: God had a good reason for this trial.
He was shaping things in His own, unfathomable way for the outworking
of His good and wise purpose. Nothing happens in this world by mere
chance. A predestinating God has planned every detail in our lives.
"My times are in thy hand" (Ps. 31:15). He "hath determined the times
before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation" (Acts 17:26).
What a resting place for our poor hearts does that grand truth supply!
It was God who directed that this little maid of Israel should become
a member of Naaman's household. And why? That she might be a link in
the chain which ended not only in the healing of his leprosy, but also
most probably in the salvation of his soul. Here then is the important
lesson for us to take to heart from this incident. Here is the light
which it casts upon the mysterious ways of God in providence: He has a
wise and good reason behind each of the perplexing and
heart-exercising trials which enter our lives. The particular reason
for each trial is frequently concealed from us at the time it comes
upon us; if it were not, there would be no room for the exercise of
faith and patience in it. But just as surely as God had a good reason
for allowing the happiness of this Hebrew household to be darkened, so
He has in ordering whatever sorrow has entered your life. It was the
sequel which made manifest God's gracious design; and it is for the
sequel you must quietly and trustfully wait. This incident is among
the things recorded in the Old Testament "for our learning, that we
through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope" (Rom.
15:4).
"And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the
prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy"
(2 Kings 5:3). This is surely most striking and blessed. It would have
been natural for this young girl to have yielded to a spirit of enmity
against the man who had snatched her away from her own home, to have
entertained hatred for him, and to have been maliciously pleased that
he was so afflicted in his body. The fall not only alienated man from
God but it radically changed his attitude toward his fellowmen,
evidenced at a very early date by Cain's murder of his brother Abel.
Human depravity has poisoned every relationship; in their unregenerate
state God's own people are described as "hateful, and hating one
another" (Titus 3:3). But instead of cherishing ill feelings against
her captor, this little maid was concerned about his condition and
solicitous about his welfare. Apparently she had been brought up in
the nurture of the Lord, and the seeds planted by godly parents now
sprang up and bore fruit in her young life. Beautiful is it to here
behold grace triumphing over the flesh.
How this little maid puts us to shame! How sinfully have we conducted
ourselves when the providence of God crossed our wills and brought us
into situations for which we had no liking! What risings of rebellion
within us, what complaining at our circumstances. So far from being a
blessing to those with whom we came into contact, we were a
stumblingblock to them. Has not both writer and reader much cause to
bow his head in shame at the recollection of such grievous failures!
Was not this child placed in uncongenial circumstances and a most
trying situation? Yet there was neither murmuring against God nor
bitterness toward her captor. Instead, she bore faithful testimony to
the God of Israel and was moved with compassion toward her leprous
master. What a beautiful exemplification of the sufficiency of divine
grace! She remembered the Lord in the house of her bondage and spoke
of His servant the prophet. How we need to turn this into earnest
prayer, that we too may glorify the Lord "in the fires" (Isa. 24:15).
No position would seem more desolate than this defenseless maiden in
the house of her proud captors, and no situation could promise fewer
openings for usefulness. But though her opportunities were limited,
she made the most of them. She despised not the day of small things,
but sought to turn it to advantage. She did not conclude it was
useless for her to open her mouth, nor argue that an audience of only
one person was not worth addressing. No, in a simple but earnest
manner, she proclaimed the good news that there was salvation for even
the leper, for the very name "Elisha" meant "the salvation of God."
"And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the
maid that is of the land of Israel" (2 Kings 5:4). A very incidental
and apparently trivial statement is this, yet being a part of God's
eternal truth it is not to be passed over lightly and hurriedly. We
are ever the losers by such irreverent treatment of the Word. There is
nothing meaningless in that Holy volume; each single verse in it
sparkles with beauty if we view it in the right light and attentively
survey it. It is so here.
First, this verse informs us that the little maid's words to her
mistress did not pass unheeded. They might have done so, humanly
speaking, for it would be quite natural for those about her--a mere
child, a foreigner in their midst--to have paid no attention to her
remarks. Even had they done so, surely such a statement as she had
made must have sounded like foolish boasting. If the best physicians
in Syria were helpless in the presence of leprosy, who would credit
that a man of another religion, in despised Samaria, should be able to
heal him! But strange as it may seem, her words were heeded.
Second, in this we must see the hand of God. "The hearing ear, and the
seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them" (Prov. 20:12)--true
alike both physically and spiritually. Yet how little is this realized
today, when the self-sufficiency of man is proclaimed on every side
and the operations of the Most High are so much ignored. All around us
are those who pay no heed to the declarations of Holy Writ and who
perceive no beauty in Christ that they should desire Him. Who then has
given to thee an ear that responds to the truth and an eye that
perceives its divine origin? And every real Christian will answer, The
God of all grace. As it was the Lord who opened the heart of Lydia
that she "took unto her [Greek] the things which were spoken" (Acts
16:14), so He caused those about her to listen to the words of this
little maid. Ah, my reader, make no mistake upon this point: the most
faithful sermon from the pulpit falls upon deaf ears unless the Holy
Spirit operates; whereas the simplest utterance of a child can become
effectual through God.
Third, this made manifest the effect of the maid's words upon her
mistress. She communicated it to another, and this other went in and
acquainted the king of the same. Thus 2 Kings 5:4 reveals to us one of
the links in the chain that eventually drew Naaman to Elisha and
resulted in his healing. It also shows how our words are heard and
often reported to others, thereby both warning and encouraging us of
the power of the tongue. This will be made fully manifest in the day
to come. Nothing which has been done for God's glory will be lost.
When the history of this world is completed, God will make known
before an assembled universe what was spoken for Him (Mal. 3:16; Luke
12:3).
Finally, we are shown here how God is pleased to make use of "little"
and despised things. A maid in captivity. Who would expect her to do
service for the Lord? Who would be inclined to listen to her voice?
Her age, her nationality, her position were all against her. Yet
because she used her opportunity and bore witness to her mistress, her
simple message reached the ears of the king of Syria. The Lord grant
us to be faithful wherever He has placed us.
"And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto
the king of Israel" (2 Kings 5:5). Here also we must see the hand of
the Lord. Had He not worked upon the king too, the message would have
produced no effect on his majesty. Why should that monarch pay any
attention to the utterance of a kitchen maid? Ah, my reader, when God
has a design of mercy, He works at both ends of the line. He not only
gives the message to the messenger, but He opens the heart of its
recipient to heed it. He who bade Philip take a journey into the
desert, also prepared the Ethiopian eunuch for his approach (Acts
8:26-31). He who overcame Peter's scruples to go unto the Gentiles,
also inclined Cornelius and his household to be "present before God,
to hear all things that were commanded him of God (Acts 10:33). "The
king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he
turneth it whithersoever he will" (Prov. 21:1). Strikingly did that
receive illustration here. Yet though God wrought, in the instance now
before us, it did not please Him to use the king as an instrument.
Third, the Misapprehension of the Miracle
"Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel" (2 Kings
5:5). As will appear in the sequel, the Lord had a reason for
permitting the king to act this way. Poor Naaman was now misdirected
by the carnal wisdom of his master. The little maid had said nothing
about "the king of Israel," but had specified "the prophet that is in
Samaria." It would have been much better for the leper to have heeded
more closely her directions; he would have been spared needless
trouble. Yet how true to life is the picture here presented. How often
is the sinner, who has been awakened to his desperate condition,
wrongly counseled and turned aside to cisterns which hold no water!
Rarely does a troubled soul find relief at once. More frequently his
experience is like that of the old woman in Mark 5:26 who tried "many
physicians" in vain before she came to Christ; or like the prodigal
son when he "began to be in want" and went and joined himself to a
citizen of the far country and got nothing better than "the husks that
the swine did eat" (Luke 15:14-18), before he sought his father.
"And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six
thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment" (2 Kings 5:5). It
has been computed that the value of these things would be at least
seventy thousand dollars today. The Hebrew maid has said nothing of
the need for silver and gold; but knowing nothing of the grace of God,
Naaman was prepared to pay handsomely for his healing. Again we
exclaim, how true to life is this picture. How many there are who
think the "gift of God" may be purchased (Acts 8:20)--if not literally
with money, yet by works of righteousness and religious performances.
And even where that delusion has been removed, another equally
erroneous often takes its place: the idea that a heavily-burdened
conscience, a deep sense of personal unworthiness, accompanied by
sighs and tears and groans, is the required qualification for applying
to Christ and the ground of peace before God. Fatal mistake. "Without
money and without price" (Isa. 55:1) excludes all frames, feelings,
and experiences, as truly as it does the paying of a priest.
Fourth, the Foil of the Miracle
"And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when
this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my
servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy. And it
came to pass, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he rent
his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this
man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore
consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me" (2
Kings 5:6-7).
How this made manifest the apostate condition of Israel at that time
and shows why God had moved the Syrians to oppress them! There was
some excuse for the king of Syria acting as he did, for he was a
heathen; but there was none for the king of Israel. Instead of getting
down on his knees and spreading this letter before the Lord, as a
later king of Israel did (Isa. 37:14), he acted like an infidel;
instead of seeing in this appeal an opportunity for Jehovah to display
His grace and glory, he thought only of himself.
What a contrast was there here between the witness of the little maid
and the conduct of the king of Israel. Yet his meanness served as a
foil to set off her noble qualities. She was in lowly and distressing
circumstances, whereas he was a monarch upon the throne. Yet she was
concerned about the welfare of her master, while he thought only of
himself and kingdom. She had implicit confidence in God and spoke of
His prophet, whereas neither God nor His servant had any place in the
king's mind. Some may think from a first reading of 2 Kings 5:7 that
the king's language sounds both humble and pious, but a pondering of
it indicates it was but the utterance of pride and unbelief. Knowing
not the Lord, he saw in this appeal of Benhadad's nothing but a veiled
threat to humiliate him, and he was filled with fear. Had he sought
God, his terror would have soon been quieted and a way of relief shown
him; but he was a stranger to Him, and evidenced no faith even in the
idols he worshiped. Yet this made the more illustrious the marvel of
the miracle which followed.
Perhaps the Christian reader is tempted to congratulate himself that
there is nothing for him in 2 Kings 5:7. If so, such complacency may
be premature. Are you quite sure, friend, that there has been no
parallel in your past conduct to that of Israel's king? Were you never
guilty of the thing wherein he failed? When some heavy demand was made
upon you, some real test or trial confronted you, did you never
respond by saying, I am not sufficient for this; it is quite beyond my
feeble powers? Possibly you imagined that was a pious acknowledgment
of your weakness, when in reality it was a voicing of your unbelief.
True, the Christian is impotent in himself; so, too is the
non-Christian. Is then the saint no better off than the ungodly? If
the Christian continues impotent, the fault is his. God's grace is
sufficient, and His strength is made perfect in our weakness. Feeble
knees and hands bring no glory to God. He has bidden us, "Be strong in
the Lord, and in the power of his might" (Eph. 6:10). Then cease
imitating this defeatist attitude of Israel's king, and, "Be strong in
the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 2:1).
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
TENTH MIRACLE--PRIDE IN THE WAY
Chapter 16
___________________________________
In the previous chapter we emphasized the secret operations of God in
inclining one and another to pay attention to the message of the
little Hebrew maid. It was God who gave the hearing ear to both
Naaman's wife and the king of Syria. Perhaps some have thought that
such was not the case with the king of Israel! No, it was not. Instead
of sharing her confidence and cooperating with her effort, he was
skeptical and antagonistic. Therein we may perceive God's sovereignty.
He does not work in all alike, being absolutely free to do as He
pleases. He opens the eyes of some but leaves others in their
blindness. This is God's high and awful prerogative: "Therefore hath
he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth"
(Rom. 9:18). This is what supplies the key to God's dealings with men
and which explains the course of evangelical history. Clearly is that
solemn principle exemplified in the previous chapter, and we should be
unfaithful as an expositor if we deliberately ignored it as so many
now do.
"And it came to pass when the king of Israel had read the letter, that
he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive,
that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy?" (2
Kings 5:7). So utterly skeptical was Jehoram that he considered it not
worthwhile even to send for Elisha and confer with him. The prophet
meant nothing to Israel's unbelieving king, and therefore he slighted
him. Perhaps this strikes the reader as strange, for the previous
miracles Elisha had wrought must have been well known. One would have
thought his restoring of a dead child to life would thoroughly
authenticate him as an extraordinary man of God. But did not the Lord
Jesus publicly raise a dead man to life? And yet within a few days
both the leaders of the nation and the common people clamored for His
crucifixion! And is it any different in our day? Have we not witnessed
providential marvels, divine interpositions both of mercy and
judgment? and what effect have they had on our evil generation?
Jehoram's conduct is easily accounted for: "the carnal mind is enmity
against God" (Rom. 8:7), and that enmity evidenced itself by his
slighting God's accredited servant.
"And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of
Israel had rent his clothes, that he went to the king, saying,
Wherefore has thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he
shall know that there is a prophet in Israel" (2 Kings 5:8). The
slighted Elisha pocketed his pride and communicated with the king,
rightly concluding that his own feelings were not worth considering
where the glory of God was concerned.
Naaman came into the land of Israel, expecting relief from a
prophet of the God of Israel, and Elisha would by no means have him
go back disappointed, lest he should conclude that Jehovah was like
the gods of the nations, and as unable to do good or evil as they
were. On the contrary he would have it known that God has "a
prophet in Israel" by whom He performed such cures as none of the
heathen prophets, priests, or physicians could effect; and which
were far beyond all the power of the mightiest monarchs (Scott).
The "counsel of the LORD, that shall stand," whatever devices were in
Jehoram's heart to the contrary (Prov. 19:21).
"The righteous are bold as a lion." Elisha not only rebuked the king
for his unbelieving fears but summarily gave him instructions
concerning Naaman. However unwelcome might be his interference, that
deterred him not. The real servant of God does not seek to please men,
but rather to execute the commission he has received from on high. It
is true that the prophets, like the apostles, were endowed with
extraordinary powers, and therefore they are not in all things models
for us today; nevertheless the gospel minister is not to cringe before
anyone. It is his duty to denounce unbelief and to proclaim that the
living God is ever ready to honor those who honor Him and to work
wonders in response to genuine faith. As God overruled the king of
Syria's misdirecting of Naaman, so He now overcame the skepticism of
the king of Israel by moving him to respond to Elisha's
demand--thereby demonstrating that the words of the little maid were
no idle boast and her confidence in God no misplaced one.
"So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the
door of the house of Elisha" (2 Kings 5:9). Naaman before the
prophet's abode may be regarded as a picture of the natural man in his
sins, not yet stripped of his self-righteousness, nor aware that he is
entirely dependent on divine mercy, having no title or claim to
receive any favor at God's hand. The fact that he rode in a chariot
mitigated his terrible condition not one iota. No matter how rich the
apparel that covered his body, though it might hide from human view
his loathsome disease, it availed nothing for the removal of it. And
as the valuables he had brought with him could not procure his
healing, neither can the cultivation of the most noble character nor
the performance of the most praiseworthy conduct in human esteem merit
the approbation of God. Salvation is wholly of divine grace and cannot
be earned by the creature: "Not by works of righteousness which we
have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of
regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us
abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior" (Titus 3:5-6).
However much it might be in accord with the principles and sentiments
which regulate fallen human nature, there was surely something most
incongruous in the scene now before us. Here was a poor creature
stricken with a most horrible disease, and yet we behold him seated in
a chariot. Here was one smitten by a malady no physician could heal,
surrounded by official pomp. Here was one entirely dependent upon the
divine bounty, yet one whose horses were laden with silver and gold.
Do we not behold in him, then, a representative not only of the
natural man in his sins, but one filled with a sense of his own
importance and bloated with pride! Such is precisely the case with
each of us by nature. Totally depraved though we be, alienated from
God, criminals condemned by His holy law, our minds at enmity with
Him, dead in trespasses and sins, yet until a miracle of grace is
wrought within and the abscess of our pride is lanced, we are puffed
up with self-righteousness, refuse to acknowledge we deserve anything
but eternal punishment, and imagine we are entitled to God's favorable
regard.
Not only does Naaman here fitly portray the self-importance of the
natural man while unregenerate, but as hinted above he also
illustrates the fact that the sinner imagines he can gain God's
approbation and purchase his salvation. The costly things which the
Syrian had brought with him were obviously designed to ingratiate
himself in the eyes of the prophet and pay for his cure. Following
such a policy was of course quite natural, and therefore it shows what
is the native thought of every man. He supposes that a dutiful regard
of religious performances will obtain for him the favorable notice of
God, that his fastings and prayers, church-attendance and contributing
to its upkeep, will more than counterbalance his demerits. Such an
insane idea is by no means confined to Buddhists and Romanists but is
common to the whole human family. It is for this reason we have to be
assured, "By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should
boast" (Eph. 2:8-9). Spiritually speaking, every man is bankrupt, a
pauper, and salvation is entirely gratis, a matter of charity.
"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God:
for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because
they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14). This is true alike of
the most cultured and the thoroughly illiterate. No amount of
education or erudition fits one for the apprehension of spiritual
things. Man is blind, and his eyes must be opened before he can
perceive either the glory of God and His righteous claims or his own
wretchedness and deep needs. Not until a miracle of grace humbles his
heart will he take himself to the throne of grace in his true
character; not until the Holy Spirit works effectually within him will
he come to Christ as an empty-handed beggar.
It is recorded that a famous artist met with a poor tramp and was so
impressed with his woebegone appearance and condition that he felt he
would make an apt subject for a drawing. He gave the tramp a little
money and his card and promised to pay him well if he would call at
his house on the following day and sit while he drew his picture. The
next morning the tramp arrived, but the artist's intention was
defeated. The tramp had washed and shaved and so spruced himself that
he was scarcely recognizable!
Similarly does the natural man act when he first attempts to respond
to the gospel call. Instead of coming to the Lord just as he is in all
his want and woe, as one who is lost and undone, he supposes he must
first make himself more presentable by a process of reformation. Thus
he busies himself in mending his ways, improving his conduct, and
performing pious exercises, unaware that Christ "came not to call the
righteous, but sinners to repentance"--to take their place in the dust
before Him. What we have just been dwelling upon receives striking
illustration in the chapter before us. Instead of sending Naaman
directly to Elisha, Benhadad gave him a letter of introduction to the
king of Israel; and instead of casting himself on the mercy of the
prophet, he sent a costly fee to pay for the healing of his
commander-in-chief. We have seen the futility of his letter--the
effect it had upon its recipient; now we are to behold how his lavish
outlay of wealth produced no more favorable response from Elisha.
Naaman had to learn the humiliating truth that, where divine grace is
concerned, the millionaire stands on precisely the same level as the
pauper.
Fifth, the Requirement of the Miracle
"And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan
seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be
clean" (2 Kings 5:10). As the representative of Him who deigned to
wash the feet of His disciples, the minister of the gospel must not
decline the most menial service nor despise the poorest person. Elisha
has set us an example of both, for he scorned not to minister to the
physical needs of Elijah by washing his hands (2 Kings 3:11), and
refused not to help the impoverished widow (2 Kings 4:2). On the other
hand, the servant of Christ is to be no sycophant, toadying to those
of affluence; nor is he to feed the pride of the self-important. From
the sequel it is evident Naaman considered that he, as a "great man,"
was entitled to deference, and probably felt that the prophet ought to
consider a favor or honor was now being shown him. But, officially,
Elisha was an ambassador of the King of kings; and with becoming
dignity, he let Naaman know that he was at no man's beck and call,
though he failed not to inform him of the way in which healing was to
be obtained.
"And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan
seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be
clean." Here we see no servile obeisance nor owning of the mightiness
of Naaman. The prophet did not even greet him, nor so much as go out
of his house to meet him in person. Instead, he sent him a message by
a servant. Ah, my reader. God is no respecter of persons, nor should
His ministers be. Incalculable harm has been wrought in churches by
pastors pandering to those in high places, for not only are the
haughty injured thereby, but the lowly are stumbled; and in
consequence, the Holy Spirit is grieved and quenched. God will not
tolerate any parading of fleshly distinctions before Him: "That no
flesh should glory in his presence" (1 Cor. 1:29) is the unrepealable
decision. The most eminent and gifted of this world are due no more
consideration from the Most High than the most lowly, for "there is no
difference: For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God"
(Rom. 3:22-23). All alike have broken the law; all alike are guilty
before the supreme judge; all alike must be saved by sovereign grace,
if they be saved at all.
But there is another way in which we may regard the prophet's conduct
on this occasion; not only did he maintain his official dignity, but
he evidenced personal humility and prudence, having his eye fixed on
the glory of God. It is not that he was indifferent to Naaman's
welfare. No, the fact that he sent his servant out to him with the
needful directions evidenced the contrary. But Elisha knew full well
that the all-important thing was not the messenger, but the message.
It mattered nothing who delivered the message--himself or his servant;
but it mattered everything that the God-given word should be
faithfully communicated. Elisha knew full well that Naaman's
expectation lay in himself, so like a true "man of God" he directed
attention away from himself. What a needed lesson for us in this
person-exalting day. How much better would preachers serve souls and
honor their Master if, thus hidden, they occupied them with the gospel
instead of with themselves. It was in this self-effacing spirit that
Paul rebuked the person-worshipping Corinthians when he said, "Who
then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed?"
(1 Cor. 3:5). So too our Lord's forerunner who styled himself "the
voice [heard but not seen!] of one crying in the wilderness" (John
1:23).
What was the force of "Go wash in Jordan seven times"? Let us give
first a general answer in the words of another.
When Naaman stood with his pompous retinue, and with all his silver
and gold at the door of Elisha, he appears before us as a marked
illustration of a sinner building on his own efforts after
righteousness. He seemed furnished with all that the heart could
desire, but in reality all his preparations were but a useless
incumberance, and the prophet soon gave him to understand this. "Go
wash" swept away all confidence in gold, silver, raiment, retinue,
the king's letter, everything. It stripped Naaman of everything,
and reduced him to his true condition as a poor defiled leper
needing to be washed. It put no difference between the illustrious
commander-in-chief of the hosts of Syria, and the poorest and
meanest leper in all the coasts of Israel. The former could do
nothing less; the latter needed nothing more. Wealth cannot remedy
man's ruin, and poverty cannot interfere with God's remedy. Nothing
that a man has done need keep him out of heaven; nothing that he
can do will ever get him in. "Go wash" is the word in every case.
But let us consider this "Go wash" more closely and ponder it in the
light of its connections. As one stricken with leprosy, Naaman
pictures the natural man in his fallen estate. And what is his
outstanding and distinguishing characteristic? Why, that he is a
depraved creature, a sinner, a rebel against God. And what is sin?
From the negative side, it is failure to submit to God's authority and
be subject to His law; positively, it is the exercise of self-will, a
determination to please myself; "we have turned every one to his own
way" (Isa. 53:6). If then a sinner inquires of God's servant the way
of recovery, what is the first and fundamental thing which needs to be
told him? That self-will and self-pleasing must cease; that he must
submit himself to the will of God. And that is only another way of
saying that he must be converted, for "conversion" is a turning round,
a right about-face. And in order for conversion, repentance is the
essential requisite (Acts 3:19). And in its final analysis,
"repentance" is taking sides with God against myself, judging myself,
condemning myself, bowing my will to His.
Again, sin is not only a revolt against God, but a deification of
self. It is a determination to gratify my own inclinations, it is
saying, "I will be lord over myself." That was the bait which the
serpent dangled before our first parents when he tempted Eve to eat of
the forbidden fruit: "Ye shall be as gods" (Gen. 3:5). Casting off
allegiance to God, man assumed an attitude of independence and
self-sufficiency. Sin took possession of his heart; he became proud,
haughty, self righteous. If, then, such a creature is to be recovered
and restored to God, it must necessarily be by a process of humbling
him. The first design of the gospel is to put down human pride, to lay
man low before God. It was predicted by Isaiah when speaking of gospel
times, "The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness
of men shall be bowed down" (Isa. 2:11). And again, "every mountain
and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight"
(Isa. 40:4); and therefore did our Lord begin His Sermon on the Mount
by saying, "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for their's is the kingdom
of heaven" (Matthew 5:3). That was the basic truth which the prophet
pressed upon Naaman: that he must abase himself before the God of
Israel.
"Go wash in Jordan seven times" was but another way of saying to the
conceited Syrian, "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the
humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God . . . Cleanse your hands,
ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted,
and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your
joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he
shall lift you up" (Jam. 4:6-10). Naaman must come down from off his
"high horse" and take his proper place before the Most High. Naaman
must descend from his "chariot" and evidence a lowly spirit. Naaman
must "wash," or "bathe" as the word is often translated, in the waters
of the Jordan; not once or twice but no less than seven times, and
thus completely renounce self. And the requirement which God made of
Naaman, my reader, is precisely the same as His demand upon you, upon
me: pride has to be mortified, self-will relinquished,
self-righteousness repudiated. Have we complied with this? Have we
renounced self-pleasing and surrendered to the divine scepter? Have we
given ourselves to the Lord (2 Cor. 8:5) to be ruled by Him? If not,
we have never been savingly converted.
In its ultimate significance, the "Go wash in Jordan seven times" had
a typical import, and in the light of the New Testament there is no
difficulty whatever in perceiving what that was. There is one
provision, and one only, which the amazing grace of God and the
wondrous love of His Son has made for the healing of spiritual lepers.
It is that blessed "fountain" which has been opened for sin and for
uncleanness (Zech. 13:1). That holy "fountain" had its rise at
Calvary, when from the pierced side of Christ "forthwith came there
out blood and water" (John 19:34). That wondrous "fountain" which can
cleanse the foulest was provided at the incalculable cost of the
crucifixion of Immanuel, and hence the washing in "Jordan" which
speaks of a point, beyond which there is no return. Here, then, dear
friend, is the evangelical significance of what has been before us. If
you have been made conscious of your depravity, ready to deny self,
willing to humble yourself into the dust before God, here is the
divine provision: a bath into which you may plunge by faith, and
thereby obtain proof that "the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth
us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). If by grace you have already done so,
then join the writer in exclaiming, "Unto him that loved us, and
washed us from our sins in his own blood... to him be glory and
dominion for ever and ever. Amen" (Rev. 1:5-6).
_________________________________________________________________
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|Contents
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Comfort in a
Time of Sorrow Links & Resources
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God and Truth
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
TENTH MIRACLE--TOO SIMPLE A REMEDY
Chapter 17
___________________________________
In Our Last Chapter we dwelt mainly upon the requirement which was
made upon Naaman when he reached the prophet's abode: "Go and wash in
Jordan seven times," seeking to supply answers to, Why was he so
enjoined? What was the implication in his case? What beating has such
a demand upon men generally today? What is its deeper significance?
We saw that it was a requirement which revealed the uselessness and
worthlessness of Naaman's attempt to purchase his healing. We showed
that it was a requirement which demanded the setting aside of his own
will and submitting himself to the will of Israel's God. We pointed
out that it was a requirement which insisted that he must get down off
his "high horse" (descend from his chariot), humbling and abasing
himself. We intimated that it was a requirement which, typically,
pointed to that amazing provision of the grace of God for spiritual
lepers, namely, the "fountain opened... for sin and for uncleanness"
(Zech. 13:1), and by which alone defilement can be cleansed and
iniquities blotted out.
"But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He
will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the
LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the
leper" (2 Kings 5:11). In his own country he was a person of
consequence, a "great man," commander-in-chief of the army, standing
high in the favor of the king. Here in Israel the prophet had treated
him as a mere nobody, paying no deference to him, employing a servant
to convey his instructions. Naaman was chagrined; his pride was
wounded, and because his self-importance had not been ministered to,
he turned away in a huff. Elisha's "Go and wash in Jordan seven times"
was not intended to signify the means of cure, but was designed as a
test of his heart, and strikingly did it serve its purpose. It was a
call to humble himself before Jehovah. It required the repudiation of
his own wisdom and the renunciation of self-pleasing; and that is at
direct variance with the inclinations of fallen human nature, so much
so that no one ever truly complied with this just demand of God's
until He performed a miracle of grace in the soul.
Even the most humiliating providences are not sufficient in themselves
to humble the proud heart of man and render him submissive to the
divine will. One would think that a person so desperately afflicted as
this poor leper would have been meekened and ready to comply with the
prophet's injunction. Ah, my reader, the seat of our moral disease
lies too deep for external things to reach it. So fearful is the
blinding power of sin that it causes its subjects to be puffed up with
self-complacency and self-righteousness and to imagine they are
entitled to favorable treatment even at the hands of the Most High.
And does not that very spirit lurk in the hearts of the regenerate!
And it not only lurks there, but at times it moves them to act like
Naaman! Has not the writer and the Christian reader ever come before
the Lord with some pressing need and sought relief at His hands, and
then been angry because He responded to us in quite a different way
from what we expected and desired? Have we not had to bow our heads
for shame as He gently reproved us with His "Doest thou well to be
angry?" (Jon. 4:4). Yes, there is much of this Naaman spirit that
needs to be mortified in each of us.
"Behold, I thought" said Naaman. Herein he supplies a true
representation of the natural man. The sinner has his own idea of how
salvation is to be obtained. It is true that opinions vary when it
comes to the working out of detail, yet all over the world fallen man
has his own opinion of what is suitable and needful. One man thinks he
must perform some meritorious deeds in order to obtain forgiveness.
Another thinks the past can be atoned for by turning over a new leaf
and living right for the future. Yet another, who has obtained a
smattering of the gospel, thinks that by believing in Christ he
secures a passport to heaven, even though he continues to indulge the
flesh and retain his beloved idols. However much they may differ in
their self-concocted schemes, this one thing is common to them all: "I
thought." And that "I thought" is put over against the Word and way of
God. They prefer the way that "seemeth right" to them; they insist on
following out their own theorizings; they pit their prejudices and
presuppositions against a "thus saith the Lord." Reader, you perceive
here the folly of Naaman, but have you seen the madness of setting
your own thoughts against the authority of the living God!
And what was it that this foolish and haughty Syrian "thought"? Why
this: "He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name
of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover
the leper." He was willing to be restored to health, but it must be in
his own way--a way in which his self-respect might be retained and his
importance acknowledged. He desired to be healed, provided he should
also be duly honored. He had come all the way from Syria to be rid of
his leprosy, but he was not prepared to receive cleansing in the
manner of God's prescribing. What madness! What a demonstration that
the carnal mind is enmity against God! What proof of the fearful hold
which Satan has over his victims until a stronger one delivers them
from his enthralling power!
Naaman had now received what the king of Israel had failed to give
him--full directions for his cure. There was no uncertainty about the
prescription nor of its efficacy, would he but submit to it. "Go and
wash in Jordan seven times... and thou shalt be clean." But he felt
slighted. Such instructions suited not his inclinations; the divine
requirement accorded not with the conceits of his unhumbled heart.
What right had Naaman, a leper, to either argue or prescribe? He was a
petitioner and not a legislator; he was suing for a favor, and
therefore was in no position to advance any demands of his own. If
such were the case and situation of Naaman, how infinitely less has
any depraved and guilty sinner the right to make any terms with God!
Man is a criminal, justly pronounced guilty by the divine law. Mercy
is his only hope, and it is therefore for God to say in what way mercy
is to be shown him and how salvation is to be obtained. For this
reason the Lord says not only,
"Let the wicked forsake his way," but also adds "and the unrighteous
man his thoughts" (Isa. 55:7).
Man must repudiate his own ideas, abandon his own prejudices, turn
away from his own schemes, and reject his own preferences. If we are
to enter the kingdom of heaven, we must "become as little children"
(Matthew 18:3). Alas, of the vast majority of our fellowmen it has to
be said, that they, "going about to establish their own righteousness,
have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God" (Rom.
10:3). They "will not come to Christ that they might have life" (John
5:40).
C. E. Stuart wrote,
In Naaman's mind all was arranged. He pictured the scene to
himself, and made himself the foremost figure in the group--the
Gentile idolator waited on by the prophet of God. The incongruity
of this he did not then see. We see it. God would visit him in
grace, but as one who had no ground of his own to stand on. As a
sinner He could meet him. As a leper He could heal him. As the
captain of the hosts of the king of Syria He would not receive him.
What place has a sinner before God save that of one to whom mercy
can be shown? What place is suited to the leper save that outside
the camp? Naaman has to learn his place. He may be wroth with the
prophet, but he cannot move him. Before him he is only a leper,
whatever he may appear before others. Learning his place, he has to
learn his vileness. He imagined Elisha would have struck his hand
over the place. A sign, a scene, he expected--not a mere word. He
did not know what a defiling object he was. The priest looked on
the leper to judge whether he was leprous or not. He touched him
only when he was clean (Lev. 14). Of Naaman's leprosy there was no
doubt, for he had come to be healed of it. To touch him ere he was
clean would only have defiled the prophet! But further, if he had
been able to touch him, and so have healed him, would not man have
thought there was virtue in the prophet? By sending him to the
Jordan to wash, it would be clearly seen the cure was direct from
God. Man has no virtue in himself--he can only be the channel of
God's grace to others. God must have all the glory of the cure, and
Naaman must be taught his own condition and vileness.
"Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the
waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned
and went away in a rage" (2 Kings 5:12). Naaman was incensed not only
because he thought that insufficient respect had been shown to his own
person, but also because he felt his country had been slighted. If it
was merely a matter of bathing in some river, why could not those of
his own land have sufficed? This was tantamount to dictating to
Jehovah, for it was the word of His prophet he now challenged. Shall
the beggar insist on his right to choose what form the supply of his
need must take! Shall the patient inform the physician what remedy
will be acceptable to him! Is the guilty culprit to have the
effrontery to dictate to the judge what shall be done to him! Yet a
worm of the earth deems himself competent to pit his wits against the
wisdom of God. A hell-deserving sinner is impudent enough to draw up
terms on which he considers heaven is due him. But if we are to be
cleansed, it can only be by the way of God's appointing and not by any
of our own devising.
Matthew Henry said,
He thinks this too cheap, too plain, too common, a thing for so
great a man to be cured by; or he did not believe it would at all
effect the cure, or, if it would, what medicinal virtue was there
in Jordan more than in the rivers of Damascus? But he did not
consider (1) That Jordan belonged to Israel's God, from whom he was
to expect the cure, and not from the gods of Damascus; it watered
the Lord's land, the holy land, and in a miraculous cure, relation
to God was much more considerable than the depth of the channel or
the beauty of the stream. (2) That Jordan had more than once before
this obeyed the commands of Omnipotence: it had of old yielded a
passage to Israel, and of late to Elijah and Elisha, and therefore
was fitter for such a purpose than those rivers which had only
observed the common law of their creation, and had never been thus
distinguished; but above all, Jordan was the river appointed, and
if he expected a cure from the Divine power he ought to acquiesce
in the Divine will, without asking why or wherefore. It is common
for those that are wise in their own conceits to look with contempt
on the dictates and prescriptions of Divine wisdom, and to prefer
their own fancies before them.
"So he turned and went away in a rage." How true to life; how accurate
the picture! The flesh resents the humbling truth of God and hates to
be abased. And let us say here for the benefit of young preachers who
are likely to read these lines: you must expect some of your hearers
to turn from you in anger if you faithfully minister the Word of God
in its undiluted purity. It has ever been thus. If the prophets of the
Lord incensed their hearers, can you expect your message will be
palatable to the unregenerate? If the incarnate Son of God had to say,
"Because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not" (John 8:45), can you
expect the truth to meet with a better welcome from your lips? If the
chief of the apostles declared, "For if I yet pleased men, I should
not be the servant of Christ" (Gal. 1:10), do you expect to be popular
with them? There is but one way to avoid displeasing your hearers, and
that is by unfaithfulness to your trust, by carnal compromise, by
blunting the sharp edge of the sword of the Spirit, by keeping back
what you know will prove unacceptable. In such an event, God will
require their blood at your hand and you will forfeit the approbation
of your Master.
"So he turned and went away in a rage." In this we may see the final
effort of Satan to retain his victim before divine grace delivered
him. The rage of Naaman was but the reflection of Satan, who was
furious at the prospect of losing him. It reminds us of the case
recorded in Luke 9:37-42. A father of a demon-possessed child had
sought for help from the apostles, which they had been unable to
render. As the Savior came down from the mount, the poor father
approached Him and He gave orders, "bring they son hither." We are
told, "And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare
him" (Luke 9:42). But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the
child, and delivered him again to his father. It is frequently thus;
the conflict which is waged in the soul is usually worst just before
peace is found. Lusts rage, unbelief seeks to wax supreme, the truth
of sovereign grace when first apprehended is obnoxious, and to be told
our righteousnesses are as filthy rags stirs up enmity. Satan fills
the soul with rage against God, against His truth, against His
servant. Often that is a hopeful sign, for it at least shows that the
sinner has been aroused from the fatal sleep of indifference.
"And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father,
if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not
have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and
be clean?" (2 Kings 5:13). Let us consider first the surface teaching
of this verse. This gentle remonstrance was "a word spoken in season."
Had Naaman remained calm and reasonable he would have perceived that
what was required of him was simple and safe, and neither difficult
nor dangerous. Had the prophet prescribed some laborious and lengthy
task, or ordered a drastic operation or painful remedy, probably
Naaman would have complied without a murmur. So why not do this when
no other sacrifice was demanded of him but the humbling of his pride?
"When sinners are under serious impressions, and as yet prejudiced
against the Lord's method of salvation, they should be reasoned with
in meekness and love, and persuaded to make trial of its simplicity"
(Thomas Scott). If it is necessary to rebuke their petulence and point
out to them the foolishness of their proud reasoning, we should make
it evident that our rebuke proceeds from a desire for their eternal
welfare.
It is a great mercy to have those about us that will be free with
us, and faithfully tell us our faults and follies, though they be
our inferiors. Masters must be willing to hear reason from their
inferiors: Job 31:13, 14. As we should be deaf to the counsel of
the ungodly though given by the greatest and most venerable names,
so we should have our ears open to good advice, though brought to
us by those who are much below us: no matter who speaks, if it be
well said... The reproof was modest and respectful: they call him
"father"--for servants must honor and obey their masters with a
kind of filial affection (Matthew Henry).
How few ministers of the gospel now proclaim the divine injunction,
"Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters
worthy of all honor, that the name of God and his doctrine be not
blasphemed" (1 Tim. 6:1).
It may be those servants had heard quite a lot from the Hebrew maid of
the wondrous miracles that had been wrought by Elisha, and hence they
were very desirous that Naaman should try out his directions. Or,
perhaps it was because they were deeply devoted to their master,
holding him in high esteem, and felt he was forsaking his own mercies
by permitting his wounded vanity to now blind his better judgment. At
any rate, they saw no sense in coming all the way from Syria and now
leaving Samaria without at least making a trial of the prophet's
prescription. Such are the suggestions made by the commentators to
explain this action of Naaman's attendants. Personally, we prefer to
look higher and see the power of the Most High in operation, working
in them both to will and to do if His good pleasure, employing them as
one more link in the chain which brought about the accomplishment of
His purpose; "For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things:
to whom be glory for ever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36).
What has been before us here is in full accord with the other things
already contemplated. It seemed quite unlikely that any serious
attention should be paid to the simple statement of the captive Hebrew
maid, but God saw to it that her words did not fall to the ground. It
appeared very much as though Naaman's mission was blocked when the
skeptical king of Israel failed to cooperate, but God moved Elisha to
intervene and caused his royal master to carry out his order. And now
that Naaman himself turned away from the prophet in a rage, it
certainly looked as though the quest would prove unsuccessful. But
that could not be. The Almighty had decreed that the Syrian should be
healed of his leprosy and brought to acknowledge that the God of
Israel was the true and living God; and all the powers of evil could
not prevent the fulfillment of His decree. Yet just as He is generally
pleased to work, so here; He used human instruments in the
accomplishing of His purpose. It may be concluded that, naturally and
normally, those attendants would have their place and distance, and
would not have dared to remonstrate with their master while he was in
such a rage. Behold the secret power of God working within them,
subduing their fears, and moving them to appeal to Naaman.
The little maid was not present to speak to her august master and
plead with him to further his best interests. The prophet of the Lord
had issued his instructions, only for them to be despised. What, then?
Shall Naaman return home unhealed? No, such a thing was not possible.
He was to learn there was a God in Israel and that He had thoughts of
mercy toward him. But he must first be abased. Mark, then how God
acted. He moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to
perform--oftentimes unperceived and unappreciated by us. He inclines
Naaman's own followers to admonish him and show him the folly of his
proud reasoning. Remarkable and significant is it to observe the
particular instruments the Lord here employed. It was first the
servant maid whom He used to inform Naaman that there was a prophet in
Israel by whom he could obtain healing. Then it was through his
servant that Elisha gave the Syrian the needed instructions. And now
it was Naaman's own servants who prevailed upon him to heed those
instructions. All of this was intended for the humbling of the mighty
Naaman. And, we may add, for our instruction. We must take the
servant's place and have the servant spirit if we would hope for God
to employ us.
See here too the amazing patience of the Lord. Here was one who was
wrothful against His faithful prophet: what wonder then that He struck
him down in his tracks. Here was a haughty creature who refused to
humble himself and, in effect, impudently dictated to God how he
should receive healing. Had he been on his knees supplicating the
divine favor, his attitude would have been a becoming one; instead, he
turned his back upon God's servant and moved away in a rage. Yet it
was then that God acted--not against him, but for him, so that where
sin abounded, grace did much more abound. And why? Because sovereign
mercy had ordained him a vessel unto honor from all eternity.
Let the Christian reader join with the writer in looking back to the
past, recalling when we too kicked against the pricks. How infinite
was the forbearance of God toward us! Though we had no regard for Him,
He had set His heart upon us; and perhaps at the very time when our
awful enmity against Him was most high-handedly operative, He moved
someone of comparative obscurity to reason with us and point out to us
the folly of our ways and urge us to submit to God's holy
requirements.
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
TENTH MIRACLE--COMPLETE SUBMISSION
Chapter 18
___________________________________
We Devoted Much of our attention in previous chapters to the
requirement made upon Naaman, because that demand and his compliance
therewith are the hinge on which this miracle turns, as the response
made by the sinner to the call of the gospel settles whether or not he
is to be cleansed from his sin. This does not denote that the success
or failure of the gospel is left contingent upon the will of men, but
rather announces that order of things which God has instituted: an
order in which He acts as moral governor and in which man is dealt
with as a moral agent. In consequence of the fall, man is filled with
enmity against God and is blind to his eternal interests. His will is
opposed to God's, and the depravity of his heart causes him to forsake
his own mercies. Nevertheless he is still a responsible creature, and
God treats him as such. As his moral governor, God requires obedience
from him; and in the case of His elect He obtains it, not by physical
compulsion but by moral persuasion, not by mere force but by inclining
him to free concurrence. He does not overwhelm by divine might, but
declares, "I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love" (Hosea
11:4).
What has just been pointed out above receives striking illustration in
the incident before us. When God's requirement was made to Naaman it
pleased him not, he was angry at the prophet and rebellious against
the instructions given him. "Go and wash in Jordan seven times" was a
definite test of obedience, calling for the surrender of his will to
the Lord. Everything was narrowed down to that one thing: would he bow
before and submit to the authoritative Word of God? In like manner
every person who hears it is tested by the gospel today. The gospel is
no mere "invitation" to be heeded or not as men please, and grossly
dishonoring to God is it if we consider it only as such. The gospel is
a divine proclamation, demanding the throwing down of the weapons of
our warfare against heaven. God "now commandeth all men every where to
repent" (Acts 17:30). And again we are told, "And this is His
commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus
Christ" (1 John 3:23). The gospel is "for obedience to the faith"
(Rom. 1:5), and Christ is "the author of eternal salvation unto all
them that obey him" (Heb. 5:9). To those "that obey not the gospel,"
the Lord Jesus will come in flaming fire, taking vengeance (2 Thess.
1:7-8). If men will not bow to Christ's scepter, they shall be made
His footstool.
It was this very obedience that Naaman was reluctant to render, so
much so that he was on the point of returning to Syria unhealed. Yet
that could not be. In the divine decree he was marked out to be the
recipient of God's sovereign grace. As yet Naaman might be averse to
receiving grace in the way of God's appointing, and the devil might
put forth a supreme effort to retain his victim; but whatever be the
devices of the human heart or the malice of its enemy, the counsel of
the Lord must stand. When God has designs of mercy toward a soul, He
sets in operation certain agencies which result in the accomplishment
of His purpose. The flesh may resist and Satan may oppose, but it
stands written, "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power"
(Ps. 110:3). That "day" had now arrived for Naaman, and speedily was
this made manifest. It pleased God to exercise His power by moving the
Syrian's servants to remonstrate with him and by making effectual
their plea. "My father," they said, "if the prophet had bid thee do
some great thing, wouldst not thou have done it? how much rather then,
when he saith to thee, Wash and be clean? Then went he down, and
dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the
man of God" (2 Kings 5:13-14). "Then went he down." That was something
which he had to do; and until he did it, there was no cleansing for
him. The sinner is not passive in connection with God's blotting out
his iniquities. He has to repent (Acts 3:19), and believe in Christ
(Acts 10:43) in order to obtain forgiveness of his sins. It was a
voluntary act on the part of Naaman. Previously he had been unwilling
to comply with the divine demand, but the secret power of God has
worked in him--by means of the pleading of his attendants--overcoming
his reluctance. It was an act of self-abasement. "He went down and
dipped" signifies three things: he descended from his chariot, he
waded into the waters, he was submerged beneath them, and thus did he
own his vileness before God. No less than "seven times" must he plunge
into that dark stream, thereby acknowledging his total uncleanness. A
person only slightly soiled may be cleansed by a single washing, but
Naaman must dip seven times to make evident how great was his
defilement. The seven times also intimated that God required complete
submission to His will. Nothing short of full surrender to Him is of
any avail.
"Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan,
according to the saying of the man of God." It is of deep importance
that we grasp the exact implication of this second clause; otherwise,
we shall miss one of the principal lines in this gospel picture. Note
well then that it was not according to the pleading of his attendants,
the last thing mentioned in the context. Had Naaman acted simply to
please them, he might have dipped himself in Jordan seventy times and
been no better off for it. "According to the saying of the man of God"
signifies according to the declaration of God Himself through His
prophet. Naaman heeded the Word of God and rendered faith obedience
(Rom. 1:5) to it. Repentance is not sufficient to procure cleansing;
the sinner must also believe. And this is what Naaman now did. His
heart laid hold of the divine promise, "Go and wash in Jordan seven
times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be
clean." He believed that "shalt" and acted upon it. Have you done
similarly, my reader? Has your faith definitely appropriated the
gospel promise, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be
saved"? If not, you will never be saved until it has. Faith is the
indispensable requirement, for without faith it is impossible to
please God (Heb. 11:6).
"And his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and
he was clean" (2 Kings 5:14). Of course it did. It could not be
otherwise, for "he is faithful that promised" (Heb. 10:23). None has
ever laid hold of a divine promise and found it to fail, and none ever
will. That which has been spoken through the prophets and apostles is
the Word of Him "that cannot lie" (Titus 1:2). He cannot falsify His
Word. He cannot depart from it, alter it, or break it. "For ever, O
LORD, thy word is settled in heaven" (Ps. 119:89). Forever, too, is it
settled on earth: "My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing
that is gone out of my lips" (Ps. 89:34). God has promised to receive,
welcome, own, justify, preserve, and bring to heaven, all who will
take Him at His simple Word; who will rely upon it unconditionally and
without reservation, setting to their seal that He is true. The
warrant for us to believe is contained in the promise itself, as it
was for Naaman. The promise says, "you may"; the promise says, "You
must"; the promise says, "You are shut up to faith" (Gal. 3:23). And
I, I say, "Lord, I believe." Faith is taking God at His Word--His
undeceiving and infallible Word--and trusting in Jesus Christ as my
Savior. If you have not already done so, delay no longer, but trust
Him now, and wash in that "fountain" which has been opened "for sin
and for uncleanness" (Zech. 13:1).
"And his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and
he was clean." Let it be duly noted that there was no lengthy interval
between the faith-obedience of Naaman and his healing, in fact no
interval at all. There was no placing of him upon probation before his
disease was removed. His cleansing was instantaneous. Nor was his
cleansing partial and effected only by degrees; he was fully and
perfectly healed there and then, so that not a single spot of his
leprosy remained. And that is exactly what the glorious gospel of God
announces and promises: "the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth
us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). The moment a sinner claims Christ as
his own, His perfect righteousness is placed to his account. The
moment any sinner really takes God at His Word and appropriates the
gospel promise, he is--without having to wait for anything further to
be done for him or in him--entitled to and fit for heaven, just as was
the dying thief. If he is left here another hundred years, he may
indeed enter into a fuller understanding of the riches of divine
grace, but he will not become one iota more fit for glory. "Giving
thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet [not `is now doing
so'] to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light" (Col.
1:12).
"And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came,
and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no
God in all the earth but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a
blessing of thy servant" (2 Kings 5:15). When a work of grace is
wrought upon a person, it is soon made evident by him. Notice the
radical and blessed transformation which had been produced in Naaman's
heart as well as in his body. He might have hastened back at once to
Syria, but he did not. Previously he had turned his back upon Elisha
in a rage, but now he sought his face in gratitude. Formerly he had
despised the "waters of Israel" (2 Kings 5:12); now he acknowledged
the God of Israel. All was completely changed. The proud and haughty
Syrian was humbled, terming himself the prophet's "servant." The
bitterness of his legalistic heart which had resented a way of
deliverance that placed him on the same level as paupers had received
its death wound. The enmity of his carnal mind against God and his
hatred of His prophet, together with his leprosy, were all left
beneath Jordan's flood, and he emerged a new creature--cleansed and
lowly in heart. No longer did he expect the prophet to seek him out
and pay deference to him. Instead he at once went to Elisha and
honored him as God's servant--a lovely figure of a saved sinner
desiring fellowship with the people of God.
Sixth, the Sequel of the Miracle
Let us look more closely at the actions of the cleansed Naaman. First,
he "returned to the man of God." Nor did he seek him in vain. This
time Elisha came forth in person, there being no longer any need to
communicate through his servant.
Second, Naaman was the first to speak, and he bore testimony to the
true and living God: "Behold, now I know that there is no God in all
the earth, but in Israel." He had listened to no lectures on evidences
of the divine existence, nor did he need to; effectively is a soul
taught when it is made partaker of saving grace. Naaman was as sure
now as Elisha himself that Jehovah alone is God.
Third, this testimony of Naaman was not given in private to the
prophet, but openly before "all his company." Have you, my reader,
made public profession of your faith? "I am not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ" (Rom. 1:16); does a like witness issue from your lips, or
are you attempting to be a "secret disciple" of His? Fourth, Naaman
now wished to bestow a present on Elisha as an expression of his
gratitude. Are you ministering to the temporal needs of God's
servants?
Yes, my reader, where a work of divine grace has been wrought, its
subject soon makes the fact evident to those around him. One who has
fully surrendered to God cannot hide the fact from his fellows, nor
will he wish to. A new life within cannot help but be made manifest in
a new life without. When Zaccheus was made a partaker of God's "so
great salvation," he gave half his goods to the poor and made fourfold
restitution to those he had robbed (Luke 19:8). When Saul of Tarsus
was converted, he at once said, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?"
and henceforth a walk of loving obedience to Him marked the grand
transformation. No sooner was the Philippian jailer made savingly
acquainted with Christ than he who had made fast in the stocks the
feet of the sorely-beaten apostles "washed their stripes" and, after
being baptized, "brought them into his house" and "set meat before
them" (Acts 16). Is it thus with you? Does your everyday conduct
testify what Christ has done for you? Or is your profession only like
a leafy tree without any fruit on it?
"But he said, As the LORD liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive
none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused" (2 Kings 5:16).
Naaman was now taught the freeness of God's grace. This freeness is
pictured by Joseph, when he gave orders for the sacks of his brethren
to be filled with corn and their money to be returned and placed in
their sacks (Gen. 42:25). When God gives to sinners, He gives freely.
It was for a truly noble reason then that Elisha declined the blessing
from Naaman's hand: he would not compromise the blessed truth of
divine grace. "He would have Naaman return to Syria with this
testimony, that the God of Israel had taken nothing from him but his
leprosy! He would have him go back and declare that his gold and
silver were useless in dealing with One who gave all for nothing"
(Things New and Old). God delights in being the giver. If you wish to
please Him, continue coming before Him as a receiver. Listen to David,
"What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me? I
will take the cup of salvation, and call upon his name" (Ps.
116:12-13). In other words, he would "render" to Him by receiving
more!
By his response Elisha showed Naaman that the servant of God looks
upon the wealth of this world with holy contempt.
Gratitude to the Lord will dictate liberality to the instruments of
His mercies. But different circumstances will render it necessary
for them to adopt different measures. The "man of God" will never
allow himself to covet any one's gold or silver, or apparel; but be
content with daily bread, and learn to trust for tomorrow. Yet
sometimes he will understand that the proffered kindness is the
Lord's method of supplying his necessities, that it will be fruit
abounding to the benefit of the donor, and that there is a
propriety in accepting it as a token of love; but as others, the
gift will be looked on as a temptation, and he will perceive that
the acceptance of it would degrade his character and office,
dishonor God, and tend exceeding to the injury of the giver. In
this case he will decidedly refuse it. This is particularly to be
adverted to in the case of the great, when they first turn their
thoughts to religious subjects. From knowledge of the world, they
are apt to suspect all their inferiors of mercenary designs, and
naturally suppose that ministers are only carrying on a trade like
other men; while the conduct of too many so-called confirms them in
the sentiment. There is but one way of counteracting this
prejudice, and that is by evidencing a disinterested spirit, and
not asking anything, and in some cases refusing to accept favors
from them, until they have attained a further establishment in the
faith; and by always persevering in an indifference to every
personal interest (Scott).
"And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy
servant two mules' burden of earth? for thy servant will henceforth
offer neither burnt-offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto
the LORD" (2 Kings 5:17). Once the true God is known (2 Kings 5:15),
all false ones are repudiated. Observe carefully his "be given" and
"thy servant." He does not offer to purchase this soil, nor does he as
"captain of the hosts" of Syria's victorious army demand it as a
right. Grace had now taught him to be a recipient and conduct himself
as a servant. Beautiful is it to see the purpose for which he wanted
this earth; it was not from a superstitious veneration of the soil,
but that he might honor God. This exhibits, once more, the great and
grand change which had been wrought in Naaman. His chief concern now
was to be a worshiper of the God of all grace, the God of Israel, and
to this end he requests permission to take home with him sufficient
soil of the land of Israel to build an altar. And is not the
application of this to ourselves quite apparent? When a soul has
tasted that the Lord is gracious, the spirit of worship possesses him,
and he will reverently pour out his heart's adoration unto Him.
The order of truth we have been considering is deeply instructive.
First, we have a cleansed leper, a sinner saved by grace, (2 Kings
5:14). Then an assured saint: "I know" (2 Kings 5:15); and now a
voluntary worshiper (2 Kings 5:17). That is the unchanging order of
scripture. No one that ignores the cleansing blood of Christ or "the
washing of water by the word" (Eph. 5:26) can obtain any access to the
thrice holy God. And none who doubts his acceptance in the beloved can
offer unto the Father that praise and thanksgiving which are His due.
Therefore believers are bidden to "draw near with a true heart in full
assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience" (Heb. 10:22). As we have passed from one detail to
another, we have sought to make definite application to ourselves. Let
us do so here. Naaman was determined to erect an altar unto the Lord
in his own land. Reader, are you the head of a household, and do you
claim to be a Christian? Then gather this family around you each day
and conduct worship. If you do not, you have good reason to call into
question the genuineness of your profession. If God has His due place
in your heart, He will have it in your home.
"In this thing the LORD pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth
into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand,
and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the
house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon thy servant in this thing" (2 Kings
5:18). This presents a real difficulty; for as the verse reads, it
quite mars the typical picture and seems utterly foreign to all that
precedes. It is true that Naaman was a converted heathen; and he had
himself acknowledged that "there is no God in all the earth, but in
Israel," so however great his previous ignorance, he was now
enlightened. His desire to erect an altar unto Jehovah would appear to
preclude the idea that he should in the next breath suggest that he
play the part of a compromiser and then presumptuously count on the
Lord's forgiveness. One who is fully surrendered to the Lord makes no
reservation. He cannot, for His requirement is, "Thou shalt worship
the LORD thy God, and him only shalt thou serve;" and again, "Touch
not the unclean thing, and I will receive you." And still more
difficult is it for us to understand Elisha's, "Go in peace" (2 Kings
5:19), if he had just been asked to grant a dispensation for what
Naaman himself evidently felt to be wrong.
Is there then any legitimate method of removing this difficulty?
Though he does not adopt it himself, Scott states that many learned
men have sought to establish an alternative translation: "In this
thing the Lord pardon thy servant: that when my master went into the
house of Rimmon to bow down himself there, that I bowed down myself
there--the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing." We do not possess
sufficient scholarship to be able to pass judgment on this rendition,
but from what little we do know of the Hebrew verb (which has no
present tense), it strikes us as likely. In this case, Naaman's words
look backward, evidencing a quickened conscience, confessing a past
offense, rather than forward and seeking a dispensation for a future
sin. But if that translation is a cutting of the knot rather than an
untying of it, then we must suppose that Elisha perceived that Naaman
was convinced that the thing he anticipated was not right. So, instead
of rebuking him, Elisha left that conviction to produce its proper
effect, assured that in due course when Naaman's faith and judgment
matured, he would take a more decided stand against idolatry.
We will take up, seventh, the meaning of this miracle, in the next
chapter.
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
ELEVENTH MIRACLE--A WAYWARD SERVANT
Chapter 19
___________________________________
Seventh, the Meaning of the Miracle
The Eleventh Miracle of Elisha is so closely connected with the tenth
that it will scarcely be out of place for us to bring forward the
final division of the foregoing and use it as the introduction to this
one. Though we dwelt at more than customary length with the healing of
Naaman and pointed out much as we went along that was typical, yet
there still remain several details of interest which deserve separate
notice.
First, the cleansing of Naaman supplied a striking display of the
sovereignty of God. This was emphasized by the Lord Jesus in His first
public discourse in the synagogue at Nazareth, when He reminded His
hearers, "Many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus [Elisha]
the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian"
(Luke 4:27). It is ever thus with Him whose thoughts are so different
from and whose ways are so high above ours that, acting in the
freeness of His grace, He passes by others and singles out the most
unlikely to be the recipients of His high favors (1 Cor. 1:26-29).
Second, the cleansing of Naaman afforded a blessed foreshadowment of
the divine mercy reaching out to the Gentiles, for Naaman was not an
Israelite but a Syrian. Nevertheless he was made to learn the humbling
lesson that if divine grace were to be extended to him, it could only
proceed from the God of Abraham. That was why he must wash in the
Jordan; the waters of "Abana and Pharpar" (2 Kings 5:12) were of no
avail--he must wash in one of Israel's streams. This truth is written
boldly across the pages of Holy Writ. The harlot of Jericho was to be
spared when her city was destroyed, but it could only be by her
heeding the instructions of the two Hebrew spies. The widow of
Zarephath was preserved through the famine, but it was by receiving
Elijah into her home. The Ninevites were delivered from impending
wrath, but at the preaching of Jonah. The king of Babylon received a
dream from God, but for its interpretation he must turn to Daniel. To
the Samaritan adulteress Christ declared, "Salvation is of the Jews"
(John 4:22). Then let us heed the warning of Romans 11:18-25.
Third, the cleansing of Naaman provided a full picture of "the way of
salvation" or what is required of the sinner in order for his
cleansing. First we have a picture of how fallen man appears in the
eyes of the holy God: a leper, one condemned by His law, a loathsome
object, unfit for the divine presence, a menace to his fellow-men.
Then we behold man's self-righteousness and self-importance, as Naaman
came expecting to purchase his healing and was angry at the prophet's
refusal to show him deference. Next we learn of the demand made upon
him; he must descend from his chariot and go and wash seven times in
the Jordan. There must be the setting aside of his own thoughts and
desires, the humbling of proud self, the acknowledgment of his total
depravity, full surrender to God's authority, and faith's laying hold
of the promise "and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt
be clean." Finally, we behold the immediate and complete
transformation: "and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a
little child," with a corresponding change of heart and conduct toward
Elisha and his God.
Before passing from this most fascinating incident, let us consider
further the particular waters into which Naaman was required to dip.
It was not in the river Kishon or the pool of Bethesda, but the
Jordan. Why? The answer to that question reveals the striking accuracy
of our type. As leprosy (emblem of sin) was in question, the curse
must be witnessed to. Sin has called down the curse of the One against
whom it has raised its defiant head (Gen. 3). The curse is God's
judgment upon sin, and that judgment is death. It is this of which the
Jordan ever speaks. It was not because its waters possessed any
magical properties or healing virtues; the very name Jordan means
"judgment." Those who heeded our Lord's forerunner "were baptized of
him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins" (Mark 1:5); immersion
beneath its waters was the acknowledgment that death was their due.
Therefore did the Savior allude to His death as a "baptism" (Luke
12:50), for at the cross He was overwhelmed by the judgments of God
(Ps. 42:7; 88:7). When a sinner believes the gospel and appropriates
Christ as his substitute, God regards him as having passed through His
judgment of sin, so that he can now say, "I am crucified with Christ,"
and in his baptism as a believer there is a symbolic showing forth of
that fact.
The miracle which is now to engage our attention is of quite another
order, the differences between them being most striking. We will
therefore consider, first, its contrasts.
First, the Contrasts of this Miracle
The subject of the foregoing miracle was a heathen idolater; now it is
the prophet's own servant. Naaman sought the prophet for relief; the
other pursued the relieved one and virtually demanded tribute from
him. There we beheld Elisha teaching Naaman the grand truth of the
freeness of divine grace; here we see Gehazi casting a dark cloud over
the same. In the one Naaman is represented as expressing deep
gratitude for his recovery and urging the man of God to receive a
present at his hands; now the avaricious Gehazi is portrayed as
coveting that which his master so nobly refused. There it was a poor
creature healed of his leprosy; here it is one being smitten with that
dread disease. There we beheld God's goodness acting in mercy; here we
see His severity acting in holy justice. The former closes with the
recipient of divine grace returning home as a devout worshiper; the
latter ends with a pronouncement of God's curse on the transgressor
and on his seed forever.
Second, the Subject of the Miracle
The one on whom this solemn miracle was wrought is Gehazi, the servant
of Elisha. He has come before us several times previously, and nowhere
was he seen to advantage. First, when the woman of Shunem sought the
man of God on behalf of her dead son and cast herself at his feet,
"Gehazi came near to thrust her away" (2 Kings 4:27), and his master
told him to "let her alone." Then the prophet instructed his servant
to go before him and lay his staff upon the face of the child (2 Kings
4:29). Elisha could successfully smite the waters of Jordan with
Elijah's mantle because "the spirit of Elijah" rested upon him (2
Kings 2:15); but being devoid of the Spirit, Gehazi found the
prophet's staff of no avail in his prayerless hands (2 Kings 4:31). In
2 Kings 4:43 we beheld his selfishness and unbelief: "What, should I
set this before an hundred men" when Elisha was counting upon God to
multiply the loaves. Thus his character and conduct is consistent and
in keeping with his name which significantly enough means "denier."
Third, the Occasion of the Miracle
"But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my
master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands
that which he brought: but, as the LORD liveth, I will run after him,
and take somewhat of him" (2 Kings 5:20). It will be remembered that
before Naaman left Syria for the land of Samaria that he provided
himself with a costly treasure, consisting of "ten talents of silver,
and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment" (2 Kings
5:5). No doubt a part of this was designed for traveling expenses for
the retinue of servants who accompanied him, but the major portion of
it he evidently intended to bestow upon his benefactor. But Elisha had
firmly refused to receive anything (2 Kings 5:15-16), and so he was
now returning home with his horses still laden with the treasure. This
was more than the covetous heart of Gehazi could endure, and he
determined to secure a portion of it for himself. The honor of Jehovah
and the glory of His grace counted nothing with him.
Every word in the above verse repays careful attention. The ominous
"But" intimates the solemn contrast between the two miracles. Gehazi
is here termed not only "the servant of Elisha" but "of Elisha the man
of God"--the added words bring out the enormity of his sin. First,
they call attention to the greatness of the privilege he had enjoyed,
being in close attendance on so pious a master. This rendered his
wicked conduct the more excuseless, for it was not the act of an
ignorant person, but of one well instructed in the ways of
righteousness. Second, it emphasizes the enormity of his offense, for
it reflected seriously on the official character of the one who
employed him. The sins of those in the sacred office or of those
associated with them are far graver than those of others (Jam. 3:1).
But just as Gehazi had no concern for the glory of God, so he cared
nothing for the reputation of Elisha.
What has just been pointed out definitely refutes one of the
wide-spread delusions of our day, namely, that it is their unfavorable
surroundings which are responsible for the degenerate conduct of so
many of the present generation: social improvement can only be
effected by improving the wages and homes of the poor. And is the
behavior of the rich any better? Is there less immorality in the west
end of London than in the east? It is drunken and thriftless people
who make the slums, and not the slums which ruin the people. God's
Word teaches it is "out of the heart" of fallen man (Mark 7:21-23) and
not from his faulty environment that all proceeds which defiles human
nature. Nor it is any more warrantable for any person to attempt to
throw the blame for his downfall on his being obliged to mingle with
evil characters. Gehazi was isolated from all bad companions, placed
in the most favorable circumstances, dwelling with a "man of God," but
his soul was depraved! While "the heart of the sons of men is fully
set in them to do evil" (Eccl. 8:11), the gospel and not more social
reforms is the only remedy.
Neither his close association with the man of God nor the witnessing
of the miracles performed by him effected any change within Gehazi.
The state of his heart is revealed by each expression recorded in
verse 20 of 2 Kings 5. "Behold, my master hath spared Naaman."
Incapable of appreciating the motives which had actuated Elisha, he
felt that he had foolishly missed a golden opportunity. Gehazi
regarded Naaman as legitimate prey, as a bird to be plucked.
Contemptuously, he refers to him as "this Syrian." There was no pity
for the one who had been such a sufferer, and no thankfulness that God
had healed him. He was determined to capitalize on the situation: "I
will run after him, and take somewhat of him." His awful sin was
deliberately premeditated. What was worse, he made use of an impious
oath: "As the LORD liveth I will run after him." There was no fear of
God before his eyes; instead, he defiantly took His holy name in vain.
"So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running
after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is
all well?" (2 Kings 5:21). It is solemn to observe that God put no
hindrance in the way of him who had devised evil. He could have moved
Naaman to quicken his pace and to outdistance Gehazi. But He did not,
an indication that God had given Gehazi up to his heart's lusts. It is
ever a signal mark of divine mercy when the Lord interferes with our
plans and thwarts our carnal designs. When we purpose doing anything
wrong and a providential obstacle blocks us, it is a sign that God has
not yet abandoned us to our madness. The graciousness of Naaman in
alighting from his chariot and the question he asked gave further
evidence of the change which had been wrought in him.
Fourth, the Aggravation of the Miracle
"And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold,
even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the
sons of the prophets: give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and
two changes of garments" (2 Kings 5:22). Here we see the wicked Gehazi
adding sin to sin, thereby treasuring up to himself wrath against the
day of wrath (Rom. 2:5). First, his greedy heart cherished a covetous
desire; then he deliberately and eagerly (as his "running" shows)
proceeded to realize the same; and now he resorts to falsehoods. Liars
can tell a plausible tale, especially when asking for charity. The
thievish knave pretended it was not for himself, but for others in
need that he was seeking relief--ever a favorite device employed by
the unscrupulous when seeking to take advantage of unwary victims.
Worse still, he compromised his master by saying he had sent him. To
what fearful lengths will a covetous heart carry its subjects!
"And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and
bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments,
and laid them upon two of his servants, and they bare them before him"
(2 Kings 5:23). Naaman was quite unsuspicious. He not only complied
with Gehazi's request but gave him more than he asked for. After the
prophet's firm and repeated refusals to accept his gifts, he should
have been more on his guard. There is a warning here for us to beware
of crediting every beggar we encounter, even though he is a religious
one. There have always been religious leeches who consider the
righteous are legitimate prey for them to fatten upon. While it is a
Christian duty to relieve the genuinely poor, yet we are not to
encourage idleness or let ourselves be deceived by those with a smooth
tongue. Investigate their case.
"And when he came to the tower, he took them from their hand, and
bestowed them in the house: and he let the men go, and they departed"
(2 Kings 5:24). He took pains to carefully conceal his ill-gotten
gains in a secret place, no doubt congratulating himself on his
shrewdness. This reminds us of our first parents hiding themselves
(Gen. 3:8) and of Achan's sin (Josh. 7:21). "But he went in, and stood
before his master" (2 Kings 5:25). Pretending to be a faithful and
dutiful servant, he now appeared before Elisha to await his orders.
The most untruthful and dishonest often assume a pious pose in the
company of the saints! "And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou,
Gehazi?" An opportunity was thus given him to confess his sins, but
instead of so doing, he added lie to lie: "And he said, Thy servant
went no whither." There was no repentance, but a daring brazenness.
Fifth, the Justice of the Miracle
"And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man
turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive
money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and
sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants? The leprosy
therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for
ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow" (2
Kings 5:26-27). Though Christians are not endowed with the
extraordinary powers of the prophets, yet if they be truly walking
with God they will discern a liar when he confronts them (1 Cor.
2:15). Elisha put his finger on the worst feature of the offense: "Is
it a time to receive money [and thus stain God's free grace]?" From
the words that follow, Elisha indicated that he knew how Gehazi
planned to use the money: he intended to leave his service and set up
as a farmer. His punishment was an appropriate one: he had coveted
something of Naaman's--he should have that which would henceforth
symbolically portray the polluted state of his soul.
Sixth, the Significance of the Miracle
That Gehazi fully deserved the frightful punishment which was visited
upon him and that the form it took was a case of what is termed
"poetic justice" will be evident to every spiritual mind. Nevertheless
there was a severity of dealing with him which is more noticeable than
in other cases. Nor is the reason far to seek. God was incensed at his
having so grievously compromised the display of His free grace. The
Lord is very jealous of His types. Observe how He moved Joseph to
restore the money to the sacks of his brethren when they came to
obtain food from Egypt (Gen. 42:25), because he was there
foreshadowing Christ as the bread of life--given to us "without money
and without price." The failure of Moses was far more than a losing of
his temper: it was a marring of a blessed type. Note, "smite the rock"
in Exodus 17:6, but only "speak" to it in Numbers 20:8--Christ was to
be "smitten" (Isa. 53:4) but once! As Moses suffered a premature death
for his sin, so Gehazi was smitten with leprosy for his.
Seventh, the Lesson of the Miracle
We shall mention only three of the lessons we can draw from this
miracle. First, there is a sharply pointed example here of the bitter
fruits borne by the nourishing of a covetous spirit, and a fearful
exemplification of that word, "For the love of money is the root of
all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the
faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (1 Tim.
6:10). How we need to pray, "Turn away mine eyes from beholding
vanity" (Ps. 119:37).
Second, there is a most solemn warning against putting a
stumblingblock in the way of a babe in Christ. Naaman had only
recently come to know Jehovah as the God of all grace and that was
another reason why He dealt so severely with Gehazi (see Matthew
18:6)! Third, there is a searching test for those of us who are
engaged exclusively in God's service: though delivered from the love
of money, we may seek the good opinion and praise of men.
_________________________________________________________________
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|Contents
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About Us
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
ELEVENTH MIRACLE
--FLOATING IRON
Chapter 20
___________________________________
As we pointed out in our Introduction, the larger part of what is
recorded of the life of this prophet is devoted to a description of
the miracles performed by him and the circumstances or occasions which
gave rise to them. Excepting that which occupied our attention in the
first two or three chapters, when we contemplated the preparing and
enduing of him for his work, very little indeed has been said about
Elisha's mission or ministry up to the point we have now reached in
his history. Yet here and there brief hints have been given us about
that which engaged most of his energies. Those hints center around the
several brief mentions made of "the sons of the prophets" and the
relation which Elisha sustained to them, a further reference to whom
is found in the passage which is now before us. As we pointed out in a
previous book on Elijah, Israel had fallen on bad times, and
spirituality was at a low ebb. Idolatry was rampant and God's
judgments fell frequently upon them--in the form of letting the
surrounding nations invade their land (1 Kings 20:1, 26; 22:1; 2 Kings
1:1; 5:2).
From the brief allusion made to them, it would seem that Elisha
devoted much of his time and attention to the training of young
preachers, who were formed into schools and designated "the sons of
the prophets," which in the Hebrew language would emphasize the nature
of their calling and contain no reference to their ancestry. There was
one group of them at Bethel and another at Jericho (2 Kings 2:3, 5)
and yet another at Gilgal (2 Kings 4:38). It is from the last
reference we learn that Elisha was accustomed to sojourn with them for
a time and preach or lecture to them, as their "sitting before him"
signifies (Deut. 33:3; Luke 2:46; 10:39). From the repeated mention of
"the people" in this connection (2 Kings 4:41-42), we gather that
these seminaries also served as more general places of assembly where
the pious in Israel gathered together for the worship of Jehovah and
to receive edification through His servant. That Elisha acted as
rector or superintendent of these schools is evident from the young
prophets owning him as "thou man of God" (2 Kings 4:40) and "master"
(2 Kings 6:5).
First, the Connection of the Miracle
"And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place
where we dwell with thee is too strait for us" (2 Kings 6:1). By means
of the opening "And," the Holy Spirit has linked together the miracle
recorded at the end of chapter 5 and the one we are now to consider.
As in previous instances it suggests both comparisons and contrasts.
Each miracle concerned those who were intimately connected with
Elisha--in the one case his personal attendant, in the other his
students. Each occurred at the same place--in the immediate vicinity
of the Jordan. Each was occasioned by dissatisfaction with the
position its subjects occupied--the one reprehensible, the other
commendable. But first it was the unfaithful Gehazi, while here it is
the devoted sons of the prophets. In the one, Gehazi took matters into
his own hands; in the other they deferentially ask permission of their
master. In the former an act of theft was committed; in the latter a
borrowed article was recovered. In one a curse descended upon the
guilty one; in this, an article was retrieved from the place of
judgment.
Second, the Occasion of the Miracle
"And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place
where we dwell with thee is too strait for us" (2 Kings 6:1). There
does not appear to us to be anything in this verse which justifies the
conclusion that some have drawn from it, namely, that these young men
were discontented with their quarters and requested something more
congenial. Charity always requires us to place the best construction
on the projects and actions of our fellows. The motives which prompt
them lie beyond our understanding and therefore are outside of our
province; and actions are to be condemned only when it is unmistakably
clear that they are evil in their nature or tendency. Had these
students given expression to a covetous desire, surely Elisha would
have reproved them; certainly he would not have encouraged their plan,
as the sequel shows he did.
We are not told which particular school of the prophets this one was,
but from its proximity to the Jordan there can be little doubt that it
was the one situated either at Jericho or Gilgal--most probably the
latter, because the reference in 2 Kings 4:38 seems to indicate that
it was there that Elisha made his principal headquarters. This appears
to be confirmed by the language used by the students "where we dwell
with thee"; they would have said "sojourn" had he been merely on a
temporary visit to them. From their statement, we gather that under
the superintendency of Elisha their school had flourished, that there
had been such an increase of their numbers that the accommodation had
become too cramped for them. Accordingly, they respectfully called the
attention of their master to what seemed a real need. It is to be
observed that they did not impudently take matters into their own
hands and attempt to spring a surprise upon Elisha, but instead
pointed out to him the exigency of the situation.
"Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a
beam, and let us make us a place there, where we may dwell" (2 Kings
6:2). Had their desire for more spacious quarters proceeded from
carnal ambition, they would have aspired to something more imposing
than a wooden building. Nor is it at all likely that in such a case
they would volunteer to do the work themselves. Instead they would
have suggested going around soliciting gifts from the people, so that
they might have the money to hire others to erect a more commodious
seminary for them.
They were humble men who did not affect that which was gay or great.
They did not speak of sending for cedars, and marble stones and
curious artificers, but only of getting every man a beam, to run up a
plain hut or cottage with. It becomes the sons of the prophets, who
profess to look for the great in the other world to be content with
mean things in this (Henry).
Alas that Protestants have so often aped the heathen in making a show
before the world.
"And he answered, Go ye" (2 Kings 6:2), which he surely would not have
done if they were seeking something more agreeable to the flesh. That
reply of Elisha's was something more than a bare assent to their
proposal or permission for them to execute the same; it was also a
real testing of their hearts. Those who are accustomed to judge others
harshly might infer that these young men had grown tired of the strict
discipline which Elisha must have enforced, and had found irksome the
pious and devotional type of life he required from them, and that this
idea of making for the Jordan was but a cover for their determination
to get away from the man of God. In such a case they promptly would
have availed themselves of his grant, bidden him farewell, and taken
their departure.
But we may learn something more from this answer, "Go ye"; it gives us
a sidelight on the prophet's own character, manifesting as it does his
humility. He at once perceived the reasonableness of their request and
concurred with them therein. A proud and haughty man would quickly
resent any suggestion coming from those under his charge or care. Thus
an important practical lesson is here taught: superiors ought not to
consider themselves above receiving and weighing ideas from their
underlings; and when discerning the wisdom of the same and recognizing
they could be carded out to advantage, they should not hesitate to
adopt them. It is the mark of a little mind, and not of a great one,
which considers it has a monopoly of intelligence and is independent
of help from others. Many a man has paid dearly for disdaining the
counsel of his wife or employees.
"And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants" (2
Kings 6:3). Very blessed is this, revealing as it does the happy
relations which existed between them and of the veneration and love
these students had for their master. Such meekness and graciousness on
the part of superiors as we have alluded to above is not unappreciated
by their subordinates. Nobly did they respond to the test contained in
Elisha's "Go ye," by begging him to accompany them on their
expedition. And how such a request on their part refutes the evil
inference which some might draw from their original proposal--jumping
to the conclusion that they were tired of Elisha's company and merely
devised this plan as a pretext to get away from him. It is a warning
to us not to surmize evil of our fellows, giving point to Christ's
admonition, "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge
righteous judgment" (John 7:24).
Third, the Location of the Miracle
"And he answered, I will go. So he went with them to the Jordan." And
a good thing it was that he did so, as the sequel shows. "And when
they came to Jordan, they cut down wood" (2 Kings 6:4). Very
commendable was this. But how unlike some of the young people of our
generation, who have been encouraged to expect that someone else will
do everything for them, that they should be waited on hand and foot by
their seniors. These young men were willing and ready to put their own
shoulder to the work. They did not seek to shelter behind a false
conception of their sacred calling and indulge in foolish pride over
their office by concluding that such a thing was beneath their
dignity. No, instead of hiring others to do it, they performed the
task themselves.
"But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and
he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed" (2 Kings 6:5).
An accident now happened. In one sense it is perfectly true that there
are no accidents in a world that is presided over by the living God;
but in another sense it is equally true that accidents do occur in the
human realm.
This calls for a defining of our term. What is an accident? It is when
some effect is produced or some consequence issues from an action
undesigned by its performer. From the divine side of things, nothing
occurs in this world but what God has ordained; but from the human
side, many things result from our actions which were not intended by
us. It was no design of this man that he should lose the head of his
ax; that he did so was accidental on his part.
Fourth, the Objective of the Miracle
"And he cried and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed." The
objective, then, was to recover the borrowed article now lost. How
strange that such a thing should happen while in the performance of
duty! Yet the Lord had a wise and good reason for permitting it, and
mercifully prevented the death of another (Deut. 19:5). It is to be
noted that the student did not regard Elisha as being too great a man
to be troubled about such a trifling matter, but rather as an honest
person deeply concerned over the loss; and assured of his master's
sympathy, he at once informed him. His "alas" seems to denote that he
regarded his loss as final and had no expectation it would be
retrieved by a miracle. The lesson for us is plain: even though (to
our shame) we have no faith of His showing Himself strong on our
behalf, it is ever our duty and privilege to spread before our Master
everything that troubles us.
Not one concern of ours is small
If we belong to Him,
To teach us this, the Lord of all
Once made the iron to swim.
John Newton
Fifth, the Means of the Miracle
"And the man of God said--"Observe the change in verse 6 of 2 Kings 6
from verse 1: not simply "Elisha" here, because he was about to act
officially and work a miracle. "Where fell it?" This was designed to
awaken hope. "And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick,
and cast it in thither; and the iron did swim" (2 Kings 6:6). There
was no proportion between the means and the end--to demonstrate that
the power was of God! The Hebrew word for "stick" is a generic one. It
is rendered "tree" 162 times, being the same word as in Deuteronomy
21:23--quoted in Galatians 3:13! It is also translated "wood" 103
times, as in Genesis 6:14, the shittim "wood" used in connection with
the frame and furniture of the tabernacle, and in verse 4 of 2 Kings
6. Evidently it was a small tree or sapling Elisha cut down.
Sixth, the Meaning of the Miracle
The incident which has been before us may, we consider, be justly
regarded as broadly illustrating what is portrayed by the law and the
gospel. It serves to give us a typical picture of the sinner's ruin
and redemption. As the result of being dissatisfied with the position
God originally assigned us--subjection to His authority--we (in Adam)
appropriated what was not ours, and in consequence suffered a fearful
fall. The inanimate iron falling into the Jordan--the place of
"judgment"--is an apt figure of the elect in their natural state: dead
in trespasses and sins, incapable of doing anything for their
deliverance. The way and means which God took for our recovery was for
Christ to come right down to where we were, and to be "cut off" (Dan.
9:26), yes, "cut off out of the land of the living" (Isa. 53:8),
enduring judgment on our behalf, thereby recovering us to God (1 Pet.
3:18).
This incident may also be taken to inform the believer of how lost
blessings may be restored to him. Are there not among our readers some
who no longer enjoy the liberty they once had in prayer, or the
satisfaction they formerly experienced in reading the Scriptures? Are
there not some who have lost their peace and assurance, and are deeply
concerned about being so deprived? If so, the devil will say the loss
is irrecoverable and you must go mourning the rest of your days. But
that is one of his many lies. This passage reveals how your situation
may be retrieved. (1) Acquaint your Master with your grief (2 Kings
6:5); unbosom yourself freely and frankly unto Him. (2) Let His "where
fell it?" (2 Kings 6:6) search you. Examine yourself: review the past,
ascertain the place or point in your life where the blessing ceased,
discover the personal cause of your spiritual loss, judge yourself for
the failure and confess it, acknowledging the blame to be entirely
yours. (3) Avail yourself and make use of the means for recovery: cast
in the "stick" or "tree" (2 Kings 6:6): that is, plead the merits of
Christ's cross (1 Pet. 2:24). (4) Stretch forth the hand of faith (2
Kings 6:7); that is, count upon your Master's infinite goodness and
grace, expect His effectual intervention, and the lost blessing shall
be restored to you.
This incident may also be viewed as making known to us how we may grow
in grace. (1) There must be the desire and prayer for spiritual
expansion (2 Kings 6:1)--a longing to enter into and possess the
"large place" (Ps. 118:5) God has provided for us. (2) The recognition
that to enter therein involves effort from us (2 Kings 6:2), labor on
our part. (3) Seek the oversight of a servant of God in this (2 Kings
6:3), if one is available. (4) Observe very carefully the particular
place to which we must take ourselves if such spiritual enlargement is
to be ours. We are to be buried under the Jordan. We can only enter
into an enriched spiritual experience by dying more and more unto the
flesh, that is, by denying self, and mortifying our lusts (Rom. 8:13;
Col. 3:5). (5) Expect to encounter difficulties (2 Kings 6:5). (6) Use
the appointed means (2 Kings 6:6) for overcoming the obstacle of the
flesh (Gal. 6:14). (7) Stretch forth the hand of faith (2 Kings 6:7)
and appropriate what God has given us in Christ.
Seventh, the Lessons of the Miracle
(1) See the value of requesting our Master's presence even when you
are about to engage in manual labor. (2) Be conscientious about
borrowed articles--books, for example! We should be more careful about
things lent us than those which are our own. (3) Despise not those
engaged in manual labor; Elisha did not. (4) Let not the servant of
God disdain what may seem trifling opportunities to do good. (5)
Remember your Father cares for His people in their minutest concerns.
(6) Is anything too hard for Him who made the iron to swim? (7) What
encouragement is here for us to heed (Phil. 4:6)!
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
THIRTEENTH MIRACLE--EYES WITH NEW SIGHT
Chapter 21
___________________________________
In this incident we see Elisha discharging a different line of duty.
No longer do we see him engaged in ministering to the young prophets,
but instead we find him faithfully rendering valuable assistance to
his sovereign. Once more the lust of blood or booty moved the king of
Syria to war against Israel. Following the advice of his military
counselors, he decided to encamp in a certain place through which the
king of Israel was apt to pass, expecting to catch him and his
retainers. God acquainted Elisha with his master's peril, and
accordingly the prophet went and warned him. By heeding him, the king
was preserved from the snare set for him. It is required of us, as we
have opportunity, to "do good unto all men" (Gal. 6:10). True, the
Christian is not endowed with the extraordinary gifts of Elisha;
nevertheless he has a responsibility toward his king or ruler. Not
only is he divinely commanded to "Honour the king" (1 Pet. 2:17), but
"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers,
intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men: For kings,
and for all that are in authority" (1 Tim. 2:1-2). We come now to the
thirteenth miracle.
First, the Connection of the Miracle
"Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with
his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp" (2
Kings 6:8). Clearly, the opening "Then" bids us pay attention to the
connection. From a literary viewpoint we regard our present incident
as the sequel to what is mentioned in 2 Kings 5, taking 2 Kings 6:1-7
as a parenthesis, thereby emphasizing the base ingratitude of the
Syrian monarch for the miraculous healing of his commander-in-chief in
the land of Israel. There he had written a personal letter to Israel's
king (2 Kings 5:5-6) to recover Naaman from his leprosy; but here he
has evil designs upon him. That he should invade the land of Samaria
so soon after such a remarkable favor had been rendered to him, made
worse his offense and made more manifest his wicked character. It is
wrong for us to return evil for evil, for vengeance belongeth alone
unto the Lord; but to return evil for good is a sin of double
enormity; yet how often have we treated God thus!
But there is another way in which this opening "Then" may be regarded,
namely, by linking it unto the typical significance of what is
recorded in 2 Kings 6:1-7. We suggested a threefold application of
that miracle. First, this miracle supplies a picture of the sinner's
redemption. Viewing it thus, what is the next thing he should expect
to meet with? Why, the rage of the enemy, and this is illustrated by
the attack of the king of Syria.
Second, this miracle may also be regarded as showing the Christian how
a lost blessing is to be retrieved. And when the believer has peace,
joy, and assurance restored to him, what is sure to follow? This,
"Then the king of Syria warred against Israel." Nothing so maddens
Satan as the sight of a happy saint--blessed is it to see in what
follows how his evil designs were thwarted.
Third, this miracle can also be viewed as portraying how the Christian
may grow in grace--by mortifying his members which are upon the earth.
And if he does, and enters into an enlarged spiritual experience, then
he may expect to be an object of the enemy's renewed assaults; yet he
shall not be overcome by him.
"Then the king of Syria warred against Israel." Yes, my reader, there
were wars in those days; human nature has been the same in each
generation and in all countries. So far from war being a new thing,
the history of nations--both ancient and modern, civilized and
uncivilized--is little more than a record of animosities, intrigues,
and fightings. "Their feet are swift to shed blood" (Rom. 3:15) is one
of the solemn indictments which God has made against the whole human
family. There is no hint anywhere that Ben-hadad had received any
provocation from Israel; it was just his own wicked greed and
bloodthirstiness which moved him. And this in spite of a serious
defeat he had suffered on a previous occasion (1 Kings 20:1, 26-30).
"The heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil" (Eccl.
8:11), and nothing but the restraining hand of God can stop them from
executing their desires and devices. Neither solemn warnings nor
kindly favors--as this man had recently received--will soften their
hearts, unless the Lord is pleased to sanctify the same unto them.
"Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with
his servants" (2 Kings 6:8). He asked not counsel of the Lord, for He
was a stranger to him. We are glad to see no mention is made here of
Naaman. It was with his "servants" rather than "the captain of the
host" (2 Kings 5:1) he now conferred. We would hope that it was
against the remonstrance of Naaman rather than with his approval that
the king now acted. Yet what daring impiety to attack a people whose
God wrought such marvels! If he had been impressed by the healing of
his general, the impression speedily faded. "Saying, In such and such
a place shall be my camp" (2 Kings 6:8). From the sequel it would
appear that this particular "place" was one through which the king of
Israel had frequent occasion to pass; thus Benhadad evidently laid a
careful ambush for him there. Thus it is with the great enemy of our
souls: he knows both our ways and our weaknesses, and where he is most
likely to gain an advantage over us. But as carefully as he made his
plans, this king reckoned without the Most High.
Second, the Occasion of the Miracle
"And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that
thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down" (2
Kings 6:9). Yes, the king of Syria had left the living God out of his
calculations. God is fully acquainted with the thoughts and intents of
His enemies and, with the utmost ease, can bring them to naught. The
methods which He employs in providence are as varied as His works in
creation. On this occasion He did not employ the forces of nature, as
He did at the Red Sea when He overthrew Pharoah and his hosts. Nor did
He bid the king of Israel engage Ben-hadad in battle and enable him to
vanquish his enemy. Instead, He prompted His servant to give his royal
master warning and made the king believe him. The lesson for us is
important. God does not always use the same method in His
interpositions on our behalf. The fact that He came to my relief for
deliverance in a certain manner in the past is no guarantee that He
will follow the same course or use the same means now. This is to lift
our eyes above all secondary causes to the Lord Himself.
Observe that it was "the man of God" not merely "Elisha" who went with
this warning. "The Lord GOD... revealeth his secret unto his servants
the prophets" (Amos 3:7). Thus it was in his official character that
he went to the king with this divine message. Just previously he had
used his extraordinary powers to help one of his students; here he
befriended his sovereign. Whatever gift God has bestowed on his
servants, it is to be used for the good of others. One of their
principal duties is to employ the spiritual knowledge they have
received in warning those in peril. How merciful God is in warning
both sinners and saints of the place of danger! How thankful we should
be when a man of God puts us on our guard against an evil which we
suspected not! How many disastrous experiences shall we be spared if
we heed the cautions given us by the faithful messengers of Christ. It
is at our peril and to our certain loss if, in our pride and
self-will, we disregard their timely "beware that thou pass not such a
place."
The course which the Lord took in delivering the king of Israel from
the ambush set for him may not have flattered his self-esteem, any
more than Timothy's was when Paul bade him "flee youthful lusts"; yet
we may perceive the wisdom of it. God was enforcing the king's
responsibility. He gave him fair warning of his danger; if he
disregarded it then his blood was on his own head. So it is with us.
The particular locality of peril is not named. The Syrian had said,
"In such and such a place shall be my camp," and, "Beware that thou
pass not such a place" was the prophet's warning. That the king would
identify it in his mind is clear from the sequel. Yet since there is
nothing meaningless in Scripture, there must be a lesson for us in its
not being specifically named. We are plainly informed in the Word that
our arch foe lies in wait to ensnare us. Sometimes a particular danger
is definitely described; at others it is (as here) more generally
mentioned--that we may ever be on our guard, pondering "the path of
our feet" (Prov. 4:26).
Though Satan may propose, God will both oppose and dispose. Before
passing on to the sequel, let us link up what has just been before us
with the typical teaching of the previous miracle--as the opening
"Then" of verse 8 of 2 Kings 6 and the connecting "And" of 2 Kings 6:9
require--and complete the line of thought set out in our third
paragraph above. When a sinner has been delivered from the power of
darkness and translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son, he at once
becomes the object of the devil's enmity; but God has graciously made
provision for his security and prevents the enemy from ever completely
vanquishing him. Likewise when a believer has been enabled to regain
his peace and joy, Satan will renew his efforts to encompass his
downfall; but his attempts will be foiled, for since the believer is
now in communion with God, he has light on his path and clearly
perceives the place to be avoided. So also when by means of
mortification the Christian enjoys an enlarged spiritual experience,
Satan will lay a fresh snare for him; but it will be in vain, for such
a one will receive and heed divine warning.
"And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God [not
`Elisha'!] had told him and warned him of, and saved himself there,
not once nor twice" (2 Kings 6:10). Here we see the king's skepticism
(cf. 2 Kings 5:7). He had some respect for the prophet's message or he
would have disregarded it, yet he had not full confidence therein or
he would not have "sent" to investigate. It was well for him that he
went to that trouble, for thereby he obtained definite corroboration
and found the caution he had received was not groundless. Ah, my
reader, the warnings of God's servants are not idle ones, and it is
our wisdom to pay the most serious heed to them. But alas, while most
of our fellow men will pay attention to warnings against physical and
temporal dangers, they are deaf concerning their spiritual and eternal
perils. There is a real sense in which we are required to emulate
Israel's king here: we are to follow no preacher blindly, but we must
test his warnings, investigating them in the light of Scripture:
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good" (1 Thess. 5:21) and
thereby we shall obtain divine corroboration.
"Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this
thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not
show me which of us is for the king of Israel" (2 Kings 6:11). It
never crossed his mind that it was the Lord who was thwarting him.
Being a stranger to Him, he had no place in his thoughts for God; and
therefore he sought a natural explanation. Instead of recognizing that
God was on the side of Israel and blaming himself, he was chagrined at
the failure of his plan. He suspected a traitor in his camp and sought
a scapegoat.
"And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the
prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that
thou speakest in thy bedchamber" (2 Kings 6:12). Even the heathen are
not in entire ignorance of God; they have sufficient light and
knowledge of Him to render them "without excuse" (Rom. 1:19-20,
2:14-15). Much more so is this the case with unbelievers in
Christendom. This verse also shows how the spirituality and power of a
true servant of God is recognized even by his enemies. The spokesman
here may have been one of those who formed the retinue of Naaman when
he came to Elisha and was healed of his leprosy. Yet observe there was
no recognition and owning of God here. There was no acknowledgment
that He was the one who revealed such secrets to His servants, no
terming of Elisha "the man of God," but simply "the prophet that is in
Israel." He was regarded merely as a "seer," possessing magical
powers. Neither God nor His servant is accorded His rightful place by
any but His own people.
Third, the Location of the Miracle
This miracle occurred at Dothan, which was to the west of Jordan, in
the northeast portion of Samaria. Significantly enough, Do-than means
"double feast," and from Genesis 37:16-17 we learn it was the place
where the flocks were fed. "And he said, Go and spy where he is, that
I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is
in Dothan" (2 Kings 6:13). Even now, the Syrian monarch was unwilling
to recognize that he was fighting against Jehovah, but determined to
remove this obstacle in the way of a successful carrying out of his
campaign, even though that obstacle was a prophet. God allowed him to
have his own way up to this point, that he might discover he was
vainly flinging himself against God's "brick wall" and be made to feel
his own impotency.
This verse illustrates the persistence of our great adversary, who
will not readily accept defeat. As the Syrian now sought to secure the
one who had come between him and his desired victim, so the devil
makes special efforts to silence those who successfully warn the ones
he would like to take captive.
"Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host [of
infantry]: and they came by night, and compassed the city about" (2
Kings 6:14). That he had some realization of the power Elisha wielded
is evident by the strength and size of the force he now sent forth to
take him prisoner. Yet the fact that he did not deem him to be
invincible is shown by the plan he put into operation. Though the
wicked are rendered uneasy by the stirrings of conscience and their
convictions that they are doing wrong and following a course of
madness, yet they silence the one and treat the other as vain
superstitions, and continue in their sinful career. The surrounding of
Dothan "by night" illustrates the truth that the natural man prefers
the darkness to the light, and signifies that our adversary follows a
policy of stealth and secrecy, ever seeking to take us unawares,
especially when we are asleep.
Fourth, the Subject of the Miracle
"And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone
forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and
chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we
do?" (2 Kings 6:15). Notice its subject is termed a servant, not of
"Elisha" but of "the man of God." It is in such small but perfect
details that the devout student loves to see the handiwork of the Holy
Spirit, evidencing as it does the verbal inspiration of the
Scriptures--God guiding each penman in the selection of every word he
employed. This man, the successor of Gehazi, was new in the prophet's
service, and therefore he was now being tested and taught. When a
young believer throws in his lot with the people of God he will soon
discover they are hated by the world; but he is called upon to share
their reproach. Let not his older brethren expect too much from him
while he is young and inexperienced; not until he has learned to walk
by faith will he be undaunted by the difficulties and perils of the
way.
"Alas, my master! how shall we do?" See here a picture of a young,
weak, timid, distracted believer. Is not the picture true to life?
Cannot all of us recall its exact replica in our own past experience?
How often have we been nonplussed by the trials of the way and the
opposition we have encountered. Quite likely this "young man" (2 Kings
6:17) thought he would have a smooth path in the company of the man of
God, and yet here was a situation that frightened him. And did we
never entertain a similar hope? And when our hope was not realized,
did we never give utterance to an unbelieving "Alas!" How shall we
act--shutting God completely out of our view, with no hope of
deliverance, no expectation of His showing Himself strong on our
behalf? If memory enables us to see here a past representation of
ourselves, then let compassion cause us to deal leniently and gently
with others who are similarly weak and fearful.
It should be borne in mind that the young believer has become,
constitutionally, more fearful than unbelievers. Why so? Because his
self-confidence and self-sufficiency has been shattered. He has become
as "a little child," conscious of his own weakness. So far so good;
the great thing now is for him to learn where his strength lies. It
should also be pointed out that Christians are menaced by more
numerous and more formidable foes than was Elisha's servant, "For we
wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph. 6:12). Well might
we tremble and be more distrustful of ourselves were we more conscious
of the supernatural beings opposing us. "And he answered, Fear not:
for they that be with us are more than they that be with them" (2
Kings 6:16). A realization of that will dispel our doubts and quiet
our fears. "Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the
world" (1 John 4:4).
Fifth, the Means of the Miracle
"And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that
he may see" (2 Kings 6:17). How blessed is this! "Thou wilt keep him
in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in
thee" (Isa. 26:3). There was no trepidation on the part of Elisha;
perfect peace was his, and therefore could he say, "Fear not" to his
trembling companion. Note there is no scolding of his servant, but
instead a turning to the Lord on his behalf. At first the writer was
puzzled at the "Elisha prayed" rather than the "man of God"; but
pondering this brought out a precious lesson. It was not in his
official character that he prayed, but simply as a personal
believer--to show us that God is ready to grant the petition of any
child of His who asks in simple faith and unselfish concern for
another.
Sixth, the Marvel of the Miracle
"And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and,
behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round
about Elisha" (2 Kings 6:17). Proof was this of his "they that be with
us are more than they that be with them": the invisible guard was now
made visible to the eyes of his servant. Blessed illustration is this
that, "The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him,
and delivereth them" (Ps. 34:7). "Are they [angels] not all
ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be
heirs of salvation?" (Heb. 1:14). Doubtless the angels took the form
of "horses and chariots" on this occasion because of the Syrian horses
and chariots which "compassed Dothan" (2 Kings 6:14). What could
horses of flesh and material chariots do against celestial ones of
fire! That they were personal beings is clear from the "they" of 2
Kings 6:16; that they were angels may also be gathered from a
comparison with Hebrews 1:7 and 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8.
Seventh, the Meaning of the Miracle
Here we are shown how to deal with a young and fearing Christian. The
strong "ought to bear the infirmities of the weak" (Rom. 15:1 ). Many
of God's little ones are living far below their privileges, failing to
apprehend the wondrous provisions which God has made for them. They
are walking far too much by sight, occupied with the difficulties of
the way and those opposing them. First, such are not to be browbeaten
or upbraided; that will do no good, for unbelief is not removed by
such a method. Second, their alarm is to be quietened with calm and
confident "Fear not," backed up with, "For they that be with us are
more than they that be with them," and, "If God be for us, who can be
against us?" (Rom. 8:31), showing their fears are needless. Third,
definite prayer is to be made for the shrinking one that the Lord will
operate on and in him, for God alone can open his spiritual eyes to
see the sufficience of His provision for him.
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
FOURTEENTH MIRACLE--SIGHTLESS EYES
Chapter 22
___________________________________
First, the Connection of the Miracle
That Which Engaged Our Attention in the last chapter grew out of the
determination of Ben-hadad to again wage war on Israel. After taking
counsel with his servants, the Syrian laid an ambush for the king of
Israel, but they had reckoned without Jehovah. God revealed to His
servant, the prophet, the danger menacing his royal master, and
accordingly he went and told the king, who, attending to the warning,
was delivered from the trap set for him. The heart of the king of
Syria was troubled at this thwarting of his design, and, suspecting a
traitor in his own camp, made inquiry. Whereupon one of his attendants
informed him that nothing could be concealed from the prophet that was
in Israel, and that he had put the intended victim on his guard. After
sending out spies to discover the whereabouts of Elisha and learning
that he was in Dothan, the king of Syria sent a formidable force,
consisting of "horses and chariots" and a "great host" of footmen to
take him captive, determining to remove this obstacle from his path.
The miracle we are about to consider is a double one and, strictly
speaking, comprises the fourteenth and fifteenth of the series
connected with our prophet. But the record is so brief and the two
miracles are so closely related that they scarcely warrant separate
treatment. Therefore instead of taking them singly we propose to
consider them jointly, viewing the second as the counterpart or
complement of the former. It is a miracle which stands out from the
last one which occupied our notice. That one concerned the opening of
eyes; this the closing of them. There, only one person was involved;
here a great host of men is concerned. In the one it was the prophet's
own servant who was the subject; here it is the soldiers who had been
sent to take him captive. In the former, he responded to an urgent
appeal from his attendant; here he acts without any solicitation. Both
miracles occurred at the same place. They were both wrought in answer
to Elisha's prayer. They are both recorded for our learning and
comfort.
In connection with the preceding miracle, Elisha had prayed to his
Master for Him to open the eyes of his servant, and we are told, "And
the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold,
the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about
Elisha" (2 Kings 6:17). That the prophet himself already saw this
celestial convoy is clear; it was his own vision of them which moved
him to ask that his servitor might also behold them. We may deduce the
same from the immediate sequel. Far from being in a panic at the great
host of Syrians which had come to take him captive, Elisha calmly
stood his ground. "The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the
righteous are bold as a lion" (Prov. 28:1), for since God is for them,
who can be against them? There was no need for him to cry to the Lord
for deliverance, for divine protection was present to his view.
Therefore he quietly waited till the enemy actually reached him before
he acted.
Before passing on, let us offer a further remark about this celestial
guard which was round about Elisha. That it was composed of personal
beings is clear from the pronoun "they that be with us are more than
they that be with them." That they were angelic beings is evident from
several passages: "Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a
flaming fire" (Ps. 104:4). At His second advent, we are told, "The
Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In
flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey
not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thess. 1:7-8). The
ministry of angels is admittedly a mysterious subject, one about which
we know nothing except what it has pleased God to reveal to us. Yet it
is a subject which holds by no means an inconspicuous place in Holy
Writ. It would be outside our present scope to explore it at large;
rather must we confine ourselves to that aspect of it which is here
presented unto us.
Angels are not only God's messengers sent on missions of mercy, but
they are also His soldiers, commissioned both to guard His people, and
execute judgment on His enemies. They are designated "the host of
heaven" (1 Kings 22:19; Luke 2:13)--the Greek word meaning "soldiers"
or, as we would term them, "men of war," the militia of heaven. In
full accord with that concept we find the Savior reminding His
disciples that "more than twelve legions of angels" (Matthew 26:53)
were at His disposal, should He but ask the Father for protection
against the armed rabble that had come to arrest Him. It was a host of
them, in the form of fiery horses and chariots (cf. Psalm 68:17) which
here encamped around Elisha, ready to fight for him. How mighty the
angels are we know. One, called "the destroyer" (Ex. 12:23 and cf. 2
Samuel 24:16) slew all the firstborn of the Egyptians, while another
slew 185,000 Assyrians in a night (2 Kings 19:35). That their
operations continue in this Christian era is plain from such passages
as Acts 12:7-10; Hebrews 1:14; Revelation 7:1, 15:1; Matthew 24:31.
"And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and
said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness" (2 Kings 6:18).
The "they" looks back to the armed host mentioned in 2 Kings 6:14.
Formidable as was the force sent to slay him, or at least take him
captive, the prophet stood his ground and calmly waited their
approach. And well he might. Could he not say, "I will not be afraid
of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round
about" (Ps. 3:6); and again, "Though an host should encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear" (Ps. 27:3)! And should not the same
confidence and courage be the Christian's? "The clearer sight we have
of the sovereignty and power of heaven, the less shall we fear the
calamities of this earth" (Henry). Perhaps the reader says, If I were
favored with an actual view of protecting angels round about me, I
would not fear physical danger or human enemies. Ah my friend, is that
not tantamount to a confession that you are walking by sight? And may
we not apply to you those words, "Blessed are they that have not seen,
and yet have believed" (John 20:29)?
Why, think you my reader, has God chronicled here that which assured
the heart of His servant of old? Is this nothing more than a
registering of a remarkable incident in ancient history? Is that how
you read and understand the sacred Scriptures? May we not adopt the
language used by the apostle in connection with a yet earlier incident
and say, "Now it was not written for his sake alone . . . But for us
also" (Rom. 4:23-24)? Most certainly we may, for later on in that very
epistle we are expressly informed, "For whatsoever things were written
aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and
comfort of the scriptures might have hope" (Rom. 15:4). God has
recorded that sight of those protecting angels for our faith to lay
hold of. But remember that if faith is to stand us in good stead in
the hour of emergency, it must be regularly nourished by the Word; if
it is not, then the terrors of earth will be real to us and the
comforts of heaven unreal. Unless faith appropriates that grand truth,
"If God be for us, who can be against us," we shall neither have peace
ourselves nor be qualified to quiet the fears of others.
Second, the Means of the Miracle
"And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD" (2 Kings
6:18). That needs to be pondered and interpreted in the light of the
previous verse, or we are likely to miss its beauty and draw a false
inference. Very lovely was the prophet's conduct on this occasion. The
presence of those horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha was
virtually a sign that God had delivered these Syrians into his hands;
he had only to speak the word and the angels would have destroyed
them. But he bore his enemies no ill will. Had our present verse stood
by itself, we might have concluded that the prophet was asking in
self-defense, begging the Lord to protect him from his foes, but it
opens with the word "And"; and in the light of the one preceding, we
are obliged to revise our thought. It is quite clear that Elisha was
in no personal danger, so it could not have been out of any concern
for his own personal safety that he now sought God. Yet, though he
calmly awaited their approach, he did not meet his enemies in his own
strength, for prayer is an acknowledgment of insufficiency.
"Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray
thee, with blindness." At first glance it seems strange that he is
referred to here by his personal name rather than as "the man of God,"
which the Holy Spirit generally uses when he was about to work a
miracle; yet the variation in this place is neither fortuitous nor
meaningless. It points to a blessed lesson for us, showing as it does
the readiness of the Lord to hearken to the requests of His people.
Though we do not possess the extraordinary powers of a prophet, yet it
is our privilege to ask God to confuse and confound those of our
natural enemies who seek our harm, and to subdue our spiritual ones.
This incident has been recorded for our instruction and comfort, and
one of the things we are to learn from it is that prayer avails to
render our enemies impotent. Another preceding lesson, wherein we see
another of Elisha's requests granted: success in prayer should
encourage and embolden us to ask further favors from God.
Go back again for a moment to Elisha's situation. This petition of his
was neither because he felt he was in any personal danger, nor did it
proceed from any spirit of malice which he bore his enemies. Then what
prompted it? Does not the miraculous healing of Naaman supply the
answer to our question? When the king of Israel had rent his clothes
in dismay, the man of God assured him that the king of Syria "shall
know there is a prophet in Israel" (2 Kings 5:7-8), and when Naaman
was recovered of his leprosy he sought unto the man of God and, before
all his own retinue, testified, "Now I know that there is no God in
all the earth, but in Israel" (2 Kings 5:15). And now this heathen
monarch had sent his forces to take the prophet prisoner! Very well,
then, if he were not yet convinced that it was the true and living God
whom Elisha served, he would receive further proof. It was Jehovah's
glory which prompted Elisha's request. Weigh that well my reader.
Everything depends upon the motive which inspires our petitions,
determining whether or not we shall receive an answer. True and
acceptable prayer rises above a sense of personal need, having in view
the honor of God's name. Keep before you 1 Corinthians 10:31.
"And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha" (2
Kings 6:18). That was an exact reversal of what took place under the
foregoing miracle: there the prophet's servant was enabled to see what
was invisible to others (2 Kings 6:17), but here the Syrian soldiers
were rendered incapable of seeing what was visible to others. But let
us behold in this miracle the willingness of our God to respond to the
cries of His own, that He is a prayer-hearing and prayer-answering
God. If we self-distrustfully refuse to encounter foes in our own
strength, if we confidently ask God to render their efforts impotent,
and if we do so with His glory in view, we may be assured of His
gracious intervention. No matter what may be our need, how drastic the
situation, how urgent our case, how formidable our adversary, while
simple faith is exercised and the honor of God is our aim, we may
count upon His showing Himself strong on our behalf. "For I am the
LORD, I change not" (Mal. 3:6). He is the same now as He was in
Elisha's day.
Third, the Mercy of the Miracle
"And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the
city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he
led them to Samaria" (2 Kings 6:19). He did not abandon them in their
blindness and leave them to themselves. Contrast Genesis 19:11, where
God was dealing in wrath. Had they not been blinded, probably they
would have identified the prophet by his attire; but being strangers
to him, they would be unable to recognize him by his voice.
Spiritually that illustrates a fundamental difference between the
goats and the sheep: the former are incapable of distinguishing
between teachers of truth and of error; not so the latter, for they
"know not the voice of strangers" but "will flee from him" (John
10:5). But exactly what did Elisha signify by those statements? It is
lamentable to find one commentator, in whose notes there is generally
that which is sound and good, saying, "The prophet intended to deceive
the Syrians, and this might lawfully be done, even if he had meant to
treat them as enemies, in order to his own preservation; but he
designed them no harm by such deception."
Apart from such a view giving the worst possible interpretation to the
prophet's language, such an observation as the above is most
reprehensible. It is never right to do wrong, and, no matter what may
be our circumstances, for us to deliberately lie is to sin both
against God and our fellowmen. Such an explanation as the above is
also absurd on the face of it. Elisha was in no personal danger at
all; and now that these Syrians were blinded, he could have walked
away unmolested by them, had he so pleased. "This is not the way."
What way? He could not mean to Dothan, for they were already there and
must have known it. "I will bring you to the man whom ye seek." And
who was that? Why, ultimately and absolutely, the king of Israel, for
whom their master had laid an ambush (see 2 Kings 6:11), Elisha being
merely an obstacle, who had hindered him. One who had just obtained
from God such an answer to prayer, and who was now showing mercy to
his enemies, would scarcely lie to them!
Fourth, the Counterpart of the Miracle
"And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha
said, LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the
LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the
midst of Samaria" (2 Kings 6:20). Here was still further proof that
Elisha harbored no malice against these Syrians and that he intended
them no harm. Though they had hostile designs against him, yet he now
uses his interest with the Lord on their behalf. Most gracious was
that. What an example for every servant of God: "In meekness
instructing those that oppose themselves" (2 Tim. 2:25). Instead of
cherishing ill will against those who are unfriendly to us, we should
seek their good and pray to the Lord on their behalf. How this
incident reminds us of a yet more blessed example when the Lord of
glory in the midst of His sufferings made intercession for His
crucifiers (Isa. 53:12; Luke 23:34).
A further miracle was now wrought in answer to Elisha's intercession,
showing us once more the mighty power of God and His willingness to
employ it in answer to the petitions of His people. Note how Elisha
made good his promise: he led them to the man they really sought, for
the next person mentioned is "the king of Israel"!
Fifth, the Accompaniment of the Miracle
"And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father,
shall I smite them? shall I smite them?" (2 Kings 6:21). Very solemn
is this: and in full accord with the king's character: the Lord did
not open his eyes; consequently he was blind to the working of His
goodness and incapable of appreciating the magnanimous spirit which
had been displayed by the prophet. Here we see what man is by nature:
fierce, cruel, vindictive. Such are we and all of our fellowmen as the
result of the fall: "living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating
one another" (Titus 3:3). Only the restraining hand of God prevents
our enemies from falling upon us. Were that hand completely withdrawn,
we should be no safer in a "civilized'' country than if we were
surrounded by savages or cast into a den of wild beasts. We do not
sufficiently realize that God's restraining power is upon those who
hate us: "I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee"
(Acts 18:10).
"And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those
whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set
bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to
their master" (2 Kings 6:22). Observe how Elisha kept full control of
the situation, even though he was now in the royal quarters--something
which every servant of God needs to heed, exercising the authority
which Christ has given him. Note too how this verse teaches that mercy
is to be shown to prisoners of war; or taking it in its wider
application, how kindness is to be extended to our enemies. And this,
mark it well, occurred under the Old Testament economy! The divine law
commanded its subjects, "If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to
eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink" (Prov. 25:21, and
see also Ex. 23:4-5); much more so under the dispensation of grace are
we required to "overcome evil with good" (Rom. 12:21).
Sixth, the Sequel of the Miracle
Elisha had his way, and the king "prepared great provision for them:
and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to
their master" (2 Kings 6:23), that he might learn anew that our times,
the success or failure of our plans, our health and our lives, are in
the hand of the living God, and that He is not only infinite in power
but plenteous in mercy. The sequel was, "So the bands of Syria came no
more into the land of Israel" (2 Kings 6:23). God honored the
magnanimity of His prophet and rewarded the obedience of his royal
master by exempting the land from any further depredations from these
savage bands.
Seventh, the Meaning of the Miracle
May we not see in the above incident another lovely gospel picture,
viewing the graciousness of Elisha to those who had gone to take him
captive as a shadowing forth of God's mercy to elect sinners? First,
we are shown that they are by nature--at enmity with His servant.
Second, we behold them as the subjects of His servant's prayers, that
they may be granted a sense of their wretched condition. Third, in
answer thereto they are duly brought to realize their impotency; who
are so consciously helpless as the blind? Fourth, they were moved to
follow the instructions and guidance of God's servant. Fifth, in due
course their eyes were opened. Sixth, they were feasted with "great
provision" at the king's own table! Seventh, the picture is completed
by our beholding them as changed creatures--coming no more on an evil
errand into Israel's land.
But is there not also an important spiritual meaning and lesson here
for Christians? How are we to deal with those who seek to injure us,
should Providence deliver them into our hands? We are to ask the Lord
to nullify their efforts and render them powerless to injure us. But
more. We are also to pray that God will open their eyes, and treat
them kindly and generously (see Matthew 5:44).
_________________________________________________________________
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
FIFTEENTH MIRACLE--A GREAT FAMINE
Chapter 23
___________________________________
The Passage which is now to engage our attention is much longer than
usual, beginning as it does at 2 Kings 6:24 and running to the end of
2 Kings 7. The whole of it needs to be read at a sitting, so as to
perceive its connections, its unity, and its wonders. In it there is a
striking mingling of light and shade: the dark background of human
depravity and the bright display of the prophet's faith; the exercise
of God's justice in His sore judgments upon a rebellious and wayward
people, and the manifestation of His amazing mercy and grace. In it we
are shown how the wrath of man was made to praise the Lord, how the
oath of a wicked king was made to recoil on his own head, how the
skepticism of his courtier was given the lie and how the confidence of
Elisha in his Master's word was vindicated. In it we behold how the
wicked was taken in his own craftiness, or to use the language of
Samson's parable, how the eater was made to yield meat, and how poor
outcast lepers became the heralds of good news.
Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. Were one to invent a story
after the order of the incident narrated in our present portion,
critical readers would scorn it as being too farfetched. But those who
believe in the living and omnipotent God that presides over the
affairs of this world, far from finding anything here which taxes
their faith, bow in adoration before Him who has only to speak and it
is done, to will a thing and it is accomplished. In this case, Samaria
was besieged by a powerful enemy, so that its inhabitants were
completely surrounded. The situation became drastic and desperate, for
there was a famine so acute that cannibalism was resorted to. Yet
under these extreme circumstances Elisha announced that within
twenty-four hours there would be an abundance of food for everyone.
His message was received with incredulity and scorn, yet it came to
pass just as he had said, without a penny being spent, a gift being
made, or a blow being struck. The surrounding Syrians fled in panic
and left their vast stores of food to relieve the famished city. Let
us now begin our examination of this miracle.
First, the Reality of the Miracle
After our remarks above it may strike the reader that it is quite an
unnecessary waste of effort to labor a point which is obvious and
offer proof that a miracle was wrought on this occasion. The writer
would have thought so too had he not, after completing his own
meditations, consulted several volumes on the Old Testament, only to
find that this wonder is not listed among the miracles associated with
Elisha. Even such a work as The Companion Bible, which supplies what
is supposed to be a complete catalog of the miracles of Elijah and
Elisha, omits this one. We offer no solution to this oversight, but
since other writers have failed to see in 2 Kings 7 one of the marvels
of our prophet we feel that we should present some of the evidence
which in our judgment furnishes clear proof that a supernatural event
was wrought on this occasion, and that we are fully warranted in
connecting it with Elisha.
The first thing that we would take note of is that when the people
were in such desperate straits and the king was so beside himself that
he rent his clothes and swore that the prophet should be slain that
very day, we are told "But [contrastively] Elisha sat in his house,
and the elders sat with him" (2 Kings 6:32), which suggests to us that
they had waited upon the Lord and had received assurance from Him of
His intervention in mercy. Second, that the prophet was in communion
with and in possession of the secret of the Lord is borne out by the
remaining words of the verse, where he tells his companions of
Jehoram's evil intention and announces the approach of his agent
before he arrived. Next, we find the prophet plainly declaring that an
abundant supply of food would be provided on the morrow (2 Kings 7:1),
and he did so in his official character as "the man of God" (2 Kings
7:2, 17, 18, 19), which, as we have seen in previous chapters, is the
title that is usually accorded him when God was about to work mightily
through him or for him in answer to his prayers.
Consider too the circumstances. "There was a great famine in Samaria:
and, behold, they [the Syrians] besieged it, until an ass's head was
sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of
dove's dung for five pieces of silver" (2 Kings 6:25). Nevertheless
the prophet declared that there should suddenly be provided sufficient
food for all; and the sequel shows it came to pass such an abundant
supply. The manner in which that food was furnished clearly evidenced
the supernatural, as an impartial reading of 2 Kings 7:6-7 will make
clear, for it was their enemies who were made to supply their tables!
Finally, if we give due weight to the "according to the word of the
LORD" and "as the man of God had said" in 2 Kings 7:16-17 and link
with 2 Kings 4:43-44 where another of his miracles is in view and so
referred to, the demonstration is complete.
Second, the Occurrence of the Miracle
This was the terrible shortage of food in the city of Samaria, due to
its being surrounded by an enemy, so that none of its inhabitants
could go forth and obtain fresh supplies. "And it came to pass after
this, that Ben-hadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up,
and besieged Samaria" (2 Kings 6:24). Strange as it may at first seem
and sound to the reader, we see here one of the many internal
evidences of the divine inspiration of the Scriptures. This will
appear if we quote the last clause of the verse immediately preceding:
"So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel." Had an
impostor written this chapter, attempting to palm off upon us a pious
forgery he surely would not have been so careless as to place in
immediate juxtaposition two statements which a casual reader can only
regard as a flat contradiction. No, one who was inventing a story
certainly would have made it read consistently and plausibly. Hence,
we arrive at the conclusion that this is no fictitious narrative from
the pen of a pretender to inspiration.
"So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel [of which
`Samaria' was a part, as 2 Kings 5:20 shows]. And it came to pass
after this, that Ben-hadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and
went up, and besieged Samaria" (2 Kings 6:23-24). Now the placing of
those two statements side by side is a clear intimation to us that the
Scriptures need to be read closely and carefully, that their terms
must be properly weighed, and that failure to do so will inevitably
lead to serious misunderstanding of their purport. It is because
infidels only skim passages here and there and are so poorly
acquainted with the Word, that they charge it with being "full of
contradictions." But there is no contradiction here, and if it
presents any so-called difficulty to us, it is entirely of our own
making. The first statement has reference to the plundering and
irregular "bands" which had from time to time preyed on the Samaritans
(compare the "companies" of 2 Kings 5:2), what we would term today
"commando raids"; whereas 2 Kings 6:24 speaks of organized war, a mass
invasion, Ben-hadad gathering together "all his host."
"And it came to pass after this, that Ben-hadad king of Syria gathered
all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria" (2 Kings 6:24). The
opening clause is far more than a historical mark of time; properly
understood, it serves to bring out the character of this man. The
introductory "And" bids us link his action here with what is recorded
in the context. In the remote context (2 Kings 5), we saw how God
graciously healed Naaman of his leprosy. Naaman was the
commander-in-chief of Ben-hadad's army and had been sent by him into
Samaria to be cured of his dread disease. But little did the Syrian
monarch appreciate that signal favor; shortly after, he assembled an
increased force of his bands and "warred against Israel" (2 Kings
6:8). His plan was to capture Jehoram, but being foiled by Elisha he
sent his men to capture the prophet. In that too he failed, for in
answer to Elisha's prayer, they were smitten with blindness; though
instead of taking advantage of their helplessness, he later prayed for
their eyes to be opened, and after having the king give them a feast,
sent them home to their master, who had returned to Syria.
"And it came to pass after this"; not that Ben-hadad repented of his
former actings, nor that he was grateful for the mercy and kindness
which had been shown his soldiers; but that he "gathered all his host,
and went up, and besieged Samaria." Not only was this base ingratitude
against his human benefactors, but it was blatant defiance against
Jehovah Himself. Twice the Lord had manifested His miracle-working
power in grace on his behalf; and here was his response. Yet we must
look further if we are to perceive the deeper meaning of "it came to
pass after this," for we need to answer the question, Why did the Lord
permit this heathen to invade Israel's territory?
The reply is also furnished by the context. Ben-hadad was not the only
one who had profited by God's mercies in the immediate past; the king
of Israel had also been divinely delivered from those who sought his
life. And how did he express his appreciation? Did he promptly
institute a religious reformation in his dominions and tear down the
altars which his wicked parents had set up? No, so far as we are
informed he was quite unmoved and continued in his idolatry.
It is written, "the curse causeless shall not come" (Prov. 26:2). When
God afflicts a people, be it a church or a nation, it is because He
has a controversy with them. If they refuse to put right what is
wrong, He chastises them. God, then, was acting in judgment on Samaria
when He commissioned the Syrians to now enter their land in full
force. "O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand
is mine indignation. I will send him against an hypocritical nation"
(Isa. 10:5-6). So again, at a later date, the Lord said of
Nebuchadnezzar "Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with
[or `by'] thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will
I destroy kingdoms" (Jer. 51:20). It is in the light of such passages
as these we should view the activities of a Hitler or a Mussolini!
Though God's time to completely cast off Israel had not come in the
days of Jehoram, yet He employed Ben-hadad to grievously afflict his
kingdom.
"And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged
it, until an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and
the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver" (2
Kings 6:25). Troubles seldom come singly, for God means to leave us
without excuse if we fail to recognize whose hand it is which is
dealing with us. Ben-hadad chose his hour to attack when Israel was in
sore tribulation, which serves also to illustrate Satan's favorite
method of assaulting the saints. Like the fiend that he is, he strikes
when they are at their lowest ebb, coming as the roaring lion when
their nerves are already stretched to the utmost, seeking to render
them both praiseless and prayerless while lying on a bed of sickness,
or to instill into their minds doubts of God's goodness in the hour of
bereavement, or to question His promises when the meal has run low in
their barrel. But since "we are not ignorant of his devices" (2 Cor.
2:11), we should be on our guard against such tactics.
"And there was a great famine in Samaria." It needs to be pointed out
in these days of skepticism and practical atheism that the inhabitants
of earth are under the government of something infinitely better than
"fickle fortune," namely, a world which is ruled over by the living
God. Goodly harvests or the absence of them are not the result of
chance nor the effect of a blind fate. In Psalm 105:16 we read that
God "called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staff of
bread." And my reader, when He calls for a "famine," neither farmers
nor scientists can prevent or avert it. We have read in the past of
famines in China and in India, but how faintly can we conceive of the
awful horrors of one in our day! As intimated above, the Lord called
for this famine on Samaria because the king and his subjects had not
taken to heart His previous chastisements of the land for their
idolatry. When a people refuse to heed the rod, then He smites more
heavily.
"And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged
it." Their design was not to storm but to starve the city, by throwing
a powerful military cordon around it, so that none could either go out
or come in. "And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall
[probably taking stock of his defenses and seeking to encourage the
garrison], there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O
king" (2 Kings 6:26). And well she might, for they were now deprived
of the bare necessities of life, with a slow but painful death by
starvation stating them in the face. Ah, my reader, how little we
really value the common mercies of this life until they are taken from
us! Poor woman, she turned to lean upon a broken reed, seeking relief
from the apostate king, rather than making known her need to the Lord.
There is no hint anywhere in the narrative that the people prayed to
God.
"And he said, If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee?
out of the barnfloor or out of the winepress?" (2 Kings 6:27). That
was not the language of submission and piety, but, as the sequel
shows, of derision and blasphemy. His language was that of anger and
despair: the Lord will not help; I cannot, so we must perish. Out of
the abundance of his evil heart his mouth spoke. Calming down a
little, "the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered,
This woman [pointing to a companion] said unto me, Give thy son, that
we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son to morrow. So we boiled
my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy
son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son" (2 Kings 6:28-29).
This shows the desperate conditions which then prevailed and the awful
pass to which things had come. Natural affection yielded to the pangs
of hunger. This too must also be regarded as a most solemn example of
the divine justice, and vengeance on idolatrous Israel.
It must be steadily borne in mind that the people of Samaria had cast
off their allegiance to Jehovah and were worshipping false gods, and
therefore according to His threatenings, the Lord visited them with
severe judgments. They were so blockaded by the enemy that all
ordinary food supplies failed them, so that in their desperation they
were driven to devour the most abominable offals and even human flesh.
Of old the Lord had announced unto Israel, "If ye will not for all
this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me; Then I will walk
contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven
times for your sins, and ye shall eat the flesh of your sons" (Lev.
26:27-29). And again, "The LORD shall bring a nation against thee...
And he shall besiege thee... And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own
body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy
God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness" (Deut.
28:49, 52-53). This was even more completely fulfilled at the
destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. No words of God's shall fall to
the ground; His threatenings, equally with His promises, are
infallibly certain of fulfillment!
"And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that
he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people
looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh" (2 Kings
6:30). According to the customs of those days and the ways of Oriental
people, this was the external garb of a penitent; but what was it
worthwhile he renounced not his idols? Not a particle in the eyes of
Him who cannot be imposed upon by any outward shows. It was a pose
which the king adopted for the benefit of his subjects, to signify
that he felt deeply for their miseries; yet he lamented not for his
own iniquities, which were the underlying cause of the calamity.
Instead of so doing, the very next verse tells us that he took an
awful oath that Elisha should be promptly slain. "Rend your heart, and
not your garments" (Joel 2:13) is ever the divine call to those under
chastisement, for God desires truth (reality) in "the inward parts"
(Ps. 51:6).
As it is useless to wear sackcloth when we mourn not for our sins, so
it is in vain to flock to church on a "day of prayer" and then return
at once to our vanities and idols. Israel later complained, "Wherefore
have we fasted,... and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our
soul, and thou takest no knowledge?" And God answered them by saying,
"Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your
labors . . . Ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice
to be heard on high" (Isa. 58:3-4). Thus there is such a thing as not
only praying but fasting which God pays no attention to. At a later
date He said to them, "When ye fasted and mourned... did ye at all
fast unto me, even to me? Should ye not hear the words which the LORD
hath cried by the former prophets!" (Zech. 7:5, 7). While a nation
tramples upon the divine commandments, neither prayer and fasting nor
any other religious performances are of any avail with Him who says,
"Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice" (1 Sam. 15:22). There must
be a turning away from sin before there can be any real turning unto
God.
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
FIFTEENTH MIRACLE--THE WRATH OF MAN
Chapter 24
___________________________________
"Then He Said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha
the son of Shaphat stand on him this day" (2 Kings 6:31). This was the
language of hatred and fury. Refusing to admit that it was his own
impenitence and stubbornness which was the procuring cause of the
terrible straits to which his kingdom was now reduced, Jehoram turned
an evil eye on the prophet and determined to make a scapegoat of him.
As though the man of God was responsible for the famine, Israel's
apostate king took a horrible oath that he should be promptly slain.
He was well acquainted with what had happened in the reign of his
parents, when in answer to the words of Elijah there had been no rain
on Samaria (1 Kings 17:1), and he probably considered that his own
desperate situation was due to Elisha's prayers. Though just as Ahab
declined to recognize that the protracted drought was a divine
judgment upon his own idolatry, so his son now ignored the fact that
it was his personal sins that had called down the present expression
of divine wrath.
This solemn and awful incident should be viewed in the light of that
divine indictment, "The carnal mind is enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7),
and that my reader, is true of your mind and of my mind by nature. You
may not believe it, but He before whose omniscient eye your heart is
open, declares it to be so. You may be quite unconscious of your awful
condition, but that does not alter the fact. If you were better
acquainted with the true God, were aware of His ineffable holiness and
inexorable justice, and realized that it is His hand that smites you
when your body suffers acute pain or when your circumstances are most
distressing, you might find it easier to discover how your heart
really beats toward Him and the ill will you bear Him. True, that
fearful "enmity" does not always manifest itself in the same way or to
the same degree, for in His mercy God often places His restraining
hand upon the wicked and prevents the full outbursts of their
hostility and madness. But when that restraining hand is removed,
their case is like that described in Revelation 16:10-11: "They gnawed
their tongues for pain, And blasphemed the God of heaven because of
their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds."
And why do we say that Jehoram's conduct on this occasion made
manifest the enmity of the carnal mind against God? Because, while he
was unable to do Jehovah any injury directly, he determined to visit
his spite upon Him indirectly, by maltreating His servant. Ah my
reader, there is important if solemn instruction for us in that. Few
people realize the source from which proceeds the bitterness, the
opposition made against, the cruel treatment meted out to many of the
ministers of the gospel. As the representatives of the holy One, they
are a thorn in the side of the ungodly. Though they do them no harm,
but instead desire and seek their highest good, yet are they detested
by those who want to be left alone in their sins. Nothing recorded in
human history more plainly and fearfully displays the depravity of
fallen man and his alienation from God than his behavior toward the
most faithful of His servants--supremely manifested when the Lord of
glory took upon Him the form of a servant and tabernacled among men.
It was just because He made known and revealed the character of God as
none else ever did, that man's hatred of and enmity against Him was so
inveterately and fiercely exhibited.
"But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him" (2 Kings
6:32). This verse also needs to be pondered in the light of other
Scriptures. For example: "Whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely,
and shall be quiet from fear of evil" (Prov. 1:33). The one who truly
fears the Lord, fears not man; and his heart is preserved from those
trepidations which so much disturb the rest and so often torment the
wicked. No, "he shall not be afraid of evil tidings"; he shall neither
have alarming anticipations of such, nor be dismayed when they
actually arrive. And why not? Because "his heart is fixed, trusting in
the LORD" (Ps. 112:7). Rumors do not shake him, nor does he quake when
they are authenticated, for he is assured that his "times" are in the
hand of the Lord (Ps. 31:15). And therefore is he kept in peace. In
the light of all that is recorded of him, who can doubt that Elisha
and his companions had been on their knees before the throne of grace,
and now calmly awaited events. That is the holy privilege of the
saints in times of acutest stress and distress: to "rest in the Lord,
and wait patiently for him" (Ps. 37:7).
"And the king sent a man from before him." This man was dispatched
quickly ahead of Jehoram, either to announce his awful decision or to
put it into actual execution. Had the king paused to reflect, he
should have realized that it was one thing to form such a
determination, but quite another to carry it out. Had not Ben-hadad,
only a short time previously, sent a "great host" not only of footmen,
but of "horses and chariots" against this servant of the Lord (2 Kings
6:14) only for them to discover their impotence against him! But when
a soul (or a people) has abandoned the Lord, he is given up to a
spirit of madness, so that not only does God have no place in his
thoughts, but he is no longer capable of acting
rationally--rationality and spirituality are closely connected. "But
ere the messenger came to him, he [Elisha] said to the elders, See ye
how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head? look,
when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at the
door: is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?" (2 Kings
6:32).
"And while he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger came down
unto him: and he said, Behold, this evil is of the LORD: what should I
wait for the LORD any longer?" (2 Kings 6:33). We confess we do not
find it easy to ascertain the precise force of this verse, not even
its grammatical meaning. The first sentence is clear, for the "while
he yet talked" evidently refers to what Elisha was saying to the
elders. The difficulty is to discover the antecedent of the "And he
said." The nearest is the "him" or Elisha, yet certainly he would not
say his proposed murder ("this evil") was "of the Lord," ordered by
Him. The next is "the messenger," but the prophet had given definite
orders that he was not to be admitted, nor would this agree with what
follows in 2 Kings 7:1-2. We therefore regard the second sentence as
recording the words of the king himself, who had followed immediately
on the heels of his messenger, thus the more remote but principal
antecedent of 2 Kings 6:30-31; just as we understood "the man whom ye
seek" as meaning Jehoram rather than Elisha (2 Kings 6:19).
But what did the king signify by "this evil is of the LORD?" We
certainly do not concur with Henry and Scott that he referred to the
siege and famine, for not only is the grammar of the passage against
such a view, but it is in direct opposition to everything else which
is recorded of this son of Jezebel. He did not believe in Jehovah at
all, and therefore his language must be regarded as that of derision
and blasphemy. The context shows he was in a towering rage, that he
regarded Elisha as being in some way responsible for the present
calamity, and that he was determined to put a sudden end to his life.
Fully intending to execute his murderous design, he now burst in on
the prophet and said, "This evil is of the LORD." Those were the words
of contemptuous mockery: you profess to be a servant of an
all-powerful Jehovah; let's see what He can do for you now--behold me
as His executioner if you please. "What should I wait for the LORD any
longer?" Jehovah has no place in my thoughts or plan; the situation is
hopeless, so I shall waste no more time, but slay you and surrender to
Ben-hadad and take my chance.
"Then Elisha said--" The "Then" looks back to all that has been before
us in the last ten verses of 2 Kings 6. "Then" when "all the hosts of
Syria" were besieging Samaria; "then" when there was a great famine
and things had come to such an extreme pass that the people were
paying immense prices for the vilest of offals, and mothers were
consuming their own infants. "Then" when the king of Israel had sworn
that the prophet should be beheaded this very day; "then" when the
king in a white heat of passion entered Elisha's abode to carry out
his murderous intention. "Then"--what? Did the prophet give way to
abject despair and break forth into bitter lamentations of murmuring
rebellion? No indeed. Then what? Did Elisha fling himself at the
king's feet and plead with him to spare his life? Very far from it;
such is not the way the ambassadors of the King of kings conduct
themselves in a crisis. Instead, "then Elisha said [calmly and
quietly], Hear ye the word of the Lord." To what import? That His
patience is exhausted, that He will now pour out His wrath and utterly
consume you? No, the very reverse; the last thing they could have
expected him to say.
"Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the Lord; Thus saith the LORD,
To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for
[as little as] a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in
the gate of Samaria" (2 Kings 7:1). This brings us to the third area
of consideration.
Third, the Announcement of the Miracle
In view of the next verse, it is quite clear that the prophet
addressed himself to the king and those who had accompanied him. It
was as though he said, I have listened to the derisive and insulting
words which you have spoken of my Master; now hear what He has to say!
And what was His message on this occasion? This: He is about to have
mercy upon your kingdom. He is on the point of working a miracle
within the next twenty-four hours which will entirely reverse the
present situation, so that not only will the Syrians depart, but there
shall be provided an abundant supply of food, which will fully meet
the needs of your people, and that, without a blow being struck or
your royal coffers being any the poorer.
Admire here the remarkable faith of Elisha. "Then." When things were
at their lowest possible ebb, when the situation was desperate beyond
words, when the outlook appeared to be utterly hopeless. Mark the
implicit confidence of the prophet in that dark hour. He had received
a message of good tidings from his Master, and he hesitated not to
announce it. Ah, but put yourself in his place, my reader, and
remember that he was "a man of like passions" with us, and therefore
liable to be cast down by an evil heart of unbelief. It is a great
mistake for us to look upon the prophets as superhuman characters. In
this case, as in all parallel ones, God was pleased to place His
treasure in an "earthen vessel," that the glory might be His. Elisha
was just as liable to the attacks of Satan as we are. For all we know
to the contrary and reasoning from the law of analogy, it is quite
likely that the enemy of souls came to him at that time with his evil
suggestions and said, May you not be mistaken in concluding that you
have received such a word as this from the Lord? Nay, you are
mistaken--your own wish is father to the thought. You are deluded into
imagining that such a thing can be.
Those who are experimentally acquainted with the conflict between
faith and unbelief, who are frequently made to cry out, "Lord, I
believe, help thou mine unbelief," will have little difficulty in
following what has just been said. They who know something from
firsthand acquaintance of the tactics of the devil and the methods of
his assaults, will not consider our remarks farfetched. Rather will
they concur that it is more than likely Elisha was hotly assailed by
the adversary at this very time. Would he not pose too as an angel of
light, and preach a little sermon to the prophet, saying, A holy God
is now acting in judgment, righteously scourging the idolatrous
Jehoram, and therefore you must certainly be mistaken in supposing He
is about to act in a way of mercy. At any rate, exercise prudence,
wait awhile longer lest you make a fool of yourself; it would be cruel
to raise false hopes in the starving people! But if so, Elisha heeded
him not, but being strong in faith, he gave glory to God. It was just
such cases as this that the apostle had in mind when he mentioned the
faith of "the prophets" in Hebrews 11:32.
Ah, my reader, Elisha was assured that what he had received was "the
Word" of Him "that cannot lie," and no matter how much opposed it was
to common sense and to all outward appearances, he firmly took his
stand upon it. The "faith of God's elect" (Titus 1:1) is no fiction
but a glorious reality. It is something more than a beautiful ideal to
talk about and sing of. It is a divine gift, a supernatural principle,
which not only overcomes the world but survives the "fiery trial,"
yes, issues therefrom refined. Elisha was not put to confusion. That
divine "word," though perhaps quite unexpected and contrary to his own
anticipations, was faithfully and literally fulfilled; and remember
that this is recorded for our learning and consolation. We too have in
our hands the Word of truth, but do we have it in our hearts? Are we
really relying upon its promises, no matter how unlikely their
accomplishment may seem to carnal reason? If so, we are resting upon a
sure foundation, and we too shall have our faith vindicated, and God
will be glorified through and by us.
But let us look higher now than Elisha's faith in that divine word to
the One who gave it to him. It was the Lord manifesting Himself as the
God of all grace to those who were utterly unworthy. In their dire
extremity the Lord had mercy upon them and remembered they were the
seed of Abraham, and therefore He would not entirely destroy them. He
turned an eye of pity on the starving city and promised them speedy
relief from the awful famine. How truly wonderful is His mercy! He was
saying, "How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee,
Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as
Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled
together" (Hos. 11:8). But that mercy rested on a righteous basis;
there was a "handful of salt" in Samaria which preserved it from
destruction--the prophet and the elders. Rightly was Elisha styled by
a later king "the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof" (2 Kings
13:14), for his presence in their midst was a better defense than a
multitude of infantry and cavalry; a British queen feared the prayers
of Knox far more than any arm of flesh.
And may not what has just been pointed out provide a ray of hope for
us in this, spiritually speaking, dark night? Of old Israel was
reminded, "For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh
unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him
for?" (Deut. 4:7).
Has not that been true of Britain the past four centuries as of no
other people? God has shown us favors, granted us privileges, such as
no other nation in the world has enjoyed. And we, like Israel of old,
have evilly required Him and abused His great benefits. For years past
His judgments have been upon us, and like Israel again, we have sadly
failed to bow to His rod and turn from our sins. If God was so
reluctant to abandon Israel, may He not continue to show us mercy, and
for the sake of the little "salt" still left in our midst, spare us
from destruction? Time will tell, but we are not left without hope.
"Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God,
and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this
thing be?" (2 Kings 7:2). There was the response that was made to
Jehovah's word through His prophet. Instead of being received with
thanksgiving and tears of gratitude, it met with a contemptuous sneer.
The courtier's language expressed the skepticism of carnal reason.
Unbelief dared to question the divine promise--illustrative of the
unregenerate's rejection of the gospel. This man argued from what he
could see: as no possible relief was visible, he scorned its
probability, or rather certainty. "And he [Elisha] said, Behold, thou
shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof" (2 Kings
7:2). Let it be noted that the prophet wasted no breath in reasoning
with this skeptic. It is not only useless, but most unbecoming for a
servant of the Lord to descend to the level of such objectors.
Instead, he simply affirmed that this man would witness the miracle
but be unable to share in its benefits. God Himself will yet answer
the skeptics of this age, as He did that one, with appropriate
judgment. Such will be the doom of unbelievers: they shall see the
redeemed feasting at the marriage of the Lamb, yet not partake thereof
(Matthew 8:11-12).
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
FIFTEENTH MIRACLE--FOUR LEPROUS MEN
Chapter 25
___________________________________
Let us briefly review our last two chapters upon this miracle. First,
we emphasized its reality, seeking to show it was indeed a miracle
which took place and that it might justly be regarded as connected
with Elisha. Second, we dwelt upon its occasion, which was the fearful
shortage of food in the city of Samaria, resulting from its being so
closely surrounded by the Syrians that none of its inhabitants could
go forth and obtain fresh supplies (2 Kings 6:24-25). So acute did
conditions become that the vilest of offals were sold at exhorbitant
prices, and mothers had begun to consume their own babies. So far from
humbling himself beneath the hand of divine judgment and acknowledging
that it was his own idolatry and impenitence which was the procuring
cause of reducing his kingdom to such sore straits, Israel's king
turned an evil eye upon Elisha and determined to make a scapegoat of
him, taking a horrible oath that he should be slain forthwith (2 Kings
6:31)--evidencing that he was a true son of Jezebel (1 Kings 18:4).
"But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him"(2 Kings
6:32); he calmly awaited events. Announcing that "this son of a
murderer hath sent to take away mine head," he gave orders that the
door should be shut and the royal messenger not be admitted. Jehoram
himself hastened on just behind. The prophet and the king then came
face to face, and the former announced the impending miracle. "Then
Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the Lord; Thus saith the LORD, To
morrow, about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a
shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of
Samaria" (2 Kings 7:1). That was tantamount to saying, God in His high
sovereignty is going to show mercy on your wretched kingdom, and
within a day will work a miracle that shall entirely reverse the
present situation. Not only will the Syrians depart, but there shall
be provided an abundant supply of food which will fully meet the needs
of your people, without a blow being struck or your royal coffers
being any the poorer.
"Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God,
and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this
thing be?" (2 Kings 7:2). Such a message of good news as the prophet
had just proclaimed, of deliverance from the enemy and food for the
starving, seemed utterly incredible to carnal reason, and therefore
instead of being received with fervent thanksgiving, it was met with a
contemptuous sneer. Unbelief presumed to call into question the divine
promise. Arguing from what he could see, no possible relief being
visible, this wicked lord scorned the likelihood of its fulfillment.
That which Elisha had announced was indeed impossible to anyone but
the living God, for only by a miracle could it be made good; yet it
was the express word of Him that cannot lie and who is endowed with
omnipotence. Despite the effort of his unbelieving courtier to prevent
any weakening of his resolution, the king of Israel decided to wait
another day before carrying out his murderous design, and during that
interval the prediction was accomplished. We now continue this study.
Fourth, the Heralds of the Miracle
Heralds are the ones made use of by the Lord to proclaim the wonder of
mercy which He had wrought. Strange indeed do the divine methods often
appear to our dim vision, yet in the light of Scripture their
significance is not lost upon those favored with anointed eyes. It was
not "the elders of Israel" who had sat with Elisha in his house, nor
was it "the sons of the prophets" whom the Lord honored on this
occasion. God is sovereign and employs whom He pleases. Often He acts
as He does in order to stain the pride of man, for He is jealous of
His own honor and will suffer no flesh to glory in His presence. It is
true that He has called certain men to the special work of the
ministry and set them apart, and that He frequently works through them
in the converting of His people; yet He is by no means tied to that
particular agency, and often manifests His independence by making use
of the most unlikely ones to be His agents --as appears in the more
extreme cases of Balaam and Judas. So it was here.
"And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and
they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?" (2 Kings
7:3). More unlikely instruments could scarcely be imagined. They were
pariahs, outcasts, men debarred from mingling with their ordinary
fellow citizens. They were lepers, and as such excluded by the divine
law (Lev. 13:46). Yet these were the ones whom God was pleased to
employ. How different are His thoughts and ways from man's! But let us
observe the position which they occupied and the strange anomaly which
that reveals. They were sitting "at the entering in of the gate," that
is, of Samaria (2 Kings 7:1, 3), namely, on the outside of the city's
walls--as the next verse shows. There we have a striking sidelight on
the inconsistency of perverse human nature, especially in connection
with religious matters. Though idolaters devoid of any respect for
Jehovah, yet Jehoram and his officers were punctilious in carrying out
the requirement of the ceremonial law as it respected the exclusion of
lepers! They were diligent in tithing mint and anise while omitting
the weightier matters of the moral law (Matthew 23:23).
That to which we have called attention is frequently exemplified on
the pages of Holy Writ. Instead of utterly destroying Amalek and all
his possessions, as commanded when God delivered them into his hands,
Saul permitted the people to spare the best of the sheep and oxen that
they might offer them in "sacrifice unto the LORD." To these Samuel
declared, "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken
than the fat of rams" (1 Sam. 15:22). Because it was the eve of the
Passover the Jews besought Pilate that the bodies of Christ and the
two thieves who had been crucified with Him "might be taken away"
(John 19:31), that their solemn feast might not be defiled. What a
strange mixture human nature is! Those ceremonially unclean lepers
must be shut out of Samaria, even though Jehovah Himself was treated
with the utmost contempt! And do we not see the same principle
illustrated in Christendom? Let a Christian attend morning services,
and he may spend the remainder of Sunday as he pleases. Being a
stickler for a particular form of baptism, breaking bread each Lord's
day morning, or spending five days at a "communion," is a mockery if
we love not our neighbor as ourselves.
"And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and
they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?" It will
probably surprise many to know that some have been taught that this is
the proper attitude to assume when one has been convicted of his lost
condition. Appeal for this is made to such passages as "Blessed is the
man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts
of my doors" (Prov. 8:34), "In these lay a great multitude of impotent
folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water"
(John 5:3). The awakened sinner is told that he is utterly helpless to
do anything for himself, entirely dependent on God's sovereign
pleasure, and then since there is a set time to favor Zion (Ps.
102:13), he must meekly wait for God's appointed hour of deliverance,
should He deign to deliver him. But such counsel is an utter misuse of
both the truth of God's sovereignty and of man's spiritual inability.
Proof of its error is found in the fact that it both clashes with the
call of the gospel and is a repudiation of human responsibility.
The truth is that the spiritual inability of the natural man is both a
voluntary and a criminal one. He does not love and serve God because
he hates Him; he believes not the gospel because he prefers to cherish
a lie; he will not come to the Light because he loves darkness. So far
from his "I cannot repent, I cannot believe" expressing an honest
desire to do so, it is but an avowal of the heart's enmity against
God. If the doctrine of the cross and the glorious message of the
gospel contain nothing to overcome such enmity and attract the soul to
Christ, it is not for us to invent another gospel and bend the
Scriptures to the inclination of man's depravity. It is we who must
bend to the Scriptures; and if we do not, it will be to our eternal
undoing. The one who wrings his hands over his inability to believe
and asks, What can I do? is not to be soothed by something other than
the gospel of Christ, or encouraged to suppose that he is willing to
be saved in God's way. Yet that is the very delusion such souls
cherish, imagining they are as willing to be saved from their sins as
the impotent man by the pool was desirous of being made whole.
Neither Christ nor any of His apostles ever told a convicted soul to
passively wait for God's appointed hour of deliverance. Instead, He
bade the heavy laden "Come unto me." And instead of informing those
who followed Him across the sea, "It lies not in your power to do
anything to secure the bread of life," He exhorted them to, "Labor . .
. for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life" (John 6:27).
Rather than tell men they must sit quietly before it, Christ
commanded, "Strive to enter in at the strait gate" (Luke 13:24). When
his hearers were pricked in their hearts and asked, "What shall we
do?", instead of saying, "You can do nothing, except wait until God
speaks peace unto you," Peter bade them "repent" (Acts 2:37-38). Those
who think they have been given a sense of their helplessness are quite
content if some physician of no value will inspire them with a hope in
the way they are now in, and encourage them to expect that if they
remain passive, God will release them by a "moving of the waters." We
do but miserably deceive souls if we give them any comfort or hold out
any hope for them while they remain impenitent and away from Christ.
It is recorded that the passengers of a ship off South America went
ashore on a brief expedition, ascending one of the mountains. But
before they were aware, night and a very cold fog came on. They felt a
strong inclination to sleep, but a medical man in the party
remonstrated against any such indulgence, warning them that there
would be the utmost danger of their never waking. As the one who
chronicled this incident asks, "What had been thought of his conduct
if, instead of urging his companions to escape from the mount, he had
indulged them in their wishes? The Scriptures declare `he that
believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth
on him,' and surely we ought not to contradict that, either by
directing to the use of means short of `believing' or by encouraging
those who use them to hope for a happy issue." Paul did not offer the
jailor comfort on the ground of his being in great distress, but bade
him "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." The word to troubled souls is
not, "Sit still," but, "Seek and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened unto you."
But to return to the narrative. "They said one to another, Why sit we
here until we die? If we say, We will enter into the city, then the
famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still
here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall into the host
of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill
us, we shall but die" (2 Kings 7:3-4). How those poor lepers put to
shame the "do nothing" fatalists! Those men rightly recognized the
hopelessness of their case, perceiving that continued passivity would
profit them nothing, and hence they decided to act. And if you, my
reader, are already convicted of your perishing condition, do not rest
content with that conviction and persuade yourself that in due time
God will save you. Embrace the gospel offer and receive Christ as your
Lord and Savior, for He has declared, "Him that cometh to me I will in
no wise cast out."
We ask the indulgence of others who have not been infected with such
paralyzing teaching while we add a further word. We would ask them to
beg God to use these paragraphs to deliver some souls from this subtle
snare of the devil. If one who reads these lines has been made to feel
his lost condition, then consider, we pray you, the far happier
situation facing you from that in which those lepers were. They
decided to come unto an enemy and cast themselves upon his mercy,
while you are invited to betake yourself unto the Friend of publicans
and sinners! They had no invitation from the Syrians, but you have
from the Lord: "If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink."
They had nothing better than an "if they save us alive" to venture
upon, whereas you have, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou
shalt be saved." They were confronted with the possible alternative of
being killed; not so you; "He that believeth on the Son hath
everlasting life." Then why hesitate?
"And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians:
and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria,
behold, there was no man there" (2 Kings 7:5). What was before us in 2
Kings 7:3-4 did not end in idle talk. The situation for those lepers
was a desperate one; and prompted by a sense of urgency, they acted.
Their sitting still had gotten them nowhere, so they "rose up" and
proceeded at once to their proposed objective. They did not puzzle
their heads about God's secret decree and whether or not His ordained
hour had arrived, for that was none of their business. Instead, they
responded to the instinct of self-preservation. Again we say, how far
superior is the sinner's case: he need not wait a moment for the
prompting of any instinct, but is invited, "Come; for all things are
now ready" (Luke 14:17). Come just as you are with all your sinfulness
and unworthiness; and if you cannot come to Christ with a melted heart
and faith, then come to Him as a patient desperate for them.
Fifth, the Means of the Miracle
The divine narrative breaks in upon the account of the heralds of this
miracle to show us its means. For before we see those lepers going
forth to publish their good news, we are first informed how it was
that they came to find the camp empty. "For the Lord had made the host
of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and the noise of horses,
even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the
king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and
the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us" (2 Kings 7:6). This is to
be regarded as the sequel to 2 Kings 6:24: Ben-hadad's purpose was to
starve out Samaria. But man proposes and God opposes and disposes.
"The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the
devices of the people of none effect" (Ps. 33:10).
The Lord accomplishes His purpose by a great variety of measures and
methods, sometimes employing the supernatural, more often using the
natural. What were the means He used here? In the light of what is not
said in 2 Kings 7:6, it seems strange that Thomas Scott should write,
"The infatuation which seized the minds of the whole Syrian army was
equal to the illusion put upon their senses, and both were from the
Lord, but how produced we know not." Little better is Matthew Henry's
"these had their hearing imposed upon." There was neither illusion nor
imposition. It does not say, "The Lord made them to hear a noise like
as of chariots and horses," but the actual thing itself. That is to
say, He so attuned their auditory nerves that they registered the
sound of what previously was inaudible to them. This is but another
instance of how we create our own difficulties when reading the Word
through failing to attend closely to exactly what is said.
If we allow scripture to interpret scripture, we should have no
difficulty in ascertaining the precise means used on this occasion. On
a previous one God had employed "horses and chariots of fire round
about Elisha" (2 Kings 6:17), and as we showed, the reference there
was to angelic beings. Then why not the same here! In the former case,
God "opened the eyes of the young man" in order to see them; here, He
opened the ears of the Syrians to hear them. It may well be that in
their original condition our first parents were capacitated to both
see and hear celestial beings, but the fall impaired those as well as
all their faculties. The "clairvoyance" and "clairaudience" of
spiritist mediums could be the devil's imitation of man's original
powers. That the Syrians, unregenerate idolaters, misinterpreted what
they heard is only to be expected. Those who heard the Father speaking
to His Son thought "it thundered" (John 12:29), and those who
accompanied Saul heard the voice which spoke to him (Acts 9:7) but
"heard not the voice" (Acts 22:9)--distinguished not the words.
"Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents,
and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled
for their life" (2 Kings 7:7). How true it is that "the wicked flee
when no man pursueth." Supposing that a more formidable force had come
to the relief of the besieged Samaritans, the Syrians were filled with
consternation and at once abandoned their well-provisioned camp. So
thoroughly panic-stricken were they that they left their "horses"
which would have helped their flight. How easily can the Lord make the
heart of the stoutest to quake, and how vain and mad a thing it is for
anyone to defy Him! "Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be
strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee? I the LORD have
spoken it, and will do it" (Ezek. 22:14). Then throw down the weapons
of your warfare against Him and make your peace with Him now.
_________________________________________________________________
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
FIFTEENTH MIRACLE--GLAD TIDINGS
Chapter 26
___________________________________
In continuing our contemplation of this miracle, let us now pause and
admire the marvel of it. Ben-hadad had become dissatisfied with the
results achieved by his marauding bands, and, gathering together the
whole of his armed forces, determined to reduce Samaria to utter
helplessness. Throwing a powerful force around their capital he sought
to bring its inhabitants to complete starvation by means of a
protracted siege. In order to carry out his scheme, he had brought
with his army large supplies of food and clothing, so that they might
be in comfort while they waited for the stores of his victim to give
out. How nearly his plan succeeded we have seen: the Samaritans were
reduced to the most desperate straits in an effort to keep life in
their bodies. Yet as Scott pointed out, "In extreme distress
unexpected relief is often preparing, and whatever unbelievers may
imagine, it is not in vain to wait for the Lord, how long soever He
seems to delay His coming."
But in the instance now before us, there is not a word to indicate
that the Samaritans had been crying unto the Lord and looking to Him
for relief. They had openly turned away from Him and were worshiping
idols. This it is which renders the more noteworthy the act of Jehovah
on this occasion: He was found of them that sought Him not (Isa.
65:1). He showed Himself strong on the behalf of a people who had
grievously despised and insulted Him. But where sin abounded, grace
did much more abound. It was the Most High acting in His absolute
sovereignty, having mercy on whom He pleased to have mercy and showing
favor unto those who not only had no claim thereto but who deserved
only unsparing judgment at His hands. The means which the Lord used on
this occasion was as remarkable as the exercise of His distinguishing
mercy. He was pleased to use the stores of the Syrians, their deadly
enemies, to feed the famished Samaritans. Thus were the wise taken in
their own craftiness.
Four lepers outside Samaria's gates said, "Why sit we here until we
die? If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the
city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also.
Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if
they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but
die" (2 Kings 7:3-4). Observe how God wrought: it was not by an
audible voice that He bade these lepers act--not such are the
mysterious but perfect workings of Providence. It is by means of a
secret and imperceptible impulse from Him, through the process of
natural laws, that God usually works in men both to will and to do of
His good pleasure. Those lepers acted quite freely of their own
volition, in response to simple but obvious thoughts on their
situation, and followed the dictates of common sense and the impulse
of self-preservation. Mark, we are not here attempting to philosophize
or explain the conjunction between the natural and the supernatural,
but we are merely calling attention to what lies on the surface of our
narrative, and which is recorded for our instruction.
When the four lepers arrived at the enemy's camp they found it to be
deserted, "For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a
noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great
host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired
against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians,
to come upon us. Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and
left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as
it was, and fled for their life" (2 Kings 7:6-7). That was indeed the
employment of the supernatural--something over and above the ordinary
workings of Providence, for though the Syrians misinterpreted the
sound, we believe (as stated in our last chapter) that what they heard
was the movement of angelic horses and chariots (cf. 2 Kings 6:17).
The Lord allowed their ears to register what normally would have been
inaudible to them. Yet even here there was a blending of the
supernatural with the natural: those celestial beings did not slay the
Syrians but only terrified them by the noise which they made.
It may not so strike the reader, but what most impresses the writer in
connection with this incident is the remarkable blending together of
the supernatural and the natural, the operations of God and the
actions of men, and the light this casts on the workings of divine
providence. Perhaps that would be made plainer by first reading 2
Kings 7:6-7, where we have recorded the miracle itself and the
startling effect which it had upon the Syrians, and then 2 Kings 7:5
where we are told of the action of these four men which led to their
discovery of a miracle having been wrought, thereby preparing the way
for all that follows. Here we have another illustration of what we
have frequently pointed out in these pages, namely, that when God
works He does so at both ends of the line: here openly at one end and
secretly at the other. Had not the lepers actually journeyed to the
Syrians' camp, those in Samaria would have remained in ignorance that
food was to be had. God therefore moved those lepers to go there, yet
how naturally He wrought! They were not conscious that He had given
them a secret inclination to move, nor had they any inkling of the
miracle, as their words in 2 Kings 7:4 make clear.
"And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they
went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver,
and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and
entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid
it" (2 Kings 7:8). Solemn indeed is this, first, from the negative
side. There was no recognition of the divine hand, no awesome
explanation, "What hath God wrought!" no bowing before Him in
thanksgiving for such a remarkable favor. They conducted themselves
like infidels, accepting the mercies of heaven as a mere matter of
course. And remember, they were lepers; but even such an affliction
had not turned their hearts to the Lord. Be not surprised then that
those whose homes are destroyed and whose bodies are injured by bombs
are not brought to repentance thereby. After satisfying their hunger,
they plundered the Syrian tents. Verily, "There is no new thing under
the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9). There was looting then as there is now,
though theirs was not nearly so despicable and dastardly as what is
now so common.
And why is it that "there is no new thing under the sun"? Because "as
in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man" (Prov.
27:19). Whether he be a man living in centuries B.C. or A.D., whether
he be civilized or uncivilized, his heart is depraved. Civilization
effects no change within any person, for civilization (not to be
confused with morality and common decency) is but a veneer from
without. But to return to our passage. The lepers, enriching
themselves from the spoil of the Syrians, did not contribute to the
relief of the starving Samaritans, and that was what Jehovah had
promised. Mark then the sequel: "Then they said one to another, We do
not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if
we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now
therefore come, that we may go and tell the king's household" (2 Kings
7:9). The divine design of mercy to the starving city was not to be
thwarted by the greed of these lepers, for His counsel must stand. Yet
note how it was now effected.
As God had wrought secretly in those lepers in verses 3-4, He again
did so now. First it was by an impulse upon their instinct of
self-preservation; here it is upon their conscience. Yet observe how
conscience acts in the unregenerate, producing not horror and anguish
at having offended a gracious God, but causing fear of the
consequences. This is made clearer by the rendering: "If we tarry till
the morning light, we shall find punishment." But unless God had
wrought secretly upon them, they too would have been like our own
generation, from whom His restraining hand is removed and who are
"given up to their own hearts' lusts"--utterly reckless and regardless
of consequences. In this instance, in order to carry out His
benevolent purpose, God put a measure of fear upon these lepers and
caused them to realize that not only were they playing an ignoble
part, but were likely to swiftly be smitten by His wrath if they
failed to announce the good news to their famished fellows.
"Now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king's household" (2
Kings 7:9). Here, as everywhere, we need to be much on our guard
against making a misapplication of Scripture. It is so easy to read
our own thought into the Word and thus find what we are looking for.
Those who are so enthusiastic in urging young believers to become
evangelists by preaching the gospel to all and sundry, would likely
find in this verse what they would consider a striking passage on
which to base an address on the necessity of personal work; yet it
would be an altogether unwarranted use to make of it. This verse is
very far from teaching, by typical implication, that it is the duty of
every Christian to announce the "good tidings" to all they contact.
Holy Writ does not contradict itself, and none other than the Lord
Jesus has expressly bidden us, "Give not that which is holy unto the
dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them
under their feet, and turn again and rend you" (Matthew 7:6). That
command is designed to bridle the restless energy of the flesh.
It was unto those who had been prepared for those "good tidings" who
would welcome them, these lepers went forth, namely, to those who were
fully conscious of their starving condition! There is a radical
difference between those who are "lovers of pleasure" and satisfied
with what they find therein, and the ones who have discovered the
emptiness of such things and are deeply concerned about their eternal
welfare; and there should be an equally radical difference in the way
we deal with and speak to each of them. The gospel would not be "good
tidings" to the former, but would be trodden beneath their feet if
offered to them; yet it is likely to be welcomed by the latter. And if
we unmistakably meet with the latter, it would be sinful for us to
remain selfishly silent. "So they came and called unto the porter of
the city: and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the
Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man,
but horses tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they were" (2 Kings
7:10).
Not being permitted to enter the city, the four lepers called out to
those who were keeping watch at its gate. They announced the good news
in plain and simple language, and then left the issue with them. The
chief porter did not receive the strange tidings with incredulity, but
"he called the [subordinate] porters;" and, while he remained at his
post of duty, "they told it to the king's house within" (2 Kings
7:11), middle of the night though it was. Here too we may perceive the
continued, though secret, workings of the Lord. He it was who caused
the porter to give heed to the message he had just heard. Altogether
unexpected as it must have been, too good to be true as it would have
sounded, yet he was divinely inclined to believe the glad tidings and
promptly acquaint his royal master with them. Yet the porter acted
quite freely and discharged his personal responsibility. How wondrous
are the ways of Him with whom we have to do!
"And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will
now shew you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we be
hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in
the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them
alive, and get into the city" (2 Kings 7:12). The king's reaction to
the good news was thoroughly characteristic of him, being consistent
with everything else recorded of him. Instead of expressing gratitude
at the glad tidings, he voiced his skepticism; instead of perceiving
the gracious hand of God, he suspected his enemies of laying a subtle
snare. Perhaps some may be inclined to say, It was very natural for
Jehoram to argue thus: the king was acting in prudence and wise
caution. Natural it certainly was, but not spiritual! There was no
thought that the Lord had now made good His word through the prophet,
but simply the reasoning of a carnal mind at enmity against Him. One
of the ways in which the carnal mind expresses itself is by a reasoned
attempt to explain away the wondrous works and acts of God.
When God has spoken, plainly and expressly, it is not for us to
reason, but to set to our seal that He is true and receive with
unquestioning faith what He has said. If it is a promise, expect Him
to make it good. The skepticism of the king only serves to show how
the tidings borne by the lepers would have been lost on the porters
and the entire royal household had not God wrought secretly but
effectually in the one and the other. Accordingly we are next told,
"And one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray
thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city,
(behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it:
behold, I say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites
that are consumed:) and let us send and see" (2 Kings 7:13). That too
was "of the Lord." He it was who gave this servant both courage and
wisdom to remonstrate with his master. He knew the man he had to deal
with, as his "send and see" showed, reminding us at once of 2 Kings
6:10, when the king "sent" to see if Elisha's warning were a true one.
Nothing could be lost (unless it were the horses) by pursuing the
policy proposed by the servant, and much might be gained. As the
divine purpose could not be thwarted by the greed of the lepers, so it
should not be by the skepticism of the king. It was God who gave the
servant's counsel favor in his master's sight, and therefore we are
told, "They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after
the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see" (2 Kings 7:14). God's
ways and works are as perfect in their execution as they are in their
devising. But be it noted that though Jehoram yielded to the
solicitation of his servant, it was with some unbelief he did so, as
his sending them "after the host of the Syrians" rather than "unto
their camp" indicates. Nor was their errand in vain: "They went after
them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and
vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste" (2 Kings
7:15). It was no temporary spasm of fear that possessed them but a
thorough and lasting one. When God works, He works effectually.
"And the messengers returned, and told the king. And the people went
out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour
was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel,
according to the word of the LORD" (2 Kings 7:15-16). Of course it
was, for no word of God's can possibly fall to the ground, since it is
the Word of Him "that cannot lie" (Titus 1:2). Men may scoff at it,
kings may not believe it, even when its definite fulfillment is
declared to them; but that affects not its truth. "Blessed be the
LORD, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all
that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good
promise" (1 Kings 8:56). It is to be noted that the prediction made
through Elisha was fulfilled in no vague and mere general way, but
specifically and to the letter. That too is recorded both for our
instruction and our consolation.
Sixth, the Meaning of the Miracle
After all we have sought to bring out upon this miracle, its spiritual
significance should, in its broad outline at least, be plain to every
Christian reader. We say "its broad outline," for every detail in it
is not to be regarded as a line in the picture. First, the starving
Samaritans may surely be viewed as portraying perishing sinners. They
were not seeking God nor looking to Him for relief. So far from it,
they had turned their backs upon Him and had given themselves up to
idolatry. They were reduced to the most desperate straits, being quite
unable to deliver themselves. As such they accurately represented the
condition and position of the fallen and depraved descendants of Adam.
Second, in Ben-hadad and his hosts who sought the destruction of the
Samaritans, we have a figure of Satan and his legions who are
relentlessly attempting to destroy the souls of men, "seeking whom he
may devour" (1 Pet. 5:8). Third, in the divine deliverance of the
famished Israelites, by a miracle of sovereign mercy, we have a
striking foreshadowment of the saving of God's elect. The particular
aspect of the gospel here pictured appears in the strange means which
God employed to bring about deliverance, namely, His causing the
Syrians themselves to supply the food for those they had designed to
be their victims. Does not this remind us forcibly of that verse;
"that through death he might destroy him that had [as the executioner]
the power of death, that is, the devil" (Heb. 2:14)! As the Savior
Himself declared, "This is your hour, and the power of darkness" (Luke
22:53); yet by allowing the serpent to bruise His heel, He set free
his captives. Incredible as it seems to the proud philosopher, it is
by Christ's humiliation His people are exalted, by His poverty they
are made rich, by His death they have life, by His being made a
"curse" all blessing comes to them!
Seventh, the Sequel of the Miracle
"And the king [God working secretly in him to do so] appointed the
lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the
people trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God [not
simply `Elisha'!] had said, who spake when the king came down to him.
And so it fell out unto him" (2 Kings 7:17, 20). Thus in due course,
the divine threat was executed, fulfilled to the very letter. Solemn
indeed was this, being the awful sequel to what was before us in 2
Kings 7:1-2. In like manner God will yet answer the skepticism and
blasphemous scoffing of this degenerate age. The great of this world
may laugh at the Lord's servants now, but in eternity they shall gnash
their teeth in anguish. This sequel completes the symbolic picture,
showing as it does the doom of the reprobate. The gospel is a savor of
death unto death as well as of life unto life. Unbelievers will "see"
the elect feasting with Christ, as the rich man saw Lazarus in
Abraham's bosom; but they shall not partake thereof.
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
SIXTEENTH MIRACLE--THE SHUNAMMITE RETURNS
Chapter 27
___________________________________
First, the Reality of the Miracle
The First Six Verses of 2 Kings 8 chronicle an incident which is
rather difficult to classify in connection with the ministry of
Elisha. By this we mean it is perhaps an open question whether we are
to regard it as properly belonging to the miracles which were wrought
through his instrumentality. Undoubtedly the majority of Christian
writers would look upon this episode as an example of the gracious and
wondrous operations of divine providence, rather than a supernatural
happening. With them we shall have no quarrel, for it is mainly a
matter of terms--some define a "miracle" in one way and some in
another. No question of either doctrinal or practical importance is
involved: it is simply a matter of personal opinion whether this
series of events is to be viewed as among the ordinary ways of the
divine government as God orders the lives of each of His creatures,
and in a more particular manner undertakes and provides for each of
His dear children, or whether we are to contemplate what is here
narrated as something over and above the workings of providence.
The signal deliverances which the Lord's people experience under the
workings of His special providence are just as truly manifestations of
the wisdom and power of God as are what many theologians would
technically term His "miracles," and are so to be regarded by us.
While strongly deprecating the modern tendency to deny and decry the
supernatural, we shall not now enter into a discussion as to whether
or not "the day of miracles is past;" but this we do emphatically
insist upon, that the day of divine intervention is most certainly not
past. God is as ready to hear the cry of the righteous now as He was
in the time of Moses and the prophets, and to so graciously and
definitely answer the prayer of faith as cannot be explained by so
called "natural laws," as this writer, and no doubt many of our
readers, can bear witness. Whether you term His interpositions
"miracles" or not, this is sure; the Lord still shows Himself strong
on behalf of those whose heart is perfect (upright, sincere) toward
Him.
Second, the Connection of the Miracle
This is intimated by the opening word of our narrative. That "then,"
which occurs so frequently in the Scriptures, should never be hurried
over carelessly. There is nothing meaningless nor superfluous in God's
Word, and every syllable in it should be given its due force and
weight. "Then" is a sign of time, emphasizing the season or occasion
when some particular event happened. To ascertain its significance we
should always pause and ask, When? and in order to find the answer,
refer back to the immediate context--often obliging us to ignore a
chapter division. By so doing we are better enabled to perceive the
connection between two things or incidents, and often the moral
relation the one sustains to the other, not only of cause and effect,
but of antecedent and consequent.
In passing, we may point out that "Then" is one of the key words of
Matthew's gospel, with which should be linked "when" and "from that
time" (see Matthew 4:1, 17; 15:1, 21; 25:1; 26:14). The deeper
significance of many an incident is discovered by observing this
simple rule: Ask the "then"--when?
In our present instance the miracle we are about to contemplate is
immediately linked to the one preceding it by this introductory
"Then." There is therefore a close connection between them; the one is
the sequel to the other. When considering 2 Kings 7, we saw how
wondrously Jehovah wrought in coming to the relief of the famished
Samaritans, furnishing them with an abundant supply of food at no
trouble or cost to themselves, causing their enemies to supply their
needs by leaving their own huge stores behind them. But, as we pointed
out, there was no recognition of the hand that had so kindly
ministered to them, no acknowledgment of His goodness, no praising Him
for such mercies. He had no place in their thoughts, for they had
grievously departed from Him and given themselves up to idolatry.
Consequently, here as everywhere, we find inseparably linked together
"unthankful, unholy" (2 Tim. 3:2). Where there is no true piety, there
is no genuine gratitude; and where there is no thankfulness, it is a
sure sign of the absence of holiness. This is a criterion by which we
may test our hearts: are we truly appreciative of the divine favors,
or do we accept them as a matter of course?
It may seem a small matter to men whether they are thankful or
unthankful for the bounties of their Maker and Provider, but He takes
note of their response, and sooner or later regulates His governmental
dealings with them accordingly. He will not be slighted with impunity.
Whether He acts in judgment or in mercy, God requires us to
acknowledge His hand, either by bowing in penitence beneath His rod,
or offering to Him the praise of our hearts. When Moses demanded of
Pharaoh that he should let the Hebrews go a three days' journey into
the wilderness to hold a feast unto the Lord, he haughtily answered,
"Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I
know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go" (Ex. 5:2). But before
God's plagues were finished, the magicians owned, "This is the finger
of God" (Ex. 8:19), and the king himself confessed, "I have sinned
against the LORD your God" (Ex. 10:16). We are expressly bidden "O
give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good" (Ps. 136:1); and if men
break that commandment, God will visit His displeasure upon them. One
of the reasons why He gave up the heathen to uncleanness was because
they were "unthankful" (Rom. 1:21, 24).
Third, the Nature of the Miracle
God employs various methods and means in chastening an ungrateful
people. Chief among His scourges are His "four sore judgments,"
namely, "the sword, and the famine, and the noisesome beast, and the
pestilence to cut off from it man and beast" (Ezek. 14:21). In the
present instance it was the second of these judgments. "Then spake
Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying,
Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn wheresoever thou
canst sojourn: for the LORD hath called for a famine; and it shall
also come upon the land seven years" (2 Kings 8:1). This we regard as
a miracle, and as connected with Elisha. First, because this
pronouncement was a prophecy, a supernatural revelation which he had
received from God and then communicated to the woman. Second, because
his announcement here is expressly said to be "the saying of the man
of God" (2 Kings 8:2), indicating he was acting in his official
character. Third, because both in 2 Kings 8:1 and 5, this incident was
definitely linked with an earlier miracle--the restoring of her dead
son to life.
But our present miracle is by no means confined to the famine which
the Lord here sent upon Samaria, nor to the prophet's knowledge and
announcement of the same. We should also contemplate the gracious
provision which the Lord made in exempting the woman from the horrors
of it. A famine is usually the outcome of a prolonged drought with the
resultant failure of the crops and the drying up of all vegetation,
though in some cases it follows incessant rains which prevent the
farmers from harvesting their grain. Now, had the Lord so pleased, He
could have supplied this woman's land with rain, though it was
withheld from her adjoining neighbors (see Amos 4:7), or He could have
prevented her fields from being flooded, so that her crops might be
garnered; or in some mysterious way He could have maintained her meal
and oil that it failed not (1 Kings 17:16). Yet, though the Lord did
none of those extraordinary things, nevertheless He undertook for her
just as effectually by His providences.
Fourth, the Duration of the Miracle
This particular famine lasted no less than seven years, which was
double the length of time of the one God sent on Samaria in the days
of Elijah (Jam. 5:17). When men refuse to humble themselves beneath
the mighty hand of God, He lays His rod more heavily upon them, as the
successive plagues which He sent upon Egypt increased in their
severity, and as the judgments mentioned in the Revelation are more
and more distressing in nature. Of old God called upon Israel,
"Consider your ways" and complained that His house was neglected,
while they were occupied only with rebuilding and attending to their
own. But they heeded Him not, and accordingly He told them, "Therefore
the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from
her fruit. And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the
mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil,
and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon
cattle, and upon all the labor of the hands" (Hag. 1:10-11). Thus it
was now upon the rebellious and idolatrous Samaritans.
Fifth, the Beneficiary of the Miracle
This was "the woman whose son Elisha restored to life." She was before
us in 2 Kings 4. There we saw that she was one who had a heart for the
servant of God, not only inviting him into her house for a meal
whenever he passed by her place, but building and furnishing for him a
chamber (2 Kings 4:8-10). Then we beheld her remarkable faith; for
instead of wringing her hands in despair upon the sudden death of her
child, she promptly rode to Mount Carmel where Elisha then was, with
the evident expectation that God would undertake for her in that
extremity through His servant. Nor was her hope disappointed; a
miracle was wrought and her dead son quickened. But now that the seven
years' famine was imminent, Elisha did not keep to himself the
knowledge he had received from the Lord, but put it to a good use,
thinking of the family which had shown him kindness in his earlier
days, warning the woman of the sore judgment that was about to fall
upon the land of Samaria.
The prophet's action contains important instruction for us, especially
for those who are the ministers of God. First, we are shown that we
are not to selfishly keep to ourselves the spiritual light God gives
us, but pass it on to those ready to receive it. Second, the servant
of God is not to lose interest in those to whom God made him a
blessing in the past, but seek opportunities to further help them in
spiritual things, particularly endeavoring to express his gratitude to
those who befriended him in earlier days. Often this can be most
effectively accomplished by prayer for them or by sending them a
special word of greeting (see Romans 16:6; 2 Timothy 1:16). Elisha did
not consider he had already discharged his indebtedness to this woman
by restoring her son to life, but as a fresh emergency had arisen, he
gave timely counsel. Third, here too we see God honoring those who
honored Him. In the past she had ministered to the temporal needs of
His servant, and He had not forgotten this. Having received a prophet
in the name of a prophet, she now received the prophet's reward--light
on her path.
"Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life,
saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn
wheresoever thou canst sojourn" (2 Kings 8:1). As there is no mention
of her husband throughout the whole of this narrative it is likely he
had died in the interval between 2 Kings 4 and 8 and that she was now
a widow. If so, it illustrates the special care the Lord has for
widows and orphans. But let us observe the exercise of His sovereignty
on this occasion, for He does not always act uniformly. In an earlier
famine He had miraculously sustained the widow of Zarephath by
maintaining her meal and oil. He could have done the same in this
instance, but was pleased to use other means, yet ones just as real
and effective in supplying her every need. We must never prescribe to
the Lord, nor limit Him in our thoughts to any particular form or
avenue of deliverance, but trustfully leave ourselves in His hands and
meekly submit to His imperial but all-wise ordering of our lot.
"Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn wheresoever thou
canst sojourn." How frequently are we reminded that here have we no
continuing city, which should cause us to hold all earthly things with
a very light hand. This incident also reminds us that the righteous
are occasioned many inconveniences because of the conduct of the
wicked; nevertheless the Lord evidences His particular care of His own
when His judgments fall upon a nation. Observe to what a severe test
this woman's faith was now submitted. It was no small matter to leave
her home and property and journey with her household into another
land, the inhabitants of which had for so long time been hostile to
the Israelites. It called for implicit confidence in the veracity of
God's servant. Ah, my reader, nothing but a genuine faith in God and
His Word is sufficient for the human heart in such an emergency; but
the mind of one who trusts Him will be kept in perfect peace.
"And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God" (2
Kings 8:2). Note well how that is phrased: she regarded Elisha's
instruction as something more than the kindly advice of a personal
friend, viewing him as the messenger of God to her. In other words,
she looked above the prophet to his Master, and accepted the counsel
as from Him. Thus she acted in faith, which was in entire accord with
what was previously recorded of her. There is no hint that she
murmured at her lot or complained at the severity of her trial. No,
when faith is in exercise, the spirit of murmuring is quelled.
Contrariwise, when we grumble at our lot, it is sure proof that
unbelief is dominant within us. Nor did she yield to a fatalistic
inertia and say, If God has called for a famine, I must bow to it; and
if I perish, I perish. Instead she acted as a rational creature,
discharged her responsibility, forsook the place of danger, and took
refuge in a temporary haven of shelter.
"And she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the
Philistines seven years" (2 Kings 8:2). Not in the adjoining territory
of Judah, be it noted, for probably even at that date the Jews had "no
dealings with the Samaritans" (John 4:9). It is sad, yet true, that a
Christian will often receive kinder treatment at the hands of
strangers than from those who profess to be the people of God. This
Israelite woman had not been warranted when she took refuge among the
Philistines without divine permission, for God had said unto Israel,
"ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed
you from other people, that ye should be mine" (Lev. 20:26); and
therefore did He declare, "the people shall dwell alone, and shall not
be reckoned among the nations" (Num. 23:9). But note well that it is
not said that she and her household "settled down" in the land of the
Philistines but only that she "sojourned" therein, which means that
she did not make herself one with them, but lived as a stranger in
their midst (cf. Genesis 23:4; Leviticus 25:23).
"And sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years." That is
surely remarkable, and very blessed. The Philistines had long been the
enemies of Israel, and had recently made war against it. Yet here was
this Israelite woman, and her household, was permitted to live
peacefully in their midst with her temporal needs supplied by them! In
that we must see the secret power of God working on her behalf and
giving her favor in their eyes. The Lord never confounds those who
truly trust Him, and as this woman had honored His word through His
prophet, so now He honored her faith. Her ways pleased the Lord, and
therefore He made her enemies to be at peace with her.
"And it came to pass at the seven years' end, that the woman returned
out of the land of the Philistines" (2 Kings 8:3). This too is equally
blessed. She had not found the society of the Philistines so congenial
that she wished to spend the remainder of her days with them. But
observe how it is worded: not "when the famine was over" she returned
to Samaria, but "at the seven year's end" mentioned by the
prophet--the word of God through His servant was what directed her!
"And she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her
land" (2 Kings 8:3). It is not clear whether her property had reverted
to the crown upon her emigration, or whether someone had unlawfully
seized it and now refused to relinquish it; but whichever it was, she
did not shirk her duty, but actively discharged her responsibility.
She was neither a believer in passive resistance nor in looking to God
to undertake for her while she shelved her duty--which would have been
highly presumptuous. Scott has pointed out how this verse illustrates
"the benefit of magistracy," and rightly added in connection
therewith, "Believers may, on important occasions, avail themselves of
their privileges as members of the community: provided they are not
actuated by covetousness or resentment, do not manifest a contentious
spirit and make no appeal in a doubtful or suspicious cause; and
rulers should award justice without respect of persons, and compel the
injurious to restitution." Had not this woman now appealed to the king
for the restoration of her own property, she would have condoned a
wrong and refused to uphold the principles of righteousness.
Sixth, the Sequel of the Miracle
This is equally striking, for the anointed eye will clearly perceive
the power of the Lord working on behalf of His handmaid. "And the king
talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I
pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done. And it came to
pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to
life, that, behold the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried
to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord,
O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored
to life. And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king
appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that was
hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the
land, even until now" (2 Kings 8:4-6). Who can fail to see the
superintending hand of God in the king's desire to hear of Elisha's
miracles, the presence of one well qualified to inform him, the timing
of such an occurrence, the interest in this woman which would be
awakened in the King, and his willingness to grant her full
restitution!
Seventh, the Lesson of the Miracle
In the course of our remarks, we have called attention to many details
of this incident which we may profitably take to heart, but there is
one outstanding thing in it which especially claims our notice,
namely, the wonder-working providences of God in behalf of the
woman--through Elisha, the Philistines, Gehazi, and the king of
Israel. And thus it is that He still acts on behalf of His own, making
gracious provision for them in an evil day. Whatever be the means or
the instruments He makes use of in providing a refuge for us in a time
of trouble, it is as truly "the Lord's doing" and should be just as
"marvelous in our eyes," especially when God constrains the wicked to
deal kindly with us, as if He openly worked for us what are
technically called "miracles." At the close of Psalm 107, after
recounting the various deliverances the Lord wrought for those who
cried unto Him, this comment is made: "Whoso is wise, and will observe
these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the
LORD." The greater pains we take to observe God's hand undertaking for
us by His providences, the better shall we understand His
"lovingkindness" and the more confidence we shall have in Him.
_________________________________________________________________
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About Us
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
SEVENTEENTH MIRACLE--DEATH OF A KING
Chapter 28
___________________________________
The opening verse of 2 Kings 8 informs us that the Lord had called for
a seven years' famine on Samaria, and we considered one of the things
which transpired during that "sore judgment" from heaven. That which
is now to claim our attention is not to be regarded as something which
occurred after the expiration of the famine, but rather as what took
place at its beginning. After tracing the experiences of the woman
from Shunem, the Holy Spirit picks up the thread of 2 Kings 8:1 and
informs us of the movements of the prophet himself. "And Elisha came
to Damascus" (2 Kings 8:7). He too left Samaria, for it was no place
for him now that the indignation of the Lord was upon it. When God
deals in judgment with a people, His temporal plagues are usually
accompanied by spiritual deprivations, often by removing His servants
"into a corner" (Isa. 30:20), and then the people of God are left "as
sheep without a shepherd"-- one of the acutest afflictions they can
experience. It was thus with Israel in the earlier famine days of
Ahab. There is no intimation that Elijah did any preaching during
these three and a half years, for the Lord sent him to Cherith and
then to Zarephath.
Sad indeed is the plight of any people when they are not only scourged
temporally but have their spiritual blessings taken from them too.
During the times of the judges, when "every man did that which was
right in his own eyes" (Judg. 21:25), we are told, ". . . in those
days; there was no open vision" (1 Sam. 3:1). This signifies there was
no accredited servant of God to whom the people could go for a
knowledge of the divine mind and will. So again in the days of Ezekiel
it was announced, "Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumor shall
be upon rumor;" and as the climactic calamity: "Then shall they seek a
vision of the prophet; but the law shall perish from the priest"
(Ezek. 7:26). Little as it is realized by the present generation, the
most solemn, fearful, and portentous of all the marks of God's anger
is the withholding of a Spirit-filled, faithful, and edifying
ministry. For then there is "a famine in the land, not a famine of
bread, nor a thirst of water, but of hearing the words of the LORD"
(Amos 8:11). There is much more than appears on the surface in that
short statement, "And Elisha came down to Damascus."
Solemn indeed is that brief and simple sentence, denoting as it does
that the prophet had left Samaria, left it because his ministry there
was unwelcome, wasted. How often we find a parallel to this in the
gospels. At the very beginning of His public ministry, we read that
Christ "came down to Capernaum" (Luke 4:31). Why? Because at Nazareth
they were filled with wrath at His teaching (Luke 4:28-29). "He
entered into a ship, and passed over." Why? Because at Capernaum the
whole city "besought him that he would depart out of their coasts"
(Matthew 8:34; 9:1). He "withdrew himself from thence" because the
Pharisees had "held a council against him" (Matthew 12:14-15). "He
could there do no mighty work . . . because of their unbelief". What
follows? "And He went round about their villages teaching" (Mark
6:5-6). "It was necessary that the word of God should first have been
spoken to you, but seeing ye put it from you... lo, we turn to the
Gentiles" (Acts 13:46). When God calls a pastor to another charge, the
church he has left has reason to search itself before the Lord as to
the cause.
First, the Connection of the Miracle
"And Elisha came to Damascus" (2 Kings 8:7). The opening "And" links
the incident which follows with the first verse of our chapter. But
more, as was the case in several previous instances, it points a
series of striking contrasts between this and the events recorded in
the context. There, the central character was a godly woman; here it
is a wicked man. In the former the prophet took the initiative,
communicating with the woman; now, a king sends to inquire of the man
of God. There his prophetic announcement was promptly credited; here
it is scornfully ridiculed (2 Kings 8:13). In the first, the king's
servant told him the truth (2 Kings 8:5); in this, another king's
servant tells him a lie (2 Kings 8:13). There God put forth His power
and graciously provided for one of His own; here He removes His
restraining hand and lets one of the reprobate meet with a violent
end. The previous miracle closed with the restoration of the woman's
property to her; this ends with a callous murder and the usurper
occupying the throne.
Though there is nothing in the narrative to intimate specifically when
it was that Elisha "came to Damascus," yet the introductory "And"
seems to make it clear that the prophet took this journey during "the
seven years' famine," and probably at an early stage. As the Lord was
not pleased on this occasion to work in a mysterious and extraordinary
way for the temporal preservation of the woman of Shunem (as He had
for the widow at Zarephath) but provided for her needs by the more
regular yet not less wonderful ordering of providence on her behalf,
so it would seem that He did for His servant. And as she sojourned in
the land of the Philistines, so he now sought refuge in the capital of
Syria, even though that was the very country which had for so long
been hostile to Samaria. Nor did he go into hiding there, but counted
upon his Master's protecting him even in the midst of a people who had
so often preyed upon Israel. That Elisha's presence in Damascus was no
secret is clear from what follows.
Second, the Occasion of the Miracle
"And Elisha came to Damascus"--the most ancient city in the world,
with the possible exception of Jerusalem. Josephus says that "it was
founded by Uz, the son of Aram, and grandson of Shem." It is mentioned
as early as Genesis 14:15, in the days of Abraham, 2000 B.C. It was
captured and occupied in turn by the Persians, the Greeks, and the
Romans. Paul commenced his ministry there (Acts 9:19-22). It remains
to this day. In the time of Ahab, Ben-hadad, after his defeat by the
Samaritans and the sparing of his life, said to the king of Israel,
"Thou shalt make streets for thee in Damascus, as my father made in
Samaria." Upon which Ahab said, "I will send thee away with this
covenant. So he made a covenant with him, and sent him away" (1 Kings
20:34). Whether Ben-hadad ever made good his promise Scripture does
not inform us, but his "covenant" with Ahab certainly gave Elisha the
right of asylum in Damascus.
That Elisha had not fled to Damascus in the energy of the flesh in
order to escape the hardships and horrors of the famine, but had gone
there in the will of the Lord is evident from the sequel. In what
follows we are shown how that while he was here he received
communications from God and was used by Him. That is one of the ways
in which the child of God may ascertain whether or not he is in the
place he should be, or whether in self-will he has forsaken the path
of duty. "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is
that loveth me:... and I will love him, and will manifest myself to
him" (John 14:21), make Myself a living reality to his soul, make
discoveries of My glory to him through the written Word. But when we
take matters into our own hands and our ways displease the Lord,
communion is severed, and He hides His face from us. When we choose
our own way and the Spirit is grieved, He no longer takes the things
of Christ and shows them to us, but disquiets our hearts because of
our sins.
Yes, God made use of Elisha while he sojourned in Damascus. But how
varied, how solemnly varied, are the several ways in which He is
pleased to employ His servants. Not now was he commissioned to heal a
leper, nor to restore a dead child to life, but rather to announce the
death of a king. Herein we have shadowed forth the more painful and
exacting side of the minister's duty. He is required to set before men
the way of life and the way of death. He is under bond to faithfully
make known the doom awaiting the wicked, as well as the bliss reserved
for the righteous. He is to preach the law as well as the gospel; to
describe the everlasting torments of hell, as well as the unending
glory of heaven. He is bidden to preach the gospel to every creature,
and announce in no uncertain tones, "He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark
16:16). Only by so doing will he be warranted in saying, "I am pure
from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you
all the counsel of God" (Acts 20:26-27).
"And Ben-hadad the king of Syria was sick; and it was told him,
saying, The man of God is come hither" (2 Kings 8:7). The wearing of a
crown does not exempt its possessor from the common troubles to which
man is born; rather does it afford additional opportunities for
gratifying the lust of the flesh, which will only increase his
troubles. It is only by being temperate in all things that many
sicknesses can be avoided, for walking according to the rules of
Scripture promotes health of body as well as health of soul. When
sickness overtakes a saint his first concern should not be its
removal, but a definite seeking unto the Lord to ascertain why He has
afflicted him (Job 10:2). His next concern should be to have his
sickness sanctified to the good of his soul, that he may learn the
lessons that chastisement is designed to teach him, that he may be
able to say, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I
might learn thy statutes" (Ps. 119:71). But it is the privilege of
faith to become better acquainted with Jehovah-Rophi, "the Lord that
healeth thee" (Ex. 15:26).
In the case before us it was not a child of God who had fallen sick,
but a heathen monarch. "And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present
in thine hand, and go, meet the man of God, and inquire of the LORD by
him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?" (2 Kings 7:8). What a
startling antithesis this presents from what was before us in 2 Kings
6:31! Only a short time previously, the king of Israel had sworn a
horrible oath that Elisha should be slain; here a foreign king owns
him as "the man of God" and makes inquiry concerning his own life or
death. Striking too is the contrast between Ben-hadad's action here
and the last thing recorded of him when he sent his forces to take
Elisha captive (2 Kings 6:14)! How fickle is human nature: Man is one
day ready to pluck out his eyes and give them to a servant of God, and
the next regards him as an enemy because he told the truth (Gal.
4:15-16). But now the Syrian king was concerned about his condition
and anxious to know the outcome of his illness.
It appears to have been the practice in those days for a king who was
seriously ill to make a formal inquiry from one whom he regarded as
endowed with supernatural knowledge. Thus we read that when Jeroboam's
son fell sick, he sent his wife to ascertain of Ahijah the prophet
"what shall become of the child" (1 Kings 14:1-3); and again we are
told that Ahaziah sent messengers "to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of
Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease." (2 Kings 1:2). From
what is recorded in 1 Kings 20:23 and the sequel, we may conclude that
Ben-hadad had lost confidence in his own "gods" and placed more
reliance upon the word of Elisha; yet it is to be noted that he
neither asked for his prayers nor expressed any desire for a visit
from him; seriously sick as he felt himself to be, he was not
concerned about his soul but only his body. Throughout the whole of
his career there is nothing to indicate he had the slightest regard
for the Lord, but much to the contrary.
"So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even of
every good thing of Damascus, forty camels' burden, and came and stood
before him, and said, Thy son Ben-hadad king of Syria hath sent me to
thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease?" (2 Kings 8:9). The
"present" was to intimate that he came on a peaceful and friendly
mission and with no design of doing the prophet an injury or carrying
him away as a prisoner. This too was in accord with the custom of
those days and the ways of Orientals. Thus when Saul wished to consult
Samuel about the lost asses of his father, he lamented the fact that
he had "not a present to bring to the man of God" (1 Sam. 9:7), and
when the wife of Jeroboam went to inquire of the prophet Ahijah she
took a present for him (1 Kings 14:3). But looking higher, we may see
in the lavish nature of Ben-hadad's present the guiding hand of God
and an "earnest" for His servant that He would spread a table for him
in the presence of his enemies! We are not told that Elisha refused
this present, nor was there any reason why he should; perhaps he sent
a goodly portion thereof to relieve the distress of the schools of the
prophets still in Samaria.
"And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly
recover: howbeit the LORD hath shewed me that he shall surely die" (2
Kings 8:10). Observe first a significant omission. Elisha did not
offer to go and visit Ben-hadad! That was not because he was callous,
for the very next verse shows he was a man of compassion. Rather was
he restrained by the Lord, who had no design of mercy unto the Syrian
king. Very solemn was that. But what are we to make of the prophet's
enigmatical language? The disease from which your master is suffering
will not produce a fatal end; nevertheless, the Lord has showed me
that his death is imminent--by violence: another proof that the Lord
God "revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7).
It is on this same principle we discover the harmony between there
being "an appointed time to man upon earth" (Job 7:1) and "why
shouldest thou die before thy time?" (Ecclesiastes 7:17)--before the
normal course of nature; and the fifteen years "added to" the course
of Hezekiah's life--God intervening to stay the ordinary working of
his disease.
Third, the Accompaniment of the Miracle
"And he settled his countenance steadfastly, until he was ashamed: and
the man of God wept" (2 Kings 8:11). The first clause must be
interpreted in the light of all that follows. Had it stood by itself,
we should have understood it to signify that Hazael was deeply grieved
by the prophet's announcement and sought to control his
emotions--though that would not account for the prophet bursting into
tears. But the sequel obliges us to conclude that, far from being
horrified at the news he had just received, Hazael was highly
gratified, and the settling of his countenance was an endeavor to
conceal his elation. Accordingly, we regard the "until he was ashamed"
(the Hebrew word is often rendered, "confounded," and once, "put to
confusion") as denoting that, under the piercing gaze of Elisha he
realized he had not succeeded and was chagrined that his countenance
revealed the wicked pleasure he found in the prophet's reply. God has
wisely, justly, and mercifully ordered that to a considerable extent,
the countenance is made to betray the workings of our minds and the
state of our hearts.
The servant of God was not deceived by Hazael's playacting, for he not
only had the aid of his own eyes to perceive the attempted deception,
but also had a direct revelation from heaven concerning the sequel.
The weeping of the man of God was not occasioned by his knowledge of
the violent end awaiting Ben-hadad, but rather from what the Lord had
also shown him concerning the fearful horrors which should shortly be
inflicted upon Israel. In his tears we behold Elisha foreshadowing his
incarnate Lord, who wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41). Elisha was no
heartless stoic: even though he knew that his nation fully deserved
the still sorer judgments which God would shortly visit upon it
through the agency of the man who now stood before him, yet Elisha
could not be unmoved at his prophetic foreview of their terrible
afflictions. The prophets were men of deep feelings, as the history of
Jeremiah abundantly manifests. So too was Paul (Phil. 3:18). So is
every true servant of Christ.
Fourth, the Nature of the Miracle
"And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know
the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong
holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with
the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with
child" (2 Kings 8:12). Like the two preceding ones, this miracle
consists of a supernatural disclosure, the announcing of a prophetic
revelation which he had received directly from God--in this case a
double one: the death of Ben-hadad and the judgments which should come
upon Israel. Hazael was far from being melted by Elisha's tears (he
was probably nonplussed by them), and in order to gain time for
composure of mind, he asked the question which he did. It is solemn to
note that while Elisha announced what he foresaw would happen, he made
no effort to dissuade or deter Hazael--as our Lord foretold the
treachery of Judas, but sought not to turn him from his evil purpose.
Fifth, the Challenge of the Miracle
"And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do
this great thing?" (2 Kings 8:13). Hotly did he resent such a charge,
nor did he at that moment deem himself capable of such atrocities, nor
did he wish the prophet to regard him as such a wretch. How little do
the unregenerate realize or suspect the desperate wickedness of their
hearts! How anxious are they that others should not think the worst of
them! When not immediately exposed to temptations, they do not believe
they are capable of such enormities, and are highly insulted when the
contrary is affirmed. "And Elisha answered, The LORD hath shewed me
that thou shalt be king over Syria." Again we see the extraordinary
powers with which the prophets were invested, though Elisha gives God
the glory for his. When Hazael ascended the throne, all human
restraint would be removed from him, and enlarged powers and
opportunities would be his for working evil.
Sixth, Fulfillment of the Miracle
"So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master; who said to him,
What said Elisha to thee? And he answered, He told me that thou
shouldest surely recover" (2 Kings 8:14). Thus did Hazael seek to put
off his guard the one he intended to murder by deliberately lying to
him. "And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took a thick cloth,
and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died:
and Hazael reigned in his stead" (2 Kings 8:15). And this was the man
who a few hours before indignantly denied he had the character of a
savage dog! In the fearful doom of Ben-hadad we see the righteous
retribution of God. Having been a man of violence, he met with a
violent end--as he had lived, so he died (see 1 Kings 20:1, 16, 21,
26, 29; 22:1; 2 Kings 6:8, 24). And for Hazael in the future: 2 Kings
10:32.
Seventh, the Meaning of the Miracle
This is so obvious that very few words are needed: it is the glaring
contrast between the faithful and the unfaithful servant. Elisha had
unflinchingly declared the counsel which he had received from the
Lord, however unpalatable it was to his hearer. But Hazael gives us a
picture of the hireling, the false prophet, the deceiver of souls.
Ostensibly he went forth in obedience to his master's commission (2
Kings 8:9); in reality he was playing the part of a hypocrite (2 Kings
8:11). When he delivered his message he falsified it by withholding
the most pointed and solemn part of it (2 Kings 8:14). How many there
are like him, uttering "smooth things" and remaining guiltily silent
on the doom awaiting the wicked. As surely as Hazael slew Ben-hadad,
the unfaithful preachers of our day are murdering souls. As Hazael
became king, so the most faithless now occupy seats of power in
Christendom.
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
ELISHA'S YOUNG DEPUTY
Chapter 29
___________________________________
We regard the incident recorded in 2 Kings 9:1-10 as relating to the
mission of Elisha. In order to better understand it, we refer the
reader back to the first two chapters. There we pointed out that the
missions of Elijah and Elisha formed two parts of one whole, much the
same as did those entrusted to Moses and Joshua. While there was
indeed a striking difference between what was accomplished through and
by Moses and the one who succeeded him, and while their respective
missions may be considered separately, yet in the wider view the
latter should be regarded primarily as the complement of the former.
Such was also the case with Elijah and Elisha. The analogy between
Moses and Joshua and Elijah and Elisha is not perfect in every detail,
yet there is sufficient agreement in the broad outline as to enable us
to perceive more clearly the relation which the second sustained to
the first in each of those two pairs. By such perception, light is
cast upon the ministries of those we are now more especially concerned
with.
The very similarity of their names intimates a more than ordinary
connection between them. According to that important rule of
interpretation, the very first mention of Elisha in the Scriptures
clearly defines his relation to his predecessor. Unto Elijah the Lord
said, "Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah, shalt thou anoint to
be prophet in thy room" (1 Kings 19:16). Those words signify something
more than that he was to be his successor in the prophetic office;
Elisha was to take Elijah's place as his accredited representative.
This is confirmed by the fact that when he found Elisha, Elijah "cast
his mantle upon him" (1 Kings 19:19), which denotes the closest
possible identification between them. In perfect accord with that is
the reply Elisha made when, later, he was asked by the one whose place
he was to take, "Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away
[not from `Israel,' but] from thee. And Elisha said, "I pray thee, let
a double portion of thy spirit be upon me" (2 Kings 2:9), which
request was granted. Elisha, then, was far more than the historical
successor of Elijah; he was appointed and anointed to be his
representative, we might almost say his "ambassador."
Elisha was the man called by God to take Elijah's place before Israel.
Though Elijah had left this scene and gone on high, yet his ministry
was not to cease. True, he was no longer here in person, yet he was so
in spirit. The starting point of Elisha's ministry was the
supernatural rapture of his master, and that the one was to carry on
the work of the other was symbolically intimated by his initial act,
for his first miracle was an exact duplication of the last one wrought
by his predecessor, namely, the smiting and opening up of the waters
of Jordan so that he crossed over dry-shod--the instrument used being
Elijah's own mantle (2 Kings 2:14)! The immediate sequel supplies
further evidence for what we have just pointed out: "And when the sons
of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The
spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and
bowed themselves to the ground before him" (2 Kings 2:15).
In 2 Kings 2 we read of "the sons of the prophets that were at
Beth-el" (2 Kings 2:3), and in 2 Kings 2:5 we are also told of "the
sons of the prophets that were at Jericho," the latter numbering more
than fifty (2 Kings 2:17). By that expression (a Hebrewism) we
understand that these young men had been converted under the
ministries of Elijah and Elisha, for the latter had accompanied the
former for some years previous to his rapture--and who were organized
into schools. As we saw in an earlier chapter, there was yet another
school of them at Gilgal (2 Kings 4:38), and from their "sitting
before him" (cf. Deuteronomy 33:3; Luke 2:46 and 10:39) it is evident
that Elisha devoted much of his time to their instruction and
edification. Their owning him as "thou man of God" (2 Kings 4:40) and
"master" (2 Kings 6:5) reveals plainly enough the relation which he
sustained to them, as does also their appeal to him for the enlarging
of their living quarters (2 Kings 6:1). He acted then as their rector
or superintendent, and gained both their respect and their affection.
In the course of our studies we have seen how Elisha wrought more than
one miracle for the benefit of these students. Thus, through his
intervention on her behalf, he enabled the widow of one of the
children of the prophets, who had appealed to him in her dire
extremity, to pay off her debt and save her two sons from being made
bondmen to her debtor (2 Kings 4:1-7). Next he delivered a whole
company of them from being poisoned when there was "death in the pot"
which they were about to partake of (2 Kings 4:38-41). Then he rescued
the head of the ax borrowed by another of them (2 Kings 6:4-7). Not
only were the schools of the "sons of the prophets" which were
established by the Tishbite continued throughout the life of his
successor, but in the above instances we see how Elisha acted toward
them as Elijah would have done had he remained among them--using his
extraordinary powers on their behalf as need arose and occasion
required.
Let us now point out the relevancy of this somewhat lengthy preface to
the incident we are now to contemplate. Our narrative opens by saying:
"And Elisha the prophet called one of the children of the prophets,
and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this box of oil in
thine hand, and go to Ramoth-Gilead. And when thou comest thither,
look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go
in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an
inner chamber. Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and
say, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then
open the door, and flee, and tarry not" (2 Kings 9:1-3). That can only
be rightly apprehended in the light of what has just been pointed out.
If we turn back to 1 Kings 19:15-16 it will be found that Elijah
received the following commission: "And the LORD said unto him, Go,
return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest,
anoint Hazael to be king over Syria: And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt
thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of
Abel-meholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room." Concerning
the anointing of Hazael, Scripture is silent; that of Elisha was
accomplished when Elijah "cast his mantle upon him" (1 Kings 19:19).
At first sight the long delay in the anointing of Jehu seems to
present a problem, but compare an earlier passage, and the difficulty
is at once removed. Jehu was to be the Lord's instrument of executing
His vengeance on the wicked house of Ahab--a solemn announcement of
which was made to that apostate monarch by Elijah in 1 Kings 21:21-24,
and Jehu's agency in connection therewith was intimated in 1 Kings
19:17.
Upon hearing that dreadful announcement from the lips of the Lord's
messenger, we are told that Ahab "rent his clothes, and put sackcloth
upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly" (1
Kings 21:27). Because of that external humbling of himself before
Jehovah, He declared unto the prophet, "I will not bring the evil in
his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house"
(1 Kings 21:29). Since that divine decision was communicated to Elijah
personally, we infer that it was tantamount to bidding him defer the
anointing of Jehu: a respite having been granted unto Ahab, the
commissioning of the one who was to execute the judgment was also
postponed. For the same reason we conclude that since the time for the
anointing of Jehu had not arrived before Elijah left this earth, that
he transferred this particular duty to his successor, to the one who
became "prophet in his room," as the Lord Jesus is said to have
baptized those who were immersed by His disciples acting under His
authority (John 4:1-2).
But now the question arises, Why did not Elisha personally perform the
task assigned him by the one whose representative he was? Why entrust
it to a deputy? The principal reason given by Matthew Henry (and
adopted by Thomas Scott) is that it was too dangerous a task for
Elisha to undertake, and therefore it was not fit that he should
expose himself; that being so well known, he would have been promptly
recognized, and therefore he selected one who was more likely to
escape observation. But such an explanation by no means commends
itself to us, for it is entirely out of accord with everything else
recorded of Elisha. The one who had spoken so boldly to king Jehoram
(2 Kings 3:13-14), who was not afraid to give offense unto the mighty
Naaman (2 Kings 5:9-11 ), who had calmly sat in the house when the
king had sworn he should be slain that day (2 Kings 6:31-32), and who
possessed such power from God as to be able to smite with blindness
those who sought to take him captive (2 Kings 6:18), was hardly the
one to shrink from an unpleasant task and invite another to face peril
in his stead.
Since the Scriptures do not implicitly reveal to us the grounds on
which Elisha here acted, none may attempt to dogmatically define them.
The most any writer can do is to form his own judgment from what is
revealed, state his opinion, and submit it to the readers. Personally
we prefer to interpret Elisha's action on this occasion in the light
of the particular stage which had now been reached in his career.
Nothing more is recorded about him after this incident, save what
immediately preceded his death. It appears then that, for some reason
unknown to us (for he lived many years afterward), that he was about
to retire from the stage of public action, and therefore that he would
prepare the "sons of the prophets" and perhaps this one more
particularly to take a more prominent part in the public life of
Israel, and consequently was placing more responsibility upon them. It
is not to be lost sight of that it was also an important and
distinguished mission this young man was now entrusted with, and that
a high honor was conferred upon him.
"And Elisha the prophet called one of the children of the prophets and
said unto him, Gird up thy loins and take this box of oil in thy hand,
and go to Ramoth-Gilead" (2 Kings 9:1). Elisha is not here designated
"the man of God" because no miracle was involved in what follows. Only
here is he termed "Elisha the prophet" and only in 1 Kings 8:36 was
his predecessor called "Elijah the prophet": it intimated the
identification of the one with the other. Elisha's calling one of the
children of the prophets to him manifests the relation which he
sustained unto them, namely, as one having authority over
them--compare the section on 2 Kings 6:1-7. In the light of what was
pointed out in the preceding paragraph we may see in Elisha's action
an example which elderly ministers of the gospel may well emulate:
Endeavoring to promote the training of their younger brethren, seeking
to equip them for more important duties after they will have left this
scene. This is a principle which Paul acted upon: "The things that
thou hast heard of me... the same commit thou to faithful men, who
shall be able to teach others also" (2 Tim. 2:2).
"And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu the son of
Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from
among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber" (2 Kings 9:2).
Here we behold another example of the extraordinary powers possessed
by Elisha. He knew where Jehu was to be found, that he would not be
alone, the precise company he would be in, that he would be seated,
and yet not in the inner chamber! But it was a trying ordeal to which
he now subjected his deputy and a solemn errand on which he sent him.
The wicked Jehoram (also called "Joram") was still on the throne and
at that time sojourning in Ramoth-gilead, where he was recovering from
the wounds which the Syrians had given him in the recent battle at
Ramah (2 Kings 8:29). With him was the son of the king of Judah, who
was visiting him in his sickness, and with him too were other members
of the reigning house. The mission entrusted to the young prophet
involved his entry into the royal quarters, his peremptory ordering
one of the princes to accompany him to a private chamber, and then
discharging the purpose for which he had come.
That purpose was not only to anoint and make him king, but to deliver
an announcement which would to most temperaments be very unpleasant.
But the minister of God, be he young or old, is not free to pick and
choose either his sphere of labor or the message he is to deliver. No,
being but a "servant" he is subject only to the will of his Master,
and therefore any self-seeking or self-pleasing is nothing else than a
species of insubordination. Implicit obedience to the Lord, no matter
what it may involve or cost him in this life, is what is required of
him, and only by rendering such obedience will he be rewarded in the
next life, by hearing from the lips of Christ himself, "Well done,
thou good and faithful servant... enter thou into the joy of the
Lord." Oh that each young minister of Christ who reads these lines may
be constrained to earnestly seek enabling grace that he may live and
act now with the day to come before him.
"Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus
saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the
door, and flee, and tarry not" (2 Kings 8:3). The young prophet was to
make it unmistakably clear that he was acting in no private capacity,
not even as an agent of Elisha, but under the immediate authority of
Jehovah Himself. It is most important that the minister of Christ
should similarly conduct himself. He is to make it evident that he is
commissioned by heaven, not delivering a message of his own devising
nor acting as the agent of his denomination. Only thus is God honored
and only thus will His servant preserve his true dignity and speak
with divine authority. When he has fulfilled his charge, then let him
"tarry not"; that is, not stay around in order to listen to the
compliments of his hearers. Note that kingship is of divine
appointment and institution (cf. Proverbs 8:15), and therefore are
God's people bidden to "honor the king" (1 Pet. 2:17). It is one of
the marks of an apostate and degenerate age when "dominion" is
despised and "dignities" are evil spoken of (Jude 8).
"So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to
Ramoth-gilead" (2 Kings 9:4). Observe how the Holy Spirit has
emphasized his youth! Often the babe in Christ is more pliable and
responsive than an older Christian. Note there is nothing to show he
asked for an easier task, objected to this one on the score of his
youth, nor that he felt unworthy for such a mission--which is more
often the language of pride than of humility, for none is "worthy" to
be commissioned by the Almighty. It is entirely a matter of sovereign
grace, and in nowise one of personal merit, that anyone is called to
the ministry. Said the apostle Paul, "I was made a minister, according
to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working
of His power." He at once added, "Unto me, who am less than the least
of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the
Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Eph. 3:7-8). He referred
to a two-fold "grace": in calling and equipping him. When God calls
one to His service, He also furnishes him. This is illustrated in this
incident by "the box of oil" put into the young prophet's hand.
"And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and
he said, I have an errand to thee, O captain. And Jehu said, Unto
which of all us? And he said, To thee, O captain. And he arose, and
went into the house" (2 Kings 9:5-6). We regard the "behold" as having
a threefold force. First, as calling attention to the accuracy of
Elisha's indirect but obvious prediction in 2 Kings 9:2. Second, as
emphasizing the severity of the ordeal which then confronted the young
prophet: Jehu being surrounded by companions of note, and the
likelihood that he would resent such an intrusion. Third, in view of
what follows, as intimating the gracious hand of God so ordering
things that Jehu promptly and unmurmuringly complied with the
prophet's order, thus making it much easier for him. In that we see
how God ever delights to honor those who honor Him and show Himself
strong in the behalf of those whose heart is perfect toward Him.
That which is recorded in 2 Kings 9:7-10 was evidently included in the
commission which the young man had received from the Lord through
Elisha, and which he now faithfully discharged. The fact that the
prophet here made such an announcement appears to supply strong
confirmation of what was pointed out in our opening paragraphs,
namely, that this deputy of Elisha was acting in the stead of Elijah
or as his representative. For if it is compared with 1 Kings 21:21-24
it will be found that it is practically an echo of the Tishbite's own
words to Ahab. In the charge here given to Jehu we are shown how he
was to be God's battle-ax (Jer. 51:20) or sword of justice. Man might
see in Jehu's conduct (see remainder of 2 Kings 9) nothing more than
the ferocity of a human fiend, but in these verses we are taken behind
the scenes as it were and shown how he was appointed to be the
executioner of God's judgments. "For the vision is yet for an
appointed time, but at the end, it shall speak and not lie: though it
tarry wait for it; because it will surely come" (Hab. 2:3). This is
equally true whether the "vision" of prophecy foretells divine mercy
or wrath, as the wicked house of Ahab was to discover.
"And he opened the door and fled" (2 Kings 9:10). This was most
praiseworthy, and should be duly taken to heart by us. The servant of
God is not free to please himself at any point but must carry out the
orders he has received to the last letter. In all probability, if this
young man had lingered, Jehu, after receiving such a high favor at his
hands, would have evidenced his appreciation by bestowing some reward
upon him, or at least feasting him at his royal table. But Elisha had
bidden him, "Open the door [as soon as he had performed his errand]
and flee, and tarry not" (2 Kings 9:3); and here we see his implicit
obedience to his master. Oh that we may in all things render
unqualified compliance with our Master's will. It is not without
significance that in the very next verse the young prophet is
scornfully referred to as "this mad fellow" (2 Kings 9:11) by one of
the servants of the king. For the unregenerate are quite incapable of
assessing at their true value the motives which prompt the faithful
minister of Christ, and judging him by their own standards, regard him
as crazy. But what is the contempt and ridicule of the world if we
have the approbation of the Lord? Nothing, and less than nothing,
especially if we expect it, as we should do.
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Gleanings From Elisha
His Life and Miracles
ELISHA'S DEATH
Chapter 30
___________________________________
We Have No Means of ascertaining the exact age of Elisha when he was
overtaken by his fatal sickness, for we know not how old he was when
called to the prophetic office (though from the analogy of Scripture,
he would probably be at least thirty at that time). Nor does there
appear any way of discovering how long a period he accompanied and
ministered to Elijah before his rapture (some writers think it was
upwards of ten years); but if we total up the years which the various
kings reigned over Israel, who were all outlived by our prophet
(beginning with Ahab), it will be seen that he was a very old man. One
commentator supposes him to have been "at this time fully one hundred
and twenty years of age." Good it is to be assured that, whether our
appointed span be long or short, our "times" are in the hands of the
One who gave us being (Ps. 31:15). God recovers His people from many
sicknesses, but sooner or later comes one from which there is no
deliverance. It is well for us if, when that time arrives, we conduct
ourselves as Elisha did and use our remaining strength to the glory of
the Lord.
Elisha's Last Times
The final incidents in connection with Elisha are in striking keeping
with the whole record of his remarkable mission. No commonplace career
was his and most extraordinary are the things which mark its closing
scenes. First, we learn that the reigning monarch called upon him
during his fatal illness! Kings are not accustomed to visit dying
people, least of all the servants of God at such times; it might be
good for them if they did. Still more unusual and remarkable was it
for the king to weep over the prophet because he was on the eve of
leaving the scene. Even more noteworthy was the language used by the
king on this occasion. Second, so far was Elisha from considering
himself flattered by the presence of such a visitor that he took
complete charge of the situation, gave orders to the king, and honored
him by giving a message from Jehovah, which was as striking as any he
had delivered on earlier occasions. Third, after his death God honored
the remains of the prophet by raising to life one who had been cast
into his sepulcher.
That which is recorded in the second half of 2 Kings 13 speaks of what
was really another miracle in Elisha's memorable life. This is
intimated by the Spirit referring to him there as "the man of God" (2
Kings 13:19), which, as we have so frequently pointed out, was used
only when he was acting in his official character and discharging his
extraordinary office, a fact which seems to have escaped the notice of
other writers. Like several others which have been before us, this
miracle consisted of a divine revelation being communicated through
him, his uttering a supernatural prophecy. Previous to this incident
nothing is recorded about his activities or how he was employed, yet
it must not be concluded that he was under a cloud and rusting out.
No, that lengthy silence is broken in such a way as to preclude any
thought that he had been set aside by his Master, for the Lord here
makes signal use of him as He had done formerly. Elisha, like other
(though not all) of God's servants, brought forth "fruit" in his old
age (Ps. 92:14).
"Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died" (2 Kings
13:14). "The Spirit of Elijah rested on Elisha and yet he is not sent
for to heaven in a fiery chariot, as Elijah was, but goes the common
road out of the world. If God honors some above others, who yet are
not inferior in gifts and graces, who should find fault? May He not do
what He wills with His own?" (Henry) God does as He pleases and gives
no account of His matters. He asks counsel of none and explains His
actions to none. Every page of Holy Writ registers some illustration
and exemplification of the exercise of His high sovereignty. "Moses
was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim,
nor his natural force abated" (Deut. 34:7). Whereas of Joshua, who
lived ten years less (Josh. 24:29), we read that he "waxed old" and
was "stricken in age" (Josh. 23:1); yet certainly he was not inferior
in spirituality, nor did he occupy a less eminent position in the
Lord's service than did his predecessor. So it is still; God preserves
the faculties of some unto old age, yet not so with others.
"And Joash the king (also called `Jehoash' in 2 Kings 11:21, the
grandson of Jehu; he is to be distinguished from `Joash the king of
Judah' in 2 Kings 13:10-13), came down unto him" (2 Kings 13:14). This
indicates that the prophet had not spent his closing years in isolated
seclusion, for the king of Israel, not long come to the throne, knew
the place of his abode. But this mention of the king's visit also
informs us that the man of God was held in high esteem, and though the
royal house had sadly failed to respond to his teachings, yet they
recognized his value to the nation. Israel's fortunes had fallen to a
very low point, for a little earlier than this we are told, "In those
days the LORD began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them in all
the coasts of Israel; From Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead,
the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which
is by the river Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan" (2 Kings 10:32-33).
What would the end be if Elisha were now removed!
"And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his
face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the
horsemen thereof" (2 Kings 13:14). While this visit of the king
probably indicated his respect for Elisha, yet his tears are not to be
regarded as proof of his affection for him; the second half of the
verse really interprets the first. The king was worded over the
assaults of Hazael, and greatly feared that upon the death of this man
whose counsels and miracles had more than once been of service to the
royal house and saved the nation from disaster (2 Kings 3:16-25, 6:9,
7:1), it would henceforth be left completely at the mercy of their
enemies. Joash regarded the prophet as the chief bulwark of the
nation, and the prospect of his speedy removal filled him with
consternation and sorrow. Thus there was a strange mingling of esteem
and selfishness behind those tears; and is not that generally the case
even in connection with the departure of a loved one?
The practical lesson for us here is plain. In the words of another,
Let us seek so to live that even ungodly men may miss us when we
are gone. It is possible for us in a quiet, unobtrusive manner, so
to adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things, that when we
die many shall say "Let me die the death of the righteous, and let
my last end be like his," and men shall drop a tear, and close the
shutter, and be silent and solemn for an hour or two when they hear
that the servant of God is dead. They laughed at him while he
lived, but they weep for him when he dies: they could despise him
while he was here, but now that he is gone they say:--"We could
have better missed a less-known man, for he and such as he are the
pillars of the commonweal: they bring down showers of blessing upon
us all." I would covet this earnestly, not for the honor and esteem
of men, but for the honor and glory of God, that even the despisers
of Christ may be compelled to see there is a dignity, a respect,
about the walk of an upright man.
"And said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the
horsemen thereof" (2 Kings 13:14). This was an acknowledgment that
Joash regarded Elisha as the chief security of his kingdom, his best
defense against aggressors, as the piety and prayers of God's people
are today the nation's best protection in a time of evil, being far
more potent than any material weapons. But we must note the striking
language used by the king on this occasion as he gave expression to
that truth. In the opening paragraphs of our last chapter we dwelt at
some length upon the connection which the ministry of Elisha has to
that of his predecessor: how he was raised up to act in his stead and
carry forward the work which he began. The final confirmation of the
identity of the latter with the former is found in these words of the
king, for they unmistakably make clear the unusually intimate relation
he sustained to the Tishbite. As he had gazed on the departing form of
his master, Elisha had cried "My father, my father, the chariot of
Israel, and the horsemen thereof" (2 Kings 2:12), and now that he was
on the eve of taking his departure from this world, another utters the
same words over him!
Elisha's Last Prophecy
We turn now to consider Elisha's response to the king's visit, his
tears, and his acknowledgment. The prophet was very far from acting as
a flatterer before Joash on this occasion, but maintained and
manifested his official dignity to the end of his course. He was an
ambassador of the King of kings, and conducted himself accordingly.
Instead of any indication that he felt himself to be honored by this
visit or flattered by the monarch's tears, the man of God at once took
charge of the situation and gave orders to his earthly sovereign. Let
not young ministers today conclude from this incident that they are
thereby justified in acting haughtily and high-handedly in the
presence of their seniors and superiors. Not so. Such an inference
would be entirely unwarranted, for they do not occupy the
extraordinary office which Elisha did, nor are they endowed with his
exceptional gifts and powers. Nevertheless, they are to maintain their
dignity as the ministers of Christ: "Let no man despise thy youth: but
be thou an example of the believers, in word, in [behavior], in
[love], in spirit, in faith, in purity" (1 Tim. 4:12).
"And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him
bow and arrows" (2 Kings 13:15). What follows is virtually a parable
in action. It should be remembered that in Eastern lands, instruction
by means of symbolic actions is much more common than it is with us;
and thus we find the prophets frequently using this method. When
Samuel would intimate unto the self-willed Saul that "the LORD hath
rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day," he "laid hold upon the
skirt of his mantle, and it rent" (1 Sam. 15:28, 27). When the prophet
Ahijah announced that the Lord would "rend the kingdom out of the hand
of Solomon and give ten tribes to another," he caught hold of the new
garment upon Jeroboam and "rent it in twelve pieces" and bade him
"take thee ten pieces" (1 Kings 11:29-31). Even the false prophets
employed such means (see 1 Kings 22:10-11). Significant emblems were
presented to the eye to stir up the minds of those who beheld them and
evoke a spirit of inquiry (see Jeremiah 27:2 and cf. 28:10-11 and see
Ezekiel 24:17-19). To this custom God referred when He said, "I have
also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used
similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets" (Hos. 12:10). For a New
Testament example see Acts 21:10-11.
When Elisha bade Joash "Take bow and arrows," he was making use of a
visual "similitude." The articles selected at once explain it. In
response to the king's lamentation the prophet said, in effect,
Weeping over my departure will avail the nation nothing: stand fast in
the faith, quit you like a man, be strong (1 Cor. 16:13). Take not the
line of least resistance, but assemble your forces, lead your army in
person against the enemy. Though I be taken away from the earth,
Jehovah still lives and will not fail those who put their confidence
in Him. Nevertheless, you must discharge your responsibility by making
good use of the means at hand. Thus Joash was informed that he was to
be the instrument of Israel's deliverance by means of his own military
efforts, and that if he trusted in the Lord and followed out His
servant's instructions, He would grant him full success. There was no
need then for the king to be so distressed. If he acted like a man,
God would undertake for him!
"And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And
he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king's
hands" (2 Kings 13:16). Here again we see the commanding authority and
influence which the prophet had, under God, for Joash made no demur
but meekly did as he was ordered. By placing his hands upon the
king's, Elisha signified his identification with what he should yet
do, thereby intimating that he owed it to the prophet's mission and
ministry that Israel was to be spared and that God would again
intervene on their behalf. By symbolic action, Elisha was saying to
him, "The battle is not your's, but God's" (2 Chron. 20:15). How
little is that recognized today! "He teacheth my hands to war" (Ps.
18:34) was what Elisha now sought to impress upon his royal master.
"And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha
said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORD's
deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt
smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou hast consumed them" (2 Kings
13:17). In those words the prophet explained to the king the meaning
of his symbolic actions, and what should be the outcome of them. It
evidenced that Elisha's mind was still occupied with the welfare of
Israel. It demonstrated that he still acted as the servant of Jehovah;
it was the final use of his prophetic gift and proof of his prophetic
office. "Eastward" was the portion of the land which Hazael had
already conquered (2 Kings 10:33), and in bidding the king shoot in
that direction Elisha indicated where the fighting would have to be
done. Notice the striking conjunction of the divine and human elements
here, and the order in which they were made. It should be "the arrow
of the LORD'S deliverance," yet "thou (Joash) shalt smite the
Syrians." God would work, yet by and through him!
"And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the
king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and
stayed" (2 Kings 13:18). In the light of what follows it is clear that
the king's faith was here being put to the test; the prophet would
have him indicate his reaction to the reassuring message he had just
heard. "Smite upon the ground" and intimate thereby how far you
believe the words which I have spoken and really expect a fulfillment
of them. Did the Lord's promise sound too good to be true, or would
Joash rest upon it with full confidence? Would he lift up his heart
and eyes to God and say with David, "Thou hast also given me the necks
of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me" (Ps. 18:40),
or would he follow the temporizing course which Ahab had pursued, when
instead of following up his victory by slaying Ben-hadad whom the Lord
had delivered into his hand, spared his life, made a covenant with
him, and then sent him away (1 Kings 20:29-31)?
"And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have
smitten five or six times" (2 Kings 13:19). There are some who teach
that a saint should never lose his temper, that all anger is sinful,
which shows how little their thoughts are formed by Scripture. In
Ephesians 4:26-27 Christians are thus exhorted: "Be ye angry, and sin
not," though it is at once added, "let not the sun go down upon your
wrath: Neither give place to the devil." There is a holy and spiritual
anger--a righteous indignation--as well as a carnal and sinful one.
Anger is one of the divine perfections, and when the Son became
incarnate we read that on one occasion He "looked round about on them
with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts" (Mark
3:5). Elisha was disgusted at the half-hearted response made by the
king to his message, and from love for Israel, he was indignant that
Joash should stand in their way and deprive them of full deliverance
from their foes. And if we had more zeal for God and love for souls we
would be angry at those who deprive them of their privileges.
"Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou
smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt
smite Syria but thrice" (2 Kings 13:19). What possible difference to
the issue could be made by the number of times the king smote upon the
ground? If God had foreordained that the Syrians should be "consumed"
(2 Kings 13:19), then could any failure on the part of Joash prevent
or even modify it? But do not Elisha's words plainly signify that the
extent to which the Syrians would be vanquished turned upon the
response made by him to the divine promise? We shall not here give a
solution to this problem.
Instead of wasting time on metaphysical subtleties let us learn the
practical lesson which is here pointed, namely, "According to your
faith be it unto you" (Matthew 9:29). For it was at that point Joash
failed; he did not thoroughly believe the prophet's words. The
majority of God's people today need to realize that the exercise of
faith does make a real difference in what they obtain or fail to
obtain from God, as real and as great a difference as between Joash
"consuming" the Syrians (the Hebrew word is rendered "destroy utterly"
in Leviticus 26:44 and "make an utter end of" in Nahum 1:8-9) and the
"three times" he beat Hazael (2 Kings 13:25). Most Christians expect
little from God, ask little, and therefore receive little, and are
content with little. They are content with little faith, little
knowledge of the deep things of God, little growth and fruitfulness in
the spiritual life, little joy, peace, and assurance. And the zealous
servant of God is justified in being wroth at their lack of spiritual
ambition.
"And Elisha died, and they buried him" (2 Kings 13:20). It is to be
noted that nothing is said here of any burial service. Nor is there
anywhere in the Scriptures, either in the Old Testament or the New
Testament. Elaborate, mournful ceremonies are of pagan origin and are
neither authorized nor warranted by the Word of God. If the body of
Christ was tenderly and reverently interred without the mummery of any
"service" over His corpse, shall the disciple be above his Master!
What slaves many are to "the way of the heathen" (Jer. 10:2), and in
what bondage do they let themselves be held through fear of public
opinion, afraid of what their friends and neighbors would think and
say if they should be regulated only by Holy Writ.
"And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of
the year. And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that,
behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the
sepulcher of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the
bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet"
(2 Kings 13:20-21). Behold here once more the sovereignty of God; He
honored Elijah at his departure from this world, but Elisha, in a
different way afterward. It was the Lord's seal upon His servant's
mission. It indicated that the Lord was his God after death as well as
before, and thus furnished evidence both of the immortality of the
soul and the final resurrection of the body. It was an intimation that
other miracles would yet be wrought for Israel in response to his
prayers and as the result of his labors. Thus to the end, miracles are
connected with the mission of Elisha.
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Gleanings from Paul
by A. W. Pink
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Introduction
Much Has Been Written upon what is usually called "The Lord's Prayer"
but which we prefer to term "The Family Prayer," and much upon the
high priestly prayer of Christ in John 17, but very little upon the
prayers of the apostles. Personally we know of no book devoted to the
same, and except for a booklet on the two prayers of Ephesians 1 and 3
we have seen scarcely anything thereon. It is not easy to explain this
omission, for one would think the apostolic prayers had such
importance and value for us that they would attract the attention of
those who wrote on devotional subjects. While we very much deprecate
the efforts of those who would have us believe the prayers of the Old
Testament are obsolete and unfitted for the saints of this
dispensation, yet it seems evident that the prayers recorded in the
epistles are peculiarly suited to Christians. Excepting only the
prayers of the Redeemer, in the epistle prayers alone are the praises
and petitions specifically addressed to "the Father," in them alone
are they offered in the name of the Mediator, and in them alone do we
find the full breathings of the Spirit of adoption.
How blessed it is to hear some aged saint, who has long walked with
God and enjoyed intimate communion with Him, pouring out his heart
before Him in adoration and supplication. But how much more blessed
should we esteem it could we have listened to the utterances of those
who accompanied with Christ in person during the days when He
tabernacled in this scene. And if one of the apostles were still here
upon earth what a high privilege we should deem it to hear him engage
in prayer! Such a high privilege that most of us would be willing to
go to considerable inconvenience and to travel a long distance in
order to be thus favored. And if our desire were granted, how closely
we would listen to his words, how diligently we would seek to treasure
them up in our memories. Well, no such inconvenience, no such journey,
is required: it has pleased the Holy Spirit to record quite a number
of the apostolic prayers for our instruction and satisfaction. Do we
evidence our appreciation of such a boon? Have we ever made a list of
them and meditated upon their import?
No Prayers of the Apostles in Acts
In our preliminary task of surveying and tabulating the recorded
prayers of the apostles, two things have impressed us, one at first
quite surprising, the other to be expected. That which is apt to
strike us as strange--to some of our readers it may be almost
startling--is the book of Acts, which supplies us with most of the
information we possess about the apostles, yet has not a single prayer
of theirs in its twenty-eight chapters. Yet a little reflection should
show us that this omission is in full accord with the special
character of that book, for the book of Acts is much more historical
than devotional, consisting far more of a chronicle of what the Spirit
wrought through the apostles than of what He wrought in them. The
public deeds of Christ's ambassadors are there made prominent, rather
than their private exercises. True, they are shown to be men of
prayer, as is seen by "We will give ourselves continually to prayer,
and to the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:4). Again and again we behold
them engaged in this holy exercise (Acts 9:40; 10:9; 20:36; 21:5;
28:8); yet we are not told what they said, the nearest approach being
Acts 8:15, for their words are not recorded. We regard the prayer of
Acts 1:24 as that of the hundred and twenty, and that of Acts 4:24-30
as that of "their own company."
Paul Eminently a Man of Prayer
The second fact which impressed us while contemplating the field
before us was that the great majority of the recorded prayers of the
apostles issued from the heart of Paul; and this, as we have said, was
really to be expected. You ask why? Several answers may be returned.
Paul was preeminently the apostle to the Gentiles. Peter, James, and
John ministered principally to Jewish believers (Gal. 2:9), and even
in their unconverted days they had been accustomed to bow the knee
before the Lord. But the Gentiles had come out of heathenism and it
was fitting that their spiritual father should also be their
devotional exemplar. Moreover, he wrote twice as many epistles as all
the other apostles added together; nevertheless there are eight times
as many prayers in his epistles as in all of theirs. But chiefly we
call to mind the first thing said of Paul after his conversion:
"Behold, he prayeth" (Acts 9:11). It is as though that struck the
keynote of his subsequent life, that he would, to a special degree, be
marked as a man of prayer.
The other apostles were not devoid of this spirit, for God does not
employ prayerless ministers, as He has no dumb children. To "cry day
and night unto him" is given as one of the distinguishing marks of His
elect (Luke 18:7). Yet certain of His servants and some of his saints
are permitted to enjoy closer and more constant fellowship with the
Lord than others (excepting John), and such was obviously the case
with the man who on one occasion was even caught up into Paradise. A
special measure "of grace and of supplications" (Zech. 12:10) was
vouchsafed him, so that he appears to have been favored above his
fellows with a spirit of prayer which dwelt in him to a remarkable
degree. Such was the fervor of his love for Christ and the members of
His mystical body; such was his intense solicitude for their spiritual
well-being and growth, that there continually gushed from his soul a
flow of prayer to God for them, and thanksgiving on their behalf. Many
illustrations of what has just been said will come before us, examples
of where ebullitions of devotion broke forth in the midst of his
doctrinal and practical instructions.
The Inclusiveness of Prayer
Before proceeding further it should be pointed out that in this series
of studies we do not propose to confine ourselves to the petitionary
prayers of the apostle, but rather take in a wider range. In Scripture
"prayer" includes much more than making known our requests to God, and
this is something which His people need reminding of, and some of them
instructing in, in these days of superficiality and ignorance. The
very verse that presents the privilege of spreading our needs before
the Lord emphasizes this very thing: "In every thing by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto
God" (Phil. 4:6). Unless gratitude be expressed for mercies already
received and thanks be given for granting us the continued favor of
petitioning our Father, how can we expect to obtain His ear and
receive answers of peace! Yet prayer, in its highest and fullest
sense, rises above thanksgiving for gifts vouchsafed: the heart is
drawn out in contemplating the Giver Himself so that the soul is
prostrated before Him in worship and adoration.
Though we ought not to digress from our immediate theme and enter into
the subject of prayer in general, it should be pointed out that there
is yet another aspect which needs to take precedence over those
referred to above, namely, self-abhorrence and confession of our
unworthiness and sinfulness. The soul must solemnly remind itself of
who it is that we are approaching, even the Most High, before whom the
very seraphim veil their faces (Isa. 6). Though divine grace has made
the Christian a "son," nevertheless he is still a creature, and as
such at an infinite and inconceivable distance below the Creator;
therefore it is fitting he should both deeply feel and acknowledge
this by taking his place in the dust before Him. Moreover, we need to
remember what we are, namely, not only creatures but (considered in
ourselves) sinful creatures, and thus we need both a sense and an
owning of this as we bow before the Holy One. Only thus can we, with
any meaning and reality, plead the mediation and merits of Christ as
the ground of our approach.
Thus, broadly speaking, prayer includes confession of sin, petitions
for the supply of our needs, and the homage of our hearts unto the
Giver Himself. Or, we may say prayer's principal branches are
humiliation, supplication, and adoration. Hence we hope to embrace
within the scope of this series not only passages such as Ephesians
1:16-19 and 3:14-21 but also such verses as 2 Corinthians 1:3 and
Ephesians 1:3. Psalm 100:4 makes clear that "blessed be God" is itself
a form of prayer: "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into
his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name."
Other references might be given, but let this suffice. The incense
which was offered in the tabernacle and temple consisted of various
spices compounded together (Ex. 30:34-35), and it was the blending of
one with another that made the perfume so fragrant and refreshing. The
incense was a type of the intercession of our great High Priest (Rev.
8:3-4) and the prayers of the saints (Mal. 1:11). Like the spices our
humiliation, supplication, and adoration should be proportionately
mingled in our approaches to the throne of grace--not one to the
exclusion of the other but a blending together.
The Ministerial Duty of Prayer
The fact that so many prayers are found in the New Testament epistles
calls attention to an important aspect of ministerial duty. The
preacher's obligations are not fully discharged when he leaves the
pulpit, for he needs to water the Seed which he has sown. We will
enlarge a little upon this point for the benefit of young preachers.
It has already been seen that the apostles devoted themselves
"continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word," and therein
have they left an excellent example to be observed by all who follow
them in the sacred vocation. Observe the order, and not only observe
but heed and practice the same. The most laborious and carefully
prepared sermon is likely to fall unctionless on the hearers unless it
has been born out of travail of soul before God. Unless the sermon be
the product of earnest prayer we must not expect it to awaken the
spirit of prayer in those who hear it. As we have pointed out, Paul
mingled supplications with his instructions. It is our privilege and
duty to retire to the secret place after we leave the pulpit and beg
God to write His Word on the hearts of those who have listened to us,
to prevent the enemy from snatching away the Seed, to so bless our
efforts that they may bear fruit to God's eternal praise.
Luther was wont to say, "There are three things which go to the making
of a successful preacher: supplication, meditation, and tribulation."
This was taken down by one of his students from his "Table Talks." We
know not what elaboration the great Reformer made, but we suppose he
meant that prayer is necessary to bring the preacher into a suitable
frame to handle divine things and endue him with power; that
meditation on the Word is essential in order to supply him with
material for his message; and that tribulation is required as ballast
for his vessel, for the minister of the gospel needs trials to keep
him humble, as the apostle was given a thorn in the flesh that he
might not be unduly exalted by the abundance of the revelations given
him. Prayer is the appointed medium of receiving spiritual
communications for the instruction of our people. We must be much with
God before we are fitted to go forth and speak in His name. The
Colossians were reminded that their minister was "always laboring
fervently for you in prayers, that we may stand perfect and complete
in all the will of God" (Col. 4:12). Could your church be truthfully
told that of you?
The Duty of Believers to Pray
But let it not be thought this marked characteristic of the epistles
points a lesson for preachers only. Far from it. These epistles are
addressed to God's people at large, and everything in them is both
needed by and suited to their Christian lives. Believers too should
pray much, not only for themselves but also for all their brothers and
sisters in Christ, and especially according to these apostolic models,
petitioning for the particular blessing they specify. We have long
been convinced there is no better way--no more practical, valuable,
and effective way--of expressing solicitude and affection for our
fellow saints than by bearing them up before God in the arms of our
faith and love. By studying the prayers in these epistles and
pondering them clause by clause we may learn more clearly what
blessings we should desire for ourselves and others, What spiritual
gifts and graces we most need to ask for. The very fact that these
prayers, inspired by the Holy Spirit, have been placed on permanent
record in the sacred Volume intimates the particular favors which are
to be sought and obtained from God.
Believers to Address God as Father
We will conclude these preliminary and general observations by calling
attention to a few of the more definite features of the apostolic
prayers. Observe to whom these prayers are addressed. While there is
not uniformity of expression but rather appropriate variety in this
matter, yet the most frequent manner in which the Deity is addressed
therein is as Father: "the Father of mercies" (2 Cor. 1:3), "the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph. 1:3; 1 Peter 1:3), "the
Father of glory" (Eph. 1:17), "the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ"
(Eph. 3:14). In this we may see how the apostles had heeded the
injunction of their Master, for when they requested Him, "Lord, teach
us to pray," He responded thus: "When ye pray, say, Our Father which
art in heaven" (Luke 11:1-2), an example which He also set before them
in John 17:1, 5, 11, 25. This has been recorded for our learning also.
We are not unmindful of how many have unlawfully and lightly addressed
God as "Father," yet their abuse does not warrant our disowning this
blessed relationship. Nothing is more calculated to warm the heart and
give liberty of utterance than a realization that we are approaching
our "Father." If we have received "the Spirit of adoption" (Rom.
8:15), let us not quench the same.
The Brevity of the Apostles' Prayers
Next, we note the brevity of the prayers of the apostles. Not some,
nor even most, but all of them are exceedingly brief, most of them
comprised in but one or two verses, and the longest is only seven
verses. How this rebukes the lengthy, lifeless, and wearisome prayers
from many a pulpit. Wordy prayers are usually windy ones. To quote
again from Martin Luther, this time from his comments on the Lord's
Prayer to laymen: "When thou prayest let thy words be few, but thy
thoughts and affections many, and above all let them be profound. The
less thou speakest the better thou prayest... external and bodily
prayer is that buzzing of the lips, that outside babble that is gone
through without any attention, and which strikes the ears of men; but
prayer in spirit and in truth is the inward desire, the motions, the
sighs, which issue from the depths of the heart. The former is the
prayer of hypocrites and of all who trust in themselves; the latter is
the prayer of the children of God who walk in His fear."
Observe too the definiteness of the apostles' prayers. Though
exceeding brief yet they are very explicit. They were not vague
ramblings or mere generalizations, but specific requests for definite
things. How much failure there is at this point. How many prayers have
we heard that were so incoherent and aimless, so lacking in point and
unity, that when the amen was reached we could scarcely remember one
thing for which thanks had been given or request had been made, only a
blurred impression remaining on the mind and a feeling that the
supplicant had engaged more in a form of indirect preaching than in
direct praying. But examine any of the prayers of the apostles, and it
will be seen at a glance that theirs were like those of their Master's
in Matthew 6:9-13 and John 17--made up of definite adorations and
sharply defined petitions. There is no moralizing, no uttering of
pious platitudes, but a spreading before God of certain needs and a
simple asking for the supply of same.
Consider also the burden of these prayers. In the apostolic prayers
there is no supplicating God for the supply of temporal needs and
(with a single exception) no asking Him to interpose on their behalf
in a providential way. Instead, the things asked for are wholly of a
spiritual and gracious nature: that the Father may give to us the
spirit of understanding and revelation in the knowledge of Himself,
the eyes of our understanding being enlightened so that we may know
what is the hope of His calling, the riches of the glory of His
inheritance in the saints, and the exceeding greatness of His power to
usward (Eph. 1:17-19); that He would grant us according to the riches
of His glory to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner
man, that Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith, that we might know
the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, and be filled with all the
knowledge of God (Eph. 3:16-19); that our love may abound more and
more, that we might be sincere and without offense and be filled with
the fruits of righteousness (Phil. 1:9-11); that we may walk worthy of
the Lord unto all pleasing (Col. 1:10); that we might be sanctified
wholly (1 Thess. 5:23).
Note also the catholicity of the apostles' prayers. Not that it is
either wrong or unspiritual to pray for ourselves individually any
more than it is to supplicate for temporal and providential mercies;
rather are we directing attention to where the apostles placed all
their emphasis. In only one instance do we find Paul praying for
himself, and rarely for particular individuals. His general custom was
to pray for the whole household of faith. In this he adhered closely
to the pattern prayer given us by Christ, which we like to think of as
the Family Prayer. All its pronouns are in the plural: "give us" (not
only me), "forgive us," and so on. Accordingly we find the apostle
exhorting us to be making "supplication for all saints" (Eph. 6:18);
and in his prayers he set us an example of this very thing. He asked
that the Ephesian church might "be able to comprehend with all saints
what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know
the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge" (Eph. 3:18-19). What a
corrective for self-centeredness! If I am praying for "all saints" I
include myself.
A Striking Omission
Finally, let us point out a striking omission. If all the apostolic
prayers be read attentively it will be found that in none of them is
any place given to that which occupies such prominence in those of
Arminians. Not once do we find God asked to save the world or pour out
His Spirit on all flesh. The apostles did not so much as pray for the
conversion of the city in which a particular Christian church was
located. In this they conformed again to the example set them by
Christ. "I pray not for the world," said He, "but for them which thou
hast given me" (John 17:9). Should it be objected that the Lord Jesus
was there praying only for His immediate apostles or disciples, the
answer is that when He extended His prayer beyond them, it was not for
the world, but only for His believing people unto the end of time (see
John 17:20-21). True, the apostle exhorts that prayers "be made for
all [classes of] men; For kings, and for all that are in authority" (1
Tim. 2:1-2)--in which duty many are woefully remiss--yet it is not for
their salvation but "that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in
all godliness and honesty" (2b). We may learn much from the prayers of
the apostles.
Gleanings from Paul Index
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings from Paul
by A. W. Pink
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1. Prayer and Praise
Romans 1:8-12
As For Paul's Prayers we shall not take them up in their chronological
order but according as they are found in his epistles in our
present-day Bible. The Thessalonian epistles were written before the
Roman letter, but as the book of Romans, because of its theme and
importance, rightly comes first, we shall begin with Paul's prayers
recorded therein. Opinion is divided as to whether the verses before
us chronicle a particular prayer actually offered by Paul at that
time, or whether he is here informing them how he was wont to remember
them at the throne of grace. It appears to us the distinction is such
a fine one that it makes little practical difference which view be
adopted. Personally we incline to the former concept. This epistle was
taken down by an amanuensis (Rom. 16:22), and as the apostle dictated
the words "to all that be in Rome, beloved of God" (Rom. 1:7), his
heart was immediately drawn out in thanksgiving that some of God's
elect were to be found even in the capital of the Roman Empire, yea,
in "Caesar's household" (Phil. 4:22).
Paul's Affection for the Saints at Rome
The position of Paul was somewhat delicate, as he was a stranger to
the saints at Rome. No doubt they had often heard of him--at first as
a dangerous person. When assured of his conversion, and learning that
he was an apostle to the Gentiles, they probably wondered why he had
not visited them, especially when he had been as near Rome as Corinth.
So he made known his deep personal interest in them. They were
continually upon his heart and in all his prayers. How his "I thank my
God through Jesus Christ for you all" (Rom. l:8a) would draw out their
affections to the writer of this epistle! How it would move them to
read with warmer interest what he had sent to them! Nothing more
endears one Christian to another than to know he is remembered by him
before the throne of grace. As one of our readers recently wrote, "I
prize the prayers of God's dear saints more than I would all the
riches of the world. The latter would only prove a curse, while the
former reaches to blessings in the highest heaven and lays me even
lower before God's holy throne."
"First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your
faith is spoken of throughout the whole world" (Rom. 1:8). There are
five things here which claim our attention. First, the manner, or
method, of Paul's praying: the first note struck is one of praise.
This is made very emphatic: "First, I thank my God" takes precedence
over the "making request" of verse 10. Thus we see how blessedly the
apostle practiced what he preached: "In every thing by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto
God" (Phil. 4:6). Thanksgiving ought to have a prominent place in our
prayers: to say the least, it is due to God. As one of the Puritans
expressed it, "It is rent due Him for the mercies received."
Thanksgiving is an effective means of strengthening faith, for it puts
the heart into a more suitable frame to petition Him for further
favors. It is conducive to joy in the Christian life: "I thank my God
upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you
all making request with joy" (Phil. 1:3-4). Nothing is more calculated
to dispel a spirit of gloom from the soul than the cultivation of
gratitude and praise. The same will cheer and encourage our fellow
Christians. Piety is not commended by sadness and sourness.
Paul Blended Thanksgiving with Petitions
The above example is so far from being exceptional that it rather
indicates the usual custom of the apostle. It is blessed to observe
how frequently Paul blended thanksgiving with petitions. (Cf. 1
Corinthians 1:4; Ephesians 1:16; Colossians 1:3; 1 Thessalonians 1:2;
Philemon 4.) Remember that these examples have been recorded for our
learning. Does not failure at this very point go far to explain why so
many of our prayers remain unanswered? If we have not owned the
goodness and grace of God for previous mercies, can we expect Him to
continue bestowing them upon the ungrateful? Praise and petitions,
thanksgiving and requests, should ever be conjoined (Col. 4:2). But we
see here in the apostle much more than this--something nobler and more
selfless. His heart was continually drawn out in gratitude to God for
the wondrous things He had done for His people, and this emboldened
him to seek further blessings for them.
Second, note the One whom Paul invoked, termed here "my God." It is
indeed blessed to observe how the apostle regarded the Deity: not as
an absolutely, infinitely removed, unrelated One. There was no
formality, no sense of remoteness, no uncertainty: instead, God was a
living and personal reality to him: "my God." This was an avowal of
covenant relationship. The grand covenant promise is "I will be to
them a God, and they shall be to me a people" (Heb. 8:10), which looks
back to Jeremiah 24:7; 31:33; they in turn have their roots in Genesis
17:7 and Exodus 6:7. On that ground Moses and the children of Israel
sang on the farther shores of the Red Sea, "The Lord is my strength
and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God" (Ex. 15:2). For
that reason David exclaimed, "O God, thou art my God" (Ps. 63:1). In
like manner we find that Caleb (Josh. 14:8), Ruth (Ruth 1:16),
Nehemiah (Nehemiah 6:14), Daniel (Dan. 9:4, 19) and Jonah (Jon. 2:6)
owned Him as "my God" in avowal of the covenant relationship.
"My God": expressive of a personal relationship. God was Paul's God by
eternal election, having loved him with an everlasting love. He was
Paul's God by redemption, having purchased him with precious blood. He
was his God by regenerating power, having communicated spiritual life
to him and having stamped the divine image upon his heart, making him
manifestly His own dear child. He was Paul's God by personal choice,
for when God was revealed to Paul and in him, Paul had surrendered to
His claims, saying, "What wilt thou have me do?" God, by bestowing
upon Paul His own nature after the apostle's acceptance of His claims,
had become Paul's everlasting portion, his all-satisfying inheritance.
"My God": the One who had shown such sovereign and signal mercy to
Paul. Their relationship was also assured; there was no doubting,
hesitation, or uncertainty. Paul could say with Job, "I have heard of
thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee" (Job
42:5). And theirs was a practical relationship: "whom I serve" (Rom.
1:9).
Now put the two phrases together: "I thank... my God." What a fitting
combination! Is not such a God worthy of infinite thanks? And if I
know Him personally as my God, will not, must not, thanksgiving issue
spontaneously from my heart and lips? The union of these phrases both
opens the meaning of and gives due force to the opening word, "First,
I thank my God"--not first in enumeration, but in emphasis, in
spiritual order. If God Himself be mine, then everything that is pure,
holy, lovely, satisfying, is mine. If that glorious fact, that
infinitely grand truth, be the subject of constant meditation and
adoration, then my heart will not be cold and dull, nor will my mouth
be paralyzed when I draw near to the throne of grace. It is not an
absolute and unrelated Deity whom I approach, but "my God." And that
blessed and blissful relationship is to be duly acknowledged by the
Christian when he bows the knee before Him. So far from being the
language of presumption, it would be wicked presumption, insulting
unbelief, to deny it.
Paul's Ground of Approach
Third, note the ground of approach: "through Jesus Christ." How
thankful is the writer (and the reader too, if regenerate) for this
clause. Though God be "my God" yet He ever remains the ineffably Holy
One. How can I, conscious of pollution and utter unworthiness, think
of approaching infinite purity? Ah, here is the blessed answer, the
all-sufficient provision to meet my need: I may obtain access to the
thrice holy God "through Jesus Christ." But suppose my assurance be
dampened and through sad failure in my walk I no longer enjoy the
conscious relationship of His being "my God." How can I then give
thanks to Him? Again, the answer is "through Jesus Christ." As it is
written, "By him [Jesus Christ] therefore [because of the merit and
efficacy of His sanctifying blood; see previous verse] let us offer
the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our
lips giving thanks to his name" (Heb. 13:15). Whatever my case may be,
however burdened with a sense of guilt and defilement, that should not
keep me away from the throne of grace, neither should it deter me from
giving thanks for Jesus Christ and God's provision of Him.
Grammatically the "through Jesus Christ" is connected with the giving
of thanks, but theologically or doctrinally there is a double thought.
God is "my God" through Jesus Christ. As He declared to His beloved
disciples, "I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God,
and your God" (John 20:17b)--"your" God because "my" God. And I give
thanks unto my God "through Jesus Christ," for it is both the duty and
the privilege of the regenerate, who are members of the holy
priesthood, "to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by
Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 2:5b). There is no approach to God save "through
Jesus Christ" the lone Mediator between God and men. Our worship is
acceptable to God only through His merits (Col. 3:17). This fact must
be the subject of the believer's constant meditation and adoration,
for only thus will the blessed assurance of "my God" be maintained in
the heart. Jesus Christ changes not: His mediation changes not.
However deeply despondent I may be by my sense of unworthiness as I
approach the throne, let me turn to and believingly ponder the
infinite worthiness of Jesus Christ. Then I shall "thank my God."
"First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ." Upon these words the
late Handley Moule most beautifully said, "'My God'. . . it is the
expression of an indescribable appropriation and reverent intimacy . .
. it is the language of a personality wherein Christ has dethroned
self in His own favor . . . And this holy intimacy, with its action in
thanks and petition, is all the while `through Jesus Christ' the
Mediator. The man knows God as `my God' and deals with Him as such,
never out of that beloved Son who is equally one with the believer and
with the Father, no alien medium, but the living point of unity." In
proportion to the soul's realization of this truth, in proportion to
the faith mixed with the declarations of the Word thereon, there will
be liberty and freedom, holy boldness, as we draw near the throne.
Only thus will the Christian enjoy his birthright and live up to his
blood-bought privilege; and only thus will God be honored by the
praise and thanksgiving which must issue from such an individual.
The Subjects of Paul's Thanksgiving
Fourth, consider the subjects of Paul's thanksgiving: "for you all."
This will appear strange to the natural man who is wrapped up so much
in self. The carnal mind is quite incapable of appreciating the
motives which activate and the principles which regulate those who are
spiritual. Here was the apostle thanking God for those whom he had
never met. They were not the fruits of his own labors, yet he rejoiced
over them. How that condemns the narrow-minded bigotry and sectarian
exclusiveness which have brought such a blight upon Christendom.
Though these saints at Rome were not his own sons in the gospel,
though he had never met them in the flesh, and as far as we know had
not received any communication from them, yet he praised God for them.
It was because of what He had wrought in them, because they were trees
of His planting, the products of His husbandry (1 Cor. 3:9). This
principle is for our instruction. Do not expect the assurance of "my
God" unless you have a love for and unless you pray for "all saints"
(Eph. 6:18).
Fifth, observe the occasion of Paul's thanksgiving: "that your faith
is spoken of throughout the whole world." These good tidings were
spread abroad by travelers from Rome, the capital, telling of the
humble reliance of the saints there on the Lord Jesus and their loving
allegiance to Him. Wherever the apostle went this blessed information
was given him. Not only had these people believed the gospel, but
their faith was of such a character as to be everywhere spoken of, and
Paul's thanksgiving for them was the recognition and acknowledgment
that God was the Giver of their faith. Paul's notification of the same
was not to induce complacency, but to quicken the saints in Rome to
answer to the testimony borne to them and the expectations awakened
thereby. Again we would remark, how blessed to behold the apostle
praising God for what His grace had wrought in others. What an insight
it gives us into his character. What a spirit of love for the brethren
was here revealed. What gratitude and devotion for his Master. What an
example for the servant of Christ today when tidings are received of
the fruits of the Spirit in distant places.
A Personal Application
Before passing on to the next verse let us seek to make application to
ourselves of what has been before us. It was not the doubting and
unbelief of these Roman saints but their faith which was noised
abroad. Is our faith known to others and talked about? Does it evoke
praise and thanksgiving to God? Theirs was no formal and lifeless
faith but a vigorous and fruitful one, which compelled others to take
notice. It was a faith which transformed their character and conduct.
Lest it be thought we have read into our verse more than is there, we
refer the reader to Romans 16:19: "your obedience is come abroad unto
all." The two declarations are to be placed side by side, for the one
explains and amplifies the other. If our faith is not productive of
obedience such as others will take note of, there is something
seriously wrong with us. We regard, then, the word faith in Romans 1:8
as a generic expression for the graces of the Spirit, but the
employment of this specific term was probably a prophetic rebuke of
Romanism in which the chief thing lacking is saving faith!
"For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of
his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my
prayers" (Rom. 1:9). "For God is my witness"; the opening "for"
signifies that the One above knew how much these Christians were on
Paul's heart. This was an act of worship, a due acknowledgment of
God's omniscience. It was a reverent appeal to Him as the Searcher of
hearts (cf. 2 Corinthians 1:23; Galatians 1:20). "Whom I serve": Paul
was at His entire disposal, subject to His orders. "With my spirit":
not hypocritically from greed, nor formally, but from the very depths
of Paul's being--willingly, heartily, joyously. "In the gospel of his
Son" is the counterpart of "a servant of Jesus Christ . . . separated
unto the gospel of God" (Rom. 1:1). "That without ceasing I make
mention of you always in my prayers" made known Paul's constancy. His
rejoicing over and praying for them was no evanescent spasm but an
enduring thing. Paul had called upon God as his Witness that his
"without ceasing" was no exaggeration. Though these saints were in a
flourishing condition, they still needed praying for.
We cannot do the saints a greater kindness, or exercise our love for
them in a more practical and effective way, than by praying for them.
Yet we do not regard the verses before us as establishing a precedent
for Christians or ministers to proclaim abroad their praying. To
parade our piety is but a species of Pharisaism. Praying is not a
thing to advertise; as it is a secret exercise before God, it should
as a rule be kept secret from men. True, there are exceptions: when
believers are in trouble or isolated it is a comfort for them to know
they are being remembered before the throne. Paul's mentioning of his
praying was to inform the saints that his not having visited them
(Rom. 1:13) was not due to indifference on his part, to assure them
they had a constant place in his affections, and to pave the way for
his coming to them by acquainting them of his deep solicitude for
them.
Paul Desirous of Meeting the Roman Saints
"Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a
prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you" (Rom. 1:10).
Paul's love for the Christians made him desirous of meeting them, and
he prayed that God would make this possible. Let it be duly noted that
he refused to take matters into his own hands and act upon an inward
urge. Instead, he subordinated his own longings and impulses to the
will of Him whom he served. This is very striking and blessed. Paul
did not consider what many would regard as "the Spirit's prompting" a
sufficient warrant. He must first be assured, by His providences, that
this journey was ordered by his Master. Accordingly he spread his case
before God, committing the matter to His decision and pleasure.
Observe too that there was no "claiming," still less demanding, but a
humble and submissive request--"if possible" or "if it may be." This
was an acknowledgment that God is the Orderer of all events (Rom.
11:36).
"Now at length" shows that Paul was exercised about the timing of his
journey and visit. "To everything there is a season, and a time to
every purpose under the heaven" (Eccl. 3:1). It is of great practical
importance for us to heed that fact, for it means the difference
between success and failure in our undertakings. Unless we "rest in
the Lord, and wait patiently for him" (Ps. 37:7) only confusion and
trouble will ensue. We agree with Charles Hodge that the "prosperous
journey" signified "that his circumstances should be so favorably
ordered that he might be able to execute his long-cherished purpose of
visiting Rome." It is blessed to note that a little later, before this
epistle was completed, Paul was given divine assurance of his request
being granted (Rom. 15:28-29). The journey itself is described in Acts
27 and 28. After a most trying and hazardous voyage Paul arrived in
Rome a prisoner in chains! Yet see Acts 28:30-31 for the measure of
liberty accorded him.
"For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual
gift, to the end ye may be established" (Rom. 1:11). This is not a
part of Paul's prayer, yet it is intimately connected with it, for it
makes known what prompted his request, why he was so desirous of
seeing them. Paul's longing was that of spiritual affection, as a
comparison with Philippians 2:26 and 2 Timothy 1:4 shows (the same
Greek word occurs in all three). The word long tells how strong was
Paul's desire to visit the Roman saints, and how real and commendable
was his subjection to the will of God. We see the heart of an
undershepherd in his burning zeal, yet at the same time we see his
blessed submission to the chief Shepherd. Paul sought not to take a
pleasure trip, nor to obtain variety in his labors, but to be made a
blessing to these saints. Though their faith was well spoken of, yet
he wished them to be established, strengthened, settled (1 Pet. 5:10).
Paul's object was to expound the Way more perfectly to them, to add to
their spiritual light and joy, to open to them more fully the
unsearchable riches of Christ. Pastors, be not content with seeing
sinners converted: seek their growth and establishment.
"That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual
faith both of you and me" (Rom. 1:12). This was to avoid giving
offense lest they should feel he was reflecting upon their immaturity.
Handley Moule has said, "Shall we call this a sentence of fine tact:
beautifully conciliatory and endearing? Yes, but it is also perfectly
sincere. True tact is certainly the skill of sympathetic love, but not
the less genuine in its thought because that thought seeks to please
and to win. He is glad to show himself as his disciples' brotherly
friend: but then he first is such, and enjoys the character, and has
continually found and felt his own soul made glad and strengthened by
the witness for the Lord which far less gifted believers bore, as he
and they talked together." It is beautiful to see Paul employing the
passive form: "to the end ye may be established" (Rom. 1:11)--not
"that I may establish you." He hides himself by expressing the result.
Equally gracious is his "that I may be comforted together with you"
(Rom. 1:12). Contact with kindred minds refreshes, and "he that
watereth [others] shall be watered also himself" (Prov. 11:25).
Gleanings from Paul Index
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings from Paul
by A. W. Pink
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2. Instruction In Prayer
Romans 15:5-7
The verses we are about to consider supply another illustration of how
the apostle was wont to mingle prayer with instruction. He had just
issued some practical exhortations; then he breathed a petition to God
that He would make the same effectual. In order to enter into the
spirit of this prayer it will be necessary to attend closely to its
setting: the more so because not a few are very confused about the
present-day bearing of the context. The section in which this passage
is found begins at Romans 14:1 and terminates at Romans 15:13. In it
the apostle gave directions relating to the maintenance of Christian
fellowship and the mutual respect with which believers are to be
regarded and treat one another, even where they are not entirely of
one accord in matters pertaining to minor points of faith and
practice. Those who do not see eye to eye with each other on things
where no doctrine or principle is involved are to dwell together in
unity, bearing and forbearing in a spirit of meekness and love.
Two Classes of Believers in Rome
In the Christian company at Rome, as in almost all the churches of God
beyond the bounds of Judea at that time, there were two classes
clearly distinguished from each other. The one was composed of Gentile
converts and the more enlightened of their Jewish brethren, who
(rightly) viewed the institutions of the Mosaic law as annulled by the
new and better covenant. The other class comprised the great body of
Jewish converts, who, while they believed in the Lord Jesus as the
promised Messiah and Savior, yet held that the Mosaic law was not and
could not be repealed, and therefore continued zealous for it--not
only observing its ceremonial requirements themselves but desirous of
imposing the same on the Gentile Christians. The particular points
here raised were abstinence from those "meats" which were prohibited
under the old covenant, and the observance of certain "holy" days
connected with the feasts of Judaism. The epistle of Hebrews had not
then been written, and little explicit teaching was given on the
subject. Until God allowed the overthrow of Judaism in A.D. 70, He
tolerated slowness of understanding on the part of many Jewish
Christians.
It can be easily understood, human nature being what it is, what evil
tendencies such a situation threatened, and how real was the need for
the apostle to address suitable exhortations to each party; for
differences of opinion are liable to lead to alienation of affections.
The first party mentioned above was in danger of despising the other,
looking down upon them as narrow-minded bigots, as superstitious. On
the other hand, the party of the second part was in danger of judging
the first harshly, viewing them as latitudinarians, lax, or as making
unjust and unloving use of their Christian liberty. The apostle
therefore made it clear that, where there is credible evidence of a
genuine belief of saving truth, where the grand fundamentals of the
faith are held, then such differences of opinion on minor matters
should not in the slightest degree diminish brotherly love or mar
spiritual and social fellowship. A spirit of bigotry, censoriousness,
and intolerance is utterly foreign to Christianity.
The Particular Controversy
The particular controversy which existed in the apostle's time and the
ill feelings it engendered have long since passed away, but the
principles in human nature which gave rise to them are as powerful as
ever. In companies of professing Christians there are diversities of
endowment and acquirement (some have more light and grace than
others), and there are differences of opinion and conduct. Therefore
the things here recorded will, if rightly understood and legitimately
applied, be found "written for our learning." Through failure to
understand exactly what the apostle was dealing with, the most
childish and unwarrantable applications of the passage have been made,
many seeming to imagine that if their fellow Christians refuse to walk
by their rules, they are guilty of acting uncharitably and of putting
a stumbling block in their way. We know of a sect which deems it
unscriptural for a married woman to wear a wedding ring, and of
another that considers it wrong for a Christian man to shave. And
these people condemn those who do not adhere to their ideas.
The cases just mentioned are not only entirely foreign to the scope of
Romans 14 and 15 but they involve an evil which it is the duty of
God's servants to resist and denounce. That such cases as the ones we
have alluded to are in no wise analogous to what the apostle was
dealing with should be clear to anyone who attentively considers these
simple facts. Under Judaism certain meats were divinely prohibited and
designated "unclean" (e.g., Leviticus 11:4-8). But such prohibitions
have been divinely removed (Acts 10:15; 1 Timothy 4:4), hence there is
no point in abstaining from things which God has never forbidden. If
some people wish to do so, if they think well to deprive themselves of
some of the things which God has given us to enjoy (1 Tim. 6:17), that
is their privilege; but when they demand that others should do
likewise out of respect to their ideas, they exceed their rights and
attack the God-given liberty of their brethren.
But there are not a few who go yet farther. They not only insist that
others should walk by the rule they have set up (or accept the
particular interpretation of certain scriptures which they give and
the specific application of the term "meat" which they make) but
stigmatize as "unclean," "carnal," and "sinful" the conduct of those
differing from them. This is a very serious matter, for it is a
manifest and flagrant commission of that which this particular portion
of God's Word expressly reprehends. "Let not him which eateth not
judge him that eateth . . . Who art thou that judgest another man's
servant? . . . Why dost thou judge thy brother? . . . Let us not
therefore judge one another any more" (Rom. 14:3-4, 10, 13). Thus the
very ones who are so forward in judging their brethren are condemned
by God. It is surely significant that there is no other portion of
Holy Writ which so strongly and so repeatedly forbids passing judgment
on others as this chapter to which appeal is so often (wrongly) made
by those who condemn their fellows for things which Scripture has not
prohibited.
The Right of Private Judgment
One of the grand blessings won for us by the fierce battle of the
Reformation was the right of private judgment. Not only had the Word
of God been withheld but no man had been at liberty to form any ideas
on spiritual things for himself. If anyone dared to do so, he was
anathematized; and if he remained firm in refusing bondage, he was
cruelly tortured and then murdered. But in the mercy of God, Luther
and his fellows defied Rome, and by divine providence the holy
Scriptures were restored to the common people and translated into
their own language. Every man then had the right to pray directly to
God for enlightenment and to form his own judgment of what the Word
taught. Alas that such an inestimable privilege is now so little
prized, and that the vast majority of Protestants are too indolent to
search the Scriptures for themselves, preferring to take their views
from others.
Because many of those who enjoyed this dearly bought privilege had so
little courage or wisdom to resist modem encroachments on personal
liberty, those who sought to lord it over their brethren have made so
much headway during the last two or three generations. The whirlwind
has followed the "sowing of the wind," and that spirit which was
allowed to domineer in the churches is now being more and more
adumbrated in the world. We are aware of militant forces seeking to
invade the right of conscience, the right each man has to interpret
the Word according to the light God has given him.
When commenting on Romans 14, John Brown said, "It is to be hoped,
notwithstanding much that still indicates, in some quarters, a
disposition to exercise over the minds and consciences of men an
authority and an influence which belong to God only, that the reign of
spiritual tyranny--the worst of all tyrannies--is drawing to a close.
Let us determine neither to exercise such domination, nor to submit to
it even for an hour. Let us `call no man master,' and let us not seek
to be called masters by others. One is our Master, who is Christ the
Lord, and we are His fellow servants. Let us help each other, but
leave Him to judge us. He only has the capacity, as He only has the
authority, for so doing." Let us heed that apostolic injunction "Stand
fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and
be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage" (Gal. 5:1), refusing
to heed the "touch not; taste not; handle not... after the
commandments and doctrines of men" (Col. 2:21-22). "Him that is weak
in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations" (Rom.
14:1).
The reference was not to one of feeble faith, beset by doubts, but
rather to one who was imperfectly instructed in the faith, who had not
yet grasped the real meaning of Christian liberty, who was still in
bondage to the prohibitions of Judaism. Notwithstanding his lack of
knowledge, the saints were to receive him into their affections, treat
him kindly (cf. Acts 28:2 and Philemon 15, 17 for the force of the
word receive). He was neither to be excommunicated from Christian
circles nor looked upon with contempt because he had less light than
others. "But not to doubtful disputations" means that he was not to be
disturbed about his own conscientious views and practices, nor on the
other hand was he to be allowed to pester his brethren by seeking to
convert them to his views. There was to be a mutual forbearance and
amity between believers. Matthew Henry stated, "Each Christian has and
ought to have the judgment of discretion, and should have his senses
exercised to the discerning between good and evil, truth and error."
But does the above verse mean that no effort is to be made to
enlighten one who has failed to lay hold of and enter into the
benefits Christ secured for His people? Certainly not; Rome may
believe that "ignorance is the mother of devotion," but not so those
who are guided by the Word. As Aquila and Priscilla took Apollos "and
expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly" (Acts 18:26), so it
is both our duty and privilege to pass on to fellow Christians the
light God has given us. Yet that instruction must be given humbly and
not censoriously, in a spirit of meekness and not with contention.
Patience must be exercised. "He that winneth [not `browbeateth'] souls
is wise." The aim should be to enlighten his mind rather than force
his will, for unless the conscience be convicted, uniformity of action
would be mere hypocrisy. A spirit of moderation must temper zeal, and
the right of private judgment must be fully respected: "Let every man
be fully persuaded in his own mind." If we fail to win such a man it
would be sinful to attribute it to his mulishness.
The Gospel Dispensation
Space will allow us to single out only one other weighty
consideration: "The kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but
righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost" (Rom. 14:17).
"The kingdom of God," or the gospel dispensation, does not consist of
such comparative trivialities as using or abstaining from meat and
drink (or other indifferent things); it gives no rule either one way
or the other. The Jewish religion consisted much in such things (Heb.
9:10), but Christianity consists of something infinitely more
important and valuable. Let us not be guilty of the sin of the
Pharisees, who paid tithes of "mint and anise" but "omitted the
weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith" (Matthew
23:23). John Brown stated, "You give a false and degrading view of
Christianity by these contentions, leading men to think that freedom
from ceremonial restrictions is its great privilege, while the truth
is, justification, peace with God, and joy in God, produced by the
Holy Spirit, are the characteristic privileges of the children of the
kingdom."
But another principle is involved here, a most important and essential
one, namely, the exercise of brotherly love. Suppose I fail to
convince my weaker brother, and he claims to be stumbled by my
allowing myself things he cannot conscientiously use? Then what is my
duty? If he be unable to enter into the breadth of Christian liberty
which I perceive and exercise, how far does the law of Christian
charity require me to forgo my liberty and deny myself that which I
feel free before God to use? That is not an easy question to answer,
for there are many things which have to be taken into consideration.
If it were nothing but a matter of deciding between pleasing myself
and profiting my brethren, there would be no difficulty. But if it is
merely a matter of yielding to their whims, where is the line to be
drawn? We have met some who consider is wrong to drink tea or coffee
because it is injurious. The one who sets out to try and please
everybody is likely to end by pleasing nobody.
Moderation and Abstinence
A sharp distinction is to be drawn between moderation and abstinence.
To be "temperate in all things" (1 Cor. 9:25) is a dictate of
prudence--to put it on the lowest ground. "Let your moderation be
known unto all men" (Phil. 4:5) is a divine injunction. It is not the
use but the abuse of many things which marks the difference between
innocence and sin. But because many abuse certain of God's creatures,
that is no sufficient reason why others should altogether shun them.
As Spurgeon once said, "Shall I cease to use knives because some men
cut their throats with them?" Shall, then, my wife remove her wedding
ring because certain people profess to be "stumbled" at the sight of
one on her finger? Does love to them require her to become fanatical?
Would it really make for their profit, their edification, by
conforming to their scruples? Or would it not be more likely to
encourage a spirit of self-righteousness? We once lived for two years
in a small place where there was a church of these people, but we saw
few signs of humility in those who were constantly complaining of
pride in others.
There are some professing Christians (by no means all of them
Romanists) who would consider they grievously dishonored Christ if
they partook of any animal meat on Friday. How far would the dictates
of Christian love require me to join with them in such abstinence were
I to reside in a community where these people preponderated? Answering
for himself, the writer would say it depends upon their viewpoint. If
it was nothing more than a sentiment he would probably yield, though
he would endeavor to show them there was nothing in Scripture
requiring such abstinence. But if they regarded it as a virtuous
thing, as being necessary to salvation, he would unhesitatingly
disregard their wishes, otherwise he would be encouraging them in
fatal error. Or, if they said he too was sinning by eating animal meat
on Friday, then he would deem it an unwarrantable exercise of
brotherly love to countenance their mistake, and an unlawful
trespassing upon his Christian liberty.
It is written, "Give none offense, neither to the Jews, nor to the
Gentiles, nor to the church of God" (1 Cor. 10:32); yet, like many
another precept, that one cannot be taken absolutely without any
qualification. For example, if I be invited to occupy an Arminian
pulpit it would give great offense should I preach upon unconditional
election; yet would that warrant my keeping silent thereon?
Hyper-Calvinists do not like to hear about man's responsibility; but
should I therefore withhold what is needful to and profitable for
them? Would brotherly love require this of me? None was more pliable
and adaptable than he who wrote, "Unto the Jews I became as a Jew,
that I might gain the Jews . . . To the weak became I as weak, that I
might gain the weak" (1 Cor. 9:20-22); yet when Peter was to be blamed
because he acceded to those who condemned eating with the Gentiles,
Paul "withstood him to the face" (Gal. 2:11-12); and when false
brethren sought to bring Paul into bondage he refused to have Titus
circumcised (Gal. 2:3-5).
Another incident much to the point before us is found in connection
with our Lord and His disciples. "The Pharisees, and all the Jews,
except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of
the elders. And when they come from the market, except they wash, they
eat not" (Mark 7:3-4). First a tradition, this had become a religious
practice, a conscientious observance, among the Jews. Did our Lord
then bid His disciples to respect the scruples of the Jews and conform
to their standard? No, indeed; for when the Pharisees "saw some of his
disciples eat bread with defiled [ceremonially defiled], that is to
say, with unwashen hands, they found fault" (Mark 7:2). On another
occasion Christ Himself was invited by a certain Pharisee to dine with
him, "and he went in, and sat down to meat. And when the Pharisee saw
it, he marveled that he had not first washed before dinner" (Luke
11:37-38). Even though He knew it would give offense, Christ declined
to be bound by man-made laws.
Christian Charity a Duty
The exercise of Christian charity is an essential duty, yet it is not
to override everything else. God has not exercised love at the expense
of righteousness. The exercising of love does not mean that the
Christian himself is to become a nonentity, a mere straw blown hither
and thither by every current of wind he encounters. He is never to
please his brethren at the expense of displeasing God. Love is not to
oust liberty. The exercise of love does not require the Christian to
yield principle, to wound his own conscience, or to become the slave
of every fanatic he meets. Love does enjoin the curbing of his own
desires and seeking the good, the profit, the edification, of his
brethren; but it does not call for subscribing to their errors and
depriving himself of the right of personal judgment. There is a
balance to be preserved here: a happy medium between cultivating
unselfishness and becoming the victim of the selfishness of others.
Under the new covenant there is no longer any distinction in the sight
of God between different kinds of "meat" or sacred "days" set apart
for religious exercise which obtained under the Jewish economy. Some
of the early Christians perceived this clearly; others either did not
or would not acknowledge such liberty. This difference of opinion bred
dissensions and disrupted fellowship. To remove this evil and to
promote good, the apostle laid down certain rules which may be summed
up thus. First, "Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind"
(Rom. 14:5) and not blindly swayed by the opinions or customs of
others. Second, Be not censorious and condemn not those who differ
from you (Rom. 14:13). Third, Be not occupied with mere trifles, but
concentrate on the essentials (Rom. 14:17). Fourth, Follow after those
things which make for peace and mutual edification (Rom. 14:19) and
quibble not over matters which are to no profit. Fifth, Make not an
ostentatious display of your liberty, nor exercise the same to the
injury of others (Rom. 14:19-21).
Variety and Diversity Among Saints
There is great variety and diversity among the saints. This is true of
their natural makeup, temperament, manner, and thus in their
likeableness or unlikeableness. This fact also holds good spiritually:
Christians have received varying degrees of light, measures of grace,
and different gifts. One reason why God has ordered things thus is to
try their patience, give opportunity for the exercise of love, and
provide occasion to display meekness and forbearance. All have their
blemishes and infirmities. Some are proud, others peevish; some are
censorious, and others backboneless, or in various ways difficult to
get on with. Opinions differ and customs are by no means uniform. Much
grace is needed if fellowship is to be maintained. If the rules above
had been rightly interpreted and genuinely acted upon through the
centuries, many dissensions would have been prevented, and much that
has marred the Christian testimony in public would have been avoided.
"We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak,
and not to please ourselves" (Rom. 15:1). The "then" is argumentative,
pointing out a conclusion from the principles laid down in the
foregoing chapter. The preceding chapter was necessary for some
understanding of these principles. Let it be duly noted that the
pronouns are in the plural number: it was not only individual
differences of opinion and conduct, with the personal ill-feelings
they bred, which the apostle had been reprehending, but also the
development of the same collectively into party spirit and sectarian
prejudice, which could rend asunder the Christian company. This too
must be borne in mind when making a present-day application. "The
weak" here signifies those who had a feeble grasp of that freedom
which Christ obtained for His people, as reference to Romans 14:1
makes clear; the "strong" indicates those who had a better
apprehension of the extent of their Christian privileges, fully
discerning their liberation from the restrictions imposed by the
ceremonial law and the traditions of men--such as the austerities of
the Essenes.
The Greek word here rendered "bear" signifies "to take up." It was
used of porters carrying luggage, assisting travelers. It is found
again in Galatians 6:2, only the apostle there mentioned "burdens"
rather than infirmities (see also Luke 14:27). The term also helps to
determine the interpretation of what is in view, and thus fixes the
proper application. We are not here enjoined to bear with the petty
whims or scruples of one another, but to render practical aid to those
who lag behind the rest. A "burden" is something which is apt to cause
its carrier to halt or faint by the way, incapacitating him in his
pilgrimage. The strong are bidden to help these weak ones. As charity
requires us to ascribe their weakness to lack of understanding, it
becomes the duty of the better instructed to seek to enlighten them.
No doubt it would be easier and nicer to leave them alone, but we are
"not to please ourselves." Apparently the Gentile believers had failed
on this point, for while the Jewish Christians were aggressive in
seeking to impose their view on others, the Gentiles seem to have
adopted a negative attitude.
It is ever thus: Fanatics and extremists are not content to deprive
themselves of things which God has not prohibited but are zealous in
endeavoring to press their will upon all; whereas others who use them
temperately are content to mind their own business and leave in peace
those who differ from them. For instance, it is not the use of wine
but the intemperate abuse of the same which Scripture forbids (see
John 2:1-11; Ephesians 5:18; 1 Timothy 3:8). It was the ex-Pharisees
"which believed" who insisted that "it was needful to circumcise"
converted Gentiles and "to command them to keep the law of Moses"
(Acts 15:5) and thereby bring them into bondage--a thing which the
Apostle Paul steadfastly resisted and condemned.
Bearing the Infirmities of the Weak
In the passage before us the Roman saints were exhorted to desist from
their negative attitude, however much easier and more congenial it
might be to continue in the same. "And please not ourselves" (Rom.
15:1) signifies not an abstention from something they liked, but the
performing of a duty which they disliked--how men do turn the things
of God upside down! This is quite evident from the preceding part of
the verse where the "strong" (or better instructed) were bidden to
"bear the infirmities of the weak." How would their abstaining from
certain "meats" be a compliance with such an injunction? No, it was
not something they were told to forgo out of respect for others'
scruples, but a bearing of their "infirmities," a rendering of
assistance to their fellow pilgrims (Gal. 6:2) which they were called
upon to do. And how was this to be done? Well, what were their
"infirmities"? Why, self-imposed abstinences because of ignorance of
the truth. Thus it was the duty of the Gentile Christians to expound
to their Jewish brethren "the way of God more perfectly" (Acts 18:26).
Try and place yourself in their position, my reader. Imagine yourself
to be Lydia or the Philippian jailer. All your past life had been in
the darkness and idolatry of heathenism; then, unsought by you, the
sovereign grace of God opened your heart to receive the gospel. You
are now a new creature in Christ Jesus, and have been enabled to
perceive your standing and liberty in Him. Living next door to you,
perhaps, is a family of converted Jews. All their past lives they have
read the Scriptures and worshiped the true God; though they have now
received Christ as the promised Messiah and as their personal Savior,
yet they are still in bondage to the restrictions of the Mosaic law.
You marvel at their dullness, but consider it none of your concern to
interfere. Then you receive a copy of this epistle and ponder Romans
15:1. You now see that you have a duty toward your Jewish sister and
brother, that God bids you make the effort to pass on to her or him
the light He has granted you. The task is distasteful. Perhaps so, but
we are "not to please ourselves"!
Pleasing Our Neighbor
The next verse unequivocally establishes that what we have sought to
set forth above brings out, or at least points to, the real meaning of
Romans 15:1. "Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to
edification" (Rom. 15:2). This is obviously the amplification in
positive form of the negative clause in the verse before. To "edify" a
brother--here called "neighbor" according to Jewish terminology--is to
build him up in the faith; and the appointed means is to instruct him
by and enlighten him with the truth. It should be carefully noted that
this "pleasing our neighbor" is no mere yielding to his whims, but an
industrious effort to promote his knowledge of divine things,
particularly in the privileges which Christ has secured for him. It
may prove a thankless task, but it ought to be undertaken, for concern
for his good requires it. If he resents your efforts and insults you,
your conscience is clear and you have the satisfaction of knowing that
you have honestly attempted to discharge your duty.
"For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The
reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me"
(Rom. 15:3). This verse supplies further proof of the soundness of our
interpretation of the previous verses. The meaning of "we . . . ought
. . . not to please ourselves" is placed beyond all uncertainty by
what is here said of our Lord. In His case it signifies something
vastly different than abstaining from things that He liked, and
certainly the very opposite of attempting to ingratiate Himself in the
esteem of men by flattering their prejudices. Rather, Christ was in
all things regulated by the divine rule: not His own will but the will
of His Father was what governed Him. Not attempting to obtain the
approval of His fellows, but rather seeking their "good" and the
"edification" of His brethren was what uniformly actuated Christ. And
in the exercise of disinterested charity, far from being appreciated
for the same, He brought upon Himself "reproaches." And if the
disciple follows His example he must not expect to fare any better.
Remarks by Charles Hodge
In his closing remarks on Romans 14, Charles Hodge pointed out, "It is
often necessary to assert our Christian liberty at the expense of
incurring censure and offending good men in order that right
principles of duty may be preserved. Our Savior consented to be
regarded as a Sabbath-breaker and even a `wine-bibber' and `friend of
publicans and sinners'; but wisdom was justified of her children.
Christ did not in those cases see fit to accommodate His conduct to
the rules of duty set up and conscientiously regarded as correct by
those around Him. He saw that more good would arise from a practical
disregard of the false opinion of the Jews as to the manner in which
the Sabbath was to be kept and as to the degree of intercourse which
was allowed with wicked men, than from concession to their
prejudices." Better then to give offense or incur obloquy than
sacrifice principle or disobey God.
"For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our
learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might
have hope" (Rom. 15:4). This statement seems to be made for a double
reason. First, to inform the saints that though the Mosaic law was
abrogated and the Old Testament treated of a past dispensation, they
must not conclude that the Old Testament was now out of date. The
uniform use which the New Testament writers made of it, frequently
appealing to it in proof of what they advanced, proves otherwise. All
of it is intended for our instruction today, and the examples of piety
contained therein will stimulate us (see James 5:10). Second, a
prayerful pondering of the Old Testament will nourish that very grace
which will most need to be exercised when complying with the foregoing
exhortations--"patience" in dealing with those who differ from us;
further, it will minister "comfort" to us if we are reviled for
performing our duty.
Prejudice of Heart to Be Overcome
"Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded
one toward another according to Christ Jesus" (Rom. 15:5). By his
example the apostle here teaches us that if we are to discharge the
aforesaid duty acceptably to God we must have recourse to prayer. God
alone can grant success in it, and unless His aid be definitely and
earnestly sought, failure is almost certain to be the outcome. There
are few things which the majority of people more resent than to have
their religious beliefs and ways called into question. More is
involved than perfectly informed understanding: there is prejudice of
heart to be overcome as well, for "convince a man against his will,
and he is of the same opinion still." Moreover, much grace is required
on the part of the one who undertakes to deal with the mistaken
scruples of another lest, acting in the energy of the flesh, he gives
place to the devil, sowing seeds of discord and causing "a root of
bitterness" to spring up, thus making matters worse rather than
better. Such grace needs to be personally and fervently sought.
Zeal Not According to Knowledge
There is a zeal which is not according to knowledge. There is an ardor
which is merely of nature and not prompted by the Holy Spirit. If then
it should become my duty to pass on to a brother a measure of that
light which God has granted me and which I have reason to believe he
does not enjoy, I need to ask help from Him for the execution of such
a task. I need to ask Him to impress my heart afresh with the fact
that I have nothing but what I received from Him (1 Cor. 4:7) and to
beg Him to subdue the workings of pride that I may approach my brother
in a humble spirit. I need to ask for wisdom that I may be guided in
what to say. I need to ask for love that I may truly seek the good of
the other. I need to be shown the right time to approach him. Above
all, I need to ask that God's glory may be my paramount concern.
Furthermore, I need to request God to go before me and prepare the
soil for the seed, graciously softening the heart of my brother,
removing the prejudice, and making him receptive to the truth.
Observe the particular character in which the apostle addressed the
Deity: as "the God of patience and consolation." He eyed those
attributes in God which were most suited to the petition he presented,
namely, that He would grant like-mindedness and mutual forbearance
where there was a difference in judgment. The grace of patience was
needed among dissenting brethren. Consolation too was required to bear
the infirmities of the weak. As another has said, "If the heart be
filled with the comforts of the Almighty, it will be as oil to the
wheels of Christian charity." The Father is here contemplated as "the
God of patience and consolation" because He is the Author of these
graces, because He requires the exercise of the same in us (Eph. 5:1),
and because we are to constantly seek the quickening and strengthening
of these graces in us. In the preceding verse we are shown that
"patience and comfort" are conveyed to believing souls through the
Scriptures, which are the conduit; but here we are taught that God
Himself is the Fountainhead.
The Mercy to Be Sought
Consider now the mercy sought: that the God of patience and
consolation would "grant you to be like-minded one to another." As
Charles Hodge rightly pointed out, the like-mindedness here "does not
signify uniformity of opinion but harmony of feeling." This should be
apparent to those who possess no knowledge of the Greek. How can
"babes" in Christ be expected to have the same measure of light on
spiritual things as mature Christians! No, the apostle's petition went
deeper than that the saints might see eye to eye on every
detail--which is neither to be expected nor desired in this life. It
was that affection one toward another might obtain, even where
difference of opinion upon minor matters persisted. Paul requested
that quarreling should cease, ill feelings be set aside, patience and
forbearance be exercised, and mutual love prevail. He requested that
such a state of unity might obtain that notwithstanding difference of
view the saints might enjoy together the delights and advantages of
Christian fellowship.
"According to Christ Jesus" (Rom. 15:5). The margin renders it "after
the example of," which is certainly included; yet the meaning is not
to be restricted thereto. We regard this like-mindedness "according to
Christ Jesus" as having a threefold force. First, according to the
precept, command, or law of Christ: "By this shall all men know that
ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35).
"Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ"
(Gal. 6:2). Second, according to Christ's example. Remember how He
dealt with the dullness and bickering of His disciples. Remember how
He stooped to wash their feet. Third, by making Christ the Center of
their unity. To quote Matthew Henry, "Agree in the truth, not in any
error. It was a cursed concord and harmony of those who were of one
mind to give their power and strength to the Beast (Rev. 17:13): that
was not a like-mindedness according to Christ, but against Christ."
Thus "according to Christ Jesus" signifies "in a Christian manner."
Let the reader ponder carefully Philippians 2:2-5, for it furnishes an
inspired comment on our present verse.
The Fullness of Scripture
Yet there is such a fullness in the words of Scripture that the
threefold meaning of "according to Christ Jesus" given above by no
means exhausts the scope of these words. They need also to be
considered in the light of what immediately precedes, and pondered as
a part of this prayer. The apostle made request that God would cause
this Christian company (composed of such different elements as
believing Jews and Gentiles) to be "like-minded," which, of course,
implies that they were not so. Titus 3:3 describes what we are by
nature. Observe that the blessing sought, however desirable, was not
something to be claimed, but something to be hoped that God would
"grant." By adding "according to Christ Jesus" we may therefore
understand those words as the ground of appeal: grant it according to
the merits of Christ. Finally, we may also regard this clause as a
plea: grant it for the honor of Christ--that unity and concord may
obtain for the glory of His name.
"That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 15:6). This is the grand end in view:
that such brotherly love may be exercised, such mutual forbearance
shown, such unity and concord maintained, that the spirit of worship
be not quenched. The God who will not receive an offering while one is
alienated from his brother (Matthew 5:23-24) will not accept the
praise of a company of believers where there are divisions among them.
Something more is required than coming together under the same roof
and joining in the same ordinance (1 Cor. 11:18-20). There cannot
truly be "one mouth" unless there first be "one mind." Tongues which
are used to backbite one another in private cannot blend together in
singing God's praises. The "Father" is mentioned here as an emphatic
reminder of the family relationship: all Christians are His children
and therefore should dwell together in peace and amity as brethren and
sisters. "Of our [not `the'] Lord Jesus Christ" intensifies the same
idea.
J. M. Stifler states, "They may be divided in their dietary views:
this in itself is a small matter; but they must not be divided in
their worship and praise of God. For the patient and comforted mind
can join in praise with those from whom there is dissent of opinion.
This is true Christian union." "Wherefore receive ye one another, as
Christ also received us to the glory of God" (Rom. 15:7). This is not
an exhortation to one class only, but to the "strong" and the "weak"
alike. They are here bidden to ignore all minor differences. And
inasmuch as Christ accepts all who genuinely believe His gospel,
whether they be Jews or Gentiles, we are to receive into fellowship
and favor all whom He has received. We again quote J. M. Stifler: "If
He accepts men in all their weakness and without any regard to their
views about secondary things, well may we." Thereby God is glorified,
and for this we should pray and act.
Gleanings from Paul Index
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings from Paul
by A. W. Pink
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3. Prayer In Hope
Romans 15:13
In his preceding Prayer the Apostle Paul had made request that the God
of patience and consolation would grant the saints at Rome to be
"like-minded one toward another, according to Christ Jesus" (Rom.
15:5) so that amity and concord might prevail among them. He had
followed this by reminding them that the Redeemer's mission embraced
not only the Jews but also the Gentiles, that the eternal purpose of
God respected an elect portion from both parts of the human race (Rom.
15:8-9). In support of this statement he quoted no less than four Old
Testament passages, taken respectively from the Law, the Psalms, and
the Prophets (the principal sections into which the divine oracles
were divided; see Luke 24:44), each of which foretold that the
Gentiles would take their place alongside the Jews in worshiping the
Lord. Thus the Hebrew Christians need have no hesitation in welcoming
believing Gentiles into their midst. The apostle then concluded this
section of his epistle, by again supplicating the throne of grace on
their behalf, thereby evidencing his deep solicitude for them, and
intimating that God alone could impart the grace necessary for
obedience to the injunctions given them.
Vital instruction is to be obtained by attending closely to the
connection between Romans 15:13 and the verses which immediately
precede it. In the context Paul had cited a number of Old Testament
passages which announced the salvation of the Gentiles and their union
with believing Jews. Now the prophecies of Scripture are to be viewed
in a threefold manner. First, as proofs of their divine inspiration,
demonstrating as they do the omniscience of their Author in unerringly
forecasting things to come. Second, as revelations of the will of God,
announcements of what He has eternally decreed, which must therefore
come to pass. Third, as possessing a moral and practical bearing upon
us: where they are predictions of judgment, they are threatenings and
therefore warnings of the objects to be avoided and the evils to be
shunned--as the before announced destruction of the papacy bids us
have nought to do with that system; but where they consist of
predictions of divine blessing, they are promises for faith to lay
hold of and for hope to anticipate before their actual fulfillment.
Paul is viewing them in this third respect.
Our Use of the Divine Promises
Here the apostle shows us what use we are to make of the divine
promises, namely, turn them into believing prayer, requesting God to
make them good. As God draws near to us in promise, it is our
privilege to draw near to Him in petition. Those prophecies were
infallible assurances that God intended to show mercy to the Gentiles.
No sooner had Paul quoted them than he bowed his knees before their
Giver, thereby teaching the Roman saints--and us--how to turn the
promises to practical account, instructing them what to ask for. In
like manner when he would have the Ephesian saints beg God to
enlighten their understandings, that they might know the great things
of the gospel, he set them an example by praying for that very thing
(Rom. 1:17-18). So here; it was as though he said, "Thou hast promised
that the Gentiles should hope in Thee [Romans 15:12]. Thou art `the
God of hope.' Graciously work in these saints so that they `may abound
in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost,' and that they too may
from my example be constrained to supplicate Thee and plead this
promise for the attainment of this very blessing."
That the reader may have a more definite view of the connection, we
will now quote the verse before our prayer: "And again, Esaias
[Isaiah] saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise
to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust." That is
taken from one of the great Messianic prophecies, recorded in Isaiah
11. Whatever may or may not be its ultimate accomplishment, Paul was
moved to make known to us that that prediction was even then receiving
fulfillment. Literally the Greek reads, "In Him shall the Gentiles
hope," and it is thus rendered correctly in the Revised Version.
Though intimately connected, as Hebrews 11:1 shows, there is a real
difference between faith and hope. Faith is more comprehensive in its
range, for it believes all that God has said concerning the past,
present, and future--the threatenings as well as the promises--but
hope looks solely to a future good. Faith has to do with the Word
promising; hope is engaged with the thing promised. Faith is a
believing that God will do as He has said; hope is a confident looking
forward to the fulfillment of the promise.
The Remote Context
Having sought to point out the instructive connection between the
apostle's prayer and the verses immediately preceding, a word now on
its remoter context. This prayer concludes that section of the epistle
begun at Romans 14:1, on unhappy division in the company of the Roman
saints. Without taking sides and expressly declaring which was in the
wrong, Paul had laid down broad and simple principles for each to act
upon, so that if their conduct was regulated thereby, Christian love
and Christian liberty would alike be conserved. He set before them the
example of their Master, and then showed that both Jews and Gentiles
were given equal place in the Word of prophecy. To borrow the lovely
language of Moule, "He clasps them impartially to his own heart in
this precious and pregnant benediction, beseeching for both sides, and
for all their individuals, a wonderful fullness of those blessings in
which most speedily and most surely the spirit of their strife would
expire." The closer a company of Christians are drawn to their Lord,
the closer they are drawn to one another.
"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." The
"God of hope" is both the Object and the Author of hope. He is the One
who has prepared the blessings which are to be the objects of our
hope, who has set them before us in the gospel, and who by the power
of the Spirit enables us to understand and believe the gospel, which
awakens motives and sets in action principles that ensure hope. The
burden of Paul's prayer was that the saints might abound in this
spiritual grace, and therefore he addressed the Deity accordingly. As
Matthew Henry pointed out, "It is good in prayer to fasten upon those
names, titles and attributes of God which are most suitable to the
errand we come upon and will best serve to encouragement concerning
it." A further reason why the apostle thus addressed the Deity appears
from the preceding verse, where it was announced of the Lord, "In him
shall the Gentiles hope." More literally our verse reads, "Now the God
of that [or `the'] hope"--the One who is the Inspirer of all
expectations of blessing.
"The God of Hope"
This expression "the God of [that] hope" had special pertinency and
peculiar suitability to the Gentiles--who are mentioned by name no
less than four times in the verses immediately preceding. Its force is
the more apparent if we consider it in the light of Ephesians 2:11-12,
where Gentile believers are reminded that in time past they "were
without Christ [devoid of any claim upon Him], being aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise,
having no hope, and without God in the world"--without any knowledge
of Him, without a written revelation from Him. But the incarnation of
Christ had radically altered this. The grand design of His mission was
not restricted to Palestine but was worldwide, for He shed His atoning
blood for sinners out of all peoples and tribes and, upon the
triumphant conclusion of His mission, commissioned His servants to
preach the gospel to all nations. Hence the apostle had reminded the
Roman saints that God said, "Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people"
(Rom. 15:10). He had now become to them "the God of hope."
If God had not revealed Himself in the Word of truth we should be
without any foundation of hope. But the Scriptures are windows of hope
to us. This is evident from the fourth verse of our chapter: "For
whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our
learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might
have hope" (Rom. 15:4). Thus the God of hope is revealed in His living
oracles with the design of inspiring hope. If we would be filled with
faith, joy, and peace it must be by believing what :is presented to us
in Holy Writ. Before we have any true inward ground of hope, God
Himself as revealed in the Bible must be our confidence. Through God's
Word the apostle discovered there was hope for the Gentiles; and so
may the most burdened heart find solid consolation therein if he will
search and believe its contents. Every divine promise is calculated to
inspire the believer with hope. Therein is to be found a sure
foundation, on which to rest.
Let us now consider the petition the apostle here presented to the God
of hope: that He would "fill you with all joy and peace in believing."
This is to be considered first in its local bearing. The phrase "in
believing" looks back to those blessed portions of the Old Testament
which had just been quoted. Paul prayed that God would graciously
enable those saints to lay hold of such promises and conduct
themselves in harmony therewith. We quote Charles Hodge: "In the
fulfillment of that promise [Romans 15:12] Christ came, and preached
salvation to those who were near and to those who were afar off (Eph.
2:17). As both classes had been thus kindly received by the
condescending Savior and united into one community, they should
receive and love each other as brethren, laying aside all
censoriousness and contempt, neither judging nor despising one
another." In other words, the apostle longed that both should be
occupied alike with Christ. Let faith and hope be duly operative, and
joy and peace would displace discord and strife.
Regarding this prayer of the Apostle Paul, Handley Moule wrote: "Let
that prayer be granted, in its pure depth and height, and how could
the `weak brother' look with quite his old anxiety on the problems
suggested by the dishes at a meal and by the dates of the Rabbinic
calendar? And could `the strong' bear any longer to lose his joy in
God by an assertion, full of self, of his own insight and liberty?
Profoundly happy and at rest in the Lord, whom they embraced by faith
as their Righteousness and Life, and whom they anticipated in hope as
their coming Glory; filled through their whole consciousness by the
indwelling Spirit with a new insight into Christ, they would fall into
each other's embrace, in Him. They would be much more ready when they
met to speak `concerning the King' than to begin a new stage of their
not very elevating discussion. How many a church controversy now, as
then, would die of inanition, leaving room for living truth, if the
disputants could only gravitate, as to their always most beloved
theme, to the praises and glories of their redeeming Lord Himself!"
As our Lord's prayer in John 17 was not confined to His disciples then
but reached forward to "them also which shall believe" (Rom. 5:20), so
this prayer of Paul's is suited to all the children of God. "The God
of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing." Let it be duly
noted that Paul did not hesitate to ask for these particular
blessings. We make that remark because we very much fear that some of
our readers are well-nigh afraid to cry to God for such things; but
they need not be. Fullness of spiritual joy does not unfit its
possessor to live his life in this world, nor does fullness of peace
produce presumption and carnal security. If such experiences were
dangerous, as Satan would fain have us conclude, the apostle would not
have sought them on behalf of his fellow Christians. From his making
request for these very blessings we learn they are eminently desirable
and furnished warrant for us to supplicate for the same, both for
ourselves and our brethren.
The Apostle's Example
The example which the apostle has here set before us evidences not
only that it is desirable for Christians to be filled with joy and
peace, but also that such a delightful experience is attainable. C. H.
Spurgeon stated, "We may be filled with joy and peace believing, and
may abound in hope. There is no reason why we should hang our heads
and live in perpetual doubt. We may not only be somewhat comforted,
but we may be full of joy; we may not only have occasional quiet, but
we may dwell in peace, and delight ourselves in the abundance of it.
These great privileges are attainable or the apostle would not have
made them the subject of prayer . . . The sweetest delights are still
grown in Zion's gardens, and are to be enjoyed by us; and shall they
be within our reach and not be grasped? Shall a life of joy and peace
be attainable, and shall we miss it through unbelief? God forbid. Let
us as believers resolve that whatsoever of privilege is to be enjoyed
we will enjoy it."
Once again we appeal to the context, for clear proof is found there
that it is God's revealed will for His saints to be a rejoicing
people. In Romans 15:10 the apostle cited a verse from the Old
Testament which says, "Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people." Israel
had been given no monopoly of joy; those whom God had purposed to call
from out the nations would also share therein. If there was joy for
Israel when redeemed from the house of bondage and led through the Red
Sea, much more so is there joy for those delivered from the power of
Satan and translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son. Observe that
the passage quoted is not in the form of a promise, but is a specific
precept: regenerated Gentiles are expressly bidden to "rejoice." Nor
did the apostle stop there. As though anticipating our slowness to
enter into our privileges, he added, "And again, Praise the Lord, all
ye Gentiles" (Rom. 15:11)--not merely the most eminent among them but
all alike. Where there is praise there is joy, for joy is a component
part of it. Thus one who professes to be a Christian and at the same
time complains that he is devoid of joy and peace, acknowledges that
he is failing to obey these precepts.
Degrees of Blessing
"The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace" intimates three
things. First, there are degrees of these blessings. A few Christians
enjoy them fully, but the great majority (to their shame) experience
but a taste thereof. Each of us should look to God for the fullest
communication of these privileges. Second, the breadth of the
apostle's words, as also his "that ye may abound in hope," manifest
how his heart was enlarged toward the saints and what comprehensive
supplies of grace he sought for them. Third, thus we honor God in
prayer: by counting on the freeness of His grace. There is no
straitness in Him, and there should be none in us. Since we are coming
to heaven's King, let us "large petitions with us bring." Has He not
given us encouragement to do so? Having given His beloved Son for us
and to us, "how shall he not with him also freely give us all things"
(Rom. 8:32)! Has He not invited us to "drink, yea, drink abundantly"
(Song 5:1)! Then let our requests be in accord with His invitation;
let us not approach Him as though He were circumscribed like
ourselves.
Privileges and Duties
The fact that the apostle prayed for these blessings indicated not
only that they are desirable and attainable, but also that it is
incumbent upon us to enter into possession of them. We cannot now
attempt proof, but will here state the fact that the things we may ask
God to give us are, at the same time, obligations upon ourselves.
Privileges and duties cannot be separated. It is the duty of the
Christian to be joyous and peaceful. If any should question that
statement, we would ask him to consider the opposite; surely none
would affirm that it is a spiritual duty to be miserable and full of
doubts! We do not at all deny that there is another side to the
Christian's life, that there is much both within and without the
believer to make him mourn. Nor is that at all inconsistent. The
apostle avowed himself to be "sorrowful," yet in the very same breath
he added "yet alway rejoicing" (2 Cor. 6:10). Most assuredly those who
claim to be accepted in the Beloved and journeying to everlasting
bliss bring reproach on Him whose name they bear and cause His gospel
to be evil spoken of, if they are doleful and dejected and spend most
of their time in the slough of despond.
Blessings Obtained by Prayer
But we proceed one step further. The apostle here made known how these
most desirable and requisite blessings may be obtained. First, they
are to be sought in prayer, as is evident from Paul's example. Second,
they can only be attained as the heart is occupied with "the God of
hope," that is, the promising God, for the things we are to hope for
are revealed in His promises. Third, these blessings come to us "in
believing," in faith's laying hold of the things promised. "Fill you
with all joy and peace in believing." Many seek, though vainly, to
reverse that order. They will not believe God till they feel they have
joy and peace, which is like requiring flowers before the bulb has
been set in the ground. You ask, "But how can I have joy and peace
while engaged in such a conflict--mostly a losing one--with indwelling
sin?" Answer: You cannot successfully oppose indwelling sin if you are
joyless and full of doubts, for "the joy of the Lord is your strength"
(Nehemiah 8:10). There is no genuine joy and peace except "in
believing," and in exact proportion to our faith will be joy and
peace.
"That ye may abound in hope." This clause gave the Roman saints and us
the reason why the apostle made the above request, or the design he
had in view for them. They were established as to the past, joyous in
the present. He would have them to be confident as to the future. The
best is yet to be, for as yet the Christian has received but an
earnest of his inheritance, and the more he is occupied with the
inheritance itself the better equipped he will be to press forward to
it, through all difficulties and obstacles, for hope is one of the
most powerful motives or springs of action (Heb. 6:11-12). In our day
some of the Lord's people need to be informed that the word hope has
quite a different meaning in Scripture from that accorded to it in
everyday speech. On the lips of most people "hope" signifies little
more than a bare wish, and often with considerable fear that it will
not be realized, being nothing better than a timid and hesitant desire
that something may be obtained. But in Scripture (e.g., Romans 8: 25;
Hebrews 6:18-19) hope signifies a firm expectation and confident
anticipation of the things God has promised. As joy and peace increase
"in believing" so too does hope.
The Power of the Holy Spirit
"Through the power of the Holy Ghost." The Father is the Giver, but
the Spirit is the Communicator of our graces. Though it is the
Christian's duty to be filled with joy and peace in believing and to
abound in hope, yet it is only by the Spirit's enablement such can be
realized. Here, as everywhere in the Word, we find the kindred truths
of our accountableness and dependency intimately connected. The joy,
peace, and hope here are not carnal emotions or natural acquirements
but spiritual graces, and therefore they must be divinely imparted.
Even the promises of God will not produce these graces unless they be
divinely applied to us. Note that it is not merely "through the
operation" but "through the power" of the Holy Spirit, for there is
much in us which opposes! Nor can these graces be increased or even
maintained by us in our own strength--though they can be decreased by
us, through grieving the Spirit. They are to be sought by prayer, by
eyeing the promises, and by looking for the enablement of the Holy
Spirit. That hope is but a vain fancy which is not fixed on God and
inwrought by Him. "Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou
hast caused me to hope" (Ps. 119:49).
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4. Prayer for Peace
Romans 15:33
"Now The God Of Peace be with you all. Amen." The "God of peace":
Contrary to the general run of commentators, we regard this divine
title as expressing first of all what God is in Himself, that is, as
abstracted from relationship with His creatures and apart from His
operations and bestowments. He is Himself the Fountain of peace.
Perfect tranquility reigns in His whole Being. He is never ruffled in
the smallest measure, never perturbed by anything, either within or
without Himself. How could He be? Nothing can possibly take Him by
surprise, for "known unto God are all his works from the beginning of
the world" (Acts 15:18). Nothing can ever disappoint Him, for "of him,
and through him, and to him, are all things" (Rom. 11:36). Nothing can
to the slightest degree disturb His perfect equanimity, for He is "the
Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of
turning" (James 1:17). Consequently perfect security ever fills Him:
that is one component element of His essential glory. Ineffable peace
is one of the jewels in the diadem of Deity.
The God of Peace
Let us for a season gird up the loins of our minds and endeavor to
contemplate someone vastly different, someone infinitely more
excellent, namely, the One who is a total stranger to unrest and
disquietude, the One who enjoys undisturbed calm, "the God of peace."
It seems strange that this glorious excellency of the divine character
is so little dwelt upon by Christian writers. The sovereignty of God,
the power of God, the holiness of God, the immutability of God, have
frequently been made the theme of devout penmen; but the peace of God
Himself has received scarcely any attention. Numerous sermons have
been preached upon "the God of love" and "the God of all grace," but
where shall we find any on "the God of peace" except as the reconciled
God? Only once in all the Scriptures is He specifically designated
"the God of love," and only once "the God of all grace," yet five
times He is called "the God of peace." As such, a perpetual calm
characterizes His whole being; He is infinitely blessed in Himself.
The names and titles of God make known to us His being and character.
By meditating upon each one of them in turn, by mixing faith
therewith, by giving all of them a place in our hearts and minds, we
are enabled to form a better and fuller concept of who He is and what
He is in Himself, His relationship to and His attitude toward us. God
is the Fountain of all good, the Sum of all excellency. Every grace
and every virtue we perceive in the saints are but scattered rays
which have emanated from Him who is Light. We not only do Him a great
injustice but we are largely the losers ourselves if we habitually
think and speak of God according to only one of His titles, be it "the
Most High" on the one hand, or "our Father" on the other. Just as we
need to read and ponder every part of the Word if we are to become
acquainted with God's revealed will and be "throughly furnished unto
all good works," so we need to meditate upon and make use of all the
divine titles if we are to form a well-rounded and duly balanced
concept of His perfections and realize what a God is ours--and what is
the extent of His absolute sufficiency for us.
"The God of peace." According to the usage of this expression in the
New Testament and in view of the teaching of Scripture as a whole
concerning the triune Jehovah and peace, we believe it will be best
opened up to the reader if we make use of the following outline. This
title, "the God of peace," tells us First of all what He is
essentially, namely, the Fountain of peace. Second, it announces what
He is economically or dispensationally, namely, the Ordainer or
Covenanter of peace. Third, it reveals what He is judicially, namely,
the Provider of peace--the reconciled God. Fourth, it declares what He
is paternally, namely, the Giver of peace to His children. Fifth, it
proclaims what He is governmentally, namely, the Orderer of peace in
all the churches and in the world. The meaning of these terms will
become plainer--and simpler, we trust--as we fill in our outline.
The Triune Jehovah
First, "the God of peace" tells us what He is essentially, that is,
what God is in Himself. As pointed out above, peace is one of grand
perfections of the divine nature and character. We regard this title
as referring not so much to what God is absolutely, nor only to the
Father, but to the triune Jehovah. First, because there is nothing in
the context or in the remainder of the verse which requires us to
limit this prayer to any particular person in the Godhead. Second,
because we should ever take the terms of Scripture in their widest
latitude and most comprehensive meaning when there is nothing obliging
us to restrict their scope. Third, because it is a fact, a divinely
revealed truth, that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are
alike "the God of peace." Nor could there be any force to the
objection that since prayer is here made unto "the God of peace," we
are obliged to regard the reference as being to the Father for, in
Scripture, prayer is also made to the Son and to the Spirit. True, the
reference in Hebrews 13:20 is to the Father, for He is there
distinguished from the Lord Jesus, but since no such distinction is
here made we decline to make any.
That this title belongs to God the Father scarcely needs any arguing,
for the opening words of the salutation found at the beginning of most
of the New Testament epistles will readily occur to the reader: "Grace
to you and peace from God our Father" (Rom. 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2,
etc.)--grace from Him as He is "the God of all grace" (1 Pet. 5:10),
peace from Him as "the God of peace." The added words of that
salutation, "and the Lord Jesus Christ," establish the same fact
concerning His Son, for grace and peace could not proceed from Him
unless He were also the Fountain of both. It will be remembered that
in Isaiah 9:6 He is expressly denominated "the Prince of peace,"
which--coming immediately after His other titles there ("the mighty
God, the everlasting Father")--shows that He is "the Prince of peace"
in His essential person. In 2 Thessalonians 3:16 Christ is designated
"the Lord of peace." Hebrews 7:2 tells us that He is the "King of
peace," typified as such by Melchizedek the priest-king. In Romans
16:20 the apostle announced, "The God of peace shall bruise Satan
under your feet shortly," and in the light of Genesis 3:15 there can
be no doubt that the reference is immediately to the incarnate Son.
Less is explicitly revealed in Scripture concerning the person of the
Holy Spirit because He is not presented to us objectively like the
Father and the Son, inasmuch as He works within and indwells the
saints. Nevertheless, clear and full proof is given in the sacred
oracles that He is God, co-essential, coequal, and co-glorious with
the Father and the Son. As a careful examination of Scripture and a
comparison of one passage with another will demonstrate, it is a most
serious mistake to conclude from theologians referring to the Holy
Spirit as the third person of the Godhead that He is in any wise
inferior to the other two. If in Matthew 28:19 and 2 Corinthians 13:14
He is mentioned after the Father and Son, in Revelation 1:4-5 He is
named (as "the seven Spirits," the Spirit in His fullness) before
Jesus Christ, while in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 and Ephesians 4:4-6 He is
named before both the Son and the Father--such variation of order
manifesting Their co-equality. Thus, as equal with the Father and the
Son the Holy Spirit must also be "the God of peace," which is
evidenced by His communicating divine peace to the hearts of the
redeemed. When He descended from heaven on our baptized Savior it was
in the form of a dove (Matthew 3:16), the bird of peace.
Second, "the God of peace" announces what He is dispensationally, in
the economy of redemption, namely, the Ordainer or Covenantor of
peace. This is clear from Hebrews 13:20-21, where the apostle prays,
"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord
Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the
everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His
will." It was specifically as "the God of peace" that the Father
delivered our Surety from the tomb, "through the blood of the
everlasting covenant," that is, on the ground of that blood which
ratified and sealed the great compact which had been made between Them
before the foundation of the world. Reference is made to that compact
in Psalm 89:3, which alludes to the antitypical David, the "Beloved,"
as verses 27 and 28 conclusively prove. In God's foreview of the
entrance of sin into the world, with the fall of all men in Adam, and
the breach that made between Him and them, alienating the One from the
other, God graciously purposed to effect a reconciliation and secure a
permanent peace on a righteous basis, a basis which paid homage to His
authority and honored His law.
The Everlasting Covenant
A covenant is a mutual agreement between two parties wherein a certain
work is proposed and a suitable reward promised in return. In the
everlasting covenant the two parties were the Father and the Son. The
task assigned the Son was that He should become incarnate, render to
the law a perfect obedience in thought, word, and deed, and then
endure its penalty on behalf of His guilty people, thereby offering to
the offended God (considered as Governor and Judge) an adequate
atonement, satisfying His justice, magnifying His holiness, and
bringing in an everlasting righteousness. The reward promised was that
God would raise from the dead the Surety and Shepherd of His people,
exalting Him to His own right hand high above all creatures,
conforming them to the image of His Son, and having them with Himself
in glory forever and ever. The Son's voluntary compliance with the
proposal appears in His "Lo, I come... to do thy will, O God" (Heb.
10:7); and all that He did and suffered was in fulfillment of His
covenant agreement. The Father's fulfillment of His part of the
contract, in bestowing the promised reward, is fully revealed in the
New Testament. The Holy Spirit was the Witness and Recorder of that
covenant.
Now that everlasting compact is expressly designated "the covenant of
peace" in Isaiah 54:10; Ezekiel 34:25; 37:26. In that covenant Christ
stood as the representative of His people, transacting in their name
and on their behalf, holding all their interests dear to His heart. In
that covenant, in compliance with the Father's will and from His
wondrous love for them, Christ agreed to enter upon the most exacting
engagement and to undergo the most fearful suffering in order that
they might be delivered from the judicial wrath of God and have peace
with Him, that there might be perfect amity and concord between God
and them. That engagement was faithfully discharged by Christ, and the
peace which God eternally ordained has been effected. And in due
course the Father brings each of His elect into the good of it. It is
to that same eternal compact that Zechariah 6:12-13 alludes: "The
counsel of peace shall be between them both." That "counsel of peace"
or mutual goodwill was "between them both," between "the man whose
name is The Branch" and Jehovah "the Lord of hosts" (Zech. 6:12). The
"counsel" concerned Christ's building of the Church (Eph. 2:21-22) and
His exaltation to the throne of glory.
The God of Peace the Reconciled God
Third, "the God of peace" reveals what He is judicially, namely the
Provider of peace, the reconciled God. That which here engages our
attention is the actual outworking and accomplishment of what has been
before us in the last division. Of old, God said concerning His
people, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you... thoughts
of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end" (Jer. 29:11).
Yes, despite the guilt that rested upon them for their legal
participation in Adam's fall, and despite their own multiplied
transgressions and apostasy against Him, there had been no change in
His everlasting love for them. A real and fearful breach had been
made, and as the moral Governor of the universe God would not ignore
it; nay, as the Judge of all the earth His condemnation and curse
rested upon them. Nevertheless His heart was toward them, and His
wisdom found a way whereby the horrible breach might be healed and His
banished people restored to Himself, and that not only without
compromising His holiness and justice but by glorifying the one and
satisfying the other.
"When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made
of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the
law" (Gal. 4:4-5). God sent forth His Son in order to carry out what
had been agreed upon in the everlasting covenant, and to provide an
adequate compensation to His law that God's Son was made of a woman,
that in our nature He should satisfy the requirements of the law, put
away our sins, and bring in everlasting righteousness. In order to
redeem His people from the curse of the law, the Son lived and died
and rose again. In order to make peace with God, to placate His wrath,
to secure an equitable and stable peace, Christ obeyed and suffered.
In His redemptive work through His Son, God provided peace. At
Christ's birth the heavenly hosts, by anticipation, praised God,
saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will
toward men" (Luke 2:14). And at His death Christ "made peace [between
God and His people] through the blood of his cross" (Col. 1:20),
reconciling God (as the Judge) to them, establishing perfect and
abiding amity and concord between them.
Fourth, "the God of peace" declares what He is paternally, namely, the
Giver of peace to His children. This goes beyond what has been pointed
out above. Before the foundation of the world God ordained there
should be mutual peace between Himself and His people. As the
immediate result of Christ's mediatorial work peace was made with God
and provided for His people. Now we are to consider how the God of
peace makes them the actual participants of this inestimable blessing.
By nature they are utter strangers to it, for "there is no peace,
saith my God, to the wicked" (Isa. 57:21). How could there be when
they are engaged continually in active hostility against God? They are
without peace in their conscience, in their minds, or in their hearts.
"The way of peace have they not known" (Rom. 3:17).
The Work of the Holy Spirit
Before the sinner can be reconciled to God and enter into
participation of the peace which Christ has made with Him, he must
cease his rebellion, throw down the weapons of his warfare, and yield
to God's rightful authority. But, in order to do that, a miracle of
grace must be wrought in the sinner by the Holy Spirit. As the Father
ordained peace, as the incarnate Son made peace, so the Holy Spirit
brings us into the same. He convicts us of our awful sins, and makes
us willing to forsake them. He communicates faith to the heart whereby
we savingly believe in Christ. Then "being justified by faith, we have
peace with God" (Rom. 5:1) objectively. We are brought into His favor.
But more, we enjoy peace subjectively. The intolerable burden of guilt
is removed from the conscience and we "find rest unto our souls." Then
we know the meaning of that word "The peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus"
(Phil. 4:7). By His Spirit, through Christ, the Father has now
actually bestowed peace upon His believing child; and, in proportion
as his mind is stayed on Him, by trusting in Him, the child of God
will be kept in perfect peace (Isa. 26:3).
Fifth, "the God of peace" proclaims what He is governmentally, namely,
the Orderer of peace in the churches and in the world. Though each
Christian has peace with God, yet he is left in a world which lieth in
the wicked one. Though the Christian has peace with God in his heart,
yet the flesh remains, causing a continual conflict within and, unless
restrained, breaking forth into strife with his brethren. Therefore,
if God were not pleased to put forth His restraining power upon that
which seeks to disturb and disrupt the believer's calm, he would enjoy
little or no tranquillity within or rest without.
The Blessing of Peace
"Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen." By that petition the
apostle requested that God would in this particular character manifest
Himself among them so that His presence should be made known in their
midst. Were it not for the overruling providence of the Lord His
people would have no rest at any time in this world. But He rules in
the midst of His enemies (Ps. 110:1-2) and gives His people a
considerable measure of peace from their foes. This shows us that we
ought to be constantly looking to God for His peace else assaults are
likely to arise from every quarter. Peace is a blessing the churches
greatly need. We ought to "pray for the peace of [the spiritual]
Jerusalem" as our chief joy.
"Now the God of peace be with you all" implies that the saints must
conduct themselves in harmony, that amity and concord must prevail
among them, so that there be no grievous failure on their part that
would offend God and cause Him to withdraw His manifested presence
from them. "Those things, which ye have both learned, and received,
and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you"
(Phil. 4:9). Individuals as well as a corporate company of believers
must be in subjection to the divine authority and maintain scriptural
discipline if they would enjoy the peace of God (see 2 Corinthians
13:11). Charles Hodge well said, "It is vain for us to pray for the
presence of the God of love and peace unless we strive to free our
hearts from all evil passions."
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5. Prayer for Insight
Romans 16:25-27
In This Study we are endeavoring to give an interpretation as well as
an application of those precious portions of Holy Writ being dealt
with. The more closely we examine the wide range of the recorded
prayers of the apostle, the more we are impressed with their deep
importance--doctrinally as well as experimentally--as well as their
great variety, their extensive scope; and the more we feel convinced
that they need to be approached and dealt with expositionally as well
as devotionally and practically. There has been far too much
generalizing of the truth, and far too little painstaking and detailed
instruction.
The passage before us is a case in point, though we admit it is rather
an exceptional one, occurring as it does in what many regard as the
profoundest epistle in the New Testament. We wonder how many of our
readers, even after a careful reading and rereading of our present
passage, will obtain any clear-cut and intelligent concept of the
scope and subject of this prayer. We wonder how many of them could
supply satisfactory answers to the following questions: (1) Why is the
Deity here addressed as "him that is of power to establish you"? (2)
What is the force of "according to my gospel"? (3) what is signified
by "the preaching of Jesus Christ"? (4) what is this "mystery" which
"was kept secret since the world began"? (5) How does one harmonize
"kept secret" with "but now is made manifest by the scriptures of the
prophets"? (6) Why is it "according to the commandment of the
everlasting God"? (7) What is the special force of "to God only wise"?
Is there not real need here for a teacher?
When one honestly faces and carefully ponders these questions, he is
at once conscious of his dire need of wisdom from above. The central
subject of these verses is something especially profound; this seems
very obvious. Reader and writer alike should sense that they contain
truth of the deepest importance. But if their meaning is not apparent
from a cursory perusal, neither can it be conveyed to others through a
hurriedly prepared article. Prayer and study, study and prayer, are
called for; and they demand the exercise of faith and patience--graces
in which the present generation of Christians are sadly deficient.
While it has pleased God to grant us some insight into the contents of
this portion of the Word of God, we doubt we shall ever plumb the
depths in this life.
The Principal Subject
In his repeated study of this passage the writer felt that before he
was ready to work out its details he must first ascertain its
principal subject. Before he was prepared to identify the burden of
this prayer, he needed to discover its leading theme. In setting about
that task full consideration had to be given to the particular epistle
in which the prayer was located and to the distinctive subject of that
epistle. Each separate detail had to be pondered in its relation to
the whole; then parallel passages had to be sought and studied. This
called for impartial investigation, focused attention, laborious and
persevering effort and, above all, humbly seeking wisdom from God. The
task of the expositor is no light one. That is why there are so few,
for probably no generation ever detested hard work and mental toil
more than ours.
This is not only a sublime prayer but one of the greatest doctrinal
passages contained in Holy Writ. On the one hand it rises to
unsurpassed heights of devotion; on the other it conducts us to the
profoundest subject of divine revelation. Our passage speaks not only
of a "mystery" but of "the mystery" which includes and is the sum of
all others. The principal theme of the epistle is here epitomized as
affording the special ground for the praise now offered to God. In
Romans the gospel is expounded (see Romans 1:1, 9, 16) in a more
formal and systematic form than elsewhere in the Word. In the body of
the epistle we are shown the blessings the gospel conveys to those who
believe it; in their doxology we are taught how the gospel originated.
Excellence and Sufficiency of Divine Power
"Now to him that is of power to establish you" (Rom. 16:25). This is
not a petitionary prayer, but the adoration of Deity. No request is
made for the saints, but God is exalted before them. The apostle
begins by reminding us of the excellency and sufficiency of the divine
power. He had concluded his introduction to this epistle by affirming
"the gospel of Christ... is the power of God unto salvation to every
one that believeth" (Rom. 1:16). Now he points out the believer is
equally dependent upon God's power for his establishment. Christians
cannot establish themselves, nor can their ministers establish them;
the one or the other may use the appointed means, but they cannot
ensure success. God alone can make them effectual to any of us. But
blessed be His name, He can do so, for "God is able to make all grace
abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all
things, may abound to every good work" (2 Cor. 9:8). Note that the
word able includes disposition as well as capacity: He can, He will
(cf. Rom. 4:21; Eph. 3:20).
The Greek word translated "stablish" (sterizo) is rendered "set
steadfastly" in Luke 9:51 and "strengthen" in Luke 22:32 and
Revelation 3:2. It means "to thoroughly establish," "to make rooted
and grounded in the faith" (Col. 1:27) both in heart (1 Thess. 3:12)
and in walk (2 Thess. 2:17). This is a duty incumbent upon us, for we
are expressly bidden, "Stablish your hearts" (James 5:8). But because
we are not sufficient for such a task, God has graciously made the
promise: "But the Lord is faithful [though we are unfaithful], who
shall stablish you, and keep you from evil" (2 Thess. 3:3). Though it
be our privilege and obligation to study the Word, to grow in grace
and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus, yet so strongly are our hearts
influenced by sin, so dull is our understanding and so feeble is our
love, that the working of God's power is required to preserve us. Not
only were we unable to bring ourselves into the faith but we cannot
continue in it without divine strength. Because of our proneness to
apostatize, the subtlety and strength of our spiritual enemies, the
evil of the world in which we live, God's power alone can keep us (cf.
Jude 24).
Christians Established in the Gospel
"According to my gospel." Here we are shown what it is in which
Christians are established: namely, the gospel. God's own people are
established in the truth--an inestimable favor, especially in such a
day as this when God has given up the vast majority in Christendom to
"believe a lie" (2 Thess. 2:11). Second, the clause makes known to us
not only the spiritual sphere in which Christians are established but
also the means the Holy Spirit employs in this gracious work. Only as
our hearts are divinely enabled to cleave to the grand substance of
the gospel are we kept from being "tossed to and fro, . . . with every
wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness,
whereby they lie in wait to deceive" (Eph. 4:14). Third, this clause
signifies being established according to this divine rule--brought
into accord with it both inwardly and outwardly so there is no
swerving from it in belief or practice (cf. Rom. 6:17, margin).
"According to my gospel." First, this is to be regarded as a
discriminative expression because the gospel is that which Paul has
proclaimed in contradistinction to the false gospel of the Judaizers.
None of the other apostles made any reference to a spurious gospel,
but Paul particularly warned the Corinthians against "another gospel"
(2 Cor. 11:4); and to the Galatians he wrote, "Though we, or an angel
from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have
preached unto you, let him be accursed" (Gal. 1:8). Paul was referring
to his gospel, then, in opposition to all counterfeits, for none other
can avail for the salvation of the soul. Second, the gospel was Paul's
because he was the preeminent expounder of it, his first epistle being
devoted to an unfolding of its grand contents. The term "gospel"
occurs scores of times in Paul's writings, yet except for 1 Peter it
is found nowhere else in the epistles. Third, Paul used the expression
"my" because a special dispensation of the gospel was committed to him
for the Gentiles (Gal. 2:7; Ephesians 3:2). Finally, this expression
accords with the special fervor which marked Paul: "My God shall . .
." (Phil. 4:9), "Christ Jesus my Lord" (Phil. 3:8).
"And the preaching of Jesus Christ." This clause is joined to the
former in order to tell us the substance and contents of the gospel.
Jesus Christ is the grand Object and Theme of all true evangelical
ministry. The "preaching of Jesus Christ" is much more than making
frequent use of His name in our discourses, or even telling of His
wondrous love and work for sinners. The "preaching of Jesus Christ" is
first and foremost the magnifying of His unique Person, the making
known of who He is--the God-man. Second, it is the opening up of His
mediatorial office in which He serves as Prophet, Priest, and
Potentate. Third, it is the proclamation of His wondrous redemption.
Fourth, it is the enforcing of His claims and the holding up of the
perfect example He left us.
"According to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret
since the world began." This is both an explanation and an
amplification of the foregoing. The glorious gospel of Christ is no
invention of human wit; it is the wondrous product of the consummate
wisdom of God. As J. Evans well said of the gospel: "It has in it an
inconceivable height and such an unfathomable depth as passes
knowledge. It is a mystery which the angels desire to look into and
cannot find the bottom of. And yet, blessed be God, there is as much
of this mystery made plain as will suffice to bring us to heaven if we
do not willfully neglect so great salvation." The gospel infinitely
surpasses man's skill to originate. He was able to have no knowledge
whatever of it until God was pleased to publish the same. Nor was the
gospel any provision of His, devised in time, to meet some unforeseen
calamity, no mere imposed remedy for sin; it was that which engaged
the divine mind before heaven and earth were created.
New Testament Mysteries
Mention is made in the New Testament of the "mysteries of the kingdom
of heaven" (Matthew 13:11) and of the "mysteries of God" (1 Cor. 4:1).
The New Testament refers to the yet future restoration and salvation
of Israel as a "mystery" (Rom. 11:25) and of the resurrection and
bodily transformation of the saints as a "mystery" (1 Cor. 15:51). We
also read of the "mystery of iniquity" (2 Thess. 2:7) which is in
horrible contrast with "the mystery of godliness" (1 Tim. 3:16). There
is also the "mystery of the seven stars" in the right hand of Christ
and the "seven golden candlesticks" among which He walks (Rev. 1:20;
2:1), which we interpret to mean Christ's local churches. Many regard
the "mystery of God" as His ways in providence, particularly His
governance of this world, and the mystery of Babylon the great, "the
mother of harlots" (Rev. 17:5) as Romanism. That which is before us in
Romans 16:25 is, we believe, elsewhere termed the "mystery of his
will" (Eph. 1:9), the "great mystery" of Christ and His Church (Eph.
5:32), the "mystery of the gospel" (Eph. 6:19), the "mystery of God
[the Spirit], and of the Father, and of Christ" (Col. 2:2).
According to the usage of the word in the New Testament a mystery is a
concealed truth over which a veil is cast. It concerns something which
transcends the powers of man to conceive, and is therefore beyond his
ability to invent. It relates to something which is undiscoverable by
the human mind, beyond human knowledge until divinely revealed.
In recent years those known as dispensationalists have substituted the
term "secret," but we think it is a faulty alternative. True, these
"mysteries" were secrets impenetrable by finite sagacity until brought
to light by God, but they were still designated "mysteries" after
their revelation! Even now that they are made known to us there
remains a mysterious element that is beyond our ken. "Behold, I show
you a mystery; We shall not all sleep" (1 Cor. 15:51; cf. 1
Thessalonians 4:17). Before the Holy Spirit made such disclosures, who
ever imagined a whole generation of God's people would enter heaven
without passing through the portals of death! "Great is the mystery of
godliness: God was manifest in flesh" (1 Tim. 3:16). Yet now that the
miracle of the virgin birth has been recorded, there remains about the
Divine incarnation that which passes our understanding. The divine
mysteries, therefore, are addressed to faith and not to reason.
Definition of This Grand Mystery
In seeking to frame a definition of the grand mystery of our passage
we will first appropriate the help supplied by the clauses which have
already been before us. The mystery is something according to which
God is able to establish His people. Contributory thereto--or as the
means he employs in connection therewith--is what Paul styles "my
gospel," that is that which he had expounded at length in this very
epistle, the heart or central object of which is "the preaching of
Jesus Christ." Next, we observe this mystery was "kept secret since
the world began." By this we understand the mystery was hidden from
all the wise men of this world (1 Cor. 2:8); we understand also that
the Old Testament saints had not such light upon the mystery of the
gospel as Christians are now favored with (1 Pet. 1:10; Colossians
1:26) and that even the holy angels were not permitted to enter into
the gospel's wondrous contents until it was actualized historically
(Eph. 3:9-10). In Romans 16:25 we are told further that this mystery
is now "made known to all nations for the obedience of faith"--for Jew
and Gentile alike to give themselves up to Christ to be accepted by
God through Him, to be ruled by Him.
God's Revelation by His Spirit
Let us turn now to parallel passages. We find that this mystery has to
do with that mystery which is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 2:7, 9-10.
"We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom,
which God ordained before the world unto our glory. But as it is
written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered the
heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love
him. But God hath revealed them unto us [especially in the New
Testament] by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things [proof
of His omniscience], yea, the deep things of God." This intimates the
transcendent sublimity of the contents of the gospel mystery. The
"mystery of his will" (Eph. 1:9) declares the origin of the gospel
mystery and hints at its selective nature. The "mystery of Christ"
(Eph. 3:4) signifies Christ mystical, for it is His body in which
believing Jews and Gentiles are made "fellowheirs" (Eph. 3:6). This
verse tells of the gospel's international scope. Colossians 1:26-27
speaks of "the riches of the glory of this mystery" and announces the
plenitude of its bestowments. 1 Timothy 3:16 shows us the outworking
of the gospel mystery centered around the incarnation, justification,
and exaltation of God the Son.
This grand mystery of the gospel was, we believe, what is designated
in other passages "the everlasting covenant" (Heb. 13:20), which
concerned the divine plan of redemption, or the amazing scheme whereby
lost and depraved sinners might be everlastingly saved to the glory of
God. This seems clear not only from the other passages referred to
above but more especially from the whole of 1 Corinthians 2. There
Paul affirmed that his paramount concern was to preach "Jesus Christ
and him crucified." Yet Paul spoke the, "wisdom of God in a
mystery"--a message so unworldly, so incredible, so exacting that none
but the Holy Spirit could open human hearts to receive it to the
salvation of their souls.
The parallels between Romans 16:25-27 and 1 Corinthians 2 are more or
less obvious. In the one Paul adored "him that is of power to stablish
you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ." In the
other he averred that he had determined not to know anything among the
Corinthians save Jesus Christ and him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2). In
Romans 16 Paul affirmed his preaching had been "according to the
revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world
began." And in 1 Corinthians 2 he affirmed, "We speak the wisdom of
God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before
the world unto our glory" (1 Cor. 2:2). In the former he announced the
mystery "now is made manifest, by the scriptures of the prophets." In
the latter he quoted one of the prophets and added, "But God hath
revealed them [the inconceivable things mentioned in the previous
verse] unto us by his Spirit" (1 Cor. 2:10). In the doxology Paul
ascribed glory unto "God only wise"; in the doctrinal passage he
expressly mentioned the wisdom of God. Thus one passage serves to
interpret the other.
Grand Mystery Made Manifest
"But now is made manifest" (Rom. 16:26). What is? Why, the grand
mystery mentioned in the previous verse. And how is it "made
manifest"? By the "gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ" (Rom.
16:25). With this declaration of the apostle's should be closely
compared his earlier one: "But now the righteousness of God without
the law is manifested" (Rom. 3:21). And that in turn takes us back to
the thesis of this epistle: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of
Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that
believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the
righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith" (Rom. 1:16-17). In
the New Testament era (the "now" of our text and of Romans 3:21) there
has been a fuller and more glorious manifestation of God than there
was in all the preceding eras. And that in a twofold sense: both in
the degree of light given and in those who received it. God was
wondrously made known to Israel, yet nothing like He was when He
became incarnate and tabernacled among men. God's perfections were
exhibited in His law, yet how much more clearly are they irradiated by
His gospel!
Perhaps nothing more strikingly portrays the contrast between the two
dispensations in connection with the manifestation of the divine
excellency than placing side by side what is recorded in Exodus 33 and
a statement made in 2 Corinthians 4. In the former we find Moses
making request of Jehovah: "I beseech thee, show me thy glory" (Ex.
33:18). Let the reader look up Exodus 33:19-22 and then ponder the
Lord's response, "Thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not
be seen" (Ex. 33:23). How well may a person be known by a passing
glance of his "back parts"! That was characteristic and emblematic of
the Old Testament economy. Now set over against that this most
precious passage: "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of
darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor.
4:6). "The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he
hath declared him" (John 1:18)--revealed Him, made Him known, fully
told Him forth.
But there is another sense in which the mystery is now made manifest
as it was not previously, namely, in the more extensive promulgation
of it. Under the former economy the Psalmist declared, "He sheweth his
word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel. He hath
not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not
known them" (Ps. 147:19-20). For more than half the span of present
human history the heathen world was left in darkness, for from the
tower of Babel (Gen. 11) onward God "suffered all nations to walk in
their own ways" (Acts 14:16) so that they were deprived of even the
outward means of grace. But after His resurrection the Savior bade His
ambassadors, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost"
(Matthew 28:19). In accordance with this He gave a special commission
unto Saul of Tarsus to bear His name "before the Gentiles" (Acts
9:15), and by and by through the gospel which Paul proclaimed the
contents of the grand mystery were heralded far and wide.
That to which reference has been made receives express mention in all
of the leading passages where this mystery is in view. In our present
one it is specifically declared that the mystery is "made known to all
nations" (Rom. 16:26). In 2 Corinthians we learn that in the past the
mystery was that which "none of the princes of this world knew" (v. 8)
but which God had revealed to the Corinthian saints (v. 10). In
Ephesians 3:8 the apostle averred it had been given him to "preach
among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ," which in the
light of verses 2-5 signifies that therein was contained the very
substance of the mystery.
In Colossians 1:25-27 Paul alluded again to the special dispensation
God had given him to the Gentiles in connection with the mystery which
he here speaks of as "Christ in you [or `among you'] the hope of
glory." While in what may perhaps be termed the classic passage of 1
Timothy 3:16, one of the items comprising the mystery is that it
should be preached unto the Gentiles.
Gentiles Accorded a Prominent Place
The prominent place accorded the Gentiles in these passages has led
some of the more extreme dispensationalists to draw an erroneous
conclusion. They argue that the mystical Body of Christ is
preeminently Gentile, that the Old Testament saints have no place in
it, and that it not only had no historical existence before the call
of the Apostle Paul but that no other reference to it is to be found
in his epistles.
We shall not turn aside to refute this error, but would simply call
attention to the fact that Old Testament prophecy clearly foretold
that Christ should be a "light of the Gentiles" (Isa. 42:6-7; 49:6).
The Savior Himself announced, "Other sheep I have which are not of
this fold: them also I must bring,... and there shall be one fold, and
one shepherd" (John 10:16). Caiaphas prophesied that Christ would
"gather together in one the children of God that were scattered
abroad" (John 11:52). Not the simple purpose to call Gentiles into the
Church nor to make them "joint-heirs" with the Jews, but rather the
whole plan of redemption made that possible. The mystery is concerned
with that.
"And by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment
of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of
faith" (Rom. 16:26). We will consider the subordinate clause first.
This commandment respects the three things mentioned in the previous
verse: it was by divine appointment that this gospel, this preaching
of Jesus Christ, this revealed mystery, should be made known. The word
rendered "commandment" may mean "decree," and then the reference is to
Psalm 2:7 and those passages where the decree is declared, such as
"all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God" (Ps.
98:3). It may mean "law" or "statute," in which case the reference is
to the words of our Lord: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations"
(Matthew 28:19). That was indeed the commandment of the everlasting
God, both as the Father spake in Him and as He was and is, "over all
God, blessed for ever" (Rom. 9:5). The reason for and the special
propriety of here styling Deity "the everlasting God" lies in the
dominant subject of this passage, namely, "the mystery" or "the
everlasting covenant" in which was centralized His eternal purpose
(Eph. 3:11), which concerned the salvation of His elect (2 Tim. 1:9).
This salvation God "promised [to Christ] before the world began"
(Titus 1:2).
We regard the clause "and by the scriptures of the prophets" (Rom.
16:26) first, as looking back to the mystery of the previous verse;
second, as being linked to "and now is made manifest"; and third, as
connected with the final clause of this verse.
The mystery, or everlasting covenant, was the subject of Old Testament
revelation (2 Sam. 23:5; Psalm 89:34; Isaiah 55:3), yet for the most
part its wondrous contents were couched in obscure figures and
mysterious prophecies. By means of the antitypes of those figures and
the fulfillment of those prophecies, much light has been cast upon
what was so heavily veiled throughout the old economy. The parable
they contained has been explained and their symbols interpreted so
that what was for many generations dark is "now made manifest."
Israel's prophets announced the grace that should come to us and
"searched diligently" (1 Pet. 1:10) in connection therewith. Yet Peter
himself needed a special vision to convince him that salvation was
designed for the Gentiles (Acts 10). Thus the Old Testament credits
the New, and the New Testament illuminates the Old. What was latent in
the one is not patent in the other.
Immediate Design of the Gospel
"Made known to all nations for the obedience of faith" (Rom. 16:26).
This is the immediate design of the gospel, the preaching of Jesus
Christ, the revelation of the mystery, the commandment of the
everlasting God. It is that all who hear and read should both believe
and obey, receive and be governed by it. Though saving faith and
evangelical obedience may be distinguished, yet they are inseparable,
the one never existing without the other. As has been said, the gospel
commands us to give up ourselves to Christ, to be accepted through
Him, and to be ruled by Him; for He is the "author of eternal
salvation unto all them that obey him" (Heb. 5:9). Unspeakably solemn
it is to know that He will yet come "in flaming fire taking vengeance
on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel" (2 Thess.
1:8). Only that faith is of any value that produces sincere and loving
obedience, and only that obedience is acceptable to God which issues
from faith in His incarnate Son. The design of the gospel is to bring
us to both. Faith is the vital principle, obedience the necessary
product. Faith is the root; obedience the fruit.
"To God only wise, be glory" (Rom. 16:27). The reason why the apostle
here adores the Deity in this way leads to a wide and wondrous subject
which we trust will grip the reader as much as it has the writer.
Though we propose to devote the balance of this chapter to a
consideration of this verse, we shall not now attempt a complete
outline of it. It is in the grand mystery to which the apostle had
alluded in the previous verses, in the constitution and outworking of
the everlasting covenant that the consummate wisdom of God is so
illustriously and preeminently displayed and which drew out of the
apostle's heart to give praise for this divine excellence. O that
wisdom may be given us to hold up to view this perfection of Him whose
"understanding is infinite" (Ps. 147:5).
"To God only wise." He is the only wise Being essentially,
superlatively, eternally (cf. 1 Timothy 1:17; Jude 25). God is wise
not by communication from another but originally and independently;
whereas the wisdom of the creature is but a ray from the "Father of
lights" (James 1:17). The wisdom of God is seen in all His ways and
works, yet in some it appears more conspicuously than in others. "O
LORD, how manifold are all thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them
all: the earth is full of thy riches" (Ps. 104:24). The reference here
is to His works in creation. The same adoring exclamation may be made
of His works in providence, wherein He regulates all the complicated
affairs of the universe and governs this world so that all things are
made to redound unto His glory and work together for the good of His
people. But it is the marvelous plan of redemption which may well be
called the masterpiece of His wisdom. That is indeed the "wisdom of
God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before
the world unto our glory," containing as it does "the deep things of
God" (1 Cor. 2:7, 10). So many were the problems of redemption to be
solved (humanly speaking), so many the ways and means required, so
great the variety of its exercise, that it is designated "the manifold
wisdom of God" (Eph. 3:10).
Wisdom of God Displayed in the Gospel
The consummate wisdom of God appears in devising salvation for
sinners, which problem would have baffled forever the understanding of
all finite intelligences. God contrived a way where they could have
found none. Both the design of the everlasting covenant and the means
ordained to be used are most worthy of God. "The mystery of his will"
(Eph. 1:9) is the foundation of it. "I will have mercy on whom I will
have mercy" (Rom. 9:15). "In whom also we have obtained an
inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who
worketh all things after the counsel of his own will" (Eph. 1:11). As
one of the Puritans expressed it, "His will set His wisdom to work."
During recent years Christian writers--when treating of God's so-great
salvation--have thrown most of their emphasis on the grace which
provided it and the power which effectuates it, and comparatively
little attention has been given to the wisdom which planned it. God
determined to work in a most glorious manner and the end and the means
were equally admirable. So grand and marvelous is the work of
redemption that when the angels were sent as ambassadors extraordinary
to bring tidings of peace to the world, they burst forth in that
moving adoration, "Glory to God in the highest" (Luke 2:14).
God's Glory His Supreme End
The supreme end which God had in view was His own glory, the
subordinate end the recovery of His lapsed and ruined people. By the
"glory of God" is meant the manifestation of Himself in the exercise
of His attributes, the display of His perfections. In all the works of
God His excellencies are evidenced. But as some stars shine more
brightly than others, so His perfections are more manifest in certain
of His works. And as there is one heavenly body which far surpasses
all the planets, so the work of redemption greatly exceeds in wonder
all the marvels of creation. It is here that wisdom and goodness,
righteousness and mercy, holiness and grace, truth and peace, love and
power, are united in their highest degree and beauty. On that account
the apostle uses the expression "the glorious gospel of the blessed
God" (1 Tim. 1:11). That gospel is, as one has expressed it, "The
unspotted mirror wherein the great and wonderful effects of Deity are
set forth." It is the glorious work of redemption which evokes the
praise and thanksgiving of all the inhabitants of heaven (Rev.
5:12-13).
In contemplating the possibility of redemption the very attributes of
God seem to be divided against it. Mercy was inclined to save, whereas
justice demanded the death of the transgressor. The majesty of God
seemed to render it unworthy of His exalted greatness that He should
treat with defiled dust. The veracity of God required the infliction
of the penalty which He had denounced against obedience; the honor of
His truth must be preserved. The holiness of God appeared to preclude
utterly any advance toward depraved creatures. Yet the love of God was
set upon them. But how could it flow forth without compromising His
other perfections? What finite intelligence could have found a
solution to such a problem? Suppose this problem had been submitted to
the angels and after due deliberation they had recognized that a
mediator was necessary to heal the breach which sin had made, to
reconcile God to sinners and sinners to God. Where was a suitable
mediator to be found? Consider the qualifications he must possess.
Qualifications of a Suitable Mediator
In order to be eligible for such an undertaking, a mediator must be
able to touch equally both extremes: he must be capable of the
sentiments and affections of both the parties he would reconcile; he
must be a just esteemer of the rights and injuries of the one and of
the other. But for that he must possess the nature of both, so that he
has in himself a common interest in both. Moreover, he must have
sufficient merit as to secure the reward for many. But such an one was
not to be found, either in heaven or in earth. Yet this absence did
not defeat Omniscience. God determined to provide a Mediator, and that
none other than His own Son. But how could that be seeing He was
possessed of the divine nature only? Suppose that question had been
submitted to the celestial spirits. Had they not been forever at a
loss to unravel the difficulty? Suppose further that God had made
known to them that His Son would become incarnate, taking unto Himself
human nature, the Word becoming flesh. Would they not still have been
completely baffled?
Admire then and adore the amazing wisdom of God in ordaining a
Mediator fully qualified to reconcile God to men and men to God.
Marvel at such exercise of omniscience that devised the virgin birth
whereby the Son became partaker of our nature without contracting the
least iota of defilement, whereby He was Immanuel both by nature and
by office, whereby He was a fit Daysman (Job 9:33) to lay His hand on
each of the estranged parties, whereby He had both zeal for God and
compassion for men, and whereby He might serve as a substitute on
behalf of the guilty and make full satisfaction to the divine justice
in their stead. Moreover, divine wisdom resolved this difficulty in
such a way that, far from the glory of the Son being tarnished by the
incarnation, it has been enhanced thereby, for He receives throughout
the endless ages of eternity such a revenue of praise from His
redeemed which the holy angels are incapable of rendering Him, while
they themselves have been afforded additional grounds for adoring Him.
Compass of Divine Wisdom
Consider also the compass of divine wisdom in taking occasion from the
sin and fall of man to bring more glory to God and to raise man to a
more excellent state. Sin, in its own nature, has no tendency to good;
it is not an apt medium; it has no proper efficacy to promote the
glory of God; so far is it from a direct contribution to God's glory
that, on the contrary, it is the most real dishonor to Him. But as a
black background in a picture, which in itself may be thought by some
to detract, sets off the lighter colors and heightens their beauty, so
the evil of sin, considered absolutely, obscures the glory of God. Yet
by the overruling disposition of His providence sin serves to
illustrate His name and to make it more glorious in the esteem of
reasonable creatures. Without the sin of man there would be no place
for the most perfect exercise of God's goodness. Happy fault, not in
itself but by the wisdom and marvelous counsel of God, to be repaired
in a way so advantageous that the salvation of the earth is the wonder
of heaven.
Bates, in The Harmony of the Divine Attributes, said, "The wisdom of
God appears in ordaining such contemptible and, in appearance,
opposite means, to accomplish such glorious effects. The way is as
wonderful as the work. That Christ by dying on the cross [as] a
reputed malefactor should be made our everlasting righteousness; that
descending to the grave, He should bring up a lost world to life and
immortality, is so incredible to our narrow understandings that He
saves us and astonishes us at once. In nothing is it more visible that
the thoughts of God are far above our thoughts and His ways above our
ways as heaven is above the earth (Isa. 55:8). It is a secret in
physic to compound the most noble remedies of things destructible to
nature, and thereby make one death victorious over another: but that
eternal life should spring from death, glory from ignominy,
blessedness from a curse, is so repugnant to human sense that to
render the belief of it easy, it was foretold by many prophets, that
when it came to pass it might be looked on as the effect of God's
eternal counsels."
"To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen" (Rom.
16:27). The Greek is somewhat complex and the Revised Version states
more literally, "To the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom
be the glory forever. Amen." As each translation is equally
legitimate, we adopt them both, for each is in perfect harmony with
other passages. The thought conveyed by the Authorized Version is
this: Our adoration of God is possible only through the mediation of
Jesus Christ. The concept expressed by the Revised Version is this: It
is in and through Jesus Christ that God is superlatively manifested as
both infinite in might and omniscient in knowledge. "Christ the power
of God, and the wisdom of God" (1 Cor. 1:24). In and by the person and
work of Christ are these divine perfections supremely displayed. He is
the "image of the invisible God" (Col. 1:15), "the brightness [or
outshining] of his glory" (Heb. 1:3). The Object of this doxology is
the omnipotent and omniscient God: the subject which gives rise to it
is the mystery, or everlasting covenant; the substance of it is "glory
for ever"; the Medium of it is Jesus Christ.
Gleanings from Paul Index
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings from Paul
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6. Prayer for Weaker Brothers
1 Corinthians 1:4-7
The Original Corinth was the chief city of ancient Greece not only in
authority but also in wealth and grandeur and, we may add, in luxury
and licentiousness--the temple of Venus being situated there. Corinth
was entirely destroyed by the Roman consul Mammius, 120 B.C. As one
writer expresses it, "Its inhabitants were dispersed, and the
conqueror carried with him to Rome the richest spoils that ever graced
the triumphs of a Roman general." For a century after that Corinth lay
desolate in ruins. But Julius Caesar, perceiving the military
importance and commercial possibilities of its location, determined to
rebuild it. For that purpose he sent to Corinth a colony consisting
chiefly of freedmen. The Corinthian men Justus (Acts 19:7), Crispus
and Gaius (1 Cor. 1:4), Fortunatus and Achaicus (1 Cor. 16:17) all had
names of Roman origin. That colony however was little more than the
nucleus of the new city. Merchants flocked to Corinth from all parts
and many Jews were drawn to it by the lure of commerce. Art,
literature, and luxury revived. The Isthmian Games were again
celebrated there.
The New Corinth
The new Corinth was made the capital of Achaia. Under the fostering
care of Augustus Caesar, Corinth regained much of its ancient splendor
and by A.D. 50 had reached a preeminence which made it the glory of
Greece. But it was a material and carnal glory, for it was the center
of voluptuousness. Yet where sin abounded grace did much more abound,
for God had ordained that this place of gross wickedness should
witness some of the grandest triumphs of the Cross of Christ. From
that viewpoint it is easy to perceive how well situated Corinth was to
be a center from which the gospel might be diffused. Not only was it
the political center of Greece, the seat of its commercial and
intellectual life, a place of concourse of many citizens and nations,
but it was a place from which influences of many kinds emanated in all
directions. To this city Paul was sent. Though an ambassador of the
King of kings he was attended by no retinue, and his approach was
entirely unheralded and unaccompanied.
A complete stranger to the place, Paul sought out two of his own
countrymen, Aquila and his wife Priscilla, who were employed in the
same craft in which he was proficient. Paul lodged with them and
worked with them in tent-making (Acts 18:1-2). On the Sabbaths he went
to the synagogue where he reasoned with and persuaded both Jews and
Greeks. A little later Paul's hands were strengthened by Silas and
Timothy joining with him, and he testified to the Jews that Jesus was
the Christ. But they opposed and blasphemed. Nothing daunted, Paul
shook his raiment and said to them, "Your blood be upon your own
heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles" (Acts
18:6). The Lord honored his decision, first saving Crispus, the chief
ruler of the synagogue, and all his house. Then "many of the
Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized" (Acts 18:8). But they
were only the firstfruits; a larger harvest was to be gathered. "Then
spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but
speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall
set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city" (Acts
18:9-10).
Paul's Labors in Corinth
Note that they were the Lord's people, even though yet in a state of
nature, dead in trespasses and sins--His by sovereign and eternal
election. "And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the
word of God among them" (Acts 18:11). Paul's labors were richly
blessed, and the many monuments to divine grace that were raised up
constituted the foundation members of the Church of God at Corinth.
After the apostle's departure trouble arose in the assembly and
various evils broke out. It must be remembered that the membership of
this church was a heterogeneous one, that many members had been reared
in heathenism, that they were surrounded by all the incentives to
self-indulgence, plied on every hand by vain philosophers, and that at
this time no part of the New Testament was in circulation. Judaizers
had propagated error and sown the seeds of dissension and a strong
party spirit was at work. But considerable carnality prevailed and
serious disorders were marring this Christian testimony.
Among the evils in the Corinthian church were cliques and factions,
the violation of the seventh commandment in various forms, and the
remissness of the assembly to exercise discipline in such matters.
There was a disorderly and unbrotherly spirit in their meetings. Women
were allowed to enter the congregation with uncovered heads and to
speak in public, exercising the gift of prophecy and speaking in
tongues without regard to order and edification. The Lord's supper was
debased into a common meal. Brother went to law against brother before
heathen magistrates, and some of them became rebellious against Paul.
Tidings of these things had reached the apostle's ears. And though
this epistle was written in answer to certain more specific inquiries
he had received from them, he used the opportunity in his reply to
take up all those things which needed correction. Though there were
some things in this epistle which concerned local, evanescent, and
special matters, yet fundamental doctrine and much of lasting
importance was also interweaved.
It is most blessed to see how Paul commenced his letter to them. He
had much more to say of blame than of praise, yet after the opening
address and salutation he told them: "I thank my God always on your
behalf" (1 Cor. 1:4). Before directly charging them with their
disorderly conduct, he first assured them of the place they had in his
affections. Though Paul was now absent from them, they held a warm
place in his heart. He constantly remembered them before the throne of
grace. A lesson here for those engaged in the pastoral office: When
called of God to occupy another place in His vineyard, they are not to
forget those they left in their former field of service. The "I thank
my God always on your behalf" tells us that Paul did not regard prayer
as a spiritual luxury to be enjoyed only on rare and special
occasions. Rather it was a regular practice with him, a duty which be
constantly discharged, and that, in seeking fresh supplies of grace
not only for himself but on the behalf of others also. Prayer has been
rightly termed "the pulse of the Christian's life," intimating his
health or sickliness.
Paul Owns God as "My God"
Once more we find the apostle referring to the One to whom he returned
thanks as "my God." Though we sought to bring out the force of that
expression on a former occasion, it may be well for us to summarize
the same here. Paul did not regard Deity as absolute and infinitely
removed but as a living and personal reality to whom he was intimately
related. "My God" was an avowal of covenant relationship, for the
grand covenant promise was "I... will be your God, and ye shall be my
people" (Lev. 26:12). "My God" was expressive of personal
relationship: He was Paul's God by eternal election, by redemption,
and by regenerating power. God communicated life to Paul and stamped
the divine image on his heart, thereby making him manifestly His own
dear child. "My God" was an acknowledgment of Paul's personal choice,
for he had consciously and voluntarily taken God to be his absolute
Lord, supreme Good, and everlasting Portion. "My God" was a confession
of practical relationship. All Paul's talents and energies were
devoted to the glory of God who had shown him such abundant mercy, who
would keep that which Paul had committed to Him, who would supply all
Paul's needs.
Such a God was an object of fervent adoration. His goodness had to be
acknowledged, and Paul was continuously engaged in that holy exercise.
"I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is
given you by Jesus Christ" (l Cor. 1:4). In this Paul has set us all
an example: "Be ye followers of me" (1 Cor. 11:1). If we do not
emulate him in this blessed practice of thanking God for others, then
most certainly we shall suffer loss. Is not failure at this particular
point one reason why some of the Lord's people find it so difficult to
obtain assurance that "the grace of God" has been given them by Jesus
Christ? Is it not because they were not and are not truly thankful
when they have reason to believe He has bestowed His grace on others?
Is there a tendency to be too much occupied with our own spiritual
interests? God will not prosper self-centeredness. It is not without
reason that the Lord has bidden His people, "Look not every man on his
own things, but every man also on the things of others" (Phil. 2:4).
There is such a thing as spiritual selfishness as well as natural
selfishness. Then let us seek to heed that exhortation, "Rejoice with
them that do rejoice" (Rom. 12:15).
An Important Practical Lesson
"I thank my God always on your behalf." That word always is very
blessed when we call to mind the attendant circumstances. It points up
an important practical lesson for us. There had been various changes
in the Corinthian assembly during the apostle's absence, and none of
those changes had been for the better. But there had been no
alteration or lessening of Paul's affections for them. There had been
that among them which must have dampened his joy, but he had not
allowed it to chill his love. He gave thanks for them even then as
frequently as he had done formerly; yes, even though some of them had
become cool toward him. And do not the writer and reader need to keep
close watch over their hearts that they do not allow any change in the
conduct of their brethren to diminish their love for them? True, it
may call for a variation of the expression (as in Paul's case; see
4:21), for love must ever be faithful; and the form taken by its
outward manifestation is to be regulated for the good of its object,
yet there is to be no lessening of its fervor.
Though Paul could not assure the Corinthians, "I thank my God through
Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the
whole world" (Rom. 1:8), he did adore God for having effectually
called them: "I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of
God which is given you by Jesus Christ." And does not that inculcate
another important lesson for us, namely, that we are not to despise
the bruised reed nor the smoking flax? True, we shall thank God most
ardently for those who most resemble His Son, yet we must not fail to
thank Him also for those in whom as yet we can but faintly discern
Him. If the name of Christ is fragrant to us, we shall rejoice
wherever it is poured forth. If His image is precious to us, we should
own it in whomsoever we see it--just as when His gospel is prized by
us we shall be glad for whoever preaches it. Though as yet Christ's
image can be only faintly detected in His babes, yet if we see it at
all, we have the infallible assurance that He who has begun a good
work in them will assuredly complete the same (Phil. 1:6).
It was this particular truth which sustained Paul's heart at this very
time (1 Cor. 1:8). At least three years had passed since he left
Corinth, during which time he had labored hard in other fields. But he
recalled with gratitude and joy how graciously and wondrously God had
wrought in the notoriously wicked city of Corinth. That was what
upheld him when he learned of the sad disorders among them. "I thank
my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you
by Jesus Christ." His memory went back to the "day of their
espousals." Instead of being wholly absorbed with and weighted down by
their sad failures, Paul held fast to the fact and kept foremost in
his mind the truth that they had been both the objects and recipients
of the sovereign and invincible grace of God. Since that grace had not
been earned by them but "given by Jesus Christ," he knew that it could
not be forfeited; they would grow in grace and in the knowledge of
their Savior. A careful reading of the second epistle which he later
sent to the same church shows how blessedly his confidence was
justified and his hope realized.
Important Instruction to God's Servants
Paul did not begin this epistle by rebuking the Corinthians for their
waywardness but instead by enumerating certain things which evidenced
them to be the special objects of divine favor. We are to see in this
not only a lovely exemplification of the apostle's own magnanimity and
graciousness but also important instruction as to how any servant of
God is to proceed in his dealings with those--particularly his own
children in the gospel--who have wandered out of the way. He must
first seek to reach and melt their hearts with a renewed sense of
God's goodness to them, for only then would they be capable of
perceiving the exceeding sinfulness of sin and the dishonor done Him
by a disorderly walk on the part of those who bore His name. By
calling to remembrance the day of their salvation, Paul not only
sought to recall to them the marvel of divine mercy that brought them
out of darkness into His marvelous light but also to remind them that
he himself had been the favored instrument used of God in their
conversion. Therefore, since he was their spiritual father (1 Cor.
4:15), they should more readily attend to the message he was about to
give them.
The "grace of God" has reference first to His free and sovereign favor
and then to the blessings which issue therefrom--as we speak of
receiving favors from a person. It was in this second sense that the
apostle used the term when he thanked God for the grace which had been
given to the Corinthians. Observe how careful he was to honor the
Savior by according Him His due place as Mediator: "The grace of God
which is given you by Jesus Christ." God's grace was first given to
His elect in Christ before the foundation of the world (2 Tim. 1:9),
and then it was given them by Christ at their regeneration and
throughout their Christian course (John 1:14-16). All the grace of God
flows to us through the Redeemer. It was, first, the grace of God by
Jesus Christ that had been bestowed on the Corinthians at their
conversion; then they were "enriched by him, in all utterance, and in
all knowledge" (1 Cor. 1:5). The same truth is emphasized here, gifts
and attainments being expressly ascribed to Christ. Thus all ground
for self-gratification and boasting was removed, and the honor was
placed where it rightly belonged. There was no pandering to the
creature here but a humbling of him.
Extraordinary Gifts of the Spirit
"Enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge." The order
of those two things may strike us as strange. If so, it is through
failure to understand the particular kind of utterance and knowledge
to which Paul alluded. The reference was not to what is ordinary but
to the extraordinary, not to the graces which the Spirit imparts but
to His gifts. At the beginning of this dispensation there were not
only officers extraordinary (apostles and prophets) but there were
gifts extraordinary; and as successors were not appointed for the
former so a continuance of the latter was never intended. In the early
days of this era the Holy Spirit made His presence evident by sensible
signs (see Acts 2:1-4; 10:44-46). Extraordinary gifts and signs were
given in fulfillment of Christ's promise (Mark 16:17-18) for the
establishing of Christianity and the infantile state of the Church,
for certifying the truth of the gospel (Heb. 2:4), divinely attesting
the doctrine taught by the apostles and evidencing God's approval of
the same. We term these miraculous works of the Spirit extraordinary
to distinguish them from His ordinary ones, or those gifts and graces
which He has communicated to Christians all through this age.
Those supernatural gifts were designed to arrest the attention of
outsiders (1 Cor. 14:22), to command a hearing for the apostles, to
authenticate the gospel in heathen countries. Of all the churches of
God that we read of in the New Testament that at Corinth seems to have
abounded most in these gifts--and to have abused them most. Those
Corinthians who exhibited these spiritual gifts despised others of
their number who had not their particular gift, and those without
gifts envied those who had them.
The gift of utterance included prophesying, or speaking by divine
afflatus, but more especially referred to a miraculous endowment which
enabled its possessor to speak in divers languages (1 Cor. 12:10;
14:4-5). The gift of knowledge was a supernatural endowment for
interpreting the prophecies and strange tongues (1 Cor. 12:10; 14:26).
In the body of the epistle, Paul acquainted the Corinthians with the
excellence of those gifts and how they were to be used. They were from
the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:4, 8); they were given for mutual profit (1 Cor.
12:7); they were to be exercised in an orderly manner for edification
(1 Cor. 14:26-33). Paul also pointed out to the Corinthians something
still more desirable and excellent--the way to exercise love (1 Cor.
13).
Though these gifts were to render them more serviceable, they were not
sanctifying ones (1 Cor. 13:2). Though the Corinthians had been
plenteously endowed, yet spiritually they were only babes (1 Cor.
3:1). Though through their pride and forwardness those gifts had been
much abused, yet the apostle adored God for the communicating of them.
They were the purchase of Christ (Eph. 4:8) and the fruit of His
ascension (Acts 2:33). Though the apostle could not (as yet) rejoice
at the fruits of the Spirit being borne by them, yet he let them know
he returned thanks for the extraordinary gifts bestowed on them. That
too was calculated to have a conciliatory effect on the Corinthians
and dispose them to heed what followed. Far from depreciating those
gifts as valueless because they had not made better use of them, Paul
traced them to God as their Source and Jesus Christ as their Bestower.
There was no flattering of them because they were in possession of
them, but a magnifying of Him to whom they were indebted (Acts 4:7).
The Extraordinary Gifts No Longer Prevalent
Though these extraordinary gifts are not exercised in most Christian
assemblies, there are other gifts distinguishable from spiritual
graces--natural endowments, intellectual capacity, readiness of
speech, and so forth. While those gifts and the natural talents we
have mentioned are far inferior to spiritual graces, yet from the
example of the apostle here with reference to the former we may learn
valuable lessons concerning the latter. First, the one as much as the
other is the gift of God and is to be thankfully acknowledged as such.
Grace is the most excellent thing of all, yet add gifts and it becomes
more excellent. It was the temple which sanctified the gold;
nevertheless the gold beautified the temple. It is grace which
sanctifies gifts, yet gifts adorn and render its possessors more
useful. Second, the possessors of gifts have no reason to be puffed up
thereby nor to look down upon those who do not have them, for it is
God who makes one to differ from another. Third, we should not
disparagingly contrast gifts with graces. Paul did not. If there is
danger on the one hand there is no less on the other; one may be as
proud of his faith or love as another of his utterance or knowledge.
After all that has been brought out above on 1 Corinthians 1:4-5 there
is less need for us to say much on what follows. "Even as the
testimony of Christ was confirmed in [or among] you" (1 Cor. 1:6). The
"testimony of Christ" signifies the gospel. In 1 Corinthians 2:1 it is
termed "the testimony of God." The former refers to its grand Object,
the latter to its gracious Author. Mention is made of this testimony
being confirmed as a proof that it did not come to them in the letter
only but also in divine power. In other words, the testimony was an
evidence they had received the gospel to their own salvation (cf. Col.
1:6). The gospel had been accepted by a God-given faith and was firmly
established in their convictions and affections. If we translate it
"confirmed among you" then the allusion is to the miraculous gifts
which had been imparted to them (cf. Hebrews 2:4). The opening "even
as" looks back to both verses 4 and 5. Paul was saying, "As your
conversion and your endowment with these gifts proceeded from the
grace of God by Jesus Christ, equally so did this confirmation."
"So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 1:7). This confirms the meaning we have given to
the previous verse. The gospel had been so confirmed among them that
no church was more plenteously endowed with gifts. It had been so
confirmed in them that it produced this blessed fruit--they were
eagerly awaiting the Redeemer's return. The reference is to the
expectation they cherished of Christ's second advent, the promise of
which was connected with the resurrection of His people and the
consummation of His kingdom. So generally was Christ's return the
blessed hope of all the early Christians that they were characterized
as those who loved His appearing (2 Tim. 4:8). How much more so should
we love to contemplate His second advent now that that glorious event
is two thousand years nearer! The gifts and graces of the Spirit are
but the "firstfruits" (Rom. 8:23), and they should make us yearn for
the coming of Christ, when we shall enter fully into the inheritance
He purchased for us.
Gleanings from Paul Index
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings from Paul
by A. W. Pink
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7. Prayer Concerning Tribulation
2 Corinthians 1:3-5
The Communication of news in ancient times was much slower business
than it is today. How long an interval elapsed between Paul's sending
his first epistle to the Corinthian church and his obtaining tidings
from them we cannot be sure, but probably at least a year passed
before he learned how they had received his communication and what
effects, under God, it had produced in them. During that period of
suspense he appears to have been in a state of unusual depression and
anxiety. The fierce opposition he encountered in Asia where he was
"pressed out of measure" (2 Cor. 1:8) and the deep concern which he
had for the Corinthians affected his peace of mind (2 Cor. 7:5). His
first epistle had been sent from Ephesus where he had expected to
remain until the following Pentecost (1 Cor. 16:8), evidently hoping
to hear from the Corinthian Christians by then. From Ephesus Paul
proposed to pass into Macedonia and from there to Corinth (1 Cor.
16:5-7). But desiring to learn what had been their reactions to his
letter, before he came to them he sent Timothy (1 Cor. 4:17; 16:10),
commissioning him to set things in order. He bade them to respond
peacefully to Timothy's counsels.
Paul's Concern for the Corinthian Church
A little later on, Paul sent Titus to Corinth in order to ascertain
how matters were progressing with instruction to return and make a
report, for the manner and measure in which they had responded to his
exhortations would regulate to a considerable extent his future
movements. Momentous issues were at stake: the interests of the gospel
in an important city, the prosperity of a church which Paul had
planted, and the honor of his Master's name. Deeply exercised, Paul
had left Ephesus and come to Troas on his way to Macedonia, where it
seems he had arranged for Titus to meet him and make his report. But
in this Paul was disappointed (2 Cor. 2:13), and having no rest in his
spirit he pressed forward to Macedonia. There again peace was denied
him, for he "had no rest," being troubled on every side. "Without were
fightings, within were fears" (2 Cor. 7:5). Then God relieved the
apostle's suspense by the arrival of the eagerly awaited Titus, who
brought Paul a most favorable report, assuring him that his epistle
had accomplished most of what he desired (2 Cor. 7:6-16), and thereby
Paul's heart was greatly comforted.
When Paul learned that the Corinthians had received his admonitions in
Christian meekness, that they had been brought to repentance and had
put out of fellowship the incestuous person (2 Cor. 7:9; 2:6), and
that the major portion of the assembly had expressed the warmest
affection for him (2 Cor. 1:14; 7:7), he at once sent this second
epistle to them. The news brought by Titus not only greatly relieved
his mind but also filled him with gratitude to God. On the other hand,
the boldness and influence of the false teachers there had increased,
as had their charges against Paul, and their determined efforts to
undermine his apostolic authority moved him to indignation (2 Cor.
10:2; 11:2-6, 12-15). This explains the sudden change from one subject
to another and the noticeable variation of tone in this second
epistle. To the obedient section of the church Paul wrote with the
tenderest affection, commending their penitence, assuring them he had
forgiven and forgotten. But when he turned to the corrupters of the
truth among them, he struck a note of severity which is not heard
elsewhere in his epistles.
God Revealed Through His Titles
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
mercies and God of all comfort" (2 Cor. 1:3 E.R.V.). This is an
ascription of praise, for "blessed be" signifies "adored be." The
Father is here adored under a threefold appellation, each phase of
which views Him as related to us in Christ, that is, to Christ as the
covenant Head and to us as God's elect in Him. As the first will come
before us again in Ephesians 1:3, we will reserve our remarks on it
until we come to that verse. The three titles are most intimately
related, the one depending upon the other. He is "the Father of
mercies" to His people because He is the God and Father of their Head.
And because He is "the Father of mercies" to them, He is also their
"God of all comfort." This threefold designation is worthy of our
devoutest and closest meditation.
The Father of Mercies
Though it is blessedly true that God is "plenteous in mercy" (Ps.
86:5), the title "Father of Mercies" conveys more than the idea that
He is our most merciful Father. It also connotes that these mercies
issue from His very nature and that they are therefore both His
offspring and His delights. The Hebrews used the word father for the
author or first cause of anything, as Jabal is termed "the father of
such as dwell in tents" and Jubal as "the father of all such as handle
the harp and organ" (Gen. 4:20-21), that is, the originator or founder
of such. For the same reason God is called the "Father of spirits"
(Heb. 12:9) because He is the Begetter of them. In James 1:17 He is
designated the "Father of lights" as He is the Author of all gifts
coming to us from above. In this verse is a manifest allusion to the
sun which is the author and giver of light to all the planets and may
therefore be termed the "father," or first original, of light to the
earth. God is appropriately termed "the Father of mercies," for
without Him none of our mercies would have any existence. He sustains
the same relation to His mercies as a father does to his dear
children.
Thus there is at least a threefold reason why God is here styled the
"Father of mercies." First, as "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ" He is such to us: thus covenant mercies are here in view.
Second, God is called the "Father of mercies" to signify that He is so
far from begrudging these to us that mercies are regarded as the
Father's offspring, as proceeding from His nature, therefore His
delights (Micah 7:18). Third, the name "Father of mercies" was used
because of its pertinency to the case of the Corinthians. It was His
mercy which had moved Paul to deal so faithfully with them in his
first letter, for--little as we may realize it and still less as we
may prize it--it is a great mercy when we are rebuked for our faults
instead of being abandoned by God. It was a further signal mercy which
caused the Corinthians to be convicted by Paul's rebukes; for the most
faithful admonitions are ignored by us unless God is pleased to
sanctify them to us. Only in His light can we see ourselves. It was an
additional mercy which wrought in them godly sorrow, which in turn
caused them to mourn for their sins and put right what was wrong; it
is the goodness of God which leads to repentance (Rom. 2:4).
The God of All Comfort
"And God of all comfort." This is an excellency peculiar to the true
and living God. None of the false gods of heathendom have such a
quality ascribed to them; rather they are represented as being cruel
and ferocious. Consequently they are regarded, even by their
worshipers, as objects of dread. But how different is the Lord God:
"As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you" (Isa.
66:13), He declared. What a revelation of the divine character is
that! Though inconceivable in majesty, almighty in power, inflexible
in justice, He is also infinite in tenderness. How this should draw
out our love for Him. How freely we should seek Him for relief in
times of stress and sorrow. But alas, how slow most of us are in
turning to God for consolation; how readily and eagerly we seek other
creatures for the assuaging of our grief. Many believers seem to be as
reluctant to go out of themselves to God alone for comfort as
unbelievers are to go out of themselves to Christ alone for
righteousness. Yes, are there not some who, in a petulant and
rebellious mood, say by their actions, "My soul refused to be
comforted" (Ps. 77:2), despising their own mercies?
"The God of all comfort." That term has come to have a narrower
meaning than its derivatives, connoting little more today than
consolation or soothing. Our English word is formed from the Latin con
fortis, "with strength." Divine comfort is the effect produced by His
mercies. Every genuine comfort is here traced back to its source. He
is "the God of all comfort." In its lower sense comfort is the natural
refreshment that we obtain, under God, from others. We say "under
God," for apart from His blessing of them to us we can derive no
enjoyment and no benefit even from temporal mercies. In its higher
signification comfort has reference to support under trials. It is a
divine strengthening of the mind when there is a danger of our being
overwhelmed by fear or sorrow. "This is my comfort in my affliction:
for thy word hath quickened me" (Ps. 119:50). It is blessed to
remember how often the Holy Spirit is termed, in relation to God's
people, the "Comforter." Sometimes He makes use of our fellow
Christians to administer spiritual comfort to our fainting hearts, as
Paul was comforted by the coming of Titus (2 Cor. 7:6).
It is inexpressibly solemn to consider that in precisely these
characters of "the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort"
Christ was deserted by Him. As our Surety and not as His beloved Son
(regarded as such) the Judge of all the earth dealt with Him in holy
severity and inexorable justice, crying, "Awake, O sword, against my
shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of
hosts: smite the shepherd" (Zech. 13:7). That is why, amid all the
indignities and inhumanities inflicted on Christ by men, He opened not
His mouth; but when the Father of mercies withdrew from Him the light
of His countenance, when His comforts were withheld, Christ broke
forth into the mournful lamentation, "My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). And it is just because God did not
sustain those characteristics to the Savior on the cross that Christ
bears these relations to us. Let us ever remember that our cup is
sweet because His was bitter, that God communes with us because He
forsook Christ, that we are enlightened because He passed through
those fearful hours of darkness.
"Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to
comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we
ourselves are comforted of God" (2 Cor. 1:4). The immediate reference
is to the experiences through which Paul had recently passed. He had
occasion personally to adore God as "the Father of mercies and God of
all comfort" since he had been proving Him as such. For God had
comforted Paul in all his troubles. Yet the apostle graciously and
tenderly associated the Corinthians with himself, for they too had
sorrowed and been comforted (2 Cor. 7:9, 13). How striking is the
difference between these verses and those which occupied us in the
previous discussion. There the apostle could thank God only for
endowments of the Corinthians (1 Cor. 1:4-7), for he could not rejoice
in their condition. But now he adores Him for the grace which makes
all things work together for good to His own and causes their very
troubles to issue in their profit. There he had termed the One
addressed "my God," but here he adores "the Father of mercies and God
of all comfort." Only as we pass through the fires do we obtain a
fuller experimental knowledge of God and become more intimately
acquainted with Him.
"Who comforteth us in all our tribulation." The soul is more capable
of receiving divine comfort during a season of trouble, for the things
of time and sense then cease to charm it. Moreover, the Lord manifests
more tenderness to His people on such occasions: "If ye be reproached
for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the Spirit of glory and of
God resteth upon you" (1 Pet. 4:14). God has various designs in
bringing His people into trouble and sustaining them under it: for
their growth, for a fuller discovery of Himself to them, for them to
learn the sufficiency of His grace.
Able to Comfort Others
Another reason for tribulation is here alluded to: "That we may be
able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort
wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God" (1 Cor. 1:4). The favors
which God bestows on us are intended to be made useful to others. If I
have found the Lord "a very present help in trouble," it is both my
privilege and duty to witness to my troubled brethren as to how I was
enabled to overcome temptations, as to how I found the divine promises
my support, as to how I obtained peace in Christ while in the midst of
tribulation. The best place of training for the pastor is not a
seminary but the school of adversity. Spiritual lessons can be learned
only in the furnace of affliction.
This principle receives its highest exemplification in the person of
our blessed Redeemer. "Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be
made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful
high priest" (Heb. 2:17). It is clear from these words that in order
for the perfecting of Christ's character to serve in the office of
High Priest, He had first to know what actual trial and sorrow were.
The "merciful" here signifies to lay to heart the miseries of His
people and to care for them so as to sustain and relieve their
distresses. Yet not His mercifulness in general is in view, for He
possessed that as both God and man, but rather that which is drawn
forth by the memory of the temptations and suffering through which He
passed. Paul referred to the exercise of mercifulness and faithfulness
in Christ's priestly work on high as excited and called into exercise
by the sense of the afflictions He experienced on earth. Not only
merciful but faithful also in His constant care and attention to the
needs of His weak and weeping people here below. Filled with
compassion toward them, He is ever ready to support and sustain,
strengthen and cheer them.
"For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to
succour them that are tempted" (Heb. 2:18). Having trod the same path
as His suffering people, Christ is qualified to enter into their
afflictions. He is not like the holy angels who never experienced
poverty or pain. No, during the season of His humiliation He knew what
weakness and exhaustion were John 4:6), what the hatred and
persecution of enemies entailed, what it was to be misunderstood and
then deserted by those nearest to Him. Then how well fitted is He to
sympathize with His suffering Church! Ponder such a passage as Psalm
69:1-4. Is not the One who passed through such trials capacitated to
enter into the exercises of His tried people? As Matthew Henry said,
"the remembrance of His own sorrows and temptations makes Him mindful
of the trials of His people, and ready to help them." The same heart
that beat within the Lord Jesus when He shared the grief of Mary and
Martha by the grave of Lazarus still beats today, for His sympathies
have not been impaired by His exaltation to heaven (Heb. 13:8). Oh,
what a Savior is ours: the almighty God, the all-tender Man!
In All Our Afflictions He Is Afflicted
"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the
feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we
are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15). Christ's temptation was not
restricted to the evil solicitations of Satan. It included the whole
of His condition, circumstances, and course during the days of His
flesh, when He suffered the pangs of hunger, had not where to lay His
head, encountered reproach and shame, endured the contradiction of
sinners against Himself. Thereby He was prepared for the further
discharge of His priestly office, fitted to be affected with a sense
of our weakness and to suffer with us. Though so high above us, He is
yet one with us in everything except our sins, and concerning them He
is our Advocate with the Father. We too are tempted (tried) in many
ways, but there is One who consoles us, yes, who is afflicted in all
our afflictions and who helps our infirmities. But in remembering
this, do not forget that He had to cry, "I looked for some to take
pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none" (Ps.
69:20).
"Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to
comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we
ourselves are comforted of God." One can enter more fully and closely
into the grief of another if he has passed through identical
circumstances. The Israelites were reminded of this when the Lord
said, "Thou shalt not oppress a stranger, for ye know the heart of a
stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt" (Ex. 23:9).
Thus it was with the Apostle Paul. God's design in so afflicting him
was that he might be better qualified to minister to other afflicted
souls. His afflictions are outlined in 2 Corinthians 11:24-30. Yet, so
wondrously had God sustained him that he said, "I am filled with
comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation" (2 Cor. 7:6).
God comforts by stilling the tumult of our mind, by assuaging the
grief of our heart, and by filling the soul with peace and joy in
believing. He does this so that we may be the comforters of others.
"For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also
aboundeth by Christ" (2 Cor. 1:5). The Christian must expect
sufferings in this world--such sufferings as non-Christians are free
from. Faithfulness to Christ, instead of exempting the believer from
sufferings, will rather intensify them. This is not always pointed out
by preachers. It is true there is peace and joy for those who take
Christ's yoke upon them, and such peace and joy as the worldling knows
nothing of; yet it is true that each one who enlists under His banner
will be called upon to "endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus
Christ" (2 Tim. 2:3). "We must through much tribulation enter into the
kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). Therefore those contemplating taking
upon them a Christian profession should be told to sit down first and
count the cost (Luke 14:28-31). To be forewarned is to be forearmed,
and those properly forearmed will not think it "strange" when the
"fiery trial" comes upon them (1 Pet. 4:12).
Verse 5 supplies a confirmation of the preceding one, its force being:
we are able to comfort others, for our consolation is equal to our
sufferings. The particular afflictions to which the apostle here
alluded are termed "the sufferings of Christ" because they are the
same in kind (though rarely if ever so in degree) as He experienced at
the hands of men; and because of our union with Him and in order to be
conformed to His image we are required (in our measure) to have
"fellowship" (Phil. 3:10) therein. They are also termed "the
sufferings of Christ" because they are what His followers willingly
endure for His sake (Phil. 1:29): since He is despised and rejected of
the world, if we go forth unto Him without the camp it must inevitably
entail "bearing his reproach" (Heb. 13:14). It may be well to point
out that some Christians through their folly, fanaticism, haughtiness
and other things, bring upon themselves needless suffering, but Christ
gets no glory from them. But it is more necessary in this day to warn
His people against a temporizing and compromising spirit which seeks
to escape "the sufferings of Christ" at the price of unfaithfulness to
Him.
"So our consolation also aboundeth by Christ." Here is rich
compensation. As union with Christ is the source and cause of
sufferings, so is it the source of our consolation (John 16:33). And
it will be the source of our glorification (see Romans 8:17; 2 Timothy
2:12). There is a due proportion between the sufferings and the
consolation, and if we would experience more of the latter we must
have more of the former. The more the world frowns on us the more we
enjoy His smile. If material comforts are taken away, He supplies
spiritual ones. If our bodies are cast into prison, our souls enjoy
more of heaven. He graciously provides a sweetening tree for every
Marah (Ex. 15:23-26).
Gleanings from Paul Index
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings from Paul
by A. W. Pink
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8. Prayer In Affliction
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
First We Shall Consider the occasion of the prayer in 2 Corinthians
12:7-10 as we find it in the immediate context. False teachers had
appeared at Corinth and had succeeded in sowing seeds of dissension in
the assembly there. The saints were in danger of being turned away
from Christ by having their confidence in Paul undermined by the
misrepresentations of his enemies. This had obliged Paul to engage in
the distasteful task of vindicating himself, presenting the grounds he
had for claiming spiritual authority over them, and asserting his
apostolic powers. So repugnant was this to his feelings that he
apologized for thus speaking of himself and begged them to bear with
him (2 Cor. 11:1), pointing out :it was solely for their good that he
now appeared to indulge in self-laudation.
Paul a Divinely Called Apostle
Paul's enemies had insisted that he was greatly inferior to the eleven
disciples, that he was not an apostle at all since he lacked all the
essential qualifications stated in Acts 1:21-22. He had neither been
one of the favored band who were most closely associated with Christ
during His public ministry nor had he been a witness with them of His
resurrection. That was an exceedingly grave charge, for if Paul was
not a divinely called apostle he had no authority to oversee the
churches and to regulate their concerns. This obliged him to indulge
in what seemed like boasting and to affirm, "I was not a whit behind
the very chiefest apostles" (2 Cor. 11:5). Previously he had openly
acknowledged his personal unworthiness to be numbered in their company
(1 Cor. 15:9), but now he was compelled to point out that in
authority, knowledge, effective grace, none of them excelled him. Then
Paul spread before the Corinthians his credentials (2 Cor. 11:22-33).
To see the nature of the proofs Paul advanced to show that he was a
true minister of the gospel is very blessed and touching. He did not
boast of the success of his labors, the souls that had been saved
under his preaching, or the number of churches he had planted; rather
be mentioned the opposition he had met, the persecutions encountered
and the sufferings he had gone through. He showed them as it were the
scars he had received as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. He
demonstrated he was a real servant of Christ by calling attention to
the reproaches, the ignominy, the cruel treatment he had received. His
sufferings and his patient endurance of them made manifest that he was
a genuine minister of Jesus Christ (cf. Galatians 1:10). Though great
indeed was the honor attached to his office, yet the faithful
discharge of it entailed that which no impostor, no self-seeker, no
hireling would continue to bear meekly.
In chapter 11 the apostle first met his opponents on their own ground,
and by comparing himself with them he answered the fool according to
his folly (Prov. 26:5). Then he demonstrated that he was a genuine
officer of the despised and rejected One. But then he came to that
which was peculiar to himself and related an experience which far
excelled any that the other apostles had been favored with. He
continued his apology, but in an altered tone: "It is not expedient
for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of
the Lord" (2 Cor. 12:1). To have seen the Lord was one of the
requisites of valid apostleship (1 Cor. 9:1), and Paul had done so by
a heavenly vision (Acts 26:19). Moreover these Christians were
probably aware that he had been the subject of a vision which
especially concerned them (Acts 18:9-10). But over and above these
Paul went on to relate an experience which afforded superlative
evidence of the favor of God to him as an apostle.
Paul's Unparalleled Experience
"I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the
body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God
knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. How that he was
caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not
lawful for man to utter" (2 Cor. 12:2, 4). This was an experience
unparalleled in the recorded history of men, an honor and privilege
which far exceeded that bestowed upon any other mortal. It is
impossible for us to adequately conceive of the extraordinary favor
that was here granted the beloved apostle. He was personally
transported to paradise, translated to the Father's house, permitted
an entrance into the palace of the Sovereign of the universe. For a
brief season he was taken to be with "the spirits of just men made
perfect." He saw the glorified Lamb upon the throne, and he heard the
seraphim exclaiming before Him, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of
hosts." It is useless to indulge in speculation and impious to give
rein to our imagination; we can but wonder and worship.
And note the following verses. "Of such an one will I glory: yet of
myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities. For though I would
desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but
now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he
seeth me to be, or that he heareth of [not from] me" (2 Cor. 12:5-6).
This is exquisitely lovely. Paul could have boasted about the high
favor which God had shown him, but he did not. Had he gloried, it
would not have been as a fool or empty boaster but according to truth,
to fact. But Paul restrained himself because he desired others not to
think too highly of him! He preferred that men should judge him by
what they saw and heard and not esteem him by the special revelations
God had given him! He would glory in his "infirmities," for weakness,
sustained by grace, is all that any saint may boast of in himself.
"And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of
the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the
messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above
measure" (2 Cor. 12:7). Having stated in the preceding verse that he
did not wish others to think of him more highly than they should, he
now tells us what means God used to prevent him from doing so. Paul
was in danger of being unduly elated by the extraordinary
manifestation of the divine favor he had received. This is quite
understandable. For one who had visited paradise itself to be suddenly
returned to this world of woe required a heavy ballast to keep his
ship on an even keel. The third heaven was too dizzy a remembrance to
be safely borne by one who had to walk again on earth in a body of sin
and death. The Lord knew this and graciously dealt accordingly,
bestowing on Paul that which kept him humble.
Pride a Besetting Sin
By nature Paul was just as proud and foolish as all other men. If his
heart was kept lowly, it was not by his own unaided fidelity to the
truth but because of the faithfulness of his Master who dealt so
wisely with him. We must: distinguish between the cause and the
occasion of pride: the former is the evil nature, or principle, from
which it proceeds; the latter, the object on which it fastens and
which it perverts to its use. The pride of life (1 John 2:16) can feed
on anything and turn temporal mercies and even spiritual gifts and
graces into poison. Pride was the main ingredient in the sin of our
first parents. They aspired to be as God. There is pride in every sin
since it is the lifting up of the creature against the Creator. We are
shown how God regards and abominates pride in Proverbs 6:16-19 where
seven things are mentioned which the Lord hates. The list is headed
with "a proud look!" The great work of grace is the subduing of our
pride.
The celestial revelations which Paul had received had no tendency
whatever in themselves to produce or promote pride, but like all other
things they were capable of being abused by indwelling sin. Therefore
lest he should be spiritually proud, become vain and self-confident,
regarding himself as a special favorite of Christ, there was given to
Paul "a thorn in the flesh." That it is termed a "thorn" intimates it
was something that was painful. That it was a bodily affliction is
signified, we feel, by the words "in the flesh." That it remained
within him is seen from his prayer that it might depart. That Satan
aggravated it appears from the next clause of the verse: "the
messenger of Satan to buffet me." As to precisely what this thorn
consisted of we are frank to say we have no idea.
Personally, we admire the divine wisdom in restraining the apostle
from being more explicit, for the general statement is better suited
to a far wider application. Human nature being what it now is, had the
Holy Spirit made known the specific character of this particular
"thorn in the flesh" certain afflicted and querulous souls would be
most apt to say, "Paul might glory in his,but if he had had the
painful distress which is mine he would have sung another tune."
Suppose the apostle had mentioned any certain physical disorder (say,
inflamed eyes) those free from it but having another (say, the gout)
would consider that their thorn was much harder to endure. But since
God has wisely left it undefined, each afflicted saint may take
comfort from the possibility that his affliction is identical with
Paul's. Whatever in our persons or our circumstances serves to mortify
our pride may be regarded as our "thorn in the flesh."
Let us draw comfort from the blessed fact that Paul's thorn in the
flesh was not sent but given by God as a divine favor! It is thus that
we should regard each painful trial--as a merciful bestowment from
God, the design of which is to hide pride from us. But the word given
also connotes Paul's acceptance of the affliction; it shows that he
meekly and thankfully regarded it as from the Lord. This thorn he also
spoke of as "the messenger of Satan to buffet me." The cases of Job
and his boils, the woman of Luke 13:16, and the demon-possessed man
Christ healed show that the devil is given the power to cause bodily
affliction. In Paul's case Satan desired to disqualify him from his
work, but the Lord overruled Satan and made him render Paul a good
service. This should teach us to look above Satan and seek from God
the reason why He has permitted him to afflict us.
God's Merciful Design in Affliction
"Lest I should be exalted above measure" (2 Cor. 12:7). Paul not only
accepted this painful affliction as a gift from the Lord but he also
perceived why it was given him. The thorn came to humble him. Is that
not usually God's chief design in His disciplinary dealings with us?
In Paul's case the affliction was not for correction but for
prevention. Such may have been God's merciful design toward you:
perhaps He turned a wealthy relative against you to will his money
elsewhere, or perhaps he has withheld business prosperity from you
lest you become proud. How effective Paul's thorn was appears from the
fact that for fourteen years he never mentioned his rapture into
paradise and would not have done so now but for exceptional
circumstances.
"For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from
me" (2 Cor. 12:8). The thorn did not make Paul fret and fume; it
caused him to pray! This brings us, second, to the Object of his
prayer, namely, the Lord Jesus, as the next verse plainly shows. This
is a decisive proof of the Godhood of Christ and also a clear
intimation that petitions may be addressed to Him as well as to the
Father. Prayer was made to the Son in Acts 1:24 and 4:24. As Stephen
was being stoned he cried, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" and begged
Him not to lay this sin to the charge of his slayers (Acts 7:59-60).
After Paul's conversion before he received his sight, Ananias told the
Lord that Paul had authority from the chief priests "to bind all that
call upon thy name" (Acts 9:10-14). That it was the common practice of
the Christians of the early Church to invoke the Savior's name is very
evident from 1 Corinthians 1:2. There was special propriety in Paul's
here addressing Christ, for He is the One who admits into paradise
(Acts 7:59; Revelation 1:18).
Paul's Petition
"I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me" (2 Cor.
12:8). We regard this request as being made before he had any
perception of why the Lord had afflicted him, and we also regard it as
manifesting Paul's native kinship with us. Thorns are far from
pleasant, and we desire their prompt removal. Nor is it wrong for us
to do so; we would not be rational and sentient creatures if we did
not shrink from suffering. For us to ask for deliverance from pain and
trouble is not sinful, neither is it spiritual. Then what is it? Why,
the exercise of that instinct of self-preservation with which the
Creator has endowed us. But it becomes sinful when we insist on
deliverance, insubordinate to the divine will. In Paul's case, and in
many others, we see how grace triumphed over nature, the heart gladly
acquiescing to the Lord's design.
Some have argued from the example of Christ in Gethsemane and Paul's
case here that we ought never to ask God more than three times for any
particular thing and that if it is not then granted we must desist.
But such an idea is contrary to the many scriptures where importunity
in asking is inculcated, for example, in Isaiah 62:7; Luke 11:8; 18:7.
God is often pleased to test our faith and patience, for He waits to
be gracious (Isa. 30:18). The repeated request for deliverance shows
how heavily the burden pressed upon Paul, as well as indicating how
human he was--a man of "like passions as we are." But as God's dear
Son learned obedience by the things which He suffered, so also on the
behalf of Christ it was given His most eminent servant to tread a
similar path and be perfected by a special process of affliction.
Mediatorial Grace Given by Christ to His People
Fourth, let us consider the answer Paul received: "And he said unto
me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect
in weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9). God's answer is not always along the line
that we think; how good for us that it is not. How little we are able
to perceive what would be for our good. "We know not what we should
pray for as we ought" (Rom. 8:26). Often we ask for temporal things,
and God gives us eternal; we ask for deliverance, and He grants us
patience. He does not answer according to our will but according to
our welfare and profit. Hence we must not be disheartened if our
requests are not literally answered. Sometimes God answers by
reconciling our minds to humiliating trials. "My grace is sufficient
for thee." Sufficient to support under the severest and most
protracted affliction, to enable the soul to lie submissively as clay
in the hands of the Potter, to trust His wisdom and love, to be
assured that He knows what is best for us.
"My grace." It is mediatorial grace, the grace given to Christ as the
covenant Head of His people (John 1:16). It is the Head speaking to a
member of His Body. It is not inherent grace or the new nature but
freshly imparted, quickening grace. "My grace is sufficient" not
simply "will prove to be." What Paul had known theoretically he was
now to learn experimentally. A grace that can save a hell-deserving
sinner must be sufficient for the petty trials of this life! He who
gives the thorn also gives grace to bear it. Grace is given not only
to resist temptations and strengthen graces but also to endure trials.
Yet grace must be definitely and diligently sought (Heb. 4:16). "In
the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with
strength in my soul" (Ps. 138:3). "For my strength is made perfect in
weakness," in supporting earthen vessels under the buffetings of
Satan.
Glorying in Infirmities
Fifth, we will observe Paul's improvement of his weakness: "Most
gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power
of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Cor. 12:9). Paul's statement was more
than a sullen submission or even a meek acquiescence. The rather
points a contrast from the removal of the thorn: to glory on account
of infirmities went far beyond resignation in suffering, namely, to
rejoicing. To this we should aspire and pray. "Souls that are rich in
grace can bear burdens without a burden," said a Puritan. Here is a
test by which we may measure the degree of grace we have: not by our
speculative knowledge but by the ease with which we bear afflictions,
the cheerfulness of our spirits under persecution. When the apostles
had been beaten they departed "rejoicing that they were counted worthy
to suffer shame for his name" (Acts 5:40-41).
"Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in
necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for
when I am weak, then am I strong" (2 Cor. 12:10). This goes farther
than the foregoing verse. Because Paul "took pleasure" in his
infirmities he gloried in them; and because they were the occasion of
manifesting the power of Christ to uphold and work through one so
frail he was glad of them. What nature recoils from, an enlightened
faith accepts and delights in for the sake of the ulterior
blessing--another example of how God can bring a clean thing out of an
unclean, another example of how He can make both the wrath of man and
the enmity of the serpent to praise Him! In the same way, though on a
lower plane, David said, "It is good for me that I have been
afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes" (Ps. 119:71). By the power
of Christ Paul triumphed over all obstacles.
What is meant by "when I am weak, then am I strong"? This needs to be
correctly defined, for there is a weakness which does not result in
strength, yes, a Christian's consciousness of weakness. Some are
constantly talking about their inability and bemoaning their
helplessness, and there it ends! But he who has a true and spiritual
sense of his insufficiency to do anything as he ought is the one who
is most earnest in crying to the Strong for strength and, other things
being equal, he is the one who is most active in appropriating
Christ's strength. To be weak is to be emptied of self; but to be all
the time occupied with our inability is to be absorbed with self. To
be spiritually weak is to be conscious that I "lack wisdom," and that
makes me "ask of God" (James 1:5), feel my unbelief, and beg for an
increase of faith.
Some say they are weak and then contradict their words by the way they
act. Others are happy over the very realization of their impotency,
which is like one smitten with a stroke rejoicing in his paralysis as
such. It needs to be steadily borne in mind that "hands which hang
down, and the feeble knees" bring no glory to God (Heb. 12:12). 2
Kings 5:7 illustrates. The king used not the language of humility and
piety but of unbelief and pride. A consciousness of my insufficiency
is of value only when it moves me to turn to and lay hold of the
Lord's sufficiency. 2 Corinthians 3:5 gives both sides. The complement
to "without me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5) is "I can do all things
through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Phil. 4:13; cf. Ephesians
6:10; 2 Timothy 2:1).
Gleanings from Paul Index
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings from Paul
by A. W. Pink
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9. Prayer of Benediction
2 Corinthians 13:14
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen." This threefold
invocation is familiarly known as the Christian benediction. God
authorized this Old Testament formula of blessing to be used in the
assemblies of Israel: "Speak unto Aaron and his sons, saying, On this
wise shall ye bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, The LORD
bless thee and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and
be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and
give thee peace. And they shall [thus] put my name upon the children
of Israel; and I will bless them" (Num. 6:23-27). But there is nothing
to indicate that God required the benediction of 2 Corinthians 13:14
to be employed in the Christian churches; yet there is certainly
nothing to show that it is incongruous to do so. As a fact, it has
been made wide use of because of its deep importance doctrinally and
because of its appropriateness, for those words are both a confession
of the Christian faith and a declaration of Christian privilege.
The Christian Doctrine of God
The benediction in 2 Corinthians 13:14 contains a brief summary of the
Christian doctrine of God. We say the Christian doctrine of God in
contradistinction not only from the horrible delusions of the
idolatrous heathen but also from the inadequate conception of Deity
which was present in Judaism. By the Christian doctrine of God we mean
the revelation which is given of Him in the New Testament more
particularly. And that brings us to ground where we need to tread very
carefully lest we disparage or underestimate what was revealed of Him
in the Old Testament. If on the one hand we must guard against the
fearful error that the God of the Old Testament is a very different
character from the God of the New, on the other hand we need to be
careful that we do not too fully read the clearer teaching of the New
into the Old. At any rate we must not conclude that those under the
legal dispensation perceived the same significance in some of those
things in their Scriptures which we now interpret in the brighter
light of the evangelical economy. Such a statement is "the darkness is
past, and the true light now shineth" (1 John 2:8) needs to be
remembered in this connection.
It has been erroneously and blasphemously asserted by those who deny
the real inspiration of the Scriptures that Jehovah was but a tribal
God and that what is said of Him in the New Testament mirrors the
views which the Hebrews entertained of Him. But it is greatly to be
feared that many who reject such a Satanic crudity as that and who
regard the Old Testament as being equally the Word of God with the New
nevertheless hold the idea, with varying degrees of consciousness,
that the revelation which we have of the divine character in the New
Testament is much to be preferred above that in the Old. Such is a
serious misconception. The severity of God appears as plainly in the
book of Revelation as it does in Joshua. In fact, the vials of His
wrath there are more fearful in their nature than the plagues which He
inflicted upon Egypt and Canaan. On the other hand, the goodness of
God as made known in the epistles in no wise surpasses His benevolence
as depicted in the Psalms. The God of Sinai and Calvary is one and the
same, as He is also the Author of both the law and the gospel.
As has been said, we need to be careful not to read too fully into the
Old Testament Scriptures the clearer teaching of the New. We who now
have the completed Word of God in our hands are thereby enabled to
recognize more plainly that the substance of the truth of the Triunity
of God is found in the earlier books of the Bible. Yet it has to be
granted that there is no statement in them which is quite as explicit
as the one in Matthew 28:19. Certainly it is much to be doubted if the
Jewish nation recognized that there were three distinct Persons in the
Godhead. The grand truth made known under the old economy was rather
the unity of God: "Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God is one LORD"
(Deut. 6:4). This truth was in sharp contrast with the polytheism of
the idolatries of the heathen. On the other hand, we have no doubt
that individual saints in those times had a saving knowledge of the
triune God, yet not so fully perhaps as we have. Concerning this
Calvin said, "As God afforded a clearer manifestation of Himself at
the advent of Christ, the three Persons became better known." We add,
especially in Their covenant offices and distinct operations.
Old Testament Revelation
"The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and
more unto the perfect day" (Prov. 4:18). These words have a corporate
fulfillment as well as a personal; they apply to the Church
collectively as well as individually. The light of divine revelation
broke forth "here a little and there a little" and did not shine in
midday splendor until Emmanuel Himself tabernacled among men. The
degree in which the doctrine of the Trinity was made known in the Old
Testament Scriptures no doubt bore a proportion to the discovery of
other mysteries of the faith. It was definitely revealed from the
beginning, yet hardly with the same explicitness and perspicuity as
now. "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time
past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken
unto us by his Son" (Heb. 1:1-2). This is the first contrast given in
Hebrews, the theme of which is the superiority of Christianity over
Judaism. Under the former era GodƒEUR(TM)s revelation of Himself was
fragmentary and incomplete, but in this final dispensation His mind
and heart have been fully revealed. There it was through such
instruments as the prophets; now it is by the person of His own Son.
Christian revelation comes to us through the Lord Jesus Christ. God is
manifested in and by the incarnate Son, for He can be approached only
through the Mediator. God can be vitally known only in Him. Only
through Him can we have a saving knowledge of God. The grand mission
of Christ as the Prophet of His Church was to make known the character
and perfections of God. This is signified by His title "the Word." "In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, (and we
beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)
full of grace and truth" (John 1:1, 14). A word is a medium of
manifestation. I have a thought in my mind, yet others do not know it.
But the moment I clothe that thought in words it becomes cognizable.
Words then make unseen thoughts objective. This is precisely what the
Lord Jesus has done; He has made manifest the invisible God. A word is
also a means of communication. By my words I transmit information to
others. By words I express myself, make known my will, and impart
knowledge. So Christ, as the Word, is the divine Transmitter,
expressing to us GodƒEUR(TM)s full mind and will, communicating to us
His life and love.
Christ Reveals the Attributes and Perfections of God
A word is also a means of revelation. By his words a speaker or writer
exhibits both his intellectual caliber and his moral character. Out of
the abundance of our hearts our mouths speak, and our very language
betrays what we are within. By our words we shall be justified or
condemned in the judgment, for they will reveal and attest what we
were and are. And Christ as the Word reveals the attributes and
perfections of God. How fully Christ has revealed God! Christ
displayed GodƒEUR(TM)s power, illustrated His patience, manifested His
wisdom, exhibited His holiness, showed forth His faithfulness,
demonstrated His righteousness, made known His grace, and unveiled His
heart. In Christ, and nowhere else, is God fully and finally
manifested. That is why He is designated the "image of the invisible
God" (Col. 1:15). He has set before our eyes and hearts a visible,
tangible, and cognizable representation of Him. Though "no man hath
seen God at any time," yet "the only begotten Son, which is in the
bosom of the Father, he hath declared him" (John 1:18). That is,
Christ has faithfully and fully proclaimed Him. The same Greek word
that is translated "declared" here is translated "told" in Luke 24:35.
Christ the Revealer of the Father
It was infinitely suitable that He who was in the bosom of the Father,
even when He walked this earth, should declare Him, for only One who
was GodƒEUR(TM)s coequal could tell Him forth. So perfectly did Christ
reveal God the Father that at the close of His ministry He said to
Philip, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (John 14:9). And
to the Father He affirmed, "I have manifested thy name unto the men
which thou gavest me out of the world:... I have declared unto them
thy name" (John 17:6, 26). By the name of God is meant all that He is
in a demonstrative and communicative way. For what God is essentially
in His absoluteness, in His ineffable majesty, in His incomprehensible
boundlessness, in His self-existing essence, as three in one and one
in three, the infinite Jehovah, He cannot be made fully known to any
finite intelligence, however spiritual. No, not until eternity. In His
love to His Church, in His covenant relationship to His people in
Christ, in His everlasting delight to them in His Beloved, as the
Medium and Mediator of all union and communion with them, God has been
graciously pleased to reveal and make Himself known.
God is revealed to us in and by and through the Lord Jesus Christ. The
writer of Hebrews declared Him to be "the brightness of his [the
Triune GodƒEUR(TM)s] glory, and the express image of his person" (Heb.
1:3). He was certainly speaking of Christ as the God-man, that is, of
the Son as incarnate as the same verse goes on to show: "When he had
by himself purged our sins." By that blessed statement we understand
that through Christ a clear and full exhibition has been made of the
FatherƒEUR(TM)s personality. In the Mediator all the glory of the
Godhead is realized and manifested in order for it to be reflected on
the Church and thereby be made known and enjoyed and in order for God
to be glorified. Manifestation consists in revealing, so our Lord
revealed and made known the "name" of God. He did so by His
incarnation, by His holy life, by His magnifying the law, by His
preaching, by His miracles, by His sufferings and death, by His
triumphant resurrection, by His ascension. He did so by His Spirit,
for it was more than an external manifestation of God which Christ
made to His ownƒEUR"namely, an internalƒEUR"by supernatural
revelation, just as He "opened... their understanding, that they might
understand the scriptures" (Luke 24:45).
We are grateful to the Lord Jesus Christ for the revelation of the
Christian doctrine of God which we have dwelt on above. We deemed it
best to make clear what we owe to our Redeemer in making known to us
the character of God Himself and the relations which He sustains to us
instead of entering at once into a detailed exposition of 2
Corinthians 13:14. As Christ averred. "All things are delivered unto
me of my Father: and no one knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither
knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son
will reveal him" (Matthew 11:27). No one can approach the Father
except by ChristƒEUR(TM)s mediation and none can have any vital and
spiritual knowledge of the Father except by ChristƒEUR(TM)s
supernatural revelation of Him to the soul.
When our Lord declared, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father",
He uttered words with a far deeper significance than appears on the
surface. Locally they were spoken more by way of reproof, for Philip
had said to Him, "Shew us the Father and it sufficeth us" (John 14:8).
To this the Savior replied, "Have I been so long time with you, and
yet hast thou not known me, Philip?" His life, His teaching, His works
revealed plainly enough who He was. And then Jesus added, "He that
hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou, Shew us the
Father?" But remember that the Spirit was not then given as He is now
and that the hearts of these apostles were troubled at the prospect of
ChristƒEUR(TM)s death and His subsequent departure from them (John
14:1). But in its deeper meaning "he that hath seen me" refers not to
any physical sight of Him but to a spiritual view of Him which one can
see with the eyes of a divinely-enlightened understanding. Such an one
is enabled to recognize His oneness with the Father and to exclaim,
"My Lord and my God!"
God Clearly Revealed in Christ
The two things we have mentioned above are brought together in that
familiar statement, "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of
darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor.
4:6). First, the clearest revelation that God is and what He is, is
made in the person of Christ, so that those who refuse to see God in
the Redeemer lose all true knowledge of Him. Second, as the glory of
God is spiritual, it can only be spiritually discerned. Only in
GodƒEUR(TM)s light can we see Him who is light, and therefore God must
shine in our hearts to give us a real and experimental knowledge of
Himself. Such knowledge of Him is not by mental apprehension nor that
which one man can communicate to another. Our reception of that light
is not the result of our will or any effort put forth by us but is the
immediate effect of a divine fiat, as when at the beginning of this
world God said, "Let there be light: and there was light" (Gen. 1:3).
God created light, and He awakens the dead souls of His elect, thereby
calling them out of darkness into His own marvelous light, whereby
they behold Himself shining in the perfection of grace and truth in
the face or person of Jesus Christ. Nothing but the exercise of
omnipotence can produce a miracle so wondrous and so blessed. God
shines in our hearts by the power and operation of the Holy Spirit.
Here then is found the answer to that all-important question, "How may
I obtain a better, deeper, fuller, and more influential knowledge of
God?" By the heartƒEUR(TM)s occupation with the Lord Jesus. By
studying and meditating upon all that is revealed in the Bible
concerning His wondrous person and work. By realizing my complete
dependence upon the Holy Spirit and begging Him to take of the things
of Christ and show them to me (John 16:14) and thereby abstaining from
everything which grieves the Spirit and would (morally) hinder Him
from performing this work of His. Nothing can make up for or take the
place of personal intercourse with the Redeemer. It is only as we
behold, with the eyes of faith and love, the glory of the Lord in the
mirror of the Word that we are "changed into the same image from glory
to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18). Let us
then emulate the apostle and make it our chief ambition and endeavor
that we may know Him, for in knowing Him we arrive at the knowledge of
the triune God.
Christ Anointed for His Priestly Work
The Christian benediction stands closely linked with both the baptism
of Christ and the baptismal formula which He gave to His disciples.
The former presents to us a most remarkable scene, for at the baptism
of Christ the three Persons of the Godhead were openly manifested
together in connection with that which gave a symbolical showing forth
of the work of redemption. John the Baptist had come preaching
repentance toward God and faith in His Lamb who should take away the
sin of the world. But he also made definite mention of the Holy Spirit
(Matthew 3:11). When the Savior presented Himself for baptism in the
Jordan at the hands of His forerunner, He came as our Surety
acknowledging that death was His due. It was there He entered upon
that path which was to terminate at the cross. As Christ rose from
that symbolical grave the heavens were opened and the Spirit of God in
form as a dove descended and alighted on Him, thereby anointing Him
for His priestly work (Acts 10:38). At the same time the
FatherƒEUR(TM)s voice was audibly heard saying, "This is my beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). "Therefore doth my
Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it
again" (John 10:17). At ChristƒEUR(TM)s baptism while He
emblematically pledged Himself to death on the cross, the Father
attested His pleasure in the Son and the acceptance of His offering.
ChristƒEUR(TM)s reception of the Spirit at the Jordan was the
equipment for His Messianic ministry. As He was sent and anointed by
the Spirit, so He commissions and endows His ambassadors: "As my
Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he
breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost"
(John 20:21-22). Later Christ gave the great commission to His
disciples: "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them [after they have been
taught and have become disciples or Christians] in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 28:18-20).
Baptism into "the name" means baptism unto God, and the names of God
in the New Covenant are "the Father, and the Son, and the Holy
Spirit." The triune God is now fully revealed. That was the
consummation and culmination of ChristƒEUR(TM)s teaching concerning
God. He ordained baptism for all time to be the initiating avowal of
faith for all who enter His kingdom. And the names of God, in which
believers are to be baptized, set forth the Trinity of God, a
fundamental doctrine of the Christian Church.
The Divine Trinity
The Christian benediction, then, enunciates one of the foundational
doctrines of Christianity, for no one is entitled to be regarded as a
Christian who does not believe and acknowledge the triune God. That is
why Scripture bids all who avow themselves Christians to be baptized
in "the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."
The divine Trinity lies at the basis of all New Testament teaching.
The Redeemer claimed to be equal with God, one with the Father, and
ever spoke of the Spirit as being both personal and divine. The
apostles everywhere proclaimed His doctrine and recognized the
threefold distinction in the Persons of the Godhead. The equal deity
(and honor) of the Son and the Spirit with the Father is the mystery
and glory of the gospel they preached. "This is life eternal, that
they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou
hast sent" (John 17:3). The "only true God" is revealed as Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit and is known in and through Jesus Christ, the one
Mediator.
That the revelation of the triune God constitutes the doctrinal
foundation of Christianity is easily capable of demonstration. First,
as pointed out above, the true God subsists in three co-essential and
co-eternal Persons, and therefore he who worships any but the triune
God is merely rendering homage to a figment of his own imagination. He
who denies the personality and absolute deity of either the Father,
the Son, or the Spirit cannot be a true Christian. Second, no
salvation is possible for any sinner save that of which the triune God
is the Author. To regard the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior to the
exclusion of the saving operations of both the Father and the Spirit
is a serious mistake. The Father eternally purposed the salvation of
His elect in Christ (Eph. 1:3-6). The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
entered into an everlasting covenant with each other for the Son to
become incarnate in order to redeem sinners.
The salvation of the Church is ascribed to the Father: "Who hath saved
us, and called us with an holy calling, . . . according to his own
purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world
began" (2 Tim. 1:9). The Father, then, was our Savior long before
Christ died to become such, and thanksgiving is due Him for the same.
Equally necessary are the operations of the Spirit to actually apply
to the hearts of GodƒEUR(TM)s elect the good of what Christ did for
them. It is the Spirit who convicts men of sin and who imparts saving
faith to them. Therefore is our salvation also ascribed to Him: "God
hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification
of the Spirit and belief of the truth" (2 Thess. 2:13). A careful
reading of Titus 3:4-6 shows the three Persons together in this
connection, for "God our Savior" is plainly the Father; "he saved us,
by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which
he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior" (Titus 3:6).
Third, the doctrine of the Trinity is a foundational doctrine because
it is by the distinctive operations of the Holy Three that our varied
needs are supplied. Do we not need "the grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ"? Is not our most urgent experimental requirement to come to
Him constantly and draw from the fullness of grace which is treasured
up for us in Him? (John 1:16). If we would obtain "grace to help in
time of need" then we must go to that throne on which the Mediator
sits. And do we not also need "the love of God", that is, fresh
manifestations of it, new apprehensions thereof? Are we not bidden to
keep ourselves "in the love of God"? (Jude 21); And do we not equally
need "the communion of the Holy Spirit"? What would become of us if He
did not renew day by day in the inner man? (See 2 Corinthians 4:16;
Ephesians 3:16.) What would be our prayer-life if He no longer helped
"our infirmities" and made "intercession for the saints according to
the will of God"? (Rom. 8:26-27).
The Holy Trinity
Like the virgin birth of Christ and the resurrection of our bodies,
the doctrine of the Holy Trinity is one of the mysteries of the faith.
The first truth presented to faith is the Being of the true and living
God, and this we know not from any discovery of reason but because He
has revealed it in His Word. The next grand truth is that the one
living and true God has made Himself known to us under the threefold
relation of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and this we know on the same
authority as the first. They are equally above reason, and real
Christians do not attempt to fathom them; yet their
incomprehensibility so far from being an objection is a necessary
condition of confidence in revelation and faith in Him who is
revealed. If the Bible presented no heights beyond the powers of
reason to scale, if it contained no depths unfathomable to the keenest
mental acumen, this writer for one would have discarded it as being
nothing more than a human production and imposture. For our part we
would no more worship a "god" that we could measure by our intellect
than we would honor an image that our hands fashioned.
Whenever we attempt to discuss the revelation God has made of His
three Persons we should do so with bowed heads and reverent hearts,
for the ground we tread is ineffably holy. The subject is one of
transcendent sacredness for it concerns the infinitely majestic and
glorious One. For the whole of our knowledge on this subject we are
entirely shut up to what it has pleased God to reveal of Himself in
His Oracles. Science, philosophy, experience, observation, or
speculation cannot in this exalted sphere increase our knowledge one
iota.
Trinity in Unity
The divine Trinity is a Trinity in Unity: that is to say, there are
not three Gods but three Persons as coexisting by essential union in
the divine essence as being the one true God. Those three Persons are
coequal and co-glorious so that one is not before or after the other,
neither greater nor less than the other. It is in and by Their
covenant offices They are manifested to us, and it is our privilege
and duty to believe and know how these three Persons stand committed
to us and are interested in us by the everlasting covenant; but we
cannot understand the mystery of Their subsistence. Any teaching which
does not equally honor all the Persons of the Godhead, distinctively
and unitedly, is of no value to the soul. As one has said, "There is
not a vestige of Christianity where the truth of the Trinity is not
known and acknowledged. Not a vestige of godliness in the heart where
the Father, Son, and Spirit do not officially dwell. There is not a
clear view of any doctrine of GodƒEUR(TM)s grace to be obtained unless
(so to speak) the telescope of the truth of the Trinity be applied to
the eye of faith and that doctrine be viewed through it."
In view of what has just been pointed out, it constitutes one of the
gravest signs of the times that in professedly "Christian" countries
the Triune God is no longer officially acknowledged. While some of our
national leaders still give thanks to "God" and own our dependence
upon "the Almighty," that is no more than any Orthodox Jew or
Muhammadan would do. There is a studied avoidance of any reference to
the Lord Jesus Christ and to the Holy Spirit. Though that is sad, it
is not to be wondered at; it is simply the shadowing forth in the
civil realm of what has long obtained in the religious. For several
generations past the absolute deity of Christ and of the Spirit has
been openly denied in most of the theological seminaries, and thereby
the triunity of God was repudiated. Even in most of the "orthodox
churches" the eternal Three have not been accorded Their rightful
place either in the doctrinal teaching of the pulpit or the devotional
life of the pew.
In this benediction the apostle invokes the Trinity as the Source of
grace, love, and communion. Its unique features must not be
overlooked: the order is unusual, and the Names used informally. The
Son is placed before the Father. The divine Persons are not here
spoken of as the Son, the Father, and the Spirit, but as the Lord
Jesus Christ, God, and the Holy Spirit. The reason for this is because
what we have in our text is not primarily a confession of faith (as is
Matthew 28:19), nor a doxology (as is Jude 24-25), but a benediction.
A doxology is an ascription of praise, a benediction is a word of
blessing; the one ascends from the heart of the saint to God, the
other descends from God to the saint. Samuel Chadwick wrote,
"Consequently the benediction does not approach the subject from the
standpoint of theology but of experience. It is not concerned with
definition, nor does it contemplate the glory of God in the
absoluteness of His deity; but it sets Him forth as He is realized in
the soul."
The Doctrine of the Trinity of Great Importance
The Christian benediction therefore intimates that the doctrine of the
Trinity is one of great importance to the existence and progress of
vital godliness: that it is not a subject of mere speculation but one
on which depends all the communications of grace and peace to the
saints. It is a striking and solemn fact that those who reject the
truth of the Trinity are seldom known to even profess having spiritual
communion with God but instead treat the same as a species of
enthusiasm and fanaticism, as a perusal of the writings of Unitarians
will show. The benediction, then, sums up the blessings of Christian
privilege in the three great words of the gospel: grace, love,
communion. Those three divine gifts are attributed to different
Persons in the Godhead. Each takes precedence in His own peculiar
work, though we cannot trace the limits of such, and must be careful
lest we conceive of God as three Gods rather than one. Each belongs to
all. Grace is of God and of the Spirit as well as of the Son. Love is
of the Son and Spirit as well as the Father. And our communion is with
the Father and the Son as well as with the Spirit.
Grace a Great Word of the Gospel
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ." Why distinctively ascribe grace
to Him if it is of God and the Spirit as well? Because in the economy
of redemption all grace comes to us through Him. The word grace is the
special token of Paul in every epistle: eight close with "the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ be with you," sometimes varying the formula to
"with your spirit." Grace is one of the outstanding words of the
gospel. Again quoting Chadwick: "It is more than mercy and greater
than love. Justice demands integrity, and mercy is the ministry of
pity; love seeks correspondence, appreciation, and response; but grace
demands no merit. Grace flows unrestrained and unreserved upon those
who have no goodness to plead and no claim to advance. Grace seeks the
unfit and the unworthy. It is love, mercy, and compassion combined,
stretching out toward the guilty, ungracious, and rebellious. It is
the only hope for sinful men. If salvation comes not by grace, it can
never be ours. Without grace there can be no reconciliation, no
pardon, no peace."
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ." That is His designation as the
God-man Mediator. It includes and indicates His divine nature: He is
"the Lord," yes, "the Lord of lords." His human nature: He is "Jesus";
His office: He is "Christ," the anointed One, the long-promised
Messiah, the Mediator. It is the favor of His divine person clothed
with our nature and made the Head of His people which the apostle
invokes for all his believing brethren. "His grace be with you all."
That comes first in the benediction because it is our initial need.
"For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was
rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty
might be rich" (2 Cor. 8:9). There it is His infinite condescension in
submitting to such a mean condition for our sakes.
When He became incarnate the only begotten of the Father was beheld by
His own as "full of grace and truth," and as the apostle added, "And
of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace" (John 1:14,
16). Here the meaning of grace passes from an attribute of the divine
character to an active energy in the souls of the redeemed. At the
throne of grace we "find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16).
The heart is "established with grace" (Heb. 13:9) and by that grace we
are enabled to "serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear"
(Heb. 12:28). It is in "the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim.
2:1) that we find our strength, and He assures us of its competency to
support us under all afflictions and persecutions by the promise "My
grace is sufficient for thee" (2 Cor. 12:9). Therefore we are exhorted
to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18). Those passages all speak of the divine power in
the soul as the operation of grace in connection with the Lord Jesus
Christ as its Fountain.
The Love of God
"And the love of God." There are two reasons why this comes second:
because this is the order both in the economy of redemption and in
Christian experience. First, it was the mediatorial grace or work of
Christ which procured the love of God for His people, which turned
away His wrath from them and reconciled Him to them. Hence it is
referred to not as "the love of the Father," which never changed or
diminished to His people, but as the love or goodwill of God
considered as their Governor and Judge. Second, it is by the grace of
the Lord Jesus Christ in saving us that we are brought to the
knowledge and enjoyment of the love of God. The love of the Father is
indeed the source and originating cause of redemption, but that is not
the particular love of God which is here in view. The death of Christ
as a satisfaction for our sins was necessary in order to bring us to
God and into participation of His love. The manifestation of the love
of God toward us in the pardon of our sins and the justification of
our persons was conditioned on the atoning blood.
The Communion of the Holy Spirit
"And the communion of the Holy Spirit." As the grand design of
ChristƒEUR(TM)s work Godward was to appease His judicial wrath and
procure for us His love and favor, so the grand effect saintward was
the procuring of the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Greek word may be
rendered either "communion" or "communication." By the communication
of the Holy Spirit we are regenerated, faith is given, holiness is
wrought in us. Life, light, love, and liberty are the special benefits
He bestows on us. Without the Spirit being communicated to us we could
never enter, personally and experimentally, into the benefits of
ChristƒEUR(TM)s mediation. "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of
the law, being made a curse for us . . . that the blessing of Abraham
might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive
the promise of the Spirit through faith" (Gal. 3:13-14). Thus, the
communicating of the Spirit to His people was one of the chief objects
of ChristƒEUR(TM)s death.
But the Greek also signifies the communion of the Holy Spirit, a word
which means "partnership, companionship." He shares with us the things
of God. Grace tends to love, and love to communion. Hence we see again
that the order here is that of Christian experience. Only as grace is
consciously received and the love of God is realized in the soul can
there be any intelligent and real communion. Through Christ to God,
the Father, and through Both to the abiding presence of the Comforter.
This expression "the communion of the Holy Spirit" shows He is a
person, for it is meaningless to talk of communion with an impersonal
principle or influence. United as He is in this verse with "the Lord
Jesus Christ and God" it evidences Him to be a divine Person. Further,
it denotes He is an Object of intercourse and converse, and hence we
must be on our guard against grieving Him (Eph. 4:30). The separate
mention of each of the eternal Three teaches us that They are to be
accorded equal honor, glory, and praise from us.
What is signified by "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love
of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all"? It
cannot mean less than a consciousness of GodƒEUR(TM)s presence. The
apostle was not praying for the gifts of grace, love, and communion
apart from the Persons in whom alone they are to be found. He
requested that the presence of the triune God might be realized in the
souls of His people. The New Testament teaches that the divine Three
are equally present in the heart of the believer. Speaking of the
Spirit Christ said, "He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you," and
of Himself and the Father, "If a man love me, he will keep my words:
and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our
abode with him" (John 14:17, 23). The Christian is indwelt by the
triune God: the Lord Jesus dwells in him as the source of all grace,
God the Father abides in him as the spring of all love, and the Holy
Spirit communes with him and energizes him for all spiritual service.
What is the purpose of that indwelling? God the Father abides in the
believer to conform him to His image, that he may become one with Him:
one with Him in mind and heart, in character and purpose. The
Christian reflects his God. The grace by which the Lord Jesus tasted
death for His people is designed to produce a like spirit of sacrifice
in them: "Because he laid down his life for us... we ought to lay down
our lives for the brethren" (1 John 3:16). They that know the love of
God must live the life of love. If we say the love of God is "with us"
and we walk contrary to love, we are liars. The God of love dwells in
His people that they may live the life of Godlike love. So it is with
the communion of the Holy Spirit: He does not share with us His riches
that we may spend them upon ourselves. Chadwick averred: "The
threefold benediction is to abide with us that its threefold grace may
be manifested by us, and the presence of the three-one God
demonstrated through us."
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10. Prayer of Gratitude
Ephesians 1:3
Ephesians Presents the inestimable treasures of divine wisdom, the
knowledge-surpassing manifestations of God's love to His people. The
book sets forth "the riches of his grace" (Eph. 1:7), yes, "the
exceeding riches of his grace" (Eph. 2:7), "the riches of his glory"
(Eph. 3:16), and "the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Eph. 3:8).
Ephesians contains the fullest opening up of the mystery, or the
contents of the everlasting covenant. Here we are shown in greater
detail than elsewhere the intimate and ineffable relation of the
Church to Christ. Here as nowhere else we are conducted unto and into
the "heavenlies." Here are revealed depths which no finite mind can
fathom and heights which no imagination can scale.
Paul Bows in Worship
Before Paul proceeded to the orderly development of his wonderful
theme, he bowed in worship. As his mind was absorbed with the
transcendentally glorious subject on which he was to write, as he
contemplated the exceeding riches of God's grace to His people, his
soul was overwhelmed--"lost in wonder, love, and praise." The heart of
Paul was too full to contain itself and overflowed in adoring
gratitude. That is the highest form of worship, and only in such a
spirit can we truly enter into the contents of this epistle. "Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us
with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1:3).
As a prayer those words may be viewed thus: first, its nature--an
ascription of praise; second, its Object--the God and Father of
Christ; third, its incitement--our enrichment in Him. Were we to
sermonize the verse, our divisions would be (1) The believer's
excellent portion: blessed with all spiritual blessings. (2) The
believer's exalted position: in the heavenlies in Christ. (3) The
believer's exultant praise: "blessed be the God and Father."
What It Means to Bless God
"Blessed be the God and Father." That those words signify an act of
prayer is clear from many passages. "I will bless the LORD at all
times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth" (Ps. 34:1). "Thus
will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name"
(Ps. 63:4; cf. 1 Tim. 2:8). "Sing unto the LORD, bless his name" (Ps.
96:2). "Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD" (Ps.
134:2). To bless God is to adore Him, to acknowledge His excellency,
to express the highest veneration and gratitude. To bless God is to
render Him the homage of our hearts as the Giver of every good and
perfect gift. The three principal branches of prayer are humiliation,
supplication, and adoration. Included in the first is confession of
sin; in the second, making known our requests and interceding on
behalf of others; in the third, thanksgiving and praise. Paul's action
here is a summons to all believers to unite with him in magnifying the
Source of all our spiritual blessings: "Adored be God the Father."
By way of infinite eminency God is the "blessed" One (Mark 14:61)--a
title which is peculiar and solely proper to Himself. Nevertheless, He
is graciously pleased to hear His saints attest to His blessedness.
This was intimated by Paul when, after declaring Him to be "God
blessed for ever" he at once added his "Amen" to the statement (Rom.
1:25). This amen, "so be it," was added not to a blessing of
invocation but to a joyful acclamation that expressed Paul's own
satisfaction and joy. "All thy works shall praise thee" (Ps. 145:10).
His works alone bless Him, for they alone bear Him goodwill. They
bless Him not only for what He is to them and for what He has done for
them but for what He is in Himself.
The nature of this prayer, then, is not a petitionary one like those
which come later in Ephesians, but it is an ascription of praise,
evoked by an apprehension of the spiritual blessings with which God
the Father has blessed His people. The principal blessings are
described in the verses which immediately follow Ephesians 1:3. The
prayer was an adoring of God for such an amazing portion, such
inestimable treasure, such a glorious inheritance. The apostle was
filled with overwhelming gratitude for such infinite love and grace,
and like new wine bursting out of the old bottle into which it was
poured, fervent thanksgiving flowed forth from him. Someone has
beautifully said, "The first notes of the everlasting song of the
heavenly world are sounded here below, and are produced and drawn
forth by a sense of God's goodness and mercy as revealed to the soul,
and especially when the love of God is shed abroad in the heart by the
Holy Spirit." It was this which made David exclaim, "Bless the LORD, O
my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name" (Ps. 103:1).
He blessed God for having so richly blessed him.
The Object Adored
We turn now to consider the Object adored. God the Father is not
absolutely considered, for as such--apart from Christ--He is "a
consuming fire" to sinners such as we. Nor is the Object simply the
God and Father of the Lord Jesus, for we could have no approach to Him
as such. Rather the Object is "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ," the One who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in
Him. A wealth of theological instruction is in the divine titles, and
we are greatly the losers if we fail to pay due attention to them.
This title is the peculiar and characteristic designation of the
Father as the God of accomplished redemption (cf. 2 Corinthians 1:3; 1
Peter 1:3). This blessed relationship is the ground of our confidence.
We stand related not to the absolute Jehovah but to the God of
redemption as He is revealed in Jesus Christ, the One whom the Savior
declared, whose will He perfectly accomplished. Because God spared not
His own dear Son but "delivered him up for us all," He is our God and
Father, and through Christ and by the Spirit we have access to Him.
God Our Covenant God
When the Deity is said to be "the God" of any person, He is his
covenant God. Thus, after the first covenant described in Genesis, we
find Noah speaking of "the LORD God of Shem" (Gen. 9:26), for through
that son God's covenant with Noah was to be accomplished. Later, He
became known as "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of
Jacob" (Ex. 3:6). These patriarchs' names conveyed the covenant
blessings and consequently redounded to praise and blessing to God.
Thus Noah exclaimed, "Blessed be the LORD God of Shem." Later, as in a
parallel case, the Prophet Jeremiah declared, "Behold, the days come,
saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that
brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. Behold,
the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with
the house of Israel" (Jer. 16:14; 31:31). So we may say that, under
the fuller revelation of the gospel, God has said, "I will no longer
be known as the God of Abraham, but as the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ; and I will be owned and adored as such."
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." This
unspeakably precious title views God as He is related to us in Christ,
that is, to Christ as the covenant Head and to His elect in Him; He
was, is, and ever will be the God and Father of the Lord Jesus. We
question whether there is here any direct reference to the miraculous
begetting of our Lord. Rather do we consider that He is contemplated
in His mediatorial character, that is, as the eternal Son invested
with our nature. In view of our Lord's own utterances it is abundantly
clear that He owned the Father as His God. "I was cast upon thee from
the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly" (Ps. 22:10). "I
delight to do thy will, O my God" (Ps. 40:8). On the cross Christ
owned the Father as His God (Matthew 27:46). After His resurrection He
spoke of the Father as "my God" (John 20:17). Enthroned in heaven,
Jesus Christ still declares the Father to be His God four times over
in a single verse (Rev. 3:12). Though God the Son, coequal and
co-eternal with the Father, Christ assumed the form of a servant.
The Father is the God of Christ in the following respects: (1) In
regard to His human nature. Being a creature ("a body hast thou
prepared me," Hebrews 10:5), Christ was subject to God. (2) In regard
to His human nature being predestinated to union with His divine
person. Goodwin said, "Christ as man was `predestinated' (1 Pet. 1:20)
as well as we, and so hath God to be His God by predestination, and so
by free grace, as well as He is our God in that respect." (3) In
regard to His well-being. Goodwin again said, "God is the Author and
immediately the matter of Christ's blessedness (as He is man) and
therefore blessed be God as the God of Christ, who hath `blessed Him
forever' as appears in what follows: `God, thy God, hath anointed thee
with the oil of gladness above thy fellows' (Ps. 45:2, 7)." (4) In
regard to the covenant between the Father and the Son. "Thus saith God
the LORD,... I the LORD have called thee..., and will keep thee, and
give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles"
(Isa. 42:5-6). (5) In regard to His relation to the Church as the Head
and Representative of His people. "For both he that sanctifieth and
they who are sanctified are all of one" (Heb. 2:11).
God must be the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ in order to be
the God and Father of His people whom He chose in Christ. The relation
which the Church sustains to God is determined by Christ's own
relation to God, for she is Christ's and Christ is God's (1 Cor.
3:23). The general principle of this is established by those words,
"God sent forth his Son,... that we might receive the adoption of
sons" (Gal. 4:4-5). Still more explicitly it is found in Christ's own
words, "I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and
your God" (John 20:17). Not "our," be it carefully noted, but "my";
first His and then ours--His originally, and ours by participation.
In view of all that follows in Ephesians 1 it is clear that Paul's
design here in Ephesians 1:3 was to show us that those "spiritual
blessings" issue from God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thus in Ephesians 1:5 God the Father "predestinated us unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself." It should also be
pointed out that "our Lord Jesus Christ" pertains only to His people.
In a special way He is Lord of the saints, as He is called "King of
the nations" (Jer. 10:7); and certainly He is the Savior of those
alone who acknowledge Him as their Savior.
God Alone Can Bless
What was it that occasioned Paul's outburst of joyous praise to the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ? This: "Who hath blessed us
with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." As God
alone is styled the "Blessed" One (Mark 14:61) so, as Goodwin points
out, He alone blesses or is able to do so. When creatures bless, they
can only do so "in the name of the LORD" (Ps. 129:8). When man is made
an instrument to convey good things to us, he cannot make them
blessings. We are to have recourse to God for those. God has blessed
us under the relation of His being our covenant God and our Father
through Christ.
"God [even our own God] shall bless us" (Ps. 67:6), for having taken
upon Himself to be such to us, He cannot but bless us. This is
obviously the force of the duplication which immediately follows: "God
shall bless us" (Ps. 67:7). He has blessed us by giving Himself to us.
And how is it that He has become "our own God"? Why, by choosing us to
be His. Therefore we are termed "his own elect" (Luke 18:7)--made His
own by sovereign choice.
As "Our Father," God Blesses Us
Likewise God blesses us under the relation of "our Father." This was
purposely foretold of old, for the first human beings who pronounced
blessing upon others were those who bore the relation of fathers.
Having love and goodwill to their children, it was natural to wish
them well. Therefore the fathers sought God to perform their desire as
that which was not in their own power to do. Thus we find the
patriarchs blessing their children and posterity (Gen. 27:1-36; 48:9).
So too we recall that utterance of our Lord's, "If ye then, being evil
[filled with self-love, yet moved by natural affection], know how to
give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father
which is in heaven give good things?" (Matthew 7:11). To this very end
He was pleased to become a Father to us. Being the Blessed One He is
in Himself an ocean of all blessings, which seeks an outlet for itself
to communicate to those whom He has loved and chosen. He has become
our Father for the very purpose of lavishing His love and grace upon
His dear children.
Let us notice carefully the tense of the verb in Ephesians 1:3. It is
not "who will bless us," nor "who is blessing us" but "who hath
blessed us." The time when God bestowed all spiritual blessings upon
His people in Christ was when He chose them in Him, even before heaven
and earth were called into existence. Super creation blessings are
here in view. In His eternal decree God the Father gave to His people
both being and well-being in Christ. In the order of His counsels,
that was prior to His foreview of their fall in Adam. This is evident
from what follows: "According as he hath chosen us in him [Christ]
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without
blame before him" (Eph. 1:4). Note the "having predestinated" in verse
5 and the "hath made us" in verse 6 and contrast with "in whom we have
redemption" in verse 7, which harmonizes with 2 Timothy 1:9: which
"according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ
Jesus before the world began." The purpose in that verse is all one
with the blessing of Ephesians 1:3.
"Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings." Each word is
selected with divine precision and propriety. It is not all spiritual
"gifts" or "enrichments" but "blessings," because the word blessing
accords with God's new-covenant title here and emphasizes that these
are covenant bestowments. As Goodwin reminds us, this is "that
original word under which the promise of the covenant of grace was at
the first given to Abraham the father of the faithful, as that which
contained all particular good things--as his loins did [contain] that
`seed' to whom that promise was made."
"In blessing I will bless thee" (Gen. 22:17). Though the New Testament
uses higher terms than the Old to express spiritual things, it did not
alter this expression, for no better was to be found. In His first
public sermon Christ repeatedly declared, "Blessed are . . ." When He
ascended, His last act was to bless (Luke 24:50), and at the last
day--when heaven's doors are opened to all the righteous--their
eternal happiness is expressed by, "Come, ye blessed of my Father"
(Matthew 25:34).
Our Spiritual Blessings
"Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings." (1) In contrast
with the blessings promised to the nation of Israel under the old
covenant, which were material and temporal (Deut. 28:1-8). (2) In
contrast with the common blessings of creation and providence which
the nonelect share with the people of God, for He "maketh his sun to
rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth the rain on the just and on
the unjust" (Matthew 5:45). (3) In explanation of His promise to
Abraham: "That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles
through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit
through faith" (Gal. 3:14). The second clause of this verse is an
exposition of the first showing what sort of blessing was meant. (4)
Spiritual blessings are withheld from the reprobate and are tokens of
our eternal heritage. (5) Spiritual blessings are actually what
dispose the heart to thanksgiving. Temporal mercies simply furnish
motives to give thanks.
Universality of the Blessings
"Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings." Note well it is
not simply "who hath blessed me" but "us." The spiritual blessings
which God bestows upon one of His people He bestows upon them all.
"Whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called,
them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified"
(Rom. 8:30). Some believers think they can be justified and yet not be
sanctified. However Romans 8:32 says, "He that spared not his own Son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely
give us all things?" If Christ be mine, then all spiritual blessings
are mine. As Paul declared in another epistle, "All things are yours,"
and the proof he gave was "And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's"
(1 Cor. 3:21-23). As Goodwin puts it, "If any one blessing, then . . .
all; they hang together and go in a cluster." Everything necessary to
give each Christian title and fitness for heaven is his.
Our Heavenly Blessings
"Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places
in Christ." The Greek New Testament has the article before heavenly
and nothing to warrant the word places supplied by our translators.
Bagster's Interlinear is much to be preferred--"in the heavenlies."
Nor need the English reader have any difficulty: the same expression
occurs again in Ephesians 1:20, where its meaning is plain. Our
spiritual blessings are said to be "in the heavenlies" to mark the
distinction between them and the blessings Israel enjoyed in Canaan.
More remotely still, they point a contrast with those blessings God
blessed us with in Adam while he was in Eden (Gen. 1:27-28).
Christians have their "citizenship" in heaven (rendered "conversation"
in Philippians 3:20). They are "partakers of the heavenly calling"
(Heb. 3:1). They have been begotten to an inheritance which is
"reserved in heaven" for them (1 Pet. 1:4). Again quoting Goodwin:
"Christ is the Lord from heaven, a heavenly man (1 Cor. 15:47-48);
therefore being blessed in and together with Him we are blessed with
heavenly blessings and raised up to heavenly places in Him (Eph.
2:6)."
"Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in
Christ." Out of Christ there is no spiritual blessing whatever for any
soul, but in Him there is blessing abundant for all eternity. The
words "in Christ" signify "in union with Him": a mystical, legal, and
vital union. It is in Christ we are loved by God (Rom. 8:39). It was
in Christ he drew us nigh to Himself (Eph. 2:13). In Him we are
"complete" (Col. 2:10). We are "all one in Christ" (Gal. 3:28). The
departed saints are still "in Christ" (1 Thess. 4:16). And it is of
the Father that we are "in Christ" (1 Cor. 1:30). But though all our
blessings are in Him we can only live in the power and enjoyment of
them as faith looks away from self and all its concerns and is
occupied entirely with Him. "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable
gift" (2 Cor. 9:15).
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11. Prayer for Faith and Knowledge
Ephesians 1:15-17
In The First Half Of Ephesians 1 we have what is probably the
profoundest and most comprehensive doctrinal summary to be found in
Holy Writ; in the second half of the chapter we are shown, by
implication, what our response should be to that doctrine. In view of
the wondrous spiritual blessings with which God has blessed us, His
people in Christ, we should go to Him in praise and prayer. Those
duties are clearly suggested by the example which the apostle sets
before us here. His prayer on this occasion is the longest one
recorded in the New Testament. It reaches depths and points to heights
which faith alone can sound and scale. For the purpose of analysis we
may outline the prayer thus. First, its occasion, when the apostle had
heard of the faith and love of the Ephesian saints (Eph. 1:15).
Second, its nature, namely, praise and petition (Eph. 1:15-16). Third,
its Object, "the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory"
(Eph. 1:17). Fourth, its requests (Eph. 1:17-19), which we consider to
be four in number. Fifth, its revelation, concerning Christ and the
Church (Eph. 1:20-23).
Occasion of the Prayer
First, the occasion for the prayer. "Wherefore I also, after I heard
of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, cease
not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers" (Eph.
1:15-16). The opening "wherefore" intimates to us why the apostle
prayed as he did here. Most writers restrict Paul's reason for writing
to what immediately follows. He had received tidings of their
spiritual prosperity and that caused him to bless God for His goodness
to them and to seek further favors for them. While that is undoubtedly
to be included, yet we see no reason why the "wherefore" should be
severed from what precedes. In the previous verses a description is
given of the inestimable benefits which had been conferred on them. As
Paul considered how God had chosen, predestinated, redeemed them by
the blood of His Son, given them faith, sealed them by His Spirit, he
could not forbear to give thanks for them, and he ceased not to do so.
After a most precise doctrinal enumeration of the rich blessings which
God's people have in and from Christ, Paul rejoiced as he was assured
these Ephesians had a personal interest and participation in those
blessings.
More immediately still, in the verse preceding, the apostle had
pointed out that the climax of those blessings lay in the Holy Spirit
of promise, wherewith they had been sealed (identified and secured).
This sealing was the "earnest of . . . [their] inheritance, until the
redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory"
(Eph. 1:14). The grand end of God in all the blessings of His so-great
salvation was that He should be glorified by and for them. This end
had been mentioned in Ephesians 1:6: "to the praise of the glory of
his grace." And in Ephesians 1:12 in its application to the Jews:
"that we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in
Christ." And it is mentioned again here in its application to all the
Gentiles: "in whom ye also trusted,... unto the praise of his glory"
(Eph. 1:13-14). "Wherefore," says the apostle, "I... cease not to give
thanks for you" (Eph. 1:15-16). God is not to lose the revenue of
praise due Him. Paul therefore feels it his duty to glorify Him on
their behalf. If God glorify us, the least we can do is to act and
live to His glory.
Paul a Prisoner in Rome
It is to be remembered that at the time Paul offered up this prayer he
was in detention by the Romans, but it is most blessed to mark how he
viewed his incarceration: "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord"
(Eph. 4:1). Note that well, my reader. Not the prisoner of Caesar but
of the Lord. Paul knew full well that none could lay hands on him
except as it was ordered by the One who regulates every creature and
every event, "For of him, and through him, and to him are all things:
to whom be glory for ever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36). Equally blessed it is
to behold how this "ambassador in bonds" (Eph. 6:20) occupied himself:
not in repining at the unkindness of Providence, asking "What have I
done to deserve such treatment?" but rather in praising and
petitioning God. And do you not think there is an intimate connection
between the two things? Most assuredly. There can be no peace for the
mind, no joy of heart, if we fail to recognize that our lot--our
circumstances, our condition--is fully ordered by a sovereign and
gracious God.
Paul said he also gave thanks, meaning in addition to the thanks of
the Ephesian believers themselves and those who had communicated to
Paul the latest tidings of their case. Doubtless those saints were
full of gratitude to God because he brought them out of darkness into
his marvelous light. And here the apostle assured them that he joined
with them in fervent thanksgiving for that glorious event. He also
assured them that he continued to bless God as he received word that
their lives gave evidence of the genuineness of their conversion.
Nothing affords the servant of Christ such happiness as hearing of the
salvation of sinners and the accompanying transformation in their
lives: "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in
the truth" (3 John 4). Paul himself was the founder of the Ephesian
assembly (Acts 19:1-10; 20:17-38), but he had been away from them now
for several years. Therefore the statement "after I heard of your
faith" is not to be understood as meaning for the first time. Paul
continued to receive most favorable reports of their spiritual health
and prosperity.
Praise Belongs to God
By making known his thanksgiving to God on their behalf the apostle
also intimated their own privilege and duty. Paul would by his example
stir up their hearts to the renewed praising of God for His sovereign
and amazing goodness to them. Nothing is more acceptable to Him;
"whoso offereth praise glorifieth me" (Ps. 50:23). Nothing is more
becoming in us; "rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is
comely for the upright" (Ps. 33:1). Nothing is more conducive to
stirring us up to this God-honoring and delightful exercise than
considering the greatness of His benefits to us, named in the verses
preceding this prayer. If the Christian takes a believing view of all
his blessings in Christ, labors to see his own personal interest in
the same, and then considers how God has ordered this not only for his
salvation but for "the praise of his glory," his heart cannot but be
moved to pour out itself in adoration and gratitude. Nor is such
thanksgiving to be confined to his own case but rendered for all who
give evidence that they are new creatures in Christ.
"Faith Worketh"
"After I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the
saints" (Eph. 1:15). Faith and love are the best evidences of a
genuine conversion, for they are the fruits brought forth by the two
principal graces communicated to us at the new birth. Faith is known
by what it effects and produces. It was not the Ephesians' first
believing in Christ that the apostle alluded to, for he had witnessed
that for himself, but rather the working and constancy of their faith
of which he had heard--the influence it had on their daily walk. The
faith of God's elect is active in purifying the heart (Acts 15:9) by
engaging it with holy objects. The faith of God's elect brings forth
good works (James 2:14-22), such as those described in Hebrews 11.
This faith "overcometh the world" (1 John 5:4), enabling its possessor
to resist the world's seduction, scorn its principles and policy, and
be "not of it" in his affections and ways.
Another mark of the faith of God's elect is that it "worketh by love"
(Gal. 5:6): love for the truth, for Christ, and for His redeemed.
Faith is but an empty name if it does not fructify in love. Faith in
Christ is only a delusion if it issues not in love for those who are
His. Scripture is too plain on this point to admit any uncertainty:
"If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for
he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God
whom he hath not seen?" (1 John 4:20). Saving faith in Christ and
spiritual love for all whom He loves are inseparably connected (see
Col. 1:4; Philem. 5; 1 John 3:23). "We know that we have passed from
death unto life, because we love the brethren" (1 John 3:14). If we
love one saint as a "saint"--for what we see of Christ in him--we
shall love all saints. Faith in Christ and love for His people are
inseparable, and as one waxes or wanes so does the other. If my love
for Christians is cooling (if I pray less for them and am less active
in seeking to promote their highest good), my faith in Christ is
declining.
The Nature of Faith
Second, the nature of the prayer. The character of this particular
prayer was twofold: it consisted of thanksgiving and requests--praise
for what God had done for the Ephesians and wrought in and through
them, petitions for further blessings for them. The order of these two
things is something we need to lay carefully to heart, for there is
much failure at this very point. Scripture is very explicit on this:
"In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your
requests be made known unto God" (Phil. 4:6). "Continue in prayer, and
watch in the same with thanksgiving" (Col. 4:2). Here we see how the
apostle set us an example. Praise gives wings to our petitions. The
more my heart is occupied with God's goodness, the more thankful I am
for the favors already bestowed on me, the more will my soul be
stirred up in seeking further mercies, the more liberty shall I
experience in making requests for them, and the more expectation shall
I have to receive the same. Cultivate the habit of gratitude, reader,
if you would be more successful at the throne of grace. "I sought the
LORD, and he heard me" is preceded by "I will bless the LORD at all
times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth" (Ps. 34:4, 1).
We should thank God not only for His mercies to us personally but also
for His grace to fellow saints, which is more especially in view in
our present passage. Said Paul on another occasion, "But we are bound
[as a matter of duty] to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren
beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to
salvation" (2 Thess. 2:13). "For what thanks can we render to God
again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before
our God?" (1 Thess. 3:9). There is so little of this unselfish
affection in our day.
But Paul did more than give thanks for what God had done for the
Ephesians and wrought in them; he requested further blessings on their
behalf. Carnal wisdom would draw the very opposite conclusion from
that opening "wherefore"; it would have inferred that since they were
so highly favored of the Lord there was no need to seek additional
mercies for them. But the spiritual mind sees in the smile of God on a
people an encouragement to ask for further benefits to be vouchsafed
them. Similarly should we argue in our own case, regarding each fresh
token of love from God as merely a down payment of more. Note that
Paul did not pray that God would exempt them from persecution or give
them a smooth passage through this world. Nor did he beg God to make
them eminent winners of souls. Nor did he ask that they might be given
a deep insight into the mysteries of prophecy or skill in "rightly
dividing the word of truth," as might be expected if many of our
moderns were right. What he did pray for we hope to consider in due
course.
The Object of Faith
Third, the Object of the prayer: "the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of glory" (Eph. 1:17). As we dwelt at some length upon God
as "the God of our Lord Jesus Christ" when we expounded on Ephesians
1:3, we will confine ourselves now to "the Father of glory." With this
phrase should be compared "the Lord of glory" (1 Cor. 2:8) and "the
Spirit of glory" (1 Pet. 4:14) which bring out the co-equality of the
three Persons in the Godhead.
"The Father of glory." Ah, who is competent to write thereon! To
describe or even define the meaning of that ineffable title transcends
the power of any mortal tongue or pen. At most we can but offer a few
notes. We are told that the Father is "glorious in holiness" (Ex.
15:11), that "his work is honorable and glorious" (Ps. 111:3), that he
is seated upon a "glorious high throne" (Jer. 17:12). We read of His
"glorious voice" (Isa. 30:30), His glorious apparel (Isa. 63:1), His
"glorious arm" (Isa. 63:12), the "glorious honor of... [His] majesty,"
and the "glorious majesty of his kingdom" (Ps. 145:5, 12). Well may we
exclaim, "Blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all
blessing and praise" (Nehemiah 9:5), for "his glory is above the earth
and heaven" (Ps. 148:13).
When we have affirmed that "the glory of God is the excellency of His
being or character, that it is the sum of His perfections or the
outshining of all His attributes in resplendent combination," we are
conscious of the paucity of human language and of the incapability of
the finite to comprehend the Infinite. But if we have experimentally
tasted of "the glory of his grace" (Eph. 1:6), if we have felt in our
souls "his glorious power" (Col. 1:11), if our sin-blinded eyes have
been opened to see Him "glorious in holiness" (Ex. 15:11), then we
know He is the glorious God, even though we can only lisp out what He
has made known to our hearts. All the regenerate have such a knowledge
(though only a foretaste). "For God, who commanded the light to shine
out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor.
4:6). By supernatural illumination and inward revelation (cf. Matthew
16:17; Galatians 1:16) the saints are given spiritual discernment and
a view of the divine glory, such as no creature can communicate to
another and which no mere mental acumen can ever attain. They know
without any uncertainty that He is "the Father of glory."
The Father of Glory
Thomas Goodwin states: "He is called `the Father of glory.' First, by
way of eminency of fatherhood: there is no such father as He is. He is
a glorious Father, and by a Hebrewism He is a Father of glory: that
is, a glorious Father, such as no father else is. He is called `the
King of glory': there are other kings, but He only is the glorious
king. There are other fathers: he only is the Father of glory; He is
therefore called the `heavenly Father.'... Heaven and glory are the
highest things we can conceive of, and therefore when He would put
forth how great a God, how glorious a Father, He is, He calleth
Himself the heavenly Father, the Father of glory, in distinction from
all fatherhoods. The use of this is: Never be ashamed of your Father,
you that are the sons of God, for you are the highest born in the
world--no nobility rises up to glory. Therefore walk worthy of Him,
and let your light so shine before men that you may glorify your
Father, the Father of glory, which is in Heaven." As the God of glory,
the Father first appeared to the father of the faithful, when He
called him to leave Chaldea and go forth to Canaan (Acts 7:2). And as
the most glorious God He reveals Himself to the newly born soul.
Second, God is designated "the Father of glory" not only because He is
infinitely glorious in Himself, but also because He is the Bestower of
glory upon His dear children: "The LORD will give grace and glory"
(Ps. 84:11). He is the Author of all the glory with which His saints
are or ever will be invested. There is what we may call (for want of a
better term) the official glory of God, which is incommunicable; and
there is His moral glory, of which He makes His people partakers. That
distinction is observed in those words of Christ's: "The glory which
thou gavest me I have given them"; on the other hand, "Father, I will
that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that
they may behold my [mediatorial and incommunicable] glory, which thou
hast given me"
(John 17:22, 24). A measure of His moral glory is communicated to us
in this life: "But we all with open face beholding as in a glass the
glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to
glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18). Utterly
unable as we are to explain the mystery of that spiritual alchemy, yet
the fact is clearly stated. And the fact receives verification in the
experience of the saints, for as faith is exercised that divine glory
has a transforming efficacy on their souls.
Third, there was a particular propriety in addressing God on this
occasion as "the Father of glory." As we have pointed out in former
chapters, the titles given to God when approaching Him in prayer were
not selected at random, nor were different ones used merely for the
sake of variety. Rather was the particular character in which God was
viewed most in accord with the special exercises of Paul's heart and
the specific nature of the requests he was about to make. Such was the
case here. He was about to pray for spiritual knowledge of glorious
things, an apprehension of the riches of the glory of God's
inheritance in the saints and of the exceeding greatness of His power.
Suitably, therefore, he called on the Father of glory just as he
addressed Him as "the God of hope" when making request that the saints
might "abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost" (Rom.
15:13).
We cannot anticipate too much that which immediately follows in this
prayer, but we may at least point out that each of its petitions is
closely related to the particular title which is here ascribed to the
Father. Paul asked God to give His people "the spirit of wisdom and
revelation in the knowledge of him"--a knowledge of Him as the
glorious One. Paul also requested that they might know "what is the
hope of his calling." From 1 Peter 5:10 we learn that, among other
things, this calling is "unto his eternal glory." Yes, we are called
to glory itself (2 Pet. 1:3). The phrase "riches of the glory of his
inheritance in the saints" (Eph. 1:18) signifies a glorious
inheritance, an inheritance in the Glory. In making request that we
might know "what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward"
something more than the bare exercise of Omnipotence is included,
namely, the putting forth in a special manner of "his glorious power"
(Col. 1:11). Thus we may better perceive why the apostle here
addressed God as "the Father of glory," this title being most
consistent to the particular favors he was about to ask for.
What We Should Pray For
Our fathers used to say, "A word to the wise is sufficient." And so it
ought to be. To a receptive mind and responsive heart a hint should be
enough. Thus, if a godly and mature saint who was deeply interested in
my spiritual welfare wrote to say he was praying unceasingly that God
would grant me a larger measure of patience or that He would make me
more humble, then--if I value his judgment--I would at once regard
that as a gracious word from God, informing me what I especially need
to be petitioning Him for. We should look in this way on this prayer
we are now considering. In making known to these saints what he sought
from the throne of grace on their behalf, the apostle intimated
indirectly what they needed to make the particular burden of their
supplications. If the Ephesian saints needed to ask these blessings,
most certainly God's people today need to do so. Let us then view this
prayer as divine instruction regarding what we most need to pray for.
The Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation
"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give
unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him"
(Eph. 1:17). We believe that God is here viewed in this way to
strengthen our faith and to fire our hearts. Request is to be made for
a fuller knowledge and a closer communion with God. To encourage us to
ask for this knowledge with confidence, we are assured that the "God
of our Lord Jesus Christ" gives this knowledge to those who seek it.
To stimulate our aspirations we are reminded that He is "the Father of
glory." Then with what trustful reliance we should present these
petitions! With what ardor we should seek for their fulfillment! If we
view God in this character, our view will have a most animating effect
upon the soul. This God is the One who so loved us that He gave His
only begotten Son for us, the One who was the all-absorbing Portion of
our Savior during the days of His flesh. He is His and our covenant
God. Further, He is the most glorious Father whom Christ revealed and
of whom we have already obtained a glimpse in the face of the
Redeemer.
We are living in a day of such appalling ignorance that nothing may be
taken for granted. Therefore we need to point out that in asking God
for these particular things Paul did not signify the Ephesians were
totally devoid of them any more than his opening "grace be unto you
and peace" (Eph. 1:2) implied they possessed neither the one nor the
other; rather he desired for them an increase of both. Thus it is
here. They already had a saving knowledge of God or he would not have
addressed them as "saints" and "faithful in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 1:1).
In asking God to grant them the "Spirit of wisdom and revelation,"
Paul most certainly was not making request for the Spirit to be given
them for the first time, for he had just affirmed in the context that
they were "sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise" (Eph. 1:13). No,
rather he was making request for further supplies and a richer
outpouring of the Spirit upon them. In this way we must view the words
"in the knowledge of him." Paul prayed for a fuller, deeper, closer
acquaintance and fellowship with Him, an "increasing in the knowledge
of God" as Colossians 1:10 expresses it. So too must we regard each of
the other things prayed for.
"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give
unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation." The careful reader will
note that the word Spirit is spelled with a small s in his Bible, and
our capitalizing of it calls for an explanation. The original Greek
manuscripts were written in capitals throughout so that there is
nothing to distinguish between "the Spirit" and "the spirit." Thus it
is entirely a matter of interpretation on the part of the translators
in using the small or capital letter. Where it is the "Holy Spirit" or
the "Spirit of God" all is quite clear. But when it reads, "That which
is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6), the principle of grace or
"new nature" which is imparted to the regenerate partakes of the
character of its Begetter or Communicator and is named after Him.
Consequently there are some passages where it is rather difficult to
determine whether it is the Giver of His gift which is in view,
whether the reference is to the person of the Spirit or to His
gracious operations, the one being so inseparably connected with the
other. In such cases, this writer includes both.
The word spirit is sometimes used as expressive of such mental states
and acts as the new nature brings forth in the believer yet under the
influence of the Holy Spirit. Thus we read of the "spirit of meekness"
(1 Cor. 4:21), the "same spirit of faith" (2 Cor. 4:13), the "spirit
of your mind" (Eph. 4:23). On the other hand when we read of the
"Spirit of truth" (John 15:26), the "Spirit of holiness" (Rom. 1:4),
the "Spirit of Christ" (Rom. 8:9) it is obvious that the person of the
Spirit is in view. But when we are told, "The fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace," and so on (Gal. 5:22), what are we to understand?
In the context Paul has described some of the "works of the flesh," or
old nature (Eph. 5:19-21). Therefore we conclude that the products of
the new nature, or "spirit," are set over in contrast with the
products of the flesh. Yet, since the new nature bears fruit only as
it is energized by the indwelling Spirit, He is the real Author of
that fruit and is to be acknowledged as such. Thus, this writer would
give the twofold meaning to "the Spirit" in Galatians 5:22, namely,
what the Spirit of God produces through the principle of grace in the
regenerate. And it is thus he regards the expression in the verse now
before us.
It is true that the saint received the "spirit of wisdom" at the time
of his regeneration (symbolized by the case of the one described in
Mark 5:15), and it was the Holy Spirit who imparted that wisdom to him
and who was also the Author of its development and activities.
But something more than the spirit of wisdom is here included, namely,
revelation, which cannot be understood as an inherent gift. Had the
verse only named the "spirit of wisdom" we would have regarded it as
referring to a principle infused into Christians. But "revelation"
necessarily implies a Revealer, for revealing is an act of one without
us, of a person distinct from us, and Scripture leaves us in no doubt
as to who that person is. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither
have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared
for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his
Spirit . . . Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but
the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are
freely given to us of God" (1 Cor. 2:9-10, 12).
Our understanding then of this opening petition is that the apostle
first sought from God an increased measure of the Spirit, from whom
all spiritual wisdom comes and who reveals the certainty, the reality,
the surpassing blessedness of divine things. Second, Paul sought for
an enlargement of the gift of wisdom to be bestowed upon the
Ephesians, a fuller capacity to take in the things of God, that He
would further manifest Himself to them (John 14:21), that they might
perceive more clearly His ineffable and soul-satisfying glory. Paul
prayed that God would make good His promise that all their children
would be taught of the Lord (Isa. 54:13), for it is in such ways that
we obtain knowledge of Him. And that leads us to ask more distinctly:
"Knowledge of whom? Of the Father or of Christ?" Some believe the
former to be true, but the majority hold to the latter, being unduly
influenced by Philippians 3:8. The "Father of glory" is the One spoken
of in the immediate context of Ephesians 1:15-23, and it is to Him
that the "his calling," "his inheritance," and "his power" of verses
18-19 clearly refer. Yet He was specifically viewed as the "God of our
Lord Jesus Christ." So, putting the two together, it is the knowledge
of God in Christ which is here referred to.
The Knowledge of God
Coming to the substance of this petition, what is meant by the
"knowledge of Him"? As more than one kind of faith is spoken of in
Scripture, so there are several species of "knowledge"--not only of
different objects and subjects known but of ways of knowing the same.
One may know or be fully assured from the testimony of reliable
witnesses that fire produces most unpleasant effects if an unprotected
hand is thrust into it. But if I have personally felt the consequences
of being burned, I have quite a different order of knowledge. The one
may be termed notional, the other experiential--usually wrongfully
termed "experimental." The distinction frequently drawn between real
and assumed knowledge does not define the difference. When the unclean
spirit said to Christ, "I know thee who thou art" (Mark 1:24), his
knowledge was both real and accurate, but it profited him nothing
spiritually. On the other hand, "they that know thy name will put
their trust in thee" (Ps. 9:10) speaks of a knowledge which inspires
such confidence that its possessor cannot help but believe.
As there are degrees of trusting God, so there are degrees in our
knowledge of Him, and the measure in which we know Him will determine
the extent to which we love, trust, and obey Him. Since that is the
case, we may at once perceive the vital importance of obtaining a
fuller knowledge of God and why this is the first petition of the
four. The defectiveness of our faith, love, and obedience is to be
traced to the inadequacy of our knowledge of God. If we were more
intimately and influentially acquainted with Him, we would love Him
more fervently, trust Him more implicitly, and obey Him more freely.
We cannot sufficiently realize the value of a better knowledge of God.
But let us again remark it is not a mere notional knowledge of Him but
a visual and vital one that is needed. The former kind is one in which
ideas or mental images are presented to the understanding to work
upon, but the latter brings the reality of them down into the heart.
By such a knowledge we behold the glory of the Lord and are "changed
into the same image" (2 Cor. 3:18).
There is also a knowledge by way of special gifts which is quite
distinct from this spiritual knowledge. One may have much of the
former and very little of the latter, as with the Corinthians. They
came behind "in no gift," being "enriched by him, in all utterance,
and in all knowledge" (1 Cor. 1:7, 5). They were not only well
informed but also able to so express themselves on spiritual things as
to stamp upon the minds of their hearers an accurate image of them.
Yet of those same highly gifted and talented Christians Paul said,
"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as
unto carnal, even as unto babes" (1 Cor. 3:1). Thus they were largely
deficient in spiritual knowledge. But there are other saints with a
much deeper and closer acquaintance of God, who are incapable of
expressing themselves so freely and fluently as the Corinthians. A
heart knowledge, not a head knowledge, of God makes a person more
holy.
The opening petition in these verses in Ephesians 1 was that the
saints might be granted through the operations of the Spirit a fuller
entry into that knowledge of God in which eternal life primarily
consists. It was a request that they might perceive more clearly the
glory of God, to give them an inward realization of His ineffable
perfections, to make their hearts so in love with these perfections
that their wills would choose them for their chief delight. God first
prepares the mind by an act of renewal to receive spiritual
instruction, giving His people an understanding that they might know
Him (1 John 5:20), and then He imparts to them a larger measure of
"the spirit of wisdom and revelation." At the new birth we are called
out of darkness into God's marvelous light, yet further light, fuller
manifestations of Himself to us are needed if we are to know Him
better.
God has promised, "All shall know me" (Heb. 8:11). Isaiah prophesied,
"All thy children shall be taught of the LORD" (Isa. 54:13). Those
promises are for faith to lay hold of and plead before God. Neither
the arts nor the sciences can impart one eternal idea to the soul;
still less can they impart any vital knowledge of God Himself. It is
only in His light that we can see light. It is only as He shines upon
our understandings and reveals Himself to our hearts that we can
become better acquainted with Him. It is by means of the Word that the
Holy Spirit carries on the work of God in the soul; therefore whenever
we read or meditate upon it we need to beg Him to take of the things
of God and of Christ and show them to us, apply them to our hearts,
that we may be more and more changed into their very image. But it is
one thing to be convinced of that need and another to put it into
practice. Pride, or self-sufficiency, is the chief deterrent. The
things of God are only revealed to those who preserve this humble
characteristic of the "babes" (Matthew 11:25).
The Greek word rendered "knowledge" in Ephesians 1:17 is epignosei.
Gnosis signifies "knowledge" and epi "upon." So as our moderns would
express it, it is "knowledge plus," or as the lexicons define it "full
knowledge." The word occurs in Romans 3:20, which will enable the
average reader to better perceive its force: "By the law is the
knowledge [or full knowledge] of sin." A man knows something of what
sin is by the light of nature; but only as sin is viewed and measured
in the light of the authority, the spirituality, the strictness of the
divine law, does he obtain a full and adequate knowledge of the
sinfulness of sin. Thus something more than a bare, fragmentary
inchoate acquaintance with God was here prayed for--a full knowledge
of Him. Not a perfect knowledge but a firsthand, well-rounded,
intimate, and thorough knowledge of His person, His character, His
perfections, especially as He is revealed in and by Christ.
The margin of some of our Bibles gives "for the acknowledgment of
him," as the Greek may be thus rendered. To acknowledge is to own a
knowledge of, to admit the same, and this we do of God first in our
secret communion with Him and then outwardly by confessing Him before
men with our lips and lives. Goodwin pointed out this distinction
thus: "One knoweth a stranger, but he doth `acknowledge' he knew
before his friend. So that the intimate knowledge of God as of a
friend is the thing which the apostle meant. As He said of Moses `I
know thee by name' and Moses knew God in turn: and as John 10:14 `I
know my sheep, and am known of mine.' It is to have this mutual
knowledge, God knowing me and I knowing God so as to converse daily
with Him and to have communion with Him as with a friend." Thus we see
the excellence of this particular knowledge. It is not only a more
enlarged knowledge about the things of God such as Christ communicated
to His disciples in Luke 24:27 but also the end or issue of such
knowledge, namely, such a knowledge as leads to real fellowship with
Him, intimate communion with Him as with a friend.
This is the ultimate intent of God in His grace and favor to us: that
we may so know Him as to acquaint ourselves with Him, delight
ourselves in Him, be free with Him, enjoy mutual converse with Him.
"Our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ" (1
John 1:3), so that He knows us and we know Him, He owns us and we own
Him, and as the consequence--we cleave to Him as our supreme Good,
give up ourselves to Him as our absolute Lord, delight ourselves in
Him as our everlasting Portion. That acknowledgment will be evidenced
in our daily walk by submitting to His authority, seeking to please
Him in all things, and thus becoming more and more lively toward Him.
Then obedience will be spontaneous and joyful. The more we increase in
this knowledge of God the easier shall we find it to acknowledge Him
in all our ways (Prov. 3:6).
Spiritual Knowledge a Divine Revelation
Now this spiritual knowledge of God which leads to the practical
acknowledgment of Him comes to us in a way of wisdom (that is, faith
exercising itself on the Word) and of revelation (that is, the Spirit
operating by the Word). The word revelation in this connection
signifies the particularity of it; something is made known by the
Spirit to the saints which is hidden from the wise and prudent of this
world, as is clear from Matthew 11:25 and 27. It is a knowledge which
is peculiar to the regenerate. Revelation also connotes a knowledge
which is additional to what "wisdom" or the workings of faith produce;
not a different kind of knowledge but a different degree of it. Faith
obtains clear apprehension of God, but when the Spirit shines through
the Word upon the understanding, God's glory is more awe-inspiring to
the soul. Revelation also emphasizes the excellency of this knowledge;
that of wisdom is discoursive or acquired by information, but that of
revelation is intuitive. That difference has to be experienced in
order to be understood. But has not the Christian reader, when at
prayer, been favored at times with an unusual revelation of God to his
soul which at other seasons was not the case!
In conclusion we will summarize the exposition of Goodwin, who pointed
out the bearing of each word of the text on its central theme. An
increased, more intimate knowledge of God may be obtained in a way of
wisdom, that is, by faith making sanctified use of reason, by
meditating on the various parts of truth where God's excellencies are
revealed. That is the ordinary way, for wisdom is a rational laying of
things together, perceiving their harmony. But there is also a way of
revelation whereby the Holy Spirit comes down into the heart with a
beam from heaven, enabling us to discern the glory of God such as no
cognition can produce. It was thus with Job when he said, "But now
mine eye seeth thee" (Job 42:5). It is thus when Christ makes good
that word "I will come in to him and sup with him" (Rev. 3:20). This
is not done apart from the Word but by God causing a beam of light
from that Word to suddenly and powerfully strike into the heart.
Gleanings from Paul Index
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings from Paul
by A. W. Pink
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12. Prayer for Understanding
Ephesians 1:18
"The Eyes Of Your Understanding being enlightened, that ye may know
what is the hope of his calling" (Eph. 1:18). In taking up this second
petition in the apostle's prayer we shall endeavor to supply answers
to the following questions: What relation does the opening clause of
our verse bear to that which precedes and that which follows? Exactly
what is signified by the "hope of his calling"? What is meant by a
knowledge of the same? It is one thing to be familiar with the sound
of a verse, but it is quite another to ascertain its sense, as there
is much difference between answering these questions and proving them
to be correct. It is just because so many people assume they
understand the meaning of various passages that they never obtain a
clear insight of the passages' purport. Because the wording of a verse
is simple, it does not follow that we understand its connections or
even its connotations. The mere fact that either "hope" or "calling"
signifies a certain thing in some verses gives no guarantee that it
means precisely the same thing when used in others. We are only on
safe ground when we plead ignorance and prayerfully study each verse
for ourselves.
"The eyes of your understanding being enlightened." Four different
views have been taken on the relation of this clause. First, that it
is to be taken absolutely and regarded as a separate petition. This
appears to have been the idea entertained by our translators, as their
punctuation suggests. Second, that it is in apposition to and
explanatory of the verse preceding--the view adopted by Charles Hodge.
Third, that it states an effect of the gift of "the spirit of wisdom
and revelation in the knowledge of him"--the concept of J. C. Philpot.
Fourth, that it is separate from the preceding petition and
introductory to this second one. This is the way Thomas Goodwin
expounds it and the way we personally understand it. No difference in
doctrine is involved whichever view is taken. According to the
hermeneutical principle of the analogy of faith, it is equally
permissible to link this clause with what precedes or with what
follows, or even with both. Because we are addressing ourselves to
critical students as well as the more ordinary reader, we have penned
this paragraph, for a word of explanation was required as to why we
have deviated from the common course.
The Glory of God
Goodwin has well pointed out that there are two things to be
considered in connection with our blessedness in heaven: "the
happiness that the saints themselves shall enjoy" there and their
"communion with God, which is the cause of their happiness." As to
which is the greater of them there can be no room for doubt: the
Fountain of all blessedness infinitely surpasses our draught
therefrom, no matter how abundantly we may drink. Hence Paul began his
prayer with a request for a fuller measure of the Spirit that the
Ephesians might be brought into a closer communion with God, and then
he asked for illumination of understanding that they might obtain a
better apprehension and enter into a fuller enjoyment of those things
which belonged to their peace. The same two things are kept distinct
in Romans 5. First, Paul said that by faith we "rejoice in hope of the
glory of God" (Eph. 1:2), that is, of the glory we expect to receive
from God. This expectation makes us "glory in tribulations also" (Eph.
1:3) despite the unpleasantness thereof. But blessed as that is, when
Paul reached the climax, he said, "Not only so: we also joy in God"
(Eph. 1:11)--in God Himself.
Two things are indispensable to vision, whether it be physical or
spiritual: sight and light. A blind man is incapable of perceiving
objects even when the midday sun is shining. The strongest eyes are
useless when a person is in total darkness. Now the natural man is
without either spiritual sight or spiritual light. He has eyes, but
they do not see, perceiving no beauty in Christ that he should desire
Him. He is alienated from Him who is Light and therefore dwells and
walks in darkness. Hence the natural man receives not the things of
the Spirit of God. They are foolishness to him, for he is devoid of
spiritual discernment (1 Cor. 2:14). But at regeneration the objects
of sovereign grace are brought out of darkness into God's marvelous
light and are "given an understanding, that they may know him that is
true" (1 John 5:20), so that they are now capacitated to discern,
understand, and enjoy spiritual things. Nevertheless, because
ignorance, prejudice, pride, and carnality ever tend to becloud his
vision so long as he remains in this world, the Christian is in
constant need of having the eyes of his understanding enlightened
afresh and of praying with David, "Open thou mine eyes, that I may
behold wondrous things out of thy law" (Ps. 119:18).
As the eye is the organ of the body by which we see physical objects,
so the understanding is the faculty by which truth is perceived. Yet
far more than a mental perception is involved in the apprehension of
truth. God's Word is very much more than a species of intellectual
propositions; it is a divine revelation, an unveiling of spiritual
things, requiring a spiritual faculty to take them in, producing
spiritual effects where the revelation is received. Therefore "the
eyes of your understanding being enlightened" must not be narrowed
down to "your minds being furnished with new ideas." In the Scriptures
"light," when used with reference to spiritual things, includes both
holiness and happiness. When the Lord Jesus said, "I am the light of
the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall
have the light of life" (John 8:12), He signified much more than
intellectual illumination. Saints are the "children of light" (1
Thess. 5:5) because they have been renewed in the image of Him that is
Light; and therefore they are bidden to conduct themselves as such
(Eph. 5:8) Thus, "the eyes of your understanding being enlightened"
signifies their being divinely anointed, spiritualized, made "single"
(Matthew 6:22) and more holy.
Among the high and honorable titles of God, this is used to describe
His goodness to the children of men: "He that teacheth man knowledge"
(Ps. 94:10). Therefore David added, "Blessed is the man whom thou...
teachest . . . out of thy law" (Ps. 94:12). It is this divine teaching
of the saints that is signified by "eyes of your understanding being
enlightened," namely, bestowing upon them a teachable disposition, a
humble desire to be instructed of God. That teaching consists of God's
enabling the mind to perceive spiritual and divine objects and to see
their importance and value in such a way as to incline the affections
to love them and the will to choose them. God first prepares the heart
to receive His truth (Prov. 16:1) and then fills it with the
"knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding"
(Col. 1:9). His established method is by the Word and by the Spirit,
for these two always go together, the Word explaining and the Spirit
applying the Word. When the Spirit works by the Word He makes it
effectual, through His operations, to build up and perfect the saint.
"Hope" in Scripture
But we must now inquire, "What is meant by `the hope of His calling'?"
This is really a double question: What is meant by the word hope in
this passage, and what is meant by "his calling"? Before supplying
answers may we remind our friends that we are seeking to furnish
something more than mere generalizations or even topical chapters,
namely, studies in the Scriptures. We are not just jotting down the
first thoughts on this verse which come to mind but desire to open its
meaning, to expound it.
In Scripture "hope" always respects something future, and signifies
far more than a mere wish that it may be realized. It sets forth a
confident expectation that it will be realized (Ps. 16:9). In many
passages "hope" has reference to its object, that is, to the thing
expected (Rom. 8:25), the One looked to: "O LORD, the hope of Israel"
(Jer. 17:13; cf. 50:7). In other passages "hope" refers to the grace
of hope, that is, the faculty by which we expect. Hope is used in this
sense in 1 Corinthians 13:13: "Now abideth faith, hope, charity."
Sometimes "hope" expresses the assurance we have of our personal
interest in the thing hoped for: "Tribulation worketh patience; and
patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not
ashamed" (Rom. 5:3-5.) That is, hope deepens our assurance of our
personal confidence in God. In still other cases "hope" has reference
to the ground of our expectation. The clause "there is hope in Israel
concerning this thing" (Ezra 10:2) means there were good grounds to
hope for it. "Who against hope believed in hope" (Rom. 4:18): though
contrary to nature, Abraham was persuaded he had good and sufficient
ground to expect God to make good His promise. The unregenerate are
"without hope" (Eph. 2:12). They have hope, but it is based on no
solid foundation.
Now in the last mentioned sense we regard the word hope as being used
in our present passage: that you may know the ground on which rests
your expectation of His calling, that you may be assured of your
personal interest therein, that you may stand in no doubt regarding
the same, that you may be so enlightened from above as to be able to
clearly perceive that you have both part and lot therein. In other
words, that your evidence of this ground of faith may be clear and
unmistakable. First, Paul prayed for an increased knowledge of God,
that is, such spiritual sights and apprehensions of Him as led to more
real and intimate fellowship with Him, which is the basic longing of
every renewed soul. And what did he desire next to that? Was it not
that which contributed most to his peace and comfort, namely, to be
assured of his own filial relation to God? What does it avail my soul
to perceive the excellency of the divine character unless I have
scriptural warrant to view Him as my God? That is what I need to have
continually kept fresh in my heart. This, then, is the second thing
which the apostle sought for these saints.
The Gospel's Twofold Call
What is meant by "his calling"? Here is another term which is used by
no means uniformly in the Scriptures. Broadly speaking, there is a
twofold calling of God or call from God: an external one and an
internal one. The former is made to all who hear the gospel: "Unto
you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man" (Prov. 8:4).
"Many be called, but few chosen" (Matthew 20:16). That external call
through the Scriptures is addressed to human responsibility and meets
with universal rejection. "I have called, and ye refused; I have
stretched out my hand, and no man regarded" (Prov. 1:24); "Come, for
all things are now ready; and they all with one consent began to make
excuse" (Luke 14:18).
But God gives another call to His elect: a quickening call, an inward
call, an invincible call, what the theologians term His "effectual
call." "Whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he
called, them he also justified" (Rom. 8:30). This is calling from
death to life, out of darkness into God's "marvelous light" (1 Pet.
2:9). As the closing verses of 1 Corinthians 1 tell us, not many
receive this call; it is one of mercy and discriminating grace.
Our text then speaks of the effectual call, and it is termed "his
calling" because God is the Author of it. The regenerate are "the
called according to his [eternal] purpose" (Rom. 8:28), because God is
the Caller. Yet, having said that much, we have only generalized, and
the expositor must particularize if he is to bring out the various
shades of meaning which the same word bears in different verses. In
some passages the effectual call which God gives His people refers to
that work of grace itself, as in 1 Peter 2:9. In others, it concerns
more especially that to which God has called them--"unto his kingdom
and glory," (1 Thess. 2:12), "unto holiness" (1 Thess. 4:7). As there
seems to be nothing in our present verse which requires us to restrict
the scope of the word, we shall interpret it in its double sense:
"that ye may be assured ye have been made partakers of God's effectual
or regenerative call: that ye may perceive the sure grounds of hope
which God has called you unto."
Take the calling itself first. Paul desired that the Ephesians might
have a better knowledge, or assurance, that they had been
supernaturally quickened, personally called out of darkness into God's
light. If the Christian measures himself impartially by the Word, he
should have no difficulty on that score. He should be certain of his
salvation. He ought to be able to say, humbly yet confidently, "One
thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see" (John 9:25). If I
see, with a feeling sense in my heart, what a heinous and filthy thing
all sin is, what a depraved and loathsome creature I am by nature,
what a sink of iniquity still remains within me, what a suitable and
sufficient Savior Christ is for such a wretch as me, what a lovely and
desirable thing holiness is, then I must have been called to life. If
I am now conscious of holy desires and endeavors to which I was
previously a stranger, then I must be alive in Christ.
Take, second, that to which the Christian is called--in this verse, an
assured expectation: "that ye may know what is the hope of his
calling." As God has called His people to holiness, so also He has
called them to be full of hope and good cheer. The apostle prayed in
another place, "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in
believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy
Ghost" (Rom. 15:13). Thus, we may understand that by His calling we
may know that hope which God has commanded us as Christians to have. 1
Thessalonians 4:7, "God hath called us not to uncleanness, but unto
holiness," means that He bids us to be holy, for the third verse of
that same chapter declares, "This is the will of God, even your
sanctification." In that passage the "will" and "calling" of God are
one and the same thing. Thus it may also be understood here: "That ye
may know the hope of His revealed will," which He requires us to have.
"That ye may know," not being ignorant or doubtful. This denies one of
the doctrines of the Council of Trent: "If any one affirm that a
regenerate and justified man is bound to believe that he is certainly
in the number of the elect, let such an one be accursed." The very
fact that Paul was inspired to place on record this petition shows
clearly that it is God's will for His people to have assurance, that
it is both their privilege and duty to earnestly seek it. and that an
increased experience of assurance should be theirs. A doubting Thomas
does not honor God.
Assurance of Salvation
Now let us put the whole together. Only as the eyes of our
understanding are divinely enlightened are we able to know "what is
the hope of his calling"--know it, not by carnal presumption nor by
mental acumen but perceive it with anointed vision. Nevertheless, if
our eyes are not enlightened, the fault is entirely our own, for it is
the revealed will of God that each regenerate person should have
assurance that he is a new creature in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit
has given us one whole epistle to that very end: "These things have I
written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God: that ye
may know that ye have eternal life" (1 John 5:13). Hence, those who
would have the Christian believe that a firm and abiding assurance is
not desirable are standing on an unscriptural doctrine.
Note how emphatic it is: "the eyes of your understanding being
enlightened that ye may know." That cannot signify less than that your
own eyes should see what grounds of assurance the Christian really has
to know that eternal life is his, that his own heart may realize the
hope which God has bidden him to exercise. Not to see with someone
else's eyes, not to read through creedal spectacles, not to take any
man's say-so for it, but to live by your own God-given faith and read
in the light of Holy Writ your own clear evidences. The apostle prayed
here that they might know what great, infallible, multitudinous
grounds of hope God had called them to; that they might appreciate
what grounds of assurance and evidence they had that heaven was
theirs; that they might have assurance of their own interest in
heaven! Every time I truly mourn over my sins, feel my poverty of
spirit, hunger and thirst after righteousness, I have an indubitable
evidence that I am among the "blessed."
Precepts and petitions are complementary one to the other. The
precepts tell me what God requires and therefore what I need to ask
Him for most, that enabling grace may be given me to perform the same.
The prayers intimate what it is my privilege and duty to make request
for, thus they indirectly reveal my duty. "Give diligence to make your
calling and election sure" (2 Pet. 1:10) is the divine precept making
known my duty. That "the Father of glory, may give unto you... wisdom
and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding
enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling" is a
request that I may be enabled to successfully carry out that task of
making my election sure. This petition tells us we ought to labor
after and pray earnestly for a clearer insight into and a fuller
acquaintance with the great objects of the Christian's hopes and
expectations.
We have endeavored to show that the opening clause of this verse is
not a separate petition for a distinct blessing but rather the stating
of an essential spiritual qualification. We cannot obtain a true and
influential knowledge of the grounds which regeneration gives its
subject to hope that he has passed from death to life, nor realize
what confidence of God has bidden him to have (for both things are
included) unless our eyes are divinely anointed. This essential
qualification applies with equal force to the following clause. The
grammatical construction of our passage makes it quite clear that an
enlightened understanding is also indispensable for a spiritual
knowledge of both "the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the
saints" and "the exceeding greatness of his power to usward." Thus,
that opening clause governs all the petitions that follow it.
Having pondered the opening request of this prayer in verse 17 and the
first request mentioned in verse 18, we turn now to consider the
prayer's third petition. We propose to concentrate on these three
things: First, what is the relation of this petition to what precedes?
Second, what is the precise meaning of its terms? Third, what use is
the Christian to make of knowing what are the riches of the glory of
God's inheritance in the saints? We shall devote most of our space to
the second. First, the apostle prayed that the saints might experience
and enjoy closer and fuller communion with God. Then he asked that the
grace of hope might be more operative within them; that they should
realize God's revealed will for them to "abound in hope" (Rom. 15:13)
and not to live in a state of uncertainty. That they might perceive
how many sure grounds they had for believing they were recipients of
an effectual call, as when we ask a doctor concerning a loved one who
is seriously ill, "What hope is there?" We mean, "What ground is there
to expect his recovery?"
Spiritual Discernment Required
No matter how clearly and vividly the landscape appears when the sun
is shining, a blind man does not behold it. Christ is manifestly set
forth in the gospel, but the hearer must be given spiritual sight
before he will perceive the absolute suitability of such a Savior to
his own desperate case. Even after regeneration, the Christian is
still completely dependent on divine illumination in order for him to
continue apprehending spiritual things. That was exemplified in the
case of Peter. Some time after he had become a disciple of Christ, he
made his memorable confession of Christ's deity. Then the Lord Jesus
informed him, "Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my
Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 16:17). The same thing is
repeatedly illustrated in the experience of every saint. At one time
he will read a portion of Scripture and perceive little in it which
impresses his heart or stirs his soul; at another time the same
passage appears scintillating with divine beauty and glory. The
difference is that at the latter time his eyes are divinely anointed.
No reading of commentaries can secure an answer to this petition, and
even a searching or study of the Scriptures will not of itself convey
to the believer a spiritual and influential knowledge of what are the
riches of the glory of God's inheritance in the saints. Only as and
when the eyes of his understanding are enlightened will that
delightful and wondrous experience be his. Thus Paul asked for such
illumination to be granted them so that the Ephesians might know not
only the hope of God's calling but also the excellency of His
inheritance, that they might apprehend more clearly and
comprehensively the greatness of that glory which they had a personal
interest in, for when the God of all grace quickens His elect they are
"called unto his eternal glory by Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 5:10). The
Father has "begotten us again unto a lively [living] hope by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance
incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in
heaven for us" (1 Pet. 1:3-4). The one is preparatory to and ensures
the other: begetting and inheritance, calling and eternal glory. But
some who have been spiritually begotten of the Father are doubtful of
that birth; they should not be. Instead, their duty and privilege are
to know what is "the hope of his calling."
Now the apostle goes further. He desires that they might enjoy a
better apprehension of the hope itself, that is, of its object. This
is what we understand to be the relation between the second and third
petitions. That the two things are not to be separated is intimated by
their connecting "and," but that they relate to distinct blessings is
clear from the "what is." This consideration determines the meaning of
the word hope in the second petition, namely, that it is not the thing
hoped for (which is named in the third) but rather the confidence and
assurance which God commands His called people to have. The third
petition announces what a great and glorious inheritance they have a
personal interest in, and the fourth tells of the exceeding greatness
of God's power which works in those who believe and which preserves
them unto that glorious inheritance.
First, the apostle prayed for communion with God. Next he prayed that
they would have the grounds of their assurance kept continually fresh
in their hearts, that they would know the hope of their calling. And
then he prayed that they would know the greatness of that glory in
which they had an interest. Link those three things together, and this
makes a perfect Christian: full of comfort, full of peace and joy in
believing. And for the Christian to enter into experimental enjoyment
of each and all of those ineffable favors he is dependent upon the
Spirit of wisdom and revelation for the eyes of his understanding to
be divinely enlightened. It utterly transcends the powers of the human
mind to so much as conceive of the "things which God hath prepared for
them that love him." Yet in response to earnest and expectant prayer,
real and satisfying thoughts on the subject may be obtained even in
this life, for "God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit" (1 Cor.
2:9-10).
When Paul was commissioned to preach to the Gentiles, it was "to open
their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the
power of Satan unto God, that they might receive forgiveness of sins,
and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me
[God]" (Acts 26:18). To the Hebrews Paul declared that Christ was the
Mediator of the new covenant so that they who were called might
receive the "promise of eternal inheritance" (Heb. 9:15). Thus we see
again how closely connected and yet distinct are the effectual call of
God and the inheritance to which the called are begotten. That
inheritance is described in part in 1 Peter 1:4. But in Ephesians 1:18
it is designated God's "inheritance in the saints," which at once
brings to mind that remarkable statement: "For the LORD'S portion is
his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance" (Deut. 32:9; cf.
Psalm 78:70-72; "my jewels" in Malachi 3:17). The one is complementary
to the other. God has an inheritance in the saints, and they have an
inheritance in and from God; for if they are His children, then they
are also heirs--"heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ" (Rom.
8:17).
A Glorious Inheritance
Now this inheritance is a glorious one. Nothing is in heaven but that
which is glorious. The central and all-absorbing Object there is the
God of glory, particularly as He shines forth in the person of our
glorious Redeemer. There our souls and bodies will be glorious (Rom.
8:30; Philippians 3:20). Our employments will be glorious--praising
and glorifying God forever and ever. We shall be surrounded by the
glorious angels. Nothing shall ever enter there which can defile. For
a brief season Paul himself had been caught up into paradise, where he
had received "revelations of the Lord" and heard "unspeakable words,
which it is not lawful [nor possible] for a man [returned to earth] to
utter" (2 Cor. 12:1-4). Little wonder then that he longed so
vehemently that the saints in general might be admitted into a clearer
and enlarged apprehension of the things which God had prepared for
them that love Him. Little wonder that in Ephesians 1 he should be
found laboring for words to express the same to us: an "inheritance,"
"his inheritance," "the glory of his inheritance," "the riches of the
glory of his inheritance."
Our ideas of heaven, of glory, of perfection--even after the partial
revelation of them in the Scriptures--is at very best defective. Yet
enough is revealed to fill us with admiration, astonishment, and
adoration; and in proportion as the eyes of our understanding are
enlightened and as faith is exercised on what God has made known to us
thereon in His Word, our hearts will be affected and our lives
influenced. The term "God's inheritance in the saints" is used to show
the greatness and grandeur of it. It is "his inheritance" because He
is the Deviser and Author of it. And let it not be overlooked that
"his inheritance" as the "Father of glory" (Eph. 1:17) emphasizes the
surpassing excellence of it.
It is God's inheritance, yet the saints are the "heirs" of it. That it
is designated an "inheritance" announces that it is a free gift which
we can do nothing to earn or merit. It is an inheritance of God's own
planning, preparing, and bestowing. Such an inheritance must be
inexpressibly grand, inconceivably wonderful, unspeakably glorious. It
is the "inheritance of the saints in light" (Col. 1:12).
Let us now observe the qualities by which the inheritance is described
in our text: "the riches of the glory of his inheritance." In human
speech that word is applied to things which men value most highly, in
order to attain which the majority are prepared to sell their souls.
In Scripture, when "riches" is employed in connection with spiritual
and divine things, it is for the purpose of emphasizing the excellency
and copiousness of them. Thus we read of God being "rich in mercy"
(Eph. 2:4), of the "riches of his grace," of the "unsearchable riches
of Christ" (Eph. 3:8), and of the "riches both of the wisdom and
knowledge of God" (Rom. 11:33).
It should enable us to form a better concept of this rich inheritance
by recalling that verse "Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye
through his poverty might be rich" (2 Cor. 8:9). Christ was the
Beloved of the Father, the Lord of glory, the Heir of all things, and
therefore "thought it not robbery to be equal with God" (Phil. 2:6).
Yet He laid aside His glory, became incarnate, was born in a manger,
and entered into such poverty that He had nowhere to lay His head. He
voluntarily endured such unspeakable humiliation for the express
purpose that His people "might be rich." How rich then are they? How
rich will they become? Those riches will bear a proportion to the
unparalleled shame and penury into which the Son of God descended for
our sakes.
"The Riches of His Glory"
But not only "riches" and "the riches" are meant but "the riches of
his glory." How little are we capable of entering into the meaning and
blessedness of that! Goodwin has pointed out that if "riches" connote
excellency, the "glory" of them imports superexcellency. Thus we read
of the "excellent glory" (2 Pet. 1:17), or height of excellency, and
of the "glory that excelleth" (2 Cor. 3:10). That gives perhaps as
full a definition as can be furnished. It signifies all excellencies,
and all excellencies in the height, and such a weight of excellencies
which the ordinary understanding of a man cannot bear. Joy, when it
excels, is called "joy unspeakable and full of glory" (1 Pet. 1:8).
Now put the two together: the "riches of his glory," that is, of "the
Father of glory!"
The two things are combined again in that familiar verse "My God shall
supply all your need according to his riches in glow by Christ Jesus"
(Phil. 4:19). Not "out of" but "according to" His riches. It is the
standard of measurement rather than the source of supply. God is a
rich and glorious God: nor will He have those riches of glory lie
idle. When Abraham had no son, he said, "Lord, Thou hast given me
these riches, but to me Thou hast given no seed--no son to inherit."
Therefore God gave him Isaac, on whom he might bestow his riches and
inheritance (Gen. 15:1-4). God had riches of glory lying by, and
therefore He chose His sons to inherit them.
When Alexander the Great gave a city to a mean man, he said, "I do not
give a city away according to the proportion of the man, but as it is
fit for me to give."
In showing how glorious must be the inheritance which the saints shall
have, Goodwin called attention to Psalm 115:15-16 where we read, "Ye
are blessed of the LORD which made heaven and earth. The heaven, even
the heavens, are the LORD'S; but the earth hath he given to the
children of men." The earth, and all the good things in it, God has
given to the human family, but heaven and the heaven of heavens He has
reserved for Himself as His possession. The earth He has given away to
the children of men, but the celestial courts are His own inheritance.
Now this is mentioned in order to show how favored the saints are: "Ye
are the blessed of the LORD." God does not prize the earth, but gives
it away; but the heavens He has set apart for Himself. Then how happy
the saints must be that they are taken up to heaven to share God's own
inheritance! The earth is not good enough for Him, nor does He deem it
to be so for them. The Lord is the Possessor of heaven, and blessed
indeed must those be who are predestinated to be partakers of God's
own inheritance.
"The riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints." In an
allusion to this verse Calvin remarked, "The eyes of our understanding
are not truly `enlightened' unless we discover what is the hope of the
eternal inheritance to which we are called." Manton understood it as
the inheritance "appointed for those who are renewed by the Spirit of
God,... that they might more clearly see and fully believe those good
things which they shall enjoy hereafter." Hodge defined it as the
"abundance and greatness of that inheritance of which God is the
Author." Whether we regard it as God's inheritance or the Christian's,
it comes to the same thing in effect, for it is displayed in the
saints. According as God has glory in the saints, they must be
glorious just as the glory of a king is exhibited in the glory of his
attendants. God regards the glory which the saints shall have as His
inheritance. Moreover, there is a revenue of glory which He receives
from them in their worship and thanksgiving.
The Greek may also be fairly rendered "What is the riches of the glory
of the inheritance of Him by the saints," meaning that God Himself is
the inheritance of the saints. This will constitute the ineffable
bliss and blessedness of heaven--that God Himself will be our
all-absorbing and eternally satisfying portion and heritage. When the
mind soars that high it finds an all-sufficient resting place: "He
that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God" (Rev.
21:7). O what a marvelous and inconceivable prospect: that the saints
will possess God Himself; that the Redeemer will yet say to His
people, "Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord"; and that word enter is
couched in the language of this very figure, for a man enters into his
inheritance when he actually takes possession of the same. Then each
saint will exclaim, "The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance . . .
In thy presence is fulness of joy" (Ps. 16:5, 11).
The Fullness of Scripture
Yet so full are the words of Scripture that no single definition can
exhaust their scope. Our text not only includes the inheritance which
God has provided for His saints and which they have in Him but it also
refers to what God Himself has in them. 2 Thessalonians 1:10 says that
Christ "shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in
all them that believe." How will they be glorified? Why, so that He
will be admired in them. God makes known the "riches of his glory on
the vessels of mercy, which he hath afore prepared unto glory" (Rom.
9:23). Bringing vessels of mercy to glory is to make known the riches
of His glory. His glory shall arise out of theirs, and therefore it is
said to be "his inheritance in the saints." When the saints are
glorified and with Him in heaven, then "he will rejoice over... [them]
with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over... [them] with
singing" (Zeph. 3:17). What glory must that consist of to be an
inheritance for God to rest in forever!
Now Paul prayed the saints might have a better knowledge of that
glorious inheritance, in order that the eyes of their understanding
should be enlightened in regard to that inheritance. As a well-trained
mind is required in order to grapple with an intricate problem in
philosophy, as a musical temperament and ear are needed to fully
appreciate a master production of melody, so spiritual vision and the
eyes of faith are indispensable in order to take in spiritual views of
heavenly objects. Certainly Paul would not have prayed for this
blessing unless it was of great value and importance. We are bidden to
set our affection on things above, and the more real and glorious they
appear to us the easier it will be to comply with such a precept. And
obviously the more our hearts are set on heavenly objects the less
power will the perishing things of time and sense have to enthrall or
even influence us.
If we perceived more clearly the riches of the glory of the
inheritance to which we are called, we would be well content with
"food and raiment" and a covering over our heads while here. We would
have more of the spirit of those who took joyfully the spoiling of
their goods, knowing that they had in heaven a "better and an enduring
substance" (Heb. 10:34). "For the joy that was set before him" the
Lord Jesus "endured the cross, despising [treating with contempt] the
shame" (Heb. 12:2). If we were more occupied with those "pleasures for
evermore" which are at God's right hand (Ps. 16:11), we would run with
patience the race set before us and be less cast down by the petty
sufferings and sorrows of the way. If heaven were more real to us, we
would be more earnest in seeking to walk as those journeying to it,
and we would long more ardently for Christ to come and take us there.
Gleanings from Paul Index
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings from Paul
by A. W. Pink
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13. Prayer for Spiritual Apprehension
Ephesians 1:19-20
We Have Now Arrived at the fourth petition in this prayer. In
pondering the petition it is both important and necessary to realize
that, equally with the two preceding requests, this final one is based
upon and governed by the initial blessing. We can no more know
spiritually and experimentally the "exceeding greatness of his [God's]
power to us-ward" without first having the "spirit of wisdom and
revelation in the knowledge of him." As a result, the eyes of our
understanding are enlightened so that we can know "what is the hope of
his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the
saints." We are as entirely dependent upon the gracious operations of
the Spirit for the one as we are for the other. Grammatically,
logically, doctrinally, and experimentally the one is governed by and
follows from the other. Something far more than a mere speculative or
intellectual knowledge of God's mighty power is here supplicated,
namely, a personal acquaintance, a heart apprehension. For that
anointed eyes--as the consequence of an increased measure of the
"spirit of wisdom and revelation"--are indispensable.
"And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward" (Eph.
1:19). It may not be so apparent to some of us why Paul felt the need
to make this particular petition. To a greater or less degree all
Christians are conscious of their need for a fuller supply of the
"spirit of wisdom and revelation" in the knowledge of God and of their
being granted a clearer and enlarged apprehension of "what is the hope
of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in
the saints." But probably many Christians are less aware that it is
equally desirous and essential for them to know more about the mighty
operations of God to them. If they have good grounds for believing
they have received an effectual call, then they do realize that a
miracle of grace must have been wrought in them, that nothing short of
omnipotence could have brought them from death to life. Yet much more
than that is included in this petition. We shall therefore begin our
study of it by suggesting several reasons why the apostle should have
made this particular request.
Spiritual Helplessness of Fallen Man
First, Paul probably made this request because it would stain human
pride. The natural man is so self-confident and self-sufficient that
he deems himself quite competent to determine his own destiny. But
over all his fancied efficiency, egotism, and independence, God has
written "without strength" (Rom. 5:6). Not without physical, mental,
or moral strength but without spiritual. Fallen man is spiritually
dead. Therefore he is not only utterly unable to perform a spiritual
act in a spiritual way and from a spiritual principle but also devoid
of any spiritual desires or aspirations, though he may be very devout
as the world conceives of "religion." "Without strength" Godward. But
who believes this today? Few indeed, and fewer still have confirmed it
by actual experience. The boast of Christendom is, "I am rich, and
increased with goods, and have need of nothing"--ignorant of her true
condition, for the divine Judge says to her," [Thou] knowest not that
thou are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked"
(Rev. 3:17). Nothing but God's great power can subdue the workings of
such pride and bring the sinner as a humble suppliant and empty-handed
beggar to the throne of grace.
To believe on Jesus Christ with all our hearts appears to be one of
the simplest acts imaginable, and to receive Him as our personal Lord
and Savior seems to present no great difficulty. Yet, in reality,
before any soul actually submits to the Savior, there has to be the
working of God's mighty power. In other words, a miracle of grace must
be wrought in him. Before a fallen and depraved creature will
voluntarily and unreservedly surrender to the just claims of Christ,
before he will forsake his cherished sins and abandon his beloved
idols, before his proud heart is brought to repudiate all his
righteousnesses as filthy rags, before he is willing to be saved by
grace alone, before he is ready to whole-heartedly receive Christ as
his Prophet, Priest, and King, God must draw him by His mighty power.
Nothing short of the exercise of omnipotence is sufficient.
The Fall has wrought fearful havoc in the whole of man's nature and
constitution. Every descendant of Adam was "shapen in iniquity" and
born into the world the slave of sin; no efforts of his own nor any
attempts by his fellowmen can, to the slightest degree, deliver him
from his fearful bondage. It is apparent that a supernatural power
must intervene if the sinner is ever to be emancipated from his
captivity, that none but the hand of God can smite off his fetters and
bring him out of prison. If the spiritual darkness of man's
understanding, the perversity of his will, the disorderliness of his
affections and passions were better understood, then it would be more
evident that no mere reformation could suffice, that nothing short of
personal regeneration--the communication to him of a new nature and
life--could be of any avail.
Slavery of the Natural Man to Sin and Satan
Second, Paul requested knowledge of God's power because men are so
ignorant of the terrible powers arrayed against them. When engaged in
a serious conflict, nothing is so fatal to success as to underestimate
the strength of our opponents. Only as our judgment of the might and
malignity of our spiritual foes is formed by the teaching of Scripture
can we really assess the same. Unless our thoughts concerning the
enemies of our souls are regulated by what God's Word reveals about
them, we are certain to err. Above we have referred to the potency of
indwelling sin, but how little its awful dominion and prevalence is
realized! "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his
spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil" (Jer.
13:23). The natural man cannot improve his sinful nature and make
himself love God. As neither external applications nor internal
potions could whiten the Ethiopian's dark complexion, so neither
education, culture, nor reformation can change the sinner's nature and
bring him to hate what he now loves or love that to which he is
inveterately averse.
Not only is the natural man the slave of sin but he is also the
captive of the devil. Immediately after praying the prayer we are now
pondering, Paul reminded the saints: "In time past ye walked according
to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of
the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience"
(Eph. 2:2). So complete is Satan's dominion over the unregenerate that
he not only tempts them from without but works within them so that
they are made both to will and to do of his evil pleasure. Therefore
he is termed their father, and as Christ declared to the Pharisees,
"The lusts [desires] of your father ye will do" (John 8:44).
Unregenerate men fondly imagine they are "free agents," pleasing
themselves, but in concluding this they are deceived by their
archenemy, their master and king, for they are held fast in the "snare
of the devil, . . . taken captive by him at his will" (2 Tim. 2:26).
They are no more able to escape from his toils than they are to create
a world; indeed, they have no desire to do so.
"But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom
the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe
not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image
of God, should shine unto them" (2 Cor. 4:3-4). What then can Satan's
victims do? As the "prince of this world" he influences its politics
and policies. As the "god of this world" he controls its superstitions
and religions. In this way he maintains his "kingdom" (Matthew 12:26)
and governs his subjects. In our Lord's parable of the wheat He
intimated something of the fearful dominion of our great foe: "When
any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not,
then cometh the wicked one and catcheth away that which was sown in
his heart" (Matthew 13:19). How helpless then are his victims! One has
but to read in Mark 5 the case of the poor demoniac whom "no man could
bind,... no, not with chains" (Mark 5:3) to ascertain how thoroughly
unavailing are all human attempts to escape Satan's thralldom. Yet how
little this is realized!
When the Lord saves a person He delivers him from Satan's control, and
that is a work of exceeding great power such as He alone is capable of
putting forth. This was clearly made known by Christ's statement "When
a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace [i.e.,
secure]: But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome
him, he taketh from him all his armor wherein he trusted, and divideth
his spoils" (Luke 11:21-22). Only divine omnipotence can turn souls
"from the power of Satan unto God" (Acts 26:18). Nor does the devil
admit defeat even when any of his captives are taken from him by
force. No, he makes the most relentless and persevering efforts to
recapture them, employing his powerful and numerous emissaries to
reach that end. Therefore are the saints warned, "For we wrestle not
against flesh and blood [merely human beings], but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of
this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph. 6:12).
Hence they are bidden to be "strong in the Lord, and in the power of
his might. Put on the whole armor of God" (Eph. 6:10-11).
Third, Paul made his request because of the unbelief and timidity of
the saints. We are creatures of extremes. When our self-confidence and
self-sufficiency are subdued, we are prone to become occupied with our
weakness and insufficiency instead of keeping our eyes fixed steadily
on the One who began a good work in us. As we learn something of the
might of our foes--both within and without--and of our feebleness and
incompetence to resist them, we are apt to become thoroughly
discouraged and give way to despair. This explains why Paul reserved
this petition for God's power for the last. He had just asked that the
saints might know what were the "riches of the glory of his
inheritance in the saints," and then it was as though he anticipated
their inevitable objection: "How shall vile creatures as we ever come
to be made glorious? Even though we have been delivered from a bondage
worse than Egyptian bondage, are we not likely, as the Israelites of
old, to perish in the wilderness before we reach the promised land?"
It was to quiet such fears that Paul reminded the Ephesians of the
exceeding greatness of God's power.
Divine Omnipotence
In the early part of Ephesians 1 Paul spoke much about the goodwill of
God toward His people. In the second part of the chapter, in order to
warm their hearts and strengthen their faith, Paul had the Ephesians
contemplate divine omnipotence. The power of God executes His
counsels. That power has ever been the confidence and glory of His
saints. His "mighty arm" is the security of their salvation. It is
inexpressibly blessed to see that the power of God is exactly
proportioned to His promises. Has He given us "exceeding great and
precious promises" (2 Pet. 1:4)? Then there is the "exceeding
greatness of his power" to make them good! That was the ground of
Abraham's assurance when God declared he should have a son in his old
age: "Being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now
dead..., neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: He staggered not at
the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving
glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he
was able also to perform" (Rom. 4:19-21). When we remember the power
of God, weakness and readiness to faint are changed into confidence
and joy (Ps. 77:7-15).
"That ye may know . . . what is the exceeding greatness of his power
to usward." That petition only meets with a suitable response from us
when we remember that divine omnipotence is engaged to uphold,
strengthen, and defend God's people, to complete the good work which
it has begun in them, to fully redeem them from sin, Satan, and death,
to conform them perfectly to the image of His dear Son. Just in
proportion as believers realize that the infinite power of God is
available for them to lay hold of and draw from do they answer to
Paul's design in placing on record this request for them. When we are
most conscious of our weakness and the might of our enemies, our
privilege is to come boldly to the throne of grace and there find
"grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16). It is one thing to
believe intellectually in the exceeding greatness of God's power, but
it is quite another for us to personally and experimentally take hold
of His strength (Isa. 27:5). Then it is that we prove for ourselves
the meaning of those words "out of weakness were made strong" (Heb.
11:34); then we know what it is to be "strong in the grace that is in
Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 2:1).
Fourth, Paul made request that the Ephesians might know God's power
because only thus is He honored. To give place to fear as David did
when he said, "I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul" is most
dishonoring to God. It is the consequence of being absorbed with our
enemies rather than with the Lord. Let self-diffidence be accompanied
with confidence in God, and all will be well. Since the glory of God
is concerned in the salvation and preservation of His people and since
Paul was about to make requests concerning the furtherance of the
same, he here addressed Deity as "the Father of glory" (Eph. 1:17). It
is blessed to realize the import of that. Since the Father of glory is
the Author of our salvation, He will certainly be the Guardian of it.
The same motive which disposed Him to contrive and effect our
salvation will also move Him to ripen all the fruits of it. It is for
this reason chiefly that He who has begun a good work in us will
finish it (Phil. 1:6). His glory requires our perseverance and His
power will secure it; therefore it is termed "his glorious power"
(Col. 1:11).
To God Be the Glory
"That ye may know . . . what is the exceeding greatness of his power
to us-ward" in removing our enmity against Him, in dispelling the
native darkness of our understanding, in subduing our rebellious
wills, in drawing our hearts to Himself, in giving us a love for His
law and a longing for holiness, in delivering us from the power of
Satan. It is most necessary for us to know all that if all the praise
and glory are to be ascribed to Him to whom alone it is due. As we
compare ourselves with the unregenerate--who naturally may shame us in
many respects but who spiritually are on the broad road that leads to
destruction, unconcerned about their eternal interests--we do well to
ponder that question: "Who maketh thee to differ?" (1 Cor. 4:7). The
answer is, and only can be "A sovereign God who puts forth His
omnipotence and makes us willing to receive Christ as our Lord in the
day of His power." And if we can now perceive any good thing, the root
of the matter in us, the fruits of a new nature, then we must exclaim,
"Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory" (Ps.
115:1).
This fourth petition then was a request that the saints might have a
clearer understanding and a better apprehension of how that miraculous
change within them had been brought about and of what that initial
change was the sure down payment. The change was not produced by
rational considerations, by moral suasion, nor by the power of the
preacher, for he can no more quicken dead souls than he can dead
bodies. It did not originate in any act of our wills; it was not
effected by any human agency. There was something prior to the consent
of our wills, namely, a radical and permanent inward transformation
wrought by the hand of the Most High. And observe how energetic and
impressive is the language used: not only the power of God or the
greatness of that power but the "exceeding greatness of his power to
us-ward." So weighty and emphatic is the language of the Greek that it
is difficult to reproduce in English: "the super-excellent, sublime,
and overcoming, or triumphant, greatness of His power" is how one
rendered it.
J. C. Philpot gave an excellent definition of that power: "The power
put forth in first communicating; second, in subsequent maintaining;
third, in completing and consummating the work of grace in the heart."
We would include God's power in working on our behalf and in the
resurrection of our bodies as well. But what we most desire to impress
upon and leave with the Christian reader is that the exceeding
greatness of God's power is toward us. It is not merely latent in
Himself; still less is it against us--as was the case with
Pharaoh--but is engaged on our behalf, making all things work together
for our good. Then what is there to fear! Join the apostle in praying
for an enlarged heart apprehension of God's power.
"That ye may know . . . what is the exceeding greatness of His power
to us-ward" (Eph. 1:18-19). In our last chapter we suggested several
reasons why it is necessary that such a request should be made. It is
of no small importance, both for our own good and for the glory of
God, that we should obtain a better understanding and clearer
apprehension of how the wondrous change within us has been brought
about, for our ignorance concerning the same is very great.
Nevertheless, the workings of omnipotence toward us must by no means
be restricted to the initial miracle of regeneration, amazing and
blessed though that is, for it was but the forerunner, the sure
earnest, of further marvels of grace. None but God can save a sinner,
and He alone can preserve him in such a world as this. If the
exceedingly great power of God is required to deliver a soul from
spiritual death, the continued exercise of it is equally essential in
bringing him safe home to heaven. If nothing short of the infinite
strength of the Almighty was sufficient to free one of Satan's
captives, anything less would be quite inadequate to prevent the
archenemy of man from recovering his former victim.
The Lord Our Keeper
"Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready
to be revealed in the last time" (1 Pet. 1:5). "He that keepeth Israel
shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is thy keeper" (Ps.
121:4-5). Of His vineyard it is said, "I the LORD do keep it; I will
water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day"
(Isa. 27:3). Such blessed assurances are not given to encourage carnal
confidence and presumptuous carelessness but are recorded for the
comfort and heartening of those who have been brought to realize they
have "no might" of their own and would certainly make shipwreck of the
faith were they left to themselves and their own resources. But, thank
God, the same mighty power which was put forth at first to make them
new creatures in Christ is engaged to carry forward the work of grace
within them, to defend from all enemies, to supply their every need
while left in this "howling wilderness." Thus, their eternal security
is infallibly guaranteed and the Lord of hosts is their sole but
all-sufficient confidence, the might of His omnipotence their ever
available resource.
The exceeding greatness of God's power to us not only includes all the
operations of His grace to and within His people but also comprehends
His wondrous providences to them in meeting every need and making all
things work together for their good. There is also one other exercise
of the divine omnipotence to the saints which we must at least
mention, and that is their glorification, when in spirit and soul and
body they shall be perfectly and permanently conformed to the image of
God's Son. Their very bodies which were sown in dishonor will be
raised in glory, and what before was natural will then be made
spiritual. Whatever difficulties carnal reason and unbelief may
advance about the supposed change of the particles which comprise our
present bodies and the alleged impossibility of the same bodies coming
forth on the resurrection morning, faith disposes of them all by a
confident appeal to God's promise: "Who shall change our vile body,
that it may be like unto his glorious body, according to the working
whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself" (Phil.
3:21). The regeneration of the soul is a great miracle as is the
resurrection of the body. The same mighty power which effected the one
will accomplish the other.
We turn now to a technical detail, yet it is not devoid of interest
and importance. Careful readers will have observed that in our quoting
of Ephesians 1:19a we stopped at the word usward rather than believe
as in the Authorized Version. Two things must be determined, namely,
the precise point at which the petitionary part of the prayer ends and
the punctuation of verse 19. Really the two things are one, for as
soon as the former is settled, the latter is at once determined. In
chapter 11 we outlined the prayer thus: First, its occasion (Eph.
1:15); Second, its nature (Eph. 1:15-16); Third, its object (Eph.
1:17); Fourth, its requests (Eph. 1:17-19); Fifth, its revelation
(Eph. 1:19-23)--our reason for so designating its last section, we
give below. Now it is our impression that we have already reached the
conclusion of the petitionary portion of this prayer at the word
usward and that a colon should follow it; therefore we believe that
the "who believe" is to be connected and considered with what
immediately follows.
It is quite clear that the requests begin at the words "may give unto
you" (Eph. 1:17) Whether they end at the word usward or at believe is
a point on which the commentators differ, the great majority favoring
the latter as our translators did. Yet personally we much prefer the
former, for the following reasons. First, the added "who believe" is
not necessary for the purpose of defining the "us-ward"--the subject
or beneficiaries of God's power--for they are manifestly the "saints"
of the preceding clause. Second, to say that God's power is "to
us-ward who believe" unwarrantably restricts the idea, for God's
omnipotence wrought in the saints previously, and had it not done so
they never would have believed! Third, if the "who believe" is linked
to the preceding clause, the final section of the prayer begins too
abruptly--"according to." Fourth, if the "who believe" commences a new
clause the words present a most important truth which our passage
would otherwise omit, namely, that our believing is itself the
immediate result of the divine operations.
"Who believe according to the working of his mighty power." Before
attempting to open up the meaning of those words let us seek to point
out their wider scope or the relation which they bear to what follows.
True prayer is something more than making our requests known to God,
even with thanksgiving: it is something more than an act of adoration,
wherein the believer praises and adores Deity. It is also communing
with God, and communing, or fellowship, is mutual. When the redeemed
soul is favored to have an audience with the divine Majesty, not only
does He hearken to his petitions but He graciously condescends to
speak with him. A beautiful illustration of that is found in Numbers
7:89: "When Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to
speak with... [God], then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him
from off the mercy seat" (cf. Exodus 33:11). This was the case here in
Ephesians 1: while the apostle was making known his requests to the
Father of glory, he received a revelation from Him, which is recorded
in the closing verses of our chapter.
Wondrous things were here made known, things which had not been
disclosed before. In the closing verses of Ephesians 1 certain aspects
of truth are revealed which are nowhere else set forth in the
Scriptures. Psalm 110:3 plainly intimated that there must be a putting
forth of divine power before the people of God are made willing to
abandon their prejudices and idols. Once and again Christ affirmed the
natural man to be incapable of exercising faith (John 5:44; 8:43;
10:26), but here alone we learn that God puts forth the same power in
working faith in us as He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from
the dead. On the day of Pentecost Peter declared that God had raised
the crucified Jesus and made Him "both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36),
but here alone it is formally stated that the Redeemer has been
exalted "far above all principality and power, and might and
dominion." In 1 Corinthians 15:27 we read that God has "put all things
under" Christ, but here alone do we discover that God "gave him to be
the head over all things to the church" (1 Cor. 15:22). In 1
Corinthians 12:27 the Church is designated "the body of Christ," but
here alone she is called His "fullness."
Wondrous indeed are those things to which we have just called
attention, things which it should be our joy to carefully contemplate
and not carelessly dismiss with a passing glance. Some readers may
chafe at the slowness of our progress, but why should we hurry over
such a passage as this? Is there anything more sublime or precious in
the prayers yet to follow that we should get through with this one as
quickly as possible? If the writer followed his own inclinations, he
would write another twelve chapters on these closing verses of
Ephesians 1, but he realizes that would unduly tax the patience of
many. On the other hand, not a few welcome a detailed exposition and
sermonizing of such a passage, desiring something more instructive and
edifying than the superficial generalizations which characterize most
of the productions of our day. May the Spirit of truth graciously
shine upon our understanding and enable us to so "open" these verses
that faith may be instructed, souls fed, God glorified, and His Son
endeared to His redeemed.
The Natural Man's Will Ruined and Depraved
"Who believe according to the working of His mighty power." To
savingly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ does not lie within the
ability of the natural man's will, for his will, like every other
faculty of his being, has been depraved and ruined by the fall. The
will follows the dictates of the mind and the inclinations of the
affections; in other words, we will or choose that which is most
agreeable to us. We do not choose that to which we are averse. Now the
heart of the natural man is averse to the thrice holy God and his
carnal mind is enmity against Him. How then can he voluntarily and
gladly choose Him for his Lord and Portion? The bent of his desires
must be changed before his will embraces God as his absolute End. No
man by a mere act of his will can make himself love any person or
thing that he hates. If then I have been brought to esteem and receive
as my Lord the One whom I formerly despised and rejected, a radical
change must have been wrought within me. Hence we read of "the faith
of the operation of God" (Col. 2:12).
"Who believe." That word must be understood here in its widest scope,
as including repentance and as issuing in conversion. Such believing
is the outcome of "the working of God's mighty power." Not a single
word of Holy Writ is superfluous, and there is good reason why the
power of God is here called "mighty". Speaking after the manner of
men, we may say that God proportions His power according to the work
before Him, exercising more in one particular operation than
another--as we put forth the utmost of our strength only when faced
with a more than ordinary occasion. This is clearly borne out by the
language of Scripture, wherein its Author is pleased to accommodate
His terms to our feeble intelligence. Thus, where physical miracles
were wrought it was by "the finger of God" (Ex. 8:19; Luke 11:20), but
it was by strength of hand" He brought forth His people from Egypt
(Ex. 13:3) and "upholdeth" His saints (Ps. 37:24). In other passages
we read that God has a "mighty arm" (Ps. 89:13) and that "he hath
shewed strength with his arm" (Luke 1:51).
Had such distinctions as the above, particularly their import and
purport, been more closely attended to, it would have been much easier
to bring to a decisive conclusion our age-long controversy between
Arminians and Calvinists concerning the invincibility of God's power
upon the unconverted. The great majority of Calvinists erred when they
denied the contention of their opponents that there is a power of God
which works in the hearts of men that can be and is resisted, as they
failed to fairly interpret many of the verses advanced by Arminians.
"Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost" (Acts 7:51) must not be explained
away but honestly expounded in harmony with the Analogy of Faith.
There are "differences of administrations" and "diversities of
operations" of the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:5-6) according to His several
designs. The Spirit puts forth different proportions of power
according to the various ends before Him. Those spoken of in Hebrews
6:4-5 and 2 Peter 2:20 were the subjects of His lesser operations but
not of His regenerating power. Many are enlightened by the Spirit (as
Balaam), their corruptions are restrained, their consciences pricked,
yet without His making them new creatures in Christ Jesus.
A Vital Distinction
The writer has no hesitation in declaring he is convinced that
thousands of people have been drawn by God to sit under a faithful
preaching of His Word, been convicted by the Spirit of their sinful
and lost condition, felt something in their souls of "the powers of
the world to come" (Heb. 6:5), but were not brought from death to
life. Yet while we believe many are the subjects of God's power
working upon and within them, which power they resist and quench, yet
we emphatically deny that a single soul ever did or will defeat or
defy the "working of God's mighty power." That such a distinction is a
necessary and valid one is surely indicated in the verse now before
us, else why should the Holy Spirit here declare that God's work in
bringing us to believe holds proportion with that stupendous wonder
when He "raised him [Christ] from the dead, and set him at his own
right hand in the heavenly places!" Such power He does not put forth
in His lesser and lower works. This "working of His mighty power" is
effectual, prevailing, invincible, and cannot be withstood.
The Working of God's Mighty Power
The force of the Greek is conveyed more vividly by the marginal
rendering of the Authorized Version "according to the working of the
might of his power." One word was not sufficient to express the power
that works so mightily, so the apostle doubled it, as was the manner
of the Hebrews: "holy of holies" signifies the most holy, and "the
might of His power" His utmost strength. When Scripture would express
the greatness of God's might and the certainty of bringing a thing to
pass it adds one term to another or doubles the expression: God is
"mighty in strength" (Job 9:4). "Lift up your eyes on high, and behold
who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number:
he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that
he is strong in power; not one faileth" (Isa. 40:28). There can be no
failure when He putteth forth the might of His strength. Despite what
they are by nature, and notwithstanding the might of Satan and his
determination to retain all his subjects, the mighty power of God
works efficaciously and infallibly in all them that believe. The
combined efforts of all creatures in the universe could not have
prevented God from raising Christ from the dead. Neither can they
hinder Him from working faith in His elect.
There has been much disputing among theologians concerning the power
put forth by God in the converting of sinners, yet there is no real
occasion for it. If you would know what power is put forth in any
work, ask the worker himself. Here the Converter of souls is the
Inditer of this very verse, and He tells us it is by "the working of
the might of his power." In view of those words all argument on the
subject should be at an end. And in view of those words every preacher
of the gospel ought to be bowed before God, conscious of his own
impotency, begging Him to graciously exercise His omnipotence among
his spiritually dead hearers. It is true that in connection with the
sudden conversion of a sinner beholders do not perceive that a miracle
of divine power has been performed. When the woman was healed by a
touch of the hem of Christ's garment, those that stood by discerned no
such thing. But what did He say? "Virtue is gone out of me" (Luke
8:46). His life-giving power had effected the cure instantaneously.
Nor was the subject of that miracle unaware of the grand change
wrought, "knowing what was done in her" (Mark 5:33).
Why is the working of God's "mighty power" necessary in order for a
soul to be converted? Because of the nature of the work performed. As
in the case of one who is physically ill, the more desperate his case
the more skill is required from the physician if he is to be healed.
Only as we learn from Scripture and actual experience the hopeless
condition of fallen man can we see the need of Omnipotence intervening
if ever man is to be saved. The converting of a sinner is a greater
miracle and calls for the putting forth of more power than the
creating of man did. How so? Because creation is simply the bringing
of a creature into existence, but conversion is the transforming of
one who is opposed to it. In the one there is no impediment; in the
other there is every possible resistance. Though there is nothing to
help, yet in the creation there was nothing to oppose. But in
connection with the new creation there is the carnal mind which "is
enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither
indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7). Water is not more unlike fire than sin is
unlike holiness, the natural man unlike God. Only Omnipotence can
subdue that enmity and impart a love for His law.
"For the weapons of our [ministerial] warfare are not carnal, but
mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds: casting
down... [reasonings], and every high thing that exalteth itself
against... God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:4). In those words the apostle
intimates something of the difficulties which face the preachers of
the gospel. He likens the reasonings of the carnal mind and the
prejudices of the depraved heart, behind which the natural man seeks
shelter against the demands of the gospel, to a company in a powerful
fort who refuse to surrender. No matter how winsomely the invitations
are given or how authoritatively the requirements of the gospel are
pressed, the natural man has a score of objections which do not yield
to these. Only as the truth is made "mighty through God" is the
sinner's pride subdued and is he brought to yield to the claims of
Christ's lordship. So wedded is man to his lusts, so in love with his
idols, that unless the "mighty power" of God works within him, all the
persuasions of the whole apostolate and the endeavors of all the
angels could not induce him to forsake them.
"Who believe according to the working of his mighty power." Was not
the truth of those words most strikingly and blessedly exemplified by
the one who first penned them? See Saul of Tarsus consenting to the
death of Stephen and making "havoc of the church, entering into every
house, and haling men and women committed them to prison" (Acts 8:1,
3). See him "yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the
disciples of the Lord" (Acts 9:1) and going to the high priest and
requesting letters of authority that if he found any such in the
synagogues of Damascus, "whether... men or women, he might bring them
bound unto Jerusalem." Why was it that less than a week later he
preached Christ in the synagogues of Damascus? What had wrought such
an amazing transformation? What was it that made this rebel cry,
"Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" What transformed the persecuting
Saul into the evangelizing Paul? Nothing less than the mighty power of
God, and he declared his was a "pattern" case (1 Tim. 1:16). True,
there was something extraordinary in the manner of it, but the power
is the same in every instance.
In conclusion let us carefully observe that this working of God's
mighty power is not restricted to the past: it is not "who believed,"
but "who believe according to." The reference is not to be limited to
God's working faith in us at the first but takes in His maintaining
it. The Christian can no more exercise faith of himself, still less
increase it, than he could originate it. This is clear from another
prayer of our apostle, in which he requested God to "fulfil all the
good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power" (2
Thess. 1:11). Faith could continue working only by the divine power.
This point is jealously guarded: "This is the victory that overcometh
the world, even our faith" is immediately preceded by "whatsoever is
born of God overcometh the world" (1 John 5:4). While faith is the
instrument, God alone makes it effectual, and therefore we must
exclaim, "Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory" (1 Cor.
15:57).
Gleanings from Paul Index
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings from Paul
by A. W. Pink
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14. Prayer for Appreciation of Christ's Triumph
Ephesians 1:20
We Have Been Occupied with the power of God as it is exercised in
connection with His people. First we have described the excellency of
the same: "the exceeding greatness of his power," and then a brief
declaration that it is "to us-ward," which comprehends in general
terms all its operations upon, within, to the saints. Second, we
sought to magnify its efficiency: "who believe according to the
working of his mighty power." Briefly, that includes two things: the
quickening of the soul and the communication of the principle of faith
as a divine gift. One who is spiritually dead cannot spiritually
believe. The natural man is able to believe the Scriptures in a
natural or mental way (as he believes authenticated human history) but
he cannot savingly believe the gospel until he is born again (John
1:12-13; 3:3, 5). We need to pray for a better apprehension of those
things: "that we may know what is." And now, third, we are to consider
how that mighty power of God operated in connection with our Savior.
Four Important Questions
"Who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he
wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead" (Eph. 1:19-20).
In our examination and contemplation of these words, four questions
will supply our focal points. First, what, in connection with the
raising of Christ, called for the putting forth of the strength of
God's might? Second, why is God's raising of Christ made the unit or
standard of measurement of the power which He exerts in those who
believe? Third, what is the precise nature of the power which God then
exercised? Was it simply His omnipotence, or something in addition to
it? Was it merely physical power? If not, what? Fourth, what are the
principal points of analogy between God's raising Christ from the dead
and His bringing us to believe? While quite distinct, these questions
overlap at certain points, so, while attempting to supply answers to
all of them, we shall not confine ourselves to a strict observance of
their order.
Ephesians 1 is not the only passage which directly associates the
divine power with the raising of Christ from the dead. In Romans 1:3-4
we are told that our Lord Jesus Christ was "made of the seed of David
according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power,
according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the
dead." Of all the wondrous works which God did for Christ--in the
miracle of His incarnation, in preserving Him as an infant from the
malice of Herod, in anointing Him with the Holy Spirit--this bringing
Him forth from the tomb is singled out for particular mention. Christ
had presented Himself to Israel as their Messiah and had affirmed, "I
and the Father are one." Had His claims been false, the grave would
have retained Him; by raising Him from the dead by His power, God set
His seal upon all Christ's teaching and demonstrated that He was
indeed "the Son of God." "Though he was crucified through
weakness"--for He made no effort to resist His enemies and deliver
Himself out of their hands--"yet he liveth by the power of God" (2
Cor. 13:4). Other passages state that Christ rose again by His own
power, but that is not the side of the truth which is now before us.
The first question to consider: What was there particularly in
connection with the raising of Christ from the dead which made God's
mighty power far more manifest than the future raising of the whole
human race will. Since the death which Christ died was no ordinary
one, His resurrection must be an extraordinary one. Here we enter the
realm of profoundest mystery, and only as our thoughts are formed by
the clear teaching of Scripture can we, in any measure, enter into its
meaning. God made Christ to be sin for His people when He laid upon
Him the iniquities of them all. Consequently He was "made a curse" and
was required to receive the awful wages of sin, which involved much
more than the dissolution of soul and body. Christ not only died but
was committed to the grave. "Christ being raised from the dead dieth
no more; death hath no more dominion over him" (Rom. 6:9). This
clearly implies that during those three days He was under death's
power. He was death's prisoner, He was death's "lawful captive" (Isa.
49:24), held fast in its terrible grip.
"Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it
was not possible that he should be holden of it" (Acts 2:24). Here is
New Testament proof that Christ was held by death and that God loosed
Him from something in order for His resurrection. There is such a
fullness to the words of Scripture that often no single definition can
bring out their meaning. Such is the case here. The "pains of death"
refer to what Christ endured upon the cross: not only, and not
primarily, the bodily pains of natural death (acute and many though
they were) but the soul anguish of spiritual death. John Calvin
stated, "If Christ had merely died a corporal death, no end would have
been accomplished by it: it was requisite also that He should feel the
smart of the divine vengeance in order to appease the wrath of God and
satisfy His justice. Hence it was necessary for Him to contend with
the power of hell and the horror of eternal death." The pains of that
"death" came upon Him when He exclaimed, "Now is my soul troubled"
(John 12:27). Those pains increased in their intensity in Gethsemane,
and were experienced in their fullness during the three hours of
darkness, when God then "loosed" them, so that Christ experienced a
resurrection of soul.
The Greek word for "pains" in Acts 2:24 is rendered "travail upon a
woman with child" in 1 Thessalonians 5:3. Literally the term means
"the birth throes of death." Light is cast on that almost paradoxical
expression by Isaiah 53:11, where it was before announced that the
Savior should "see of the travail of his soul, and shall be
satisfied." Before His Church could be vitally brought forth, Christ
had to endure in His soul the pangs of labor, and He died under the
same pangs spiritually, when He was separated from God, though three
hours later He was loosed from them. Those words "the pains of death"
are a quotation of a Messianic utterance in Psalm 18:5: "the cords of
hell compassed me about," which, under another metaphor, brings out a
different aspect of Christ's death, namely, imprisonment and binding
(cf. Matthew 5:25-26 for the same figure). As our Surety, Christ was
arrested by divine justice and could not be discharged till He had
paid our debt to the uttermost. His "It is finished" announced that
full payment had been made, yet His body was not "loosed" from the
grave till three days later (cf. "he was taken from prison," Isaiah
53:8).
The two things are distinguished again in Christ's declaration "Thou
wilt not leave my soul in hell [it was "loosed" and went to paradise];
neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption" of body
(Ps. 16:10). Christ not only died but was "buried," and for three days
remained in the death state. Hence God raised Him not merely from
death but "from the dead," from the state of death: had He "revived"
or quickened Him immediately after His expiring on the cross, that
would have been raising Him from "death" but not "from the dead."
Christ gained a victory not only over death but also over the grave.
The two are distinguished in "O death, where is thy sting? O grave,
where is thy victory?" (1 Cor. 15:55). That explains "He raised him up
from the dead [i.e., the death state], now no more to return to
corruption" (Acts 13:34). Christ entered the state or place of
corruption, namely, the grave but, according to Goodwin, "as His body
was free from sickness while He lived, so it was free from corruption
when He died."
Christ Not Merely Raised from Death but from the Dead
We believe, then, that there is a threefold double allusion in Acts
2:24. First, that the "death" from whose pains and cords God loosed
Christ was the second death, which he "tasted" (Heb. 2:9), and
physical dissolution. Second, that He was "loosed" from the pangs of
the former at the close of the three hours of darkness (for His
"Father, into thy hand I commend my spirit" evinces He was again in
communion with Him); and that He was loosed from the latter when He
came forth from the sepulcher. Third, that the Greek word in Acts 2:24
is rightly rendered "pains" or "travail throes," whereas the Hebrew
word of Psalm 18:5 signifies "cords"--a clear hint of a double line of
truth--bringing in the idea of one held in prison. It "was not
possible that he should be holden" of death because the divine
veracity was involved (God had announced His resurrection), because
His covenant faithfulness was at stake, because the basic principle of
His government ("Them that honor me I will honor") required Christ
should be raised, and because the law demanded He should receive its
award.
Now as it was God who delivered up Christ for our offenses (Acts 2:23;
Romans 4:24-25)--not only physical death but the whole of what is
included in "the wages of sin"--so He alone could deliver Him from
that death, and subsequently from the prison house of the grave.
Personally we believe that God also then delivered Christ from the
powers of darkness. On this point Scripture is not very explicit, yet
we consider it is quite implicit. We know of no writer who has
attempted to deal with this point--an admittedly mysterious one--and
therefore we would be doubly cautious, and inform the reader that what
we now advance is in no spirit of dogmatism. First, from the law of
analogy does it not seem highly probable that Satan would make every
possible effort to prevent the resurrection of Christ? Very shortly
after Christ's birth the devil stirred up Herod to slay Him (Rev.
12:4), and should we not regard the second temptation (Matthew 4:5-6)
as another desperate move in the same direction? We do know he put it
into the heart of Judas to betray Him (John 13:2).
Second, when arrested in the Garden, Christ said to His enemies, "This
is your hour, and the power of darkness" (Luke 22:53). For how long
was that "hour" protracted? If Revelation 12:4 warrants the conclusion
that the devil prompted Herod to slay Christ as a child, may we not
fairly infer that he inspired the chief priests and Pharisees to say
to Pilate, "Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure"
(Matthew 27:64) so that a heavy stone was placed over its mouth, the
stone "sealed," and "a watch" of soldiers set to guard it? Third, does
not "having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them
openly, triumphing over them in himself" (Col. 2:15) clearly imply a
concerted effort on the part of the powers of evil to oppose His
resurrection and ascension? How else did He "triumph over them"? Why
was "the King of glory," on His entrance into heaven, greeted as "the
LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle" (Ps. 24:7-8)? Is
not the likely reference to His victory over the infernal forces?
Isaiah 58:18-19 seems to supply confirmation.
God's "Mighty Power"
Finally, does not the analogy drawn here with our conversion
necessitate this conclusion? We are here said to "believe, according
to the working of God's mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when
he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the
heavenly places." Now we know beyond any doubt that the mighty power
of God in bringing us to savingly believe is concerned, in
considerable part, in delivering us from the bondage of Satan (see
Acts 26:18; Col. 1:13; Heb. 2:14-15). If then Satan sought to hold us
forever but was foiled by divine omnipotence, and if there is an
accurate and perfect parallel between that aspect of our conversion
and what God wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead, then
must we not conclude that Satan also sought to forever hold Christ in
the grave, but that God defeated Him and triumphed over all his
resistance? There is no doubt at all in our mind on the matter.
We turn now to consider why God's raising Christ from the dead is made
the unit or standard of measurement of the power which He exercises in
those "who believe." It is both the pattern and pledge of what God can
and will do for His people. In the Old Testament the standard miracle
was the deliverance of Israel from Egypt: again and again reference
was made to the Red Sea as the supreme demonstration of God's power to
help and to save. When the prophets sought to inspire courage and
confidence they pointed back to that mighty deliverance (Isa.
43:16-18; 51:9-10). When God renewed His promise to Israel He took
them back to the same spot and said, "According to the days of thy
coming out of the land of Egypt will I show unto him marvelous things"
(Micah 7:15). But in the New Testament the Red Sea is superseded by
the empty tomb, and the resurrection of Christ from the dead is
pointed to as the grand triumph of Omnipotence and the standard of
what God will do for us "who believe."
What comfort this should impart! What holy confidence it should
inspire in the hearts of believers, that the mighty power of God is
engaged to act for them! That the same power which wrought in Christ
in raising Him from the dead operates both toward and in them. It is a
power which is beyond resistance: "If God be for us, who can be
against us?" It is a power which is superior to and triumphs over all
our weakness: "Now unto him that is able to keep you." It is a power
all-sufficient to supply our every need. When the Savior taught us to
pray for our daily sustenance, deliverance from evil, the forgiveness
of our sins, what arguments did He bid us use? "For thine is the
kingdom, and the power, and the glory." It is a power which will do
for us exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think (Eph.
3:20). How thankful we should be that this is so. How constantly we
should look to and depend upon that power. How it should strengthen
our faith to know that the One who brought again from the dead our
Lord Jesus will yet make us "perfect in every good work to do his
will" (Heb. 13:20-21).
Let us now endeavor to supply an answer to the question, What is the
precise nature of the "power" which God exerted in raising Christ and
in bringing us to savingly believe? Was it simply His omnipotence, or
something in addition to it? Was it merely physical power? If not,
what? By "physical power" we mean the might of God operating in the
material realm, producing physical effects. Now if we keep in mind the
nature of Christ's death as a satisfaction for sin, it should be quite
obvious that more was involved in the raising of Him from the dead
than there will be in the destruction of this earth and the creating
of a new one. It may not be easy to find terms suited to express what
we have in mind, still less to convey the ideas intelligently to our
readers, yet we will make the attempt. When Christ cleansed the leper,
opened the ears of the deaf, gave sight to the blind, there was an
exercise of omnipotence. There was the same when God raised Christ
from the dead, but there was something more.
The death of Christ was a legal transaction, therefore the legal
element entered into His resurrection. His death was an enduring of
the full penalty of the law, inflicted by the Judge of all. It was
endured "the just for the unjust," the holy Surety receiving the awful
wages due those He represented. And it was endured with fullest
confidence as to the blessed issue. When Christ had "magnified the
law" by serving and suffering, doing and dying, He "committed himself
to him that judgeth righteously" (1 Pet. 2:23), declaring, "I know
that I shall not be ashamed: he is near that justifieth me" (Isa.
50:7-8). And God's raising of Him from the dead was His answer to the
dying appeal of the One who had been cast out by the world: it was
God's response to the Savior's trust in Himself. It was God acting as
the divine Umpire in the controversy between His own Anointed and the
world which had disowned Him--God reversing their erroneous verdict
and exonerating the One who endured their malice to the extreme limit.
Christ Raised as Head of His People
Righteousness required that God should raise Christ from the dead. The
law demanded that He who had so illustriously honored it should enter
into its award. Holiness insisted that the sinless One should be
released from the grave. By raising Him from the dead God openly
declared that all Christ taught was true, set His seal upon the
triumphant ending of His stupendous mission, and attested His
acceptance of the satisfaction which He had made for His people. The
original creation displayed the "eternal power and Godhead" of the
Creator (Rom. 1:20), but what we are now considering did more than
that: "Christ was raised... by the glory of the Father" (Rom. 6:4).
Christ was raised not simply as a private person but as the Head of
His people. The Church rose in and with Him (Eph. 2:5-6; Colossians
3:1). To create was an act of power, but to bring forth a new creation
out of the wrecked and ruined old creation was glorious power, a moral
triumph. It was glorious power which transformed a curse into never
ending blessing.
Christ was "made a curse for us" yet God has "made him most blessed
for ever" (Ps. 21:6). Down to the grave itself the power which
prevails over man (and which prevailed over the Son of man) is that of
death. Thus the universal empire of sin has been attested: "Sin
reigned in death" as the Greek of Romans 5:21 may be rendered. But
resurrection makes manifest the more excellent power of righteousness
by the triumphant reentering of the once-slain Just One into life. And
with His liberty His people are freed. Hence, the verse which
declares, "That as sin hath reigned unto [or `in'] death" concludes by
saying, "Even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal
life by Jesus Christ our Lord." Thus our answer to the third question
is not only the bare omnipotence of God but the power and glory of His
righteousness, or His righteous power. That very expression is found
substantially in His promise to the trembling saints: "Fear thou not;
. . . I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness"
(Isa. 41:10).
What are the principal points of analogy between God's raising Christ
from the dead and His operation in and for those who believe? Before
answering that question let it be pointed out that the resurrection of
Christ was not only the pattern of ours but also both the pledge and
procuring cause thereof, for "he was raised again for our
justification" (Rom. 4:25). The resurrection of Christ was necessary
not only to evince God's acceptance of His satisfaction on our behalf
but as a necessary step to secure the application of the merits of His
sacrifice to us, to communicate "the sure mercies of David" (Acts
13:34) to us. "Because I live," said He, "ye shall live also" (John
14:19); otherwise He would be a Bridegroom without a bride, a Redeemer
with no redeemed, the living Head of a lifeless body. God's raising of
Christ from the dead was the pledge that He would quicken into newness
of life all for whom He died. The Corn of wheat which died "bringeth
forth much fruit" (John 12:24).
The margin of Isaiah 53:9 tells us that Christ was "with the wicked in
his deaths," for in His soul He tasted of the second death and in His
body He suffered natural death; thus He experienced both a spiritual
and a natural resurrection. So too do His people: the former at their
regeneration, the second at Christ's return. As Christ was delivered
from penal death by the righteousness of God, so too are all who
believe (Rom. 1:16-17). As Christ was delivered from the forces of
Satan, so are we from "the power of darkness" (Col. 1:13). As Christ
has been made "after the power of an endless life" (Heb. 7:16), so we
shall "never perish but have everlasting life." As Christ was raised
to honor and glory, so shall we be. Even now are we the sons of God,
but it is not yet made manifest what we shall be: "but we know that,
when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he
is" (1 John 3:2). Hallelujah!
We have been occupied with the exceeding greatness of God's power in
connection with His work of grace within His saints. Let us remind the
reader that the passage we have been and are considering is not part
of a formal statement of doctrine but rather of a prayer. In it the
apostle made request that God's people might know, First, what is the
sublime excellency of that power; Second, that it is "to us-ward"--for
us, acting on our behalf, our grand recourse; Third, that it is
effectual, for we "believe" according to its invincible might; Fourth,
that it operates to and within us "according to" what it wrought in
Christ when God raised Him from the dead. A might no less than that is
carrying forward the good work in our souls to a triumphant
completion. Now it is of vast importance that Christians should more
firmly and fully "know" and apprehend these things, otherwise we
should not be taught (by Paul's example) to make earnest supplication
for them. Before passing on, let us briefly point out the kind of
"knowledge" which is here in view.
How to Obtain a Knowledge of Spiritual Things
There are three ways by which the believer may obtain a knowledge of
spiritual things: by a diligent application of the mind to the
teaching of Scripture, by the exercise of faith on what is revealed,
by a personal experience of spiritual things in the soul and life.
Obviously it is not a mere mental understanding of them that is here
in view, for that may be obtained without having recourse to prayer.
Nor do we think that this fourth petition had reference to an enlarged
experience of the substance of it. Those who have followed closely our
exposition of Ephesians 1:17-19 should neither be surprised nor
stumbled at our conclusion. When Paul expressed the longing "That I
may know him, and the power of his resurrection" (Phil. 3:10) he was
undoubtedly referring to a closer acquaintance with Christ and an
increased measure of the virtue of His resurrection in the effects of
it--that he might experience more deliverance from that spiritual
deadness which the workings of unbelief produce even in the renewed.
But this is not the particular aspect of truth or of Christian
experience which is before us in Ephesians 1:19-21.
In our comments on "in the knowledge of him" (close of 5:17) we sought
to show that the reference there is to a more intimate and influential
knowledge of God in Christ, an increasing experimental acquaintance
with Him, resulting in our delighting ourselves in Him and enjoying
closer fellowship, leading to an open acknowledgment of Him by lip and
life. Then we pointed out that "ye may know what is the hope of his
calling" means "ye might perceive the clear evidences of the same, the
grounds on which rests your realization of having received an
effectual call from God, and thereby be assured of your filial
relation to Him. "And what the riches of the glory of his inheritance
in the saints" we defined as "a better apprehension of the object of
your hope, and realization of the glory to which you have been
called." "And what is the exceeding greatness of his power" signifies
that our hearts may be assured that, notwithstanding all hindrances
and obstacles, God will complete His good work in us and bring us
safely into the promised inheritance.
Observe, it is not "what is the exceeding greatness of God's power
which has wrought or is working in us" but "which is to
us-ward"--something objective for faith and not subjective in
experience. We thus concur with Goodwin: "For a man to take in and
understand that he may glorify God and believe what a great power it
was that raised up Christ from death to life, and that no less power
works in believers when it produces faith, that is the `knowledge' the
apostle meant here." Oh, that believers might realize from the effects
produced in them by the presence and operations of a God-given faith,
what a mighty power must have wrought in them, and will continue doing
so. That they might not only have evidence of what God's power has
wrought in them but also perceive more clearly the character of that
power itself and be trustfully occupied with it. The power of God
infinitely transcends all our feelings or experiences of it. Faith
needs to be absorbed with the power itself and not merely with the
effects of it.
The knowledge faith conveys to the soul is all too little realized.
Saving faith enables its possessor to conceive of things which are
incomprehensible to mere human reason, imparting a knowledge to which
scientists and philosophers are strangers. "Through faith we
understand that the worlds were framed by the word [or mere fiat] of
God" (Heb. 11:3). Faith gives a subsistence in the mind to the things
hoped for and makes real things unseen. Faith engages the heart with
objects which lie far beyond the reach of any natural sense, for
example, the future resurrection of our bodies. Faith knows what
reason cannot grasp and that with which feelings have nothing to do.
Man wants to know before he will believe, but faith has to be
exercised before the things of God can be known: "which believe and
know the truth" (1 Tim. 4:3). It is not that we are assured and
therefore believe, but "we believe and are sure" (John 6:69). If we
would experience more of God's power, we must know more about it
through the exercise of faith upon it. "If thou wouldest believe, thou
shouldest see the glory of God" (John 11:40)-- that is His unchanging
order.
Working of God's Mighty Power
In the preceding chapter we dwelt on the fact that the power exercised
by God in His work of grace within us is "according to the working of
his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from
the dead." But that does not complete the inspired statement: "and set
him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all
principality, and power" (Eph. 1:20-21).That also exemplifies the
power of God to us. Not only God's raising of Christ but His
translation and exaltation of Him are also essential parts of the
standard of His operations in and for His saints. This is what God
would have us know, and this is what our faith needs to be engaged
with and exercised upon: that what God wrought in the Head, He will
work in His members; that Christ is here represented as the pattern or
standard of His operations to Christians. The love which moved the
Father to work so gloriously in His Son is the love which the Father
has for His sons (John 17:23). The physical, legal, and moral power
which the Father put forth for Christ is being exercised for us. The
wondrous works that power performed on the Redeemer will be duplicated
in the redeemed.
"And set him [caused Him to sit] at his own right hand in the heavenly
places." This brings before us one of the grand articles of the
Christian faith. The death, resurrection, and exaltation of Christ
form the threefold foundation on which rest all our hopes. Each
transcends the grasp of finite intelligence, yet they are "without
contradiction" to those taught of God. The moment we begin to reason
about them we create difficulties and confuse ourselves. Only as we
receive in simplicity what is divinely revealed thereon will our faith
"stand in the power of God." The exaltation of Christ is as profound a
mystery to carnal wisdom as His death and resurrection, but the one is
as clearly set forth as the other in the Word of truth. Is the
question raised, How was it possible for God the Son to be exalted? It
is sufficient reply to inquire, How was it possible for Him to be
abased? It is not God the Son simply and absolutely that we are here
contemplating, but God the Son as He had taken human nature into
personal union with Himself. It was the God-man who died, who was
raised again, who was exalted.
The question of how it was possible for a divine person to be exalted
is best resolved by considering what that exaltation consisted of. So
far as we can perceive, it included three things: the removing of that
veil which had been thrown over the divine glory of the Son of God by
His incarnation, the elevation of human nature into heaven, the divine
reward bestowed upon the person of the Mediator for His blessed work.
Thomas Manton stated, "His exaltation answered His humiliation: His
death was answered by His resurrection, His going into the grave by
His ascending into heaven, His lying in the tomb by His sitting at
God's right hand." So much for a general statement. Now let us proceed
to amplify it. None who accredit the declarations of Holy Writ will
challenge the statement that in the Son's becoming incarnate his glory
was veiled; and it had to be, for no man can see God and live (Ex.
33:20). "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be
equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him
the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men" (Phil.
2:6-7).
The earthly life of our Savior was one of profound abasement. From the
manger to the tomb His life was a course of shame, suffering, and
sorrow. During those thirty-three years His divine glory was eclipsed,
though some rays of it broke through occasionally, manifesting to the
attentive and especially the spiritual observers something of His
essential and official dignity. The angelic hosts announcing His
birth, the holiness of His life, the miracles He performed, the
testimony of the Father from heaven, His transfiguration on the mount,
all proclaimed Him to be the Son of God, the promised Redeemer of
Israel. Even the dark scene of His death was relieved by phenomena
which signified He was no ordinary sufferer: the darkness at midday,
the earthquake, the rending of the temple veil by an invisible hand.
Nevertheless, sorrow and shame were Christ's experience from infancy
to death. He was, for the most part, despised and rejected of men and
had not where to lay His head. It was not until His resurrection that
the ignominy of His crucifixion was removed, the hope of His disciples
renewed. It was then His prayer in John 17:15 began to receive answer.
Let it be clearly understood that at the incarnation there was no
diminishing of the Son's essential glory, for that can neither
decrease nor increase; but it was obscured in its manifestation before
the eyes of both angels and men. The Puritans were wont to illustrate
this by a total eclipse of the sun. During that eclipse the sun loses
none of its native light and beauty but remains the same in itself;
however, because of heavy clouds or the moon coming between it and the
earth, the sun appears dark to us. Yet as soon as the clouds are
dispersed or the sun is freed from the lunar interposition, its
splendor is again revealed. So the divine majesty of the Son was
obscured when "the Word became flesh," for "the mighty God" took upon
Him "the form of a servant," entering the place of subservience and
submission, and became obedient to death; yet it was "Immanuel"--none
other than "the Lord of glory"--who was crucified.
The Exaltation of Christ
It was necessary that the divine glory of Christ should, in large
measure, have been concealed during "the days of his flesh," for had
it been manifested in its native brightness the sons of men would have
been utterly overwhelmed. But it was not right that His divine majesty
should be obscured after He had accomplished His great work: "Ought
not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his
glory?" (Luke 24:26). That "ought" governs and applies equally to both
clauses. The sufferings of Christ were necessary for the expiating of
our sins, and His exaltation was equally necessary for applying to us
the merits of His death. The resurrection of Christ was a requisite
step to His elevation or entrance into glory, as the fetching of
Joseph out of prison was, before he could be made next to Pharaoh: he
could not be the governor of Egypt while he was a prisoner! Having
accomplished the undertaking assigned Him by the Father and being
brought forth from the tomb, there was no occasion for Christ to
prolong His stay on earth.
After establishing the faith of His apostles, His "ambassadors," by
"many infallible proofs" that He had triumphed over death and the
grave, thereby vindicating His character from the aspersions of His
enemies and demonstrating that He had "obtained eternal redemption"
for His people, it was expedient that Christ should be taken to heaven
so that He might exercise His priestly office within the veil and send
the Holy Spirit to them to carry forward His works on earth (John
16:5-7). In ascending to heaven, Christ did not leave behind the veil
of His flesh but went there as still clothed in humanity, having taken
the same into eternal union with His divine person, and so He entered
the Father's presence in our nature. Scripture is too plain for any
mistake on this score. The risen Christ appeared to His disciples in a
body of "flesh and bones" and ate food before them (Luke 24:39, 43).
And after being seen of them forty days, "while they beheld, he was
taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight." Yet two angels
assured them, "This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into
heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into
heaven" (Acts 1:9, 11).
The change of place was followed immediately by a change of state.
Stephen Charnock declared, "As He descended to assume our nature, so
He ascended to glorify our nature. By translating it to heaven,
assurance was given that it should never be laid aside, but be forever
preserved in that marriage knot with the Divine." The glorification of
our Lord's humanity (a foreshadowing of which was vouchsafed upon the
holy mount) is altogether beyond human comprehension, but several
details are given to help us form some conception of it. At His
baptism God anointed Him "with the Holy Spirit and with power" ( Acts
10:38), but upon His ascension it is said of Him, "Thy God hath
anointed thee with the oil of gladness [the Spirit] above thy fellows"
(Heb. 1:9). We believe this was to capacitate His humanity for the
offices which were henceforth to be performed in it. We quote Charnock
again: "It was so enlarged and spiritualized as to be a convenient
habitation for all the fullness of His Deity to reside in and perform
all its proper operations: `in him dwelleth all the fullness of the
Godhead bodily' (Col. 2:9): not dwelling as if imprisoned, but to
break forth in all its glories and graces; not `formerly so dwelling'
in it, but now `dwelleth.' If the righteous are to `shine forth as the
sun in the kingdom of their Father' (Matthew 13:43) the Head of the
righteous shines with a splendor above the sun, for He hath a glory
upon His body, not only from the glory of His soul (as the saints
shall have), but from the glory of His Divinity in conjunction with
it. The glory of His Divinity redounds upon His humanity like a beam
of the sun that conveys a dazzling brightness to a piece of crystal."
What that dazzling brightness appears like may be gathered from the
blinding effect which a momentary appearance of it had on Saul of
Tarsus: "There shone from heaven a great light round about" him,
accompanied by the voice of "Jesus of Nazareth," and we are told that
for a while he "could not see for the glory of that light" (Acts
22:6-11). How necessary it was for Christ to be taken to heaven: no
mortal could have lived in the presence of the glorified Christ on
earth. The man of sin will be destroyed by "the brightness of his
coming" (2 Thess. 2:8).
Third, the exaltation of Christ was the divine reward bestowed on the
Mediator for His blessed work. It was fit that God should glorify
Christ because of the glory which redounded to Him from His work. The
Redeemer was but stating a fact when He said to the Father, "I have
glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou
gavest me to do" (John 17:4). God received more glory from the
completed work of Christ than He did from all the works of His own
hands. His law was magnified, His government vindicated, His archenemy
overthrown, His image restored to His people, and therefore it was
fitting that He should crown the Mediator with glory and honor.
Because He had poured out His soul unto death, God said, "therefore
will I divide him a portion with the great" (Isa. 53:12). Because He
had loved righteousness and hated iniquity, therefore God anointed Him
with the oil of gladness above His fellows ( Psalm 45:7). Because He
became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, "God also
hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every
name" (Phil. 2:9). That was a mediatory glory which was conferred upon
Him.
The closing verses of Ephesians 1 go on to inform us what that reward
consists of. It was the seating of Christ as the Mediator at God's own
right hand. It was the elevating of Him above all the celestial
hierarchies. It was the putting of all things under His feet, so that
the very forces of evil are now beneath His immediate control. It was
the giving Him to be Lord over all things as actual Governor of the
universe. It was that He might exercise universal dominion for the
good of His Church. It was that He might fill all things. Thus we see
again the necessity for translating Christ from earth to heaven. Since
all providence is administered from heaven, and since all power
(Matthew 28:18) and all judgment (John 5:22) have been committed to
Christ, it was right that He should sit upon a celestial throne. He
who has been given the nations for His inheritance and the uttermost
part of the earth for His possession could not suitably sway His
scepter from some local corner of His empire. As Charnock points out,
"It was not congruous that He who was made the Head of principalities
and powers, the Governor of the angelic spirits, should have a meaner
dwelling than the greatest of His subjects and as low as the vilest of
His vassals." "Such an high priest became us, . . . holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens"
(Heb. 7:26).
The French Puritan Daille ably argued: "The wisdom of God hath
disposed all causes in an order superior to those effects which depend
upon them: the heavens are above the earth because the earth is
influenced by them, and the sun above the earth because the earth is
enlightened by it. It was no less necessary according to the order of
God's wisdom, that He who was made by God His Viceroy both in heaven
and in earth, and had the management of all things conferred upon Him,
should be lodged in a place superior to all His subjects." It was fit
that as an earthly king should have an earthly palace, our great High
Priest should dwell in a temple not made with hands. How could He
fittingly bring the Church to a happy immortality unless He was first
in possession of that heaven to which He was to conduct it? Since He
is ordained the Judge of the whole world, must He not sit in the
heavenly court and there in majesty execute that solemn charge!
The Mediator Exalted Above All
As Mediator, Christ was and is both God and man, or the God-man, and
as such He has been exalted and rewarded. His divine glory is no
longer eclipsed, for instead of acting in the form of a servant, He
now reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords. His humanity has been
elevated to heaven and glorified with a glory that outshines every
other creature. Though He is still clothed with flesh, yet his divine
glory is not now veiled as it once was. His humanity is now filled
with all the divine perfections of which a created nature is possibly
capable. It is not deified but glorified.
John Owen wrote regarding Christ's humanity, "It is not made
omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, but is exalted in a fullness of
all Divine perfections and infinitely above the glory of angels and
men. For the substance of this glory of the human nature of Christ
believers shall be made partakers of it, for when we shall see Him as
He is `we shall be like Him'; but as unto the degrees and measure of
it, His glory is above all that we can be made partakers of."
Gleanings from Paul Index
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings from Paul
by A. W. Pink
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15. Prayer of Adoration
Ephesians 1:20-23
Those Christians are greatly the losers whose thoughts about Christ
are almost confined to the manger of Bethlehem and the cross of
Calvary. While we cannot be sufficiently thankful for Christ's death,
for our salvation, and for everlasting bliss hinged thereon, we must
bear in mind that His death at Golgotha was not the termination of His
history. Important instructions and spiritual advantages are derived
by directing our attention to His resurrection also, for that blessed
event not only bore conclusive testimony to the divinity of His
mission and supplied the most solid ground for our faith in Him; it is
likewise the pledge and assurance that we too shall be raised from the
dead. The Word of truth goes on to inform us that, after continuing on
earth for forty days, the risen Savior ascended to heaven, that He is
now seated at the right hand of God, where He intercedes for His
people. In the epistles our gaze is frequently directed to the
glorified and exalted state of our Savior, and it is the privilege and
duty of faith to follow Him into the Father's presence, view Him
within the veil, and eye Him as the King of kings.
The Supremacy of the God-Man Mediator
In the closing portion of the apostle's prayer in Ephesians 1 we are
reminded that the risen Redeemer has been invested with all power,
authority and dominion. That was part of His reward and triumph (Phil.
2:9). It was as the God-man Mediator that He was thus invested and
given the scepter of the universe. Also, as the Head of the Church
Christ passed within the veil "whither the forerunner is for us
entered" (Heb. 6:20). How that ought to strengthen the faith and
encourage the hearts of all who have put their trust in Him! No room
is left for doubt or uncertainty of the value and acceptableness to
God of Christ's obedience and death. The Father has given to the very
One who bore the sins and curse of His people the supreme place of
honor in heaven. How that intimates the place which the salvation of
His saints occupies in God's counsels and government! The position to
which the Savior has been elevated demonstrates beyond any doubt the
degree of importance which God Himself attaches to the redemption of
His Church. The position which Christ now occupies and the power which
has been given to Him are for the sake of His blood-bought ones.
"That ye may know . . . what is the exceeding greatness of his power
to us-ward . . . which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from
the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places"
(Eph. 1:18-20). The whole emphasis is here thrown upon the mighty and
wondrous operations of the Father, and not upon the exercise of the
Son's divine attributes as in John 10:18 and Ephesians 4:8. That power
of God in the raising, exalting, and glorifying of Christ was not
according to or directed by the ordinary course of nature; it was
special, extraordinary, supernatural--contrary to nature and beyond
the power of any creature to effect. So also are the regeneration and
sanctification of all the members of Christ's mystical Body. Their
faith is "of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead"
(Col. 2:12). Therefore, the transitive "and set," or "caused to sit,"
is here used rather than the intransitive "to sit on his throne" as in
Acts 2:30, because God is seen bestowing upon the Mediator His
well-earned reward as well as expressing His love for the Son.
This expression of Christ's sitting at God's right is not to be
carnalized, as though it were a literal form of speech depicting His
present posture in heaven; rather is it to be understood as a metaphor
or simile, and interpreted by its use elsewhere. That Christ is not
actually and permanently seated is quite clear from such statements as
"the Son of man standing on the right hand of God" (Acts 7:56) and the
One "who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks" (Rev.
2:1), and "in the midst of the elders stood a Lamb" (Rev. 5:6). The
passages just quoted also make it plain that Christ's being "seated"
is far from importing that He is now in a state of inactivity; rather,
He is constantly engaged on behalf of His Church, employing His power
and honors in promoting its interests, until His work of mediation is
carried forward to perfect consummation.
At least four things are connoted by Christ's being "seated." First,
it is emblematic of rest from a finished work. We cannot contemplate
aright the present state of our Lord without calling to mind the
circumstances of His being there: "When he had by himself purged our
sins [He] sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Heb.
1:3). His sacrificial service and sufferings are ended: His work of
expiation is completed. "It is finished," He cried from the cross, and
proof thereof is His being seated on high. "Every priest [of Judaism]
standeth, daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same
sacrifices, which cannot take away sins" (Heb. 10:11). Among the
furniture of the tabernacle and temple there was no chair! "But this
Man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, for ever sat down on
the right hand of God" (Heb. 10:12). Israel's priests never
accomplished the design of their office, but Christ's perfect oblation
fully satisfied justice, and God bore testimony to the same by
translating Him to heaven.
Second, it marks the beginning of a new work. This is taught us in
Acts 2 where we are told that on the day of Pentecost "there appeared
unto them [i.e., the apostles of Acts 1:26, the "them" of Acts 2:1-3;
cf. Acts 2:14] cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of
them. And they were filled with the Holy Ghost." For three years the
apostles had accompanied Christ and been trained by Him, but now their
apprenticeship was over, and their real mission, as the ambassadors of
the King, was about to commence. To equip them for their exalted task
they were anointed by the Spirit. Thus it was with Christ: His work of
expiation was completed, but His enthronement on high marked the
beginning of His administration of His kingdom. The life, death, and
resurrection of Christ simply laid the foundation upon which His royal
conquests are now being achieved. His work as the King-Priest only
began when He was invested with "all power." He is now "upholding all
things by the word of his power." (Heb. 1:3), wielding His scepter to
good effect.
Third, Christ's being "seated" is indicative of honor and dignity.
When used officially, to sit denotes dignity and exaltation: a
superior raised above his inferiors, as a king upon his throne, a
judge on the bench. Thus that Old Testament expression to sit in the
gate (Ruth 4:1-2; cf. Deuteronomy 16:18) signified the holding of a
judicial court. Job alluded to that when he said, "When I went out to
the gate through the city, when I prepared my [magisterial] seat in
the street, the young men saw me . . . and the aged men arose, and
stood up" (Job 29:7-8). When the Most High is pictured as holding
session, the august scene is portrayed thus: "The Ancient of days did
sit . . .: his throne was like the fiery flame...: thousand thousands
ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before
him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened" (Dan. 7:9-10;
for other examples of this third meaning, see Matthew 25:31;
Revelation 20:11).
Fourth, Christ's seating signifies a state of continuance. Christ's
humiliation was only temporary, but His exaltation and enthronement
are permanent. Jacob, in speaking of Joseph's suffering and then his
glory, said, "The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at and
hated him: but his bow abode in strength" (Gen. 49:23-24). The Hebrew
verb is literally "sat" but fittingly rendered "abode," as in this
verse: "Therefore shall ye abide [sit] at the door of the tabernacle"
(Lev. 8:35). The position of highest honor belonging to Christ is a
perpetual one. He is "seated" surely and durably. "In mercy shall the
throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the
tabernacle of David" (Isa. 16:5). To have Christ sit upon it and to
have the throne established is all one. "His dominion is an
everlasting dominion, . . . and his kingdom that which shall not be
destroyed" (Dan. 7:14).
Christ at God's Right Hand
Being incorporeal, God has no physical members; when mention is made
of them, they are to be understood metaphorically. His seating of
Christ at "his own right hand" intimates His love for Him. The first
occurrence in Scripture of that figurative expression is found in the
marginal rendering of Genesis 35:18. When his beloved Rachel gave
birth to her second son, Jacob called him "Benjamin" which signifies
"the son of the right hand"--a name of endearment. Benjamin was the
last of the aged patriarch's sons. Jacob, in styling Benjamin the son
of his right hand, was expressing his deep affection for him as
inheriting the tender place which his mother had formerly possessed in
his heart. We believe this is the basic idea here. As God had "spared
not his own Son" (Rom. 8:32) when He was propitiating His judicial
wrath, so on the completion of that work He placed Him "at his own
right hand." If the Father loved Christ because He laid down His life
(John 10:17), would not His love be prompted to stronger
manifestations after He had laid it down?
Christ's being at the right hand of God signifies His enjoyment of all
blessedness. This is brought out in Psalm 16:11. It is to be carefully
noted that its words are those of Messiah and spoken by Him expressly
with a view to His exaltation. After saying, "Thou wilt not leave my
soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see
corruption" He went on to declare, "Thou wilt show me the path of
life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are
pleasures for evermore." This denotes the intimacy of His fellowship
with the Father in the full light of His countenance. Christ's being
"at God's right hand" tells of His dignity, honor, and glory. When
kings expressed their respect for those whom they favored, they did so
by setting them at their right hand. An illustration of that is found
in 1 Kings 2:19, where Solomon bestowed this honor upon his mother;
the same thought was in the mind of the wife of Zebedee when she made
request that, in the day to come, her sons might sit one at Christ's
right hand and the other at His left (Matthew 20:20-21). God's placing
of Christ at His right hand signified the conferring of supreme honor
upon Him--the place of eminence and glory. God translated Enoch and
Elijah to heaven, but they are nowhere said to sit at His right hand.
"To which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand?"
(Heb. 1:13). That is a dignity peculiar to Christ Himself.
To be seated "at God's right hand" announces Christ's supreme power
and dominion. "Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the
right hand of power" (Matthew 26:64). It signified the investing of
Christ with supreme authority. He sits "on the right hand of the
majesty on high" and is personally "upholding all things by the word
of his power" (Heb. 1:3). "All power is given unto me in heaven and on
earth" (Matthew 28:18) is His own ringing averment. The throne over
the whole universe is "the throne of God and of the Lamb" (Rev. 22:3),
"that all men should honor the Son even as they honor the Father"
(John 5:23).
If on the one hand it was the Father who bestowed this blessedness,
honor, and authority upon the God-man Mediator, on the other hand the
Son had full right to them. Things are so carried out between the
Father and the Son that each is distinctly magnified. Christ's
exaltation is the Father's gift, and therein He is owned; likewise it
is the Son's due, and so He is recognized. All power is given to Him,
yet He said plainly to His apostles, "I appoint unto you a kingdom"
(Luke 22:29). As the Father raises up the dead and quickens them, even
so the Son quickens whom He will (John 5:21). There is perfect oneness
of accord: Christ exercises sovereignty of will, for it is His right
to do so, yet He does nothing but what pleases the Father. As the man
Christ Jesus was united to the Son of God, He had the right--not
simply as a reward for His work, but because of His Godhead--to all
that has been bestowed on Him. As Jehovah's "fellow" nothing less
befits Him.
We don't agree with those writers who say it was the humanity of
Christ alone that was exalted. The Son of God Himself, though in our
nature, was accorded the highest throne in heaven: "and set him [not
`it'] at his own right hand." It was a Person who was thus magnified.
The whole Christ rose, and the whole Christ sits at God's right hand.
We are not able to comprehend this mystery, yet faith gladly receives
it. Faith has to do with what is written, not in reasoning, nor
answering the objections of the carnal mind. If we abide by what is
recorded in Holy Writ we cannot err, and Scripture declares, "The LORD
said unto my Lord [not simply `unto the Son of man'], Sit thou at my
right hand" (Ps. 110:1). This verse is quoted more frequently in the
New Testament than any other verse. Now the foundation of Christ's
being David's "Lord" lay in His being the Son of God, and it was the
second Person in the Trinity, who had taken human nature into union
with Himself, that Jehovah the Father invited to sit at His own right
hand. The throne belongs to Him both as God and as man (see Psalm
45:6; John 5:27).
The Glorified Humanity of Christ
The human nature of Christ, subsisting in His divine person, has been
exalted above all creatures in dignity, glory, and authority. That
evinces the infinite love of the Father for Him and His ineffable
delight in Him. It should greatly delight our hearts and be constantly
contemplated, not by fancy and imagination but by faith and in adoring
worship. As we pointed out in the preceding chapter, Christ's change
of place (from earth to heaven) was at once followed by a change of
state, His human nature then being glorified and its capacity
enlarged. We are strongly inclined to believe there is a reference to
that in "God was manifest in the flesh, justified by the Spirit, seen
of angels, preached unto the Gentiles" (1 Tim. 3:16). The position of
that clause intimates as much. Nor are we alone in that view. So
cautious and conservative a commentator as Ellicott interpreted it
thus: "The angels now for the first time saw, gazed upon, and rejoiced
in the vision of the Godhead in the glorified humanity of the Son; and
what the angels gained in the beatific vision, the nations of the
world obtained through the preaching of the Gospel, namely, a
knowledge of the endless love of God and the surpassing glory of
Christ."
"We have such a high priest, who is set on the right hand of the
throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary"
(Heb. 8:1-2). Here an additional aspect is emphasized, namely, that
Christ is exalted as our great High Priest. His is a royal priesthood:
He is endowed with regal as well as sacerdotal authority. Note well
this verse comes immediately after Hebrews 7, where we have Christ set
forth as the antitypical Melchizedek or Priest-King. As such He
ministers in the heavenly tabernacle: a "priest upon his throne"
(Zech. 6:13), that is, a Priest in kingly state, invested with royal
dominion. Christ does not await a future millennium to enter upon His
kingly office; He exercises it now. "Majesty" signifies the kingly
power of God, and Christ is seated at the "right hand" of that very
Majesty (Heb. 1:3). The One who when here had not where to lay His
head is now crowned with glory and honor. The One whom men spat upon
and smote is now the Lord Sovereign of heaven and earth. All heaven
owns His scepter and renders homage to Him.
"And set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above
all principality, and power" (Eph. 1:20-21). Here is the place where
Christ now dwells: in heaven itself. Acts 7:48-49 tells us that heaven
is the court of the great God, where His throne is. It is there that
God has appointed Jesus Christ to be honored. His advancement
corresponds to His abasement: as He descended into unparalleled depths
of shame and woe, so He has been elevated to surpassing heights of
honor and bliss. As 1 Peter 3:22 tells us, He "is gone into heaven,
and is on the right hand of God." There in "the ivory palaces" (Ps.
45:8) our Redeemer abides. Though by His Deity He is omnipresent--in
the midst of every two or three who are gathered together in His
name---yet in His theanthropic person He is localized--for His
humanity is not ubiquitous (everywhere). Hence when He judges the
wicked, because they cannot be suffered to enter heaven, He comes down
to them--though bringing heaven with Him, for He "shall come in the
glory of his Father with his angels" (Matthew 16:27).
"And set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above
all principality, and power." That tells of the eminence of His
elevation. God has not only exalted but "highly exalted" Him (Phil.
2:9), not only "above" but "far above all principality, and power" or,
as Hebrews 7:26 expresses it, "made higher than the heavens." That One
who glorified the Father so superlatively on earth has been exalted to
the highest conceivable honor and glory. Christ has been raised above
the celestial hosts not only as their Head but of vastly superior rank
and dignity. There are ranks or grades among the angels, though
precisely what those differences are, we do not know. There is
"principality and power, and might and dominion," but Christ is
advanced high above them all, being set in authority over them all.
This is dwelt on in Hebrews 1:4: "Being made so much better than the
angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than
they." The glory He entered into upon His ascension was proportionate
and consonant to the name which is His by essential right.
Ephesians 1:21 gives us a detailed account of our Lord's supremacy. He
passed by the dignitaries of heaven when in love He descended to
assume the form and name of a servant for our sakes. But when God
exalted Him, He "glorified his Servant Jesus" (Acts 3:13, R. V.) as
well as openly confirmed His Son (Heb. 1:4-5). That supremacy of
Christ is not only eminent but universal: "angels and authorities and
powers being made subject unto him" (1 Pet. 3:22). "And every name
that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to
come" (Eph. 1:21), i.e., both on earth and in heaven, here and
hereafter. Christ has been advanced above every other excellence and
honor. Not only has supremacy of position been conferred upon Him but
also supremacy of name. His name is accorded the worship due God
alone, not only by the Church below but by the angels above (Heb.
1:6). To His name every knee shall yet bow (Phil. 2:10). Then what is
Christ due from us? Our hearts, our lives, our all.
That which is set before us in the closing verses of Ephesians 1 is
purely a matter of divine revelation and therefore can be received and
enjoyed only by a God-given faith. What is there made known to us by
the Holy Spirit is wholly beyond the reach of physical observation and
completely transcends the realm of Christian experience. That God has
seated Christ at His own right hand is plainly affirmed in the Word of
truth. Though it lies far above the present verification of our
senses, nevertheless it is a glorious fact which faith unhesitatingly
receives on divine authority. The same is equally true of the other
facts here mentioned. Christ's exaltation over the celestial hosts,
all things being put under His feet, the use He is now making of His
mighty power, and the relations which the Church sustains to Him
transcend the sphere of our senses. They are things which can neither
be seen nor felt by us, yet they are real and glorious to faith.
Unless that be firmly grasped by the expositor, he is bound to err in
his interpretation of the details.
Christ Given Supreme Governmental Authority
The exaltation of Christ is exhibited to us under the double metaphor
of God's seating Him at his own right hand, which signifies (in brief)
the investing of the Mediator with that supreme governmental authority
which hitherto had been exercised by God alone: the scepter of the
universe is now wielded by the God-man, Christ Jesus. What follows is
an account of the distinctive honors which have been conferred on Him.
First, He has been advanced "far above all principality, and power,
and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in
this world, but also in that which is to come" (Eph. 1:21). All
intelligences being reduced to one common level is certainly not the
law or principle which obtains in heaven! Nor is this true of those in
the kingdom over which Satan now presides, as Ephesians 6:12 makes
clear. The glory of a king lies not only in his having subjects but in
his having a "court" or subjects of varying ranks: commoners, knights,
nobles. Such is the glorious court of the King of kings.
Second, all creatures are set in subjection to Christ, for that is the
meaning of "and hath put all things under his feet" (Eph. 1:22), an
expression importing the highest sovereignty and power. Christ is not
only elevated above all creatures but He has dominion over them. They
are subordinated to Him and governed by Him. Jesus Christ has been
made Lord (Acts 2:36), "he is Lord of all" (Acts 10:36), He is "Lord
over all" (Rom. 10:12), He is "Lord both of the dead and living" (Rom.
14:9). The One who died at Calvary is now the Ruler of the universe.
This very day He holds in His hand "the keys of hell and of death"
(Rev. 1:18). Since the hour of His ascension He has been "upholding
all things by the word of his power" (Heb. 1:3). At this moment He is
ruling "in the midst of . . . [His] enemies" (Ps. 110:2). "And hath
put all things under his feet" is an accomplished fact and not a
future prospect, though He still awaits the final subjugation of His
foes. Christ is Lord over all, little as the profane world realizes
and owns it. It is a present reality, though the full results of it do
not yet appear to our senses.
This investing of the Mediator with universal dominion was the subject
of Old Testament prophecy. "And I saw in the night visions, and,
behold, one like the Son of man came with [in] the clouds of heaven
[i.e., in manifested majesty], . . . to [not from] the Ancient of
days, and they [His celestial attendants] brought him near before him.
And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all
people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an
everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that
which shall not be destroyed" (Dan. 7:13-14). The words "one like the
Son of man" (cf. Revelation 1:13; 14:14) need cause no difficulty. It
is the selfsame Person who is so frequently designated "the Son of
man" in the first three Gospels but in an altered state--then in
abasement and humiliation, now exalted and glorified. "The Ancient of
days" signifies the Father: from Him Christ came to this earth (John
16:28), to Him He returned (John 20:17), by Him He was then rewarded
and enthroned. The verb "hath put" assures us that this prediction has
been fulfilled.
"And hath put all things under his feet" is another metaphor, but its
meaning is plain, namely, that God has exalted Christ to such dignity
and dominion that everything is under His power, in subjection to Him.
This is clear from the first passage in which the expression occurs:
"Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou
hast put all things under his feet" (Ps. 8:6). The one clause defines
the other. The scope of the "all things" is amplified in the words
that follow: "all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea" (Ps. 8:7-8). Hebrews 2:8
still further points out, "For in that he put [not `will put' in some
future era] all in subjection under him, he left nothing... not put
under Him," nothing visible or invisible, in heaven or earth, friend
or foe. "But now we see not [with our natural eyes] yet all things put
under him," though we shall one day behold that too. Meanwhile, "we
see Jesus [with the eyes of faith]... crowned with glory and honor"
(Heb. 2:8-9) as exhibited in the closing verses of Ephesians 1.
"And hath put all things under his feet." As is so often the case,
many of the commentators have unjustifiably restricted the scope of
these words, limiting them to the subjugation of His enemies.
Undoubtedly that is part of their meaning, yet their primary
significance and extent is the subjection of all--friends and foes
alike. "All the people that follow thee" (Pharaoh, Exodus 11:8) and
"all the people that follow me" (Benhadad, 1 Kings 20:10) are rightly
rendered in the margin "at thy feet" and "at my feet." Thus it is all
one to say, "All the people that are `thy subjects' or `at thy feet.'"
As we have seen, "Thou hast put all things under his feet" (Ps. 8:6)
is interpreted in "Thou hast put all things in subjection under him";
"nothing" is excepted (Heb. 2:8). Bowing one's head to another
indicates reverence, but falling down at his feet expresses the utmost
subjection.
Christ the Head of All Principality and Power
There should be no difficulty in perceiving that this expression is
applicable and appropriate to the holy angels: their subjection to
Christ is voluntary and joyous. The same is true of the Church, for
Christ is her Head, and each of her members is "made willing in the
day of his power" to submit to His rule. That is exactly what is meant
by "Take my yoke upon you": "Yield to My Lordship, give Me the throne
of your hearts, surrender your will to My governance." When the Church
is spoken of as the Body of Christ, that sets forth her dignity. Yet
when Christ is spoken of as the "head of the Church" (Eph. 5:23), that
expresses His superior dignity. The king's consort sustains a double
relation to him: she is a subject of the monarch, but she is a queen
as his wife. Hence, while Psalm 45:9-11 states of Christ, "Upon thy
right hand did stand the queen," adding, "So shall the king greatly
desire thy beauty," yet she is at once told, "He is thy Lord; and
worship [be subject to and adore] thou him."
But the expression also refers to Christ's triumph over His enemies.
After Joshua had gained that remarkable victory over the combined
armies of the Canaanites, he said, "Open the mouth of the cave, and
bring out those five kings unto me out of the cave." And they did so.
And he said to his captains, "Come near, put your feet upon the necks
of these kings." And they did so. And Joshua said to them, "Fear not,
nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the
LORD do to all your enemies" (Josh. 10:22-25; cf. Isa. 51:22-23).
Psalm 110:1 alludes to such passages: "until I make thine enemies thy
footstool," i.e., crushed and destroyed. The Church is under Christ's
feet by way of subjection, but she is not His footstool by way of
subjugation and degradation.
Providence Directed by the Mediator
Yet we believe that "hath put all things under his feet" includes even
more: not only all friends by ways of voluntary submission and all
foes by forced subjugation, but all events by way of His immediate
operation. It is not simply "all creatures" but "all things."
Providence itself is now directed by the Mediator: all history is
shaped by His imperial hand. Every movement, every occurrence, both in
heaven and in earth is ordered by the King of kings and Lord of lords.
He is clothed with all authority and invested with universal dominion,
and He is now actually engaged in exercising the same. But let it not
be overlooked that the exaltation and sovereignty of Christ are
revealed in Scripture as something more than a historical reality: the
very fact this truth is here brought in at the close of the apostle's
prayer intimates it is a grand verity which ought to affect our hearts
and lives. Do we conduct ourselves as those in complete subjection to
Him? As we view those who oppose us, do we realize the force of His
"Fear not, little flock"? As we contemplate the troubled waters of
this world, do we recognize that our mighty Captain is at the helm?
"And gave him to be the head over all things to the church" (Eph.
1:22). That means far more than that Christ is the Church's Head. In
those words and the ones which follow, the Holy Spirit reveals some of
the distinctive blessings which accrue to the redeemed as the result
of the exaltation of the Redeemer. Not only for the sake of His Son
did God place Him upon the throne but also for the benefit of the
Church. "Thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give
eternal life to as many as thou hast given him" (John 17:2) is a
parallel statement--though not quite as broad in its terms. Christ has
been given universal and absolute rule over the whole of creation,
that He might bestow eternal life on the elect. The fact that all
power is given to Christ in heaven and in earth gives force to "Go ye
therefore, and teach all nations" (Matthew 28:18-19). No weapon formed
against His servants shall or can prosper.
Absolute lordship has been conferred upon the Mediator with the
particular design of advantage for His blood-bought people. Christ's
universal headship and power are being employed in the service of His
beloved. "Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and
a Savior." With what design? "For to give repentance to Israel, and
forgiveness of sins" (Acts 5:31). Christ has been elevated so high
that He may disburse the gifts of salvation to those who belong to the
spiritual Israel--"the Israel of God" (Gal. 6:16). He has not only
gone into heaven to "prepare a place" for His own (John 14:2); He is
also active on their behalf while they are on earth. Upon His
ascension we are told that "they [His ambassadors] went forth, and
preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the
word with signs following" (Mark 16:20). He is completely ordering all
the affairs of providence on behalf of His saints; their enemies are
beneath His control; Paul said, "All things are for your sakes" (2
Cor. 4:15).
The Church and the Mediator
It is important that we should consider and apprehend God's object in
subjecting all things to the Redeemer: not only as illustrating the
principles of His moral government ("He who humbleth himself shall be
exalted"; "Them that honor me I will honor") and the good which
results to us from them, but also the bearing which it should have
upon our character and conduct. The salvation of the Church was the
direct design of the whole of Christ's mediation. For her He
voluntarily suffered humiliation and death; for the promotion of her
interests God exalted Christ and now employs for her benefit the
powers which have been bestowed on Him. Though raised so high, He has
neither lost His love for His sheep nor relinquished His purpose
concerning them. All hearts are now in His hand: by Him kings reign,
and princes decree justice (Prov. 8:15), yet He is exercising His
dominion in subservience to His purpose of grace, disposing all the
affairs of the universe for the good of His Church. To the
accomplishment of that the whole series of events which form the
history of individuals and nations is directed and subordinated.
Yet how faintly that is realized by any of us: that Christ is over men
and angels, demons and Satan himself. This world is under the control
of the One whose hands were nailed to the cross. Christ rules and
overrules for the good of His Church the deliberations of the senate,
the conflict of armies, the history of the nations. The Neros, the
Charlemagnes, the Napoleons, the Hitlers, who for a brief season
proudly strut upon the stage of this world's drama, are but puppets in
the hand of the enthroned Christ and are made to accomplish His
purpose and serve the highest and ultimate interests of His people.
Even when the nations are convulsed like the angry sea and things
appear to be quite out of control, "the LORD hath his way in the
whirlwind and in the storm" (Nah. 1:3). Then there is nothing for us
to be alarmed at. The ark of the covenant is in no danger!
"And gave him to be the head over all things to the church." To the
angels, Christ is a "head" by virtue of sovereignty and power (Col.
2:10), but He is the Church's "head" by mystical union as well. The
angels are but His servants; the Church is His Spouse. He is the
Church's "head" First by way of distinction, as her King and Lord, for
in all things He must have the preeminence (Col. 1:18). Second, by way
of authority: "the church is subject unto Christ" (Eph. 5:24), so that
in all spiritual matters she refuses domination or direction by either
state or people. Third, in a way of influence: the Church receives her
life, strength, and grace from Him "from which all the body... [has]
nourishment ministered" (Col. 2:19; cf. Ephesians 4:16). All her
springs are in Him: from His fullness she receives. Christ is not only
a commanding but a compassionate Head, therefore is touched with the
feeling of her infirmities.
"The church, which is his body." Christ has a natural body, by virtue
of His incarnation. He has a sacramental body, which is seen in the
Lord's Supper. He has a ministerial body, the local church or assembly
(1 Cor. 12:27), where His ordinances are administered and His truth
proclaimed. He has also a mystical Body, so designated because the
mysterious union of its members with one another and with their Head
is altogether beyond the purview of our physical senses. It is this
Body, we believe, which is here meant, as in Ephesians 4:12-13 (which
has never been realized by any church on earth), the Church for which
Christ gave Himself (Eph. 5:25). The term cannot be restricted to any
local assembly. It includes "the general assembly and church of the
firstborn, which are written in heaven" (Heb. 12:23)--the sum total of
all God's elect. That mystical Body has been in process of formation
since the days of Abel and will not be completed until the end of
human history.
View this controversial expression in the light of what precedes.
Christ's being seated at God's right hand is perceptible to faith
alone. All things being put under His feet is not comprehensible by
our senses: "Now we see not yet all things put under him" (Heb. 2:8),
neither do we yet see "the church, which is his body." Contemplate it
in the light of what follows: the Church is not only the Body of
Christ but also "the fullness of him that filleth all in all" (Eph.
1:23), which could never be said of any local assembly, nor even of
any denomination. The Church is the mediatorial "fullness" of Christ:
there cannot be a Redeemer without redeemed, a Shepherd without sheep,
a Bridegroom without a Bride, a living Head without a living Body. He
is her "fullness" (John 1:16) as the Lord of life and grace; she is
His fullness since by means of the glory He has put upon her He will
hereafter be magnified (2 Thess. 1:10).
We conclude as we began. The relation of the Church to Christ is
entirely a matter of divine revelation. Verses 21-23 bring before us
that which pertains wholly to faith--not fiction or fancy, nor reason
or sense. But though each of these objects is as yet unseen by the
outward eye, they are nonetheless real, and shall yet be beheld by a
wondering universe. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit makes the Church
Christ's mystical Body, for only those He indwells are members of it.
The Church is Christ's "fullness" as it completes His mystical person:
the Head and the Body form the mystical "Christ" of 1 Corinthians
12:12, Ephesians 4:13, and perhaps Galatians 3:16. Christ did not
place this inestimable honor on angels: they are neither His "body"
nor His "fullness." He loved His mystical Body above His natural body,
for He gave the one for the other.
Gleanings from Paul Index
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings from Paul
by A. W. Pink
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16. Prayer for Inner Strength
Ephesians 3:14-16
Note The Contents of our present portion. Consider the radical and
immense difference between that prayer and those we are accustomed to
hear in public--and our own in private. Must there not be a reason,
some very definite cause, why the petitions of most Christians today
are so very different from those of the apostle? Must it not be
because many of God's people are now living upon a much lower plane of
spiritual experience? Surely that cannot be gainsaid. And why do they
dwell so much in the valleys and so little on the mountains? Is it not
because they have failed to apprehend the wonderful portion which is
theirs in Christ, because they do not grasp and enjoy the inestimable
privileges which are already theirs, because they do not possess their
possessions, because they are regulated so much by their moods and
feelings instead of living by faith in the One who loved and gave
Himself for them? This is true, in varying degrees, of all of us.
It has been pointed out that the fervor and subject of our prayers are
in accordance with our knowledge and apprehension of God and our
practical relation to Him. If our concept of God is virtually
restricted to Maker, Lawgiver, and Judge, and we rarely view Him or
address Him in any other character than "the Most High," though our
hearts may be awed and our souls humbled before Him, yet there is
likely to be very little freedom of approach or joy of heart in our
communion with Him, and our requests will be regulated accordingly.
Or, if we regard Him as having given us only the hope of obtaining
salvation by Jesus Christ, then naturally and necessarily our constant
desire before Him will be for the strengthening and brightening of
that hope, for we shall feel that is the one thing most needed for the
comfort of our hearts and the peace of our minds. We can feel but
little interest in any further revelation which God may have given
regarding the purpose of His grace to His people.
So long as we entertain a doubt of our being personally concerned and
having a portion in the riches of divine grace, they can have no power
on our hearts. On the other hand, if the Christian realizes that the
first Person in the blessed Trinity sustains to him precisely the same
relation as He did and does to Christ, namely, covenant God and
personal Father, and if in faith he takes his stand on the sure
foundation laid for every believing sinner in the incarnation, death,
resurrection, and exaltation of God's dear Son, then his desires will
naturally be for a fuller knowledge of the purpose of God in
connection with the manifestation of the glory of Him "in whom we have
obtained an inheritance."
And thus it is in the prayer we are about to ponder. Request is made
to the Father that, by the strengthening operation of the Spirit and
the indwelling of Christ, the saints may know the "mystery," learn by
deeper experience the unsearchable love of Christ, and be filled with
all the fullness of God. Oh, that our souls may be so quickened that
the petitions we are considering will become our own breathings.
It will help us to an understanding both of the scope of this prayer
and the meaning of its petitions if we observe the place it occupies
in this epistle, namely, at the close of the doctrinal section and
introductory to the practical portion, for it turns the contents of
the former into supplication and prepares the heart for obedience to
the precepts of the latter. When doctrine is rightly apprehended, it
exerts a powerful effect upon the heart and influences our devotional
life. Likewise, when the affections and the conscience are stirred by
God's exhortations to His people, they are brought to their knees
before Him seeking grace. These two features--doctrine and
exhortation--throw light on our present passage.
An analysis of the prayer indicates the following general divisions.
First, the occasion of it, indicated by "for this cause I bow my
knees" (Eph. 3:14). Second, its Object, namely, "the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is
named" (Eph. 3:14-15). Third, its appeal, "that he would grant you,
according to the riches of his glory" (Eph. 3:16). Fourth, its
petitions, which are four in number (Eph. 3:16-19). Fifth, its
doxology (Eph. 3:20-21).
Occasion of This Prayer
"For this cause I bow my knees." In those words the apostle tells us
what moved him to so address the throne of grace on this occasion, for
the obvious meaning of them is "On this account, for this reason, I
now approach the mercy seat." For what cause? This requires us to
examine the context and note the contents of the preceding verses. The
attentive reader will observe that the same clause is also found at
the beginning of the chapter: "For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of
Jesus Christ for you Gentiles." Scholars have pointed out that there
is no verb there of which "I Paul" is the nominative, and hence there
has been considerable diversity of opinion as to the probable
construction of the passage. The most natural conclusion seems to be
that the sentence begun in verse 1 is recommenced and completed in
verse 14. That is the view taken by numerous commentators. Thus, what
the apostle intended to say at the beginning of the chapter was
interrupted by the flowing of other thoughts into his mind.
"For this cause I Paul" (in view of the wondrous and blessed truth
which had engaged his pen throughout chapter 2) "bow my knees unto the
Father." But he was interrupted from immediately doing so, for as soon
as he added, "I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,"
the realization of his "bonds" awakened a fresh train of ideas which
he expanded to the end of verse 13. Consequently the "for this cause"
of verse 14 has a double reference: immediately to the divine
revelation made in verses 2-13 which chiefly concerns an unfolding of
"the mystery of Christ," that is, of the mystical Christ, the
spiritual Body of which He is the Head--that Body in which the elect
of God from the Hebrews and from the Gentiles have been made fellow
members, fellow heirs and fellow partakers of God's promise in Christ
by the gospel. More remotely, the "for this cause" of verse 14 looks
back to verse 1 and makes known the breathings of Paul's soul as
evoked by what had occupied his mind throughout chapter 2, where he
had expounded the grand doctrine of regeneration and
reconciliation--the reconciliation of Jew and Gentile, and of both to
God.
"For this cause." Combining the double reference in verse 1 and again
in verse 14 and what each looks back to, we understand Paul to be
saying, "Since the saints have been divinely quickened, reconciled to
God, made members of the mystical Body of Christ, I long to see them
living and acting as becomes those so highly favored of God and made
partakers of such inestimable privileges. Therefore I supplicate God
on their behalf to that end."
It is both interesting and instructive to closely compare this prayer
with that found at the close of chapter 1. The principal difference
between them is not accounted for so much by the different aspects of
truth presented in Ephesians 1 and 2 as it is by the different effects
which the apostle desired might be wrought in those to whom he wrote.
There are indeed different branches of doctrine unfolded in those two
chapters, and undoubtedly that difference determined the keynote of
each of the prayers, yet that is neither the sole nor main reason for
their varied tones. The variations in the petitions of those
respective prayers expressed the particular quickenings the believers
needed in order to respond suitably to the glorious revelations he had
set before them.
God's Sovereign Grace to His Elect
In Ephesians 1 we have a wonderful opening up of the eternal purpose
of God's sovereign grace concerning His elect, an unveiling of those
spiritual blessings with which He has blessed them in the heavenlies
in Christ, having chosen them, accepted them, and given them an
inheritance in the Beloved. So transcendent and amazing are those
riches of the divine grace, so entirely different from anything which
man had conceived, that the apostle requests the Father would
vouchsafe "the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of
him" so that, the eyes of our understanding being enlightened, we
might know. It is important that the saint should apprehend that it is
the sovereign grace of God which has brought him into the place of
unchanging blessing in Christ, for he had been made "the righteousness
of God in him." This is the first thing that the converted soul needs
to learn, that he has been reconciled to God by the blood of the Cross
and thereby established in peace in Him forevermore: that he has been
justified once and for all by the obedience of Christ, that he has
been perfected forever and made fit for the inheritance of the saints
in light. There can be no lasting peace within, no growth in grace, no
loving and grateful obedience, until that is laid hold of by
intelligent faith.
But essential as it is for the believer to recognize the perfect
standing which is his in Christ before the throne of God, it is no
less necessary for the glory of God, the honor of Christ, and his own
good, that he should be exercised in his soul: that his affections
should be set upon Christ, that he should be more and more conformed
to His image both experimentally and practically, that he should "grow
up unto him in all things." Accordingly, while in Ephesians 1 the
apostle had unfolded what God had purposed for us and prayed that we
might know the same, in Ephesians 2 he treated more of what God has
wrought in the saints, and asked Him to fully accomplish the same in
them. While we are to hold fast in our minds the perfect and
unchanging standing which is ours in Christ, we also need to be deeply
concerned about our state: about health being maintained in our souls,
about Christ having His proper place in our hearts, about the whole
household of faith being cherished in our affections, about being
filled with all the fullness of God.
Thus the prayer of Ephesians 3 is supplementary or, rather,
complementary to the prayer at the close of chapter 1. As might be
expected, the two together present a perfect balance between the
principal aspects of the Christian's life--the objective and the
subjective--faith being occupied with the riches of God's grace
outside himself, love being concerned with what is going on within
himself. That wondrous portion which he has in Christ does not change,
for it is perfect and entire; but that which has been wrought within
him needs perfecting until the day of redemption. His justification
can never be more complete than it was the moment he first believed,
but he may and should obtain a better understanding of it. Hence in
Ephesians 3 the apostle prays not merely that the saints should know
what divine grace had wrought for and given to them but what God would
now work by His Spirit in them. The first petition is that they might
be "strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man," that is,
renewed by Him day by day. And what would be the evidence of that?
This, Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith, our hearts fixed on Him
as their Object, their supreme Attraction.
Its Object
The One whom Paul addressed is here named "the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named"
(Eph. 3:14-15). God is our Father, first, as the Author of our beings,
and in this sense we are His "offspring" (Acts 17:28); He is our
Father, second, as we are formed after His natural image: God is
spirit (John 4:24) and therefore "the Father of spirits" (Heb. 12:9).
In both these senses God is the Father of angels, and therefore they
are designated "the sons of God" (Job 1:6; 38:7). God is our Father,
third, in a higher sense, spiritually, having by regeneration made us
partakers of His nature, or moral likeness (James 1:18; 2 Peter 1:4).
He is "the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" as the God-man Mediator,
by covenant relation, and was owned by Him as such all through His
life (Luke 2:49; John 5:17; 20:17). Because God is the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ He is our Father in the spiritual and highest sense
of the term, as John 20:17 intimates. All mercies flow to us through
Christ from the Father, and all our petitions ascend through Christ to
the Father. Because God is the Father of the Redeemer He is the Father
of the redeemed, and therefore we have access to Him by faith in
prayer. This relation, which God sustains to the Lord Jesus as His
Father, is made the ground of the apostle's appeal. Blessed truth for
us to lay hold of.
The attentive reader will note the change of address of this prayer of
the apostle. In chapter 1 he approached Him as "the God of our Lord
Jesus Christ" (Eph. 3:17), which still more distinctly views Him in
the covenant relationship in which He stands both to Christ and to us.
That is the foundation of His being "the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ" and "our Father" (note the order in John 20:17), as it is the
ground on which we have access to Him. Charles Hodge said, "We can
approach Him in no other character than as the God who sent the Lord
Jesus to be our propitiation and Mediator. It is therefore by faith,
as reconciled, that we address Him as the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ." Thus we see again how the doctrinal contents of those
chapters give tone to the details of their respective prayers. Not in
Ephesians 1 but in Ephesians 2 is the fact of God's reconciliation to
us brought out, and therefore in the prayer which follows that
doctrinal revelation He is addressed as "the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ." Just as the wonders of God's handiwork in creation are made
more apparent under the microscope, so the more closely we examine the
Word its perfections are revealed in every detail. That Word which He
has magnified above all His name will bear the most minute
examination. Only as we so examine it shall we perceive its excellence
on every jot and tittle.
The Titles of Deity
Our appreciation of the titles by which God is addressed (and
described) will be determined by the measure of our apprehension of
the doctrinal expositions which occasioned those prayers. In chapter 1
the apostle had desired both light and knowledge for the saints, that
as the conscious objects of Almighty grace and power they might
understand the nature, reality, and blessedness of their calling. But
now he requests for them an enlarged ability to taste, with a fuller
and more sensible perception of its blessedness, the communion of that
love which had been so unreservedly lavished upon them in making them
participants of the unsearchable riches of Christ. God, in the majesty
of His government, is fully glorified to the eye of faith as the just
Awarder of all honor in the exaltation of Christ. His will, wisdom,
and power all have their own exemplification in giving the Lord Jesus
the seat of preeminence. But the One who thus magnified the Mediator
is also the Father of His beloved Son, and in Him, too, Father of
those whom Christ is not ashamed to own as "brethren" (Heb. 2:11).
That is what regulated the apostle in his choice of this particular
address.
It was with particular regard for the foregoing doctrine in chapter 2
that Paul now addressed God as "Father." Note carefully how our
special relation to Him who begat us is brought out. We are spoken of
as "his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus" by Himself (Eph. 2:10).
We are viewed as "reconciled" to Him (Eph. 2:16). It is declared that
"we have access by one Spirit unto the Father" (Eph. 2:18). We are
spoken of as "the household of God" (Eph. 2:19), yes, as a "habitation
of God through the Spirit" (Eph. 2:22). The same blessed fact also
gave color to the particular requests which the apostle made here.
That which occupies the central place in the petitionary part of this
prayer is the saints' apprehension of the surpassing love of Christ.
This request for increased enjoyment of divine love is most suitably
made to the Father, as that is the believer's privilege by virtue of
his filial relationship--even as the hope of glory is his righteous
expectation as a justified heir of salvation (Rom. 5:1-2).
"Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named." Concerning
the precise meaning of that clause there is perhaps room for
difference of opinion as to the exact meaning of its terms. First, as
to whether the antecedent of the "of whom" is "the Father" or "our
Lord Jesus Christ." Grammatically the antecedent is a double one, but
we prefer to take the nearest and understand it of the latter. Second,
as to what is the "whole family in heaven and earth." Most
commentators restrict it to the household of faith, those who have
finished their earthly pilgrimage and those who are still left in this
scene. But in view of Ephesians 1:10, Colossians 1:20, and Hebrews
12:22-23, we would not limit its scope thus. We understand "the whole
family" to be the entire company of the redeemed plus the holy angels.
Third, the word "named" does not mean that all are called by the same
name, that the designation "Christian" is given to angels, but, as one
writer says, "The expression is taken from the custom in a family,
where all bear the same name as the head of the family." All God's
elect among angels and men are gathered together under one Head and
constitute one community.
According to Hebrew custom, a group or class of families all claimed
descent from one father, for instance, the twelve tribes of Israel.
Joseph was "of the house and lineage [family; Greek patria] of David"
(Luke 2:4). The word occurs only in Luke 2:4, Acts 3:25, and Ephesians
3:15, and indicates a clan of persons descended from the same root.
Thus the word was well suited to express the community which is headed
up in Christ.
"For this cause I bow my knees" (Eph. 3:14). In effect Paul was
saying, "Because God has dealt so wondrously and bestowed upon you
such favors [as those described in 2:1-3:12], I seek from Him further
blessings on your behalf; yea, in view of those marvelous exercises of
divine grace and power, my heart is drawn out to ask for the highest
possible benefits." "Unto the Father of our [not the] Lord Jesus
Christ." That is to say, "I supplicate our gracious Father, and He is
such as the covenant God of our Head." "Of whom the whole family in
heaven and earth is named." Since all things have been gathered
together in one in Christ, "both which are in heaven, and which are on
earth; even in him" (Eph. 1:10), the entire family receives its name
from Him. Since Christ has been made the Head of all--of the celestial
hierarchies as well as of the Church (Eph. 1:21-23; Colossians
2:10)--He has a proprietary right in the whole community: they all own
Him, and He owns them all. Such is our understanding of verse 15.
Its Appeal
"That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be"
(Eph. 3:16). That states the rule by which the Lord is entreated to
confer His favors: on the one hand, not according to the faith or
faithfulness of His people; on the other, not according to their
spiritual indigence and need; but rather and better, according to His
own glorious riches. Indirectly it is indeed an admission of our
poverty and unworthiness, but directly it is faith eyeing the fullness
and sufficiency of the Lord of glory. Everything in God renders Him
glorious. He is the proper Object of adoration. The apostle prayed for
God to deal with His people according to the plenitude of His grace
and power, which constitutes His glory and makes Him the source of all
good. But "the riches of his glory" includes more than His grace and
power; it comprehends everything in God which makes Him glorious. The
apostle's prayer was an appeal to God's goodness, His munificence, His
infinite resources, and the plenitude of His perfections.
"That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory." To aid
our feeble understanding, the Spirit here, as so frequently, speaks
after the manner of men. The things which they count of highest value
are termed their "riches." Now elevate that concept to a vastly
superior plane. The Lord too has his "riches." As our thoughts can
rise no higher than that which is super-eminent or glorious, these
riches are styled "the riches of his glory." They are not only the
riches of glory, or glorious riches, but "riches in glory" too (Phil.
4:19), that is, celestial riches, His riches on high--an earnest or
foretaste of which the saints are granted even in this life. The
reference is to Christ's abundant fullness, as He is "the heir of all
things" (Heb. 1:2). As such He is possessed of inexhaustible resources
for the supplying of our every need. There are in Him amplitude and
plenitude of glory. And "according to" the same we should ask Him to
minister to us.
Glory
Glory is something more than excellence. It is excellence made
manifest and brought into high esteem. It is the perfection of the
divine character displayed and made real and ineffable to our hearts.
The wondrous and blessed fact is that God has joined His glory with
the good of His people. The two things are inseparably connected
together: they glorying in Him, He being glorified in them. It is
therefore our happy privilege to present our requests with this fact
before us and ask Him to bestow His favors on us accordingly. The
apostle was about to rise to the very pinnacle of petitionary prayer,
seeking for Christians the most glorious things they could be granted.
He stated as his plea, "Will it not be to Thy glory to grant such
requests and vouchsafe such blessings!" If we are straitened, it is
not in the Lord but in ourselves, and the fault is entirely our own.
We should eye by faith the fullness of the divine perfections, for the
riches of the God-man Mediator are as unlimited as the illimitable
glory of the divine nature itself.
Its Petitions
Before turning to the petitions in detail, let us proffer a few
general remarks. The requests which the apostle was about to make are
prefaced by the explanatory words "for this cause." He was on the
point of asking that they should be strengthened with might by the
Spirit in the inner man and that Christ might dwell in their hearts by
faith, from which petitions it might be inferred that their condition
was critical, or at any rate that they were in a weak and low state.
Yet there is nothing whatever in the whole of the context which lends
color to that idea. Rather, because of the wonderful things God had
already done for them, Paul was encouraged to ask Him that these
saints might be granted enlarged apprehensions and enjoyment of His
favors. Far from settling on our leas when the Lord has bestowed
signal blessings on us, we should be stimulated to desire and seek
further gifts from His hand.
But that is not all there is for us in the particular detail to which
we have just directed attention. There is something else in it which
we need to take to heart, namely, that those who have received the
highest favors from God are in real need of prayer, of coming to the
mercy seat. Why? That they may be enabled to make good use of what has
been conferred on them and walk worthy of the same. "For unto
whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required" (Luke 12:48).
Only fresh supplies of divine grace can enable us to meet that
requirement; and such supplies must be earnestly and daily sought by
us. Privileges entail obligations, and spiritual obligations cannot be
discharged in our own strength. God had richly blessed the Ephesians,
and for that cause or reason the apostle prayed for them to be
strengthened with might by Christ's Spirit in the inner man, that they
might truly appreciate those blessings and express their gratitude in
lives which would redound to the glory of the Giver of them.
We should also ponder these petitions in the light of how God is here
addressed and the plea made to Him. No doubt the reader, like the
writer, has heard prayers in which the body bore little or no relation
to the opening language: prayers that began by addressing the Deity in
high-sounding names but which had no connection with or
appropriateness to the petitions that followed. The prayers of
Scripture are very different. There we find the introductory
ascriptions are most suited to what follows; the particular character
in which God is addressed bears an intimate respect to the requests
made to Him. For example, when Jacob was in deadly fear of Esau he
prayed, "O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the
LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, . . . deliver me,
I pray thee, from the hand of my brother" (Gen. 32:9-11). It was to
his fathers (and their seed) that God had promised to give Canaan!
Also when the souls under the altar begged God to avenge their blood,
they addressed Him as "O Lord, holy and true" (Rev. 6:10).
In the prayer before us, the address is made to "the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ," and what follows is an appeal to His fatherly
affection and solicitude. He has told us that "like as a father
pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him" (Ps.
103:13). What freedom of heart the realization of that blessed fact
should give us when we approach the throne of grace! The Redeemer has
assured us, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto
your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give
good things to them that ask Him?" (Matthew 7:11). The saint
approaches not an unwilling Bestower, whose reluctance to communicate
has to be overcome by entreaties, but a loving Father who is more
ready to give than we are to ask. How that ought to melt and encourage
us! Because He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, He is our
Father too, and as such more ready to impart good things to us than
the tenderest earthly parent can be to his little ones. The apostle
here viewed Him thus, and he framed his requests accordingly.
Nor should we overlook the clause that immediately follows: "of whom
the whole family in heaven and earth is named." It seems to us that
the apostle turned that into a plea also. It was as though he said,
"Blessed Lord, many of Thy dear children are now in Thine immediate
presence on high, but there are some of Thy beloved ones still in the
place of need here below. Those with Thee above are enjoying the
beatific vision. Let not all blessedness be confined to them, but
grant at least a portion of the same to those who are yet in this
howling wilderness."
So should we make practical use of every doctrinal statement of the
epistles, turning each into a supplicatory plea. "That he would grant
you, according to the riches of his glory." Paul's gaze was directed
upward to a sphere of ineffable purity and felicity, to the One who
occupied the central place in it. It was that which moved him to seek
for no ordinary favors but for blessings which were according to and
commensurate with the infinite riches of His glory.
The blessings Paul here sought for the saints stand out in glaring
contrast from the mean and meager petitions which many believers are
wont to make today. The great majority of professing Christians seem
to regard the substance and sum of salvation as consisting in
deliverance from the penalty of their sins and the assurance that they
will spend eternity in heaven. They appear to have little or no
concept of the glorious privileges that are theirs in this present
interval: their being mightily energized by the indwelling Holy
Spirit, their access to and enjoyment of Christ within the veil, their
growing up unto Him in all things, their being filled with all the
fullness of God. Those petitions of Paul present possibilities in the
Christian life that few contemplate, and fewer still strive after. A
knowledge of sins forgiven is indeed an inestimable boon, yet that
stands at the very onset of Christian experience and is but an earnest
of far greater and grander blessings which the Father will bestow on
us if we follow on to know Him, and seek to lay hold of that for which
we were laid hold of by Christ Jesus, reaching for those things which
are before (Phil. 3:12-14).
"Open Thy Mouth Wide"
We say again, if we are straitened it is in ourselves and not in the
Lord; the fault is entirely ours. He has set before us a rich feast in
the gospel: "a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of
fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined" (Isa.
25:6). Our God is no niggardly Host, nor would He have us partake
sparingly of His bounties: "Eat O friends; drink, yea, drink
abundantly, O beloved"(Song of Sol. 5:1) is the call of His largess to
us. "Open thy mouth wide" is His invitation; "and I will fill it" is
His promise (Ps. 81:10). How deeply ashamed of ourselves we should be
if we have occasion to cry, "My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me!"
(Isa. 24:16). Such "leanness" brings no honor to Him. Such leanness
reveals how far below our privileges we are living. Such leanness is
the consequence of failing to avail ourselves of the rich provisions
God has made for us, and such failure is traced back to the
defectiveness of our prayer lives: "Ye have not, because ye ask not"
(Jam. 4:2).
Observe that the apostle did not preface his petitions by saying, "O
God, if it can be possible, bestow these glorious spiritual riches on
Thy people." No indeed, he would not insult the One who has told us,
"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how
shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Rom. 8:32).
"Freely," not grudgingly. Not once in their prayers for the saints do
we find any of the apostles qualifying their petitions with "if it be
thy will." It is true that the Redeemer prayed in Gethsemane, "O my
Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless,
not as I will but as thou wilt"; but He was there in a situation which
we can never occupy, and never once did He teach His disciples to pray
thus. Compare Matthew 7:7; John 14:13-14; 15:16; 16:23; compare too
His own "Father, I will" of John 17:24! True, our wills must be
subordinated to the divine, yet it is both our privilege and duty to
be "understanding what the will of the Lord is" (Eph. 5:17).
His Revealed Will
"This is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything
according to his will, he heareth us" (1 John 5:14). That does not
refer to His eternal decree, or secret will, which concerns no part of
our responsibility, but to His revealed will as made known to us in
the Word. In the Word, God has plainly declared that He is ready to
bestow, in response to the prayer of faith, whatever will be for His
glory and for our good. Nor has He left undefined what is for His
glory and our good: the recorded prayers of the apostles plainly
reveal the same to us. We need therefore have no hesitation whatever
in praying that we may be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the
inner man, that Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith, that we may
be filled with all the fullness of God; for it is God's revealed will
that we should ask for those very things, and it is nothing but a
false or mistaken humility for us to add to His words "if it be thy
will." It is God's will or the apostle would not have been moved by
the Holy Spirit to make such requests and then place them on record
for our guidance.
In view of such passages as Psalm 81:10, Song of Solomon 5:1, and
Romans 8:32, it is truly pitiful to hear so many professing Christians
praying as though God were either a hard master or one whose riches
were limited. He has expressly bidden them to "covet earnestly the
best gifts (1 Cor. 12:31), yet how few of them do so. They have so
little holy ambition to enter into God's best for them, to grow in
grace, to be fruitful branches of the Vine, to show forth His praises.
How little of His truth, His holiness, His grace seems to satisfy
them! They exist rather than live, paddle in the ocean of His love
rather than swim in it. Their desires are weak, their expectations
small, their aspirations almost nil. To "covet earnestly the best
gifts" is to long intensely for them with the implication of a
corresponding zealous effort to obtain those divine bestowments which
will make for increased piety and usefulness; not only for ourselves
but for our fellow saints too. That is exactly what the apostle was
doing here: coveting earnestly the best gifts for the Ephesians.
Better Things
"That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be
strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man" (Eph. 3:16).
That was the first thing which Paul requested of the Father on their
behalf. Let each Christian ponder it thoughtfully and hopefully. Let
him seek to realize now, if he has never done so before, that the
pardon God bestowed upon him at the hour of conversion was but the
beginning of the fulfillment of His purposes of grace toward him, that
He has far better things awaiting him in this life. God's forgiveness
of his sins was but a means to an end, with a design of something
further and richer. Let the Christian reader recognize that he has not
yet begun to conceive of the rich heritage unto which God has begotten
him unless he perceives that it is his privilege, his duty, his
rightful portion, to be strong with the strength of the divine Spirit.
The devil seeks to persuade us that God would have His children remain
frail and feeble in this life, but that is one of his many lies. God's
revealed will for us is the very reverse, namely, "Be strong in the
Lord, and in the power of his might" (Eph. 6:10). Reader, do not allow
Satan to deceive you any further, but seek right now to possess what
Christ has purchased for you.
Seek Expectantly
Because it is God's revealed will that we should be spiritually hale
and hearty, we are to seek strength from Him, and seek it expectantly.
Had He not shown us His good pleasure in this matter, we might have
been in some doubt how to act; but since He has made known His mind on
it, our course is quite clear. Let the reader turn to Ezekiel 36:25-36
and observe the blessed promises which God has there made to His
people, closing with the declaration "I the LORD have spoken it, and I
will do it." Then let the reader attentively observe that in the very
next verse (Ezek. 36:37) we are told, "Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will
yet for this be inquired of by the [spiritual] house of Israel, to do
it for them." Divine favor does not release us from our duty of
realizing and acknowledging our dependence on Him. Divine promises are
given for faith to lay hold of and plead before the throne of grace.
It is God's revealed will that Christians should be strengthened with
might by His Spirit in the inner man, but it is also His will that
they should earnestly covet the same and believingly seek it by
fervent supplication.
Our Responsibility
The Apostle Paul had declared, "Though our outward man perish, yet the
inward man is renewed day by day" (2 Cor. 4:16). Nevertheless, the
knowledge of that fact did not render it meaningless or needless to
pray for that very thing! God does not treat us as though we were
irrational creatures, but as moral agents, and therefore He requires
our concurrence and cooperation--not to assist Him, but for the
discharge of our responsibility, and especially for the calling into
exercise of those spiritual graces which He has imparted to His
children. We must ask if we would receive. And we must ask
expectantly, for according to our faith will it be unto us. It is much
for which to be thankful if we have been made conscious of our deep
need, yet that will avail us nothing unless we have also learned how
to obtain daily supplies of grace. In answer to importunate prayer God
gives of His best to us. David was in sore straits, but he knew where
to turn for relief: "In the day when I cried thou answerest me, and
strengthenedst me with strength in my soul" (Ps. 138:3).
The Christian is as entirely dependent on the continued operations of
the Spirit as he was for His initial workings, for of himself he can
no more sustain his spiritual life or maintain his faith than he would
originate them. If the Spirit were to suspend His operations, we
should be helpless, for He it is who works in us both to will and to
do of God's good pleasure. The flesh is not weakened by regeneration,
and it never ceases its exertions. So it is from without: Satan is
ever seeking an advantage against us. Moreover the soul is strangely
deluded by the treachery of our senses and the result of our passions
when temptations assail us; so unless opportune relief is granted we
are soon overcome. Without the Spirit's help we can neither mortify
our lusts (Rom. 8:13), pray aright (Rom. 8:26), nor bear fruit (Eph.
5:9). Yet there must be our concurrence: we may, we can, concur or we
should not appear different from the unregenerate. God works all works
for and in us, yet also by us.
"That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be
strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ
may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded
in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the
breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of
Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the
fullness of God." What a prayer is this! As it was an apostle, one who
in some respects was the most highly favored of the apostles, who made
those petitions, so it requires one with deep spiritual experience to
open to us the sublime contents of the petitions. Far more than
strength of intellect or even exegetical skill is required in opening
up such a portion of the Scriptures as this. Spirituality of mind,
elevation of heart, and close communion with God are also required. In
proportion as an expositor realizes that, he will be conscious of his
own unfitness for such a task.
"That he would grant you . . . to be strengthened with might by his
Spirit in the inner man." That is our first great need, and it is good
for us to be truly aware of it. As none but the Spirit of God could
impart spiritual life to our souls, so He alone can maintain that
life. It is true that, for the most part, the Spirit works by our
concurrence, blessing the means of grace to us as we make proper use
of them. It is also true that the Spirit first works in us the desire
and the diligence in using those means, and only by His gracious
operations in subduing our native pride are we preserved from being
complacent with our diligence. We are entirely dependent upon Him to
strengthen that gracious principle which He communicated to us at the
new birth, for the exercise and employment of it. If it is true,
naturally, that "in him we live, and move, and have our being," it is
nonetheless so spiritually even as Christians.
The "Inner Man"
Expositors differ as to exactly what we are to understand by "the
inner man": whether the reference is only to the new nature, or
principle, of grace and holiness, or whether it includes the soul with
all its faculties. We define it as the soul so far as it is renewed by
divine grace. The body, considered separately, is not the subject of
moral good or evil: the soul is the seat of all moral qualities. It is
true that in many passages indwelling sin or the principle of evil in
fallen man is denominated "the flesh," yet it must be borne in mind
that the Scripture speaks of the mind of the flesh (Rom. 8:7), and
among its "works" or products mentions hatred, variance, envyings
(Gal. 5:19-21), which are more than physical passions. When the
apostle said, "I delight in the law of God after the inward man" he
undoubtedly referred to the new nature within him. And when he added,
"But I see [perceive] another law [or principle of operation] in my
members [the faculties of his soul], warring against the law of my
mind" (Rom. 7:22-23), he had in mind his native depravity.
Thus the "inner man" signifies the soul so far as it is renewed, for
the principle of evil remains unchanged. That renewing consists of a
supernatural enlightenment of the understanding, so that things are
now viewed in God's light; the spiritualizing of the affections, so
that they are now drawn out to new objects, and the heart is engaged
with God; the freeing of the will from the dominion of sin, and the
inclining of it to holiness. In addition to that renewing and
sublimating of the original faculties of the soul, there is
communicated a new "spirit," or principle of grace--a new life. Let us
recognize that what takes place at regeneration is but the beginning
of God's good work in the soul, and that the same work is "performed"
or continued throughout the Christian life (Phil. 1:6). We "are
renewed" (Col. 3:10), but there is also "the renewing of the Holy
Spirit" (Titus 3:5), for "though our outward man perish, yet the
inward man is renewed day by day" (2 Cor. 4:16). The divine promise is
"I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night
and day" (Isa. 27:3).
The Necessity of Being Constantly Renewed
Continual renewing is necessitated by the incessant opposition made by
the indwelling flesh ever seeking to possess and direct the faculties
of our soul, because the new nature received at the new birth is but a
creature--entirely dependent upon its Author. It is therefore both the
duty and the privilege of the believer to turn to that Author for
daily quickening and energizing, begging Him to strengthen him with
might by His Spirit in the inner man, pleading His promise: "They that
wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength" (Isa. 40:31), until he
is enabled to say "But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the
LORD"(Micah 3:8). This renewing is the vitalizing of the soul as the
dwelling place and organ of the Holy Spirit: the soul in its entirety,
including all its faculties--intellectual, emotional, moral. It is
also the invigorating of the graces of the new man: holy faith,
reverential fear, love, gratitude, hatred of sin, hope, and patience.
"In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst
[rahab] with strength [might, oz] in my soul" (Ps. 138:3). That verse
is the Old Testament parallel of the petition of Ephesians 3:16, and
as the "strengthened [Greek krataioo] with might [dunamis]" exactly
corresponds with the two Hebrew words, so "the inner man" is defined
as "my soul." David was in sore straits--walking "in the midst of
trouble," encountering the wrath of his enemies (Ps. 138:7). Conscious
of his own insufficiency, he cried to the Lord, "Revive me; stretch
forth thine hand." God at once responded and afforded him relief by
strengthening the faculties of his soul and animating the grace of his
spirit. The effect of that strengthening would be courage, fortitude,
spiritual heroism. The Spirit can make the feeble mighty, the
trembling brave, and the weary cheerful. "He giveth power to the
faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength" (Isa.
40:29).
But we must now consider more closely the relation of this first
petition to what immediately follows. The apostle yearned for an
increased measure of grace to be granted the saints and for their
spiritual abilities to be enlarged--not with a view to the performance
of the outward acts of obedience and duty, but that the believing soul
might be empowered to enjoy its spiritual portion and privileges. He
longed that Christians might be more in the habit of living by faith
in Christ, so that He might be in them not by transient visits but
abiding constantly in their thoughts and affections, and that thereby
they would be established in joy and abounding fruitfulness. He longed
that they might not only have love but be "rooted and grounded" in it,
so that their communion with Christ might be a steady experience
rather than an occasional luxury. But such is our native weakness in
contemplating heavenly objects that without continued grace preparing
us, they would be altogether beyond our reach. We need the wind of
heaven to blow our barks forward.
Dependence on the Holy Spirit
"That ye may be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner
man" is a request for the communication of energizing enablement that
we may be fully absorbed with Christ. As the Christian owes his new
life, or nature, to the Spirit, so by His power alone can it be
vigorous and flourishing. Only by His strengthening of the heart are
we delivered from being engrossed in the things around us, and our
earthbound affections are drawn to things above. He it is who creates
the desire for Christ, who shows us the things of Christ, who causes
us to make Him the grand subject of our spiritual meditations. Only by
the supernatural quickening of the Spirit can we be girded for that
extraordinary effort of mind if we are to be "able to comprehend . . .
and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge." And beyond
any doubt, only by the operations and influences of the gracious
Spirit may we be "filled with all the fullness of God." We are to
daily seek from Him that quickening, enablement, and girding.
Gleanings from Paul Index
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings from Paul
by A. W. Pink
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17. Prayer for Christ-Centeredness
Ephesians 3:17
"That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith" is the second
petition. We readily grant that we are considering a realm that is
beyond the compass of any created mind, yet that does not warrant our
denying God's Word. We freely admit that the God-man Mediator does not
indwell the saints, for His humanity is localized in heaven. But
Christ is, essentially, a divine person, coequal with the Father and
the Spirit, and in becoming flesh the Word lost none of His divine
attributes. Omnipresence pertains as much to Him now as it did before
He became incarnate, and as a divine person He indwells His people as
really as do the other Persons of the Godhead. God the Father dwells
in His children: if 1 John 4:12-15 is read attentively, it will be
seen that in that passage "God" clearly has reference to the Father.
The Holy Spirit dwells in the saint individually and in the Church
corporeally (Rom. 8:8, 11; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19); and God the Son
dwells in believers. "God is in you of a truth" (1 Cor. 14:25) is to
be understood as the triune God.
Yet it is not only in the sense that He is omnipresent that Christ
indwells His people. "Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD"
(Jer. 23:24) refers alike to the omnipresence of each Person in the
Godhead. But when we are told that the infinite God dwells "in the
heavens" (Ps. 123:1), "among the children of Israel" (Num. 35:34), "in
Zion" (Ps. 9:11), "with him also that is of a contrite and humble
spirit" (Isa. 57:15), a particular appropriation is signified, where
He is specially manifested.
Let us consider more closely the meaning of our petition. That Christ
personally and immediately inhabits His people is a blessed fact, and
therefore there is no need to make request for the same. But over and
above that, the apostle here prayed "that Christ may dwell in your
hearts by faith," by which we understand him to mean that by spiritual
meditations upon and loving contemplation of His complex person, His
glorious titles, His mediatorial offices, His precious promises, His
wise precepts, He may have a constant place, the supreme place, in our
thoughts and in our affections. The apostle prayed that the saints
might have a spiritual sight of Christ, a spiritual knowledge of Him,
a spiritual enjoyment of Him, so that He would be present and precious
to the soul; and that can only be by the exercise of faith in Him as
He is revealed in the Scriptures. The apostle prayed for their hearts
to be occupied with the excellency of His person, with His love and
grace, with His blood and righteousness.
Our text refers to an objective dwelling of Christ in the heart--as
the subjects which engage our thoughts obtain a dwelling place in our
minds, and as the objects of our love secure a place in our
affections. As the eye beholds an object, an image of it is introduced
and impressed upon the mind; and as the eye of the spirit--faith--is
engaged with Christ, an image of Him is formed on the heart. The sun
is stationed in the heavens, yet when we gaze upon it steadily an
image of it is formed upon the retina of the eye. As by opening the
door or the window the sun shines directly into our rooms, so by the
exercise of faith upon Christ, He obtains a more real and abiding
presence in our hearts. Christ is the grand Object of faith, and faith
is the faculty whereby we, through the light of the Word and the power
of the Spirit, receive and take into our renewed minds the knowledge
of His person and perfections. Thereby He is admitted into our hearts
and we have real communion with Him.
As the fancy--that faculty of the mind by which it records and
represents past images or impressions, forming a picture of them in
the mind--is an aid to our natural knowledge in the understanding of
natural things, so does faith much more help our spiritual knowledge
of divine things--giving real substance to them in the soul. The
beholding of Christ is not by way of fancy, but by faith giving a
subsistence to Him, so that the heart finds a reality of what it
believes. Yes, it has so great an influence and leaves such an
impression that it changes the heart into the same image (2 Cor.
3:18). Faith, by the Spirit, makes Christ a living actuality. Moreover
faith produces love, and then works by it, so that the object of faith
is sealed upon the heart. As Christ was received by faith at first, so
by the same principle of faith we continue to receive of His fullness,
feed upon Him, and commune with Him. And as the mind is exercised with
believing meditations on Christ we give Him entertainment in our
hearts.
"That he would grant you . . . to be strengthened with might by his
Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by
faith." Cannot the reader now perceive more clearly the relation
between those two petitions? There is no exercise of faith in Christ
apart from and except by the operations of the gracious Spirit within
the believer's soul. Said the Lord Jesus, "No man can come to me,
except the Father which hath sent me draw him" (John 6:44). To "come"
to Christ is the same as to "believe" on Him as verse 35 of the same
chapter shows, and none can come or believe unless his heart is drawn
to Christ by the Father, and that "drawing" He does both personally
and by the operations of His Spirit. True, John 6:44 has reference to
our initial coming to or believing on Christ, yet we are equally
dependent upon the Spirit for every subsequent exercise of faith. Thus
we read of "faith of the operation of God" (Col. 2:12), and of Paul
praying that God would "fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness,
and the work of faith with power"--i.e., His power (2 Thess. 1:11).
Thus the principal effect of our being strengthened by the Spirit is
that our hearts are drawn out to Christ and our faith is exercised
upon Him.
As the Spirit is from Christ (John 15:26; Acts 2:33), so the great
mission of the Spirit is to direct souls to Christ (John 16:14-15). If
He first convicts of sin, it is simply to convince us of our need of a
Savior. If He communicates to us a new nature, it is so that new
nature may be absorbed with Christ. If He strengthens us, it is in
order that faith may act upon Christ. The Holy Spirit never acts
except in and through Christ with respect to His people; furthermore,
Christ is never received except by and with the influences of the
Spirit. A man cannot truly believe in Christ except by the power of
the Holy Spirit, nor can he have the Spirit if he does not truly
believe in Christ. There is mutual action in the two divine offices.
The Spirit is the Water of life from the Fountain of life, Christ. The
Spirit waters the soul to fit it to believe on Christ.
The majority of Christians do not realize that they are as wholly
dependent upon the gracious operations of the Spirit within them as
they are upon the meritorious righteousness of Christ without them.
Therefore they need to seek God and count on the enablings of the
former as definitely and as constantly as they trust in and rely on
the finished work of the latter. As they are completely devoid of
anything to commend themselves to the notice of the Lord, so they are
equally without any power of their own to serve and glorify Him now
that He has deigned to look on and recover them from their lost
estate. Because of their helplessness He has bestowed the Holy Spirit
on them: to maintain life in their souls and to draw forth that life
to suitable exercise and action. It is our privilege and duty to
recognize our dependency on the Spirit in order to avoid those things
which grieve Him, and to seek His daily renewings. "I know that this
shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the
Spirit of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:19). A fresh supply of the Spirit
comes to us in response to prayer!
Daily Spiritual Renewing
Until the Christian has learned his dependence upon the Spirit's
workings within him, until he personally realizes his urgent need of a
fresh "supply of the Spirit," being daily renewed by Him, he will not
and cannot make any true spiritual progress. Faith upon Christ will
not be operative, love for Him will not be warm and regular, communion
with Him will not be enjoyed. That is why this request for the saints
to be strengthened with might by the Spirit in the inner man precedes
the other petitions. Christ has an objective and influential dwelling
in our hearts only as faith is kept in exercise upon Him and as our
affections are set upon Him. As Christ was received by faith at first,
so it is by the same faith we delight ourselves in Him, feed upon Him,
have fellowship with Him, and draw from His fullness. But our faith is
exercised only in proportion as we are first strengthened within by
the Spirit. Faith is indeed an act of ours, yet it does not act by or
from anything of ours, but only as it is stirred into action by the
Spirit.
"That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith." When one dwells in
the heart of another, that one is the object of the intense affection
of the other. For Christ to dwell in the heart is for Him to have the
chief place in our thoughts and affections. Alas, how many other
objects plead our notice, claim our attention, and absorb us. How
spasmodically is faith occupied with its grand Object! This shows our
urgent need for praying that we may be strengthened with might by the
Spirit in the inner man, for the believer cannot put forth a single
act of spiritual life except by His agency. The Christian is as wholly
dependent upon the Spirit's operations within him as he is upon
Christ's work without him. He has no more power of his own separate
from the Spirit than he has righteousness of his own apart from
Christ. As he looks outside of himself for the latter, so he must for
the former. The Spirit alone gives us strength to act grace, grow in
grace, and bring forth the fruits of grace. "Thou also hast wrought
all our works in us" (Isa. 26:12).
The Spirit Renews the Soul
As the Spirit graciously renews the soul of the saint, his heart is
drawn out afresh to Christ and he exercises faith upon Him; and as his
thoughts are occupied with Him, Christ obtains an objective entrance
into his heart. He is received by us as our Lord and Savior, welcomed
as the Sovereign of all our affections and actions, the Source of all
our holiness and joy. If we have been sorely wounded by sin, we
welcome Him as our Physician to heal, for if faith is exercised,
instead of listening to Satan's lies, we shall turn to Him who has the
balm of Gilead. On the other hand, when the smile of God is enjoyed
and His peace possesses our souls, if faith is exercised, instead of
looking within and being occupied with our graces and comforts, we
shall look to Him who is the Author and Finisher of faith, seeking a
closer communion with and delighting ourselves in Him (Ps. 37:4). Thus
He will "dwell" in us as a Guest to be entertained by us. "A single
eye is needed to discern Him, and a single heart to hold Him fast."
As faith is engaged with Christ He receives not only an objective but
also an influential entrance into our hearts--as the admitting of the
sun's rays into a room brings light, warmth, and comfort. The more
Christ becomes the supreme and constant Object of our hearts, the more
we shall experience His gracious influences and sanctifying
consolations. And they, in turn, will issue in more devotedness to His
service; for as Matthew Henry pointed out, "Faith both admits and
submits to Him." Christ is in us as the vine is in its branches--the
vitalizing and fructifying life or energy. "Abide in me, and I in you"
(John 15:4). The "abiding" there is identical with the "dwelling" here
in Ephesians 3:17. To abide in Christ is to cleave to and commune with
Him in the exercise of faith, the consequence of which is His
influential abiding in us--vivifying, assuring. As Christ indwells us
we become more conformed to His image and we are transformed by the
renewing of our minds. As Christ indwells us we show forth His virtues
(1 Pet. 2:9).
As faith is engaged with Christ, as we cultivate frequent and devout
meditations on His surpassing glories, the benefit gained by the soul
will be immeasurable. The more the mind is thus preoccupied and filled
with Him, the stronger will be its resistance to the insidious
advances and entangling encroachments of the world. Carnal enjoyments
will lose their attractions. A spiritual sight of Immanuel will abase
self; sorrows will weigh down less; afflictions will press upon us
less hard. The more our spiritual minds are exercised on the eternal
Lover of our souls, the more fervent and constant will be our love to
Him, which brings us to examine the next clause of this wonderful
prayer. The words "that ye" in the middle of verse 17 in our English
Bibles are, in the judgment of many competent expositors, out of their
proper place, and should rather be attached to the petition which
follows--i.e., they should begin verse 18. We quite agree, for that is
certainly the order of the Greek: "for to dwell the Christ, through
faith in your hearts, in love being rooted and founded; that ye may be
fully able to apprehend with all saints what [is] the breadth . . ."
(Bagster's Interlinear N.T.).
"That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith: being rooted and
grounded in love." One of the principal effects of faith is to
establish our souls in love: Christ's love to us, or ours to Him?
Both, though here principally the latter. Our consciousness of
Christ's love for His people produces an answering love in our hearts
for Him. There should be no difficulty raised by our defining this
clause as the Christian's love. The more I recognize and feed upon
Christ's love to me, the more there will be a response to His love.
"Rooted" and "grounded": each of those words has its own peculiar
force and beauty. A double metaphor is there used: that of a tree and
that of a building. The idea of the former is of its striking deeper
and spreading wider into the soil; the idea of the latter is of the
firm and solid basis on which the building rests. Just so far as faith
daily acts upon Christ and He occupies the central place in my
affections, will love for Him be the soil in which my Christian life
is rooted and grounded.
Love to Christ
"The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son
of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20). Here we
have three things: the present life of the Christian in the body, the
life sustained and energized by acting faith upon the divine Redeemer,
the heart engrossed with His love as expressed in His great sacrifice.
Love to Christ is the motive of all genuine obedience and the ground
of all spiritual fruitfulness. When he is rooted in love, the progress
of the believer's life will not be the result of self-effort but the
spontaneous effect of an inherent power drawn from its nourishing
soil. That is blessedness indeed: that is a real foretaste of
heaven--love the spring of worship. When Christ dwells in the heart,
love will be the foundation on which the Christian life is erected,
steadfast and sure. The blessed consciousness of His love and the
joyful answer of our hearts to it--this becomes the base on which the
soul rests, this produces stability, security, serenity. Consciously
founded upon Him, I shall be strong and "unmoveable" (1 Cor. 15:58).
"Being rooted and grounded in love." Since that expression is in
nowise qualified, it should be taken in its widest latitude, and
understood as including the whole scope of that love which flows from
faith, of which not only God in Christ but His people also are the
objects. Faith and love enlarge the heart until it embraces the whole
family of God: "Everyone that loveth him that begat loveth him also
that is begotten of him" (1 John 5:1). As Christ dwells in our hearts
by faith, our affections are widened as well as deepened, so that we
become sharers of His affections, which embrace the entire Church,
yes, all mankind; and thereby we obtain sure evidence that we have
"passed from death unto life" (1 John 3:14).
"That ye . . . may be able [Greek "fully able" or "have full power"]
to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and
depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth
knowledge" (Eph. 3:17-19). We have sought to show the relation which
the last clause of Ephesians 3:17 has to the petition preceding it.
Let us now consider the bearing which those words "rooted and grounded
in love" have upon this third petition. First, Christ Himself must be
laid hold of by faith, for a doubting spirit is incapable of
comprehending anything but the fact of its own wretchedness. As
another has pointed out, "A purged conscience is the first lesson that
the Spirit of grace imparts to our souls as the Revealer of Jesus.
Then, and not earlier, are we enabled [by the power of the same
Spirit] to enter, with all saints, on the study of that which is the
children's portion," or, as we would prefer to express it, "enter upon
the joyful contemplation of the children's portion," namely, the
infinite and amazing love of Christ. By Christ's indwelling the heart,
its capacity to comprehend is enlarged and expanded.
But since the second petition was "that Christ may dwell in your
hearts by faith," which signifies His being steadfastly enshrined in
our affections, it may seem that this third request is almost a
repetition of the former. It would be if the "rooted and grounded in
love" meant our apprehension of His love to us, and this is the chief
reason why we feel obliged to understand it of ours to Him. If the
tree is not well rooted or the building securely based, the higher it
rises, the greater will be its danger of falling. What, then, is the
preventative and preservative? This: a knowledge of the character of
Christ and His love. A man would be greatly pleased with a stranger
who, at fearful cost to himself, saved his life. Perhaps he would be
happy to take him permanently into his home. But as he came to know
him better, he might regret his action and find it impossible for them
to dwell happily together. He would esteem him as a deliverer, but
dislike him as a close companion. But in the case of the believer, the
more he knows of Christ and His love, the more he longs for Him to
constantly abide in his heart: thus he is rooted and grounded in love
to Him.
We Must Exercise Love to Christ
If on the one hand it is true that we must have an experimental
knowledge of Christ and His love to us, it is equally true that we
must exercise love to Christ in order to better know Him and His love.
There is a knowledge of Christ and His love which evokes no answering
love in the heart of its possessor. There are many in Christendom
today who have as clear an intellectual understanding of the person,
work, and love of Christ for sinners as has the saint who enjoys the
most intimate fellowship with Him; yet it does not kindle a single
spark of love within them for Him. Nor can anyone feelingly realize
the difference between an intellectual knowledge of Christ and His
love and a personal acquaintance with the same unless he has actually
experienced it. Experience is the only teacher of feelings and
emotions, as it is in the lower sphere of taste and sense. A man knows
nothing of the real pangs of hunger until he is at the point of
starving. One must actually sample wormwood or honey before he can
know from taste the bitterness or the sweetness of each. One cannot
know sorrow except by feeling its ache, and one must love before he
can know what love is.
A deaf man can read a treatise on acoustics, but that will convey to
him no notion of what it is to hear the harmonies and melodies of real
music. We must have love to Christ before we can know what love to
Christ is, and we must consciously experience the love of Christ
before we can know what the love of Christ is. We must have a warm and
steady love for Christ in order to have a deep and living possession
of the love of Christ, though reciprocally it is also true that we
must have the love of Christ known and felt in our hearts if we are to
love Him back again.
As our being "rooted and grounded in love" is the consequence of
Christ's dwelling in our hearts by faith, so also is it the necessary
preparation for our being able to "comprehend" and to "know" the
surpassing love of Christ. Do we not see that blessedly illustrated
and exemplified in the case of the one who has appropriately been
designated "the apostle of love," the one who was chief of the three
nearest to the Lord, who was privileged to lean on His breast? Of all
the disciples none was so loving as he, and therefore he--rather than
James or Peter or Jude--was the one selected (because so well
qualified experimentally) to write so largely upon the love of God and
of Jesus our Lord. Yes, the more intensely and steadily we love
Christ, the more capacitated we are to comprehend His love to us. Even
in the natural, only the loving heart really knows and appreciates
love. As faith is the medium of understanding, so love is the avenue
for receiving love. We may speak of God's love and think we have deep
insight into the teaching of the Word, but if Christ's name is not
dearer to us than life, all our speaking will mean little or nothing.
Meaning of "to Comprehend"
"That ye may be able to comprehend." The Greek word katalambano is
rendered "comprehend" in John 1:5 and here; "apprehend" in Philippians
3:12-13; "take" (in the sense of "grasp") in Mark 9:18; John 8:3-4;
"attain" in Romans 9:30; "obtain" in 1 Corinthians 9:24; and
"overtake" ("come upon") in 1 Thessalonians 5:4. Young's concordance
defines the word as "to receive fully." Perhaps John 1:5 helps us most
to perceive its force: "the light shineth in darkness; and the
darkness comprehended it not." The reference there is to the Lord of
glory as He tabernacled among men. The unregenerate are designated
"the darkness" (cf. Ephesians 5:8), which tells of the fearful effects
of the Fall. The natural man is "alienated from the life of God" (Eph.
4:18), and therefore from His love and light. So far from desiring the
Light, the darkness repelled and repulsed it. Men despised and
rejected the Light, hating Him without a cause. Here in our text is
the direct antithesis. Since the regenerate both believe in and love
the One who is the Light, they are "able to comprehend" His love.
Also carefully note that this "comprehend" is distinguished from the
"know" at the beginning of verse 19, and that it precedes rather than
follows it--as we had probably thought. The difference between the two
is that the former is more a matter of effort, the latter of
intuition; the one pertains more distinctly to the mind, the other to
the heart. Yet the former is something far more than a mere
intellectual or speculative thing, namely, that which is obtained by
the renewed understanding. Nor is the one to be so sharply
distinguished from the other as though there was no definite relation
between them. The "and" at the beginning of verse 19 clearly shows the
contrary. No, rather is there a most intimate connection between the
two: in all spiritual exercises the mind is largely influenced by the
heart, and in turn, the affections are regulated by the understanding.
The action of the spiritual understanding is always in sympathy with
the affections of the heart. If in one sense we must comprehend before
we truly love, yet love thus awakened becomes in turn the fountain of
desires which nothing can satisfy but perfect knowledge--hence the
force of "I shall be satisfied, when I awake [on the resurrection
morn], with thy likeness" (Ps. 17:15).
Light and love, understanding and affection, are mutual handmaids. The
mind has its part to play in leading the heart to love, as is
indicated in the passage before us--the "able to comprehend" coming
before the "to know"! The heart must first be informed about its
Object before our affections are fixed on Him. First, faith's
apprehension of Christ as He is made known to us in the Word of truth,
then the clear perception of His excellency and the heart's
enrapturement with His perfections. First, the understanding's
comprehension of the dimensions (manifestations) of His love, then the
affection's experience of its blessedness. "O taste and see that the
LORD is good" (Ps. 34:8) expresses what we are striving to convey.
First the personal appropriation of the Lord and the soul feeding upon
Him, and then the fuller discernment of His loveliness. "Taste and see
[perceive, realize, know] that the LORD is good." It is thus we obtain
an experimental knowledge of Him. By means of this faculty of
spiritual comprehension the believer is enabled to explore the
dimensions of Christ's love (as also the whole boundless field of
divine revelation); but by means of his affections he obtains an
experimental realization and appreciation of the same.
Samuel E. Pierce said, "In this prayer of Paul's he prayed like an
apostle indeed, for he begged here for the greatest blessings which
believers can, in this life, enjoy, or God Himself can bestow upon
them. It may be said of this prayer that it is the greatest prayer
which is to be found in the New Testament, that of our Lord in the
seventeenth chapter of John only excepted." And Alexander Maclaren
pointed out, "In no part of Paul's letters does he rise to a higher
level than in his prayers, and none of his prayers are fuller of
fervor than this wonderful series of petitions. They open out one into
the other like some magnificent suite of apartments in a great
palace-temple, each leading into a loftier and more spacious hall,
each drawing nearer the presence chamber, until at last we stand
there."
A Most Sublime Prayer
We are entirely in accord with the above opinions. Oh, that we had the
capacity to humanly and relatively at least do this prayer justice as
we attempt to "open" its sublime contents. That the apostle was here
making requests for no ordinary blessings is at once apparent by its
opening sentence, for he asked the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ to
grant His people according to the riches not only of His grace but of
His glory. That is, he besought the Father to bestow in accord with
that rule or standard of measurement, asking for the most valuable and
glorious things that the renewed mind can conceive. Four particular
favors he requested, and the order in which he preferred them is a
strictly logical and necessary one, which cannot be changed without
doing violence to it. That order is both doctrinal and practical,
experimental and climacteric. They are distinguished from each other
by the recurring "that ye," and the force of "that" ("in order that")
is causative and preparative.
There is a most intimate relation between the several petitions, each
of them rising above and being a consequence of the preceding, the
second being suggested by and leading out from the first, and the
second in turn being both the condition and occasion of the third, and
so with the subsequent one. They are like four steps of an ascent,
each of which has to be trodden before the next can be reached. At the
summit or top of the ascent is the petition that the saints might be
"filled with all the fullness of God," for there can be nothing above
or beyond that. There is the climax of all prayer, of all spiritual
experience, of all soul bliss. We boldly say that no uninspired mind
could ever conceive of such a favor or experience. Yet that very
experience is what writer and reader should earnestly covet, and that
very favor is what we are fully warranted in asking! But bear
carefully in mind that the prayer does not begin there: that is the
summit, and an ascent has to be made in order to reach it.
The first step, the initial favor sought, is to "be strengthened with
might by his Spirit in the inner man." That is not only an
indispensable requirement if we are to take the second step but
equally necessary as a preparation for the third and fourth. Only by
the energizing enablement of the blessed Spirit are we capacitated to
move forward and upward. The next step toward the summit, the second
favor sought, is "that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith." The
consequence of our being believingly occupied with His perfections is
our "being rooted and grounded in love"--i.e., our life of devotedness
and obedience to Christ thus growing out of and being based upon our
love for Him--the reflex of His love to us. The third step of
spiritual ascent and blessing sought is to "be able to comprehend . .
. and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge." Love
begets love. Love is reciprocal. First, faith centering upon the
person and work of Christ stimulates love to Him, and that in turn
fits the heart to enter more deeply into an understanding and
enjoyment of His love. This is how we personally understand the ground
covered to this point.
Gleanings from Paul Index
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings from Paul
by A. W. Pink
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18. Prayer for Comprehension of God's Love
Ephesians 3:18-21
"That Ye... may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the
breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of
Christ, which passeth knowledge" (Eph. 3:18-19) was Paul's third
petition. It is of prime importance for the nourishment, health, and
fruitfulness of the believer's spiritual life that he should be
constantly occupied with the love of Christ, which is a bottomless,
shoreless sea. Samuel Pierce designated Christ's love thus: "A subject
altogether wonderful, mysterious, and Divine, so great and so immense
that the more real saints think of it, the more the Holy Spirit is
pleased at any time to give them spiritual conceptions of it, the more
they are swallowed up in admiring and adoring thoughts of it, and
crying out, `O the depth!'"
There is nothing in nature which illustrates Christ's love, nothing in
human history or experience which exemplifies it. Only in the divine
relations can we find any analogy. There one is given us which, though
it fills the heart with joy and satisfaction, is nevertheless far
above the grasp of our finite minds. Said the Lover of our souls, "As
the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you" (John 15:9). Such a
love we can neither express nor conceive, yet it should be the one
subject on which our hearts are continuously set and from which we
daily drink.
Christ's Love for His Church
"As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you." As the Father
loved Christ from everlasting, so Christ loved them: with delight,
with special affection, with an unchanging, abiding, eternal love.
Christ has loved His Church with all His soul from everlasting. His
heart was fixed upon His Bride before all time. He loved her as the
gift of the Father's love to Him. He loved her as presented to Him by
the Father in all her beauty, glory, and excellence, in which she was
forever to shine forth as His Wife in the kingdom of glory. He loved
her as His mystical Body, in whom all His glory was to be displayed
and admired. He loved her as His "peculiar treasure," as His very own.
He was to be her life, her light, her holiness, her righteousness, her
perfection and glory; for she was to receive all from Him as her
eternal Head and Husband. The origin--the spring--of Christ's love to
His beloved is high and incomprehensible. His love originated in the
Father's everlasting love to Him as God-man and to believers as the
Spouse which He had chosen, loved, beautified, and bestowed on His
dear Son.
The love of Christ for His people and His feeling toward them
transcends all conception. His divine person stamps eternal perfection
on His love, as well as everlasting worth, virtue, and efficacy on all
His mediatorial acts. He who is the Son of the living God as
considered in His distinctive person in the Trinity, who is the
God-man in His theanthropic person, is the One in whom the Church was
loved, chosen, and accepted before the foundation of the world. His
people were divinely appointed to partake with Him in all His
communicable grace and glory, to share in all His honors, titles, and
dignities, so far as they are shareable. Nothing would satisfy the
heart of Christ but that His redeemed should live with Him in heaven,
to behold Him in His glory, and to be perfected in happiness by seeing
Him as He is. The wonders contained in Christ's love can never be
fully explored. All that is contained in His love will never be
comprehended by the saints this side of glory. That which has been
manifested of it in His incarnation and in His obedience and suffering
is altogether beyond what saints can ever sufficiently appreciate and
bless Him for. It is cause for deepest gratitude that we have been
brought to know it, to believe it, and to enjoy it.
But since the love of Christ is so transcendent and mysterious, so
infinite and incomprehensible, how can it be comprehended and known by
us? Completely and perfectly it cannot, yet truly and satisfyingly it
may be. Christ's love to us is discovered in the Word of truth, and as
the Holy Spirit enlightens our understanding we are capacitated to
apprehend something of its wonders and blessedness. As the Holy Spirit
strengthens us within and calls our faith into exercise, we are
enabled to take in some spiritual views of Christ's love. Faith is to
the soul what the eye is to the body--the organ or faculty by which
light is admitted and by which objects are seen and known. "Through
faith we understand" (Heb. 11:3) that which is beyond the
comprehension of mere reason. Though we cannot fathom the love of
Christ, we may drink deeply of it. We can know how wonderful, how
free, how transcendent, how selfless, how longsuffering, how constant,
how infinite is His love. And this knowledge will have a sanctifying
influence on our lives. Though we shall never be able to exhaust its
unsearchable fullness, it is our privilege to know very much more of
this love and have a fuller enjoyment of it than any of us have yet
obtained.
The chief spiritual employment of the Christian should be to live in
consideration and admiration of the wonderful love of Christ, to dwell
on it in his thoughts until his heart is warmed, until his soul
overflows with praise, until his whole life is constrained or
influenced. He should meditate daily on its characteristics: its
freeness, its pureness, its unstintedness, its immutability. Christ
loves us more than we love ourselves. He loved us even while we hated
Him, and nothing can change His love for us. We should ponder the
manifestations of His love: first, in His acceptance of the Father's
proposals in the everlasting covenant, whereby He freely consented to
become the Sponsor of His fallen people and serve as their Surety; and
then in His actual carrying out of that engagement. View Him leaving
the holy tranquillity and ineffable bliss of heaven, where He was so
worshiped and adored by all the celestial hosts, and coming down to
this scene of sin, strife, and suffering! What love that was!
Consider Jehovah's condescending to take upon Him a nature that was
inferior to the angelic, so that when the Word became flesh His divine
glory was almost completely eclipsed. Contemplate the unspeakable
humiliation into which the Son of God descended, a humiliation which
can only be gauged as we measure the distance between the throne of
heaven and the manger of Bethlehem. Bear in mind that even as the
incarnate One He made Himself of no reputation, that instead of
appearing in pomp and splendor, He "took upon him the form of a
servant." That He came not to be ministered to but to minister, not
deeming the most ignominious acts as beneath Him. Remember that He
knew from the beginning the kind of treatment He would receive from
those He befriended. He knew that instead of being welcomed,
appreciated, loved, and worshiped, He would be despised and rejected
of men. He knew that though He went about doing good, healing the
sick, relieving the needy, preaching the gospel to the poor, He would
be opposed and persecuted by the religious leaders, hated without a
cause, and misunderstood and ultimately deserted even by His own
disciples. What love that was--love indeed which passes knowledge,
love which should ceaselessly occupy our hearts and shape our lives.
The Unparalleled Sufferings of Christ for Us
Reverently contemplate the unparalleled and immeasurable sufferings
which the eternal Lover of your soul endured. Remove the shoes of
carnal curiosity from your feet and enter the dark shades of
Gethsemane, and behold your Savior in agony of soul so intense that He
shed great drops of blood. Then observe Him led as a lamb to the
slaughter and treated as the vilest of criminals. Ponder afresh the
horrible insults which were heaped upon the Holy One as wicked hands
smote Him, spit in His face, plucked out His hair, and scourged Him.
Behold the blasphemy of that mock coronation when they put a purple
robe upon Him, placed a reed in His hand and a crown of thorns on His
head, and cried, "Hail, King of the Jews." View Him suspended upon the
cross between two malefactors; mocked with vinegar and gall when He
said, "I thirst"; derided by the spectators. But more: contemplate Him
there made sin for His people, made a curse for them, and accordingly
smitten by the sword of divine justice, so that He exclaimed, "My God,
my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" In view of this must we not say,
"Christ... hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering
and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savor" (Eph. 5:2).
But the love of Christ for His people did not cease at His death, nor
did the manifestations and evidences of it. His love was as fresh, as
intense, and as active when He ascended on high as it was when He was
here below. He ascended with the interests of His people before Him,
entering heaven in their name: "whither the forerunner is for us
entered" (Heb. 6:20). Having purged our sins with His own precious
blood, Christ sat down upon the mediatorial throne and, having been
given a name which is above every name, was crowned with glory and
honor as the Head of the Church, as the triumphant Conqueror over
Satan and the grave. There, in His exalted state, He now shines forth
within the veil before the saints, His heart filled as ever with the
same love toward His people. As Aaron wore a breastplate on which were
inscribed all the tribes of Israel, so our great High Priest bears all
the names of His people on His heart as He appears before God on their
behalf. The exercise of His love to them is seen in that "he ever
liveth to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25). So tender is His
heart for His own that, even in the glory, He is still "touched with
the feeling of our infirmities" (Heb. 4:15).
Manifestations of the infinite and unchanging love of Christ are made
to His people while they are left in this wilderness of sin: by His
supplying their every need, by His making all things work together for
their good, by His personal communings with them. The gift of the Holy
Spirit was an outstanding evidence of His love to them (John 16:7;
Acts 2:33). Nor was that all. "He gave some, apostles; and some,
prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for
the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the
edifying of the body of Christ" (Eph. 4:11-12). Are you favored to sit
under the ministry of a faithful pastor who breaks to you the Bread of
life, feeds you with knowledge and understanding, and stimulates you
to run with patience the race that is set before you? Then you should
look upon that pastor as the love gift of your ascended Savior. Do you
find a book written by a servant of God, or even a monthly magazine,
edifying to your soul, made a blessing to your heart, supplying
motives for a godly walk and affording comfort and encouragement amid
the difficulties of the way? Then you should look upon the same as a
gracious provision made for you by the love of Christ.
The Dimensions of Christ's Love
Note that the apostle did not pray that the saints might comprehend
absolutely the love of Christ itself but rather the dimensions of it.
First, "what is the breadth." This writer has long been impressed with
the fact that the breadth comes first, for is it not there our
thoughts are most faulty? Are not many of us so wrapped up in the
consideration of Christ's wondrous love to us, that we fail to
appreciate its wider scope and blessed extent? Is it not to correct
this selfish tendency that the Holy Spirit mentions the breadth of
Christ's love first? And is it not also to counteract that sectarian
spirit which cramps the affections of so many of God's people? It is
also opposed to the error of those who would restrict the riches of
Christ's love to New Testament believers. No doubt the placing of this
phrase was immediately intended for the instruction of the Jewish
saints, who were so slow to realize the love of Christ reached also to
sinners among the Gentiles. Christ's love extends to all the elect, in
every age, in every place, in every state and case. It is a love which
embraces the whole family of God, from the least to the greatest.
"And length." Is not the order of these measures quite different from
the manner in which an uninspired writer would have arranged them? Is
it not different from the natural and logical order? Would we not have
gone from "breadth" to "depth"? But the Holy Spirit places first what
we are apt to put last. If we are slow to grasp (in an experimental
way) the compass of Christ's love, many are most tardy in apprehending
(in a doctrinal way) the eternity of it. How many suppose that Christ
began to love them only when they set their own affection upon Him;
but "we love him, because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19); and as His
love knows no end, so it has no beginning, being from everlasting to
everlasting. The Lord says to each of His people, "Yea, I have loved
thee with an everlasting love, therefore with lovingkindness have I
drawn thee" (Jer. 31:3). His drawing us to Himself is the effect of
His love. Nor can our infirmities or even our iniquities quench it.
"Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the
end" (John 13:1). Nothing can separate us from His love (Rom.
8:35-39).
"And depth." That can indeed be best comprehended by considering the
amazing love of Christ to me personally, for if I have been made the
subject of an inward work of grace, then I realize to some extent,
actually and experimentally, the horrible pit in which I lay and the
awful moral distance to which my sins had separated me from the Holy
One. I can better apprehend my own sad case than I can the plight of
others, and therefore I can better comprehend the amazing love of
Christ in stooping so low to lift me out of the miry clay than I can
in the cases of others. The depth of Christ's love is to be
contemplated in the light of the abject wretchedness into which the
fall plunged the Church, for its members "are by nature the children
of wrath, even as others" (Eph. 2:3). This love is to be contemplated
in the light of our individual history, when as unregenerate we
departed farther and farther from God. It is to be contemplated in the
light of the unparalleled depth of abasement and suffering into which
the Lord of glory descended to effect the deliverance and salvation of
His people.
"And height." If the breadth of Christ's love is boundless, its length
endless, its depth fathomless, then assuredly its height is
measureless. The "height" to which the love of Christ has elevated His
redeemed is to be viewed in the light of two things: their present
privileges and their future happiness, both of which are best set
forth in the language of Holy Writ itself. "He raiseth up the poor out
of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them
among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory" (1 Sam.
2:8). "Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a
place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give
them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off" (Isa. 56:5). "The
Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the
children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and
joint-heirs with Christ" (Rom. 8:16-17). "They shall see his face; and
his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night
there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord
God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever" (Rev.
22:4-5).
"That ye . . . may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the
breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of
Christ, which passeth knowledge." Is not the reader at once struck
with the difference between this request and those he is accustomed to
hearing in public prayers--very likely in his own prayers? Many of
God's people are wont to ask for an increase of their love to Christ.
We generally ask for more enjoyment of Christ's love for us. But even
that is not what Paul directly made supplication for. His request was
that we might have a fuller comprehension and a deeper knowledge of
Christ's love. We may be sure that he prayed aright; therefore it is
wise to follow his example. Man ever reverses God's order, and of
course he is the loser by doing so. Our poor love is increased by
faith's occupation with the infinite love of Christ and meditations
upon its characteristics and manifestations.
The Apostle's Request for the Saints
The apostle here made request that God's people might have a more
spiritual and enlarged view of the immeasurable love of Christ, that
their understanding might be swallowed up in it, that their renewed
minds might be more and more filled with the wonders of it, that they
should enter into a deeper experimental acquaintance with the same.
All the discoveries of the love of Christ which the Holy Spirit makes
unto us are in the Word and by the Word, and we are brought to
spiritual discernment of that love by the exercise of faith. Christ's
love is apprehended only as it is evidenced in its manifestations, and
we obtain a spiritual knowledge thereof only as we personally imbibe
it. Even the renewed understanding is not able of itself to grasp the
surpassing love of Christ, but the understanding led by the heart can
lay hold of it and find in it fuller satisfaction. Though necessarily
imperfect and incomplete, the Christian's knowledge of Christ's love
is real and ravishing, and it should be constantly deepening and
enlarging. It "passeth knowledge" not only because it is infinite and
therefore incomprehensible to the finite mind but also because our
personal experience and enjoyment of it can never exhaust it--we but
touch its edges and skim its surface.
We have intimated somewhat in the last paragraph what we regard as the
difference between "comprehending" and "knowing." Perhaps it was no
part of the Spirit's design that we should draw any broad line between
them, but so far as we can perceive, it seems to us that the
"comprehending" is via the understanding, the "knowing" via the heart;
the former being more the result of mental effort, the other of
intuition. Thus "knowing" in addition to "comprehending" is feeling a
sense of the love of Christ or having an experimental acquaintance
with it. Though it transcends the grasp of our intellect, yet it is a
subject of inward consciousness. Though it can be only faintly
recognized, it may be adoringly appreciated. As the Spirit graciously
takes of the things of Christ and shows them to us, as He opens to us
more and more the love of Christ by His own effectual teaching, and as
He opens our minds in a gradual and imperceptible way to understand,
to exercise our thoughts upon it, we enjoy the same in our hearts.
That knowledge being formed within becomes a spiritual part of us, so
that what we read in the Word concerning the love of Christ we know to
be truth, for we have the reality of it within our own souls.
Knowledge of the Love of Christ
"To know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge." We do not agree
with those who say that phrase is a paradox: rather it is a plain
statement of fact. We may, we can, we do, know the love of Christ in
the sense explained above. We believe it, we experience it, we enjoy
it as a blessed and glorious reality. Yet our knowledge is inadequate
and imperfect, for the infinite love of Christ can never be entirely
compassed, explored, or exhausted by us. As Pierce pointed out, "All
that is known of the love of Christ in and by all the saints on earth:
all that is known and enjoyed of the love of Christ by all the saints
in heaven, is far below what is contained in the person and love of
Christ, as considered in His own heart towards us. I have under this
view of the subject often said we shall never know anything of the
love wherewith Christ hath loved us, either in time or eternity, but
by its fruits and effects . . . The love of Christ surpasseth the
whole of His sufferings, as much as they surpass all our guilt and
sin. His love was the cause, and His sufferings the effect of it." As
the cause excels the effect, as the tree is greater than its fruit, so
the fountain of Christ's love exceeds all the streams which flow from
it to us.
The angels never can enter fully into the love of Christ for His
Church and people. Also, the finite-minded saints can never fully
understand the fullness of Christ's love. Nevertheless it is important
that the saint should make it his paramount concern to be more and
more absorbed with the love of Christ, exercising his mind thereon,
feeding his soul therefrom, delighting his heart therein, praying
earnestly that he may more fully understand the love of God. He should
attentively consider the revelation given of it in the Word of truth,
meditating on its ineffable characteristics, contemplating its
wondrous manifestations, and realizing that Christ's love to His own
is eternal, infinite, and unalterable--not only without cessation but
without the least diminution. Such a subject is worthy of the saint's
best attention and constant pursuit. It will amply repay his best
efforts and greatly enrich his spiritual life. Nothing will so much
excite gratitude in his heart as a contemplation of the love of Christ
to such an unlovely creature as he. Nothing will prompt so effectually
to a life of self-denial. Nothing will make so pleasant and easy a
walk of obedience to God. Nothing will so deaden the saint to the
world. Nothing else can so fill him with peace, yes, and with joy, in
a season of affliction or bereavement.
Saints to Be Filled with All the Fullness of God
"That ye might be filled with all the fullness of God" (Eph. 3:19).
This is the closing and climactic request. It is one which has met
with ridicule from skeptical and cold critics, for regarding its
language in a carnal manner, they suppose it teaches the absurdity of
the finite compassing the Infinite, or of man being deified. They
imagine the apostle's enthusiasm ran away with him, that in his
devotional ecstasy he forgot the limits that separate the creature
from the Creator. But of those who would, by grace, promptly reject
such horrible impieties, some are probably inclined to ask, How is it
possible for such creatures as we are, compassed with infirmity,
harassed and handicapped by indwelling sin, to expect such a favored
and exalted experience to ever be realized by us in this life? It
appears to us that such a doubting and doleful question ought to be
met with the retort, How was it possible that such a prayer should
ever have issued from inspired lips, unless the blessings requested
are attainable? Surely no real Christian is prepared to affirm that
the beloved apostle was wasting his breath in so supplicating God.
Instead of questioning this petition, we ought to be rebuked and
humbled for being surprised at Paul's asking that saints might be
"filled with all the fullness of God." Such a petition should shame us
for the paucity and pettiness of our requests, indicative as they are
of comparative contentedness with a sadly low level of
spirituality--failing to act according to our privileges, as those who
are "heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ." Instead of counting
upon the divine munificence, instead of availing ourselves of the
fullness which there is in Him, we limit the Holy One and think of Him
almost as though He were as poor as ourselves. Alas, how often our
expectations are measured by our meager attainments, instead of our
expectations being formed by the revealed character of the One who is
"the God of all grace." View this petition then as the spiritual
corrective to our faithless doubtings and groveling hopes. View it as
intimating what the Christian, every Christian, may legitimately
aspire to and what he ought daily to pray for. View it as a revelation
of the Father's heart, making known to His children the high privilege
and favored portion which it is His will for them to enjoy. Yet
remember that this is not the first but the final petition!
We have sought to show how that our being "rooted and grounded in
love" was both a consequence of Christ's dwelling in our hearts by
faith and also the necessary condition of our being able to comprehend
and know His surpassing love. It is equally true that having our
hearts and minds constantly occupied with the love of Christ is an
essential preparation for our becoming "filled with all the fullness
of God." For it is by the increasing apprehension and experience of
the former that we are fitted for and led on to the latter. The more
we revel in the wonderful love of God in Christ, the more our minds
are exercised upon the same, and the more largely we drink of that
divine nectar, the more are our capacities enlarged and the greater
and higher become our expectations for the reception of other
blessings. Then we too begin reasoning with the apostle: "He that
spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he
not with him also freely give us all things?" (Rom. 8:32). As we
become more and more occupied with the love of God in Christ, both our
desires and our expectations are raised, so that we look to God and
count on His giving us all things necessary for our holiness,
happiness, and satisfaction.
The Fullness of the Divine Character Displayed in Christ
Is there not a glorious fitness in God's imparting His fullness to us
through our knowledge of the love of Christ? In the first place, it is
in, by, and through Christ, and particularly in His dying love, that
the fullness of the divine character is displayed. Not a little is
seen of Him in His other works, but only in Christ are His perfections
fully revealed. "No man hath seen God [adequately and clearly; cf.
Matthew 5:8] at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom
of the Father, he hath declared him" (John 1:18). Some of God's
attributes were exhibited in creation and in God's providence, but in
the work of redemption--and in that alone--His full excellence
appears. Great as were some of the displays of His glory under former
dispensations--as at the Flood and His appearing at Sinai--they
contained only a partial manifestation of Him. "God, who at sundry
times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the
prophets"--whose communications were at most but occasional and
fragmentary--"hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son" (Heb.
1:1-2). Christ is the perfect, final, climactic revelation of God. He
said, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (John 14:9).
In the second place, through the dying love of Christ a way has been
opened for the communication of divine blessing for guilty creatures.
The fullness of God, especially His philanthropy and munificence, may
be likened to a mighty stream, and sin to an extensive and high
mountain, which stands in the way of God's fullness, and so prevents
our being filled by it. Had He so pleased, God could, by the simple
fiat of His invincible will, have removed that mountain. But then how
would His justice and holiness have been displayed? Nor could man by
his own efforts--not even the combined efforts of the entire human
race--obliterate that abominable thing which kept him at a guilty
distance from God and cut him off from His favor. God deemed it most
for His glory, best suited to His moral perfections, to ordain that
the mediatorial work of His incarnate Son should take away the sins of
His people and open a way through which His infinite blessings should
flow forth to them. Accordingly, by the sacrifice of Christ the
mountain of our sins was removed and cast into the depths of the sea.
Then the way was all clear for the fullness of God's heart to
believing sinners to flow forth to them without the least dishonor
attaching to His character as having connived at sin. Through Christ
the bounties of God come to His people.
In the third place, as we come to partially know the love of Christ,
we imbibe, drink of, become recipients of, the divine fullness. To be
filled with the fullness of God it is not only necessary that that
fullness be exhibited to us, and a way opened for its being
consistently (or morally) communicated to us, but also that the soul
be emptied of those impediments which obstruct its entrance. The
unrenewed mind is incapable of being filled with the fullness of God:
there is no room in it for the same, for it is already preoccupied
with other things. All its thoughts, desires, and affections are
centered upon the trash of this world. Even though it assumes a
religious pose, it is still so bloated with self-sufficiency and
self-righteousness that there is no place for a free salvation, for
divine grace. But where the love of Christ is personally and
experimentally known, as revealed in the gospel and realized in the
soul by the supernatural operations of the Holy Spirit, all other
things are counted loss, and the fullness of God finds ready access.
Occupation of the heart with Christ and His love both capacitates us
for and causes us to imbibe the divine fullness. So much then for the
connection of the fourth to the third petition.
"That ye might be filled with all the fullness of God." What a
petition is this! It is cumulative in its force. That ye might be
filled: filled with God; filled with the fullness of God; filled with
all the fullness of God. Who can comprehend all it contains? What
human pen is capable of opening its significance? We can only do our
poor best according to our limited measure and the light which God has
granted us. It should be obvious to any anointed eye that such
language cannot signify that the finite shall ever contain the
Infinite, or that we should cease to be human creatures and become as
God Himself. No, that can never be. But the Christian may be filled
with all the fullness of God according to his measure as a new
creature in Christ, and in such a proportion as he is capable of in
this life. Not that he is ever to be satisfied with any present
measure of attainment in divine things, but constantly seeking after
and reaching forth to an enlarged degree of the same. Only those who
"hunger and thirst" are assured of being "filled" (Matthew 5:6).
How to Understand the Fullness of God
The expression "the fullness of God" is capable of being grammatically
construed in two ways, according as we regard "God" as the genitive of
the subject (i.e., the "fullness" of which God Himself is full), or
the genitive of the object, namely, the fullness which flows from Him
or that plenitude which He communicates in His gifts to us. The
commentators differ as to which is to be preferred. Personally we take
both, declining to place any limitation on the expression, and shall
discuss it accordingly. It may also be pointed out that the Greek word
"filled with all the fullness of God" is rendered in the Revised
Version "filled unto all the fullness of God," which suggests the idea
of a continuous process, a progressive and enlarging experience, for
the ultimate aim of all genuine spiritual desire is to know God so
intimately as to be filled to satiety by Him. This too we include in
our understanding of the expression. Thus, a vessel may be filled up
to its very brim. But suppose the size of that vessel should be
enlarged, and continue to be enlarged, then its capacity to receive is
ever increasing! Such is indeed the case, and ever will be throughout
the unending ages of eternity, with the heart of the regenerate. The
more the soul finds its satisfaction in God Himself, the larger its
desires become and the more it takes in of Him.
How many of our difficulties are self-created! How the exercise of our
natural minds upon such a statement as "filled with all the fullness
of God" serves to prevent us from grasping anything of its true
import. We need to be much on our guard lest our mental approach to
those words filled and fullness is altogether too gross and carnal:
not that we are to evacuate them of all meaning, but rather that we
should endeavor to contemplate them spiritually and not materially. Do
we not cause ourselves unnecessary perplexity when we ask how the
finite can contain the Infinite? Are we to think of God, principally
and chiefly, as the eternal, infinite and immutable One? Surely not,
for those are His incommunicable attributes, which bear no relation to
us, and about which we know next to nothing. But there are other
attributes of His nature and being which come closer to us, for they
are communicated to His people. The final words concerning Him are
"God is light," "God is love" (1 John 1:5; 4:8), and surely we should
be most occupied with them, for they best enable us to comprehend Him.
Cannot the light which is in God pour itself into my darkness? Cannot
His love be shed abroad in my heart? Filled with all the fullness of
God as "light" and as "love"!
This prayer asks that by viewing God objectively, believers may,
through a contemplation of His manifold perfections, take into their
renewed minds a full-orbed concept of His excellency. It includes such
a contemplation of the Deity that can fill the mind with a satisfying
view of all three Persons--like the sun, shining through clear
windows, fills a room with light. The prayer requests that God will
abundantly communicate His grace and comforts to us, that we may be
filled with His light and love--like a vessel filled to overflowing.
It also requests that we shall be constrained to yield ourselves
wholly to God, that He may fill and possess our entire being--like a
king occupying the whole of the royal suite in his palace.
Paul's Longing for the Saints
"That ye might be filled with all the fullness of God." Regard the
expression relatively and comparatively. Paul longed that the saints
might not rest content with a contracted and inadequate concept and
apprehension of the divine character, but aspire after a
well-balanced, full, and symmetrical view and experience of God. Many
believers are satisfied with a most limited idea of the divine
perfections. Some almost restrict their thoughts to His majesty and
sovereignty, some to His power and holiness, some to His love and
grace; while others also take in His goodness, His faithfulness, His
immutability, His righteousness, His longsuffering. We should not
dwell on one or two of His glorious attributes only, to the exclusion
of others, but should pray for and strive after spiritual knowledge
and experimental acquaintance with each alike, that our minds and
hearts may be filled with all His excellences. We should pant after
such views of His manifold glory that would produce peace in the
conscience, love in the heart, and satisfaction in the soul. We should
be occupied with the riches of His grace, the wonders of His wisdom,
the miracles of His might, with all His blessed attributes as engaged
for His people and pledged to them in the everlasting covenant.
"That ye might be filled with all the fullness of God" is not to be
restricted to the perfections of Deity abstractly considered, but is
to be regarded as pertaining to all three Persons of the adorable
Trinity. So we also understand it as signifying "filled with all the
fullness of the triune God," and not of one Person only to the
exclusion of the others. There are some denominations which make most
of the Father, some which make most of the Son, some which make most
of the Spirit. Each is equally glorious, each is equally interested in
us: our salvation is due to Their joint operations and combined
counsels, and therefore They should have an equal place in our
thoughts and affections. Do not confine your minds to the grace of the
Father in choosing and in so loving His people as to give His only
begotten Son for them; for we are required to "honor the Son, even
as... [we] honour the Father" (John 5:23). Do not confine your
meditations to the amazing condescension and inconceivable sufferings
of the Son on behalf of His saints, but contemplate also "the love of
the Spirit" (Rom. 15:30) as He quickened you when dead in sins, as He
indwells you, as He takes of the things of Christ and shows them unto
you. Seek to be filled with the triune God.
How may we be filled with all the fullness of God? First, by our
contemplation of Him objectively: the affections of the new man
drawing out the heart after its Author, faith enabling us to take in
such satisfying views of Him as lead to intimate fellowship with Him,
fill the soul with a real and absorbing knowledge of Him, and cause us
to make Him our all-sufficient Portion. Second, by our receiving
subjectively from Him, God communicating to us out of the plenitude of
His own being. To be filled with Him thus is to have Him imparting all
that He can bestow upon us and all that we are capable of receiving,
showering down upon us His richest blessings, that we have no further
sense of want, no aching emptiness. We, whose hearts were by nature
empty of any good, who drank from the streams of this world only to
thirst again, who experienced the insufficiency and vanity of all
earthly things, may be filled to all satiety with what He bestows from
Himself. We may experience the amplest measure of His grace and
consolation; we may be filled with such peace and joy that no rival
will have any power to attract us.
Let us now consider more directly the phrase "that ye might be
filled." Was not the apostle here praying that God might more fully
possess us in a personal way, that we might be brought to yield
ourselves more completely to Him? Think of the Christian being filled
by and with God, not only as a dwelling may be filled with sunlight or
a vessel with liquid, but also as a many-roomed house may be
completely occupied with guests. The saint desires that Christ should
dwell in his heart by faith, but is there any restriction on that
desire? Is there any portion of his being marked "private"--reserved
solely for himself? In other words, is there any part of his complex
being not fully given up to God in Christ, not yet consciously,
definitely, voluntarily, and gladly surrendered to His occupancy and
sway? That is a searching question which each of us needs to honestly
face. If there is any department of my outward life or any compartment
of my inner man which is not fully surrendered to God, then I am not
filled with Him. Am I really yielding my entire self to Him, so that I
am sanctified in my "whole spirit and soul and body" (1 Thess. 5:23)?
The Place This Prayer Occupies
Earlier we pointed out that it will help us to an understanding both
of the scope of this prayer and the meaning of its petitions if we
observe the place it occupies in this epistle: at the close of the
doctrinal section and as introductory to the practical portion. The
prayer turns into supplication the contents of the former and prepares
the heart for obeying the precepts of the latter. Among those precepts
is this: "Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled
with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18), that He should occupy us unreservedly,
pervading the innermost depths of our beings, energizing and using all
our faculties. Have we not reason then to pray earnestly and daily
that in this sense too we might be filled? Not that God may possess us
in part, but wholly; that our obedience may be such as to receive the
fulfillment of Christ's promise: "My Father will love him, and we will
come unto him, and make our abode with him" (John 14:23). May the
surrender of myself be so complete that I may say, "Bless the LORD, O
my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name" (Ps. 103:1).
I cannot do so unless all is freely dedicated to Him.
How full and many-sided is this fourth petition! In addition to those
meanings and applications of it given above, we point out still
another, which for want of a better term we will call its practical
bearing, namely, that the Christian ought to be filled with a
knowledge of God's will. The believer should indeed have His mind on
all things, for to walk in darkness is one of the marks of the wicked.
But observe that we have placed this signification of the request
last, for we shall not have light upon our path nor divine wisdom for
our problems unless we are first fully yielded to God. Let us also
call attention again to the relation of this prayer to the section
which follows it. Among the exhortations found in that portion is
"Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the
Lord is" (Eph. 5:17), for all the details of our daily lives, for the
various decisions we have to make constantly. Hence in another of the
prayers of this apostle we find him asking for the saints that they
"might be filled with the knowledge of his will" (Col. 1:9). Being
ignorant of God's will is not merely an innocent infirmity but a sin
which should humble us. If the Word dwells in us richly, if we are
filled with the Spirit, then we shall have clear discernment, good
judgment, a knowledge in all circumstances of that which will be
pleasing to Him.
While we think the apostle primarily desired that God's people should
receive a fulfillment of this prayer in this life, it is by no means
to be restricted to this life only. Coming as it does at the close of
the petitions, and in view of the language used in the next verses, it
seems clear that Paul's anointed eye was also looking forward to the
endless ages of eternity--as ours should too. This view of the
petition is also confirmed by the fact that the Greek may be
legitimately rendered "that ye might be filled unto all the fullness
of God," which, as previously pointed out, suggests the idea of a
continuous process, a progressive and enlarging experience. The
ultimate aim of all genuine spiritual desire is to know God so
intimately as to be filled with all the glory of God, filled to
satiety by Him--which will only be when heaven is reached. Here human
language fails us, for our minds are incapable of conceiving such
ineffable heights of bliss. All we can say is that this request
expresses an approximation to the supreme perfection which is begun in
this life and shall be forever growing in the holiness and bliss of
the future state, though an infinite distance will always remain
between the Creator and the creature.
Gleanings from Paul Index
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings from Paul
by A. W. Pink
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19. Prayer of Doxology
Ephesians 3:20-21
Having Considered the particular occasion or cause of this prayer, the
character in which God is addressed, the rule or measure by which He
is entreated to confer His favors, and the several petitions of it, we
turn now to contemplate the doxology that concludes it. "Now unto him
that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or
think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in
the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.
Amen" (Eph. 3:20-21). This doxology may be considered from two
viewpoints. First, as an adoring outburst of the apostle's own heart;
and second--from the fact of its having been placed on record--as
containing needful and valuable instruction for us. Anyone with
spiritual discernment will at once perceive that, from either of these
viewpoints, the doxology forms a most fitting climax and sequel to the
prayer itself, constituting as it does a natural termination of it--a
reverberation of praise to the One supplicated. A "doxology" is an
expression of adoration which rises above the level of ordinary
speech, being more the language of ecstasy. It is a fervent utterance
of praise: yet it is not so much the act of praise as it is the
realization of the praise which is due to God and the consciousness
that He is due infinitely more than we are capable of rendering to
Him. We are lost in Him, overwhelmed with a sense of His ineffable
glory.
There are three things in this doxology which especially claim our
attention: First, the particular character in which God is here
contemplated--"He is able"; Second, the standard to which faith should
appeal in prayer--"the power that worketh in us"; Third, the
ascription of glory, concerning which we have: its medium--"the
church"; its Agent--"Christ Jesus"; its perpetuity--"world without
end." Let us consider how blessedly appropriate it is to view God thus
in this particular connection.
As experienced Christians well know, the certain effect of growing in
spiritual knowledge of God and of the love of Christ is a deepening
sense of our own weakness and unworthiness. Thus we are here reminded
that we have to do with One who is infinitely sufficient to supply our
every need and satisfy our every longing. How can such as we expect to
obtain such wonderful privileges and enter into the enjoyment of such
transcendent blessings as those expressed in the preceding verses? "He
is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think."
Perhaps some reader has lost heart and hope in the efficacy of prayer
and has become almost stoically content with a state of comparative
emptiness. Ephesians 3:20 reveals the remedy.
To be strengthened with might by the Spirit in the inner man, to know
Christ's constant presence in our hearts by faith so that we are
rooted and founded in love, to be able to comprehend the dimensions
and to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, and to be
filled with all the fullness of God--such experiences may seem
visionary and impossible. They should not, they will not, if faith
really views God as the apostle here did. Such experiences may indeed
exceed anything we have yet attained, they may transcend what we have
even seriously thought of and prayed for, yet they are possible and
realizable even in this life, "according to the power that worketh in
us." It is the express design of the Spirit in recording this doxology
to encourage us, to afford confidence in our approaches to God, to
enlarge our petitions. The Spirit's purpose here is the same as was
Christ's in the closing section of that prayer which He gave to His
disciples. The children are to ask of their Father in heaven,
remembering "for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
for ever." This is a confirmation of faith taken from the excellency
of God--His ability, His sufficiency, His glory. However great our
need, His resources are illimitable; however powerful our foes, His
power to deliver is infinite; however high our desires, He can fully
satisfy them.
God Is Able
It will be a great tonic for faith if we take to heart how frequently
God is set before us in this most blessed character. "God is able to
make all grace abound toward you" (2 Cor. 9:8). "He is able to succour
them that are tempted" (Heb. 2:18). "He is able also to save them to
the uttermost that come unto God by him" (Heb. 7:25). "He is able even
to subdue all things unto himself"(Phil. 3:21). "He is able to keep
that which I have committed unto him against that day" (2 Tim. 1:12).
He "is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless
before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 24). Yes,
He is able to save, to succor, to subdue, to sanctify, to supply, to
secure, to satisfy; and therefore "he is able to do [for us] exceeding
abundantly above all that we ask or think." In this character God is
viewed not only as the omnipotent One but also as the munificent One,
as being not only all-powerful but abundantly generous. God not only
gives, but He "giveth to all liberally" (James 1:5). Very often His
liberality exceeds not only our deserts but even our desires,
bestowing upon us more than we have either wisdom or confidence to
ask. Many illustrations of that fact are recorded in the Scriptures,
and many are met with in the experience of God's children today.
Every Christian already has abundant proof that God can give him and
do more for him than he can ask or think, for He has already done so!
It was not in answer to my prayers that God elected me and inscribed
my name in the book of life, for He chose me in Christ before the
foundation of the world. It was not in response to any petition of
mine that an all-sufficient Redeemer was provided for my
hell-deserving soul, for God sent forth His Son into this world to
save His people from their sins nearly two thousand years before I had
any historical existence. It was not in return for any eloquent
request of mine that the Holy Spirit quickened me into newness of life
when I was dead in trespasses and sins, for to pray for life is not a
faculty of the unregenerate. Rather the new birth itself capacitates
us for living desire and spiritual longing. The new birth imparts life
which causes the soul to long for more life. No, God's people are
spiritually dead and far from Him when He regenerates them and thereby
fulfills to all of them that word "I am found of them that sought me
not" (Isa. 65:1). God's gracious dealings with us are above even our
faith and requests!
In connection with the apostle's doxology, let the Christian reader
honestly face the Lord's own question "Believe ye that I am able to do
this?" (Matthew 9:28). Perhaps you believe He is able to do so, but
you fear He may not be willing to. If you really think God is able to
bring you into a closer walk and a more constant fellowship with
Himself, that He is able to make all grace abound toward you and fill
you with Himself, but doubt His willingness to do so, then your heart
is deceiving you and causing you to think more highly of yourself than
you have any right to do. The fact is, dear friend, you do not believe
He is able. If you did, you would not doubt His willingness.
The Heart Is Deceitful
Your heart is more deceitful than you realize; your case is far worse
than you will admit. You have too good an opinion of yourself. You are
trying to hide your unbelief under the fair cover of humility. You
persuade yourself that it would be presumptuous to entertain the
assurance that God is willing to work miracles on your behalf, and
congratulate yourself for your humble-mindedness. How you delude
yourself! You may indeed believe intellectually in the ability and
all-sufficiency of God, but your heart has not laid hold of the same:
if it had, you would not call into question His willingness. The fact
is that you entertain a horribly distorted view of God. In reality,
you fondly imagine that you are more anxious to receive spiritual
blessings than He is desirous of bestowing them; that you are more
willing, more concerned about your spiritual prosperity, than He is.
Call things by their proper names. Confess to God your excuseless
unbelief and cease posing as a very humble person. God does not mock
His people by declaring to them that He is able while at the same time
He is unwilling. Reexamine the passages quoted previously: "He is able
also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him" (Heb.
7:25). Does not that include His willingness? Of course it does. "He
is able to succor them that are tempted" (Heb. 2:18). Yes, and willing
too, or such a word would have no comfort in it. "He is able to keep
that which I have committed unto him" (2 Tim. 1:12). What assurance
could that give me if He were unwilling to keep? When the Lord rebuked
the skeptical laughter of Sarah, was it because she questioned His
willingness or because she doubted His power? The latter, as is clear
from His challenge: "Is any thing too hard for the LORD?" (Gen.
18:13-14). When He rebuked Moses for his unbelief, was it because he
distrusted God's willingness or because he doubted His might? Clearly
the latter: "Is the LORD's hand waxed short?" (Num. 11:22-23). And if
you really believed in God's omnipotence you would promptly avail
yourself of it!
God Both Able and Willing
"He is able" briefly but comprehensively affirms God's goodness,
willingness, sufficiency, and munificence. Because God is good, He
withholds no good thing from them that walk uprightly, and makes all
things work together for good to them that love Him. Because God is
good, He is willing and ready to supply all our need according to His
riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Because He is God, He is
self-sufficient: no creature can thwart Him, no situation dismay Him,
no emergency arise which is beyond His resources. Because God is
munificent, He is the Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
Because God is the almighty and all-sufficient One, "he is able to do
exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." What a God is
ours! How different from the creature! Have we not in some hour of
need appealed to one of our fellows who had the wherewithal to succor,
but refused? And have we not witnessed a fond mother anxious to
relieve her suffering child, but unable to do so! But the One with
whom the Christian has to do, his Father in heaven, has both the
willingness and the power.
How different many of our prayers would be if we always viewed God
thus when approaching His mercy seat! If faith regarded Him in this
character, our petitions would be framed accordingly, and our
confidence would be greater and more honoring to Him. Each word in
that wonderful doxology should be duly weighed and its cumulative and
climacteric force grasped by us. God is able to do not only what we
"ask" but also what we "think." Some of our thoughts are beyond
expression. He is able to do all that we ask or think, not merely some
or even most, but even our loftiest conceptions. Furthermore, He is
able to do above all that we ask or think, exceeding our highest
aspirations and largest requests. Better still, He is able to do
abundantly above all that we ask or think. Oh, that the Holy Spirit
would enable us to understand that and strengthen our faith to obtain
a better grip upon it. Best of all, He is able to do "exceeding
abundantly above all that we ask or think." Human language is utterly
incapable of expressing the infinite sufficiency and illimitable
bounty of the One to whom prayer is addressed. He has declared. "As
the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your
ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isa. 55:9).
For the further encouraging of our hearts and strengthening of our
faith, let us consider some recorded examples of God's answers far
exceeding the requests of His people. "Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt
thou give me, seeing I go childless?" What was the response of the
bountiful Giver? "He brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now
toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and
he said unto him, So shall thy seed be" (Gen. 15:2-5)! Jacob's thought
rose no higher than "bread to eat, and raiment to put on" (Gen.
28:20), but the divine munificence bestowed upon him "oxen, and asses,
flocks, and menservants, and womenservants" (Gen. 32:5). The Hebrews
would have been quite content to remain in Egypt if deliverance from
bondage had been granted them (Ex. 2:23), but God brought them into a
land flowing with milk and honey! David asked life of God, and He not
only gave him "the request of his lips" but bestowed upon him a throne
as well (Ps. 21:1-4). Solomon sought "an understanding heart" and God
not only supplied it but said, "I have also given thee that which thou
hast not asked, both riches, and honor" (1 Kings 3:13).
And has it not been thus with each of us? Has not the bountiful One
given above our expectations? Go back, my brother, my sister, to the
dawn of your Christian life. Recall the season when you were under
conviction of sin and a weighty sense of the wrath of God oppressed
you. Did your desires at that time ascend any higher than to be
delivered from the everlasting burnings and be granted an assurance of
pardon? Bring your mind back to that time when you were painfully
aware of being in the far country, where you sought in vain to find
satisfaction in the husks that the swine feed on, and when you cried,
"I perish with hunger!" At that time did your aspirations go beyond
that of the prodigal? Would you not have been quite content if the
Father had made you one of His "hired servants"? Ah, how truly did He
then do exceeding abundantly above all that you asked or thought! He
gave you a welcome such as you never dreamed of. He greeted you with
manifestations of love that completely melted your heart. He decked
you out with clothing befitting His favored child. He spread a feast
before you and filled your heart with merriment. And my friend, He has
not changed! He is still the all-bountiful One!
Christ the All-Sufficient One
Because He has not changed, He presents Himself before you here in
Ephesians 3:20 as the all-sufficient One. When you approach the throne
of grace, He would have you view Him as the One whose resources are
illimitable, whose ability to use them is infinite, and whose
willingness so to do is demonstrated once for all in giving His only
begotten Son for you and to you. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
showed such confidence and assurance when Nebuchadnezzar appointed
that they should suffer a horrible death if they refused to worship
the golden image which he had set up. Hear their intrepid reply: "We
are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so [that you
really mean to carry out your threat], our God whom we serve is able
to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us
out of thine hand, O king" (Dan. 3:17). With faith steadfastly fixed
on God's power, they had no doubt whatever about His willingness! And
that, together with the glorious sequel, is recorded for our
instruction as well as our encouragement. God has not changed. He is
still the omnipotent One.
Ponder carefully the following passage concerning Abraham. "Who
against hope believed in hope, that he might be the father of many
nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And
being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when
he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's
womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was
strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that,
what he had promised, he was able also to perform" (Rom. 4:18-21). To
carnal reason it seemed an impossibility that the aged Sarah should
bear the patriarch a son in his old age; but Abraham refused to be
dismayed by the insuperable obstacles presented to sight. From the
standpoint of experience also the situation appeared hopeless. But
even that did not daunt him. Why was he strong in faith? Because he
had a tight grip on God's promise. How did he remain "fully
persuaded"? His heart relied upon the infinite sufficiency and
almighty power of the Promiser. That was what sustained, yes,
rejoiced, him while awaiting the fulfillment of God's promise. God did
not disappoint him! This too is recorded for our learning. God has not
changed. He is still El Shaddai, the all-sufficient One.
"Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that
we ask or think, according to" what? According to His sovereign
pleasure? According to His eternal decree? According to His secret
will? "According to the power that worketh in us." Say what we may,
plead as plausibly as we please of our uncertainty about God's
willingness to show Himself strong on our behalf, at the bottom it is
our wicked unbelief, our doubting of His power, our secret questioning
of His ability to extricate us from such and such a predicament or
furnish a table for us in the wilderness. At that point the faith of
Zechariah failed--doubting the power of God to make good the word He
had given through the angel (Luke 1:18-20). Peter's questioning of
Christ's power caused Him to chide Peter with "O thou of little faith,
wherefore didst thou doubt?" (Matthew 14:31). Because the apostles
lacked confidence in Christ's omnipotence, none of them expected Him
to rise again on the third day. It was not His willingness but His
power which they doubted. So it is with us.
As we approach the mercy seat, we should view God as the One "able to
do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." "According to
the power that worketh in us" is the standard to which faith should
ever appeal in prayer. It is that wonderful power of which we already
have personal experience. It is a mighty power, for it brought us from
death to life and called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.
"For God, who [in the beginning] commanded the light to shine out of
darkness, hath shined in our hearts" (2 Cor. 4:6). It is an invincible
power, for it subdued our inveterate enmity to God, overcame our
stubborn obstinacy, and made us willing to receive Christ as our Lord
and King, to take His yoke upon us and submit to His scepter.
It is a holy power, for it caused us to repudiate all our
righteousnesses as filthy rags and made us nothing in our own sight.
It is a gracious power, for it wrought within us not only when we had
no merits of our own but when we had no desire to be subjects of God.
It is a "glorious power" (Col. 1:11), for by it all our godly
affections are sustained and all our acceptable works wrought.
It is an infinite power: "whereby he is able even to subdue all things
unto himself" (Phil. 3:21). Sinful corruptions cannot thwart that
power, Satan and his hosts cannot hinder it, death and the grave
cannot defy it. That power can make a clean thing out of an unclean,
can cause the blind to see and the dumb to sing. That power can
restore the years that the locusts have eaten (Joel 2:25), and give
"beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise
for the spirit of heaviness" (Isa. 61:3). However urgent our situation
may be, that power can relieve it; however great our need, that power
can supply it; however potent our temptations, that power can deliver
us; however sore may be our trials, that power can support us in them;
however distressing our circumstances, that power can keep our hearts
in perfect peace. It is an eternal power. It is not exhausted by
expenditure. It never wearies or diminishes; therefore, since it has
begun a good work within us, it will most certainly complete the same.
That power will yet make us perfect in every good work to do God's
will, working in us that which is well pleasing in His sight.
Our Response to This Doxology
1. The language of this doxology ought to deeply humble us. Its lofty
terms rebuke our groveling petitions and expectations. Look at it
again--we cannot ponder it too frequently: "Unto him that is able to
do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to
the power that worketh in us." Should not that make us thoroughly
ashamed of our petty requests, our feeble anticipations, our low
spiritual attainments? We need to realize that there is such a thing
as a modesty in our asking which dishonors God, that we come far short
of seeking from Him that which accords with His benevolence and
bounty. We are coming to a King and should therefore "large petitions
with us bring." "Is there any thing too hard for me?" (Jer. 32:27) is
His own challenge. No matter how sore our strait or how staggering our
difficulty, it will be as nothing to Him. Alas, we are like Joash who,
when bidden by the prophet to strike the ground, struck it three times
and "stayed," when he should have struck "five or six times" and
thereby obtained a far greater victory (2 Kings 13:18-19).
2. This doxology should greatly encourage us. Was not one of the
patent purposes of the Spirit in recording this doxology to raise the
expectations of God's people? Another purpose was to show them how
faith should view God. It is most important that the saints should at
all times contemplate God as the infinitely sufficient One, but it is
peculiarly necessary that they do so as they are about to approach Him
in prayer. Nothing is more calculated to enlarge our desires, warm our
hearts, deepen our confidence, than to regard Him as here set forth.
We ought not to be straitened either in our thoughts of Him or in our
expectations from Him. "Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it" (Ps.
81:10) is His own gracious invitation and assurance. Men may talk of
receiving "sips" of His goodness and "bites" of His bounties, but that
is something to be ashamed of rather than to proclaim with
satisfaction. "Eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O
beloved" (Song of Sol. 5:1) opens His heart concern for us. As the
Puritan Thomas Manton well expressed it, "God's bounty is not only
ever flowing, but overflowing." The fault is wholly ours if we have
only "sips" from it.
3. This doxology should serve as a challenge to us. In its language
God is saying to us in another way, "Prove Me now. Bring your hard
problems to Me. Spread your deep needs before Me. Make known your
largest spiritual desires to Me, and count on My sufficiency and
bounty." As Carey counseled, "Ask great things of God; expect great
things from God." Do not question His willingness, for that is
reflecting on His goodness and doubting His benevolence. Do not allow
Satan to deceive you any longer with a feigned humility, under the
pretense of deterring you from spiritual arrogance and forwardness.
Recall the case of those who brought to Christ the one sick of the
palsy and, when they could not reach Him because of the press, broke
through the roof and let down the bed on which the sufferer lay! Was
the Lord displeased at their impudence? No indeed, He honored the
faith of those who so counted upon His compassion and grace. When the
centurion besought Him on behalf of his sick servant, did Christ
rebuke him for his presumption? No, He "marveled at his faith." He
delights to be trusted.
4. This doxology should instruct us. Having presented the petitions
recorded in Ephesians 3:16-19, the apostle closed with this adoring
doxology: "Now unto him that is able . . . , unto him be glory in the
church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."
We often beg the Lord to teach us to pray. He has already furnished us
with the necessary instructions, both in His own prayers and in those
given us through His apostles. In them He has plainly revealed that we
should be deeply concerned with the glory of God, that it should
actuate and regulate us in all our supplications. In that prayer which
He taught His disciples--and after which ours should always be
patterned--He bade us conclude our addresses to the Father with "For
thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."
Not only should those words be on our lips but the substance and
sentiment of them should ever affect our hearts. We should make the
glory of God our one supreme and constant aim, we should ask only for
those things which will promote His honor, and we should make that our
prevailing plea in making all our requests. "Help us, O God of our
salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away
our sins, for thy name's sake" (Ps. 79:9).
At this very point we may clearly perceive one of the great
differences which exist between the spiritual believer and the carnal
professor. The formalist and the hypocrite never seek God (except
when, Pharisee-like, they would parade themselves before men) except
under the pressure of their own needs, and not from any concern for
God's honor. But the upright seek God because they delight in Him and
desire communion with Him, and their love to Him makes them deeply
concerned for His glory. When their God is dishonored, they grieve
deeply: "Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not
thy law" (Ps. 119:136; cf. Ezek. 9:4). The regenerate prefer God's
interests to their own and set His glory high above their comforts and
concerns. In that they follow the example which Christ has left them:
"Father, save me from this hour." That was the innocent inclination of
His humanity. "But for this cause came I unto this hour. Father,
glorify thy name" (John 12:27-28). He subordinated everything to that.
It is fitting then that we should conclude our prayers thus. As
Matthew Henry said, "When we come to ask grace from God, we ought to
give glory to God." To give glory to God is to ascribe all excellency
to Him. "Unto him be glory": that was the adoring language of one
whose heart was filled with love to God. It was an expression of
fervent praise to Him because He is the all-sufficient and bounteous
One. If God is spiritually viewed as the Fountain of all blessings,
whose fullness is inexhaustible, whose resources are illimitable,
whose benignity is infinite, then the soul cannot help but burst forth
in the acclamation "Unto him be glory." It was also an avowal of
expectation. The apostle was assured that the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ would grant the petitions which he had just presented, and he
gave thanks for the same. This is the ground of the saint's
confidence: that God has joined together His glory and our good. His
honor is bound up in promoting the interests of His people, "that we
should be to the praise of his glory" (Eph. 1:12). The possession
which Christ purchased is "unto the praise of his glory" (Eph. 1:14).
He is "glorified in his saints" (2 Thess. 1:10).
Unto Him Be Glory
"Unto him be glory" was the homage of the apostle's own heart. Then it
was as though he felt his own personal worship was altogether
inadequate, and added, "in the church," as though he were saying, "Let
all the redeemed unite with me in exalting Him." The Church is indeed
the grand seat of His glory: "the branch of my planting, the work of
my hands, that I may be glorified" (Isa. 60:21). He calls her "Israel
my glory" (Isa. 46:13). None do, none can, truly honor and acknowledge
Him except the Church. But the apostle knew that even the Church,
ordained though she is as the subject and instrument of the divine
glory, is yet not equal to the task, and so he added, "By Christ
Jesus." As Spurgeon so beautifully put it, "Thou, Lord Jesus, Thou art
He alone among men eloquent enough to express the glory of God. Grace
is poured into Thy lips, and Thou canst declare our praises." But even
then the apostle was not satisfied. He continued: "Throughout all
ages, world without end," that a revenue of praise should be paid Him
during all generations and that eternity itself should never cease to
resound with the glory of God! And what more suitable response can we
make to such sentiments than by adding our "Amen"!
Gleanings from Paul Index
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings from Paul
by A. W. Pink
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20. Prayer for Discerning Love
Philippians 1:8-10
The Prayers Of Holy Men are usually the choicest expressions of their
souls--the pourings forth of their deepest desires as directed by the
Spirit in them. It must be so for where a man's treasure is, there
will his heart be also. The more spiritual a man becomes, the more his
soul is engaged with and enraptured by spiritual things, and the more
experimental and practical holiness will be his supreme quest. "Out of
the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" (Matthew 12:34). When a
spiritually minded person has liberty in prayer he will necessarily
seek both for himself and his fellow saints an increased measure of
grace, that his and their eyes may perceive more clearly the
inestimable value of divine things and have their hearts set upon them
more constantly, in order that the fruits of righteousness may abound
in their lives. Such were the utterances of the apostle on this
occasion.
Many Types of Christians
Variety marks all the works of God. Men's intellectual endowments are
as dissimilar as their countenances. There are many different types of
Christians, though broadly speaking they may be grouped under two
classes--the intelligent or well instructed, and the affectionate.
The Corinthians were "enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all
knowledge" (1 Cor. 1:5), yet their love was weak and low. This is
implied by the contrast pointed between knowledge and love in 1
Corinthians 8:1-3, and is still more plainly intimated where the
apostle tells them, "Yet shew I unto you a more excellent way" (1 Cor.
12:31)--which he proceeded to do in the next chapter, where he set
forth at length the nature, excellency, and preeminence of spiritual
love. The fearful imprecation of 1 Corinthians 16:22--found nowhere
else in the New Testament--also illustrates the weakness of the
Corinthians' love.
In sharp contrast with the Corinthians, the Philippian saints were a
more plain and less gifted order of Christians. They were warmly
devoted to Christ and His people, but they had an inadequate
understanding of His mind. Their affection exceeded their
knowledge--as is the case with some simple but sincere and ardent
Christians today. Generally--and markedly so in Christendom now--those
with more light in their heads than love in their hearts have greatly
outnumbered the others. Now Paul was far from despising or disparaging
the case of the Philippian saints, but he longed for a better balance
in their characters. Therefore he prayed (not as most of us need
to--that our love may increase in proportion to our light, but) that
their intelligence might be commensurate with their affections; that
their love might "abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all
judgment"; that both knowledge and love might grow and develop
together, so they might be well-proportioned Christians. By this means
they would more fully conform unto God, who is both "light" (1 John
1:5) and "love" (1 John 4:8).
An Analysis of the Apostle's Prayer
Let us analyze this prayer. First, its spring: "How greatly I long
after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:8). The
apostle's fervent affection for these brethren prompted his
supplication on their behalf. The measure of our love for others can
largely be determined by the frequency and earnestness of our prayers
for them. Second, its petition, namely, that their love might "abound
yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment" (Phil. 1:9). That
was the "one thing" (Ps. 27:4) he "desired" on their behalf, the
comprehensive blessing which he requested for them. What follows in
verses 10 and 11 we do not regard as additional petitions, but rather
as the effects which would result from the granting of his single
petition. Thus, we view the contents of verses 10 and 11 as third, its
reasons: "That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may
be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ; being filled
with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the
glory and praise of God."
First, its spring. "For God is my record, how greatly I long after you
all in the bowels of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:8). This was a solemn
avowal to the Searcher of hearts of the reality and intensity of
Paul's love for the Philippians. Whether or not they knew or realized
it, God did. Having them in his heart, Paul longed for their spiritual
welfare. He not only longed after them but did so "greatly"--and not
only after a few special favorites among them but "after you all," and
that with intense affection and goodwill, and "in the bowels [or
`compassions'] of Jesus Christ." The Hebrews regarded the "bowels" as
the seat of affections and sympathy, as we regard the "heart." This
expression, "the compassion of Jesus Christ," is susceptible of a
twofold meaning. First, it refers to the personal love which the
Redeemer Himself bears for the redeemed. Second, it has reference to
that tender compassion for His saints which Christ had infused in the
heart of His servant. Paul regarded the Philippians with something of
the tenderness which the Lord Jesus had for them. This was the warmest
and strongest expression which he could find to denote the ardor of
his attachment.
If then Christ had infused such love in the heart of His servant for
these saints, what must that love be in its fullness for them in the
heart of Christ! If such be the stream, what must the Fountain be
like! What a marvelous change had been produced in the apostle!
Probably the Holy Spirit here moved him to emphasize this love in
order to contrast the transformation which grace had produced in him
as against what he was in former days. As Saul of Tarsus, how
ferocious and cruel he had been to the followers of Christ! What havoc
he had wrought among them by his threatenings and persecutions! What
had changed the lion to the lamb? Who had made him so tender and
considerate, so solicitous of the welfare of the Philippians? Who had
given him such affection for them? The Lord Jesus. "Through the tender
mercy of our God" (Luke 1:78) is literally "the bowels of the mercy of
our God." And cannot each Christian reader, to some extent at least,
join with the apostle in calling God as witness of the blessed change
which His grace has wrought in him, so that from being self-centered
and ice-cold to God's people, his heart is now compassionate and warm
to them, yearning to promote their welfare!
Second, its petition. "And this I pray, that your love may abound yet
more and more in knowledge and in all judgment" or "sense." Paul not
only prayed for these saints, but he acquainted them with the
particular things he requested for them, so that they might know what
they should ask for and earnestly strive after. In like manner, his
prayer is placed on permanent record in the Word that saints in all
generations might be similarly instructed. If we would ascertain our
special spiritual needs, if we would be better informed of the
specific things we most need to ask for, then we should pay more than
ordinary attention to these prayers of the apostle. We should fix them
in our minds, meditating frequently on them, begging God to open to us
their spiritual meaning, and to effectually impress our hearts with
the same. There is nothing provincial or evanescent about these
prayers, for they are suited to and designed for Christians of all
ages, places, and cases. There is a wealth of heavenly treasure in
them which no expositor can exhaust, and which the Holy Spirit will
reveal to humble, earnest, seeking souls.
Those Philippian saints already loved God and His Christ, His cause,
and His people, yet the apostle prayed that their love might "abound
yet more and more," which illustrates what we pointed out in a
previous chapter. The more we discern the grace of God at work in an
individual Christian or church, the greater encouragement we have to
make request that a still larger measure of it may be communicated to
him or them. Goodwin pointed out that the Greek word here used for
"abound" is a metaphor taken from the bubbling up and flowing of a
spring of water, and showed the force and appropriateness of it. A
spring flows naturally and spontaneously, and not by the mechanical
efforts of men. Such is divine love in the soul: it operates freely
and not by constraint, it works readily, and requires no urging from
without. Where Christ is known to the soul, the heart cannot help
being drawn out unto Him and delighting in Him. "But as touching
brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves
are taught of God to love one another" (1 Thess. 4:9). No one can be
made to love one another, but where there is love it will act freely
and readily.
As you take from a fountain, still more comes. As a spring does not
keep its water to itself, so love keeps nothing to itself, but it
flows out for the use and benefit of others. Love is selfless: its
very nature is to give, seeking to promote the glory of God and the
good of men. As fountains have their rise in hills, so love is first
in God's heart in heaven. "We love him, because he first loved us" (1
John 4:19). To the phrase "that your love may yet abound," or spring
up and flow forth, the apostle added "yet more and more." God can
never have enough of our love, nor us of His grace. If we would
receive an enlargement of love we must be more and more engaged with
its Object.
"That your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge." As the
understanding needs to be enlightened and the conscience informed, so
love requires instructing. Love is necessarily connected with
knowledge for its inception, continuance, and development. A person
must be known by us before we can love him. Christ must become a
living reality before the heart is drawn out unto Him. There must be a
personal and spiritual acquaintance with divine things before they can
be delighted in. Where God is truly known, He is necessarily adored.
And as has been pointed out in the last paragraph, if our love for Him
is to increase, we must be more occupied and absorbed with His
perfections. But love not only needs to be fed and nourished; it also
needs to be taught, if it is to act intelligently. Spiritual love
should not act by blind impulse, but be scripturally regulated. The
Jews had "a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge" (Rom. 10:2).
They sincerely believed they were serving God when they excluded
Christians from their synagogues, and later killed them because they
supposed those Christians were heretics (John 16:2), yet they erred
grievously, and their case has been recorded as a solemn warning for
us.
Love to Be Informed and Controlled by the Truth
It is painful to witness sincere and affectionate believers making
mistakes and falling into wrong courses through lack of light, yet
there are many such cases. A wrongly instructed and injudicious
Christian causes trouble among his fellow Christians, and often
increases the reproaches of the world. Paul here prayed for an
intelligent affection in the saints, for a warmheartedness based upon
and flowing from an enlarged perception of divine things, that they
might have a clear apprehension of the just claims of God and of their
brothers and sisters in Christ. The world says that love is blind, but
the love of the Christian should be enlightened, well instructed, and
directed in all its exercises, effects, and manifestations by the
Scriptures. Unless love is regulated by an enlarged and exact
knowledge of the Word, and by that good judgment which is the result
of matured discernment and experience, it soon degenerates into
fanaticism and unwise exertions. An affectionate regard for our
brethren is to be far more than a mere sentiment, namely, "love in the
truth" (2 John 1), love informed and controlled by the truth.
Some Christians have a good understanding of the truth yet are
considerably carnal in their walk (1 Cor. 3:1-3). Others, though
defective in knowledge and unsettled in the faith, are yet
warmhearted, having much zeal toward God and His cause, and a
considerable command over their passions. God's people should labor
for both. It was love and zeal for Christ which prompted the apostles
to say, "Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from
heaven, and consume them, even as Elias [Elijah] did?" when they saw
how their Master was slighted. Yet it was misdirected love and zeal,
as His "Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of" (Luke 9:54-55)
showed. Love must be instructed if it is to be placed on legitimate
objects and restrained from non permissible ones, if it is to be
rightly exercised on all occasions. And the needed instruction can be
obtained only from God's Word. Only as love is regulated by light, and
light is accompanied by and infused with love, are we well balanced.
"That your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all
judgment." Something more than bare knowledge, even though it is a
knowledge of the Word, is needed if love is to be duly regulated and
exercised. That something is here termed "judgment," or in the margin,
"sense." That word occurs in the singular number nowhere else in the
New Testament, and only once (Heb. 5:14) in its plural form, where it
is rendered "senses." In Young's Analytical Concordance to the Bible
it is defined as "perfection, sense, intelligence.'' Not only do we
need to be thoroughly familiar with the Scriptures. If we are to make
proper use of such knowledge, then good judgment is required in the
governing of our affections and the ordering of our affairs.
Our Love to Abound in Knowledge
Many are wise in the general principles and in the letter of the Word,
but err grievously in the applying of those principles in detail.
There is a vast variety of circumstances in our lives. These call for
much prudence in dealing with them aright. If our hearts are to be
properly governed and our ways suitably ordered, much instruction and
considerable experience are required. Besides a knowledge of God's
will, the spirit of discretion is needed. There are times when all
lawful things are not expedient, and wisdom is indispensable to
determine when those times and where those places are, as well as by
which persons they may be used or performed. Indiscretion and folly
remain in the best of us. The chief work of our judgment is to
perceive what is proper for the time, the place, the company where we
are, that we may order our behavior aright (Ps. 50:23); that we may
know how to conduct ourselves in all relations civil and sacred, in
work or in recreation; that we may conduct ourselves wisely as
husbands, fathers, wives, or children; as employers or employees. Love
needs to be directed by good judgment in all its exercises and
expressions.
How different are the prayers of Scripture from those which we are
accustomed to hear in religious gatherings! Who ever heard this
petition offered in public: "This I pray, that your love may abound
yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment"! How many would
understand its purport if they should hear it? True spirituality,
vital godliness, personal piety, has almost become an unknown quantity
in Christendom today. How very different is this bold and
comprehensive request "may abound yet more and more" from the halting
and halfhearted "if it can please Thee to favor us with a sip" of
those who seem utterly afraid to ask for anything worthy of such a God
as ours! How little can such souls be acquainted with "the God of all
grace." Seriously ponder the petitions of Paul and observe that he was
not straitened, and therefore he asked for no half measures or scanty
portions. Above all, realize that these prayers are recorded for our
instruction, for our encouragement, for our emulation.
The Substance of the Apostle's Prayer
As pointed out, the substance of this petition was that there might be
a better balance in these saints, that their love and knowledge might
keep pace with each other, that their affections should be
intelligently exercised. Paul longed that their warmheartedness should
be accompanied and directed by a well-instructed understanding, that
they might have spiritual judgment which would cause them to weigh
things and enable them to discriminate between the true and the false,
that they might perceive what to love and what to hate, what to seek
and what to shun. He desired that they should be able at all times to
distinguish between duty and sin, and know what was their duty, no
matter how dark the times or how difficult their circumstances. The
apostle requested, first, that they be granted a better and fuller
knowledge--that they be more thoroughly instructed from the Word.
Second, he urged that their love be regulated by judgment, or
spiritual instinct--and by enlightened perception of the fitness of
things. Third, Paul was concerned that they might possess something
more than a mere theoretical knowledge obtained by and through
"sense." The soul has faculties which correspond to the five senses of
the body. "Sense" here has the force of faith, for it is through faith
we perceive, know, and understand spiritual things.
"Sense" also means experience--something distinct from and following
faith. In Romans 5, after declaring that we are justified by faith and
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, the apostle went on
to show how faith is educated and added to through God's dealings with
us: "Tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience." By means
of the trials which faith encounters and the disciplines of daily
life, we are taught humble submission to God and, notwithstanding
obstacles and failures, to persevere in the path of duty. As we do so,
God graciously supports the soul and communicates His consolations,
and faith is strengthened to meet the next trial. We obtain a personal
experience of God's goodness and faithfulness, as well as of our
frailty and sinfulness. We acquire a first hand acquaintance with the
reality of the snares against which His Word warns us and of the
veracity of His promises by which He cheers us. This experience breeds
hope (Rom. 5:1-4), a steady confidence and growing expectation that
God will not allow us to abandon our profession and make shipwreck of
the faith, but will continue ministering to us, delivering us from our
foes, and finally bringing us safely through to glory.
The Faithfulness of Our God
This experience is an acquired knowledge in spiritual matters, founded
on sense. It is a personal realization of the mercy, power,
longsuffering, and grace of God. The Christian starts out with bare
faith in the veracity of God, in the certainty of His promises. He
does not doubt that in due course God will make them good to him. But
later, as God performs one promise after another, there is a sense of
experience added to his faith, which deepens his assurance and enables
him to face the future with still greater confidence in God. "By this
I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph
over me" (Ps. 41:11). The young Christian, believing that his Father
is a prayer-hearing God from the declarations of His Word, has no
doubt about it. But in process of time he has occasion to say, "I love
the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplication" (Ps.
116:1), for he now has sensible proof, visible demonstration of the
fact.
The things of God are first recognized and apprehended by faith, and
then by experience--by personal contact and more intimate acquaintance
with them. By God's effectual working in them that believe (1 Thess.
2:13), the saints find that what the Word affirms of them is true.
This experimental knowledge of the Lord is spoken of as a "tasting" of
Him. (1 Pet. 2:3)--which is something even more convincing and
satisfying than sight. To taste His goodness, to feel His power, to
experience His tender compassion, is to have real proof within
ourselves. The human side of this is presented in Hebrews 5:14: "those
who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good
and evil." As we discover what foods agree or disagree with us by
eating and drinking, so we learn what things and persons are helpful
or harmful to us by the exercise of our graces. As we become
proficient scholars by our studies at school, so we become proficient
believers by experimental knowledge--gained by exercising the
faculties of our souls.
"Sense" also signifies deep and glorious impressions on the soul, over
and above the light of faith or knowledge by ordinary experiences. And
such impressions are truly more sense than knowledge, as all find that
enjoy them. They are therefore said to pass knowledge (Eph. 3:19).
Have you received fulfillment of this promise: "They shall be
abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt
make them drink of the river of thy pleasures" (Ps. 36:8)?
Paul longed to see the affections of these Philippian saints
intelligently directed in order that they might "approve things that
are excellent"; that they might "be sincere"; that they should be
"without offense till the day of Christ"; and that they should be
"filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ,
unto the glory and praise of God." Those were the reasons why he asked
for them that particular blessing. How they serve to emphasize the
great importance and value of love being enlightened! How much depends
upon having our affections educated by spiritual knowledge and
controlled by spiritual sensibility! How the walk of a well balanced
Christian will honor his Lord! What blessed consequences follow when
heavenly wisdom and mature experience guide the actions of a heart
that is warm toward Christ and His redeemed! Then let us strive
diligently after such.
"That ye may approve things that are excellent." Here again there is a
fullness in the Greek terms which is difficult to translate adequately
by any single equivalent in English, the margin giving us the
alternative "that ye may try things that differ." However, in this
instance the two renderings come to much the same thing. Following our
usual custom, we will put the reader in possession of the main facts,
so that he can check our exposition and draw his own conclusions. The
Greek word here, rendered "try" in the margin, denotes that kind of
trial to which metals are subjected when their nature and genuineness
are being tested. Thus, when the apostle says, "That the trial of your
faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it
be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at
the appearing of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:7), the resemblance is that
of the goldsmith submitting the ore to a process of proof in his
crucible. All is not gold that glistens! The uninstructed eye is not
able to distinguish the genuine from the counterfeit: the metal must
be properly examined and tested to ascertain beyond doubt whether it
is precious or worthless.
The Necessity of Proving Our Profession
Elsewhere the Apostle Paul frequently made use of this same metaphor.
"To prove the sincerity of your love" (2 Cor. 8:8) denotes to give
opportunity to attest the genuineness of your love. "Examine
yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves" (2 Cor.
13:5). Take nothing for granted, but honestly and diligently examine
your hearts and lives, and ascertain whether your profession is a
valid one. "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good" (1 Thess.
5:21). In the preceding verse he had said "despise not prophesyings,"
which, though they proceeded from gifted men, were not infallible, and
therefore needed to be carefully pondered and weighed. In each passage
(as also Galatians 6:4; 1 Timothy 3:10, etc.) the same Greek word
(dokimazo) is used as the one rendered "try" and "approve" in our
text. The reader needs to realize that before he is capable of
attesting the genuineness of his love, verifying the validity of his
profession, or proving the worth or worthlessness of the preaching he
hears or reads--whether that teaching relates to doctrine or
practice--his love must be warm and enlightened by knowledge and
directed by good judgment, otherwise he is likely to be deceived by
what is erroneous.
But the Greek word also signifies "an approving or judgment of what is
good, a savoring, a relishing, closing with and cleaving to the
goodness of it as good and best." A love which is directed by an
enlightened mind and a holy heart not only has the capacity to detect
counterfeits but sweetly realizes the excellence of divine things and
delights in them. Thus in Romans 12:2, "And be not conformed to this
world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may
prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God,"
the Greek word for "prove" is the same as that rendered "approve" in
our text. In the preceding verse, Christian duty as a whole is viewed
in reference to God Himself; but in verse 2 it is contemplated in
connection with that system of things seen and temporal, amid which we
live our lives day by day. Both of the inoperatives are in the present
tense, denoting a process. There is to be an ever widening gulf
between the character and conduct of the world and that of the saint,
and an ever growing conformity to Christ, not only outwardly but
inwardly. The saint's thoughts and affections are to be more and more
set upon things above--the "mind" here being the equivalent of the
whole soul.
Regeneration, or the communication of spiritual life, is a divine act,
once for all, in which we are wholly passive. But "renewing," as the
tense denotes, is continuous. This too is a divine work, as Titus 3:5
and 2 Corinthians 4:16 inform us; yet it is also one in which we are
called upon to be active, in which we are required to cooperate, as
Romans 12:2 and Ephesians 4:23 clearly show. "Be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind" is the human responsibility correlative of
"that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all
judgment." "Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind" is
accompanied by our responding to or making use of the light which God
has given us--which is the necessary condition of our obtaining
further light from Him. That light has to a considerable extent
already dispelled from our understandings and hearts the mists of
self-love, and has revealed to us infinitely worthier objects and
pursuits, and if those objects have the supreme place in our
affections and those pursuits become the dominant quest of our
energies, those mists will be still further cleared away and we shall
perceive yet more clearly the excellence and desirability of divine
and spiritual things, and we shall become more absorbed in and
satisfied with them.
As "be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind" is the counterpart
of "that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in
all judgment," so "that ye may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God" is parallel with "that ye may
approve things that are excellent." Just in proportion as we disdain
and reject the principles, policies, and practices of the world (which
may be summed up in self-love and self-pleasing) and earnestly
endeavor to be governed by the precepts and promises of God, seeking
to please and glorify Him, delighting ourselves in Him and being more
assimilated to His holy image, do we acquire the capacity to prove for
ourselves the excellence of His will. As by a spiritual touchstone, we
perceive and realize the immeasurable superiority of the divine will
to self-will, and joyfully surrender ourselves to it. In other words,
as our spiritual love to God and to His people is regulated by the
knowledge of His Word and is confirmed by our spiritual sensibilities,
we discover for ourselves that Wisdom's "ways are ways of
pleasantness, and all her paths are peace" (Prov. 3:1-7). We learn by
experience what peace and joy there are in being conformed to God's
will.
God's Commandments "Not Grievous"
There is a vast difference between a theoretical conviction that God's
will is "good, and acceptable, and perfect" and actually proving it to
be so for ourselves, yet that is what we do, just so far as we heed
the injunction "Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your minds." Just so far as we render a willing and
more constant obedience to this exhortation, we not only prove for
ourselves that God's commandments "are not grievous'' (1 John 5:3) but
we discover that "in keeping of them there is great reward" (Ps.
19:11), that is, in this life. Then it is that we "sing in the ways of
the LORD" (Ps. 138:5). Then it is that we obtain a personal
acquaintance, an experimental realization of the goodness, the
acceptableness, and perfection of the divine will. We determine for
ourselves both by inward relish and outward practice the excellence of
His will. We both prove and approve that it is designed for our
"good," for our being acceptable, or pleasing, to God, for our being
"perfect." We prove that God's will contains everything necessary to
make us spiritually complete and to be all that we ought to be. How
much we lose when we allow ourselves to follow the dictates of
self-will and be in any degree conformed to this evil world--the ways
of the ungodly!
How far, to what extent, have you and I proved for ourselves, by
actual experience, by rendering obedience to God, the goodness,
acceptableness, and perfection of His will? That is the question which
each one of us should seriously put to himself. How far have we
perceived the will of God in all the latitude and excellence of it,
and how far have our heart and actions approved the same? A great
variety and a vast number of sins are forbidden. Many duties are
commanded. To what extent have we discerned the spiritual part of
them, to what degree do we really relish them? Do we cherish His
precepts? Do we hold fast to them amid a perverse generation, which
universally despises and flouts them? Are all of our ways ordered by
them? Can we truly say with the Psalmist, "Therefore I love thy
commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold. Therefore I esteem all
thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false
way" (Ps. 119:127-128)? For it is in God's commandments and precepts
that His will is made known. Only so are we really "approving things
that are excellent" as Paul requested in this prayer.
The connection between the clause we have been considering and the one
preceding it is therefore clear and simple. Where there is an
increasing love which is directed by spiritual knowledge and holy
sensibility, there is an enlarged capacity in the understanding to
judge and discriminate: both to discern and detest what is injurious
and to recognize and cherish what is beneficial. Or, to invert the
order of thought: the apostle longed that these saints should "approve
things that are excellent"--that they choose them, cleave to them,
delight in them, and be regulated by them. But in order to do so,
their love must both abound and be educated, so that they might have a
true judgment and sense of the real worth of the different objects
which competed for their hearts, and be suitably affected by the same.
And that could only be obtained by trying these things. Love is not to
be exercised indiscriminately. Objects must be esteemed only according
to their nature and worth, and that worth is experimentally
ascertained by an actual acquaintance with them. As the sweetness of
honey is best known by the eating of it, so the preciousness of divine
and spiritual things is realized in proportion as the soul is actually
and actively engaged with them.
Note the twofold meaning of "try things that differ" and "approve
things that are excellent." The attentive reader will observe how this
twofoldness of thought meets us at every turn. First, the apostle had
prayed that the love of these saints "might abound yet more and more
in [1] knowledge and [2] judgment." Next we saw that the Greek word
rendered "judgment" also carries in it the meaning of "sense," and as
it is "all sense," therefore the meaning is "senses" as in Hebrews
5:14. Then we pointed out that the effect of that petition being
answered would be their being enabled to "try" and "approve" things.
That twofold significance of dokimazo corresponds to and is in perfect
apposition with the two things prayed for in the previous verse
"knowledge" being needed in order to test and try, and spiritual
"senses" to prove and approve. And now we find that the objects of
those actions may be translated "things that differ" and/or "things
that are excellent"--the former linking with the verb "try" and the
latter fitting better with "approve." Diaphero is rendered "one star
differeth from another star in glory" in 1 Corinthians 15:41 and "ye
are of more value than many sparrows" in Matthew 10:31.
The Apostle's Burden
The apostle longed that their love might be so informed and their
understanding so guided by spiritual judgment and sense that on all
occasions they would be able to distinguish between truth and error in
doctrine. He prayed that on controverted points (where there is often
aptness to mislead and deceive by means of resemblance or likeness)
when each side of the case had been presented, they might weigh both
and be able to know which was the truth, and to approve of it. Paul
was burdened that, in all matters of practice, in cases of conscience
or where courses of duty were concerned, amid all the vicissitudes and
perplexities of life, they might be able to rightly discern and judge,
and that they might know this clearly so as not to be mistaken or
deluded, but be able to act in comfort and confidence, assured that
they were doing the will of God. Thus it was predicted of Christ: "The
spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: the spirit of wisdom and
understanding." And this should "make him of quick understanding
["scent," margin] in the fear of the LORD" (Isa. 11:2-3), that is,
quick-sighted and keen-sensed to discern the difference of things. And
in his measure, each Christian is endued with "the Spirit of Christ"
(Rom. 8:9).
Paul also desired that their judgment would be so equipped that their
hearts would approve or taste the goodness and relish the excellence
of things spiritual according to the several degrees of their worth as
was best for them. It was important that they would value Christ and
all His perfections high above all worldly things and persons, so as
to count them but dung in comparison with the excellence of the
knowledge of Christ, as the apostle himself did (Phil. 3:8).
The children of disobedience despise and reject Christ, seeing in Him
no beauty that they should desire Him; but to those who believe, He is
precious (1 Pet. 2:7), and should become increasingly so. So too the
"saints"--rather than the famous, wealthy, and mighty--should be
esteemed as "the excellent" of the earth, as they were by David (Ps.
16:3) and Christ. Likewise, the things of God's law are excellent, and
should be prized by us above silver and gold. Relatively, we should
distinguish and approve among things spiritual those that are most
excellent, as "meat" surpasses "milk" (Heb. 5:12-14). Thus we should
not only be able to distinguish between one Christian and another who
is more spiritual and Christlike, and seek his fellowship, but between
one company of professing Christians and another, cleaving to those
who keep nearest to the Word and walk closest to God.
The Meaning of Sincerity
We turn now to examine the second reason why the apostle prayed that
the love of the saints should abound yet more and more in knowledge
and all judgment, or sense, namely, "that ye may be sincere." The
Greek word used here occurs nowhere else in the New Testament except
in 2 Peter 3:1, where it is rendered "I stir up your pure minds by way
of remembrance." The noun form is found in 1 Corinthians 5:8, 2
Corinthians 1:12 and 2:17, where in each instance it is rendered
"sincerity." Sincerity is the opposite of counterfeit and dishonesty,
of pretense and imposture. To be sincere is to be genuine, to be in
reality what we are in appearance--frank, true, unfeigned,
conscientious. It is one of the characteristic marks which distinguish
the regenerate from empty professors. The latter, though they may have
much light in their heads, make no conscience of the integrity of
their hearts and are little exercised about the uprightness of their
daily walk. The Christian needs to be constantly on his guard against
dissembling; he must judge unsparingly everything in and of himself
which savors of unreality. Christ warned His disciples (and us), "When
thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites," whose religion is
a pose to obtain the high regard of men.
The Greek word for sincerity in our text properly means "that which is
judged in the sunshine, that which is clear and manifest." As a rule
we attach little importance to the derivation of Hebrew and Greek
words (many of which are most uncertain), preferring to ascertain
their significance from the manner and connections in which they are
used in Holy Writ. But in this instance the etymology of eilikrines is
borne out by its force in 2 Corinthians 1:12, "For our rejoicing is
this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly
sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have
had our conversation in the world." "Godly sincerity" is really "the
sincerity of God." The "sincerity of God" means the sincerity of which
He is not only the Giver and Author but also the Witness, which may be
brought to Him and held up before Him for His scrutiny. The idea
expressed is that of John 3:21: "He that doeth truth cometh to the
light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in
God."
Our English word sincere is derived from the Latin sine cera, which
means "without wax," and the origin of that Latin expression
approximates very closely the etymology of the Greek word. The ancient
Romans had a very delicate and valuable porcelain, exceedingly
fragile, and only with much trouble could it be fired without being
cracked. Dishonest dealers were in the habit of filling in the cracks
that appeared with a special white wax, but when their ware was held
up to the light the wax was evident, being darker in color than the
porcelain. Thus it came about that honest dealers marked their ware
sine cera, "without wax," having sun-tested it. Hence this grace of
spiritual sincerity is the opposite of not only false pretense but
unholy mixture. As the apostle said of himself and his companion
ministers, "We are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as
of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ"
(2 Cor. 2:17), where the words "which corrupt" literally mean "which
huckster" (which deceitfully mingle false and worthless articles among
the genuine).
Sincerity is opposed to mixture: of truth and error, of godliness and
worldliness, of loveliness and sin. A sincere person has not assumed
Christianity as a mask, but his motives are disinterested and pure,
his conduct is free from double-dealing and cunning, his words express
the real sentiments of his heart. He is one who can bear to have the
light turned upon him, the springs of his actions scrutinized by God
Himself. He is of one piece through and through, and not a hypocrite
who vainly attempts to serve two masters and make the best of both
worlds. He is not afraid to be tested by the Word, for he is without
guile or sham and is straightforward and honest in all his dealings.
As we have seen, in 2 Corinthians 1:12, "sincerity" is joined with
"simplicity," which is expressed by "if... thine eye be single"
(Matthew 6:22), where the same word is used. The one with a "single"
eye refuses to mix fleshly craftiness with spirituality: he aims
solely at pleasing and glorifying God. Hence, a sincere heart is a
true heart (Heb. 10:22), a heart genuinely holy, true to God, faithful
in all things. A sincere heart is a pure heart (2 Tim. 2:22).
The Origin of Sincerity
Now the springs from which sincerity flows are the three things
mentioned by Paul in his petition. First, it arises from love to
God--which consists not only of the understanding and the affections
adoring His perfections but also of the will's esteeming His will as
it is made known in His commandments. Therefore the apostle prayed
that their love might abound yet more and more. Second, sincerity
proceeds from knowledge, for the more the understanding is divinely
enlightened and the heart awed by an apprehension of God's ineffable
majesty, the more careful we are to approach Him with a true heart and
the more fearful we are of acting hypocritically before Him. It is
spiritual ignorance of the true and living God which causes the
unregenerate to suppose they can impose upon Him with mere external
performances and bodily postures, while their hearts are alienated
from Him; hence the apostle prayed that love might abound "in
knowledge." Third, sincerity issues from that sense of taste which the
believer has of the blessedness of walking with God and communing with
Him, and from proving for himself the excellence and sweetness of His
Word, so that he declares, "O how love I thy law." Thus the apostle
prayed that their love might abound in knowledge and in "all
judgment."
As 2 Corinthians 1:12 intimates, sincerity has special reference to
the eyes of the heart being fixed upon God in all that we do. David
referred to such sincerity or soundness of spirit when he said, "Judge
me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine integrity" (Ps. 26:1). The Lord
referred to the same when He said to Solomon, "If thou wilt walk
before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in
uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and
wilt keep my statutes and my judgments: then I will establish the
throne of thy kingdom" (1 Kings 9:4-5). David had declared, "I have
inclined my heart to perform thy statutes alway, even unto the end"
(Ps. 119:112). In just such an inclining of the heart, constant to the
divine precepts, sincerity lies. Job claimed sincerity of heart (Job
27:5-6). That patriarch was not referring, as has been so commonly
misunderstood, to his acceptance with God on the ground of his works
but to the purity of his motives and the sincerity of his heart before
God. He knew he was no hypocrite, and could appeal to the Searcher of
hearts in proof.
Such sincerity as has been described above constitutes one of the
radical differences between the truly regenerate and the pretender,
for, as John Newton well pointed out in his piece on simplicity and
sincerity, "It is an essential part of the Christian character." The
religionist may be very diligent and regular in performing his
devotions and very careful in making clean "the outside of the cup and
of the platter," but he takes no stock of what passes within himself.
A slave may do just as much for his master as the child of that master
does for his dear father; in fact, because of his superior strength
and skill, the former may do much more than the latter; yet there is a
vast difference as to the affection with which and the end for which
those two work--but they are inward and invisible! So is the service
rendered by an unregenerate employee and another possessing godly
sincerity: the latter will heed that injunction "Servants, be obedient
to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and
trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ [serving Him in
it]; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers; but as the servants of
Christ, doing the will of God from the heart" (Eph. 6:5-6)--as
appointed by Him and performed conscientiously unto Him.
Things Wherein Vital Godliness Consists
Sincerity is found principally in the will: in respect to sin, in
refusing evil: in respect to holiness, in choosing the good. Where the
will is savingly sanctified, it gives God the preeminence, making
ease, credit, pleasures, profits, honors, relations, aspirations, all
stoop to Him. It is much, very much, when we can solemnly claim this
grace before God Himself. That is what Hezekiah did when (in those
little-understood words of his) he said, "I beseech thee, O LORD,
remember now how I have walked before thee in truth [reality, knowing
Thine eye was ever upon me] and with a perfect [upright, or sincere]
heart" (2 Kings 20:3). When we are not afraid to come to the light and
have our innermost desires and designs examined by the holy One, we
may know that we have responded to His just call and claim. Peter,
despite his terrible fall, after his sincere repentance could
unhesitatingly say to the Searcher of hearts, "Lord, thou knowest all
things; thou knowest that I love thee" (John 21:17). That was not a
presumptuous boast but a plain statement of fact.
Sincerity eyes the omniscience of God and, knowing that He cannot be
imposed upon, acts accordingly. It is exercised and manifested in
various ways. The sincere soul shuns sinful thoughts and imaginations,
which, though hidden from the sight of our fellows, are "naked and
opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do" (Heb. 4:13).
Therefore a sincere or upright soul prays and strives against them,
mourns over and confesses the same. If the reader is a stranger to
such experiences, then his religion is worthless and his profession
empty. The sincere soul will not allow himself secret sins. Although
the thickest curtains of night and darkness may be drawn about him, he
dare not, for he knows that "the eyes of the LORD are in every place,
beholding the evil and the good" (Prov. 15:3). And when his lusts gain
a temporary mastery, far from excusing himself, he abhors himself, and
with a broken heart acknowledges his faults before God. The sincere
soul will guard against performing holy duties coldly and
mechanically, afraid to mock the omniscient One with empty words and
with the feigned reverence of outward postures.
It is in just such things as we have mentioned above that vital
godliness chiefly consists: in the things of the heart. Alas that the
great majority of God's own people receive no instruction on such
matters today, from either the pulpit or the religious magazines. Alas
that there is now so little to search out and expose an empty
profession. Instead, nominal Christians are bolstered up with the idea
that so long as they are orthodox in their beliefs, attend to their
church duties, and lead respectable lives, all is well with them, no
matter what may be the state of their hearts in the sight of God. A
sincere soul is not occupied with how much time he spends in prayer,
but how real and genuine his prayer is. He is concerned about the
spirituality of his worship. Thus Paul said, "God is my witness, whom
I serve with my spirit" (Rom. 1:9)--not in mere external rites. To the
hypocrites Christ said, "This people draweth nigh unto me with their
mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from
me"; and therefore He added, "In vain they do worship me" (Matthew
15:8-9). For He looks on the heart. Sincerity is conscientious about
the inward part of worship and service. Sincerity is the salt which
alone savors any sacrifices: where that is lacking, they are an
offense to God, because of our play-acting.
To Walk "Without Offence"
We must pass on now to the third reason by which the apostle supported
his request: "That ye may be sincere, and without offense till the day
of Christ." The Greek word here rendered "offense" means to walk
without stumbling. Thus, as "sincerity" has reference to the integrity
of the heart, "offense" looks principally to the external conduct.
Goodwin defines the term as signifying "the errings, mistreadings,
stumblings, and bruisings of the feet in walking." How may we walk
without offense? First, to walk without offense is to carefully avoid
those ways and works before believers that might induce them to sin,
or such which we know would prove an occasion of stumbling to others,
or that would strengthen and confirm the wicked in their corruption.
The same word is used in this manner in 1 Corinthians 10:32, "Give
none offense, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the
church of God." That which occasioned scandal must be sedulously
avoided. We must never by our example invite others to follow us in
evil.
Second, to walk without offense is to abstain from every action which
would be contrary to the light which the Christian has received from
God and the principles which he professes before others. A case of
failure in this particular respect is found in Peter's withdrawing and
separating himself from the Gentile saints, "fearing them which were
of the circumcision" (Gal. 2:12). Such conduct was reprehensible, and
Paul "withstood him to the face," for "they walked not uprightly"
(Gal. 2:14). Literally, the Greek means "They walked not with a right
foot": their walk did not square with the rule God had given, and
therefore was "not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel."
Peter had been the first to receive a divine revelation, by means of a
vision from heaven (Acts 10), that he must not regard the Gentile
saints as unclean, and refuse to eat with them. But the fear of man
brought a snare and caused him to walk contrary to the light God had
vouchsafed him. Thereby he stumbled the Gentile believers--the very
reverse of being without offense. Peter's failure here is recorded as
a case for us to solemnly take to heart.
Third, to walk without offense goes even further than the maintaining
of a blameless conversation or conduct before men, including as it
does a blameless conscience before God. This is clear from Acts 24:16
where the apostle again used the same term: "Herein do I exercise
myself, to have a conscience void of offense toward God, and men." He
resolved that there should be nothing in his behavior which could
occasion accusation of conscience before God. Paul's conscience had
received more light than any man's then living in the world, and
therefore he had the hardest task to walk up to that light, and needed
to give more thought and diligence in managing every action and the
circumstances of it. He endeavored to so conduct himself that there
might not be a single dark spot on his conscience, that there might be
no act of spirit converse to that light which had shined in his soul,
nothing that would cast any shadow upon it. That he succeeded therein
is clear from 2 Corinthians 1:12, and that he prayed for the same
experience in the saints is evident from our text. Therefore we should
be satisfied with nothing short of that.
To live without offense does not mean to be sinless--for that would
contradict James 3:2 and 1 John 1:8; but it means to refrain from
everything which causes others to sin, to do no action contrary to the
light we have received from God, and to avoid everything which would
issue in a guilty conscience before Him. That is indeed a high
standard of conduct, yet we must aim at nothing short of it. It is the
highest realization in this life, approximating to perfection
outwardly. That it is, by the grace of God, attainable, appears from
the case of the parents of John the Baptist: "They were both righteous
before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord
blameless"--though not sinless (Luke 1:6). The Apostle Paul declared,
"I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day" (Acts
23:1). As Goodwin says, "If a holy man is often kept from such sins a
week, a month, a year, then it is also possible, in this state of
frailty, to be kept all his lifetime."
Gleanings from Paul Index
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings from Paul
by A. W. Pink
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21. Prayer for Fruits of Righteousness
Philippians 1:11
"That Ye May Be Sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,
being filled with the fruits of righteousness." By the "day of Christ"
we understand the time when He shall be revealed before an assembled
universe as King of kings and Lord of lords, when He shall judge the
world in righteousness (Acts 17:31), "taking vengeance on them that
know not God, and that obey not the gospel," and being "glorified in
his saints" (2 Thess. 1:7-10). For the redeemed it will be a day of
examination and adjudication (Rom. 14:12; 2 Cor. 5:10), not for the
purpose of ascertaining their justification, but to attest their
sanctification, to exhibit what grace had wrought in them, that the
radical difference between the regenerate and the unregenerate, the
blessed and the cursed, may be fully displayed, that Christ might be
owned and magnified as the Author of all their godliness, and that
they may be rewarded for their good works. It will then appear that
the outstanding characteristic which distinguishes the children of God
from the children of disobedience is that of personal holiness,
holiness both of character and conduct, and since holiness has both a
negative and positive side to it, the apostle has here designedly
linked together "without offense" and "being filled with the fruits of
righteousness."
This phrase "till the day of Christ" coming in between "without
offense" and "being filled with the fruits of righteousness" belongs
to each of them, both in grammatical sense and doctrinal purport. From
its insertion there, we may gather at least three things. First, it is
required that this negative and positive holiness be maintained
without interruption until that day: or, in other words it enforces
the necessity of the saints' perseverance to the end of their course.
Second, it intimates the special relation which holiness has to that
"day" when "every man's work shall be made manifest" (1 Cor. 3:13) and
the Lord "both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and
will make manifest the counsels of the hearts" (1 Cor. 4:5). Third, it
sets before us a powerful incentive to live hourly with the judgment
seat of Christ before us, that "we may have confidence, and not be
ashamed before him at his coming" (1 John 2:28). Christ warned His
disciples against carnality, lest "that day come upon you unawares;"
(Luke 21:34), and His apostle exhorted believers in view of that day
to "cast off the works of darkness, and . . . put on the armor of
light" (Rom. 13:12).
Practical Righteousness
"Being filled with the fruits of righteousness." Of what
righteousness? No doubt quite a number of our readers would answer,
"The imputed righteousness of Christ." Yet they would be mistaken. It
is important to recognize the threefold distinction the New Testament
makes. There is a righteousness God communicates to His people in
regeneration, there is a righteousness reckoned to their account at
justification, and there is a righteousness wrought out by them in
their sanctification. Those who confound those three things confuse
themselves and imbibe error. "The effectual fervent prayer of a
righteous man availeth much" (Jam. 5:16) signifies more than one to
whom the obedience of Christ has been imputed, namely, one whose heart
is right and whose ways are pleasing to God. One who has been
justified may be in a backslidden state; while that is the case, his
prayers will avail nothing (Isa. 59:2; James 4:3)! If we would ask and
receive of God, then we must "keep his commandments" (1 John 3:22).
Righteousness is right doing, walking according to the divine rule,
namely, the law of the Lord; and keeping His commandments is termed
practical righteousness--righteousness wrought out in our practice.
But since by nature "there is none righteous, no, not one" (Rom.
3:10), a miracle of grace must first take place within us.
As the Lord Jesus declared, "Make the tree good, and his fruit good"
(Matthew 12:33), for grapes are not borne by thorns nor figs by
thistles. The heart must first be made right, before our conduct will
become so. Only a righteous man will produce the fruits of
righteousness: he must have a righteous root within from whence they
come. At regeneration a principle of righteousness is imparted to the
soul. In that miracle of grace the heart is made right with God. At
the new birth a nature is received "which after God is created in
righteousness and true holiness" (Eph. 4:24). When the saints are
there exhorted to "put on [as a uniform] the new man," they are
enjoined to live and walk as new creatures in Christ. That principle
of righteousness received from God at regeneration, that new and holy
nature, is expressly said to be "his workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus unto good works" (Eph. 2:10). That is the end for which He
regenerates us, that our lives may glorify Him. The tree is made good
that it may bear good fruit. "Created in Christ Jesus" means that at
the new birth we are made vitally one with Him, and as faith in Christ
(a cleaving to Him) is the first act of the spiritual babe, His
righteousness is then imputed to him, so that he is legally as well as
experimentally righteous before God.
"If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth
righteousness is born of him" (1 John 2:29). That tells us one of the
ways by which we may recognize the regenerate, and distinguish them
from unregenerate professors, namely, by their conduct, for trees are
known by their fruit. In sharp contrast with "the children of
disobedience," the regenerate children of God walk in obedience to
Him, treading "the paths of righteousness for his name's sake" (Ps.
23:3), heeding His precepts and keeping His statutes. Like begets
like: God is righteous and He makes His children so. Like father like
children: if the reader will carefully ponder John 8:38-44, he will
see how that truth is argued and proved--the Son being like the
Father, the wicked bearing the features and performing the will of
their father, the devil. The regenerate, then, are "trees of
righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified"
(Isa. 61:3); and He is glorified by their bearing the fruits of
righteousness. Only the doer of righteousness is really born of God;
therefore one whose character and conduct are unrighteous cannot be a
righteous person, and should not be regarded so by the saints.
"Filled with the Fruits of Righteousness"
Now the "fruits of righteousness" brought forth by a righteous person
are those acts which are agreeable to the law of God and which have
the Word of God for their rule. Righteousness is right doing, and only
that can be right which accords with the revealed will of God. Unless
He has appointed a certain line of conduct for us to engage in, our
actions would either be men-pleasing or self-seeking. A succinct
summary of God's will is made known to us in the Ten Commandments, the
moral law being the rule for us to walk by. The gospel precepts or
exhortations found in the Epistles are but so many explications of
those commandments, applied to the varied relations and details of our
lives. As "sin is the transgression of the law" so righteousness is
conformity to it (1 John 3:4-7). The fruits of righteousness,
therefore, are those works which the Christian performs according to
that which the Word of God warrants and requires: in other words, they
are acts of obedience to the Lord. "Neither yield ye your members as
instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto
God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as
instruments of righteousness unto God" (Rom. 6:13).
"Being filled with the fruits of righteousness": this was the
God-honoring standard of excellence which the apostle longed that the
saints should attain to. Here again we are struck with the vast
difference between his large-heartedness and the parsimony of those
whose supplications are so cramped in spirit and limited in scope. It
is false humility which restricts our requests within narrow bounds.
It is nothing but unbelief which limits the bounty of God to the
bestowing of trifling favors. Nor is the plea of our unworthiness any
valid reason to justify the poverty of our asking. No saint has ever
presumed to approach God and seek blessings from Him on the basis of
his own worthiness. The most spiritual and pious Christian who ever
lived was heavily in debt to God, and therefore could only supplicate
for mercy on the ground of His infinite grace. Paul, then, was not
content to see these Philippians bearing some fruit, but prayed that
they might be "filled with the fruits of righteousness." He did not
base that request on anything which they had to their credit, but he
eyed the munificence of God and asked accordingly. Let none of us ever
be satisfied with a small measure of grace.
The Believer to Bear "Much Fruit"
Bringing forth the fruits of righteousness abundantly should be the
deep and daily concern of every child of God, for His honor is never
more promoted than when we are so engaged. Said the Lord Jesus,
"Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye
be my disciples" (John 15:8). In this manner the truly regenerate can
make evident the real and radical difference between themselves and
hypocrites. The Father is not glorified by our lip service, but by the
tenor and texture of our daily lives, by having all our steps and
actions ordered by His Word. "Let your light so shine before men, that
they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in
heaven"
(Matthew 5:16). Those "good works" are the same as these "fruits of
righteousness," and we should be wholly taken up with performing them.
We believe that in His "so shine" Christ gave warning of a danger: we
need to beware of aiming at our own glory in such fruit-bearing. God
has not given us His spirit for the purpose of serving and magnifying
ourselves. He who aims to gain a reputation for eminent piety before
his fellows, has yielded to the spirit of Pharisaism. Divine grace is
not bestowed on the Christian to advance his honor but to glorify its
Giver.
"Being filled with the fruits of righteousness" has a threefold force.
First, the Christian's whole life should bear these fruits. As the
heart of man is the bulk and body of this tree, so every power of the
soul, each member of the body, is a branch. Before conversion were not
all our inward faculties and external organs used in the service of
unrighteousness? If not designedly so, yet actually, for they were not
employed in serving God. What were our affections set upon? What
chiefly engaged our minds? How were our eyes and ears, lips and hands,
occupied? As we formerly yielded our members to iniquity, now we are
to yield our members as servants to righteousness--all of them--so
that we may be filled with such fruits. The godly man is likened to a
flourishing tree in Psalm 1, and one of the fruits there mentioned is
the budding of holy thoughts: "In God's law doth he meditate day and
night." He stores his mind with its precepts and promises, he studies
how best he can please God.
Second, a Christian is filled with fruit when good works of all sorts
are produced in his life. "Being fruitful in every good work, and
increasing in the knowledge of God" (Col. 1:10). If the believer is to
be "filled with the fruits of righteousness," every grace must be
active. "Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue
knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience;
and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to
brotherly kindness love" (2 Pet. 1:5-7). The Christian differs from
all other trees, for though a natural tree may be heavily laden, it
bears only one kind of fruit. But "the fruit of the Spirit is in all
goodness and righteousness and truth" (Eph. 5:9). Said the apostle,
"Therefore as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and
knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye
abound in this grace also" (2 Cor. 8:7), i.e., contributing to the
needs of the poor of the flock. He wanted them to be lacking in
nothing. If we are to be filled with fruits, then we must have respect
to all the divine commandments (Ps. 119:6), being remiss in no duty
and failing in no practice of godliness, withholding nothing that is
due the Lord.
Third, to be filled with the fruits of righteousness is to be filled
with them at all times. All our time is to be filled with some good
work or other: our vocation, recreation, holy duties. A man brings
forth fruit in recreation as well as in holy duties, if his purpose is
to have greater vigor, health, and enthusiasm in order to perform holy
duties. But if a man wisely and conscientiously proportions his time,
according to his conditions, and with holy purpose, he will be filled
with the fruits of righteousness.
All Is of God
"Being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by [or
`through'] Jesus Christ." How jealous was the apostle for the glory of
his Master, giving honor to whom honor was due! Though these fruits
are borne by the saints (and without them they would not be saints),
yet they do not originate from them, and therefore they have no ground
for boasting. "From me is thy fruit found" (Hos. 14:8). He is the
vitalizing Vine of which we are the branches. Yet our verse is far
from teaching that Christians are entirely passive in their
fruit-bearing, or that they may excuse comparative fruitlessness by
attributing the same to the sovereignty of the Lord--rationalizing
that it was not His good pleasure that they should be more productive.
Such an idea is a wicked perversion of a blessed truth. Christ Himself
declared, "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit"
(John 15:8). If we are not consistently bearing fruit, the blame rests
wholly upon ourselves, and it is a horrible and satanic slander to
attribute it to anything in God. The teaching of the Puritans was very
different from such Antinomianism.
These fruits "are by Jesus Christ." They are created in Christ Jesus
(Eph. 2:10). They issue from our being made vitally one with Him at
regeneration. These fruits arise from the Spirit of Jesus Christ
dwelling in the heart. Christ is the root; the new nature is the
branch springing forth from Him; the Holy Spirit is the energizer and
fructifier. Fruits of righteousness result from a man's laying hold of
the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ for his righteousness.
These fruits develop by motives drawn from Christ. When the love of
Christ constrains us to obedience, when His grace teaches us to deny
all ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously,
and godly in this present world, when we realize He redeemed us to be
a peculiar people zealous of good works, our resultant holy actions
are the fruits of righteousness.
The fruits of righteousness flow from our growth in Christ. The
apostle speaks of our growing up into Christ in all things (Eph.
4:15). As a man grows up in Christ, in nearer union and communion with
Him, he grows more holy. The example of Christ moves me to bear the
fruits of righteousness. "He that saith he abideth in him ought
himself also so to walk, even as he walked" (1 John 2:6). He is to be
our Model and Pattern in all things. We are to be conformed to His
holy image, and just so far as we follow His steps (1 Pet. 2:21) do we
bear the fruits of righteousness which are by Him. Our actions are
fruits of righteousness when we look for all the acceptance of our
fruits in Jesus Christ, or when we expect that they shall all be
accepted of God in and through Jesus Christ, and not as they come from
us. Thus our services are "sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus
Christ" (1 Pet. 2:5). Our best performances are faulty, and are only
pleasing to God as they are presented in the name of Christ and
perfumed with His merits.
Fruits of righteousness are by Jesus Christ as we wear His yoke. The
key passage on fruit-bearing is John 15, and there, as all through
Scripture, is a perfect blending of the divine and human sides. If on
the one hand we learn that Christ is the true Vine and His Father the
Husbandman, who purges every branch that it may bring forth more
fruit, on the other hand Christ there exhorts us, "abide in me, and I
in you" (which enforces our responsibility), and then adds, "As the
branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no
more can ye, except ye abide in me" (John 15:4). To "abide" in Christ
is to be yoked to Him, to walk with Him, to commune with Him, to draw
from Him; it is the opposite of wandering from Him, of allowing
something to come between our heart and Himself. "He that abideth in
me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without
[severed from] me ye can do nothing." The marginal rendering is
preferred, as it sustains the figure used in the context. Christ was
not there emphasizing the impotence of the believer, but was enforcing
the impossibility of his bearing fruit if fellowship with Himself was
broken--stressing the imperative need of our "abiding" in, or walking
with, Him.
All to Be Done to "the Glory of God"
"Unto the glory and praise of God." This clause also qualifies the
first one. The "fruits of righteousness" are those alone which are
produced with this specific aim and design. All our actions should be
directed to this grand end: "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or
whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31). Neither
the pleasing of self nor the approbation of our fellows must be our
motive. No matter what we may be employed in, whether it be our daily
work or recreation, the honoring and pleasing of God must be kept as
definitely in mind as when we are exercised in holy duties. When
speaking of the giving of alms--which is one fruit of
righteousness--the apostle said, "If any man minister, let him do it
as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be
glorified through Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 4:11). That was what always
regulated and marked our blessed Redeemer. He never sought honor for
Himself, but constantly had the glory of His Father in view; and if we
have received His Spirit and abide in Him, that action will
characterize us. When our hearts are imbued with God's glory, when we
aim at and refer all to the same, then our works are "unto the glory
and praise of God," and then they are "the fruits of righteousness . .
. by Jesus Christ."
We will reserve our remarks on being "without offense till the day of
Jesus Christ" until we come to 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 and 5:23-24;
but we will offer a few words on "being filled with the fruits of
righteousness" in reference to that day. As stated before, "the day of
Jesus Christ" was here mentioned by Paul because our holiness bears a
special relation to that time. Natural trees that have long borne
fruit eventually cease bearing. But man shall appear at the latter day
with all the fruit that he has borne throughout his whole life. Wicked
men shall appear with all their bad works, and godly men shall appear
with all their good works. Thus the end of the world is called a
harvest (Matthew 13:39) and a reaping (Gal. 6:4-9). The apostle prayed
in behalf of these Philippians that at that day they might appear
"filled with all the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus
Christ." What an incentive to holiness to keep that before us! Those
fruits will be to the honor of Christ and to the glory of God, and we
shall be richly rewarded.
Gleanings from Paul Index
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings from Paul
by A. W. Pink
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22. Prayer for a Worthy Walk
Colossians 1:9-10
One chief reason why the Holy Spirit has placed on permanent record so
many of the prayers of the apostle is that the saints of all
succeeding ages might receive instruction from them. The subject
matter of their petitions implies and denotes the following things.
First, what they requested for the saints are the particular things
which Christians in all ages are to especially desire, prize, and seek
an increase of. Second, God alone can impart, sustain, and promote
such blessings and graces. Third, we too should not only ask for these
favors but must diligently strive to realize them. Prayer was never
designed to excuse apathy, nor to relieve us of the discharge of our
responsibility. We are insincere if we cry to God for certain things
and do nothing ourselves to seek and secure them. To request more
light from the Word or a fuller understanding of the divine will and
not to continue diligently searching the Scriptures and meditating on
its contents is reprehensible.
Prayer to Be Regulated by Special Needs
It has been pointed out in earlier chapters that in each instance the
substance of the apostle's prayer was regulated by the particular case
or condition of each separate company of saints for which he made
supplication. This teaches us that one prayer is more pertinent and
suitable to a Christian or a group of Christians at one time or
circumstance than another. While having much in common, the various
local churches of which we have any account in the New Testament
differed in several respects: in their graces, trials, and failures,
as the apostles did from one another. Though alike in essentials, they
were dissimilar in circumstantials. The church at Colosse was no
exception. Instead of its members being harassed by Judaizers, as were
the Corinthians, they were in danger of being corrupted by the
Gnostics. False teachers were seeking to rob the Corinthians of their
liberty in Christ, while austere ascetics and subtle philosophers were
endeavoring to deprive the Colossians of that simplicity which is in
Christ. Indications of this are found in Colossians 2:4, 8, 18, 20-23.
Paul therefore prayed here more concerning the practical aspect of the
Christian life.
Paul Not the Planter of the Colossian Church
There is no clear and direct scriptural evidence that Paul was ever in
Colossae, and still less that he founded the first Christian assembly
there. The general testimony of antiquity favors the view that
Epaphras sent by Paul from Ephesus was the one who carried the gospel
to that city and organized its church. But the point is not one of any
practical importance.
Though Paul was not the planter of this church, he was far from being
indifferent to its welfare, nor did he make any difference between it
and those he had personally founded. Those who had been converted
under others were as dear to him as his own converts. Oh, for more of
his large-heartedness. His deep solicitude for the Colossians is
evidenced by the trouble he took in writing this epistle to them. A
careful reading of its contents makes it evident that it was penned in
view of certain errors which extensively prevailed among the churches
in that part of Asia Minor. Some knowledge--a general understanding at
least--of those errors is necessary in order to correctly interpret
some of the details of this epistle. Those errors consisted of a
mixture of Grecian philosophy (Col. 2:4-8) and Jewish ceremonialism
(Col. 2:16)--a type of Gnosticism which was really a Grecianized form
of Oriental mysticism. The chief design of the apostle in this epistle
was to assert the superior claims of Christianity over all
philosophies, and its independence of the peculiar rites and customs
of Judaism.
Thomas Scott's Summary of This Prayer
The best summary we have met with of this prayer is that furnished by
Thomas Scott: "He especially requested that they might be `filled' or
`completely endowed with' the knowledge of the will of God: both in
respect of His method of saving sinners and their duties to Him and to
all men as His redeemed servants; that they might understand the
import and spiritual extent of His commandments, and how to obey them
in the several relationships, situations and offices which they
sustained in the church and in the community, and for the improvement
of their different talents. That they might know how to apply general
rules to their own particular cases, and so do the work of Christ
assigned to each of them in the best manner, from the purest motives
and with the happiest effect. Thus they would proceed `in all wisdom
and spiritual understanding,' with sagacity and prudent discernment of
seasons and opportunities, distinguishing between real excellency and
all deceitful appearances; wisely attending to their duties in the
most inoffensive and engaging manner without affording their enemies
any advantage, or losing opportunities of usefulness out of timidity,
or failing of success through want of caution and discretion.
"He was desirous of this especially, that they might habitually behave
in a manner worthy of that glorious and holy Lord, whose servants and
worshippers they were: not dishonoring Him or His cause by any
inconsistency or impropriety of conduct, but acting as become persons
so highly favored and Divinely instructed: and that their conduct
might be in all respects well-pleasing to Him, while fruitfulness in
every kind of good work was connected with a still further increase in
the knowledge of God, and of the glory and harmony of His perfections,
and a happy experience of His consolations. The apostle and his
helpers prayed also that the Colossians might be most abundantly
strengthened in all the graces of the new nature with an energy suited
to their utmost need, according to the glorious power of God by which
He converted, upheld and comforted believers; that so they might be
enabled to bear all their tribulations and persecutions with patient
submission, persevering constancy, meekness of long-suffering, and joy
in the Lord. While, amidst all trials, they gave thanks to the Father
of our Lord Jesus, whose special grace had made them meet to partake
of the inheritance provided for the saints in the world of perfect
light, knowledge, holiness and happiness: at a distance from all
ignorance, error, sin, temptation and sorrow."
An Analysis of the Apostle's Prayer
Before considering it in detail, let us first give a brief analysis of
this prayer. (1) Its address: The majority of writers appear to regard
this prayer as being one without an address, but this we consider a
mistake. It is true that none is found at the beginning of verse 9,
but that was not necessary since in verse 3 the apostle had said, "We
give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, :praying
always for you." (2) Its supplicators: In contrast with the `I' of
Ephesians 1:15 and Philippians 1:9-10, this proceeded from a
"we"--Paul himself, Timothy (Phil. 1:1), Epaphras (Col. 1:7) who was
with him (Philem. 23), and possibly others. (3) Its occasion, or
spring: "For this cause." Probably the saints at Colossae had sent
their minister Epaphras to learn the apostle's mind on certain
matters, a summary of which is intimated in this prayer. Moreover, the
knowledge of their "love in the Spirit" for them (Col. 1:8) had drawn
out their affections, which were now expressed in fervent supplication
for them. (4) Its petitions: Request was made that they might be
intelligent Christians--pious, strong, and thankful ones.
The Breadth of Paul's Request for the Saints
Once more we see the breadth or comprehensiveness of the requests
which Paul was wont to make for the saints. The "large petitions"
which he spread before God were a marked feature of all his approaches
to the throne of grace on behalf of God's people, and it is one which
we need to take to heart and emulate. For the saints at Rome he had
prayed that God would fill them "with all joy and peace in believing,"
that they might "abound in hope" (Rom. 15:13). For the Ephesians that
they might be "filled with all the fullness of God" (Eph. 3:19). For
the Philippians that "their love might abound more and more" and that
they might "be filled with the fruits of righteousness" (Phil. 1:9,
11). So Paul prayed here: that they might not merely have a knowledge
of God's will in wisdom but "be filled with the knowledge of his will
in all wisdom." This was not a bare and general request that their
conduct should adorn the gospel, but rather that they "might walk
worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good
work." How different is this large-heartedness of the apostle from
that cramped spirit which is evident in much of our praying!
The Order of These Petitions
Once more we would press upon the reader the great importance of
paying heed to the order of these petitions if he would rightly
apprehend and duly appreciate them. Usually this is best accomplished
by considering them in their inverse order. We are in no fit condition
to be "giving thanks unto the Father" for "the inheritance of the
saints in light." In fact, we lack an essential part of the evidence
that we have been "made meet" to be partakers of it if we are not
exercising "all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness" despite
the difficulties and trials of the way. Nor will such graces as those
be active unless we first are "strengthened with all might, according
to his glorious power." But that, in turn, is dependent upon our
"increasing in the knowledge of God." Yet that will not be our happy
experience except we "walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being
fruitful in every good work." And how can we possibly do that unless
we are first filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and
spiritual understanding?
"For this cause [the declaration of their love] we also, since the day
we heard it, do not cease to pray for you [which is the most effective
way of reciprocating Christian affection], and to desire ["make
request for you," R.V.] that ye might be filled with the knowledge of
His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding" (Col. 1:9). As
intimated above, in order to discern and appreciate the force of this
opening petition it is necessary to observe the relation it bears to
those that follow: as cause to effect. As our being granted "the
spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him" (Eph. 1:17)
is required in order for the eyes of our understanding to be
enlightened, that we may know what is "the hope of his calling"; as
our being "strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man"
(Eph. 3:16) must precede Christ's dwelling in our hearts by faith, our
being rooted and grounded in love, and our being filled with the
fullness of God; and as our love must "abound yet more and more in
knowledge and in all judgment" (Phil. 1:10) if we are to approve
things that are excellent; so must we be "sincere and without offense"
to be "filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and
spiritual understanding" so that we may "walk worthy of the Lord unto
all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work."
Paul's Prayer for the Colossian Saints
"That ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom
and spiritual understanding." To be without such knowledge is to be
like the captain of a ship starting out on a long voyage without a
chart, or for builders to erect a house or factory with no
architectural plan to guide them. With rare exceptions, when we read
in the Epistles of "the will of God," the reference is to His revealed
will and not His secret will, His authoritative will rather than His
providential will--His will made known to us in the Scriptures.
Neither his understanding, conscience, nor "new nature" is sufficient
to serve the Christian as the director of his ways. Only in His Word
is God's authoritative will discovered to us. There alone do we have
an all-sufficient and infallible guide--a lamp to our feet, a light to
our path. To be filled with the knowledge of the divine will should
not only be the main burden of our daily prayers but the principal
quest of our lives: to obtain a better, fuller, closer knowledge of
what God requires of us. Without that we can neither please nor
glorify Him, nor shall we escape the innumerable pitfalls in our path.
This Is a Gradual Process
At least three things are implied by the wording of this opening
petition. First, by nature we are devoid of such knowledge: before
regeneration we are actuated only by self-will and satanic
suggestions--"we have turned every one to his own way" (Isa. 53:6).
Second, to become filled with the knowledge of God's will is a gradual
process, for the filling of a vessel is accomplished by degrees, by
steady increase. And thus it is with the Christian: "precept upon
precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little." Third, it is
our duty to attain to this state, yet constant recourse must be had to
the throne of grace for divine assistance. Ignorance is deplorable and
inexcusable, yet wisdom comes from above and must be diligently
sought. To be "filled with the knowledge of his will" includes a
comprehensive and abundant knowledge as well as a well-proportioned
one. The apostle here made request for something intensely practical:
not speculations about the divine nature, prying into the divine
decrees, nor inquisitive explorations of unfulfilled prophecy, but the
knowledge of God's will as it respects the ordering of our daily walk
in this world. As one has said: "The knowledge of our duty is the best
knowledge." "That the soul be without knowledge . . . is not good"
(Prov. 19:2).
The Daily Renewal of Our Consecration
It is a most serious mistake to suppose that at regeneration the
understanding is enlightened once for all, that it is so completely
illumined as to be in no further need of divine assistance afterward.
It is as grave an error to imagine that the surrender of the will to
God at conversion was so entire that it is unnecessary for the saint
to daily renew his consecration to Him. Such errors are manifestly
refuted by a prayer of David's: "With my whole heart have I sought
thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments" (Ps. 119:10). Though
David had fully yielded himself to the Lord and had made more than
ordinary progress in godliness, yet he felt himself to be in deep need
of perpetual quickening, directing, and upholding, lest he lose the
knowledge he already possessed and backslide from that course upon
which he had entered. The truth is that the more experience we have of
God's ways, the more sensible we become of our deplorable proneness to
wander from Him. On the other hand, the more we truly seek God with
the whole heart, the more our spiritual light will be increased, for
by a closer walking with Him we obtain a clearer and fuller
apprehension of His holiness; and that in turn makes us more conscious
of our defects, for it is in His light that we see light.
Every healthy saint experiences such a longing after a knowledge of
God's will as this prayer breathes. The more knowledge he obtains of
God's will the more he becomes aware of his ignorance. And why is this
the case? Because he has acquired a larger concept of his duty. At
first Christian consciousness of duty consists more in the general
than in its details, more of the outward walk and the external acts of
worship, more of quantity than of quality. But before long he
discovers that God requires him to regulate the inner man and subdue
his soul to Him. In fact, he learns that this is the principal task
assigned him. As the believer more and more realizes the breadth of
God's commandment (Ps. 119:96) and the exceeding spirituality of His
law ( Romans 7:14), he becomes painfully conscious of how far, far
short he falls of discharging his responsibilities, and how sadly he
has failed in this and that respect. Nevertheless, such a humbling
discovery is evidence that his sense of duty has been enlarged, and
that his own inability to perform it is all the more apparent to him.
Walking with God Begets an Enlarged Sense of Duty
As a closer walking with God begets an enlarged sense of duty, it also
produces an increased realization of the difficulties attending the
performance of it. As the natural man in his youth is full of vigor
and hope, and in his inexperience and impetuosity rushes into
engagements for which he is unqualified and is forward to rashly
embark upon ventures which later he regrets, so the young Christian,
on fire with affection and zeal, attempts tasks for which he is not
fitted and then smarts for acting presumptuously. But in the school of
experience he discovers something of his ignorance, his weakness, the
inconstancy of his heart, and learns to distinguish between the
natural energy of the flesh and true spirituality. God has made him to
know something of wisdom "in the hidden part" (Ps. 51:6), which works
in him self-diffidence and holy fear. He becomes more dependent upon
God, more diligent in mortifying his lusts, more humble in his
approach to the throne of grace, more frequent in crying, "Give me
understanding, and I shall keep thy law" (Ps. 119:34).
Thus the babe in Christ will not advance very far along the Christian
path before he realizes how perfectly suited to his case is the
opening petition of this prayer. To be filled with the knowledge of
God's will becomes his ever deepening desire, and that "in all wisdom
and spiritual understanding." Those added words intimate, first, the
sort of knowledge for which the Christian is to pray and strive: not
merely a theoretical but an experimental knowledge, not simply in the
letter but in the power of it, an inward, affectionate, operative
knowledge wrought in the soul by God. As we saw when examining
Philippians 1:9, light is needed to direct our activities; instruction
is needed that we may act judiciously. Heavenly wisdom is required
that love may have a proper sense of the relative worth of objects,
and suitable guidance in every instance of its exercise. Holy
affections are no more all heat without light than are the rays of the
sun, but are induced by spiritual instruction received into the mind.
The child of God is graciously affected when he perceives and
understands something more than he did formerly of the character of
God, the sufficiency of Christ, the glorious things exhibited in the
gospel. Such knowledge of those objects produces in him wisdom and
spiritual understanding.
Paul's opening petition was for something more than a bare
acquaintance with the divine will; rather it was a request that the
saints should be brought to a fuller and more acceptable obedience.
The "knowledge" of God's perceptive and authoritative will is a
practical and operative one, evidenced in a worthy walk. The babe in
Christ has the principle of obedience in his heart (divinely
communicated grace and holiness), but it needs feeding, strengthening,
quickening, illuminating, directing, so that the believer may act
aright and perform those things which God has appointed, not those
which human tradition has invented, or which natural sentiment or
personal inclination may dictate. We saw that this came first in the
prayer of Ephesians 1: "That God . . . may give unto you the spirit of
wisdom and revelation in the knowledge [and "acknowledgment," margin]
of him" (Eph. 1:17). It also was made the opening petition for the
Philippian saints: "That your love may abound yet more and more in
knowledge and all judgment" (Phil. 1:9). Thus we see the prime
importance of this blessing.
The Soul Influenced by the Beauty of Divine Things
This petition has respect to an affectionate and operative knowledge,
which is increased as the child of God is favored with a better
understanding of divine objects. The clearer and fuller are his views
of them, the more is his heart drawn out to them. The more we perceive
the ineffable beauty of divine things, the more the soul is sensibly
influenced by them. Those things on which the Christian's love is to
be placed, particularly the divine precepts, must be discerned in
their true nature and excellence before there can be spiritual delight
in them. When there is no spiritual understanding of spiritual things,
there can be no spiritual pleasure in them. We are deceived if we
suppose our love for God's commandments is increasing unless there is
a growing realization of their worth. There can be no growth of
spiritual love without an increase of spiritual knowledge. The more a
Christian knows the importance and value of God's rule, the more he
will be occupied with it. The defect of much modern religion is that
it either attempts to stir the emotions by sentimental appeals, or
exhorts the exercise of love without presenting those things which
feed love and spontaneously draw it forth.
Faith is fed by knowledge and works by love. Therefore, the fuller and
deeper is the soul's experimental acquaintance with God and the more
his affections are drawn out to and centered on Him, the more will
faith and love produce that obedience which is honoring to Him. As
spiritual knowledge of the Lord, as He is revealed to the heart,
causes us to put our trust in Him (Ps. 9:10), as believing sight in
Him as our suffering Surety opens the floodgates of evangelical
repentance (Zech. 12:10), so a sense of our deep indebtedness to Him,
a spirit of gratitude, issues in acceptable obedience. The more we
apprehend God's infinite worthiness, the more we shall strive to walk
worthily before Him. The more we behold His excellence, the more our
hearts will be warmed toward Him. The more intimate and constant is
our communion with Him, the more shall we delight ourselves in Him,
and the more tender shall we be of those things which grieve Him. So
too the more we perceive of the high sovereignty and majesty of God,
the more we shall be awed by and be amenable to His authority, and the
more diligent we shall be in cleaving to the only path in which
fellowship with Him can be enjoyed--the path of obedience to His
blessed will.
What Fellowship with God Consists of
Many today have a most inadequate and defective idea of what
fellowship with God consists of. They regard it as a special luxury
which is only enjoyed occasionally, whereas it should be experienced
regularly. They imagine it is known only when their souls are
ecstatically elevated by some uncommonly powerful sermon, during some
season of unusual liberty in prayer, or when meditating on some
precious portion of the Word. But that is more a time when the saint
is aware of the Lord's having drawn near to and lifted up the light of
His countenance upon him, favoring him with a special love token.
But we now have something else in mind. Intimate fellowship with God
can be enjoyed not only by one in the cloister but by the housewife
while engaged in her domestic tasks and by her husband as he works for
his daily bread. God graciously communes with each of His people while
they are about their secular duties as they are discharged in
obedience to Him.
Only One Way for a Closer Walk with God
What we particularly have in mind are these words: "He will teach us
of his ways, and we will walk in his paths" (Isa. 2:3). God holds
communion with us only in His ways, "the paths of righteousness." We
cannot walk with God in a way of self-will and self-pleasing, nor in
the broad road trodden by the world. Every step we take in the right
way--the way of God's revealed will--must be one of obedience. But the
moment we forsake the path of duty and wander into what Bunyan styles
"By-path meadow," we turn away from God, and leave the only place
where fellowship with Him may be had.
Wisdom from God Required for Life's Path
"In all wisdom and spiritual understanding." Those added words
intimate not only the sort of knowledge for which the Christian is to
pray but also what is necessary in order for him to employ such
knowledge to advantage. In this superficial age, knowledge and wisdom
are often confounded, yet they are far from being synonymous. There
are many learned fools in the world. Frequently the almost illiterate
exercise more natural intelligence than does the average university
graduate. "Wisdom" is the capacity to make right and good use of
knowledge. Even when we have considerable knowledge of God's will,
much wisdom and spiritual understanding are required in order to go in
the path of His commandments. Sometimes it is the Christian's duty to
admonish an erring brother, yet he is likely to do him more harm than
good unless he speaks discreetly. There is a time and a season for
everything, but good judgment and spiritual discernment are requisite
in order to recognize them. Much prudence is called for to rightly
distinguish between relative duties: to deliberately neglect secular
duties in order to feast upon spiritual things, to deprive my family
of things which they urgently need in order to give more liberally to
the Lord's cause, to forsake my wife in the evenings to engage in
religious activities, betrays an absence of spiritual understanding.
"Cause Me to Know the Way Wherein I Should Walk"
How the believer needs to pray, "Make me to understand the way of thy
precepts" (Ps. 119:27). He needs to be taught how to walk in each duty
and every detail of conduct! It is not sufficient to have a general,
superficial knowledge of the Word: it must be translated into
practice, and spiritual insight is required for that, so that we may
perceive when and where and how to perform each action. Some are wise
in general details but err sadly in particular details. Only that
wisdom which comes from above will enable us to order our lives in
every relation and situation according to the revealed will of God.
"Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law" (Ps. 119:34, 73,
144, 169). See how often David repeated that petition! Many times
God's children are placed in a dilemma when they have to choose
between duty and duty--duty to God, to their family, to their
neighbors. And wisdom and spiritual understanding are required to show
them when the one is to be dispensed with and the other performed,
when the inferior is to yield to the superior. Circumstances have to
be observed as well as actions that we may know when to "stand still"
and when to "go forward." We are not to act on impulse but be
regulated by principle.
"That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being
fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God."
This is the second thing Paul requested for the saints and there is an
inseparable connection between them, for this cannot be realized
except the first be actualized. The walks and works of a person are
determined, both in quality and quantity, by His ignorance or
knowledge of God's will and by the measure of his wisdom and spiritual
understanding. Or to state it another way: Here we are shown the use
to which such knowledge is to be put. As another said in a different
connection, our aim in getting an understanding of God's Word is not
that we may argue about questions but order our conversation. The Word
was not given us to test the sharpness of our wits in disputing. It
was given to test the readiness of our obedience in performing. That
knowledge of God's will for which the Christian should pray and labor
does not consist of prying into God's decrees; speculating about the
personal relations between the three Persons in the Trinity, or the
eternal destiny of those who are cut off in infancy; nor theorizing
about the future history of this world under the guise of studying
prophecy. Rather that knowledge consists in learning what God requires
from us and how we may be enabled to meet those requirements.
The Believer's Walk
"That ye might walk worthy of the Lord." That is, of Christ the Lord
(Luke 2:11, as is always the case except in two or three passages like
Acts 4:29; Revelation 11:15). "Walking" is applied in Scripture to the
conduct or behavior of persons. It points to the active rather than
the passive side of the Christian's life. It expresses not only motion
but voluntary motion in contrast to being carried or dragged. It
imports progressive motion, going forward, advancing in holiness. It
signifies fixing and holding a steady course in our journey
heavenward. "Walking" is in contrast with sitting and lying down, also
with aimless meandering. It is keeping to the way which God has marked
out for us. But what is meant by "walking worthily," as it should be
rendered? Certainly not meritoriously, for it is impossible for the
creature to do anything to make God his debtor or entitle him to
reward as a matter of justice: "When ye have done all those things
which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have
done that which was our duty to do" (Luke 17:10). But no Christian
ever did all that he was commanded, and even if he had, his efforts
would have been imperfect and unacceptable to God were it not for the
mediation of the Redeemer.
"Worthy Is the Lamb"
But we are told, "Worthy is the Lamb" (Rev. 5:12). Is not that the
same term? Yes, except that it is in its adjectival form. The Lamb is
indeed worthy, infinitely worthy, but no mere creature is so, not even
the holy angels, as this very same passage expressly declares. When
the question was asked, "Who is worthy to open the book to loose the
seals thereof?" we are informed, "And no man in heaven or in earth,
neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look
thereon. And I wept much because no one was found worthy to open and
read the book." But there is a worthiness of fitness as well as a
worthiness of deservingness, and it is the former which is here in
view. To walk worthily of the Lord signifies to conduct ourselves as
saints should, to act in accordance with the character of the One
whose name we bear and whose followers we profess to be. To walk
worthily of the Lord means to conduct ourselves suitably and agreeably
to our relation and indebtedness to Him, to carry ourselves as those
who are not their own. The same Greek word is rendered "as becometh"
in Romans 16:2 and Philippians 1:27.
"As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to your
former lusts in your ignorance: but as he which hath called you is
holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation [or `conduct']" (1
Pet. 1:14-15). Let your daily lives make manifest your change of
masters. Formerly you served your lusts, but that was in the days of
your ignorance when you were strangers to God. Now that you have
enlisted under the banner of the Lord Jesus and have "the knowledge of
God's will," evince it in a practical way: walk becomingly of the
Lord. How? "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus"
(Phil. 2:5). And what was that? The mind of self-abnegation--veiling
His glory and taking upon Him the form of a servant. The mind of
self-abasement--making Himself of "no reputation." The mind of
voluntary subjection and unreserved surrender--"He became obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross." How may we do all this? By
the life of Christ being reproduced in us so far as our measure and
capacity admit, that we may "grow up into him in all things" (Eph.
4:15). How? By making Him our Exemplar. "Because Christ also suffered
for us, leaving us an example that ye should follow his steps" (1 Pet.
2:21). Only in proportion as we do, shall we "walk worthy of the
Lord."
The Christian's Constant Employment
To "walk worthy of the Lord" is the great task which is assigned the
Christian, and it is to be attempted with the utmost seriousness as
his principal care, and attended to with unwearied diligence as a
matter of the utmost importance. To honor that blessed One whose we
are and whom we serve, to so conduct myself that fellow saints glorify
God in me (Gal. 1:24), to "adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all
things" (Titus 2:10), should be my supreme quest and business, never
to be forgotten or laid aside. The Christian ought to be even more
earnest in endeavoring to approve himself to God than they who contend
so zealously for the honors of this world and those who devote all
their energies to acquiring its riches. We should make it our constant
concern to bring no reproach upon the name of Him who loved us and
gave Himself for us. Otherwise we cannot magnify Him nor His cause
here upon earth. It is not our talk but our walk that most furthers
His interests. People soon forget what we say but they long remember
Christlike conduct. Actions speak louder than words. The Lord has
called us out of darkness into His marvelous light that we should
"shew forth his praises" or "virtues."
If we are not walking worthily of the Lord, we lack evidence of our
title to heaven. Of Enoch it was said that "before his translation [to
heaven] he had this testimony, that he pleased God" (Heb. 11:5). That
looks back to Genesis 5:24 where we are told that "Enoch walked with
God." Therein he "pleased" Him, and that testimony bore witness to his
eternal inheritance. Only as holiness is our aim do we have a token
and an earnest that heaven is our portion, for without holiness "no
man shall see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). The merits of Christ alone give
anyone title to the inheritance, yet personal holiness confirms that
title for us. There is no good hope toward Christ where there is no
sincere effort to honor Him: "Hereby we do know that we know him, if
we keep his commandments" (1 John 2:3). Only those are fit to live
with Him hereafter who are conscientious about walking with Him here.
At death we change our place but not our company. "They shall walk
with me in white: for they are worthy" (Rev. 3:4) -- fitly disposed
and prepared to do so. On the other hand, "Know ye not that the
unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived" (1
Cor. 6:9-10). Those who gratify the flesh are necessarily excluded.
"As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in
him" (Col. 2:6). Unless we give the utmost attention to our daily walk
and order it by the revealed will of God, we break that covenant which
we solemnly entered into with Him at our conversion. It was then that
we renounced all other lords, forsook our idols, surrendered ourselves
to the righteous claims of the Lord, and promised that thenceforth we
would love Him with all our hearts and serve Him with all our
strength. We voluntarily and deliberately entered on a course of
obedience to Him, where we "choose the things that please" God, and
thereby "take hold of his covenant" (Isa. 56:4). Consequently, to
return to the pleasing of self, or to seek the favor of men or the
applause of the world, is a denial of the covenant and a throwing off
of the yoke of Christ which formerly we took upon us. It is a
practical denial that we are not our own but bought with a price. Such
deplorable backsliding will issue in having a conscience that no
longer is "void of offense" but rather accuses and condemns us. The
joy of salvation is then lost, the light of God's countenance is then
hid from us, that peace which passes all understanding is no longer
our portion. Instead, darkness and doubts possess the heart, the rod
of divine chastisement falls heavily upon us, our prayers remain
unanswered, relish for the Word is gone.
We cannot enjoy conscious communion with Him unless we walk worthily
of the Lord. We cannot have the comfort of His presence in every
company or in all conditions. If we consort with the ungodly, the Lord
is grieved and will evince His displeasure. If we turn to the
pleasures of this world for satisfaction, His smile will be withheld
from us. If we indulge the lusts of the flesh, He will say to us as He
said to His people of old, "Your iniquities have separated between you
and your God" (Isa. 59:2). The one who has Christ's commandments and
keeps them proves his love to Him. To this one He says, "I will love
him, and manifest myself to him." And again, "If a man love me, he
will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto
him, and make our abode with him" (John 14:21, 23).
The Christian has been called to the fellowship of God's Son, Jesus
Christ our Lord (1 Cor. 1:9). What an inestimable favor is that! How
highly it should be valued, how tenderly cherished! The root idea of
fellowship is partnership--one having something in common with
another. In wondrous love and amazing condescension the Lord Jesus
deigned to make the interests of His people His own. That was
unspeakable grace on His part, and what does it call for from us?
Surely that deepest gratitude should now make His interest ours. We
should exercise the utmost circumspection in avoiding everything that
would injure His interests; we should now exert ourselves to the
utmost in promoting the honor of His name on earth. "Love so amazing,
so divine, demands my love, my life, my all!" What shall I render to
the Lord for all His benefits but to earnestly endeavor to walk
worthily of Him.
"Unto All Pleasing"
"That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being
fruitful in every good work" (Col. 1:10). Having already pointed out
the relation of this petition and its dependence upon the former one,
and having explained what we conceive to be the meaning of "walk
worthy of the Lord," we turn now to the next clause. Those added words
"unto all pleasing" serve both to define and amplify the previous
sentence, informing us how we are to walk worthily and the entirety of
that duty and privilege. We are to pray and strive to walk worthily of
the Lord unto all pleasing, not merely on the Sabbath but every day.
We must not simply conduct ourselves reverently in the house of prayer
but act becomingly in the outside world. Our aim and endeavor must be
to approve ourselves to Christ, and please Him not only in those
things which are esteemed by common consent, nor in those which are
agreeable to us, but also in those things which cross our wills and
pinch the flesh. Nothing short of universal and uniform obedience is
required of us. Christ died to deliver His people from the curse of
the law, but not from the duty of practicing its precepts. He died not
to free His people from the service of God but rather that they might
be enabled to serve Him acceptably and with peace of conscience and
joy of heart.
Two Classes of People in the World
There are but two classes of people in the world, namely, those who
are offensive to God, and those who are esteemed by Him. The ones are
self-pleasers, the others self-deniers. Therein lies the essential
difference between sincere souls and hypocrites: the former honestly
endeavor to please Christ, and are regarded by Him as the excellent of
the earth (Ps. 16:3); the latter seek the approbation of men and live
to gratify self, and therefore are they to God as "a vessel wherein is
no pleasure" (Hos. 8:8). There is no other alternative possible but
either living to please self or living to please the Lord. No matter
what may be their pretensions--what name they go under, what is their
creed, how highly they are regarded by their fellows--if self is their
"God," they are hateful to the Holy One. Those in whom God delights
are the ones who are regulated by His will, who live for His glory,
whose daily walk honors Him, who are fruitful in good works. How that
simple but discriminating classification serves to expose the empty
profession all around us! Tens of thousands call themselves by the
name of Christ, but they do not wear His yoke, do not take up their
cross (the principle of self-abasement and sacrifice), do not follow
His example.
Unless we have fully given ourselves up to God and are genuinely
seeking to please Him in all that we do, our supposed conversion was
merely a delusion. If the gratifying of our natural desires is our
chief pleasure, we are yet in our sins. If we are sowing to the flesh,
we shall of the flesh reap corruption. Make no mistake, dear reader,
whoever you are. The Omniscient One cannot be imposed upon, neither
will He accept a divided heart. No man can serve two masters. If you
think you can placate God by acting piously on the Sabbath, while
being thoroughly worldly through the week, you are woefully mistaken.
God will not be served with any reserve or limitation, but requires us
to love Him with all our heart, soul, and strength. In order to please
Him we have to shun whatever He hates: mortify the flesh, live
separate from the world, resist the devil. The Lord will not be served
with that which costs us nothing (2 Sam. 24:24).
Can a Fallen, Sinful Creature Please a Holy God?
But is it possible that a mere creature of the earth--a fallen and
sinful one at that--can please the great and holy God? Certainly it
is. Of Enoch it is recorded that "he pleased God" (Heb. 11:5). That
must not be carnalized as though God were subject to emotions; neither
must it be emptied of all meaning. The Lord is so infinitely above us
that no analogy can be found in human relations. But to aid our feeble
perceptions, let us imagine a tutor who has gone to particular pains
in instructing one of his scholars. Is he not gratified when he sees
him at the top of his class? When parents see their children putting
into practice those precepts which they have so lovingly and earnestly
instilled into them, do they not rejoice? So, when we act as it
becomes His people, we are approved in God's sight. Said David, "He
delivered me [from enemies], because he delighted in me" (2 Sam.
22:20). Those who are upright in the way are His delight (Prov. 15:8).
In reality, it is God approving His own handiwork, esteeming that
which His Spirit has wrought in us. Nevertheless, we are not passive,
but determine and perform as He works in us both to will and to do of
His good pleasure.
As there are degrees of wickedness and obnoxiousness to God, so there
are degrees of bringing delight to Him. That for which Christians are
here taught to pray--and therefore to diligently and constantly strive
after--is to so "walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing," which
includes not walking "in the counsel of the ungodly" (Ps. 1:1) but
walking "in the law of the LORD" (Ps. 119:1). We should be concerned
to "walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:4), to "walk by faith, not by
sight" (2 Cor. 5:7), to "walk in the Spirit" (Gal. 5:16), to "walk in
love" (Eph. 5:2), to "walk circumspectly" (Eph. 5:15).
Approved of God
As an aid in doing this, observe the following rules. First, be always
on your guard in avoiding everything that is grievous to God, and in
order to do that, cultivate a sense of His presence. If you are on
your best behavior when in the company of cherished friends, how much
more should you be in the presence of your heavenly Friend! If the
knowledge of human onlookers restrains you from acts of sin, how much
more should a respect for the Holy One! That was what governed Joseph
in Egypt: "How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against
God?" (Gen. 39:9).
Second, be diligent in choosing those things which God esteems. When
Solomon sought wisdom that he might rule Israel righteously, we are
told it "pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked that thing" (1 Kings
3:10). The more our hearts are set upon things above, the more we aim
at God's glory, the greater pleasure will He have in us. Third, be
wholehearted in your devotedness to the Lord. There must be no picking
and choosing among His precepts: no in with one duty and out with
another. The whole scope of the Christian life should be a studying to
show oneself approved to God: the understanding perceiving what is due
to Him, the conscience swayed by His authority, the affections drawn
out in adoring homage, the will surrendered to Him. Caleb was one who
greatly pleased the Lord, and of him it is recorded that "he wholly
followed the LORD God" (Josh. 14:14). Fourth, meditate in God's law
day and night (Ps. 1:2). Make it your constant concern how to serve
and honor Him, remembering that He is more pleased with obedience than
with your sacrifices and free-will offerings (1 Sam. 15:22). Fifth,
maintain a steady dependence upon the Lord, for you have no strength
of your own: He must be looked to daily for the needed wisdom and
power. Frequent the throne of grace that there you may "find grace to
help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16).
Further, if we are to be approved by God, it is by no means sufficient
that "we make clean the outside of the cup and platter," although many
suppose that is all that matters. "Cleanse first that which is within"
(Matthew 23:26) is our Lord's command. Unfortunately, in this
degenerate day such a task is not merely relegated to second place but
it is given none at all. The devil seeks to persuade people that they
are not responsible for the state of their hearts, that they can no
more change them than they can alter the stars in their courses. Such
a lie is very agreeable to those who think they are to be carried to
heaven on downy beds of ease--and there are few left to disillusion
them. But no regenerate soul with God's Word before him will credit
such a falsehood. The divine command is plain: "Keep thy heart with
all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life" (Prov. 4:23).
That is the principal task set us, for God ever looks at the heart,
and there can be no pleasing Him while it is unattended to. Yes, woe
be to those who disregard it. He who makes no honest endeavor to cast
out sinful thoughts and evil imaginations, who does not mourn over
their presence, is a moral leper. He who has no pangs over the
workings of unbelief, the cooling of his affections, the surgings of
pride, is a stranger to any work of grace in his soul.
"Keep Thy Heart with All Diligence"
Not only does God bid you to keep your heart; He requires you to do it
"with all diligence," that is, to make it your main concern and
constant care. The Hebrew word for "keep" meant "to guard." Watch over
your heart (the soul, or inward man) as a precious treasure, of which
thieves are ever ready to rob you. Guard it as a garrison into which
enemies will enter if you are not on the alert. Attend to it as a
garden in which the Lord would refresh Himself (Song 6:2), removing
all weeds and keeping its flowers and spices fragrant. That is, be
diligent in mortifying your lusts and in cultivating your graces. The
devotions of your lips and the labors of your hands are unacceptable
to the Lord if your heart is not right in His sight. What husband
would appreciate the domestic attentions of his wife if he had good
reasons to believe her affections were alienated from him? God takes
note not only of the matter of our actions but the springs from which
they proceed, the motives actuating them, as also the manner in which
they are done and their motive. If we become slack and careless in any
of these respects, it shows that our love has cooled and that we have
become weary of God.
God Weighs Our Spirits
The One with whom we have to do "is a God of knowledge, and by him
actions are weighed" (1 Sam. 2:3) in the balances of righteousness and
truth; whatever is "found wanting" (Dan. 5:27) or is deficient is
rejected by Him. "All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but
the Lord weigheth the spirits" (Prov. 16:2), i.e., that which lies
behind the actions, which colors as well as prompts them. Self-love
may blind our judgment and make us partial in our own cause, but we
cannot deceive the omniscient One. God brings to the test and standard
of holiness not only our actions but the attitudes of our spirits
which inspired them. "The righteous God trieth the hearts and reins"
(Ps. 7:9), that is, the inward principles from which our conduct
proceeds. He scrutinizes our affections and motives, whether we are
sincere or not. The Lord God is "he that pondereth the heart" (Prov.
24:12), observing all its motives: its most secret intentions are open
to Him. He perceives whether your contributions to His cause are made
cheerfully or grudgingly. He knows whether your gifts to the poor are
made in order to be seen of men and admired by them, or whether they
issue from disinterested benevolence. He knows whether your
expressions of goodwill and love toward your brethren are feigned or
genuine.
Since the Lord looks on and ponders the heart, should not we do so
too? Since from the heart proceed the issues of life, should we not
make it our chief concern and care? Out of man's heart proceed all
evils mentioned by our Lord in Mark 7:21-22. But it is equally true
that out of the heart proceed the fruit described in Galatians
5:22-23. "A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth
forth good things" (Matthew 12:35), but the good man will not do so
unless he diligently resists his inward corruptions and tends and
nourishes his graces.
If we are to walk worthily of the Lord "unto all pleasing," we must
frequently "search and try our ways" (Lam. 3:40), take our spiritual
pulse, and ascertain whether all is well within. We must heed that
injunction "Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart
upon your bed, and be still" (Ps. 4:4) that we may ascertain our
spiritual condition. We must daily attend to that precept "Little
children, keep yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:21) lest anything is
allowed that place in our affections which belongs alone to Christ. We
must constantly examine our motives and challenge our aims and
intentions, for they count most with God. We must "cleanse ourselves
from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit"(2 Cor. 7:1).
A Great Lack
Alas, how sadly has the standard been relaxed! How little is now
heard, even in centers of orthodoxy, of "walking worthy of the Lord
unto all pleasing"! How very few today are being informed that God
requires them to keep their hearts with all diligence, and to work out
their own salvation with fear and trembling. Will not the Lord yet say
to many an unfaithful occupant of the modern pulpit, "Ye have not
spoken of me the thing that is right" (Job 42:7)? No wonder the
churches are in such a low state of spirituality. But the failure of
those in the pulpit does not excuse those in the pew. The individual
still has access to God's Word, and even if there were none others
left on earth who respect it, he is responsible to be regulated by its
elevated and exacting teachings.
Christian reader, whatever others do or do not, see to it that you
turn Colossians 1:10 into daily prayer, and strive to translate it
into practice, for the glory of God and your own good. If you are
careless about your walk, and indifferent as to whether the state of
your heart is pleasing or displeasing to the Lord, His ear will be
closed to your prayers! The Scriptures are explicit on that fact:
"Whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his
commandments, and do those things which are pleasing in his sight" (1
John 3:22). That cannot be labeled "legalistic," for those are the
words of the Holy Spirit. It is not because our obedience is in any
way meritorious but because this is the order of things which divine
holiness has established. God has appointed an inseparable connection
between the acceptableness of our conduct and that of our petitions.
If we would have His ear then we must attend to His voice. We cannot
expect God to grant our requests while we ignore what He requires of
us. Not that our obedience ingratiates us into God's favor; but it is
a necessary adjunct to our receiving favors at His hand. We must
delight ourselves in the Lord if we would have Him grant us the
desires of our heart (Ps. 37:4).
Keeping His Commandments
As prohibitions always imply the performance of their opposites--as
"Thou shalt not kill" (Ex. 20:13) signifies that man shall use all
lawful means to preserve life, and "Thou shalt not commit adultery"
(Ex. 20:14) obligates man to live chastely--so each positive precept
argues its negative. 1 John 3:22 also implies that we shall not
receive from God those things we ask of Him if we do not keep His
commandments and do not do those things which are pleasing in His
sight. If any uncertainty remains on this point, Proverbs 28:9 at once
removes it: "He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even
his prayer shall be an abomination." God has appointed an inseparable
connection between the performance of duty and the enjoyment of
privilege. Psalm 66:18 is even more searching, showing again what God
requires within as well as without: "If I regard iniquity in my heart,
the Lord will not hear me." If I countenance and secretly foster any
sin, even though I do not practice it, if I view it favorably or even
palliate or excuse it, His ear is closed against me. Unsorrowed and
unconfessed sins prevent many a prayer from being answered. The Holy
One will not wink at sin. Spurgeon said, "For God to accept our
devotions while we are delighting in sin, would make Him the God of
hypocrites."
The Cultivation of Faith
If we are to "walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing," we must be
most attentive to the cultivation of faith, for "without faith it is
impossible to please him" (Heb. 11:6). The more fully and constantly
we trust Him, the more we walk by faith, the more will the Lord
delight in us. God is pleased when we cling to Him in the darkness,
look to Him for the fulfilling of His promises, count upon His loving
kindness. But He is displeased when we doubt His Word or suspect His
love. Faith in God, in His precepts, in His promises, is the grand and
distinguishing principle which is to actuate all our conduct.
"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God
continually . . . giving thanks to his name. But to do good and
communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased"
(Heb. 13:15-16). Then let us not be backward in offering them. God
loves to hear the songs of His children. The "sweet psalmist of
Israel" is how He designated David (2 Sam. 23:1). "Whoso offereth
praise glorifieth me" (Ps. 50:23). Praise is an exalting of God's
name, a proclaiming of His excellence, a publishing of His renown, an
adoring of His goodness, a breaking open of the box of our ointment;
therefore it is a "sweat savor" to Him, ". . . magnify him with
thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox" (Ps.
69:30-31). How comforting that was for the one who was unable to bring
Him a costly offering! Let us be frequently engaged in this delightful
exercise of praise, and act like spiritual larks.
Our Conduct and Dealings with Others
But it is not only in the devotional side of our lives that we may
give delight to God. Different by far is the teaching of His Word. The
Lord takes notice not only of our attitude toward and actions to
Himself but also of our conduct and dealings with our fellowmen. We
may please Him--and it should be our diligent aim to do so--in the
shop, home, factory, office. "A false balance is an abomination to the
LORD: but a just weight is his delight" (Prov. 11:1). Under that word
balance we are to include all weights and measures, descriptions of
articles, and profits from them. Such a verse as that should be
carefully pondered and kept constantly in mind by all who are engaged
in any form of business, whether they are employers or employees,
weighing all their words and deeds. To misrepresent a piece of
merchandise, to overcharge, or to deliberately shortchange a customer,
is a grievous sin. Though it may escape the notice of men, it is
recorded against us by the Holy One, and we shall be made to pay
dearly for the same. Contrariwise, to be fair and honest in our
trading is pleasing to God "Such as are upright in their way are his
delight"
(Prov. 11:20).
God Refuses the Homage of the Unjust
Not only does God take notice of and record the sins of those who are
guilty of unjust and fraudulent practices but He refuses their
hypocritical homage. There is no bribing of the divine Judge, nor can
He be imposed upon by a pious demeanor in those who wrong their
fellows. They who grind the faces of the poor through the week and,
equally, those who fail to supply a fair day's work for a fair day's
pay only mock the Lord when they sing His praises and make an offering
to His cause on the Sabbath day. "The sacrifice of the wicked is an
abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight"
(Prov. 15:8). The external acts of worship of those whose business
dealings are corrupt are an offense to the Most High, and it is the
sacred duty of pastors to announce it. "He that turneth away his ear
from hearing the law [which enjoins loving our neighbor as ourself,]
even his prayer shall be abomination" (Prov. 28:9). We do but deceive
ourselves if we imagine God hearkens to our petitions while our
everyday lives betray our devotions. On the other hand, "the righteous
LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth [favorably] behold the
upright" (Ps. 11:7). Everything we do either pleases or displeases
God.
To walk worthily means to conduct ourselves becomingly, to act
agreeably to the Name we bear, to live as those who are not their own.
To walk "worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing" is to be uniformly and
universally obedient, taking no step without the warrant of God's
Word, seeking His approbation and honor in every department and aspect
of our lives. "Being fruitful in every good work" is a further
extension of the same thought, evincing again how high and holy is the
standard at which we should aim continually. Grace is no enemy to good
works; it is the promoter and enabler of them. It is utterly vain for
us to speak and sing of the wonders of divine grace if we are not
plainly exhibiting its lovely fruits. Grace is a principle of
operation, a spiritual energizer which causes its possessor to be
active in good works and makes him a fruitful branch of the Vine. It
is the empty professor who is viewed as a barren tree, a cumberer of
the ground. By the miracle of regeneration God makes His people "good
trees" and they bear "good fruit." It is their privilege and duty to
be "fruitful in every good work," and in order to do so they must
constantly endeavor to "walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing."
Saints of God to Be Fruitful in Good Works
Saints are "trees of righteousness" (Isa. 61:3), the planting of the
Lord, and their graces and good works are their fruit. There is a
tendency in the minds of some to ascribe all glory to the heavenly
Husbandman and virtually reduce the Christian to an automaton. We must
distinguish between the fruit-Producer and the fruit-bearer. We are
first made trees of the Lord, and then we receive grace from Him, and
then by grace we ourselves really do bring forth fruit. We must indeed
thankfully own the truth of our Lord's words "From me is thy fruit
found" (Hos. 14:8). But while freely acknowledging that all is of His
ordination and gracious enablement, we must not overlook the fact that
even here God Himself terms it "thy fruit." Because it is of His
origination, that does not alter the fact that it is also of our
cooperation. While there may be many who make far too much of man,
there are others who make too little of him--less than Scripture
does--repudiating his moral agency. We must be careful lest we press
too far the figure of the "branch": the branch of the tree has neither
rationality, spirituality, nor responsibility; the Christian has all
three. God does not produce the fruit independently of us. We are more
than pipes through which His energy flows.
The very fact that Paul here prays that the saints might be "fruitful"
clearly implies two things: they could not be fruitful without God's
enabling; it was their privilege and duty to be so. We mock God unless
we ourselves diligently strive after those spiritual enlargements for
which we supplicate Him. We dishonor Him if we suppose we can attain
to them in our own strength. When God has renewed a person, He does
not henceforth treat him as though he were merely a mechanical entity;
rather He communicates to him a gracious willingness to act and stirs
him into action; then the saint actually performs the good works. In
fruit-bearing we are not passive but active. It is not fruit tied onto
us but fruit growing out of us which manifests that we have been
grafted into Christ. If the believer's personal and practical holiness
were not the outflowing of his renewed heart, then it would be no
evidence (as it is) that spiritual life has been imparted to his soul.
Perhaps an evidence that, in one sense, the fruits and good works
which I bear are mine, is that I am dissatisfied with and grieve over
them. I regret that my love is fickle, my zeal unstable, my best
performances defective; if they were God's fruits and works,
independent of me, they would be perfect.
Saints to Walk in Newness of Life
When God in His sovereign benignity communicates grace to a person it
is for the purpose of equipping him for the better discharge of his
responsibilities. That is to say, grace is given to animate and
actuate all the faculties of his soul. And what He works in, we are to
work out (Phil. 2:12-13). Having imparted life to His people, He
requires them to walk in newness of life. Having bestowed faith on
them, He expects that faith to be active in producing good works. Or,
following the order of this prayer, if we have been "filled with the
knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding" it is
in order that we "might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing,
being fruitful in every good work." Those last words express both
variety and abundance. It is not fruitfulness of one kind only, but of
every sort. Said the Lord Jesus, "Herein is my Father glorified, that
ye bear much fruit" (John 15:8). Alas, that any of His children should
be content if they can just be persuaded that they bear a little fruit
and thereby be convinced they belong to His family--setting more store
on their own peace than upon their glorifying Him. Little wonder their
assurance is so feeble.
Good Fruit Includes and Involves Holy Affections
That word of Christ's "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear
much fruit" supplies further confirmation of what we have pointed out
above. In a very real sense it is the saints' fruit: "ye bear." Though
the fruit indeed comes by divine energizing, notwithstanding it is by
their own activity. But observe too and admire the strict accuracy of
Scripture. It does not state "that ye produce much fruit," for God is
both the original and efficient Cause of the fruit. Mark the beautiful
harmony of the two verses: "Walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing,
being fruitful in every good work"; "Herein is my Father glorified,
that ye bear much fruit." By doing so you exhibit the power and
reality of His transforming grace, display the lineaments of His
image, reflect the beauty of His holiness. "Much fruit" involves and
includes the exercise of all holy affections: not merely some acts of
holiness, but the putting forth of every grace in all the variety of
their actings, not only inwardly but outwardly as well, laboring to
abound in them, and this not spasmodically and only for a season, but
steadfastly. As long as we are left on earth, we are to "bring forth
fruit with patience" (Luke 8:15), persevering in it.
"Being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of
God" (Col. 1:10). Observe that those two things are not separated by a
semicolon but are linked together by an "and," the latter being
closely connected with and dependent upon the former. "Increasing in
the knowledge of God" is the reward of "walking worthy of the Lord
unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work." Or, if some of
our readers prefer the expression, it is the effect of it, though they
should not object to the former when Scripture itself declares that
"in keeping of them [the divine statutes] there is great reward" (Ps.
19:11)--a considerable part of which consists in a growing
acquaintance with and a deeper delight in the Lord. Our Savior said,
"I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in
darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12). What does it
mean to follow Christ but to yield to His authority, practice His
precepts, and keep His example before us? The one who does so will not
be the loser but the gainer. He will be delivered from the power and
misery of sin, and made the recipient of spiritual wisdom,
discernment, holiness, and happiness: in a word, he shall enjoy the
light of God's countenance. So the consequence of a sincere endeavor
to please the Lord and glorify Him by bearing much fruit will be an
increase in our experimental knowledge of God.
An Increase in the Knowledge of God
It is not simply an increase in "knowledge" which is here spoken of
but "increasing in the knowledge of God," which is a vastly different
thing. This is a kind of knowledge for which the wise of this world
have no relish; it is one to which those with empty profession are
total strangers. There are many who are keen "Bible students" and
eager readers of a certain class of expository and theological
works--works which explain types, prophecies, and doctrines, but
contain little or nothing that searches the heart and removes
carnality--and they become quite learned in the letter of Scripture
and in the intellectual apprehension of its contents, yet have no
personal, saving, or transforming knowledge of God. A merely
theoretical knowledge of God has no effectual influence upon the soul,
nor does it exert any beneficial power on one's daily walk. Nothing
but a vital knowledge of God will produce the former, and only a
practical knowledge of Him secures the latter. A vital and saving
knowledge of God is His personal revelation of Himself to a soul in
quickening power, whereby He becomes an awe-inspiring but blessed
reality. All uncertainty as to whether He is or as to what He is, is
now at an end. That revelation of God creates in the soul a panting
after Him, a longing to know more of Him, a yearning to be more fully
conformed to Him.
It is not so much increasing in the vital or even the devotional
knowledge of God of which our text speaks but rather what that issues
in, which, for want of a better term, we designate the practical
knowledge of God. The passage before us in Colossians 1:10 is very
similar to that word of Christ's "If any man will do his will, he
shall know of the doctrine" (John 7:17). As the Christian is in
earnest about walking becomingly of the Lord, and as he is diligent in
performing good works, he discovers by practical experience the wisdom
and kindness of God in framing such a rule for him to walk by. He
obtains personal proof of "that good, and acceptable, and perfect,
will of God" (Rom. 12:2) and is brought into a closer and more steady
communion with Him, and procures a deeper appreciation of His
excellence. "Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD"
(Hos. 6:3). This is both the appointed way and means for such
attainment. If we perform the prescribed duty, we shall receive the
promised blessing; if we tread the path of obedience, we shall be
rewarded by an increasing and soul-satisfying knowledge of the
excellence of our Master.
The School of Christ
This knowledge cannot be acquired by art or taught us by men, no, not
even by the ablest "Bible teachers." It can be learned nowhere but in
the school of Christ, by practicing His precepts and being fruitful in
every good work. Yet this increase in the knowledge of God does not
follow automatically upon our performing good works, but only as God
Himself is sought--a matter of first moment although frequently
overlooked. As there were those who followed Christ during the days of
His flesh for the loaves and fishes or because they were eager to
witness His miracles, and not because their hearts were set upon Him,
so there are some in the religious world today who are active in
various forms of good works, yet they do not perform them out of love
for or gratitude to Christ. The good works of the Christian must not
only be wrought by faith which works by love, but his aim in doing
them must be the glory of God. That should be our chief design and end
in all duties and ordinances--in reading the Word or in hearing it
preached, in prayer, and in every act of obedience: not to rest in the
good works, but to learn more of God in them, through them, and from
them.
The greatest need and the genuine longing of every regenerate soul is
to increase in the knowledge of God. Yet most are slow in discovering
the way in which their longing may be realized. Too many turn from the
simple and practical to bewilder themselves by that which is mystical
and mysterious. It should be obvious to even the babe in Christ that
if he forsakes the paths of righteousness he is forsaking God Himself.
To know God better we must cleave more to Him, walk closer with Him.
Communion with God can only be had in the highway of holiness. The
previous clauses of Colossians 1:10 reveal what is required from us in
order to gain an increasing knowledge of God. If we are diligent and
earnest in seeking to walk worthily of the Lord and to please Him in
all things, being fruitful in every good work, the outcome will be a
more intimate fellowship with Him, a better acquaintance with His
character, an experimental realization that His commandments "are not
grievous," daily proofs of His tender patience with our infirmities,
and fuller discoveries of Himself to us. "He that hath my
commandments, and keepeth them, he is it that loveth me . . . and I
will love him, and will manifest myself to him" (John 14:21). God
manifests His delight toward those who delight in Him.
This increasing in the practical knowledge of God is more an intensive
thing than an extensive one: that is to say, it is not adding to our
store of information about Him but becoming more experimentally
acquainted and being powerfully affected with what is already known of
Him. It consists not in further discoveries of God's perfections, as
in a livelier appreciation of them. As the Christian earnestly seeks
to walk with Him in His ways, he obtains a growing acquaintance with
God's grace in inspiring him, His power in supporting, His
faithfulness in renewing, His mercy in restoring, His wisdom in
devising, and His love in appointing a course wherein such pleasure is
found and whose paths are all peace. This is indeed practical and
profitable knowledge. The more we know of God in this way, the more we
shall love Him, trust in Him, pray to Him, depend upon Him. But such
knowledge is not acquired in a day, nor fully attained in a few short
years. We grow into it gradually, little by little, as we make use of
both the divine precepts and promises, and from a desire to please and
glorify Him, and with the design of having communion with Him.
Gleanings from Paul Index
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings from Paul
by A. W. Pink
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23. Prayer for Long Suffering
Colossians 1:11-12
"Strengthened With All Might, according to his glorious power, unto
all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness" (Col. 1:11). This is
the third petition of the prayer, and we will begin our remarks upon
it by pointing out its relation to those preceding it, particularly
verse 10. First, it seems to us that whereas verse 10 treats more of
the active side of the Christian life, verse 11 has more definitely in
view its passive side. Or, to express it in another way, whereas the
former intimates the use we should make of communicated grace in a way
of doing, this teaches us how to improve that grace in a way of
suffering. And is not this usually the order in which divine
providence affords the saint occasion to discharge each of those
responsibilities? When the Christian is young and vigorous, those
graces which are expressed in the performing of good works are
afforded their fullest opportunity. But as natural strength and
youthful zeal abate, as trials and infirmities increase, there is a
call for another set of graces to be exercised, namely, patience and
long-suffering. Even in old age, or even while lying upon a bed of
sickness and helplessness, the Christian walks worthily of the Lord
unto all pleasing if he meekly bears his appointed lot and does not
murmur. And certainly he is bearing fruit to the glory of God if he
endures his trials cheerfully and is "longsuffering with joyfulness."
The Consequence of "Walking Worthy of the Lord"
But we may trace a yet closer relation between the two verses. If by
grace the child of God is enabled to walk worthy of the Lord, pleasing
Him well, being fruitful in every good work, what is certain to be the
consequence? He will not only increase in the practical knowledge of
God but also incur the hatred of his fellowmen. The closer he cleaves
to the standard set before him, the more conscientious he is about
wholly following the Lord, the more he will stir up the enmity of the
flesh, the world, and the devil. The more he endeavors to deny self
and be out and out for Christ, the more opposition he will encounter,
especially from those who profess but do not possess, who detest none
so much as those whose uncompromising strictness exposes and condemns
their vain pretensions. Yes, young Christian, you must be fully
prepared for this and expect nothing else. The closer you walk with
Christ the more you will be persecuted. And what does such opposition,
such hatred, such persecution and affliction call for from us? What
will enable us to stand our ground and keep us from lowering the
banner? What but being "strengthened with all might, according to his
glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness"?
Knowledge of God Through Obedience to His Precepts
Finally, a still closer connection may be seen in linking the closing
clause of verse 10 with what follows in verse 11: "increasing in the
knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to his
glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness."
This will be the more apparent as we bear in mind the particular kind
of "knowledge of God" which is spoken of here: not one that is
obtained by theological study and reasoning, nor even by meditative
devotions, but rather one which is acquired through obedience to His
precepts. The order of the Greek--"increasing in the knowledge of God:
with all might being strengthened"--makes this still clearer: the
latter follows upon the former. Those who have schooled themselves to
heed God's commandments will find it far easier than others do to
submit themselves to His providential will. Those who have lived to
please God rather than themselves are the ones least likely to be
stumbled by afflictions, and are the last to sink in despair under
them. Those who are zealous of good works will possess their souls
with patience in adversity and cheerfully endure when the enemy rages
against them.
We are the losers if we do not pay the closest attention to the order
of the petitions in the prayers of the apostle and the relation of one
petition to the other; for we not only fail to perceive their real
import but miss valuable lessons for our spiritual lives. Those who
cursorily scan them instead of giving them prolonged meditation rob
their own souls. Many Christians bemoan their lack of "patience" under
affliction. These must be startled if not staggered by weighing this
expression, "longsuffering with joyfulness." Yet how few of them are
aware of the reason why they are strangers to such an experience. That
cause is here plainly revealed: it is due to the fact that they have
been so little "strengthened with all might according to his glorious
power." And that, in turn, is because they have "increased" so little
"in the knowledge of God," i.e., that personal proving of the
goodness, the acceptableness, and the perfection of the will of God
(Rom. 12:1), which is obtained through obediently walking with Him,
making a point of pleasing Him in all things, and "being fruitful in
every good work." Failure in the practical side of our Christian lives
explains why our "experience" is so unsatisfactory.
"Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto
all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness"
(Col. 1:11). It will appear to some of our readers that we are drawing
out this series to a wearisome length, but others will be thankful to
find in them something more profitable than the brief and superficial
generalizations which characterize most of the religious literature of
this day. Our aim in them is to not only furnish bare expositions of
the passages before us but to foster a spirit of devotion and provide
that which will be of practical use in the daily life of the
Christian. Take this present verse as an example. It is indeed
important that the reader should obtain a correct idea of the terms
used in it, yet he needs much more than that. To supply a full and
lucid definition of what "patience" is, and then to exhort one who is
in acutely trying circumstances to exercise that grace, will be of
little real help. To tell him to pray for an increase of it is saying
nothing more than he already knows. But to point out how patience is
worked and increased in us, what are the means for the development of
it and the things which hinder--in short, what God requires from us in
order to increase its growth--will surely be more to the point.
What the Apostle Prays For
First, the apostle prays that the saints might be "strengthened with
all might, according to his glorious power." Such language implies
that it was not ordinary strength for which he here asked, but rather
unusual "glorious power" for the particular task in view. His language
argues that he had in mind an exercise of grace more difficult than
any other, one from which our constitutions are so naturally remote
that more than ordinary diligence and earnestness must be put forth by
us at the mercy seat in obtaining this urgently needed supply. Every
act of grace by us must have an act of divine power going before it to
draw it forth into exercise. As the "work of faith" is "with power" (2
Thess. 1:11), so the work of faith to bear afflictions requires divine
strengthening of the soul; and to acquit ourselves with "all patience
and longsuffering with joyfulness" necessitates our being
"strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power."
To be "strengthened with all might" signifies to be mightily
strengthened, to be given a supply of grace amply sufficient for the
end in view. It means spiritual energy proportioned to whatever is
needed, with all the believer may have occasion for, to enable him to
discharge his duty and carry himself in a manner pleasing and honoring
to God. "According to his glorious power" implies both the excellence
and sufficiency of it. The glory of God's power is most seen when it
appears as overcoming power, when victory attends it, as when we read
that "Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father"
(Rom. 6:4). Thus the apostle sets over against our utter weakness the
"all might" of divine grace, and "his glorious power" against our
sinful corruption. The special use to which this strength was to be
put is "unto all patience," that is, sufficient for the enduring of
all trials; and "longsuffering" would be patience drawn out to its
greatest length; "with joyfulness" signifies not only submitting to
trials without repining, but doing so gladly, rejoicing in the Lord
always. This third petition, then, was for a supply of grace that
would enable the saints to bear all trials with meek subjection,
persevering constancy, and cheerfulness of spirit.
Help Available as Needed
Again we see what an exalted standard of conduct is set before us, yet
at the same time what blessed supplies of help are available. Do not
say such a standard is utterly unattainable when the Lord declares,
"My grace is sufficient for thee"--sufficient not only to enable you
to endure "a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet" but
also to make you resolve, "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory
in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Cor.
12:7, 9). Do not look in unbelief on either the number or might of
your enemies or on your own weakness, but in the confidence of humble
but expectant faith say, "I can do all things through Christ which
strengtheneth me" (Phil. 4:13). Is not this "glorious strength"
indeed, which enables its recipients to persevere in the path of duty
notwithstanding much opposition, to bear up manfully under trials,
yes, to rejoice in tribulations? What a glorious power is this which
is proportioned to all we are called upon to do and suffer, enabling
us to resist the corruptions of the flesh, the allurements of the
world, and the temptations of the devil; which keeps us from sinking
into abject despair or making shipwreck of the faith; which causes us
to hold our course to the end.
How is "all might" secured? Some would say it is by no endeavor of
ours; we in our helplessness can do no more in obtaining grace for the
soul than the parched ground can do in causing refreshing showers to
descend from heaven; we must submit to God's sovereign determination
and hope for the best. But that is a denial of the Christian's
responsibility. God indeed asks nothing from the ground, for it is an
inanimate and irrational creature. But it is far different with moral
agents--the more so when He has regenerated them. "For unto whomsoever
much is given, of him shall much be required" (Luke 12:48). And much
has been given to the one born of God: Christ is his in the
forgiveness of sins, the Holy Ghost indwells him, life has been
communicated to his soul, faith imparted to his heart; and therefore
much may justly be required of him. Grace is not some mysterious
influence which fortuitously descends and enters into the Christian's
heart irrespective of how he acts. The opening word of our verse
intimates the opposite, for "strengthening" implies God's blessing on
our use of suitable means--whether it is the strengthening of the
body, the mind, or the spiritual life. Observe, the first (though not
the only) means is an earnest and importunate crying to God.
The Believer's Privilege and Duty
It is both our privilege and our duty to "come boldly [or freely] unto
the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy [for past failures], and
find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16). Often we have not
because we ask not, or because we ask amiss. Grace must be sought
believingly, fervently, perseveringly. Moreover, there has to be a
daily feeding on "the word of his grace" (Acts 20:32) if the soul is
to be "nourished up in the words of faith" (1 Tim. 4:6). If we neglect
our daily bread, fail to meditate on and appropriate a regular supply
of manna, we soon become feeble and faint. Further, exercise is
essential: we must use the grace already given us if we would obtain
more (Luke 8:18). Spiritual strength is not given to release us from
the fight of faith, but to furnish and fit us for the same. Grace is
not bestowed on the Christian in order that heaven may be won without
engaging in a fierce conflict, as many seem to think, but in order
that the believer may be "strong in the Lord, and in the power of his
might." Therefore he is urged to put on the whole armor of God and
thus be able to stand against "the wiles of the devil" (Eph. 6:10-11).
We are strengthened with all might "unto [for this end] all patience."
The Particular Kind of Patience in View
We must now inquire into the nature of patience, or, more
specifically, the particular kind of patience which is here in view.
It is a steady persisting in duty which keeps one from being deterred
by opposition or fainting under suffering. Actively, it finds
expression in perseverance, or refusing to quit the race because of
the difficulties or length of the course. Passively, it appears in a
meek and quiet spirit, which endures afflictions without complaining.
Primarily, though perhaps not exclusively, it is the latter that is
spoken of here, namely, that frame of heart which bears submissively
whatever trials and tribulations the Lord calls one to pass through.
It is very much more than a placidity of temper which is not unduly
provoked by the common irritations of life, for often that is more a
matter of healthy nerves than a virtuous exercise of the mind and
will. Grace is more potent than nature: it can make the timid
courageous, cool the most hotheaded, quiet the impetuous. Grace works
submissiveness in the most impulsive. It makes our hearts calm when
outward circumstances are tempestuous, and though God lets loose His
winds upon us, He can keep us from being discomposed by them and lay
the same command upon our passions as upon the angry waves: "Peace, be
still" (Mark 4:39).
The Grace of Patience
Patience is not stoical apathy toward the divine dispensations. It is
no narcotic virtue to stupefy us and take away the sense and feeling
of afflictions. If it had any such opiate quality, there would be
nothing commendable or praiseworthy in it. That is not suffering which
is not felt; and if patience deprived us of the feeling of sorrow, it
would cease to be patience. We have witnessed the mass of our
fellowmen stupefied and insensible under the hand of God, taking no
notice of Him when His judgments fell heavily upon them, enduring them
with stolidity, or rather moral stupidity; but the senseless boast "We
can take it" was no more patience than is the non-writhing of a block
of wood when it is sawed and planed. Patience quickens the sufferings
of the saint, for he refers the sufferings to his deserts.
Consciousness of his sins in provoking God pierces his conscience and
brings pain to his inner man also. But the wicked look only upon what
they suffer, and make no reflection upon their deserts.
Nor does the grace of patience stifle all modest complaints and
moderate sorrow. A patient Christian is permitted this vent through
which his grief may find relief. Grace does not destroy but regulates
and corrects nature. God allows His children to shed tears so long as
the course of them does not stir up the mud of their sinful passions
and violent affections. It is not wrong to complain about what we
suffer so long as we do not complain against God from whom we suffer.
We may lawfully, and without any breach of patience, express our grief
in all outward and natural signs of it so long as that agitation does
not exceed its due bounds and measures. Job, who is commended to us as
the great example of patience, when he received the sad news of the
loss of his estate and his children, "rent his mantle and fell down
upon the ground" (Job 1:20). And that we might not regard this as a
display of impatience, the Spirit has added, "In all this Job sinned
not, nor charged God foolishly" (Job 1:22). The disciples made "great
lamentation" over Stephen (Acts 8:2), though by his martyrdom he had
greatly glorified God. It is not grief but the excess of it which is
disallowed.
Patience in Affliction
Nor does patience oblige us to continue in afflictions when we may
warrantably free ourselves from them. The eminent Puritan, Ezekiel
Hopkins, rightly pointed out that when God sends heavy afflictions our
way, we ought to, for principles of self-preservation, try to free
ourselves from them; otherwise we sin against nature and God.
Generally, whatever calamity we experience, it is not patience but
obstinacy to refuse deliverance when we can obtain it without
violating our duty or dishonoring God.
Positively, patience consists of a willing submission to the
dispensations of divine providence. When Job said, "Shall we receive
good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" (Job 2:10),
that was the language of patience. "The cup which my Father hath given
me, shall I not drink it?" (John 18:11) was the supreme example of
this grace. It is the ready acquiescence of the soul to whatever God
sees fit to lay upon it. It is the calm enduring of provocation and
persecution, especially trial which comes unexpectedly. It is a steady
and thankful bearing of all troubles, however grievous and long
protracted, mortifying the opposite passions of fear, anger, anxiety,
inordinate grief; refusing to be overwhelmed by those troubles,
persevering in the discharge of duty to the end; relieving oneself by
faith in what is to be had in God by communion with Him: resting in
His love, leaning on His arms, and encouraging oneself by expectation
of that eternal and blessed glory which awaits us after our appointed
race is run.
What Patience Does
Patience consists of tranquilizing or composing our minds, which
issues in the quieting of our unruly passions. Very impatient persons
who fret and fume within may express little emotion outwardly. That
impatience which finds no external vent is the most injurious and
dangerous to character, just as latent fevers, which lurk within and
prey upon the body, may do much harm although they are not outwardly
evident. Patience calms those storms and tempests which are apt to
rise in the heart when a person is under any sore and heavy
affliction. The emotions will be stirred, but this grace takes away
the violence of them. All those turbulences and uproars of passions,
all those willful and wild emotions which distract reason and rend the
soul, making us unfit for the service of God or the employment of our
business--these patience ought to quell, and in measure suppress. He
who can rule his body better than his soul, his actions than his
passions, lacks the principal part of patience.
All this must be done upon right grounds. This requires us to
distinguish sharply between natural and Christian patience. There is a
natural patience sometimes found in those devoid of true grace: such
strength of character, fortitude of mind, tranquillity of spirit,
which often puts the people of God to shame. Yet that is only a moral
virtue, proceeding only from natural and moral principles. How is the
Christian who naturally is impulsive, fiery, fickle, to ascertain
whether his patience is of a superior order? By the principles from
which it proceeds, the motives actuating it, and the ends for which it
is put forth. Moral virtue proceeds only from the principles of
reason, is actuated by such arguments as human prudence furnishes, and
is exercised to promote self-esteem or the respect of our fellowmen.
Many an unregenerate person, by a process of self-discipline, has
hardened himself to bear the evils which befall him by persuading
himself it is folly to rebel against fate and torment himself over the
inevitable, telling himself that what cannot be cured must be endured,
that to give way to peevishness is childish and will effect no good,
and that to yield to a spirit of fury will only lower him in the eyes
of others.
But spiritual patience proceeds from a principle of grace, is actuated
by higher motives, and is induced by greatly superior considerations
than those which regulate the most refined and self-controlled
unregenerate person. Spiritual patience springs from faith (James 1:3)
and from hope (Rom. 8:25). Patience eyes the sovereignty of God, to
which it is our duty to submit. It eyes His benevolence and is assured
that the most painful affliction is among the "all things" He is
making work together for our good. It looks off from the absolute
nature of the affliction, considered in itself, to the relative nature
of it, as it is dispensed to us by God, and therefore concludes that
though the cup is bitter, in our Father's hand it is salutary. Though
the chastisement itself is grievous, patience realizes it will make us
partakers of God's holiness here and of His glory hereafter. Patience
eyes the example Christ left us and seeks grace to be conformed to it.
The Christian strives to exercise patience not out of self-esteem,
because he is mortified when his passions get the better of him, but
from a desire to please God and glorify Him.
The careful reader will find in the last three paragraphs several
hints on those means which are best suited to promote and strengthen
patience, such as faith, hope, love. But we will mention one or two
others among which we place high the complete resigning of ourselves
to God. Since most outbursts of impatience are occasioned by the
crossing of our wills, it behooves each Christian to daily ascertain
how fully his will is surrendered to God, and to be diligent in
cultivating a spirit of submission to Him. While complete yieldedness
to God does not include reducing of ourselves as serfs to our
fellowmen, still less the condoning of the wrongs they have done, yet
it does require us to be not unduly occupied with the instruments of
our afflictions, but rather to look beyond them to Him who has some
good reason for using them to stir up our nests.
God's Infinite Patience and Faithfulness
Meditate frequently upon the patience of God. What infinite patience
He exercises toward us! He bears far more from us than we can possibly
bear from Him. He bears with our sins whereas we bear only His
chastisement, and sin is infinitely more opposite to His nature than
suffering is to ours. If He is so long-suffering with our innumerable
offenses, how inexcusable it is for us to fret and murmur at the least
correction from His hand! Meditating on the faithfulness of God helps
us to bear trials with more fortitude. There is no condition which
needs more promises and there is none which has so many promises
attending it as suffering and persecution. God has promised support
under it (Ps. 55:22), His presence in it (Isa. 43:2), deliverance from
it (1 Cor. 10:13). He is faithful to His Word. Ponder His wisdom and
goodness and you will find sufficient reason to acquiesce to His
providences. If afflictions came by blind chance, we might indeed
bemoan our hard fate; but since they are appointed by our omniscient
and loving Father, they must be for our gain.
The more we set our hearts and hopes on creature enjoyments, the more
bitter is our disappointment when they fail us or are taken away.
Jonah was "exceeding glad" for the gourd which the Lord prepared to
shade and shelter him (Jon. 4:6), but he was "angry, even unto death"
(Jon. 4:9) when it withered away. This is recorded for our warning! If
you immoderately value any earthly comfort, you will immoderately
chafe at its removal. Pride is another enemy to patience. So is
effeminate softness.
We will return to the subject of patience when we reach 2
Thessalonians 3:5. As for "longsuffering," the term defines itself,
signifying a prolongation of patience to the end of the trial. Yet in
view of the connections in which those terms are found, we may
distinguish between them thus: "patience" looks more to the attitude
of the heart Godward while we are being tried; "longsuffering"
respects our attitude toward the instruments which He makes use of in
the trial. Thus, "longsuffering" includes the ideas of being slow to
anger with those who persecute or afflict us, meekly bearing for
Christ's sake those injuries which His enemies inflict on us, refusing
to retaliate when we are oppressed, following the example of our
Master "who, when he was reviled, reviled not again" (1 Pet. 2:23).
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24. Prayer for Joy and Thankfulness
Colossians 1:11-12
"Patience And Longsuffering With Joyfulness" now calls for
consideration. "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers
temptations [or `trials']" (Jam. 1:2). Someone will say that is asking
an impossibility, that we cannot conjure up joy by any effort of will;
only the Lord can produce rapture in a heart. But joy is not a thing
apart, unrelated to the faculties of the soul, unconnected with the
state of the mind. I cannot command the sun to appear, but when it is
shining, I can retire into the shade and there sulk in my chilliness.
So too the heart may turn away from the Sun of righteousness and,
instead of dwelling upon His love and loveliness, occupy the mind with
gloomy objects and subjects. The Christian is just as responsible to
be joyous in adversity as in prosperity, when the devil rages against
him as when he leaves him in peace for a season; and he will do so if
his mind is properly employed and his heart delights itself in the
Lord.
None of the empty pleasures of this world afford any solid happiness.
As the natural man passes from childhood to old age, he changes his
toys, only to discover that no gratification of his senses yields any
real satisfaction. Neither sorrow nor joy is caused by environment or
circumstance; nor is joy to be found in any creature. "Although the
fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines,...
the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the
fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls"--what then? Will I
deplore the situation and make myself wretched by contemplating a
death of starvation? No indeed! "Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I
will joy in the God of my salvation" (Hab. 3:17-18). Note well that "I
will" of personal resolution. As the king may be miserable in his
palace (1 Kings 21:5-6; Ecclesiastes 2:1-11), so the manacled and
bleeding occupants of the dungeon may sing praises (Acts 16:25). While
sorrowing over things around us, we may continually rejoice (2 Cor.
6:10).
James 1:2 does not exhort us to rejoice in the trials as such, but by
an act of spiritual judgment to regard them as joyous. James here
gives three reasons why Christians should do so. "Knowing this [being
fully persuaded of it] that the trying of your faith worketh
patience." Some facts there included should mightily further our joy.
First, all our sufferings and afflictions are for the trial of faith,
and that is a great privilege. If we were possessed of more spiritual
discernment, we should readily perceive that as the communication of
saving grace to a soul is the greatest blessing which can be bestowed
in this world, so the testing of that grace, exercised and drawn forth
to the glory of God, is the next greatest mercy. For that grace to
approve itself to God in a manner well pleasing to Him, is a matter of
vast moment. So the genuineness of my faith being made manifest by
overcoming the world in esteeming the reproach of Christ greater
riches than the "treasures of Egypt"; by valuing the smile of God more
than fearing the frowns of men; by firmly enduring persecution when
others fall away (Matthew 13:21), should bring much comfort to my
soul.
Trials Needed for Proving of Faith
Second, this trying of faith "worketh patience." Trials are not only
designed for the approving of faith but for faith's fruitage, i.e.,
that it may yield its peaceable fruits. The more faith enables us to
truly rest in the Lord and stand our ground in afflictions, the more
we become inured to and patient under them. As faith draws out the
heart to God and stays the mind upon Him, the soul is brought into a
more sober attitude and more cordially acquiesces to the divine will.
Faith brings home to the heart the dominion which God has over a man's
person and life, and this quiets evil uprisings against Him. Faith
assures the heart of the love of God and its investment in Him, and
that strengthens the believer in the greatest distresses. When Ziklag
was burned, David's goods plundered, and his wives carried away by the
Philistines, he "encouraged himself in the LORD his God" (1 Sam.
30:6). The more a Christian bears meekly but perseveringly, the more
he is enabled to bear. The muscles of his graces become stronger by
use. If trials produce such fruits, ought we not to rejoice in them!
Third, "Blessed [or `happy'] is the man that endureth temptation."
Why? "For when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life" (Jam.
1:12). That is the reward given to the victor in the day to come. In
that happy expectation the soul may count it all joy that he is now
being afflicted and persecuted. The object of his rejoicing is not his
sufferings, for they, considered in themselves, are grievous, but
rather the result of them. Paul reminded the Hebrews, "Ye . . . took
joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye
have in heaven a better and an enduring substance" (Heb. 10:34). Thus
it was with the Savior Himself: "Who for the joy that was set before
him endured the cross" (Heb. 12:2). And thus He assured His followers,
"Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and
shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake:
rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven"
(Matthew 5:11-12). When we "glory in tribulations" (Rom. 5:3)--because
we realize the advantages which will accrue both here and
hereafter--we are "more than conquerors" (Rom. 8:37).
Petition and Praise to Be United
"Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be
partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light" (Col. 1:12). This
is the closing section of our prayer. Notice that in it the apostle
exemplifies his exhortation: "Be anxious for nothing; but in
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your
requests be made known unto God" (Phil. 4:6). When we come to the
throne of grace, petition and praise should always accompany each
other. There should be the thanksgiving of grateful love for mercies
already received: of confident faith in God's promises, that He will
certainly bestow the things for which we now ask, so far as to do so
will be for His glory and our highest good; of joyous expectation of
the things which He has prepared for us on high. The general relation
of this verse to those preceding is apparent. The being "filled with
the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding"
(Col. 1:9) is to find expression in a worthy walk (Col. 1:10), in the
exercise of patient endurance (Col. 1:11), and in grateful
thanksgiving (Col. 1:12).
The order of those things is not only according to the Analogy of
Faith but it is verified in the experience of the saints in the
several stages of their growth in grace. A knowledge of God's will (as
made known in the Word) most engages the attention of the babe in
Christ who is conscious of his ignorance. As the Spirit graciously
opens the Scriptures to his understanding and applies them to his
heart, he becomes more concerned with honoring the Lord in his daily
walk and being fruitful in every good work. As he grows still older
and meets with more trials and tribulations, he has an increasing
realization of his need for being divinely strengthened so that he may
not faint beneath the burdens of life and the difficulties of the way;
that he may not become weary in well doing but run the race set before
him, and meekly submit to all the dispensations of God's providence.
Finally, as he approaches the end of his journey he is more and more
occupied with the glorious inheritance awaiting him wherein he will be
done forever with sin and suffering. The more joyful he is (Col. 1:11)
the more he will be filled with the spirit of thanksgiving.
The order of these things here also inculcates, in a most searching
manner, an important practical lesson. This giving of thanks to the
Father does not occur at the beginning of the prayer but at its close.
Thereby it is intimated that none of us is warranted in concluding
that he is among the number whom He has made "meet to be partakers of
the inheritance of the saints" unless the things previously mentioned
are in some measure really found in him. It would be highly
presumptuous for me to complacently assume that I am fit for heaven
unless I am sincerely endeavoring to walk worthy of the Lord, pleasing
Him in all things, being fruitful in every good work, and unless I
possess my soul with patience and long-suffering, and rejoice when I
am persecuted for Christ's sake. Not that these things are
qualifications for heaven, but rather the evidences that divine grace
has suitably fashioned my soul for it. Not that these things are the
procuring cause for which I shall enter the glory. They are but the
marks that God has already wrought in me for the glory.
God Has "Made Us Meet"
It is equally necessary that we note carefully the tense of the verb
here. It is not a promise that God will make us meet for the
inheritance, nor is the reference to a present process that He is now
making us meet. Some pastors in their presentation of what is termed
"progressive sanctification" have handled it in a very legal manner
and brought many of God's people into cruel bondage thereby. This
confusion appears in such expressions as being "meetened for glory,"
"ripened for heaven." Few indeed make use of this prayer in giving
thanks to the Father because He has already made them "meet" for the
inheritance.
Believers Are "Complete in Him"
Our present verse brings before us a subject of vital moment and
practical importance, although one of which most of God's children
today are sadly ignorant. Many of them who ought to be rejoicing in
the liberty of the gospel are enthralled in some form of legal
bondage. Comparatively few of them are exulting in the self-abasing
and soul-satisfying consciousness that they are "complete in him" who
is their Head (Col. 2:10). If the only consequences of this were the
disturbing of their peace and the overcasting of their joy, such evils
would call for an earnest effort to correct them. In addition, the
absence of such assurance (which is their legitimate portion)
dishonors the Lord, cramps their energies, obscures their graces, and
renders their spiritual state uncertain both to themselves and to
others.
One form of this evil is found even in many who have a clear knowledge
of the ground on which God justifies the ungodly. They claim that
after a person has tasted of the blessedness of "the man whose
transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered" (Ps. 32:1), there
remains much to be done before the soul is ready to enter his eternal
rest. They hold that after his justification the believer must undergo
a process of sanctification, and for this reason he is left for a time
amid the trials and conflicts of a hostile world. The prevalence of
this notion appears in much preaching, many hymns, and especially in
prayers; for while many Christians may be frequently heard pleading to
be made fit, rarely indeed do we hear one giving thanks to the Father
because He has made us fit for the inheritance of the saints. Those
laboring under such an impression can never know when the process is
completed, nor can they say with any confidence to a dying man,
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts
16:31) here and now, for it would flatly contradict their own ideas.
One would suppose that those toiling under this view must be staggered
by their own experience and observation. They see those whom they
confidently regard as Christians cut off in apparently very different
stages of this process, and if the contemplation of it is what is
styled "perfect sanctification," then in how few cases, so far as we
can perceive, is any such preparation for glory actually attained! On
their deathbeds the most eminent saints confess themselves thoroughly
dissatisfied with their attainments! Yet many who deem themselves the
most orthodox insist that while justification is an act completed at
once, "sanctification is a progressive work." If by that expression
they mean growth in grace and the manifestation of it in this life,
there can be no objection; but if it means a preparation for heaven,
and that such preparation is to be the grand object of the believer's
life, the expression should be rejected as a God-dishonoring and
soul-enslaving error--a flat contradiction of the text before us.
Three Indispensable Qualifications for Heaven
These three things (none others or any more) are indispensable to
qualify any sinner for heaven. First, he must be predestinated by the
Father, which was effected "on the vessels of mercy, which he had
afore [by His eternal decree] prepared unto glory" (Rom. 9:23).
Second, he must have a valid legal right and title to the inheritance.
The believing sinner has this in the merits of Christ, who by His one
offering "hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified" (Heb.
10:14). Third, he must be experimentally fitted for the kingdom of God
by the regenerating act of the Holy Spirit. As the natural babe is
born complete in parts ( though not in development), so that no new
member or faculty can be added--though the members are capable of
expansion, with a fuller expression and clearer manifestation--so it
is with the spiritual babe in Christ. "He that hath wrought us for the
selfsame thing [i.e., the glory to come (see context)] is God who hath
also given us the earnest [or `proof'] of the Spirit" (2 Cor. 5:5).
The work of God the Spirit in regeneration is eternally complete. It
needs no increase or decrease. It is the same in all believers. There
will not be the least addition to it in heaven: not one grace, holy
affection, or disposition which is not in it now. The whole of the
Spirit's work, from the moment of regeneration to our glorification,
is to draw out those graces into actual exercise which He has worked
in us. And though one believer may abound in the fruits of
righteousness more than another, not one of them is more regenerate
than another. This work of the Spirit, in which our worthiness for the
eternal fruition of God consists, is alike in everyone that is born of
the Spirit. The dying babe in Christ is as capable of high communion
with God as Paul in the state of glory.
Our worthiness for heaven is evidenced by the very terms here used.
First, it is called an "inheritance," and that is not something we
purchase by good works, nor procure by self-denial and mortification.
Rather it is that to which we lawfully succeed by our relationship to
another. Primarily, it is that to which a child succeeds because of
his relation to his father, as the crown which the son of an earthly
king inherits. In this case the inheritance is ours by virtue of our
being the sons of God, which we become actually at the new birth. "If
children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ" (Rom.
8:16-17). The next verse (Col. 1:13) tells us what this "inheritance"
is: "the kingdom of his [God's] dear Son" into which we are already
translated. Joint heirs with Christ must share His kingdom. He has now
"made us kings and priests unto God" (Rev. 1:6).
Second, it is the "inheritance of the saints." Christians are saints
from the first moment they savingly believe in Christ, for they are
then sanctified or sainted by the very blood which procured their
forgiveness (Heb. 13:12). Every Christian was sanctified essentially
when he was anointed by the Spirit, whether we regard it as separation
from those dead in sin, consecration to God, or sanctification by
renewal in His image. Third, it is "the inheritance of the saints in
light." We were "made meet" for it when by the new birth we became
"the children of light" (1 Thess. 5:5). At that time we were
"delivered from the power of darkness" and called "into his [God's]
marvellous light" (1 Pet. 2:9). By nature we were totally unfit for
the inheritance, but by the gracious operation of the Spirit we are
now fit for it, for He has made us sons, heirs.
The True Believer Fit for Heaven
It is indeed a monstrous absurdity to deny their fitness for the
heavenly inheritance of whom God declares, "But ye are washed, but ye
are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus,
and by the Spirit of our God"
(1 Cor. 6:11); whom "now hath he reconciled" (Col. 1:21), "made nigh
by the blood of Christ" (Eph. 2:13), indwelt by His Spirit, delighted
in as His sons; and to whom He says, "All things are yours" (1 Cor.
3:21). Spurgeon rightly affirmed, "The true believer is fit for heaven
now, at this very moment. That does not mean he is sinless, but that
he has been accepted in the Beloved, adopted into the Family, and
fitted by Divine approbation to dwell with the saints in light." No
refining process of discipline, no preparation on our part, no
progressive sanctification or growth in grace is necessary in order to
fit a babe in Christ for Paradise. This truth is conclusively shown by
the case of the dying thief, who in the first day of his saving faith
was immediately translated from the convict's gibbet to the
inheritance of the saints in light.
Why does God leave the Christian in this world for a season if he is
already fit for heaven? For His own glory. As a monument of His mercy,
an example of His distinguishing love, a witness of His sufficient
grace, a proof of His faithfulness in bearing with his infirmities and
supplying all his need. To give him an opportunity to honor Him in the
place where he had so dishonored Him. To serve as salt in a corrupt
community.
Let every Christian reader fervently thank the Father for having
fitted him for eternal glory. The sloughing off of "the flesh" at
death is not a qualification for heaven but the removal of a
disqualification.
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25. Prayer for Brotherly Love
1 Thessalonians 3:11-13
"Now God Himself and [even] our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ,
direct our way unto you. And the Lord make you to increase and abound
in love one toward another, and toward all . . . [saints], even as we
do toward you: to the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in
holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ with all his saints." There are five things which call for our
consideration in connection with this prayer. First, its setting: it
is necessary to ponder what is said in the foregoing verses in order
to appreciate the request in verse 11. Second, its intensity,
intimated in the phrase "night and day praying exceedingly that we
might see your face" (1 Thess. 1:10). Third, its objects: God the
Father and His Son in His mediatorial character (1 Thess. 1:11).
Fourth, its petitions, which are two in number (1 Thess. 1:11-12).
Fifth, its design: that their hearts might be established "unblameable
in holiness before God" (1 Thess. 1:13). May the Holy Spirit act as
our Guide while we endeavor to fill in that outline.
At an early date in his ministerial labors Paul, accompanied by Silas
and the youthful Timothy, visited Thessalonica (now called Salonika).
Originally he had purposed to preach the gospel in Asia, but had been
forbidden by the Spirit; then he sought to enter Bithynia, but again
the Spirit of God checked him (Acts 16:6). Arriving at Troas the
divine will was made known to the apostle by means of a vision in the
night, wherein there appeared to him "a man from Macedonia" who
besought him, "Come over into Macedonia and help us" (Acts 16:9).
First, Paul and his companion made a very brief stay at Philippi where
they were made a blessing to Lydia and her household. The enemy
stirred up fierce opposition, which resulted in the beating of Paul
and Silas and their being cast into prison; only for God to intervene
by a miracle of grace, which eventuated in their release. From
Philippi they came to Thessalonica where there was a synagogue of the
Jews, which Paul entered and for three Sabbath days reasoned with them
out of the Scriptures. Yet from a comparison of 1 Thessalonians 1:9
with Acts 17:1-10 it seems clear that the majority of those saved
during this short sojourn in that city were Gentiles.
The Opposition of the Enemy
The enmity of the serpent was manifested at Thessalonica almost as
bitterly as at Philippi, so that after a short stay there the brethren
"sent away Paul and Silas by night" (Acts 17:10). Nevertheless, brief
as had been their visit, the Seed had been sown, the blessing of God
had rested upon the preached Word, and an effectual testimony had been
raised up to the glory of His great name. So much so that His servant
declared to that infant church, "Ye were ensamples to all that believe
in Macedonia and Achaia. From you sounded out the word of the Lord not
only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to
God-ward is spread abroad" (1 Thess. 1:7-8). What a grief it must have
been to leave these young and unestablished converts, and how deeply
Paul yearned to be with them again, appears in his statement "But we,
brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in
heart, endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face with great
desire. Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and
again; but Satan hindered us" (1 Thess. 2:17-18).
Paul was no stoical fatalist who might reason that there was not any
need for him to be concerned about the spiritual welfare of those
babes in Christ, that since God had begun a good work in them He would
assuredly carry it forward to completion. No, far from it. He was
fearful that they might be stumbled at the opposition and be dismayed
by the flight of His ambassador. Paul was uncertain whether their
young faith could withstand such rude shocks. Therefore he sent one of
his companions to inquire of their condition and to help them. "For
this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith,
lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labor be in
vain" (1 Thess. 3:5). Let our readers carefully ponder these words of
the apostle and honestly ask themselves the meaning of this statement.
It is blessed to behold how God sets a balance to the trials and
comforts of His people. The apostle was sorely exercised over the
situation of those young believers, when God graciously afforded his
heart relief. "But now when Timotheus came from you unto us, and
brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have
good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also
to see you; therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our
affliction and distress by your faith" (1 Thess. 3:6-7). How
graciously God times His mercies! The good news brought by Timothy was
just the cordial which the burdened soul of Paul now needed. But note
the order in which he mentions the two things in 1 Thessalonians 3:6.
He does not place first their kindly remembrance of himself and their
longing to see him again. No, rather he gives precedence to the
favorable report supplied of their "faith and love"--that was for him
the grand and principal item in the "glad tidings" of his messenger!
How characteristic of this self-effacing herald of Christ! Those
words, "your faith and love," were a brief but comprehensive
expression of their spiritual case: if those graces were in healthy
exercise, Paul knew there could be nothing seriously wrong with them.
Paul's Tender Affection for the Thessalonian Saints
"For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord. For what thanks can we
render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your
sakes before our God?" (1 Thess. 3:8-9). How those words reveal again
the spirit of the apostle! No mother's heart beats with more tender
affection for her offspring than does that of the genuine evangelist
or pastor for his own children in the faith. His delight lies in their
spiritual progress: "my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy
and crown" (Phil. 4:1). Paul regarded his converts thus. Said another
of the apostles, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children
walk in truth" (3 John 4). Contrariwise, no mother suffers severer
pangs of grief over the illness of her children or their waywardness
when they have grown up than does a true servant of God as he
witnesses the backsliding or apostasy of those who made a credible
profession of faith under his ministry. So much then for the setting
of our present passage, or the occasion of this prayer.
"Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and
might perfect that which is lacking in your faith" (1 Thess. 3:10).
The young Thessalonian Christians "desiring greatly to see" Paul and
his party (1 Thess. 3:6) found an answering response in the hearts of
Paul and his companions. The language which Paul here used indicates
the intensity of his desire and the earnestness of his supplication.
His praying was not cold and mechanical but earnest and persistent.
The word here rendered "praying" means "beseeching," being the one
employed in connection with the leper who, in his dire need and deep
longing, "besought" the Lord to heal him (Luke 5:12). It is not the
perfunctory nor the flowery petition which brings down answers from
above but "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man" which
"availeth much." Some are more occupied with their eloquence and the
correctness of their grammar than they are with the frame of their
spirit and the state of their heart--at which God ever looks. When the
soul truly longs for a certain favor from God, the sincerity and
intensity of that longing will be evinced not only by earnest crying
unto Him but by importunity--asking, seeking, knocking "night and day"
until the request is granted.
Real Prayer a Striving with God
Why are so much exertion and pains called for, seeing that God is
fully acquainted with all our need and has promised to supply the
same? First and foremost, for the exercise of our graces. God is
pleased to try our faith and patience, for nothing more honors and
pleases Him than to behold His people continuing to supplicate for
that which He appears to deny them, as in the case of the
Syrophenician woman (Matthew 15:28). Real praying is no child's play.
Ponder that exhortation of the apostle's to the Roman saints: "Strive
together with me in your prayers" (Rom. 15:30). This word is taken
from the gymnastic contests, in which the combatants put forth their
utmost strength. If we are to prevail with God, then we have to put
forth all that is within us: we must stir up ourselves (Isa. 64:7) to
lay hold of God. Again, this is recorded of Epaphras on behalf of the
Colossians: "Always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may
stand perfect and complete in all the will of God" (Col. 4:12). Such
praying cost Epaphras something! Yes, and such praying resulted in
something!
Our Praying Sadly Defective
Is it not at this very point that our praying is so sadly defective?
It is too mechanical and formal. Spiritual ardor, soul-exertion,
reality are absent. Does someone reply, but it is not my prerogative
to exercise faith or to supplicate acceptably and effectually when I
will! I have no spiritual power of my own. We sometimes wonder what is
meant by such language, and fear that in most cases it proceeds from a
serious error, or else it is an idle excuse behind which dilatory
souls seek to shelter. It is quite wrong for the Christian to suppose
that he has less spiritual ability and strength than he has natural.
The fact is that man, be he regenerate or unregenerate, is a dependent
creature, wholly dependent upon his Maker for every breath he draws,
every thought he thinks, every act he performs, spiritual or natural,
for "in him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28). Man
may pride himself in his self-sufficiency, boast of his free-will, and
imagine he is lord of himself, but he only deceives himself and denies
his creaturehood in so doing.
When Pilate vaunted himself to Christ, asking, "Knowest thou not that
I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?" He
answered, "Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it
were given thee from above" (John 19:10-11). Roman official though he
was, and invested with Caesar's authority, yet Pilate was utterly
impotent, with no more inherent and self-sufficient power to perform a
natural act than a lump of inanimate clay until God should vouchsafe
it unto him. The clear teaching of Holy Writ is that man has not a
particle more of natural power in and of himself than he has spiritual
power. "But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God [thy relation to Him,
and thy complete dependency upon Him]: for it is he that giveth thee
power to get wealth" (Deut. 8:18), i.e., who supplies thee with
health, strength, and wisdom to perform natural acts, and who alone
determines the measure of thy success therein. "For she did not know
[nevertheless it was a fact!] that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil,
and multiplied her silver and gold, . . . [yes, even when] they
prepared [the same] for Baal" (Hos. 2:8).
What effect does such a belief have upon you? What fruit does it
produce in your daily life? Does it merely result in Muhammadan apathy
and fatalistic inertia, or does it cast you back upon God so that you
seek His enabling for everything? Scripture not only reveals the
dependency of the creature upon its Maker, his inherent helplessness,
but it also teaches that man is a responsible creature, a rational and
moral agent, accountable to God for all his thoughts, words, and
deeds. Do you "believe" that too? If not, your creed is sadly
defective. You are responsible to glorify your Maker, to be subject to
His authority, to do those things which are pleasing in His sight.
But, you reply, I am unable to do so. True, and you are equally unable
to dig your garden unless God grants you strength, or to attend to
your financial matters unless He gives you wisdom. Do you therefore
lie in bed and do nothing? The only difference between our power and
powerlessness to perform natural and spiritual acts is this, that our
hearts are averse to the latter. The natural man hates God, and the
things of the Spirit are foolishness to him. He loves material things,
and therefore he pursues them eagerly.
"Ye Have Not Because Ye Ask Not"
Let us bring this matter down to a very simple and practical level.
Here is a housewife who desires to make a cake. Suppose, for the sake
of our illustration, that God has in His grace enabled her to purchase
all the necessary ingredients. In such a case if she does not use the
wisdom God has given her to perform her task successfully, if she does
not concentrate her mind on what she is engaged in, if she becomes
careless in following the recipe and the cake is a failure, whose
fault is it? God has endowed you with reason, given you His Spirit,
and His Word to instruct you, and bidden you to call upon Him for the
supply of every temporal and spiritual need. Who is to blame if you do
not appropriate and wisely use these mercies? Without Christ we can do
nothing (John 15:5), yet strengthened by Him we "can do all things"
(Phil. 4:13). It is therefore an idle excuse, a piece of wicked
hypocrisy, if we plead our helplessness as an extenuation of our
coldness and formality in prayer, and are not earnest and fervent in
supplicating the throne of grace.
Having enlarged upon the intensity of the apostle's prayer rather more
than we intended, let us return to the desire which prompted it,
namely, that he "might perfect that which is lacking in your faith"(1
Thess. 3:10). First, those words reveal the exalted standard which
this servant of the Lord kept before him and the high ministerial
level at which he aimed. Notwithstanding the fact that Timothy had
just brought Paul "good tidings" of their "faith and charity" (1
Thess. 3:6), still that did not content him, for he knew "there
remaineth yet very much land to be possessed" (Josh. 13:1). Let the
pastor be thankful when he sees his sheep in a healthy condition, but
let him also labor for their further growth.
Second, in these words we perceive the faithfulness of Paul. He did
not feed their vanity by complimenting them upon their attainments,
but gave them to understand that, far from having cause to be
complacent, there was still room for much improvement, and that they
needed to continue pressing forward to those things which are still
before. Let the minister give credit to whom credit is due, but
diligently avoid overdone praise, knowing that "a flattering mouth
worketh ruin" (Prov. 26:28).
Things Lacking in Our Faith
"That . . . we might perfect that which is lacking [`the things
lacking, plural in the Greek] in your faith" (1 Thess. 3:10). How many
professing Christians would resent such a statement as that! Yes, some
of God's own people are in such a sickly condition and so
hypersensitive that their poor feelings would be hurt if such an
imputation were made against them. Yet it is a fact that the most
spiritual and mature Christian has various things lacking in his
faith. First, in its scope: how many portions of the Word he has not
yet apprehended, how many of its precepts and promises are still
unappropriated. Second, in its operation: there is not the fruit from
it which there should be in our daily lives. Third, take "faith" here
as a grace also, and how much darkness and doubting mar the best of
us. So it was with these Thessalonians. Just as Paul longed to visit
the saints at Rome so that he might "impart unto . . . [them] some
spiritual gift" (Rom. 1:11), in like manner he desired to again see
these young Thessalonian converts of his that he might be of further
help to them.
"That we . . . might perfect . . . [the things which are] lacking in
your faith." Egotism lies behind that touchiness which resents an
insinuation of our ignorance. Oh, when shall we learn that--pride even
more than unbelief--is the chief adversary to our making progress in
the things of God? The more truly wise any man is, the more conscious
he is of his ignorance, of the paucity of his knowledge. Only the
conceited novice, the one who has a mere smattering of his subject,
vainly imagines he is master of it and refuses to receive further
instruction from his fellows. "If any man think that he knoweth any
thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know" (1 Cor. 8:2). As we
have said so often, the grand secret of success in the Christian life
is to continue as we began. And, among other things, that means to be
emptied of our self-sufficiency, to maintain before God the attitude
of a little child, to preserve a teachable spirit, and that to the end
of our lives. If we persist in doing all these, we shall daily be
aware of how much is still lacking in our faith, and we shall welcome
every available help, no matter how weak the instrument.
Paul's Prayer for Them
Since Paul was providentially detained from immediately carrying out
his desire, he prayed for and wrote to the new converts: "Now God
himself . . . [even] our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our
way unto you" (1 Thess. 3:11). Thus this prayer, like the "grace be to
you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ"
found at the beginning of most of Paul's epistles, was addressed
conjointly to the Father and to the Son in His mediatorial character.
Therein we behold the Savior's absolute deity, for it was an act of
worship which was here being rendered to Him, and His divine law is
explicit: "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt
thou serve" (Matthew 4:10). We are expressly forbidden to accord
divine homage to any creature. When the awestruck John fell down to
worship an angel, he promptly said, "See thou do it not" (Rev. 22:10).
Instead of the angels being fit objects of worship, as Rome
blasphemously teaches, the divine edict is "Let all the angels of God
worship him" (Heb. 1:8) who, as the context shows, is the incarnate
Son. Being co-essential and co-eternal with the Father, all are
commanded to "honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that
honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him"
(John 5:23).
Prayer to Be Directed to the Son
Prayer is not only to be offered to God in the name of Christ but also
directly to Christ as our Lord and Savior. When a successor to Judas
was to be chosen for the apostolate, prayer was made to the Lord (Acts
1:2-4). Apart from the fact that "the Lord" always has reference to
Christ (unless there is something in the passage which clearly
distinguishes the Father from Him), John 6:70 and 15:16 oblige us to
regard that allusion as being to the Son. The dying Stephen
specifically addressed his petitions to the Lord Jesus (Acts 7:59-60).
From Acts 9:14 and 21 it is clear that it was customary for the early
Christians to "call upon his name," i.e., supplicate Him. Upon the
conversion of Saul of Tarsus, he was bidden to call on the name of the
Lord (Acts 22:16). So prominent a feature was this in the lives of the
primitive saints, that they received their characteristic designation
from the same: "all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus
Christ our Lord" (1 Cor. 1:2). Timothy was instructed to "call on the
Lord out of a pure heart" (2 Tim. 2:22).
We turn now to consider the two petitions of this prayer: the one more
immediately concerning Paul himself, the other the Thessalonian
saints. The former is recorded in verse 11: "Now God himself . . . our
Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you." First,
that request concerned taking a journey. Second, it concerned a
ministerial journey. Third, the one who desired to take it was
exercised over it and wanted his steps to be ordered of the Lord. The
terms of expression (and they are a legitimate and simple analysis of
the petition), make it at once apparent that there is something here
of interest and moment to each of us; that this petition has been
placed on permanent record for our benefit--for our instruction and
guidance. We should ponder each verse of Scripture, seeking to
ascertain what in it will provide help for the details of our lives.
God's Word is given us as a lamp to our feet and a light to our
path--for us to walk by--an unerring guide to direct our way through
the maze of this world. To put it another way, the apostle has here
left us an example which is wise to follow.
We Are Dependent upon God's Will and Enablement
The strongest-willed and most resolute person on this earth cannot
take a journey of so much as a hundred yards unless God wills and
enables him. "Go to now [a word of rebuke], ye that say, to day or to
morrow we will go into such a city, . . . whereas ye know not what
shall be on the morrow . . . For that ye ought to say, If the Lord
will, we shall live, and do this, or that" (James 4:13-15). Even
though God may grant us permission to carry out our plan, that is very
far from saying that He will prosper the same. How that serves to
illustrate what we have said about the entire dependency of man upon
his Maker! In the verse now before us we are shown what effect that
fact, that truth, should have upon us. It should counteract our spirit
of self-sufficiency. It should cast us upon the Lord, seeking His
enablement for all things. That was exactly what the apostle was here
doing: acknowledging his dependency upon God and supplicating Him
concerning his journey to Thessalonica.
"O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in
man that walketh to direct his steps" (Jer. 10:23). How very few
professing Christians believe that! Nevertheless, that is the truth,
and therefore we are bidden, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart;
and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge
him, and he shall direct thy paths" (Prov. 3:5-6), yet not without our
concurrence. God treats us as rational creatures, as moral agents, and
therefore we are required to trust Him fully, to repudiate the
competency of our own reason, and to own Him in all our conduct. "The
steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD" (Ps. 37:23)--not those of
a wicked man, though his steps are "ordained" or appointed. Sometimes
God lets us have our own way, as He did Israel of old, and then we
miss His best and He sends leanness into our souls (Ps. 106:15).
When planning a journey, for instance, the first question to determine
is simply this: "Is it your plain duty (as required by your calling or
your obligations to others) to take this journey? If there be any
uncertainty, then spread the matter before God and seek wisdom from
Him. Observe how frequently it is recorded of David, the man after
God's own heart (i.e., who in his official life was so completely
subject to the divine will), that when contemplating a journey he
"inquired of the LORD" (1 Sam. 23:2, 4; 30:8; 2 Samuel 2:1; 5:19, 23),
seeking His guidance each time and waiting upon Him. When your path is
plain, then definitely pray God to give you good speed (Gen. 24:12),
and grant you journeying mercies. Act on Psalm 37:5, and count upon
the fulfillment of its promise. While on your journey, so far as
conditions permit, endeavor to redeem the time by profitable reading
(Acts 8:28).
Ministerial Journeys
Considering ministerial journeys, first we would observe that in
Paul's case God's will respecting them was not made known to him
uniformly, nor did he have any unmistakable leading as some today
boast of. He and his companions had "assayed to go into Bithynia," but
we are told that "the Spirit suffered them not" (Acts 16:7). Was he
then acting in the energy of the flesh? Certainly not, no more than
David was when he purposed to build the temple. Paul's trip to
Macedonia was the result of a vision, but that was exceptional. Often
persecution forced him to flee elsewhere. Sometimes Paul's movements
were regulated by direct command from God, other times by providential
circumstances, yet other times by his own spiritual instinct and
desires. When he bade farewell to those at Ephesus he said, "I will
return again unto you, if God will" (Acts 18:21)--if God permits and
enables. Our "times" are in His hand (Ps. 31:15), and though we
propose this or that, it is God who disposes (Prov. 19:21). Later,
Paul did return to Ephesus (Acts 19:1).
"I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will" (1 Cor. 4:19). Speaking
generally, the apostles knew no more about the common events of life
than did other men, nor were they usually directed by a supernatural
impulse for their journeys. "Making request, if by any means now at
length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come
unto you" (Rom. 1:10). Those words should teach us that, while the
will of God concerning any event is not yet ascertained, we have the
right and liberty to desire and pray for what we want, providing that
our desires be conformed to God's holiness and our requests subject to
His will. Our desires must at once be renounced as soon as it is clear
that they are not agreeable to the divine will. Rightly did Moule
point out "the indifference of mystic pietism, which at least
discouraged articulate contingent petitions, is unknown to the
apostles." And again Moule stated, "His inward harmony with the divine
will never excluded the formation and expression of such requests,
with the reverence of submissive reserve." Only One has ever had the
right or necessary qualification to say, "Father, I will."
"For which cause also I have been much hindered from coming to you.
But now having no more place in those parts, and having a great desire
these many years to come unto you; whensoever I take my journey into
Spain, I will come to you: for I trust to see you in my journey" (Rom.
15:22-24). The opening "for which cause" is explained in the preceding
verses: the pressure of continuous evangelistic labors had been the
principal factor causing Paul to defer his visit, from which we learn
that the call of duty deterred him from carrying out his earlier
inclination. Matthew Henry well said, "God's dearest servants are not
always gratified in everything they have a mind to. Yet all who
delight in God have `the desire of their heart' fulfilled (Ps. 37:4),
though all the desires in their heart may not be humored." Note that
Paul said, "I trust to see you," not "I shall see you," for he knew
not what a day might bring forth. We ought to be very slow in making
any promise, and those we do make should ever be qualified with "if
God permit."
Guidance by the Holy Spirit
"For I will not see you now by the way; but I trust to tarry a while
with you, if the Lord permit" (1 Cor. 16:7). Here again we see the
beloved apostle making personal acknowledgment of both the
providential and spiritual government of Christ and his subservience
thereto. Two things must concur; his purpose and conviction of duty as
formed by the Spirit indwelling him, and the ordering of his external
circumstances, confirming and making possible the execution of his
purpose. Paul was crossed several times in his intentions. Sometimes
he was forbidden by the Spirit (Acts 16:7), sometimes hindered by
Satan (1 Thess. 2:18), at other times prevented or long delayed by the
pressure of work. Some doubt that he ever took his journey into Spain
(Rom. 15:24). Matthew Henry said, "The grace of God often with favor
accepts the sincere intention, when the providence of God in wisdom
prohibits the execution. Do we not serve a good Master, then! (2 Cor.
8:12)."
A Special Word to Ministers
It is our desire and aim to furnish something in these pages suited to
the needs of all classes of readers. We feel that a word or two should
be offered for the particular benefit of those who are engaged in the
ministry. One of the matters which, at some time or other in his
career, deeply exercises the conscientious servant of God is that of
his particular field of labor, especially when he is justified in
leaving one field for another. Great care and caution need to be used
and prayer is needed for patience as well as wisdom. Ours is an age of
discontent and restlessness, and not only are most of God's people
more or less infected by its evil spirit, but many of His servants are
influenced by the same and suffer from wanderlust. Some who make a
change of pastorate every two or three years suppose they find a
warrant in doing so from the experience of the Apostle Paul: but that
is a mistake. He was never settled in a pastorate, but was instead
engaged in missionary or evangelistic activities, and therefore he
furnishes no example to be followed by those who have the care of
local churches.
When contemplating a change, spare no pains in endeavoring to make
sure that the particular portion of the Lord's vineyard is the one
where He would have you labor. If it is a church where you would be
required to employ worldly and carnal methods in order to "attract the
young people" or to "maintain its finances," it is no place for a
servant of Christ. Take time and trouble to find out what the local
conditions are, and you will probably be spared from entering a
position where the Holy Spirit would not use you. Far better minister
to a small company of saints than to a large one of unregenerate
church members. No plan should be formed without reference to God's
will. His glory and the good of His people must ever be your aim. If
you are assured that God led you into your present field, be very slow
in entertaining any thought of removal. An invitation to a more
"attractive" field is far more likely to be a divine testing of your
heart than an intimation that God would have you make a move. Consider
not your own inclinations but the welfare of those to whom you are
ministering. Seek grace to "endure hardness, as a good soldier of
Jesus Christ" (2 Tim. 2:3), and let faithfulness rather than "success"
be your earnest endeavor.
"Now God himself . . . [even] our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ,
direct our way unto you." This prayer demonstrates that Paul was no
fatalist, arguing that, since God had predestinated everything that
would come to pass, there was no need for him to be uneasy about his
plans for the near future. No, he was deeply exercised that his steps
might be ordered of God, and therefore did he trustfully commit his
way to Him (Ps. 37:5). In spite of his intense desire to visit these
saints (1 Thess. 3:6, 10), he refused to rush matters and act in the
energy of the flesh. Nor did he assume that their yearning to see him
again was a clear intimation of God's will in the matter: he waited to
be definitely guided from on high. It is not for any minister of the
Gospel to effect his own design without divine leave: rather it must
be by God's permission and providence, by His directing and ordering,
that each change is to be made. Until His will is clear, remain where
you are (Rom. 16:23). If you are at a crossroads, entreat the Lord to
block the way He would not have you take. Never force matters nor act
hastily.
The "God himself" is emphatic, literally "But Himself, God even the
Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, may direct our way unto you." The
"himself" is in contrast with "We would have come unto you, even I
Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us" (1 Thess. 2:18). If God
Himself directs us, then none can hinder! Scripture does not inform us
what way Satan had "hindered," therefore it is useless and impious for
us to speculate about it. Not that Satan had in any way hindered the
execution of God's purpose, only the fulfilling of the apostle's
"desire." God blessedly overruled and outwitted Satan, for in
consequence of Paul's being hindered in the first century, we in this
twentieth century now have the benefit of this epistle. In the
all-too-brief comments of Ellicott's commentary a valuable point is
here brought out: "The verb `direct' is in the singular (which of
course the English cannot [as explicitly] express), showing the unity
of the Father and Son, and the equality of the two Persons." There was
a blessed propriety in Paul's conjoining the Son with the Father in
this petition, for it acknowledged Him as the One who holds the stars
in His hand (Rev. 1:16) and opens and shuts all doors (Rev. 3:7).
The Grace of Love Now Especially Needed
"And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward
another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you" (1 Thess.
3:12). This is the second petition, but we shall not dwell upon it at
the same length as the former: not because it is of less importance,
but because it calls for less explanation. What is needed here is not
so much exposition as the turning of these words into earnest
supplication. If ever there was a time in the history of Christendom
when God's people needed to entreat the throne of grace for an
increase and an abounding in love, it is surely now. The exercise and
manifestation of this cardinal grace is at an exceedingly low ebb.
Sectarian bigotry, carnal strife, roots of bitterness, thrive on every
hand. Yea, things are in such a deplorable state today that many of
God's own people hold quite a wrong idea as to the nature and fruits
of love. Most of them misconstrue natural affability and temperamental
geniality for love. A hearty handshake, a warm welcome, may be had at
the world's clubs and social centers where Christ is not even
professed! The love for which the apostle here prayed was a holy,
spiritual, and supernatural love.
Spiritual love proceeds from a spiritual nature and is attracted by
the sight of the divine image in the saints. "Every one that loveth
him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him" (1 John 5:1).
No one can love holiness in another unless he has holiness in his own
soul. Many love particular Christians because they find them to be
sweet-tempered or generous-hearted, but that is merely natural and not
spiritual love. If we would love the saints spiritually we must
disregard what they are temperamentally by nature, and contemplate
them as the objects and subjects of God's love, loving them for what
we see of Him in them. Only thus shall we be able to rise above
individual peculiarities and personal infirmities, and value them with
a true spiritual affection. This does not mean that we shall ignore
their offenses or condone their sins (Lev. 19:17). On the other hand,
often what we regard as "slights" from them is due to our own pride.
We are hurt because we do not receive the notice which we consider is
our due. At times it is not good for the people of God to know too
much of each other (Prov. 25:17). Familiarity may breed contempt.
Neither the reality nor the depth of Christian love is to be measured
by honeyed words or endearing expressions. Actions speak louder than
words. Gushy people are proverbially superficial and fickle. Those
less demonstrative are more stable. Still waters run deep. Spiritual
love always aims at the good of its object. It is exercised in
edifying conversation, in seeking to strengthen and confirm faith,
exalt God's Word, and promote piety. The more another magnifies Christ
the more should he be endeared to us. We do not mean mere glib talk
about Christ, but that overflowing of the heart toward Him which
compels the mouth to speak of Him. We should love the saints for the
truth's sake, for being unashamed to avow their faith in such a day as
this. Those who reflect most of the image of Christ and carry about
with them most of His fragrance should be the ones we love most.
Love for the brethren is ever proportioned to our love for the Lord
Himself, which at once explains why the former is at such a low ebb.
The sectarian bigotry and the bitterness growing all around us are not
hard to explain. Love to God has waned! "Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart, . . . soul and . . . strength" comes before
"thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." But the love of material
things and the cares of this world have chilled the souls of many
toward God. Our affections must be set steadfastly upon the Head of
the Church before they will wax warm to its members. When the Lord is
given His rightful place in our hearts, His redeemed will also be
given theirs. Then love will not be confined to that narrow
ecclesiastical circle in which our lot is cast; it will embrace the
entire household of faith. Then we shall have "love unto all the
saints" (Eph. 1:15), and that will be evidenced by "supplication for
all saints" (Eph. 6:18)--those in the four corners of the earth whom
we have never seen. "Salute every saint" (Phil. 4:21)--poor as well as
rich, weak as well as strong.
The Connection of This Petition with the Former One
At first glance there appears to be no connection, for what relation
is there between one being guided in a journey and others loving one
another? Yet the fact that this petition opens with "and" gives plain
intimation that there is a coherence between them. A little meditation
should discover what that is. What would have been the use of the
apostle visiting the Thessalonian assembly if strife and division had
prevailed in their midst? Under such circumstances the Lord would not
have clothed Paul's words with power. Paul, instead of building up the
Christians, would have had to reprove and rebuke them for their
carnality, for most certainly he was not one of those who would ignore
what was wrong and act as though things were all right. Nothing more
quickly grieves and quenches the Spirit than dissension and a spirit
of ill-will in an assembly.
"And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward
another." This petition was addressed more specifically to the Head of
the Church, from whom the nourishment and increase of its members flow
(Col. 2:19). From Him we receive His "fullness" (John 1:16); from Him
we receive "the supply of the Spirit" (Phil. 1:19); yet we are
required to seek for these. We are not to infer from the apostle
asking for some particular thing that those for whom he supplicated
were deficient therein, but rather the reverse. Because he perceived
that a certain grace was in healthy exercise, he felt encouraged to
ask God for an increase of the same. Such was unmistakably the case
here. Paul had opened his epistle by referring to their "labor of
love" (1 Thess. 1:3). He later declared, "But as touching brotherly
love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught
of God to love one another. And indeed ye do it toward all the
brethren" (1 Thess. 4:9-10). Why then this petition? "That ye [may]
increase more and more" (1 Thess. 4:10). The answer to this large
petition is recorded in 2 Thessalonians 1:3.
The Object in View
"To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before
God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all
his saints" (1 Thess. 13). First, this verse expresses the design in
Paul's petitions. Our hearts are sadly fickle and inconstant in their
frames, and need divine establishing against the fear of man, the
frowns of the world, and the temptations of Satan. Second, holiness
before God was the grand object in view, and the abounding of love the
means for promoting the same (Col. 3:14). Third, the establishing our
hearts (which God ever eyes) is our great need, yet how little concern
we have about their state! Much head and hand religion, but the heart
is neglected! So far as we recall, never once have we heard this
petition used in public prayer! Fourth, at the return of Christ these
desires will be fully realized.
Gleanings from Paul Index
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings from Paul
by A. W. Pink
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26. Prayer for Sanctification of the Young Saints
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
Five things claim our consideration when pondering this prayer. First,
its connection: the opening "and" of verse 23 links it to that which
precedes, and that in turn supplies help to an understanding of the
petition here. Second, its addressee: "the God of peace," the precise
force of which address needs to be ascertained and then appropriated
by faith. Third, its request: that these saints might be "sanctified
wholly," concerning the meaning of which there has been much needless
difference of opinion. Fourth, its design: that the saints should be
so sanctified that they might "be preserved blameless unto the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ," an expression which calls for particularly
careful and prayerful examination. Fifth, its assurance: "faithful is
he that calleth you, who also will do it" (1 Thess. 5:24), which
imports that the apostle had no doubt but that God would grant his
request and accomplish his design--a proof that he had not asked for
something which is unrealizable in this life by any of God's children.
May the spirit of prayer be granted to our readers as they seek to
mentally weigh what we have written.
Let us consider the connection of this prayer with what has preceded.
The order followed by the apostle is significant: exhortation to
saints, then supplication to God. Paul called on the saints to perform
their several duties, then he entreated God to further quicken them
thereunto. Prayer was never designed to be a substitute for diligence
in keeping God's precepts, but is a means whereby we obtain grace for
obedient conduct. Diligent endeavor and fervent prayer are never to be
separated.
As the apostle approached the end of this epistle he issued a series
of short but weighty exhortations, the last of which was "Abstain from
all appearance of evil" (1 Thess. 5:22). In the light of the verse
immediately preceding, that signifies first to shun whatever savors of
error. False doctrine is most dishonoring to God and highly injurious
to the souls of His people, and therefore to be feared and avoided as
a plague. God has warned concerning those men who teach anything
contrary to His eternal truth, "Their word will eat as doth a canker"
(2 Tim. 2:17). Second, evil practice as well as evil doctrine is to be
refrained from in the least degree, yea, in its very semblance. He who
would avoid great sins must exercise conscience regarding little ones;
and he who would avoid both great and little sins must consequently
shun also the very appearance of sin. Such things as extreme styles of
apparel and overuse of jewelry, immoderate use of cosmetics, immodest
attire, betray an absence of that spirit which hates even "the garment
spotted by the flesh" (Jude 23).
The Moral Connection Between Verses 21 and 22
There is a real and close moral connection between "Abstain from all
appearance of evil" and the exhortation immediately preceding: "Prove
all things; hold fast that which is good" (1 Thess. 5:21). The word
for "prove" signifies "examine, weigh, try." Whatever you hear and
read, whatever counsel you receive even from Christians, whatever
doubtful course of conduct others follow, bring all to the test of
God's Word; and whatever survives that test "hold fast" and let not
the sneers and frowns of men cause you to relinquish it. The more you
make a practice of measuring all things by that standard, the keener
will be your discernment to detect whatever falls short of it:
"through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every
false way" (Ps. 119:104). The latter cannot be said without the
former. "I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right;
and I hate every false way" (Ps. 119:128). Only as we form the habit
of "proving all things" and then "holding fast that which is good" are
we morally enabled to "abstain from all appearance of evil."
On the other hand, our obedience to "prove all things, hold fast that
which is good" does not render superfluous or needless our obedience
to also "abstain from every appearance of evil," for no matter how
well informed we may be from the Word, nor how strong may be our
hatred of evil, there is still an enemy within ready to betray us.
Therefore we need to spurn even the borders of evil and turn away our
eyes from the very sight of it. If we do not, our souls will soon
become receptive to the devil's lies. Matthew Henry declared, "Corrupt
affections indulged in the heart and evil practices allowed in the
life will greatly tend to promote fatal errors in the mind; whereas
purity of heart and integrity of life will dispose men to receive the
truth in the love of it. We should therefore abstain from all
appearance of evil, from that which looks like sin or leads to it. He
who is not shy of the appearances of sin, who shuns not the occasions
of sin, who avoids not the approaches of sin, will not long abstain
from the actual commission of sin." So much then for the connection or
immediate context of this prayer.
"The God of Peace"
This particular title, "the God of peace," has at least a fivefold
reference. First, it tells us what God is essentially, the Fountain of
peace. Second, it announces what He is economically or
dispensationally, the Ordainer or Covenantor of peace. Third, it
reveals what He is judicially, a reconciled God, the Provider of
peace. Fourth, it declares what He is paternally, the Giver of peace
to His children. Fifth, it proclaims what He is governmentally, the
Orderer of peace in the churches and in the world. Our present passage
has most to do with the last three. First, it respects God in His
judicial relationship with His people. When they sinned in Adam, a
breach was made, so that God was legally alienated from them and they
were morally alienated from Him. Though there was no change in His
everlasting love for them, because of their apostasy from Him in the
Adamic fall, and because of their own multiplied transgressions
against Him, God as the moral Governor of the universe could not
ignore that awful breach. As the Judge of all the earth His
condemnation and curse rested upon them. The elect equally with the
nonelect are "by nature the children of wrath" (Eph. 2:3), and as long
as they remain in unbelief they are under the wrath of God (John
3:36), the objects of His penal hatred (Ps. 5:5), repulsive to the
Holy One. But His wisdom devised a way whereby He could be reconciled
to His alienated people.
God's Way of Deliverance
That way consists of what Christ did for them, what His Spirit works
in them, and what they themselves are made willing to do. Christ
obeyed the precept of the law on their behalf and suffered its penalty
in their stead. Thereby the great Surety of the Church made complete
satisfaction of God's justice, placated His wrath, and established an
equitable and stable peace. When Christ endured the curse of the
broken law, He "made peace [between God and His people] through the
blood of his cross" (Col. 1:20), healing the fearful breach,
reconciling the divine Judge to them, establishing a perfect and
abiding amity and concord. In that way the divine interests were
secured. But more: He secured for His people the Holy Spirit (Gal.
3:13-14) and thereby adequate provision was made to meet their dire
needs. Desperate indeed is their case by nature and by practice: dead
spiritually, rebels against God, their minds at enmity against Him,
wedded to their idols, in love with sin. But by the quickening and
illuminating power of the Holy Spirit they are convicted of their
wickedness, made willing to throw down the weapons of their revolt,
flee to Christ for refuge, and take His yoke upon them. Thereby they
respond to the divine call "Be ye reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:20) and
thus they have "peace with God" (Rom. 5:1).
Thus we see the appropriateness of this divine title when the apostle
was making request for the further sanctifying of the saints. The "God
of peace" was the One who was pacified by the blood of Christ and
reconciled to sinners when they turned from being lawless rebels and
became loyal subjects of His government. The sanctifying Spirit was
the surest evidence of their reconciliation to God. Proof of being
brought into God's favor objectively is our enjoyment of His peace
subjectively. The intolerable burden of guilt is removed from the
conscience, and we "find rest unto . . . [our] souls." But if that
rest is to be preserved in our souls we have to take the most diligent
heed to our ways. If we are to enjoy communion with "the God of
peace," then all details of our lives must be regulated by His Word.
That calls for diligent watchfulness over our hearts, since sin, the
archenemy of God, surrounds us. The apostle's injunction to the Roman
saints is as relevant to us today: "Reckon . . . yourselves to be dead
indeed unto sin, but alive unto God . . . Let not sin therefore reign
in your mortal body" (Rom. 6:11-12).
Our Enjoyment of God's Paternal Peace
Our enjoyment of the paternal peace of God is conditioned upon our
obedience to Him: "O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments!
then had thy peace been as a river" (Isa. 48:18), full and unbroken.
Our enjoyment of God's paternal peace is conditioned upon our making
it a practice to cast all our care on Him: "Be careful [anxious] for
nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace
of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:6-7). The enjoyment of God's
governmental peace in the local church is a fruit of the unquenched
Spirit operating in their midst by the exercise of love among the
members and by the maintenance of scriptural discipline over them
corporately. It is sin which produces strife and dissension among
saints. "From whence come wars and fighting among you? Come they not
hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?" (Jam. 4:1). Then
communion with the God of peace is at an end.
Third, let us consider the request of this prayer of the apostle. "And
[Himself] the very God of peace sanctify you wholly." Why did the
apostle make this request? Were not the Thessalonian saints already
sanctified? Certainly they were, both as to their standing before God
in Christ and as to their state in themselves as indwelt by the Holy
Spirit. Then precisely what was it that Paul sought on their behalf?
Sanctification is many-sided, and unless we distinguish between its
many aspects, we shall not only have but a vague and blurred concept
of the whole but we shall entertain erroneous ideas of the same and
bring our hearts into bondage. As this is a most blessed, deeply
important, yet little understood subject, we will now indicate its
chief branches.
First, believers were sanctified by God the Father from all eternity.
"To them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus
Christ, and called" (Jude 1). Note well the order: they were
sanctified before their preservation (i.e., from death in their
unregeneracy) and effectual call. The reference there is to the
believers' eternal election, when in His decree the Father set apart
His elect from the nonelect for His delight and glory, choosing them
in Christ and blessing them with all spiritual blessings in Him before
the foundation of the world. On that initial aspect of sanctification
we will not dwell.
Second, all believers have been sanctified by God the Son. As that is
little apprehended we will enter into more detail. Our sanctification
by the Son, like that by the Father, is not subjective but objective,
not something we experience within but something entirely outside
ourselves. By the redemptive sacrifice of Christ the entire Church has
been set apart, consecrated to and accepted by God in all the
excellency of the infinitely meritorious work of His incarnate Son.
"We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ
once for all . . . For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them
that are sanctified" (Heb. 10:10, 14). Those blessed statements have
no reference whatever to anything which the Spirit does in the
Christian, but relate exclusively to what Christ has secured for him.
They speak of that which results from our federal oneness with Christ.
They tell us that by virtue of the sacrifice of Calvary every believer
is not only accounted righteous in the courts of God's justice but is
perfectly hallowed for the courts of His holiness. The blood of the
Lamb not only delivers from hell but fits us for heaven. It is the
believer's relation to Christ, and that alone, which entitles him to
enter the Father's house. And it is his relation to Christ, and that
alone, which now gives him the right to draw nigh to God within the
veil (Heb. 10:19).
Every Believer Sanctified upon Believing
The grand fact is that the feeblest and least-instructed believer was
as completely sanctified before God the first moment he trusted in
Christ as he will be in heaven in his glorified state. Said the Savior
on the eve of His death, "For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they
might be truly sanctified" (John 17:19, margin), that is, that they
might be really and actually sanctified, in contrast with the merely
typical and ceremonial sanctification which obtained under the Mosaic
dispensation. Christ was on the point of dedicating Himself to the
final execution of the work of making Himself the sacrifice for sin;
as the surety of His people He was about to present Himself to the
Father and place Himself on the altar as a vicarious propitiation for
His church. As the consequence of Christ devoting Himself as a whole
burnt offering to God, His people are perfectly sanctified. Their sins
are forever put away. Their persons are cleansed from all defilement.
The excellency of His work is imputed to them so that they are
rendered perfectly acceptable to God, suited to His presence, fitted
for His worship. Priestly nearness to God is their blessed portion as
the consequence of Christ's priestly offering of Himself for them.
They have the right of access to God as purged worshipers.
"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom,
and [even] righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption" (1 Cor.
1:30). Observe well that this verse is not stating what we were made
by Christ, but what God has made Christ to be to His believing people.
The distinction is real and fundamental, and to ignore it is to
deprive ourselves of the most precious half of the gospel. Christ is
here said to be made four things to us or, as the Greek more nicely
discriminates, one thing (wisdom), which is defined under three
points, the whole speaking of the Church's completeness in her Head
(Col. 2:10). God has made Christ to be all and in all to us
objectively and imputatively. Christ is not only our righteousness but
our sanctification, by the purity of His person and the excellency of
His sacrifice being reckoned to our account. If Israel became a holy
people (ceremonially) when sprinkled with the blood of bulls and
goats, so that they were admitted and readmitted to Jehovah's worship,
how much more shall the meritorious blood of Christ sanctify us
actually, so that we may draw nigh to God with confidence as
acceptable worshipers? My ignorance does not alter the fact, neither
does the weakness of my faith to truly grasp the same impair it. My
feelings and experience have nothing to do with it. God has done it,
and nothing can alter it.
Aaron the High Priest
"And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the
engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD . . . And it shall be
upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy
things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy
gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be
accepted before the LORD" (Ex. 28:36-39). That presents to us one of
the most precious typical pictures to be found in all the Old
Testament. Aaron, the high priest, was dedicated and devoted
exclusively to the Lord. He served in that office on behalf of others
as their mediator. He stood before God as the representative of the
nation, bearing the names of the twelve tribes on his shoulders and on
his heart (Ex. 28:12, 29). Israel, the people of God, were both
represented by and accepted in Aaron. That was not a type of "the way
of salvation," but it spoke of the approach to God of a failing and
sinning people whose very prayers and praises were defiled but whose
service and worship were rendered acceptable to the Holy One through
their high priest. That inscription "Holiness To The Lord" on Aaron's
forehead was a solemn appointment by which the people of Israel were
impressively taught that holiness became the house of God, and that
none who were unholy could possibly draw nigh to Him.
Now Aaron foreshadowed Christ, the great High Priest who is "over the
house of God" (Heb. 10:21). Believers are both represented by and
accepted in Him. The "Holiness To The Lord" which was "always" upon
Aaron's forehead pointed to the mediatorial holiness of the One who
"ever liveth to make intercession" for us (Heb. 7:25). Because of our
federal and vital union with Christ, His holiness is ours. The
perfection of the great High Priest is the measure of our acceptance
with God. Christ has also borne the iniquity of our holy things (Ex.
28:38); that is, He not only atoned for our sins but made satisfaction
for the defects of our worship. Not only can nothing be laid to our
charge but the sweet incense of His merits (Rev. 8:3) renders our
worship "an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable,
wellpleasing to God" (Phil. 4:18). Thus Christians are enabled to
"offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ" (1
Pet. 2:5). Christ is the One who meets our every need both as sinners
and as saints. In, through, and by Christ every believer has a
flawless sanctification. The Holy One could not look upon us with the
least favor, nor could we draw nigh to Him at all, unless He viewed us
as perfectly holy; and this He does in the person of our Mediator.
A perfect holiness is as indispensable as a perfect righteousness in
order for us to have access to and communion with the thrice holy God.
In Christ we have the one as truly as we have the other. The glorious
gospel reveals to us a perfect Savior, One who has completely met
every need of His people; yet it is absolutely necessary that we mix
faith with that good news if we are to live in the power and comfort
of the same. "Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people
with his own blood, suffered without the gate" (Heb. 13:12). The
precious blood has not only made expiation for the sins of His people
but has hallowed and consecrated them to God, so that He views them
not only as guiltless and unreprovable but also as spotless and holy.
The blood of Christ not only covers every stain of sin's defilement
but in the very place of what it covers and cleanses, it leaves its
own excellency and virtue. God sees us in the face of His Anointed as
perfect as Christ Himself, and therefore as both justified and
sanctified. His oblation has restored us to full favor and fellowship
of God.
The word "sanctify" has a twofold meaning: primarily it signifies the
bare setting apart of a thing. In Scripture it usually, though not
always, has reference to setting apart to a sacred use, as the seventh
day to be the Sabbath. Exceptions are found in such passages as Isaiah
66:17 where we read of men setting themselves apart to do evil, and
Isaiah 13:3 where the Lord terms the Medes "my sanctified ones" when
about to employ them in the destruction of Babylon. In the majority of
cases in the Old Testament, "to sanctify" means "to separate some
object from a common use to a sacred one," consecrating the same to
God, yet without any change being effected in the object itself, as
with all the materials and vessels used in the tabernacle. But in its
secondary meaning (not secondary in importance, but as a derivative)
"sanctify" is used in a moral sense, signifying "to make holy,"
rendering what was set apart fit for the end designed, first by a
cleansing (Ex. 19:10), second by an anointing or equipping (Ex.
29:36). In the case of God's elect, sanctification signifies changing
or purifying their dispositions. This brings us to the third main
branch of our subject.
The Father's sanctification of His people in His eternal decree and
the Church's sanctification in and by the Son federally and
meritoriously are made good to and in them personally by God the
Spirit: "being sanctified by the Holy Ghost" (Rom. 15:16). It is not
until the Comforter takes up His abode in the heart that the Father's
"will" (Heb. 10:10) begins to be actualized and the Son's "blood"
(Heb. 13:12) evidences its efficacy toward us. It is not to be
supposed for a moment that the perfect standing before God which the
work of Christ secured for His people leaves their state unaffected;
that their position should be so gloriously changed and their
condition remain unaltered; that holiness should be imputed to them
but not also imparted. The redemptive work of Christ was a means to an
end, namely, to procure for His people the Holy Spirit who should make
good in them what He had done for them. It is by the Spirit's
quickening operation that we obtain vital union with Christ--by means
of which the benefits of our federal and legal union with Him actually
become ours. The "sanctification of the Spirit" (2 Thess. 2:13) is an
integral part of that salvation to which the Father chose us and which
the incarnate Son purchased for us. Thus the Christian is sanctified
by the triune Jehovah.
Union with Christ
Our union with Christ is the grand hinge on which everything turns.
Without Him we have nothing. During our unregeneracy we were "without
Christ" and therefore "strangers from the covenants of promise" (Eph.
2:12). But the moment the Spirit made us one living with Christ, all
that He has became ours; we were made henceforth "joint heirs with
him"--as a woman obtains the right to share all that a man has once
she is wedded to him. By virtue of our union with the first Adam we
not only had imputed to us the guilt of his disobedience but we also
received from him a sinful nature which vitiated all the faculties of
our souls; and by virtue of our federal union with the last Adam we
not only have imputed to us the merits of His obedience but we receive
from Him a holy nature which renews all the faculties of our souls.
Once we become united to the Vine, the life and virtue which are in
Him flow into us and bring forth spiritual fruit. Thus, as soon as the
Spirit unites us to Him we are "sanctified in Christ Jesus" (1 Cor.
1:2). "By one Spirit are we all baptized [spiritually] into one body
[of which Christ is the vital and influential Head], . . . and have
been all made to drink into one Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:13).
"But of him [by no act of ours] are ye in Christ Jesus" (1 Cor. 1:30).
It is by the quickening operation of the Spirit that the elect are
supernaturally and vitally incorporated with Christ, and it is then
God makes Him to be to us "wisdom, even righteousness, and
sanctification, and redemption." "For we are his workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:10). That new creation is effected by the
Spirit and issues in our union with Christ's person. Just as both our
standing and state were radically affected by our union with the first
Adam, so they are completely changed by virtue of our union with the
last Adam. As the believer has a perfect standing in holiness before
God because of his federal union with Christ, so his state is perfect
before God because he is now vitally one with Christ: he is in Christ
and Christ is in him. "He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit"
(1 Cor. 6:17). The moment they were born of the Spirit all Christians
were sanctified in Christ with a sanctification to which no growth in
grace, no attainments in holiness, can add one iota. The believer is
"sanctified [made a saint] in Christ Jesus" (1 Cor. 1:2), one of the
"holy brethren" (Heb. 3:1), and just because he is such he is called
upon to live a holy life.
Our relationship to God is changed when the Spirit sanctifies us by
His quickening power, for we are then consecrated to God by the
Spirit's indwelling us and making our body His temple. As He came upon
the Head ("not . . . by measure," John 3:34), so in due time He is
given to each of the members of the Head: "Ye have an unction [the
Spirit] from the Holy One." "The anointing [the Spirit] which ye have
received from him [Christ] abideth in you" (1 John 2:20, 27). We
derive our name from that very blessing, for "Christian" means "an
anointed one," the term being taken from the type in Psalm 133:2. It
is the indwelling of the Spirit which constitutes a believer a holy
person. Our relationship to Christ is changed when the Spirit quickens
us, for instead of being "without" Him in the world, we are now
"joined" to Him. Our actual state is radically changed, for a
principle of holiness is planted in the soul which powerfully affects
all its faculties. God now occupies the throne of the heart, the
affections are purged from their love of sin, the Word is delighted in
so that the will chooses its precepts as its regulator. Nevertheless,
the "flesh," or evil principle, remains unchanged.
Different Phases of the Believer's Sanctification
In one sense the believer's sanctification by the Spirit is complete
at the new birth, so that he will never be made any holier than he is
at that moment; in another sense his sanctification is incomplete and
admits of progress. It is complete in that by virtue of the great
change effected in him by the miracle of regeneration he is then "made
meet to be [one of the] partakers of the inheritance of the saints in
light" (Col. 1:12), virtually and personally united to Christ and, by
the Spirit's taking up His abode in his heart, consecrated to God. It
is incomplete in that the "flesh" principle is not then removed, in
that the babe in Christ needs to grow in grace, and in that he is
henceforth required to "put off the old man" and "put on the new man"
in a practical way, cleansing himself "from all filthiness of the
flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor.
7:1). To enable him in this, the Spirit renews him daily ( 2
Corinthians 4:16), stirs him up to the use of the means of the Word
and prayer, quickens his graces, draws forth his spiritual life to
spiritual acts in Christ's name; and thereby He continues and
completes that "good work" (Phil. 1:6) which He wrought in the soul at
regeneration.
Let us sum up. Sanctification is the first blessing to which the
Father predestinated His people (Eph. 1:3-5). Second, it is a gift, an
inalienable and eternal gift, which they have in and through Christ.
Third, it is a moral quality, a holy principle or "nature"
communicated by the Spirit. Fourth, it is a duty which God requires
from us (1 Pet. 1:15-16). Or again we may say sanctification is a
relationship into which we are brought with the thrice holy God.
Second, it is a status we have by virtue of our union with Christ.
Third, it is an enduement which we experience by the Spirit's
operation within us. Fourth, it is a lifelong work to which we are
called, but for which we are in constant need of more grace.
"Perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1) by no means
intimates that the holiness which the Christian now possesses is
defective and needs supplementing by his own efforts, but signifies
that he is to carry out to its proper use and end that perfect
holiness which is his in Christ. Compare 1 John 2:5, which means that
by keeping God's commands the design of His love in us is reached. "By
works was [Abraham's] faith made perfect" (i.e., achieved in design or
intended result, James 2:22). The Christian is to be "in behavior as
becometh holiness" (Titus 2:3).
"Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the God of peace himself
sanctify you wholly." Both the immediate context and the particular
character in which God is here addressed serve to show which aspect of
our sanctification is in view, namely, our practical holiness or
purity of heart and conduct. Paul's prayer is for divine enablement to
keep the foregoing commands--full sanctification for full obedience.
To the preceding exhortations the apostle added earnest supplication,
knowing well that only the efficacious grace of God could supply
either the will or the power to comply. The standard in verse 22 is an
exceedingly high and exacting one: to abhor everything which carries
even the appearance of uncleanness, to abstain from everything tending
thereto. The more we eye that standard, the more conscious we are of
its purity, the more we shall realize the need of much grace to
measure up to it, and the more we shall perceive the suitability of
this prayer to our case. We are still the targets of Satan, the
archenemy of God. Yielding to Satan's temptations separates us from
God's favor, produces disorder and confusion among all the faculties
of our being, and causes dissension among the saints. To prevent such
disaster, the apostle invokes the "God of peace."
The Christian's Work of Grace Not Perfected
The indulgence of our lusts and the allowance of sin derange all the
faculties of our being so that the soul usurps the throne of the
spirit (emotions and impulses directing us instead of our
understanding or judgment), and the body seeks to dominate both spirit
and soul--carnal affections opposing reason. But experimental and
practical sanctification puts all into a right order again and causes
peace and harmony. But only "the very God of peace" can so sanctify
us. This is emphasized in our text: "the . . . God of peace
[Himself]," which points up a contrast between the feeble efforts
after holiness which we are capable of in our own spiritual strength
and the almighty power which He can exert because of the peace and
order which His sanctification brings to our whole being. The
Christian is indeed sanctified, yet the work of grace begun in him at
regeneration is not then completed. "First the blade, then the ear,
after that the full corn in the ear" (Mark 4:28). The heart needs to
be increasingly cleansed from the pollution of sin, the soul more
fully conformed to the divine image, the daily walk more "worthy of
the Lord" (Col. 1:10). Yet all the advances we make in the Christian
life are but the effects, fruits, and evidences of the Spirit's
sanctifying us at the new birth. Growth in grace is a manifestation of
our holiness.
"And the . . . God of peace [Himself] sanctify you wholly" is to be
taken in its widest latitude. First, as a request that all the members
of the Thessalonian church, the entire assembly, might be thus
sanctified. Second, that each individual member might be unreservedly
devoted to God in the whole of his complex being. Third, that each and
all of them might be energized and purified more perfectly,
strengthened, and stirred up to press forward to complete holiness.
Thus 1 Thessalonians 5:23 is almost parallel with Hebrews 13:20-21.
The apostle prayed that all parts and faculties of the Christian might
be kept under the influence of efficacious grace, in true and real
conformity to God: that they might be so influenced by the truth as to
be fitted and furnished for the performance of every good work. Though
this be our bounden duty, yet it is the work of our reconciled God, by
His Spirit in and through us; and this is to be the burden of our
daily prayers. The exhortation of verse 22 makes known our duty: the
prayer of verse 23 how to be enabled thereto. By nature our hearts
were antagonistic to God's holy requirements, and only His power can
produce an abiding change.
The Practical Aspect of Sanctification
This prayer is concerned with the practical aspect of sanctification:
that the saint should be divinely enabled to manifest in his daily
life that sanctification which he has in Christ and bring forth the
fruits of the spirit's indwelling him, by the principle of holiness
imparted at regeneration. He should be constantly "denying ungodliness
and worldly lusts" and live "soberly, righteously, and godly, in this
present world; looking for that blessed hope" (Titus 2:12-13). As to
our standing and state before God, sanctification extends to the whole
man--every part of our human nature being the subject of it. And so
must be our devotedness to God. Our body as well as our spirit and
soul is to be dedicated to Him (Rom. 12:1), and its members employed
in the works of righteousness (Rom. 6:13). John Owen said, "In your
whole nature or persons, in all that ye are and do, that ye may--not
in this or that part, but--be every whit clean and holy throughout."
Fourth, we shall consider the design of the apostle's prayer. "Your
whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless." It is
difficult (and perhaps not necessary) for us to determine the precise
relation of this clause to the previous one--whether it is an
additional request, an explanatory amplification of the word wholly,
or an expression of the apostle's aim in making that request.
Personally, we consider it includes the last two. The American
Standard Version gives it thus: "And the God of peace himself sanctify
you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved entire,
without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Whatever
rendition is preferred, it is clear the verse as a whole teaches that
sanctification extends to our entire persons. Equally clear is it that
man is a tripartite being, consisting of an intelligent spirit, a
sensual or sensitive soul, and a material body. Man, with his
customary perversity, reverses this order and speaks of "body, soul,
and spirit," putting the body first because it occupies most of his
care.
Man a Tripart Being
Since the tripart nature of man has been so widely denied we will make
some brief observations. That man is a threefold (and not merely
twofold) entity is definitely established by the fact that he was
created in the image of the triune God (Gen. 1:26). It is intimated in
the account of the Fall. "The woman saw that the tree was good for
food"--it appealed to her bodily appetites. Second, she saw that it
was "pleasant [margin, a desire] to the eyes"--it appealed to her
sensitive soul. She thought it was "a tree to be desired to make one
wise"--it appealed to her intelligent spirit (Gen. 3:6). It is a
serious error to say that when man fell, his spirit ceased to be, and
that only at regeneration is his spirit "communicated" to him.
Fallen man is possessed equally of "spirit and soul" (Heb. 4:12). God
"formeth the spirit of man within him" (Zech. 12:1), and at death the
"spirit shall return unto God who gave it" (Ecclesiastes 12:7). We
agree with the Reformer Zanchius that "the spirit includes the
superior faculties of the mind, such as reason and understanding; the
soul, the inferior faculties such as will, affections, and desires."
By means of the "soul" we feel; by the "spirit" we know (Dan. 2:3
ff.). "Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with [1] all thine heart
[spirit], and [2] with all thy soul, and [3] with all thy might"
[physical energy] (Deut. 6:5). This corresponds with Paul's threefold
distinction in our text. The constitution of man as man was once for
all demonstrated when the Son of God became incarnate and assumed both
human "spirit" (Luke 23:46) and "soul" (Matthew 26:38). Yet in saying
that unregenerate man possesses a spirit, we do not affirm that he has
a spiritual nature, for his spirit has been defiled by the Fall,
though it was not annihilated and therefore is capable of being washed
and renewed (Titus 3:5).
The whole nature of man is the subject of the Spirit's work in
regeneration and sanctification. This fact is to be manifested by the
Christian in a practical way, by every disposition and resource of his
spirit, each faculty and affection of his soul, all the members of his
body. His body has been made a member of Christ (1 Cor. 6:15) and is
the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19). Since the Christian's
body is an integral part of his person, and since its inclinations and
appetites seek to usurp the functions of his spirit and soul and
dominate his actions, he is required to bring his body under the
control of the higher parts of his being, so that it is regulated by a
scripturally enlightened reason and not by its carnal passions. "Every
one . . . should know how to possess his vessel [his body] in
sanctification and honor" (1 Thess. 4:4). As in unregeneracy we
yielded our members to sin, now we are to yield them as servants to
righteousness unto holiness (Rom. 6:19). Someone has said, "Perfect
holiness is to be the aim of saints on earth, as it will be the reward
of the saints in heaven."
Saints Preserved Blameless
Christians are "sanctified wholly" in their desires and intentions,
and that brings us to the meaning of "preserved blameless." It is not
that blamelessness which the covenant of works required, but that of
the covenant of grace wherein God accepts the will for the deed
(Nehemiah 1:11; 2 Corinthians 8:12). God accepts the deed by the will.
He interprets as perfect the man who desires to be perfect, and He
calls that man perfect who desires to have all his imperfections
removed. It is sad that so few have been taught to distinguish between
legal and evangelical blamelessness. When God's Word says that the
parents of John the Baptist walked "in all the commandments and
ordinances of the Lord blameless" (Luke 1:6) it does not mean that
they lived sinlessly, as verse 20 shows, but that such was their
sincere desire and earnest endeavor that they habitually walked in
conscientious obedience to God and behaved in such a manner in the
general tenor of their conduct that none could charge them with any
open sin.
The word blameless in such passages as 1 Corinthians 1:8; Philippians
2:15 and 1 Thessalonians 3:13 should be compared with "Blessed are the
undefiled in the way" (Ps. 119:1). The word blameless here is to be
understood according to the tenor of the new covenant, which does not
exclude (as the covenant of works did) God's exercise of mercy and the
pardon of sin (see Psalm 130:3-4). The prayer which Christ has given
us to use bids us ask not only for deliverance from temptation but for
daily pardon. If God dealt with us according to the strict rigor of
His law and required absolute "undefiledness," none would escape His
condemnation. Evangelical undefiledness must be understood as the
sincerity of our obedience and refrainment from that which would give
others occasion to justly charge us with wrongdoing. While the
Christian honestly and earnestly endeavors to show himself approved to
God, while he is truly humble regarding his failures and penitently
confesses them, while he diligently seeks to walk in the law of the
Lord, he is accounted "blameless," or "undefiled," in the gospel sense
of those words.
Fifth, let us briefly consider the assurance of the apostle's prayer.
"Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it" (1 Thess.
5:24). Regeneration guarantees sanctification. Our effectual call by
God is the earnest of our preservation. Divine grace will complete our
experimental and practical holiness. "The LORD will perfect that which
concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever" (Ps. 138:8).
Whether we translate the end of verse 23 "be preserved blameless unto
the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ" or "be preserved blameless `at'.
. ." as the "till" in Philippians 1:10, and the "in" of 1 Corinthians
1:8 show, both are equally the case. Thus the confidence of verse 24
is parallel with "he which hath begun a good work in you will perform
it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6).
Gleanings from Paul Index
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings from Paul
by A. W. Pink
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27. Prayer for Persevering Grace: Occasion and Importunity
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
It Is Both Interesting And Instructive to compare and collate the
different things Paul prayed for on behalf of the several assemblies.
For the Roman saints he asked that they might be "like-minded one
toward another" and be filled "with all joy and peace in believing"
(Rom. 15:5, 13). Paul prayed that the Corinthians might "come behind
in no gift" and be confirmed unto the end (1 Cor. 1:7-8). Paul prayed
that the Ephesians might have the eyes of their understanding opened
so that they might apprehend the wonders of God's great salvation
(Eph. 1:18-23), and be so strengthened by the Holy Spirit as to
experimentally possess their possessions (Eph. 3:16-21). The apostle
prayed that the love of the Philippians might be regulated by
knowledge (Phil. 1:9-11). He prayed that the Colossians might "walk
worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good
work" (Col. 1:9-12). How rarely these blessings are made the burden of
public prayers! There was no petition for justification!
The Spiritual State of the Thessalonian Saints
For the Thessalonian saints the apostle besought their entire
sanctification. Their spiritual condition was much above the average
as is evident from the whole of the opening chapter of the first
Epistle, and for them he made an unusual request. They had progressed
far in the school of Christ, and the apostle longed that they should
attain the highest grade of all. Their case illustrates the principle
that those Christians who give the least promise at the outset do not
necessarily develop the least favorably, and those who make the best
beginning do not always end well. In Acts 17:10-11 we read that those
in Berea "were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they
received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the
scriptures daily." Yet we are not told of a church being organized
there; in fact, no further mention is made of them in the New
Testament, whereas two epistles are addressed to the church of the
Thessalonians! So also of the churches of Galatia: time was when they
"did run well" but they ceased to do so (Gal. 5:7).
As to exactly what the apostle prayed for in this particular case
there is considerable difference of opinion among the commentators;
nor were our translators very sure, as appears from the words in
italics. In the case of all regenerate souls God already "hath wrought
. . . [them] for the selfsame thing" (2 Cor. 5:5), i.e, for their
"house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens" (2 Cor. 5:1). The
meritorious and imputed righteousness of Christ has obtained for them
an indisputable title to everlasting glory, and the regenerating work
of the Spirit in their souls has experimentally fitted and qualified
them for the same, as is clear from the case of the dying thief.
Therefore, instead of striving to be worthy, or praying to God to make
them so, it is their grand privilege and binding duty to be daily
"giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be
partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light"
(Col. 1:12), to praise Him for what His grace has effected for and in
us. Second, we believers are to diligently and constantly seek
enabling grace that we may "walk worthy of the vocation wherewith . .
. [we] are called" (Eph. 4:1), that is, our conduct must accord with
our high privilege, our daily lives should show that we have been thus
marvelously favored.
"Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you
worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of his
goodness, and the work of faith with power" (2 Thess. 1:11). The two
words in italics have been supplied by the translators, but as is so
often the case they serve to obscure rather than elucidate. On this
verse Bagster's Interlinear (which preserves in English the order of
the words in the Greek and gives a literal translation) is to be
preferred: "For which also we pray always for you, that you may count
worthy of the calling of God, and may fulfill every good pleasure of
goodness and work of faith with power." Not only is that far truer to
the original but it is much sounder doctrine besides being more
intelligible. It should also be pointed out that "may count worthy" is
a single word in the Greek, and is not a forensic one, being quite
different from the one rendered "counted" (i.e., legally accounted) in
Romans 4:3-4 and "imputed" in Romans 4:8, 11. The Greek word in our
text is axioo and is found again in Luke 7:7; 1 Timothy 5:17; Hebrews
3:3 and 10:29 where in each place it has the force of "deemed" or
"esteemed."
Now whenever a verse presents any difficulty our initial concern
should be to carefully ponder its context. That is particularly
incumbent upon us here, for our verse opens with the word wherefore.
Let us then consider the occasion of this prayer, for that will throw
light upon its meaning. In 2 Thessalonians 1:4, the key to all that
follows to the end of the chapter, the apostle declares, "So that we
ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and
faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure" or
"are bearing." They were being hotly assailed by the enemy and were
passing through a great "fight of afflictions." So nobly had they
conducted themselves that Paul held them up as a pattern to other
assemblies. And now he seeks to comfort and strengthen them, first, by
pointing out the present advantage of their severe trials. Their
fortitude and faith supplied "a manifest token of the righteous
judgment of God," that they might be counted worthy of the kingdom of
God for which they had suffered (2 Thess. 1:5).
Judging Righteous Judgment
The Greek word for "manifest token" occurs again only in 2 Corinthians
8:24: "the proof of your love." The word for "righteous judgment" in 2
Thessalonians 1:5 of our chapter is the same as in "Judge not
according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24):
that is, "Do not determine your estimate of others on superficial and
surface grounds, but let your decision or evaluation be fair,
impartial, adequate, and equitable." Thus, taking 2 Thessalonians 1:4
and 5 together, the meaning of the latter should be obvious. By their
becoming conduct in the furnace of affliction the Thessalonians had
clearly attested themselves to be among the effectually called. Their
"patience and faith" as surely evidenced their regeneration as did the
bounty of the Corinthians give proof of their love. Consequently,
their bringing forth that fruit in such an unfavorable season was
proof of the just verdict of God in accounting them worthy of His
kingdom for which they suffered. In other words, Wisdom was justified
of her children: their deportment made it evident that they bore the
image of God. "That ye may be the children of your Father which is in
heaven" (Matthew 5:45) signifies that believers may manifest
themselves as such by doing what is enjoined in verse 44.
Next, the apostle assured the Thessalonians that God in His
righteousness would both deal with those who troubled them and
exonerate His people at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven
(2 Thess. 1:6-10). Their Redeemer Himself would take vengeance on
those who knew not God and obeyed not the gospel of His Son; whereas
He would be "glorified in his saints, and . . . admired in all them
that believe." Here then was solid consolation for them. In due time
their persecutors would be punished, while they would be richly
rewarded and fully vindicated. Here we are shown one of the many
practical advantages of the "blessed hope" of our Lord's return. That
glorious event should not be made the subject of acrimonious
controversy, but it should be a means of comfort (1 Thess. 4:18) and
an incentive to piety (1 John 3:2-3). The second coming of the Lord
and the glorification of His entire Church at that time should be
constantly viewed by the redeemed with the eyes of faith, of hope, and
of love. The more it is so viewed, the greater will be its holy
influence upon their character and conduct; especially will it enable
them amid tribulation to rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.
"Wherefore [for which] also we pray always for you." The correctness
of our analysis of the context is here borne out by the word also.
Paul is saying, "In addition to the grounds of consolation set forth
by me as pertinent to your suffering [to which the opening `for which'
looks back], I would assure you that I make your case the subject of
earnest prayer." (The "always" means "frequently.") And for what would
we here expect the apostle to make request? That the Thessalonians
might be delivered from their persecutions and tribulations? No
indeed. That would be a natural or carnal desire, not a spiritual one.
Paul had previously informed them that God's people "are appointed
thereunto" (1 Thess. 3:3), that they "must through much tribulation
enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). The members of Christ's
mystical Body are first conformed to their Head before they are
"glorified together" (Rom. 8:17). Their prayers must be regulated by
the revealed will of God (1 John 5:14) and not by the promptings of
mere flesh and blood which are generally contrary thereto.
The Petitions of Paul's Prayer
Let us consider, second, the petitions of this prayer, using the more
accurate rendering of the Interlinear: "that you may count worthy of
the calling our God." Three things require elucidation: What is here
signified by "the calling"? What is meant by "that you may count
worthy of" the same? Why did Paul make such a request for them? In
Ephesians 1:18 the apostle prayed that those saints might know "the
hope of his calling." In 2 Peter 1:10 all Christians are exhorted,
"Make your calling and election sure." It is one and the same
"calling" of which God is the Author and we are the subjects. It is
our call to Christianity. The same Greek word is rendered "walk worthy
of your vocation or occupation" (Eph. 4:1). The artist's vocation is
to paint pictures, the wife's vocation is to look after her home, the
Christian's vocation is to serve, please, and glorify Christ. He is to
make holiness his trade; his business is to "shew forth the virtues of
him who hath called . . . [him] out of darkness into his marvelous
light" (1 Pet. 2:9) and thereby "adorn the doctrine" which he
professes.
The Christian's calling is described by a double attribute: "who hath
saved us, and called us with an holy calling"(2 Tim. 1:9); "wherefore,
holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling" (Heb. 3:1). The
former relates to the way, the other to the end. Therefore it is said
that God has "called us to glory and virtue" (2 Pet. 1:3), meaning by
"glory" our eternal inheritance, and by "virtue" grace and holiness.
The latter is the way and means by which we arrive at the former. Both
are to be viewed first as they are represented in the gospel offer:
"God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness"(1 Thess.
4:7). Our daily work is to make holiness the business of our lives.
God has also "called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus" (1
Pet. 5:10). So far from suffering loss by accepting the gospel offer,
we become incomparably the gainers. Second, our calling is to be
considered as it is impressed upon us by the mighty operation of the
Spirit. It is by His power that we truly respond to the gospel and are
effectually called from death to life.
The Christian's Life a Vocation
This designating the Christian's life a calling or vocation denotes
work for him to do, duties to be performed. It is not a life of
daydreaming and emotional rapture, but rather the carrying out of
tasks which are neither easy nor pleasant to the natural man, though
pertaining to and delightful for the spiritual nature--such as the
mortifying of his lusts and the cultivation of practical godliness.
The Christian life is also represented as a race which has to be run,
demanding putting forth all our energies. This life is likened to a
long journey which is both arduous and dangerous for it lies through
the enemy's territory (1 John 5:19) and therefore is beset with many
perils. Severe trials have to be endured, temptations resisted,
powerful foes overcome, or we shall be overcome by them and perish in
the conflict. The Christian career, then, is a persevering in grace, a
holding on his way along the highway of holiness, which alone leads to
heaven.
Much grace then is needed by the Christian that, "having put his hand
to the plow," he does not look back and become unfit for the kingdom
of God (Luke 9:62); that, having enlisted under the banner of Christ,
he does not yield to temptation and become a deserter because of the
fierce opposition he meets from those who hate him and would bring
about his utter ruin. This brings us to our second question--a harder
one to answer. What is meant by "that you may count worthy of the
calling our God"? All the prayers of the apostle may be summarized as
requests for supplies of grace but, more specifically, for some
particular grace suited to the case and circumstances of each company
for whom he petitioned. Bearing in mind that these Thessalonians were
enduring a great fight of afflictions, it is evident that the
principal blessing Paul would seek on their behalf would be the grace
of perseverance, that they might hold out steadfast under all their
"persecutions and tribulations" and endure to the end of the conflict.
The Thessalonians Exhorted to Perseverance and Holiness
Paul had recently sent Timothy to establish and comfort them, "that no
man should be moved by these afflictions" (1 Thess. 3:3). In his
former prayer he requested that they should be "preserved blameless"
(1 Thess. 5:23), and here he intimates how this was to be
accomplished. These Thessalonian Christians had begun well, for which
he thanked God (2 Thess. 1:3), and now he makes supplication that they
may end well, particularly in view of what they were suffering at the
hands of their opponents. Calvin (in his Institutes) refers to this as
a prayer for "the grace of perseverance." That it was their
perseverance in faith and holiness which the apostle here had in view
is definitely confirmed by each succeeding clause of this prayer, as
we hope to make clear in our exposition of them.
"That you may count worthy of the calling our God." There is no idea
whatever here of anything entitled to reward. It is not the worthiness
of condignity but of congruity: that is, it is something which
evidence meetness, and not that which is meritorious. As patience
under suffering makes it manifest there has been wrought in us that
which qualifies or fits us for the glory which is to be revealed. The
Greek word for "may count worthy" is rendered "desire" in Acts 28:22:
"We desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest": that is, "We deem it
right or meet to give thee a fair hearing." The negative form of the
word occurs in "But Paul thought not good to take him with them" (Acts
15:38). We have referred to these passages to enable the reader to
form his own judgment of what is admittedly a difficult word. In 1
Thessalonians 2:11-12 the apostle had said, "Ye know how we . . .
charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, that ye would
walk worthy of God [suitably, becomingly], who hath called you unto
his kingdom and glory." And here in our text Paul prays that they
would be moved to do so by highly esteeming their calling and acting
accordingly.
The apostle was making request for God's work of grace to be continued
and completed in their souls, particularly that they might be stirred
to discharge their responsibilities in connection with the same. The
Greek word occurs again, in an intensified form (kataziothentes) in
"they which shall be accounted worthy [adjudged fit] to obtain that
world, and the resurrection from the dead" (Luke 20:35), which denotes
approbation. The same word is found in "Take heed to yourselves, lest
at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and
drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you
unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the
face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye
may be accounted worthy to escape all those things that shall come to
pass" (Luke 21:34-36). This passage clearly implies some difficulty in
realizing this goal and some danger of coming short. As the seed sown,
so the harvest: if we "sow to the spirit" then we shall "of the spirit
reap life everlasting," but not otherwise.
In all of his prayers for the saints Paul sought further supplies of
grace on their behalf in order that they might be more fully furnished
and stirred up to the performing of their duty. God has called His
people to a life of holiness, requiring them to be so "in all manner
of conversation" (1 Pet. 1:15). At regeneration He imparts to them a
holy nature, or principle, and then bids them, "Now yield your members
servants to righteousness unto holiness" (Rom. 6:19). Yet that holy
nature or principle is but an instrument, therefore far from being a
self-sufficient entity. Like all other instruments it is dependent
upon God for its life, development, and motions. But its possessor,
like all other rational creatures, is endowed with the instinct of
self-preservation and therefore is responsible to use all suitable
means and measures for its well-being. Nevertheless that
responsibility can only be effectually discharged by divine
enablement. Therefore it is both our duty and privilege to seek from
God all needed grace and trustfully count upon His goodness to supply
the same. The particular grace needed will be determined by our
varying cases and circumstances.
The Thessalonians Established and Comforted
The Thessalonians were being sorely oppressed by their enemies: so
much so that Paul had sent Timothy to establish and comfort them
concerning their faith and to urge, "No man should be moved by these
afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto" (1
Thess. 3:3). Note well that holy balance: though God had ordained
those trials, their spiritual father did not conclude there was no
reason for him to be concerned with the outcome; rather he dealt with
them as moral and accountable agents. Though they had exercised much
patience and faith in all their "persecutions and tribulations" (1
Thess. 3:4), the apostle was mindful of their frailty and the very
real danger of their wavering and backsliding. Therefore he prayed
much that persevering grace might be granted them; that they might
walk worthy of their calling and hew steadfastly to the line of God's
revealed will, thereby glorifying their Master. Such supplication on
their behalf was intensified as Paul eyed the day of punishment and
reward (2 Thess. 1:6-9).
If any readers experience a difficulty in our statement that the
apostle here prayed for persevering grace to be granted those sorely
tried saints, seeing that the eternal security of all Christians is
infallibly guaranteed by the divine promises, it is because of their
one-sided and defective views of the subject. That difficulty is a
fancied rather than a real one. Before proceeding further let us point
out that by "persevering grace" we mean divine quickening,
strengthening, empowering, to enable the Christian to hold on his
course and run the race which is set before him. Thus, in seeking from
God food for the soul, deliverance from temptation, the help of His
Spirit to mortify our lusts, we are really asking Him for grace to
enable us to persevere in faith and holiness.
Lack of Scriptural Balance
There has been a deplorable lack of scriptural balance in the
presentation of this subject. Calvinists have thrown their emphasis
almost entirely upon God's preservation of His people, whereas
Arminians have insisted only upon the necessity for their persevering.
Since the great majority of our readers have been influenced far more
by the former than the latter, let us point out first that God's Word
teaches both. While it must be the power of God alone which preserves
the saints from apostasy (total and final), and not in any degree
their own grace, wisdom, strength, or faithfulness, yet we must not
fail to press the fact that Christians are responsible to keep
themselves: that is, to avoid and resist temptations, abstain from
everything injurious, and make diligent use of all those means which
God has appointed for their well-being. The Christian is exhorted to
"keep himself unspotted from the world" (James 1:27). We are bidden,
"Keep yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:21), "Abstain from all
appearance of evil" (1 Thess. 5:22), and "Keep yourselves in the love
of God" (Jude 21). It is criminal for preachers to ignore such
passages as these.
Divine Grace and Human Responsibility
God's Word enjoins the saints to preserve themselves, and the Holy
Spirit affirms that they actually do so. He moved David to aver, "By
the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer"
(Ps. 17:4), "I kept myself from mine iniquity" (Ps. 18:23), "I have
refrained my feet from every evil way" (Ps. 119:101). Those were not
the boastings of self-righteousness, but rather testimonies to the
sufficiency of God's enabling grace. The Apostle Paul, jealous as he
ever was of the glory of God, after exhorting the saints, "So run that
ye may obtain" (the "incorruptible crown"), and pointing out that the
mastery over physical lusts calls for being "temperate in all things,"
affirmed, "I therefore run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one
that beateth the air: but I keep under my body, and bring it into
subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I
myself should be a castaway" (1 Cor. 9:26-27). Another wrote, "He that
is begotten of God keepeth himself" (1 John 5:18).
Someone may raise the objection, Does not God attribute too much to
the creature, and divide the honors by ascribing the work of
preservation partly to God and partly to ourselves? Our first answer
is, God's Word is to be received with childlike simplicity, and not
quibbled over: received as a whole and not merely those parts which
appeal to us or accord with our own views. We have not set forth our
personal ideas in the last two paragraphs, but have quoted the
Scriptures--verses which, alas, have no place whatsoever in the
preaching of most Calvinists today. If the reader is unable to fit
those verses into his doctrinal system, it is evident there is
something wrong with his system. But our second answer is an emphatic
denial of such an imputation. For our use of the means God has
appointed, our greatest diligence and efforts will all be unavailing
unless God blesses the same. Yes, our utmost watchfulness and industry
would avail us nothing whatever if God left us to ourselves.
Our own wisdom and strength, even as Christians, are altogether
inadequate for the task assigned to us, and unless the Holy Spirit
energized us and afforded success to our efforts our case would be
like Gehazi's, who laid his staff upon the dead child (2 Kings 4:31),
but there was no quickening until his master came and acted! Though
Christians do indeed keep themselves (and to deny that is to repudiate
the passages quoted above), nevertheless, it is wholly from and by the
power of God, so that they freely acknowledge, "By the grace of God I
am what I am" (1 Cor. 15:10). Yet, observe that the apostle added,
"And his grace . . . was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly
than they all." Nevertheless he disavowed all credit for the same:
"Yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." He said again, "I
also labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in me
mightily" (Col. 1:29). Grace is given us to make use of, yet grace is
required to use it.
We must therefore press upon another class of professing Christians
that we are entirely dependent upon God. We can only work out our own
salvation with fear and trembling as He works in us "both to will and
to do of His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:12-13). The ax cannot cut unless
it is wielded. Keeping ourselves from evil and destruction is not a
distinct and separate work from God's preserving us, but a subordinate
though a concurrent one. It is not as though He were one partial cause
and we another--as when two persons unite in lifting one burden. Our
keeping is from Him, by Him, and under Him, as the little child writes
as the hand of his teacher guides his. Therefore there is no ground
for boasting, no occasion for self-congratulation. All the praise
belongs alone to our Enabler. Thus, while the responsibility of the
Christian is duly enforced and his accountability preserved, yet the
glory of our preservation belongs entirely to God.
The Power of God Necessary
As the miraculous power of God is absolutely necessary to the
beginning of a work in any one's soul, so it is equally necessary for
its continuance and progress. Unless God renewed the Christian daily
he would perish eternally. Only its Giver "holdeth our soul in life"
(Ps. 66:9). God preserves His people by breathing into them holy
thoughts and quickening meditations which keep them in His fear and
love; by stirring up His grace in us so that we are moved to holy
action; by drawing us so that we run after Him; by inclining our
hearts to love His law and walk in its statutes. God preserves us by
giving us a spirit of prayer so that we are moved to seek fresh
supplies of strength from Him; by restraining us from sin and
delivering out of temptations; by working in us godly sorrow and
causing us to penitently confess our sins; by His consolation when we
are cast down, which puts new heart into us; by granting us foretastes
of the glory awaiting us so that the joy of the Lord energizes us
(Nehemiah 8:10).
If unfallen Adam was incapable of keeping himself, it is certain that
we cannot do so independently of God. Indwelling sin is too potent,
Satan too powerful to overcome in our own strength. Our falls
demonstrate the need of God's preserving us. Nevertheless, Adam was
responsible for keeping himself, and was fully condemned because he
did not do so. Likewise, believers are responsible to avoid every path
which leads to death, and to steadfastly tread to the very end that
narrow way which alone leads to life. As a rational creature is
morally responsible to shun known danger, to abstain from poisons, and
to eat nourishing food for the sustaining of his body, so a spiritual
creature is responsible to do likewise concerning his soul. If he is
to guard against the spirit of self-confidence and self-sufficiency,
he is also to beware of acting presumptuously. When the devil tempted
Christ to cast Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple, assuring
Him that the angels would preserve Him, He immediately denounced such
recklessness with "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."
Means and Ends
We must never divorce the precept from the promise nor what God
requires from us from what He has purposed for us. God has inseparably
connected means and ends, and woe be unto us if we put them asunder.
The same God who has predestinated that a certain end shall be
accomplished, has also predestinated that it shall be accomplished via
the employment of certain means. Thus His people are told, "God hath
from the beginning chosen you to salvation through [1] sanctification
of the Spirit and [2] belief of the truth" (2 Thess. 2:13). Our
"sanctification of the Spirit" is by His own operation, but "belief of
the truth" is the act required of us, and we are not saved, nor will
we ever be, till we perform it. Likewise we are told that the saints
"are kept by the power of God," yet not to the setting aside of their
concurrence, for immediately following are the words "through faith"
(1 Pet. 1:5). The duty of keeping his faith healthy and vigorous
devolves upon the Christian--seeking from God its strengthening,
feeding upon suitable food. The duty of exercising that faith rests
upon the Christian also: "Be sober, be vigilant; . . . resist [the
`roaring lion' who seeks to `devour'] stedfast in the faith" (1 Pet.
5:8-9).
Christ stated, "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples
indeed" (John 8:31). "My sheep hear [heed, obey] my voice, . . . and
they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they [those who
plainly evidence themselves to be of His `sheep' by yielding to His
authority and following the example which He has left them--and no
others] shall never perish" (John 10:27-28). It is not honest to
generalize the promise of verse 28: it must be restricted to the
characters described in verse 27. The apostle guarded and qualified
his statement in Colossians 1:22 with the succeeding verse: "If ye
continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from
the hope of the gospel."
That prince of theologians among the Puritans, John Owen, preserved a
holy balance of the truth. Said he, when exposing the sophistries of
one who opposed the certainty of God's preservation of His people to
eternal glory on the ground that it encouraged loose living: "Doth
this doctrine promise, with height of assurance, that under what vile
practices so ever men do live, they shall have exemption from eternal
punishment? Doth it teach men that it is vain to use the means of
mortification because they shall certainly attain the end whether they
use the means or no? Doth it speak peace to the flesh, in assurance of
blessed immortality, though it disport itself in all folly in the
meantime? . . . The perseverance of the saints is not held out in the
Scriptures on any such ridiculous terms, carry themselves well, or
wickedly miscarry themselves, but is asserted upon the account of
God's effectual grace preserving them in the use of the means and from
all such miscarriages."
On Hebrews 3:14 Owen said, "Persistency in our subsistence in Christ
unto the end is a matter of great endeavor and diligence, and that
unto all believers. This is plainly included in the expression here
used by the apostle: `If we hold the beginning of our confidence
stedfast unto the end.' The words denote our utmost endeavor to hold
it fast and keep it firm. Shaken it will be, opposed it will be, kept
it will not, it cannot be, without our utmost and diligent endeavor.
It is true, persistency in Christ doth not, as to the issue and event,
depend absolutely on our diligence. The unalterableness of our union
unto Christ, on the account of the faithfulness of the covenant of
grace, is that which doth, and shall eventually secure. But yet our
own diligent endeavor is such an indispensable means for that end, as
without it, it will not be brought about."
Pray for Persevering Grace
It may be thought that we have wandered far from the subject of our
opening paragraphs. But have we? Our endeavor has been to demonstrate
the very real need there is to pray for persevering grace, both for
ourselves and for our brethren. Some ask, Why should we, since God has
solemnly promised the eternal security of all His people? First,
because our great High Priest has taught us (by His example) to do so:
"Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given
me. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but
that thou shouldest keep them from the evil" (John 17:11, 15). Second,
as an acknowledgment of our dependency and a confession of our
helplessness. Third, as our concurring with God's revealed will,
seeking grace to use the appointed means. We place a very large
question mark after the Christian profession of any man who is
unconscious of his frailty and who deems such a prayer as "Leave me
not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation" (Ps. 27:9) as unsuited
to his case. The present writer frequently cries, "Hold thou me up,
and I shall be safe" (Ps. 119:117), knowing that the converse would be
"Leave me to myself, and I shall assuredly perish."
Gleanings from Paul Index
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings from Paul
by A. W. Pink
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28. Prayer for Persevering Grace: Petition, Design, and Accomplishment
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
There Is More Difference Of Opinion among sermonizers and commentators
on this prayer than on any other in the New Testament. It is not easy
to make a translation of the Greek into simple and intelligible
English, as appears from the additions made in our Authorized Version,
for the insertion of the italicized words quite alters the scope and
meaning of its clauses. Even where there is substantial concurrence as
to the best English rendition, expositors are far from being agreed as
to the precise meaning of its several petitions. We have therefore
proceeded more slowly in our own attempt to open its contents, taking
as our foundation the rendering of Bagster's Interlinear, which in our
judgment is as close and literal an equivalent of the original as can
be given: "For which also we pray always for you, that you may count
worthy of the calling our God, and may fulfill every good pleasure of
goodness and work of faith with power, so that may be glorified the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ in you, and ye in Him, according to the
grace of our God and of [the] Lord Jesus Christ."
First, we have carefully considered the occasion of this prayer or
what prompted it, as its opening, "for which also [wherefore also, AV]
we pray," requires us to do. We have pointed out that such an
investigation takes us back to verse 4 where reference is made to the
"persecutions and tribulations" which those saints were enduring. And
we reminded the reader that the Thessalonians were being so sorely
oppressed by their enemies that Paul had sent Timothy to "comfort and
establish" them concerning their faith and to urge them "that no man
should be moved by these afflictions" (1 Thess. 3:3). In 2
Thessalonians 1:4-10 the apostle had sought to strengthen them by
setting forth various considerations for their encouragement. He
assured them that he specially remembered them before the throne of
grace, earnestly supplicating God on their behalf. The "wherefore [for
which cause] also we pray always for you" shows, Second, the
importunity of this prayer. He frequently interceded for them, which
fact expressed both his deep affection and real concern for them.
Its Petitions
Third, coming to its petitions, we expressed the conviction that the
principal blessing for which the apostle here made request was that
further supplies of persevering grace should be granted these saints.
We conclude this, First, from the very trying situation they were in.
Second, they particularly needed that grace in order to conduct
themselves suitably to their profession. Third, their allotted task
was to "fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of
faith with power," for which performance divine enablement was
absolutely essential. Fourth, thereby they would glorify "the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ." Fifth, on any other analysis of Paul's prayer
its concluding words would be a redundancy. But if their perseverance
was the apostle's concern, then the phrase "according to the grace of
our God" would remove all ground of boasting and place the crown of
honor where it rightly belonged. There is a holy balance between the
truth of God's effectual preservation of His people and the imperative
necessity of their continuing in faith and holiness.
By regarding this prayer (and each of his others) as an implied
exhortation, we obtain a better understanding of the apostle's scope.
For the chief reason why his prayers are recorded is that those for
whom he prayed (and we who are informed of his petitions) might seek
to realize the blessings he sought for God's children. In other words,
those things for which the apostle made request are what God requires
from His people, yet what they are unable to accomplish in their own
strength. While there is nothing meritorious in them, yet the exercise
of their graces is as necessary as the gospel and the glorifying of
their Master. Consequently we see in this prayer, as everywhere in the
Word of truth, a striking and blessed union of power and our
perseverance and duty leading to attainment of blessedness. Here the
exercise of divine sovereignty and the discharge of human
responsibility concur. Never let us put asunder what God has joined
together.
The Calling of God
"That you may count worthy of the calling of our God" is the first
petition in the prayer we are now pondering. Since we have previously
devoted several paragraphs to a consideration of its meaning, we must
abbreviate our present remarks upon it. The "calling" has reference to
that operation of divine grace by which these Christians had been
brought out of darkness into God's marvelous light and made the
willing subjects of the kingdom of His dear Son, which entailed that
henceforth they must make personal holiness their trade or avocation.
The petition was that they should be brought to highly esteem such a
vocation--notwithstanding the bitter opposition it met with--and be
stirred up to meekly discharge their responsibilities in connection
with the same. Paul prayed not that they might be delivered from their
"persecution and tribulation," but rather that they should be divinely
enabled to hold out steadfast under the same and behave as the
followers of Christ so that He should not be ashamed to own them as
"His brethren." Paul's yearning was that by their becoming conduct
they should clearly evince themselves to be among the effectually
called of God.
God's Good Pleasure
"And fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness" is the second
petition The reference is clearly to one of the divine excellencies,
for God is expressly mentioned at the end of the preceding clause. The
"good pleasure" of God signifies His free will, his entire
independency, that He acts without any restraint, being a law to
Himself. His "goodness" is His benignity and kindness. God has
absolute power and sovereign right to dispose as He will of all
creatures, as to not only their temporal but their eternal concerns
(Matthew 20:15). That sovereign will is the sole reason why He passes
by some and chooses others (Rom. 9:18). But that absolute will of God
is sweetly tempered with goodness or rich favor to His own elect. He
has gracious goodwill to them at all times. As the self-inclination
which is in God to promote His people's welfare is free, it is called
His "good pleasure," and as it moves Him to bestow benefits on them,
it is termed His goodness, or benignity. All that the saints receive
from Him proceeds from the goodwill which He bears them, and therefore
all the praise for the same belongs alone to Him.
The Twofold Will of God
Note that these words, "fulfill all the good pleasure of his
goodness," do not form part of a doctrinal statement affirming the
certainty of the divine purpose; instead, they describe a duty
incumbent upon Christians--a duty for which divine grace needs to be
sought. It is therefore requisite that we call the reader's attention
to a simple but necessary distinction. There is a twofold "will" of
God referred to in Scripture, namely, His secret and revealed
will--the former being the principal from which He works and which is
invincible, the latter being the rule by which we are required to walk
and which is never perfectly performed by any man (Dan. 4:35; Romans
9:19; cf. John 7:17 and Luke 12:47). And there is a twofold "counsel"
of God--the one referring to His eternal decree, and the other to His
advice to us (Isa. 46:10; Acts 4:28; cf. Proverbs 1:25; Luke 7:30).
There is also the "good pleasure" by which God always acts (Eph. 1:9)
and the "pleasure" of God by which we are called to act (Ps. 103:21).
It is the latter of which our present verse speaks. The apostle prayed
that these saints might be granted hearts framed to entire obedience
to the divine statutes.
It is blessedly true that God does fulfill every good pleasure of His
goodness in and through His people, yet it is equally true that they
ought to aim at and rest content with nothing short of their
fulfilling every divine precept which has been given them. The divine
statutes are not only clothed with God's authority, which we disregard
at our peril, but they are also expressions of His goodness, which we
ignore to our loss. God manifests His "goodness" to us in many ways,
not least in His commandments, which are designed for our welfare.
"The sabbath was made for man"--because he needed it for his benefit.
They who, like Jonah the prophet, follow their own inclinations rather
than God's instructions "forsake their own mercy" (Jon. 2:8). A life
of obedience is not only our duty but our comfort. The divine wisdom
has so determined that whatever promotes His glory shall also advance
the good of His people. Therefore as He has inseparably connected sin
and misery, so He has holiness and happiness. "Great peace have they
which love thy law" (<19B9165>Psalm 119:165). "He that keepeth the
law, happy is he" (Prov. 29:18). "The way of transgressors is hard"
(Prov. 13:15), but Wisdom's ways are "ways of pleasantness" (Prov.
3:17).
God Requires a Holy People
"And may fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness." Again we
observe what an exalted standard of conduct the apostle (by necessary
implication) here sets before the saints. God requires His people to
be "holy in all manner of conversation" (1 Pet. 1:15)--in thought,
word, and deed. Nothing less than complete conformity to the rule God
has given us must be our aim and earnest endeavor. No dispensation is
granted us to pick and choose out of the Scriptures what we like best
and pass by the rest. The divine promises must not be esteemed above
the precepts. At this very point the emptiness of so many professors
stands revealed. They are like backsliding Ephraim who "loveth to
tread out the corn" but would not "break his clods" (Hosea 10:11). How
many who call themselves "believers" approve the privileges of
Christianity but disdain its duties, are all for saving grace, but
nothing for the grace which teaches us to deny self. God requires that
our obedience should be not only diligent but universal. Said the
Psalmist, "Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all
thy commandments" (Ps. 119:6). Until we do so, we have cause to hide
our faces in confusion.
Divine Wisdom Needed
But like everything else in the Christian's life, obedience to God is
a growth: not in the spirit of it, not in sincere desire, not in
determination to please God, for that is common to all the regenerate,
but in actual performance. Light as well as love is necessary for this
growth. Light comes to the Christian gradually as he is able to bear
it--"more and more unto the perfect day" (Prov. 4:18). Increased
wisdom is necessary in order to make right use of the light--to know
when to speak and when to be silent, and so on. And that is largely a
matter of experience. As babes in Christ are unable to feed upon the
food of which the fully grown partake, so there are tasks performed by
the latter of which the former are incapable as yet. Mark the
discrimination in the apostle's language: "that you may fulfill all
the good pleasure of his goodness." He did not employ the verb teleioo
which means "to accomplish" but pleroo which signifies "to bring to
completion." Paul had reference to a process which is performed
gradually or by degrees. The same word occurs again in Acts 12:25;
14:21. The goal was that they "might walk worthy of the Lord unto all
pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the
knowledge of God" (Col. 1:10), thus performing all those duties Paul
had assigned them.
Increased Grace Essential
The apostle here made supplication for increased grace as well as
light and wisdom, essential for a fuller obedience. Once more we call
attention to the breadth of his requests. He now besought God for a
full supply of enabling grace for His people. Paul was no niggardly
petitioner. Eyeing the good will which God bears His children, Paul
did not hesitate to open his mouth when seeking favors for them--which
far from being presumptuous was honoring to God as he availed himself
of his rightful privilege. This feature is a very prominent one in all
his prayers. It was as though he called to mind the example of the man
after God's own heart, who asked, "Deal bountifully with thy servant,
that I may live, and keep thy word" (Ps. 119:17). That was the very
thing the apostle was doing here: beseeching God that He would impart
to the Thessalonians a plentiful supply of grace that they might be
spiritually alive and vigorous, in order that they should "keep his
word," for in a renewed soul's estimation the best" bounty" is to have
the heart furnished for full obedience to God's "good pleasure."
Let us not be stumbled then by the exalted standard of holiness which
God has set before us, but let us rather be encouraged by the
apostle's precedent to seek full supplies of grace from God to fit us
for the performing of our duty. If we are believingly occupied with
"the goodness" of our God we shall not be afraid to ask and look for
bounteous blessings from Him. As one truly said, "We may be too bold
in our manner of approach to God, but we cannot be too bold in our
expectations from Him." God is able, God is willing, to do for us
exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. The straitness is
always in ourselves and never in Him: in the narrowness of our faith
and not in the breadth of His promises. "For unto every one that hath
shall be given, and he shall have abundance" (Matthew 25:29). Plead
that word before Him. "God is able to make all grace abound toward
you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound
to every good work" (2 Cor. 9:8). Ponder well that threefold "all"!
What further inducements do we require to approach the throne of grace
with large petitions? If your need and longing are great, see to it
that your expectation is equally so.
It is neither honoring to God nor good for himself that the Christian
should be contented with a little grace. These Thessalonians were not
only regenerate persons but they had attained a considerable degree of
eminence in faith and holiness. Nevertheless Paul prayed that such
further supplies of grace would be vouchsafed to them that they would
be enabled to "fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness," i.e.,
that they would measure up to the whole revealed will of God. Do not
be satisfied with the assurance that you have enough grace to take you
to heaven, but seek that measure of it which will be not only for your
comfort on earth but for the glorifying of your Savior while you are
left in this scene. "Covet earnestly the best gifts" (1 Cor. 12:31).
Pray for enlarged affections and expectations. Beg God to deal with
you not according to your deserts but according to the largeness of
His liberality, seeking from Him that "good measure" which is "pressed
down and running over." Above all, plead the Redeemer's worthiness.
God never denies those who make that their all-prevailing plea, for
there is infinitely more merit in Christ's sacrifice than there is
demerit in you and all your sins!
A Notional and Nominal Faith Worthless
"And work of faith with power" is the third petition, or thing which
God required from the saints and which the apostle asked for them. A
notional and nominal faith, which is without good works, is dead and
worthless; but a spiritual faith which produces fruit to God's glory
is living and authentic. The faith which God communicates to His elect
is a vital and operative principle, therefore it has an office to
discharge, a duty to fulfill. These words "the work of faith" are to
be understood in precisely the same way as that little-understood
expression "the work of the law" in Romans 2:15. The "work of the law"
in that verse is to be regarded not as a principle of righteousness
operating within the unregenerate Gentiles (a manifest absurdity) but
as the design and function of the law. Its "work" is to prohibit and
promise, to threaten or assure, reward. The "work of the law" refers
not to the conduct it requires from us but to what the law itself
does--accuses or acquits. So "the work of faith" refers to neither
God's quickening of faith nor its fruits through us, but to the task
allotted to it. It is not the invigorating of faith by God's Spirit
which is here in view, but that function which God has assigned faith,
that office which it is fitted to perform.
In his sermon on these verses, Mr. Philpot said on these words: "By
`the work of faith' we may understand two things: 1. the operation of
God upon the heart, whereby from time to time faith is raised up and
brought into living exercise upon the things of God; and 2. the work
which faith has to do when thus raised up and strengthened in the
soul." There are two sorts of work required of and ascribed to faith,
namely, that which is internal and that which is external. The former
consists of the mind's assent to the truth, the will's consent to what
is there taught, and the heart's reliance on the promises of God, the
whole soul resting on Christ, confiding its eternal interests to Him.
The external work of faith consists of an open confession of Christ,
boldly owning His ways before the world which despises them, and a
ready obedience to the will of God in forsaking sin and walking in the
path of His commandments, producing practical holiness. Therefore our
obedience is designated "the obedience of faith" (Rom. 16:26).
The External Work of Faith
While not altogether excluding the internal work of faith, we think it
is obvious, from both what precedes and what follows, that the
external work of faith is chiefly in view--the honoring of Christ
before men. The products of the work of faith make that faith evident
to our fellows, for a holy walk brings more glory to Christ than a lot
of frothy talk. Steadfast perseverance in duty in a time of
persecution is more pleasing to Him than showy performance in a day of
peace. Furthermore, in a time of acute suffering the saint will find
it easier to determine his spiritual case by the objective rather than
the subjective exercise of his grace. Thomas Manton stated, "The drift
of his prayer is that God would enable them to ride out the storm of
those troubles which came upon them for the Gospel's sake. And a
Christian, in judging his condition, will discover it better in the
external acts of faith than in the internal."
"The work of faith with power," namely, the power of God in enabling
faith to fulfill its functions. As the faith here spoken of is of God,
so it is dependent upon God. Does faith support the soul under heavy
trials? That is because it is sustained by the omnipotent One. Does it
perform duties which are contrary to the dictates of carnal wisdom?
That is because faith is energized by divine power. Does faith choose
a path which is hateful to flesh and blood? It is because faith is
strengthened by the might of its Giver. Does faith, in the midst of
the most painful and bewildering situations, aver, "Though he slay me,
yet will I trust in him"? This is so because the Almighty is its
maintainer. Nevertheless, if our faith is small and feeble, the fault
is entirely ours. God has expressly bidden us, "Be strong in the Lord,
and in the power of his might" (Eph. 6:10); therefore it is both our
privilege and duty to ask and expect Him to make good in us that which
He requires from us. Surely that is evident from the Lord's rebuke to
His disciples. He would not have reproved them for their fear and
unbelief (Matthew 8:26) except that they were responsible to maintain
it in healthy vigor.
Now we have, fourth, the design of this prayer; and fifth, its
accomplishment. The mind of the apostle centered upon the honoring of
Christ by the furthering of the salvation of His people, for in this
world the Head of the church is now magnified through and by His
members. The grand concern which occupied the heart, formed the
thoughts, and motivated the activities of His ambassador was the
exalting of his beloved Lord. The whole of Paul's strenuous and
self-effacing Christian life is summed up in that memorable confession
of his, "According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in
nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so
now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life,
or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Phil.
1:20-21). Accordingly, we find that blessed aim actuated him equally
in his prayers and in his preaching, during his ministerial labors or
while suffering imprisonment.
Glorifying the Name of the Lord Jesus
In petitioning the throne of grace that these Thessalonians might be
divinely enabled to highly esteem and walk worthy of their holy and
heavenly calling, by performing every duty which the divine precepts
outlined and by fulfilling the work of faith with power, the apostle
aimed at the honoring of his Master. The design before him was that
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ should be glorified in them and they
in Him. In verse 10 he had comforted them with the declaration "He
shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all
them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in
that day." Therefore he had supplicated God fervently to that end,
thereby teaching them (and us) the effect which that blessed prospect
should have upon our walk. The advent of the Redeemer in glory with
the glorification of the church at that time is set before us in
Scripture as the grand consummation of the Christian vocation or
calling. The hope of the church is a powerful dynamic in the promotion
of her present holiness (1 John 3:2-3). Only those who truly delight
in and pant after holiness will spiritually long for Christ's return
and cry, "Make haste, my beloved" (Song 8:14).
It is often said that we are saved to serve. We prefer to say that we
are saved to please and honor Christ. His redeemed are left for a
season in this scene to represent Him, to show forth His praises (1
Pet. 2:9), to reflect (in their measure) His excellencies, to follow
the example He left them--which may be summarized as living wholly to
the glory of God and doing good to all men, especially those who are
of the household of faith. The chief and highest end of the creature
is to glorify its Creator; therefore the fundamental principle of
godliness is this: "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever
ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31). Why did the apostle
pray, "So that may be glorified the name of our Lord Jesus Christ"
rather than "That God may be glorified"? Generally, because God has
made Christ the partner of His glory: "that all should honor the Son,
even as they honor the Father" (John 5:23); "that the Father may be
glorified in the Son" (John 14:13). More specifically, because the
"persecutions and tribulations" (2 Thess. 1:4) which the Thessalonians
were enduring were for the gospel's sake, for the uncompromising
profession of the Savior's name.
Concern for the Divine Glory
The acts of the natural man are prompted by self-love and are done to
advance his own interests, comforts, and glory: "Is not this great
Babylon, that I have built . . . by the might of my power, and for the
honor of my majesty?" (Dan. 4:30). The natural man does not act from
any consideration of or concern for the honor of God. If he refrains
from committing gross sins, it is for his own reputation and not from
any regard for the divine law. Those who are liberal in contributing
to the poor and needy distribute their charity out of pity for the
suffering and not with their eyes on the divine precept. Even the
unregenerate who claim to be Christians are regulated by what is
agreeable to themselves and not by love to Christ and respect for His
authority and glory. They are willing to please God just as far as it
does not displease them. Others who wish to obtain a reputation for
piety are like the Pharisees, who tithed and fasted and made long
prayers to satisfy their own ambition--to be seen, heard, and praised
by men. But where a miracle of grace is wrought in the soul,
self-pleasing is displaced by self-denial, and gratitude and love now
move the man to seek the glory of God.
Yet though a new nature is imparted at regeneration, the old nature is
not removed or bettered. The principle of "the flesh" still indwells
the soul and is continually clamoring for indulgence; thus there is a
ceaseless conflict within the believer between carnality and holiness.
The believer's responsibility and lifelong task is to mortify the one
and nourish and exercise the other, to deny self and follow Christ. We
should frequently test ourselves on this very point, as by this we may
most surely ascertain whether we are growing in grace: to what extent
we are dying to sin and living to God.
How far is my conduct determined by a concern for the divine glory?
Have I formed the habit of challenging my inclinations and
determinations with the question "Will this be for the glory of God"?
Every plan we form, every act we perform, is either pleasing or
displeasing to God, honoring or dishonoring to Him--there is no mean
between those alternatives. Every project I entertain will either
further the interests of self or serve to magnify Christ. I must pause
and consider which of those alternatives my heart is really set upon;
otherwise, what difference is there between me and the respectable
worldling?
"Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31). Is a
young man giving serious thought to choosing a wife? Then he should
first solemnly ponder the question "Do I desire marriage for the glory
of God?" If a man is contemplating a change of occupation or
residence, or if his thoughts turn to planning a journey, before
making the decision it is his Christian duty to ask himself, "Will
such a course promote the honor of Christ? Am I making this move for
His sake?" This principle must also actuate and regulate the minister
of the gospel. It is a horrible profanation of the sacred office to
seek the applause of men or covet the fame of being thought a great
preacher. This principle must take precedence over seeking the good of
souls. If the salvation of sinners and the edifying of saints are my
supreme concerns, I am making an idol of the creature, and efforts
after success rather than fidelity to my charge will determine my
course. But if I labor with an eye single to the glory of God and aim
at magnifying Christ, I shall be far more concerned about preaching
the truth in its purity than in seeing results.
Motives for Seeking the Glory of God
There are many weighty reasons which should move the Christian to seek
the glory of God in all that he does. That which is of the greatest
value and consideration should be sought before all else in life. And
surely God's glory has infinite excellence above all things, and
therefore must be preferred before all material good. Then too, since
God ever has our good in mind we ought ever to keep His glory in view.
He never forgets us, nor should we forget Him. How concerned we ought
to be to make restitution for our former dishonoring of God! In our
unregenerate days we had no regard for Him: never a mercy but what we
abused. How zealous then we ought now to be in ordering our conduct to
His praise, manifesting the genuineness of our repentance over the
past by living wholly for Him in the present! The example of Christ
shows us our duty. He "pleased not himself" (Rom. 15:3) but ever
cherished God's honor. Did He say, "Father, save me from this hour"?
No, rather, "Father, glorify Thy name." (See John 12:27-28.) By His
example Christ taught us to put the honor of God before our own
interests and comforts.
Here are some of the ways by which God is glorified. By ascribing
glory to Him, which is His due (Ps. 29:1-2). By proclaiming His worth
to others (Ps. 34:3). By loving Him and making Him our supreme delight
(Ps. 73:25). By implicit confidence in Him: Abraham "was strong in
faith [thereby] giving glory to God" (Rom. 4:20). By dedicating our
bodies to Him (1 Cor. 6:20). By yielding obedience: "that they may see
your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew
5:16). By our repentance (Rev. 16:9b). By confession of sin (Josh.
7:19). By cultivating the fruit of the Spirit in our lives: "Herein is
my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit" (John 15:8). By adoring
God's excellency: "Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me" (Ps. 50:23).
By readiness to suffer for Him and patiently bear afflictions (1 Pet.
4:14-16). By disowning any credit to ourselves, attributing to Him all
good in and from us (Rom. 3:12b). "That God in all things may be
glorified through Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 4:11b) is the end we should
ever aim at, avoiding whatever is contrary, making all subordinate and
subservient.
Making the honor of Christ our supreme concern will preserve us from
many snares and follies. All the disastrous bypaths into which we have
wandered since we became Christians may be traced back to failure at
this very point. Instead of being actuated and regulated by the
determination to magnify Christ, we yielded to a spirit of self-love
and self-pleasing. In seeking the glory of Christ we, at the same
time, are furthering our own salvation, for we then act contrary to
the promptings of the flesh and are being more conformed to the image
of God's Son. Thus highly esteeming our calling and walking worthy of
it, fulfilling every precept of God's goodness, and keeping our own
faith healthy and in vigorous exercise, we both honor Christ and
advance our own spiritual interests. Moreover, what an unspeakable
privilege and dignity it is to serve such a Master as ours! Is it not
glorious indeed to please--yea, to endure persecution for--such a
glorious Savior! "Rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer
shame for His name" (Acts 5:41). But "if . . . we suffer with him" we
shall also "be also glorified together" (Rom. 8:17).
Reference to the Life to Come
"And ye in him" has intimate reference to the next life: the
consummation of our salvation, the reward for honoring Christ in this
life. We quote from Thomas Manton: "God hath appointed this order,
that we should glorify Him before He glorifies us, and there is much
wisdom and righteousness in that appointment. It would greatly redound
to God's dishonor if He should glorify those that do not glorify Him,
and make no difference between the godly and the wicked, those that
break His laws and those that keep them. If both should fare alike, it
would eclipse the righteousness of God's government . . . God hath not
only appointed that we should glorify Him before He glorifies us, but
that we should glorify Him upon the earth before He glorifies us in
heaven. We have Christ for an example: `I have glorified thee on the
earth . . . And now, O Father, glorify thou me' (John 17:4-5) . . .
Christ takes special notice of those that glorify Him in the world and
it is one of His pleas for His disciples: `[Father], I am glorified in
them' (John 17:10). He is an Advocate in heaven for those that are
factors for His kingdom upon earth . . . This glory is promised: `If
any man serve me, him will my Father honor' (John 12:26b)."
"According to the grace of our God and [of] the Lord Jesus Christ"
secures the fulfillment of this prayer. The wider reference is to all
that precedes. Our acting suitably to God's holy calling, our
fulfilling every good counsel of His goodness and the work of faith by
His power, our glorifying His Son, is all from and by divine grace.
Our salvation from the love, the guilt, the defilement, the power, and
(ultimately) the presence of sin, is wholly by divine grace. Scripture
is plain and emphatic on this point, and so also must be the tongue
and pen of God's servants. His sovereign favor chose us in Christ
before the foundation of the world. And each blessing which follows it
is equally of His favor. Therefore we read of "the election of grace"
(Rom. 11:5), that our calling is "according to his own purpose and
grace" (2 Tim. 1:9), that we have "believed through grace" (Acts
18:27), that we are "justified freely by his grace" (Rom. 3:24). It is
the same wondrous grace which bears with our dullness and waywardness,
which provides for our every need, which renews us day by day in the
inner man, and which brings us safely to heaven.
"According to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ" refers
more immediately to the preceding clause, "and ye in him," which
principally refers to our glorification. For though our glorification
be the issue and reward of our perseverance in faith and holiness, yet
it is not a reward of debt but of grace, not something we have
merited, but something bestowed by God's free bounty. Hence we read of
"the grace that is to be brought unto . . . [us] at the revelation of
Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:13). Thus all ground for boasting is removed
from us, and the praise and glory are His alone. Nothing but His
wondrous grace could overcome our obstinacy and bring us into willing
subjection to God. Nothing less is able to maintain and keep us in the
paths of righteousness. We can only work out our own salvation with
fear and trembling as God works in us "both to will and to do of his
good pleasure" (Phil. 2:11-12). The world, the flesh, and the devil
are far too powerful for us to overcome in our own might.
Saved by Grace Through Faith
But if the balance of truth is to be preserved, we must point out that
the grace of God is the original cause of our salvation. Yet it does
not preclude the worth and work of Christ as its meritorious cause,
and neither does it exclude repentance, faith, and obedience as the
means: "By grace are ye saved through faith." Though neither faith nor
good works have any causal influence in our salvation, though they are
not concauses with the grace of God and of Christ, yet God has
appointed this method and way of salvation. Principal causes do not
exclude necessary means, but comprise them; therefore we must not set
grace against grace and say that the elect will be saved whether they
believe or no, or that the regenerate will reach heaven no matter how
they live. Grace is magnified by us only as we insist that it works
"through righteousness" (Rom. 5:21) and as we bring forth its holy
fruits. Basically and fundamentally our salvation flows from the
sovereign pleasure of God (the goodwill which He bears us), and it is
effectually wrought in us by His power. Yet instrumentally salvation
issues from the discharge of our responsibility (for God ever treats
us as moral agents), from the heeding of His warnings and in using the
means He has appointed. "We believe to the saving of the soul" (Heb.
10:39) and are "kept by the power of God through faith" (1 Pet. 1:5).
It is all-important to insist that "salvation is of the LORD" (Jon.
2:9) so that all the glory is ascribed to Him, and so that we may be
encouraged to seek grace from Him. For when we are aware of our
undeservingness, only the realization of His abundant favor will keep
our hearts from sinking. Yet it is nonetheless necessary to press the
Christian's responsibility in the use of all proper means so that he
may be preserved from lapsing into Antinomianism and fatalistic
inertia. There is a balance to be preserved here between a sense of
our helplessness and our obligation to use the grace which we already
have and to seek further and fuller supplies of grace (Heb. 4:16). Our
entire dependency upon God and our full accountability to Him are not
contradictory but are complementary parts of one whole. It is the
grand privilege of faith to make free use of Christ, and it is our
duty to live unto Him, yet that is only possible by constantly drawing
from Him. Without Christ we can do nothing (John 15:5), but energized
by Him we can do all things (Phil. 4:13). Then let us see to it that
we are "strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 2:1).
All Is Through the Grace of God
"According to the grace of our God" is to be regarded then as
referring to the whole of His benignant design toward us. It is on
that basis all our supplies must be asked for, it is from that
fountain all the streams of blessing do flow, and it is to that divine
attribute all must be ascribed. It is the grace which sets His power
to work on our behalf. Were the operation of His power suspended for a
moment, even the "new man" would instantly be paralyzed. He "holdeth
our soul in life" (Ps. 66:9), and should He "let loose his hand" we
would be at once "cut off" (Job 6:9). For the resisting of any sin or
the performing of any duty we are in need of the gracious power of God
moment by moment. Nevertheless, we are not mere automatons. "He which
hath begun a good work in you will . . . [finish] it" (Phil. 1:6), yet
not without our concurrence, as though we were blocks of wood.
Finally, we must not so eye "the grace of our God" as to lose sight of
"and of the Lord Jesus Christ." In the Greek there is only one article
here, and it is in the singular number, which not only exhibits the
unity of the divine nature but also reveals the two Persons engaged in
a common work.
Gleanings from Paul Index
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings from Paul
by A. W. Pink
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29. Prayer for Comfort and Stability
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
We Desire To Emphasize the need and importance of preserving the
balance of truth, for in so doing we are really calling attention to
the method followed by the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures, and that
cannot be ignored without our suffering serious loss. There is a most
blessed mingling together in the Word of those different elements
which are so essential to a well-rounded Christian life, as in the
natural world God has provided various kinds of food suited to the
several needs of our bodies. A striking example of this is found in
the immediate context of that prayer which here engages our attention.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:13 and 14 one of the fundamental articles of our
most holy faith is expressed, not in cold and formal manner, but
rather as that which occasions deep and constant thanksgiving. Next,
in 2 Thessalonians 2:15, the corresponding duty is enforced, the
obligations which such a disclosure of divine grace devolves upon the
favored objects and recipients of it. Then follows our prayer which,
as we shall see, really grows out of 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15. Thus
here we have doctrinal declaration, practical exhortation, and earnest
supplication; that is what both preachers and hearers should ever
blend together--in that order.
God's Sovereign Grace to His Elect
What has just been pointed out is too weighty for us to dismiss
without a further word of amplification. After describing the fearful
judgment which God sends upon those who receive not His truth in the
love of it, the apostle turned to those who were the objects of the
divine favor. This moved him to exclaim, "But we are bound to give
thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God
hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification
of the Spirit and belief of the truth" (2 Thess. 2:13). That should
ever be the effect on a child of God as he solemnly contemplates the
doom of unbelievers. Hearty thanksgiving should issue from his soul at
the realization that the Lord eternally set His heart upon an elect
company which He appointed to deliverance from the wrath to come. But
what we would here particularly note is that God's eternal election
does not preclude effectual calling, nor does it render needless the
exercise of our moral agency. Those "beloved of the Lord" (all of
them, yet none other) are "chosen . . . to salvation through
sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth." These three
things must never be separated.
First, from the beginning the elect are "chosen . . . to salvation,"
God's sovereign and eternal decree being the originating cause of
salvation. Second, that decree is fulfilled "through" or by means of
the "sanctification of the Spirit," the reference being to His
quickening operation, when by the miracle of regeneration He sets them
apart from those who are dead in trespasses and sins. Third, God's
eternal decree is only accomplished when the subjects of it personally
appropriate the truth of the gospel to themselves. While in their
unregenerate state they were incapable of any saving "belief of the
truth," for their corrupt hearts were hostile to it, in love with
error and sin. But when the miracle of grace is wrought within them
their enmity to God is slain, and the gospel is welcomed as exactly
suited to their dire need and is cordially embraced by them. Thus they
spell out their election and evince their effectual call by the Holy
Spirit through their "belief of the truth." Thereby the beloved of the
Lord are brought to concur with God's will in their salvation in the
way of His appointing. So, far from the elect being saved whether they
believe or not, they do not enter into God's salvation except through
their "belief of the truth."
Further, the regeneration of God's beloved (their belief of the truth,
and their initial participation in God's great salvation) does not
render them unfit subjects for exhortation: on the contrary, their
accountability must be enforced and their moral agency brought into
exercise. Those who have received spiritual life require instruction
and encouragement to "stir up the gift which is in" them, and urging
to perform their duties. Accordingly, we find the apostle bidding
them, "Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which
ye have been taught, whether by word, or [by] our epistle" (2 Thess.
2:15). Paul did not consider such an exhortation legalistic or useless
because he was assured that they would do the things which he
commanded them (2 Thess. 3:4). The operation of divine grace does not
set aside the discharge of human responsibility, but it equips us for
it. Our concurrence with God is required to the end of our earthly
course. Yet such exhorting of the saints is far from implying any
sufficiency in them to comply in their own strength. Paul knew full
well that his order would prevail little with them without God's
blessing and help, therefore he added supplication to his order.
The Apostle's Concern for the Thessalonian Saints
"Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which
hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope
through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good
word and work" (2 Thess. 2:16-17). As we have pointed out formerly,
these Thessalonian saints were enduring a great fight of affliction
from without, and therefore their ministerial father here sought to
occupy them with the rich compensations and provisions which the
divine lovers of their soul had made for their peace and cheer. They
had been experiencing many "persecutions and tribulations" (2 Thess.
1:4), and therefore he made earnest intercession for them that they
might be further comforted by God and energized by His grace to the
close of life. Having already considered the setting or connections of
this prayer, let us ponder first, its Addressees, or the Objects to
whom it is made; second, its grounds of confidence for an answer;
third, its specific requests, and then seek to make application of the
whole to ourselves today.
"Our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father" are the
Addressees. In the original there is an emphasis which is not
preserved in our more euphonious translation. The Greek reads, "Now
himself Lord, our Jesus Christ, and God and Father our." First, let us
carefully notice the fact that here is still another instance where
prayer is made directly to the Redeemer. It is incumbent upon us to
approach the Father and direct our petitions to Him in and through the
mediation of our great High Priest, owning the fact that there is no
other way or means of access to Him. Yet it is equally our privilege
and duty to address ourselves immediately to the Son, that He may
receive the honor and homage which are His due as being one with the
Father. We should also acknowledge Him as the Purchaser and Bestower
of all our spiritual blessings. The "which hath loved us, and given us
everlasting consolation" that immediately follows takes in both the
Son and the Father, and since we are indebted to the one as much as to
the other, Each is to be equally loved, revered, and magnified by us.
Faith should especially be placed in both the Father and the Son in a
season of persecution and tribulation since we are assured both have
our best interests at heart.
Christ Jesus Presented as the Lord
Second, let us carefully notice the manner in which the Son is here
presented: "Now Himself Lord, our Jesus Christ." Order and emphasis
are here which are sadly lacking in modern ministry. The apostle
declared, "We preach . . . Christ Jesus the Lord" (2 Cor. 4:5),
"preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all)" (Acts 10:36).
Christ is "Lord" in two ways: First, by that right which pertains to
Him as the Creator, which right belongs to Him equally with the Father
and the Spirit. As the Creator of the world, He is the Sovereign of it
as shown by the winds and waves obeying His word. Second, by right of
dominion, which belongs to Him as Redeemer. This is partly by divine
donation: "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matthew
28:18). "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that
God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and
Christ" (Acts 2:36); having "put all things under his feet" (Eph.
1:22). It is also His right by purchase and conquest: "For to this end
Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of
the dead and living" (Rom. 14:9). By His death He merited and by His
resurrection He attained the exalted station of universal dominion,
"upholding all things by the word of his power" (Heb. 1:3; cf.
Revelation 1:18).
By passive subjection all creatures in heaven and in earth are under
the power and dominion of the Son of God, our Redeemer, as will openly
appear on the last great day when, in the name of Jesus, every knee
shall bow "of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under
the earth; and . . . every tongue . . . [shall] confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:10-11).
Therefore even kings and great men of the earth are now bidden to
"serve the LORD with fear" (Ps. 2:10-11). Everyone who hears the
gospel is also required to do so, for in the gospel Christ's dignities
and rights are made known to men. Those who "obey not the gospel of
our Lord Jesus Christ . . . shall be punished with everlasting
destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his
power" (2 Thess. 1:8-9). Thus, the first duty of the evangelist is to
press upon his hearers the claims of Christ, calling on them to throw
down the weapons of their warfare against Him and to submit to His
scepter, to cease serving sin and Satan and yield themselves to His
sway. On His entrance into this world the divine announcement was
made: "Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which
is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11). Only as the throne of the heart is
freely offered to Christ does He become the "Savior" of anyone, i.e.,
of those who cease being rebels against Him.
That which distinguishes Christians from non-Christians is their
surrender to the authority of Christ. He is their Lord by voluntary
submission. `They . . . first gave their own selves to the Lord" (2
Cor. 8:5). That is, they repudiated the world, the flesh, and the
devil, took Christ's yoke upon them, and solemnly covenanted to
henceforth love and serve Him alone (Isa. 26:13). The word to
Christians is "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so
walk ye in him" (Col. 2:6). They have intelligently and freely
accepted Him as their Lord, renouncing all other lords and idols,
enthroning Him in their affections, desiring Him to rule their lives.
That is exactly what true conversion consists of: turning from sin to
Christ, ceasing from self-pleasing to be in subjection to His
authority; and the sins of all such (and of none other) are pardoned
as they trust in His blood. That is the order of our present verse:
"Now himself Lord, our Jesus Christ." He is not "our Jesus Christ"
until He has first been received as Lord! That is ever the order of
the Scripture: "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath
rejoiced in God my Savior" (Luke 1:46-47). "The everlasting kingdom of
our [1] Lord and [2] Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 1:11). "Through the
knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 2:20). "Grow in
grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2
Pet. 3:18).
Accepting Christ as Personal Savior
Man, with his invariable perversity, has reversed God's order. Modern
evangelism urges giddy worldlings, with no sense of their lost
condition, to "accept Christ as their personal Savior"; and when such
"converts" prove unsatisfactory to the churches, special meetings are
arranged where they are pressed to "consecrate themselves to Christ as
Lord." Christ must be received according to God's appointed terms. He
is "the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him" (Heb.
5:9). But the heart language of all who despise and reject Him is "We
will not have this one to reign over us" (Luke 19:14). In contrast,
the attitude of the saints is "Himself Lord, our Jesus Christ." To
which the apostle here added, "And God and Father our." He too stands
in a double relation to us: our God by sovereign dominion, our Father
by gracious regeneration. The two divine Persons were here jointly
addressed to evince Their coequality and to teach us that we must not
look to and rest in the Mediator to the exclusion or even the neglect
of exercising a lively faith in the One who sent Him. Having referred
first to the One whose work on the soul is the more immediate, the
apostle guards against giving the impression that the Father is any
less deeply interested in our welfare than is the Son.
"Which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and
good hope through grace." Those words reveal the various grounds for
the apostle's confidence that an answer would be granted to the
petitions which follow. They are regarded as "the grounds of audience
and success," as they are well styled by Thomas Manton. This clause is
immediately connected with the preceding one, as its opening "which"
intimates, for that pronoun includes both the Persons here addressed.
First, "Himself Lord, our Jesus Christ." In this divine adoration the
apostle would exalt Him in the esteem of the saints as coequal with
the Father. The emphatic "Himself" at the beginning of the sentence
was designed to contrast His almighty power and infinite love with the
comparatively feeble affection which Paul bore to the suffering
Thessalonians and the ministerial assistance he sought to render them,
as well as their inability to "stand fast" in their own strength.
Second, "And God and Father our." He too had their welfare equally at
heart and must be given equal place in their thoughts and affections
as commended to them by the endearing "our" God and Father.
"Which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and
good hope through grace." Taking the three together, we may observe
what a strong emphasis is here laid upon the fact that the saints'
consolations and comforts proceed from pure and bounteous benignity.
First, we are shown that divine love is their fountain or origin; then
we are told the same are "given" us, and nothing is more free than a
gift; and last, they are plainly declared to be "through grace." The
apostle found encouragement in these truths and emboldenment to seek
further blessings for these saints. And thus it needs to be with us
when we are about to pray. Nothing is more assuring to the heart than
the realization that we are approaching the bounteous One who "giveth
to all men liberally, and upbraideth not" (James 1:5). Nothing is
better suited to dispel all doubts and fears than the knowledge that
we are invited to draw boldly nigh to "the throne of grace." Well
suited is such a throne to beggars who have no merits of their own.
Equally fitted for the ill-deserving and defiled who come to confess
their sins. Let all such recall they are coming to "the God of all
grace," whose mercy is free and infinite and "endureth for ever."
The Love of God the Spring of All Our Blessings
Considering separately or distinctly these grounds of assurance for a
hearing at the mercy seat, we may view the divine love as the cause,
and the everlasting consolation and good hope as the effects of the
same. "Which hath loved us" refers to both the Son and the Father. In
the economy of redemption the love of the Father is first, for though
Christ communicated the love of the Father to His people, it was the
Father's love which furnished Christ for them. "God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in
him should not perish, but have everlasting life." The love of God for
His elect is the spring of all their blessings. It was His love which
chose them in Christ before the foundation of the world: "in love
having predestinated . . . [them] unto the adoption of children by
Jesus Christ to himself" (Eph. 1:4-5). It was His love which provided
a Savior for them: "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he
loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1
John 4:10). It was His love which gave the Holy Spirit to quicken us:
"I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with
lovingkindness have I drawn thee" (Jer. 31:3). It is His love which
chastens us when we sin (Heb. 12:6), and which suffers nothing to
separate us from Him in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:39).
The love of the Son is made equally manifest in His redemption of His
people. It was His love for them which made Him willing to become
their Surety, to take upon Himself the form of a servant, to be made
in the likeness of sinful flesh. It was His love for them which moved
Him to take upon Himself their debts and discharge their obligations,
being made under the law that He might render perfect obedience to its
precepts in their behalf and suffer its awful curse in their stead.
"Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it" (Eph. 5:25).
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for
his friends" (John 15:13). How we need to pray with the apostle that
we may "know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge" (Eph. 3:19);
that is, that we may be constantly occupied with it, that we may have
more spiritual conceptions of it, be nourished by and swallowed up in
it. Says the Savior of our souls, "As the Father hath loved me, so
have I loved you" (John 15:9): we should particularly remember that as
we draw nigh to Him in prayer. What liberty of approach and freedom of
utterance are mine when I realize I am about to petition the One "who
loved me, and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20) and that His love is
ever the same toward me!
The Love of the Spirit
For the benefit of young preachers we will devote one paragraph to the
love of the Spirit, for which we are as much indebted as the Father's
and the Son's. "God is love" is to be understood equally of each of
the three Persons. In Romans 15:30 distinct mention is made of "the
love of the Spirit," yet how little is ever heard of the same! The
entire ministry of the Spirit to the saints is one of fathomless and
amazing love. In love He sought them out when they were dead in sin.
In love He quickened them into newness of life, for nothing but love
could have moved Him to take pity on such vile and leprous creatures.
In incomprehensible love He takes up His abode in our hearts. What a
marvel that the Holy Spirit should indwell such worms of the earth and
make our bodies His temples! In love He bears with our infirmities and
"maketh intercession within us." Infinitely patient is His
long-suffering to us. In love He bears witness with our spirits that
we are the sons of God. In love He teaches, guides, strengthens,
fructifies, and preserves us to the end. Then let us be far more on
our guard against grieving this Lover of our souls.
"Which hath loved us." That is what the apostle eyed first as he was
about to make intercession for those tried saints, and that is what
our faith must never lose sight of, for nothing else will keep our
hearts warm and our affections fresh to God. All of God's
dispensations to and all of His dealings with us should be considered
in the light of His infinite and unchanging love for us. Yet that is
only possible as faith is daily exercised regarding these facts. When
God's providences are contemplated and interpreted by carnal reason,
unbelief clouds our vision, and we give the devil an advantage to
inject into our minds, poisonous and blasphemous aspersions against
God. It is one of the enemy's favorite devices to induce a Christian
to entertain doubts of God's love toward him--especially so in a time
of trial or tribulation--and nought but "the shield of faith" can stop
his fiery darts. Faith resists his evil suggestions, looks away from
the things seen, and lays hold upon the declarations and promises of
Him who has covenanted with His people, "I will not turn away from
them, to do them good" (Jer. 32:40). There is solid ground to rest
upon amid the storms of life. This is an unfailing cordial for the
fainting heart.
"God . . . hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation
and good hope through grace" (2 Thess. 2:16). Divine love is the
fountain; everlasting consolation and good hope are the streams which
flow from it. God's love for His people preceded their fall into sin,
both historically and as foreseen by Him, for it was a love of
goodwill and not of compassion or pity. As the first Adam was "the
figure of him that was to come" (Rom. 5:14), so Eve was the original
type of the Church as the Bride of Christ (Gen. 2:24; Ephesians
5:31-32). Eve was created and given to Adam by God before he
transgressed, and she was as pure and upright as he was, fully suited
to be his wife and companion. A holy Adam and a holy Eve were united
in wedlock prior to the entrance of evil into this world. That was a
blessed foreshadowing of the fact that God appointed a sinless and
holy Church to be the wife and companion of His Son, and accordingly
she was given a marriage union with Him in the eternal purpose of God
antecedent to His foreview of Adam's defection and the Church's fall
in him, her federal head, for he was equally the head of all mankind.
The fact that Eve did not keep her first estate in no wise affected
the fact that she was Adam's sinless wife previously.
God's Immutable Love for His Elect
In Eden God typified in a most wonderful way His secret and
everlasting counsels respecting His own elect. His love to them was
like Himself: incomprehensible, infinite, immutable. Nothing could
change or cloud it. Sin, far from quenching His love, only provided
occasion for Him to manifest the strength and durability of that love,
and to go forth in mercy and compassion. As Adam did not cast off his
wife when she yielded to the serpent's wiles, neither did God revoke
His benign purpose when the Church became dead in trespasses and sins
through the fall. No, it seems clear from the Word that "Adam was not
deceived" (1 Tim. 2:14), that out of love to Eve he voluntarily and
deliberately joined her in her fallen condition, thereby foreshadowing
the abounding love of Christ for His Church in being willing not only
to assume our nature and in all things "to be made like unto his
brethren" (Heb. 2:17) but also to be "made . . . sin for us" (2 Cor.
5:21) and to bear our iniquities, and in consequence be made a curse
for us. Upon His foreview of our fall God entered into an everlasting
covenant with Christ, wherein arrangements were made for Him to save
His people from their sins and provide "everlasting consolation" for
them.
"And hath given us everlasting consolation." There is some difference
of opinion among the commentators whether that "consolation" is to be
regarded as exclusively an objective one or whether it also includes
our subjective experience. Personally, we consider it wholly
objective, or outside of ourselves, though in proportion as faith acts
upon it we shall enjoy the blessedness of it. We base that view first
upon the tense of the verb "hath given," not "is now giving" us, as it
would read if our present experience were being described. Second,
because of the qualifying word everlasting, which signifies that the
"consolation" here spoken of is a durable, immutable, eternal one;
whereas nothing is more fluctuating and fleeting than the inward
consolation which most of the saints enjoy in this life, for their
moods and feelings appear to be almost as variable as the weather--now
on the mountaintop, then in the valley, if not in the slough of
despond. And third, unless we regard this "everlasting consolation''
as an objective one, that is, as having reference to the matter or
substance of our peace and joy, we confound it with the "comfort your
hearts" in the next verse where the apostle makes request that they
might have the experimental effect and personal sense of the same
within them.
"And hath given us everlasting consolation." To what was the apostle
referring? The answer to that question may be stated in two different
forms. Manton terms it "in the new covenant," and that provides a
satisfactory meaning, for under the "old covenant" with the nation of
Israel the promises and blessings set forth were earthly and temporal.
But the new covenant contains "a better hope" and "better promises"
(Heb. 7:19; 8:6) as the whole of that Epistle is designed to set
forth. But personally we prefer to say that God has given us
"everlasting consolation" in the gospel, for though the gospel
enunciates the new covenant, it is also primarily a transcript of the
everlasting covenant which God made with Christ, viewed as the Head of
His people; and the "everlasting covenant" is the foundation of all
the believer's consolations and hopes. The Gospel reveals the contents
of that everlasting covenant as Romans 16:25-26 affirms. Take away the
gospel and the very foundation of our consolation and hope is removed.
That is made clear in 1 Corinthians 15 where, after stating that the
salient facts of the gospel are that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, and that He rose
again the third day according to the Scriptures, Paul pointed out to
those who denied His resurrection, "If Christ be not risen, then is
our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain" (1 Cor. 15:14).
Paul then went on to declare, "If in this life only we have hope in
Christ, we are of all men most miserable" (1 Cor. 15:19), which was
the reverse way of showing that in the gospel God has given us
"everlasting consolation" ratified by Christ's resurrection. Those
words of 1 Corinthians 15:19 make it clear that we have no ground for
hope beyond this life except in the divine revelation made in the
gospel. Nay, we may go further and affirm that even for this present
life there is no hope for any sinner apart from the revelation of
Christ in the gospel of God's grace. It cannot be too plainly and
emphatically insisted upon today that if the gospel is jettisoned
there is no well-grounded hope for any man, either in this life or the
life to come. The Christless, whether they live moral or immoral
lives, are described by the infallible pen of inspiration as "having
no hope, and without God in the world" (Eph. 2:12). And such "hope" as
they do cherish is but imaginary, blind, impudent, and presumptuous;
in the moment of death it will be found to be empty deceit. "The
hypocrite's hope shall perish" (Job 8:13). Make sure your hope is
grounded upon the gospel.
Consolation Found Only in the Gospel
"Which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation." The
word consolation means "the alleviation of misery, solace." In the
gospel (and nowhere else) do we learn of the wondrous and gracious
provision which God has made for His people considered as lost
sinners. As intimated above, the "which hath loved us" goes back to
the source of all, when the triune God set His heart upon the Church
and blessed it "with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in
Christ" (Eph. 1:3). Then came the divine foreview of the Church's
defection in the Adam fall, which opened the way for a further
manifestation of God's superabounding grace. That was evidenced in the
everlasting covenant in which arrangements were made for the Son to
save His people from their sins, and for the Spirit to quicken them
into newness of life. The gospel contains a transcript of that
everlasting covenant, proclaiming the distinctive goodness and
gracious acts of each of the Persons of the Godhead, which gospel is
fully expounded in the Epistle to the Romans as its opening verse
indicates (cf. Romans 1:9, 16-17; 16:25-27). In the gospel God has
given us everlasting consolation, revealing the remedy for sin, His
provision for our holiness and happiness, the endless bliss He has
"prepared for them that love him" (1 Cor. 2:9).
The "everlasting consolation" is in marked contrast with the
evanescent pleasure afforded by material comforts, which perishes with
the using; it differs also from the temporal portion allotted Israel
as a nation. That consolation which God has provided for His beloved
Church is endless: it does not die with the body, but is as enduring
as the soul, proceeding from God Himself, issuing from His free grace,
grounded upon His sure Word. Of what does this "everlasting
consolation" consist? In complete and effectual alleviation of the
misery which our fall in Adam produced, and deliverance from all the
dire consequences of the same. By Adam's disobedience the Church
became judicially alienated from God and experimentally separated from
Him. By the entrance of sin the favor, the life, the image of God in
the soul, was lost and fellowship with Him totally severed. All of
this was graphically represented by the driving out of man and God's
placing "at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming
sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life"
(Gen. 3:24). But the gospel makes known how the work of the last Adam
reverses all that, resulting in the reconciliation of the Church to
God, restoring her to His unclouded favor, renewing her after His
image, and bringing her into communion with Him.
"And hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through
grace." Those gifts though quite distinct are really two parts of one
whole, the former referring to the believer's present portion, the
latter to his future. Both of them are the fruitage of that
"everlasting righteousness" which Christ brought in for His people
(Dan. 9:24), having wrought out the same for them as their
Representative, by not only suffering in their stead the full penalty
of the broken law but also by rendering perfect obedience to its
precepts on their behalf. Thereby Christ not only makes complete
atonement for all their transgressions, so that the guilt and
pollution of the same are forever removed from the sight of the Judge
of all, but thereby obtains for them a sure title to the reward of the
law so that they are justified or pronounced righteous before Him with
full acceptance. The reward of the law is "life" (Rom. 7:10) as its
penalty is death. The gift of grace is eternal life, and accordingly
we read of "eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before
the world began" (Titus 1:2), therefore before any part of the
Scriptures was written. Consequently the reference must be to the
promise made to our federal Head in the everlasting covenant. The
believer enjoys now both an earnest and a foretaste of that "eternal
life."
"And hath given us . . . good hope." This too refers not to any inward
comfort but to that which is the sure ground of comfort. In this verse
Paul contemplates not the grace of hope in the believer's soul but
rather the object upon which that grace is to be exercised. The "good
hope" equally with the "everlasting consolation" is here entirely
objective, namely, that which is set before us in the gospel. "For the
hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in
the word of the truth of the gospel" (Col. 1:5). Here "hope" is the
object, namely, the glorious and blessed estate which is reserved for
us hereafter. In Scripture "hope" always contemplates something
future, something of which we are not yet in actual possession: "Hope
that is seen [experienced or possessed] is not hope: for what a man
seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not,
then do we with patience wait for it" (Rom. 8:24-25.) Here it is the
grace of hope which is in mind. "That . . . we might have a strong
consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set
before us" (Heb. 6:18). Here again hope is the object, and as faith
"lays hold" of the same, "strong consolation" is produced in the soul.
Good Hope Through Grace
In attempting to define the character and substance of our "good hope
through grace" we cannot do better than pattern our outline after that
of Thomas Manton. First, this hope is based on the personal return of
our Redeemer: "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious
appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). Hope
is there described by its grand Object, when He shall be seen no more
"through a glass darkly" but "face to face"; when all the holy
longings and aspirations of His redeemed will be fully realized. Then
Christ will see of the travail of His soul and be satisfied,
possessing what He purchased, and conducting the Church into the
eternal abode which He has prepared for her. In proportion as our
faith is exercised on that promise, and as our love burns and yearns
for the Lover of our souls, we shall be "looking for," eagerly
awaiting, His appearing. Second, the resurrection of the dead: "[I]
have hope toward God . . . that there shall be a resurrection of the
dead, both of the just and unjust" (Acts 24:15; cf. 26:6-8). At the
return of Christ the living saints will be changed and the sleeping
ones raised in power and glory, and "fashioned like to his glorious
body" (Phil. 3:21; 1 Corinthians 15; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
Third, the vision of God in Christ, when we shall at length be
admitted into His presence, see Him as He is, and be made like Him
both for holiness and happiness (1 John 3:2). Fourth, our heavenly
inheritance: an inheritance which is "incorruptible, and undefiled,
and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven" for us (1 Pet. 1:4).
That will consist of "fullness of joy" in God's presence, "pleasures
for evermore" at His right hand (Ps. 16:11). You will agree, Christian
reader, that all of that is "a good hope." It is wholly "through
grace," and in no way earned by human merits. Have we not good cause,
sure ground, to "rejoice in hope of the glory of God"? (Rom. 5:2). But
only as we exercise faith on what God has revealed in the gospel do we
rejoice. It was on this supreme good, namely, the eternal vision and
fruition of God, that the eye of David was fixed when be said, "As for
me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied,
when I awake, with thy likeness" (Ps. 17:15). Then let us be more in
prayer that the grace of hope within us may be more engaged with these
glorious objects of hope without us.
This brings us to the special requests made by the apostle in this
prayer: "comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and
work" (2 Thess. 2:17). In that first petition Paul was asking that the
everlasting consolation and good hope given them in the gospel might
be effectually applied to the souls of those persecuted saints.
"Comfort your hearts," present tense, in contrast with the "hath given
us" in the preceding verse. This is clear proof of the verse's entire
objectivity, for if the "consolation" and "good hope" were in respect
to their experience, there was no need to ask that their hearts be
comforted. The supplication was that they might have inward enjoyment
of the same, that the glorious contents of the gospel should be
brought home in power to their hearts, that the substance of their
consolation and the object of their hope would be made so real and
solid as to fill them with peace and joy. Paul desired that they might
have such a satisfying and blissful realization of the divine love and
its manifestations to them that no tribulations and sufferings should
be able to rob them or even becloud the same in their apprehensions.
The Coexistence of Faith and Hope
Here, as always, more was implied than was actually expressed. In
order for such comfort to be experienced, their graces must be in
exercise. The revelation which God has made to us in the gospel
profits us nothing until it is personally appropriated by faith. The
wonderful vista of the future which is there unveiled to the saints
does not animate them unless the grace of hope is also employed.
Though distinguishable, gospel faith and gospel hope, twin graces in
the soul, are as fundamental to the believer as are light and heat to
the sun. Faith does not exist without hope, and hope has no being
apart from faith. As a Christian's faith is, so is his hope. They are
alike founded on and rooted in God's Word. Faith receives Christ as He
is there set forth; hope confidently expects all the blessings there
promised. Christ is equally the Object of our faith and of our hope;
yes, He is "our hope" (1 Tim. 1:1): its substance and its cause. Both
work by love (Gal. 5:6), which is the fulfilling of the law. Faith is
more than intellectual, hope is more than emotional; both are
spiritual and dynamic, conforming the soul to the character of their
objective.
But while it is the believer's responsibility to keep his graces in
constant exercise, it is not absolutely in his own power to do so, and
therefore the apostle supplicated the Lord Jesus Christ and God the
Father to "comfort the hearts" of the Thessalonians. It is a great
mercy for the distressed to be truly comforted, yet it does not lie in
the power of any creature to administer the same. That is the
prerogative of the Almighty: "I, even I, am he that comforteth you"
(Isa. 51:12). Therefore He is designated "the God of all comfort" (2
Cor. 1:3), "God, that comforteth those that are cast down" (2 Cor.
7:6). He may in His sovereign condescension use instruments in doing
so, but the power and blessing are entirely His. In His gracious
ministry to the Church, the Spirit is denominated "the Comforter"
(John 16:7), for He is the immediate Author of all our experimental
consolations as He is the Quickener, Maintainer, and Fructifier of our
graces. Therefore we read that "we through the Spirit wait for the
hope of righteousness" (Gal. 5:5). He alone can make us cheerful amid
sufferings, patient during the period of waiting the fulfillment of
the promise, persevering in duty when there is so much to discourage.
"Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work."
These two petitions are closely related. This appears more clearly
when we understand the meaning of our English word comfort: con
fortis, "with strength." The Greek word here rendered "comfort" is
literally "to call alongside, to help." It is not a soporific or
pain-deadener, as "comfort" implies in ordinary usage, but a renewing
of moral energy, a spiritual vivification in view of trials yet to be
faced. God alone is capable of imparting such "comfort." Thomas Manton
defined comfort thus:
"Comfort is a strengthening of the mind when it is in danger of being
weakened by fears and sorrows, or the strength and stay of the heart
in trouble: `This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath
quickened me' (Ps. 119:50). `Thou hast put gladness in my heart' (Ps.
4:7). God's comfort is like a soaking shower that goes to the root and
refreshes the plants of the earth rather than a morning dew that wets
only the surface. Other comforts tickle the senses and refresh the
outward man, but this penetrates the heart."
These Petitions Imply Responsibilities on the Believer's Part
"And stablish you in every good word and work," which is only possible
as God first comforts or strengthens with might in the inner man. As
none but God can comfort or strengthen, so He alone can "stablish" us
and enable us to persevere. There is a powerful tendency in us to
stray (Ps. 119:176). It is good for us when we feel the need of
crying,
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love:
Here's my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above.
Nevertheless, we must bear in mind that these petitions imply our
obligations. Though we cannot comfort ourselves, it is our
responsibility to avoid the things which hinder: carnal fears, worldly
delights, sins against conscience (which destroy our peace), grieving
the Spirit. So too we must seek to be instruments in God's hand for
comforting others: by speaking words to those who are weary, by
lifting up the hands which hang down. Likewise it is our duty to use
those means which promote our establishment in the faith, and to
beware of everything that tends to make us waver and temporize. To
falter in the path of duty chills our joy. We quote Thomas Manton
again: "By `every good work' is meant sound doctrine; by `every good
work" holiness of life. Establishment in faith and holiness is a
needful blessing, and earnestly to be sought of God."
Paul's prayer is for increased grace and for the quickening of our
graces, particularly that we may ever obey our Lord Jesus Christ and
love our Father. The singular number of the verbs "comforted" and
"stablish" (which is not reproduced in the English) intimates the
unity of the two Persons which are the common Objects of the verbs
(cf. 1 Thessalonians 3:11). The equality of the Persons is seen in
these petitions being addressed jointly to both. The "hath loved" of 2
Thessalonians 2:16 looks back to 2 Thessalonians 2:13, the "good hope"
to 2 Thessalonians 2:14, and the petitions of 2 Thessalonians 2:17 to
the exhortation of 2 Thessalonians 2:15.
Gleanings from Paul Index
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings from Paul
by A. W. Pink
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30. Prayer for Love Toward God
2 Thessalonians 3:5
The Attentive Reader will observe that more of Paul's prayers are
recorded for the Thessalonians than for any other church or company of
saints. There is yet another in verse 16 of our present chapter,
though in view of our observations on Romans 15:33 and 1 Thessalonians
5:23 we do not propose to give it a separate consideration. Note that
reference is made more frequently to the coming of Christ in the
Thessalonian epistles than in any other of Paul's letters. We know of
no writer who has attempted to give a reason for these conspicuous
features. There is no doubt in our mind that they should be linked
together, for a single explanation satisfactorily accounts for them
both, namely, the extremely trying situation in which these particular
saints were placed. As we have more than once pointed out, they were
enduring a great fight of afflictions, meeting with strong opposition
from unbelievers. Thus, we are here taught two important lessons
regarding the Christian's special duty to his afflicted brethren: the
one concerning the rank and file of God's people, the other pertaining
more especially to ministers of the gospel.
Ministry to Suffering Saints
First, persecuted believers have a peculiar claim on the sympathies of
the whole household of faith, and should therefore be given a special
place in their supplications and intercessions. We are expressly told
to "weep with them that weep" (Rom. 12:15). The cultivation and
exercise of love one to another are incumbent upon us at all times,
but especially in seasons when fellow saints are in distress. More
reprehensible and unchristlike is the callous spirit which says, "I
have troubles enough of my own without burdening myself with those of
others." Different far was the attitude of Nehemiah, who, though in a
palace, "wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before
the God of heaven" when he heard of his fellow Jews being "in great
affliction and reproach" (Nehemiah 1:1-4). We are required to
"remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them" (Heb. 13:3),
taking them to our hearts, having compassion toward them, seeking
grace for them. Whenever we hear or read of an earthquake, famine,
flood, we should at once approach the throne of grace and beg God to
undertake for His own dear people in the stricken district (ponder
Matthew 25:36, 40).
Second, the ministry best suited to and most appropriate for those who
are suffering for Christ's sake is to direct their thoughts away from
the present to the future, setting before them "that blessed hope, and
the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ"
(Titus 2:13). Not until His advent will a period be put to the
oppressions of the Church. At that time all shall be richly rewarded
who have been steadfast and faithful to Him. The intensely practical
side of our "blessed hope" must not be lost sight of amid all the
acrimonious and profitless speculations about the Millennium. This
grand truth about our Lord's return is used by the Spirit as a most
powerful motive for the discharge of Christian duties, as a quickener
of our graces, as an incentive to piety, and as consolation to the
grief-stricken. Our Lord Himself calmed the troubled hearts of the
disciples with it (John 14:1-3), and His apostles bade bereaved saints
to comfort each other with the same truth (1 Thess. 4:13-18). A
spiritual hope of our Lord's appearing produces ministerial fidelity
(2 Tim. 4:1-2; 1 Peter 5:34), Christian patience (James 5:7-11),
sobriety (1 Pet. 1:13), purity (1 John 3:2-3). They are greatly the
losers who are not looking for His appearing.
"And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the
patient waiting for Christ." Three things in this prayer call for
consideration. First, though briefly, its connection with foregoing
verses. Second, and more specifically, its Addressee. Third, and at
greater length, its important petitions. The opening word requires
attention to its setting. It is blessed to note the link between the
verses immediately preceding and the prayer which we last considered.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:15 the apostle had exhorted the saints,
"Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which ye have
been taught [i.e., the oral ministry of the apostles], whether by
word, or our epistle." Then had followed the prayer in 2 Thessalonians
2:16-17 that they might be comforted and established by an effectual
application to them of the glorious contents of the gospel. Next he
had solicited their prayers for himself and fellow ministers (2 Thess.
3:1-2), after which he had declared, "But the Lord is faithful, who
will stablish you, and keep you from evil. And we have confidence in
the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we
command you" (2 Thess. 3:4). Note, the apostle did not say, "We have
confidence in you" but "We have confidence in the Lord touching you."
Paul was assured that God, having begun a good work in them, would
graciously complete it.
The Addressee of This Prayer
Let us now consider the Addressee of this prayer. Who is meant by "the
Lord" here? We answer unhesitatingly, the third Person of the blessed
Trinity, the One who is designated "Lord" in 1 Corinthians 12:5, and
"the Spirit of the Lord" in 2 Corinthians 3:18. First, this is clear
from the fact that in our present verse He is definitely distinguished
from "God" and "Christ," so that reference is here made to the Eternal
Three. Second, this fact is borne out by what is here asked of Him:
"The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into patient
waiting for Christ." Now it is the distinguishing work of the Spirit
to develop our graces and to regulate their exercise. As "the love of
God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto
us" (Rom. 5:5), so love is called forth into action by Him. Third,
since the Spirit is co-essential and co-eternal with the Father and
the Son, He is worthy of our homage. Nowhere in Scripture is there the
least hint that one Person in the Godhead must be excluded from the
praises which we give to the Lord. On the contrary, the Spirit is to
be publically owned and equally honored with the Father and the Son.
This is clear from Matthew 28:19; to be baptized in His name is an act
of worship. It is evident again from the place accorded Him in the
Christian benediction (2 Cor. 13:14).
We are expressly commanded to "worship and bow down . . . before the
LORD our maker" (Ps. 95:6). That the third Person is included in that
command is plain: "The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of
the Almighty hath given me life" (Job 33:4; cf. Job 26:13 with Ps.
33:6). Instruction is given to pray to "the Lord of the harvest"
(Matthew 9:38). During the days of His earthly ministry Christ
sustained that office, as appears from His choosing the apostles and
sending forth the seventy. But since His ascension, the Holy Spirit
fulfills that ministry (see Acts 13:2, 4; 20:28). The Spirit now calls
and equips the "laborers," assigns them their work, and blesses them
in it.
The Holy Spirit a Divine Person
"The Lord direct your hearts." As the title "Lord" is expressive of
the Spirit's dominion, so the action here mentioned indicates His
Godhead, for it is one which none but a divine Person can perform.
"The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of waters:
he turneth it whithersoever he will" (Prov. 21:1). All men's hearts
are equally so.
"And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God" may be taken
either actively or passively: actively, as the love wherewith we love
God; or passively, as the love wherewith we are loved by God.
Personally, we are satisfied that the reference is to our love of God,
rather than to His for us. Since the words may be understood either
way, we will consider them in both ways. We regard the words in an
active sense, first, because our apprehension and enjoyment of God's
love to us were fully covered in the preceding prayer (2 Thess.
2:16-17). Second, because the immediate context obviously requires us
to do so. In 2 Thessalonians 3:4 the apostle expressed his confidence
in the Lord that they did and would do the things His servants
commanded them, and he at once prayed that the Lord the Spirit would
strengthen and direct them; so that practical love which issues in
obedience is here in view--though perhaps it is not to be restricted
absolutely to that. Third, because the second petition, "and into the
patient waiting for Christ," is to be understood in an active sense,
as pertaining to the discharge of their duty, namely, a steady
endurance of persecution and a continuance in well-doing to the end of
their earthly course.
"Direct your hearts into the love of God." This petition is of far too
vital and vast importance for us to hurriedly and cursorily dismiss
it. First, we are constantly to bear in mind that love to God and to
our neighbor is the sum and substance of the moral law. "Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment" (Matthew
22:37-38). It is not a new commandment; it is simply renewed in the
gospel dispensation and pressed more strongly.
All Men Commanded to Love God
But though all men are required to so love the Lord their God, none in
his natural condition is able to do so. Not that he lacks the
necessary faculties, but because sin is in full possession of every
part of his complex being, and therefore he is "alienated from God."
As a result of the Fall every descendant of Adam is born into this
world destitute of the slightest affection for God. To the religious
Pharisees Christ said, "But I know you, that ye have not the love of
God in you" (John 5:42). "If any man love the world, the love of the
Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15). Where is the man or woman who
does not love the world until a miracle of grace is wrought within,
and the bent and bias of the heart are changed? Not only is the heart
of the natural man devoid of any love to God; it has a radical
aversion to Him, for "the carnal mind is enmity against God" (Rom.
8:7). That was unmistakably demonstrated when the Son of God became
incarnate, for far from being welcomed and adored, He was hated
"without a cause" (John 15:25).
Where there is genuine love to God in anyone, that person has been
made the subject of a miracle of grace. At regeneration the blessed
Spirit slays our native enmity against God, and sheds abroad His love
in our heart. A principle of life, of grace, of holiness, is
communicated to the soul. There is "given us an understanding, that we
may know him that is true" (1 John 5:20). A personal revelation of God
is made to the one born again, so that He "hath shined in our hearts,
to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of
Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6). The film of prejudice is removed, the mist
of error is dispersed, and the soul perceives the majesty, the
excellence, the loveliness of the divine character, and exclaims, "Who
is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious
in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?" (Ex. 15:11). Such a
discovery and view of God draws out the heart to Him so that He is now
its supreme delight. "The grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant
with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. 1:14). Those two
graces of faith and love always go together, being implanted at one
and the same time by one and the same hand.
The New Nature
It needs to be clearly recognized and constantly borne in mind that
the principle of life and grace imparted to us at regeneration, that
"new nature" as many term it, is entirely dependent for its
continuance, development, and health upon its Author. Further, it must
be remembered that the flesh, the world, and the devil are
inveterately opposed to that "new creature," hence our urgent need for
God to sustain, nourish, establish, guard it, as well as regulating
all its activities. It was these considerations which prompted the
apostle here, when he petitioned the Lord the Spirit to "direct their
hearts into the love of God," for he well knew that they did not have
the power to do so. Consciousness of his own weakness in the matter
moved David to exclaim, "O that my ways were directed to keep thy
statutes!"
(Ps. 119:4-5). And after praying, "Make me to go in the path of thy
commandments; for therein do I delight," David added, "Incline my
heart unto thy testimonies" (Ps. 119:35-36).
But let us now consider more closely of what our "love to God"
consists. Its external and internal acts are desire after Him and
delight in Him. Love to God implies an earnest seeking after Him, in
order to attain the highest enjoyment that we are capable of in this
life. The Psalmist cried, "My soul followeth hard after thee" (Ps.
63:8). The more constantly and earnestly we seek God, to enjoy more of
His saving graces and benefits, the more we have of the love of God.
God is the supreme Object of our desire (Ps. 27:4) and also of our
delight. Since love to God is the complacence of the soul in Him who
is the sum of all perfection and our all-sufficient portion, it
follows that we shall find our highest pleasure in Him. "If thou
return to the Almighty, thou shalt . . . lift up thy face unto God"
(Job 22:23, 26). Fullness of joy is reserved for heaven, yet even in
this vale of tears "we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ"
(Rom. 5:11). It cannot be otherwise. As the soul perceives God's
excellence and is admitted to communion with Him, it exults in Him: "I
sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet
to my taste" (Song 2:3). The saints look upon God reconciled as their
best Friend: "My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in
the LORD" (Ps. 104:34). "Because thy lovingkindness is better than
life, my lips shall praise thee . . . My soul shall be satisfied" (Ps.
63:3, 5).
The external effects of love to God are summed up in these two things:
doing and allowing His will. If we really love God, we shall be loath
to offend Him and desirous of pleasing Him; consciousness of failure
in either is the acutest grief experienced by the saint. "If a man
love me," said Christ, "he will keep my words" (John 14:23). Love to
God is the most powerful incentive, motive, and dynamic of all: "For
this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his
commandments are not grievous" (1 John 5:3) to His dear children, for
they "delight in the law of God after the inward man" (Rom. 7:22).
Faith is indeed a wonderful grace, yet only as it "worketh by love"
(Gal. 5:6) does it produce that which is pleasing and glorifying to
God. "Whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God
perfected" (1 John 2:5). None can be owned as a sincere lover of God
except he that makes a point of obeying what He commands.
Love to God is also evidenced by a meek and cheerful submission to His
will. The apostle prayed that God would direct the Thessalonians'
hearts to love Him so that they would endure anything rather than deny
the faith, and confess Christ whatever it cost them. Obedience,
courage, and resolution are included in love. "Many waters cannot
quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all
the substance of his house for love, it would be utterly contemned"
(Song 8:7). It is true of love in general, much more true of love to
God. Love to God is an antidote against temptations. All the riches,
pleasures, and honors of this world cannot bribe those that really
love Christ. Nor can all the floods of persecution quench this holy
desire. When once the heart is set toward God and heaven, it is set
against anything that would turn it out of the way and divert it from
its high aim and purpose.
A brief word on the properties of this love. "It is not speculative
but practical, not consisting in lofty, airy streams of devotion, too
high for the common rate of us poor mortals. No, it is put upon a
surer and infallible test--our obedience to God. Again, it does not
consist in a bold familiarity, but in a humble subjection and
compliance with God's will: "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth
them, he it is that loveth me" (John 14:21). God's love is a love of
bounty, but ours is a love of duty; therefore we are properly said to
love God when we are careful to please Him and fearful to offend Him:
"Ye that love the LORD, hate evil" (Ps. 97:10). When we are fearful of
committing or omitting anything which may be a violation of His law, a
grief to His Spirit, or a dishonor to His name, then we are said to
love God. However lofty our words of devotion may rise, they are empty
without our active obedience, the proof of our love. Nothing but an
honest endeavor to walk before the Lord unto all pleasing (Col. 1:10)
must be made the touchstone of the genuineness of our love.
True Love to God
True lovers of God are not those who speak of Him as their "dear
Father," nor those who talk about their intimate communion with Him,
nor those who can discourse most accurately on His attributes. Rather
they are those who are the most conscientious and diligent in
performing for Him the duties which He has assigned them. Again, real
love to God is a transcendent and preeminent one: He is loved above
all others. "My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe
my ways" (Prov. 23:26) is His peremptory demand. He requires the chief
place in our affections and in our lives, so that glorifying Him is
our supreme aim: otherwise we have no real love to Him. If His
interests are subordinated to ours, then God is not loved as God. "He
that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me"
(Matthew 10:37). By this too we must test our alleged love to God.
"Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I
desire besides thee" (Ps. 73:25). Unless that really is the language
of our hearts, we are deceived if we imagine ourselves to be lovers of
God.
But love to God, however sincere and transcendent, is not all there is
in the Christian's heart: there are also powerful impulses which lust
after ungodly things, and compete for his affections. Hence his urgent
need of crying, "Unite my heart to fear thy name" (Ps. 86:11). Yet the
very fact that the Christian is constrained to so cry, that he is
acutely conscious of the feebleness of his love, is a sure evidence of
his regeneration, for the natural man is a total stranger to any such
pangs of soul. It is the same with the Christian's love as it is with
his faith. Not until a divinely begotten faith is born within are we
in the least conscious of the presence and workings of unbelief. Only
as we become aware of the latter do we "with tears" say, "Lord, I
believe; help thou mine unbelief" (Mark 9:24). So too the love of God
has to be shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit before we can
realize how disloyal to Him our affections really are. And as faith is
dependent upon its Author for its continuance and growth, so love is
dependent upon its Giver for its health and activities.
That brings us to consider more closely this petition: "The Lord
direct your hearts into the love of God." The reference is not to the
furnishing of counsels for our guidance but to the bending and setting
straight of what is crooked and awry. Even after receiving God's
grace, our hearts are apt to wander and return to their old bent and
bias again. Our love for God so quickly wanes. Many of God's dear
children have reason to mourn the abating of their love toward God.
Though the grace itself can never be lost, yet the freshness and
fervor of it may. It is our sin and misery that we so often set our
affections on wrong objects. Not only will an immediate pursuit of the
things of this world chill our love: undue familiarity, fellowship
with unbelievers and empty professors, will also do so. To many of His
people Christ has reason to complain today, "I have somewhat against
thee, because thou hast left ["not lost"] thy first love" (Rev. 2:4).
Many things seek to draw our hearts another way. Since the devil hates
God, one of his chief employs is to draw off from Him the hearts of
His people, both by attacking His character and by means of
counter-attractions. The devil gained the ear of Eve by causing her to
doubt God's goodness. And when God's providences cross our wills and
painful trials become our portion, the devil seeks to make us question
God's loving-kindness. Or the devil endeavors to seduce the soul by
material things, as in the case of Ananias and Sapphira. Therefore we
are warned, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil,
as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom
resist steadfast in the faith" (1 Pet. 5:8-9). We must not tamely
yield to him. Our own lusts tempt, seek to draw away from God, and
entice us (James 1:14) and therefore the admonition is given, "Mortify
therefore your members which are upon the earth" (Col. 3:5). The world
offers many baits to the same end and purpose, and therefore we are
commanded, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the
world" (1 John 2:15). An undue attachment to any of the things of time
and sense chill our affections for God. How many of the saints have
proved this to their sorrow.
Our Need of Earnestly Praying
There is, then, a real and pressing need that we should earnestly
supplicate the Lord the Spirit to "direct our hearts into the love of
God." He can strengthen us with His might in the inner man, and
thereby enable us to sternly resist every temptation to become
attached to any earthly idol. We must ask Him to more and more
enlighten our understanding to perceive the utter vanity of all
earthly enjoyments and wean our fickle hearts from them. We must look
to Him to graciously occupy us daily with the ineffable perfections of
God and grant us such soul-ravishing views of Him as will deaden us to
the empty baubles of this world. He can engage our minds more
frequently and effectually with the wondrous love of God for us and
thereby excite ours for Him. He can so enthrall us with His electing
grace, His having singled us out to be the objects of His favor, the
ones upon whom He set His heart from all eternity, that we shall be
constrained to love Him with all our souls, minds, and strength. He
can so melt us in adoration and appreciation of all Christ is to us
that we shall be wholly devoted to Him, delight ourselves in Him, and
seek to please and glorify Him in all things.
If we had a clearer concept of what the love of God consists of, we
should be far more conscious of the defects of our love. This love is
a powerful inclination and earnest bent of the heart toward God as our
chief good and last end. It enables us to realize that God is
infinitely worthy and desirable, so that all our efforts are directed
to enjoying Him and pleasing Him. If that really is the dominant
passion in our souls, then by it we shall decide what is to be avoided
and what is to be employed as fit means to the realization thereof. We
shall be conscious that not only are all sins contrary to the making
of God's glory our supreme end or design but that all foolish and
trifling actions are inconsistent with that end. Measuring our lives
by such a standard, we realize how much we live for self, and how
little for God! How many of our desires, schemes, words, and actions
have no real respect to God at all! It is not sufficient that we
surrender our hearts at conversion: we need to beg Him daily to
reclaim them from their vain wanderings and bind them afresh to
Himself, and to maintain and increase our love to Him.
Our Love Distracted from God
Not only are there innumerable objects in this scene to draw away our
unstable hearts from God; the cares of this life and the slavish fears
to which we so often give place, hinder our delight in Him. Such cares
oppress, and such fears prevent comfortable communion with God in the
means of grace. When we are worried over our present lot or harassed
about supplies for the future, the heart is straitened and the spirit
of praise is chilled. When we are occupied more with our sins than we
are with Christ, more with our corruptions than with His blood, more
with our failures than with God's covenant faithfulness, doubts will
assail, assurance will be lost, and rejoicing in God becomes a thing
of the past. In such a case the means of grace may still be used and
duties performed, but there is no joy in the one or thankful gratitude
behind the other. It is more the service of a slave than of a son.
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because
fear hath torment" (1 John 4:18). But if our hearts are directed into
the love of God, then our obedience to Him will be a delight, and we
shall serve Him by inclination and not compulsion.
When the means of grace become irksome and tedious to us and the works
of obedience distasteful and burdensome, it is a sure sign that our
love to God has grievously declined. All goes spontaneously, easily,
freely, when love motivates us. Seven years seemed as a few days to
Jacob for the love he had for Rachel (Gen. 29:20). Thus it was with
Christ Himself: love to His Father, love to His people, constrained
all that He did. "The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of
my cup." Therefore He added, "The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant
places" . . . "I have set the Lord always before me . . . Therefore my
heart is glad" (Ps. 16:5-9). But when we yield to the promptings of
self-love or to our carnal lusts, the light of God's countenance
becomes eclipsed, our affections gradually cool off, and His ways are
no longer our delight. The profits and pleasures of this world attract
us, and we have a disinclination to the performance of spiritual
duties. If we take our fill of carnal delights, the Spirit is grieved,
and He ceases to take of the things of Christ and of the Father and
show them to us.
Love is a tender, delicate plant. After it is planted in the soul, we
must see that it gets rooted, that it grows, that it blooms and bears
fruit. It is our sacred duty and Christian responsibility to care for
our spiritual life as for our natural, yes, far more so, as the latter
exceeds in value and importance the former. We must look after the
health and well-being of our souls as well as that of our bodies. God
has commanded us, "Keep thy heart with all diligence" (Prov. 4:23),
and still more expressly, "Keep yourselves in the love of God" (Jude
21), which means to preserve in a healthy state our love to God--that
principle of love which has been shed abroad in our hearts. Why is
that termed "the love of God"? Because God is its Author, because He
is its Object, because He is its Perfector. The great work committed
to the Christian is to keep himself in the love of God, for if that is
properly attended to, everything else will be well with him. It must
be his daily care to see to it that that precious but tender plant is
nourished, increased, and made manifest by its fruits.
The Believer's Responsibility
Once more we must remind ourselves of the clear implication in all the
petitions of the apostle's prayers: namely, that it is our
responsibility to produce the things asked for, yet that we can only
do so properly by divine enablement. Asking God to direct our hearts
into His love does not release us from our obligations. It is merely
asking Him to quicken us in the discharge of them. As formerly pointed
out, our first concern must be to see to it that our love to God is
firmly established, "rooted and grounded in love" (Eph. 3:17). We must
not be contented with occasional good moods and ecstatic feelings, nor
with meltings under a sermon, but diligently seek after and pray for a
solid, steady, durable affection for God. And how is that to be
accomplished? By getting the heart fixed in His love to us. The firmer
is our assurance of that, the more will our love to Him be inflamed,
just as the more we walk in the genial rays of the sun, the warmer our
bodies become. If we daily observe God's blessings both spiritual and
temporal, a renewed realization of His goodness will renew our
gratitude to Him.
At this point we take in or combine the passive sense of these words,
"the love of God," for unless we bask often in the sunshine of God's
love to us, ours to Him will be neither fervent nor fruitful.
Certainly nothing is so invigorating to our love and more calculated
to make us aware of how infinitely worthy God is of our love than the
contemplation of His love to us. As Paul prayed for the Ephesians that
they might be "rooted and grounded in love," their love firmly fixed
and indeclinably settled upon God, so he requested for the Philippian
saints that their love might "abound yet more and more in knowledge
and in all judgment" (Phil. 1:9), which could only be through a
fuller, deeper apprehension of God's love for them. It is alike our
privilege and duty to strive and pray that we may increasingly cleave
to God as our absolute good and rest in Him as our supreme delight.
Love will not remain static: if it does not grow and increase, it will
inevitably weaken and diminish. Nothing is more conducive to the
decline and decay of our love than to be content with and satisfied in
the present measure or degree of it.
If our affections for God are to be preserved warm and fresh, we must
avoid everything which has a tendency to chill them and draw the heart
away from Him. The allowance of any known sin, conformity to the
spirit and ways of the world, making too much of the creature, giving
way to unbelief, slackness in using the appointed means of grace, are
some of the evils which must be avoided if God is to have His proper
place in our hearts. Every day that passes, the Christian should be
more and more out of love with sin, with self, with the world, and
more in love with God. We need to watch closely against any abatement
in our love: that is obviously one part of the duty inculcated in
"Keep thy heart with all diligence." If we fail to do so, if we become
careless and indifferent to the measure and strength of our love, then
it will rapidly deteriorate. Backsliding and openly dishonoring the
Lord are only prevented by observing closely the first decline of our
love. The longer that is unattended to, like the neglect of a bodily
ailment, the more serious our case becomes. Love has certainly cooled
when we are less diligent in seeking to please God and are less
careful in striving against sin.
Love Must Be Actively Exercised
Not only do we need to get our love firmly rooted and steadily
increased, but it also needs to be continually exercised. All religion
is in effect love. Faith is thankful acceptance, and thankfulness is
an expression of love. Repentance is love mourning. Yearning for
holiness is love seeking. Obedience is love pleasing. Self-denial is
the mortification of self-love. Sobriety is the curtailing of carnal
love. If love is not activated and kept working, it will atrophy. The
affections of man cannot be idle; if they do not go out to God, they
leak out to worldly things. When our love for God decreases, the love
of the world grows in our soul. Love's constraining influence keeps us
from living to and for ourselves.
Work and love are often coupled in the Scriptures. Paul spoke of "your
work of faith, and labor of love" (1 Thess. 1:3). The writer of
Hebrews said, "God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of
love which ye have showed toward his name" (Heb. 6:10). Then how
earnestly we should pray for the succoring, strengthening, and
stimulating of our love! One of the Holy Spirit's ministries in us is
to stir up our love to God.
Earnest prayer to God for the strengthening of love does not absolve
us from a diligent use of means. Daily meditation on the nature and
evidences of God's love to us is the most effectual way of feeding and
increasing ours to Him. Ponder the freeness and sovereignty of His
love. He did not set His heart on us because of any loveliness of
ours, for His love antedated our existence, and therefore proceeded
from His goodwill. God's love passed by multitudes and fixed itself on
us: "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated" (Rom. 9:13). Think of
its immutability: it is as invariable as His nature. "Having loved his
own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end" (John 13:1).
That love proceeds from One "with whom is no variableness, neither
shadow of turning" (Jam. 1:17). God's love to us is everlasting, and
therefore nothing can or shall ever separate us from it. Let us revel
in its unparalleled degree: "God, who is rich in mercy, for his great
love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath
quickened us together with Christ" (Eph. 2:4-5). Matchless, amazing
love! "God is love" (1 John 4:8) and therefore His love is infinite,
incomprehensible, adorable. We may feed on it now, and it shall be our
endless delight in heaven.
Gleanings from Paul Index
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings from Paul
by A. W. Pink
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31. Prayer for Patience
2 Thessalonians 3:5
"The Lord Direct Your Hearts into the love of God and into the patient
waiting for Christ." The Greek verb here rendered "direct" occurs
twice elsewhere in the New Testament: in 1 Thessalonians 3:11, and in
Luke 1:79 where it is translated "to guide our feet into the way of
peace." Literally the word signifies "to make thoroughly straight what
has gone awry, to turn back or straighten what has become crooked."
The Christian's heart is apt to return to its old bias and become
warped: this prayer is for the righting of that fault. We are prone to
allow our affections to wander from God and make an idol of some
creature; therefore we constantly need to beg Him to bind them to
Himself, that our love may be unalterably fixed upon its true and only
worthy Object. We are also prone to grow slack in the performance of
duty, to become weary in doing good, especially when we meet with
opposition and affliction; therefore we need to earnestly ask God for
the grace of endurance, that our knees do not become feeble and that
our hands do not hang down, but that we "hold fast the confidence and
the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end."
Consideration of the Meaning of "Patient Waiting"
Quite a lot is said about the grace and duty of "patient waiting" in
the Scriptures, though there is comparatively little of it in the
lives of most Christians, which fact is not only displeasing and
dishonoring to God but detrimental to their own spiritual condition.
Few of them have any clear scriptural conception of what "patient
waiting" actually consists, for there has not been sufficient really
definite and practical teaching on it; consequently the thoughts of
few rise any higher than those of the natural man. When commenting
upon Colossians 1:11, we threw out some general hints on this subject,
and expressed the hope of later supplementing them. We shall therefore
consider something of what God's Word teaches on this most necessary
fruit of Divine grace. The Savior Himself exhorted us, "In your
patience possess ye your souls" (Luke 21:19), and His apostle
declared, "Ye have need of patience" (Heb. 10:36). Patience is a most
necessary grace for the Christian. That requires little proof, for the
experience of every believer confirms it. Some difficulty accompanies
every duty and the putting forth of every grace, not only because the
commandments of God run counter to our corruptions but also because
they run counter to the spirit and course of this world. Therefore
patience is required in order to perform our duties constantly, and to
continue in the exercise of that grace. To swim against the tide of
popular sentiment, willing to be deemed singular, plodding along the
narrow way, which is an uphill course throughout, and not fainting
near the end, calls for much fortitude and endurance.
This patient waiting for Christ may be defined as "the grace of hope
fortifying our resolutions for God and His way, that we may be
steadfast till our work is finished and our warfare is ended." There
is a threefold patience spoken of in Scripture. First, a laboring
patience, which consists in our doing the will of God in self-denying
obedience, however irksome it proves to the flesh. The same Greek word
rendered "patiently waiting" in our text is translated "patient
continuance in well doing" in Romans 2:7, which is in contrast with
those whose "goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it
goeth away" (Hosea 6:4). Christ defined the stony-ground hearers as
those "which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall
away." He described the thorny-ground hearers as they who "are choked
with the cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no
fruit to perfection." But He declared that the good-ground hearers are
they who "having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with
patience" (Luke 8:13-15). "Many of his disciples went back, and walked
no more with him" (John 6:66), but of the apostles He said, "Ye are
they which have continued with me" (Luke 22:28).
Second, suffering patience, which meekly bears affliction and does not
rebel against whatever God has appointed for us. Where that grace is
thus exercised, the soul does not faint in the time of adversity nor
turn back in the day of battle. When the dispensations of divine
providence are most trying to flesh and blood, and we are tempted to
resist them, we are enabled to say, "What? shall we receive good at
the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" (Job 2:10). Piety
does not exempt any from trouble and sorrow, but it does enable us to
make manifest the sufficiency of divine grace in all conditions and
circumstances. As God is honored by the exercise of our love and zeal
in performing His precepts, so He is greatly glorified by our
quietness and submission when He calls upon us to experience
suffering. Our fidelity to Him must be tested by enduring evil as well
as in doing good, and the exercise of patience is as much needed for
an unrepining and unflagging bearing of the one as it is for the
joyous and unremitting performance of the other.
Third, a waiting patience, which consists of quietly tarrying for
God's pleasure after we have both done the preceptive will of God and
fulfilled His providential will. Some find this more difficult to
exercise than either of the former, yet it is required of us. "Be not
slothful, but followers of them who through patience inherit the
promises." "For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the
will of God, ye might receive the promise" (Heb. 6:12; 10:36). God has
anticipatory mercies which come without our tarrying for them; He also
has rewarding mercies which must be waited for, for He is pleased to
test our patience, and often there is no reward for doing His will
unless we do wait. Though God is never behind His time, He seldom
comes at ours. "It came to pass at the end of four hundred and thirty
years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all of the hosts of
the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. It is a night much to be
observed unto the LORD for bringing them out" (Ex. 12:41-42). That
great promise of deliverance was performed punctually, not only to the
day but to the very hour. Those four hundred and thirty years expired
during the hours of darkness, and God did not wait till the morning
light.
We read of the "shortening" of evil times (Matthew 24:22) but not of
their lengthening! God never keeps His people waiting for good any
longer than He has purposed or promised. But though He keeps His time
exactly, and works just at the moment He has ordained and made known,
yet we are apt to antedate the divine promise and set a time before
His. As one of the Puritans quaintly expressed it, "We are both
short-sighted and short-breathed." That which is but a moment in the
calendar of heaven seems an age to us, and therefore we have need of
patience in referring all to God's pleasure. "The vision is yet for an
appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it
tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry"
(Hab. 2:3). There appears to be a verbal contradiction there: "though
it tarry" and "it will not tarry"; yet the meaning is simple. Though
what is promised may tarry beyond our time, it shall not beyond the
hour God has prefixed. There is no remedy or relief for us but in
patiently waiting, calmly but confidently expecting the divine
performance.
Waiting God's Time
This patient waiting for God's time to appear on our behalf is as much
the saint's duty as is a steady persistence in rendering obedience to
God's commandments and in meekly bearing His afflictions. It is the
prerogative of God to date all events as well as to do all things for
us. Our "times" as well as ourselves and all our affairs are in His
hand (Ps. 31:15). The Lord is the Disposer of all things in regard to
not only their means and instruments but also in regard to their
seasons: "To every thing there is a season, and a time unto every
purpose under the heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1). And God requires us to
acquiesce to His timetable and defer to His good pleasure, to bow to
His sovereignty and confide in His wisdom, and not fret and fume
because He is slower than we desire in undertaking for us. It is not
sufficient that we make known our requests; we must also "rest in the
LORD, and wait patiently for him" (Ps. 37:7). We must realize that our
welfare is in safer hands than our own, and behave ourselves
accordingly, composing our spirit, stifling the unrest of our hearts,
and resisting all the workings of unbelief. "I waited patiently for
the LORD, and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry" (Ps. 40:1).
It is extremely painful not to wait patiently, for it points out our
unwillingness to accept God's timing, which is really a spirit of
insubordination. Fretful impatience takes issue with God's authority
and calls into question His goodness. Solemn indeed are the sins of
this nature recorded in the Word. "When the people saw that Moses
delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves
together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall
go before us; for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the
land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him" (Ex. 32:1). And Aaron
yielded to their evil demand. When the servant of God bade Saul tarry
seven days at Gilgal until he should come and offer sacrifices and
show the king what he should do (1 Sam. 10:8), because the prophet did
not appear when Saul expected, he impatiently and impiously took
matters into his own hand, and in consequence lost his kingdom (1 Sam.
13:8-14). Fearful also was the wickedness of that king who asked,
"Should I wait for the LORD any longer?" (2 Kings 6:33). He grew weary
of tarrying for the Lord and opposed his own will against Him.
Let the reader perceive what an evil thing it is not to quietly wait
the Lord's time. Once we give way to a spirit of impatience, we open
the door to many dangers. Those who do not tarry for God take things
into their own hands, which is not only highly dishonoring to the Lord
but attended with disastrous consequences for themselves. Thus Abraham
found it. At the outset the Lord declared, "I will make of thee a
great nation" and "Unto thy seed will I give this land" (Gen. 12:2,
7). Years later, when the patriarch told the Lord, "I go childless,"
he assured him, "He that shall come forth out of thine own bowels
shall be thine heir" (Gen. 15:2, 4). Nevertheless, because Sarah
remained barren, Abraham yielded to her suggestion of obtaining a son
by Hagar. Though that carnal plan resulted in the birth of Ishmael,
Abraham's impatience was a source of domestic trouble for years to
come. Impatience leads to setting aside God's means and employing our
own: "They said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own
devices" (Jer. 18:12). Alas, many organizations are, with their
worldly methods, doing so today.
On the other hand, it is highly beneficial to us to exercise this
grace: "Therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you
. . . blessed are all they that wait for him" (Isa. 30:18). "Blessed
is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is"
(Jer. 17:7). "The LORD is good unto them that wait for him . . . It is
good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation
[deliverance] of the LORD" (Lam. 3:25-26). Waiting is not only a duty
but a benefit. This waiting patience is termed by Christ a
"possessing" of our souls (Luke 21:19). Whatever title we have to our
souls, we have no possession of them without patience. As faith puts
us in possession of Christ, so patience gives us possession of our
souls. The soul of an impatient person is dispossessed, for he no
longer acts as a rational creature. The exercise of patience enables
us to preserve a holy serenity of mind, keeping under the tumults of
passion, so that neither terror nor grief prevents the dominion of
reason. By resigning ourselves to God's will and confidently awaiting
the fulfillment of His promises, we are kept calm and cheerful, and
have a considerable enjoyment of His mercies amid trouble and
tribulation.
Patience Exercised in Afflictions
It is impossible but that affections and passions will be stirred in a
season of trial and affliction, but patience takes off their excess
and fierceness, calming the storm within. It subdues the violence of
emotion which rends the soul and distracts reason, enabling its
possessor to rule his own spirit (Prov. 16:32), instead of roaring "as
a wild bull in a net" (Isa. 51:20). Patience checks angry murmurings
and brings us to acquiescing silence before God: "I opened not my
mouth; because thou didst it" (Ps. 39:9). Since impatience proceeds
from self-love and is a species of self-will, patience works the soul
into a self-denying frame or attitude. When providences cross our
designs or impede our expectations, we are provoked and restless; but
when the trying of faith works patience, the heart is more weaned from
the creature and brought to rest in God. Thus it produces a spirit of
quietness and submission, causing us to realize that the trial is of
our Father, and that when He deems best He will deliver us from this
trouble or supply that which will be most for His glory and our
highest welfare. We shall be able to say, "It is the LORD: let him do
what seemeth him good" (1 Sam. 3:18).
Such a thing is beyond our powers, out of reach of attainment,
something contrary to flesh and blood. Yet it is not beyond the power
of God to bestow or the sufficiency of His grace to effect. That is
why we find the apostle here making supplication for these sorely
tried saints that the Lord the Spirit would "direct their hearts into
the patient waiting for Christ." Our feet have to be guided into the
way of peace (Luke 1:79), for it is a track completely hidden from the
natural man, even from the wisest of this world: "The way of peace
have they not known" (Rom. 3:17). Equally so, none but God can rectify
our evil proclivity to impatience. The plainest and most earnest
sermons preached cannot, of themselves, effect it. What we have
written will not do so unless God is pleased to apply and bless the
same to the reader, by convincing him of his sinful failures, moving
him to confess them and cry to Him for His quickening power, "that he
may incline our hearts unto him" (1 Kings 8:58) and that He will
graciously stay our minds upon Himself (Isa. 26:3).
While our sense of weakness and inability should ever drive us to our
knees for divine enablement, prayer is not to be substituted for
diligence in other directions. It is our responsibility to avoid
everything which hinders the exercise of patience, and to make due use
of those means which promote it. It should also be remembered that in
the answering of such prayers, God will not cease dealing with us as
moral agents. God indeed "draws" us, but it is "with the cords of a
man, with the bands of love" (Hosea 11:4), working upon us as rational
beings. As the phrase "guide our feet into the way of peace" is
preceded by "to give light to them that sit in darkness" (Luke 1:79),
so Christ explained the expression "draw him" by adding "they shall
all be taught of God" (John 6:44-45). We are not forced but directed.
God's "drawing" is by teaching, without doing violence to the liberty
of man. He convinces the judgment that it is fit and proper that we
submit to and wait for Him; the will accepts the verdict of the
understanding; then the affections are brought under the authority of
the Word.
God Alone Can Direct Our Hearts
"The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patient
waiting for Christ." There is both a general and a particular
"directing." In His Word God has declared His mind to us through His
statutes: "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the
LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk
humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8). Yet, so intractable are we by
nature that something more is necessary before any of us renders to
God His due, namely, the inward operations of the Holy Spirit who
teaches us how to apply the rule to the details of our lives and in
the orderly exercises of our graces. God can direct our hearts,
incline our minds, move our wills, without any violence done to our
free agency. He will do so in answer to fervent prayer, yes, He has
already begun to do so if our prayers are sincere. These prayers are
really the breathings of holy desires which He has worked in us by the
efficacy of His grace, by making attractive and desirable the duties
to which He calls us.
There is a very close connection, in fact, an inseparable one, between
the two things Paul here prayed for. Not only is patience an effect of
love, but our patient waiting for God will be in proportion to our
love for Him. Love to God produces patience; rather, faith working by
love does so. "The trying of your faith worketh patience" (James 1:3),
yet whenever spiritual faith operates, it "worketh by love" (Gal.
5:6). Love to God makes the soul cleave to Him and bear up under all
the dispensations of His providence. "Blessed is the man that endureth
[patiently bears] temptations [or trials]: for when he is tried, he
shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them
that love him" (Jam. 1:12). That identifying mark is mentioned because
it is love which enables one to meekly submit to the most painful
trials. "What mean ye to weep and break mine heart? for I am ready not
to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the
Lord Jesus" (Acts 21:13). It was love to Christ which fired Paul, as
it was love to Him which caused Bunyan and a host of others to endure
lengthy imprisonment not simply with unrepining patience but with
triumphant joy. Love makes the will of God and the glorifying of Him
in Christ dearer to us than all other aims.
How essential it is then that we should use our utmost endeavors for
the quickening, strengthening, and increasing of our love to God; for
if that cardinal task is neglected, it is certain that our patience
will weaken and flag, whether in a steady continuance in performing
God's preceptive will, meekly bowing to His providential will, or
quietly waiting the fulfillment of His promises and His answers to our
prayers.
Waiting For Christ
Not only does the love of God promote patience toward Him in a general
way, but also specifically in connection with "waiting for Christ."
Those that love God will point all their thoughts and desires to one
aim: that God may be enjoyed and glorified. It is the yearning of the
new nature to delight itself in God to the fullest measure and manner
of its capacity, and therefore the language of the saint is, "As the
hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O
God" (Ps. 42:1). Yet how little is that longing realized in this life!
How distant and how broken is our communion with Him! So much in our
daily duties prevents the direct occupation of the mind with His
perfections! But it will not always be so. A full, immediate,
uninterrupted, and eternal enjoyment of God in Christ is promised His
people. But that will only be at Christ's coming. "We know that, when
he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is"
(1 John 3:2). We shall be like Him both in holiness and in happiness.
Then He will say to each of His faithful servants, "Enter thou into
the joy of thy lord" (Matthew 25:21), and then shall we be "for ever
with the Lord."
Honor of the Lord's Name
They that truly love God not only long for an enjoyment of Him but
sincerely desire that He may be glorified. The honor of God's name is
valued high above that of their own. The publication of His gospel,
the coming of His kingdom, the vindication of His truth, are what
their hearts are most set upon. It is also the yearning of the new
nature within which makes them strive to please Him. If the deepest
aspiration of their hearts could be realized, never again would they
do or say anything which might bring the slightest reproach upon God's
cause; they would rather "shew forth his praise" continually. Alas,
how often this aspiration is thwarted by the activities of indwelling
sin. How often they find that the good they would do is not performed,
and that the evil they hate breaks forth (Rom. 7:19). And how often
they are made to mourn over the corruption of the gospel and the
dishonor done to God's truth! But it will not always be thus. At the
coming of Christ their longings will be realized. The divine promises
and threatenings will be accomplished. "He shall come to be glorified
in his saints" (1 Thess. 1:10), and all His enemies will then be His
footstool.
Where there is true love for God there will necessarily be the same
for Christ, His incarnate Son, the anointed One. "Christ" ever refers
to Him in His official character as Prophet, Priest, and Potentate. As
God loves His people in Christ (Eph. 1:3-5) and for His sake (Rom.
8:39), so we love God in Christ. God can neither be known, approached,
nor loved apart from the Mediator, the Son of His love. God is fully
declared in and by Christ (John 1:18; 2 Corinthians 4:6). They who
imagine they love God, yet at the same time regard Christ as being
merely a creature and do not rest their eternal hope on the
sufficiency of His propitiatory sacrifice, are fatally deceived.
Christ accounted for the hostility of the Jews toward Himself by
saying, "Ye have not the love of God in you" (John 5:40, 42). And when
they boasted that God was their Father, He told them, "If God were
your Father, ye would love me" (John 8:41-42). Those who do not love
the Lord Jesus Christ with all their hearts and do not render divine
honors to Him are unregenerate and yet in their sins: "He that
honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father" (John 5:23).
Christ the Mediator is the grand Object of His people's affections.
"Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity"
(Eph. 6:24). He is by way of eminence, He whom they love. "Whom having
not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing,
ye rejoice [that is, `shall rejoice'] with joy unspeakable and full of
glory" (1 Pet. 1:8). This is an essential element in the Christian
character. When a soul is quickened by the Holy Spirit and brought to
understand and believe the gospel, he perceives that in the Lord Jesus
there is everything that is desirable, that in Him all excellencies
center in their absolute perfection, and that the benefits that He has
obtained for him are inestimable in value, countless in number,
everlasting in duration. Contemplating His glory "(... the glory as of
the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth," the loving
believer exclaims that he is "the chiefest among ten thousand" and "he
is altogether lovely" (Song 5:10, 16). Reflecting on what He has done
and suffered, what He has given and promised, he declares, "I love Him
because He first loved me."
Intimate Communion with Christ
It is the very essence of love to seek union with its object, to be
present with and have intimate fellowship with it. So it is with the
Christian in reference to the Object of his affections. Yet such
longings can be but very imperfectly gratified in this life, for
though faith in exercise makes Him real and precious to the soul, the
believer sees Him through a glass darkly. The regenerated one looks
forward to the time when he shall "see the King in his beauty," see
Him "face to face." He knows that his joy will be immeasurably
increased when he shall be bodily "present with the Lord," when he
shall hear His voice with his outward ear: "Sweet is thy voice, and
thy countenance is comely" (Song 2:15). Not only are believers now
absent from their Beloved but they are most imperfectly acquainted
with Him. They know Him and are following on to know Him, counting all
things but loss "for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus
their Lord." Yet, despite their best efforts in the use of means, they
know only "in part" in reference to Him whom they love. It will be
otherwise by and by.
Final State of the Christian
The final state of the Christian will be very different from his
present one. Here he encounters trials, numerous and painful; there he
shall enjoy the glorious and blessed effects of them (2 Cor. 4:17).
Now, complete salvation--deliverance from the very presence of sin
both internally and externally; full conformity to the image of God's
Son--is but the subject of hope; then it will be wholly realized. At
present Christ is apprehended through the Word by faith, imperfectly
and fitfully; throughout the endless ages of eternity Christ will be
bodily present with His redeemed, and their knowledge of Him will be
direct and immediate. Then the desire of His heart shall be
accomplished: "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me,
be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast
given me" (John 17:24). This is a "season of heaviness"; that shall be
one of unclouded bliss: "In thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy
right hand there are pleasures for evermore" (Ps. 16:11). Here we
follow after, that we may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has
apprehended us; then each shall exclaim, "As for me, I will behold thy
face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy
likeness" (Ps. 17:15).
Now this completion of the believer's salvation and the consummation
of his longings will be at the coming of Christ, which will be a
personal and visible appearing of Himself: "This same Jesus, which is
taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have
seen him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11). "For the Lord himself shall
descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then
we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in
the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thess. 4:16-17). "The Son
of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then
he shall reward every man according to his works" (Matthew 16:27).
"When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear
with him in glory" (Col. 3:4). In His glorified body Christ shall
forever dwell in the midst of His people. His coming is also
designated "the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:13) to His
people, which implies a fuller manifestation of His excellencies to
them, when a clearer discovery will be made of His personal glory and
mediatorial honors, and when they shall know Him far better and more
extensively than they do now.
God's Precious Promises
As faith lays hold of those precious promises and as love fires the
heart, the believer yearns for the fulfillment of them. Both stimulate
hope and give strength to patient waiting. Love craves Himself, and
hope is fixed upon the realization. That expectation of hope and
patient waiting is expressed in Scripture in three ways. Sometimes by
looking: "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of
the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). "Unto them
that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto
salvation" (Heb. 9:28) --not as our Sinbearer, but as our Sinremover.
Sometimes by longing and loving: "For in this [earthly house] we
groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is
from heaven" (2 Cor. 5:2); "Them also that love his appearing" (2 Tim.
4:8). Sometimes by waiting: "Waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ (1 Cor. 1:7); "Ye turned to God from idols to serve the living
and true God; and to wait for his Son from heaven" (1 Thess. 1:9-10);
"We through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith"
(Gal. 5:5). The waiting is in expectation of that which is confidently
hoped for, and the longing is strengthened by the deferring of
immediate realization: "For yet a little while, and he that shall come
will come, and will not tarry" (Heb. 10:37) beyond the ordained hour.
Nineteen centuries have passed since the Redeemer left this scene and
took His place on the right hand of the Majesty on high, and scoffers
still say, "Where is the promise of His coming?" Daily there arises
from the heart and lips of God's people the prayer "Thy kingdom come,"
and as yet it remains unanswered. Many have been wrongly taught to
base their expectations of the nearness of Christ's return upon the
conditions prevailing in this world, which are adduced as the
fulfillment of prophecy, to the repeated disappointment of such an
expectation. God's people are to walk by faith and not by sight.
"Signs" are "not to them that believe, but to them that believe not"
(1 Cor. 14:22)! Our Lord plainly declared, "An evil and adulterous
generation seeketh after a sign" (Matthew 12:39; 16:4). Faith looks
upon Christ as if He had begun His journey and were now on the way,
and makes the believer stand ready to meet and welcome Him. His coming
is promised, and the time is certainly determined in God's decree.
This is enough for faith.
"He That Shall Come Will Come"
Why has the Bridegroom "tarried" (Matthew 25:5)? Because the ordained
hour of His return has not yet arrived. "The Lord is not slack
concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is
longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any [of them] should
perish, but that all [of His `beloved,' v. 9] should come to
repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9). The full number of His elect must be
gathered in before Christ shall see of the travail of His soul and be
satisfied. Christ is now building the spiritual temple of the Lord
(Zech. 6:13; Ephesians 2:21-22), adding stone upon stone (1 Pet. 2:5),
and not until it is complete will He come and "bring forth the
headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it" (Zech.
4:7). Meanwhile the word to His people is "Be patient therefore,
brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth
for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it,
until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient;
stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh" (James
5:7-8): not "has drawn nigh," as men say, but "draweth nigh." His
coming is ever getting nearer.
The similitude of the husbandman patiently waiting for the fruits of
his labors is a very apt and suggestive one. He sows his grain in
faith, believing that in due course his toil will be rewarded. He
waits in hope, expecting the harvest at the appointed season. The
fruit does not immediately appear: he waits for weeks and sees
nothing, and long months pass before his crop can be garnered. But he
will have a harvest, for God has promised it (Gen. 8:22), and then his
hope will be realized. So it is with the Christian: "Light is sown for
the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart" (Ps. 97:11).
When Christ appears to reward His people, the joy of harvest will be
theirs. How long did the Old Testament saints have to wait for the
first advent of Christ? By faith Abraham saw it "and was glad" (John
8:56). Even if there should be twenty thousand years before Christ's
second advent, what is that span of time in comparison with the
endless ages of eternity? If our hearts are truly set upon His
appearing, love will reduce the distance between our hope and its
realization and enable us to "wait patiently" for Him.
The Greek may be rendered either "the patient waiting for Christ" or
"the patience of Christ." Taking it as "the patience of Christ," the
genitive case is virtually a descriptive adjective (as in "patience of
hope": 1 Thessalonians 1:3), and thus signifies Christlike patience.
In its full meaning, it is that patience which Christ requires and
inculcated, which He personally exemplified and is still exercising,
and of which He is the Author and Perfecter. During His earthly
ministry Christ urged upon His disciples a working patience: "Son, go
work to day in my vineyard" (Matthew 21:28). "No man, having put his
hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God"
(Luke 9:62). He exhorted them unto a suffering or enduring patience:
"In your patience possess ye your souls" (Luke 21:19); "He that
endureth to the end shall be saved" (Matthew 10:22). He called them to
a waiting patience: "Let your loins be girded about, and your lights
burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord"
(Luke 12:35-36); "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord
doth come" (Matthew 24:42).
Patience Exemplified in Christ
Consider Christ's patience in well doing. At the age of twelve He
said, "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" (Luke
2:49). Throughout His public ministry, though constantly opposed, He
continually went about doing good. At nighttime He did not refuse to
see Nicodemus (John 3); and though "wearied with his journey,"
nevertheless He ministered in grace to the Samaritan adulteress (John
4). "The multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so
much as eat bread. And when his friends heard of it, they went out to
lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself" (Mark 3:20-21).
Said He, "I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day:
the night cometh, when no man can work" (John 9:4). With unflagging
diligence and unwearied patience He continued, until at the close He
could say, "I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do"
(John 17:4).
Consider Christ's patience under suffering: in enduring such
contradiction of sinners against Himself. "Who, when he was reviled,
reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not" (1 Pet. 2:23).
How patiently He bore with the dullness of His apostles! How many a
master would have grown weary with such pupils, but in infinite love
He continued still to teach them though they were so slow to learn.
How tenderly and longsufferingly He dealt with their unbelief! When
they petulantly asked, "Carest thou not that we perish?" He said, "Why
are ye so fearful?" When they were skeptical of His feeding the
multitude, He did not upbraid them. How meekly He submitted to the
dispensations of God: "The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I
not drink it?" (John 18:11). Though He was complete in all graces and
perfect in all active obedience, the glory of His perfections is
clearly displayed in His patience under suffering. The Captain of our
salvation was "made perfect through suffering" (Heb. 2:10). That
unmurmuring endurance of afflictions enhanced and exalted His
obedience: "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the
things which he suffered" (Heb. 5:8).
Consider Christ's waiting patience. When His brethren according to the
flesh told Him to go into Judea that His disciples might there witness
His miracles, saying, "For there is no man that doeth any thing in
secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these
things, shew thyself to the world" (John 7:4), He replied, "My time is
not yet come: but your time is alway ready." He would not then
vindicate Himself by an open display of His glory. The appointed day
when He would appear before the world in visible majesty and power was
not then. It is written, "He that believeth shall not make haste"
(Isa. 28:16), and Christ rendered perfect obedience to that precept,
as to every other. He was never in a hurry. When the sisters of
Lazarus sent word saying, "Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick"
(John 11:3), instead of rushing at once to Bethany, "he abode two days
still in the same place where he was." It was not through any lack of
compassion for those tried sisters, but because the right moment for
Him to act and show Himself strong in their behalf had not arrived. He
sought "the glory of God" (John 11:4) and therefore waited God's time.
With perfect composure and confident expectation He looked for a happy
issue from His sufferings: "My flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou
wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy
One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life" (Ps.
16:9-11). What is perhaps yet more remarkable, the Lord Jesus is even
now exercising waiting patience. That little-understood expression
"the kingdom and patience of [the ascended] Jesus Christ" (Rev. 1:9)
is explained by "after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever,
sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till his
enemies be made his footstool" (Heb. 10:12-13). The suffering Savior
has been invested with unlimited dominion, and nothing now remains but
the accomplishment of those results which His sacrifice was designed
to procure, namely, the saving of His elect and the subjugation of all
revolters against God. Christ is now calmly waiting the fulfillment of
His Father's promise, that day which God has "appointed" (Acts 17:31).
Here too He sets us an example.
"The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the
patient waiting for Christ," such patience as He Himself inculcated
and exemplified and which He alone can bestow upon and perfect in us.
Gleanings from Paul Index
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings from Paul
by A. W. Pink
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32. Prayer of Worship
1 Timothy 1:17; 6:15-16
It May Seem Somewhat Strange that in the Pastoral Epistles (which
should receive special attention from all ministers of the gospel)
there is no record of a single prayer which their author offered for
any of the recipients, though they were his own "sons" in the faith.
He did indeed inform Timothy that "without ceasing" he had
"remembrance of him in his prayers night and day" (2 Tim. 1:3), but no
mention is made of any particular requests that he offered to God on
his behalf. Probably several practical lessons may be learned from
that silence. But may we not see in this omission a lovely delicacy of
spirit? Had the apostle specified that he was begging God to
strengthen this or that grace or to equip him for the discharge of
certain duties, it probably would have conveyed the impression that
Timothy was defective in the one or remiss in the other. Hence the
absence of what might be regarded as casting reflection upon his
spirituality. But while no petitionary prayers on his behalf are
recorded, two most blessed doxologies are contained in the first
epistle, thereby inculcating an essential ministerial duty, and
setting before this young servant of Christ an admirable example which
he did well to emulate.
"Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be
honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen" (1 Tim. 1:17). "Which in his
times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King
of kings, and Lord of lords; who only hath immortality, dwelling in
the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor
can see: to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen" (1 Tim.
6:15-16). We do not propose to treat these two prayers singly, but
rather couple them together, for they both partake of the same
character, are found in the same epistle, and obviously have much in
common. In our contemplation of them we shall point out first their
distinctive nature; second, the Object to which they are addressed;
third, their substance. They are of a most elevated character;
therefore one must be in a truly spiritual attitude in order to
appreciate their sublime contents and make personal use of them.
General Classification of the Prayers of Scripture
Earlier we pointed out that for the purpose of general classification
the prayers of Scripture may be described as those of humiliation,
those of supplication, and those of adoration. The first are
expressions of repentance, and consist of confessions of sin. The
second are expressions of faith, wherein we request God to supply the
needs of ourselves and others. The third are expressions of veneration
and love, wherein we are occupied with the perfections of God Himself,
and pour out our hearts in worship before Him. The last are
doxologies, which consist in magnifying the divine Being, celebrating
His excellence. Both of the passages quoted above are of this nature.
In them God is adored for what He is in Himself. We often request the
Lord, "Teach us to pray," when we ought to entreat Him to cause us to
make better use of what He has already taught us. He has graciously
furnished us with all necessary instruction, both in His own recorded
prayers and in those of His apostles. In them He has plainly revealed
that our hearts should be engaged with God Himself, contemplating His
wonderful attributes and seeking His glory; we should not be thinking
solely of ourselves and the supply of our wants.
In that prayer which Christ has given His disciples He has supplied a
perfect model. In it He has taught us not only that it is our
privilege to ask for those things which are needful for ourselves and
fellow believers, but also to ascribe to God those excellences which
pertain to Himself. The due consideration that He is "our Father which
art in heaven" and the expression of the fervent desire, "Hallowed be
thy name" take precedence over presentation of our own personal
requests. "Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory" is to be
heartily acknowledged, and a sense of the same should remain upon our
souls at the conclusion of our petitions. To praise and adore God for
what He is in Himself is an essential part of our duty. We are
required to respond to the call "Stand up and bless the LORD your God
for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted
above all blessing and praise" (Neh. 9:5). That is the chief end of
worship: not to benefit ourselves but to honor God. Many of our
petitions begin and end with self, and therefore in no way honor God.
"Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me" (Ps. 50:23) is His own
declaration. Praise is to be offered to God not because He needs it
but because He is entitled to it, and because it is a testimony to our
reverence, faith, and love for Him.
Occupied with the Glory of God
The hearts of the apostles being fully enthralled with the glory of
God, their mouths and pens frequently gave expression to it. Often
Paul broke forth in the midst of an argument or discussion to bless
God. Thus in Romans 1, when charging the heathen for having changed
the glory of the incorruptible God into that of the creature, he, with
holy horror at such a dishonor done to the great God, interjected,
"Who is blessed for ever. Amen" (Rom. 1:25). Also in Romans 9, on
mentioning the name of Christ, the apostle added, "Who is over all,
God blessed for ever. Amen" (Rom. 9:5). Concluding his discussion of
election and reprobation in Romans 11, he was filled with awe and
adoration at the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge
of God and at the absolute independence and inscrutability of His
sovereignty, and ended with "to whom be glory for ever. Amen" (Rom.
11:36). So too he concluded that epistle: "To God only wise, be glory
through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen." At the beginning of the Galatian
epistle, having mentioned the Father, he at once added, "To whom be
glory for ever and ever" (Gal. 1:5). The Ephesian epistle he began
thus: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," and
ended the third chapter with a fuller doxology. In the Philippian
epistle he stated, "Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and
ever. Amen" (Phil. 4:20).
In a narration of his conversion, Paul broke out in the first of the
two doxologies which we are here considering; later, while mentioning
"the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ," he burst forth in the latter
doxology. At the close of the letter to the Hebrews, after mentioning
Christ the author added, "To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen"
(Heb. 13:21). In like manner, Peter's heart was so full that he began
his first epistle with "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us
again unto a lively hope." Later he uttered praise "that God in all
things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and
dominion for ever and ever. Amen" (1 Pet. 4:11). Again in chapter 5 he
adored the God of all grace thus: "To him be glory and dominion for
ever and ever. Amen" (1 Pet. 5:11). The spirit of Jude was also
elevated to such a height that he concluded, "To the only wise God our
Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever.
Amen." John, at the beginning of the Revelation, followed the
salutation from God the Father, the Spirit, and Jesus Christ with
"Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be
glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen" (Rev. 1:5-6).
What fervor of heart, elevation of spirit, homage of soul, such
utterances breathe! What an example they set before all the servants
of God to exalt and magnify Him both in their own affections and
before the saints! How they rebuke the formality of the modern pulpit
and the coldness which now prevails in the pew! How they give point to
that injunction "Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name" (Ps.
29:2), that is, for what He is in Himself, and not simply for His
benefits. It is a duty incumbent on us not only to return thanks to
God for His mercies but to magnify Him for the excellence of His
nature and the glory of His name. The ebullitions of praise quoted
above are extracted from all blessings received, being spontaneous
adorations of the divine perfections. They were attributes due to God
Himself. How little venerating of the divine Majesty is now heard! It
is sad indeed, a mark of the low level of spirituality now obtaining
in the gatherings of the Lord's people, that they do not resound with
His praises. The absence of praiseful worship indicates a grievous
lack of the sense of God's excellence and the coldness of our
affections, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, as
from its emptiness the lips are silent.
When the soul is in a healthy condition it cannot help but exclaim,
"Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy
name" (Ps. 103:1). Yet how rarely do we now hear such language as
this: "Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and
ever. Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory,
and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in
the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted
as head above all" (1 Chron. 29:10-11). The praises rendered to God by
His saints are so acceptable and delightful to Him that they are
termed a "habitation" for Him (Ps. 22:3). Note that that was what
supported the Lord Jesus, though the nation treated Him as a "worm"
(Ps. 22:6). Not only is praise due to God but it is fitting for us.
Believers are "an holy priesthood" (1 Pet. 2:5), therefore they are to
bring offerings to God. The offerings they present must accord with
the nature of their priesthood; and since the one is spiritual, the
other must be. Therefore the Church is urged, "By him therefore let us
offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit
of our lips, giving thanks to his name" (Heb. 13:15).
God to Be Worshiped Collectively and Individually
God should be worshiped by us not only collectively in the assembly
but by the saint individually in private. "I will praise thee, O Lord
my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore"
(Ps. 86:12). A gracious soul cannot really contemplate God without
exalting Him and exclaiming, "Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the
gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises,
doing wonders?" (Ex. 15:11). If our hearts were more engaged with the
divine Being, and if our minds meditated more on His wonderful
character, we would admire Him more and sound forth His worth.
The Psalmist exulted, "I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise
shall continually be in my mouth" (Ps. 34:1). If such were the case
with us, we should be lifted above the petty trials of this life and
forget our minor aches and pains. Praising and adoring God is the
noblest part of the saint's work on earth, as it will be his chief
employ in heaven. The unregenerate are blind to the divine beauty and
incapable of perceiving His glory, much more so of rejoicing in it.
But those who behold Him with the eyes of faith as He is revealed in
the Lord Jesus Christ cannot help but overflow in expressions of
veneration and admiration of Him.
"Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be
honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen"; "Which in his times he shall
shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and
Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which
no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, or can see: to whom
be honor and power everlasting. Amen." Who is thus celebrated in these
verses? Different answers have been given. Some, in view of John 1:18,
say it is the Father; others, influenced by the context, regard it as
the Son. While it is plain from John 5:23 that the incarnate Son is
entitled to equal honor and homage as the Father, and while Revelation
5:12-13 compared with Revelation 4:11 makes it clear that in heaven He
actually received the same, yet some of the expressions made use of in
these doxologies scarcely appear applicable to the God-man Mediator.
He is neither invisible nor unapproachable. Moreover, our Lord Jesus
Christ Himself, in His times, shall show or demonstrate "who is the
blessed and only Potentate." On the other hand, we would not
personally restrict these ascriptions of worship to the Father; rather
we regard them as having the Godhead in view.
It seems to the writer that these doxologies contemplate the triune
Jehovah, the Godhead without distinction of Persons, yet not viewed
abstractly but rather as revealed in and through the Mediator, the
Lord Jesus. Admittedly that conducts us into deep waters where it
behooves us to move with the utmost circumspection, and express
ourselves in holy fear and trembling. The finite mind is utterly
incapable of forming any concept of the essence of God in its absolute
nature, infinity, and blessedness. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit
exist, and coexist, in a manner quite incomprehensible to us. The
unity of the divine essence and the trinity of Persons in the Godhead
is inconceivable. We must go to the Scriptures for any proper
conception of this. There we have the doctrine stated, but no
explanation is furnished. The triune God is the great I AM: "Which is,
and which was, and which is to come" (Rev. 1:4). Abstracted from all
beings and things, He is of Himself and from Himself alone,
self-existent, self-sufficient. But the doctrine of the Trinity is a
revelation which God has given us concerning His nature, persons, and
perfections in Christ. The eternal Three can only be known to us in
Their covenant transactions and as They stand related to us in the
Lord Jesus. We have nothing whatever to do with an absolute God, but
with God as made known by that One in whom dwells "all the fullness of
the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9).
Christ the Image of the Godhead
Christ is "the image of the invisible God" (Col. 1:15), not simply of
the Father but of the Godhead. The Lord Jesus is "God [the triune God]
manifest in flesh." In Him the blessed Trinity is declared, made known
to Their uttermost discovery. He is the Partner of the Lord of hosts.
He is "the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his
person" (Heb. 1:3). Christ is the Medium and Mirror in which we behold
Him, worshiping God in the acknowledgment of His Persons. Not that the
three Persons are swallowed up in Christ, but that Their persons and
perfections are revealed in and through Him. All thoughts of the
Godhead apart from Christ and without the consideration of Him as
God-man lead only to the contemplation of absolute Deity, and leave us
without any view of the ineffable subject as it is declared in the
gospel. Only as we view the eternal Three as they stand related to us
in Christ can we form any right concepts of Them. The divine Persons
have manifested Themselves in the distinctive acts of Their wills
toward us, in Their purpose respecting us, in the salvation planned
for us before time, and its accomplishment in Christ. The Father's
everlasting love to us in Christ (Eph. 1:3-4), and the Spirit's office
and work in us, are from Christ: making Him precious to us, conforming
us to Him, maintaining our communion with Him. When Christ was openly
declared at His baptism, the whole Trinity was manifest.
Turning now more directly to the substance or contents of these
doxologies, we are taught how we are to conceive of the Glorious One,
and why worship is due Him. A close comparison of the two prayers
reveals that the same essential perfections of Deity are extolled in
both of them, though various terms are employed, the one serving to
amplify and cast light upon the other. Thus, we conceive that "the
King eternal" of 1 Timothy 1:17 signifies the same as the fuller
expression "the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and
Lord of lords" of 1 Timothy 6:15. The "invisible" of 1 Timothy 1:17 is
explained as "dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto;
whom no man hath seen, nor can see." "The only wise God" in the former
has no balancing clause in the latter. The one closes with "be honor
and glory for ever and ever. Amen," the other with "be honor and power
everlasting. Amen." Let us now try to contemplate these several
perfections of the Godhead, begging Him for quickened minds and
enlarged hearts.
"Now unto the King eternal"; "the blessed and only Potentate, the King
of kings, and Lord of lords." The very expression "the King eternal"
at once intimates that the essential perfections of Deity are here
being exalted. In considering this expression our thoughts are lifted
far above all dispensational relations or temporal considerations.
Jesus Christ is indeed "the King of kings, and Lord of lords" (Rev.
19:16), but considered as God-man He has not been so eternally, for
His humanity had no existence before time began; nor was He vested
with such dominion during the days of His flesh. It was after His
resurrection, as the reward of His unparalleled humiliation and
suffering, and in testimony of His meritorious and finished work, that
God so highly honored the Son of man, and that He Himself declared,
"All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matthew 28:18).
What has just been pointed out in no way conflicts with the fact that
because Christ was the Son of God incarnate, worship was due Him from
the moment of His birth, so that during the days of His public
ministry He was entitled to obedience and subjection; yet it was
subsequent to the completion of His earthly mission that God crowned
Him with glory and honor. Hence it is Deity as such which is here
owned and magnified as "the King eternal."
"The Blessed and Only Potentate"
"The blessed and only Potentate." The reference is to the Godhead
itself, without distinction of Persons. God Himself, the triune God,
is the source of all blessedness and joy. God is self-sufficient,
infinitely blessed and happy in Himself, and nothing can impair or
disturb His serenity and sublimity. "The blessed and only Potentate."
God's blessedness and dominion are necessarily joined, for the glory
of God especially appears in His unrivaled sovereignty and supremacy
whereby He rules over all. It is His distinct honor that He has no
equal, "for who in heaven can be compared unto the LORD?" (Ps. 89:6).
He is "the only Potentate," for all subordinate, derivative authority
is from Him: "By me kings reign, and princes decree justice" (Prov.
8:15); "There is no [magisterial] power but of God: the powers that be
are ordained of God" (Rom. 13:1). When Pilate said to the Savior,
"Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to
release thee?" He answered, "Thou couldest have no power at all
against me, except it were given thee from above" (John 19:10-11).
"His kingdom ruleth over all" (Ps. 103:19); "None can stay his hand"
(Dan. 4:35).
"The King eternal." He is "the high and lofty One that inhabiteth
eternity" (Isa. 57:15). He is "high" in the excellence and
transcendence of His being, "lofty" in His independence and dominion,
inhabiting eternity when none of His creatures had a being, dwelling
all alone in His self-sufficiency. It brings real and solid peace to a
grace-touched soul to realize that God is on the throne of the
universe, directing its affairs both small and great, and working all
things after the counsel of His own will. As the believer views Him
thus, he is constrained to say, "Who is like unto the LORD our God,
who dwelleth on high, who humbleth himself to behold the things that
are in heaven and in the earth!" (Ps. 113:5-6). If our hearts were
more occupied with the King eternal we should be less perturbed by
what is happening in the world. Indeed, if our renewed minds were
truly engaged with the high and lofty One our response would be "I
will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever
and ever. I will speak of the glorious honor of thy majesty" (Ps.
145:1, 5).
"The blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords"
(1 Tim. 6:15). The apostle here gives glory to the triune God, first
for that blessedness which is in Himself. To be "blessed" is to be
richly endowed and joyous. Such is God to an infinite and
inconceivable degree, for there is in Him such a meeting together and
such a fullness of all His excellences as to render Him complete in
Himself. God has no need to go outside Himself for perfect
fulfillment. As the apostle declared to the Athenians, the great God
who made and rules the world is not dependent on men for the worship
of their hands "as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all
life, and breath, and all things" (Acts 17:25). God is obligated to
none, being absolutely independent. Praise then is rendered to God as
the "only Potentate," as sovereign over all. He has not only
all-sufficiency and happiness within Himself but absolute power and
dominion over all creatures and things. Put the two together--infinite
fullness and infinite might--in Himself, and God is indeed "blessed,"
and is to be owned as such, yes, feared, admired, and adored as "the
blessed One." "Blessed be the most high God" (Gen. 14:20). No less an
honor is ascribed to Christ: "Who is over all, God blessed for ever"
(Rom. 9:5).
The Immortality of God
"Who only hath immortality" (1 Tim. 6:16). This is in apposition to,
or is the complementary perfection of, "the King eternal." God is not
only without beginning of days but without end of them also. "Who only
hath deathlessness" would be a literal rendering of the Greek word.
The reason why God is immortal is because He is impeccable, or not
liable to sin. A different term used in 1 Timothy 1:17 for "immortal"
signifies "incorruptible." God cannot be tempted with evil (James
1:13). Why? Because He is its very opposite, the ineffably Holy One.
Death is the wages of sin, and since God is impeccable and
incorruptible, He is immortal, or deathless. Moreover, He is the
living God: "With thee is the fountain of life" (Ps. 36:9). He has
"life in himself" (John 5:26) by essence and not by participation. God
is not only immortal but He "only hath immortality." The holy angels
are immortal, as will also be the resurrected bodies of the redeemed,
but that immortality is derived, bestowed by God. But God, and He
alone, "hath immortality" essentially, underived, in full possession,
in Himself and from Himself. He alone has immortality simply and
absolutely, being the fountain of it. As such He is to be acknowledged
and adored.
"Invisible" (1 Tim. 1:17). Observe carefully this is also mentioned as
another of the divine perfections. There is a fullness in the words of
Scripture which is not present in man's words. Frequently there is
more contained in and implied by the words of Scripture than is
actually expressed. Such is the case here. God is not only invisible
to sight but He is impalpable to the senses and incomprehensible to
reason. He is, in Himself, inscrutable to all creature intelligence.
Notwithstanding the revelation of Himself which God has been pleased
to make by His Word and by His works, we still have to say, "Lo, these
are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but
the thunder of his power who can understand?" (Job 26:14). Matthew
Henry said, "What we know of God is nothing in comparison with what is
in God, and what God is. After all the discoveries which God hath made
to us and all the inquiries we have made after God, still we are much
in the dark concerning Him." We cannot conceive of His essential
glory. Only as we entertain a due appreciation of the greatness of God
and the immeasurable distance between Him and us shall we be filled
with holy fear and awe for Him.
"Dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto." How is that to
be harmonized with "Clouds and darkness are round about him" (Ps.
97:2)? First, the Psalmist had reference to the ways of God which are
hidden from us. We are incapable of perceiving how He acts, much less
of understanding why. His providences are a great deep; His counsels
are inscrutable to the human mind. Second, that language was designed
to reprove our curiosity and presumption. We are far too prone to pry
into what is not revealed, instead of performing our known duty.
Third, this was said to try our faith: God will be trusted and honored
even when we cannot see His hand or perceive His undertaking for us.
Fourth, after all, Psalm 97:2 approximates very closely 1 Timothy
6:16, for even the saint is utterly incapable of understanding the
divine essence or nature. There is such an overwhelming light in God
that it is inscrutable to us. As one said, "The most eagle-like eyes
of a human understanding are not only dazzled but quite blinded by His
brightness." We may indeed draw near by faith to Him who is light, but
not by reason.
Deity Dwells in Unapproachable Glory
The symbolism of the old covenant taught the same truth, namely, the
unapproachable glory in which Deity dwells. We see this in the setting
of "bounds unto the people round about" the base of Sinai (Ex. 19:12)
at the giving of the law; in the veiled darkness of the holy of holies
in the tabernacle and the temple, where the Shekinah abode between the
cherubim on the mercy seat, to which Solomon alluded at the dedication
of the temple: "The LORD said that he would dwell in the thick
darkness" (1 Kings 8:12); and in the seraphim veiling their faces as
they stood above the throne of Jehovah (Isa. 6:1-2). On the other
hand, the figure is varied in "The light dwelleth with him" (Dan.
2:22) and "In thy light shall we see light" (Ps. 36:9). Putting the
two together, "dwelling in light unapproachable" signifies that the
divine glory is too ineffable for any creature to draw near to or
apprehend. God only is able to apprehend Himself. Our most spiritual
and exalted notions of Him are obscure and inadequate at best. There
must forever remain an incalculable distance between the Infinite and
the finite: the God-man Mediator is alone qualified to make known the
One to the other, so far as it is for His glory and our good.
"Whom no man hath seen, nor can see." That fact is stated again and
again in the Scriptures. Even the highly favored Moses, who was
granted such intimate and prolonged communion with God, when he
requested, "Shew me thy glory" received the answer "I will make all my
goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD
before thee . . . Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man
see me, and live" (Ex. 33:18-20). And almost at the end of the New
Testament we are told, "No man hath seen God at any time" (1 John
4:12). God is invisible, though the whole universe is full of Him and
exhibits Him. "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament
sheweth his handywork" (Ps. 19:1). Yet that is not to "see God" but
only what He has wrought. It is evident that He is, for He clothes
Himself with light as with a garment (Ps. 104:2). It is not evident
what He is, for "he maketh darkness his secret place" (Ps. 18:11). The
fullness of His glory can never be known by any creature: "His
greatness is unsearchable" (Ps. 145:3). Even a beatific vision of
heaven will not consist of a sight of God as God, but rather as He
shines forth in a manifestative and communicative way in the person of
Christ, as suited to finite capacities.
God Only Wise
"To the only wise God." As those words were previously discussed, they
need not detain us now. They extol another of the perfections of
Deity, namely, His omniscience. Yet when we utter such a term, how
feebly we grasp its immeasurable purport. "His understanding is
infinite" (Ps. 147:5). "There is no searching of his understanding"
(Isa. 40:28). Someone has said, "The profoundest creature wisdom
deserves not the name of it when compared with God's. The wisdom of
the angels is but folly to Him." All creature wisdom is imparted by
God: His wisdom is original, essential, incapable of addition or
diminution. God "by wisdom made the heavens" (Ps. 136:5). "In wisdom
hast thou made them all" (Ps. 104:24). But above all God is to be
praised for that "hidden wisdom" which He ordained before the world
for our glory. A contemplation of this fact moved the apostle to
exclaim, "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge
of God!" (Rom. 11:33). To the "only Potentate, . . . who only hath
immortality, to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen."
Gleanings from Paul Index
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings from Paul
by A. W. Pink
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33. Paul's Prayer for Philemon
Philemon 4-6
Though The Epistle Of Philemon is one of the shortest books in the New
Testament, it is one of the least read by God's people and is
certainly one of the least preached from. We have therefore decided to
devote a few paragraphs to it, though more in the way of general
remarks than a detailed exposition of the prayer itself, for it is
full of important instruction and valuable lessons. The epistle of
Philemon is the only strictly private letter of Paul's which has
survived the passage of time. Doubtless he wrote many more, but this
one alone God saw fit to preserve in the canon of Scripture. All his
others were either addressed to local churches or were pastoral
letters of authoritative direction. This one, though written under the
immediate guidance of the Holy Spirit, presents its writer to us from
quite a different angle. Here we view the "prisoner of Jesus Christ"
throwing off as far as possible his apostolic dignity and parental
authority over his converts, speaking simply from the heart as one
Christian to another, in an admirable strain of humility and courtesy.
It is therefore of peculiar interest and value inasmuch as it falls
outside of what may be termed Paul's official sphere of ministry,
affording us an insight into his personal and private life.
In this epistle Paul throws off the restraint of authority and employs
the language of familiar intercourse, addressing Philemon as "brother"
(Philem. 7), which breathes the spirit of freedom and equality. We see
how, under the apostolic mission, as well as under divine inspiration,
there was room for the free play of personal character and intimate
correspondence. We come to know Paul better as an apostle as we see
him not as Paul the apostle, but as Paul the minister and the man. We
learn the valuable lesson as to the place which true courtesy and
delicacy occupy in Christian character. We see the worth of the
greatest plainness of speech at the right time. We understand how true
courtesy is distinct from artificial and technical culture of manners,
and is the natural outcome of that "lowliness of mind" in which "each
esteems other better than himself." We are moved by the sympathetic
love which does not look only on its own things but even in greater
degree on the things of others. A careful comparison of this letter
with Paul's other letters will discover a marked difference of tone
throughout it.
Regarding Philemon
Philemon appears to have been a Christian of some eminence, residing
at Colossae (Col. 4:9), who had been saved under Paul's ministry
(Philem. 19). Onesimus was one of his slaves who had robbed his
master, forsaken his service, and fled five hundred miles to Rome.
This was providentially overruled for his eternal good, for the hand
of God directed him to hear Paul's preaching (Acts 28:30-31) which was
blessed of the Spirit to his conversion (Philem. 10). Though Onesimus
had greatly endeared himself to the one who was (instrumentally) his
spiritual father, and had been useful to Paul in his imprisonment,
Paul realized it was only right to send him back to his master.
Accordingly he wrote this touching letter to Philemon, begging that
his erstwhile refractory slave might be given a favorable reception.
His design was to effect a reconciliation between Philemon and his
fugitive servant, now a brother in Christ. The apostle had full
confidence that his appeal would not be in vain. It is highly probable
that Paul's request was granted, and that Onesimus was received into
his master's favor and later given his freedom. Tradition says that he
afterward became a minister of the gospel.
In the course of his letter Paul used the most touching arguments and
affectionate inducements to move Philemon to grant his request. (1) An
implied appeal to his love for the saints in general (Philem. 5). (2)
From consideration of the one who made this request, who might have
used his apostolic authority, but chose rather to entreat him in love,
by an appeal to his own condition--aged, in prison (Philem. 8-9). (3)
From the particular relation of Onesimus to Paul--his own son in the
faith (Philem. 10). (4) From the transformation which had been
accomplished in him--he was "now profitable" (Philem. 11). (5) From
the strong affection which Paul had for Onesimus (Philem. 12). (6)
From his unwillingness to act without the approval of Philemon
(Philem. 13-14). (7) From the special relation Onesimus now sustained
to Philemon--"a brother beloved" (Philem. 15-16). (8) From the
intimate bonds which existed between Paul and Philemon (Philem. 17).
(9) From the assurance given by Paul that he would personally make
good any loss which Philemon had incurred (Philem. 18). (10) From joy
and refreshment which his granting of this plea would afford the
apostle (Philem. 20). Was a more powerful appeal ever made, or such an
earnest and winsome suing for the pardon and kindly reception of a
disloyal slave!
Teaching of This Epistle
Many important truths are exemplified in this epistle. In it we have a
striking demonstration of the sovereignty and abundant mercy of God on
a dishonest slave. Though sin abounded, divine grace did much more
abound. We are made to realize the Christian duty of peacemaking,
seeking to bring together two brethren in Christ who are alienated.
Paul's unhesitating acknowledgment of this runaway slave as "my very
heart" (Philem. 12, ASV) intimates what ties of affection should be
felt between the minister and his people, the parent and his child,
the master and his servant, in all the circumstances of life. How
delicately yet forcibly the apostle urged Philemon (and us), "Put on
therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies"
(Col. 3:12-13)! Admire and emulate the humility of Paul who did not
consider it beneath him to be concerned in performing such an office
as to reconcile a master to his servant. See here a blessed setting
forth of the spiritual equality of all who are in Christ Jesus. The
chief of the apostles freely owned this converted servant as "a
brother beloved."
Yet observe the balance of truth here. Though there was such equality
so far as their standing before God and their spiritual inheritance
were concerned, yet those facts in no way set aside inequalities in
other relations and respects. The rights which masters have over their
servants are not canceled when the latter become Christians. That new
relation into which we are taken by virtue of a living union with
Christ must not be regarded as annulling the obligations of natural
relations, nor of the arrangements and responsibilities of ordinary
society so far as they are not sinful. Though in Christ there was now
no difference between Philemon and Onesimus, that did not alter the
fact that one was still a master and the other a servant; the saving
grace which had been communicated to the soul of the latter would be
most suitably exercised in showing forth the respect and submission
which was due the former. There is a natural order established by God
on earth between husband and wife, parent and child. There is also a
governmental order which God has allowed men to institute by His
authority, and He requires His people to conduct themselves suitably
to the order He has ordained: "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of
man for the Lord's sake" (1 Pet. 2:13-15).
Typical Teaching of the Gospel
Finally, note that we have in this epistle an exquisite typical
picture of the grand truths set before us in the gospel. First, the
sinner's deep need is portrayed in the case and condition of Onesimus.
God is our Creator, Owner, and Ruler; therefore as creatures and
subjects we are under bonds to serve and obey Him. But fallen man is
"born like a wild ass's colt," thoroughly intractable, unwilling to
bear the yoke. Not only is he a rebel against the divine government
but he is, morally, a thief, misusing his time and talents, and
thereby robbing God of His glory. In consequence, he is "alienated
from God," a wanderer in the far country of self-pleasing and sin. See
how all of this is illustrated in Onesimus, who became an unprofitable
servant by revolting against his master, stealing from him, and
becoming a fugitive. Note that the "if he hath wronged thee" (Philem.
18) is not an expression of doubt but of concession, meaning "since he
hath" (compare John 14:3; Colossians 3:1). Second, the experience of
Onesimus shows that the condition of no sinner is hopeless (Luke
19:10; Hebrews 7:25). Third, the ministry of one of God's servants was
used in his conversion.
Fourth, in Paul's offering to be bondsman for Onesimus (Philem. 18) we
have a figure of the grace of Christ in voluntarily becoming the
Surety of His people, assuming the whole of their debt. "Put that on
mine account" expresses the same readiness which the Redeemer had to
be charged with the sins of His redeemed. Fifth, carefully note that
more than a bare reconciliation was to be effected between Philemon
and Onesimus: "Receive him as myself" (Philem. 17). Not only are the
guilt and pollution of the believing sinner removed from before the
sight of God, but he is "accepted in the beloved" (Eph. 1:6). Thus the
basic truth of imputation was here illustrated. Onesimus was not only
exempted from the punishment of his crimes but--through the
benevolence of his benefactor--made partaker of benefits which he had
not merited. Believers receive the reward of Christ's righteousness by
a reciprocal transference (2 Cor. 5:21). Sixth, in all of Paul's
pleading on the behalf of Onesimus we have an image of the
intercession of Christ for "his own." Seventh, the real change
effected in the character and conduct of the one saved by Christ
appears in the return of Onesimus to his master. A chief evidence of
genuine repentance is a prompt performance of those duties which had
previously been neglected.
Very few words must suffice upon Paul's prayer for Philemon. First,
its object: "my God" (Philem. 4). The first lesson in prayer Christ
taught us was that the special relationship which He sustains to His
children should be owned by them: "Our Father which art in heaven"
(Luke 11:2). "I will praise thee, O Lord my God" (Ps. 86:12). "God,
even our own God, shall bless us" (Ps. 67:6). Second, its heartiness:
"Making mention of thee always in my prayers." Paul was no casual
supplicant. Third, its occasion: "I thank my God . . . hearing of thy
love and faith." The fact that thanks were returned to God for those
graces was an acknowledgment that He is the Author of them: they do
not originate with man. They are the fruit of the Spirit, evidences of
His regenerating work. Thanksgiving should be offered to God not for
ourselves only but for our fellow Christians also. This was always
Paul's custom (Rom. 1:8; Ephesians 1:15-16; Colossians 1:3-4).
"Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus,
and toward all saints" (Philem. 5). Wherever one grace exists the
other is found. In the mystical Body of Christ, believers have
communion both with the Head and with all its members: with the One by
faith, with the other by love. Hence we find the two things so often
taught by the apostle, not only as equally essential but as equally
necessary to prove our interest or participation in that Body. Without
love for the saints we are no more members of Christ than without
faith in Him. Fourth, its petition: "That the communication of thy
faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing
which is in you in Christ Jesus" (Philem. 6). Request was here made
that Philemon might be divinely enabled to give still further proof of
his faith and love, by bringing forth more abundant fruit, in acts of
benevolence, in ministering to the needs of others. Thereby those
graces would be "effectual" in promoting the glory of Christ and the
welfare of fellow saints. read of Christianity throughout
Spain.--Editor]
Gleanings from Paul Index
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
1. Introduction
_________________________________________________________________
In commencing the study of any book in the Bible it is well to remind
ourselves that each separate book has some prominent and dominant
theme which, as such, is peculiar to itself, around which everything
is made to center, and of which all the details are but the
amplification. What that leading subject may be, we should make it our
business to prayerfully and diligently ascertain. This can best be
discovered by reading and rereading the book under review. If other
students before us have published the results of their labors, it is
our duty to carefully examine their findings in the light of God's
Word, and either verify or disprove. Yet, concerning this there are
two extremes to guard against, two dangers to avoid. The first, and
perhaps the one which ensnares the most, is the assumption that other
students have done their work so well, it is needless for us to go
over the same ground. But that is laziness and unbelief: God may be
pleased to reveal to you something which He did not to them; remember
that there are depths in His Word which no human sounding-line has
fathomed. The second danger is the craze for originality and the
egotistical belief that we shall search more diligently than they who
went before, and that therefore the results of our labors will be an
improvement over all who have preceded us. This is unwarrantable
conceit, from which may Divine grace deliver us all.
With some books of the Bible we can more readily discover the central
theme than in others. This is noticeably the case with the first few
books in the Old Testament. It is as though God had made it easier at
the beginning so as to encourage us and prepare the way for some of
the more complex books that follow--complex so far as their leading
subjects are concerned. Historically considered, the book of Genesis
is the book of beginnings; but viewed doctrinally, it is seen to be
the book which treats of election:--God choosing Shem from the three
sons of Noah to be the channel from which should issue, ultimately,
the Savior; God singling Out Abraham to be the father of the chosen
Nation; God passing by Ishmael and choosing Isaac; God passing by Esau
and choosing Jacob; God appointing Joseph from all the twelve sons of
his father to be the honored instrument for making provision against
the famine, and being raised to the second place in all Egypt;
finally, in the passing by of the elder of Joseph's sons and the
bestowal of the firstborn's portion on Ephraim (48:13-20) we behold
another illustration of the same principle. Yes, election is clearly
the characteristic doctrine of Genesis. And this is exactly what we
might expect. "God hath from the beginning chosen you unto salvation"
(2 Thess. 2:13), hence this truth is illustrated again and again in
this book which begins the Scriptures. Just as surely may we
anticipate--in the light of the New Testament--the dominant theme of
Exodus.
Historically, the book of Exodus treats of the deliverance of Israel
from Egypt; but viewed doctrinally, it deals with redemption. Just as
the first book of the Bible teaches that God elects unto salvation, so
the second instructs us how God saves, namely, by redemption.
Redemption, then, is the dominant subject of Exodus. Following this,
we are shown what we are redeemed for--worship, and this characterizes
Leviticus, where we learn of the holy requirements of God and the
gracious provisions He has made to meet these. In Numbers we have the
walk and warfare of the wilderness, where we have a typical
representation of our experiences as we pass through this scene of sin
and trial--our repeated and excuseless failures, and God's
long-sufferance and faithfulness. And so we might continue.
But to return to Exodus. This we have pointed out (as others before us
have done) treats of redemption. To the writer it appears that its
contents fall into five divisions, which we may summarize as
follows:--First, we see the need for redemption--pictured by a people
enslaved: chapters to 6. Second, we are shown the might of the
Redeemer--displayed in the plagues on Egypt: chapters 7 to 11. Third,
we behold the character of redemption--purchased by blood, emancipated
by power: chapters 12 to 18. Fourth, we are taught the duty of the
redeemed--obedience to the Lord: chapters 19 to 24. Fifth, we have
revealed the provisions made for the failures of the redeemed--seen in
the tabernacle and its services: chapters 25 to 40. In proof of what
we have just said we would refer the reader to Exodus 15:13, which we
regard as the key verse to the book, "Thou in Thy mercy hast led forth
the people which Thou hast redeemed: Thou hast guided them in Thy
strength unto Thy holy habitation." Note that here we have the need
for redemption implied--God's "mercy"; the power of the Redeemer is
referred to--His "strength"; the character of redemption is
described--"led forth the people"; the responsibilities of the
redeemed and their privileges are signified in a reference to the
tabernacle--"unto Thy holy habitation."
Another thing which is a great help in the study of Exodus is to note
its numerical position in the Sacred Canon. Exodus is the second book
of the Bible, and it will be found that the character of its contents
fully accords with this. The number two in its scriptural
significations, treats of difference or division. Proof of this is
found in its first occurrence in the Bible: the second day of Genesis
was when God divided the waters. Hence, two is the number of witness,
for if the testimony of two different men agree, the truth is
established. Two is therefore the number of opposition. One is the
number of unity, but two brings in another, who is either in accord
with the first or opposed to him. Hence, two is also the number of
contrast, consequently, whenever we find two men coupled together in
Scripture it is, with rare exceptions, for the purpose of bringing out
the difference there is between them: for example, Cain and Abel,
Jacob and Esau, Moses and Aaron, David and Solomon, etc.
Let us now see how these slightly varied meanings of the number two
are traceable in the character and contents of this second book of
Scripture. Two is the number of division. In the first chapter of
Exodus we find Pharaoh ordering a division to be made among the babies
of the Israelites: if a son was born he should be killed, if a
daughter she should be spared. In the plagues, the Lord made a
division between His people and the Egyptians: "And I will sever in
that day the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms
of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the
Lord in the midst of the earth. And I will put a division between My
people and thy people; tomorrow shall this sign be" (Ex. 8:22, 23).
So, too, He divided between their cattle: "And the Lord shall sever
between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall
nothing die of all that is the children's of Israel" (Ex. 9:4). When
Israel came to the Red Sea we are told, "And Moses stretched out his
hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the Sea to go back by a strong
east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters
were divided" (14:21). Again; it is only in Exodus (26:33) that we
read of the veil which was to "divide between the holy place and the
most holy."
Two is also the number of witness, and mark how this note is sounded
throughout the book. The sufferings and groanings of the Hebrews
witnessed to their need of deliverance. The plagues bore witness to
the power and wrath of God, and it is noteworthy that God employed two
witnesses, Moses and Aaron, in announcing these to Pharaoh. The
Passover-night witnessed to the value and sufficiency of the blood.
The wilderness experiences of Israel witnessed to the faithfulness and
tender love of God. The giving of the law witnessed to the
righteousness government of Jehovah. The tabernacle bore typical
witness to the manifold perfections of Christ.
Again; two is the number of opposition. This is something which is
prominently marked in Exodus. The antagonism of the Enemy is very
manifest throughout. First, we behold it in the determined and cruel
effort made to prevent the increase of the Hebrews. Then we see the
children of Israel oppressed by merciless task-masters. Next, when
Moses goes in and performs his miraculous signs before the king,
Pharaoh's magicians "withstood" him: and it is striking to observe
that only two of their names have been preserved in Holy Writ (2 Tim.
3:8). In connection with Israel's exodus from Egypt, Pharaoh opposed
every step of the way. Even after Israel left Egypt and crossed the
Red Sea, we see the Amalakites opposing them in the wilderness
(17:8)--note it was not the Israelites who attacked the Amalakites,
but the enemy who came to fight against the people of God.
Finally, two is the number of contrast. Even a casual reading will
reveal the marked differences between the first two books of
Scripture: let us note a few of them. In the book of Genesis we have
the history of a family, in Exodus the history of a nation. In Genesis
the descendants of Abraham are seen few in number, in Exodus they are
to he numbered by the million. In the former we see the Hebrews
welcomed and honored in Egypt, in the latter they are viewed as feared
and hated. In the former there is a Pharaoh who says to Joseph, "God
hath showed thee all this" (41:39) ; in the latter there is a Pharaoh
who says to Moses, "I know not the Lord" (5:2). In Genesis there is a
"lamb" promised (22:8) ; in Exodus the "lamb" is slain (chap. 12). In
the one we see the entry of Israel into Egypt; in the other we behold
their exodus. In the one we see the patriarchs in the land "which
flowed with milk and honey"; in the other we behold their descendants
in the wilderness. Genesis ends with Joseph in a coffin; while Exodus
closes with the glory of the Lord filling the tabernacle. A series of
more vivid contrasts could scarcely be imagined.
The central doctrine of the book of Exodus is redemption, but this is
not formally expounded, rather is it strikingly illustrated, in
earliest times, God, it would seem, did not communicate to His people
an explicit and systematic form of doctrine; instead, He instructed
them, mainly, through His providential dealings and by means of types
and symbols. Once this is clearly grasped by us it gives new interest
to the Old Testament scriptures. The opening books of the Bible
contain very much more than an inspired history of events that
happened thousands of years ago: they are filled with adumbrations and
illustrations of the great doctrines of our faith which are set forth
categorically in the New Testament epistles. Thus "whatsoever things
were written aforetime were written for our learning" (Rom. 15:4), and
we lose much if we neglect to study the historical portions of the Old
Testament with this fact before us.
The deliverance of Israel from Egypt furnishes a remarkably full and
accurate typification of our redemption by Christ. The details of this
will come before us, God willing, in our later studies. Here, we can
only call attention to the broad outlines of the picture. Israel in
Egypt illustrates the place we were in before Divine grace saved us.
Egypt symbolizes the world, according to the course of which we all
walked in time past. Pharaoh, who knew not the Lord, who defied Him,
who was the inveterate enemy of God's people, but who at the end was
overthrown by God, shadows forth the great adversary, the Devil. The
cruel bondage of the enslaved Hebrews pictures the tyrannical dominion
of sin over its captives. The groaning of the Israelites under their
burdens speaks of the painful exercises of conscience and heart when
convicted of our lost condition. The deliverer raised up by God in the
person of Moses, points to the greater Deliverer, even our Lord Jesus
Christ. The Passover-night tells of the security of the believer
beneath the sheltering blood of God's Lamb. The exodus from Egypt
announces our deliverance from the yoke of bondage and our judicial
separation from the world. The crossing of the Red Sea depicts our
union with Christ in His death and resurrection. The journey through
the wilderness--its trials and testings, with God's provision to meet
every need--represent the experiences of our pilgrim course. The
giving of the law to Israel teaches us the obedient submission which
we owe to our new Master. The tabernacle with its beautiful fittings
and furnishings, shows us the varied excellencies and glories of
Christ. Thus it will be found that almost everything in this second
book of the Bible has a spiritual message and application to us.
It is also to be remarked that there is much in the hook of Exodus
that looks forward to and anticipates the future. The historical
portions of this second book of Scripture have a dispensational as
well as doctrinal value, a prophetic as well as a moral and spiritual
signification. There is not a little in it that will minister
instruction and comfort to the people of God in a coming day, as well
as to us now. History repeats itself, and what is recorded in Exodus
will be found to foreshadow a later chapter in the vicissitudes of
Abraham's descendants. The lot of Israel in the Tribulation period
will be even worse than it was in the days of Moses. A greater tyrant
than Pharaoh will yet be "raised up" by God to chastise them. A more
determined effort than that of old will be made to cut them off from
being a nation. Groanings and cryings more intense and piteous will
yet ascend to heaven. Plagues even more fearful than those sent upon
the land of Pharaoh will yet be poured out upon the world from the
vials of God's wrath. God shall again send forth two witnesses,
empowered by Him to show forth mighty signs and wonders, but their
testimony shall be rejected as was that of Moses and Aaron of old.
Emissaries of Satan, supernaturally endowed, will perform greater
prodigies than did the magicians of Egypt. A remnant of Israel shall
again be found in the wilderness, there to be sustained by God. And at
the end shall come forth the great Deliverer, who will vanquish the
enemies of His people by a sorer judgment than that which overtook the
Egyptians at the Red Sea. Finally, there shall yet be an even greater
exodus than that from Egypt, when the Lord shall gather to Palestine
the outcasts of Israel from "the uttermost part of the earth to the
uttermost part of heaven."
In addition to the illustrations of the various parts and aspects of
the doctrine of redemption and the prophetic forecast of Israel's lot
in the day to come, there are in the book of Exodus quite a number of
precious types of the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ. In
many respects there is a remarkable correspondency between Moses and
Christ, and if the Lord permits us to complete this series of
articles, we shall, at the close, systematize these correspondencies,
and show them to be as numerous and striking as those which engaged
our attention when Joseph was before us. In addition to the personal
type of Moses we shall consider how the burning bush, the Passover
lamb, the crossing of the Red Sea, the manna, the smitten rock, the
tabernacle as a whole, and everything in it, looked at separately,
each and all tell forth in symbolic but unmistakable language the
manifold glories of Christ. A rich feast is before us; may God the
Holy Spirit sharpen our appetites so that we may feed upon them in
faith, and be so nourished thereby that we shall grow in grace and in
the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
As the title of these papers intimates, we shall not attempt a
complete verse by verse exposition of the book of Exodus, rather shall
we continue the course followed by us in our articles on Genesis. Our
endeavor will be to stimulate the people of God to a more careful and
systematic study of the Old Testament scriptures, by calling attention
to some of the hidden wonders which escape the notice of the careless
reader, but which cause the reverent student to say with one of old,
"I rejoice at Thy word as one that findeth great spoil" (Ps. 119:162).
While we shall not ignore the practical application of the message to
our own lives, and shall seek to profit from the many salutary lessons
to be found for us in Exodus, nevertheless, our chief concern will be
the study of those typical pictures which meet us at every turn. The
next article will be devoted to Exodus 1, and in the meantime we would
urge the interested reader to make a careful study of its contents.
May the God of all grace anoint our eyes, and may the Spirit of Truth
constantly guide our thoughts as we pass from chapter to chapter.
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
2. Israel In Bondage
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 1
The opening verse of Exodus carries us back to what is recorded in the
closing chapters of Genesis, where we read of Jacob and his family
settling in the land of the Pharaohs. On their entry they were
accorded a hearty welcome, for Goshen, which was "the best of the
land" of Egypt, (Gen. 47:6), was allotted to their use. But not for
long were they suffered to dwell there in peace and comfort. It would
seem that about thirty years after their entrance into Egypt a spirit
of enmity began to be manifested toward them, engendered at first,
perhaps, from the fact that they were shepherds (see Genesis 46:34);
and which terminated in their being subjected to hard bondage in the
days of the new king which "knew not Joseph." That their peace was
disturbed thirty years after their settlement in Goshen seems clear
from a comparison of Acts 7:6 and Exodus 12:40: in the former we are
told they were "evilly entreated four hundred years", in the latter we
are informed that "the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt
in Egypt" was "four hundred and thirty years."
Several questions naturally suggest themselves at this point. What was
God's reason for allowing Israel to spend so long a time in Egypt? Why
did He suffer them to be so cruelly treated? The purpose of God was
that the descendants of Abraham should occupy the land of Canaan,
which He had given to their father. But why should an interval of more
than four hundred years elapse before this purpose was realized? To
this I think a twofold answer may be returned. First, to prepare
Israel for their inheritance. The rough schooling they had in Egypt
served to develop their muscles and toughen their sinews. Also, their
bitter lot in Egypt and their trials in the wilderness were calculated
to make the land that flowed with milk and honey the more appreciated
when it became theirs. Moreover, the land of Canaan was too large for
a single family or tribe, and the lengthy sojourn in Egypt gave time
for them to develop into a nation that must have numbered fully two
millions.
The second answer is suggested by Genesis 15:16: "But in the fourth
generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the
Amorites is not yet full." God had told Abraham that his seed should
sojourn in a strange land for four hundred years, but in the fourth
generation they should return to Canaan, and then the iniquity of the
Amorites would be filled up. The time for God to deal in judgment with
the Amorites was not fully ripe in the days of Abraham: their
iniquities had not reached the bound God had appointed. Thus God
ordered it that by the time the iniquities of the Amorites were
"filled up" (cf. Matthew 23:32 and 1 Thessalonians 2:16) Israel was
ready, as a nation, to be His instrument to destroy them. "Whatever
the actings of men in wickedness and high-handed rebellion, they are
made subservient to the establishment of the Divine counsels of grace
and love . . . Even the wrath of man is yoked to the chariot wheel of
God's decrees" (Ed. Dennett).
But why did God allow the descendants of Abraham to suffer such
indignities and trials at the hands of the Egyptians? Ah, does not the
book of Genesis again supply the answer! Was the wicked treatment of
Joseph by his brethren to pass unpunished? No, that could not be.
They, like all others, must reap what they had sown; reap the bitter
harvest not only themselves but in their offspring too, for the sins
of the fathers are visited upon the children unto the third and fourth
generation. So it proved here, for it was the "fourth generation"
(Gen. 13:15) which came out of Egypt. Four generations, then, reaped
the harvest, and reaped precisely "whatsoever" had been sown; for just
as Joseph was sold into slavery, and carried down into Egypt, so in
Egyptian slavery his brethren and their children suffered!! And what a
foreshadowing was this of the bitter experiences of Israel during
these nineteen centuries past, for their wicked treatment of that
blessed One whom Joseph so strikingly typified! They, too, have reaped
what they sowed. Israel delivered up Christ into the hands of the
Gentiles, and so into their hands they also have been delivered.
Christ was shamefully treated by the Romans, and the same people were
employed by God to punish the Jews. Christ was "cut off" out of the
land of the living, and from A. D. 70 Israel, too, has been "cut off"
from the land of their fathers. Thus we see again how inexorable is
the outworking of this law of sowing and reaping.
In our last chapter we intimated that the deliverance of Israel from
Egyptian bondage foreshadowed the redemption of sinners by Christ. The
land occupied by the enslaved Hebrews fitly portrays the place where
the unregenerate are. Egypt symbolizes the world, the world as a
system, away from God and opposed to Him. Concerning this we cannot do
better than quote from the excellent comments of the late Mr. F. W.
Grant:
The land of Egypt is a remarkable land in this way, that it is a
little strip of country along the great river which makes it what it
is, and which is in perpetual conflict with the desert as to it. This
desert runs on both sides, and a little strip through which the river
flows alone is Egypt. The desert on each side hems it in, blowing in
its sands in all directions, and the river is as constantly
overflowing its banks and leaving its mud upon the sand, and renewing
the soil. The Scripture name is indeed not Egypt but Mizraim; and
Mizraim means "double straitness." This doubtless refers to the two
strips, one on each side of the river.
The land is a very remarkable one, looking at it as the scene of
perpetual conflict between life and death. The mercy of God, feeding
that land by the rain of a far country, no rain coming down there. It
is another remarkable feature that rain seldom falls in Egypt. The
rain falls far off. The people know nothing about it. It comes rolling
down in the shape of a mighty river, and that perpetual stream
ministers unfailing plenty to the land. They are, so to speak,
independent of heaven. Of course, I do not mean really; but as to
their thoughts, they are not on the clouds. They do not look up, but
down. It is the very thing God points out in contrasting the land of
Canaan with the land of Egypt, that Canaan, Israel's portion, drinks
in the water and rain of heaven. Canaan is a land of dependence. Egypt
is a land of independence.
And that is the serious character of our natural condition, alas! what
is natural to us now--that we are independent of God! God indeed
supplies the streams of plenteous blessing, and none else than He; but
they come so regularly, so constantly, we speak wisely (?) of natural
laws, and shut God out. Just as they have been sending men for long,
long years to explore the sources of that river in Egypt, so men have
been constantly seeking to explore the sources of natural supply, and
they have hardly succeeded yet.
Egypt worshipped her river. The river came to her so constantly that
she was practically independent of heaven; yet heaven was the source
of her supply, She did not see the blue hills which shed down upon
them what themselves received. And they worshipped but the river. It
is our state of nature away from God. God was far off to us. We did
not realize the blessed hand from which all things came, and we took
the blessings in willful ignorance of the hand upon which both they
and we in reality depended.
But this Egypt was remarkable in other ways. It was remarkable, as you
know, as the abode of science and civilization. To that very wonderful
country people go now to study her monuments and admirable
architecture. Egypt built as if she had eternity before her to enjoy
it in. Her buildings were made to outlast by ages the people of the
day who builded them: they could not make the people last, yet they
tried their best at that. They embalmed their dead; and sent their
dead down to the generations yet to come, side by side with what their
hands bad made, as if solemnly saying: "Here are the mighty works of
those over whom a mightier has triumphed." What a comment upon all her
grandeur! Her main literary memorial is a "book of the dead." In her
monuments death is stereotyped. The desert, after all, has vanquished
the river. The land of science and art is a land of death, and not of
life.
And that is the history of the world itself. Death is what is stamped
upon it everywhere. It is the stamp of "vanity" upon a fallen
creation. It is more; it is the stamp of Divine reprobation. For "in
His favor is life." Could He repent and unmake, unless we had given
Him cause for repentance? Surely He could not. What a solemn thing
that we should have given Him a reason! When God is able to rest in
His love, as He will bye and bye, that will necessitate the eternity
of the condition in which He can rest. All that, in view of which He
can rest, will be stamped as eternal.
The religion of Egypt was very remarkable. They had a religion in
which were embalmed the relics of another religion, the dead tradition
of a life that had been. There is no doubt about that. It is very
remarkable in fact, according to what they say, that the very
expression which God employs to Moses when He tells Moses His name, "I
am that I am," you find attributed to God in the monuments of Egypt.
And yet, with all that, what did Egypt everywhere worship?
Emphatically and universally, the creature and not the Creator. Egypt
which testified of the true God took up everything which was His total
opposite, and deified a hundred beastial objects, the images, in fact,
of their own lusts, and debased themselves by the service of these.
Their worship was a deification,--as all heathen worship is--of their
own lusts and passions. And that is everywhere what controls men
naturally as his god. You remember in the garden of Eden, Satan says
to the woman, "Ye shall be as gods." It was the bait he presented to
her: and man has found that true in an awful way. As the apostle says
of some, even professing Christians, their "god is their belly." That
is, there is a craving in man's heart for something that will satisfy;
and not being able to find satisfaction in God, and not being able to
trust God's love and care, lust and care devour him. He worships
himself, in a way continually more and more brutalizing and
degrading."
And how did the descendants of Abraham first get into Egypt? Let the
chapter before us make answer, and note its typical significance:
"Every man and his household came with Jacob" (v. 1). They came into
the land of bondage with their father Jacob: he was the one who
brought them there. Mark, too, the name here given to him--"Jacob",
which speaks of the natural man, the "supplanter"; not "Israel" which
was his new name, given in sovereign grace. How clearly this speaks to
us. We, too, entered the place of spiritual bondage with our father,
Adam. This was not the place he first occupied: in Eden he was free to
eat of all the trees of the garden, with but a single restriction; but
alas! he sinned, and this caused him to be driven from the garden, and
it was outside Eden that all his children were born. They came into
the place of bondage with him!
"And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly,
and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled
with them" (v. 7). This was the fulfillment of God's promise to Jacob,
made as the patriarch was journeying from Canaan to Egypt--"And he
said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt;
for I will there make of thee a great nation." And this was but a
repetition of what God had declared to Abraham long years before (see
Genesis 12:2). How comforting is this to the children of God today.
Unto us are given "exceeding great and precious promises", and these
are the promises of Him who can not lie. Rest, then, with implicit
confidence on the sure Word--forever settled in heaven--of the Lord
our God.
"Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph" (v.
8). To understand this we need to turn the light of other scriptures
upon it. This "new" king belonged not merely to a new dynasty, but was
of a different nationality: he was by birth an Assyrian, not an
Egyptian. In Acts 7:18 we read, "Till another king arose, which knew
not Joseph." As one has pointed out there are in the Greek two
different words for "another": allos, which means `another of the same
kind"; heteros, which signifies "another of a different kind." It is
the latter word which is used in Acts 7:18. By turning back to Isaiah
52:4 we learn what this other kind (in this case, another nationality)
actually was. There we read, "For thus saith the Lord God, My people
went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian
oppressed them without cause." Our purpose in calling attention to
this is to remind the reader of the great importance of comparing
scripture with scripture, and to show how scripture is
self-interpreting.
"And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of
Israel are more and mightier than we" (v. 9). The light afforded by
the scriptures we have just looked at should remove what has long been
a difficulty in this verse. That the children of Israel (who probably
numbered about two millions all told, at this time) should be more
numerous than the Egyptians seems unthinkable. But this is not what V.
g states at all. Mark attentively its wording. "And he (the "new"
king) said to his people", not "the people." His people would be the
Assyrians who had conquered Egypt, and particularly those in that land
policing the country. Note the repetition of "his people" in verse 22.
"And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of
Israel are more and mightier than we: Come on, let us deal wisely with
them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there
falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies (that is, lest
the Hebrews should unite forces with the Egyptians against the
Assyrian invaders), and fight against us and so get them up out of the
land. Therefore they did set over them task-masters to afflict them
with their burdens" (vv. 9-11). This was the proud reasoning of the
carnal mind, which is enmity against God. It was the finite pitting
itself against the Infinite. In thus oppressing and afflicting the
children of Israel we have an illustration of the world's hatred for
the people of God (John 15:18, 19). How true it is that "the tender
mercies of the wicked are cruel" (Prov. 12:10) I How much, then, dear
reader, do we owe to the restraining power of God, which holds in
check the evil passions of men, and thus allows us to live a quiet and
peaceable life! Let the withholding hand of God be withdrawn for a
short season, and even now, His people would be sorely "afflicted"
too.
"But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew"
(v. 12). This proves how thoroughly vain it is to fight against the
purpose of Him who hath sworn, "My counsel shall stand, and I will do
all My pleasure" (Isa. 64:10). Pharaoh might purpose to "deal wisely",
but "the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God" (1 Cor. 3:19).
God hath declared, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will
bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent" (1 Cor. 1:19). So
it proved here--"the more they afflicted them the more they grew."
This also illustrates a principle which has been exemplified again and
again in the history of Christendom. Times of severest trial have
always been seasons of blessing to the people of God. The more
fiercely have burned the fires of persecution the stronger has faith
waxed. So, too, it should be, and often has been, in individual lives.
Opposition should cast us back more and more upon God. Persecution
results in separating us from the world. Suffering ought to refine.
The experience of the Psalmist was, "Before I was afflicted I went
astray: but now have I kept Thy Word" (Ps. 119:67). May it prove true
of writer and reader that "the more we are afflicted" the more shall
we "grow" in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord.
"And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name
of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: And he said,
when you do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them
upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him; but if it be
a daughter, then she shall live" (vv. 15, 16). It is not difficult to
peer behind the scenes and behold one who was seeking to use Pharaoh
as an instrument with which to accomplish his fiendish design. Surely
we can discover here an outbreaking of the Serpent's enmity against
the Seed of the woman. Suppose this effort had succeeded, what then?
Why, the channel through which the promised Redeemer was to come had
been destroyed. If all the male children of the Hebrews were destroyed
there had been no David, and if no David, no David's Son. Just as
Revelation 12:4 gives us to behold Satan working behind and through
the wicked edict of Herod, so we may discern him here working behind
and through Pharaoh.
But once more Egypt's king was foiled, and again was Satan's attacks
repulsed: "but the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of
Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive" (v. 17).
Better might a worm withstand the tread of an elephant than the puny
creature resist the Almighty. "There is no wisdom, nor understanding,
nor counsel against the Lord" (Prov. 21:30). What comfort and
confidence should this impart to the believer! If God be for us, it
matters not who are against us.
"Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people
multiplied, and waxed very mighty. And it came to pass, because the
midwives feared God that He made them houses" (vv. 20, 21). Here we
have one more illustration of the law of sowing and reaping. These
Hebrew midwives, who through fear of God had overcome the fear of
Pharaoh, dealt kindly with the male children of the Israelites, and
they were rewarded accordingly--"God dealt well" with them. God is not
unrighteous to forget any work and labor of love which is showed
toward His name or ministered to His people (Heb. 6:10). His promise
is "For them that honor Me, I will honor" (1 Sam. 2:30). They "saved
the men children alive", and God "made them houses", which, in the
light of 2 Samuel 7:11, 1 Kings 2:24, etc., must mean that He, in
turn, gave them husbands and blessed them with children.
"And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is horn ye
shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive" (v.
22). We do not have to look far beneath the surface in order to
discover here the malignity of one more vile than Pharaoh. Just as the
twelfth of Revelation shows us that it was the Dragon himself who
moved Herod to attempt the death of the Christ Child, so here he was
employing the king of Egypt to destroy the channel through which He
was to come. At the beginning, God declared He would put "enmity"
between the woman and her Seed (Gen. 3:15), and in the light of
subsequent scriptures it is abundantly clear that "the woman" is
Israel--the one who was to bear the Messiah. Here in the passage
before us we have a forceful illustration of the Serpent's "enmity."
Had his effort succeeded, had all the male children of the Hebrews
been slain, the channel through which the Savior was to come had been
destroyed.
"And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, every son that is born ye
shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive" (v.
22). How this reminds us of the words of Ecclesiastes 8:11: "Because
sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the
heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." God bears
with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction.
Every opportunity is given them to repent; the day of mercy is
graciously prolonged for them; and if in the end they die in their
sins, then is their blood, unmistakably, on their own heads. How God
frustrated this last move of Pharaoh we shall see in our next chapter.
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
3. The Early Days Of Moses
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Exodus 2
From Adam to Christ there is none greater than Moses. He is one of the
few characters of Scripture whose course is sketched from his infancy
to his death. The fierce light of criticism has been turned upon him
for generations, but he is still the most commanding figure of the
ancient world. In character, in faith, in the unique position assigned
him as the mediator of the old covenant, and in achievements, he
stands first among the heroes of the Old Testament. All of God's early
dealings with Israel were transacted through Moses. He was a prophet,
priest, and king in one person, and so united all the great and
important functions which later were distributed among a plurality of
persons. The history of such an one is worthy of the strictest
attention, and his remarkable life deserves the closest study.
"The life of Moses presents a series of striking antitheses. He was
the child of a slave, and the son of a queen. He was born in a hut,
and lived in a palace. He inherited poverty, and enjoyed unlimited
wealth. He was the leader of armies, and the keeper of flocks. He was
the mightiest of warriors, and the meekest of men. He was educated in
the court, and dwelt in the desert. He had the wisdom of Egypt, and
the faith of a child. He was fitted for the city, and wandered in the
wilderness. He was tempted with the pleasures of sin, and endured the
hardships of virtue. He was backward in speech, and talked with God.
He had the rod of a shepherd, and the power of the Infinite. He was a
fugitive from Pharaoh, and an ambassador from heaven. He was the giver
of the Law, and the forerunner of grace. He died alone on Mount Moab,
and appeared with Christ in Judea. No man assisted at his funeral, yet
God buried him" (Dr. I. M. Haldeman).
Exodus 2 furnishes us with a brief account of the infancy of Moses.
The king of Egypt was determined to check the rapid growth of the
Hebrew people. First, he had them placed under taskmasters, who were
given orders to "afflict them with their burdens." But this measure
failed entirely: "The more they afflicted them, the more they
multiplied and grew." Next, the king gave orders to the Hebrew
midwives that whenever a male Israelite was born, he should be killed.
But once more the evil designs of Pharaoh came to nought. The
mid-wives feared God, "and did not as the king of Egypt commanded
them, but saved the men children alive." Finally, we are told, "And
Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, every son that is born ye
shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive"
(1:22). It was during this time and under such conditions that the
future deliverer of Abraham's descendants was born.
"And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a
daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when
she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. And
when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of
bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child
therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink" (Ex.
2:1-3). Much of a sentimental nature has been written on these verses.
Commentators have reasoned that it was mother-love and the beauty of
the child which caused Jochebed to act as she did. But this will not
stand the test of Holy Writ. Scripture informs us that it was neither
affection nor infatuation but faith which was the mainspring of
action. Hebrews 11:23 declares, "By faith Moses, when he was born, was
hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper
child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment." Faith
"cometh by hearing" (Rom. 10:17): the parents of Moses must,
therefore, have received a direct communication from God, informing
them of what should happen and instructing them what to do. And they
believed what God had told them and acted accordingly.
It was faith which saw that the child was "goodly" (in the sight of
God), as it was faith which made them defy "the king's
commandment"--first by hiding the child, later in placing him in the
ark of bulrushes. It is true that in this instance grace did not run
counter to natural affection; nevertheless, it was not by feelings but
"by faith" they acted. When commanded to do so, we are to obey God
against our natural affections. Thus it was with Abraham when called
to go out from the land of his birth and leave all his kindred behind;
and so later, when called upon to offer up Isaac.
Should it be asked, Wherein is the faith of Moses' parents to be seen?
The answer is: In overcoming the fear of the king and in trusting
God's protection for the preservation of the child. And is not the
strength of their faith evidenced by the selection of the place where
the young child was put, after he could be no longer hid in the home?
Surely the parents of Moses took him to the very last spot which
carnal reasoning would have suggested. The mother laid him "in the
flags by the river's brink"! But that was the very place where the
babies were drowned! Ah, is not that the last location we had chosen?
Would not we have carried him as far away from the river as possible?
It is to be noted that in Hebrews 11:23 the faith of both parents is
spoken of, while that of the mother's is singled out here in Exodus 2
but his father receives particular mention by Stephen in Acts 7:20. It
is blessed to see this concurrence between them. Husband and wife
should go hand in hand to the throne of grace and act together in
every good work.
Ere passing from our notice of the faith of Amram and Jochebed there
are two other points which deserve notice. Though faith vanquished
fear, yet lawful means were used to overcome danger: the mother "hid"
the child, and later, had recourse to the ark. It is not faith but
fanaticism which deliberately courts danger. Faith never tempts God.
Even Christ, though He knew full well of the Father's will to preserve
Him, yet withdrew from those who sought His life (Luke 4:30; John
8:59). It is not lack of faith to avoid danger by legitimate
precautions. It is no want of trust to employ means, even when assured
by God of the event (Acts 27:31). Christ never supplied by a miracle
when ordinary means were to hand (Mark 5:43).
Another important truth which here receives illustration and
exemplification is, that civil authorities are to be defied when their
decrees are contrary to the expressed mind of God. The Word of God
requires us to obey the laws of the land in which we live and exhorts
us to be "subject unto the powers that be" (Rom. 13), and this, no
matter how wise and just, or how foolish and unjust those laws appear
to us. Yet, our obedience and submission to human authorities is
plainly qualified. If a human government enacts a law and compliance
with it by a saint would compel him to disobey some command or precept
of God, then the human must be rejected for the Divine. The cases of
Moses' parents, of Daniel (6:7-11) and of the apostles (Acts 5:29),
establishes this unequivocally. But if such rejection of human
authority be necessitated, let it be performed not in the spirit of
carnal defiance, but in the fear of God, and then the issue may safely
be left with Him. It was "by faith" the parents of Moses "were not
afraid of the king's commandment." May Divine grace work in us "like
precious faith" which overcomes all fear of man.
In the opening verses of our chapter we have a lovely picture of
salvation. The infant Moses was placed on the brink of the river, the
place of death--the last spot we had selected. It is so in salvation.
Death is the wages of sin, and from this there can be no escape.
Having flagrantly broken God's holy law, justice demands the execution
of its penalty. But is not this to close the door of hope against us,
and seal our doom? Ah, it is just at this point that the Gospel
announces God's gracious provision and tells us (what we had never
conceived for ourselves) that life comes to us through death. Though
Moses was brought to the place of death, he was made secure in the
ark. And this speaks to us of Christ (It is significant that the
Hebrew word is used only here and in connection with the ark of Noah,
which so clearly typified Christ) who went down into death for us. The
righteousness of God made imperative the payment of sin's awful wages,
and so his spotless Son "died the just for the unjust that He might
bring us to God" (1 Pet. 3:15). Thus, in Christ our Substitute, we too
have been in the place of death as was the infant Moses. And note that
as it was "faith" which placed him there, it is faith which identifies
us with Christ. Again; just as Moses was brought out of the place of
death, so when Christ rose again, we rose with Him (Eph. 2:5,6). The
typical picture may be followed still farther. In the merciful
provision which the providence of God arranged for the infant Moses
(Ex. 2:4) we have illustrated the tender care of our heavenly Father
for every babe in Christ. And, later, in the entrance of Moses into
the household and palace of Pharaoh, we have foreshadowed the
"mansions" on high, which are now being prepared for us!
"And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river;
and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the
ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. And when she had
opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had
compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children.
Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter. Shall I go and call to
thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for
thee? And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and
called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take
this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages.
And the woman took the child and nursed it" (Ex. 2:5-9). It was
neither by chance nor accident that Pharaoh's daughter went down to
the river that day, for there are no accidents nor chance happenings
in a world presided over by the living God. Whatsoever happens in time
is but the outworking of His eternal decrees--"for Whom are all
things, and by Whom are all things" (Heb. 2:10). God is behind the
scenes, ordering everything for His own glory; hence our smallest
actions are controlled by Him. "O Lord, I know that the way of man is
not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps"
(Jer. 10:23). It is because that whatsoever happens in time is the
outworking of God's eternal decrees, that "all things are working
together (the verb is in the present tense) for good to them that love
God, who are the called according to His purpose." Big doors often
swing on small hinges. God not only directs the rise and fall of
empires, but also rules the fall of a sparrow. It was God who put it
into the heart of this Egyptian princess to go to the river to bathe,
and to that particular spot where the ark lay amid the flags; as it
was He who caused her to be moved with compassion (rather than with
indignation at the defiance of her father's authority) when she beheld
the weeping child. And it was God who caused this daughter of the
haughty monarch to yield submissively to the suggestion of Miriam, and
made the princess willing for its own mother to care for the little
child. Only here can the mind repose in unruffled peace. What a haven
of rest is this--to know that "of Him, and through Him, and to Him,
are all things: to whom be glory for ever" (Rom. 11:36).
"And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse
it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the
child, and nursed it" (v. 9). This whole incident of the Divine
safeguarding of the infant life of Moses supplies a striking and
blessed illustration of God's preservation of His elect during their
unregeneracy--a fact that few believers are as thankful over as they
should be. We believe it is this which explains a point that has been
a sore puzzle to many commentators in Jude 1:"Jude, the servant of
Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God
the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called." The order of
the verbs here is most significant. The "sanctification" by the Father
manifestly speaks of our eternal election, when before the foundation
of the world God, in His counsels, separated us from the mass of our
fallen race, and appointed us to salvation. The "calling" evidently
refers to that inward and invincible call which comes to each of God's
elect at the hour of their regeneration (Rom. 8:30), when the dead
hear the voice of the Son of God and live (John 5:25). But observe
that in Jude 1 it is said they are "preserved" in Jesus Christ, and
"called." Clearly the reference is to temporal preservation prior to
salvation. As the writer looks back to his unregenerate days he
recalls with a shudder a number of occasions when he was in imminent
peril, brought face to face with death. But even then, even while in
his sins, he was (because in Christ by eternal election) miraculously
preserved. What cause for gratitude and praise is this! Doubtless,
each Christian reader will recall similar deliverances out of danger.
It is this which Exodus 2:6-9 so beautifully illustrates. Even in his
unregenerate days, as a babe, the Angel of the Lord encamped round
about the infant Moses and delivered him!
"And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and
he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said,
Because I drew him out of the water" (v. 10) This is a striking
illustration of Job 5:13--"He taketh the wise in their own craftiness:
and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong." Pharaoh proposed
to "deal wisely" with the Israelites, and this, in order that they
might not "get them up out of the land" (v. 10); and yet, in the end,
God compels him to give board, lodging, and education, to the very man
which accomplished the very thing that Pharaoh was trying to prevent!
Thus was Pharaoh's wisdom turned to foolishness, and Satan's devices
defeated.
There are two passages in the New Testament which throw light on the
interval passed over between verses so and is in Exodus 2. In Acts
7:22 we read, "And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the
Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds." But his heart was
not in these things. There was something which had a more powerful
attraction for him than the honors and comforts of Egypt's court.
Doubtless his believing parents had acquainted him with the promises
of Jehovah to his forefathers. That the time was not far distant when
the Hebrews were to be delivered from their bondage and should journey
to the land given to Abraham, Moses had heard, and hearing he
believed. The result of his faith is described in Hebrews 11:24-26:
"By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the
son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with
the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in
Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward." Upon the
character of his faith and this remarkable renunciation we can only
comment briefly.
The first thing to be observed is the nature of his renunciation: he
"refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter." Josephus tells
us that Pharaoh had no other children, and that his daughter,
Thermutis, had no children of her own. So, most probably Moses would
have succeeded to the throne. That some offer was made to Moses, after
he had reached manhood, is clearly implied by the words "he refused."
What he refused then was wealth, honors, power, and, most likely, a
throne. Had he accepted, he could readily have mitigated the
sufferings of His own people, and lightened their heavy burdens. But
he "refused."
Second, note the character of his choice: he "chose rather to suffer
affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin
for a season." It was not that suffering was thrust upon him, but that
he voluntarily elected it. It was not that there was no escape from it
but he deliberately determined to throw in his lot with a despised and
persecuted people. He preferred hardship to comfort, shame and
reproach rather than fame and honor, afflictions rather than
pleasures, the wilderness rather than the court. A remarkable choice
was this, and mark it, this was the choice not of a child, but of a
full-grown man; not of a fool, but of one skilled in all the wisdom of
the Egyptians.
Third, observe the satisfaction he enjoyed: "esteeming the reproach of
Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt." The place Moses
volunteered to occupy was a hard one, in every respect the very
opposite of that in which he had been reared. Yet Moses did not repine
or murmur. So far from being dissatisfied with his bargain, he valued
the "reproach" which it brought him. So far from complaining at the
affliction, he prized it. He not only endured suffering, but he
esteemed it as of more worth than the wealth of the greatest and
richest country on earth. In this he puts many of us to shame!
Fourth, mark the motive spring of his actions: "By faith Moses . . .
refused . . . chose . . . esteemed." As another has said, "He must
have heard from God that he was not to accept this high privilege. In
as much as `faith cometh by hearing', Moses must have heard! And,
inasmuch as this `hearing cometh by the Word of God', God must have
spoken or communicated His will to Moses; for Moses heard, Moses
believed, Moses obeyed. God had other counsels and purposes with
regard to Moses. Moses must have been told that `God, by His hand,
would deliver' Israel from Egypt's bondage. The `things to come' had
been revealed to him. The `things of Christ' had been made known `in
part'. He knew God. He knew that Jehovah had a people, and that they
were in sore bondage in Egypt. He knew that they were to be delivered.
How, then, could he accept the position of heir to Egypt's throne?"
Finally, attend to the object set before him: "for he had respect unto
the recompense of the reward." Moses must have "heard" of "the eternal
weight of glory", and therefore he looked not at the "things that are
seen." The pleasures of sin were of brief duration--only for a season
but, in view of the eternity of the glory, the "affliction" seemed
brief--but "for a moment," and therefore, "light." Moses, then, walked
by faith and not by sight; he had his eyes on the invisible, not the
tangible; he was occupied with the future rather than the present;
and, consequently, it was an easy matter to exchange the palace for
the wilderness, and the pleasures of sin for the reproach of Christ.
May like precious faith be vouchsafed reader and writer.
Returning to the narrative we are next told, "And it came to pass in
those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren,
and looked on their burdens: and he espied an Egyptian smiting an
Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way, and
when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him
in the sand" (Ex. 2:11, 12). One of the features of Scripture which
constantly impresses the writer is the absolute fidelity with which
the lives of Bible heroes are described. Unlike so many human
biographies, the characters of Scripture are painted in the colors of
nature and truth. They are described as they actually were. An
instance of this is before us here. Moses was truly a wonderful
character, and endowed with no ordinary faith; yet, the Holy Spirit
has not concealed his defects. Moses was in too big a hurry. He was
running before the Lord. God's time had not yet come to deliver
Israel. Another forty years must yet run their weary course. But Moses
waxed impatient and acted in the energy of the flesh. Some writers
have sought to vindicate him, but the words "he looked this way and
that, and when he saw there was no man, he slew the Egyptian" make it
evident that he was then walking by sight, rather than by faith; and
the fact that we are told he "hid him in the sand" brings out his fear
of being discovered. Thus we see that, like ourselves, Moses was one
who offended in many things (James 3:2, R.V.).
"And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews
strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore
smitest thou thy fellow? And he said, Who made thee a prince and a
judge over us? Intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the
Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. Now
when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled
from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian" (2:13-15).
This confirms our interpretation of the verses immediately preceding.
Moses' eye was not on God but on man, and the fear of man bringeth a
snare. Apprehensive that Pharaoh might take vengeance upon him, he
fled to Midian. And yet while this is true from the human side, we
ought not to ignore the overruling Providence of God. The Lord's time
for delivering Israel had not yet arrived; and what is more to the
point, the act of Moses was not at all in accord with the methods
which He proposed to employ. Not by insurrection on their part, nor by
a system of assassination, were the Hebrews to be delivered from the
house of bondage. God, therefore, caused this deed of Moses (which he
believed had passed unwitnessed) to become known, both to his own
brethren and to the king. Thus did He teach a salutary lesson to this
one who was yet to be employed as His servant. And is there not also a
needed lesson here for us? When a servant of God is not permitted to
perform a certain service for Him, on which his heart is set, it does
not necessarily follow that this is due to some failure in the servant
himself; it may be because God's time for the proposed service is not
ripe. Such was the case with David who, prompted only by an ardent
desire for God's glory, was not permitted to build Jehovah a "house";
yet in the end this "house" was built, though not by David or in
David's time.
"Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew
water, and filled the trough to water their father's flock. And the
shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped
them, and watered their flock. And when they came to Reuel their
father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon today? And they
said, an Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and
also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock. And he said unto
his daughters, And where is he? Why is it that ye have left the man?
Call him, that he may eat bread. And Moses was content to dwell with
the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter" (2:16-21). Here
again we may discern God working behind the scenes. That Moses should
have "stood up" against those shepherds, single-handed, shows plainly
that the Lord was on his side; and in thus befriending the daughters
of Reuel, Moses was enabled to win the esteem of their father. The
sequel shows how the Providence of God thus opened to Moses a home
during his long exile from Egypt. Thus did God make all things work
together for his good.
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
4. Moses At The Burning Bush
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Exodus 3
In our last chapter we saw how Moses' attempt to deliver Israel was
inopportune, for God's time had not arrived. Moreover, the leader
himself was not fully prepared, nor were the Hebrews themselves ready
to leave Egypt. The impetuosity of Moses caused him to act with a zeal
which was not according to knowledge and this, as is usually the case,
brought him into serious trouble. The king sought his life, and to
escape him, Moses fled into Midian. So much for the human side.
Turning to the Divine, we are made to wonder at and worship before the
infinite wisdom of Him who maketh the wrath of man to praise Him and
who bringeth good out of evil.
God had an important work for Moses to do and for this he must be
prepared. That work was to lead His people out of Egypt, and conduct
them unto the promised inheritance. And for this work Moses was not
yet equipped. It is true that this one who had become the adopted son
of Pharaoh's daughter had received a thorough education, for he was
"learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians." Nor was he any longer a
youth, but now forty years of age--in the very prime of life. Nor was
he only a student or theorist--he was "mighty in words and deeds"
(Acts 7:22). What, then, was lacking? Surely here was one who
possessed all the necessary qualifications for leadership. Ah, how
different are God's thoughts from ours! "That which is highly esteemed
among men is abomination in the sight of God" (Luke 16:15). What we
have enumerated above were but natural attainments and acquirements;
and the natural man is set aside before God, for no flesh can glory in
His presence (1 Cor. 1:29).
The "wisdom of the Egyptians", profound as men esteem it, was, after
all, only "the wisdom of the world"; and that is "foolishness with
God." The colleges of this world cannot equip for the Divine service;
for that we must be taught in the school of God. And that is something
which the natural man knows nothing about--"And the Jews marvelled,
saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?"--in their
academies (John 7:15). To learn in the school of God, then, Moses must
turn his back on the land of the Pharaoh's. It is so still. The heart
must be separated, the spirit divorced from the world, if progress is
to be made in spiritual things. "The hand of man can never mould a
vessel `meet for the Master's use'. The One who is to use the vessel
can alone prepare it."
"Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of
Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came
to the mountain of God, even to Horeb" (Ex. 3:1). From Egypt to "the
backside of the desert", from the palace to the sheepfold, was a
radical change for this man who was yet to fill so important a role.
Tending flocks seems a strange preparation for one who was to be the
liberator of a nation of slaves. And again we are reminded of how
different are God's thoughts and ways from man's. And the ways of God
are not only different from ours, but they are obnoxious to the flesh:
as Genesis 46:31 tells us, "Every shepherd is an abomination to the
Egyptians." Thus God leads His servants to take that very place which
is hateful to worldlings.
"The `backside of the desert' is where men and things, the world and
self, present circumstances and their influences, are all valued at
what they are really worth. There it is. and there alone, that you
will find a Divinely-adjusted balance in which to weigh all within and
all around. There are no false colors, no borrowed plumes, no empty
pretensions. The enemy of your souls cannot gild the sand of that
place. All is reality there. The heart that has found itself in the
presence of God at `the backside of the desert', has right thoughts
about everything. It is raised far above the exciting influences of
this world's schemes. The din and noise, the bustle and confusion of
Egypt, do not fall upon the ear in that distant place. The crash in
the monetary and commercial world is not heard there; the sigh of
ambition is not heard there; this world's fading laurels do not tempt
there; the thirst for gold is not felt there; the eye is never dimmed
with lust, nor the heart swollen with pride there; human applause does
not elate, nor human censure depress there. In a word, everything is
set aside save the stillness and light of the Divine presence. God's
voice alone is heard, His light enjoyed, His thoughts received. This
is the place to which all must go to be educated for the ministry; and
there all must remain if they would succeed in the ministry" (C. H.
M.).
What strikes us as even more strange is that Moses should have to
remain forty years in Midian. But God is in no hurry; nor should we
be--"He that believeth shall not make haste" (Isa. 28:16). There is
much here which every servant of God needs to ponder, particularly the
younger ones. In this day it is the common custom to pitchfork new
converts into Christian activities without any serious inquiry as to
their fitness for such solemn and momentous duties. If a person is
"mighty in words and deeds" that is considered all that is necessary.
"Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the
condemnation of the Devil" (1 Tim. 3:6) might as well not be in the
Bible, for all the weight it has with most of our moderns.
In a place of retirement Moses spent the second forty years of his
life; a place where every opportunity for communion with God was
afforded. Here he was to learn the utter vanity of human resources and
the need for entire dependence on God Himself. To be much alone with
God is the first requisite for every servant of His. But why is it
that no details are recorded of God's dealings with His servant during
this interval? Practically nothing is told us of the experiences
through which he passed, the discipline of which he was the subject,
the heart exercises he suffered. As in the case of the training of the
prophets, John the Baptist, Paul in Arabia, this is passed over in
silence. Is it because God's dealings with one of His servants are not
fitted to another? Are there not some things we can learn neither by
precept nor example? Certain it is that there is no uniform curriculum
in the school of God. Each servant is dealt with according to his
individual needs and disciplined with a view to the particular work
which God has for him to do.
"And he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the
mountain of God, even to Horeb" (v. 1). Horeb was the name of a
mountain range; Sinai, the "mount of God" (see Exodus 24:12, 13), was
a particular peak in that range. It was in this same mount that,
centuries later, the Lord met with and commissioned Elijah (1 Kings
19:4-11), as, perhaps, it was also at the same place He gave the
Gospel of His glory to the apostle Paul (Gal. 1:17; 4:25).
"And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of
the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with
fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn
aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt" (Ex.
3:2,3). Here was a wonder which all the magicians of Pharaoh could not
produce. Here was something which must baffle all the wisdom of the
Egyptians. Here was a manifestation of God Himself. The Hebrew word
here for "bush" occurs in only one other passage, namely, Deuteronomy
33:16, where we read, "And for the precious things of the earth and
fullness thereof, and for the good will of Him that dwelt in the
bush." In this verse the word for "dwelt" is "shall-chan." It was,
then, the Shekinah glory which was now displayed before the wondering
eyes of Moses. This, we take it, is the meaning of "the angel of the
Lord appeared unto him in a flame" here manifested in the
Shekinah-glory.
The "Angel of the Lord" was none other than the Lord Jesus in
theophanic manifestation, for in verse 4 He is denominated "Lord" and
"God." This sets forth a truth of vital moment to the servant of God.
Before Moses can be sent forth on his important mission he must first
behold the ineffable glory of the Lord. To serve acceptably we must
work with an eye single to God's glory, but to do this we must first
gaze upon that glory. It was so here with Moses. It was thus with
Isaiah (Isa. 6). It was the same in the case of the great apostle to
the Gentiles (Acts 9:3, etc.). Make no mistake fellow-laborer, a
vision of the glory of God is an essential prerequisite if we are to
serve Him acceptably.
Ere considering the Lord's words to Moses, let us first turn aside and
view the "great sight" of the Burning Bush. We are satisfied that
there is much here of deep significance; may God grant us discernment
to understand and appreciate.
Spiritually the Burning Bush speaks of the Gospel of God's grace. The
symbol used was unique and startling. A bush burned with fire, and yet
the bush (in that and desert a most inflammable object) was not burnt.
Here was a mysterious phenomenon, but it set forth a mystery far more
profound--the former natural, the latter moral. Fire in Scripture is
uniformly the emblem of Divine judgment, that is, of God's holiness in
active opposition against evil. The final word on the subject is, "Our
God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29). Here, then, is the deeper
mystery: How can God, who is `a consuming fire'--burning up all that
is contrary to His holy nature--reveal Himself without consuming? Or,
to put it in another form: How can He who is "of purer eyes than to
behold evil and canst not look on iniquity" (Hab. 1:13) have to do
with men, other than in judgment! Nothing but the Gospel contains any
real solution to this problem. The Gospel tells of how grace reigns,
not at the expense of righteousness, but "through righteousness, unto
eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 5:21).
And how has this been accomplished? By the Holy One of God being made
a "curse" for us (Gal. 3:13). It is deeply significant that the word
"seneh" means "thorny bush", for thorns are the lasting reminder of
the curse (Gen. 3:18). Into the place of the curse entered our blessed
Substitute. The fierce flames of holy wrath engulfed Him, but, being
"mighty" (Ps. 89:19), they did not, and could not, consume Him. The
"Root out of a dry ground" perished not. It was not possible that
death should hold the Prince of life. Three days only did He remain in
the tomb: on the third day He came forth triumphant, and is now alive
for evermore. And it is as the God of resurrection He now saves. Note
how this, too, comes out in our type. Said the Savior to the
Sadducees, "Now that the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the
bush, when he called the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob. For He is not a God of the dead, but of
the living: for all live unto Him" (Luke 20:37, 38). And how perfect
this type is: it was not until after the Deliverer (Moses) had been
rejected by Israel (Ex. 2:14) that God thus revealed Himself at the
bush!
But there is a dispensational significance as well. Equally clear it
is that the Burning Bush was a figure of the nation of Israel. At the
time the Lord appeared here to Moses, the Hebrews were suffering in
"the iron furnace of Egypt" (Deut. 4:20), but fiercely as the flames
had burned against them for fully forty years, they had not been
consumed. And so also has it proven all through these many centuries
since then. The fires of persecution have blazed hotly, yet have they
been marvelously, miraculously sustained. And why? Ah, does not our
type make answer? God Himself was in the Burning Bush; and so He has
been with Israel. Just as He was there with the three Hebrews in the
midst of Babylon's furnace, so has He been with the Jews all through
their checkered history. In the day to come this will be fully owned,
for then shall it appear, "in all their affliction He was afflicted,
and the Angel of His presence saved them" (Isa. 63:9).
While the miraculous preservation of Israel during all their fiery
trials is no doubt the prominent thought here, there are others
equally significant. The symbol selected by God was most suggestive.
It was not in a majestic tree of the forest that God appeared to
Moses, but in a humble acacia, or thorn-bush of the desert. And how
fitly this represented both the lowly origin of the Hebrew people--"A
Syrian ready to perish was my father" (Deut. 26:5); and their
subsequent history--a separated nation, dwelling as it were in the
desert. Nor is this all. This humble bush, which possessed neither
beauty nor comliness, became, temporarily, the abode of Jehovah, and
from it He revealed Himself to Moses. And has it not been thus with
Israel: it is from their midst God has manifested Himself. Finally,
the fact that it was an acacia bush burning with fire, represented in
a forceful figure the spiritual history of Israel--bearing thorns
rather than fruit, and in consequence, being chastened of God.
Naturalists tell us that thorns are abortive branches, which if
developed would bring forth leaves and fruit.
"And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto
him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said,
Here am I. And He said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from
off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground" (vv.
4, 5). How this helps to interpret for us the moral meaning of the
"flame of fire"--the activities of Divine holiness. The Shekinah-glory
which abode upon the mercy-seat over the ark was not only the evidence
of Jehovah's presence in Israel's midst, but was the manifest emblem
of His holiness--abiding in the Holy of Holies. It was in holiness God
was about to deal both with the Egyptians and with His own people, and
of this Moses needed to be instructed. He must put off the shoes of
every day walk and life, and draw near in the spirit of true worship.
Another important lesson is this for the servant of God today. Each
laborer in the vineyard needs to keep constantly before him the fact
that the One with whom he has to do, and whom he serves, is holy,
thrice holy. A realization of this would check the lightness and
levity of the flesh.
"Moreover He said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was
afraid to look upon God" (v. 6). Thus the Lord stood revealed before
Moses as the covenant-keeping God, the God of all grace. When God
picked up Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and made them the fathers of His
chosen people, it was not because of any excellence in them, seen or
foreseen; rather was it His pure sovereign benignity. So, too, now
that He is about to redeem the Hebrews from the land of bondage, it is
not because of any good in them or from them. It is as the God of
Abraham--the sovereign Elector; the God of Isaac--the almighty
Quickener; the God of Jacob--the long-suffering One; who is about to
bare His arm, display His power and deliver His people. And in this
same threefold character does He act today. The God of Abraham is our
God the One who sovereignly chose us in Christ before the foundation
of the world. The God of Isaac is our God--the One who by His own
miraculous power made us new creatures in Christ. The God of Jacob is
our God--the One who bears with us in infinite patience, who never
forsakes us, and who has promised to perfect that which concerns us
(Ps. 138:8).
"And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of My people
which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their
taskmasters; for I know their sorrows (v. 7). Mark carefully the
condition of these Hebrews: crushed by the cruel oppression of Egypt's
slavery; groaning beneath the iron rod of Pharaoh. And how this
pictures the condition of the natural man, the bond-slave of sin, the
captive of the Devil. This is true not only of the slave of lust or
the helpless victim of drugs, but of the moral and refined. They, too,
are in bondage to gold, pleasure, ambition, and a dozen other things.
The "affliction" which sin has brought is everywhere to be seen, not
only in physical suffering, but in mental restlessness and heart
discontent. The varied "lusts of the flesh" are just as merciless as
the Egyptian taskmasters of old; and the "sorrows" of sin's slaves
today just as acute as those of the Israelites midst the iron furnace
of Egypt. What woe there really is behind the fair surface of society!
How fearful the misery which has come on the whole race of man through
sin! How great the need for the Savior! How terrible the guilt of
despising Him now that He has come!
"And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of My people
which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their
taskmasters; for I know their sorrows" (v. 7). The One speaking here
is termed in the second verse "the Angel of the Lord." This we know
from Malachi 3:1, and other scriptures, was Christ Himself, in
theophanic manifestation. It is very helpful and instructive to trace
Him as "the Angel of the Lord" all through the Old Testament. The
first time He is thus brought before us is in Genesis 16:13: "And she
called the name of the Lord (the "Angel of the Lord", see vv. 9, 10)
that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here
looked after Him that seeth me?" The second occurrence is in Genesis
21:17 "And the Angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said
unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? Fear not; for God hath heard the
voice of the lad where he is." Thus, in the third reference here in
Exodus 3, we have combined the "seeth" and "heard" which are the
central things in the first two. Let the interested reader follow out
the other references for himself. How blessed for us to know that
there is One above who never slumbers nor sleeps, but "hears" and
"sees" all our afflictions!
"For I know their sorrows" (v. 7). With this should be compared Exodus
2:23: "And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt
died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and
they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage."
The tenderness of the original is hidden by this rendering. The R. V.
gives it: "And it came to pass in the course of those many days, that
the king of Egypt died", etc. How these words throb with Divine
compassion. There were between fourteen and fifteen thousand "days",
during that forty years of Moses' sojourn in Midian; and each of them
were days of anguish for them. But God had not ignored them, nor been
indifferent to their hard lot--"I know their sorrows." How blessed for
us, in times of stress and distress to remember that there is One
above who takes notice. This was how Job consoled himself (see Job
23:10). The Call Moses received and his Responses thereto we reserve
for separate consideration.
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
5. Moses Called And His Response
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 3
In our last chapter we contemplated Moses in Midian and pondered the
significance of God appearing to him in the burning bush. It was there
he received his call and commission to act as Jehovah's favored
instrument in delivering His people from their hard bondage. As Moses
turned aside to behold the amazing sight of the bush burning and yet
not being consumed, the voice of God addressed him. First, God
reminded Moses of His holiness (v. 5). Next, He revealed Himself in
covenant-relationship (v. 6). Then, He expressed His compassion (v.
7). Then He declared His purpose: "I am come down to deliver them out
of the hand of the Egyptians", etc. (v. 8). Finally, He addressed
Himself to His servant: "Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto
Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth My people the children of Israel
out of Egypt" (v. 10).
Ere considering Moses' Call, let us weigh what is recorded in verses 7
and 8: "And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of My
people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their
taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver
them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of
that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk
and honey." Notice the completeness of this statement. First, the Lord
said, "I have surely seen the affliction of My people which are in
Egypt." Second, "And have heard their cry by reason of their
taskmasters." Third, "For I know their sorrows." Fourth. "And I am
come down to deliver them." Fifth, "Out of the hand of the Egyptians."
Sixth, "And to bring them up out of that land unto a good land", etc.
Seventh, "Unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk
and honey." Second, observe the definiteness and positiveness of
Jehovah's assertions. There were no "perhaps'" or "peradventure's." It
was no mere invitation or offer that was made to Israel. Instead, it
was the unconditional, emphatic declaration of what the Lord would
do--"I am come down to deliver." So it is now. The Gospel goes forth
on no uncertain errand. God' Word shall not return unto Him void, but
"it shall accomplish that which He pleases, and it shall prosper in
the thing whereunto He sends it" (Isa. 55:11).
Finally, admire the blessed typical picture here, a prophetic picture
of the Divine Incarnation. First, the Divine compassion which Prompted
the unspeakable Gift: "I have surely seen the affliction of My people
which are in Egypt"--God contemplated the wretched condition of
sinners and their need of deliverance. Second, the Incarnation itself:
"I am come down." Thus it was fifteen hundred years later, when
Jehovah--Jesus left His Father's House on high and came down to these
scenes of sin and suffering. Third, the Purpose of the Incarnation: to
"deliver" His people and "bring them up out of that land", which
symbolizes the world. Fourth, the beneficent design of the
Incarnation: to "bring them into a good land and large, unto a land
flowing with milk and honey"--to bring us on to resurrection ground,
where there would be everything to satisfy and rejoice the heart.
"Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou
mayest bring forth My people the children of Israel out of Egypt" (Ex.
3:10). Notice the little word which we have placed in italics. God is
not to be rushed: our business is not (irreverently) to seek to hurry
God, rather is it to wait on Him and for Him. For many long years had
the groans and cries of the distressed Hebrews gone up; but the
heavens were silent. Forty years previously, Moses had become
impatient at the delay, and thought to take matters into his own
hands, only to discover that the time for deliverance was not yet
ripe. But "now." Now the four hundred years of servitude and
affliction (Gen. 15:13) had run their ordained course. Now the hour
for Divine intervention had struck. Now the time for Jehovah to deal
with the haughty oppressor of His people had arrived. Now the children
of Israel would be in a condition to appreciate the promised
inheritance. The pleasant pastures of Goshen and the carnal
attractions of Egypt had, no doubt, quelled all longings for Canaan,
but now that their afflictions were fast becoming unbearable, the land
flowing with milk and honey would be a pleasing prospect.
And now that the time for deliverance had arrived, what is the method
of Divine procedure? A captive people is to be emancipated; a nation
of slaves is to be liberated. What, then, is the first move toward
this? Had God so chosen He could have sent forth His angels, and in a
single night destroyed all the Egyptians. Had He so pleased He could
have appeared before the Hebrews in person and brought them out of
their house of bondage. But this was not His way. Instead, He
appointed a human ministry to effect a Divine salvation. To Moses He
said, "I will send thee . . .. that thou mayest bring forth My people
. . .. out of Egypt." There is little need to apply this to ourselves.
God's way then, is God's way now. Human instrumentality is the means
He most commonly employs in bringing sinners from bondage to liberty,
from death to life.
"Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou
mayest bring forth My people the children of Israel out of Egypt" (v.
10). What, then, is the response of our patriarch? Surely he will bow
in worship before the great I am at being thus so highly honored.
Surely he will ask, in fullest submission, "Lord, what would'st Thou
have me to do?" But how did Moses reply? "And Moses said unto God, Who
am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the
children of Israel out of Egypt?" (v. 11).
Moses at eighty was not so eager as at forty. Solitude had sobered
him. Keeping sheep had tamed him. He saw difficulties in himself, in
the people, and in his task. He had already tried once and failed, and
now for long years he had been out of touch with his people. But while
all this was true, it was God who now called him to this work, and He
makes no mistakes.
"And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and
that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?" (v.
11). This brings out a principle in connection with Divine service
which is strikingly illustrated in Luke 9. In verse 57 we read, "And
it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said
unto him, Lord, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest." In
response our Lord said, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have
nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head." Then we
read, "And He said unto another, Follow Me. But he said, Lord, suffer
me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto Him, Let the dead
bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And
another also said, Lord, I will follow Thee; but let me first go bid
them farewell, which are at home at my house." The principle is this:
When the will of man acts in self-appointed service, he does not feel
the difficulties in the way; but when there is a true call from God
these are felt. Thus it was with Moses. When he went forth in the
energy of the flesh (Ex. 2:11, etc.) he was full of confidence in the
success of his mission. This comes out clearly in Acts 7:25: "For he
supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand
would deliver them: but they understood not." But now that he is
called of God to this work he is very conscious of the difficulties in
the way. The discipline of the "backside of the desert" had not been
in vain. Shepherding had chastened him.
The Lord, therefore, graciously encourages him by promising to be with
him and assuring him of the ultimate success of his mission. "And He
said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto
thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people
out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain" (v. 12). This was
very comforting. God did not ask Moses to go forward alone: an
all-mighty One would accompany him. And this is still the Divine
promise to each Divinely-called servant. I doubt not that the apostles
must have felt much like Moses when the risen Savior commissioned them
to go and preach the Gospel to every creature--Who am I that I should
go? If so, their hearts were reassured with the same promise Moses
received--"Lo I am with you alway." And fellow-worker, if the Lord has
manifestly called you to some task for which you feel utterly
insufficient, rest on this precious promise--"Certainly I will be with
thee." This is a word that every one engaged in Christian service
needs to take to heart. When we think of what is involved in bringing
a soul out of darkness into light; when we encounter the fierce
opposition of the devil; when we face the frowns and sneers of the
world, little wonder that we hesitate, and ask, "Who is sufficient for
these things?" But take courage faint-heart, and remember the
unfailing promise, "Certainly I will be with thee."
"And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of
Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me
unto you; and they shall say to me, What is His name? What shall I say
unto them?" (v. 13). Let us not be too quick to condemn Moses
here--the Lord did not! This was no small difficulty for Moses. No
visible presence would accompany him. He was to go alone to the
enslaved Hebrews and present himself as the Divinely-sent deliverer.
He was to tell them that the God of their fathers had promised to free
them. But, as we shall see later, this was not likely to make much
impression upon a people who were, most of them at least, sunk in the
idolatries of the Egyptians. He felt that they would quickly want to
know, Who is this God? What is His character? Prove to us that He is
worthy of our confidence. And does not a similar difficulty arise
before us! We go forth to tell lost sinners of a God they have never
seen. In His name we bid them trust. But cannot we anticipate the
response--"Show us the Father, and it sufficeth us" is still, in
substance, the demand of the doubting heart. Moses felt this
difficulty; and so do we.
"And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou
say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you" (v. 14).
At first sight this may strike us as strange and mysterious, yet a
little reflection should discover its profound suggestiveness to us.
"I am" is the great Jehovistic name of God. Dr. Pentecost says, "It
contains each tense of the verb `to be', and might be translated, I
was, I am, and I shall always continue to be." The principle contained
in this word of Jehovah to Moses contains timely instruction for us.
We are to go forth declaring the name and nature of God as He has been
revealed. No attempts are to be made to prove His existence; no time
should be wasted with men in efforts to reason about God. Our business
is to proclaim the Being of God as He has revealed Himself in and
through Jesus Christ. The "I am" of the burning bush now stands fully
declared in the blessed Person of our Savior who said, "I am the bread
of life", "I am the good Shepherd", "I am the door." "I am the light
of the world", "I am the way, the truth and the life", "`I am the
resurrection and the life", "I am the true vine. He is the eternal "I
am"--"the Same, yesterday, and today, and forever."
"And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou
say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you" (v. 14).
There is a depth here which no finite mind can fathom. "I am that I
am" announced that the great God is self-existent, beside whom there
is none else. Without beginning, without ending, "from everlasting to
everlasting" He is God. None but He can say "I am that I am"--always
the same, eternally changeless. The apostle Paul could say "By the
grace of God I am what I am"--what grace has made me, but he could not
say "I am that I am."
"And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the
children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is
My name forever, and this is My memorial unto all generations" (v.
15). This was most blessed. Here was indeed something which ought to
win the hearts of the Hebrews when Moses repeated it to them. The God
of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, was the God of sovereign grace, who had
singled out these men from the mass of fallen humanity, and made them
His high favorites. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, was the God
of unconditional promise, who had pledged to give to them and their
seed the land of Canaan for their inheritance. The God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob, was the covenant-keeping God; for with Abraham God
entered into solemn covenant, and with Isaac and Jacob He confirmed
it. Note, also, the threefold repetition of God--"The God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Was there not here something
more than a hint of the Holy Trinity!
In the remaining verses of Exodus 3 we learn how God further
re-assured His servant by declaring what should be the results of his
mission (see vv. 16-22). And mark once more the positive terms used:
"I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt . . .And they
shall hearken to thy voice . . . I am sure that the king of Egypt will
not let you go . . .And I will smite Egypt with all My wonders . . .
and I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians." etc.
Everything is definitely determined. There is no possibility of the
Divine purpose failing. There are no contingencies; no `I will do my
part, if you do yours'. The Lord has sworn, "My counsel shall stand,
and I will do all My pleasure" (Isa. 46:10). Let this be the ground of
our confidence. Though all the powers of evil array themselves against
us, whatever God hath called us to do will issue precisely as He has
appointed. It is true that these promises of God to Moses were not
made good in a day. It is true that there was much in the sequel to
severely test the faith of Moses, ere the children of Israel were
delivered from Egypt. And it is also true that with two exceptions the
six hundred thousand men who left Egypt perished in the wilderness,
and thus Moses died without seeing the complete fulfillment of
Israel's actually reaching the land flowing with milk and honey--for
God's promises were made to Israel as a nation, not to any particular
generation of that nation. Nevertheless, in the end, every word of
Jehovah was made good. So, too, God may commission us to a work for
Him, and we may die before the determined issue appears; but
notwithstanding, the Divine purpose will be realized.
"And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and
the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto
him, The Lord God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go,
we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may
sacrifice to the Lord our God. And I am sure that the king of Egypt
will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand" (vv. 18, 19). This
presented another test to Moses' faith. Had he stopped to reason about
the commission God was giving him, it probably would have appeared
foolishness to him. Here was he ordered to go, accompanied by the
elders of Israel, unto Pharaoh, and present to Him the message of
Jehovah. He was to request that the Hebrews should be allowed to go a
three days' journey into the wilderness that they might worship God.
And, yet, before he starts Jehovah assures him, "I am sure that the
king of Egypt will not let you go." He might have asked, What, then,
is the use of me wasting my breath on him? But it is not for the
servant to question his master's orders: it is for him to obey. But
not yet was Moses ready to respond to God's call.
"And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me,
nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The Lord hath not
appeared unto thee" (4:1). Were it not that we were acquainted in some
measure with our own desperately-wicked hearts, it would appear to us
well-nigh unthinkable that Moses should continue objecting and
caviling. But the remembrance of our own repeated and humiliating
failures only serves to show how sadly true to life is the picture
here presented before us. The Lord had favored His servant with the
awe-inspiring sight of the burning bush, He had spoken of His tender
solicitude for the afflicted Hebrews, He had promised to be with
Moses, He had expressly declared that He would deliver Israel from
Egypt and bring them into Canaan. And yet all of this is not
sufficient to silence unbelief and subdue the rebellious will. Alas!
what is man that the Almighty should be mindful of him! Nothing but
Divine power working within us can ever bring the human heart to
abandon all creature props and trust in God.
"And Moses answered and said, But, be-hold, they will not believe me,
nor hearken unto my voice." Awful presumption was this. The Lord had
emphatically declared, "They shall hearken to thy voice" (3:18), and
now Moses replies, They will not. Here was the servant daring to
contradict his Lord to His face. Fearfully solemn is this; the more
so, when we remember that we are made of precisely the same material
that Moses was. There is in us the same evil, unbelieving, rebellious
heart, and our only safeguard is to cast ourselves in the dust before
God, beseeching Him to pity our helplessness and to keep down, subdue,
overcome, the desperate and incurable wickedness which indwells us.
How what has been before us repudiates the modern sophistry that God
only uses those who are fully consecrated to Him! How often Arminian
teachers insist that the measure of our faith and faithfulness will
determine the measure of our success in the Lord's service. It is true
that every servant of Christ ought to be "a vessel unto honor,
sanctified, and meet for the Master's use" (2 Tim. 2:21),
nevertheless, God is not limited by our failure at this point, and
clearly does this come out in the passage before us. Moses was timid,
hesitant, fearful, unbelieving, rebellious, and yet God used him! Nor
does he stand by any means alone in this respect. God used the
mercenary Balaam to give one of the most remarkable prophecies to be
found in the Old Testament. He used a Samson to deliver Israel from
the Philistines. He used a Judas in the apostolate. If God were to
wait until He found a human instrument that was worthy or fit to be
used by Him, He would go on waiting until the end of time. God is
sovereign in this, as in everything. The truth is that God uses whom
He pleases.
Not yet was Moses ready to respond to Jehovah's Call. There were other
difficulties which the fertile mind of unbelief was ready to suggest,
but one by one Divine power and long-sufferance overcame them. Let us
take this lesson throughly to heart, and seek that grace which will
enable us to place God between us and our difficulties, instead of
putting difficulties between God and us. In our next paper we shall
dwell upon the three "signs" which God gave to Moses; let the
interested reader give these much prayerful meditation as he studies
Exodus 4, and thus be prepared to test our exposition.
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
6. The Significance of the Signs
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 4
In our last lesson we dwelt upon the response which Moses made to the
call he received from God. After forty years in the backside of the
desert he was visited by the Lord, who declared that it was His
purpose to send him unto Pharaoh (3:16). Instead of bowing in
wonderment and gratitude at the condescension of the Almighty in
deigning to employ him in so important and honorous an errand, he
answered, "Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh?" In response to
this God assured Moses that He would be with him. Moses next inquired
in whose name he should address Israel, and then it was that God
revealed Himself as the great "I am", the God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob. The Lord promised that He would deliver
His people from the affliction of Egypt and bring them unto the land
of Canaan, and bade His servant appear before Pharaoh with the demand
that the king allow the Hebrews to go a three days' journey into the
wilderness that they might hold a feast unto the Lord their God. But
the Lord informed Moses He was sure that Pharaoh would not grant this
request, yet, notwithstanding, He would show forth such wonders that
in the end the king would let them go; and not only so, but that He
would give His people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians so that they
would be enriched and go not out empty-handed. Yet notwithstanding
these gracious re-assurances Moses continued to be occupied with
difficulties and to raise objections: "Behold, they will not believe
me, nor hearken unto my voice; for they will say, The Lord hath not
appeared unto thee" (4:1). Our present lesson resumes the sacred
narrative at this point.
In response to the third difficulty raised by Moses, the Lord endued
His recalcitrant servant with the power to perform three wonders or
signs, which were to be wrought before his fellow-countrymen for the
purpose of convincing them that Moses was Jehovah's accredited
ambassador. That there is a deep meaning to these three signs, and
that they were designed to teach important lessons both to Moses, to
Israel, and to us, goes without saying. At the beginning of Israel's
history it was God's method to teach more by signs and symbols, than
by formal and explicit instruction. The fact, too, that these three
signs are the first recorded in Scripture denotes that they are of
prime importance and worthy of our most careful study.
"And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said,
A rod. And He said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the
ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And
the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the
tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in
his hands: That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers.
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob hath
appeared unto thee" (Ex. 4:2-5). The first of these signs was the
turning of the rod into a serpent, and that back again into a rod. But
three verses are devoted to the description of this wonder, but
marvelously full are they in their spiritual suggestiveness and hidden
riches. We purpose to study this miracle from seven different angles,
considering in turn: its practical lessons, its doctrinal meaning, its
evidential value, its evangelical message, its historical
significance, its dispensational forecast, and its typical purport.
May the Lord give us eyes to see and ears to hear.
(1) There can be no doubt that the first design of God in connection
with this sign was to teach Moses himself a practical lesson. What
this was it is not difficult to discover. The sign had to do with the
rod in his hand. This rod or staff (as the Hebrew word is sometimes
translated) was his support. It was that which gave him aid as he
walked, it was that on which he leaned when weary, it was a means of
defense in times of danger. Now in the light of Psalm 23:4 we learn
that, spiritually considered, the "rod" speaks of the upholding,
strengthening, protecting grace of God. Here, then, is the first
lesson the Lord would teach His servant: while Moses continued
dependent (supporting himself) on God, all would be well; but let him
cast his "rod" to the ground, that is, let him renounce God's grace,
let him cast away his confidence in Jehovah, let him attempt to stand
alone, and he would at once find himself helpless before that old
Serpent, the Devil. Here, then, we say, was the great practical lesson
for Moses, and for us: the secret of overcoming Satan lies in Leaning
in simple dependency and conscious weakness on our "staff", i.e., the
power of God!
(2) But this first sign was also designed to teach Moses, and us, a
great doctrinal lesson, a doctrine which as the priority of this sign
suggests is one of fundamental importance. Nor are we left to guess at
what this may be. Just as the twenty-third Psalm enables us to
interpret its practical meaning, so the second Psalm supplies the key
to its doctrinal significance. In Psalm 2:9 (cf. Rev. 2:27) we learn
that during the Millennium the Lord Jesus will rule the nations with a
rod of iron. The "rod", then, speaks of governmental power. But what
is signified by the "casting down" of the rod to the ground? Surely it
speaks of God delegating governmental power to the rulers of earth.
And what has been the uniform history of man's use of this delegated
power? The answer is, Exactly what the "serpent" suggests: it has been
employed in the service of Satan! Thus it proved with Adam, when his
Maker gave him "dominion" over all things terrestrial. Thus it proved
with the nation of Israel after they became the conquerors of Canaan.
So, too, with Nebuchadnezzar, after earthly sovereignty was
transferred from Jerusalem to Babylon. And so it has continued all
through the Times of the Gentiles. But it is blessed to note that the
"serpent" no more succeeded in getting away from Moses than the rod
had slipped out of his hand. Moses--as God's representative before
Israel--took the "serpent" by the tail (the time for its head to be
"bruised" had not yet come) and it was transformed into a "rod" in his
hand again. This tells us that Satan is no `free agent' in the popular
acceptation of that term, but is completely under God's control, to be
used by Him in fulfillment of His inscrutable counsels as He sees fit.
Thus would Jehovah assure His servant at the outset that the enemy who
would rage against him was unable to withstand him!
(3) This sign was to be wrought by Moses before the Hebrews as a proof
that God had called and endowed him to be their deliverer. The
evidential value of this wonder is easily perceived. To see the rod of
Moses become a serpent before their eyes would at once evidence that
he was endowed with supernatural power. To take that serpent by the
tail and transform it again to a rod, would prove that Moses had not
performed this miracle by the help of Satan. Moses was to show that he
was able to deal with the serpent at his pleasure, making the rod a
serpent, and the serpent a rod as he saw fit. Thus in performing a
wonder that altogether transcended the skill of man, and a wonder that
plainly was not wrought by the aid of the Devil, he demonstrated that
he was commissioned and empowered by God.
(4) This sign which Moses wrought be-fore the children of Israel also
carried an evangelical message, though perhaps this is more difficult
to discern than the other meanings it possessed. The rod cast to the
ground became a "serpent", and we are told "Moses fled from before
it". Clearly this speaks of the helplessness of man to cope with
Satan. The sinner is completely under the Devil's power, "taken
captive by him at his will" (2 Tim. 2:26). Such was the condition of
Israel at this time. They were subject to a bondage far worse and more
serious than any that the Egyptians could impose upon them, and what
is more, they were as unable to free themselves from the one as from
the other. Nothing but Divine power could emancipate them, and this is
just what this sign was fitted to teach them. Moreover, this power was
placed in the hands of a mediator--Moses, the one who stood between
Israel and God. He, and he only, was qualified to deliver from the
serpent. His power over the serpent was manifested by taking it by the
tail and reducing it to nothing--it disappeared when it became a rod
again. Beautifully does this speak to us of the Lord Jesus, the One
Mediator between God and men, of whom Moses was a type. In Him is your
only hope, dear reader; He alone can deliver you from the power of
that old Serpent, the Devil.
(5) Let us consider next the historical significance of this wonder.
The "sign" itself consisted of three things: a rod held in the hand of
Moses (God's representative), the rod thrown down to the ground and
becoming a serpent, the serpent transformed into a rod again. These
three things accurately symbolized the early history of Israel. From
the Call of Abraham to the going down of his descendants into Egypt,
Israel had been held (miraculously supported) in the hand of God,
until, in the person of Joseph, they had attained to the position of
rule over Egypt. But then a king arose who "knew not Joseph", and the
Hebrews were then "cast down to the ground"--humiliated by severe and
cruel bondage, until at the time of Moses it seemed as though they
were completely at the mercy of Satan. But the time for deliverance
had now drawn nigh, and the Lord assures them by means of this "sign"
that they should remain in the place of oppression no longer, but
would be delivered. And not only so, the last part of the sign gave
promise that they should be raised to the place of rulership again.
This was realized when they reached the promised land and subjugated
the Canaanites. Thus the sign prefigured the three great stages in the
early history of Israel.
(6) But this sign also provided a dispensational forecast. Not only
did it accurately prefigure the early history of Israel, but it also
anticipated in a most striking way the whole of their future history.
The rod held in the hand contemplated them in the position of
authority in Canaan. This portion Judah (the ruling Tribe) retained
till Shiloh came. But following their rejection of Christ the "rod"
was cast down to the ground, and for nineteen centuries Israel have
been the prey and sport of the Serpent. But not forever are they to
continue thus. The time is coming when Israel shall be raised out of
the dust of degradation and, in the hand of a greater than Moses,
shall be made the head of the nations (Deut. 28:13). Thus did this
marvelous sign prefignre both the past and the future fortunes of the
Chosen Nation.
(7) Deeper still lies the typical purport of this sign. We believe
that its ultimate reference was to Christ Himself, and that the great
mysteries of the Divine Incarnation and Atonement were foreshadowed.
In Psalm 110:2 the Lord Jesus is called the Rod of God: "The Lord
shall send the Rod (it is the same Hebrew word as here in Exodus 4) of
Thy strength out of Zion: rule Thou in the midst of Thine enemies".
The reference in Psalm 110 is to the second advent of Christ when His
governmental authority and power shall be fully displayed. But when He
was on earth the first time, it was in weakness and humiliation, and
to this the casting-down of the "rod" on the ground points. But, it
will be objected, surely there is no possible sense in which the Rod
became a "serpent"! Yes there was, and none other than the Lord Jesus
is our authority for such a statement. The "serpent" is inseparably
connected with the Curse (Gen. 3), and on the Cross Christ was "made a
curse" for His people (Gal. 3:10-13). Said He to Nicodemus, "As Moses
lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man
be lifted up" (John 3:14). But blessed be God that is all past: the
Lord Jesus (the Rod) is now exalted to God's right hand, and soon will
He take to Himself His power and reign over the earth. Marvelously
full then was the meaning of this first sign. Equally striking was the
second, though we cannot now treat of it at the same length.
"And the Lord said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy
bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out,
behold, his hand was leprous as snow. And he said, Put thine hand into
thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked
it out of his bosom, and behold, it was turned again as his other
flesh. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee,
neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe
the voice of the latter sign" (vv. 6-8). The significance of this
second sign is not difficult to discern. "Leprosy" is the well-known
emblem of sin--its loathsomeness, its contiguousness, the terrible
rapidity with which it spreads, its insidious nature (commencing with
a seemingly harmless spot), and its incurability so far as the wisdom
of man is concerned, all witness to the accuracy of the figure.
Leviticus 53 and 14 are the two chapters of the Bible where leprosy is
treated of at greatest length. Here in the passage before us we read
that Moses put his hand into his bosom--the abode of the heart--and
when he drew it forth, behold, it was leprous. In response to God's
command he replaced his hand in his bosom, and on plucking it thence
the leprosy had disappeared. This second "sign" also admits of various
applications.
(1) The sign of the leprous hand was, no doubt, designed first for the
instruction of Moses. It was intended to teach him the marvelous power
of his Lord: that he should be thus smitten instantaneously with
leprosy, that it should be confined to his hand, and that it should be
cured immediately, without the use of means, was an astounding wonder.
It manifested the perfect ease with which God could suddenly inflict
such a disease and as quickly cure it: and this evidenced how simple a
matter it was for Him to deliver His people out of the hand of the
Egyptians.
(2) The "hand" speaks of energy: it is the instrument for work. Moses
was God's instrument for doing a wonderful work in Egypt. But the Lord
here shows him that the flesh is set aside; it is not the energy of
the natural man which is the mainspring of action in God's service.
How can it be, when the flesh is corrupt and under God's curse?--here
symbolized by the hand becoming leprous. By nature, man's "hand" is
unfit to be used by God. But Divine grace interposes in cleansing
power, and that which is weak becomes strong; yet in such a way that
what, under God, is now accomplished by that band is manifestly
because of the Lord's power.
(3) But the principal effect which this sign was calculated to have on
Moses himself was a humbling one. Lest he become puffed up by the
power of the rod, he is forcibly reminded of the sink of iniquity, the
corrupt heart, within him. Therefore whatever Jehovah was pleased to
accomplish by him must be attributed alone to sovereign grace.
(4) Moses is also to be viewed here as the representative of the
Hebrews, for he was one of them, and what was here enacted before his
eyes, vividly portrayed the condition of his people. In themselves
they differed nothing from the Egyptians. They too were defiled and
needed cleansing. No mere outward reformation would avail, for the
seat of the trouble lay within their bosoms. Strikingly accurate were
the details of this sign. It was not the hand which affected the
heart, but the heart which affected the hand! How this disposes of an
error which has been popular in every age. How often we hear it said
that such an one may be weak and wayward, but he has a good heart. Not
so: "Out of the heart", said the One who alone knew it, "proceed evil
thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness,
blasphemies". So too, cleansing must begin with the heart--here
signified by the leprous hand being thrust into the bosom before the
loathsome disease was removed. And how is this brought about? By the
power of God. True, from the Divine side; but what of the human? The
answer is at once to hand. The leprous heart symbolizes sin hidden,
the leprous hand, sin exposed (F. W. G.) It was the hand plucked out
of the bosom which made manifest what was within! And it is precisely
this which God demands from the sinner. What is so hateful to Him and
so fatal to us, is for the sinner to deny his ruined and lost
condition. As long as man seeks to conceal the iniquity within, as
long as he disguises himself and pretends to be other than a guilty,
undone sinner, there is no hope for him. Seeking to hide their shame
was one of the first acts of Adam and Eve after their fall. All the
false religions of human devising have the same object in view. But to
come out into the light, to own our lost condition, to confess our
sins, is the first essential (from the human side) in salvation. This
is evangelical repentance.
(5) Once more we are shown a solemn foreshadowing of that which was
vital and central in the great work of Redemption. Moses here
prefigures the great Deliverer of God's people. First, Moses is seen
as whole, then as leprous, then whole again. Precisely such is the
view which Scripture gives us of the Savior. Ineffably holy in
Himself: He had no sin (Heb. 4:15), did no sin (1 Pet. 2:22), knew no
sin (2 Cor. 5:21). But in infinite grace He took our place--all praise
to His peerless name--and "was made sin for us" (2 Cor. 5:21). "He
bare our sins in His own body on the tree" (1 Pet. 2:24). Because of
this He was, at that time, in the sight of God what the leper
was--defiled, unclean; not inherently so, but by imputation. The
leper's place was outside the Camp (Lev. 13:46), away from where God
dwelt. And on the Cross Christ was separated for three terrible hours
from the holy God. But after the awful penalty of sin had been endured
and the work of atonement was finished, the Forsaken One is seen again
in communion with God--"Father into Thy hands I commit My spirit"
evidences that. And it was as "the Holy One" (Ps. 16:10) He was laid
in the sepulcher. Thus, after Moses thrust his leprous hand into his
bosom, he drew it forth again perfectly whole--every trace of
defilement gone. In their foreshadowings of Christ, then, the first
sign intimated that the great Deliverer would "destroy the works of
the Devil" (1 John 3:8), while the second signified that He would
"take away our sins" (1 John 3:5).
"And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two
signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the
water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which
thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land" (v.
9). Upon this verse Dr. Urquhart has some helpful comments: "The Nile
was Egypt's life. Its waters, in the annual inundation, pouring over
its banks and spreading the fertilizing mud over the ground, prepared
the way for the harvest. But the sign shows that God could turn that
blessing into a fearful scourge. Instead of life he might make the
river bring forth death: instead of fruitfulness, corruption. The
unusual form (in the Heb.) `shall be and shall be', conveys the strong
and solemn assurance that this means of blessing shall certainly be
turned into a vehicle of judgment--a threatening which was afterwards
fulfilled in the first two plagues."
"And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two
signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the
water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which
thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land" (v.
9). This third "sign" is unspeakably solemn. Its position in the
series supplies the key to its interpretation. This third sign was to
be wrought only if the testimony of the first two was refused. It
therefore tells of the consequences of refusing to believe what the
other signs so plainly bore witness to. If man rejects the testimony
of God's Word that he is under the dominion of Satan and is depraved
by nature, and refuses the One who alone can deliver from the one and
cleanse from the other, nothing but Divine judgment awaits him. The
water turned into blood speaks of life giving place to death. It
anticipates "the second death", that eternal death, "The Lake of
Fire", which awaits every Christ rejector. Be warned then, unsaved
reader, and flee to Christ for refuge ere the storm of Divine wrath
overtakes thee. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be
saved".
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
7. Lessons In Service
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 4
Our present lesson deals with the concluding stage of the Lord's
interview with Moses, and of the deliverer starting forth on his
mighty errand. It is important to note that Moses was the first man
that was ever formally called of God to engage in His service, and
like the first notice of anything in Scripture this hints at all that
is fundamental in connection with the subject. First, we are shown
that no training of the natural man is of any avail in the work of
God. Neither the wisdom of Egypt, in which Moses was thoroughly
skilled, nor the solitude of the desert, had fitted Moses for
spiritual activities. Forty years had been spent in Egypt's court, and
another forty years in Midian's sheepfolds; yet, when the Lord
appeared to him, Moses was full of unbelief and self-will. How this
shows that the quietude of monastic life is as impotent to destroy the
enmity of the carnal mind as is the culture of high society or the
instruction of the schools. It is true that Moses had been much
sobered by his lengthy sojourn at "the backside of the desert", but in
faith, in courage, in the spirit of obedience, he was greatly
deficient--grace, not nature, must supply these.
In the second place, we are shown how the Lord prepared His servant.
God dealt personally and directly with the one He was going to honor
as His ambassador: there was a manifestation of His holiness, the
avowal of His covenant-relationship, an assurance of His compassion
for the suffering Hebrews, and the declaration of His self-sufficiency
as the great "I am"; in short, there was a full revelation of His
person and character. In addition, Moses received a definite call from
Jehovah, the guarantee that God would be with him, an intimation of
the difficulties that lay before him, and the promise that, in the
end, God's purpose should be realized. These have ever been, and still
are, the vital prerequisites for effectiveness in God's service. There
must be a personal knowledge of God for ourselves: a knowledge
obtained by direct revelation of God to the soul. There must be a
definite call from God to warrant us engaging in His service. There
must be a recognition of the difficulties confronting us and a
confident resting on God's promise for ultimate success.
In the third place, the Lord endowed His servant for the work before
him. This endowment was the bestowal upon him of power to work three
miracles. The first two of these were designed to teach important
lessons to God's servant: he was shown the secret of overcoming Satan,
and he was reminded of the corruption of his own heart--things of
vital moment for every servant to understand. Moreover, these miracles
or signs bad a voice for the Hebrews: they showed them their need of
being delivered from the dominion of the Devil and the pollution of
sin--things which every servant must continue pressing on those to
whom he ministers. The third miracle or sign spoke of the judgment
awaiting those who received not God's testimonies--another thing which
the faithful servant must not shun to declare.
In the fourth place, we are made acquainted with the response which
Moses made to God's call. Here again we have something more than what
is local and transient. The difficulties felt by Moses and the
objections which he raised are those which have, in principle and
essence, been felt and raised by all of God's servants at some time or
other--the perfect Servant alone excepted. If they have not been
expressed by lip, they have had a place in the heart. The first three
objections of Moses we have noticed in previous papers: they may be
summed up as: self-occupation (3:11), fear (3:13), unbelief (4:1). The
fourth, which savored of pride, will now engage our attention.
"And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither
heretofore, nor since Thou hast spoken unto Thy servant: but I am slow
of speech, and of a slow tongue" (4:10). How many of the Lord's
servants (and others who ought to be engaged in His service) regard
this as a fatal defect. They suppose that the gift of oratory is a
prime pre-requisite for effective ministry. Those who are being
"trained for the ministry" must, forsooth, have a course in rhetoric
and elocution: as though men dead in sins can be quickened by the
enticing words of men's wisdom; as though carnal weapons could have a
place in spiritual warfare. Sad it is that such elementary matters are
so little understood in this twentieth century. Have we forgotten
those words of the apostle Paul, "And I, brethren, when I came to you,
came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you
the testimony of God" (1 Cor. 2:1)!
"And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh
the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I the Lord?"
(v. 11). This was manifestly a rebuke. Even though he was not
"eloquent", did Moses suppose that the Lord knew not what He was about
in selecting him to act as His mouthpiece in Pharaoh's court? God was
only demonstrating once more how radically different are His ways from
man's. The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God (1 Cor. 3:19),
and that which is highly esteemed among men, is abomination in His
sight (Luke 16:15). The instrument through whom God did the most for
Israel, and the one He used in bringing the greatest blessing to the
Gentiles, was each unqualified when judged by the standards of human
scholarship!--see 2 Corinthians 10:1 and 11:6 for the apostle Paul as
a speaker.
"And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh
the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I the Lord?".
It seems evident from this that, in the previous verse, Moses was
referring to some impediment in his speech. In reply, the Lord tells
him that He was responsible for that. The force of what Jehovah said
here seems to be this: As all the physical senses, and the perfection
of them, are from the Creator, so are the imperfections of them
according to His sovereign pleasure. Behind the law of heredity is the
Law-giver, regulating it as He deems best.
"Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what
thou shalt say" (v. 12). What a re-assuring word was this ! Better
far, infinitely better, is the teaching of the Lord and His control of
the tongue than any gift of "eloquence" or any of the artificialities
of speech which human training can bestow. It is Just these
substitutes of human art which has degraded too many of our pulpits
from places where should be heard the simple exposition of God's Word
into stages on which men display their oratorical abilities. Little
room for wonder that God's blessing has long since departed from the
vast majority of our pulpits when we stop to examine the "training"
which the men who occupy them have received. All the schooling in the
world is of no avail whatever unless the Lord is "with the mouth" of
the preacher, teaching him what he shall say; and if the Lord is with
him, then, "eloquence and rhetorical devices are needless and useless.
Note it is "what" the preacher has to say, not how he says it, which
matters most. God has used the simple language of unlettered Bunyan
far more than He has the polished writings of thousands of University
graduates!
"And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray Thee, by the hand of him whom
Thou wilt send" (v. 13). That is, Send any one, but not me! Moses was
still unwilling to act as the Lord's ambassador, in fact he now asked
God to select another in his place. How fearful are the lengths to
which the desperately-wicked heart of man may go! Not only
distrustful, but rebellious. The faithfulness of Moses in recording
his own sins, and the "anger" of the Lord against him, is a striking
proof of the Divine veracity of the Scriptures: an uninspired writer
would have omitted such serious reflections upon himself as these.
"And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray Thee, by the hand of him whom
Thou wilt send. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses,
and He said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can
speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when
he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto
him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and
with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. And he shall be
thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to
thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God. And
thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs"
(vv. 13-17). "Although there was nothing gained in the way of power,
although there was no more virtue or efficacy in one mouth than in
another, although it was Moses after all who was to speak unto Aaron,
yet was Moses quite ready to go when assured of the presence and
co-operation of a poor feeble mortal like himself; whereas he could
not go when assured, again and again, that Jehovah would be with him.
"Oh! my reader, does not all this hold up before us a faithful mirror
in which you and I can see our hearts reflected? Truly it does. We are
more ready to trust anything than the living God. We move along with
bold decision when we possess the countenance and support of a poor
frail mortal like ourselves; but we falter, hesitate, and demur when
we have the light of the Master's countenance to cheer us, and the
strength of His omnipotent arm to support us. This should humble us
deeply before the Lord, and lead us to seek a fuller acquaintance with
Him, so that we might trust Him with a more unmixed confidence, and
walk on with a firmer step, as having Him alone for our resource and
portion" (C.H.M.).
Though God's anger was kindled against Moses, His wrath was tempered
by mercy. To strengthen his weak faith, the Lord grants him still
another sign that He would give him success. As Moses returned to
Egypt he would find Aaron coming forth to meet him. What an
illustration is this that when God works, He works at both ends of the
line! The eunuch and Philip, Saul and Ananias, Cornelius and Peter
supply us with further illustrations of the same principle.
"And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said
unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which
are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to
Moses, Go in peace" (v. 18). This act of Moses was very commendable.
Jethro had taken him in while a fugitive from Egypt, had given him his
daughter to wife, and had provided him with a home for forty years.
Moreover, Moses had charge of his flock (3:1). It would, then, have
been grossly discourteous and the height of ingratitude had Moses gone
down to Egypt without first notifying his father-in-law. This request
of Moses manifested his thoughtfulness of others, and his appreciation
of favors received. Let writer and reader take this to heart.
Spiritual activities never absolve us from the common amenities and
responsibilities of life. No believer who is not a gentleman or a lady
is a true Christian in the full sense of the word. To be a Christian
is to practice Christliness, and Christ ever thought of others.
"And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father in law, and said
unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which
are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive". We are sorry that we
cannot speak so favorably of Moses' words on this occasion. His
utterance here was quite Jacob-like. Moses says nothing about the
Lord's appearing to him, of the communication he had received, nor of
the positive assurance from God that He would bring His people out of
Egypt into Canaan. Evidently Moses was yet far from being convinced.
This is clear from the next verse: "And the Lord said unto Moses in
Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought
thy life". The Lord repeated His command, and at the same time
graciously removed the fears of His servant that he was venturing
himself into that very peril from which he had fled forty years
before. How long-suffering and compassionate is our God!
"And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and
he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his
hand . . . and it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the Lord
met him, and sought to kill him" (vv. 20, 24). At last Moses starts
out on his epoch-making mission. In obedience to God's command he goes
forth rod in hand, and accompanied by his wife and his sons, returns
to the land of Egypt. But one other thing needed to be attended to, an
important matter long neglected, before he is ready to act as God's
ambassador. Jehovah was about to fulfill His covenant engagement to
Abraham, but the sign of that covenant was circumcision, and this the
son of Moses had not received, apparently because of the objections of
the mother. Such an ignoring of the Divine requirements could not be
passed by, and Moses is forcibly reminded anew of the holiness of the
One with whom he had to do.
"And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the Lord met him, and
sought to kill him. Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the
foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a
bloody husband art thou to me. So He let him go: then she said, A
bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision" (vv. 24-26).
Whether it was the Lord Himself in theophanic manifestation who now
appeared to Moses, or whether it was an angel of the Lord with sword
in hand, as he later stood before Balaam, we are not told. Nor do we
know in what way the Lord sought to kill Moses. It seems clear that he
was stricken down and rendered helpless, for his wife was the one who
performed the act of circumcision on their son. This is all the more
striking because the inference seems inescapable that Zipporah was the
one who had resisted the ordinance of God--only thus can we explain
her words to Moses, and only thus can we account for Moses here
sending her back to her father (cf. 18:2). Nevertheless, it was Moses,
the head of the house (the one God ever holds primarily responsible
for the training and conduct of the children), and not Zipporah, whom
the Lord sought to kill. This points a most solemn warning to
Christian fathers today. A man may be united to a woman who opposes
him at every step as he desires to maintain a scriptural discipline in
his home, but this does not absolve him from doing his duty.
Let us also observe how the above incident teaches us another most
important lesson in connection with service. Before God suffered Moses
to go and minister to Israel, He first required him to set his own
house in order. Not until this had been attended to was Moses
qualified for his mission. There must be faithfulness in the sphere of
his own responsibility before God would make him the channel of Divine
power. As another has said, "Obedience at home must precede the
display of power to the world". That this same principle obtains
during the Christian dispensation is clear from Timothy 3, where we
are told that among the various qualifications of a "bishop" (elder)
is that he must be "one that ruleth his own house well, having his
children in subjection with all gravity" (v. 14). As a general rule
God refuses to use in public ministry one who is lax and lawless in
his own home.
"And the Lord said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And
he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kissed him. And Moses
told Aaron all the words of the Lord who had sent him, and all the
signs which He had commanded him" (vv. 27, 28). This is another
example of how when God works, He works at both ends of the line:
Moses was advancing toward Egypt, Aaron is sent to meet him. By
comparing this verse with what is said in verse 14 it seems clear that
the Lord had ordered Aaron to go into the wilderness before Moses
actually started out for Egypt, for there we find Him saying to Moses,
"Behold, he (Aaron) cometh forth to meet thee". What an encouragement
was this for Moses. Oft times the Lord in His tenderness gives such
encouragements to His servants, especially in their earlier days; thus
did He to Eliezer (Gen. 24:14, 18, 19) to Joseph (Gen. 37:7, 8); to
the disciples (Mark 14:13); to Paul (Acts 9:11, 12); to Peter (Acts
10:17).
It is a point of interest and importance to note the meeting-place of
these brothers: it was "in the mount of God". There it was that
Jehovah had first appeared to Moses (3:1), and from it Moses and Aaron
now set forth on their momentous errand. The "mount" speaks, of
course, of elevation, elevation of spirit through communion with the
Most High. An essential prerequisite is this for all effective
ministry. It is only as the servant has been in "the mount with God
that he is ready to go forth and represent Him in the plains! Again
and again was this illustrated in the life of the perfect Servant.
Turn to the four Gospels, and note how frequently we are told there of
Christ retiring to "the mount', from which He came forth later to
minister to the needy. This is indeed a lesson which every servant
needs to learn. I must first commune with God, before I am fitted to
work for Him. Note this order in Mark 3:14 in connection with the
apostles: He ordained twelve that they should be with Him, and that He
might send them forth to preach"!
"And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the
children of Israel: And Aaron spake all the words which the Lord had
spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. And
the people believed: and when they heard that the Lord had visited the
children of Israel, and that He had looked upon their affliction, then
they bowed their heads and worshipped" (vv. 29-31). The "elders" are
always to be viewed as the representatives of the people: they were
the heads of the tribes and of the leading families. Unto them Aaron
recited all that Jehovah had said unto Moses, and Moses performed the
two signs. The result was precisely as God had fore-announced (3:18).
Moses had said, "They will not believe me" (4:1); the Lord had
declared they would, and so it came to pass. They believed that Moses
was sent of God, and that he would be their deliverer. Believing this,
they bowed their heads and worshipped, adoring the goodness of God,
and expressing their thankfulness for the notice which He took of them
in their distress.
In the favorable response which Moses received from the elders of
Israel we may discern once more the tender mercy and grace of the
Lord. At a later stage, the leaders came before Moses and Aaron
complaining they had made the lot of the people worse rather than
better. But here, on their first entrance into Egypt, the Lord
inclined the hearts of the people to believe. Thus He did not put too
great a strain upon their faith at first, nor lay upon them a burden
greater than what they were able to bear. It is usually thus in the
Lord's dealings with His servants. The real trials are kept back until
we have become accustomed to the yoke. We heartily commend this fourth
chapter of Exodus to every minister of God, for it abounds in
important lessons which each servant of His needs to take to heart.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
8. Moses and Aaron Before Pharaoh
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 5
"And afterward Moses and Aaron went In, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith
the Lord God of Israel, Let My people go, that they may hold a feast
unto Me in the wilderness" (5:1). Let us endeavor to place ourselves
in the position occupied by these two ambassadors of the Lord. Moses
and Aaron were now required to confront Pharaoh in person. His temper
toward their race was well known, his heartless cruelty had been
frequently displayed; it was, therefore, no small trial of their faith
and courage to beard the lion in his den. The character of the message
they were to deliver to him was not calculated to pacify. They were to
tell him in peremptory language that the Lord God required him to let
that people whom he held in slavery go, and hold a feast unto Jehovah
in the wilderness. Moreover, the Lard had already told His servants
that He would harden Pharaoh's heart so that he would not let the
people go. Notwithstanding these discouraging features, Moses and
Aaron "went in and told Pharaoh". A striking example was this of God's
power to overcome the opposition of the flesh, to impart grace to the
trembling heart, and to demonstrate that our strength is made perfect
in weakness.
"And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith
the Lord God of Israel, Let My people go, that they may hold a feast
unto Me in the wilderness". Careful attention should be paid to the
terms of this request or demand upon Pharaoh. Jehovah had already
promised Moses that he and his people should worship God on Mount
Sinai (3:12), and that was much more than a three days' journey from
Egypt--compare 12:37; 14:2; 15:22 and 19:1; yea, He had declared that
He would bring them "unto Canaan" (3:8). Why, then, did not Moses tell
Pharaoh plainly that he must relinquish all claim on the Hebrews, and
give permission for them to leave his land for good? Mr. Urquhart has
ably answered this difficult question:
"God is entering upon a controversy with Pharaoh and with Egypt. He is
about to judge them; and, in order that they may be judged, they must
first be revealed to themselves and to all men. Had they been asked to
suffer the Israelites to depart from Egypt, so large a demand might
have seemed to others, and certainly would have appeared to the
Egyptians themselves, as so unreasonable as to justify their refusal.
A request is made, therefore, against which no charge of the kind can
be brought. A three days' journey into the wilderness need not have
taken the Israelites much beyond the Egyptian frontier. It was also
perfectly reasonable, even to heathen notions, that they should be
permitted to worship their God after the accepted manner. The heart of
Pharaoh and of his people was, therefore, revealed in their scornful
refusal of a perfectly reasonable request. In this way they committed
themselves to what was manifestly unjust; and in proceeding against
them God was consequently justified even in their own eyes. Conscience
was stirred. Egypt knew itself to be in the wrong; and a pathway was
made there for return to the living God--the God of the
conscience--for all who desired to be at peace with Him whom they had
offended.
"Has God ever judged a people whom He has not first dealt with in that
very way? National judgments have been preceded by some outstanding
transgression in which the heart of the nation has been manifested.
Carlyle traces the fearful blow which fell upon the clergy and the
aristocracy in the French Revolution to the massacre of St.
Bartholomew. France had sought to crush the Reformation as Egypt had
sought to crush Israel. Spain dug the grave for her greatness and her
fame in the establishment of her Inquisition, and in her relentless
wars against a people who desired to remove from the Church what were
glaring, and largely confessed scandals.
"But we have to go farther to find the full explanation of that
request. The demand was indeed limited. It was seemingly a small
matter that was asked for. But what was asked for set forth and
inscribed in flaming characters Israel's mission. This conflict was to
be waged on ground chosen by the Almighty. The battle was not one
merely for Israel's deliverance from bitter bondage. It was not fought
and won solely that Israel might be able to go forth and possess the
land promised to her fathers. The one purpose, to which every other
was subsidiary and contributory, was that Israel should dwell in God's
Tabernacle. She was redeemed to be His people. Her one mission was and
is to serve Jehovah. No other demand would have adequately stated the
claim that God was now making and urging in the face of humanity. No
other could have so set forth God's claim as against the claim of
Pharaoh. Pharaoh said: `The people is mine; I will not let them go.'
God said: `The people is Mine; thou must let them go; they have been
created and chosen that they may serve Me'. The conflict was being
waged over the destiny of a race, its place in history and in the
service of humanity. Was Israel to be slave, or priest? Egypt's beast
of burden, or the anointed of Jehovah? That was the question; and was
it possible that God could have done other than put that question,
written large and clear, in the forefront of this great controversy?
"And let me add that the demand was prophetic. Israel is in this
matter also the type of God's people. When Christianity began its
conflict with the Roman Empire, what was the one question over which
the great debate proceeded? We all know now what God intended. The
nations were to abandon their idols so that their very names, as the
household words of the peoples, were to perish. But no demand was made
by the Christian Church that the temples should be closed, and that
the heathen priesthoods should be abolished. One thing only was asked,
and that apparently one of the slightest. It was freedom to worship
the living God--the very demand made for Israel in Egypt. Over that
the battle raged for centuries. The triumph came when that was won. It
was not for any claim the Christians made to direct the worship of the
Roman Empire: it was not for their rights as citizens: it was for
liberty to worship God in accordance with His demand. That claim kept
them, and when the triumph came it consecrated them, as the people of
God" (The Bible: Its Structure and Purpose: Vol. IV).
"And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith
the Lord God of Israel, Let My people go, that they may hold a feast
unto Me in the wilderness". So far as Pharaoh was concerned, this was
God addressing his responsibility, giving him opportunity for
obedience, speaking to him in grace. Not yet does He launch His
judgments on the haughty king and his subjects. Before He dealt in
wrath, He acted in mercy. This is ever His way. He sent forth Noah as
a preacher of righteousness and Enoch as a herald of the coming storm,
before the Flood descended upon the antediluvians. He sent forth one
prophet after another unto Israel, before He banished them into
captivity. And later, He sent forth His own Son, followed by the
apostles, before His army destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70. So it is
with the world today. God is now dealing in grace and long-sufferance,
sending forth His servants far and wide, bidding men flee from the
wrath to come. But this Day of Salvation is rapidly drawing to a
close, and once the Lord rises from His place at God's right hand, the
door of mercy will be shut, and the storm of God's righteous anger
will burst.
"And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to
let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go"(v.
2). Here then was Pharaoh's response to the overtures of God's grace.
Unacquainted with God for himself, he defiantly refuses to bow to His
mandate. The character of Egypt's king stood fully revealed: "I know
not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go". Precisely such is the
reply made (if not in word, plainly expressed by their attitude) by
many of those who hear God's authoritative fiat, "Repent! Believe!",
through His servants today. First and foremost the Gospel is not an
invitation, but a declaration of what God demands from the
sinner--"God now commandeth all men everywhere to repent" (Acts
17:30); "And this is His commandment, that we should believe on the
name of His Son, Jesus Christ" (1 John 3:3). But the response of the
unbelieving and rebellious heart of the natural man is "Who is the
Lord that I should obey His voice?". Thus speaks the pride of the man
who hardens his neck against the Blessed God. "I know Him not" said
Pharaoh, and "I know Him not" expresses the heart of the sinner today;
and what makes it so dreadful is, he desires not to correct this
ignorance. For these two things God will yet take vengeance when
Christ returns. He will be revealed "in flaming fire taking vengeance
on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord
Jesus Christ" (2 Thess. 1:8).
"And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we
pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the
Lord our God; lest He fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword"
(v. 3). By comparing these words of Moses with his first utterance to
Pharaoh a number of interesting and important points will be seen the
more clearly. First, the demand of Jehovah was, "Let My people go,
that they may hold a feast unto Me in the wilderness" (v. 1). This
speaks from the Divine side. The request of Moses was, "Let us go, we
pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the
Lord our God". This speaks from the human side. The one tells of what
God's heart sought, the other of what man's sin needed. The "feast"
points to rejoicing, the "sacrifice" to what makes rejoicing possible.
In the second place, observe the ground upon which Moses here bases
the Hebrews' need of a "sacrifice"--"lest He fall upon us with
pestilence, or with the sword". It is impossible to evade the plain
implication of this language. Israel were confessedly guilty, and
therefore deserving of punishment, and the only way of escape was
through an atonement being made for them. God must be placated: blood
must be shed: the Divine justice must be propitiated. Only thus could
God be reconciled to them. Finally, observe a "three days' journey"
was necessary before the Hebrews could sacrifice to Jehovah.
Profoundly significant is this in its typical suggestiveness. "Three
days" speaks of the interval between death and resurrection. It is
only on resurrection-ground, as made alive from the dead, that we can
hold a feast unto the Lord!
"And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and
Aaron, let (hinder) the people from their works? get you unto your
burdens. And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are
many, and ye make them rest from their burdens" (vv. 4, 5). It seems
clear from this that Pharaoh had already heard of the conference which
Moses and Aaron had held with the "elders" of Israel, and knew of the
signs which had been wrought before them. These had created, no doubt,
a considerable stir among the rank and the of the Hebrews, and instead
of going about their regular drudgery they had, apparently, expected
the Lord to act on their behalf without delay. This, we take it, is
what Pharaoh had in mind when he charged Moses and Aaron with
hindering the people from their work. When he added "Get you unto your
burdens" he referred to the whole of the people, the representatives
of whom had accompanied God's two servants into the king's presence
(cf. 3:18).
"And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and
their officers, saying, Ye shall no more give the people straw to make
brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves. And
the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay
upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle;
therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God. Let
there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labor therein; and
let them not regard vain words" (vv. 6-9). This is ever the effect of
rejecting God's testimony. To resist the light means increased
darkness: to turn from the truth is to become more thoroughly than
ever under the power of him who is the arch-liar. The same sun which
melts the wax hardens the clay. Instead of allowing the Hebrews to go
and sacrifice to Jehovah, Pharaoh orders that their lot shall be made
harder. So it is with the sinner who disobeys the Gospel command. The
one who refuses to repent becomes more impenitent, more defiant, more
lawless, until (with rare exceptions) the Lord abandons him to his own
ways and leaves him to suffer the due reward of his iniquities.
The unbelief of Pharaoh comes out plainly here: "Let there more work
be laid upon the men, that they may labor therein; and let them not
regard vain words". Where God Himself is unknown His words are but
idle tales. To talk of sacrificing unto Him is meaningless to the man
of the world. Such are the Holy Scriptures to the sinner today. The
Bible tells man that he is a fallen creature, unprepared to die, unfit
for the presence of a holy God. The Bible tells him of the wondrous
provision of God's grace, and presents a Savior all-sufficient for his
acceptance The Bible warns him faithfully of the solemn issues at
stake, and asks him how he shall escape if he neglects so great
salvation. The Bible tells him plainly that he that believeth not
shall be damned, and that whosoever's name is not found written in the
book of life shall be cast into the Lake of Fire. But these solemn
verities are but "vain words" to the skeptical heart of the natural
man. He refuses to receive them as a message from the living God
addressed to his own soul. But let him beware. Let him be warned by
the awful case of Pharaoh. If he continues in his unbelief and
obstinacy, Pharaoh's fate shall be his--God will surely bring him into
judgment.
"And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and
they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give
you straw. Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not ought of
your work shall be diminished. So the people were scattered abroad
throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.
And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfill your works, and your
daily tasks, as when there was straw. And the officers of the children
of Israel which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten,
and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making
brick both yesterday and today, as heretofore?" (vv. 10-14). The
severe measures which Pharaoh ordered to be taken upon the Hebrews
illustrate the malignant efforts of Satan against the soul that God's
grace is dealing with. When the Devil recognizes the first advances of
the Holy Spirit toward a poor sinner he at once puts forth every
effort to retain his victims. At no place is the frightful malevolence
of the Fiend more plainly to be seen than here. No pains are spared by
him to hinder the deliverance of his slaves. Satan never gives up his
prey without a fierce struggle. When a soul is convicted of sin, and
brought to long after liberty and peace with God, the Devil will
endeavor, just as Pharaoh did with the Israelites, by increased
occupation with material things, to expel all such desires from his
heart.
A solemn example of what we have in mind is recorded in Luke 9:42:
"And as he was yet a coming, the demon threw him down, and tare him".
This obsessed youth was coming to Christ, and while on the way,
Satan's emissary sought to rend him to pieces. So long as a person has
no desire after Christ the Devil will leave him alone, but once a soul
is awakened to his need of a Savior and begins to seriously seek Him,
Satan will put forth every effort to hinder him. This is why so many
convicted souls find that their case gets worse before It is bettered.
So it was here with the Hebrews. Just as hope was awakened, the
opposition against them became stronger: just when deliverance seemed
nigh, their oppression was increased.
"Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto
Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? There
is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make bricks:
and, behold, thy servants are beaten; but the fault is in thine own
people" (vv. 15, 16). How true to human nature is this! Instead of
crying unto the Lord these leaders of the Israelites turned unto
Pharaoh for relief. Doubtless they hoped to appeal to his pity or to
his sense of justice. Surely they could show him that his demands were
unreasonable and impossible of fulfillment. Alas, the natural man ever
prefers to lean upon an arm of flesh than be supported by Him who is
invisible. Just so is it with the convicted sinner: he turns for help
to the evangelist, his pastor, his Sunday School teacher, his parents,
any one rather than the Lord Himself. God is generally our last
resource! Deeply humbling is this! And amazing is the grace which
bears with such waywardness. Grace not only has to begin the work of
salvation, it also has to continue and complete it. It is all of grace
from first to last.
"But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go
and do sacrifice to the Lord. Go therefore now, and work; for there
shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks"
(vv. 17, 18). Little good did it do Israel's "officers" in appealing
to Pharaoh. He, like the master of the poor sinner, was absolutely
pitiless and inflexible. Probably these officers supposed that the
brutal "taskmasters" had acted without the king's knowledge. If so,
they were quickly disillusioned. Instead of expressing indignation at
the taskmasters, and relieving the officers of the people, Pharaoh
insulted them, charging them with sloth and duplicity, arguing that it
was not so much the honor of God they regarded, as that they might
escape from their work. So, too, the awakened sinner accomplishes
little good by turning to human counselors for relief. When the
prodigal son began to be in want he went and joined himself to a
citizen of the far country, but being sent into the fields to feed
swine was all he got for his pains (Luke 15:15). The poor woman
mentioned in the Gospels "suffered many things of many physicians",
and though she spent all that she had, she was "nothing bettered, but
rather grew worse" (Mark 5:26). O unsaved reader, if a work of grace
has already begun in your heart so that you realize your wretchedness
and long for that peace and rest which this poor world is unable to
give, fix it firmly in your mind that One only can give you what you
seek. Allow no priest--either Roman Catholic or Protestant--to come in
between you and Christ. Cease ye from man, and "seek ye the Lord while
He may be found".
"And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in
evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish ought from your
bricks of your daily task. And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in
the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: And they said unto them, The
Lord look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savor to be
abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of His servants, to
put a sword in their hand to slay us" (vv. 19-21). Poor Moses! His
troubles now were only commencing. He had been prepared for the rebuff
which he had himself received from Pharaoh, for the Lord had said
plainly that He would harden the king's heart. But, so far as the
inspired record informs us, nothing had been told him that he would
meet with discouragement and opposition from his own brethren. A real
testing was this for God's servant, for it is far more trying to be
criticized by our own brethren, by those whom we are anxious to help,
than it is to be persecuted by the world. But sufficient for the
servant to be as his master. The Lord Himself was hated by his own
brethren according to the flesh, and the very ones to whom He had
ministered in ceaseless grace unanimously cried "Crucify Him".
"And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Lord, wherefore hast Thou
so evil entreated this people? why is it that Thou hast sent me? For
since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Thy name, he hath done evil to
this people; neither hast Thou delivered Thy people at all" (vv. 22,
23). Moses did well in turning to the Lord in the hour of trial, but
it was most unseemly and irreverent of him to speak in the way that he
did--alas that we, in our petulant unbelief, are so often guilty of
asking similar questions. It is not for the servant to take it upon
him to dictate to his master, far less is it for a worm of the earth
to dispute with the Almighty. These things are recorded faithfully for
"our admonition". There was no need for Jehovah to hurry. His delay in
delivering Israel and His permitting them to endure still greater
afflictions accomplished many ends. It furnished fuller opportunity
for Pharaoh to manifest the desperate wickedness of the human heart.
It gave occasion for the Lord to demonstrate how that He "bears with
much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction". It
served to show more clearly how righteous God was in visiting Pharaoh
and his subjects with sore judgment. And, too, Israel needed to be
humbled: they also were a stiff-necked people, as is clear from the
words of their leaders to Moses and Aaron on this occasion. Moreover,
the more they were afflicted the more would they appreciate the Lord's
deliverance when His time came. Let, then, the writer and reader take
this to heart: the Lord always has a good reason for each of His
delays. Therefore, let us recognize the folly, yea, the wickedness of
murmuring at His seeming tardiness. Let us daily seek grace to "Rest
in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him".
We may add that what has been before us supplies a striking picture of
that which awaits Israel in a coming day. The grievous afflictions
which came upon the Hebrews in Egypt just before the Lord emancipated
them from their hard and cruel bondage, did but foreshadow the awful
experiences through which their descendants shall pass during the
"time of Jacob's trouble", just prior to the coming of the Deliverer
to Zion. Pharaoh's conduct as described in our chapter--his defiance
of Jehovah, his rejection of the testimony of God's two witnesses, his
cruel treatment of the children of Israel--accurately typifies the
course which will be followed by the Man of Sin. Thus may we discern
once more how that these pages of Old Testament history are also
prophetic in their forecastings of coming events. May it please the
Lord to open our eyes so that we may perceive both the application to
ourselves and those who are to follow us.
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
9. Jehovah's Covenant
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 6
Our previous chapter closed with Moses turning unto the Lord in most
unbecoming petulancy and daring to call into question the Divine
dispensations. The Lord's servant had been severely tried: he had gone
in unto Pharaoh and demanded him to let the Hebrews go so that they
might sacrifice unto their God. But not only had the haughty king
refused this most reasonable request, he had also given orders that
his slaves should have additional burdens laid upon them. The officers
of the children of Israel had interviewed Pharaoh, but had been mocked
for their pains. They then sought out Moses and Aaron and called down
a curse upon them, for this we take it is the force of their words,
"The Lord look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savor to
be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh" (5:21). Moses then "returned unto
the Lord" and poured out his heart before Him. The reference seems to
be to the fact that he had committed his way unto the Lord before he
had interviewed the king, and now after his seeming failure, he turns
again to the throne of grace.
The discouragements which Moses had met with were more than flesh
could stand, and he asks Jehovah, "Wherefore hast Thou so evil
entreated this people? and why is it that Thou hast sent me?", ending
by saying "For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Thy name, he hath
done evil to this people; neither hast Thou delivered Thy people at
all." Moses was right in tracing the afflictions which had come upon
the Hebrews to God Himself, for all things are "of Him and through
Him" (Rom. 11:36) ; but He certainly did wrong in questioning the
Almighty and in murmuring against the outworking of His counsels. But
it is written, "He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are
dust", and again, "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger,
and plenteous in mercy" (Ps. 103:14, 8). Fully was that manifested on
this occasion. Instead of chastising His servant, the Lord encouraged
him; instead of setting him aside, He renewed his commission; instead
of slaying him. He revealed Himself in all His grace.
"Then the Lord said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to
Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a
strong hand shall he drive them out of his land" (v. 1). The Lord made
no answer to Moses' impatient queries but re-affirmed His immutable
purpose. The defiant Pharaoh might insist I will not let Israel go
(5:2), but the Most High declared that he should, nay, that he would
even drive them out of his land. There was no need for Moses to be
alarmed or even discouraged: the counsel of God would stand, and He
would do all His pleasure (Isa. 46:50). This is a sure resting-place
for the heart of every servant, and for every Christian too. No matter
how much the Enemy may roar and rage against us, he is quite unable to
thwart the Almighty -- "There is no wisdom, nor understanding, nor
counsel against the Lord" (Prov. 25:30). This is the high ground that
the Lord first took in encouraging the drooping heart of His
despondent servant. Said He, `With a strong hand shall he (Pharaoh)
let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of the
land". There were no "ifs" or "perhaps" about it. The event was
absolutely certain, and therefore invincibly necessary, because Deity
had eternally decreed it. Similar is the assurance God gives His
servants today: "So shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth.
It shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I
please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it"
(Isa. 55:11).
It is also to be noted that in strengthening the heart of His servant
the Lord pointed Moses forward to the goal--"Now shalt thou see what I
will do to Pharaoh". There was much that was to happen in between, but
the Lord passes over all that would intervene, and speaks of the last
act in the great drama which was just opening. He bids Moses consider
the successful outcome, when the great enemy of His people should be
vanquished. There is much for us to learn in this. We defeat ourselves
by being occupied with the difficulties of the way. God has made known
to us the triumphant outcome of good over evil, and instead of being
harassed by the fiery darts which the Evil One now hurls against us,
we ought to rest on the assuring promise that "the God of peace shall
bruise Satan under your feet shortly" (Rom. 16:20).
"And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the Lord: And I
appeared unto Abraham, and unto Isaac, and unto Jacob by the name of
God Almighty, but by My name JEHOVAH was I not known to them" (vv. 2,
3). These verses have been a sore puzzle to many Bible students.
`Jehovah" is the very name which is translated `the Lord" scores of
times In Genesis. Abraham knew "the name" of Jehovah, for we read that
he "called on the name of the Lord" (Gen. 13:4). Of Isaac, too, we
read, "And he built an altar there, and called upon the name of the
Lord" (Gen. 26:25). And of Jacob we read of him praying, "O God of my
father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto
me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well
with thee, I am not worthy of the least of all Thy mercies", etc.
(Gen. 32:9, 10). It is, therefore, clear that the patriarchs were
acquainted with God's name of Jehovah. What, then, did the Almighty
mean when He said here to Moses, "by My name JEHOVAH was I not known
to them"? It is clear that this is one of many scriptures which cannot
be interpreted absolutely, but must be understood relatively. We
believe that the key to the difficulty is supplied by what follows,
where the Lord says, `I have also established My covenant with them".
The Divine-titles are a most important subject of study for they are
inseparably connected with a sound interpretation of the Scriptures.
Elohim and Jehovah are not employed loosely on the pages of Holy Writ.
Each has a definite significance, and the distinction is carefully
preserved. Elohim (God) is the name which speaks of the Creator and
Governor of His creatures. Jehovah (the Lord) is His title as
connected with His people by covenant relationship. It is this which
explains the verses now before us. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were
acquainted with the Jehovistic title, but they had no experimental
acquaintance with all that it stood for. God has entered into a
"covenant" with them, but, as Hebrews 11:13 tells us, "These all died
in faith, not having received the promises". But now the time had
drawn nigh when the Lord was about to fulfill His covenant engagement
and Israel would witness the faithfulness, the power, and the
deliverance which His covenant-name implied. God was about to manifest
Himself as the faithful performer of His word, and as such the
descendants of the patriarchs would know Him in a way their fathers
had not.
"And I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the
land of Canaan, the land of your pilgrimage, wherein they were
strangers" (v. 4). Here then was the next encouragement which the Lord
set before His fearful servant. He reminds him how that He had
established His covenant with the patriarchs, to whom He had pledged
Himself to give them the land of Canaan. How impossible was it, then,
that the Egyptians should continue to hold them as slaves. How foolish
and how wicked Moses' unbelieving fears. If Jehovah had established a
covenant it must be fulfilled, for that covenant was an unconditional
one. A similar ground of assurance have we to stay our hearts upon in
the midst of the trials of this scene. Says our God, "Incline your
ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make
an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David",
i.e. "the Beloved" (Isa. 55:3)--note how the apostle Paul quotes from
this very verse in his sermon at Antioch (Acts 13:34). There are those
who say that the saints of this dispensation are not related to God by
covenant bonds, but this is a mistake. They are, as Hebrews 13:20
makes abundantly clear, for there we read of "the blood of the
everlasting covenant". Before time began the Father entered into a
covenant with our glorious Head, (cf. Titus 1:2) and that covenant was
sealed by blood. And just as the covenant God made with Abraham
guaranteed "an heritage" (Ex. 6:8), so the covenant which the Father
made with the Son (cf. Hebrews 7:22) has an inheritance connected with
it, even an inheritance which is "incorruptible and undefiled, and
that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven" for us (1 Pet. 1:4). May our
faith so lay hold upon it that even now we shall live in the enjoyment
of it.
"And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom
the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered My covenant" (v.
5). Additional comfort was this for God's servant. Moses had told the
Lord how that since he had spoken to Pharaoh he had done evil to the
Hebrews (5:23). The Lord needed not to be told this. He was neither
oblivious nor indifferent to their sufferings. He had heard the
"groaning of the children of Israel". And, fellow-Christian, thou who
art tried beyond endurance, the Lord has heard thy groanings; every
tear has been recorded in His book (Ps. 56:8); and what is more, He
sympathizes with thee, and is touched with the feeling of thine
infirmities (Heb. 4:15). Though there may be much of unfathomable
mystery as to why God permits our "groanings", nevertheless, here is
much cause for comfort--God "hears them"!
"Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and (1) I
will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and (2) I
will rid you out of their bondage, and (3) 1 will redeem you with a
stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And (4) I will take you
to Me for a people, and (5) I will be to you a God: and ye shall know
that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the
burdens of the Egyptians. And (6) I will bring you in unto the land,
concerning the which I did sware to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and
to Jacob; and (7) I will give it you for an heritage: I am the Lord"
(vv. 6-8). Observe that these verses commence with the word
"Therefore" which looks back to the closing words of the previous
verse: "I have remembered My covenant". The contents of these verses,
thee, grow out of the covenant which the Lord made with Abraham, and
confirmed to Isaac and Jacob. It will be noted that in them the Lord
makes seven promises, prefacing them with the declaration "I will".
In Genesis 17 we find recorded another seven "I will's" of Jehovah:
"And (1) I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and (2) 1 will make
nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And (3) I will
establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in
their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee,
and to thy seed after thee. And (4) 1 will give unto thee, and to thy
seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of
Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and (5) 1 will be their God . .
. and (6) I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting
covenant, and with his seed after him. But My covenant (7) I will
establish with Isaac" (vv. 6, 7, 8, 19, 21). With these passages
should be compared the "new covenant" recorded in Jeremiah 31:33, 34.
Here, too, we find seven promises from the Lord: "After those days,
saith the Lord, (1) I will put My law in their inward parts, and (2)
write it in their hearts; and (3) will be their God, and (4) they
shall be My people. And (5) they shall teach no more every man his
neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they
shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them,
saith the Lord: and (6) I will forgive their iniquity, and (7) I will
remember their sin no more". Let us now consider, though briefly, each
of the seven promises which God here made to Moses:
(1) "I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
This speaks of God's gracious purpose. His people were groaning
beneath the intolerable demands made by their cruel taskmasters. For
many weary years they had toiled under a load which was becoming more
and more unendurable. Was there then no eye to pity, no hand to
deliver? There was. The covenant God of their fathers had promised
that at the end of four hundred years' affliction they should be
emancipated (see Genesis 15:13-16). And now the time had come for God
to make good His word. He declares, therefore, that He will bring them
out from under their burdens. So, too, this is what God does for each
of His elect today. The first thing of which we are conscious in the
application of salvation to our souls is deliverance from the burdens
of our lost condition, of conscious guilt, of our unpreparedness to
die.
(2) "And I will rid you out of their bondage". As another has said,
"This was something far more than mere relief from their burdens: it
was a complete severance from their previous condition. A slave may be
sold to a kind master, and his burden removed, but he would remain a
slave still; and Israel's burdens might have been removed, and they
still remain captives in Egypt. But this was not God's way. He would
rid them clean out of the land of bondage. Instead of them toiling in
the kilns of Egypt, He would have them out in the wilderness, in
communion with Himself. This is still God's way. The one who receives
Christ as his Savior is delivered from the bondage of sin, of Satan,
of the fear of death".
(3) "I will redeem you". To redeem means to purchase and set free.
Evangelical redemption is by price and by power. The price is the
shedding of atoning blood: the power, the putting forth of an
all-mighty hand. It was thus God would deliver Israel. First the
slaying of the paschal lamb and then the display of Divine omnipotence
at the Red Sea. Thus it is with the Christian: we have been redeemed,
not with corruptible things as silver and gold, but with the precious
blood of the Lamb (1 Pet. 1:18, 19) ; we are not our own, but "bought
with a price" (1 Cor. 6:20). Almighty power was put forth at our
regeneration, for we read of "the exceeding greatness of His power to
us-ward who believe" (Eph. 1:19).
(4) "And I will take you to Me for a people". For Israel this meant
that henceforth they, as a nation, would occupy an unique relationship
to God: they would be His peculiar treasure, the objects of His
special care and favor. Marvelous indeed was it that the great Jehovah
should own as His a down-trodden nation of slaves. But He did! And on
what ground? The ground of redemption. He had redeemed them unto
Himself. The same blessed truth is set forth on the pages of the New
Testament. We, too, belong to God as His peculiar people. Utterly
unfit and unworthy in ourselves, yet precious in the sight of God for
Christ's sake--"Accepted in the Beloved".
(5) "And I will be to you a God". How fully was this exemplified in
the sequel! Who but God could have made a way through the Sea so that
His redeemed passed over dry shod; and who but He could have caused
that Sea to turn back and drown the hosts of the Egyptians? Who but
God could have guided His people through that trackless desert by a
pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night? Who but God
could have quenched their thirst from a rock, and fed a hungry
multitude for forty years in a wilderness? Truly He was a "God" unto
Israel. And such is His promise to us: "I will be their God, and they
shall be My people" (2 Cor. 6:16). And daily does every believer
receive a performance of this promise. None but God could preserve to
the end a people so ignorant, so weak, so fickle, so sinful, as each
of us is.
(6) "I will bring you in unto the land". Not only did the Lord bring
His people out of the land of bondage, but He also brought them into
the land which He had sworn to give unto Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It
is true that many, many individuals fell in the wilderness, but
nevertheless, the nation of Israel God brought into Canaan. They were
not consumed by the Amalekites (Ex. 17). Sihon, king of the Amorites,
and Og king of Bashan, might "gather all his people together" and go
out against Israel (Num. 21), and Balak might hire Balaam to curse the
people of God, but the Lord speedily brought to naught their efforts.
God did bring Israel into the promised land. And He will bring each of
us, His blood-bought ones, safely to Heaven. The world, the flesh, and
the Devil may array themselves against us, but not a single sheep of
Christ shall perish.
(7) "And I will give it you for an heritage". This was the goal toward
which God was working. All was done in order that they might enjoy
that which He had promised to their fathers. Not yet has this been
completely fulfilled. It is in the Millennium that Israel shall enter
fully into their covenanted portion. In like manner, the full
enjoyment of our heritage is future. Already we have "the earnest of
our inheritance" (Eph. 1:14); soon shall we have the portion itself.
And note this is a gift. It is not by works of merit, but solely by
sovereign grace.
"Note how these seven `I will's' are enclosed in a framework of Divine
assurance. They are prefaced and summed up with the words, `I am
Jehovah'. As if God would fix their eyes on Himself as the Almighty
One, before He utters a single `I will'; and then, at the close of the
unfolding of His wondrous purposes, He would still keep their eye on
the fact that it is He, the Almighty, who speaks. Every doubt and
difficulty would vanish if faith but grasped the fact that it is `I
am' who has pledged His word. Faith remembers with calm and unruffled
peace, in spite of circumstances, that `With God all things are
possible'" (Dr. Brookes).
"And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel; but they hearkened
not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage" (v. 9).
How this exposes the heart of the unregenerate! The condition of the
poor sinner is vividly portrayed in these earlier chapters of Exodus.
First, groaning in bondage; second, ignorant of that grace which God
had in store for them; and now unable to value the precious promises
of Jehovah. While we are in bondage to sin and Satan, even the
promises of God fail to bring us any relief. Relief never comes until
the shed blood of the "lamb" is applied ! It was so with Israel; it is
equally true with men today.
"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king
of Egypt. that he let the children of Israel go out of his land" (vv.
10, 11). Moses was not to be afraid of the haughty monarch, but must
interview him again, and speak plainly and boldly, not in a
supplicatory, but in an authoritative way, in the name of the King of
kings. This was before the Lord proceeded to punish Pharaoh for his
disobedience, that His judgments might appear more manifestly just and
right.
"And Moses spake before the Lord, saying. Behold, the children of
Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who
am of uncircumcised lips?" (v. 12). Why did Moses refer again to the
impediment in his speech? Was it because that he thought the Lord
ought to have removed it, and because he was dissatisfied at having
Aaron to act as his mouthpiece?
"And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron and gave them a charge
unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring
the children of Israel Out of the land of Egypt" (v. 13). The Lord
having previously answered this same objection of Moses (4:10-12)
makes no further reply to it now, but instead, gives him a charge unto
his own people-to comfort and direct them how they should conduct
themselves in the interval before God's deliverance arrived--and unto
Pharaoh.
From verses 14-37 we have a list of genealogies brought in here to
show us the ancestors of God's ambassadors, and also to demonstrate
the Lord's sovereign grace. Only those genealogies of the Hebrews are
here given which concern the offspring of the first three of Jacob's
sons. The sons of Reuben and of Simeon are named, but not from either
of them did God select the honored instrument of deliverance. The
order of grace is not the order of nature. It was from the tribe of
Levi which, along with Simeon, lay under a curse (Gen. 49:5-7) that
God called Moses and Aaron. And here too we may see grace exemplified
by giving Moses, the younger, the precedency over Aaron, the senior.
It should also be noted that Levi was the third son of Jacob--the
number which ever speaks of resurrection--that the deliverer came.
The last three verses of our chapter connect the narrative with verse
10. As another has said, "The objection of Moses in verse 30 is
evidently the same as in verse 12. And yet there is a reason for its
repetition. In chapters 3 and 4 Moses makes five difficulties in reply
to the Lord; here in the 6th, are two, making seven altogether. It was
therefore the complete exhibition of the weakness and unbelief of
Moses. How it magnifies the grace and goodness of the Lord; for in His
presence man is revealed; it also brings to light what He is in all
the perfections of His grace, love, mercy and truth" (E. Dennett).
_________________________________________________________________
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A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
10. A Hardened Heart
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 7
The seventh chapter begins the second literary division of the book of
Exodus. The first six chapters are concerned more particularly with
the person of the deliverer, the next six with an account of the work
of redemption. In the first section we have had a brief description of
the deadly persecution of Israel, then an account of Moses' birth and
his miraculous preservation by God, then his identifying of himself
with his people and his flight into Midian. Next, we have learned how
God met him, commanded him to go down into Egypt, overcame his fears,
and equipped him for his mission. Finally, we have noted how that he
delivered Jehovah's message to the Hebrews and then to Pharaoh, and
how that the king refused to heed the Divine demand, and how in
consequence the people were thoroughly discouraged by the increased
burdens laid upon them. Moses himself was deeply dejected, and chapter
6 closes with the Lord's servant bemoaning the seeming hopelessness of
his task. Thus the weakness of the instrument was fully manifested
that it might the better be seen that the power was of Jehovah alone,
and of Jehovah acting not in response to faith but in covenant
faithfulness and in sovereign grace.
From chapter 7 onwards there is a marked change: Moses is no more
timid, hesitant and discouraged. The omnipotence of the Lord is
displayed in every scene. The conflict from this point onwards was one
not of words but of deeds. The gauntlet had been thrown down, and now
it is open war between the Almighty and the Egyptians. It hardly needs
to be pointed out that what is before us in these early chapters of
Exodus is something more than a mere episode in ancient history,
something more than what was simply of local interest. A thrilling
drama is unfolded to our view, and though its movements are swift, yet
is there sufficient detail and repetition in principle for us to
discern clearly its great design. It spreads before us, in vivid
tableau, the great conflict between good and evil as far as this comes
within the range of human vision.
So far as Scripture informs us the Great Conflict is being fought Out
in this world, hence this historical drama, with its profound symbolic
moral meaning, was staged in the land of Egypt. The great mystery in
connection with the Conflict is forcibly shown us in the prosperity of
the wicked and the adversity of the righteous. The Egyptians held the
whip hand: the Hebrews groaned under unbearable oppression. The
leading characters in the tableau are Moses as the vicegerent of God,
and Pharaoh as the representative and emissary of Satan. The powerful
and haughty king takes fiendish delight in persecuting the Lord's
people, and openly defies the Almighty Himself. To outward sight the
issue seemed long in doubt. The kingdom of Pharaoh was shaken again
and again--as has the kingdom of Satan been during the course of the
ages, in such events as the Flood, the destruction of the Canaanites
the Advent of the Son of God, the day of Pentecost, the Reformation,
etc., etc.--but each fresh interposition of Jehovah's power and the
withdrawal of His judgments only issued in the hardening of Pharaoh's
heart. The prolongation of the Egyptian contest gave full opportunity
for the complete testing of human responsibility, the trying of the
saints' faith, and the manifestation of all the perfections and
attributes of Deity--apparently the three chief ends which the Creator
has in view in suffering the entrance and continuance of evil in His
domains. The great drama closes by showing the absolute triumph of
Jehovah. the completed redemption of His people, and the utter
overthrow of His and their enemies. Thus we have revealed to the eye
of faith the Glorious Consummation when God's elect--through the work
of the Mediator--shall be emancipated from all bondage, when every
high thing that exalteth itself against the Almighty shall be cast
down, and when God Himself shall be all in all. We shall now follow
step by step the various stages by which this end was reached.
"And the Lord said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh:
and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet" (7:1). This presents a
startling contrast from what was before us at the close of Exodus 6.
There we read of Moses' complaint before the Lord, "I am of
uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?". That was
a confession of feebleness, but it sprang from unbelief. Here we find
Jehovah acting according to His sovereign power and dealing in
wondrous grace with His poor servant.
"I have made thee a god to Pharaoh", that is, Jehovah had selected
Moses to act as His ambassador, had invested him with Divine
authority, and was about to use him to perform prodigies which were
contrary to the ordinary course of nature. But mark the qualification,
"I have made thee a god to Pharaoh". Acting in God's stead, Moses was
to rule over Egypt's proud king, commanding him what he should do,
controlling him when he did wrong, and punishing him for his
disobedience, so that Pharaoh had to apply to him for the removal of
the plagues.
"And Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet". If this be compared with
4:15, 16 we shall find a Divine definition of what constitutes a
prophet. There we find the Lord promising Moses concerning Aaron that
"thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be
with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall
do. And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be,
even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him
instead of God." God's prophet then is God's spokesman: he acts as
God's mouthpiece, the Lord putting into his lips the very words he
would utter. Thus Moses was a "god to Pharaoh" in this additional way,
in that he had one who acted as his prophet.
"Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall
speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his
land" (v. 2). This injunction was very definite. Moses was not free to
make a selection from Jehovah's words and communicate to Aaron those
which he deemed most advisable to say unto Pharaoh, but he was to
speak all that had been commanded him. A similar charge is laid upon
God's servant today: he is to "preach the Word" (2 Tim. 4:3) and to
"hold fast the form of sound words" (2 Tim. 1:13), and is warned that
"If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even
the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is
according to godliness; he is a fool, knowing nothing" (1 Tim. 6:3,
4). But alas! how few, how very few there are, who faithfully shun not
to declare "the whole counsel of God".
"And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply My signs and My
wonders in the land of Egypt" (v. 3). This verse brings before us one
of the most solemn truths revealed in the Holy Scriptures--the Divine
hardening of human hearts. At no point, perhaps, has the slowness of
man to believe all that the prophets have spoken been more lamentably
manifested than here. The hardening of Pharaoh's heart by God has been
eagerly seized by His enemies to make an attack upon the citadel of
truth. Infidels have argued that if Pharaoh's subsequent crimes were
the result of his heart being hardened by Jehovah, then that makes God
the author of his sins; and, furthermore, God must be very unrighteous
in punishing him for them. The sad thing is that so many of the
profess servants of God have, instead of faithfully maintaining the
integrity of God's Word, attempted to blunt its keen edge in order to
make it more acceptable to the carnal mind. Instead of acknowledging
with fear and trembling that God's Word does teach that the Lord
actually hardened the heart of Pharaoh, most of the commentators have
really argued that He did nothing of the kind, that He simply
permitted the Egyptian monarch to harden his own heart.
That Pharaoh did harden his own heart the Scriptures expressly affirm,
but they also declare that THE LORD hardened his heart too, and
clearly this is not one and the same thing, or the two different
`expressions would not have been employed. Our duty is to believe
both- statements, but to attempt to show the philosophy of their
reconciliation is probably, as another has said, "to attempt to fathom
infinity". In Psalm 105:25 it is said, "He turned their hearts to hate
His people, to deal subtlety with His servants". Nothing could be
stronger or plainer than this. Are we to deny it because we cannot
explain the way in which God did it? On the same ground we might
reject the doctrine of the Trinity. I may be asked how God could in
any sense harden a man's heart without Him being the Author of sin.
But the most assured belief of the fact does not require that an
answer should be given by me to this question. If God has not
explained the matter (and He has not), then it is not for us to feign
to be wise above what is written. I believe many things recorded in
Scripture not because I can explain their rationale, but because I
know that God cannot lie. Calvin was right when he represented those
as perverting the Scriptures who insist that no more is meant than a
bare permission when God is said to harden the hearts of men. Is it
nothing more than passive permission on His part when God softens
men's hearts? Is it not, rather, by His active agency? Let us remember
that it is no part of our business to vindicate God in justifying the
grounds of His procedure; our responsibility is to believe all that He
has revealed in His Word, on the sole ground of His written testimony.
Our business is to "preach the Word" in its purity, not to tone it
down or explain away its most objectionable portions in order to
render it acceptable to the depraved reason of worms of the dust. The
Lord will vindicate Himself in due time, silencing all His critics,
and glorifying Himself before His saints.
It should be pointed out that the case of Pharaoh and the Egyptians
does not by any means stand alone in the Holy Scriptures. In
Deuteronomy 2:30 Moses records the fact that "Sihon king of Heshbon
would not let us pass by him: for the Lord thy God hardened his
spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into
thy hand". The reference is to Numbers 21:21-23 where we read, "And
Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, Let me
pass through thy land: we will not turn into the fields, or into the
vineyards; we will not drink of the waters of the ground: but we will
go along by the king's highway, until we be passed thy borders. And
Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his borders". The verse
in Deuteronomy explains to us the reason of Sihon's obstinacy. Clearly
it was no mere judicial hardening, instead it was a solemn
illustration of what we read of in Romans 9:18, "whom He will He
hardens". So, too, in Joshua 11:19, 20 we are told "There was not a
city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the
inhabitants of Gibeon: all other they took in battle. For it was of
the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel
in battle, that He might destroy them utterly". Such solemn passages
as these are not to be reasoned about, but must be accepted in
childlike faith, knowing that the Judge of all the earth does nothing
but what is right.
"But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay My hand upon
Egypt, and bring forth Mine armies, and My people the children of
Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments, and the Egyptians
shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch forth Mine hand upon
Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them" (vv.
4,5). These verses supply us with one reason why the Lord hardened the
hearts of Pharaoh and the Egyptians: it was in order that He might
have full opportunity to display His mighty power. A dark background
it was indeed, but a dark background is required to bring out the
white light of Divine holiness. Similarly we find the Lord Jesus
saying, "It must needs be that offenses come, but woe to that man by
whom the offense cometh" (Matthew 18:7). What Jehovah's "great
judgments" were we shall see in the chapters that follow.
"And Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded them, so did they" (v.
6). Why are we told this here? We believe the answer is, To point a
contrast from what we find at the beginning of Exodus 5. In the
opening verse of that chapter we learn that Moses "went in, and told
Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let My people go". This
was the Lord's peremptory demand. Then we read of Pharaoh's scornful
refusal. Now note what follows: "And they said, The God of the Hebrews
hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into
the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God" It is plain that
Moses and Aaron changed the Lord's words. They toned down the
offensive message. Instead of occupying the high ground of God's
ambassadors and commanding Pharaoh, they descended to the servile
level of pleading with him and making a request of him. It is for this
reason, we believe, that in 7:1 we find Jehovah saying to Moses, "See
(that is, mark it well) I have made thee a god to Pharaoh": it is not
for you to go and beg from him, it is for you to demand and command.
And then the Lord added, "Thou shalt speak all that I command thee".
This time the Lord's servants obeyed to the letter, hence we are now
told that they "did as the Lord commanded them, so did they".
"And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and three
years old, when they spake unto Pharaoh" (v. 7). This reference to the
ages of Moses and Aaron seems to be brought in here in order to
magnify the power and grace of Jehovah. He was pleased to employ two
aged men as His instruments. No doubt the Holy Spirit would also
impress us with the lengthiness of Israel's afflictions, and the
long-sufferance of Jehovah before He dealt in judgment. For over
eighty years the Hebrews had been sorely oppressed.
"And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, When Pharaoh
shall speak unto you, saying, Show a miracle for you: then thou shalt
say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall
become a. serpent. And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they
did so as the Lord had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before
Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. Then
Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians
of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For
they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but
Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods" (vv. 8-12). The reason why
Pharaoh asked Moses and Aaron to perform a miracle was to test them
and prove whether or not the God of the Hebrews had really sent them.
The miracle or sign selected we have already considered at length in
Article 6. Its meaning and message in the present connection is not
easy to determine. From an evidential viewpoint it demonstrated that
Moses and Aaron were supernaturally endowed. Probably, too, the rod
becoming a serpent was designed to speak to the conscience of Pharaoh,
intimating that he and his people were under the dominion of Satan.
This seems to be borne out by the fact that nothing was here
said--either by the Lord when instructing Moses (v. 9), or in the
description of the miracle (vv. 10-12)--about the serpent being turned
into a rod again. It is also very significant that the second
sign--the restoring of the leprous hand--which accredited Moses before
the Israelites, was not performed before Pharaoh. The reason for this
is obvious: the people of God, not the men of the world, are the only
ones who have revealed to them the secret of deliverance from we
defilement of sin.
The response of Pharaoh to this miracle wrought by Moses and Aaron was
remarkable. The king summoned his wise men and the sorcerers--those
who were in league with the powers of evil--and they duplicated the
miracle. It is indeed sad to find almost all of the commentators
denying that a real miracle was performed by the Egyptian magicians.
Whatever philosophical or doctrinal difficulties may be involved, it
ill becomes us to yield to the rationalism of our day. The scriptural
account is very explicit and leaves no room for uncertainty. First,
the Holy Spirit has told us that the magicians of Egypt "also did in
like manner (as what Moses and Aaron had done) with their
enchantments." These words are not to be explained away, but are to be
received by simple faith. Second, it is added, "for they cast down
every man his rod, (not something else which they had substituted by
sleight of hand) and they (the rods) became serpents". If language has
any meaning then these words bar out the idea that the magicians threw
down serpents. They cast down their rods, and these became serpents.
Finally, we are told, "but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods", i.e.,
Aaron's rod, now turned into a serpent, swallowed up their rods, now
become serpents. That the Holy Spirit has worded it in this way is
evidently for the express purpose of forbidding us to conclude that
anything other than "rods" were cast to the ground.
If it should be asked, How was it possible for these Egyptian
sorcerers to perform this miracle? the answer must be, By the power of
the Devil. This subject is admittedly mysterious, and much too large a
one for us to enter into now at length. As remarked at the beginning
of this paper, what is before us here in these earlier chapters of
Exodus adumbrates the great conflict between good and evil. Pharaoh
acts throughout as the representative of Satan, and the fact that he
was able to summon magicians who could work such prodigies only serves
to illustrate and exemplify the mighty powers which the Devil has at
his disposal. It is both foolish and mischievous to underestimate the
strength of our great Enemy. The one that was permitted to transport
our Savior from the wilderness to the temple at Jerusalem, and the one
who was able to show Him "all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of
time" (Luke 4:5), would have no difficulty in empowering his
emissaries to transform their rods into serpents.
"They cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but
Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods" (v. 12).
This is very striking. The magicians appeared in the name of their
"gods" (cf. Exodus 12:12 and 18:11), but this miracle made it apparent
that the power of Moses was superior to their sorceries, and opposed
to them too. This "sign" foreshadowed the end of the great conflict
then beginning, as of every other wherein powers terrestrial and
infernal contend with the Almighty. "The symbols of their authority
have disappeared, and that of Jehovah's servants alone remained"
(Urquhart).
"And He hardened Pharaoh's heart (literally, Pharaoh's heart was
hardened) that he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said" (v.
13). Here again the commentators offend grievously. They insist,
almost one and all, that this verse signifies that Pharaoh hardened
his own heart, and that it was not until later, and because of
Pharaoh's obduracy, that the Lord "hardened" his heart. But this very
verse unequivocally repudiates their carnal reasonings. This verse
emphatically declares that Pharaoh's heart was hardened, that he
hearkened not unto them, as the Lord had said". Now let the previous
chapters be read through carefully and note what the Lord had said. He
had said nothing whatever about Pharaoh hardening his own heart! But
He had said, "I will harden his heart" (4:21), and again, "I will
harden his heart" (7:3). This settles the matter. God had expressly
declared that He would harden the king's heart, and now we read in
7:13 that "Pharaoh's heart was hardened (not, "was hard"), that he
harkened not unto them, AS the Lord had said". Man ever reverses the
order of God. The carnal mind says, Do good in order to be saved: God
says, You must be saved before you can do any good thing. The carnal
mind reasons that a man must believe in order to be born again; the
Scriptures teach that a man must first have spiritual life before he
can manifest the activities of that life. Those who follow the
theologians will conclude that God hardened Pharaoh's heart because
the king had first hardened his heart; but those who bow to the
authority of Holy Writ (and there are very few who really do so), will
acknowledge that Pharaoh hardened his heart because God had first
hardened it.
What is said here of Pharaoh affords a most solemn illustration of
what we read of in Proverbs 21:1: "The king's heart is in the hand of
the Lord, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He
will". The hardening of Pharaoh's heart is not one whit more appalling
than what we read of it Revelation 17:17: "For God hath put in their
hearts to fulfill His will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto
the Beast". Here we find ten kings in league with the Antichrist, the
Man of Sin, and that it is God Himself who puts it into their hearts
to give their kingdom unto him. Again we say that such things are not
to he philosophized about. Nor are we to call into question the
righteousness and holiness of God's ways. Scripture plainly tells us
that His ways are "past finding out" (Rom. 11:33). Let us then tremble
before Him, and if in marvelous grace He has softened our hearts let
us magnify His sovereign mercy unceasingly.
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
11. The Plagues Upon Egypt
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 7-11
For over eighty years, and probably much longer, the Egyptians had
oppressed the Hebrews, and patiently had God borne with their
persecution of His people. But the time had arrived when He was to
interpose on behalf of His "firstborn" (4:22) and take vengeance on
those who had reduced Israel to the most servile bondage. The Lord is
slow to anger and plenteous in mercy, but, "He will not always chide;
neither will He keep His anger forever" (Ps. 103:9). A succession of
terrible judgments therefore now descended upon Pharaoh and upon his
land, judgments which are known as "the Plagues of Egypt". They were
ten in number. First, the waters of the Nile were turned into blood
(7:14-25). Second, frogs covered the land and entered the homes of the
Egyptians (8:1-5). Third, lice was made to attack their persons
(8:16-19). Fourth, swarms of flies invaded the houses of the Egyptians
and covered the ground (8:20-24). Fifth, a grievous disease smote the
cattle (9:1-7). Sixth, boils and sores were sent on man and beast
(9:8-12). Seventh, thunder and hail were added to the terrors of these
Divine visitations (9:18-35). Eighth, locusts consumed all vegetation
(10:1-20). Ninth, thick darkness, which might be felt, overspread the
land for three days (10:21-29). Tenth, the firstborn of man and beast
were slain (11, 12). A frightful summary is found in Psalm 78: "He
cast upon them the fierceness of His anger, wrath, and indignation,
and tribulation, by sending evil angels among them. He made a way to
His anger; He spared not their soul from death, but gave their life
over to the pestilence, and smote all the firstborn in Egypt, the
chief of their strength in the tabernacle of Ham" (vv. 49-51 and cf.
Psalm 105:27-36).
That there is much for us to learn from the record of these judgments
cannot be doubted. That they set forth many important lessons of a
practical, typical, and prophetic nature, we are fully satisfied.
Their order, their arrangement, their number, their nature, their
purpose, their effects, each call for careful and separate study.
Little or no attempt has been made (so far as we are aware) to supply
a detailed interpretation of their significance, so that there is
small help to be oh-tamed from the commentaries. This must cast us
hack the more on the Lord Himself, who never fails a dependent soul
that turns to Him for aid. Let the little light which has been granted
the writer stir up the reader to earnestly seek, at the Throne of
Grace, more for himself. In this article we shall generalize; in the
next we shall enter more into detail.
The purpose of these plagues was manifold.
First, they gave a public manifestation of the mighty power of the
Lord God (see 9:16). This, the very magicians were made to
acknowledge--"then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger
of God" (8:19).
Second, they were a Divine visitation of wrath, a punishment of
Pharaoh and the Egyptians for their cruel treatment of the Hebrews.
This the haughty monarch was compelled to admit--"Then Pharaoh called
for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, I have sinned against the
Lord your God, and against you" (10:16).
Third, They were a judgment from God upon the gods (demons) of Egypt.
This is taught in Numbers 33:4--"For the Egyptians buried all their
firstborn which the Lord had smitten among them; upon their gods also
the Lord executed judgment s".
Fourth, they demonstrated that Jehovah was high above all gods. This
was confessed later by Jethro--"And Jethro said, Blessed he the Lord
who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of
the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand
of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods;
for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly He was above them."
Fifth, They furnished a complete testing of human responsibility. This
is indicated by their number, for one of the leading signification of
ten, is full responsibility--compare the tea Commandments, e.g.
Sixth, They were a solemn warning to other nations, that God would
curse those who curse the Israelites (Gen. 12:3). This was plainly
realized by Rahab of Jericho--"And she said unto the men, I know that
the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon
us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For
we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you
when ye came out of Egypt" etc. (Josh. 2:8,9). It was also felt by the
Philistines--"Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of
these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with
all the plagues in the wilderness" (1 Sam. 4:8).
Finally, these miraculous plagues were evidently designed as a series
of testings for Israel. This is taught in Deuteronomy 4:33, 34, where
Moses asked Israel, "Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking
out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live? or hath
God assayed to go and take Him a nation from the midst of another
nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a
mighty hand, and by stretched out arms, and by great terrors,
according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before
your eyes?" The outcome of these testings was expressed in the
following words--"who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the gods? who
is like Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing
wonders?" (Ex. 15:11)!
2. The arrangement of the plagues plainly manifests Divine order and
design. The tenth is separated from all the others because of its
special relation to Israel and their redemption. The other nine are
arranged in groups of three's. "They form three divisions, each
division consisting of three plagues. That these dividing lines are
drawn by the Scripture itself will be plain when we note one
remarkable feature. A warning precedes, in each instance, the first
and the second plagues; but with the third in each series no warning
is given. Thus Moses is commanded to meet Pharaoh before the waters of
Egypt are turned into blood. So again (8:1) when the frogs are to
cover the land, Moses is to go in unto Pharaoh and announce what God
is about to do. But when the dust is smitten and it becomes lice
throughout the land of Egypt there is no command to seek Pharaoh's
presence. So it is with the sixth plague, when the ashes of the
furnace are used, and it becomes boils upon man and beast; and so also
is it with the ninth plague, when the land was covered with darkness
as with the pall of death. In none of these three cases is there any
announcement to Pharaoh. It was a reminder that God would not always
strive; and that warning, repeated but unheeded, will be followed by
judgment sudden and terrible" (Urquhart). Murphy in his commentary on
the book of Exodus has also called attention to the fact that "in the
first three plagues, Aaron uses the rod; in the second and third, it
is not mentioned; in the third three, Moses uses it, though in the
last of them only his hand is mentioned. All these marks of order lie
on the face of the narrative, and point to a deep order of nature and
reason out of which they spring."
There is a striking Introversion to be observed in connection with the
plagues. Thus, in the first, the waters of the Nile were turned into
blood--the symbol of death; while in the tenth there was actual
blood-shedding, in the death of all the first-horn. In the second
plague, the frogs which are creatures of the night, that is, of
darkness, came forth; while in the ninth plague there was actual
darkness itself. In the third plague, the magicians were forced to
exclaim, This is the finger of God (8:19); while in the eighth (the
balancing number according to the Introversion) Pharaoh said, "I have
sinned against the Lord your God" (10:16). In the fourth plague we are
specifically informed that God exempted the land of Goshen--"no swarms
of flies shall be there" (8:22); so also in connection with the
seventh plague we read, "only in the land of Goshen, where the
children of Israel were, was there no hail". While that which was
common to both the fifth and the sixth plagues was the fact that in
each of them the cattle of the Egyptians were attacked (see 9:3 and
9:9). Thus we see again the Divine hand in the arrangement and order
of these different plagues.
3. The progressive nature of these plagues is easily perceived. There
was a marked gradation, a steady advance in the severity of the Divine
judgments. The first three interfered merely with the comfort of the
Egyptians: the first, depriving them of water to drink and to wash in;
the second, invading their homes with the frogs; the third, the lice
attacking their persons. In the second three the Lord's hand was laid
on their possessions; the first, the "flies" corrupting their land
(8:24); the second, destroying their cattle; and the third, attacking
their persons again, this time in the form of "boils" and "blains"
(sores). The last three brought desolation and death, more plainly
evidencing the direct hand of God; the hail destroyed both the herbage
and the cattle; the locusts consuming what vegetation was not ruined
by the hail; the darkness arresting all activity throughout the land
of Egypt. All of this served to illustrate a principle which is very
marked in all of the Divine dealings; as in nature, so in grace and
also in judgment, there is first the blade, then the ear, then the
full corn in the ear!
4. The moral significance of these plagues is very striking. They
furnish a most solemn and complete description of the world-system
(which Egypt accurately portrayed) in its dominant features. The water
turned into blood tells of how death broods over this scene. The
frogs, by their very inflation, suggest the pride and self-sufficiency
of the children of this world. The plague of lice speaks of the
uncleanness and filth which issue from the lusts of the flesh. The
swarms of flies announces how that the wicked are of their father the
Devil, i.e. "Beelzebub", which means "Lord of flies". The murnan
(anthrax) of cattle (beasts of burden)--tells us that the service of
the natural man is corrupted at its source. The boils and blains make
us think of that awful description of the unregenerate given through
the prophet Isaiah--"From the sole of the foot even unto the head
there is no soundness in it; but wounds and bruises, and putrefying
sores" (1:6). The hail (accompanied by fearful lightnings which ran
along the ground) symbolized that the wrath of God abideth on the
disobedient. The locusts which ate up all the vegetation, pictured the
spiritual barrenness of this world--a desolate waste so far as the
soul is concerned. The dense darkness shows how that the world is
alienated from Him who is Light. The death of all the firstborn
(representative of the family) foretells that Second Death which
awaits all whose hearts are hardened against God.
5. The plagues were designed to establish the faith of the Israelites.
For four hundred years they had dwelt in a land of idolatry, where
Jehovah was entirely unknown. Moreover, the priests of Egypt were able
to perform deeds which could not be explained apart from supernatural
agency. The Lord therefore was pleased to so manifest Himself now that
all impartial observers (whose minds were not blinded by Satan) must
recognize the existence and omnipotence of the true God, in
contradistinction from the impotency of the false gods of their
heathen neighbors. In the plagues, the presence and power of Jehovah
were demonstrated, so that He stood discovered to His people as the
Living God. This comes out the more clearly when it is recognized that
these displays of the Lord's power were so many judgments directed
against the false confidences and idolatrous objects of the Egyptians
(see 12:12). The sign which authenticated the mission of Moses to
Pharaoh furnished more than a hint--the "serpent" was an object of
worship among the Egyptians, and when Aaron's serpent-transformed rod
swallowed those of the magicians, a plain warning was given that their
god would be unable to save them from the forthcoming storm.
Others have described in detail the particular "gods" against which
the different plagues were directed, so that it is unnecessary for us
to say more than a few words upon this phase of our subject. The first
plague smote the Nile, an object regarded with profound veneration by
the Egyptians. Its waters were held as sacred as is the Ganges by the
Hindoos. A fearful blow then was it to their system of worship when
its waters were turned to blood and its dead fish made to stink. In
the second plague, the Nile was made to send forth myriads of frogs,
which invaded the homes of the Egyptians and became a nuisance and
torment to the people. In the third plague, lice were sent upon man
and beast, and, `if it be remembered", says Gleig, "that no one could
approach the altars of Egypt upon which so impure an Insect harbored;
and, that the priests to guard against the slightest risk of
contamination, wore only linen garments, and shaved their heads and
bodies every third day, the severity of this miracle as a judgment
upon Egyptian idolatry may be imagined. Whilst it lasted no act of
worship could be performed, and so keenly was this felt that the very
magicians explained, `this is the finger of God'".
The fourth plague was designed "to destroy the trust of the people in
Beelzebub, or the Fly-god, who was reverenced as their protector from
visitation of swarms of ravenous flies, which infested the land
generally about the time of the dog-days, and removed only as they
supposed at the will of their idol. The miracle now wrought by Moses
evinced the impotence of Beelzebub and caused the people to look
elsewhere for relief from the fearful visitation under which they were
suffering. The fifth plague, which consumed all the cattle, excepting
those of the Israelites, was aimed at the destruction of the entire
system of brute worship, This system, degrading and bestial as it was,
had become a monster of many heads in Egypt. They had their sacred
bull, and ram, and heifer, and goat, and many others, all of which
were destroyed by the agency of the God of Moses, thus, by one act of
power, Jehovah manifested His own supremacy and destroyed the very
existence of their brute idols" (Dr J. B. Walker). And so we might
continue.
6. The conduct of the magicians in connection with the plagues is
deserving of notice. It has already been intimated in a previous
article that we have no patience with those who would reduce the
miracles wrought by these men to mere slight-of-hand-deceptions. Not
only is there no hint whatever in the sacred narrative of any
deception practiced by them, not only does the inspired account
describe what they wrought in precisely the same terms as it refers to
the wonders performed by Moses and Aaron, but there are other
insuperable objections against the conjuring theory. It is therefore
deeply distressing to find men whose names command respect, pandering
to that rationalism which seeks to deny everything supernatural. Have
such men forgotten those words in Revelation 16:14--"they are the
spirits of demons working miracles"!
If Jehovah was to make a public display of Himself before the
Egyptians and the Israelites, it was necessary (in the fitness of
things) that He should suffer the sorcerers of Egypt to enter into
conflict against Himself. The magicians, appearing in the name of
their gods, were completely routed, for not only was it evidenced that
the power of God working through Moses was superior to their
sorceries, but it was also shown that He was hostile to them and their
idolatrous worship. Three times were the magicians allowed to display
their powers--in the changing of their rods to serpents (7:12) in
turning water into blood (7:22), and in bringing forth frogs (8:12).
Beyond this they did not go. The three things which they did do were
very significant; the first spoke of Satanic power, the second of
death, and the third of pride and uncleanness. Concerning the fourth
plague, we are told, "and the magicians did so with their enchantments
to bring forth lice, but they could not". (8:18). Here is further
proof that the wonders wrought by the magicians were no mere feats of
legerdemain. If they were really exhibiting slight-of-hand tricks it
would have been far simpler to substitute lice for dust, than it would
be to substitute serpents for nods! The fact that they could not
duplicate the miracle of the lice is proof positive that something
more than a conjuring performance is in view here.
If we bear in mind that these earlier chapters of Exodus bring before
us a symbolic tableau of the great conflict between good and evil, we
shall easily perceive the reason why the Lord permitted Pharaoh's
sorcerers to work these miracles. They serve to illustrate the
activities of Satan, and this, not only as describing the character of
his works, but also, as exposing both the methods he pursues and the
limits of his success. The Devil is ever an imitator, as the parable
of the tares following that of the wheat (Matthew 13) plainly shows.
The aim of Pharaoh was to nullify the miracles of Moses. The Lord's
servant had performed miracles--very well, the king would summon his
magicians and show that they could do likewise. This exemplifies an
unchanging principle in the workings of Satan. First, he seeks to
oppose with force (persecution, etc.), as he had the Hebrews by means
of their slavery. When lie is foiled here he resorts to subtler
methods, and employs his wiles to deceive. The one is the roaring of
the "lion" (1 Pet. 5:8); the other the cunning of the "serpent" (Gen.
3:1).
There is a striking verse in the New Testament which throws light on
the subject before us. In 2 Timothy 3:8, we read, "Now as Jannes and
Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth; men of
corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith." Here we learn the
names of two of the magicians (doubtless the principal ones) who
worked miracles in Egypt. Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses. They did
this not by having him turned out of the king's palace, not by causing
him to be imprisoned or slain, but by duplicating his works. And, says
the Holy Spirit, there are those now who similarly resist the servants
of God--"as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these (the ones
mentioned in vv. 5 and 6) also resist the truth". This is one of the
Divinely-delineated characteristics of the "perilous times". The
reference is to men (and women) supernaturally endowed by Satan to
work miracles. Such are found to-day, we believe, not only among
Spiritualists and Christian Scientists, hut also in some of the
leaders of the Faith-healing cults. There are men and women now posing
as evangelists of Christ who are attracting large crowds numbered by
the thousand. Their chief appeal is not the message they bear, but
their readiness to "anoint" and pray over the sick. They claim that
"Jesus" (they never own Him as "the Lord Jesus"), in response to their
faith, has through them removed paralysis, healed cancers, given sight
to the blind. When their claims are carefully investigated it is found
that most of the widely-advertised "cures" are impostures. But on the
other hand, there are some cases which are genuine healings, and which
cannot he explained apart from supernatural agency. So it was with the
miracles wrought by the magicians of Pharaoh; though limited by God
they did perform prodigies.
7. These plagues furnished a most striking prophetic forecast of God's
future judgments upon the world. This is. to us, one of the most
remarkable things connected with God's judgments upon Egypt. The
analogies furnished between those visitations of Divine wrath of old
and those which the Scriptures predict, and announce for the future,
are many and most minute. We here call attention only to a few of the
more striking ones; the diligent student may discover many more for
himself if he will take the necessary trouble:--
1. During the Time of Jacob's Trouble Israel shall again be sorely
oppressed and afflicted (Isa. 60:14 and Jeremiah 30:5-8).
2. They will cry unto God, and He will hear and answer (Jer.
31:58-20).
3. God will command their oppressors to, Let them go (Isa. 43:6).
4. God will send two witnesses to work miracles before their enemies
(Rev. 11:3-6).
5. Their enemies will also perform miracles (Rev. 13:13-15)
6. God will execute sore judgments upon the world (Jer. 25:15, 16).
7. God will protect His own people from them (Rev. 7:4; 12:6,14-16).
8. Water will again be turned into blood (Rev. 8:8; 16:4,5).
9. Satanic frogs will appear (Rev. 16:53).
10. A plague of locusts shall be sent (Rev. 9:2-Il).
11. God will send boils and blains (Rev. 16:2).
12. Terrible hail-stones shall descend from heaven (Rev. 8:7).
13. There shall be awful darkness (Isa. 60:2; Revelation 16:10).
14. Just as Pharaoh hardened his heart so will the wicked in the day
to come (Rev. 9:20,21).
15. Death will consume multitudes (Rev. 9:15).
16. Israel will be delivered (Zech. 14:3, 4; Romans 11:26).
Thus will history repeat itself, and then will it be fully
demonstrated that the plagues of Jehovah upon Egypt of old portended
the yet more awful judgments by which the earth shall be visited in a
day now very near at hand.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
12. The Plagues Upon Egypt (Continued)
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 7-11
In our last article we made a number of general observations upon the
judgments which the Lord God sent upon Pharaoh and his people. The
subject is admittedly a difficult one, and little light seems to have
been given on it. This should make us seek more fervently for help
from above, that our eyes may be opened to behold wondrous things in
this portion of the Word. We shall now offer a few remarks upon each
plague separately according to our present understanding of them.
1. The first plague is described in Exodus 7:14-25--let the reader
turn to the passage and ponder it carefully. This initial judgment
from the Lord consisted of the turning of the waters into blood.
Blood, of course, speaks of death, and death is the wages of sin. It
was, therefore, a most solemn warning from God to Egypt, a warning
which intimated plainly the doom that awaited those who defied the
Almighty. Similarly will God give warning at the beginning of the
Great Tribulation, for then shall the moon "become as blood" (Rev.
6:12). The symbolic significance of this first plague is easily
discerned. Water is the emblem of the Word (John 15:3; Ephesians
5:26), and the water turned to blood reminds us that the Word is "a
savor of death unto death" (2 Cor. 2:16) as well as "of life unto
life".
The striking contrast between this first plague and the first miracle
wrought by the Lord Jesus has been pointed out by others before us.
The contrast strikingly illustrates the great difference there is
between the two dispensations; "The law was given by Moses, but grace
and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). All that the Law can do
to its guilty transgressor is to sentence him to death, and this is
what the Water turned into blood symbolized. But by the incarnate Word
the believing sinner is made to rejoice, and this is what the turning
of the water into wine speaks of.
Before passing on to the next plague we would offer a word of
explanation upon a point which may have troubled some of our readers.
The Lord's command to Moses was. "Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod and
stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams,
upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of
water, that they may become blood" (Ex. 7:19). And yet after this we
are told, "And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments"
(v. 22). Where then did they obtain their water? The answer is
evidently supplied in verse 24; "And all the Egyptians digged round
about the river for water to drink".
2. The second plague is described in Exodus 8:1-7. An interval of
"seven days" (7:25) separated this second plague from the first. Full
opportunity was thus given to Pharaoh to repent, before God acted in
judgment again. In view of the fact that the Flood commenced on the
seventh day (see Genesis 7:10 margin), that is, the holy Sabbath, the
conclusion is highly probable that each of these first two plagues
were sent upon Egypt on the Sabbath day, as a Divine judgment for the
Egyptians' desecration of it.
This second plague, like the former, was Divinely directed against the
idolatry of the Egyptians. The river Nile was sacred in their eyes,
therefore did Jehovah turn its waters into blood. The frog was an
object of worship among them, so God now caused Egypt to be plagued
with frogs. Their ugly shape, their croaking noise, and their
disagreeable smell, would make these frogs peculiarly obnoxious. Their
abounding numbers marked the severity of this judgment. Escape from
this scourge was impossible, for the frogs not only "covered the land
of Egypt" but they invaded the homes of the Egyptians, entered their
bed-chambers, and defiled their cooking-utensils.
The moral significance of these "frogs" is explained for us in
Revelation 16:13--the only mention of these creatures in the New
Testament. There we read "And I saw three unclean small spirits like
frogs come out of the mouth of the Dragon, and out of the mouth of the
Beast, and out of the mouth of the False Prophet". Frogs are used to
symbolize the Powers of evil and stand for uncleanness. The turning of
the waters into blood was a solemn reminder of the "wages of sin". The
issuing forth of the frogs made manifest the character of the Devil's
works--uncleanness.
Concerning this second plague we read, "And the magicians did so with
their enchantments and brought forth frogs upon the land of Egypt"
(8:7). This is most suggestive. The magicians were unable to remove
the frogs, nor could they erect any barriers against their
encroachments. All they could do was to bring forth more frogs. Thus
it is with the Prince of this world. He is unable to exterminate the
evil which he has brought into God's fair creation, and he cannot
check its progress. All he can do is to multiply wickedness.
3. The third plague is described in Exodus 8:16-19. This judgment
descended without any warning. The dust of the ground suddenly sprang
into life, assuming the most disgusting and annoying form. This blow
was aimed more directly at the persons of the Egyptians. Their bodies
covered with lice, was a sore rebuke to their pride. Herodotus (2:37)
refers to the cleanliness of the Egyptians: "So scrupulous were the
priests on this point that they used to shave their heads and bodies
every third day, for fear of harboring vermin while occupied in their
sacred duties". As another has said, "This stroke would therefore
humble their pride and stain their glory, rendering themselves objects
of dislike and disgust".
The key to the moral significance of this third plague lies in the
source from which the lice proceeded. Aaron smote the dust of the land
"and it became lice in man and beast" (8:16). In the judgment which
God pronounced upon disobedient Adam we read that He said, "Cursed is
the ground for thy sake" (Gen. 3:17), and again, "for dust thou art,
and unto dust shalt thou return" (Gen. 3:19). When Aaron smote the
"ground", and its "dust" became lice, and the lice came upon the
Egyptians, it was a graphic showing-forth of the awful fact that man
by nature is under the curse of a holy God.
Concerning this plague we read, "and the magicians did so with their
enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not" (8:18). How
small a matter the Lord used to bring confusion upon these magicians!
As soon as God restrained them, they were helpless. Turn water into
blood, and bring forth frogs, they might, by God's permission; but
when He withheld permission they were impotent. Thus it is with Satan
himself. His bounds are definitely prescribed by the Almighty, and
beyond them he cannot go. Death he can inflict (by God's permission),
and uncleanness he can bring forth freely--as the "magicians"
illustrated in the first two plagues; but with the Curse (which the
"dust" becoming lice so plainly speaks of) he is not allowed to tamper
with.
The admission of the magicians on this occasion is noteworthy: "Then
the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God" (8:19).
These are their last recorded words. In the end they were obliged to
acknowledge the hand of God. So will it be in the last Great Day with
the Devil himself, and with all his hosts and victims. They, too, will
have to bow before the Lord, and publicly confess the supremacy of the
Almighty.
There is a striking correspondency between this third plague and what
is recorded in the eighth chapter of John's Gospel. There we find a
similar contest--between the Lord and His enemies. The Scribes and the
Pharisees, using the woman taken in adultery as their bait, sought to
ensnare the Savior. His only response was to stoop down and write on
the ground. After saying to them, "He that is without sin among you,
let him first cast a stone at her", we read that "Again He stooped
down and wrote on the ground". The effect was startling: "They which
heard, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one . .
.and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst". What
was this but the enemy of the Lord acknowledging that it was "the
finger of God" as He wrote in the dust!
4. The next plague is described in Exodus 8:20-32. This plague marked
the beginning of a new series. In the first three, the magicians had
opposed, but their defeat had been openly manifested. No longer do
they appear upon the stage of action. Another thing which evidences
that this fourth plague begins a new series is the fact that God now
made "a division" between His own people and the Egyptians. The
Israelites too had suffered from the first three judgments, for they
also merited the wages of sin, were subject to the debasing influences
of Satan, and were under the curse. But now that the Lord was about to
destroy the property of the Egyptians, He spared the Israelites.
It will be noted by the student that the words "of flies" are in
italics, supplied by the translators, the word "swarms" being given
for the original term. The Hebrew word signifies, literally,
"mixture", being akin to the term "mixed multitude" in Exodus 12:38.
Apparently these "swarms" were made up of not only flies, but a
variety of insects. As we are told in Psalm 78:45, "He sent divers
sorts of flies". Moreover, this verse in the Psalms informs us of
their devastating effects--they "devoured them"; the Hebrew signifying
"ate up". This was, therefore, worse than the plague of lice. The lice
annoyed, but the "divers sorts of flies" preyed upon their flesh.
The deeper meaning of this plague may be gathered from the nature of
its effects, and also from the fact that the Israelites were exempted
from it. This judgment had to do with the tormenting of the bodies of
the Egyptians, thus looking forward to the eternal judgment of the
lost, when their bodies shall be tormented forever and ever in the
Lake which burneth with fire and brimstone. In this the people of God
will have no part.
5. The next plague is described in Exodus 9:1-7. This judgment was
directed against the possessions of the Egyptians. A grievous disease
smote their herds so that "all the cattle of Egypt died". But once
more Jehovah exempted His own people--"of the cattle of the children
of Israel died not one" (9:6). This afforded a striking demonstration
of the absolute rulership of God. He completely controls every
creature He has made. Disease strikes only when and where He has
decreed. The herds of the Egyptians might be dying all around them,
but the cattle of Israel were as secure as though there had been no
epidemic at all.
The spiritual meaning and application of this judgment is not
difficult to perceive. The cattle are man's servants. He harnesses
them to do the hardest portion of his work. The destruction of all the
"horses, asses, camels, oxen and sheep" of the Egyptians tells us that
God will not accept the labors of the unregenerate--"the plowing of
the wicked is sin" (Prov. 21:4). This world and all its works will yet
be burned up--destroyed as completely as were the beasts of Egypt. The
sparing of the cattle of the Israelites intimates that the works of
the new nature in the believer will "abide" (1 Cor. 3:14).
6. The plague of the boils is recorded in Exodus 9:8-12. Like the
third plague, this one was sent without any warning. Moses was
instructed to take "handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and sprinkle it
toward heaven in the sight of Pharaoh" (9:8). The definite article
implies that some particular "furnace" is meant, and that Pharaoh was
near it, suggests it was no mere heating apparatus. The Companion
Bible says of this furnace: "i.e., one of the altars on which human
sacrifices were sometimes offered to propitiate their god Typhon (the
evil Principle). These were doubtless being offered to avert the
plagues, and Moses, using the ashes in the same way produced another
plague instead of averting it." Just as the previous plague signified
the worthlessness of all the works of the natural man, so this teaches
the utter vanity of his religious exercises.
7. The next plague is described in Exodus 9:18-35. It marks the
beginning of a third series. We quote from the Numerical Bible; "We
are now, in the third stage, to see, man being what he is, what the
attitude of Heaven must be toward him. The three plagues that follow
all distinctly point to heaven as their place of origin. Here too the
rod, which in the last three, had not been seen, appears again,--a
thing which the typical meaning alone, as it would seem, accounts for.
For it will be seen that the middle plagues, to men, seem scarcely
Divine inflictions; they proceed more from man himself, although, in
fact, the government of God may truly be seen in them. But now we come
again, as in the first plagues, to direct, positive influences". In
other words, the last three plagues brought out, emblematically, the
state of the natural man; the swarms of flies breeding from
filthiness; the murrian (anthrax) of the cattle and the boils on man,
telling of impurities within, which, through the corruption of sin
breaks out in moral diseases; reminding us of that graphic but awful
picture of the sinner drawn by Isaiah--"From the sole of the foot even
unto the head, there is no soundness in it; but wounds and bruises,
and putrefying sores" (1:6).
The severity of this plague is marked by several particulars. It was
"a very grievous hail" (9:18). It was "such as hath not been in Egypt
since the foundation thereof even until now". The hail was accompanied
by an electric storm of fierce intensity, so that "the fire ran along
upon the ground". The effects were equally striking: "The hail smote
throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man
and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field and brake every
tree of the field". This judgment was expressive of the wrath of a
holy and sin-hating God. Similar expressions of His anger will be
witnessed during the Great Tribulation--see Revelation 8:7; 16:21.
8. The eighth plague is recorded in Exodus 10:1-20. Locusts are one of
the terrors of the East. They prey upon the crops, and consume all
vegetation. This plague, coming on the top of the destruction of the
cattle, seriously threatened the food-supplies of Egypt. Referring to
this plague, the Psalmist says, "He spake and the locusts came, and
caterpillars, and that without number and did eat up all the herbs in
their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground" (Ps. 105:34, 35).
They came at the bidding of God, and they departed at His bidding. So
does every creature, the feeblest as well as the mightiest, fulfill
the secret counsels of their Creator. In Joel 2:11, which speaks of a
yet future judgment in the Day of the Lord, the locusts are termed,
"His army".
We are not quite sure about the deeper meaning and spiritual
significance of this eighth plague. It is clear, that like the
previous one, it definitely manifested the wrath of God. But there
would seem to be an additional line of thought suggested by these
"locusts". The second chapter of Joel and the ninth of Revelation
should be carefully studied in this connection. In these two chapters
we have a species of infernal "locusts" brought to our view. They
issue from the Bottomless Pit, and the Anti-Christ, is said to be
their "king". It would seem then that the plaguing of Pharaoh and the
Egyptians with the "locusts" points to the yet future punishing of the
lost in the company of infernal beings: as the Lord said, "They shall
be cast into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his angels"
(Matthew 25:41).
9. The plague of darkness is described in Exodus 10:21-29. "In Egypt
the sun was worshipped under the title of Ra: the name came
conspicuously forward in the title of the kings, Pharaoh, or rather
Phra, meaning `the sun'" (Wilkinson's "Ancient Egypt"). "Not only
therefore was the source of light and heat eclipsed for the Egyptians,
but the god they worshipped was obscured and his powerlessness
demonstrated--a proof, had they but eyes to see, that a mightier than
the sun, yea the Creator of the sun, was dealing with them in
judgment" (Ed. Dennett).
This ninth plague formed a fitting climax to the third series. It is
easily interpreted. God is Light: darkness is the withdrawal of light.
Therefore, this judgment of darkness, gave plain intimation that Egypt
was now abandoned by God. Nothing remained but death itself. The
darkness continued for three days--full manifestation of God's
withdrawal. So fearful was this "thick darkness" that the Egyptians
"saw not one another, neither rose any from his place". Striking is
the contrast presented in the next sentence: "But all the children of
Israel had light in their dwellings." This light was as supernatural
as the darkness. It emanated, most probably, from the Shekinah glory.
The Egyptians had a darkness which they could not light up: Israel a
light which they could not put out. Thus it is upon earth to-day. The
people of God are "children of light" (Eph. 5:8), because God "who
commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our
hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the
face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6). But "the way of the wicked is as
darkness: they know not at what they stumble" (Prov. 4:19), and this
because they are "without God in the world" (Eph. 2:12).
The three days of darkness which brooded over the land of Egypt remind
us of the three hours of darkness over all the earth when the Savior
hung upon the cross--outward expression of God's abandonment. There
the Holy One of God was being "made sin" (2 Cor. 5:21) for His people,
and He Who is "of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look
upon iniquity" (Hab. 1:13), turned away His face from the One who was
being punished in our stead. It was this turning away of God from Him
which caused the Savior to cry, "My God, my God, why hast Thou
forsaken Me?".
Finally, this three days of dense darkness upon Egypt utters a solemn
warning for all who are now out of Christ. Unsaved reader, if you
continue in your present course, if you go on slighting the mercy of
God, if you refuse to heed His warning to flee from the wrath to come,
you shall be finally cast into "the outer darkness" (Matthew
8:12)--the "blackness of darkness forever" (Jude 13). Neglect, then,
thy soul's salvation no longer. Turn even now unto Him who is "the
Light of the world", and in His light thou shalt see light.
10. The final plague upon Egypt is recorded in Exodus 11 and 12.
Comments upon this we will reserve for our next papers. In this last
plague, the Lord did that to which all the other plagues were
logically and irresistibly leading up--the slaying of the first-born.
Terrible climax was this. Disease, desolation, and darkness had
visited Pharaoh's land; now death itself was to do its work.
The study of these plagues shows plainly the character of Him with
whom we all have to do. The Lord is not indifferent to sin, nor can He
be defied with impugnity. He bears with much longsuffering the vessels
of wrath, but in the end His righteous judgments descend upon them.
What point do these plagues give to that solemn word, "It is a fearful
thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb. 10:31)! Be
warned, then, dear reader. Today, if you will hear His voice, harden
not your heart. Remember what befell Pharaoh for hardening his! Flee
then to the Divinely appointed Refuge. Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ and thou shalt be saved.
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
13. Pharaoh's Compromises
_________________________________________________________________
Our plan in this series of papers is not to furnish a verse by verse
exposition of the book of Exodus, but rather to treat its contents
topically, singling out the more important incidents and concentrating
our attention upon them. The most serious disadvantage of this method
is, that after we have followed out one topic to its conclusion, we
are obliged to retrace our steps to begin a new one. Yet, perhaps,
this is more than offset by the simplicity of the present plan and by
the help afforded the reader to remember, substantially, the contents
of this second book of Scripture. It is much easier to fix details in
the mind when they are classified and conveniently grouped. Having
gone over the ten plagues, we are now to contemplate the effect which
they had upon Pharaoh. This will require us to go back to the earlier
chapters.
In the course of the revelation which Jehovah made to Moses at the
burning bush, we find Him saying, "And thou shalt come, thou and the
elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him,
The Lord God of the Hebrews hath met with us; and now let us go, we
beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may
sacrifice to the Lord our God" (3:18). And while Moses was responding
to the Divine call, the Lord said unto him again, "When thou goest to
return into Egypt, see that thou do all these wonders before Pharaoh,
which I have put in thine hand; but I will harden his heart, that he
shall not let the people go. And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus
saith the Lord, Israel is My son, even My firstborn; And I say unto
thee, Let my son go, that he may serve Me" (4:21-23). In this
last-quoted scripture the Lord furnished a reason why He desired His
people to go into the wilderness to serve Him--"Israel is My son, My
firstborn". Two truths were here enunciated. To Israel pertained "the
adoption" (Rom. 9:4). This adoption was not individual (as with us),
but as a nation. The use of this term denoted that Israel had been
singled out as the objects of God's special favors--"I am a Father to
Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn" (Jer. 31:9). The title of
"firstborn" speaks of dignity and excellency (see Genesis 49:3; Psalm
89:27). Israel will yet occupy the chief place among the nations, and
be no more the "tail", but the "head". The place of the "firstborn",
then, is that of honor and privilege. To the firstborn belonged a
double portion.
The terms of this demand upon Pharaoh call for careful consideration.
First, God had said that His people must go a three days' journey into
the wilderness that they might "sacrifice to the Lord their God"
(3:18). Then the Lord added, "that he (His "firstborn") may serve Me"
(4:23). Finally, when Moses and Aaron delivered their message unto
Egypt's king, we find them, saying, "Thus saith the Lord God of
Israel, Let My people go that they may hold a feast unto Me in the
wilderness" (5:1). The order of these three statements is very
significant. The thought of "sacrifice" comes first! This is required
to avert God's judgment. Only as the sinner places blood between
himself and the thrice holy God, can he stand in His august presence.
Nothing but simple faith in an accomplished atonement enables the
heart to be quiet before Him. "Without shedding of blood is no
remission (Heb. 9:22). Following this, comes service. None can serve
God acceptably till they are reconciled to Him. "Whose I am, and whom
I serve" (Acts 27:23) is the Divine order. Following this, comes "the
feast", which speaks of fellowship and gladness. But this cannot be
until the will is broken and the "yoke" has been received--for this is
what true `service implies. These three things, in the same beautiful
order are strikingly illustrated in connection with the Prodigal Son.
First the wayward one was reconciled, then he took his proper
place--"make me as one of Thy hired servants"; and then came the
feasting, over the "fatted calf".
When God's demand was first presented to Pharaoh, the king repulsed it
in most haughty fashion; "And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I
should obey His voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither
will I let Israel go" (5:2). How the "enmity" of the carnal mind is
evidenced here! How the awful depravity of the unregenerate heart was
displayed! The natural man knows not the Lord, neither does he hear or
heed His voice. And, too, can we not clearly discern here the
Arch-rebel, the "god of this world", whom Pharaoh so strikingly
adumbrated? Surely we can; and as we shall yet see, this is by no
means the only trace of the Adversary's footprints which are to be
detected on the face of this record.
The answer of God to this defiant refusal of Pharaoh was to visit his
land with sore judgments. As pointed out in a previous paper, the
first three plagues fell upon Israel as well as the Egyptians. But in
the fourth God said, "I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in
which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there" (Ex.
8:22). This seems to have deeply impressed the king, for now, for the
first time, he pays attention to Jehovah's demand.
1. "And Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, Go ye, sacrifice
to your God in the land" (8:25). At first sight it would appear that
at last Pharaoh was amenable to reason, recognizing the futility of
fighting against the Almighty. But a closer glance at his words will
show that he was far from being ready to comply with Jehovah's
requests. God's command was couched in no uncertain terms. It called
for the complete separation of His people unto Himself. Three things
made this clear. First, "The God of the Hebrews" said Moses, "hath met
with us" (5:3). This title always calls attention to the separate
character of His people (cf. 9:1; 9:13; 10:3). Second, "Let us go
three days' journey". From Genesis onwards, the third day speaks of
resurrection. God would have His people completely delivered from the
land of darkness and death. Third, "Let My people go, that they may
hold a feast unto Me in the wilderness", that is, apart from Egypt,
which speaks of the world. Only one sacrifice was offered to the Lord
in Egypt, namely, The Passover, and that was to deliver from death in
Egypt; all others were reserved for the tabernacle in the wilderness.
The original response of Pharaoh was, "Wherefore do ye, Moses and
Aaron, hinder the people from their work? Get you unto your burdens"
(5:4). As another has said, This is "typical of the world's attitude
towards spiritual service. The `burdens of Egypt' are far more
important than the service of the Lord, and even among the Lord's
people Martha finds more imitators than Mary, so much of Egypt do we
all carry with us".
But now, when the fifth plague fell upon Egypt, Pharaoh said, "Go ye,
sacrifice to your God in the land (8:25). The Lord had said, A three
days' journey into the wilderness. Pharaoh temporized. He grants
Israel permission to worship their God; he does not insist that they
bow down to his; but he suggests there is no need for them to be
extreme: "sacrifice to your God in the land".
This proffer was very subtle and well calculated to deceive one who
was not acquainted with the character of God. "It might with great
plausibility and apparent force, be argued: Is it not uncommonly
liberal on the part of the king of Egypt to offer you toleration for
your peculiar mode of worship? Is it not a great stretch of liberality
to offer your religion a place on the public platform? Surely you can
carry on your religion here as well as other people. There is room for
all. Why this demand for separation? Why not take common ground with
your neighbors? There ~s no need, surely, for such extreme narrowness"
(C.H.M.)
Writing to the Corinthians, the apostle said, "We are not ignorant of
his (Satan's) devices" (2 Cor. 2:11). Nor need any Christian be with
the Word of Truth in his hands. One merciful reason why God has given
to us the Scriptures is to inform us of Satan's wiles, uncover his
subtility and expose his methods of attack. They are to be sought not
only in those verses where he is referred to by name, but also in
passages where he is only to be discovered working behind the scenes.
Referring to some incidents in the history of Israel, the apostle
declared, "Now all these things happened unto them for types; and they
are written for our admonition" (1 Cor. 10:11). In the light of these
scriptures, then, we are fully justified in regarding these
compromises of Pharaoh as samples of the temptations which the Devil
now brings to bear upon the people of God.
"Sacrifice to your God in the land", that is, Egypt. And Egypt
represents the world. But God's people have been delivered "from this
present evil world" (Gal. 1:4). Said the Lord to His apostles, "Ye are
not of this world, but I have chosen you out of the world". (John
15:19). And again, "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the
world". (John 17:14). "The friendship of the world is enmity with God"
(James 4:4), how then can believers worship God "in the land"? They
cannot. God must be worshipped "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24),
and to worship God "in spirit" means to worship Him through the new
nature. It means to take our place, by faith, outside of the world
which crucified the Son of God! It means "going forth without the
camp, bearing His reproach" (Heb. 13:13). It means being separated, in
spirit, from all that is of the flesh.
This is just what Satan hates. He aims to get the believer to mix the
world and the church. Alas! how well he has succeeded. Professing
Christians have, for the most part, so assimilated their worship to
Egyptian patterns, that instead of being hated by the world, they have
taught the men of the world to join in with them. Thus far has the
offense of the cross ceased. Of few indeed can it now be said, "the
world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not (1 John 3:1).
Insidious was Pharaoh's proposal. Moses was not deceived by it. His
answer was prompt and uncompromising: "And Moses said, It is not meet
so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to
the Lord our God: lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the
Egyptians before their eyes and will they not stone us?" (8:26). It is
not meet or proper for God's people to worship Him in the midst of His
enemies: "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the
Lord" (2 Cor. 6:17) has ever been His demand. Moreover, to worship God
"in the land" would be to "sacrifice the abomination of the
Egyptians". Light is thrown upon this expression by what we are told
in Genesis 46:34--"For every shepherd is an abomination unto the
Egyptians". If every "shepherd" was an abomination to the Egyptians,
certainly to present a lamb in sacrifice to God would be equally
abominable to them. Nor have things changed since then. Christ
crucified--which condemns the flesh, and makes manifest the total
depravity of man--is still a "stumbling-block". Again; "shall we
sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, will
they not stone us?" Press upon men the Divine need of the Cross--God's
judgment of sin (Rom. 8:3) ; announce that by the Cross of Christ
believers are crucified to the world (Gal. 6:14), and the world's
enmity is at once aroused. Said the Lord Jesus, "If ye were of the
world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the
world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world
hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not
greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will also
persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also"
(John 15:19, 20).
One more reason Moses gave why he would not accept Pharaoh's proposal;
"We will go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to
the Lord our God, as He shall command us" (8:27). Here Moses reveals
the real point of the Enemy's attack--it was the Word of God which he
sought to neutralize. The Lord had said "in the wilderness". To have
worshipped God `in the land" would, therefore, have been rank
disobedience. When God has spoken, that settles the matter. No room is
left for debating or reasoning. It is vain for us to discuss and
dispute. Our duty is to submit. The Word itself must regulate our
worship and service, as well as everything else. Human opinions, human
traditions, custom, convenience, have nothing to do with it. Divine
revelation is our only Court of Appeal.
2. His first compromise firmly repulsed, Pharaoh resorts to another,
even more subtle. "And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that you may
sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness". (8:28). Ah, that
sounded promising. It appeared as though the king was now ready to
yield. But mark well his closing and qualifying words--"only ye shall
not go very far away". Pharaoh was ready to lengthen the chain, but it
was still a chain. Complete liberty he was not ready to grant the
Israelites. The point at issue was the complete separation of God's
people from Egypt (the world), and this Pharaoh (representing Satan)
contested to the bitter end.
"Only ye shall not go very far away" is one of the favorite and most
successful of the Devil's temptations. Avoid extremes; do not be
fanatical; be sane and sensible in your religious life; beware of
becoming narrow-minded, are so many different ways of expressing the
same thing. If you really must be a Christian, do not let it spoil
your life. There is no need to cut loose from your old friends and
associations. God does not want you to be long-faced and miserable.
Why then abandon pleasures and recreations innocent in themselves?
With such whisperings Satan beguiles many a soul. Young believers
especially need to be on the guard here.
"Not very far away" is incompatible with the first law of the
Christian life. The very purpose for which the Lord sent Moses to
Pharaoh was to lead His people out of Egypt, and to bring them into
the land of Canaan. And in this Moses was a type of the Lord Jesus.
The Son of God left heaven for earth that He might take a people from
earth to heaven.--bring them there first in spirit and heart, later in
person. Set your affection upon things above (Col. 3:1) is God's call
to His children. "Holy (separated) brethren, partakers of the heavenly
calling" (Heb. 3:1) is one of our many titles, and Heaven is "very far
away' from the world! Separation from this world in our interests, our
affections, our ways, is the first law of the Christian life. "Love
not the world, neither the things which are in the world. If any man
love the world the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15).
But bow can the Christian be happy if he turns his back upon all that
engaged his mind and heart in the unregenerate days? The answer is
very simple: By being occupied with that which imparts a deeper,
fuller, more lasting and satisfying joy than anything which this poor
world has to offer. By being absorbed with the infinite perfections of
Christ. By meditating upon the precious promises of the Word. By
serving the Lord. By ministering to the needy. God did not propose to
bring His people out of Egypt and give them nothing in return. He
would lead them into the wilderness in order that they might "hold a
feast unto the Lord". True, the "feast" (fellowship) is now "in the
wilderness", but the wilderness is Heaven begun when we are delighting
ourselves with Christ; in His presence there is "fullness of joy".
After all, Pharaoh was only dissembling. As soon as the plague of
flies was removed, he "hardened his heart neither would he let the
people go" (8:32). But he reckoned without God. Heavier judgments were
now sent upon his land, which brought the king to his knees, yet not
in genuine repentance and submission.
3. "And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh; and he said
unto them, Go, serve the Lord your God; but who are they that shall
go? And Moses said, We will go with our young and with our old, with
our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds
will we go; for we must hold a feast unto the Lord. And he said unto
them, Let the Lord be so with you, as I will let you go, and your
little ones; look to it; for evil is before you. Not so; go now ye
that are men, and serve the Lord; for that ye did desire. And they
were driven out from Pharaoh's presence" (Ex. 10:8-11).
This was surely a cunning wile of Satan--professing willingness to let
the men go if they would but leave their little ones behind in Egypt'
Thereby he would have falsified the testimony of the Lord's redeemed
ones, and retained a most powerful hold upon them through their
natural affections. For how could they have done with Egypt as long as
their children were there? Satan knew this, and hence the character of
this temptation. And how many Christians there are who become
entangled in this snare! Professing to be the Lord's, to have left
Egypt, they allow their families to remain behind. As another has
said, "Parents in the wilderness, and their children in
Egypt--terrible anomaly! This would only have been a half deliverance;
at once useless to Israel, and dishonoring to Israel's God. This could
not be. If the children remained in Egypt, the parents could not
possibly be said to have left it, inasmuch as their children were part
of themselves. The most that could be said in such a case was, that in
part they were serving Jehovah, and in part Pharaoh. But Jehovah could
have no part with Pharaoh. He should either have all or nothing. This
is a weighty principle for Christian parents It is our happy privilege
to count on God for our children and to bring them up in the nurture
of the Lord! These admirable words should be deeply pondered in the
presence of God. For nowhere does our testimony so manifestly break
down as in our families. Godly parents, whose walk is blameless, are
seduced into permitting their children practices which they would not
for one moment allow in themselves, and thus to flood their houses
with the sounds and sights of Egypt" (Ed. Dennett).
Be a Christian, says Satan, if you really must, but do not force
religion upon the members of your family, and especially do not tease
your children with it. They are too young to understand such things.
Let them be happy now; time enough for serious concerns when they grow
up. If you press spiritual things upon them today, you will nauseate
them, and drive them to infidelity. Thus the Devil argues, and only
too many professing Christians heed his siren voice. Family discipline
is relaxed, the Scriptures are not given their proper place, the
children are allowed to chose their own companions, and no real effort
is made to bring them out of Egypt.
The training of children is a most solemn responsibility, and in these
days of laxity and lawlessness, an increasingly serious problem. No
little grace is needed to defy the general trend of our day, and to
take a firm stand. But the Word of God is plain and pointed. "Train up
a child in the way he should go" (Prov. 22:6). For this the parent
needs to be daily cast upon God, seeking wisdom and strength each hour
from Him. The "training" cannot start too early. Just as a wise
gardener begins, while the trees are young and tender to train the
branches along the wall, so should we begin with our children in their
most tender years. God has declared, "Them that honor Me, I will
honor" (1 Sam. 2:20). The first lines the Christian's children should
be taught are not nursery rhymes and fairy tales, but short and
appropriate verses of Scripture. The first truths which need to be
pressed upon the little one are the claims that God has upon all His
creatures--that He should be revered, loved, obeyed. That the child is
a lost sinner, in need of a Savior, cannot be taught him too early. If
it be objected that he is too young to understand such things, the
answer is, Salvation does not come to any through understanding,
but--through FAITH, and faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the
Word of God. And to give the children God's Word is the binding and
daily duty of every parent. You cannot lawfully transfer this duty to
someone else. Not the Sunday-School teacher but the parent is the one
whom God holds responsible to teach the children.
"While on this subject of training children, we would, in true
brotherly love, offer a suggestion to all Christian parents, as to the
immense importance of inculcating a spirit of implicit obedience. If
we mistake not, there is a very widespread failure in this respect,
for which we have to judge ourselves before God. Whether through a
false tenderness, or indolence, we suffer our children to walk
according to their own will and pleasure, and the strides which they
make along this road are alarmingly rapid. They pass from stage to
stage, with more than railroad speed, until at length they reach the
terrible goal of despising their parents altogether, throwing their
authority entirely overboard, and trampling beneath their feet the
holy order of God, and turning the domestic circle into a scene of
godless misrule and confusion.
"How dreadful this is we need not say, or how utterly opposed to the
mind of God, as revealed in His Holy Word. But have we not ourselves
to blame for it? God has put into the parent's hands the reins of
government and the rod of authority; but if parents through indolence
suffer the reins to drop from their hands, and if through false
tenderness or moral weakness, the rod of authority is not applied,
need we marvel if the children grow up in utter lawlessness? How could
it be otherwise? Children are, as a rule, very much what we make them.
If they are made to be obedient, they will be so; and if they are
allowed to have their own way, the result will be accordingly"
(C.H.M.)
Here, then, in part at least, is what is signified by the believer
leaving his children behind in Egypt. It is permitting them to have
their own way. It is allowing them to be "conformed to this world". It
is bringing them up without the fear of God upon them. It is
neglecting their soul's interests. It is ignoring the command of God
to "bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Eph.
6:4). It is failure to follow in the steps of "our father Abraham," of
whom the Lord said. "For I know him, that he will command his
children, and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of
the Lord" (Gen. 18:19). The standard which God sets before Christian
parents now is certainly not a lower one than what He placed before
Israel of old, and to them He said, "And these words, which I command
thee this day, shall be in thine heart; And thou shalt teach them
diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest
in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest
down, and when thou riseth up" (Deut. 6:6,7). May Divine grace be
earnestly sought and freely granted those of our readers who are
fathers and mothers to enable them to turn a deaf ear to Satan who
pleads that the little ones may be left behind in Egypt!
4. "And Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said, Go ye, serve the Lord;
only let your flocks and your herds be stayed" (Ex. 10:24). "With what
perseverance did Satan dispute every inch of Israel's way out of the
land of Egypt! He first sought to keep them in the land, then to keep
them near the land, next, to keep pert of themselves in the land, and
finally, when he could not succeed in any of these three, he sought to
send them forth without any ability to serve the Lord. If he could not
keep the servants, he would seek to keep their ability to serve, which
would answer much the same end. If he could not induce them to
sacrifice in the land, he would send them out of the land without
sacrifices"! (C.H.M.)
"And Pharaoh called unto Moses and said, Go ye, serve the Lord, only
let your flocks and your herds be stayed". This was Pharaoh's last
compromise. Mark the word "only" again! The distraction of a divided
heart, the vain effort to serve two masters, the miserable attempt to
make the best of both worlds are suggested here. Demas was caught in
this snare (2 Tim. 4:10); so also were Ananias and Sapphira. The
danger is very real. Where our treasure is, there will our hearts be
also (Matthew 6:21). If our possessions remain in Egypt, so will our
affections.
The application of the spiritual principle contained in this fourth
compromise is not hard to discover. The flocks and herds of this
pastoral people constituted the principle part of what they owned down
here. They speak then of our earthly possessions. The issue raised is
whether or not God has a title to all that we have. In the light of
the Word the issue is decisively settled. Nothing that we have is
really ours: all is committed to us as stewards. And it is right here
that so many of us fail. "Give yourselves to God if you must; but do
not consecrate your possessions to His service" is the Devil's final
plea. And multitudes of professing Christians heed it. Look at the
wealth of those who bear the name of Christ. How it has piled up! And
where is it all? Surely in Egypt! How much of it is held as a sacred
trust for Christ?. Is not the greater part of it used to gratify self!
Of old, God charged His people with robbing Him of His tithes and
offerings (Mal. 3:8). And the same charge can justly be laid against
most of us today.
The answer made by Moses, to this temporizing of Pharaoh is very
striking: "And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt
offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the Lord our God. Our cattle
also shall go with us; there shall not an hoof be left behind; for
thereof must we take to serve the Lord our God; and we know not with
what we must serve the Lord until we come thither" (10:25, 26).
Observe two things; "Not an hoof" must be left behind. The spiritual
application of this is far reaching. We may place our money at the
Lord's disposal but reserve our time for ourselves. We may be ready to
pray hut not to labor; or labor and not pray. "Not an hoof" means,
that all that I have and am is held at the disposal of the Lord.
Finally, it is striking to observe that Israel would not know the full
Divine claims upon their responsibility until they reached the
wilderness. The mind of God could not be discerned so long as they
remained in Egypt!
We might easily have enlarged upon these compromises of Pharaoh at
much greater length, but sufficient has been said, we trust, to put
each Christian reader upon his guard against the specious temptations
which the great Enemy of souls constantly brings to bear upon us. Let
us faithfully recognize the fullness of God's claims upon us, and then
seek daily grace to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we have been
called.
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
14. The Death of the Firstborn
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 11
The contest between Pharaoh and Jehovah was almost ended. Abundant
opportunity had been given the king to repent him of his wicked
defiance. Warning after warning and plague after plague had been sent.
But Egypt's ruler still "hardened his heart". One more judgment was
appointed, the heaviest of them all, and then not only would Pharaoh
"let" the people go, but he would thrust them out. Then would be
clearly shown the folly of fighting against God. Then would be fully
demonstrated the uselessness of resisting Jehovah. Then would be made
manifest the impotence of the creature and the omnipotence of The Most
High. "There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the
counsel of the Lord, that shall stand. (Prov. 19:21.)
"For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and
His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?" (Isa. 14:27).
No matter though it be the king of the most powerful empire upon
earth, "Those that walk in pride God is able to abase" (Dan. 4:21.)
Pharaoh might ask in haughty defiance, "Who is the Lord, that I should
obey His voice to let Israel go?" He might blatantly declare, "I know
not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go" (5:2). But now the time
had almost arrived when he would be glad to get rid of that people
whose God had so sorely troubled him and his land. As well might a
worm seek to resist the tread of an elephant as for the creature to
successfully defy the Almighty. God can grind to powder the hardest
heart, and bring down to the dust the haughtiest spirit.
"And the Lord said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon
Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence; when he
shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether"
(11:1). "One plague more". The severest of them all was this, directed
as it was against `the chief of their strength" (Ps. 78:51). A
mightier king than Pharaoh would visit the land of Egypt that night.
The "king of terrors" would lay his unsparing hand upon the firstborn.
And with all their wisdom and learning Pharaoh and his people would be
helpless. The magicians were of no avail in such an emergency. There
was no withstanding the Angel of Death! Neither wealth nor science
could provide deliverance. Those in the palace were not one whit more
secure than the occupants of the humblest cottage. Longsuffering God
had surely shown Himself, but now His holy anger was to burst forth
with irresistible might, and bitter and widespread would be the
resulting lamentations.
"Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his
neighbor, and every woman of her neighbor, jewels of silver, and
jewels of gold" (11:2). This and the verse that follows are to be
regarded as a parenthesis. The night on which the first-born were
slain came between the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month
Nisan. And yet in 12:3 we find the Lord telling Moses to instruct
Israel to take them every man a lamb on the tenth day of the month.
Similarly, here in Exodus is, the body of the chapter is concerned
with what took place on the Passover night, verses 2 and 3 coming in
parenthetically as a brief notice of what had happened previously.
That which is recorded in verse 2 has been seized upon by enemies of
God's truth and made the ground of an ethical objection. The word
"borrow" implies that the article should later be returned. But there
was no thought of the Israelites giving back these "jewels" to the
Egyptians. From this it is argued that God was teaching His people to
practice deception and dishonesty. But all ground for such an
objection is at once swept away if the Hebrew word here translated
"borrow" be rendered correctly. The Hebrew word is "Shaïal". It occurs
168 times in the Old Testament, and 162 times it is translated "ask,
beg or require". The Septuagint (the Greek translation of the O.T. f.)
gives "aites" (ask). Jeromes' Latin version renders it by "postulabit"
(ask, request). The German translation by Luther reads "Fordern"
(demand). The mistake has been corrected by the English Revisers, who
give "ask" rather than "borrow."
While the substitution of `ask" for "borrow removes all ground for the
infidel's objection that Israel were guilty of a fraudulent
transaction, there is still a difficulty remaining--felt by many a
devout mind. Why should the Lord bid His people "ask" for anything
from their enemies? In receiving from the Egyptians, they were but
taking what was their own. For long years had the Hebrews toiled in
the brick-kilns. Fully, then, had they earned what they now asked for.
Lawfully were they entitled to these jewels. Yet we believe that the
real, more satisfactory answer, lies deeper than this. Every thing
here has a profound typical meaning. The world is greatly indebted to
the presence of God's people in it. Much, very much, of the
benevolence practiced by the unregenerate is the outcome of this. Our
charitable institutions, our agencies for relieving suffering, are
really byproducts of Christianity: hospitals, and poor-houses are
unknown in lands where the light of the Gospel has not shone! When,
then, God took His people out of Egypt He made its inhabitants feel
the resultant loss. In like manner when the saints are all raptured at
the descent of Christ into the air, the world will probably be made to
feel that all true blessing and enlightenment has departed from it.
"And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians"
(11:3). This was the fulfillment of the promise made by the Lord to
Moses at the burning bush: "And I will give this people favor in the
sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go,
ye shall not go empty" (3:21). And it was also the fulfillment of one
of the promises which Jehovah made to Abraham four hundred years
earlier: "And also that nation, whom they shall serve will I judge:
and afterward shall they come out with great substance" (Gen. 15:14).
This is very blessed. No word of God can fail. For many long years the
Hebrews had been a nation of slaves, and as they toiled in the
brick-kilns there were no outward signs that they were likely to leave
Egypt "with great substance". But the people of God are not to walk by
sight, but by faith. How this fulfillment of God's ancient promise to
Abraham should show the certainty of Him making good all His promises
to us!
"And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians"
(11:3). Herein Jehovah manifested His absolute sovereignty. From the
natural standpoint there was every reason why the Egyptians should
hate the Israelites more than ever. Not only were they, as a pastoral
people, an "abomination unto the Egyptians" (Gen. 46:34), but it was
the God of the Hebrews who had so severely plagued them and their
land. It was therefore due alone to God's all-mighty power, moving
upon the hearts of the Egyptians which caused them to now regard His
people with favor. Similar examples are furnished by the eases of
Joseph and Potiphar (Gen. 39:3), Joseph and the prison-keeper (Gen.
39:21) Daniel and his master (Dan. 1:9) etc. Let us learn from these
passages that when we receive kindness from the hands of the
unregenerate it is because Gad has given us favor in their sight.
"And Moses said, Thus saith the Lord, About midnight will I go out
into the midst of Egypt", (11:4). Moses was still in the Court.
Chapter 11:1, 4 should be read straight on from 10:28, 29. The seeming
interval between the two chapters disappears if we read 11:1 (as the
Hebrew fully warrants) "the Lord had said unto Moses." God's servant,
then, was still in Pharaoh palace, though the king and his courtiers
were unable to see him because of the "thick darkness" which enveloped
the land of Egypt. If further proof be required for this the 8th verse
of our chapter supplies it, for there we read, "And all these thy
servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me,
saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow me: and after
that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger".
The fourteenth day of Nisan had arrived, and after delivering the
Divine ultimatum, Moses left forever the palace of the Pharaohs'.
"And Moses said, Thus saith the Lord, About midnight will I go out
into the midst of Egypt: And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt
shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne,
even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill;
and all the firstborn of beasts. And there shall be a great cry
throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor
shall be like it anymore". (11:4-6). How this reminds us of that
solemn word in Romans 11:22, "Behold therefore the goodness and
severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee,
goodness!" In exempting His own people from this heavy stroke of
judgment we behold the "goodness" of the Lord; in the slaying of all
the firstborn of the Egyptians we see His "severity". But why, it may
be asked, should the "firstborn" be destroyed? At least a twofold
answer may be returned to this. It commonly happens that in the
governmental dealings of God the sins of the fathers are visited upon
the children. In the second place, Romans 9:22 teaches us that the
"vessels of wrath" are made by God for the express purpose of showing
His wrath and making known His power. The slaying of the children
rather than their parents served to accomplish this the more
manifestly. Again, the death of the first born was a representative
judicial infliction. It spoke of the judgment of God coming upon all
that is of the natural man; the firstborn like "the first-fruits"
being a sample of all the rest. But why slay the firstborn of all the
Egyptians, when Pharaoh only was rebellious and defiant? Answer: It is
clear from Exodus 14:17 that the rank and the of the Egyptians were
far from being guiltless.
"But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his
tongue against man or beast: that ye may know how that the Lord doth
put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel (11:7). Marvelous
example was this of the absolute sovereignty of Divine grace. As we
shall yet see, the Israelites, equally with the Egyptians, fully
merited the wrath of God. It was not because of any virtue or
excellence in them that the Hebrews were spared. They, too, had sinned
and come short of the glory of God. It was simply according to His own
good pleasure that God made this difference: "For He saith to Moses I
will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion" (Rom. 9:15). And this was no isolated
instance. It was characteristic of the ways of God in every age. It is
the same today. Some are in Christ; many are out of Christ: sovereign
grace alone has made the difference. There can be only one answer to
the apostle's question" who maketh thee to differ from another?" (1
Cor. 4:7)--it is God. It is not because our hearts (by nature) are
more tender, more responsive to the Holy Spirit, than the hearts of
unbelievers; it is not that our wills are more pliable and less
stubborn. Nor is it because of any superior mental acumen which
enabled us to see our need of a Savior. No; grace, distinguishing
grace, sovereign grace, is the discriminating cause. Then let us see
to it that we give God all the glory for it!
"But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his
tongue". Striking proof was this that every creature is beneath the
direct control of the great Creator! It was nighttime when the Angel
of death executed God's sentence. Moreover, "thick darkness" shrouded
the land. On every side was the weeping and howling of the Egyptians,
as they discovered that their firstborn had been smitten down.
Moreover, there was the movement of the Israelites, as by their
hundreds of thousands they proceeded to leave the land of bondage.
There was, then, every reason why the "dogs" should bark and howl,
yea, why they should rush upon the Hebrews. But not a single dog moved
his tongue! An invisible Hand locked their jaws. Just as Babylon's
lions were rendered harmless by God, when Daniel was cast into their
den, so Egypt's dogs were stricken dumb when Jehovah's people set out
for the promised land. What comfort and assurance is there here for
the believer to-day. Not so much as a fly can settle upon you without
the Creator's bidding, any more than the demons could enter the herd
of swine until Christ gave them permission.
It now remains for us to say something about the spiritual condition
of this people here so signally favored of God. Comparatively little
is told us in the earlier chapters of Exodus concerning the relations
which Abraham's descendants sustained toward Jehovah, but one or two
details of information are supplied in the later scriptures. We
propose, then, to bring these together that we may contemplate,
briefly, the picture which they furnish us of the moral state of the
Children of Israel at the time that the Lord delivered them from the
House of Bondage.
In Leviticus 17:7 we read, "And they shall no more offer their
sacrifices unto demons unto whom they have gone a whoring". Mark the
words "no more": the implication is plain that previously to coming
out into the wilderness, Israel had practiced idolatry. Plainer still
is Joshua 24:14, "Now therefore fear the Lord and serve Him in
sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers
served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the
Lord". Here we learn that the patriarchs served false gods before
Jehovah called them, and that their descendants did the same thing in
Egypt.
"In the day that I lifted up my hand unto them, to bring them forth of
the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with
milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands; Then said I unto
them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile
not yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the Lord your God. But
they rebelled against Me, and would not hearken unto Me; they did not
every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they
forsake the idols of Egypt; then I said, I will pour out My fury upon
them, to accomplish My anger against them, in the midst of the land of
Egypt. But I wrought for My name's sake that it should not be polluted
before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made Myself
known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of
Egypt"(Ezek. 20:6-9). Very pointed is this, supplying us with
information that is not furnished in the book of Exodus. First, this
passage tells us that Israel worshiped the idols of Egypt. Second, it
shows how God expostulated with them. Third, it informs us that Israel
heeded not God's reproval, but instead, blatantly defied Him. Fourth,
it intimates how that the earlier plagues were also visitations of
judgment upon the Hebrews, as well as the Egyptians. Fifth, it shows
that the Lord delivered Israel, not because of any worthiness or
fitness He found in them, but simply for His name's sake.
As we turn to the book of Exodus--everything in it being typical in
its significance--we find how accurately the physical condition of the
Israelites symbolized their spiritual state. First, they are seen in
bondage, at the mercy of a cruel king,--apt portrayal of the condition
of the natural man, the "captive" of the Devil (2 Tim. 2:26). Second,
we read that they "sighed by reason of their bondage, and they cried"
(2:23). But nothing is said about them crying unto God! They were
conscious of their hard lot, but not yet did they know the Source from
which their deliverance must proceed. How like the natural man, when
he is first awakened by the Holy Spirit! His spiritual wretchedness,
his lost condition, make him to sigh and groan, but as yet he is
unacquainted with the Deliverer. Beautiful is it to mark what follows
in 2:23: "And their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage".
Yes, God heard their cry, even though it was not addressed to Himself.
And God "remembered His covenant". Ah, that was the ground of His
action. Not their faith, for they had none. Nor was it pity for their
wretchedness, for there were many others in different parts of the
earth equally wretched, whom God ignored. God had respect to them for
His covenant's sake. And it was precisely thus with us, Christian
readers. God made a covenant with Christ before the foundation of the
world and it was this, which made Him have "respect" unto us!
And what do we next read of in Exodus? This: that all unknown to the
enslaved and groaning Israelites, God had raised up for them a savior.
Exodus 3 records the appearing of Jehovah to Moses at the burning
bush, and the appointing of him to be the deliverer of God's people.
But at that time Israel knew it not; they were in total ignorance of
the wondrous grace which God had in store for them. How truly accurate
the picture!. When we were first made conscious of our woeful
condition, when our consciences groaned beneath the intolerable load
of guilt, at that time we knew nothing of God's appointed Deliverer.
Next we are told of the Lord sending Aaron into the wilderness to meet
his brother, and together they entered Egypt, gather the elders of
Israel, and tell them of God's promised deliverance. We are told, "And
the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the
children of Israel, and that He had looked upon their affliction, then
they bowed their heads and worshipped" (4:31). But it is clear from
what follows that this was not a genuine heart believing, and their
worship was evidently very superficial. Nor does the analogy fail us
here. How many of us became very religious when the Deliverer was
first presented to our view! But, alas, how superficial was our
response!
The sequel is very striking! As soon as Pharaoh learned of God's
intentions toward Israel he at once increases their burdens and says,
"Let more work be laid upon the men" (5:9). How clearly Pharaoh
foreshadows Satan here! As soon as the great Enemy of souls discerns
the spirit of God commencing His operations of grace within the
sinner, he makes the spiritual lot of that one more miserable than
ever. He sets the poor soul to work the harder. He tells such an one
that he must labor with increased zeal if ever he is to find favor
with God. "They were in evil case" says the record (5:12), and so is
the poor guilt-burdened, conscience-smitten, convicted sinner.
Next, we read that the people came to Moses complaining of their
increased misery. Even now they did not put their trust in the Lord,
but instead, leaned upon the arm of flesh. So, too, the convicted
sinner--with very rare exceptions--instead of turning at once to
Christ for relief, seeks out the sunday-school teacher, the
evangelist, or the pastor. Similarly did the "prodigal son" act. When
he "began to be in want", he did not return at once to the Father, but
"went and joined himself to a citizen of that country". How slow, how
pathetically slow, is man to learn the great truth that God alone is
able to meet his deep, deep need!
Moses sought the Lord, and the Lord in tender patience bade His
servant to go unto the Israelites and say, "I am the Lord and I will
bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid
you of their bondage, and I will redeem you with stretched out arm,
and with great judgments; And I will take you to Me for a people, and
I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God.
which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I
will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to
give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for
an heritage: I am the Lord" (6:6-8). Wondrous grace was this! Sad
indeed is what follows . "And Moses spake so unto the children of
Israel, but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and
for cruel bondage" (v. 9). How this goes to show that their earlier
bowing down and "worshipping" (4:31) was merely an evanescent thing of
the moment. And again we say, How true to life is the picture
presented here! While Israel groaned under the burdens of the
brick-kilns of Egypt, even the promises of God failed to give relief.
So it was with each of us. While we continued to justify ourselves by
our own works, while we sought to weave a robe of righteousness by our
own hands, even the promises of the Gospel failed to comfort us. Ah,
it is not until the soul turns away from everything of self and puts
his trust alone in the Finished Work of Christ, that peace will be
obtained. "To him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that
justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness" (Rom.
4:5).
"And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened
not unto Moses for anguish of spirit and for cruel bondage". This is
the last thing which we are told about the Israelites before the Angel
of Death visited the land of Egypt. How clear it is then, that when
the Lord "put a difference between the Egyptians and the Israelites"
it was not because of any merit which He discovered in the latter.
They, too, were idolaters, rebellious and unbelieving. The more
clearly we perceive the spiritual wretchedness of Israel at this time,
the more shall we recognize the absolute sovereignty of that grace
which redeemed them. So, too, the more fully we are acquainted with
the teaching of Scripture concerning the utter corruption and total
depravity of the natural man, the more shall we be made to marvel at
the infinite mercy of God toward such worthless creatures, and the
more highly shall we value that wondrous love that wrought salvation
for us. May the Holy Spirit impart to us an ever-deepening realization
of the terrible extent to which sin has "abounded", and make us
perceive with ever-increasing gratitude and joy the "super-abounding"
of grace.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
15. The Passover
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 12
In Exodus 11:4-7 we read, "Thus saith the Lord, About midnight will I
go out into the midst of Egypt: And all the firstborn in the land of
Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his
throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the
mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. And there shall be a great cry
throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor
shall be like it anymore. But against any of the children of Israel
shall not a dog move his tongue against man or beast, that ye may know
how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and
Israel". Notice carefully the exact wording of verse 5: it was not
"all the firstborn of the land of Egypt shall die, but "all the
firstborn in the land of Egypt". This Divine sentence of judgment
included the Israelites equally with the Egyptians. Yet in the seventh
verse we are told "not a dog shall move his tongue against any of the
children of Israel, for the Lord "put a difference between the
Egyptians and Israel". Here is what the infidel would call `a flat
contradiction!' But as we are fully assured that there can be no
contradictions in "the Word of Truth", so we know there must be an
interpretation which brings out the harmony of this passage. What that
is, no mere human wisdom could have devised. The sentence of universal
condemnation proceeded from the righteousness of God; the "difference"
which He put between the Egyptians and Israel was the outflow of His
grace. But how can justice and mercy be reconciled? How can justice
exact its full due without excluding mercy? How can mercy be
manifested except at the expense of justice? This is really the
problem that is raised here. The solution of it is found in Exodus 12.
All the firstborn in the land of Egypt did die, and yet the firstborn
of Israel were delivered from the Angel of Death! But how could this
be? Surely both could not be true. Yes they were, and therein we may
discover a blessed illustration and type of the contents of the
Gospel.
Exodus 12 records the last of the ten plagues. This was the death of
the firstborn, and inasmuch as death is "the wages of sin", we have no
difficulty in perceiving that it is the question of SIN which is here
raised and dealt with by God. This being the case, both the Egyptians
and the Israelites alike were obnoxious to His righteous judgment, for
both were sinners before Him. This was dealt with at some length in
our last paper. In this respect the Egyptians and the Israelites were
alike: both in nature and in practice they were sinners. "There is no
difference: for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God
(Rom. 3:22, 23). It is true that God had purposed to redeem Israel out
of Egypt, but He would do so only on a righteous basis. Holiness can
never ignore sin, no matter where it is found. When the angels sinned
God "spared them not" (2 Pet. 2:4). The elect are "children of wrath
even as others" (Eph. 2:3). God made no exception of His own blessed
Son: when He was "made sin for us" (2 Cor. 5:21)--He spared Him not
(Rom. 8:32).
But all of this only seems to make the problem more impossible of
solution. The Israelites were sinners: their guilt was irrefutably
established: a just God can "by no means clear the guilty" (Ex. 34:7):
sentence of death was passed upon them (Ex. 11:5). Nothing remained
but the carrying out of the sentence. A reprieve was out of the
question. Justice must be satisfied; sin must be paid its wages. What,
then? Shall Israel perish after all? It would seem so. Human wisdom
could furnish no solution. No; but man's extremity is God's
opportunity, and He did find a solution. "Where sin abounded, grace
did much more abound" (Rom. 5:20), and yet grace was not shown at the
expense of righteousness. Every demand of justice was satisfied, every
claim of holiness was fully met. But how? By means of a substitute.
Sentence of death was executed, but it fell upon an innocent victim.
That which was "without blemish" died in the stead of those who had
"no soundness" (Isa. 1:6) in them. The "difference" between the
Egyptians and Israel was not a moral one, but was made solely by the
blood of the pascal lamb! It was in the blood of the Lamb that mercy
and truth met together and righteousness and peace kissed each other
(Ps. 85:10).
The whole value of the blood of the pascal lamb lay in its being a
type of the Lord Jesus--"Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us:
therefore let us keep the feast" (1 Cor. 5:7, 8). Here is Divine
authority for our regarding the contents of Exodus 12 as typical of
the Cross-work of our blessed Savior. And it is this which invests
every detail of our chapter with such deep interest. May our eyes be
anointed so that we shall be able to perceive some, at least, of the
precious unfoldings of the truth which are typically set forth in our
chapter.
The first great truth to lay hold of here is what we are told in the
11th verse: "It is the Lord's passover". This emphasizes a side of the
truth which is much neglected to-day in evangelical preaching.
Gospellers have much to say about what Christ's death accomplished for
those who believe in Him, but very little is said about what that
Death accomplished Godwards. The fact is that the death of Christ
glorified God if never a single sinner had been saved by virtue of it.
Nor is this simply a matter of theology. The more we study the
teaching of Scripture on this subject, and the more we lay hold by
simple faith of what the Cross meant to God, the more stable will be
our peace and the deeper our joy and praise.
The particular aspect of truth which we now desire to press upon the
reader is plainly taught in many a passage. Take the very first
(direct) reference to the "Lamb" in Scripture. In Geneses 22:8 we read
that Abraham said to his son, "God will provide Himself a lamb for a
burnt offering". It was not simply God would "provide" a lamb, but
that He would "provide Himself a lamb". The Lamb was "provided" to
glorify God's character, to vindicate His throne, to satisfy His
justice, to magnify His holiness. So, too, in the ritual on the annual
Day of Atonement, we read of the two goats. Why two? To foreshadow the
two great aspects of Christ's atoning work--Godwards and usward. "And
he shall take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the
door of the Tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots
upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and the other for the
scapegoat" (Lev. 16:7, 8). It is this aspect of truth which is before
us in Romans 3:24-26, "Being justified freely by His grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Whom God hath set forth to be a
propitiation through faith in His blood to declare His
righteousness... that He might be just, and the justifier of him which
believeth in Jesus". In 1 Corinthians 5:7 we read, "Christ our
Passover". He is now our Passover, because He was first the Lord's
Passover (Ex. 12:11).
If further confirmation of what we have said above be needed it is
supplied by another term which is used in Exodus 12:27. Here we are
expressly told that the Passover was a "sacrifice"--"It is the
sacrifice of the Lord's passover". Nor is this the only verse in the
Scriptures where the Passover is called a sacrifice. In Exodus 34:25
we read that God said unto Israel, "Thou shalt not offer the blood of
My sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of
the Passover be left unto the morning". Again, in Deuteronomy 16:2 we
read, "Thou shalt therefore sacrifice the Passover unto the Lord thy
God". So also in the New Testament, it is said, "Christ our Passover
is sacrificed for us" (1 Cor. 5:7). We emphasize this point because it
has been denied by many that the Passover was a "sacrifice". Objectors
have pointed out that the pascal lamb was not slain by the priest, nor
was it offered upon the altar, for there was no altar which God could
own in Egypt. But such an objection is quickly removed if reference be
made to the later Scriptures on the subject. After the Exodus the
"passover" was never allowed to be killed anywhere except in the place
which God had chosen. This is abundantly clear from Deuteronomy 16:4,
5, "And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee in all thy
coasts seven days, neither shall there any thing of the flesh, which
thou sacrificedst the first day at even, remain all night until the
morning. Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover within any of thy
gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee; but at the place which the
Lord thy God shall choose to place His name in, there thou shalt
sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the
season that thou camest forth out of Egypt". The Israelites were here
expressly forbidden to kill the passover in their own homes, and were
commanded to sacrifice it only "at the place which the Lord Thy God
shall choose to place His name in". What that "place" was we may learn
from Deuteronomy 12:5, 6 and similar passages--it was the Tabernacle,
afterwards the Temple.
That the Passover was a "sacrifice", a priestly offering, is further
proven by the fact that in Numbers 9:6, 7, 13, it is specifically
designated a "corban", and it is certain that nothing was ever so
called except what was brought and offered to God in the Tabernacle or
the Temple. Furthermore, there is definite scripture to show that the
blood of the pascal sacrifice was poured out, sprinkled, offered at
the altar by the priests. "Thou shalt not offer the blood of My
sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of My sacrifice
remain until the morning" (Ex. 23:18) -- only the priests "offered"
the blood. Plainer still is the testimony of 2 Chronicles 30:15, 16,
"Then they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the second
month and the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified
themselves, and brought in the burnt offerings into the house of the
Lord. And they stood in their place after their manner according to
the Law of Moses the man of God; the priests sprinkled the blood". And
2 Chronicles 35:11, "And they killed the passover and the priests
sprinkled the blood". So again Ezra 6:20, "For the priests and the
Levites were purified together, all of them were pure, and killed the
passover for all the children of the captivity and for their brethren
the priests, and for themselves". Note "the priests and Levites"
killed the passover for all the children of the captivity!
Now there are two lines of thought associated with sacrifices in
Scripture. First, a sacrifice is a propitiatory satisfaction rendered
unto God. It is to placate His holy wrath. It is to appease His
righteous hatred of sin. It is to pacify the claims of His justice. It
is to settle the demands of His law. God is "light" as well as "love".
He is of "purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on
iniquity" (Hab. 1:13). This truth is denied on every side today. Yet
this should not surprise us; it is exactly what prophecy foretold (2
Tim. 4:3, 4). Plain and pointed is the teaching of Scripture on this
subject. Following the rebellion and destruction of Korah, we read
that all the Congregation murmured against Moses and Aaron saying, "Ye
have killed the people". What was God's response? This: "The Lord
spake unto Moses saying, "Get you up from among this congregation,
that I may consume them as in a moment" (Num. 16:45).How was the
consuming anger of God averted? Thus: "And Moses said unto Aaron, Take
a censer and put fire therein off the altar, and put on incense and go
quickly unto the congregation and make an atonement for them; for
there is wrath gone out from the Lord; the plague is begun. And Aaron
took as Moses commanded and ran into the midst of the congregation;
and, behold, the plague was begun among the people; and he put on
incense, and made an atonement for the people. And he stood between
the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed" (Num. 16:46-48)! A
similar passage is found in the last chapter of Job. There we read,
"The Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against
thee and against thy two friends; for ye have not spoken of Me the
thing that is right, as My servant Job hath. Therefore take unto you
now seven bullocks and seven rams and go to My servant Job, and offer
up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for
you: for him will I accept; lest I deal with you after your folly."
Here, then, is the primary thought connected with "sacrifice". It is a
bloody offering to appease the holy wrath of a sin-hating and
sin-punishing God. And this is the very word which is used again and
again in connection with the Lord Jesus the Great Sacrifice. Thus,
Ephesians 5:2: "Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for
us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor."
Again, "Once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin
by the sacrifice of Himself", (Heb. 9:26). And again, "This man, after
He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever sat down on the right
hand of God (Heb. 10:12). The meaning of these passages is explained
by Romans 3:25, 26: Christ was unto God a "propitiation", an
appeasement, a pacification, a legal satisfaction. Therefore could the
forerunner of the Redeemer say, "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh
away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).
The second thought associated with "sacrifice" in the Scriptures is
that of thanksgiving and praise unto God; this being the effect of the
former. It is because Christ has propitiated God on their behalf that
believers can now offer "a sacrifice of praise" (Heb. 13:15). Said one
of old, "And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round
about me; therefore will I offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy"
(Ps. 27:6). Said another, "I will sacrifice unto Thee with a voice of
thanksgiving"(Jon. 2:9). This is why, after being told that "Christ
our Passover hath been sacrificed for us", the exhortation follows
"therefore let us keep the feast" (1 Cor. 5:7). The pascal lamb was
first a sacrifice unto God; second, it then became the food of those
sheltered beneath its blood.
The ritual in connection with the Passover in Egypt was very striking.
The lamb was to be killed (Ex. 12:6). Death must be inflicted either
upon the guilty transgressor or upon an innocent substitute. Then its
blood was to be taken and sprinkled upon the door-posts and lintel of
the house wherein the Israelites sheltered that night. "Without
shedding of blood is no remission" (Heb. 9:22), and without sprinkling
of blood is no salvation. The two words are by no means synonymous.
The former is for Propitiation; the latter is faith's appropriation.
It is not until the converted sinner applies the blood that it avails
for him. An Israelite might have selected a proper lamb, he might have
slain it, but unless he had applied its blood to the outside of the
door, the Angel of Death would have entered his house and slain his
firstborn. In like manner today, it is not enough for me to know that
the precious blood of the Lamb of God was shed for the remission of
sins. A Savior provided is not sufficient: he must be received. There
must be "faith in His blood" (Rom. 3:25), and faith is a personal
thing. I must exercise faith. I must by faith take the blood and
shelter beneath it. I must place it between my sins and the thrice
Holy God. I must rely upon it as the sole ground of my acceptance with
Him.
"For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night and will smite
all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and
against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment; I am the Lord.
And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye
are; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and the plague
shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt"
(Ex. 12:12, 13). When the executioner of God's judgment saw the blood
upon the houses of the Israelites, he entered not, and why? Because
death had already done its work there! The innocent had died in the
place of the guilty. And thus justice was satisfied. To punish twice
for the same crime would be unjust. To exact payment twice for the
same debt is unlawful: Even so those within the blood-sprinkled house
were secure. Blessed, blessed truth is this. It is not merely God's
mercy but His righteousness which is now on the side of His people.
Justice itself demands the acquittal of every believer in Christ.
Herein lies the glory of the Gospel. Said the apostle Paul, "I am not
ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to
the Greek (Rom. 1:16). And why was he not "ashamed" of the Gospel?
Hear his next words, "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed
from faith to faith".
"And when I see the blood I will pass over you". God's eye was not
upon the house, but on the blood. It might have been a lofty house, a
strong house, a beautiful house; this made no difference; if there was
no blood there judgment entered and did its deadly work. Its height,
its strength, its magnificence availed nothing, if the blood was
lacking. On the other hand, the house might be a miserable hovel,
falling to pieces with age and decay; but no matter; if blood was upon
its door, those within were perfectly safe.
Nor was God's eye upon those within the house. They might be lineal
descendants of Abraham, they might have been circumcised on the eighth
day, and in their outward life they might be walking blamelessly so
far as the Law was concerned. But it was neither their genealogy, nor
their ceremonial observances, nor their works, which secured
deliverance from God's judgments. It was their personal application of
the shed blood, and of that alone.
"And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye
are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you" (v. 13). To the
mind of the natural man this was consummate folly. What difference
will it make, proud reason might ask, if blood be smeared upon the
door? Ah I "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of
God: for they are foolishness unto him (1 Cor. 2:14). Supremely true
is this in connection with God's way of salvation--"For the preaching
of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are
saved it is the power of God... But we preach Christ crucified, unto
the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness" (1 Cor.
1:18, 23). It is faith, not reasoning, which God requires; and it was
faith which rendered the Passover-sacrifice effective; "Through faith
he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood lest he that
destroyed the first-born should touch them" (Heb. 11:28).
"To realize what this faith must have been, we have to go back to
`that night', and note the special circumstances, which can alone
explain the meaning of the words `by faith'. God's judgments had been
poured out on Egypt and its king, and its people. A crisis had
arrived; for, after nine plagues had been sent, Pharaoh and the
Egyptians still remained obdurate. Indeed, Moses had been threatened
with death if he ever came again into Pharaoh's presence (Ex.
10:28,29). On the other hand, the Hebrews were in more evil case than
ever and Moses, who was to have delivered them, had not made good his
promises.
"It was at such a moment that Moses heard from God what he was to do.
To sense and sight it must have seemed most inadequate, and quite
unlikely to accomplish the desired result. Why should this last plague
be expected to accomplish what the nine had failed to do with all
their accumulating terrors? Why should the mere sprinkling of the
blood have such a marvelous effect? And if they were indeed to leave
Egypt `that same night' why should the People be burdened with all
those minute ceremonial observances at the moment when they ought to
be making preparation for their departure? Nothing but `faith' could
be of any avail here. Everything was opposed to human understanding
and human reasoning.
"With all the consciousness of ill-success upon him, nothing but
unfeigned faith in the living God and what he had heard from Him,
could have enabled Moses to go to the people and rehearse all the
intricacies of the Pascal observances, and tell them to exercise the
greatest care in the selection of a lamb on the tenth day of the
month, to be slain on the fourteenth day, and eaten with (to them) an
unmeaning ceremony. It called for no ordinary confidence in what Moses
had heard from God to enable him to go to his brethren who, in their
deep distress, must have been ill-disposed to listen; for, hitherto,
his efforts had only increased the hatred of their oppressors, and
their own miseries as bondmen. It would to human sight be a difficult
if not impossible task to persuade the people, and convince them of
the absolute necessity of complying with all the minute details of the
observance of the Passover ordinance.
"But this is just where faith came in. This was just the field on
which it could obtain its greatest victory. Hence we read that,
"through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood"
(Heb. 11:28), and thus every difficulty was overcome, and the Exodus
accomplished. All was based on `the hearing of faith'. The words of
Jehovah produced the faith, and were at once the cause and effect of
all the blessing" (Dr. Bullinger)
"And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye
are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague
shall not be upon you to destroy, when I smite the land of Egypt" (v.
13). In connection with this it is deeply important that we should
distinguish between two things; the foundation of security and the
proof basis of peace. That which provided a safe refuge from judgment
was the death of the lamb and sprinkling of the blood. That which
offered a stay to the heart was the promise of Him who cannot lie. So
many err on this second point. They want to make their experience,
their feelings, something within themselves, the basis of their
assurance. This is a favorite device of Satan, to turn the eye
downwards upon ourselves. The Holy Spirit ever directs the eye away
front ourselves to God and His Word.
Let us suppose a case. Here are two households on that Passover night.
At the head of the one is an unbelieving father who has refused to
heed the Divine warning and avail himself of the Divine provision.
Early that evening his firstborn says, "Father I am very uneasy. Moses
has declared that at midnight an Angel is to visit this land and slay
all the firstborn, except in those houses which are protected by the
blood of a lamb". To still the fears of his son, the father lies, and
assures him that there is no cause for alarm seeing that he has killed
the lamb and applied its blood to the door. Hearing this, the son is
at rest, all fear is gone, and in its place he is filled with peace.
But it is a false peace!
In the second home the situation is reversed. At the head of this
house is a God-fearing man. He has heard Jehovah's warning message
through Moses, and hearing, has believed and acted accordingly; the
lamb has been slain, its blood placed upon the lintel and posts of the
door. That evening the firstborn says, "Father, I feel very uneasy. An
Angel is to smite all the firstborn to-night and how shall I escape?"
His father answers, "Son, your alarm is groundless; yea, it is
dishonoring to God. The Lord has said, `when I see the blood, I will
pass over you'". "But", continues the son, "while I know that you have
killed the lamb and applied its blood, I cannot be but terrified. Even
now I hear the cries of terror and anguish going up from the houses of
the Egyptians. O that morning would come! I shall not feel safe `till
then". But his fears were groundless.
Now observe. In the first case supposed above we have a man full of
happy feelings, yet he perished. In the second case, we have one full
of fears yet was he preserved. Examine the ground of each. The oldest
son in the first house was happy because he made the word of man the
ground of his peace. The oldest son in the second house was miserable
because he failed to rest on the sure Word of God. Here, then, are two
distinct things. Security is by the applied blood of the Lamb.
Assurance and peace are to be found by resting on the Word of God. The
ground of both is outside of ourselves. Feelings have nothing to do
with either. Deliverance from judgment is by the Finished Work of
Christ, and by that alone. Nothing else will avail. Religious
experiences, ordinances, self-sacrifice, Church-membership, works of
mercy, cultivation of character, avail nothing. The first thing for
me, as a poor lost sinner, to make sure of is, Am I relying upon what
Christ did for sinners? Am I personally trusting in His shed blood? If
I am not, if instead. under the eloquence and moving appeals of some
evangelist, I have decided to turn over a new leaf, and endeavor to
live a better life, and I have "gone forward" and taken the preacher's
hand, and if he has told me that I am now saved and ready to "join the
church," and doing so I feel happy and contented--my peace is a false
one, and I shall end in the Lake of Fire, unless God in His grace
disillusions me.
On the other hand, if the Holy Spirit has shown me my lost condition,
my deep need of the Savior, and if I have cast myself upon Christ as a
drowning man clutches at a floating spar; if I have really believed on
the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31), and received Him as my own
personal Savior (John 1:12), and yet, nevertheless, I am still lacking
in assurance of my acceptance by God, and have no settled peace of
heart; it is because I am failing to rest in simple faith on the
written Word. GOD SAYS, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou
shalt be saved". That is enough. That is the Word of Him who cannot
lie. Nothing more is needed. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
heareth My Word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting
life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death
unto life" (John 5:24). Never mind about your feelings; do not stop to
examine your repentance to see if it be deep enough. It is CHRIST that
saves; not your tears, or prayers, or resolutions. If you have
received Christ, then you are saved. Saved now, saved forever.--"For
by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are set apart"
(Heb. 10:14). How may you know that you are saved? In the same way
that the firstborn Israelite could know that he was secure from the
avenging Angel--by the Word of God. "When I see the blood I will pass
over you". God is saying the same to-day. If you are under the blood,
then you are eternally secure. Neither the Law, nor the Devil, can
harm you. "It is God that justifieth, who is he that condemneth?"
(Rom. 8:33, 34). Receive Christ for salvation. Rest on God's Word for
assurance and peace!
Nor are we to be occupied with our faith, any more than with our
feelings. It is not the act of faith which (instrumentally) saves us,
but the TRUTH itself, which faith lays hold of. If no blood had been
placed on the door, no believing it was there would have delivered
from the avenger. On the other hand, if the blood had been placed on
the door, and those within doubted its efficacy, peace would have been
destroyed but not their security. It is faith in God's promise which
brings assurance. For salvation, faith is simply the hand that
receives the gift. For assurance, faith is "setting to our seal that
God is true" (John 3:33). And this is simply receiving "His
testimony".
In this paper we have only sought to develop that which is central and
vital in connection with our salvation and peace. In our next we
shall, God willing, take up some of the many interesting details of
Exodus 12. May the Lord be pleased to use what we have written to
establish His own.
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
16. The Passover (Continued)
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 12
The institution and ritual of the Passover supply us with one of the
most striking and blessed foreshadowments of the cross-work of Christ
to be found anywhere in the Old Testament. Its importance may be
gathered from the frequency with which the title of "Lamb" is
afterwards applied to the Savior, a title which looks back to what is
before us in Exodus 12. Messianic prediction contemplated the
suffering Messiah "brought as a Lamb to the slaughter" (Isa. 53:6).
John the Baptist hailed Him as "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh
away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). The apostle speaks of Him as
"a Lamb without blemish and without spot" (1 Pet. 1:19). While the one
who leaned on the Master's bosom employs this title no less than
twenty-eight times in the closing book of Scripture. Thus, an Old
Testament prophet, the Lord's forerunner, an apostle, and the
Apocalyptic seer unite in employing this term of the Redeemer.
There are many typical pictures of the sacrificial work of Christ
scattered throughout the Old Testament, yet it is to be doubted if any
single one of them supplies so complete, so many-sided a portrayal of
the person and work of the Savior as does the one before us. The
Passover sets forth both the Godward and the manward aspects of the
Atonement. It prefigures Christ satisfying the demands of Deity, and
it views Him as a substitute for elect sinners. Hardly a single vital
phase of the Cross, either in its nature or its blessed results, but
what is typified here. That which is central and basic we contemplated
in our last paper; here we shall confine our attention to details.
1. Following the order of the contents of Exodus 12, the first thing
to be noted is that the institution of the Passover changed Israel's
calendar: "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months; it
shall be the first month of the year to you" (12:2). Deeply
significant is this. Passover-month was to begin Israel's year; only
from this point was their national existence to be counted. The type
is accurate down to the minutest detail. The new year did not begin
exactly with the Passover-night itself, for that fell between the
fourteenth and fifteenth of Nisan. Now the pascal lamb was a type of
the Lord Jesus, and the chronology of the civilized world is dated
back to the birth of Christ. Anno Mundi (the year of the world) has
given place to Anno Domini (the year of our Lord). The coming of
Christ to this earth changed the calendar, and the striking thing is
that the calendar is now dated not from His death, but from His birth.
By common consent men on three Continents reckon time from the Babe of
Bethlehem; thus, the Lord of Time has written His signature upon time
itself!
But there is another application of what has just been before us. The
Passover speaks not only of Christ offering Himself as a sacrifice, a
sin-offering to God, but it also views the believing sinner's
appropriation of this unto himself. The slaying of the "lamb" looks at
the Godward side of the Cross; the sprinkling of the blood tells of
faith's application. And it is this which changes our relationship to
God. But our appropriation of Christ's atoning sacrifice is not the
first thing. Preceding this is a Divine work of grace within us. While
we remain dead in trespasses and sins, there is no turning to Christ;
nay, there is no discernment, and no capacity to discern, our need of
Him. Except a man be born again he "cannot see the kingdom (things) of
God" (John 3:3). Regeneration is the cause, faith's application of the
sacrifice of Christ, the effect. The new birth is the beginning of the
new life. Hence, Israel's new calendar dated not from the Passover
itself, but from the beginning of the month in which it occurred. The
true here typified is both blessed and solemn. All the years we lived
before we became new creatures in Christ are not reckoned to our
account. The past is blotted out. Our unregenerate days were so much
lost time. Our past lives in the service of sin and Satan, were
wasted. But when we became new creatures in Christ "old things passed
away" and all things became new.
2. "Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth
day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according
to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house" (v. 3). This is
the first thing in connection with the "lamb": it was singled out from
the flock, separated, appointed unto death four days before it was
actually slain. We believe that two things were here foreshadowed. In
the antitype, Christ was marked out for death before He was actually
slain: "Redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb
without blemish and without spot, who verily was foreordained before
the foundation of the world" (1 Pet. 1:19, 20). It is to this that the
singling out of the lamb four days before its slaying points, for four
is the number of the world.
The second application of this detail, which has also been pointed out
by others before us, has reference to the fact that four years before
His crucifixion the Lord Jesus was singled out for death. At the
beginning of His public ministry (which lasted between three and four
years--cf. Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6, a year for a day) John the
Baptist cried, "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of
the world." It was then that the Lamb was singled out from the
flock--"the lost sheep of the House of Israel"! In the Numerical Bible
Mr. Grant has called attention to the fact that Christ was about
thirty years old at that time, and 30 is 10 x 3 being the number of
manifestation and 10 of human responsibility. This shows us why God
commanded the Israelites to single out the lamb on the tenth day. Not
until He had reached the age which, according to its numerical
significance, spoke of human responsibility fully manifested, did the
Lord Jesus enter upon His appointed work which terminated at Calvary.
3. "Your lamb shall be without blemish" (v. 5). With this should be
compared Leviticus 22:21, 22. "And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of
peace offerings unto the Lord to accomplish his vow, or a freewill
offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there
shall be no blemish therein. Blind, or broken or maimed, or having a
wren or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the Lord".
The moral significance of this is obvious. Nothing but a perfect
sacrifice could satisfy the requirements of God, who Himself is
perfect. One who had sin in himself could not make an atonement for
sinners. One who did not himself keep the Law in thought and word and
deed, could not magnify and make it honorable. God could only be
satisfied with that which glorified Him. And where was such a
sacrifice to be found? Certainly not among the sons of men. None but
the Son of God incarnate, "made under the law" (Gal. 4:4) could offer
an acceptable sacrifice. And before He presented Himself as an
offering to God, the Father testified, "This is My beloved Son, in
whom I am well pleased". He was the antitype of the "perfect" lamb. As
Peter tells us, Christ was "a lamb without blemish and without spot"
(1:19).
4. "Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year" (v.
5). "The age of the sacrifice is prescribed. It is to be a male of the
first year. The Hebrew phrase is `a male, the son of a year'; that is,
it is to be one year old. The lamb was not to be too young or too old.
It was to die in the fullness of its strength. If we ask how that
might apply to Christ, we note that this particular may be fully
sustained as a description of Him. For He died for us, not in old age,
nor in childhood, or boyhood, or in youth, but in the fullness of His
opening manhood" (Urquhart). In the language of Messianic prediction,
Christ was cut off "in the midst" of His days (Ps. 102:24).
Before passing on to the next verse we would call attention to a
striking gradation here. In verse 3 it is "a lamb"; in verse 4, "the
lamb"; in verse 5, "your lamb". This order is most instructive,
corresponding to the enlarged apprehension of faith. While in our
unregenerate state, Christ appeared to us as nothing more than a Lamb;
we saw in Him no beauty that we should desire Him. But when the Holy
Spirit awakened. us from the sleep of death, when He made us see our
sinful and lost condition, and turned our gaze toward Christ, then we
behold Him as the Lamb. We perceived His uniqueness, His unrivaled
perfections. We learned that "neither is there salvation in any other;
for there is none other Name under heaven given among men whereby we
must be saved, (Acts 4:12). Finally, when God in His sovereign grace
gave us faith whereby to receive Christ as our own personal Savior,
then could He be said to be your Lamb, our Lamb. Each elect and
believing sinner can say with the apostle Paul, "Who loved me and gave
Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).
5. "And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same
month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill
it in the evening (v. 6). This is very solemn. The whole congregation
of Israel was to slay the "lamb". Not that every particular
individual, man, woman and child, shared in the act itself, but they
did so representatively. The head of the household stood for and acted
on the behalf of each member of his family. It was not simply Moses
and Aaron or the Levites who slew the Lamb, but the entire people, as
represented by the heads of each household. The fulfillment of this
aspect of our type is plainly brought out in the Gospels. It was not
simply the chief priests and elders, nor the scribes and Pharisees
only, who put the Lord Jesus to death. When Pilate decided the issue
as to whether Barabbas or Christ should be released, he did so by the
popular vote of the common people, who all cried "crucify Him" (see
Mark 15:6-15). In like manner it is equally true that it was the sins
of each individual believer which caused our Savior to be put to
death: He bare our sins in His own body on the tree.
6. "And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same
month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill
it in the evening" (v. 6). Here we have defined the exact time at
which the pascal lamb was to die. It was to be "kept up" or tethered
until the fourteenth day of Nisan, and then killed in the evening, or
more literally, "between the evenings", that is between the fourteenth
and fifteenth days of the month. To point out precisely the
antitypical fulfillment of this would necessitate an examination of
quite a number of N. T. passages. Only by a most minute comparison of
the statements in each of the four Gospels can we discover the fact
that the Lord Jesus died "between the evenings" of the fourteenth and
fifteenth of Nisan. Others before us have performed this task, the
best of which, perhaps, is to be found in volume 5 of the Companion
Bible. But if the reader will prayerfully study the closing chapters
of each of the Gospels it will be seen that the Lamb of God died at
the very time that the pascal lambs were being slain in the temple.
7. "And the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it
in the evening" (v. 6). Here the type passes to the Antitype. This
point is very striking indeed. Many thousands of lambs were to be
slain on that memorable night in Egypt, yet the Lord here designedly
used the singular number when giving these instructions to
Moses--Israel shall kill it, not "them" It is indeed remarkable that
never once is the plural "lambs" used throughout the 12th chapter of
Exodus. "There was only one before God's mind--The Lamb of Calvary"
(Urquhart).
8. "And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and
unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it" (v. 8). Not
only was the lamb to be killed, but its flesh was to be eaten. This
was God's provision for those inside the house, as the blood secured
protection from the judgment outside. A journey lay before Israel, and
food was needed to strengthen them first. "Eating" signifies two
things in Scripture: appropriation and fellowship. The "lamb" spoke of
the person of Christ, and He is God's food for His people--The Bread
of Life". Christ is to be the object before our hearts. As we feed
upon Him our souls are sustained and He is honored.
"It is death here which God ordains as the food of life. We are so
familiar with this we are apt by the very fact to miss its
significance. How we see nature thus everywhere instructing us, if we
have but learned to read her lessons in the deepest lesson of God's
wisdom! The laying down of life becomes the sustenance of life. For
men this did not begin until after the Deluge; at least it is only
after this we read of Divine permission for it. And when we see in
that Deluge with its central figure, the ark of salvation, bearing
within it the nucleus of the new world, the pregnant figure of how God
has saved us and brought us in Christ into a new creation. how its
similitude in what we have here bursts upon us! It is only as
sheltered and saved from death--from what is alone truly such--that we
can feed upon death; that Samson's riddle is fulfilled, and `out of
the eater comes forth meat, and out of the strong sweetness! Death is
not merely vanquished and set aside; it is in the Cross the sweet and
wonderful display of Divine love and power in our behalf accomplished
in the mystery of human weakness. Death is become the food of
life--yea, of a life which is eternal" (F. W. Grant).
But mark carefully the lamb is to be eaten with "unleavened bread and
bitter herbs". In Scripture "leaven" uniformly symbolizes evil. The
lesson taught here is of vital importance. It is only as we are
separated from what is repugnant to Divine holiness that we can really
feed upon Christ. While we are indulging known sin there can be no
communion with Him. It is only as we "walk in the light as He is in
the light" that the blood of God's Son cleanseth us from all sin and
"we have fellowship one with another" (1 John 1:7). The "bitter herbs"
speak of the remorse of conscience in the Christian. We cannot have
"fellowship with His sufferings" (Phil. 3:10) without remembering what
it was that made those sufferings needful, namely, our sins, and the
remembrance of these cannot but produce a chastened spirit.
9. "Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with
fire" (v. 9). How very explicit--rather, how carefully God preserved
the accuracy of the type! In the previous verse we read, "eat the
flesh in that night, roast with fire", here, "eat not of it raw". The
Israelites were to feed not only upon that where death had done its
work, but upon that which had been subjected to the fire. Solemn
indeed is this. "It is appointed unto men once to die, and after this
the judgment" (Heb. 9:27). These are two separate things. For the
lost, death is not all, nor even the worst that awaits them. After
death is "judgment," the judgment of a sin-hating God. Therefore if
Christ was to take the place of His sinful people and suffer what was
righteously due them, He must not only die, but pass under and through
the judgment of God. "Fire" here, as ever, speaks of the wrath of a
holy God. It tells of Christ being "made sin for us" (2 Cor. 5:21),
and consequently being "made a curse for us" (Gal. 3:13) and as such,
enduring the judgment of God. Speaking anticipatively by the Spirit,
through the prophet Jeremiah, the Savior said, "Is it nothing to you,
all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto
My sorrow, which is done Unto Me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted Me
in the day of His fierce anger. From above hath He sent fire into My
bones". It was this which caused Him to also say through the Psalmist,
"My moisture is turned into the drought of summer" (Ps. 32:4). And
this it is which, in its deepest meaning, explains His cry from the
Cross--"I thirst". His "thirst" was the effect of the agony of His
soul in the fierce heat of God's wrath. It told of the drought of the
land where the living God is not. "Not sodden (boiled) at all with
water", because water would have hindered the direct action of the
fire.
"His head with his legs, and with the purtenance (inwards) thereof"
(v. 9). "The head, no doubt, expresses the thoughts and counsels with
which the walk (the legs) keep perfect company. The inwards are those
affections of His heart which were the motive-power impelling Him upon
the path He trod. In all, the fire brought forth nothing but sweet
savor; for men, it prepared the food of their true life; all is
absolutely perfect; and all is ours to appropriate. Occupation with
the person of Christ is thus impressed upon us; we need this. Not the
knowledge of salvation alone will suffice us; it is the One who saves
whom we need. Christ for our hearts alone keeps and sanctifies them,
(Mr. Grant).
10. And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning" (v. 10).
The lamb must be eaten the same night as it was slain. Communion must
not be separated from the sacrifice on which that communion was
founded. Communion is based upon redemption accomplished. We find the
same truth brought before us again at the close of Christ's parable of
the prodigal son. As soon as the lost son enters the Father's house
and is suitably attired, the word goes forth "Bring hither the fatted
calf, and kill; and let us eat and be merry" (Luke 15:23). Another
thought is also suggested here by the words "ye shall let nothing of
it remain until the morning". "The sacrifice in all its ceremonial was
to be completed within a single night. The rising sun was thus to see
no trace of the slain lamb. In like manner the atoning work of Christ
is not a progressive but a completed thing. It is not in process of
being accomplished; it has been accomplished definitely and eternally.
As a fragrant and hallowed memory Calvary's costly sacrifice abides
with God and the redeemed forever; but the sacrifice itself is past
and completed. For God's suffering Lamb the dark night of judgment is
no more, and He lives on high in the eternal sunshine of Divine favor
and love" (Mr. W. W. Fereday).
11. "And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on
your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste;
it is the Lord's Passover" (v. 11). The little word "thus" is very
emphatic. It defines for us the accessories, what should accompany
feeding upon Christ; four things are mentioned. First, their dress;
`loins girded". "Having your loins girt about with truth", says the
apostle. "The garments are spiritually what we may designate by the
old word for them--`habits'. They are the moral guise in which we
appear before men--what they identify with us at least, if they are
not, after all, ourselves. And if not just `ourselves' we may be in
many ways read in them; pride or lowliness, boldness or
unobtrusiveness, sloth or diligence, and many another thing.
"The long robes of the East, as we are all aware, required the girdle
in order that there might be no hindrance in the way of a march such
as Israel now had before them. If they were allowed to flow loose,
they would get entangled with the feet and overthrow the wearers; and
the dust of the road would get upon them and defile them. The truth it
is which is to be our girdle, keeping us from the loose and negligent
contact with ever-ready defilement in a world which the lust of the
flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life characterizes, and
from the entanglement to our feet which lax habits prove.
"Garments un-girded are thus practically near akin to the `weights'
(Heb. 12:2) which the apostle bids us `lay aside', and which are not
things in themselves sinful, and yet nevertheless betray us into sin.
Have you noticed the connection in that exhortation of his `lay aside
every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us'? If you had a
pack of wolves following you, you would understand very quickly, why
if carrying a weight you would be indeed `easily beset'. And herein,
many a soul may discern, if he will, why he has so great and so little
successful conflict. The `weight' shows, like the flowing garment that
whatever else we may be, we are not racers . . .Fit companions then
with unleavened bread and bitter herbs are these girt loins. We must
arise and depart for this is not our rest" (Mr. Grant).
"Your shoes on your feet". This, again, was in view of the journey
which lay before them. It tells of preparation for their walk. There
is a most interesting reference to these "shoes" in Deuteronomy 29:5,
where at the close of his life, Moses said, "I have led your forty
years in the wilderness; your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and
thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot", And again he reminded them,
"Neither did thy foot swell these forty years" (Deut. 8:4). Remarkable
was this. For forty years Israel had wandered up and down the
wilderness, yet their shoes were neither torn to pieces nor did their
feet suffer. How this tells of the sufficiency of that provision which
God has graciously provided for the walk of His saints! When the
prodigal son came to His Father, there was not only the best robe for
his body, and the ring for his hand, but there were also "shoes for
his feet" (Luke 15:22)! The significance of these "shoes" is explained
for us in Ephesians 6:15--"Your feet shod with the preparation of the
Gospel of peace".
"Your staff in your hand". The staff is the sign of pilgrimage. As
they journeyed to the Promised Land, Israel were to pass through a
wilderness in which they would be strangers and pilgrims. So it is
with Christians as they pass through this world. Their home is not
here: "Our citizenship is in heaven" (Phil. 3:20). Therefore does God
say, "I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims" (1 Pet. 2:11). Staff in
hand signifies that as Israel journeyed they were to lean on something
outside of themselves. Clearly this is the written Word, given us for
a stay and support. The dependent soul who leans bard upon it can say
with the Psalmist, "Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me" (23:4).
"And ye shall eat it in haste". "They were to eat it in haste because
they expected that any moment the Lord might come and pass over them;
any moment they might be called to arise and go out of the land of
bondage. They expected the imminent Coming of the Lord. That is to
say, because the Coming of the Lord was imminent they expected it".
(Dr. Haldeman).
12. "When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (v. 13). Upon this
Mr. Urquhart has made some illuminating remarks. "The term rendered
Passover `pesach' does not seem to have that meaning. It is entirely
different from the Hebrew verb, a-bhar, or ga-bhar, so frequently used
in the sense of `to pass over'. Pasach (the verb) and pesach (the
noun) have no connection with any other Hebrew word. They closely
resemble, however, the Egyptian word pesh, which means `to spread the
wings over,' `to protect'. The word is used--we may say explained--in
this sense in Isaiah 31:5: "As birds flying, so will the Lord of Hosts
defend Jerusalem; defending also He will deliver it; and passing over
(pasoach, participle of pasach) He will preserve it'. The word has,
consequently, the very meaning of the Egyptian term for `spreading the
wings over', and `protecting'; and pesach, the Lord's Passover, means
such sheltering and protection as is found under the outstretched
wings of the Almighty. Does not this give a new fullness to those
words of our Savior, `O Jerusalem! Jerusalem! . . . how often would I
have gathered thy children together, as a hen does gather her brood
under her wings, and ye would not' (Luke 13:34.)? Jesus of Nazareth
was her PESACH, her shelter from the coming judgment; and she knew it
not! Quite in keeping with this sense of protecting with outstretched
wings is the fact that this term pesach is applied (1) to the
ceremony, `It is the Lord's Passover' (Ex. 12:11), and (2) to the lamb
(v. 21); `draw out and take you a lamb according to your families and
kill the Passover'. The slain lamb, the sheltering behind its blood
and the eating of its flesh, constituted the pesach, the protection of
God's chosen people beneath the sheltering wings of the Almighty".
This interpretation is clearly established by what we read in verse
23: "For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when
He seeth the blood upon the lintel and upon the two side posts, the
Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the Destroyer to
come in unto your houses to smite you". It was not merely that the
Lord passed by the houses of the Israelites, but that He stood on
guard protecting each blood-sprinkled door!
13. "And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep
it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a
feast by an ordinance forever" (v. 14). It is interesting to trace
Israel's subsequent response to this command. Scripture records just
seven times when this Feast was kept. The first in Egypt, here in
Exodus 12. The second in the Wilderness (Num. 9). The third when they
entered Canaan (Josh. 5). The fourth in the days of Hezekiah (2 Chron.
30). The fifth under Josiah (2 Chron. 35). The sixth after the return
from the Captivity (Ezra 6). Just six in the O. T. The seventh was
celebrated by the Lord Jesus and His apostles immediately before the
institution of "the Lord's Supper, (Luke 22:15, etc.). In that last
Passover the true Lamb of God is seen, who had been prefigured by the
preceding pascal lambs. "It should also be observed, that Jesus
Christ, who celebrated the last Passover, had been Himself in Egypt,
where the first had been observed. As the passover came from Egypt, so
Jesus Christ, who is the true Passover was called out of Egypt
(Matthew 2:15)" (Robert Haldane: Evidence and Authority of Divine
Revelation).
14. "And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that
is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the
blood that is in the basin" (v. 22). This gives us a marvelous typical
picture of the sufferings of our blessed Lord upon the Cross, though
the picture is marred by translating here, the original word, "basin".
Once more we avail ourselves of the scholarly help of Dr. Urquhart The
word rendered `basin' is sap, which is an old Egyptian word for the
step before a door, or the threshold of a house. The word is
translated `threshold' in Judges 19:27 and `door' in 2 Kings
12:9--apparently for the sole reason that the sense `basin', favored
by lexicographers and translators could not possibly be given to the
word in these passages...No direction was given about putting the
blood upon the threshold, for the reason that the blood was already
there. The lamb was evidently slain at the door of the house which was
protected by its blood". We may add that the Septuagint gives "para
ten thuran", which means along the door-way! While the Vulgate reads,
"in sanguine qui est limine"--in the blood which is on the threshold.
This point is not simply one of academic interest, but concerns the
accuracy of the type. The door of the house wherein the Israelite was
protected had blood on the lintel (the cross piece), on the side posts
and on the step (The objection that blood on the step would cause the
Israelite to walk upon it, is obviated by Jehovah's instructions. "And
none of you shall go out at the door until the morning" (v. 22)!). How
marvelously this pictured Christ on the Cross; blood above, where the
thorns pierced His brow; blood at the sides, from His nail-pierced
hands; blood below, from His nail-pierced feet!!
15. The blood was to be applied with "a bunch of hyssop" (v. 22).
Nothing in the Word is meaningless: the smallest detail has its due
significance. Nor are we ever left to guess at anything; Scripture is
ever its own interpreter. The "hyssop" was not connected with the
"lamb", but with the application of its blood. It speaks, then, not of
Christ but of the sinner's appropriation of His sacrifice. The
"hyssop" is never found in connection with any of the offerings which
foreshadowed the Lord Jesus Himself. It is beheld, uniformly, in the
hands of the sinner. Thus in connection with the cleansing of the
leper (Lev. 14); and the restoration of the unclean (Num. 19). From
Psalm 51:7 we may learn that "hyssop" speaks of humiliation of soul,
contrition, repentance. Note that in 1 Kings 4:33 "hyssop" is
contrasted with "the cedars", showing that "hyssop" speaks of
lowliness.
Perhaps a word should be added concerning the Feast of Unleavened
Bread which followed the Passover: "And ye shall observe the Feast of
Unleavened Bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies
out of the land of Egypt; therefore shall ye observe this day in your
generations by an ordinance forever. In the first month, on the
fourteenth day of the month, at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread,
until the one and twentieth day of the month at even. Seven days shall
there be no leaven found in your houses; for whosoever eateth that
which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the
congregation of Israel, whether he be a stranger or born in the land.
Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat
unleavened bread" (vv. 17-20). The interpretation of this for us is
supplied in 1 Corinthians 5:7, 8: "Purge out therefore the old leaven,
that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our
passover is sacrificed for us; therefore let us keep the feast not
with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but
with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth".
Upon the above we cannot do better than quote from Mr. C. H.
MacIntosh: the Feast spoken of in this passage is that which, in the
life and conduct of the Church, corresponds with the Feast of
unleavened bread. This lasted seven days (a complete circle of time A.
W. P.) ; and the Church collectively, and the believer individually,
are called to walk in practical holiness, during their days, or the
entire period of their course here below; and this, moreover, as the
direct result of being washed in the blood, and having communion with
the sufferings of Christ.
"The Israelite did not put away leaven in order to be saved, but
because he was saved; and if he failed to put away leaven it did not
raise the question of security through the blood, but simply of
fellowship with the assembly. The cutting off of an Israelite from the
Congregation answers precisely to the suspension of Christian
fellowship, and if he be indulging in that which is contrary to the
holiness of the Divine presence. God cannot tolerate evil. A single
unholy thought (entertained: A. W. P.) will interrupt the soul's
communion; and until the soil contracted by any such thought is got
rid of by confession, founded on the advocacy of Christ, the communion
cannot possibly be restored (see 1 John :5-10)". May the Lord stir us
up to a more diligent and prayerful study of His wonderful Word.
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
17. The Accompaniments of the Passover
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 12, 13
Though we have entitled this paper "the Accompaniments of the
Passover", other things will come before us. The instructions which
Jehovah gave to Israel concerning the observance of the Feast of
Unleavened Bread are found part in Exodus 12 and part in Exodus 13.
Therefore as these two chapters are to be the portion for our study,
we must not pass by other incidents recorded in them. First, then, a
brief word upon the carrying out of the death-sentence upon the
Egyptians.
"And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the
firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn, of Pharaoh that
sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captives that was in the
dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the
night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was
a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not
one dead" (12:29, 30). The very first message which the Lord commanded
Moses to deliver to Egypt's ruler was, "Thus saith the Lord, Israel is
My son, even my firstborn; And I say unto thee, Let My son go, that he
may serve Me; and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay
thy son, even thy firstborn" (4:22, 23). It is evident from the sequel
that Pharaoh did not believe this message. In this he accurately
represented the men of this world. All through this Christian
dispensation the solemn word has been going forth, "Except ye repent
ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3): "He that believeth not
shall be damned" (Mark 16:16). But, for the most part, the Divine
warning has fallen on deaf ears. The vast majority do not believe that
God means what He says. Nevertheless, though oftentimes men's threats
are mere idle words and empty bombast, not so is it with the
threatenings of Him who cannot lie. It is true that God is "slow to
anger" and long does He leave open the door of mercy, but even His
long-sufferance has its limits. It was thus with Pharaoh and his
people. Pharaoh received plain and faithful warning and this was
followed by many appeals and preliminary judgments. But the haughty
king and his no less defiant subjects only hardened their hearts. And
now the threatened judgment from heaven fell upon them, and neither
wealth nor poverty provided any exemption--"there was not a house
where there was not one dead". A most solemn proof is this unto rebels
against God to-day, that in a short while at most, unless they truly
repent, Divine wrath shall smite them.
"Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was
four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the
four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass,
that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt"
(12:40, 41). It is very striking to observe the accuracy of the type
here. It was not until the day following the Passover-night that
Israel was delivered from Egypt. As we have gone over the first twelve
chapters of Exodus we have witnessed the tender compassion of God
(2:23-25); we have seen the appointment of a leader (3:10); we have
listened to the Divine promises (6:6-8); and we have beheld remarkable
displays of Divine power (in the plagues), and yet not a single
Israelite was delivered from the house of bondage. It was not until
the blood of the "lamb" was shed that redemption was effected, and as
soon as it was shed, even the very next morning, Israel marched forth
a free people--remarkable is the expression here used: "All the hosts
of the Lord (not "of Israel") went out from the land of Egypt"
(12:41). They were the Lord's by purchase--"bought with a price", and
that price "not corruptible things as silver and gold, but with the
precious blood of a Lamb"!
The same thing is to be seen in the Gospels. Notwithstanding all the
blessed display of grace and power in the life and ministry of the
Lord Jesus, at the close of His wonderful works of mercy among men,
had there been nothing more, He must have remained alone. Listen to
His own words; "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat
fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it
bringeth forth much fruit (John 12:24). As another has well said,
"Blessed as was that ministry, great as were His miracles, heavenly as
was His teaching, holy as was His life, yet had He not died, the Just
for the unjust, not one of all the sons of Adam could possibly have
been saved. What a place this gives to redemption!" (Mr. C. Stanley).
How sadly true. Though Christ "spake as never man spake" (John 7:46),
and though men confessed "He hath done all things well; He maketh both
the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak (Mark 7:37), yet at the close
we read, even of His apostles, "they all forsook Him and fled". But
how different after His precious blood had been shed! Then He is no
longer "alone". Then, for the first time, He speaks of the disciples
as His "brethren" (John 20:17).
The order of truth in Exodus 12, like every other chapter in the
Bible, is according to Divine wisdom, yet the writer has to confess
dimness of vision in perceiving the purpose and beauty of the
arrangements of its contents. One thing is very clear, it evidences
plainly that it was not of Moses' own design. Here, as ever, God's
thought and ways are different from ours. A trained mind, accustomed
to think in logical sequence, would certainly have reversed the order
found here. Yet we have not the slightest doubt that God's order is
infinitely superior to that of the most brilliant human intellect.
These remarks are occasioned by what is found in verses 43-50. After
telling us in verse 45 that "The self-same day it came to pass, that
all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt", verses 43
to 50 give us the "ordinance of the Passover", and then in verse 51 it
is repeated that "The Lord did bring the children of Israel out of the
land of Egypt". The strange thing is that this ordinance was for
Israel's guidance in the future, hence one would naturally have
expected to find these instructions given at a later date, as a part
of the ceremonial law. But though, at present, we can offer no
satisfactory explanation of this, several points of interest in the
"ordinance" itself are clear, and these we will briefly consider.
"And the Lord said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the
Passover; There shall no stranger eat thereof; but every man's servant
that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall
he eat thereof. A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat
thereof" (vv. 43-45). Here we learn that three classes of people were
debarred from eating the Passover. First, no stranger was to eat
thereof. This Feast was for Israel alone, and therefore no foreigner
must participate. The reason is obvious. It was only the children of
Abraham, the family of faith, who had participated in God's gracious
deliverance, and they alone could commemorate it. Second, no hired
servant should eat the Passover. This too is easily interpreted. An
"hired" servant is an outsider; he is actuated by self-interest. He
works for pay. But no such principle can find a place in that which
speaks of redemption: "To him that worketh not but believeth on Him
that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness"
(Rom. 4:5). Third, no uncircumcised person should eat thereof. (v.
48). This applies to Israel equally as much as to Gentiles.
"Circumcision' was the sign of the Covenant, and only these who
belonged to the Covenant of Grace can feed upon Christ. Circumcision
was God's sentence of death written upon nature. Circumcision has its
antitype in the Cross. (Col. 2:11, 12).
"But every man's servant that is bought for money when thou hast
circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof . . . and when a stranger
shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the Passover to the Lord, let
all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it;
and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised
person shall eat thereof" (vv. 44, 48). A wall was erected to shut out
enemies, but the door was open to receive friends. No hired servant
could participate in the Feast, but a bond-servant who had been
purchased and circumcised, and who was now one of the household,
could. So, too, the foreigner who sojourned with Israel, provided he
would submit to the rite of circumcision. In this we have a blessed
foreshadowing of Grace reaching out to the Gentiles, who though by
nature were "aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to
the covenants of promise", are now, by grace "no more strangers and
foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints and of the household
of God" (Eph. 2:12, 19).--a statement which manifestly looks back to
Exodus 12.
"In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of
the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone
thereof (v. 46). "The lamb was to be eaten under the shelter of the
atoning blood, and there alone. Men may admire Christ, as it is the
fashion very much to do, while denying the whole reality of His
atoning work, but the Lamb can only be eaten really where its virtue
is owned I Apart from this, He cannot be understood or appreciated.
Thus the denial of His work leads to the denial of His person.
Universalists and Annihilationists slip naturally into some kind of
Unitarian doctrines as is evidenced on every hand.
"Thus this unites naturally with the commandment `Neither shall ye
break a bone thereof'. God will not have the perfection of Christ
disfigured as it would be in type by a broken bone. With the bones
perfect a naturalist can show the construction of the whole animal.
Upon the perfection of the bones depends the symmetry of form. God
will have this preserved with regard to Christ. Reverent, not rash
handling, becomes us as we seek to apprehend the wondrous Christ of
God. And looking back to what is in connection with this, how suited a
place to preserve reverence, the place `in the house' under the
shelter which the precious blood has provided for us! With such a one,
so sheltered, how could rationalism or irreverence, we might ask, be
found? And yet, alas, the injunction, we know too well is not
unneedful" (Mr. Grant).
It is indeed blessed to mark how God guarded the fulfillment of this
particular aspect of the type. That there might be no uncertainty that
Christ Himself, the Lamb of God, was in view here, the Spirit of
prophecy also caused it to be written (in one of the Messianic
Psalms), "He keepeth all His bones; not one of them is broken"
(34:20). And in John 19 we behold the antitype of Exodus 12 and the
fulfillment of Psalm 34. "The Jews therefore, because it was the
preparation that the bodies should not remain upon the Cross on the
Sabbath day (for that Sabbath day was an high day), besought Pilate
that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away"
(v. 31). Here was Satan, in his malignant enmity attempting to falsify
and nullify the written Word. Vain effort was it. "Then came the
soldiers and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was
crucified with Him" (v. 32). Thus far might the agents of the Roman
empire go, but no farther--"But when they came to Jesus and saw that
He was dead already, they brake not His legs," (John 19:33). Here we
are given to see the Father "keeping" (preserving) all the bones of
His blessed Son. Pierce His side with a spear a soldier might, and
this, only that prophecy might be fulfilled, for it was written, "They
shall look on Him whom they pierced, (Zech. 12:10). But brake His legs
they could not, for "a bone of Him shall not be broken", and it was
not!
"And the Lord spake unto Moses saying, Sanctify unto Me all the
firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel
both of man and of beast it is Mine" (13:1, 2). "The narrative of the
Exodus from Egypt is suspended to bring in certain
consequences,--responsible consequences for the' children of
Israel--consequences which flowed from their redemption out of the
land of bondage. For, although, they are still in the land, the
teaching of the chapter is founded upon their having been brought out,
and it is indeed anticipative of their being in Canaan. If God acts in
grace toward His people, He thereby establishes claims upon them, and
it is these claims that are here unfolded" (Ed. Dennett).
A redeemed people become the property of the Redeemer. To His New
Testament saints God says, "Ye are not your own; for ye are bought
with a price"(1 Cor. 6:19, 20). It is on this same principle that
Jehovah here says unto Moses, "Sanctify unto Me all the firstborn".
The reference to the "firstborn" here should be carefully noted. It
was the firstborn of Israel who had been redeemed from the
death-judgment which fell upon the Egyptians, and now the Lord claims
these for Himself. Typically this speaks of practical holiness,
setting apart unto God. Thus the first exhortation in Romans which
follows the doctrinal exposition in chapters 1 to 11 is, "I beseech
you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your
reasonable service" (12:1). Personal devotedness is the first thing
which God has a right to look for from His blood-bought people.
"Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, and in the seventh day
shall be a feast to the Lord. Unleavened bread shall be eaten seven
days; and there shall no leavened bread be seen with thee, neither
shall there be leaven seen with thee in all thy quarters" (13:6, 7).
Typically this shows the nature of sanctification. Throughout
Scripture "leaven" is the symbol of evil, evil which spreads and
corrupts everything with which it comes into contact, for "a little
leaven leaveneth the whole lump" (1 Cor. 5:6). To eat "unleavened
bread" signifies separation from all evil, in order that we may feed
upon Christ. That this Feast lasted "seven days", which is a complete
period, tells us that this is to last throughout our whole sojourn on
earth. It is to this that 1 Corinthians 5:7, 8 refers. "Purge out
therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are
unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;
Therefore let us keep the feast not with old leaven, neither with the
leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of
sincerity and truth." Because we are saved by grace, through the
sprinkled blood of Christ, it is not that we may now indulge in sin
without fear of its consequences, or that grace may abound. Not so.
Redemption by the precious blood of Christ imposes an additional
responsibility to separate ourselves from all evil, that we may now
show forth the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into
His marvelous light. Carelessness of walk, evil associations,
worldliness, fleshly indulgences are the things which hinder us from
keeping this Feast of unleavened Bread.
But much more is included by this figure of "leaven" than the grosser
things of the flesh. We read in the N. T. of "the leaven of the
Pharisees, (Matthew 16:6). This is superstition, the making void of
the Word of God by the traditions of men. Formalism and legality are
included too. Sectarianism and ritualism as well are the very essence
of Phariseeism. Then we read of "the leaven of the Sadducees" (Matthew
16:6). The Sadducees were materialists, denying a spirit within man,
and rejecting the truth of resurrection, (Acts 23:8). In its
present-day form, Higher Criticism, Rationalism, Modernism answers to
Sadduceeism. We also read of "the leaven of Herod (Mark 8:15). This is
worldliness, or more specifically, the friendship of the world, as the
various statements made about Herod in the Gospels will bear out. All
of these things must be rigidly excluded. The allowance of any of them
makes it impossible to feed upon Christ. Is it not because of our
failure to "purge out the old leaven" that so few of the Lord's people
enter upon "the feast of unleavened bread"!
"And thou shall show thy son in that day, saying, this is done because
of that which the Lord did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt"
(13:8). Striking indeed is this. The basis of this Feast was what the
Lord had done for Israel in delivering them from the land of bondage.
In other words, its foundation was redemption accomplished, entered
into, known, enjoyed. No soul can really feast upon Christ while he is
in doubt about his own salvation. "Fear hath torment" (1 John 4:18)
and this is the opposite of joy and salvation, of which "feasting"
speaks. Little wonder then that there are so many joyless professing
Christians. How could it be otherwise? "Rejoice" said Christ to the
disciples, "that your names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:20). Until
this joy of assurance is ours there cannot be, we say again, any
feasting upon Christ.
"And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a
memorial between thine eyes, that the Lord's law may be in thy mouth;
for with a strong hand hath the Lord brought thee out of Egypt"
(13:9). The Feast was a "sign" upon the hand, that is, it signified
that their service was consecrated to God. It was also a "memorial
between the eyes", that is, upon the forehead, where all could see;
which being interpreted, signifies, an open manifestation of
separation unto God. Finally, it was to be accompanied with "the
Lord's law in their mouth". The correlative of "law" is obedience.
God's redeemed are not a lawless people. Said the Lord Jesus, "If ye
love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15); and as John tells us,
"His commandments are not grievous" (1 John 5:3). Those who insist so
urgently that in no sense are Christians under Law evidence a sad
spirit of insubordination; it shows how much they are affected and
infected, with the spirit of lawlessness which now, alas, is so
prevalent on every side and in every realm.
"And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee into the land of the
Canaanites, as He sware unto thee and to thy fathers, and shall give
it thee, That thou shalt set apart unto the Lord all that openeth the
matrix and every firstling that cometh of a beast which thou hast; the
males shall be the Lord's. And every firstling of an ass thou shalt
redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt
break his neck; and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt
thou redeem". (13:11-13). The deep significance of this cannot be
missed if we observe the connection--that which precedes. In Exodus 12
we have had the redemption of the "firstborn" of Israel, here it is
the redemption of the "firstling" of an ass. In the second verse of
chapter 13 the two are definitely joined together--"Sanctify unto Me
all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb of the children of
Israel, both of man and of beast; it is Mine". That there may be no
mistaking what is in view here, the Lord gave orders that the
firstling of the ass was to be redeemed with a lamb, just as the
firstborn of Israel were redeemed with a lamb on the passover night.
Furthermore, the ass was to have its neck broken, that is it was to be
destroyed, unless redeemed; just as the Israelites would most
certainly have been smitten by the avenging Angel unless they had
slain the lamb and sprinkled its blood. The conclusion is therefore
irresistible: God here compares the natural man with the ass! Deeply
humbling is this!
The "ass" is an unclean animal. Such is man by nature; shapen in
iniquity conceived in sin. The "ass" is a most stupid and senseless
creature. So also is the natural man. Proudly as he may boast of his
powers of reason, conceited as he may be over his intellectual
achievements, the truth is, that he is utterly devoid of any spiritual
intelligence. What saith the Scriptures? This: "Walk not as other
Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding
darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance
that is in them" (Eph. 4:17, 18). Again; "If our Gospel be hid, it is
hid to them that are lost; in whom the god of this world (Satan) has
blinded the minds of them which believe not" (2 Cor. 4:3, 4). How
accurately, then, does the "ass" picture the natural man! Again; the
"ass" is stubborn and intractable, often as hard to move as a mule. So
also is the natural man. The sinner is rebellious and defiant. He will
not come to Christ that he might have life (John 5:40). It is in view
of these things that Scripture declares, "For vain man would be wise,
though man be born like a wild ass's colt" (Job 11:12).
It is instructive to trace the various references to the "ass" in
Scripture. The first mention of the "ass" is in Genesis 22; from it we
learn two things. "Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled
his "ass" (v. 3). The "ass" is not a free animal. It is a beast of
burden, saddled. So, too, is the sinner--"serving divers lusts".
Second, "And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the
ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship"(Gen. 22:5). The
"ass" did not accompany Abraham and Isaac to the place of worship. Nor
can the sinner worship God. Third, in Genesis 49:14 we read, "Issachar
is a strong ass, couching down between two burdens". So, too, is the
sinner--heavily "laden" (Matthew 11:28). Fourth, God forbade His
people to plow with an ox and ass together (Deut. 22:10). The sinner
is shut out from the service of God. Fifth, in 1 Samuel 9:3 we are
told, "And the asses of Kish Saul's father were lost", and though Saul
and his servant sought long for them they recovered them not. The
sinner, too, is lost, away from God, and no human power can restore
him. Sixth, In Jeremiah 22:19 we read, "He shall be buried with the
burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem".
Fearfully solemn is this. The carcass of the ass was cast forth
outside the gates of the holy city. So shall it be with every sinner
who dies outside of Christ; he shall not enter the New Jerusalem, but
be "cast into the Lake of Fire". The final reference to the "ass" is
found in Zechariah 9:9 "Rejoice greatly O daughter of Zion; shout, O
daughter of Jerusalem, behold, thy King cometh unto thee, He is just,
and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass". Most blessed
contrast is this. Here we see the "ass" entering Jerusalem, but only
so as it was beneath the controlling hand of the Lord Jesus! Here is
the sinner's only hope--to submit to Christ!
In Genesis 16:12 we have a statement which is very pertinent in this
connection, though its particular force is lost in the A. V.
rendering; we quote therefore from the R. V., "And he shall be a
wild-ass man among men; his hand shall be against every man, and every
man's hand against him". Those were the words of the Lord to Sarah.
They were a prophecy concerning Ishmael. From Galatians 4 we learn
that Ishmael stands for the natural man, as Isaac for the believer,
the seed of promise. In full accord, then, with all that we have said
above is this striking description of Sarah's "firstborn"; he was a
wild-ass man. The Bedowin Arabs are his descendants, and fully do they
witness to the truth of this ancient prophecy. But solemn is it to
find that here we have God's description of the natural man. And more
solemn still is what we read of Ishmael in Galatians 4; he "persecuted
him that was born after the Spirit" (v. 29), and in consequence had to
be "cast out" (v. 30).
In view of what has been said above, how marvelous the grace which
provided redemption for "the firstling of an ass"! "But God commendeth
His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us" (Rom. 5:8).
Ah, dear reader, have you taken this place before God? Do you own that
the "ass" is an accurate portrayal of all that you are in
yourself--unclean, senseless, intractable, fit only to have your neck
broken? Do the words of the apostle suitably express the real
sentiments of your heart--"Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners; of whom I am chief" (1 Tim. 1:15)? Or, are you like the self-
righteous Pharisee, who said, "God, I thank Thee, that I am not as
other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers" (Luke 18:11)? Christ
came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance, (Luke 5:32).
He came "To seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). Again,
we ask, Have you taken this place before God? Have you come to Him
with all your wretchedness--undone, corrupt, guilty, lost? Have you
abandoned all pretentions of worthiness and merit, and cast yourself
upon His undeserved mercy? Have you seen your own need of the sinner's
Savior, and thankfully received Him? If you have, then will you gladly
"set to your seal that God is true", and acknowledge that the "ass" is
a suitable figure to express what you were and still are by nature.
And, then, too, will you praise God for the matchless grace which
redeemed you, not with corruptible things as silver and gold, "but
with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and
without spot" (1 Pet. 1:19). Thank God for the Lamb provided for the
ass. The more fully we realize the accuracy of this figure, the more
completely we are given to see how ass-like we are in ourselves, the
deeper will be our gratitude and the more fervent our praise for the
redemptive and perfect Lamb.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
18. The Exodus From Egypt
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 12-14
"And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send
them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men. And
the people took their dough before it was leavened, their
kneading-troughs being hound up in their clothes upon their shoulders.
And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and
they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold,
and raiment. And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the
Egyptians so that they lent unto them such things as they required.
And they spoiled the Egyptians" (Ex. 12:33-36). At last was fulfilled
the promise made by Jehovah to Abraham more than four hundred years
before. He had said, "Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a
stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they
shall afflict them four hundred years" (Gen. 15:13). Literally had
this been fulfilled. The experiences of Abraham's seed in Egypt was
precisely as God had said. But He had also declared to Abraham, "And
also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge; and afterward
shall they come out with great substance" (Gen. 15:14). This, too, was
now made good. There were no provisos. no ifs or peradventures.
"Afterward shall they come out with great substance." So God had
decreed, so it came to pass. So had God promised, so He now made good
His word.
"And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years.
even the self-same day it came to pass that all the hosts of the Lord
went out from the land of Egypt" (12:41). Upon this verse we commented
briefly in our last paper. Those who went forth from the land of
bondage are here termed "the hosts of the Lord." Israel were the
Lord's hosts in a threefold way: First, by covenant purpose, by the
eternal choice of a predestinating God; Second, by creation, who had
made them for Himself; Third, by purchase, for He had redeemed them by
precious blood. "And it came to pass the selfsame day, that the Lord
did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their
armies' (12:51). The last three words in this quotation show that
Israel did not issue from Egypt as a disorderly mob. How could they,
seeing that it was the Lord who "brought them out!" God is riot the
author of confusion. There is a supplementary word in 13:18 which
brings this out in further detail: "The children of Israel went up by
five in a rank (margin) out of the land of Egypt." A similar example
of Divine orderliness is to be observed in connection with our Lord
feeding the hungry multitude. In Mark 6:29 we are told that Christ
commanded the disciples to "make all sit down by companies upon the
green grass. And we are told "they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and
by fifties." The fact that Israel went forth by "five in a rank"
exemplified and expressed God's grace, for five in Scripture ever
speaks of grace or favor. There is another word in Psalm 105:37 which
adds a beautiful touch to the picture here before us. There we are
told, "He brought them forth also with silver and gold; and there was
not one feeble person among their tribes." How this illustrates the
need of diligently comparing Scripture with Scripture if we would
obtain the full teaching of the Word on any subject! Nothing is said
of this in the historical narratives of Exodus; it was reserved for
the Psalmist to tell us of this Divine miracle, for miracle it
certainly was, that not a single one in all that vast host was sickly
or infirm.
"And Moses took the hones of Joseph with him; for he had straitly
sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and
ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you" (13:19). This was no
ancestor or relic worship, but an act of faith, the declaration of
Joseph's belief that the destination of Israel was to be the land
which God had promised to give to Abraham and his seed, which promise
the faith of Joseph had firmly laid hold of. During their long bondage
in Egypt this commandment which Joseph gave concerning "his bones"
must have often been the theme of converse in many of the Hebrew
households; and now, by taking with him the embalmed remains, Moses
showed his sure confidence that a grave would be found for them in the
land of promise. Nor was his confidence misplaced, as Joshua 24:33
shows: "And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought
up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem."
Hebrews 11:22 tells us that this commandment which Joseph gave was "by
faith," and here, hundreds of years after, we behold God's response to
the faith of His servant. Moses had much to occupy him at this time.
An immense responsibility and undertaking was his--to organize the
"armies of Israel" and lead them forth in orderly array. But in simple
dependence Joseph had put his dying trust n the living God, and it was
impossible that he should be disappointed. Therefore did Jehovah bring
to the mind of Moses this command of Joseph, and caused him to carry
it out. Blessed demonstration was it of the faithfulness of God.
But what, we may ask, is the typical lesson in this for us? Every
other detail in the exodus of Israel from Egypt, as well as all that
preceded and followed it, has a profound significance and spiritual
application to us. What, then, is foreshadowed in Israel carrying the
bones of Joseph with them as they commenced their journey across the
wilderness toward the promised land? If we bear in mind that Joseph is
a type of Christ the answer will not be difficult to discover. 2
Corinthians 4:10 gives us the N.T. interpretation: "Always bearing
about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of
Jesus might be made manifest in our bodies." It is the power of the
cross applied to the mortal body which ever craves present ease and
enjoyment. It is only by "keeping under" the body that the life of
Jesus (the new nature) is manifested by us.
"And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about
six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children" (12:37).
"Rameses means `child of the sun.' It was a fortress the Israelites,
as slaves, had helped to build for the Egyptians. It was named after
one of their great kings, whose remains, as a mummy, are now in the
British Museum. He was the Pharaoh who oppressed Israel so cruelly,
and the father of the Pharaoh who pursued the Israelites and was
drowned in the Red Sea. He was a great warrior; he conquered Ethiopia
and other lands." Typically, Rameses speaks of that system: `This
present evil world,' from which the grace and power of God delivers
His elect, that system over which the mighty fallen angel, Satan,
presides as Prince.
"So here, on the very threshold of their journey, we have a strange
and wonderful parable--a picture that everyone who knows the rudiments
of astronomy can appreciate. As the literal Israel was called out of
the domains of the `child of the sun' to journey to a land unknown to
them, so is the spiritual Israel--the Church--called out from the
realm described in the book of Ecclesiastes as `under the sun'--all
this kingdom in which the planets (`wanderers') move in their
never-ceasing revolutions around the sun--to go to that undiscovered
realm, in which, because what of it is visible to the eye is at such
an inconceivable distance from us that their movements can hardly be
detected at all, we call them fixed stars--that calm, immovable heaven
of heavens that we see gazing at us every night, unperturbed and
untouched by anything that can occur in our solar system of wanderers,
where our earth, like the rest, is a poor restless wanderer in a path
that never arrives anywhere. How graphically Solomon describes all our
life `under the sun', its mirths, its cares, its toils, its joys, and
its sorrows, as unceasing `vanity and vexation of spirit'! . . .`The
thing that hath been is that which shall be, and that which is done is
that which shall be done; and there is no new thing under the sun'
(Eccl. 1:9).
"To that `third heaven,' as Paul calls it (2 Cor. 12), that Paradise
altogether beyond and free from any of the influences of our planetary
system, the believer is going. We belong not to the world. Chosen in
Christ before this world's foundation, we belong to an eternal realm
beyond and apart from all men's ambitions, schemes, philosophies,
religions (Eph. 1:4-10).
"Such a calling is mysterious. No wonder Paul, even when in the very
act of trying to explain it to us. lifts up an earnest prayer that a
spirit of wisdom and revelation might be given us, so that we might be
able to "know what is the hope of His calling' (Eph. 1:18). It is all
so new; it is all so unearthly; its doctrines, its maxims, its hopes
and fears, its rules of conduct, are all so different to what is
`under the sun'" (C. H. Bright).
"And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth."
"Succoth" means "booths" or "tents." This spoke plainly of the pilgrim
character of the journey which lay before them. This was one of the
great lessons learned by the first pilgrim: "Here have we no
continuing city" (Heb. 13:14); for "by faith he sojourned in the land
of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and
Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise" (Heb. 11:3). Booths are
all that we have down here, for "our citizenship is in heaven" (Phil.
3:20). But, blessed be God, the day is now near at hand when we shall
exchange our temporary "tents" for the eternal "mansions" of the
Father's House.
"And a mixed multitude went up also with them" (12:38). Very solemn is
this; it was a wily move of the Enemy. Scripture presents him in two
chief characters--as the roaring lion and as the cunning serpent. The
former was exemplified by the cruel oppressions of Pharaoh; the
latter, in what is here before us. Satan tried hard to keep some, at
least, of the Israelites in Egypt; failing in this, he now sends some
of the Egyptians to accompany Israel to Canaan! This "mixed multitude"
would doubtless be made up of Egyptians and others of different
nations who resided in Egypt. A variety of causes and motives might
prompt them. Some, through inter-marriages with the Israelites (Lev.
24:10), and now loth to part with their relatives; others, because
afraid to remain any longer in a land so sorely afflicted with Divine
judgments, and now rendered desolate and untenable; others, because
quick to perceive that such wonders wrought on behalf of the Hebrews
plainly marked them out as a people who were the favorites of Heaven,
and therefore deemed it good policy to throw in their lot with them
(cf. 9:20). But it was not long before this "mixed multitude" proved a
thorn in the side of Israel. It was this same "mixed multitude" who
first became dissatisfied with the manna and influenced Israel to
murmur. (See Num. 11:4.)
It has been well said that "when a movement of God takes place men are
wrought upon by other motives than those by which the Holy Spirit
stirs the renewed heart, and a mass attach themselves to those who are
led forth." Witness the fact that when God "called Abraham alone"
(Isa. 51:2), Terah (his father) and Lot (his nephew) accompanied him
(Gen. 11:31). Witness the Gibeonites making a league with Joshua
(Josh. 9). So, too, we find that after the Jewish remnant returned
from the captivity "a mixed multitude" joined themselves to Israel
(Nehemiah 5:17), though later "they separated from Israel all the
mixed multitudes" (Nehemiah 13:3). So, too, we read of the Pharisees
and Sadducees coming to John the Baptist (Matthew 3:7)! And these
things are recorded for our "learning." This fellowshiping of
believers with unbelievers, this sufferance of the ungodly among the
congregation of the Lord, has been the great bane of God's saints in
every age, the source of their weakness, and the occasion of much of
their failure. It is because of this the Spirit of God says,
"wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate" (2 Cor. 6:17).
"And it came to pass when Pharaoh had let the people go that God led
them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that
was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they
see war and they return to Egypt" (13:17). How this reminds us of
Psalm 103:13, 14: "Like as a father pitieth his children, so that Lord
pitieth them that fear Him. For He knoweth our frame; He remembereth
that we are dust." This people who had spent many long years in
slavery were now starting out for the promised land, and it is
beautiful to see this tender concern for them. It exemplifies a
principle of general application in connection with the Lord's
dealings with His people. The Lord is not only very compassionate, but
His mercies are "tender" (James 5:11). The Lord does not suffer His
"babes" to be tested as severely as those who are more mature; witness
the various trials to which He subjected Abraham--the command for him
to offer Isaac was not the first but the last great test which he
received. It was so here with Israel. Later, there would be much
fighting when Canaan was reached, but at the beginning He led them not
the way of the land of the Philistines, for that would have involved
warfare. He had respect unto their weakness and timidity. "The Lord,
in His condescending grace, so orders things for His people that they
do not, at their first setting out, encounter heavy trials, which
might have the effect of discouraging their hearts and driving them
back" (C.H.M.)
"God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines."
This is the first thing noticed by the Holy Spirit after Israel left
the land of Egypt--God chose the way for His people through the
wilderness. Unspeakably blessed is this. "The steps of a good man are
ordered by the Lord, and He delighteth in his way (Ps. 37:23). We are
not left alone to choose our own path. "As many as are led by the
Spirit of God they are the sons of God" (Rom. 8:14). And what is it
that the Spirit uses in His leading of us to-day? In this, as in
everything, it is the written Word--"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet,"
to reveal the pitfalls and obstacles of the way, "and a light unto my
path"--to make clear the by-paths to be avoided (Ps. 119:105). What a
full provision has been made for us! Nothing is left to chance,
nothing to our own poor reasoning--"we are His workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we
should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10).
"But God led the people about through the way of the wilderness of the
Red Sea (13:8). It is often said that the "wilderness had no place in
the purpose of God for Israel. But this is certainly erroneous. It was
God Himself who led the people round about "the way of the wilderness
of the Red Sea." It was God's original intention that Israel should
take exactly the route which they actually followed. Not only is this
evident from the fact that the Pillar of Cloud led them each step of
their journey to Canaan, but it was plainly intimated by the Lord to
Moses before the exodus took place. At the very first appearing of
Jehovah to His servant at Horeb (Ex. 3:1--see our note on this in
Article 4), He declared, "When thou has brought forth the people out
of Egypt ye shall serve God upon this mountain." God's purpose in
leading Israel to Canaan through the wilderness, instead of via the
land of the Philistines, was manifested in the sequel. In the first
place, it was in order that His marvelous power might be signally
displayed on their behalf in bringing them safely through the Red Sea.
In the second place, it was in order that Pharaoh and his hosts might
there be destroyed. In the third place, it was in order that they
might receive Jehovah's laws in the undisturbed solitude of the
desert. In the fourth place, it was in order that they might be
properly organized into a Commonwealth and Church-state (Acts 7:53)
prior to their entrance into and occupation of the land of Canaan.
Finally, it was in order that they might be humbled, tried, and proved
(Deut. 8:2, 3), and the sufficiency of their God in every emergency
might be fully demonstrated.
"And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, on
the edge of the wilderness. And the Lord went before them by day in a
pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of
fire, to give them light; to go by day and night" (13:20, 21). Very
precious is this. Just as Jehovah--the covenant God, the promising
God, the One who heard the groanings of Israel, the One who raised up
a deliverer for them--reminds us of God the Father, just as the
Lamb--without spot and blemish, slain and its blood sprinkled,
securing protection and deliverance from the avenging angel--typifies
God the Son; so this Pillar of Cloud--given to Israel for their
guidance across the wilderness--speaks to us of God the Holy Spirit.
Amazingly full, Divinely perfect, are these O.T. foreshadowings. At
every point the teaching of the N.T. is anticipated. But the anointed
eye is needed to perceive the hidden meaning of these primitive
pictures. Much prayerful searching is necessary if we are to discern
their spiritual signification.
This "pillar" was the visible sign of the Lord's presence with Israel.
It is called "a pillar of cloud" and "a pillar of fire." Apparently
its upper portion rose up to heaven in the form of a column; its lower
being spread out cloudwise, over Israel's camp. Note how in Exodus
14:24 the two descriptive terms are combined, showing that the
"pillar" did not change its form, as a "cloud" by day and a "fire" by
night as is popularly supposed; but, as stated above, it was one--a
"pillar of fire" in its upper portion, a "cloud" below." It is clear,
though, from subsequent scriptures (Num. 14:14, etc.), that the whole
"cloud" was illuminative by night-time "to give them light in the way
wherein they should go" (Nehemiah 9:12). Let us now consider some of
the points in which the Cloud typified the Holy Spirit.
1. The "Cloud" was not given to Israel until they had been delivered
from Egypt. First, the slaying of the Pascal Lamb, then the giving of
the Cloud. This is the order of the N.T. First, the death of God's
Lamb, followed by His resurrection and ascension, and then the public
descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. So, also, is it in
Christian experience. There is first the sinner appropriating by faith
the death of Christ, and then the coming of the Holy Spirit to indwell
that soul. It is on the ground of Christ's shed blood--not because of
any moral fitness in us--that the Spirit of God seals us unto the day
of redemption. Strikingly is this order observed in the epistle to the
Romans--the great doctrinal treatise of the N.T. There, as nowhere
else so fully, is unfolded God's method of salvation. But it is not
until after the believing sinner is "justified" (5:1) that we read of
the Spirit of God. In 2:4-10 we get repentance; in 3:22-28, faith; and
then in 5:5 we read, "the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by
the Holy Spirit which is given unto us!"
2. The `Cloud" was God's gracious gift to Israel. No word is said
about the people asking for this Guide. It came to them quite
unsought, as a tender provision of God's mercy. Do we not find the
same thing in the Gospels? At the close of His mission the Lord Jesus
told the disciples of His departure, of His return to the Father. And
though we read of them being troubled and sorrowful, yet there is no
hint that any of the apostles requested Him to send them another
Comforter. The purpose to do this proceeded alone from Himself--"I
will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter" (John
4:16).
3. The Cloud was given to guide Israel through their wilderness
journey. What a merciful provision was this--an infallible Guide to
conduct them through the tract-less desert! "The Lord went before them
by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way" (Ex. 13:21). In
like manner, the Holy Spirit has been given to Christians to direct
their steps along the Narrow Way which leadeth unto life. "As many as
are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" (Rom. 8:14).
4. The Cloud gave light. "And by night in a pillar of fire to give
them light" (Ex. 13:21). Beautifully does Nehemiah remind their
descendants of this hundreds of years later: "Thou leadest them in the
day by a cloudy pillar and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give
them light in the way wherein they should go" (Neh. 9:12). By day or
by night Israel was "thoroughly furnished." For a similar purpose is
the Holy Spirit given to Christians. He is "the Spirit of wisdom and
understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of
knowledge and of the fear of the Lord" (Isa. 11:2). Said the Lord to
His apostles, "When He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide
you into all the truth" (John 16:13).
5. The Cloud was given for a covering: "He spread a cloud for a
covering" (Ps. 105:39). This Cloud was for Israel's protection from
the scorching heat of the sun in the sandy desert where there was no
screen. Beautifully has this been commented upon by one who knew from
an experience of contrast the blessedness of this merciful provision
of God for Israel: "To appreciate what the cloud was to Israel, we
must transport ourselves in imagination to a rainless country like
Egypt. We lived many years on the coast of Peru--hundreds of miles as
rainless as Egypt. We recalled with horror that some English hymn
writer had sung the glories of a "cloudless sky, a waveless sea." In a
small schooner, becalmed under a tropical sun off the coast of
Equador, we tasted the awfulness of a waveless sea, and in Peru for
half the year we had a cloudless sky, and rainless always. How
beautiful the distant clouds looked, away off there on the peaks of
the lofty Andes. We could not but feel, `What must be the soothingness
of bring under a cloud like those Indians who lived up there in that
happy fertile region of clouds amid the valleys and mountains!'
Therefore, that cloud must have been a welcome sight to those
ex-slaves, accustomed to labor in the fields under the sun of Egypt.
It was a proof to them of the all-mighty power of Jehovah. He could
give them a cloud where there was nothing in Nature to form clouds. He
could furnish a shelter to His people when no other people had a
shelter (C. H. Bright). So, too, is the Holy Spirit our Protector--we
are "sealed unto the day of redemption" (Eph. 4:30).
6. God spoke from the Cloud: "He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar
(Ps. 99:7). The Psalmist is here referring back to such passages as
Exodus 33:9--"And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the
tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the
tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses" (Num. 12:5). In like
manner the Holy Spirit is to-day the Spokesman for the Holy Trinity,
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches" (Rev. 2:3).
7. This Cloud was darkness to the Egyptians: "And it came between the
camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. and it was a cloud and
darkness to them" (14:20). Fearfully solemn is this. God not only
reveals, but He also conceals: "At that time Jesus answered and said.
I thank Thee, O Father. Lord of, Heaven and Earth, because Thou host
hid these things from the wise and prudent" (Matthew 11:25). It is so
with the Holy Spirit--"The Spirit of truth whom the world cannot
receive" (John 14:17).
8. This Cloud rested upon the Tabernacle as soon as it was erected.
"So Moses finished the work. Then a cloud covered the tent of the
congregation. and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle, and
Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation because
the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the
Tabernacle" (Ex. 40:33-35). How strikingly this foreshadowed the
coming of the Holy Spirit upon that Blessed One who tabernacled among
men, of Whom it is written, "We beheld His glory (John 1:14). So, too,
the Holy Spirit came upon the twelve apostles on the day of Pentecost
and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:4).
9. All through Israel's wilderness wanderings this Cloud was never
taken away from them: "Yet Thou in Thy manifold mercies forsookest
them not in the wilderness; the pillar of the cloud departed not from
them" (Neh. 9:19). Despite all Israel's failures--their murmurings,
their unbelief, their rebellion--God never withdrew the Cloudy Pillar!
So, too, of the Holy Spirit given to believers the sure promise is,
"He shall give you another Comforter, that He may (should) abide with
you forever" (John 14:16).
10. It is blessed to learn that the Cloud shall once more descend upon
and dwell among Israel. When God regathers His scattered people, when
He resumes His covenant relationship with them, and brings them to a
saving knowledge of their Messiah-Redeemer, then shall be fulfilled
the ancient promise, "When the Lord shall have washed away the filth
of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem
from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of
burning. And the Lord will create upon every dwelling-place of mount
Zion, and upon her assemblies, a Cloud and smoke by day and a shining
of a flaming fire by night; for upon all the Glory shall be a defense"
(Isa. 4:6). What a truly marvelous type of the person and ministry of
the Holy Spirit was the fiery and cloudy "pillar!"
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
19. Crossing the Red Sea
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 14
In this lesson we are to have for our consideration one of the most
remarkable miracles recorded in the O.T., certainly the most
remarkable in connection with the history of Israel. From this point
onwards, whenever the servants of God would remind the people of the
Lord's power and greatness, reference is almost always made to what He
wrought for them at the Red Sea. Eight hundred years afterwards the
Lord says through Isaiah, "I am the Lord thy God, that divided the
sea, whose waves roared; the Lord of hosts in His name" (Isa. 51:15).
Nahum announced, "The Lord hath His way in the whirlwind and in the
storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet. He rebuketh the sea,
and maketh it dry" (Nah. 1:3, 4). When the Lord renewed His promise to
Israel, He takes them back to this time and says, "According to the
days of thy coming out of the Land of Egypt will I show unto him
marvelous things" (Mich. 7:15 and cf. Joshua 24:6, 7: Nehemiah 9:9;
Psalm 106:7, 8; Jeremiah 31:35, etc.). It was this notable event which
made such a great impression upon the enemies of the Lord: "For we
have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you,
when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the
Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye
utterly destroyed, and as soon as we have heard these things, our
hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man
because of you; for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above, and
in earth beneath" (Josh. 2:10, 11).
The miracle of the Red Sea occupies a similar place in the O.T.
scriptures as the resurrection of the Lord Jesus does in the New; it
is appealed to as a standard of measurement, as the supreme
demonstration of God's power (cf. Ephesians 1:19, etc.). Little
wonder, then, that each generation of infidels has directed special
attacks against this miracle. But to the Christian, miracles occasion
no difficulty. The great difference between faith and unbelief is that
one brings in God, the other shuts Him out. With God all things are
possible. Bring in God and supernatural displays of power are to be
expected.
Before we consider the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea, we must
first give a brief notice to what preceded it. Exodus 14 opens by
telling us, "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the
children of Israel that they turn and encamp before Pi-hahiroth,
between Migdol and the sea, over against Baal-zephon; before it shall
ye encamp by the sea" (vv. 1, 2). In this word God commanded Israel to
turn off from the route they were following, and encamp before the Red
Sea. Many attempts have been made to ascertain the precise location,
but after such a lapse of time and the changes incident upon the
passing of the centuries It seems a futile effort. The third verse
tells us all that it is necessary for us to know, and the information
it supplies is far more accurate and reliable than any human
geographies Israel were "shut in by the wilderness," and the Red Sea
stretched before them. Thus Israel were so placed that there was no
human way of escape. In the mountain fastnesses they might have had a
chance; but surrounded by the wilderness, it was useless to flee
before the cavalry and chariots of Egypt.
"Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before
Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baal-zephon;
before it shall ye encamp by the sea" (14:2). Here, as everywhere in
Scripture, these names are full of meaning. They are in striking
accord with what follows. "Pi-hahiroth" is rendered by Ritchie "Place
of Liberty." Such indeed it proved to be, for it was here that Israel
were finally delivered from those who had long held them in cruel
bondage. "Migdol" signifies "a tower" or "fortress." Such did Jehovah
demonstrate Himself to be unto His helpless and attacked people.
Newberry gives "Lord of the North" as the meaning of "Baal-zephon,"
and in scripture the "north" is frequently associated with judgment
(cf. Joshua 8:11, 13; Isaiah 14:31; Jeremiah 1:14, 4:6; 6:1 Ezekiel
1:4, etc.). It was as the Lord of Judgment that Jehovah was here seen
at the Red Sea.
"For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They are entangled in
the land, the wilderness hath shut them in" (14:3). How this brings
out the inveteracy of unbelief! How it demonstrates the folly of human
reasoning! Granting that Israel were "entangled in the land," that
they were "shut in" by the wilderness, that they were trapped before
the Red Sea, did Pharaoh suppose that they would fall easy victims
before his onslaught? What of Israel's God? Had He not already shown
Himself strong on their behalf? Had He not already shown Egypt that
those who persecuted His covenant people "touched the apple of His
eye" (Zech. 2:8)! What a fool man is? How he disregards every warning?
How determined he is to destroy himself? So it was here with Pharaoh
and his army. Notwithstanding the ten plagues which had swept his
land, he now marches out against Jehovah's redeemed to consume them in
the wilderness.
"And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, that be shall follow after them;
and I will be honored upon Pharaoh, and upon all his hosts; that the
Egyptians may know that I am the Lord. And they did so" (14:4). Here
was God's reason for commanding Israel to "encamp by the sea."
"Terrible as Egypt's chastisements had been, something more was still
needed to bumble her proud king and his arrogant subjects under the
felt band of God, and to remove from Israel all further fear of
molestation. There was one part of Egypt's strength, their chief
glory, which had so far escaped. Their triumphant army had not been
touched. Moses is told that, when Pharaoh's spies carried the tidings
to him that the Israelites had gone down by the Egyptian shore, it
would seem to the king that his hour for vengeance had come. A force
advancing rapidly upon the rear of the Israelites would block their
only way of escape, and so the helpless multitude would be at his
mercy" (Urquhart).
"And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled; and the heart
of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and then
said, Why have we done this, that we have left Israel go from serving
us? And he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him; and
be took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt,
and captains over every one of them. And the Lord hardened the heart
of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel
; and the children of Israel went out with an high hand. But the
Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh
and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea,
beside Pi-hahiroth, before Baal-Zephon" (vv. 5-9). All happened as God
had foretold. Pharaoh and his courtiers became suddenly alive to their
folly in having permitted Israel to go, and now a splendid opportunity
seems to be afforded them to retrieve their error. The army is
summoned in hot haste, Pharaoh and his nobles arm and mount their
chariots. The famous cavalry of Egypt sally forth with all their
glory. Not only the king, but his servants also, the very ones who had
entreated him to let Israel go (10:7), are urgent that Israel should
he pursued and captured. The judgments of God being no more upon their
land, and recollecting the great service the Hebrews had rendered
them, the advantages of having them for slaves, and the loss sustained
by parting with them, they are now anxious to recover them as speedily
as possible.
"And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their
eyes and behold the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore
afraid; and the children of Israel cried out Unto the Lord. And they
said unto Moses, because there were no graves in Egypt hast thou taken
us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt with us,
to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell
thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians?
For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we
should die in the wilderness" (vv. 10-12). This was a sore trial of
faith, and sadly did Israel fail in the hour of testing. Alas! that
this should so often be the case with us. After all God had done on
their behalf in Egypt, they surely had good reason to trust in Him
now. After such wondrous displays of Divine power, and after their own
gracious deliverance from the Angel of Death, their present fear and
despair were inexcusable. But how like ourselves! Our memories are so
short. No matter how many times the Lord has delivered us in the past,
no matter how signally His power has been exerted on our behalf, when
some new trial comes upon us we forget God's previous interventions,
and are swallowed up by the greatness of our present emergency.
"And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their
eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them. (v. 10). Their
eyes were upon the Egyptians, and in consequence they were `sore
afraid.' It is always thus. The only cure for fear is for the eye to
remain steadfastly fixed on the Lord. To be occupied with our
circumstances and surroundings is fatal to our peace. It was so in the
case of Peter as he started to walk on the waters to Christ. While he
kept his gaze upon the Lord he was safe; but as soon as he became
occupied with the winds and the waves, he began to sink.
"And they were sore afraid; and the children of Israel cried out unto
the Lord" (v. 10). Had they prayed unto God in this their distress for
help and assistance, protection and preservation, with a holy yet
humble confidence in Him, their crying had been right and laudable;
but it is clear from the next two verses that theirs was the cry of
complaint and despair, rather than of faith and hope. It closely
resembles the attitude and action of the disciples in the storm-tossed
ship as they awoke the Master and said, "Carest Thou not that we
perish?" How solemn it is to see that such unbelief, such despair,
such murmuring, can proceed from the people of God! How the
realization that we have the same evil hearts within us should humble
us before Him.
"And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast
thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt
thus with us to carry us out of Egypt?" (v. 11). How absurd are the
reasonings of unbelief! If death at the hands of the Egyptians was to
be their lot, why had Jehovah delivered them from the land of bondage?
The fact that He had led them out of Egypt was evidence enough that He
was not going to allow them to fall before their enemies. Besides, the
Lord had promised they should worship Him in Mount Horeb (3:12). How,
then, could they now perish in the wilderness? But where faith is not
in exercise, the promises of God bring no comfort and afford no stay
to the heart.
Israel had been brought into their present predicament by God Himself.
It was the Pillar of Cloud which had led them to where they were now
encamped. Important truth for us to lay hold of. We must not expect
the path of faith to be an easy and smooth one. Faith must be tested,
tested severely. But, why? That we may learn the sufficiency of our
God! That we may prove from experience that He is able to supply our
every need (Phil. 4:19), make a way of escape from every temptation (1
Cor. 10:13), and do for us exceedingly abundantly above all that we
ask or think.
"Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us
alone that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us
to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness" (v.
12). Behind the rage of Pharaoh and his hosts who were pursuing the
Israelites, we are to see the enmity of Satan against those whom
Divine grace has delivered from his toils. It is not until a sinner is
saved that the spite of the Devil is directed against him who till
recently was his captive. It is now that he goes forth as a roaring
lion seeing to devour Christ's lamb. Beautiful it is to see here the
utter failure of the enemy's efforts. Now that the Divine
righteousness had been satisfied by the blood of the Lamb, it was
solely a question between God and the Enemy. Israel had to do no
fighting--God fought for them, and the enemy was utterly defeated.
This is one of the outstanding lessons of Exodus 14--"If God be for us
who can be against us?"
Vitally important it is for the believer to lay firm hold on this
soul-sustaining truth. How often it occurs (exceptions must surely be
few in number) that as soon as a sinner has fled to Christ for refuge,
Satan it once lets fly his fiery darts. The young believer is tempted
now as he never was in his unregenerate days; his mind is filled with
evil thoughts and doubts, and he is terrified by the roaring of the
"lion," until he wonders who is really going to gain possession of his
soul--God or Satan. This was precisely the issue raised here at the
Red Sea. It Looked as though Jehovah had deserted His people. It
seemed as though they must fall victims to their powerful and
merciless foes. But how deceptive are appearances? How quickly and how
easily the Lord Almighty reversed the situation? The sequel shows us
all Israel safe on the other side of the Red Sea, and all the
Egyptians drowned therein! But how was this brought about? Of deep
moment is every word that follows.
"And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the
salvation of the Lord, which He will show to you today; for the
Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more
forever" (v. 13). The first word was, "Fear not." The servant of God
would quieten their hearts and set them in perfect peace before Him.
"Fear not" is one of the great words recurring all through the
Scriptures. "Fear not" was what God said to Abraham (Gen. 15:1). "Fear
not, neither be thou dismayed" was His message to Joshua (8:1). "Fear
not" was His command to Gideon (Judg. 16:23). "Fear not" was David's
counsel to Solomon (1 Chron. 28:20). This will be the word of the
Jewish remnant in a day to come: "Be strong, fear not, behold, your
God will come" (Isa. 35:4). "Fear not" was the angel's counsel to
Daniel (10:12). "Fear not little flock" is the Lord's message to us
(Luke 12:32). "I will fear no evil" said the Psalmist (23:4), "for
Thou art with me." But how is this to be attained? How is the heart to
be established in peace? Does not Isaiah 26:3 sum it all up--"Thou
wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed in Thee because He
trusteth in Thee."
"Stand still" was the next word of Moses to Israel. All attempts at
self-help must end. All activities of the flesh must cease. The
workings of nature must be subdued. Here is the right attitude of
faith in the presence of a trial--"stand still." This is impossible to
flesh and blood. All who know, in any measure, the restlessness of the
human heart under anticipated trial and difficulty, will be able to
form some conception of what is involved in standing still. Nature
must be doing something. It will rush hither and thither. It would
feign have some hand in the matter. And although it may attempt to
justify and sanctify its worthless doings, by bestowing upon them the
imposing and popular title of "a legitimate use of means," yet are
they the plain and positive fruits of unbelief, which always shut out
God, and sees nought save every dark cloud of its own creation.
Unbelief creates or magnifies difficulties, and then sets us about
removing them by our own bustling and fruitless actions, which, in
reality, do but raise a dust around us which prevents our seeing God's
salvation.
"Faith, on the contrary, raises the soul above the difficulty,
straight to God Himself, and enables one to `stand still.' We gain
nothing by our restless and anxious efforts. We cannot make one hair
white or black, nor add one cubit to our stature, What could Israel do
at the Red Sea! Could they dry it up? Could they level the mountains?
Could they annihilate the hosts of Egypt? Impossible! There they were,
enclosed within an impenetrable wall of difficulties, in view of which
nature could but tremble and feel its own impotency. But this was just
the time for God to act. When unbelief is driven from the scene, then
God can enter; and in order to get a proper view of His actings, we
must `stand still.' Every movement of nature is, so far as it goes, a
positive hindrance to our perception and enjoyment of Divine
interference on our behalf" (C.H.M.).
"And see the salvation of the Lord." It is surprising how many have,
missed the point here. Most of the commentators regard this word as
signifying that Israel were to remain passive until the waters of the
Red Sea should be cleft asunder. But this is clearly erroneous.
Hebrews 11:29 tells us that it was "by faith they passed through the
Red Sea," and faith is the opposite of sight. The mistake arises from
jumping to the conclusion that "see the salvation of the Lord" refers
to physical sight. It was spiritual sight that Moses referred to, the
exercising of the eyes of the heart. Faith is a looking not at the
things which are seen, but a looking "at the things which are not
seen" (2 Cor. 4:18)--strange paradox to the natural man! As we read in
Hebrews 11:13, "These all died in faith, not having received the
promises, but having seen them afar off." And of Moses we read, "he
endured as seeing Him who is invisible" (Heb. 11:13)--that is, seeing
Him with the eyes of faith. To "see the salvation of the Lord" we must
first "stand still"--all fleshly activity must cease. We have to be
still if we would know that God is God (Ps. 46:10).
"For the Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again
no more forever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your
peace" (vv. 13, 14). Notice the repeated use of the future tense here:
"He will show you . . .ye shall see them again no more . . . the Lord
shall fight for you." How this confirms what we have just said.
Jehovah's "salvation" had first to be seen by the eye of faith before
it would be seen with the eye of sense. That "salvation" must first be
revealed to and received by "the hearing of faith." "Which He will
show you to-day" was the ground of their faith. Striking are the
closing words of verse 14: "and ye shall hold your peace," or, as some
render it, "ye shall keep silence." Six hundred thousand men, besides
women and children, were to remain motionless in the profound silence
which befitted them in a scene where so unparalleled a drama was to be
enacted, moving neither hand, foot, nor tongue! How well calculated
was such an order to draw the trembling heart of Israel away from a
fatal occupation with its own exigencies to faith in the Lord of
hosts!
"And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto Me? Speak
unto the children of Israel that they go forward" (v. 15). "Go
forward" does not contradict, but complements the "stand still." This
is ever the spiritual order. We are not ready to "go forward" until we
have first "stood still" and seen the salvation of the Lord. Moreover,
before the command was given to "Go forward" there was first the
promise, "see the salvation of the Lord which He will show "you
today." Faith must be based on the Divine promise, and obedience to
the command must spring from the faith thus produced. Before we are
ready to "go forward" faith must see that which is invisible, namely,
the "salvation of the Lord." and this, before it is actually wrought
for us. Thus "by faith Abraham went out, not knowing whither he went"
(Heb. 11:8).
"But lift thou up thy rod and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and
divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through
the midst of the sea And Moses stretched out his hand aver the sea:
and the Lord caused the sea to go hack by a strong east wind all that
night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the
children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground;
and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their
left hand" (vv. 16-21, 22). The best commentary upon this is Hebrews
11:29: "By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land." From
this it is very clear that the waters of the Red Sea did not begin to
divide until the feet of the Israelites came to their very brink,
otherwise the" would have crossed by sight, and not "by faith."
Equally clear is it that the sea was not divided throughout at once.
As another has said, "It does not require faith to begin a journey
when I can see all the way through; but to begin when I can merely see
the first step, this is faith. The sea opened as Israel moved forward,
so that every fresh step they needed to be cast upon God. Such was the
path along which the redeemed of the Lord moved, under His own
directing hand." So it was then; such is the true path of faith now.
It is beautiful to observe another word in Hebrews 11:29--"The
children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea." They
did not rush through at top speed. There was no confusion. With
absolute confidence in the Lord they crossed in orderly procession.
"And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the
sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And it
came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host
of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and
troubled the host of the Egyptians, and took off their chariot wheels,
that they drove them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee
from the face of Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them against the
Egyptians. And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over
the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their
chariots, and upon their horsemen. And Moses stretched forth his hand
over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning
appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord overthrew
the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And the waters returned, and
covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh
that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one
of them" (vv. 23-28). The practical lesson to be learned from this is
very plain: Those who attempt to do without faith, what believers
succeed to do by faith--those who seek to obtain by their own efforts,
what believers obtain by faith--will assuredly fail. By faith, the
believer obtains peace with God; but all of the unbeliever's efforts
to obtain peace by good works, are doomed to disappointment. Believers
are sanctified by the truth (John 17:19); those who aim to arrive at
holiness without believing are following a will o' the wisp. In the
little space that remains let us summarize some of the many lessons
our passage sets forth.
Typically the crossing of the Red Sea speaks of Christ making a way
through death for His people. "The Red Sea is the figure of death--the
boundary-line of Satan's power" (Ritchie). Note the words of God to
Moses: "Lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea.
and divide it; and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground
through the midst of the sea" (v. 16). Moses is plainly a type of
Christ, the "rod" a symbol of His power and authority. The Red Sea
completely destroyed the power of Pharaoh (Satan) over God's people.
Hebrews 2:14 gives us the antitype--"That through death He might
destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the Devil." The
effect of Moses lifting up his rod and stretching forth his hand is
blessed to behold--"And the children of Israel went into the midst of
the sea upon the dry ground; and the waters were a wall unto them on
their right hand, and on their left" (v. 22). Not only had that which
symbolized death no power over Israel, but it was now a defense to
them! This very sea, which at first they so much feared, became the
means of their deliverance from the Egyptians; and instead of proving
their enemy became their friend. So if death overtakes the believer
before the Lord's return it only serves to bring him into the presence
of Christ--"Whether Paul or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life,
or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours"(1 Cor.
3:22). But deeply solemn is the other side of the picture: "By faith
they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians
assaying to do, were drowned," for the natural man to meet death in
the power of human confidence is certain destruction.
"Evangelically the crossing of the Red Sea tells of the completeness
of our salvation. It is the sequel to the Passover-night, and both are
needed to give us a full view of what Christ has wrought for us. In
Hebrews 9:27 we read, "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after
this the judgment." For the believer this order is reversed, as it was
with his Substitute. It was during the three awful hours of darkness,
while He hung on the cross, that the Lord Jesus endured the "judgment"
of God against our sins. Having passed through the fires of God's
wrath, He then "yielded up the spirit." So in our type. On the
Passover-night, we see Israel sheltered by blood from the judgment of
God--the avenging angel; here at the Red Sea, we behold them brought
safely through the place of death. The order is reversed for the
unbeliever. "After death the judgment" for him.
"Doctrinally the passage through the Red Sea sets forth the believer's
union with Christ in His death and resurrection. "I am crucified with
Christ" (Gal. 2:20), refers to our judicial identification with our
Substitute, not to experience. That Israel passed through the Red Sea,
and emerged safely on the far side, tells of resurrection. So we read
in Romans 6:5, "If we have been planted together in the likeness of
His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection." And
again, "When we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with
Christ, and raised us up together" (Eph. 2:5, 6). Practically the
deliverance of Israel from the Red Sea illustrates the absolute
sufficiency of our God. The believer to-day may be hemmed in on every
side. A Red Sea of trial and trouble may confront him. But let him
remember that Israel's God is his God. When His time comes, it will be
an easy matter for Him to cleave a way through for you. Take comfort
from His promise: "When thou passeth through the waters, I will be
with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee" (Isa.
43:2). God can protect His people in the greatest difficulties and
dangers and make a way of deliverance for them out of the most
desperate situations.
Dispensationally the passing of Israel through the Red Sea foreshadows
the yet suture deliverance and restoration of the Jews. The "sea" is a
well known figure of the Gentiles (Ps. 65:7; Daniel 7:2; Revelation
17:15) Among the Gentiles the seed of Abraham have long been
scattered, and to the eye of sense it has seemed that they would be
utterly swallowed up. But marvelously has God preserved the Jews all
through these many centuries. The "sea" has not consumed them. They
still dwell as "a people apart" (Num. 23:9). and the time is coming
when Jehovah will fulfill the promises made to their fathers (Ezek.
20:34; 37:21, etc.). When these promises are fulfilled our type will
receive its final accomplishment. Israel shall be brought safely out
of the "sea" of the Gentiles, into their own land.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
20. Israel's Song
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 15
Exodus 15 contains the first song recorded in Scripture. Well has it
been said, "It is presumably the oldest poem in the world, and in
sublimity of conception and grandeur of expression, it is unsurpassed
by anything that has been written since. It might almost be said that
poetry here sprang full-grown from the heart of Moses, even as heathen
mythology fables Minerva come full-armed from the brain of Jupiter.
Long before the ballads of Homer were sung through the streets of the
Grecian cities, or the foundation of the Seven-hilled metropolis of
the ancient world was laid by the banks of the Tiber, this matchless
ode, in comparison with which Pindar is tame, was chanted by the
leader of the emancipated Hebrews on the Red Sea shore; and yet we
have in it no polytheism, no foolish mythological story concerning
gods and goddesses, no gilding of immorality, no glorification of mere
force; but, instead, the firmest recognition of the personality, the
supremacy, the holiness, the retributive rectitude of God. How shall
we account for all of this? If we admit the Divine legation and
inspiration of Moses, all is plain; if we deny that, we have in the
very existence of this Song, a hopeless and insoluble enigma. Here is
a literary miracle, as great as the physical sign of the parting of
the Sea. When you see a boulder of immense size, and of a different
sort of stone from those surrounding it, lying in a valley, you
immediately conclude that it has been brought hither by glacier action
many, many ages ago. But here is a boulder-stone of poetry, standing
all alone in the Egyptian age, and differing entirely in its character
from the sacred hymns either of Egypt or of India. Where did it come
from? Let the rationalist furnish his reply; for me it is a boulder
from the Horeb height whereon Moses communed with the great I AM--when
he saw the bush that burned but yet was not consumed--and left here as
at once a witness to his inspiration, and the nations' gratitude" (W.
M. Taylor, Moses the Law-giver).
This first Song of Scripture has been rightly designated the Song of
Redemption, for it proceeded from the hearts of a redeemed people. Now
there are two great elements in redemption, two parts to it. we may
say: redemption is by purchase and by power. Redemption therefore
differs from ransoming, though they are frequently confounded.
Ransoming is but a part of redemption. The two are clearly
distinguished in Scripture. Thus in Hosea 13:14 the Lord Jesus by the
Spirit of Prophecy declares, "I will ransom them from the power of the
grave; I will redeem them from death." And again we read, "For the
Lord bath redeemed Jacob and ransomed him from the hand of him that
was stronger than he" (Jer. 31:11). So in Ephesians 1:14 we read,
"which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the
purchased possession."
Ransoming is the payment of the price; redemption, in the full sense,
is the deliverance of the persons for whom the price was paid. It is
the latter which is the all-important item. Of what use is the ransom
if the captive be not released? Without actual emancipation there will
be no song of praise. Who would ever thank a ransomer that left him in
bondage? The Greek word for "Redemption" is rendered "deliverance" in
Hebrews 11:35--"And others were tortured not accepting deliverance."
"Not accepting deliverance" means release from their affliction, i.e.,
not accepting it on the terms of their persecutors, namely, upon
condition of apostasy. The twofold nature of Redemption is the key to
that wondrous and glorious vision described in Revelation 5. The
"book" there, is the Redeemer's title-deeds to the earth. Hence his
dual character; "Lamb"--the Purchaser; "Lion"--the powerful
Emancipator.
On the Passover-night Israel were secured from the doom of the
Egyptians; at the Red Sea they were delivered from the Power of the
Egyptians. Thus delivered--"redeemed" they sang. It is only a redeemed
people, conscious of their deliverance, that can really praise
Jehovah, the Deliverer. Not only is worship impossible for those yet
dead in trespasses and sins, but intelligent worship cannot be
rendered by professing Christians who are in doubt as to their
standing before God. And necessarily so. Praise and joy are essential
elements of worship; but how can those who question their acceptance
in the Beloved, who are not certain whether they would go to Heaven or
Hell should they die this moment,--how could such be joyful and
thankful? Impossible! Uncertainty and doubt beget fear and distrust,
and not gladness and adoration. There is a very striking word in Psalm
106:12 which throws light on Exodus 15:1--"Then believed they His
words; they sang His praise."
"Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord"
(15:1). "Then." When? When "the Lord saved Israel that day out of the
hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea
shore" (14:30). A close parallel is met with in the book of Judges. At
the close of the 4th chapter we read, "So God subdued on that day
Jabin the King of Canaan before the children of Israel. And the hand
of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the
king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan" (vv.
23, 24). What is the immediate sequel to this deliverance of Israel
from Jabin? This: "then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on
that day, saying, Praise ye the Lord for the avenging of Israel"
(5:1). An even more blessed example is furnished in Isaiah. The 53rd
chapter of this prophecy (in its dispensational application) contains
the confession of the Jewish remnant at the close of the Tribulation
period. Then will their eyes be opened to see that the One whom their
nation "despised and rejected" was, in truth, the Sin-Bearer, the
Savior. Once their faith lays hold of this, once they have come under
the virtue of Christ's atoning sacrifice, everything is altered. The
very first word of Isaiah 54 is, "Sing O barren thou that didst not
bear; break forth into singing."
"Then sang Moses and the children of Israel." What a contrast is this
from what was before us in the earlier chapters! While in the house of
bondage no joyful strains were upon the lips of the Hebrews. Instead,
we read that they "sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried . .
. and God heard their groaning." But now their sighing gives place to
singing; their groans to praising. They are occupied no longer with
themselves, but with the Lord. And what had produced this startling
change? Two things: the blood of the Lamb, and the power of the Lord.
It is highly significant, and in full accord with what we have said
above, that we never read in Scripture of angels "singing." In Job
38:7 they are presented as "shouting," and in Luke 2:13 they are seen
"praising" God, while in Revelation 5:11, 12 we hear them "saying,"
Worthy is the Lamb. Only the redeemed "sing!"
"Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord."
And what did they sing about? Their song was entirely about Jehovah.
They not only sang unto the Lord, but they sang about Him! It was all
concerning Himself, and nothing about themselves. The word "Lord"
occurs no less than twelve times within eighteen verses! The pronouns
"He," "Him," "Thy," "Thou," and "Thee" are found thirty-three times!!
How significant and how searching is this! How entirely different from
modern hymnology! So many hymns today (if "hymns" they deserve to be
called) are full of maudlin sentimentality, instead of Divine
adoration. They announce our love to God instead of His for us. They
recount our experiences, instead of His mercies. They tell more of
human attainments, instead of Christ's Atonement. Sad index of our low
state of spirituality! Different far was this Song of Moses and
Israel: "I will exalt Him" (v. 3), sums it all up. "I will sing unto
the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider
hath He thrown into the sea" (v. 1). How many there are who imagine
that the first thing for which we should praise God is our own
blessing, what He has done for us! But while that is indeed the
natural order, it is not the supernatural. Where the Spirit of God is
fully in control He always draws out the heart unto God. It was so
here. So much was self forgotten, the Deliverer alone was seen. "Out
of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh," and where the heart
is really occupied with the Lord, the mouth will tell forth His
praises. "The Lord is my strength and song." Beautiful and blessed was
this first note struck by God's redeemed. O that our hearts were so
set upon things above that He might be the constant theme of our
praise--"singing and making melody in your hearts unto the Lord" (Eph.
5:19).
"I will sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously; the
horse and his rider bath He thrown into the sea." The theme of this
song is what the Lord had done: He had delivered His people and
destroyed their enemies. Israel began by magnifying the Lord because
in overthrowing the strength of Egypt He had glorified Himself. This
is repeated in various forms: "Thy right hand O Lord, is become
glorious in power: Thy right hand, O Lord, bath dashed in pieces the
enemy. And in the greatness of Thine excellency Thou hast overthrown
them that rose up against Thee" (vv. 6, 7). Joy is the spontaneous
overflowing of a heart which is occupied with the person and work of
the Lord, it ought to be a continuous thing--"Rejoice in the Lord
alway"--in the Lord, not in your experiences nor circumstances; "and
again I say, Rejoice" (Phil. 4:4).
"The Lord is my strength and song" (v. 2). The connecting of these two
things is significant. Divine strength and spiritual song are
inseparable. Said Nehemiah, "The joy of the Lord is your strength"
(8:10). Just as assurance leads to rejoicing, so rejoicing is
essential for practical holiness. Just in proportion as we are
rejoicing in the Lord shall we have power for our walk.
"And He is become my salvation" (v. 2). Not until now could Israel,
really, say this. Not until they had been brought right out of the
Enemy's land and their foes had been rendered powerless by death,
could Israel sing of salvation. It is a very striking thing that never
once is a believer found saying this in the book of Genesis. Not that
Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, were not saved; truly they were; but the
Holy Spirit designedly reserved this confession for the book which
treats of "Redemption." And even here we do not find it until the Red
Sea is reached. In 14:13 Moses said, "Fear ye not, stand still and see
the salvation of the Lord, which He will show to you today." And now
Jehovah had "shown" it to them, and they can exclaim, "The Lord is
become my salvation."
"He is my God, and I will prepare Him an habitation" (v. 2). Beautiful
is this. A spirit of true devotion is here expressed. An "habitation"
is a dwelling-place. It was Jehovah's presence in their midst that
their hearts desired. And is it not ever thus with the Lord's
redeemed--to enjoy fellowship with the One who has saved us! True, it
is our happy privilege to enjoy communion with the Lord even now, but
nevertheless the soul pants for the time when everything that hinders
and spoils our fellowship will be forever removed--"Having a desire to
depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better" (Phil. 1:23).
Blessed beyond words will be the full realization of our hope. Then
shall it be said, "Behold the Tabernacle of God is with men, and lie
will dwell with them. and they shall be His people, and God Himself
shall be with them and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears
from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor
crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things
are passed away" (Rev. 21:3, 4).
"The Lord is a man of war: The Lord is His name" (v. 3). This brings
before us an aspect of the Divine character which is very largely
ignored today. God is "light" (1 John 1:5) as well as "love;" holy and
righteous, as well as longsuffering and merciful. And because He is
holy, He hates sin; because He is righteous, He must punish it. This
is something for which the believer should rejoice; if he does not,
something is wrong with him. It is only the sickly sentimentality of
the flesh which shrinks from believing and meditating upon these
Divine perfections. Far different was it here with Israel at the Red
Sea. They praised God because He had dealt in judgment with those who
so stoutly defied Him. They looked at things from the Divine
viewpoint. They referred to Pharaoh and his hosts as God's enemies,
not as theirs. "In the greatness of Thine excellency Thou hast
overthrown them that rose up against Thee" (v. 7). The same thing is
seen in Revelation 18 and 19. Immediately after the destruction of
Babylon by the fearful plagues of God, we read, "And after these
things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying,
Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord
our God; for true and righteous are His judgments; for He hath judged
the great whore which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and
bath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand. And again they
said, Alleluia"(Rev. 19:1-3).
Far different were the sentiments of Israel here than those which
govern most our moderns. When they magnified Jehovah as a Man of War
their meaning is clearly expressed in the next words of their song:
"Pharaoh's chariots and his hosts hath He cast into the sea; his
chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea. The depths have
covered them; they sank into the bottom as a stone." They did not
regard this Divine judgment as a reflection upon God's character;
instead, they saw in it a display of His perfections. "He hath
triumphed gloriously." Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in
power... in the greatness of Thine excellency Thou hadst overthrown
them (vv. 6. 7) was their confession. The "modernists" have not
hesitated to criticize Israel severely, yea, to condemn them in
unmeasured terms, for their "vindictive glee." Such a conception of
the Lord as Israel here expressed was worthy, we are told, of none but
the most ferocious of the Barbarians. But that Israel were not here
flits-representing God, that they were not giving utterance to their
own carnal feelings, is abundantly clear from Revelation 15:3, where
we read of saints in Heaven singing "The Song of Moses the servant of
God, and the Song of the Lamb." Certainly there will be no
manifestations of the flesh in Heaven!
Strikingly does the Song of Exodus 15 set forth the perfect ease with
which the Almighty overthrew His enemies: "The Enemy said, I will
pursue you, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be
satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.
Thou didst blow with Thy wind, the sea covered them; they sank as lead
in the mighty waters" (vv. 9, 10). The Lord had promised to bring His
redeemed into Canaan, the haughty Egyptians thought to resist the
purpose of the Most High. With loud boastings of what they would do,
they followed Israel into the parted waves of the Red Sea. With one
breath of His mouth the Lord overthrew the marshaled forces of the
enemy, in their mightiest array, as nothing more than a cob-web which
stood in the pathway of the onward march of His eternal counsels.
Well might Israel cry, "Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the gods?
who is like Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing
wonders?"(v. 11). And well may we ask to-day, "Who is like Thee, O God
of the Holy Scriptures, among the `gods' of Christendom?" How entirely
different is the Lord--omnipotent, immutable, sovereign,
triumphant--from the feeble, changeable, disappointed and defeated
"god" which is the object of "worship" in thousands of the churches!
How few today glory in God's "holiness!" How few praise Him for His
"fearfulness!" How few are acquainted with His "wonders!"
"Thou in Thy mercy hast led forth the people which Thou hast redeemed.
Thou hast guided them in Thy strength unto Thy holy habitation" (v.
13). This was a new standing--brought nigh to God, into His very
presence. This is what redemption effects. This is the position of all
believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. "For Christ also hath once
suffered for sills, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to
God" (1 Pet. 3:18). God's redeemed are a people whom He has purchased
for Himself, to be with Himself forever--"that where I am, there ye
may be also." "Thou hast guided them in Thy strength unto Thy holy
habitation." "This is our place as His redeemed. That is, we are
brought to God according to all that He is. His whole moral nature
having been completely satisfied in the death of Christ, He can now
rest in us in perfect complacency. The hymn therefore does but express
a Scriptural thought which says--`So near, so very near to God, I
nearer cannot be, For in the person of His Son, I am as near as He.'
The place indeed is accorded to us in grace, but none the less in
righteousness; so that not only are all the attributes of God's
character concerned in bringing us there, but He Himself is also
glorified by it. It is an immense thought, and one which, when held in
power, imparts both strength and energy to out souls--that we are even
now brought to God. The whole distance--measured by the death of
Christ on the cross, when He was made sin for us--has been bridged
over, and our position of nearness is marked by the place He now
occupies as glorified by the right hand of God. In Heaven itself we
shall not be nearer, as to our position, because it is in Christ. It
will not be forgotten that our enjoyment of this truth, indeed our
apprehension of it. will depend upon our present condition. God looks
for a state corresponding with our standing, i.e., our responsibility
is measured by our privilege. But until we know our place there cannot
be an answering condition. We must first learn that we are brought to
God if we would in any measure walk in accordance with the position.
State and walk must ever flow from a known relationship. Unless
therefore we are taught the truth of our standing before God, we shall
never answer to it in our souls, or in our walk and conversation" (Ed.
Dennett).
"The people shall hear, and be afraid; sorrow shall take hold on the
inhabitants of Palestina. Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the
mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the
inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. Fear and dread shall fall upon
them; by the greatness of Thine arm they shall be as still as a stone;
till Thy people pass over, O Lord, till the people pass over, which
Thou hast purchased. Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the
mountain of Thine inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which Thou hast
made for Thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which Thy hands
have established" (vv. 14-17). What firm confidence do these words
breathe! What God had wrought at the Red Sea was the guaranty to
Israel that He who had begun a work for them, would finish it. They
were not counting on their own strength--"By the greatness of Thine
arm they (their enemies) shall be as still as a stone." Their trust
was solely in the Lord--"Thou shalt bring them in," blessed
illustration of the first outflowings of simple but confident faith!
Alas, that this early simplicity is usually so quickly lost. Alas,
that so often it is displaced by the workings of an evil heart of
unbelief. Oh, that we might ever reason as did Israel here, and as the
apostle Paul--"Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth
deliver; in whom we trust that He will yet deliver" (2 Cor. 1:10).
"Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of Thine arm
they shall be as still as a stone" (v. 16). Opposition there would be,
enemies to be encountered. But utterly futile would be their puny
efforts. Impossible for them to resist success fully the execution of
God's eternal counsels. Equally impossible is it for our enemies, be
they human or demoniac, to keep us out of the promised inheritance.
"Who shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus?" Who,
indeed! "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels,
nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to
come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to
separate us" (Rom. 8:38, 39). Thus the end is sure from the beginning,
and we may, like Israel, sing the Song of Victory before the first
step is taken. in the wilderness pathway!
Israel's confidence was not misplaced. A number of examples are
furnished in later Scriptures of how tidings of Jehovah's judgments on
Israel's behalf became known far and wide, and were used by him to
humble and alarm. Jethro, the Midianite, comes to Moses and says,
"Blessed be the Lord, who bath delivered you out of the hand of the
Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh. . .now I know that the Lord
is greater than all gods" (Ex. 18:10, 11). Rahab of Jerico declared to
the two spies, "I know that the Lord hath given you the land and that
your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the
land faint because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the
water of the Red Sea for you," etc. (Josh. 2:9, 10). Said the
Gibeonites to Joshua, "From a very far country thy servants are come
because of the name of the Lord thy God; for we have heard the fame of
Him and all that He did in Egypt" (Josh. 9:9). Hundreds of years later
the Philistines said, "Who shall deliver us out of the hand of these
mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the
plagues in the wilderness" (1 Sam. 4:8)!
"The Lord shall reign forever and ever" (v. 18). And here the Song
ends--the next verse is simply the inspired record of the historian,
giving us the cause and the occasion of the Song. The Song ends as it
began--with "The Lord." Faith views the eternal future without a
tremor. Fully assured that God is sovereign, sovereign because
omnipotent, immutable, and eternal, the conclusion is irresistible and
certain that, "The Lord shall reign forever and ever."
"And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbral in her
hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrals and with
dances. And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the Lord, for He hath
triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the
sea" (vv. 20, 21). "The women's voices, with their musical
accompaniments, take up the refrain. It is the seal of completeness.
Sin had come in through the women; now her heart is lifted up in
praise, which testifies in itself of victory over it. The mute
inanimate things also become responsive in the timbrals in her hand.
The joy is full and universal in the redeemed creation" (Numerical
Bible). Blessed witness to the final fruits of Redemption.
Some persons have experienced a difficulty here in that Miriam also
led in this Song of Victory. It seems to clash with the teaching of
the New Testament, which enjoins the subordination of women to the men
in the assembly. But the difficulty is self-created. There is nothing
here which in anywise conflicts with 1 Corinthians 14:34. Observe two
things: it was only the "women" (v. 20) whom Miriam led in song!
Second, this was not in the presence of the men--"all the women went
out after her!" Thus Divine order was preserved. May the Lord grant a
like spirit of subordination to His daughters today.
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Gleanings In Exodus
21. In The Wilderness
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Exodus 15
"So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the
wilderness of Shur" (15:22). When God separates a people unto Himself,
it is not only needful that that people should be redeemed with
"precious blood," and then brought near as purged worshippers, but it
is also part of God's wise purpose that they should pass through the
wilderness ere they enter into the promised inheritance. Two chief
designs are accomplished thereby. First, the trials and testings of
the wilderness make manifest the evil of our hearts, and the incurable
corruption of the flesh, and this in order that we may be humbled--"to
hide pride" from us; and that we may prove by experience that entrance
into the inheritance itself is also and solely a matter of sovereign
grace, seeing that there is no worthiness, yea, no "good thing" in us.
Second, inasmuch as when Jehovah leads His people into the wilderness
He goes with them and makes His presence and His love manifest among
them. Inasmuch as it is His purpose to display His power in saving His
redeemed from the consequences of their failures, and thus make their
need the opportunity of lavishing upon them the riches of His grace,
we are made to see not only Israel, but God with them and for them in
the waste howling desert.
Trial and humiliation are not "the end of the Lord" (Jam. 5:11), but
are rather the occasions for fresh displays of the Father's
long-sufferance and goodness. The wilderness may and will make
manifest the weakness of His saints, and, alas! their failures, but
this is only to magnify the power and mercy of Him who brought them
into the place of testing. Further: God has in view our ultimate
wellbeing--that He may "do thee good at thy latter end" (Deut. 6:18);
and when the trials are over, when our faithful God has supplied our
"every need," all, all shall be found to be to His honor, praise, and
glory. Thus God's purpose in leading "His people through the
wilderness was (and is) not only that He might try and prove them
(Deut. 8:2-5), but that in the trial He might exhibit what He was for
them in bearing with their failures and in supplying their need. The
"wilderness," then, gives us not only a revelation of ourselves, but
it also makes manifest the ways of God.
"So Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the
wilderness of Shur." This is the first time that we read of them being
in "the wilderness." In 13:18 we are told that "God led the people
about the way of the wilderness," but that they had not then actually
entered it is clear from v. 20--"And they took their journey from
Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness." But
now they "went out into the wilderness." The connection is very
striking and instructive. It was their passage through the Red Sea
which introduced God's redeemed to the wilderness. Israel's journey
through the Red Sea speaks of the believer's union with Christ in His
death and resurrection (Rom. 6:3, 4): Typically, Israel were now upon
resurrection-ground. That we may not miss the force of this, the Holy
Spirit has been careful to tell us that "Moses brought Israel from the
Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went
three days in the wilderness." Here, as in many other passages, the
"three days" speaks of resurrection (1 Cor. 15:4).
It is only when the Christian's faith lays hold of his oneness with
Christ in His death and resurrection, recognizing that he is a "new
creature" in Him, that he becomes conscious of "the wilderness." Just
in proportion as we apprehend our new standing before God and our
portion in His Son, so will this world become to us a dreary and
desolate wilderness. To the natural man the world offers much that is
attractive and alluring; but to the spiritual man all in it is only
"vanity and vexation of spirit." To the eye of sense there is much in
the world that is pleasant and pleasing; but the eye of faith sees
nothing but death written across the whole scene--"change and decay in
all around I see." It has much which ministers to "the lust of the
flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life," but nothing
whatever for the new nature. So far as the spiritual life is
concerned, the world is simply a wilderness--barren and desolate.
The wilderness is the place of travelers, journeying from one country
to another; none but a madman would think of making his home there.
Precisely such is this world. It is the place through which man
journeys from time to eternity. And faith it is which makes the
difference between the way in which men regard this world. The
unbeliever, for the most part, is content to remain here. He settles
down as though he is to stay here forever. "Their inward thought is,
their houses shall continue forever, and their dwelling-places to all
generations; they call their land after their names" (Ps. 49:11).
Every effort is made to prolong his earthly sojourn, and when at last
death claims him, he is loath to leave. Far different is it with the
believer, the real believer. His home is not here. He looks "for a
city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God" (Heb.
11:10). Consequently, he is a stranger and pilgrim here (Heb. 11:13).
It is of this the "wilderness" speaks. Canaan was the country which
God gave to Abraham and his seed, and the wilderness was simply a
strange land through which they passed on their way to their
inheritance.
"And they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water" (v.
22). This is the first lesson which our wilderness-life is designed to
teach us. There is nothing down here which can in anywise minister to
that life which we have received from Christ. The pleasures of sin,
the attractions of the world, no longer satisfy. The things which
formerly charmed, now repel us. The companionships we used to find so
pleasing have become distasteful. The things which delight the ungodly
only cause us to groan. The Christian who is in communion with his
Lord finds absolutely nothing around him which will or can refresh his
thirsty soul. For him the shallow cisterns of this world have run dry.
His cry will be that of the Psalmist: "O God, Thou art my God; early
will I seek Thee; my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for
Thee, in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is" (Ps. 63:1). Ah,
here is the believer's Resource: God alone can satisfy the longings of
his heart. Just as he first heeded the gracious words of the Savior,
"If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink"(John 7:37), so
must he continue to go to Him who alone has the Water of Life.
"And when they came to Marah they could not drink of the waters of
Marah, for they were bitter; therefore the name of it was called
Marah" (v. 23). A sore trial, a real test, was this. Three days'
journey in the hot and sandy wilderness without finding any water; and
now that water is reached, behold, it is "bitter!" "How often this is
the case with the young believer, aye, and with the old one, too. We
grasp at that which we think will satisfy, and only find bitter
disappointment. Has it not proved so? Have you tried the pleasures, or
the riches, or the honors of the world, and only found them bitter?
You are invited to a gay party. Once this would have been very
delightful; but now, how bitter to the taste of the new nature! How
utterly disappointed you return home. Have you set your heart on some
earthly object? You are permitted to obtain it; but how empty! Yea,
what you expected to yield such satisfaction only brings sorrow and
emptiness" (C. Stanley).
Israel were now made to feel the bareness and bitterness of the
wilderness. With what light hearts did they begin their journey across
it? Little prepared were they for what lay before them. To go three
days and find no water, and when they reached some to find it bitter!
How differently had they expected from God! How natural for them,
after experiencing the great work of deliverance which He had wrought
for them, to count on Him providing a smooth and easy path for them.
So, too, is it with young Christians. They have peace with God and
rejoice in the knowledge of sins forgiven. Little do they (or did we)
anticipate the tribulations which lay before them. Did not we expect
things would be agreeable here? Have we not sought to make ourselves
happy in this world? And have we not been disappointed and
discouraged, when we found "no water." and that what there is was
"bitter?" Ah, we enter the wilderness without understanding what it
is! We thought, if we thought at all, that our gracious God would
screen us from sorrow. Ah, dear reader, it is at God's right hand, and
not in this world, that there are "pleasures for evermore."
As we have said, the "wilderness" accurately symbolizes and portrays
this world, and the first stage of the journey forecasts the whole!
Drought and bitterness are all that we can expect in the place that
owns not Christ. How could it be otherwise? Does God mean for us to
settle down and be content in a world which hates Him and which cast
out His beloved Son? Never! Here, then, is something of vital
importance for the young Christian. I ought to start my wilderness
journey expecting nothing but dearth. If we expect peace instead of
persecution, that which will make us merry rather than cause us to
groan, disappointment and disheartenment at not having our
expectations realized, will be our portion. Many an experienced
Christian would bear witness that most of his failings in the
wilderness are to be attributed to his starting out with a wrong view
of what the wilderness is. Ease and rest are not to be found in it,
and the more we look for these, the keener will be our disappointment.
The first stage in our journey must proclaim to us, as to Israel, what
the true nature of the journey is. It is Marah.
"And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?"
(v. 24). Very solemn is this. Three days ago this people had been
singing, now they are murmuring. Praising before the Red Sea gives
place to complaining at Marah! A real trial was this experience, but
how sadly Israel failed under it. Just as before, when they saw the
Egyptians bearing down upon them at Pihahiroth, so now once more they
upbraid Moses for bringing them into trouble. They appeared to have
overlooked entirely the fact that they had been led to Marah by the
Pillar of Cloud (13:22)! Their murmuring against Moses was, in
reality, murmuring against the Lord. And so it is with us. Every
complaint against our circumstances, every grumble about the weather,
about the way people treat us, about the daily trials of life, is
directed against that One Who "worketh all things after the counsel of
His Own will (Eph. 1:11). Remember, dear reader, that what is here
recorded of Israel's history is "written for our admonition" (1 Cor.
10:11). There is the same evil heart of unbelief and the same
rebellious will within us as were in the Israelites. Therefore do we
need to earnestly seek grace that the one may be subdued and the other
broken.
And what was the cause of their "murmuring?" There can be only one
answer: their eye was no longer upon God. After the wonders of
Jehovah's power which they had witnessed in Egypt, and their glorious
deliverance at the Red Sea, it ought to have been unmistakably evident
to them that He was for and with them in very truth. But so far from
recognizing this, they do not seem to have given Him a single thought.
They speak as if they had to do with Moses only. And is it not
frequently so with us? When we reach Marah, do we not charge some
fellow-creature with being responsible for our hard lot? Some friend
in whom we trusted, some counselor whose advice we respected, some arm
of flesh on which we leaned has failed us, and we blame them because
of the "bitter waters!"
"And he cried unto the Lord" (v. 25). Moses did what Israel ought to
have done--he took the matter to God in prayer. This is what our
"Marah's" are for--to drive us to the Lord. I say "drive," for the
tragic thing is that most of the time we are so under the influence of
the flesh that we become absorbed with His blessings, rather than with
the Blesser Himself. Not, perhaps, that we are entirely prayer-less,
but rather that there is so little heart in our prayers. It is sad and
solemn, yet nevertheless true, that it takes a "Marah" to make us cry
unto God in earnest. "They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary
way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty their soul
fainted in them. THEN they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and
He delivered them out of their distresses . . . Therefore He brought
down their heart with labor; they fell down, and there was none to
help. THEN they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He saved
them out of their distresses . . . Their soul abhorreth all manner of
meat; and they drew near unto the gates of death, THEN they cry unto
the Lord in their trouble, and He saveth them out of their
distresses... They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,
and are at their wits' end. THEN they cry unto the Lord in their
trouble, and He bringeth them out of their distresses" (Ps. 107:4, 5,
12, 13, 18, 19, 27, 28). Alas that this is so often true of writer and
reader.
"And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord showed him a tree, which,
when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet" (v. 25).
Moses did not cry unto God in vain. The One who has provided
redemption for His people is the God of all grace, and with infinite
long-sufferance does He bear with them. The faith of Israel might
fail, and instead of trusting the Lord for the supply of their need,
give way to murmuring; nevertheless, He came to their relief. So with
us. How true it is that "He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor
rewarded us according to our iniquities" (Ps. 103:10). But on what
ground does the thrice Holy One deal so tenderly with His erring
people? Ah, is it not beautiful to see that at this point, too, our
type is perfect--it was in response to the cries of an interceding
mediator that God acted. In His official character Moses is seen all
through as the one who came between God and Israel. It was in response
to his cry that the Lord came to Israel's relief! And blessed be God
there is also One who "ever liveth to make intercession for us" (Heb.
7:25), and on this ground God deals tenderly with us as we pass
through the wilderness: "If any man sin we have an Advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous" (1 John 2:1).
The form which God's response took on this occasion is also deeply
significant and instructive. He showed Moses "a tree." The "tree" had
evidently been there all the time, but Moses saw it not, or at least
knew not its sweetening properties. It was not until the Lord "showed
him" the tree that he learned of the provision of God's grace. This
shows how dependent we are upon the Lord, and how blind we are in
ourselves. Of Hagar we read, "And God opened her eyes, and she saw a
well of water" (Gen. 21:19). So in 2 Kings 6:17 we are told, "And the
Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw; and, behold, the
mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha."
Clearly "the hearing ear, and seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both
of them" (Prov. 20:12).
And what was it that the Lord "showed" Moses? It was "a tree." And
what did this "tree" which sweetened the bitter waters, typify? Surely
it is the person and work of our Blessed Savior--the two are
inseparably connected. There are several Scriptures which present Him
under the figure of a "tree." In the 1st Psalm it is said, "He shall
be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth His
fruit in His season, His leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever He
doeth shall prosper" (v. 3). Again, in Song of Solomon 2:3 we read,
"As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my Beloved among
the sons. I sat down under His shadow with great delight, and His
fruit was sweet to my taste." Here is the second great lesson of our
wilderness-life--nothing can sweeten the bitter cup of our earthly
experiences except reposing under the shadow of Christ Sit down at His
feet, dear reader, and you shall find His fruit "sweet" unto your
taste, and His words sweeter than the honey or the honey-comb.
But the "tree" also speaks of the cross of Christ: "Who His own self
bare our sins in His own body on the Tree" (1 Pet. 2:24), "The cross
of Christ is that which makes what is naturally bitter sweet to us. It
is the fellowship of His sufferings (Phil. 3:10), and the knowledge of
its being that, what suffering can it not sweeten! . . . Let us
remember here that these sufferings of which we speak are therefore
sufferings which are peculiar to us as Christians. This `bitterness'
of death in the wilderness is not simply the experience of what falls
to the common lot of man to experience. It is not the bitterness
simply of being in the body--of enduring the ills which, they say,
flesh is heir to. It is the bitterness which results from being linked
with Christ in His own path of suffering here. `If we suffer with Him
we shall also reign with Him.' Marsh then is sweetened by this `tree';
the cross, the cross of shame; the cross which was the mark of the
world's verdict as to Him--the cross it is that sweetens the
struggles. If we endure shame and rejection for Him, as His, we can
endure it, and the sweet reality of being linked with Him makes Marsh
itself drinkable" (Mr. Grant). A beautiful illustration is furnished
in Acts 16. There we see Paul and Silas in the prison of Philippi;
they were cruelly scourged, and then thrown into the innermost
dungeon. Behold them in the darkness, feet fast in the stocks, and
backs bleeding. That was "Marah" for them indeed. But how were they
employed? They "sang praises," and sang so lustily that the other
prisoners heard them (Acts 16:25). There we see the "tree" sweetening
the bitter waters. How was it possible for them to sing under such
circumstances? Because they rejoiced that they were "counted worthy to
suffer shame for "His name" (Acts 5:41)! This, then, is how we are to
use the Cross in our daily lives--to regard our Christian trials and
afflictions as opportunities for having fellowship with the sufferings
of the Savior.
"There He made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he
proved them and said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of
the Lord thy God and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and
wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will
put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the
Egyptians" (vv. 25, 26). It is very important to mark the context
here. Nothing had been said to Israel about Jehovah's "statutes and
commandments" while they were in Egypt. But now that they were
redeemed, now that they had been purchased for Himself, God's
governmental claims are pressed upon them. The Lord was dealing with
them in wondrous grace. But grace is not lawlessness. Grace only makes
us the more indebted to God. Our obligations are increased not
cancelled thereby. Grace reigns "through righteousness," not at the
expense of it (Rom. 5:21). The obligation of obedience can never be
liquidated so long as God is God. Grace only establishes on a higher
basis what we most emphatically and fully OWE to Him as His redeemed
creatures.
This principle runs throughout the Scriptures and applies to every
dispensation: blessing is dependent upon obedience. Israel were to be
immune from the diseases of Egypt only so long as they hearkened
diligently to the voice of the Lord their God and did that which was
right in His sight! But let us be clear on the point. The keeping of
God's commandments has nothing to do with our salvation. Israel here
were already under the blood and had been, typically, brought through
death on to resurrection-ground. Yet now the Lord reminds them of His
commandments and statutes. How far wrong, then, are they who contend
that the law has nothing to do with Christians? True, it has nothing
to do with their salvation. But it is needful for the regulation of
their walk. Believers, equally with unbelievers, are subject to God's
government. Failure to recognize this, failure to conform our daily
lives to God's statutes, failure to obey His commandments, will not
forfeit our salvation, but it will bring down upon us the chastening
"plagues" of our righteous Father (John 17:25).
A separate word is called for upon the closing sentence of verse 26:
"For I am the Lord that healeth thee." This has been seized upon by
certain well-meaning people whose zeal is "not according to
knowledge." They have detached this sentence of Scripture and
"claimed" the Lord as their Healer. By this they mean that in response
to their appropriating faith God recovers them from sickness without
the use of herbs or drugs. From it they deduce the principle that it
is wrong for a believer to have recourse to any doctor or medical aid.
The Lord is their Physician, and it is distrust of Him to consult an
earthly physician. But if this scripture be examined in its context,
it will be found that instead of teaching that God disdains the use of
means in the healing of His people, He employs them. The bitter waters
of Marah were healed not by a peremptory fiat from Jehovah, but by a
"tree" being cast into them! Thus, in the first reference to "healing"
in the Bible we find God deliberately choosing to employ means for the
healing and health of His people. Similarly, did He bless Elisha in
the use of means (salt) in healing the waters at Jericho (2 Kings
2:19-22). Similarly did God instruct His servant Isaiah to use means
(a fig-poultice) in the healing of Hezekiah. So also in Psalm 104:14
we read, "He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle and here for the
service of man; that he may bring forth good out of the earth." So we
find the apostle Paul exhorting Timothy to take a little wine for his
stomach's sake (1 Tim. 5:23). Even on the new earth God will use means
for healing the bodies of the nations which have lived through the
millenium without dying and being raised in glorified bodies: "The
leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations" (Rev. 22:2).
"And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and
three-score and ten palm trees, and they encamped there by the waters"
(v. 27). This does not conflict with our remarks upon the previous
verses. Elim is the complement to Marah, and this will be the more
evident if we observe their order. First, the bitter waters of Marah
sweetened by the tree, and then the wells of pure water and the palm
trees for shade and refreshment. Surely the interpretation is obvious:
when we are walking in fellowship with Christ and the principle of His
cross is faithfully applied to our daily life, not only is the
bitterness of suffering for His sake sweetened, but we enter into the
pure joys which God has provided for His own, even down here. "Elim"
speaks, then, of the satisfaction which God gives to those who are
walking with Him in obedience. This joy of heart, this satisfaction of
soul, comes to us through the ministry of the Word--hence the
significance of the twelve "wells" and the seventy "palm trees"; the
very numbers selected by Christ in the sending forth of His apostles.
(See Luke 9:1-10:1!) May the Lord grant that we shall so heed the
lesson of Marah that Elim will be our happy lot.
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Gleanings In Exodus
22. The Manna
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Exodus 16
Not for long were Israel permitted to enjoy the grateful refreshment
and shade of the wells and palm trees of Elim (15:27). The first
verses of our chapter tell us, "And they took their journey from Elim,
and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the
wilderness of Sin." If we compare Numbers 33, which records the
various stages or stopping-places in Israel's journeys, we find that
"they removed from Elim, and encamped by the Red Sea" (v. 10). Most
probably this was some bay or creek of the Sea, where for a short time
their camp was now pitched, perhaps with the design of them looking
once more at those waters through which they had passed dry-shod, but
which had overwhelmed their enemies. Evidently their stay there was a
short one, and as nothing of importance happened, it is omitted in
Exodus 16.
The leading of Israel into the Wilderness of Sin brings out the
strength of Moses' faith. Here, for the first time, the full privation
of desert life stared the people fully in the face. Every step they
took was now leading them farther away from the inhabited countries
and conducting them deeper into the land of desolation and death. The
isolation of the wilderness was complete, and the courage and faith of
their leader in bringing a multitude of at least two million people
into such a howling waste, demonstrates his firm confidence in the
Lord God. Moses was not ignorant of the character of the desert. He
had lived for forty years in its immediate vicinity (3:1), and,
therefore, he knew full well that only a miracle, yea, a series of
daily miracles, could meet the vast needs of such a multitude. In this
his faith was superior to Abraham's (Gen. 12:10).
"And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of
the children of Israel came unto the Wilderness of Sin, which is
between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after
their departing out of the land of Egypt" (v. 1). Why, we may ask,
such particularity in noting the time-mark here? As a matter of mere
history it seems of little interest or importance. What difference
does it make to us today which month and what day of the month it was
when Israel entered the Wilderness of Sin? It was on "the fifteenth
day of the second month" after their leaving Egypt that Israel came
unto this wilderness. The very fact that the Holy Spirit has recorded
this detail is sufficient proof it is not meaningless. There is
nothing trivial in the Word of God. Even the numerals are there used
with Divine purpose and significance. And herein we may discover the
answer to our question. It was the "second month," and in Scripture
"two" speaks of witness or testimony (cf. Revelation 11:3, etc.). It
was the "fifteenth day" of the month, and the factors of 15 are five
and three. In Scripture "five" signifies grace or favor (Gen. 43:34,
etc.), and "three" is the number of manifestations--hence the number
of resurrection, when life is fully manifested. By combining these
definitions we learn that God was now to give unto Israel a witness
and manifestation of His grace. How fully the sequel bears this out is
most apparent.
In order for grace to shine forth there must first be the dark
background of sin. Grace is unmerited favor, and to enhance its glory
the demerits of man must be exhibited. It is where sin abounded that
grace did much more abound (Rom. 5:21). It was so here. The very next
thing that we read of is, "And the whole congregation of the children
of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the Wilderness: And the
children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the
hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh-pots,
and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth
into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger" (vv. 2,
3). A darker background could scarcely be imagined.
Here was the self-same people who had been divinely spared from the
ten plagues on Egypt, who had been brought forth from the land of
bondage, miraculously delivered at the Red Sea, Divinely guided by a
Pillar of Cloud and Fire, day and night,--now "murmuring,"
complaining, rebelling! And it was not a few of the people who did so;
the "whole congregation" were guilty. It was not simply that they
muttered among themselves, but they murmured against their
Divinely-chosen leader. Their sin, too, was aggravated by an oath;
they took the Divine name "in vain"--"would to God we had died by the
hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt." It is also evident that in
their hot-headed insubordination they lied, for as slaves of the
merciless Egyptians there is no ground whatever for us to suppose that
they "sat by the flesh-pots" or "ate bread to the full." Finally,
their wicked unbelief comes out in the words, "for ye have brought us
forth into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."
It was Jehovah. not simply Moses and Aaron, who had brought them
forth; and He had promised they should worship Him at Sinai (Ex.
3:12). It was not possible, then, for them to die with hunger in the
wilderness.
What, then, was the Lord's response to this awful outbreak of
rebellious unbelief? Verse 4 tells us: "Behold, I will rain"--what:
"fire and brimstone that ye may be consumed"? No; "Behold, I will rain
bread from heaven for you." Marvelous grace was this; sovereign,
unmerited favor! The very first word here is designed to arrest our
attention. In Scripture, "behold" is the Holy Spirit's exclamation
mark. "Behold"--mark with worshipful wonder. Here, then, is the
blessed force of the time-mark in verse 1. The raining (which speaks
of a plentiful supply) of bread from Heaven for these murmuring
Israelites was indeed a witness to the grace of God fully manifested!
That which follows here in Exodus 16 is deeply important. Every detail
in it speaks loudly to us, if only we have ears to hear. The manna
which Jehovah provided for Israel is a beautiful type of the food
which God has provided for our souls. This food is His own Word. This
food is both His written Word and His incarnate Word. We propose to
consider these separately. In the remainder of this article we shall
trace some of the many points of analogy between the manna and the
Scriptures as the heavenly food for God's people. In our next paper we
shall view the manna as a type of the Lord Jesus, the Heavenly One
come down to earth.
1. The manna was a supernatural gift. "Then said the Lord unto Moses,
Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you" (v. 4). This is the
first great lesson which the manna is designed to teach us. The manna
was not a product of the earth; it was not manufactured by man; it was
not something which Israel brought with them out of Egypt--there was
no manna there. Instead, it came down from heaven. It was a gift from
God.
Various attempts have been made to explain away the supernatural in
connection with the manna. Some have declared that it grew on a
certain tree found in the wilderness; but they fail to explain how it
grew in winter as well as summer; how that it was obtainable in every
part of the wilderness, no matter where Israel's camp was pitched; or,
how that sufficient was to hand to feed upwards of two million souls
for almost forty years! How foolish is man's infidelity. The only
possible explanation of the manna is to see in its continued supply a
miracle. It was furnished by God Himself. So it is with that which the
manna prefigured--the written Word. The Scriptures are the spiritual
manna for our souls, and at every point they manifest their
supernatural origin. Many efforts have been made to account for the
Bible, but on this point man's reasonings are as ridiculous as when he
attempts to explain the manna on natural lines. The Bible is a
miraculous production. It was given by Divine Inspiration. It has come
from heaven. It is the gift of God.
It is striking to note how the supernatural is evidenced in connection
with the giving of the manna. In Exodus 16:16 we read, "This is the
thing which the Lord hath commanded; gather of it every man according
to his eating, an omer for every man. according to the number of your
persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents." Now, a
conservative estimate of the total number of Israelites who came out
of Egypt would be two million. for they had six hundred thousand men
able to go forth to war" (See Numbers 1:45, 46). An "omer" was to be
gathered for every one of these two million souls, and an "omer" is
the equivalent of six pints. There would be twelve million pints, or
nine million pounds gathered daily, which was four thousand five
hundred tons. Hence, ten trains, each having thirty cars, and each car
having in it fifteen tons, would be needed for a single day's supply.
Over a million tons of manna were gathered annually by Israel. And let
it be remembered this continued for forty years! Equally wonderful,
equally miraculous, equally Divine is the Bible.
2. The manna came right to where the people were. "And in the morning
the dew lay round about the host; and when the dew that lay was gone
up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round
thing" (vv. 13, 14). No long journey had to be taken in order to
secure the manna. The Israelites did not have to cross the wilderness
before they could secure their needed food. It was right to hand;
before their eyes. There, just outside their tent door, lay the manna
on the ground. So it is with the Word of God. It is blessedly
accessible to all of us. I often think that if it were harder to
procure a Bible than it is some of us would prize it more than we do.
If we had to cross the ocean and journey to the other side of the
world to obtain a copy of the Holy Scriptures we would value them far
more than we do now!
But the very accessibility of the manna only added to the
responsibility of Israel. Its very nearness measured their obligation.
By virtue of the fact that it lay on the ground just outside their
tents they had to do something with it. They must either gather it or
trample it beneath their feet! And my reader, this is equally true of
God's Word. The very fact that it is right here to your hand
determines your responsibility. You are obliged to do one of two
things with it: show your appreciation by gathering it unto your soul,
or despise and trample it beneath your feet by a criminal neglect.
3. The manna was small in size. "And when the dew that lay was gone
up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round
thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground" (v. 14). Who would
have imagined that a complete and perfect revelation from God and of
God could be comprised within the compass of a comparatively small
volume? Think of it--the sum total of God's revealed Truth in a book
which can be carried in your pocket! All that is needed to make us
wise unto salvation; all that is needed to sustain our souls
throughout our earthly pilgrimage; all that is needed to make the man
of God "perfect" (complete), within the compass of the Bible!
Observe that not only is the size but also the shape of the manna is
given. It was "a small round thing." It had no angles and no rough
edges. Continuing to regard the manna as a symbol and a type of the
Word of God, what does this teach us? Why, surely, it prefigured the
beautiful symmetry of Scripture. It tells us that the Bible is a
perfect whole, complete and entire.
4. The manna was white in color. "And the house of Israel called the
name thereof manna: and it was like coriander seed, white" (v. 31).
Everything here has a spiritual significance. The Holy Spirit had a
good reason for telling us the particular color of the manna. There is
nothing meaningless in Scripture anywhere. Everything in God's Word
has a value and message for us.
Now "white" is the emblem of purity. Thus we have emphasized the
absolute purity of the Word of God. Let us link together three
Scriptures. "The words of the Lord are pure words; as silver tried in
a furnace of earth, purified seven times" (Ps. 12:6): they are pure
morally and they are pure spiritually. They are like the "pure river
of the water of life" which proceedeth out of the throne of God and of
the Lamb--they are "clear as crystal" (Rev. 22:1). Again, we read in
Ps. 119:140, "Thy Word is very pure: therefore Thy servant loveth it."
The Scriptures are termed the "Holy Scriptures" because they are
separated off from all other writings by virtue of their exalted
spirituality and Divine purity. Once more, in Proverbs 30:5 we read,
"Every word of God is pure." There is no admixture of error in God's
Word. In it there are no mistakes, no contradictions, no blemishes.
5. The manna was to be eaten. This brings us to the central and most
important point in connection with our type. The manna was not given
simply to look at, or admire; but to be eaten. It was for food. It was
God's provision to meet the bodily need of His people Israel. It is
thus with the spiritual manna. God's Word is to be turned to practical
account. It is given to provide food for our souls. But in order to
derive from it the nutriment we require we need to learn how to feed
on the Bread of Life. Just as a neglect of suitable diet or proper
feeding in the natural sphere results in a low condition of bodily
health, so to neglect our spiritual food or to ignore the laws of
spiritual dietetics results in a sickly state of soul. In all correct
eating there are three things: appropriation, mastication,
assimilation. Let us consider each one separately.
Appropriation. This is a point so obvious that many may think it is
unnecessary to develop it. And yet it is just here that so many of
God's children fail. When I sit down to a well-spread table it is
apparent that I cannot begin to eat everything before me. Nor is that
required. The first thing necessary is to appropriate to myself a
portion of the food before me. No matter how excellent the quality of
the food may be, or how tastily prepared, it will avail me nothing to
sit and admire it. I need to have a certain portion of it placed upon
my own plate, and then to eat it.
It is so with the spiritual manna. The Word of God is exhaustless in
its contents. In it is stored sufficient for the people of God in all
ages. There is far more in it than ever I can possibly assimilate.
What I must do is make an appropriation to my own soul's needs. And
this must be done just as definitely as the eating of my material
food. We are anxious to be of real help here to all our readers, so
let us be very simple.
Our first need is to appropriate. To appropriate means to take unto
ourselves, to make our own. This was the initial lesson in connection
with our salvation. The difference between an unbeliever and a
believer is in the employment of the personal pronoun. An unbeliever
may speak of the Savior, but only the believer can truthfully say "my
Savior." Faith appropriates unto ourselves. Faith personalizes. When I
read in Isaiah 53 concerning Christ that "He was wounded for our
transgression," faith individualizes it and says, "He was wounded for
my transgressions." This is what we mean by appropriation. We
appropriated Christ when we took Him as our own personal Savior.
Now, just as we appropriated the Savior, so we need to appropriate the
promises and the precepts of God's Word. For example, when I read in
Matthew 7:7, "Ask, and it shall be given you; speak, and ye shall
find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you," faith makes it
personal, and applying to myself what I read there. I say--"Ask, and
it shall be given me; seek, and I shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened unto me." And again, I read in Romans 8:32, "He that spared not
His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with
Him also freely give us all things," and faith takes this to myself. I
apply it to my own case, and read, "How shall He not with Him also
freely give me all things?"
A Scottish pastor once called on an aged saint of God. At once she
handed the minister the Bible and asked him to read some portion to
her--would that we had more like her today; many a pastor's heart
would be rejoiced if, when he called on his members, they desired him
to read and pray with them instead of wanting him to discuss the
gossip and scandal of the town. As the minister turned the pages he
noticed that in the margins had been written the letters T. and T.P.
He asked the old lady what these letters signified. She answered,
Observe that they are always placed opposite some promise of God. T.
means "tried," and T.P., "tried and proven." She had learned to feed
on God's Word. She had appropriated the promises unto herself. Have
you learned this lesson yet, dear reader? God's promises will afford
you no comfort, and minister no strength to you until you make them
your own. For example, I read in Philippians 4:19, "My God shall
supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ
Jesus," and when I really appropriate this to myself I shall say, "My
God shall supply all Arthur Pink's need."
It must be the same with the precepts of Scripture. The commands, the
exhortations, the admonitions of the Bible, are not so many
abstractions. No; they are a revelation of Gods will for me. I must
read the Scriptures as addressed to me personally. When I come to some
word of God which condemns my ways, I must not pass it over, but be
honest and take it unto myself. May God give all of us grace to daily
appropriate both His promises and precepts.
Mastication. After a certain portion of the food spread before me had
been placed on my own plate and in my mouth, the next thing is to chew
it, to chew it slowly and thoroughly. But in this matter most of us
are serious offenders. We bolt our food. We swallow it before it has
been properly masticated. We eat too hurriedly. That is the chief
reason why so many suffer from dyspepsia--they give their stomachs the
work to do which the teeth were intended to perform. A little food
thoroughly masticated will supply far more nutrition to the system
than a lot of food swallowed almost whole, and our general health
would be much better, too.
This is equally true spiritually. Thousands of God's children are
grievous offenders here. They have never learned to use their
spiritual teeth. The Bread of Life must be chewed if we are to derive
from it the sustenance we so much need. What do I mean? This:
meditation stands to reading as mastication does to eating. Re-read,
and ponder this last sentence. Dear reader, you will derive far more
benefit from a single verse of Scripture read slowly and prayerfully,
and duly meditated upon, than you will from ten chapters read through
hurriedly!
Meditation is well-nigh a lost art. And it is at the root of most of
our troubles. How many complain that they find it so difficult to
remember passages of Scripture, passages which they have read perhaps
many times. But this is easily explained. It is because the passage
was not turned over in the mind; it was not duly "pondered" (Luke
2:39). Did you ever notice that the "Blessed Man" of Psalm 1
"meditated" in God's Law day and night? Meditation is a wonderful aid
to fixing in our minds verses and passages of Scripture.
Let us give an illustration of what we mean by meditation. We select
one of the most familiar verses in all the Bible (Ps. 23:4), "Yea,
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no
evil. for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me."
Now, as I begin to meditate upon this I take each word or expression
separately and then ask them questions. The first thing that strikes
my attention is the way in which the verse opens. It does not say
"When I shall walk through the valley," but "Yea, though I walk." I
ponder this over. I ask it a question; I say, why this indefinite
language? Is it not certain that one day I shall be called on to walk
through the valley of shadows? And then I remember that blessed word
in 1 Corinthians 15:51. "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be
changed." Then I see why the Holy Spirit caused this Psalm to open
thus.
Next I turn to the central thing in this verse--"the valley of the
shadow of death." through which the believer, who does die, passes. I
ask, Why is dying likened to walking through a "valley"? What are the
thoughts suggested by this figure? As I turn this question over in my
mind it soon occurs to me (as it should to anyone who gives it a
little thought). Why, a "valley" suggests peacefulness, fertility
beauty, and particularly, easy travel. A "valley" is the antithesis of
a "mountain," which is difficult and dangerous to climb. In
contradistinction, then. from climbing a mountain which is arduous and
hazardous, death is likened to walking through a valley which is
delightful and safe!
Then I go back to the beginning of the verse, and note thoughtfully
each single word. As the believer comes to the end of his earthly
pilgrimage he learns that death is simply like passing through a
valley. Note he walks, not runs, as though afraid. Then, observe,
"though I walk through." He does not stay in the "valley," but walks
through it. Death is only a door through which the believer passes
from these scenes of sin and sorrow to the realm of glory and bliss.
Next I observe that this "valley" is called the "shadow of death." Why
is this? I must not hurry, or I shall be the loser. Let me continue
pondering each word separately, so that I may extract its own peculiar
sweetness. What is a "shadow"? Ah, how often it terrifies! How many of
us, especially during childhood, were frightened by shadows! But if we
had only walked right up to them we should have quickly discovered
they were powerless to injure us. And how many a believer has filled
the valley of death with terrifying phantoms! How fearfully has he
contemplated these images of his own unbelief! O fellow-believer there
is nothing, absolutely nothing, for thee to fear in death should it
overtake you before the Lord Jesus returns. This valley is called "the
valley of the shadow of death" because a "shadow" is the most harmless
thing there is!
And now, as though at last the believer has fully grasped the
blessedness of these beautiful figures, having discovered that Death
is not a difficult and dangerous mountain to climb, but a
"valley"--peaceful and easy-going--to pass through; having learned
that in this valley there is nothing more terrifying than a "shadow"
he now cries with exulting confidence, "I will fear no evil, for Thou
art with me."
Here, then, is an example of what we mean by feeding on God's Word.
Meditation stands to reading as mastication does to eating. Take a
single verse of Scripture at the beginning of the day; write it out on
a slip of paper, and carry it with you wherever you go. Refresh your
memory as opportunity occurs by re-reading it. Pray over it, and ask
God to give you a blessing out of this verse; to reveal to you its
beauty and preciousness. Then ponder each word separately. Ask the
verse questions and seek to discover its deeper meaning. Suppose you
are meditating on Psalm 34:7, "The angel of the Lord encampeth round
about them that fear Him, and delivereth them." Ask such questions as
these: Why "the angel"? who is it? "Encampeth"; note the perfect tense
(continuous)--what is suggested by this figure? "Round about"--what is
meant by this? "Them that fear Him"--am I one of them? "And delivereth
them"--from what?--find answer from other Scriptures which speak of
"deliver" and "deliverance."
Assimilation. This is the result of appropriation and mastication, and
the chief end in view. The food which I eat is to supply the waste of
the body. The food which I have masticated and digested is now taken
up into my system, and is transmuted into blood and tissue, thereby
affording health and strength. The food thus assimilated appears in
the vigor of my step, the strength of my arm, the glow on my face. And
now equipped, my system is able to ward off the disease germs which
attack my body. All of this has its counterpart in the spiritual man.
The food which I have taken into my soul, if properly digested, will
build up the new nature. It will nourish faith, and supply the needed
strength for my daily walk and service. Moreover, it will be a
safeguard against the germs of temptation which assail me--"Thy Word
have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee" (Ps.
119:11).
Here, then, is the grand end in view. God's Word is given us to feed
upon, and this feeding is for the purpose of translating the
Scriptures into the terms of daily living. The principles and precepts
of the Bible must be incorporated into my life. The Word has not been
assimilated until it has become the regulator of my walk and the
dynamo of my service.
6. The manna was gathered daily. Then said the Lord unto Moses,
"Behold I will rain bread from Heaven for you; and the people shall go
out and gather a certain rate every day" (v. 4). The manna which
Israel gathered today would not suffice them for tomorrow. A new
supply must be secured each day. The spiritual application of this is
very evident. The soul requires the same systematic attention as does
the body, and if this be neglected and our spiritual meals are taken
irregularly. the results will be equally disastrous. But how many fail
at this very point! What would you think of a man who sat down to his
Sunday dinner and tried to eat sufficient then, at one meal, to last
him for the whole week? And yet that is precisely the method followed
by multitudes of people with their spiritual food. The only time they
get an adequate spiritual meal is on Sunday, and they make that last
them for the remainder of the week. Is there any wonder that so many
Christians are weak and sickly! O let us face the fact that our souls
are in urgent need of a daily supply of the Bread of Life. Whatever
else be left undone let us see to it that we regularly feed on the
spiritual manna. Remember, it is not the amount of time spent, but the
amount of heart which is put into the time which counts.
7. The manna was gathered in the morning. "And in the morning the dew
lay round about the host. And when the dew that lay was gone up,
behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing"
(vv. 13, 14). Here is a lesson which all of us need to seriously take
to heart. It was in the early morning, before other things had time to
occupy their attention, that God's people of old gathered their daily
supply of the manna. And this is recorded "for our learning." The
Divine Word must not be given a secondary place if we would have God's
blessing upon us. What a difference it would make in many a Christian
life if each day was BEGUN in God's presence! How many, now weak and
sickly, would become strong in the Lord and in the power of His might
if they formed the habit of feeding each morning on the Bread of Life!
If the soul was fed at the time of "the dew," strength would be
obtained and we should be equipped for the duties that lay before us
and girded for the temptations which confronted us throughout the day!
Let no reader complain that he has not the time. You may not have time
for the careful study of a whole chapter each morning, though even
that is to be seriously questioned, but certain it is that you have
time to prayerfully select one verse of Scripture and write it out on
a piece of paper and attempt to commit it to memory, consulting it
during your spare minutes through the day, on the train, or the
streetcar, if needs be--the writer memorized the whole epistle of
Ephesians on the streetcar, a verse at a time. Certain it is that you
do have time to meditate on this one verse throughout the day, and to
ponder each word separately. And after the labors of the day are over
you may sit down (if only for five minutes) and look up the parallel
passages, given in the marginal references. If you will do this daily
you will be surprised and delighted at the incalcuable blessing it
will bring to your soul. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness" (Matthew 6:33).
8. The manna was obtained by labor. "We are reminded by the gathering
of it of the Lord's words, `Labor for the meat.' They did not indeed
labor to bring it from Heaven: their labor was to gather it when
rained down to them from thence. And here we find that they had to use
diligence. It would not keep; they could not lay up a stock for the
future: every day they had afresh to be employed with it. If they were
not out early and the sun rose upon it, it melted. And here is where
diligence on our part is so much needed. Would that we understood
this, beloved brethren, better! Manna did not fall into their mouths,
but around their tent. They had to use diligence to gather it. Do we
understand the necessity of diligence in the apprehension of Divine
things? Do we understand that the character of the Word of God is
such, as that however plain in a sense it may be, yet it ministers in
fact its fullness only to those who have earnestness of heart to seek
it. Only `if thou criest after knowledge' says the wise man, `and
lifted up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver,
and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand
the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.' And yet He adds
for the Lord giveth wisdom.' But He gives it according to the rules of
His own holy government.
"Labor is here, therefore, very specially needed; not that the labor
simply by itself is anything; not that man's efforts only can ever
here procure for himself what God alone supplies, but still God seeks
from us that diligence which shows our apprehension of the treasure
that His Word is. He does not give to carelessness or indolence of
soul, nor is faith simply a receiver here, but a worker with God"
(Mark Grant.) Before "an omer" could be gathered much labor was
entailed, for them manna was "a small round thing."
9. The manna was gathered by stooping. It grew not upon the trees, but
fell upon the ground. In order to obtain it the Israelites had to go
down on their knees. How significant, and how accurate the type!
Diligence on our part is required if we are to appropriate from the
Word that which our souls need. But something more than diligence is
necessary. There must be dependence upon God, the Author of the Word.
There must be a seeking from Him. We must get down on our knees and
cry, "Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of
Thy Law."
10. Some gathered more, some less. "And the children of Israel did so,
and gathered some more, some less" (v. 17). How like what we find
around us today! Some Christians confine themselves to the Psalms and
the Gospels, rarely referring to any other section of the Bible.
Others study the Church Epistles, but neglect the prophetical
portions. A few study the Old Testament, as well as the New, and
derive immeasurable delight in the wonderful types to be found there
on almost every page. It is also true with the spiritual manna that
some "gather more, some less."
11. What was gathered must be used. "Let no man leave of it till the
morning" (v. 19). Divine truth is not to be hoarded up, but turned to
present profit. We are to use what God has given us. We are first to
walk in the truth ourselves, and then to recommend it to others. As
the Lord gives us opportunities it is our happy privilege to pass on
to others what He has given to us. It is in this way that Christian
fellowship becomes most helpful--when we spend an hour, or even a few
minutes, with a fellow-believer and discuss together the things of
God, instead of the things of the world.
12. The manna was incomprehensible to the natural man. "And when the
children of Israel saw it they said one to another it is manna: for
they wist (knew) not what it was" (v. 15). There was something about
this manna which the Israelites could not understand. It was different
from anything else they had ever seen. They possessed no knowledge of
it. The very word "manna" means "What is it"? "They wist not what it
was." Thus it is also with that which the manna prefigured. The
unregenerate are unable to comprehend the Scriptures: "The natural man
receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness
unto him; neither can he know them because they are spiritually
discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14).
13. The manna was despised by the mixed multitude. "And the mixed
multitude that was among them fell a lusting and the children of
Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? We
remember the fish which we did eat in Egypt freely: the cucumbers, and
the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic: But now our
soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, besides this manna before
our eyes" (Num. 11:4-6). Israel were not alone as they came forth from
Egypt. They were accompanied by "A mixed multitude" which had,
doubtless, been deeply impressed by Jehovah's plagues and
interventions on Israel's behalf, but who had no knowledge of God for
themselves. Just so it is today; side by side with the wheat grows the
tares. There is a "mixed multitude" in the Christian profession, and
these like their ancient forefathers, despise the manna. They have no
relish for spiritual things. They may own a Bible, perhaps one with
all expensive binding and beautifully gilded; but its contents are dry
and incipid to them.
14. The manna was preserved in the Ark. "And Moses said unto Aaron,
`Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up
before the Lord to be kept for your generations.' (v. 33). Hebrews 9:4
tells us that it was a `golden pot.' This is very striking. The manna
was not to be stored up in the tents of the Israelites for a single
day; yet here we see it preserved for almost forty years in the
Tabernacle. It was to be kept for the land of Canaan. And so with the
antitype: while we cannot feed on yesterday's experience and make that
satisfy the need of today, nevertheless, our experiences from day to
day in the wilderness will be found again with rich and blessed
fruitage. The `golden pot' in which the manna was stored tells of what
a high value God sets upon that which it typified. The fact that the
manna was kept in the ark till Canaan was reached, tells of how God
has preserved the Scriptures all through the ages.
15. The manna lasted until Canaan was reached. "And the children of
Israel did eat manna forty years until they came to a land inhabited:
they did eat manna until they came unto the borders of the land of
Canaan" (v. 35). This tells of what an inexhaustible supply God has
for His people. To the end of the wilderness journey the manna
continued. And thank God this is true of the spiritual manna. The
grass withereth and the flower fadeth, but the Word of the Lord
endureth forever. We may be in the "last days" of this age; the
"perilous times" may be upon us; but we still have God's blessed word.
May we prize it more highly, read it more carefully, study it more
diligently.
Here is the grand secret of a healthy and vigorous spiritual life. It
is by earnestly desiring the sincere (pure) milk of the Word, that we
grow thereby. It is by daily feeding on the Bread of Life that we
obtain the strength which we need. It is through having God's Word in
our hearts that we are kept from sinning against. Him. And it is in
this way that we should be able to say with Jeremiah, "Thy words were
found and I did eat them; and Thy Word was unto me the joy and
rejoicing of mine heart" (15:16).
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Gleanings In Exodus
23. Manna--A Type of Christ
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Exodus 16
In our last chapter we considered the "manna" with which Jehovah
supplied the bodily need of Israel in the wilderness as a type of the
Food which God had so graciously provided for the sustenance of our
souls. That Food is His own blessed Word. But "the Word" is used both
of the Scriptures and of the Lord Jesus Christ. The two are most
intimately related. "In the volume of the Book," said Christ, "it is
written of Me" (Ps. 40:7); and again, "Search the Scriptures... they
are they which testify of Me" (John 5:39). Almost everything that can
be postulated of the one can be predicted of the other. But the chief
value of the written Word is to set forth the perfections and bring us
into communion with the incarnate Word. It is only as we feed upon
Christ Himself that we truly feed upon the written Word. Therefore in
this article we shall confine our attention to the manna typifying the
person and perfections of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Beneath many a figure and behind innumerable shadows and symbols the
anointed eye may discern the glories of our blessed Lord. It should be
our chief delight as we read the O.T. Scriptures to prayerfully search
for that which foreshadows Him of whom "Moses and the prophets" did
write. All doubt is removed as to whether or not the manna pointed to
the incarnate Son by His own words in John 6:32, 33. There we find the
Savior saying, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not
that bread from Heaven; but My Father giveth you the true Bread from
Heaven. For the Bread of God is He which cometh down from Heaven and
giveth life unto the world." May the Spirit of God now condescend to
open our sin-blinded eyes as we earnestly desire to behold "wondrous
things" out of His perfect Law.
1. The Occasion of the giving of the Manna is both striking and
solemn. After being the recipients of wondrous mercies from the Lord,
Israel arrived in the Wilderness of Sin. But no sooner had they come
thither than we find that the whole congregation of the children of
Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying, "Would to God we had
died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the
flesh-pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought
us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with
hunger" (v. 3). A more fearful exhibition of unbelief, ingratitude,
and rebellion could scarcely be imagined. The marvel is that the fiery
judgments of God did not consume them there and then. But instead of
pouring upon them His wrath, He dealt with them in marvelous grace by
raining bread from Heaven for them.
Strikingly does this picture the condition of that world into which
the Lord of Glory descended. For four thousand years the temporal and
governmental mercies of God had been showered upon the human race,
making His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, sending His rain
on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). And what had been man's
response? "When they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither
were they thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their
foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they
became fools, and changed the glory of the un-corruptible God into an
image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and to four-footed
beasts, and creeping things" (Rom. 1:21-23.) Little better was it with
Israel, as a glance at their O.T. history will show. What wonder,
then, if God had abandoned the whole race! But no; in matchless,
wondrous grace, He sent forth His own beloved Son to a world wherein
every human creature had forfeited every possible claim upon His
goodness and mercy.
2. The Place where the Manna fell is also deeply significant. It was
in the "Wilderness of Sin" (16:1) that the "bread from Heaven" first
fell. Surely it were impossible to select a more fitting title to
accurately describe the character of that world into which the Son of
God descended. Verily, a wilderness of sin was this world to the Holy
One of God! A wilderness! What is a "wilderness"? It is a homeless
place. No one would think of building a house there. And a homeless
place was this world to the Son of God. No room in the inn at His
birth; not where to lay His head during the days of His public
ministry; a borrowed grave for His crucified body, sums it all up. A
wilderness of sin! Never was that more apparent than when the Sinless
One was here. How the Light exposed the hidden things of darkness! How
the murder of the Savior demonstrated the sinfulness of Jew and
Gentile alike!
3. The Glory of the Lord was linked with the giving of the Manna. "And
it came to pass as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the
children of Israel that they looked toward the wilderness, and,
behold, the glory, of the Lord appeared in the Cloud" (v. 10). This is
very striking indeed. It is the first time we read of the appearing of
"the glory of the Lord," not only in connection with Israel, but in
Scripture. Marvelously accurate is this detail of our type. Not until
the Son of God became incarnate was "the glory of the Lord" fully
revealed. But when the eternal Word became flesh and tabernacled among
men, then, as the beloved apostle declares, "We beheld His glory, the
glory as of the Only-begotten of the Father (John 1:14). The "glory of
God" is seen "in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6).
4. The Manna came down from Heaven. "Then said the Lord unto Moses,
Behold I will rain bread from Heaven for you." The manna was not a
product of this earth. It grew neither in the wilderness nor in Egypt.
It was neither produced by human efforts nor manufactured by human
skill. It descended from God. It was a gift from Heaven come down to
earth. So our Lord Jesus was no native product of this earth. As we
read in Ephesians 4:10, "He that descended is the same also that
ascended up far above all heavens." The first man (Adam) was of the
earth, earthy; but the second Man (Jesus Christ) was "The Lord from
Heaven" (1 Cor. 15:48.)
5. The Manna was a free gift from God. "And Moses said unto them. This
is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat" (v. 15). No charge
was made for this manna. It was neither a wage to be earned nor a
prize to be won, but was a token of God's grace and love. No payment
was demanded for it. It was without money and without price. "For God
so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John
3:16). Let us join with the apostle in saying. "Thanks be unto God for
His unspeakable Gift" (2 Cor. 9:15).
6. The Manna was sent to the Israelites. "Behold I will rain bread
from Heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain
rate every day" (v. 4). Two truths are here illustrated. First, the
Manna was God's provision for His elect people, and for none others.
We do not read of God raining manna upon Egypt nor upon Canaan. It was
given to Israel in the wilderness and to them alone. just as the
Pascal lamb was for them and not for the Egyptians. So, too, Christ is
God's Provision for those whom He "ordained unto eternal life." Listen
to His own words in John 17:19: "For their sakes I sanctify
Myself"--set Myself apart unto death. It was for "the sheep," not the
goats, that He gave His life (John 10:11).
But second, this manna was also sent to a needy and foodless people.
Whatever food Israel had brought with them out of Egypt was, by this
time, all consumed. From the human side, they seemed in imminent
danger of starving to death. Had not God met their need they would
have perished in the wilderness. But from the Divine side everything
was sure. God had purposed to bring Israel to Sinai (3:12), and His
counsel cannot fail. A complete provision did He make for His needy
people. It is the same now. By nature, the elect of God are "children
of wrath, even as others" (Eph. 2:3). Shapen in iniquity and conceived
in sin, their lot is indeed a desperate one. But praise be to God,
full provision is made for them. The Bread of Life is their
all-sufficient supply. Even before His birth it was announced, "Thou
shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall His people from their sins"
(Matthew 1:21).
7. The Manna came right down to where the Israelites were. The
Israelites were in immediate danger of starving to death, but as we
have seen, God graciously made provision to supply their need and now
we would notice that no long journey had to be taken in order to
secure that which would satisfy their hunger--the manna fell all
around the camp. "And in the morning the dew lay round about the host;
and when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the
wilderness there lay a small round thing" (vv. 13, 14). Here we have
foreshadowed the blessed fact that, to the sinner conscious of his
need and anxious to meet with the Savior, God says, "Say not in thine
heart Who shall ascend into Heaven? (that is to bring Christ down from
above) or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring Christ
again from the dead). But what saith it? The Word is nigh thee." And
out of this very nearness springs the sinner's responsibility. All
around each tent door lay the manna. Something had to be done with it.
It must either be gathered or trodden under foot! Sinner, what are you
doing with the Christ of God? Remember His searching words, "He that
is not with Me is against Me."
8. The Manna must be gathered by each individual. "This is the thing
which the Lord hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his
eating" (v. 16). It is so spiritually. Receiving Christ (John 1:12) is
a personal matter. No one can believe for another. There is no
salvation by proxy. The gospel of Christ is, "the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth" (Rom. 1:16), and "he that
believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16: 16). Saving faith is that act
whereby each awakened sinner appropriates Christ unto himself. It is
true that Christ loved the Church as a whole, and gave Himself for it
(Eph. 5:25), but it is also the happy privilege of each member of that
Church to say with the Apostle Paul, "Who loved me and gave Himself
for me" (Gal. 2:20). Have you, dear reader, believed on the Lord Jesus
Christ?
9. The Manna met a daily need. "Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold,
I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and
gather a certain rate every day" (v. 4). The manna which they gathered
today would not suffice them for tomorrow. They needed to obtain a
fresh supply each day. It is just here that so many of the Lord's
people fail. We, too, need to feed upon Christ "every day." Just as in
the physical realm the food which I ate yesterday will not nourish me
today, so my past experiences and attainments will not meet the
exigencies of the present. Christ must be kept constantly before the
heart. "Give us day by day our daily bread," should be the prayer of
every child of God.
10. Appetite determined the amount gathered. "This is the thing which
the Lord hath commanded. Gather of it every man according to his
eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons
take ye every man for them which are in his tents. And the children of
Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less" (vv. 16, 17). Thus
we see that the appetite governed the amount gathered. How strikingly
and how solemnly true is this of the believer, "We all have as much of
Christ as we desire, no more, no less. If our desires are large, if we
open our mouth wide, He will fill it. We cannot desire too much, nor
be disappointed when we desire. On the other hand, if we are but
feebly conscious of our need, a little only of Christ will be
supplied. The measure, therefore, in which we feed upon Christ as our
wilderness food, depends entirely upon our felt spiritual need--upon
our affections" (Ed. Dennett).
11. The Manna was despised by those who were not the Lord's people.
"And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting, and the
children of Israel also went again, and said, Who shall give us flesh
to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the
cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the
garlic. But now our soul is dried away; there is nothing left at all,
beside this manna, before our eyes" (Num. 11:4-6). How these words
remind us of the language of Isaiah 53--"And when we shall see Him
there is no beauty that we should desire of Him. He is despised and
rejected of men." The sin-blinded eyes of the natural man are
incapable of perceiving the attractiveness of the Lord Jesus: His
wondrous perfections he is unable to discern. So, too, he sees not his
deep need, and how Christ alone is able to meet that need. Hence he
neither comes to Christ nor desires Him.
12. The Manna fell upon the dew, not upon the dust of the ground. "And
when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it"
(Num. 11:9). Everything in the Scriptures has a spiritual meaning and
application. What, then, is the significance of the above? Genesis
3:19 throws light on this passage--"dust thou art and unto dust thou
shalt return." These words were spoken to fallen man and called
attention to the corruption which sin had worked in him. "Dust," here,
and onwards, speaks of fallen humanity. Now the manna fell not upon
"the dust," but upon the dew. How clearly this foreshadowed the
uniqueness and incorruptibility of our Lord's humanity! The Word
became flesh, but in His humanity the Lord Jesus shared not our
corrupt nature. He took upon Him the form of a servant, but the body
which was prepared for Him (Heb. 10:5) belonged not to the "dust" of
this earth. Before He was born the angel announced unto His mother,
"The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee and the power of the Highest
shall overshadow thee; therefore also that holy thing which shall be
born of thee shall be called the Son of God"
(Luke 1:35).
13. The Manna was white in color. We read in Exodus 16:31, "And the
house of Israel called the name thereof manna; and it was like
coriander seed, white." This speaks of the spotless purity of our Lord
as manifested outwardly in His daily walk. He "knew no sin" (2 Cor.
5:21). "He was without sin" (Heb. 4:13). "He did no sin" (1 Pet.
2:22). He was "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners" (Heb.
7:26). In 1 Peter 1:19 we are told that He was a lamb "without spot
and without blemish." The former expression referring to the absence
of outward pollution, the latter to the absence of inward defect. In
His walk through this scene of corruption He contracted no defilement.
He only could touch the leper without becoming contaminated. He was
"without spot," pure, white.
14. The Manna was sweet to the taste. "And the taste of it was like
wafers of honey" (v. 31). We need to go to the Song of Solomon for the
interpretation of this. There we read, "As the apple tree among the
trees of the wood, so is my Beloved among the sons. I sat down under
His shadow with great delight, and His fruit was sweet to my taste"
(2:3). And again, "His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet
flowers; His lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh . . . His
mouth is most sweet; yea, He is altogether lovely" (5:13, 16). The
Lord grant that our "meditation of Him shall be sweet" (Ps. 104:34).
15. The Manna was ground and baked. "And the people went about and
gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked
it in pans, and made cakes of it" (Num. 11:8). How this speaks to us
of the sufferings of our blessed Lord! Such expressions as "He groaned
for their hardness of heart," He "sighed" because of their unbelief,
He "wept" over Jerusalem. and many others, tell of the grinding of the
manna. His treatment at the hands of the Jews and the brutal soldiers
in Herod's judgment-hall show us the beating of the manna. On the
Cross we behold Him subjected to the fierce fires of God's wrath. Thus
we learn that the manna, ground and beaten, speaks to us of Him who
"was bruised for our iniquities."
16. The Manna was preserved on the Sabbath. "And he said unto them,
This is that which the Lord hath said, to-morrow is the rest of the
holy Sabbath unto the Lord, bake that which ye will bake, and seeth
that ye will seeth, and that which remaineth over, lay up for you to
be kept until the morning. And they laid it up till the morning, as
Moses bade; and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein"
(vv. 23, 24). On the Sabbath day the manna was preserved, and in this,
too. it speaks to us of our blessed Lord. He is the only one who was
preserved through death. He lay in the tomb on the Sabbath day and was
"kept," for God had said, "Neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to
see corruption" (Ps. 16:10).
17. The Manna was laid up before the Lord. "And Moses said unto Aaron,
Take a pot and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before
the Lord (v. 33). Concerning the anti-type, we read, "For Christ is
not entered into the holy place made with hands which are the figures
of the true; but into Heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of
God for us" (Heb. 9:24). The golden pot in which the manna was
preserved tells of how God is glorified in Him whom it foreshadowed.
"Although the Son of Man it is that gives it to us; although it is
humanity here that we know, and humanity in the form in which we shall
not find it when we shall reach Him above, yet it is humanity in which
God is glorified now, and so He will be glorified in it forever. We
shall find in the One upon the Throne of Glory, though no longer `with
a face marred more than any man's,' and a form more than the sons of
men--the very One whose face was marred--the very One whose heart put
Him into the sorrow in which we, of necessity there, learned to know
Him thus" (Mr. Grant).
18. The Manna is called angel's food. We read in Psalm 78:25, man did
eat angel's food; He gave them meat to the full"; the reference here
is to the giving of the manna to Israel in the wilderness. The
anti-type of this is brought before us in several passages in the last
book of Scripture. Christ not only feeds the souls of those of His
people who are upon earth, but He also satisfies the hearts of
celestial beings. The unfallen angels find their chief delight in
feeding upon Christ. They worship Him, they serve Him, and they tell
forth His praises.
19. The Manna was given in the night. It was during the hours of
darkness that the manna was sent to the Israelites. It is while they
were asleep (picture of man's helplessness, for we are never so
helpless as when we are asleep) that the bread was given from Heaven.
So, too, it was when we were in darkness and unbelieved impotent,
"without strength," that Christ came to us. Moreover it will be at the
close of this world's night, when "the darkness shall cover the earth,
and gross darkness the people," that the Bread of God shall return and
give life to the world.
20. The Manna is now hidden. In Revelation 2:17 we read, "To him that
overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna." So, too, Christ,
of whom the manna continually speaks, is now "hidden." Unseen by the
eye of sense, He remains in Heaven till that day when He shall be
manifested before all the world. "We shall not only `see' the Heavenly
manna, but we shall `eat' of it again. Fresher than ever will be our
realization of His love and the perfection of the grace which is
manifested toward us. It is then in fact, when we come to be there,
that we shall have the full enjoyment; knowing as we are known, of all
the experiences, which though they be experiences of the wilderness,
yet, wait for the land to which we are hastening to find their full
interpretation and blessing. The meat endures to everlasting life. The
meat itself endures. We are enjoying that which shall be our joy for
eternity. We are feeding on that which shall be our food for eternity"
(Mr. Grant).
We are conscious that our treatment of this wonderful and precious
type is most inadequate and unworthy. But if it leads our
fellow-believers to a more careful study of the written Word, and to a
deeper longing to become better acquainted with the incarnate Word,
our feeble efforts will be well repaid.
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Gleanings In Exodus
24. The Smitten Rock
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Exodus 17
"And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the
Wilderness of Sin" (v. 1). Mark that this chapter opens with the word
"And," connecting it with the one preceding. So, too, chapter 16
begins with "And," linking it on to the closing verses of 15. "And" is
a little word, but we often miss that which is of much importance and
value through failing to weigh it carefully. There is nothing trivial
in God's Word, and each word and syllable has its own meaning and
worth. At the close of Exodus 15 (v. 23) Israel came to Marah, and
they could not drink of the waters there because they were bitter. At
once we find the people murmuring against Moses, saying. "What shall
we drink?" (v. 24). Sad, sad was this, after all that the Lord had
done for them. Moses cried unto God, and in long-suffering grace He at
once came to the relief of the people. The Lord showed him a tree,
which when cast into the bitter waters, at once sweetened them. After
this experience they reached Elim, where were twelve wells of water.
There Exodus 15 closes.
Exodus 16 opens with "And." Why? To connect with what has just
preceded. But for what purpose? To show us the in-excusableness and to
emphasize the enormity of the conduct of Israel immediate following;
as well as to magnify the marvelous patience and infinite mercy of Him
who bore so graciously with them. Israel had now entered the
wilderness, the Wilderness of Sin, and it furnished no food for them.
How, then, do they meet this test of faith? After their recent
experience at Marah, one would suppose they promptly and confidently
turned unto their Divine Benefactor and looked to Him for their daily
bread. But instead of doing this we read, once more, "The whole
congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and
Aaron" (16:3), and not only so, they "spake against God; they said,
Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?" (Ps. 78:19). Yet,
notwithstanding their petulency and unbelief, the Lord again came to
their relief and rained down bread from Heaven. The remainder of the
chapter is occupied with details concerning the manna.
Now, once more, the chapter before us for our present study, begins
with "And." The opening verse presents to us a scene very similar to
that which is found at the beginning of the previous chapter. Israel
are once again face to face with a trial of faith. Their dependency
upon God is tested. This time it is not lack of food, but absence of
water. How this illustrates the fact that the path of faith is a path
of trial. Those who are led by God must expect to encounter that which
is displeasing to the flesh, and also a constant and real testing of
faith itself. God's design is to wean us from everything down here, to
bring us to the place where we have no reliance upon material and
human resources, to cast us completely upon Himself. O how slow, how
painfully slow we are to learn this lesson! How miserably and how
repeatedly we fail! How long-suffering the Lord is with us. It is this
which the introductory "And" is designed to point. Here in Exodus 17
it is but a tragic repetition of what it signifies at the beginning of
chapter 16.
"And there was no water for the people to drink." What of that? This
presented no difficulty to Him who could part the sea asunder and then
make its waves return and overwhelm their enemies. It was no harder
for Jehovah to provide water than it was for Him to supply them with
food. Was not He their Shepherd? If so, shall they want? Moreover, had
not the Lord Himself led Israel to Rephidim? Yes, for we are here
expressly told, "The children of Israel journeyed according to the
commandment of the Lord, and pitched in Rephedim." He knew there was
no water there, and yet He directed them to this very place! Well for
us to remember this. Ofttimes when we reach some particularly hard
place, when the streams of creature-comfort are dried up, we blame
ourselves, our friends, our brethren, or the Devil perhaps. But the
first thing to realize in every circumstance and situation where faith
is tested, is, that the Lord Himself has brought us there! If this be
apprehended, it will not be so difficult for us to trust Him to
sustain us while we remain there.
"Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water
that we may drink" (v. 2). The word "chide" signifies that the people
expostulated with Moses in an angry manner for bringing them hither,
reproaching and condemning him as the cause of their trouble. When
they said to him, "Give us water that we may drink," it was either
that they petulantly demanded he should give what God only could
provide, signifying that he was under obligations to do so, seeing
that he was the one who had brought them out of Egypt into the
wilderness; or, because they had seen him work so many wonders, they
concluded it was in his power to miraculously obtain water for them,
and hence, insisted that he now do this.
"And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? Wherefore do ye tempt
the Lord?" (v. 2). Moses at once reminded the Israelites that in
criticizing him they arraigned the Lord. The word "tempt" in this
verse seems to signify try or test. They tried His patience, by once
more chiding His servant. They called into question both His goodness
and faithfulness. Moses was their appointed leader, God's
representative to the people; and therefore to murmur against him was
to murmur against the Lord Himself.
"And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured
against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us
up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with
thirst?" (v. 3). As their thirst increased they grew more impatient
and enraged, and threw out their invectives against Moses. "Had Israel
been transported from Egypt to Canaan they would not have made such
sad exhibitions of what the human heart is, and, as a consequence,
they would not have proved such admirable ensamples or types for us:
but their forty years' wandering in the desert furnish us with a
volume of warning, admonition, and instruction, fruitful beyond
conception. From it we learn, amongst many other things, the unvarying
tendency of the heart to distrust God. Anything, in short, for it but
God. It would rather lean upon a cobweb of human resources than upon
the arm of an omnipotent, all-wise, and infinitely gracious God; and
the smallest cloud is more than sufficient to hide from its view the
light of His blessed countenance. Well, therefore, may it be termed
`an evil heart of unbelief.' which will ever show itself ready to
`depart from the living God'" (C.H.M.).
"And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this
people? they be almost ready to stone me" (v. 14). It is beautiful to
see that Moses made no reply to the cruel reproaches which were cast
upon him. Like that Blessed One whom he in so many respects typified,
"When He was reviled. He reviled not again; when He suffered. He
threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously"
(1 Pet. 2:23). This is what we see Moses doing here. Instead of
returning an angry and bitter rejoinder to those who falsely accused
him, he sought the Lord. Blessed example for us. This was ever his
refuge in times of trouble (cf. 15:25 etc.). The fact that we are told
Moses "cried unto the Lord" indicates the earnestness and vehemence of
his prayer. "What shall I do?" expressed a consciousness of his own
inability to cope with the situation, and also showed his confidence
that the Lord would come to his and their relief. How often should we
be spared much sorrowful regret later, if, instead of replying on the
spur of the moment to those who malign us, we first sought the Lord
and asked, "What shall I do?"
"And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with
thee of the ciders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the
river, take in thine hand, and go. Behold, I will stand before thee
there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shall smite the rock, and there
shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did
so in the sight of the elders of Israel"(vv. 5, 6). his brings before
us one of the many Old Testament types of the Lord Jesus, one for
which we have New Testament authority for regarding it as such. In 1
Corinthians 10:1-4 we read, "Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye
should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and
all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the
cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did
all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual
Rock that followed them: And that Rock was Christ."
The "Rock" is one of the titles of Jehovah, found frequently on the
pages of the O.T. In his "song," Moses laments that Israel forsook God
and "lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation" (Deut. 32:15). In his
song, we also hear the sweet singer of Israel saying, "The Lord is my
Rock, and my Fortress, and my Deliverer" (2 Sam. 22:2). The Psalmist
bids us make a "joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation" (95:1).
While the prophet Isaiah tells us "And a Man shall be as an hiding
place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest as rivers of water
in a dry place, as the shadow of a Great Rock in a weary land" (32:2).
In the N.T. we get that memorable and precious word, "Upon this Rock
(pointing to Himself, not referring to Peter's confession) I will
build My church" (Matthew 16:18).
The first thing that impresses one when we see a rock is its strength
and stability, a characteristic noted in Scripture in the question of
Bildad to Job, "Shall the rock be removed out of his place?" (Job.
18:4). This is a most comforting thought to the believer. The Rock
upon which he is built cannot be shaken: the floods may come, and the
winds may beat upon it, but it will "stand" (Matthew 7:25).
Another prominent characteristic of rocks is their durability. They
outlast the storms of time. Waters will not wash them away, nor winds
remove them, from their foundations. Many a vessel has been dashed to
pieces on a rock, but the rock stands unchanged; and it is a deeply
solemn thought that those who are not built upon The Rock, will be
shattered by it--"And whosoever shall fall on this Stone shall be
broken," said Christ, pointing to Himself, "but on whomsoever it shall
fall, it will grind him to powder" (Matthew 21:24).
A third feature that may be mentioned about a rock is its elevation.
It towers high above man and is a landmark throughout that part of the
country where it is situated. Some rocks are so high and so steep that
they cannot be scaled. Each of these characteristics find their
application to and realization in the Lord Jesus. He is the strong and
powerful One--"The mighty God" (Isa. 9:6). He is the durable One--"the
Same yesterday and today and forever." He is the elevated One, exalted
to the Throne of Heaven, seated at the right hand of the Majesty on
high.
The first thing to be noted here in our type is that the rock was to
be smitten. This, of course, speaks of the death of the Lord Jesus. It
is striking to note the order of the typical teaching of Exodus 16 and
17. In the former we have that which speaks of the incarnation of
Christ; in the latter, that which foreshadowed the crucifixion of
Christ. Exodus 17 is supplementary to chapter 16. Christ must descend
from Heaven to earth (as the manna did) if He was to become the Bread
of life to His people; but He must be smitten by Divine judgment if He
was to be the Water of life to them! Here is another reason for the
opening "And."
There are three details here which enable us to fix the interpretation
of the smiting of the rock as a type of the death of the Lord Jesus.
First, it was to be smitten by the rod of Moses. The "rod" in the hand
of Moses had been the symbol of judgment. The first reference to it
definitely determines that. When he cast it on to the ground it became
a "serpent" (4:3)--reminder of the curse. With his rod the waters of
the Nile were smitten and turned into blood (7:17), and so on. Second,
only the "elders of Israel" witnessed the smiting of the rock. This
emphasizes the governmental character of what was here foreshadowed.
Third, Jehovah Himself stood upon the rock while it was smitten.
"Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb" (v.
6)--marvelous line in the picture was this. Putting these things
together what spiritual eye can fail to see here a portrayal of our
Substitute being smitten by the rod of Divine justice, held in the
hand of the Governor of the Universe. Doubtless that word in Isaiah
53:4, 5 looks back to this very type--"Smitten of God . . . by His
stripes we are healed." How solemn to behold that it was the people's
sin which led to the smiting of the rock!
Out from the smitten rock flowed the water. Beautiful type was this of
the Holy Spirit--gift of the crucified, now glorified, Savior. May not
this be one reason why the Holy Spirit is said to be "poured out"
(Acts 2:18)?--speaking in the language of this very type. The gift of
the Holy Spirit was consequent upon the crucifixion and exaltation of
the Lord Jesus. This is clear from His own words from John 7:37, 38:
"Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto
Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said,
out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." Now mark the
interpretation which is given us in the very next verse: "But this
spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive:
for the Holy Spirit was not yet given because that Jesus was not yet
glorified."
The Holy Spirit has given us a supplementary word through the Psalmist
which enhances the beauty of the picture found in Exodus 17. There we
are told, "He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in
the dry places like a river. For He remembered His holy promise (to)
Abraham His servant" (105:41, 42). It was because of His covenant to
Abraham that God gave the water to Israel. So, too. we read of God
promising to give eternal life to His elect "before the world began"
(Titus 1:1, 2), and this, on the basis of "the everlasting covenant"
(Heb. 13: 20).
1 Corinthians 10, also supplements Exodus 17. In the historical
narrative we read of Moses striking the rock in the presence of "the
elders" of Israel, but nothing is there said about the people drinking
of the streams of water that flowed from it. But in 1 Corinthians
10:4, we are told, "And did all drink the same spiritual drink." This
is an important word. It affirms, in type, that all of God's people
have received the Holy Spirit. There are some who deny this. There are
those who teach that receiving the Holy Spirit is a second work of
grace. This is a serious error. Just as all the children of Israel
(God's covenant people) drank of the water from the smitten rock. so
in the anti-type, all of God's children are made partakers of the Holy
Spirit, gift of the ascended Christ--"And because ye are sons, God had
sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba,
Father" (Gal. 4:6). There is no such thing as a believer in Christ who
has not received the Holy Spirit: "If any man have not the Spirit of
Christ, he is none of Him" (Rom. 8:9).
Much of the blessedness of our type will pass unappreciated unless we
note carefully the occasion when the stream of living water gushed
from the smitten rock. It was not when Israel were bowed in worship
before the Lord. it was not when they were praising Him for all His
abundant mercies toward them. No such happy scene do the opening
verses of Exodus 17 present to our view. The very reverse is what is
there described. Israel were murmuring (v. 3); they were almost ready
to stone God's servant (v. 4); they were filled with unbelief, saying,
"Is the Lord among us, or not?" (v. 7). The giving of the water, then,
was God acting according to His marvelous grace. Where sin abounded,
grace did much more abound. But, be it well noted, it was grace acting
on a righteous basis. Not till the rock was smitten did the waters
flow forth. And not till the Savior had been bruised by God was the
Gospel of His grace sent forth to "every creature." What, my reader,
is the response of your heart to this amazing and rich mercy of God?
Surely you say, out of deepest gratitude, "thanks be unto God for His
unspeakable Gift" (2 Cor. 9:15).
This chapter would not be complete were we to close without a brief
word upon Numbers 20, where we again find Moses smiting the rock. "And
the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take the rod, and gather thou the
assembly together, thou, and Aaron, thy brother, and speak ye unto the
rock before their eyes, and it shall give forth His water, and thou
shall bring forth to them water out of the rock; so thou shalt give
the congregation and their beasts drink" (vv. 7, 8).
What is recorded in Numbers 20 occurred forty years later than what
has been before us in Exodus 17. Almost everything here is in sharp
contrast. The rock in Exodus 17 foreshadowed Christ on the cross; the
rock in Numbers 20 pictured Him on high. The Hebrew word for "rock" is
not the same. The word used here in Numbers 20 means an elevated rock,
pointing plainly to the Savior in His exaltation. Next, we notice that
Moses was not now bidden to "strike" the rock, but simply to speak to
it. In Exodus 17 the rock was smitten before the "elders" of Israel;
here Moses was bidden to "gather the assembly together." And while
Jehovah bade him take a rod, it was not the rod used in Exodus 17. On
the former occasion Moses was to use his own rod--"Thy rod, wherewith
thou smotest the river." That was the rod of judgment. But here he was
to take "The rod" (Num. 20:8), namely, the rod of Aaron. This is clear
from verse 9, "And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as He
commanded him" if we compare it with Numbers 17:10--"And the Lord
saith unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony (viz.,
the Ark in the Holy of Holies), to he kept for a token against the
rebels." This, then, was the priestly rod. Mark also how this aspect
of truth was further emphasized in the type by the Lord bidding Moses,
on this second occasion, to take Aaron along with him--Aaron is not
referred to at the first smiting of the rock!
The interpretation of the typical meaning of Numbers 20:8 is therefore
abundantly clear. The rock must not be smitten a second time, for that
would spoil the type. "Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead
dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him. For in that He
died, He died unto sin once; but in that He liveth, He liveth unto
God" (Rom. 6:9, 10). "But now once in the end of the world hath He
appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself... So Christ was
once offered to bear the sins of many" (Heb. 9:26, 28). Streams of
spiritual refreshment flow to us on the ground of accomplished
redemption and in connection with Christ's priestly ministry.
How solemn the sequel here. The servant of the Lord failed--there has
been but one perfect "Servant" (Isa. 42:1). The meekest man upon earth
became angry at the repeated murmurings of Israel. He addressed the
covenant people of God as "Ye rebels." He asked them. "Must we fetch
you water out of the rock?" He "smote the rock twice"--indicating the
heat of his temper. And because of this God suffered him not to lead
Israel into Canaan. He is very jealous of the types--more than one man
was slain because his conduct marred them.
It is striking to note that though Moses smote the rock instead of
speaking to it. nevertheless, the refreshing waters gushed forth from
it. How this should warn us against the conclusion that a man's
methods must be right if the Lord is pleased to use him. Many there
are who imagine that the methods used in service must be pleasing to
God if His blessing attends them. But this incident shows plainly that
it is not safe to argue thus. Moses' methods were wrong;
notwithstanding, God gave the blessing! But how this incident also
manifests, once more, the wondrous grace of God. In spite of (not
because of) Israel's murmuring, and in spite of Moses' failure, water
was given to them, their every need was supplied. Truly, our God is
the "God of all grace." May the realization of this draw out our
hearts in adoring worship, and may our lives rebound more and more
unto His glory.
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Gleanings In Exodus
25. Amalek
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Exodus 17
One thing that impresses the writer more and more in his studies in
and meditations upon the contents of this book of Exodus is the
wonderful variety and the comprehensive range of truth covered by its
typical teachings. Not only do its leading events and prominent
characters foreshadow that which is spiritual and Divine, but even the
smallest details have a profound significance. Moses is a type of
Christ, Pharaoh of Satan, Egypt of the world. Israel groaning in
bondage pictures the sinner in his native misery. Israel delivered
from their cruel task-masters speaks of our redemption. Their journey
across the wilderness points to the path of faith and trial which we
are called on to walk. And now we are to see that the history of
Israel also adumbrated the conflict between the two natures in the
believer.
Our previous studies have already shown us that the experiences of
Israel in the wilderness were a series of trials, real testings of
faith. Now we are to see another aspect of the Christian's life
strikingly set forth: Israel were called upon to do some fighting. It
is very striking indeed to note the occasion of this, the stage at
which it occurred in Israel's history. Not only is there a wondrous
variety and comprehensiveness about the typical teachings of this
second book of scripture, but the order in which they are given
equally displays the Divine hand of their Author [God is the God of
order; Satan of confusion. The thoughtless reader of the Scriptures
loses much by failing to observe the perfect arrangement of everything
in them].
In our last chapter we contemplated the smiting of the rock, from
which flowed the stream of water and of which all the people drank.
This, as we saw, typified the smiting of our blessed Savior by the
hand of Divine justice, and the consequent gift of the Holy Spirit to
those who are His. But after the Holy Spirit comes to take up His
abode within the believer, after a new and holy nature of His creating
has been implanted, a strange conflict is experienced, something
hitherto unknown. As we read in Galatians 5:17, "The flesh lusteth
against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; and these are
contrary the one to the other." It is this which the scripture to be
before us so accurately depicts.
The typical scene which we are about to study is of great practical
importance. Ignorance of what it sets forth, the truth which it
illustrates, has resulted in great loss and has been responsible for
untold distress in many souls, How many a one has thought, and. how
many have been taught, that when a sinner really receives Christ as
his Savior, that God will change his heart, and that henceforth he
will be complete victor over-sin. But "a change of heart" is nowhere
spoken of in Scripture. God never changes anything. The old is set
aside or destroyed, and something altogether new is created or
introduced by Him. It is thus with the Christian. The Christian is one
who has been "born again," and the new birth is neither the removal of
anything from a man, nor the changing of anything within; but the
impartation of something new to him. The new birth is the reception of
a new nature: "that which is born of the Spirit, is Spirit" (John
3:6).
At the new birth a spiritual, Divine nature is communicated to us,
This new nature is created by the Holy Spirit; the "seed" (1 John 3:9)
used is the Word of God. (1 Pet. 1:23). This explains John 3:5: "Born
of water and of the Spirit." The "water" is the emblem of the pure and
refreshing Word of God (cf. Ephesians 5:26). This is what is in view,
typically, in the first half of Exodus 17. But when the new nature is
communicated by God to the one born again, the old sinful nature
remains, and remains unchanged till death or the coming of Christ,
when it will be destroyed, for then "this corruptible shall put on
incorruption" (1 Cor. 15:53). In the Christian, then, in every
Christian, there are two natures: one sinful, the other sinless; one
born of the flesh, the other born of God. These two natures differ
from each other in origin, in character, in disposition and in the
activities, they produce. They have nothing in common. They are
opposed to each other. This is what is in view, typically in the
second half of Exodus 17.
The two natures in the Christian are illustrated in the life of
Abraham. He had two sons: Ishmael and Isaac. The former represents
that which is "born of the flesh;" the latter, that which is "born of
the Spirit." Ishmael was born according to the common order of nature.
Isaac was not. Isaac was born as the result of a miracle. God
supernaturally quickened both Abraham and Sarah, when the one had
passed the age of begetting and the other was too old to bear
children. Ishmael, born first, was of "the bond-woman"; Isaac of the
"free-woman" (Gal. 4:22). But after Isaac entered the household of
Abraham, there was a conflict: "And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the
Egyptian which she had born unto Abraham, mocking" (Gen. 21:9). That
what we have Just heard said about the two sons of Abraham is no
fanciful or strained interpretation of ours, will be seen by a
reference to Galatians 4:29, where the Spirit of God has told us, "But
as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born
after the Spirit even so it is now."
The two natures in the Christian are! also illustrated in the life of
Isaac's son. Jacob. Jacob had two names: one which he received from
his earthly parents, are one which he received from God. The Lord
called him "Israel" (Gen. 32:28). From that point onwards the history
of Jacob-Israel presents a series of strange paradoxes. His life
exhibited a dual personality. At one moment we see him trusting God
with implicit confidence, at another we behold him giving way to an
evil heart of unbelief. If the student will read carefully through
chapters 33 to 49 of Genesis he will notice how that sometimes the
Holy Spirit refers to the patriarch as "Jacob," at other times as
"Israel." When "Jacob" is referred to it is the activities of the old
nature which are in view, when "Israel" is mentioned it is the fruits
of the new nature which are evidenced. For example; when Joseph's
brethren returned to their father from Egypt and told him that his
favorite son was yet alive and was now governor over all the land of
Egypt, we are told, "And Jacob's heart fainted for he believed them
not" (45:26). But "They told him all the words of Joseph, which he had
said unto them; and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to
carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived: And Israel said,
It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive" (45:48)! It is blessed to
note the closing words concerning him: "When Jacob had made an end of
commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded
up the spirit... and the physicians embalmed Israel" (49:33; 50:2)!
"Jacob" died; "Israel" was embalmed. At death only the new nature will
be preserved!
But that which we particularly emphasize here is, that during the
Christian's life on earth there is a conflict between the two natures.
Just as Ishmael "persecuted" Isaac, and just as the Jacob-nature
frequently set aside the Isaac-nature, so it is in the Christian: "the
flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh;
and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the
things that ye would" (Gal. 5:17). What, then, is the remedy? Is there
no way by which the flesh may be subdued? Has God made no provision
for the believer to walk in the spirit so that he may not fulfill the
lusts of the flesh? Certainly He has; and absence of victory is due
entirely to our failure to use the means of grace which God has put in
our hands. What these are, and how the victory should be gained are
clearly set forth in our type.
"Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim" (17:8). In the
light of Genesis 21:25; 26:19, 20; Exodus 2:17; Numbers 20:19; Judges
5:11, where we learn that the possession of water (wells, etc.) was
frequently a bone of contention among the ancients, it is evident that
the spread of the news that a river of water was now gushing from the
rock in Rephidim, caused the Amalekites to attempt to gain possession.
To do this meant they must first disposess Israel; hence their attack.
The first thing to note here is the identity of Israel's enemy. It was
Amalek. "Amalek" signifies "Warlike," apt name for that whose lusts
ever war against the soul'" (1 Pet. 2:11). Amalek was the grandson of
Esau (Gen. 36:12): `Who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright,
and when he would have inherited the blessing was rejected,' is thus
surely a representative of the `old man'" (F.W.G.). Very striking in
this connection is the prophetic word of Balaam: "And when he looked
for Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of
the nations that warred against Israel: but his latter end shall be
that he perish forever" (Num. 24:20). The character of Amalek comes
out plainly in the words of Moses concerning him at a later date--"He
feared not God" (Deut. 25:17, 18)--such is "the flesh."
The second thing to be noted is the time when Amalek made his assault
upon Israel: "then came Amalek and fought with Israel." The Holy
Spirit has called our attention to the time when this occurred. It was
when Moses smote the rock and the waters were given. Then. for the
first time, Israel was called upon to do some fighting--contrast
13:17. They had done no fighting In the house of bondage, nor had the
Lord called upon them to fight the Egyptians at the Red Sea, But now
that that which typified the Holy Spirit had been given, their warfare
commenced; yea, It was that which typified the Holy Spirit that caused
the Amalekites to attack Israel! Wonderfully accurate is the type.
It is not until the Christian has been made partaker of the Divine
nature (2 Pet. 1:4) that the inward conflict begins. Previous to the
new birth, he was dead in trespass and sins; and therefore quite
insensible to the claims of God's holiness. Until the Holy Spirit
begins to shed abroad His light upon our wicked hearts, we do not
realize the depths and power of the evil within us. Ofttimes the
believer is astounded by the discovery of the tendencies and desires
within him, which he never knew before were there. The religious
professor knows nothing of the conflict between the two natures nor of
the abiding sense of inward corruption which this experience conveys.
The unregenerate man is entirely under the dominion of the flesh, he
serves its lusts, he does its will. The "flesh" does not fight its
subjects; it rules over them. But as soon as we receive the new nature
the conflict begins.
It is striking to note that it was not Israel who attacked Amalek, but
Amalek that attacked Israel. The new nature in the believer delights
to feed upon the Word, to commune with God, and be engaged with
spiritual things. But the flesh will not let him live in peace. The
Devil delights to rob the believer of his joy, and works upon the
flesh to accomplish his fiendish designs. The anti-type is in perfect
accord. Note how that in Galatians 5:17 it is first said that "The
flesh lusteth against the spirit," and not vice versa.
Next, let us note carefully the record of how Israel engaged Amalek in
fight: "And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out,
fight with Amalek; tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with
the rod of God in mine hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him,
and fought with Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top
of the hill And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand that
Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But
Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone and put it under him,
and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on
one side and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady
until the going down of the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his
people with the edge of his sword" (vv. 9-13).
There is considerable difference of opinion among the commentators
concerning the typical application of the above scripture. Some regard
Moses at the top of the hill with hands uplifted toward heaven as the
figure of Christ interceding for us on High. But that cannot be. And
this for two reasons: Moses was accompanied by Aaron and Hur;
furthermore, his hands grew heavy. It is grossly dishonoring to the
perfect Word of God to say that the type is imperfect at this
point--far better to confess our ignorance than to cast such
reflections upon the Scriptures. Others regard Joshua as the type of
Christ in this incident, but that cannot be, because Israel did not
gain a complete victory over Amalek. Rather is it evident that the
respective actions of Moses and Joshua point out the provisions which
God has made for us to combat the flesh.
The first thing to note here is that Israel's success against Amalek
was determined by the uplifted hand of Moses: "And it came to pass,
when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let
down his hand Amalek prevailed" (v. 11). The significance of Moses'
attitude is clearly defined in several scriptures. The uplifted hand
was emblematic of prayer, the supplicating of God: "Hear the voice of
my supplications, when I cry unto Thee, when I lift up my hands toward
Thy holy oracle" (Ps. 28:2); "I will therefore that men pray
everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting" (1 Tim.
2:8).
Second, observe that "Moses' hands grew heavy." Here is where the real
and beautiful accuracy of our type is to be seen. How soon we grow
weary of supplicating God! "Men ought always to pray and not to faint"
(Luke 18:1), said our Lord. But how sadly we fail. How quickly our
hearts get "heavy"! And as soon as we lose the spirit of dependency
upon God the flesh prevails.
Third, but Moses was not left to himself. Blessed it is to mark this.
Aaron and Hur were with him, and "Stayed up his hands, the one on one
side and the other on the other side." Here again we discover the
beautiful accuracy of our type. Surely there, is no difficulty in
interpreting this detail. Aaron was the head of Israel's priesthood,
and so speaks plainly of our great High Priest. "Hur" means
"light"--the emblem of Divine holiness, and so points to the Holy
Spirit of God. Thus God in His grace has fully provided for us.
Supported on either side, both the earthly and the heavenly. "Likewise
the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities. For we know not what we
should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit Himself maketh
intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered" (Rom.
8:26); this is on the earthly side. "And another angel (Christ as "the
Messenger of the Covenant") came and stood at the altar having a
golden censer; and there was given unto Him much incense, that He
should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar
which was before the throne" (Rev. 8:3): this is on the heavenly
side--Christ receiving our supplications and offering them to God, as
accompanied by the sweet fragrance of His own perfections.
Fourth, the typical picture is completed for us by what is said in
5:13; "And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of
the sword." The "sword" hero points to the Holy Scriptures (see
Hebrews 4:12). It is not by prayer alone that we can fight the flesh.
The Word, too, is needed. Said the Psalmist, "Thy Word have I hid in
mine heart that I might not sin against Thee" (Ps. 119:11). Some may
object to what we have just said above about the Christian fighting
the flesh. We are not unmindful of Romans 6:11 and 2 Timothy 2:22 and
much that has been written thereon. But there are scriptures which
present other phases of our responsibility. There is a fight to be
fought (see 1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7 etc,). And this fight has to
do with the flesh. Said the Apostle, "So fight I, not as one that
beateth the air; but I keep under my body, and bring it into
subjection" (1 Cor. 9:26; 27).
Another thing which is important to note here is the fact that Amalek
was not destroyed or completely vanquished on this occasion. We only
read that "Joshua discomfited Amalek." Here too, the type is in
perfect accord with the antitype. There is no way of destroying or
eradicating the evil nature within us. Though discomforted it still
survives. Why, it may be asked, does God permit the evil nature to
remain in us? Many answers may be given, among them these. That we may
obtain a deeper and personal realization of the awful havoc which sin
has wrought in man. the total depravity of our beings, and thereby
appreciate the more the marvelous grace which has saved such
Hell-deserving wretches. That we may be humbled before God and made
more dependent upon Him. That we may appropriate to ourselves His
all-sufficient grace and learn that His strength is made perfect in
our weakness, That we may appreciate the more His keeping-power, for
left to ourselves, with such a sink of iniquity within, we should
surely perish.
A very helpful word and one which we do well to take to heart, is
found in Deuteronomy 25:17, 18: "Remember what Amalek did unto thee by
the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; How he met thee by the
way and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind
thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God." How this
should stir us up to watchfulness! It was the "hindmost"--those
farthest away from their leader--that were smitten. The flesh cannot
smite us while we are walking in close communion with God! And note
that it was when Israel were "faint arm weary that Amalek came down
upon them. This too is a warning word. What is the remedy against
faintness? This: "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have
no might He increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be
weary, and the young men shall utterly fail; But they that wait upon
the Lord shall renew their strength. they shall mount up with wings as
eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk, and not
faint" (Isa. 40:30, 31).
Very blessed are the closing words of Exodus 17: "And the Lord said
unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in
the ears of Joshua; for I will utterly put out the remembrance of
Amalek Item under heaven. And Moses built an altar, and called the
name of it Jehovah-Nissi; For he said, Because the Lord hath sworn
that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation"
(vv. 14-16). God here promised that in the end He would utterly
annihilate Amalek. In the confident assurance of faith Moses
anticipated God's final victory by erecting an altar and calling it
"The Lord, our Banner." How blessed to know that at the end the Savior
shall "change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His
glorious body according to the working whereby He is able even to
subdue all things unto Himself" (Phil. 3:21).
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Gleanings In Exodus
26. Moses' Wife
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 18
The chapter before us contains two distinct sections: the first,
covering verses 1 to 12, presents to us a beautiful typical picture;
the second, verses 13 to 27 contains important moral lessons. Exodus
18 is a parenthesis, interrupting the chronological order of the book.
In Exodus 17 Israel is seen at Rephidim; in chapter 19 they are viewed
at Sinai. The incident recorded in Exodus 18 occurred just as Israel
were about to leave Sinai and enter the wilderness of Paran. It was in
the third month after leaving Egypt that Israel reached the Mount of
the Law; it was eleven months later that Jethro came to Moses bringing
his wife and children. The proof for this is conclusive.
In Numbers 10:11, 12 we read "And it came to pass on the twentieth day
of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up
from off the tabernacle of the testimony. And the children of Israel
took their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai, and the cloud
rested in the wilderness of Paran." Following this we are told "And
Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel, the Midianite, Moses
father-in-law, We are Journeying unto the place of which the Lord said
I will give it you; come thou with us, and we will do thee good; for
the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel. And he said unto him, I
will not go; but I will depart to my own land, and to my kindred" (vv.
29, 30)--compare with this the last verse of Exodus 18. Now it was
after the departure of Jethro (18:24, 25) that Moses carried out the
suggestion of his father-in-law to select men to assist him in the
work of governing Israel--see Numbers 11:11-17. Further confirmation
of this is supplied in Deuteronomy 1. Note "in Horeb" (v. 6) and then
Moses' words to Israel, "I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am
not able to bear you myself alone. . .Take you wise men and
understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them
rulers over you" (vv. 9, 13). Finally; if Exodus 18 be read
attentively there will also be found evidences therein that God had
already given Israel the law when Jethro came to Moses. Per instance,
note the mention of "The Mount of God" in 5:5; Moses' statement that
the people now came unto him "to inquire of God" (v. 15); his
declaration that he "made them know the statutes of God and His laws"
(v. 16).
"When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, hoard of all
that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and that the
Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt; then Jethro, Moses'
father-in-law, took Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her back,
and her two sons; of which the name of the one was Gershom, for he
said I have been an alien in a strange land: and the name of the other
was Eliezer; for the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and
delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh; And Jethro, Moses'
father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the
wilderness, where he encamped at the Mount of God; and he said unto
Moses, I thy father-in-law Jethro, am come unto thee, and thy wife,
and her two sons with her" (vv. 1-6). The dispensational scene which
is here foreshadowed is very beautiful, and the place which this one
has in the series of typical pictures, in which the book of Exodus
abounds, evidences once more the hand of God, not only in their
production, but also in arranging their order. In Exodus 16 the manna
speaks of the incarnate Son, come down from heaven to earth. In the
first part of Exodus 17, the smiting of the rock views the Lord Jesus
stricken of God. In the issuing forth of the water, we get a lovely
emblem of the Holy Spirit ministering to the people of God. In the
second half of Exodus 17, where we find Amalek attacking Israel, and
the defeat of the former through the supplications of Moses--upheld by
Aaron and Hur--we have adumbrated the believer's conflict with the
flesh, and him sustained in that conflict by the Joint intercession of
Christ and the Holy Spirit. This goes on to the close of the Church
age. Here in Exodus 18 we are carried forward to the next dispensation
and are furnished with a blessed foreshadowment of millennial
conditions.
Zipporah restored to Moses is a perfect type of Israel brought back to
the Lord. Some see in Zipporah a type of the Church, but nowhere in
the Old Testament is the Church (as such--a corporate whole) ever
seen--Colossians 1:26, 27, etc., makes this very plain. Moreover, the
details of our type here should forbid such an interpretation.
In the first place, Zipporah had been separated from her husband. Now
if Zipporah figures the Church, mind the Church is the prospective
wife of Christ, the type fails us here completely. Those who believe
that the Church is the Bride of the Lamb acknowledge that the
"marriage" is yet future, occurring after the Rapture. If this be so,
when, following the Rapture, will the Church ever be separated from
Christ? When, indeed! But the type does not fail. It is perfectly
accurate. Zipporah is the figure of Israel, the wife of Jehovah (see
Isaiah 54:6; Jeremiah 31:32, etc.), now alienated from Him. (Hos. 2:2,
etc.), Yet to be restored to His favor (Isa. 54:4-8, etc.).
In the second place, mark carefully the cause and occasion of
Zipporah's separation from her husband. This is found recorded near
the close of Exodus 4. When Moses started for Egypt to bring God's
people out of the house of bondage his wife accompanied him. The Lord
met him and sought to kill him. The reason for this was his failure in
not having circumcised his son. The sequel suggests that the cause of
this failure lay in his wife. At once Zipporah herself performed the
operation on her son, and then, in hot anger, reproached Moses in the
words: "A bloody husband thou art" (4:25), which is repeated in the
very next verse. How plain, how accurate the type! The disobedience of
Zipporah in the matter of circumcising her son points unmistakably to
the failure of Israel under the Law. The separation of Zipporah from
Moses, because he was a "bloody husband," or literally, "a husband of
bloods," tells of Israel's alienation from God through the offense of
the Cross. "We preach Christ crucified; unto the Jews a
stumbling-block' (1 Cor. 1:23). It was blood-shedding which was the
"stumbling-block" to Zipporah!
In the third place, note the fruit of her marriage. She bore Moses
"two sons" (18:3). Those who regard Zipporah as a type of the Church
ignore this detail, and conveniently so, for they can make nothing of
it. But that is no way to treat the Word of God. Whenever we come
across anything in it which fails to fit in with any of our views
either of doctrine, prophecy or the types, that should show us that
something is wrong with our views, that they need to be revised or
enlarged. This line in our present picture is also found in several of
its companions. Joseph's wife also bore him two sons. So did Isaac's.
What then was typified thereby? The wife contemplated Israel when
first espoused to Jehovah--at Sinai. The fruit of the marriage points
to a later period in their history. What that period is we are not
left in doubt. The outstanding point in Israel's later history was in
the days of Rehoboam, when the kingdom was rent asunder and divided
into two--the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah. Thus the
"wife" was succeeded by her "two sons."
In the fourth place, the names of Zipporah's sons are profoundly
significant. The firstborn was "Gershom," which "a stranger there."
The reason for Moses giving him this name was, "I have been a stranger
in a strange land" (2:22). Appropriately does this speak of Israel in
their dispersion, away from their land. The second son was named
"Eliezer," which means, "God is my helper." Though scattered
throughout the world, Israel has been marvelously helped of God--He
has preserved them all through the centuries, preventing them from
being either annihilated or assimilated by the Gentiles. Many of the
Jews fail to recognize how God is helping them, and it is most
significant that the name of this second son of Zipporah is not given
until Exodus 18. where we have the Millennium in view. Gershom is
referred to in Exodus 2, not so Eliezer; not until Israel has been
restored to God will they recognize how marvelously He has helped
them!
Fifth, notice the time when Zipporah and her sons were restored to
Moses. It was "When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses'
father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for
Israel His people that the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt; Then
Jethro... took Zipporah . . .and her two sons . . . and came unto
Moses." It was not while Moses was presenting Jehovah's demands before
Pharaoh, nor in the morning following the Passover-night; but it was
when Moses had become Israel's leader and law-giver! In like manner,
Israel will not be restored to God until their rejected Messiah is
manifested on earth as their King and Lord.
Sixth, in striking accord with what we have just noted is the place
where Moses was when the reconciliation took place: "he encamped at
the Meant of God, (v. 5). Here, as always, the "mount" speaks of the
kingdom, of governmental authority (Ps. 2:6; Isaiah 2:3 etc. ) It was
from the summit of this same Mount that Jehovah gave the Ten
Commandments to Moses. It was while seated upon a Mount that the Lord
Jesus gave the laws of His Kingdom (Mathew 5.). It was on the Mount
that He was transfigured, which was a miniature of HIS Kingdom-glory.
It is to the Mount that He shall return (Zech. 14:4). The "Mount of
God" (v. 5) speaks, then, of the governmental glory of God. And it is
when the governmental glory of God shall be displayed in the person of
His Son on earth that Israel shall be restored to Him!
Seventh, let us now observe that Zipporah and her sons were brought to
Moses by a Gentile, for Jethro was a Midianite. There are many types
of Israel as Jehovah's wife--espoused, divorced and restored--but each
one has its own distinctive features. Here we have that which, so far
as the writer is aware, is not found elsewhere in the types, though it
is the direct subject of prophecy. In Isaiah 18 there is a remarkable
prediction. A Divine call goes forth to some land "beyond the rivers
of Ethiopia," a maritime power. most probably Great Britain. This land
is bidden to send forth her ships as swift messengers to "A nation
scattered and peeled. To a people terrible from their beginning
hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down." Clearly this oppressed
people is Israel. In a coming day the maritime Gentile power shall
carry the dispersed Hebrews back to the land of their fathers: "In
that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of hosts of a
people scattered and peeled... to the place of the name of the Lord of
hosts, the mount Zion" (Isa. 18:7). Note the words we have; placed in
black and compare the language of Exodus 18.
That which followed the reconciliation of Zipporah to her husband is
equally interesting and meaningful. First, we are told that "Moses
told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done unto Pharaoh and the
Egyptians for Israel's sake, and all the travail that had come upon
them by the way, and how the Lord delivered them" (v. 8). Jethro, the
Midianite, represents the Gentiles in the Millennium, who will then
learn fully, how wondrously the Lord had preserved Israel not only
through the vicissitudes of the centuries, but also through the
birth-pangs of the Tribulation.
Next we are told that, "Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the
Lord had done to Israel, whom He had delivered out of the band of the
Egyptians" (v. 9). In the millennium the jealousy and hatred of the
Gentiles against the Jews will be removed. The confession of Jethro on
this occasion is most noteworthy: "Now I know that the Lord is greater
than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly He was
above them" (v. 11). Such will be the confession of the Gentiles when
they learn of what the Lord has done for His ancient people.
Finally, in verse 12 we are told, "And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law
took a burnt offering and sacrifices far God: and Aaron came, and all
the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before
God." Very blessed is this. Here is a plain foreshadowing of what we
read of in Isaiah 2:2, 3 and other Scriptures: "And it shall come to
pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be
established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above
the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall
go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to
the house of the God of Jacob."
The second half of Exodus 18, though being mainly of a practical
rather than a typical nature (so far as the writer is able to
discern), adds one beautiful line to this picture of the millennium
"And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over
the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of
fifties, and rulers of tens," (v. 25). Does not this plainly
foreshadow what is promised to us in Revelation 3:21, "To him that
overcometh will I grant to sit with me in My throne."
The passage is too lengthy for us to quote in full, but let each
reader turn to and read carefully Exodus 18:13-27. These verses record
the failure of Moses and are written for our admonition. Several most
important lesson are here plainly inculcated.
Moses had been appointed by the Lord as the leader and head of His
people. As Jethro witnessed the exacting duties of his son-in-law,
advising the people from morn to eve, he felt that Moses was
undertaking too much. Jethro feared for his health, and suggested that
his son-in-taw appoint some assistants. In listening to Jethro, Moses
did wrong. From a natural standpoint Jethro's counsel was kindly and
well-meant. It was the amiability of the flesh, It presented a subtle
temptation, no doubt. But the man of God is not to be guided by
natural principles; only that which is spiritual should have any
weight with him, Nor should he heed any human counsel when he is
engaged in the service of the Lord; he is to take his orders only from
the One who appointed him.
One thing that this passage does is to warn God's servant's against
following the advise of their relatives according to the flesh.
Jethro's eye was not upon God, but upon Moses. It was not the eternal
glory of Jehovah which was before him, but the temporal welfare of his
son-in-law--"Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou and this people
that is with thee; for this thing is too heavy far thee; thou art not
able to perform it thyself alone" (v. 18). A parallel case is found in
connection with our Savior. In Mark 3:20 we read, "And the multitude
cometh together again, so that they could net so much as eat bread."
The Lord Jesus knew what it was to "spend and be spent." But those
related to Him by fleshly ties did not appreciate this; for we are
told in the very next verse that, "When His friends heard of it, they
went out to lay hold on Him; for they said, He is beside Himself."
Very solemn is this and very necessary for the servant of God to heed.
The flesh (in us) must be mortified in connection with our service
just as much as in our daily walk.
When the Lord Jesus announced to His disciples for the first time that
"He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and
chief priests and scribes to be killed," we are told "then Peter took
Him and began to rebuke Him, saying, Pity Thyself, Lord: this shall
not be unto thee" (Matthew 16:21, 22). Here again we behold the
amiability of the flesh. It was what men would call `the milk of human
kindness.' But it ignored the will and glory of God. The answer of our
Lord on this occasion is very solemn: "He turned, and said unto Peter,
Get thee behind Me, Satan; thou art an offense unto Me: for thou
perceivest not the things that be of God, but Chose that be of men."
That was the severest thing that Christ ever said to one of His own.
What a solemn warning against being influenced by the natural
affections of our friends!
Subtle as was the temptation presented to Moses. if he had remembered
the Source of his strength, as well as his office, he would not have
yielded to it. "Hearken now unto my counsel" said Jethro (v. 19). But
that was the very thing which Moses had no business to do. "So shall
it be easier for thyself" (v. 22) pleaded the tempter. But was not
God's grace sufficient! It is sad to see the effect which this
specious suggestion had upon Moses. In Numbers 11 we find that Moses
complained to the Lord--"I am not able to bear all this people alone,
because it is too heavy for me" (v. 14). Does some servant of God
reading these lines feel much the same today? Then let him remember
that he is not called upon to bear any people alone. Has not God said,
"Fear thou not; for I am with thee, be not dismayed for I am thy God,
I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee
with the right hand of My righteousness" (Isa. 41:10)! And if the
burden is "too heavy" for thee, remember that it is written, "Cast thy
burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee" (Ps. 55:22).
"It is here the servant of Christ constantly fails; and the failure is
all the more dangerous because it wears the appearance of humility. It
seems like distrust of one's self, and deep lowliness of spirit, to
shrink from heavy responsibility; but all we need to inquire is, Has
God imposed that responsibility? If so, He will assuredly be with me
in sustaining it; and having Him with me, I can sustain anything. With
Him, the weight of a mountain is nothing; without Him, the weight of a
feather is overwhelming. It is a totally different thing if a man, in
the vanity of his mind, thrust himself forward and take a burden upon
his shoulder which God never intended him to bear, and therefore never
fitted him to bear it; we may then surely expect to see him crushed
beneath the weight, but if God lays it upon him, He will qualify and
strengthen him to carry it.
"It is never the fruit of humility to depart from a
`Divinely-appointed' post. On the contrary, the deepest humility will
express itself by remaining there in simple dependence upon God. It is
a sure evidence of being occupied about self when we shrink from
service on the ground of inability. God does not call us unto service
on the ground of our ability, but of His own: hence, unless, I am
filled with thoughts about myself, or with positive distrust of Him. I
need not relinquish any position of service or testimony because of
the heavy responsibilities attaching thereto. All power belongs to
God, and it is quite the snide whether that power acts through one
agent or through seventy--the power is still the same: but if one
agent refuse the dignity, it is only so much the worse for him. God
will not force people to abide in a place of honor if they cannot
trust Him to sustain them there" (C.H.M.)
Strikingly was this seen in the sequel. Moses complained to God of the
burden, and the Lord rendered it; but in the removal went the high
honor of being called to carry it alone. "And the Lord said unto
Moses, Gather unto Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou
knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and
bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may
stand there with thee. And I will come down and talk with thee there;
and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon
them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that
thou bear it not thyself alone" (Num. 11:16, 17). Nothing was really
gained. No fresh power was introduce; it was sin-ply a distribution of
the "spirit" which had rested on one now being placed on seventy! Man
cannot improve upon God's appointments. If he persists in acting
according to the dictates of `common sense' nothing will be gained,
and much will be lost.
A word should be said upon the closing verse of our chapter: "And
Moses let his father-in-law depart; and he went his way into his own
land" (v. 27). This receives amplification in Numbers 10: "And Moses
said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite. Moses'
father-in-law, We are journeying unto the place of which the Lord
said, I will give it you; come thou with us and we will do thee good:
for the Lord had spoken good concerning Israel. And he said unto him,
I will not go; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred"
(vv. 29-30). How this revealed the heart of Jethro (here called
Hobab). The ties of nature counted more with him than the blessings of
Jehovah. He preferred his "own land" to the wilderness, and his own
"kindred" to the people of God, He walked by sight, not faith; he had
no respect unto "the recompense of the reward" of the future, but
preferred the things of time and earth. How ill-fitted was such a one
to counsel the servant of God!
In concluding this article we would point out how that Jethro's
departure from Moses in no wise mars the typical picture presented in
the earlier part of this chapter; rather does it give completeness to
it. Jethro returned to his own land and kindred because he had no
heart for the Lord and his people. A similar tragedy will be witnessed
at the end of the Millennium. In Psalm 18 we read, "Thou hast
delivered me from the strivings of the people; and Thou hast made me
the head of the heathen (Gentiles); a people whom I have not known
shall serve Me. As soon as they hear of Me they shall obey Me; the
strangers shall yield feigned obedience unto Me. The strangers
(Gentiles) shall fade away" (vv. 43-45). This will find its
fulfillment in the Millennium. Many Gentiles will turn to the Lord,
but their hearts are not won by Him. At the end, when Satan is
released, they will quickly flock to his banner (see Revelation
20:7-9).
May the Lord grant us steadfastness of heart, and keep us from being
drawn away by the things of time and sense.
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Gleanings In Exodus
27. Israel at Sinai
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Exodus 19
"In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out
of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of
Sinai. For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the
desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel
camped before the mount" (vv. 1, 2). Thus was fulfilled God's promise
to Moses. When he appeared to him at the burning bush He had declared.
"Certainly I will he with thee: and this shall be a token unto thee,
that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of
Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain" (3:12). Many
difficulties had stood in the way, but they had disappeared before the
irresistible execution of God's counsels like the dew before the
morning sun. Israel had been made willing to depart from Egypt, and
their masters had been glad to let them go. The waters of the Red Sea
had parted asunder so that the covenant-people went through dry-shod.
The wilderness of Etham had been crossed so too had the Wilderness of
Sin, and though two whole months had passed since they left the land
of Pharaoh, not an Israelite had perished with hunger or died through
sickness. "Ye shall serve God upon this mountain" (3:12), and they
did. No word of God can fail. No matter how the enemy may rage, "the
counsel of the Lord shall stand" (Prov. 19:21).
"In the third month... the selfsame day . . . Israel camped before the
mount." The time-mark here is important. It supplies a key to what
follows. Three is ever the number of manifestation. Jehovah was now to
give His people a wondrous manifestation of Himself. Previously, they
had seen His judgments upon Egypt; they had beheld His power displayed
at the Red Sea, they had witnessed His guiding-hand in the pillar of
Cloud and Fire; they had experienced His mercies in the providing of
the manna and the giving of water from the smitten rock: but they were
now to behold His exalted majesty as suitably was this displayed from
the mount.
"And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto Him out of the
mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell
the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians and
how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you unto Myself. Now,
therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then
ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people, for all the
earth is Mine" (vv. 3-5). These verses have suffered much from the
hands of certain commentators. Most erroneous conclusions have been
drawn from them. Men well versed in the Scriptures have strangely
overlooked other passages in the previous chapters which plainly
contradict their assertions. One respected expositor begins his
remarks on Exodus 19 and 20 as follows:--"A new dispensation is
inaugurated in these chapters. Up to the close of chapter 18, as
before indicated, grace reigned, and hence characterized all God's
dealing with His people, but from this point they were put, with their
own consent, under the rigid requirements of law." In this he is
followed by others of the school to which he belongs. A wide influence
has been exerted by this school, and today thousands blindly accept
the dicta of its leaders as though they were infallible. Indeed, one
will at once court suspicion of his orthodoxy if he dares to challenge
their ex cathedra utterances. Nevertheless, it is our bounden duty to
test by the Word all that men have to say upon it.
So far as our own light goes, we know of nothing in Scripture which
warrants the assertion that "a new dispensation" began when the
children of Israel reached Sinai. John 1:17 is often appealed to in
proof:--"The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus
Christ." But this verse is far from proving what is assumed. The Lord
does not here say that a "new dispensation began" with the giving of
the law: that is what men have read into it. If "the law was given by
Moses" signifies that the Jewish dispensation began at that point,
then the second clause--"but grace and truth came by Jesus
Christ"--must mean that the Christian dispensation began with the
coming of Jesus Christ. But it did not. The Christian dispensation did
not begin, and could not, till after the death of our Savior. John
1:17 contrasts the ministries of Moses and Jesus Christ.
When, then, did the Mosaic dispensation begin? If not when Israel
reached Sinai, at what other point in their history? Without any
hesitation we answer, on the Passover night; it was front that night
their national history is to be dated, and that the Mosaic
dispensation commenced. Previous to that night they had no existence
as a nation, no corporate existence; they were a disorganized crowd of
slaves. But that night everything was changed for them. Then, for the
first time. were they termed an "assembly" (Ex. 12:6). That the
Passover marked not only the beginning of their national existence but
also the commencement of the Mosaic dispensation, is abundantly clear
from the fact that their calendar was then changed by Divine order
(Ex. 12:2)!
The new dispensation (the Mosaic) began by the establishment of a new
relationship between Jehovah and His people. They were now His
redeemed. As we have shown in a previous paper, redemption is
two-fold--by purchase and by power. Israel were purchased to God by
the blood of the "lamb," they were delivered from their enemies by His
power at the Red Sea. If, as some able expositors contend, the
crossing of the Red Sea was three days after the Passover night, then
the analogy between the beginning of the Mosaic dispensation and the
beginning of the Christian dispensation is perfect. In one sense the
Christ-dispensation began at the death of Christ, with the "rending of
the veil"; in another sense, it began three days later, at His
resurrection from the dead.
The leaders of the "school" referred to above teach that, prior to
Sinai, God dealt with Israel in pure grace, but that at Sinai they,
for the first time, came under law. Such a mistake is even more
excuseless than the statement that a "new dispensation" began then.
Israel were under law before they reached the Mount of God. Listen to
the testimony of Exodus 15:25-26, "And he cried unto the Lord; and the
Lord showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the
waters were made sweet; there He made for them a statute and an
ordinance and there He proved them. And He said, If thou wilt
diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that
which is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments,
and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon
thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians." Surely this is plain
enough; reference is made to both God's "commandments" and His
"statutes." But lest the quibble be raised that this was prospective,
i. e., in view of the Law which He was shortly to give them, we beg
the reader to weigh carefully our next reference. In Exodus 16:4 we
read that God said, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you;
and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that
I may prove them, whether they will walk in My law, or no." The
meaning of this is explained in v. 23, "This is that which the Lord
had said, Tomorrow is the rest of the Holy Sabbath unto the Lord; bake
that which ye will bake today and seethe that ye wilt seethe: and that
which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning."
Israel's response to this is given in v. 27 "And it came to pass, that
there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather,
and they found none." Now mark attentively the next verse, "And the
Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep My commandments and
My laws?" Certainly this was not "prospective." It was retrospective.
It furnishes indubitable proof that Israel were under law before they
reached Sinai.
That there was a marked change in Jehovah's dealings with Israel after
Sinai cannot be denied, and we suppose it is from this premise that
the erroneous conclusion has been drawn that a new dispensation then
began. Before Sinai was reached, when Israel "murmured," God bore with
them in greatest long-sufferance, but after Sinai their murmurings
were visited with summary chastisements. How then, is this to be
explained? If it was not the giving of commandments and statutes which
introduced the change in God's dealings with His people, what was it?
We answer, it was because of the covenant which Israel there solemnly
entered into. Prior to Sinai, God dealt with Israel on the ground of
the Abrahamic covenant; but from Sinai onwards, He dealt with them
nationally, according to the terms of the Sinaiatic covenant. As this
is of vital importance to the understanding of the later Scriptures we
must dwell upon it in a little more detail.
Genesis 15 records the covenant which God made with Abraham, confirmed
later to Isaac and Jacob We cannot now attempt an exposition of the
second half of Genesis 15, though it is of deep importance. Briefly
the facts are these In verse 6 we read for the first time of Abraham's
justification. Following this, the Lord bids Abraham prepare Him a
sacrifice. This Abraham does, dividing each animal "in the midst" Then
a deep sleep fell upon Abraham, and while asleep, God promised to
bring His descendants, of the fourth generation, into Canaan. Then we
read of the Shekinah-glory passing between the pieces of Abraham's
sacrifices--an action which symbolically signified the making of a
covenant, see Jeremiah 34:18, 19. Following which, we are told, "In
the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abraham saying, Unto thy
seed have I given this land" (Gen. 15:18).
Three things should be carefully noted. First, there was only one
party to this covenant--Jehovah himself. Abraham was asleep. Its
fulfillment therefore, turned alone on the Divine faithfulness. There
were no conditions attached to it which man had to meet. Second, it
was based upon a sacrifice. Third, it was a covenant of pure grace.
Mark "unto thy seed have I given this land." Contrast from this
Genesis 13:15. "For all the land which thou seest to thee will I give
it!" But now a sacrifice had been offered, blood had been shed, the
purchase-price had been paid, a solemn covenant had been made; hence
the change from "I will" to "I have."
Now it is of the very first moment to observe that God's deliverance
of Israel from Egypt was on the ground of His covenant with Abraham.
Proof of this is furnished in Exodus 2:24 where we read "And God heard
their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with
Isaac and with Jacob." Again, in 6:3, 4, we find God reminding Moses
of this: "And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac and unto Jacob, by
the name of God Almighty, but by My name Jehovah was I not known to
them, And I have also established My covenant with them to give them
the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage wherein they were
strangers." It was on the ground of this covenant that the Lord dealt
with Israel up to the time they reached Sinai! The last thing recorded
before Israel reached Sinai was the giving of water from the smitten
rock, and mark how the Psalmist refers to this, "He opened the rock,
and the waters gushed out: they ran in the dry places like a river.
For He remembered His holy promise to Abraham His servant" (Ps.
105:41,42).But at Sinai Jehovah's relationship to Israel was placed
upon a different basis.
In Exodus 19:5 we find God, from the Mount, bidding Moses say unto His
people, "Now therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My
covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all
people; for all the earth is Mine; and ye shall be unto Me a kingdom
of priests, and an holy nation." There has been much confusion upon
this and much consequent error. The Lord was not here referring to His
covenant with Abraham (that patriarch is not mentioned at all in the
chapter). This is made unmistakably clear from His words, "If ye will
obey My voice indeed and keep My covenant." There was nothing about
God's covenant with Abraham that Israel could "keep." There were no
conditions attached to it, no stipulations, no provisos. It was
unconditional so far as Abraham and his descendants were concerned.
But here at Sinai, God proposed to make another covenant, a covenant,
to which there should be two parties--Himself and Israel; a covenant
of works, a covenant which Israel must "keep" if they were to enjoy
the conditional blessings attached to it.
What were the terms of the Siniatic covenant, and what were the
conditions and blessings attached to it? The answer to these questions
is plainly stated in the Scriptures. In Exodus 34:27, 28, we read,
"And the Lord said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the
tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.
And he was there (on the Mount) with the Lord forty days and forty
nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon
the tables the words of the covenant, The Ten Commandments." Forty
years later, Moses reminded Israel, "And He declared unto you His
covenant, which He commanded you to perform, ten commandments; and He
wrote them upon two tables of stone" (Deut. 4:13).
Returning to Exodus 19, we learn there that in response to Jehovah's
proposal to enter into a legal covenant with them, Israel unanimously
and heartily accepted the same: "All the people answered together, and
said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do" (v. 8). These words
were repeated by the people after Moses had made known to them the
details of the covenant, "And Moses came and told the people all the
words of the Lord, and all the judgments; and all the people answered
with one voice, and said, All the words which the Lord hath said will
we do" (24:3). Then the covenant was solemnly ratified by blood. See
Exodus 24:4-8.
Now it was on the ground of this Siniatic covenant, not on the ground
of the Abrahamic, that Israel entered Canaan in the days of Joshua;
and it was on the ground of this Siniatic covenant that God dealt with
Israel during their occupancy of the land. This was made apparent
right from the beginning. As soon as it became evident that there was
an Israelite who had broken the eighth commandment, the Lord declared,
"Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which
I commanded them; for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and
have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among
their own stuff... And it shall be that he that is taken with the
accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath;
because he hath transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he
hath wrought wickedness in Israel" (Josh. 7:11, 15). Accordingly we
find that Achan and all his family were stoned to death. At a later
date, we read, "And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that
they returned and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in
following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they
ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn ways. And
the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and He said, Because
that this people hath transgressed My covenant which I commanded their
fathers, and have not hearkened unto My voice; I also will not
henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua
left when he died" (Judg. 2:19, 21). The rending of the kingdom was
because Solomon failed to keep this covenant (1 Kings 11:11).
Throughout Israel's occultation of Canaan, God dealt with them on the
ground of the Siniatic covenant. See Jeremiah 11.
A few words upon the circumstances attending the Siniatic covenant
must suffice. In verses 10 and 11 we read, "And the Lord said unto
Moses, "Go unto the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and
let them wash their clothes, and be ready against the third day; for
the third day the Lord will come down in the night of all the people
upon Mount Sinai." Here we have emphasized what was noted upon the
opening verse of the chapter. It was in the third month when the
children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt that they
arrived at Sinai; and it was on the third day of this month (twice
repeated) that the Lord declared He would "come down in the sight of
His people." Clearly, then, what we have here is a manifestation of
the Lord Himself. cf. Deuteronomy 5:24. And everything that followed
was in perfect keeping with that fact bearing in mind the typical
character of that Dispensation.
The people were to "sanctify" themselves, even to the point of washing
their clothes. How plainly this intimated that God would draw nigh
only to a people who were clean--that it is sin which separates the
Creator from His creatures.
"And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take
heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount or touch the
border of it; whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to
death" (v. 12). Much has been made of this in the endeavor to prove
that a "new dispensation" had begun, that God was no longer dealing
with Israel in grace. But it is only another example of men reading
their own pre-conceived ideas into Scripture. Moreover, it is, in this
instance, to ignore what has gone before. Months earlier when Jehovah
had appeared to Moses at the burning bush and Moses had said, "I will
now turn aside, and see this great sight." God at once called to him
and said, "draw not nigh hither put off thy shoes from off thy feet,
for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground" (3:5)!
"And it came to pass on the third day in the morning that there were
thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud settled upon the mount, and
the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that
was in the camp trembled" (v. 16). This, too, has been twisted to mean
something quite different from its obvious import. These were the
awe-inspiring attendants of the awful majesty of Jehovah, upon whose
face none could look and live. Were these phenomena intended to show
that Israel had done wrong in entering into this covenant? Or were
they designed to manifest the dignity, the holiness, the greatness of
the One with whom they were making the covenant? Surely the latter. If
proof of this be required it is furnished in 20:20. "And Moses said
unto the people, "Fear not, for God has come to prove you, and that
His fear may be before your faces that ye sin not" and cf. Deuteronomy
5:24. Let it not be forgotten that in heaven itself the apocalyptic
seer is given to behold a Throne out of which "proceeded lightnings
and thunderings and voices" (Rev. 4:5)--the identical things witnessed
on Sinai!
There is a passage in Deuteronomy which should forever settle the
question as to whether or not Israel acted wisely in entering into the
Siniatic covenant, as to whether they did right or wrong in promising
to do all that the lord had said, and as to whether God was pleased or
displeased with them. This passage is found in the fifth chapter of
that book. Moses is there reviewing what took place at Sinai. He
declares,
"These words, the Lord spake unto all your assembly in the mount out
of the midst of the fire of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with
a great voice and He added no more. And He wrote them on two tables of
stone, and delivered them unto me" (v. 22). He then reminds Israel of
the response which they made, "And it came to pass, when ye heard the
voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn
with fire), that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your
tribes, and your elders: and ye said, Behold, the lord our God hath
showed us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice out
of the midst of the fire; we have seen this day that God doth talk
with man, and he liveth. Now therefore, why should we die? Per this
great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the lord our God
any more, then shall we die. For who is there of all flesh, that hath
heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the
fire as we have, and live? Go thou near, and hear all that the Lord
our God shall say; and speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God
shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it and do it" (vv. 23, 27).
And then in verse 28 we are told, "And the Lord heard the voice of
your words, when ye spake unto me; and the Lord said unto me, I have
heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken
unto you; they have well said all that they have spoken." Nothing
could be plainer than this. God was not displeased with Israel for
their avowal of allegiance, any more than he was displeased with
Joshua when he said, "But as for me and my house, we will serve the
Lord" (Josh. 24:15).
Finally, it must not be forgotten that Exodus 24 completes what is
before us in Exodus 19. There we read of the ratification, of the
covenant. There we are told, "And he took the book of the covenant,
and read in the audience of the people, and they said, All that the
Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient" (24:7). Now what is of
special importance to note is the words which immediately follow, "And
Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, `Behold
the blood of the covenant which the Lord hath made with you concerning
all these words." The application of the blood to the people plainly
signified that God would deal graciously with them. What, then, was
the outstanding lesson which Jehovah taught Israel at Sinai? This,
that His grace towards them would henceforth "reign through
righteousness" (Rom. 5:21).
In closing, let us make practical application of what has been before
us. Such a view of God's majesty as Israel were favored with at Sinai
is the crying need of our day. The eye of faith needs to see Him not
only as our "Father," as "The God of all grace," but also as the "High
and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity" (Isa. 57:15), as the "Great
and Dreadful God" (Dan. 9:4), as the One who has said, "Behold, the
nations are as a drop in a bucket, and are counted as the small dust
of the balance; behold, He taketh up the isles as a very little thing
. . . all nations before Him are as nothing; and they are counted to
Him less than nothing, and vanity" (Isa. 40:15, 17), read the whole of
Isaiah 40. If we beheld Him thus, then should we work out our own
salvation with "fear and trembling." Let it not be forgotten that the
God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament is one and
the same; He is a God into whose hands it is a fearful thing to fall.
May His Holy Spirit so reveal Him to us, as the One to be reverenced,
obeyed and worshipped.
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Gleanings In Exodus
28. The Law of God
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Exodus 20
In His Olivet discourse the Lord Jesus prophesied that, "Because
iniquity (Greek, lawlessness) shall abound, the love of many shall wax
cold" (Matthew 24:12). Surely no anointed eye can fail to see that
this prediction is now" being fulfilled. Lawlessness abounds on every
side. Men are bent on pleasing themselves. Authority is openly
flouted. Discipline is becoming a thing of the past. Parental control
is rarely exercised. Marriage has, for the most part, degenerated into
a thing of convenience. Nations regard their solemn treaties as
`scraps of paper.' In the U.S.A. the 18th Amendment is despised on
every side. Yes, "lawlessness" is abounding. And God's own people have
not escaped the chilling effects of this; the love of many of them has
waxed cold.
The supreme test of love is the desire and effort to please the one
loved, and this measured by conformity to his known wishes. Love to
God is expressed by obedience to His will. Only One has perfectly
exemplified this, and of Him it is written, "I will delight to do Thy
will, O My God: yea, Thy law is within My heart" (Ps. 40:8). But we
ought so to walk even as He walked (1 John 2:6). Simple but searching
is that word of His, "He that hath My commandments and keepeth them he
it Is that loveth Me" (John 14:21). And again it is written, "By this
we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep
His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His
commandments: and His commandments are not grievous" (1 John 5:2-3).
The "waning" of love, then, means departing from, failing to keep,
God's commandments!
The prophecy of Christ in Matthew 24:12 does not stand alone. In the
book of Jude, that treats of conditions which are to obtain in the
closing days of the history of Christendom, apostates are described as
those who "despise dominion, and spake evil of dignities" (v. 8). The
despising of dominion is the essence of lawlessness. Those latter-day
apostates are also referred to in the second Epistle of Peter: "While
they promise them liberty they themselves are the slaves of
corruption" (2:19). Their slogan is, emancipation from authority,
deliverance from all law.
While we cannot but deplore the lawlessness which abounds in the world
and the effect which it is having on many who bear the name of Christ,
far more sad and solemn is it to hear their teachers giving out that
which can only foster and further this evil spirit. Reputable Bible
teachers are declaring that the Law of God is not binding on men today
least of all on Christians. They say that the Law was only for Israel.
They insist that this is the Dispensation of Grace, and that Law is
the enemy of Grace. They affirm that when we become members of the new
creation, all the responsibilities attaching to the old creation
automatically cease. They argue that because a Christian is indwelt by
the Holy Spirit, he needs no law. They brand as legalists the few who
press the claims of God's Law upon the consciences of men. They regard
with scornful pity men mightily used of God in the past who taught
that the Law of God is a rule of life, a standard for moral conduct.
Now it is of first importance that we obtain a Scriptural view of the
nature of the Law. The very fact that it is the law of God should at
once show us that it cannot contain anything inimical to man's
welfare. Like everything else that God has given, the Law is an
expression of His love, a manifestation of His mercy, a provision of
His grace. The Law of the Lord was Christ's delight (Ps. 1:2); so also
was it the apostle Paul's (Rom. 7:22). In Romans 7, the Holy Spirit
has expressly affirmed, "Wherefore the Law is holy, and the
commandment holy, and just, and good" (v. 12); yea more, He has
declared "The Law is spiritual" (v. 15). How terrible then for men to
despise that Law and speak evil of it! What state of sour must they be
in who wish to be delivered from it!
Above, we have said that the Law expressed God's love. This comes out
clearly in Deuteronomy 33: "The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from
Seir unto them; He shined forth from Mount Paran, and He came with ten
thousands of saints: from His right hand went a fiery law for them.
Yea, He LOVED the people" (vv. 2-3). Love is the fulfilling of the law
from the human side and love provided the Law from the Divine side.
What, then, ought to be our response to such a Law? Surely that of
David: "O how love I Thy Law: it is my meditation all the day"
(Ps. 119:97).
While Divine love provided the Law, the prime purpose of God in giving
it was that His authority should be maintained. Israel must be brought
to see that they were under His government. And this of necessity. The
creature must be made to recognize the rights of his Creator. No
sooner did the Lord God place man in the Garden which He had planted
for him, than He commanded him--note how in Genesis 3 God pressed this
both upon Eve and Adam (vv. 11, 17). The very ground of the sentence
passed upon them was that they had repudiated His creatorial claims.
Now what we have in Exodus 19 and 20 is the enforcement of God's
claims upon double one. They belonged to Him not Israel. His claim
upon them was not only because He had made them but also because He
had purchased them: they were not only His creatures, but they were
also His redeemed people. It was this second relationship which is now
pressed upon them both in Exodus 19 and 20. In the former He says, "Ye
have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles'
wings, and brought you unto Myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey My
voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar
treasure unto Me above all people: for all the earth is Mine" (vv.
4-5). In the latter, He prefaces the Ten Commandments with the
statement "I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the
land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage" (v. 2). But it should be
carefully noted that in Exodus 20 He presses both of His claims upon
Israel. In the first verse it is, "And God (the Creator) spake all
these words"; while in v. 2, He reminds them, that as the Lord their
God He had brought them out of the land of Egypt.
Now what we would particularly emphasize here, is the fact that
redemption does not cancel the claims which God has upon men as His
creatures. Instead, these claims are still enforced, but, the new
relationship into which redemption introduces, imposes additional
responsibilities, or, more accurately speaking, supplies an additional
motive for recognizing and meeting God's claims upon us. In the
previous chapters we have witnessed God dealing in marvelous grace
with Israel, bearing with them in tender patience, supplying their
every need. But now the point has been reached when they must be
taught that God has righteous claims upon them, that His Throne must
be established over them, that His authority must be owned, that. His
will is supreme and must be made the regulator of their lives, and
that as His redeemed they were under the deepest possible obligations
to fear, obey, and serve Him. Notice how Moses pressed this upon
Israel near the close of his life: "The Lord thy God redeemed thee,
therefore I command thee this thing today" (Deut. 15:15).
"The laws which God gave unto Israel fall into three classes: the
moral, the ceremonial and the civil. The people of Israel may be
considered three ways. First, as rational creatures, depending upon
God, as the Supreme Cause, both in a moral and natural sense. And thus
the law of the decalogue was given them; which, as to its substance is
one and the same with the law of nature (the work of which is written
on man's heart. A.W.P.) binding man as such. Second. as the Church of
the Old Testament, who expected the promised Messiah, and happy times
when He should make every thing perfect. And in that character they
received the ceremonial law, which really shewed the Messiah was not
yet come, and had not perfected all things by His satisfaction
(sacrifice), but that He would come and make all things new. Third, as
a peculiar people, who had a policy of government suited to their
genius and disposition in the land of Canaan: a republic constituted
not so much according to those forms which philosophors bare
delineated, but which wins in a peculiar manner, a theocracy as
Josephus significantly calls it, God Himself holding the reins of
government therein--Judges 8:23. Under this view God prescribed their
political laws" (Dr. Herman Witsius, 1680--a deeply-taught theologian
from whom our moderns might learn much).
We heartily concur with the remarks of the late Mr. D. L. Moody in
"Weighed and Wanting"--"The commandments of God given to Moses in the
mount at Horeb are as binding today as ever they have been since the
time when they were proclaimed in the hearing of the people. The Jews
said the Law was not given in Palestine (which belonged to Israel),
but in the wilderness, because the Law was for all nations." We
believe that the Ten Commandments are binding on all men, and
especially upon Christians, and that for the following reasons:--
First, because it is both right and meet that the great Creator's
authority should be proclaimed by Him and acknowledged by His
creatures. This was the demand which He made upon Adam, and every
sober mind will acknowledge it was a righteous one. Even the unfallen
angels are beneath a regime of law: of them it is said, "Bless the
Lord ye His angels that excel in strength, that do His commandments,
hearkening unto the voice of His word" (Ps. 103:20). Only a spirit of
lawlessness can inveigh against the statement that every human
creature is responsible to keep the law of God.
Second, because the Ten Commandments have never been repealed. The
very fact that they were written by the finger of God Himself, written
not upon parchment, but on tables of stone, argues conclusively their
permanent nature. If it was contrary to the mind of God that those
living during the Christian dispensation should regard the Ten
Commandments as binding upon them surely He would have said so in
plain language. But the New Testament will be searched in vain for a
single word which announces their cancellation.
Third, because we need them. Has human nature so improved, is man so
much better than he was three thousand years ago, that he no longer
stands in need of the Divine Law? If the covenant people of old
required to have such statutes are the Gentiles today any less
self-sufficient? Are men now so little prone to idolatry that they
need not the Divine command "Thou shall have no other gods before Me?
Has the enmity of the carnal mind been so refined that it is no longer
timely to say "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in
vain?" Are the children of this twentieth century A.D. so devoted to
their parents and so marked by the spirit of obedience that it is
superfluous to say to them "Honor thy father and thy mother?" Is human
life now held in such reverence that it is idle to say "Thou shall not
kill?" Has the marriage-relationship come to be so sacredly regarded
that "Thou shall not commit adultery" is an impertinence? And is there
now so much honesty in the world that it is a waste of breath to
remind our fellows that God says "Thou shalt not steal?" Rather is it
not true that in the light of present-day conditions the Ten
commandments need to be thundered forth from every pulpit in the land?
Fourth, because the Lord Jesus Christ Himself respected them.
Galatians 4:4 tells us that He was, "made under the Law." On entering
this world He declared "I delight to do Thy will, O My God: yea, Thy
Law is within My heart" (Ps. 40:8), and the record of His earthly life
fully bears this out. When the ruler asked Him, "What shall I do to
inherit eternal life?" He answered, "Thou knowest the
commandments--`Do not commit adultery,'" etc. Whatever may have been
our Lord's reason for returning such a reply, one thing is clear--He
honored the holy Law of God! When the lawyer tempted Him by asking.
"Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" (Matthew 22:36), His
answer once more shows Him maintaining the authority of God's Law.
Fifth, because of our Lord's teaching on the subject. In the Sermon on
the Mount we find Him saying, "Think not that I am come to destroy the
Law, or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill For
verily I say unto you till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one
tittle shall in nowise pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled.
Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and
shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of
heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be
called great in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:17-19). What could
be clearer than this? So far from affirming that He had come to cancel
the Law, He declared that He would fulfill it. Yea, more, He insisted
that the Law shall remain, and remain intact so long as the earth
remained. His words that not "one jot or tittle of the Law should pass
away (become obsolete) proves conclusively that the fourth commandment
(on the Sabbath) would remain in force equally with the other nine!
Finally, He solemnly warns us that the one who should teach men to
break one of these commandments, shall suffer loss in a coming day.
Sixth, because of the teaching of the New Testament Epistles. In them
we find the Ten Commandments recorded and enforced. At the close of
Romans 3, where the apostle treats of Justification, he raises the
question, "Do we then make void the Law through faith?" and the
emphatic answer is "God forbid: yea, we establish the Law." In the
same Epistle he declares again after quoting five of the Commandments.
"Love is the fulfilling of the Law" (13:10), and love could not
"fulfill" the Law if it had been abrogated. Once more, in 1
Corinthians 9:21, Paul says, "Being not without Law to God, but under
the Law to Christ."
Seventh, because God has threatened to chastise those Christians who
disregard His Law. In the 89th Psalm there is a striking prophetic
passage which brings this out plainly. In vv. 27-29 God declares of
Christ, "I will make Him My Firstborn, higher than the kings of the
earth. My mercy will I keep for Him for evermore, and My covenant
shall stand fast with Him. His seed also will I make to endure
forever, and His throne as the days of heaven." And then God solemnly
adds. "if His children forsake My Law, and walk not in My Judgments;
If they break My statutes, and keep not My commandments; then will I
visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with
stripes." The writer often wonders how much of the afflictions that so
many Christians are now groaning under are explained by this
scripture!
The Ten Commandments have been rightly designated the moral law,
inasmuch as they enunciate a rule or standard for human conduct. Their
application is race wide. Even Mr. Darby admitted in his Synopsis
(Vol. 1, p. 86), "such is the character of the Law, a rule sent out to
man, taken in its largest character" (italics ours). While dissecting
from the expression "moral law," and while denying that the Law was a
"rule of life," for the believer, nevertheless Mr. Darby did not go to
the lengths of Antinomianism to which some of his followers have gone
in their teachings. In Vol. 10 of his "Collected writings" he said,"
If I make of the law a moral law (including therein the principle of
the New Testament and all morality in heart and life), to say a
Christian is (delivered from it is nonsense, or utter monstrous
wickedness: certainly it is not Christianity. Conformity to the Divine
will, and that as obedience to commandments is alike the duty of the
renewed mind. I say obedience to commandments. Some are afraid of the
word, as if it would weaken love, and the idea of a new creation;
Scripture is not. Obedience, and keeping the commandments of one we
love, is the proof of that love, and the delight of the new nature."
As to Mr. Darby's consistency in arguing that the believer
nevertheless is not under the Law in any sense, we leave the reader to
judge.
It is not our intention to refute the objections which have been made
against the truth that the Ten Commandments are not binding on men
today, and that believers especially are in no sense under the Law. We
have dealt with these, and expounded the scriptures which are supposed
to support the objections, in our booklet on "The Saint and the Law."
Suffice it now to point out that in the Word a sharp distinction is
drawn between "the law of Moses" and "The Law of God:" the former was
for Israel only; the latter is for all men. The Lord grant that writer
and reader may be able to truthfully say with the Apostle Paul. "I
delight in the Law of God after the inward man" (Rom. 7:22); and
again, "So then with the mind I myself serve the Law of God; but with
the flesh the law of sin" (Rom. 7:25).
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Gleanings In Exodus
29. The Ten Commandments
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Exodus 20
Much confusion prevails today among those who speak of "The law." This
is a term which needs to be carefully defined. In the New Testament
there are three expressions used which require to be definitely
distinguished. First, there is "The law of God" (Rom. 7:22, 25, etc.).
Second, there is "The law of Moses" (John 7:2. Acts 13: 39, 15:5,
etc.). Third, there is "the law of Christ" (Gal. 6:2) Now these three
expressions are by no means synonymous, and it is not until we learn
to distinguish between them, that we can hope to arrive at any clear
understanding on the subject of "The law."
The "law of God" expresses the mind of the Creator, and is binding
upon all rational creatures. It is God's unchanging moral standard for
regulating the conduct of all men. In some places the "law of God" may
refer to the whole revealed will of God, but usually it has reference
to the Ten Commandments, and it is in this restricted sense we shall
here use the term. The Law was impressed on man's moral nature from
the beginning, and though now fallen, he still shows the work of it
written on his heart. This Law has never been repealed, and, in the
very nature of things, cannot be. For God to abrogate the moral law
would be to plunge the whole universe into anarchy. Obedience to the
law of God is man's first duty. This is why the first complaint that
Jehovah made against Israel after they left Egypt was "How long refuse
ye to keep My commandments and My laws?" (Ex. 16:2, 27). That is why
the first statutes which God gave to Israel after their redemption
were the Ten Commandments, i. e., the moral law. That is why in the
first discourse of Christ recorded in the New Testament, He declared,
"Think not that I am come to destroy the Law, of the Prophets: I am
not come to destroy, but to fulfill" (Matthew 5:17), and then
proceeded to expound and enforce the moral law. And that is why in the
first of the Epistles, the Holy Spirit has taught us at length the
relation of the Law to sinners and saints, in connection with
salvation and the subsequent walk of the saved: the word "law" occurs
in Romans no less than seventy-five times, though, of course, not
every reference is to the law of God. And that is why sinners (Rom.
3:19), and saints (James 2:12), shall be judged by this law.
The "law of Moses" is the entire system of legislation, judicial and
ceremonial. which Jehovah gave to Israel during the time they were in
the wilderness. The "law of Moses, as such, is binding upon none but
Israelites. The "law of Moses" has not been repealed, for it will be
enforced by Christ during the Millennium "Out of Jerusalem shall go
forth the Law, and the Word of the lord from Jerusalem" (Isa. 2:3).
That the "law of Moses" is not binding on Gentiles is clear from Acts
15.
The "law of Christ" is God's moral law in the hands of a Mediator. It
is the law that Christ Himself was "made under (Gal. 4:4). It is the
law which was "in His heart" (Ps. 40:8). It is the law which He came
"fulfill" (Matthew 5:17). The "law of God" is now termed "the law of
Christ" as it relates to Christians. As creatures we are under bends
to "serve the law of God" (Rom. 7:25): as redeemed sinners we are
"bondslaves of Christ" (Eph. 6:6); and as such it is our bounden duty
to "serve the Lord Christ" (Col. 3:21). The relation between these two
appellations. "the law of God" and "the law of Christ," is clearly
intimated in 1 Corinthians 9:21, where the apostle states that he was
not "without law to God," for he was "under the law to Christ." The
meaning of this is very simple. As a human creature, the Apostle was
still under obligations to obey the Moral Law of God, his Creator; but
as a saved man, he now belongs to Christ, the Mediator, by redemption.
Christ had purchased him: he was His, therefore was he under the "law
of Christ." The "law of Christ." then, is just the moral of law of God
now in the hands of the Mediator--of Exodus 34:1 and what follows!
Should any one object against our definition of the distinction drawn
between God's moral law and "The law of Moses" we request them to
attend closely to what follows. God took special pains to show us the
clear line of demarcation which He Himself has drawn between the two.
The Moral Law became incorporated in the Mosaic law, yet was it
sharply distinguished from it: --
In the first place, the Ten Commandments, and they alone, of all the
laws which God gave unto Israel, were promulgated by the voice of God.
amid the most solemn manifestations and tokens of the Divine presence.
Second, the Ten Commandments and they alone of all Jehovah's statutes
to Israel, were written directly by the finger of God. written upon
tables of stone, and written thus to denote their lasting and
imperishable nature. Third, the Ten Commandments were distinguished
from all the other laws which had merely a local application to Israel
by the fact that they alone were laid up In the ark. A tabernacle was
prepared by the special direction of God, and within it an ark was
placed, in which the two tables of stone were deposited. The ark,
formed of the most durable wood, was overlaid with gold within and
without. Over it was placed the mercy seat, which became the throne of
Jehovah in the midst of His redeemed people. Not until the tabernacle
had been erected and the Law placed in the ark, did Jehovah take up
His abode in Israel's midst. Thus did the Lord signify to Israel that
the Moral Law was the basis of all His governmental dealings with
them!
It is therefore clear beyond room for doubt that the Ten Commandments
are to be sharply distinguished from the "law of Moses." The "law of
Moses," excepting the Moral Law incorporated therein, was binding upon
none but Israelites or Gentile proselytes. But the "Law of God,"
unlike the Mosaic, is binding upon all men. Once this distinction is
perceived, many minor difficulties are cleared up. For example:
someone says, If we are to keep the Sabbath-day holy, as Israel did,
why must we not observe the ether "sabbaths"--the Sabbatic year, for
instance? The answer is, Because the Moral Law alone is hireling upon
Gentiles and Christians. But why, it may be asked, does not the
death-penalty attached to the desecration of the Sabbath day (Ex.
31:14. etc.) still obtain? The answer is, Because though that was a
part of the Mosaic law, it was not a part of the Moral Law, i. e., it
was not inscribed on the tables of stone: therefore it concerned none
but Israelites. Let us now consider separately, but briefly, each of
the Ten Commandments.
The order of the Commandments is most significant. The first four
concern human responsibility Godwards; the last five our obligations
manwards: while the fifth suitably bridges the two, for in a certain
sense parents occupy to their children the place of God. We may also
add that the substance of each commandment is in perfect keeping with
its numerical place in the Decalogue. One stands for unity and
supremacy so in the first commandment the absolute sovereignty and
pre-eminency of the Creator is insisted upon. Since God is who He is,
He will tolerate no competitor or rival: His claims upon us are
paramount.
1. "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me" (Ex. 20:3). If this first
Commandment received the respect it demands, obedience to the other
nine would follow as a matter of course. "Thou shalt have no other
gods before Me" means, Thou shalt have no other object of worship:
thou shalt own no other authority as absolute: thou shalt make Me
supreme in your hearts and lives. How much this first commandment
contains! There are other "gods" besides idols of wood and stone.
Money, pleasure, fashion, fame, gluttony, and a score of other things
which make self supreme, usurp the rightful place of God in the
affections and thoughts of many. It is not without reason that even to
the saints the exhortation is given, "Little children keep yourselves
from idols" (1 John 5:21).
2. "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of
any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or
that is in the water under the earth: Thou shall not bow down thyself
to them, nor serve them for I the Lord thy God am a Jealous God,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third
and fourth generation of them that hate Me; and showing mercy unto
thousands of them that love Me, and keep My commandments" (vv. 4-6).
Two is the number of witness, and in this second commandment man is
forbidden to attempt any visible representation of Deity, whether
furnished by the skill of the artist or the sculptor. The first
commandment points out the one only object of worship; the second
tells us how He is to be worshipped--in spirit and in truth, by faith
and not by images which appeal to the senses. The design of this
commandment is to draw us away from carnal conceptions of God, and to
prevent His worship being profaned by superstitious rites. A most
fearful threat and a most gracious promise are attached. Those who
break this commandment shall bring down on their children the
righteous judgment of God; those who keep it shall cause mercy to be
extended to thousands of those who love God. How this shows us the
vital and solemn importance of parents teaching their children the
unadulterated truth concerning the Being and Character of God!
3. "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the
Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain" (v. 7).
God requires that the majesty of His holy name be hold inviolably
sacred by us. His name must be used neither with contempt,
irreverently, or needlessly. It is striking to observe that the first
portion in the prayer the Lord taught His disciples is: "Hallowed be
Thy name"! The name of God is to be held profoundly sacred In our
ordinary speech and in our religious devotions nothing must enter that
in anywise lowers the sublime dignity and the high holiness of that
Name. The greatest sobriety and reverence is called for. It needs to
be pointed out that the only time the word "reverend" is found in the
Bible is in Psalm 111:9 where we read, "Holy and reverend is His
name." How irreverent then for preachers to style themselves
"reverend"!
4. "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou
labor and do all thy work, but the seventh day is the sabbath of the
Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son nor
thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor
the stranger, that is within thy gates; For in six days the Lord made
heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the
seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed
it" (vv. 8-11). There are two things enjoined here: First, that man
should work six days of the week. The same rule is plainly enforced in
the New Testament: "And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own
business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you" (1
Thess. 4:11). "For even when we were with you this we commanded you.
that if any would not WORK, neither should he eat" (2 Thess. 3:10)!
The second thing commanded is, that on the seventh day all work must
cease. The Sabbath is to be a day of rest. Six days work: one day for
rest. The two must not be separated: work calls for rest; rest for
work.
The next thing we would observe is that the Sabbath is not here termed
"the seventh day of the week." Nor is it ever so styled in Scripture!
So far as the Old Testament is concerned any day which was used for
rest and which was followed by six days of work was a Sabbath! It is
not correct, then, to say that the "Sabbath" can only be observed on a
Saturday. There is not a word of Scripture to support such a
statement.
In the next place, we emphatically deny that this Sabbath law has ever
been repealed. Those who teach it has, are guilty of the very thing
which the Savior so pointedly condemns in Matthew 5:19. There are
those who allow that it is right and proper for us to keep the other
nine Commandments, but they insist that the Sabbath has passed away.
We fully believe that this very error was anticipated by Christ in
Matthew 5:19: "Whosoever shall break one (not "any one") of these
least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the
least in the kingdom of heaven." Hebrews 4:9 tells us that
Sabbath-keeping remains: it has not become obsolete.
The Sabbath (like all the other Commandments) was not simply for
Israel but for all men. The Lord Jesus distinctly declared "the
Sabbath was made for MAN" (Mark 2:27) and no amount of quibbling can
ever make this mean Jews only. The Sabbath was made for man: for man
to observe and obey; also for man's well-being, because his
constitution needed it. One day of rest each week is requisite for
man's physical, mental, and spiritual good.
"But we must not mistake the means for the end. We must not think that
the Sabbath is just, for the sake of being able to attend meetings.
There are some people who think they must spend the whole day at
meetings or private devotions. The result is that at nightfall they
are tired out and the day has brought them no rest. The number of
church services attended ought to be measured by the person's ability
to enjoy them and get good from them, without being wearied. Attending
meetings is not the only way to observe the Sabbath. The Israelites
were commanded to keep it in their dwellings as well as in holy
convocation. The home, that center of so great influence over the life
and character of the people, ought to be made the scene of true
Sabbath observance" (The late Mr. D. L. Moody).
5. "Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon
the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee" (v. 12). The word "honor"
means more than obey, though obedience is necessarily included in it.
To "honor" a parent is to give him the place of superiority, to hold
him or her in high esteem, to reverence him. The Scriptures abound
with illustrations of Divine blessing coming upon those who honored
their parents, and the Divine curse descending on those who honored
them not. The supreme example is that of the Lord Jesus. In Luke 2:52,
we read "And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was
subject unto them." On the Cross we see the Savior honoring His mother
by providing a home for her with His beloved disciple John.
It is indeed sad to see the almost universal disregard of this fifth
Commandment in our own day. It is one of the most arresting of the
many "signs of the times." Eighteen hundred years ago it was foretold,
"In the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers
of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemous,
disobedient to parents, unthankful unholy, without natural affection"
(2 Tim. 3:1, 3). Unquestionably, the blame for most of this lies upon
the parents, who have so neglected the moral and spiritual training of
their children that (in themselves) they are worthy of neither respect
nor honor. It is to be noted that the promise attached to the
fulfillment of this Commandment as well as the command itself is
repeated in the New Testament--see Ephesians 6:1, 3.
6. "Thou shalt not kill" (v. 13). The simple force of this is, Thou
shalt not murder. God Himself has attached the death-penalty to
murder. This comes out plainly in Genesis 9:5, 6, "And surely your
blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I
require it. and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother
will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man
shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God made He man." This
statute which God gave to Noah has never been rescinded. In Matthew
5:21, 22, we have Christ's exposition of this sixth commandment: He
goes deeper than the letter of the words and gives the spirit of them,
He shows that murder is not limited to the overt act, but also
pertains to the state of mind and the angry passion which prompts the
act--cf., 1 John 3:15.
In this sixth Commandment, God emphasizes the sacredness of human life
and His own sovereignty over it--He alone has the right to say when it
shall end. The force of this was taught Israel in connection with the
cities of refuge. These provided an asylum from the avenger of blood.
But they were not to shelter murderers, but only those who had killed
"unwittingly" (R.V.). It was only those who had unintentionally taken
the life of a fellow-creature who could take refuge therein! And this,
be it observed, was not regarded as a light affair: even the man who
had taken life "unawares" was deprived of his liberty till the death
of the high priest!
7. "Thou shalt not commit adultery" (v. 14). This respects the
marriage relationship which was instituted in Eden--"Therefore shall a
man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife:
and they shall he one flesh" (Gen. 2:24). The marriage-relationship is
paramount over every other human obligation. A man is more responsible
to love and care for his wife than he is to remain in the home of his
childhood and take care of his father and mother. It is the highest
and most sacred of human relations. It is in view of this relationship
that the seventh Commandment is given. "Thou shalt not commit
adultery" means, Thou shall not be unfaithful to the marriage
obligations.
Now in Christ's exposition of this Commandment we find Him filling it
out and giving us its deeper moaning: "I say unto you, That whosoever
looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her
already in his heart" (Matthew 5:28). Unfaithfulness is not limited to
the overt act, but reaches to the passions behind the act. In Christ's
interpretation of the law of divorce He shows that one thing only can
dissolve the marriage relationship, and that is unfaithfulness on the
part of the husband or the wife.
"I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except for
fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso
marrieth her which is put away cloth commit adultery" (Matthew 19:9).
Fornication is the general term; adultery the specific: the former
includes the latter. 1 Corinthians 7:15 supplies no exception: if one
depart from the other, except it be on the ground of unfaithfulness,
neither is free to marry again. Separation is not divorce in the
scriptural sense. "If she depart let her remain unmarried" (1 Cor.
7:11).
8. "Thou shalt not steal" (v. 15) The design of this Commandment is to
inculcate honesty in all our dealings with men. Stealing covers more
than pilfering. "Owe no man anything" (Rom. 13:8) "Providing for
honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the
sight of men" (2 Cor. 8:21). I may steal from another by fraudulent
means, without using any violence. If I borrow a book and fail to
return it, that is theft--it is keeping what is not my own. How many
are guilty here! If I misrepresent an article for sale, the price
which I receive over and above its fair market-value is stolen! The
man who obtains money by gambling, receives money for which he has
doric no honest work, and is therefore a thief! "Parents are woefully
lax in their condemnation and punishment of the sin of stealing. The
child begins by taking sugar, it may be. The mother makes light of it
at first and the child's conscience is violated without any sense of
wrong. By and by it is not an easy matter to check the habit, because
it grows and multiplies with every new commission" (Mr. D. L. Moody).
9. "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor" (v. 16).
The scope of these words is much wider than is generally supposed. The
most flagrant form of this sin is to slander our neighbors--a lie
invented and circulated with malicious intentions. Few forms of injury
done by one man to another is more despicable than this, But equally
reprehensible is tale-bearing where there has been no careful
investigation to verify the evil report. False witness may be borne by
leaving a false impression upon the minds of people by a mere hint or
suggestion. "Have you heard about Mr.--?" "No." "Ah! Well, the least
said the soonest mended." Again, when one makes an unjust criticism or
charge against another in the hearing of a third party, and that third
party remains silent, his very silence is a breach of this ninth
Commandment. The flattering of another, exaggerated eulogy, is a false
witness. Rightly has it been said, "There is no word of the Decalogue
more often and more unconsciously broken than this ninth Commandment,
and men need perpetually and persistently to pray `Set a watch, O
Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.'"
10. "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet
thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his
ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's" (v. 17). This
Commandment differs from all the others in that while they prohibit
the overt act, this condemns the very desire to act. The word "covet"
means desire, and the Commandment forbids us to covet any thing that
is our neighbor's. Clear proof is this that these Commandments are not
of human origin. The tenth Commandment has never been placed on any
human statute book! It would be useless to do so, for men could not
enforce it. More than any other, perhaps, does this Commandment reveal
to us what we are, the hidden depths of evil within. It is natural to
desire things, even though they belong to others. True; and that only
shows the fallen and depraved state of our nature. The last
Commandment is especially designed to show men their sinfulness and
their need of a Savior. Believers, too, are exhorted to "beware of
coveteousness" (Luke 12:15). There is only one exception, and that is
stated in 1 Corinthians 12:31: "Covet earnestly the best gifts."
May the Holy Spirit of God fasten these Commandments upon the memory
of both writer and reader, and may the fear of God make us tremble
before them.
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Gleanings In Exodus
30. The Decalogue and Its Sequel
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Exodus 20
The Ten Commandments expressed the obligations of man in his original
state, while enjoying free and open communion with God. But the state
of innocence was quickly departed from, and as the offspring of fallen
Adam, the children of Israel were sinners, unable to comply with the
righteous requirements of God. Fear and shame therefore made God's
approach terrible, as He appeared in His holiness, as a consuming
fire. The effects upon Israel of the manifestation of Jehovah's
majesty at Sinai are next given "And all the people saw the
thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the
mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood
afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will
hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die" (20:18, 19).
Here was a plain acknowledgment from Israel that they were unable to
deal with God directly on the ground of the Decalogue. They felt at
once that some provision needed to he made for them. A mediator was
necessary: Moses must treat with God on their behalf. This was alright
so far as it went, but it failed to meet fully the requirements of the
situation. It met the need from their side, but not from God's. The
Lawgiver was holy, and His righteous requirements must be met. The
transgressor of Hits Law could not be dealt with simply through a
mediator as such. Satisfaction must be made: sin must be expiated:
only thus could the inexorable demands of Divine justice be met.
Accordingly this is what is brought before us in the sequel. The very
next thing which is here mentioned in Exodus 20 is an ALTAR!
The "altar" at once tells of the provision of Divine grace, a
provision which fully met the requirements of God's governmental
claims, and which made it possible for sinners to approach Him without
shame, fear, or death; a provision which secured an agreement of
peace. On such a basis was the Siniatic covenant ratified. Not that
this rendered null and void what Jehovah had said in Exodus 19:5, "Now
therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then
ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people." The
Siniatic covenant was an agreement wherein God proposed to deal with
Israel in blessing on the ground of their obedience. Governmentally
this was never set aside. But provision was made for their failure,
and this, right from the beginning! Israel's failure to appropriate
God's gracious provision only rendered the more inexcusable their
subsequent wickedness.
We read of no "altar" in Eden. Man in his innocence, created in the
image and likeness of God, needed none. He had no sin to be expiated
upon an altar: he had no sense of shame, and no fear of God in coming
into his Maker's presence and communing with Him directly. It was
man's sin which made necessary an "altar," and it was Divine grace
which provided one. There are two things to bear in mind here in
Exodus 20: Jehovah was not dealing with Israel on the alone ground of
His righteousness, but also according to His rich mercy!
It is vitally important to see the relation between the two great
subjects of our chapter: God giving the Law and God furnishing
instructions concerning the altar. If it was impossible for Israel to
enter directly into the Siniatic covenant (a mediator being
necessary), and if they (as sinners) were unable to keep the
Decalogue, why propose the one and give the other? Three answers may
be returned: First, to show to Israel (and the race) that man is a
sinner. A fixed standard which definitely defined man's fundamental
relations both with God and his fellows, a standard holy and just and
good in all its parts, revealed to man his want of conformity to God's
Law". I had not known sin (its inner workings as lust) but by the
Law... that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful"
(Rom. 7:7, 13). Second: to bring to light man's moral inability. The
Law with its purity and its penalty, disclosed the fact that on the
one hand, man was unable (because of his corrupted nature) to keep the
Law; and on the other hand, unable to atone for his transgressions of
it--"Sin taking occasion by the commandment wrought in me all manner
of concupiscence... For I was alive without the Law once; but when the
commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which
was ordained to life, I found to be unto death" (Rom. 7:8, 10). Third:
to show man his need of the Savior. "Wherefore then serveth the Law?
It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to
whom the promise was made... But before faith came, we were kept under
the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Wherefore the Law was our schoolmaster unto Christ, that we might be
justified by faith" (Gal. 3:19, 23 24).
It is therefore abundantly clear that the Ten Commandments were never
given to men or to Israel as a means of salvation, i.e., being saved
through obeying them. They were not given in statutory form till after
man had become a sinner, and his nature so corrupted that he had
neither ability nor desire to keep them. The Law was not a way of
life, but a rule of conduct. The writing of the Ten Commandments on
tables of stone long after man had become a fallen being, was to show
that God's claims upon His creatures had not been cancelled, any more
than has the right of a creditor to collect though the debtor be
unable to pay. Whether unfallen, or fallen, or saved, or glorified, it
ever remains true that man ought to love God with all his heart and
his neighbor as himself. While ever the distinction between right and
wrong holds good, man is under obligation to keep God's Law. This is
what God was enforcing at Sinai--His righteous claims upon Israel,
first as His creatures, then as His redeemed. It is true that Israel
were unable to meet those claims, therefore did God in His marvelous
grace, make provision both for their failure and the upholding of His
claims. This we see in the "altar."
Before we examine the typical significance of the "altar" we would
call attention to a most lovely thing not found here in Exodus 20, but
given in a later scripture. As Israel beheld the fearful phenomena
which manifested the presence of Jehovah upon the Holy Mount, they
said unto Moses, "Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not
God speak with us lest we die" (20:19). Now it is exceedingly blessed
to mark God's response to this. But not to the careless reader is this
discovered. It is only by prayerfully and diligently comparing
scripture with scripture that its exquisite perfections are revealed,
and only thus are we able to obtain a complete view of many a scene.
In Deuteronomy 5:22, 27 Moses reviews the giving of the Law at Sinai
and the effects which that had upon the people. Then he says, "And the
Lord heard the voice of your words, when ye spake unto me, and the
Lord said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people,
which they have spoken unto thee: they have well said ALL that they
have spoken." Now if we compare with this Deuteronomy 18:17, 18. we
discover the full response which the Lord made to Israel's request:
"And the Lord said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have
spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like
unto thee, and I will put My words in His mouth; and He shall speak
unto them all that I shall command Him." The desire of Israel for a
mediator, for one of their own number to act as God's mouthpiece unto
them was to be realized, eventually, in the great Mediator, the chief
Prophet or Spokesman of God. How blessedly does this reveal to us the
thoughts of grace which Jehovah had unto Israel even at Sinai! How
refreshing to turn away from the miserable perversions of many of the
modern commentators and learn what the Scriptures have to say
concerning that memorable day at Sinai!
"And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick
darkness where God was" (v. 21). In the above paragraph we have sought
to point out a part, at least, of the precious revelation which
Jehovah made to Moses in the "thick darkness." Following this, Moses
returned to the people with this message from the Lord: "Ye have seen
that I have talked with you from heaven. Ye shall not make with Me
gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold" (vv. 22,
23). Idolatry was expressly forbidden. It was God, once more,
insisting upon His unrivalled supremacy. And then immediately after
this, instructions are given concerning the "altar."
"An altar of earth shall thou make unto Me, and shalt sacrifice
thereon thy burnt offerings, and they peace offerings, thy sheep and
thine oxen" (v. 24). The Tabernacle had not yet been erected. Clearly
then, what we have here were Divine instructions for Israel's
immediate compliance: an altar was to be built at the foot of Sinai!
It was not the future which was in view, but the present. All doubt as
to the correctness of this conclusion is forever removed by what we
read of in Exodus 24:4--what intervenes being a connected account of
what Jehovah made known unto Moses on the Mount to be communicated
unto the people. Here we are told, "And Moses wrote all the words of
the Lord, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under
the hill, and twelve pillars, according W the twelve tribes of
Israel." That there may be no possibility of failure to identify this
"altar," it is immediately added. "And he sent young men of the
children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace
offerings of oxen unto the Lord. Here then was the "altar" (of earth),
and here were the "burnt offerings" and the "peace of offerings." And
why has the Holy Spirit been so careful to record these details here
in Exodus 24? Why, if not to show us the fulfillment of Jehovah's word
unto Pharaoh: "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let My people go,
that they may hold a feast unto Me in the wilderness" (5:1)! The
"peace-offering" is the one offering of all others specially connected
with feasting: "And Solomon awoke; and, behold it was a dream. And he
came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the
Lord, and offered up burnt offerings and offered peace offerings, and
made a feast to all his servants (1 Kings 3:15, cf. 8:64, 65, etc).
"In all places where I record My name I will come unto thee, and I
will bless thee" (v. 24). Plainly this begins a new sentence and is
connected with what follows, as the first words of v. 25 clearly show,
Jeremiah 7:12 affords an illustration of what is meant by God
recording His name in a place: "But go ye now unto My place which was
in Shiloh, where I set My name at the first." Let the interested
reader look up the various references to "Shiloh." Compare also
"Bethel" and "Zion" where God's name was also recorded.
"And if thou wilt make Me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it
of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it thou hast polluted
it" (v. 25). The connection between this and the last clause of v. 24
is most significant and important. God had promised to "come unto"
Israel and "bless" them in all places where His name was recorded. But
if Israel were to come unto Jehovah an "altar" must be erected, an
altar where blood should flow and fire consume: blood to propitiate
God; fire to signify His acceptance of the sacrifice.
The first thing to notice about this altar (like the one in the
previous verse) is its extreme simplicity and plainness. This was in
marked contrast from the "gods of sliver" and "gods of gold" (v. 23)
of the heathen The altar which Israel was to erect unto God must not
be made of that which man had manufactured, nor beautified by his
skill: there should be in it no excellence which human hand had
imparted. Man would naturally suppose that an altar to be used for
Divine sacrifices should be of gold, artistically designed and richly
ornamented. Yes, but that would only allow man to glorify himself in
his handiwork. The great God will allow "no" flesh to glory in His
presence" (1 Cor. 1:29). Solemn indeed are the words "If thou liftest
up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it." "Not by works of
righteousness which we have done" (Titus 3:5) is the New Testament
equivalent. Sinfulness cannot approach the thrice holy God with any
thing in hand which his own labors have produced. That is why the Lord
had not respect unto the offering which Cain brought to Him: Cain
presented the fruits of the ground, the product of his own labors; and
God rejected them. And God still rejects all the efforts of the
natural man to propitiate Him. All the attempts of the sinner to win
the notice and merit the respect of God by his efforts at
self-improvement are worse than vain. What God demands of His fallen
creatures is that they should take the place of lost sinners before
Him, coming empty-handed to receive undeserved mercy.
"Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto Mine altar" (v. 26). The
meaning of this is not difficult to perceive. It is parallel in
principle to what was before us in the previous verse. "Steps" are a
human contrivance to avoid the strain of rising from a lower level to
a higher. Man cannot climb up to God by any stops of his own making.
What God requires from the sinner is, that he shall take his true
place before Him--in the dust. There God will meet with him. It is
true that morally and spiritually man is separated from God by a
distance, a distance far too great for man to ever bridge. But though
man cannot climb up to God, God, in the person of His Son, has come
down all the way to the poor sinner. The second chapter of Philippians
describes that marvelous and gracious descent of the Lord of glory.
Five distinct, "steps" are there marked--the number of grace. He who
was in the form of God and thought it not robbery to be equal with God
(1) "made Himself of no reputation," (2) "took upon Him the form of a
servant," (3) "and was made in the likeness of men." (4) "Being found
in fashion as a man He humbled Himself," (5) "and became obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross." Self-evident is it then that
there are no "steps" for man to climb!
"Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto Mine altar, that thy nakedness
be not discovered thereon" (v. 26). The very efforts of men to climb
up to God only expose their own shame. Remarkably is this brought out
in the very chapter which records the entrance of sin into this world.
As soon as Adam and Eve had eaten of the prescribed fruit we are told.
"And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were
naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons"
(Gen. 3:7). But of what avail were those aprons before Him who can
read the innermost secrets of the heart? The very next thing we read
is "And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in
the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the
presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden." Their
fig-leaf "aprons" did not now even satisfy themselves! But that is not
all: "and the Lord God called unto Adam. and said unto him, Where art
thou?" And what was our guilty forefather's response? This: "And he
said I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because. I was
naked; and I hid myself." The apron of fig-leaves only served to make
manifest and emphasize the fact that he was naked--naked even with the
"apron" on! How true, then, that man's very efforts to climb up to God
do but expose his shame!
It should be pointed out, in conclusion, that the two "altars," the
one of "earth" and the other of "stone," both point to the person of
the Lord Jesus, bringing out His varied perfections. On this we cannot
do better than let Mr. Grant interpret for us: --
"The material which God accepts for His altar, then, is either earth
or stone, things which are in contrast with one another; `earth'
deriving its name from its crumbling character (eratz, from ratz, to
crumble away, says Parkhurst, of the Hebrew word); and `stone,' which
resists pressure, and is characterized by its hardness and durability.
Of the dust of the earth man is made, and as this is fertile as it
yields to the hand that dressed it, so is man to God, as he yields
himself to the Divine hand. Earth seems thus naturally to stand for
the creature in its frailty,--conscious of it, and accepting the place
of weakness and subjection, thus to the bringing forth of fruit to
God. While `stone' stands for the strength that is found in another,
linked with and growing out of the consciousness of weakness: `When I
am weak, then am I strong.' "Now in both respects He who was perfect,
who came down to all the reality of manhood to know both its weakness
and the wondrous strength which is wrought out of weakness, thus
waiting upon and subject to God. It was thus in endurance He yielded
Himself up, and endured by yielding Himself to His Father's will."
The "earth" then, corresponds in thought to the "fine flour" of the
meal offering (Lev. 2), speaking of the perfect yieldedness of
Christ's to the Father's will. Most blessedly was this evidenced in
Gethsemane, where we hear Him saying, "Nevertheless, not My will, but
Thine be done." The "stone" points to the same thing as the "brass" in
the Tabernacle altar. It showed there was that in Christ (and in Him
alone) capable of enduring the fearful fires of God's wrath. The fact
that the stones of this altar must not be "hewn," shaped by human
chisel, shows once more how jealously God guarded the accuracy of
these types. The stones must be left just as the Creator had made
them--man must not change their form. The antitype or this would be
that Christ, as it were, retained the "form" which God had given Him,
And all the pressure of circumstances and all the efforts of men and
Satan could not alter it. When the Lord announced the Cross (the
"altar" on which the great Sacrifice was to be offered. Peter said,
Spare Thyself": that was Satan, through man, attempting to "hew" the
"stone"; but the Lord suffered it not.
May God stir up writer and reader to a more diligent and prayerful
searching of the Scriptures.
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Gleanings In Exodus
31. The Perfect Servant
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Exodus 21:1-6
The law of Moses had three grand divisions: the moral the civil, and
the ceremonial. The first is to be found in the Ten Commandments; the
second (mainly) in Exodus 21-23; the third (principally) in the book
of Leviticus. The first defined God's claims upon Israel as human
creatures; the second was for the social regulation of the Hebrew
commonwealth; the third respected Israel's religious life. In the
first we may see the governmental authority of God the Father; in the
second, the sphere and activities of God the Holy Spirit--maintaining
order among God's people: in the third, we have a series of types
concerning God the Son.
"Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them. If thou
buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he
shall go out free for nothing. If he came in by himself, he shall go
out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with
him. If his master has given him a wife, and she have borne him sons
or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he
shall go out by himself. And if the servant shall plainly say, I love
my master, my wife, and my children. I will not go out free: Then his
master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the
door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through
with an awl; and he shall serve him forever" (Ex. 21:1-6). This
passage begins the series of "judgments" or statutes which God gave
unto Israel for the regulation of their social and civil life. Its
chief value for us today lies in its spiritual application to the Lord
Jesus Christ. We have here a most beautiful and blessed foreshadowment
of His person and work: Psalm 40:6 compared with Exodus 21:6 proves
this conclusively. In that great Messianic Psalm the Lord Jesus,
speaking in the spirit of prophecy, said, "Sacrifice and offering Thou
didst not desire; Mine ears hast Thou digged." The passage before us
pertained to the servant or slave. It brings out, in type, the Perfect
Servant. Messianic prophecy frequently viewed Him in this character:
"Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold" (Isa. 42:1). "Behold, I will bring
forth My Servant, the Branch" (Zech. 3:8). "Behold, My Servant shall
deal prudently. He shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high"
(Isa. 52:13). "By His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify
many for He shall bear their iniquities" (Isa. 53:11).
In Philippians 2 we are exhorted, "Let this mind be in you which was
also in Christ Jesus" (v. 5). This is enforced as follows: "Who, being
in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But
made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a
Servant, and was made in the likeness of man: And being found in
fashion as a man He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross." Marvelous stoop was this: from the place
of highest authority, to that of utmost dependency; from honor and
glory, to suffering and shame. The Maker of heaven and earth entering
the place of subjection. The One before whom the seraphim veiled their
faces being made lower than the angels. May we never lose our sense of
wonderment at such amazing condescension; rather may we delight in
reverently contemplating it with ever-deepening awe and adoration. One
whole book in the New Testament is devoted exclusively to setting
before us the service of the perfect Servant. The design of Mark's
Gospel is to show us how He served: the spirit which actuated Him, the
motives and principles which regulated Him, the excellency of all that
He did. (This has been treated of in our book, "Why Four Gospels".)
"Lo, I come, to do Thy will, O God" (Heb. 10:9), was His utterance
when He took the Servant form. "Wist ye not that I must be about My
Father's business" (Luke 2:49) are His first recorded words after He
came here. "I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the
will of Him that sent Me" (John 6:38) summed up the whole of His
perfect life while He tabernacled among men. As the perfect Servant.
He was dependent upon the pleasure of His Master. He "pleased not
Himself" (Rom. 15:3). "I am among you as He that serveth" (Luke 22:27)
were His words to the apostles.
The servanthood of Christ was perfectly voluntary. The passages cited
above prove that. And herein we behold the uniqueness of it. Who
naturally chooses to be a servant? How different from the first Adam!
He was given the place of a servant, but he forsook it. He was
required to be in subjection to his Maker, but he revolted. And what
was it that lured him from the place of submission? "Ye shall be as
God" was the appealing lie which caused his downfall. With the Lord
Jesus it was the very reverse. He was "as God." yea. He was God; yet
did He make Himself of "No reputation." He voluntarily laid aside His
eternal glory, divested Himself of all the insignia of Divine majesty,
and took the servant form. And when the Tempter approached Him and
sought to induce Him to repudiate His dependency on God, "make these
stones bread," He announced His unfaltering purple to live in
subjection to the Father of spirits. Never for a moment did He deviate
from the path of complete submission to the Father's will.
"If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve" (v. 2). The
first thing to be noted here is the service of the servant. His master
had a certain definitely defined claim upon him: "six years he shall
serve him." Six is the number of man (Rev. 13:18), therefore what is
in view here is the measure of human responsibility what man owes to
his lawful Owner. The Owner of man is God, what, then, does man owe to
his Maker? We answer, unqualified submission, complete subjection,
implicit obedience to His known will. Now the will of God for man is
expressed in the Law, conformity to which is all summed up in the
words "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart . . . and
thy neighbor as thyself." This every descendent of fallen Adam has
failed to do. The Law has brought in all the world guilty before God.
(Rom. 3:19).
Now the Lord Jesus came down to this world to honor God in the very
place where He had been universally dishonored. He came here to
"magnify the Law and make it honorable." Therefore was He "made under
the Law" (Gal. 4:4). Therefore did He formally announce, "Think not
that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to
destroy but to fulfill" (Matthew 5:17). God's Law was within His heart
(Ps. 40:8). In it He meditated day and night (Ps. 1:2). Prom beginning
to end, in thought, word, and deed, He kept the Law. Every demand of
God upon man was fully met by the Perfect Man: every claim of God
completely upheld. Christ is the only man who ever fully discharged
human responsibility Godwards and manwards.
"And in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing" (v. 2). After
the Hebrew servant had served for six years, his master had no further
claim upon him. When the seventh year arrived (which tells of service
completed) he was at liberty to go out, and serve no more. This was
also true of the lord Jesus, the anti-type. The time came in His life
when, as Man, He had fulfilled every jot and tittle of human
responsibility, and when the Law had, therefore no further claim upon
Him. We believe that this point was reached when He stood upon the
"holy mount," when in the presence of His disciples He was
transfigured, and when there came a voice from the excellent glory
proclaiming Him to be the One in whom the Father delighted This, we
believe, was the Father bearing witness to the fact that Christ was
the faithful "Hebrew Servant." Right then He could (so far as the Law
was concerned) have stepped from that mount to the Throne of Glory, He
had perfectly fulfilled every righteous claim that God had upon man:
He had loved the Lord with all His heart and His neighbor as Himself.
"If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were
married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master has given
him a wife. and she have borne him sons and daughters; the wife and
her children shall be her master's and he shall go out by himself"
(vv. 3, 4). We shall confine our remarks on these verses to the
anti-type. The lord Jesus had no wife when He entered upon "His
service." for Israel had been divorced (Isa. 50:1). Now although He
was entitled by the Law to "go out free," the same Law required that
He should go out alone--"by himself." This points us to something
about which there has been much confusion. There was no union possible
with the Lord Jesus in the perfections of His human life: "Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Except a corn a wheat fall into the ground and
die, it abideth alone" (John 12:24). Nothing could be plainer than
this. The very perfections of the Servant of God only served to
emphasize the more the distinction between Him and sinful man. It is
only on resurrection-ground that union with Christ is possible, and
for that death must intervene. It was on the resurrection-morning that
He, for the first time, called His disciples "brethren." Does, then,
our type fail us here? No, indeed. These typical pictures were drawn
by the Divine Artist, and like Him. they are perfect. The next two
verses bring this out beautifully.
"And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and
my children, I will not go free: Then his master shall bring him unto
the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door
posts; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he
shall serve him for ever" (vv. 5, 6). Most blessed is this. It was
love which impelled him to forego the freedom to which He was fully
entitled by the Law--a threefold love: for His Master, his wife, and
his children. But mark it well: "if the servant shall plainly say, I
love my master," etc. When was it that the perfect Servant said this?
Clearly it must have been just after the Transfiguration, for as we
have seen, it was then that He had fulfilled every requirement of the
Law, and so could have gone out free. Equally plain is it that we must
turn to the fourth Gospel for the avowal of His love for it is there,
as nowhere else, His love is told forth by the apostle of love. Now in
John's Gospel there is no account of the Transfiguration, but there is
that which closely corresponds to it: John 12 gives us the parallel
and the sequel to Matthew 17. It is here that we find Him saying, "The
hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Verily, verily:
I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die,
it abideth alone" (John 12:23, 24), and then He added "But if it die,
it bringeth forth much fruit." Mark carefully what follows: "Now is My
soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father save Me from this hour?"
Ah, He answered His own question: "But for this cause came I unto this
hour: Father, glorify Thy name" (vv. 27, 28). "What led Him to say
that? Love! Love that thinks not of self at all; love that places
itself entirely at the disposal of the loved ones. No matter what that
terrible `hour' contained, and He knew it all, He would go through it
in His love to His Father and to us" (J. T. Mawson). Love led Him to
undertake a service that the Law did not lay upon Him, a service that
involved suffering (as the "bored" ear intimates) a service which was
to last forever.
Every detail in this truly wondrous type calls for separate
consideration. "If the servant shall plainly say, I love my master."
This, be it noted, comes before the avowal of his love for his wife
and children. This, of itself, is sufficient to establish the fact
that what we have here must be of more than local application, for
when and where was there ever a servant who put the love of his
"master" before that of his wife and children? Clearly we are obliged
to look for someone who is "Fairer than the children of men." And how
perfectly the type answers to the anti-type! There is no difficulty
here when we see that the Holy Spirit had the Lord Jesus in view. Love
to His Father, His "Master;" was ever the controlling motive in the
life of the perfect Servant. His first recorded utterance demonstrated
this. Subject to Mary and Joseph He was as a child, yet even then the
claims of His Father's "business" were paramount. So too, in John 11,
where we read of the sisters of Lazarus (whom He loved) sending Him a
message that their brother was sick. Instead of hastening at once to
their side, He "abode two days still in the same place where He was!"
And why, "For the glory of God" (v. 4). It was not the affection of
His human heart, but the will of His Father that moved Him. So, once
more, in John 12, when He contemplated that awful `hour' which
troubled His soul. He said, "Father, glorify Thy name." The Father's
glory was His first concern. At once, the answer came, "I have both
glorified (Thee) and will glorify (Thee) again" (v. 28). What is meant
by the "again"? The Father's name had already been glorified through
the perfect fulfillment of His Law in the life of the Lord Jesus, as
well as in that which was infinitely greater--the revelation of
Himself to men. But He would also glorify Himself in the death and
resurrection of His Son, and in the fruits thereof.
"I love . . . my wife." In the type this was said prospectively. The
Lord Jesus is to have a Bride. The "wife" is here carefully
distinguished from His "children." The "wife," we believe, is redeemed
millennial Israel Both the "wife" and the "children" are the fruit of
His death. The two are carefully distinguished again in John 11: "But
being high priest that year, he (Caiaphas) prophesied that Jesus
should die for (1) that nation; and not for that nation only, but that
(2) also He should gather together in one the children of God that
were scattered abroad" (vv. 51:52). Looking forward to the time when
Christ shall see of the travail of His soul and be satisfied, the Holy
Spirit says to Israel, "Fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed:
neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for
thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the
reproach of thy widowhood any more. For thy Maker is thine Husband:
the Lord of hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of
Israel; the God of the whole earth shall He be called. For the Lord
hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife
of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. For a small moment,
have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a
little wrath I hid My face from thee for a moment; but with
everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord, thy
Redeemer" (Isa. 54:4-8).
"I love . . . My children." Christ's love was not limited to Israel,
even though here. as ever, it is the Jew first. No; not only was He to
die for "that Nation" not "this Nation." the then present nation of
Israel, but "that" future Nation. which shall be born "at once," (Isa.
66:8), but also He should "gather together in one (family) the
children of God that were scattered abroad." "Children of God" is
never applied in Scripture to Israel. These "children" were to be the
fruit of His dying travail. Blessed is it to hear Him say, "Behold I
and the children which God hath given Me"
(Heb. 2:13).
"Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring
him to the door, or unto the door post, and his master shall bore his
ear through with an awl" (v. 6). The boring of the ear marked the
entire devotedness of the servant to do His Master's wilt. "The
door-post was the sign of personal limits: by it the family entered,
and none else had the right. It was not therefore a thing that might
pertain to a stranger, but pre-eminently that which belonged to that
household. This too was the reason why it was on the door-post that
the blood of the paschal lamb was sprinkled; it was staving the hand
of God. so far as that house was concerned, on the first-born there,
but on no one else. So here" (Mr. W Kelly). Important truth is this.
Christ died not for the human race why should He when half of it was
already in Hell! He died for the Household of God, His "wife" and
"children," and for none (else: John 11:51. 52 proves that cf., also
Matthew 1:21: John 10:11; Hebrews 2: 17, 9:28, etc. Significant too is
this: when his master took his servant and bored his ear. So long as
he lived that servant carried about in his body the mark of his
servitude. So, too, the Lord Jesus wears forever in His body the marks
of the Cross! After He had risen from the dead, He said to doubting
Thomas. "Reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands; and reach
hither thy hand and thrust it into My side" (John 20:27). So, too, in
Revelation 5 the Lamb is seen, "as it had been slain" (v. 6).
"And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall
serve him forever" (v. 6). Very wonderful is this in its application
to the Antitype. The service of the Lord Jesus did not terminate when
He left this earth. Though He has ascended on high, He is still
ministering to His own. A beautiful picture of this is found in John
13, though we cannot now discuss it at any length. What is there in
view is a parabolic sample of His work for His people since He
returned to the Father. The opening verse of that chapter supplies the
key to what follows: "When Jesus knew that His hour was come that He
should depart out of this world unto the Father." So, too, in the
fourth verse: "He riseth from supper (which spoke of His death) and
laid aside His garments," which is literally what He did when He left
the sepulcher. In John 13, then, from v. 4 onwards, we are on this
side of the resurrection. The washing of the disciples feet tells of
Christ's present work of maintaining the walk of His own as they pass
through this defiling scene. The towel and the basin speak of the love
of the Servant--Savior in ministering to the needs of His own. Even
now that lie has returned to the glory He is still serving us.
"But "he shall serve him forever." Will this be true of the Lord
Jesus? It certainly will. There is a remarkable passage in Luke 12
which brings this out: "Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when
He cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you that He shall
gird Himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth
and serve them" (v. 37). Even in the Kingdom He will still serve us.
But how can that be? Our feet will not require washing; we shall no
longer have any need to be met. True, gloriously true. But, if there
is no need on our part. there is love on His. and love ever delights
to minister unto its beloved. Surpassingly wonderful is this: "He will
come forth and serve them." How great the condescension! In the
kingdom He will be seated upon the Throne of His Glory, holding the
reigns of government: acknowledged as the King of kings and Lord of
lords; and yet He will delight to minister unto our enjoyment. And
too, He will serve "forever": it will be the eternal activity of
Divine love delighting to minister to others.
Thus in this wondrous type we have shown forth the love of God's,
faithful Servant ministering to His Master. His wife, and His
children, in His life. His death, His resurrection, and in His
kingdom, The character of His service was perfect, denoted by the six
years and seventh "go out free." The spring of His service was love,
seen in His declining to go out free. The duration of His service, is
"for ever"! The Lord enable us to heed that searching and needful
word, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil.
2:5).
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Gleanings In Exodus
32. The Covenant Ratified
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Exodus 24
The twenty-fourth chapter of Exodus introduces us to a scene for which
there is nothing approaching a parallel on all the pages of inspired
history prior to the Divine Incarnation and the tabernacling of God
among men. It might suitably be designated the Old Testament Mount of
Transfiguration, for here Jehovah manifested His glory as never before
or after during the whole of the Mosaic economy. Here we witness Moses
and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel in the
very presence of God, and not only are we told that "He laid not His
hand on them." but they were thoroughly at ease in His presence, for
they did "eat and drink" before Him! Before endeavoring to contemplate
such a glorious scene let us offer a brief remark on its occasion and
setting.
In Exodus 19 we behold Jehovah proposing to enter into a covenant of
works with Israel, making their national blessing contingent upon
their obedience to His commandments (vv. 5, 6). To the terms of this
covenant the chosen people unanimously and heartily agreed (v. 8).
Following their purification, of themselves, three days later God came
down to the summit of Sinai and spake to Moses, charging him to go and
again warn the people assembled at its base not to break the barrier
which had been erected. After which God spake all that is recorded in
Exodus 20 to 23. Concerning the Ten Words in chapter 20 and the
typical significance of the "judgment" regarding slaves at the
beginning of 21, we have already commented; the remainder of those
chapters we now pass over as not falling within the scope of our
present work, which is to concentrate upon that which is more obvious
in the typical teachings of Exodus. That there is much spiritual
teaching as well as moral instruction in Exodus 22 and 23 we doubt
not, but so far as we are aware God has not yet been pleased to
enlighten any of His servants thereon. Let the student, however, read
carefully through them, noting how just, comprehensive and perfect
were the laws which the Lord gave unto Israel.
"And He said unto Moses, Come up unto the Lord, thou and Aaron, Nadab
and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel and worship ye afar
off" (v. 1). In the light of what precedes, this is most significant
and solemn. It tells us in language too plain to be misunderstood that
man cannot approach unto God on the ground of his own works. Mark that
this was said by the Lord before the legal covenant had been
confirmed, and therefore before a single failure had been recorded
against Israel under that economy. Even had there been no failure, no
disobedience, yet the keeping of God's commandments cannot secure
access into the Divine presence as the "afar off" plainly denoted. For
any man to come unto the Father, the work of Christ was indispensable.
"And Moses alone shall come near the Lord; but they shall not come
nigh, neither shall the people go up with him" (v. 2). An exception
was made in the case of Moses, not because he possessed any superior
claim upon God, nor because he was personally entitled to such a
privilege, but only because he was the appointed mediator between God
and His people, and therefore the type of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is
this which gives meaning to and opens for us the typical significance
of so much that is recorded about Moses. The repeated prohibition in
this verse emphasizes what is said in the previous one and confirms
our comments thereon; Christ had to suffer for sins, "The Just for the
unjust, that He might bring us to God" (1 Pet. 3:18).
"And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all
the Judgments; and all the people answered with one voice, and said,
All the words which the Lord hath said will we do" (v. 3). The "words"
refer to the ten commandments recorded in Exodus 20, the "Judgments"
to what is found in chapters 21 to 23, as the first verse of 21
intimates. It is most important to observe that the Ten Words are here
again definitely distinguished from the other "Judgments," affording
additional confirmation of what we have said thereon in previous
articles. Once more the people unanimously registered their acceptance
of the covenant of works.
"And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and rose up early in the
morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars,
according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the
children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed
peace offerings of oxen unto the Lord" (vv. 4, 5). That was in
obedience to what the Lord had said unto Moses as recorded in 20:24.
The "young men" (probably the "first born" who had been sanctified
unto the Lord, 13:2, etc.) performed this priestly work because the
Levites had not yet been set apart to that office. Much confusion has
been caused through failing to note the specific character of these
sacrifices. It was not the blood of atonement which was here shed, for
wherever that is in view it is always for the averting of God's holy
wrath against sin. But nothing like that is seen here. What we have
before us is that which speaks of thanksgiving and dedication unto God
(the "`burnt" offering) and that which tells of happy fellowship (the
"peace" offering).
"And Moses took half of the blood, and put in basins; and half of the
blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the blood of the
covenant, and read in the audience of the people; and they said All
that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient" (vv. 6, 7). For a
full exposition of the meaning of Moses' act we must refer the reader
to Hebrews 9, regretting very much that we cannot here give a detailed
interpretation of that most important chapter; it will be noted that
vv. 18-20 refer specifically to what is here before us in Exodus 24.
Suffice it now to say that, so far as the historical significance of
this sprinkling of the blood was concerned, it denoted a solemn
ratification of the covenant into which Israel entered with Jehovah at
Sinai. Note how the covenant God made with Noah was also preceded by a
sacrifice offered to Him: Genesis 8:20 to 9; so too in connection with
the Abrahamic covenant (Gen. 15:9, 10, 17).
"Then went up Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the
elders of Israel; and they saw the God of Israel" (vv. 9, 10).
Precious beyond words is this, showing us the inestimable value of the
blood, and the wondrous privileges it procures for those who are
sprinkled by it. Note the connecting "then," i.e., when the blood had
been applied. A similar example, equally forceful and blessed, is
found in Revelation 7:14, 15, where we read, "And He said to me, These
are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their
robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are
they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His
temple." The "elders" of Exodus 24 were representatives of the Nation.
Here then was a blood-sprinkled people, who had not yet broken the
covenant, in communion with God. The eating and drinking told of the
fullness of their welcome and of the peace which ruled their hearts in
the Divine Presence.
"And they saw the God of Israel; and there was under His feet as it
were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of
heaven in his clearness" (v. 10). The "sapphire stone" speaks of
Divine government--the throne of God--as a reference to Ezekiel 1:26
will show; that government which will yet rest upon the shoulders of
"the Man" Christ Jesus. But why the "paved work"? May not the
reference be to the finished work of the Savior which forms the basis
of His Millennial reign? Christ came here to finish the Father's work
(John 5:17, 17:4), piecing it all together, that it might be a
pavement of glory as the place of His feet. The "body of heaven in his
clearness" may speak of the Divine counsels. If we look up to heaven
on a clear day all is blue; it is the intensity of the depths of
space, infinite--like Jehovah's counsels. But in Christ God has
brought His counsels so near that we may contemplate them as the body
of heaven in its clearness.
"And upon the nobles of the children He laid not His hand; also they
saw God, and did eat and drink" (v. 11). "But yesterday it would have
been death to them to `break through to gaze' but now `they saw God'!
And such was their `boldness,' due to the blood of the covenant, that
`they did eat and drink' in the Divine presence. The man off the world
will ask, How could `the blood of calves and goats' make any
difference in their fitness to approach God? And the answer is, Just
in the same way that a few pieces of paper may raise a pauper from
poverty to wealth. The bank-note paper is intrinsically worthless, but
it represents gold in the coffers of the Bank of England. Just as
valueless was that `blood of slain beasts,' but it represented `the
precious blood of Christ.' And just as in a single day the bank-notes
may raise the recipient from pauperism to affluence, so that blood
availed to constitute the Israelites a holy people in covenant with
God" (Sir Robert Anderson).
There is one thing here that is very solemn, namely, the repeated
mention of Nadab and Abihu; vv. 1, 9. "They were both sons of Aaron,
and with their father were selected for this singular privilege. But
neither light nor privilege can ensure salvation, nor, if believers, a
holy and obedient walk. Both afterwards met with a terrible end. They
`offered strange fire before the Lord, which He commanded them not.
And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them; and they
died before the Lord' (Lev. 10:1, 2). After this scene in our chapter,
they were consecrated to the priesthood and it was while in the
performance of their duty in this office, or rather because of their
failure in it, that they fell under the judgment of God. Let the
warning sink deep into our hearts, that office and special privileges
are alike powerless to save" (Mr. Dennett).
Israel's history continued for almost fifteen hundred years after this
memorable occasion, but never again did their elders "see God," and
never again did they eat and drink in His presence. Sin came in; their
very next act was to break the holy Law by making and worshipping a
golden calf, and the next time we see them drinking, it is of the
waters of judgment (32:20). How unspeakably blessed to remember that
what Israel (through their official heads) enjoyed for a brief season,
is now ours forever! A way has been opened for us into the very
presence of God, and there, within the veil, we may commune with Him.
In the remainder of our chapter Moses is once again separated from
Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and the seventy elders, resuming his
mediatorial position, to receive from God the two tables of stone
which He had written. For this purpose he is called up to meet the
Lord in the Mount--apparently at the summit--where he remained forty
days and nights alone with God. During this time the glory of the Lord
was displayed before the eyes of Israel for seven days--a glory "like
devouring fire" (vv. 15 to 18). "This was not the glory of His grace
but the glory of His holiness, as is seen by the symbol of devouring
fire--the glory of the Lord in His relationship with Israel on the
basis of the law (compare 2 Cor. 3). It was a glory therefore that no
sinner could dare approach, for holiness and sin cannot be brought
together; but now, through the grace of God, on the ground of
accomplished atonement, believers can not only draw near, and be at
home in the glory, but with unveiled face beholding the glory of the
Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the
Spirit of the Lord (2 Cor. 3:18). We approach boldly, and with delight
gaze upon the glory, because every ray we behold in the face of Christ
glorified is a proof of the fact that our sins are put away, and that
redemption is accomplished" (Mr. E. Dennett).
"And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the
mount; and Moses was in the Mount forty days and forty nights" (v.
18). Those forty days, what happened in them, and the typical
significance of those happenings, together with the sequel, form one
of the most wondrous of the many wonderful types in all the Old
Testament. The Holy Spirit now focuses attention on Moses, type of our
Lord Jesus Christ. First, he is seen entering the glory, consequent
upon his having erected the altar and sprinkled the blood. "And the
glory of the Lord abode upon Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six
days; and the seventh day He called unto Moses out of the midst of the
cloud. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud" (vv. 16, 18). How
beautiful and how perfect the type! After "six days," which speaks of
work and toil, on the seventh day, which tells of rest, Moses, the
mediator, is called by God to enter the glory. So of Him of whom Moses
was the type it is written, "He that is entered into His rest, He also
hath ceased from His own works (Heb. 4:10). And what is the character
of the "rest" into which He has entered? Does not His own request in
John 17:4, 5, furnish us with the answer: "I have finished the work
which Thou gavest Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with
Thine own self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world
was." Yes, He has entered into the Glory. Moses going up the Mount and
entering the cloud to commune with Jehovah is a type of the Ascension
of Christ, following the triumphant completion of the work which had
been given Him to do.
We are not left in ignorance as to what formed the subject of
communion between the Lord and Moses during the forty days in the
Mount; the next six chapters of Exodus tell us that it was about the
marvelous and mysterious Tabernacle, the pattern of which Moses was
shown while there on Sinai. As we shall yet see, the Tabernacle and
all its parts prefigure the manifold perfections of the Lord Jesus,
making known the full provisions of God's grace stored up in His
beloved Son--provisions which meet every need of His favored people.
The tabernacle is what meets our eye in Exodus while Moses is up the
Mount, for it is not until after it has been fully described that we
behold him descending. Thus has the Holy Spirit supplied us with an
important key to open the spiritual treasures of this portion of the
Word, by intimating that the Tabernacle speaks of what God's grace has
furnished for us during the interval of the Mediator's absence from
the earth.
And what is the next thing recorded in this book so rich in typical
pictures of the Redeemer? Why, the descent of Moses, which we have in
chapters 32, 33, 34. Moses did not end His days there upon Sinai, but
returned unto his people. So also the Lord Jesus who has gone on High
is not to remain absent from the earth forever; the words of the
angels to His disciples at His ascension make this indelibly
clear--"Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This
same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in
like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11). Yes,
shall return to this same earth from which He went to heaven, return
in person just as literally and truly as He left it.
But, now, students of prophecy have discovered that the Holy
Scriptures divide the second advent of Christ into two distinct
stages; the first, when He descends into the air for His saints, to
receive them unto Himself (1 Thess. 4:16, etc.); the second, when He
descends to the earth with His saints (Col. 3:4, etc.). These two
stages of His second advent each have a most important bearing upon
the Jews; the first will be followed by judgment, the second by
blessing. After the Church has been removed from this world, there
follows the time of "Jacob's trouble" (Jer. 30:7), when God deals with
His earthly people and punishes them for their sins, this period also
being known as the Great Tribulation. After this period has run its
course, the Lord Jesus descends in blessing, purges Israel, and in
full manifested glory dwells in their midst--this will be during the
Millennium.
What is so striking in the type which we are now engaged with is that
these two stages in the second advent of the great Mediator are here
vividly foreshadowed. Mark how complete the type is: Moses came down
twice from Sinai after he had entered the glory! But let us observe
first how Israel were conducting themselves during the time of his
absence in the Mount: "And when the people saw that Moses delayed to
come down out of the Mount, the people gathered themselves together
unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods which shall go before
us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him" (32:1).
Is not this the very condition of the Jews today during the Messiah's
absence? They are all at sea, knowing not what to think. But that is
not all. During Moses' absence they made a calf of gold and worshipped
it--and are we not now witnessing the very same thing over again? If
there is one thing which characterizes the Jew today above everything
else it is not the love of conquest or of pleasure, as with the
Gentiles, but the lust for gold.
Now Just as Moses at his first descent from the Mount found Israel
worshipping the golden calf, so at the first stage at the second
coming of Christ the Jews will be wholly occupied with their greed for
riches. And what was Moses' response? Read Exodus 32:19-28. He acted
in judgment. He made them drink a bitter cup of their own providing
and gave orders for the sword to do its fearful work among them. Thus
will it be right after the first stage of the Descent of Christ--they
shall be made to drink of the vials of God's wrath. But though sore
will be their desolations the Jews will not be completely destroyed.
Blessed is it to mark the sequel here. Moses returned unto the Lord
and interceded on Israel's behalf (32:30, 32). So also will the Lord
Jesus yet intercede before God on behalf of the Jews: See Zechariah 3.
In Exodus 33 and 34 we have the second descent of Moses from the
Glory. He came down from the Mount with shining face, so that the
people were afraid to come near him. But he quickly reassured them.
This time he descended not in judgment, but in mercy, and therefore
did he place them at ease by talking with them--so that "all the
children of Israel came nigh" (vv. 30-32). Thus will it be when the
Sun of Righteousness rises upon Israel with healing in His wings.
Moses now "gave them in commandment all the Lord had spoken with him
in Mount Sinai" (v. 32), which was a beautiful type of Millennial
conditions; "out of Zion shall go forth the Law and the Word of the
Lord from Jerusalem" (Isa. 2:3).
And what is the remainder of Exodus occupied with? Nothing but the
erection of the Tabernacle. Chapters 35 to 39 give us God's habitation
in the midst of Israel. In the closing chapters we read. "And he
reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set
up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work. Then a
cloud covered the tent of the congregation and the glory of the Lord
filled the tabernacle" (vv. 33-34), a lovely type of Christ in the
Millennium in the midst of Israel! And there the book of Exodus ends.
May the Lord give us eyes to see and hearts to enjoy the wonders of
His own workmanship.
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Gleanings In Exodus
33. The Tabernacle
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Exodus 25-40
We have now arrived at the longest, most blessed, but least read and
understood section of this precious book of Exodus. From the beginning
of chapter 25 to the end of 40--excepting the important parenthesis in
32 to 34--the Holy Spirit has given us a detailed description of the
Tabernacle, its structure, furniture, and priesthood. It is a fact
worthy of our closest and fullest consideration that more space is
devoted to an account of the Tabernacle than to any other single
object or subject treated of in Holy Writ. Its courts, its furniture,
and its ritual are described with a surprising particularity of
detail. Two chapters suffice for a record of God's work in creating
and fitting this earth for human habitation, whereas ten chapters are
needed to tell us about the Tabernacle. Truly God's thoughts and ways
are different from ours!
How sadly many of God's own people have dishonored Him and His Word by
their studied neglect of these chapters! Too many have seen in the
Tabernacle, with its Divinely-appointed arrangements and services,
only a ritual of the past--a record of Jewish manners and customs
which have long since passed away and which have no meaning for or
value to us. But "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is
profitable" (2 Tim. 3:16). The Christian cannot neglect any portion of
the Word without suffering loss: "whatsoever things were written
aforetime (in the Old Testament) were written for our learning" (Rom.
15:4). Again and again in the New Testament the Holy Spirit makes
figurative reference to the Tabernacle and its furniture, and much in
the Epistle to the Hebrews cannot be understood without reference to
the contents of Exodus and Leviticus.
"The tabernacle is one of the most important and instructive types.
Here is such a variety of truths, here is such a fullness and
manifoldness of spiritual teaching, that our great difficulty is to
combine all the various lessons and aspects which it presents. The
tabernacle has no fewer than three meanings, In the first place, the
tabernacle is a type, a visible illustration, of that heavenly place
in which God has His dwelling. In the second place, the tabernacle is
a type of Jesus Christ, who is the meeting-place between God and man.
And, in the third place, the tabernacle is a type of Christ in the
Church--of the communion of Jesus with all believers" (Adolph Saphir).
The first of these meanings is clearly stated in Hebrews 9:23-24: "It
was, therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens
should be purified with these (i.e. sprinklings of blood see Hebrews
9:21-22); but the heavenly things themselves with bettor sacrifices
than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with
hands, which are the figures of the true; but into Heaven itself, now
to appear in the presence of Clod for us." "The tabernacle was a
symbol of God's dwelling. There is a Sanctuary, wherein is the
especial residence and manifestation of the glorious presence of God.
Solomon, although he confesses that the heaven of heavens cannot
contain God, yet prays that the Lord may hear in heaven His
dwelling-place (2 Chron. 6). Jeremiah testifies, `A glorious high
throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary' (17:12). The
visions of Ezekiel also bring before us the heavens opened and the
likeness of a throne, and the appearance of the likeness of the glory
of the Lord; the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon the
throne (1:26). Of this heavenly locality David speaks, when he asks,
`Who shall abide in Thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in Thy holy hill?'
(Ps. 24:3). In the book of Revelation we receive still further
confirmation of this truth: `And after that I looked, and, behold, the
temple of the tabernacle of testimony in Heaven was opened' (15:5) . .
. Almost all expressions which are employed in describing the
significance of the tabernacle are also used in reference to Heaven"
(A. Saphir).
Secondly, the Tabernacle is a type of the Lord Jesus Himself,
particularly of Him here on earth during the days of His flesh. Just
as the Tabernacle was Jehovah's dwelling-place in the midst of Israel
so are we told that "God was in Christ reconciling a world unto
Himself' (2 Cor. 5:19); and again, "In Him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9). Beautifully was this application of
our type manifested at the Incarnation. The Tabernacle was not
something which originated in the minds of Israel, or even of Moses.
but was designed by God Himself. So the Manhood of Christ, which
enshrined His Deity, was not begotten by man--"A body hast Thou
prepared Me" (Heb. 10:5). He said. This second aspect of the type will
be developed more fully below.
But the tabernacle has yet a third aspect. "There God and His people
met. The ark of the covenant was not merely the throne where God
manifested Himself in His holiness, but it was also the throne of
relationship with His people. In all the offerings and sacrifices God
was manifested; just as regards sin, merciful as regards the sinner;
there also God and the sinner met. So throughout the tabernacle there
was the manifestation of God in order to bring Israel into communion
with Himself. In the Tabernacle man's fellowship with God was
symbolized through manifold mediations. sacrifices, offerings. But in
Jesus we have the perfect and eternal fulfillment" (A Saphir). This
third aspect of our type is more than hinted at in Revelation 21:3:
"Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with
them, and thy shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them,
and be their God."
The key to the Tabernacle, then, is Christ. In the volume of the Book
it is written of Him. As a whole and in each of its parts the
Tabernacle foreshadowed the person and work of the Lord Jesus. Each
detail in it typified some aspect of His ministry or some excellency
in His person. Proof of this is furnished in John 1:14: "And the Word
became flesh and tabernacled among us" (R. V. margin). The reference
here is to the Divine incarnation and first advent of God's Sea to
this earth, and its language takes us back to the book of Exodus. Many
and varied are the correspondences between the type and the anti-type.
We take leave to quote from our comments on John 1:14.
1. The Tabernacle was a temporary appointment. In this it differed
from the temple of Solomon, which was a permanent structure. The
Tabernacle was simply a tent, a temporary convenience, something that
was suited to be moved about from place to place during the
journeyings of the children of Israel. So it was when our blessed Lord
tabernacled here among men. His stay was but a brief one--less than
forty years; and, like the type. He abode not long in any one place,
but was constantly on the move, unwearied in the activity of His love.
2. The Tabernacle was for use in the wilderness. After Israel settled
in Canaan, the Tabernacle was superceded by the temple. But during the
time of the pilgrimage from Egypt to the promised land, the Tabernacle
was God's appointed provision for them. The wilderness strikingly
foreshadowed the conditions amid which the eternal Word tabernacled
among men at His first advent. The wilderness-home of the Tabernacle
unmistakably foreshadowed the manger-cradle, the Nazareth-carpenter's
bench, the "nowhere for the Son of man to lay His head," the borrowed
tomb for His sepulcher. A careful study of the chronology of the
Pentateuch seems to indicate that Israel used the Tabernacle in the
wilderness rather less than thirty-five years!
3. The Tabernacle was mean, humble, and unattractive in outward
appearance. Altogether unlike the costly and magnificent temple of
Solomon there was nothing in the externals of the Tabernacle to please
the carnal eye. Nothing but plain boards and skins. So it was at the
Incarnation. The Divine majesty of our Lord was hidden beneath a veil
of flesh. He came, unattended by any imposing retinues of angels. To
the unbelieving gaze of Israel He had no form or comeliness; and when
they beheld Him their unanointed eyes saw in Him no beauty that they
should desire Him.
4. The Tabernacle was God's dwelling place. It was there, in the midst
of Israel's camp, that He took up His abode. There, between the
Cherubim. upon the mercy-seat He made His throne. In the holy of
holies He manifested His presence by means of the Shekinah glory. And
during the thirty-three years that the Word tabernacled among men. God
had His dwelling-place in Palestine. The holy of holies received its
anti-typical fulfillment in the person of the Holy One of God. Just as
the Shekinah dwelt between the two Cherubim, so on the mount of
transfiguration the glory of the God-man flashed forth from between
two men--Moses and Elijah. "We beheld his glory "is the language of
the tabernacle-type.
5. The Tabernacle was, therefore, the place where God met with man. It
was termed "the Tent of Meeting." If an Israelite desired to draw near
unto Jehovah he had to come to the door of the Tabernacle. When giving
instruction to Moses concerning the making of the Tabernacle and its
furnishings, God said, "And thou shalt put the mercy-seat above upon
the ark, and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give
thee. And there I will meet with thee, awl I will commune with thee"
(Ex. 25:21-22). How perfect is this lovely type! Christ is the
meeting-place between God and man. No man cometh unto the Father but
by Him (John 14:6). There is but one Mediator between God and men--the
Man Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 2:5). He is the One who spans the gulf
between Deity and humanity, because Himself both God and Man.
6. The Tabernacle was the center of Israel's camp. In the immediate
vicinity of the Tabernacle dwelt the Levites the priestly tribe: "But
thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and
over all the vessels thereof; and over all things that belong to it;
they shall bear the tabernacle and all the vessels thereof: and they
shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle"
(Num. 1:50); and around the Levites were grouped the twelve, tribes,
three on either side--see Numbers 2. Again; we read that when Israel's
camp was to be moved from one place to another. "then the tabernacle
of the congregation shall set forward with the camp of the Levites in
the midst of the camp" (Num. 2:17). Once more, "And Moses went out,
and told the people the words of the Lord and gathered the seventy men
of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle.
And the Lord came down in a Cloud and spake unto him" (Num. 11:24-25).
How striking is this! The Tabernacle was the great gathering-center.
As such it was a beautiful foreshadowing of the Lord Jesus. He is our
great gathering-center, and His precious promise is that "where two or
three are gathered together in My name there am I in the midst of
them" (Matthew 18:20).
7. The Tabernacle was the place where the Law was preserved. The first
two tables of stone, on which Jehovah had inscribed the ten
commandments were broken (Ex. 32:19); but the second set were
deposited in the ark in the tabernacle for safe keeping (Deut.
10:2-5). It was only there, within the holy of holies, that the
tablets of the Law were preserved intact. How this, again, speaks to
us of Christ! He it was that said, "Lo, I come: in the volume of the
book it is written of Me; I delight to do Thy will, O My God: Yea, Thy
Law is within My heart" (Ps. 40:8). Throughout His perfect life He
preserved in thought, word, and deed the Divine Decalogue, honoring
and magnifying God's Law.
8. The Tabernacle was the place where sacrifice was made. In its outer
court stood the brazen altar, to which the animals were brought, and
on which they were slain. There it was the blood was shed and
atonement was made for sin. So it was with the Lord Jesus. He
fulfilled in His own person the typical significance of the brazen
altar, as of every piece of the tabernacle furniture. The body in
which He tabernacled on earth was nailed to the cruel Tree. The Cross
was the altar upon which Pod's Lamb was slain, where His precious
blood was shed, and where complete atonement was made for sin.
9. The Tabernacle was the place where the priestly family was fed.
"And the remainder thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat: with
unleavened bread shall it he eaten in the holy place; in the court of
the tabernacle of the congregation they shall eat it . . . The priest
that offereth it for sin shall eat it: in the holy place shall it be
eaten" (Lev. 6:16-26). How deeply significant are these scriptures in
their typical import! And how they should speak to us of Christ as the
Food of God's priestly family today, i.e., all believers (1 Pet. 2:5).
He is the Bread of life. He is the One upon whom our souls delight to
feed.
10. The Tabernacle was the place of worship. To it the pious Israelite
brought his offerings. To it he turned when he desired to worship
Jehovah. From its door the voice of the Lord was heard. Within its
courts the priests ministered in their sacred service. And so it wins
with the anti-type. It is by Him we are to offer unto God a sacrifice
of praise. (Heb. 13:15). It is in Him, and by Him, alone, that we can
worship the Father. It is through Him we have access to the throne of
grace.
11. The Tabernacle had but one door. Think of such a large building
with but a single entrance! The outer court, with its solid walls of
white curtains, was pierced by one gate only; telling us there is, but
one way into the presence of the holy God. How this reminds us of the
words of that One who said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no
man cometh unto the Father but by Me!" Access can be obtained only
through Him who declared "I am the Door" (John 10:9).
12. The Tabernacle was approached through the tribe of Judah, This is
a most striking detail not obvious at first sight, but which is
clearly established by a comparison of scripture with scripture.
Numbers 2, records the ordering of the twelve tribes of Israel as they
were grouped around the four sides of the Tabernacle, and verse 3
tells us that Judah was to pitch on the east side. Now Exodus 27:12-17
makes it clear that the door of the Tabernacle wins also on the east
side. Thus, entrance into the Divine sanctuary was obtained through
Judah. The significance of this is easily discerned. It was through
Judah that the true Tabernacle obtained entrance into this world.
Therefore is our Lord designated "the Lion of the tribe of Judah"
(Rev. 5:5).
13. The Tabernacle hints at the universal Lordship of Christ. This may
be seen from the fact that every kingdom in nature contributed its
share toward building and enriching the Tabernacle. The mineral
kingdom supplied the metals and the precious stones; the vegetable
gave the wood, linen, oil and spices; the animal furnished the skins
and goats hair curtains, in addition to the multitude of sacrifices
which were constantly required. How this reminds us of the words of
Him whom the Tabernacle foreshadowed," The silver is Mine, and the
gold is Mine" (Hag. 2:8); and again, "The cattle upon a thousand hills
are Mine" (Ps. 50:10).
14. The Tabernacle was ministered unto by the Women. Their part was to
provide the beautiful curtains and hangings: "And all the women that
were wise-hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which
they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of
fine linen. And all the women whose hearts stirred thorn up in wisdom
spun goats' hair" (Ex. 35:26). How beautifully this foreshadowed the
loving devotion of those women `mentioned in the Gospels who
ministered to Christ of their substance: see Luke 7:37; 8:2-3; John
12:3; Luke 23:55-56.
Thus we see how fully and how perfectly the tabernacle of old
foreshadowed the person of our blessed Lord, and why the Holy Spirit,
when announcing the Incarnation, said, "And the Word became flesh and
tabernacled among us." It should be pointed out that there is a series
of striking contrasts between the wilderness tabernacle and Solomon's
temple in their respective foreshadowings of Christ.
(1) The tabernacle foreshadowed Christ in His first advent; the temple
looks forward to Christ at His second advent.
(2) The tabernacle was first historically; the temple was not built
until long afterwards.
(3) The tabernacle was but a temporary erection; the temple was a
permanent structure.
(4) The tabernacle was erected by Moses the prophet (which was the
office Christ filled during His first advent): the temple was built by
Solomon the king (which is the office Christ will fill at His second
advent).
(5) The tabernacle was used in the wilderness--speaking of Christ's
humiliation; the temple was built in Jerusalem, the "city of the great
King" (Matthew 5:35)--speaking of Christ's future glorification.
(6) The numeral which figured most prominently in the tabernacle was
five, which speaks of grace, and grace was what characterized the
earthly ministry of Christ at His first advent; but the leading
numeral in the triple was twelve, which speaks of government, for at
His second advent Christ shall rule and reign as King of kings and
Lord of lords.
(7) The tabernacle was unattractive in its externals--so when Christ
was here before, He was as "a root out of a dry ground": but the
temple was renowned for its outward magnificence--so Christ when He
returns shall come in power and great glory.
The careful reader will have noticed that there are two full accounts
given in Exodus of the construction of the Tabernacle. This is indeed
noteworthy, and evidences once more the accuracy and fullness of the
type. First we have a description of the Tabernacle and its furniture
as it was given to Moses in the Mount directly by Jehovah Himself.
Then, as a parenthesis, in chapters 32, 33, we have the record of
Israel's transgressing the holy covenant in the sin of idolatry.
Finally, from chapters 35 to the end of the book we have the actual
erection of the Tabernacle. What was foreshadowed by this we shall now
endeavor to indicate.
First, there is the tabernacle as it was originally planned in Heaven
anal then shown as a pattern to Moses on the Mount. What did this
adumbrate but Christ set forth from eternity in the counsels of the
Godhead? The great Sacrifice was no afterthought on the part of God.
He was not taken by surprise, nor was His eternal purpose interfered
with when Adam transgressed His commandment. The Lamb was
"foreordained before the foundation of the world" (1 Pet. 1:20)! Then
in Jehovah showing to Moses the pattern of the Tabernacle which was to
be erected, we have prefigured the successive types and prophecies
which God gave to His people before His Son became incarnate. Just as
Moses later built the Tabernacle according to the actual model which
God had shown him during the forty days on the Mount, so Christ was
born, lived and died, in exact accord with the prophetic plan which
God gave during the forty centuries that preceded.
Second, in chapters 32 and 33 we are introduced to a dark interval of
rebellion, when Israel sinned grievously against their Divine
Benefactor. How accurately this depicts the fall and failure of man
during the whole of the Old Testament period, and how it witnessed to
the need of that redemption which God, in His marvelous grace, had
prepared! "Christ had been already provided, but man must feel the
need of the Divine salvation by the actual experience of sin. It is
touching beyond degree to know that all the time that man was
rebelling against God, God's remedy was waiting in that mount of
grace" (Christ in the Tabernacle, by A. B. Simpson). Despite Israel's
fearful transgression in the interval, the Tabernacle was erected;
even so the fearful wickedness of men and all their countless
abominations did not turn God from His purpose of mercy. When the
fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son. Where sin abounded,
grace did much more abound.
Third, in the last six chapters we have the inspired record of the
actual erection of the Tabernacle. Here we see the counsels of God
perfectly executed, and most striking is it to note the provision He
made for carrying out His design of a sanctuary. In 35:30-31, we read,
"And Moses said unto the children of Israel. See, the Lord hath called
by name Bezeleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of
Judah; and he hath filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in
understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship."
Thus we learn that it was by, the gracious agency of the Spirit of God
that the Tabernacle was brought into existence! What anointed eye can
fail to see here that which made possible and actual the Divine
incarnation, namely, the supernatural operations of the Spirit of
God--see Luke 1:34-35! And how remarkable (and yet not remarkable)
that the instrument used belonged to the tribe of Judah: so Mary was
of the royal stock! Thus, in type and anti-type, the Divine plan was
secured through the operations of the Spirit of God. Thus, also, do we
see all the three persons of the Godhead in connection with the
Tabernacle.
How unspeakably blessed is the word recorded in 40:34. "Then a cloud
covered the tent of the congregation and the glory of the Lord filled
the Tabernacle." Mean as was the outward appearance of that Tent, yet
within, abode the Divine glory. So it was with the Antitype. When He
appeared before men, He had "no form nor comeliness" (Isa. 5:2). yet
in Him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
What has been said above in no wise conflicts with the closing
paragraphs of the preceding article. David was inspired to write "Thy
commandment is exceeding broad" (Ps. 119:96). Well, had it been if
expositors and commentators had borne this more in mind. There is not
only a depth, but also a fullness to the Scriptures which are worthy
of their Divine Author. God's Word is many-sided in its application.
Some times a single parable (that of the Sower, for example) contains
important practical lessons, doctrinal instruction, a prophetic
forecast and a dispensational picture. How many of the prophecies,
perhaps all of them have a double--a minor and a major, a germinal and
a terminal--and sometimes a threefold fulfillment. Thus it is also
with the types. Some Old Testament characters are equally types of
Christ, of Israel, and of the Christian. So with the Tabernacle: many
of its details have more than one typical significance. May the Holy
Spirit be our Teacher as we endeavor to take them up.
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Gleanings In Exodus
34. The Tabernacle (Continued)
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Exodus 25:1-9
The neglect of typology and the ignorance which prevails today
concerning the spiritual significance of the Tabernacle is one of the
many solemn signs of the times. The pyramids of Egypt and the
catacombs of Rome are never-failing objects of interest. The ancient
abbeys of England and the temples of heathendom attract thousands
every year from the ends of the earth, to admire their architectural
designs and to study their historical features. But the Tabernacle of
Jehovah, which possesses a charm and a claim unknown to any other
building is, like its antitype, despised and rejected of men. True, it
is no longer to be seen on earth in concrete form, yet a
Divinely-inspired and detailed account of it has been given to us in
the Holy Scriptures. But so widely is the study of typology neglected,
comparatively few among the great masses of professing Christians know
anything of the Divine wonders and spiritual beauties in which the
closing chapters of Exodus abound.
In our day even students of theology leave those fruitful fields to
glean elsewhere. Many of them are wasting their time reading through
almost countless volumes treating of the authorship of the Pentateuch,
instead of poring over the sacred pages themselves. They prefer to
wade through the polluted streams which the higher critics have
digged, rather than drink from the pure river of the Water of Life.
Even where the Divine inspiration of the books of Moses is accepted,
comparatively few are occupied with their deeper teachings and blessed
foreshadowings. Alas that it is so.
"The typical portions of Scripture are supremely important and as a
study vastly interesting. Types are shadows. Shadows imply substance.
A type has its lessons. It was the design of Jehovah to express His
great thought of redemption to His people Israel in a typical or
symbolic manner. By laws, ceremonies, institutions, persons and
incidents, He sought to keep alive in Israel's hearts the hope of a
coming Redeemer. Christ is therefore the key to Moses' gospel. This
then is our advantage, that we can minutely compare type and antitype,
and learn thereby the lessons of grace which bringeth salvation"
("Shadow and Substance," by G. Needham).
In our last article we dwelt upon the typical purport of the
Tabernacle; here we shall say a few words concerning its doctrinal
lessons. One of the chief values which the closing sections of Exodus
possesses to the true people of God is that there we have set before
us Divine illustrations, concrete representations, vivid pictures of
the fundamental verities connected with our "great salvation." God, in
His infinite condescension, graciously adapted His instructions to the
spiritual intelligence of His children. An abstract statement of truth
is much harder to apprehend than a visible representation of it to the
eye. Just as in natural things a child is able to grasp the meaning of
pictures before it learns to spell and to read, so God has first given
us a full description of the Tabernacle and all its contents, setting
before the eye that which is found in the N.T. Epistles in the form of
doctrinal expositions. Thus by means of material symbols we are
assisted to understand the better the riches of God's grace in Christ
our Savior.
The Tabernacle--the materials of which it was composed; the seven
pieces of furniture, the priesthood who ministered therein, the
offerings and sacrifices--is to be regarded as one great
object-lesson, setting forth spiritual truth. For this reason, among
others, was it designated "the Tent of the Testimony" (Num. 9:15).
There, witness was borne of "good things to come" (Heb. 10:1). There,
was proclaimed the holiness and majesty of the great Jehovah. There,
were set forth the terms of communion with Him. There, was revealed
the way of approach by blood-shedding. There, was exhibited the
imperative need of a Divinely-appointed Mediator. There, was shown the
efficacy of atonement by the sacrifice of an innocent victim in the
room of the guilty. There, was established the Mercy-seat, from which
God communed with the representative of His people.
Our great difficulty in seeking to interpret the portions of Scripture
which now lie before us is the multitude of the revelations contained
therein. By means of the Tabernacle Jehovah revealed His character and
made known His purpose of redemption. There, devouring holiness and
righteous indignation against sin declared the fact that God was Just
even while He Justified. The Tabernacle was the place of sacrifice;
its most vivid spectacle was the flowing and sprinkling of blood,
pointing forward to the sufferings and death of Christ. It was also
the place of cleansing; there was the blood for atonement and also the
water for washing away the stains of defilement. So Christ "loved the
Church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it,
with the washing of water by the Word; that He might present it to
Himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such
thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish" (Eph. 5:25-27).
The Tabernacle had inner chambers, setting forth the fullness of those
blessings which the believer has in Christ. In them was light, bread,
and the altar of prayer--all finding their anti-typical fulfillment in
our blessed Redeemer.
Probably the outstanding lesson taught us through the Tabernacle was
the way in which a sinner might approach God. First of all, he was
most forcibly reminded that sin had separated him from God. The
Tabernacle was God's dwelling-place, and it was enclosed, being
encircled by walls of pure white curtains. This at once taught Israel
the holiness of the One who had come to dwell in their midst; they
were shut out and He was shut in. Their sinfulness unfitted them to
enter His holy presence. O my reader, have you ever pondered the
Ineffable holiness of God, and realized that your sins have placed you
at a guilty distance from Him?
But though the sanctuary of Jehovah was enclosed, there was a door
through which the Israelite might enter the outer court, though
further he might not advance. There, within the outer court, stood the
Tabernacle proper, with its two compartments, surrounded by walls of
wooden boards, and only the priests were allowed therein, and they but
in the first chamber--the holy place. Beyond, lay the holy of holies,
where the Shekinah glory, the visible representation of God's
presence, resided between the cherubim on the mercy-seat. Into this
compartment none ever entered save Moses the mediator, and Aaron the
high priest one day in the year.
Marvelous is the progressive order of teaching in connection with the
various objects in the Tabernacle. At the brazen altar sin was judged,
and by blood-shedding put away. At the laver purification was
effected. In the holy place provision was made for prayer, food and
illumination; while in the holy of holies the glory of the enthroned
King was displayed. The same principle of progress is also to be seen
in the increasing value of the sacred vessels. Those in the outer
court were of wood and brass; whereas those in the inner compartments
were of wood and gold. So too the various curtains grew richer in
design and embellishment, the inner veil being the costliest and most
elaborate. Again, the outer court, being open, was illumined by
natural light; the holy place was lit up by the light from the golden
candlestick; but the holy of holies was radiated by the Shekinah glory
of Jehovah. Thus the journey from the outer court into the holy of
holies was from sin to purification, and from grace to glory. How
blessedly did this illustrate the truth that "the path of the Just is
as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day"
(Prov. 4:18).
The order in which the Tabernacle and its contents are described is
most significant. The first thing mentioned is the ark (25:10) and its
covering--the mercy-seat (25:17), which was Jehovah's throne in
Israel's midst. Then comes the table (25:23) and the candlestick
(25:31), the curtains (26:1), and boards (26:15) of the Tabernacle
proper, with the separating veil (26:31). Last comes the brazen altar
(27:1) and the hangings of the court (27:9). Thus it will be seen that
the order is from the interior to the exterior. It is the order of
sovereign grace, God coming from His throne right to the outer door
where the sinner was! How this reminds us of the Incarnation; the
sinner in his sins could not go from earth to heaven, so God in the
person of His Son came from heaven to earth, and died the Just for the
unjust "that He might bring us to God (1 Pet. 3:18). Blessedly was
this emphasized by Christ in His teaching--the Shepherd going after
the lost sheep (Luke 15:4), the good Samaritan journeying to where the
wounded traveler lay (Luke 10:33), etc.
"In describing the things that pertain to worship, He commences with
the most precious type of all--the breast-plate the high priest wore
on his heart (28:4) and ends with the laver of brass in which Aaron's
sons were to wash their hands and feet daily (30:18). It is thus too
in the book that takes up the sacrifices--Leviticus. It commences not
with the offerings for sins, but the highest form of all--the burnt
offering (Lev. 2:1). God's glory must be the first object to be
established by the work of Christ, and then our need met (Lev. 4). But
that which we first apprehend is surely that which meets our need in
the sin-offering. And the vast difference in the ancient and it is
often years before we understand that it is a "sweet savor" sacrifice
that met the need of God's heart and established His glory" (Mr. C. H.
Bright in "Pictures of Salvation").
It is very striking to note that in the second description of the
Tabernacle, where we have the record of its manufacture and erection,
there is a notable variation--instead of beginning with the contents
of the holy of holies where Jehovah dwelt, we have described the
Tabernacle and curtains of the outer court, which the common people
saw. Here the order is from without to within--the experimental order,
the order in which Divine truth is apprehended by the soul. This same
twofold order may be seen in the Epistles to the Romans and Ephesians.
In the former, the Holy Spirit begins with man's sinfulness,
guiltiness, and ruin; goes on to speak of God's provision in Christ,
and then closes the doctrinal section by showing us the redeemed
sinner in the presence of God, from whom there is no separation. In
Ephesians the Spirit begins with God's eternal counsels, choosing us
in Christ before the foundation of the world, and then treats of
redemption and regeneration and the consequent privileges and
responsibilities flowing therefrom. In Romans it is the sinner going
in to God; in Ephesians, God coming out the sinner. Such is the double
teaching in the twofold order of the description of the Tabernacle.
Before Jehovah gave instructions to Moses concerning the various
articles in the Tabernacle, He first ordered him to require of Israel
as an offering, the different materials out of which they were to be
made. "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children
of Israel that they bring Me an offering: of every man that giveth it
willingly with his heart ye shall take My offering" (Ex. 25:1-2). Very
beautiful is this. The materials out of which the Tabernacle was to be
made were to be provided by the voluntary offerings of devoted hearts.
The great Jehovah who inhabiteth the praises of eternity condescended
to take up His abode in a boarded and curtained Tent, erected by those
who desired His presence in their midst (see 15:2).
Historically, we may admire the fruit of God's grace working in the
hearts of His redeemed so that they willingly offered the required
materials. Their offering was so spontaneous and full (see 35:21-29)
that we are told, "And they spake unto Moses, saying, the people bring
much more than enough for the service of the work, which the Lord
commanded to make. And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to
be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman
make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary, so the people
were restrained from bringing. For the stuff they had was sufficient
for all the work to make it, and too much" (36:5-7). But behind the
historical we are to look for the spiritual, and behold here a lovely
type of the voluntariness and joy of the Lord Jesus, who freely and
gladly became flesh, thus providing God with a perfect Sanctuary as He
tabernacled among men!
"And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and
silver and brass; and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen;
and goats, and rams' skins dyed red, and badgers skins; and shittim
wood; oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet
incense; onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the
breastplate" (v. 3-7). Each of these articles tells forth one of the
manifold perfections of Christ. The gold, His Divine glory. The
silver, the redemption which He wrought and bought for us. The brass,
His capacity to endure the wrath of God against our sins. The blue,
His heavenly origin. The purple, His royal majesty. The scarlet, His
earthly glory in a coming day. The fine linen, His holiness made
manifest by His righteous walk and ways. The goats' hair, His
atonement. The rams' skins, His devotedness to God. The badgers'
skins, His ability to protect His people. The shittim wood, His
incorruptible humanity. The oil for the light, His Divine wisdom. The
spices, His fragrance unto God. The precious stones, His priestly
perfections. We do not now offer proofs for these definitions nor
enlarge upon their blessedness, as, God willing, each one will come
before us for fuller consideration in the articles to follow.
With the above verses should be compared Exodus 38:24-31, where the
Holy Spirit has given us the respective weights of the gold, silver
and brass. Careful students have estimated there would be fully a ton
and a quarter of gold, which at modern value would be worth upwards of
one hundred and seventy-five thousand pounds, or eight hundred and
sixty thousand dollars, but allowing for present-day purchasing
values, worth much more. Of silver there would be fully four tons and
a quarter, and worth forty thousand pounds or two hundred thousand
dollars. Of brass (more likely, copper) there was also over four tons.
In addition, there were the textile fabrics, blue, purple, scarlet and
fine twined linen, besides goats' hair, rams' and badgers' skins, and
large quantities of shittim wood, the amounts of which are not
recorded. Last, but not least, were the precious stones for the
breastplate of the high priest. All of this indicates the great
costliness of the Tabernacle. At modern values its materials would be
worth at least a million pounds or five million dollars. How this, in
type, told of God's estimate of Christ; how it shows us the Father
saying, This is My Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased!
It is noteworthy that there were fifteen separate articles specified
in the above verses, the factors of which are three and five--almost
every numeral connected with the Tabernacle was a division or multiple
of one of these. Now three is the number of manifestation and
therefore of God--in the three Persons of the Trinity. Five is the
number of grace. Putting these together, fifteen signifies, in the
language of spiritual arithmetic, God's grace manifested. How
eminently suited were these numerals as the predominating ones in that
dwelling-place of God which pointed forward to His incarnate Son! It
was in Christ, come to earth, that the grace of God was fully made
known. How this shows us, again, that there is a deep meaning to the
minutest detail of Holy Writ!
"And let them make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them" (v.
8). Here is the leading feature to bear in mind concerning the
Tabernacle: it was to be Jehovah's "sanctuary," God's dwelling-place.
It is important to observe that it was not until He had redeemed a
people unto Himself that God dwelt amid them on the earth. He visited
Adam in Eden, He appeared to and communed with the patriarchs, He gave
communications to Moses even in Egypt, but not until He had redeemed
His people out of the house of bondage, not until they had been
separated from their enemies at the Red Sea, not until His government
over them had been established at Sinai, did He propose the making of
a sanctuary, in which He might dwell among His saints.
The Tabernacle then was the pledge and proof that God had graciously
brought His redeemed people into relationship with Himself, yea, into
a place of nearness to Himself. So we, who once were (because of sin)
far off from Him, have been made nigh by the precious blood of Christ
(Eph. 2:13). The awful distance which once separated is now gone; we
have been brought "to God" (1 Pet. 3:18). O the wondrous riches of
Divine mercy! First bought by Christ, then sought by the Spirit, and
in consequence, brought to the Father; and that not as guilty
criminals, but as happy children. Blessedly is this illustrated at the
close of that wondrous parable In Luke 15. There we are shown that the
one who had wasted his substance in the far country, then convicted of
his deep need and brought to repentance, finally welcomed by the
Father, fitted for His presence and given a seat at His table.
But as at the marriage-feast in Cana of Galilee, the best wine is
reserved for the last. "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for
the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was
no more sin. And I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming
down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her
husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the
tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they
shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their
God" (Rev. 21:1-3). "Then the counsels of God's heart will be
displayed in their consummated perfection, and, inasmuch as the former
things, with all the sorrows connected with them through man's sin,
will have passed away, there will be nothing to hinder the full,
perfect, and blessed enjoyment arising out of the unhindered flow of
God's heart to His people, and their hearts to Him, and from His
perfect manifestation and their perfect worship and service" (Mr. Ed.
Dennett).
"According to all that I show thee. after the pattern of the
Tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof even so
shall you make it" (v. 9). It is to be noted that Moses not only
received implicit instructions as to what materials the tabernacle was
to be made from, and (as we shall see later) complete details as to
the dimensions, plan, and furnishings thereof; but that a pattern or
model was set before him, after which it was to be constructed. That
this is a point of importance for us to weigh is evident from the
number of times it is repeated in the Scriptures. No less than seven
times are we informed that Moses was commanded to make the Sanctuary
after the pattern of it which was shown him in the Mount--see Exodus
25:9; 25:40; 26:30; 27:8; Numbers 8:4; Acts 7:44; Hebrews 8:5. Nothing
was left to man's wisdom, still less to "chance"; everything was to be
in exact accordance with the Divine model. Does not this teach us that
everything concerning Christ and His people has been wrought out
according to the eternal purpose of Him who worketh all things after
the counsel of His own will! May Divine grace enable us to rest there
in perfect peace and Joyous worship.
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Gleanings In Exodus
35. The Ark
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Exodus 25:10-16
Of the seven pieces of furniture which were found in the Tabernacle
the Holy Spirit has described first the ark and the mercy-seat. Though
these two are intimately related, so intimately that together they
formed one complete whole--the mercy-seat being the cover or lid of
the ark--yet are they mentioned, and are therefore to be considered,
separately. The ark was a wooden chest, slightly over four feet in
length and about two and a half feet broad and high, The wood of which
it was made was overlaid with gold, both within and without, so that
nothing save gold was visible to the eye.
The great importance of the ark is clear from several considerations.
When Jehovah gave instructions to Moses concerning the Tabernacle, He
began with the ark. It was first in order because first in importance.
Before any details were communicated concerning the sanctuary itself,
before a word was told Moses about its court and chambers its
priesthood and ritual, its furniture and garniture, minute directions
were given regarding the ark; without the ark the whole service of the
Tabernacle had been meaningless and valueless, for it was upon it, as
His throne, that God dwelt. The ark was the object to which the brazen
altar pointed, the sacrifice of which gave right of access to the
worshipper, who came to the ark representatively in the person of the
high priest. It was the first of the holy vessels to be made and made
by Moses himself (Deut. 10:1-5). It was the place where the tables of
the law were preserved. Its pre-eminence above all the other vessels
was shown in the days of Solomon, for the ark alone was transferred
from the tabernacle to the Temple.
"The ark was a symbol that God was present among His people, that His
covenant blessing was resting upon them. It was the most sacred and
glorious Instrument of the sanctuary; yea, the whole sanctuary was
built for no other end, but to be as it were a house, an habitation
for the ark (see Exodus 26:33). Hence sanctification proceeded unto
all the parts of it; for, as Solomon observed, the places were holy
whereunto the ark of God came. 2 Chronicles 8:11" (A. Saphir). We
shall consider the ark in seven connections.
1. Its Significance.
The ark typified the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is so
obvious that it is hardly necessary to pause and furnish proof. The
other two arks that of Noah, in which he and his family found shelter
from the flood; and that in which the infant Moses was preserved,
plainly foreshadowed Christ Himself. The fact that the ark of the
covenant was composed of two materials and of two only--the wood and
the gold--clearly point to the two natures of our Lord: the human and
the Divine. The fact that the two tables of stone were preserved in
the ark, and the words of the Savior, "Thy law is within My heart"
(Ps. 40:8) supply us with a sure key. The fact that the mercy-seat
(where God received the representative of His sinful but
blood-cleansed people) rested upon the ark furnishes additional
confirmation.
It is the typical significance of the ark which explains its
pre-eminence over the other sacred vessels. Each of them pointed to
same aspect of Christ's work. or its effects, but the ark spoke of His
person: they of what He has done, this of what HE is. It is the
blessed person of Christ which gave value to His work. Today, in
evangelical circles, the emphasis is placed on what the Savior has
done for us, rather than on what He is in Himself. Scripture ever
reverses this order. Note how in the typical ritual on the annual day
of atonement, the high priest first entered the holy of holies with
his hands full of sweet incense (Lev. 16:12), before he took in and
sprinkled the blood (v. 14)--God would first be reminded of the
fragrant perfections of Christ's person, ere that which spoke of His
redemptive work was placed before Him! Mark the order in the
announcement of the Lord's forerunner "Behold the Lamb of God" (first
His person) which taketh away (second His work) the sin of the world,"
(John 1:29). So with the apostle Paul, "I determined not to know
anything among you save Jesus Christ (His person) and Him
crucified"--His work" (1 Cor. 2:2). So again, in the apocalyptic
visions: `I beheld . . . and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb
(His person) as it had been slain"--His work (Rev. 5:6). Thus it was
in this order of the Tabernacle furniture: first the ark which tells
of Christ's person, then the mercy-seat, etc., which point to His
work.
2. Its Materials.
The ark was made of "shittim wood," a species of the acacia, which is
said by many to be imperishable. It is a tree which is found in the
arid desert. The "shittim wood," grown here on earth, typified the
humanity of our Savior. Isaiah 53:2 speaks in the language of this
type: "For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a
root out of a dry ground." "There are three things about this
shittim-tree which makes it a peculiarly fitting as a type of this. It
is the tree now called the acacia seyal--the only tree that grows to
any size in the deserts through which Israel passed. First it is a
tree that can thrive in a very dry soil. Second, it has very long,
sharp thorns Third, it is the tree from which is obtained the gum
arabic so largely used in medicinal preparations, which is procured
simply by piercing the tree at nightfall, and that which oozes out is,
without any preparation, the gum-arabic of commerce. To the spiritual
mind these facts are sweetly suggestive of Him who, in a dry and
thirsty land, where surely there was naught to sustain His spirit, was
in the constant freshness of communion with God, for other than an
earthly stream sustained Him. Though indeed crowned now with glory, a
crown of thorns was all this world had for Him. And we remember too
that it was He who was pierced for us in that blackest night of guilt,
when the blood flowed forth from His side, to be the only balm for the
troubled soul and sin-burdened conscience" (Mr. C. H. Bright).
As the shittim-wood was one that never rotted, it was a most
appropriate emblem of the sinless humanity of the Lord Jesus. It is
indeed striking to find that in the Septuagint (the first translation
ever made of the Old Testament--into Greek) it is always translated
"incorruptible wood." Now it is of paramount importance that we should
hold fast and testify to the fundamental truth conveyed by the
"incorruptible wood," namely, the real but absolute untainted humanity
of Christ. That Christ was truly Man is clear from. His repeated use
of the title "the Son of Man." and from the Holy Spirit's appellation
"the Man Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. 2:5). But His humanity was uncorrupt
and incorruptible. In Him was no sin (1 John 3:5) for He was the Holy
One of God; and therefore disease and death had no claim upon Him
Begotten by the Holy Spirit, and born of a virgin, His immaculate
humanity was pronounced "that holy thing which shall be born" (Luke
1:45).
The wood of the ark was overlaid with gold within and without. This
prefigured His Divine nature. "While the acacia boards gave form and
dimensions to the ark, the appearance was all gold--no wood was
visible. Thus our Lord's hum-inanity gives Him the form in which He
was and is, Light of light, the Creator and Upholder of all things, He
became a Man, and was and is eternally `the Man Christ Jesus.' But how
God guards us from having a single low view of this most lowly One.
The gold covers all Look at Him, gaze, as far as finite mind and heart
can, upon the majesty of His being, and all is Divine! The Divine
nature is displayed over the `form of a servant' and wherever the
all-seeing eye of God rests, within that pure and holy mind,
affections and will, as well as without upon that blameless walk,
meekness and obedience, He owns Him as His Equal, His co-eternal Son.
It is all gold, though the form of the Servant was there, with perfect
human faculties and dependence--everything that belongs to man, sin
apart. But spread over all this is the gold of His deity. And does not
faith see the same?" (Lectures on the Tabernacle by S. Ridout).
Thus, in the wood and the gold together forming the ark we have
foreshadowed the great mystery of godliness--God manifest in flesh.
Here we see, in symbol the union of the two natures in the God-man, a
Scriptural conception of whom is so important and vital--important, as
God has shown us by making the ark to be the first object of
contemplation as we take up the study of the Tabernacle; vital,
because sound views of Christ are inseparable from our very salvation:
"This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent" (John 17:3).
3. Its Dimensions.
The ark was two and a half cubits in length, one and a half in
breadth, and one and a half in height. The repeated half at once
arrests attention. The word "half" in the Hebrew comes from a root
which means to cut in two. Another has pointed out that these half
cubits suggest that the knowledge of Christ given to us now is only
partial: "Now we know in part" (1 Cor. 13:9). "Those who have the
fullest knowledge of Christ are the first to say, in the language of
the Queen of Sheba, `it was a true report that I heard.. and behold.
the half was not told me' (1 Kings 10:6-7). So with our all-glorious
Lord, the scale is reduced--may we say?--that our finite minds may
grasp something of the wondrous fullness of that which passeth
knowledge" (Mr. S. Ridout).
Two and a half is half of five, and one and a half is half of three,
and both of these numbers have a meaning in Scripture which is deeply
significant. Take the latter first. Three is the number of
manifestation, that is why it Is the number of resurrection, for only
in resurrection is life fully manifested; for the same reason three is
the number of Deity, for God is fully manifested in the three persons
of the Holy Trinity. How significant then that the breadth and height
(which both have to do with the display of an object) of the ark were
both half of three. Remembering that the ark speaks of the person of
Christ and three is the number of manifestation, do we not find here
more than a hint that when Christ came to the earth He would not fully
manifest Himself? Nor did He: Had He completely unveiled His glory men
had been blinded as was Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:8), or had fallen at
His feet as dead, as did John (Rev. 1:17). But blessed be God we shall
yet "see Him as He is," and then shall we eat of "the hidden Manna"
(Rev. 2:17). So, too, with the other number. Five stands for grace,
and the length of the ark speaks of the span of God's grace in Christ.
That span is eternal; but eternity is endless duration both backwards
and forwards. Therefore is the five halved for though believers now
know of the grace that was given them in Christ before the foundation
of the world (2 Tim. 1:9), the endless ages yet to come await its
future display (Eph. 2:7).
It is to be noted that the ark measured, the same in height as in
breadth, which at once points to the perfections and uniqueness of
Christ. The "breadth" would speak of Him in His dealings with man, the
"height" His relations Godward. How far our spiritual height falls
short of our breadth! For example how much more cautious are we
against displeasing our fellows than God! Not so with the Perfect One.
In meeting the needs of men, He never lost sight of the claims of His
Father: Mark how in responding to the appeal of Lazarus' sisters, the
glory of the Father was His only motive and consideration (John
11:4-6).
4. Its Contents.
These are described in Hebrews 9:4: "The ark of the covenant overlaid
round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and
Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant." Some have
seen a contradiction between this verse and 1 Kings 8:9: "There was
nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone." But there is no
conflict between the two passages, for they are not treating of the
same point in time. Hebrews 9:4 is speaking of what was in the ark
during the days that it was lodged in the Tabernacle, whereas 1 Kings
8:9 tells us of what comprised its contents after it came to rest in
the Temple. Thus we see how quickly disappears one of the stock
`contradiction' arguments of infidels!
The distinction noted above between what was inside the ark during its
respective sojourns in the Tabernacle and in the Temple supplies the
key to the typical significance of its contents. The three articles
specified in Hebrews 9:4 point to God's provisions in Christ while
they are Journeying through the wilderness, This becomes abundantly
clear when we consider the first thing named, "the golden pot that had
manna." The manna was the food which Jehovah gave to Israel while they
were Journeying from the house of bondage to the promised inheritance.
It foreshadowed Christ as the Bread of life, the food of His pilgrim
people. But most blessed is the added word here. In Exodus 16:3, we
simply read that Moses said unto Aaron "take a pot and put an omer
full of manna therein and lay it up before the testimony, to be kept;
whereas in Hebrews 9:4, the Spirit tells us it was "a golden pot." The
Old Testament could not give us that. it is reserved for the New
Testament to bring it out. The Manna was the grace of God meeting the
need of His people in the wilderness. Now while the Old Testament
makes it plain that Israel's deepest need would be met through the
promised Messiah, yet it was by no means clear that the Messiah would
be a member of the Godhead; rather was the emphasis thrown upon the
fact that He was to be the seed of Abraham and of David. But with the
New Testament before us, we have no difficulty in perceiving that
naught but a vessel which was holy and Divine was adequate to hold
what God had for fleetly sinners and that that vessel was no other
than His beloved Son incarnate. It is in John's Gospel, particularly,
that we get the truth of the "golden pot." There we see the Vessel
which was capable of holding the grace of God for His people: "full of
grace and truth" is found only in John!
There is no doubt, an additional thought connected with the golden
pot," which contained the manna. The amount stored therein was "one
omer" which, as we learn from Exodus 16:16, was the quantity for each
man. Thus the amount preserved was the measure of a man; but the
golden pot which contained it tells us that this Man is now glorified,
the same thought being found in the "crown of gold which was round
about the ark." This is confirmed by a comparison of Exodus 25:18 with
Hebrews 9:5 where the cherubim of "gold" are called the cherubim of
"glory." It is, then, in the Man Christ Jesus, now crowned with glory
and honor, that God's food for His people is to be found. Just as in
another type, when the famine stricken people came to Pharaoh for
corn, he referred them to the once humbled, but then exalted Joseph.
The second article within the ark was "Aaron's rod that budded." This
takes us back to Numbers 17 where we have the historical account of
it. In Numbers 16, we read of a revolt against Moses and Aaron headed
by Korah, a revolt occasioned by jealously at the authority God had
delegated to His two servants. This revolt was visited by summary
judgment from on High, and was followed by a manifest vindication of
Aaron. The form that this vindication took is most interesting and
instructive. The Lord bade Moses take twelve rods, one for each tribe,
writing Aaron's name on the rod for Levi. These rods were laid up
before the ark and the one that should be made to blossom would
indicate which had been chosen of God to be the priestly tribe. Next
morning it was found that Aaron's rod had "brought forth buds, and
blossomed blossoms, and yielded almonds." Afterwards, the Lord ordered
Moses to bring Aaron's rod before the testimony "to be kept for a
token against the rebels." The spiritual and typical significance of
this we shall now endeavor to indicate.
The issue raised by Korah and his company was that of priestly
ministry--who had the right to exercise it? In deciding this issue the
tribal rods (symbols of authority) were laid up before the Lord, to
show that the matter was taken entirely out of the hands of man and
was to be decided by God alone. Thus the question of the priesthood
was determined solely by Jehovah. The manner in which God's mind was
made known on this momentous point is very striking. The "rods" were
all of them lifeless things, but during the interval that they were
laid up before the testimony, unseen by the eye of man, the mighty
power of the living God intervened, a miracle was wrought, the dead
rod was quickened, and resurrection-life and fruit appeared.
The spiritual eye will have no difficulty in perceiving what all of
this pointed forward to. Numbers 16 foreshadowed Israel's rebellion
against Him, whom Moses and Aaron jointly prefigured. Moses, the
prophet proclaimed the truth of God; Aaron the priest, expressed His
grace; both were hated without a cause. So He who was full of grace
and truth was despised and rejected of men; not only so but put to a
shameful death. And what was God's response? He fully vindicated His
beloved Son by raising Him from the dead. Moses entering the
Tabernacle on the morrow (Num. 17:8) and there beholding the evidences
of God's resurrection power, reminds us of the disciples entering the
empty sepulcher and beholding the signs that Christ had risen from the
dead. Moses bringing out the rods and showing them to the people (v.
9), finds its antitype in the resurrection of Christ established
before many witnesses (1 Cor. 15:6). In the rod laid up before the
Lord, we have a picture of Christ, now hidden, at the right hand of
God.
But it is with the rod in the ark that we now have to do. All that was
in the ark speaks of the wondrous provision which God has made for His
people in Christ. Now what is before us in Numbers 17, is not God
dealing in judgment, but in grace: "And the Lord said unto Moses.
Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token
against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings
from Me that they die not." Thus, the priestly ministry of Aaron Was
to preserve God's people before Him while they were passing through
the wilderness. How plain is the type. That which answers to it is
found in the ministry of our great High Priest in heaven, who secures
our salvation to the uttermost by His constant intercessions for us
(Heb. 7:25). Here, then, is God's provision for us in Christ: food to
strengthen, priestly grace to sustain.
One other point remains to be considered in connection with Aaron's
rod. In Hebrews 9:4, it is referred to simply as "Aaron's rod that
budded" whereas in Numbers 17:8, we are told that it "brought forth
buds and blossomed blessings, and yielded almonds." We believe that
the omission in Hebrews 9:11 of the latter part of this statement is
infest significant. Numbers 17:8 refers to resurrection-life in three
stages, all, of course pointing to Christ. We would suggest that the
"budding" of the rod found its fulfillment in the resurrection of
Christ Himself; that the "blossomed blossoms" will receive its
realization in the resurrection of "them that are Christ's at His
coming"; while the "yielded almonds" points forward to the raising of
Israel from the dead who shall then fill the earth with fruit. As the
"blossoming" and the "yielding almonds" is yet future, the Holy Spirit
has most appropriately omitted these in Hebrews 9:4.
The third thing in the ark was the two tables of stone on which were
written the ten commandments. The reader will recall that the Lord
gave to Moses on two separate occasions tables of stone engraved by
His own finger. The first ones Moses dashed to the ground when he
beheld the idolatry of the people (Ex. 32), thereby intimating that
fallen man is unable to keep the law. But God's counsels cannot be
thwarted, neither will He abate the requirements of His righteousness:
"At that time the Lord said unto me, Hew thee two tables of stone like
unto the first, and came up unto Me into the Mount, and make thee an
ark of wood. And I will write in the tables the words that were in the
first tables which thou breakest, and thou shalt put them in the ark"
(Deut. 10:1-2).
The second set of tables of stone were deposited in the ark. The
careful student will observe a notable omission in the above quotation
from Deuteronomy 10:1-2, an omission emphasized by its repetition in
the next verse--"And I made an ark of shittim wood, and hewed two
tables of stone." Nothing is said of the wood being overlaid with
gold, nor of the cherubim of glory on its cover. It is simply said
that the two tables of stone were to be placed in "an ark of wood."
The law which fallen man had broken was to be preserved intact by the
perfect Man, It was as "the second Man, the Last Adam" that Christ
"magnified the law and made it honorable" (Isa. 42:21). How perfect is
every jot and tittle of Scripture, even in its omissions!
The fulfillment of this aspect of our type is given in Psalm 40 where,
speaking by the Spirit of prophecy, our glorious Surety exclaimed,
"Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of Me, I delight
to do Thy will O My God yea Thy law is within My heart" (vv. 7, 8).
The blessed Substitute of God's elect was "made under the law" (Gal.
4:4), and perfectly did He "fulfill" it (Matthew 5:17). Therefore is
it written "By the obedience of One shall many be made righteous"
(Rom. 5:19), Christ has answered every requirement of God's law for
His people. He has fully discharged all their creature
responsibilities. In Christ, as our type plainly shows, and in Christ
alone, is found that obedience which meets every demand of God's
throne. Therefore may each believer joyfully exclaim "In the Lord have
I righteousness" (Isa. 45:24). Thus can the whole ransomed Church hail
its covenant Head as "The Lord our Righteousness" (Jer. 23:6).
In our next chapter, God willing, we shall ponder the coverings of the
ark, its various names and its remarkable history. In the meantime may
the Holy Spirit occupy both writer and reader, more and more, with Him
whom the ark typified.
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Gleanings In Exodus
36. The Ark (Continued)
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Exodus 25:10-16
As the Ark is singled out from the seven pieces of furniture in the
Tabernacle for special sanctity and prominence, and as so much more is
recorded about its history than that of any of the other holy vessels,
we felt it needful to devote two articles to its consideration. In the
preceding one we pondered its importance; its significance, its
materials, its dimensions and its contents. In this we shall deal with
its coverings, its varied names or titles, and its remarkable career.
May the Holy Spirit, whose office it is to take of the things of
Christ and show them to His people, graciously enlighten our
sin-darkened understandings and draw out our hearts in adoring worship
to Him whom the Ark so strikingly prefigured.
5. Its Coverings.
The actual cover or lid of the Ark was the mercy-seat, but it is not
of this we shall now treat, as that will be the object of
contemplation in the next article. The coverings of the Ark which we
shall here notice are those which protected it as it was borne from
place to place dining the journeying of Israel. These are suitably
mentioned in Numbers--the Wilderness book. In Numbers 4:5, 6, we read,
"And when the camp setteth forward, Aaron shall come, and his sons,
and they shall take down the covering veil, and cover the Ark of
testimony with it: And shall put thereon the covering of badgers"
skins, and shall spread over it a cloth wholly of blue, and shall put
in the staves thereof."
First, the Ark was wrapped in the "covering veil"--the most precious
of all the curtains. The veil, as we learn from Hebrews 10:20,
typified the perfect humanity of Christ, rent for His people by the
hand of God. This tells us that when God the Son was here in this
wilderness-world His Divine glory was hidden from the eyes of men by
His flesh, He who was in the form of God having taken upon Himself,
the form of a servant.
Second, over the covering veil was placed "the covering of badgers'
skins." Unlike the skins of other animals, the lion, tiger, or
leopard, the badger's is quite unattractive. In Ezekiel 16:10 we read
of badgers' skins for making sandals, hence when used symbolically
they would speak of lowliness. In our present type the badgers' skins
tell of our Lord's humiliation, particularly that aspect of it from
which nature turns away, saying, "He hath no form or comeliness, and
when we shall see Him there is no beauty that we should desire Him";
but an aspect which those who through sovereign grace are in communion
with Him, ever recognize as that which fills them with adoring love.
Third, the external covering of the Ark was "a cloth wholly of
blue"--this alone being seen by men as the Ark was carried through the
wilderness from place to place. It was this which distinguished the
Ark, once more, from the other vessels, for all of them had the
badgers' skins for their outer covering. Why, then, was the cloth of
blue the external garment of the Ark? Blue is the color of heaven and
is ever employed for the setting forth of celestial things. All
heavenly things are not suitable for testimony to the world, but
Christ as the God-man is to be borne witness to before all!
6. Its Names.
"His name shall be called Wonderful" (Isa. 9:6) was the language of
Messianic prophecy, and strikingly was this foreshadowed by the
different titles of the Ark. They are seven in number, and are
wonderful for their variety, dignity and sublimity. First, the ark was
termed "the ark of the Testimony" (Ex. 25:22). This is the name by
which it is most frequently called. It was thus designated because it
was there that the "two tables of testimony" (31:18) were deposited
for safe keeping. The Ark was given this appellation because it
testified to the holiness and grace, the majesty and condescension of
Jehovah. It was so denominated because Christ, to whom the Ark
pointed, is the Center of all God's counsels.
Second, the Ark was called "the ark of the covenant" (Num. 10:33).
This brings before us a most blessed though math neglected subject,
upon which we feign would linger, but must not. Christ is expressly
termed the "Surety of a better testament"` or covenant" (Heb. 7:23);
of which He is also the Mediator (Heb. 9:6). This covenant is one into
which He entered before the foundation of the world (Heb. 13:20), a
covenant "ordered in all things and sure" (2 Sam. 23:5); a covenant in
which Christ agreed to discharge all the obligations and
responsibilities of His people.
Third, the Ark was named "the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the
earth" (Josh. 3:15). This title was used just after Israel had crossed
the Jordan, when the unconquered land of Canaan lay before them. It
was, at that time, filled with enemies. But there was the symbol and
word of assurance--the Ark which went before them was the Ark of the
Lord of all the earth. The anti-typical fulfillment of this is yet
future. When Christ returns He will find the inheritance occupied with
usurpers. But a short work will He make of them: the enemy will be
ejected and His own throne securely established--Zechariah 14:9!
Fourth, the Ark was denominated "the Ark of God" (1 Sam. 3:3). This is
very striking. God never identified Himself with any of the other
vessels of the sanctuary. But how appropriate that He should do so
with that which, in a special way, symbolized the person of Christ,
How this title of the Ark pointed to the absolute Deity of Him who was
made in the likeness of men.
Fifth, the Ark was entitled "the Ark of the Lord God" (1 Kings
2:26)--in the Hebrew, "Adonai Jehovah." "Adonai" always has reference
to headship, and to God's purpose of blessing. "Jehovah" is God in
covenant relationship. The connection in which this particular name of
the Ark occurs is most interesting and blessed. The first chapter of
King's records a conspiracy at the close of David's reign, to prevent
Solomon securing the throne. The second chapter tells how the
conspirators and their abettors were dealt with after Solomon came to
the throne: Adonijah and Joab were slain, but Abiather, the priest,
was spared because he had borne the Ark.
Sixth, the Ark was designated "the holy Ark" (2 Chron. 35:3). It was
so spoken of by king Josiah, in whose days mere was a blessed revival
of true godliness. Preceding his reign there had been a long period of
awful declension and apostasy, and the Ark was no longer kept in the
Temple, therefore one of the first acts of Josiah was to give orders
for the placing of the holy Ark in the House which Solomon had built.
How this shows us that the holiness and majesty of Christ's person is
only appreciated when God is working in power among His people!
Seventh, the Ark was spoken of as "the Ark of Thy strength" (Ps.
132:8). Lovely title was this. How it reminds us of that word: "I have
laid help upon One that is mighty" (Ps. 89:19); and again, "Christ the
power of God," "and the wisdom of God" (1 Cor. 1:24). Blessed be His
name, there is no feebleness in our Redeemer; all power in heaven and
earth is His. He is none other than "the mighty God" (Isa. 9:6). O
that His dear people may draw more and more from His fullness, proving
that His strength is made perfect in their weakness.
7. Its Career.
By its career we have particular reference to its journeying and
history. Provision was duly made for the Ark to be carried while the
Tabernacle was being borne from one camping place to another. "And
thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four
corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two
rings in the other side of it. And thou shalt make staves of shittim
wood, and overlay them with gold. And thou shalt put these staves into
the rings by the sides of the Ark, that the Ark may be borne with
them. The staves shall be in the rings of the Ark: they shall not be
taken from it" (Ex. 25:12-15).
"This shows that God's people were pilgrims in the wilderness,
Journeying on to the place which God had prepared for them. But the
time would come when the inheritance should be possessed, and when the
temple, suited in magnificence to the glory of the king of Israel
should be built. The staves, which in the desert were not to be taken
from the rings of the Ark, should then be withdrawn (2 Chron. 5:9),
because the pilgrimage past, the Ark would, with the people, have
entered into its rest (Ps. 132:8). The staves in the rings, therefore,
speak of Christ with His pilgrim host, as being Himself with them in
wilderness circumstances. It is Christ in this world, Christ in all
His own perfectness as man--Christ, in a word, in all that He was as
the revealer of God; for in truth, He was the perfect presentation of
God to man" (Mr. Ed. Dennett).
Before we attempt to trace the actual career of the Ark, there is one
other point to be considered concerning its history, namely, that
before its journeying commenced it was anointed. This is recorded in
Exodus 30:26, "And thou shalt anoint the Tabernacle of the
congregation therewith, and the Ark of the Testimony." The antitype is
presented to us in Acts 10:38: "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with
the Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good and healing
all that were oppressed of the devil." Notice the "anointing" of the
Savior occurred before He "went about doing good," just as the
anointing of the Ark preceded its travels. The anointing of our
Redeemer with the Holy Spirit took place at His baptism when, at the
solemn inauguration of His public ministry, the Spirit came upon Him
in the form of a dove (Matthew 3).
(1) "And they departed from the mount of the Lord three days' journey
and the Ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them in the three
days' Journey, to search out a resting place for them" (Num. 10:33).
Very blessed and beautiful is this. Lovely type was it of the Good
Shepherd going before His sheep (John 10:4), leading them into the
green pastures and beside the still waters. But the preciousness of
the type here will be lost unless we attend to the context--note the
"and" at the beginning of Numbers 10:33!
First, mark Numbers 9:18-20, where we have a notable instance of God's
grace, and faithfulness in providing Israel with the cloud to guide
them, intimating when they were to move and when to stop. Second,
observe the failure of Moses. Forgetful of the Lord's promise to guide
them, he desired to lean upon the arm of flesh, and said to his
father-in-law, "Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest
how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us
instead of eyes" (10:31). Alas, what is man, even the best among men!
Third, beautiful is it to see how mercifully the Lord intervened: the
Ark was now to go before Israel as their guide--type of Christ as the
Leader of His pilgrim people. As another has said, "In the path
Homeward, the brightest human eyes and the keenest human wisdom are
absolutely of no avail." The "three days' Journey" Intimate that it is
on resurrection-ground that the Lord directs His people.
(2) "But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the
Ark of the covenant of the Lord and Moses departed not out of the
camp" (Num. 14:44). The whole of this chapter is very solemn,
recording as it does the Judgment of God, which would descend upon a
people who feared to follow the counsel of Caleb and Joshua. But the
people believed not the Divine warning, and next morning, feeling the
folly of their timidity on the previous day, determined to go up, and,
in their own strength, disposes the enemy. Nevertheless the Ark and
Moses departed not out of the camp. Therefore we need not be surprised
at what follows: "Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites
which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even
unto Hormah" (v. 45). What a solemn warning is this for us today:
unless the Lord Himself is leading us, when we act simply in the
energy of the flesh, failure and disaster are the sure consequence.
(3) Joshua 3:5 to 17. This passage is too long for us to quote here,
but let the student please turn to it and read it carefully ere he
proceeds with our comments. Here we see Israel crossing the Jordan and
the Ark going before them to open up a way through its waters. Though
Israel's journey across the wilderness was one long record of
unbelief, murmuring and rebelling, the Ark still continued to guide
them, and now that the promised land was spread before their eyes
conducted them into it. Blessed type was this of the marvelous and
matchless long-suffering of God, who, notwithstanding all the sins and
miserable failures of His people, has promised, "I will never leave
thee nor forsake thee."
The Jordan is the river of Judgment and a figure of death. The Ark of
the Lord's presence entering Jordan, dividing its waters for Israel to
pass over dry-shod, is a type of the Lord Jesus suffering death for
His people. "The fact that the Ark of the Lord had passed before them
into Jordan and that its waters had dried up before it, was to be
proof positive that the Lord would drive out all their enemies before
them: the fact that Jesus entered death for us, received its sting,
tasted what real death as the wages of sin is, exhausted its
bitterness, is also certain proof to us that no enemy can ever prevent
our final entrance into and enjoyment of the Heavenly Canaan. And this
fact is of fullest blessing. The king of terrors is disarmed for us;
he is powerless that had the power of death, and those are delivered
who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage"
(Mr. C. H. Bright). In consequence, those for whom Christ died shall
never themselves receive the wages of sin. Fall asleep they may, but
die they shall not: "If a man keep My saying, he shall never see
death" (John 8:52); "Whosoever liveth and believeth on Me shall never
die" (John 11:26).
(4). Joshua 6:4 to 20. Once again we would ask the student to read the
Scripture before noting our brief remarks thereon. The one thing which
we here single out for mention is that the Ark of the covenant led the
way as Israel marched around the walls of Jericho. How plainly this
teaches us that, if the strongholds of Satan are to fall before the
people of God, if proud imaginations and every high thing that
exalteth itself against the knowledge of God are to be cast down, it
can only be under the immediate leadership of the Captain of our
salvation. Notice how the "Ark" is mentioned no less than ten times in
Joshua 6! The power was not in the trumpets, nor in the marching or
shouting of the people, but in the Ark with its blood-sprinkled
mercy-seat going before them; and strikingly did God bear witness to
its efficacy.
(5). "And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their
judges, stood on this side of the Ark and on that side before the
priests and Levites, which bear the Ark of the covenant of the Lord,
as well the stranger, as he that was born among them; half of them
over against Mount Gerizim, and half of them over against Mount Ebal;
as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded before, that they
should bless the people of Israel" (Josh. 8:33). Here a lovely scene
is presented to us. At their first attempt to capture Ai, Israel had
failed miserably, due to their pride and self-sufficiency--see 7:3.
Deeply exercised in heart Joshua had sought unto Jehovah, who made
known to him the sin of Achan. After that had been dealt with, the
Lord assured Joshua (8:1) that He had given Ai into his hands. The
sequel made this manifest: the city was burned and its king hanged.
Then we are told, Joshua built an altar unto the Lord, upon whose
stones He wrote the ten commandments, and then summoning all Israel
together, read in their ears all the words of the law. But what is so
blessed to behold is, that the Ark formed the center. "And all Israel
. . . stood on this side of the Ark and on that side." Precious figure
was this of Christ in the midst of His assembly, and praise being
rendered to Him for the victories He has wrought.
(6). "And the children of Israel inquired of the Lord, for the Ark of
the covenant of God was there in those days (Judg. 20:27). The chapter
in which this is found records another of Israel's sad failures into
which we must not now enter. The tribe of Benjamin had sinned
grievously and the remaining tribes undertook to punish them. Though
vastly superior in numbers, Israel was defeated. Then it was that they
wept and fasted before the Lord, and inquired of Him. The reference to
the Ark here, typically shows us that the mind of Goal can only be
learned through and in Christ.
(7). 1 Samuel 4: This chapter presents to us the sad spectacle of the
Ark of God captured by the Philistines (v. 11)--permitted by God
because of the apostasy of His people. Typically, this points to the
humiliation of that One whom the Ark ever prefigured, and foreshadowed
His being delivered into the hands of the Gentiles! Two details here
emphasize what we have just said, and exceedingly striking they are.
Connected with, yea, synchronizing with, the Ark being laid hold of by
the Philistines, was the death of the high priest (v. 18). According
to the eternal counsels of God, the Lord Jesus was delivered into the
hands of the Gentiles in order to the death of the great High Priest!
Equally noteworthy were the words of Eli's daughter-in-law: "The glory
of God is departed from Israel, because the Ark of God was taken" (v.
21). So it was with the Anti-type. With the delivering up of Christ
into the hands of the Gentiles the glory of God departed from Israel!
(8). 1 Samuel 5. This chapter traces the history of the Ark while it
was away from Israel in the land of the Philistines. First, they took
it into the house of Dagon, and set it before this idol. The sequel
was startling: "And when they of Ashdod rose early on the morrow,
behold Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the Ark of
the Lord." How forcibly this reminds us of what is mentioned in John
18:3-6, when the officers came to arrest Christ they "fell to the
ground before Him!" And afterwards God troubled the Philistines so
severely they got rid of the Ark by sending it back to Israel. Did not
this foreshadow the Gentiles' rejection of Christ, their apostasy, and
the subsequent return of Christ to the Jews!
(9). "And they set the Ark of God upon a new cart and brought it out
of the house of Abinadab" (2 Sam. 6:3). In setting the Ark on a new
cart (imitating the Philistines--1 Samuel 6:7-11) they disregarded the
Divine injunction--see Numbers 3:27-31. "And when they came to
Nachom's threshing floor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the Ark of God,
and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the Lord
was kindled against Uzzah: and God smote him there for his rashness;
and there he died by the Ark of God" (2 Sam. 6:6, 7). This was God's
Judgment because of their disobedience to His word. Numbers 4:15
specifically prohibited any from touching the holy things save the
Levites, and Numbers 1:51 threatened death. "David carried it aside
into the house of Obededom the Gittite. And the Ark of the Lord
continued in the house of Obededom three months. And the Lord blessed
Obededom, and all his household" (vv. 10, 11). This gives us the other
side of the typical picture--Divine grace flowing out to the Gentiles
while Christ is with them (Acts 15:14).
(10). "So David went and fetched up the Ark of God from the house of
Obededom into the city of David with gladness" (2 Sam. 6:12): with
this should be carefully compared 1 Chronicles 15, from which we learn
that all was now done according to Divine order. "And they brought in
the Ark of the Lord, and set it in his place, in the midst of the
Tabernacle that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt,
offerings and peace offerings before the Lord" (v. 17). It is
exceedingly striking that after the Ark left the Tabernacle in the
days of Eli, it is not again found in Jerusalem until the king chosen
of God, the man after His own heart, had ascended the throne! In the
days of Solomon the Ark was deposited in the Temple, indicative of
Christ present in Israel's midst during the Millennium.
May the Lord add His own blessing to this little study and make it as
refreshing to others as it has been to us.
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Gleanings In Exodus
37. The Mercy Seat
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Exodus 25:17-22
The Mercy-seat was a solid sheet or slab of pure gold. Though a
separate and distinct article in itself, it formed the lid of the Ark,
being placed "above upon the Ark"; whose "crown of gold round about"
(forming the top of its sides) would support and prevent it from
slipping off. The Mercy-seat differed from the Ark in that no wood
entered into its composition. There was only one other piece of
furniture in the Tabernacle made solely of gold, namely the
candlestick, which was smaller in size and weight; therefore the
Mercy-seat, according to its intrinsic worth, was the most valuable of
all the holy vessels. How this tells us of the preciousness in the
sight of God of that which the Mercy-seat foreshadowed.
The Mercy-seat, or better, the Propitiatory, derived its name from the
blood of propitiation which was sprinkled thereon. It was the same
length and breadth as the Ark, being two and a half by one cubit and a
half. At either end of it was a cherub, not fastened thereto, but
beaten out of the same one piece of gold of which the Mercy-seat was
formed. These symbolic figures had their wings outstretched, thus
overshadowing the Mercy-seat, with their faces looking down upon it.
Let us now consider: --
1. Its Significance.
Concerning the typical meaning of the Mercy-seat there is quite a
variety of interpretations offered to us. Some writers have been
turned aside from the right track by dwelling upon the etymology of
the Hebrew word, instead of seeking a definition from its usage in the
Scriptures. Others have caused confusion through failing to
distinguish between the respective foreshadowings of the brazen altar
and the Mercy-seat. The real typical meaning of the Mercy-seat has
been Divinely explained to us in Romans 3:25, though the Authorized
Version partly hides this from view: "Being justified freely by His
grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath
set forth to be a Propitiation (better, a "Propitiatory") through
faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of
sins that are past." The Greek word here rendered "propitiation" is
the identical one translated "Mercy-seat" in Hebrews 9:5. Romans 3,
then, declares that in the gospel God presents Christ before us as the
antitypical Mercy-seat.
It were better, because less ambiguous, if we rendered "Kapporeth"
(the Hebrew word) by "Propitiatory" rather than Mercy-seat; the added
light from the New Testament not only justifies, but requires this
change. Christ is the Mercy-seat, but He is so by virtue of the
propitiation which He offered to God. In 1 John 2:2 and 4:10 the Greek
(in a different form from Romans 3:25) is rightly rendered
"propitiation," for in these verses the reference is to the Lord Jesus
as the Sacrifice which pacifies God's offended justice; but the word
in Romans 3:25 is the one which is always employed in the Septuagint
as the equivalent of "Kapporeth," and is actually translated
"Mercy-seat" in Hebrews 9:5. The Propitiatory was not the place where
propitiation was made, but instead, the place where its abiding value
was borne witness to before God. It is failure to mark this
distinction which has resulted in so much confusion of thought.
The verb "to propitiate" signifies to appease, to placate, to make
satisfaction. When, then, we read in Romans 3:25 that Christ is now
set forth a Propitiatory, the evident meaning is that, through the
Gospel, God now bears testimony to His blessed Son as the One by whom
He was propitiated, the One by whom His holy wrath against the sins of
His people was pacified, the One by whom the righteous demands of His
law were satisfied, the One by whom every attribute of Deity was
glorified. The type of Christ as "the propitiation for our sins" is
the bleeding victim on the altar; the type of Christ as God's resting
place or Propitiatory is the Mercy-seat within the veil. Christ has
become God's rest, in whom He can now meet poor sinners in all the
fullness of His grace because of the propitiation made by Him on the
cross.
The great propitiation which Christ made, and the propitiatory which
is the result of it, were both borne witness to in the ritual of
Israel's annual Day of Atonement. This is described for us in
Leviticus 16. Into the most interesting and important details of this
chapter we cannot here enter; the one point bearing on our present
theme being found in 5:14: "And he shall take of the blood of the
bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the Mercy-seat eastward,
and before the Mercy-seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his
finger seven times." The blood (obtained through the death of the
animal--type of propitiation) told of judgment already visited upon
the innocent substitute; the blood sprinkled on the Propitiatory
announced that God had accepted the victim offered to Him; the blood
sprinkled before the propitiatory secured a standing-ground in God's
presence. Once was sufficient for the eye of God; seven times grace
suffered it to be sprinkled before the propitiatory, to assure us (who
are so slow of heart to believe) of the perfectness of the
standing-ground which Christ has procured for His people!
2. Its Purpose.
In the Tabernacle there was a table, but no chair for Aaron or any of
the priests to sit on, because their work was never finished, needing
constant repetition--emblematic of the fact that the one great
Sacrifice, which would provide rest and satisfaction, was yet to come.
But there was one seat, the Mercy-seat, reserved for Jehovah Himself,
who sat there between the cherubim. This Mercy-seat, resting upon the
Ark, foreshadowed the grand truth that God would find His rest in that
perfect work which His incarnate Son should perform. The Mercy-seat,
then, was God's throne here on earth. "And thou shalt put the
Mercy-seat above upon the Ark; and in the Ark thou shalt put the
testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and
I will commune with thee from above the Mercy-seat, from between the
two cherubim which are upon the Ark of the testimony, of all things
which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel"
(vv. 21, 22).
The fact that the Mercy-seat formed God's throne in the midst of
Israel is referred to in quite a number of Old Testament passages. In
1 Samuel 4:4 we read, "So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might
bring from thence the Ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who
dwelleth between the cherubim." In 2 Samuel 6:2 it is said, "And David
arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of
Judah to bring up from thence the Ark of God, whose name is called by
the name of the Lord of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubim."
Hezekiah addressed his prayer to Jehovah as "O Lord God of Israel,
which dwellest between the cherubim" (2 Kings 19:15). The Psalmist
cried, "Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Thou that leadest Joseph like
a flock; Thou that dwellest between the cherubim, shine forth" (Ps.
80:1). In Psalm 99:1 we are told, "The Lord reigneth; let the people
tremble: He sitteth between the cherubim; let the earth be moved."
But now the question arises, How was it possible for the thrice holy
God to dwell in the midst of a sinful people? The answer is, On the
ground of accepted sacrifice. His throne was a blood-sprinkled one.
This is shown us in Leviticus 16:14, already quoted. The blood of the
sin-offering was sprinkled upon that Mercy-seat which constituted
Jehovah's throne, and there that blood was left under His searching
eye, as the abiding witness that the claims of His justice had been
met, and that He could righteously dwell in the midst of a people who
had broken His law--righteously, because their sin had been put away.
Now it is impossible to over-estimate the importance of
thoroughly-settled views of God's satisfaction in Christ. Many
Christians never get beyond the fact, though a precious fact it is,
that Christ's death has procured and secured their life; and even
this, in the case of many, is not maintained. The reason for this is
that we listen so often to the dictates of our evil hearts of
unbelief, which tell us that self must have a hand in the work of
salvation, must contribute something to it--if not works, then
feelings! But the truth is that God has entirely set aside ourselves,
and acted for Himself in saving us. God's glory, and our salvation are
indissoluably linked together. Accordingly we ought not only to enjoy
the assurance of our eternal security, but also enter into a deeper
communion with God's revealed thoughts concerning the power of
Christ's blood in relation to His Throne In Heaven! It is this which
the Mercy-seat or Propitiatory particularly and so blessedly typifies.
The Mercy-seat, which formed God's throne in Israel, then, directs our
thoughts to the governmental aspect of the Atonement. Not only is it
true that Christ died for sinners, but it is equally true--though in a
different sense--that He died for God: He died in the stead of His
sinful people, He died on behalf of the thrice holy God. Christ lived
and died to make it possible for God to take hell-deserving sinners
into fellowship with Himself, and that, consistently with His holiness
and justice. He died to vindicate the character of God before all the
intelligences of the universe. He died that God's throne might be
established: "justice and judgment are the habitation (or "base") of
Thy throne" (Ps. 89:14). God's throne is settled in Christ, because
all the claims of God's righteousness have been settled by Christ. The
Antitype of this is most gloriously brought before us in Revelation
5:6: "And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne... stood a
Lamb as it had been slain"!!
"Whom God hath set forth a Propitiatory through faith in His blood to
declare His righteousness" (Rom. 3:25). To "declare" here signifies to
make manifest, to proclaim and exhibit publicly. Divine righteousness
requires that His law should be obeyed, and that its penalty should be
enforced where its precepts have been broken. Divine mercy could not
be exercised at the expense of justice, The character of God as the
Ruler of the universe was involved. But the Anti-type of the
Mercy-seat sets forth the precious fact that God's avenging holiness
was fully satisfied by the shedding of the blood of His Son on the
cross. Justice instead of being reduced to the necessity of taking a
part from the bankrupt, has received full payment from the bankrupt's
Surety and thus his deliverance is guaranteed. Thus Christ by His life
of obedience "magnified the law and made it honorable" (Isa. 42:21),
and by His death glorified all the Divine perfections. God's love,
grace, and mercy were manifested at Calvary as nowhere else; equally
so were His holiness, justice and righteousness. For this reason,
then, the Mercy-seat was made solely of pure gold--the Divine glory
displayed. Propitiation has been made, and God points all to His Son,
the Propitiatory, as the proof of it; just as the Mercy-seat with the
blood sprinkled thereon attested that propitiation had been typically
accomplished.
3. Its Dimensions.
It is not without good reason, for there is nothing meaningless or
even trivial in God's Word, that the Holy Spirit has been pleased to
give us the measurements of the Propitiatory. Its length was two and a
half cubits and its breadth one cubit and a half. But nothing is told
us of its thickness: does not this designed omission suggest what is
recorded in Psalm 103:112, "For as the heaven is high above the earth
so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him"! What, then, are we
to learn from the measurements which are recorded? This, its length
and breadth were precisely the same as those of the Ark. The
dimensions speak clearly of the strict limitations which God has set
to His saving grace. As another has said, "It is all very well to say
`there's a wideness in God's mercy like the wideness of the sea,' but
it is much better to understand clearly what is signified by the words
`two cubits and a half shall be the length, thereof, and a cubit and a
half the breadth thereof.' God's mercy is, indeed, wide enough to take
in every sinner who contritely presents himself at the appointed
Mercy-seat, but it extends no further than that. The limits are
Divinely established, and are unalterable."
There are some who count upon the love of God apart from Christ and
His atoning death, which is virtually to devise a Mercy-seat which is
wider than the Ark. But this is a vain delusion. God's grace reigns
"through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord"
(Rom. 5:21). No grace can be shown unto any sinner apart from the
redemptive blood of the Lord Jesus. "A just God and a Savior" (Isa.
45:21). Saving mercy is extended to none except those for whom Christ
met the demands of Divine justice. There is much so-called Evangelism
today which is condemned by the strictly defined dimensions of the
Mercy-seat! Christ died not to make possible the salvation of the
whole human race, but to make certain the salvation of God's elect: He
made "propitiation for the sins of the people" (Heb. 2:17. R.V.).
4. Its Ornamentation.
This was in the form of two cherubs, one on either end of the
Mercy-seat, with wings outstretched over it, thus overshadowing and as
it were protecting God's throne. That there is some profound and
important significance connected with the figures of the cherubim is
clear from the prominent place which they occupy in the Divine
description of the Mercy-seat: if the student will reread Exodus
25:17-22 he will find that mention is made of them, either in the
single or plural number, no less than seven times. Much has been
written on the subject, but nothing we have seen is satisfactory.
The first time the "cherubim" are mentioned in Scripture is in Genesis
3:24, where they are viewed guarding the way to the tree of life, the
"flaming sword," seen in connection with them suggesting that they are
associated with the administration of God's judicial authority. In
Revelation 4:6-8 (compare Ezekiel 1:5-10) we find them related to the
throne of God. Revelation 5:11-14 indicates that the cherubim are the
highest among the angelic order of creatures. In the Psalms and in
Ezekiel the cherubim come before us in connection with judicial acts,
with Divine interference in judgment, and this gives a striking
significance to their place here on the Mercy-seat: God's
righteousness, nay, His wrath against sin, is seen to be of one piece
with His mercy! God's attributes do not conflict: light and love are
but two sides of His nature!
On the Mercy-seat the two cherubim stood facing each other, attracted
by a common object, heads bowed as in adoration. Their number speaks
of competent witness. The subject is too vast for us to even outline
here, but there is more than one hint in Scripture that the redemption
of the Church is an object lesson unto the angels. 1 Corinthians 4:9
declares that the suffering apostles were "made a spectacle (theater)
unto angels." Ephesians 3:10 tells us that "the manifold wisdom of God
is now being made known by (through) the Church unto the
principalities and powers in the heavenlies." 1 Peter 1:11, 12
announces that the sufferings of Christ and His glories which were to
follow are "things which the angels desire to look into." We take it,
then, that the figures of the two cherubim, with their bowed heads
over the Mercy-seat, denote the interest of the angelic hierarchies in
the unfolding of God's redemptive purpose.
5. Its Blessedness.
First, this comes out in the fact that the Mercy-seat completely hid
from view the tables of stone which were kept in the Ark. As the
cherubim stood there with their faces downward, they saw not those
holy statutes which condemned their transgressors; instead, they gazed
on that which spoke of the glory of God--Deity magnified by sacrifice.
There was blood between the law and its Administrator and His
executors!
Suppose an Ark with no Mercy-seat: the Law would then be uncovered:
there would be nothing to hush its thunderings, nothing to arrest the
execution of its righteous sentence. The law expresses God's
righteousness, and demands the death of its violator: "Cursed is
everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the
book of the Law to do them" (Gal. 3:10). Such is the inevitable
judgment pronounced on all sinners by the inexorable sentence of the
law. The only man who could stand before God on the basis of having
kept that law was the Man Christ Jesus. He could have been justified
by it, enthroned upon it, and from it have pronounced sentence of just
doom on all of Adam's guilty race. But He did not do so. No; blessed
be His name, instead of coming to earth as the Executioner of the law,
He bared His holy bosom to its righteous sword. The same heart which
held the law unbroken (Ps. 40:8) received the penalty which was due
His people for having broken it. The storm of wrath having spent
itself upon Him, the law can no longer touch those who have fled to
Him for refuge. It is of this that the blood-sprinkled Mercy-seat,
covering the tables of stone within the Ark, so blessedly speaks.
A nation of transgressors could never stand before the naked law. An
uncovered Ark furnishes naught but a throne of judgment. This supplies
the key to a passage in the Old Testament that has puzzled many. When
the Philistines sent back the Ark, which Jehovah had suffered to fall
into their hands, we are told, "And He smote the men of Beth-shemesh,
because they had looked into the Ark of the Lord, even He smote of the
people fifty thousand and three score and ten men: and the people
lamented, because the Lord had smitten many of the people with a gross
slaughter. And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand
before this holy Lord God?" (1 Sam. 6:19-20). The sin which God here
punished so severely was Israel's daring to uncover what God had
covered. In order to "look into the Ark" the Mercy-seat had to be
removed, and in removing it they exposed the Law, and thus severed
mercy from judgment, the result of which must ever be, death for the
guilty. The thrice holy God can only meet the guilty, polluted sinner,
in Him by whom "righteousness and peace have kissed each other" (Ps.
85:9). No man can draw near unto the Father but by Him.
Second, the Mercy-seat was the place where Jehovah met the sinner in
the person of His representative: "And he (Aaron) shall take of the
blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the
Mercy-seat eastward; and before the Mercy-seat shall he sprinkle of
the blood with his finger seven times" (Lev. 16:14). This tells us
that Christ is the one appointed Meeting-place between God and His
people, the place where-He meets with them not in judgment but in
grace. But be it remembered that the typical Mercy-seat was in the
holy of holies, hidden from the view of the sinner who desired to
approach God. So it is with the Antitype: God's throne of grace is not
visible to the eye of sense; it can be approached only by faith. Hence
the exhortation of Hebrews 10, "Having therefore, brethren, boldness
to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living
way, which He hath newly-made for us, through the veil, that is to
say, His flesh; and having an high priest over the house of God; Let
us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith" (vv.
19-22).
Third, the Mercy-seat is the place of communion: "And there I will
meet with thee, and I will commune with Thee from above the
Mercy-seat, from between the two cherubim, which are upon the Ark of
the testimony" (Ex. 25:22). A beautiful example of this is furnished
in Numbers 7:89: "And when Moses was gone into the Tabernacle of the
congregation to speak with Him, then he heard the voice of One
speaking unto him from off the Mercy-seat that was upon the Ark of
testimony, from between the two cherubim: and he spake unto Him."
Precious indeed is this. It is in the Lord Jesus that Christians have
been brought into this place of inestimable blessing. Not only have we
been brought nigh to God, but we are permitted to speak to Him and
hear Him speaking to us. Having been reconciled to God by the death of
His Son, He now says "I will commune with thee." Wondrous grace is
this! O that our hearts may enter into and enjoy this blessed
privilege. Then "Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace." There
is nothing between: no sin, no guilt; and the veil has been rent. We
may worship in the Holy of Holies! Then "let us draw near in full
assurance of faith."
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Gleanings In Exodus
38. The Table
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Exodus 25:23-30
Having described the contents of the innermost chamber of the
Tabernacle, the Holy Spirit now conducts us into the Holy-place. In
the former the high priest ministered on the annual day of atonement,
in the latter the Levites served daily. In this second chamber stood
three pieces of furniture: the table, the candlestick, and the altar
of incense. The order in which these are brought before us in the
sacred narrative is most suggestive, and the very reverse of what
would have occurred to us. We had surely put the golden altar of
incense first, then the seven-branched candlestick, and last, the
table. But God's thoughts and ways are ever the opposite of ours. When
we see what the table stood for, perhaps we shall the better
appreciate the Divine arrangement.
As it was in the innermost shrine, so it is in the holy place--nought
but gold met the eye of him who had entered: it was therefore a scene
displaying the Divine glory. Silence reigned in the sacred apartment.
No prayers were offered, no songs of praise were sung. The voice of
man was still, but the voice of the golden vessels therein mutely, yet
eloquently, spoke of Christ; for the light of the knowledge of the
glory of God shines "in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6). None
but the priestly family ever penetrated this sacred precinct, telling
us that only those who, by wondrous grace, are "an holy priesthood,"
those who by sovereign mercy are "a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood" (1 Pet. 2:5, 9), can enter into the spiritual significance
of its symbolic contents. Coming now to the Table, let us consider: --
1. Its Meaning.
In seeking to ascertain the spiritual purport of the Table the first
thing which arrests our attention in the Divine description of it is
the word "also" in Exodus 25:23--found only once more in connection
with the holy vessels and furnishings of the Tabernacle, see 30:15.
The "also" at the beginning of our present passage suggests a close
link of connection with what has gone before. In the preceding verse
we read, "And there will I meet with thee, and I will commune with
thee from above the Mercy-seat," and then following right after this,
"Thou shalt also make a Table." Thus God has graciously hung the key
right over the entrance, and told us that the Table has to do with
communion. This is in full accord with other scriptures where the
"table" is mentioned.
A lovely picture of that blessedness of which the "table" speaks is
found in 2 Samuel 9. There we find David asking "Is there yet any that
is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for
Jonathan's sake?" (v. 1). A beautiful illustration is this of the
wondrous grace of God, showing kindness to those who belong to the
house of His enemies, and that for the sake of His Beloved One. There
was one, even Mephibosheth, lame on his feet; him David "sent and
fetched" unto himself. And then to show that he was fully reconciled
to this descendant of his arch-enemy, David said, "Mephibosheth shall
eat bread always at my table" (v. 10); showing that he had been
brought into the place of most intimate fellowship.
In 1 Corinthians 10 we are also taught that the "table" is inseparably
connected with communion: "But I say, that the things which the
Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God: and I
would not that you should have fellowship with demons. Ye cannot drink
the cup of the Lord, and the cup of demons: ye cannot be partakers of
the Lord's table, and of the table of demons" (vv. 20, 21). The
"Lord's table" is the symbol of fellowship with Christ, in separation
from all that owns not His authority and denies His claims and rights.
Returning now to the "also" with which our passage opens and noting
its relation to the immediate context, we learn that the
blood-sprinkled Mercy-seat speaks of Christ as the basis of our
fellowship with God, while the Table points to Christ as the substance
of that fellowship. What we have here is the person of Christ as the
Food of God and the One in whom He has communion with His people. The
Table sets forth Jehovah's feast of love for His saints and for
Himself in fellowship with them. This will be still more evident when
we ponder the Contents of the Table, meanwhile let us turn to: --
2. Its Composition.
Like the Ark, the table was made of shittim wood (v. 23), overlaid
with pure gold. Both typified the union of Deity and humanity in the
person of Christ. It is indeed striking to observe, and important to
note, the several points of oneness between the ark and the table.
They were both of the same height--the only pieces of furniture that
were so. They were both ornamented with a crown of gold. They were
both provided with rings and staves. They both had something placed
upon them: the one, the Mercy-seat; the other, the twelve cakes of
bread. These points of likeness emphasize the truth that it is the
person of the God-man which is the basis of all communion with God.
"The natural suggestion of a "table" is a place for food, and the food
upon it. `Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine
enemies' (Ps. 23:5). We will find this thought of food linked with our
Lord's person in the sixth chapter of John: `Verily, verily, I say
unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but My Father
giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He
which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world' (John
6:32, 33). The One who `came down from heaven' reminds us of the deity
of our Lord; this is the gold.
"`I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of
this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread that I will give is
My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews
therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us
His flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, `Verily, verily, I say
unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His
blood, ye have no life in you.' (John 6:51, 52). Evidently our Lord
here is speaking of His death. But His death presupposes His
incarnation. He must become man that He may die. We have in this way
the twofold truth of our Lord's deity and His humanity linked
together, and put before us in this chapter, where He is presented as
the Bread of life. We have thus the gold and the acacia wood which
form the table" (Mr. S. Ridout). Let us turn next to: --
3. Its Dimensions.
"Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood: two cubits shall be the
length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a
half the height thereof" (Ex. 25:23). Thus the Table was the same
height as the Ark, though it fell short of its length and breadth.
This intimates that though our communion with God rises to the level
of our apprehension of the two natures in the person of His beloved
Son, yet there is a breadth or fullness of perfection in Him which we
fail to realize and enjoy. The length of the Table was two cubits,
which supplies an additional hint to the meaning of this piece of
furniture, for one of the significations of two is that of
communion--"How can two walk together except they be agreed?" (Amos
3:3). In breadth the Table was one cubit, which speaks of unity, for
there can be no fellowship where there is discord.
4. Its Contents.
"And thou shalt set upon the table shew-bread before Me alway" (v.
30). This shewbread consisted of twelve loaves or cakes, made of fine
flour; baked, and placed in two rows upon the Table, on which was
sprinkled pure frankincense for a memorial. Here they remained before
the Lord for seven days, when they were removed and eaten by Aaron and
his sons, in the holy place--see Leviticus 24:5-9.
There is much difference of opinion as to the precise typical purport
of these twelve loaves. One class of commentators see in them a figure
of the twelve tribes of Israel presented before the Lord, but these
offer no satisfactory interpretation of this bread being eaten
afterwards by the priestly family. Others see in the loaves a
foreshadowing of Christ as the Food of God and His children. but they
are far from clear as to why there should be twelve loaves and why
these were placed in two rows of six. Personally we believe there is a
measure of truth in each view, but great care needs to be taken in
seeking accurate expression.
It is clear that the thoughts suggested by the Table and by the bread
placed upon it are intimately related, for later on we find the Table
taking its name from the loaves thereon: in Numbers 4:7 it is called
the "Table of Shew-bread." But though they are closely connected
Hebrews 9:2 teaches us they have a distinctive significance and are to
be considered separately. A close parallel to this is found in 1
Corinthians 10:21 and 11:20: in the former we read of "the Lord's
table" (v. 21), in the latter of "the Lord's supper" (v. 20): the one
speaking of the character of our fellowship, the other of what forms
the substance of our fellowship. This, we believe, supplies the key to
the distinction in our type: the Table pointing to the person of
Christ as the Sustainer of fellowship between God and His saints, the
bread directing our thoughts to Christ as the substance of it.
The bread on the Table points first, as does everything in the
Tabernacle, to Christ Himself. The name by which it is called clearly
indicates this--"shew-bread" is, literally, "bread of faces," faces
being put by a figure for presence--pointing to the Divine presence in
which the bread stood: "shewbread before Me alway." The fact that the
bread was before the face of God always, told of its acceptableness to
Him, and foreshadowed the person of Christ as the One in whom the
Father has ever found His delight. In Leviticus 24:5 the bread on the
Table is described as "twelve cakes," and Young's Concordance gives as
the meaning of challoth "perforated" cakes. How solemnly significant!
This bread which spoke of Christ had been pierced! The fine flour in
the form of cakes, which had therefore been baked, points to the Lord
Jesus as having been exposed to the fires of God's holy wrath, when on
the cross He was made sin for His people.
But why twelve pierced cakes? Clearly this number has specially to do
with Israel and suggests the different tribes being here represented
before God. But representation implies a representative, and it is at
this point that so many have missed the lesson. That which is here so
blessedly symbolized is the Lord Jesus identifying Himself with God's
covenant people. There is a striking passage in the New Testament
which brings out--under this figure of bread--the identification of
the Lord with His people and they with Him. "The cup of blessing which
we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread
which we brake, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we
being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of
that one bread" (1 Cor. 10:16, 17).
The twelve loaves then speak of Christ in immediate connection with
His people. "The marvelous fact that Jehovah condescends to receive
into fellowship with himself the people of His choice, is mirrored on
every feature of the Tabernacle ritual. They were always before Him on
the priestly mitre, breastplate, and shoulder-stones, and on the
shewbread table. And surely this Old Testament symbolism finds its
prophetic complement in New Testament fact, for by its revelation
believers are said to be presented faultless in the presence of His
glory, unreproveable and unrebukable in His sight--Colossians 1:22"
(Mr. G. Needham).
The cakes were all of the same quality, size and weight, showing that
the smallest tribe was represented equally with the greatest. In
spreading them out in two rows, instead of piling them up in a heap,
each one would be seen equally as much as another. Our acceptance in
Christ and our representation by Him admits of no degrees. All of
God's covenant people have an equal standing before Him, and an equal
nearness to Him.
The cakes were made of "fine flour" (Lev. 25:5) in which was no grit
or unevenness, foreshadowing the moral perfections of the Word as He
tabernacled among men. "Pure frankincense" was placed upon them,
emblematic of the active graces of Christ, and assuring us that those
who are in Christ are ever before God according to the value and
fragrance of His blessed Son. Every Sabbath these cakes were renewed,
so that they were "before the Lord continually" (Lev. 24:8); never was
the Table un-supplied. "The loaves being placed on the Table every
Sabbath day may accord with the fact that it was when the spiritual
sabbath, the rest for our souls, obtained by Christ's atonement, was
gained, that He took His place in the presence of God for us" (Mr. C.
H. Bright). Each cake contained two "tenth deals" or omers of flour
(Lev. 24:5). This is indeed precious. A double portion is the thought
suggested (contrast Exodus 16:16, 36), foreshadowing the truth that
Christ is the Food or delight of both God and His people. In Leviticus
21:21 it is expressly called "The bread of his (the priest's) God.
"And it shall be Aaron's and his sons; and they shall eat it in the
holy place" (Lev. 25:9). This bread which had been before Jehovah
seven days, was now enjoyed by the priestly family. It speaks of
Christ as the One who delights both the heart of the Father and His
beloved people. "Eating" indicates identification and communion with
what we feed upon: compare again 1 Corinthians 10: 16, 17. The twelve
cakes on the Table speak of Christ identified with His covenant
people--not simply Israel after the flesh, for note "everlasting
covenant" in Leviticus 24:8; the cakes eaten by the priestly family,
His people identifying themselves (by faith's appropriation) with
Christ! But this eating must be in "the holy place": we can only
really feed upon Christ as we are in communion with God. The eating of
the twelve cakes on "the Sabbath day" prophetically hints at the
literal Israel's appropriation of Christ in the great dispensational
Sabbath, the millennium.
5. Its Ornamentation.
"And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of
gold round about. And thou shalt make unto it a border of an
hand-breadth round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the
border thereof round about" (vv. 24, 25). The "crown" speaks of Christ
glorified--"a crown of glory" (1 Pet. 5:4)--now at the right hand of
God for us, "crowned with glory and honor" (Heb. 2:9). The crowned
border on the top of the Table was for the purpose of protection,
guarding whatever was placed upon it. The bread was not removed from
the Table even when Israel was on the march (Num. 4:7), and the raised
border would hold the cakes in place, preventing them from slipping
off. This tells of the absolute security of that people with whom the
incarnate Son has identified Himself.
First, the Table itself was encircled with "a crown of gold" (v. 24).
"It is `the glory of His grace' (Eph. 1:6) that is suggested by the
loaves of bread held in their place by the crown. It is a glorified
Christ who maintains His own, according to all that He is" (S.
Ridout). Beautifully is this brought out here in the measurement that
is given "a border of an handbreadth round about," which is the more
striking because all the other dimensions in the Tabernacle are cubits
or half cubits. How blessedly does this border of the handbreadth
round about point to that which guarantees the eternal preservation of
all Christ's redeemed: "Neither shall any pluck them out of My hand"
(John 10:28)!
Everything here about the ornamentation speaks of the security of the
cakes and of those whom they typified. The Hebrew word "border" means
"enclosing," and in 2 Samuel 22:46 it is rendered "close places."
Again, observe that this border of an hand-breadth was, in turn,
protected by "a golden crown" (v. 25). This announces that the very
glory of God is concerned in the preservation of His people: His honor
is at stake:--"He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His
name's sake" (Ps. 23:3). How often Moses fell back upon this: see
Exodus 32:11-13; Numbers 14:13-19, etc.!
The same thought is emphasized and reiterated by the second "crown,"
for the "border" had one as well as the Table--vv. 24, 25. "Again we
are confronted with the precious grace that each believer, all
believers, are secured by God. The highest revealed blessings are
theirs, and these cannot be alienated, nor the believer removed from
the position given him. Christ, the Table, maintains him before God;
Christ, the border, secures him there. The border too has a crown as
well as the Table. There is a certain glory attaching to our
maintenance, and further a glory attaching to our security. If a
believer could be lost, if anything could impair his security, if the
border could be damaged, the crown must share it, and the very glory
of Christ be sullied. Impossible! `Neither shall any pluck them out of
my hand' (John 10:28)" (Foreshadowments by E. C. Pressland).
There is one other detail which perhaps fails under this present
division of our subject. In verse 29 we read, "and thou shalt make the
dishes thereof, and spoons thereof, and covers thereof, and bowls
thereof, to cover withal: of pure gold shalt thou make them" (v. 29).
The "dishes" would no doubt be used when the bread was removed from
the Table and eaten by the priestly family. The "spoons" and the
"cover" would be employed in connection with the frankincense. The
"bowls thereof to cover withal" should be rendered "the cups to pour
out withal"--see margin of Authorized Version. These "cups" were used
in connection with the "drink offerings" which were poured out before
the Lord "in the holy place" (Num. 28:7). The "drink-offerings"
expressed thanksgiving. The fact that the "cups," used in connection
with the drink-offerings, were placed upon the Table, tells us that
communion is the basis of thanksgiving!
6. Its Rings and Staves.
These are described in Exodus 25:26-28 and tell of provision made for
journeying. "The children of Israel were pilgrims in the wilderness
and hence the Tabernacle and all its furniture were made for them in
this character, and accompanied them in all their wanderings" (Mr. E.
Dennett). Thus the particular detail in the type now before us speaks
of the provision which God has made for His people in Christ while
they pass through this world. That provision is feeding upon Christ
Himself in communion with God. Wherever Jehovah led the Hebrews, His
Table accompanied them! So wherever the Christian's lot may be cast,
even though it be for years in jail like Bunyan, there is ever a
precious Christ to feed upon and commune with!
7. Its Coverings.
These are described in Numbers 4:7, 8. They were three in number.
First a cloth of blue draped the Table, its bread and its utensils;
over this was spread a cloth of scarlet, and on the outside of all was
cast a covering of badger's skins. These were only used while Israel
was on the march. The Table standing in the holy place speaks of
Christ now on high as God's bread and ours. The Table accompanying
Israel in their journeyings, with its threefold covering, reminds us
of the varied perfections manifested by Christ as He passed through
this wilderness scene, the contemplation of which is an essential part
of our food.
First, came the cloth of blue, which points to Christ as the Bread
from Heaven. Seven times over in John 6 did our Lord thus announce
Himself. If Christ be not recognized and enjoyed as wholly above and
beyond all that this earth can yield, there will be no true devotion
nor any scriptural testimony to Him. But let Him be known as the
heavenly portion of the soul and these are secured. It is most
significant to note that this first covering was seen only by the eyes
of the priestly family.
Second, came the cloth of scarlet. According to its scriptural usage
"scarlet" is the emblem of earthly glory, as may be seen by a
reference to its various occurrences. This color was so called because
it was obtained from a worm, in fact was named after it, the same
Hebrew word being variously translated "scarlet" or "worm" as the
connection requires. There is something most appropriate in this, for
truly the glory of man is that of a perishing worm. How then are these
two thoughts, so dissimilar, to be combined, in connection with
Christ? Does not Psalm 22:6--the cross-Psalm--tell us? There we find
the Savior saying "I am a worm (same word as "scarlet") and no man."
Thus the "scarlet" reminds us of the glory of the cross (Gal. 6:14).
The Lord Jesus, by becoming a "worm," by His cross brought forth the
true glory. Another glory shall be manifested by Him (Col. 3:3) when
He returns to the earth. This second covering also was seen only by
the priests!
Third, the external covering was one of badgers' skins, and met the
eyes of all as the Table was borne through the wilderness. This
typified our Lord's humiliation. This covering was provided to protect
the Table and its inner coverings from the defiling dust and
atmosphere of the wilderness. We are thus reminded not only of the
unattractiveness to men's eyes of the servant-form which our Savior
took, but also of His personal holiness, repelling all the unholy
influences of this defiling world. No speck or stain ever fouled the
Holy One of God--He touched the leper without being polluted; nothing
of earth could in anywise tarnish His ineffable glory.
It is thus that the Spirit of God would have the saints contemplate
Him who is their appointed Food: as the One who is heavenly in His
nature and character, as the One who came down to this earth and
glorified Himself and the Father by His obedience unto death, and as
the One who through His holy vigilance repelled all evil and kept
Himself from the path of the Destroyer. Thus contemplated our
meditation of Him will be "sweet."
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Gleanings In Exodus
39. The Lampstand
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 25:31-40
The particular piece of the Tabernacle's furniture which is now to
engage our attention, is, in our English Bibles termed the
"Candlestick," but we believe that this is a very faulty rendition of
the Hebrew word. Why term it a "Candlestick" when no candles were
burned thereon? It strikes the writer that such a translation is a
relic of Romish perversion. "M'nourah" means "lightbearer" or
"lampstand," and thus we shall refer to it throughout this article.
The fact that it had "seven lamps" (Ex. 25:25, 37) and that these were
fed with "oil" (Lev. 24:2, 4) is more than sufficient to warrant this
correction.
The Lampstand was in the Holy Place. This was the chamber entered by
none save the priestly family, and was the place where these favored
servants of Jehovah ministered before Him. It was therefore the place
of communion. In keeping with this, each of the three vessels that
stood therein spoke of fellowship. The Table, with its twelve loaves,
pointed to Christ as the Substance of our fellowship, the One on whom
we feed. The Lampstand foreshadowed Christ as the power for
fellowship, as supplying the light necessary to it. The Incense-altar,
prefigured Christ as maintaining our fellowship, by His intercession
securing our continued acceptance before the Father.
The fact that the Lampstand stood within the Holy Place at once shows
us that it is not Christ as "the Light of the world" which is
typified. It is strange that some of the commentators have erred here.
The words of Christ on this point were clear enough: "As long as I am
in the world, I am the Light of the world" (John 9:5)--then only was
He manifested here as such. So again in John 12:35, 36 He said to the
people, "Yet a little while is the Light with you . . . while ye have
light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light."
But they loved darkness rather than light. The world rejected the
Light, and so far as they were concerned extinguished it. Since He was
put to death by wicked hands, the world has never again gazed on the
Light. He is now hidden from their eyes.
But He who was put to death by the world, rose again, and then
ascended on High. It is there in the Holy Place, in God's presence,
the Light now dwells. And while there--O marvelous privilege--the
saints have access to Him. For them the veil is rent, and thus the
Holy Place and the Holy of Holies are no longer two separate
compartments, but one; and, the substance of all that was shadowed
forth by the sacred vessels in each is now the wondrous portion of
those who, by grace, are "built up a spiritual house, an holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by
Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 2:5).
Black shadows rest upon the world which has cast out the Light of
Life: "the way of the wicked is as darkness" (Prov. 4:19). It is now
night-time because the "Dayspring from on High" is absent. The
Lampstand tells of the gracious provision which God has made for His
own beloved people during the interval of darkness, before the Sun of
righteousness shall rise once more and usher in for this earth that
morning without clouds. The Lampstand is for the night season!
Therefore the illuminating Lampstand speaks of Christ neither in the
days of His first advent nor of the time of His second advent, but of
the interval between, when those who have access into the true
sanctuary walk in the light as He is in the light (1 John 1:7). Let us
now consider: --
1. Its Composition.
"And thou shalt make a Lampstand of pure gold: of beaten work shall
the lamp-stand be made" (v. 31). Unlike the ark and the table of
shewbread, no wood entered into the composition of the Lamp-stand. It
was of solid gold. But there is one word here which has been
overlooked by almost all the commentators, and by losing sight of it
their interpretations have quite missed the mark. The Lampstand,
though made of pure gold, was "of beaten work," that is to say, the
talent of gold from which it was made was wrought upon by the hammers
of skilled workmen until it was shaped into a beautiful and
symmetrical form. Only by Divinely-given wisdom could they evolve from
a solid talent of gold this richly ornamented vessel with base, shaft
and branches, in consistent proportions (Ex. 31:6).
What is before us now in our present type is the more noteworthy in
that the Lampstand was the only vessel or portion of the Tabernacle
which was made of "beaten work." It is in striking contrast from the
"golden calf" which Aaron made, for that was cast in a mould (Ex.
32:4). What is idolatrous or according to man's mind, can be quickly
and easily cast into shape; but that which has most of all glorified
God and secured the redemption of His people was wrought at great
cost. Clearly, the "beaten gold" here speaks of a suffering Christ
glorified, glorified as the reward of His perfect but painful Work.
That the "pure gold" speaks of the divine side of things is obvious,
for the One that is here prefigured was none other than the God-man.
It was His deity which sustained His humanity. Had Christ been merely
a creature He had completely succumbed to the storm of Judgment which
burst upon Him. It was His deity which enabled Him to suffer within
the compass of a brief span what otherwise would have been the eternal
portion of all His people. But after all, the primary thought in the
"gold" is glory as Hebrews 9:5 teaches us, and the beaten gold plainly
foreshadowed the glorification of Him who was beaten with many stripes
on our behalf.
"Of a talent of pure gold shall he make it" (v. 39). This would be
worth more than five thousand pounds, upwards of twenty-five thousand
dollars. A "talent" was one hundred and twenty lbs., so that
sufficient gold was provided to ensure the Lampstand being of a goodly
size. Most probably it stood higher than the Table or the
Incense-altar, for by its light the priests were enabled to attend to
the one and minister at the other. Thus was foreshadowed not only the
preciousness of the person of our Redeemer, but also His sufficiency
to make manifest the perfections of the Godhead.
2. Its Construction.
The pattern of the Lampstand is described in Exodus 25:31-36. It
consisted of one central stem, with three lateral branches springing
from either side. Each branch was adorned with knops, flowers and
bowls. The "knops" seem to have been buds, probably of the almond; the
"bowls" were for holding the oil which fed the lights. Upon the end of
each branch was the bowl or lamp. All was of one piece, beaten out by
workmen endowed with divine skill.
The seven lamps while an intrinsic part of the Lampstand itself, may
also be contemplated separately. This seems clear from the fact that
in Numbers 8:2 we read, "When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps
shall give light over against the Lampstand." The accuracy of the type
here is most impressive. The sevenfold radiance of the Lampstand
speaks of Christ as the "brightness of God's glory" (Heb. 1:3). It
tells of His perfections as the Light. It is worthy of note that when
the white light is broken into its varied parts we have just seven
colors, as seen in the rainbow. But it is equally clear that the seven
"lamps" also symbolize the Holy Spirit in the plenitude of His power
and perfections--the "seven Spirits which are before His throne" (Rev.
1:4). That the type appears to overlap at this point, or rather, has a
double application, only shows its marvelous and minute accuracy, for
in His ministry toward and in believers, the Spirit works as "the
Spirit of Christ" (Rom. 8:9; 1 Peter 1:11).
The fact that the seven lamps were supported by the Lampstand
foreshadowed the fact that the Spirit. given to us, has come from our
glorified Redeemer. There are several scriptures which prove this. The
Lord Jesus said to His apostles, "When the Comforter is come, whom I
will send from the Father" (John 15:26). On the day of Pentecost, when
explaining the outpouring of the Spirit's gifts, Peter distinctly
attributed them to the ascended Christ: "Therefore being by the right
hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of
the Spirit He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear" (Acts
2:36). So also in Revelation 3:1 Christ is spoken of as "He that hath
the seven Spirits of God."
3. Its Ornamentation.
"And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of
the Lampstand out of the one side, and three branches of the Lampstand
out of the other side: Three bowls made like unto almonds, a knop and
a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other
branch, a knop and a flower; so in the six branches that come out of
the Lampstand" (vv. 32, 33). Mr. S. Ridout has offered an illuminating
suggestion that the "knop" might portray the rounded unopened bud, so
that the central stem and each of its branches would be ornamented
with that which set forth the, three stages of the almond--the bud,
the flower and the ripened fruit. He has also pointed out how that
this suggestion receives confirmation in what is recorded of Aaron's
rod in Numbers 17: "Behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was
budded, and brought forth buds, and blossomed blossoms and yielded
almonds" (v. 8). Thus the three stages of life were also seen on the
branches of the Lampstand--bud, flower, fruit.
The prominence of the "almond" on the Lampstand supplies an important
key to its interpretation. It corresponds closely, though it is not
exactly parallel in thought with what is foreshadowed in the "acacia
(shittim) wood" in the other vessels. The "wood" speaks of the
incorruptible humanity of Christ. The "almond" is the emblem of
resurrection, here the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, which, of
course, presupposes His incarnation. It is not so much the holiness of
His humanity which is here foreshadowed, as it is the glory of the
Risen One--the "almonds of gold"!
The "almond" is the first of all trees in Palestine to bud,
manifesting the new life of spring as early as January. The Hebrew
word for "almond" means "vigilant," and is used with this significance
in Jeremiah 1:11, 12: "And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree. And
Jehovah said unto me, Thou hast well seen; for I am watchful over My
word to perform it." God has seen to it that His every promise has
been vindicated and substantiated in a risen Christ. That the "almond"
is the emblem of resurrection is further established in Numbers 17.
The twelve rods, cut off from the trees on which they grew, were
lifeless things. The budding of Aaron's rod manifested a
re-impartation of life--the work of God. Aaron's rod not only
exhibited the signs of life, but produced the full results of it, in
bud and flower and fruit--and that of the "almond"! So, too, our
Savior was, according to the flesh, "a rod out the stem of Jesse"
(Isa. 11:1) and was "cut off" (Dan. 9:26) out of the land of the
living. But on the third day He rose again from the dead. Mr. Ridout
has strikingly pointed out that just as there was first the bud, then
the flower, and then the almond fruit on Aaron's rod, and on each
branch of the Lampstand so was there a manifest gradation in the
evidences of Christ's resurrection!
"The stone rolled away, the empty tomb, the linen clothes lying in
quiet order and the napkin lying by itself--no sign of a struggle, but
the witness that the Prince of life had risen from His sleep of death;
these may be called the `buds,' the first signs of His resurrection.
The angel who rolled away the stone and sat on it (Matthew 28:2), the
`young man sitting on the right side' of the tomb (Mark 16:5, 6), the
`vision of angels' seen by the women which came early to the sepulcher
(Luke 24:23); the two angels in white sitting, the one at the head,
the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain (John
20:12)--these may be called the `flowers'--the more advanced witnesses
of His resurrection. Lastly, His own personal manifestations to Mary
Magdalene, to Peter, to the women, to the two disciples at Ermmaus, to
the gathered disciples in the upper room, to them again when Thomas
was present; again at the Sea of Tiberius, and at a mountain in
Galilee--these and other `infallible proofs' might be called the full
almond fruit. The empty tomb might have been a precious boon to faith,
and was enough for John (John 20:8); the testimony of the angels would
have been stronger testimony; but the crown of all was to behold Him,
to hear Him, to see Him eat, hear Him speak, this was indeed the full
fruit."
4. Its Position.
As we have already seen, the Lamp-stand was one of the three pieces of
furniture which were in the holy place. But there is a word in Exodus
40:24 which defined its location still more precisely, "And He put the
lampstand in the tent of the congregation over against the table, on
the side of the Tabernacle southward."
Like everything else in Scripture the points of the compass are
referred to with a moral and spiritual significance. Briefly, we may
say that the "west" is the quarter of prosperity and blessing: see
Exodus 10:19; Deuteronomy 33:23; Joshua 8:12; Isaiah 59:19. The
"east," the opposite quarter, tells of sharp distress and Divine
judgment: see Genesis 3:24, 13:11, 41:6; Exodus 10:13, 14:21; Isaiah
46:11. The "north"--the Hebrew word means "obscure, dark"--is the
direction from which evil comes: see Jeremiah 1:14, 4:6, etc. The
sunny "south," the opposite quarter from the north, tells of warmth
light, and blessing: see Job 37:17; Psalm 126:4; Luke 12:55;
Deuteronomy 33:3; Acts 27:13. It is most significant then that the
Lampstand was placed on the south side of the Tabernacle, the more so
when we discover that the Hebrew word for "south" means "bright,
radiant"!
5. Its Significance.
There are a number of details which enable us to fix the typical
meaning of the Lampstand. First, the fact that it was made of beaten
gold and was ornamented with almonds shows that it is the suffering
Christ now risen and glorified which is here foreshadowed. Second, its
being set in the Holy Place intimates that it is Christ hidden from
the world, enjoyed only by the priestly family. Third, its seven lamps
of oil tell of the sufficiency of the Spirit as Christ's gift to His
people. Fourth, the time when the Lampstand was used furnishes another
sure key to its interpretation. It was for use in the Holy Place
during the night: "Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to
morning before the Lord (Ex. 27:21). It thus typified the maintenance
of light within the true Sanctuary during the time that our Lord was
absent from the earth, that is, while the nation of Israel is no
longer God's witness here below.
That which was most prominent in connection with the Lampstand was its
seven branches, supporting the lighted "lamps." These, as we have
seen, foreshadowed the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit. It is
this which brings out the distinctive aspect of our present type. It
is the Spirit as the gift of Christ--the result: of His death and
resurrection--the "beaten work" and the "almonds" to His people. It is
the Spirit shining in their hearts to give them "the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor.
4:6). It is the Spirit within the Sanctuary, glorifying Christ, taking
of the things of Christ and showing them to His people. It is the
operations of the Spirit directed by the glorified Son of God. The
several purposes which were served by the seven lighted lamps portray
the leading aspects of the Spirit's ministry to Christ's people.
First, the lighted lamps revealed the beautiful workmanship of the
Lampstand itself: "And thou shalt make the seven lamps thereof: and
they shall light the lamps thereof, that they may give light over
against the face of it" (v. 37) cf. Numbers 8:2. This tells us of the
principal design of the Spirit's ministry toward and in the saints. As
the Savior promised, "He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of
Mine, and shall show it unto you" (John 16:14). This He does by
revealing to us the perfections of Christ, by making Him real to us,
by endearing Him to our hearts. It is only by the Spirit that we are
enabled to behold and enjoy the excellencies of Him who is "fairer
than the children of men." It is in His light alone that we "see
light" (Ps. 36:9).
Second, the Lampstand was placed opposite the Table, so as to cast its
light upon its contents: "And he put the Lamp-stand in the tent of the
congregation over against the Table" (Ex. 40:24). The shewbread
remained on the Table seven days, when it became the food of Aaron and
his sons, who were bidden to "eat in the Holy Place" (Lev. 24:8, 9).
There they refreshed themselves with that which had delighted the eye
of God. Can we think of them sitting down and enjoying such a feast in
darkness? Impossible. Light was a necessity: without it all would have
been confusion and disorder. This teaches us that it is only by the
ministry and power of the Spirit that Christians can perceive Christ
as the Bread of God to sustain His people. It is only by the Spirit we
are enabled to feed on Christ and draw from His fullness, that the new
man may be nourished and strengthened.
Third, the Lampstand is mentioned in connection with the burning of
incense on the Golden-altar: "And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet
incense every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn
incense on it. And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall
burn incense upon it" (Ex. 30:7, 8). Apart from the light furnished by
the Lamp-stand the priests could not have seen the golden altar and
would have been unable to minister thereat. This altar speaks both of
worship and supplication. Here too the aid of the Spirit is
indispensable. Apart from Him we can neither praise nor petition
Christ as we ought.
Fourth, the Lampstand is said to shed its light "before the Lord" (Ex.
40:25). The antitype of this is specially brought before us by the
Spirit in the closing book of Scripture. There we see Christ
vindicating the government of God. There the "seven lamps" which are
"the seven Spirits of God" are expressly said to be "burning before
the Throne" (Rev. 4:5), while in Revelation 5:6 they are seen in
connection with the Lamb as He rises to administer judgment. The
Lampstand shining "before the Lord" will find its accomplishment when
Christ overthrows the foes of God and reigns till He hath put all
enemies under His feet. This will be during the Millennium when
Christ, in the fullness of the Spirit's power, shall be manifested as
the "Sun of righteousness" (Mal. 4:2).
There is a very remarkable Scripture in Isaiah 11 which gives us the
final anti-typical fulfillment of the sevenfold radiance of the
Lampstand. There we read, "there shall come forth a rod out of the
stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the
Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him: The Spirit of wisdom and
understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of
knowledge and of the fear of the Lord" (vv. 1, 2). There is here a
sevenfold reference of the relation of the Holy Spirit to Christ
during His Millennial reign, note verse 4. But observe carefully the
arrangement here. Mark the absence of any "and" between "Him" and "the
Spirit of wisdom," and so between the second and third and between the
third and fourth mentionings of the Spirit. The order corresponds
exactly with the construction of the seven--branched Lampstand "The
Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him:" this is separated from the
other six by the absence of a connecting "and" to what follows,
reminding us of the one central stem. The next six references are
arranged in three pairs (as the "ands" show), like the three pairs of
branches growing out of the central stem!
6. Its Covering.
"And they shall take a cloth of blue, and cover the Lampstand of the
light, and his lamps, and his tongs, etc., and they shall put it and
all the vessels thereof within a covering of badgers' skins" (Num.
4:9, 10). This point needs not to be developed at length as the
typical significance of these coverings has been dealt with in
previous articles. In the "cloth of blue" we have emphasized the
Divine glory of Christ, and are reminded that only saints in priestly
communion can recognize and enjoy the Light of life as the Holy One.
As we see the "blue" folded and concealed in the "badgers' skins we
have a solemn portrayal of the fact that the ungodly are without any
knowledge of the true Light: "The way of the wicked is as darkness"
(Prov. 4:19).
7. Its History.
Only twice is the Lampstand referred to after the Pentateuch is
passed, but in each case the connection is a most striking one. First,
in 1 Samuel 3 the Spirit has informed us that Jehovah revealed Himself
to young Samuel in the Temple or Tabernacle "ere the lamp of God went
out" (v. 3), and a most solemn communication did He give him. The Lord
announced that He would do a thing in Israel "at which both the ears
of every one that heareth it shall tingle." This "thing" was the sore
judgment which fell upon the degenerate sons of Eli. The prophetic and
dispensational application of this is obvious. Ere the long Night of
Israel's unbelief is ended, God will bring upon them the Great
Tribulation and judge them for their sins.
The second reference is in Daniel 5. Here again a night scene is
presented to our view. Belshazzar, attended by his debauched courtiers
and concubines, in the midst of a drunken revelry, gave orders that
the "golden vessels" which had been taken from the Temple when his
grandfather captured Jerusalem, should be brought in and drunk out of
Heaven's response was prompt: "In the same hour came forth fingers of
a man's hand and wrote over against the Lampstand upon the plaster of
the wall" (v. 5). This time it was a message of woe pronounced upon
the Babylonians, pointing forward to the end of the times of the
Gentiles, when the vials of God's wrath shall be poured out upon this
Christ-rejecting world.
The appropriateness of these two messages of judgment being linked
with the Lampstand is evident. God is light and in Him is no darkness
at all (1 John 1:5). "God is light" means, He is ineffably holy, and
therefore must punish sin: it brings before us the other side of the
truth. Light exposes and burns as well as warms and illumines! For
believers the Light is the Light of life; but for unbelievers it will
yet blind and overwhelm: that is why the Judgment-seat in the great
Assize is a "great white Throne. How thankful should every Christian
reader be that we are "children of light." Christ is the Light to His
people--Proverbs 4:18, 2 Corinthians 4:6; in His people--Ephesians 1:
18, 5:13, 14; through His people--Matthew 5:14-16.
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Gleanings In Exodus
40. The Curtained Ceiling
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Exodus 26:1-14
Having described the contents of the inner chambers of the Tabernacle,
excepting the Golden-altar which is mentioned later in another
connection, the Holy Spirit now informs us of what comprised the roof
of Jehovah's dwelling-place. This consisted of a number of linen
curtains, elaborately embroidered, and joined together; over these was
a set of goats' hair curtains; over these was a covering of rams'
skins dyed red, and on the outside of all was a covering of badgers'
skins. It is noteworthy that the curtained ceiling, which we are now
to contemplate, is described before the boards, which formed the
framework or sides of the holy structure. Man would naturally have
begun with a description of the framework, then the roof, and then the
furniture placed within the finished building. But here, as elsewhere,
God's thoughts and ways are the opposite of ours.
In this article we shall confine ourselves to the inner ceiling. This
was composed of ten white curtains, richly ornamented, each
twenty-eight cubits (forty-two feet) in length, and four cubits (six
feet) in width. These were coupled together in fives, breadth to
breadth, thus giving a total length of forty-two feet and a breadth of
sixty feet, which would not only reach across the Tabernacle, which
was fifteen feet in width, but would overlap its sides. The two sets
of five white curtains were linked together by fifty loops of blue in
each, which were fastened with fifty taches or clasps of gold, thus
firmly uniting the whole together in one solid piece. There are seven
things about these Curtains which we shall now consider:--
1. Their Material.
"Thou shalt make the Tabernacle of ten curtains of fine twined linen"
(v. 1). It is striking to note that in 26:15 we read, "Thou shalt make
boards for the Tabernacle": whereas the Curtains were themselves
called "the Tabernacle." Thus what we have before us here is Christ
incarnate providing a dwelling-place on earth for God. These spotless
Curtains pointed to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and exhibited
the holiness of His nature. "The priests were on this account clothed
with it (Ex. 28:39-43); and on the great day of atonement Aaron was
dressed in this material (Lev. 16:4) that he might typify the absolute
purity of the nature of the One of whom he was the shadow" (Mr. Ed.
Dennett).
The Curtains were made of "fine linen"--not linen merely, but fine
linen, linen of peculiar excellency. In Revelation 19:8 we have the
Holy Spirit's definition of the significance of this figure, for there
the fine linen, "clean and white," is declared to be "the
righteousness of the saints" (R.V.). Thus the leading thoughts are
unsullied purity and manifested righteousness. This concept may be the
more clearly grasped by noting the contrast presented in Isaiah 64:6,
"But we are all as unclean, and all our righteousness are as filthy
rags." This will be the confession of the Jews in a day to come, when
they are convicted of their sins and made to mourn before their
revealed Messiah. It is also the confession of God's saints today.
Viewed in ourselves, measured by the standard of Divine holiness, the
best efforts of the Christian are comparable only to "filthy rags."
The fine white linen, then, typified the manifested holiness and
righteousness of Christ.
It is in the four Gospels which record the earthly life of our Lord,
that the anti-typical Curtains are displayed. See Him as a Boy of
twelve. He had been taken to Jerusalem. Joseph and Mary lost sight of
Him for three days. Where did they find Him? In the Temple, and in
reply to His mother's question, He said, "Wist ye not that I must be
about My Father's business?" (Luke 2:49). His concern was to be
occupied with the things of God. Pertinently has one asked, "Was there
ever a child like that, to whom God was Father in such a way that He
absorbed His soul?" Behold Him as He went down to Nazareth and was
subject to His parents, owning the place of earthly responsibility and
manifesting His perfection in this relationship. So, too, we read of
Him, in those early days, "Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and
in favor with God and men." "There was the fabric of spotless linen
being woven before the eye of God" (Mr. S. Ridout). Follow Him into
the wilderness, where for forty days He was tempted of the devil:
utterly vain were the efforts of Satan to foul His white robes. Thus
may we trace Him all through the inspired record. He eats with
publicans and sinners, yet is unsullied by the most polluting
atmosphere. He lays His hand on the leper, but instead of contracting
defilement, His fingers healed. He touches the bier, but instead of
becoming ceremonially unclean, the dead is restored to life.
"Coming to His death, we see the spotless white shining in all its
purity. The world puts Him between two thieves. "Ah," says Satan, "I
will at least besmirch His whiteness; I will associate Him with
malefactors and turn loose the rabble upon Him, railing and casting
dust into the air. I will see what will become of His spotlessness!
Yes, let us see what will become of His spotlessness. God only brings
it out into clearer relief amidst the blackness of human and satanic
wickedness. The very thief at His side is constrained to own His
sinlessness (Luke 23:40, 41). The Centurion, too, who presided at the
crucifixion, declared Him a righteous Man" (Mr. S. Ridout). The white
Curtains, then, foreshadowed the sinless ways and righteous acts of
the Holy One of God.
2. Their Colors.
"Of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet" (v. 1).
These were used for embroidering the cherubim upon the white Curtains.
Each of the colors brings out a separate perfection in the Person of
our blessed Redeemer, and was manifested by Him as He passed through
this world of sin. "Blue" is the celestial color--"as it were the body
of heaven in its clearness" (Ex. 24:11). The "blue" upon the white
background tells us that He who came down into fathomless depths of
humiliation was "the Lord from heaven" (1 Cor. 15:47).
It is most blessed to go through the Gospels with the object of
looking for the "blue" as it was revealed in connection with the
second Man. First, we see it at His birth. How carefully God saw to it
that testimony should be borne to the heavenly source of that One who
then lay in the manger. The angels were sent to announce Him as
"Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11). Later, the wise men from the east came
and worshipped the young Child--how beautifully this manifested the
"blue"! Those who heard Him asking and answering the questions of the
doctors in the Temple, when twelve years of age, were "astonished at
His understanding" (Luke 2:47)--here again we may perceive the
heavenly color. In His words to Nicodemus He spoke of Himself as "The
Son of man which is in heaven" (John 3:13)--as one has said "the One
whose whole life here breathed the air of heaven." "Though He was
`very man,' yet He ever walked in the uninterrupted consciousness of
His proper dignity, as a heavenly Stranger. He never once forgot
whence He had come, where He was, or whither He was going. The spring
of all His joys was on High. Earth could neither make Him richer nor
poorer. He found this world to be `a dry and thirsty land, where no
water is,' and hence His spirit could only find its refreshment above"
(C.H.M.).
"Purple" is emblematic of royalty. This is established by a reference
to John 19. When the Roman soldiers expressed their scorn for Israel's
Ruler by going through the form of a mock coronation, they placed upon
His brow a crown of thorns, and then "put on Him a purple robe" (v.
2). It is in Matthew's Gospel that this second color comes out most
conspicuously. First, the "purple" is seen in the record of the royal
genealogy of the Son of David. Next we behold it in the question of
the magi, "Where is He that is born King of the Jews?" (Matthew 2:2).
Then we see it in the proclamation of His forerunner, "The kingdom of
heaven is at hand" (3:2)--"at hand," because the King Himself was in
their midst. The royal "purple" is plainly evident in the "Sermon'"
recorded in chapters 5, 6, 7, prefaced by the statement, "He went up
into a mountain, and when He was seated... He said"
etc.--symbolically, it was the King taking His place upon His throne,
enunciating the laws of His kingdom. Still more vividly did the
"purple" shine when He made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem
(21:1-11). Over His cross was placed the royal banner, "This is Jesus,
the King of the Jews" (27:37).
"Scarlet" is a color which is used in Scripture with a variety of
emblematic significations. From these we select two which seem to bear
most closely upon our present type. First, "scarlet," the color of
blood, vividly suggests the sufferings of Christ. This is borne out by
the fact that the complete Hebrew word for "scarlet" is "tolaath
shani," meaning scarlet-worm. Mr. Ridout has pointed out, "It is the
`cocus cacti,' the cochineal, from which the scarlet dye is obtained.
In the 22nd Psalm our holy Lord, in the midst of His anguish as a
sin-offering on the cross, says `I am a worm and no man' (v. 6). This
is the word which is used in connection with scarlet. Thus our Lord,
`who knew no sin,' was `made sin' for us (2 Cor. 5:21), taking the
place which we deserved. He took the place of being a worm, went down
into death, crushed under the wrath and judgment of God, His precious
blood shed to put away our scarlet sins."
Thus the "scarlet" speaks first of the sufferings of Christ. Side by
side with His purity, His heavenly character, and His royal majesty,
the Gospel records bring before us the afflictions of the Savior. We
may discern the "scarlet" in the manger-cradle. This color was also
evidenced when Satan assailed Him, for "He suffered, being tempted
(Heb. 2:18). He "sighed deeply in His spirit" (Mark 8:12), "groaning
in Himself" (John 11:38), "weeping over Jerusalem" (Luke 19:41) are
further examples. How tragically the "scarlet" may be seen in
Gethsemane, when "His sweat was as it were great drops of blood
falling down to the ground" (Luke 22:44)!
But "scarlet" is also the emblem of glory. The woman seated upon the
scarlet-colored beast in Revelation 17 symbolizes that satanic system
which, under Antichrist, will yet ape the millennial glory of Christ.
By His sufferings the Savior has won the place of highest honor and
glory. In the coming Age, this world will be the scene of His
splendor. The scarlet mantle will then be upon Him whose right it is.
It is striking that in the 22nd Psalm--the first part of which
describes the Savior's sufferings--its closing verses depict His royal
authority and coming glory: "All the ends of the world shall remember
and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall
worship before Thee," etc. (v. 27). A bright glimpse of the "scarlet"
was afforded to the sight of the favored apostles upon the Mount of
Transfiguration.
3. Its Ornamentation.
"With cherubim of cunning work shalt thou make them" (v. 1). The pure
white linen was the material on which the various colors were
displayed and with which were embroidered the cherubim. Thus, as the
priests ministered in the Holy Place and gazed upward, there above
their heads were the mystic forms of these highest of all God's
creatures--their outstretched wings forming a firmament of feathers
upon the ceiling. We believe that reference is made to this sheltering
canopy in the following scriptures: "I will abide in Thy Tabernacle
forever; I will trust in the covert of Thy wings" (Ps. 61:4); "He
shall cover thee with His feathers; and under His wings shalt thou
trust" (Ps. 91:4); "Hide me under the shadow of Thy wings" (Ps. 17:8),
etc.
As the "cherubim" will come before us again, a brief word thereon must
here suffice. They speak of judicial authority, as the first mention
of them in the Bible clearly shows: (Gen. 3:24). A glimpse of what
these symbolic figures portrayed in connection with Christ was given
by Him when He affirmed, "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath
committed all judgment unto the Son... and hath given Him authority to
execute judgment also because He is the Son of man" (John 5:22, 27).
4. Their Dimensions.
"The length of one curtain shall be eight and twenty cubits, and the
breadth of one curtain four cubits; and every one of the curtains
shall have one measure" (v. 2). "Seven is the perfect number, being
absolutely indivisible except by itself, and the highest prime number;
and four is that of completeness on earth--as seen for example, in the
four corners of the earth, four square, four gospels, etc. The
dimensions of the Curtains will then betoken perfection displayed in
completeness on earth; and such a meaning could only be applied to the
life of our blessed Lord. The Curtains of the Tabernacle,
consequently, speak of the complete unfolding of His perfections as
Man when passing through this scene" (Mr. E. Dennett).
5. Their Meaning.
This has been brought out, more or less, in what has been already
before us. The spotless white Curtains, with the beautifully tinted
cherubim worked upon them, typified, distinctively, neither the Deity
nor the humanity of our Lord, but the person of the God-man and the
varied glories manifested by Him while He tabernacled among men. It
should be noted that in every other instance where we have the four
colors mentioned, the blue is first and the white is last. But here
the order is reversed. There, it is the Spirit emphasizing the
heavenly origin of the One who came down to earth; here, it is drawing
our attention to the sinlessness and righteousness of the Man who sits
now at God's right hand.
The fact that these Curtains formed the inside ceiling of the holy
places and were seen, therefore, only by the priestly family,
intimates that none but those that had access to God were able to
appreciate the perfections of His Son as they were manifested by Him
during His earthly sojourn. The rank and the of the Jews saw in Him no
beauty that they should desire Him. His moral loveliness was lost upon
them; yea, it only served to condemn their moral ugliness, and thus
aroused their enmity. But the favored few, who were the objects of
distinguishing grace, exclaimed, "We beheld His glory, the glory as of
the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).
It is the same today. Christ is still despised and rejected of men.
The unregenerate have no capacity to discern His excellencies. A good
Man, the best of men, He is acknowledged to be; but as the Holy One of
God (the "white"), the Lord from heaven (the "blue"), the King of
kings (the "purple"), and the One who because of His sufferings will
yet come back to this earth and reign over it in power and glory (the
"scarlet"), He is unknown. But notwithstanding there is even now a
company that is "an holy priesthood" (1 Pet. 2:5), and they, haying
received "an unction," a divine anointing (1 John 2:20, 27), recognize
Him as the altogether Lovely One.
The fact that the Curtains formed the inner ceiling of the Tabernacle
suggests that they set before us the One who humbled Himself and
became obedient unto death, but who is now exalted and glorified on
High. Whenever the worshipper looked up he would see nought but that
spotless linen with its rich ornamentations. Does not this announce to
us, in accents too plain to be misunderstood, that as God's
worshippers enter, in spirit, the heavenly Sanctuary, they are to be
occupied with the person and perfections of Him whom, by faith, we now
see "crowned with glory and honor" (Heb. 2:9)! In worship we are
occupied not with ourselves--either our failures or our attainments,
our needs or our blessings--but with the Father and His blessed Son.
It is only as our hearts are absorbed with that which the Curtains and
their lovely colors prefigured, that we present to God that which is
acceptable in His sight.
6. Their Loops.
Before we take up the distinctive significance of these, let us first
consider their use. They were appointed for the Joining of the
Curtains together. Thus the ten Curtains were arranged in two sets of
five each: "The five curtains shall be coupled together one to
another; and other five curtains shall be coupled one to another" (v.
3). Now, in Scripture, one of the meanings of "ten" is that of human
responsibility. Hence after ten plagues upon Egypt had measured and
demonstrated the failure of their responsibility, Pharaoh and his
hosts were destroyed at the Red Sea. When Gentile dominion reaches its
final form, it will consist of ten kingdoms, and then will be fully
manifested the breakdown of its responsibility. When at Sinai God gave
a summary of man's duty it was in the form of ten commandments. But
these were writ. ten upon two tables of stone, or in two sets of
fives, similarly to the Curtains here. The first five
commandments--Joined together by the words "The Lord thy God," which
is not found in any of the last five--define our responsibility
Godwards; the last five, our responsibility manwards. The ten
Curtains, grouped together in two sets of fives, speak of Christ, as
the Representative of His people, meeting the whole of their
obligations both Godwards and man-wards. He loved God with all His
heart, and His neighbor as Himself; He was the only one by whom these
responsibilities were fully and perfectly discharged.
By this "coupling" of the Curtains together, both their length and
breadth would be the better exhibited. "`Length' is the extension, and
may well stand for the whole course of life. It is used this way in
Scripture--`length of days' is a familiar expression. `Breadth' is
from a root meaning `spacious, roomy.' It has a metaphorical use with
which we are familiar. King Solomon had great largeness (breadth) of
heart (1 Kings 4:29). `Breadth' thus suggests the character of the
life and its attendant circumstances. In speaking then of our Lord's
life, `length' would suggest its whole course, and `breadth' its
character and the circumstances in which this was displayed" (Mr.
Ridout). How blessed then to behold that each of these ten Curtains
was 28 or 7 x 4 cubits long, and 4 broad, telling us that in the
discharge of our responsibilities He manifested nought but perfection
here on earth!
"Fifty loops shalt thou make in the one curtain, and fifty loops shalt
thou make in the edge of the curtain that is in the coupling of the
second; that the loops may take hold one of another" (v. 5). "The
loops were blue--the color of Heaven. Thus the fact that He was from
Heaven, lived in Heaven, and was to return to Heaven characterized His
whole life of obedience. The mark of Heaven was upon it all. Upon that
which spoke of His perfect love and obedience to God were loops of
blue, to show that love and obedience were to be united to a life upon
earth in which its responsibilities were to be made one with His
obedience to God. So the blue loops upon the second set of Curtains
show that all was of one with His devotedness to God.
"No life ever was so perfectly given up to God as was His: heart,
soul, mind and strength were all and always for God. Yet this
devotedness did not make of Him a recluse. There is not the slightest
thought of that selfish monasticism with which human
self-righteousness has linked the name of Christianity. He loved His
Father perfectly, but that was the pledge of His perfect life to man.
No hands or heart were ever so filled with love and labor for men; but
there was nothing of the sentimental nor merely philanthropic in this.
The loops of blue were on all, linking all with His Father's will. He
wrought many miracles but we cannot think of these works of love
ending there. He was manifesting the works which the Father gave Him
to do; `I must work the works of Him that sent Me'--John 9:4" (Mr.
Ridout).
7. Their Couplings.
"And thou shalt make fifty taches of gold, and couple the curtains
together with the taches: and it shall be one Tabernacle" (v. 6). The
word "taches" means "couplings:" passed through the loops of blue they
united the Curtains together. The "loops of blue" and these "hooks of
gold" might seem very unimportant, but, without them, there would have
been no unity. The beautiful Curtains would have hung apart one from
another, and thus one main feature of their manifestation would have
been lost.
Significantly were these "couplings" of gold. They tell us that it was
the heavenly and Divine character of our Lord which secured the
perfect adjustment of His twofold responsibility as Man towards God
and His neighbor. These "couplings" fastened the whole of the ten
Curtains together so that they were "one Tabernacle." Thus they
pointed to that blessed unity and uniformity of the character and life
of Christ. "We have here displayed to us in the `loops of blue' and
`taches of gold' that heavenly grace and divine energy in Christ which
enabled Him to combine and perfectly adjust the claims of God and man,
so that in responding to both the one and the other He never, for a
moment, marred the unity of His character. When crafty and
hypocritical men tempted Him with the inquiry, `Is it lawful to give
tribute to Caesar or not?' His wise reply was, `Render to Caesar the
things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.' Nor
was it merely Caesar's, but man in every relation, that had all his
claims perfectly met in Christ. As He united in His perfect person the
nature of God and man, so He met in His perfect ways the claims of God
and man" (C.H.M.).
In the life of the blessed Lord Jesus, and in all the scenes and
circumstances of that life, we not only see each distinct phase and
feature perfect in itself, but also a perfect combination of all those
phases and features by the power of that which was heavenly and divine
in Him. The perfect ways and works of our Lord wore not only beautiful
in themselves, but they were beautifully combined, exquisitely linked
together. But it is only those who have been, in some measure,
instructed in the holy mysteries of the true Sanctuary who Can discern
and appreciate these "loops of blue" and "taches of gold" Study the
record of His life with this thought in mind. Mark His inflexible
righteousness and then His exceeding tenderness; His uncompromising
faithfulness in denouncing hypocrisy and then the wondrous compassion
for poor sinners; His stern denunciation of error and human
traditions, and then the tender patience toward the ignorant and those
that were out of the way. Side by side we may see the dignity and
majesty of His Godhead and the meekness and lowliness of His
Manhood--blessedly united and consistently combined into one, like His
robe "without seam"! May the Spirit of truth enable the reader to look
for the "loops of blue" and the "taches of gold" as he studies the
and-typical Curtains in the New Testament.
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Gleanings In Exodus
41. The Coverings
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Exodus 26:7-14
As was pointed out at the beginning of our last article, the
Tabernacle had four separate Coverings, one over another. The first
and innermost was the ten white curtains. These curtains have already
been before us. It should be carefully noted that they are themselves
designated "the tabernacle," see vv. 1, 6. Over these were placed
eleven "curtains of goats' hair," and these are called "the tent," vv.
11, 12. Above these were spread "rams' skins dyed red" and "badgers'
skins," v. 14, which are simply called "coverings." That a distinction
is drawn between the "Tabernacle" and the "Tent" is clear from several
scriptures For example, Numbers 3:25: "The Tabernacle and the Tent."
This intimates they are to be contemplated separately.
The above distinction is clearly established in the Hebrew, where two
distinct words are employed--"Mishkan" for Tabernacle, "ohel" for
Tent. The former signifies "dwelling-place"; the latter, simply
"tent." The one refers to the abode of Jehovah, the other to the
meeting-place for His people. It is to be regretted that the
translators of our English Bible have failed to preserve the
difference which is noted in the original. In the A.V. we find the
expression "Tabernacle of the congregation" constantly occurring, but
in almost every instance the Hebrew has "Tent of the congregation."
This holy building was their place of assembly, but it was Jehovah's
place of abode: they visited it, He remained there! Looking now,
first, at the eleven goats' hair curtains let us note:--
1. Their Materials.
"And thou shalt make curtains of goats' hair to be a covering upon the
Tabernacle" (v. 7). "The word for `curtains' Is yerioth, from a root
meaning to tremble or waive, as suspended curtains do. A similar root
with a similar primary meaning is the word for `fear.' How
suggestively do these thoughts describe the Lord Jesus as He was here.
He was the dependent One, not relying upon His own inherent strength,
but cleaving ever to His Father. He was perfectly obedient, because
perfectly dependent upon the will of God. Thus the true `fear' of the
Lord characterized Him. He was ever moved by the slightest breath of
the Spirit. There was thus in the eyes of men entire weakness, for He
had no will apart from perfect subjection unto God; therefore the
whole character of God with reference to sin, the world and Satan, was
manifested. So also He gave fullest expression to God's thoughts and
ways of mercy over Judgment with reference to man.
"The word `curtain' is a feminine one, and in speaking of them being
Joined together `one to another,' it is `a woman to her sister.' This,
too, is in keeping with the holy place of dependence and subjection
taken and kept by our Lord" (Mr. S. Ridout). As though emphasizing
this same thought, the Holy Spirit has been careful to tell us that
these goats' hair curtains were spun by the women (Ex. 35:26). We may
add that this same material was used for making their own tents, and
was of a dark color, as a reference to Song of Solomon 1:5; 6:5 shows.
It is to be noted that the word "hair" in Exodus 26:7 is in italics,
which denotes it has been supplied by the translators, and we believe
in this case, rightly so. It is not found in the Hebrew of Exodus
35:26, yet the word "spun" clearly implies it. The reason why the word
"hair" is omitted from Exodus 26:7 is to direct our attention more
particularly to the goats themselves--i. e., to what they typically
signified.
2. Their Number.
"Eleven curtains shalt thou make" (v. 7). As though God anticipated we
should experience difficulty with this number, He has Himself here
supplied the very help we need. He has told us that these Curtains
were divided into two groups: "Thou shalt couple five curtains by
themselves, and six curtains by themselves" (v. 9). Thus in order to
discover the spiritual significance of this number eleven, we are thus
shown that we are not to consider it by itself as a whole, but as made
up of five and six. This simplifies things very much. Five, as we have
before had occasion to remark, stands for grace, while six is the
number of man. It was on the sixth day that man was created (Gen.
1:26, 31). Six days are the span of man's weekly labor (Ex. 20:9). It
is striking how prominent is this numeral in the measures which man
uses in connection with his labors: each of the following is a
multiple of six. There are twelve inches to the foot; eighteen to the
cubit; thirty-six to the yard. It is thus with man's divisions of
time. The day has twenty-four hours, each of these is made up of sixty
minutes, and these of sixty seconds. It is remarkable there are just
six separate words in the Bible for "man"--four in the Hebrew and two
in the Greek. How fitting that He who took the place of sinful man was
crucified at the sixth hour (John 19:14)! In the indignities man
heaped upon the suffering Savior this same number was stamped upon his
vile handiwork: (1) scourging His back; (2) smiting His face with the
palms of their hands; (3) spitting upon Him; (4) placing the thorns on
His brow; (5) driving the nails into His hands and His feet; (6)
plunging the spear into His side. In the light of these examples it is
not difficult to trace the significance of the five and the six in the
goats' hair Curtains.
3. Their Dimensions.
"The length of one curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of
one curtain four cubits: and the eleven curtains shall be all of one
measure" (v. 8). The width of the Curtains was the same as those which
formed the innermost Covering, namely, four cubits--the number which
speaks of the earth. But the length of the goats' hair Curtains
exceeded those of the white ones: these were thirty cubits, they but
twenty-eight. The significance of these larger numbers is always
ascertained by the spiritual meaning of their factors. The factors of
thirty are either three and ten, or five and six. Three is the number
of full manifestation, ten of responsibility. But in view of the fact
that the Curtains were divided into two groups of five and six, we
probably have there the key to the interpretation of their length.
This will come before us more fully when we take up their meaning.
4. Their Arrangement.
This is by no means obvious at first glance. In v. 9 we are told,
"Thou shalt couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by
themselves and shalt double the sixth curtain in the forefront of the
Tabernacle." Then in vv. 12, 13 we read, "And the remnant that
remaineth of the curtains of the Tent, the half curtain that
remaineth, shall hang over the backside of the Tabernacle. And a cubit
on the one side, and a cubit on the other side of that which remaineth
in the length of the curtains of the Tent, it shall hang over the
sides of the Tabernacle on this side and on that side, to cover it."
Now the Tabernacle itself was thirty cubits long, ten cubits broad,
and ten cubits high. Thus by taking these Curtains lengthwise and
throwing them over the width of the Tabernacle, its two sides and top
would be completely covered, for they were Just thirty cubits in
length. In breadth, joined side by side, they would be forty-four
cubits, and thus long enough to cover the rear, stretch right across
the length of the top and then over-lap four feet in front. This
balance of four cubits in the front was turned back or "doubled" so as
to leave eight cubits clear for the entrance.
5. Their Meaning.
The material of which they were made, supplies the first key to this.
The "goat" was pre-eminently the animal used in the sin offerings, in
fact, in connection with Israel's great feasts under the law, when the
people were collectively represented before God, it was the only one
used in their sacrifices for sins. Israel's year began with a
commemoration of the Passover. Inseparably connected with this was the
ordinance of the feast of unleavened bread: in Luke 22:1 they are
identified. During the seven days of this feast, besides other
sacrifices, a "goat" was slain for a sin offering (Num. 28:17, 22).
The next feast was that of "weeks" or "Pentecost": in this, too, a
goat as a sin offering for an atonement was commanded (Lev. 23:15,
19). Then came the feast of Trumpets, and here also the goat for a
sin-offering was used (Num. 29:1, 5). Following this was the most
solemn of them all, namely, the annual Day of Atonement, when a
special sin-offering was appointed. This consisted of two goats: the
one being slain, the other having the sins and iniquities of all
Israel confessed upon it, then being led away into a land not
inhabited (Lev. 16). Finally came the feast of Tabernacles, the feast
of ingathering, when Israel rested from their toil and rejoiced in the
blessing of God upon their labors. This feast lasted for eight days,
and on each one a "goat" was slain as a sin-offering (Num. 29).
In addition to the national convocations when the "goats" alone was
used for making atonement, we may observe the prominence of this
animal in other sin-offerings. When a ruler sinned, the appointed
sacrifice was "a kid of the goats" (Lev. 4:23); so, if one of the
common people sinned (Lev. 4:27, 28). At the consecration of the
priesthood a "kid of the goats for a sin-offering" was required (Lev.
9:2, 3). At the dedication of the altar each of the "princes" offered
"one kid of the goats for a sin-offering" (Num. 7:16). For the sin of
ignorance a "kid of the goats" made atonement (Num. 15:24, 27). At the
beginning of each month a special sin-offering was appointed, and this
also consisted of "a kid of the goats" (Num. 28:11, 15). This
completes the list where the "goat" was exclusively appointed as the
sin-offering. Surely it is more than a coincidence that they are
precisely eleven in number--corresponding exactly with the eleven
Curtains in our type!
It is also very striking to find that where the "goat" is not used in
sacrifice, yet is it generally found in an evil connection. Rebekah
placed "skins of the kids of the goats" upon Jacob's hands and neck
for the purpose of deceiving Isaac (Gen. 27:16). So the brethren of
Joseph "killed a kid of the goats" and dipped his coat in it to aid
their deception upon their father (Gen. 37:31). In the trick which
Michal imposed upon Saul, a pillow of "goats' hair" was employed (1
Sam. 19:13). So in contrast from the "sheep" (His own people) the Lord
likens the wicked unto "goats" (Matthew 25:33).
In the light of what has just been before us it is unmistakably plain
that the "goats' hair" Curtains pointed to Christ as the great
sin-offering for the iniquities of his people. He who knew no sin, was
"made sin for us" (2 Cor. 5:21). Of old it was announced "Thou shalt
make His soul an offering for sin" (Isa. 53:10), and thus was the
fulfillment recorded--"He hath poured out His soul unto death" (Isa.
53:12). In this connection it is remarkable to note the words of
Leviticus 4:25: "The priests shall... pour out his blood at the bottom
of the altar." This was only said of the blood of the "sin-offering":
of the blood of the burnt-offering we read that it was "sprinkled"
only (Lev. 1:5).
The numerals connected with these Curtains confirm our interpretation:
they were six, five, and four. Thus we learn that it was the Manhood
of our blessed Redeemer, in wondrous grace, suffering for the sin of
His people here on earth. But it is the six which is doubly prominent,
the eleventh Curtain being expressly termed "the sixth" (v. 9), and
the thirty cubits in length, has for its factors five and six. Thus,
by this emphasis, the Holy Spirit has most graciously pointed out the
direction which our thoughts should take. The fact that the "women"
spun these goats' hair Curtains still further emphasizes the truth
that in our present type it is distinctively Christ as the "woman's"
Seed (Gen. 3:15), who is before us. It is true that the God-man
suffered and died, and it is true that His two natures are inseparably
united; yet, it was His humanity which made possible the great
sacrifice, for Deity cannot suffer.
Underneath these goats' hair Curtains was the gorgeous tapestry of the
cherubim--embroidered white Curtains. But these were seen only by
those inside the Holy Place, telling us that it is not until we have
personally appropriated Christ, by a God-given faith, as our
Sin-offering, that we can delight ourselves by being occupied with His
personal perfections. Thus, how deeply and how solemnly significant,
was the doubled-over curtain, right over the entrance into the
Tabernacle. Just above its beautiful gate hung that which would remind
the worshipper of the great cost paid by Another to procure entrance
for him.
6. Their Loops and Taches.
"And thou shalt make fifty loops on the edge of the one curtain that
is outmost in the coupling, and fifty loops in the edge of the curtain
which coupleth the second. And thou shalt make fifty taches of brass,
and put the taches into the loops, and couple the Tent together, that
it may be one" (vv. 10, 11).
Some excellent commentators have insisted that the goats' hair
Curtains speak primarily of Christ in His earthly life, and that they
pointed to Him as the perfect Prophet. We think this is a mistake. It
is true that "hairy" garments are found connected with false prophets
(Hebrew of Zechariah 13:5), but no "goats' hair." In the case of John
the Baptist we are explicitly told that his raiment was of "camel's
hair" (Matthew 3, 4).
It will be noted that while the white Curtains were linked together
with "gold" taches, the ones now before us were united by "brass"
clasps. This important detail both reveals the mistake of others and
confirms the interpretation which we have given above. "Brass" in
scripture is the symbol of Divine judgment--as this will come before
us again in connection with the "Brazen-altar" we shall not now adduce
the proofs. Now in His prophetic office Christ's ministry was the very
reverse of the exercise of judgment--throughout it was marked by
grace: John 1:17; 3:17. But regarding the goats' hair Curtains as
foreshadowing Christ "made sin" for His people, the taches of "brass"
are most significant, for they tell us that, while on the Cross, the
Savior suffered the outpoured Judgment of God (Isa. 53:10; Zechariah
13:7).
It should also be observed that two little words in connection with
the "loops" are here most significantly omitted. The ten white
Curtains were linked together through "loops of blue" (26:4); but of
the eleven goats' hair Curtains we read, three times over in 26:10,
11, simply of "loops." Had these second Curtains been designed of God
to portray Christ in His prophetic office the "blue" had surely been
mentioned, for His heavenly Character shone out ceaselessly during His
earthly ministry. But when "made sin for us" His heavenly glory was
hidden, as the three hours of darkness testified. The minute and
wondrous perfection of our type is thus evidenced by the omission of
"loops of blue"!
7. Their Purpose.
These goats' hair Curtains were designed not only as a protection for
the white Curtains beneath, but also to cover the golden boards of its
sides and rear. These, the under Curtains failed to completely drape.
It was a distance of thirty cubits from the ground on the one side,
over the roof, to the ground on the other side. The white Curtains
were only twenty-eight cubits in length, leaving one cubit of the
golden boards exposed at the bottom on either side, And most fittingly
so. As we have seen, the white Curtains, with their lovely colors
embroidered upon them, foreshadowed the perfections of Christ's person
as He tabernacled among men. During His walk through this world, He
did not conceal, but revealed, the glory of God, therefore was there
one cubit (one is the number of unity, and thus of God in His
essential nature) of the golden boards left uncovered by the white
Curtains on either side of the Tabernacle!
But these goats' hair Curtains were thirty cubits long, and thus of
sufficient length not only to overlap the white Curtains, but also to
completely cover the golden boards on the side of the Tabernacle. By
this God intimated the great truth that He could have no tabernacle
among men, and could not manifest His beauty and glory in their midst,
except as His dwelling-place proclaimed, in every part of it, the fact
that sin had been fully met and put away by the sacrifice of His Son!
It remains for us now to offer a brief remark on the outermost
Coverings. "And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of rams' skins
dyed red, and a covering above of badgers' skins" (v. 14). In a word,
these external Coverings, on the outside of the goats' hair Curtains,
give us a twofold view of Christ enduring the judgment due the sins of
His people: they show how He then appeared to the eye of God and to
the eyes of men. The rams' skins presented the Godward aspect first.
The "ram" was the victim used at the consecration of the priests (Ex.
29:26), when they were separated unto the service of Jehovah. It
spoke, therefore, of devotedness to God. In beautiful accord with this
we find that it was a "ram" (Gen. 22:13) which took the place of Isaac
when Abraham, in his devotion and obedience to God, had bound him to
the altar! "The ram, being the head of the flock, tells of strength
and dignity, hence the figurative significance of Psalm 114:3. The
skipping and the leaping of the mighty mountains shows the Divine
majesty of God, before whom the strongest and mightiest must quail"
(Mr. Ridout).
The rams' skins Covering was "dyed red," which plainly expressed
devotion unto death. Thus, in the first of these Coverings we have
foreshadowed Christ as the Head of His sheep, the Mighty One, living
only for God, and manifesting His perfect devotion to the Father by
being "obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."
The rams' skins Covering, then, foreshadowed Christ as the Head of His
people (the "sheep") perfectly consecrated to God. An a Child it was
the Father's business which occupied Him (Luke 2:49). The keynote to
His ministry was "I must work the works of Him that sent Me" (John
9:4). Zeal for the Father's honor consumed Him (John 2:17). But the
rams' skins were "dyed red," which pointed to bloodshedding. Not only
did Christ live entirely for God, but He also laid down His life in
obedience to the Father's command (John 10:18). All the varied
excellencies of Christ were covered by devotedness to God. At Calvary,
men saw only the execution of a condemned criminal, but Heaven looked
down upon the unreserved and unparalleled consecration of the Son to
the Father.
Over the rams' skins were placed badgers' skins, and this was the
outer Covering of all. This alone would be seen by the eyes of men as
Israel were in the wilderness. It, therefore, brings before us Christ
as He appeared to men. It specially portrays the fact that He "made
Himself of no reputation" (Phil. 2:7). Born in a manger; brought up in
despised Nazareth; working at the carpenter's bench, were examples of
what the rough and unsightly badgers' skins foreshadowed. To such a
degree did Christ humble Himself, the glories of His Divine person
were hidden from the eyes of sinful creatures. "Is not this the
carpenter?" (Mark 6:3), shows their estimation of Him. They could see
none of the spiritual grace, the heavenly beauty, or even the moral
perfections, which lay beneath the outward form of the despised Jesus
of Nazareth. "As for this fellow, we know not from whence He is" (John
9:29) reveals the fact that they saw only the badger's skins.
As it was with Him during His life, so also was it at His death. Just
as the desert tribes through whose territory Israel passed while
Journeying to Canaan, saw not the lovely Curtains underneath, so the
morbid throngs which congregated at Calvary, discerned not the
precious significance of what was there transpiring. Many were
astonished at Christ because "His visage was more marred than any
man's, and His form than the sons of man" (Isa. 52:14). He was
regarded as smitten by a curse from God because of blasphemy (Isa.
53:4). They deemed Him utterly helpless, unable to come down from the
cross. Thus the rough and unsightly badgers' skins over all, spoke of
the shame and humiliation of our precious Savior before men.
It is most blessed and solemn to observe that, in sharp contrast from
the ten white Curtains and the eleven goats' hair Curtains, beneath,
no dimensions are given of the two outer Coverings. Does not this
intimate that that which these Coverings foreshadowed was beyond our
power to measure! There was a depth and a height both in our Savior's
devotedness to God and in His humiliation before men which it is
utterly impossible for us to gauge.
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Gleanings In Exodus
42. The Boards
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Exodus 26:15-30
That which is now to occupy us is the framework and foundation of the
Tabernacle proper. The sides of the Tabernacle were comprised of
boards of acacia wood, fitly framed together, standing upon a base of
silver sockets. The Tabernacle stood on the west side of the Court,
facing the gate. Its solid framework was made up of forty-eight
boards, twenty being used on the north side, twenty on the south, six
on the west, with a corner-board at each end; the eastern or front
side being the entrance, having five pillars between which was
suspended an "hanging for the door," which will come before us for
separate consideration in a later article (D.V.). Each of the boards
was overlaid with gold.
"The north and south sides of the Tabernacle were each composed of
twenty hoards. Thus the length of the holy building would be thirty
cubits (forty-five feet), the boards being a cubit and a half in
breadth. Its height was ten cubits (fifteen feet), its width was
exactly the same, namely, ten cubits (fifteen feet). Each board was
maintained in its place by two tenons, or hands, which again were
grasped by two sockets of silver. Then in order to bind the whole in
one compact body of strength and security, five bars of shit-the wood
with gold--same as the boards--ran along the two sides, and also along
the end at the west; fifteen bars in all being inserted in rings of
gold attached to the boards. The third, or middle bar, stretched
across the whole length of the building--forty-five feet; of the
length of the other cross-bars we are not informed. The corner-boards
at the extreme end--north and south--were coupled together at top and
bottom by rings of gold, in addition to the tenons and silver sockets
at the base. These corner-boards then would knit the ends so firmly by
their fastening of rings, tenons, and sockets, or blocks of silver,
that a breakdown was impossible, while the sides were equally upheld
and maintained by the bars. Here then we have the Rock of Ages
embodied in the Tabernacle" (Mr. W. Scott.)
There has been much confusion on the part of the commentators
concerning the typical import of the Boards and that which secured
them together. Many who have seen Christ displayed in the Curtains and
in the different Vessels, depart from this primary interpretation when
they come to the Boards, and regard them as portraying believers in
their individual and corporate relationships. That much connected with
the Tabernacle may have a secondary application to the saints we do
not deny, but that everything in it points first and foremost to our
Savior we are fully assured, and it is with Him that our hearts need
most to be engaged; so with the primary signficance of our type we
shall now proceed. There are seven things connected with the Boards
that claim our careful attention: --
1. Their Materials.
"And thou shalt make Boards for the tabernacle of shittim wood . . .
And thou shalt overlay the boards with gold"--(vv. 15, 29). As we have
had occasion before to remark, the acacia wood foreshadowed our Lord's
humanity, particularly the incorruptibility of it, the Greek version
of the O.T. actually translating it "incorruptible wood." It is of
paramount importance that we should hold fast to and testify of the
fundamental truth conveyed in this typical wood--the real and the
untainted Manhood of the Lord Jesus. Error here is most serious and
solemn, affecting as it would our estimate of the Savior's person.
There are those who, in their zeal to maintain His absolute Deity,
entertain an inadequate conception of His humanity. But His Manhood
was just as real as His Godhood. It was not simply that He assumed a
human body, but that He became Man in the full sense of that term,
having a human spirit and soul and body. "In all things it behooved
Him to be made like unto His brethren" (Heb. 2:17). "Forasmuch then as
the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself
likewise took part of the same" (Heb. 2:14). Therefore is He called
"the Man Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. 2:5).
But in becoming Man, the Lord of glory took unto Himself a spotless
and perfect humanity, expressly designated "that Holy Thing" (Luke
1:35). The Son of man "did no sin" (1 Pet. 2:22) and that because "He
knew no sin" (2 Cor. 5:21) and that because "in Him was no sin" (1
John 3:5). He ever was and always remained "the Holy One of God." To
question this is to cast dishonor both on the Father and on the Son,
and undermines the very foundation on which the Christian's peace is
based. Some carelessly, or profanely, talk of "Jesus assuming our
sinful and our mortal nature," but such could never be, or He had
Himself needed a Savior. Not only did Christ commit no sin, but He was
entirely incapable of sinning. Nor were the seeds of death in His
Manhood: He did not die from pain and weakness, but laid down His life
of Himself (John 10:18), and in death He saw "no corruption" (Acts
2:27). The Virgin-birth and the immaculate nature of the Savior lie at
the very foundation of the Gospel message: without them there would be
and could be no announcement of good news for poor sinners.
Inseparable from His humanity is the glorious truth of our Redeemer's
Deity. This also is a fundamental part of our faith and underlies all
true evangelical testimony. "Unto you is born a Savior, which is
Christ the Lord'" (Luke 2:11). None but a Divine Savior could meet the
deep need of fallen creatures: the endurance of God's curse was wholly
beyond the resources of human weakness--His Deity alone could sustain
the weight of redemption. If the acacia wood foreshadowed the humanity
of Christ, the gold spoke of His Divine nature and glory. In the two
conjoined we have set before us God manifest in flesh. "The Word was
God . . . the Word became flesh" (John 1:1, 14). A profound mystery we
grant, yet a blessed truth on which the faith of God's elect rests
with unquestioning confidence.
2. Their Dimensions.
"Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half
shall be the breadth of one board" (v. 16). "In all structures if
there is to be symmetry, there must be accuracy of measurements, and
for this there must be a standard. In Scripture it was the cubit, or
ammah, from a word meaning `mother.' It was the length of the
`mother-arm,' the forearm, as the chief and prominent part of the arm,
from the elbow to the tip of the finger: that which is used in all
work. It was thus a standard taken from man, not above him. God's
requirements are absolutely reasonable and righteous, not going beyond
human capacity. And yet how true it is that not one of the fallen sons
of Adam could measure up to that perfect human standard: `all have
sinned and come short of the glory of God.' But God delighted in man,
and even the measurement of the heavenly city is by the human standard
(Rev. 21:17). If God is to be in any measure apprehended by His
creatures, it must be, not in that unutterable glory and infinity
which no one knoweth but the Son, but rather in the One who humbled
Himself and was found in fashion as a man. How amazing! God is
manifested in the flesh, and we are invited to appropriate the
standard of measurement (which is in our hands and by which we have
been condemned) to Him, and to see how perfectly He has measured up to
the fullest requirements of God" (Mr. Ridout).
How profoundly suggestive and significant that in the very unit of
measurement which Jehovah ordered Moses to employ, we are reminded of
our Lord's incarnation, and that more than a hint is given of His
Virgin birth--the word "cubit" being of the feminine gender, not
masculine! He was and is God, but He became flesh. So the length of
the Boards reiterates and emphasizes the same truth. Ten, as we have
seen previously, is the number which speaks of the Divine measure of
human responsibility. What is here so blessedly foreshadowed, then, is
the Son of God become Man, perfectly glorifying His Father in the
place of human accountability. Beautiful is it to ponder in this
connection the closing words of v. 15: "And thou shalt make boards for
the Tabernacle of shittim wood standing up" What a contrast this
points! We are all fallen creatures; not so the perfect Man, who was
"separate from sinners" (Heb. 7:26). He was upright in all His ways.
Ten cubits was the height of every board. Each part of Christ's life
was of an unvarying standard. Nothing was out of proportion. Looking
at each of the ten commandments we cannot say that Christ kept one
more perfectly than the others. Each was fully, constantly, and
consistently obeyed by Him.
"A cubit and a half shall be the breadth of each board." This is not
the first time that we have had this particular measurement: the Ark
was, too, a cubit and a half in breadth and a cubit and a half in
height (Ex. 25:10); the Mercy-seat was also a cubit and a half in
breadth (25:17). Both the Ark and the Mercy-seat portray the Lord
Jesus in the combined glory of His person as the God-man. Thus the
breadth--that which gives form and character to a thing--reminds us
that while these Boards prefigure our Savior in the place of human
responsibility, they also tell us that it was One who was more than
Man who honored and magnified the Law.
3. Their Sockets.
"And thou shalt make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards;
two sockets under one board for his two tenons and two sockets under
another board for his two tenons" (v. 19). These forty sockets of
silver were for the twenty boards on the south side; in vv. 20, 21 we
find that the same provision was made for the twenty boards on the
north side; while in v. 25 we learn that the eight boards at the
western rear had also two sockets each. Thus there were ninety-six in
all. Each board was maintained in its place by the two tenons or
"hands" which fitted into and were grasped by the silver sockets.
The ninety-six silver "sockets" formed the foundation, and upon them
rested the whole fabric of the tabernacle. This tells us, in language
too plain to be misunderstood, that redemption is the basis on which
Christ has become the meeting-place between the ineffably holy God and
His inherently sinful people. It was only through redemption that the
perfect humanity and Divine glory of Christ could avail us. Had He not
"given Himself a ransom for us," He must have forever remained alone
(John 12:24). He was in Himself the "true" and "perfect" Tabernacle,
but only by the gift and sacrifice of Himself could He bring us nigh
to God. It is because in the Gospel He is set before our eyes
"crucified" (Gal. 3:1), that Christians have confidence before God.
Reconciliation rests upon redemption by ransom.
It was the preciousness of redemption which was typically expressed in
the "sockets of silver." This is definitely established by the fact
that all the silver used in connection with the Tabernacle was derived
from "the atonement money" (Ex. 30:16). As we hope to deal with this
more fully when we come to Exodus 30, a brief summary must here
suffice. In Exodus 30:12 we learn that when Moses took the sum of the
number of Israel that every man was required to give a ransom for his
soul. This ransom consisted of half a shekel (by comparing Exodus
30:13 with Leviticus 27:3 it will be found that this was a silver
coin, in value about 2/6 or 62 cents: the rich might not give more,
nor the poor less (v. 15). Concerning this atonement-money God ordered
Moses to "appoint it for the service of the Tabernacle (v. 16)--a part
of this "service" being to make the silver sockets for its
foundations.
It was elsewhere taught Israel that it was the blood "that maketh an
atonement for the soul" (Lev. 17:11)--typified by the blood of
animals. The blood of their sacrifices came nearest to exhibiting the
mode of atonement; but in Exodus 30 the silver "atonement-money"
proclaimed the preciousness of Christ's atonement. The significance of
both types may be seen by noting how the Holy Spirit has set each
aside, because the Reality has been manifested. Just as we are told in
the presence of the one "sacrifice for sins" that it was not possible
"that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins" (Heb. 10:4),
so we appreciate the design of the atonement-silver when, beholding
Him in whom is treasured up all redemption wealth, we read, "Ye were
not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold" (1 Pet.
1:18).
We must not further enlarge on this fascinating topic, but ere passing
from it attention must be called to two most remarkable statements in
the Psalms which plainly anticipated the replacing of the shadows by
the Substance. In Psalm 49 the costliness of redemption is emphasized
by affirming that it lies far beyond the resources of human riches:
"They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the
multitude of their riches; none of them can by any means redeem his
brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: For the redemption of their
soul is precious, and it (the type) ceaseth forever" (vv. 6-8). This
finds its sequel in 1 Peter 1:18, 19. In Psalm 50 we find Jehovah
saying "I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he-goats out of
thy folds," which finds its sequel in Hebrews 10:4. Thus Psalm 49
disallows the silver and gold which once pointed to the precious
ransom, while Psalm 50 disallows the sacrificing of bulls and goats
which once foreshadowed the precious blood.
4. Their Meaning.
The relation of the Boards to the Tabernacle, to its holy vessels, and
to the ministrations of the priests therein, supplies the key to their
distinctive significance. Without these Boards there had been no
tabernacle to house its furniture and no place for the priests to
serve in. Moreover, without them the beautiful Curtains could not have
been displayed. Upon the golden Boards, held together by the golden
bars, resting in their silver sockets, were sustained all the weight
of the Curtains and Coverings. So on the God-man was hung all the
weight of the Divine government and all the glories of His Father's
house. In Him has been completely realized what was typified by
Eliakim--read carefully Isaiah 22:20-25. It is this which brings out
the meaning of the other numerals here. There were forty-eight boards
in all and ninety-six sockets: thus we have 6x8 or 4x12 and 12x8. Six
is the number of man and eight that of a new order or a fresh
beginning. This would point to Christ as "the Second Man" (1 Cor.
15:47), the Head of the new race, the "new man" (Eph. 2:15). Four is
the number of earth, and twelve of governmental perfection: so that
4x12 and 8x12 would suggest the governmental claims of God vindicated
on earth by the Head of the Church, the "New Man."
That which is foreshadowed in the Boards is the Person of Christ as
what sustained His work. The massive framework of the golden Boards
was to the Curtains and Coverings, suspended from them, what the poles
are to a tent. "They upheld and sustained the glorious display of the
blue, purple, scarlet, and fine linen cherubim, as also the goats'
hair curtains. Thus what the Lord Jesus Himself was, and is, viz., Son
of God, Son of Man, that He has made manifest in His life, and above
all, in His death on the cross: and His blessed work there, derives
all of its unspeakable value and eternal efficacy from Himself. It is
faith in Him that is salvation: `He that believeth on the Son hath
life.' May there not be a tendency to separate too much the work of
the Lord Jesus from His person? to preach the death of the blessed
Lord without sufficiently preaching also the Lord Himself?
"The boards and bars have the same relation to the Tabernacle itself,
as the truth contained in the first two chapters of the Epistle to the
Hebrews has to the rest of the Epistle. In the first two chapters, the
great foundations of faith are laid. The Lord Jesus Christ is
presented to us as the Son; the brightness of God's glory, and the
express image of His person; God, the Creator--the Sustainer of all
things. He is also presented to us as the Son of Man, partaker of
flesh and blood in order to die; the Firstborn from the dead; all
things put under Him; anointed above His fellows; not ashamed to call
them brethren. On these great truths respecting Christ, depend all the
other great verities connected with the value of His sacrifice; the
glory and power of His priesthood; the eternal salvation, the eternal
redemption, and the eternal inheritance which are obtained for us by
His blood" (Mr. G. Soltau).
5. Their Distribution.
Twenty of the acacia Boards, overlaid with gold, were used for the
south side of the Tabernacle (v.18), twenty were used on the north
side (v. 20), two boards were used for the corners of the two sides at
the rear; and six more completed the back (v. 25). Thus the numeral
which is most prominent here is two, one of the scriptural meanings of
which is testimony or witness: "in the month of two or three witnesses
the truth shall be established." So also when Christ sent forth the
disciples to bear testimony unto Him it was by two and two. Therefore
is the second person of the Godhead called "the faithful and true
Witness" (Rev. 3:14). Thus have we another hint here of the
distinctive significance of our present type--it is the person of the
Lord Jesus with His two natures; Divine and human.
Separate consideration should be given to the two "corner boards" see
vv. 23, 24. It was these which gave increased stability to the whole
structure. "Our thoughts naturally turn to the two occasions on which
the Lord is spoken of in Scripture with reference to the corner;
`Behold, I lay in Zion, for a foundation, a Stone, a tried Stone, a
precious corner Stone, a sure foundation' (Isa. 28:16). `The Stone,
which the builders refused, is become the Head-stone of the corner.'
(Ps. 118:22). Here we have presented to us, a corner-stone as
foundation, and a corner-stone crowning the building: the beginning
and the end. The whole strength of the edifice depending on the
firmness of the foundation corner-stone; and the whole compactness,
and knitting together of the building as one depending on the
head-stone of the corner. God laid the foundation in the death of His
Son; He completed the building in His resurrection. The walls of
living stones rest securely on this Rock of Ages, and are bound
everlastingly together on the top-stone. The corner-boards of the
Tabernacle may have some reference to these blessed truths" (Mr. G.
Soltau).
6. Their Couplings.
"Two tenons shall there be on one board, set in order one against
another: thus shalt thou make for all the boards of the Tabernacle"
(v. 17). As the margin informs us, the Hebrew word rendered "tenons"
is literally "hands," and it is to be regretted that the translators
did not use this word in the text itself. These "hands" grasped the
Boards and held them securely in place. Most beautifully did they
prefigure the God-man in His voluntary humiliation, dependent upon and
in subjection to the Father. As the perfect Servant He was upheld and
sustained by the hands of God the Father from above, the Spirit below
ministering to Him. Of old the Spirit of prophecy cried "Let Thy hand
be upon the Man of Thy right hand, upon the Son of Man whom Thou
madest strong for Thyself" (Ps. 80:17). So in one of the Messianic
Psalms (see 5:5) we find the dependent One saying, "My times are in
Thy hand" (Ps. 31:15). Beautiful is it to hear Him crying from the
cross, "Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit" (Luke 23:46). But
how blessed to know that He is now seated on "the right hand of the
Majesty on high" (Heb. 1:3)! Thus we see, once more, there is a
spiritual significance to the minutest detail in these Tabernacle
types.
7. Their Bars.
These are described in much detail in verses 26-29, to which we would
ask the reader to turn. The "bars" were employed to unite the Boards
together firmly and solidly. "Each of the boards terminated, as to the
lower extremity, in two tenons, which were inserted into mortises in
two sockets of silver. The boards were also sustained in their upright
position and linked together by five bars of shittim wood, overlaid
with gold, which ran through rings or staples of gold inserted in the
boards. The middle bar of the five ran the whole length of the
Tabernacle, uniting all the twenty boards together; the other four
bars, of which two were placed above, and two below the middle bar,
are not described as running all the length, but perhaps only extended
half the distance, namely, fifteen cubits each. A similar number of
bars coupled the boards composing the north side, and also the west
end of the Tabernacle. On the whole therefore there were forty-eight
boards and fifteen bars" (Mr. Soitau).
The typical meaning of these "bars" is not difficult to perceive,
though they point to that which lies altogether beyond our finite
grasp. They served to give unity to the structure by securely linking
the Boards together. The wooden Boards, overlaid with gold, portrayed
the two natures in Christ: the "bars" pointed to the perfect union
between them. Though very God of very God, and also very Man of very
Man, yet is our Savior not two persons, but one--the God-man. Though
totally distinct, yet are His two natures perfectly and forever joined
together, though none of us can say where nor understand how they
meet. How significant, then, that these very "bars" which united the
boards were themselves made of wood overlaid with gold! May the Spirit
of God continue to unfold to us the glories of our Divine Savior.
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Gleanings In Exodus
43. The Veil
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 26:31-33
In our last article we had before us the framework of the Tabernacle
proper. i.e., the holy place and the most holy. Outside of this, as we
shall yet see, D.V., was the court of the Tabernacle, completing its
threefold division. Thus there was really a Tabernacle within a
tabernacle. Inside the framework of the golden-covered boards, celled
by the lovely curtains and their coverings, were the two inner rooms.
These were separated by another curtain, called "the Veil." It was
this which divided the holy place from the holy of holies. The first
compartment would thus be thirty feet by fifteen, and the innermost, a
separate apartment of fifteen feet by fifteen. In this innermost
chamber was Jehovah's throne upon the ark, where the Shekinah-glory
dwelt between the two cherubim.
In the verses which form the basis of our present study, we find
Jehovah giving instructions to Moses concerning the Veil. He is told
of what material it must be made, the manner of its workmanship, and
where and how to hang it. Its presence before the holy of holies
invested it with a peculiar sanctity and the light from the lampstand
shining upon it would reveal its varied beauties. There it hung for
five hundred years before the eyes of Israel's priests as they
ministered at the table and the golden altar. It announced, in the
language of symbolry, that the way of approach to God was not then
made known. But inasmuch as it was a curtain and not a wall of stone
or metal, there was more than a hint given of its temporary nature,
and that ultimately a way of access would be revealed. Seven things
will now engage our attention: --
1. Its Material.
"And thou shalt make a veil of blue, and purple, and scarier, and fine
twined linen of cunning work" (v. 31). Like the ten white curtains
which formed the inner ceiling of the Tabernacle, the Veil was made of
linen, on which the beautiful colors were wrought. But it was not
merely linen, but of "fine twined linen;" pointing to the moral
excellency of Him who was foreshadowed. The same thought is given in
the "fine flour" (Lev. 2:1), and in the "refined gold" (1 Chron.
28:18) and "refined silver" (1 Chron. 29:4) which was used in the
Temple.
The whiteness of the pure linen used in the Veil pointed to the
sinless purity of "the Man Christ Jesus" both in His inward thoughts
and desires and in His outward ways and works. The eye of God, who is
light, could rest upon that Holy One, and find every ray of His own
perfect Being reflected in this lowly but lovely Son of man. "The fine
linen of the Veil seems, then, especially to present to us `the
Righteous One,' who in His life of toil and sorrow, and most
especially in His death of shame and suffering, manifested that
unsullied purity, that perfect obedience, and that delight in
accomplishing the will of His Father, whereby He has earned for
Himself a name, which is above every name, the name of Jesus; `Who was
made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in
Him'" (Mr. Soltau).
Attention should be called to the words "fine twined linen of cunning
work," an expression used in connection with the Tabernacle only in
the "linen" and the "breastplate." As there is nothing meaningless in
Scripture we are assured there is a profound spiritual significance in
this detail too. It tells us that this fabric was skillfully wrought:
literally, the Hebrew is: "the work of a deviser." Divine wisdom was
given for its manufacture and it was copied from a heavenly pattern:
its equal never again being found on earth. As this "fine twined
linen" foreshadowed the humanity of our Savior, would not the "cunning
work" point to the Divine omniscience in devising for Christ a human
nature that was sinless? "A body hast Thou prepared Me" (Heb. 10:5)
would give us the anti-type. Gabriel's words to Mary betokened the
wonder of Immanuel's birth--see Luke 1:28-35.
2. Its Colors.
"And thou shalt make a veil of blue. and purple, and scarlet, and fine
twined linen of cunning work." There is one little variation here from
what was before us in 26:1. In connection with the Curtains, the
ground-work of "fine twined linen" was mentioned first, ere the colors
are specified; but here in the directions for the making of the Veil
the colors are referred to first. This seems to intimate that our
attention now is to be concentrated more on what was prefigured by the
blue and purple and scarlet rather than on what was foreshadowed by
the linen itself. The colors told of Heaven, the Cross and the Throne.
Probably the colors were used so freely that little of the white linen
would be visible.
3. Its Meaning.
This is specifically defined for us by the Holy Spirit in Hebrews
10:19, 20: "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the
holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which He hath
newly-made for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh." The
Veil, then, spoke of the humanity of Christ, of the Son of God
incarnate. The one side of it was seen by human eyes, as the Levites
ministered in the Sanctuary; the other side was beheld only by
Jehovah. The Veil, therefore, was a fitting type that Christ incarnate
was perfect God and perfect Man. The colors which were embroidered
upon it told of the perfections of His person. Its purpose was to shut
out the priests of Israel from the holy of holies, where Jehovah had
His earthly throne. The object of a veil is to hide. "Come not" (Lev.
16:2) was the warning which it consistently gave forth. Thus the Veil
foreshadowed the moral glories of the Savior, but at the same time
showed, by the very display of such heavenliness of character, how far
fallen man was away from God.
The perfect Manhood of Christ exhibited the only humanity which can
approach unto God, which can live in His presence. which can dwell in
the blazing light of His manifested glory The perfections of the
God-man only served to emphasize the imperfections of fallen man. The
flawless life of Christ made the more evident the awful distance
between the thrice holy God and depraved and guilty sinners. "The
Incarnation of Christ. while it proclaimed God, shuts out man. Men
might admire the beauty of the Veil; as men may today admire the human
character of Christ after the flesh, and the teaching of His earthly
life. But the more perfect we find that humanity, the greater the
evidence that it is totally distinct from man's. The Incarnation by
itself (apart from the redemption which was the purpose and object of
it) neither brings man to God, nor God to men. True, it was `God with
us' just as the Tabernacle was with men: but, when the symbol of God's
presence was with men, man could not have access to it. The beautiful
Veil was an effectual bar, and its one and only voice was `Come not.'
The life of Christ on earth was an unceasing proclamation of the fact
that only His humanity was shone upon by and dwelt in the glory of
God. The proclamation of His life ever was: `Except ye be holy,
sinless, spotless, perfect, as I am, ye cannot enter into the presence
of God. It was not the object of the Veil to give access to God; for
it was that which prevented it. Even so it was not the perfection of
Christ's life on earth that brings us into the presence of God" (Dr.
E. W. Bullinger).
Typically, the Veil, in O.T. times, announced that the way in to God's
presence was not then made manifest. It did not suggest that there was
no way, but simply that the way was not then revealed. Subsequently,
we find that Jehovah gave instructions as to how Israel's high priests
might pass within the Veil, and that was, by the blood of sacrifice
(Lev. 16:19). This, too, foreshadowed the coming Substance, yet also
bore testimony to the temporary nature of that dispensation. It
announced that the way for sinful man to go to God was by sacrifice,
yet the one Aaron offered was not that which opened up the real way to
God. The Veil unrent signified that the way into the Holiest was not
yet revealed. The sacrifice by which Aaron went in once a year
foreshadowed the perfect Sacrifice, and his admittance typified the
entrance of our Great High Priest into the Heavenly Sanctuary.
"The Veil still unrent declared that if the way in was by sacrifice,
the true Sacrifice--the one which really opened up the actual way to
the presence of God--had not yet been provided. But if the unrent Veil
signified that the true way was not yet made known, it also implied it
would be made known. Faith, then, using what was a figure for the time
then present, and what had been imposed on Israel until the time of
reformation looked forward to the time of the revelation of the true
Sacrifice and the manifestation of the true way of approach to God.
Turning now to the N.T., we find that when Christ died as a Sacrifice
the Veil of the Temple was rent from the top to the bottom. This
rending of the Veil declared that the true way to God had been made
known. The sacrifice of Christ is the true ground of approach to God.
His death, His blood, has opened up the way to His presence. The
rending of the Veil of the Temple when Christ died, was the sign that
the way to God which faith had been taught to look forward to had been
opened up. The Sacrifice which the yearly sacrifice of Leviticus 16
had pointed forward to had been made, and the way to God, of which the
Veil was a witness, while declaring it to be unmanifested, was now
revealed" (Mr. C. Crain).
4. Its Cherubim.
"With cherubim shall it be made" (v. 31). The typical significance of
the cherubim here is a double one, accordingly as we view the Veil
itself in its twofold aspect. First, the Veil sets forth the
excellencies of Christ's person as the incarnate Son of God. In this
connection the cherubim would intimate that no matter whether the Lord
Jesus be contemplated as the Man from Heaven (1 Cor. 15:47), yet in it
(John 3:13), even when on earth (the "blue"); or on the Cross as an
expiatory sacrifice (the "scarlet"); or on the Throne (the "purple"),
He carries in His own person the Judicial authority of the eternal
God. Second. the Veil unrent signified that the perfections of Christ
only served to emphasize the truth that sinful man had no access to
God. This solemn fact would be the more impressively set forth by the
cherubim wrought upon it. As the priests gazed on the Veil, and saw
the mystic figures standing out in vivid colors, would not their
thoughts turn at once to what is recorded in Genesis 3:24? When God
banished His rebellious creatures from Eden, He placed cherubim at the
entrance to the Garden. with flaming sword which turned every way.
Here on the Veil these cherubim taught the same lesson; sinful man, as
such, cannot approach the ineffably holy God!
5. Its Position.
"And thou shalt hang up the Veil under the taches . . . and the veil
shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy"(v.
33). The Veil was placed right over the entrance of the holy of holies
and thus effectually shut out those who ministered in the holy place.
God dwelt behind the Veil. Its very location, then. furnished the key
to its significance. As the Veil sets forth the "flesh" of Christ. we
are specifically taught that His humanity was the veil of the Godhead.
God was enveiled, as well as unveiled, by the Lord Jesus. "God was in
Christ reconciling the world unto Himself" (2 Cor. 5:19). And most
effectively did the unsullied person of the Son of man bar the
sinner's way unto God This is self evident. If the humanity of Christ
is the standard humanity, if it is the humanity in which alone God
will dwell, if it is the only humanity which can enter the Glory. then
the humanity of Christ is a barrier to the fallen sons of men. So long
as Christ walked this earth He witnessed to the separation of the
natural man from God.
"He stood forth as the perfect Man, who alone was fit to appear before
God; the standard weight of the sanctuary. Any one, weighed against
Him. was found wanting. His perfect righteousness placed in dark shade
the uncleanness of all men. The measure of His stature declared the
utter insignificance of all human attainments. His fullness proved
man's emptiness. The white and glistening purity of His character,
exceeding white as snow. put to shame the filthiness of all that was
born of woman. Thus, the very display of the Perfect One on earth,
showed the impossibility of any approach to God, unless some way could
be devised whereby the sinner could draw near, clothed in garments
unsullied. Man, both Jew and Gentile, had made it plain that he was by
nature a sinner, and had come short of the glory of God; and the
presence amongst men, of One who was fit for that glory, only rendered
the melancholy fact the more apparent. The Veil, as it hung on its
golden pillars, precluded entrance into the holiest: the ark and the
mercy-seat were hidden, instead of being laid open to public gaze"
(Mr. G. Soltau).
6. Its Supports.
"And thou shalt hang it on four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with
gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver"
(v. 32). The "pillars" of wood and gold, symbolized once more, the two
natures in the God-man. They intimated that everything in redemption
depended upon the person of Christ. Unless He had become Man, it had
been impossible for Him to die; unless He had been more than Man, His
sacrifice could not have availed. But being both God and Man He was
fully competent to make propitiation for the sins of His people. The
whole value of His work accrues from the peerless excellency of His
person. That these "pillars" were four in number, shows it is Christ
on earth which was contemplated. It is to be carefully noted that
these "four pillars" were without the "fillets" and "chapiters" which
adorned the five pillars at the door of the Tabernacle (36:38): thus
they lacked the architectural completeness of a pillar. Their abrupt
termination pointed to the Savior "cut off" in the midst of His days"
(Isa. 53:8; Psalm 102:23, 24).
But the "four pillars" were for another purpose: they served to
display the Veil in all its beauty. Between them the Veil was
stretched out. Without them, the Veil had hung in folds, and the
loveliness of its embroidered designs would not have appeared. The
Veil spoke of God the Son incarnate. Now the antitype of this is
clearly before us in the opening books of the N.T. It is in the four
Gospels that the glories of the God-man are revealed to our eyes. They
accomplish exactly the same design as did the "four pillars." In them
we have spread out, as it were, the lovely antitypical Veil. There,
too, we behold the "cunning work" of the Divine Designer, blending
together the varied perfections of our blessed Lord, yet severally
presenting Him as the Son of David, the flawless Servant, the Son of
man, and the Son of God.
"Their hooks shall be of gold": not wooden hooks overlaid, but of
solid gold. This is very beautiful. In connection with the ephod of
the high priest we are told, "He made the ephod of gold, blue and
purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen. And they did beat the gold
into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and
in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen" (39:2, 3).
And, as we shall yet see, D.V., golden-strands were also woven into
other articles. But there were none in the fabric of the Veil. No
wires of gold were mingled with the fine linen, which formed the basis
of its structure. This could not be for their presence would have
implied that His humanity was commingled with His Deity, which was not
the case. Though Deity and humanity were perfectly united in one
Person, yet they are not confounded. Nevertheless, the Veil was held
by "golden hooks" from above, thus signifying the Son of man was,
throughout His earthly course, sustained and supported from on High!
"Upon the four sockets of silver." It was in them that the "four
pillars" securely rested. As we saw in our last article, the "silver"
was provided by the "atonement-money." How significant then is this
detail of our type! The "sockets" conduct us to the foundation, and
point to the redemptive-work of Christ on the cross. In perfect accord
with this we may note that in Hebrews 10:19, 20 the "blood of Jesus"
and "the Veil" are brought together. God will never have it forgotten
that the Cross is the basis of all blessing.
7. Its Rending.
The Veil unrent shut man out from God. It spoke of separation from Him
because of sin. Between the priests and Jehovah stood this Veil.
Between the ordinary worshipper in the outer court and Jehovah was a
double partition, for he had no access into the holy place; while
between the one outside the court was a threefold barrier between him
and Jehovah! The whole ritual of Israel's worship emphasized the
distance between God and the creature. Bounds were set about Sinai, so
that not even a beast must touch it. One Tribe alone was permitted to
encamp, immediately, around the Tabernacle: one family alone of that
Tribe was singled out and allowed to enter the holy place: and one man
alone of that family had access into the holiest, and that, only once
a year, and with such awe-inspiring preparations and ceremonies as
must have filled him with fear lest he should incur the judgment of
the Most High. Yet, as previously intimated, God did, even then, give
a hint, that a way would be made for sinners to approach Him. In
Leviticus 4:6 we learn that the priest was commanded to take of the
blood of the sin-offering and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord,
before the Veil of the sanctuary"! Clearer still was what was
foreshadowed by the ritual of the Day of Atonement, when the high
priest passed within the Veil (Lev. 16:15). The antitype of this is
found in Hebrews 4:14; 6:19; 9:12. Christ has passed into Heaven
itself, and what is more, He has opened up a way for us to enter
too--Hebrews 10:19, 20. But this was consequent upon His death.
"It was not the beauty of the veil which made entrance possible, but
the sprinkling of atoning blood before it! That beauty might be
admired by the worshipper: he might sing hymns in its praise, and give
all sorts of sentimental and endearing names to it. He might use all
kinds of poetical language in describing it; he might even copy it,
and produce similar patterns of embroidery, or schemes of colors; but
there was only one way of passing to the other side of it, and of
standing alive in the presence of God's glory; and that was by
sprinkling the blood before it, and taking the blood of the victim
beyond it. This blood told of substitution, and acknowledged that he
who entered did so as a sinner, who had died, and suffered the wages
of sin. By no other means could he stand on the other side of that
veil and live.
"The great antitypical lesson for us all is, that it is not by the
beautiful life of Christ that we can enter into the presence of God.
It is not by any `imitation of Christ,' not by the observance of any
Rules for Daily Living, not by leading a religious and devout life,
that we can pass beyond that veil. To attempt it is to confess our
ignorance of the very first letter of the Christian's alphabet; and it
is to own that we are destitute of the first fundamental lesson of the
Christian's life. It is only when the precious blood of that perfect
humanity of Christ had been shed that it avails us as our title to
enter God's presence. This is why, in 1 John 1:7, when speaking of our
entrance into `the light of God's presence, and walking therein, that
we are at once reminded of that Blood, which alone gives us our title
to enter, and preserves us alive when we have entered into that
Presence. `God is light . . . If we walk in the light as He is in the
light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus
Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin;' It is here, in this
connection, that the cleansing-power of the blood is mentioned; not in
connection with our sin or sinning.
"When it is a case of sin, then it is that we are reminded, not of the
atoning blood of Christ, but of our Advocate with the Father; Then it
is that we are simply assured of two facts:--(1) that relationship is
not broken; God is still our Father; and (2) that Christ is our
all-sufficient propitiation (1 John 2:1). But it is in connection with
approaching to and walking in the light of God's presence within the
veil that we are reminded of the blood which must first be sprinkled
before we can have either admission to Him, or preservation when there
(1 John 1:7). Hence it is not the life which Christ lived in His
spotless humanity (still less our own imperfect copy of it) that gives
us liberty to enter, but only when that humanity had been stained by
His own blood of atonement. Then it is that we have `boldness to enter
into the Holiest, by the blood of Jesus, by a newly-slain and living
way, which He hath newly-made (or opened) for us, through the veil,
that is to say, His flesh' Hebrews 10:19, 20" (Dr. B. W. Bullinger).
The historical reference to what is referred to in Hebrews 10 is given
us in the Gospels. There we learn that simultaneous with the death of
Christ the veil was rent. (Matthew 27:45-52.) There are some
remarkable resemblances between the shadow and the Substance. First,
the veil was rent while hanging between heaven and earth: so Christ
was smitten while suspended from the Cross. Second, the veil was rent
in twain from the top. this showed it was down by the same Hand as had
fallen so heavily on the suffering Substitute--see Psalm 38:2; 42:7;
88:6, 7; Isaiah 53:10; Zechariah 13:7. This is the only type where God
Himself represented by His own act that it was His hand which smote
the Lord Jesus!] Third, it was rent "from the top to the bottom"--not
an inch of it was left untorn: so the atoning work of Calvary was a
complete one, nothing being left for the sinner to do or add. Fourth,
it was rent "in the midst" (Luke 23:45), and thus the Mercy-seat in
the center of the holy of holies would be fully revealed: so the
believing sinner is not asked to approach God in any roundabout way,
or through a side entrance, but has direct access to the Father
through the Son. The rending of the veil in the midst, would be such
that all within the temple would see it: so the death of Christ was
not in a corner, but public and before many eyewitnesses. Fifth, the
veil was rent the moment that Christ died (Matthew 27:50), showing
that the barrier between God and the contrite sinner was gone. Sixth,
as soon as the veil was rent it was changed from a barrier to a
gateway: the moment Christ died a "newly-slain and living way" was
opened for sinners to God. Seventh, it is deeply significant that the
Holy Spirit has linked together the rending of the veil with the
opening of the graves (Matthew 27:51, 52), though in time the latter
did not occur till after Christ's resurrection. Does not this tell us
that, full atonement having been made by Him, a way has been made from
the deepest depths into which sin had plunged us, into the highest
heaven where grace has placed us!
The purpose of God has now been accomplished. The Corn of wheat,
having fallen into the ground and died, now bringeth forth much fruit
(John 12:24). The Blood has been shed, the Sacrifice has been offered,
the Veil has been rent; and Christ, an the Forerunner of His people,
has passed into the Holiest. We then may draw near. Because Christ
received the wages of sin which were due us, we share the reward which
was due Him. We may boldly enter in. By faith we have unhindered
access into the Heavenly Sanctuary. Every barrier haying been removed,
the believing worshipper may, with perfect liberty, draw near to the
Throne of Grace. Then "let us draw near, with a true heart, in full
assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience" (Heb. 10:22).
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Gleanings In Exodus
44. The Tabernacle Door
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 26:36-37
One important principle which must be observed if the Word of God is
to be intelligently studied, is noting carefully the order in which
truth is there presented to us. God is a God of order, and infallible
wisdom marks all His handiwork; yet His order is often different from
ours. In the Scriptures the Holy Spirit frequently ignores the
sequence of events and places side by side things which did not
immediately follow each other in time. The books of the Bible are not
always placed in their historical order: Job takes us back to a period
long before the Israelites settled in Canaan. The Psalms and the
Proverbs were written centuries before the events described in
Nehemiah and Esther. So it is with many of the smaller details in the
different books. Take the following as examples. The opening of the
graves and the coming forth of many of the saints is mentioned right
after the Savior's death and rending of the Temple's veil (Matthew
27:51-52), yet, as a matter of fact, these occurred after the
resurrection of Christ. So in Luke 23.45 the rending of the veil is
recorded before the Lord committed His spirit into the hands of the
Father.
The arrangement followed by the Holy Spirit varied according to His
several designs. Sometimes the chronological order is departed from
for a dispensational reason: sometimes details are arranged so as to
present a climax: sometimes the order is a moral one: at others,
things are placed in juxtaposition to show the relation between cause
and effect. Notably is that the case in Matthew 27:51-53: the opening
of the graves there attested the efficacy of the Savior's death and
shows it is the ground of the saints' walk in newness of life.
Sometimes the design of the Spirit is to point a contrast: such is the
case in Luke 23:45. There He has linked together the three hours of
darkness and the rending of the Veil: in the former we have Christ
shut out from God, in the latter the way is now opened for us into the
presence of Him who is Light!
The student of Scripture loses much when he fails to diligently bear
in mind this principle. Strikingly is it exemplified in connection
with the Tabernacle. It is not always easy to discern the Divine plan,
and much prayerful meditation is required to discover the perfections
of every detail. That which we are now to contemplate is the Entrance
into the Tabernacle, and what we would here particularly take notice
of is that this "Door" is mentioned immediately after the description
of the Veil. Doubtless there is more than one reason for this; but
that which is almost apparent on the surface is that the one points a
striking contrast from the other, and the details connected with each
bear this out. The Veil had "cherubim" embroidered upon it. the Door
had not: the Veil was suspended from four pillars, the hanging for the
Door from five: the former had no "chapiters," the latter had; the
sockets of the former were made of silver, the latter were of brass.
But the outstanding difference between them was this: the Veil was to
shut out, whereas the Door was to give admittance: the Veil barred the
way into the Holiest, the "hanging" was for the constant entrance of
the priests into the Holy Place. Let us now consider: --
1. Its Location.
The Door into God's dwelling-place was no narrow one, but stretched
right across the whole of its length, and was ten cubits (fifteen
feet) in height. Some of the commentators are in error here through
confounding the Door of the Tabernacle (26:36) with the Gate of the
Court (27:16). It is important that the student should clearly
distinguish between them, for they typically set forth two entirely
different lines of truth.
The Door into the Tabernacle spanned the whole of the eastern side.
Most significant and most fitting was this, for the east is the
quarter of the sun-rising. It is in the east that we discover the
evidences of the ending of night and the dawning of another day. Thus
a further contrast is here presented. In Genesis 3:24 we read that the
Lord God "drove out the man, and he placed at the east of the garden
of Eden cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep
the way of the tree of life." There, through his sin, man was in the
darkness, and in consequence, banished from that place where God had
communed with him; and at the east was stationed a flaming barrier.
But here, where sin had been typically put away, the priestly family
walking in the light, found a door on the eastern side of the
Tabernacle which admitted them into Jehovah's dwelling-place!
2. Its Material.
"And thou shall make an hanging for the door of the tent, of blue, and
purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework"
(v. 36). The fabric of this hanging for the Door was of the same goods
and of the same fine quality that composed the Curtains and the Veil.
Fine twined linen formed its basis. It was only as the Son of God
became incarnate that the true dwelling-place for Deity on earth was
provided. But, as shown in the last article, the Incarnation, though
bringing God down to men, did not of itself give men access to
God--for that the Veil must be rent, death must come in. Here, too, in
the entrance to the Tabernacle, we are shown that it is only through
the Man Christ Jesus that God could be approached unto.
There is one added word here in connection with the fine twined linen
which claims our notice: it was "wrought with needlework." This was
not said in connection with the Curtains or Veil, and is only
mentioned elsewhere in the description of the Gate in the outer Court
(v. 27:16) and the Girdle of the high priest (v. 28:39). We may add
that the Hebrew word here for "needlework" is, in Exodus 35:35,
rendered "the work of the embroiderer," in 1 Chronicles 29:2 and
Ezekiel 17:3, "divers colors," and in Psalm 139:15 "curiously
wrought." Combining these slightly varied meanings, the term would
denote minutely variegated. Thus, it appears, that the Holy Spirit
here intimates that attention should be fixed upon the manner in which
the different colors were wrought into and interwoven with the fine
linen.
3. Its Colors.
The "blue" points to Christ as the Heavenly One, the Son of God; the
"scarlet" refers to Him as the Son of man--suffering in the past,
glorified on earth in a coming day. The "purple" speaks,
distinctively, of the kingship of Christ, but also points to the
wonderful union between His Deity and His humanity. The mention of the
"blue, and purple, and scarlet," is repeated no less than twenty-four
times in connection with the Tabernacle's accessories and priesthood,
yet never once is the order varied. This suggests an important truth
and lesson in connection with their arrangement. So beautifully has
this been brought out by another in a book long-since out of print, we
transcribe freely from its most helpful interpretation:--
"If we are to place the blue and the scarlet side by side, without the
intervention of some other color, the eye would be offended with the
violent contrast; for, though each is beautiful in itself, and
suitable to its own sphere, yet there is such a distinction, we might
almost say opposition, in their hues, as to render them inharmonious
if seen in immediate contact. The purple interposing remedies this
unpleasing effect: the eye passes with ease from the blue to the
scarlet, and vice versa, by the aid of this blended color, the purple.
The blue gradually shades off into its opposite, the scarlet; and the
gorgeousness of the latter is softened by imperceptible degrees into
the blue. The purple is a new color formed by mingling the two: it
owes its peculiar beauty alike to both; and were the due proportion of
either absent, its especial character would be lost.
"The scarlet and the blue are never placed in juxtaposition throughout
the fabrics of the Tabernacle. Does not this intimate a truth of an
important character? Would the Spirit of God have so constantly
adhered to this arrangement had there not been some significant reason
for it? Are we not hereby taught a very precious fact respecting the
Lord Jesus? He is God and Man; and we can trace in the Gospels all the
fullness of the Godhead, as well as the dignity and sympathy of the
perfect Man. But besides this, in His thoughts, feelings, ways, words,
and actions, there is an invariable blending of the two . . . In
contemplating Christ it is well to remember that the first syllable of
His name, as given in Isaiah 9:6 is `Wonderful': and part of this
marvel is, that in Him are combined the deep thoughts and counsels of
God, with the feelings and affections of man.
"Three instances are recorded in the Gospels of the dead being raised
to life by Christ: Jairus's daughter, the widow of Nain's son, and
Lazarus of Bethany. Together they afford us a complete display of His
mighty power: for, in the first case, death had only just seized its
victim; in the second, the sorrowing mother was on her way to commit
the body of her only son to the grave; in the third, the corpse had
already been deposited sometime, and had become corrupt in the tomb.
In each of these scenes the three colors may be traced. We can have no
hesitation in recognizing the blue in the manifestation of the love of
God, when. His blessed Son at the entreaty of the sorrowful father,
went to the house to heal the dying child. On the way, the message
came, `Thy daughter is dead, why troublest thou the Master any
further?' Little did they, who spoke these words, understand who the
Master was: or the depths of trouble in which He would be overwhelmed,
in order that the dead might live. They knew not that God was present
with them, manifest in the flesh: but He at once stilled the fear of
the damsel's father; thus doing what none but God could do--commanding
peace into his bosom in the very presence of death! Again, the voice
of the Mighty God sounds forth to hush the boisterous grief of those
who have no hope, saying, `Weep not: the damsel is not dead, but
sleepeth'. But they perceived not who it was that thus spoke. Death
was to them a familiar sight; they knew its palor; but they laughed
Christ to scorn; ought not the believer to exactly reverse this? In
the presence of the Lord, he may well laugh death to scorn. Lastly;
were not the power and the grace of the One from Heaven now known,
when He spake those words--`Damsel, I say unto thee, arise'!
"Let us now turn to the scarlet in this beautiful picture. Who but the
Son of man would have pursued the path of kindness and sympathy,
notwithstanding the rude scoffs with which His ready love was met? and
who but One that knew what hunger and exhaustion were, would have
added to this mighty miracle the command, `Give her something to eat'?
And does not this also exhibit to us the purple? With sympathy and
love for the child, deeper than the mother's, and yet presented in the
scene as one who was Lord in it and above it; He can call the dead to
life and at the same moment enter into the minutest want of the little
maid. The mere human beings who were present, even the very parents,
were so over-powered with what they had witnessed, and with the joy of
receiving the dead one back to life, that their human sympathies
failed. None but God could thus have abolished death; and none but He
who was God and Man, could have so combined power, majesty, grace,
sympathy and tenderest care!
"The next instance, already alluded to, depicts in few but full
sentences, the same lovely colors. Unsolicited, the Son of God went to
the city where He knew the stroke of death had fallen, and had
inflicted another wound upon another heart already stricken with
grief. He timed His visit so as to meet, at the gate, the mournful
procession, bearing to the grave the only son of a widowed mother. If
any hope of God's intervention had at one time cheered her, whilst she
watched her dying child, all such hope must now have fled. A little
interval only remained and the earth would close over her lost son.
But attracted by the very extremity of the case, He, who declared the
Father (John 1:18), drew nigh. With the authority of God, He touched
the bier, and arrested the bearers in their progress to the tomb.
Struck by a sudden consciousness that they were in the presence of One
who had a right to stop them on their way, they stood still. They did
not, like the attendants on the dead in former case, laugh Him to
scorn; and, therefore, they had the blessing of witnessing His mighty
act. He commanded the young man to arise from the bier, as He ordered
the child to rise from her bed; and in like manner, He was obeyed: `He
that was dead sat up, and began to speak.' Here, then, the heavenly
color was evident, so that even they that looked on said, `God hath
visited His people'. But the heart of Christ was occupied with the
mother as well as the child. As the voice of the risen youth reached
His ear, He knew how the widow felt, as she heard it. Himself
undisturbed by the exercise of His life-giving power, yet fully
occupied in sympathy and grace with the yearning of the mother to
embrace her son, and thus to assure herself of the reality, which even
the evidence of her eyes and ears could scarcely credit, He gave
completeness to the scene by delivering him to his mother. Here was
the perfection of human sensibility, such as no man could have
exhibited in such circumstances, unless that man were also God.
"But perhaps the most complete manifestation of `the Word made flesh,'
is to be found in John 11, if we except, as we always must do, the
Cross, where all was marvelously concentrated. It seemed to the
sisters as if the Lord had strangely disregarded their urgent message:
for He still abode at a distance, and allowed not only death to
bereave them of their brother, but the grave to close upon his
remains, His very reply to their announcement (`Lord, he whom Thou
lovest, is sick') contained in it a paradox which they were unable to
comprehend, and which the subsequent circumstances apparently
falsified; for, His answer was `This sickness is not unto death, but
for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.'
And yet He tarried till death had, for four days, retained its victim.
Thus, love and truth in Him who is Love, and who is the Truth, for a
while appeared to have failed; but in reality the glory of God was the
more to shine forth in His Beloved.
"What mingled feelings occupied the heart of Christ, when, seeing the
grief of Mary, and of those around, He groaned in the spirit, and was
troubled! He grieved over their unbelief and ignorance or Himself; and
yet He wept in sympathy with them, and sorrowed for the very sorrow
which His presence might have prevented. Who could have shed tears in
such circumstances but Christ? Had a mere man been gifted by God with
the power to raise the dead, he would be so eager to exhibit that
mighty power, and thereby still the mourners' grief, that he would be
unable to weep whilst on the way to the grave. He must be more than
man who could display what man in perfection is. The tears of Jesus
are precious, because they are those of true human feeling: but they
are most precious because they flow from the heart of Him who is the
Mighty God. And, when those tears plenteously fell from His eyes, all
questions as to His love were at an end; and even the Jews exclaimed,
`Behold, how He loved him!'
"As with authority He had touched the bier, so now He commanded that
the stone should be removed. But Martha interposed her objection and
though she owned Christ as Lord, and had heard from His lips the
wondrous words, `I am the Resurrection and the Life,' yet she believed
not that there could be a remedy for one who had already seen
corruption. It was then that Jesus reminded her of the message He had
returned when they sent to inform Him of Lazarus's sickness--that it
should not be unto death, by answering, `Said I not unto thee, that,
if thou wouldst believe, thou shalt see the glory of God? God's glory
was ever His object: and to accomplish that He had been content to
bear the questioning of those near to Him. who could not understand
why He had not at once come to their aid.
"The sepulcher was now laid open; and Jesus lifted up His eyes from
that receptacle of death to the Heaven above, resting His spirit in
the bosom of His Father, and audibly expressing His dependence on Him,
before He cried with a voice of almighty power, `Lazarus, come forth'.
What a wondrous blending was here of subjection and authority, of
obedience and command, of `the open ear,' and of the great `I am'! The
dead, hearing the voice of the Son of God, came forth. The corrupt
corpse stepped out in life. What a moment of astonishment and delight
must that have been to the sisters, as well as to their brother! But
here again the Lord alone entered into the minutest details of this
astonishing act of power. He saw, or rather felt (for He loved
Lazarus), that His friend was still encumbered with the relics of the
grave; and he left it not till others awoke from their surprises, to
perceive the clothes that bound and troubled the risen one, but gave
another command, `Loose him, and let him go.'" (Mr. G. Soltau.)
4. Its Meaning.
The "hanging for the door" shut off the court of the Tabernacle from
the holy place, yet also formed the entrance to it. It was that which
gave the priests access to accomplish their service within. It spoke,
then, of the Christian's worship and works being acceptable to God
through the Lord Jesus Christ. Apart from the Mediator even the saints
can offer nothing which the great and holy God will receive. We give
thanks unto the Father "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph.
5:20). It is "by Him" we are to continually offer to God a sacrifice
of praise (Heb. 13:15). Our spiritual sacrifices are acceptable to God
only "by Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 2:12). In our ministry, God is to be
glorified in all things, "through Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 4:11). It is
striking to note that the "cherubim" are absent from the Door-hanging.
They view the Son of man in His judicial character. Whereas, in the
"hanging" He is presented in grace to those that were without, as the
Way into the privileges of priests.
5. Its Pillars.
"And thou shalt make for the hanging five pillars of shittim wood, and
overlay them with gold" (v. 37). The number of the "pillars" confirms
what has just been said above respecting the significant omission of
the "cherubim" from the "hanging": for five is the number of grace.
These pillars served to support the "hanging" and also to display its
beautiful colors. Their materials intimate that it is the God-man, in
wondrous grace through whom entrance is given into the sphere of
priestly privileges. And where is it, in Scripture, that we have these
distinctively set forth? Not in the Prophets, nor in the Gospels, but
in the N.T. Epistles. And is it not something more than a curious
coincidence that the Epistle-writers were just five in number? Just as
the Veil was stretched between four pillars, corresponding to the four
Gospels; so the Entrance-curtain into the place of worship hung
between five pillars, anticipating the ministry of Paul and Peter,
James, John and Jude--note how this very term "pillars" is expressly
applied to them in Galatians 2:9!
6. Its Chapiters.
"And the five pillars of it with their hooks: and he overlaid their
chapiters and their fillets with gold" (36:38). This was in striking
contrast from the "pillars" which supported the Veil, for they had
none--foreshadowing Christ as the One "cut off" in the midst of His
days. But here, as giving access to the antitypical priestly family
into the place of worship and service, Christ is pointed to as the One
who is "crowned with glory and honor"! And this is the very viewpoint
taken in all the Epistles: their writers proceed on the basis of
Christ being at the right hand of God!
7. Its Sockets.
"And thou shalt cast five sockets of brass for them" (v. 37). These
formed the foundation for the "pillars" and speak therefore, of
redemption. "Brass," when used symbolically, always prefigured the
capability of the Savior to "endure the cross." Thus is the worshipper
reminded once more, that Christ is the Door by reason of His
sufferings in death. May the Spirit of God ever keep before us the
tremendous price which was paid to enable the redeemed to come before
God with sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving.
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Gleanings In Exodus
45. The Brazen Altar
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Exodus 27:1-8
In Exodus 25 and 26 we have had before us the vessels that occupied
and the materials which composed the Holy of Holies and the Holy
Place. Here in chapter 27, we are conducted to the Outer Court. But
there is one notable omission: the golden or incense altar, which
stood in the Holy Place, has not been mentioned, nor is it referred to
till the thirtieth chapter is reached. The reason for this we shall,
D.V., endeavor to indicate when we come to that chapter. Suffice it
now to say that the golden altar "is not spoken of until there is a
priest to burn incense thereon, for Jehovah showed Moses the patterns
of things in the heavens according to the order in which these things
are apprehended by faith" (C.H.M.).
The Brazen-altar, which we are now to contemplate, was the biggest of
the Tabernacle's seven pieces of furniture. It was almost large enough
to hold all the other vessels. Its size indicated its importance. It
was placed "before the door" (Ex. 40:6), just inside the Outer Court
(40:33), and would thus be the first object to meet the eye of the
worshipper as he entered the Tent of the congregation. It is
designated "the brazen altar" (38:30), to distinguish it from the
golden altar. It was also called "the altar of burnt offering"
(30:28).
The Brazen-altar was the basis of the Levitical system. To it the
sinner came with his Divinely-appointed victim. There was a fire
continually burning upon it (Lev. 6:13), and the daily sacrifice was
renewed each morning. There it stood: ever smoking, ever
blood-stained, ever open to any guilty Hebrew that might wish to
approach it. The sinner, having forfeited his life by sin, another
life--an innocent one--must be given in his stead. When the Israelite
brought his offering, before killing it he laid his hand on the
animal's head, thus becoming identified with it, and thereby the
acceptableness of the flawless victim passed to him, while his sin is
transferred to it. So, too, this Altar stood in the path of the
priests, as they went in to minister within the Holy Place. At this
Altar the high priest officiated on the great day of atonement (Lev.
16). Seven things concerning it will now engage our attention:--
1. Its Position.
The Brazen-altar was not placed outside the Gate, but just within the
Court (40:33): thus it would be the first object encountered as the
Israelite entered the sacred precincts. Herein we may admire the
accuracy of the type, and, too, discover in this detail a refutation
of much which now passes for sound Gospel-preaching. The New Testament
does not teach universal salvation, nor does it represent the
sacrifice of Christ as offered for all mankind; rather was it designed
for those who believe. The Old Testament types are in perfect accord
with this. No lamb was provided for the Egyptians on that night when
the angel of death smote the firstborn. On the day of atonement the
high priest confessed over the head of the scapegoat only the sins of
Israel (Lev. 16:21). So in our present type: the Altar was provided
for none save the Chosen People. Had it been designed for the
wilderness-tribes also, it had been placed outside the Tabernacle's
court; but it was not!
Within the Court, the Altar was placed facing the Door into the
Tabernacle proper. It was there that Jehovah met with His people (Ex.
29:11; 33:9; Leviticus 15:14). As a matter of fact the Laver stood
between the Altar and the Door, yet so vital is the connection of that
which spoke of Divine judgment with that which gave entrance into the
Divine presence, that in several scriptures nothing is said of the
Laver coming in between the two (see 40:6, etc.). How forcibly this
tells us of the intimate relation between sacrifice and access to God!
The Tabernacle could not be entered till one had first passed the
Altar. Blood-shedding is the basis of approach to God.
2. Its Materials.
"And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood . . . and thou shalt
overlay it with brass" (vv. 1, 2). Excepting the "taches" for the
Curtains (26:11), and the "sockets" for the "pillars" of the Door
(26:36), this is the first time we have had "brass" before us. in the
former cases the "brass" would be invisible. Those who entered within
the inner compartments would see nothing but a dazzling display of
gold, and the lovely tints of the inner Curtains, and the Veil. But
here in the Outer Court naught but brass met the eye. There is some
doubt as to the precise nature of this metal. So far as we can now
ascertain, the ancients had no knowledge of "brass" (which is a
mixture of copper and zinc), the Romans being the first to use it.
Therefore some students prefer to render the Hebrew word "copper,"
others think it may have been bronze that was used (a mixture of
copper and tin). However, we shall continue speaking of it as "brass."
The symbolical import of "brass" in Scripture is as definitely defined
as is that of gold and silver. As gold speaks of glory and silver of
redemption, so brass signifies judgment. This may be gathered from the
connections in which it is found. The serpent (reminder of the one who
was responsible for the bringing in of the "curse") which Moses was
ordered to make and affix to the pole, was made of brass (Num. 21:9).
When Jehovah made known the sore judgments which would come upon
Israel for their disobedience (see the whole of Deuteronomy 28), among
other things He threatened, "and thy heaven that is above thy head
shall be brass (v. 23). When describing the millennial blessedness of
Israel, following their long alienation from God, the promise given is
"for brass I will bring gold" (Isa. 60:17), i.e., judgment shall give
place to glory. When Christ appears in judicial character. inspecting
His churches, pronouncing sentence upon them, we read that "His feet
(were) like unto fine brass as if they burned in a furnace" (Rev.
1:15).
Many are the references to "brass" in the Old Testament, but it is
invariably found in an evil association. The first time that it is
mentioned is in connection with the descendants of Cain (Gen. 4:22)!
Samson was bound with "fetters of brass" (Judg. 16:21); so, too, was
Zedekiah (2 Kings 5:27). Goliath's helmet and armor were of "brass" (1
Sam. 17:5, 6). Saul's armor was of the same material, but David
disdained it (1 Sam. 17:38). In delivering His people from the
prison-house in which sin had placed them. the Lord says, "He hath
broken the gates of brass and cut the bars of iron in sunder" (Ps.
107:16). When remonstrating with His wayward and rebellious people,
God said, "I know that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron
sinew, and thy brow brass" (Isa. 48:4).
"The acacia wood, of which it was made, need occupy us but briefly, as
we have already learned its meaning. It speaks of the incorruptible,
sinless humanity of our Lord, and therefore not subject to death. How
fitting, then, that it should be connected with the constant witness
of death--the altar. Our Lord need not die, therefore He could `lay
down' His life! On all others, judgment had a claim; none, therefore,
could make atonement even for themselves, much less for others. We see
then our Lord as `the Altar that sanctifieth the gift' (Matthew
23:19). But how necessary was this humanity if there was to be an
atonement. The very word for altar is connected with `slaughter'--the
shedding of blood. Therefore the one who was to be the true altar must
be capable of dying, and at the same time One upon whom death had no
claim" (Mr. S. Ridout).
The wooden boards, overlaid with brass, tell us that the Altar points
to the capability of the Sin-bearer to endure the judgment of God. The
incarnate Son was no feeble Savior: "I have laid help upon One that is
mighty" (Ps. 89:19) was Jehovah's witness of old. The shittim wood
spoke of the humanity of the Redeemer; the brass of which it was
overlaid told of His power to "endure the Cross."
3. Its Meaning.
This is the easiest to interpret of all the holy vessels. Being the
place where sacrifice was offered to God, it spoke, unmistakably, of
the Cross of Christ. It pointed to the most solemn aspect of Calvary.
The Lord Jesus was the Antitype of both the altar and its sacrifice,
as also of the priests who there officiated. That which is distinct in
our present type is what is set forth by the brass. This is the
hardest of all metals, possessing a greater resistance to fire than
gold or silver: in Deuteronomy 33:25 and in Jeremiah 1:18 "brass" is
used as the symbol of ability to endure. Our Savior was the true
Brazen-altar, possessed of that power of enduring, in its awful
intensity, the fires of God's holiness. He only could endure the
Cross. He only could, stand, unconsumed, under the storm of Divine
judgment. As the brass plates on the Altar protected it from the
fervent heat and prevented it from being burnt up, so, Christ passed
through the fires of God's wrath without being consumed. He is mighty
to save, because He was mighty to endure.
As we have shown above, "brass" in Scripture symbolizes judgment.
Hence we see the solemn propriety of Moses being instructed to make "a
serpent of brass" to place upon the pole. Many have wondered how it
was possible for the Holy One of God to be represented by a
"serpent"--surely that was the last of all objects suited to portray
Him who is fairer than the children of men! But no mistake was made.
As a fact, the "serpent" was the only similitude of all created things
which could suitably picture that particular aspect of the Redeemer's
death which was there foreshadowed. The "serpent" was the reminder of
the "curse" (Gen. 3), and in Galatians 3:13 we are expressly told that
Christ was "made a curse" for His people. It was because that uplifted
object, presented to the eyes of the bitten Israelites, pointed
forward to the Lord Jesus as "made a curse," that it was designed in
the form of a serpent. For the same reason, that serpent was made not
of silver or gold, but of brass. As made a curse for us, the judgment
of God descended upon Christ, and the sword of Divine justice smote
Him (Zech. 13:7).
It was at the Brazen-altar that the holiness and righteousness of God
were displayed: His hatred of sin, and His justice in punishing it.
Have you ever considered the holiness of God, dear reader, and how
that your sins have unfitted you to come before Him? When Isaiah, the
best man in all Israel of his day, was brought into God's presence,
and saw the unsullied purity of His person, and beheld the seraphim
(who had never come into contact with defilement of any kind) veil
their faces with their wings and cry, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of
hosts," there was wrung from his heart that word, "Woe is me! for I am
undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst
of a people of unclean lips" (Isa. 6:5). When he saw the holiness of
God, the righteousness of His throne, the profound reverence of the
heavenly intelligences, on the one hand; and on the other, his own
sinfulness and the iniquities of the people among whom he lived; he
saw also the awful distance there was between his soul and God, and he
cried, "Woe is me!"
As another has pointed out, "In the preceding chapter Isaiah had
pronounced six woes on six different classes in Israel; but when
brought into the Lord's presence, he pronounced the seventh upon
himself. His neighbor's sin troubled him no more, but his own did.
These must be attended to at once; and, thank God, they were, but not
by Isaiah. How could he put them away by the power of his hand? or
wash them away by his tears? or have them removed by any efforts of
his own? Ah, no; but thank God, if a sight of God and His throne, and
a sight of his own unfitness for the presence of One so holy, led him
to pass judgment upon himself and take his place in the dust, it also
brought him low enough to see another thing, and that was the altar,
and the provision of the altar. The live coal had done its work; the
sacrifice had been consumed; and nothing remained but `the live coal';
this was applied to Isaiah's lips, and the sweet and blessed assurance
given, `thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin is purged" (Isa.
6:7). The look of anguish passes from his face, and there comes
instead the light of holy joy as he believes what is said to him"
(Gospel Add. on the Tab., by A.H.).
Does the reader understand what is portrayed in Isaiah 6? The "altar"
is Christ: the sacrifice consumed on it by the live coal speaks of His
work on the cross for poor sinners. The "live coal" is a figure of
God's holiness consuming that which offends Him. When Christ was "made
sin" (2 Cor. 5:21) for all who shall believe on Him, it pleased
Jehovah to "bruise" Him, to "put Him to grief," to "make His soul an
offering for sin" (Isa. 53). It was then that the "live coal" reached
Him, and He exclaimed, "My heart is like wax; it is melted in the
midst of My bowels" (Ps. 22:14). Yes, the coal had done its work, its
"strange work" (Isa. 28:21); a sacrifice had been presented--all had
gone up to God. And that "live coal" (figure of God's holiness) lies
now upon the Altar, waiting for the sinner to take the place Isaiah
took, and pass judgment on himself, as he did; and the moment he does
so his iniquity is taken away and his sin is purged.
The Brazen-altar, inside the Court, faced the door into the Tabernacle
proper, and it was at this place Jehovah met with His people: "There
will I meet with the children of Israel" (Ex. 29:42, 43). So the Cross
is now the meeting-place between God and the sinner. "It is on the
foundation of what was accomplished there that He can be just and the
Justifier of everyone that believeth in Jesus. There is no other
ground on which He can bring the sinner into His presence. If the
Israelite rejected the brazen altar, he shut himself out for ever from
the mercy of God, and, in like manner, whoever rejects the cross of
Christ, shuts himself out for ever from the hope of salvation" (E.
Dennett). Inexpressibly blessed are the words of Exodus 29:37,
"everything that toucheth the altar shall be holy": so every sinner
who, by faith, lays hold of Christ is cleansed--cf. Mark 5:27-29.
It is very striking to observe that of the different vessels in the
Tabernacle the two "altars" alone are spoken of as being "most holy."
The other pieces of furniture are called "holy," but the golden altar
(30:10) once, and the brazen altar twice, is termed "most holy"
(39:37; 40:10). The reason for this is not far to seek: it was at
Calvary, pre-eminently, that the holiness of God was so signally and
solemnly manifested. So holy is God that He would not spare His
beloved Son (Rom. 8:32) when the sins of His people were laid upon
Him.
Though the Altar had no "steps" up to it (Ex. 20:26), yet it is clear
from Leviticus 9:22 that it stood on elevated ground, for there we
read of Aaron ministering at the Altar, and then he "came down." Most
probably the ground in the Outer Court was made to slope upwards, and
on the top of this ascent stood the Altar. How this reminds us of the
"lifted up" Savior upon that Hill called Golgotha!
4. Its Dimensions.
"Thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five
cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof
shall be three cubits" (v. 1). The measurements here are very striking
and blessed. Five, as we have shown before, is the number that tells
of grace, and this was stamped both on the length and breadth of the
Altar. Nowhere was the wondrous grace of God to poor sinners so
clearly displayed as it was at the Cross. What could we possibly do
which would call for such a costly Sacrifice on our behalf? A ransom
so precious was utterly unmerited. It was provided by the pure
benignity of God. Nor was it a sudden impulse on the part of the
Father to bestow favors on those who had no claims on Him. As we are
told in 1 Peter 1:20, the Lamb was "foreordained before the foundation
of the world." So in 2 Timothy 1:9 we read, "Who hath saved us, and
called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ
Jesus before the world began." Here then is the length: grace
appointed the antitypical Altar long ere time began. The breadth is
also measured by grace. "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion" (Rom. 9:15)
expressed this truth. Its height--three cubits--speaks of
manifestation. At the Cross, God, man, sin, Satan, holiness,
righteousness, grace and love were exhibited as nowhere else.
"The altar shall be foursquare." Thus it faced each point of the
compass, telling of the world-wide aspect and application of the
Cross. Christ's death was not only for the Israelitish nation, but
also for the children of God "scattered abroad" (John 11:51, 52). He
is a propitiation for the sins of "the whole world" (1 John 2:2),
which does not mean all mankind, but that it was not restricted to
Israel, but was also designed for favored sinners among the Gentiles
too.
5. Its Horns.
"And thou shalt make the horns of it upon the four corners thereof,
his horns shall he of the same" (v. 2). These horns were for the
binding of the sacrifice to the Altar: see Psalm 118:27. In Scripture
the "horn" is the symbol of power or strength (see Habakkuk 3:4).
Typically, the "horns" on the Altar pointed to the unfaltering purpose
of the Savior, and the strength of His love. It was not the nails
which held Him to the Cross. Christ was bound to the Altar by the
constraint of His devotedness to the Father (John 10:19; Philippians
2:9). While on the Cross, His enemies challenged Him to come down; His
refusal to do so evidenced the cords which bound Him to its "horns."
6. Its Utensils.
"And thou shalt make his pans to receive his ashes, and his shovels,
and his basins, and his fleshhooks, and his fire-pans: all the vessels
thereof thou shalt make of brass" (v. 3). The "pans" were used in
receiving the ashes of offering and removing them to their appointed
place (Lev. 6:10, 11). The "ashes" testified to the thoroughness of
the fire's work in having wholly consumed the offering. They also
witnessed to the acceptance of the sacrifice on behalf of the offerer,
and so they were to him a token that his sins were gone. The words of
Christ from the Cross express the fulfillment of this detail of our
type: "It is finished" announced that the Sacrifice had been offered,
accepted, and gone up to God as a sweet savor.
The "shovels" were no doubt employed about the fire, collecting the
dead embers. The "basins" were receptacles for the blood, in order to
convey it to each place of sprinkling. The "fleshhooks" would be for
arranging the different parts of the sacrifice on the fire of the
Altar. The "firepans" are identical with the "censers,' which formed
the necessary link between the two Altars (Lev. 16:12, 13). "The
utensils speak of all that was necessary in order that the offerings
might be presented and dealt with in a suitable manner. We can
understand in the case of Christ how perfect it all was: it was `by
the eternal Spirit' that He `offered Himself without spot to God.'
Every detail connected with the offering up of Christ has been
provided and arranged and carried out according to God's mind and
glory. The Scriptures have been fulfilled in every detail" (C. A.
Coates). Each utensil had its own distinctive typical significance,
which becomes apparent through prayer, meditation, and comparing
scripture with scripture. That all were made of "brass" emphasizes,
again, the prominent and dominant truth associated with this
Altar--the unsparing judgment of God upon the believing sinner's
Substitute.
"And thou shalt make for it a grate of network of brass; and upon the
net thou shalt make four brazen rings in the four corners thereof. And
thou shalt put it under the compass of the altar beneath, that the net
may be even to the midst of the altar" (vv. 4,5). The Brazen-altar was
hollow within, and in its midst was fixed a "grate" on which the fire
was built and where the severed parts of the offering were laid. This
brings before us the most solemn aspect of all in this type. It tells
of the inward sufferings of the Savior as He endured the wrath of God.
"Our Lord did not bear the fire of Divine judgment in any external,
superficial way. It is but a feeble and a partial view of those
sufferings which would enlarge upon the persecution of ungodly men, or
even the malice of Satan who urged them on. These might explain the
bodily anguish to which our holy Lord permitted Himself to be
subjected, but the fire of Divine holiness, the heart-searching
judgment against sin, went down into the utmost center of His being.
Reverently may we tread upon such holy ground. Sin is not an external
thing, though it mars the outward man. Its source is in the heart, the
center of man's being; and therefore in the sinless Substitute the
flame searched down into His holy soul. Atoning suffering, like the
sin of man, was in the heart. The piercing of the nails, the crown of
thorns, the jeers of the people, the spear-thrusts, did not set forth
the deep essence of His sufferings. God only, who searcheth the heart,
knew what it meant. The Son, who bore the judgment, knows the
intensity of that fire which burned down into His soul when made an
offering for sin" (Mr. Ridout). In wondrous accord with this fire
being within the altar, is the fact that its grate was "even in the
midst" (v. 5). The Savior suffered on the Cross for six hours, and
they, too, were divided in the midst: the first three He suffered at
the hands of men; the last three (when darkness overspread the earth)
He suffered at the hands of God!
7. Its Covering.
The details recorded in Exodus 27:6, 7 show us that provision was made
for its carrying about when Israel were on the march. In Numbers 4:13,
14 we are told how it was then covered: "And they shall take away the
ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth thereon... and they
shall spread upon it a covering of badgers' skins." This was the only
piece of the Tabernacle's furniture which was wrapped in purple--the
royal color. Was not this to denote how closely connected were
Christ's "sufferings" with the "glory which was to follow"? (Luke
21:26; 1 Peter 1:1). Over the purple cloth was spread the badgers'
skins; once more telling us of the world's incapacity to discern the
preciousness and the value of the Death Divine. The repentant thief
discerned the royal purple over the Altar--the Cross--as his words
"Lord, remember me. when Thou comest into Thy kingdom" clearly denote.
His wicked and scoffing companion saw naught but the rough badgers'
skins!
Let us summarize. The Brazen-altar was the place where sin was judged
and its wages paid. If the Veil told of separation because of sin, the
Altar says, death is the consequences of sin. But the Altar also
speaks of sin remitted. Nature knows nothing of this: break her laws,
and you must suffer the consequences; repent, but she knows no mercy
and shows no pity. Science is equally powerless: it endeavors to
relieve the effects entailed, but has no remedy for the disease
itself. Divine revelation alone makes known an adequate provision--the
Cross of Christ. There the uncompromising judgment of God dealt with
sin; not by punishing the sinner, but by smiting the sinner's
Substitute--"Who His own self bear our sins in His own body on the
tree, that we (believers), being (legally) dead to sin, should live
unto righteousness, by whose stripes we are healed" (1 Pet. 2:24).
Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable Gift.
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Gleanings In Exodus
46. The Outer Court
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Exodus 27:9-19
The Tabernacle proper, which has already been before us, stood in an
open space of ground, an hundred cubits long, by fifty cubits broad,
and was enclosed by hangings of fine twined linen. These linen
curtains were suspended from sixty pillars, twenty of which stood on
the south side, twenty on the north, ten on the west, and ten on the
east. The Scriptures do not expressly state of what these pillars were
made, but there is good reason to conclude they were of shittim wood.
This open space, in which the priestly compartments and the
dwelling-place of Jehovah stood, formed the third division of the
Tabernacle as a whole, and was designated "the Court." The Court was
in form a parallelogram, or double square, being twice the length of
its breadth. On its eastern side was a gate or entrance, which was
also made of fine linen, but rendered attractive by the same beautiful
colors which were wrought into the Veil.
It is striking to note that neither the Court nor the Holy Places were
paved. The Tabernacle rested upon the bare sand of the desert. This
was in significant contrast from its golden-sheeted sides and
beautiful inner ceiling. Thus, more than a hint was given for the
priests to look up, where all was glorious and gorgeous, and tells us
that there is nothing down here to satisfy the heart. In striking
contrast from the Tabernacle we read of Solomon's Temple that "the
floor of the House he overlaid with gold, without and within" (1 Kings
6:30), foreshadowing the blessed fact that in the Millennium this
world will no longer be a wilderness to God's people; for when Christ
is present in it again, then shall be fulfilled that word, "As truly
as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord"
(Num. 14:21).
Immediately around the Court of the Tabernacle were the tents of the
Levites; beyond, but encircling them, were grouped the twelve Tribes,
three on either side; thus forming a square of vast extent.
Consequently, even the Court itself was thoroughly screened from the
eyes of the wilderness nomads. The Tabernacle therefore formed the
center of Israel's camp. Outside the Tent, a fire was kept constantly
burning, on which the bodies of the sin-offerings were consumed, and
where the refuse was destroyed. In contemplating the Court, let us
notice:
1. Its Hangings.
"And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side
southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen
of a hundred cubits long for one side" (v. 9). As we have before
pointed out, the "fine linen" is the emblem of righteousnesses (Rev.
19:8). The spotless white walls which surrounded the Tabernacle on
every side were a standing witness to the holiness of Him whose
dwelling it was. This was in striking contrast from the unholiness of
those who inhabited the surrounding tents, which were made, most
probably, from goats' hair, of a very dark color. There is a reference
to this in Song of Solomon 1:5: "I am black, but comely, O ye
daughters of Jerusalem; as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of
Solomon": black as the tents of Kedar, comely as the curtains of
Solomon. The dark-colored cloth woven from goats' hair is commonly
used for making tents in the East to this day. There would be, then, a
most vivid contrast between the white linen surrounding Jehovah's
dwelling-place and the dark fabric of the Israelites' tents.
The white walls of the Tabernacle's Court served both as a barrier and
a protection. To those without, the holiness, of which it spoke, was
an exclusion to all who would approach the Divine Courts otherwise
than as God Himself had ordered. To those within, it served as a
shield, a shelter, an adornment, a glory, a defense. It was the
thought of these spotless curtains around the sacred precincts, in
which stood the atoning altar and the cleansing laver, which moved
David to sing, "How amiable are Thy tabernacles, O Lord of Hosts! My
soul longeth, yea, even fainteth, for the courts of the Lord" (Ps.
84:1, 2).
2. Its Pillars.
These were sixty in number, placed at intervals of five cubits all
around the Court. The material from which they were made is not
expressly stated. The words of v. 10, "and the twenty pillars thereof
(i.e., of the south side) and their twenty sockets shall be of brass,"
have led some to conclude that the pillars themselves were made of
brass; but it is to be noted that the words "shall be" are supplied by
the translators, there being no verb in the original--the modifying
clause "of brass" referring only to the "sockets." That the columns
themselves were not made of brass seems clear from their omission in
Exodus 38:29-31. Nor were they made of silver, for that metal was only
used in the foundations and in the upper ornamental parts; whilst gold
was employed in covering boards in the Tabernacle and in the
construction of certain vessels inside, but was not found at all in
the Court.
We believe that these "pillars" were made of shittim wood, and that,
for three reasons. First, the other "pillars," i.e., those used for
the door and for the support of the Veil (26:32, 37) were of wood,
therefore in the absence of any word to the contrary here, we
naturally conclude that these also were made of the same material.
Second, because from a careful comparison of the twenty-nine talents
of gold (Ex. 38:24), the hundred talents of silver (Ex. 38:25, 27).
and the seventy talents of brass (Ex. 38:29 with the sizes of the
different vessels and the amount of metals required for them, it seems
clear that they would not leave sufficient to make sixty pillars for
the Court out of the remainder. Third, the typical meaning of the
Court requires "wood" rather than one of the metals.
A "pillar" speaks of support and strength. The sixty which were
stationed around the sides of the Court sustained the white curtains.
There is a word in Song of Solomon 3:6, 7 which seems to borrow its
imagery from our present type: "Who is this that cometh out of the
wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and
frankincense, with all powders of the merchants? Behold his bed, which
is Solomon's; three score valiant men are about it, of the valiant of
Israel." Note first the allusion to "the wilderness!" There a
procession is seen: a palanquin or curtained-litter (for this is the
literal meaning of the Hebrew word here rendered "bed") is seen,
surrounded by all the marks of royalty and majesty; sixty mighty ones
are about it. The "litter" was the temporary resting-place of the
king. So the Tabernacle was God's resting-place, in the midst of
Israel, during their wilderness wanderings. The "ark" was the symbol
of His presence, and as 2 Samuel 7:2 tells us "the ark of God dwelleth
within curtains," while in Numbers 10:33, 35 a "resting-place" is also
mentioned in connection with it. Around the ark in the Holy of Holies,
were these sixty pillars of the Court, like the "sixty valiant men"
about the wilderness resting-place of Solomon. The typical
significance of this will appear in our next division.
3. Its Meaning.
Like everything else connected with this first dwelling-place of God
on earth, the antitypical significance of the Court is found in the
person of the Lord Jesus Christ and in Him alone. It is really pitiful
to witness the attempts that have been made to refer the curtains and
the pillars to the saints of this New Testament dispensation. Neither
individually nor in their corporate capacity are they here in view.
The Court is called the "Tent of the Congregation" (Ex. 39:40); it was
the appointed place of assembly, where the Israelites came together
and worshipped Jehovah, and where He met with them (Ex. 29:42, 43).
Now it is in Christ, and in Him alone, that God and His people meet
together. The Court, then, spoke of Christ as the Meeting-place
between God and His people.
The Court foreshadowed Christ on earth tabernacling among men,
accessible to all who sought Him, but His glory beheld only by those
who drew near in faith (John 1:14). In the opening paragraphs we have
pointed out that the Court was unpaved, the Tabernacle resting upon
the bare earth of the desert. This pointed to Christ as "a Root out of
a dry ground"--Israel (Isa. 53:2). But although the floor of the Court
was the dust of the wilderness, yet was it a sacred enclosure, so that
he who entered it stood on holy ground; from Leviticus 16:6, 16 we
learn that even the Court itself was termed "the holy place." This
tells us that Christ, though "a Root out of a dry ground," was none
other than "the Holy One of God." We may add, these linen hangings
were suspended from pillars seven and a half feet in height, so that
all on the outside would be prevented from seeing what was done on the
inside; thus making it a truly separated and holy place.
The distinctive spiritual significance of the Court is intimated by
its order of mention in Exodus 27. First there is a description of the
brazen altar (vv. 1-8), and then follow the details concerning the
Court. This is very striking. The natural order would be to have told
of the Court first, and then of the altar which stood within it. But
here again God's thoughts are different from ours. As we have seen,
the altar speaks of the place where sin was dealt with: the
consequence of this is, that entrance is afforded into the place where
God meets with His people. Thus, that which the altar typified was the
basis of the privileges foreshadowed by the Court. As soon as the
Israelite entered the sacred precincts, the first object to meet his
eyes was the standing witness to both the justice and the grace of
God. The altar testified that his sins had been put away through the
sacrifice offered thereon. It was there God showed, typically, that He
is just and the Justifier of the believing sinner (Rom. 3:26).
It is to be carefully noted that the Court was for an elect and
redeemed people. There are several references in the Psalms to this:
"Blessed is the man whom Thou choosest, and causest to approach unto
Thee, that he may dwell in Thy Courts" (Ps. 65:4); "Enter into His
gates with thanksgiving, and into His Court with praise: be thankful
unto Him, and bless His name" (Ps. 100:4). But most blessed is it to
note that in the Old Testament types of the Court there was a definite
hint and foreshadowing of Gentiles also entering into and partaking of
God's grace (Lev. 17:8, 22:18; Numbers 15:14-16). The "stranger" had
the same liberty of approach to the altar as had an Israelite. Thus,
at that early date, it was intimated "there is no difference between
the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all
that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved"
(Rom. 10:12, 13).
The sixty pillars around the Court told of the strength and
sufficiency of that Refuge into which the believing sinner has fled:
"The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it
and is safe" (Prov. 18:10). That the pillars were made of "wood" was
in harmony with the promise, "And a Man shall be as an hiding-place
from the wind, and a covert from the tempest" (Isa. 32:2). That these
pillars were sixty in number (5 x 12 or grace and perfect government),
tell us it is the grace which reigns in righteousness by Christ Jesus
that is our defense. This. like the sixty valiant men about Solomon's
litter, is a guard of honor around us, so that none can lay anything
to our charge. That there was an interval of five cubits between each
pillar, intimates that no matter which aspect of our salvation we
contemplate, all is of grace alone. The spotless white hangings
suspended from them, depicted the fitness of the Lord our
Righteousness to be the One in whom His God and our God could meet
with us.
4. Its Dimensions.
In contemplating this we must first consider the measurements of the
linen hangings which surrounded the Court, and then the space enclosed
by them. From v. 9 we learn that the linen hangings were a hundred
cubits long on the south side, ditto on the north side (v. 11), fifty
on the west side (v. 12), and thirty on the east side (vv. 14,
15)--the other twenty there being accounted for by the "gate," which
differed from the curtains on either side of it, in that it was of
"blue and purple and scarlet" (v. 16). Thus there was a total length
of these white hangings of two hundred and eighty cubits. The factors
of this total would be 7 x 4 x 10, which speak of perfection on earth,
seen in human responsibility fully discharged.
It is striking to note that the length of the white hangings
surrounding the Court was identical with the length of the curtains
which were spread over the inner Tabernacle. "The curtains of the
Tabernacle present Christ, Christ in His nature and character, and
Christ in His future glories and judicial authority; but as so
presented He was for the eye of God, and for the eye of the priest. As
such He could not be seen from without, only within. The fine twined
linen hangings (of the Court) present Christ also, but not so much to
those within as to those without. They could be seen by all in the
camp. It is therefore the presentation of Christ to the world, Christ
in the purity of His nature. He could thus challenge His adversaries
to convict Him of sin. Pilate had to confess again and again that
there was no fault in Him; and the Jewish authorities, though they
sought with eagle-eyed malice, failed to establish, or even produce, a
single proof of failure. Not a single speck could be detected upon the
fine twined linen of His holy life, His life of practical
righteousness which flowed from the purity of His being" (Mr. E.
Dennett). Thus, the linen hangings of the Court being of equal length
with the Curtains of the inner tabernacle tell us that Christ
manifested on earth the same holiness as He had and does before God in
heaven!
The linen hangings which formed the walls of the Court were divided by
"pillars," which were erected at intervals of five cubits: note in vv.
9, 10 there were "twenty" pillars for the "hundred cubits" of linen on
either length. The white linen spoke of righteousness, five is the
number of grace; thus, these measurements pronounced that the grace of
God to poor sinners is not bestowed at the expense of justice, but, as
Romans 5:21 declares, "As sin hath reigned unto death, even so might
grace reign through righteousness, unto eternal life by Jesus Christ
our Lord." Five is, again, the dominating number in the measurements
of the enclosure: as 5:18 tells us, "the length of the court shall be
an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty everywhere, and the height
five cubits." How small was the Court in comparison with the camp!
Hebrews 13:13, read in the light of that whole Epistle, indicates that
the "Camp" refers to the religious world, Christendom--the sphere of
nominal Christian profession. The smallness of the Court in contrast
from the vastness of the Camp (for how few was accommodation
provided!) contains more than a hint of the fewness of those, from
among the crowds of professing Christians, that really enter God's
presence! God's "flock" is only a "LITTLE one" (Luke 12:32); only the
"few" are in the Narrow Way (Matthew 7:14). Are you one of the favored
"few"?
5. Its Sockets.
"And their sockets of brass" (v. 18). This detail needs no lengthy
comment. The "sockets" formed the foundation for the pillars. The
"brass" of which they were composed speaks of endurance, capacity to
bear the action of fire: type of Christ suffering, but not being
consumed by, the outpoured judgment of God upon the sinner's
Substitute. Thus, once more, are the saints reminded of that upon
which all their blessings are based.
6. Its Hooks and Fillets.
"The hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver" (v. 11). These
"fillets" were connecting-rods from pillar to pillar, and the hooks
would link the linen hangings to the fillets. They bring out a most
important detail in our present type. As we pointed out in an earlier
article, "silver" is the symbol of redemption, and it was through the
redemption which is in Christ Jesus that Divine righteousness and
Divine grace were united. There is an inseparable connection between
Christ our Righteousness and Christ our Redeemer: these two must never
be separated. Righteousness could never have been imputed to us unless
the Lord Jesus had ransomed us by His blood. The worshipping Israelite
would see that the boards of the Tabernacle owed their stability to
the fact that the atonement-money had been paid, for they rested on
silver sockets. He would also perceive that the fine linen curtains of
the Court hung securely from silver chapiters and rings, made from the
same ransom-money. Beautifully has this been commented upon by one
writing of the blessedness of those who had entered the court:--"While
outside, the wall shut off, now that he is inside, it shuts him in.
Instead of being opposed by `righteousness,' he is now surrounded by
it. God is just, and as long as the sinner is rejecting Christ He must
be against him; but once the latter has come to Him through Christ all
is reversed; He is `just, and the Justifier of him which believeth in
Jesus (Rom. 3:26). But how can this be? It can be in the way set forth
in this fine linen wait; the linen ("righteousness") was not suspended
to the brass ("judgment"), but was connected with it by means of
silver rods that joined pillar to pillar. Thus, typically we have the
truth as it is plainly stated in Romans 3:24, `Being justified freely
by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus'" (Mr. C.
H. Bright).
Thus, the redeemed Israelite who entered the Court was shut in by
walls of righteousness upheld by the tokens of redemption. This is the
blessed portion of every sinner who has fled to Christ for refuge.
Because Christ was made sin for him, he has been made "the
righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21). "For as by one man's
disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One shall
many be made righteous" (Rom. 5:19). The Christian is vested with that
which meets every requirement of God's holiness. What cause, then, has
each believing reader to join with the writer in saying, "I will
greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He
hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me
with the robe of righteousness" (Isa. 61:10).
7. Its Gate.
"And for the gate of the Court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits,
of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with
needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four"
(v. 16). This "hanging" which formed the entrance to the Court is
closely connected in thought with the Veil and the Gate of the
Tabernacle. Each of them served as a door, hiding the interior from
one approaching from the outside. All were made of the same materials,
and the colors are mentioned in the same order; the dimensions of all
were alike, each measuring one hundred square cubits. The same truth
was embodied in each of these typical curtains: there could be no
access to God of any kind--whether of comparatively distant worship,
or of closer intimacy--except by Him who said "I am the Way." The
Israelite who came to the brazen altar with his offering must pass
through this gate of the Court; the priest who placed incense on the
golden altar must enter by the door of the Tabernacle; the high priest
who entered the Holy of Holies on the day of atonement must do so
through the Veil, thus realizing the thrice repeated proof of the only
way of access to God.
The antitypical teaching of the Gate is brought before us in John
10:9, where Christ says, "I am the Door, by Me if any man enter in he
shall be saved." But as another has observed, "It is not thinking
about the Door, or believing that He is the Door, but entering the
Door, that saves. Many need help right on this point. There are
(figuratively speaking) crowds of semi-believers around the Gate. They
believe it is the Gate, and the only one, but they do not take the
step. They are always saying, `Let me hide myself in Thee,' instead of
hiding, in Him once for all. Oh! why not dare to trust Him now, at
once and forever? You say that you do not feel that He accepts you . .
. How can you, as long as you remain outside? Jesus makes no promise
to the one who does not enter, but to the one who does. Enter in, and
then, feeling or not, you may know that you are saved, because He says
so. The Altar was inside the Gate, not outsider How, then, can you
know that you are saved until you enter? Come, just as you are, in all
your sinfulness, with no feeling, with no consciousness of any `marks
of grace,' and as a sinner believe in the sinner's Savior."
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Gleanings In Exodus
47. The Priesthood
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 27:20 - 28:2
Once more we would direct the reader's attention to the order of
Jehovah's instructions to Moses concerning the Tabernacle and all that
was connected with it. At first glance the contents of Exodus 28 and
29 seem to depart from the logical sequence and to introduce
confusion. Instead of completing the description of the Tabernacle and
its furniture, the priesthood is introduced, and then in chapter 30
the last of the holy vessel is described. But fully assured that God
is not the Author of confusion, the prayerful student should
diligently seek the mind of the Spirit for an explanation of this
perplexity. A new subdivision of Exodus begins with the 28th chapter,
or more correctly, at 27:20.
Many years ago it was pointed out by Mr. Darby that everything
mentioned in Exodus 25:10 to 27:19 foreshadowed God's coming forth
unto His people: each article there mentioned was a symbol of display,
that is, a manifestation of God in Christ. But from 27:20 to the end
of chapter 30 the order is reversed, everything there pointing to the
provisions of grace which enable us to go in to God: that is to say,
the priesthood and the vessels referred to in Exodus 30 have to do
with approach. But before the laver and the incense altar (the vessels
needed for access to God) are brought before us, we are shown the
appointment and consecration of the priesthood. Thus we may discern
Divine order in the seeming confusion, for there must be designated
persons for approach, before the vessels could be used. "God has come
out in type and figure to His people; then He indicates those who are
to be set apart for His service in the sanctuary--those who are to
enjoy the special privilege of access to Himself; and lastly, the
vessels, etc., are given, which they would need in their holy
employment in the house of God" (Mr. E. Dennett).
The blessed unity, amid diversity, of the whole of Jehovah's
instructions to Moses in this section of Exodus has been dealt with so
helpfully by the late Mr. Soltau that we quote from him at length:
"The Tabernacle and its vessels, the Priesthood and the various
ministrations connected therewith, form but one subject; although
divided for the sake of more distinctly contemplating each portion.
The Tabernacle would have been useless without its vessels: and the
Tabernacle with its vessels would have been of no service but for a
living family of priests, constantly engaged in various active
ministrations within the holy places, and about the various holy
vessels.
"So closely connected is each part of this subject with the other,
that in the directions contained in Exodus, there is no break; but the
command for making the holy garments and consecrating the priesthood
(Ex. 28 and 29), comes between the enumeration of some of the holy
vessels and the various parts of the Tabernacle. Indeed, properly
speaking, the 27th chapter should end at v. 19, where `thou shalt
command the children of Israel' begins a new subject, viz.: directions
concerning the oil for the light of the sanctuary. The 28th chapter
continues with ordering the sacrifices for the day of priestly
consecration. The 30th carries on the subject connected with the
priesthood, by giving the description of the incense altar; and the
whole closes with the Sabbath, at the end of the 31st chapter.
Again; when all the various parts of the work have been completed,
ending with the garments of the priesthood (chapters 36-39:31) the
following verse is added: `Thus was all the work of the tabernacle of
the Tent of the Congregation finished; and the children of Israel did
according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did they'. Here,
therefore, the priestly garments were considered part of the work of
the Tabernacle! And if we turn to Hebrews 8 we find that the priests,
that offered gifts according to the law, served unto the example and
shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God, when he was
about to make the Tabernacle itself; see, saith He, that thou shalt
make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount'
(vv. 4, 5).
"The service of the priests in offering gifts and sacrifices was
connected with the commandments given to Moses in the mount respecting
the making of the Tabernacle. The words `See, that thou make all
things according to the pattern showed thee in the mount', as recorded
in Exodus, were spoken to Moses respecting the holy vessels (Ex.
25:40), but are in Hebrews 8 quoted to prove that the priests and
their ministrations were examples and shadows of heavenly things. The
whole subject is therefore much blended."
Still observing the order of truth presented to us in our present
section, it is most striking to find we have in 27:20, 21 that which
is obviously the connecting link between the two central lines of
thought--God coming out to His people, they going in to Him. "And thou
shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil
olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always. In the
tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the
testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning
before the Lord: it shall be a statute forever unto their generations
on behalf of the children of Israel." Two things are here brought
before us: provision for the maintenance of the light and the
ministration of the priesthood. These verses are very rich in their
typical teaching and must be carefully weighed as a preparation for
what follows. Strictly, they begin the section and are the key to the
contents of chapters 28 and 29.
Before a description is given of the garments and consecration of the
priests, provision is made for perpetual light in the sanctuary. This
takes the precedence. As v. 21 tells us the light was to shine "before
the Lord." Priestly ministry was for the benefit of the people; but
the claims of God must first be met. This was the order in Genesis 1:
the first thing there, was "Let there be light." This, before a single
creature was brought into existence. So here in Exodus. In figure it
tells that Christ had first to meet all the demands of God's holiness,
ere He could minister for us as our great High Priest: the Cross
first, then His intercession on High.
It was at the Cross that God was fully manifested as the Light (1 John
1:5); that is, in His ineffable holiness--His very nature as eternally
antagonistic to sin. And in the typical order of God's revelation of
Himself through the vessels of the Tabernacle, beginning with that
which was in the Holiest (the ark and the mercy-seat), the movement
was ever outward, past the table and the lampstand in the holy place,
to the brazen altar in the outer Court (27:1), which foreshadowed the
Cross: the altar marking the terminal of the coming out of God in
manifestation. Thus provision having been made through Christ's
atonement for "the lamp to burn alway," i.e. for the unsullied
holiness of God to act without compromise in His gracious dealing with
poor sinners, the way was then clear to make known the provisions
which Divine mercy had made for reconciled sinners to draw near to God
within the veil.
But as we showed in a previous paper, the Lampstand speaks not only of
Christ, but also of the Holy Spirit as His gift to the saints. This
explains the fact that in v. 20 it is "the people" who were to supply
the "pure oil olive beaten for the light." As was the case in
connection with all the other materials (see 25:2, etc.), so that
which speaks of the Holy Spirit given us by Christ, was also Holy
vided by "the people" themselves, The Tabernacle and its services were
not only for Jehovah, but for Israel too: thus their providing the
materials for it, witnessed to their personal interest in it. In
keeping with this we may note that 27:21 mentions, for the first time,
"the Tabernacle (Tent) of the congregation!"
But further: does not this initial mention of the "Tent of the
Congregation," in the present connection, supply more than a hint of
the formation of that Church which is the Body of Christ--consequent
upon His having satisfied the requirements of God's holiness and the
descent of the Holy Spirit? In Matthew 16:18 our Lord employed the
future tease not the present--"I will build My Church," not I am
building. Ephesians 1:20-23 also plainly teaches that Christ was not
given to be the Head over all things to His Church until after His
resurrection and ascension. Thus the Church is only seen (typically)
after the claims of Divine holiness had been met, the throne of God
eternally established, and the Holy Spirit sent down as the witness of
this: cf. Acts 2 33.
Again; it is in Exodus 27:21 that, for the first time, mention is made
of "Aaron and his sons." This also has a double significance. Coming
right after mention of "the people" in v. 20, it tells us on whose
behalf the Priesthood was instituted. "Aaron and his sons" are
mentioned twenty-four times in the book of Exodus, but they are not
seen until after instructions were given for the children of Israel to
furnish the oil for the light. How plainly this foreshadowed the fact
that the priestly ministry of Christ is essential to maintaining the
gracious working of the Spirit through His people! Up to this point,
nothing whatever had been said of any human agents or ministers
appointed to officiate in the tabernacle service and to delight
themselves in the dwelling place of God among men, amidst the
heaven-given shadows and emblems of the eternal verities which we have
previously contemplated. But in God's light we see light (Ps. 36:9).
The light makes manifest--here the divinely-chosen ministers of the
sanctuary. This introduces to us the subject of Israel's
priest-hood--one abounding in precious instruction for us; but to
which, alas, the vast majority of the saints are total strangers.
Sixty years ago a servant of God wrote, "To a large portion of those
who would be regarded as intelligent Christians, and who are something
more than mere routine readers of the Bible, the types of the
Tabernacle, with its priesthood, service, and offerings, are barren of
comfort and edification. Yet it is generally acknowledged that they
are pictures by which God, in His condescension, would teach His
children things otherwise all but incomprehensible. It is generally
admitted, also, that the key to unlock these treasures of spiritual
truth lies ready to the hand of every student in the New Testament.
Without inquiring particularly why these treasures have fallen into
such general neglect in our day, the following suggestion is worthy of
the consideration of the earnest among us: `The real secret of the
neglect of the types,' says one who is entitled to be heard on this
point, `I cannot but think may, in part, be traced to this--that they
require more spiritual intelligence than many Christians can bring to
them. To apprehend them requires a certain measure of spiritual
capacity, and habitual exercise in the things of God, which all do not
possess, for want of abiding fellowship with Jesus. The mere
superficial gaze upon the Word in these parts, brings no corresponding
idea to the mind of the reader. The types are, indeed, pictures, but
to understand the picture, we should know something of the reality.
The most perfect representation of a steam-engine to a South Sea
savage would be wholly and hopelessly unintelligible, simply because
the reality, the outline of which was presented to him, was something
hitherto unknown.'
"Paul arrests himself in speaking of Christ as a priest forever after
the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 5:11, etc.), by the reflection that
those whom he addressed were incapable of receiving instruction on
account of their spiritual childhood. A child of a king is unconscious
of the dignity and the inheritance to which he is born; but it is none
the less a king's child: and so there are many true children of God
who seem to remain babes, content, apparently, that they have life and
are children; and so they need milk. This accounts for the spiritual
feebleness and inactivity of the Church in our day. Babes, indeed,
must be fed on milk, but it is not necessary that Christians should
continue babes. May we not, therefore, exhort them, in the words of
the apostle, `To leave the principles of the doctrine of Christ and go
on to perfection' (Heb. 6:1)--to manhood--to the condition of those
who, `by reason of use, have their senses exercised to discern both
good and evil'?" (Waymarks in the Wilderness).
Since then, conditions have not improved. There appear to be as many
"babes" among Christians as ever. The greater part of the Bible seems
a sealed book to them. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God
and is profitable," and it is to our irreparable loss if we neglect
any portion thereof. "Whatsoever things were written before time, were
written for our learning" (Rom. 15:4), and if we fail to give proper
attention to the types our souls will be the poorer. Notably is this
the case with the subject before us. What hazy and inadequate ideas
concerning priesthood are entertained by the average believer. That
the Lord Jesus is the great High Priest of His people, he knows, but
as to the place of Christ's priesthood, the nature of its activities,
its relation to other truths, especially to redemption; the design
accomplished by it. the blessings secured from it, the portion which
the saint enjoys by virtue of it, are most indefinitely defined in the
minds of most.
On the Cross the Savior said, "It is finished": all that was needed to
satisfy the requirements of God and reconcile to Him His alienated
people, was accomplished. Then, wherein lies the necessity for the
present ministry of our great High Priest? If His blood fully atoned
for all our sins, why should He now be making intercession on our
behalf? This is a difficulty which has been felt by many. But the same
problem is presented in the book of Exodus. Here we see a (typically)
redeemed people, protected from judgment by the sprinkled blood of the
lamb, brought out from the house of bondage, separated unto Jehovah,
He dwelling in their midst. Yet, a priesthood was appointed to act on
their behalf! Why? The same book of Exodus reveals the solution. The
priesthood was for the maintaining, not securing, their relationship
with Jehovah. They were still a people compassed with infirmity,
subject to temptation, and alas, frequently failing. The holy God
dwelling in their midst could not tolerate that which was unclean.
Therefore the same grace which had brought them nigh to Himself, now
made provision for the keeping of them nigh.
Priesthood has to do with fellowship. Its need arises from the fact
that the sinful nature remains in those who have been bought with a
price. It is to meet the failures of a people who when they would do
good evil is present with them: this evil which causes them to offend
in "many things" (James 3:2), makes the priestly ministry of Christ so
essential. This was what was foreshadowed in Exodus and Leviticus. The
application of these types to Christians today calls for a wisdom
which only the Holy Spirit can supply, for in the light of the
Hebrews' Epistle it is clear that the Levitical shadows present
contrasts as well as comparisons, and though containing much which
finds its antitypical fulfillment in the spiritual blessings of the
Church, there is also not a little which will only be made good to
Israel in a coming day. The immediate linking together of the
Lamp-stand and the Priesthood in Exodus 27:21 plainly intimates that
only in the light of God can the latter be discerned and understood.
First, let us mark and admire the lovely grace of God which is brought
out in the type before us. This is seen in the choice that He made.
"Take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from
among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto Me in the
priest's office" (28:1). Not Moses, but Aaron, the inferior brother,
was the one selected for this great favor. Moreover, the tribe to
which he belonged was one of the least honorable of the twelve; yea,
it was under the curse, because of Levi's cruelty--see Genesis 49:5-7.
Not Reuben the firstborn. nor Judah whom his brethren should praise
(Gen. 49:8), nor Joseph the fruitful bough, but Levi, was to be the
priestly tribe. How this exhibited the sovereignty of Divine grace!
Finally, the matchless and wondrous grace of God in appointing Aaron
to be the high priest is seen in the fact that at the very time His
choice was made known to Moses, his brother was taking the lead in the
idolatrous worship of the golden calf! Nor do these details mar the
accuracy of the type; instead, they strikingly illustrate the fact
that our great High Priest was the gift of God's marvellous grace.
Second, let us now consider the significance of his name. "Aaron"
means "very high." He stood supreme as the high priest, exalted not
only above his own house, but also above all the people. Thus was he a
type of the Lord Jesus, whom God has exalted with His right hand to be
a Priest and a Savior (Acts 5:31). But as if to magnify the high
priesthood of Christ above that of all others, the Holy Spirit has
added the word "great"--our "great High Priest" (Heb. 4:14), an
adjective used of none other, not even Melchizedek.
We may note that in Exodus 28:1 the names of Aaron's sons are also
given, and each of them was most appropriate and striking. Nadab means
"willing"; Abihu, "my Father is He"; Eleazer, "help of God"; Ithamar,
"land of palm." As another has pointed out, "these four words afford a
little prophetic intimation of characteristics attaching to the House
of which the Son of God is the Head: deriving its life from God the
Father, and all its power and help from Him; following in the
footsteps also of its blessed Master, in yielding willing and not
constrained service to God; and like the palm trees, lofty in
righteousness, and ever bringing forth fruit (Ps. 92:12-14). The
palm-tree is one of the ornaments of the future temple described by
Ezekiel, and was also one of the embellishments of Solomon's temple.
It is peculiarly the tree of the desert, flourishing where no other
could exist; ever marking out to the weary traveler the spot amidst
surrounding desolation, where a grateful shade and a spring of living
water were to be found; and remarkable for longevity and ceaseless
fruitfulness. Thus it was an apt emblem of the heavenly priesthood"
(G. Soltau).
Third, let us dwell upon the significance of the singular pronoun in
28:1: "Take unto thee Aaron, and his sons with him, that he may
minister." This is very striking and most blessed. Aaron and his sons
formed together one priesthood, and Aaron's appointment to his office
was inseparable from theirs. What a wondrous foreshadowment was this
of the union between our great High Priest and His House, and what an
intimation that His ministry before God concerned His House, and them
alone!
And here we must stop. To write at length upon the Priesthood of
Christ would necessitate us expounding almost the entire Epistle of
the Hebrews, where this blessed theme is developed by the Spirit of
God. To that important New Testament book we would refer the
interested student. There, the divine Instructor has pointed out both
the comparisons and the contrasts between the type and the Anti-type.
The Aaronic priesthood furnished much that was the pattern of Christ's
priesthood, but the order of it is vastly superior, being that of
Melchidezek--the royal priest. God willing, other aspects of the
subject will come before us in future papers.
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Gleanings In Exodus
48. Aaron's Garments
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Exodus 28
In the preceding article we pointed out how that the interpretation
and application of the typical teachings found in the Pentateuch
concerning Israel's priesthood calls for heavenly wisdom and guidance.
In the light of the Epistle to the Hebrews it is clear that there are
many points of contrast as well as comparison. But that which it is
most important to see is, that when commenting there, on the types of
Exodus and Leviticus, the Holy Spirit has expressly declared that the
entire ritual of the Tabernacle was "a figure for the time then
present" (Heb. 9:9), that it was "a shadow of good things to come, and
not the very image of the things" (10:1). They were not given to
Israel as a model for Christians to imitate, but as a foreshadowing of
spiritual things which find their fulfillment in Christ Himself. The
holy places made with hands were "figures of the true," that is of
"Heaven itself" (Heb. 9:24). A true apprehension of this is our only
safeguard against the sacerdotalism and ritualism which the flesh so
much delights in. After the advent, death, resurrection, and ascension
of Christ, the shadows must vanish before the substance. As one has
well said, "To imitate a revival of that which God Himself has set
aside by a fulfillment perfect and glorious, is audacious, and full of
peril to the souls of men. It is not even the shadow of a substance;
but the unauthorized shadow of a departed shade." It is failure to
observe this which has wrought such confusion and havoc in
Christendom, resulting in the denial of that which lies at the very
foundation of Christianity.
Under the Mosaic economy, the priests were a special class appointed
to minister unto God on behalf of the people. They enjoyed privileges
which were not shared by others. Theirs was a nearness to Jehovah
peculiar to themselves. They were vested with an authority and were
permitted to do that which was not given to those whom they
represented. But at the Cross a radical change was brought about. The
old order ended, and a new one was inaugurated. Judaism ceased, and
Christianity was introduced. Two symbolic actions gave plain
intimation of this. First, in Matthew 26:65 we are told, "the high
priest rent his clothes," which was expressly forbidden by the law,
see Leviticus 21:10. God permitted this to show that Israel's
priesthood was ended--clothes are only torn to pieces when there is no
further use for them. Second, the rending of the veil (Matthew 27:51):
the barrier into God's presence no longer existed for His people.
In Hebrews 5 and 7 the Holy Spirit has carefully called attention to a
number of contrasts between the priesthood of Aaron and that of
Christ. One of the things which qualified Israel's high priest to
officiate in that office was that he could have compassion on them
that were ignorant or out of the way, because he himself was compassed
with infirmity (5:2); but the Christian's High Priest is "Holy,
harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners" (7:26). Again, in Hebrews
5:3 it is pointed out that Israel's high priest needed to offer
sacrifice for his own sins: but Christ was "the Holy One of God," and
"knew no sin." Again, the priests of the house of Levi were made
"without an oath" (7:21), and in consequence, some of them were cut
off from the priesthood, as in the case of Nadab and Abihu, and Eli's
line; but Christ was made Priest with an oath, "by Him that said unto
Him, The Lord swear and will not repent, Thou art a priest forever
after the order of Melchizedek (7:21). Finally, Aaron was made a
priest after the law of a carnal commandment (i.e., that which
pertained to mortality), but Christ "after the power of an endless
life" (7:16).
In view of these differences, and of the exalted superiority of
Christ's priesthood over the Aaronic, we are told, "for the priesthood
being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law"
(Heb. 7:12); that is, in its narrower sense, a "change" in the law
pertaining to the priesthood; in its wider sense, a "change'
concerning the ceremonial law. It is important to note that no part of
the ceremonial law was given to Israel till after the priesthood was
established. Thus, this "change of the law" signified a change of
dispensation and everything that pertained to the priesthood.
Now, it is this "change" in the law pertaining to priesthood which the
Papacy, and all who are infected by its sacerdotal spirit, sets aside.
Romanism is largely a revival of Judaism, plus the corruptions of
Paganism. It is a deliberate and pernicious repudiation of what is
distinctive in Christianity. It is a wicked denial of the perpetual
efficacy of the one offering of the Lord Jesus. Rome perpetuates the
Levitical order, claiming that her priests, like Aaron and his sons,
are specially authorized and qualified to go to God on behalf of their
fellow-men. But 1 Peter 2:5, 9 affirms that all believers are now
"priests," and that all of God's people alike enjoy liberty of access
into the Holiest (Heb. 10:19, 22). As another has truly said, "The
feeblest member of the household of faith is as much a priest as the
apostle Peter himself. He is a spiritual priest--he worships in a
spiritual temple, he stands at a spiritual altar, he offers a
spiritual sacrifice, he is clad in spiritual vestments." That
spiritual temple is Heaven itself, which he enters in spirit through
the rent veil; that spiritual altar (Heb. 13:10) is Christ
Himself--the altar which "sanctifieth the gift" (Matthew 23:19); that
spiritual sacrifice is praise unto God (Heb. 13:15.).
Coming now to the robes of Israel's high priest we would call
attention once more to the order of Jehovah's instructions to Moses.
In Exodus 29 we have an account of the consecration of Aaron and his
sons to their holy office. But before this is given, in Exodus 28, a
description is furnished of the various garments they were to wear.
First, the vestments of the high priest are detailed, and then those
of Aaron's sons. The anointed eye may easily discern the propriety of
and the reason for this. Typically, the garments foreshadowed the
manifold glories of Christ, the great High Priest, which glories and
perfections manifested His fitness for that office. The holy garments
of Aaron were "for glory and beauty": they gave dignity to his person,
being suitable apparel for his position. In figure they pointed to
Christ in all His perfections with the Father before He was
"consecrated" to His work for us.
"And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and
for beauty" (v. 2). With this should be compared Leviticus 16:4, "He
shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches
upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the
linen mitre shall he be attired: these are holy garments." There were
two sets of clothing provided for Israel's high priest: the one
mentioned in Leviticus 16 was what he wore on the annual Day of
Atonement. Then he was robed only in spotless white, foreshadowing the
personal righteousness and holiness of the Lord Jesus, which fitted
Him to undertake the stupendous work of putting away the sins of His
people.
It is worthy of note that the garments of Aaron which were "for glory
and for beauty" were just seven in number. "And these are the garments
which they shall make: a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a
broidered coat, a mitre, and a girdle: and they shall make holy
garments for Aaron thy brother, and his sons, that he may minister
unto Me in the priest's office" (28:4). In addition to the six
articles mentioned here, is the "plate of pure gold" on which was
engraved the words "Holiness to the Lord" (v. 36). This, as Leviticus
8:9 tells us, was "the holy crown." Observe that in the enumeration
given in 28:4 the "breastplate" comes before the others, but in the
details which follow the order is changed: there it is the ephod, the
girdle, the two stones, set upon the shoulders of the ephod, and then
the breastplate. The "breastplate" was the chief and most costly of
the vestments, the other garments being, as it were, a foundation and
background for it--this central article pointing to the very heart of
Christ Himself.
"And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and of purple, of
scarlet, and fine twined linen, with cunning work. It shall have the
two shoulder-pieces thereof joined at the two edges thereof; and so it
shall be joined together" (vv. 6, 7). The "ephod" is the first garment
described in detail. This was the outer robe of the high priest. It
was made of two parts, one covering his back and the other his front;
these being joined together at the shoulders by golden clasps, which
formed the setting for the onyx stones. The ephod served to support
the breastplate. The materials of which it was made were "gold," and
"fine twined linen"--the blue, purple, and scarlet being emblazoned
upon the latter. The mode by which the gold was interlaced with the
linen is described in Exodus 39:3: "And they did beat the gold into
thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue," etc. Thus
the strength and sheen of the gold was intimately blended with every
part of the ephod, giving firmness as well as brilliancy to the whole
fabric.
The spotless linen spoke of the holy humanity of Christ; the gold, of
His divine glory; the colors, of the varied perfections of His
character. "Christ acts for us as Priest in all that He is as Divine
and human, the God-man. The whole value of His person enters into the
exercise of His office . . .The apostle combines these two things in
the Epistle to the Hebrews: `Seeing then that we have a Great High
Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God.' He is
Jesus, and He is the Son of God. It is this most precious truth that
is displayed m type in the materials of the ephod. How it enlarges our
conceptions of the value of His work for us as Priest to remember what
He is in Himself, and that we are thus upheld in His intercession by
all that He is as Jesus, and as the Son of God" (Mr. E. Dennett).
"And the curious girdle of the ephod, which is upon it, shall be of
the same, according to the work thereof: gold, blue, and purple, and
scarlet, and fine twined linen" (v. 8). In v. 39 we learn that this
girdle was made of "needlework." The "girdle" speaks of preparedness
for service. Beautifully is this brought out in Luke 12:37: "Blessed
are those servants, whom the Lord, when He cometh, shall find
watching: verily I say unto you, that He shall gird Himself, and make
them sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them." In the
days of His flesh "He took a towel and girded Himself, and then He
washed the disciple's feet" (John 13). Today He stands in the midst of
His churches, girt about the breasts with a golden girdle (Rev. 1:13),
ready to serve His people on earth. In the millennium it will be said,
"And righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins, and faithfulness
the girdle of His reins" (Isa. 11:5).
It is most blessed to note that in Jehovah's instructions to Moses He
said, "It shall be of the same, according to the work for thereof."
The girdle of the high priest was of the same materials and beautified
with the same lovely colors as the ephod itself, How this tells us
that the present gracious activities of Christ's priestly service on
our behalf are according to the perfections of His own person and
character as the God-man! Though glorified, He is a Servant still, He
is gone into heaven to appear in the presence of God for us (Heb.
9:24), and there He "ever liveth to make intercession for us" (Heb.
7:25).
We come next to the two onyx stones--read carefully Exodus 28:9-13.
Scholars tell us that the Hebrew word translated "onyx is derived from
an unused root signifying "to shine with the lustre of fire." They
were very different from the "onyx" of modern times, which is neither
a costly nor brilliant stone. Job 28:16 speaks of "the precious onyx!"
Upon these stones were engraved the names of the children of Israel.
They were enclosed in "ouches," or, as the Hebrew word denotes,
"settings." These, in turn, were secured by "two chains of pure gold"
(v. 14), and securely fastened to the shoulders of the ephod. They
were borne before the Lord by Aaron "for a memorial." In its typical
application to the saints today, this tells of their perfect security.
The "shoulder" (cf. Luke 15:5) is the place of strength (Isa. 9:6),
and tells us that the omnipotence of Christ is engaged on the behalf
of His people. It is not our strength, but His--"Kept by the power of
God" (1 Pet. l:5). It is not our perseverance, but His--"He is able to
keep that which I have committed unto Him" (2 Tim. 1:12). "The
shoulder which sustains the universe (Heb. 1:3), upholds the feeblest
and most obscure member of the blood-bought congregation" (C.H.M.).
The order in which the names of Israel's tribes were engraved upon the
two shoulder-stones was "according to their birth": spiritually this
signifies their equality, for as born of God, all the saints have the
same nature, the same moral features, the same acceptance to Christ.
Next comes the "breastplate," which we pass by now; as we purpose
devoting a separate article to its consideration.
"And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue. And there
shall be an hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof; it shall have
a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the
hole of an habergeon, that it be not rent" (vv. 31:32). This robe was
worn over the fine linen coat, but underneath the ephod. It was a long
loose garment, of woven work, complete in one piece, with openings for
head and arms. This is the first time at the word "robe" is found in
Scripture. How striking that the "robe" is sever seen until the high
priest comes before us! The various connections in which his word is
found in later passages indicates that this robe of the ephod was a
garment of dignity, one of office, one which gave priestly character
to Aaron--see 1 Samuel 24:4, 1 Chronicles 15:27. Job 29:14, Ezekiel
26:16. This robe embodied the color of the heavens; it was all of
blue. It portrayed the heavenly character of our great High Priest,
and also pointed to the place where He is now ministering on our
behalf. This is most important, for it defines the essential nature of
Christianity as contra-distinguished from Judaism. The whole system
takes its character from the Priest. Because Christ is a heavenly
Priest, His people are partakers of a heavenly calling (Heb. 3:1),
their citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20), their inheritance is
there (1 Pet. 1). Being worn beneath the ephod itself, this "robe"
announces that the official character of Christ is sustained by what
He is personally as the Heavenly One (1 Cor. 15:47).
Upon the hem of this "robe of the ephod" were colored tassels in the
form of "pomegranates," and between each of these was a "golden bell,"
vv. 33:34. Pomegranate is a fruit, whose seeds float in a crimson
liquid; the bell, with its tongue, tells of musical speech. Every step
that Aaron took as he went about his sacred duties would cause the
golden bells to sound and the variegated pomegranates to be seen. So
the activities of our great High Priest cause His voice to be heard in
intercession within the heavenly sanctuary, and this results in His
fruit being seen through "bringing many sons unto glory" and by the
graces which adorn their lives.
The words "his sound shall be heard when he goeth into the holy place
before the Lord, and when he cometh out" (v. 35) has a dispensational
significance. It was at His ascension that our great High Priest
passed into the heavenly sanctuary, and consequent upon this, on the
day of Pentecost, His "sound" was heard in the testimony to Himself
which was borne by the apostles as the result of the Holy Spirit being
poured out from on high. The "fruit" was seen in the multitude that
was then saved. Even more glorious will be His sound and fruit when
"he cometh out" again, and returns to this earth and redeems His
people Israel. The linking of the two together may be seen by a
reference to Acts 2:16, 17. where we find Peter quoting from the
prophecy of Joel--a prophecy which is to receive its fulfillment in
the Millennium: but a sample of which was given on the day of
Pentecost.
We next have the "plate of pure gold," upon which was engraved
"holiness to the Lord." This was attached to a background of "blue
lace" and fastened upon the forefront of the mitre (vv. 36, 37). "The
inscription, `Holiness to the Lord,' signified that the high priest
was devoted to, dedicated exclusively to, Jehovah; the golden plate
upon which it was engraved sets forth that He who is the One thus
truly dedicated to God, `holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from
sinners,' is Divine, the very Son of God: the blue lace upon which it
was placed, His heavenliness of character. Thus conspicuous upon
Aaron's forehead, it gave its meaning to the whole of his garments and
of his office--he was sacred to the Lord, and, as such, interceded for
Israel, representing them, and in himself hallowing the gifts of the
people" (Mr. C. H. Bright).
"And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead. that Aaron may bear the
iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow
in all their holy gifts" (v. 38) "This is the gracious provision which
God has made for the imperfections and defilements of our services and
worship. He can only accept that which is suited to His own nature.
Everything offered to Him, therefore, must be stamped with holiness.
This being so, notwithstanding that we are cleansed and brought into
relation with Hint, and have a title to approach, our offerings never
could be accepted. But He has met our need. Christ, as Priest, bears
the iniquity of our holy things; and He is holiness to the Lord, so
that our worship, as presented through Him. is acceptable to God.
Blessed consolation, for without this provision we were shut out from
God's presence! Hence the apostle speaks not only of the blood and the
rent veil, but also of the High Priest over the house of God (Heb.
10)" (Mr. E. Dennett)--cf. Revelation 8:3!
Beautiful are the closing words of v. 38: "And it shall be always upon
his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord." This
golden-plate was the symbol of the essential holiness of the Lord
Jesus. The saints are represented by Him and accepted in Him. Because
of their legal and vital union with Him, His holiness is theirs. O
Christian reader, look away from yourself, with your ten thousand
failures, and fix your eye on that golden plate. Behold in the
perfections of your great High Priest the measure of thine eternal
acceptance with God. Christ is our sanctification as well as our
righteousness!
"And thou shalt embroider the coat of fine linen" (v. 39). Apparently
the word "embroider" here is explained by what we are told in 39:27:
"They made coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron and his sons."
This fine linen "coat" was the inner garment, and was supplemented
with linen "breeches" or pants (v. 42). These may be called the high
priest's personal raiment, even as the more beautiful external
garments were his official vestments. As we have shown previously,
"fine linen" was the emblem of purity. There is a verse in the Psalms
which confirms this: "Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness"
(132:9). Typically, these undergarments spoke of the personal
righteousness of Christ, over which (so to speak) all His other
perfections and glories were displayed. It reminds us of that blessed
word in 1 John 2:1, "If any one sin, we have an Advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous."
"And thou shalt make the mitre of fine linen" (v. 39). This was the
head-dress of Aaron, and distinguished him from the ordinary priests,
who wore "bonnets" (v. 40). The Hebrew word is derived from a verb
which means "to roll, or wind around." This may denote that the high
priest's mitre was wound around his head, like a tiara. In 1
Corinthians 11:3-10, where we have Divine instruction for the covering
of the women's heads in the assembly of the saints, we learn that this
symbolizes subjection. Thus the head-dress of the high priest
intimated his subordination to God, his obedience to God's commands
and submission to His will. The fine linen of which it was made, tells
of the personal righteousness which must be found in the one who
stands in the presence of God on behalf of others.
It is most solemn to discover that the only other time "mitznepheth"
occurs in Scripture is in Ezekiel 21:25, 27, where the Antichrist is
in view. There the Hebrew word is translated "diadem," but should have
been rendered "mitre" as in Exodus 28. This remarkable prophecy shows
that the Man of Sin, who is yet to be revealed, will not only wear the
crown of royalty, but will also assume the high priest's mitre. He
will not only be the supreme civil head, but the ecclesiastical
pontiff as well. This "profane and wicked prince of Israel" will
arrogantly and blasphemously wield both regal and priestly power, in
Satanic parody of the true Priest and King, the Lord Jesus. This age
will close with Satan's son ruling over men, both in the political and
religious worlds. Because men have received not the love of the truth
that they might be saved, God shall send them strong delusion that
they should believe the Lie (2 Thess. 2:3-12).
How profoundly thankful should each Christian reader be for that
wondrous grace which has enabled him to flee from the wrath to come
and to lay hold of eternal life! What praise is due to God for the
great High Priest which His mercy has provided for His feeble and
failing people: a Priest who is fully qualified, through His personal
perfections, not only to supply our every need, but also to meet every
requirement of a holy and righteous God! The last four verses of
Exodus 28 will be considered, D.V., when we take up the Consecration
of the Priests.
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
49. The Breastplate
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 28:15-30
In our last article we pointed out how that the garments of Aaron
which were for "glory and for beauty" are seven in number. Six of
these, the ephod, girdle, robe, embroidered-coat, mitre, and
golden-crown, were then briefly considered. Now, we are to meditate
upon the remaining one, namely, the Breastplate. This was the chief
and most costly of the high priest's vestments, the other garments
being as it were a foundation and background for it, this central one
pointing to the very heart of Christ Himself. Its importance is at
once denoted by being mentioned first in Exodus 28:4. A description of
it is furnished in 28:15-30. Let us ponder:
1. Its Workmanship.
This is described at length in vv. 15, 16, 21, 28, to which we would
ask the reader to turn. From these verses it will be seen that the
Breastplate itself was made of fine twined linen of cunning work (v.
15). From the remainder of 5:15 we gather that it was richly
embroidered with the three colors there mentioned. It was foursquare
in shape, and thus corresponded with both the brazen and incense
altars. Its dimensions were "a handbreadth;" that is, from the tip of
the little finger to the end of the outstretched thumb, a distance of
about ten and a half inches, or half a cubit. It was "doubled" so as
to give it strength and firmness, in order that it might sustain the
weight of the precious stones.
"Two rings of gold were placed inwards, at the bottom of the
breastplate: and two gold rings were attached to the ephod, just above
the curious belt (girdle): so that the breastplate was bound to the
ephod by a lace of blue, coupling these rings. Two wreathen chains of
gold were fastened to the ouches, in which the onyx stones were set;
and were also fastened, at their other two ends, to two rings at the
top of the breastplate. Thus, the ephod, onyx stones, and breastplate
were all linked together in one. It may here be observed that the
translation `at the ends' (28:14, 22) should, according to Gesenius,
be rendered `twisted work,' like the twisting of a rope, and the
passage will then read thus: `Two chains of pure gold twisted,
wreathen work, shalt thou make them'" (G. Soltau).
2. Its Significance.
There are at least five things which serve as guides to help us
ascertain the distinctive typical meaning of this part of the high
priest's dress. First, its name: it is called the "breastplate of
judgment" (v. 15). Second, the twelve gems `set in it, on which were
engraved the names of Israel's twelve tribes (vv. 17-21). Third, its
inseparability from the ephod: "that the breastplate be not loosed
from the ephod" (v. 28). Fourth, the place where the breastplate was
worn: it was upon the high priest's "heart" (v. 20). Fifth, the
mysterious "Urim and Thummin" which were placed in it (v. 30). As
these will be considered separately, in detail, below, we shall now
only generalize.
The purpose or design of the breastplate was to furnish a support to
the precious stones which were set in it, as well as to provide a
background from which their brilliant beauty might be displayed. Thus
there is little or no difficulty in perceiving that which is central
in this blessed type. On the jewels were inscribed the names of
Israel's twelve tribes. Therefore, what we have foreshadowed here is
Christ, as our great High Priest, bearing on His heart, sustaining,
and presenting before God, His blood-bought people. There is a slight
distinction to be drawn from what we have here and that which is set
forth in Exodus 28:9-12. There, too, we have the names of Israel's
tribes borne by their high priest before God. But there they are seen
resting upon his "shoulders," whereas here (v. 29) they rest upon his
heart. In the one it is the strength or power of Christ engaged on
behalf of His helpless people; in the other, it is His affections
exercised for them.
It will therefore be seen that it is, primarily, the perfect and
lasting security of believers which is set forth in our present type.
Both the power and the love of Christ are for them, guaranteeing their
eternal preservation: "And Aaron shall bear the names of the children
of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart when he goeth
in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually"
(v. 29). Their position or standing before God was neither affected
nor altered by their changing circumstances, infirmities or sins.
Whenever Aaron went into the holy place, there on his heart were the
names of all God's people. Emphasizing this truth of security, note
carefully how that their names were not simply written upon (so that
their erasure was possible) the precious stones, but "engraved" (v.
21)!
Still emphasizing the same thought, notice also how that each jewel
was secured to the breastplate by a golden setting: "they shall be set
in gold in their inclosings" (v. 20). Thus it was impossible for them
to slip out of their places, or for any one of them to be lost! Mark,
too, the provision made for firmly fixing in place the breastplate
itself. This is brought before us in w. 21-28. It was fastened by
"chains at the ends of wreathen work of pure gold" (v. 22), and these
were passed through "two rings of gold on the ends of the
breastplate." Thus the people of God (as represented by their names)
were chained to the high priest!
"The chains were wreathen and twisted like a rope, for both words are
used; wreathen, interwoven. The same word is used in Judges 15:13, 14;
16:11, 12; Psalm 12:3; Hosea 1:4--cords of love. `Twisted work' is
Gesenius' translation of the Hebrew word, which our version gives, `at
the ends' (vv. 14, 22). Thus he would translate `and two chains of
pure gold. wreathen shalt thou make them, twisted work.' The object in
adding the word `twisted' to `wreathen' appears to imply a combination
of skill and strength, and that the breastplate might be indissoluably
connected with the shoulder-stones. Every movement of the high
priest's shoulder would affect the breastplate: and every beat of his
heart which agitated the breastplate would be conveyed, by means of
the wreathen chains, to the covering of the shoulders.
"There is a beautiful significance in this, reminding us how the
mighty power of the arm of the Lord is intimately linked on with the
tenderness of His heart of love. No action of His strength is
disconnected from His counsels of mercy and grace towards His saints.
He makes all things work together for good to them that love Him. His
arm and His heart are combined in sustaining them in their high
calling. He is able to keep them from falling, and to present them
faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy. They
shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of the Shepherd's
hand: and who shall separate them from His love?" (G. Soltau). How the
double "span" or handbreadth in 28:16 confirms this!
3. Its Jewels.
These were twelve in number, one for each tribe, set in four rows of
three each. They are enumerated in vv. 17-20. With respect to the
identity of these precious stones but little is known. There have been
many labored attempts made by learned men to discover the real names
of the gems; but, with the exception of four or five, most Biblical
students acknowledge the subject to be involved in obscurity. But
though we are unable to recognize these stones under their modern
names, yet many blessed thoughts are suggested by them.
First, the fact the Jehovah selected gems to represent His people
indicates how precious they are in His sight. How dear they were, is
seen in the fact that He gave up His own beloved Son to die for them.
Second, their excellency was prefigured. And how accurate the type!
The believer's excellency or righteousness is not one of his own, but
is imputed. So it is with precious stones. "Whatever beauty each has,
the light alone brings it out; in the darkness it has none" (C. H.
Bright). Thus it is with the saints: it is only as God sees them in
Him who is the "true Light" that they are acceptable unto Him. Third,
the perfect knowledge of the Lord regarding each disciple is intimated
by the individualizing of the tribes by name. "The Lord knoweth them
that are His." "He calleth His own sheep by name." Such is the
omniscience of our High Priest that all our wants are known to Him.
Fourth, the durability of these stones symbolizes the fact that the
salvation purchased for sinners is an "eternal" one (Heb. 5:9).
Concerning each stone it has been well said, "Much, very much, of its
beauty depends upon its cutting. Cut skillfully, so as to refract the
rays of light from many sides, it sparkles with a beauty quite unknown
to its natural condition. Thus, too, with believers; undoubtedly each
one has some inherent characteristic difference, but only as the
Divine hand in much patience and skill cuts and polishes the stone to
catch and discover the colors of the Divine light which illuminates it
doth it appear beautiful. Its beauty is not its own, but it has been
endowed with capacity to appreciate and reflect the beauty of Him who
is light and love; and it is to reflect the beauties of the perfect
One that we have been chosen--`that in the ages to come He might show
the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through
Christ Jesus' (Eph. 2:7). So when that day of manifestation of the
glory of His grace comes, `the nations shall walk in her light,'"
Revelation 21:24 (C. H. Bright).
Twelve stones were set in it, all precious stones, but no two of them
were alike. They were altogether different in form, hew, character,
and also in beauty and value (according to man's estimation); but all
of them were gems in the sight of God, one as much as another. They
were each set in gold, and they rested equally upon the heart of
Aaron, when he ministered before the Lord. Doubtless, these precious
stones were gathered in lands far sundered. Some from the depths of
the ocean it might be, and some from the dark mine. But whatever their
variety, or the circumstances of their history, or the distance from
which they were quarried, they were united upon the high priest's
heart: diamond, jasper, and emerald were borne there equally and
together for a memorial before the Lord.
What comfort, yea, what joy the realization of this brings to the
Christian. Let not the ruby (sardius) proudly think itself superior to
the carbuncle; let not the jasper repine because it is not the diamond
Let us not compare ourselves with others. Each believer is accepted in
the Beloved Each believer is clothed with the righteousness of Christ.
Each is complete in Him Is it not enough thou art in the Breastplate,
set in gold and borne upon His heart!
In conclusion, let us call attention to something which is exceedingly
suggestive and significant concerning them as a whole. These jewels
which adorned the Breastplate of the high priest of Israel also
pointed backward to sinless Eden, and forward to the sinless New
Jerusalem. The first precious stone mentioned in Scripture is the
"onyx" (Gen. 2:12), and this was the gem which bore on each of Aaron's
shoulders the "memorial" on which the names of God's people were
graven (28:9-12), and to which the Breastplate was united (v. 25).
While in Revelation 21:19-20 we learn that the foundations of the
Heavenly City will be garnished with twelve precious stones. Thus the
"onyx" stones on the high priest's shoulders look back to Genesis
2:10, which contained a hidden promise of the re-admission of God's
people into the sinless state; while the Breastplate itself looked
forward to Revelation 21, where the fulfillment of that promise is
seen!
4. Its Connections.
The Breastplate was inseparably linked to the ephod. The latter was
made for the former, and not the former for the latter. It was never
to be separated from it: "that the Breastplate be not loosed from the
ephod" (v. 28). The ephod was peculiarly and essentially the high
priestly garment. "The names of God's people as borne upon the heart
of the priest, shining out in all the sparkling lustre and beauty of
the stones on which they are engraven. This symbolizes the fact that
believers are before God in all the acceptance of Christ. When God
looks upon the great High Priest, He beholds His people upon His
heart, as well as upon His shoulders, adorned with all the beauty of
the One on whom His eye ever rests with perfect delight. Or, looking
at it from another aspect, it might be said that Christ presented His
people to God, in the exercise of His priesthood, as Himself. He thus
establishes in His intercession His own claims upon God on their
behalf. And with what joy does He so present them before God! For they
are those for whom He has died, and whom He has cleansed with His own
most precious blood, those whom He has made the objects of His own
love, and whom finally He will bring to be forever with Him; and He
pleads for them before God according to all the strength of these
ties" (Ed. Dennett).
Thus the truth set forth by the Breastplate is inseparably united to
the priestly ministry of Christ. "It is fastened to the ephod by
chains of gold, by all that Christ is therefore as Divine. It is also
an eternal connection as typified by the rings--the ring being without
an end, and hence, an emblem of eternity. As Priest, Christ can never
fail us. If He has once undertaken our cause, He will never lay it
down. Surely this truth will strengthen our hearts in times of trial
or weakness. We may be despondent, but if we look up we may rejoice in
the thought that our place upon the heart and shoulders of Christ can
never be lost" (Ed. Dennett).
"He preserves us, as that which He has on His heart, to God, He cannot
be before Him without doing so, and whatever claim the desire and wish
of Christ's heart has to draw out the favor of God, operates in
drawing out that favor to us. The light and favor of the
sanctuary--God as dwelling there--cannot shine out on him without
shining on us, and that as an object presented by Him for it" (Mr. J.
N. Darby).
5. Its Name.
It is called "the breastplate of judgment" (v. 15). This term occurs
for the first time in Genesis 18:19, where God says to Abraham,
concerning his sons, "They shall keep the way of the Lord, to do
justice and judgment." Its next occurrence is in Exodus 21:1, where
"judgments" signify the decrees or fiats of God--cf. Psalm 19:9. That
which is here set forth is that the saints are represented by their
High Priest according to God's mind concerning them. Expressing almost
the same aspect of truth is that blessed word, "I know the thoughts
that I think' toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not
of evil. to give you an expected end" (Jer. 29:11).
Closely connected with its name is what is said in verse 29: "And
Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the
breastplate of judgment upon his heart when he goeth in unto the holy
place, for a memorial before the Lord continually." A remarkable word
is this: A "memorial" is a reminder, for calling to remembrance. But
does our Father in heaven need such? To inform His omniscience, no;
but to delight His heart and satisfy His love, yes. And this, too, for
the strengthening of our faith, that His people might know they have
that in heaven for the staying of their hearts.
6. Its Position.
The Breastplate was placed over Aaron's heart. It is striking to
observe that three times over we have these words "upon his heart"
(vv. 29, 30, 30). As we have seen, the Breastplate was suspended from
the shoulders by golden chains connected with the onyx stones, and
from golden rings in the lower corners it was fastened to the girdle
of the ephod by a lace of blue. Thus it was firmly secured over the
heart of Israel's high priest. God's people were thus doubly
represented: first, upon his shoulders, the place of strength; and
then, upon his heart, the seat of affection. Lovely type was this of
our Redeemer in His present heavenly ministry, exercising His power to
uphold His poor people; and His deep, tender, unchangeable love
embracing them, binding them close to His heart, and presenting them
to the Father in the glory and preciousness of the splendor with which
He is invested.
"This is precious, and oftentimes we need to refresh ourselves by
`considering' thus `the Apostle and High Priest of our confession'
(Heb. 3:1). There are times when we forget that we have One on high
whom, in grace, cares for and watches over those who are treading the
path of faith He once trod on earth. And there are times when, though
we remember this, we limit either His love or His power. Precious,
then, is it to be thus reminded that according to what He can do, His
love makes us willing to do; and according to what His affection is,
He hath strength to carry out what it dictates" (C. H. Bright).
It is beautiful to note in the Song of Solomon how the Bride says to
her Beloved, "Set me as a seal upon Thine heart, as a seal upon Thine
arm" (8:6): let my name be graven deep in Thine heart, where love is
strong as death, which many waters cannot quench, which the floods of
the Almighty have not drowned. And let my name be also graven in the
seat of Thy power, that I may be upheld from sin and folly, that I may
not be like the adulterer and adulteress who seek the friendship of
the world. If such a prayer suited the desires of an earthy people,
how much more may this petition express the devotion and the longings
of Christ's heavenly people!
7. Its Lace.
"And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the
rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the
curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed
from the ephod" (v. 28). What beautiful completeness this gives to our
type! "Blue" is the heavenly color, and "as long as His heavenly
priesthood continues, so long is it inseparably connected with bearing
us on the breastplate. Not that He will ever cease to love us, but
when His church is with Him it will no longer need this care which the
trials of the way call out. And surely to be with one who loves us is
better than simply to be remembered by him, however faithful that
remembrance may be. Christ is made a priest forever after the order of
Melehizedek. His priesthood has for the present an intercessory
character, as typified in Aaron; but the time will come when--God's
judgment upon the nations being executed--He will come forth as the
Priest of the Most High God, not to intercede, but to reward (Gen.
14:18). At this time His royal priesthood will be in exercise, and
ours too. `King of righteousness' He will first be proved to be; then
`King of peace,' Hebrews 7:2" (C. H. Bright).
May God be pleased to bless this little meditation to many of His
people, and use it to make Christ more precious to them.
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
50. The Urim and Thummim
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 28:30
"The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: `but those things
which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever" (Deut.
29:29). This seems to be a suitable passage with which to introduce
our present inquiry. Things which Jehovah has not seen fit to make
known unto us, it is presumption and impiety to attempt to pry into;
hence the Christian needs constantly to pray, "Keep back Thy servant
also from presumptuous sins" (Ps. 19:13).
Let us not attempt to be wise above that which is written. Let us seek
grace to be kept humble, from invading the prerogatives of the Most
High, and from endeavoring to handle things which are "too wonderful"
(Ps. 139:6) for us. "Now I know in part" (1 Cor. 13:12); let us be
thankful for this "part," and leave it with God to grant us a fuller
revelation in the Day to come. On the other hand, let us not forget
that the things which are revealed "belong" unto us. They are given
for our instruction. They are given for us to study prayerfully and
carefully. It is only by perseveringly comparing Scripture with
Scripture that we learn what God has "revealed" in His Word. The Holy
Spirit places no premium upon sloth. It is not the dilatory but the
"diligent" soul who is "made fat" (Prov. 13:4). A rightly divided Word
of Truth calls for a "workman" (2 Tim. 2:15), not a lazy man. It is
because they spend, comparatively, so little time over the Scriptures,
it is because they cannot truly say "I have esteemed the words of His
mouth more than my necessary food" (Job 23:12), that the great
majority of professing Christians have little or no conception of how
much God has been pleased to reveal to us in His Word.
Now, in connection with the Urim and the Thummim there appear to be
some things which God has seen fit to keep "secret," hence the
profitless articles which many, who resorted to speculation, have
written on the subject. Concerning the "Urim and the Thummim" no man,
Jew or Gentile, knows, or can know, anything, save what God has
"revealed" to us in His Word. But as the humble student attentively
compares the different passages where they are mentioned, as he notes
what is said therein, he discovers that God has been pleased to
intimate to us not a little concerning their nature, use, and
spiritual significance. Let us now note:--
1. Their Names.
Both words are in the plural number, though this (as is often the case
in the Hebrew of the O.T.) is probably what is called the "plural of
majesty"--used for the purpose of emphasizing the importance or
dignity of a thing. Thus, it is most likely that the "Urim" was but a
single object, and the "Thummim" another; but of this we cannot be
certain. There is no difficulty in ascertaining the English equivalent
of these Hebrew terms. Urim signifies "lights" or "light," being the
plural form of the word very frequently used for "light." In Isaiah
31:9; 44:16; 47:14; 50:11; Ezekiel 5:2 Urim is translated "fire" (its
secondary meaning); while in Isaiah 24:15 it is rendered "fires."
Thummim means "perfections" or "perfection." In the Sept. these two
words are translated by "delosis" and "aletheim," meaning
"manifestation" and "truth."
It is surely striking that reference is made to these mysterious
objects in the Old Testament just seven times. In Exodus 28: 30,
Leviticus 8:8, Ezra 2:63, and Nehemiah 7:65 they are spoken of as the
"Urim and Thummim," but in Deuteronomy 33:8 the order is reversed
"Thummim and Urim"; while in Numbers 27:21 and 1 Samuel 28:6 "Urim" is
mentioned alone. It is also to be noted that no command was given to
Moses by Jehovah to "make" them; he was simply told to "put" (Heb.
nathan "to give" them in the Breastplate). Let us next consider:
2. Their Place.
This is made known in Exodus 28:30, "And thou shalt put in the
breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim." From verse 16,
"Foursquare it shall be doubled," we gather that the linen fabric of
which the breastplate was composed was made in the form of a bag, in
which (more literally "into which") the Urim and the Thummim were
placed. Thus, they also were worn upon the high priest's heart. They
would be under the twelve precious stones which bore the names of
Israel's tribes, and linked, too, with the onyx stones on Aaron's
shoulders.
3. Their Use.
This may be gathered from the different passages where they are
mentioned. The first is in Numbers 27:21, "And he shall stand before
Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment
of Urim before the Lord: at his word they shall go out, and at his
word they shall come in, both he, and all the children of Israel with
him, even all the congregation."
From the above quotation it seems clear that, in certain
circumstances, the mind of the Lord was conveyed through them. 1
Samuel 28:6 bears this out, for of Saul it is there said, "when he
inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams nor
by Urim, nor by prophets." From these two passages we gather that by
means of the Urim, or "light," in the breastplate of the high priest,
counsel or prophetic guidance was obtained from God.
Further confirmation of this is found in Ezra 2. In vv. 61, 62 we are
told, "And of the children of the priests: the children of Habaiah,
the children of Koz, the children of Barzillai; which took a wife of
the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite, and was called after their
name: These sought their register among those that were reckoned by
genealogy, but they were not found: therefore were they, as polluted,
put from the priesthood." Then it is added, "And the governor said
unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things till there
stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummim," i.e., till one through
whom the mind of the Lord was clearly revealed.
From these Scriptures the late Dr. Bullinger drew the following
deductions: "The Urim and Thummim were probably two precious stones,
which were drawn out as a lot to give Jehovah's judgment. `The lot is
cast into the lap (Heb. `bosom'), but the whole judgment thereof is of
the Lord' (Prov. 16:33)--bosom is here put for the clothing or
covering over it: cf. Exodus 4:6, 7; Ruth 4:10... Thus, these two
placed in the `bag,' and one drawn out, would give the judicial
decision, which would be `of the Lord.' Hence the breastplate itself
was known as `the breastplate of judgment' (v. 15), because, by that,
Jehovah's judgment was obtained whenever it was needed. Hence, when
the land was divided `by lot' (Num. 26:55) Eleazar, the high priest,
must be present (Num. 34:17--cf. 27:21--Joshua 17:4). When he would
decide it the lot `came up' (Josh. 18:11), `came forth' (Josh. 19:1),
`came out' (Josh. 19:17), i.e., `out' or `forth' from the bag of the
ephod. In Ezra 2:61-63 no judgment could be given unless the high
priest were present with the breastplate, with its bag, with the lots
of Urim and Thummim, which gave Jehovah's decision."
4. Their Connections.
First, as intimated above, they were deposited in the bag of the
breastplate. Not only so, the very name of this important part of the
high priest's vestments is taken therefrom, for it was termed "the
breastplate of judgment," i.e., of decision, as giving God's mind. In
striking accord with this, we may point out how that the word used in
the Sept. version (the first translation ever made of the Old
Testament into Greek) is "logeion," which means oracle, because by it
the high priest obtained oracular responses from God.
Second, as pointed out in the preceding article, the breastplate was
inseparably connected with, yea, formed an essential part of, the
"ephod" itself--see Exodus 28:6, 7, 28 and our notes thereon. Now, the
"ephod" was peculiarly the prophetic dress of the high priest. By
means of it (that is, through the Urim and Thummim) he learned the
counsel of God, and was thus able to declare what course the people
should take, or what events were about to happen. Upon this, the late
Mr. Soltau has most helpfully pointed out:
"Thus we find Saul, accompanied by Ahiah, the Lord's priest in Shiloh,
wearing an ephod, commanding the ark to be brought, that he may
ascertain the meaning of the tumult among the Philistines. But,
instead of waiting to receive any response from God, he binds Israel
with a curse and enters into the battle (1 Sam. 14:3, 19, 24).
Abiathar, the only surviving priest of the line of Eli, fled to David
with the ephod in his hand, having escaped the slaughter at Nob. David
ascertained by this means the purpose of the men of Keilah to deliver
him up to Saul (1 Sam. 23:6, 10). Again, in the affair at Ziglag,
David consulted the Lord through Abiathar and the ephod, and obtained
a favorable answer (1 Sam. 30:7, 8). On a subsequent occasion we read
of David inquiring of the Lord, and obtaining answers (2 Sam. 2:1).
and although in this instance the priest and ephod are not mentioned,
yet judging from the previous instances it is probable that the same
mode of inquiry was adopted."
5. Their Significance.
The twelve gems on which were graven the names of Israel's tribes were
worn upon the heart of Aaron; the "Urim and the Thummim" were placed
within the breastplate, beneath the precious stones. Thus they speak,
first of all, of that which is found in the heart of the Lord Jesus.
As said the apostle who leaned upon His bosom, "The Word became flesh
and tabernacled among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the
only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).
"Light" and "Perfection" center in Him who is our great High Priest.
In Christ Himself we see the antitype of the "Urim." "In Him was life,
and the life was the light of men . . . that was the true Light, which
lighteth every man that cometh into the world" (John 1:5, 9).
Therefore did He say, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth
Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John
8:12).
"God is light" (1 John 1:5), and Christ could say, "He that hath seen
Me hath seen the Father" (John 14:9). Yes, He is the reality of which
the Urim was the figure: the light of the knowledge of the glory of
God shines "in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6).
In Christ we see the antitype of the "Thummim." Every "perfection" is
found in Him, for He is "altogether lovely" (Song 5:16). Concerning
His Deity, He is "over all, God blessed forever" (Rom. 9:5).
Concerning His humanity, He is "that holy thing" (Luke 1:35). As the
God-man, the Father said, "This is My Beloved Son." In His speech He
was perfect: "grace is poured into Thy lips" (Ps. 45:2) testified the
Spirit of prophecy. "Never man spake like this Man" (John 7:46),
confessed His enemies. In His character He was flawless: "a lamb
without spot and blemish" (1 Pet. 1:19). In His conduct He was
perfect: "I do always those things that please Him" (John 8:29). Yes,
Christ is the reality of which the Thummim was the figure.
But is there not something else here, still more specific? We believe
there is. "God is light" (1 John 1:5) and "God is love" (1 John 4:8),
make known to us what God is in Himself. The balance between these, if
we may so speak, was perfectly maintained and blessedly manifested by
the incarnate Son. The love which He exercised was ever an holy love;
the light which He displayed was never divorced from this love. In
like manner, these two, the Urim and the Thummim--"light" and
"perfection"--formed a unit, being together within the breastplate
upon the high priest's heart. The antitype of this is found in John
1:14, already quoted. "Now, in this expression--`full of grace and
truth'--we have, in brief, the two main thoughts of the breastplate.
`Truth' is the effect of the light, and God is light. Light is what
manifests, brings out the truth, is the truth. Christ, the light of
the world, is the truth come into it: everything gets its true
character from Him. `Grace,' while it is what it is in God, is toward
man" (F. W. Grant).
In addition to the names of these two objects (what they were in
themselves) foreshadowing that which is in Christ, the purpose for
which they were designed, the use to which they were put, also
receives its typical fulfillment in Him. As we have seen, they were
employed for communicating to the people a knowledge of God's mind and
will concerning them. How blessedly this pointed to the Lord Jesus as
"the wonderful Counselor" (Isa. 9:6)! In Him "are hid all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2:3). And therefore could He
say, "I am the Truth" (John 14:6). The mind and will of God are
perfectly revealed to Him and by Him.
Christ's perfect knowledge of the Father's thoughts are clearly
intimated in the following Scriptures: "For the Father loveth the Son
and showeth Him all things that Himself doeth" (John 5:20)--there is
no restraint, no reserve. "No one knoweth the Son save the Father;
neither doth any know the Father, save the Son, and he to whosoever
the Son willeth to reveal Him" (Matthew 11:27, R.V.). "The Father
loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand" (John 3:35).
Christ's communication to His people of what the Father has given to
Him is also without reserve. Speaking to His beloved disciples He
says, "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not
what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things
that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you" (John
15:15). This is developed, in a doctrinal way, in the Epistle to the
Hebrews: "God hath, in these last days, spoken unto us by His Son"
(1:1, 2). Perfectly has Christ communicated to His people the mind of
God; fully has He revealed the Father's heart. This, we take it, then,
is the second great truth foreshadowed by the Urim and Thummim: the
counsels of God are only to be learned through the Lord Jesus, our
great High Priest; and those counsels (of grace) are inseparably
connected with His own dear people--as symbolized by the Urim and
Thummim and the twelve precious stones, bearing their names, being
together in the breastplate.
Another blessed truth was also signified by the Urim and Thummim. When
the people of God were doubtful as to what course they should follow,
when they desired light upon their path, they could obtain it by
coming to and seeking it from the high priest. "And he shall stand
before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him, after the
judgment of Urim before the Lord" (Num. 27:21). "Thus we learn that
the high priest not only bore the judgment of the congregation before
the Lord, but also carried the judgment of the Lord to the
congregation. Solemn, weighty, and most precious functions! All this
we have, in divine perfectness, in our great High Priest, who has
passed into the heavens; He bears the judgment of His people on His
heart continually; and He, by the Holy Spirit, communicates to us the
counsel of God, in reference to the most minute circumstances of our
daily course. We do not want dreams or visions; if only we walk in the
Spirit we shall enjoy all the certainty which the perfect `Urim,' on
the breast of our great High Priest, can afford" (C.H.M.)
Yet one other point remains to be considered in this striking type. In
the quotation made above from Dr. Bullinger's works it will be seen
that the Urim and Thummim played an important part in the allocation
of Canaan to the different tribes in the days of Joshua. It was to
them that God's mind was made known respecting Israel's portions in
the promised land. The anti-type of this is most blessed, Christ has
purchased for Himself an inheritance (see Psalm 2:8, etc.). His
inheritance, both the heavenly and earthly portions of it, He will
share with His people, for they are "joint-heirs" with Him (Rom.
8:17). In John 17 we find Him saying to the Father, "the glory which
Thou gavest Me I have given them" (v. 22). The different positions
which His people will occupy during the Millennium will be determined
by the Lord Jesus. To one He will say, "have thou authority over ten
cities" (Luke 19:17), to another, `be thou over five cities" (Luke
19:19), and so on. Thus our Joshua (the Hebrew of "Jesus") will
apportion the Inheritance according to the mind of God.
To sum up. In Christ, then, we have the reality of all that was
foreshadowed by the Urim and Thummim. First, He is the "Light and
Perfection" of God--the Brightness of His glory (Heb. 1:3). Second, in
Christ the light and life, the righteousness and grace of God, meet
together, and their balance is perfectly maintained. Third, Christ is
the One in whom all the counsels of God find their Center. Fourth, the
counsels of God which center in Christ are inseparably connected with
His people. Fifth, to Christ and by Christ is made fully known the
mind of God, for in Him are hid "all the treasures of wisdom and.
knowledge" (Col. 2:3). Sixth, from Christ, by His Spirit, directions
may be obtained for every step of our pilgrim journey. Seventh, by
Christ the promised and purchased inheritance will be administered:
In conclusion, we may note a dispensational application which the Urim
and Thummim had for the Jews. Ezra 2:63 informs us that there was no
one with the Urim and Thummim to communicate the mind of God in the
day of Israel's return from their Babylonian captivity. The company
seen with Ezra typify the godly Jewish remnant in the Tribulation
period. Though sustained by God, the Holy Spirit will not be on earth
at that time, and they will be without many of the spiritual
privileges which we now enjoy. But at the close of the time of Jacob's
trouble, the Lord Jesus shall return to earth: "He shall build the
temple of the Lord, and He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and
rule upon His throne; and He shall be a priest upon His throne: and
the counsel of peace shall be between them both" (Zech. 6:13).
At the beginning of the Millennium, "It shall come to pass that the
mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the
mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall
flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go
up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and
He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths; for out
of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from
Jerusalem. And He shall judge among the nations . . . O house of
Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord" (Isa.
2:2-5). Then shall Israel enjoy that which, of old, was adumbrated by
the Urim and Thummim in their high priest's breastplate.
N.B.--Having completed our own study of the subject, and after having
looked in vain for any help from numerous commentaries ancient and
modern, in the good providence of God we found an illuminating article
in "Addresses on Hebrews," by P. R. Morford. This led us to follow up
his suggestion of linking the "Urim and Thummim" with Hebrews 1 and 2;
the results of which we give in a sermon preached thereon. The further
and clearer distinction drawn between the spiritual significations of
the Urim and Thummim explains the slight variations found in several
Old Testament scriptures. In Numbers 7:21 and 1 Samuel 28:6 only the
"Urim" is mentioned, because that had to do, specifically, with God
revealing Himself. In Deuteronomy 33:8 the "Thummim" is mentioned
first, in keeping with the thought of the verse as a whole.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
51. The Vestments of the Priests
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 28:40-43
"Thy testimonies are wonderful" (Ps. 119:129). The one who first
penned these words had a much smaller Bible than we now have. Little
more than the Pentateuch had been written in the Psalmist's time, yet
his study of the first five books of Holy Writ moved David to
wonderment as he pondered their contents. All that is said of the
tabernacle and its priesthood, down to its minutest detail, is indeed
"wonderful": wonderful in its depth, for there is much here which none
has yet fathomed; wonderful in its freshness, for the Holy Spirit is
ever revealing new beauties therein; wonderful in its preciousness,
for the one in communion with its Author must say, "More to be desired
are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey
or the honeycomb" (Ps. 19:10).
There is another and more comprehensive reason why God's testimonies
are "wonderful," and that is, because they are concerned with Him
whose name is called "Wonderful" (Isa. 9:6). Said the Lord Jesus, as
He came into this world, "Lo I come--in the volume of the Book it is
written of Me--to do Thy will O God" (Heb. 10:7). Hence, to the
unbelieving Pharisees He said, "Search the Scriptures . . . for they
are they which testify of Me." The incarnate Word is the key to the
written Word. It is the Person and Work of Christ which gives meaning
and blessedness to what is found in the Old Testament types. "And
beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all
the Scriptures the things concerning Himself" (Luke 24:27).
But it is just because the Scriptures testify of Christ that He alone
can expound them to us. Their Divine Inspirer must also be their
Interpreter if we are to discern their spiritual import. As we read in
Luke 24:45, "Then opened He their understanding, that they might
understand the Scriptures." This is our deep need, too, to ask Him to
anoint our eyes with eyesalve that we may see (Rev. 3:18). It is only
as He does thus anoint our eyes, that we are enabled to discern in
many an Old Testament character, ritual, symbol, wondrous and perfect
foreshadowments of Himself. Oh that He may, increasingly. instruct
both writer and reader.
"Thy testimonies are wonderful," wonderful also in their very
arrangement. Again and again in the course of these articles upon
Exodus we have called attention to this striking feature. In what is
now to be before us, we have still another example. The order of the
contents of Exodus 28 is most suggestive and significant. The whole
chapter has to do with the priests and their vestments. First, in v.
1, before details are entered into, Aaron and his sons are seen
together. This, as already pointed out, typified Christ and His people
in their perfect union. Then, in vv. 2 to 39, we have described the
robes and insignia of Aaron himself. Finally, in vv. 40-43, reference
is made to the vestments of Aaron's sons. Who can fail to see here the
handiwork of God? In all things Christ must have the pre-eminence:
first the garments of the high priest are mentioned, then those of the
priestly family!
"And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for
them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for
beauty" (v. 40). It is very striking and most blessed to mark that
here we have repeated what was said in v. 2. There, we read how that
Jehovah said to Moses, "And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron
thy brother, for glory and for beauty." So here in v. 40 the Lord gave
instruction that Aaron's sons should also have robes made for them for
"glory and for beauty." As pointed out in the previous articles, the
various garments worn by Aaron, pointed to the inherent, essential and
personal excellencies of our great High Priest. That which was
prefigured in those worn by Aaron's sons was the graces with which
Christ's people are endowed, by virtue of their association with Him.
All believers are priests. All Christians have been consecrated to and
for Divine service; all have access to God, a place within the
heavenly sanctuary. They have been made "kings and priests unto God"
(Rev. 10:6). They are a "holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual
sacrifices, which are acceptable to God by Christ Jesus" (1 Pet. 2:5).
They are also "a royal priesthood" (1 Pet. 2:9), because united to Him
who is King of kings. There is no Scriptural warrant at all for a
separate priestly class among Christians; all have equal title to draw
near to God (Heb. 10:22). Every Christian is a "priest," for he
worships in a spiritual temple (Heb. 10:19), he stands at a spiritual
altar (Heb. 13:10), he offers a spiritual sacrifice (Heb. 13:15). But
to be priests to God necessitates holy garments. Those belonging to
Aaron's "sons" were four in number, each of which we shall consider
separately.
1. Their Coats.
"And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make coats" (v. 40). This receives
amplification in Exodus 39:27, where we are told, "And they made coats
of fine linen of woven work for Aaron and for his sons." As we have
seen in earlier articles, the "fine linen" speaks of the spotless
purity and holiness of Christ. "The robing of Aaron's sons is really
the putting on of Christ; and this, in fact, brings them into
association with Him; for the church possesses nothing apart from
Christ. If believers, for example, are brought into the position of
priests, and the enjoyment of priestly privileges, it is in virtue of
their connection with Him. He is the Priest, and He it is that makes
them priests (see Rev. 1:5, 6). Everything flows from Him. Thus, when
Aaron is put into company with his sons, it is not so much that he
becomes merged into the priestly family, but rather to teach that all
the blessings and privileges of the priestly family are derived from
Christ. But in order to do this they must first be invested with robes
of glory and for beauty--robes which adorn them with the glory and
beauty of Christ" (Ed. Dennett).
More specifically, these spotless linen coats of the priests set forth
the righteousness with which the saints are clothed. Our own
righteousnesses art as filthy rags (Isa. 64:6). But these have been
removed, and in their place the "best robe" of Christ's righteousness
has been placed upon us (Luke 15:22). This is strikingly and blessedly
set forth in Zechariah 3: "Now Joshua was clothed with filthy
garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto
those that stood, before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments
from him. And unto him He said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity
to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment" (vv.
3, 4). It is because of this that the believer sings, "I will greatly
rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God, for He hath
clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the
robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments,
and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels" (Isa. 61:10.)
Of old it was said, "Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness;
and let thy saints shout for joy... I will also clothe her priests
with salvation" (Ps. 132:9, 16). The answer to this is given in the
New Testament, where we are told that God has made Christ to be "unto
us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption" (1
Cor. 1:30); and again, "For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who
knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (2
Cor. 5:21).
"Aaron, as the high priest, appeared in the presence of the Lord in a
representative character, personating, we may say, the whole nation of
Israel, and upholding it in the glory and beauty required by God;
bearing the names of the tribes on his shoulders and breastplate,
graven on precious stones. His sons, the priests, stood in no such
official dignity, but had access into the holy place and ministered at
the altar on behalf of the people; not as representing them, but
rather as leaders of their worship, and instructors of them in the
holy things of God. They were types of one aspect of the church of
God--the heavenly priesthood. In the Revelation, the four and twenty
elders have a priestly standing; they form the heavenly council, being
`elders,' and therefore also judges. They are seated on `thrones'
because kings. They are clothed in white raiment as priests, and they
have on their heads crowns of gold, that is, victors' crowns as
chaplets (Rev. 4:4).
"The countless multitude are also seen clothed with white robes; a
priestly company serving day and night in the temple (7:9). The Lamb's
wife is seen arrayed in fine linen, clean and white (19:8). We have
white raiment also alluded to in Revelation 3:4, 18 and 6:11. Thus the
priestly dress of fine linen, and the garments of unsullied whiteness,
represent the same thing--spotless righteousness. The standing of the
believer in Christ before God not being his own righteousness, but the
righteousness of God which is by faith" (H. W. Soltau).
Ere passing from this part of the priests' vestments, we need to be
reminded that our desire and aim concerning our state should ever be
an approximation unto our standing. The Christian's condition in this
world ought to correspond to his position before God. Thus, while in
Galatians 3:27 it is said, "For as many of you as have been baptized
into Christ have put on Christ," in Romans 13:14 we are exhorted "put
ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to
fulfill the lusts thereof." To do this we need to have the heart
constantly engaged with Christ, remembering that He has left us "an
example, that ye should follow His steps" (1 Pet. 2:21). O to be more
engaged with Him who is fairer than the children of men.
2. Their Girdles.
"And thou shalt make for them girdles" (v. 40). With this should be
compared what we are told in 39:29, "And a girdle of fine twined
linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, of needlework; as the Lord
commanded Moses." Some have thought that because "girdle" is here
found in the singular number that the reference must be to that alone
which was worn by the high priest. But this is a mistake, his "girdle"
is described in 28:8, and it will be seen by a careful comparison with
39:29 that it differed from those worn by the priests in this respect:
his had "gold" in it, theirs did not.
It is only by comparing Scripture with Scripture that we can rightly
interpret any figure or symbol. Two thoughts are suggested by the
"girdle": it is an equipment for service, it is a means of strength.
First, we may note Luke 12:35, 36, "Let your loins be girded about,
and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for
their Lord." This is an exhortation from Christ for His people to be
ready for His return. Here two things are prefaced: they must be
active in service and faithful in testimony. As another has said, "The
hope of our Lord's return will not really abide in the heart unless we
keep our loins girded, as engaged in the Master's work, and unless our
light shines out before men. An inactive believer is sure to become a
worldly-minded one. He will have companionship with men of the world,
whose intoxicating pursuits of avarice, ambition, and pleasure deaden
their hearts and consciences to all the truth of God. `Occupy till I
come' is another precept of the same kind as `let your loins be
girded.'"
Another New Testament exhortation where this figure of the "girdle" is
used occurs in 1 Peter 1:13, "Wherefore gird up the loins of your
mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be
brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Here believers
are addressed as "strangers and pilgrims," passing through the
wilderness on their way to the promised inheritance (vv. 1, 4). Two
great motives are presented to them: the sufferings of Christ and the
glory that shall follow (v. 1). Thus, in order to be constantly
pressing onwards we must stay our minds upon Christ, ever
contemplating Him in His two characters as the Victim and as the
Victor. A man who fails to use the "girdle," allowing his garments to
hang loose, is impeded in his movements and progress. Loose thoughts
and wandering imaginations must be gathered in, and our hearts and
understandings set upon the death, resurrection, and return of Christ,
if we would pursue our journey with less distraction.
Ephesians 6 informs us of the nature of our "girdle": "Wherefore take
unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in
the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand, therefore, having
your loins girt about with truth"(vv. 13, 14). Here the believer is
contemplated in still another character. He is not only a priest to
serve God, and a pilgrim journeying to another country, he is also a
soldier, called on to "fight the good fight of faith" and to "wrestle"
(v. 12). But no matter in what relationship he is viewed, the "girdle"
is essential. It is striking to note that the "girdle" is mentioned
first in Ephesians 6:14-18, and that here the two separate thoughts
suggested in connection therewith are combined. The whole strength of
the warrior to stand and wrestle, depends upon the close fitting of
his firm girdle. If his outer garments are loose and trailing
(carelessness in his ways), or if his loins (the place of strength) be
not supported and sustained by God's truth, Satan will soon overcome
him, and instead of "standing"--experimentally maintaining his high
calling in Christ--he will be cast down, to sink into the darkness of
the world's delusions; ensnared either by its vanities and glittering
honors, or its learned speculations of "vain philosophy" and "science
falsely so called."
Our loins are to be "girt about with truth." The "girdle," then,
speaks of the Word of God, particularly, all that centers in Christ
and proceeds from Him. This is the priest's equipment for service, the
pilgrim's source of strength, the warrior's staying power. Additional
Scriptures which bring in the thought of strength in connection with
the "girdle" are found in Revelation 1:13; 15:16. In the former,
Christ is seen, "girt about the breasts with a golden girdle," the
symbolic significance of this being, the binding of the ephod of
blue--the robe of heavenly peace and love--about His heart, so that in
the midst of searching words of reproof and warning, mercies might
also proceed from "breasts of consolation." In the latter passage,
golden girdles are seen about the breasts of the angels--to whom the
vials of wrath are entrusted--indicating that their hearts needed
strengthening for their terrible work of judgment. Thus, the "girdles"
of the priests tell of that equipment and strength for service which
is to he found in Christ.
3. Their Bonnets.
"And bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for beauty" (v.
40). "And goodly bonnets of fine linen" (39:28). "The Hebrew word
occurs only four times in the Old Testament, and is exclusively used
for the head-dress of the priests. It is derived from a verb
signifying `elevation,' often used of a hill. They apparently differed
from the mitre of the high priest, in the fact that they were bound
round the heads of the priests, which is never said of the mitre. In
Exodus 29:9 and Leviticus 8:13 the margin of the A.V. correctly gives
`bind' for `put.' They were probably rolls of fine linen, folded like
a turban round the head. The word translated `goodly' (Ex. 39:28) is
worthy of notice. It is rendered `tire' of the heads (Ezek. 24:17,
23); `beauty' (Isa. 61:3); `ornaments' (Isa. 61:10), and is derived
from a verb signifying `to beautify or glorify'" (Soltau).
There seems to be two thoughts suggested by these "bonnets," which,
though at first glance seem widely dissimilar, are, nevertheless,
closely related. From the etymology of the word, they speak of
elevation or exaltation. On the other hand, from the general tenor of
Scripture, the covering of the head betokens subjection (1 Cor.
11:4-10, etc). The orthodox Jew, to this day, always keeps his head
covered in the synagogue; and even in private, when reading God's
Word, he covers his head. How, then, are we to harmonize the two
things, so different, suggested by this figure? Thus: the priesthood
of believers speaks of the high position to which Divine grace has
elevated them--they shall, in Heaven, lead the worship of angels. Yet,
are they in subjection to Christ, for He will lead their praise (Ps.
22:22). Even now we are in subjection to the revealed will of God; and
this is true dignity or elevation. We serve in the liberty of Christ,
but as growing "up into Him in all things which is the Head, even
Christ" (Eph. 4: 15), avoiding the things mentioned in Colossians
2:18, which tend unto the "not holding the Head" (Col. 2:19).
"These head-tires of white are said to be `goodly' or `ornamental.'
There was nothing of display to attract the common gaze, but like the
adorning recommended for Christian women (1 Pet. 3:4, 5) they were
types of the meek and quite spirit which in the sight of God is of
great price. Like the holy women of old who trusted in God, and thus
adorned themselves, in subjection to their own husbands" (Soltau). So
these "bonnets" of the priests were for glory and beauty. True,
complete subjection to God may be little admired by man, but they are
lovely in the sight of Heaven.
4. Their Breeches.
"And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness;
from the loins even unto the thighs shall they reach. And they shall
be upon Aaron and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle
of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister
in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a
statute forever unto him and his seed after him" (vv. 42, 43). Before
taking up the typical teaching of these verses attention should,
perhaps, be called to one point in them which, by a comparison with
Leviticus 8:13, brings out the strict and high moral standard which
God set before Israel. A careful reader of Leviticus 8:13 will note an
omission: Moses was ordered to "put" the coats, girdles, and bonnets
upon Aaron's sons, but he was not told to "put" the "breeches" or
trousers on them, even though they were his own nephews. Those, they
would put on first, before they came to him to be formally invested
with the other garments. They must not appear, even before one of
their own sex, in the nude!
Unspeakably blessed is the spiritual purport of the present portion of
our type, and most helpfully has it been presented by the one from
whom we shall now quote. "The first result of the entrance of sin was
to discover to man his nakedness (Gen. 3:7). The feeling of shame, a
guilty feeling, crept over his soul; and his attention was immediately
directed to some mode of quieting his confidence in this respect, that
he might appear unabashed in the presence of his fellow. No thought of
his fall as it regarded God, or of his inability to stand in His
presence, occurred to him. And so it is to this day. The great object
which men propose to themselves, is to quieten their own consciences,
and to stand well with their neighbors. To this end they invent a
religion. But as soon as we have to do with God, the conscience is
convicted, and the guilt and shame which before were quieted, spring
up within, and nothing can still the restless, uneasiness of the
heart. We become aware that all things are naked and opened to the
eyes of Him with whom we have to do. The soul in vain attempts
concealment. The still, small voice of God sounds within, and drags
the culprit out to stand before Him.
"It is here that a righteousness not our own becomes unspeakably
precious to the soul. A covering that both blots out all sin, and
forever clothes the sinner with spotless purity, which conceals from
the searching eye of God all iniquity, and in so doing completely
justifies the sinner before Him: Psalm 32:1, 2" (Soltau). Thus these
"linen breeches" speak of that perfect provision which God has made
for His people in Christ, that which has made an end of the flesh
before Him: "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him,
that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not
serve sin" (Rom. 6:6).
And what is the practical lesson to be drawn from the "breeches"?
This: all that is of the flesh must be kept out of sight in our
priestly activities. As another has said, "That which is of the flesh
is bad anywhere, but it is most of all out of place in the holy
service of God. What could be more dreadful than for such things as
vanity, jealousy, emulation, or desire to make something of oneself,
to come into what should be spiritual service? All that would be,
indeed, `the flesh of nakedness': it is not to be seen" (C. A.
Coates). Striking are the words of v. 42: "To cover their nakedness
from the loins even to the thighs." The whole strength of nature is to
be concealed; that power of indwelling evil, which ever opposes God
and seeks to mar our walk, must be covered.
Oh, that Divine grace may enable the writer and each Christian reader
to put on, experimentally, the linen coat, girdle, bonnet, and
breeches; to draw from Christ that strength which will enable us to
"deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and live soberly, righteously and
goldly, in this present world" (Titus 2:12).
_________________________________________________________________
Contents
A. W. Pink Index
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About Us
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Baptist History
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
52. The Continual Burnt Offering
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 29:36-43
Having considered something of the typical teaching connected with the
vestments of the priests as described in Exodus 28, we may observe
that the next thing which the Holy Spirit brings before us is the
consecration of Aaron and his sons, i.e. the ritual belonging to their
induction into that sacred office. This is described at length in
Exodus 29, a chapter which is rich in spiritual teaching. As, however,
almost all of it is found again in Leviticus 8, we shall defer a
detailed study thereof--if the Lord wills--until we come to that book.
The two accounts given of the consecration of the priests is like unto
the twofold description which we have of the tabernacle and its
furniture: first, we are told what Moses was commanded to make;
second, we learn what he actually did make. So with the priesthood: in
Exodus we learn that this was a blessing which God proposed to bestow
upon His redeemed, whereas in Leviticus (the tabernacle having been
set up) we see the execution of His purpose--the activities of the
priests there being seen. Moreover, as in the actual making of the
tabernacle we read, "According to all that the Lord commanded Moses,
so the children of Israel made all the work" (Ex. 39:42); in like
manner we are told that, in connection with the appointing of the
priesthood, "So Aaron and his sons did all things which the Lord
commanded by the hand of Moses" (Lev. 8:36).
In order to link up our articles on Exodus 28 with the present one,
which deals with the closing verses of chapter 29, and those which
follow on chapter 30, we will give a brief outline of the ceremonies
which were to be observed at the consecration of the priests. It is
striking to note that there were exactly seven things done for them.
First, they were taken "from among the children of Israel" (28:1). How
plainly this points to the Father choosing His elect out of Adam's
race--the initial step in connection with their salvation--is too
obvious to need any enlarging upon. Second, they were brought unto the
door of the tabernacle (29:4): the antitype of this is found in 1
Peter 3:18: "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just for
the unjust, that He might bring us to God." Third, they were washed
(29:4): this foreshadowed the believer's regeneration and
sanctification by the Spirit (see John 3:5, Titus 3:5, Ephesians
5:26). Fourth, they were clothed with their official vestments
(29:4-9): this symbolized the putting on of Christ. Fifth, they were
anointed (29:21): this pointed to the gift of the Spirit to the
believer (2 Cor. 1:21; 1 John 2:27). Sixth, their hands were filled
(29:24)--compare with this 1 John 1:1-3. Seventh, they were sanctified
(29:44): this contemplates our setting apart unto God, see Romans
6:13, 22.
It is indeed striking to see that in the above, Aaron and his sons
took no active part at all; from first to last they were passive in
the hands of another. They did not minister, but were ministered unto.
Much was done for them and to them; but they themselves did nothing.
Standing in God's stead, Moses did all for them. It was by his word
that they were chosen and brought. It was by his hands they were
washed, clothed and anointed. It was Moses also who brought the
bullock for the sin-offering, as "the ram of consecration." So too the
application of the blood to the several parts of their bodies was the
work of Moses (v. 20). So with the wave-offering: Moses arranged its
several parts (v. 22): he it was who "filled their hands"--he gave,
they received (v. 24). Finally, it was Moses who received back from
their hands and gave again to God what they had first been given (v.
25).
There were however four exceptions, striking and blessed ones; four
things which God required Aaron and his sons to do. First, they were
to "put their hands upon the head of the bullock" of the sin-offering
(29:10), thus identifying themselves with the victim that was to be
slain. Typically, this is the saints confessing, "But He was wounded
for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the
chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are
healed" (Isa. 53:5). Second, they were to "put their hands on the head
of the ram" (v. 15) which was a burnt-offering unto the Lord. This
speaks of the believer's assurance of his acceptance in the Beloved.
Third, they also placed their hands upon the head of the ram of
consecration (v. 19). This foreshadowed the saints as set apart to and
for God, in and by Christ--"For by one offering He hath perfected
forever them that are set apart" (Heb. 10:14). Fourth, they were to
eat the flesh of the ram and the shewbread (vv. 32:33). This set forth
Christ as the Food of His people: their substance and life. It is as
we contemplate and appropriate Christ without, that He is "formed"
within us: see Galatians 2:20; 4:19.
A more direct link between the lengthy account furnished in Exodus 29
of the ceremonies connected with the consecration of the priests and
the closing verses which form our present portion, is what is said in
vv. 35-37: "And thus shalt thou do unto Aaron and to his sons,
according to all things which I have commanded thee: seven days shalt
thou consecrate them. And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a
sin-offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when
thou shalt make an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to
sanctify it. Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar,
and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy; whatsoever
toucheth the altar shall be holy."
The fact that these particular ceremonies and the cleansing of the
altar were to be repeated and kept up for seven days denotes that
Christ's people are completely consecrated in Him (Col. 2:10), and
that their altar is a perfect one. Both the consecration of the
priests and the sanctification of the altar must alike be according to
all the requirements of a holy God. "Approach now must be at a
cleansed, anointed, and hallowed altar. It is the first time in
Scripture that we read of a cleansed and anointed altar. Previously,
the altar was according to the measure of the one who approached, but
now approach must be cleansed from every feature of human
imperfection--cleansed in all the efficacy of the sin-offering" (C. A.
Coates). In other words, all acceptable worship now must be "in spirit
and in truth."
This is the force of that word of Christ's, "But the hour cometh, and
now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit
and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is
spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in
truth" (John 4:23, 24). The Savior was referring to that great change
which would be brought in consequent upon His death. Though such
worship shuts out all that is of the flesh, it makes room for all that
is of the Spirit and of Christ.
And of what does this cleansed, anointed and sanctified "altar" speak?
Clearly of Christ Himself: His blessed person. As we are told in
Hebrews 13:10, "We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat
which serve the tabernacle." Christ Himself is altar, sacrifice, and
priest. He is "the Altar that sanctifieth the gift" (Matthew 23:19).
Hence believers are now told, "By Him therefore let us offer the
sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips,
giving thanks to His name" (Heb. 13:15).
From the parallel Scripture in Leviticus 8 we learn that the Lord's
word to Aaron and his sons, in this same connection, was, "Therefore
shall ye abide at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation day
and night seven days, and keep the charge of the Lord, that ye die
not." Upon this Mr. Soltau wrote: "They were to be habituated to abide
before the Lord; and they were to realize the value of the
sin-offering, as thus enabling them so to abide there. The seven days
of their week of consecration may, in type, prefigure the whole of our
earthly life: our whole week of service. We are to accustom ourselves
to be in the presence of our God. Our life is to be spent there; only
we have the privilege of abiding, not at the door, but in the very
holiest of all. May we rejoice to use this wondrous liberty of access,
and not only `draw near,' but `abide under the shadow of the
Almighty.' And what will be our help and power for this? The
sin-offering of atonement, constantly realized by the help of the Holy
Spirit."
"Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of
the first year day by day continually. The one lamb thou shalt offer
in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even" (vv. 38,
39). In v. 42 we learn that this offering was called "a continual
burnt-offering." That which was placed upon the altar was in perfect
accord with its now anointed and hallowed character. The "burnt"
offering is the highest type of sacrifice in Scripture. The first
reference to it in the Word helps us ascertain its distinctive
significance. In Genesis 22:2 we read that the Lord said unto Abraham,
"Take now thy son, thine only Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee
into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon
one of the mountains which I will tell thee of." That which is to be
particularly noted there is the willingness and readiness of Isaac's
conforming to his father's will. Thus, the central thought in this
offering is devotedness. The Hebrew word for burnt-offering literally
means, that which "goes up." It might well be designated "the
ascending offering." The whole of it, consumed upon the altar,
ascended to heaven as a sweet savor.
Leviticus 1 furnishes full details concerning the burnt-offering.
There we read, in v. 3, that the offerer should "offer it of his own
voluntary will." This offering was really the basis of all the other
sacrifices, as may be seen not only from the fact that it is given
precedence in Leviticus 1 to 5, but also because the altar itself took
its name from this--"the altar of the burnt offering" (Ex. 40:10). It
foreshadowed, therefore, the perfect devotedness of the Son to the
Father, which was the basis or spring of the whole of His earthly
life, ministry, and sacrificial death. He "glorified not Himself."
When He spoke or acted it was ever the Father's honor He sought. He
could say, "I came not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that
sent Me." He could say, "I have set the Lord always before Me" (Ps.
16:8). Ephesians 5:2 speaks in the language of this particular type:
"Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us, an offering
and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor."
"Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of
the first year, day by day continually. The one lamb thou shalt offer
in the morning, and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even." Speaking
after the manner of men, it was as though God would keep before Him a
constant reminder of the devotedness of His blessed Son. Therefore a
"lamb." rather than a bullock or ram (which prefigured Christ more in
His strength and sufficiency) was appointed--suitably expressing His
gentleness, and yieldedness to the will of God. And, too, that which
was ever to be kept before His people also was, that which would set
forth the Godward aspect of Christ's work. Though the Lord Jesus came
here to atone for the sins of His people, it was only because it was
the Father's will for Him so to do: cf. Hebrews 10:7 with 10:10.
"Inasmuch as the offering before us was perpetual, God laid a
foundation thereby on which Israel could stand and be accepted in all
its fragrance and savor. It thus becomes no mean type of the position
of the believer, revealing the ground of his acceptance in the
Beloved; for just as the sweet savor of the continual burnt-offering
ever ascended to God on behalf of Israel, so Christ in all His
acceptability is ever before His eyes on behalf of His own. We can
therefore say, `As He is, so are we in this world' (1 John 4:17), for
we are in the Divine presence in all the savor of His sacrifice, and
in all the acceptance of His Person" (Ed. Dennett).
Nor should we lose sight of the practical teaching for our own souls
in this morning and evening continual burnt-offering. Suitably has
this been expressed by another: "God would encourage us to renew in
our affections continually the terms on which He is with us. He would
have every day to begin and end with a fresh sense of being with God
and having God with us, in the sweet odor and acceptance of Christ, He
never places His saints on any other ground before Him than that of
Christ--the One who has perfectly glorified Him, and done all His
will, and in whom He has infinite delight. He never departs from that;
He never meets His saints on other or lower ground than that. And He
would have the consciousness of it continually renewed on our side."
"And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth
part of an hin (about 1/2 gallon) of beaten oil; and the fourth part
of an hin of wine for a drink offering. And the other lamb thou shalt
offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of
the morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet
savor, an offering made by fire unto the Lord" (vv. 40:41). This was
the accompaniment of the burnt-offering. The meal-offering is often
spoken of as an appendix to it, thus, as "the burnt-offering and its
meal-offering" (Lev. 23:13, 18; Numbers 28:28, 31; 29:3, 6, 9, etc.).
The "meat," or better "meal-offering" is described at length in
Leviticus 2. It foreshadowed the holy and perfect humanity through
which the Son manifested His devotedness to the Father. Mingled with
the meal was the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil. This shadowed
forth the mystery of the supernatural birth of Christ, under the
operation of the Holy Spirit: as said the angel to Mary, "The Holy
Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall
overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of
thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). So, too, the whole
of Christ's earthly life and ministry was permeated by the Holy
Spirit. It was by the Spirit He was led into the wilderness to be
tempted of the Devil (Matthew 4:1), and from the temptation He
"returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee" (Luke 4:14). It was
by the Spirit He cast out demons (Matthew 12:28). It was through the
Spirit that He offered Himself without spot to God (Heb. 9:14). And,
even after His resurrection, it was "through the Spirit" He gave
commandments unto the apostles (Acts 1:2).
Accompanying the burnt-offering there was also a drink-offering, which
consisted of "the fourth part of an hin of wine." One of the
significations of "wine," when it is employed emblematically, is
joy--see Judges 9:13; Psalm 104:15. Thus, in our present type, the
accompanying drink-offering speaks of the Father's joy in
Christ--"This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." But more:
it was offered here by the Lord's people. Therefore it would also
express their communion with the joy of God in the perfections and
devotion of His Son. God would have us feast on that which delights
Him. Beautifully is this brought out in the parable of the prodigal
son. When the wanderer had returned in penitence, the Father said,
"Bring hither the fatted calf, and kill; and let us eat, and be merry"
(Luke 15:23)--figure of the Father and His child rejoicing together in
Christ.
Striking are the words, in this connection, of v. 42: "This shall be a
continual burnt-offering throughout your generations." Occupation with
the devoted Son and His perfect humanity was to be continual, and
every morning and evening the types of these were to be presented by
Israel to God, accompanied by the fourth part of an hin of wine. Note
again the words of v. 41: "And the other lamb thou shalt offer at
even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat-offering of the
morning, and according to the drink-offering thereof, for a sweet
savor, an offering made by fire unto the Lord." Was not this
continuous morning-offering the Lord saying to His people of old,
"Rejoice in the Lord alway," and was not the repetition in the evening
God's Old Testament "again I say, Rejoice" (Phil. 4:4)!
Gloominess in the Christian is not glorifying unto God. A long-faced
believer is no commendation of Christ to those who know Him not. God
does not desire His people to be miserable. Did He not move one of His
apostles to say, "These things write we unto you, that your joy may be
full" (1 John 1:4)? If the Christian is sad and miserable, the fault
is entirely his own. The explanation thereof is furnished in the
immediate context of the Scripture last quoted: "Our fellowship is
with the Father, and with His Son, Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:3). As this
fellowship is experimentally maintained, our joy will be "full." Lack
of joy, then, is due to lack of fellowship with God.
And how is this to be remedied? Our present type tells us: begin and
end each day with a fresh occupation of the heart with Christ, a
concentrated meditation upon His excellencies--His devotedness to the
Father, His dying love for us. But accompanying this there must be the
"oil": it is only by the help and power of the Holy Spirit that we can
truly "consider" Christ (Heb. 3:1 cf. John 16:14). And to the extent
that we yield to and are filled with the Spirit, and to that extent
only, shall we also be filled with joy--note how the "fourth part of
an hin of wine" corresponds exactly to the "fourth part of an hin of
oil" (v. 40)! To show that this is no mere coincidence, or unimportant
detail, let the reader turn to Numbers 15:6, 7 where he will find that
though the quantities of the oil and wine are different, yet their
proportions are the same! O that "the joy of the Lord" may be our
strength (Neh. 8:10).
"This shall be a continual burnt-offering throughout your generations
at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord:
where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee. And there I will meet
with the children of Israel and they shall be sanctified by My glory"
(vv. 42, 43). That which is so unspeakably blessed here is the Lord's
repeated promise that He would meet with His people. The Hebrew word
signifies "to meet as by appointment," and this, in the required
manner and place.
"Moses was permitted in grace to meet Jehovah at the mercy-seat (Ex.
25:22); but the people could not pass beyond the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation. It was here that the burnt-offering
was presented on the brazen altar; and hence this was the
meeting-place, on the ground of the sacrifice, between God and Israel.
There could be no other possible place; just as now Christ forms the
only meeting-place between God and the sinner. It is most important to
see this truth--especially for those who are unsaved--that apart from
Christ there can be no drawing nigh to God. `I am the Way, the Truth,
and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me' (John 14:6).
Mark well, moreover, that God cannot be approached except on the
ground of the sacrifice of Christ. This is the truth foreshadowed in
connection with the burnt-offering. If the cross, Christ crucified, be
ignored, no relationships can be had with God, excepting those which
may exist between a guilty sinner and a holy Judge. But the moment the
sinner is led to take his stand upon `the sweet savor' of the
sacrifice of God, upon the efficacy of what Christ accomplished by His
death, God can meet with him, in grace and love" (Ed. Dennett).
There is also a spiritual application of the blessed promise of vv.
42, 43 to the saints of God today, considered both singly and
collectively. There is such a thing as God "meeting" with us in the
manifestation of Himself to our hearts--alas, that so many experience
this so infrequently. Where there is true soul-occupation with the
person and work of Christ, in the power of the Spirit, there is also a
making known of Himself (Luke 24:31). So, when the saints assemble for
Divine worship, occupied not with their own needs, but with Christ's
excellency--coming not to obtain a blessing, but to offer to God a
sacrifice of praise; there is then such a gracious revelation of
Himself that we are made to exclaim: "This is none other than the
house of God, and this is the gate of heaven" (Gen. 28:17). O to know
more of this blessed experience.
"And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.
And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, that brought them
forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the
Lord their God" (vv. 45, 46). As in the previous verses God repeated
His promise to "meet" with His worshipping people, so here He says,
twice over, "I will dwell among them."
It was for this that Jehovah had delivered His people from Egypt: He
could not "dwell" with them there. Nor could He dwell with Israel at
all until they had been redeemed. This was something entirely new. God
never "dwelt" with Adam, nor with Abraham. In the Song of Redemption
(see Exodus 15:1, 13), Israel exclaimed, "Thou shalt bring them in,
and plant them in the mountain of Thine inheritance, in the place, O
Lord, Thou hast made for Thee to dwell in, the sanctuary" (15:17). To
Moses God said, "Let them make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among
them" (Ex. 25:8). Now, that promise was to be realized on the ground
of the efficacy of the burnt-offering. Most blessed is it to mark
God's purpose in thus dwelling in Israel's midst--"They shall know
that I am the Lord their God." Equally precious is the promise which
He has given us: "Lo, I am with you alway, unto the end of the age"
(Matthew 28:20); and again, "I will never leave thee, nor forsake
thee" (Heb. 13:5).
There is no doubt but that, prophetically, our present type looks
forward to the second coming of Christ to this earth. Then will it be
that "all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come
out of Sion the Deliverer and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob
(Rom. 11:26). And again, "Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying,
Behold the man whose name is The Branch; and He shall grow up out of
His place, and He shall build the temple of the Lord; even He shall
build the temple of the Lord; and He shall bear the glory, and shall
sit and rule upon His throne; and He shall be a priest upon His
throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both" (Zech.
6:12, 13). Then will God say, "Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion;
for, lo I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord"
(Zech. 2:10). The ultimate fulfillment of our type will be seen on the
new earth: "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold,
the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them" (Rev.
21:3).
"But there is more than even dwelling with them: there is also
relationship--`I will be their God.' It is not, be it remarked, what
they shall be to Him, though they were His people by His grace; but
what He will be to them. `Their God'--words fraught with unspeakable
blessings. for when God undertakes to become the God of His people,
deigns to enter into relationship with them, He assures them that
everything they need, whether for guidance, sustenance, defense,
succor, yea, everything, is secure for them by what He is to them as
their God. It was in view of the blessing of such a wondrous
relationship that the Psalmist exclaims. `Happy is that people whose
God is the Lord'--Psalm 144:15" (Ed. Dennett). So, too, on the new
earth it is said: "And they shall be His people, and God Himself shall
be with them, and be their God" (Rev. 21:3). May the Lord use to His
glory these musings upon this blessed type.
_________________________________________________________________
Contents
A. W. Pink Index
____________________________________________________
About Us
What's New
Audio Works
Baptist History
Bible Study Courses
Eschatology Heretical Teachings
Theological Studies
TULIP
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Comfort in a
Time of Sorrow Links & Resources
For the Cause of
God and Truth
Follow us on Twitter
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_________________________________________________________________
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
53. The Golden Altar
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 30:1-10
There were two altars connected with the Tabernacle. Both were made of
wood, but covered with a different metal: the one with brass, and so
named after it "the brazen altar'" (Ex. 38:30); the other with gold,
and so called' "the golden altar" (Ex. 39:38). The one was placed
outside the building in the court, just before the entrance; the other
was inside the holy place, and stood before the veil. These altars
were closely connected, but served different uses. Their
characteristic names point out their distinctive designs: the former
being designated "the altar of burnt offering" (40:6), and was the
place of sacrifice; the latter was termed "the altar of incense"
(30:27), and was the place of worship. Both altars were needed to set
forth our one and only Altar, of whom it is written, "we have an
Altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle"
(Heb. 13:10).
Some have wondered why the incense altar was not mentioned in Exodus
25 and 26, where five of the other pieces of the Tabernacle's
furniture are referred to, and where the holy place in which it stood
is described. Three reasons may be suggested for this. First, the
omission of the golden altar from those earlier chapters may have been
because of what was typically set forth by the various holy vessels.
Those enumerated in Exodus 25 and 26 speak of God in Christ coming out
to His people, displaying the riches of His grace; whereas the two
which are before us in Exodus 30 tell of the provisions God has made
for us to go in to Him, expressing the fullness of His love.
Beautifully has this been expounded by another:
"Why, then, does the Lord, when giving directions about the furniture
of the `holy place' omit the altar of incense, and pass out to the
brazen altar which stood at the door of the Tabernacle? The reason I
believe is simply this: He first described the mode in which He would
manifest Himself to man, and then He described the mode of man's
approach to Him. He took His seat upon the throne as `The Lord of all
the earth' (Josh. 3:13). The beams of His glory were hidden behind the
veil-type of Christ's flesh (Heb. 10:20); but there was the
manifestation of Himself in connection with man, as in the pure table
and by the light and power of the Holy Ghost, as in the candlestick.
Then we have the manifested character of Christ as a man down here on
this earth, as seen in the curtains and coverings of the tabernacle.
And, finally, we have the brazen altar as the grand exhibition of the
meeting place between a holy God and a sinner. This conducts us as it
were, to the extreme point, from which we return, in company with
Aaron and his sons, back to the holy place, the ordinary priestly
position, where stood the golden altar of incense. Thus the order is
strikingly beautiful" (C.H.M.).
A second reason may be suggested as to why the description of the
golden altar and the laver should have been postponed until the 30th
chapter of Exodus was reached. This is plainly intimated in Exodus 28
and 29, where we have the appointment, investiture and consecration of
the priesthood. Thus, the golden altar was not mentioned until there
was a priest to burn incense thereon! It was at the laver the priests
washed, and it was at the golden altar they ministered; there, too, it
was where Aaron presented himself before Jehovah. Thus the contents of
chapters 28 and 29 were needed to bring before us the priestly family
before we learn of the two holy vessels with which they were more
directly associated. So, too, experimentally, we apprehend that of
which the preceding chapters speak, before we value that which chapter
30 sets forth.
A third reason lies in the application of the teaching of the holy
vessels to believers. The primary application of each of them is to
Christ Himself, but there is a secondary application to His people. As
we shall yet seek to show, one of the fundamental things prefigured by
the golden altar is worship, and as this is the highest exercise of
our priestly privileges, suitably was this the last piece of furniture
met with as the sons of Aaron approached unto Jehovah.
"Just as the golden altar was the last object to be reached in the
journey from the gate to the veil which hid the mercy-seat from view,
just so is worship the highest state to be reached on earth and the
object for which all other things are preparations. The Father seeks
worshippers (John 4:23), and this it was that led the Lord to go
through Samaria to meet that sinner, to turn her heart from her sins,
by filling it with the satisfying portion of grace, that she might
meet the desires of Divine love and give that praise, that worship,
that only a sinner (a cleansed sinner) can give. And this it was that
led the Lord to take that larger journey from the heaven of light and
peace down to the cross of suffering and shame. He sought sinners, He
seeketh them still; seeketh them that, having tasted as no angel can
possibly taste, the love of God, they might then from a heart
overflowing with the consciousness of its indebtedness to the Savior,
and the appreciation of His own excellence, pour forth the fragrant
incense of praise" (C. H. Bright).
1. Its Significance.
"And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon" (v. 1). It is
striking to note that before anything is said about the materials of
which the altar was made, its size and shape, or the position it was
to occupy, we are first told of the purpose for which it was to be
used. It is this which places in our hands a sure key to its spiritual
interpretation. Attention is directed straight to the altar and the
incense which was burned thereon. The altar speaks of Christ Himself,
and the incense was a figure both of His intercession and the praises
which He presents to God.
The fact that the golden altar comes before us in Exodus immediately
after the investiture and consecration of Aaron and his sons, at once
tells us that what is here portrayed is the ministrations of our great
High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary. Though He is now seated at the
right hand of the Majesty on high, yet He is not inactive. He is
constantly engaged before God on behalf of His redeemed, presenting to
the Father--in the sweet fragrance of His own perfections--both the
petitions and worship of His people. The position occupied by the
golden altar confirms this. It was not situated in the outer
court--all connected with which adumbrated the manifestation of Christ
here on earth; but in the holy place, which tells of Christ having
gone in to appear before God on behalf of His people. Further
confirmation that this is the central thought in our present type is
supplied in the words at the close of v. 3: "And thou shalt make unto
it a crown of gold round about." Thus, it is Christ in heaven, not on
earth, "crowned with glory and honor" (Heb. 2:9).
Unutterably solemn is it to contemplate Christ at the brazen altar
there made sin for us, suffering, enduring judgment, bowing His head
beneath the awful storm of God's wrath. But unspeakably blessed is it
to behold Him at the golden altar, risen from the grave, alive for
evermore, maintaining the interests of His people before God's throne,
presenting them in all His own excellency and preciousness. "If when
we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son,
much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life" (Rom.
5:10). This is the point which the Spirit of God reserves for the
climax in His unanswerable reply to the challenge "Who shall lay
anything to the charge of God's elect?" it is God that justifieth. Who
is he that condemmeth? it is Christ that died, yea rather, that is
risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh
intercession for us" (Rom. 8:33, 34).
"Let my prayer be set forth before Thee as incense; and the lifting up
of mine bands as the evening sacrifice" (Ps. 141:2). This gives us the
emblematical meaning of "incense." So again in Revelation 5:8 we read,
"having every one of them harps, and golden veils full of incense,
which are the prayers of saints." The incense burned upon the golden
altar, then, foreshadowed Christ in heaven, praying for His people. As
we read in Hebrews 7:25, "Wherefore He is able also to save them to
the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make
intercession for them." Christ's intercession is not for the purpose
of completing the believer's justification, for that would show His
sacrifice of the cross was insufficient; by that one offering He has
perfected us forever (Heb. 10:14); rather does it crown it with glory
and honor. The precious incense of our Lord's priestly intercession
maintains us (through our wilderness journey) in the place of fullest
acceptance as a sweet savor unto God.
A striking typical illustration of the wondrous efficacy of our great
High Priest's intercession is furnished in Numbers 16. There we see,
first, how Korah and his company repudiated Aaron as their high
priest, claiming equal nearness to God for all Israel, see v. 3. But a
sinful people could have no standing before the Holy One save through
the priest who offered the sacrifice. This, the rebellious people were
made to feel (v. 35). The "gainsaying of Korah" (Jude 11), then, was
the practical denial of Christ's person and sacrificial work. Then, in
Numbers 16, we also behold how the grace of God shone forth: Aaron the
high priest was told to "take a censer, and put fire therein from off
the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation,
and make an atonement for them" (v. 46). Blessed was the sequel: "And
he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed"
(v. 48). What a foreshadowing of the mediatorial intercession of
Christ, interposing on behalf of His erring people, and that, on the
ground of His sacrificial death.
It is a mistake, made by most of the commentators, to limit the
"incense" as pointing only to the Savior's intercession; it includes
also His offering of praise to God. Did He not say, "In the midst of
the church will I sing praise unto Thee" (Heb. 2:12)? So also in
Hebrews 13:15 we are told, "By Him, therefore, let us offer the
sacrifice of praise to God continually." He is the One who receives
the praises of His people and presents them to God. So again in 1
Peter 2:5 we are told, "Ye also, as living stones, are built up a
spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer us spiritual sacrifices,
acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." Christ is the one who makes our
worship acceptable to God. Therefore. the incense has to be burned
upon the altar.
2. Its Composition.
"And thou shalt make an altar to burn incense upon it: of shittim wood
shalt thou make it" (v. 1). This, as we have seen in earlier types,
symbolized the perfect humanity of Christ. "This accacia wood, the
emblem of the incorruptible and spotless humanity of the Son of God
entered into the composition of the altar of burnt-offering outside in
the court, and was covered with brass, enabling it to endure the fire
that consumed its victim. The same accacia wood entered into the
composition of the table of shewbread; it also entered into the
composition of the altar of incense, which was covered and crowned
with gold, for no atonement for sin was ever offered or needed at that
altar; all that was finished. It also entered into the composition of
the ark of the covenant within the veil, identifying all these with
the person and salvation-work of our Lord Jesus Christ, teaching us
that His perfect humanity--made in all things like His brethren, sin
excepted--in all the modifications of His covenant engagements and
offices of our behalf, whether at His incarnation, His birth, His walk
with God on earth, His death on the cross, or after His resurrection,
when He was seen of His disciples for forty days, or after His
ascension to the right hand of God, where He ever liveth to make
intercession for us--was ever one and the same immortalized humanity
in the person of our living and glorified Head, Substitute, and
Representative" (Mr. Rainsford).
"And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the
sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof" (v. 3). This is very
lovely, speaking, as it does, of that Divine glory into which the Man
Christ Jesus has entered. As the sons of Aaron approached this
altar--figures of worshipping believers now drawing near to God--they
would see nothing but the gold. So it is not a dead Christ on the
cross who is the object of our worship, but a living Christ who has
been "received up into glory" (1 Tim. 3:16). Therefore are we bidden
"if ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above,
where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God: Set your affection on
things above, not on things on the earth; for ye are dead, and your
life is hid with Christ in God" (Col. 3:1-3). As another has said,
"God saw only the gold--that which was suited to Him, suited to His
own nature. The remembrance of this gives boldness when bowing in His
presence. It is indeed a wondrous mercy that Christ is before the eye
of God, and before the eye of the worshipper, Himself the
meeting-place between God and His people, as well as the foundation of
His people's acceptance" (Ed Dennet).
3. Its Dimensions.
"A cubit shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof;
foursquare shall it be; and two cubits shall be the height thereof:
the horns thereof shall be of the same" (v. 2). The dimensions of the
golden altar differed considerably from those of the brazen altar, the
latter being five cubits long, five cubits broad, and three cubits
high (27:1). Herein we may see the wonderful accuracy of these types
and their perfections down to the minutest detail. The brazen altar
was much larger than the golden altar. The former foreshadowed the
sacrificial death of Christ; the latter, His present ministry in
heaven. But does He not now appear before God on behalf of all for
whom He died? In one sense, yes; in another sense no. Representatively
He does, actively He does not. John 11:51, 52 shows that He died for
two distinct companies--"that nation (Israel) and the children of God
scattered abroad--God's elect among the Gentiles. But at present
Christ is not interceding for Israel, nor is He presenting their
praises before God! It is only on behalf of the Church that He is now
actively engaged: Israel will be taken up in the Day to come, and this
will be at His return to the earth, as the brazen altar in the outer
court denotes. Thus, there is a wonderful propriety in the golden
altar, within the holy place, being smaller than the brazen altar.
May not the fact that it was but one cubit in length indicate to us
that Christ needs not to repeat His plea on our behalf--once is
sufficient, for the Father hears Him always (John 11:42). Though He
ever liveth, it is not said, "He ever intercedeth." The tense of the
verb (in the Greek) implies that Christ prayed but once for Peter in
Luke 22:32. The breadth being one cubit would point to the "one body"
as the extent of those for whom He now intercedes--"I pray not for the
world" (John 17:9)! The two cubits of its height would perhaps denote
that Christ presents to God both the praises of His saints which are
now in heaven as those yet on earth. Its being "foursquare" tells us
that the objects of His intercession are scattered abroad, reaching to
the four corners of the earth. Though we may forget to remember His
blood-brought ones in far distant places, He does not!
"Foursquare shall it be" (v. 2). In its application to Christ Himself
this tells us that His intercession embraces all His people,
"scattered abroad." In its application to us we find the New Testament
equivalent in 1 Timothy 2:1, "I exhort, therefore, that, first of all,
supplication, prayers, intercessions, giving of thanks, be made for
all men." In Ephesians 6:18 we are bidden to make supplication "for
all saints." How little of this there is today! How self-centered we
are, how narrow are our hearts! How little our "altar" answers to the
foursquaredness of the incense altar! May the Lord enlarge our hearts.
4. Its Ornamentation.
"And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the
sides thereof round about, and the horns thereof" (v. 3). The "horn"
is the symbol of power (Hab. 3:4), so that what we are shown here is
Christ's intercessory power with God. A more literal rendering of the
Hebrew would be, "Of itself shall be its horns:" all that Christ is in
His wondrous person gives Him power with God; blessedly is this seen
in John 17.
It will be noted that the number of its "horns" is not given. Many
conclude that it had one at each corner, as had the brazen altar
(38:2). As there is nothing in Scripture without spiritual
significance, even its very omissions manifesting its Divine
Authorship, we must inquire, Why has not the Holy Spirit told us there
were four "horns" here? The answer is not far to seek. Four is the
number of the earth, and the golden altar foreshadowed Christ's
priestly ministry in Heaven; thus we may see that the mention of the
"four horns" would have cast a blemish on the perfection of our type.
"And thou shalt make unto it a crown of gold round about" (v. 3).
Three of the seven pieces of the tabernacle's furniture had a "crown"
upon it. First, the ark of the covenant (25:11), in which were
preserved the two tables of stone. This was the crown of the law,
which Christ "magnified" and "made honorable" (Isa. 42:21). Second,
the table of shewbread (25:24). This was the crown of fellowship: the
Christian's highest honor and supremest privilege is to enjoy
communion with Him who has been crowned with glory. Or, if we look at
it from the dispensational viewpoint, the table with its twelve loaves
would speak of Israel in a coming day, restored and in fellowship with
Christ--this would be the crown of the kingdom. Here, in connection
with the golden altar, it is the crown of the priesthood, and reminds
us that Christ, our great High Priest, is seated upon "the Throne of
Grace!"
5. Its Rings and Staves.
"And two golden rings shalt thou make to it under the crown of it, by
the two corners thereof, upon the two sides of it shalt thou make it;
and they shall be for places for the staves to bear it withal. And
thou shalt make the staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold
(vv. 4, 5). Thus provision was made for the altar to be carried with
them as Israel journeyed from place to place--it was not stationary,
so that they had to make pilgrimages to it. Typically, this tells us
that God's pilgrims today, while they are here below, are enjoying the
blessings of Christ's priestly intercession on high. Two "rings" are
the number of witness, and speak of the Holy Spirit who is here to
"testify" of Christ (John 15:26); their being of "gold" announces that
He is a Divine person. The "staves" of wood, overlaid with gold,
intimate that it is the God-man whom the Spirit is here to glorify.
In its practical application to us, the lesson taught by the rings and
staves is both searching and blessed. It is only as we maintain our
pilgrim character, in separation from that religious world which
rejects Christ, that we can really appropriate and enjoy that which
the golden-altar prefigured. There is a striking passage in Hebrews 13
which speaks in the language of our present type: "Let us go forth
therefore unto Him without the camp (man's organized Christianity),
bearing His reproach. For here have we (in affections and aim) no
continuing city, but (as pilgrims journeying) we seek one to come. By
Him (the antitype of the altar) therefore let us offer the sacrifice
of praise (the burning of incense) to God continually, that is, fruit
of our lips giving thanks to His name" (vv. 13, 15).
6. Its Use.
"And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense" (v. 7). The altar was
used for one thing only. We gather from Leviticus 16:12, 13 and
Numbers 16:46 that the fire on which the incense was laid had been
taken from off the brazen-altar, where the sin-offering was consumed.
There was, therefore, a very intimate connection between the two
altars: the activities of the latter being based upon those of the
former; in other words, the incense was kindled upon that fire which
had first fed upon the sacrifice; thus identifying the priest's
service at both altars. This, in figure, tells us that our great High
Priest pleads for no blessings which His blood has not purchased, and
asks pardon from Divine justice for no sins for which He has not
atoned. The measure of the blessings for which He pleads is God's
estimate of the life which He gave. Note how in John 17, before He
presents a single petition concerning His people, that Christ said, "I
have glorified Thee on the earth; I have finished the work which Thou
gavest Me to do" (v. 4). That was the foundation on which all His
pleas were based and urged.
There are other scriptures where the two altars are linked together.
As another has said, "Fittingly therefore does the Psalmist in
speaking of the house for the lonely sparrow and a nest for the
restless swallow, refer to these two altars. `Yea, the sparrow hath
found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay
her young, even Thine altars O Lord of Hosts, my King and my God' (Ps.
84:3). Both altars are thus connected together and form the solid and
abiding rest for the poor and needy soul. "Thus too, when Isaiah saw
the glory of the Lord in the temple, and the adoring seraphim with
veiled faces celebrating the majesty of the thrice holy triune God, he
was overwhelmed with the sense of his own and Israel's uncleanness,
until one of those burning ones (suggesting, perhaps, the fire of God
as seen in His executors of judgment) flew with a live coal which he
had taken from. off the altar, and touched his lips, saying, `Lo, this
hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin
purged' (Isa. 6:7). The coal of Divine holiness had already consumed
the sacrifice and was also consuming the sweet incense. Thus
symbolically the prophet's lips were cleansed according to God's
estimate of the value of the sacrifice and person of our Lord" (Mr.
Ridout).
A most solemn contrast from this is presented in the opening verses of
Leviticus 10. There we are told, "And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of
Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put
incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He
commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and
devoured them, and they died before the Lord" (vv. 1, 2), These sons
of Aaron were consumed by Divine judgment because they "offered
strange fire before the Lord," that is, the incense in their censers
was not burned on fire taken from off the brazen altar, but was of
their own kindling. They had departed from the plain word of Jehovah,
who had already instructed them as to the mode of their worship. God
was very jealous of His types (compare 2 Kings 5:26, 27). By their
actions Nadab and Abihu were signifying that worship may be offered to
God on another foundation than acceptance through a crucified Christ;
and for this He slew them.
The incense was to be kept sacredly for tabernacle service and he who
manufactured any for his personal or family use had to pay the
death-penalty for his presumption (30:28). None but the priests of the
seed of Aaron were allowed to handle it. When king Uzziah attempted to
usurp the priest's office and daringly challenged the holy God by
presuming to burn incense before Him, his impiety was severely
punished--see 2 Chronicles 26:16-21. Even royalty must bow in
abasement before Jehovah!
The composition and preparation of the sacred incense are specified in
Exodus 30:34, 35. Upon the nature, costliness, and distinctive typical
import of the respective spices we cannot here comment. That which we
would specially notice is the three things which are said about the
incense as a whole. First, it was, "sweet" (v. 7). Exceedingly
fragrant must have been its odor, telling of the acceptability and
preciousness of Christ's intercessions and praises before God. Second,
it was "pure" (v. 35): unlike ours, nothing whatever of the flesh
enters into the priestly ministrations of the Redeemer. Third, it was
"most holy" (v. 36): Christ's exercises within the heavenly sanctuary
are in all the excellences of His peerless person. "Of each shall
there be a like weight" (v. 34) should also be observed: no one grace
or attribute predominates in the Lord Jesus, there is a perfect
balance between all.
It is striking to see how the lighting of the lamps is here linked
with the golden altar: "And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense
every morning: when he dresseth the lamps, he shall burn incense upon
it. And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at even, he shall burn incense
upon it" (vv. 7, 8). The maintenance of the light was inseparably
associated with the service of the altar. Typically, this tells us
that the gift and ministry of the Holy Spirit (as the Spirit of
Christ, Romans 8:9) is the consequence of the Savior's
intercession--cf. John 14:16. In its practical application to
believers we may see here a setting forth of the fact that, every
fresh kindling or exercise of the Spirit in our hearts, results in new
outbursts of praise unto God: our worship is ever in proportion to the
manifestation of the Spirit's power.
"He shall burn incense upon it, a perpetual incense before the Lord
throughout your generations" (v. 8). This is very blessed. The fire
upon the altar was always burning and the fragrance from the sweet
incense was continually rising. So Christ is ever before God, in all
the merits of His person and value of His work, on His people's
behalf. One third of our lives is spent in sleep; but He never
slumbers: "He ever liveth to make intercession for us," and because of
this He is "able to save unto the uttermost (to the end of their
wilderness journey) them that come unto God by Him" (Heb. 7:25). Thus
the golden-altar is a pledge of our eternal security.
"Ye shall offer no strange incense thereon, nor burnt-sacrifice, nor
meat-offering; neither shall ye pour drink-offering thereon" (v. 9).
For the Levites to offer these upon this altar would be to confound it
with the brazen-altar. The same sad mistake is made now when
Christians gathered together for worship take their place at the
cross, instead of within the rent veil. Instead of being occupied with
our sins and Christ's sacrifice for them, we should be contemplating
the Lord Jesus Himself as He appears in the presence of God for us;
nothing short of this will enable us to occupy our true priestly
position and exercise our joyous priestly functions.
"And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of it once in a year
with the blood of the sin-offering of atonement: once in the year
shall he make atonement upon it" (v. 10). This is most blessed. The
congregation of Israel could approach unto God only at the
brazen-altar; but Aaron and his sons (figure of Christ and His
heavenly people) came to the golden-altar, in the holy place. How this
tells us that a position has been secured for us within the heavenly
sanctuary in all the value of the sin-offering! This interpretation is
confirmed by the fact that there is no mention of the golden-altar in
Ezekiel's temple, which typifies Israel's millennial relations to God!
But we also need to ponder this tenth verse from the practical
viewpoint. Looked at thus its teaching is. parallel with that word in
Exodus 28:38, "That Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things,"
cf. Leviticus 5:15. Our prayers are so faulty, our praises so feeble,
our worship so far below the level of what it ought to be, that even
our "holy things" needed to be cleansed by the blood of atonement. How
humbling this is!
7. Its Coverings.
"And upon the golden altar they shall spread a cloth of blue, and
cover it with a covering of badgers' skins, and shall put to the
staves thereof" (Num. 4:11). How this confirms, what has been said
above. The golden-altar being wrapped in a "blue" cloth speaks plainly
of the present heavenly ministry of Christ. But this was not made
known to the earthly people, as the outer covering of the badgers'
skins indicates. May the Lord add His blessing to this meditation.
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
54. The Atonement Money
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 30:11-15
The above versus present to us that which it is by no means easy to
understand at first glance, and up to the point where God grants light
upon them the more they are studied the more will the force of their
difficulties be felt. That which is central in our present portion is
Jehovah commanding His people to give "every man a ransom." This
ransom was a monetary one, a half shekel of silver, and it was in
order "to make an atonement for their souls." But this seems so
utterly foreign to the general tone and tenor of Scripture that many
have been sorely puzzled by it. How is our present passage to be
harmonized with the words of Isaiah 55:1, "without money and without
price?" How may we interpret it so as not to clash with 1 Peter 1:18
"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible
things as silver and gold?"
Nor is the presenting of money by the Israelites as a "ransom" and for
"an atonement'' the only difficulty here. The position occupied by our
present passage seems a strange one. Israel were already a "redeemed"
people. Had they not sung at the Red Sea, "Thou in Thy mercy hast led
forth the people which Thou hast redeemed" (15:13)! Why, then, was a
"ransom" price necessary now? Then, too, why introduce this strange
ordinance between descriptions of the golden-altar and the laver; what
possible connection was there between the three things? Surely our
passage calls for prayer as well as study! May the God of all grace
open now our eyes that we may be enabled to behold wondrous things out
of His law.
In taking up our passage the first thing we must do is to ponder it in
the light of its wider context; that is to say, consider carefully the
particular book in which it is found. This is ever essential if we are
rightly to ascertain the scope of any passage. Each book of Scripture
has a prominent and dominant theme which, as such, is peculiar to
itself, around which all its contents are made to center, and of which
all its details are but the amplification. As stated in our opening
article upon Exodus, this book, viewed doctrinally, treats of
redemption; that is its principal subject, its dominant theme.
This important and blessed truth of redemption is illustrated in
Exodus by God's dealings with the children of Israel. First, we are
shown their need of redemption--a people in captivity groaning in
bitter bondage. Second, we behold the might and holiness of the
Redeemer Himself--displayed in His plagues upon Egypt. Third, we see
the character of redemption--purchased by blood, emancipated by power.
Fourth, we learn the duty of the redeemed--obedience to the Lord.
Finally, we have set before us the privileges of the
redeemed--worshipping God in His holy habitation. Thus, we are enabled
to see at the outset, that our present passage has to do with the
people of God entering into the privileges of redemption. Bearing this
in mind, let us now attend to the details of our passage.
"When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their
number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the
Lord, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them,
when thou numberest them" (v. 12). Observe the two words placed in
italics. Whenever the Holy Spirit supplies a time-mark like this, it
should be carefully pondered: often it supplies a valuable key to a
passage--cf. Matthew 13:1; 25:1, etc.; such as the case here. The
giving of this ransom-money was connected with the "numbering" of
Israel: observe that a reference to this fact is made no less than
five times in vv. 12-14. Here, then, is the next thing to be weighed
as we seek to ascertain the spiritual meaning of this ordinance. What,
then, are the thoughts connected with "numbering" in Scripture?
That this is no unimportant question is at once evidenced by the fact
that the fourth book of the Old Testament is designated "Numbers:" its
title being taken from the numberings of the children of Israel for
war, for ministry, and for their inheritance in Canaan. Thus, a just
apprehension of Jehovah's design in these numberings is essential to a
spiritual understanding of the act. Now the most obvious thing
suggested by "numbering" is ownership. Take one or two simple examples
which illustrate this. It is natural for me to number the books in my
own library; but I would never think of doing so with my neighbor's. A
farmer numbers the sheep of his own flock, but not those belonging to
another. Property in, and consequent right over are the thoughts
connected with "numbering." So it is in the Scriptures: when God
numbers or orders anything to be numbered, taking the sum of them
denotes that they belong to Him, and that He has the sovereign right
to do with them as He pleases. The action itself says of the things
numbered, "These are Mine, and I assign them their place as I will."
If the following passages be pondered it will be found that they
confirm our definition.
"Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things,
that bringeth out their hosts by number, He calleth them all by names
by the greatness of His might, for that He is strong in power; not one
faileth" (Isa. 40:26). The reference here is to the heavenly bodies.
God's ownership and sovereign disposings of them. So again in Psalm
147:4 we read. "He telleth the number of the stars; He calleth them
all by their names."
Let us take now another kind of example: "Therefore will I number you
to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter" (Isa.
65:12). This passage does not, indeed, assert God's property in His
enemies, but the expression "number you to the sword" asserts His
power to dispose of them; and the other is clearly implied. The Lord
"numbers" to the sword because He has "made all things for Himself:
yea, even the wicked for the day of evil" (Prov. 16:4). A similar
instance is found in the sentence pronounced on Belshazzar: "MENE, God
hath numbered thy kingdom and finished it" (Dan. 5:26). This may
suffice to show the meaning of the Divine sum-takings. They assert
God's property rights and His power to do what He will with His own.
In the numberings of Israel it was God dealing with the people whom He
had redeemed for Himself, appropriating what was His, and assigning to
each and all their place before Him. This is what is made so prominent
in the book of Numbers--Israel were Jehovah's soldiers and servants,
and He distributed each as He pleased. As men of war belonging to the
Lord, engaged in a warfare by which His name was to be glorified, it
was for Him to muster the army for Himself:
"The Lord is a Man of war: the Lord is His name" (Ex. 15:3). "The Lord
strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle" (Ps. 24:8). All the
hosts of heaven are His, and all the armies of the earth; therefore it
is His prerogative to number them. How jealously the Lord guards this
prerogative may be seen, with terrific force, in the history of David.
He had been entrusted with the leading forth of the armies of the
living God, and so long as he occupied his place before the hosts it
was well; but at length David forgot God's glory, and sought his own.
"And Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to number
Israel. And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go,
number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them
to me, that I may know it. And Joab answered, The Lord make His people
an hundred times so many more as they be; but my lord the king, are
they not all my lord's servants? why then doth my lord require this
thing? why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel? Nevertheless, the
king's word prevailed against Joab... and God was displeased with this
thing; wherefore He smote Israel. And David said unto God, I have
sinned greatly, because I have done this thing: but now, I beseech
Thee, do away the iniquity of Thy servant; for I have done very
foolishly" (1 Chron. 21:1-4, 7, 8).
It may be asked, What harm was there in thus numbering the people? Is
not a census valuable? Yes, for men warring after the flesh and
walking according to worldly principles; but even Joab, a man of
iniquity, knew so well what the numbering of the army of the living
God signified, that he protested against the act, as one flagrantly
trenching upon the rights and glory of the Lord, that judgment was
sure to follow; as it did. God will not give His glory to another.
Alas, David forgot this, and brought evil upon Israel. There is only
one King, the Captain of our salvation, who, being entrusted with the
ordering of God's people, never forgets the Father's glory. And this
is what is before us in our present type, as God said to Moses, "When
thou takest the sum of the children of Israel:" it was only the
typical mediator who could take the sum of God's people!
Above, we have pointed out how that the numberings of Israel recorded
in the fourth book of Scripture set forth God's appropriation and
ordering of a people whom He had redeemed for and unto Himself. It is
this which supplies the key to our present portion. Appropriately is
this first reference to the "numbering" of Israel found in that book
which, doctrinally, treats of redemption; and significantly is it said
at the beginning of the passage, "when thou takest the sum of the
children of Israel after their number, they shall give every man a
ransom for his soul" (v. 12). Thus, as usual, the key is hung right on
the door for us! That which is central in this ordinance of the
atonement-money is, that God appropriates His elect unto Himself only
as a ransomed people. A clear proof of this has already been before us
in Exodus 12 and 13, where we saw the "firstborn" secured by Him
because ransomed to Him.
In Exodus 12 and 13 the "firstborn" were ransomed and secured by
blood-shedding; here in Exodus 30 the children of Israel are owned as
Jehovah's ("numbered") by "silver." The change of figure should
occasion no difficulty. Twice in our passage is the money specifically
termed "an offering unto the Lord." As was pointed out when commenting
upon the silver sockets under the boards of the tabernacle's framework
(26:19), the blood of the sacrifices more nearly exhibited the mode by
which actual atonement was to be made for sin, but the
"atonement-money" fitly proclaimed the preciousness of that by which
sinners should be redeemed. Further confirmation of this is found in
Numbers 31:49-54, where we learn that the officers of Israel's hosts
brought an offering of gold "to make an atonement." That our present
passage does not stand alone may be seen by a reference to Numbers
3:46-51; 18:15, 16, etc.
We learn best the meaning of our type by observing how the Holy Spirit
sets it aside once the antitype has come in. Just as we see most
clearly the typical meaning of the blood of bulls and goats when, in
the presence of the "one sacrifice for sins" God declares it is not
possible "that these should take away sins" (Heb. 10:4); so we get
hold of the design of the atonement-silver and the atonement-gold (cf.
Num. 31:49-54 where the term "gold" is found four times) when,
beholding Him in whom is treasured up all redemption's wealth we are
told, "Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and
gold, from your vain conversation . . . but with the precious blood of
Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." Thus, the
"precious blood" (an expression found nowhere else) in this
connection, tells us that the "ransom" money prefigured the costliness
of Christ's sacrifice, as the "blood" did the character of it.
Does not this satisfactorily dispose of the first difficulty in our
passage to which we called attention at the beginning of this article?
True, the Israelite was required to give a monetary ransom for his
soul, but this no more signified that salvation might be secured by
the sinner's own efforts than did the furnishing of a bullock or lamb
imply that the offerer was thereby purchasing God's favor. Instead, it
was the Lord teaching His people, in type and figure, of Him who alone
could make an atonement for sin, namely Christ: the slaying of the
offerer's sacrifice telling of the shedding of His blood, the bringing
of the silver or gold speaking of the preciousness of that blood. That
each was furnished by the Israelite himself only emphasized the truth
that the sinner must, by faith, personally appropriate the Lord Jesus,
and place Him between his sins and a holy God.
Let us notice next the amount required from each Israelite: "This they
shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half
a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty
gerahs): an half shekel shall be the offering of the Lord" (v. 13).
Thus we learn that the "ransom" stipulated consisted of half a shekel
or ten gerahs. This detail in our type is not without its
significance, rather does it throw light upon it as a whole.
Ten, as we have shown in previous articles, is the number of human
responsibility, and here we see the "ransom" fully meeting this
responsibility. Less than ten gerahs would not avail before God--note
how the woman in Luke 15:8 was not satisfied with only nine pieces of
silver! The sinner imagines that if he discharges his duties toward
his fellow-man, that is all which can fairly be required of him; God
and His claims are left entirely out of his calculations. But the Ten
Commandments begin with man's relations with and responsibility to the
Lord God. But where is the one who ever loved the Lord his God with
all his heart, or even his neighbor as himself? Ah, there is only one,
the Lord Jesus Christ. He it was who presented to God the required
ransom: "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made
a curse for us" (Gal. 3:13). He was also "made under the law, to
redeem them that are under the law" (Gal. 4:4, 5). Though we could not
pay the ten gerahs of our responsibility, Christ has paid in full for
us: He kept the law perfectly, in thought and word and deed, and also
suffered its penalty on our behalf; thus has He provided the perfect
ransom.
"Half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary" (v. 13). This is a
most important detail. It was by the standard "shekel," which was kept
there in the sanctuary that all others were tested: each must be full
up to the required weight. So it was with the antitype. The true
Atonement has been weighed in the balances of the heavenly sanctuary
and found of full value before the throne of God. The Father's
acceptance of our Savior's ransom was convincingly demonstrated when
He raised Him from the dead, and afterwards exalted Him to His own
right hand. Christ has fully discharged the whole of His people's
debt, completely satisfied every demand of Divine holiness, and
provided a sure and eternal standing-ground for us before God.
"Every one that passeth among, them that are numbered, from twenty
years old and above, shall give an offering unto the Lord. The rich
shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a
shekel, when they give an offering unto the Lord, to make an atonement
for your souls" (vv. 14, 15). This is very striking.
"All were to pay alike. In the matter of atonement, all must stand on
one common platform. There may be a vast difference in knowledge, in
experience, in capacity, in attainment, in zeal, in devotedness, but
the ground of atonement is alike to all. The great apostle of the
Gentiles and the feeblest lamb in all the flock of Christ stand on the
same level as regards atonement. This is a very simple and a very
blessed truth. All may not be alike devoted and fruitful, but `the
precious blood of Christ,' and not devotedness or fruitfulness, is the
solid and everlasting ground of the believer's rest. The more we enter
into the truth and power of this the more fruitful shaft we be"
(C.H.M.).
"And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel,
and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the
congregation" (v. 16). The "appointment" of this atonement-money is
mentioned in Exodus 38:25-28: it furnished the foundation for the
Tabernacle! The use to which this ransom money was put supplies
additional confirmation of our interpretation of the type. The House
of God rested upon the "silver sockets." Thus, the foundation of God's
people being around Himself is redemption. That the silver from which
these "sockets" was made was given by Israel at the time of heir
"numbering," was God, in figure, propitiating His elect unto Himself
as a ransomed people.
If we be not ransomed, we are not His. If we are not before Him, in
the value of the blood of Christ, we are not numbered to Him as the
lot of His inheritance. "The necessity for that is strongly emphasized
in that no man could be considered as His at all apart from the
redemption money paid for each one. No exemption was made, and no
excuse could be pleaded. The rich was not permitted to pay more, nor
the poor less than the half shekel. A shekel is said to be equivalent
to thirty pence or sixty-two cents. A half shekel each man had to pay
alike. God is no respector of persons and redemption views all men on
the same level before God. The rich might think it but a trifle, but
it could not be neglected; and none were so poor as to be unable to
give it. The prominent thought is the availability of the
ransom-price, so as to leave each one without excuse: If God is to
have a ransomed people among whom He will dwell, it must be according
to His, not their, thoughts.
"The price is to be half a shekel, or ten gerahs, according to the
shekel of the sanctuary--the Divine estimation. Man might conceive
that something else would be more suited for his redemption--this own
works, his feelings, his worthiness, or his faithfulness. But God's
holiness and righteousness would not permit poor man to be so
deceived. The foundation must be according to God's estimation, the
shekel must be according to the balances of the sanctuary" (Mr.
Ridout).
"And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel,
and shall appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the
congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel
before the Lord, to make an atonement for your souls" (v. 16). The
mention here of the "memorial" is most blessed. A lasting testimony
was before God that atonement had been made for the souls of His
people. They might but feebly enter into the blessedness of
redemption, but the "memorial" of it was ever before Jehovah. The
anti-type of this is brought before us at length in the Epistle to the
Hebrews--Christ now at the right hand of God, there as the
Representative of His people.
There is a practical application to be made of our type to Christians
today. We are under deep and lasting obligations to own the
redemption-rights of Christ. God ransomed Israel to Himself in Egypt,
but after they had been brought on to redemption-ground, they were
required to acknowledge the responsibility this entailed, by bringing
their ten gerahs of silver. So often we dwell upon what Christ's
ransom has freed us from; so little are we occupied with what His
ransom has freed us for. By ransoming us Christ has acquired rights
over us, and He is entitled to our recognition of this in a practical
way. Our lives should ever evidence the fact that we are not our own.
If they do not, we shall suffer from a "plague" (v. 12)--Divine
righteousness will chasten us.
It only remains for us now to point out that the order of these types
is Divinely perfect. In Exodus 28 and 29 we have seen the
establishment of the priesthood, and inconsequence, God dwelling in
Israel's midst. Then we have had their worship, ascending to Him as a
sweet savor (30:1-10). Now we are shown how the people themselves were
identified with the holy service of the tabernacle through redemption.
A lasting "memorial" of it remained before Jehovah: a permanent
standing-ground was provided before Him in that which, in figure,
spoke of the preciousness of the Lamb's atonement. O that we may be
increasingly occupied with Him, and our responsibility to glorify Him
in our spirits and bodies which are His by purchase right.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
55. The Laver
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 30:17-21
We are now to consider the seventh of the Tabernacle's holy vessels.
Though given last in the Divine description of its various pieces of
furniture, the Laver was really the second which met the priest in his
way into the sacred building. It stood in the outer court, between the
brazen-altar and the curtained wall which marked off the holy place.
Though closely related to the brazen-altar, everything connected with
the Laver was in striking contrast therefrom. The former was made of
wood and brass; the latter of brass only. The one was square in shape;
the other, most probably, was round. The dimensions of the altar are
fully particularized; but no measurements are given in connection with
the Laver. The former had rings and staves for carrying it; the latter
had not. Instructions were given that the one should be covered when
Israel journeyed from camp to camp; but nothing is said of this about
the other. The altar was for fire; the Laver for water. The former
received the sacrifices of all alike; the latter was for the priests
alone. Thus everything about them was sharply distinguished.
That which is most prominent in connection with the Laver was its
water for cleansing. "The figure of water is universally familiar, and
represents one of the most important and necessary elements in the
physical universe. We find it in the vast ocean, comprising by far the
largest part of the earth's surface; and in our inland lakes and
rivers, which form such exquisite networks both of beauty and
convenience and of commercial value. We find it in the vapor of the
skies; and the dews that gather about the vegetable creation, and
preserve it from withering through the torrid summer. We find it
forming the largest proportion of our own bodies. It is a figure of
purity and refreshing; of quickening life and power; of vastness and
abundance. Without it, life could not be for a single month
maintained. And so we find it in the Bible as one of the most
important symbols of spiritual things" (Dr. A. B. Simpson).
Even in Eden we find mention of a river "to water the garden" (Gen.
2:10), type of that river "the streams whereof shall make glad the
city of God" (Ps. 46:4). This river went out from Eden to water the
earth, being parted into four heads: figure of the temporal mercies of
God flowing forth to all His creatures. Next, we read of the fearful
waters of the Flood, being the instrument of God's unsparing judgment
upon sin--compare the destruction of Pharaoh and his hosts by the same
element: Exodus 14:1. Then we find it as preserving the life of Hagar
and her son (Gen. 16:7, 21:19). Later, we find Jehovah furnishing
water from the smitten rock for the refreshment of His people in the
wilderness. Water has quite a prominent place in the ministries of
Elijah and Elisha. It brought healing to Naaman (2 Kings 5), and saved
Jehoshaphat's army from destruction (2 Kings 2).
So in the New Testament "water" is found in widely different
connections. It is the element in which the believer is figuratively
buried. It is found in connection with Christ's first miracle. From
the pierced side of the Savior there flowed "blood and water."
Finally, in the last chapter of Holy Writ, we read of "a pure river of
water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God
and of the Lamb" (v. 1). Thus, the contents of the Laver bring before
us one of the most far-reaching and many-sided figures of Scripture.
The typical teaching of the Laver is rarely apprehended even among
Christians, and their failure at this point has brought an much that
is dishonoring to the Lord Jesus. Cleansing by blood and washing with
water are sharply distinguished in the Old Testament types, but they
are sadly confused in the thoughts of most churchgoers today. The
sermons they hear, the hymns they sing, the prayers they utter, both
express and add to the awful and Christ-dishonoring disorder of these
last days. The thorough and prayerful study of the Tabernacle and all
connected with it, would correct much which is now regarded as
Scriptural, even in orthodox circles. But we will not anticipate. Let
us now consider:
1. Its Signification.
This we may learn at once from the use to which it was put: "For Aaron
and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat" (v. 19).
Thus we see at a glance it was designed for priestly purification. At
the brazen-altar sins were dealt with and put away. At the
golden-altar that which spoke of worship was presented to God. Midway
between the two stood the Laver: at it the priests were required to
wash their hands and feet, for communion with God necessitates, not
only acceptance but purification--a practical answering thereto.
There is therefore no difficulty at all in perceiving the spiritual
meaning of the holy vessel which is now before us: happily the
commentators are almost unanimous in their interpretation of this
type. The Laver tells of the need of cleansing if communion with God
is to be maintained: cleansing not from the guilt of sin, but from the
defilements of the way. As already said, the question of sin was dealt
with at the brazen-altar: that must be settled before there can be any
approach unto God. Hence the brazen-altar was the first holy vessel to
be met with in the outer court, being stationed just within the
entrance. But having there slain the sacrifice and poured out its
blood at the foot of the altar, the sons of Aaron were now able to
advance; but ere they were ready to burn incense upon the golden-altar
they must wash at the Laver. The need for this will be easily
discerned.
Having officiated at the brazen-altar their hands would be unclean,
smeared with blood. Moreover, as no shoes were provided for Aaron and
his sons, the dust of the desert would soil their feet. These must be
removed ere they could pass into the holy place; as it is said
concerning the eternal Dwelling place of God, "And there shall in no
wise enter into it anything that defileth" (Rev. 21:27). The spiritual
application of this to Christians today is obvious. The blood on the
hands of Aaron and his sons evidenced that they had come into contact
with death. So we, in our everyday lives, constantly have dealings
with those who are dead in trespasses and sins, and their very
influence defiles us. In like manner, our passage through this
wilderness world, which lieth in the Wicked one (1 John 5:19), fouls
our walk. There is therefore a daily need for these to be removed.
It is to be carefully noted that it was in their official character as
priests, not merely as Israelites, that Aaron and his sons were
required to wash their hands and feet at the Laver. Had they failed in
this duty, they had still been Israelites, but they were disqualified
for entering into the holy place and ministering before God. How clear
and blessed is the typical teaching of this. The soiling of our hands
and feet through association with the unregenerate, and in consequence
sojourning in a world which knows not and loves not Christ, does not
in any wise affect our perfect standing before God: "For by one
offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified" (Heb.
10:14). But though the defilements of the way do not affect our
standing, they do interfere with our communion with God. We cannot
enter into our priestly privileges (1 Pet. 2:5), nor discharge our
priestly duties (Heb. 13:15), till we have been cleansed at the Laver.
The Laver, like everything else in the Tabernacle, pointed to the Lord
Jesus Christ, and tells of His sufficiency to meet our every need. It
shows us that we must have recourse to Him for daily cleansing. This
leads us to consider:
2. Its Contents.
"And thou shalt put water therein, for Aaron and his sons shall wash
their hands and feet thereat: when they go into the tabernacle of the
congregation, they shall wash with water" (vv. 18-20). Water and not
blood was the element appointed and used for the purification of the
priests. As that aspect of God's truth set forth in this detail of our
type has largely been lost by the saints, we must examine it with
doubly close attention.
In our present type the water within the Laver was plainly a figure of
the written Word of God. This same figure is employed in the following
passages: "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking
heed thereto according to Thy Word" (Ps. 119:9). "Except a man be born
of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God"
(John 3:5).
"Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you" (John
15:3). "Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it, that He
might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word"
(Eph. 5:25, 26). "According to His mercy He saved us, by the washing
of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5). "Let us
draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our
hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with
pure water" (Heb. 10:22). "Seeing ye have purified your souls in
obeying the truth through the Spirit" (1 Pet. 1:22). Now, it is of
first importance that we should discriminate between two distinct
types. In Exodus 29:4 we are told, "And Aaron and his sons thou shalt
bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and thou
shalt wash them with water." While in Exodus 30:19 we read, "Aaron and
his sons shall wash their hands and feet thereat." The former was done
for them; the latter was done by them. In the one they were completely
washed all over; in the latter, it was only their hands and feet that
were concerned. The former was never repeated; the latter was needed
every time they would draw near the golden-altar. The one was a figure
of regeneration, the other typified the Christian's need of daily
cleansing. John 3:5; Titus 3:5; Hebrews 10:22 give us the antitype of
Exodus 29:4; Psalm 119:9, 1 Peter 1:22 speaks in the language of our
present type.
The same distinction noted above is to be observed in the words of
Christ to Peter: "He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet,
but is clean every whir" (John 13:10). The R.V. brings out the meaning
of the Greek more accurately: "For he that is bathed needeth not save
to wash his feet." The washing or bathing received at regeneration
needs not to be repeated; the washing of the feet is all that is
required to make us "clean every whit." The defilements of the way do
not raise any need for me to be regenerated again: the new birth is
once and for all. Nothing can affect it; nothing I do can cause me to
become unborn; such a thing is impossible, both in the natural and
spiritual realms.
But side by side with this blessed truth of a washing once for all,
which needs not to be, and which, indeed, cannot be repeated, stands
another truth of great practical importance. "He that is bathed
needeth not save to wash his feet." This is what is so blessedly
brought before us in John 13. The particular point there which we
would now note is the Lord's words to Peter, when that disciple
demurred at the thought of Christ washing his feet. To him the Savior
said, "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with Me" (v. 8). Observe
that Christ did not say in Me," but "with Me." "In Christ" refers to
my spiritual state and standing before God; my acceptance. "With
Christ" has to do with fellowship; communion with Him. For this there
must be a removal of all that defiles, all that offends His holy eye.
For this there must be a coming to Him and a placing of our feet in
His hands--an humbling of ourselves before Him and an asking of Him to
cleanse our walk. Thus the Laver points to Christ as the Cleanser of
His people; its water to the Word which He uses for this.
3. Its Position.
"And thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and
the altar" (v. 18). As already stated, the Laver stood midway between
the two altars. The priest's work at the brazen-altar was completed
before he passed on to the Laver. This tells us that the question of
our acceptance before God is not raised at the Laver. The
interpretation and application of this detail is most important. That
which the sons of Aaron needed for the removal of the dust of the
desert was not blood, but water. So when the believer contracts
defilement by treading the path of life through this world, it is not
a fresh application of the blood of Christ which he needs, but the
water of the Word.
Those Christians who speak and sing of re-applications of the blood of
Christ unwittingly degrade His perfect sacrifice to the level of those
offered under the Mosaic economy. Every time an Israelite transgressed
God's righteous law, a fresh sin-offering was required. Why? Because
the blood of bulls and goats could not take away sins (Heb. 10:4). But
in contradistinction from those sacrifices. Christ has offered a
perfect sacrifice for His people once for all (Heb. 9:26, 28). The
blood He shed at Calvary has made full atonement; every claim of God's
justice was there met, every demand of His holiness there fully
satisfied. There is therefore now no need for any fresh sacrifice. The
moment the convicted sinner has "faith in His blood" (Rom. 3:25),
i.e., puts his trust in the redemptive-work of Christ as the alone
ground of his acceptance before God, that moment is he cleansed "from
all sin" (1 John 1:7). To him the Spirit saith, "There is therefore
now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1). In
simple confidence he may now rest on the Divine declaration that "by
one offering lie hath perfected forever them that are sanctified"
(Heb. 10:14).
True, an evil heart of unbelief still remains within him; true, "in
many things we all offend" (James 3:2); but neither the presence of
the old nature, nor its evil fruits, can invalidate our perfect
standing before God, which rests upon our acceptance in Christ. We are
"complete in Him" (Col. 2:10). He has already "made us meet to be
partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light" (Col. 1:12). It
is the realization of this which establishes the heart. It is the
recognition of this which keeps us in unclouded peace. It is the
laying hold of this which fills us with thanksgiving and praise unto
God. To ask Him for a re-application of the blood is to repudiate the
fact that we stand "un-blameable and unreproveable in His sight" (Col.
1:22). Nay, what is worse, it is to deny the efficacy and sufficiency
of its once-and-for-all application to us.
What is needed by the exercised believer as he is conscious of the
blemishes of his service (the "hands") and the failures of his walk
(the "feet"), is to avail himself of that which the Laver and its
water pre-figured--the provision which God has made for us in His
Word. What is needed by us is a practical appropriation of that Word
to all the details of our daily lives. It is to seek grace and heed
that Word, "He that sayeth he abideth in Him ought himself also so to
walk, even as He walked" (1 John 2:6). It is only by obeying the
truth, through the Spirit, that we purify our souls (1 Pet. 1:22).
Christ could say, "By the Word of Thy lips I have kept Me from the
paths of the Destroyer" (Ps. 17:4); and such ought to be our
experience, too. When we fail, then we must act upon 1 John 1:9.
It is important to note that the Laver stood in the outer court and
not within the holy place, which was the chamber of worship. With this
should be linked the fact that this vessel was only for the use of
Aaron's sons. What is in view here is priestly activity, the removing
of that which would otherwise disqualify them for service at the
golden-altar. What an unspeakable insult unto Jehovah had they passed
into the holy place with soiled hands and feet! For them it would have
been fatal, as the twice repeated "that they die not" clearly denotes.
In like manner, we cannot enter into the worship of God's house if we
have not first washed at the Laver; the confessing of our sins and the
consequent practical cleansing should take place before--in the outer
court. Failure at this point is to, morally, bring in "death." "But
let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink
of that cup" (1 Cor. 11:28). This involves the taking account of our
hands and feet, and washing at the Laver before coming to the Lord's
table.
4. Its Composition.
"Thou shalt also make a Laver of brass" (v. 18). In the outer court
everything was made of brass (really "copper"), or covered with brass:
altar, laver, pillars, and pins. This was in sharp distinction from
the vessels which stood in the inner chamber, which were all of or
covered with gold. "It is Divine righteousness testing man in
responsibility, and consequently testing man in the place where he is.
Brass, on this account, is always found outside of the tabernacle;
while gold, which is Divine righteousness as suited to the nature of
God, is found within. But testing man, it of necessity condemns him,
because he is a sinner; and hence it will be found to have associated
with it a constant judicial aspect" (Ed. Dennett).
If the reader will refer back to Article 15 he will there find we
have, at some length, entered into the meaning of this symbol. Without
again bringing forward the proofs of our definition, we shall here
make only the bare statement that "brass" speaks of judgment. The
Laver, then, typifies Christ in His character of Judge. In John 5:22
we find Him saying, "The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all
judgment unto the Son"; and again, "and hath given Him authority to
execute judgment also, because He is the Son of man" (v. 27). Hence,
in Revelation 1, where One like unto "the Son of man" is seen in the
midst of the seven golden lamp-stands--judging--inspecting, passing
sentence--we are told that His feet were "like unto fine brass" (v.
19).
Thus the Laver of brass presents the inflexible righteousness of
Christ testing, judging His people, condemning that which mars their
communion with God. But how blessed to remember that He also supplies
that water which removes the very things which are condemned! "It is
not the execution of judgment upon our Substitute, nor is it the
infliction of judgment upon us; but it is the testing and trying of
our ways by the Son of God according to the authority given Him to
judge among His people, before He judges all the earth in a later day"
(Mr. Ridout).
5. Its Use.
Strictly speaking, it was not the Laver itself that was used, but the
water in it: "Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and feet
thereat," more literally, "from it." This, the sons of Aaron were to
do for themselves. It speaks, then, of believers, in their priestly
character, making practical application to all their ways of the Word
of Christ (Col. 3:16). The water in the brazen Laver points to the
believer judging himself, unsparingly, by that Word.
First of all, that Word should be used to prevent us falling into
evil. God's Word has been given to us for "a lamp unto our feet and a
light unto our path"; that is, to expose the snares of Satan and to
reveal the path in which we should walk. O that more and more we may
be able to say, "Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not
sin against Thee." Second, that Word is to be used in cleansing us
from all defilement. We can only heed that exhortation in 2
Corinthians 7:1--"Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the
flesh and spirit"--by diligently attending to and daily obeying the
precepts of Holy Writ. What a searching word is that in Revelation
22:14, "Blessed are they that wash (by the Word) their robes
(emblematic of our external deportment), that they might have the
right to the tree of life" (R.V.)!
Third, that Word is to be used for refreshment. Though we know of no
other commentator who has called attention to this, yet we believe it
is definitely taught in our present type. In Exodus 30:20 we are also
told that Aaron's sons were required to wash with water "when they
come near the altar to minister, to burn offering made by fire unto
the Lord." This was upon the brazen altar. It seems to us that the
thought here is not so much the removal of defilement, as it is that
of coming to the altar in vigor or freshness, as the priests brought
with them that which spoke of the highest aspect of Christ's work.
Water is used by us not only for cleansing, but to invigorate--nothing
is more refreshing to tired feet than to bathe them. Is not this
thought clearly seen in the first mention of the washing of feet in
Scripture? "Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your
feet and rest yourselves under the tree" (Gen. 18:4). Note how the two
angels refused to wash their feet in Lot's house (Gen. 19:2)--there
was no refreshment for them in Sodom! The application to us of this
detail in our type is plain: in order to minister before God as
priests, we must first receive refreshment from His Word. It is by
that alone we are "quickened"--revived and refreshed.
6. Its Manufacture.
It is striking to note the source from which the material for the
Laver was obtained. This we are not told in our present passage, but
have it made known in Exodus 38:8: "And he made the laver of brass,
and the foot of it of brass, of the looking-glasses of the women
assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation." These looking-glasses or mirrors were not like our
modern ones, of glass and quicksilver, but were of highly polished
brass or copper. Several lines of thought are pointed to by this
important devil.
First, we may admire the lovely product which the grace of God,
working in their hearts, brought forth. At the beginning, Jehovah bade
Moses, "Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring Me an
offering of every man ("whosoever" 35:5) that giveth it willingly with
his heart, ye shall take My offering" (25:8). Here we see the answer
of the hearts of the daughters of Israel: they "willingly offered what
might gratify vanity, to provide for that vessel of cleansing, that
Jehovah's service and worship might not be hindered" (Mr. Ridout). In
like manner, God's people today delight to give of their substance to
the furtherance of His work. But how often the sacrificial giving of
the sisters puts the brethren to shame!
Second, have we not here a beautiful foreshadowing of the Lord Jesus
setting aside that which ministered to His glory, in order that He
might provide cleansing for His people? He left the worship of angels
in Heaven, and came here, to the "outer court," in servant form. He
came not to be ministered unto, but to minister. It is exceedingly
striking to observe that in the Gospels, the only record we have of
any ministering to Him of their substance were devoted women (Luke
8:2, 3)! So, too, it was women, not the apostles (sad failure on their
part!), who washed His feet with tears, and also anointed Him.
Third, the practical application to ourselves is very searching. The
very material from which the Laver was made spoke of surrender, a
willingness to part with what was calculated to make something of
self; and this, in order that conditions of holy purity might be
maintained in the priests. Thus we, too, must sacrifice what would
minister to pride if we are to obtain that cleansing which fits for
communion with God!
Fourth, the uselessness of worldly expedients may be seen here--the
women had brought their mirrors from Egypt. "We are ever prone to be
`like a man beholding his natural face in a glass; for he beholdeth
himself and goeth away, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man
he was.' Nature's looking-glass can never furnish a clear and
permanent view of our true condition. `But whoso looketh into the
perfect law of liberty, and con-tinueth therein, he being not a
forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in
his deed' (James 1:23-25). The man who has constant recourse to the
Word of God, and who allows that Word to tell upon his heart and
conscience, will be maintained in the holy activities of the Divine
life" (C.H.M.).
7. Its Omissions.
These were two in number, and very noticeable they are. First, no
dimensions were prescribed for the Laver, nor are we told the quantity
of water which it contained. A similar omission was observed in
connection with the lampstand. The measurements of all the other
vessels are given. The absence of any here in connection with the
Laver and its water plainly denotes that an unlimited provision has
been made by God for our cleansing. In Christ and His Word is
sufficient to minister to our every need.
Second, no directions were given to Israel concerning the covering of
the Laver while they journeyed from camp to camp. In Numbers 4 we find
instructions for the protection of the ark, the table, the lamp-stand,
and both the altars; but nothing is said of the Laver. Does not the
absence of any covering to this vessel strikingly accord with its
typical character? Does it not tell us that the purifying Word is ever
available, and that we need to use it daily in all out wilderness
journeyings! Thus, we see again, that the omissions of Scripture
(which the carnal mind would regard as defects) are profoundly
significant.
We may also take note of the significant omission of further
references to the Laver in the Old Testament. Only once is it referred
to after the tabernacle was erected and furnished; and that is when it
was anointed (Lev. 8:11). Not until we reach the book of Kings do we
find that which took the place of the Laver in Solomon's temple,
namely, the "molten sea" (1 Kings 7:23, etc.). Does not thus omission
silently testify to Israel's departure from the Word throughout their
history! Probably the "Fountain" of Zechariah 13:1 gives us the
Millennial Laver.
That which in Heaven corresponds to the Laver is brought before us in
Revelation 15: 2, 3--cf. 1 Kings 7:23. Here the saints will no longer
need to wash, but they are eternally reminded of the source of their
purity. They are seen standing on a "sea" (Laver) of glass, "singing
unto the Lamb." Altar and Laver will never be forgotten. The altar
says, "without shedding of blood is no remission." The Laver announces
"without holiness no man shall see the Lord." Both are witnessed to on
High. As another has so beautifully said:
"Here we are permitted to look into the glory. There, in the heavenly
sanctuary, is the throne of God and of the Lamb, as the ark was in the
tabernacle. The hidden manna is there, answering to the table of
shewbread. The seven Spirits of God are before the throne, answering
to the candlestick; and the sea of glass, answering to that in
Solomon's temple. Notice it is not now the laver filled with water--no
need to remove defilement there; it is a sea of transparent glass,
reminding us of the laver which has accomplished its work here. When
all the redeemed of God are gathered there, the day of cleansing from
defilement is over, no more need to wash one another's feet; no more
need for the Lord's washing our feet, but there we stand with harps of
God in our hands, nothing to hinder praise and worship. But the sea of
glass, the witness and perpetual reminder of our cleansing, will flash
forth there a continual remembrance of our Lord's gracious and humble
service throughout our journey here" (Mr. Ridout).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
56. The Anointing Oil
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 30:22-33
Having completed His description of the Tabernacle and its furniture,
the Holy Spirit now makes mention of the holy anointing oil and the
fragrant incense, without which the sanctuary Moses was to erect for
Jehovah would have been unacceptable. As the "incense" has already
been considered in our study of the golden-altar, we shall dwell here
only on the "oil." This was composed of olive oil, into which were
compounded four principal spices. It was designed for the anointing of
the Tabernacle and its sacred vessels, and was also used at the
consecration of Aaron and his sons to their priestly office. Strict
instructions were given prohibiting any of the people from making any
like unto it, which emphasizes its uniqueness.
Like everything else connected with the service of Jehovah's house,
the holy anointing oil, with its fragrant ingredients, pointed forward
to the person of the Lord Jesus and the excellencies which are to be
found in Him, particularly, to those graces which the Holy Spirit
manifested through Him. Though there may be some difficulty in
determining the precise spiritual import of some of the details, yet
the main truth here foreshadowed is too plain to miss. May our eyes
now be "anointed" with spiritual "salve" (Rev. 3:18) that we may be
enabled to behold and enjoy wondrous things out of God's Law. Let us
consider:
1. Its Ingredients.
"Moreover the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take thou also unto thee
principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet
cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of
sweet calamus, two hundred and fifty shekels, and of cassia five
hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive
an hin: And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment
compounded after the art of the apothecary, it shall be an holy
anointing oil" (vv. 22-25).
Thus, the ingredients were four in number, blended together; their
fragrance being borne along in the power of the oil. Scholars tell us
that the Hebrew word for "spices" is from a root meaning to "smell
sweetly." Therefore, the basal thought in the ointment is its sweet
scent. "Principal spices" signifies those which exceeded others in
their rich odor, pre-eminent in their aroma. Surely it is evident that
they speak to us of Christ. Our minds at once turn to Psalm 45 where
God says to Him, "Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness;
therefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness
above Thy fellows. All Thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and
cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made Thee glad"
(vv. 7, 8).
"Myrrh" is the first ingredient mentioned. "This was the gum from a
dwarf tree of the terebinth family, growing in Arabia. The gum exudes
from the trunk either spontaneously or through incisions made for the
purpose. That prescribed for the ointment was `pure,' literally,
free'--the best, what had flowed spontaneously . . . It is fragrant to
the smell, but very bitter to the taste" (Mr. Ridout). To the
Scriptures we must turn to learn its typical significance.
It is striking to note that the word itself is found just fourteen
times therein, 2 x 7, or a witness unto perfection. Eight of the
references are in the Song of Solomon, which at once suggests that the
prominent thought emblemized by it is love. The keynote is struck in
its first occurrence: "A bundle of myrrh is my Well-beloved" (1:13).
Further proof that "myrrh" is an emblem of love is found in v. 13,
"His cheeks are a bed of spices, as sweet flowers; His lips lillies,
dropping sweet-smelling myrrh." Significant is the final reference,
found in connection with the death of Christ (John 19:39)--expressing
the love of His disciples for Him. Thus, love poured out in a bitter
but fragrant death is what was prefigured by the "myrrh." Beautifully
is this brought out in the following quotation:
"Flowing spontaneously from the tree, as well as through incisions,
would suggest on the one hand how willingly He offered all that He
was, even unto death, to God, and on the other the `piercing' to which
He was subjected by man, but which only brought out the same
fragrance. The bitterness of the myrrh suggests the reality of the
sufferings through which He went. It was not physical discomfort and
pain, nor even death, which gave intensity to His suffering, but the
`contradiction of sinners against Himself' (Heb. 12:3). His very
presence in a world where all was against God was bitter to Him. How
His perfect soul, enjoying fullest communion with His Father,
recognized what an evil and bitter thing it was for men to forsake the
Lord! Who could measure sin like the sinless One? He it was who
tasted, and drank to the dregs, the bitter cup of God's wrath against
sin.
"But all this bitter experience only furnished the occasion for the
manifestation not only of a devotedness to God which was perfectly
fragrant to Him, but of a love to His own which was as strong as
death. And what has been the measure of this love? The myrrh again,
from its association with death, may well tell us that it `passeth
knowledge' (Eph. 3:19). `The Son of God who loved me and gave Himself
for Me' (Gal. 2:20)--a measure which cannot be measured, freely
flowing from Him whose heart was pierced by and for our sins. Feeble
indeed is the estimate we put upon that love at best; but One
estimates it at its full value" (Mr. Ridout).
"Cinnamon." Remarkable indeed are the contrasts presented by the four
passages in which this word is found. Here in Exodus 30 it pointed to
the person of Christ. In Song of Solomon 4:14 it is used in the
Bridegroom's description of His bride--referring to that which grace
has imputed to her. In the third and fourth references this sweet
spice is seen connected with the harlot: Proverbs 7:17; Revelation
18:13. There, it is a hypocritical love for souls, used by the usurper
of Christ to attract the ungodly. Upon the "cinnamon" Mr. Ridout has
said:
"There seems to be no doubt that this spice is the same that is
familiar to us under the same name; it is the bark of a small
evergreen tree of the laurel family. Another tree of the same family
is the fragrant camphor. The odor of the cinnamon is sweet and its
taste agreeable; it is largely used for flavoring. A valuable
essential oil is extracted from the bark, having these properties in
an intensified form. It is obtained chiefly from Ceylon, and probably
brought from India in the times of the Exodus. The bark is obtained
from the young shoots. As a medicine, it is a stimulant and cordial.
"Seeking for light as to its spiritual significance from the etymology
of the word, we are met with uncertainty" (Mr. Ridout). But in a
footnote he tells us that, one writer has suggested "a possible
derivation from two well-known Hebrew words: Kinna, `jealousy' from
the root to glow or burn, or be zealous; and min, `form' or
`appearance.' The `appearance of jealousy.'" To which Mr. Ridout adds,
"We need not say, what burning zeal marked our Lord's entire
life--`the zeal of Thy house hath eaten Me up' (John 2:17). And this
was shown in the holy form of jealousy which would purge that house of
all the carnal traffic which had been introduced there. `Love is
strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave; the coals thereof are
the coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame' (Song 8:6). This
gives, at least, a beautiful and significant meaning, and accords with
the character of our Lord--a love which was zeal for God's glory and
for `the place where Thine honor dwelleth' (Ps. 26:8). In love for
that He would let His own temple, His holy body, be laid low in death.
Here was indeed a jealousy of a new form--jealousy for God alone,
without one element of selfishness in it. Cruel it was, only in the
sense of bearing cruelty rather than suffer one blot to rest upon
God's glory--it burned with `a most vehement flame.'" We believe that
this brings out the distinctive thought suggested by the "cinnamon."
"It is well, too, to recall the fact that this tree was an evergreen,
passing through no periods of inertness. So our Lord was ever the
unchanging devoted One, whose leaf did not wither in time of drought
or cold. In the midst of the and waste of unbelief--as at Chorazin and
Bethsaida and Capernaum--there were no marks of feebleness upon Him:
`I thank Thee, O Father,' was His language there as everywhere. Here,
too, is medicine, a spiritual tonic and cordial for the faint-hearted.
This love and devotedness of our Lord, which knew no change, is not
only a most powerful example, but in His grace that which cheers and
encourages the fainting of His beloved people" (Mr. Ridout).
"Sweet calamus" The Hebrew word means a "reed" or "cane," being
derived from a root-term meaning "to stand upright." Once more we
shall take extracts from Mr. Ridout's helpful remarks: "The `sweet' as
in the case of the cinnamon, tells of its fragrance, and this would
seem to give us the clue to the article intended. A `sweet cane' is
said to be found in Lebonan, in India and Arabia. It usually grows in
miry soil, from which it sends up the shoots from which its name is
derived. The fragrant cane of India is supposed to have been the
`spikenard' of Scripture. The fragrance was obtained by crushing the
plant.
"Its growth in the mire may remind us of One who in the mire of this
world grew up erect and fragrant for God. Man grows in the mire and
gravitates toward it--like the man with the much-rack, who was bowed
to earth and saw not the crown of glory offered to him. But our Lord
had His eyes and heart only on the heaven above. The mire of earth was
but the place where He has come for a special work. Men might grovel
in that mire, as, alas, we have! A Job finds that his
self-righteousness was covered with the mire of the ditch (Job 9:31).
But His surroundings were only the contrast to that erect and perfect
life which ever pointed heavenward. His treasure, His all, was with
the Father. And wherever He found a `bruised reed,' to lift it from
the mire and establish it erect was the purpose of His heart--`Neither
do I condemn thee' (John 8:11).
"This reed was crushed. Wicked men took Him, bound and bruised Him.
But what fragrance has filled heaven and earth through that bruising.
Again, the aromatic odor of the calamus reminds us that in our Lord
there was nothing negative or insipid. That weak word `amiable' is
unsuitable in connection with Him. Thus when the high priest commanded
that He be smitten, our Lord neither resents it nor cowers under it;
but with what holy dignity did He rebuke that unrighteousness, and
bear witness of His kingship before Pilate. A heavenly fragrance
pervaded the judgment-hall--the vital fragrance and energy of
Holiness, bearing witness to the truth (John 18:33-37)."
"Cassia." Gesenius tells us that the Hebrew name of this spice is
derived from a root signifying "to stoop" to "bow down," as in
worship. Thus, what was foreshadowed here was the perfect Man's
submission to and worship of God. In Luke 4:16 we read that, "As His
custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day." In the
Psalms we find many out-breathings of His worship. In the great
Temptation, He refused to fall down before the Devil, reminding him
that it was written, "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him
only shalt thou serve."
The only other passage in which "cassia" is mentioned is Ezekiel
27:19. There we learn that this was one of the articles in which
Tyre--the great merchant nation of the ancients--traded. Like Egypt,
Tyre stands for the world. Typically, this tells us that even the
world will traffic in the excellencies of Christ in order to further
its sordid ends. It is very striking to note that in the very next
chapter, Ezekiel 28:12-19, Satan is presented as the "king of Tyre."
Thus we are there shown that the arch-enemy of God ever seeks to rob
Christ, so far as he is permitted, of that worship which is His alone
due.
Summarizing the emblematic significations of these four principal
spices, we learn that, the "myrrh" pointed to the outpouring of
Christ's love in a bitter but fragrant death; the "cinnamon" to His
holy jealousy for the honor and glory of God; the "calamus" to His
uprightness and righteousness in a world of sin and wickedness; the
"cassia" to His submission to and worship of God.
2. Its Proportions.
These are given in vv. 23, 24: of the "myrrh" there was five hundred
shekels, of the "sweet cinnamon" and the "sweet calamus" two hundred
and fifty shekels, and of the "cassia" five hundred shekels. First of
all, we must note that there were four sweet spices mingled with the
oil, and that each of them was taken from plant life, which ever
speaks of man here on earth. Our minds turn instinctively to the four
Gospels, where the Divine record of Christ's earthly life is given.
Each of them reveals some special perfection of Christ, yet all are
perfectly blended together by the all-pervading "oil," the Holy
Spirit.
The quantities used of the spices were not of equal weight: of two
there were 500 shekels, of two but 250. Thus, we have here a
suggestion that there is some truth or aspect of Christ's perfections
common to the "myrrh" and "cassia," and some truth common to the
"cinnamon" and "calamus." The order in which they are given is 500,
250, 250, and 500 shekels. Comparing them thus with the Gospels, we
are hereby bidden to look for some definite link uniting Matthew and
John (the First and Fourth) and something shared in common by Mark and
Luke, the two middle Gospels. Let us now look, very briefly, first at
Matthew's and John's, and then at Mark's and Luke's.
The first and the fourth Gospels present the highest glories of
Christ, namely, His kingship and His Godhood, agreeing with the double
quantity of the first and fourth mentioned "spices." Moreover, the
distinctive character of each Gospel exactly corresponds with the
nature of the two spices. As already said, the "myrrh" symbolized a
bitter death, the death of Christ. It was this of which the Israelites
were reminded on the Passover-night: the "lamb" must be eaten with
"bitter herbs" (Ex. 12:8)! How remarkable then to find that Matthew,
and he alone, records the wise men presenting to the infant Savior
their gifts of "gold and frankincense and myrrh" (Matthew 2:11)! So,
it is in this first Gospel that the bitterness of Messiah's experience
in being despised and rejected by His brethren according to the flesh,
is most fully set out. The etymology of "cassia," the fourth spice,
signifies "worship." which at once introduces the Divine element. This
is exactly what we have in the fourth Gospel: there Christ is
portrayed as the Son of God!
The second and third Gospels both present the lowliness of Christ, the
one as Servant, the other as Man--the One who had not where to lay His
head; and this is in striking accord with the fact that the second and
third "spices" were only half the quantity of the others! Yet mark how
the Holy Spirit here, as ever, guarded the glory of Christ, even in
His humiliation: the second and third spices alone were termed
"sweet"!--telling us that God found peculiar delight in His Son's
voluntary and obedient condescension. That which is highly esteemed
among men is abomination in the sight of God (Luke 16:15); and that
which is despised by men is of great price in His sight (1 Pet. 3:4).
It was when Christ was first "numbered with transgressors," taking His
place among those who were "confessing their sins" (Mark 1:5), that
the voice of the Father was heard saying, "This is My beloved Son, in
whom I am well-pleased" (Matthew 3:17).
The figures 500 250, 250 and 500 show, at a glance, that the
perfections of Christ were all perfectly balanced. In this we behold
His uniqueness. Even in His people, in their present state, one grace
or other is found predominating. Not so with Christ. Everything was in
lovely proportion in Him. The total weight of the spices was fifteen
hundred shekels or 5x3xl00--the last being 10x10. Five is the number
of grace, three is manifestation and also the number of God, ten the
measure of responsibility. Thus we have, the grace of God manifested
in perfect human responsibility. This is to be found in Christ alone.
Each of the spices was apportioned by weight, "after the shekel of the
sanctuary" (v. 24). This was before us in our article on the
Atonement-money (30:13). "God is a God of knowledge, and by Him
actions are weighed (1 Sam. 2:3). The proud king of Babylon was
weighed and found wanting (Dan. 5:27). And `all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God.' The Old Testament word for `glory' is
`weight,' derived from a word `to be heavy.' So by God's standard, all
have come short of the full weight which alone can glorify Him. There
is therefore but One in whom, when tested, full and true weight was
found. who could say I have glorified Thee upon the earth; I have
finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do' (John 17:4)" (Mr.
Ridout.)
3. Its Vehicle.
This was the "oil olive," a figure of the Holy Spirit; "God anointed
Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power" (Acts 10:38).
The spices gave fragrance to the oil, and the oil was the element by
which their aroma was borne along. So the lovely graces manifested by
Christ when He was upon earth were all according to the Spirit (Isa.
11:1, 2), and were all in the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:1, 14,
etc.). It was by means of the oil that the sweet spices were blended
together; the oil pervaded all and united all. The fragrance of the
spices was to be evenly diffused through the whole hin of oil olive,
so that no one took precedence over the other; but the oil sent forth
the sweetness of each alike. So Christ, ever filled with the Spirit,
blended the various fragrances of His character into one holy perfume:
His name (that which represents and reveals the person) was. and ever
is "as ointment poured forth" (Song 1:3)!
4. Its Use.
It was employed in the anointing of the Tabernacle and all its
furniture (Ex. 30:26-29), and at the consecration of the priests
(30:30). That which speaks of the sweet savor of Christ was put on all
that foreshadowed Him. The vessels of the sanctuary represented
various offices and services of our great High Priest, some performed
by Him when here on earth, others in which He is now engaged on High.
The same eternal Spirit by which He offered Himself as the sacrifice
without spot unto God (Heb. 9:14) is still the power of His service in
resurrection--cf Acts 1:2:
Very blessed is it to behold the anointing of Aaron's sons with this
holy oil, for this, in figure, shows us the people of Christ having
communicated to them the selfsame "sweet savor" which gives their Head
acceptance before God. It is the Spirit of God graciously equipping us
for priestly ministry. Remarkable is it to note that the instructions
concerning the "holy oil" in Exodus 30 follow right after mention of
the laver (30:18-21). The "laver" is negative in character, a type of
that which removes all that would hinder our approach unto God; the
"oil" gives us the positive side, bringing in that which gives us
acceptance before Him. The antitype comes out most preciously in 2
Corinthians 2:14, 15, "Thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to
triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savor of His knowledge by
us in every place. For we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ."
5. Its Prohibitions.
"Upon man's flesh it shall not be poured" (v. 32). Only those
belonging to the priestly family were anointed. Typically, this means
that only the people of God, those in Christ (the "Anointed") are
"anointed"--have the Spirit of God. "Because ye are sons, God hath
sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts" (Gal. 4:6). "Now He
which stablisheth us with you in Christ and hath anointed us, is God"
(2 Cor. 1:22). This is something which man in the flesh has not, and
cannot have. "The graces of the Spirit can never be connected with
man's flesh, the Holy Spirit cannot own nature. Not one of the fruits
of the Spirit has ever yet produced `in nature's barren soil.' We must
be `born again.' It is only as connected with the new man, as being
part of that `new creation,' that he can know anything of the fruits
of the Spirit" (C.H.M.).
"Neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it:
it is holy. and it shall be holy unto you" (v. 32). The type must not
be imitated or it would not figure that which was inimitable, even the
perfections of Christ! As no strange altar must be built (Ex. 20:25),
as no "strange fire" must be used (Lev. 10:1, 2). so there must be no
strange oil. How this word condemns the imitations of Divine worship,
the Spirit's operations, the fragrance of Christ, in present-day
religious Christendom! Mere head knowledge, ritualism, exquisite
music, soulical excitements, are so many human substitutes for the
true ministry of Christ in the power of the Spirit.
Unspeakably solemn is the final word: "Whosoever compoundeth any like
it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut
off from his people" (v. 33). "It is thus a heinous sin to imitate the
action of the Spirit. Ananias and Sapphira did this when they
professed to devote the whole proceeds of the property they had sold
to the Lord's service (Acts 5). The same penalty, observe, was
attached to putting it upon a stranger, upon those who had no title to
it. God is holy, and He jealously guards His sovereign rights, and
cannot but visit any infringement of them with punishment. If He seem
now to pass by such sins unnoticed, it is owing to the character of
the present dispensation being one of grace; but the sins themselves
are no less in His sight" (Mr. Ed. Dennett)
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
57. The Appointed Artificers
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Exodus 31:1-11
The 31st of Exodus is an important chapter, both in its typical
teachings and its practical lessons. There are three things in it:
first, we are shown the Divine provision which was made for the
carrying out of Jehovah's instructions concerning the building of the
tabernacle and the making of its furniture; second, the
Divinely-appointed Sabbath in its special relation to Israel is here
defined; third, the actual giving to Moses of the two tables of the
testimony, on which were written, by the finger of God, the ten
commandments, is here recorded.
Full instructions concerning all the details of the tabernacle had now
been given; the provision for the execution of them is next made
known. Nothing is left to chance, no place allowed for human scheming.
All is of God. Though skilled in all the wisdom of the Egyptians,
Moses was not left to draw the plans for Jehovah's dwelling-place;
instead, he was bidden to make all things after the pattern shown him
in the mount. Now that the "pattern" had been completely set before
him, the Lord makes known who are to be the principal workmen. The
choice of them was His, not Moses'; and their equipment for the work
was Divine and not human.
The appointed artificers were Bezaleel and Aholiab, one from the tribe
of Judah, the other from the tribe of Daniel `We do not have here the
actual making of the tabernacle, that is seen in chapters 36 to 39;
rather is it the Divine calling and making competent of those who were
to engage in that work. That Christ is the One here foreshadowed is
evident, for "in the volume of the book it is written of Me" is His
own express declaration. None but He was capable of building a House
for God, and every detail of our present type clearly establishes that
fact. May the Spirit of God grant us eyes to see.
"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, See, I have called by name
Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: And I
have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and understanding,
and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to devise cunning
(skillful) works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in
cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber; to work in
all manner of workmanship" (vv. 1-5).
In the above verses we have three things: the workman appointed, the
workman equipped, the workman's task. Here, as ever in Holy Writ, the
proper nouns are pregnant with spiritual significance. The first of
the two principal artificers here mentioned is Bezaleel, which means
"In the shadow of God" or "the protection of God." He was the son of
Uri, which means "light"; the grandson of Hur, which means "free";
from the tribe of Judah, which means "praise." The suitability of
these tames for one who foreshadowed the person of our Savior is at
once evident.
The similarity of thought between "shadow" and "protection may be seen
by a reference to a number of scriptures in which the former is found.
"Hide me under the shadow of Thy wings" (Ps. 17:8); "In the shadow of
Thy wings will I make my refuge" (Ps. 57:1); "In the shadow of Thy
wings will I rejoice" (Ps. 63:7). The "shadow of Thy wings" speaks of
the place of intimacy, of protection, of fellowship. This is the place
which the Lord Jesus has ever occupied in His relationship to the
Father: "The only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father"
(John 1:18).
Bezaleel was the son of Uri, "light," viz., "the light of Jehovah."
The "Urim" of the high priests' breastplate is the same word, in the
plural number. Now, as the name "Bezaleel" suggests the place occupied
by the perfect Workman, the Builder of the "true tabernacle," so the
"son of Uri" defines His person, telling us who He is. The "Son of
Light" at once announces that He is the Son of God, for "God is light,
and in Him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). Yes, He is "the
Brightness of His glory, and the very impress of His substance' (Heb.
1:3). While here on earth, He was "The Light of the world" (John 9:5).
When He returns to it, it will be as "the Sun of Righteousness."
Bezaleel was the son of Uri, the son of "Hur," which means "free," or
"at liberty." This is very blessed. As the first name speaks of
Christ's relation to the Father, and the second tells who He is, so
this third one makes known the manner in which He entered upon His
Divinely-appointed work. That which was here foreshadowed is told out
in plain terms in Hebrews 10:9, "Then said He, I come to do Thy will,
O God." The Lord Jesus voluntarily entered upon the great work which
He undertook. True it is that the Father "sent" Him (John 9:4, etc.);
yet, equally true is it that He "came." Perfectly does this come out
in our type: Bezaleel was "called" by God to his work (v. 2), yet was
he a son of "liberty."
"Of the tribe of Judah." Beautiful line in the picture is this. Judah
was, of course, the royal tribe, as also the one who took the lead
when Israel journeyed. But it is the meaning of his name which it is
so blessed to note: Judah signifies "praise." Does not this tell us
the spirit in which the Redeemer entered into His work, that work
which involved such humiliation, such suffering, such a death! Listen
to His own words in Psalm 40:8, "I delight to do Thy will, O God."
Behold Him at the very time He was being despised and rejected of men:
"In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank Thee O
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou hast hid these things from
the wise and prudent" (Luke 10:21). Let it be added that while there
are not a few of the Psalms which breathe out the sorrows and
sufferings of Christ, there are also many of them which express
thanksgiving and praise.
Next we have the equipment or qualification of the typical artificer
for his work: "And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in
wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of
workmanship." This at once makes us think of Isaiah 11:1-4, "And there
shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall
grow out of his roots: And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and
might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord; and shall
make Him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and He shall
not judge after the sight of His eyes, neither reprove after the
hearing of His ears. But with righteousness shall He judge the poor,
and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth."
"To work in gold." As it has been pointed out so frequently in
previous articles, "gold" speaks of Divine glory, the Divine glory
manifested. Ah, only one filled with "the Spirit of God, in wisdom and
understanding and in knowledge" was competent to "work in gold." Now,
it is in the Gospel of John that the antitype of this is most plainly
seen. There, at the close of His public ministry, we find the Son
saying to the Father, "I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have
finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do." Details of that "work"
are given in the verses that follow: "I have manifested Thy name" (v.
6), "I have given unto them the words which Thou gavest Me" (v. 8), "I
have kept them in Thy name" (v. 12), etc.
"And in silver." This symbol has also been before us again and again.
It speaks of redemption. And who was qualified to "work in silver?"
None but He who came from the Father's bosom as the Son of Light. The
work of redemption was a more stupendous and wondrous one than the
work of creation. It was a work far beyond the power of those who were
to be redeemed: "None of them can by any means redeem his brother nor
give to God a ransom for him: for the redemption of their soul is
precious" (Ps. 49:7, 8). Yes, the redemption of their soul is
"precious," so precious that naught but the "the precious blood of
Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (1 Pet. 1:19)
could avail. The blessed outcome of His "work in silver" is seen in
Revelation 5:9, "And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to
take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for Thou was slain, and
hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue,
and people, and nation."
"And in brass." This is ever the symbol of Divine judgment. Here, too,
a Divinely-qualified workman was called for, for no mere creature as
such was capable of enduring the entire weight of God's judgment upon
the sins of His guilty people. Therefore, did God lay help upon One
that is "Mighty" (Ps. 89:19). Unspeakably solemn is this aspect of our
type. It tells of our blessed Redeemer being "made sin for us" (2 Cor.
5:21), which signifies that He became sacrificially what we were
personally. It tells of Him being "made a curse for us" (Gal. 3:13),
suffering the infexible penalty of God's righteous law on our behalf,
receiving the wages of sin in our stead. It tells of Him being "lifted
up" as Moses lifted up the serpent of brass (John 3:14). The "work in
brass" was completed when He cried "It is finished," bowed His head,
and breathed forth His spirit (John 19:30).
"And in cutting of stones." The local reference is to the jewels which
were to adorn the shoulders and breastplate of Israel's high priest,
as he appeared before God on their behalf, jewels on which were
engraved the names of all their twelve tribes. Thus, those gems spoke
of the people of God, presented before Him in all the merits and
excellency of that blessed One whom Aaron foreshadowed. The antitype
of this is found in 1 Peter 2:5, "Ye also as living stones, are built
up a spiritual house." The next words of Exodus 31, "and in carving of
timber" look forward, we believe, to the Lord's future dealings with
Israel. "To work in all manner of workmanship," which is repeated from
5:3, at once reminds us of that word in Ephesians 2:10, "For we are
His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works." How
blessedly significant to observe that the work of this artificer is
given (vv. 4, 5)--in five details--all is of Divine grace!
"And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach,
of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise-hearted I
have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee"
(v. 6). Many human characters were needed to foreshadow the varied and
manifold perfections of the God-man. Creation demonstrates the
Creator. Some things in creation manifest His mighty power, some His
consummate wisdom, others His abiding faithfulness, still others His
abundant mercy. Each and all are required to exhibit the different
attributes of their Maker. In like manner, Abel, Noah, Moses, Aaron,
David, are all types of Christ, each one pointing to some distinctive
aspect of His person, offices, or work. Thus it is in our present
type: Aholiab supplements Bezaleel.
"And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach,
of the tribe of Dan." The meanings of these names are also
significant. Aholiab signifies "The Tent of the Father." In the light
of John 1:14, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt (Greek, tented)
among us, and we beheld His glory," the force of this name is clear.
Just as of old Jehovah took up His abode in the tabernacle in the
wilderness, so did He again find a Dwelling-place on this earth when
the Son became incarnate: "God was in Christ reconciling the world
unto Himself" (2 Cor. 5:19). The Lord Jesus walking among men was "God
manifest in flesh" (1 Tim. 3:16). So perfect and complete was that
manifestation He could say, "he that hath seen Me, hath seen the
Father" (John 14:9).
Aholiab was the son of Ahisamach, and the latter name signifies
"Brother of Support." As another has said, "Probably this name
primarily refers to the fact that Aholiab was a fellow-helper to
Bezaleel in the work of the tabernacle. But is it not worthy of remark
that while we have in Aholiab the name Father, we have in the name
Ahisamach, the word Brother; and may there not be in this a little
prophetic hint of that truth contained in Hebrews 2:9-11, in which we
find the Lord Jesus raised from the suffering of death to a place of
exaltation, where everything is put under His feet, and in which also
it is declared that `he (the Lord Jesus) who sanctifieth and they who
are sanctified, are all of one, for which cause He is not ashamed to
call them brethren.' He is the Dwelling-place of God, and He is the
Brother of support to His brethren" (H. W. Soltau).
Aholiab was of the tribe of Daniel As Judah took the lead when Israel
was on the march, so Dan brought up the rear. Thus, the spiritual
principle here exemplified was that, in the two men appointed to be
the chief artificers, all Israel were represented. So the Lord Jesus,
in the glorious work which He accomplished, represented all God's
people, the feeblest as well as the strongest. The name Dan signifies
"Judge." "The tabernacle of God is a place for worship and praise,
because therein is revealed God's great act of judgment upon sin in
the sacrifice of the Lamb of God" (H.W.S.).
"That they may make all that I have commanded thee" (v. 6), words
repeated in v. 11. Significant line in the typical picture is this.
Every detail of their work was Divinely appointed beforehand. No room
was there for the exercise of self-will; all was to be the working out
of that which God had willed. Most blessed is it to behold the
fulfillment of this in the Antitype. Very explicit are His words: "For
I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him
that sent Me" (John 6:38); "Therefore, doth My Father love Me, because
I lay down My life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from
Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I
have power to take it again. This commandment have I received from My
Father" (John 10:17, 18).
There is no need for us to comment separately on each of the details
mentioned in vv. 7-11 as they have all been before us in previous
articles. It should be noted, though, that fourteen things are
specified: (1) "The tabernacle of the congregation (the tent of
meeting); (2) And the ark of the testimony; (3) and the mercy-seat
that is thereupon; (4) and all the furniture of the tabernacle (the
pillars, sockets. pins, etc.); (5) and the table, and his furniture,"
etc. In vv. 4, 5 a fivefold work was mentioned; in vv. 7 to 11 the
making of fourteen articles is referred to. This tells us that the
work of Christ was founded upon Divine grace, and that in the
execution of it He displayed a perfect witness to the perfections of
God.
Turning now to the practical teaching of our passage, it is at once
evident that here we have most important instruction upon the subject
of Divine service: note how the "See!" (v. 2) and "Behold!" (v. 6)
direct attention to the weightiness of what follows. The first thing
is God's selection of His servants. Bezaleel and Aholiab did not
presume to intrude into this holy office of themselves, nor were they
appointed by Moses, or by a committee made up of the leading Levites;
instead, they were "called" by God (v. 2). "This principle runs
through all dispensations. The apostle adduces it when speaking of the
priesthood of Christ. He says, `So also Christ glorified not Himself
to be made an high priest; but He that said unto Him, Thou art My Son,
today have I begotten Thee. As He saith also in another place, Thou
art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek' (Heb. 5:5, 6). In
like manner he speaks of himself as an `apostle by the will of God' (1
Cor. 1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:1, etc.)" (Mr. Dennett).
This lies at the foundation of all true service. Those who run without
being sent, those who undertake work (though in the name of the Lord)
without being called to it by God, are rebels, not "servants." Yet how
many there are in these days--days which are characterized by
self-will and lawlessness--occupying prominent positions in
Christendom, yet who have never been called of God. Many, attracted by
the prestige and honor of the position, others because it is an easy
way of making a living, have thrust themselves into an holy office.
Many, influenced by men with more zeal than knowledge, or advised by
admiring friends or doting mothers, have been pressed into service for
which they had no call from Heaven. Fearful presumption and sin is it
for any man to profess to speak in the name of Christ if he has
received no call from Him.
The second principle of service which receives both illustration and
exemplification in our present passage is God's equipment of His
servants. It is by this that God's people may identify His sent
servants, and in this way that an exercised heart may ascertain
whether or no a call to service has been received from the Lord. God
never calls a man to any work without fitting him for it. If God calls
one to be an evangelist, He will fill his heart with compassion for
the lost, and so burden him with a sense of the doom awaiting the
wicked, that he will cry "Woe is me, if I preach not the Gospel." If
God calls a man to be a pastor, He will bestow upon him the necessary
gifts; if to be a missionary, He will endow him with a special
aptitude for learning a foreign language; and so on.
What is still more to the point, and so essential for us to note is
that, when God calls a man to be His servant, He fills him with "the
Spirit of God, in wisdom. and in understanding, and in knowledge" (v.
3). For other examples of this, see 1 Kings 7:13, 14; Luke 1:5; Acts
10:38; 5:4; 6:3. Vastly different is this from the expedients and
substitutes of men. Colleges, universities, theological seminaries,
Bible-training schools do not and cannot impart these spiritual gifts.
God alone can bestow them. And where He has done so, then all the
schools of men are needless. The servant who has been endowed with
power and wisdom from on High is entirely independent of men. Human
wisdom is of no avail in the service of God. This is all very humbling
to the flesh, but it is God's way, for He is a jealous God, and will
not share His glory with another.
The third important principle in connection with service to be noted
in our passage is God's appointment of the servant's work: "that they
may make all that I have commanded them" (vv. 6, 11). The very essence
of all real service lies in obedience, obedience to the will of our
master. So it is in connection with Divine service. Listen again to
the words of the perfect Servant. "I came down from Heaven, not to do
Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me" (John 6:38). Bezaleel
and Ahoilab were not left free to pick and choose what they should do
or not do; all was ordered for them. Thus it is with the Lord's
servants today: the Word sets forth his marching-orders--what he
should preach, what he should do, how he should do it.
A very simple but searching principle is this. As another has said,
"The Word is both the guide of the servant and the test of his
service--the proof of its being done with divine wisdom and according
to the divine mind." God's work must be done in God's way, or we
cannot count upon His blessing thereon. He has promised, "them that
honor Me, I will honor," and the only way to honor God is to keep His
precepts diligently, to preach nothing but His Word, to employ no
methods save those expressly sanctioned by Holy Writ. Anything other
than this is self-will, and that is sin. O what need is there for
pondering the basic principles of service as made known in Exodus 31!
Finally, we may observe here the Divine sovereignty exercised in the
selection of the servants called. One was from the tribe of Judah, the
other from the tribe of Dan. This is the more striking in the light of
the history of those tribes. The former was the one from which Christ,
according to the flesh, came; the other is the tribe from which, most
probably, the Antichrist shall arise (Gen. 49:17). At any rate, Dan
was the tribe that took the lead in apostasy. "Such a selection speaks
of divine sovereignty. God has taken pains to show by many examples
that He acts for Himself, and that He does not find His motive in the
character, conduct, or genealogy of those whom He blesses. It is a
comfort to see that a man from Dan comes in as well as from Judah. It
shows the principle on which all really comes in; that is, as `vessels
of mercy'" (C. A. Coates).
Dan was the very last tribe from which the natural understanding would
expect to find a man selected to be one of the principal artificers of
the tabernacle. Yes, and fishermen and publicans are the last classes
among whom one would look for the apostles of the Lamb! Ah, God's
thoughts and ways are ever different from man's. The one chosen to
deliver Egypt from an unparalleled famine-crisis, was called from the
dungeon. He who was to lead Israel's hosts across the desert was
called from the back-side of the wilderness. The man after God's own
heart who was to sit on Israel's throne, was taken from the sheepcote.
It is not without reason that Christians are enjoined to "condescend
of men of low estate," for that is God's way. It is still His way.
"That which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight
of God" (Luke 16:15). And, conversely, those who are rated lowest by
the world are often the ones through whom God performs His greatest
wonders. "For God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to
confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to
confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world,
and things which are despised, hath God chosen, and things which are
not, to bring to naught things that are" (1 Cor. 1:27, 28). Why? "That
no flesh should glory in His presence." May the Lord bless His own
truth to His poor and needy people.
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Contents
A. W. Pink Index
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About Us
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
58. The Sabbath and Israel
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 31:13-18
As was pointed out at the commencement of our last article, the
contents of Exodus 31 fall under three clearly-defined divisions.
First, the provision made by Jehovah for the carrying out of the
instructions which He had given to Moses concerning the making of the
tabernacle. This, as we have seen, was His calling and equipping of
the principal artificers and the appointing of their work. Second, the
mention, once more, of God's holy Sabbath, and the defining of its
special relation to Israel. Third, a brief word in v. 18 of the actual
giving to Moses of the tables of testimony, on which were inscribed
the ten commandments. It is the last two divisions we are about to
consider; may the Spirit of God graciously preserve us from all error
and guide us into all truth.
"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak thou also unto the
children of Israel, saying, Verily My sabbaths ye shall keep: for it
is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations; that ye may
know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you. Ye shall keep the
sabbath therefore for it is holy unto you: everyone that defileth it
shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein,
that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days may work be
done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord:
whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to
death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to
observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual
covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever:
for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day
He rested. and was refreshed" (vv. 12-17). In pondering what is here
said concerning the Sabbath we propose to look first at its typical
significance, then at its dispensational bearings, and lastly at the
judicial aspects of our passage.
It may strike the thoughtful reader as strange that any reference
should be made here to the Sabbath: coming right after the description
of the tabernacle, its furniture, its priesthood and its artificers;
the more so, as full mention of it had already been made in Exodus
20:8-11. There are no mere repetitions in Holy Writ, and though a
thing may be mentioned more than once, or the same command or
ordinance be given again and again, yet it is always with another end
in view, or for the purpose of enforcing a different design, or with
the object of bringing in fuller details. Generally the Spirit's
purpose may be discerned by taking note of the connection in which
each statement occurs.
The first time the Sabbath is mentioned in Exodus is in 16:23-29, from
which it should be quite apparent that this holy day unto the Lord was
no new appointment at that time: the words of v. 28 (occasioned by
Israel's desecration of the Sabbath, see v. 27) are too plain to be
misunderstood: "And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to
keep My commandments and My laws?" Thus, the initial reference to the
Sabbath in Exodus contains the Lord's expostulation with His people
for having disregarded His commandments--referring no doubt to the
evil way in which they had, for centuries, conducted themselves in
Egypt: see Ezekiel 20:5-9.
The second time the Sabbath is found in Exodus is in chapter 20, where
we have the ten commandments given to Israel orally. They were given
to Israel as a redeemed people, which the Lord had brought "out of the
house of bondage." They expressed the rights of God, His claims upon
His people, that which He righteously required from them. Those
commandments were not a yoke grievous to be borne, but the making
known of a path in which love was to walk. In them God promised to
show mercy unto thousands (not "millions") of them that love Me and
keep My commandments" (v. 6). God's commandments are just as truly the
expressions of His love as are His promises, and a heart that loves
Him in return should rejoice in the one as much as in the other. God's
commandments express both His authority over and His solicitude for
His people. It is in that light this second mention of the Sabbath in
Exodus is to be viewed.
The third reference in Exodus to the Sabbath is found in chapter 31, a
section of the book where everything speaks loudly of Christ. Unless
this be carefully noted the meaning of our present passage will be
missed. It should be evident at once that the typical significance of
the Sabbath is the first thing to be looked at here. True, that by no
means exhausts the scope and value of these verses, yet it does supply
the key which unlocks for us their primary meaning. Here, again, we
have another example of a principle which holds good of every part of
the Word, namely, if we ignore the context we are sure to err in our
interpretation.
Now in seeking to discover the typical meaning of the Sabbath we
cannot do better than turn back to the first mention of it in
Scripture: "And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had
made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had
made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that
in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made"
(Gen. 2:2, 3). It will be observed that three actions of God in
connection with the Sabbath are here mentioned: He ended His work
which He had made and "rested on the seventh day," He "blessed the
seventh day," He "sanctified" it. We believe the order in which these
three things are mentioned is the order of spiritual
importance--confirmed by the first thing mentioned being repeated.
In order to apprehend aright the spiritual import of the Sabbath, it
is most necessary to observe that the first thing of all connected
with it is the rest of God. The fact that God rested on the seventh
day is undoubtedly recorded for the purpose of teaching that the
Creator graciously condescended to set an example before His creatures
of how to spend and enjoy the Sabbath; yet that there is also a deeper
meaning to this statement will scarcely be denied. Nor do we think
that the reference is solely to the Creator's delight and satisfaction
in the works which He had made during the six days preceding; rather
would it appear (from subsequent scriptures) that this "rest" was
anticipatory--spiritually, of that rest which the Christian enjoys
now; dispensationally, of the millennial Sabbath; typically, of the
eternal Sabbath.
Now in the light of what is before us in the first eleven verses of
Exodus 31, is there any difficulty in discovering the perfect
propriety of a reference to the Sabbath in what immediately follows?
What else could have been more appropriate? In the first part of the
chapter we have a most lovely foreshadowing of Him who had ever dwelt
in the bosom of the Father, the Son of Light, voluntarily undertaking
to "work in gold, silver, brass, and of precious stones." The
stupendous work therein typified having been gloriously completed, we
have at once mentioned that which speaks of the rest of God. How
suitable, how blessed the connection! As cause stands to effect, so is
the relation between the labors of the tabernacle-artificers and the
mention here of the Sabbath. The rest of God is the consequence of the
finished Work of Christ: first, that in which God Himself finds
complacency; second, that into which His redeemed are brought.
The wicked are like the troubled sea which cannot rest (Isa. 57:20).
And why? Because they are away from God. Away from God, they are
seeking satisfaction in that which cannot provide it. Theirs is a
ceaseless quest after that which will give peace and joy. But over all
the varied cisterns to which they have recourse, is written these
words, "Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again" (John
4:13). "There is no peace, saith my God, unto the wicked" (Isa.
57:21), for they are strangers to the Prince of peace. It is not until
the Spirit of God has shown us that all under the sun is but "vanity
and vexation of spirit," has convicted us of our sinful and lost
condition, has shown us our desperate need of the Savior, and drawn us
to Him, that we hear the Lord Jesus saying, "Come unto Me, all ye,
that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Then it
becomes true that, "we which have believed do enter into rest" (Heb.
4:3).
"Verily My sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between Me and you
throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that
doth sanctify you. Ye shall keep My Sabbaths therefore, for it is holy
unto you" (vv. 13, 14). Surely the meaning of this is too plain for us
to miss. The Sabbath was now, for the first time, appointed as a
"sign" between Jehovah and Israel that they were His "sanctified"
people--a people set apart unto Himself. So, also, that of which the
Sabbath spoke--the rest of God--was also the portion of a sanctified
people, a people "chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world"
(Eph. 1:4). This people was sanctified by God the Father before they
were called (Jude 1), even from all eternity. They were sanctified by
God the Son "with His own blood" (Heb. 13: 12). They are sanctified by
God the Spirit (2 Thess. 2:13) when they are quickened into newness of
life, and thus separated from those who are dead in sins. And the
"sign" between God and His sanctified people is still the "Sabbath,"
i.e., the fact that they have entered into rest.
Turning back from the antitype to the type, we can see at once why the
Sabbath should be the appointed "sign" between Jehovah and Israel. At
the time He entered into covenant relation with them, all other
nations had been given up by God (Rom. 1:19-26). Not liking to retain
Him in their knowledge, they gave themselves unto idolatry. For this
cause God gave them up to a reprobate mind. The heathen nations,
therefore, kept no Sabbath, and, in all probability, by that time knew
not that the Creator required them to. But to Israel God made known
His laws, and the appointed sign or token that they were His peculiar
people was their observance of the Sabbath. So that of which,
spiritually, the Sabbath speaks, is still the portion of none but
God's chosen people.
Dispensationally, the rest to which the Sabbath pointed, was the
Millennial era, the seventh of earth's great "days." In view of the
inspired declaration, "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one
thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a
thousand years as one day" (2 Pet. 3:8) we believe, with many others,
that the "six days" of Genesis 1 give us a prophetic forecast of the
world's history, and that the "seventh day" of Genesis 2:2, 3 points
to the final dispensation. This is confirmed by Revelation 20 where,
again and again, the reign of Christ and His saints over this earth is
said to be of a "thousand years" duration. The Millennium will be the
earth's great Sabbath. Then shall this scene which has witnessed six
thousand years of strife, turmoil, bloodshed, enjoy an unprecedented
era of rest. The Prince of peace shall be here; Satan shall be in the
bottomless pit; war shall be made to cease to "the end of the earth"
(Ps. 4:6:9); the curse which now rests upon the lower orders of
creation shall be lifted (Isa. 11:6-9).
But not only did the original Sabbath of Genesis 2:2, 3 anticipate the
spiritual rest which is, even now, the portion of God's people; not
only did it forecast the millennial peace which this earth will yet
enjoy; but it also typified an eternal Sabbath, into which nothing
shall ever enter to disturb and mar its perfect tranquility and bliss.
This is what the Work of Christ (adumbrated in Exodus 31:1-11) has
secured, and toward which all things are moving. When the present
heaven and earth shall have passed away, and a new heaven and earth
shall have come into existence, then shall be fulfilled that precious
word of Revelation 21:3-5, "And I heard a great voice out of heaven
saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell
with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with
them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying,
neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed
away. And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold. I make all things
new."
A beautiful foreshadowing of this is to be found in Zephaniah 3:17,
"The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He
will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy
over thee with singing." The immediate reference is to the restoration
of Israel to God's favor, to their land, and to the fulfillment of His
purpose and promises concerning them. But the ultimate reference, we
believe, is to that which shall characterize the Eternal State. Then,
in the midst of His redeemed, and as the fruit of His Son's perfect
work, God Himself shall rejoice over. His people with joy and "rest in
His love."
Once more we pause to admire the striking and lovely order in which
God's truth is presented before us. In the first part of Exodus 31 we
behold the Divine provision made for giving effect to all that was in
the will of God; therefore, in the very next section, that which
speaks of Divine rest, is brought before us. In keeping with this it
is most blessed to take note of one word which is found here, and
nowhere else: "In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the
seventh day He rested, and was refreshed" (Ex. 31:17). The fact that
these words are found not in Genesis 2:2, 3, or Exodus 20:8-11, but
here, right after what is typically in view in 31:1-11, tells,
unmistakably, of that refreshment, that joy, that resting in His love,
which shall be the eternal portion of God--Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit. What is here in view is that rest of God which is the
consequence of the bringing into effect, the actual realization, of
the whole will of God as set forth in the tabernacle. When "the
tabernacle of God is with men" (Rev. 21:3), then shall there be an
holy, unbreakable, eternal rest. God will rest in His love, and His
sanctified people will rest with Him.
"I think it is in the light of the tabernacle system, and of its
taking form for the pleasure of God, that He adds the words, `And was
refreshed.' God was refreshed because even in the material creation He
was forming a sphere where all His own blessed thoughts of grace and
glory in Christ could be worked out. Those thoughts first came to
light in a definite, though figurative, form in the tabernacle, and in
the light of them all being brought into effect God could, as it were,
carry back into Genesis 2 a secret not revealed. When God made the
heavens and the earth He had `the holy universal order of the
tabernacle in His mind. He was making a material universe, and this in
itself could not afford Him refreshment. But He was making it so that
it might be the scene for the introduction of `the holy order of the
tabernacle,' which represented the vast scene in which God's glory is
displayed in Christ, and in view of the introduction of this He was
`refreshed'! The Sabbath speaks of things being brought to completion,
so that there is no more work to be done; all is finished, and there
is holy rest for God and His people" (C. A. Coates).
Having pondered the typical significance of the Sabbath's being
mentioned in Exodus 31, having sought to point out its dispensational
application, it now remains for us to consider the judicial aspect of
our passage. This is brought before us in vv. 14, 15, "Ye shall keep
the Sabbath therefore; for it holy unto you: every one that defileth
it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein,
that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days may work be
done; but in the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord:
whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to
death." A solemn example of this threat is recorded in Numbers
15:32-36, "And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness
they found a man that gathered sticks upon the Sabbath day. And they
that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and
unto all the congregation. And they put him in ward, because it was
not declared what should be done to him. And the Lord said unto Moses,
"The man shall surely be put to death: all the congregation shall
stone him with stones without the camp. And all the congregation
brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he
died."
It seems strange that so many have experienced a difficulty with the
above passages. The key to them is surely found in noting the
character and design of the Mosaic economy. That Dispensation was a
legal and a probationary one. It was preparatory to the fuller and
final revelation which God made of Himself in and through Christ. It
is a mistake to look upon it as a stern regime of unmixed law. True,
it was marked at the beginning by the proclamation of the Ten
Commandments, but it should not be forgotten that this was immediately
followed by the revelation concerning the Tabernacle and the
institution of the priesthood, and (see the book of Leviticus) by the
Divine appointment of a series of offerings and sacrifices, wherein
provision was made for God's people to approach unto Him through their
representatives. Though all of this was a typical foreshadowing of
that which was to be made good and secured by and through the person
and work of Christ, yet it should not be forgotten that it was also a
most gracious provision of God for His people at that time.
On the other hand, there was not, and, in the nature of the case,
could not be, a full and perfect revelation of the grace of God during
the Mosaic economy. Law is law, and righteousness requires the strict
enforcing of its terms and penalties. Mercy might, and did, make
provision for "sins of ignorance" (Lev. 4:2-4; Numbers 15:27, 28), and
for the unavoidable contact with that which defiled (Num. 10:11-19);
but for pre-meditated or deliberate transgressions no sacrifice was
available--"he that despised Moses' law died without mercy" (Heb.
10:28). A notable case in point which illustrates this distinction is
to be found in connection with the requirement of the Mosaic law when
a man had been slain. We refer to the "cities of refuge": let the
reader carefully consult Numbers 35:9-24. If any person had been
killed "unawares" (vv. 11, 15)--that is, without "malice
aforethought"--then he might find an asylum in one of those cities;
but if that person had been deliberately slain, then the word was,
"the murderer shall surely be put to death" (vv. 16:17). What has just
been said explains a reference in Psalm 51, which, though very
familiar, is understood by but few. That Psalm records the deep
penitence of David. He was guilty of murder, the murder of Uriah. In
v. 16 he says, "For Thou desireth not sacrifice; else would I give it:
Thou delightest not in burnt offering." No "sacrifice" was available
for murder! What, then, could poor David do? This: cast himself on the
"mercy" of God (v. l), acknowledge his transgression (v. 3), and cry
for deliverance from "blood-guiltiness' (v. 14). That his cry was
heard, we all know, and the very hearing of it testified to the
blessed truth that "mercy rejoiceth against judgment" (James 2:13).
What has just been pointed out should greatly modify the prevailing
conception of the harshness of the Mosaic dispensation. True, the Law,
as such, showed no mercy; but side by side with the Law was the
Levitical sacrifices, and over and above these was the mercy of God,
available for those who sought it out of a broken heart. Thus, unless
we keep both of these facts in mind, and learn to distinguish between
things that differ, confusion of thought and conception must
necessarily ensue.
"Whosoever doeth any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put
to death." This was the exaction of Law as such, the righteous
enforcement of its penalty. Nor was this peculiar to the fourth
commandment; it obtained equally with the other nine. The following
passages may serve as illustrations and proofs, "And he that smiteth
his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death" (Ex. 21:15);
"And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he
that commiteth adultery with his neighbor's wife, the adulterer and
the adulteress shall surely be put to death" (Lev. 20:10); "And he
that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to
death" (Lev. 24:16); see also Deuteronomy 13:6-10, etc.
Our chapter closes with the mention of God's giving the tables of
testimony unto Moses: "And He gave unto Moses, when He had made an end
of communing with him upon Mount Sinai, two tables of testimony,
tables of stone, written with the finger of God" (v. 18). This
completes the section of the book of Exodus begun at 24:18. For forty
days Moses had been in the mount receiving instructions from Jehovah.
That those instructions closed with the giving of these two tables of
stone is most significant. Coming here after the appointing of the
tabernacle-artificers and the mention of the Sabbath it announces,
typically, that the rights and claims of God have been made good and
eternally secured by and through the person and work of the Lord
Jesus. Grace now "reigns," but "through righteousness" (Rom. 5:21).
That there is also a close connection between Exodus 31:18 and what
follows will, D.V., be shown in our next article.
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
59. The Golden Calf
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 32:1-10
Our present portion, which runs on to the end of chapter 34, commences
a new and distinct section of Exodus, a section which, in one sense,
is parenthetical in its character and contents. This will at once
appear if Exodus 32 to 34 be omitted and chapter 35 be read right
after chapter 31. In Exodus 24 to 31 inclusive we have recorded the
communications which Moses received from Jehovah while he was with Him
in the mount, instructions which concerned the making of the
tabernacle and the institution of the priesthood. In chapter 35 Moses
makes known to the people the revelations which he had received from
the Lord, and forthwith the making of the holy vessels and the house
for them is proceeded with. But in chapters 32 to 34 the flow of the
tabernacle theme is interrupted, and a very different subject is
brought before us. Here we are given to see what transpired among the
Congregation while Moses was in the mount. Here we behold the awful
sin of Aaron and the people during the interval of their leader's
absence, with the fearful consequences which it entailed.
A more frightful contrast than that which is presented in these two
sections in the book of Exodus is scarcely possible to imagine. In the
former we are permitted to witness the condescending grace of Jehovah
as He spoke with Moses; in the latter we are called upon to gaze at
that which exhibited the awful depravity of fallen man. In the one we
are occupied with that which unveils to us the manifold glories of
Christ; in the other we have exposed the awful abominations which
Satan produces. First we are shown the provisions which God made for
His people to worship Him, according to His own holy appointments;
then we witness the idolatrous manufacture of a golden calf, and the
children of Israel bowing down before it in worship. Verily, truth is
stranger than fiction. "God hath made man upright," but they have
sought out many inventions (Eccl. 7:29), inventions which only serve
to make manifest the exceeding sinfulness of sin and the fearful
depths of depravity into which fallen man has descended.
Above, we have stated that Exodus 32 to 34 forms a parenthetical
section of the book, inasmuch as the contents of these chapters break
in upon the narrative concerning the tabernacle. But looked at from
another standpoint they contain the historical sequel to what is
recorded in Exodus 19. There we see the children of Israel, in the
third month after their going forth out of Egypt, encamped before
Sinai. They were bidden to sanctify themselves, wash their clothes,
and come not at their wives, and then on the third day, the Lord came
down "in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai." Most
awe-inspiring was the Divine manifestation: "There were thunders and
lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the
trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people in the camp trembled...
And Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended
upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a
furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly" (19:16, 18).
Moses was then called up into the mount, where he received the laws
enumerated in Exodus 20-23. Then, in 24:3 we read, "And Moses came and
told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments: and
all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which
the Lord hath said will we do." This vow of the people was most
solemnly ratified: Moses wrote all the words of the Lord in a book,
"And he took the book of the covenant and read it in the audience of
the people: and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do, and
be obedient. And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people,
and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made
with you concerning all these words (24:7, 8).
Following this, we are told, "And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to
Me into the mount, and be there . . . And Moses rose up, and his
minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God. And he said
unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you:
and, behold Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to
do, let him come unto them . . . And Moses went into the midst of the
cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty
days and forty nights" (24:12-14, 18). It was while Moses was on the
mount on this occasion that he received the Divine communications
recorded in chapters 25 to 31. And what of the people during the
interval? How were they conducting themselves during this most solemn
period? Our present portion contains the answer; to it we are now
ready to turn.
"And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the
mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said
unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for this Moses,
the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what
is become of him" (v. 1). The key to this incident is found in part of
Stephen's address, recorded in Acts 7: "This is He that was in the
church in the wilderness.. to whom our fathers would not obey, but
thrust from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt,
saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us" (vv. 38-40). It was
not that they were peeved at the lengthy absence of Moses, but that
they had cast off their allegiance to Jehovah, their hearts had
departed from Him.
What we have said above is confirmed by Israel's reference to Moses on
this occasion as "the man that brought us up out of the land of
Egypt." Instead of owning their Divine Deliverer, their vision was
narrowed to the human instrument which had been employed. It is ever
thus with a people whose hearts are divorced from God. Compare the
words of apostate Israel at a later date: "Then the men of Israel said
unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's
son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian" (Judg.
8:22). Here in Exodus 32 the human instrument was contemptuously
referred to as "this Moses," so little did they appreciate his
unwearied service and prayers on their behalf.
It is not without reason that our present portion is immediately
preceded by these words: "And He gave unto Moses, when He had made an
end of communing with him upon Mount Sinai, two tables of testimony,
tables of stone, written with the finger of God" (31:18). On those
tables of stone were written the ten commandments, the first of which
was, "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me." And the second, "Thou
shalt not make unto thee any graven image" (20:3, 4,). It is the
deliberate, public and united disobedience of these commandments which
our lesson records. Man must have an object, and when he turns from
the true God, he at once craves a false one. What we have here has
been perpetuated in every generation: nor has Christendom proved any
exception to the rule. As another has said, "Alas! alas! it has ever
been thus in man's history. The human heart lusts after something that
can be seen; it loves that which meets and gratifies the senses. It is
only faith that can `endure as seeing Him who is invisible.' Hence, in
every age, men have been forward to set up and lean upon human
imitations of Divine realities. Thus it is we see the counterfeits of
corrupt religion multiplied before our eyes. Those things which we
know, upon the authority of God's Word, to be Divine and heavenly
realities, the professing Church has transformed into human and
earthly inventions. Having become weary of hanging upon an invisible
arm, of trusting in an invisible sacrifice, of having recourse to an
invisible Priest, of committing herself to an invisible Head, she has
set about `making' these things; and thus from age to age, she has
been busily at work, with `graving tool' in hand, graving and
fashioning one thing after another, until we can at length recognize
as little similarity between much that we see around us, and what we
read in the Word, as between a `molten calf' and the God of Israel"
(C.H.M.)
Israel had served false gods in Egypt (Josh. 24:14), and the flesh in
them was still unchanged. It is true that Israel as a nation were only
typically redeemed--the vast majority of them being children in whom
was no faith (Deut. 32:20)--yet we must never forget when reading
their history that, "These things were our examples, to the intent we
should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted" (1 Cor. 10:6).
Yea, does not the apostle at once follow this with, "Neither be ye
idolators as were some of them" (v. 7). And again he says, "Wherefore,
my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry" (v. 14). So, too, John, whose
Epistle is addressed to those to whom he could say, "truly our
fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ," closes
with the exhortation, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols."
May God grant us hearts to heed these solemn and needed warnings.
There is but one safeguard and preventative, and that is, being
constantly occupied with Christ.
What has just been before us is of Such immense practical importance
that ere passing on we feel we must add a further word. The typical
picture is unmistakably plain in its present-day application to God's
people. Moses was away from Israel, up in the mount; so Christ is away
from the earth, on High before God. But before He went away, He said
to His disciples, "Ye believe in God, believe also in Me" (John 14:1).
He is the Object of faith, and it is only as our affections are set
upon Him, as we are in daily communion with Him, that our hearts are
kept from idols. But just as surely as Israel's turning away from
Jehovah was at once followed by the making of the golden calf, just as
surely as (in the history of the corporate Christian profession) the
leaving of first love (Rev. 2:4) was followed by the setting up of the
"synagogue of Satan" (Rev. 2:9), so now, the estranging of the heart
from Christ opens the door for all sorts of abominable idolatries.
"And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in
the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring
unto me" (v. 2). As Exodus 24:18 informs us, Moses was absent from
Israel for forty days, a number which, in Scripture, is almost always
connected with probation. It hardly needs to be said that such a
length of time was not needed by God: had He so pleased He could
within the space of a few hours (or even in a moment) have told Moses
all that is recorded in Exodus 25 to 31 and made him understand it.
Why, then, those forty days? For the testing of Israel--to make
manifest whether or no they would patiently wait for the ordinances
they had promised to observe. But so far from keeping their solemn
vows, they would not even wait to hear what God said.
Aaron, with Hur, was left to adjudicate upon any question that might
arise while Moses and his minister, Joshua, was away (24:14). Aaron is
now put to the test. It was the first time he had been left in charge
of the Congregation, and wretchedly did he acquit himself. Instead of
putting his trust in the Lord, the fear of man brought him a snare.
Instead of boldly withstanding the people, he, apparently without any
struggle, yielded to their evil designs. Alas, it but supplies another
tragic illustration of the fact that when responsibility is committed
to man, he betrays his trust. Thus it has been in the history of
Christendom: instead of the leaders refusing to follow the worldly
wishes of their people, they have heeded, and oftentimes encouraged
them.
"And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their
ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand,
and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten
calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel which brought thee up
out of the land of Egypt" (vv. 3, 4). Another has pointed out an
analogy between what we have here and that which is recorded in
Matthew 17:1-18. "There is a striking resemblance, in one aspect,
between this scene and that witnessed at the foot of the mount of
transfiguration. In both alike Satan holds full sway. In the one
before us, it is the nation who have fallen under his power, in the
other it is the child whom he has possessed; but the child again is a
type of the Jewish nation of a later day. The absence of Christ on
high (shown in figure also by Moses on Sinai) is the opportunity
seized by Satan--under God's commission--for the display of his wicked
power, and man (Israel) in the evil of his heart becomes his wretched
slave" (Ed. Dennett.)
The calf, or ox, was the principal Egyptian god--"Apis"--with which
they had been familiar in the land of bondage. "These be thy gods" is
expounded in Nehemiah 9:18 as meaning, "This is thy god." The inspired
comment of the Psalmist is very solemn, "They made a calf in Horeb,
and worshipped the molten image. They changed their Glory into the
similitude of an ox that eateth grass. They forgat God their Savior,
which had done great things in Egypt" (106:19-21). The making of that
idol and the rendering worship to it was an act of open apostasy, the
bitter harvest from which continued to be reaped until they were
carried into Babylon (Acts 7:43). Such is the flesh: ever ready to
forget God's deliverances, despise the light He has given us, disobey
His commands, act in self-will, and bring in that which effectually
shuts Him out.
"And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it" (v. 5). Still
darker become the clouds which hang over this awful scene. Not content
with substituting a false god for the true One, they must, perforce,
cover up their wickedness under the cloak of religion. An "altar" is
now erected. Thus it has always been, and still is: man ever seeks to
hide the shame of his idolatry by putting over it the name of Deity.
Therefore the next thing that we read here is that, "Aaron made
proclamation, and said, To-morrow is a feast to the Lord" (v. 5). As a
fact, this was a pretense, for there were no "feasts" in either the
third or fourth months. (See Leviticus 23.)
What is before us in this 5th verse but gives the prototype of what is
now going on almost everywhere in Christendom. Men have set up their
idols and then sought to dignify and sanctify their inventions by
worshipping them in the name of Christ. Romanism and Ritualism give us
one form of it. Wordliness and fleshly indulgencies another. Just as
Aaron proclaimed the honors paid to the calf and the carnal merriment
that followed as "a feast unto the Lord," so many a "church supper,"
bazaar, religious carnival, whist drive, etc., is officially carried
out under the name of Christianity. What a mockery it all is! Aaron
had no Scripture to justify his proclamation, nor have the present-day
leaders any word from God to warrant their doings.
"And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings and
brought peace offerings" (v. 6). Terrible travesty was this. Those
offerings which spoke of the devotedness of Christ unto the Father,
and the fellowship which He has made possible between a holy God and
His people, were now presented to this fetish of their own corrupt
imaginations. It is significant to mark the absence of any sin
offering! But that had no place in their thoughts. How could it? When
there is departure from God, the conscience becomes callused: "The way
of the wicked is as darkness, they know not at what they stumble"
(Prov. 4:19). That is why the unscriptural and Christ-dishonoring
performances in the churches occasion no uneasiness to those engaged
in them.
"And the people set down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play" (v.
6). Having formally presented their offerings, they now felt free to
indulge the lusts of the flesh. And, be it remembered, what we have
here is something more than the inspired record of an incident which
happened long ago. God's Word is a living Word, describing things as
they actually are. It was in the "early" hours that the burnt and
peace offerings were presented. So the early morning mass or
"communion" remains popular, and is still followed by the offerers
spending the remainder of the clay eating, drinking, and playing: "As
in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man" (Prov.
27:19)!
"And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people which
thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves"
(v. 7). These words of the Lord must be read in the light of what is
recorded in Exodus 24:6-8. There we read of a "covenant" which the
Lord made with Israel on the ground of His law and their avowal to
keep it. It was a purely legal compact between the two contracting
parties. Israel had now broken their agreement: they had disowned
their Deliverer (32:1), they had broken His law (32:6) Therefore the
Lord now, in view of the broken covenant, disowns them: He speaks of
them to Moses as "thy people."
"They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them:
they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have
sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which
have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt" (v. 8). Alas how
"quickly" had they departed from the path of obedience and loyalty!
Less than five months before they had declared, "The Lord is my
strength and song, and He is become my salvation: He is my God, and I
will prepare Him an habitation: my father's God, and I will exalt Him"
(15:2). Instead of so doing, they had raised up that which effectively
shut Him out, and instead of exalting Him they had debased themselves.
It is solemn to note the Lord here quotes to Moses the identical
language the people had used with Aaron: though engaged in "communing"
with His servant. He had heard the very words of His wayward people
down below. And He still hears and records all our words!
"They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded
them." It has been thus all through the piece. How "quickly" Adam
"turned aside" from the way of his Creator's command! How "quickly"
Noah failed after he came out from the Ark! How "quickly" Nadab and
Abihu did that which the Lord "commanded them not" (Lev. 10:1) after
the priesthood was instituted! How "quickly" sin entered Israel's camp
after Canaan was entered (Josh. 7). And so we might go on. Alas, how
"quickly" the young Christian leaves his "first love" and loses his
early joy! Failure is written large across every page of human
history. And what is the chief cause of all such failure? Do not the
next words of Jehovah to Moses make known the answer?
"And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold,
it is a stiff-necked people" (v. 9). What is signified by this
oft-used figure? It signifies a state of insubordination: note the
order in Deuteronomy 31:27, "I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff
neck." It is the opposite of submission to the will of God: "Be ye not
stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the
Lord" (2 Chron. 30:8). It is a state into which we may bring
ourselves: "They obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made
their necks stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction"
(Jer. 17:23). It is brought about by not yielding ourselves to God:
"Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in hearts and ears, ye do always
resist the Holy Spirit" (Acts 7:51). A stiff-necked person is one who
bows not to God: he is one in whom self-will is at work. This was the
state of Israel, therefore did God go on to say:
"Now therefore let Me alone, that My wrath may wax hot against them,
and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation"
(v. 10). Having by their sins forfeited all the blessings engaged to
them on the terms of their own covenant, the Lord at once stands
against them, disclaims them, and threatens to execute consuming
judgment upon them. "Thus Israel, if dealt with according to the
righteous requirements of the law which they had accepted, and to
which they had promised obedience as the condition of blessing, were
lost beyond recovery, and would perish through their own willful sin
and apostasy" (Ed. Dennett). The reason why God did not totally
destroy His stiff-necked people on this occasion we must leave for
consideration, D.V., to our next article. In the meantime let us seek
grace to heed this solemn warning. By nature none of us are a whit
better than Aaron and the Israelites. Were God to withdraw His grace
from us, we, too, would surely and speedily fall into as great and
gross sin as they did. Then let us cry with the Psalmist, "Hold Thou
me up, and I shall be safe, and I will have respect unto Thy statutes
continually" (119:117).
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
60. The Typical Mediator
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Exodus 32:11-14
In our last article we were occupied with the inspired account of
Israel's idolatrous worship of the golden calf. It was the first time
that they were guilty of this awful sin since their leaving of Egypt
as a nation. The subject of idolatry is both solemn and important, and
as the nature and cause of it are so little understood we propose to
offer here a few general remarks on the subject.
Man is the only creature who lives on the earth that was originally
created with faculties capable of apprehending God, and with a
sentiment of veneration for Him. True, all creation is to the praise
of the Creator, but man's praise is the homage of an intelligent heart
and of a conscious choice or preference. But this capacity to offer
intelligent praise is necessarily accompanied by responsibility. This
was made evident in connection with Adam. The tree of the knowledge of
good and evil was the visible means of the first man's paying homage
to God: abstention from its fruit was the witness of his subjection to
the authority of his Maker. Obedience to God's command concerning that
tree would not only secure to him all the blessings of Eden, but was
also the link which bound him to the Creator. Thus, that which united
man to God at the beginning was the obedience of the will, subjection
of heart. Whilst this was maintained God was honored and man was
blest.
But that link was broken. Through disobedience man became "alienated
from the life of God" (Eph. 4:18), and thus he lost his happiness and
was turned out of the Garden. The original link being broken, it could
never be reformed. If man was ever again to be in relationship with
God, it must be on entirely new ground, namely, redemption-ground,
resurrection-ground, the ground of new creation. Into Eden fallen man
could never re-enter. It was a garden of delights for innocence alone;
and guilt once incurred made a return to it impossible. But for His
own people God has provided a new garden, the "paradise of God" (Rev.
2:7), where the guilty are restored to more than the pleasures of
Eden. That new garden is anticipated by faith, and there is found
forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
Now when man fell, though he became alienated from God (which is what
spiritual "death" is) he lost none of his original faculties, nor was
his responsibility destroyed. in his essential nature man remained
after the Fall all that he was before it. True, his nature became
vitiated by sin, and, in consequence, his whole being was corrupted;
nevertheless, the" breath of life" which God had breathed into him at
the beginning, remained his portion after his expulsion from Eden.
True, all the faculties of his being now became the "instrument of
unrighteousness unto sin" (Rom. 6:13), yet none of them had ceased to
exist or to function.
It is the very character of man's nature (that which distinguishes him
from and elevates him above the beasts) which has made his fall his
ruin. It has been rather vulgarly said that "Man is a religious
animal," by which is meant that man, by nature, is essentially a
religious creature, i.e., made, originally, to pay homage to his
Creator. It is this religious nature of man's which, strange as it may
sound, lies at the root of all idolatry. Being alienated from God, and
therefore ignorant of Him, he falls the ready dupe of Satan. It was to
this fact of fallen man's essential nature that Christ had reference
when He said, "If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how
great is that darkness" (Matthew 6:23). The "light" in man is that
which distinguishes him from the beasts, and that which is
(potentially) capable of communing with God. But, as we have said,
that faculty in man which is capable of communion with God, is, as the
result of sin, put to a wrong use, and thus the "light" in him has
become "darkness." Instead of worshipping God, he now serves his own
lusts, and honors idols which are patterned after his lusts.
Man must have his god, otherwise he would not be man, and because the
"natural man "--what he now is as a fallen creature--has lost his
knowledge of the true God, he turns to the resources of his own mind
to fill the void. And, as another has said (from whom part of the
above has been condensed), "From the mental image formed in a corrupt
mind, it is but a short step to the golden or wooden idol in the
temple. Every shape and form had its prototype in the imagination,
which to the philosopher was supplemented by the material things of
nature; but to the vulgar, surrounding objects were the basis upon
which the superstructure of idolatry rested. Through the senses their
imagination was fed by the things seen and felt; and though these be
not the sole source of idolatry, they greatly modified its form and
multiplied its gods. For the mountain and the valley, the river, the
grove, the heavens above and the waters beneath had their divinities,
and everywhere that which in nature most impressed man soon took rank
as a god.
"Nor let us forget the greatest factor which produced this confused
mass of superstition and credulity. Not only did man not like to
retain the knowledge of God and thus became the dupe of his senses,
but over all was the delusive power of Satan, who held man in
captivity through his fears and lusts. The loss of the knowledge of
the true God, to a creature endowed with religious faculties, must
result in subjective idolizing. Satan, the god of this world,
presented himself in a tangible form and made it objective.
"The religious element in man's nature was not eradicated by sin, but
while every faculty of his mind and every instinct of his nature is
debased and perverted, man's complete ruin and his greatest guilt are
seen in the degradation of those same faculties, originally given as
the means of worshipping God. The endowments which placed him above
all other creatures, now sink him beneath them" ("The Bible Tresury,
1882).
What has been said above not only serves to explain the universality
of idolatry, but supplies the key to what is recorded in Exodus 32.
There we behold the favored Israelites making and worshipping a golden
calf. It was inexcusable, open, blatant, united idolatry. For a very
good reason, the first command which God had written, with His own
finger, upon the tables of stone, was "Thou shalt have no other gods
before Me"; and here was the deliberate and concerted violation of it.
What, then, must be the sequel? Jehovah turns to Moses, acquainted him
with the awful sin of the people down below, and says, "Now there-
fore let me alone, that My wrath may wax hot against them, and that I
may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation."
Solemn and fearsome as those words sound, yet a closer examination
reveals a door of hope opened by them. When the Lord said to Moses,
"Let Me alone . . . I will make of thee a great nation," it was as
though He placed Himself in the hands of the typical mediator. "Let Me
alone" plainly suggests that Moses stood between Jehovah and His
sinful people. This was indeed the case. But for Moses they were
surely lost: he only stood between the holy wrath of God and their
thoroughly merited doom. What would he do? When menaced by the
Egyptians at the Red Sea, Moses had cried unto the Lord on their
behalf (14:15). So, too, at the bitter waters of Marah he had
supplicated Jehovah for them (15:25). When at Rephidim they had no
water, yet again Moses had cried unto the Lord and obtained answer on
their behalf (17:4). When Amelek came against Israel, it was the
holding up of Moses' hands which gained them the victory (17:11). But
now a far graver crisis was at hand. Would Moses fail them now? or
would he again intervene on their behalf?
"And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth Thy
wrath wax hot against Thy people, which Thou hast brought forth out of
the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?" (v. 11).
Moses did not fail his people in this hour of their urgent need. Most
blessed is it to behold how he conducted himself on this occasion: God
had said to him, "Let me alone, that My wrath may wax hot against them
. . . and I will make of thee a great nation," but Moses uses his
place of nearness to God not on his own behalf, but for the good of
the people.
At an earlier date he had "refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's
daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God
than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the
reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he
had respect unto the recompense of the reward" (Heb. 11:24-26). So now
he declines to be made the head of another nation, choosing rather to
be identified with this stiff-necked and disobedient people. Is there
not here a blessed foreshadowing of Him who "made Himself of no
reputation" (Phil. 2:7), and who became one with His sinful people?
Yes, indeed; and, as we shall see, in more respects than one.
"And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth Thy
wrath wax hot against Thy people, which Thou hast brought forth out of
the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?" This was
the typical mediator's response to what Jehovah had said to him in
verse 7, "Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out
of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves." We believe there is a
double force to these words. In their local significance they furnish
God's answer to the wicked declaration of Israel recorded in verse 1.
There the people had disowned their Divine Deliverer; here He
righteously disclaims them. But there is a typical meaning, too, and
most precious is it to contemplate this.
In verse 7 the Lord practically turns the Nation over to Moses,
calling them "thy people"; here in verse 11 the typical mediator, as
it were, gives them back again unto God, saying "Thy people." Was not
this a plain adumbration of what we find in John 17? First, in verse
2, the antitypical Mediator speaks of a people whom God had given to
Him: "As Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give
eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him." Then, in verse 9, we
behold Him giving back that people to God, "I pray for them: I pray
not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given Me; for they are
Thine."
Let us notice now the various grounds upon which Moses pleaded before
"the Lord his God." They are three in number: he appealed to the grace
of God, the glory of God, and the faithfulness of God. His appeal to
God's grace is found in verse 11, "Lord, why doth Thy wrath wax hot
against Thy people, which Thou hast brought forth out of the laud of
Egypt?" It was grace, pure and simple, which had actuated Jehovah when
He delivered the Hebrews from the House of Bondage. There was
absolutely nothing in them to merit His esteem; rather was there
everything in them to call forth His wrath. It was sovereign
benignity, unadulterated grace, the Divine favor shown to them,
unasked and unmerited.
But let it not be overlooked that the Divine grace which was shown to
unworthy Israel was not exercised at the expense of the claims of
justice, for it is ever true that grace reigns "through righteousness"
(Rom. 5:21). So it was in Egypt: the passover-lamb had been slain, its
blood shed and applied. Thus, it is on the ground of redemption that
grace flowed forth. And it is still the same, "Being justified freely
by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom.
3:24).
Now it was to this that Moses made his first appeal. Israel had
sinned, sinned grievously, and Moses made no effort to deny or excuse
it. Later, we find him acknowledging the Lord's charge against His
people, owning "it is a stiff necked people" (34:9). Nevertheless,
they were God's people--His by redemption. They were His purchased
property. Unworthy, unthankful, unholy; but yet, the Lord's redeemed.
Blessed, glorious, heart-melting fact: O may the realization of it
create within us a greater hatred of sin and a deeper appreciation of
the precious blood of the Lamb. Is it not written, "If any man (Greek
"any one"--of those spoken of in 1 John 1:3) sin, we have an Advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (1 John 2:1)? And what is
the ground of His advocacy? What but His blood shed once for all!
"Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did He
bring them out, to slay them in the mountain, and to consume them from
the face of the earth? Turn from Thy fierce wrath, and repent of this
evil against Thy people" (v. 12). Here is the second ground on which
Moses pleaded with God: he appealed to His glory. Where would be His
honor in the sight of the heathen were He to consume the children of
Israel here at Sinai? Would not reproach be cast upon His name by the
Egyptians? The thought of this was more than Moses could endure;
therefore did he beseech Jehovah to relent against His erring people.
"Spite of their shameful apostasy, the plea of Moses was that they
were still Gods' people, and that His glory was concerned in sparing
them--lest the enemy should boast over their destruction, and thereby
over the Lord Himself. In itself it was a plea of irresistible force.
Joshua uses one of like character when the Israelites were smitten
before Ai. He says "the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land
shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name
from the earth: and what wilt Thou do unto Thy great name?' (Josh.
7:9. In both cases it was faith taking hold of God, identifying itself
with His own glory, and claiming on that ground the response to its
desires--a plea that God can never refuse" (Ed. Dennett).
This ground of appeal to God is not made by any of us today nearly as
much as it should be. The prayer of Moses here in Exodus 32 is also
recorded for our learning. It brings before us the essential elements
of those "effectual fervent prayers of a righteous man" which
"availeth much." This was not the only occasion on which Moses
appealed to the glory of the Lord's name: let the reader consult
carefully Numbers 14: 13-16, and Deuteronomy 9:28, 29; for others who
used this plea, see Psalm 25:11; Joel 2:17, etc. It is the glory of
His own name which God ever has before Him in all that He does.
It was for the honor of His name that He had, originally, brought
Israel out of Egypt: "I wrought for My name's sake, that it should not
be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I
made Myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of
Egypt" (Ezek. 20:9). So, at a later date in Israel's sinful history He
declared, "For My name's sake will I defer Mine anger, and for My
praise will I refrain from thee, that I cut thee not off . . . For
Mine own sake, even for Mine own sake, will I do it: for how should My
name be polluted?" (Isa. 48:9, 11). It is "for His name's sake" "that
He leads His people in the paths of righteousness" (Ps. 23:3).
Blessed is it to behold the Lord Jesus in His high priestly prayer,
recorded in John 17, using this same plea before God. In that prayer
He is heard presenting many petitions, and varied are the grounds upon
which He presents them. But underlying all, first and foremost He
asked, "glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee" (v. 1)!
Here is one of the prime secrets in prevailing prayer. Just as bowing
of the heart to God's sovereign will is the first requirement in a
praying soul, so the having before us the glory of God and the honor
of His name is that which, chiefly, ensures an answer to our
petitions. "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor.
10:31) applies as strictly to our praying as to any other exercise.
Let us take to heart, then, this important lesson taught us in this
successful prayer of Moses.
"Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Thy servants, to whom Thou
swearest by Thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your
seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of
will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it forever" (v.
13). Here is the third ground which Moses took in his intercession
before Jehovah. He appealed to His faithfulness; he pleaded His
promises; he reminded Him of His oath. There was no ground to go on
and no plea which he could make from anything that was to be found in
Israel, so he fell back upon that which God is in Himself.
"In the energy of his intercession--fruit surely of the action of the
Spirit of God--he goes back to the absolute and unconditional promises
made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, reminding the Lord of the two
immutable things in which it was impossible for Him to lie (Heb.
6:18). A more beautiful example of prevailing intercession is not to
be found in the Scriptures. Indeed, in the emergency which had arisen,
everything depended on the mediator, and in His grace God had provided
one who could stand in the breach, and plead His people's cause--not
on the ground of what they were, for by their sin they were exposed to
the righteous indignation of a holy God--but on the ground of what God
was, and on that of His counsels revealed and confirmed to the
patriarchs, both by oath and promise" (Ed. Dennett).
But let us look a little more closely at this third feature of Moses'
prayer. In the above quotation there are two slight inaccuracies: it
was not God's promises to "Abraham, Isaac and Jacob," but "and
Israel"--the difference intimating the height to which Moses' faith
had risen; nor were God's revealed counsels confirmed to the
patriarchs "both by oath and by promise," but, instead, by promise and
oath--note the order in Hebrews 6:13-18, which is the same as in
Genesis 12:3, and then Genesis 22:15, 16. But that which we would here
dwell upon is that Moses made these the final grounds of his pleading
before God.
The Word of God is "quick and powerful" (Heb. 4:12), not only in its
effects upon us, but also in its moving power with God Himself. If
this were more realized by Christians, the very language of Holy Writ
would have a larger place in their supplications, and more answers
from above would be obtained. God has magnified His Word above all His
name (Ps. 138:2), and so should we. He has expressly declared, "Them
that honor Me, I will honor," and how can we more honor Him in our
prayers than by employing the very words of Scripture, His words,
rather than our own? Ah, here too, our speech betrays us. If the Word
of Christ dwelt in us more richly, it would find fuller expression in
our intercessions, for "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth
speaketh." Christ has left us a perfect example: His prayers were the
outbreathing of the Psalms, and a close examination of the one which
He taught His disciples reveals the fact that every clause of it was a
quotation from the O.T.! And He explicitly enjoined His disciples,
"after this manner therefore pray ye" (Matthew 6:9). But we do not;
hence so many unanswered prayers.
Now that which Moses pleaded before God from His Word were the
promises which He had made to the patriarchs. This, too, is recorded
for our learning. It is the humble, simple, trustful spreading of the
Divine promises before the throne of grace which secures the ear of
God. That is what real prayer is: a presenting of our need before the
Lord, and then reverently reminding Him of His own declaration that He
will supply it. It is a confident asking with David, "Do as Thou hast
said" (2 Sam. 7:25). This is what the "exercise of faith" signifies: a
laying hold of God's promises, an "embracing" (Heb. 11:13) of them, a
counting upon them. "Hath He said, and shall He not do it? or hath He
spoken, and shall He not make it good?" (Num. 23:19).
Men like a written agreement in "black and white," and the great God
has condescended to give us such. How strange, then, that we do not
treat His promises as realities. Jehovah never trifles with His words:
His engagements are always kept Joshua reminded Israel, "This day I am
going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in
all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things
which the Lord your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass
unto you, not one thing hath failed thereof" (Josh. 23:14). Then let
us seek grace to emulate Abraham, the father of all them that believe,
of whom it is recorded, "He staggered not at the promise of God
through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and
being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to
perform" (Rom. 4:20, 21).
"And the Lord repented of the evil which He thought to do unto His
people" (v. 14). These words do not mean that God changed His mind or
altered His purpose, for He is "without variableness or shadow of
turning" (James 1:17). There never has been and never will be the
smallest occasion for the Almighty to affect the slightest deviation
from His eternal purpose, for everything was foreknown to Him from the
beginning, and all His counsels were ordered by infinite wisdom. When
Scripture speaks of God's repenting it employs a figure of speech, in
which the Most High condescends to speak in our language. What is
intended by the above expression is that Jehovah answered the prayer
of the typical mediator.
"And the Lord repented of the evil which He thought to do unto His
people" (v. 14). Blessed is it to note how Israel is still spoken of
as "His people." "What encouragement to faith! If ever there was an
occasion when it seemed impossible that prayer should be heard, it was
this; but the faith of Moses rose above all difficulties, and grasping
the hand of Jehovah claimed His help; and, inasmuch as He could not
deny Himself, the prayer of Moses was granted" (Ed. Dennett). May this
little meditation be blest of God to many to the enriching of their
spiritual lives.
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
61. The Righteous Judge
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Exodus 32:15-29
Our present section presents to us a vastly different scene than the
one upon which we gazed in the preceding verses. There we beheld the
typical mediator pleading so graciously and effectually before the
Lord, turning away His wrath from His stiffnecked people. Here we see
Moses coming down from the mount, where he had been in such wondrous
and blessed communion with God, angered at the sin of idolatrous
Israel, breaking the tables of stone, grinding the golden calf to
powder, strewing it upon the water and making the people to drink.
Here we see this man of prayer arraigning Aaron, the responsible and
guilty leader, and then calling upon the Levites to put on their
swords and "slay every man his brother." The contrast is so radical,
so strange, that many have been perplexed, and grotesque have been
some of the explanations attempted.
It is therefore pertinent to ask at once, Does our type now fail us?
Is Moses in our present passage no longer a foreshadowing of Christ?
Surely after all that has been before us in the previous chapters of
Exodus we should be slow to answer these questions in the affirmative.
If we are unable to perceive the spiritual meaning and application of
this picture, certainly that is no reason why we should say or even
imagine that there is a defect in the holy Word of God. Far better and
becoming for us to confess the dimness of our vision and betake
ourselves to the great Physician, that He may anoint our eyes with
eyesalve that we may see (Rev. 3:18). It is only in His light that we
ever "see light" (Ps. 36:9). If we who take up our pens to write upon
the Oracles of God did this more faithfully and frequently, there
would be far less of darkening "counsel by words without knowledge"
(Job 38:2). Not that we dare to imply, though, that other writers have
done this less than ourselves.
In his "Notes on Exodus," which are for the most part very spiritual
and helpful, and from which, under God, the writer himself has
received not a little help, C.H.M. says on the opening verses of our
present passage, "How different is this from what we see in Christ! He
came down from the bosom of the Father, not with the tables in His
hands, but with the law in His heart. He came down, not to be made
acquainted with the condition of the people but with a perfect
knowledge of what that condition was. Moreover, instead of destroying
the memorials of the covenant and executing judgment, He magnified the
Law and made it honorable and bore the judgment of His people in His
own blessed Person, on the cross" (page 316). Here is a case in point
which shows the need for all of us to heed the Divine admonition,
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good" (1 Thess.
5:21)--which applies to our own writings equally as much as any
others--for only thus shall we be able to "take forth the precious
from the vile" (Jer. 15:19).
In the first place, what we have here is not a type, either by
comparison or contrast, of the first advent of God's Son to this
earth, coming here to seek and to save that which was lost. How could
it be, when the section immediately preceding gives us a picture of
His intercession on High? In the second place, when Christ was here,
He did come with the ten commandments in His hands, came to enforce
their righteous demands, though not to execute their inexorable
penalty. He came here, full not only of "grace," but of "truth" as
well (John 1:14), saying, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law
or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill" (Matthew
5:17). In the four Gospels we see the tables of stone in the hands of
Christ again and again: see Matthew 5:27-32; 15:3-6; 19:16-19; 23:2-3.
In the third place, Moses did not come down from the mount" to be made
acquainted with the condition of the people," instead, he already had
full knowledge of their awful state and sin before he descended, as
vv. 7-9 clearly enough show.
That what is before us in the second half of Exodus 32 possesses a
deep and wondrous typical significance we are fully assured, though
nought but Divine guidance will enable us to rightly divide this
portion of the Word of Truth. We believe that this type has a twofold
application, first to Israel, second to Christendom. Its application
to Israel has already been pointed out at the close of our comments
upon Exodus 24 (Article 32), but as many of our present readers have
not seen them, we shall here repeat briefly what was then said.
First, in Exodus 24:18 we behold Moses entering the glory (the
"cloud") consequent upon his having erected the altar and sprinkled
the blood (vv. 4-8). If the reader will consult 24:16, 18 he will find
that it was after "six days"--which speaks of work and toil, on the
seventh day, which tells of rest, that the typical mediator was called
by God to enter the glory Beautiful foreshadowment was this of Christ,
as it is said of Him in Hebrews 4:10, "He that is entered into His
rest, He also hath ceased from His works, as God from His." And what
was the "rest" into which He entered? Does not His own request in John
17:4, 5 tell us! Thus, Moses going up into the mount and entering the
cloud to commune with Jehovah is a type of the ascension of Christ,
following the triumphant completion of the work which had been given
Him to do. That which formed the subject of communion between the Lord
and Moses in the mount was the revelation concerning the Tabernacle
and its priesthood, which, coming in at this place in the book, tells
of the provision of God's grace for His people, secured to them by and
in Christ during His absence.
Now the next event, chronologically, was Moses' descent, recorded in
Exodus 32. He did not end his days on the mount, but, in due time,
returned unto the people. In like manner, the One whom Moses
foreshadowed, is not to remain on High forever, but will come back
again as truly and as literally as He went away. It is indeed striking
to observe that Moses came down from Sinai twice after he had entered
the glory. First, as recorded in 32:15; second, in 34:29, having of
course returned thither in the interval. So also will there be two
stages in the second advent of Christ: the first when He descends into
the air, to catch up His mints away from this scene (1 Thess. 4:16,
17); the second when He returns to the earth itself (Zech. 14:4).
These two stages in the Redeemer's return will affect Israel very
differently: the first will be followed by terrible judgment, the
second will usher in an era of unparalleled blessing, even the
Millennium.
That which we have in our present passage is what immediately followed
the first descent of Moses. During his absence in the mount, the
people had gathered themselves unto Aaron, saying "Up, mike us gods
which shall go before us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is
become of him" (32:1). Is not that an accurate description of the
spiritual state of the Jews all through this Day of Grace? They are
all at sea over the long absence of their Messiah, not knowing what to
think. While Moses was away, they made and worshipped a golden calf.
And has not history again repeated itself? That which has
characterized the Jews has not been the love of conquest or the lure
of pleasure, as it has been with the Gentiles, but the lust for gold.
Now just as at his first descent Moses found Israel worshipping the
golden calf, so at the first stage in the second advent of our Savior,
Israel will still be pursuing their mad quest after material riches;
and just as Moses' response was to act in judgment, making them drink
the dust of their idol and calling for the sword to smite them, so
shall the Jews be made to drink the outpoured vials of God's wrath and
suffer beneath the sword. But just as the Nation was not completely
exterminated under the anger of Moses, neither shall it be under the
far sorer afflictions of the Tribulation period. In Exodus 33 and 34
that which followed the second descent of Moses anticipates millennial
conditions.
Having dwelt on the application of our present type to Israel, let us
view it now as it bears on Christendom. The action of Moses in the
passage before us foreshadowed Christ in another character than that
which was before us in our last article. There we viewed Him as the
Mediator, making intercession for His people; here we behold Him as
Judge, not consuming, but inspecting and executing corrective
judgment. "Moses coming down from the mountain to expose and judge
what was going on in the camp is very much like the Lord's attitude in
Revelation 2, 3. He takes His place in the midst of the seven lamps to
pass judgment upon what is evil and idolatrous, and also to take
account of such faithfulness as might answer to what was found in the
sons of Levi" (C. A. Coates). We believe it is the first three
chapters of the Revelation which supply the key to the meaning of our
present type.
"And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of
the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their
sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. And the
tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God,
graven upon the tables" (vv. 15, 16). This is not contradictory, but
complementary, to that which precedes. First we have that which speaks
of the grace of God, now that which Brings out His government. The
tables of stone in the hands of Moses announced that the righteous
requirements of the law cannot be set aside. "Whatsoever a man soweth,
that shall he also reap" was addressed not to worldlings, but to
Christians. Let the reader note attentively the inspired description
of Christ in Revelation 1:12-18. There we behold One "like unto the
Son of man" (cf. John 5:27) in the midst of the seven lamp-stands, and
"out of His mouth goeth a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance
was as the sun shineth in his strength" (v. 16)!
"And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he
said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. And he said, It
is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the
voice of them that cry for being overcome; but the noise of them that
sing do I hear" (vv. 17, 18). An important spiritual principle here
receives exemplification. If the reader will turn back to Exodus
24:13-18 it will be found that though both Moses and Joshua went up
into the mount, leaving the congregation below at its base, yet Moses
alone went into the midst of the cloud, to talk to Jehovah. For forty
days Joshua had, apparently, been left alone, while Moses "communed"
with the Lord (31:18). The effect of this we see in the verses before
us: Moses, and not Joshua, is the one who discerns the true state of
affairs in the camp. His ear was able to interpret aright the noise
and din which came up to them. Ah, it is not only true that in God's
light we alone see light, but only by much communion with Him do we
acquire the hearing "ear."
"And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he
saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast
the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount" (v.
19). A most appalling spectacle was spread before these servants of
God. The very people who had only recently bowed before the manifested
majesty of Jehovah, were now obscenely sporting around the golden
image of a calf. In holy indignation Moses dashes the tables of stone
to the ground, just as in the days of His flesh the Lord Jesus "made a
scourge of small cords" and drove out of the Temple those who had
desecrated His Father's house; and just as in Revelation 1 He is seen
with "His eyes as a flame of fire" (v. 14).
"And Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands,
and brake them beneath the mount." This affords a most striking
illustration of what is said in James 2:10, "For whosoever shall keep
the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."
Israel had offended "in one point." God had said to them: "Thou shalt
not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that
is in heaven above or that is in the earth be-hearth, or that is in
the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them,
nor serve them (Ex. 20:4, 5). This they had disobeyed, and the law
being a unit, they are guilty of all"--hence the breaking of the two
tables to show that the ten commandments, as a whole, had been
violated.
"And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire,
and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the
children of Israel drink of it" (v. 20). Some of the so-called "higher
critics" with their customary skepticism have called into question the
reference to Moses strawing the powder upon "the water;" but if these
men would but take the trouble to "search the Scriptures," they would
find that the Holy Spirit has granted light upon this point, though
not in this chapter (for the Bible does not yield its meaning to lazy
people), but in another book altogether. In Deuteronomy 9:21 we read,
"I took your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire,
and stamped it, and ground it very small, even until it was as small
as dust: and I cast the dust thereof into the brook that descended out
of the mount." What that "brook" was that "descended out of the mount"
Exodus 17:6 tells us.
Moses' actions here in grinding the idol to powder, strewing it upon
the water, and making the children of Israel drink thereof, are very
solemn. The Christian is bidden to keep himself from idols (1 John
5:21), which, we need scarcely add, covers very much more than bowing
down to graven images. An "idol" is anything which displaces God in my
heart. It may be something which is quite harmless in itself, yet if
it absorbs me, if it be given the first place in my affections and
thoughts, it becomes an "idol." It may be my business, a loved one, or
my service for Christ. Any one or anything which comes into
competition with the Lord's ruling me in a practical way, is an
"idol." And if I have set up an idol, then God, in His faithfulness
and love, will break it down; not If I sow to the flesh, then of the
flesh I must reap corruption (Gal. 6:8).
"And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou
hast brought so great a sin upon them?" Moses now arraigns the one who
had been left in charge of the people, just as in Revelation 2, 3,
Christ addresses, in each case, the responsible "angel" or "messenger"
of the local church. Sad it is to hear the reply of the one who should
have maintained the honor and glory of Jehovah.
"And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my Lord wax hot: thou knowest
the people, that they are set on mischief. For they said unto me, Make
us gods, which shall go before us: for this Moses, the man that
brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is be come of
him" (vv. 22, 23). Very sad indeed is this. There was no sense of the
terribleness of the sin committed, no sign of repentance; instead,
there was a throwing of the blame upon others. Thus it was at the
beginning: when the Lord arraigned Adam, he blamed his wife (Gen.
3:12); and when Eve was questioned, she blamed the Serpent. How often
we hear the leaders in Christendom saying, "We have to make these
concessions because the people demand it."
"What a contrast there is here between Aaron and Moses! Aaron afraid
of the people, instead of protesting against their idolatrous wishes,
actually making the calf; and then excusing himself in a way which is
just a sample of the kind of excuses people make for doing evil (v.
24). Moses comes down in an energy that could take a stand
single-handed against six hundred thousand men, that could execute
judgment on their sin, and maintain what was due to God. It is just
the contrast between the servant who is with men and the servant who
is with God. If a man acts with God he always acts in power. He may
have plenty of exercise as to his own weakness in secret, but in
public he acts in power and with no uncertainty or hesitation"
(C.A.C.).
"And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off.
So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out
this calf" (v. 24). The breaking off of their "golden" ornaments was a
figure of their being stripped of their glory. This is ever what
precedes all idolatry. What is man's "glory?" To be in subjection to
his Maker and to be grateful for His mercies. Man is only in honor
when God is given His true place. Just as we read of the Gentiles, in
Romans 1:21, "When they knew God, they glorified Him not as God,
neither were thankful." What followed? This: they "changed the glory
of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man"
etc. Nothing will preserve from idolatry but a will bowed to God's
authority and a heart lifted up in thanksgiving for His bounties. If I
do not bow to God, I shall quickly bow to something else that is of
the creature, and thus be stripped of my "gold," my glory.
"So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out
this calf." In this purile manner did Aaron seek to deny all personal
responsibility in the matter. Really, he told a downright lie, as a
reference to v. 4 will show. Great indeed was his sin: marvelous the
mercy which pardoned it. It is blessed to learn from Deuteronomy 9:20
that the life of Aaron was spared in answer to the supplications of
Moses. Thus we see in type, again, the efficacy of the Mediator's
intercession for His people.
"And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had make
them naked unto their shame among their enemies): Then Moses stood in
the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord's side? let him
come unto me" (vv. 25, 26). The situation called for drastic action.
Having arraigned Aaron, Moses now considers the condition of the
people, and beheld them naked and demoralized, having indulged in the
idolatrous sensualism which they had so often witnessed in Egypt, and
whose mad merriment they had, no doubt, remembered with many a sigh.
They had been disturbed in their abominable orgies, and had yielded
only to the terror of Moses' presence. A swift and summary vengeance
must therefore be visited upon them, in order that the survivors might
be brought to soberness and repentance, and that the Divine wrath,
which had only been suspended by his entreaties, might be averted from
utterly consuming the Nation.
"Who is on the Lord's side?" That was now the issue, clearly defined.
"It was no time for concealment of the evil or for compromise. When
there is open apostasy there can be no neutrality. Neutrality when the
question is between God and Satan is itself apostasy. He that is not
with the Lord, at such a time, is against Him. And mark, moreover,
that this cry is raised in the midst of those who were the Lord's
professing people. They were all Israelites. But now there must be a
separation, and the challenge of Moses, `Who is on the Lord's side?'
makes all manifest. He becomes the Lord's center; and hence to gather
to Him was to be for, to refuse his call was to be against the Lord"
(Ed. Dennett).
"And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him" (v.
26). The Levites were the "overcomers" (cf. Revelation 2, 3) of that
day. They had, apparently, been preserved from the awful sin of their
nation, and now promptly responded to the call of God's servant. A
most searching and severe test was presented to them: "And he said
unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, put every man his sword
by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate through the camp, and
slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man
his neighbor" (v. 27).
Natural inclinations might well shrink from compliance with such a
command. Sentiment would say, Not so, let us be gentle and gracious,
we shall accomplish more by kindness than severity. Reason would
argue, We can do no good by slaying people: there is far more power in
love than in the sword; let us seek to woo and win them back to God.
Such arguments sound very plausible, but the call was distinct and
decisive, "Put every man his sword by his side." There was nothing
else for it in view of that calf. So in preaching to idolators today
it is the wrath of a holy God, and not His love (which is a truth for
His own people only), which needs pressing upon them.
As another has said in his application of this verse to the saints
today, "It was obedience at all costs to the divine call, and hence
complete separation from the evil into which Israel had fallen. God
often tests His people in the same way; and whenever confusion and
declension have begun, the only Path for the godly is that which is
marked out by the course of Levi--that of full-hearted, unquestioning
obedience. Such a path must be painful, involving for those who take
it the surrender of some of the most intimate associations of their
lives, and breaking many a tie of nature--of kindred and relationship;
but it is only the path of blessing. Well may all challenge their
hearts and inquire, if in this evil day they are apart from all that
dishonors the Lord's name, in subjection to His Word."
The terrible sequel we must leave for our next article. May the Lord
sanctify to our souls the solemn yet salutary lessons contained in the
verses which have been before us.
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
62. Israel Plagued
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 32:28 - 33:2
Our last article closed with the descent of Moses from the mount and,
upon his beholding the idolatries of Israel, his giving a stern
commission to the Levites: "Put every man his sword by his side, go in
and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his
brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor." In
their response we behold the spirit triumphing over the flesh, the
claims of Jehovah's holiness over-riding all natural and sentimental
considerations: "And the children of Levi did according to the word of
Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.
For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves today to the Lord, even
every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that He may bestow upon
you a blessing this day" (vv. 28, 29).
The above verses present several most striking contrasts. First, from
what is recorded in Genesis 34:25, 26, where, too, the "sword" is seen
in the hand of Levi, not for Jehovah's glory, but in fleshly
anger--cf. Genesis 49:5-7. Second, from what is said in Exodus 28:41,
where we read of the sons of Aaron being consecrated that they might
minister unto the Lord in the priest's office. The word "consecrate"
means to "fill the hand," the reference being to the sweet-savor
offerings and fragrant incense with which they were to appear before
Jehovah. But here in our present portion their hands were filled with
swords, to slay those who had apostatized. Third, from what is
recorded in Acts 2:41: on the day of Israel's idolatry there fell of
the people "about three thousand men," on the day of Pentecost "about
three thousand souls" were saved!
Fearful was the ensuing carnage. Stupefied with terror and awed by the
irresistible power with which Moses was known to be invested, and by
the sight of the threatening Cloud upon the mount above them, the
people offered no resistance, and three thousand of them were put to
death. "And so they were left for the night: the day of sin had ended
in lamentation and woe. The camp, which in the morning had resounded
with unholy merriment and licentious song, was full of groans and
sighs: the dead awaited burial, and the wounded cried for pain. And
every soul was weighed down, if not with remorse for the sin, at least
with dread, lest wrath should go forth from the Lord, and the
destroying angel appear with sword outstretched to smite the wicked
people, who, after hearing the law uttered by the awful voice of God
Himself, and promising to do all that tie had spoken, and then, even
before the signs of His presence were removed, lightly passed over to
idolatry and fornication" (G. H. Pember).
"Now all these things happened unto them for types" (1 Cor. 10:11),
that is, types for us; "types" mark, not precedents, not examples for
us to imitate. The weapons of our warfare "are not carnal," (2 Cor.
10:4), but "spiritual." No place for the literal sword is provided in
the Christian's equipment. It is a perversion of the Scriptures, a
failure to rightly divide the Word of Truth, to appeal to Israel's
history as warrant for us to use physical force. No, No; the material
things connected with them, were but figures of the spiritual things
which belong to us. What, then, is the lesson for us in this solemn
work committed to the Levites? Is not the answer obvious?
Uncompromising and unsparing dealing with all that is dishonoring to
God, with everything that savors of idolatry.
The Christian possesses a sword, but it is "the sword of the Spirit,
which is the Word of God" (Eph. 6:17). With that sword we are called
on to smite every enemy which lifts up its head against Christ. "The
sword must be drawn against every influence that corrupts the people
of God, even though it may have a place in those nearest us. It might
seem very severe to treat brethren, friends, neighbors, in this way,
but it was the only way to be consecrated to Jehovah, and to secure
His blessing. When what is due to the Lord is in question, it is with
those nearest to you that you have to be most decided. There is no
particular consecration in drawing the sword against people you care
little about. But to take a definite stand for the Lord against
influences which are not of Him, even in those that you regard and
truly love, secures great blessing... If I am going on with something
that does not recognize the rights of Christ, or maintain what is due
to God, the kindest thing we can do is to take a definite stand
against it. I may, now call you narrow, uncharitable, bigoted! But
when I meet you in the light of the judgment-seat of Christ I shall
thank you for it?" (C. A. Coates).
As we said in the preceding article, these Levites were the
"overcomers" of that day, and if the reader will consult Revelation 2
and 3 he will find that all the promises contained in those chapters
were made to the overcomers. How blessed then to find that these
Levites were richly rewarded for their faithfulness. In Deuteronomy
33:8-11 we read, "And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummin and Urim be
with thy holy one, whom Thou didst prove at Massah and with whom Thou
didst strive at the water of Meribah: Who said unto his father and to
his mother, I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his
brethren, nor knew his own children: for they have observed Thy word
and kept Thy covenant. They shall teach Jacob Thy judgments, and
Israel Thy law: they shall put incense before Thee. and whole burnt
sacrifice upon Thine altar." It was because they crucified the flesh
"with its affections and lusts," (Gal. 5:24) ignoring natural ties,
knowing no man according to nature, not even acknowledging their own
brethren when it came to maintaining the claims of God's holiness; it
was because they observed His word and kept His covenant, that unto
this Tribe were committed the "Thummin and Urim," the gift of
teaching, and the privilege of burning incense on the altar. Truly God
does honor those who honor Him, but they who despise Him are lightly
esteemed.
"And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people ye
have sinned a great sin" (v. 30). It is solemn to note the absence of
any recorded word of Israel's repentance. Nothing is said of their
contrition and horror at having so grievously offended against the
Lord. Ominous sign was that. The rod of chastisement had fallen
heavily upon them, yet, so far as we can gather, they had not bowed in
heart beneath it. But God will not be mocked; if His chastening be
"despised" (Heb. 12:5) it will return in a more acute form. It did so
here, as we shall see in the immediate sequel. May the Lord grant each
of us the hearing ear.
Moses did not wink at their wickedness, nor did he attempt to minimize
the enormity of it. Just as when he first came down from the mount he
charged Aaron with having brought "so great a sin" upon Israel (v.
21), so now, on the morrow, he says unto the people, "Ye have sinned a
great sin." That he truly and clearly loved his people, the verses
that follow plainly testify; yet, this did not deter him from dealing
faithfully with them. As the Holy Spirit declares in Hebrews 3:5,
"Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a
testimony of those things which were to be spoken after." In this too
was he a type of Christ, the Holy One of God, who ever stressed the
heinousness of sin.
"And now I will go up unto the Lord; peradventure I shall make an
atonement for your sin" (v. 30). Care needs to be exercised lest we
read into these words what they do not really contain. It was not the
penal sentence upon their sin, but, we believe, the remitting of the
governmental consequences to which Moses referred. It must not be
forgotten that we have already been told in v. 14 that "The Lord
repented of the evil which He thought to do unto His people." In
answer to the earnest supplications of the typical mediator, the wrath
of God in utterly "consuming" the people (v. 10) had been averted, and
this, we say, should be carefully borne in mind as we endeavor to
understand that which follows--admittedly a most difficult passage.
"Peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin." The
"peradventure" here ought not to occasion any difficulty, though more
than one commentator has tripped over it. The uncertainty was due to
the character and circumstances of his mission. Moses was about to
appear before God on behalf of a people who had evidenced no sorrow
for their great sin; therefore it was doubtful whether or not the
governmental consequences of it might be remitted. There are quite a
number of similar cases recorded in Scripture. In a Samuel 16:12,
following Shimei's cursing of him, we find David saying, "It may be
that the Lord will look on mine affliction and that the Lord will
requite me good for his cursing this day. When wayward Israel was
threatened by the Assyrians, Hezekiah sent to Isaiah saying, "It may
be the Lord thy God will hear all the words of Rab-shakeh, whom the
king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God."
Nor are such cases restricted to the O.T. In N.T. times we read of
Peter saying to Simon the sorcerer, "Repent therefore of this that
wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be
forgiven thee" (Acts 8:22). While in 2 Timothy 2:25 we read, "In
meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure
will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth." The
careful reader will observe two things common to all these instances:
first, each had in view the governmental consequences of sin; hence,
second, each emphasizes the note of uncertainty--because forgiveness
was dependent upon their repentance.
"And Moses returned unto the Lord" (v. 31.) Very blessed is this.
Moses was, preeminently a man of prayer. In every crisis we find him
turning unto the Lord: see Exodus 5:22; 8:30; 9:33; 14:15; 17:4.
Beautiful foreshadowing was this of the Apostle and High Priest of our
profession, who, in the days of His flesh, ever maintained and
manifested a perfect spirit of dependency upon the One who d sent Him.
"And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have
sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if Thou
wilt forgive their sin;--and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of Thy
book which Thou hast written" (vv. 31:32). Let us consider first the
practical lesson which this incident contains for our hearts. Most
helpfully has this been brought out by another.
"But if we speak of drawing the sword in this way, let us remember
that the same man who said in the camp, `Slay every man his brother'
went up to Jehovah and said, `And now, if Thou will forgive their
sin... but if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book that Thou
hast written.' It was the same spirit of Christ which led him to take
a decided stand in public against those who had allowed what was
contrary to God, that led him to go up and pray for them in secret
with such intense yearning for their good. He went as far as it was
possible fox man to go in the way of self-sacrifice. He could not be
made a curse for them; only the Blessed One could go to that depth;
but he was truly in the Spirit of Christ. It might be thought that
slaying the people and interceding for them were not consistent. But
the same spirit of Christ that would stand for Jehovah even against
the nearest and dearest, was the spirit that would plead with God to
be blotted out Father than that they should not be forgiven. The man
who takes the strongest ground against me when I am wrong, and when I
have set aside what is due to the Lord, is probably the one who prays
most for me" (C. A. Coates).
"And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have
sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if Thou
wilt forgive their sin;--and if not, blot me I pray Thee, out of Thy
book which Thou hast written." Unspeakably precious is the typical
picture presented here. How it brings out the intense devotion of
Moses both to Jehovah and to His people. No sin on their part could
alienate his affections from them. "Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can the floods drown it" (Song 8:7). Superlatively was this
manifested by the One whom Moses here foreshadowed: Having loved His
own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end" (John 13:1).
Yes, notwithstanding the fact that all would be offended because of
Him that night, yea, that all would forsake Him and flee, yet, He
"loved them unto the end."
Moses gave proof that his affections were bound up with Israel, though
they were a sinful people. So much were their interests his, he was
willing to be blotted out of God's book, if He would not forgive them.
Here again we must be careful not to read into his words what is not
there. Moses said, "Thy book," not "the book of life." In Psalm 69:28
we read, "Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not
be written with the righteous." In Isaiah 4:3 it is said, "And it
shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that
remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is
written among the living in Jerusalem." Thus it seems clear from these
references that the "book" mentioned by Moses was not "the Lamb's book
of life" (Rev. 21:27), which was written "from the foundation of the
world" (Rev. 17:8), but the Divine register in which are recorded the
names of those living on the earth, whose names are "blotted out" at
the death of each one. God has various "books:" see Malachi 3:16,
Revelation 20:12.
"And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him
will I blot out of My book" (v. 33). God was speaking here from the
viewpoint of the unchanging principles of his righteous government. Is
not Galatians 6:7, 8 a parallel passage? "Be not deceived; God is not
mocked: for whatever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he
that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption." Does not
Romans 8:13 sound-forth the same warning note? "For if we live after
the flesh, we shall die?"
"Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have
spoken unto thee: behold, Mine angel shall go before thee:
nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them"
(v. 34). Here is further proof that their penal deserts were
cancelled. Equally clear is it that the governmental consequences of
their sin were not remitted. They were not consumed, yet in due time
God would deal with them. Does then our type fail us at this point?
Certainly not; it only serves to exhibit the perfect accuracy of it.
In connection with the mediation of Christ, we find the same two
things: His intercession averts the penal wrath of God, but does not
remove the governmental consequences of His people's sins. The latter
is conditioned upon our true repentance and confession, and the laying
hold of God's restoring grace.
"And the Lord plagued the people, because they made the calf which
Aaron made" (v. 35). In view of what we said in our last article,
namely, that what is found here in Exodus 32 has prophetic application
not only to Israel in the Tribulation period, but also to Christendom
in this present era, probably the reader is ready to ask, But how
could this terrible sequel to Israel's sin ever have its counterpart
in God's dealings with His own in this Dispensation of Grace? Surely
Christ has never called for the "sword" to smite His own; surely He
does not "plague" His redeemed! Ah, dear friend, the picture that is
now before us was not drawn by man, and the heavenly Artist makes no
flaws. If it be recalled that Revelation 1 to 3 supplies the key to
the present application of our type, it will not be difficult to
discover the antitype.
In the second of the seven epistles found there, we read, "Fear none
of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the Devil shall cast
some of you into prison, that ye may be tried." This epistle to Smyrna
contemplates the second stage in the history of the Christian
profession. It was a period marked by opposition and persecution,
suffering and death. It was the martyr age, covering the last half of
the first century A.D. and most of the second and third centuries. It
was the time when the early Christians suffered so sorely under Nero
and the other Roman emperors that succeeded him. It is unnecessary to
enter into detail, most of our readers being doubtless aware of the
fearful conditions that then prevailed, and of the fiery trials
through which the people of God were called to pass. But what is not
so well known, what in fact has been quite lost sight of by most
Christian historians, is the cause of that era of suffering, as to why
God permitted the Enemy to rage against His people--for, of course,
neither the Roman emperors, or Satan who stirred them up, could move
at all without His direct permission.
God does not afflict willingly (Lam. 3:33), nor are the sufferings of
His people arbitrary. The Scriptures expressly declare, "When a man's
ways please the Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with
him" (Prov. 16:7). The reason why God sent such tribulation upon His
people in the second era of Christendom's history was because of their
evil conduct in the first period. The epistle which precedes the
Smyrean in Revelation 2, namely, the Ephesian, makes known what that
evil conduct was: "Thou hast left thy first love" (Rev.
2:4)--Affection for Christ had waned: He was no longer "all and in
all" to them. And, inward decline was swiftly followed by outward
corruption, as is evidenced by the fearful fact that by the time the
Smyrean era had dawned the "synagogue of Satan" (Rev. 2:9) had already
become established in their midst. Thus, as cause stands to effect,
the leaving of "first love" at the beginning, occasioned the
sufferings of the second and third centuries. It was God chastening
His backslidden people!
Had the people of God remained true to Christ, had not the love of the
world crept into their hearts, haw vastly different history would have
been! Nor is this a mere conjecture of ours. After Israel had suffered
so severely from their enemies (see the book of Judges) God said
through the Psalmist, "Oh that My people had hearkened unto Me, and
Israel had walked in My ways! I should soon have subdued their
enemies, and turned My hand against their adversaries" (81:13, 14)!
But they did not "hearken" unto Him, nor did they walk in His ways.
Sadly did history repeat itself. Just as God chastened Israel with the
sword and "plague" then, so did He chasten and plague the early
Church, using the Roman emperors as His scourge. Thus, what is seen in
our type in Exodus 32 finds its counterpart in the history of
Christendom. When there was departure from the Lord, when the spirit
of idolatry came in, He called for the sword to smite them.
"And the Lord said unto Moses, Depart, and go hence, thou and the
people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the
land which I sward unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto
thy seed will I give it: And I will send an angel before thee: and I
will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittie, and the
Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite: Unto a land flowing with milk
and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a
stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way" (33:1-3). Thus
Moses by his supplication secured the immediate safety of the people,
and the promise of an angelic guide and protector, to go before them;
but the further chastisement of their sin must yet be visited upon
them. Nor were they restored to their covenant relations with Jehovah.
Moses was next directed to return to me camp with a message from the
Lord. The details of that message, its effect upon the people, with
the sequel, we must leave for consideration till our next article. May
what has been before us bring to each of our hearts a greater horror
and hatred of sin, and a more earnest crying unto God to be delivered
from it.
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
63. Outside the Camp
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 33:4-10
In order to enter into the significance of what is to be before us on
this present occasion, and especially to discern its typical
application to Christendom today, careful attention must be paid to
the context. Moses' pitching of the tent "outside the camp," and the
seeking unto it of "every one which sought the Lord" can only be
interpreted aright by noting carefully the imperative necessity for
such a drastic action, and that, in the light of all which occasioned
it. The section of Exodus in which our present portion is found begins
with 32:1. In that chapter, as we have already seen, Israel is shown
committing the awful sin of making and worshipping the golden calf.
That, in turn, was the consequence of their throwing off allegiance to
Jehovah. Having, in their hearts, cast off the God they loved not,
they now set up an idol patterned after their own evil lusts--a beast,
graven in gold.
That the Lord did not there and then let loose the thunderbolts of His
wrath and completely exterminate Israel is something which should bow
our hearts before Him in wonder and worship, the more so when we
observe what it was and who it was that averted His righteous anger
against them, namely, the earnest and effectual supplications of the
typical mediator. Blessed foreshadowment was this of Him who has
entered into heaven itself, "now to appear in the presence of God for
us" (Heb. 9:24), and who is "able also to save them unto the uttermost
(to the last extremity) that come unto God by Him, seeing that He ever
liveth to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25). Had there been no
Moses to plead their cause, Israel had perished. And had we no High
Priest to plead before God the merits of His atoning sacrifice on our
behalf, we too would perish in this wilderness scene. It is the
ministry of Christ on High which succors and sustains us while we
journey to the promised inheritance.
How Moses must have loved his people! Do we not have more than a hint
of this in the words of the Spirit in Hebrews 11:24, 25, "By faith
Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of
Pharaoh's daughter: Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the
people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season." His
love for them is brought out again in Acts 7:23, "And when he was full
forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the
children of Israel." Blessed adumbrations were these of a greater than
Moses, who refused not to lay aside His heavenly glory and come down
to this sin-curst earth, where His "brethren" (Heb. 2:11) were in
cruel bondage to sin and Satan. More blessed still is it to follow out
the love of Moses for his people under the severest trials and
testings. Though they appreciated him not, though they repeatedly
murmured and rebelled against him, though they manifested their utter
unworthiness of his unselfish devotion to them, yet nothing quenched
his love for them. So too we read of Him to whom Moses pointed,
"having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the
end" (John 13:1). Nor could the awful sin of His people kill the
affections of Moses: when unsparing judgment at the hands of a holy
God was their only due, he stepped into the breech, and stood between
them and His wrath.
But, as we saw in our last article, though the intercession of Moses
averted the consuming wrath of God, yet it did not preclude the
manifestations of His displeasure in a governmental way. The nation
was not "consumed" (32:10), but it was "plagued" (32:35). This was due
to no failure in the prayer of Moses, but to the lack of repentance on
the part of the people. Most solemnly does this speak to us, and
timely is its warning. How readily neglected is this truth today! if
there be little or no preaching of "repentance" to the unsaved, there
is still less to those who are saved. Yet, concerning the one we read
"But, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3); and
of the other, it is to be noted, that the very first admonitory word
of Christ to the seven churches in Revelation 2, 3 is, "Remember
therefore from whence thou are fallen, and repent" (2:5)! It is
because there is so little repentance among God's people today that
His chastening hand is laid so heavily on many of them.
"And the Lord said unto Moses. Depart, go up hence, thou and the
people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the
land which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto
thy seed will I give it" (33:1). In these words Jehovah presses upon
Moses the solemn position which Israel occupied. Having broken the
covenant which they had made only a few weeks before (Ex. 19:5, 8;
24:7), they had thus forfeited their relationship to God as His
people. Having rejected Him, He speaks, to them according to their
transgression, saying to Moses, "The people which thou hast brought up
out of the land of Egypt." Nevertheless, He promised them the land,
according to His absolute and unconditional promises to the
patriarchs--to which Moses had appealed in his intercession (32:13).
"And I will send an angel before thee: and I will drive out the
Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the
Hivite, and the Jebusite: unto a land flowing with milk and honey"
(vv. 2, 3).
Next, the Lord added. "For I will not go up in the midst of thee; for
thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way (v. 3).
Solemn word was this; a real test of Israel's heart. "At the beginning
of this book. when the people were in the furnace of Egypt, the Lord
could say, `I have surely seen the affliction of My people which are
in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for
I know their sorrows.' But now he has to say, `I have seen this
people, and, behold. it is a stiffnecked people', An afflicted people
is an object of grace; but a stiff- necked people must be humbled. The
cry of the oppressed Israel had been answered by the exhibition of
grace; but the song of idolatrous Israel must be answered by the voice
of stern rebuke" (C.H.M.).
Then we read, "And when the people heard these evil tidings, they
mourned" (v. 4). Here was the first hopeful sign that the people gave.
The Hebrew word for "mourn" in this passage means to sorrow or lament.
The threat that Jehovah Himself would not accompany them moved Israel
to deep contrition. How sad is the contrast presented in Revelation 3!
There too the Lord is viewed as not being "in the midst" of His
people, but outside (v. 20). Yet Laodicea is indifferent, content
without Him (v. 17). When the Lord is no longer "in the midst" of His
people, it is high time for them to "mourn."
"And no man did put on his ornaments. For the Lord had said unto
Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, ye, are a stiff necked people:
I will come up in the midst of thee in a moment, and consume thee:
therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to
do unto thee" (vv. 4, 5). The removal of their ornaments was for the
purpose of evidencing the genuineness of their contrition. Outward
adornment was out of keeping with the taking of a low place before
God. Contrariwise, external attractions and displays show up the
absence of that lowliness of spirit and brokenness of heart which are
of great price in the sight of God. The more true spirituality
declines, the more an elaborate ritual comes to the fore. All around
us Christendom is putting on as many "ornaments" as possible.
"And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by
the mount Horeb" (v. 6). This was a still more hopeful sign. Here we
see Israel obeying God's command to humble themselves. This is ever
the ground of further blessing. The promise is, "he that humbleth
himself shall be exalted." A New Testament parallel to what we have
before us here, is found in the case of the Corinthians. To them the
apostle wrote, "Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as
kings" (1 Cor. 4:8). There we see them with all their "ornaments" on.
Later he was able to write, "For though I made you sorry with a
letter, I do not repent, though I did repent: for I perceive that the
same epistle hath you sorry, though but for a season. Now I rejoice,
not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance; for
ye were made sorry after a godly manner" (2 Cor. 7:8, 9). They had
"stripped themselves" of their "ornaments"!
"And Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar
off from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of the congregation"
(v. 7). This movement of Moses denoted three things: it was an act of
submission, it was an act of faith, it was an act of grace. Let us
enlarge a little upon these things. The going forth of Moses outside
the camp was an act of submission, it was a bowing to God's righteous
verdict. While Israel was a stiffnecked people, Jehovah could not
remain in their "midst" (v. 3). While they continued in a state of
impenitency life could not own them as His people (v. 1). Accordingly,
Moses is here seen acquiescing in the Lord's holy judgment, and
therefore leaves the place where He no longer was. Well would it
be--both for God's glory and for their own good--if His people would
act on this same principle today.
But more: the going forth of Moses outside the camp was an act of
faith. This comes out plainly and most blessedly in what Israel's
leader did on this occasion: he "took" the tabernacle and "pitched it
without the camp." It should be pointed out that this was not the
Tabernacle proper, with its three apartments, for this had not yet
been erected. If the reader will refer back to Exodus 21:18 and 32:1
it will be found that Israel committed their great sin of worshipping
the golden calf while Moses was up in the mount, during which time
Jehovah had said to him, "Let them make Me a sanctuary: that I may
dwell among them" (25:8)--details concerning which are found in the
chapters that follow to the end of 31.
In the opening paragraphs of article 41 of this series (May 1927) on
"The Coverings," we called attention to the distinction which is to be
drawn between "the Tabernacle" (Heb. "mishkan") and "the Tent" (Heb.
"Ohel"): the former signifies "dwelling-place"; the latter, simply
"tent." The one refers to the abode of Jehovah, the other to the
meeting-place for His people. The two are clearly distinguished in
several scriptures, for example in Numbers 3:25 we read of "the
tabernacle and the tent." In the majority of passages where the A.V.
has "tabernacle of the congregation," the Hebrews reads "tent of the
congregation." This holy building was Jehovah's place of abode, but
Israel's place of assembly; they visited it, He remained there.
Now it was the "tent" and not the "tabernacle" which Moses here "took"
and "pitched it outside the camp," for, as we have said, the
tabernacle proper had not yet been built. In this action of Israel's
leader we may discern the exercise of real faith. "Faith cometh by
hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17). Moses had been
hearing the word of God yonder in the mount, and now that he is down
in the camp again his heart lays hold of, and anticipates, the actual
erection of Jehovah's dwelling place. It was a temporary, provision to
meet a pressing emergency. "It does not appear that Moses, in pitching
the tabernacle outside the camp, was acting under any direct
commandment from the Lord. It was rather spiritual discernment,
entering into both the character of God and the state of the people.
Taught of God, he feels that Jehovah could no longer dwell in the
midst of a camp which had been defiled by the presence of the golden
calf. He therefore made a place outside, afar off from the camp, and
called it the `tabernacle of the congregation'" (Ed. Dennett).
Again; the pitching of the tent outside the camp was an act of grace.
This will be seen the more clearly if we revert once more to the
context; "The Lord had said unto Moses, Say unto the children of
Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people: I will come up in the midst of
thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy
ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do unto thee." God was
here speaking after the manner of men--just as He does when He is said
to "repent." It was as though He were weighing the condition of His
wicked people, waiting to see whether or not their "mourning" was
genuine. Before He smote, He would furnish opportunity for repentance.
The people availed themselves of His forbearance: humbled by their
sin, awed by the solemn tidings of imminent destruction, they stripped
themselves of their ornaments. Then, as another has said, "He who
pronounced judgment upon the people for their sins, provided a way for
their escape." Those who "sought the Lord" were not only spared, but
permitted to go forth unto the tent. Thus, "where sin abounded, grace
did much more abound."
"And it came to pass, that every one which sought the Lord went unto
the tent of the congregation, which was without the camp" (v. 7). Once
more we have a striking illustration of the word "even so might grace
reign through righteousness" (Rom. 5:21). God is "the God of all
grace," yet it ever needs to be remembered that He never exercises
grace at the expense of righteousness. God forgives sins, but it is
because they were atoned for by Christ. Israel was delivered from the
avenging angel in Egypt, but only because they were sheltered beneath
the blood. So here: God maintained His righteousness. Holiness forbade
Him entering the defiled camp, but grace made it possible for the
people to meet Him outside.
"And it came to pass, that every one which sought the Lord went out
unto the tent of the congregation, which was without the camp" (v. 7).
Let us now consider the typical significance of this. We think at once
of Hebrews 13:13, "Let us go forth therefore unto Him, without the
camp, bearing His reproach." Obviously, the Holy Spirit here had
Exodus 33:7 before Him, and it is in the light of what is there
recorded that we must interpret this New Testament exhortation. What
we have there is a call to separation, but unless we pay close
attention to the type we shall err in our application of the antitype.
The all-important thing is to bear steadily in mind the circumstances
under which Moses pitched the Tent "outside the camp." It was not when
Israel murmured (Ex. 16:2), when they desecrated the sabbath (16:27,
28), when the Amalekites fought against them (17:8); it was after
Israel had disowned Jehovah and set up the golden calf. General and
open idolatry in the camp constitutes the call to go forth" outside
it!
The same principle holds good in the interpretation of Hebrews 13:13.
This exhortation was not given to the Corinthians, where a sectarian
spirit prevailed, where immorality had been condoned, and where the
Lord's supper had been turned into a carnal feast. Nor was the call
given to the Galatians, among whom false doctrine, of a serious
character, had come in. Instead, it was addressed to "Hebrews." The
believing Jews were enjoined to forsake the unbelieving Nation who had
despised and rejected Christ. The "camp" was guilty of the murder of
God's Son, hence the call to forsake it. What we would here press upon
the Christian reader is that neither Exodus 33:7 nor Hebrews 13:13
supplies any warrant for Christians forsaking "churches" or companies
of God's professing people where Christ is owned, honored, worshipped.
There are those claiming to "gather unto the Lord," who insist they
are the only people that are on true scriptural ground. They have
separated themselves not only from false systems, but from the great
majority of God's own people. Little wonder that today they are more
sectarian than any of the denominations, and that God has blown upon
their proud and pharisaical claims. To "go forth unto Him without the
camp" is a vastly different thing than separating from God's own
people. All who are dear to Christ should be dear to the Christian.
It was corporate idolatry which made Jehovah refuse to continue in
Israel's midst. It was when the Lord Himself had been rejected, and
not till then, that Moses pitched the Tent outside the camp. Nothing
short of this ever warrants a Christian from breaking away from those
who profess the name of Christ. Perfection will be found no where on
this earth, and the loftier the pretentions of those claiming to come
nearest to perfection, the least grounds for such a profession they
will evidence. A drum makes a big noise, but it is very hollow inside!
No, ideal conditions, a faithful carrying out of all the revealed will
of God, are not to be met with among any company of Christians.
Failure is stamped upon everything which. God has committed to man.
But that does not justify me in holding aloof from my erring brethren
and sisters, and assuming an attitude of "I am holier than thou"; for
in the sight of God I am probably a greater failure than they are. We
are all of us quick to discover the mote in another's eye, while
complacently impervious to the beam in our own eye.
"Strengthen the things which remain (not "pull down"), that are ready
to die," is God's word to us (Rev. 3:2.) "Lift up the hands which hang
down, and the feeble knees" (Heb. 12:12): obedience to this will
accomplish far more than criticizing and condemning every body and
everything. "Forbearing one another in love" (Eph. 4:2), implies there
is that in each of us which is a trial in the other. There will be
much to test patience and love in any "church" or gathering, but if
the Lord is there, that is the place for me too. He is
"long-suffering," so must I be. But when He is disowned, when a false
god is set up in His place, when "another Jesus" (2 Cor. 11:4) is
preached (a "Jesus" who is not the God man, born of a virgin, died for
the sins of His people, rose again in bodily triumph over death), it
is high time for me to get out. To remain in a place where He is
denied would be for me to dishonor my land. It was on this principle
that Moses here acted; and not Moses only, but "every one who sought
the Lord."
Thus, the principle which is to guide us to day in our application of
Hebrews 13:13 to any local situation, is simple and plain, If I am
worshipping with a company of Christians where the Lord Jesus is owned
as the Christ of God, as the alone Savior for sinners, as the Exemplar
of His people, though the preaching there may not be as edifying as I
could desire, though my fellow disciples may come far short of what I
wish, that is no reason why I should desert them; rather it is an
occasion for me to be much in prayer on their behalf, and by my own
walk seek to show them the way of the Lord more perfectly. But, on the
other hand, if I am in a place where the Christ of God is denied, the
inspiration of the Scriptures repudiated, the Holy Spirit quenched
through a false god having been set up, then no matter what my friends
may do, no matter what may be the decision of my brethren, I am
responsible before God to separate myself from what is so grossly
dishonoring to Him.
"And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the tabernacle, that
all the people rose up, and stood every man at his tent door, and
looked after Moses, until he was gone into the tabernacle" (v. 8).
From this it appears that not many responded to the call of
separation. "The majority stood at their tent doors, interested in
Moses, and looking after him, and seeing the pillar of cloud stand at
the entrance of the tent, but not going out! They seem to represent
those who have reverence for divine things, and are interested in the
truth, but who remain in the camp. God-fearing persons, but not
knowing the presence of the Lord in its attractive and satisfying
power" (C. A. Coates).
"And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy
pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the
Lord talked with Moses" (v. 9). The "cloudy pillar" was the visible
symbol of Jehovah's presence. This is the third time in Exodus we find
mention of it. First, in 13:21 we read, "And the lord went before them
by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a
pillar of fire, to give them light." Second, in 14:19, 20 we are told,
"And the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood
behind them: and it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the
camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave
light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all
the night." Third, "the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door
of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses." Thus it was
connected first with guidance, then with protection, now with
communion.
"The cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle,
and the Lord talked with Moses." Blessed answer of God was this in the
confidence of His servant. How true are His words "them that honor Me
I will honor." Moses was not put in confusion: his submission and
faith were amply rewarded. God never disappoints those who seek His
glory and count upon His grace. It is the compromisers, the fearers of
men, and the unbelieving who are the losers. O for more single-eyed
devotion to the Lord. then we shall have Him "talk with" (not "to")
us.
"And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle
door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent
door" (v. 10). Nothing but a gracious manifestation of the Lord will
produce real worship, and the more we are conscious of His unmerited
favor, the more fervent will our worship be. Nor must we ignore the
Spirit's notice of the position occupied by these prostrate
Israelites: they "worshipped every man in his tent door."' This has a
voice for us if we have hearts to receive it. The "tent" is the symbol
of the pilgrim, and it is only as this character is maintained that
worship will be sustained. The blessed sequel we must leave for
consideration till our next article. May the Lord exercise each of us
by what has been before us.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
64. Grace Abounding
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 33:11-17
Our present passage brings before us one of the most wondrous and
blessed scenes described anywhere on the pages of the Old Testament
Scriptures. Apart from the circumstances and occasion which gave rise
to it, the character of this incident itself should move our hearts to
profoundest wonderment and praise. Here we behold the typical mediator
prevailing in his intercession for a sinful people, not only in
averting, the wrath of God, but in securing His continued presence in
their midst. Here we are given to see not only the external symbol of
His presence drawing near unto men, but the Lord Himself speaking to
Moses "as a man speaketh unto his friend." Here we listen to the Lord
not only promising to conduct Israel across the howling wilderness,
but saying, "I will give thee rest." Verily, "Where sin abounded,
grace did much more abound."
Let it be pointed out though, that this precious revelation of the
abounding grace of God is recorded not only for our admiration, but
also for our learning. Most valuable instruction is to be found here
if we take to heart the order of events in this portion of the
Divinely inspired account of the history of Israel. First, we have in
Exodus 32:1-6 the narrative of their awful sin. Second, we have the
intercession of Moses averting the "consuming" wrath of God (32:2-14).
Third, we have the sore chastening of the people for it (32:25-28,
35). Fourth, we have the repentance of Israel (33:4-6). Fifth, we have
Moses pitching the Tent "outside the camp," "Lord" which sought the
going forth unto it (33:7-10). Now we have Jehovah's response to this
action of His servant: He speaks "face to face" with Moses. Such
amazing condescension, such wondrous grace, was only manifested after
sin had been owned and separation from it had been evidenced. The
important practical lessons to be drawn from this will be pointed out
in our exposition below.
At the beginning of Exodus 33 we hear Jehovah saying, "I will not go
up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people; lest I
consume thee in the way" (v. 3). Israel's terrible sin had
necessitated the retirement of a holy God from them. To have remained
among them would have required their total destruction. The mediation
of Moses had averted the threatened storm of God's wrath, but until
Israel repented the Lord could not come in among them again. The same
principle holds good today in connection with any company who profess
to be the people of God. While gross sin is allowed, the Lord will not
manifest Himself among them, and to such a people His word is "Draw
nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye
sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded" James 4:8.
The next thing we read in our chapter is, "When the people heard these
evil tidings, they mourned" (v. 4). The greatness of their sin began
to be realized, and so their "drinking and playing" (32:6) was turned
into sorrow. Then we are told "and the children of Israel stripped
themselves of their ornaments" (v. 6). This evidenced the genuine-ness
of their contrition: this was a bringing forth of "fruits meet for
repentance" (Matthew 3:8); it was the outward expression of their
having taken a lowly place before God. Finally "It came to pass that
every one which sought the Lord went out into the Tent of the
congregation, which was without the camp"(v. 7). This corresponds
with, "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso
confesseth and forsaketh them, shall have mercy" (Prov. 28:13).
Following Moses' going forth from the camp and his entrance into the
Tent, which, by faith he had pitched, "the cloudy pillar descended,
and stood at the door of the Tent, and the Lord talked with Moses."
The effect of this upon the penitent and ornament- stripped people is
blessed to behold: "And all me people rose up and worshipped, every
man in his tent `door" (v. 10). Jehovah was once more given His true
place. The false god (the golden calf) was repudiated; the true God
was now worshipped. Thus were they, in infinite grace, brought back
from their wanderings and made to bow in wondering adoration before
the manifested symbol of Jehovah's presence. The blessed sequel we are
now to contemplate.
"And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto
his friend" (v. 11). This was the most glorious moment in all the life
of Moses, and the most blessed revelation he every received from God.
This even surpassed his experience in the Mount, when he received such
wondrous communications from Jehovah. There was an intimacy of
approach and a closeness of communion such as he had not been
permitted to enjoy before. In the 12th of Numbers, where we read of
Miriam and Aaron challenging the authority of Moses, Jehovah
vindicated him by saying, "My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful
in all Mine house" (v. 7); and then He added, "With him will I speak
mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches."
"And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto
his friend." These words must not be interpreted in such a way as to
clash with the last verse of our chapter: "And thou shalt see My back
parts, but My face shall not be seen." That which is before us here is
free and intimate fellowship between the Lord and His servant. And
this, be it noted, was the immediate sequel to his separation from
what was dishonoring to Jehovah. At, dear reader, going forth unto Him
without the camp may, yea, must, involve "bearing His reproach" (Heb.
13:13); but O the compensation--He rewards such faithfulness by
manifestations of Himself, by the intimacies of His love, as are never
enjoyed while we remain in associations which are derogatory to His
honor.
"And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto
his friend." That Moses, the mediator, is here also a blessed type of
Christ, hardly needs saying. What we have here is a precious
adumbration of the relations existing between the Father and the Son.
Before the incarnation He could say, "That I was by Him, as one
brought up with Him: and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always
before Him" (Prov. 8:30). After the incarnation, we read of "the
Only-begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father" (John 1:18).
And again, "For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth Him all things
that Himself doeth" (John 5:20). And again, "I am not alone, because
the Father is with Me" (John 16:32). So now, is seated the Father's
throne (Rev. 3:21)--the place of affection and intimacy.
"And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of
Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tent" (v. 11). Let us seek
to ponder first the practical lesson exemplified for us in this
statement, before we point out its typical signification. That which
here receives illustration is most important to lay hold of,
particularly for those who are called by God to occupy positions of
leadership. Before a servant of God is qualified to minister unto His
people he must himself seek unto the Lord; before he has any message
for them, the Lord must speak "face to face" unto him. In other words,
power for service is obtained only by maintaining intimate fellowship
with God. But more: though he returns and ministers unto the people,
yet in spirit he remains still inside the Tent. Here, as always in the
book of Exodus, Moses and Joshua have to be considered together, as
mutually complementing each other.
"This section closes with a double type--Moses returning to the camp,
and Joshua departing not from within the Tent. Moses represents the
energy of love that would serve the people of God. It is man with whom
Jehovah has spoken `face to face, as a man speaketh with his friend'
who can return to serve the people of God in all the holy separation
of the spot where he has been, and of the communications which have
been made to him. Such a man would not compromise the truth, nor would
he allow himself to be entangled with what compromised the truth, but
he would be in readiness to serve all in grace and faithfulness in
relation to the will of God. But such service ever has as its
attendant the spirit of Joshua. Whatever activities of service there
may be, in spirit the servant does not leave his sweet retreat; he is
always in spirit `outside the camp.' His affections have their abiding
place there; his satisfaction and rest is in me Lord" (G. A. Coates).
"And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of
Nun, a young man, departed not out of the camp." It is by no means an
easy matter to work out the details of this type--due, no doubt, to
the dimness of our spiritual vision. There are several passages in
which Moses and Joshua are linked together in Exodus--the book which
speaks of redemption. This is the more noticeable as Joshua is not
mentioned at all in Leviticus. First, in Exodus 17, we find Moses and
Joshua supplementing each other in connection with resisting the
onslaught of Amalek. As we sought to show in article 25 of this series
(Jan., 1926), Joshua there is a type of the Holy Spirit subjugating,
but not exterminating, the "flesh" in the Christian. Then, in Exodus
24:13, we read, "And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses
went up into the Mount of God." Here we have in figure the Holy Spirit
as the Minister of an ascended Christ: during the present dispensation
the Holy Spirit is maintaining the interests and glorifying Christ.
Then, in 32:17, 18, we have, in type, the Holy Spirit taking note of
the sins of God's people. Here in 33:11 it seems to be the Spirit's
indwelling the true Church, compare 1 Corinthians 3:16, Ephesians
2:22.
"And Moses said unto the Lord, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this
people; and thou hast not let me know whom Thou wilt send with me. Yet
Thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in
My sight" (v. 12). Here, and in the verses which immediately follow,
we have another blessed foreshadowment of Christ as our Mediator,
interceding before God, maintaining us in His favor. What, is of first
importance to take note of is, that it is as a man who has "found
grace" in the sight of God, Moses here pleads. Mark how strikingly
this particular feature is emphasized by its repeated mention: in vv.
12, 13, 16, 17 the words "found grace in Thy sight" or "found grace in
My sight" are found. How plainly this points to the Lord Jesus as the
One who, on behalf of His poor people, has obtained favor before God.
It is on the ground of His own acceptableness that Christ now pleads
for us. It is the apprehension of this which gives peace to the heart.
God's favor to His people upon nothing that He finds in them; it is
solely the consequence of what He has obtained through Christ.
"And Moses said unto the Lord, See, Thou sayest unto me, Bring up this
people: and Thou hast not let me know whom Thou wilt send with me." At
first sight this may seem to clash with what the Lord had said to
Moses in 32:34, "Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of
which I have spoken unto thee: behold, Mine Angel shall go before
thee." But a closer reading will observe a notable distinction. In
32:34 Jehovah had spoken of His Angel going "before thee" for, while
Israel remained, impenitent the Lord Himself could not remain "in the
midst of thee" (33:3). But now that the people had repudiated their
sin, and had evidenced their separation from it, Moses says, "Thou
hast not let me know whom Thou wilt send with me." Blessed
distinction: may our hearts lay hold of it. Moses knew full well who
would with them, but, in view of Israel's sin, he here takes the place
of a supplicant.
"Yet Thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found
grace m My sight." This carries us back to Exodus 3. At the burning
bush, where God first called Moses, He had addressed him by name: "God
called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses"
(3:4). And why is it that Moses now refers to that memorable
experience at the backside of the desert? Because it was there that
Jehovah had made Himself known as "the God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob"; as the One who declared, "And I am come
down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring
them out of that land unto a good land and a large unto a land flowing
with milk and honey" (3:8). God having pledged Himself to this, His
word must be fulfilled, His purpose accomplished, no matter what the
contrariety of the people might be. Thus we behold the boldness of
Moses' faith. Here, too, we should look from the type to the
anti-type. It is on the ground of God's everlasting covenant with
Christ that He now exercises mercy to His unworthy people.
"Now therefore, I pray Thee, if I have found grace in Thy sight, show
me now Thy way, that I way know Thee that I may find grace in Thy
sight" (v. 13). Very blessed is this. The sad failure of Israel
presented itself now to Moses only as an occasion for knowledge of
Him. God had made promises, He had sworn by Himself, and His promises
ensured the actual entrance of Israel into Canaan, not their
extermination in the wilderness. Moses therefore seeks unto Him now to
learn His way. God's "way" is the course He takes in faithfulness in
order to make good that which He has pledged.
A number of valuable practical thoughts are suggested by this verse.
First, we are unable to discover God's "ways" for ourselves. This was
recognized by the Psalmist when he prayed, "Show me Thy ways, O Lord;
teach me Thy paths" (25:4). And again, "Teach me Thy way, O Lord, and
lead me in a plain path" (27:11). Second, only God Himself can "show"
us His way. Even the incarnate Son (having taken the place of perfect
subjection) said, "Thou wilt show Me the path of life" (Ps. 16:11).
Ah, it ever needs to be remembered that "the meek will He guide in
judgment, and the meek will He teach His way" (Ps. 25:9). Third, it is
as God condescends to show us His way that we get to know Him better:
"Show me Thy way that I may know Thee."
"And consider that this nation is Thy people" (v. 14). This was Moses'
answer to the word of Jehovah before the Tent had been pitched outside
the camp. Then the Lord had said, "Depart, and go up hence, thou and
the people which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt." Here
was the. response of faith: "Consider that this nation is Thy people."
It was Moses casting himself back' upon the word, the oath, the
covenant of Jehovah to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, renewed to himself at
the burning bush. It is to be noted that Moses made the same plea at a
later stage in Israel's history, when, m consequence of their unbelief
at Kadesh-barnea, they again provoked the Lord to anger: see
Deuteronomy 9:26 and context. In a coming day, the godly Jewish
remnant will repeat this argument: Joel 2:17. Finally, it is to be
noted that our great High Priest makes, this the ground of His plea
too: "I pray not for the world, but for them which Thou has given Me;
for they are Thine" (John 17:9).
"And He said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee
rest" (v. 14). We believe that the translators of our English Version
have quite missed the point here. As it reads, the response of Moses
v. 15 would be the language of doubt and unbelief. If Jehovah had
positively affirmed that His presence would go with Moses, to answer,
"If Thy presence go not with us" would be excuseless. So too his
question in v. 16 is meaningless if God had already given him
assurance. Finally, in such a case, the Lord's words in v. 17 would be
a needless repetition. All difficulty is at once removed if, with the
"Companion Bible" we punctuate v. 14 as a question: "Shall My presence
go with thee? and shall I give thee rest?" It was as much as to say.
How can My presence go with thee after this rejection of Me? The Lord
was emphasizing the enormity of Israel's sin, and pressing the claims
of His holiness.
"And he said unto Him, If Thy presence go not with me, carry us not up
hence" (v. 15). The issue was still in the balance. The Lord had
bidden Moses say to Israel, "put off thy ornaments from thee, that I
may know what to do unto thee" (v. 5). Israel had obeyed this command,
and Moses had gone forth without the camp to seek unto the Lord (v.
7). His faith is now put to the test: not so much his faith in God
personally, but in the superabounding of His grace. "Shall My presence
go with thee? and shall I give thee rest?" was a challenge to his
heart. The Lord frequently tests His people thus that He may the
better discover to themselves the real ground of their confidence.
When many of His disciples were forsaking Him, Christ asked the
twelve, "Will ye also go away?" (John 6:66, 67). He knew, and they
knew, that they would not; but He was drawing out their hearts unto
Himself.
"And he said unto Him, If Thy presence go not with me, carry us not
hence" Nobly did Moses rise to the occasion; or, shall we say,
Blessedly did his heart respond to Jehovah's challenge. `He felt that
without the Lord's own presence with them, all was in vain. No
confidence did he have in himself; nor was he satisfied with the
prospect of the Angel going "before" them. It was the Lord's own
presence, communion with Him his soul craved. And is not this still,
the longing of every renewed heart? Very touching is it to behold
Moses now identifying Himself with Israel: "Carry us not up hence."
How blessedly did he again foreshadow Him who has said, "Behold I and
the children which God hath given Me" (Heb. 2:13).
"For wherein shall it be known here that I and Thy people have found
grace in Thy sight? Is it not in that Thou goest with us? So shall we
be separated, I and Thy people, from all the people that are upon the
face of the earth" (v. 16). It is to God's sovereign and illimitable
grace (limited only by the bounds which our lack of faith puts upon
it) that Moses now appeals. It was all he could appeal to, but, as the
next verse shows, it was enough; his appeal was not in vain. Again we
see him identifying himself with the sinful and penitent nation: twice
over in this verse he says, "I and Thy people." "This is no mean
adumbration of Christ--this intense love of Moses for Israel, linking
them with himself in his place of favor before God. And not only so,
but rising higher, he now links them with God. We have remarked that
God took Israel on their own ground, and since they had rejected Him,
He had said to Moses, `thy' people. But now--now that Moses acts as
mediator, has gained the ear of God, he says again, `Thy people'" (Ed.
Dennett).
"So shall we be separated. I and Thy people, from all the people that
are upon the face of the earth." This is very important. The Lord's
presence in the midst of His people is for the purpose of separating
them from all others who are not His people.: How little this is
apprehended today. But let us return again to the blessed typical
picture here: "he thus claims, as it were, as proof of Divine
favor--restoration of favor--God's own presence with His people. it
could not be otherwise known, and the fact of His presence would
separate them off from all other people. It is the same in principle
during this dispensation. The presence of the Holy Ghost on earth,
building His people into an habitation for God, separates from all
else, and so completely, that there are but two spheres--sphere of the
presence and action of the Holy Ghost, and sphere of the action and
power of Satan" (Ed. Dennett).
"And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou
hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in My sight, and I know thee by
name" (v. 17). The mediation of Moses completely prevailed. This word
of Jehovah's was His own answer to the questions He had asked in v.
14: "My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest." This
was the Lord's own response to the pleas of His servant, and it was
all that was needed for the assurance of his heart and as the guaranty
of Israel's safe conduct across the wilderness. It was grace pure and
simple, sovereign and long-suffering grace. Grace vouchsafed to a
people who had forfeited every claim upon God. Grace granted in
response to the prevailing intercession of the mediator. Reference to
this was made long after by Jehovah through one of the prophets, "Thus
saith the Lord, The people which were left of the sword found grace in
the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest" (Jer.
31:2).
How blessed to know that Israel's God is the Christian's God. "My
presence shall go with thee": this same precious assurance as given to
us while we journey through this world. No matter what the roughness
of the path may be, no matter what me trials and disappointments of
the way, the Lord Himself is with us. Has He not said, "Lo I am with
you alway, even unto the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20)! With us to
guard and protect, to lead and guide, to counsel and cheer. Ever with
us, "a very present help in trouble" (Ps. 46:1). O for faith to
realize this. O for a faith to act upon it--an ever-present, all
sufficient Christ, by our side.
How differently should we conduct ourselves did we but live in the
enjoyment and power of this! "Fear thou not, for I am with thee: be
not dismayed, for I am thy "When thou passest God" (Isa. 41:10) will
be with thee; and through the waters, through the rivers, they shall
not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not
be burned; neither shall the flame kindle thee" (Isa. 43:2). Was He
not with the three Hebrews in Babylon's furnace! Then let us exclaim,
"Yea, though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear
no evil: for Thou art with me" (Ps. 23:4). Yes, His own promise is, "I
will never leave thee nor forsake thee" (Heb. 13:5). Praise and glory
be to His name.
"My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest." There are
two things here: the Lord's "presence" for the present, "rest" assured
for the future. What more can we ask ? Blessed promise! Glorious
prospect! "Rest," the rest of God (Heb. 4:1). Rest from sin, lest from
toil, rest from sorrow. O for faith to anticipate it. O for hope to
enjoy it even now, for "faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1). Gird up thy loins,
fellow-pilgrims. This wilderness journey is not to last for ever. A
few more years at most, Perhaps only moments, and thou shalt be where
the wicked cease from troubling and where the weary are at rest. In
the meantime, He will deal with us as He dealt with Israel of old: "He
redeemed them, and He bare them, and carried them all the days of old"
(Isa. 63:9). This was grace, grace abounding over all their sin. And
this God is our God, "the God of all grace" (1 Pet. 5:10). May our
hearts adore Him and our lives show forth His praise.
_________________________________________________________________
Contents
A. W. Pink Index
____________________________________________________
About Us
What's New
Audio Works
Baptist History
Bible Study Courses
Eschatology Heretical Teachings
Theological Studies
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Comfort in a
Time of Sorrow Links & Resources
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
65. Sovereign Mercy
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 33:18-23
In studying the varied contents of Exodus 33 we need to remind
ourselves of the particular book in which these events are recorded.
They are found not in Leviticus, but in Exodus. Everything has been
placed by the Holy Spirit in each book of Scripture according to a
principle of selection: only that which was in perfect accord with the
special design of that book, only that which contributed directly to
its theme, is given a place: everything irrelevant, every thing which
did not illustrate or amplify the purpose and character of it, being
excluded. This is true not only of the Gospels (see our book "Why Four
Gospels?"), where each evangelist was guided by the Inspirer of
Scripture to include only that which was in full accord with the
particular character in which he was setting forth the Lord Jesus, but
it holds good just as truly and strikingly of the four books dealing
with the early history of the nation of Israel. It is only by
recognizing this that we can appreciate the perfections of the
Spirit's handiwork, and as we do so, often the key is found which
opens the deeper meaning of many a passage.
Genesis is the book wherein we have illustrated the foundation-truth
of Divine election. This is seen in God's singling out of Abram, and
making him the progenitor of His chosen people. Exodus sets forth the
blessed truth of Divine redemption, God ransoming and emancipating an
enslaved people from the house of bondage, and bringing them into a
place of nearness to Himself. Leviticus is the book of Divine worship,
of priestly privileges and exercises, revealing to us the provisions
which God has made for His people to approach unto Him. Thus, in these
first three books of Holy Writ we have wrought before us that which
relates, peculiarly, to each of the Persons in the Godhead. The
Father's predestination, the Son's propitiation," the Spirit's
inspiration to worship.
As we have just said, the great subject which is unfolded in the book
of Exodus is that of redemption. This was pointed out by us several
times in the earlier articles of this series, but we mention it again
because it throws light on the chapter now before us. What we would
here call attention to is, that redemption not only procures
deliverance from surfdom and slavery, not only brings its favored
objects into a place of nearness to God, but, through the mediation of
the Redeemer, it secures a continuance of God's grace and mercy while
His redeemed are still journeying to the purchased inheritance; and it
ensures the continued presence of the Lord in the midst of His feeble
and failing people. In 33:13-16 Moses is found pleading for God's
continued presence with them. In v. 17 the Lord answers, "I will do
this thing also that thou hast spoken." At the close of our book, we
behold the fulfillment of this. After Moses had erected the
tabernacle, the visible symbol of Jehovah's presence descended and
filled it, and we read, "The cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle
by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of
Israel, throughout all their journeys" (40:38).
In our last few articles we have been occupied with the love of Moses
for his people, and his prevailing intercession on their behalf before
God. In this present one we find him a beautiful type of the Lord
Jesus. But what we would here emphasize is the fact that the record of
this is found in the book of Exodus, teaching us that the intercession
of Christ on our behalf, with all the blessings which it secures, is
the fruit of that redemption which He has wrought out for His people.
Now as we have seen, the first great blessing which the prayer of
Moses obtained for his people was the averting of God's consuming
wrath (32:10, 14). The second grand privilege his supplications won
for them--on the ground of having himself found favor in the eyes of
God--was the securing of Jehovah's continued presence with them
(32:12-17). Keeping these things in mind, let us now turn to the
seventh and last recorded thing in Exodus 32 and 33--compare the
second paragraph in the preceding article.
"And he said, I beseech Thee, show me Thy glory" (v. 18). Our pen
falters as we take up such a verse as this, for what sinful creature
is competent to write upon such an exalted theme as the glory of God?
Nevertheless, some blessed thoughts are suggested by this request of
Moses. First of all, contemplating it in the light of the book in
which it is found, are we not taught thereby that this is both the
longing of the redeemed and the goal of their redemption--to behold
the glory of God! That this longing is yet to be fully realized, that
this wondrous goal will be reached. we know from the last charter but
one of Holy Writ, for of the Eternal City we read, "And I saw no
temple therein, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple
of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to
shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the
light thereof" (Rev. 21:22, 23).
"And he said, I beseech Thee, show me Thy glory." Pondering this verse
next in the light of its immediate context, we are shown what is the
sure product of intimate fellowship with God. The great Jehovah had
condescended to draw very near to the one who had separated himself
from evil, for we are told, "the Lord spake unto Moses face to face,
as a man speaketh unto his friend" (v. 11). And what was the
consequence of this upon Moses? Not only did he have freedom in
supplicating His grace, but there was a holy longing to know more of
Himself. Such is ever the outflow of real and close communion with
God: the more we know of Him, the more we desire to know. The closer
God deigns to draw near to His people, the more constrained are they
to cry, "Lord, lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance upon us" (Ps.
4:6).
"And he said, I beseech Thee, show me Thy glory." If the connection
between this and the previous verse be noted, we are taught here
another valuable lesson on prayer, one which we do well to take to
heart. In the previous verse we read, "And the Lord said unto Moses, I
will do this also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in
My sight, and I know thee by name." Twice Moses had petitioned
Jehovah; first not to consume His people; then, to beg His continuence
in their midst. Each of these supplications had been graciously
granted. Emboldened by his success, instead of being content
therewith, Moses presents (we may well say) a still greater petition.
And, as the Lord's response denotes, He was not displeased at his
servant's importunity. Oh to remember in prayer that "We are coming to
a King," then let us "large petitions with us bring." It is thus that
we honor Him.
"And He said, I will make all My goodness pass before thee" (v. 19).
How striking to learn here that God's "glory" is His "goodness," His
"goodness" His "glory." And what is the goodness of the Lord? Ah, who
is capable of returning answer: human definitions are worthless. Shall
we say that His "Goodness" is what He is in Himself, the sum of His
personal excellencies? But has not the Lord Himself answered our
question, and fulfilled His promise to Moses when He declared. "The
Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracing, long-suffering, and abundant
in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity
and transgression and sin, and that will by no means dear the guilty;
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children" (34:6, 7).
"And I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee" (v. 19). Was
not this the renewal and confirmation of what He had announced at the
beginning, when, at the burning bush, He first called Moses? Moses had
asked, "When I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto
them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall
say unto me, what is His name? What shall I say unto them?" He made
answer, "I am that I am: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the
children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you;" and then He added,
"Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your
fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,
hath sent me unto you; this is My name forever, and this is My
memorial unto all generations" (Ex. 3:13-15).
"And will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy
on whom I will show mercy" (v. 19). These words bring before us one of
the most precious truths found in Scripture for the comfort of God's
people, yet is it one that is little understood today. In 2 Timothy
2:15 the servant of God is bidden, "Study to show thyself approved
unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing
the word of truth." But how few "rightly divide" between the grace of
God and the mercy of God! How many regard them as being virtually
synonymous. How much we lose by failing to distinguish between things
that differ, by confusing in our thoughts things which are perfectly
distinct. Scripture never confuses the grace and mercy of God, and it
is to our deep loss if we do so.
The order in which these two attributes of God are here mentioned
supplies the key to the distinction between them: "mercy" comes in
after the "grace" of God. Why is this? Because mercy is the wondrous
provision of God to meet the desperate needs of a people who have
failed to respond to His grace. And this is what is so blessedly
brought out here in Exodus 33. From Egypt to Sinai God had dealt with
Israel on the ground of pure grace. In themselves they were no better
than the Egyptians, vet had God, in His sovereign benignity, brought
them out of the house of bondage, conducted them through the Red Sea,
separated them unto Himself, supplied their every need in the
wilderness. But how had the people requited such favors and blessings?
They had revolted against Him, they had repudiated Him, they had set
up an idol in His place. Was, then, their case hopeless? True they had
"mourned," stripped themselves of their ornaments, and bowed in
worship before the symbol of His manifested presence by the Tent. But
could a God whose favors had been so lightly esteemed go on with them
any further?
As we have seen, the typical mediator had interceded on behalf of the
people who had sinned so heinous. And now it was that the Lord made
one of the most blessed revelations of His character to be found
anywhere in Holy Writ. Something was here made known of God's nature
which had never before been revealed in its real depths, namely, His
mercy. It is true we nave mention of that precious word in the book of
Genesis, but the full interpretation of its meaning is not there
discovered. It was here in Exodus 33 that this deep and blessed spring
in God's Being was made manifest--so rich, so full, so blessed. Man's
extremity was God's opportunity. The Divine outflow of grace had been
abused, His righteous law had been broken, the relation entered into
by the Sinitaic covenant (Ex. 24) had been disrupted by the rebellion
of Israel. Now, "mercy" sovereign and absolute, was the resource of
Him who retires into Himself and acts from Himself; only by the
exercise of mercy could sinning Israel be extricated from their
merited doom.
As we have said above, from the time when Jehovah first took up His
enslaved people in the land of Pharaoh, till the waters gushed out of
the smitten rock at Rephidim, all was a stream of pure grace, that is,
free gifts, Divine favors to a people who had no worthiness or merits
of their own. But here in Exodus 33 Israel were given cause to praise
God on an altogether different ground, and from this time on- wards we
find that ground the great theme of Israel's songs--"O give thanks
unto the Lord, for He is good: for His mercy endureth forever" (Ps.
106:1). In proof of this contrast, note the contents of Psalm 105 and
106. Let the reader turn to them and mark carefully how that in Psalm
105, which also opens with "O give thanks unto the Lord," that the
grace-history of Israel is taken up, beginning with Jehovah's dealings
with the patriarchs (v. 9), and re- counting what God had done for
their descendants, till Rephidim was reached. In v. 41 we read, "He
opened the rock, and the waters gushed out," and there the Psalmist
stops. It will be observed that the word "mercy" does not occur in it
a single time.
Now let the reader turn to Psalm 106, where we have the mercy-history
of Israel's journeyings. Observe how frequently this Psalm makes
mention of Israel's sins:--their unbelief (v. 7), their impatience (v.
13), their lusting (v. 14), their envy of Moses (v. 16), their
idolatry (v. 19), their murmuring (v. 25), their unfaithfulness (v.
28), their provoking the Lord (v. 33), their disobedience (v. 34),
their wickedness (vv. 35, 37). As verse 43 summarizes it, "Many times
did He deliver them; but they provoked Him with their counsel." Thus
did Israel evilly requite the wondrous grace of God. What then? Did He
annihilate them? Well He might have done so. But instead, we are told,
"And He remembered for them His covenant, and repented according to
the multitude of His mercies" (v. 45)!
From Sinai and onwards Israel's songs never recounted God's grace. No,
it was too late for that after the golden calf had been set up. His
grace had been abused, flung back, as it were, into His face. His law
had been violated, His covenant broken. But His mercy "endureth
forever." Hallelujah! Mercy, then, is that blessed quality of God's
nature which meets the deep and dire needs of those who have sinned
against His grace. The background of God's grace is our emptiness,
poverty, worthlessness. The foil for His mercy is our sinfulness,
wickedness, vileness. That is why we are bidden to come to the Throne
of Grace that we may "obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of
need" (Heb. 4:16).
The distinction just drawn above serves to explain what is found in
the opening salutation of the N.T. epistles. We would urge the reader
to consult for himself each passage now to be referred to. In Romans
1:7. 1 Corinthians 1:1, 2, 2 Corinthians 1:1, 2, Galatians 1:3,
Ephesians 1:2. Philippians 1:2 Colossians 1:2, 1 Thessalonians 1:1, 2,
2 Thessalonians 1:2, each Christian company is saluted with "grace be
unto you." But when we turn to 1 Timothy 1:2, 2 Timothy l:4, Titus 1:4
we find "mercy" is added: "grace, mercy and peace." Why is this? We
know of no writer that has ever advanced what we believe is the true
answer. But does not the history of Israel supply the key? Alas, has
not history repeated itself? has not the course of Christendom
corresponded to that of Israel? Has not Christendom, too, abused the
wondrous "grace" of God? And has He not, most blessedly, fallen back
upon His mercy in His dealings with us?
It should be carefully observed that when we come to the epistles of
Timothy (see 1 Timothy 4:1, 2 Timothy 3:1) we are brought down to the
closing days of this dispensation. Ah, were it not for that mercy
which "endureth forever" where would God's unfaithful, backslidden,
and lukewarm people be! Still more significant is it to note mat the
salutation of Jude's epistle, the last one (treating of conditions in
the end-time) opens with "mercy unto you." Verily, "mercy" is our last
hope. Nor does it fail us. Yea, we are "looking for the mercy of our
Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life" (Jude 20)--the reference being to
His second advent: compare 2 Timothy 1:18.
Oh Christian readers, have our own souls understood and apprehended
this glorious attribute of mercy in which our God is so "rich" (Eph.
2:4)? Have we not often confused it with His grace, and thereby failed
to perceive its distinctive glory and blessedness? Have not we not
only broken His holy law again and again, but despised His very grace?
What then is left but to fall back upon His mercy, which very
attribute supposes this is our last resource! Well aware are we that
this very truth may be misappropriated and misused, but for those
whose hearts desire to please and glorify God, it is unspeakably
precious. The mercy of God can only be truly apprehended by those who
have been made to feel how grievously they have sinned against His
grace. It is such who will welcome the invitation to come boldly
("freely") to the Throne of Grace, that there they may "obtain mercy"
for the unrequited grace of yesterday, and there also find fresh
supplies of grace for the needs of today.
In perfect accord with all that has been said above, is the first
mention of God's "mercy" in Holy Writ: "And while he lingered, the men
laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the
hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him: and they
brought him forth and set him without the city" (Gen. 10:16). This
regarded Lot, and it is blessed to note his own acknowledgment of it,
"Behold now. Thy servant hath found grace in Thy sight, and Thou hast
magnified Thy mercy, which Thou hast showed unto me in saving my life"
(v. 19). Yes, he had "found grace" in God's sight, for he was one of
the Lord's people (2 Pet. 2:7). But O how basely had he treated that
grace! He had not only forsaken Abraham, but had settled down in
wicked Sodom. The only hope for such an one was mercy, and this God
had "magnified."
It only remains for us now to point out how that in Exodus 33:19 the
Lord emphasizes His sovereignty in the exercise of this attribute,
saying, "I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy." Necessarily it
must be so. Mercy is that which none can claim as a right: might they
justly do so, it would cease to be mercy. Hence God reserves to
Himself the right to extend it to whom He pleases, and to withhold it
from whom He pleases. To this principle the apostle, when treating at
length of the sovereignty of God, called attention in Romans 9:18. Nor
is God unrighteous in this. None is wronged if "mercy" be withheld.
God is therefore free to act as He pleases: "Is it not lawful for Me
to do what I will with Mine own?" (Matthew 20:15).
"And He said, thou canst not see My face: for there shall no man see
Me, and live (v. 20). We must ever distinguish between God's absolute
character and His relative making known of Himself. In His absolute
character and essence no man hath seen nor can see God, for He is
"Spirit" (John 4:24), and therefore unseeable. But relatively He has
made Himself known to us by His many names and titles, by the
manifestation of His many and varied attributes, and more fully and
blessedly still, by and in the person of Christ. Yet it remains true
that, absolutely, God is the invisible God, "dwelling in the light
which no man can approach unto: whom no man hath seen, nor can see" (1
Tim. 6:16). In O.T. times, when God made Himself known to Abraham,
Moses, Joshua, Gideon it was the second Person of the Trinity, yet not
in His essential Deity, but in human or angelic form. No human
creature is capable of perceiving the infinite and eternal Spirit in
all His majesty and ineffable glory.
"And the Lord said, Behold there is a place by Me, and thou shalt
stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass while My glory passeth
by, that I will put thee in a cliff of the rock, and will cover thee
with My hand while I pass by: And I will take away Mine hand, and thou
shalt see My back parts: but My face shall not be seen" (vv. 21-23).
This is most blessed. In order for sinful man to be able clearly to
contemplate the Divine perfections of an infinitely righteous, holy
God, it is necessary that he should be put into a place of security
and peace. This God has, in His infinite condescension and grace,
provided for us. To faith that "rock" is Christ. Augustus Toplady
beautifully represented this in his well-known hymn,
"Rock of Ages cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee."
Or, as we prefer to sing it,
"Rock of Ages cleft for me,
Grace hath hid me safe in Thee."
God graciously permitted Moses to have an impression and perception of
His presence such as he was capable of. A beautiful illustration of
what we have in view here, we borrow from Dr. Cuyler's work on the
Holy Spirit: --
"I was talking about Christ to an impenitent neighbor the other day.
He said `Why can't I feel about Him as you do? I have read the Bible a
good deal--I have heard a good deal of preaching, yet I can't get up
any enthusiasm in regard to this Savior that you talk so much about.'
I said to him, `You make me think of my visit to the White Mountains
some years ago. We were told that there was a wonderful piece of
natural statuary there--a man's face chiselled out of a granite cliff.
When we went to see it, we found what we supposed was the cliff, but
there was no appearance of human features--no form or comeliness such
as we had been told of. We were about to turn away disappointed when a
guide came along and said. `You are not looking from the right point.'
He led us up the road a few rods, and then said, `Turn and look!' We
did so, and there was the face as distinct as any of ours, though of
gigantic size. Until we reached the right spot we could see only a
jagged rock, and not a symmetrical face. The vision of the form and
comeliness depended upon the angle of observation. And it is so with
you, my friend. Come with me under the shadow of the Cross. Come there
as a penitent sinner, look there upon that visage so marred more than
any man. Realize that the mangled, thorn-crowned Sufferer is dying for
you, and you will see in Him a beauty that will ravish your soul."
By linking together a clause out of v. 21 with what is stated in 5:22
we get a beautifully complete type of the believer's absolute
security. First. "thou shalt stand upon a rock." This at once reminds
us of, "By faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;
by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand"
(Rom. 5:1, 2). Second, mark well the words, "I will put thee in a
clift of a rock," for no sinner of himself can do this. Blessed figure
was of an elect soul being "created in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:10).
Third, "and will cover thee with My hand." "He that dwelleth in the
secret place of the most High shall abide tender the shadow of the
Almighty" (Ps. 91:1). Not only is the believer in Christ, but he is
also protected by the Father's hand (John 10:29). Finally, observe it
is only as we are in the "clift of the rock" that God's "goodness"
passes before us (v. 22). His "glory" can only come into view as the
flesh is altogether hidden; that is, as we are made "new creatures in
Christ."
"And I will take away Mine hand, and thou shalt see My back parts: but
My face shall not be seen" (v. 23). This was in keeping with the Legal
economy: the law had only "a shadow of good things to come, and not
the very image of the things" (Heb. 10:1). But how blessed the
contrast now: "For God who commanded the light to shine out of
darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor.
4:6)! O may Divine grace enable both writer and reader to walk worthy
of such a God, and such a revelation of Himself (1 Tim. 3:16) as He
has now made to us in and through Christ (John 14:9).
_________________________________________________________________
Contents
A. W. Pink Index
____________________________________________________
About Us
What's New
Audio Works
Baptist History
Bible Study Courses
Eschatology Heretical Teachings
Theological Studies
TULIP
Webmaster
Comfort in a
Time of Sorrow Links & Resources
For the Cause of
God and Truth
Follow us on Twitter
Privacy Policy
Mobile Downloads Print Books
PB Home
Report Errors
Mobile RSS
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Contact Us
_________________________________________________________________
¸ Copyright 2004-2012 Providence Baptist Ministries
http://www.pbministries.org. All rights reserved.
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
66. God's Governmental Principles
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 34:1-7
Our present passage gives the sequel to what was before us in Exodus
19 and Exodus 24. Up to Exodus 19 God had dealt with Israel on the
ground of His unconditional covenant with Abraham: see Genesis 15:18;
Exodus 2:24; 6:3, 4. The last thing recorded before Israel reached
Sinai was the miraculous giving of the water at Rephidim, and
concerning that the Psalmist tells us, "He opened the rock, and the
waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river. For He
remembered His holy promise, Abraham His servant" (105:41, 42). But at
Sinai, God's relationship to Israel was placed upon a different basis.
In Exodus 19:5 we find God, from the mount, bidding Moses say unto the
people, "Now therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My
covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all
people: for the earth is Mine." In connection with the covenant that
He had made with Abraham there was nothing which Israel could "keep;"
there were no conditions attached to it, no stipulations, no
proviso's. It was unconditional so far as Abraham and his descendants
were concerned. It was a covenant of pure grace, and it was on the
ground of that covenant God will again take up Israel after this
dispensation is over. But at Sinai God proposed another covenant, to
which there should be two parties--Himself and Israel: It was a
conditional covenant, a covenant which Israel must "keep" if they were
to enjoy the blessings attached thereto; note carefully the "if" in
19:5.
The charter of the Siniatic covenant was the two tables of stone, upon
which were engraved the ten commandments, see Exodus 34:27, 28,
Deuteronomy 4:13. The terms of this covenant Israel freely accepted
(19:8, 24:3), and accordingly, it was solemnly ratified my blood
(24:4-8). In proposing this covenant, God had two things before Him:
the maintaining of His own rights, and the good of His people. Grace
ever reigns "through righteousness" (Rom. 5:20, and in His sovereign
benignity to Abraham's seed, God must uphold the claims of His throne.
But this was also for their good: God's commands "are not grievous" (1
John 5:3), and in keeping of them there is great reward. In article 28
of this series we sought to show that, so far from redemption setting
aside the rights of God over His creatures, it supplies an additional
motive for recognizing and meeting them.
Now at the close of Exodus 24 we hear Jehovah saying to Mines, "Come
up to Me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of
stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou
mayest teach them (v. 12). Accordingly Moses, accompanied by his
minister Joshua, goes up into the mount, and as v. 18 tells us, he was
"in the mount forty days and forty nights." The next seven chapters
are occupied with a description of the Tabernacle, details of which
God also gave to Moses on that occasion. Then, in Exodus 32, we learn
how the people below had been conducting themselves during the absence
of their leader: the great sin of the golden calf, with its idolatrous
worship, had been committed. Nothing but the intercession of the
typical mediator had saved them from utter extermination by the wrath
of God. As we have seen, they were severely chastised for their
wickedness, the Tent of meeting was removed outside the camp, and
following Israel's repentance and Moses' repeated supplication, they
were restored again to communion with God.
Therefore the next thing we read is, "And the Lord said unto Moses,
Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write
upon these tables the words that were on the first tables, which thou
breakest. And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto
mount Sinai, and present thyself there to Me in the top of the mount.
And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen
throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before
that mount" (34:1-3). Thus, as we have said in the opening sentence of
this article, our present passage gives the sequel to what was before
us in Exodus 19 and 24. Though Israel had, during the interval, sinned
so grievously. Moses must return to Jehovah and receive from Him the
inscribed tables of stone. No purpose of the Most High can fail. To
the outward eye it may appear that the wickedness of the creature is
thwarting, or at least hindering, the execution of His counsels. But
it is only seeming; in reality it is not so: "My counsel shall stand,
and I will do all My pleasure" (Isa. 46:10), in His sure and
unchanging declaration.
The ground we have sought to review above is especially rich in its
typical teaching. The first tables of stone were broken (32:19) in
view of Israel's sin--a figure of man's inability to keep God's Law.
The first tables of stone were provided by Jehovah Himself "I will
give thee" (24:12). but the second were to be supplied by Moses
himself: "hew thee" (34:1)--type of Christ the Mediator who declared,
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am
not come to destroy, but to fulfill" (Matthew 5:17). Accordingly, the
second set of tables were securely deposited in the ark (Deut.
10:5)--type, again, of Him who said, "I delight to do Thy will, O My
God: Yea, Thy law is within My heart" (Ps. 40:8).
Again; the covenant which God made with Abraham at the beginning (Gen.
15), and on the ground of which He had delivered Israel from Egypt and
brought them unto Himself, foreshadowed that eternal covenant which
God made with Christ (2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 13:20), on the
basis of which God's people are saved and blest Ephesians 1:3, 4). The
covenant God made with Israel at Sinai, which brought in the
establishing of His rights and the good of His people on earth,
foreshadowed the present government of God over His people, pressing
upon us our responsibilities and obligations, making known to us the
terms on which we receive blessings from Him in this life, and
revealing the principles which regulate God Himself in His dealings
with us. As these will receive amplification in what follows, we pass
on now to notice one other typical feature of importance and
preciousness.
In the interval between the two ascents of Moses into the mount to
receive from Jehovah the engraved tables of stone, we have the solemn
account of Israel's wickedness; but where sin abounded "grace did much
more abound." Very blessed is it to see illustrated there that word in
Psalm 76:10, "Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee." Israel's
sin, so far from defeating the purpose of God, only provided occasion
for Him to reveal the wondrous provisions which He has made for His
failing people: seen in the unfailing love and prevailing intercession
of the typical mediator. It is this which has been before us in the
last few articles, finding its glorious climax in the making known of
the mercy of God--that wondrous spring in the Divine character which
ministers to those who have failed to respond to His grace--and the
making of His "goodness" to pass before Moses (33:10). That "goodness"
was inseparably connected with the proclamation of "the name of the
Lord," and what that signified we shall learn from our present
passage.
"One other remark should be made. Satan had come in, and for the
moment seemed as if he had succeeded in frustrating the purposes of
God with respect to His people. But Satan is never so completely
defeated as in his apparent victories. This is nowhere so fully
illustrated as in the cross, but the same thing is perceived in
connection with the golden calf. This was Satan's work; but the
failure of Israel becomes the occasion through the mediation of Moses,
which God in His grace had provided, of the fuller revelation of God,
and of His mingling grace with law. The activity of Satan does but
work out the purposes of God, and his wrath is made to praise Him
against whom all his malice and enmity are directed" (Ed. Dennett).
"And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose
up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as the Lord had
commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone" (v. 4).
The typical teaching of this verse brings out an important truth which
is now very frequently denied, namely, that God's redeemed are still
under law: not as a condition of salvation, but as the Divine rule for
their walk. Let it be remembered that what we have here in Exodus 34
follows right after what is recorded in chapter 33, where we have a
most manifest and lovely foreshadowing of the intercession of our
great High Priest on high.
Many are the New Testament passages which give us the antitype of
this. Said the Lord Jesus to His disciples, "If ye love Me, keep My
commandments" (John 14:15), which is, obviously, parallel with,
"Showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My
commandments" (Ex. 20:6). In perfect accord with this, is that word in
Romans 13:10, "Love is the fulfilling of the law." The law has not
been abrogated, nor is love lawless. Equally plain is that word in 1
Corinthians 9:21, where the apostle affirms that New Testament saints
are "under the law to Christ." Nor does Romans 6:14 set this aside,
for God's Word does not contradict itself. When the apostle there
says, "Ye are not under the law, but under grace," he is referring to
our justification, not to our walk as believers. "
"And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and
proclaimed the name of the Lord" (v. 5). This at once introduces to us
a subject of much importance, but, alas, like many another, sadly
neglected today: the teaching of Holy Writ concerning the Name of the
Lord. God is very jealous of His name as the third commandment in the
Decalogue shows: the Lord will not hold guiltless that one who taketh
His name in vain. In the prayer which Christ taught His disciples, the
first petition is "Hallowed be Thy name." In Proverbs 18:10 we read,
"The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it
and is safe." From Malachi 3:16 we learn that God has written a book
of remembrance "for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon
His name." While the last chapter of Scripture tells us that God's
name shall be in the foreheads of His people (22:4).
"And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and
proclaimed the name of the Lord." This was the fulfillment of the
promise which He had made to Moses in 33:19. There He had said, "I
will make all My goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the
name of the Lord before thee. To proclaim His "name" signified to
reveal Himself, to make Himself known. Just as the angel said to
Joseph concerning the Child Mary was to bear, "Thou shalt call His
name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins" (Matthew
1:21): the "name" Jesus revealed what He was--the Divine Savior. Or,
just as Christ commanded His disciples to baptize "in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19),
because it is thus that the Triune God now stands revealed.
The particular character in which Jehovah was about to reveal Himself
to Moses is best perceived by noting the place and circumstances of
this gracious manifestation of Himself. It was upon Sinai, in
connection with the giving of the Law. It was, as we have said above,
at the time when the Lord was enforcing His own rights on the people,
following upon the exercise of His grace toward them. It was when
Jehovah took His place in Israel's midst as their king. It was there,
upon the Mount that He made known that "righteousness and judgment are
the habitation of His throne" (Ps. 97:2). Many are the scriptures
which connect the "mount" with Divine government. For example, it was
upon the mount (Matthew 5:1) that the Lord Jesus proclaimed the
principles which are to regulate those who are the subjects of "the
kingdom of heaven." It was on the "holy mount" that He was
transfigured (Matthew 17), which set forth in vivid tableau the
features which shall attend the establishment of His Messianic kingdom
here on earth. While in Zechariah 14:4 we are told, that when He
returns with the "government upon His shoulder" (Isa. 9:6), "His feet
shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives."
At the burning bush Jehovah proclaimed His name, but there it was not
a making known of the principles which regulate Him in the government
of His people, rather was it a revelation of what He is in
Himself--the great "I AM," the all-sufficient, self-subsisting One,
"with whom is no variableness neither shadow of turning" (James 1:7).
How appropriate was such a revelation of Himself on that occasion!
Moses was about to appear, first, to his oppressed brethren, who
would, at the onset, welcome him, but subsequently blame him because
of their increased burdens; later before Pharaoh, who would first
display an haughty and defiant spirit, and then a vacillating and
temporizing one. Well was it for Moses to lay firm hold of the
glorious fact that he was an ambassador of the great "I AM."
"And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and
proclaimed the name of the Lord." With this should be compared, or
rather contrasted what we read of in John 17. There we find our Savior
rendering an account of His work to the One who had sent Him here;
and, as He entered into detail, the first thing that He says is, "I
have manifested Thy name." But how different was this from what we
have in Exodus 34: There it was God making Himself known in
government; here it was God made manifest by the Son in grace. This is
at once evidenced by the words immediately following, "I have
manifested Thy name unto the men which Thou gavest Me out of the
world: Thine they were, and Thou gavest them Me"; it was grace, pure
and simple, eternal and sovereign, which gave us to Christ. So again
in the 26th verse we hear our have High Priest saying to the Father,
"I declared unto them Thy name, and will declare it: that the love
wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them." Ah, that was grace, the
"riches of His grace" (Eph. 1:7), Yea, "the glory of His grace" (Eph.
1:6).
"And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord
God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness
and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and
transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty;
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the
children's children, unto the third and fourth generation" (vv. 6, 7).
These are the most important as well as the most blessed verses in our
passage. In them the Lord makes known the principles or attributes
which are exercised in the government of His people. The perfections
of that government appear in that seven principles are here
enumerated. A careful study of them supplies the key to and explains
all the subsequent dealings of God with Israel.
It is a most profitable exercise to go through the remainder of the
Old Testament in view of these verses: by them much light is thrown
upon the later history of Israel. Many are the passages in the
prophets which have their roots in Exodus 34:6, 7; many are the
prayers whose appeals were based upon their contents. But that which
is the most important for us to heed is that, here we have proclaimed
what marked the "ways" of Jehovah with Israel. As we trace His
dealings with them from Sinai onwards, it will be found that each one
of these seven attributes were in constant exercise. Let us now
consider, though briefly, each one separately.
"The Lord God merciful." How unspeakably precious is it to mark that
this is mentioned first. It is, we might say, the fount from which all
the others flow: because God is merciful, He is "gracious,
longsuffering, abundant in goodness" etc. Mercy was the hope of David
when he had sinned so grievously: "Let us fall now into the hand of
the Lord, for His mercies are great" (2 Sam. 24:14. Solomon owned
God's "mercy" to Israel (1 Kings 3:6: 8:23). So Jehosaphat (2 Chron.
20: 21). So too Nehemiah at a later date: mark how he called the
constant mercy of God to Israel: 9:19, 27, 28, 31. So too did Daniel
encourage himself in the mercy of God: 9:9, 18. To Jeremiah God said,
"Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, return, thou
backsliding Israel, saith the Lord; and I will not cause Mine anger to
fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the Lord" (3:12).
It is on the ground of "mercy" that God will take up Israel again in a
coming day. He shall say, "For a small moment have I forsaken thee;
but with great mercies will I gather thee" (Isa. 54:7). "And I will
show mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you
to return to your own land" (Jer. 42:12). So the Lord Jesus shall yet
say "And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the
house of Joseph, and I will bring them again to place them; for I have
mercy upon them: and they shall be as though I had not cast them off"
(Zech. 10:6).
"And gracious." This tells us the ground on which God bestows His
mercies: it is not for anything in man or from him, but solely because
of His own benignity. All of God's mercies are gifts, free Favors to a
people entirely devoid of any worthiness. Many are the appeals to the
grace of God recorded in the Old Testament. David cried, "O God, the
proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have
sought after my soul; and have not set Thee before them. But Thou O
Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious" (Ps. 86:14, 15).
Hezekiah appealed to the Divine clemency (2 Chron. 30:9). So did Jonah
(4:2) assured the people in his day, "therefore will the Lord wait,
that He may be gracious unto you" (Isa. 30:18). Through Joel God said
to Israel, "Rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the
Lord your God: for He is gracious" (2:13). While in the last book of
the Old Testament the prophet exhorted, "And now, I pray you, beseech
God that He will be gracious unto us" (1:9).
"Longsuffering." How strikingly did the whole history of Israel bear
witness to the wondrous patience of God! The word long-suffering
signifies "slow to anger." It was to the "longsuffering" of Jehovah
that Moses first appealed when Israel had sinned so grievously at
Kadesh-barnea (Num. 14:18). It was the realization of God's great
patience which staved David's heart (Ps. 145:8). To it Nehemiah
referred when reviewing Israel's history and God's long forebearance
with them (9:18). In Nahum's brief but powerful message we read, "The
Lord is slow to anger and great in power" (1:3). The Lord Jesus
pointed to the same perfection when He said to the Jews. "O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are
sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together"
(Matthew 23:37).
"Abundant in goodness." The Hebrew word for goodness is more
frequently translated "kindness." David acknowledged it when he said,
"Blessed be the Lord; for He hath showed me His marvelous kindness in
a strong city" (Ps. 41:21). So too Nehemiah (9:17). In a coming day
the Lord will say to Israel. "In a little wrath I hid My face from
thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on
thee" (Isa. 54:8). The Hebrew word is also rendered "loving-kindness."
Frequent mention of it is made in the Psalm: "For Thy lovingkindness
is before mine eves" (26:3); "How excellent is Thy lovingkindness, O
God!" (36:7): "We have thought of Thy lovingkindness, O God, in the
midst of Thy temple" (48:9). Isaiah said, "I will mention the
lovingkindnesses of the Lord" (63:7). Through Jeremiah God said, "But
let him that glorieth glory in this. that he understandeth and knoweth
Me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and
righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight" (9:24).
"And truth." The Hebrew word signifies "steadfastness." It is rendered
"verity" in Psalm 111:7: "The works of His hands are verity and
judgment." It is translated "faithful" in Nehemiah 7:2. To the men of
Jabesh-gilead David said, "The Lord show kindness and truth unto you"
(2 Sam. 2:6). Unto Jehovah the Psalmist sang, "For Thy mercy is great
above the heavens: and Thy truth reacheth unto the clouds" (Ps.
108:4). God is faithful to His covenant-engagements, true to both His
promisings and His threatenings.
"Keeping mercy for thousands--forgiving iniquity and transgressions
and sin." How often God pardoned Israel for her sins! "And they
remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer.
Nevertheless they did flatter Him with their mouth, and they lied unto
Him with their tongues. For their heart was not right with Him,
neither were they steadfast in His covenant. But He, being full of
compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many
a time turned He His anger away" (Ps. 78:35-38). So in a coming day
the Lord will say, "I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember
their sin no more" (Jer. 31:34).
"And that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of
the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto
the third and fourth generation." Though God pardons, often He does
not remit the consequences of sin: "Thou wast a God that forgavest
them, though Thou tookest vengeance of their inventions" (Ps. 99:8).
To this day the Jews are suffering because of the sins of their
fore-fathers.
It only remains for us to add that, inasmuch as God changes not, the
seven principles contemplated above now regulate His government of
Christendom corporately and the Christian individually. How merciful,
how gracious, how longsuffering, has God been to those who profess His
name! How good, how faithful, how forgiving, all through these
nineteen centuries! Yet the sins of the fathers have also been visited
upon their children. Today we are suffering from the compromisings,
unfaithfulness, sectarianism, pride, and wickedness, of those who went
before us. May the Lord bless to the reader what has been according to
His own Word.
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
67. A Jealous God
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 34:8-17
We turn now to contemplate a portion of the further communication
which Jehovah made to Moses in the Mount. It is not easy to break up
this chapter into sections of suitable length for these comparatively
brief articles, and therefore we are obliged to spend a little time in
reviewing the ground covered in the previous one, that the continuity
of thought may be preserved. In our last, we beheld God asserting His
rights over those whom He had redeemed unto Himself: Moses being
called to receive the Law at His hands. There we heard Him enunciating
the principles of His government. These are seven in number, and close
attention to them is called for if we would appreciate His "ways" with
Israel of old. and enter intelligently into that which regulates Him
in His dealings with us now.
God is "light" (1 John 1:5), as well as "love" (1 John 4:8), and
therefore we are exhorted, "Behold therefore the goodness and the
severity of God" (Rom. 11:22). The two sides to the Divine character
shine forth in all His dealings with man. In Eden we behold His
"goodness" in making promise of the coming of the woman's Seed to
bruise the Serpent's head (Gen. 3:15), but we also see His "severity"
in that "He drove out the man" (3:24) God as Love provided a shelter
for Noah and his house; God as Light sent the flood and destroyed
those who had corrupted their way on earth. The "goodness" of God
commissioned two angels to deliver Lot, but His "severity" rained-down
fire and brimstone and consumed wicked Sodom. God as Love preserved
His people under blood in Egypt. God as Light slew all the firstborn
of the Egyptians. The "goodness" of God, in response to the
intercession of Moses, spared the idolatrous Nation from utter
extermination, but His "severity" called for the sword to do its work
(Ex. 32:27).
We may observe the clear display of these two sides of the Divine
character in the ministry of the incarnate Son. The Lord Jesus came
here "full" not only of grace, but "of grace and truth" (John 1:14).
He was the Friend of publicans and sinners, but He was the Enemy of
self-righteous hypocrites. The same One who was "moved with
compassion" as He beheld the multitude (Matthew 14:14), "looked round
upon them with anger" (Mark 3:5) as He beheld the hard-hearted critics
of the synagogue. He who wept over Jerusalem, "made a scourge of small
cords" and drove out of the temple the defilers of the Father's house
(John 2:15). He who "blessed His disciples" (Luke 24:51) cursed the
fig tree (Matthew 21:19). His "beatitudes" in Matthew 5 are balanced
by His denunciatory "woe's" in Matthew 23. If we read of the "love of
Christ" (Eph. 3:19), we read also of "the wrath of the Lamb" (Rev.
6:16).
The same conjunction of these Divine perfections is to be discerned in
the proclamation of the name of the Lord, which He gave to Moses on
the Mount in connection with the enunciation of His governmental
principles. He is both "abundant in goodness and truth" (v. 6). If He
"keeps mercy for thousands," yet He declares that He will "by no means
clear the guilty." Though He forgives "iniquity. transgression, and
sin," yet He also visits "the iniquity; of the fathers upon the
children." The sin of Ham was visited upon his descendants (Gen.
9:25): the sin of Korah and his company resulted in the earth opening
its mouth and swallowing them up and their houses (Num. 16:32). When
Achan was punished for his sin. there were stoned with him "his sons
and his daughters" (Josh. 7:24, 25). When the Jews crucified Christ,
they cried. "His blood be upon us, and upon our children" (Matthew
27:25) and God took them at their word.
And what is the practical application to us of these things? This: God
is a God to be loved, but He is also a God to be feared, for "our God
is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29). Did we perceive that God is Light
as well as Love, we should stand more in holy awe of Him. Did we
behold His "severity" as readily as we do His "goodness," we should be
more fearful of displeasing Him. Did we bear in mind that He not only
pardons, but also visits the iniquities of the fathers upon the
children, we should be more careful about our walk than we are. "God
is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had
in reverence of all them that are about Him" (Ps. 89:7) In Heaven
itself the saints not only sing the praises of God, but they "fall
down before Him" (Rev. 4:10). Then let us seek grace to heed that
word, "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil.
2:12).
"And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and
worshipped" (v. 8). It is blessed to note the effect upon Moses of the
wondrous and glorious communication which he had just received from
the mouth of Jehovah: filled with adoration and awe he takes his place
in the dust before Him. No formal or perfunctory homage was it that
Moses now rendered. The words "made haste" seem to point to the
spontaneity of his worship; the bowing of his head toward the earth
shows how deeply his spirit was stirred. And if our hearts really lay
hold of the perfections of God's administration, we too will be bowed
before Him as worshippers.
"And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and
worshipped." This is ever the result when the Lord condescends to
reveal Himself to one of His own. When He appeared before Abram and
said, "I am the Almighty God; walk before Me, and be thou upright,' we
are told that "Abram fell on his face" (Gen. 17:3). When He appeared
before Joshua as "Captain of the host of the Lord," we are told that
"Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship" (Josh. 5:14).
When His glory filled the temple which Solomon had built, all the
children of Israel "bowed themselves with their faces to the ground
upon the pavement and worshipped and praised the Lord" (2 Chron. 7:3).
"And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and
worshipped." Let us not lose sight of the immediate link between this
and the close of the preceding verse. The last things mentioned there
are that God will by no means clear the guilty, and that He visits the
sins of the fathers upon the children. In- stead of showing
resentment, Moses acquiesced; instead of challenging the righteousness
of these things, he worshipped. Well for us if we follow his example.
"And he said, If now I have found grace in Thy sight, O Lord, let my
Lord, I pray Thee, go among us; for it is a stiff-necked people; and
pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Thine inheritance"
(v. 9). Very beautiful is this. Moses continues to use the favor which
he had personally found before God for the good of others. His
affections were bound up with His people. Blessedly does he identify
himself with them: "Let my Lord, I pray Thee, go among us." How this
brings to mind that wondrous word of our Redeemer's when, presenting
Himself for baptism, He said to His amazed forerunner, "Thus it
becometh us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:16). Verily. "He
that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one" (Heb.
2:11).
Let us note carefully the reason now presented by Moses for the Lord's
accompanying His people: "Let my Lord. I pray Thee, go among us, for
it is a stiff-necked people." This is very striking, though to some of
the commentators it has presented a difficulty. It was their need
which Moses spread before Jehovah: it was His grace to which he
appealed. Seeing that God was "merciful, gracious, longsuffering," He
was just the One suited to a "stiffnecked" people. None but He could
bear with them. At the very time that Israel were worshipping the
golden calf the Lord Himself had said to Moses, "I have seen this
people, and, behold, it is a stiff-necked people: Now, therefore, let
Me alone, that My wrath may wax hot against them" (32:9, 10). Now,
Moses not only acknowledged the truth of God's charge, but, in
wondrous faith, turns it into a plea for Him to continue in Israel's
midst! Beautifully has another commented on this:
"The relationship between Moses personally and God, was fully
established, so that he could present the people such as they were,
because of his (Moses' own) position, and, consequently, make of the
difficulty and sin of the people a reason for the presence of God,
according to the character He had revealed. It is the proper effect of
mediation; but it is exceedingly beautiful to see, grace having thus
come in, the reason God had given for the destruction of the people,
or at the very least of His absence, becoming the motive for His
presence. We know this ourselves: my sinfulness in itself would be the
reason for God's giving me up. But now I am in grace, I can plead it
with God as a reason, blessed be His name, for His going with me,
never should I overcome and get safe across the wilderness. if He was
not with me. Surely the flesh is there, hut it is wondrous grace" (Mr.
J N. Darby).
Verily, it is all of grace from first to last. Christ came here not to
call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Matthew 9:13). The
proud Pharisees resented it, murmured, and said, "This man receiveth
sinners and eateth with them" (Luke 15:2). Thank God He still does so,
and the more the Holy Spirit reveals to us the "plague" of our heart
(1 Kings 8:38). the more we are enabled to apprehend the wondrous
grace of God, the more shall we crave His presence with us and that
because we are, by nature, a "stiffnecked" people. The more we
discover the true character of the "flesh"--its unimprovableness, and
our own powerlessness to contend against it, the more shall we long
for an Almighty arm to lean on. So, too. the more we realize that this
world is a "wilderness," affording nothing for our souls, the more
shall we perceive the need of the presence of Him who--all praise to
His name--is the Friend that "sticketh closer than a brother" (Prov.
18:24).
"And pardon our iniquity and our sin. and take us for Thine
inheritance." Here again we perceive the boldness of Moses' faith.
This was the climax of his petitions on Israel's behalf. First, he had
besought the Lord that His wrath should not wax hot against them
(32:11). Then he had pleaded for the Lord's continued presence in
their midst (33:15, 16). Now he asks that the Lord will pardon their
iniquity (note how graciously be identifies himself with his sinning
people: "our iniquity and our sin") and "take us from Thine
inheritance." When Sinia had first been reached, God had said. "Now
therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then
ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people" (19:5). But
the sin of the golden calf had severed every relationship. But here
Moses as their mediator and intercessor pleads that everything should
he restored.
That his prayer was answered we know from other scriptures. In
Deuteronomy 32:9 we find him saying. "For the Lord's portion is His
people: Jacob is the lot of His inheritance." So also we find David
declared, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord: and the people
whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance" (Ps. 33:12). Blessed is
it to know that Israel, though temporarily, cast aside for our sakes,
is God's "inheritance" forever: "For the Lord will not cast off His
people. neither will He forsake His inheritance" (Ps. 94:14). In a
coming day the word shall go forth. "Sing and rejoice. O daughter of
Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee saith the
Lord, and many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day and
shall be My people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou
shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent Me unto thee. And the Lord
shall inherit Judah His portion in the holy land, and shall choose
Jerusalem again" (Zech. 2:10-12).
"And take us for Thine inheritance." Again we would remind the reader
that we are dealing with the contents of that book whose theme is
redemption. How blessed then to learn that, through redemption, God
has obtained for Himself an "inheritance!" Ephesians 1:18 speaks of
the "riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints." A truly
marvelous concept is that, one to which our poor minds are quite
incapable of rising--that the great and selfsufficient God should deem
Himself enriched by worms of the earth whom He hath saved by His
grace. This "inheritance," like all others, has come in through death,
the death of God's own Son. That death not only vindicated Divine
justice by putting away the sins of His people, but it has brought in
that which shall glorify God through the endless ages of eternity. God
will occupy His "inheritance" forever. "Behold, the tabernacle of God
is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His
people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God" (Rev.
21:3).
"And He said, Behold, I make a covenant, before all thy people, I will
do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any
nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of
the Lord: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee" (v.
10). This verse presents a difficulty, which is by no means easy of
solution. God here promised that He would do unprecedented miracles on
Israel's behalf, "marvels such as have not been done in all the earth"
Had these words been spoken at the burning bush, before Moses first
interviewed Pharaoh, their application had been obvious: but here, at
Sinai, their meaning is not easy to fix. God had already wrought great
"marvels" on Israel's behalf: the plagues upon Egypt, when water was
turned into blood, dust into lice, frogs entering the homes of the
Egyptians. but avoiding those of the Israelites, a supernatural
darkness lasting for three days, though "all the children of Israel
had light in their dwellings." (Ex. 10:22, 23); the dividing asunder
the Red Sea; the raining of manna from heaven, and in such quantities
as to supply the needs of two million souls; the bringing of water out
of the rock--these were, one and all, prodigies of power. But here God
announces still greater wonders!
We believe that the last book of the Bible describes the fulfillment
of this word of Jehovah's to Moses. There we read of plagues more
dreadful and wondrous than those which came upon Pharaoh and his
people. Upon Egypt God sent natural "locusts," but in a soon-coming
day the bottomless pit shall be opened, and from it shall issue
infernal "locusts," who in- stead of consuming vegetation, shall
torment men, so that "in those days shall men seek death, and shall
not find it" (Rev. 9:6.) In Revelation 15:1 we read, "And I saw
another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the
seven last plagues; for in them is flied up the wrath of God." How
little the world dreams of what is shortly coming upon it!
In the past God put forth His power and delivered Israel from Egypt,
but in a coming day He will, with still greater displays of His might
and by means of judgments of far sorer intensity, deliver the
scattered Jews from all countries among which they are now dispersed:
"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set His
hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people, which
shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and
from Cush and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from
the Islands of the sea. And He shall set up an ensign for the nations,
and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the
dispersed of Judah from the four quarters of the earth" (Isa.
11:11-12). "And I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all
countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to
their folds: and they shall be fruitful and increase. Therefore they
shall no more say, `The Lord liveth, which brought up and which led
the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all
countries whither I had driven them: and they shall dwell in their own
land" (Jer. 23:3, 7, 8)
Of old, God divided the Red Sea for His people to pass through; but in
a coming day He shall completely dry it up for them. "And the Lord
shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with His
mighty wind shall He shake His hand over the river, and shall smite it
in the seven streams, and make men go over dry shod. And there shall
he an highway for the renmant of His people, which shall be left from
Assyria. like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of
the land of Egypt" (Isa. 11:15, 16, compare also Zechariah 10:11). So
too we read, "And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great
river Euphrates: and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of
the kings of the east might be prepared" (Rev. 16:12).
But not only will God perform mighty miracles on Israel's behalf, but
as Exodus 34:10 adds, "It is a terrible thing that I will do with
thee." Clearly this refers to the Great Tribulation. when God will
deal with Israel for their sins. As Jeremiah predicted, "Alas! for
that day is great so that none is like it: it is even the time of
Jacob's trouble" (30:7). Of that dreadful period Christ declared. "For
in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning
of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.
And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be
saved" (Mark 13:19, 20.)
At Sinai God appeared before Israel with the most awe-inspiring
manifestations: "And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because
the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as
the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly" (Ex.
19:18) But when the incarnate Son returns to this world, we are told
that He "Shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in
flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey
not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thess. 1:7, 8). To this
grand event the Apostle Paul referred when quoting from Haggai: "Whose
voice then shook the earth: but now He hath promised, saying. Yet once
more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven" (Heb. 12:26.)
Should it be asked. What is the connection between the awful contents
of this 10th verse of Exodus 34 and its context? The answer is not far
to seek. At the close of v. 9 we find Moses beseeching Jehovah, "Take
us for thine inheritance." The next thing we read is. "And He said.
Behold I make a covenant." etc. With His omniscient eye. God looked
down the centuries. and then made known to His servant what must,
ultimately, take place before Israel became His "inheritance" in fact.
When this Covenant of Marvels has been fulfilled, the prayer of Moses
will receive its final answer. It is in the Millennium, following the
awful judgment of the Great Tribulation, that the Lord will enter upon
His heritage. Then shall it be said, "Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout,
O Israel, be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of
Jerusalem. The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, He hath cast out
thine enemy; the King of Israel. even the Lord is in the midst of
thee: thou shalt not see evil any more. In that day it shall be said
to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion. Let not thine hands be
slack. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty: He will save,
He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love. He will
joy over thee with singing" (Zeph. 3:14-17.)
"Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out
before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite. and the
Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite" (v. 11). Here the Lord
returns to the more immediate present. Note the "this day," and the
change from the "I will do marvels" and "it is a terrible thing that I
will do with thee" of the previous verse, to "I drive out." It should
also be observed that the extermination of the Canaanites is
attributed not to the military prowess of Israel, but to the alone
power of Jehovah.
"Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants
of the land whither thou guest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of
thee" (v. 12). This was a call to separation. There must be no unequal
yoke uniting the people of God with the children of the Devil. The
Lord was taking Moses at his word: in 33:16 he had said. "Is it not in
that Thou guest with us? so shall we be separated, I and Thy people,
from all the people that are upon the face of the earth." It is solemn
to discover how Joshua. at a later date, disobeyed this very
exhortation, see Joshua 9:14, 15. Centuries after, serious trouble
issued from Joshua's sin, see 2 Samuel 21:1-9.
"But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down
their groves" (v. 13). This also has its spiritual application to us.
Not that Christians are called upon to reform society and improve the
world, by engaging in crusades against vice and drunkenness. The
counterpart in our experience to what we have here in v. 13 is that we
should wage an unsparing war upon that which prevents us from enjoying
our inheritance in Christ. Everything that would displace God in our
lives and in our affections must be demolished. Every idol--that which
comes between the Lord and my heart--must be ruthlessly hewn down.
"For thou shalt worship no other God: for the Lord, whose name is
Jealous, is a jealous God" (v. 14). Very searching, but very blessed
is this. First, God is `jealous' of His own glory. Through Isaiah He
has declared, "I am the Lord: that is My name; and My glory will I not
give to another" (42:8). That is why God has chosen the foolish things
of this world, weak things, things which are despised, yea,
non-entities "that no flesh should glory in His presence.' (1 Cor.
1:27-29).
Second, God is "jealous' of the affections of His people. He is
grieved when our love is given to another. "My son, give Me thine
heart" (Prov. 23:26) is His appeal. "Set Me as a seal upon thine
heart" (Song 8:6) is His call to each of us.
Third, God is "jealous" of His people: "He that toucheth you toucheth
the apple of His eye" (Zech. 2:8) is His own avowal.
As we have practically reached the limits of our space, we refrain
from commenting in any detail upon v. 15, 16. The more so because what
is there said has been before us in Exodus 13 and 23. That which is
therein enjoined is separation from the Canaanites themselves, from
their ways, and from their worship. In view of what had so recently
taken place, the closing words of our passage are very solemn: "Thou
shalt make thee no molten gods" (v. 17.) May the Lord grant both
writer and reader that purpose of heart to cleave fully unto Himself,
and that singleness of eye that has in view nought but His own glory,
ever remembering that our God is a jealous God.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
68. God's Claims
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 34:18-21
The verses which are now to be before us seem, at first sight, very
disconnected, presenting, apparently, a series of miscellaneous duties
which the Lord enjoined upon Israel. First, mention is made of "The
feast of unleavened bread" (v. 18). Next, we have the redemption of
the firstborn, both of beasts and Israel's sons (vv. 19, 20). Then
reference is made to the sabbath (v. 21). This is followed by
instruction concerning the observance of the feast of weeks and the
feast of ingathering (vv. 22-24). Next we have prohibitions concerning
the offering of leaven with God's sacrifices, and the leaving over of
the passover feast till the next morning (v. 25). Finally, God's
claims upon all the first-fruits of the land is made, and command is
given that a kid is not to be seethed in its mother's milk (v. 26).
Thus, no less than seven different things are brought before us in
these few verses. What, then is the link which binds them together?
Wherein lies the unity of our passage?
We believe the answer to our question is to be found in, the promise
which the Lord gave when He first appeared to Moses at the burning
bush: "And He said. certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a
token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth
the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain" (Ex.
3:12). The sequel to this is found in 19:3, 4: "And Moses went up unto
God and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying. Thus
shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel:
Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bear you on
eagles' wings, and brought you unto Myself." Here in Exodus 34 Jehovah
makes known the character of that "service" which He required from
Israel.
First of all, we have the two tables of stone, on which were inscribed
the ten words of the Law. Submission to Himself, obedience to His
revealed will is what God requires from His people. Second, Jehovah
made known the principles which regulate the government of His people
(vv. 6. 7). Third, the call to absolute separation from the heathen
(v. 12), from their religion (v. 15), and from intermarriage with them
(v. 16) is next given. No unequal loke must be formed between the
children of God and the children of the Devil: compare 2 Corinthians
6:14-18. God had brought them unto Himself (see 1 Peter 3:18), and
this wondrous and glorious fact must now be witnessed to in all their
ways. In the verses that follow, comprising our present portion, we
have the positive side brought out.
"The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days shalt thou
eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month
Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt" (v. 18). How
blessedly this tells forth God's grand design in redemption: it is not
only for the purpose of emancipating His people and bringing them unto
Himself, but also that they may be happily gathered around Himself.
That is what the "feast" speaks of, communion and joy. God gathered
His redeemed around Himself in holy convocation, Himself the center of
peace and blessing.
The feast of unleavened bread was inseparably connected with the
Passover. The passover provided that sacrifice upon which the feast
itself was based. The antitype of it is found in 1 Corinthians 5:7, 8:
"For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: therefore let us
keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice
and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."
The two together tell us that holiness is the consequence of
redemption. The two cannot be separated. It is because our sins have
been put away, that God can now take us into communion with Himself.
First, God counts us to have "died with Christ" (Rom. 6:4-8). Second,
we are to "reckon" upon this fact (Rom. 6:11; 2 Cor. 5:14): faith is
to appropriate it. Third, there is to be the practical expression of
this in our daily lives: "Always learning about in the body the dying
of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest
in our body" (2 Cor. 4:10).
We must distinguish between what the "unleavened bread." itself
emblemized, and what Israel's actual feasting thereon typified. The
bread was the Divinely-appointed symbol of Him who declared, "I am the
living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this
bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is My
flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (John 6:51).
Hence, because His person is holy, unleavened bread was appointed:
"Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall
put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened
bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut
off from Israel" (Ex. 12:15). If then God gave such explicit
instructions to His people of old, to use only that kind of bread
which suitably and accurately represented the immaculate body of His
blessed Son, by what right may we today be less particular in the loaf
selected for "the Lord's supper?"
The Lord Jesus Himself instituted that "Supper" as a memorial of
Himself, given in death for His people. Concerning the emblems which
He appointed, if we are subject to the Scriptures, there cannot be the
slightest room for question. They were, first, bread, unleavened, as
is clear from the fact that this "Supper" was instituted right after
the paschal one (Matthew 26:29)--therefore, when all leaven was
rigidly excluded from their houses. The second was the "cup,"
containing "the fruit of the vine" (Matthew 26:29). Therefore when
reminding the Corinthians of these, the apostle Paul wrote, "As often
as ye eat (not simply "bread," any bread, but) this bread, and drink
this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till He come" (1 Cor. 11:26).
Alas, in this day of laxity, compromise and departure from the written
Word, man's substitutes for God's appointments are received in most
places without a murmur.
In Central Africa, where flour is difficult to obtain, one company of
professing native-Christians, with their white missionaries, use
coconut in lieu of bread, and its milk for the cup. Another company
known to us in Australia, use raspberry-juice. And why not? If we are
justified in changing unleavened bread into leavened bread, prepared
pieces of bread cut into cubes instead of a loaf broken--to remind us
of the body of Christ broken for us: and an evening feast, a "supper,"
into a morning ordinance: then who has the right to say where the line
of departure shall be drawn? Personally. the writer had far rather
never partake of the Lord's supper again, than be a party to the sin
of setting forth the blessed person of Christ by means of bread which
has in it that which, in Scripture, is always the symbol of evil. If
the loaf on the table has any symbolic significance at all, then a
leavened one portrays a Christ with a corrupt humanity, and such is
not the Christ of Holy Writ.
We are well aware of the objection which is likely to be made, namely,
We must not be occupied too closely with the symbols themselves, lest
the heart be taken off Christ. Such language may sound very pious, but
it ill-becomes those who use it. Precisely the same objection is made
by many pedo-baptists against immersion. They say, It is not the mere
outward form, but the spirit behind the act that matters. But our Lord
has said, "This do in remembrance of Me:" then how dare we "do"
something else? If the outward symbols are of little or no moment,
then why not be consistent and follow the "Quakers," and abandon the
external ordinances altogether? We can and do "remember" Christ at
other times than when we are gathered around His table. But we can
only "show the Lord's death" (1 Cor. 11:26). when we adhere strictly
to His own appointments. And is our obedience in this, a small matter
to Him who commanded Moses to "make all things" (even the pins and
cords) for the Tabernacle "after the pattern shown him in the mount?"
It still stands written, "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, to
hearken than the fat of rams" (1 Sam. 15:22).
Others object, If you are going to be such a stickler for the
particular kind of bread used at the Lord's table, you might just as
well insist that we select an "upper room," and partake of it sitting
on the ground as the first disciples did. Our reply is, These details
contributed nothing to the showing forth of "the Lord's death." which
is the central design of the Supper. For that reason nothing whatever
is said about these details in 1 Corinthians 11, where the bread and
the cup are particularized. Had the apostle mentioned them there, then
we should have been under obligation to heed and emulate them. But he
has not. Really, such an objection is nothing more than an idle
quibble. Let those who are responsible for making the arrangements at
the Lord's table, weigh in His presence what we have written. Let them
ask, What kind of bread, leavened or unleavened, is the more
scriptural? is the more appropriate as an emblem of the holy person of
Christ? And which is least calculated to distress and stumble those of
His people who, by grace, desire to be subject the Word in all things?
Returning now to our type. That which was prefigured by the
"unleavened bread" was the person of Him who is "without blemish and
without spot" (1 Pet. 1:19). Israel's participation in the feast
itself typified that holiness which is the believers in Christ. Note
how Paul could say, to the failing Corinthians, "ye are unleavened" (1
Cor. 5:7). But we must daily seek grace from on high to make this good
in our lives, by walking in separation from all that defiles and
corrupts: "Be ye holy, for I am holy" (1 Pet. 1:16), is the unchanging
demand of God upon us. And that upon which His demand is based is. "Ye
are not your own, ye are bought with a price." If we are, by His
wondrous grace, washed in the precious blood of Christ, He surely
looks that we should keep our garments undefiled. If then we delight
to contemplate the Passover, let us also keep, in a practical way,
"the feast of unleavened bread," and that for "seven days"--a complete
period, the whole of our life on earth.
"The feast of unleavened bread must be kept; God has provided us with
it in Christ. He has brought in a new character of Manhood that we
might feed upon it, and purge out all that is contrary to it. We see
every where in the world an inflating principle, giving importance to
that which has no true value before God. But in Christ we see One
marked by purity, holiness, sincerity and truth: all that is
delightful to God; and nothing inflated--nothing appearing to be
greater than it really was. When they said to Him. Who art thou? He
answered. `Altogether that which I also say to you.' That is
unleavened bread, and as we appreciate it and feed upon it, we shall
become unleavened; we shall hate and purge out every kind of leaven"
(C. A. Coates).
"All that openeth the matrix is Mine" (v. 19). God is the universal
Proprietor. As the Creator of all, His rights are beyond question. But
how little are they recognized and owned in a practical way! Our
present verse is one which ought to be much before those who are
parents. Listen fond mother, doting father, that little one in the
cradle is not yours absolutely; in reality, it belongs to God. "Lo,
children are an heritage of the Lord" (Ps. 127:3). Have you
acknowledged this? Have you dedicated your little one to God? "Thou
shalt set apart unto the Lord all that openeth the matrix" (Ex. 13:12)
was God's word to His people of old. and it has never been repealed. O
that you may be able to say with the mother of Samuel. "For this child
I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of Him:
Therefore also I have returned him to the Lord" (1 Sam. 1:27, 28).
This is a subject of great practical importance, and there is much
need to press it upon parents today. Scripture does not teach infant
"christening," or infant baptism, but it does infant dedication. Even
the parents of Christ, when He was a child, "brought Him to Jerusalem
to present Him to the Lord" (Luke 2:22). And note that both here and
in Samuel's case, it was the parents personally, and not a priest, who
performed the solemn act. The act of dedication is the formal
acknowledgment that the child belongs to God: it is saying, as David
said. "For all things come of Thee: and of Thine own have we given
Thee" (1 Chron. 29:14). The whole subsequent training of the child
should be in the remembrance of this fact. Hold your children in trust
from God, and "bring them up in the nurture and admonition (mark the
`balance of Truth') of the Lord" (Eph. 6:4).
"All that openeth the matrix is Mine: and every firstling among thy
cattle, or sheep" (v. 19). Clearly it is God here pressing His claims
upon His people. The cattle upon a thousand hills are His. So too He
declares, "The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, saith the Lord of
hosts" (Hag. 2:8). How often we forget this! Ah, it is one thing to
sing. `Naught that I have I call mine own, I hold it for the Giver;
For I am His, and He is mine. Forever and forever," but it is quite
another matter to recognize that we are but stewards, holding
everything in trust from Him and for Him: "Moreover it is required in
stewards, that a man be found faithful" (1 Cor. 4:2). If we shall be
called to account for "every idle word" that we have uttered (Matthew
12:36), how much more shall we for every pound or dollar that we have
wasted!
It is very striking and solemn to observe that in the three parables
which our Lord gave on the subject of service and its reward, that, in
each instance, He selected a coin to illustrate His theme. First, in
the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, a "penny" (Matthew 20).
Second, in the parable of the Nobleman, "He called His ten servants
and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them. Occupy till I come"
(Luke 19:13). Third, in the parable of the Man travelling into a far
country He called His own servants, and delivered unto them His goods:
and unto one He gave five talents, to another two, and to another one;
to every man according to his several ability" (Matthew 25:14, 15).
The word talent signifies "a sum of money." With it His disciples were
to trade during the time of His absence. If the teaching of these
parables were more before our hearts, Christians would be more
diligent and faithful in laying up for themselves "treasure in heaven"
(Matthew 6:20).
"But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if
thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn
of thy sons thou shalt redeem" (v. 20). This is a repetition of what
was before us in Exodus 13:13. As so many of our present readers have
not seen what we wrote thereon, almost four years ago, we deem it
advisable to go over the same ground again, or at least to review what
we then said.
The words "the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb," at
once carry our minds back to the Passover night, when the firstborn of
the Hebrews was "redeemed with a lamb." Thus the Lord has linked
together the redemption of His own people with the redeeming of asses.
Again, it is to be noted that, "if thou redeem not (the "ass"), thou
shalt break his neck," just as the Israelites would most certainly
have been smitten by the avenging Angel unless they had slain the lamb
and sprinkled its blood. Thus God here compares the natural man with
the ass! Deeply humbling is this! As we read in Job 11:12 "For vain
man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass's colt."
Under the Mosaic law, the "ass" was an unclean animal, neither chewing
the cud nor dividing the hoof. So too the natural man is unclean: "But
we all as an unclean thing" (Isa. 64:4). Though a man may be most
particular about his habits, yet within is he full "of uncleanness"
(Matthew 23:27). The "divided hoof" symbolizes a separated walk, a
life that is lived with God and for God. The "chewing of the cud"
speaks of rumination, meditation,--meditating in God's Law day and
night (Ps. 1:2). But to these two things the natural man is a total
stranger. Thus, the "ass" accurately represents him. He is unclean.
But thank God there is a fountain opened "for sin and for uncleanness"
(Zech. 13:1).
Again, the "ass" is a stupid and senseless creature. It has less of
what we call "instinct" than has almost any other beast. In this too
it resembles the natural man. Proudly as he may boast of his powers of
reason, conceited as he may be over his intellectual attainments, the
truth is, that he is utterly devoid of any spiritual intelligence:
"But the natural man receiveth not the firings of the Spirit of God:
for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because
they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14). And again, "Walk not as
other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the
understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through
the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their
heart" (Eph. 4:17, 18). How thankful Christians should be that. "We
know that the son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding,
that we may know Him that is true" (1 John 5:20).
Once more; the "ass" is a stubborn and intractable animal. Often he is
as hard to move as a mule. Such also is fallen man. He is a rebel
against God. The history of every descendant of Adam is summed up in
those terrible words, "we have turned every one to his own way" (Isa.
53:6). "There is none that seeketh after God" (Rom. 3:11). When God
became incarnate and tabernacled among men, He had to say, "Ye will
not come to Me, that ye might have life" (John 5:40). When a sinner
does come to Christ, it is because Divine power has "drawn" him (John
6:44). And after we become Christians. the Holy Spirit has to take us
in hand and "lead" us in "the paths of righteousness" (Ps. 23:3. Rom.
8:14).
Most unpalatable to our proud hearts is such a line of truth as the
above. Yet is it blessed if we bow to it and take our true place
before God--in the dust. Only the illumination of the Holy Spirit can
bring any of us to realize how ass-like we are. For this reason
Solomon wrote, "I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons
of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that
they themselves are beasts" (Ecclesiastes 3:18). Has God opened your
eyes, my reader? Do you own that the "ass" accurately portrays all
that you are in yourself--un-clean, senseless, intractable, fit only
to have your neck broken? If so, you can appropriate and appreciate
those blessed words, "Christ died for the ungodly" (Rom. 5:6). How
marvelous the grace that has provided salvation for such: "The
firstling of an ass thou shall redeem with a lamb!"
"And none shall appear before Me empty" (v. 20). How can they! Once a
poor sinner has had his eyes opened to see the ruin which sin has
wrought in him, once he learns that he was "redeemed by the Lamb," his
heart is filled to overflowing, filled with gratitude and praise. The
language which best expresses his thankfulness is, "Bless the Lord. O
my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name" (Ps. 103:1).
No, the redeemed cannot appear before the Redeemer "empty."
Spontaneously must they heed that word, "By Him therefore, let us
offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit
of our lips giving thanks to His name' (Heb. 13:15).
"And, none shall appear before Me empty." If this were expressed in
its positive form, it would read, "They shall come before Me as
worshippers," for worship is the presenting of something to God. As we
have recently had three articles upon this subject in our magazine,
there is the less need for us now to enlarge upon it. The first
mention of "worship" in the O. T. gives us the basic and central
thought in connection with the subject. In Genesis 22:5 we read that
Abraham said, "I and the lad will go yonder and worship." Abraham was
about to offer his son unto the Lord! So the first time we read of
worship in the N. T. we find the wise men presenting gifts to the
infant Savior (Matthew 2). Our hearts should be filled with love and
our mouths with praise as we appear before our gracious God.
"Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in
earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest" (v. 21). The order of
Truth presented in our passage is very beautiful. First, we have had
that which speaks of absolute separation unto God (v. 18). Next,
dedication unto God (vv. 19:20). Then, worship before, or the
adoration of, God (v. 20). Now we get mention of the sabbath, the
Lord's provision of mercy for our soul's occupation with Himself. It
is to be observed that here a word is added to the previous references
to the Sabbath which were before us in Exodus 16, 20, 31. Upon this
Mr. Coates has said:
"The rest of the sabbath must be observed, and the distinctive feature
of it in this case is that `in ploughing-time and in harvest thou
shalt rest.' It intimates the necessity for recurring periods in which
we cease from activity to contemplate in rest what God has done. The
sabbaths must be kept, no matter what the needs of the Lord's work may
be: for I suppose that ploughing-time and harvest might typify the
most exacting and strenuous times in His work. The soul must know what
it is to lay aside its activities, and have its rest with God. I am
afraid we do not always keep our sabbaths. We are either doing
something, or occupied with what we are going to do. There is not
enough restfulness with God."
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
69. The Sinaiatic Covenant
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 34:8-17
The key verse to the whole of Exodus 34 is the 27th: "And the Lord
said unto Moses. Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these
words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel." Hence the
title to our present article. In the verse following the one just
quoted, we read, "And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty
nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon
the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments." Thus, the
Sinaiatic covenant was a legal one, but as vv. 6, 7 have shown us, it
was Law administered in mercy and patience, as well as righteousness
and holiness.
We have already considered the Law as expressing God's government over
His redeemed people; let us now look at it in its dispensational
bearings. In Romans 5:20 we read, "the law entered, that the offense
might abound:" that is, that sin might appear "exceeding sinful" (Rom.
7:13): that the wickedness of the human heart might be manifested:
that it should be the more fully demonstrated that men are sinners:
and this in order that, "Every mouth might be stopped, and all the
world may become guilty before God" (Rom. 3:19).
In the light of what has just been before us, we should carefully bear
in mind that God gave the Law to Moses twice: Exodus 31:18: 34:1. 28.
The first giving of the Law demonstrated that man is ungodly. As we
have seen, before the Law was written upon tables of stone, it was
first given to Moses orally (Ex. 20), and Moses then repeated it to
Israel (24:3), and they affirmed, "all the words which the Lord hath
said will we do." The first word He had said was. "Thou shalt have no
other gods before Me." But at the very time He was engraving those
words on the stones, Israel was saying to Aaron. "Up make us gods
which shall go before us" (132:1). And the next thing was that the
golden calf was made and worshipped. The immediate sequel was the
visitation of God's anger upon them (32:27, 28). Thus, the first trial
of man--not of Israel only, for "As in water face answereth to face,
so the heart of man to man" (Prov. 27:19)--ended in judgment.
As the first giving of the Law demonstrated that man was "ungodly." so
the second giving of it was to be followed by a manifestation that he
is "without strength" to keep it. These are the two things which
characterize fallen man (Rom. 5:6), and these were what the double
giving of the law was designed to show. The first was demonstrated
speedily: the second was made evident more slowly, yet none the less
surely. God gave man fair and full opportunity to show whether he had
power to keep the law. In the nation of Israel he was represented and
tested under the most favorable circumstances. Israel was separated
from the heathen: Jehovah Himself dwelt in their midst. They were
given a land flowing with milk and honey; and, as the apostle says,
unto them pertained "the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants,
and the giving of the law, and the service of God and the promises"
(Rom. 9:4). Well might Jehovah say to them at a later date. "What
could have been done more to My vineyard, that I have not done in it?
wherefore when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it
forth wild grapes?" (Isa. 5:4).
Yes, the vineyard of the Lord's planting brought forth only "wild
grapes." Graciously and longsufferingly did He bear with them, sending
one prophet after another to exhort, admonish, rebuke, and warn. But
all to no purpose (see Mark 12:1-5). One generation after another was
tested, but always with the same result, in that the Law was "weak
through the flesh" (Rom. 8:3). Man had no ability to meet the
righteous requirements of God. He was "without strength." Therefore,
as was inevitable, this second testing of man under the Law also ended
with Divine judgment. And most impressive was the longsuffering mercy
of God seen in that too. The full and final stroke of His wrath did
not fall upon guilty Israel all at once, but was meted out slowly and
in stages.
First, God delivered up His people into the hands of the Chaldeans. As
He said through Isaiah, "O Assyrian, the rod of Mine anger, and the
staff in their hand is Mine indignation. I will send him against an
hypocritical nation, and against the people of My wrath will I give
him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to treat
them down like the mire of the streets" (10:5, 6). Israel's second
testing under the Law had come to an end. The "glory of the Lord" (the
Shekinah) had departed from the holy city (Ezek. 11:23, 24), and
Israel's sons were carried down captive into Babylon: and through the
prophet Hosea the Nation was disowned of God: "Then said God. Call his
name Lo-ammi: for ye are not My people" (1:9).
Later, a remnant was permitted to leave Babylon and return to the land
of their fathers, unto the city which had been ruined through their
folly and rebellion, to raise it up again and to build the temple. But
they came back not as God's people. but as "Lo-ammi." And though a
temple was erected, yet no Shekinah glory abode in it. It was empty!
God no longer dwelt in their midst. The prophets which He sent unto
them at that period emphasized the ruin which had come in, and pointed
forward to the advent of the Savior. The great test then was no longer
obedience to the Law (though that was not repealed), but an humble
acceptance of the Divine judgment which was upon them, and a waiting
in contrition of spirit for the Deliverer. But instead of humbling
themselves before God, instead of repenting for their sins, instead of
owning that they were "without strength," they were more
self-righteous than ever. Ably has this been set forth by another:
"But now, alas! you find again what the power of Satan is, and how
subtly he can blind, through man's folly, the heart of man. It is very
striking, and people generally notice it as favorable to Israel, that
after their return, they were no more idolators. It had been their
special sin. The prophet asks. you remember, `Hath a nation changed
their gods, which are yet no gods? but My people have changed their
glory for that which doth not profit.' Even from the wilderness they
had. There was first the golden calf, and all through the wilderness
they had taken up `the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of their god
Remphan, figures which they made to worship them.' God had declared
that he was the one God, but they were idolators to the core of the
heart.
"But as soon as there was no god in their midst--as soon as the temple
was empty and the glory had departed--as soon as they were in the ruin
which their sin had brought about, then immediately Satan came
forward, not in the garb of idolatry any more, but now to resist the
sentence which God had pronounced upon them--now to persuade them that
after all they were not as Lo-ammi--that they were God's people, and
to say, `The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are we.' In
fact, pharisaism was the growth of that period, and pharisaism was the
self-righteousness which resisted God's sentence upon them. pretending
to have a righteousness when God had emphatically declared that man
had none. So it was when that Deliverer prophesied of came. and when
the glory, in a deeper and more wonderful way than ever was once more
in their midst,--aye, the `glory of the only begotten Son, in the
bosom of the Father'--the Antitype of the glory of that tabernacle of
old,--when He who was to come did come, and was amongst them in love
and grace, ready to meet them with all mercy and tenderness,--not
coming to be ministered to, but to minister.--not requiring, but to
give with both hands--to give without limit--to give as God,--alas!
These Pharisees could turn comfortably to one another and say, `which
of the Pharisees have believed on Him?' Pharisees they were who slew
the Lord of glory" (Mr. F. W. Grant).
Then it was, as a matter of course, that Judaism ended. The high
priest's rending of his garments (Matthew 26:65), though unknown to
himself (cf. John 11:51), intimated that the priesthood had served its
day. Man's second trial under Law was over. Nothing now remained but
judgment, yet even that lingered for a further forty years, till, in
A.D. 70, Jerusalem was captured, the temple destroyed, and the Jews
dispersed abroad. Even before that judgment fell, God's call to His
own people was. "Save yourselves from this untoward generation' (Acts
2:40). And again. "Let us go forth therefore unto Him, without the
camp" (Heb. 13:13). But we must now retrace our steps, and return to
the point from which we started. The central thing in Exodus 34 is the
"covenant" which Jehovah made with Israel at Sinai.
As we pointed out in the opening paragraphs of our last article, that
covenant was based upon the ten words engraved upon the tables of
stone. It was a covenant of law, but law administered in mercy, grace,
patience, as well as holiness and righteousness. In that covenant God
pressed His claims upon man. First, He demanded absolute separation,
unto Himself (v. 18). Second, entire consecration for Himself (vv. 19,
20). Third, complete submission to His appointed sabbath, no exception
being permitted even in harvest-time (v. 21). Here follows our present
passage.
"And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the first fruits of
wheat harvest" (v. 22). The central thought in connection with each of
Israel's "feasts" was the gathering together of the people around
Jehovah Himself, on the ground of redemption accomplished. Thus, it
was corporate responsibility which is here in view, and, we may add,
corporate privilege, for there is no greater privilege enjoyed on
earth than for God's saints to be gathered together, in festive
assembly, around Himself.
The "feast of weeks." better known as "Pentecost." is described at
greatest length in Leviticus 23:15-21. Here it is connected with "the
first fruits of wheat harvest." This at once makes us think of James
1:18: "Of His own will begat He us with the Word of truth, that we
should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures." Dispensationally,
the feast received a partial fulfillment at the descent of the Spirit
in Acts 2. We say "partial fulfillment," for Peter's words in Acts
2:16, "But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel." rather
than "this is the fulfillment of that which was spoken by Joel," tell
us that the complete realization is yet future: as indeed it is. The
"two loaves" of Leviticus 23:17 pointed, first, to Jew and Gentile now
gathered together and made fellow-members of the Body of Christ; but,
ultimately they foreshadowed the re-uniting of the two houses of
Israel (cf. Ezekiel 37:16) when, after this dispensation has run its
course, the Jews will be restored once more to Divine favor.
"And the feast of ingathering at the year's end" (v. 22). This is
better known as "the feast of tabernacles." It was the final one on
Israel's religious calendar. Its dispensational fulfillment is
therefore yet future. "The feast of tabernacles is the joy of the
millennium, when Israel hath come out of the wilderness, where their
sins have placed them: but to which will be added this first day (the
"eighth day" of Leviticus 23:36" A. W. P.) of another week--the
resurrection joy of those who are raised with the Lord Jesus, to which
the presence of the Holy Spirit answers meanwhile. Consequently, we
find that the feast of tabernacles took place after the increase of
the earth had been gathered in, and, as we learn elsewhere, not only
after the harvest, but after the vintage also; that is, after
separation by judgment, and the final execution of judgment on the
earth, when heavenly and earthly saints shall all be gathered in" (Mr.
J. N. Darby).
"Thrice in the year shall all your men children appear before the Lord
God, the God of Israel" (v. 23). The particular occasions specified
were, "in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks,
and in the feast of tabernacles" (Deut. 16:16). Really, those feasts
contemplated three distinct dispensations: the first, the O. T., when
Israel was separated unto the Lord. The second, this present interval,
when in addition to the "remnant according to the election of grace"
(Rom. 11:5) from the stock of Abraham, God is also visiting "the
Gentiles, to take out of them a people for His name" (Acts 15:14). The
third, to the millennium. when the Lord "will return, and will build
again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and will build
again the ruins thereof, and will set it up: That the residue of men
might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom My name is
called" (Acts 15:16, 17). We may add that each of the three persons in
the Godhead are, distinctively, contemplated in these feasts. The
feast of unleavened bread, which is inseparably connected with the
Passover, speaks to us of God the Son. The feast of weeks or Pentecost
is marked by the descent of the Spirit (Acts 2:2: Joel 2:28). The
feast of tabernacles will witness the answer to that oft-prayed
petition, "Our Father which art in heaven . . . Thy kingdom come"
(compare Matthew 13:43; 16:27). The order is the same as in the
three-one parable of Luke 15: the work of the Shepherd, the work of
the Spirit, bringing into the Father's house. Thus it is
experimentally.
As we have said, the "feasts" had to do with corporate responsibility,
and corporate privilege too, for: "Behold. how good and how pleasant
it is for brethren to dwell together in unity" (Ps. 133:1). But alas,
history has repeated itself. At the beginning of Israel's national
history, they were a united "congregation." So it was at the beginning
of this dispensation: "And all that believed were together" (Acts
2:44). For a time all went well; then failure and sin came, followed
by Divine chastisement and judgment; true alike of Israel and
Christendom. Ultimately Israel was carried captive into Babylon, so
too, all through the `dark ages' the "mystery Babylon" of Revelation
17 dominated Europe. A remnant of Israel returned from Babylon and the
true worship of God was restored in Israel, though not after its
primitive glory. So there was a Reformation, a remnant was delivered
from the papacy, and God again was magnified, though the streams of
truth was not as pure as it was at the beginning.
But at the end of the Old Testament period the corporate testimony of
Israel was a complete wreck and ruin: the priesthood had "corrupted
the covenant of Levi" (Mal. 2:7, 8); polluted bread was offered upon
God's altar (Mal. 1:7). Judah had "profaned the holiness of the Lord"
(Mal. 2:11), and Jehovah had to say, "I have no pleasure in you...
neither will I accept an offering at your hand" (Mal. 1:10). In like
manner, the corporate testimony of Christendom has long since fallen
into ruins. The last of the Epistles to the churches depicts Christ as
being on the outside (Rev. 3:20), and His voice is addressed to the
individual only, "If any man hear My voice."
"For I will cast out the nations before thee and enlarge thy borders:
neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shall go up to appear
before the Lord thy God thrice in the year" (v. 24). How remarkably
does this verse illustrate Proverbs 16:7: "When a man's ways please
the Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him." God
will not allow any man to be His debtor: He has promised, "Them that
honor Me, I will honor" (1 Sam. 2:30). So it was here. These
Israelites were going up to the temple to worship the Lord; in their
absence He would guard their homes.
"Neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to
appear before the Lord thy God thrice in the year." How strikingly
does this demonstrate the absoluteness of God's control of His
creatures! And man, though fallen and rebellious, is no exception. As
Daniel 4:35 tells us, "He doeth according to His will in the army of
heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His
hand." So it was here. The male Hebrews were to leave their farms and
go up to the temple in Jerusalem (Deut. 16:16)--for many of them, a
long journey. They were surrounded by hostile heathen but so complete
is God's control of man, every man, that none shall be allowed to
molest their families or flocks while they were away. Thus, we see
that God not only restrains the activities of the wicked, but even
regulates the desires of their evil hearts: "The king's heart is in
the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: He turneth it
whithersoever He will" (Prov. 21:1).
"Thou shalt not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leaven" (v. 25),
God was very jealous of the types. Why? Because they pointed forward
to the person and work of Christ. Thus, His jealousy of the types was
His guarding of the glory of His beloved Son. Therefore, inasmuch as
the sacrifices pointed forward to the Lord Jesus, leaven (which is an
emblem of evil) must be excluded, for He is "holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners" (Heb. 7:26).
"Thou shalt not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leaven." Very
wonderful and blessed is it to observe how the Lord here refers to the
sacrifice: He does not say "the blood of thy sacrifice," but "My
sacrifice." This is also the language of the antitype: The Sacrifice
"offered once for all." was of God's appointing, was of God's
providing, was for God's satisfaction. Man had no part or lot in it
whatsoever. "Salvation is of the Lord." Frequently is this same truth
brought out in the types. In Genesis 22:8 we hear Abraham saying to
his son's query of "Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?--God
will provide Himself a lamb." In Exodus 12:27 we are told, "It is the
Lord's passover." In connection with the two goats on the day of
atonement, lots were cast. "one lot for the Lord" (Lev. 16:8): and so
on.
"Neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto
the morning" (v. 25). The paschal lamb was to be eaten on the same
night it had been slain and roasted in fire. not left over to be
partaken of on the morrow (see 12:10). The application of this detail
of the type is very solemn and searching. To have eaten the lamb on
the morrow, would have been to dissociate it from the import of its
death. The eating of the lamb speaks to us of the believer (already
sheltered by His blood) feeding on Christ: eating the lamb the same
night it was killed, tells us that we are ever to feed upon Christ
with a deep sense in our souls of what His death and bearing judgment
for us ("roast with fire") really involved for Him. Note how Christ
Himself emphasized this in John 6: first vv. 50, 51, then vv. 53-56!
"The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the
house of the Lord thy God" (v. 26). This Divine ordinance receives
amplification in Deuteronomy 26:1-11. The interested reader would find
it profitable to prayerfully study in detail the whole of that passage
for himself: we can but summarize its teaching here. First, it had to
do with Israel's possession of their inheritance (v. 1). Second, this
"first of the firstfruits of thy land" was the Divine pledge or
earnest of the coming harvest (v. 2). Third, Israel acknowledged this
by their presentation unto the priest (v. 3). Fourth, the Israelite
was then required to look back and acknowledge his previous state of
shame and bondage (v. 5-7). Fifth, he then owned the Lord's goodness
in deliverance (v. 8). Sixth, he expressed his gratitude for the
goodly portion the Lord had given him (v. 9). Seventh, he presented
the "first-fruits" in worship before Him (vv. 10, 11).
All of the above is rich in its typical teaching, much of which has
already been before us in other connections. That which is here
distinctive, is the contrast presented between what we find in Exodus
34:22 and here in 5:26. The "firstfruits of wheat harvest" refers to
Christ (cf. John 12:24 with 1 Corinthians 15:23). But the "first of
the fruits of thy land" or "inheritance" speaks, we believe, of the
Holy Spirit, who is "the earnest of our inheritance until the
redemption of the purchased possession" (Eph. 1:13, 14). Do we not get
the antitype of Exodus 34:26 in Romans 8:22. "Ourselves also, which
have the firstfruits of the Spirit!" And in the light of Deuteronomy
26:10, 11 are we not taught that we should thank God as heartily for
the gift of the Spirit as for the gift of His Son? Do we realize that
we are as much indebted to, and therefore have as much cause of praise
for, the work of the Spirit in us, as the work of Christ for us!
"Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk" (v. 26). Upon this
we have nothing better to offer than the brief comment of Mr. Dennett:
"This remarkable prohibition is found three times in the Scriptures
(Ex. 23:19: 34:26: Deuteronomy 14:21). God will have His people
tenderly careful, guarding them from the violation of any instinct of
nature. The milk of the mother was the food. the sustenance of the
kid, and hence this must not be used to seethe it as food for others."
"And the Lord said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the
tenor of these words have I made a covenant with thee and with Israel"
(v. 27). This verse summarizes all that has been before us in the
previous verses of the chapter. An imperishable record was to be made
of all that Jehovah had said unto His servant. The words, "I have made
a covenant with thee (the typical mediator) and with Israel," gives
assurance that all will yet be made good through the person and
millennial administration of Christ. Israel failed in the past, but
there will be no failure with Him who shall yet effectuate God's
counsels and glorify Him in this very scene where His people have so
grievously dishonored Him. May the Lord hasten that glad day.
_________________________________________________________________
Contents
A. W. Pink Index
____________________________________________________
About Us
What's New
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Baptist History
Bible Study Courses
Eschatology Heretical Teachings
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Time of Sorrow Links & Resources
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
70. The Glorified Mediator
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 34:28-35
The Law had "a shadow of good things to come" (Heb. 10:1). A beautiful
illustration and exemplification of this is found in the closing
verses of Exodus 34, in which we behold Moses descending from the
mount with radiant face. The key to our present portion is found in
noting the exact position that it occupies in this book of redemption.
It comes after the legal covenant which Jehovah had made with Israel:
it comes before the actual setting up of the tabernacle and the
Shekinah-glory filling it. As we shall see, our passage is interpreted
for us in 2 Corinthians 3. What we have here in Exodus 34 supplies
both a comparison and a contrast with the new dispensation, the
dispensation of the Spirit, of grace, of life more abundant. But
before that dispensation was inaugurated, God saw fit that man should
be fully tested under Law, and that, for the purpose of demonstrating
what he is as a fallen and sinful creature.
As was shown in our last article, man's trial under the Mosaic economy
demonstrated two things: first, that he is "ungodly;" second, that he
is "without strength" (Rom. 5:6). But these are negative things: in
Romans 8:7 a third feature of man's terrible state is mentioned,
namely. that he is "enmity against God." This was made manifest when
God's Son became incarnate and tabernacled for thirty-three years on
this earth. "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not" (John
1:11). Not only so, but He was "despised and rejected of men." Nay,
more, they hated Him, hated Him "without a cause" (John 15:25). Nor
would their hatred be appeased till they had condemned Him to a
malefactor's death and nailed Him to the accursed cross. And, let it
be remembered, that it was not merely the Jews that put to death the
Lord of glory, but the Gentiles also: therefore did the Lord say, when
looking forward to His death, "Now is the judgment of this world"
(John 12:31)--not of Israel only. There the probation or testing of
man ended.
Man is not now under probation. He is under condemnation: "As it is
written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that
understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone
out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none
that doeth good, no not one" (Rom. 3:10-12). Man is not on trial: he
is a culprit, under sentence. No pleading will avail: no excuses will
be accepted. The present issue between God and the sinner is, will man
bow to God's righteous verdict.
This is where the Gospel meets us. It comes to us as to those who are
already "lost," as to those who are "ungodly, without strength, enmity
against God." It announces to us the amazing graces of God--the only
hope for poor sinners. But that grace will not he welcomed until the
sinner bows to the sentence of God against him. That is why both
repentance and faith are demanded from the sinner. These two must not
be separated. Paul preached, "repentance toward God, and faith toward
our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21). Repentance is the sinner's
acknowledgement of that sentence of condemnation under which he lies.
Faith is the acceptance of the grace and mercy which are extended to
him through Christ. Repentance is not the turning over of a new leaf
and the vowing that I will mend my ways; rather is it a settine of my
seal that God is true when He tells me that I am "without strength,"
that in myself my case is hopeless, that I am no more able to "do
better next time" than I am of creating a world. Not until this is
really believed (not as the result of my experience, but on the
authority of God's holy Word), shall I really turn to Christ and
welcome Him--not as a Helper, but as a Savior.
As it was dispensationally so it is experimentally: there must be "a
ministration of death" (2 Cor. 3:7). before there is a "ministration
of spirit" or life (2 Cor. 3:8):--there must be "the ministration of
condemnation," before "the ministration of righteousness" (2 Cor.
3:9). Ah, a "ministration of condemnation and death" falls strangely
upon our ears, does it not? A "ministration of grace" we can
understand, but a "ministration of condemnation" is not so easy to
grasp. But this latter was man's first need: it must he shown what he
is in himself: a hopeless wreck, utterly incapable of meeting the
righteous requirements of a holy God--before he is ready to be a
debtor to mercy alone. We repeat: as it was dispensationally, so it is
experimentally: it was to this (his own experience) that the apostle
Paul referred when he said, "For I was alive without the law once: but
when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died" (Rom. 7:9). In his
unregenerate days he was, in his own estimation "alive," yet it was
"without the Law," i.e., apart from meeting its demands. "But when the
commandment came," when the Holy Spirit wrought within him, when the
Word of God came in power to his heart, then "sin revived." that is,
he was made aware of his awful condition; and then he "died" to his
self-righteous complacency--he saw that, in himself, his case was
hopeless. Yes, the appearing of the glorified mediator comes not
before, but after, the legal covenant.
"And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did
neither eat bread, nor drink water." And he wrote upon the tables the
words of the covenant the ten commandments" (v. 28). Our passage
abounds in comparisons and contrasts. The "forty days" here at once
recalls to mind the "forty days" mentioned in Matthew 4. Here it was
Moses: there it is Christ. Here it was Moses on the mount: there it
was Christ in the wilderness. Here it was Moses favored with a
glorious revelation from God: there it was Christ being tempted of the
Devil. Here it was Moses receiving the Law, at the mouth of Jehovah:
there it was Christ being assailed by the Devil to repudiate that Law.
We scarcely know which is the greater wonder of the two: that a sinful
worm of the earth was raised to such a height of honor as to be
permitted to spend a season in the presence of the great Jehovah, or
that of the Lord of glory should stoop so low as to be for six weeks
with the foul Fiend.
"And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the
two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the
mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he
talked with Him." Very blessed is it to compare and contrast this
second descent of Moses from the from the mount with that which was
before us in the 32nd chapter. There we see the face of Moses diffused
with anger (v. 19): here he comes down with countenance radiant. There
he be held a people engaged in idolatry, here he returns to a people
abashed. There we behold him dashing the tables of stone to the ground
(v. 19): here he deposits them in the ark (Deut. 10:5).
"And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the
two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the
mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he
talked with Him." This also reminds us of a N. T. episode, which is
very similar, yet vastly dissimilar. It was on the mount that the face
of Moses was made radiant, and it was on the mount that our Lord was
transfigured. But the glory of Moses was only a reflected one, whereas
that of Christ was inherent. The shining of Moses' face was the
consequence of his being brought into the immediate presence of the
glory of Jehovah: the transfiguration of Christ was the outshining of
His own personal glory. The radiance of Moses was confined to his
face, but of Christ we read, "His raiment was white as the light"
(Matthew 17:3). Moses knew not that the skin of his face shone: Christ
did, as is evident from His words. "Tell the vision to no man"
(Matthew 17:9).
This 29th verse brings out, most blessedly. what is the certain
consequence of intimate communion with the Lord, and that in a twofold
way. First no soul can enjoy real fellowship with the all-glorious God
without being affected thereby, and that to a marked degree. Moses had
been absorbed in the communications received and in contemplating the
glory of Him who spake with him: and his own person caught and
retained some of the beams of that glory. So it is still: as we read
in Psalm 34:5. "They looked unto Him, and their faces were radiant"
(R. V.). It is communion with the Lord that conforms us to His image.
We shall not be more Christlike till we walk more frequently and more
closely with Him. "But we all, with open face, beholding as in a glass
the glory of the Lord. are changed into the same image from glory to
glory, by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18).
The second consequence of real communion with God is that we shall be
less occupied with our wretched selves. Though the face of Moses shone
with `a light not seen on land or sea,' he wist it not. This
illustrates a vital difference between self-righteous phariseeism and
true godliness: the former produces complacency and pride, the latter
leads to self-abnegation and humility. The Pharisee (and there are
many of his tribe still on earth) boasts of his attainments,
advertises his imaginary spirituality, and thanks God that he is rot
as other men are. But the one who, by grace, enjoys much fellowship
with the Lord, learns of Him who was "meek and lowly in heart." and
says "Not unto us, O Lord. not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory"
(Ps. 115:1). Being engaged with the beauty of the Lord, he is
delivered from self-occupation, and therefore is unconscious of the
very fruit of the Spirit which is being brought forth in him. But
though he is not aware of his increasing conformity to Christ, others
are.
"And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw, Moses, behold the
skin of his face shone: and they were afraid to come nigh him" (v.
30). This shows us the third effect of communion with God: though the
individual himself is unconscious of the glory manifested through him,
others are cognizant of it. Thus it was when two of Christ's apostles
stood before the Jewish Sanhedrin: "Now when they saw the boldness of
Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant
men, they marveled: and they took knowledge of them, that they had
been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13). Ah, we cannot keep company very long
with the Holy One. without His impress being left upon us. The man who
is thoroughly devoted to the Lord needeth not to wear some badge or
button in his coat-lapel, nor proclaim with his lips that he is
"living a life of victory." It is still true that actions speak louder
than words.
"And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the
skin of His face shone: and they were afraid to come nigh him." The
typical meaning of this is given in 2 Corinthians 3:7, "But if the
ministration of death, written and engraven in stones was glorious, so
that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of
Moses for the glory of his countenance." Concerning this another has
said: "Why then, were they afraid to come near him? Because the very
glory that shone upon his face searched their hearts and
consciences--being what they were, sinners, and unable of themselves
to meet even the smallest requirements of the covenant which had now
been inaugurated. It was of necessity a ministration of condemnation
and death, for it required a righteousness from them which they could
not render, and, inasmuch as they must fail in the rendering it, would
pronounce their condemnation, and bring them under the penalty of
transgression, which was death. The glory which they thus beheld upon
the face of Moses was the expression to them of the holiness of
God--that holiness which sought from them conformity to its own
standards--and which would vindicate the breaches of that covenant
which had now been established. They were therefore afraid, because
they knew in their in-most souls that they could not stand before Him
from whose presence Moses had come" (Mr. Ed. Dennett).
Typically (not dispensationally) the covenant which Jehovah made with
Moses and Israel at Sinai, and the tables of stone on which were
engraved the ten commandments, foreshadowed that new covenant which He
will yet make with Israel in a coming day: "For I will take you from
among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring
you into your own land. Then will sprinkle clean water upon you, and
ye shall lie clean from all your filthiness, and from all your idols,
will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit
will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of
your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put My
Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall
keep My judgments and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I
gave to your fathers: and ye shall he My people, and I will he your
God" (Ezek. 36:24-28). "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I
will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house
of Judah... After those days, saith the Lord. I will put My law in
their inward parts, and write it in their hearts;... and they shall
teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother,
saying. Know the Lord: for they shall all know Me. from the least of
them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord" (Jer. 31:31-34).
Spiritually, this is made good for Christians even now. Under the
gracious operations of the Spirit of God our hearts have been made
plastic and receptive. It is to this fact that Paul referred at the
beginning of 2 Corinthians 3. "The saints at Corinth had beer,
`manifested to be Christ's epistle ministered by us, written not with
ink, but the Spirit of the living God: not on stone tables, but on
fleshly tables of the heart.' Their hearts being made impressionable
by Divine working, Christ could write upon them, using Paul as a per,
and making every mark in the power of the Spirit of God. But what is
written is the knowledge of God as revealed through the Mediator in
the grace of the new covenant, so that it might be true in the hearts
of the saints--`They shall all know Me.' Then Paul goes on to speak of
himself as made competent by God to be a new covenant ministry, `not
of letter, but of spirit'" (C. A. Coates).
"And Moses called unto them: and Aaron and all the rulers of the
congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them. And
afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in
commandment all that the Lord had spoken with them in Mount Sinai. And
till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face"
(vv. 31-33). Ah, does not this explain their fear as they beheld the
shining of Moses' face? Note what was in his hands! He carried the two
tables of stone on which were written the ten words of the law, the
"ministration of condemnation." The nearer the light of the glory
came, while it was connected with the righteous claims of God upon
them, the more cause had they to fear. That holy Law condemned them,
for man in the flesh could not meet its claims. "However blessed if
was typically, it was literally a ministry of death, for Moses was not
a quickening Spirit, nor could he give his spirit to the people, nor
could the glory of his face bring them into conformity with himself as
the mediator. Hence the veil had to be on his face" (C. A. Coates).
The dispensational interpretation of this is given in 2 Corinthians
3:13: "And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the
children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of hat which
is abolished." Here the apostle is treating of Judaism as an economy.
Owing to their blindness spiritually. Israel was unable to discern the
deep significance of the ministry of Moses, the purpose of God behind
it. that which all the types and shadows pointed forward to. The "end"
of 2 Corinthians 3:13: is parallel with Romans 10:4. "For Christ is
the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."
"The veil on Israel's heart is self-sufficiency. which makes them
still refuse to submit to God's righteousness. But when Israel's heart
turns to the Lord the veil will be taken away. What a wonderful
chapter Exodus 34 will be to them then! For they will see that Christ
is the spirit of it all. What they will see, we are privileged to see
now. All this had an `end' on which we can, through infinite grace,
fix our eyes. The `end' was the glory of the Lord as the Mediator of
the new covenant. He has come out of death and gone up on high. and
the glory of all that God is in grace is shining in His face" (C. A.
Coates).
"But when Moses went in before the Lord to speak with Him, he took the
veil off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the
children of Israel that which he was commanded. And the children of
Israel saw the face of Moses. that the skin of Moses' face shone: and
Moses put the veil upon his face again. until he went in to speak with
Him" (vv. 34, 35). Moses unveiled in the presence of the Lord is a
beautiful type of the believer of this dispensation. The Christian
beholds the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor.
4:6) therefore, instead of being stricken with fear, he approaches
with boldness. God's law cannot condemn him, for its every demand has
been fully met and satisfied by his Substitute. Hence, instead of
trembling before the glory of God, we "rejoice in hope of the glory of
God" (Rom. 5:2).
"There is no veil now either on His face or our hearts. He makes those
who believe on Him to live in the knowledge of God, and in response to
God, for He is the quickening Spirit. And He gives His Spirit to those
who believe. We have the Spirit of the glorified Man in whose face the
glory of God shines. Is it not surpassingly wonderful? One has to ask
sometimes, Do we really believe it? `But we all, looking on the glory
of the Lord with unveiled face, are transformed according to the same
image from glory to glory even as by the Lord the Spirit' (2 Cor.
3:18). If we had not His Spirit we should have no liberty to look on
the glory of the Lord, or to see Hint as the spirit of these marvelous
types. But we have liberty to look on it all, and there is
transforming power in it. Saints under new-covenant-ministry are
transfigured.
"This is the `surpassing glory' which could not be seen or known until
it shone in the face of Him of whom Moses in Exodus 34 is so
distinctly a type. The whole typical system was temporary, but its
`spirit' abides, for Christ was the Spirit of it all. Now we have to
do with the ministry of the Spirit and of righteousness, and all is
abiding. The ministry of the new covenant subsists and abounds in
glory" (C. A. Coates).
As a sort of appendix to this article we shall proffer, for the sake
of those who may value it, an outline of the apostle's argument in 2
Corinthians 3. The authority of Paul's apostleship had been called
into question, by certain Judaisers. In the first verses of this
chapter he appeals to the Corinthians themselves as the proof of his
God-commissioned and God-blessed ministry. In v. 6 he defines the
character of his ministry, and this for tire purpose of showing its
superiority over that of his enemies. He and his fellow-gospellers
were "ministers of the new testament" or covenant. A series of
contrasts is then drawn between the two covenants, that is, between
Judaism and Christianity. That which pertained to the former is called
"the letter" that relating to the new, "the spirit," i.e., the one was
mainly concerned with that which was external, the other was largely
fraternal: the one slew, the other gave life--this was one of the
leading differences between the Law, and the Gospel.
In what follows the apostle, while allowing that the Law was glorious,
shows that the Gospel is still more glorious. The old covenant was a
"ministration of death." for the Law could only condemn; therefore,
though a glory was connected with it, yet was it such that man in the
flesh could not behold (v. 7). Then how much more excellent would be,
must be, the glory of the new covenant, seeing that it was "a
ministration of the Spirit" (v. 8)--compare v. 3 for proof of this. If
there was a glory connected with that which "concluded all men under
sin" (Gal. 3:23), much more glorious must be that ministration which
announces a righteousness which is "unto all and upon them that
believe" (Rom. 3:22). It is more glorious to pardon than to condemn;
to give life, than to destroy (v. 9). The glory of the former covenant
therefore pales into nothingness before the latter (v. 10). This is
further seen from the fact that Judaism is "done away," whereas
Christianity "remaineth" (v. 11)--compare Hebrews 8:7, 8.
At verse 12 the apostle draws still another contrast between the two
economies, namely, the plainness or perspicuity over against the
obscurity and ambiguity of their respective ministries (vv. 12-15).
The apostles used "great plainness of speech," whereas the teaching of
the ceremonial law was by means of shadows and symbols. Moreover, the
minds of the Israelites were blinded, so that there was a veil over
their hearers, and therefore when the writings of Moses were read,
they were incapable of looking beyond the type to the Antitype. This
veil remains upon them unto this day, and will continue until they
turn unto the Lord (vv. 15. 16). Literally the covenant of Sinai was a
ministration of condemnation and death, and the glory of it had to be
veiled. But it had an "end" (v. 13). upon which Israel could not fix
their eyes. They will see that "end" in a coming day: but in the
meantime, we are permitted to read the old covenant without a veil,
and to see that Christ is the "spirit" of it all, and that it had in
view that which could only have its fulfillment under new covenant
conditions, namely, God's glory secured in and by the Mediator.
The language of v. 17 is involved in some obscurity: "Now the Lord is
that Spirit." This does not mean that Christ is the Holy Spirit. The
"spirit" here is the same as in v. 6--"not of the letter. but of the
spirit:" cf. Romans 7:6. The Mosaic system is called "the letter"
because it was purely objective. It possessed no inward principle or
power. But the Gospel deals with the heart, and supplies the spiritual
power (Rom. 1:16). Moreover, Christ is the spirit, the life, the heart
and center of all the ritual and ceremonialism of Judaism. He is the
key to the O. T. for, "In the volume of the Book" it is written of
Him. So also Christ is the spirit and life of Christianity; He is "a
quickening Spirit" (1 Cor. 15:45). And "Where the Spirit of the Lord
is, there is liberty." Apart from Christ, the sinner, be he Jew or
Gentile, is in a state of bondage: he is the slave of sin and the
captive of the Devil. But where the Son makes free. He frees indeed
(John 8:32).
Finally the apostle contrasts the two glories, the glory connected
with the old covenant--the shining on Moses' face at the giving of the
Law (when the covenant was made)--with the glory of the new covenant,
in the person of Christ. "But we all, with open (unveiled) face
beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the
same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."
Note here: first, "we all." Moses alone beheld the glory of the Lord
in the mount: every Christian now beholds it. Second, we with "open
face," with freedom and with confidence; whereas Israel were afraid to
gaze on the radiant and majestical face of Moses. Third, we are
"changed into the same image." The law had no power to convert or
purify: but the ministry of the Gospel, under the operation of the
Spirit, has a transforming power. Those who are saved by it, those who
are occupied with Christ as set forth in the Word (the "mirror") are,
little by little, conformed to His image. Ultimately. when we "see Him
as He is" (1 John 3:2). we shall be "Like Him"--fully perfectly,
eternally.
_________________________________________________________________
Contents
A. W. Pink Index
____________________________________________________
About Us
What's New
Audio Works
Baptist History
Bible Study Courses
Eschatology Heretical Teachings
Theological Studies
TULIP
Webmaster
Comfort in a
Time of Sorrow Links & Resources
For the Cause of
God and Truth
Follow us on Twitter
Privacy Policy
Mobile Downloads Print Books
PB Home
Report Errors
Mobile RSS
Recipes
Contact Us
_________________________________________________________________
¸ Copyright 2004-2012 Providence Baptist Ministries
http://www.pbministries.org. All rights reserved.
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
71. The Lord's Dwelling Place
_________________________________________________________________
Exodus 35-40
In the last six chapters of Exodus four things are brought before us.
First, mention is made once more of the Sabbath (35:1-3). Second, the
people of Israel bring unto Moses all the materials required for the
Tabernacle (35:4-29). Third, the setting to work of the appointed
artificers with their assistants, and the actual making of the
Tabernacle and its furniture (35:30--39:43). Fourth, the setting up of
the Tabernacle and the glory of the Lord filling His house in Israel's
midst (40). Nearly all that we have mentioned in 35-39 is a
recapitulation of what has been before us in 25-31. As we pointed out
in article 33 of this series, what we find in Exodus 25-31 is a
description of the Tabernacle as it was given by Jehovah Himself
directly to Moses in the mount; whereas 35-39 records what was
actually made according to the pattern shown to Moses. Typically, this
double account of that which, in every part, prefigured Christ, tells
us that all which was originally planned in Heaven shall yet be
accomplished on earth.
That which is central and distinctive about our present lengthy
passage is the actual setting up of Jehovah's dwelling-place in the
midst of His redeemed people. Before we attempt to bring out something
of the deep and rich spiritual significance of this, a few remarks
need to be made upon the opening sections of Exodus 35. In vv. 21-29
we behold the children of Israel bringing an offering unto the Lord,
giving to Him of their substance. At the beginning of 36 we see the
appointed artificers actively engaged in their work, the work of the
Lord. But before these, at the very beginning of 35, mention is made
of the sabbath as "a rest unto the Lord," in which no work was to be
done. The doctrinal significance of this is: before we are fitted to
work for Him, we must rest in Him: before we can bring to Him, we must
receive from Him. Most important for our hearts is this seventh and
last mention of the sabbath in Exodus. It was Solomon, "a man of rest"
(1 Chron. 22), who alone could build a house to Jehovah's name.
It is to be noted that an additional feature is here added to the
Sabbath restriction: "Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your
habitations upon the Sabbath day." As another has said, "That speaks
of the absence of consideration for one's own comfort in a natural
way. In keeping a true sabbath one is neither occupied with one's own
activity nor with one's natural consideration." That needs to be borne
in mind in this day of fleshly ease and gratification. God's word to
us on this point is: Thou shalt "call the sabbath a delight, the holy
of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor Him, not doing thine own ways,
nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: Then
shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride
upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of
Jacob thy father" (Isa. 58:13, 14).
In its deeper spiritual significance, this mention of the sabbath and
the non-kindling of the fire in our dwelling, coming right after what
is recorded at the end of Exodus 34, signifies that the privileges of
the new covenant and our enjoyment of the glory of God as it shines in
the face of Jesus Christ, calls for the setting aside of the desires
of the flesh. Only as we rest in God, and only as we give heed to that
word, "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth" (Col.
3:5), shall we be free to enter into the enjoyments and employments of
the new-creation realm. On the other hand, the words "six days shall
work be done" announce very distinctly that nought connected with our
natural responsibility is to be neglected.
The second thing we have in Exodus 35 is the people's response to
Jehovah's invitation in 25:1, 2. There we read, "Speak unto the
children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering: of every man that
giveth it willingly with his heart, ye shall take My offering." The
materials out of which the Tabernacle was made were to be provided by
the voluntary offerings of devoted hearts. Most blessed is it to read
what is said in 35:21, 22, "And they came, every one whose heart
stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, they
brought the Lord's offering to the work of the Tabernacle of the
congregation, and for all His service, and for the holy garments. And
they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and
brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of
gold: and every man offered an offering of gold unto the Lord." No
unwilling donors were these, who had to be begged and urged to give.
Spontaneously, freely, joyfully, did they avail themselves of their
privilege.
Commenting on what has just been before us, Mr. Dennett has well said:
"It is therefore of the first importance to remember that everything
offered to God must proceed from hearts made willing by His Spirit,
that it must be spontaneous, not the result of persuasion or of
external pressure, but from the heart. The church of God would have
been in a very different state today if this had been remembered. What
has wrought more ruin than the many worldly schemes of raising money?
and what more humbling than the fact that solicitations of all kinds
are used to induce the Lord's people to offer their gifts? Moses was
content with announcing that the Lord was willing to receive, and he
left this gracious communication to produce its suited effect upon the
hearts of the children of Israel. He needed not to do more; and if
saints now were in the current of God's thoughts they would imitate
the example of Moses, and would shun the very thought of obtaining
even the smallest gift, except it were presented willingly, and from
the heart, as the effect of the working of the Spirit of God. And let
it be remarked, that there was no lack; for in the next chapter we
find that the wise men who wrought came to Moses and said, `The people
bring much more than enough' (36:5-7).
"If the first Pentecostal days be excepted, there has probably never
been seen anything answering to this even in the history of the
church. The chronic complaint now is concerning the insufficiency of
means to carry on the Lord's work. But it cannot be too often
recalled--first, that the church of God is never held responsible to
obtain means; secondly, that if the Lord gives work to do, He Himself
will lay it upon the hearts of His people to contribute what is
necessary; thirdly, that we are travelling off the ground of
dependence, and acting according to our own thoughts, if we undertake
anything for which the needful provision has not already been made;
and lastly, that gifts procured by human means can seldom be used for
blessing."
It is very beautiful to note the relation between the two things which
have now been before us: first, the keeping of the sabbath; second,
the bringing of an offering unto the Lord, an offering which was the
outflow of a heart "stirred up." First the resting in, delighting
itself in the Lord, then the affections drawn out towards Him. This
too finds its accomplishment on new-covenant-ground. It is a redeemed
people, a people who behold the glory of the Lord, that are devoted to
His cause. The giving of their substance is not a legal thing, a mere
matter of duty, but a privilege and a joy. Here too it is the love of
Christ which "constraineth." We love Him because He first loved us,
and we delight to give because He first gave to us. Nothing so moves
the heart as the contemplation of the love and grace of God as now
revealed to us in the glorified Mediator. In article 34 we have
already pointed out the typical significance of each part of Israel's
offerings; so we pass on now to notice, briefly, the work of the
artificers.
Upon the two principal workmen, Bezaleel and Aholiab, we have already
commented in article 57. There we dwelt upon the significance of the
workmen's names, the equipping of them for their appointed tasks, and
the particular service allotted them. Here we read, "Then wrought
Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the Lord put
wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for
the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the Lord had
commanded" (36:1). Note carefully the opening word, and also the
expression "every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the
work" in v. 2. Ah, wherever there is a spirit of devotion, manifested
by a free and liberal offering unto the cause of God, He will not be
backward in raising up qualified workers, whose hearts have been
stirred by His Spirit, to make a wise and God-glorying use of His
peoples' gifts.
But let us now seek to take note of the connection between this third
item and what has gone before. First we have had the sabbath, the soul
resting in God; second, we have had the free will offering of the
people, the heart's affections drawn out to the Lord. Now we get
active work. This puts service in its true position. Occupying as it
does the third place, it shows us that acceptable service to God can
only proceed from those who have passed from death unto life.
Following, as it does, the other two, it intimates that the vital
prerequisites for service are, delighting ourselves in the Lord and
the affections flowing forth unto Him. Only then can we truly "abound
in the work of the Lord." Anything else is either the outcome of the
restless energy, of the flesh, or is merely "bricks" produced under
the whip of taskmasters.
There is one detail given us here that has not come before us in the
previous chapters. "And all the women that were wise hearted did spin
with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, of blue, and
of purple, of scarlet, and of fine linen. And all the women whose
hearts stirred them up in wisdom spun goats' hair" (35:25, 26). This
brings in the thought of co-operation in the Lord's work: the sisters
have their place and part too. Yet note it is a subordinate place:
they "spun," not provided the material. The character of their work
also shows us the legitimate sphere of their labors--in the home.
"And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set for the
ephod, and for the breastplate" (35:27). The leaders set the people a
godly example. This is as it should be. But, alas, how often is it
otherwise. The preacher who sets before his people the teaching of
Scripture on the subject of stewardship and the privilege of giving to
the cause of God, but who is miserly himself, is not an honest man: he
says one thing, but does another. God's word to pastors is, "Be thou
an example of the believers, in word, in faith, in purity" (1 Tim.
4:12). "In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works" (Titus
2:7).
Before turning to the 39th chapter, there is one detail in the 38th
which should be noted. In v. 21 we read, "This is the sum of the
Tabernacle, even of the tabernacle of testimony, as it was counted,
according to the commandment of Moses." Then we are told, "All the
gold that was occupied for the work... was twenty and nine talents...
and the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was an
hundred talents," etc. (vv. 24, 25). This conveys to us a most
important practical lesson in connection with the work of the Lord.
Everything was counted, weighed, numbered. What attention to detail
was this! "People talk of essentials and nonessentials, but when they
do, you may be sure they are only thinking of man's side. Every detail
of the divine mind is essential to the glory of God in Christ. A
missing peg would mean a slack cord, and a slack cord would mean a
curtain out of place, and so the disorder would spread. Indeed the
whole tabernacle would suffer if one detail were out of place" (C. A.
Coates).
In the 39th chapter of Exodus the work of the Tabernacle is finished.
Blessed is it to note that all was done "as the Lord commanded Moses."
Mark how this expression occurs eight times in that chapter: vv. 1, 5,
7, 21, 26, 29, 31, 43; while in vv. 32, 42 it is added, "and the
children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses,
so did they . . . According to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so
the children of Israel made all the work." "The Lord had given the
most minute instruction concerning the entire work of the tabernacle.
Every pin, every socket, every loop, every tach, was accurately set
forth. There was no room left for man's expediency, his reason, or his
common sense. Jehovah did not give a great outline and leave man to
fill it up. He left no margin whatever in which man might enter his
regulations. By no means. `See that thou make all things according to
the pattern showed to thee in the mount' (Ex. 25:40). This left no
room for human device. If man had been allowed to make a single pin,
that pin would most assuredly have been out of place in the judgment
of God. We can see what man's `graving tool' produces in chapter 32.
Thank God, it has no place in the tabernacle. They did, in this
matter, just what they were told--nothing more, nothing less. Salutary
lesson this for the professing church! There are many things in the
history of Israel which we should earnestly seek to avoid,--their
impatient murmurings, their legal vows, and their idolatry; but in two
things we may imitate them: may our devotedness be more whole-hearted,
and our obedience more implicit" (C. H. M.).
Yes, the obedience of Israel is recorded for our learning. We too have
received commandment from the Lord concerning the work which He has
given us to do. His complete Word is now in our hands, It is to be our
guide and regulator in all things. It is given that "the man of God
may be complete, thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim.
3:17). If we desire God's blessing, then His work must be done
according to His appointments. Human expediency, convenience,
originality, are to have no place. The approval of God, not that of
his fellows, is what every servant of the Lord must continually aim
at. Faithfulness, not success, is what our Master requires. The
quality of service is to be tested not by visible results, but by its
conformity to God's Word.
There is ore other detail in Exodus 39 which, in its spiritual
application to ourselves, is very searching: "And they brought the
tabernacle unto Moses, the lent, and all his furniture, etc . . . And
Moses did look upon all the work" (vv. 35, 43). Everything was brought
before the typical mediator for his inspection. All had to pass under
the scrutiny of his eve. The typical significance of this is obvious.
In 2 Corinthians 5:10 we read, "For we must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in
his body, according to that he hath done whether it be good or had."
This does not refer to a general Judgment-day at the end of the world,
but to that which follows the Lord's return for His people, and
precedes His coming back to the earth to set up His millennial
kingdom.
A further word on this same subject is found in 1 Corinthians 3, "For
other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus
Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation--gold, silver,
precious stones: wood, hay, stubble. Every man's work shall be made
manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed
by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
If any man's work abide which he hath built thereon, he shall receive
a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but
he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire" (vv. 11-15). The
reference here is to the Christian's service: 2 Corinthians 5:10
treats more of his walk. Discrimination is made between two classes of
service. On the one band, "gold," the emblem of divine glory; "silver"
which speaks of redemption; "precious stones" which are imperishable.
Only that which has been done for God's glory, on the ground
redemption, and which will stand the test of fire, shall abide and be
rewarded. On the other hand, "wood, hay, stubble," which, though much
greater in bulk, will not endure the coming fiery trial. The
difference is between qualify and quantity; that which is of the
Spirit, and that which is of the flesh.
"And Moses did look upon all the work, and behold, they had done it as
the Lord had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed
them" (39:43). So will Christ in the coming Day. That which has been
done in full accord with God's Word, though despised by man, shall be
owned and rewarded of Him. His own words, in the final chapter of Holy
Writ, are "And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to
give every man according as his work shall be" (Rev. 22:12). In view
of this, how earnestly and prayerfully should we heed that
exhortation, "And now, little children, abide in Him: that, when He
shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at
His coming" (1 John 2:28).
In the last chapter of Exodus we have the actual setting up of the
Tabernacle. Let us take note, first, of the time when it was erected:
"And the Lord spake unto Moses saying, On the first day of the first
month shalt thou set up the tabernacle" (vv. 1, 2). It was on the
anniversary of Israel's departure from Egypt (12:2). This is very
striking. As their deliverance from the house of bondage constituted
the commencement of their spiritual history, so the dwelling of
Jehovah in their midst marked an altogether new and most blessed stage
in their experiences. That which was foreshadowed by this we shall
point out later. Its spiritual application to Christians is given in
Matthew 18:20, "For where two or three are gathered together in My
name, there am I in the midst of them."
Next we would observe that Moses is the sole actor in this chapter:
"And Moses reared up the tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, and set
up the boards thereof, and put in the pillars thereof, and reared up
his pillars" (v. 18). All subordinates disappear from view and only
Moses is seen: read vv. 19-33, at the end of which we are told, "so
Moses finished the work." The present application of this is given us
in Hebrews 3:3-6, "For this Man was counted worthy of more glory than
Moses, inasmuch as He who hath builded the house hath more honor than
the house. For every house is builded by some man: but He that built
all things is God. And Moses verily was faithful in all His house, as
a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken
after; But Christ as a Son over His own house; whose house are we, if
we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto
the end."
Finally, we read, "Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation,
and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle" (v. 34). The "then"
points back to the "so Moses finished the work" of v. 33. The N. T.
equivalent was what took place on the day of Pentecost: "And when the
day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one
place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing
mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And
there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat
upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit."
As an appendix to this glorious incident we are told in the closing
verse of our book, "For the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle
by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of
Israel throughout all their journeys." They needed only to keep their
eyes on the Cloud. "The Lord thus undertook for His people. He had
visited them in their affliction in Egypt: He had brought them out
with a high hand and an outstretched arm: and had led them forth
through the Red Sea into the wilderness. Now He Himself would lead
them `by the right way that they might go to a city of habitation.'
Happy.' we might well exclaim, `is that people that is in such a case;
yea, happy is that people whose God is the Lord.' For surely there was
nothing more wanted to the blessing of Israel. Jehovah was in their
midst. The cloud of His presence rested upon, and His glory filled the
tabernacle" (Mr. Dennett).
It or by remains for us now to point out the most striking and lovely
dispensational picture which is presented before the anointed eye in
the last six chapters of Exodus. What is recorded there is that which
followed the second descent of Moses from the Mount. In the opening
paragraphs of article 61 we called attention to the fact that when
Moses was called up unto Sinai to receive from Jehovah the tables of
stone (the words of which formed the basis of His new covenant with
Israel--the old one being the Abrahamic) Moses descended twice(
having, of course, returned thither in the interval): see 32:15;
34:29. What immediately followed these two descents foreshadowed that
which shall follow the two stages of the second coming of Christ, as
these bear upon the Jews. Just as the first descent of Moses was
succeeded by sore judgments on Israel, so the descent of Christ into
the air to catch up His saints unto Himself (1 Thess. 4) will be
succeeded by the great Tribulation, the Time of Jacob's trouble. But
let us now review that which attended the second descent of Moses.
First, he appeared before them with radiant face: type of the
glorified Mediator as He will come back to Israel (Col. 3:4). Second,
the tables of stone were not broken this time, but deposited and
preserved in the ark (Deut. 10:4): so when the Lord Jesus makes the
new covenant with Israel, He declares, "I will put My law in their
inward parts and write it in their hearts" (Jer. 31:33). Third, this
last section of the book of Exodus opens with a reference to the
sabbath (35:1-3), telling us that it is in the Millennium when all of
this shall be made good. Fourth, the next line in the picture is the
hearts of Israel flowing forth unto the Lord in free-will offerings
(35:23, 24): the antitype of this is seen in Zephaniah 3:9, 10, "Then
will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon
the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one consent. From beyond the
rivers of Ethiopia My suppliants, even the daughter of My dispersed,
shall bring Mine offering." Fifth, next we see Israel engaged in the
work of Jehovah, doing all "as He had commanded:" so in Ezekiel 36:27,
we read, "And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk
in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments and do them." Sixth,
the tabernacle was now set up: compare with this, "Behold the Man
whose name is the Branch; and He shall grow up out of His place, and
He shall build the temple of the Lord... and He shall bear the Glory"
(Zech. 6:13). Seventh, the Lord then dwelt in Israel's midst: "Sing
and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for. lo, I come, and I will dwell in
the midst of thee, saith the Lord" (Zech. 2:10). Eighth, the glory of
the Lord was visibly displayed: "And the Lord will create upon every
dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and
smoke by day. and the shining of a flaming fire by night: and above
all the glory shall be a covering" (Isa. 4:5). May the Lord hasten
that glad time.
Thus, in the closing chapter of this book of redemption we behold the
full and perfect accomplishment of God's purpose of grace.
Notwithstanding man's failure, notwithstanding Israel's sin of the
golden calf, notwithstanding the broken tables of stone: in the end,
grace superabounded over sin, and all the counsels of God were made
good by the typical mediator. In its ultimate application what has
been before us points forward to the new earth: "Behold, the
tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them and they
shall be His people and God Himself shall be with them, and be their
God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there
shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there
be any more plague: for the former things are passed away" (Rev. 21:3,
4).
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Gleanings In Exodus
by A. W. Pink
72. Moses--A Type of Christ
_________________________________________________________________
"The life of Moses presents a series of striking antitheses. He was
the child of a slave, and the son of a king. He was born in a hut, and
lived in a palace. He inherited poverty, and enjoyed unlimited wealth.
He was the leader of armies, and the keeper of flocks. He was the
mightiest of warriors, and the meekest of men. He was educated in the
court, and dwelt in the desert. He had the wisdom of Egypt, and the
faith of a child. He was fitted for the city, and wandered in the
wilderness. He was tempted with the pleasures of sin, and endured the
hardships of virtue. He was backward in speech, and talked with God.
He had the rod of a shepherd, and the power of the Infinite. He was a
fugitive from Pharaoh, and an ambassador from Heaven. He was the giver
of the Law, and the forerunner of Grace. He died alone on mount Moab,
and appeared with Christ in Judea. No man assisted at his funeral, yet
God buried him. The fire has gone out of mount Sinai, but the
lightning is still in his Law. His lips are silent, but his voice yet
speaks" (Dr. I. M. Haldeman).
But the most striking thing of all in connection with this most
remarkable man, is the wonderful way and the many respects in which he
was a type of the Lord Jesus In the Introductory article of this
series (Jan. 1924) we stated: "In many respects there is a remarkable
correspondency between Moses and Christ, and if the Lord permits us to
complete this series of articles, we shall, at the close, summarize
those correspondencies, and show them to be as numerous and striking
as those which engaged our attention when Joseph was before us"--see
the last seven chapters in Vol. 2 of our work "Gleanings in Genesis".
We shall now seek to fulfill that promise.
Ere we attempt to set forth some (for we do not profess to exhaust the
subject) of these correspondencies, let us first appeal to the Word
itself in proof that Moses was a type of Christ. In Deuteronomy 18:15
we find Moses saying, "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a
Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto
Him ye shall hearken". Thus it wilt be seen from these words that we
are not trafficking in human imagination when we contemplate Moses as
a type of Christ. Such is the plain teaching of Holy Writ.
As we desire to bring to a close these "Gleanings in Exodus" in the
current issue, and therefore can devote but one article to our present
theme, and as the points to be considered are so numerous, we cannot
take up each one separately and comment upon it at length. Rather
shall we, with a few exceptions, simply give the references, and ask
the reader to look them up for himself.
1. His nationality. Moses was an Israelite (Ex. 2:1, 2). So, according
to the flesh, was Christ.
2. His Birth. This occurred when his nation was under the dominion of
a hostile power, when they were groaning under the rule of a Gentile
king (Ex. 1). So the Jews were in bondage to the Romans when Christ
was born (Matthew 2:1 cf. Luke 24: 21).
3. His Person. "In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair
to God" (Acts 7:20). How blessedly did he, in this, foreshadow the
Beloved of the Father! His estimate of the "fairness" of that Child
which lay in Bethlehem's manger, was evidenced by the sending of the
angels to say unto the shepherds, "Unto you is born this day in the
city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11).
4. His Infancy. In infancy his life was endangered, imperiled by the
reigning king, for Pharaoh had given orders that, "Every son that is
born ye shall cast into the river" (Ex. 1:22). How this reminds us of
Matthew 2:16: "Then Herod . . . sent forth and slew all the children
that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof"!
5. His Adoption. Though, previously, he was the child of another, he
yet was made the son of Pharaoh's daughter: "And became her son" (Ex.
2:10). Thus he had a mother, but no father! What anointed eye can fail
to see prefigured here the mystery of the Virgin-birth! Christ was the
Son of Another, even the Son of God. But, born into this world, He had
a mother, but no human father. Yet was He, as it were, adopted by
Joseph: see Matthew 1:19-21.
6. His Childhood. This was spent in Egypt. So also was Christ's:
"Behold the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying,
"Arise, and take the young Child and His mother, and flee into Egypt,
and be thou there until I bring thee word" (Matthew 2:13). Thus was
fulfilled God's ancient oracle, "And called My Son out of Egypt"
(Hosea 11:1).
7. His Sympathy for Israel. He was filled with a deep compassion for
his suffering kinsmen according to the flesh, and he yearned for their
deliverance. Beautifully does this come out in Acts 7:23, 24, "And
when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his
brethren of the children of Israel. And seeing one of them suffer
wrong, he defended him." So too Christ was filled with pity toward His
enslaved people, and love brought Him here to deliver them.
8. His early knowledge of his Mission. Long years before he actually
entered upon his great work, Moses discerned, "how that God by his
hand would deliver them" (Acts 7:25). So as a Boy of twelve, Christ
said to His perplexed mother, "Wist ye not that I must be about My
Father's business?" (Luke 2:49).
9. His condescending Grace. Though legally the "son of Pharaoh's
daughter", yet he regarded the Hebrew slaves as his brethren: "And it
came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out
unto his brethren" (Ex. 2:11). So it is with Christ: "He is not
ashamed to call them brethren" (Heb. 2:11).
10. His great Renunciation. "By faith Moses, when he was come to
years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing
rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the
pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ
greater riches than the treasures in Egypt" (Heb. 11:24-26). What a
foreshadowing was this of Him "Who, being in the form of God, thought
it not robbery to be equal with God; But made Himself of no
reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant" (Phil. 2:6, 7)!
Like Moses, Christ too voluntarily relinquished riches, glory, and a
kingly palace.
11. His Rejection by his brethren. "And the next day he showed himself
unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again,
saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another? But he
that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a
ruler and a judge over us?" (Acts 7:26, 27). This is very sad; sadder
still is it to read of Christ, "He came unto His own, and His own
received Him not" (John 1:11). This same line in the typical picture
was before us when we considered Joseph. But mark this difference: In
the case of Joseph, it was his brethren's enmity against his person
(Gen. 37:4); here with Moses, it was his brethren's enmity against his
mission. Joseph was personally hated; Moses officially refused--"who
made thee a ruler and a judge over us"? So it was with Christ. Israel
said, "We will not have this Man to reign over us" (Luke 19:14).
12. His Sojourning among the Gentiles. "But Moses fled from the face
of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian" (Ex. 2:15). Following
Christ's rejection by the Jews, we read, "God at the first did visit
the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for His name" (Acts 15:14).
13. His Seat on the well. Away from his own land, we read of Moses,
"And he sat down by a well" (Ex. 2:15). So the only time we read of
the Lord Jesus seated by the well, was when He was outside Israel's
borders, in Samaria (John 4:4, 6).
14. His Shepherdhood. "Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his
father-in-law" (Ex. 3:1). This is the character which Christ sustains
to His elect among the Gentiles: "And other sheep I have, which are
not of this fold, them also I must bring, and they shall hear My
voice; and there shall be one flock, one Shepherd" (John 10:16).
15. His Season of Seclusion. Before he entered upon his real mission,
Moses spent many years in obscurity. Who had supposed that this one,
there "at the backside of the desert", was destined to such an
honorable future? So it was with the incarnate Son of God. Before He
began His public ministry, He was hidden away in despised Nazareth.
Who that saw Him there in the carpenter's shop, dreamed that He was
ordained of God to the work of redemption!
16. His Commission from God. He was called of God to emancipate His
people from the house of bondage: "Come now therefore, and I will send
thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth My people the children
of Israel out of Egypt" (Ex. 3:10). So Christ was sent forth into this
world to "seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10).
17. His Apostleship. Thus he was God's apostle unto Israel, for
"apostle" signifies one "sent forth": "Now therefore go" (Ex. 4:12).
So Christ was the Sent One of God (John 9:4 etc); yea, in Hebrews 3:1
He is designated "the Apostle".
18. His Credentials. His commission from God was confirmed by power to
work miracles. So also Christ's mission was authenticated by wondrous
signs (Matthew 11:4, 5). It should be noted that Moses is the first
one mentioned in the O. T. that performed miracles; so is Christ in
the N. T.--John the Baptist performed none (John 10:41).
19. His first Miracles. Moses wrought many wonders, but it is most
striking to observe that his first two miraculous signs were power
over the serpent, and power over leprosy (Ex. 4:6-9). So after Christ
began His public ministry, we read first of His power over Satan
(Matthew 4:10, 11), and then His power over leprosy (Matthew 8:3).
20. His Return to his own land. In Exodus 4:19 we read, "And the Lord
said unto Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are
dead which sought thy life". The antitype of this is found in Matthew
2:19, "An angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
saying, Arise, and take the young Child and His mother, and go into
the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young Child's
life"!
21. His Acceptance by his brethren. This is recorded in Exodus
4:29-31. How different was this from his first appearing before and
rejection by the Hebrews (Ex. 2)! How beautifully it prefigured
Israel's acceptance of their Messiah at His second appearing!
22. His powerful Rod. Moses now wielded a rod of mighty power: see
Exodus 9:23; 10:13; 14:16. So also it is written of Christ, "Thou
shalt break them with a rod of iron" (Ps. 2:9).
23. His Announcing solemn Judgments. Again and again he warned Pharaoh
and his people of the sore punishment of God if they continued to defy
him. So also Christ declared, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise
perish" (Luke 13:3).
24. His deliverance of Israel. Moses perfectly fulfilled his God-given
commission and led Israel out of the house of bondage: "The same did
God send to be a ruler and a deliverer" (Acts 7:35). So Christ
affirmed, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free
indeed" (John 8:36).
25. His Headship. Remarkably is this brought out in 1 Corinthians
10:1, 2, "All our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through
the sea; and were all baptized unto Morea". So obedient Christians are
"baptized unto Jesus Christ" (Rom. 6:3).
26. His Leadership of Israel's Praise. "Then sang Moses and the
children of Israel" (Ex. 15:1) Of Christ too it is written, "In the
midst of the congregation will I praise Thee" (Ps. 22:22).
27. His Authority challenged. This is recorded in Numbers 16:3; the
antitype in Matthew 21:23.
28. His person Envied. See Psalm 106:16, and compare Mark 15:10.
29. His person opposed. Though Israel were so deeply indebted to
Moses, yet again and again we find them "murmuring" against him:
Exodus 15:24, 16:2, etc. For the N. T. parallel see Luke 15:2, John
6:41.
30. His life Threatened. So fiercely did the ungrateful Hebrews oppose
Moses that, on one occasion, they were ready to "stone" him (Ex.
17:4). How this brings to mind what we read of in John 8:59, 10:31!
31. His Sorrows. Moses felt keenly the base ingratitude of the people.
Mark his plaintive plea as recorded in Numbers 11:11, 14. So too the
Lord Jesus suffered from the reproaches of the people: He was "the Man
of sorrows and acquainted with grief".
32. His unwearied Love. Though misunderstood, envied, and opposed,
nothing could alienate the affections of Moses from his people. "Many
waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it" (Song
8:7). Beautifully is this seen in Exodus 32. After Israel repudiated
Jehovah and had worshipped the golden calf, after the Lord has
disowned them as His people (Ex. 32:7), Moses supplicates God on their
behalf, saying "Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made
them gods of gold. Yet now, if Thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if
not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast written"
(vv. 31:32). How this reminds us of Him who "having loved His own
which were in the world, He loved them unto the end" (John 13:1)!
33. His Forgiving spirit. "And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses...
Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? Hath He not spoken also by
us"? (Num. 12:1, 2). But he answered not a word. How this pointed to
Him who, `when He was reviled, reviled not again" (1 Pet. 2:23). When
Miriam was stricken with leprosy because of her revolt against her
brother, we are told, "Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, Heal her
now, O God, I beseech Thee" (Num. 12:13).
34. His Prayerfulness. An example of this has just been before us, but
many other instances are recorded. Moses was, pre-eminently, a man of
prayer. At every crisis he sought unto the Lord: see Exodus 5:22,
8:12, 9:33, 14:15, 15:25, 17:4, etc. Note how often in Luke's Gospel
Christ is also presented as a Man of prayer.
35. His Meekness. "Moses was very meek, above all the men which were
upon the face of the earth" (Num. 12:3) cf. Matthew 11:29.
36. His Faithfulness. "Moses verily was faithful in all his house"
(Heb. 3:5). So Christ is "The faithful and true Witness" (Rev. 3:14).
37. His providing Israel with water. See Numbers 20:11 and compare
John 4:14, 7:37.
38. His Prophetic office. Deuteronomy 18:18 and compare John 7:16,
8:28.
39. His Priestly activities. "Moses and Aaron among His priests" (Ps.
99:6). Illustrations are found in Leviticus 8: "And Moses took the
blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar... and he took all the
fat... and burned it upon the altar" (vv. 15, 16 and see 19:23). So
Christ, as Priest, "offered Himself without spot to God" (Heb. 9:14).
40. His Kingly rule. "Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance
of the congregation of Jacob. And he was king in Jeshurun" (Deut.
33:4, 5). So Christ is King in Zion, and will yet be over the Jews
(Luke 1:32, 33).
41. His Judgeship. "Moses sat to judge the people: and they stood by
Moses from the morning until the evening" (Ex. 18:13). Compare 2
Corinthians 5:10.
42. His Leadership. Moses was the head and director of God's people,
as He said to him, "Lead the people unto the place of which I have
spoken" (Ex. 32:34). So Christ is called, "The Captain of their
salvation" (Heb. 2:10).
43. His Mediation. What a remarkable word was that of Moses to Israel,
"I stood between the Lord and you" (Deut. 5:5): "There is one God, and
one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. 2:5).
44. His Election. In Psalm 106:23 he is called, "Moses His chosen". So
God says of Christ, "Behold My Servant, whom I uphold, Mine elect"
(Isa. 42:1).
45. His Covenant-engagement. "And the Lord said unto Moses, Write thou
these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant
with thee and with Israel" (Ex. 34:27): so Christ is denominated, "The
Mediator of a better covenant" (Heb. 8:6).
46. His sending forth of the Twelve. "These are the names of the men
which Moses sent to spy out the land" (Num. 13:16 see previous
verses). So Christ sent forth twelve apostles (Matthew 10:5).
47. His Appointing of the Seventy. "And Moses went out and told the
people the words of the Lord, and gathered the seventy men of the
elders of the people" (Num. 11:24). So Christ selected seventy (Luke
10:1).
48. His Wisdom. "Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians"
(Acts 7:22). Compare Colossians 2:3.
49. His Might. "And was mighty in words and in deeds" (Acts 7:22).
Behold the antitype of this in Matthew 113:34: "They were astonished,
and said, Whence hath this Man this wisdom, and these mighty works"?
50. His Intercession. "And Moses brought their cause before the Lord"
(Num. 27:5). Compare Hebrews 7:25.
51. His Intimate Communion with God. "And there arose not a prophet
since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face" (Ex.
34:10). So, on earth, Christ was "The only-begotten Son, which is in
the bosom of the Father" (John 1:18). It is striking to behold in
Exodus 31 to 34 how Moses passed and re-passed between Jehovah in the
mount and the camp of the congregation: expressive of his equal access
to heaven and earth--compare John 3:13.
52. His Knowledge of God. See Psalm 103:7 and cf. John 5:20.
53. His holy Anger. See Exodus 32:19 and cf. Mark 3:5, etc.
54. His Message. He was the mouthpiece of God: "And Moses came and
told the people all the words of the Lord" (Ex. 24:3). Compare Hebrews
1:2.
55. His Commandments. See Deuteronomy 4:2 and cf. Matthew 28:20.
56. His Written Revelation. See Exodus 31:13 and cf. Revelation 1:1.
57. His Fasting. See Exodus 34:28 and cf. Matthew 4:2.
58. His Transfiguration on the mount. See Exodus 34:29, 35 and cf.
Matthew 17:2.
59. His Place Outside the Camp. See Exodus 33:7 and cf. Hebrews 13:13.
60. His Arraigning of the responsible head. See Exodus 32:21 and cf.
Revelation 2:12, 13.
61. His Praying for Israel's Forgiveness. See Numbers 14:19 and cf.
Luke 23:34.
62. His Washing his Brethren with Water. "And Moses brought Aaron and
his sons, and washed them with water" (Lev. 8:6). Who can fail to see
in that a foreshadowing of what is recorded in John 13:5: "After that
He poureth water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet"!
63. His Prophecies. See Deuteronomy 28 and 33 and cf. Matthew 24 and
Luke 21.
64. His Rewarding God's servants. See Numbers 7:6, 32:33, 40 and cf.
Revelation 22:12.
65. His perfect Obedience. "Thus did Moses according to all that the
Lord commanded, so did he" (Ex. 40:16). What a lovely foreshadowing
was this of Him who could say, "I have kept My Father's commandments"
(John 16:10)!
66. His erecting the Tabernacle. See Exodus 40:2, and cf. Zechariah
6:12.
67. His Completing of his Work. "So Moses finished the work" (Ex.
40:33). What a blessed prefiguration was this of Him who declared, "I
have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do" (John 17:4).
68. His Blessing of the People. "And Moses blessed them" (Ex. 39:43).
So too we read in Luke 24:50, "And He led them out as far as to
Bethany, and He lifted up His hands, and blessed them".
69. His Anointing of God's House. "And Moses took the anointing oil
(the O. T. emblem of the Holy Spirit), and anointed the tabernacle and
all that was therein" (Lev. 8:10). Carefully compare Acts 2:1-3, 33.
70. His Unabated Strength. "His eye was not dim, nor his natural force
abated" (Deut. 34:7): compare Matthew 27:50, and note the "loud
voice".
71. His Death was for the benefit of God's people. "It went ill with
Moses for their sakes" (Ps. 106:32); "But the Lord was wroth with me
for your sakes" (Deut. 3:26). What marvelous foreshadowings of the
Cross were these!
72. His Appointing of another Comforter. Moses did not leave his
people comfortless, but gave them a successor: see Deuteronomy 31:23
and cf. John 14:16, 18.
73. His giving an Inheritance. "The land which Moses gave you on this
side of Jordan" (Josh. 1:14): in Christ believers "have obtained an
inheritance" (Eph. 1:11).
74. His Death necessary before Israel could enter Canaan. "Moses My
servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and
all this people, unto the land which I do give to thee" (Josh. 1:2).
"Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth
alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (John 12:24).
75. His Second Appearing. Moses was one of the two Old Testament
characters which returned to this earth in New Testament times
(Matthew 17:3)--type of Christ's second coming to the earth. Our space
is already exhausted so we shall leave it with our readers to search
the Scriptures for at least twenty-five other points in which Moses
foreshadowed our Lord. The subject is well-nigh exhaustless. And a
most blessed subject it is, demonstrating anew the Divine authorship
of the Bible. May the Lord bless to many this very imperfect attempt
to show that "in the volume of the Book" it is written of Christ.
_________________________________________________________________
Contents
A. W. Pink Index
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
Introduction
_________________________________________________________________
Appropriately has Genesis been termed "the seed plot of the Bible,"
for in it we have, in germ form, almost all of the great doctrines
which are afterwards fully developed in the books of Scripture which
follow.
In Genesis God is revealed as the Creator-God, as the Covenant-God, as
the Almighty-God, as well as "the Most High, Possessor of heaven and
earth."
In Genesis we have the first hint of the Blessed Trinity,of a
plurality of Persons in the Godhead--"Let us make man in our image"
(Gen. 1:26).
In Genesis man is exhibited. First as the creature of God's hands,
then as a fallen and sinful being, and later as one who is brought
back to God, finding grace in His sight (Gen. 6:8), walking with God
(Gen. 6:9), made "the friend of God" (Jam. 2:23).
In Genesis the wiles of Satan are exposed. We "are not ignorant of his
devices," for here the Holy Spirit has fully uncovered them. The realm
in which the arch-enemy works is not the moral but the spiritual. He
calls into question the Word of God, casts doubt on its integrity,
denies its veracity.
In Genesis the truth of sovereign election is first exhibited. God
singles out Abraham from an idolatrous people, and makes him the
father of the chosen Nation. God passes by Ishmael and calls Isaac.
In Genesis the truth of salvation istypically displayed. Our fallen
first parents are clothed by God Himself, clothed with skins: to
procure those skins death had to come in, blood must be shed, the
innocent was slain in the stead of the guilty. Only thus could man's
shame be covered, and only thus could the sinner be fitted to stand
before the thrice holy God.
In Genesis the truth of justification by faith is first made known:
"And he believed in the Lord; and He counted it to him for
righteousness" (Gen. 15:6). Abraham believed God: not Abraham obeyed
God, or loved God, or served God; but Abraham believed God. And it was
counted unto him for (not instead of, but unto)righteousness. Then, if
righteousness was "counted" unto Abraham, he had none of his
own.Believing God, righteousness was reckoned to Abraham's account.
In Genesis the believer's security isstrikingly illustrated. The flood
of Divine judgment descends on the earth, and swallows up all its
guilty inhabitants. But Noah, who had found grace in the eyes of the
Lord, was safely preserved in the ark, into which God had shut him.
In Genesis the truth of separation isclearly inculcated. Enoch's lot
was cast in days wherein evil abounded, but he lived apart from the
world, walking with God. Abraham was called upon to separate himself
from idolatrous Chaldea, and to step out upon the promises of God. Lot
is held up before us as a solemn example of the direful consequences
of being unequally yoked with unbelievers, and of having fellowship
with the unfruitful works of darkness.
In Genesis God's disciplinary chastisements upon an erring believer
are portrayed. Jacob is the standing example of what happens to a
child of God who walks after the flesh, instead of after the spirit.
But in the end we are shown how Divine grace triumphs over human
frailty.
In Genesis we are shown the importance and value of prayer.Abraham
prayed unto God and Abimelech's life was spared (Gen. 20:17).
Abraham's servant cries to the Lord that God would prosper his efforts
to secure a wife for Isaac, and God answered his petition (chap. 24).
Jacob, too, prays, and God hearkened.
In Genesis the saint's rapture to heaven is vividly portrayed. Enoch,
the man who walked with God, "wasnot," for God had translated him. He
did not pass through the portals of death. He was suddenly removed
from these scenes of sin and suffering and transported into the realm
of glory without seeing death.
In Genesis the divine incarnation is first declared. The Coming One
was to be supernaturally begotten. He was to enter this world as none
other ever did. He was to be the Son of Man, and yet have no human
father. The One who should bruise the serpent's head was to be the
woman's "Seed."
In Genesis the death and resurrection of the Savior are strikingly
foreshadowed. The ark, in which were preserved Noah and his family,
were brought safely through the deluge of death on to the new earth.
Isaac, the beloved son of Abraham, at the bidding of his father, is
laid, unresistingly, on the altar, and from it Abraham "received him
back as in a figure from the dead."
In Genesis we also learn of the Savior's coming exaltation.This is
strikingly typified in the history of Joseph--the most complete of all
the personal types of Christ--who, after a period of humiliation and
suffering was exalted to be the governor over all Egypt. Jacob, too,
on his deathbed, also declares of Shiloh that "untohim shall the
gathering of the peoples be" (Gen. 49:10).
In Genesis the priesthood of Christ is anticipated. The Lord Jesus is
a Priest not of the Aaronic system, but "after the order of
Melchzedek." And it is in Genesis that this mysterious character, who
received tithes from and blessed Abraham, is brought before our view.
In Genesis the coming Antichrist is announced, announced as "the seed
of the serpent" (Gen. 3:15). He is seen, too, foreshadowed in the
person and history of Nimrod, the rebel against the Lord, the man who
headed the first great federation in open opposition to the Most High.
In Genesis we first read of God giving Palestine to Abraham and to his
seed: "And the Lord appeared unto Abraham, and said, Unto thy seed
will I give this land" (Gen. 12:7). And again, "For all the land which
thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever" (Gen.
13:15).
In Genesis the wondrous future of Israel is made known. "And I will
make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number
the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered" (Gen.
13:16). "And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be
blessed" (Gen. 22:18).
In Genesis the judgment of God on the wicked is solemnly exhibited.
Cain confesses his punishment is greater than he can bear. The flood
comes on the world of the ungodly and sweeps them all away. Fire and
brimstone descend on Sodom and Gomorrah, till naught but their ashes
remain. Lot's wife, for one act of disobedience, is turned into a
pillar of salt.
What a marvelous proof is all this of the Divine Authorship! Who but
the One who knows the end from the beginning, could have embodied, in
germ form, what is afterwards expanded and amplified in the rest of
the Bible? What unequivocal demonstration that there was One
superintending mind,directing the pens of all who wrote the later
books of Holy Scripture! May the blessing of God rest upon us as we
seek to enjoy some of the inexhaustible riches of this book of
beginnings.
Arthur W. Pink.
Swengel
, Pa.
_________________________________________________________________
Index
____________________________________________________
About Us
What's New
Audio Works
Baptist History
Bible Study Courses
Eschatology Heretical Teachings
Theological Studies
TULIP
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Comfort in a
Time of Sorrow Links & Resources
For the Cause of
God and Truth
Follow us on Twitter
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
1. Creation and Restoration
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 1
The manner in which the Holy Scriptures open is worthy of their Divine
Author. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth," and
that is all that is here recorded concerning the original creation.
Nothing is said which enables us to fix the date of their creation;
nothing is revealed concerning their appearance or inhabitants;
nothing is told us about the modus operandi of their Divine Architect.
We do not know whether the primitive heaven and earth were created a
few thousands, or many millions of years ago. We are not informed as
to whether they were called into existence in a moment of time, or
whether the process of their formation covered an interval of long
ages. The bare fact is stated: "In the beginning God created," and
nothing is added to gratify the curious. The opening sentence of Holy
Writ is not to be philosophized about, but is presented as a statement
of truth to be received with unquestioning faith.
"In the beginning God created." No argument is entered into to prove
the existence of God: instead, His existence is affirmed as a fact to
be believed. And yet, sufficient is expressed in this one brief
sentence to expose every fallacy which man has invented concerning the
Deity. This opening sentence of the Bible repudiates atheism, for it
postulates the existence of God. It refutes materialism, for it
distinguishes between God and His material creation. It abolishes
pantheism, for it predicates that which necessitates a personal God.
"In the beginning God created," tells us that He was Himself before
the beginning, and hence, Eternal. "In the beginning God created," and
that informs us he is a personal being, for an abstraction, an
impersonal "first cause," could not create. "In the beginning God
created the heaven and the earth," and that argues He is infinite and
omnipotent, for no finite being possesses the power to "create," and
none but an Omnipotent Being could create "the heaven and the earth."
"In the beginning God." This is the foundation truth of all real
theology. God is the great Originator and Initiator. It is the
ignoring of this which is the basic error in all human schemes. False
systems of theology and philosophy begin with man, and seek to work up
to God. But this is a turning of things upside down. We must, in all
our thinking, begin with God, and work down to man. Again, this is
true of the Divine inspiration of the Scriptures. The Bible is couched
in human language, it is addressed to human ears, it was written by
human hands, but, in the beginning God "holy men of God spake, moved
by the Holy Spirit" (2 Pet. 1:21). This is also true of salvation. In
Eden, Adam sinned, and brought in death; but his Maker was not taken
by surprise: in the beginning God had provided for just such an
emergency, for, "the Lamb" was "foreordained before the foundation of
the world" (1 Pet. 1:20). This is also true of the new creation. The
soul that is saved, repents, believes, and serves the Lord; but, in
the beginning, God chose us in Christ (Eph. 1:4), and now, "we love
Him, because He first loved us."
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth," and we cannot
but believe that these creations were worthy of Himself, that they
reflected the perfections of their Maker, that they were exceedingly
fair in their pristine beauty. Certainly, the earth, on the morning of
its creation, must have been vastly different from its chaotic state
as described in Genesis 1:2. "And the earth was without form and void"
must refer to a condition of the earth much later than what is before
us in the preceding verse. It is now over a hundred years ago since
Dr. Chalmers called attention to the fact that the word "was" in
Genesis 1:2 should be translated "became," and that between the first
two verses of Genesis 1 some terrible catastrophe must have
intervened. That this catastrophe may have been connected with the
apostasy of Satan, seems more than likely; that some catastrophe did
occur is certain from Isaiah 45:18, which expressly declares that the
earth was not created in the condition in which Genesis 1:2 views it.
What is found in the remainder of Genesis 1 refers not to the
primitive creation but to the restoration of that which had fallen
into ruins. Genesis 1:1 speaks of the original creation; Genesis 1:2
describes the then condition of the earth six days before Adam was
called into existence. To what remote point in time Genesis 1:1
conducts us, or as to how long an interval passed before the earth
"became" a ruin, we have no means of knowing; but if the surmises of
geologists could be conclusively established there would be no
conflict at all between the findings of science and the teaching of
Scripture. The unknown interval between the first two verses of
Genesis 1, is wide enough to embrace all the prehistoric ages which
may have elapsed; but all that took place from Genesis 1:3 onwards
transpired less than six thousand years ago.
"In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in
them is" (Ex. 20:11). There is a wide difference between "creating"
and "making": to "create" is to call into existence something out of
nothing; to "make" is to form or fashion something out of materials
already existing. A carpenter can "make" a chair out of wood, but he
is quite unable to "create" the wood itself. "In the beginning
(whenever that was) God created the heaven and the earth";
subsequently (after the primitive creation had become a ruin) "the
Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is." This
Exodus scripture settles the controversy which has been raised as to
what kind of "days" are meant in Genesis 1, whether days of 24 hours,
or protracted periods of time. In "six days," that is, literal days of
twenty-four hours duration, the Lord completed the work of restoring
and re-fashioning that which some terrible catastrophe had blasted and
plunged into chaos.
What follows in the remainder of Genesis 1 is to be regarded not as a
poem, still less as an allegory, but as a literal, historical
statement of Divine revelation. We have little patience with those who
labor to show that the teaching of this chapter is in harmony with
modern science--as well ask whether the celestial chronometer is in
keeping with the timepiece at Greenwich. Rather must it be the part of
scientists to bring their declarations into accord with the teaching
of Genesis 1, if they are to receive the respect of the children of
God. The faith of the Christian rests not in the wisdom of man, nor
does it stand in any need of buttressing from scientific savants. The
faith of the Christian rests upon the impregnable rock of Holy
Scripture, and we need nothing more. Too often have Christian
apologists deserted their proper ground. For instance: one of the
ancient tablets of Assyria is deciphered, and then it is triumphantly
announced that some statements found in the historical portions of the
Old Testament have been confirmed. But that is only a turning of
things upside down again. The Word of God needs no "confirming." If
the writing upon an Assyrian tablet agrees with what is recorded in
Scripture, that confirms the historical accuracy of the Assyrian
tablet; if it disagrees, that is proof positive that the Assyrian
writer was at fault. In like manner, if the teachings of science
square with Scripture, that goes to show the former are correct; if
they conflict, that proves the postulates of science are false. The
man of the world, and the pseudo-scientist may sneer at our logic, but
that only demonstrates the truth of God's Word, which declares, "but
the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for
they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they
are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14).
Marvelously concise is what is found in Genesis 1. A single verse
suffices to speak of the original creation of the heaven and the
earth. Another verse is all that is needed to ac-scribe the awful
chaos into which the ruined earth was plunged. And less than thirty
verses more tell of the six days' work, during which the Lord "made
heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is." Not all the
combined skill of the greatest literary genius', historians, poets, or
philosophers this world has ever produced, could design a composition
which began to equal Genesis 1. For reconditeness of theme, and yet
simplicity of language; for comprehensiveness of scope, and yet
terseness of expression; for scientific exactitude, and yet the
avoidance of all technical terms; it is unrivalled, and nothing can be
found in the whole realm of literature which can be compared with it
for a moment. It stands in a class all by itself. If "brevity is the
soul of wit" (i. e. wisdom) then the brevity of what is recorded in
this opening chapter of the Bible evidences the divine wisdom of Him
who inspired it. Contrast the labored formulae of the scientists,
contrast the verbose writings of the poets, contrast the meaningless
cosmogonies of the ancients and the foolish mythologies of the
heathen, and the uniqueness of this Divine account of Creation and
Restoration will at once appear. Every line of this opening chapter of
Holy Writ has stamped across it the autograph of Deity.
Concerning the details of the six days' work we cannot now say very
much. The orderly manner in which God proceeded, the ease with which
He accomplished His work, the excellency of that which was produced,
and the simplicity of the narrative, at once impress the reader. Out
of the chaos was brought the "cosmos," which signifies order,
arrangement, beauty; out of the waters emerged the earth; a scene of
desolation, darkness and death, was transformed into one of light,
life, and fertility, so that at the end all was pronounced "very
good." Observe that here is to be found the first Divine Decalogue:
ten times we read, "and God said, let there be," etc. (vv. 3, 6, 9,
11, 14, 14, 20, 24, 26, 30), which may be termed the Ten Commandments
of Creation.
In the Hebrew there are just seven words in the opening verse of
Genesis 1, and these are composed of twenty-eight letters, which is 7
multiplied by 4. Seven is the number of perfection, and four of
creation, hence, we learn that the primary creation was perfect as it
left its Maker's hands. it is equally significant that there were
seven distinct stages in God's work of restoring the earth: First,
there was the activity of the Holy Spirit (Gen. 1:2); Second, the
calling of light into existence (Gen. 1:3); Third, the making of the
firmament (Gen. 1:6-9); Fourth, the clothing of the earth with
vegetation (Gen. 1:11); Fifth, the making and arranging of the
heavenly bodies (Gen. 1:14-18); Sixth, the storing of the waters (Gen.
1:20-21); Seventh, the stocking of the earth (Gen. 1:24). The
perfection of God's handiwork is further made to appear in the seven
times the word "good" occurs here--verses 4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25,
31--also the word "made" is found seven times in this section--Genesis
1:7, 16, 25, 26, 31; 2:2, 3. Seven times "heaven" is mentioned in this
chapter--verses 1, 8, 9, 14, 15, 17, 20. And, it may be added, that
"God" Himself is referred to in this opening section (Gen. 1:1-2:4)
thirty-five times, which is 7 multiplied by 5. Thus the seal of
perfection is stamped upon everything God here did and made.
Turning from the literal meaning of what is before us in this opening
chapter of Holy Writ, we would dwell now upon that which has often
been pointed out by others, namely, the typical significance of these
verses. The order followed by God in re-constructing the old creation
is the same which obtains in connection with the new creation, and in
a remarkable manner the one is here made to foreshadow the other. The
early history of this earth corresponds with the spiritual history of
the believer in Christ. What occurred in connection with the world of
old, finds its counterpart in the regenerated man. It is this line of
truth which will now engage our attention.
1. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." As we have
already observed, the original condition of this primary creation was
vastly different from the state in which we view it in the next verse.
Coming fresh from the hands of their Creator, the heaven and the earth
must have presented a scene of unequalled freshness and beauty. No
groans of suffering were heard to mar the harmony of the song of "the
morning stars" as they sang together (Job 38:7). No worm of corruption
was there to defile the perfections of the Creator's handiwork. No
iniquitous rebel was there to challenge the supremacy of God. And no
death shades were there to spread the spirit of gloom. God reigned
supreme, without a rival, and everything was very good.
So, too, in the beginning of this world's history, God also created
man, and vastly different was his original state from that into which
he subsequently fell. Made in the image and likeness of God, provided
with a helpmate, placed in a small garden of delights, given dominion
over all the lower orders of creation, "blessed" by His Maker, bidden
to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth, and included in
that which God pronounced "very good," Adam had all that heart could
desire. Behind him was no sinful heredity, within him was no deceitful
and wicked heart, upon him were no marks of corruption, and around him
were no signs of death. Together with his helpmate, in fellowship with
his Maker, there was everything to make him happy and contented.
2. "And the earth became without form and void; and darkness was upon
the face of the deep." Some fearful catastrophe must have occurred.
Sin had dared to raise its horrid head against God, and with sin came
death and all its attendant evils. The fair handiwork of the Creator
was blasted. That which at first was so fair was now marred, and what
was very good became very evil. The light was quenched, and the earth
was submerged beneath the waters of judgment. That which was perfect
in the beginning became a ruin, and darkness abode upon the face of
the deep. Profoundly mysterious is this, and unspeakably tragic. A
greater contrast than what is presented in the first two verses of
Genesis 1 can hardly be conceived. Yet there it is: the primitive
earth, created by God "in the beginning," had become a ruin.
No less tragic was that which befell the first man. Like the original
earth before him, Adam remained not in his primitive state. A dreadful
catastrophe occurred. Description of this is given in Genesis 3. By
one man sin entered the world, and death by sin. The spirit of
insubordination possessed him; he rebelled against his Maker; he ate
of the forbidden fruit; and terrible were the consequences which
followed. The fair handiwork of the Creator was blasted. Where before
there was blessing, there now descended the curse. Into a scene of
life and joy, entered death and sorrow. That which at the first was
"very good," became very evil. Just as the primitive earth before him,
so man became a wreck and a ruin. He was submerged in evil and
enveloped in darkness. Unspeakably tragic was this, but the truth of
it is verified in the heart of every descendant of Adam.
"There was, then, a primary creation, afterward a fall; first, `heaven
and earth,' in due order, then earth without a heaven--in darkness,
and buried under a `deep' of salt and barren and restless waters. What
a picture of man's condition, as fallen away from God! How complete
the confusion! How profound the darkness! How deep the restless waves
of passion roll over the wreck of what was once so fair! `The wicked
are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up
mire and dirt'" (F. W. Grant).
Here, then, is the key to human destiny. Here is the cause of all the
suffering and sorrow which is in the world. Here is the explanation of
human depravity. Man is not now as God created him. God made man
"upright" (Ecclesiastes 7:9), but he continued not thus. God
faithfully warned man that if he ate of the forbidden fruit he should
surely die. And die he did, spiritually. Man is, henceforth, a fallen
creature. He is born into this world "alienated from the life of God"
(Eph. 4:18). He was born into this world with a heart that is
"deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" (Jer. 17:9). This
is the heritage of The Fall. This is the entail of Adam's
transgression. Man is a ruined creature, and "darkness," moral and
spiritual, rents upon the face of his understanding. (Eph. 4:18).
3. "And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." Here is
where hope begins to dawn. God did not abandon the primitive earth,
which had become a ruin. It would not have been surprising, though, if
He had. Why should God trouble any further about that which lay under
His righteous judgment? Why should He condescend to notice that which
was now a desolate waste? Why, indeed. But here was where sovereign
mercy intervened. He had gracious designs toward that formless void.
He purposed to resurrect it, restore it, refructify it. And the first
thing we read of in bringing about this desired end was, "the Spirit
of God moved upon the face of the waters." There was Divine activity.
There was a movement on the part of the Holy Spirit. And this was a
prime necessity. How could the earth resurrect itself? How could that
which lay under the righteous judgment of God bring itself into the
place of blessing? How could darkness transform itself into life? In
the very nature of the case it could not. The ruined creation was
helpless. If there was to be restoration, and a new creation, Divine
power must intervene, the Spirit of God must "move."
The analogy holds good in the spiritual realm. Fallen man had no more
claim upon God's notice than had the desolated primitive earth. When
Adam rebelled against his Maker, he merited naught but unsparing
judgment at His hands, and if God was inclined to have any further
regard for him, it was due alone to sovereign mercy. What wonder if
God had left man to the doom he so richly deserved! But no. God had
designs of grace toward him. From the wreck and ruin of fallen
humanity, God purposed to bring forth a "new creation." Out of the
death of sin, God is now bringing on to resurrection ground all who
are united to Christ His Son. And the first thing in bringing this
about is the activity of the Holy Spirit. And this, again, is a prime
necessity. Fallen man, in himself, is as helpless as was the fallen
earth. The sinner can no more regenerate himself than could the ruined
earth lift itself out of the deep which rested upon it. The new
creation, like the restoration of the material creation, must be
accomplished by God Himself.
4. "And God said, let there be light, and there was light." First the
activity of the Holy Spirit and now the spoken Word. No less than ten
times in this chapter do we read "and God said." God might have
refashioned and refurnished the earth without speaking at all, but He
did not. Instead, He plainly intimated from the beginning, that His
purpose was to be worked out and His counsels accomplished by the
Word. The first thing God said was, "Let there be light," and we read,
"There was light." Light, then, came in, was produced by, the Word.
And then we are told, "God saw the light, that it was good."
It is so in the work of the new creation. These two are inseparably
joined together--the activity of the Spirit and the ministry of the
Word of God. It is by these the man in Christ became a new creation.
And the initial step toward this was the entrance of light into the
darkness. The entrance of sin has blinded the eyes of man's heart and
has darkened his understanding. So much so that, left to himself, man
is unable to perceive the awfulness of his condition, the condemnation
which rests upon him, or the peril in which he stands. Unable to see
his urgent need of a Savior, he is, spiritually, in total darkness.
And neither the affections of his heart, the reasonings of his mind,
nor the power of his will, can dissipate this awful darkness. Light
comes to the sinner through the Word applied by the Spirit. As it is
written, "the entrance of Thy words giveth light" (Ps. 119:130). This
marks the initial step of God's work in the soul. Just as the shining
of the light in Genesis I made manifest the desolation upon which it
shone, so the entrance of God's Word into the human heart reveals the
awful ruin which sin has wrought.
5. "And God divided the light from the darkness." Hebrews 4:12 tells
us, the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any
two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and
spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart." This is not a figurative
expression but, we believe, a statement of literal fact. Man is a
tripartite being, made up of "spirit and soul and body" (1 Thess.
5:23). The late Dr. Pierson distinguished between them thus: "The
spirit is capable of God-consciousness; the soul is the seat of
self-consciousness; the body of sense-consciousness.'' In the day that
Adam sinned, he died spiritually. Physical death is the separation of
the spirit from the body; spiritual death is the separation of the
spirit from God. When Adam died, his spirit was not annihilated, but
it was "alienated" from God. There was a fall. The spirit, the highest
part of Adam's complex being, no longer dominated; instead, it was
degraded, it fell to the level of the soul, and ceased to function
separately. Hence, today, the unregenerate man is dominated by his
soul, which is the seat of lust, passion, emotion. But in the work of
regeneration, the Word of God "pierces even to the dividing asunder of
soul and spirit," and the spirit is rescued from the lower level to
which it has fallen, being brought back again into communion with God.
The "spirit" being that part of man which is capable of communion with
God, is light; the "soul" when it is not dominated and regulated by
the spirit is in darkness, hence, in that part of the six days' work
of restoration which adumbrated the dividing asunder of soul and
spirit, we read, "And God divided the light from the darkness."
6. "And God said, let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters,
and let it divide the waters from the waters . . . . and God called
the firmament heaven" (Gen. 1:6, 8). This brings us to the second days
work, and here, for the first time, we read that "God made" something
(Gen. 1:7). This was the formation of the atmospheric heaven, the
"firmament," named by God "heaven." That which corresponds to this in
the new creation, is the impartation of a new nature. The one who is
"born of the Spirit" becomes a "partaker of the Divine nature" (2 Pet.
1:4). Regeneration is not the improvement of the flesh, or the
cultivation of the old nature; it is the reception of an altogether
new and heavenly nature. It is important to note that the "firmament"
was produced by the Word, for, again we read, "And God said." So it is
by the written Word of God that the new birth is produced, "Of His own
will begat He us with the Word of truth"(Jam. 1:18). And again, "being
born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word
of God" (1 Pet. 1:23).
7. "And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together
unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God
said. Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the
fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself"
(Gen. 1:9-11). These verses bring before us God's work on the third
day, and in harmony with the meaning of this numeral we find that
which clearly speaks of resurrection. The earth was raised out of the
waters which had submerged it, and then it was clothed with
vegetation. Where before there was only desolation and death, life and
fertility now appeared. So it is in regeneration. The one who was dead
in trespasses and sins, has been raised to walk in newness of life.
The one who was by the old creation "in Adam," is now by new creation
"in Christ." The one who before produced nothing but dead works, is
now fitted to bring forth fruit to the glory of God.
And here we must conclude. Much has been left untouched, but
sufficient has been said, we trust, to show that the order followed by
God in the six days' work of restoration, foreshadowed His work of
grace in the new creation: that which He did of old in the material
world, typified His present work in the spiritual realm. Every stage
was accomplished by the putting forth of Divine power, and everything
was produced by the operation of His Word. May writer and reader be
more and more subject to that Word, and then shall we be pleasing to
Him and fruitful in His service.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
2. Christ In Genesis 1
_________________________________________________________________
In our first meditation upon this wonderful book of beginnings we
pointed out some of the striking analogies which exist between the
order followed by God in His work of creation and His method of
procedure in the "new creation,'' the spiritual creation in the
believer. First, there was darkness, then the action of the Holy
Spirit, then the word of power going forth, and then light as the
result, and later resurrection and fruit. There is also a striking
foreshadowment of God's great dispensational dealings with our race,
in this record of His work in the six days, but as this has already
received attention from more capable pens than ours, we pass on to
still another application of this scripture. There is much concerning
Christ in this first chapter of Genesis if only we have eyes to see,
and it is the typical application of Genesis 1 to Christ and His work
we would here direct attention.
Christ is the key which unlocks the golden doors into the temple of
Divine truth. "Search the Scriptures," is His command, "for they are
they which testify of Me." And again, He declares, "In the volume of
the Book it is written of Me." In every section of the written Word
the Personal Word is enshrined--in Genesis as much as in Matthew. And
we would now submit that on the frontispiece of Divine Revelation we
have a typical program of the entire Work of Redemption.
In the opening statements of this chapter we discover, in type, the
great need of Redemption. "In the beginning God created the heavens
and the earth." This carries us back to the primal creation which,
like everything else that comes from the hand of God, must have been
perfect, beautiful, glorious. Such also was the original condition of
man. Made in the image of his Creator, endowed with the breath of
Elohim, he was pronounced "very good."
But the next words present a very different picture--"And the earth
was without form and void," or, as the original Hebrew might be more
literally translated, "The earth became a ruin." Between the first two
verses in Genesis 1 a terrible calamity occurred. Sin entered the
universe. The heart of the mightiest of all God's creatures was filled
with pride--Satan had dared to oppose the will of the Almighty. The
dire effects of his fall reached to our earth, and what was originally
created by God fair and beautiful, became a ruin. Again we see in this
a striking analogy to the history of man. He too fell. He also became
a ruin. The effects of his sin likewise reached beyond himself--the
generations of an unborn humanity being cursed as the result of the
sin of our first parents.
"And darkness was upon the face of the deep." Darkness is the opposite
of light. God is light. Darkness is the emblem of Satan. Well do these
words describe the natural condition of our fallen race. Judicially
separated from God, morally and spiritually blind, experimentally the
slaves of Satan, an awful pall of darkness rests upon the entire mass
of an unregenerate humanity. But this only furnishes a black
background upon which can be displayed the glories of Divine Grace.
"Where sin abounded grace did much more abound." The method of this
"abounding of grace" is, in type, outlined in God's work during the
six days. In the work of the first four days we have a most remarkable
foreshadowment of the four great stages in the Work of Redemption. We
cannot now do much more than call attention to the outlines of this
marvelous primitive picture. But as we approach it, to gaze upon it in
awe and wonderment, may the Spirit of God take of the things of Christ
and show them unto us.
I. In the first day's work the Divine Incarnation is typically set
forth.
If fallen and sinful men are to be reconciled to the thrice holy God
what must be done? How can the infinite chasm separating Deity from
humanity be bridged? What ladder shall be able to rest here upon earth
and yet reach right into heaven itself? Only one answer is possible to
these questions. The initial step in the work of human redemption must
be the Incarnation of Deity. Of necessity this must be the starting
point. The Word must become flesh. God Himself must come right down to
the very pit where a ruined humanity helplessly lies, if it is ever to
be lifted out of the miry clay and transported to heavenly places. The
Son of God must take upon Himself the form of a servant and be made in
the likeness of men.
This is precisely what the first day's work typifies in its
foreshadowment of the initial step in the Work of Redemption, namely,
the Incarnation of the Divine Redeemer. Notice here five things.
First, there is the work of the Holy Spirit. "And the Spirit of God
moved (Heb. `brooded') upon the face of the waters" (v. 2). So also
was this the order in the Divine Incarnation. Concerning the mother of
the Savior we read, "And the angel answered and said unto her, The
Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Highest shall
overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of
thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35).
Second, the word issues forth as light. "And God said (the word) let
there be light and there was light" (v. 3). So also as soon as Mary
brings forth the Holy Child "The glory of the Lord shone round about"
the shepherds on Bethlehem's plains (Luke 2:9). And when He is
presented in the temple, Simeon was moved by the Holy Spirit to say,
"For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared
before the face of all people: a light to lighten the Gentiles, and
the glory of Thy people Israel."
Third, the light is approved by God. "And God saw the light, that it
was good" (v. 4). We cannot now enlarge much upon the deep typical
import of this statement, but would remark in passing that the Hebrew
word here translated "good" is also in (Ecclesiastes 3:11) rendered
"beautiful"--"He hath made everything beautiful in his time." God saw
that the light was good, beautiful! How obvious is the application to
our incarnate Lord! After His advent into this world we are told that
"Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man"
(Luke 2:52), and the first words of the Father concerning Him were,
"This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." Yes, good and
beautiful was the light in the sight of the Father. How blind was man
that he should see in Him no beauty that he should desire Him!
Fourth, the light was separated from the darkness. "And God divided
the light from the darkness" (v. 4). How jealously did the Holy Spirit
guard the types! How careful is He to call our attention to the
immeasurable difference between the Son of Man and the sons of men!
Though in His infinite condescension He saw fit to share our humanity,
yet He shared not our depravity. The light of Christ was divided from
the darkness (fallen humanity). "For such a high priest became us, who
is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners" (Heb. 7:26).
Fifth, the light was named by God. "And God called the light Day" (v.
5). So also was it with Him who is the Light of the world. It was not
left to Joseph and Mary to select the name for the Holy Child. Of old
the prophet had declared, "Listen, O isles unto me; and hearken, ye
people, from far; the Lord hath called Me from the womb; from the
bowels of My mother hath He made mention of My name" (Isa. 49:1). And
in fulfillment thereof, while yet in His mother's womb, an angel is
sent by God to Joseph, saying, "And she shall bring forth a son, and
thou shalt call His name Jesus."
II. In the second day's work the Cross of Christ is typically set
forth.
What was the next thing necessary in the accomplishment of the Work of
Redemption? The Incarnation by itself would not meet our need. "Except
a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if
it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (John 12:24). The Incarnate
Christ reveals the spotless and perfect life which alone meets the
Divine mind, but it helps not to bridge the awful gulf between a holy
God and a ruined sinner. For this, sin must put away, and that cannot
be done except death comes in. "For without shedding of blood is no
remission." The Lamb of God must be slain. The Holy One must lay down
His life. The Cross is the only place where the righteous claims of
God's throne can be met.
And in the second day's work this second step in the accomplishment of
human redemption is typically set forth. The prominent thing in this
second day's work is division, separation, isolation. "And God said,
Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide
the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided
the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were
above the firmament: and it was so" (vv. 6-7). It is striking to note
here that there is a twofold division. First there is a firmament in
the midst of the waters and this firmament divides the waters from the
waters, and secondly, the firmament divided the waters which were
under it from those which were above it. We believe that the
"firmament" here typifies the Cross, and sets forth its twofold
aspect. There our blessed Lord was divided or separated from God
Himself--"My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"; and there also
He was separated from man "Cut off out of the land of the living."
That the "firmament" here does foreshadow the Cross seems to be
clearly borne out by the marvelous analogy between what is here told
us concerning it and its typical agreement with the Cross of Christ.
Observe four things.
First, the firmament was purposed by God before it was actually made.
In verse 6 it reads, "And God said let there be a firmament," and in
verse 7, "And God made the firmament." How perfect is the agreement
between type and antitype! Long, long before the Cross was erected on
Golgotha's heights, it was purposed by God. Christ was "The Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8).
Second, the firmament was set in the midst of the waters. It is well
known to Bible students that in Scripture "waters" symbolize peoples,
nations (cf. Revelation 17:15). In its typical application then, these
words would seem to signify, "Let there be a Cross in the midst of the
peoples." Manifold are the applications suggested by these words.
Accurate beyond degree is the type. Our minds immediately turn to the
words, "They crucified Him, and two others with Him, on either side
one, and Jesus in the midst" (John 19:18). The geographical situation
of Calvary is likewise a fulfillment: Palestine being practically the
center or midst of the earth.
Third, the firmament divided the waters. So the Cross has divided the
"peoples." The Cross of Christ is the great divider of mankind. So it
was historically, for it divided the believing thief from the impotent
thief. So it has been ever since, and so it is today. On the one hand,
"The preaching of the Cross is to them that perish, foolishness," but
on the other, "unto us which are saved, it is the power of God" (1
Cor. 1:18).
Fourth, the firmament was designed by God. "And God made the
firmament." So was it announced on the Day of Pentecost concerning the
Lord Jesus Christ. "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel
and foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2:23). So was it declared of old, "It
pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief." The Cross
was of Divine design and appointment.
Is it not also deeply significant that the words, "And God saw that it
was good" are omitted at the close of this second day's work? Had they
been included here the type would have been marred. The second day's
work pointed forward to the Cross, and at the Cross God was dealing
with sin. There His wrath was being expended on the Just One who was
dying for the unjust. Though He was without any sin, yet was He "made
sin for us" and dealt with accordingly. Does not then the omission
here of the usual expression "God saw that it was good" assume a
deeper significance than has been hitherto allowed.
III. In the third day's work our Lord's Resurrection is typically set
forth.
Our article has already exceeded the limits we originally designed, so
perforce, we must abbreviate.
The third thing necessary in the accomplishment of the Work of
Redemption was the Resurrection of the Crucified One. A dead Savior
could not save anyone. "Wherefore He is able also to save them to the
uttermost that come unto God by Him"; Why? "Seeing He ever liveth"
(Heb. 7:25).
Thus it is in our type. Beyond doubt, that which is foreshadowed on
the third day's work is resurrection. It is in the record concerning
this third day that we read "Let the dry land appear" (v. 9).
Previously the earth had been submerged, buried beneath the waters.
But now the land is raised above the level of the seas; there is
resurrection, the earth appears. But this is not all. In verse 11 we
read, "And let the earth bring forth grass, etc." Hitherto death had
reigned supreme. No life appeared upon the surface of the ruined
earth. But on the third day the earth is commanded to "bring forth."
Not on the second, not on the fourth, but on the third day was life
seen upon the barren earth! Perfect is the type for all who have eyes
to see. Wonderfully pregnant are the words, "Let the earth bring
forth" to all who have ears to hear. It was on the third day that our
Lord rose again from the dead "according to the Scriptures." According
to what Scriptures? Do we not have in these 9th and 11th verses of
Genesis 1 the first of these scriptures, as well as the primitive
picture of our Lord's Resurrection!
IV. In the fourth day's work our Lord's Ascension is typically
suggested.
The Resurrection did not complete our Lord's redemption work. In order
for that He must enter the Heavenly Place not made with hands. He must
take His seat on the right hand of the Majesty on high. He must go
"into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us" (Heb.
9:24).
Once more we find the type corresponds with the Anti-type. In the
fourth day's work our eyes are removed from the earth and all its
affairs and are turned to the heavens! (See verses 14-19). As we read
these verses and gather something of their typical import, do we not
hear the Holy Spirit saying, "Seek those things which are above, where
Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things
above, not on things on the earth" (Col. 3:1, 2).
And as we lift our eyes heavenwards what do we see? "Two great
lights"--typically, Christ and His people. The sun which speaks to us
of "the Sun of Righteousness" (Malachi 4:2), and the moon which tells
of Israel and the Church (Rev. 12:1), borrowing its light from, and
reflecting the light of, the sun. And observe their functions. First,
they are "to give light upon the earth (v. 17), and secondly, they are
"to rule over the day and over the night" (v. 18). So it is with
Christ and His people. During the present interval of darkness, the
world's night, Christ and His people are "the light of the world," but
during the Millennium they shall rule and reign over the earth.
Thus in the first four days' work in Genesis 1, we have foreshadowed
the four great stages or crises in the accomplishment of the Work of
Redemption. The Incarnation, the Death, the Resurrection, and the
Ascension of our blessed Lord are respectively typified. In the light
of this how precious are those words at the close of the six days'
work: "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host
of them. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made;
and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made"
(Gen. 2:1, 2). The work of Redemption is completed, and in that work
God finds His rest!
As we continue our meditations on the book of Genesis may God in His
condescending grace reveal unto us "wondrous things out of His Law."
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
3. Two Trees
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Genesis 2
It is not our purpose to give a detailed and exhaustive exposition of
Genesis, rather shall we attempt to single out some of the less
obvious treasures from this wonderful mine, in which are stored
inexhaustible supplies of spiritual riches. This first book in the
Word of God is full of typical pictures, prophetic foreshadowings, and
dispensational adumbrations, as well as important practical lessons,
and it will be our delight to call attention to a few of these as we
pass from chapter to chapter.
In studying the typical teaching of the Old Testament Scriptures we
learn from them sometimes by way of contrast and sometimes by way of
comparison. A striking illustration of this double fact is found in
the second chapter of Genesis. In the ninth verse we read of "The tree
of knowledge of good and evil." In Acts 5:30 we read, "The God of our
fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree"; and again
in 1 Peter 2:24, "Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on
the tree." Now the thoughtful reader will naturally inquire, Why
should the Cross of our blessed Lord be spoken of as a "tree"? Surely
there must be some deeper meaning than that which appears on the
surface. Was it not intended by the Holy Spirit that we should refer
back to Genesis 2:9 and compare and contrast these two trees? We
believe so, and a quiet meditation thereon reveals some remarkable
points both of comparison and contrast between the tree of knowledge
of good and evil and the tree on which our Lord was crucified. Let us
consider some of the points of contrast first.
1. The first tree was planted by God. "And out of the ground made the
Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for
food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden and the Tree of
Knowledge of good and evil" (Gen. 2:9) This tree then was planted not
by Adam, but by Adam's Maker-- God. But the second tree, the tree to
which our Lord was nailed, was planted by man. "And they crucified
Him" (Matthew 27:35) is the brief but terrible record. It was human
hands which devised, provided and erected that cruel tree on the hill
of Calvary. In marked contrast from the first tree, it was the hands
of the creature and not the Creator which planted the second tree.
2. The first tree was pleasant to the eyes. "And when the woman saw
that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes,
and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit
thereof, and did eat" (Gen. 3:6). Exactly in what this "pleasantness"
consisted we do not know, but the Divine record seems to indicate that
this tree was an object of beauty and delight. What a contrast from
the second Tree! Here everything was hideous and repellant. The
suffering Savior, the vulgar crowd, the taunting priests, the two
thieves, the flowing blood, the three hours darkness--nothing was
there to please the outward eye. The first tree was "pleasant to the
eyes," but concerning the One on the second tree it is written, "They
saw in Him no beauty that they should desire Him."
3. God forbade man to eat of the first tree. "But of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it" (Gen. 2:17). A
divine prohibition was placed upon the fruit of this tree. But again,
how different from the second tree! How startling the contrast! There
is no restriction here. In this case man is freely invited to draw
near and eat of the fruit of this tree. The sinner is hidden to "Taste
and see that the Lord is good." "All things are ready, Come." The
position is exactly reversed. Just as man was commanded not to eat of
the fruit of the first tree, he is now commanded to eat of the second.
4. Because God forbade man to eat of the first tree, Satan used every
artifice to get man to eat of it. Contrariwise, because God now
invites men to eat of the second tree, Satan uses all his powers to
prevent men eating of it. Is not this another designed contrast marked
out for us by the Holy Spirit? Humanly speaking it was solely due to
the cunning and malice of the great enemy of God and man that our
first parents ate of the forbidden fruit, and can we not also say,
that it is now primarily due to the subtle devices of the old serpent
the Devil that sinners are kept from eating the fruit of that second
tree?
5. The eating of the first tree brought sin and death "For in the day
that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Gen. 2:17). It was
through eating of the fruit of this tree that the Curse descended upon
our race with all its attendant miseries. By eating of the second Tree
comes life and salvation. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye
eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, ye have no life
in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal
life" (John 6:53, 54). Is there not in these words of our Lord a
latent reference to the history of man's fall, and a designed contrast
from the first tree? Just as by the act of "eating" man lost his
spiritual life, so by an act of "eating" man now obtains spiritual and
eternal life!
6. Adam, the thief, through eating of the first tree, was turned out
of Paradise, while the repentant thief, through eating of the second
Tree, entered Paradise. We doubt not that once again there is a
designed antithesis in these two things. A thief is connected with
both trees, for in eating of the forbidden fruit our first parents
committed an act of theft. Is it not then something more than a
coincidence that we find a "thief" (yea, two thieves) connected with
the second Tree also? And when we note the widely different
experiences of the two thieves the point is even more striking. As we
have said one was cast out of Paradise (the garden), the other was
admitted into Paradise, and to say the least, it is remarkable that
our Lord should employ the word "Paradise" in this connection--the
only time He ever did use it!
Now, briefly, let us consider some of the points of resemblance:
1. Both trees were planted in a garden. The first in the Garden of
Eden, the second in a garden which is unnamed. "Now in the place where
He was crucified there was a garden'' (John 19:41). Are we not told
this, for one reason, in order that we should connect the two trees?
Is it not a striking point of analogy, that both the first Adam and
the last Adam died in a "garden"!
2. In connection with both trees we find the words "in the midst."
"The tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of
knowledge of good and evil" (Gen. 2:9). The word "and" connecting the
two trees together and intimating their juxtaposition in the midst of
the garden. In like manner we also read concerning our Savior, "They
crucified Him, and two others with Him on either side one, and Jesus
in the midst?"
3. Both are trees of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Where in all the
world, or in all the Scriptures, do we learn the knowledge of good and
evil as we do at the second Tree--the Cross? There we see Goodness
incarnate. There we behold the Holiness of God displayed as nowhere
else. There we discover the unfathomable love and matchless grace of
Deity unveiled as never before or since. But there, too, we also see
Evil see it in all its native hideousness. There we witness the
consummation and climax of the creature's wickedness. There we behold
as nowhere else the vileness, the heinousness, the awfulness of sin as
it appears in the sight of the thrice holy God. Yes, there is a
designed resemblance as well as a contrast between the two trees. The
Cross also is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
4. Finally, there is another tree beside the one that was planted in
Eden, of which Genesis 3:6 is true, "And when the woman saw that the
tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a
tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof,
and did eat." Ah! that second Tree is surely "good for food," too. The
Cross of Christ and all that it stands for, is the very meat and
marrow of the believer's life. It is "good" as "food" for the soul!
And how "pleasant" it is "to the eyes" of faith! There we see all our
sins blotted out. There we see our old man crucified. There we see the
ground upon which a holy God can meet a guilty sinner. There we see
the Finished Work of our adorable Redeemer. Truly, it is "pleasant to
the eyes." And is not this second Tree also "a tree to be desired to
make one wise"? Yes; the preaching of the Cross is not only the power
of God, but "the wisdom of God" as well. The knowledge of this second
Tree makes the sinner "wise" unto salvation.
In closing this little meditation we would call attention to one or
two other scriptures in which a "tree" figures prominently. First,
from Genesis 3:17 we learn that the "tree" is linked directly with the
Curse: "Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and
hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt
not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou
eat' of it all the days of thy life." In the light of this how
significant are the following passages: In Genesis 40 we have recorded
the dreams of the two men who were in prison with Joseph. When
interpreting the baker's dream, Joseph said, "Within three days shall
Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shalt hang thee on a tree"
(Gen. 40:19). Again, in Joshua 8:29 we are told, "And the king of Ai
was hanged on a tree until eventide: and as soon as the sun was down,
Joshua commanded that they should take his carcass down from the
tree." Once more, in Esther 2:23 we read, "And when inquisition was
made of the matter, it was found out; therefore they were both hanged
on a tree: and it was written in the book of the chronicles before the
king." What striking illustrations are these of what we find in
Galatians 3:13, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law,
being made a curse for us: for it is written, cursed is every one that
hangeth on a tree"!
"And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in
the tent door in the heat of the day; And he lifted up his eyes and
looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: when he saw them, he ran to
meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, And
said, My lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away,
I pray thee, from thy servant: Let a little water, I pray thee, be
fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree" (Gen.
18:1-4). How suggestive are the last words of this quotation. Why
should we be told that Abraham invited his three visitors to rest
"under the tree," unless there is some typical meaning to his words?
The "tree," as we have seen, speaks of the Cross of Christ, and it is
there that "rest" is to be found. An additional point is brought out
in the eighth verse of Genesis 18: "And he took butter, and milk, and
the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by
them under the tree, and they did eat." Eating is the symbol of
communion, and it was under the tree these three men ate: so, it is
the Cross of Christ which is the basis and ground of our fellowship
with God. How striking, too, the order here: first, rest under the
"tree," and then eating, or fellowship!
Finally, how meaningful is Exodus 15:23-25. When Israel, at the
commencement of their wilderness journey reached Marah, "they could
not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter." And Moses
"cried unto the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree, which when he
had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet." Comment is
almost needless, the type is so apparent. Here again, the "tree"
typifies the Cross of Christ and the Christ of the Cross. It was our
blessed Lord Who, by going down into the place of death, sweetened the
bitter waters for us. Furthermore, it is only as the believer applies,
practically, the principle of the Cross to his daily life, that the
Marahs of our wilderness experiences are transmuted into "waters that
are made sweet." To enter into "the fellowship of His sufferings," and
to be "made conformable unto His death," is the highest Christian
privilege.
How remarkable is the order, the progressive order, of these passages!
First, the "tree" is seen as the place of the curse. Second, the
"tree" is seen as the place where rest is found. Third, the "tree" is
seen as the ground of communion. Fourth, the "tree" is seen as the
principle of action to the daily life of the believer.
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
4. The Fall
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Genesis 3
The third chapter in Genesis is one of the most important in all the
Word of God. What has often been said of Genesis as a whole is
peculiarly true of this chapter: it is the "seed-plot of the Bible."
Here are the foundations upon which rest many of the cardinal
doctrines of our faith. Here we trace back to their source many of the
rivers of divine truth. Here commences the great drama which is being
enacted on the stage of human history, and which well-nigh six
thousand years has not yet completed. Here we find the Divine
explanation of the present fallen and ruined condition of our race.
Here we learn of the subtle devices of our enemy, the Devil. Here we
behold the utter powerlessness of man to walk in the path of
righteousness when divine grace is withheld from him. Here we discover
the spiritual effects of sin--man seeking to flee from God. Here we
discern the attitude of God toward the guilty sinner Here we mark the
universal tendency of human nature to cover its own moral shame by a
device of man's own handiwork. Here we are taught of the gracious
provision which God has made to meet our great need. Here begins that
marvelous stream of prophecy which runs all through the Holy
Scriptures. Here we learn that man cannot approach God except through
a mediator. To some of these deeply important subjects we shall now
give our attention.
I. The Fall Itself
The divine record of the Fall of man is an unequivocal refutation of
the Darwinian hypothesis of evolution. Instead of teaching that man
began at the bottom of the moral ladder and is now slowly but surely
climbing heavenwards, it declares that man began at the top and fell
to the bottom. Moreover, it emphatically repudiates the modern theory
about Heredity and Environment. During the last fifty years
socialistic philosophers have taught that all the ills to which man is
heir are solely attributable to heredity and environment. This
conception is an attempt to deny that man is a fallen creature and at
heart desperately wicked. We are told that if legislators will only
make possible a perfect environment, man will then be able to realize
his ideals and heredity will be purified. But man has already been
tested under the most favorable conditions and was found wanting. With
no evil heredity behind them, our first parents were placed in the
fairest imaginable environment, an environment which God Himself
pronounced "very good." Only a single restriction was placed upon
their liberty, but they failed and fell. The trouble with man is not
external but internal. What he needs most is not a new berth, but a
new birth.
A single restriction was placed upon man's liberty, and this from the
necessity and nature of the case. Man is a responsible being,
responsible to serve, obey and glorify his Maker. Man is not an
independent creature, for he did not make himself. Having been created
by God he owes a debt to his Creator. We repeat, man is a responsible
creature, and as such, subject to the Divine government. This is the
great fact which God would impress upon us from the commencement of
human history. "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,
thou shalt not eat of it" (Gen. 2:17). There was no other reason why
the fruit of this tree should not be eaten save the plain command of
God. And, as we have sought to show, this command was not given
arbitrarily in the real meaning of that word, but gave emphasis to the
relationship in which man stood to God. As an intelligent, responsible
creature, man is subject to the Divine government. But the creature
became self-seeking, self-centered, self-willed, and as the result he
disobeyed, sinned, fell.
The record of the Fall deserves the closest study. Abler pens than
ours have called attention to the different steps which led up to the
overt act. First, the voice of the tempter was heeded. Instead of
saying, "Get thee behind me, Satan," Eve quietly listened to the Evil
One challenging the word of Jehovah. Not only so, but she proceeds to
parley with him. Next there is a tampering with God's Word. Eve begins
by adding to what God has said--always a fatal course to pursue. "Ye
shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it." This last clause was
her own addition, and Proverbs 30:6 received its first
exemplification, "Add thou not unto his words, lest He reprove thee,
and thou be found a liar." Next she proceeded to alter God's Word,
"lest ye die." The sharp point of the Spirit's Sword was blunted.
Finally, she altogether omits God's solemn threat, "Thou shalt surely
die." How true it is that "History repeats itself." God's enemies
today are treading the same path: His Word is either added to,
altered, or flatly denied. Having forsaken the only source of light,
the act of transgression became the natural consequence. The forbidden
fruit is now looked upon, desired, taken, eaten, and given to her
husband. This is ever the logical order. Such, in brief, is the Divine
account of the entry of sin into our world. The will of God was
resisted, the word of God was rejected, the way of God was deserted.
The Divine record of the Fall is the only possible explanation of the
present condition of the human race. It alone accounts for the
presence of evil in a world made by a beneficent and perfect Creator.
It affords the only adequate explanation for the universality of sin.
Why is it that the king's son in the palace, and the saint's daughter
in the cottage, in spite of every safeguard which human love and
watchfulness can devise, manifest from their earliest days an
unmistakable bias toward evil and tendency to sin? Why is it that sin
is universal, that there is no empire, no nation, no family free from
this awful disease! Reject the Divine explanation and no satisfactory
answer is possible to these questions. Accept it, and we see that sin
is universal because all share a common ancestry, all spring from a
common stock, "In Adam all die." The Divine record of the Fall alone
explains the mystery of death. Man possesses an imperishable soul, why
then should he die? He had breathed into him the breath of the Eternal
One, why then should he not live on in this world for ever? Reject the
Divine explanation and we face an insoluble enigma. Accept it, receive
the fact that, "By one man sin entered into the world, and death by
sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Rom.
5:12), and we have an explanation which meets all the facts of the
case.
II. Satan and the Fall
Here for the first time in Scripture we meet with that mysterious
personage the Devil. He is introduced without any word of explanation
concerning his previous history. For our knowledge of his creation,
his pre-Adamic existence, the exalted position which he occupied, and
his terrible fall from it, we are dependent upon other passages,
notably Isaiah 14:12-15, and Ezekiel 28:12-19. In the chapter now
before us we are taught several important lessons respecting our great
Adversary. We learn what is the sphere of his activities, what the
method of his approach and what the form of his temptations. And here
also we learn of the certainty of his ultimate overthrow and
destruction.
Contrary to the popular conception, which makes Satan the author of
the grosses sins of the flesh, and which attributes to him that which
our Lord plainly declared issues out of the human heart, we are here
informed that the sphere of his operations is the religious or
spiritual realm. His chief aim is to get between the soul and God, to
estrange man's heart from his Maker and inspire confidence instead, in
himself. He seeks to usurp the place of the Most High to make His
creatures his own willing subjects and children. His work consists of
substituting his own lies in the place of divine truth. Genesis 3
gives us a sample of his operations and the method he employs. These
things are written for our learning, for his activities, and the realm
in which he works are the same today as they were in the Garden of
Eden.
The method of Satan's approach was the same then as it is now. "Yea
hath God said?" He begins by throwing doubt on the Divine Word! He
questions its veracity. He suggests that God did not mean what He had
said. So it is today. Every effort that is being made to deny the
Divine inspiration of the Scriptures, every attempt put forward to set
aside their absolute authority, every attack on the Bible which we now
witness in the name of scholarship, is only a repetition of this
ancient question, "Yea, hath God said?" Next, he substitutes his own
word for God's, "Ye shall not surely die." We see the same principle
illustrated in the first two parables in Matthew 13. The Lord Jesus
goes forth sowing the seed which is the Word of God, and then the Evil
One immediately follows and sows his tares. And the sad thing is that
while men refuse to believe the Word of the living God, yet they are
sufficiently credulous to accept Satan's lies. So it was at the
beginning, and so it has been ever since. Finally, he dares to cast
reflection upon God's goodness, and to call in question His
perfections. "For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then
your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and
evil." In other words, the Devil here suggests, that God was
despotically withholding from man something which would be
advantageous to him, and he presents as his bait the promise that, if
only Eve will believe his lie rather than God's Word she shall be the
gainer, and the obtainer of a knowledge and wisdom previously denied
her. The same attraction is being dangled by him before the eyes of
the devotees of Spiritism and Theosophy, but into this we cannot now
enter.
It is to be noted that in the temptation a threefold appeal was made
to Eve corresponding with the tripartite nature of the human
constitution. "The woman saw that the tree was good for
food"--appealing to the bodily senses; "and that it was pleasant to
the eyes"--appealing to the desire nature, the emotions, which have
their seat in the soul; "and a tree to be desired to make one
wise"--appealing to the intelligence, which has its center in the
spirit (cf. 1 Cor. 2:11). Thus we learn here a deeply important fact,
namely, that Satan works from without to within, which is the very
reverse of the Divine operations. God begins His work in man's heart,
and the change wrought there reacts and transforms the outward life.
But Satan begins with the external and through the bodily senses and
emotions of the soul works back to the spirit--the reason for this
being, that normally he has not direct access to man's spirit as God
has. This same line was followed in reference to our blessed Lord.
"Command that these stones be made bread "--appealing to the bodily
senses; "Cast Thyself down" a challenge to His courage or an appeal to
the emotional nature of the soul. "Fall down and worship me"--an
appeal to the spirit, for we worship the Father "in spirit and in
truth."
III. The Fall and Man
The first effect of the Fall upon Adam and Eve was a realization of
their shame. "And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew
that they were naked." Through sin man obtained that which he did not
have before (at least, in operation), namely, a conscience--a
knowledge of both good and evil. This was something which un-fallen
man did not possess, for man was created in a state of innocency, and
innocence is ignorance of evil. But as soon as man partook of the
forbidden fruit he became conscious of his wrongdoing, and his eyes
were opened to see his fallen condition. And conscience, the moral
instinct, is something which is now common to human nature. Man has
that within him which witnesses to his fallen and sinful condition!
But not only does conscience bear witness to man's depravity, it is
also one of the marks of a personal Creator's handiwork. The
conscience cannot be of man's making. He would not voluntarily have
set up an accuser, a judge, a tormentor, in his own breast. From
whence then does it proceed? It is no more the result of education
than is reason or memory, though like both it may be cultivated.
Conscience is the still small voice of God within the soul, testifying
to the fact that man is not his own master but responsible to a moral
law which either approves or reproves.
Having become conscious of their shame Adam and Eve at once endeavored
to hide it by making unto themselves aprons of fig leaves. This action
of theirs was highly significant. Instead of seeking God and openly
confessing their guilt, they attempted to conceal it both from Him and
from themselves. Such has ever been the way of the natural man. The
very last thing he will do is to own before God his lost and undone
condition. Conscious that something is wrong with him, he seeks
shelter behind his own self-righteousness and trusts that his good
works will more than counter-balance his evil ones. Church-going,
religious exercises, attention to ordinances, philanthropy and
altruism are the fig leaves which many today are weaving into aprons
to cover their spiritual shame. But like those which our first parents
sewed together they will not endure the test of eternity. At best they
are but things of time which will speedily crumble away to dust.
A passage in the Gospels throws light on the one we are now
considering--we refer to another fig tree, the one on which our Lord
found no fruit. How striking is the lesson taught us by comparing
these two Scriptures! Why are we told that Adam and Eve sewed fig
leaves together? And why are we informed that it was a fig tree which
our Lord cursed? Was it not in order that we should connect them
together? The fig tree was the only thing which our Lord cursed while
He was here upon earth, and are we not intended to learn from that
action of His that that which man employs to hide his spiritual shame
is directly under the curse of Christ, bears no fruit, and is doomed
to quickly wither away!
But these self-manufactured aprons did not remove from Adam and Eve
the sense of their shame, for when they heard the voice of the Lord
God they "hid themselves" from Him. Man's conscience then did not
bring him to God--for that there must be the work of the Holy
Spirit--rather did it terrify him and drive him away from God. Our
first parents sought to hide themselves. Again we note how
characteristic and representative was their action. They had some
faint conception at least of the moral distance that there was between
themselves and their Creator. He was holy, they were sinful,
consequently they were afraid of Him and sought to flee from His
presence. So it is with the unregenerate today. In spite of all their
proud boastings, religious exercises, and self-manufactured coverings,
men are uneasy and fearful. Why is it that the Bible is so much
neglected? It is because it brings man nearer to God than any other
book, and men are uneasy in the presence of God and wish to hide from
Him. Why is it that the public ministry of the Word is so sparsely
attended? People will proffer many excuses, but the real reason is
because that these services bring God near to them and this makes them
uncomfortable in their sin, so they seek to flee from Him. How evident
it is then that we all shared in the first sin and died in Adam. The
position in which the first man stood was a federal one; and that he
acted in a representative capacity is seen by the fact that all his
children share his nature and perpetuate his transgression.
When God sought out Adam and brought him face to face with his guilt,
he was given fair and full opportunity to confess his sin. "Hast thou
eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not
eat?" And what was the reply? How did Adam avail himself of this
opportunity? Instead of a broken-hearted confession of his sin he
excused himself--"And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be
with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat." It was the same with
Eve: "And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou
hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did
eat." Attempt was thus made to palliate the sin by shifting the
responsibility upon others. How marvelously true to life in this
twentieth century! What undesigned proofs are these of Divine
inspiration! But the very excuse man makes is the ground of his
condemnation. We have another illustration of this principle in the
parable of the marriage supper. "I have bought a piece of ground and
must needs go to see it. I pray thee have me excused." Where was the
"needs" be? Just this, that he preferred his own gratification rather
than to accept God's invitation. So it was with Adam--"the woman whom
thou gavest to be with me"--the excuse he furnishes is the very ground
of his condemnation. "Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of
thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee,
saying, thou shalt not eat of it; cursed is the ground for thy sake;
in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life." All these
subterfuges were unavailing and man stood face to face with a holy God
and was convicted of his guilt and unspeakable shame. Thus will it be
at the great white throne.
We find then that the effects of the Fall (so far as we have yet
considered it) upon man himself were fourfold: the discovery that
something was wrong with himself; the effort to hide his shame by a
self-provided covering; fear of God and an attempt to hide from His
presence; and instead of confessing his sin, seeking to excuse it. The
same effects are observable today the world over.
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
5. The Fall (Continued)
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IV. The Fall and God
"And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art
thou?" Beautiful indeed is this record of Divine grace. This was not
the voice of the policeman, but the call of a yearning love. Dark as
is the background here, it only serves more clearly to reveal the
riches of God's grace. Highly favored as our first parents were, blest
with everything the heart could desire, only a single restriction
placed upon their liberty in order to test their loyalty and fidelity
to their Maker--how fearful then their fall, how terrible, their sin!
What wonder if God had consigned them to "everlasting chains under
darkness," as He did the angels when they sinned? What wonder if His
wrath had instantly consumed them? Such would have been no undue
severity. It would simply have been bare justice. It was all they
deserved. But no. In His infinite condescension and abundant mercy,
God deigned to be the Seeker, and came down to Eden crying, Where art
thou?
W. Griffith Thomas has forcibly summed up the significance of this
question in the following words: "God's question to Adam still sounds
in the ear of every sinner: `Where art thou?' It is the call of Divine
justice, which cannot overlook sin. It is the call of Divine sorrow,
which grieves over the sinner. It is the call of Divine love. which
offers redemption from sin. To each and to every one of us the call is
reiterated, `Where art thou?'"
Everything recorded in Genesis 3 has far more than a local
significance. God's attitude and action there were typical and
characteristic. It was not Adam who sought God, but God that sought
Adam. And this has been the order ever since. "There is none that
seeketh after God" (Rom. 3:11). It was God who sought out and called
Abram while yet an idolater. It was God who sought Jacob at Bethel
when he was fleeing from the consequences of his wrong doing. It was
God who sought out Moses while a fugitive in Midian. It was Christ who
sought out the apostles whilst they were engaged in fishing, so that
He could say, "Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you." It was
Christ who, in His ineffable love, came to seek and to save that which
was lost. It is the Shepherd who seeks the sheep, and not the sheep
that seek the Shepherd. How true it is that "We love Him because He
first loved us." O, that we might appreciate more deeply the marvelous
condescension of Deity in stooping so low as to care for and seek out
such poor worms of the dust.
"And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy
seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his
heel" (Gen. 3:15). Here again we behold the exceeding riches of God's
grace. Before He acted in judgment He displayed His mercy; before He
banished the guilty ones from Eden, He gave them a blessed promise and
hope. Though Satan had encompassed the downfall of man, it is
announced that One shall come and bruise his head. By woman had come
sin, by woman should come the Savior. By woman had come the curse, by
woman should come Him who would bear and remove the curse. By woman
Paradise was lost, yet by woman should be born the One who should
regain it. O what grace--the Lord of glory was to be the woman's Seed!
Here we have the beginning and germ of all prophecy. It would be
outside our province now to attempt anything more than a bare outline
of the contents of this wonderful verse. But three things should be
carefully noted. First, it is announced that there should be enmity
between Satan and the woman. This part of the verse is invariably
passed over by commentators. Yet it is of profound importance. The
"woman" here typifies Israel--the woman from whom the promised Seed
came--the woman of Revelation 12. The children of Israel being the
appointed channel through which the Messiah was to come, became the
object of Satan's continued enmity and assault. How marvelously this
prediction has already been fulfilled all students of Scripture know
full well. The "famines" mentioned in Genesis were the first efforts
of the enemy to destroy the fathers of the chosen race. The edict of
Pharaoh to destroy all the male children; the Egyptian attack at the
Red Sea; the assaults of the Canaanites when in the land; the plot of
Haman, are all so many examples of this enmity between Satan and "the
woman," while the continued persecution of the Jew by the Gentiles and
the yet future opposition by the Beast witness to the same truth.
Second, two "seeds" are here referred to--another item which is
generally overlooked--"thy seed" and "her seed"--Satan's seed and the
woman's Seed--the Antichrist and the Christ. In these two persons all
prophecy converges. In the former of these expressions "thy seed"
(Satan's seed) we have more than a hint of the supernatural and
satanic nature and character of the Antichrist. From the beginning the
Devil has been an imitator, and the climax will not be reached until
he daringly travesties the hypostatic union of the two natures in our
blessed Lord--His humanity and His Deity. The Antichrist will be the
Man of Sin and yet the Son of Perdition literally the "seed" of the
serpent--just as our Lord was the Son of Man and the Son of God in one
person. This is the only logical conclusion. If "her seed" ultimates
in a single personality--the Christ--then by every principle of sound
interpretation "thy seed" must also ultimate in a single person--the
Antichrist.
"Her seed" the woman's Seed. Here we have the first announcement
concerning the supernatural birth of our Savior. It was prophetically
foretold that He should enter this world in an unique manner. "Her
seed--the woman's seed, not the man's! How literally this was
fulfilled we learn from the two inspired records given us in the New
Testament of the miraculous conception. A "virgin'' was with child and
four thousand years after this initial prediction "God sent forth His
Son, made of a woman" (Gal. 4:4).
In the third item of this marvelous prophecy reference is made to a
double "bruising"--the woman's Seed shall bruise the Serpent's head,
and the Serpent should bruise His heel. The last clause in this
prediction has already become history. The "bruising" of the heel of
the woman's Seed is a symbolical reference to the sufferings and death
of our Savior, who was "wounded for our transgressions and bruised for
our iniquities." The first of these clauses yet awaits fulfillment.
The bruising of the Serpent's head will take place when our Lord
returns to the earth in person and in power, and when "the dragon,
that old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan shall be bound for a
thousand years (the Millennium) and cast into the bottomless pit (Rev.
20:2, 3). Again, we say, what a remarkable proof this verse furnishes
us of the Divine Inspiration of the Scriptures! Who but He who knoweth
the end from the beginning could have given such an accurate outline
of subsequent history, and packed it within the limits of this one
verse!
"Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins,
and clothed them" (Gen. 3:21). In order to adequately explain and
expound this verse many pages might well be written, but perforce, we
must content ourselves with a few lines. This verse gives us a typical
picture of a sinner's salvation. It was the first Gospel sermon,
preached by God Himself, not in words but in symbol and action. It was
a setting forth of the way by which a sinful creature could return
unto and approach his holy Creator. It was the initial declaration of
the fundamental fact that "without shedding of blood is no remission."
It was a blessed illustration of substitution--the innocent dying in
the stead of the guilty.
Before the Fall, God had defined the wages of sin: "In the day thou
eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." God is righteous, and as Judge
of all the earth He must do right. His law had been broken and justice
cried aloud for the enforcing of its penalty. But is justice to
override mercy! Is there no way by which grace can reign through
righteousness? Blessed be God there is, there was. Mercy desired to
spare the offender and because justice demands death, another shall be
slain in his place. The Lord God clothed Adam and Eve with skins, and
in order to procure these skins animals must have been slain, life
must have been taken, blood must have been shed! And in this way was a
covering provided for the fallen and ruined sinner. The application of
the type is obvious. The Death of the Son of God was shadowed forth.
Because the Lord Jesus laid down His life for the sheep God can now be
just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
How beautiful and perfect is the type! It was the Lord God who
furnished the skins, made them into coats and clothed our first
parents. They did nothing. God did it all. They were entirely passive.
The same blessed truth is illustrated in the parable of the prodigal
son. When the wanderer had taken the place of a lost and undone
creature and had owned his sin, the grace of the father's heart was
displayed. "But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best
robe, and put it on him" (Luke 15:22). The prodigal did not have to
furnish the robe, nor did he have put it on himself, all was done for
him. And so it is with every sinner. "For by grace are ye saved
through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God"
(Eph. 2:8). Well may we sing, "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my
soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the
garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of
righteousness" (Isa. 61:10).
"So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the Garden of
Eden cherubim and a flaming sword which turned every way to keep the
way of the tree of life" (Gen. 3:24). This was the immediate climax in
the Divine condemnation of the first sin. After sentence of judgment
had been passed first upon the serpent, then upon the woman, and
finally upon the man, and after God had acted in mercy by giving them
a precious promise to stay their hearts and by providing a covering
for their shame, Adam and Eve were driven out of Paradise. The moral
significance of this is plain. It was impossible for them to remain in
the garden and continue in fellowship with the Lord. He is holy, and
that which defileth cannot enter His presence. Sin always results in
separation. "But your iniquities have separated between you and your
God, and your sins have hid His face from you" (Isa. 59:2).
Here we see the fulfillment of God's threat. He had announced, "In the
day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Die, not only
physically--there is something infinitely worse than that--but die
spiritually. Just as physical death is the separation of the soul from
the body, so spiritual death is the separation of the soul from
God.--"This my son was dead (separated from me) and is alive
again--restored to me. When it is said that we are by nature "dead in
trespasses and sins," it is because men are "alienated from the life
of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness
of their heart" (Eph. 4:18). In like manner, that judicial death which
awaits all who die in their sins--the "Second Death"--is not
annihilation as so many are now falsely teaching,^[1] but eternal
separation from God and everlasting punishment in the lake of fire.
And so here in Genesis 3 we have God's own definition of
death--separation from Him, evidenced by the expulsion of man from
Eden.
The barring of the way to the tree of life illustrated an important
spiritual truth. In some peculiar way this tree seems to have been a
symbol of the Divine presence (see Prov. 3:18), and the fact that
fallen man had no right of access to it further emphasized the moral
distance at which he stood from God. The sinner, as such, had no
access to God, for the sword of justice barred his way, just as the
veil in the Tabernacle and Temple shut man out from the Divine
presence. But blessed be God, we read of One who has opened for us a
"new and living way" to God, yea, who is Himself the Way (John 14:6).
And how has that been accomplished? Did justice withdraw her sword!
Nay, it sheathed it in the side of our adorable Savior. Doubtless that
solemn but precious word in Zechariah 13:7, "Awake, O sword, against
My Shepherd," looks back to Genesis 3:24. And because the Shepherd was
smitten the sheep are spared, and in the Paradise of God we shall eat
of the fruit of that tree from which Adam was barred (see Revelation
2:7).
Summing up, then, this important division of our subject--God and the
Fall--we discover here: An exhibition of His condescension in seeking
man; an evidence of His mercy in giving a blessed prophecy and promise
to sustain and cheer the heart of man; a demonstration of His grace in
providing a covering for the shame of man; a display of His holiness
in punishing the sin of man; and a typical foreshadowment of the
urgent need of a Mediator between God and man.
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] In Revelation 20 after the unsaved are resurrected, they are still
termed "dead"--for ever, dead to God even while they live
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
6. The Fall (Concluded)
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The philosophy of life as interpreted by the Darwinian school, affirms
that sin is merely a present imperfection and limitation which will
gradually disappear as the human race ascends the hill of life. The
evolutionary hypothesis, therefore, not only denies the teaching of
Genesis one, but it also repudiates the facts recorded in Genesis
three. And here is the real point and purpose of Satan's attack. The
specious reasoning of our modern theologians has not only attempted to
undermine the authenticity of the account of Creation, but it has also
succeeded in blunting the point of the Gospel's appeal.
By denying the Fall, the imperative need of the new birth has been
concealed. For, if man began at the bottom of the moral ladder--as
evolutionists ask us to believe--and is now slowly but surely climbing
heavenwards, then all he needs is education and cultivation. On the
other hand, if man commenced at the top of the ladder but through sin
fell to the bottom--as the Bible declares--then he is in urgent need
of regeneration and justification. The issue thus raised is vital and
fundamental.
V. The Fall and Human History
While we are entirely dependent upon the revelation which God has
given us in His Word for our knowledge of the beginnings of human
history, and while His Word is absolutely authoritative and to be
received with unquestioning faith, and while the Holy Scriptures need
no buttressing with human logic and argument, yet an appeal to history
and experience is not without interest and value. This is the case in
respect to the "Fall." And we would now submit that the teaching of
Genesis three is substantiated and vindicated by the great facts of
human history and experience.
1. The Teaching of Human Experience
Read the annals of history, examine the reports of our police courts,
study life in the slums of our large cities, and then ask, How comes
it that man, the king of creation, designed and fitted to be its
leader and lord, should have sunken lower than the animals?
Illustrations are scarcely necessary to show how low man has sunk, for
all who know vice as it really exists beneath the thin covering
provided by the conventionalities of modern civilization, are only too
painfully aware of the degradation and desolation which exist on all
sides. A beast will not abandon its young as is now so frequently the
ease with the parents of illegitimate children. The beasts of the
field put multitudes of human beings to shame, for in the breeding
season they confine themselves to their own mates exceptions being
found only among those animals which man has partially domesticated!
No animal will drink foul and poisoned water, yet thousands of well
educated men and women are annually poisoned with alcohol.
But what is the cause of these effects. What is the true explanation
of these sad facts? How comes it that the king of creation has sunken
lower than the beasts of the field? Only one answer is possible--SIN,
the FALL. Sin has entered the human constitution; man is a fallen
creature, and as such, capable of any vileness and wickedness.
2. The Discords of Human Nature
Man, the unregenerate man, is a composite being. Two principles are at
work within him. He is a self-contradiction. One moment he does that
which is noble and praiseworthy, but the next that which is base and
vile. Sometimes he is amenable to that which is good and elevating,
but more often he abandons himself to the pleasures of sin. In some
moods he seems closely akin to God, in others he is clearly a child of
the devil.
Whence comes this conflict between good and evil! Why this perplexing
duality in our common make-up? Only one explanation meets all the
facts of the case. On the one hand, man is "the offspring of God";
but, on the other, sin has come in through the Fall and marred the
Creator's handiwork.
3. The Universality of Sin
Why is it that the king's son in the palace and the saint's daughter
in the cottage, in spite of every safeguard which love and
watchfulness can devise, manifest an unmistakable bias towards evil
and tendency to sin? Why is it that heredity and environment,
education and civilization are powerless to change this order? Why are
all sinful! Why is it that there is no nation, no tribe, no family,
free from the taint of sin? Only the Word of God solves this problem.
All have a common origin (Adam); all share a common heritage (the
Fall); all enter into a common legacy (Sin).
4. The Existence of Death
"There is one event that happeneth to all," but why should it? We have
been created by the Eternal God, we possess a never-dying soul; why,
then, should not men continue to live on this earth for ever? Why
should there be such things as decay and destruction? Why should man
die? Science can furnish no answer to these questions, and philosophy
offers no explanation. Again we are shut up to the Word of God. Death
is the wages of sin, and death is universal because sin is universal.
If any inquire, Why are sin and death universal, the answer is, "By
one man sin entered the world, and death by sin; and so death passed
upon all men, for all have sinned."
5. The Present Paralysis of the Human Race
Every being and organism is subject to a necessity of becoming other
than it is--in a single word, it must grow. Not only the animal and
the plant, but the crystal, too, obeys this law, and it is difficult
to see why humanity which, as history shows, forms an organic whole,
alone does not follow it. The only solution of this problem is, that
man is not now in his original and normal state: he is no longer as
God created him. He who denies the Fall has no light upon this
profound mystery. It is beyond doubt that had man never fallen, he
would have continued to grow in knowledge, goodness and happiness: in
fact, would have become more and more like to God. Enoch, the man who
walked with God, and whom He took to Himself after he had lived the
great cycle of three hundred and sixty-five years--a year for a
day--is an example of a human being who had fulfilled his destiny, and
most probably a type of what the destiny of all men might have been.
But alas! man fell, hence progress and advancement in the final sense
became impossible.
The fact that man has not progressed, or rather, is not now
progressing, may be seen by comparing the products from the various
fields of human enterprise of today with those of two or three
thousand years ago. In literature, nothing has appeared which equals
the Book of Job, or which rivals the Psalms. In Philology--which is a
sure test of the intellectual development and mental life of a people
there is no modern language which matches the Sanskrit. In Art, all
that is best we borrow from the ancient Greeks. In Science, we are
still far behind the designers and builders of the Pyramids--a recent
examination of some mummies has revealed the fact that the Egyptians
were ahead of us even in dentistry, in Ethics, the marvellous system
formulated by Confucius is superior to anything we have today outside
of the Bible. In gigantic civilizations, none have outstripped those
of the Babylonians and Phoenicians, which flourished hundreds of years
before the Christian era commenced. In legislation, forensic and
organizing ability, the Romans have never been surpassed. While
physically we compare unfavorably with the ancients.
Here then is a fact fully demonstrated, that as an organic whole, our
race is making no real progress and evidencing no signs of growth. And
we repeat, it is the only one among all living organisms which is not
growing--growing, not evolving. What, then, is the cause of this
mysterious paralysis? How can we account for it except by the
explanation furnished in the Word of God, namely, that this organism
has had a terrible fall, is marred and broken, is not now in its
normal and original state!
If then the Fall is a historical fact and the only adequate
explanation of human history, what follows! First, man is a fallen
creature; second, he is a sinner; third, he needs a Savior. This then
is the foundation of the Gospel appeal. By nature, man is alienated
from God, under condemnation, lost. What then is the remedy? The
answer is, A new creation. "If any man be in Christ he is a new
creation" (2 Cor. 5:17). It is not the cultivation of the old nature
which is needed, for that is ruined by the Fall, but the reception of
an entirely new nature which is begotten by the Holy Spirit. "Ye must
be born again." Anything short of this is worthless and useless.
VI. The Fall and Christ
No study of Genesis 3 would be complete without meditating upon it
with the Lord Jesus before the heart. Several passages in the Word
link together Adam and Christ, and therefore it behooves us to
carefully compare and contrast them. In thinking of Christ and the
Fall a threefold line of thought may be developed. First, a contrast
between the first man and the second man in their characters and
conduct. Second, Christ Himself bearing the Curse of the Fall. Third,
Christ reversing the effects of the Fall and bringing in the "better
thing." Let us take up these thoughts in this order.
It has been suggested by another, that in eating of the forbidden
fruit Adam cast reproach upon God's love, God's truth and God's
majesty. Created in the image of his Maker: vitalized by the very
breath of Deity: placed in a perfect environment: surrounded by every
blessing the heart could desire: put in complete authority over the
works of God's hands: provided with a suitable companion and helpmeet:
made an example to all the universe of Jehovah's goodness and love,
and given one single command that he might have opportunity to show
his appreciation by an easy observance of it--yet, he gives ear to the
voice of the tempter and believes the Devil's lie.
"And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God
doth know that in the day ye eat thereof then your eyes shall be
opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil." What did Satan
wish these words to imply? They were as though he said: Did God tell
you not to eat of this tree? How unkind! He is withholding from you
the very best thing in the garden. He knows full well that if you
partake of this fruit your eyes will be opened, and you yourselves
will become as God. In other words, it was an appeal for them to
distrust God, to doubt His grace, and to question His goodness. Thus
in eating of the forbidden fruit, Adam repudiated and dishonored God's
love.
Moreover, he questioned and dishonored God's veracity. God had plainly
warned him. In unequivocal language He had threatened, "In the day
thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Adam knew nothing of
death. He was surrounded only by living creatures. Reason might have
argued that it was impossible for death to enter such a fair land as
Paradise. But there rang the Word of Him who cannot lie, "Thou shalt
surely die." The serpent, however, boldly denies Jehovah's Word "Ye
shall not surely die," he declares. Which would Adam believe--God or
Satan. He had more confidence in the latter: he dared to doubt the
former, and the fell deed was done. Thus, in eating of the forbidden
fruit, Adam repudiated and dishonored God's Truth.
Further: he rejected God's authority. As the Creator, God possesses
the inherent right to issue commands, and to demand from His creatures
implicit obedience. It is His prerogative to act as Law-giver,
Controller, Governor, and to define the limits of His subjects'
freedom. And in Eden He exercised His prerogative and exprest His
will. But Adam imagined he had a better friend than God. He regarded
Him as austere and despotic, as One who begrudged him that which would
promote his best interests. He felt that in being denied the fruit of
this tree which was pleasant to the eyes and capable of making one
wise God was acting arbitrarily, cruelly, so he determined to assert
himself, claim his rights and throw off the restraint of the Divine
government. He substitutes the Devil's word for God's law: he puts his
own desire before Jehovah's command. Thus, in eating of the forbidden
fruit, Adam repudiated and dishonored God's Majesty. So much then for
the character and conduct of the first Adam.
In turning to the last Adam we shall find that everything is in direct
antithesis. In thought, word and deed, the Christ of God completely
vindicated the love, truth, and majesty of Deity which the first man
had so grievously and deliberately dishonored. How He vindicated the
love of God! Adam harbored the wicked thought that God begrudged him
that which was beneficial, and thereby questioned His goodness. But
how the Lord Jesus has reversed that decision! In coming down to this
earth to seek and to save that which was lost, He fully revealed the
compassion of Deity for humanity. In His sympathy for the afflicted,
in His miracles of healing, in His tears over Jerusalem, in His
unselfish and unwearied works of mercy, He has openly displayed the
beneficence and benevolence of God. And what shall we say of His
sufferings and death on the cruel tree! In laying down His life for
us, in dying upon the cross He unveiled the heart of the Father as
nothing else could. "God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ` In the light of Calvary we
can never more doubt the goodness and grace of God.
How Christ vindicated the truth of God! When tempted by Satan to doubt
God's goodness, question His truth and repudiate His majesty, He
answered each time, "It is written." When He entered the synagogue on
the Sabbath day it was to read out of the Holy Oracles. When selecting
the twelve apostles He designedly chose Judas in order that the
Scriptures "might be fulfilled." When censuring His critics, He
declared that by their traditions they made void "the Word of God." In
His last moments upon the Cross, knowing that all things had been
accomplished, in order that the Scriptures might be fulfilled He said,
"I thirst." After He had risen from the dead and was journeying with
the two disciples to Emmaus, He "expounded unto them in all the
Scriptures the things concerning Himself." At every point, and in
every detail of His life He honored and magnified God's truth.
Finally, Christ completely vindicated the majesty of God. The creature
had aspired to be equal with the Creator. Adam chafed against the
governmental restraint which Jehovah had placed upon him. He despised
God's law, insulted His majesty, defied His authority. How different
with our blessed Savior! Though He was the Lord of Glory and equal
with God, yet He made Himself of no reputation, and took upon the form
of a servant. O matchless grace! He condescended to be "made under the
law," and during the whole of His stay here upon earth He refused to
assert His rights, and was ever subject to the Father. "Not My will"
was His holy cry. Nay, more: "He became obedient unto death, even the
death of the cross." Never was God's law so magnified, never was God's
authority so honored, never were God's government claims so
illustriously upheld, as during the thirty-three years when His own
Son tabernacled among men. Thus in His own Person Christ vindicated
the outraged majesty of God.
We turn now to contemplate Christ Himself bearing the Curse of the
Fall. What was the punishment which followed the first Adam's sin? In
answering this question we confine ourselves to the chapter now before
us. Beginning at Genesis 3:17 we may trace a sevenfold consequence
upon the entrance of sin into this world. First, the ground was
cursed. Second, in sorrow man was to eat of it all the days of his
life. Third, thorns and thistles it was to bring forth. Fourth, in the
sweat of his face man was to eat his bread. Fifth, unto dust man was
to return. Sixth, a flaming sword barred his way to the tree of life.
Seventh, there was the execution of God's threat that in the day man
partook of the forbidden fruit he should surely die. Such was the
curse which fell upon Adam as the result of the Fall.
Observe now how completely the Lord Jesus bore the full consequences
of man's sin. First, Christ was "made a curse for us" (Gal. 3:13).
Second, so thoroughly was He acquainted with grief, He was denominated
"the man of sorrows" (Isa. 53:3). Third, in order that we might know
how literally the Holy One bore in His own body the consequences of
Adam's sin, we read "Then came Jesus forth wearing the crown of
thorns" (John 19:5) Fourth, corresponding with the sweat of his face
in which the first man was to eat his bread, we learn concerning the
second man, "And His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling
down to the ground" (Luke 22:44). Fifth, just as the first Adam was to
return unto the dust, so the cry of the last Adam, in that wonderful
prophetic Psalm, was "Thou hast brought Me into the dust of death"
(Ps. 22:15). Sixth, the sword of justice which barred the way to the
tree of life was sheathed in the side of God's Son, for of old,
Jehovah had said, "Awake, O sword, against My shepherd, and against
the man that is My Fellow" (Zech. 13:7). Seventh, the counterpart of
God's original threat to Adam, namely, spiritual death (for he did not
die physically that same day), which is the separation of the soul
from God, is witnessed in that most solemn of all cries, "My God, My
God, Why hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46). How absolutely did
our blessed Savior identify Himself with those which were lost, took
their place and suffered the Just for the unjust! How apparent it is,
that Christ in His own body, did bear the Curse entailed by the Fall.
In conclusion we shall now consider Christ reversing the effects of
the Fall. God alone is able to bring good out of evil and make even
the wrath of man to praise Him. The Fall has afforded Him an
opportunity to exhibit His wisdom and display the riches of His grace
to an extent which, so far as we can see, He never could have done,
had not sin entered the world. In the sphere of redemption Christ has
not only reversed the effects of the Fall, but because of it has
brought in a better thing. If God could have found a way, consistently
with His own character, to restore man to the position which he
occupied before he became a transgressor, it would have been a
remarkable triumph, but that through Christ man should actually be the
gainer is a transcendent miracle of Divine wisdom and grace. Yet such
is the case. The redeemed have gained more through the last Adam than
they lost through the first Adam. They occupy a more exalted position.
Before the Fall Adam dwelt in an earthly Paradise, but the redeemed
have been made to sit with Christ in heavenly places. Through
redemption they have been blest with a nobler nature. Before the Fall
man possessed a natural life, but now, all in Christ have been made
partakers of the Divine nature. They have obtained a new standing
before God. Adam was merely innocent, which is a negative condition,
but believers in Christ are righteous, which is a positive state. We
share a better inheritance. Adam was lord of Eden, but believers are
"heirs of all things," "heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ."
Through grace we have been made capable of a deeper joy than unfallen
spirits have known: the bliss of pardoned sin, the heaven of deep
conscious obligation to Divine mercy. In Christ believers enjoy a
closer relationship to God than was possible before the Fall. Adam was
merely a creature, but we are members of the body of Christ--"members
of His body, of His flesh and of His bones." How marvelous! We have
been taken into union with Deity itself, so that the Son of God is not
ashamed to call us brethren. The Fall provided the need of Redemption,
and through the redeeming work of the Cross, believers have a portion
which unfallen Adam could never have attained unto. Truly, "where sin
abounded, grace did much more abound."
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
7. Cain and Abel
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 4
There is a very close connection between Genesis 3 and 4. In the
former we see the beginning of sin in man, in the latter we read of
its progress and fruits; in the one it was sin in the individual, in
the other, sin in the family. Like leprosy, sin contaminates, spreads
and issues in death. In Genesis 3 the sin was against God, in Genesis
4 it is against a fellow-man. The order here is ever the same; the one
who has no fear of God before his eyes, has no genuine respect for the
rights of his neighbor. Again, in Genesis 4 we see the local
fulfillment of Genesis 3:15--the enmity between the two seeds--the
wicked and the righteous, Cain and Abel. Further; we are shown, even
more clearly than by the coats of skins in the previous chapter, that
the guilty sinner can only approach God by means of a sacrifice. We
propose now to study briefly the contents of Genesis 4 from three
viewpoints, namely; the historical, the typical and the
dispensational.
I. Cain and Abel Considered Historically
The record of Genesis 4 is exceedingly terse and much is gathered up
which scarcely appears on the surface. The central truth of the
chapter is that God is to be worshipped, that He is to be worshipped
through sacrifice, that He is to be worshipped by means of a sacrifice
which is appropriated by faith (cf. Heb. 11:4). Three things are to be
carefully noted in regard to the worship of Cain and Abel. First, that
there was a place where God was to be worshipped. This is indicated in
the third verse: "Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering
unto the Lord." That is, he brought his offering to some particular
place. This supposition seems to be supported by the language of verse
16--"And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord." A further
corroboration may be discovered in the mention of "the fat" which Abel
brought (v. 4). "The firstlings of his flock and the fat thereof"
suggests an altar upon which the victim should be offered and upon
which the fat should be burned. Where this place of worship was
located perhaps we cannot say for certain, but there is ground for
believing that it was at the east of the Garden of Eden. Jamieson,
Fausset and Brown, in their commentary on Genesis, translate the last
verse of Genesis 3 as follows: "And He (God) dwelt at the east of the
Garden of Eden between the Cherubim, as a Shekinah (a fire-tongue or
fire-sword) to keep open the way to the tree of life."^[1] The same
thought is presented in the Jerusalem Targum. If the grammatical
construction of the Hebrew will warrant this translation, then Genesis
3:24 would seem to signify that, having expelled man from the garden,
God established a mercy-seat protected by the Cherubim, the
fire-tongue or sword being the symbol of the Divine presence, and
whoever would worship God must approach this mercy-seat by way of
sacrifice. We commend this suggestion to the prayerful consideration
of our readers. To say the least, Genesis 4 seems to imply that there
was some definite place to which Cain and Abel brought their
offerings, a place which they entered and from which they went out.
Second: Not only does there appear to have been a definite place of
worship, but there seems also to have been an appointed time for
worship. The marginal reading of Genesis 4:3 gives, "And at the end of
days it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an
offering unto the Lord." May not this signify, at the end of the week?
In other words, does not this expression appear to point to the
Sabbath day as the time when God was to be formally worshipped? A
third thing implied is a prescribed means of worship. God could be
approached and worshipped only by means of sacrifice. This incident
then seems to intimate that the children of Adam and Eve had been
definitely instructed that there was a place where God could be found,
that there was a time in which to come before Him, and that appointed
means of approach had been established. Neither Cain nor Abel would
have known anything about sacrifices unless sacrifices had been
definitely appointed. From Hebrews 11:4 we learn that it was "By faith
Abel offered" his sacrifice, and in Romans 10:17 we are told that
"Faith cometh by hearing." It was by faith and not by fancy that Abel
brought his offering to God. He had heard that God required a
sacrifice, he believed, and he evidenced his faith by a compliance
with God revealed will.
The nature of the offerings which Cain and Abel brought unto the Lord,
and God's rejection of the one and acceptance of the other, point us
to the most important truth in the chapter. Attention should be fixed
not so much on the two men themselves, as upon the difference between
their offerings. So far as the record goes there is nothing to
intimate that up to this time Cain was the worst man of the two, that
is, considered from a natural and moral standpoint. Cain was no
infidel or atheist. He was ready to acknowledge the existence of God,
he was prepared to worship Him after his own fashion. He "brought of
the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord." But mark three
things. First, his offering was a bloodless one, and "without shedding
of blood is no remission" (Heb. 9:22). Second, his offering consisted
of the fruit of his own toil, it was the product of his own labors, in
a word, it was the works of his own hands. Third, he brought of "the
fruit of the ground," thus ignoring the Divine sentence recorded in
Genesis 3:17, "Cursed is the ground." Abel "brought of the firstlings
of his flock and the fat thereof," and to secure this, sacrifice had
to be made, life had to be taken, blood had to be shed. The comment of
the Holy Spirit upon this incident is, that "By faith Abel offered
unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain" (Heb. 11:4). He does
not state that Abel was more excellent, but that the offering which be
presented was more pleasing and acceptable to his Maker.
Next we learn that "The Lord had respect unto Abel and to his
offering," or, as Hebrews 11:4 expresses it, "God testifying of his
gifts." By comparing later Scriptures we may justly infer that the
manner in which Jehovah showed His acceptance of the offering was by
fire coming down from heaven and consuming the sacrifice (see Lev.
9:24; Judges 6:21; 1 Kings 18:38; 1 Chron. 21:26; 2 Chron. 7:1). "But
unto Cain and his offering He had not respect.'' No doubt Cain's
offering was a very beautiful one. No doubt he selected the very
choicest fruits that could be found. No doubt his offering cost him
considerable toil and labor, and probably it was with no little
self-satisfaction that he came before the Lord. But Jehovah had no
respect unto his gift; there was no visible token of the Divine
approval; no fire came down from heaven to consume it in proof of
God's acceptance. And Cain's countenance fell. He was furious that all
his labors should stand for nothing. He was angry at the thought that
he could not approach and worship God according to the dictates of his
own mind. And, as we shall see later, he was filled with wrath as he
contemplated the exaltation of Abel above him. So it is today. Unless
the darkened understanding of man be illumined by the Holy Spirit and
the enmity of the carnal mind be subdued, the human heart rebels
against the idea of the impossibility of approaching God save through
a bloody sacrifice. The natural man in his pride and
self-righteousness hates the truths of substitution and expiation
worse than he hates the Devil.
"And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy
countenance fallen?" The condition of Cain's heart was clearly
revealed by his anger at God's refusal to receive his offering. His
worship, like that of multitudes in our day, was merely "a form of
godliness, but denying the power thereof" (2 Tim. 3:5), that is,
destitute of any genuineness or reality. Had Cain's offering been
presented in the right spirit there would have been no "wroth" when
Jehovah refused to accept it, but instead, a humble desire to learn
God's will.
"If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not
well, sin lieth at the door; and unto thee shall be his desire, and
thou shalt rule over him" (Gen. 4:7). This verse has always been a
difficult one to expositors and commentators, and we have never yet
seen any explanation of it that fully satisfied us. The interpretation
most widely received is as follows: Why art thou wroth, Cain? If thou
doest well if you will present the proper and specified offering it
will be accepted; and if thou doest not well--if the offering you
brought has been rejected the remedy is simple "sin lieth at the
door," i.e., a suitable and meet offering, a sin offering is right to
your hand, and if you present this you shall "have the excellency''
(margin), that is, you shall retain the right of the firstborn and
have the precedence over Abel your younger brother. The Hebrew word
here translated sin, is in other passages sometimes rendered
sin-offering--the one Hebrew word doing duty for our two English
expressions. Though many of the ablest Bible students have accepted
this translation and interpretation, we feel obliged to humbly dissent
from it. And for this reason. Apart from this one doubtful case (Gen.
4:7), doubtful, as to whether or not the Hebrew word should be
translated sin or sin-offering--there in no other reference in
Scripture of any Sin offering before the giving of the Law at Sinai.
We do read of the patriarch's presenting burnt and meat offerings, but
never of sin offerings. In the light of Romans 3:20 we firmly believe
that there was no sin offering before Moses. "By the Law is the
knowledge of sin." The Law was given in order that sin might be
recognized as sin. It was the Law which convicted men of sin and of
their need of a sin offering. Hence we submit that there was no sin
offering before the Law was given. Job 1:5 supports this contention,
"And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that
Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and
offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all, for Job
said, It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their
hearts"--had they sinned after the Law was given a sin offering, not a
burnt offering, would have been needed. What then is the significance
of Genesis 4:7?
Undoubtedly the words "If thou doest well" have reference to the
bringing of a proper offering to the Lord. In case Cain was willing to
do this Jehovah asks, "Shalt thou not have the excellency" (margin),
which means, Shalt thou not retain the right of primogeniture over
Abel? "And if thou doest not well sin lieth at the door," which we
understand to mean, If you refuse to bring the required offering, sin
lieth (Hebrew, is crouching) at the door, and like a wild beast is
ready to spring upon you and devour you. The remainder of the verse
referring back to the matter of Cain's rights by virtue of his
seniority.
The use of the word "And" all through the passage and the word "Also"
in verse 4 seem to show that Cain and Abel came together to present
their offerings unto the Lord. Abel's offering was accepted, Cain's
was rejected. Probably, Cain reasoned from this that there would
likely be a change in the order of primogeniture and that his younger
brother should become his ruler. Hence his "wroth" and readiness to
kill Abel rather than submit to him. In a word Cain intended to be
first at all costs. Believing that he had lost the place and privilege
of the firstborn--for only upon his bringing of the stipulated
offering could he continue to rule over his brother--and refusing to
sacrifice according to God's requirements, and fearing that Abel would
now be his ruler, he decided that rather than submit to this, he would
kill his brother. Such we believe to be the real explanation, the
motive, the cause of the first murder. The first word of verse 8 which
recounts the deed bears this out, linking it as it does with the
previous verse.
To summarize our suggested interpretation of verse 7: Cain's offering
having been refused, anger filled his heart. Jehovah asks him why he
is wroth, and tells him there is no just cause for his displeasure,
and that if he will bring the required offering it would he accepted
and Cain would then retain the rights of the firstborn. At the same
time God faithfully and solemnly warns him of the consequences which
will follow his refusal to bring the specified sacrifice. If his sin
is not removed by an expiatory offering, it will spring upon and
devour him. Cain refused to comply with Jehovah's demands and the
Divine threat was carried out. What an illustration of James 1:15!
"When lust (desire, passion) hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin:
and sin when it is finished (consummated), bringeth forth death." This
was the precise order in Cain's case: first--lust, anger--then,
sin--lying at the door,--then, death--Abel murdered.
"And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said,
I know not. Am I my brother's keeper? And He said, What hast thou
done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the
ground." Sin cannot be hid. There may have been no human witness to
Cain's crime, but the eye of God had seen it. Solemn is the lesson
taught here. "Be not deceived, God is not mocked." "Be sure your sin
will find you out." "For there is nothing covered, that shall not be
revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known," are only so many ways
of stating the same truth. To Jehovah's pointed inquiry, Cain replied,
"I know not." How this brings out the inveterate evil of the human
heart! There was no contrition, no confessing of sin, but instead, a
repudiation and covering of it. So it was with our first parents in
Eden, and so it ever is with all their descendants until God's grace
works effectually in us. It is to be noted that we have here the first
mention of "blood" in Scripture, and like all first mentionings
therein, it expresses what is primary and fundamental, hinting also at
the amplifications of subsequent teaching. The blood here was innocent
blood, blood shed by wicked hands, blood which cried aloud to God. How
deeply significant! How it speaks to us of the precious blood of
Christ!
After the Divine inquisition comes the Divine sentence upon the guilty
one telling of God's holiness and righteousness which will not for an
instant tolerate sin, "And now art thou cursed from the earth, which
hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand.
When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee
her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth."
No matter where he should go in the world the ground should be against
him, the ground that held the blood of his brother, the blood of his
victim. The remembrance of his murder should pursue him, so that he
would not be able to content himself long in any one place.
"And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can
bear." Cain now realizes something of what he has done, though his
mind is occupied more with his punishment than with the sin which had
caused it. "My punishment is greater than I can bear" will be the
language of the lost in the Lake of Fire. The awful lot of the unsaved
will be unbearable, and yet it will have to be endured and endured for
ever. "From Thy face shall I be hid" cried Cain. Though the sinner
knows it not, this will be the most terrible feature of his
punishment--eternally banished from God. "Depart from Me ye cursed"
will be the fearful sentence passed upon the wicked in the day of
judgment. "And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt
in the land of Nod." Nod means "wandering"--there is no peace or rest
for the wicked: in this world they are like the troubled waves of the
sea; in the world to come, they shall be like wandering stars, lost in
the blackness of darkness for ever. My reader, if you reject the
Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, Cain's doom shall be your doom.
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that
believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth
on him."
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] We may say that the Hebrew word shaken, which in Genesis 3:24 is
translated "placed" is defined in Young's Concordance "to tabernacle,"
etc. Nowhere else in the Old Testament is shaken translated "placed"
but eighty-three times it is rendered "to dwell." It is the same
Hebrew word which is given as "to dwell" in Exodus 25:8
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
8. Cain and Abel (Continued)
_________________________________________________________________
II. Cain and Abel Considered Typically or Representatively
Cain and Abel stand as the representatives of two great classes of
people. They typify respectively the lost and the saved; the
self-righteous and the broken-spirited; the formal professor and the
genuine believer; those who rely upon their own works, and those who
rest upon the finished work of Christ; those who insist upon salvation
by human merits, and those who are willing to be saved by Divine
grace; those who are rejected and cursed by God, and those who are
accepted and blessed. Both Cain and Abel were the children of fallen
parents, and both of them were born outside of Eden. Both were,
therefore, by nature "children of wrath," and as such judicially
alienated from God. Both had been shapen in iniquity and conceived in
sin, and hence both stood in need of a Savior. But, as we shall show,
Cain denied his ruined and fallen condition and refused to accept the
Remedy God provided; while Abel acknowledged his sinnership, believed
the Divine testimony, put his faith in a sacrificial substitute, and
was accounted righteous before God.
In our study of Genesis 3, we saw that before God banished our first
parents from Eden, He revealed to them the way of salvation: "UntoAdam
also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins and clothed
them (Gen. 3:21). This was the first Gospel sermon ever preached on
this earth, preached not by word but by symbol. By clothing Adam and
Eve with these skins God taught them four lessons. First, that in
order for a guilty sinner to approach a holy God he needed a suitable
covering. Second, that the aprons of fig leaves which their own hands
had made were not acceptable to Him. Third, that God Himself must
provide the covering. Fourth, that the necessary covering could only
be obtained through death. Death is the wages of sin. Adam and Eve had
broken God's command, and justice clamored for the execution of law's
penalty. Either they must die or another must die in their place.
Mercy can only come in after justice has been satisfied. Grace reigns
"through righteousness," and never at the expense of it. God dealt
with Adam and Eve in mercy, but in doing so He first met the claims of
His broken law. In clothing them with skins God showed them by
forceful symbol that sin could only be covered--atoned for, for the
Hebrew word for atone means "tocover"--at the cost of sacrifice, by
life being taken, by blood being shed. And so in Eden itself we find
the first type and foreshadowment of the Cross of Christ. To Adam and
Eve, God preached the blessed and basic truth of substitution--thejust
dying for the unjust, the innocent suffering for the guilty. Adam and
Eve were guilty and merited destruction, but these animals died in
their stead, and by their death a covering was provided to hide their
sin and shame. So it is with Christ and the believer. In Him I am
provided with a robe of righteousness--"the best robe" which perfectly
satisfies the eye of the thrice holy God.
In Eden then we hear the first Gospel message. But not only so, in
Eden God showed man plainly and unmistakably what He required of
him.In the slaying of those animals from whose bodies the skins were
taken to clothe our first parents, God revealed the condition upon
which alone the sinner can approach his Maker, namely, blood-shedding.
Man must put a substitute between himself and God's wrath.In the
slaying of the animal, the offerer identified himself with his
offering and acknowledged that he was a sinner, that he deserved
naught but judgment at God's hands, that death was his legitimate due.
In the slaying of the offering with which the offerer had identified
himself, he saw the death of his substitute,the meeting of God's
claims, the satisfying of Divine justice, and that, because his
substitute had died in his stead, he went free.
We have again commented somewhat freely upon Genesis 3:21 because our
understanding of this important verse is necessary in order to
intelligently apprehend the contents of Genesis 4. As we have seen,
Adam and Eve were clearly and definitely instructed by God Himself
concerning the terms of approach to their Maker. To them He explicitly
revealed His requirements, and these requirements were made known by
Adam and Eve to their children.It is beyond question that Cain and
Abel knew that in order to come before Jehovah with acceptance they
must bring with them a bloody offering. Hebrews 11:4 makes that fact
abundantly clear. It was "by faith" that Abel presented his sacrifice
to God, and Romans 10:17 tells us "Faith cometh by hearing and hearing
by the Word of God," hence it is evident that he and his brother had
"heard" of God's requirements.
"And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the
fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord." In bringing such an
offering Cain deliberately turned his back on God's revealed will and
dared to set up his own will in defiance. In bringing the offering he
did, Cain denied that he was a fallen creature--the fallen child of
fallen parents--and as such under the sentence of Divine condemnation.
He denied that he was a guilty sinner, morally and penally separated
from God. He deliberately ignored God's demand for expiation by the
death of a sacrificial substitute. He insisted upon approaching God on
the ground of personal worthiness. Instead of accepting God's way, he
audaciously went his own way and selected an offering which commended
itself to his own tastes. He offered to God the fruits of the ground
which God had cursed. He presented the product of his own toil, the
work of his own hands, and God refused to receive it.
Cain represents the natural man. He represents those who turn their
back upon the blood of the Cross and who speak of the Atonement as "a
doctrine of the shambles." He represents that large class of people
who reject the finished Work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and who think
to obtain salvation by works of righteousness which they have done.
Cain is the father of the Pharisee, who prides himself that he is the
superior of the contritious Publican, and who boasts loudly of his
morality and religiousness. He is the representative of all who pride
themselves that they can in their own strength live a life which is
pleasing to God and who can by their own efforts produce that which
shall merit Divine esteem.
Jude, verse 11, pronounces a solemn woe upon those who have "gone in
the way of Cain." To whom does he refer? They are those who deny that
the whole human race sinned and fell in Adam and who are therefore by
nature children of wrath. They are those who deny that man has been
driven out of God's presence and that a great gulf is now fixed
between them. They deny that that gulf can only be bridged by the
Cross of Christ and that through Him and His redemption lies the sole
way back to the Father. They deny that human nature is essentially
evil, incurably wicked, and under the curse of God. They deny that it
is absolutely impossible for a clean thing to come out of an unclean,
and that unless a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.
On the contrary, they declare that human nature is essentially good,
and that by a process of development and culture it can bring forth
good fruit--fruit which is acceptable to God. They offer this fruit
unto God in the form of moral character, unselfish deeds and
charitable works. Their language is, Something in my hands I bring, to
my goodness I do cling. This is the way of Cain. Cain brought of the
fruits of the ground which God had cursed, and God had no respect unto
such an offering. Human nature is under God's curse, and as like can
only produce like, it follows that human works--the best of them--are
only the fruits of a cursed ground; as it is written, "All our
righteousnesses are as filthy rags," i.e., obnoxious to God. As it was
in the beginning, so it is now. God has no respect for such offerers
and offerings. He will not accept them. The only offering that God
will receive is that which is presented to Him on the ground of the
merits of His blessed Son.
"And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the
fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering"
(Gen. 4:4). Abel presents a sharp antithesis to Cain. In bringing the
offering which he did Abel confessed that he was a fallen creature, a
guilty sinner, one at a moral and penal distance from God. He bowed to
the Divine sentence of condemnation resting upon him and owned its
justice. He acknowledged that he was worthy of death. By offering a
lamb he testified that his only hope before God lay in a substitute
taking his place and bearing the penalty which was his due. He
presented his offering "byfaith." That is to say, he believed that God
would accept this slain lamb, that its shed blood would meet all His
requirements and satisfy His justice. He had heard from the lips of
his parents that the only way back to God was through
sacrifice--through an innocent life being offered up on the behalf of
the guilty, and having heard this he believed it, and believing it he
acted upon it. This is precisely what constitutes saving faith: It is
believing God's Word and acting on it. Consider an illustration in
proof: "He said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down
your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto Him, Master, we
have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at Thy
Word I wilt let down the net" (Luke 5:4, 5). Faith is more than an
intellectual assent. Faith is the committal of ourselves to God's
Word. Faith necessarily involves volition, "I will let down the net."
Faith flies in the face of all carnal reasonings, feelings and
experience and says, "Nevertheless at Thy Word I will." Abel then took
God at His Word, offered his sacrifice by faith and was accepted and
pronounced righteous.
As Cain represents the natural man so Abel typifies the spiritual man,
the man born from above, the man created anew in Christ Jesus. Abel is
the representative of those who take God's side against themselves;
who accept the character which God has given them in His Word; who own
that they are lost, undone, helpless; who realize their only hope lies
outside of themselves in Another, and who realizing this, cast
themselves upon God's grace, crying, "God be merciful to me a sinner."
Abel represents those who pin their faith to the atoning sacrifice of
Calvary, who rest their all both for time and eternity on the
redemptive work of the Cross, who sing from their hearts, "Myhope is
built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness." In short,
Abel stands as a lasting type of all who receive as their substitute
and Savior the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.
The ultimate difference, then, between Cain and Abel was not in their
characters, but in their offerings. In one word, it was a difference
of blood. Abel was accepted because he offered to God a bleeding lamb.
Cain was rejected because he refused to offer such. Here, then, we
have traced back to their fountain head the two streams which empty
themselves in Heaven and Hell, namely, the saved and the lost, and the
dividing line between them in a line of blood. That was the difference
between the Israelites and the Egyptians. On the night when God's
avenging angel passed through the land of Pharaoh and found a house
upon whose door blood was sprinkled--the blood of a lamb, he passed
over. But, when he found a house without blood upon it, he entered and
slew the firstborn, from the king upon his throne to the prisoner in
the dungeon.
This will be the test in the day of judgment--all whose names are not
found written in the Lamb's book of life shall be cast into the lake
of fire. Redemption is to be obtained only through Jesus Christ. "Whom
God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His
blood"(Rom. 3:26). Reader, on what is your hope based? If you are
relying upon your efforts and works, if you are trusting to your own
goodness and morality to carry you through, you are building your
house upon a foundation of sand and great will be the fall of it. But,
if you are trusting in and relying upon the merits of the precious
blood of Christ, then are you building upon the rock, and in that Rock
shall you find shelter from the wrath to come. And now in conclusion:
III. Cain and Abel Considered Dispensationally
"Now all these things happened unto them for types (margin); and they
are written for our admonition" (1 Cor. 10:11). Abel is a striking
type of Christ, and his murder by Cain was a remarkable foreshadowment
of our Lord's rejection and crucifixion by the Jews. At least
thirty-five points of resemblance can be traced here between type and
antitype. In considering Abel as a type of our Lord, it is to be noted
that, like Isaac, offered up on the altar and the ram caught in a
thicket, which afterwards took his place in death, we have here a
double type also. Both Abel and the offering which he brought pointed
to the Lord Jesus. To make it easier for our readers to follow us, we
have numbered the different points of agreement in type and antitype.
(1) Abel was a shepherd (Gen. 4:2) and (2) it was as a shepherd that
he presented his offering unto God (3) Though giving no cause for it,
he was hated by his brother. As we have shown in the last chapter,
Cain was jealous of his brother and (4) it was out of "envy" that he
slew him. (5) Abel then did not die a natural death, but (6) met with
a violent end at the hand of his own brother. (7) After his death God
declared that Abel's blood "cried" unto Him, and severe punishment was
meted out upon his murderer. Turning from Abel himself to his
offering, we note: (8) Abel presented an offering "unto God" (Heb.
11:4). (9) That the offering which he presented was "the firstlings of
his flock": in other words, a "lamb." (10) In bringing his offering
"byfaith," he honored and magnified the Will and Word of the Lord.
(11) The offering which Abel presented is described as an "excellent"
one (Heb. 11:4). (12) God had "respect unto Abel and to his offering":
in other words, He accepted them. (13) In the presentation of his
offering Abel "obtained witness that he was righteous" (Heb. 11:4).
(14) After he had presented his offering, God publicly "testified"His
acceptance of it. (15) Finally, Abel's offering still "speaks" to
God--"By it he being dead yet speaketh."
The type is perfect at every point. (1) Our Lord is a "shepherd"--the
Good Shepherd--and (2) it was as the Shepherd He presented His
offering to God (John 10:11). (3) Though giving no cause for it, He
was hated by His brethren according to the flesh (John 15:25). (4) It
was through "envy" that He was delivered up to be crucified (Matthew
27:18). (5) Our Lord did not die a natural death. He was "slain" by
wicked hands (Acts 2:23). (6) He was crucified by "The House of
Israel" (Acts 2:36), His own brethren according to the flesh. (7)
After His death our Lord's murderers were severely punished by God
(Mark 12:9). Turning from Himself to His offering we note: (8) The
Lord Jesus presented an offering "to God" (Eph. 5:2). (9) The offering
He presented was Himself--a "Lamb" (1 Pet. 1:19). (10) In presenting
Himself as an offering He honored and magnified the Will and Word of
God (Heb. 10:7-9). (11) The offering Christ presented was an
"excellent" one--it was a "sweet smelling savor" (Eph. 5:2). (12) God
accepted His offering: the proof of this is seen in the fact that He
is now seated at God's right hand (Heb. 10:12). (13) While presenting
Himself on the Cross as an offering to God, He "obtained witness that
He was righteous "--the centurion crying, "Certainly this was a
righteous man" (Luke 23:47). (14) God publicly testified His
acceptance of Christ's offering by raising Him from the dead (Acts
2:32). (15) Christ's offering now "speaks" to God (Heb. 12:24).
Just as Abel and his offering are, at every point, a wonderful type of
Christ and His offering, so Cain, who slew Abel, prefigures the Jews,
who crucified their Messiah. (16) Cain was "atiller of the ground"
(Gen. 4:2). Thus the first thing told us about him connects him with
the land. (17) In refusing to bring the required lamb, Cain rejected
the offering which God's grace had provided. (18) In his
self-righteousness Cain brought an offering of his own choosing. (19)
The offering he brought was the product of his own labors. (20) This
offering was rejected by God. (21) It was Cain's God-given privilege
to rule over his brother (Gen. 4:7). (22) This privilege he forfeited.
(23) Being envious of Abel, he wickedly slew him. (24) God charged him
with his crime. (25) God told him that Abel's blood cried for
vengeance. (26) Because of the shedding of his brother's blood, God's
curse fell upon Cain. (27) Part of his punishment consisted in the
ground becoming barren to him (Gen. 4:12). (28) Further, he was to be
a fugitive and vagabond in the earth. (29) Cain acknowledged that his
punishment was greater than he could bear. (30) Because of his sin, he
was "driven out" (Gen. 4:14). (31) Because of his sin, he was hidden
from God's face. (32) Every man's hand was now against him (Gen.
4:14). (33) God set a mark upon him (Gen. 4:15). (34) God declared
that He would visit with a sevenfold vengeance those who slew Cain.
(35) Cain left the land and went and dwelt in a city (Gen. 4:17).
Turning once more to the antitype, let us note how accurately Cain
foreshadowed the history of Israel. (16) The first thing which is
conspicuous about the Jews was that they were the people of a land the
promised land, the Holy Land (Gen. 13:15). (17) In refusing the Lamb
of God (John 1:11) the Jews rejected the offering which God's grace
had provided. (18) The apostle Paul declares that the Jews were
"ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish their
own righteousness" (Rom. 10:3). (19) The Jews rested upon their own
obedience to God's Law (Rom. 9:21). (20) But God had no respect to
their works (Acts 13:39). (21) Had Israel walked in God's statutes
they would have been the head of the nations (Deut. 28:13). (22) But
through sin they forfeited the place and privilege (Isa. 9:14). (23)
It was the Jews who crucified the Christ of God (Acts 5:30). (24) God
charged them with their crime (Acts 2:22, 23). (25) Christ's blood is
now judicially resting "upon" the Jews (Matthew 27:25). (26) Because
of the crucifixion of their Messiah, God's curse fell upon Israel
(Jer. 24:9). (27) Part of the curse which God threatened of old to
bring upon Israel was the barrenness of their land--"desolate" (Lev.
26:34, 35). (28) The Jew has been an age-long wanderer in the earth
(Deut. 28:65). (29) Israel will yet acknowledge their punishment is
greater than they can bear (Zech.12:10). (30) Forty years after the
Crucifixion, Israel was driven out of Palestine. (31) Since then God's
face has been hid from them (Hosea 1:9). (32) For nigh 2,000 years,
almost every man's hand has been against the Jew (Deut. 28:66). (33) A
mark of identification has been placed upon the Jew so that he can be
recognized anywhere. (34) God's special curse has always rested on
those who have cursed Israel (Gen. 12:3). (35) For the most part, even
to this day, the Jews continue to congregate in large cities.
Upon what ground can we account for this remarkable agreement between
type and antitype? The only possible explanation lies in the
supernatural inspiration of the Old Testament Scriptures. The Holy
Spirit "moved" the writer of Genesis. Only He who knew the end from
the beginning could have foreshadowed so accurately and minutely that
which came to pass thousands of years afterwards. Prophecy, either in
direct utterance or in symbolic type, is the Divine autograph upon the
sacred page. May God continue to strengthen our faith in the divinity,
the authority and the absolute sufficiency of the Holy Oracles.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
9. Enoch
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 5
In our comments upon the fourth chapter of Genesis, we noted how that
the descendants of Adam followed two distinct lines of worship through
Cain and Abel, Abel worshipping God by faith and bringing a bleeding
sacrifice as the ground of his approach; Cain, ignoring the double
fact that he was depraved by nature because descended from fallen
parents, and a sinner by choice and deed and, therefore, rejecting the
vicarious expiation prescribed by grace, tendered only the product of
his own labors, which was promptly refused by his Maker. The remainder
of the chapter traces the godless line of Cain down to the seventh
generation, and then closes with an account of the birth of Seth the
appointed successor of Abel and the one from whom the chosen race and
the Messiah should come.
Genesis 5 begins a new section and traces for us the line of Seth. The
opening words of this chapter are worthy of close attention. No less
than ten times we find in Genesis this phrase, "These are the
generations of," (see Genesis 2:4; 6:9; 10:1; 11:10; 11:27; 25:12, 19;
36:1; 36:9; 37:2); but here in Genesis 5:1 there is an important
addition--"This is the book of the generations of Adam." Nowhere else
in Genesis, nor, indeed, in the Old Testament (compare Numbers 3:1 and
Ruth 4:18), does this form of expression recur. But we do find it once
more when we open the New Testament, and there it meets us in the very
first verse! "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ."^[1] This is
deeply significant and a remarkable proof of verbal inspiration.
Why, then, should there be these two different forms of expression,
and only these two--Genesis 5:1 and Matthew 1:1--exceptions to the
usual form? Surely the answer is not far to seek. Are not these the
two books of Federal Headship? In the first book--"The book of the
generations of Adam" are enrolled the names of the fallen descendants
of the first man; in the second--"The book of the generation of Jesus
Christ"--are inscribed the names of all who have been redeemed by
sovereign grace. One is the Book of Death; the other is the Lamb's
Book of Life.
"The book of the generations of Adam," "The book of the generation of
Jesus Christ," and do we not see the marvelous unity of the two
Testaments? The whole of the Bible centers around these two books--the
book of the generations of Adam, and the book of the generation of
Jesus Christ.
But what is the force of this word "generations"?Here the law of First
Mention will help us. The initial occurrence of this expression
defines its scope. When we read in Genesis 2:4 "Theseare the
generations of the heavens and of the earth" the reference is not to
origin but to development. Had Genesis 2:4 been intended to supply
information as to how the heavens and the earth were produced, this
expression would have occurred at the commencement of Genesis 1, which
treats of that subject. Again, when we read of "Thegenerations of
Noah" (Gen. 6:9) it is not to give us the ancestry of this
patriarch--that is found in Genesis 5--but to tell us who were his
descendants, as the very next verse goes on to show. "Generations,''
then, means history, development,and not origin. Try this key in each
lock and you will find it fits perfectly. "The generations (or
history) of the heavens and of the earth." So here in Genesis 5:1.
From this point onwards we have the history and development of Adam's
progeny. So, too, of Matthew 1:1. What is the New Testament but the
history and development of Jesus Christ and His "brethren"?
As we have stated, chapter five opens a new section of Genesis.
Righteous Abel has been slain, and all the descendants of Cain are
doomed to destruction by the Flood. It is from Seth that there shall
issue Noah, whose children, coming out of the Ark, shall replenish the
earth. Hence it is that we are here taken back once more to the
beginning. Adam is again brought before us--fallen Adam--to show us
the source from which Seth sprang.
Two sentences in the opening verses of this chapter (Gen. 5) need to
be carefully compared and contrasted. "Inthe day that God created man,
in the likeness of God made He him,"Genesis 5:1. "And Adam . . . begat
a son in his own likeness, after his image,"Genesis 5:3. By sin Adam
lost the image of God and became corrupt in his nature and a fallen
parent could do no more than beget a fallen child. Seth was begotten
in the likeness of a sinful father! Since Noah was the direct
descendant of Seth and is the father of us all, and since he was able
to transmit to-us only that which he had, himself, received from Seth,
we have here the doctrine of universal depravity. Every man living in
the world today is, through Noah and his three sons, a descendant of
Seth, hence it is that care is here taken at the beginning of this new
section to trace the spring back to its fountain head, and show how
all are, by nature, the fallen offspring of a fallen parent--that we
have all been begotten in the image and likeness of a corrupt and
sinful father.
Until we reach the twenty-first verse of Genesis 5, there is little
else in the chapter which calls for comment. The intervening verses
trace for us the line of Seth's seed, and death is writ large across
the record. Eight times we read, "And he died." But in verses 21 to 24
we have a notable exception. Enoch, the seventh from Adam, died not.
He was translated without seeing death. And to the consideration of
this remarkable man we shall now direct our attention.
Enoch is a striking character. He is one of but two men of whom it is
said in Scripture that he "walked with God." He is one of but two men
who lived on this earth and went to heaven without passing through the
portals of death. And he is the only one, except our blessed Lord, of
whom it is written, "He pleased God."^[2] He is one of the very few
who lived before the Flood of whom we know anything at all. The days
when Enoch lived on the earth were flagrantly wicked, as the Epistle
of Jude plainly shows. He seems to have stood quite alone in his
fearless denunciation of the ungodly and in his faithful testimony for
God. Very little is recorded of him, which is another proof of the
Divine inspiration of the Scriptures--a truth which cannot be
overemphasized. Had the Bible been a human production, much would have
been written about Enoch and an attempt made to show the cause and
explain the method of his mysterious exit from this world. The silence
of Holy Scripture attest their Divine origin! But though little is
told us about Enoch, a careful examination of what is recorded
suggests and supplies a wonderfully complete biography.
"And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: And Enoch
walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and
begat sons and daughters: And all the days of Enoch were three hundred
sixty and five years. And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for
God took him." (Gen. 5:21-24).
The first thing implied in Enoch's walk with God is reconciliation.A
pertinent question is asked in Amos 3:3, "How can two walk together
except they be agreed?" Thus two walking together supposes agreement,
sympathy, harmony. From the nature of the ease, it is implied that one
of the two had been at enmity with the other and that there had been a
reconciliation. So that when we say of any man that he walks with God,
it implies that he has been reconciled to God. God has not conformed
to him, but he has conformed to God.
To walk with God implies a correspondency of nature.Light hath no
communion with darkness. No sinner can walk with God for he has
nothing in common with Him, and more, his mind is at enmity against
Him. It is sin which separates from God. The day that Adam sinned he
fled from his Maker and hid himself among the trees of the garden. A
walk with God then supposes the judicial putting away of sin and the
impartation of the Divine nature to the one who walked with Him.
To walk with God implies a moral fitness.God does not walk out of the
way of holiness. Before God would walk through Israel's camp
everything which defiled had to be put away. Before Christ commences
His millennial reign all things that offend must be gathered out of
His Kingdom. The thrice holy God keeps no company with the unclean.
"If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we
lie, and do not the truth: But, if we walk in the light, as He is in
the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus
Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John 1:6, 7. In a
sentence, then, walking with God means that we cease taking our own
way, that we abandon the world's way, that we follow the Divine way.
To walk with God implies a surrendered will.God does not force His
company upon any. "How can two walk together except they be agreed?"
The supreme example and illustration is the Lord Jesus. None enjoyed
such perfect and intimate communication with the Father as He. And
what was the secret of it all? "I delight to do Thy will,O God,"
supplies the explanation. If, then, we would walk with the Lord, there
must be a willingness and readiness on our part. "TakeMy yoke upon
you." He does not force it on any! To walk with God implies spiritual
communion. "Howcan two walk together except they be agreed?" The word
"walk" suggests steady progress. It has been quaintly but well said,
Enoch "did not take a turn or two with God and then leave His company,
but he walked with God for hundreds of years. What a splendid walk! A
walk of three hundred years! It was not a run, a leap, a spurt, but a
steady walk."
"AndEnoch walked with God." What light that one word casts on the life
and character of this man! How much it reveals to us. Like every other
descendant of Adam, Enoch was by nature a child of wrath, alienated
from the life of God. But a day came when he was reconciled to his
Maker. If it be asked, What was the cause of this reconciliation?
Hebrews 11:5 supplies the answer--Enoch "had this testimony, that he
pleased God." If it be further asked, How did he please God? the very
next verse informs us, "Without faith it is impossible to please Him."
Faith then was the instrumental cause of his reconciliation. Again we
say, how much that one sentence tells us about this "seventh from
Adam"! Born into this world a lost sinner, he is saved by grace
through faith. He is born again and thus made a partaker of the Divine
nature. He is brought into agreement with the Most High and fitted to
have fellowship with the Holy One.
But from the analogy of other Scriptures, by comparing text with text
we may learn still more about this man who "pleased God." What would
be the result of his walk with God? Would not the first consequence of
such a walk be a growth in grace? Walking implies progress, and that
in a forward direction. Enoch's life must have been progressive. At
the close of three hundred years of communion with God, Enoch could
not be morally and spiritually where he was at the beginning. He would
have a deeper abhorrence of sin and a humbler estimate of himself. He
would be more conscious of his own helplessness and would feel more
and more his need of absolute dependency on God. There would be a
larger capacity to enjoy God. There would be a going on from strength
to strength and from glory to glory.
There would also be a growth in the knowledge of the Lord.It is one
thing to talk about God, to reason and speculate about Him, to hear
and read about Him, it is quite another to know Him. This is the
practical and experimental side of the Christian life. If we would
know God we must walk with Him: we must come into living contact with
Him, have personal dealings with Him, commune with Him. After such a
walk of three hundred years Enoch would have a deeper appreciation of
God's excellency, a greater enjoyment of His perfections and would
manifest a more earnest concern for His glory. Another consequence of
Enoch's walk with God would be a deep settled joy and peace.Enoch's
life must have been supremely happy. How could he be miserable with
such a Companion! He could not be gloomy in such company. "Yea, though
I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil:
for Thou art with me." Walking with God ensures protection. He that
dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the
shadow of the Almighty. Nothing can harm the man who has the Lord God
at his right hand.
A further consequence of Enoch's walk was his witness for God--seeJude
14 and 15. This is something which needs to be stressed. This order
cannot be reversed, it is of Divine appointment. Before we can witness
for God, we must walk with God. It is greatly to be feared that much
of what passes for "Christianservice" in our day is not the product of
such a walk, and that it will prove but "wood, hay and stubble" in the
day of testing. There is something which must precede service,
"Thoushalt worship the Lord thy God and Him only shalt thou serve."
Having considered at some length the character of Enoch's walk, let us
in closing note two other things, the commencement and the culmination
of this walk.
"AndEnoch lived sixty and five years and begat Methuselah: And Enoch
walked with God" (Gen. 5:21, 22). It is not said that Enoch walked
with God before his son was born, and the inference seems to be that
the coming into his life of this little one God's gift--may have been
the means of leading him into this close fellowship. Such ought ever
to be the case. The responsibilities of parenthood should cast us more
and more upon God.
The name of his son strongly implies that Enoch had received a
revelation from God. Methuselah signifies, "When he is dead it shall
be sent," i.e., the Deluge (Newberry). In all probability then, a
Divine revelation is memorialized in this name. It was as though God
had said to Enoch, "Do you see that baby? The world will last as long
as he lives and no longer! When that child dies, I shall deal with the
world in judgment. The windows of heaven will be opened. The fountains
of the great deep will be broken up, and all humanity will perish."
What would be the effect of such a communication upon Enoch? Imagine
for a moment a parallel case today. Suppose God should make known to
you, in such a way that you could not question His veracity, that this
world would last only as long as the life of some little one in your
home. Suppose God should say to you, "Thelife of that little one is to
be the life of the world. When that child dies the world will be
destroyed.'' What would be the effect upon you? Not knowing how soon
that child might die, there would come before you the possibility that
the world might perish at any time. Every time that child fell sick
the world's doom would stare you in the face! Suppose further, that
you were unsaved. Would you not be deeply exercised? Would you not
realize as never before your urgent need of preparing to meet God?
Would you not at once begin to occupy yourself with spiritual things?
May not some such effects have been produced upon Enoch? Be this as it
may--and it is difficult to escape such a conclusion it is certainly
implied that from the time Methuselah was born, the world lost all its
attractiveness for Enoch and from that time on, if never before, he
walked with God.
"By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was
not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation
he had this testimony, that he pleased God" (Heb. 11:5). God had
translated him.^[3] After Enoch had lived on earth the great cycle--a
year for a day--of three hundred and sixty-five years, God took him to
Himself, as if to show that he was an example of a human being, who
had fulfilled his destiny, and a type of what the destiny of all
mankind might have been had sin never entered the world (Bettex).
God had translated him. We cannot do better than quote here from Dr.
B. H. Carroll's exposition of Genesis--a work from which many original
and excellent suggestions may be gathered: "God translated him." This
is an old Latin word, an irregular verb, and it simply means carried
over or carried across. God carried him across. Across what? Across
death. Death is the river that divides this world from the world to
come, and here was a man that never did go through that river at all.
When he got there God carried him across. God transferred him;
translated him; God picked him up and carried him over and put him on
the other shore. And walking along here in time and communing with God
by faith, in an instant he was communing with God by sight in another
world. Faith, Oh, precious faith! Faith had turned to sight, and hope
bad turned to fruition in a single moment. The life of faith was thus
crowned by entrance into the life of perfect fellowship above, "And
they shall walk with Me in white" (Rev. 3:4).
In conclusion, we would point out the fact that Enoch is a type of
those believers who shall be alive on the earth when our Lord shall
descend into the air to catch up to Himself His blood bought people
"Behold,I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep (die),but we
shall be all changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye (1 Cor.
15:51, 52). Just as Enoch was translated to heaven without seeing
death, so also will those of the Lord's people who remain on the earth
till the time of His return. May it be ours to "walk with God" during
the short interval that now intervenes, and, if it pleaseth Him, may
we be among that number which shall be raptured to glory without
having to first pass through the portals of the grave.
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] Students of Scripture Numerics will observe above that there are
just thirteen of these "generations" recorded in the Old
Testament--the number of rebellion and apostasy (see Gen. 14:4). It is
man's ruin fully told out! Thirteen was all that the law could reveal!
But grace and truth came by Jesus Christ, hence, He added (Matthew
1:1) to the Old Testament. Fourteen gives us double
perfection--perfect God and perfect Man. Or, taking the multiples
separately, we have division or difference (the significance of two)
and completeness (seven). What a complete difference the
fourteenth--"The generation of Jesus Christ"--has made!
[2] In this, as in everything, our Lord has the preeminence. He alone
could say, "I do always those things that. please Him!"
[3] "God had translated him." Here again, by contrast we see the
uniqueness of our blessed Lord. He alone ascended to heaven (John
3:13)--this by virtue of His own rights and by the exercise of His own
power. Of Enoch it is said, "God took him." Of Elijah it is written,
"Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven." At the second coming of
Christ the saints will be "caught up."
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
10. Noah
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 6
Little is told us of the parentage of Noah, yet sufficient is revealed
to indicate that he was the descendant of believing ancestors and the
child of a God-fearing father. Noah was the grandson of Methuselah,
and the great grandson of Enoch who was translated to heaven. The name
of his father was Lamech, and on the birth of his son we are told that
"hecalled his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning
our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord
hath cursed" (Gen. 5:29). That Lamech was a man of faith appears from
the fact that he attributed his "toil" and the condition of the ground
to the Lord's "curse." Further, it seems as though God had revealed to
him something of His future purposes in connection with Noah in that
he looked on him as one that was to bring "comfort" or "rest."
The times in which Noah lived and the condition of the world then
serve as a dark background to bring out in vivid relief the faith and
righteousness of the one who was "perfect in his generations" and
"walked with God." "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great
in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart
was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that He had made
man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart. And the Lord said,
I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth;
both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air;
for it repenteth Me that I have made man" (Gen. 6:5-7). What a
terrible scene was here spread before the all-seeing eye of God, and
how startling the contrast between it and the one on which He had
looked at the close of the six days' work! There we are told, "God saw
everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good"(Gen.
1:31). But here, the next time we read that "God saw" we are told that
"the wickedness of man was great in the earth." How awful is sin, and
how fearful its course when unrestrained by God!
But there is another, and a blessed contrast here, too. After we read
of the greatness of man's wickedness and the consequent grief of God's
heart, we are told, "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord"
(Gen. 6:8). There was an oasis in the midst of the dreary desert, an
oasis which the grace of God had prepared, and on which His eyes
dwelt. When beholding the wicked we read only that God "saw," but when
Noah is in view the "eyes of the Lord" are mentioned. A look at the
former was sufficient; but something more definite and protracted
greeted the latter. Before we study the Character of Noah, a word
first on the one following the last quoted.
"Theseare the generations of Noah" (Gen. 6:9). Here a new section of
Genesis commences. The Chronology of Genesis having been brought up to
Noah's day in Genesis 5, the opening verses of Genesis 6 look backward
not forward, giving us the history of the world and describing the
character of mankind in the days which preceded the Flood. Verses 5 to
8 of Genesis 6 close the second main division of the book. Each new
division opens with the words "These are the generations of," see
Genesis 2:4; 5:1; 6:9, etc. The thought to which we would now call
attention is that each of these divisions ends (we use the word
relatively) with a picture that portrays the effects and results of
sin. The first division (the concluding verses of Genesis 4, closes
with the record of Abel's murder by Cain, and of Lamech's glorying
over a young man whom he had slain. The second division closes (Gen.
6:1-8) with God looking down on the wickedness of the Antediluvians.
The third division closes (Gen. 9:20-29) with the sad scene of Noah's
drunkenness, the curse pronounced on a part of his descendants, and
the patriarch's death. The fourth division closes (Gen. 11:1-9) by
bringing before us the overthrow of the Tower of Babel. The fifth
division closes (Gen. 11:10-26) with the births, ages, and deaths of
Shem's descendants. The sixth division closes (Gen. 11:31, 32) with
the death of Terah. The seventh division closes (Gen. 25:10, 11) with
the burial of Abraham. The eighth division closes (Gen. 25:18) with
the death of Ishmael. The ninth division closes (Gen. 35:29) with the
death of Isaac. The tenth division closes (Gen. 36:8) with the
departure of Esau from the promised land, the birthright to which he
had sold for a mess of pottage. The eleventh division closes (Gen. 36)
with a list of the descendants of Esau, and significantly ends with
the words, "Heis Esau the father of the Edomites." While the last
division closes (Gen. 1:26) with the death of Joseph.
"ButNoah found grace in the eyes of the Lord" (Gen. 6:8). This is the
first thing that is told us about Noah. Grace is the foundation of
every life that is well-pleasing to God. Grace is the source from
which issues every blessing we receive. It was the grace of God and
not the graces of Noah which preserved him from a watery grave. Is it
not beautiful to note that it is here this precious word "grace" is
seen for the first time in God's Word! It was when the sin of the
creature had reached its climax that Grace was exercised and
displayed, as if to teach us from the onset, that it is nothing within
man which calls forth the bestowment of Divine favors.
When God said, "Iwill destroy man whom I have created from the face of
the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls
of the air," it seemed as if He was about to make an end of the entire
race. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. He was as a lily
among the thorns, whose godly walk would appear the lovelier from
contrast with that of the world about him. Humanly speaking it has
never been an easy matter for the believer to live that life that
brings glory to God, not even when he receives encouragement from
fellow-saints. But here was a man living in a world of wickedness,
where "all flesh had corrupted his way on the earth." Here was a man
who was compelled to set his face against the whole current of public
opinion and conduct. What a testimony to the sufficiency and keeping
power of Divine grace!
The character of Noah is described in Genesis 6:9 where three things
are told us about him: "Noah was a just man and perfect in his
generations, and Noah walked with God." first, he was "just." He is
the first man so called, though not the first man who was so. The
meritorious ground of justification is the Blood of Christ (Rom. 5:9);
the instrumental cause is faith (Rom. 5:1). The just shall live by
faith, hence we find Noah among the fifteen believers mentioned in the
great faith chapter (Heb. 11). The faith by which Noah was justified
before God was evidenced by him being" moved with fear" and in his
obedience to the Divine command to build the ark. Second, he was
"perfectin his generations." Here the reference seems to point to Noah
and his family having kept themselves separate from the moral evil
around them and preserved themselves from contact with the Nephilim.
The Hebrew word is "tamim" and is elsewhere translated in the Old
Testament "without blemish" forty-four times. It is probably the word
from which our English "contaminated"springs. Noah was uncontaminated
in his generations. Third, he "walked with God." It is only as we walk
with Him that we are kept from the evil around us.
The faith of Noah is described in Hebrews 11:7: "By faith Noah, being
warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an
ark to the saving of his house; by which he condemned the world, and
became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." In this
remarkable verse, remarkable for its fullness and terseness, seven
things are told us about Noah's faith, each of which we do well to
ponder. The first thing we learn here of Noah's faith is its ground,
namely, God's Word--"being warned of God." The ground of all faith
which is acceptable to God is that which rests neither on feelings nor
fancy, but on the naked Word. "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by
the Word of God" (Rom. 10:17). Simon and his partners had fished from
sunset to sunrise and their labors had been in vain. The Lord entered
their ship and said, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets
for a draught," and Simon replied, "Master, we have toiled all the
night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless, at Thy word I will let
down the net" (Luke 5:4, 5). Once again: for many days the ship in
which the apostle was journeying to Italy battled with stormy seas,
until all hope that he and his fellow passengers should be saved had
disappeared. Then it was, when everything to the outward eye seemed to
contradict, that Paul stood forth and said, "Sirs, be of good cheer:
for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me"(Acts
27:25). A faith that does not rest upon the written word is mere
credulity.
The second thing mentioned in connection with Noah's faith is its
sphere.His faith laid hold of things "not seen as yet," that is, of
things which pertained to the realm of the unseen. Believers walk by
faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). As Noah labored at the building
of the ark, doubtless, the world looked upon him as an enthusiastic
fanatic, as one who was putting himself to a great deal of needless
trouble. What was there to portend such a calamity as the Deluge?
Nothing at all. All things continued as they were from the beginning
of creation. History furnished no analogy whatever. Not only had there
never been any previous flood, but even rain was then unknown. What
then could induce Noah to act in the way he did? Nothing but the
testimony of God.Here then is an exemplification and demonstration of
the nature of faith. Faith is the eye of the spirit. It is that which
visualizes the unseen; it is that which gives tangibility to the
invisible; it is that which makes substantial the things hoped for.
In the third place we learn here of the character of Noah's faith--it
was "moved with fear." Faith not only relies upon the precious
promises of God, but it also believes His solemn threatenings. As the
beloved Spurgeon said, "Hewho does not believe that God will punish
sin, will not believe that He will pardon it through the atoning
blood. He who does not believe that God will cast unbelievers into
hell, will not be sure that He will take believers to heaven. If we
doubt God's Word about one thing, we shall have small confidence in it
upon another thing. Since faith in God must treat all God's Word
alike; for the faith which accepts one word of God, and rejects
another, is evidently not faith in God, but faith in our own judgment,
faith in our own taste." Noah had received from God a gracious
promise, but he had also been warned of a coming judgment which should
destroy all living things with a flood, and his faith believed both
the promise and the warning. Again, we need the admonition of Mr.
Spurgeon --"I charge you who profess to be the Lord's, not to be
unbelieving with regard to the terrible threatenings of God to the
ungodly. Believe the threat, even though it should chill your blood;
believe, though nature shrinks from the overwhelming doom, for, if you
do not believe, the act of disbelieving God about one point will drive
you to disbelieve Him upon the other parts of revealed truth, and you
will never come to that true, childlike faith which God will accept
and honor."
Fourth, we see the evidence of Noah's faith he "prepared an ark."
"Faith, if it hath not works is dead, being by itself" (Jam. 2:17),
which means, it is a lifeless faith, a merely nominal faith, and not
the "faith of God's elect" (Titus 1:1). To the same effect: "What doth
it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not
works" (Jam. 2:14). The Apostle Paul writes of the justification of
believing sinners; James writes of the justification of faith itself,
or rather, the claim to be in possession of faith. I profess to be a
believer, how shall I justify my claim? By my works, my walk, my
witness for God. Read through Hebrews 11 and it will be seen that in
every case recorded there, faith was evidenced by works. Abel had
faith. How did he display it? By presenting to God the Divinely
preserved sacrifice. Enoch had faith. How did he manifest it? By
walking with God. Noah had faith. How did he evidence it? By preparing
the ark. And mark this also--faith expresses itself in that which
costs its possessor something! The preparing of the ark was no small
undertaking. It was not only a very laborious and protracted task, but
it must have been a very expensive one, too. It has ever been thus;
Abraham was the father of the faithful, and his faith found expression
and resulted in that which meant personal sacrifice. To Abraham it
meant leaving home, kindred and country, and subsequently the offering
up of his well beloved son on the altar of sacrifice. What is it
costing you to express your faith? A faith that does not issue in that
which is costly is not worth much.
Fifth, we see the issue of Noah's faith--Noah "prepared an ark to the
saving of his house." God always honors real faith in Him. The
particular issue of Noah's faith deserves prayerful consideration.
While it is true that there is no such thing as salvation by proxy,
that no parent can believe to the saving of his child's soul, yet,
Scripture furnishes many examples of God's blessings coming upon those
who exercised no faith themselves on account of the faith of others.
Because Abraham exercised faith, God gave to his seed the land of
Palestine. Because Rahab believed the report of the spies, her whole
household was preserved from destruction. Coming to the New Testament,
we remember such cases as the man sick of the palsy, who was brought
to the Lord Jesus by others--"And Jesus seeing their faith said unto
the sick of the palsy: Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven
thee" (Matthew 8:2). Because of the nobleman's faith, his servant was
healed. Because of the Canaanitish woman's faith, her daughter was
made whole. Noah's faith then issued in the temporal salvation of "his
house." Is not this written for our learning? Is there no word of
encouragement here for believing parents today who have unsaved
children? Do we remember the word spoken to the Philippian
jailor--"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,
and thy house"--do we appropriate it and plead it before God?
Sixth, we learn of the witness of Noah's faith--"by which he condemned
the world." In considering this clause we would first inquire into the
nature of faith. What is faith? In Romans 14:23, we read, "Whatsoever
is not of faith is sin." Faith is the opposite of sin.What then is
sin? The divinely inspired answer is found in 1 John 3:4 "Sin is
lawlessness" (R. V.). Sin is more than an act, it is an attitude. Sin
is rebellion against God's government, a defiance of His authority.
Sin is spiritual anarchy. Sin is the exercise of self-will,
self-assertion, self-independency. God says, "Thou shalt," and I
don't; what is that but me saying "Iwon't!" God says "Thoushalt not,"
and I do; what is that but me saying, "I will!" But faith is in every
respect the antithesis of sin. Faith is also more than an act, it is
an attitude. Faith is submission to God's government, a yielding to
His authority, a compliance with His revealed will. Faith in God is a
coming to the end of myself. Faith is the spirit of entire dependency
on God. There is a great gulf then separating between those who are
members of the household of faith and those who are the children of
the wicked one. We walk by faith, they by sight; we live for God's
glory, they for self-gratification; we live for eternity, they for
time. And every Christian who is walking by faith, necessarily
condemns the world. His conduct is a silent rebuke upon the course
followed by the ungodly. His life is a witness against their sin.
Finally, we learn here the reward of Noah's faith--he "became heir of
the righteousness which is by faith." Faith brings a present blessing:
it wins God's smile of approval, fills the heart with peace, oils the
machinery of life, and makes "allthings" possible. But the grand
reward of faith is not received in this life. The inheritance into
which faith conducts us is not possessed here and now. Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob never did anything more than "sojourn in the land of
promise." The children of God are "heirs of God and joint heirs with
Christ," but the entering into their inheritance is yet future--we do
not say the enjoyment of it, for faith appropriates it and revels in
it even now. The Son Himself has been "appointed heir of all things"
(Heb. 1:2), and it is not until He enters into His possessions that we
shall share them with Him. Meanwhile, we are, with Noah, "heirs of the
righteousness which is by faith."
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
11. The Flood
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 6
In our article on "Enoch" it was pointed out that the name of his
child intimated that God had given warning to him of the coming of the
Deluge--"And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah"
(Gen. 5:21). The signification of Methuselah is, "When he is dead it
shall be sent," i.e., the Deluge (Newberry). A divine revelation then
was memorialized in this name. The world was to last only as long as
this son of Enoch lived. If 1 Peter 3:20 be linked to Genesis 5:21 an
interesting and precious thought is brought before us: "Which (the
antediluvians now in `prison') some time were disobedient, when once
the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah." To what does
this "long-suffering" refer which "waited" while the ark was a
preparing? How long had God's patience been exercised? Nine hundred
and sixty-nine years seems to be the answer the span of Methuselah's
life. As long as Enoch's son lived the world was safe; but when he
died, then should it (the Deluge) be sent. Is it not a most impressive
demonstration of God's "long-suffering" that the man whose life was to
measure the breath of a world's probation, was permitted to live
longer than any one else ever did live!Nine hundred and sixty-nine
years--what an exhibition of God's mercy! How wondrous are the ways of
Jehovah! As that child was to live until the time came for mankind to
be swept away by the flood; and, as during this interval God's
servants were to warn men from the coming wrath, shall not the mercy
of God prolong that day? Shall not this man live longer than any other
man ever did live? Shall not his age be unique, standing out from the
ages of all others?--because that from the hour of his birth the
Divine decree had gone forth, "When the breath leaves his body the
throes of dissolution shall commence; when he departs the thunder
clouds of God's anger shall burst, the windows of heaven shall be
opened, the foundations of the great deeps shall give way, and every
living thing shall be swept from this earth by the besom of Divine
destruction." And so it was. Methuselah out-lived all his
contemporaries and remained on earth almost a thousand years.
Having viewed the postponement of the flood through the long-suffering
of God, let us next consider the provocation of it. We have already
dwelt upon the fact that the New Testament Scriptures call our
attention to the "longsuffering of God (which) waited in the days of
Noah (1 Pet. 3:20). These words intimate that God's longsuffering had
already been exercised and that it continued to "wait" even in the
days of Noah. This causes us to inquire how and when had God's
"long-suffering" been manifested previously to Noah?
The word "long-suffering" implies that God had dealt in mercy, that
His mercy had been slighted, and that His patience (humanly speaking)
had been sorely tried. And this leads us to ask another question--a
deeply interesting and important one: What Divine light did the
antediluvians enjoy? What knowledge of God, of His character and of
His ways, did they possess? What was the measure of their
responsibility? To answer these questions is to discover the enormity
of their sin, is to measure the extent of their wickedness, is to
determine the degree of their aggravation of God; and, consequently,
is to demonstrate the magnitude of His long-suffering in bearing with
them for so long.
While the record is exceedingly brief, sufficient is revealed to show
that men in general possessed no small amount of light even in days
before the flood. Not only had they, in common with all generations
the "light of Nature," or as Romans 1:19, 20 expresses it, "Because
that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath
shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation
of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are
made, even His eternal power and Godhead"--which rendered them
"without excuse'';not only had they the testimony of conscience (Rom.
2:14, 15), but, in addition, they possessed the light of Divine
revelation. In what this latter consisted we shall now endeavor to
show.
First, man had the Promise of a Redeemer. Before our first parents
were banished from Eden, God declared that the woman's Seed should
bruise the serpent's head, and for His appearing believers looked and
longed (see Genesis 49:18). Second: There was the institution of
expiatory sacrifices as the one means of approach to Jehovah. This was
made known by God to Adam and Eve by means of the coats of skins which
He provided as a covering for their nakedness. The meaning of His
gracious condescension was clearly understood by them, and the
significance of it and need of such sacrifice was communicated to
their children, as is clear from the acts of Cain and Abel. That such
knowledge was handed down from father to son is also seen in the fact
that as soon as Noah came out of the ark he "built an altar unto the
Lord... and offered burnt offerings on the altar" (Gen. 8:20).
Third: There was the "mark" which God set upon Cain (Gen. 4:15), which
was a reminder of his disapprobation, a visible memorial of his own
sin, and a solemn warning unto those among whom his lot was
subsequently cast. Fourth: As we indicated in our comments on Genesis
4, the institution of the Sabbath was even then established, as may be
seen from the fact that there was a set time for worship (Gen. 4:3,
margin). Fifth: The longevity of the patriarchs must be borne in mind.
But two lives spanned the interval from the beginning of human history
to the Deluge itself,, namely Adam's and Methuselah's. For nine
hundred and thirty years the first man lived to tell of his original
creation and condition, of his wicked disobedience against God, and of
the fearful consequences which followed his sin. A striking
illustration of the communication of this knowledge from one
generation to another may be seen in the words of Lamech, who lived to
within a few years of the flood itself words recorded in Genesis 5:29,
where it will be found he makes reference to "theground which the Lord
God hath cursed." Sixth: There was the preaching of Enoch through whom
God warned the world of its approaching doom (Jude 14, 15). Seventh:
The mysterious and supernatural translation of Enoch, which must have
made a profound impression upon those among whom his lot was cast.
Eighth: The preaching of Noah (2 Pet. 2:25), followed by his building
of the ark, by which he condemned the world. Ninth: The ministry of
the Holy Spirit (Gen. 6:3; 1 Peter 3:19), striving with men and, as
the record implies, this for some considerable time. From these things
then it is abundantly clear that the antediluvians fell not through
ignorance but by willfully rejecting a Divine revelation, and from
deliberately persisting in their wickedness.
Having considered the Provocation of the Flood, let us now examine the
cause of it. Stated in a sentence, this was the awful depravity and
wickedness of mankind, or to quote the language of our chapter, "And
God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh
had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end
of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence
through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth" (Gen.
6:12, 13). God's saints are the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13), and
little as the world realizes or appreciates it, the fact remains that
it is the presence of God's people here which prevents the mystery of
iniquity coming to a head and preserves mankind from an outpouring of
God's wrath. Ten righteous men in Sodom would have stayed the Divine
judgment, but only one could be found.
The salt character of God's people is due to the Holy Spirit dwelling
within and working through them. Let His gracious manifestations be
resisted and despised and they will be withdrawn, then the measure of
man's iniquity will be quickly filled up. These two preserving and
restraining factors are brought together in 2 Thessalonians 2. Before
our Lord shall return to the earth itself, accompanied by the saints
(previously translated), there shall come one who is denominated, "the
man of sin, the son of perdition." This superman shall oppose God and
blasphemously exalt himself above all that has any reference to God,
so that he shall sit in God's temple (at Jerusalem) claiming to be
God, and demanding Divine homage. His coming will be "after the
working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with
all receivableness of unrighteousness." But though this "mystery of
iniquity" was at work, even in the days of the apostles, two things
have prevented it coming to full fruition. The Man of Sin cannot be
"revealed" till "his time" because of "what withholdeth" and "he who
now letteth (hindereth) until he be taken out of the way" (2 Thess.
2:6-7). Undoubtedly the neuter pronoun here has reference to the
Church of God, and the masculine one to the Holy Spirit Himself. While
they are upon earth Satan's work is held in check; but let them--the
Holy Spirit and the Church be removed, let the salt be taken away and
the One who gives it pungency, and the restraining and preserving
influences are gone, and then nothing remains to stay corruption or
hinder the outworking of Satan's plans.
From the above premises, established by the analogies furnished in
Scripture, we have no difficulty in discovering the immediate cause of
the Flood. A Divine revelation had been despised and rejected.
Repeated warnings had been flouted. Atonement for sin by an expiatory
sacrifice had been spurned. Men loved darkness rather than light,
because their deeds were evil. The number of God's saints had been
diminished to such an extent that there was but one family left who
feared the Lord and walked by faith. There was not sufficient "salt"
left to preserve the carcass. God had forewarned the race that His
Spirit would not always strive with man, and now His long-suffering
was ended; therefore, His Spirit would be withdrawn, and naught then
remained but summary judgment. Though the faithful remnant should be
sheltered, yet, the storm of Divine wrath must now burst upon a world
filled with iniquity.
We turn now to consider the occasion of the Flood. "And it came to
pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and
daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters
of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they
chose" (Gen. 6:1, 2). There has been considerable difference of
opinion among commentators and expositors in respect to the identity
of these "sons of God." The view which has been most widely
promulgated and accepted is, that these marriages between the sons of
God and the daughters of men refer to unions between believers and
unbelievers. It is supposed that the "sonsof God" were the descendants
of Seth, while the "daughters of men" are regarded as the offspring of
Cain, and that these two lines gradually amalgamated, until the line
of distinction between God's people and the world was obliterated. It
is further supposed that the Deluge was a visitation of God's
judgment, resulting from His peoples' failure to maintain their place
of separation. But, it seems to us, there are a number of insuperable
objections to this interpretation.
If the above theory were true, then, it would follow that at the time
this amalgamation took place God's people were limited to the male
sex, for the "sons of God" were the ones who "married" the "daughters
of men." Again; if the popular theory were true, if these "sons of
God" were believers,then they perished at the Flood, but 2 Peter 2:5
states otherwise--"Bringing in the flood upon the world of the
ungodly."Once more; there is no hint in the Divine record (so far as
we can discover) that God had yet given any specific command
forbidding His people to marry unbelievers. In view of this silence it
seems exceedingly strange that this sin should have been visited with
such a fearful judgment. In all ages there have been many of God's
people who have united with worldlings, who have been "unequally yoked
together," yet no calamity in anywise comparable with the Deluge has
followed. Finally; one wonders why the union of believers with
unbelievers should result in "giants"--"there were giants in the earth
in those days"(Gen. 6:4).
If, then, the words "sons of God" do not signify the saints of that
age, to whom do they refer? In Job 1:6, Job 2:1, Job 38:7, the same
expression is found, and in these passages the reference is clearly to
angels.It is a significant fact that some versions of the Septuagint
contain the word "angels" in Genesis 6:2, 4. That the "sons of God,"
who are here represented as cohabiting with the daughters of men were
angels--fallen angels--seems to be taught in Jude 6: "And the angels
which kept not their principality but left their own habitation,Hehath
reserved in everlasting chains under darkness, unto the judgment of
the great day."
These "sons of God," then, appear to be angels who left their own
habitation, came down to earth, and cohabited with the daughters of
men. Before we consider the outcome of this illicit intercourse, let
us first enquire into the cause of it. Why did these angels thus "sin"
(2 Pet. 2:4)? The answer to this question leads us into a mysterious
subject which we cannot now treat at length: the "why" finds its
answer in Satan.
Immediately after that old serpent, the Devil, had brought about the
downfall of our first parents, God passed sentence on the "serpent"
and declared that the woman's "Seed" should "bruise his head" (Gen.
3:15). Hence, in due course, Satan sought to frustrate this purpose of
God. His first effort was an endeavor to prevent his Bruiser entering
this world. This effort is plainly to be seen in his attempts to
destroy the channel through which the Lord Jesus was to come.
First, God revealed the fact that the Coming One was to be of human
kind, the woman's Seed, hence, as we shall seek to show, Satan
attempted to destroy the human race. Next, God made known to Abraham
that the Coming One was to be a descendant of his (Gen. 12:3;
Galatians 3:18; Matthew 1:1); hence, four hundred years later, when
the descendants of Abraham became numerous in Egypt Satan sought to
destroy the Abrahamic stock, by moving Pharaoh to seek the destruction
of all the male children (Ex. 1:15, 16). Later, God made known the
fact that the Coming One was to be of the offspring of David (2 Samuel
7:12, 13); hence, the subsequent attack made upon David through
Absalom (2 Samuel 15). As, then, the Coming One was to be of the seed
of David, He must spring from the tribe of Judah, and hence the
significance of the divided Kingdom, and the attacks of the Ten Tribes
upon the Tribe of Judah!
The reference in Jude 6 to the angels leaving their own habitation,
appears to point to and correspond with these "sons of God" (angels)
coming in unto the daughters of men. Apparently, by this means, Satan
hoped to destroy the human race (the channel through which the woman's
Seed was to come) by producing a race of monstrosities.How nearly he
succeeded is evident from the fact, that with the exception of one
family, "all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth" (Gen. 6:12).
That monstrosities were produced as the result of this unnatural union
between the "sons of God" (angels) and the daughters of men, is
evident from the words of Genesis 6:4: "There were giants in the earth
in those days." The Hebrew word for "giants" here is nephilim, which
means fallen ones,from "naphal" to fall. The term "men of renoun" in
Genesis 6:4 probably finds its historical equivalent in the "heroes"of
Grecian mythology. Satan's special object in seeking to prevent the
advent of the woman's "Seed"by destroying the human race was evidently
an attempt to avert his threatened doom!
Against the view that "the sons of God" refer to fallen angels Matthew
22:30 is often cited. But when the contents of this verse are closely
studied it will be found there is, really, nothing in it which
conflicts with what we have said above. Had our Lord said, "in the
resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as
the angels of God" and stopped there,the objection would have real
force. But the Lord did not stop there. He added a qualifying clause
about the angels: He said "asthe angels of God in heaven."The last two
words make all the difference. The angels in heaven neither marry nor
are they given in marriage. But the angels referred to in Genesis 6 as
the "sons of God" were no longer in heaven: asJude 6 expressly informs
us "they left their own principality." They fell from their celestial
position and came down to earth, entering into unlawful alliance with
the daughters of men. This, we are assured, is the reason why Christ
modified and qualified His assertion in Matthew 22:30. The angels of
God in heaven do not marry, but those who left their own principality
did.
Ere we close, there is one other passage of Scripture which ought to
be considered in this connection, namely, Matthew 24:37 --"But as the
days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be."
History is to repeat itself. Ere the Lord returns to this earth, the
condition which prevailed in the world before the Flood are to be
reproduced. The characteristic of the days of Noah may be summarized
in the following ten items: 1. Multiplication of mankind (Gen.
6:1)--note the great increase of earth's population during the past
century. 2. God dealing in long-suffering with a wicked world. 3. God
sending His messengers to warn sinners of coming judgment. 4. God's
Spirit striving with men, and the threat that He would not always do
so--(cf. 2 Thess. 2), which tells of His Spirit being taken away once
more. 5. God's overtures toward men despised and rejected--such is the
condition of the world today. 6. A small remnant who find grace in the
sight of the Lord and walk with Him. 7. Enoch miraculously
translated--typifying the removal of the saints from the earth caught
up to meet the Lord in the air. 8. Descent to the earth of the fallen
angels and their union with the daughters of men: how near we have
already approached to a repetition of this may be discovered in the
demoniacal activities among Spiritists, Theosophists and Christian
Scientists. 9. God's judgments poured forth on the ungodly--of
Revelation 6 to 19. 10. Noah and his family miraculously
preserved--type of the Jewish remnant preserved through the
Tribulation, see Revelation 12.
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
12. Noah A Type Of Christ
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 6
No study of the person and character of Noah would be complete without
viewing him as a type of the Lord Jesus. With one or two notable
exceptions it will be beside our purpose to do more than call
attention to some of the most striking points of correspondency
between the type and the antitype, leaving our readers to develop at
greater length these seed thoughts.
1. To begin at the beginning, Noah's very name foreshadowed the Coming
One. In Genesis 5:28, 29 we read, "And Lamech lived a hundred eighty
and two years, and begat a son; and he called his name Noah." Noah
means "rest." His father regarded him as the one who should be the
rest-giver, and as one who should provide comfort from the toil
incurred by the Curse. "Hecalled his name Noah, saying, This same
shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of
the ground which the Lord hath cursed." Lamech looked upon his son as
one who should bring deliverance from the Curse, as one who should
provide comfort and rest from the weariness of toil. Our readers will
readily see how this ancient prophecy (for prophecy it undoubtedly
was) receives its fulfillment in the One of whom it was also written,
"AndHis rest shall be glorious" (Isa. 11:10), and who when on earth
said, "Comeunto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest"(Matthew 11:28). But further than this, Noah's name, and
the prophecy of his father on the occasion of the bestowment of it
upon his son, also looks forward to the time of our Lord's Second
Advent when He shall deliver the earth from its Curse--See Isaiah 9;
35, etc.
2. The first thing which is told us in connection with Noah is that he
"found grace in the eyes of the Lord" (Gen. 6:8). In a previous
article we have commented upon the setting of these words and have
pointed out the contrast which they are designed to emphasize. "All
flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth." The ruinous and ravaging
effects of sin were universal. But as God looked down upon the
creatures of His hand, now fallen and depraved, there was one who
stood out by himself, one who was just and perfect in his generation,
one upon whom God's eye delighted to rest. It is very significant that
nothing at all is said about Noah's family--his "sons and their
wives"--in this connection; Noah only is mentioned, as if to show he
is the one on whom our attention should be fixed. When we note what a
striking type of our Lord Jesus Noah is, the reason for this is
obvious; He is the one in whom the heart of the Father delighted, and
just as the first thing told us in connection with Noah is that he
"found grace in the eyes of the Lord," so the first words of the
Father after the Lord Jesus had commenced His public ministry were,
"This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased"(Matthew 3:17).
3. The next thing told us about Noah is that he "was a just man" (Gen.
6:9). As is well known, the word just means "righteous." Like all
other sinners who find acceptance with God, Noah was "justified by
faith." He possessed no inherent righteousness of his own.
Righteousness is imputed,imputed to those that believe (Rom. 4:6,
22-25). There was only one man who has ever walked our earth who was
inherently and intrinsically righteous and that was He whom Noah
foreshadowed, He of whom the centurion testified, "Certainly this was
a righteous man"(Luke 23:47).
4. Next we read that Noah was "perfect in his generations" (Gen. 6:9).
In a previous article we have seen that this expression has reference
to the body and not to perfection of character. Noah and his family
had not been defiled by contact with the Nephilim. "Perfect in his
generations'' signifies that Noah was uncontaminated physically.
"Perfect in his generations" is predicated of Noah alone; of none
other is this said. How plain and perfect the type! Does it not point
to the immaculate humanity of our Lord? When the Eternal Word was
"made flesh" He did not contract the corruptions of our fallen nature.
Unlike all of human kind, He was not "shapen in iniquity and conceived
in sin." On the contrary His mother was told, "That holy thing which
shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). In
His humanity our Lord was "separate from sinners" (Heb. 7:26). He was
uncontaminated by the virus of sin; He was "perfect in His
generation."
5. Next we read of Noah that he "walked with God" (Gen. 6:9). In this
also he was a type of Him who for thirty-three years lived here in
unbroken communion with the Father. All through those years, however
varied His circumstances, we find Him enjoying holy and blessed
fellowship with the Father. During His early life, in the seclusion of
Nazareth we learn that "Jesusincreased in wisdom and stature, and in
favor with God and man" (Luke 2:52). During the long season of fasting
and temptation in the wilderness, we find Him living by "every word of
God"(Luke 4:4). While His disciples slept, our blessed Lord retired to
the solitudes of the mountain, there to pour out His soul to God and
enjoy fellowship with His Father (Luke 6:12). At the close of His
sufferings on the Cross we hear Him cry, "Father, into Thy hands I
commend My spirit" (Luke 23:46). Truly His walk was ever "with God."
6. God Gave Noah an Honorous Work to Do "Makethee an ark of gopher
wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and
without with pitch. With thee will I establish My covenant; and thou
shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy
sons' wives with thee. And of every living thing of all flesh, two of
every sort shalt thou bring in the ark, to keep them alive with thee"
(Gen. 6:14, 18, 19). Here we find a work is entrusted to Noah by God,
a highly important work, a momentous and stupendous work. Never before
or since has such a task been allotted to a single man. The task of
preserving from God's judgment representatives of all creation was
committed to Noah! The type is so clear and plain that comment is
almost needless. To the Lord Jesus Christ, God's beloved Son, was
entrusted the task of effecting the salvation of lost and ruined
sinners. It is to this He refers when He says, "Ihave finished the
work which Thou gavest Me to do" (John 17:4)--speaking here as though
in Glory, where He now is as our great High Priest.
7. Noah, Alone, Did the Work We shall consider separately the typical
significance of the ark; for the moment we would direct attention upon
Noah and his work. Is it not striking that there is no reference here
to any help that Noah received in the executing of his God-given task?
There is no hint whatever that any assisted him in the work of
building the ark. The record reads as though Noah alone provided the
necessary means for securing the lives of those that God had entrusted
to his care! Surely the reason is obvious. The truth which is
foreshadowed here is parallel with the typology of Leviticus
16:17--"And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the
congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place,
until he come out" when atonement was being made the High Priest must
be alone.So it was in the antitype. The work of redemption was
accomplished by our Lord Jesus Christ, "Who His own self bare our sins
in His own body on the tree" (1 Pet. 2:24), and He needed no
assistance in this work, for God had "laid help upon One that is
mighty"(Ps. 89:19, R.V.). In full harmony then with the Leviticus 16
type, and in perfect accord with its fulfillment in our gracious
Savior, we find that the record in Genesis reads as though Noah was
alone in his task and received no assistance in the work of providing
a refuge from the coming storm of Divine wrath.
8. Moreover, is not the perfection of the type further to be seen in
the fact that the inspired record passes over the interval of time
necessary for Noah to have performed his task? This is very striking,
for many months, and probably years, would be required to build an ark
of the dimensions given us in Genesis. But not a word is said about
this. After God gave instructions to Noah to build the ark, the next
thing we read is, "Thus did Noah according to all that God commanded
him, so did he. And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy
house into the ark" (Gen. 6:22; Genesis 7:1)--as though to show that
when he began, his work was speedily accomplished!How much we may
learn from the silences of Scripture! Again we call attention to the
parallel type in Leviticus 16--"For on that day shall the priest make
an atonement for you to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all
your sins before the Lord" (v. 30). In Leviticus 23 the Day of
Atonement is classed among Israel's great feasts, and by noting this
the point we are now making comes out more clearly by way of contrast.
Others of these feasts, e.g., Unleavened Bread, Tabernacles, etc.,
extended over a period of several days, but Atonement was accomplished
in one day.Nothing was left over to be completed on the next day;
which reminds us of the blessed words of our triumphant Savior--"It is
finished." There is nothing now for us to do but rest on His Finished
Work. In one day, yes, in three hours, on the Cross, our Lord put away
sin by the sacrifice of Himself. As we have said, this was anticipated
in the typical significance of Noah's work by the silence of Scripture
upon the length of time he was engaged in the performance of his task,
the record reading as though it was speedily executed.
9. The successful issue of Noah's work, seen in "thesaving of his
house"(Heb. 11:7) reminds us of the language of Hebrews 3:6, "But
Christ as a son over his own house" (Heb. 3:6). But the type goes
further: Noah's work brings blessing to all creation as is seen from
the fact that the animals and birds were also preserved in the ark.
Observe how beautifully this is brought out in Genesis 8:1--"AndGod
remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was
with him in the ark." So, too, the work of Christ shall yet bring
blessing to the beasts of the field. At His return to the earth "the
creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption
into the glorious liberty of the children of God" (Rom. 8:21).
10. In Genesis 6:19 we have a hint of the animal creation being
subject to Noah "Andof every living thing of all flesh, two of every
sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee." We
have a passing glimpse of the yet future fulfillment of this part of
the type in Mark 1:13--"And He was there in the wilderness forty days
tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts." Noah's headship over
all creatures comes out even more clearly in Genesis 9:2--"And the
fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the
earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon
earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they
delivered." How this reminds us of Psalm 8, which speaks of the future
dominion of the Son of Man. "For Thou hast made Him a little lower
than the angels, and hast crowned Him with glory and honor. For thou
madest Him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put
all things under His feet (compare Heb. 2:8), "But now we see not yet
all things put under Him, all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of
the field; the fowl of the air and the fish of the sea!" This same
thought is repeated in the Genesis narrative again and again as if
with deliberate emphasis. When we read of the animals entering the Ark
we are told "They went in unto Noah (not unto Noah and his family)
into the Ark," and then we are told "And the Lord shut him (not
`them') in" (Gen. 7:15, 16). And again, on leaving the ark we read
that God said unto Noah, "Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat
for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things"(Gen.
9:3). So Christ is "the Heir of all things" (Heb. 1:2).
11. In Genesis 6:21 we find Noah presented as the great food-provider:
"And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt
gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them."
We need hardly say that this finds its complement in Christ the Bread
of Life. He is God's Manna for our souls. He is the Shewbread which
was eaten by Aaron and his sons (Lev. 24:9). He is the Old Corn of the
land (Joshua 5:11). In short, it is only as we feed upon Christ as He
is presented unto us in the written Word that our spiritual life is
quickened and nourished.
12. In Genesis 6:22 we learn of Noah's implicit and complete
obedience--"Thusdid Noah according to all that God commanded him, so
did he." And again, "And Noah did according unto all that the Lord
commanded him" (Gen. 7:5). So, too, we read of the perfect obedience
of Him whom Noah foreshadowed: "If ye keep My commandments, ye shall
abide in My love; even so I have kept My Father's commandments,and a
bide in His love" (John 15:10). Only, be it noted, the obedience of
our blessed Lord went farther than that of Noah, for He "became
obedient unto death,even the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:8)--in all
things He has the preeminence.
13. "And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons'
wives with him; every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and
whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds went forth out
of the ark" (Gen. 8:18, 19). In these verses we see Noah bringing all
whom God had committed to his care on to the new earth, which reminds
us of our Lord's words, "Of them which Thou gavest Me have I lost
none"(John 18:9). However, the fact that the animal creation is here
specifically mentioned as sharing in this blessing seems to point to a
millennial scene when all creation shall enjoy the benefit of Christ's
reign (cf. Isa.11).
14. "And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean
beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the
altar (Gen. 8:20). Here we see Noah offering a burnt offering unto the
Lord: the and-typical parallel is found in Ephesians 5:2--"Christ also
hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a
sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor."
15. "And God blessed Noah and his sons"(Gen. 9:1). It is beautiful to
see Noah and his sons here linked together in the enjoyment of God's
blessing, as though to foreshadow the blessed fact that every mercy we
now enjoy is ours for Christ's sake." "Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ"(Eph. 1:3).
16. With Noah and his sons God established His Covenant, "And God
spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, And I, behold, I
establish My covenant with you, and with your seed after you" (Gen.
9:8, 9). The word "covenant" occurs just seven times in this passage,
namely, in verses 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17. Note, the covenant that
God made with Noah was "an everlasting covenant" (Gen. 9:16), and so
we read concerning the anti-type--"Now the God of peace, that brought
again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep,
through the blood of the everlasting covenant"(Heb. 13:20).
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
13. The Typology of the Ark
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 7
The ark which was built by Noah according to divine directions, in
which he and his house, together with representatives from the lower
creation, found shelter from the storm of God's wrath, is one of the
clearest and most comprehensive types of the believer's salvation in
Christ which is to be found in all the Scriptures. So important do we
deem it, we have decided to devote a separate article to its prayerful
and careful consideration.
1. The first thing to be noted in connection with the ark is that it
was a Divine provision.This is very clear from the words of Genesis
6:13, 14--"And God said unto Noah, the end of all flesh is come before
Me. . . make thee an ark." Before the flood came and before the ark
was made, a means of escape for His own people existed in the mind of
God. The ark was not provided by Him after the waters had begun to
descend. Noah was commanded to construct it before a drop had fallen.
So, too, the Saviourship of Christ was no afterthought of God when sin
had come in and blighted His creation; from all eternity He had
purposed to redeem a people unto Himself, and in consequence, Christ,
in the counsels of the Godhead, was "a lamb slain from the foundation
of the world" (Rev. 13:8). The ark was God's provision for Noah as
Christ is God's provision for sinners.
2. Observe now that God revealed to Noah His own designs and ordered
him to build a place of refuge into which he could flee from the
impending storm of judgment. The ark was no invention of Noah's; had
not God revealed His thoughts to him, he would have perished along
with his fellow creatures. In like manner, God has to reveal by His
Spirit His thoughts of mercy and grace toward us; otherwise, in our
blindness and ignorance we should be eternally lost. "For God, who
commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our
hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the
face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6).
3. In the next place, we note that Noah was commanded to make an ark
of gopher-wood (Gen. 6:14). The material out of which the ark was
built teaches an important lesson. The ark was made, not of steel like
our modern "dreadnoughts,'' but out of wood. The typical truth which
this fact is designed to teach us lies not on the surface, yet is one
that is brought before us again and again both in the Word and in
Nature; the truth, that life comes out of death, that life can be
secured only by sacrifice. Before the ark could be made, trees must be
cut down. That which secured the life of Noah and his house was
obtained by the death of the trees. We have a hint here, too, of our
Lord's humanity. The trees from which the wood of the ark was taken
were a thing of the earth, reminding us of Isaiah's description of
Christ--"a root out of a dry ground" (Isa. 53:2). So Christ, who was
the eternal Son of God must become the Son of man--part of that which,
originally, was made out of the dust of the earth--and as such be cut
down, or, in the language of prophecy, be "cut off" (Daniel 9:26),
before a refuge could be provided for us.
4. The ark was a refuge from Divine judgment.There are three arks
mentioned in Scripture and each of them was a shelter and place of
safety. The ark of Noah secured those within it from the outpoured
wrath of God. The ark of bulrushes (Ex. 2:3) protected the young child
Moses from the murderous designs of Pharaoh, who was a type of Satan.
The ark of the covenant sheltered the two tables of stone on which
were inscribed the holy law of God. Each ark speaks of Christ, and
putting the three together, we learn that the believer is sheltered
from God's wrath, Satan's assaults and the condemnation of the
law--the only three things in all the universe which can threaten or
harm us. The ark of Noah was a place of safety. It was provided by God
when death threatened all.It was the only place of deliverance from
the wrath to come, and as such it speaks of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
only Savior of lost sinners--"Neither is there salvation in any other;
for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we
must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
5. Into this ark man was invited to come.He was invited by God
Himself, "And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house
into the ark" (Gen. 7:1). This is the first time the word "come"is
found in the Scriptures, and it recurs over five hundred times in the
remainder of the Bible. Is it not highly significant that we meet with
it here as its first occurrence! A number of thoughts are suggested by
this connection, for several of which we are indebted to Dr. Thomas'
work on Genesis. Observe that the Lord does not say "Go into the ark,"
but "Come." "Go" would have been a command, "Come" was a gracious
invitation; "Go"would have implied that the Lord was bidding Noah
depart from Him, "Come" intimated that in the ark the Lord would be
present with him. Is it not the same thought as we have in the
Gospel--"Come unto Me and I will give you rest!" Observe further that
the invitation was a personal one--"Come thou";God always addresses
Himself to the heart and conscience of the individual. Yet, the
invitation went further--"Come thou and all thy house into the ark,"
and again we find a parallel in the Gospel of grace in our day:
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy
house" (Acts 16:31).
6. The ark was a place of absolute security.This truth is seen from
several particulars. First, the ark itself was pitched "within and
without with pitch" (Gen. 6:14), hence it would be thoroughly
watertight, and as such, a perfect shelter. No matter how hard it
rained or how high the waters rose, all inside the ark were secure.
The ark was in this respect also, a type of our salvation in Christ.
Speaking to the saints, the apostle said, "Your life is hid (like Noah
in the ark) with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3). In the next place, we read
concerning Noah after he had entered the ark, "And the Lord shut him
in"(Gen. 7:16). What a blessed word is this! Noah did not have to take
care of himself; having entered the ark, God was then responsible for
his preservation. So it is with those who have fled to Christ for
refuge, they are "kept by the power of God through faith unto
salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Pet. 1:5).
Finally, the security of all in the ark is seen in the issuing of them
forth one year later on to the destruction-swept earth--"And Noah went
forth, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him: every
beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth
upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark" (Gen.
8:18, 19). All who had entered that ark had been preserved, none had
perished by the flood, and none had died a natural death, so perfect
is the type. How this reminds us of our Lord's words, "Ofthem which
thou gavest Me have I lost none"(John 18:9).
7. Next we would note what has often been pointed out by others, that
the ark had only one door to it. There was not one entrance for Noah
and his family, another for the animals, and yet another for the
birds. One door was all it had. The same was true later of the
tabernacle; it, too, had but a single entrance. The spiritual
application is apparent. There is only one way of escape from eternal
death. There is only one way of deliverance from the wrath to come.
There is only one Savior from the Lake of Fire, and that is the Lord
Jesus Christ--"I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh
unto the Father but by Me" (John 14:6). The language of our type is
directly employed by Christ in John 10:9, where we hear Him say, "I am
the door."It is also worthy of attention to note that Noah was ordered
by God to set the door "in the side"of the ark (Gen. 6:16). Surely
this pointed forward to the piercing of our Lord's "side" (John 19:34)
which was the intimation that the way to the heart of God is now open
to guilty and ruined sinners.
8. The ark had three stories in it, "with lower, second, and third
stories shalt thou make it" (Gen. 6:16). Why are we told this? What
difference does it make to God's saints living four thousand years
afterwards how many stories the ark had, whether it had one or a
dozen? Every devout student of the Word has learned that everything in
the Holy Scriptures has some significance and spiritual value.
Necessarily so, for every word of God is pure. When the Holy Spirit
"moved" Moses to write the book of Genesis, He knew that a book was
being written which should be read by the Lord's people thousands of
years later, therefore, what He caused to be written must have in
every instance, something more than a merely local application.
"Whatsoever was written aforetime was written for our learning." What
then are we to "learn" from the fact that in the ark there were three
stories, no less and no more?
We have already seen that the ark itself unmistakably foreshadowed the
Lord Jesus. Passing through the waters of judgment, being itself
submerged by them; grounding on the seventeenth day of the month--as
we shall see, the day of our Lord's Resurrection; and affording a
shelter to all who were within it, the ark was a very clear type of
Christ. Therefore the inside of the ark must speak to us of what we
have in Christ.Is it not clear then that the ark divided into three
stories more than hints at our threefold salvation in Christ?The
salvation which we have in Christ is a threefold one, and that in a
double sense. It is a salvation which embraces each part of our
threefold constitution, making provision for the redemption of our
spirit, and soul, and body (1 Thess. 5:23); and further, our salvation
is a three tense salvation--we have been saved from the penalty of
sin, are being saved from the power of sin, we shall yet be saved from
the presence of sin.
9. Next, we observe that the ark was furnished with a window and this
was placed "above"--"A window shalt thou make to the ark and in a
cubit shalt thou finish it above" (Gen. 6:16). The spiritual
application is patent. Noah and his companions were not to be looking
down on the scene of destruction beneath and around them, but up
toward the living God. The same lesson was taught to Jehovah's people
in the Wilderness. The pillar of cloud to guide them by day and the
pillar of fire to protect them by night was provided not only for
their guidance, but was furnished for their instruction as well.
Israel must look up to the great Jehovah and not be occupied with the
difficulties and dangers of the wilderness. So, we, called upon to
walk by faith, are to journey with our eyes turned heavenward. Our
affection must be set upon" things above,not on things on the earth"
(Col. 3:2).
10. The ark was furnished with "rooms"or "nests"--"Make thee an ark of
gopher wood; rooms (margin "nests") shalt thou make in the ark" (Gen.
6:14). In every other passage in the Old Testament where the Hebrew
word "gen" occurs, it is translated "nest." We hesitate to press the
spiritual signification here; yet, we have seen that the ark is such a
striking and comprehensive type of our salvation in Christ we must
believe that this detail in the picture has some meaning, whether we
are able to discern it or no. The thought which is suggested to us is,
that in Christ we have something more than a refuge, we have a resting
place;we are like birds in their nests, the objects of Another's
loving care. Oh, is it that the "nests" in the ark look forward to the
"many mansions" in the Father's House? which our Lord has gone to
prepare for us. It is rather curious that there is some uncertainty
about the precise meaning of the Greek word here translated
"mansions.'' Weymouth renders it, "InMy Father's house are many
resting places!"
11. In connection with the ark the great truth of Atonement is
typically presented. This comes out in several particulars: "Make thee
an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt
pitch it within and without with pitch" (Gen. 6:14). The Hebrew word
here is not the common one for "pitch" which is "zetteth," but is
"kapher," which is translated seventy times in the Old Testament "to
make atonement." The simple meaning of "kapher" is "to cover"and
nowhere else is it rendered "pitch." Atonement was made by the blood
which provided a covering for sin. Our readers being familiar with
this thought, there is no need for us to develop it. God is holy, and
as such He is "of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look
on iniquity" (Habakkuk 1:13), hence sin must be covered--coveredby
blood. It is therefore remarkable that this word "kapher" should be
employed (for the first time in Scripture) in connection with the ark,
as though to teach us that a shelter from God's wrath can be found
only beneath the atoning blood! Again we notice that the storm fell
upon the ark which provided shelter for Noah and those that were with
him. So, too, the clouds of Divine judgment burst upon our adorable
Redeemer as He suffered in our stead: "All Thy waves and thy billows
are gone over Me" (Ps. 42:7) was His cry; and may not His words here
be language pointing back to the very type we are now considering?
12. As others have pointed out, the typical teaching of the ark
reaches beyond the truth of atonement to resurrection itself. We quote
here from the writings of the late Mr. William Lincoln: "There seems
no reason to doubt that the day the ark rested on the mountain of
Ararat is identical with the day on which the Lord rose from the dead.
It rested "on the seventeenth day of the seventh month." But by the
commandment of the Lord, given at the time of the institution of the
feast of the Passover, the seventh month was changed into the first
month. Then three days after the Passover, which was on the fourteenth
day of the month, the Lord, having passed quite through the waters of
judgment, stood in resurrection in the midst of His disciples, saying,
"Peace be unto you." They, as well as Himself, had reached the haven
of everlasting rest." But not only does our type prefigure our Lord's
resurrection from the dead, it also suggests the truth of His
ascension,for we read "And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the
seventeenth day of the month upon the mountains of Ararat"(Gen. 8:4).
The final resting place of the ark was upon the mountain top, speaking
of the place "on high" where our Savior is now seated at the right
hand of God.
We lay our pen down with a strengthened conviction that the Holy
Scriptures are no mere "cunningly devised fables," but that they are
indeed the inspired Word of the living God.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
14. God's Covenant With Noah
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 8
The covenants referred to therein constitute one of the principal keys
to the interpretation of the Old Testament, denoting, as they do, the
dividing lines between the different Dispensations, and indicating the
several changes of procedure in God's dealings with the earth. At
various times God condescended to enter into a compact with man, and
failure to observe the terms and scope of these compacts necessarily
leads to the utmost confusion. The Word of truth can only be rightly
divided as due attention is paid to the different covenants recorded
therein. The covenants varied in their requirements, in their scope,
in their promises and in the seals or signs connected with them. The
inspired history growing out of the covenants furnishes a signal
demonstration of God's faithfulness and of man's faithlessness and
failure.
There are exactly seven covenants made by God referred to in
Scripture, neither more nor less. First, the Adamic which concerned
man's continued enjoyment of Eden on the condition that he refrained
from eating the fruit of the forbidden tree. But Adam failed to keep
his part of the agreement, see Hosea 6:7 margin. Second, the Noahic
which concerned the earth and its seasons, see Genesis 9. Third, the
Abrahamic which concerned Israel's occupancy of Palestine, see Genesis
15:18, etc. Fourth, the Mosaic which concerned Israel's continued
enjoyment of God's favors, conditioned by their obedience to His law,
see Exodus 24:7, 8; Exodus 34:27. Fifth, the Levitic which concerned
the priesthood, promising that it should remain in this tribe, see
Numbers 25:12, 13; Malachi 2:4, 5; Ezekiel 44:15, which proves God's
faithfulness in respect to this covenant in the Millennium. Sixth, the
Davidic which concerns the Kingdom and particularly the throne, see 2
Samuel 23:5; 2 Chronicles 13:5. Seventh, the Messianic or New Covenant
which concerns the Millennium, see Isaiah 42:6; Jeremiah 31:31-34.
Much might be written concerning these different covenants, but we
limit ourselves to the second, the Noahic. We wish to say, however,
that a careful study of the above references will richly repay every
diligent and prayerful reader.
1. Coming now to the second of these great covenants let us notice the
occasion of it. It was as it were the beginning of a new world. There
was to he a fresh start. With the exception of those who found shelter
in the ark, the flood had completely destroyed both the human family
and the lower orders of creation. On to the destruction-swept earth
came Noah and his family. Noah's first act was to build, not a house
for himself, but an altar "unto the Lord," on which he presented burnt
offerings. These were, unto the Lord, a "sweetsavor," and after
declaring that He would not curse the ground any more for man's sake,
and after promising that while the earth remained its seasons should
not cease, we are told "God blessed Noah and his sons" (Gen. 9:1).
This is the first time that we read of God blessing any since He had
blessed unfallen man in Eden (Gen. 1:28). The basis of this "blessing"
was the burnt offerings; the design of it to show that the same Divine
favor that was extended to Adam and Eve should now rest upon the new
progenitors of the human race.
Here then we have the second "beginning" of Genesis, a beginning
which, in several respects, resembled the first, particularly in the
command to be fruitful and multiply, and in the subjection of the
irrational creature to man's dominion. But there is one difference
here which it is important to notice: all now rests upon a covenant of
grace based upon shed blood.Man had forfeited the "blessing" of God
and his position as lord of creation, but grace restores and
reinstates him. God makes a covenant with Noah which in its scope
included the beasts of the field (Gen. 9:2) who are made to be at
peace with him and subject to his authority; and which in its duration
would last while the earth remained. Let us now note:
2. The source of this covenant. At least two of the seven covenants
referred to above (the first and the fourth) were mutual agreements
between God and man, but in the one now before us, God Himself was the
initiator and sole compacter. The whole passage emphasizes the fact
that it was a covenant of God with Noah, and not of Noah with God. God
was the giver, man the receiver. Note "Iwill establish My covenant
with you" (v. 11); "This is the token of the covenant which I make"(v.
12); "And I will remember My covenant"(v. 15). That this was God's
covenant with Noah,and that man had no part in the making or keeping
of it is further seen from the following language: "I do set My bow in
the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and
the earth" (v. 13), and, "Iwill remember My covenant, which is between
Me and you and every living creature of all flesh"(v. 15).
It is further to be noted that God said to Noah "with thee will I
establish My covenant" (Gen. 6:18). The benefits of it have been
enjoyed by Noah's posterity, yet the covenant was not made with them.
Favor has been shown to his descendants for Noah's sake. Similarly,
God made a covenant with Abraham in which He promised to bless his
offspring. Thus, at this early period in human history God was
revealing the great principle by which redemption should afterwards be
effected by His Son, namely, that of representation,the one acting for
the many, the many receiving blessing through the one.
3. The basis of this covenant is seen in the closing verses of Genesis
8. The chapter division here is most unfortunate. Genesis 8 ought to
terminate with the nineteenth verse, the remaining three forming the
proper commencement of the ninth chapter. "And Noah builded an altar
unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl,
and offered burnt offerings on the altar" (Gen. 8:20)--the next two
verses, and the whole of chapter nine down to the seventeenth verse,
contain Jehovah's response to Noah's offering. It is in these verses
we learn God's answer to the "sweet savor" that ascended from the
altar. This covenant, then, was based upon sacrifice, and being made
by God with Noah, and not by Noah with God, is therefore
unconditionable and inviolable. How blessed to learn from this type
that every temporal blessing which the earth enjoys as well as every
spiritual blessing which is the portion of the saints, accrues to us
from the Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ of whom Noah's burnt
offerings spoke.
4. The contents of this covenant call for careful consideration. A
part of these has already engaged our attention. "While the earth
remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and
winter, and day and night, shall not cease" (Gen. 8:20); "And I will
establish My covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any
more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood
to destroy the earth" (Gen. 9:11). These promises were given more than
four thousand years ago, and the unfailing annual fulfillment of them
all through the centuries forms a striking demonstration of the
faithfulness of God. The terms of this covenant refer us to that which
is almost universally lost sight of in these days, namely, the fact
that behind Nature's "laws" is Nature's Lord. Men now seek to shut God
out of His own creation. We hear so much of the science of farming and
the laws of diet that our daily bread and the health of the body are
regarded as something that man produces and controls. Our daily bread
is a gift,for without the recurring seasons and God's "renewal of the
face of the earth" (^<19A430>Psalm 104:30) man could produce no grain
at all, and the recurring of the seasons and the renewal of the earth
are the fulfillment of the covenant that God made with Noah. A casual
observation of Nature's "laws"reveals the fact that they are not
uniform in their operation, hence if a Divine Revelation be eliminated
man possesses no guarantee that the seasons may not radically change
or that the earth shall not be destroyed again by a flood. Nature's
"laws" did not prevent the Deluge in Noah's day, why should they
prevent a recurrence of it in ours? How blessed for the child of God
to turn to the inerrant Word and hear his Father say, "And I will
establish My covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any
more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood
to destroy the earth!"
5. The design of the covenant is hinted at in the scripture just
quoted. The timeliness and blessedness of such a revelation are
apparent. Such an awful catastrophe as the Flood would shake violently
the confidence of men in the established order of Nature, and
distressing apprehensions were likely to obsess their minds for
generations to come. They would be filled with terror as they feared a
repetition of it. It was therefore a merciful act on the part of God
to set their minds at rest and assure His creatures that He would no
more destroy the earth with a flood. It was a wondrous display of His
grace, for man had fully shown that he was utterly unworthy of the
least of heaven's mercies, yet, despite the fact that "the imagination
of man's heart is evil from his youth," the Lord said in His heart,
"Neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have
done" (Gen. 8:21). It was also an affirmation of His Creatorship--the
varying seasons, the planets that rule them, the influences of
climatic conditions, were all beneath the control of Him who upholds
"allthings by the word of His power" (Heb. 1:3).
6. The requirements of the covenant are of deep interest. Though the
word itself does not occur till the eleventh verse of the ninth
chapter, a careful study of the context makes it clear that the
covenant itself is expressed in Genesis 8:22, and that from there on
the "covenant"is the one theme of the entire passage. Three things are
included among the Divine requirements: first, blood must not be
eaten; second, the principle of retributive judgment is clearly
enunciated for the first time, capital punishment as the penalty of
murder being now commanded; the human race was to multiply and people
the earth which had been depopulated by the flood. Let us take a brief
look at each of these things.
"But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye
not eat" (Gen. 9:4). This is the second passage in Scripture in which
the word blood occurs. Here, as everywhere in the Word, the earliest
references forecast in outline all that is subsequently said upon the
subject. The first seven passages in which the word blood is found
contain a complete summary of the teaching of God's Word upon this
fundamental theme. (1) Genesis 4:10, 11, gives us the first mention of
blood, and here we learn that the blood cries unto God. (2) Genesis
9:4-6, here we learn that the blood is the life,and that blood must be
held sacred. (3) Genesis 37:22, 26, 31, Joseph's coat is dipped in
blood and is brought to Jacob: here we learn, in type, that the blood
of the Son is presented to the Father. (4) Genesis 42:22, here we
learn that blood is required at the hand of those who shed it. (5)
Genesis 49:11, here, in poetic and prophetic language, Judah's clothes
are said to be washed in the blood of grapes." (6) Exodus 4:9, the
waters of the Nile are turned into blood, teaching us that blood is
the symbol and expression of God's judgment upon sin. (7) Exodus
12:13, the blood provides a covering and shelter for Israel from the
avenging angel. We say again, that in these passages which are the
first seven in the Scriptures in which blood is referred to, we
discover a marvelously complete summary of all that is subsequently
said about the precious blood. It is deeply significant, then, that in
the first requirement in this covenant, which God made with Noah, man
should be taught to regard the blood as sacred.
We turn now to the second of God's requirements mentioned here in
connection with His covenant with Noah--"Whoso sheddeth man's blood,
by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made He man"
(Gen. 9:6). Here we have instituted the principle of all human
government. The sword of magisterial authority is, for the first time,
committed into the hands of man. Before the flood, there does not seem
to have been any recognized form of human government designed for the
suppression of crime and the punishment of evil doers. Cain murdered
his brother, but his own life was spared. Lamech also slew a man, but
there is no hint that he had to defend himself before any tribunal
that had been ordained by God. But now, after the flood, capital
punishment as the penalty of murder is ordained, ordained by God
Himself, ordained centuries before the giving of the Mosaic law, and
therefore, universally binding until the end of time. It is important
to observe that the reason for this law is not here based upon the
well-being of man, but is grounded upon the basic fact that man is
made "inthe image of God." This expression has at least a twofold
significance--a natural and a moral. The moral image of God in man was
lost at the Fall, but the natural has been preserved as is clear from
1 Corinthians 11:7, and James 3:9. It is primarily because man is made
in the image of God that it is sinful to slay him. "To deface the
King's image is a sort of treason among men, implying a hatred against
him, and that if he himself were within reach, he would be served in
the same manner. How much more treasonable, then, must it be to
destroy, curse, oppress, or in any way abuse the image of the King of
kings!" (Andrew Fuller's Exposition of Genesis). As we have said
above, God's words to Noah give us the institution of human government
in the earth. The sword of magisterial authority has been given into
the hands of man by God Himself, hence it is we read, "Let every soul
be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God:
the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth
the power, resisteth the ordinance of God" (Rom. 13:1, 2).
We turn now to the third of God's requirements--"And you, be ye
fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and
multiply therein" (Gen. 9:7). This was the renewal of God's word to
Adam (Gen. 1:28). The human family was starting out afresh. There was
a new beginning. Noah stood, like Adam stood, as the head of the human
race. The need for this word was obvious. The earth had been
depopulated. The human family had been reduced to eight souls^[1] (1
Pet. 3:20). If then the purpose of man's creation was to be realized,
if the earth was to be replenished and subdued, then must man be
"fruitful and multiply." "And the fear of you and the dread of you
shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every fowl of the air,
upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the
sea; into your hand are they delivered"(Gen. 9:2) is further proof
that Noah stood as the new head of the race, the lower orders of
creation being delivered into his hands as they had been into the
hands of Adam.
7. "And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make
between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for
perpetual generations: I do set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be
for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth. And it shall come
to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be
seen in the cloud;. . . . and I will look upon it,that I may remember
the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all
flesh that is upon the earth" (Gen. 9:12-16). These verses bring
before us the token of the covenant. In the giving of the rainbow God
ratified the promise which He had made. The bow in the cloud was not
only to assure man that no more would the earth be destroyed by a
flood, but it was also the memorial of the new relationship which God
had entered into with His creatures. "Hiseye," and not man's only, is
upon the bow, and thus He gives them fellowship with Himself in that
which speaks of peace in the midst of trouble, of light in the place
of darkness; and what this bow speaks of it is ours to realize, who
have the reality of which all figures speak.
"`Godis light,' and that which doth make manifest is light." Science
has told us that the colors which everywhere clothe the face of nature
are but the manifold beauty of the light itself. The pure ray which to
us is colorless is but the harmonious blending of all possible colors.
The primary one--a trinity in unity--from which all others are
produced, are blue, red, and yellow; and the actual color of any
object is the result of its capacity to absorb the rest. If it absorb
the red and yellow rays, the thing is blue; if the blue and yellow, it
is red; if the red only, it is green; and so on. Thus the light paints
all nature; and its beauty (which in the individual ray, we have not
eyes for) comes out in partial displays wherein it is broken up for us
and made perceptible.
"`God is light'; He is Father of lights." The glory, which in its
unbroken unity is beyond what we have sight for, He reveals to us as
distinct attributes in partial displays which we are more able to take
in, and with these He clothes in some way all the works of His hands.
The jewels on the High Priest's breastplate the many-colored gems
whereon the names of His people were engraved were thus the "Urim and
Thummim" the "Lights and Perfections," typically, of God Himself; for
His people are identified with the display of those perfections, those
"lights," in Him more unchangeable than the typical gems.
"Inthe rainbow the whole array of these lights manifests itself, the
solar rays reflecting themselves in the storm; the interpretation of
which is simple. "When I bring a cloud over the earth," says the Lord,
"the bow shall be seen in the cloud; and I (not merely you) will look
upon it." How blessed to know that the cloud that comes over our sky
is of His bringing! and if so, how sure that some way He will reveal
His glory in it! But that is not all, nor the half; for surely but
once has been the full display of the whole prism of glow, and that in
the blackest storm of judgment that ever was; and it is this in the
cross of His Son that God above all looks upon and that He remembers."
(F. W. Grant).
In the rainbow we have more than a hint of grace. As some one has
said, "The bow is directed towards heaven, and arrow to it there is
none, as if it had already been discharged." There are many parallels
between the rainbow and God's grace. As the rainbow is the joint
product of storm and sunshine, so grace is the unmerited favor of God
appearing on the dark background of the creature's sin. As the rainbow
is the effect of the sun shining on the drops of rain in a rain cloud,
so Divine grace is manifested by God's love shining through the blood
shed by our blessed Redeemer. As the rainbow is the telling out of the
varied hues of the white light, so the "manifold grace of God" 1 Peter
4:10) is the ultimate expression of God's heart. As Nature knows
nothing more exquisitely beautiful than the rainbow, so heaven itself
knows nothing that equals in loveliness the wonderful grace of our
God. As the rainbow is the union of heaven and earth--spanning the sky
and reaching down to the ground--so grace in the one Mediator has
brought together God and men. As the rainbow is a public sign of God
hung out in the heavens that all may see it, so "thegrace of God that
bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men"(Titus 2:11). Finally, as
the rainbow has been displayed throughout all the past forty
centuries, so in the ages to come God will shew forth "theexceeding
riches of His grace, in His kindness toward us, through Christ Jesus"
(Eph. 2:7).
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ENDNOTES:
[1] It is something more than a coincidence that the word "covenant"
is found in this connection just eight times, see Genesis 6:18;
Genesis 9:9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17 -- eight being the numeral that
signifies a new beginning, as the eighth day is the first of a new
week.
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
15. Noah's Fall And Noah's Prophecy
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Genesis 9
In our last article we inquired into God's Covenant with Noah--its
basis, its contents, its requirements, etc. We saw, in the emerging
out of the ark that from Noah and his sons the human family started
out afresh. The new beginning promised well. God entered into a
covenant with Noah, declaring that the earth should not again be
destroyed by a flood--thus did the Lord set the heart of His creatures
at rest. Then, we learned that "God blessed Noah and his sons"; that
He caused the fear and dread of man to fall upon every beast of the
field, and "delivered"all the lower orders of creation into his hands.
Further, we discovered that man was now vested with the sword of
magisterial authority, the principle of human government being
ordained and instituted by God Himself.
After such a merciful deliverance from the deluge, after witnessing
such a solemn demonstration of God's holy wrath against sin, and after
being started out with full provision and Divine assurance, one would
have supposed that the human race, ever after, would adhere to the
path of righteousness--but, alas! The very next thing we read is that
"Noahbegan to be a husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: and he drank
of the wine and was drunken, and he was uncovered within his
tent"(Gen. 9:20, 21). Scholars tell us that the Hebrew word here for
"uncovered" clearly indicates a deliberate act and not a mere
unconscious effect of drunkenness. The sins of intemperance and
impurity are twin sisters! No wonder the Psalmist was constrained to
cry, "Whatis man that thou art mindful of him?" What a contrast there
is between this section of Genesis and the last that we considered!
Who would have imagined such a tragic sequel? How evident it is that
truth is stranger than fiction.
Genesis 9 brings before us the inauguration of a new beginning and as
we study and ponder what is recorded herein our minds revert to the
first "beginning" of the human race, and careful comparison of the two
reveals the fact that there is a most extraordinary resemblance in the
history of Noah with that of Adam. We would here call attention to a
tenfold correspondence or likeness. Adam was placed upon an earth
which came up out of the "deep and which had previously been dealt
with by God in judgment" (Gen. 1:12); so, also, Noah came forth onto
an earth which had just emerged from the waters of the great Deluge
sent as a Divine judgment upon sin. Adam was made lord of creation
(Gen. 1:28) and into the hands of Noah God also delivered all things
(Gen. 9:2). Adam was "blessed" by God and told to "be fruitful and
multiply and replenish the earth" (Gen. 1:28), and, in like manner,
Noah was "blessed" and told to "be fruitful and multiply and replenish
the earth" (Gen. 9:1). Adam was placed by God in a garden to "dress
and to keep it" (Gen. 2:15), and Noah "began to be a husbandman, and
he planted a vineyard" (Gen. 9:20). In this garden Adam transgressed
and fell, and the product of the vineyard was the occasion of Noah's
sin and fall. The sin of Adam resulted in the exposure of his
nakedness (Gen. 3:7), and so, too, we read "And he (Noah) was
uncovered within his tent" (Gen. 9:21). Adam's nakedness was covered
by another (Gen. 3:21); thus also was it with Noah (Gen. 9:23). Adam's
sin brought a terrible curse upon his posterity (Rom. 5:12), and so
did Noah's too (Gen. 24:24, 25). Adam had three sons--Cain, Abel and
Seth, the last of which was the one through whom the promised Seed
came; and here again the analogy holds good, for Noah also had three
sons--Japheth, Ham and Shem, the last mentioned being the one from
whom descended the Messiah and Savior. Almost immediately after Adam's
fall a wonderful prophecy was given containing in outline the history
of redemption (Gen. 3:15); and almost immediately after Noah's fall, a
remarkable prophecy was uttered containing in outline the history of
the great races of the earth. Thus does history repeat itself.
Noah "planted a vineyard: and he drank of the wine and was drunken,
and he was uncovered within his tent" (Gen. 9:21). As we read these
words we are reminded of the Holy Spirit's comment upon the Old
Testament Scriptures--"For whatsoever things were written aforetime
were written for our learning" (Rom. 15:4). What then are we to
"learn" from this narration of Noah's sad fall? First, we discover a
striking proof of the Divine inspiration of the scriptures. In the
Bible human nature is painted in its true colors: the characters of
its heroes are faithfully depicted, the sins of its most prominent
personages are frankly recorded. It is human to err, but it is also
human to conceal the blemishes of those we admire. Had the Bible been
a human production, had it been written by uninspired historians, the
defects of its leading characters would have been ignored, or if
recorded at all, an attempt at extenuation would have been made. Had
some human admirer chronicled the history of Noah, his awful fall
would have been omitted. The fact that it is recorded and that no
effort is made to excuse his sin, is evidence that the characters of
the Bible are painted in the colors of truth and nature, that such
characters were not sketched by human pens, that Moses and the other
historians must have written by Divine inspiration.
Second, we learn from Noah's fall that man at his best estate is
altogether vanity, in other words, we see the utter and total
depravity of human nature. Genesis 9 deals with the beginning of a new
dispensation, and like those which preceded it and those which
followed it, this also opened with failure.Whatever the test may be,
man is unable to stand. Placed in an environment which the besom of
destruction had swept clean; a solemn warning of the judgment of
heaven upon evil-doers only recently spread before him; the blessing
of God pronounced upon him, the sword of magisterial authority placed
in his hand, Noah, nevertheless, fails to govern himself and falls
into open wickedness. Learn then that man is essentially
"evil"(Matthew 7:11) and that naught avails but "a new creation" (Gal.
6:15).
Third, we learn from Noah's fall the danger of using wine and the
awful evils that attend intemperance. It is surely significant and
designed as a solemn warning that the first time wine is referred to
in the Scriptures it is found associated with drunkenness, shame and a
curse. Solemn are the denunciations of the Word upon drunkenness, a
sin which, despite all the efforts of temperance reformers, is, taking
the world as a whole, still on the increase. Drunkenness is a sin
against God,for it is the abusing of His mercies; it is a sin against
our neighbors,for it deprives those who are in want of their necessary
supplies and sets before them an evil example; it is a sin against
ourself,for it robs of usefulness, self-government and common decency.
Moreover, drunkenness commonly leads to other evils. It did in Noah's
case; Noah's sin gave occasion for his son to sin.
Fourth, in Noah's sin we learn our need of watchfulness and prayer. A
believer is never immune from falling. The evil nature is still within
us and nothing but constant dependency upon God can enable us to
withstand the solicitations of the world, the flesh, and the devil.
"Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" is a word
that every saint needs daily to take to heart. Neither age nor
character is any security in the hour of testing. Here was a man who
had withstood the temptations of an evil world for six hundred years,
yet nevertheless, he now succumbs to the lusts of the flesh. And this
is one of the things which is written for "our admonition"(1 Cor.
10:11). Then let us not sit in judgment upon Noah with pharisaical
complacency, rather let us "consider ourselves, lest we also be
tempted" (Gal. 6:1). No experience of God's mercies in the past can
deliver us from exposure to new temptations in the future.
Finally, Noah's fall utters a solemn warning to every servant of God.
It is deeply significant that following this prophecy, recorded in the
closing verses of Genesis 9, nothing whatever save his death is
recorded about Noah after his terrible fall. The last three hundred
years of his life are a blank! "But I keep under my body, and bring it
into subjection; lest that by any means, when I have preached to
others, I myself should be a castaway" (1 Cor. 9:27).
Having dwelt at some length upon Noah's fall and the lessons it is
designed to teach us, we turn now to examine the prophecy which he
uttered immediately after. Three things will engage our attention: the
occasion of this prophecy, the meaning of this prophecy, and the
fulfillment of it.
1. The occasion of Noah's prophecy. The setting of it is a remarkable
one. The terrible fall of the illustrious patriarch and the wonderful
prediction he uttered concerning the future history of the three great
divisions of the human family are placed in juxtaposition. The fact
that the Holy Spirit has thus joined these two together is a striking
illustration of the truth that God's ways are different from ours. The
devout student of the Word has learnt that not only are the very words
of Scripture inspired of God, but that their arrangement and order
also evidence a wisdom that transcends the human. What then are we to
learn from this linking together of Noah's fall and Noah's prophecy?
In seeking an answer to our last question we need to observe the scope
of the prophecy itself. Noah's prediction contains an outline sketch
of the history of the nations of the world. The great races of the
earth are here seen in their embryonic condition: they are traced to
their common source, through Shem, Ham end Japheth, back to Noah. The
nature of the stream is determined by the character of the fountain--a
bitter fountain cannot send forth sweet waters. The type of fruit is
governed by the order of the tree--a corrupt tree cannot produce
wholesome fruit. Noah is the fountain, and what sort of a stream could
flow from such a fountain! Read again the sad recital of Noah's fall
and of Ham's wickedness and then ask, what must be the fruit which
springs from such a tree, what must be the harvest that is reaped from
such a sowing! What will be the history of the races that spring from
Noah's three sons? What can it be? A history that began by Noah
abusing God's mercies; a history that commenced with the head of the
new race failing, completely, to govern himself; a history that
started with Ham's shameful impropriety can have only one course and
end. It began with human failure, it has continued thus, and it will
end thus. Here then is the answer to our question: Why is Noah's
prophecy, which sketches the history of the three great races of
mankind, linked to Noah's fall? The two are joined together as cause
and effect, as premise and conclusion, as sowing and harvest!
It was written of old that "the wisdom of this world is foolishness
with God." A striking illustration of this is discovered today in the
wicked writings of the self-termed "Higher Critics." These blind
leaders of the blind aim to degrade God's Word to the level of human
productions and in this remarkable prophecy of Noah regarding his sons
they see nothing more than a hasty ejaculation caused by the knowledge
of his humiliation and expressed in this curse and blessing. That
these words of Noah were not uttered to gratify any feeling of
resentment, but were spoken under a Divine impulse is proven by the
fulfillment of the prophecy itself. A very superficial acquaintance
with the facts of ancient history will evidence the fact that there is
far more in Noah's words than a local expression of indignation and
gratitude. A careful comparison of other scriptures shows that this
utterance of Noah was a prophecy and its remarkable fulfillment
demonstrates that it was a Divine revelation.
"And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto
his brethren.
"And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his
servant."
God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem;
and Caanan shall be his servant" (Gen. 9:25-27).
2. Let us consider now the meaning of Noah's prophecy. This utterance
consists of two parts: a malediction and a benediction. Noah's
prediction concerning his sons corresponds with their conduct on the
occasion of their father's drunkenness. Fearful had been the fall of
Noah, but it was a still greater sin for Ham, on discovering the sad
condition of his parent, to go out and report with malignant pleasure
to his brethren. It is "fools" who "make a mock of sin" (Proverbs
14:9). For a child to expose and sneer at his parent's fall was
wickedness of the worst kind, and evidenced a heart thoroughly
depraved.
In the curse passed upon Canaan we find an exceedingly solemn instance
of the sins of the fathers being visited upon the children. In this
day of human pride and skepticism, when everything is questioned and
challenged, men have dared to criticize the ethics of this hereditary
law. It has been termed unmerciful and unjust. The humble believer
does not attempt to pry into things which are too deep for him, it is
enough for him that the thrice holy God has instituted this law and
therefore he knows it is a righteous one whether he can see the
justice of it or no.
Ham's sin consisted of an utter failure to honor his father.He was
lacking, altogether, in filial love. Had he really cared for his
father at all he would have acted as his brothers did; but instead, he
manifested a total disrespect for and subjection unto his parent. And
mark the fearful consequence: he reaped exactly as he had sown--Ham
sinned as a son and was punished in his son! The punishment meted out
to Ham was that his son shall be brought into subjection to others,
his descendants shall be compelled to honor, yea, "serve"
others--"servant of servants" (v. 25) implies the lowest drudgery,
slavery.
It is to be noted that the "curse" uttered by Noah did not fall
directly on Ham but upon one of his sons, the fourth--"Canaan " (Gen.
10:6). As we shall seek to show, this curse was not confined to Canaan
but embraced all the descendants of Ham. It is highly probable that
"Canaan" was specifically singled out from the rest of his brethren as
a special encouragement to the Israelites who, centuries later, were
to go up and occupy the Promised land. Moses would thus be taught by
the Holy Spirit that a special curse rested upon the then occupants of
the land, i.e., the Canaanites. Yet, as we have said, all of Ham's
children appear to have been included within the scope of this
malediction as is evident from the fact that no blessing at all was
pronounced upon Ham as was the case with each of his brothers.
"Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant" (v.
26). The reward of Shem was in the sphere of religious privileges.The
Divine title employed here supplies the key. In the following verse we
read, "Godshall enlarge Japheth," but here "Blessed be the Lord God of
Shem," this being the title expressive of covenant relationship. God
was to enter into covenant relationship with the children of Shem. The
realization that Jehovah was to be the God of Shem caused Noah to
break forth into thanksgiving--"Blessed bethe Lord God of Shem."
"God shall enlarge Japheth" (v. 27). The word Japheth means
"enlargement" so that here there was a play upon words. "And he shall
dwell in the tents of Shem." This expression is somewhat ambiguous,
the obscurity being occasioned by the difficulty to ascertain the
antecedent. Scholars and students have differed as to whether the
"he"refers to God or to Japheth dwelling in the tents of Shem.
Personally, we incline toward the latter alternative, though we
believe that each of them has been verified in subsequent history. May
it not be that the Holy Spirit has designedly left it uncertain, to
show that both interpretations are true? Sure it is that God did dwell
in the tents of Shem, and equally sure is it that the descendants of
Japheth are now doing so.
3. The fulfillment of Noah's prophecy. The wonderful prediction
uttered by the builder of the Ark gives in a few brief sentences the
history of the new world, and shows the positions that were delegated
by God to the three great divisions of the human family. In the
closing verses of Genesis 9 we have a remarkable unfolding of the
future destinies of the new humanity. The various parts which are to
be played in human history by its leading characters are now made
known. The subjection of one, the religious preeminence of the second,
and the enlarging of the third head of the postdiluvian race, is here
revealed.
"Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his
brethren" (v. 25). Above, we intimated that as no blessing at all was
pronounced upon Ham as was the ease with each of his brothers, it
would seem that the curse was not intended to be limited to Canaan
(there being a particular reason why Canaan should be thus singled
out, namely, as an encouragement to the Israelites,) but included all
of his children. By tracing the history of Ham's other sons it becomes
evident that the scope of Noah's prophecy reached beyond Canaan.
Nimrod sprang from Ham through Cush (Gen. 10:6-8), and he founded the
city and empire Babylon. Mizraim was another of Ham's children and he
was the father of the Egyptians (Gen. 10:6 and Ps. 78:51). For a time
Babylon and Egypt waxed great, but subsequently both of them were
reduced to subjection, first by the Persians who descended from Shem,
and later by the Greeks and Romans who were the children of Japheth.
And from these early subjugations they have never recovered
themselves. The whole of Africa was peopled by the descendants of Ham,
and for many centuries the greater part of that continent lay under
the dominion of the Romans, Saracens, and Turks. And, as is well
known, the Negroes who were for so long the slaves of Europeans and
Americans, also claim Ham as their progenitor.
"Blessedbe the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant" (v.
26). Two things are promised here: Jehovah was to be the God of Shem
and Canaan was to be his servant. Shem was "the father of all the
children of Eber," that is, the Hebrews (Gen. 10:21). Thus, in the
Hebrews, the knowledge and worship of God was preserved in the family
of Shem. The fulfillment of this part of the prophecy is well known to
our readers. God was in a peculiar sense the God of the Hebrews--"And
I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God"(Ex.
29:45). And again, "You only have I known of all the families of the
earth" (Amos 3:2).
"And Canaan shall be his (Shem's) servant." This received its first
fulfillment in the days of Joshua--"And Joshua made them (the
Gibeonites) hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation"
(Joshua 9:27). The following scriptures set forth its further
accomplishment: "And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that
they put the Canaanites to tribute"(Judges 1:28). "And all the people
that were left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and
Jebusites, which were not of the children of Israel, their children
that were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel
also were not able utterly to destroy, upon those did Solomon levy a
tribute of bond service unto this day" (1 Kings 9:20, 21).
"Godshall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem"
(v. 27). Two things were also predicted of Japheth: first, he should
be enlarged; second, he should dwell in the tents of Shem or, in other
words, should receive blessing from Shem. The accomplishment of this
prediction is witnessed to by history both sacred and secular. Those
nations which have been most enlarged by God have descended from
Japheth. The Greeks and the Romans who in their time dominated
practically all of the then known world; and more recently the
European Powers who have entered into the rich possessions of Asia
(inhabited by the children of Shem); and, today, the Anglo-Saxon race,
which occupies more territory than any other people, are all the
descendants of Noah's firstborn! In Genesis 10, where a list of
Japheth's sons is found, we read, "By these were the isles of the
Gentiles divided in their lands."
"And he shall dwell in the tents of Shem" intimates that Japheth was
to be Shem's guest, that he should share the rest and shelter of
Shem's tabernacles. How remarkably has this prophecy been fulfilled
spiritually! "The revelation which we prize is that of the God of
Israel;the Savior in whom we trust is the seed of Abraham;the Old
Testament was written principally for Israel; and the New Testament
though written in a Japhetic tongue, and, therefore for us, was penned
by Jewish fingers"(Urquhart). To this may be added the words of our
Lord, "Salvation is of the Jews" (John 4:22); and that remarkable
statement of the Apostle Paul's in Romans 11 where, writing of the
Gentiles, he says, "Andthou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in
among them (Israel), and with them partakest of the root and fatness
of the olive tree" (v. 17). Thus do we see Japheth "dwelling in the
tents of Shem."
Who but He who knows the end from the beginning could have outlined
the whole course of the three great divisions of the postdiluvian race
so tersely and so accurately!
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
16. Nimrod And The Tower Of Babel
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Genesis 10, 11
In Genesis 10 and 11 we have the historical links which connect for us
the time of Noah with the days of Abraham. Uninteresting as they may
appear to the casual reader they furnish most valuable information to
the prayerful student. Without these two chapters and the genealogies
which they contain, we should be quite unable to trace the fulfillment
of Noah's wonderful prophecy; we should be without any satisfactory
solution to the ethnological problem presented by the variety and
number of the different nations and tongues; and, we should be left in
ignorance concerning the cause (from the human side) which led up to
God abandoning His dealings with the nations and singling out Abram to
be the father of His chosen people Israel.
Genesis 10 and 11 give us the history of the postdiluvian world; they
show us the ways of men in this new world--in revolt against God and
seeking to glorify and deify themselves; and they set before us the
principles and judgments upon which this world is founded. For the
understanding of the chapters it is necessary to pay careful attention
to their structure and chronology.Chapter eleven historically
antedates much of Genesis 10, furnishing us with a commentary upon it.
Verses eight to twelve of chapter ten and verses one to nine of
chapter eleven should be read as two parentheses.Reading them thus, we
find, that outside of these parentheses, these chapters furnish us
with the genealogical descent of Abram from Noah. Upon these
genealogies and origins of the various nations we shall not now
comment, preferring to dwell at some length on the parenthetical
portions.
Like everything else in Genesis, the historical events recorded in
these brief parentheses are remarkable in their typical significance
and reach. In the clearer and fuller light of the New Testament we
cannot fail to see that Nimrod foreshadowed the last great World-Ruler
before our Lord descends to earth and ushers in His millennial reign
It is deeply significant that the person and history of Nimrod are
here introduced at the point immediately preceding God calling Abram
from among the Gentiles and bringing him into the Promised Land. So
will it be again in the near future. Just before God gathers Abraham's
descendants from out of the lands of the Gentiles (many, perhaps the
majority of whom will be found dwelling at that very time in
Assyria,--see Isaiah 11:11), there will arise one who will fill out
the picture here typically outlined by Nimrod. We refer of course to
the Antichrist.As the Antichrist is a subject of such interest and
importance--his manifestation being now so near at hand--we digress
for a moment to say one or two things about him.
To begin at the beginning. We need not remind our readers that Satan
is the avowed and age-long enemy of God and that all through the
course of human history he has been opposing his Maker and seeking to
secure the scepter of earth's sovereignty. Further, we need not dwell
upon the fact, so plainly revealed in Scripture, that Satan is an
imitator,parodying and counterfeiting the ways and things of the Lord.
But the climax of all Satan's schemes has not yet become history,
though the inspired Word shows us clearly what form this climax will
assume. God's purposes for this earth are to be realized and
consummated in a man,"the man Christ Jesus" who will yet reign over it
as King of kings and Lord of lords. Satan's designs will also head up
in a man, "the man of Sin" who will for a short season reign over the
earth as its acknowledged King. This man will be, preeminently,
energized by Satan himself (2 Thess. 2:9). He will assume the right to
enforce his autocratic dictates on all alike--"And he causeth all,
both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark
in their right hand, or in their foreheads; and that no man might buy
or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the
number of his name" (Rev. 13:16, 17). He it was who was before the
Psalmist when he said, "He(Christ) shall wound the head over many
countries" (Ps. 110:6). He was the one pictured by the prophet when he
wrote--"Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud
man,neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is
as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations,
and heapeth unto him all people,"etc., see Habakkuk 2:1-8. This Man of
Sin (2 Thess. 2:3) will be the super-man of whom the world is even now
talking about, and for whom it is so rapidly being prepared. He will
be the "Lord of Light"--the great Mahatma--for whom Theosophists and
Bahaists are looking.
The Antichrist is not only the subject of Old Testament prophecy, but
he is also the subject of Old Testament typology.Most of the
characters brought before us in Old Testament history are types of one
of two men--the Christ or the Antichrist. Much attention has been paid
to the study of and much has been written about those personages which
foreshadowed our blessed Lord, but much less thought has been devoted
to the consideration of those who prefigured the Man of Sin. A wide
field here lies open for investigation, and we doubt not that as his
appearing draws nigh the Holy Spirit will furnish additional light on
this little-studied subject.
One of those who foreshadowed the Antichrist was Nimrod.In at least
seven particulars can the analogy be clearly traced. First: his very
name describes that which will be the most prominent characteristic of
all in the one whom he typifies. "Nimrod" means "the Rebel,"reminding
us of one of the titles of the Antichrist, found in 2 Thessalonians
2:8--"The Lawless One" R.V. Second: the form which Nimrod's rebellion
assumed was to head a great confederacy in open revolt against God.
This confederacy is described in Genesis eleven and that it was an
organized revolt against Jehovah is clear from the language of Genesis
10:9--"Nimrod, the mighty hunter before the Lord," which (as we shall
see) means that he pushed his own designs in brazen defiance of his
Maker. Thus it will be with the Antichrist; of him it is written,"And
the King shall do according to his will, and he shall exalt himself
and magnify himself above every god (ruler), and shall speak marvelous
things against the God of Gods, and shall prosper till the indignation
be accomplished; for that that is determined shall be done. Neither
shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor
regard any god, for he shall magnify himself above all" (Daniel 11:36,
37). Third: four times over the word "mighty" is used to describe
Nimrod. Here again we are reminded of the Lawless One of whom it is
said "Evenhim whose coming is after the working of Satan with all
power and signs and lying wonders" (2 Thess. 2:9). Fourth: Nimrod was
a "hunter" (Gen. 10:9), probably a hunter of men.This is precisely
what the Lawless One will be. In Psalm 5:6 he is denominated "the
bloody and deceitful man." Fifth: Nimrod was a "king "--the beginning
of his kingdom was Babel (Gen. 10:10), and, as we have seen in Daniel
11:36 the Antichrist is also termed "king." Sixth: Nimrod's
headquarters were in Babylon,see Genesis 10:10 and 11:1-9; so also, we
find the Man of Sin is called "the king of Babylon" (Isa. 14:4), and
in the Apocalypse he is connected with "mystery Babylon" (Rev.
17:3-5). Seventh: Nimrod's supreme ambition and desire was to make to
himself a name. He had an inordinate desire for fame. Here, too the
antitype agrees with the type. "Pride" is spoken of as the
condemnation of the Devil: it was an impious ambition which brought
about his downfall. The Man of Sin will be fully possessed by Satan,
hence, an insatiable pride will possess him. It is this Satanic
egotism which will cause him to oppose and "exalt himself above all
that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth
in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God" (2 Thess. 2:4).
We have now prepared the way for a more detailed, yet brief,
exposition of the two parenthetical portions of Genesis 10 and 11.
"And Cush begat Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one in the earth"
(Gen. 10:8). The first thing we note here is that Nimrod was a
descendant of Ham,through Cush; in other words, he sprang from that
branch of Noah's family on which rested the "curse." Next, we observe
that it is said, "he began to be mighty," which seems to suggest the
idea that he struggled for the preeminence,and by mere force of will
obtained it. Finally, we observe that he "began to be mighty in the
earth." The intimation appears to be that of conquest or subjugation,
as though he became a leader and ruler over men, as indeed he did. "He
was a mighty hunter before the Lord; wherefore it is said, Even as
Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord" (Gen. 10:9). In so brief a
description the repetition of these words, "mighty hunter before the
Lord" are significant. Three times in Genesis 10 and again in 1
Chronicles 1:10 the word "mighty" is applied to Nimrod. The Hebrew
word is "gibbor," and is translated in the Old Testament "chief" and
"chieftain." The verse in Chronicles is in perfect agreement with
these in Genesis--"And Cush begat Nimrod; he began to be mighty upon
the earth." The Chaldee paraphrase of this verse says, "Cush begat
Nimrod who began to prevail in wickedness, for he slew innocent blood
and rebelled against Jehovah." Observe, "a mighty hunter before the
Lord."If we compare this expression with a similar one in Genesis
6:11--"The earth also (in the days of Noah) was corrupt before
God,"the impression conveyed is that this "Rebel" pursued his own
impious and ambitious designs in brazen and open defiance of the
Almighty. As we shall see, the contents of Genesis eleven confirm this
interpretation.
"And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel"(Gen. 10:10). Here is the
key to the first nine verses of the eleventh chapter. Here we have the
first mention of Babel, and like the first mention of anything in
Scripture this one demands careful consideration. In the language of
that time Babel meant "the gate of God" but afterwards, because of the
judgments which God inflicted there, it came to mean "Confusion," and
from here onwards this is its force or meaning. By coupling together
the various hints which the Holy Spirit has here given us we learn
that Nimrod organized not only an imperial government over which he
presided as king, but that he instituted a new and idolatrous worship.
If the type is perfect, and we believe it is, then like the Lawless
One will yet do, Nimrod demanded and received Divine honors;in all
probability it is just here that we have the introduction of
idolatry.Here, again, we learn how wonderfully the first mention of
anything in Scripture defines its future scope; from this point
Babylon in Scripture stands for that which is in opposition to God and
His people--it was a Babylonish garment (Joshua 7:21) which led to the
first sin in the promised land, while from Revelation 17 we learn that
Romanism, which will gather into itself the whole of apostate
Christendom, is termed "Mystery Babylon."
Out of that land he went forth into Assyria (marginal rendering) and
builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, and Resen, between
Nineveh and Calah; the same is a great city" (Gen. 10:11, 12). From
these statements we gather the impression that Nimrod's ambition was
to establish a world-empire.But we must turn now to the next chapter,
asking our readers to study carefully the first nine verses in the
light of what we have said above.
"Andthe whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it
came to pass, as they journeyed from the east,that they found a plain
in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there" (Gen. 11:1,2). These
geographical and topographical references have a moral force,just as
we read of "going down to Egypt,"but "up to Jerusalem." Here we are
told that men journeyed "from the east," i.e., turned their backs upon
the sunrise. Note further, "a plain (not a "mountain") in the land of
Shinar."
Nimrod is not mentioned at all in Genesis 11, but from the statements
made in the previous chapter we learn that he was the "chief"and
"king" which organized and headed the movement and rebellion here
described.
"And they said, Go to, let us build us a city, and a tower, whose top
may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered
abroad upon the face of the whole earth" (Gen. 11:4). Here we discover
a most blatant defiance of God, a deliberate refusal to obey His
command given through Noah. He had said, "Be fruitful, and multiply,
and replenish the earth"(Gen. 9:1); but they said, "Letus make us a
name lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth."
As we have seen, Nimrod's ambition was to establish a world-empire.To
accomplish this two things were necessary. First, a center of unity, a
city headquarters; and second, a motive for the encouragement and
inspiration of his followers. This latter was supplied in the "letus
make us a name." It was an inordinate desire for fame. Nimrod's aim
was to keep mankind all together under his own leadership "lestwe be
scattered." The idea of the "tower" (considered in the light of its
setting) seems to be that of strength--astronghold--rather than
eminence.
"And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one
language; and this they begin to do; and now nothing will be
restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go
down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand
one another's speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence
upon the face of all the earth; and they left off to build the city.
Therefore is the name of it called Babel (Confusion); because the Lord
did there confound the language of all the earth, and from thence did
the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth" (Gen.
11:6-9). Another crisis had arrived in the history of the world. Once
again the human race was guilty of the sin of apostasy. Therefore did
God intervene, brought Nimrod's schemes to naught by confounding the
speech of his subjects and scattered them throughout the earth. Here
was one of the mightiest and most far-reaching miracles of history. It
finds no parallel until the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day
of Pentecost when another miracle of "tongues" was performed. The
effect of God's intervention was the origination of the different
nations and after the destruction of the Tower of Babel we get the
formation of the "world" as we now have it. At this point the nations
were abandoned to their own devices--"God gave them up" (Rom. 1)--but
not until the race had twice enjoyed a revelation of God's mercy
(first to Adam and then to Noah) and had twice forsaken Him before and
now, after the Deluge.
To sum up. In Nimrod and his schemes we see Satan's initial attempt to
raise up a universal ruler of men. In his inordinate desire for fame,
in the mighty power which he wielded, in his ruthless and brutal
methods-suggested by the word "hunter"; in his blatant defiance of the
Creator, (seen in his utter disregard for His command to replenish the
earth,) by determining to prevent his subjects from being scattered
abroad; in his founding of the kingdom of Babylon--the Gate of
God--thus arrogating to himself Divine honors; inasmuch as the Holy
Spirit has placed the record of these things immediately before the
inspired account of God's bringing Abram into Canaan--pointing forward
to the re-gathering of Israel in Palestine immediately after the
overthrow of the Lawless One; and finally, in the fact that the
destruction of his kingdom is described in the words, "Let us go down
and there confound their language"(Gen. 11:7)-- foreshadowing so
marvelously the descent of Christ from Heaven to vanquish His impious
Rival, we cannot fail to see that there is here, beneath the
historical narrative, something deeper than that which appears on the
surface; yea, that there is here a complete typical picture of the
person, work and destruction of the Anti-christ.
Much more might have been written upon this interesting and suggestive
incident, but we trust sufficient has been said to indicate the broad
outlines of its typical teaching and to stimulate others to further
study for the filling in of the details.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
17. The Call of Abraham
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 12
We have now reached a section of this book which is of surpassing
interest and one that is full of important lessons for those who are
members of the household of faith. The passage for our present
consideration introduces us to the third great section of Genesis. As
its name intimates, Genesis is the book of Beginnings. Its literary
structure is true to its title for the whole of its contents center
around three beginnings. First there is the beginning of the human
race in Adam; Second, there is the new beginning on the post-diluvian
earth in Noah and his sons; Third, there is the beginning of the
Chosen Nation in Abram. Thus in Genesis we have three great
"beginnings," and therefore as three is the number of the Godhead,we
see how in this first book of the Divine Library, the very autograph
of Deity is stamped on the opening pages of Holy Writ as though
anticipating and rebuking the modern assaults on this book by the
Evolutionists and Higher Critics.
The relative importance (we do not say "value") of the three main
divisions of Genesis is indicated by their respective dimensions. The
first two divisions cover a period of not less than two thousand
years, yet, but eleven chapters are devoted to this section of human
history; whereas the third division, covering scarcely four hundred
years, contains no less than thirty-nine chapters. More than
three-fourths of the book is occupied with narrating the lives of
Abram and the first three generations of his descendants.
While it is true that the first two divisions of the book are embraced
by the first eleven chapters in Genesis, yet, from a literary
viewpoint, it would really be more correct to regard these chapters as
a preface,not only to the remaining twenty-nine chapters of Genesis,
but also to the entire Old Testament, and, we may add, of the Bible as
a whole. This Divine "preface" is given to explain that which is made
known in all that follows. The first eleven chapters of Genesis are
really the foundation on which rests the remainder of the Old
Testament. They trace in rapid review the line of descent from Adam to
Abram. It has been well said concerning the book of Genesis that "as
the root to the stem so are chapters 1-11 to 12-50, and as the stem to
the tree so is Genesis to the rest of the Bible." One of the main
purposes of Genesis is to reveal to us the origin and beginnings of
the Nation of Israel, and in the first eleven chapters we are shown
the different steps by which Israel became a separate and Divinely
chosen nation. In Genesis 10 and 11 the entire human race is before
us, but from Genesis 12 onwards attention is directed to one man and
his descendants.
Genesis 12 brings before us Abram--"the father of all them that
believe." Abram whose name was subsequently changed to Abraham the
most illustrious personage in ancient history. Abraham! venerated by
Jews, Christians and Mohammedans. Abraham! the progenitor of the
nation of Israel. Abraham! termed "thefriend of God." Abraham! from
whom, according to the flesh, our Lord came. Surely we shall be richly
repaid if we devote our most diligent attention to the prayerful study
of the life of such a man. The present article will serve to introduce
a short series of papers which will be given to the consideration of
the history of one who, in several respects, was the most eminent of
all the patriarchs.
"Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country and
from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will
show thee" (Gen. 12:1). The tense of the verb here looks back to an
incident which was referred to by Stephen and which is recorded in
Acts 7:2, 3--"The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when
he was in Mesopotamia before he dwelt in Charran, and said unto him,
Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred and come into the
land which I shall show thee." Three things here call for a brief
comment; first, the Divine title used in this connection; second, the
fact of the Lord's "appearing," and third, His communication to Abram.
The Divine title which is used here is found in only one other
scripture, namely, Psalm 29, which is one of the Millennial Psalms
"The voice of the Lord is upon the waters, the God of Glory
thundereth" (v. 3). That this is a Millennial Psalm is clear from
verse 10--"The Lord sitteth upon the flood yea, the Lord sitteth King
for ever." Closely connected with the above Divine title is the one by
which the Lord Jesus is designated in Psalm 24 (another Millennial
Psalm)--"Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lifted up, ye
everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in" (v. 7). Thus
we see that this title is peculiarly a Kingdom title, and therefore,
when Jehovah appeared to the father of the Kingdom people,it was as
"The God of Glory." The appropriateness of this title is further
evident from the religious state of Abram and his fathers at the time
that God appeared to him, namely, a state of Idolatry. The "God of
Glory" was in vivid contrast from the "other gods" mentioned in Joshua
24:2.
"The God of Glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in
Mesopotamia." This is the first recorded "appearing" of God after the
banishment of our parents from Eden. It was probably the earliest of
all the theophanic manifestations that we read of in the Old Testament
and which anticipated the Incarnation as well as marked the successive
revelations of God to men. We do not hear of God appearing to Abel or
Noah. Great then was the privilege thus conferred upon the one who
afterwards was termed the "friend of God." We turn now to consider the
terms of the Divine communication received by Abram.
And God said unto him "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy
kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee." This command
from God came to Abram in Mesopotamia, in the city of Ur of the
Chaldees, which was situated near to the Persian Gulf. The time of
Abram's call is significant. It occurred shortly after the destruction
of Babel and dispersion of the nations. As we endeavored to show in
our last paper, even in that early day, men had added to their other
offenses against God, the sin of idolatry.A scripture which throws
considerable light upon the religious conditions that prevailed
throughout the earth in the days immediately preceding the Call of
Abram is to be found in Romans 1--"When they knew God, they glorified
Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their
imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing
themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the
incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to
birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also
gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts to
dishonor their own bodies between themselves: who changed the truth of
God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the
Creator, who is blessed for ever" (vv. 21-25, and read to end of Gen.
5:28). Three times over in this solemn passage we read "God gave them
up," that is, He turned away from those who had first turned from Him.
We believe the historical reference here is to Genesis 11. It was at
that time God abandoned the nations, suffering them all to "walk in
their own ways" (Acts 14:16, and compare Amos 3:3). The family from
which Abram sprang was no exception to the general rule, his
progenitors were idolaters too as we learn from Joshua 24:2--"Thus
saith the Lord God of Israel, your fathers dwelt on the other side of
the flood in old time even Terah, the father of Abraham and the father
of Nachor and they served other gods."
Here then is the setting of the incident now before us. Having
abandoned (temporarily) the nations, God now singles out a man from
whom the Chosen Nation was to spring. Having dealt in judgment (at
Babel) God now deals in grace.This has been, and will ever be, true of
all God's dealings. According to His infinite wisdom, judgment (which
is His "strange" work) only serves to prepare the way for greater
manifestations of His redeeming love. God's judgment upon Israel
resulted in the enriching of the Gentiles. The outpouring of Divine
wrath in the Tribulation period will be but the precursor of
Millennial blessedness. And, we may add, the judgment of the great
white throne will be followed by the new heaven and new earth wherein
righteousness shall "dwell" and upon which the tabernacle of God shall
be with men. Thus it was of old. The overthrow of Babel and the
scattering of the nations was followed by the call of Abraham to be
the father of a divinely governed nation which was to be a witness for
God, the depository of His revelation, and ultimately, the channel
through which His blessing should flow to all the families of the
earth.
The lesson to be learned here is a deeply important one. The
connection between Genesis eleven and twelve is highly significant.
The Lord God determined to have a people of His own by the calling of
grace, but it was not until all the claims of the natural man had been
repudiated by his own wickedness that Divine clemency was free to flow
forth. In other words, it was not until the utter depravity of man had
been fully demonstrated by the antediluvians, and again at Babel, that
God dealt with Abram in sovereign grace. That it was grace and grace
alone, sovereign grace, which called Abram is seen in his natural
state when God first appeared to him. There was nothing whatever in
the object of His choice which commended him to God. There was nothing
whatever in Abram which merited God's esteem. The cause of election
must always be traced to God's will. Election itself is "of
grace"(Rom. 11:5), therefore it depends in no wise upon any worthiness
in the object--either actual or foreseen. If it did, it would not be
"of grace." That it was not a question of worthiness in Abram is clear
from the language of Isaiah 51:1, 2--"Hearken to me, ye that follow
after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence
ye are hewn and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.Look Unto
Abraham your father,and unto Sarah that bare you." While God's
dealings are never arbitrary, yet their raison d'etre must ever be
found in His own sovereign pleasure.
"Nowthe Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and
from thy kindred, and from thy father's house unto a land that I will
show thee" (Gen. 12:1). As we have seen from Acts 7:3 this call from
God came to Abram at his home in Mesopotamia. It was a call which
demanded absolute confidence in and obedience to the word of Jehovah.
It was a call of separation from the ties of the natural man. This is
a marked advance upon that which we studied in connection with our
previous patriarch. The connection between the histories and
experiences of Noah and Abraham is most instructive. Noah passing
through the judgment of the old world and coming forth upon a new
earth, represents the acceptance of the believer in Christ, with a new
standing ground before God. Abram called upon to separate himself from
his home and kindred and bidden to go out into a place which
afterwards God would give him for an inheritance, typifies the one
whose citizenship is in heaven but who is still in the world, and in
consequence, called upon to walk by faith and live as a stranger and
pilgrim on the earth. In a word, Abram illustrates the heavenly
calling of those who are members of the body of Christ.
In Abram we have exhibited the life of faith which is just what we
shall expect, seeing that he is termed "the father of all them that
believe." The call of Abram shows us the starting-point of the life of
faith. The first requirement is separation from the world and from our
place in it by nature. Abram was called upon to leave his "kindred" as
well as his "country." Terah was an idolater, whereas Abram had become
a believer in the living God, therefore it was expedient that Terah
should be left behind for "how can two walk together except they be
agreed." Even the closest ties of human affection cannot unite souls
which are sundered by opposite motives, the one possessing treasure in
heaven and the other having nought save that which moth and rust doth
corrupt and which thieves may steal.
In order to learn what response Abram made to God's call it is
necessary to revert again to the previous chapter--"And Terah took
Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son and Sarai his
daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife, and they went forth with them
from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan and they came
unto Haran and dwelt there" (Gen. 11:31). From these words we discover
a two-fold failure on Abram's part. Three things were commanded him by
God; he was to leave his own country, he was to separate himself from
his kindred, and he was to go forth unto a land which Jehovah had
promised to show him. In respect to the first requirement Abram
obeyed, but with reference to the last two he failed. He left Chaldea,
but instead of separating himself from his kindred, Terah his father
and Lot his nephew accompanied him. Terah means "delay,"and thus it
proved. Terah's accompanying Abram resulted in a delay of at least
five years in Haran, which word means "parched"!^[1] Abram's response
to God's call then, was partial and slow, for observe that in Isaiah
51:2 we are expressly told that God called Abram "alone," yet in the
end he "obeyed." How beautiful it is to note that when we come to the
New Testament Abram's failure is not mentioned--"By faith Abram, when
he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for
an inheritance, obeyed,and he went out, not knowing whither he went"
(Heb. 11:8), his obedience in leaving Ur is thus singled out, but no
notice is here taken by the Holy Spirit of his disobedience in taking
his "kindred" with him--that sin, with all of his others, had been
"blotted out"!
"Getthee out" was Jehovah's command, and His commands are not
grievous. The Lord's commands are rarely accompanied with reasons but
they are always accompanied with promises,either exprest or
understood. So it was in Abram's case. Said the Lord: "And I will make
of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name
great; and thou shalt be a blessing"(Gen. 12:2). In the first place it
is to be observed, however, that this promise was couched in very
general terms and in a manner calculated to test Abram's faith. "Get
thee out. . . . . unto a land," not unto "a land flowing with milk and
honey." And again, "unto a land that I will show thee" as yet there
was no assurance that God was going to give it to him and his seed. In
the second place it is to be noted that the promise corresponds
closely with the command.The command included a threefold requirement
and the promise embraced a threefold blessing." "And I will make of
thee a great nation,"this was compensation for the loss of country.
The nation from which he sprang had fallen into gross idolatry and
ultimately perished beneath God's judgments; but from Abram God would
make a great nation." "And I will bless thee,"the blessing of Jehovah
would more than make up for any loss of carnal joys he would lose by
leaving his "kindred." "And make thy name great."He was to leave his
father's house, but God would make of him the head of a new house,
even the house of Israel, on account of which he would be known and
venerated the world over. In the third place, it should be pointed out
that this promise included within its scope the call and blessing of
the Gentiles. Abram's response to God's demand was to be the first
link in a series of Divine interpositions by which God's mercy might
be extended to the whole earth. "And thou shalt be a blessing."Abraham
was not merely the subject of Divine blessing, but a medium of
blessing to others. "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse
him that curseth thee." Here we see Jehovah identifying the cause of
Abram with His own. "And in thee shall all families of the earth be
blessed."This part of the promise received a partial fulfillment in
the birth of Him who was according to the flesh, "the son of Abraham"
(Matthew 1:1), but its complete and ultimate fulfillment looks forward
to the Millennium, for then it will be that all families of the earth
shall receive blessing through Abram and his seed.
"So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with
him; and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of
Haran" (Gen. 12:4). As we have seen, instead of journeying unto
Canaan, Abram tarried at Haran. It was not until after Terah's death
that Abram left Haran and came into Canaan. It was death which broke
the link which bound Abram to Haran--"Then came he out of the land of
the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Charran (Greek for "Haran") and from
thence, when his father was dead he removed him into this land,
wherein ye now dwell" (Acts 7:4). So it is with all his spiritual
children. It is death which separates the believer from that which by
nature unites him with the old creation--"But God forbid that I should
glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world
is crucified unto me and I unto the world"(Gal. 6:14).
"And they went forth to go into the land of Canaan, and into the land
of Canaan they came. And Abram passed through the land unto the place
of Sichem, and unto the place (oak) of Moreh" (Gen. 12:5, 6). Abram
did not enter into occupation of Canaan, he merely" passed through the
land." As we read in Acts 7:5--"the (God) gave him none inheritance in
it, not so much as to set his foot on: Yet He promised that He would
give it to him for a possession and to his seed after him, when as yet
he had no child." Abram first halted at Sichem (Shecham) which
signifies "shoulder"--the place of strength, unto the oak of Moreh
which means "instruction."How significant! What a lesson for us! It is
only as we separate ourselves from the world and walk in the path
marked out for us by God that we reach the place where strength is to
be found, and, it is only thus that we can enter into fellowship with
and learn from Him in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge. "And the Canaanite was then in the land" (v. 6)--to
challenge and contest the occupation of it, just as the hosts of
wickedness are in present occupancy of the heavenlies to wrestle with
those who are partakers of the heavenly calling.
"Andthe Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give
this land, and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared
unto him" (Gen. 12:7). There is no record of Abram receiving any
further revelation from God until His call had been fully obeyed, but
now that he had left Ur and Haran behind him and had actually arrived
in the land, Jehovah appeared once more unto him. At the first
appearing God called him to go unto a land that He would show him, and
now He rewards Abram's faith and obedience by promising to give this
land unto his seed. Thus does the Lord lead His children step by step.
At the first appearing the God of Glory called upon Abram to separate
himself from his place by nature; but at this second appearing He
reveals Himself to Abram for communion, and the result is that Abram
erects an altar.There was no "altar" for Abram in Ur or Haran. It is
not until there is real separation from the world that fellowship with
God is possible. First the obedience of faith and then communion and
worship.
"Andhe removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and
pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hat on the east: and
there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of
the Lord" (Gen. 12:8). How significant! Bethel means "the house of
God" while Hat signifies "a heap of ruin," and it was between them
that Abram pitched his tent--typical of the sphere of the believer's
present path, with the old creation (a ruin) on the one side and the
house of God (on high) on the other. Observe the two objects here:
"tent" and the "altar"--symbols of that which characterizes a walk in
separation with God, the one speaking of the pilgrim life and the
other of dependency upon and worship of God. Note, too, the order of
mention: we must first be strangers and pilgrims on the earth before
acceptable worship is possible.
And now we come to the second failure of Abram, namely, his leaving
Canaan and going down into Egypt. Concerning this incident we can here
say only a few words. First it is to be noted that, "Abram journeyed,
going on still toward the south" (v. 9). This geographical reference
is deeply significant: southward was Egyptward! When the "famine"
overtook Abram his face was already toward Egypt.
"And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to
sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land" (v. 10). This
is the first mention in Scripture of Egypt, and like all its
subsequent references, so here, it stands for that which is a constant
menace to the people of God symbolizing, as it does, alliance with the
world and reliance upon the arm of flesh--"Woe to them that go down to
Egypt for help and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they
are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look
not unto the Holy One of Israel,neither seek the Lord!" (Isa. 31:1).
The famine was sent as a trial of Abram's faith. A famine in the Land
of Promise. What a test of faith! "Godwould see whether he had such
confidence in His goodness that even famine could not shake it. Alas,
Abram did as we are all prone to do, he sought relief from all his
difficulties, rather than profit by the trial" (Ridout).
Observe that when this famine came there was no seeking counsel from
the Lord. Abram was prompted by the wisdom of the flesh which ever
suggests relief in means and human help, in fact, anything rather than
in the living God. O, the inconsistencies of God's children! Faith in
God with regard to our eternal interest, but afraid to confide in Him
for the supply of our temporal needs. Here was a man who had journeyed
all the way from Chaldea to Canaan on the bare word of Jehovah and yet
was now afraid to trust Him in the time of famine. Sad that it should
be so, but how like us today!
One sin leads to another. Failure in our love to God always results in
failure in our love to our neighbor. Down in Egypt Abram practices
deception and denies that Sarai is his wife, thus endangering the
honor of the one who was nearest and should have been dearest to him.
Alas! What is man? But Jehovah would not allow His purposes to be
frustrated--"If we believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot
deny Himself"(2 Tim. 2:13). So it was here. The Lord interposed--"And
the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of
Sarai,Abram's wife" (v. 17). The sequel is found in the next chapter.
"And Abram went up out of Egypt, he and his wife, and all that he had.
. . . .and he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto
the place where his tent had been at the beginning,between Bethel and
Hai; unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the
first, and there Abram called on the name of the Lord" (Gen. 13:1, 3,
4). He returned to the very place he had left. He repented and "did
the first works." Abram's sojourn in Egypt was so much lost time.
We cannot close this paper without first seeking to gather up in a few
words the practical and deeply important lessons here recorded for our
learning. 1. The call which came to Abram comes to each one of his
believing children--the call for absolute confidence in God; the call
to take Him at His word and step out in simple and unquestioning
faith; the call to separate ourselves from the world to a life of
pilgrimage in dependency upon Jehovah. 2. The trial of Abram's faith
is also the lot of all his children. Profession must be tested and at
times the meal in the barrel will run very low. The failure of Abram
is a solemn warning against being occupied with circumstances instead
of with God. Look not at the famine but unto God's faithfulness. 3.
Beware of going down to Egypt. The friendship of the world is enmity
with God. Time spent in Egypt is wasted. Days lived out of communion
with God produce nought but "wood, hay and stubble." 4. As you see in
the failures of Abram the sad record of your own history, marvel anew
at the long sufferance of God which deals in such infinite patience
and grace with His erring and ungrateful children.
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] Haran was the point at which caravans for Canaan left the
Euphrates to strike across the desert.
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
18. Abraham And Lot
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 13
In our last article we followed Abraham from Ur of Chaldea to Haran,
and from Haran to Canaan. We saw that after he had arrived in the land
to which God called him, a famine arose, and his faith failing him in
the hour of crisis, Abraham, accompanied by Lot, sought refuge in
Egypt. Our present study reveals some of the results of the
patriarch's backsliding. While God, in faithfulness and grace,
restored His wandering child, yet the effects of his departure from
the path of faith were manifested soon afterwards and continued to
harass him the remainder of his days. The principle of sowing and
reaping is of universal application and is true of believers equally
as much as unbelievers. Two things Abraham obtained from his sojourn
in Egypt, each of which proved a hindrance and curse, though in the
end both were overruled by God for His own glory. We refer to them
here in the inverse order of their mention in Genesis.
"And Sara, Abram's wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian,after Abram
had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her
husband, Abram, to be his wife" (Gen. 16:3). During their stay in
Egypt, Sarah took unto her the maid, Hagar. The strife, the jealousy,
the trouble which Hagar introduced into the patriarch's household is
well known, the climax of it all being seen in Ishmael (Hagar's son)
"mocking Isaac" (Gen. 21:9) and his subsequent expulsion from Abram's
tent.
The second thing which Abraham seems to have obtained in Egypt was
great earthly possessions--"And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and
his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. And
Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold" (Gen. 13:1, 2).
This is the first time we read of Abram's "cattle," and it is deeply
significant that shortly afterwards these very flocks and herds became
the occasion of strife between him and his nephew. It also deserves to
be noticed that this is the first mention of "riches" in Scripture,
and, as now, so then, they pierced their possessor through with "many
sorrows" (1 Tim. 6:10).
"AndLot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents"
(Gen. 13:5). Till now we hear nothing of Lot since he left Haran, but
he appears to have been one of Abram's family and to have gone with
him wherever he went. The characters and careers of Abram and Lot
present a series of sharp antitheses. Throughout the biographical
portions of Scripture we find the Holy Spirit frequently brings
together two men of widely different character and placing them in
juxtaposition so that we might the better learn the salutary lessons
He would teach us. Abel and Cain, Moses and Aaron, Samuel and Saul,
David and Solomon, are well known examples of this principle. In
almost every respect Lot compares unfavorably with Abram. Abram walked
by faith, Lot by sight. Abram was generous and magnanimous; Lot greedy
and worldly. Abram looked for a city whose builder and maker was God;
Lot made his home in a city that was built by man and destroyed by
God. Abram was the father of all who believe; Lot was father of those
whose name is a perpetual infamy. Abram was made "heir of the world"
(Rom. 4:3), while the curtain falls upon Lot with all his possessions
destroyed in Sodom, and himself dwelling in a "cave" (Gen. 19:30).
The history of Lot is a peculiarly tragic one and for that reason full
of "admonition" for us upon whom the ends of the ages have come. We
attempt nothing more than a rapid sketch of it, considering:
1. Lot's Departure from Abram.
This is described in Genesis 13: "And the land was not able to bear
them, that they might dwell together, for their substance was great,
so that they could not dwell together. And there was a strife between
the herdsmen of Abram's cattle and the herdsmen of Lot's cattle" (vv.
6 and 7). How often "strife"between kinsmen has been brought about by
earthly possessions and wealth! The record is very terse, but there
can be little doubt as to who was to blame. The subsequent conduct of
Lot and the Lord's rewarding of Abram indicate plainly that it was Lot
who was in the wrong. Nor is the cause far to seek. Lot had brought
with him out of Egypt something else besides "herds and flocks"--he
had contracted its spirit and acquired a taste for its "fleshpots."
"And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between
me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdmen; for we are
brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray
thee, from me. If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the
right; or, if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the
left" (vv. 8, 9). Abram foresaw there was danger of a falling out
between himself and his nephew, that what had begun with the servants
would probably end with the masters. Deprecating the thought of
friction between brethren, he proposed that they should separate. The
wisdom which is from above is first pure and then peaceable. In
spirit, Abram carried out the letter of the Divine admonition: "As
much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men."
The proposal made by Abram to his nephew was exceedingly generous, and
in his greed, Lot took full advantage of it. Instead of leaving the
choice to Abram, we read: "And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all
the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the
Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord,
like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him
all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east, and they separated
themselves the one from the other" (vv. 10, 11). Observe, that Lot
"Lifted up his eyes and beheld."In other words, he preferred to walk
by sight, rather than by faith. How impossible then for Lot to remain
with Abram! How can two walk together except they be agreed? Abram
"endured as seeing him who is invisible," while Lot's heart was set
upon the things of time and sense. Hence, we are told, "they could not
dwell together" (v. 6)--it was a moral impossibility.
Lot "lifted up his eyes." This was the commencement, outwardly, at
least, of a decline which ended in the utmost shame. Eye-gate is one
of the avenues through which temptations assail the soul: "For all
that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the
eyes,and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world"
(1 John 2:16). Walking by sight is the cause of most of our failures
and sorrows. So it was at the beginning: "And when the woman saw that
the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes,and a
tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof"
(Gen. 3:6). Mark, too, the confession of Achan: "When I saw among the
spoils a goodly Babylonish garment and two hundred shekels of silver,
and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them and
took them" (Joshua 7:21). How significant the order here I saw, I
coveted, I took! So it was with Lot: first he lifted up his eyes and
beheld, and then he "chose him." How significant are the closing words
of Genesis 13:10: "And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the
plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere. . . . Even as
the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt," which shows us that
Lot was still attached to "Egypt" in heart.But how true it is that
"the Lord seeth not as man seeth" (1 Samuel 16:7)! To the worldly eye
of Lot all the plain appeared "well watered and as the garden of the
Lord," but to the holy eye of Jehovah the cities of the plain were
peopled by those who were "wicked and sinners before the Lord
exceedingly" (v. 13); "before the Lord," shows us what it was that His
eyes dwelt upon. We consider next,
2. Lot's Sojourn in Sodom
"ThenLot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed
eastward: and they separated themselves the one from the other. Abram
dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain,
and pitched his tent toward Sodom" (vv. 11, 12). The various steps in
the downward course of Lot are plainly marked out. First, he "lifted
up his eyes and beheld." Second, he "chose him all the plain of
Jordan." Third, he "separated" himself from Abram. Fourth, he "dwelt
in the cities of the plain." Fifth, he "pitchedhis tent toward Sodom."
Sixth, he "dwelt in Sodom" (Gen. 14:12). Finally, we see him an
alderman of Sodom, seated in its "gate" (Gen. 19:1) and his daughters
wedded to men of Sodom. Behold how great a fire a little matter
kindleth. From a lifting up of the eyes to behold the land and seek
pasturage for his flocks, to becoming an official in the city of
wickedness! Like leprosy, sin has often a seemingly small beginning,
but how rapid its spread, how loathsome its issue, how dreadful its
end! Similar was the course of the Apostle Peter: the denial of his
Lord was no sudden, isolated act, but the sequel and climax of an
antecedent chain. There was first the boasting self-confidence,
"Thoughall shall be offended, yet will not I" (Mark 14:29). Then there
was the "sleeping" in the garden when he should have been watching and
praying (Mark 14:37). Then there was the following Christ "afar off"
(Matthew 26:58). Then there was the seating of himself at the fire in
the presence of his Lord's enemies (Matthew 26:69). And then, amid
these evil associates, came the awful denial and cursing.
And what did Lot gain by his separation from Abram and sojourn in
Sodom? Nothing at all. Instead of gaining, he was the loser. The men
of Sodom were "wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly" and Lot
was "vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked. For that
righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his
righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds" (2 Pet. 2:7,
8). Consider now,
3. Lot's Deliverance from Sodom
In the first place notice how, in His faithfulness and grace, God had
given Lot a very definite warning. From Genesis 14 we learn that in
the battle between the four kings with the five, "they took all the
goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their
way. And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and
his goods, and departed" (vv. 11, 12). Yet though Lot lost all his
goods and seems to have been in imminent danger of losing his life but
for the timely intervention of Abram with his armed servants,
nevertheless, this experience failed to teach Lot the evil of being
associated with the world, but he recovered his freedom and his
property only to return unto Sodom. Alas! what is man? Even God's
providential dealings are insufficient to move his heart.
The contents of Genesis 18 and 19 are so familiar to our readers that
no lengthy exposition is needed. The Lord Himself makes known to His
"friend" what He is about to do; but no such revelation was vouchsafed
Lot who was altogether out of communion with Jehovah. The "secret of
the Lord" is only with them that "fear Him." The two angels who
accompanied the Lord to Abram's tent, go forward to Sodom, the Lord
Himself remaining behind, and with Him Abram intercedes on behalf of
the righteous who may be in the doomed city.
The two angels found Lot sitting in the gate of Sodom and in response
to his request that they partake of his hospitality, said, "Nay, but
we will abide in the street all night." Their reluctance to enter
Lot's dwelling--in marked contrast with their fellowship with
Abram--intimates the condition of Lot's soul. Observe, too, that it
was "inthe heat of the day" (Gen. 18:1) that they visited Abram;
whereas, it was "even" (Gen. 19:1) when they appeared to his nephew.
The utter meanness and selfishness of Lot's character was quickly
exhibited in the contemptible proposal to sacrifice his daughters to
the men of Sodom in order to secure his own preservation and peace
(Gen. 19:8). The powerlessness of his testimony appeared in the
response made by his "sons-in-law" when he warned them that the Lord
was about to destroy the city--"he seemed as one that mocked" (Gen.
19:14); his words had now no weight because of his previous ways. The
words "while he lingered,the men (the angels) laid hold upon his hand"
(Gen. 19:16) show plainly where his heart was. The summary judgment
which overtook his wife and the fearful crime of his daughters was a
terrible harvest from his sowing to the flesh.
The deliverance of Lot was a remarkable instance of God's care for His
own. Lot was living far below his privileges, and manifestly was out
of communion with the Lord, yet he was a "righteous man" (2 Pet. 2:7,
8) and therefore was he snatched as a brand from the burning. Blessed
be His name, "He abideth faithful; He cannot deny Himself"(2 Tim.
2:13). Just as a shelter was provided for Noah, just as Israel was
protected from the avenging angel, so with Lot. Said the angel to him,
"Icannot do anything till thou be come thither" (Gen. 19:22).
We cannot leave this section without noticing the obvious connection
between Lot's deliverance from Sodom and Abram's intercession for him.
The particular word employed by Abram in his supplications was deeply
significant. Said he, "Wilt Thou also destroy the righteous with the
wicked?" (Gen. 18:23, and compare verses 24, 25, 26, 28), which is the
very word which the Holy Spirit employs in 2 Peter 2:8! May we not
also see in Abram here a type of our blessed Lord? Lot was delivered
from the kings by Abram's sword and from God's judgment upon Sodom by
Abram's supplications.And are not these the instruments (if we may so
speak) employed by our Savior! He delivers His own from the
(defilements of) the world by the Word--the sword--see John 13, and
when they sin He acts as their Advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1).
It only remains for us now to point out a few of the leading lessons
brought out in Genesis 13 and 19. Let us notice:
1. The Certain Accomplishment of God's Purpose.
Mysterious are the ways of Him with whom we have to do. The "strife"
which God permitted to arise between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot was
designed for the carrying out of His own counsel. The declared purpose
of God was to separate Abram from the land of his birth and from his
own kinsmen, in order to educate him and his in the knowledge and
obedience of Jehovah. God called Abram "alone" (Isa. 51:2), yet at
least two of his relatives accompanied him when he left Ur of the
Chaldees. But, in the end, God's purpose was realized. Terah, Abram's
father, died at Haran. Lot accompanied him into the land of Canaan,
but it is obvious that a worldly spirit like his, together with his
own separate and large encampment imbued, no doubt, with the spirit of
its chief and over which it would be difficult if not impossible for
Abram to exercise authority, could not help forward the Divine
purpose. In the separation of Lot from Abram, then, we see the
departure of the last of his kinsfolk, and now Abram is left "alone"
with God! Verily, "Thereare many devices in a man's heart;
nevertheless the counsel of the Lord that shall stand"(Proverbs
19:21). Let us consider,
2. The Magnanimity of Abram.
The proposal which Abram made to his nephew was exceedingly gracious
and beautiful. Abram was the senior, and the one to whom God had
promised to give the land (Gen. 12:7), yet, he generously waived his
rights, and "with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering," he
forebore with Lot in love. Note carefully his words, "Is not the whole
land before thee"(Gen. 13:9). Gladly did Abram surrender every claim
and forego every right to put a stop to this strife between
"brethren."
In the waiving of his rights Abram foreshadowed that One who was made,
according to the flesh, "the son of Abraham" (Matthew 1:1). He who was
in the form of God and thought it not robbery to be equal with God
voluntarily waived His rights and took upon Him the form of a servant.
All power in heaven and earth was His, yet He suffered Himself to be
led as a lamb to the slaughter, and though He had the right to summon
twelve legions of angels to come and do His bidding, He waived it and
refused to give the command. Though He did no sin, had no sin, was
without sin, and as such death had no claim upon Him, yet was He "made
sin for us" and became obedient unto death, even the death of the
cross. Yes, He "waived His rights" and He has left us an example that
we should follow His steps.
3. The Warnings Pointed by Lot's Failures.
We mention three without dwelling upon them at any length: First, his
choice of residence.Surely this needed lesson is writ large across the
story of Lot's life. He preferred the "well-watered"plains above
Abram's "altar." He regarded temporal advantages only, and had no
regard for his spiritual welfare. Alas! how many believers are there
now who, when seeking a location for themselves and family follow his
evil example. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness
ought to regulate our every decision.
Second, his yielding to the spirit of worldliness.Lot seems to be a
type of that class of Christians who aim to make the best of both
worlds, who are really occupied more with the things of earth than the
things of heaven. Lot was a man who sowed to the flesh, and of the
flesh he reaped corruption. Temporal prosperity was what he sought,
but in the end he lost even his worldly possessions. His life on earth
was a wretched failure, made up entirely of "wood, hay, stubble."
There was no witnessing for God and no blessing of God upon his
family. Lot is a concrete warning, a danger signal, for all Christians
who feel a tendency to be carried away by the things of the world.
Third, his miserable end.Wretched, indeed, must have been the closing
days of Lot--cowering in a cave, stript of all his earthly
possessions, his sons-in-law destroyed in Sodom, his wife turned to a
pillar of salt, and he left face to face with the fruit of his own
awful sin.
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
19. Abraham And Melchizedek
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 14
Our last chapter was concerned with Abraham and Lot. We touched upon
the first part of Genesis 13, which records the strife that came
between their herdsmen, the prompt measures taken by the patriarch to
put an end to the friction, the generous offer which he made his
nephew, and Lot's leaving Abram and journeying to Sodom. In this
present paper we continue our study of the career of the father of all
that believe, resuming at the point where we left him in our last.
"And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him,
Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art
northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land
which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man
can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be
numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the
breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee" (Gen. 13:14-17). Abraham
was now alone, and yet not alone, for the Lord was with him and
gracious was the revelation that He made of Himself. It was with a
true concern for God's glory that Abram had suggested Lot's separating
from him. "There was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle
and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite
dwelt then in the land"(v. 7). Abram could not endure the thought of
"strife" between brethren inthe presence of the Lord's enemies--would
that God's children today were equally reluctant to bring reproach
upon the holy name they bear.
God did not allow His child to lose by his magnanimous offer to Lot,
made, as we have said, out of consideration for God's glory. To Lot
Abram had said, "Isnot the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I
pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to
the right hand; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to
the left. And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of
Jordan," etc. (vv. 9, 10); and now Jehovah appears to Abram and says,
"Lift up now thine eyes and look" (v. 14). O, what a contrast! Lot
"lifted up his eyes" at the dictate of worldly interests; Abram lifted
up his to behold the gift of God. Thus does our ever faithful God
delight to honor those who honor Him. The student will note there are
three passages in Genesis where it is said that Abram "lifted up his
eyes." First, here in Genesis 13:14, when he beheld "the land";
Second, in Genesis 18:2, when he beheld "three men," one of whom was
the Lord Himself; Third, in Genesis 22:13, when he beheld the
substitute--"a ram caught in a thicket."
Above we have said that Abram was now alone.At last the purpose of God
is realized. God "called him alone" (Isa. 51:2). He had said "Get thee
out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which
I shall shew thee" (Acts 7:3), but to this command Abram had rendered
but a tardy and partial obedience. Both his father and nephew
accompanied him as he left Chaldea, and instead of journeying straight
to Canaan, he stopped short at Haran where he "dwelt" until the death
of Terah (Gen. 11:31, 32). Yet even now the Divine command was not
fully obeyed--into the land of God's call Abram came, Lot still with
him.But now, at the point we have reached, Lot has taken his departure
and Abram (with Sarai) is left alone with God. And is it not deeply
significant that not until now did the Lord say, "Forall the land
which thou seest, to thee will I give it,and to thy seed for ever" (v.
15); Observe carefully the ascending scale in God's promises to Abram.
In Chaldea God promised to "shew" Abram the land (Gen. 12:1). Then,
when Abram had actually entered it and arrived at Sichem the Lord
promised to "give" the land unto his seed--"Andthe Lord appeared unto
Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land (Gen. 12:7). But
now--now that he is at last separated from the last of his " kindred
"--God promises to give "all the land" unto Abram himself.
Furthermore, it is to be noted that not until now does God say to
Abram, "Arise, walk through the land in the length of it, and in the
breadth of it" (v. 17), which intimated that God would have Abram
appropriate His gift. Abram was to "feel at home" in the land as
though the title deeds of it were already in his hands. Do we not
discover in all this a striking illustration of an all important
principle in God's dealings with His own people. How often our
unbelief limits the outflow of Divine grace! An imperfect and
circumscribed obedience prevents our enjoying much that God has for
us. As a further illustration compare and contrast Caleb and the
inheritance which he obtained for "following the Lord fully" (Num.
14:24).
In the words "Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in
the breadth of it" (v. 17) another important truth is
suggested--appropriation.It was as though God had said to Abram,! have
called you into this land, I have given it to you and your seed, now
enjoy it.He was to travel through it, to look upon it as already
his--his by faith, for he had God's word for it. As another has said,
"Hewas to act towards it as if he were already in absolute
possession." And is not this what God invites His people to do today?
We, too, have received a call to separate ourselves from the world.
We, too, have been begotten unto an inheritance, an inheritance which
is "incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved
in heaven." And now we, too, are bidden to "walk through the land in
the length of it and in the breadth of it." In other words, we are
called to the exercise of faith;to look not at the things that are
seen, but at the things which are unseen; to set our affection upon
things above, and not upon things below. In brief, we are to make our
own, to appropriate and enjoy the things which God has promised us.It
is unbelief which hinders us from enjoying to the full what is already
ours in the purpose of God. Mark that word through the prophet
Obadiah, "Butupon Mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be
holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions"(v.
17). In the Millennium Israel will fully "possess their possessions."
We say "fully possess" for they have never done so in the past. And
why? Because of unbelief. Then let us fear, lest there be in us also
an evil heart of unbelief.
"ThenAbram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre,
which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord" (Gen.
13:18). The connection between this statement and the immediate
context is also full of instruction. "Mamre"signifies fatness and
"Hebron" means fellowship.Notice the opening word "then": it was not
until Lot had left him and Abram was fully in the will of the Lord
that Hebron--fellowship--is now mentioned for the first time! It is
disobedience that hinders full fellowship with Jehovah. And, note,
too, that Abram "built there an altar unto the Lord." Fellowship
resulted in worship! This is ever the order: obedience, fatness of
soul, fellowship, worship. Confirmatory of these remarks, is it not
significant that this very "Hebron" became the inheritance and portion
of Caleb who "followed the Lord fully!--"Hebron therefore became the
inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day;
because that he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel" (Josh. 14:14).
Genesis 14 opens with a brief account of the first war mentioned in
Scripture. It would be beside our purpose to pause and examine in
detail what is here recorded of the four and five kings,^[1] our
present purpose is to note Abram's connection and dealings with them.
The outcome of the conflict was the capture of Lot and his possessions
(v. 12). As another has said, "Hehad laid up treasures for himself on
earth, and the thieves had broken through." One who had escaped
brought intelligence to Abram that his nephew had been captured.
It is beautiful to observe the effect of this intelligence upon our
patriarch. Abram was not indifferent to his nephew's well-being. There
was no root of bitterness in him. There was no callous, "Well, this is
none of my doing: he must reap what he has sown." Promptly he goes to
the aid of the one in distress. But note it was not in the energy of
the flesh that he acted. It was no mere tie of nature that prompted
Abram here--"When Abram heard that his brother (not his `nephew') was
taken captive.'' A brother--aspiritual brother--was in need, and so he
"armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and
eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan" (Gen. 14:14). And has this no
voice for us today? Surely the spiritual application is obvious. How
often is a "brother" taken captive by the enemy, and the word comes,
"Ye, which are spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of
meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted (Gal. 6:1).
But only too often the call falls upon ears that are dull of hearing.
Only too often, our prided separation from evil leads to independence
and indifference. Alas! that it should be so. How different from our
blessed Lord, who leaves the ninety and nine and goes after the sheep
that has strayed, and rests not until it is found and restored!
"The righteous are bold as a lion" (Prov. 28:1). When the news came
that Lot was a prisoner in the hands of a mighty warrior, Abram showed
no hesitation but immediately set out in pursuit of the victorious
army, and taking the initiative was quickly successful in rescuing his
nephew. "And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by
night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the
left hand of Damascus. And he brought back all the goods, and also
brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and
the people. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him, after his
return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer and of the kings that were
with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the kings' dale" (Gen.
14:15-17).
It is just at this point that a very remarkable personage is brought
before us, namely, Melchizedek. Much has been said and written about
him. Some have thought he was Shem who was a contemporary of Abram's
for a hundred years; but this cannot be, for we are distinctly
informed concerning Melchizedek that he was "withoutfather, without
mother" (Heb. 7:3), which, as we shall see, means that Scripture is
absolutely silent concerning his genealogy. This then disposes of the
Shem theory, for we do know who his father was. Others have concluded
that he was Christ Himself, but this supposition is equally
unscriptural for we are told that Melchizedek is "made like unto the
Son of God" and that Christ's priesthood is "afterthe similitude of
Melchizedek" (Heb. 7:3, 15), which could not be said if Melchizedek
were Christ Himself. Still others have supposed that he was some
mysterious celestial being, but that is emphatically negatived by
Hebrews 7:4, where Melchizedek is expressly called a "man."
In the words "made like unto the Son of God" (Heb. 7:3) we have the
key to the mystery which centers around Melchizedek. Melchizedek was a
type of Christ,and particularly a type of our Lord's priesthood. There
are other points of resemblance which we shall consider below, but the
first point of analogy between Melchizedek and the Son of God singled
out by the Holy Spirit in Hebrews 7 is that he is "without father,
without mother, without descendant, having neither beginning of days
nor end of life." This does not mean that Melehizedek was a
supernatural, a divine being, but that he is presented to us in the
Old Testament as without father or mother, etc. In other words, the
silence of the Old Testament Scriptures concerning his parentage has a
designed significance. The entire omission of any reference to
Melchizedek's ancestry, birth or death, was ordered by the Holy Spirit
(who "moved" Moses both in what he inserted and what he left out of
the Genesis narrative) in order to present a perfect type of the Lord
Jesus. No information concerning the genealogy of Melchizedek is
recorded in Genesis, which is a book that abounds in genealogies. This
is an instance where speech is silvern and silence golden. The silence
was in order that there might be a nearer approximation between the
type and the glorious antitype.
Not only was Melehizedek a type of our Lord in the fact that he is
presented to us in Genesis as being "without father, without mother,"
but also in a number of other important particulars. Melchizedek was a
priest--"thepriest of the Most High God" (Gen. 14:18). But not only
so, he was a king--"King of Salem "--and therefore a royal priest.In
the person of Melchizedek the offices of priest and king were
combined, and thus was he a notable type of our great High Priest who
according to the flesh was not of the tribe of Levi, but of the tribe
of Judah, the royal tribe (see Heb. 7:14). Not only was Melchizedek a
type of the royal priesthood of Christ by virtue of his office as King
of Salem (which means "peace") but his name also had a typical
significance. "Melehizedek" means "king of righteousness." Here again
there is a wonderful and blessed bringing together of things which out
of Christ are divorced. Not only did Melchizedek combine in his person
the offices of king and priest, but in his titles he united
righteousness and peace. Melchizedek was both king of righteousness
and king of peace and thus did he foreshadow the blessed result of the
cross work of our adorable Lord, for it was at the Cross that "mercy
and truth met together, and righteousness and peace kissed each other"
(Ps. 85:10).
Observe the order of mention in Hebrews 7:2, "towhom also Abraham gave
a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of
Righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of
Peace." This is ever God's order. God cannot be at peace with guilty
rebels until the claims of His throne have been met. Only upon a
righteous basis can peace be established. "And the work of
righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness,
quietness and assurance forever" (Isa. 32:17). This is unfolded at
length in the Epistle to the Romans, and particularly in Romans
3:21-26, God's righteousness was "declared" at the Cross where the
Lord Jesus made propitiation and fully satisfied every demand of the
thrice holy God. There it is that the great "work of righteousness"
was accomplished, the effect of which is peace. As it is written,
"Having made peace through the blood of His Cross" (Col. 1:20). The
benefits of this accrue to the believer through the channel of faith,
for "being justified (pronounced righteous) by faith we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1). The same order is
found again in Romans 14:17--"For the Kingdom of God is not meat and
drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy, in the Holy Spirit."
In Hebrews 7:4 attention is called to the greatness of this man
Melchizedek, his "greatness" being recognized and acknowledged by
Abraham who "gave him tithes." In this also he is a type of the Lord
Jesus Christ, our "great High Priest"--the only Priest so denominated
in the Scriptures. The greatness of our Lord's priesthood inheres in
His intrinsic glory which is in contrast with the feebleness of the
perishable priests of the Levitical order who could not save. Two
things prominently characterized the Levitical priests: first, they
were personally unclean, and therefore needed to "offer for their own
sins" (Heb. 7:27); and second, they were mortal, and therefore death
put an end to their ministrations. Now in contradistinction, not only
is our great High Priest sinless, but He is made "after the power of
an endless life" (Heb. 7:16), and hence it is written concerning
Christ, "Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek"
(Heb. 7:21).
It is important to remark here that it is as risen and ascended that
the Lord Jesus has received the eternal excellency of the Melchizedek
title. His never-ending ministry of blessing dates its effectual
beginning from the finished work of the Cross. Here again we note the
accuracy of our type, for not only is the Genesis narrative silent
concerning the origin of Melchizedek, but it makes no mention of his
death.
Finally, it is to be noted that Melchizedek is termed "priest of the
Most High God"(Gen. 14:18), a title which looks beyond all national
relationships. Here is the final contrast between the two orders of
priesthood the Melchizedekian and the Aaronic. Aaron's priestly
ministry never transcended the limits of Israel, and he was ever the
priest of Jehovah as the God of Israel.But Melchizedek was priest of
Jehovah under His more comprehensive title of the Most High God,
"Possessor of heaven and earth"(Gen. 14:19), and therefore Melchizedek
foreshadowed the millennial glory of Christ when "He shall be a priest
upon His throne"(Zech. 6:13) and reign in righteousness and peace. As
it is written, "Behold,the days come, saith the Lord, that I will
raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and
prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In His
days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is
His name whereby He shall be called The Lord Our Righteousness" (Jer.
23:5, 6). Then shall the Divine Melehizedek rule as King of
Righteousness and King of Peace. As it is written again, "His name
shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting
Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and
peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His
Kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with
justice (righteousness)from henceforth even for ever" (Isa. 9:6, 7).
That Melchizedek foreshadowed the millennial glory of Christ is
further to be seen from the occasion when he appeared before Abram.
The typical picture is wonderfully complete. Melchizedek met Abram as
he was returning from the slaughter of the kings, having rescued from
them his nephew Lot who foreshadows the Jewish remnant in the
tribulation period.^[2] Then it was that Melehizedek met Abram and
blessed him (Gen. 14:19). Thus it will be when our Lord returns to
usher in the Millennium. He will overthrow the Beast and his forces in
this same "King's dale," deliver Israel out of their hands and bless
the descendants of Abraham, and just as Abram acknowledged the
superiority of Melchizedek by paying him tithes, so will Israel
acknowledge their Divine Melchizedek and own Him as their Priest and
King.
It now only remains for us to consider here the immediate effects upon
Abram of the appearing of Melchizedek before him and the blessing he
had received from him. "And the King of Sodom said unto Abram, give me
the persons, and take the goods to thyself" (Gen. 14:21). In the King
of Sodom's offer we may discover one of the "wiles" of the devil for
we are not ignorant of his "devices." The world is only too ready to
offer God's children its subsidies so as to bring them under
obligation to itself. But Abram was preeminently a man of faith and
faith is "the victory that overcometh the world" (1 John 5:4).
"AndAbram said to the King of Sodom, I have lifted up mine hand unto
the Lord, the Most High God, the Possessor of heaven and earth.^[3]
That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I
will not take anything that is thine, lest thou shouldest say I have
made Abram rich. Save only that which the young men have eaten, and
the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre;
let them take their portion"
(Gen. 14:22-24). What noble words were these! With quiet dignity our
patriarch refuses to be dependent in anywise upon the King of
Sodom--what a contrast was Balaam and the offer made him by Balak!
Abram knew that in heaven he had a "better and an enduring substance"
(Heb. 10:34). The words, "I have lifted up mine hand unto the Lord"
(compare Deut. 32:40) signify a vow or solemn oath, and seem to show
that when he started out in pursuit of Lot's captors he promised the
Lord that if He would give him success he would not enrich himself by
his campaign; but it is beautiful to note that he did not forget or
overlook the claims of those who had accompanied him and shared his
perils. In the giving of tithes to Melchizedek, priest of the Most
High God, Abram acknowledged God's grace in giving him the victory.
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] A careful study of the order of mention and the meaning of the
various proper names mentioned in Genesis 14:1-10 will well repay the
devout student.
[2] In the federation of the kings under Chedorlaomer we have
foreshadowed the ten kingdomed Empire over which the Beast will rule,
and surely it is more than a coincidence that here we find mentioned
nine kings--"four kings with five" (v. 9)--which with Abram and his
armed servants make in all ten contesting forces!
[3] The use of this Divine title here gives the lie to the wicked
teaching of the higher critics who erroneously declare that the god of
the patriarch and of Israel was a tribal or tutelary god. The God of
Abram was no mere local deity but "The Possessor of heaven and earth."
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
20. Abraham's Vision
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 15
The connecting link between our present portion of Scripture and the
one which we took for the basis of meditation in our last chapter is
found in the opening words of Genesis 15--"After these things the Word
of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision." Chedorlaomer, the King of
Elam, had united his forces to those of three other kings in a league
of conquest. Their military prowess seemed irresistible. The Rephaim,
the Zuzim, the Emim, the Horites, the Amalekites and the Amorites were
each defeated in turn (Gen. 14:5-7). Five kings with their forces now
combined and went forth to engage the armies of Chedorlaomer, but they
also were overthrown, and in consequence the cities of Sodom and
Gomorrah were sacked and Lot was taken prisoner. Then it was that
Abram went forth at the head of his three hundred and eighteen armed
servants and by a surprise night attack gained a signal victory.
Chedorlaomer was slain, Lot was delivered, and the booty taken from
Sodom and Gomorrah was recovered.
And now came the reaction, mental and physical. Abram had good reason
to conclude that the remaining followers of the powerful King of Elam
would not abandon the enterprise which had only been frustrated by a
surprise attack at night--made by an insignificant force--but instead,
would return and avenge their reverse. In defeating Chedorlaomer and
his allies, Abram had made some bitter and influential foes. It was
not likely that they would rest content until the memory of their
reverse had been wiped out with blood. They who had been strong enough
to capture the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were too powerful to be
set at defiance by Abram and his little colony. Thus alarmed and
apprehensive Abram now receives a special word of reassurance:
"Afterthese things the Word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision,
saying, Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield."Thus in tender grace did
Jehovah quiet the troubled heart of the one whom He was pleased to
call His "friend."
But further. In the remaining part of this opening verse--"I am. . . .
thy exceeding great Reward"--we have another word which looks back to
the previous chapter; and a precious word it is. After Abram had
defeated Chedorlaomer, and after he had been blessed and refreshed by
Melehizedek, the King of Sodom offered to reward Abram by suggesting
he take the recovered "goods" unto himself (Gen. 14:21). But he who
"looked for a city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is
God" declined to accept anything from this worldling, saying, "I have
lifted up mine hand unto the Lord, the Most High God, the possessor of
heaven and earth, that I will not take from a thread even to a
shoelatehet, and that I will not take anything that is thine, lest
thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich" (Gen. 14:22, 23). Noble
reply! And now we behold the sequel.God never permits His own to lose
for honoring Him and seeking His glory. Abram had refused the spoil of
Sodom, but God more than makes it up to him. Just as when our
patriarch had shown his magnanimity to Lot by saying: "Is not the
whole land before thee....if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will
go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand then I will go to
the left," and the Lord appeared unto Abram and said, "Lift up now
thine eyes,and look from the place where thou art northward, and
southward, and eastward, and westward. For all the land which thou
seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever" (Gen. 13:9,
14, 15); so it was here. The refusal to be enriched by the king of
Sodom is now compensated, more than compensated by a revelation from
God which would greatly increase the joy of His servant. How important
is the principle which here receives such lovely exemplification! How
much are the Lord's people losing today because of their acceptance of
the world's favors! Unto how few can the Lord now reveal Himself as He
did here to Abram!
"I am thy shield and thy exceeding great Reward." We would fain tarry
and extract some of the sweetness of these words. This is a special
promise applicable to those who are "strangers and pilgrims on the
earth." It is God's word to those who "choose rather to suffer
affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin
for a season, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the
treasures in Egypt" for they have "respect unto the recompense of the
reward"(Heb. 11:25, 26). Unto such, God promises to be their Shield,
their Defense, the One behind whom faith shelters and trusts; as well
as their Reward, their exceeding great Reward. So it was with our
blessed Lord Himself. Refusing to accept from Satan the kingdoms of
the world and their glory, He could say, "The Lord is the portion of
Mine inheritance,and of My cup" (Ps. 16:5).
"And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt Thou give me, seeing I go
childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
And Abram said, Behold, to me Thou hast given no seed; and, lo, one
born in my house is mine heir" (vv. 2, 3). In hearing the words, "I am
thy Shield and thy exceeding great Reward," Abram's mind seems to have
turned toward his inheritance and the fact that he had no seed of his
own to enter into the promises of God. What Abram longed for was a
son,for he rightly judged that to go childless was to lose the
inheritance. In other words, the patriarch here recognizes that
heirship is based upon sonship,and thus we have foreshadowed a truth
of vital importance, a truth which is fully revealed in the Scriptures
of the New Testament. There we read, "The Spirit Himself beareth
witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God; and if
children, then heirs;heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ" (Rom.
8:16, 17). And again: "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of
children by Jesus Christ to Himself. . . . in whom also we have
obtained an inheritance" (Eph. 1:5, 11).
We do not consider that in asking "What wilt thou give me," etc., that
Abram was giving expression to unbelief. On the contrary we regard his
words as the language of faith. Observe there was no rebuke given him
by the Lord; instead, we are told, "And, behold, the Word of the Lord
came unto him saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall
come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And He brought
him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the
stars, if thou be able to number them; and he said unto him, So shall
thy seed be"
(vv. 4, 5). It is to be noted that in Genesis 13:15 God compared
Abram's seed to the dust of the earth, but here, where Christ is
contemplated (as well as a numerous offspring), the word is, "Look now
toward heaven," and his seed is likened to the "stars."
And now we come to those words which have been so precious unto
multitudes: "And he believed in the Lord; and He counted it to him for
righteousness" (v. 6). A full exposition of this verse would lead us
far beyond the limits of our present space, so we content ourselves
with a few brief comments, referring the reader to Romans 4 for God's
own exposition.
Literally rendered our verse reads, "And he stayed himself upon the
Lord; and He counted it to him for righteousness." At the time God
promised Abram that his heir should be one who came forth from his own
bowels Abram's body was "as good as dead" (Heb. 11:12), nevertheless,
he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was
strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that
what He had promised, He was able also to perform" (Rom. 4:20, 21).
Abram reasoned not about the natural impossibility that lay in the way
of the realization of the promise, but believed that God would act
just as He had said. God had spoken and that was enough. His own body
might be dead and Sarah long past the age of child-bearing,
nevertheless he was fully assured that God had power even to quicken
the dead. And this faith was reckoned or counted unto him for
righteousness; not that faith is accepted by God in lieu of
righteousness as an equivalent for righteousness, else would faith be
a meritorious thing, but that faith is the recipient of that
righteousness by which we are justified. The force of the preposition
is "unto" rather than "instead of"--it was "counted to him unto
righteousness." Abram's case was a representative one. Today
justification (to be declared righteous) is by faith, but with this
important difference that whereas Abram believed God would give him a
son through the quickening of his body, we believe that God has given
us His Son, and through His death and quickening from the dead a
Savior is ours through faith.
Just here we would pause to consider what seems to have proven a real
difficulty to expositors and commentators. Was not Abram a "believer"
years before the point of time contemplated in Genesis 15:6? Not a few
have suggested that prior to this incident Abram was in a condition
similar to that of Cornelius before Peter preached to him. But are we
not expressly told that it was "By faith" (Heb. 11:8) he had left Ur
of the Chaldees and went out "not knowing whither he went"! Yet. why
are we here told that "he believed in the Lord; and He counted it to
him for righteousness"? Surely the answer is not far to seek. It is
true that in the New Testament the Holy Spirit informs us that Abram
was a believer when he left Chaldea, but his faith is not there
(i.e.,Heb. 11:8) mentioned in connection with his
justification.Instead, in the Epistles to the Romans and Galatians the
incident which the Holy Spirit singles out as the occasion when
Abram's faith was counted for righteousness is the one in Genesis 15
now before us. And why? Because in Genesis 15 Abram's faith is
directly connected with God's promise respecting his "seed,"which
"seed" was Christ (see Gal. 3:16)! The faith which was "counted for
righteousness" was the faith which believed what God had said
concerning the promised Seed. It was this instance of Abram's faith
which the Holy Spirit was pleased to select as the model for believing
unto justification. There is no justification apart from
Christ--"Through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of
sins. And by Him all that believe are justified from all things" (Acts
13:38, 39).Therefore we say it was not that Abram here" believed God"
for the first time, but that here God was pleased to openly attest his
righteousness for the first time, and that for the reason stated
above. Though Christians may believe God with respect to the common
concerns of this life, such faith, while it evidences they have been
justified is not the faith by which they were justified--the faith
which justifies has to do directly with the person and work of our
Lord Jesus Christ. This was the character of Abram's faith in Genesis
15; he believed the promise of God which pointed to Christ.Hence it is
in Genesis 15 and not in Genesis 12 we read, "AndHe counted it to him
for righteousness." How perfect are the ways of God!
"And He said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of
the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it" (v. 7). Abram now
ventures to ask for a sign by which he may know that by his posterity,
he shall inherit the land. "And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I
know that I shall inherit it?" (v. 8). We do not regard this question
from Abram as arising from unbelief, but that having just been granted
(v. 5) a sign or view of a numerous offspring he now desires a further
sign or pledge by way of explanation. And now the Lord answers by
putting Christ, in type, before him.
"And He said unto him, Take Me a heifer of three years old, and a she
goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtle
dove, and a young pigeon. And he took unto him all these, and divided
them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another, but the
birds divided he not. And when the fowls came down upon the carcasses,
Abram drove them away" (vv. 9-11). The typical picture is wonderfully
complete. "Take Me," observe, for the sacrifice belongs to, is for
God.It has been pointed out by another that each of the three animals
named here were tame ones, not wild and needing to be captured by
Abram; instead, they were the willing servants of man's need. Each one
foreshadowed a distinctive aspect of Christ's perfections and work.
The heifer of three years seems to have pointed to the freshness of
His vigor; the goat, gave the sin-offering aspect; the ram is the
animal that in the Levitical offerings was connected specially with
consecration. The birds told of One from Heaven. The "three years,"
thrice repeated, suggested perhaps the time of our Lord's sacrifice,
offered after "three years" of service! Note that death passed upon
them all, for without shedding of blood is no remission and where no
remission is there can be no inheritance. The "dividing" of the
animals indicated that this sacrifice was to form the basis for a
covenant (cf. Jer. 34:18, 19). The "driving away" of the fowls seems
to have shown forth the energy of faith.
"And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and,
lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him. And He said unto Abram,
Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is
not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them four
hundred years" (vv. 12, 13). A profound truth is here taught us in
type. Abram now learns that the inheritance can be reached only
through suffering!His heirs would have to pass through the furnace
before they entered into that which God had prepared for them. In the
"deep sleep" and the "horror of great darkness" Abram, as it were,
entered in spirit into death, as that through which all his seed would
have to pass ere they experienced God's deliverance after the death of
the Paschal Lamb. First the suffering, the four hundred years'
"affliction." and then the inheritance. How this reminds us again of
Romans 8:17! "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint
heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be
also glorified together." And again: "We must through much tribulation
enter into the Kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). Thus it was with our
blessed Lord--first the "sufferings" and then "the glory." We call
attention to the wonderful and perfect order of the typical teaching
here: first the sacrifice (v. 9); second, "thy seed "--sons (v. 13);
third, suffering--"affliction " (v. 13); fourth, entering into the
inheritance--"come hither again" (v. 16). How complete the typical
picture!
"Andwhen the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and,
lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him" (v. 12). By this deep
sleep we learn how God was showing the patriarch, symbolically, that
not during his natural life would he inherit the land; instead, he
must go down into the grave and inherit it together with the Promised
Seed. In his awaking from this "deep sleep" Abram received a veiled
promise of resurrection from the dead and the horror of great darkness
as of the grave (cf. Heb. 2:15) from which he was recalled again to
the light of day. In a word, the way to blessing, to the inheritance,
was through death and resurrection.
"And Hesaid unto Abram, know of a surety that thy seed shall be a
stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they
shall afflict them four hundred years. And also that nation, whom they
shall serve, will I judge; and afterward shall they come out with
great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt
be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall
come hither again; for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full"
(vv. 13-16). These verses contain a sevenfold prophecy which received
a literal and complete fulfillment. It had reference to the sojourn of
Abram's descendants in the land of Egypt, their bondage there, and
their deliverance and return to Canaan. We can do little more now than
outline the divisions of this compound prophecy. First, Abram's
descendants were to be strangers in a land not theirs (v. 13). Second,
in that strange land they were to "serve" (v. 13). Third, they were to
be "afflicted" four hundred years (v. 13)--note that Exodus 12:40
views the entire "sojourning" of the children of Israel in Egypt. They
"dwelt" in Egypt four hundred and thirty years, but were "afflicted"
for only four hundred years of that time. Fourth, the nation whom
Abram's descendants "served" God would "judge" (v. 14). Fifth, Abram's
offspring were to come out of Egypt with "great substance" (v. 14),
cf. Psalm 105:37. Sixth, Abram himself was to be spared these
afflictions--he should die in peace and be buried in a good old age
(v. 15). Seventh, in the "fourth generation" Abram's descendants would
return again to Canaan (v. 16). We take it that our readers are
sufficiently well acquainted with the book of Exodus to know how
wonderfully this prophecy was fulfilled, but we would point out here
how accurately the seventh item was realized. By comparing Exodus
6:16-26 we find that it was exactly in the "fourth generation" that
the children of Israel left Egypt and returned to Canaan. In this
particular example the first generation was Levi, the son of Jacob,
who entered Egypt at the time his father and brethren did (Ex. 6:16).
The second generation was Kohath (Ex. 6:16), who was a son of Levi.
The third generation was Amran, son of Kohath (Ex. 6:18). And the
fourth generation brings us to Moses and Aaron, who were the sons of
Amram (Ex. 6:20), and these were the ones who led Israel out of Egypt!
"And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark,
behold a smoking furnace and a burning lamp that passed between those
pieces" (v. 17). Much is suggested here which we have to pass by. The
"smoking furnace'' and the "burning lamp" symbolized the two leading
features of the history of Abram's descendants. For the "furnace" see
Jeremiah 11:3, 4, etc.; for the "burning lamp" see 2 Samuel 22:29;
Psalm 119:105; Isaiah 62:1, etc. Note a "smoking furnace and a burning
lamp." Did not this teach Abram that in Israel's sufferings God would
be with them; and that in all their afflictions, He would be
afflicted, too?
"Inthe same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy
seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt, unto the great
river, the river Euphrates" (v. 18). The covenant which God here made
with Abram was based upon death, typically, the death of Christ. This
covenant, based on sacrifice, was made by the Lord Himself; it
concerned the land; and was absolutely unconditional. It has never yet
been completely fulfilled. Note carefully its wording--"Unto thy seed
have I given this land." Contrast these words with Genesis 13:15--"For
all the land which thou seest to thee wilt I give it." But now a
sacrifice had been offered, blood had been shed, the purchase price
had been paid, and hence the change from "I will" to "I have."
In these articles we are not attempting complete expositions. They are
little more than "Notes"--"Gleanings"--and our prime endeavor is to
indicate some of the broad outlines of truth in the hope that our
readers will be led to fill in the details by their own personal
studies. In concluding this paper it deserves to be noted that Genesis
15 is a chapter in which quite a number of important terms and
expressions occur for the first time. The following is not a complete
list, but includes some of the more important examples. Here for the
first time we find that notable expression, "The word of the Lord came
unto" (v. 1). Here is the first reference to a "vision" (v. 1). Here
for the first time we read the words "Fear not" (v. 1), which, with
their equivalent, "Be not afraid," occur in Scriptures almost one
hundred and eighty times. Here is the first mention of God as a
"Shield" (v. 1). Here is the first occurrence of the Divine title
"Adonai Jehovah"--Lord God (v. 2). Here for the first time we find the
words "Believed," "counted" or reckoned, and "righteousness." May
writer and reader search the Scriptures daily and diligently so that
each shall say, "I rejoice at Thy Word, as one that findeth great
spoil" (Ps. 119:162).
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
21. Abraham and Hagar
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 16
It is difficult to imagine a greater contrast than what is presented
in our present chapter from the one reviewed in our last article. In
Genesis 15 Abram is seen as the man of faith, in chapter 16 as the man
of unbelief. In Genesis 15 he "believed in the Lord," in Genesis 16 he
"hearkened to the voice of Sarai." There he walks after the Spirit,
here he acts in the energy of the flesh. Sad inconsistency! But One
could say, "I do always these things that please Him" (John 8:29).
"Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bare him no children; and she had a
handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto
Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing. I pray
thee, go in unto my maid, it may be that I may obtain children by her"
(Gen. 16:1, 2). In this suggestion of Sarai's we witness a fresh
testing of Abram. Again and again our patriarch was tried--tried, may
we not say, at every point. First, his faith had to overcome the ties
of nature:God's call was for him to leave his country and his kindred.
Then, shortly after he had actually arrived in Canaan, his faith was
tried by stress of circumstances--there was a famine in the land.
Next, he had to meet a trial respecting a brother:Abram feared that
the friction between his herdsmen and the herdsmen of his nephew might
lead to "strife" between brethren, and how he met this by his
magnanimous offer to Lot we have already seen in an earlier chapter.
Later, there was a testing of Abram's courage, as well as his love for
his nephew. Lot had been captured by a powerful warrior, but Abram
hastens to his rescue and delivers him. Subsequently, there was a
testing of his cupidity.The King of Sodom offered to "reward" him for
overcoming Chedorlaomer. And now he is tested by a suggestion from his
wife. Would he take matters out of the hand of God and act in the
energy of the flesh with reference to the obtaining of a son and heir.
Thus, at six different points (to this stage in his history) was the
character of Abram tested. We might summarize them thus: There was the
trying of the fervor of his faith--did he love God more than home and
kindred. There was the trying of the sufficiency of his faith was he
looking to the living God to supply all his need, or was he depending
on propitious circumstances? There was the trying of the humility of
his faith--would he assert his "rights,"or yield to Lot? There was the
trying of the boldness of his faith--would he dare attempt the rescue
of his nephew from the hands of a powerful warrior? There was the
trying of the dignity of his faith--would he demean himself by
accepting honors from the King of Sodom? There was the trying of the
patience of his faith--would he wait for God to fulfill His word in
His own good time and way, or would he take matters into his own hand?
It is most instructive to note the setting of these various trials and
temptations. Arrived in the land Abram was faced with a famine, and
Egypt was at hand to lure the patriarch with its promise of relief
from his anxiety. After his departure from Egypt and return to the
path of God's will, the very next thing we read of is the strife
between the herdsmen. Again: no sooner had Abram rescued Lot from his
captors and been blessed by Melehizedek than he was tempted to
dishonor God and demean himself by a reward from the King of
Sodom.And, immediately after Abram had received the wonderful
revelation and promise of God recorded in Genesis 15, we read of this
subtle temptation emanating from his wife.
It seems to be a general principle in the ways of God with His own to
first bless and enrich and then to test the recipient. Elisha
ardently, desired to receive Elijah's mantle. His wish was granted;
and the next thing we read of him is the facing of Jordan--the mantle
had to be used at once! Solomon prayed for wisdom, and his prayer was
heard, and at once his gift was called into exercise by the case of
the two mothers each claiming the living child as hers. Thus it was,
too, with our blessed Lord; no sooner had the Holy Spirit descended
upon Him in the form of a dove than we read, "And immediately the
Spirit driveth Him into the wilderness" (Mark 1:12), where He was
tempted of the devil. It is highly necessary for us to take the lesson
to heart--it is when we have received some special mark of the Lord's
favor, or immediately after we have enjoyed some unusual season of
communion with him, that we need most to be on our guard!
The evil suggestion that Sari made to Abram was a testing of the
patience of his faith. God had said to Abram, "I will make of thee a
great nation, and I will bless thee and make thy name great" (Gen.
12:2). He had said, further, "Look now toward heaven, and tell the
stars, if thou be able to number them; and He said unto him, So shall
thy seed be"(Gen. 15:5), yet ten years had passed since the first of
these promises and still Abram was childless. When the Lord repeated
His promise "Abram believed in the Lord" (Gen. 15:6), and now he was
left to wait for the fulfillment of it. But waiting is just what the
natural heart finds it so hard to endure. Rather than wait man prefers
to take the management of his affairs into his own hands and use human
expediencies to give effect to the Divine promise. It was thus with
Jacob; the portion of the firstborn had been given to him and not to
Esau, but instead of waiting for God to secure the inheritance for
him, he sought to obtain it himself by his own dishonorable scheming.
It was the same with Moses; God had declared that the descendants of
Abram should be afflicted for 400 years in a strange country, and but
360 years had passed when Moses saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, and
taking matters into his own hands he smote and slew the Egyptian. It
is one thing to "commit'' our way unto the Lord, but it is quite
another to trust also inHim," and wait till He brings it to pass.
"And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai" (v. 2). The father of
mankind sinned by hearkening to his wife, and here the father of the
faithful follows his example. These things are recorded for our
learning. How often it is that a man's foes are those of his own
household! How often those who are nearest to us by nature are snares
and hindrances in the spiritual life! Hence, how deeply important to
heed the Divine admonition and "Be not unequally yoked together."
"And Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, after
Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her
husband Abram to be his wife" (v. 3). Galatians 4:22-26 is the
inspired commentary upon the doctrinal principles involved in this act
and in Abram's response to it. The dispensational significance of
Abram's fall has often been expounded by others so that it is
unnecessary for us to dwell upon it here at any length. In refusing to
wait upon the Lord, and in summoning to his aid this Egyptian maid for
the fulfilling of the Divine promise, Abram took a step which only
"gendered to bondage," just as now the believer does, if having begun
in the Spirit he seeks to be made perfect by the flesh.
The outcome of Abram's yielding to the specious temptation from his
wife was quickly evidenced. "And he went in unto Hagar, and she
conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was
despised in her eyes"(v. 4). The consequence was just what might have
been expected. The Egyptian maid was elated at the honor (?) conferred
upon her, and Sarai falls in her estimation. And now, when it is too
late, Sarai repents and complains to her husband--"And Sarai said unto
Abram, My wrong be upon thee.I have given my maid into thy bosom; and
when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes; the
Lord judge between me and thee"(v. 5). How true to human nature
(fallen human nature)--to throw the blame of wrong-doing upon another!
Man ever seeks to shelve his responsibility and charge either God or
Satan with what he terms his "misfortunes."
"ButAbram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her
as it pleaseth thee" (v. 6). Abram refuses to accept the
responsibility of Sarai's "wrong" and leaves her to deal with the evil
which was the fruitage of her own sowing. But observe how one evil
leads to another; in wronging his wife, Abram now surrenders to her
his position as head of the household.
"Andwhen Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face" (v. 6).
Was it to this Solomon had reference when he said, "Itis better to
dwell in the wilderness,than with a contentious and an angry woman"
(Proverbs 21:19)? Hagar, too, had to learn that the way of the
transgressor is hard. "And the angel of the Lord found her by a
fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to
Shur" (v. 7). What grace was this, Divine grace, for we need not stop
to prove that the "Angel of the Lord" (mentioned here for the first
time) was God Himself in theophanic manifestation. The place where He
found this poor Egyptian maid attracts our attention. It was "by a
fountain of water in the wilderness," termed in verse 14 "the well."
This is the first time we read of the "well" in Scripture. We pause to
look at several other passages in the Old Testament where the "well"
is mentioned, for the purpose of noting how beautifully they pointed
to the One Who giveth the living water, "that water of which those who
drink shall never thirst" and which is in them a well of water
springing up into "everlasting life" (John 4).
Ere turning to a few of those Scriptures, where the "well" is
mentioned we pause to note first what is said of it here in Genesis
16. Three things are to be observed concerning this "well." First, it
was located in the "wilderness." Second, the well itself was "by the
fountain"--mark the repetition of these words in verse 7. Third, it
was at this well that God revealed Himself to Hagar. Surely the
symbols are easily interpreted. It is not amid the gaieties or the
luxuries of the world that Christ is to be found. It is not while the
soul is enjoying "the pleasures of sin for a season" that the Savior
is met with. It is in the wilderness,that is, it is as we withdraw
from the attractions of earth and are in that state of soul which
answers to the "wilderness" that the Lord meets with the sinner, and
where is it that the needy one finds the Savior? Where, but "by the
fountain of water"--type of the written Word! Should these lines catch
the eye of some sin-sick and troubled heart that is earnestly seeking
the Lord Jesus, turn, we beseech thee, away from man, and "search the
Scriptures," for they are they which testify of Him. Finally, note
that it was here at the "well" that God was revealed--"andshe called
the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God seest me; for she
said, Have I also here looked after Him that seeth me? Wherefore the
well was called Beer-lahai-roi --the well of Him that liveth and seeth
me" (vv. 13, 14). So Christ--of whom the "well" speaks--"He that hath
seen Me hath seen the Father." It is in Him that God is fully
revealed.
The next Scripture in which the "well" is found is Genesis 21:19,
again in connection with Hagar. "And God opened her eyes, and she saw
a well of water." How plain is the type! "No man can come to Me,
except the Father which hath sent Me draw him" (John 6:44). And not
only so, but none can see Christ with the eyes of the heart until they
are opened by God. "And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art
thou, Simon Barjona; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto
thee (i.e., that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God), but
My Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 16:17). As it was here with
Hagar--"God opened her eyes, and she saw a well"--so also was it with
Lydia, "whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things
which were spoken of Paul" (Acts 16:14), and as it was with Lydia so
is it with all who believe.
"Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into the land of the people
of the East. And he looked, and behold a well in the field, and, lo,
there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well
they watered the flocks"(Gen. 29:1, 2). Comment here is needless. The
"well" is the place where the sheep were watered and refreshed. So,
again, with the antitype. Not only does our Lord give life--His own
life--but He refreshes ourparched souls day by day.
"And from thence they went to Beer: that is the well whereof the Lord
spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them
water. Then Israel sang this song, Spring up, O well: sing ye unto
it"(Numbers 21:16, 17). What a word is this! It reminds us of Genesis
22:8 compared with Isaiah 53:7. In the former passage the promise is
that "God will provide Himself a lamb," and in the latter, the Lamb is
definitely identified "Hewas led as a lamb to the slaughter." And so
here. The "well" is personified--"Sing ye unto it"! Note, too, that
the well was here made the gathering center of Israel. O, may we,as we
gather around our blessed Lord, "sing" unto Him that loved us, and
washed us from our sins in His own blood.
"Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by En-rogel, for they might not be
seen to come into the city; and a wench went and told them; and they
went and told King David. Nevertheless, a lad saw them, and told
Absalom; but they went both of them away quickly, and came to a man's
house in Bahurim, which had a well in his court; whither they went
down. And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth,
and spread ground corn thereon; and the thing was not known" (2 Sam.
17:17-19). Thus the "well" was a place of protection for Jonathan and
his servant. They were securely hidden in the well. How this reminds
us of that word, "Your life is hid with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3).
Summarizing the typical teaching of the Scriptures we have little more
than glanced at, we learn: First, that the "well" is to be found
"bythe fountain of water," which, to interpret, signifies, that Christ
is to be found in the written Word. Second, that it is at the well God
revealed Himself, just as in Christ God is now fully told out. Third,
it was not until God opened the eyes of Hagar, that she "saw"the well.
So it is not until the eyes of our heart are opened by God the Spirit
that we are enabled to see Christ as the One we need and as the
Fairest among ten thousand. Fourth, that it is at the well the "sheep"
are "watered." So it is in communion with Christ our souls are
refreshed. Fifth, that the well was the place where Israel were
gathered together by the Word of Jehovah through Moses. So Christ is
now the appointed Gathering-Center when we come together for worship.
Sixth, unto the well Israel were bidden to "sing." So throughout time
and eternity our adorable Lord will be the Object and Subject of our
praises. Seventh, the well was the place where Jonathan and his
servant found protection from their enemies. So in Christ we find
shelter from every foe and refuge from every storm.
"Andthe angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the
wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. And he said, Hagar,
Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she
said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. And the angel of the
Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under
her hands" (vv. 7-9). "Grace reigns through righteousness.'' It was
grace that sought her, it was righteousness that thus counseled her.
Grace is never exercised at the expense of righteousness. Grace
upholds rather than ignores our responsibilities toward God and toward
our neighbor. The grace of God that bringeth salvation, teaches us to
deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously,
and godly, in this present world (Titus 2:12). Note two things here in
connection with Hagar. First, the angel of the Lord addresses her as
"Sarai's maid," thus disallowing her marriage (?) with Abram; and
second, she is bidden to "return" to her mistress. The day would come
when God Himself would open the door, and send Hagar out of Abram's
house (Gen. 21:12-14), but till then she must "submit" herself to the
authority of Sarai. For another thirteen years she must patiently
endure her lot and perform her duty. In the meantime, the Lord cheers
Hagar's heart with a promise (see Gen. 5:10). Is there a word here for
any of our readers? Is there one who has fled from the post of duty?
Then to such the Lord's word is, "Return. . . . submit." If we have
done wrong, no matter what the temptation or provocation may have
been, the only way to Divine blessing, to peace and happiness, is to
retrace our footsteps (as far as this is possible), in repentance and
submission.
"And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child,
and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the
Lord hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand
will be against every man, and every man's hand against him" (vv. 11,
12). This prophecy seems to have had reference more to his posterity
than to Ishmael himself. It is well known how accurately its terms
have been fulfilled in the Arabs who, in all ages, have been a wild
and warlike people, and who, though surrounded by nations that have
each been conquered in turn, yet have themselves been unsubdued by the
great Powers unto this day.
"And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God
seest me; for she said, Have I also here looked after Him that seeth
me. Wherefore, the well was called, The well of Him that liveth and
seeth me" (vv. 13, 14). May the Lord Himself find us at the "well" as
He did Hagar of old, and may it be ours as it was hers to hear and see
Him.
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
22. Abraham The Ninety And Nine
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 17
We have reached another of the important crises in the history of our
patriarch and are to behold again the matchless grace of Jehovah in
His dealings with the father of all them that believe. Thirteen years
had elapsed (see Genesis 17:25) since Abram, in his impatient unbelief
had "hearkened to the voice of Sarah." Significant number this! In
Scripture thirteen is invariably found in an evil connection
signifying, as it does in the language of numerics, unbelief,
rebellion, apostasy. The first time this numeral is met with in the
Word is Genesis 14:4, where we read, "Twelveyears they served
Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled."How closely
Abram's own experience resembled this! Abram was seventy-five years of
age when God's call had come to leave home and kindred and to tread
the highway of faith, and for practically twelve years he had endured
as seeing Him who is invisible. But at the age of eighty-six (Gen.
17:1, ninety-nine, less the thirteen years for the age of Ishmael,
Genesis 17:25) Abram turned aside from the path of faith and resorted
to the devices of the flesh, hearkening to the suggestion of Sarah to
obtain a son by Hagar her Egyptian maid. And now another thirteen
years pass, during which time there is no mention of any appearing of
the Lord unto him. This interval is passed over in silence; it is a
blank, a period of spiritual barrenness; apparently a season which
brought forth nothing but wood, hay and stubble. Thus we find that the
first two mentionings of this numeral thirteen are associated,
respectively, with rebellion and impatient unbelief in resorting to
carnal efforts instead of waiting upon God. And it will be found that
thirteen is an evil number right through the Scriptures (see 1 Kings
7:1 and contrast Genesis 6:38; Esther 3:12, 13, etc.). The same is
true of instances where the numeral is not specifically mentioned as,
for example, the marching of Israel thirteen times around the defiant
Jericho; also the thirteen "judges"enumerated in Judges, which is the
book of apostasy (see Gen. 21:25); so, too, of Mark 7:21-23, where the
Lord specifies just thirteen of the evil characteristics and products
of the depraved heart of man; other exam-pies might be added such as
the fact that the term "Dragon" is found exactly thirteen times in the
apocalypse. Again, the same uniform evil significance of this numeral
is discovered in eases where multiples of thirteen occur in Scripture:
thus Jacob says to Pharaoh, "Thedays of the years of my pilgrimage are
a hundred and thirty years (13 x 10): few and evil have the days of
the years of my life been" (Gen. 47:9). In Numbers 16, which records
the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram and the visitation of God's
wrath upon them and their followers, we find there perished 250 (Num.
16:35) plus 14,700 (Num. 16:49) or 14,950 in all, which is 13 x 1,150.
In Deuteronomy 14 there is a list of the unclean animals and birds
which the Israelites were forbidden to eat, and a careful count shows
there were just 26 or 13 x 2, which were prohibited (see verses 7-19).
At the hands of his unbelieving countrymen the Apostle Paul received
"forty stripes save one" (2 Cor. 11:24), or 39, that is 13 x 3. The
Epistle of Jude which treats of the apostasy of Christendom is the
twenty-sixth book of the New Testament. And so on. In the light of
these examples it is surely not without deep meaning that we learn
there was an interval of just thirteen years between the incident
mentioned in Genesis 16 and that recorded in Genesis 17, between Abram
hearkening to the voice of Sarah and the Lord's appearing to him anew,
and that this interval is one of spiritual barrenness and is passed
over in silence. Ere we turn and consider the gracious revelation
which the Lord made to Abram at the close of this interval let us
first ask and ponder an important question:
Why
had Abram to wait all this while before the Lord appeared to him
again? Why must so many years drag their weary course before Jehovah
reveals Himself once more and makes promise of giving him Isaac? Is
not the answer to be found in Romans 4:19? "And being not weak in
faith; he considered not his own body now dead,when he was about an
hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb." God was
about to act in grace, but ere grace can be displayed the creature has
first to come to the end of himself: ere divine power is put forth man
must learn his own impotency. Not till Israel were driven to
desperation and despair at the Red Sea did the word come, "Stand still
and see the salvation of the Lord." So here. Not till Abram's body was
"dead" would God fulfill His word and give him a son. God's
opportunity does not come until man's extremity is reached. This is a
lesson we sorely need to take to heart, for it is of great practical
importance. It might be tersely expressed thus: the Lord has a reason
for all His delays.God not only does that which is right and best but
He always acts at the right and best time. Mark, it was not until "the
fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman"
(Gal. 4:4). Is not this the explanation of what is a sore problem to
many hearts? We mean, God's delay in sending back His Son the second
time. Like one of old, we are often tempted to ask, "Why is His
chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the wheels of His chariots?"
(Judges 5:28). Ah! here is the answer--the "fulness of time" has not
yet arrived. God has a wise and good reason for the delay. What that
is we learn from 2 Peter 3:9: "TheLord is not slack concerning His
promise (to send back His Son--see verse 4), as some men count
slackness; but is long-suffering to usward, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance." God's delay in
sending back His Son is due to His long-sufferance, not willing that
any should perish.
Let us repeat what we have said above and apply it to another
perplexing problem. God has a reason for His delays. Not until man
comes to the end of himself will God put forth His power. Not until
man's extremity is reached does God's opportunity arrive. Not until
our own powers are"dead"will God act in grace. What is the great
lesson of Psalm 107 but this? "Theywandered in the wilderness in a
solitary way; they found no city to dwell in: Hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the Lord in their
trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses. . . .
Therefore He brought down their heart with labor; they fell down, and
there was none to help. Then they cried unto the Lord in their
trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses. . . . They that go
down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; These see
the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep. For He commandeth,
and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They
mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul
is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro and stagger like a
drunken man, and are at their wit's end. Then they cry unto the Lord
in their trouble, and He bringeth them out of their distresses" (Ps.
107:4-6, 12, 13, 23-28). Ah! it is when we are at our "wit's end,"
when all our own devices have failed and all our own efforts come to
nought, that we "cry unto the Lord in our trouble," and "then" He
bringeth us out of our distresses.
Beloved reader, apply now this principle to your own individual
life.Are you anxiously exercised over God's delay?He has some wise
purpose for it. He had with Abram, and He has with you. From
seventy-five--his age when he left Haran--to one hundred--when Isaac
was born--was a long time to wait, but the sequel evidenced the Lord's
wisdom. God has more than one reason for His delays. Often it is to
test the faith of His children, to develop their patience, to bring
them to the end of themselves. His delays are in order that when He
does act His delivering power may be more plainly evident, that what
He does may be more deeply appreciated, and that in consequence He may
be more illustriously glorified.
"Andwhen Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to
Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before Me, and
be thou perfect" (Gen. 17:1). These words are to be regarded first as
a reproof.It was as though the Lord had said, "Have recourse no more
to unbelieving expedients; keep now to the path of uprightness, and
leave Me to fulfill My promise in My own good time and way." This
opening verse of Genesis 17 needs to be read in the light of God's
original promise to Abram to give him a "seed" (Gen. 13:15, 16) and
the attempt made by our patriarch to obtain fulfillment by his own
efforts. What Abram needed to be reminded of was God's Almightiness.
It was for want of considering this that he had had recourse to
crooked devices. Another lesson this which we do well to mark--never
to employ unlawful means in seeking to promote the cause of God. How
much the Lord's servants need to heed this truth! Like Abram, they are
longing for seed, spiritual seed, but it comes not; and only too often
they resort to unworthy methods to produce seed of themselves, arguing
that the end justifies the means. Here is the effectual cure for all
inpatient Anxiety--to reckon on One who is all-gracious, all-powerful,
all-sufficient.
"And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to
Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before Me, and
be thou perfect" (Gen. 17:1). But again. These words must be regarded
as a blessed exhibition of Divine Love. It is written that "Love
suffereth long, and is kind." How this was exemplified in God's
dealings with the patriarchs of old! How they tried that love! How
often they grieved it! How often they acted unworthily of it! Yet,
notwithstanding, as it was with the apostles so it was with the
patriarchs--"Having loved His own which were in the world, He loved
them to the end" (John 13:1). How patiently God bore with Abram! It
was love that "suffered long" with Abram's failings! It was love that
persisted with him in spite of every check and drawback. It was love
that now met him and promised to grant the desire of his heart, and in
old age give him a son. And, Christian readers, is it not Divine Love
that still "suffers long" with each of us! Would we not have perished
long ago were it not that nothing is able to separate us from the love
of God in Christ Jesus? Ah, note the last three words. It is the love
of God in Christ Jesus.That love is a righteous love and not a sickly
sentimentality at the expense of holiness. In the epistle which tells
us that God is Love, we first read that "God is Light"(see 1 John 1:5;
4:8). But to return to Genesis 17:1.
"And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to
Abram and said unto him, I am the Almighty God."The revelation which
God here made of Himself was well suited to the occasion. This was the
first time that He revealed Himself as "the Almighty." None but One
who possessed all power could meet Abram's need at this time. Ninety
and nine years of age, his body dead; Sarah barren and long past the
age of child-bearing--how could they hope to have a son? But with God
all things are possible. And why? Because He is El Shaddai, the
All-Sufficient One. The "Almighty"is a title which strikes terror into
the hearts of the wicked, but to the righteous it is a haven of rest.
"The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into
it, and is safe" (Prov. 18:10).
The second time that the Lord revealed Himself as El Shaddai was under
circumstances very similar to those found in Genesis 17:1 and context.
"And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padam aram,
and blessed him. And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name
shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name; and
He called his name Israel. And God said unto him, I am God Almighty:
be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be
of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins" (Gen. 35:9-11). It
will be noted that when God revealed Himself as the Almighty to Abram,
He changed his name from Abram to Abraham; so here, He changes the
name of his grandson from Jacob to Israel. To Abram God said, "And I
will make My covenant between Me and thee, and will multiply thee
exceedingly. . . .and thou shalt be a father of many nations" (Gen.
17:2, 4); to Jacob He said, "Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a
company of nations shall be of thee" (Gen. 35:11). Again, we are told
that God "appeared" to Abram (Gen. 17:1), literally "was seen to
Abram," and here in Genesis 35:9 the same word is used--this is the
more striking for, excepting Genesis 12:7, these are the only
occasions in Genesis where we read of God "appearing" to the
patriarchs, as though to emphasize the importance of this Divine
title. Finally, in noting the parallelisms between Genesis 17 and 35,
we may observe that at the close of this Divine interview we read "And
He left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham" (Gen.
17:22) and in Genesis 35:13 we are told, "And God went up from him in
the place where He talked with him."
It is blessed to remember that this same divine title is found in the
Church epistles: "Wherefore come out from among them (as Abram did
from Chaldea), and be ye separate saith the Lord, and touch not the
unclean thing (as Abram did with Hagar); and I will receive you, And
will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters,
saith the Lord Almighty"(2 Cor. 6:17, 18). It is because our God and
Father is the "Almighty" that "He is able also to save them to the
uttermost that come unto God by Him"--Christ (Heb. 7:25). It is
because our God and Father is the "Almighty" that "He is able to
succor them that are tempted" (Heb. 2:18). It is because our God and
Father is the "Almighty" that nothing "shall be able to separate us
from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:39).
It is because our Savior is "Almighty" that He shall "change our vile
body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according
to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto
Himself" (Phil. 3:21). It is because our God is the "Almighty" that He
"is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,
according to the power that worketh in us" (Eph. 3:20). It is because
our Lord is "Almighty" that He "is able to keep us from failing, and
to present us faultless before the presence of His glory with
exceeding joy (Jude 24).
"And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to
Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before Me,and be
thou perfect" (Gen. 17:1). We would call attention to four passages
which refer to the walk of the Lord's people in which a different
preposition is used. Here in Genesis 17:1 Abram is bidden to "walk
before"Almighty God. The children of Israel were exhorted to "walk
after"the Lord: "Yeshall walk after the Lord your God, and fear Him,
and keep His commandments" (Deut. 13:4). Of Enoch and Noah it is
witnessed that they "walked with God" (Gen. 5:24; 6:9). But of those
who are members of the Body of Christ the word is, "Asye have
therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him" (Col.
2:6). To walk before is suggestive of a child running ahead and
playing in the presence of his father, conscious of his perfect
security because he is just behind. To walk after becomes a servant
following his master. To walk with indicates fellowship and
friendship. To walk in denotes union. As to how we are to walk in
Christ, the Holy Spirit tells us in the words which immediately follow
the exhortation: "Rooted and built up in Him" (Col. 2:7). We might
summarize these varied aspects of the believer's walk as intimated by
the four different prepositions thus: we walk "before"God as children;
we walk "after" Him as servants;we walk "with" Him as His friends;we
walk "in" Him as members of His body.
"Be thou perfect." The careful reader will notice that the words
"upright"and "sincere" are supplied in the margin as alternatives for
"perfect," but it seems to us there is no need for this, that the word
in the text is a legitimate rendering of the Hebrew "tamin." The same
word occurs in Psalm 19:7: "The Law (Word) of the Lord is perfect,
converting the soul." It is the same word which is translated
forty-four times "without blemish." Then, did God really say to Abram,
"Bethou perfect?'He certainly did. And how could He say anything less?
What lower standard than that of perfection can the Perfect One set
before His creatures? Only too often men whittle down the Word to make
it square with their own conceptions. All through the Scriptures, the
standard of perfection is set before us. The law required that Israel
should love the Lord their God with all their hearts. The Lord Jesus
bade His disciples, "Be ye therefore perfect as your Father which is
in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). And the teaching of the Epistles
is all summed up in that Word, "Christ also suffered for us, leaving
us an example, that ye should follow His steps" (1 Pet. 2:21). Is not
that the standard of perfection? Brethren, such is the standard set
before us. This is that which we are constantly to strive after. With
nothing short may we be satisfied. It is because such isthe standard
that none in the flesh have ever realized it, that each and all must
say with the apostle, "Notas though I had already attained, either
were already perfect; but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that
for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not
myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those
things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which
are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling
of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:12-14). Yet, nevertheless, the Word
to us today is the same as that to Abram of old: "Be thou perfect."
Does some one murmur, "An impossible standard!" Then remember that it
was El Shaddai who gave it. Who dares to talk of "impossibilities"
when the Almighty is our God? Has He not said "My grace is sufficient
for thee"? Then, do not charge Him with setting before us an
unattainable standard: rather let us charge ourselves with failure to
rest upon His Almighty arm, and confess with shame that the blame is
ours through not appropriating His all-sufficient grace.
"And Abram fell on his face:and God talked with him" (Gen. 17:3). It
seems to us that this act of Abram in prostrating himself before the
Lord must be looked at in the light of his ways as recorded in the
previous chapter--his taking of matters into his own hands instead of
leaving them with God; his resorting to fleshly expediences instead of
patiently waiting for Him to act. And now that Jehovah condescends to
reveal Himself again to Abram, he is overwhelmed at such grace. Thus
we regard Abram's falling on his face not so much due to confusion as
to wonderment at the divine favor shown him notwithstanding his
unbelief.
We cannot now comment upon the remaining verses of the chapter, but in
closing would call attention to one other feature. It is to be noted
that in connection with the revelation of Himself as the "Almighty"
the Lord God made Abram a composite promise in which seven times He
said "I will"--"And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will
make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will
establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in
their generations, for an everlasting covenant to be a God unto thee
and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed
after thee the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of
Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. . . .
And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed: and thou
shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him
for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. . . . But My
covenant will I establish with Isaac" (verses 6, 7, 8, 19, 21). The
relationship between this compound promise and the title of Deity used
on the occasion of its utterance is the pledge of its fulfillment. It
is because all power is at His disposal, it is because He is
sufficient in Himself, that the performing of all He has said is sure.
What God says He will do. So sure is the fulfillment that in verse 5
the Lord says, "for a father of many nations have I made thee" (not
"will I make thee"), just as in Romans 8:30 it is "whom He justified
them He also glorified," and yet in experience the glorification is
yet future.
With the above seven "I wills" of God should be compared the seven "I
wills" of Exodus 6:6-8, "Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I
am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the
Egyptians, and I will rid you of their bondage, and I will redeem you
with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: and I will take
you to be a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that
I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens
of the Egyptians. And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning
the which I did sware to give it to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob;
and I will give it you for a heritage: I am the Lord." Our purpose in
calling attention to this latter passage is that in Genesis 16 the
Lord revealed Himself to Abram as the Almighty and followed the
revelation with a sevenfold promise, and here in Exodus 6 He reveals
Himself as Jehovah (v. 3) and follows this revelation with another
sevenfold promise. Perfect are the ways and perfect is the Word of Him
with whom we have to do.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
23. Abraham At Gerar
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 20
In our last chapter we considered at some length the revelation which
God made of Himself to Abraham as the Almighty, together with the
sevenfold promise which accompanied this revelation, including, as it
did, that Abraham and Sarah should be given Isaac in their old age. In
Genesis 18 we behold the Lord in full fellowship with the one He
thrice terms His "friend," eating at his table, and making known his
purpose concerning Sodom; while at the close of the chapter Abraham is
seen as an intercessor before God. And now, in Genesis 20, we are to
witness a sad and dramatic change. There is a return to the miserable
policy which he followed down in Egypt. Afraid that his life may be
taken from him on account of his wife, he causes her to pose as his
sister, and only through a direct interposition by God is she
delivered from the effects of his sin.
"And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country and dwelt
between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar. And Abraham said of
Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech, King of Gerar, sent
and took Sarah" (Gen. 20:1, 2). The contents of Genesis 20 furnish a
striking proof of the Divine inspiration of the Scriptures. No
fictitious historian would have recorded this dark blot on the life of
such an illustrious personage as Abraham. The tendency of the human
heart is ever toward hero worship, and the common custom of
biographers is to conceal the defects and blemishes in the careers of
the characters which they delineate, and this, had it been followed,
would naturally forbid the mention of such a sad fall in the life of
one of the most venerated names on the scroll of history. Ah! but
herein the Bible differs from all other books. The Holy Spirit has
painted the portraits of Scripture characters in the colors of nature
and truth. He has given a faithful picture of the human heart such as
is common to all mankind.
At first sight it seems incredible that Abraham should have acted as
recorded here in Genesis 20, but further reflection will convince any
honest Christian that the picture here drawn is only too true to life:
"As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man"
(Prov. 27:19). The remaining of the old nature in the believer, the
occasional manifestations of it in God-dishonoring activities, the
awful backslidings which God's children have been subject to in all
ages, and the reviewing of our own sad departures from the path of
faith and righteousness, are quite enough to explain the deplorable
and seemingly unaccountable conduct of the father of all who believe.
And if the reader knows nothing of such departures and backslidings
let him not boast of his faithfulness and superior piety, rather let
him ascribe all glory to the matchless grace of Him that is able to
keep us from falling.
Sad indeed, inexpressibly sad, was Abraham's conduct. It was not the
fall of a young and inexperienced disciple, but the lapse of one who
had long walked the path of faith that here shows himself ready to
sacrifice the honor of his wife, and what is worse, give up the one
who was the depositary of all the promises. "Whatthen is man, and what
hope for him except in God None, surely. And it is to ground us well
in this that we are given to see the sad and terrible failures of
these honored servants of God. Not to discourage but to lead us to the
Source of all comfort and strength. Only in realized weakness do we
find this. Only when unable to do without God for a moment do we find
what He is for us moment by moment" (F. W. Grant).
What made the matter so much worse in Abraham's ease was that it was
not a question of being surprised into a sudden fault. It was the
recurrence of an old sin. Long ago he had followed the same wicked
course in Egypt, where his duplicity had been discovered and from
whence he was banished in disgrace. But the experience profited him
not. Some twenty or twenty-five years had passed since then, and in
the interval he had built an altar unto the Lord, had vanquished
Chedorlaomer, had been blessed by Melchizedek the priest of the Most
High God, had repulsed the offer of the King of Sodom to be enriched
at his hands, and had received wondrous revelations and promises from
God; yet now we see him leaving God out of his reckoning, and ensnared
by the fear of man, resorting to the most shameful deception. How then
shall we account for this? The explanation is obvious: until the time
referred to in Genesis 20 Abraham had not been in circumstances to
call into exercise the evil that was in his heart.
"The evil was not fully brought out--notconfessed, not got rid of--and
the proof of this is, that the moment he again finds himself in
circumstances which could act upon his weak point,it is at once made
manifest that the weak point is there. The temptation through which he
passed in the matter of the King of Sodom was not by any means
calculated to touch this peculiar point; nor was anything that
occurred to him from the time that he came up out of Egypt until he
went down to Gerar calculated to touch it, for had it been touched it
would no doubt have exhibited itself.
"We can never know what is in our hearts until circumstances arise to
draw it out. Peter did not imagine he could deny his Lord, but when he
got into circumstances which were calculated to act upon his peculiar
weakness, he showed that his weakness was there.
"It required the protracted period of forty years in the wilderness to
teach the children of Israel `what was in their hearts' (Deut. 8:2);
and it is one of the grand results of the course of discipline through
which each child of God passes, to lead him into a more profound
knowledge of his own weakness and nothingness. `We had the sentence of
death in ourselves,that we should not trust in ourselves but in God
which raiseth the dead' (2 Cor. 1:9). The more we are growing in the
sense of our infirmities, the more shall we see our need of clinging
more closely to Christ--drawing more largely upon His grace, and
entering more fully into the cleansing virtue and value of His atoning
blood. The Christian, at the opening of his course never knows his own
heart; indeed, he could not bear the full knowledge of it; he would be
overwhelmed thereby. `The Lord leads us not by the way of the
Philistines lest we should see war,' and so be plunged into despair.
But He graciously leads us by a circuitous route, in order that our
apprehension of His grace may keep pace with our growing
self-knowledge" (C. H. M.).
As we have seen, it was stress of circumstances which revealed the
state of Abraham's heart, as it is of ours. Though the wording of it
might be improved, we thoroughly agree with the sentiment of a
preacher who long ago said, "We possess no more religion than what we
have in the time of trouble." It is comparatively easy to trust God
while everything goes along pleasantly, but the time of
disappointment, of loss, of persecution, of bereavement, is the time
of testing; and then how often we fail! Here is where the Lord Jesus
is in such striking contrast from all others. Stress of circumstances
only served to display the perfections of His heart. When He was a
hungered, and tempted by Satan to make bread to supply His own need,
He lived by every word of God. When He sat by the well, worn with His
journey, He was not too weary to speak words of grace and life to the
poor Samaritan woman. When the cities in which His mightiest works had
been done rejected His message, He meekly submitted, saying "Evenso,
Father: for so it seemed good in Thy sight" (Matthew 11:23-26). When
He was reviled, He reviled not again. And in the supreme crisis, on
the cross, His perfections were fully displayed--praying for the
forgiveness of His enemies, speaking the word of acceptance to the
repentant thief, making provision for His widowed mother, yielding up
His spirit into the hands of the Father. Ah! our garments (symbols of
conduct, habits, ways) are at best, so much patchwork, but His were
"without seam,woven from the top throughout" (John 19:23). Yes, in all
things He has the preeminence.
Light is thrown upon Abraham's fall by the thirteenth verse of our
chapter--"And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my
father's house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou
shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me,
He is my brother." It is to be noted that this arrangement entered
into by Abraham with his wife, was made before they left Chaldea. It
was therefore something which they brought with them from the place of
their birth! In other words, it was that which was attached to the old
man and, as we have seen, something which had never been judged.Let us
learn then from this, the vileness of the flesh, the utter corruption
of the old nature, the hideousness of the old man. Truly there is need
for us to "mortify" our members which are on the earth.
Plainly, the evil compact which Abraham made with Sarah was due to the
feebleness of his faith in God's power to take care of them. And once
more, let not writer or reader sit in pharisaic judgment upon Abraham,
but see a picture of himself. Abraham did but illustrate what is all
too sadly common among the Lord's people--that which might be termed
the inconsistency of faith. How often those who are not afraid to
trust God with their souls, areafraid to trust Him with regard to
their bodies! How often those who have the full assurance of faith in
regard to eternal things, are full of unbelief and fear when it comes
to temporal things! We have believed in the Lord and it has been
counted unto us for righteousness; yet, how often, like Abraham, in
the matter of the practical concerns of our daily life, we too, have
more confidence in our own wisdom and scheming than we have in the
sufficiency of God.
And how did God act? Did He lose patience with Abraham, and cast off
one so fickle and inconsistent? Manifestly Abraham had dishonored the
Lord in acting as he did, in setting such an evil example before these
heathen (Philistines). Yet, behold the grace of Him with whom we have
to do. Instead of casting him off, God interposed and delivered
Abraham and his wife from the peril which menaced them. Not only did
God not forsake Abraham, but He would not abandon him to his foes. Ah!
the gifts and calling of God are "without repentance." And why?
Because they are bestowed altogether without respect to any worthiness
in the recipient, and hence, because God's gifts are free and we do
nothing to merit them, we can do nothing to demerit them.
"The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
That soul, though all Hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll never, no never, no never forsake."
"ButGod came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him,
Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken;
for she is a man's wife" (Gen. 20:3). This statement may appear very
commonplace to the casual reader the mere narration of a detail
lacking in importance. But the meditative mind discovers here an
exemplification of a truth of profound importance and high value,
though one that is now generally lost sight of. We refer to the
universality of God's rule; the absolute control which he has over His
creatures; the ease with which He can move men to accomplish His will.
God has access to all minds and can impress them by a dream, an
affliction, or in any way He thinks proper. In the above case God used
a dream to instruct Abimelech, to show him the wrong he had
unconsciously done, and to point out to him his immediate duty.
Abimelech was a Philistine, and, so far as we know to the contrary, a
heathen. He knew nothing of the fact that Sarah was the one chosen to
be the mother of the Jewish race, and the one from whom, according to
the flesh, the Messiah was to come. Appearances seemed to show that
Jehovah's purpose was in immediate danger of being foiled. But how
simply God dealt with the situation! By means of a dream, nothing
more, Sarah is delivered, the seeming hindrances to God's purpose is
removed, the situation is saved! What we here desire to emphasize is
the perfect ease with which God can move men when He pleases.All this
modern talk about man's "freedom" and man's going his own way in
defiance of God's secret counsels leaves God out entirely. To say that
God wants to influence men but that men will not let Him is to reduce
the Almighty to a helpless spectator, full of gracious intentions but
lacking in power to make them good. But what saith the Scriptures?
Hear them: "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers
of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will" (Prov. 21:1). Yes, and
so easily can He turn the king's heart, that when He pleases He needs
employ nothing more than a "dream"!
"And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in
the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning
against Me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her" (Gen. 20:6).
In these words we have (as so often in Scripture) an apparently
incidental statement which throws great light upon a difficult problem
and which positively refutes the proud reasoning of the philosophic
theologians. How often it has been said that in endowing Adam with the
power of choice God was unable to prevent his fall. But how untenable
are such theorizings in the face of the above passage! If God could
"withhold" Abimelech from sinning against Him, then had He pleased He
could have done the same with our first parents. Should it be asked
why He did not "withhold" Adam from sinning, the answer must be that
He permitted sin to enter that opportunity might be given to display
His grace.
"Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his
servants, and told all these things in their ears and the men were
sore afraid. Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What
hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast
brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto
me that ought not to be done"(Gen. 20:8, 9). It is important to note
that Abimelech recognized fornication as a"great sin." Unquestionably
the heathen are aware of the criminality of many of the sinful acts
which they commit--"their conscience also bearing witness, and their
thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another"
(Rom. 2:15).
A brief consideration of one other thought and our space is exhausted.
Notice how differently God looked at and spoke of Abraham from
Abimelech's words concerning him--"Now therefore restore the man his
wife; for he is a prophet,and he shall pray for thee and thou shalt
live." All that Abimelech saw in our patriarch was a man guilty of
barefaced deception. But God looked at Abraham in Christ, and
therefore speaks of him as a "prophet" (one who has His mind), and
makes Abimelech debtor to his prayers! This is how God ever vindicates
His own before the unbelieving. It was a similar case to what He said
through Balaam concerning Israel at a later date "He hath not beheld
iniquity in Jacob, neither hath He seen perverseness in Israel" (Num.
23:21). In some such way as this is now being answered on high the
charges of the enemy who accuses the brethren before God day and
night. Oh! blessed fact, "Thereis therefore now no condemnation to
them which are in Christ Jesus." Will this encourage careless living?
God forbid, "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not
under the law, but under grace."
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
24. Abraham "The Father of Us All"
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It is to be feared that many who read the Old Testament, particularly
its earlier books, look upon these Scriptures as little more than
historical narratives, as simply containing a description of certain
events that happened in the far distant past, and that when they come
to the record of the lives of the patriarchs they discover nothing
beyond a piece of ancient biography. But surely this is very
dishonoring to God. Is it not obvious that when we relegate to a
remote date in the past what we are told about Abraham, Isaac, Joseph,
etc., and see in the inspired record little or nothing applicable to
ourselves today, that we virtually and practically reduce Genesis to a
dead book?Suppose we express this in another way: If Genesis is a part
of "The Word of Life"(Phil. 2:16), then it is a living book, charged
with vitality; a book which must have about it a freshness which no
other book, outside of the Sacred Canon, possesses; a book which
speaks to our day, which is pertinent and applicable to our own times.
Let us now follow out another line of thought which will lead us to
the same point at which we arrived at the close of the preceding
paragraph. One truth which Scripture reveals about God is, that He
changes not, for He is "the same yesterday, and today, and forever."
Therefore, it follows that, fundamentally, His ways are ever the same;
that is to say, He deals through all time with men, especially His own
people, upon the same principles. It is this which explains the
well-known fact that so often history repeats itself. Having stated
the broad principle, let us now apply it. If what we have just said is
correct, should we not expect to find that God's dealings with Abraham
forecast and foreshadow His dealings with us?That, stripped of their
incidental details, the experiences of Abraham illustrate our
experiences? Grant this, and we reach a similar conclusion (as we
anticipated) to the one expressed at the close of the preceding
paragraph. Let us now combine the two conceptions.
Because the Bible is a living book no portion of it is obsolete,and
though much that is recorded in it is ancient, yet none of it is
antiquated.Because the Bible is a living book, every portion of it has
some message which is applicable and appropriate to our own times.
Because God changes not, His ways of old are, fundamentally, His ways
today. Hence, God's dealings with Abraham, in the general, foreshadow
His dealings with us. Therefore, to read most profitably the record of
Abraham's life, we must see in it a portrayal of our own spiritual
history. Before we attempt to particularize, let us take one other
starting point and lead up to the place where we here leave off.
"Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the
promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of
the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the
father of us all" (Rom. 4:16). How is Abraham the "father" of us all?
In what sense is he such? Not, of course, literally, by procreation,
but figuratively, by typification. Just as naturally the son inherits
certain traits from his father, just as there is a resemblance between
them, just as Adam "begat a son in his own likeness, after his image"
(Gen. 5:3), so there is a resemblance and likeness between Abraham and
those who are "Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise"
(Gal. 3:29). In a word, Abraham is to be regarded as a sample
believer.Thus there will be a close correspondence, in the broad
outline, between Abraham's history and ours. And here, once more, we
reach the same point as at the close of each of the above paragraphs.
We are now prepared to test the accuracy of these conclusions and
follow them out in some detail.
I read, then, the life of Abraham as recorded in Genesis, not merely
as a piece of inspired history (though truly it is such), not as an
obsolete narrative of something which happened in the far distant
past, but also, and specially, as a portrayal of the experiences of
Abraham's children in all ages, and as a description of God's dealings
with HIS own in all time. To particularize: What was Abraham at the
beginning? A lost sinner; one who knew not God; an idolator. So were
we: "Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles.... that
at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise,
haying no hope, and without God in the world" (Eph. 2:11, 12). What
happened? The God of glory appeared unto him (Acts 7:2). So it was
with us. He revealed Himself to us. What was the next thing? God's
call to Abraham to separate himself from everything which pertained to
his old life. Such is God's call to us--to separate ourselves from the
world and everything of it. Did Abraham obey? At first only
imperfectly. Instead of leaving his kindred as commanded, Terah his
father and Lot his nephew accompanied him as he left Chaldea. Has this
no voice for us? Does it not solemnly condemn Abraham's "children"?Has
not our response to God's call of separation been tardy and partial?
To proceed: Soon after Abraham arrived in Canaan painful circumstances
try his faith--a "famine" arose. How did this affect him? Did he make
known his need to God and look to Him to meet it? Ah, can we not
supply the answer from our own sad experience? Have we not turned to
the world for help and deliverance in the hour of emergency, as
Abraham turned to Egypt? See Abraham again in Genesis 16. He is
childless. God has promised that his seed should inherit the land. But
years have passed and Sarah is still barren. What does Abraham do?
Does he patiently wait upon God and go on waiting? Suppose the Bible
had not told us, could not our own experience supply the answer once
more? Abraham has recourse to fleshly means, and drags in Hagar to
assist God (?) in the furtherance of His purpose. And what was the
outcome? Did God lose patience? Well He might. But did He cast off His
erring child? Has He dealt thus with us? No, indeed, "Ifwe believe
not, yet He abideth faithful" (2 Tim. 2:13). We need not review
Abraham's life any further. Do you not see now, dear reader, why
Abraham is termed the "father of us all"? Is not the saying of the
world--"Like father, like son" true here? But let us look at one other
line in the picture ere we leave it. Look at Abraham in Genesis 22,
offering up Isaac. Does this apply to us? Is there anything in the
experiences of Christians today which corresponds with the scene
enacted on Mount Moriah? Surely, but note when this occurred--not at
the beginning, but near the close of Abraham's pilgrimage. Ah! life's
discipline had not been in vain: the fire had done its work, the gold
had been refined. At the last Abraham had reached the place where he
is not only willing to give up Terah and Lot at the call of God, but
where he is ready to lay his Isaac upon the altar! In other words, he
resigns all to God, and places at His feet the dearest idol of his
heart. Grace had triumphed, for grace alone can bring the human heart
into entire submission to the Divine will. So will grace triumph with
us in the end. See, then, in Abraham's up and down experiences, his
trials, his failures, a representation of yours. See in God's patient
dealings with Abraham a portrayal of His dealings with you.See in the
final triumph of grace in Abraham the promise of its ultimate triumph
in you,and thus will Genesis be a living book by translating it into
the present.
Deeply important are the lessons to be learned from the life of
Abraham, and many are the precious truths which are seen illustrated
in his character and career. Having looked at him as a simple
believer, let us next consider him as a Man of Faith. InHebrews 11,
the great faith chapter, Abraham is given striking prominence. Only
once do we read "Byfaith Isaac," and only once do we read "By faith
Jacob"; but three times the faith of Abraham is mentioned (see verses
8, 9, 17). Probably it is no exaggeration to say that Abraham's faith
was tried more severely, more repeatedly, and more varisomely than
that of any other human being. First, he was called upon to leave the
land of his birth, to separate himself from home and kindred, and to
set out on a long journey unto a land which God promised to "show"
him, and, we are told, "he went out not knowing whither he went."
After his arrival in the new land he did not enter into occupation of
it, but instead, sojourned there as a stranger and pilgrim. All that
he ever owned in it was a burying-place. Dwelling in tents with Isaac
and Jacob, he remained there well-nigh a century. Again, his faith was
tested in connection with God's promise to give him a son by Sarah.
His own body "dead,"and his wife long past the age of child-bearing,
nevertheless "hestaggered not at the promise of God through unbelief;
but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully
persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to
perform"(Rom. 4:20, 21). Finally, the supreme test came when he was
bidden to offer up his son Isaac, but, "Byfaith Abraham, when he was
tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered
up his only begotten son. . . . accounting that God was able to raise
him up, even from the dead" (Heb. 11:17, 19).
But did Abraham's faith never waiver? Alas, it did. He was a man of
like passions to ourselves, and in him, too, there was an evil heart
of unbelief.The Spirit of God has faithfully portrayed the dark as
well as the fair side, and were it not that we are painfully conscious
of the tragic history of our own spiritual lives, we might well marvel
at the strange mingling of faith and unbelief, obedience and
disobedience. By faith Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave
Chaldea; yes, but by unbelief he disobeyed in that his father and
nephew accompanied him in direct contravention of Jehovah's express
command. By faith he left Chaldea, but by unbelief he stopped short at
Haran (Gen. 11:31). By faith he entered the land of promise, but as
soon as a famine arose he forsook it and went down to Egypt (Gen.
12:10). By faith he returned and sojourned in the land of promise, but
by unbelief he took to himself the maid Hagar rather than wait for God
to put forth His power and give him a son by Sarah. By faith he went
forth against Chedorlaomer and his armies to rescue Lot, but later, by
unbelief he lied to Abimelech about his wife (Gen. 20:21). What a sad
exemplification is all this of the two natures in the believer!
How terribly inconsistent are the lives of God's saints! By faith
Israel crossed the Red Sea, but a little later, in unbelief, they
feared they had been brought into the wilderness to perish from
hunger. With heart stayed upon the Lord, David feared not to engage
the mighty Goliath, yet the time came when he fled from Saul. Filled
with confidence in Jehovah, Elijah, single-handed, faced the four
hundred prophets of Baal, but within a few hours he ran in terror from
an angry woman. Peter was not afraid to step out on to the sea, nor
was he intimated in the presence of the Roman soldiers, but drew his
sword and smote off the ear of the high priest's servant; yet, the
same night, he trembled before a maid and dared not to confess his
Lord. Oh! the God dishonoring ways of unbelief! Unbelief! Surely this
is the sin which doth so easily beset us.
Do not the above histories and their sequels bring out the marvelous
and gracious long-suffering of Him with whom we have to do? How
patiently God deals with His people! Israel did not perish with hunger
in the wilderness, even though they murmured against God; instead,
they were fed with "angel's food" (Ps. 78:25)! David was not slain by
Saul, even though he did flee from him; instead, he was afterwards
exalted to the throne of Israel! Elijah did not fall a victim to the
wrath of Jezebel, though his faith did fail him; instead, he was
afterwards taken to heaven without seeing death at all! Peter was not
disowned because he denied his Lord, nay, after his restoration, he
had the signal honor of opening the door of the kingdom both to the
Jews and to the Gentiles! So it was with Abraham. God did not abandon
him when his faith faltered, but dealt gently and patiently with him,
leading him on step by step, disciplining him in the school of
experience, until by wondrous grace He enabled him to do by faith on
Mount Moriah that which was a type of Calvary itself!
The divine dealings with Abraham wonderfully demonstrated God's
Sovereignty.A unique honor was conferred upon our patriarch, for he
was chosen by God to be the father of the chosen nation, that nation
from which, according to the flesh, Christ was to come. And mark how
God's Sovereignty was displayed in the character of the one selected
by Him. There was nothing in Abraham by nature to commend him to
Jehovah. By descent he belonged to a family of idolaters. Ere he left
Chaldea, in response to God's call, he entered into an evil compact
with his wife (Gen. 12:7). As though to give special emphasis to their
unworthiness, God said to Israel, "Look unto Abraham, your father, and
unto Sarah that bore you: for I called him alone--look unto the rock
whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged"
(Isa. 51:2,1). And Abraham, the father of us all, was a pattern or
sample case. God's choice before the foundation of the world was not
determined by any good or merit foreseen in ourselves. Election itself
is of "grace"(Rom. 11:5). It is all of grace from beginning to end,
sovereign grace, gratuitous grace, matchless grace.
Consider next Abraham as an object of God's Love.The history of our
patriarch was one of strange vicissitudes. On no flowery beds of ease
was he permitted to luxuriate. Painful were the trials he was called
upon to endure. Again and again he passed through the waters and the
fire, but there was ever One by him that forsook him not. As the
father of them that believe, Abraham was, as we have seen, a
representative believer. In kind though not in character the
experiences of Abraham are the same we meet with. Faith has to be
tried that it may work patience: the gold has to be put in the
crucible that it may be refined. God had one Son without sin, but none
without suffering and sorrow. Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and
scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. First, Abraham had to endure
the severance of nature's ties; at the call of God he had to leave
home and kindred. And the word comes to us, too, "He that loveth
father or mother more than Me, is not worthy of Me" (Matthew 10:37).
Called to leave the land of his birth, to be a stranger and pilgrim in
a foreign land, he was taught, as we are, that "Our citizenship is in
heaven'' (Phil. 3:20). The "strife" which arose between the herdsmen
of Abraham and Lot, necessitating the separation between our patriarch
and his nephew, illustrates the fact that the path of faith is
ofttimes a lonesome one, and that frequently we are obliged to walk
apart from those loved by the flesh. The years of waiting that Abraham
experienced ere the longing of his heart was gratified and a son was
given him, exemplified that lesson, so hard to learn, that we must
wait only upon Him with our expectation from Him. Finally, as Abraham
was called upon to relinquish his Isaac and offer to God his only son,
so we are required to place our all at His disposal, and in doing this
we shall not be the losers any more than Abraham was. See, then, the
love of God exercised toward the father of all who believe; love
displayed in faithful chastening, and issuing in the peaceable fruit
of righteousness.
There are many facets to this precious jewel. We have noted how God's
long-sufferance, His sovereignty, His love were manifested toward
Abraham; now observe His matchless grace. Is not this the only
appropriate word to use here? Was it not grace that made Abraham the
"friend of God"? Oh, wondrous condescension that should stoop so low
as to lay hold of a worm of the earth! Oh, matchless benignity that
should bring one of His own creatures into such intimate relationship
with Himself! Oh, undeserved and unmerited favor that made him "the
friend of God"! And mark how this friendship was exhibited. See how
the Lord makes known to His "friend"what shall happen to his
descendants for a long time (Gen. 15:13-16). Mark, again, how He takes
him into His confidence and counsels respecting what He was about to
do with Sodom (Gen. 18:17). Observe the Lord in intimate fellowship
with Abraham, eating and drinking at his board (Gen. 18:8). Finally,
consider how marvelously God took him into the fellowship of His heart
(Gen. 22). Probably no other human being ever entered so deeply into
the meaning and movements of the Father's heart at Calvary as did
Abraham on Mount Moriah.
In the last place, let us look upon Abraham as a typical character.We
do not know of any Old Testament personage who was such a multifarious
type as was Abraham. First, he was a type of the Father.This is seen
in his desire for children (compare Eph. 1:5); in his making a "feast"
at the weaning of Isaac (compare Matthew 22:2-4); in the offering up
of his only son Isaac (compare John 3:16); in his sending for a bride
for his son (compare Rev. 21:9); in appointing his son heir of all
things (Gen. 25:5). Second, Abraham was a type of Christ.This is seen
in him leaving his father's house at the call of God; in that he is
the one in whom all the families of the earth are to be blessed; in
that he is the kinsman--redeemer of Israel; in that he is the holder
of headship of the nations. Third, he is a type of the Church.This is
seen, particularly, in that he was a stranger and pilgrim in the
earth. Observe that though he left his home in Chaldea he did not find
another in Canaan; instead, he was the man of the tent. Note how this
comes out toward the end of his life. When he needed a burying-place
he purchased it of the children of Heth (Gen. 23:3, 4). He preferred
to buy it rather than receive it as a gift from these worldlings. He
would not be enriched by them any more than he would be a debtor to
and accept favors from the king of Sodom. The stranger-ship of Abraham
was also displayed in the seeking of a wife for Isaac. He was a
stranger in Canaan, so he sent to Haran! Thus, though he tabernacled
in Canaan, he was sharply distinguished from the people of the land he
was among them but not of them. Fourth, Abraham was a type of
Israel.This is seen in that he was the one to whom God gave Palestine;
the one with whom God entered into a covenant; the one who was
divinely preserved while dwelling in a strange country (Gen. 20); the
one who, after a checkered career, was supernaturally quickened in old
age, and the one who was ultimately joined to the Gentiles (Gen. 23).
May divine grace enable writer and reader to walk by faith and not by
sight, to live in complete separation from the world as strangers and
pilgrims, to render unto God a more prompt and unreserved obedience,
to submit to His will and hold all at His disposal, and then shall we
find with Abraham that the path of the just shineth more and more unto
the perfect day.
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
25. The Birth of Isaac
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Genesis 21
The birth of Isaac marked a pivotal point in the outworking of God's
eternal purpose. The coming of this son to Abraham and Sarah was the
second great step toward the fulfillment of Jehovah's plan. This
purpose and plan was to have a people of His own, separate from the
surrounding nations; a people to whom should be entrusted the Holy
Oracles, a people of whom as concerning the flesh the Savior was to be
born; a people who should ultimately become the medium of blessing to
all the earth. In the realization of this plan and purpose the first
great step was the selection of Abram to be the father of the chosen
nation, the call which separated him from the idolatrous people among
whom he lived, and the migration unto the land which Jehovah promised
to give him.
Some twenty-five years had now passed since Abram had left Ur of the
Chaldees, and during these years he had received promise from the Lord
that He would make of him a great nation (Gen. 12:2) and that He would
make his seed as the dust of the earth (Gen. 13:16). But years went by
and Abram remained childless: the promised seed had not been given and
Abram was exercised and perplexed. "And Abram said, Lord God, what
wilt Thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house
is this Eliezar of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me Thou hast
given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir" (Gen. 15:2,
3). To these questions the Lord returned answer, "This shall not be
thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall
be thine heir" (Gen. 15:4). Another interval passed and yet no child
appeared, and "Sarai said unto Abram, Behold, now, the Lord hath
restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be
that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of
Sarai, and he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived" (Gen. 16:2, 4). A
further thirteen years dragged their weary course and "Godsaid unto
Abraham, as for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai,
but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and give thee a son
also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of
nations: Kings of people shall be of her. Then Abraham fell upon his
face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto
him that is a hundred years old? And shall Sarah, that is ninety years
old, bear? And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before
Thee! And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and
thou shalt call his name Isaac" (Gen. 17:15-19). Shortly after this
the Lord, accompanied by two angels, appeared unto His servant in the
plains of Mamre and, "they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And
he said, Behold, in the tent. And He said, I will certainly return
unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall
have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased
to be with Sarah after the manner of women. Therefore Sarah laughed
within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my
lord being old also? And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did
Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will
return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have
a son" (Gen. 18:9-14).
And now the appointed hour for the fulfillment of God's promises to
Abraham and Sarah had struck, and we read, "And the Lord visited Sarah
as He had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as He had spoken. For
Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set
time of which God had spoken to him" (Gen. 21:12). Thus we reach, as
we have said, the second stage in the accomplishment of Jehovah's
purpose. The birth of Isaac marked an important crisis in connection
with the history of the chosen line, for not in Ishmael but in Isaac
was Abraham's seed to be called (Gen. 21:12).
Many are the important truths illustrated in the above Scriptures, and
many are the profitable lessons to be learned therefrom. We name a few
of them without attempting to enlarge. We see from the above that God
is in no hurry in the working out of His plans. Man may fret and fume,
hurry and bustle, but Jehovah has all eternity at His disposal and
works leisurely and with deliberation. Well for us to mark this
attentively--"he that believeth shall not make haste" (Isa. 28:16).
Again, we note here God's Almightiness.Nothing can hinder or thwart
the outworking of His purpose. Abraham may be old, Sarah may be
barren, but such trifles present no difficulty to Him who is infinite
in power. Abraham may seek to obtain an heir through Hagar, but
Jehovah's plan cannot be foiled: Sarah's son shall be his heir, not
Ishmael. Behold, too, the faithfulness of God. The Lord had said Sarah
shall have a son, and what He promised He performed. His promise may
seem unreasonable and impossible to the carnal mind, but His word is
sure.Learn, also, how faith is tried and tested.This is in order to
display its genuineness. A faith that is incapable of enduring trial
is no faith at all. A hard thing was promised to Abraham but, "he
considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred
years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: he staggered not
at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith,
giving glory to God" (Rom. 4:19, 20). Finally, note that God has a set
time for the accomplishing of His will and the fulfilling of His word.
Nothing is left to chance. Nothing is contingent on the creature.
Everything is definitely fixed beforehand by God. "For Sarah
conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of
which God had spoken to him" (Gen. 21:2). Mark how this is emphasized
by repetition--"But my covenant will! establish with Isaac, which
Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year" (Gen.
17:21); "At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to
the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son" (Gen. 18:14). So also we
read in another connection, "Forthe vision is yet for an appointed
time,but at the end it shall speak" (Hab. 2:3). Compare Galatians 4:4.
Isaac was the child of promise. The Lord took great interest in the
birth of this boy. More was said about him before his birth than about
any other, excepting only Abraham's greater Son. God first made
promise to Abraham; "Asfor Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her
name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and
give thee a son also of her" (Gen. 17:15, 16). The response of the
aged patriarch is recorded in the next verse--"Then Abraham fell upon
his face,and laughed." Later, the promise was renewed in the hearing
of Sarah, "AndHe said I will certainly return unto thee according to
the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son" (Gen.
18:10). Then we are told, "Therefore Sarah laughed within herself,
saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?" How reason
ever opposes the promises of God. The "laughter" of Abraham was the
laughter of worshipful joy, that of Sarah was credulous unbelief.
There is a laughter which the Lord fills the mouth with, when, at some
crisis, He comes to our relief. "When the Lord turned again the
captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth
filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they
among the heathen, the Lord hath done great things for them" (Ps.
126:112). But there is also the laughter of cynicism and unbelief. The
former we are not afraid to avow; the latter makes us, like Sarah,
cowards and liars. But are we not told "Through faith also Sarah
herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a
child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had
promised" (Heb. 11:11). How shall we harmonize this with her laugh of
unbelief? To the infidel this would appear a contradiction, but the
believer has no difficulty in reconciling these two, for he knows from
experience there is a continual struggle going on in his heart between
faith and unbelief, sometimes the one and sometimes the other being
uppermost. But is it not beautiful and blessed to note that in the New
Testament Sarah's unbelief is passed over, just as nothing is said
there of Rahab's deception (Heb. 11:31), or of Job's impatience (Jam.
5:11).
Isaac was the child of miracle. Sarah's womb was "dead"(Rom. 4:19) and
ere she could conceive a supernatural "strength" must be given her
(Heb. 11:11). In this, of course, we discover a foreshadowment of the
miraculous birth of the Lord Jesus--now, alas, so generally denied. We
are tempted to digress here but must refrain. Certain it is that the
vital importance of the virgin birth of our Savior cannot be
overestimated. Well did Sir Robert Anderson say, "The whole Christian
system depends upon the truth of the last verse of Matthew one"
("TheComing Prince"). Returning to the miraculous birth of Isaac, do
we not see in it, as also in the somewhat similar cases of Rachel, the
mother of Samson, Hannah, and Elisabeth, not only a foreshadowing of
the supernatural birth of Christ, but also the gracious way of God in
preparing Israel to believe in it, facilitating faith in the Divine
incarnation. If God quickened a dead womb and caused it to bear, why
should it be thought a thing incredible if He made the virgin give
birth to the Child!
The birth of Christ was markedly foreshadowed by that of Isaac and
this in seven ways at least. First, Isaac was the promised seed and
son (Gen. 17:16); so also was Christ (Gen. 3:15; Isaiah 7:14). Second,
a lengthy interval occurred between God's first promise to Abraham and
its realization. When we are told, "And the Lord visited Sarah as he
had said"(Gen. 21:1), the immediate reference is to Genesis 17:16 and
Genesis 18:14, but the remote reference was to the original promise of
Genesis 12:7. So also was there a lengthy interval between God's
promise to send Christ and the actual fulfillment of it. Third, when
Isaac's birth was announced, his mother asked, "ShallI of a surety
bear a child, which am old?" (Gen. 18:13), to which the answer was
returned, "Isanything too hard for the Lord?" and the striking analogy
is seen in the fact that when the angel of the Lord made known unto
Mary that she was to be the mother of the Savior, she asked, "How
shall this be, seeing I know not a man?" (Luke 1:34), to which query
the answer was returned, "With God nothing shall be impossible'' (Luke
1:37): so that in each case God's omnipotency was affirmed following
the annunciation of the birth of the child. Fourth, Isaac's name was
specified before he was born--"And thou shalt call his name Isaac"
(Gen. 17:19); compare with this the words of the angel to Joseph
before Christ was born--"And thou shalt call his name Jesus" (Matthew
1:21)! Fifth, Isaac's birth occurred at God's appointed time (Gen.
21:2) "atthe set time"; so also in connection with the Lord Jesus we
read "But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son,
born of a woman" (Gal. 4:4). Sixth, as we have seen above, Isaac's
birth required a miracle to bring it about; so also was it with the
incarnation of Immanuel. Seventh, the name Isaac (given unto him by
Abraham and not Sarah, Genesis 21:3), which means laughter, declared
him to be his father's delight; so also was the one born at
Bethlehem--"this is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." Need we
remark how strikingly this sevenfold type evidences the Divine
inspiration of Scripture, and demonstrates that the book of
Genesis--so much attacked by the critics--was written by one" moved by
the Holy Spirit."
It has been noticed by others that in Abraham we have a striking
illustration of election,while in Isaac we get, typically, the
precious truth of sonship.Abraham was the one chosen and called by
God; Isaac was the one promised and born of God's power. The
historical order of Genesis is thus the doctrinal order of the New
Testament. Thus we read in Ephesians 1:4, 5, "According as He hath
chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be
holy and without blame before Him: in love having predestinated us
unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to
the good pleasure of His will." Isaac brings before us in type
regeneration, and it is this which will now engage our attention.
The first point we would here dwell upon is that before Isaac was born
the power and activities of nature were made an end of.Abraham and
Sarah had come to the end of themselves. Abraham's body was "dead,"
and so too was Sarah's womb (Rom. 4:19). And in order for Isaac to be
born that which was dead must be quickened,quickened by God. This is a
very humbling truth; one which is thoroughly distasteful to man; one
which nothing but the grace of God will enable us to receive. The
state of the natural man is far worse than he imagines. It is not only
that man is a sinner, a sinner both by nature and by practice, but
that he is "alienated from the life of God" (Eph. 4:18). In a word the
sinner is dead--dead in trespasses and sins. As the father said of the
prodigal, "This my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and
is found" (Luke 15:24). That the natural man is dead in trespasses and
sins is no mere figure of speech; it is a solemn reality,an awful
fact.It is ignorance and the denial of this fact which lies at the
root of so much of the false teaching of our day. What the natural man
needs first and foremost is not education or reformation, but life.It
is because the sinner is dead that he needs to be born again. But how
little this is pressed today! The unspeakably dreadful state of the
natural man is glossed over where it is not directly repudiated. For
the most part our preachers seem afraid to insist upon the utter ruin
and total depravity of human nature. This is a fatal defect in any
preaching: sinners will never be brought to see their need of a Savior
until they realize their lost condition, and they will never discover
their lost condition until they learn that they are dead in sin.
But what does Scripture mean when it says the sinner is "dead"? This
is something which seems absurd to the natural man. And to him it is
absurd. "Thenatural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God:
for they are foolishness unto him:neither can he know them, because
they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14). To the natural man it
seems that he is very much alive.Yes, and Scripture itself speaks of
one that lives in pleasure as being "dead while she liveth"(1 Tim.
5:6). Herein lies the key to the meaning of that expression employed
by our Lord in His teaching upon the Good Samaritan. Describing the
condition of the natural man under the figure of one who had fallen
among thieves, who had stripped him of his raiment and left him
wounded by the wayside, the Savior termed him "half dead"(Luke 10:30).
Mark then the absolute accuracy of Christ's words. The sinner is "half
dead": he is alive manward, worldward, sinward, but he is dead
Godward!The sinner is alive naturally--physically, mentally,
morally--but he is dead spiritually.That is why the new birth is
termed a "passing from death unto life" (John 5:24). And just as the
deadness of Abraham and Sarah--in their case natural deadness, for
they but foreshadowed spiritual truths had to be quickened by God
before Isaac could be born, so has the sinner to be quickened by God
into newness of life before he can become a son of God. And this leads
us to say.
Second, before Isaac could be born God had to perform a miracle.As we
have said, Abraham's body was "dead" and Sarah was long past the age
of child-bearing. How then could they have a son? Sarah laughed at the
mention of such a thing. But what was beyond the reach of nature's
capacity was fully within the scope of Divine power. "Is there
anything too hard for the Lord?" (Gen. 18:14). No, indeed. "Ah, Lord
God, behold! Thou hast made the heaven and the earth by Thy great
power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for Thee"
(Jer. 32:17).
As it was with Isaac so it is with every Christian. Before any of us
could be born again God had to work a miracle. Make no mistake on this
point; regeneration is the direct result of the supernatural operation
of God. This needs to be stressed today, for regeneration has been so
misrepresented by modern evangelists that to the popular mind the "new
birth" signifies nothing more than a process of reformation. But the
new birth is no mere turning over of a new leaf and the endeavor to
live a better life. The new birth is very much more than going forward
in a religious meeting and taking the preacher's hand; very much more
than signing a card and "joining the church." The new birth is an act
of God's creative power, the impartation of spiritual life, the
communication to us of the Divine nature itself.
Abraham and his wife--each of them nearly a hundred years
old--desiring a son--what could they do? Nothing! absolutely nothing.
God had to come in and work a miracle. And thus nature had nothing to
glory in. So it is with us. The natural man is not only a sinner, a
lost sinner, but he is a helpless sinner impotent, unable to do
anything of himself. If help comes it must come from outside of
himself. He is, like Abraham and Sarah, shut up to God.
Third, the coming of Isaac into Abraham's household aroused opposition
and produced a conflict. "And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian,
which she had borne unto Abraham, mocking"(Gen. 21:9). In the epistle
to the Galatians we are shown the dispensational meaning and
application of this, and there we read, "Butas then he that was born
after the flesh (Ishmael) persecuted him that was born after the
Spirit, even so it is now"
(Gal. 4:29); but it is with the individual application of this type
that we are now concerned. Ishmael exemplifies the one born after the
flesh: Isaac the one born after the Spirit. When Isaac was born the
true character of Ishmael was manifested; and so when we are born
again and receive the new nature, the old nature, the flesh, then
comes out in its true colors.
Just as there were two sons in Abraham's household, the one the
product of nature, the other the gift of God and the outworking of
Divine power, each standing for a totally different principle, so in
the believer there are two natures which are distinct and diverse. And
just as there was a conflict between Ishmael and Isaac, so the flesh
in us lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh
(Gal. 5:17).
It is of first importance that the Christian, especially the young
Christian, should be clear upon the two natures in the believer. The
new birth is not the improving of the old nature, but the receiving of
a new; and the receiving of the new nature does not in any wise
improve the old. Not only so, the old and the new natures within the
believer are in open antagonism the one to the other. We quote now
from the works of one deeply respected and to which we are much
indebted: "Some there are who think that regeneration is a certain
change which the old nature undergoes; and, moreover, that this change
is gradual in its operation until, at length, the whole man becomes
transformed. That this idea is unsound, can be proved by various
quotations from the New Testament. For example: The carnal mind is
enmity against God. How can that which is thus spoken of ever undergo
any improvement? The apostle goes on to say, "Itis not subject to the
law of God, neither indeed can be."If it cannot be subject to the law
of God, how can it be improved? How can it undergo any change? Do what
you will with flesh, and it is flesh all the while. As Solomon says,
"Thoughthou shouldst bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a
pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him" (Prov. 27:22).
"There is no use seeking to make foolishness wise. You must introduce
heavenly wisdom into the heart that has been hitherto only governed by
folly" (C. H. M.).
Fourth, it is to be noted that it was the birth of Isaac which
revealed the true character of Ishmael. We know practically nothing of
Ishmael's life before the birth of Isaac, but as soon as this child of
promise made his appearance the real nature of Hagar's son was made
manifest. He may have been very quiet and orderly before, but as soon
as the child of God's quickening-power came on the scene, Ishmael
showed what he was by persecuting and mocking him. Here again the type
holds good. It is not until the believer receives the new nature that
he discovers the real character of the old. It is not until we are
born again we learn what a horrible and vile thing the flesh is. And
the discovery is a painful one: to many it is quite unsettling. To
those who have supposed that regeneration is an improving of the old
nature, the recognition of the awful depravity of the flesh comes as a
shock and often destroys all peace of soul, for the young convert
quickly concludes that, after all, he has not been born again. The
truth is that the recognition of the true character of the flesh and a
corresponding abhorrence of it, is one of the plainest evidences of
our regeneration, for the unregenerate man is blind to the vileness of
the flesh. The fact that I have within me a conflict between the
natural and the spiritual is the proof there are two natures present,
and that I find the Ishmael-nature "persecuting" the Isaac-nature is
only to be expected. That the Ishmael-nature appears to me to be
growing worse only goes to prove that I now have capacity to see its
real character, just as the real character of Ishmael was not revealed
until Isaac was born.
Fifth, we read, "And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight
days old, as God had commanded him" (Gen. 21:4). Our space is
exhausted and we must be very brief on these last points. The
circumcising of Isaac, and later of the Israelites, was a
foreshadowing of our spiritual circumcision: "And ye are complete in
Him, which is the Head of all principality and power: in whom also ye
are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting
off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of
Christ"(Col. 2:10, 11). Judicially we have been circumcised and God no
longer looks at us in the flesh but in Christ, for
circumcision--typically and spiritually--is separation from the flesh,
and the eighth day brings us on to resurrection ground in Christ.
Compare Colossians 3:9, etc. Sixth, "And the child grew,and was
weaned:and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was
weaned" (Gen. 21:8). Here again the type holds good. Isaac "grew" by
feeding on his mother's milk. Thus, too, is it with the believer. By
the new birth we are but spiritual babes, and our growth is brought
about by feeding on the milk of the Word. "As new-born babes, desires
the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby"(1 Pet. 2:2).
We cannot now touch upon the significance of the "greatfeast" above.
Seventh, "And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had
borne unto Abraham mocking. Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out
this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be
heir with my son, even with Isaac. And the thing was very grievous in
Abraham's sight because of his son. And God said unto Abraham, let it
not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy
bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her
voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. And also of the son of
the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed. And
Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of
water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the
child, and sent her away" (Gen. 21:9-14). At last the conflict is
over. He who "persecuted" Isaac is now "cast out"(Gal. 4:29). So it
will yet be with us. Judicially the life of the flesh is already ended
for us, but practically it is still here with us and in us. But
blessed be God what is true now judicially shall soon be true
experimentally also. When Christ returns for us, the flesh shall be
put off for ever, just as Elijah left behind him his earthly mantle.
But mark how accurate our type is: not till Isaac "grew"and was
"weaned" was the persecuting Ishmael cast out! Let this be our closing
thought. Soon our Ishmael shall be east out. Soon shall this vile body
of ours be made like unto the body of Christ's glory (Phil. 3:21).
Soon shall the Savior return and we shall be "like Him,"for we shall
see Him as He is (John 3:2). Blessed promise! Glorious prospect! Does
not the presence of the vile flesh within us now only serve to
intensify the longing for our blessed Lord's return? Then let us
continue to cry daily, "Come quickly. Even so, come Lord Jesus."
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
26. The Offering Up Of Isaac
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 22
"Andit came to pass after these things,that God did tempt (try)
Abraham" (Gen. 20:1). These words refer us back to the context, a
context that is rich in typical significance. The immediate context is
the twenty-first chapter, where we have recorded the Birth of Isaac--a
remarkable type which, with what follows it, needs to be viewed from
two standpoints: its individual application, and its dispensational
application. In our last paper we considered the former, here we shall
deal briefly with the latter.
The birth of Isaac awakened the enmity of Ishmael, and in consequence
Sarah came to Abraham saying, "Cast out this bondwoman and her son;
for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with
Isaac" (Gen. 21:10). From the Epistle to the Galatians (Gal. 4:22-31)
we learn there was a profound meaning to the act here requested by
Sarah, that it possessed a dispensational significance. It is to be
noted first that Sarah refers to the "inheritance"--the son of Hagar
should not be "heir withIsaac." Now Isaac, as we have shown in our
last, not only foreshadowed the Lord Jesus in His miraculous birth,
but also pointed forward to those who now become the children of God
through faith in Christ Jesus. In a word, Isaac stands for Divine
sonship. Only the spiritual family of promise answers to Isaac, and
takes the title of "heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ." Israel,
nationally, does not inherit with the church. Hence, as Isaac in
Genesis 21 foreshadowed those who are members of the Body of Christ,
Ishmael stands for the Nation of Israel which is now "cast out"during
the time that God is visiting the Gentiles and taking from among them
a people for His name (Acts 15:14). With this key in hand let us turn
to the second part of Genesis 21 and note how the course of Israel as
a nation is pursued in the type.
1. "AndAbraham rose up early in the morning and took bread and a
bottle of water, and gave unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and
the child, and sent her away,and she departed and wandered in the
wilderness of Beer-Sheba" (Gen. 21:14). First we note (and we shall be
as brief as possible) that Hagar and her son became wanderers in the
wilderness.How true the picture. Such has been Israel's portion ever
since she rejected Abraham's greater Son, the Lord of Glory.
Throughout all these centuries, during which God has been building the
Church, the Jews have dwelt in the wilderness, and "wanderers" well
describes "the nation of the weary foot!"
2. "And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child
under one of the shrubs" (Gen. 21:15). In type, the Holy Spirit is
here taken from Israel--the water was spent.This it is which explains
the tragic "veil" which is over the heart of the Jews as they read the
Scriptures (2 Cor. 3:15), for without the Spirit none can understand
or draw refreshment from the Word of God.
3. "And she went and sat her down over against him a good way off, as
it were a bow shot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the
child. And she sat over against him and lifted up her voice and
wept"(Gen. 21:16). We see here a foreshadowment of Jerusalem bemoaning
her desolations,and at this point the lamentations of Jeremiah are
most appropriate to her condition. O, how the above type anticipated
the poor Jews "wailing"before the gates of Jerusalem!
4. "And God heard the voice of the lad;and the angel of God called to
Hagar out of heaven and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? Fear
not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is" (Gen.
21:17). And here is where hope begins. It is not until the Jew bewails
his sins (see Hosea 5:15, etc.), confesses his dreadful crime of
crucifying the Son of God, not until after much bitter humiliation
they shall cry, "Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord"
(Matthew 23:39), that Jehovah will take up again His covenant people.
5. "And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went
and filled the bottle with water and gave the lad drink" (Gen. 21:19).
In type the Spirit is given once more to Israel.Just as God here
"opened the eyes of Hagar," so in a near-coming day will He open the
eyes of the Jews, and even during the days of the now rapidly
approaching tribulation, a pious remnant shall keep the testimony of
God and wash their garments in the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 14:3, 4;
20:4).
6. "And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the
wilderness, and became an archer" (Gen. 21:20). Couple with this the
promise of verse 18, "ForI will make him a great nation."How accurate
the type! Thus it will be with Israel in the Millennium after God has
taken into favor again the chosen race.
7. "And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran" (Gen. 21:21). Paran means
"Beauty or Glory," speaking in type of Palestine, the dwelling place
of Israel in the Millennium, when the wilderness shall be made to
blossom as the rose, for the curse now resting on the material
creation shall then be removed; and then the Shekinah Glory shall once
more be in their midst.
8. "And his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt" (Gen.
21:21). In type this allies Israel with Egypt, and thus will it be
during the Millennium--"In that day shall Israel be the third with
Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land; whom
the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people,and
Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance" (Isa.
19:24, 25).
9. "And it came to pass at that time,that Abimelech and Phichol the
chief captain of his host spoke unto Abraham saying, God is with thee
in all that thou doest" (Gen. 21:22). How this reminds us that in the
Millennium the Gentile will seek out the Jew, because conscious that
Jehovah is once more in their midst! As it is written, "Thus saith the
Lord of hosts, In those days it shall come to pass that ten men shall
take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of
the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, "We will go with you, for we
have heard that God is with you" (Zech. 8:23).
10. Note the close of this chapter: "And Abraham planted a grove in
Beer-Sheba"(Gen. 21:33). This action of the patriarch was deeply
significant when viewed typically. It marked the change from
strangership to possession. Abraham, who stands figuratively as the
federal head of the nation plants a "grove" in Beer-Sheba,which means,
"Wellof the oath," for all is founded upon the Covenant,and thus takes
possession of the land,for the planting of a tree emblematizes settled
and long continuance--"They shall not build, and another inhabit; they
shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the
days of My people, and Mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their
hands" (Isa. 64:22).
11. "And Abraham planted a grove in Beer-Sheba, and called there on
the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God"(Gen. 21:33). Here Abraham
calls not on Jehovah, nor on the Almighty, but on the Lord, "the
Everlasting God." So will it be when the Kingdom comes in power and
glory. Instead of ceaseless change and decay in all around we see, as
now, there shall be fixity, permanence, peace and blessing, Then shall
Israel say, "Thouart the same, and Thy years shall have no end. The
children of Thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be
established before Thee" (Ps. 102:27, 28).
12. One more notice is given to this type and it completes the
picture--"These are the sons of Ishmael,and these are their names, by
their towns and by their castles; twelve princes according to their
nations" (Gen. 25:16). In the Millennium the whole of the twelve
tribes of Israel will be restored and raised to princely dignity among
the nations.
And now what follows this marvelous sketch of Israel's course?--for
marvelous it surely is to the anointed eye. What follows? why, that
unparalleled foreshadowing of the Savior's Death and Resurrection. And
why this linking of the two together? To show us, and later the Jews,
that Israel owes her Millennial blessedness, as we do our present and
eternal blessings, to the precious Sacrifice of the Lamb of God. But
we must leave the dispensational application of the type, and turn and
consider once more its individual application.
In our last article we pointed out how that in seven particulars the
birth of Isaac was a type of the Birth of the Lord Jesus. Now, we are
to see how the offering up of Isaac upon the altar pointed forward to
the Cross of Calvary.
This twenty-second chapter of Genesis has ever been a favorite one
with the saints of God, and our difficulty now is to single out for
mention that in it which will be most precious to our hearts and most
profitable for our walk. Ere examining it in detail it should be said
that this is, we believe, the only type in the Old Testament which
distinctly intimated that God required a human sacrifice. Here it was
that God first revealed the necessity for a human victim to expiate
sin, for as it was man that had sinned, it must be by man, and not by
sacrifice of beasts, that Divine justice would be satisfied.
1. "And He said, "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou
lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for
a burnt offering upon one^[1]^ of the mountains which I will tell thee
of" (Gen. 22:2). This is one of the very few Old Testament types that
brings before us not only God the Son but also God the Father.Here, as
nowhere else, are we shown the Father's heart.Here it is that we get
such a wonderful foreshadowment of the Divine side of Calvary. Oh! how
the Spirit of God lingers on the offering and the offerer, as if there
must be a thorough similitude in the type of the antitype--"thy
son--thine only son--whom thou lovest"!Here it is we learn, in type
how that God "spared not His own Son" (Rom. 8:32). Really, this is
central in Genesis 22. In this chapter Abraham figures much more
prominently than Isaac--Isaac is shown simply (and yet how sweetly!)
obeying his father's will. It is the affections of the father's heart
which are here displayed most conspicuously.
2. "And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and
took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the
wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of
which God had told him" (Gen. 22:3). Here we see in type the Father
setting apart the Son for sacrifice.Just as we find the passover-lamb
was separated from the flock four days before it was to be killed (Ex.
12:3), so here Isaac is taken by Abraham three days before he is to be
offered upon the altar. This brings before us an aspect of truth
exceedingly precious, albeit deeply solemn. The seizure and
crucifixion of the Lord Jesus was something more than the frenzied act
of those who hated Him without a cause. The cross of Christ was
according to "the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God" (Acts
2:23). Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Gentiles and Jews only did
"whatsoever" God's hand and counsel "determined before to be done"
(Acts 4:28). Christ was the Lamb "without blemish and without spot,
who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world" (1
Pet. 1:20). Yes, the Lord Jesus was marked out for sacrifice from all
eternity. He was, in the purpose of God, "the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8). And note how this is suggested
by our type, "And Abraham rose up early in the morning" (Gen. 22:3).
3. "And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass,
and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you"
(Gen. 22:5). Here we see in type that what took place on that mount of
sacrifice was a transaction between the Father and the Son ONLY. How
jealously God guarded these types! Nothing whatever is said of Sarah
in this chapter though she figures prominently in the one before and
is mentioned in the one succeeding. Abraham and Isaac must be alone.
Up to the time the appointed place enters their range of vision "two
young men" (Gen. 22:3) accompany Isaac; but as they near the scene of
sacrifice they are left behind (Gen. 22:5). Is it without a reason we
are told of these two men journeying with Abraham and Isaac just so
far? We think not. Two is the number of witness, but there is more in
it than this. These two men witnessed Isaac carrying the wood on his
shoulder up the mountain, but what took place between him and his
father at the altar they were not permitted to see. No; no human eye
was to behold that.Look now at the Anti-type. Do you not also see
there "twomen," the two thieves who followed Abraham's greater son so
far but who, like all the spectators of that scene, were not permitted
to behold what transpired between the Father and the Son on the altar
itself--the three hours of darkness concealing from every human eye
the Divine Transaction.
4. "And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon
Isaac his son" (Gen. 22:6). This was no half grown boy (as pictures so
often represent Isaac), but a full-grown man who is here brought
before us, one who could, had he so wished, have easily resisted the
aged patriarch. But instead of resisting, Isaac quietly follows his
father. There is no voice of protest raised to mar the scene, but he
acquiesces fully by carrying the wood on his own shoulder. How this
brings before us the Peerless One, gladly performing the Father's
pleasure. There was no alienated will in Him that needed to be brought
into subjection: "Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God," was His gladsome
cry. "I delight to do Thy will" revealed the perfections of His heart.
Christ and the Father were of one accord. Note how beautifully this is
brought out in the type--"And they went both of them together;" twice
repeated. We need hardly say that Isaac carrying "the wood"
foreshadowed Christ bearing His cross.
5. "And he took the fire in his hand and a knife; and they went both
of them together" (Gen. 22:6). And he (Abraham) took the fire in his
hand. Here, as everywhere in Scripture, "fire"emblematizes Divine
judgment. It expresses the energy of Divine Holiness which ever burns
against sin. It is the perfection of the Divine nature which cannot
tolerate that which is, evil. This was first manifested by the flaming
sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life
(Gen. 3:24). And it will be finally and eternally exhibited in the
Lake which burneth with fire and brimstone. But here in our type it
pointed forward to that awful storm of Divine judgment which burst
upon the head of the Sin-Bearer as He hung upon the Cross, for there
it was that sin, our sin, Christian reader, was being dealt with. Just
as Isaac's father took in his hand the fire and the knife, so the
beloved Son was "smitten of God,and afflicted" (Isa. 53:4).
6. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father and said, My father: and he
said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood:
but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son,
God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering: So they went
both of them together" (Gen. 22:7, 8). These words of Abraham have a
double meaning. They tell us that God was the One who should
"provide"the "lamb," and they also make known the fact that the lamb
was for Himself.God alone could supply that which would satisfy
Himself. Nothing of man could meet the Divine requirements. If
sacrifice for sin was ever to be found God Himself must supply it. And
mark, the "lamb" was not only provided by God but it was also for God.
Before blessing could flow forth to men the claims of Divine holiness
and justice must be met. It is true, blessedly true, that Christ died
for sinners, but He first died (and this is what we are in danger of
forgetting) for God, i.e., as the Holy Spirit expresses it through the
apostle "to declare His righteousness . . . that He might be just, and
the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus" (Rom. 3:26). Note how
this comes out in our passage: it is not "God Himself will provide a
lamb," but "God will provide Himself a lamb"--put this way,
abstractly, so as to take in both of these truths.
7. "Andthey came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham
built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his
son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched
forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the Angel of
the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham,
and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not Thine hand upon the lad,
neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest
God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me.
And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and beheld behind him a
ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the
ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-Jireh: as it is said
to this day. In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen" (Gen.
22:9-14). Here the type passes from Isaac to the ram offered
up--"offered up in his stead"--abeautiful foreshadowment of Christ
dying in the stead of sinners who are, as Isaac was, already in the
place of Death,"bound," unable to help themselves, with the knife of
Divine justice suspended over them. Here it was that the Gospel was
"preached unto Abraham" (Gal. 3:8). Similarly in other scriptures we
find this double type (both Isaac and the ram) as in the sweet savor
and the sin offerings, the two goats on the Day of Atonement, the two
birds at the cleansing of the leper.
8. "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that
had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it
was said, In Isaac shall thy seed be called, accounting that God was
able to raise him up, even from the dead, from whence also he received
him in a figure"(Heb. 11:17-19). From this scripture we learn that
Genesis 22 presents to us in type not only Christ offered upon the
altar, but Christ raised again from the dead, and that on the third
day, too,for it was on "the third day" Abraham received Isaac back
again, for during the three days that elapsed from the time Abraham
received command from God to offer him up as a burnt offering, his son
was as good as dead to him. And now to complete this wonderful
picture, observe how Genesis 22 anticipated, in type, the Ascension of
Christi It is very striking to note that after we read of Isaac being
laid upon the altar (from which Abraham received him back) nothing
further is said of him in Genesis 22.Mark carefully the wording of
verse 19--"So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up
and went together to Beer-Sheba." Our type leaves Isaac up in the
mount!
This article would not be complete did we say nothing about the
remarkable trial of Abraham's faith and of the Divine grace which
sustained him, yet, a very brief word is all we now have space for.
The spiritual history of Abraham was marked by four great crises, each
of which involved the surrender of something which was naturally dear
to him. First, he was called on to separate himself from his native
land and kindred (Gen. 12:1); Second, he was called on to give up Lot
(Gen. 13:1-18); Third, he had to abandon his cherished plan about
Ishmael (Gen. 17:17, 18); Fourth, God bade him offer up Isaac as a
burnt offering. The life of the believer is a series of tests, for
only by discipline can Christian character be developed. Frequently
there is one supreme test, in view of which all others are
preparatory. So it was with Abraham. He had been tested again and
again, but never as here. God's demand is, "Son, give Me thine heart
(Prov. 23:26). It is not our intellect, our talents, our money, but
our heart,God asks for first. When we have responded to God's
requirement, He lays His hand on something especially near and dear to
us, to prove the genuineness of our response, for God requireth truth
in the inward parts and not merely on the lips. Thus He dealt with
Abraham. Let us consider now, The Time of Abraham's Trial.
It was "after these things" that God did try Abraham; that is, it was
after the twenty-five years of waiting, after the promise of a seed
had been frequently repeated, after hope had been raised to the
highest point, yea, after it had been turned to enjoyment and Isaac
had reached man's estate. Probably Abraham thought that when Isaac was
born his trials were at an end; if so, he was greatly mistaken. Let us
look now at, The Nature of Abraham's Trial.
Abraham was bidden to take his son--and what? Deliver him to some
other hand to sacrifice? No: be thou thyself the priest; go, offer him
up for a burnt offering. This was a staggering request! When Ishmael
was thirteen years old, Abraham could have been well contented to have
gone without another son, but when Isaac was born and had entwined
himself around the father's heart, to part with him thus must have
been a fearful wrench. Add to this, the three days' journey, Isaac
having to carry the wood and Abraham the knife and fire up the
mountainside, and above all, the cutting question of the son asked in
the simplicity of his heart, without knowing he himself was to be the
victim--"Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a
burnt offering?" (Gen. 22:8)--this would seem to be more than the
human heart could bear. Yet, this shock to Abraham's natural affection
was not the severest part of the trial. What must it have been to his
faith.It was not only that Isaac was his son, but the promised
seed,the one in whom all the great things spoken of the seed were to
be fulfilled. When he was called to give up his other son God
condescended to give him a reason for it, but here no reason was
given. In the former case, though Ishmael must go, it was because he
was not the child of promise ("in Isaac shall thy seed be called"),
but if Isaac goes who shall substitute for him? To offer up Isaac was
to sacrifice the very object of faith! Turn now and consider,
Abraham's Response.
Mark his promptitude. There was no doubt or delay, and no reluctance
or hesitation; instead, he "rose up early in the morning." There was
no opposition either from natural affection or unbelief, rather did he
bow in absolute submission to the will of God. Faith triumphed over
natural affection, over reason, and over self-will. Here was a most
striking demonstration of the efficacy of Divine grace which can
subdue every passion of the human heart and every imagination of the
carnal mind, bringing all into unrepining acquiescence to God. And
what was the effect of this trial upon Abraham? He was amply rewarded,
for he discovered something in God he never knew before, or at most
knew imperfectly, namely, that God was Jehovah-Jireh--the Lord who
would provide.It is only by passing through trials that we learn what
God is--His grace, His faithfulness, His sufficiency. May the Lord
grant both writer and reader more of that power of faith which, with
open hand, takes every blessing which God gives us, and with open hand
gives back to Him, in the spirit of worship.
___________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] The writer has little doubt that the particular "mountain" upon
which Isaac was bound to the altar was Calvary itself. Here, the
mountain is not denominated, it was "one of the mountains" in the
"land of Moriah" (it is significant that "Moriah" means "the Lord will
provide"), and Calvary was one of the mountains in the land of Moriah.
What seems to identify Isaac's mountain with Calvary is not only that
the marvelous fullness and accuracy of this type would seem to require
it, but the fact that in Genesis 22:14 this mount on which Isaac was
offered Is distinctly termed "the mount of the Lord." Surely this
establishes it, for what other save Calvary could be thus named!
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
27. The Man Isaac
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 26
In our last two articles we have been occupied more particularly with
the person of Isaac, now we are to review his history.It is noticeable
that though Isaac lived the longest of the four great patriarchs yet
less is recorded of him than of the others: some twelve chapters are
devoted to the biography of Abraham, and a similar number each to
Jacob and Joseph, but excepting for one or two brief mentionings,
before and after, the history of Isaac is condensed into a single
chapter. Contrasting his character with those of his father and son,
we may remark that of Isaac there is noted less of Abraham's triumphs
of faith and less of Jacob's failures.
As we have seen in our previous studies Isaac, typically, represents
sonship.In perfect consonance with this we may note how he was
appointed heir of all things. Said Eliazer to Bethuel, "And Sarah my
master's wife bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him
hath he given all that he hath" (Gen. 24:36). Observe how this is
repeated for sake of emphasis in Genesis 25:5--"And Abraham gave all
that he had unto Isaac." In the type this pointed first to Abraham's
greater Son, "Whom He (God) hath appointed Heir of all things" (Heb.
1:2). But it is equally true of all those who are through faith the
children of Abraham and the children of God--"And if children, then
heirs:heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ" (Rom. 8:17). As with
Isaac, so with us: all the wealth of the Father's house is ours! But
Isaac not only represented the believer's sonship and heirship, but he
also foreshadowed our heavenly calling.As is well known to most of our
readers, the land of Canaan typified the Heavenlies where is our
citizenship (Phil. 3:20) and our spiritual warfare (Eph. 6:12). Hence
it was that Isaac alone of the patriarchs is never seen outside the
Land.This is the more noticeable and striking when we remember how
that Abraham, Jacob and Joseph each did leave the Land, for a time at
least.
Having looked at Isaac mystically we shall now consider him
morally.The first thing we read about him after the remarkable scene
pictured in Genesis 22 is that "Isaac came from the way of the well
Lahai-roi; for he dwelt in the south country. And Isaac went out to
meditate (or pray) in the field at the eventide" (Gen. 24:62, 63).
This gives us a good insight into Isaac's character. He was of the
quiet and retiring order. He had not the positive, active, aggressive
disposition of his eminent father, but was gentle and retiring and
unresisting. In One only do we find all the Divine graces and
perfections.
Isaac was essentially the man of the well. Abraham was markedly the
man of the altar, Jacob specially the man of the tent but that which
was most prominent in connection with Isaac was the "well." The first
thing said of Isaac after he was bound to the altar (Gen. 22) is,
"Isaac came from the way of the well Lahai-roi" (Gen. 24:62). This is
very striking coming as the next mention of Isaac after we have seen
Christ typically slain, resurrected and ascended (compare our last
article on Gen. 22). Hence that which follows here in the type is the
figure of the Holy Spirit's operations as succeeding Christ's
Ascension! But returning to Isaac and the well. The next time he is
referred to we are told, "And it came to pass after the death of
Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well
Lahai-roi" (Gen. 25:11). And again we read, "And Isaac departed
thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.
And Isaac digged again the wells of water which they had digged in the
days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them"
(Gen. 26:18, 19). For further references see Genesis 26:20, 21, 22,
25. It is very striking and significant that the name of Isaac is
associated with "wells" just seven times, not less, not more.
Undoubtedly there is some important lesson to be gathered from this.
A well differs from a cistern, in that it is the place of running
water. What a marvelous hint of the typical meaning of Isaac's well is
that found in Genesis 26:19!--"And Isaac's servants digged in the
valley, and found there a well of springing water," the margin gives,
"of living water"! Water is imperative for the maintenance of the
natural life; so, too, is it with the spiritual. The first need of the
believer is the "living water," that is, the Spirit acting through the
Word. "The way that water ministers to life and growth is indeed a
beautiful type of the Spirit's action. Without water a plant will die
in the midst of abundance of food in actual contact with its roots.
Its office is to make food to be assimilated by the organism, and to
give power to the system itself to take it up" (F. W. G)
The first well by which Isaac is seen is that of Lahai-roi (Gen.
24:62; Gen. 25:11), the meaning of which is, "Him that liveth and
seeth me" (See Gen. 16:14). It told of the unfailing care of the
ever-living and ever-present God. And where is such a "well" to be
found to-day? Where is it we are brought to realize the presence of
this One? Where but in the Holy Scriptures! The Word of God ministered
to us by the power and blessing of the Spirit is that which reveals to
us the presence of God. The "well," then, typifies the place to which
the son is brought--into the presence of God. His remaining there,
practically, depends upon his use of and obedience to the Word.
We have just looked at Isaac by the Well of Lahai-roi; did he remain
there? What do you suppose is the answer, reader? Could you not supply
it from your own experience! "Andthere was a famine in the land,
besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac
went unto Abimelech,king of the Philistines unto Gerar" (Gen. 26:1).
Isaac's departure from the well Lahai-roi to Gerar typifies the
failure of the son (the believer) to maintain his standing in the
presence of God and his enjoyment of Divine fellowship. But is it not
blessed to read next, "And the Lord appeared unto him, and said, Go
not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of.
Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee,
for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and
I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father" (Gen.
26:2, 3). Apparently, Isaac was on his way to Egypt,like his father
before him in time of famine, and would have gone there had not the
Lord appeared to him and arrested his steps. In passing, we would
remark that here we have a striking illustration of the sovereign ways
of God. To Isaac the Lord appeared and stayed him from going down to
Egypt, yet under precisely similar circumstances He appeared not unto
Abraham!
"And Isaac dwelt in Gerar" (Gen. 26:6). Gerar was the borderland
midway between Canaan and Egypt. Note that God had said to Isaac,
"Sojourn in this land" (verse 3), but Isaac "dwelt"there (verse 6),
and that "a long time" (verse 8). Mark now the consequence of Isaac
settling down in Gerar--type of the believer out of communion. He
sinned there! "And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he
said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest,
said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she
was fair to look upon" (Gen. 26:7). Isaac thus repeated the sin of
Abraham (Gen. 20:1, 2). What are we to learn from Isaac thus following
the evil example of his father? From others we select two thoughts.
First, the readiness with which Isaac followed in the way of Abraham
suggests that it is much easier for children to imitate the vices and
weaknesses of their parents than it is to emulate their virtues, and
that the sins of the parents are frequently perpetuated in their
children. Solemn thought this! But, second, Abraham and Isaac were men
of vastly different temperament, yet each succumbed to the same
temptation. When famine arose each fled to man for help. When in the
land of Abimelech each was afraid to own his wife as such. Are we not
to gather from this that no matter what our natural temperament may
be, unless the grace of God supports and sustains us we shall
inevitably fall! What a warning!
"ThenIsaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year a
hundred-fold: and the Lord blessed him. And the man waxed great, and
went forward, and grew until he became very great" (Gen. 26:12, 13).
Most of the commentators have had difficulty with these verses and
have resorted to various ingenuities to explain this prosperity of
Isaac while he was out of communion with God. But the difficulty
vanishes if we look at the above statement in the light of Genesis
5:3, where the Lord had said, "I will bless thee"--a promise given
before Isaac had practiced this deception upon Abimelech. That this is
the true interpretation appears from the word "bless."God had said,
"Iwill bless thee" (verse 3), and Genesis 5:12 records the fulfillment
of God's promise, for here we read, "And the Lord blessed him." The
failure of Isaac between the time when God made promise and its
fulfillment only affords us a striking illustration of that blessed
word," He is faithful that promised" (Heb. 10:23)! Yes, blessed be His
name, even "if we believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny
Himself" (2 Tim. 2:13).
Next we are told, "And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us;for thou
art much mightier than we" (Gen. 26:16). Was not this God speaking to
Isaac, speaking at a distance (through Abimelech) and not yet
directly!
"And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of
Gerar, and dwelt there. And Isaac digged again the wells of water,
which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the
Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham; and he called
their names after the names by which his father had called them" (Gen.
26:17, 18). In digging again these wells of Abraham which had been
stopped up by the Philistines, Isaac appears to typify Christ who, at
the beginning of the New Testament, dispensation re-opened the Well of
Living Water which had, virtually, been blocked up by the traditions
and ceremonialism of the Pharisees.
"And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of
springing water. And the herdsmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's
herdsmen, saying, The water is ours . . . And they digged another well
and strove for that also . . . And he removed from thence and digged
an-other well" (Gen. 26:19-22). Again we would ask, Was not this
"strife" God's way of leading his child back to Himself again! But
note also the lovely moral trait seen here in Isaac, namely, his
nonresistance of evil. Instead of standing up for his "rights,"
instead of contending for the wells which he had dug, he quietly
"removed" to another place. In this he beautifully points out the path
which the Christian should follow: "For this is thankworthy, if a man
for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what
glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it
patiently? but if, when ye do well, ye suffer for it, ye take it
patiently, this is acceptable with God" (1 Pet. 2:19, 20). We need
hardly remind the reader that the attitude displayed by Isaac, as
above, was that of the Savior who "whenHe was reviled, reviled not
again."
"And he went up from thence to Beersheba"(Gen. 26:23). Mark here the
topographical reference which symbolized Isaac's moral ascent and
return to the place of communion, for "Beersheba"means the Well of the
Oath. In full accord with this behold the blessed sequel "And the Lord
appeared unto him the same night and said, I am the God of Abraham thy
father; fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and
multiply thy seed for My servant Abraham's sake" (Gen. 26:24). On the
very night of Isaac's return to Beersheba the Lord "appeared unto"
him!
"And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the Lord,
and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac digged a well" (Gen.
26:25). Mark how the "altar" is mentioned before the "tent"--therewas
no mention of any altar in Gerar! How striking, too, that next we
read, "ThenAbimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahurzzath one of his
friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army" (Gen. 26:26).
Personal blessings from the Lord was not the only result of his return
to Beersheba. Abimelech seeks him out, not now to distress him (we no
longer read of any "striving" for this last well), but to ask a favor.
And they said, "Wecertainly saw that the Lord was with thee: and we
said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee,
and let us make a covenant with thee" (Gen. 26:28). Now that our
patriarch has entered again the path of God's will, those who formerly
were his enemies seek him and bear witness to the presence of God with
him. An illustration is this that "whena man's ways please the Lord,
He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him" (Prov. 16:7).
"And he (Isaac) made them a feast,and they did eat and drink. And they
rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac
sent them away, and they departed from him in peace" (Gen. 26:30, 31).
Above we called attention to how meekly Isaac suffered wrong when the
Philistines strove for his wells, but here we may mark his failure to
manifest another grace which ought always to accompany meekness. There
is a meekness which is according to nature, but usually this
degenerates into weakness. The meekness which is of the Spirit will
not set aside the requirements of righteousness, but will maintain the
claims of God. And here Isaac failed. To forgive is Christian, but
with that there must be faithfulness in its season. "Ifthy brother
trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him"
(Luke 17:3). Abimelech had clearly wronged him, but instead of dealing
with Abimelech's conscience, Isaac made him a "feast." This was
amiable, no doubt, but it was not upholding the claims of
righteousness. Contrast the conduct of Abraham under similar
circumstances--"And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of
water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away" (Gen.
21:25)!
"And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith, the
daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath, the daughter of Elon the
Hittite: which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah" (Gen.
26:34, 35). This is sad, and points a solemn warning to us. Marriage
is a momentous undertaking, and for one of the Lord's people to unite
with a worlding is to court disaster as well as to dishonor Christ.
Jehovah's instructions to Israel were very pointed: under no
circumstances must they marry a Canaanite (Deut. 7:3). In the times
covered by the book of Genesis, though apparently no divine law had
been given respecting it, yet the mind of God was clearly understood.
This is evident from the care which Abraham took to secure Isaac a
wife from among his own people (Gen. 24), thus did he prevent Isaac
from marrying a daughter of Canaan. But Isaac was careless about this
matter. He failed to watch over his children so as to anticipate
mischief. Esau married a daughter of the Hittites. God could not say
of Isaac as he had of his father, "For I know him, that he will
command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep
the way of the Lord" (Gen. 18:19). However, that Isaac had within him
a righteous soul to be "vexed" is clear from the words, "which were a
grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah" (Gen. 26:35).
We reserve for our next article a detailed examination of Genesis 27.
Suffice it now to refer barely to the incident which is well known to
our readers. Isaac was one hundred and forty years old and was fearful
that death might soon overtake him. He therefore prepares to perform
the last religious act of a patriarchal priest and bestow blessing
upon his sons. But mark how that instead of seeking guidance from God
in prayer his mind is occupied with a feast of venison. Not only so,
but he seeks to reverse the expressed will of God and bestow upon Esau
what the Lord had reserved for Jacob. But whatsoever a man soweth that
shall he also reap. Isaac acts in the energy of the flesh, and Rebekah
and Jacob deal with him on the same low level. And here the history of
Isaac terminates! After charging Jacob not to take a wife from the
daughters of Canaan (Gen. 28:1) he disappears from the scene and
nothing further is recorded of him save his death and burial (Gen.
35:27-29). As another has said, "instead of wearing out, Isaac rusted
out," rusted out as a vessel no longer fit for the master's use.
"Was Isaac, I ask, a vessel marred on the wheel? Was he a vessel laid
aside as not fit for the Master's use? or at least not fit for it any
longer? His history seems to tell us this. Abraham had not been such
an one. All the distinguishing features of `the stranger here,' all
the proper fruits of that energy that quickened him at the outset,
were borne in him and by him to the very end. We have looked at this
already in the walk of Abraham. Abraham's leaf did not wither. He
brought forth fruit in old age. So was it with Moses, with David, and
with Paul. They die with their harness on, at the plough or in the
battle. Mistakes and more than mistakes they made by the way, or in
their cause, or at their work; but they are never laid aside. Moses is
counseling the camp near the banks of the Jordan; David is ordering
the conditions of the Kingdom, and putting it (in its beauty and
strength) into the hand of Solomon; Paul has his armor on, his loins
girded. When, as I may say, the time of their departure was at hand,
the Master, as we may read in Luke 12, found them `so doing,' as
servants should be found. But thus was it not with Isaac. Isaac is
laid aside. For forty long years we know nothing of him; he had been,
as it were, decaying away and wasting. The vessel was rusting till it
rusted out.
"There is surely meaning in all this, meaning for our admonition. And
yet--such is the fruitfulness and instruction of the testimonies of
God--there are others in Scripture, of other generations, who have
still more solemn lessons and warnings for us. It is humbling to be
laid aside as no longer fit for use; but it is sad to be left merely
to recover ourselves,and it is terrible to remain to defile
ourselves.And illustrations of all this moral variety we get in the
testimonies of God. Jacob,in his closing days in Egypt, is not as a
vessel laid aside, but he is there recovering himself. I know there
are some truly precious things connected with him during those
seventeen years that he spent in that land, and we could not spare the
lesson which the Spirit reads to us out of the life of Jacob in Egypt.
But still, the moral of it is this--a saint, who had been under holy
discipline, recovering himself, and yielding fruit, meet for recovery.
And when we think of it a little, that is but a poor thing. But
Solomon is a still worse case, He lives to defile himself; sad and
terrible to tell it. This was neither Isaac nor Jacob--it was not a
saint simply laid aside, nor a saint left to recover himself. Isaac
was, in the great moral sense, blameless to the end, and Jacob's last
days were his best days; but of Solomon we read, `It came to pass,
when Solomon was old,that his wives turned away his heart after other
gods,' and this has made the writing over his name, the tablet to his
memory, equivocal, and hard to be deciphered to this day.
"Such lessons do Isaac and Jacob and Solomon, in these ways, read for
us, beloved--such are the minute and various instructions left for our
souls in the fruitful and living pages of the oracles of God. They
give us to see, in the house of God, vessels fit for use and kept in
use even to the end--vessels laid aside, to rust out rather than to
wear out--vessels whose best service is to get themselves clean
again--and vessels whose dishonor it is, at the end of their service,
to contract some fresh defilement." (J. G. Bellett, "The Patriarchs.")
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
28. Isaac Blessing his Sons
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 27
Let us look at the two sons who were to receive the blessing. They are
first brought before us in Genesis 25:20-26 --"And Isaac was forty
years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the
Syrian of Padan-Aran, the sister to Laban the Syrian. And Isaac
entreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren and the Lord
was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children
struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I
thus? And she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said unto her,
Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be
separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than
the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. And when her
days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her
womb. And the first came out red, all over like a hairy garment; and
they called his name Esau. And after that came his brother out, and
his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and
Isaac was three-score years old when she bare them." We reserve our
comments on this passage until our next article on Jacob, and pass on
now to the well-known incident of Esau selling his birthright.
"And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field;
and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau,
because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob. And Jacob
sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: And Esau
said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I
am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. And Jacob said, Sell me
this day thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to
die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob said,
Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his
birthright unto Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of
lentils; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way. Thus
Esau despised his birthright." (Gen. 25:27-34). There is far more
beneath the surface here (as in all Scripture) than meets the eye at
first glance. Esau and Jacob are to be considered as representative
characters.Esau typifies the unbeliever, Jacob the man of faith. Every
line in the brief sketch that is here given of their characters is
profoundly significant.
Esau was "a cunning hunter" (v. 27). The "hunter"tells of the roving,
daring, restless nature that is a stranger to peace. A glance at the
concordance will show that the word "hunter" is invariably found in an
evil connection (cf. 1 Samuel 24:11; Job 10:16; Psalm 140:11; Proverbs
6:26; Micah 7:2; Ezekiel 13:18). "Search"is the antithesis, the good
word, the term used when God is seeking His own. Only two men in
Scripture are specifically termed "hunters,'' namely, Nimrod and Esau,
and they have much in common. The fact that Esau is thus linked
together with Nimrod, the rebel, reveals his true character.
Next we are told that Esau was "aman of the field" (v. 27). In the
light of Matthew 13:38--"The field is the world"--it is not difficult
to discern the spiritual truth illustrated in the person of Esau. He
was, typically, a man of the world. In sharp contrast from what we are
told of Esau two things are said of Jacob:--he was "a plain man;
dwelling in tents" (v. 27). The Hebrew for "plain" is "tam," which is
translated in other passages "perfect," "upright," "undefiled." The
reference is to his character. The "dwelling in tents" denotes that he
was a stranger and pilgrim in this scene; having here no abiding city,
but seeking one to come.
"AndJacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field and he was faint."
Here again the contrast between the two sons of Isaac is sharp and
instructive. Jacob was occupied with the affairs of the house,cooking
a meal, and enjoying his portion,^[1] whereas Esau was again connected
with the"field" and is "faint." Remembering what we have seen above,
namely, that Esau is to be viewed as a representative character,a man
of the world, this next line in the picture is highly suggestive. Esau
returns from the field without his venison, hungry and faint. Such is
ever the case with the worldling. There is nothing to be found in the
"field"which can satisfy, or, to drop the figure, the world affords
nothing that is able to meet man's spiritual needs, for be it noted,
that man in contrast from the beasts, is essentially a spiritual
being. No; over all the systems of this poor world it is written
"Whosoeverdrinketh of this water shall thirst again." It cannot be
otherwise. How can a world into which sin has entered, which is away
from God,and which "lieth in the Wicked One"furnish anything which can
truly meet the need of the heart that, consciously or unconsciously,
ever panteth after God! Esau's experience was but that of Solomon at a
later date, and of many another since--vanity and vexation of spirit
is the only portion for those who seek contentment "under the sun." So
it is now. Only the Jacobs--the objects of God's grace--possess that
which appeases the hunger of the inner man.
"AndEsau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red
pottage for I am faint." It is a pity that the translators of our
noble King James Version should have obscured the meaning here by
inserting in italics the word "pottage." As it so frequently the ease
the words in italics, put in to convey a better sense, only hide the
real sense. So it is here. In Genesis 5:29 the word "pottage" is
employed by the Holy Spirit to denote the portion which Jacob enjoyed.
But here in Genesis 5:30 what Esau really says is "Feed me, I pray
thee, with that same red," and this was all he said. He was ignorant
of even the name of that which was Jacob's. No doubt he was thoroughly
versed in the terms of the chase, but of the things of the house, of
the portion of God's chosen, he knew not --"Therefore the world
knoweth us not, because it knew Him not" (1 John 3:1).
"AndJacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright," etc. (v. 31). Here
Jacob offers to buy from Esau what was his by the free bounty of God.
A word now concerning this "birthright." The birthright was a most
cherished possession in those days. It consisted of the excellency of
dignity and power, usually a double portion (see Genesis 49:3 and
Deuteronomy 21:17). In connection with the family of Abraham there was
a peculiar blessing attached to the birthright: it was spiritual as
well as temporal in its nature. "Thebirthright was a spiritual
heritage. It gave the right of being the priest of the family or clan.
It carried with it the privilege of being the depository and
communicator of the Divine secrets. It constituted a link in the line
of descent by which the Messiah was to be born into the world." (F. B.
M.)
Esau reveals his true character by saying "Behold,I am going to die:
and what profit shall this birthright do to me?" These words show what
a low estimate he placed upon "the blessing of Abraham." This
birthright he contemptuously termed it. We think, too, that in the
light of the surrounding circumstances Esau's utterance here explains
the word of the Holy Spirit in Hebrews 12:16--"Lest there be any
fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat
sold his birthright." Surely Esau did not mean he would die of hunger
unless he ate immediately of the pottage, for that is scarcely
conceivable when he had access to all the provisions in Isaac's house.
Rather does it seem to us that what he intended was, that in a little
time at most, he would be dead, and then of what account would the
promises of God to Abraham and his seed be to him--I cannot live on
promises, give me something to eat and drink, for to-morrow I die,
seems to be the force of his words.
The next time Esau is mentioned is at the close of Genesis 26: there
we read "And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the
daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the
Hittite: which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah." We
cannot do better than quote from Mr. Grant:--"This is the natural
sequel of a profanity which could esteem the birthright at the value
of a mess of pottage. These forty years are a significant hint to us
of a completed probation, In his two wives, married at once, he
refuses at once the example and counsel of his father, and by his
union with Canaanitish women disregarded the Divine sentence, and
shows unmistakably the innermost recesses of the heart."
We are now ready to look at the sad scene which Genesis 27 presents to
us. "And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were
dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said
unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I. And he
said, Behold now, I am old,! know not the day of my death: Now
therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and
go out to the field, and take me some venison; And make me savory
meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul
may bless thee before I die" (Gen. 27:1-4). Why was it that Isaac
desired to partake of venison from Esau before blessing him? Does not
Genesis 25:28 answer the question--"And Isaac loved Esau because he
did eat of his venison." In view of this statement it would seem,
then, that Isaac desired to enkindle or intensify his affections for
Esau, so that he might bless him with all his heart. But surely
Isaac's eyes were "dim" spiritually as well as physically. Let us not
forget that what we read here at the beginning of Genesis 27 follows
immediately after the record of Esau marrying the two heathen wives.
Thus it will be seen that Isaac's wrong in being partial to Esau was
greatly aggravated by treating so lightly his son's affront to the
glory of Jehovah--and all for a meal of venison! Alas, what a terrible
thing is the flesh with its "affections and lusts" even in a
believer,yea, more terrible than in an unbeliever. But worst of all,
Isaac's partiality toward Esau was a plain disregard of God's word to
Rebekah that Esau should "serve" Jacob (Gen. 25:23). By comparing
Hebrews 11:20 with Romans 10:7 it is certain that Isaac had himself"
heard" this.
"AndRebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son . . . and Rebekah
spake unto Jacob her son . . . Now therefore, my son, obey my voice
according to that which I command thee. Go now to the flock, and fetch
me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savory
meat for thy father, such as he loveth: And thou shalt bring it to thy
father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death"
(vv. 6-10). How like Sarah before her, who, in a similar "evil hour"
imagined that she could give effect to the Divine promise by fleshly
expediencies (Gen. 16:2). As another has suggested "they both acted on
that God dishonoring proverb that `The Lord helps those who help
themselves,'" whereas the truth is, the Lord helps those who have come
to the end of themselves. If Rebekah really had confidence in the
Divine promise she might well have followed tranquilly the path of
duty, assured that in due time God would Himself bring His word to
pass.
"And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a
hairy man, and I am a smooth man: My father peradventure will feel me,
and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon
me, and not a blessing" (vv. 11, 12). How the character of Jacob comes
out here! He reveals his native shrewdness and foresight, but instead
of shrinking back in horror from the sin, he appears to have been
occupied only with what might prove its unpleasant consequences. "And
his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my
voice, and go fetch me them. And he went and fetched, and brought them
to his mother: and his mother made savory meat, such as his father
loved. And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son, Esau, which
were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:
And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and
upon the smooth of his neck: And she gave the savory meat and the
bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob" (vv.
13-17). It is difficult to say who was most to blame, Jacob or his
mother. Rebekah was the one to whom God had directly made known His
purpose respecting her two sons, and, be it noted, the wife of Isaac
was no heathen but, instead, one who knew the Lord--cf. "She went to
inquire of the Lord" (Gen. 25:22). Her course was plain: she should
have trusted the Lord to bring to nought the carnal design of Isaac,
but she took the way of the flesh, plotted against her husband, and
taught her son to deceive his father. Yet in condemning Rebekah we are
reminded of Romans 2:1, "Therefore thou are inexcusable O man,
whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another,
thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things."
We refrain from quoting at length the verses that follow. Jacob
complies with his mother's suggestion, and adds sin to sin. First he
impersonates his brother, tells lies to his father, and ends by going
the awful length of bringing in the name of the Lord God (v. 20). To
what fearful lengths will sin quickly lead us once we take the first
wrong step! A similar progression in evil is seen (by way of
implication) in Psalm 1:1: the one who "walks"in the consul of the
ungodly will soon be found "standing" in the way of sinners, and then
it will not be long ere he is discovered "sitting" in the seat of the
scornful.
At first suspicious, Isaac's fears were allayed by his son's
duplicity, and the blessing was given, "and he came near and kissed
him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and
said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the
Lord hath blessed: Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and
the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: Let people
serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren,
and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that
curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee" (vv. 27-29). It is
to be noted that the "blessing" which Jacob here receives from the
lips of his father was far below the blessed string of promises which
he received directly from God when wholly cast upon His grace (see
Genesis 28:13-15).
We need not tarry long on the pathetic sequel. No sooner had Jacob
left his father's presence than Esau comes in with his venison and
says, "let my father arise and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul
may bless me." Then it is that Isaac discovers the deception that has
been practiced upon him, and he "trembled very exceedingly." Esau
learns of his brother's duplicity, and with a great and exceeding
bitter cry says, "Bless me, even me also, O my father," only to hear
Isaac say, "Thy brother came with subtlety, and hath taken away thy
blessing behold I have made him thy lord." Esau renews his request
saying, "Hast thou but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me,
also." Then it was that Isaac uttered that prophecy that received such
a striking fulfillment in the centuries that followed--"Behold, thy
dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven
from above; And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy
brother: and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion,
that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck" (vv. 39, 40). For
Esau "serving his brother" see 2 Samuel 8:14 (David was a descendant
of Jacob); and for "thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck" see 2
Chronicles 21:8.
Above we have noticed that when Isaac discovered that he had blessed
Jacob instead of Esau he "trembled very exceedingly." This was the
turning point in the incident, the point where, for the first time,
light breaks in on this dark scene. It was horror which was awakened
in his soul as he now fully realized that he had been pitting himself
against the expressed mind of Jehovah. It is beautiful to notice that
instead of "cursing" Jacob (as his son had feared, see Genesis 5:12)
now that Isaac discovers how God had graciously overruled his wrong
doing, he bowed in self-judgment, and "trembled with a great trembling
greatly" (margin). Then it was that faith found expression in the
words "And he shall be blest" (v. 33). He knew now that God had been
securing what He had declared before the sons were born. It is this
which the Spirit seizes on in Hebrews 11:20, "By faith Isaac blest
Jacob and Esau concerning things to come."
Many are the lessons illustrated and exemplified in the above
incident. We can do little more than name a few of the most important.
1. How many to-day are, like Esau, bartering Divine privileges for
carnal gratification. 2. Beware of doing evil that good may come. What
shame and sorrow they do make for themselves who in their zeal for
good do not scruple to use wrong means. Thus it was with Rebekah and
Jacob. 3. Let us seek grace to prevent natural affections overriding
love for God and His revealed will. 4. Remember the unchanging law of
Sowing and Reaping. How striking to observe that it was Rebekah, not
Isaac, who sent her beloved child away! She it was who led him into
grievous sin, and she it was whom God caused to be the instrument of
his exile. She, poor thing, suggested that he find refuge in the home
of Laban her brother for "some days." Little did she imagine that her
favorite child would have to remain there for twenty years, and that
never again should she behold him in the flesh. Ah! the mills of God
grind slowly, but they grind exceeding small, and we might add
"surely." And during those long years Jacob was to be cheated by Laban
as he had cheated Isaac. 5. Learn the utter futility of seeking to
foil God: "So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that
runneth, but of God that showeth mercy" (Rom. 9:16); either Isaac's
"willing" nor Esau's "running" could defeat the purpose of Jehovah.
"There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of
the Lord that shall stand" (Prov. 19:21). Man proposes but God
disposes.
Finally, have we not here, deeply hidden, a beautiful picture of the
Gospel. Jacob found acceptance with his father and received his
blessing because he sheltered behind the name of the father's
firstborn, beloved son, and was clothed with his garments which
diffused to Isaac an excellent odor. In like manner, we as sinners,
find acceptance before God and receive His blessing as we shelter
behind the name of His beloved Firstborn, and as we are clothed with
the robe of righteousness which we receive from Him thus coming before
the Father in the merits of His Son who "hath given Himself for us an
offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor"(Eph. 5:2).
___________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] Note in 2 Kings 4:38-40 "pottage" was the food of God's prophets.
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
29. The Man Jacob
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 28
Jacob and his experiences may be viewed from two chief viewpoints: as
a picture of the believer, and as a type of the Jewish nation. We
shall take up the latter first. As to Jacob foreshadowing the history
of the Jews we may note, among others, the following analogies:
1. Jacob was markedly the object of God's election: Romans 9:10. So,
too, was the Jewish nation. See Deuteronomy 6:7; 10:15; Amos 3:2.
2. Jacob was loved before he was born, Romans 9:11-13. Of the Jewish
nation it is written, "Thus saith the Lord, the people which were left
of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went
to cause him to rest, the Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying,
Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love" (Jer. 31:2, 3).
3. Jacob was altogether lacking in natural attractiveness. This is
singularly true of the Jewish people.
4. Jacob was the one from whom the Twelve Tribes directly sprang.
5. Jacob is the one after whom the Jewish race is most frequently
called. See Isaiah 2:5, etc.
6. Jacob was the one whom God declared should be "served," Genesis
25:23; Genesis 27:29. Of the Jews the prophetic scriptures affirm,
"Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lift up Mine hand to the
Gentiles, and set up My standard to the people, and they shall bring
thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their
shoulders. And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens
thy nursing mothers; they shall bow down to thee with their face to
the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet" (Isa. 49:22, 23). And
again it is written of Israel, "And they shall bring all your brethren
for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations upon horses, and in
chariots, and in litters, and upon mules" (Isa. 66:20).
7. Jacob was the one to whom God gave the earthly inheritance, Genesis
27:28; Genesis 28:13. So, too, the Jews.
8. Jacob suffered a determined effort to be robbed of his inheritance,
Genesis 27: Isaac and Esau. So have the Jews.
9. Jacob valued the blessing of God, but sought it in carnal ways,
totally opposed to faith, Genesis 26:27. So it is written of the Jews,
"For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not
according to knowledge.For they being ignorant of God's righteousness,
and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not
submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God" (Rom. 10:2, 3).
10. Jacob was exiled from the land as the result of his sin, Genesis
28:5. So have the Jews been.
11. Jacob spent much of his life as a wandering exile from the land;
such has been the history of his descendants
12. Jacob was distinctly the wanderer among the patriarchs, and as
such a type of the wandering Jew!
13. Jacob experienced, as such, the sore chastenings of a righteous
God. So, too, the Jews.
14. Jacob had no "altar" in the land of his exile: thus also is it
written of the Jews, "For the children of Israel shall abide many days
without a King, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice"(Hosea.
3:4).
15. Jacob set his heart upon the land while exiled from it. His
yearning for home is strikingly expressed in his words to Laban: "Send
me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country," (Gen.
30:25). How we behold the same yearning among the Zionists today, as
they appeal to American and British statesmen to make it possible for
them to return in safety to Palestine!
16. Jacob was unjustly dealt with in the land of exile, Genesis 29:23;
Genesis 31:41, 42.
17. Jacob developed into a crafty schemer and used subtle devices to
secure earthly riches, Genesis 30:37, 43.
18. Jacob while in exile receives promise from God that he shall
return unto the promised land, Genesis 28:15.
19. Jacob received no further revelation from God during all the years
of his exile, until at length bidden by Him to return, Genesis 31:3.
20. Jacob was graciously preserved by God in the land of his exile and
was the object of His ceaseless providential care.
21. Jacob became wealthy while in the land of exile, Genesis 30:43.
22. Jacob, because of this, had stirred up against him the enmity of
those among whom he sojourned, Genesis 31:1.
23. Jacob ultimately returned to the land bearing with him the riches
of the Gentiles, Genesis 31:18.
24. Jacob is seen at the end blessing the Gentiles (Gen. 47:7), and
acting as God's prophet, Genesis 49. In all these respects Jacob was a
striking type of the Jew.
We shall next look at Jacob as a picture of the believer. It is
intensely interesting to mark how each of the patriarchs foreshadowed
some distinct truth in the believer. In Abraham we see the truth of
Divine sovereignty, and the life of faith; in Isaac Divine sonship,
and the life of submission; in Jacob Divine grace, and the life of
conflict. In Abraham, election; in Isaac, the new birth; in Jacob, the
manifestation of the two natures. Thus we find the order of these Old
Testament biographies foreshadowed accurately what is now fully
revealed in the New Testament. Again, we may remark further that,
typically, Jacob is the servant. This is ever the Divine order.
Abraham, the chosen object of God's sovereign purpose, necessarily
comes first, then Isaac, the son born supernaturally, the heir of the
father's house, followed by Jacob, the servant. It is needful to call
special attention to this order to-day, though we cannot here enlarge
upon it. Man would place sonship at the end of a long life of service,
but God places it at the beginning.Man says, Serve God in order to
become His son; but God says, You must first be My son in order to
serve Me acceptably. The apostle Paul expressed this order when he
said: "Whose I am, and whom I serve" (Acts 27:23). How carefully this
order is guarded in our type appears further in the fact that before
Jacob commenced his service at Padan-aram he first tarried at Bethel,
which means "the House of God"--we must first enter God's household
before we can serve Him! That Jacob does,typically, represent service
is clear from, Hosea 12:12, where we are told, "And Jacob fled into
the country of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he
kept sheep." The history of this we get in Genesis 29 and 30. As a
servant with Laban, Jacob was singularly faithful.Here is his own
challenge, "Thesetwenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy
she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I
not eaten. That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I
bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen
by day, or stolen by night. Thus I was, in the day the drought
consumed me, and the frost by night."
There is still another way in which this progressive order in the
typical foreshadowings of the three great patriarchs comes out. This
has been forcefully set forth by Mr. F. W. Grant who, when commenting
on the words of the Lord to Moses at the burning bush--"say unto the
children of Israel, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the
God of Jacob sent me unto you"--says, "InAbraham we find manifested
the type of the Father, and in Isaac admittedly that of the Son, in
Jacob-Israel we find a type and pattern of the Spirit's work which is
again and again dwelt on and expanded in the after-scriptures.
Balaam's words as to the people, using this double--this natural and
this scriptural name, are surely as true of the nation's ancestors.
`It shall be said of Jacob, and of Israel, what hath God wrought?'
What God hath wrought is surely what in the one now before us we are
called in an especial way to acknowledge and glory in. For Jacob's God
is He whom we still know as accomplishing in us by almighty power the
purposes of sovereign grace."
While it is true that each of the three great patriarchs exemplified
in his own person some fundamental truth of Divine revelation, yet it
is to be particularly noted that each succeeding individual carried
forward what had gone before, so that nothing was lost. In Abraham we
behold the truth of election God's singling of him out from all the
people on the earth; yet in Isaac the same truth is manifested, as is
evident from the passing by of Ishmael and God's declaration that
"InIsaac shall thy seed be called." Isaac represents the truth of
Divine sonship, born supernaturally by the intervention of God's
power. Now in Jacob both of these truths, with important additions,
are also to be observed. Even more notably than in the eases of
Abraham and Isaac, Jacob is the object of God's sovereign choice:
"Jacob gives occasion to the exercise of God's sovereignty as to the
twin children of Isaac and Rebekah. `For they being not yet born, nor
having done any good or bad, that the purpose of God according to
election might stand, not of works, but of Him that calls, it was said
to their mother, the elder shall serve the younger.' It had been shown
before in casting out the bond-woman and her son; but so it was now
far more emphatically in Jacob chosen, not Esau. No flesh shall glory
in His sight; in Jehovah certainly, as it ought to be. Is man only to
think and talk of his rights? Sinful man! Has God alone no rights? Is
He to be a mere registrar of man's wrongs? Oh! his wrongs, not rights:
this is the truth, as no believer should forget from the dawn of a
vital work in his soul!" ("Jacob," by W. Kelly).
As the above truth is now so much controverted we subjoin a further
quotation from the pen of one who is regarded as one of the leading
orthodox teachers of our day: "In all this we see the marvel and glory
of the Divine sovereignty. Why the younger son should have been chosen
instead of the elder we do not know. It is, however, very striking to
find the same principle exercised on several other occasions. It is
pretty certain that Abraham was not the eldest son of Terah. We know
that Isaac was the younger son of Abraham, and that Joseph was not the
eldest son of Jacob. All this goes to emphasize the simple fact that
the order of nature is not necessarily the order of grace. All
through, God decided to display the sovereignty of His grace as
contrasted with that which was merely natural in human life. The great
problem of Divine sovereignty is of course insoluble by the human
intellect. It has to be accepted as a simple fact. It should, however,
be observed that it is not merely a fact in regard to things
spiritual; it is found also in nature in connection with human
temperaments and races. All history is full of illustrations of the
Divine choice, as we may see from such examples as Cyrus and Pharaoh.
Divine election is a fact, whether we can understand it or not
(italics ours). God's purposes are as certain as they are often
inscrutable, and it is perfectly evident from the case of Esau and
Jacob that the Divine choice of men is entirely independent of their
merits or of any pre-vision of their merits or attainments (Rom.
9:11). It is in connection with this subject that we see the real
force of St. Paul's striking words when he speaks of God as acting
`according to the good pleasure of His will' (Eph. 1:5), and although
we are bound to confess the `mystery of His will' (Eph. 1:9), we are
also certain that He works all things `after the counsel of His will'
(Eph. 1:11--italics not ours). There is nothing arbitrary about God
and His ways and our truest wisdom when we cannot understand His
reasons is to rest quietly and trustfully, saying, `Even so, Father,
for so it seemeth good in thy sight.' `In His Will is our peace'" (Dr.
Griffith-Thomas, Commentary on Genesis).
Not only is the Divine sovereignty illustrated in Jacob, as in
Abraham, but we also see typified in him the truth of regeneration (as
in the case of Isaac) inasmuch as nature was set aside, and only in
answer to prayer and by Divine intervention was Rebekah enabled to
bear Jacob: see Genesis 25:21.
That which is most prominent in the Divine dealings with Jacob was the
matchless grace of God, shown to one so unworthy, the marvelous
patience exercised toward one so slow of heart to believe, the
changeless love which unweariedly followed him through all his varied
course, the faithfulness which no unfaithfulness on Jacob's part could
change, and the power of God which effectively preserved and delivered
him through numerous dangers and which, in the end, caused the spirit
to triumph over the flesh, transforming the worm Jacob into Israel the
prince of God. How these Divine perfections were displayed will be
discovered as we turn our attention to the various scenes in which the
Holy Spirit has portrayed our patriarch. We turn now to look briefly
at Jacob in Genesis 28.
In our last article we dwelt upon Jacob deceiving his father, now we
see how quickly he began to suffer for his wrongdoing! "And Isaac
called Jacob, and blessed him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take
a wife of the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Padan-aram, to the
house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence
of the daughters of Laban, thy mother's brother" (Gen. 28:1, 2). Jacob
is sent away from home, to which he returns not for many years. In our
studies upon Isaac we have seen how he foreshadowed those who belong
to the heavenly calling, whereas, as we have pointed out above, Jacob
typified the people of the earthly calling. This comes out in many
incidental details. Isaac was forbidden to leave Canaan (type of the
Heavenlies)--Genesis 24:5, 6--and his bride was brought to him, but
Jacob is sent forth out of Canaan to the house of his mother's father
in quest of a wife, and thus was signified the evident contrast
between Isaac and Jacob, and Jacob's earthly place and relationship.
"And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he
lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the
sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for
his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and
behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to
heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of
Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac; the land whereon thy liest
to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; and thy seed shall be as the
dust of the earth; and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to
the east, and to the north, and to the south; and in thee and thy seed
shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with
thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will
bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I
have done that which I have spoken to thee of" (Gen. 28:10-15). There
is much here that might be dwelt upon with profit to our souls, but we
can do little more than mention one or two things.
Here we behold the marvelous grace of God, which delights to single
out as its objects the most unlikely and unworthy subjects. Here was
Jacob a fugitive from his father's house, fleeing from his brother's
wrath, with probably no thought of God in his mind. As we behold him
there on the bare ground with nothing but the stones for his pillow,
enshrouded by the darkness of night, asleep--symbol of death--we
obtain a striking and true picture of man in his natural state.Man is
never so helpless aswhen asleep, and it was while he was in this
condition that God appeared unto him! What had Jacob done to deserve
this high honor? What was there in him to merit this wondrous
privilege? Nothing; absolutely nothing. It was God in grace which now
met him for the first time and here gave to him and his seed the land
whereon he lay. Such is ever His way. He pleases to choose the foolish
and vile things of this world: He selects those who have nothing and
gives them everything: He singles out those who deserve naught but
judgment, and bestows on them nothing but blessing. But note--and mark
it particularly--the recipient of the Divine favors must first take
his place in the dust,as Jacob here did (on the naked earth) before
God will bless him.
And under what similitude did the Lord now reveal Himself to the worm
Jacob? Jacob beheld in his dream a ladder set up on the earth, whose
top reached unto heaven, and from above it the voice of God addressed
him. Fortunately we are not left to our own speculations to determine
the signification of this: John 1:51 interprets it for us. We say
fortunately, for if we could not point to John 1:51 in proof of what
we advance, some of our readers might charge us with indulging in a
wild flight of the imagination. The "ladder" pointed to Christ
Himself,the One who spanned the infinite gulf which separated heaven
from earth, and who has in His own person provided a Way whereby we
may draw near to God. That the "ladder" reached from earth to heaven,
told of the complete provision which Divine grace has made for
sinners. Right down to where the fugitive lay, the ladder came, and
right up to God Himself the "ladder" reached!
In His address to Jacob, the Lord now repeated the promises which He
had made before to Abraham and Isaac, with the additional assurance
that He would be with him, preserving him wherever he went, and
ultimately bringing him back to the land. In perfect harmony with the
fact that Jacob represented the earthly people we may observe here
that God declares Jacob's seed shall be "as the dust of the earth,"
but no reference is made to "the stars of heaven!" The sequel to this
vision may be told in few words. Jacob awoke and was afraid, saying,
"How dreadful is this place! This is none other but the house of God,
and this is the gate of heaven" (v. 17). Next, he took the stone on
which his head had rested and poured oil upon it. Then he changed the
name of the place from Luz to Bethel. It is instructive to note this
change of name, Luz--its original name, signifies "separation," while
Bethel, its new name, means "the house of God." Is it not beautiful to
mark the typical force of this? God calls us to separate from the
world, but in leaving the world we enter His house! "Neverdo we part
from ought at His call, but He far more than makes it up to us with
His own smile" (W. Lincoln).
Finally, we are told, "And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be
with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me
bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that! come again to my
father's house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God. And this
stone, which! have set for a pillar, shall be God's house, and of all
that Thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto Thee" (Gen.
28:20-22). How true to life this is! It was not only characteristic of
Jacob personally, but typical of us representatively. Jacob/ailed to
rise to the level of God's grace and was filled with fear instead of
peace, and expressed human legality by speaking of what he will do.
Oh, how often we follow in his steps! Instead of resting in the
goodness of God and appropriating His free grace, like Jacob, we
bargain and enter into conditions and stipulations. May the God of
Grace enlarge our hearts to receive His grace, and may He empower us
to magnify His grace by refusing to defile it with any of our own
wretched additions.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
30. Jacob At Padan-Aram
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 29
In our last article we followed Jacob as he left his father's house
and commenced his long journey to Padan-aram where lived Laban, his
mother's brother. On his first night out from Beersheba he lit upon a
certain place and making a pillar of the stones lay down to sleep.
Then it was that he dreamed, and in the dream the Lord appeared unto
him, probably for the first time in his life, and after promising to
give him the land whereon he lay and to make his seed as numerous as
the dust of the earth and a blessing to all families, he received the
comforting assurance that God would be with him, would keep him in all
places whither he went, and ultimately bring him back again to the
land given to him and his fathers. In the morning Jacob arose, poured
oil on the stone pillar, and named the place Bethel, which means "The
House of God."
The effect of this experience on Jacob is briefly but graphically
signified in the opening words of Genesis 29, where we read, "Then
Jacob lifted up his feet, and came into the land of the people of the
East" (marginal rendering). The heaviness with which he must have left
home had now gone. Assured of the abiding presence and protection of
Jehovah, he went on his way light-heartedly. It deserves to be noted
that the journey which Jacob had scarcely begun the previous day was
an arduous and difficult one. From Beersheba, Isaac's dwelling-place,
to Padan-Aram, his destination, was a distance of something like five
hundred miles, and when we remember that he was on foot and alone we
can the better appreciate the blessed grace of Jehovah which met the
lonely fugitive the first night, and gave him the comforting promise
that He was with him and would keep him in all places whither he went
(Gen. 28:15). Little wonder, then, that now Jacob goes forth so
confidently and cheerfully. As a Jewish commentator remarks, "His
heart lifted up his feet." And, reader, do not we need to be reminded
that our Lord has promised, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the
end"? If our hearts drew from this cheering and inspiring promise the
comfort and incentive it is designed to convey should not we "lift up"
our feet as we journey through this world? Oh! it is unbelief, failure
to rest upon the "exceeding great and precious promises" of our God,
and forgetfulness that He is ever by our side, that makes our feet
leaden and causes us to drag along so wearily.
The remainder of the long journey seems to have passed without further
incident, for the next thing we read of is that Jacob had actually
come into that land which he sought. And here we find a striking proof
that the Lord was with him indeed, for he was guided to a well where
he met none other than the daughter of the very man with whom he was
going to make his home! It was not by chance that Jacob lit upon that
well in the field, nor was it by accident that Rachel came to that
well just when she did. There are no chance-happenings or accidents in
a world that is governed by God. It was not by chance that the
Ishmaelites passed by when the brethren of Joseph were plotting his
death, nor was it an accident they were journeying down to Egypt. It
was not by chance that Pharaoh's daughter went down to the river to
bathe, and that one of her attendants discovered there the infant
Moses in the ark of bullrushes. It was not by chance that upon a
certain night, critical in the history of Israel, that Ahasuerus was
unable to sleep and that he should arise and read the state-records
which contained an entry of how Mordecai had foiled an attempt on the
King's life, which led, in turn, to the saving of Mordecai's life. So,
we say, it was not by chance that Jacob now met Rachel. No; we repeat,
there cannot be any chance-happenings in a world that is governed by
God, still less can there be any accidents in the lives of those He is
constantly "with." My reader, there are no chance-happenings, no
chance-meetings, no chance delays, no chance losses, no chance
anythings in our lives. All is of Divine appointment.
But while we have called attention to God's faithfulness in guiding
Jacob to the well where he met Rachel, we must not ignore Jacob's
personal failure, a noticeable failure of omission. As he had come so
near to the end of his journey and had almost arrived at his
destination we would have thought, as he reached this well, that now
was the time for him to very definitely commit himself into the hands
of God, especially in view of the fact that he was engaged in the
important and momentous undertaking of seeking a wife. Years before,
when the servant of Abraham was upon a similar mission, seeking a wife
for Isaac, when he arrived at a well we are told that "he said, O Lord
God of my master Abraham, I pray Thee, send me good speed this day"
(Gen. 24:12). But here in connection with Jacob we read of no prayer
for Divine guidance and blessing, instead, we find him interrogating
the Haran shepherds.
"And he looked, and behold a well in the field, and, lo, there were
three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered
the flocks: and a great stone was upon the well's mouth. And thither
were all the flocks gathered: and they rolled the stone from the
well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the
well's mouth in his place. And Jacob said unto them, My brethren,
whence be ye? And they said, Of Haran are we. And he said unto them,
Know ye Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We know him. And he
said unto them, Is he well? And they said, He is well: and, behold,
Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep" (Gen. 29:2-6).
Without doubt there is a spiritual meaning to each detail here. It
cannot be without some good reason that the Spirit of God has told us
this was in a field,that there were three flocks of sheep lying by it,
and that there was a great stone upon the well's mouth. But we confess
we discern not their significance, and where spiritual vision be dim
it is idle, or worse, to speculate.
"Behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep." At mention of
Rachel, Jacob acted in a thoroughly characteristic manner: "And he
said, Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time that the cattle
should be gathered together: water ye the sheep, and go and feed them"
(Gen. 29:7). Jacob's design is evident; he sought to send the
shepherds away, so that he might be alone when he met Rachel. But his
design was foiled, "and while he yet spake with them, Rachel came with
her father's sheep: for she kept them." And then follows a touching
description of the meeting between Jacob and this young woman who was
to become his wife.
"And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his
mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that
Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and
watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother. And Jacob kissed
Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept. And Jacob told Rachel that
he was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son: and she
ran and told her father" (Gen. 29:10-12). These verses shed an
interesting light on Jacob's natural character. Rachel's appearance
awakened within him all the warmth of natural feeling. He courteously
rolled away the stone, watered the sheep, kissed Rachel and burst into
tears. The remembrance of home and the relationship of his mother to
Rachel overpowered him--note the threefold reference to his mother in
verse 10: "When Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's
brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went
near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the
flock of Laban his mother's brother." Jacob, then, was no cold,
calculating stoic, but was of a warm disposition, and everything that
revived the memory of his mother went to his heart. What a lovely
human touch this gives to the picture! Nothing is trivial with God.
"And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his
sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed
him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things.
And Laban said to him, Surely thou art my bone and my flesh. And he
abode with him the space of a month" (Gen. 29:13, 14). The plan of
Jacob's mother seemed to be working very well. Everything appeared to
be running very smoothly. Esau had been left behind at a safe
distance, the long journey from Beersheba to Padan-aram had been
covered without harm, little or no difficulty had been experienced in
locating his mother's brother. Rachel had shown no resentment at
Jacob's affectionate greeting, and now Laban himself had accorded the
fugitive a warm welcome, and for a whole month nothing seems to have
broken their serenity. And what of God?What of His moral government!
What of the law of retribution? Was Jacob to suffer nothing for his
wrong doing? Was the deception he had practiced upon Isaac to escape
unnoticed? Would it, in his case, fail to appear that "the way of the
transgressor is hard"? (Prov. 13:15). Ah! be not deceived; God is not
mocked. Sometimes the actions of God's government may appear to move
slowly, but sooner or later they are sure. Often-times this is
overlooked. Men take too short a view: "Because sentence against an
evil work is not executed speedily,therefore the heart of the sons of
men is fully set in them to do evil" (Eccl. 8:11). It is in the sequel
that God is vindicated. History in fragments denies God, but history
as a whole is seen to be His story. Look at the cruel Egyptian
task-masters and at the helpless Hebrews. They cried to Heaven, and
for years it seemed as though Heaven was deaf. But the sequel showed
God had seen and heard, and in the sequel His righteous government was
vindicated. We have had striking illustrations of this abiding
principle in the history of our own times. A few years ago we were
horrified by the Belgian atrocities on the Congo, and equally so by
the cruel inhumanities practiced by the Russians upon the Jews. But
behold the sequel--markBelgium and Russia today! Yes, the way of the
transgressor is hard, and so Jacob found it in the sequel.
"And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest
thou therefore serve me for nought? Tell me, what shall thy wages be?"
(Gen. 29:15). Here was the first cloud on Jacob's horizon, and the
first appearing of the Divine rod of chastisement. Here, too, was a
most striking example of the law of righteous retribution. Jacob was
about to begin reaping that which he had sown. Perhaps this is not
apparent on the surface, so we tarry to explain. It will be remembered
that the end before Jacob and his mother in their scheming and lying
was that he should secure from Isaac the blessing which was the
portion of the first born. What this blessing was we know from the
words of the Lord to Rebekah before her sons were born, words which
expressly declared that Jacob should receive the first-born's
portion--"the elder shall serve the younger" (Gen. 25:23). That, then,
upon which Jacob had set his heart, and that which he had sought to
obtain from Isaac by a wicked device, was the position of dignity and
honor. Instead of serving he wanted to be served. How striking, then,
to note that the very first word spoken by Laban after Jacob had
enjoyed the hospitality of his house for a month, concerned that of
service! How significant that Jacob should have fallen into the hands
of a crafty schemer!Laban was glad to receive Jacob into his
household, but even though his nephew he did not intend that he should
remain on indefinitely as a guest. No, he meant to profit by Jacob's
presence, and so seeks to strike a bargain, lets Jacob know that if he
remained with him it must be in the capacity of a servant,and so
raises the question of "wages." This must have been a bitter portion
for Jacob and a painful blow to his pride. He was beginning to learn
that the way of the transgressor is hard.
But what follows is even more remarkable: "And Laban had two
daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger
was Rachel. Leah was tender-eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well
favored. And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven
years for Rachel thy younger daughter. And Laban said, It is better
that I give her to thee, than that! should give her to another man:
abide with me. And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they
seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her. And Jacob
said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I
may go in unto her. And Laban gathered together all the men of the
place, and made a feast. And it came to pass in the evening, that he
took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto
her. And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid for an
handmaid. And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold it was
Leah: and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? did
not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled
me? And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the
younger before the first-born. Fulfil her week, and we will give thee
this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven
other years. And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him
Rachel his daughter to wife also" (Gen. 29:16-28). The quotation is a
lengthy one hut it was necessary to give it in full so that the reader
might be able to follow our remarks upon it. In the preceding
paragraph we have seen how that the first lesson God was now teaching
Jacob was that of humble submission--if he had refused to submit to
God then he must submit to "serve" a human master. Here, in this
quotation, we discover the second lesson that Jacob must learn was to
respect the rights of the first-born!This was just what Jacob had
disregarded in connection with Esau, so that which he had ignored
concerning his brother he must bow to in connection with his wife. In
the third place, mark how God was correcting the impatience of our
patriarch. It was because he had refused to wait God's time for the
fulfillment of His promise (as per Genesis 25:23) that he had involved
himself in so much trouble, and had to leave home and flee from Esau;
how fitting then he should now be obliged to wait seven years before
he could obtain Rachel, and that he should be made to serve a further
seven years for her after they were married!
In drawing this article to a close we would seek to expand briefly
what seems to us to be the outstanding principle in the scripture we
have just examined, namely, the principle of Divine retribution. "Even
as I have seen, they that plough iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap
the same"(Job 4:8). In Laban's treatment of Jacob we see the deceiver
deceived! This principle that whatsoever a man soweth that shall he
also reap is writ large across the pages of Holy Scripture and is
strikingly, nay marvelously, illustrated again and again. Pharaoh,
King of Egypt, gave orders that every son of the Hebrews should be
drowned (Ex. 1:22), and so in the end he was drowned (Ex. 14:28).
Korah caused a cleft in the Congregation of Israel (Num. 16:2, 3), and
so God made a cleft in the earth to swallow him (Num. 16:30). Again,
we read of one Adoni-bezek that he fled, "and they pursued after him,
and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes. And
Adoni-bezek said, Three score and ten kings, having their thumbs and
their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I
have done, so God hath requited me!" (Judg. 1:6, 7). Wicked Ahab
caused Naboth to be slain and the dogs came and licked up his blood (1
Kings 21:19), accordingly we read that when Ahab died he was buried in
Samaria, "And one washed the chariot (in which he had been slain) in
the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood"(1 Kings 22:38).
King Asa caused the prophet to be placed in "the house of the stocks"
(2 Chron. 16:10 R. V.), and accordingly we read later that God
punished him by a disease in his feet (1 Kings 15:23). Haman prepared
a gallows for Mordecai, but was hanged upon it himself (Esther 7:10).
Saul of Tarsus stood by and consented to the stoning of Stephen, and
later we read that at Lystra the Jews stoned Paul (Acts 14:19)--this
is the more noticeable because Barnabas who was with him escaped!
But the most striking example of what men term "poeticjustice" is the
ease of Jacob himself. First, he deceived his father and was, in turn,
deceived by his father-in-law: Jacob came the younger for the elder to
deceive Isaac, and has the elder daughter of Laban given instead of
the younger for a wife. Second, we may mark the same principle at work
in Jacob's wife. In deceiving Jacob in the matter of Leah, Laban
tricked Rachel; later we find Rachel tricking Laban (Gen. 31:35).
Again, we note how a mercenary spirit actuated Jacob in buying the
birthright from Esau for a mess of pottage; the sequel to this was the
mercenary spirit in Laban which caused him to change Jacob's wages ten
times (see Gen. 31:41). Finally we may remark, what is most striking
of all, that Jacob deceived Isaac by allowing his mother to cover his
hands and neck with "the skins of the kids of the goats"(Gen. 27:16),
and later Jacob's sons deceived him by dipping the coat of Joseph in
the blood of "a kid of the goats"(Gen. 37:31) and making him believe
an evil beast had devoured him: note, too, that Jacob deceived Isaac
in regard to his favorite son (Esau), and so was Jacob deceived in
regard to his favorite son (Joseph).
While it is true that very often the connection between evil-doing and
its evil consequences is not so apparent as in the above examples,
nevertheless, God has given us, and still gives us, sufficient proof
so as to provide us with solemn warnings of the fact that He is not
mocked,that He does observe the ways of men, that He hates sin
wherever it is found, and that His righteous government requires that
"every transgression and disobedience" shall receive "a just
recompense of reward" (Heb. 2:2). This "just recompense of reward" is
visited upon His own children here in this world, not sent in anger
but in love, not in judgment but directed to the conscience and heart
so as to bring them to judge themselves for their evil doing. With the
wicked it is often otherwise. Frequently they flourish here as a green
bay tree, but at the Great White Throne the books shall be opened and
every one of them shall be "judged according to their works."
Should one who is out of Christ, a lost sinner, have read this
article, let it be unto him as a voice crying "Flee from the wrath to
come;" flee to the Lord Jesus, the Savior, the only Refuge, who came
into this world to save sinners. And, let the Christian reader learn
anew the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and earnestly seek grace to
enable him to crucify the flesh with its affections and lusts so that
he may "sow to the Spirit," then shall he "of the Spirit reap life
everlasting."
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
31. Jacob At Padan-Aram (Continued)
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 29, 30
Jacob's stay at Padan-Aram was a lengthy one, much longer than he
imagined when he first went there, so little do any of us know what
the immediate future holds for us. We move to some place expecting to
settle there, and lo, in a short time, God calls us to strike our
tents and move to another region. Or, we go to a place thinking it is
only for a transient visit, but remain there many years. So it was
with Jacob. How blessed to remember, "Mytimes are in Thy hand" (Ps.
31:15).
A somewhat lengthy account is given describing Jacob's sojourn in
Laban's home. It is not our aim to expound in detail this section of
Genesis--abler pens have done that; rather shall we proffer a few
general remarks upon some of the outstanding features which are of
special interest and importance.
The thirtieth chapter of Genesis is not pleasant reading, yet is it,
like every other in the Old Testament, recorded for our learning. No
reflecting Christian mind can read through this chapter without being
disgusted with the fruitage and consequences of polygamy as therein
described. The domestic discords, the envies and jealousies between
Jacob's several wives, forcibly illustrate and demonstrate the wisdom
and goodness of God's law that each man should have his own wife, as
well as each woman her own husband. Example is better than precept,
and in Genesis 30 the Holy Spirit sets before us an example of what a
plurality of wives must necessarily result in--discord, jealousy and
hatred. Let us thank God, then, for giving to us His written precepts
to regulate the marriage relationship, the observance of which is
necessary not only for the protection of the purity of the home but
for its peace and happiness as well.
Though the strifes and jealousies of Jacob's wives were indeed
distressing and disgusting yet, we must not attribute their desire for
children, or the devices they resorted to in order to obtain them, to
mere carnal motives. Had there been nothing more than this the Holy
Spirit would not have condescended to record them. There can be little
doubt that the daughters of Laban were influenced by the promises of
God to Abraham, on whose posterity were entailed the richest
blessings, and from whom the Messiah Himself, in the fullness of time,
was to descend. It was faith in these promises which made every pious
woman of those times desirous of being a mother, and that explains why
we read so often of Hebrew women praying so earnestly for this honor.
In the previous article we dwelt at some length on the law of
retribution as it was exemplified in the history of Jacob. In an
unmistakable and striking manner it is shown again and again in the
inspired narrative how that he reaped just what he had sown. Yet it
must be borne in mind that in dealing retributively with Jacob God was
not acting in wrath but in love, holy love it is true, for Divine love
is never exercised at the expense of holiness. Thus, in this evident
retribution God was speaking to our Patriarch's conscience and heart.
A further illustration of the righteousness of God's governmental
dealings is here seen, in that, now Jacob had obtained Laban's
first-born daughter his desire was thwarted she was barren. As another
has remarked, "God would have His servant Jacob learn more deeply in
his own wounded affections the vileness of self-seeking deceit, and
hence He permitted what He would use for chastening and good in the
end." (W. K).
That which occupies the most prominent place in the passage we are now
considering is the account there given of the birth and naming of
Jacob's twelve sons by his different wives. Here the record is quite
full and explicit. Not only is the name of each child given, but in
every instance we are told the meaning of the name and that which
occasioned the selection of it. This would lead us to conclude there
is some important lesson or lessons to be learned here. This chapter
traces the stream back to its source and shows us the beginnings of
the twelve Patriarchs from which the twelve-tribed Nation sprang.
Then, would not this cause us to suspect that the meaning of the names
of these twelve Patriarchs and that which occasioned the selection of
each name, here so carefully preserved, must be closely connected with
the early history of the Hebrew Nation? Our suspicion becomes a
certainty when we note the order in which the twelve Patriarchs were
born, for the circumstances which gave rise to their several names
correspond exactly with the order of the history of the Children of
Israel.
Others before us have written much upon the twelve Patriarchs, the
typical significance of their names, and the order in which they are
mentioned. It has been pointed out how that the Gospel and the history
of a sinner saved by grace is here found in veiled form. For example:
Reuben, Jacob's first-born, means, See, a Son!This is just what God
says to us through the Gospel: to the Son of His love we are invited
to look--"Behold the lamb of God." Then comes Simeon whose name
signifies Hearing and this points to the reception of the Gospel by
faith, for faith cometh by hearing, and the promise is, "Hear,and your
soul shall live." Next in order is Levi, and his name means
Joined,telling of the blessed Union by which the Holy Spirit makes us
one with the Son through the hearing of the Word. In Judah, which
means Praise,we have manifested the Divine life in the believer,
expressed in joyous gratitude for the riches of grace which are now
his in Christ. Dan means Judgment,and this tells of how the believer
uncompromisingly passes sentence upon himself, not only for what he
has done but because of what he is, and thus he reckons himself to
have died unto sin. Naphtali means Wrestling and speaks of that
earnestness in prayer which is the very breath of the new life. Next
is Gad which means a Troop or Company,speaking, perhaps of the
believer in fellowship with the Lord's people, and Jacob's eighth son
announces the effect of Christian fellowship, for Asher means
Happy.Issachar means Hire,and speaks of service,and Zebulon which
signifies Dwelling reminds us that we are to "occupy" till Christ
comes; while Joseph which means Adding tells of the reward which He
will bestow on those who have served diligently and occupied
faithfully. Benjamin, the last of Jacob's sons, means Son of my right
hand,again speaking directly of Christ, and so the circle ends where
it begins--with our blessed Lord, for He is"The First and the Last."
There is, then, a typical significance behind the meaning of the names
of Jacob's twelve sons, and we believe there is also a prophetic
significance behind the carefully preserved record of the words used
by the mothers upon the naming of their sons, a significance which
must be apparent to all, once it is pointed out. In view of the fact
that the Hebrew nation became known as the children of Israel, it is
to be expected that we should look closely at the children of Jacob,
from whom the nation took its name. And further, in view of the fact
that Genesis 29, 30 records the early history of Jacob's twelve sons,
we should expect to find their history in some way corresponds with
the early history of the Nation descended from them. Such is indeed
the case, as we shall now endeavor to set before the reader.
What we have written above in connection with the typical significance
of the names of Jacob's twelve sons is no doubt, with perhaps slight
variations, well known to our readers. But it is to be noted that in
addition to the naming of the twelve Patriarchs, Genesis 29 and 30
records the circumstances which gave rise to the selection of their
respective names, for in each case a reason is given why they received
the names they did, yet, so far as we are aware, little or no
attention at all has been paid to this feature. We are fully
satisfied, however, that the words uttered by the respective mothers
of these twelve sons on the occasion of their births, is not without
some special significance, and it behooves us to inquire prayerfully
into the Spirit's purpose in so carefully preserving a record of them.
Jacob's first son was born to him by Leah, and was named Reuben, and
upon giving her son this name she said, "Surely the Lord hath looked
upon my affliction" (Gen. 29:32). The second son was also borne by
Leah and was named Simeon, and her reason for thus naming him was as
follows, "Because the Lord hath heard that I was hated" (Gen. 29:33).
The striking resemblance between these two utterances and what is
recorded in Exodus in connection with the sufferings of Israel in
Egypt is at once apparent. First, we read that "God looked upon the
Children of Israel" (Ex. 2:25). Then, unto Moses He said, "Ihave
surely seen the affliction of My people which are in Egypt" (Ex. 3:7).
Then, corresponding with the words of Leah when Simeon was born, He
adds, "And have heard their cry" (Ex. 3:7). It is surely something
more than a mere coincidence that at the birth of Israel's first two
sons their mother should have spoken of "affliction," which she said
the Lord hath "looked upon" and "heard," and that these identical
words should be found in the passage which describes the first stage
in the national history of the Children of Israel who were then
"hated" and "afflicted" by the cruel Egyptians. When the Lord told
Moses He had seen the "affliction" of His people Israel and had
"heard" their cry, did He not have in mind the very words which Leah
had uttered long years before!
Jacob's third son was named Levi, and at his birth his mother said,
"This time will my husband be joined to me" (Gen. 29:34). Again these
words of the mother point us forward to the beginning of Israel's
national history. When was it that Jehovah was "joined"to Israel, and
became her "husband"? It was on the eve of their leaving Egypt on the
night of the Passover when the lamb was slain and its blood shed and
sprinkled. Then it was Jehovah was "joined" to His people--just as now
God is joined to us and becomes one with us only in Christ: it is in
the Lamb slain, now glorified, that God and the believing sinner meet.
And then it was that Jehovah entered into covenant relationship with
the chosen Nation, and became their "Husband.'' Note how this very
word is used in Jeremiah, and mark how this reference points back to
the Passover night: "Behold,the days come, saith the Lord, that I will
make a new covenant with the House of Israel, and with the House of
Judah: Not according to the covenant I made with their fathers in the
day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of
Egypt;which My covenant they brake, although I was an Husband unto
them, saith the Lord" (Jer. 31:31, 32).
Jacob's fourth son was Judah, and upon his birth the mother said, "Now
will I praise the Lord" (Gen. 29:35). As Leah's words at Levi's birth
point us back to the Passover, so her words at Judah's birth carry us
forward to the crossing of the Red Sea, where Israel celebrated
Jehovah's victory over their foes in song and praised the Lord for
their wondrous deliverance. Then it was that, for the first time,
Israel sang: "Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is
like Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises,doing wonders?"
(Ex. 15:11). Mark, too, that the Psalmist when referring back to this
momentous event said, "Andthe waters covered their enemies: there was
not one of them left. Then believed they His words: they sang His
praise"(Ps. 106:11, 12).
Next comes Dan, and upon his birth Rachel said, "God hath judged me"
(Gen. 30:6). If the line of interpretation and application we are now
working out be correct, then these words of Rachel, following those of
Leah at the birth of Judah, which as we have seen carry us,
prophetically, to the Red Sea, will bear upon the early experiences of
Israel in their Wilderness wanderings. Such, indeed, we believe to be
the case. Do not the above words of Rachel, "God hath judged me,"
point us to the displeasure and "wrath" of God against Israel when, in
response to their "murmuring" He sent the "quails," and when again
they provoked His wrath at the waters of Massah and Merribah?
At the birth of Jacob's sixth son Rachel exclaimed, "With great
wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed"(Gen.
30:8). How strikingly this corresponds with Israel's history! The very
next thing we read of after that God "judged" Israel for their sin at
Merribah was their conflict or "wrestling" with Amalek, and again be
it particularly noted that the self-same word used by Rachel at the
birth of Napthali is used in describing the "wrestling" between Israel
and Amalek, for in Exodus 17:11 we read, "And it came to pass, when
Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed:and when he let down his
hand, Amalek prevailed." Surely it is something more than mere
coincidence that the very word used by the mother of Napthali should
occur twice in the verse which records that in Israel's history which
her words prophetically anticipated; the more so, that it agrees so
accurately with the order of events in Israel's history.
The utterances of the mother of the seventh and eighth sons of Jacob
may be coupled together, as may also those connected with the birth of
his ninth and tenth sons. At the birth of Gad it was said, "A troop
cometh"(Gen. 30:11), which perfectly agrees with the order of Israel's
history, for after the Wilderness had been left behind and the Jordan
crossed, a "troop"indeed "came" to meet Israel, the seven nations of
the Canaanites seeking to oppose their occupation of the promised
land. The words of the mother of Asher, the next son, "Happy am
I"(Gen. 30:13), tell of Israel's joy following the overthrow of their
foes. Then, the words of Leah at the birth of Jacob's ninth and tenth
sons, namely "God, hath given me my hire" (Gen. 30:18), and "Godhath
endued me with a good dowry" (Gen. 30:20), tell of Israel's occupation
of the goodly inheritance with which Jehovah had "endowed" them. Then,
just as there was a break or interval before the last two sons were
born, and just as these two completed Jacob's family, and realized his
long cherished desire, inasmuch as they were born to him by his
beloved Rachel, so her words, "The Lord shall add to me another son"
(Gen. 30:24), and "The son of my sorrow" changed by the father to
"Sonof my right hand" (Gen. 35:18), would point to the completion of
Israel's history as an undivided nation and the realization of their
long cherished desire, in the giving to them a King, even David, to
whom was "added" only one "other,"namely, Solomon; and the
doublesentence uttered at Benjamin's birth was surely appropriate as a
prophetic intimation of Solomon's course so bright, yet so dark--for
while in his reign the Kingdom attained its highest dignity and glory
(the position signified by the "right hand"), yet, nevertheless, from
the time of Solomon's coronation began Israel's sorrowful decline and
apostasy.
Thus we have sought to show how the utterances of the mothers of
Jacob's twelve sons were so many prophetic intimations of the course
of the history of the Nation which descended from them, and that the
order of the sayings of these mothers corresponds with the order of
Israel's history, outlining that history from its beginning in Egypt
until the end of the undivided Kingdom in the days of Solomon, for it
was thenthe history of Israel as a nation terminated, the ten tribes
going into captivity, from which they have never returned, almost
immediately after.
To complete the study of this hidden but wonderful prophecy,
particular attention should be paid to the way in which Jacob's sons
were grouped under their different mothers, for this also corresponds
exactly with the grouping of the outstanding events in Israel's
history. The first four sons were all borne by Leah, and her
utterances all pointed forward to one group of incidents, namely,
Israel's deliverance from Egypt and the Egyptians. The fifth and sixth
sons were borne by a different mother, namely, Bilhah, and her
utterances pointed to a distinctseries of events in Israel's history,
namely, to their experiences in the Wilderness. The seventh and eighth
sons were borne by Zilpah, and the ninth and tenth by Leah, and their
utterances, closely connected yet distinct, pointed, prophetically, to
Israel's occupation and enjoyment of Canaan. The eleventh and twelfth
sons were separated from all the others, being borne by Rachael, and
so also that to which her words at their births pointed forward to,
was also clearly separated from the early events of Israel's history,
carrying us on to the establishment of the Kingdom in the days of
David and Solomon.
In drawing this article to a close, one or two reflections upon the
ground we have covered will, perhaps, be in place: First, What a
striking proof of the Divine inspiration of Scripture is here
furnished! Probably no uninspired writer would have taken the trouble
to inform us of the words used by those mothers in the naming of their
boys--where can be found in all the volumes of secular history one
that records the reason why the parent gave a certain name to his or
her child? But there was a good and sufficient reason why the words of
Jacob's wives should be preserved--un-known to themselves their lips
were guided by God, and the Holy Spirit has recorded their utterances
because they carried with them a hidden, but real, prophetic
significance; and in that recording of them, and their perfect
agreement with the outstanding events in the history of Israel, in
which, though centuries afterward, these prophetic utterances received
such striking fulfillment, we have an unmistakable proof of the Divine
inspiration of the Scriptures.
Second, What an object lesson is there here for us that nothing in
Scripture is trivial or meaningless! It is to be feared that many of
us dishonor God's Word by the unworthy thoughts which we entertain
about it. We are free to acknowledge that much in the Bible is sublime
and Divine, yet there is not a little in it in which we can see no
beauty or value. But that is due to the dimness of our vision and not
in anywise to any imperfection in the Word. "All Scripture" is given
by inspiration of God, the proper nouns as much as the common nouns,
the genealogical lists equally as much as the lovely lyrics of the
Psalmist. Who would have thought that there was anything of
significance in the meaning of the names of Jacob's sons? Who would
have supposed that it was of first importance that we should note the
order in which they were born! Who would have imagined there was a
wondrous prophecy beneath the words used by the mothers on the
occasion of them naming their sons? Who! Each and all of us ought to
have done so. Once we settle it for good and all that there is nothing
in the Bible which is trivial and meaningless, once we are assured
that everything in Scripture, each word, has a significance and value,
then we shall prayerfully ponder every section, and expect to find
"hid treasures" (Prov. 2:4) in every list of names, and according unto
our faith so it will be unto us.
Third, What a remarkable illustration and demonstration of the
absolute Sovereignty of God is found here in Genesis 29 and 30! What a
proof that God does ruleand overrule! What a showing forth of the fact
that even in our smallest actions we are controlled by the Most High!
All unconsciously to themselves, these wives of Jacob in naming their
babies and in stating the reasons for these names, were outlining the
Gospel of God's Grace and were prophetically foreshadowing the early
history of the Nation which descended from their sons. If then these
women, in the naming of their sons and in the utterances which fell
from their lips at that time were unknown to themselves, guided by
God,then, verily, God is Sovereign indeed. And so affirms His Word,
for OF HIM, and through Him, and to Him, are all things."(Rom. 11:36).
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
32. Jacob's Departure From Haran
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 31
Before Jacob had ever set foot in Padan-Aram Jehovah, the God of
Abraham and the God of Isaac, had said to him, "Behold, I am with
thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will
bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee until I
have done that which I have spoken to thee of." (Gen. 28:15). And now
the time had drawn near when our patriarch was to return to the
promised land. He was not to spend the remainder of his days in his
uncle's household; God had a different purpose than that for him, and
all things were made to work together for the furtherance of that
purpose. But not until God's hour was ripe must Jacob leave
Padan-Aram. Some little while before God's time had come, Jacob
assayed to leave: "And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph,
that Jacob said unto Laban, send me away,that I may go unto mine own
place, and to my country." (Gen. 30:25). Apparently Laban was
reluctant to grant this request, and so offered to raise his wages as
an inducement for Jacob to remain with him, "And Laban said unto him,
I pray thee, if I have found favor in thine eyes, tarry: for I have
learned by experience that the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake. And
he said, Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it." (Gen. 30:27,28).
Ere proceeding with the narrative the above words of Laban deserve to
be noticed. This was a remarkable confession of Jacob's uncle--"The
Lord hath blessed me for thy sake." Laban was not blessed for his own
sake, nor on account of any good deeds he had done; but he was blessed
"for the sake" of another. Was not God here setting forth under a
figure the method or principle by which He was going to bless sinners,
namely, for the sake of another who was dear to Him? Do not these
words of Laban anticipate the Gospel? and point forward to the present
time when we read "God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you" (Eph.
4:32), and again in 1 John 2:12 "your sins are forgiven you for His
name's sake."Yes, this is the blessed truth foreshadowed in Genesis
30:27: God blessed Laban for Jacob's sake. So again we read in Genesis
39:15 concerning Potiphar, "The Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for
Joseph's sake."And again we have another beautiful illustration of
this same precious fact and truth in 2 Samuel 9:1: "AndDavid said, Is
there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him
kindness for Jonathan's sake." Reader, have you apprehended this
saving truth? That for which we are accepted and saved by God is, not
any work of righteousness which we have done, nor even for our
believing--necessary though that be--but simply and solely for
Christ's sake.
The sequel would seem to show that Jacob accepted Laban's offer, and
decided to prolong his stay. Instead, however, of leaving himself at
the mercy of his grasping and deceitful uncle, who had already
"changed his wages ten times" (see Genesis 31:7), Jacob determined to
outwit the one whom he had now served for upwards of twenty years by
suggesting a plan which left him master of the situation, and promised
to greatly enrich him. (See Genesis 30:31-42). Much has been written
concerning this device of Jacob to get the better of Laban and at the
same time secure for himself that which he had really earned, and
varied have been the opinions expressed. One thing seems clear: unless
God had prospered it Jacob's plan had failed, for something more than
sticks from which a part of the bark had been removed was needed to
make the cattle bear "ringstreaked, speckled, and spotted" young ones.
(Gen. 30:39).
The outcome of Jacob's device is stated in the last verse of Genesis
30: "Andthe man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and
maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses." This intimates
that some little time must have elapsed since our patriarch suggested
(Gen. 30:25) leaving his uncle. Now that prosperity smiled upon him
Jacob was, apparently, well satisfied to remain where he was, for
though Laban was no longer as friendly as hitherto, and though Laban's
sons were openly jealous of him (Gen. 31:1, 2) we hear no more about
Jacob being anxious to depart. But, as we have said, God's time for
him to leave had almost arrived; and so we read, "And the Lord said
unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred;
and I will be with thee." (Gen. 31:3).
God timed this word to Jacob most graciously. The opening verses of
Genesis 31 show there was not a little envy and evilmindedness at work
in the family against him. Not only were Laban's sons murmuring at
Jacob's prosperity, but their father was plainly of the same mind and
bore an unkindly demeanor toward his nephew--"And Jacob beheld the
countenance of Laban, and behold, it was not toward him as before."
The Lord had promised to be with Jacob, and to keep him in all places
whither he went, and he now makes good His word. Like a watchful
friend at hand, He observes his treatment and bids him depart. As
another has well said, "IfJacob had removed from mere personal
resentment, or as stimulated only by a sense of injury, he might have
sinned against God, though not against Laban. But when it was said to
him `Return unto the land of thy fathers and to thy kindred, and I
will be with thee,' his way was plain before him. In all our removals,
it becomes us to act as that we may hope for the Divine presence and
blessing to attend us; else, though we may flee from one trouble, we
shall fall into many, and be less able to endure them." (Andrew
Fuller).
"And the Lord said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers,
and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee." (Gen. 31:3). What a
showing forth of God's wondrous grace was this! In all that is told us
about Jacob during the twenty years he spent at Padan-Aram there was
not a word which intimates he had any dealings with God during that
time. There is no mention of any "altar,"no reference to prayer,
nothing to distinguish him from a thorough worldling. It needs to be
remembered that the "altar" speaks not only of sacrifice but of
communion too. The altar pointed forward to Christ, and it is only in
Him that God and the redeemed sinner meet and commune together. Jacob,
then, had no altar in Padan-Aram because he was out of communion with
Jehovah. "Although God in His faithfulness be with us, we are not
always with Him." (J. N.D.). But if Jacob had forgotten the Lord,
Jehovah had not forgotten him; and now that Jacob begins to be in real
need the Lord spoke the suited word. Yet mark the other side.
Having been warned of God to depart, Jacob sends for his wives into
the field, where he might converse with them freely on the subject,
without danger of being overheard. (See Genesis 31:4-13). The reasons
he names for leaving were partly the treatment of Laban, and partly
the intimations of God--"I see your father's countenance that it is
not toward me as before." Mr. Fuller's practical observations on these
words are so good we cannot refrain from quoting them: "It is wisely
ordered that the countenance should, in most cases, be an index to the
heart; else there would be much more deception in the world than there
is. We gather more of men's disposition toward us from their looks
than their words; and domestic happiness is more influenced by the one
than by the other. Sullen silence is often more intolerable than
contention itself, because the latter, painful as it is, affords
opportunity for mutual explanation. But while Jacob had to complain at
Laban's cloudy countenance he could add, `The God of my father hath
been with me.' God's smiles are the best support under man's frowns;
if we walk in the light of His countenance we need not fear what man
can do unto us."
Having talked the matter over with his wives, and obtained their
consent to accompany him, the next thing was to prepare for their
departure. Had Laban known what was in his nephew's mind there is
reason to fear he would have objected, perhaps have used force to
detain him, or at least deprived him of the greater part of his
possessions. Acting with his usual caution, Jacob waited until Laban
was a three days' journey away from home, absent at a sheep-shearing.
Taking advantage of this, Jacob, accompanied by his wives, his
children, and his flocks, "stole away unawares to Laban." (Gen.
31:20). How little there was of Divine guidance and of faith in
Jehovah in this stealth! Not of him could it be said "For ye shall not
go out with haste, nor by flight; for the Lord will go before you; and
the God of Israel will be your rearward." (Isa. 52:12). That the Holy
Spirit was not here leading is made still more evident by what is told
us in verse 19: "And Rachel had stolen the teraphim that were her
father's." It may be of interest to some of our readers if we here
digress again and contemplate these teraphim in the light of other
scriptures.
Scholars tell us that the word "teraphim" may be traced to a Syrian
root which means "to inquire."^[1] This explains the reason why Rachel
took with her these family "gods" when her husband stole away
surreptitiously from her home--it was to prevent her father from
"inquiring" of these idol "oracles" and thus discovering the direction
in which they had gone. Mark that Laban calls these teraphim his
"gods." (Gen. 31:30). The next reference to the "teraphim" in
Scripture confirms the idea that they were used for oracular
consultation. In Judges 17:5 we read: "And the man Micah had a house
of gods, and made an ephod, and teraphim, and consecrated one of his
sons who became his priest"; next we are told "In those days there was
no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own
eyes" and "Micah consecrated the Levite; and the young man became his
priest, and was in the house of Micah." (Verse 6, 12). Then, in the
chapter that follows, we read of the tribe of Dan seeking an
inheritance to dwell in, and sending out spies to search out the land;
and they came to "the house of Micah (who had the teraphim) and said
to his priest, Ask counsel,we pray thee, of God, that we may know
whether our way which we go shall be prosperous." (Judg. 18:6). That
it was of the "teraphim" they wished him to enquire, and not of the
Lord, is clear from what follows, for when the spies returned to their
tribe and made their report (which was adopted), the tribe on going
forth to secure their inheritance carefully saw to it that Micah's
"priest" with his "graven image, and the ephod, and the teraphim"
accompanied them, so that we are told he became their "priest." (See
Genesis 18:8-20). Next we read in 1 Samuel 19:13: "AndMichal took a
teraphim and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goat's hair for
his bolster, and covered it with a cloth." This scripture not only
reveals the sad fact that Saul's daughter was an idolator and
practiced necromancy, but also intimates that by this time the
"teraphim" were fashioned after the human form--hence Michal's
selection of one of these to appear like the figure of her sleeping
husband.^[2] Ezekiel 21:21 also makes it clear that the "teraphim"
were used for oracular consultation--``The king of Babylon.. consulted
with teraphim." Later scriptures indicate that after Israel had
apostatized from Jehovah they turned to the "teraphim"more and more
"For the teraphim have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a
lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain." (Zech. 10:2).
Hence it was in pronouncing sentence on recreant Israel, God said:
"For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and
without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without a
teraphim."What a terrible analogy to all this we behold in our own
day! Just as in olden time Israel turned from Jehovah to the
"teraphim"of the heathen, so today, now that Christendom has
apostatized, men on all sides are turning away from the Holy
Scriptures which are the Oracles of God, and are giving heed to
seducing spirits and the deceptions of Satan.
That Laban harbored in his home these "teraphim" shows that the
idolatry of Babylonia still clung to his family, notwithstanding he
had some knowledge of the true God. (See Genesis 31:53). Laban appears
to have been a man much after the order of those of whom it is
written: "Theysware by the Lord and by Malehom" (a heathen god).
(Zeph. 1:5). This strange contradiction in Laban's religious life
appears to throw light upon a passage and person that has long puzzled
Bible students. We refer to Balaam. This mysterious prophet seems to
have been a heathen soothsayer, and yet it is evident he also had some
dealings with Jehovah. If Balaam was a descendant of Laban this would
account for this religious anomoly. Now in Numbers 23:7 we learn that
Balaam came from "Aram," which may possibly be identical with
Padan-Aram where Laban dwelt. Balaam prophesied only some 280 years
after Jacob's departure from Laban's home, and may then have been an
old man, at any rate in those days 280 years covered only about two
generations. The Targum of Jonathan on Numbers 27:5, and the Targum on
1 Chronicles 1:44 make Balaam to be Laban himself; and others say he
was the son of Boor, the son of Laban. Bearing in mind that Laban
employed the "teraphim" as his "gods," if Balaam were one of his
descendants then it would explain why he did not utterly disown
Jehovah while yet practicing the abominations of the heathen.
To return to the narrative. It was not long after Jacob's stealthy
departure that Laban heard of what had taken place, and gathering
together what was, no doubt, a considerable force, he immediately set
out in pursuit. But on the night before he overtook Jacob's party, God
appeared to him in a dream, and warned him against even speaking to
Jacob "goodor bad." Thus did Jehovah, once again, make good His
original promise to our patriarch and manifest His preserving Presence
with Jacob. The measure in which Laban respected the word of God is
seen in the charges he brought against Jacob when they met the next
day. We refrain from commenting on the lengthy colloquy between Jacob
and his uncle. Though considerable feeling was evidenced by both
parties, the interview terminated happily, and the final leave-taking
was quite affecting. But it is remarkable that at the close of their
interview each man revealed himself and his true condition of heart.
It is by the seemingly little things that our characters are
shown--"Bythy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou
shalt be condemned." (Matthew 12:37). So it was here. When Jacob took
a stone and" set it up for a pillar" to be a witness of the covenant
made between them (Gen. 31:44-46) Laban called it "Jegar-sahadutha"
which is Chaldean for "heap of witness," thus speaking in the language
of heathendom;whereas, Jacob termed it "Galeed" which was Hebrew for
"heap of witness." Only the true believer can speak the language of
God's people; of the worldling, the godless idolator, it must be said
of him as the maid said of Peter when he was denying his Lord, "Thy
speech betrayeth thee." (Matthew 26:73).
The closing verses of our chapter present briefly another beautiful
typical picture: "Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and
called his brethren to eat bread; and they did eat bread, and tarried
all night in the mount. And early in the morning Laban rose up, and
kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them; and Laban
departed and returned unto his place." First a covenant of peace was
proposed, then it was ratified by a sacrifice, and last it was
commemorated by a feast. So it was in Egypt. God made promise to
Moses, then the lamb was slain, and then the people feasted upon his
roasted flesh. Thus it is with us. God entered into a covenant of
peace before the foundation of the world, in the fullness of time the
great Sacrifice was offered and accepted, and this is now commemorated
at the" feast" of the Lord's Supper. (1 Cor. 5:8). Note, too, it was
not Laban the elder, but Jacob his nephew who "offered sacrifice upon
the mount."
One practical observation on the circumstance of Jacob leaving
Padan-Aram and we conclude. It has been suggested by Dr.
Griffith-Thomas that this incident supplies us with valuable
principles for regulating the believer in his daily life when in doubt
concerning the will of God. How often one is puzzled to know whether
God would have us take a certain course or not. How may I be sure of
God's will concerning some issue which confronts me? An important
question; one that is frequently met with, and one which must find
answer in the Word alone. Surely God has not left us without something
definite for our guidance. Not that we must always look for a passage
of Scripture whose terms are absolutely identical with our own
situation, but rather must we search for some passage which sets forth
some clearly defined principles which are suited to meet our case.
Such indeed we find here in Genesis 31.
Jacob was in a strange land. He had been there for twenty years, yet
he knew he was not to spend the remainder of his days there. God had
assured him he should return to Canaan. How much longer then was he to
tarry at Padan-Aram? When was he to start out for his old home? How
could he be sure when God's time for him to move had arrived? Pressing
questions these. Note how the answer to them is found here in three
things: first, a definite desire sprang up in Jacob's heart to return
home--this is evident from Genesis 30:25. But this in itself was not
sufficient to warrant a move, so Jacob must wait a while longer.
Second, circumstances became such that a move seemed the wise thing;
the jealousy of Laban and his sons made his continued stay there
intolerable. (Gen. 31:1, 2). This was ordered of God who makes all
things "work together" for the good of His own people. But still
something more was needed ere Jacob was justified in leaving. So, in
the third place there was a clear word from God--"TheLord said unto
Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers." (Gen. 31:3).
It is not always that God gives us a manifestation of these three
principles, but whenever they do combine and are evident we may be
sure of His will in any given circumstance. First, a definite
conviction in our hearts that God desires us to take a certain course
or do a certain thing. Second, the path He would have us take being
indicated by outward circumstances, which make it (humanly) possible
or expedient we should do it. Then, third, after definitely waiting on
God for it, some special word from the Scriptures which is suited to
our case and which by the Spirit bringing it manifestly to our notice
(while waiting for guidance) is plainly a message from God to our
individual heart. Thus may we be assured of God's will for us.The most
important thing is to wait on God.Tell Him your perplexity, ask Him to
prevent you from making any mistake, cry earnestly to Him to make
"plain His way before your face" (Ps. 5:8), and then "wait patiently"
till He does so. Remember that "whatsoever is not of faith is sin."
(Rom. 4:23). If you are sincere and patient, and pray in faith, then,
in His own good time and way, He will most certainly answer, either by
removing the conviction or desire from your heart, and arranging your
circumstances in such a manner that your way is blocked--and then you
will know His time for you to move has not arrived--or, by deepening
your conviction, so ordering your circumstances as that the way is
opened up without your doing anything yourself,and by speaking
definitely through His written Word. "Commit thy way unto the Lord,
trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. (Ps. 37:5). The meek
will He guide in judgment; and the meek will He teach His way." (Ps.
25:9). "He that believeth shall not make haste." May writer and reader
be permitted by Divine grace to enjoy that blessed peace that comes
from knowing we are in the will that "goodand perfect and acceptable
will" --of God.
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] Probably the name "teraphim" was originally a corruption of
cherubim.
[2] This one must have been much larger than those which Rachael
concealed under her saddle.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
33. Jacob At Mahanaim
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Genesis 32
In our last chapter we contemplated Jacob, in obedience to the word of
the Lord who bade him "return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy
kindred, and I will be with thee" (Gen. 31:3), as then leaving
Padan-Aram and starting out for Canaan. We also paid some attention to
Laban's pursuit of our patriarch, and of the affectionate leave-taking
which eventually ensued. Here we are to consider another important
incident which befell Jacob by the way. "And Jacob went on his way,
and the angels of God met him." (Gen. 32:1). Jacob was now in the path
of obedience and therefore God favored him with another revelation to
strengthen his faith and inspire him with courage for what lay before
him--the meeting with Esau and his four hundred men. While in the path
of obedience we must expect to encounter that which will test our
faith, and not the least of such trials will be that to all outward
appearances God Himself is against us; yet as we start out along any
path He has appointed, God in His grace, usually encourages us with a
plain revelation from Himself, a token of His approval, a strengthener
to faith; and at the end we find the path of the just is as the
shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. So it
proved with Jacob.
"And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him." The word
"met" here suggests a beautiful thought. It is not that the angels
"appeared" to him, but they "met" him. Jacob is returning from his
long exile, returning to the land given to his fathers (and later to
himself) by Jehovah. These angels then came forward to greet him, as
it were. God sent these messengers of His in advance to welcome his
servant home, and to express to him His goodwill. On his journey out
from Canaan to Padan-Aram the Lord Himself met Jacob and gave him a
vision of the angels; and here, now that he is on his way back from
Padan-Aram to Canaan, the angels met him, followed immediately
afterwards by the Lord appearing to him.
"And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. And when
Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host; and he called the name of
that place Mahanaim," (Gen. 32:1, 2). Once again we note how timely
are God's interventions. Jacob had just escaped from one company of
his enemies (Laban and his brethren--Genesis 31:22, 23), and another
was now advancing to meet him, namely, Esau with his four hundred men.
But at this juncture God's host made its appearance, as though to show
him to whom he owed his recent escape, and as if to further assure him
that He who had delivered, did deliver, and he might safely trust
would deliver him. It is to be remarked that the angels (Gen. 32:1)
which appeared on this occasion were termed by Jacob "God's host" in
the singular number, but from the name which Jacob gave to the place
Mahanaim--it is evident they were divided into two companies, for
Mahanaim signifies two hosts.It would seem, then, there was one host
of these "angels" of God, but divided into two companies, probably
encompassing him both before and behind. Was not this God's provision
for the two hosts of Jacob's adversaries, which at the same time, and
no doubt with the same violent designs, were coming against him! The
one had already been sent back without striking a blow (Laban and his
company), and the other should yet also be. While this was not
expressly revealed to Jacob, nevertheless, this host of angels before
him, as well as the one behind, was most evidently a comforting
assurance from God that He was with His child and would preserve him
whithersoever he went. How it reminds us of the experience of the
Children of Israel in the wilderness, centuries later, when the Pillar
of Cloud went before them by day, and the Pillar of Fire protected
their rear by night.
"And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau, his brother, unto the
land of Self, the country of Edom. And he commanded them, saying, Thus
shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have
sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now; and I have oxen, and
asses, flocks, and men-servants, and women-servants; and I have sent
to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight." (Gen. 32:3-5).
As yet Jacob had heard nothing of his brother Esau, save that he was
now settled in the land of Seir; but recalling the past, remembering
the angry threat of the man, he was plainly apprehensive of the
consequences of meeting him again. He, therefore, decided to send
messengers before him. much as an army which is marching through an
enemy's country sends on spies in advance. These messengers were
evidently instructed to sound Esau (for they returned to Jacob with
their report), and if needs be to appease his anger. These messengers
were carefully instructed what they should say to Esau, how they
should conduct themselves in his presence, and the impression they
must aim to make upon him--all designed to conciliate. While they were
coached to say nothing but what was strictly true, nevertheless, the
craftiness of Jacob comes out plainly in the words he puts into the
mouths of his messengers:
"Andhe commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau;
Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and staved
there until now; and I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and men servants,
and women servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find
grace in thy sight." (Gen. 32:4, 5). Jacob does not insist on the
fulfillment of the blessing which he had obtained from his father.
Isaac had said, "Be lord over thy brother, and let thy mother's sons
bow down to thee."But here Jacob refuses to press the claim of his
precedency, and instead of requiring that Esau should "bowdown" unto
him, he refers to Esau as "his lord" and takes the place of a
servant"! Note, too, nothing is said of the reason why he had fled to
Padan-Aram--all reference to his outwitting of Esau is carefully
passed over--instead, he naively says, "I have sojourned (not found
refuge) with Laban, and stayed there until now," Once again be it
remarked, Jacob would have Esau plainly to understand that he had not
come to claim the double portion,nor even to seek a division of their
father's inheritance--he had no need for this, for God had given him
plenty of this world's goods. How plainly the native shrewdness of our
patriarch comes out in all this needs not be argued.
"And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother
Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him."
(Gen. 32:6). It would seem from the sequel that the messengers sent
out by Jacob never delivered their message, but only went far enough
to discover that Esau was advancing toward them accompanied by four
hundred men--to them, no doubt, with hostile intentions. It must have
come upon Jacob as a terrible shock to learn that his brother was
already acquainted with his movements. It could only be about a
fortnight at most since Jacob had left his uncle's farm, and as his
journey had been conducted with all possible secrecy (in order to
escape from Laban), how could Esau have learned of it at all? Was his
thirst for revenge upon his brother so great that he had had him
watched all these years? Was there some spy of his in the employ of
Laban, who had now secretly communicated with Esau? Someone must have
informed him, and the fact that Esau was now advancing upon him was
disquieting news indeed. "Then Jacob was greatly afraid and
distressed" (Gen. 32:7)--a guilty conscience needs no accusing.
"Andhe divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and
herds, and the camels, into two bands; and said, If Esau come to the
one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall
escape." (Gen. 32:7, 8).
There seemed no time to be lost, so Jacob acted promptly, and with
accustomed shrewdness. First he divided his people and his flocks into
two bands, so that if Esau came up with one and smote it, the other at
least might escape. Second he betook himself to prayer. Ere condemning
Jacob here, let us examine our own hearts and remember our own ways.
How often we come to God only as a last resort!How often we scheme and
plan, and not until afterwards do we cry unto God. Alas, how often we
act on the principles of that God-dishonoring proverb that "God helps
those who help themselves"--as though anybody was sufficient to "help
himself" without God first helping him! The truth is rather, and how
blessed, that God is ever ready to help those who have learned by sad
experience that they are quite unable to "help themselves." His
promise is "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no
might He increaseth strength." (Isa. 40:29).
There is not a little in the prayer of Jacob which is worthy of close
attention, the more so as it was a prevailing prayer, and that it is
the first recorded real prayer in the Bible. "And Jacob said, O God of
my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which saidst
unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal
well with thee; I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and
of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant; for with my
staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.
Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of
Esau; for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother
with the children. And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and
make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for
multitude." (Gen. 32:9-12).
First the God to whom he prayed. He approached God not merely as God
the Creator, but as "the God of his father Abraham and the God of his
father Isaac." It was God in Covenant relationship.This was laying
hold of the Divine faithfulness; it was the prayer of faith. It means
much to approach God thus; to appeal to Him on the ground of a sure
and established relationship. We come before God not as the God of our
forefathers, but as the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, and
therefore our "God and Father." It is as we plead this relationship He
is pleased to bless us.
Second, Jacob cast himself on the sure Word of Jehovah,pleading before
Him His promise. He humbly reminded the Lord how He had said, "Return
unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee."
Here again we do well to learn from Jacob. The Scriptures contain many
promises given to believers in general, and it is our individual
privilege to plead them before God in particular, the more so when,
like our patriarch, we encounter difficulties and opposition in the
way wherein He has directed us to walk. Jacob pleaded a definite
promise; so must we. In 2 Corinthians 12:9 we read, "My grace is
sufficient for thee." Come to the Throne of Grace at the beginning of
each day, reverently and believingly remind the Lord of this
declaration of His, and then say with one of old, "Do as Thou hast
said." (2 Sam. 7:25). Again, we read in Philippians 4:19, "My God
shall supply all your need." Tell the Lord of this in the hour of
emergency, and say, Lord "Do as Thou hast said."
Third, Jacob fully acknowledged his own utter lack of desert.He
confessed that the Lord was in no wise his debtor. He took a lowly
place before the Most High. He owned that "he was not worthy of the
least of all God's mercies." Mark this well, dear reader, for very
little teaching is heard in these days that leads to self-abasement.
It has become a rarity to hear a saint of God confessing his
unworthiness. There is so much said about living on a high plane of
spirituality, so much Laodicean boasting, that many are afraid to
acknowledge before other believers that they are "not worthy of the
least of God's mercies." One sometimes wonders if this is the chief
reason why so few of us have any real power in prayer today. Certain
it is that we must get down into the dust before God if we would
receive His blessing. We must come before Him as empty-handed
supplicants, if He is to fill us. We must own our ill deserts, and be
ready to receive from Him on the ground of grace alone if we are to
have our prayers answered.
Finally, notice the motive which actuated Jacob in presenting the
petition he did. That for which he made request was expressed as
follows: "Deliverme, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from
the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and
the mother with the children." At first glance it would appear that
our patriarch was moved by nothing higher than the natural affections
of the human heart. It would seem that this was the petition of a kind
husband and a tender father. But as we re-read this request of Jacob
in the light of the closing words of his prayer, we shall discover he
was prompted by a far worthier and higher motive. He at once added
"And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the
sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude." In this
conclusion to the prayer we may see not only a further pleading of
God's promise, but an eye to God's glory.Jehovah had promised to make
Jacob's seed as the sand of the sea, but if his wife and children were
slain how then could God's promise be fulfilled! Now it is natural,
and by no means wrong, for us to be deeply concerned over the
salvation of our loved ones; but our chief concern must center itself
not in the well-being of those who are united to us by the ties of
blood or intimate friendship, but for the glory of God."Whatsoever ye
do (in prayer, as in everything else) do all to the glory of God"--to
this everything else must be subordinated. Here, then, is a searching
test: Why am I so anxious to see certain ones saved?--simply because
they are near and dear to me f or that God may be glorified and Christ
magnified in their salvation? May Divine grace purge us of selfishness
and purify our motives in prayer. And may God use these few words and
cause both writer and reader to cry, with ever increasing fervor,
"Lord, teach us to pray."
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
34. Jacob At Peniel
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 32
In our last chapter we contemplated Jacob as he continued on his way
home from Padan-Aram where he had lived as an exile for so long. As
Jacob went on his way "the angels of God met him," apparently in two
distinct companies or "hosts," probably one of them to his rear and
the other before him. It was suggested that there was a symbolic
meaning to this ordering of the angels; that as God had just delivered
our patriarch from Laban and his company, who were now left behind, so
would he deliver him from Esau and his company which were ahead of
him. After the angels had disappeared, Jacob sent out messengers to
meet Esau, to pacify him with friendly overtures, and thus prepare for
their meeting. Shortly afterwards these messengers returned to Jacob
bringing with them the discomforting news that Esau was advancing,
accompanied by no less than four hundred men. Jacob was "greatly
afraid and distressed," and after dividing his party and possessions
into two bands, he at once betook himself to earnest prayer. We
considered this prayer at some length, and sought to point out some of
its striking and suggestive features. It was a prayer of faith, and
one which, in its general principles, we do well to copy.
What followed Jacob's prayer is now to engage our attention. A
striking contrast is immediately presented to our notice, a contrast
which seems unthinkable but for the sad fact that it is so often
repeated in our own experiences. Jacob at once turns from the exercise
of faith to the manifestation of unbelief, from prayer to scheming,
from God to his own fleshly devises. "And he lodged there that same
night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his
brother." (Gen. 32:13).
There was nothing inherently wrong in thus sending a present to his
advancing brother; it was the motive which actuated him which is
censurable, and which is "written for our admonition."(1 Cor. 10:11).
In the verses which follow the Holy Spirit lays bare for us the heart
of Jacob, that we may the better become acquainted with our own
deceitful and wicked hearts. Had Jacob's motive been a righteous and
praiseworthy one there was no need for him to have been at so much
care and trouble in arranging his present for Esau. First he divided
his extravagant present into three parts, or droves (for it consisted
of cattle), putting a space between each and thus spreading them out
to the best advantage, with the obvious intention of making as great
an impression as possible upon his brother. Next, he commanded the
servants who were entrusted with the care of his present, that when
they should meet Esau and he inquired who these flocks and herds
belonged to, they should say, "these be thy servant's Jacob's; it is a
present sent unto my lord Esau." Clearly, the message which Jacob sent
to Esau was utterly beneath the dignity of a child of God; such
fawning phrases as "mylord Esau" and "thy servant Jacob" tell their
own sad tale. This obsequious servility before a man of the world
evidenced the state of his heart. Clearly, Jacob was afraid of Esau,
and was no longer exercising confidence in God. Finally, Jacob's real
design is made still more evident when we note his own
soliloquizing--"For he said I will appease him with the present that
goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; preadventure he
will accept of me." (Gen. 32:20).
Instead of trusting in the Lord to work in him a spirit of
conciliation, he undertook himself to propitiate Esau--"I" will
appease him. But mark carefully, dear reader, that after all his
scheming and devising he could say only "peradventure he will accept
of me!" So it is still; after all our fleshly efforts have been put
forth there is no confidence begotten thereby, nothing but an
uncertain "peradventure"for our pains. How different from the way of
faith, and the calm but certain assurance which is the blessed fruit
of resting on the Divine promise and trusting God to undertake for us?
Ere proceeding further we would pause to consider a pertinent and
pressing question which naturally arises out of what we have seen
above: How was it possible for Jacob to turn to fleshly scheming and
efforts of his own to appease Esau when just before he had prayer with
such earnestness? to God, and had not failed to plead the Divine
promises? Was Jacob after all an unbeliever? Surely not--God's
dealings with him previously dispel the idea. Had he then "fallen from
grace" and become an unbeliever? And again we must reject any such
suggestion, for the Scriptures are plain and explicit on the point
that one who has been born again cannot be unborn--an unfaithful and
unworthy child of God I may be, but I am still His child,nevertheless.
The gifts and calling of God are "without repentance"--"without change
of mind." (Rom. 11:29). Once a sinner has been called out of darkness
into God's marvelous light, and once God has given to him light and
salvation, he never undoes that calling or withdraws His gift, for the
sinner did nothing whatever of himself to merit God's gift, and he can
do nothing to demerit it. The basis on which God bestows His gifts is
not that of works and human desert, but that of sovereign grace alone.
This does not argue that we shall therefore be careless and free to
sin as much as we want, for that would only go to prove that we had
never received God's "gift" of salvation; rather shall we become more
careful and have a greater hatred of sin, not because we are afraid of
the consequences of wrong doing, but because we are desirous of
showing our deep gratitude to God, by a life which is pleasing to Him,
in return for His abounding mercy and goodness to us.
But this still leaves unanswered our question concerning Jacob. Jacob
was a believer in God--a careful study of his prayer as recorded in
Genesis 32:9-12 evidences that. But though Jacob was a believer there
still remained the "flesh," the old evil nature in him. And to this he
gave way. The flesh is ever unbelieving, and where it is not
constantly judged breaks forth in God-dishonoring activities. The
clearest exemplification and demonstration of the two natures in the
believer is to be seen in the history of Jacob recorded faithfully by
the Holy Spirit not for our emulation but for our "warning." The same
two natures are in every child of God today, the spiritual and the
carnal, the one which believes God and the other which disbelieves. It
is because of this we need to cry daily, "Lord, I believe; help Thou
mine unbelief." (Mark 9:24).
"So went the present over before him; and himself lodged that night in
the company. And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and
his two women-servants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford
Jabbok. And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over
that he had. And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with
him until the breaking of the day." (Gen. 32:21-24). This passage
introduces us to a most important crisis in the life of Jacob. The
book of Genesis presents our patriarch in two characters, as he is
exhibited to us as Jacob and as Israel; the one looking at the natural
man, and the other at the spiritual man, the one telling of how Divine
grace found him and the other of what Divine grace made him--this will
become clearer as we continue these studies, if the Lord will. We are
now to consider the memorable occasion when Jacob formally received
his new name of Israel, when he who was rightly termed "thesupplanter"
became known as "God commands."
The circumstances under which Jacob formally received his new name are
worthy of the closest attention. He was, as we have seen, in great
distress. News had come to hand that Esau, accompanied by four hundred
men, was on the way to meet him. That for which he had labored so hard
and so long to obtain in Padan-Aram seemed about to be wrested from
his hands; his wives and his children appeared to be in imminent
danger, and his own life in peril. As a precautionary measure he had
sent his family over the brook Jabbok,^[1] and now he was left alone
more desolate than when twenty years before he had left his father's
house. Night had fallen, when suddenly a mysterious stranger appeared,
and in the darkness grappled with him. All through the night this
strange conflict continued.
"And Jacob was left alone." In this sentence we have the first key to
the incident we are now considering. On these words it has been well
said, "Tobe left alone with God is the only true way of arriving at a
just knowledge of ourselves and our ways. We can never get a true
estimate of nature and all its actings until we have weighed them in
the balances of the sanctuary, and there we may ascertain their real
worth. No matter what we may think about ourselves, nor yet what man
may think about us, the great question is, What does God think about
us? And the answer to this question can only be learned when we are
`left alone.' Away from the world, away from self, away from all the
thoughts, reasonings, imaginings, and emotions of mere nature, and
`alone with God,'--thus, and thus alone, can we get a correct judgment
about ourselves." (C. H. M).
"And there wrestled a man with him." In Hosea 12:4 this "man" is
termed "the angel"; that is, we take it; "the Angel of the Covenant,"
or, in other words, the Lord Jesus Himself in theophanic
manifestation. It was the same One who appeared unto Abraham just
before the destruction of Sodom. In Genesis 18:2 we read of "three
men," but later in the chapter one of them is spoken of as" the Lord."
(Gen. 5:13). So here in Genesis 32, at the close of the conflict
between this "Man" and our patriarch, Jacob called the name of the
place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face." (Gen.
32:30).
"And there wrestled a Man with him."Note we are not told that Jacob
wrestled with the mysterious Visitor, but "there wrestled a Man with
him," that is, with Jacob. This incident has often been referred to as
an illustration and example of a saint's power in prayer, but such a
thought is wide of the mark. Jacob was not wrestling with this Man to
obtain a blessing, instead, the Man was wrestling with Jacob to gain
some object from him. As to what this object is the best of the
commentators are agreed--it was to reduce Jacob to a sense of his
nothingness, to cause him to see what a poor, helpless and worthless
creature he was; it was to teach us through him the all important
lesson that in recognized weakness lies our strength.
"And there wrestled a Man with him till the breaking of the day."From
dark till dawn the mysterious conflict continued. There are those who
have taken exception to the view set forth above, and who argue that
if it was God who was wrestling with Jacob for the purpose of bringing
him to a sense of his impotency He would have taken a shorter cut and
arrived at the designed end much quicker. But such an objection loses
sight of the wondrous patience which God ever exercises toward His
own. He is "long suffering to usward." Long does He bear with our
fleshly struggling, but in the end He accomplishes His purpose and
grace triumphs. The delay only serves to provide opportunity for Him
to display His infinite forbearance.
"And when He saw that He prevailed not against him, He touched the
hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint
as He wrestled with him." This shows us how quickly and how easily God
could, when it so pleased Him, bring to an end Jacob's resistance and
reduce him to helplessness; all He had to do was but to "touch the
hollow of his thigh," and in a moment Jacob's power to continue
wrestling was gone! And here we get the second key to the incident.
Jacob was now brought to the end of his own resources. One swift
stroke from the Divine hand and he was rendered utterly powerless. And
this is the purpose God has before Him in His dealings with us. One of
the principal designs of our gracious heavenly Father in the ordering
of our path, in the appointing of our testings and trials, in the
discipline of His love, is to bring us to the end of ourselves, to
show us our own powerlessness, to teach us to have no confidence in
the flesh, that His strength may be perfected in our conscious and
realized weakness.
"And He said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not
let thee go, except thou bless me." (Gen. 32:26). Here is the third
key which unlocks to us the precious contents of our narrative. Here
we see the object of the Heavenly Wrestler accomplished. No longer
could Jacob wrestle; all he could do was cling. The mysterious
Stranger brought Jacob to the point where he had to lean his entire
weight on Him! Hitherto Jacob had sought to order his own life,
planning, scheming and devising; but now he was "left alone" he is
shown what a perfectly helpless creature he was in himself. "The seat
of his strength being touched, he learnt to say, `I will not let Thee
go'--`other refuge have I none; clings my helpless soul to Thee.' This
was a new era in the history of the supplanting, planning, Jacob. Up
to this point he had held fast by his own ways and means, but now he
is brought to say `I will not let thee go.'" But mark carefully, it
was not until "the hollow of his thigh was touched" that Jacob said
this; and, it is not until we fully realize our own helplessness and
nothingness that we are brought to cling to God and really seek His
blessing, for note, not only did Jacob say "I will not let Thee go,"
but he added "except Thou bless me."
"And He said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And He
said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for as a
prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed."
(Gen. Genesis 32:27, 28). We cannot but feel that these verses have
been generally misunderstood by most of the commentators. Why should
the Divine Wrestler ask our patriarch his name, if not to emphasize
and press upon the conscience of Jacob the force of it, namely,
supplanter or contender. And in the new name here given him, it seems
to us Jacob received a rebuke,though its meaning also well sums up the
central teaching of this incident which describes the occasion when he
received it. But what is the significance of "Israel," his new name?
The marginal reading of the R. V. gives "God striveth" which we
believe conveys the real thought, though, "God commandeth"would
probably be a happier alternative. One who was a profound Hebrew
scholar tells us that "names compounded with `El' have that of the
nominative when the other part of the name is a verb as here. Out of
some forty Hebrew names compounded with `El' or `Jah,' God is always
the Doer of what the verb means. Thus, Hiel=God liveth; Daniel=God
judgeth; Gabriel=God is my strength." Israel would, therefore, be "God
commandeth." Does not this furnish a most appropriate significance to
the name of the Nation which were and will be again the center of
God's governmental dealings on earth--Israel, "God commandeth!"
"AndHe said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for
as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast
prevailed." (Gen. 32:28). "As a prince"--as a deposer, orderer (see
the various renderings of the Hebrew word: rendered "ruler"
thirty-three times); used not to dignify but to reproach. "Hast thou
power"--hastthou contended (the Hebrew cognate is translated
"rebellion," "revolt," etc).; Jacob had contended with Esau in the
womb and thus got his name "Jacob."And long had Jacob, "the orderer"
of his life contended "withGod and with men." "And hast prevailed"or
succeeded. To quote from the Companion Bible: "Hehad contended for the
birthright and had succeeded. (Gen. 25:29-34). He had contended for
the blessing and succeeded. (27). He had contended with Laban and
succeeded. (31). He had contended with `men' and succeeded. Now he
contended with God (the Wrestler), and fails. Hence his new name was
changed to Israel, God commands,to teach him the greatly needed lesson
of dependence upon God." Jacob had arranged everything for meeting and
appeasing his brother Esau. Now, God is going to take him in hand and
order all things for him. To learn this lesson, and take this low
place before God, Jacob must be humbled. He must be lamed as to his
own strength, and made to limp. Jacob's new name was to be henceforth
the constant reminder to him that he had learned, and was never to
forget this lesson; that it was not he who was to order and arrange
his affairs, but God; and his new name,Israel, henceforth to be, him,
that "God commandeth." As Jacob he had" prevailed," but now as Israel
God would command and prevail.
In the above incident then--together with its setting and sequel--we
have a most striking and typical picture of the "flesh" in a believer,
its vitality and incurability, God's marvelous forbearance toward it
and dealings with it and victory over it. First, in choosing and
arranging the present for Esau we see the character and activities of
the "flesh"--devising and scheming. Second, in Jacob's experience we
are shown the worthlessness and helplessness of the "flesh." Third, we
learn that our nothingness can be discovered only as we get "alone"
with God. Fourth, in the Man coming to wrestle with Jacob we see God
subduing the "flesh" in the believer, and in the prolongation of the
wrestle all through the night we have more than a hint of the patience
He exercises and the slowness of His process--for only gradually is
the "flesh" subdued. Fifth, in the touching of the hollow of Jacob's
thigh we are enabled to discern the method God pursues, namely, the
bringing us to a vivid realization of our utter helplessness. Sixth,
in the clinging of Jacob to the God-man we discover that it is not
until He has written the sentence of death on our members that we
shall cast ourselves unreservedly on the Lord. Seventh, in the fact
that Jacob's name was now changed to Israel we learn that it is only
after we have discovered our nothingness and helplessness that we are
willing and ready forGod to command and order our lives for us.
Eighth, in the words, "and He blessed him there,"we learn that when
God "commands'' blessing follows. Ninth, behold the lovely
sequel--"And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him."(Gen.
32:31). Does not this define or rather describe (symbolically) the
spiritual nature of the "blessing!" Tenth, note how accurate is the
picture--"The sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.
Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank,
which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day; because He
touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank."(Gen.
32:31, 32). The sinew only "shrank," it was not removed.Nor is the
"flesh" eradicated from the believer!
Many are the important lessons taught in the Scripture we have been
examining, but for lack of space we can but barely name some of them:
(1) It is natural to the "flesh" to plan and scheme and to desire the
ordering of our lives. (2) The mind of the flesh deems itself fully
competent to order our life. (3) But God in His faithfulness and love
determines to correct this habit in His child. (4) Long does He bear
with our self-confidence and self-sufficiency, but He must and will
bring us to the end of ourselves. (5) To accomplish this He lays His
hand on us,and makes us conscious of our utter helplessness. (6) This
He does by "withering'' us in the seat of our creature strength, and
by writing the sentence of death on our flesh. (7) As the result we
learn to cling to Him in our weakness, and seek His "blessing." (8)
What a lesson is this! The "flesh" cannot be subdued, but must be
"withered" in the very sinew of its power--"because the carnal mind is
enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither
indeed can be." (9) That which hinders us in our growth in grace is
not so much our spiritual weakness as it is confidence in our natural
strength! (10) Not until these truths are apprehended shall we cease
to be "contenders," and shall we gladly take our place as clay in the
hands of the Potter, happy for Him to "command"and order our lives for
us. (11) Then will it be with us, as with Jacob--"And He blessed him
there." (12) And so will the sequel, too, prove true of us--"The sun
rose upon him," for" the path of the just shineth more and more unto
the perfect day."
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] Jabbok signifies "emptying"--appropriate name, for it emphasizes
the fact that Jacob was "left alone."
_________________________________________________________________
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
35. Jacob Meeting Esau
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 33
"AndJacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and
with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and
unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids. And he put the handmaids and
their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel
and Joseph hindermost. And he passed over before them, and bowed
himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother"
(Gen. 33:1-3). Here again we meet with one of those strange and sudden
transitions in this living narrative of our patriarch's history. Truth
is stranger than fiction, it is said, and no doubt this is so, but
certainly truth is more accurate than fiction. In the Epistle of James
the one who is a hearer of the Word and not a doer is said to be "like
unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass" (Jam. 1:24). There
is no other book in the whole range and realm of literature which so
marvelously uncovers the innermost recesses of the human heart, and so
faithfully delineates its workings. In the biographical portions of
Scripture the Holy Spirit, as everywhere, paints human nature in the
colors of truth. An uninspired writer would have followed Jacob's
wondrous experience at Peniel by a walk which was henceforth flawless.
But not so the Holy Spirit. He has recorded just what did happen, and
shows us Jacob distrusting God and yielding to the fear of man. Thus
it is all through. Abraham in faith-obedience to the call of God went
out "not knowing whither he went," but after his arrival in Canaan,
when a famine arose, he seeks refuge in Egypt. Elijah displays
unexampled courage on Mr. Carmel, as alone he confronted the four
hundred priests of Baal; but the next we hear of him he is fleeing
from Jezebel! David dares to meet Goliath, but later, he runs away
from Saul And thus we have recorded the sad inconsistencies of the
noblest of God's saints. So it was again here with Jacob: what a
change from clinging to the Divine Wrestler to prostrating himself
before Esau!
There is a lesson and warning for each of us here which we do well to
take to heart. It is one thing to be privileged with a special
visitation from or manifestation of God to us, but it is quite another
to live in the power of it. Jacob's experience at this point reminds
us of the favored disciples who were with Christ in "the holy mount."
They were deeply impressed with what they saw and heard, and Peter,
acting as spokesman, said, "Lord, it is good for us to be here." But
observe the sequel. Next day a father brought his lunatic son to the
disciples, but "they could not cure him," (Luke) and when they asked
the Lord the cause of their failure He said, "Because of your
unbelief."Is not the juxtaposition of these two scenes--the
Transfiguration witnessed by the disciples, and their failure in the
presence of need--intended to teach us the lesson that unless faith
remains active we shall cease to live in the power of the Vision of
Glory. Such is also the lesson we learn from Jacob's failure following
immediately the visitation from God from Peniel. Ah, there was but One
who could say "I do always those things that please Him." (John 8:29).
Let us mark for our instruction just wherein Jacob failed. He failed
to use in faith the blessedness of his new name. The lessons which the
all-night wrestle ought to have taught him were the worthlessness and
futility of all his own efforts; that instead of putting confidence in
the flesh, he needed to cling to God; and in the new name he
received--Israel, God commands--he should have learned that God is the
Orderer of our lives and can well be trusted to undertake for us at
every point. But O, how slow we are to appropriate and live in the
blessedness of the meaning of the new names which God has given us
"Saint!" "Son!" "Heir!"How little we live our daily lives under the
comfort, the inspiration, the strength, the elevation, which such
titles ought to bring to us and produce from us. Instead of trusting
God to manage Esau for him Jacob at once resorts to his old devisings
and subtleties.
Hardly had Jacob passed over the brook Jabbok and regained his family
when, lifting up his eyes, he beheld his brother approaching
accompanied by four hundred men. To flee was impossible; so at once he
took whatever precautionary measures were possible under the
circumstances. He had just sufficient time before Esau came up to
arrange his family, placing his different children with their
respective mothers, and putting those in the rear that he had the most
love for. This shows that though outwardly he appeared to treat Esau
with confidence, nevertheless, he was secretly afraid of him. He was
obliged, however, to put the best face he could upon it, and goes out
at the head of his company to meet his brother--"And he passed over
before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he
came near to his brother." This betokened the fact that Jacob was
ready to take the place of complete submission to his elder brother.
His action reveals plainly the real state of Jacob's heart, he was
anxious to impress upon Esau that he intended to make no claim of
preeminence but rather was willing to be subordinate to him. This will
be even more apparent when we attend to the words he used on this
occasion.
"And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and
kissed him" (Gen. 33:4). It seems to us that most of the commentators
have missed the point of this. Instead of discovering here the power,
goodness, and faithfulness of God, they see only the magnanimity of
Esau. Personally we have no doubt that had Esau been left to himself
his reception of his erring brother would have been very different
from what it was. But he was not left to himself. Jacob had prayed
earnestly to God and had pleaded His promise. And now, He in whose
hands is the king's heart and who "turneth it whithersoever He will"
(Prov. 21:1), inclined the fierce and envious heart of Esau to deal
kindly with Jacob. Mark it: and he "fell on his neck and kissed him!"
Is not the hand of God further to be seen in the fact that Jacob's
wives and children all uniformly "bowed" too, to Esau--"Then the
handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed
themselves. And Leah also with her children came near, and bowed
themselves; and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed
themselves" (Gen. 33:6-7).
"And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he
said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord" (Gen. 33:8).
Esau desired to know the meaning of those droves of cattle which had
been sent on to him earlier as a present. Jacob's answer is quite
frank, but it shows what it was in which he placed his confidence he
was depending on his present, rather than upon God, to conciliate his
brother. Note, too, as in verse 5 he had spoken of himself to his
brother as "thy servant,"so here, he terms Esau "my lord." Such
obsequious cringing ill-became a child of God in the presence of a man
of the world. The excessive deference shown to the brother he had
wronged evidenced a servile fear: the fawning obloquy was manifestly
designed to imply that he was fully prepared to acknowledge Esau's
seniority and superiority.
"And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto
thyself" (Gen. 33:9). Whether we are to admire these words of Esau or
not is not easy to determine. They may have been the language of
independency, or they may, which is more likely, have expressed the
generosity of his heart. Esau was no pauper; in any case, no such
present from Jacob was needed to heal the breach between them. Such
was the plain implication of Esau's words, and in them we are shown
the futility and needlessness of Jacob's scheming. Jacob had devoted
much thought to the problem how he could best propitiate the brother
whose anger he feared, and had gone to much expense and trouble to
this end. But it accomplished nothing! It was all labor lost as the
sequel shows. God had "appeased" Esau, just as before He had quietened
Laban! How much better then had Jacob just been "still" and trusted in
the Lord to act for him. Let us seek grace to learn this important
lesson, that not only are all our fleshly plannings and efforts
dishonoring to God, and that they are quite uncalled for and
unnecessary, but also that in the end God sets them aside as they
accomplish NOTHING.
Jacob was not satisfied with the generous words of his brother, and
proceeded to press his present upon him, urging him to receive it as a
token of good-will. "And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have
found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand; for
therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God,
and thou wast pleased with me" (v. 10). The receiving of a present at
the hands of another has always been regarded as a pledge of amity and
good-will. None will receive a present from the hand of an enemy. The
same principle underlies God's dealings with us. He will receive no
offering from His sinful creatures until they are reconciled to Him by
faith in the Atonement of His Son. Let the reader make no mistake upon
this score. The Lord God will receive nothing from your hands until
you have first received from His hands, received the Savior which His
love has provided for sinners. Many there are who suppose they must
first bring something to God in order to win His favor. But no matter
how beautiful their offering may be, no matter what self-sacrifice it
has entailed, if Christ is still rejected God will not accept it. To
offer God your own works while continuing to despise Christ is but to
insult Him and to walk in the way of Cain. The teaching of Scripture
on this point is most emphatic--"The sacrifice of the wicked is an
abomination to the Lord" (Prov. 15:8).
Jacob continues to press his suit. To have his present accepted would
be proof to him that his brother no longer bore him any ill-will.
Hence, he continues to assure him how highly his favor was regarded,
yea, to have seen his face, was, he says, "as though I had seen the
face of God." Finally, he adds "take, I pray thee, my blessing that is
brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and
because I have enough" (v. 11). In the end, he prevailed upon Esau to
accept his present--"And he urged him, and he took it."
"And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go
before thee. And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children
are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me; and if
men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die. Let my
lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant; and I will lead on
softly; according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children
be able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir" (Gen.
33:12-14). If there can be any question raised as to Jacob's secret
fears when he met his brother, what we read of in these verses surely
settles the point. The old Jacob is here very evident. Now that his
brother had accepted his present, he was only too anxious for them to
separate again. Esau suggests they resume the journey in each other's
company. But this was not what Jacob wanted. Old memories might revive
in Esau's mind, and when that time came Jacob wished to be far away.
However, he could not afford to offend his brother, so Jacob, at once,
begins to frame excuses as to why they should journey separately. Then
Esau suggested that some of his own company should stay behind with
Jacob--"And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk
that are with me." This was probably to afford protection for Jacob
and his herds while passing through a wild and dangerous country. But
Jacob seems to have suspected some unfriendly design lay behind Esau's
offer, and so he declined it--"What needeth it? Let me find grace in
the sight of my lord."
The sequel is indeed a sad and humbling one. Not only was Jacob
distrustful of his brother but he lied unto him. Jacob had said "let
my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant . . . until I come
unto my lord unto Seir" (v. 14). But after Esau had taken his
departure we read, "And Jacob journeyed to Succoth and built him a
house, and made booths for his cattle." (v. 17). Instead of making for
Self, the appointed meeting-place, he journeyed in another direction
entirely. Even after the unexpected cordiality which Esau had
displayed, Jacob would not believe that God had permanently subdued
his brother's enmity; therefore did he mistrust Esau, refusing his
offer of protection, and sought to avoid another meeting by a
deliberate untruth. Alas, what is man! How true it is "that every man
at his best state is altogether vanity" (Ps. 39:5).
Jacob's unbelief explains why his journey back to the Land was
delayed, for instead of pressing on home he settled down in Succoth.
Not only so, but we are told that "Jacob came to Shalem, a city of
Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan-Aram;
and pitched his tent before the city. And he bought a parcel of a
field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of
Hamor, Shechem's father, for a hundred pieces of money" (Gen.
33:18-19). And this in the very face of God's word "return unto the
land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred, and I will be with thee"
(Gen. 31:3). But he had to pay a dear price for his unbelief and
disobedience. Divine retribution did not sleep. We have only to read
what happened to his family while Jacob abode at Shechem to discover
how, once more, Jacob was called upon to reap that which he had
sown--Jacob's sojourn in Succoth was followed by the ruining of his
only daughter!
Little light seems to have been given as yet upon the closing verse of
our chapter--"And he erected there an altar, and called it God the God
of Israel" (Gen. 33:20). That this was an act of faith on the part of
Jacob cannot be doubted, but as to how high his faith rose the best of
the expositors are not agreed. When Jacob denominated this altar "God
the God of Israel" was he losing sight of Jehovah's covenant
relationship with Abraham and his seed, and thinking of God merely as
his God! Or, was he appropriating to himself his new name of Israel!
Whichever view be the true one it should be carefully noted that in
the very next word our patriarch received from the Lord it concerned
the "altar" and intimated that God was not pleased with the altar he
had erected in Succoth--"and God said unto Jacob, arise, go up to
Bethel, and dwell there,and make there an altar unto God" (Gen. 35:1).
But this belongs to our next Genesis study. In the meantime may Divine
grace open our eyes fully to see the wickedness, as well as the vanity
of placing any confidence in our fleshly devisings and bring us to
trust the Lord with all our heart.
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
36. Jacob At Bethel Again
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 35
In our last chapter we closed with Jacob parting from Esau and failing
to keep his word and rejoin his brother at Seir. We pass over the sad
record of the intervening chapter, asking our readers to turn to it
for themselves. After passing through the grievous experiences
narrated in Genesis 34, we might well have supposed that Jacob had
been in a hurry to leave Shechem--yet, whither would he flee! Laban he
had no desire to meet again. Esau he wished to avoid. And now from the
Shechemites also he was anxious to get away. But whither should he go?
Poor Jacob! He must have been in a grand quandary. Ah, but man's
extremities are God's opportunities, and so it was shown to be here.
Once more God appeared to him, and said, "Arise, go up to Bethel, and
dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee
when thou fledest from the face of Esau thy brother" (Gen. 35:1).
In studying the above passage we have arrived at the conclusion that
God's word to Jacob on this occasion was one of admonition. The
reference to him "fleeing"from the face of Esau, takes us back, of
course, to the time when Jacob first fled from home fearful of his
brother's anger at the deception practiced on him in winning from
their father the coveted blessing. On the first night out the Lord had
appeared to our patriarch in a dream in which He promised to keep him
in all places whither he went, and to bring him again into the land
and unto his kindred. When Jacob awoke he said, "Surely the Lord is in
this place" (Gen. 28:16), and rising up early in the morning he took
the stone on which his head had rested during the night and set it up
for a pillar, pouring oil on the top of it, and calling the name of
the place Bethel, which means "Houseof God." And there, we are told,
"And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep
me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment
to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace; then
shall the Lord be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a
pillar, shall be God's house" (Gen. 28:20-22).
Probably thirty years at least had passed since Jacob had had that
vision of the" ladder," and now God reminds him of the pledge which
our patriarch had failed to redeem. God here addressed Himself to
Jacob's conscience, with respect to his neglect in performing his vow.
God had performed His part, but Jacob had failed. God had preserved
him whithersoever he had journeyed, and had brought him back safely to
the land of Canaan; but now that Jacob had been in the land at least
seven years (for in less time than this Simeon and Levi could not have
reached man's estate--Genesis 34:25), yet, he had not gone up to
Bethel.
That God's word to Jacob recorded in Genesis 35:1, was a reproof is
further evidenced by the immediate effect which it had upon him. Not
only had Jacob failed to go to Bethel, but, what was worse, while
Jehovah had been his personal God, his household was defiled by
idols.Rebekah's stolen "teraphim" had proven a snare to the family. At
the time Laban overtook them Jacob seems to have known nothing about
these gods; later, however, he was evidently aware of their presence,
but not until aroused by the Lord appearing to him did he exert his
parental authority and have them put away.It is striking to note that
though God Himself said nothing, directly, about the "teraphim"yet,
the immediate effect of His words was to stir Jacob's conscience about
them "Then Jacob said unto his household and to all that were with
him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and
change your garments" (Gen. 35:2). These words show that Jacob was
aware of the corrupt practices of his family, and had only too long
connived at them.
There is good reason to believe that the troubles into which Jacob
fell at Shechem were due immediately to his failure in this very
particular, and had he gone directly to Bethel his household had been
purged the more promptly of the "strangegods" that were in it, and his
children had escaped the taint which these of necessity must impart.
Furthermore, had he gone sooner to Bethel his children would have been
kept out of the way of temptation (Gen. 34:1), and then the impure and
bloody conduct of which they were guilty had been prevented. Mark,
too, how this second verse of Genesis 35 illustrates the awful spread
of the leprosy of sin. At first the teraphim were hidden by Rachel.
and none of the family except her seem to have known of them: but now
Jacob had to command his" household" and "all that were with him" to
"put away the strange gods" which were among them. The moral is
evident: spiritual neglect and trifling with temptation can issue only
in evil and disaster. Let us not neglect God's House, nor delay to
keep His commandments.
"And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar
unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me
in the way that I went" (Gen. 35:3). Jacob not only commands his
household to put away their idols, but seeks to impress them with his
own sentiments, and urges them all to accompany him to Bethel. His
reciting to them how that God had "answered him in the day of his
distress" not only argued the propriety of the step he was urging upon
them, but would excite a hope that God might disperse the cloud which
now hung on them on account of the late lamentable transactions in
Shechem.
"And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their
hand, and all their ear-rings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid
them under the oak which was by Shechem" (Gen. 35:4). It is pleasing
to observe the readiness with which his family acceded to Jacob's
command. They not only gave up their "gods" but their "ear-rings"also.
These, too, were frequently converted to the use of idolatrous
practices, as is evident not only from the example of Aaron who made
the calf out of the "golden ear-rings" (Ex. 32:2), but from Hosea 2:13
as well--"And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she
burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her ear-rings and
her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgat Me, saith the
Lord." That Jacob buried the teraphim and ear-rings, instead of
attempting to convert them to a more honorable use, teaches us that
the things of Satan must not be employed in the service of God, and
that we need to forsake even the appearance of evil. There can be no
doubt that in the readiness with which the family acted in response to
Jacob's command we are to see the hand of the Lord.In fact the power
of God is evident at every point in this incident: the immediate
effect of God's word to Jacob to go to Bethel (the effect on his
conscience, evidenced by the prompt purging of his household); the
unanimous response of his family; and further, what we read of in
verse 5 all demonstrate this--"and they journeyed; and the terror of
God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not
pursue after the sons of Jacob."
In the scripture last quoted we find a striking illustration of the
sovereign control which God exercises over and upon men, even upon
those who are not His people. Evidently the Shechemites were so
enraged against Jacob and his family that had not God put forth His
power they had promptly avenged the wrong done them. But not a hand
can be raised against any of the Lord's people without His direct
permission, and even when our enemies are incensed against us, all God
does is to put His "terror" upon them and they are impotent. How true
it is that "the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers
of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will" (Prov. 21:1). And God
is still the same:living, ruling, almighty. There is no doubt in the
writer's mind that in the authenticated reports of "theAngels at Mons"
we see in the terror which caused the German cavalry to turn about and
flee from the outnumbered English a modern example of what we read of
in Genesis 35:5--"And the terror of God was upon the cities that were
round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob."
"So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is,
Bethel, he and all the people that were with him. And he built there
an altar, and called the place El-Bethel; because there God appeared
unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother" (Gen. 35:6, 7).
It is significant that Bethel is here first called by its original
name, "Luz" which means "departure." From God Jacob had departed for
(as previously pointed out) Jacob built no "altar" during all the
years he sojourned in Padan-Aram, and only now does he return to God,
to the "house of God," to the altar of God, and in order to do this he
must needs retrace his steps and return to the place from which he had
"departed."So it was with Abraham before him, for after he left Egypt
(whither he had gone in unbelief) we read, "And he went on his
journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent
had been at the beginning,between Bethel and Ai; unto the place of the
altar, which he had made there at the first"(Gen. 13:3, 4). And so it
has to be with us.
"ButDeborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried beneath Bethel
under an oak, and the name of it was called Allon-Bachuth. And God
appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padan-Aram and blessed
him" (Gen. 35:8, 9). In principle these two verses are inseparably
connected. No mention is made of Deborah in the sacred narrative from
the time Jacob left his father's house until the time when he had now
returned to Bethel. The departure and the return of Jacob are thus
linked together for us by the mention of Deborah "Rebekah's nurse."
The same thing is seen again in the verse which follows. "And God
appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padan-Aram." God had
appeared to him just before he entered Padan-Aram, and He now appeared
"again" when he came out of Padan-Aram. All the years spent with Laban
were lost, as were also those lived in Succoth and Shechem. The twenty
years he served with his father-in-law were so much "wood, hay and
stubble." We find another illustration of this same sad principle in
Hebrew 11:29-30, where we read, first, "by faith Israel passed through
the Red Sea," and the next thing we read is, "by faith the walls of
Jericho fell down." The forty years wandering in the wilderness in
unbelief is passed over! Nothing of "faith" was to be found in that
period of Israel's history. The forty years was so much lost time!Ah,
my reader, when our records are reviewed at the Judgment-seat of
Christ methinks there will be similar tragic blanks in most, possibly
all, of our lives.
The sequel of Jacob's return to Bethel is very beautiful, but we
cannot here dwell much upon the details. God appeared unto Jacob
again, reaffirmed that he should be called by his new name Israel,
revealed Himself as the "Almighty" or "All-Sufficient One," bade him
to be "fruitful and multiply," assuring him that "a nation and a
company of nations should be of him, and kings should come out of his
loins;" and, finally, ratifying the gift of the land unto his fathers,
unto himself, and unto his sons (Gen. 35:11, 12). That Jacob was now
fully restored to communion with God is seen from the fact that he now
once more "set up a pillar" in the place where he had talked with God
and poured oil thereon (Gen. 35:14, and cf. Genesis 28:18).
Next, we are told "And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a
little way to come to Ephrath." How significant and how beautiful is
the moral order here: Ephrath is Bethlehem (verse 19), and Bethlehem
signifies "House of Bread." Note carefully the words, "There is but a
little way (i.e. from Bethel) to come to Ephrath." Yes, it is but a
short distance from the place where the soul is restored to communion
with God to the place where nourishment and satisfaction of heart are
to be found!
"And Rachael died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is
Bethlehem" (Gen. 35:19). Thus the leading link of Jacob's life at
Padan-Aram was now severed! The "teraphim" had been "hid under the
oak" (verse 4), Deborah (the link with his old unregenerate life) had
also been "buried under an oak" (verse 8), and now Rachael is
"buried." Death is written large across this scene. And we too must
have "the sentence of death" written on our members if we would walk
in full communion with God and dwell in the house of bread. And is it
not lovely to mark that from the dying Rachael there came forth
Benjamin ``the Son of the right hand!"
Having considered some of the moral lessons which the 35th chapter of
Genesis inculcates, we would in closing point out how that once again
we have here another of those marvelous typical pictures in which this
first book of Scripture abounds; this time a dispensational
foreshadowment of the coming restoration of Israel.
1. Just as Jacob left the house of God (Bethel--Genesis 28) for the
land of exile, so has the Nation which had descended from him. 2. Just
as God said to Jacob "Arise, go up to Bethel," return to the place of
Divine communion and privilege, so will He yet call to Israel. 3. Just
as the immediate effect upon Jacob of God's "call"was to purge his
house from idolatry and to issue in a change of his ways (emblematized
by "changing of garments"--Genesis 35:2), so the Nation will yet be
purged from their final idolatry (in connection with Antichrist) and
be changed in their ways and walk. 4. Just as Jacob acknowledged that
God had "answered him in the day of his distress" (Gen. 35:3), so will
Israel when He responds to their cry in the great Tribulation. 5. Just
as the "terror of God" fell upon the Shechemites (Gen. 35:5), so will
His terror fall once more upon the Gentiles when He resumes His
dealings with His covenant people. 6. Just as when Jacob returned to
Bethel he built another "altar,"so will Israel once more worship God
acceptably when they are restored to His favor. 7. Just as now the
link with Jacob's past was severed (the death of Rebekah--Genesis
35:8), so will Israel die to their past life. 8. Just as God now
appeared unto Jacob "again," so will He, in the coming day, manifest
Himself to Israel as of old. 9. Just as God then said "Thyname shall
not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name" (Gen.
35:10), so his descendants shall no more be called Jews, but as Israel
shall they be known. 10. Just as God now for the first time discovered
unto Jacob his name "Almighty," so on Israel's restoration will the
Messiah be revealed as "the wonderful Counselor, the mighty God."11.
Just as national prosperity was here assured unto Jacob--"be fruitful
and multiply, a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee"
Genesis 35:11--so shall the prosperity and blessings promised through
the prophets become theirs. 12. Just as God here said unto Jacob "the
land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee will I give it and to thy
seed after thee" (Gen. 35:12), so will He say to the restored nation.
13. Just as Jacob poured oil on the pillar he erected at Bethel, so
will God pour the Holy Spirit upon Israel and upon all flesh. 14. Just
as Jacob found Bethel to be but a little way from Bethlehem, so shall
Israel at last find the Bread of Life once they have had their second
Bethel. 15. Just as Benjamin now took his place in Jacob's household,
so will the true Benjamin--"Son of his mother's sorrow, but also of
his father's right hand"--take His rightful place among redeemed
Israel. There are other points in this typical picture which we leave
for the reader to search out for himself. Surely as the Christian
ponders the wondrous and blessed future which yet awaits the Israel of
God he cannot do less than heed that earnest word--"Ye that make
mention of the Lord, keep not silence, and give Him no rest, till He
establish, until He make Jerusalem a praise in the earth" (Isa. 62:6,
7)!
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
37. The Sunset of Jacob's Life
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 37-49
It is not easy to decide which of the two is the more wonderful and
blessed--the grace of God which has given the believer a perfect
standing in Christ, or the grace which ever bears with the believer
who fails so miserably in making his state correspond with his
standing. Which is the more remarkable that, judicially, my sins are
all put away forever, or, that in His governmental dealings God treats
so leniently with my sins as a saint? Though it is true we reap as we
sow, it also remains true concerning believers that God "hath not
dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our
iniquities" (Ps. 103:10).
That is a marvelous word which is found in Numbers 23:21, a word that
has been of untold comfort to many of the saints--"He hath not beheld
iniquity in Jacob, neither hath He seen perverseness in Israel." These
words were spoken by God through the mouth of Balaam, spoken of that
very people who so frequently were wayward and filled with murmuring.
Mark, the prophet does not say that iniquity and perverseness were not
in Jacob. That would not give the believer confidence, which is the
very thing God desires to give. It could never assure my poor heart to
be told there was no sin in me for, alas I know too well there is.
What I am to rest in is the wondrous fact that God sees no sin on
me--that gives the conscience peace. God saw no perverseness and
iniquity on Israel because He looked at them as under the Blood of the
Lamb. And why is it that God sees no sin on believers? It is because
"the Lord hath laid on Him (on Christ) the iniquities of us all" (Isa.
53:6).
In view of this, what a walk ought to be ours. Surely we can do
nothing now which would displease the One who has dealt so wondrously
toward us. Surely we ought now to render a ready and joyful obedience
to Him who has done so much for us. Surely we ought to abstain even
from every appearance of evil. And yet that word "ought" condemns us,
for it implies our failure. I would not say to one who was fulfilling
his duty, You ought to do so and so. Should I say to any one, You
ought to do this, the plain inference is that he is not doing it. How
wondrous then, how heart- affecting, is the patience of grace which
bears with our failures, with our base ingratitude, with our
Christ-dishonoring ways! And so we say again, it is difficult to
determine which is the more amazing: whether the love which hath
washed us from our sins, or the love which loves us "to the end"
despite our unloveliness.
These are the reflections suggested by a review of Jacob's history. As
we have followed the Holy Spirit's record of Jacob's life we have
marveled again and again at the matchless patience of God in His
dealings with one so intractable and unworthy. Surely none but the
"Godof all grace" (1 Pet. 5:10) would have borne with such an one so
long. Ah! such is equally true of the reader and of the writer. The
only way in which it is possible to account for God's dealings with
you and with me, these many years, is the fathomless and matchless
grace of our God. Truly He is "long suffering to usward" (2 Pet. 3:9).
Not only is it affecting to trace the dealings of God through the
changing scenes of Jacob's life, but it is also beautiful to mark the
triumphs of Divine grace as these are exemplified in his closing days.
The path of the just "shineth more and more unto the perfect day"
(Prov. 4:18). And plainly is this manifested in the case of our
patriarch. So feeble were the manifestations of the Divine life in
Jacob in his early and middle life, so much did he walk in the energy
of the flesh, that it is difficult to determine exactly when his
spiritual life really began. But as he draws near the end of his
earthly pilgrimage it becomes increasingly evident in him as in us
that "though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day
by day" (2 Cor. 4:16). The sunset of Jacob's life reveals the triumph
of God's mighty grace and the marvelous transforming effects of His
power which works upon material that seemed so unpromising. It is to
some of the fruits of the Divine life in Jacob that we would now
direct attention.
And what is it which produces these fruits? One answer to the question
is found in Hebrews 12 "My son, despise not thou the chastening of the
Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him: For whom the Lord loveth
He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth . . . Now no
chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous:
nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of
righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby"(Heb. 12:5, 6,
11). Do not these scriptures furnish a key to the closing scenes in
the life of our patriarch! How plainly we may discern God's chastening
hand upon him. First there is the death of the faithful nurse Deborah
(Gen. 35:8), and this is followed almost immediately by the decease of
his beloved Rachel (Gen. 35:19), next we read that his eldest son
"went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine" (Gen. 35:22), and
then Isaac dies (Gen. 35:29). Poor Jacob! sorrows came upon him thick
and fast, but the hand of Divine chastisement is soon to fall still
heavier. Jacob is touched now in his tenderest spot--Joseph, his
favorite son, is taken from him, and mourned for as dead. This was
indeed a severe blow, for we read "And Jacob rent his clothes, and put
sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. And all
his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused
to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto
my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him" (Gen. 37:34-35).
How are these afflictions to be viewed? As marks of the Divine anger?
As judgment from God? Surely not. Not so does God act toward His own.
Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth. Even afflictions are among his
love-gifts, sent in faithfulness, sent for our blessings, sent to
exercise our hearts, sent to wean our affections from things of earth,
sent to cast us more upon God that we may learn, experimentally, His
sufficiency. The losses which Jacob suffered and the trials he was
called upon to meet were among the "all things" which worked together
for his good.
But not immediately did God's disciplinary dealings with our patriarch
yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness--that comes "afterward"
(Heb. 12:11). At first, we see only the resistance of the flesh. When
Jacob's sons returned from Egypt Simeon was not with them, and what
was worse, they informed their father that the lord of Egypt's
granaries required them to bring Benjamin with them when they came
back again. Listen to the petulant outburst from Jacob's lips when he
hears these tidings, "And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have
ye bereaved: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take
Benjamin away: all these things are against me" (Gen. 42:36). Poor
Jacob! He is looking at the things that are seen, rather than at the
things unseen. He is walking by sight rather than by faith. It does
not seem to have occurred to him that God might have a wise purpose in
all these events. He judged by `feeble sense.' But ere undertaking to
pass sentence upon Jacob let us remember that word in Romans 2:1,
"Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that
judgeth: for wherein thou judgeth another, thou condemneth thyself;
for thou that judgeth doest the same things."
Not long, however, does Jacob continue in such a state of mind. The
next thing recorded of him reveals a better spirit: "And the famine
was sore in the land. And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the
corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them,
Go again, buy us a little food" (Gen. 43:1-2). The relief which had
been obtained by the first journey to Egypt of Jacob's sons and the
corn they had brought back was soon exhausted. The famine was yet
"sore in the land." Jacob bids his sons "Go again, buy us a little
food." Does not this word "little" evidence the beneficent effects of
God's disciplinary dealings with him? Unbelief and avarice would have
wished for much food so as to hoard against a prolongation of the
famine. But Jacob is contented with "little." No longer do we see him,
as aforetime, selfish and greedy; instead, he is desirous that others,
whose stores were running low, should have a part as well as himself;
and, so far as the unknown future was concerned, he would trust God.
But now a difficulty presented itself. Jacob's sons could not go down
to Egypt unless Benjamin accompanied them, and this was the last thing
his father desired. A struggle ensued in the breast of our patriarch;
the affections of the father are pitted against the calls of hunger.
To allay Jacob's fears, Judah offers to stand as surety for his
younger brother. And Jacob yielded, though not without a measure of
reluctance. Yet, it is sweet to notice the manner in which the aged
patriarch acquiesced. It was not the sullen consent of one that
yielded to an inexorable fate when, in heart, he rebelled against it.
No, he yielded in a manner worthy of a man of God. After arranging
that every possible means should be employed to conciliate the lord of
Egypt, he committed the whole issue to God.
"Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man: And God
Almighty give you mercy before the man, that He may send away your
other brother, and Benjamin: If I be bereaved of my children, I am
bereaved" (Gen. 43:13, 14). Note how Jacob speaks of God--"God
Almighty," or "God,the Sufficient One." This was the name under which
Abraham was blessed (Gen. 17:1). This was the name used by Isaac in
blessing Jacob, "God Almighty bless thee," etc., (Gen. 28:3). In using
this name here, then, Jacob rests on the covenant promise and
blessing, and thus we see that his prayer was a prayer of faith. Note
further, his confidence in God's sovereign power, seen in his request
that God would so move upon the man at the head of Egypt that he would
be made willing to send Jacob's sons away. Finally, mark here his
spirit of resignation--"If I be bereaved, I am bereaved."
Is it not lovely to mark the sequel. Jacob committed Benjamin into the
hands of God, and he was returned safely to his father. When God deals
with His saints He usually touches them in their tenderest parts. If
there be one object around which the heart has entwined itself more
than any other and which is likely to be God's rival, this it is of
which we must be deprived. But if, when it is taken from us, we humbly
resign it into God's hands, it is not unusual for Him to return it.
Thus Abraham on giving up Isaac, received him again; so David, on
giving himself up to God to do as seemed Him best, was preserved in
the midst of peril; and so, in the present ease of Benjamin, who later
was returned to Jacob.
When Jacob's sons returned home they brought with them a strange talc
Joseph was yet alive, in fact governor over all the land of Egypt.
Little wonder that at first Jacob refused to believe his sons, for the
news seemed too good to be true. But we read "And they told him all
the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the
wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their
father revived. And Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet
alive; I will go and see him before I die" (Gen. 45:27, 28). It is
beautiful to note the change here from Jacob to Israel, especially as
this is carried on into the next verse, "And Israel took his journey
with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices
unto the God of his father Isaac" (Gen. 46:1). Thus, the first thing
recorded of Jacob after his long journey to Egypt had begun, was the
offering of sacrifices to God. Long years of discipline in the school
of experience had, at last, taught him to put God first; ere he goes
forward to see Joseph he tarries to worship the God of his father
Isaac! Beautiful, too, is it to note that here God met him for the
seventh and last recorded time (see Gen. 28:13; 31:3; 32:1; 24; 35:1,
9), and said, "Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I. And He said, I am
God, the God of thy father; fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will
there make of thee a great nation. I will go down with thee into
Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again; and Joseph shall
put his hand upon thine eyes" (Gen. 46:2-4).
Arrived in Egypt, restored to Joseph the aged patriarch is brought
before Pharaoh: "And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him
before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh" (Gen. 47:7). The aged and
feeble patriarch stands before the monarch of the mightiest empire of
the world. And what dignity now marks Jacob! What a contrast from the
day when he bowed himself seven times before Esau! There is no
cringing and fawning here. Jacob carries himself as a child of God. He
was a son of the King of kings, and ambassador of the Most High. Brief
is the record, yet how much the words suggest when we remember that
"the less is blessed of the better" (Heb. 7:7). Note, further, "And
Jacob said unto Pharaoh, the days of the years of my pilgrimage are a
hundred and thirty years" (Gen. 49:7). At last Jacob has learned that
his home is not here, that he is but a stranger and sojourner on
earth. He sees now that life is but a journey, with a starting point
and a goal--the starting point, regeneration; the goal, heavenly
glory.
In Hebrews 11:21 we read, "By faith Jacob, when he was a dying,
blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top
of his staff." It is striking to observe that here the Holy Spirit
passes by the feebler struggles of Jacob's faith and goes on to
mention the brightness of its setting glory, as it beautified the
closing scenes of this vessel of God's choice. Two distinct acts of
Jacob are here singled out: the former is recorded in Genesis 48, the
latter in Genesis 47:31. Into the probable reasons for this reversal
of the historical order we cannot now enter, but a brief word
concerning these two manifestations of faith will be in place.
"And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son
Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight,
put, I pray thee, thy hand upon my thigh and deal kindly and truly
with me: bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt: But I will lie with my
fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their
burying place. And he said, I will do as thou hast said. And he said,
Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself on the
top of his staff." It is exceedingly beautiful to notice this act of
worship and what occasioned it. There is more here than meets the eye
at first glance. This was no mere sentimental whim of the aged
patriarch. God had promised, many years before, to give to Jacob and
to his seed the land of Canaan, and now His promise is "embraced,"
Jacob had never possessed the land, and now he is about to die in a
strange country. But he knows God's word cannot fail, and his faith
looks forward to resurrection. At last the easily besetting sin
(unbelief) is laid aside, and faith triumphs. Having secured from
Joseph the assurance that he should not be buried in Egypt, but that
his remains should be carried up out of Egypt and placed in the
sepulcher of his fathers, Jacob "worshipped (bowing himself) on the
top of his staff." It was a blessed exhibition of faith, and of his
confidence in God, that He would do all that He had said and perform
all that He had promised.
The second act of Jacob to which the Holy Spirit calls attention in
Hebrews 11 is recorded in Genesis 48. All through this chapter we may
see how God was now in all Jacob's thoughts, and how His promises were
the stay of his heart. He recounts to Joseph how God had appeared to
him at Luz (Gen. 48:3) and how He had promised to give the land of
Canaan to him and his seed for an everlasting possession. He spoke of
God as the One who "fed me all my life long unto this day" (Gen.
48:15), and as the One "which redeemed me from all evil," which was
only another way of acknowledging that "goodness and mercy" had
"followed" him "all the days of his life."
Jacob was now about to die, and he wishes to bless the two sons of
Joseph. Joseph had his own desires and wishes on this subject, and his
desire was that Manasseh, the firstborn, should receive the blessing.
Accordingly, he placed Manasseh at Jacob's left hand and Ephraim at
his right, so that Jacob's right hand might rest on the head of
Manasseh and his left on Ephraim. But though Jacob's natural eyesight
was dim, his spiritual discernment was not. Deliberately, Jacob
crossed his hands "guiding his hands wittingly" (Gen. 48:14), or, as
the Hebrew reads, literally, "he made his hands to understand." Note
it is expressly said that "Israel" did this: it was the new man that
was acting, not the old man, "Jacob." And "by faith" he blessed both
the sons of Joseph. Truly, it was not by sight or reason. What was
more unlikely than that these two young Egyptian princes, for this is
virtually what they were, should ever forsake Egypt, the land of their
birth, and migrate to Canaan! How unlikely, too, that each should
become a separate tribe. And how improbable that the younger should be
exalted above the elder, both in importance and number, and should
become "a multitude of peoples" (Gen. 48:19). How impossible for him
to foresee (by any human deduction) that long centuries afterwards
Ephraim should become representative of the kingdom of "Israel," as
distinct from "Judah." But he had heard God, rested on His word, and
believed in the sure fulfillment of His promise. What a grand display
of faith! Nature's eyes might be dim, but faith's vision was sharp: in
his bodily weakness the strength of faith was perfected.
After blessing Joseph's sons, Jacob turns to their father and says,
"Behold,I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the
land of your fathers" (Gen. 48:21). How utterly unlikely this
appeared! Joseph was now thoroughly established and settled in Egypt.
But no longer is Jacob walking by sight. Firm indeed was his
confidence, and with an unshaken faith he grasps firmly the promises
of God (that his seed should enter Canaan), and speaks out of a heart
filled with assurance.
The final scene (portrayed in Gen. 49) presents a fitting climax, and
demonstrates the power of God's grace. The whole family is gathered
about the dying patriarch, and one by one he blesses them. All through
his earlier and mid life, Jacob was occupied solely with himself; but
at the end, he is occupied solely with others! In days gone by, he was
mainly concerned with planning about things present; but now (see Gen.
49:1), he has thought for nothing but things future! One word here is
deeply instructive: "Ihave waited for thy salvation, O Lord" (Gen.
49:18). At the beginning of his life "waiting" was something quite
foreign to his nature: instead of waiting for God to secure for him
the promised birth right, he sought to obtain it for himself. And so
it was, too, in the matter of his wages from Laban. But now the
hardest lesson of all has been learned. Grace has now taught him how
to wait. He who had begun a good work in Jacob performed and completed
it. In the end grace triumphed. At eveningtide it was light. May God
deepen His work of grace in the writer and reader so that we may "lay
aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and run
with patience the race that is set before us" (Heb. 12:1).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
38. Jacob's Prophecy
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 49
We have at last reached the closing scene in Jacob's life. Here and
there we have beheld the light of heaven shining on and through our
patriarch, but only too often the clouds of earth have obscured it.
The struggle between the flesh and the spirit in him was fierce and
protracted, but as the end drew near the triumphs of grace, and the
faith which overcomes the world, were more and more manifest.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the scene presented to us in
Genesis 49. Long years before, God had promised to give the land of
Palestine to Abraham and his descendants. This promise had been
confirmed to Isaac, and renewed to Jacob. But, up to this time, there
had been no visible signs that the promise was about to be made good.
Abraham and Isaac had been but "strangersand pilgrims" in Canaan,
owing none of it save a burying-ground for their dead, and this they
had purchased. Jacob, too, had "dweltin tabernacles (tents) with
Abraham and Isaac" (Heb. 11:9). And now Jacob is dying--dying not in
the promised land, but many miles away from it. In a strange country,
in Egypt, our patriarch prepares to leave this earthly scene; but
despite the feebleness of nature, the vigor of his faith was
strikingly manifested.
Jacob summoned to his bedside each of his twelve sons, and proceeded
to utter one of the. most striking predictions to be found in all the
Old Testament. Like most prophecies, this one of our dying patriarch
has, at least, a double fulfillment. In its ultimate accomplishment it
looks forward to the fortunes of the Twelve Tribes in "the last days"
(Gen. 49:1); that is, it contemplates their several conditions and
positions as they will be in the End-time, namely, during the
Seventieth Week of Daniel and on into the millennium (cf. Jer. 23:19,
29; Isa. 2:2 for the "last days" of Israel). Concerning the final
fulfillment of Jacob's prophecy we cannot now write; instead, we shall
note how strikingly the past history of the descendants of Jacob's
twelve sons has corresponded with their father's dying utterance:
"Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken
unto Israel your father. Reuben, thou art my first-born, my might, and
the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the
excellency of power. Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel, because
thou wentest up to thy father's bed, then defilest thou it; he went up
to my couch" (Gen. 49:2-4). Three things are here said of Reuben:
First, as the first-born son of Jacob, the place of "excellency," the
position of dignity, was his natural birthright. Second, this position
of preeminency had been forfeited through his sin in defiling his
father's bed, and Jacob here foretells that the tribe which is to
descend from Reuben "Shalt not excel." Third, Jacob also predicted
that this tribe should be "unstable as water," which is a figurative
expression taken from the passing away of water which had dried up
like a summer stream. We shall now refer to several passages in the
Old Testament which treat of Reuben, showing how the fortunes of this
tribe verified the words of the dying patriarch.
Let us turn first to 1 Chronicles 5:1, 2: "Now the sons of Reuben, the
first-born of Israel (for he was the firstborn); but, for as much as
he defiled his father's bed his birthright was given unto the sons of
Joseph, the son of Israel; and the genealogy is not to be reckoned
after the birthright. For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of
him (viz., of Judah, instead of Reuben as it ought to-have been) came
the Chief Ruler (i.e., Christ); but the birthright was Joseph's." In
this striking passage the "birthright"refers, of course, to the
position of excellency, and this, as Jacob declared it should be, was
taken away from Reuben and given to the sons of Joseph (they receiving
the double or "first-born's" portion); and Judah, not Reuben, becoming
the royal tribe from which Messiah sprang, and thus "prevailing" above
his brethren. Verily, then, Reuben did not "excel."
Second, as we trace the fortunes of this tribe through the Old
Testament it will be found that in nothing did they "excel." From this
tribe came no judge, no king, and no prophet. This tribe (together
with Gad) settled down on the wilderness side of the Jordan, saying,
"Bring us not over Jordan" (Num. 32:5). From this same scripture it
appears that the tribe of Reuben was, even then, but a cattle loving
one--"now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very
great multitude of cattle; and when they saw the land of Jazer and the
land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle . . .
came and spoke unto Moses and Eleazar the priest saying . . . the
country which the Lord smote before the congregation of Israel, is a
land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle. Wherefore, said they,
if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy
servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan" (Num.
32:1-5). With this agrees Judges 5:15, 16: "For the divisions of
Reuben there were great thoughts of heart. Why abodest thou among the
sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks. For the divisions of
Reuben there were great searchings of heart." When the land was
divided among the tribes in the days of Joshua, the portion allotted
to Reuben served, again, to fulfill the prophecy of Jacob--it was the
southernmost and smallest on the east of Jordan.
Third, this tribe was to be "unstableas water," it was to dry up like
a stream in summer; it was, in other words, to enjoy no numerical
superiority. In harmony with this was the prophecy of Moses concerning
Reuben--"Let Reuben live, and not die; and (or "but") let his men be
few." Note, that at the first numbering of the tribes, Reuben had
46,500 men able to go forth to war (Num. 1:21), but when next they
were numbered they showed a slight decrease--43,730. (Num. 26:7). This
is the more noteworthy because most of the other tribes registered an
increase. Remark, too, that Reuben was among those who stood on
Matthew Ebal to "curse," not among those who stood on Matthew Gerizim
to "bless" (See Deut. 27:12, 13). In 1 Chronicles 26:31, 32, we read:
"Inthe fortieth year of the reign of David they were sought for, and
there were found among them mighty men of valor at Jazer of Gilead.
And his brethren, men of valor, were two thousand and seven hundred
chief fathers, whom king David made rulers over the Reubenites, the
Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, for every matter pertaining
to God, and affairs of the king." It is also deeply significant to
discover that when Jehovah commenced to inflict His judgments upon
Israel we are told, "Inthose days the Lord began to cut Israel short;
and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel; from Jordan
eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and
the Manassites, from Arser, which is by the River Arnon, even Gilead
and Bashan" (2 Kings 10:32, 33). Thus it will be found throughout; at
no point did Reuben "excel"--hisdignity and glory completely dried up!
"Simeonand Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their
habitations. O my Soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their
assembly, mine honor, be not thou united; for in their anger they slew
a man, and in their self-will they digged down a wall. Cursed be their
anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel; I will
divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel" (Gen. 49:5-7). What
a proof are these verses of the Divine Inspiration of the scriptures!
Had Moses been left to himself he surely would have left out this
portion of Jacob's prophecy, seeing that he was himself a descendant
of the tribe of Levi!
Simeon and Levi are here linked together and are termed "instruments
of cruelty." The historic reference is, no doubt, to Genesis 34:25,
where we read: "And it came to pass on the third day, when they were
sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's
brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and
slew all the males." It would seem from the fact that Simeon's name is
here mentioned first that he was the leader in that wickedness. It is
not unlikely that Simeon was also the one who took the lead in the
conspiracy to get rid of Joseph, for Simeon was the one whom Joseph
"bound"(Gen. 42:24) ere he sent his brethern back to Jacob. It is
highly interesting to notice how that the later references to this
tribe correspond in character with what we know of their ancestor. For
example: When Judah went up to secure his portion in Canaan, he called
upon Simeon to help him (Judg. 1:3), as if summoning to his aid the
men who possessed the old fierceness of their progenitor. "And Judah
said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may
fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into
thy lot--so Simeon went with him." And so again, we read in 1
Chronicles 4:42, 43: "And some of them, even of the sons of Simeon,
five hundred men, went to Mount Seir, having for their captains
Pelatiah, and Neariah, and Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi. And
they smote the rest of the Amalekites that were escaped, and dwelt
there unto this day."
Concerning Levi it is interesting to note that when Moses came down
from the mount and saw Israel worshipping the calf, that when he said,
"Who ison the Lord's side?" we read, "All the sons of Levi gathered
themselves together unto him, and he said unto them, Thus saith the
Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and
out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his
brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor. And
the Children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there
fell of the people that day about three thousand men" (Ex. 32:27, 28).
Beautiful is it, also, to learn how similar devotion to the Lord and
boldness in acting for Him cancelled Jacob's "curse" and secured
Jehovah's blessing. In Numbers 25:6-13 we are told: "And, behold, one
of the Children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren a
Midianitish woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the
congregation of the Children of Israel, who were weeping before the
door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And when Phineas, the son
of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among
the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand; and went after the
man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man
of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed
from the Children of Israel. And those that died in the plague were
twenty and four thousand. And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,
Phineas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned
My wrath away from the Children of Israel, while he was zealous for My
sake among them, that I consumed not the Children of Israel in My
jealousy. Wherefore say, behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace;
and he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an
everlasting priesthood, because he was zealous for his God, and made
an atonement for the Children of Israel." Thus the "curse" on Levi was
revoked. Levi was first joined to Simeon in cruelty, but after, he was
joined to the Lord in grace!
That which is most prominent, however, in Jacob's prophecy concerning
the tribes of Simeon and Levi is that they were to be "divided" and
"scattered" in Israel. (See Gen. 49:7). And most literally and
remarkably was this fulfilled. When the land was divided in the days
of Joshua, we learn that Simeon received not a separate territory in
Canaan, but obtained his portion within the allotment of Judah (see
Josh. 19:1-8): thus the Simeonites were necessarily "scattered," being
dispersed among the cities of Judah. So it was with the Levites also;
their portion was the forty-eight cities which were scattered
throughout the inheritance of the other tribes. (See Num. 35:8; Josh.
14:4; Josh. 21). Thus, while each of the other tribes had a separate
portion which enabled them to be congregated together, the descendants
of Simeon and Levi were "divided" and "scattered." Exactly as Jacob
had, centuries before, declared they should be!
"Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise; thy hand shall be
in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down
before thee. Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art
gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion;
who shall rouse him up? The scepter shall not depart from Judah nor a
law-giver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto Him shall
the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and
his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine,
and his clothes in the blood of grapes: His eyes shall be red with
wine, and his teeth white with milk" (Gen. 49:8-12).
This part of Jacob's prophecy concerning Judah finds its ultimate
fulfillment in Christ. With it should be coupled ^<1 Chronicles 5:2:
"Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him is the Chief Ruler," a
"Prince"; the Hebrew word here is "Nagid" and is the same term which
is translated "Messiah the Prince" in Daniel 9:24. It was from this
tribe our Lord came. Returning now to the words of Jacob.
First, we are told of Judah: "Through art he whom thy brethren shall
praise." The word here for "praise" is always used of praise or
worship which is offered to God! Christ is the One who shall yet
receive the praise and worship of His "brethren" according to the
flesh, namely, Israel. Second, of Judah, Jacob said. "Thy hand shall
be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down
before thee" (Gen. 49:8). So, again, Christ is the One who shall yet
have dominion over Israel and subdue their enemies. This dominion of
the tribe of Judah commenced in the days of David, who was the first
king from that tribe; and it was during his reign that Judah's hand
was "inthe neck of" their "enemies." Third, the destinies of the tribe
of Judah is here contemplated under the figure of a "lion," which at
once reminds us of Revelation 5:5, where the Lord Jesus is expressly
denominated "The Lion of the Tribe of Judah."
In dealing with the destinies of the tribe of Judah under the figure
of a "lion," it is to be observed that this tribe's history is
contemplated under three distinct stages, according to the growth or
age of the lion. First, we have "a lion's whelp," then "a lion,"
lastly "an old lion"--the gradual growth in power of this tribe being
here set forth. We would suggest that this looks at the tribe of Judah
first from the days of Joshua up to the time of Saul; then we have the
full grown lion in the days of the fierce warrior David; lastly, from
Solomon's reign and onwards we have the "old lion."
"The scepter shall not depart from Judah; nor a lawgiver from between
his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto Him shall the gathering of the
people be" (Gen. 49:10). This calls for a separate word. The Hebrew
term for "scepter" here is translated "tribe" in verses 16 and 28 of
this same chapter--according to its usage in scripture it signifies
the tribal-rod or staff of office which belonged to any tribe and was
the ensign of authority. This part of Jacob's prophecy, then,
intimated that the tribal-rod should not depart from Judah until a
certain eminent Personage had come; in other words, that Judah should
retain both its tribal distinctness and separate authority until
Shiloh, the Messiah, had appeared. And most remarkably was this
prophecy fulfilled. The separate Kingdom of Israel (the Ten Tribes)
was destroyed at an early date, but Judah was still in the land when
Messiah came.
It is further to be noted that Jacob declared of Judah that there
should not depart from this tribe "alawgiver until Shiloh." It is a
striking fact that after Shiloh had come the legal authority vested in
this tribe disappeared, as is evident from John 18:31: "Then said
Pilate unto them, Take ye Him, and judge Him according to your law.
The Jews therefore said unto him: It is not lawful for us to put any
man to death." What a remarkable confession this was! It was an
admission that they were no longer their own governors, but instead,
under the dominion of a foreign power. He that has the power to
condemn an offender to death is the governor or "lawgiver" of a
country. It is "not lawful for us" said Caiaphas and his
associates-you, the Roman governor, alone, can pass sentence of death
on Jesus of Nazareth. By their own admission Genesis 49:10 had
received its fulfillment. No longer had they a "lawgiver" of their own
stock! By their "words" they were "condemned" (Matthew 12:37). The
"scepter" had departed, the "lawgiver" had disappeared,
therefore--Shiloh must have come.
"Unto Him shall the gathering of the people be" looks forward to
Christ's second coming, as also do the words that follow: "Bindinghis
foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed
his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes. His eyes
shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk" (Gen. 49:11,
12). The reference here seems to be a double one: first to the tribe
of Judah, second to Christ Himself. Judah's portion in the land was
the vine-growing district in the South. (See 2 Chron. 26:9, 10). Note,
too, in Song of Solomon 1:14 that we read of "the vineyards of Engedi"
and in Joshua 25:62 we learn that "Engedi" was one of the cities of
Judah; note further Joshua 15:55 that Carmel was also included in
Judah's portion. The application of Genesis 49:11, 12, to our Lord may
be seen by comparing Isaiah 63:1-3: "Who is this that cometh from
Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? This that is glorious in His
apparel, traveling in the greatness of His strength? I that speak in
righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art Thou red in Thine
apparel, and Thy garments like Him that treadeth in the
winefat?--compare above `he washed his garments in wine, and his
clothes in the blood of grapes'--I have trodden the winepress alone;
and of the people there was none with Me: for I will tread them in
Mine anger, and trample them in My fury; and their blood shall be
sprinkled upon my garments."
"Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for a
haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon" (Gen. 49:13). In
blessing his children Jacob here passes from his fourth to his tenth
son. Why should he do this? Everything in scripture is perfect. Not
only is its every word Divinely inspired, but the very arrangement of
its words also evidences the handiwork of the Holy Spirit. God is a
God of order, and every diligent student discovers this everywhere in
His word. When blessing his fourth son we found that the words of our
dying patriarch manifestly looked forward to Christ Himself, who,
according to the flesh, sprang from this tribe of Judah. Hence,
because of the close connection of our Lord with the land of Zebulun
during the days of His earthly sojourn, these two tribes are here
placed in juxtaposition. Having spoken of the tribe of which our Lord
was born,we have next mentioned the tribe in whose territory He lived
for thirty years. This is, we believe, the main reason why the tenth
son of Jacob is placed immediately after the fourth.
The part played by the tribe of Zebulun in the history of the nation
of Israel was not a conspicuous one, but though referred to but rarely
as a tribe, each time they do come before us it is in a highly
honorable connection. First, we read of them in Judges 5, where
Deborah celebrates in song Israel's victory over Jabin and Sisera, and
recounts the parts taken by the different tribes. Of Zebulun and
Naphtali she says, "Zebulun and Naphtali were a people that
jeopardized their lives unto the death in the high places of the
field" (v. 18). Again, in 1 Chronicles 12, where we have enumerated
those who "Came to David to Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul to
him" (verse 33), concerning Zebulun we read, "Of Zebulun,such as went
forth to battle, expert in war, with all instruments of war, fifty
thousand, which could keep rank, they were not of double heart."And
again, in this same chapter, "Moreoverthey that were nigh them, even
unto Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on asses, and on
camels, and on mules, and on oxen, and meat, meal, cakes of raisins,
and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep abundantly: for there was joy
in Israel" (1 Chron. 12:40).
Jacob's prophecy concerning the tribe, which was to spring from his
tenth son, referred, mainly, to the position they were to occupy in
the land of Canaan, and also to the character of the people
themselves. Moses' prophecy concerning the twelve tribes, recorded in
Deuteronomy 33, is very similar to that of Jacob's with respect to
Zebulun: "And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out
(i.e., to sea); and, Issachar, in thy tents. They shall call the
people unto the mountain (i.e. Zion); there they shall offer
sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of
the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand" (vv. 18, 19).
The character of Zebulun as here outlined by Jacob is very different
from that of Judah, who is pictured as dwelling, more or less, apart
from the other tribes--as a lion "gone up from the prey;" very
different, too, from Issachar, here referred to as an ass crouching
down in lazy sloth. (see vv. 14, 15). Zebulun was to be a commercial
and seafaring tribe. When Jacob said of Zebulun, "his border shall be
unto Zidion," which was in Phoenica, he implied that it would take
part in Phoenican commerce.
The portion which fell to the tribe of Zebulun (Josh. 19:10, 11),
together with that of the tribe of Naphtali which joined theirs,
became known as "Galilee of the Gentiles.'' (See Matthew 4:15). These
Galileans were to be an energetic, enterprising people, who were to
mingle freely with the nations. The prophecy of Moses concerning
Zebulun, to which we have already referred, clearly establishes this
fact (see Deut. 33:18, 19), and, plainly looked forward to New
Testament times, when the men of Galilee took such a prominent part as
the first heralds of the Cross. Note that Moses said, "Rejoice
Zebulun, in thy going out." Is it not remarkable that no less than
eleven out of the twelve apostles of Christ were men of
Galilee--Judasalone being an exception! How beautiful are the next
prophetic words of Moses in this connection: "They shall call the
people unto the mountain: there they shall offer sacrifices of
righteousness!" (Deut. 33:19).
One other word concerning Jacob's prophecy about Zebulun. Of this
tribe he said, "He shall be for a haven of ships." Galilee was to
provide a refuge, a harbor, a place where the storm-tossed ships might
anchor at rest. And here it was that Joseph and Mary, with the Christ
Child, found a "haven" after their return from Egypt! Here it was the
Lord Jesus dwelt until the beginning of His public ministry. And note,
too, John 12:1, "After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for He
would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill Him." Galilee
was still a "haven"to Him!
"Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens: And he
saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and he
bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute" (Gen.
49:14, 15). Upon these verses the writer has but little light. It is
difficult to determine the precise force and significance of the
several statements that Jacob made here concerning his fifth son; nor
is it easy to trace the fulfillment of them in the record of the tribe
which sprang from him. One thing is clear, however: to compare a man
(or a tribe) to an "ass" is, today, a figure of reproach, but it was
not so in Jacob's time. In Israel, the ass was not looked upon with
contempt; instead, it was an honorable animal. Not only was it a
useful beast of burden, but people of rank rode on them. (See Judges
10:4; 12:14). Until the days of Solomon Israel had no horses, being
forbidden by Jehovah to rear them (see Deut. 17:16); but asses were as
common and as useful among them as horses are now among us. The
"ass"was a reminder to Israel that they were a peculiar (separated)
people, whose trust was to be in the Lord and not in horses and
chariots, which were the confidence of the other nations of antiquity.
"Issacharis termed by Jacob a "strong ass," and the fulfillment of
this portion of Jacob's prophecy is clearly discovered in the
subsequent history of this tribe. In Numbers 26, where we have
recorded the second numbering of those among the tribes which were
able to go forth to war, we find that only Judah and Dan out of the
twelve tribes were numerically stronger than Issachar, and Dan had but
one hundred fighting men more than Issachar. Again, in the days of the
Kings, the tribe of Issachar had become stronger still, for while in
Numbers 26:25, we read that the number of their men able to go forth
to war were 64,300, in 1 Chronicles 7:5 we are told, "And the brethren
among all the families of Issachar were valiant men of might, reckoned
in all by the genealogies 87,000!"
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
39. Jacob's Prophecy (Continued)
___________________________________
Genesis 49
"Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel Dan shall
be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse's
heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. I have waited for Thy
salvation, O Lord" (Gen. 49:16-18). With this prophecy of Jacob
concerning the tribe of Dan should be compared that of Moses, recorded
in Deuteronomy 33:22, "And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion's whelp: he
shall leap from Bashan." It is to be seen that both predicted evil of
that tribe, around which there seems to be a cloud of mystery.
The first thing that Scripture records of Dan is his low birth. (See
Gen. 30:1-6). Next, he is brought before us in Genesis 37:2, though he
is not there directly mentioned by name. It is highly significant that
of the four sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, Dan was the oldest, being at
that time twenty years of age, and so, most likely, the ringleader in
the "evil" which Joseph reported to their father. Next, in Genesis 46,
reference is made to the children of Jacob's sons: the descendants of
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and the others, being specifically named in
order. But when Dan is reached, the names of his sons are not given;
instead, they are simply called by the tribal name--Hushim or Shuham.
(See Gen. 46:23). This is the more striking, because in Numbers 26 we
meet with the same thing again: the children born to each of Jacob's
twelve sons are carefully enumerated until Dan is reached, and then,
as in Genesis 46, his descendants are not named,simply the tribal
title being given. (See Num. 26:42). This concealment of the names of
Dan's children is the first indication of that silent "blotting out"
of his name, which meets us in the total omission of this tribe from
the genealogies recorded in 1 Chronicles 2 to 10, as well as in
Revelation 7, where, again, no mention is made of any being "sealed"
out of the tribe of Daniel There seems to have been an unwillingness
on the part of the Holy Spirit to even mention this tribe by name. In
cases where the names of all the tribes are given, Dan is generally
far down, often last of all, in the list. For example, we read in
Numbers 10:25, "And the standard of the camp of the children of Dan
set forward, which was the rearward of all the camps throughout their
hosts." Again, Dan was the last of the tribes to receive his
inheritance when Joshua divided up the land--"This is the inheritance
of the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families, these
cities with their villages. When they had made an end of dividing the
land for inheritance by their coasts, the children of Israel gave an
inheritance to Joshua" (Josh. 19:47-49). Note again that in 1
Chronicles 27:16-22,where all the tribes are referred to, Dan is
mentioned last!
Putting together the several prophecies of Jacob and Moses we find two
traits met in Dan--treachery "a serpent by the way, an adder in the
path"; and cruelty: "Dan is a lion's whelp;he shall leap from Bashan."
In Judges 18 the Holy Spirit has recorded at length how these
predictions received their first fulfillment. The attack of this tribe
on Laish was serpentile in its cunning and lionlike in its cruel
execution. Then it was that Dan leaped from Bashan, and from the
slopes of Mount Hermon (which was in the territory of this tribe) like
a young lion and like an adder springing on its prey. From Judges
18:30 we learn that Dan was the first of the tribes to fall into
Idolatry. Apparently they remained in this awful condition right until
the days of Jeroboam, for we find that when this apostate king set up
his two golden calves, saying, "Behold thy gods, O Israel," he set up
one in Bethel and "the other put he in Dan" (1 Kings 12:28, 29). And,
as late as the time of Jehu these two golden calves were still
standing, and it is a significant and solemn fact that though there
was a great reformation in his day, so that the prophets and
worshippers of Baal were slain and the images were burned and the
house of Baal was broken down, yet we are told, "Howbeit,from the sins
of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed
not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Bethel,
and that were in Dan" (2 Kings 10:29).
One other item in Jacob's prophecy concerning this tribe remains to be
noticed--"Dan shall judge his people." This received a partial
fulfillment in the days of Samson--though we doubt not that its final
fulfillment awaits the time of the great tribulation. Joshua 19:41
informs us that among the towns allotted to this tribe were Zorah and
Eshtaol. Compare with this Judges 13:2, which tells us that the
parents of Samson belonged to the tribe of Dan and had their home in
Zorah. How remarkably the prophecies of Jacob and Moses combined in
the person of Samson (one of Israel's "judges") is apparent on the
surface. Serpent-like methods and the lion's strength characterized
each step in his strange career. How Samson "bit," as it were, "the
horse's heels" in his death!
It is to be noted that after Jacob had completed his prophecy
concerning Dan, and ere he took up the next tribe, that he said, "I
have waited for Thy salvation, O Lord" (Gen. 49:18). This is very
striking and significant, coming in just where it does. Having spoken
of Dan as "a serpent by the way," the Holy Spirit seems to have
brought to his mind the words spoken by God to that old Serpent the
Devil, recorded in Genesis 3:15. The eye of the dying patriarch looks
beyond the "Serpent" to the one who shall yet "bruise his head," and
therefore does he say, "I have waited for Thy salvation, O Lord." No
doubt these very words will yet be appropriated in a coming day by the
godly remnant among the Jews. If, as it has been generally held by
prophetic students, both ancient and modern, both among Jews and
Gentiles, that the Anti-Christ will spring from this tribe of Dan, the
ancient prophecy of Jacob concerning the descendants of this son will
then receive its final fulfillment. Then, in a supreme manner, will
Dan (in the person of the Anti-Christ) "judge"and rule over "his
people," i.e., Israel; then, will Dan be a "serpent in the way" and
"anadder in the path," then will he treacherously and cruelly "bite
the horse's heels." And then, too, will that faithful company, who
refuse to worship the Beast or receive his "mark,"cry, "I have waited
for Thy salvation, O Lord?'
"Gad,a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last"
(Gen. 49:19). The Hebrew word for troop here signifies a marauding or
plundering troop. The cognate to this word is rendered "companies" in
2 Kings 5:2--"And the Syrians had gone out by companies,and had
brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid." The
same word is translated "bands" in 2 Kings 24:2--"Andthe Lord sent
against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands
of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them
against Judah to destroy it, according to the Word of the Lord, which
He spake by His servants, the prophets." When, therefore, Jacob said
of this tribe, "Gad, a troop shall overcome him, but he shall overcome
at the last," the reference seems to be to alternate defeat and
victory. This tribe was to be in a constant state of warfare, leading
like the Bedouin Arabs a wandering, wild, and unsettled existence. One
wonders whether the (slangy) expression "Gad about" may not have its
origin in the character of this tribe."
We may notice, once more, how closely parallel with this prediction of
Jacob is the prophecy of Moses concerning this tribe: "And of Gad he
said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and
teareth the arm with the crown of the head. And he provided the first
part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he
seated" (Deut. 33:20, 21). The first part of this prophecy emphasizes
the unsettled and warlike character of Gad. The second statement that
Gad "provided the first part (of the inheritance) for himself," has
reference to the fact that this tribe sought and obtained as their
portion the land on the east side of the Jordan, and this before
Canaan was divided among the tribes in the days of Joshua. This
portion of Gad's became known as "the land of Gilead" (See Deut.
3:12-15). Note, further, that Moses said, "Blessed be he that
enlargeth Gad." The fulfillment of this may be seen by a reference to
1 Chronicles 5:16, where we read that the children of Gad dwelt in
"all the suburbs of Sharon." Note that in Joshua 13:24-28 no mention
is made of Sharon:their border was thus "enlarged!"
The position that Gad occupied was a precarious one. Being cut off
from that of the other tribes, they were more or less isolated. They
were open, constantly, to the attacks from the desert bands or troops,
such as the Ammonites and Midianites, and consequently, they lived in
a continual state of warfare. Jacob's words were being repeatedly
fulfilled. Gad suffered severely from their lack of faith and
enterprise in asking for the territory they did. Their choice was
almost as bad as Lot's, and proved as disastrous, for they were among
the first tribes that were carried into captivity. (See 1 Chron.
5:26).
For particular illustrations of the fulfillment of Jacob's prophecy we
may note the following: "And it came to pass in process of time, that
the children of Ammon made war against Israel." Note now, the portion
of Israel which they assailed: "And it was so, that when the children
of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch
Jephthah out of the land of Tob: and they said unto Jephthah, Come,
and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon..
Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him
captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord
in Mizpah. And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children
of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come
against me to fight in my land? (Judg. 11:4-6, 11, 12). "Then Nahash
the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabesh-gilead:and all the
men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will
serve thee" (1 Sam. 11:1). But in the End-time Gad "shall overcome."
It is to this, we believe, that Jeremiah 49:1-2, refers: "Concerning
the Ammonites thus saith the Lord; hath Israel no sons? hath he no
heir? why then doth their king inherit Gad, and his people dwell in
his cities? Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I
will cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites; and
it shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burned with
fire: then shall Israel be heir unto them that were his heirs, said
the Lord." And again in Zephaniah 2:8-9, "I have heard the reproach of
Moab, and the revilings of the children of Ammon, whereby they have
reproached My people, and magnified themselves against their border.
Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel,
Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah,
even the breeding of nettles and salt pits, and a perpetual
desolation: the residue of My people shall spoil them, and the remnant
of My people shall possess them."
"Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal
dainties" (Gen. 49:20). Asher's descendants, in common with the tribes
of Zebulun, Naphtali and Issachar, were settled in the northern part
of Palestine, which was called by the general name of "Galilee of the
Gentiles," which name was perfectly appropriate to Asher, for from
first to last this was a half Gentile tribe. Asher's territory lay in
the extreme north of Palestine between Mount Lebanon and the
Mediterranean Sea, and included within its borders the celebrated
cities of Tyre and Sidon (See Josh. 19:24-31). The portion of this
tribe was better known by its Grecian name of Phoenicia, which means
"land of the palms," so designated because of the luxuriant palms
which abounded there. It was to this land, preeminently rich and
beautiful, Jacob's prediction looked.
"Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield ROYAL
dainties."Let us turn now to a few Scriptures which furnish
illustrations of the repeated fulfillment of Jacob's prophecy.
"And Hiram, king of Tyre, sent messengers to David,and cedar trees and
carpenters and masons, and they built David a house"(2 Sam. 5:11).
This city of Tyre was, as pointed out above, within the territory of
the tribe of Asher (Josh. 19:29), and here we learn how the king of
Tyre yielded or provided "royal dainties" by furnishing both material
and workmen for building a house for king David.
We behold a repetition of this in the days of Solomon. In 1 Kings 5 we
read: "AndHiram, king of Tyre, sent his servants unto Solomon, for he
had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father:
for Hiram was ever a lover of David. And Solomon sent to Hiram,
saying, Thou knowest how that David, my father, could not build a
house unto the name of the Lord his God, for the wars which were about
him on every side, until the Lord put them under the soles of his
feet. But now the Lord my God hath given me rest on every side, so
that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent. And, behold, I
purpose to build a house unto the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord
spake unto David, my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy
throne in thy room, he shall build a house unto my name. Now,
therefore, command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon;
and my servants shall be with thy servants; and unto thee will I give
hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for
thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew
timbers like unto the Sidonians. And it same to pass, when Hiram heard
the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be
the Lord this day, which hath given unto David a wise son over this
great people. And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have considered the
things which thou sentest to me for: and I will do all thy desire
concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of fir. My servants
shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea, and I will convey
them by sea in floats unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and
will cause them to be discharged there, and thou shalt receive them:
and thou shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household.
So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees according to all his
desire"(1 Kings 5:1-10). Thus again do we see how Asher "yielded royal
dainties."
Jacob also said: "Out of Asher his bread shall be fat." Is it not
striking to discover that in the time of famine in the days of Elijah
that God sent his prophet to the widow in Zarephath, saying: "Behold,
I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee" (1 Kings 17:9).
Note Zarephath was in Sidon (see Luke 4:26) and Sidon was in Asher's
territory (Josh. 19:28). In 2 Chronicles 30, we have another
illustration, along a different line, of how Asher yielded "royal
dainties."It was at the time of a great religious revival in Israel.
King Hezekiah "sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to
Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the house of the Lord
at Jerusalem, to keep the passover unto the Lord God of Israel" (2
Chron. 30:1). Then we are told, "Sothe posts passed from city to city,
through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh, even unto Zebulun: but
they laughed them to scorn,and mocked them" (2 Chron. 30:10). But in
marked and blessed contrast from this we read: "Nevertheless, divers
of Asher and Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled themselves, and came to
Jerusalem"(2 Chron. 30:11).
The New Testament supplies us with two more illustrations. In Luke 2
we learn of how one who belonged to this Tribe of Asher yielded a most
blessed "dainty"to Israel's new-born King, even the Lord Jesus. For
when His parents brought the Child Jesus into the Temple, following
the beautiful Song of Simeon, we read, "And there was one Anna, a
prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the Tribe of Asher;she was of
a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her
virginity. And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years,
which departed not from the Temple, but served God with fastings and
prayers night and day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks
likewise unto the Lord, and spake of Him to all that looked for
redemption in Jerusalem" (Luke 2:36-38).
Finally, note in Acts 27 we are told that when the apostle Paul was
being carried prisoner to Rome, that when the ship reached Sidon
(which was in the borders of Asher) that "Julius courteously entreated
Paul, and gave him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself"
(Acts 27:3). Thus, once more, do we read of "bread" out of Asher.
"Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words" (Gen. 49:21).
The word Naphtali means "wrestling" (see Gen. 30:8). "Naphtali is a
hind let loose"; it was as though Jacob said, Naphtali is as a deer
caught in the toils of the hunters, hemmed in by them, but by his
struggles she escapes from their snares. Naphtali would be a hind "let
loose." This expression has a double meaning. In the Hebrew the word
signifies, first, "sent" or "sent forth," just as a stag driven from
its covert goes forth, scattering her pursuers. But the word also
means "let loose" or "let go." It is the term used of Noah when he
"sent forth" the raven and the dove from the ark; as also of the
priest, when at the cleansing of the leper, he let go or let loose the
living bird. The word expresses the joy of an animal which has been
made captive and, in its recovered liberty, bounds forth in gladness,
just as we have often seen a dog jumping for joy after it has been
unchained. Jacob, then, pictures Naphtali rejoicing as a freed hind.
Then he foretells the joy which the Tribe shall express after its
escape--"goodly words" he shall give forth. After it regains its
liberty, the Tribe shall sing a Song of Praise.
The striking fulfillment of this prediction by our dying patriarch is
seen in the victory of Barak, the great hero of this Tribe (see Judges
4:6), who, sent forth as a hind from its cover in the mountains of
Galilee, came down Mount Tabor to face on foot the hosts of Sisera
with his nine hundred chariots of iron. Barak, like a hind let loose,
was at first timid of responding to Deborah's call. He had not dared
to go forth with his little handful of men unless Deborah had sent for
him and assured him of success. Read through Judges 4, and note the
hindlike swiftness of his onslaught down the slopes of Tabor. It is
significant that the name "Barak"means "lightning," and, like
lightning he burst as a storm on the startled hosts of Sisera, which
were scattered by the hand of God at his unexpected approach. (Note
Judges 4:14). "SoBarak went down from Mount Tabor, and ten thousand
men after him," not "with him"--he running ahead of all!
The battle was not of Barak's choosing, rather was it forced upon him
by Deborah. He was literally "sent forth" into the valley. (Note
"sent" in Judges 5:15). In the heights of Tabor, Barak and his men
were beyond the reach of Sisera's cavalry and chariots. But down in
the valley, on foot, they would be like a herd of defenseless deer,
unarmed, without either spear or shield, for attack or defense. (See
Judges 5:8). In the defenselessness of Naphtali--deserted by their
brethren (see Judges 5:15-18)--hemmed in by the hosts of the
Canaanites, they were indeed a picture of helplessness. Nevertheless,
the hand of the oppressor was broken. God interposed, and Naphtali was
"set free," and the exuberance of their consequent joy found
expression in the Song of Deborah and Barak recorded in Judges 5.
There were the "goodly words" which Jacob had foretold. Thus Naphtali
was a hind "let loose" in the double sense--"sent forth" by Deborah
and "set free" from the yoke of the Canaanites by God!
But if this Tribe is interesting to us from its Old Testament
association, it has far deeper interest for us from its New Testament
connections. Zebulun and Naphtali were closely linked together, yet
each had a separate interest. The land of Zebulun provided a "haven"
of rest for the Lord Jesus during the first thirty years that He
tabernacled among men; but it was in the bounds of Naphtali in the
cities of Capernaum, Bethsaida, Chorazin, and other places, that He
went about doing good and ministering the Word of Life. In His
preaching of the Gospel to the poor were the "goodly words" of which
Jacob spoke!
"Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose
branches run over the wall: The archers have sorely grieved him, and
shot at him, and hated him. But his bow abode in strength, and the
arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of
Jacob (from thence is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel); even by the
God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall
bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that
lieth under, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings
of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors
unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the
head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate
from his brethren" (Gen. 49:22-26).
These words of Jacob concerning Joseph are to be divided into two
parts: what is said in Genesis 49:22-24 is mainly retrospective; what
is recorded in Genesis 49:25, 26 is prospective. This appears from the
change of tense: in the first part the verbs are in the past tense, in
the second part they are in the future. As Jacob reviews the past he
mentions three things in connection with his favorite son. Genesis
49:22 seems to view Joseph as a youth in his father's house, as an
object of beauty, of tender care, and as well pleasing to his father's
heart--all pictures under the beautiful figure of a "fruitful bough by
a well." Next, Jacob refers to the bitter enmity and fierce hatred
which were directed against him--the archers sorely grieved him; they
shot at him their cruel arrows, they vented upon him their
unreasonable spite. But through it all Joseph was Divinely sustained.
The arms of the Eternal God were beneath him, and the Angel of the
Lord encamped round about him. "His hands were made strong by the
hands of the mighty God of Jacob."
Some have experienced difficulty with the wording of Genesis 49:24;
even the translators do not appear to have been clear upon it.
Inserting the word "is" in italics the verse as it stands in the
Authorized Version reads as though it were a prediction concerning
Christ. But many other plain Scriptures show that this is a mistake.
The Messiah was not "from" the Tribe of Joseph, but came of the Tribe
of Judah, just as Messianic prophecy declared He should. The little
word "is" in italics should be omitted, and the verse punctuated
thus--"His hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty (One) of
Jacob, from thence the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel." It was "from
thence," i.e.,from the Shepherd and Stone of Israel, came all of
Joseph's strength and blessing.
The prominent feature about this prophecy concerning Joseph is
fruitfulness,and this received its fulfillment in the double Tribe
which sprang from him--Ephraim and Manasseh, like two branches out of
the parent stem. Joseph received a double portion in the land, viz.,
the firstborn's "birthright," this being transferred to him from
Reuben. (See 1 Chron. 5:1, 2). So, too, shall it be in the Millennium.
Concerning the coming Kingdom, of which Ezekiel's closing chapters
treat, we read: "Thus saith the Lord God, This shall be the border,
whereby ye shall inherit the land according to the twelve tribes of
Israel: Joseph shall have two portions"(Ezek. 47:13). It is noteworthy
that "Ephraira" means "fruitfulness,"and of Manasseh Jacob had
predicted, "Let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth."
Finally, it should be pointed out that Joshua was from one of the
tribes which sprang from Joseph (Num. 13:8), and in him Jacob's
prophecy concerning his favorite son received its main fulfillment.
"Benjamin shall raven as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the
prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil" (Gen. 49:27). What a
striking evidence is this of the complete setting aside of the natural
man by God! Surely it is clear that had Jacob followed the
inclinations of his heart he would not have said this of Benjamin, his
youngest and dearly loved son! But this divine prediction was
unmistakably fulfilled as the Scriptures which bear upon this tribe
plainly show.
Benjamin is here likened to a "wolf," which is noted for its swiftness
and ferocity.Benjamin was the fiercest and most warlike of the tribes.
For illustrations, note the following passages; Judges 19:16; 2 Samuel
2:15, 16: "Then there arose and went over by number, twelve of
Benjamin, which pertained to Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, and twelve
of the servants of David. And they caught every one his fellow by the
head, and thrust his sword in his fellow's side; so they fell down
together" (See also 1 Chron. 8:40; 1 Chron. 12:2; 2 Chron. 17:17).
The heroes of this tribe were marked by fierceness and wolf-like
treachery. Ehud was of this tribe. (Read Judges 3:15-22). King Saul
was a Benjaminite. (Read 1 Samuel 22:17-20). Mark the wolf seizing the
helpless sheep as recorded in 2 Samuel 4:1-6. Saul of Tarsus,who first
persecuted the Church, was also of this Tribe (Rom. 11:1).
In closing our study of this remarkable prophecy from the dying Jacob,
let us mark how everything good which he severally predicted of his
sons finds its realization in the Lord Jesus.
1. The prophecy concerning Reuben (Gen. 44:3) reminds us of the
Excellency and Dignity of Christ's person: He is the "Firstborn,"in
whom is "the excellency of dignity and the excellency of power."
2. The prophecy concerning Simeon and Levi (Gen. 49:5-7) may well
speak to us of Christ on the Cross: then it was that "instruments of
cruelty" were used against Him; Jacob says: "O my soul, come not thou
into their secret"--he would have nothing to do with them: so on the
Cross, Christ was forsaken by God and man; a "curse" is here
pronounced by Jacob upon them, as Christ, on the Cross, was "made a
Curse for us."
3. The prophecy concerning Simeon and Levi anticipated our Lord's
Priesthood,for Levi became the priestly Tribe.
4. The prophecy concerning Judah (Gen. 49:8-12) pictures our Lord's
Kingship.
5. The prophecy concerning Zebulun (Gen. 49:13) looks at Christ as the
great Refuge and Haven of Rest.
6. The prophecy concerning Issachar (Gen. 49:14, 15) prefigures His
lowly Service.
7. The prophecy concerning Dan (Gen. 49:16-18) views Him as the Judge.
8. The prophecy concerning Gad (Gen. 49:19) announces His triumphant
Resurrection.
9. The prophecy concerning Asher (Gen. 49:20) looks at Him as the
Bread of Life, the One who satisfies the hearts of His own.
10. The prophecy concerning Naphtali (Gen. 49:21) regards His as God's
perfect Prophet, giving forth "goodly words."
11. The prophecy concerning Joseph (Gen. 49:22-26) forecasts His
Millennial reign.
12. The prophecy concerning Benjamin (Gen. 49:27) depicts Him as the
terrible Warrior (Cf. Isaiah 63:1-3).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
40. Joseph As A Youth
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 37
In the first of our chapters upon Jacob we called attention to the
fact that each of the great Israelitish patriarchs illustrated some
basic spiritual truth and that the chronological order of their lives
agrees with the doctrinal order of truth. In Abraham we have
illustrated the doctrine of election,for he was singled out by God
from all the heathen and chosen to be the head of the Jewish nation.
In Isaac we have foreshadowed the doctrine of Divine sonship:Abram's
firstborn, Ishmael, represents the man born after the flesh, the old
nature; but Isaac, born by the miraculous power of God, tells of the
new man, the spiritual nature. In Jacob we see exemplified the
conflict between the two natures in the believer, and also God's
gracious discipline which issued, slowly but surely, in the triumph of
the spirit over the flesh. Joseph, typically, speaks to us of heirship
preceded by "suffering," and points forward to the time when the sons
and heirs shall reign together with Christ. There is thus a beautiful
moral order in the several leading truths illustrated and personified
by these men. And it should be observed that here, as in everything
which pertains to God's Word, its orderliness evidences its Divine
Authorship; everything is in its proper place.
Joseph, then, speaks of heirship and, as another has beautifully
expressed it, "And consistently with this, in Joseph, we get suffering
before glories . . . For while discipline attaches to us as children,
sufferings go before us as heirs; and this gives us the distinction
between Jacob and Joseph. It is discipline we see in Jacob, discipline
leading him as a child, under the hand of the Father of his spirit, to
a participation of God's holiness. It is sufferings,
martyr-sufferings, sufferings for righteousness, we see in Joseph,
marking his path to glories. And this is the crowning thing! and thus
it comes as the closing thing, in this wondrous book of Genesis--after
this manner perfect in its structure, as it is truthful in its
records. One moral after another is studied, one secret after another
is revealed, in the artless family scenes which constitute its
materials, and in them we learn our calling, the sources and the
issues of our history, from our election to our inheritance" (Mr. J.
G. Bellett).
Joseph is the last of the saints which occupies a prominent position
in Genesis. In all there are seven--Adam, Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob, Joseph. More space is devoted to the last of these seven than
to any of the others. There are several reasons for this which appear
on the surface. In the first place, the history of Joseph is the chief
link which connects Exodus with Genesis; the earlier chapters of
Exodus being unintelligible without the last ten chapters of Genesis.
It is Joseph's life which explains the remarkable development of the
Hebrews from a mere handful of wandering shepherds to a numerous and
settled colony in Egypt. But no doubt the chief reason why the life of
Joseph is described with such fullness of detail is because almost
everything in it typified something in connection with Christ. But
more of this later.
"Joseph was the elder son of Rachel (Gen. 30:24). Of his early life
nothing is recorded. He could not have been more than five or six
years old when his father left Mesopotamia. He was therefore the child
of Jacob's later life, and escaped all the sad experiences associated
with the earlier years at Haran. He comes before us in this chapter
(Gen. 37) at the age of seventeen. His companions were his
half-brothers, the grown-up sons of Bilhah and Zilpah. From all that
we have hitherto seen of them they must have been utterly unfit
companions for such a youth. Jacob's elder sons had, naturally, been
affected by the life in Haran, by the jealousy at home, and by the
scheming between Laban and Jacob. They had been brought up under the
influence of the old Jacob, while Joseph had been the companion of the
changed Jacob or `Israel.' There are few people more unfitted for
influence over younger brothers than elder brothers of bad character"
(Dr. G. Thomas).
"These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph being seven. teen years
old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the
sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and
Joseph brought unto his father their evil report. Now Israel loved
Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old
age: and he made him a coat of many colors. And when his brethren saw
that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated
him, and could not speak peaceably unto him" (Gen. 37:2-4).
There are perhaps few portions of Holy Writ with which we are more
familiar than the one now before us. From earliest childhood many of
us have listened to this beautiful but pathetic narrative. The aged
patriarch, his favorite son, the coat of many colors, Joseph's dreams,
the envious brothers, their wicked conduct--all so true to life have
been indelibly impressed upon our memories since we first learned them
on our mother's knee, or from the lips of our Sunday School teacher.
Many are the lessons which may be drawn, and pointed are the warnings
which are found here. But we shall pass from these to something deeper
and even more precious.
As we read thoughtfully the books of the Old Testament our study of
them is but superficial if they fail to show us that in divers ways
and by various means God was preparing the way for the coming of His
Son.The central purpose in the Divine Incarnation, the great
outstanding object in the life and death of the Lord Jesus, were
prefigured beforehand, and ought to have been rendered familiar to the
minds of men. Among the means thus used of God was the history of
different persons through whom the life and character of Christ were
to a remarkable degree made manifest beforehand. Thus Adam represented
His Headship, Abel His Death, Noah His Work in providing a refuge for
His people, Melchizedek pointed to Him as priest, Moses as prophet,
David as King. But the fullest and most striking of all these typical
personage was Joseph, for between his history and that of Christ we
may trace fully a hundred points of analogy! Others before us have
written upon this captivating theme, and from their writings we shall
draw freely in the course of these papers on the typical significance
of Joseph's history.^[1]
In the verses quoted above from Genesis 37 there are seven points in
which Joseph prefigured Christ, each of which is worthy of our
attention, namely, the meaning of his name, the nature of his
occupation, his opposition to evil, his father's love, his relation to
his father's age, his coat of many colors, and the hatred of his
brethren. Let us consider each of these in turn:
1. The Meaning of his Name.It is most significant that our patriarch
had two names--Joseph, and Zaphnath-paaneah (Gen. 41:45) which the
rabbins translate "Revealer of secrets." This latter name was given to
him by Pharaoh in acknowledgment of the Divine wisdom which was in
him. Thus, Joseph may be said to be his human name and
Zaphnath-paaneah his Divine name. So, also, the one whom Joseph
foreshadowed has a double name--"Jesus" being His human name, "Christ"
signifying "the Anointed" of God,or, again, we have his double name in
"Son of Man" which speaks of His humanity, and "Son of God" which
tells of His Deity. Let us note how the meaning of Joseph's names were
typical in their significance.
"Joseph" means adding (see Genesis 30:24). The first Adam was the
great subtractor,the last Adam is the great Adder:through the one, men
became lost; by the other, all who believe are saved.Christ is the One
who "adds" to Heaven's inhabitants. It was to this end that He came to
this earth, tabernacled among men for more than thirty years, and then
died on the Cross: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of
wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die,
it bringeth forth much fruit" (John 12:24).
The ultimate result of His Death will be "muchfruit," and at His
return this will be gathered into the Heavenly garner (John 14:3). But
Joseph's second name means "Revealer of secrets." This was a most
appropriate name. Revealer of secrets Joseph ever was, not merely as
an interpreter of dreams, but in every scene of his life, in every
relation he sustained--when with his brethren in Potiphar's household,
in prison, or before Pharaoh--his words and his works ever tested
those with whom he had to do, making manifest their secret condition.
How strikingly this foreshadowed Christ, of whom it was said in the
days of His infancy, "Beholdthis Child is set for the fall and rising
again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against
. . . that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed"(Luke 2:34,
35).
In the incident now before us Joseph is seen as the Revealer of
secrets in a double way. First, he revealed his father's heart, for he
is here seen as the special object on which Jacob's affections were
centered. Second, he revealed the hearts of his brethren by making
manifest their wicked "hatred." In like manner, our blessed Savior
revealed the Father's heart, "No man hath seen God at any time; the
only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath
declared Him"(John 1:18). And in like manner, the Lord Jesus also
revealed what was in the hearts of men. One of the most striking and
prominent features presented in the four Gospels is the fact that
everywhere He went the Lord Jesus exposed all. He made manifest the
secret condition of all with whom He came into contact. He was truly
"the Light of the world," shining in "adark place"--detecting,
displaying, uncovering, bringing to light the hidden things of
darkness. Well, then, was Joseph named the one who added,and the one
that revealed.
2. By Occupation Joseph was a Shepherd, "feedingthe flock." This is
one of the prominent lines which is found running through several of
the Old Testament typical personages. Abel, Jacob, Joseph, Moses,
David, were each of them "shepherds," and a close study of what is
recorded of each one in this particular relation will reveal that each
pointed forward to some separate and distinctive aspect of our Lord's
Shepherdhood. No figure of Christ is more beautiful than this: our
favorite Psalm (the twenty-third) presents Him in this character. One
of our earliest conceptions of the Savior, as children, was as the
Good Shepherd. The figure suggests His watchful care, His unwearied
devotion, His tender solicitude, His blessed patience, His protecting
grace, His matchless love in giving His life for the sheep. Above,
Joseph is seen "feeding the flock," pointing to the earthly ministry
of Christ who, sent unto "the lost sheep of the House of Israel,"
spent Himself in tending the needs of others.
3. His Opposition to Evil."And Joseph brought unto his father their
evil report." It is truly pathetic to find how this action of Joseph
has been made an occasion for debate, some arguing that in doing what
he did Joseph acted wrongly; others defending him. But it is not as a
tale bearer that Joseph is here viewed, rather is he seen as the
truth-speaker.Not by cowardly silence would he be the accomplice of
their evil-doing. And here too we may discern a clear foreshadowing of
the Lord Jesus Christ. We will quote but one verse, but it is
sufficient to establish the type: "The world cannot hate you; but Me
it hateth, because I testify of it that the works thereof are
evil"(John 7:7).
4. His Father's Love."Israelloved Joseph more than all his brethren."
This is one of the lines which stands out most distinctly in this
lovely Old Testament picture. How Jacob loved Joseph! His mark of
special esteem in making for him the coat of many colors: his
unconsolsble grief when he believed that Joseph had been devoured by
beasts; his taking of that long journey into Egypt that he might again
look upon his favorite son ere death overtook him--all tell out the
deep love of Jacob for Joseph. And how all this speaks to us of the
Father's love for His only begotten Son! Through Solomon the Spirit of
prophecy, speaking of the relation which existed between the Father
and the Son in a past eternity, said, "TheLord possessed Me in the
beginning of His way before His works of old;" and again, "ThenI was
by Him, as One brought up with Him, and I was daily His
delight,rejoicing always before Him" (Prov. 8:22, 30). How sweetly was
this illustrated by Jacob's love for Joseph! Again, when the Son of
God became incarnate, and was about to begin His public ministry, the
heavens were opened and the Voice of the Father was heard saying,
"This is My beloved Son,in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). So,
also, when His public ministry neared its close, once more the
Father's Voice was heard, upon the Mount of Transfiguration, saying,
"This is My beloved Son,in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him"
(Matthew 17:5). The Son, too, affirmed the Father's love for Himself
--"Therefore doth My Father love me,because I lay down My life, that I
might take it again" (John 10:17). And when the Son had finished the
Work given Him to do, when He had laid down His life and had risen
again from the dead, the Father displayed His love by removing Him
from the scenes of His sufferings and shame, "Wherefore God also hath
highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name"
(Phil. 2:9). And not only did God highly exalt His blessed Son, but He
also seated Him upon His own throne (Rev. 3:21), that during these
centuries when the Church is being built Christ might be near to the
Father!
5. His Relation to his father's Age."Hewas the son of his old age." No
line in this picture is without its own meaning--how could it be, when
none other than the Spirit of God drew it! Every word here is
profoundly significant. We quote from the words of another: "Oldage,
translated into spiritual language and applied to God, signifies
`eternity.' Jesus Christ was the Son of God's eternity. From all
eternity He was God's Son. He was not derived, He was eternally
begotten; He is God of God, very God of very God, equal with, and of
the same substance as, the Father." As the opening verse of John's
Gospel declares, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God and the Word was God." And again, in His high-priestly prayer the
Lord Jesus said, "And now, O Father, glorify thou Me with Thine own
self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was"(John
17:5). The Lord Jesus Christ is no creature, He is Creator (John 1:3);
He is no mere emanation of Deity, He is the One in whom dwelleth
"allthe fullness of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9). He is far more
than a manifestation of God, He is Himself "God manifest in the flesh"
(1 Tim. 3:16). He is not a person who had His beginning in time, but
is Eternal in His being; as the true rendering of Micah 5:2 declares,
the One who was born in Bethlehem of Judea was none other than He
"whosegoings forth have been from of old, from the days of
Eternity."Christ then was, in the language of our type "the Son of
(His Father's) old age"--the eternal Son of God.
6. His Coat of Many Colors.Thus far the interpreting of the type has
been simple, but here, we encounter that which is not quite so easy.
How gracious of God for providing us with help on this point! We are
not left to our own imaginations to guess at the meaning of the many
colored coat. No; guesswork is not only vain, but altogether needless
in regard to God's blessed Word. Scripture is its own interpreter.In
Judges 5:30, we read, "Havethey not sped? have they not divided the
prey; to every man a damsel or two; to Sisera a prey of divers
colors,a prey of divers colors of needlework, of divers colors on both
sides, meet for the necks of them that take the spoil?" Here we learn
that such garments were to be worn as a mark of distinction.Again in 2
Samuel 13:18 we read, "Andshe had a garment of divers colors upon her:
for with such robes were the King's daughters that were virgins
appareled." Here again we get the same thought: This was the attire of
unmarried princesses; it was a mark of honor, singling out the wearer
as one of noble birth. This, no doubt, was Jacob's object to
distinguish Joseph (born of Rachel) from his half brothers (born of
the slave-wives).
How appropriate was this as an adumbration of Christ! He, too, was
marked off from all His brethren according to the flesh, marked off as
one of noble birth, marked off by outward signs of peculiar
distinction and honor. It is blessed to behold what care and pains God
took to manifest this coat of many colors, in connection with His
blessed Son. The "virgin's" Babe was distinguished from all others
born by the Angelic Song o'er Bethlehem's plains--none other was ever
welcomed thus by the Heavenly hosts! So, too, the "star" that appeared
to the wise men gave evidence of the Heavenly Origin of the new-born
King. At His baptism we see again the many-colored coat: multitudes
presented themselves to John at the river Jordan and were baptized of
him; but when the Christ of God came up out of the waters, the Heavens
were opened and the Spirit of God descended upon Him in the form of a
dove, thus distinguishing Christ from all others! Behold again the
coat of many colors in John 12. In John 13 the feet of the disciples
(pointing to their walk) are defiled, and need to be washed with water
(type of Word); but in the previous chapter (for in all things Christ
must have the pre-eminence) we see the feet of our blessed Lord, not
washed with water (for there was no defilement in Him), but anointed
with precious ointment,the fragrance of which filled the house,
telling that the walk of Him (as well as His blessed person) was a
sweet smelling savor to the Father. Thus again was Christ
distinguished from and elevated above all others. So, too, at the
Cross, the distinguishing coat of many colors may be seen. In death,
as everywhere, His uniqueness was manifested. He died as none other
ever died or could: He "laid down His life." And the uniqueness of His
death was divinely attested in the supernatural phenomena that
accompanied it: the three hours darkness, the quaking of the earth,
and the rending of the veil. The "many colors" of the coat also speak
to us of Christ's varied glories and infinite perfections.
7. The Hatred of his Brethren."They hated him and could not speak
peaceably to him." It was Jacob's love which brought out the heart's
enmity of these men. Joseph then, made manifest both his father's love
and his brethren's hatred. So when Christ came to the earth He did
these two things. He revealed the Father's heart and He exposed man's
enmity. And one of two things always followed: either men hated Him
for exposing them, or they accepted such exposure and took refuge in
the Grace which He revealed. When Christ exposed the hypocrisy of the
Pharisees they hated Him; but when He exposed to the woman at the well
her sinful life and condition, she welcomed it, and availed herself of
God's grace. So it is now: those who hear the truth of God faithfully
preached, the lost and guilty condition of the natural man fearlessly
proclaimed, either they hate it, and seek to hide behind the filthy
rags of their own self-righteousness, or they come out into the light,
bow to God's verdict, and casting themselves in the dust before Him as
Hell-deserving sinners, believe in the Savior which the Gospel makes
known. In which class are you found, dear reader? Are you, like the
brethren of Joseph who hated the son of the father's love, "despising
and rejecting" Christ? Friend, make no mistake here. You either love
or you hate the Lord Jesus Christ! and it is written, "If any man love
not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be accursed"(1 Cor. 16:22). O heed
now this solemn admonition of God, "Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
and ye perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him"(Ps. 2:12).
Before we turn to consider the special subject of this article we must
first notice three or four points in the first eleven verses of
Genesis 37 which, through lack of space, we omitted from our last.
"AndJoseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they
hated him yet the more. And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this
dream which I have dreamed: For, behold, we were binding sheaves in
the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and,
behold, your sheaves stood around about, and made obeisance to my
sheaf. And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us?
or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the
more for his dreams, and for his words. And he dreamed yet another
dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a
dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars
made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father, and to his
brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this
dream that thou hast dreamed! Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren
indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? And his
brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying" (vv. 5-11).
Continuing our numeration we may note:
8. Joseph is hated because of his Words.There are two lines which are,
perhaps, made more prominent than others in this first typical
picture: the love of Jacob for his son, and the hatred of the
brethren. Three times over within the compass of these few verses
reference is made to the "hatred" of Joseph's brethren. In verse 4 we
read, "they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him." Again,
in verse 5 we are told, "and they hated him yet the more." And again
in verse 8: "And they hated him yet the more for his dreams and for
his words." It will be seen from these references there was a twofold
occasion for their wicked enmity. First, they hated Joseph's
person,because of Jacob's special love for him; second, they hated him
because of "his words."They hated him because of what he was,and also
because of what he said.Thus it was, too, with the One whom Joseph
typified.
As we turn to the four Gospels it will be found that those who were
our Lord's brethren according to the flesh hated Him in this same
twofold way. They hated Him because He was the beloved Son of the
Father, and they also hated Him because of His teaching. As
illustrations of the former we may note the following passages:
"Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill Him, because He not only
had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was His Father, making
Himself equal with God" (John 5:18). "The Jews then murmured at Him,
because He said, I am the Bread which came down from heaven" (John
6:41). "I and My Father are one. Then the Jews took up stones again to
stone Him" (John 10:30, 31). Such was their wicked hostility against
His person. And it was just the same, too, in regard to His
teaching:"And all they in the synagogue when they heard these things,
were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city,
and led Him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built,
that they might east Him down headlong" (Luke 4:28, 29). "The world
cannot hate you: but Me it hateth, because I testify of it,that the
works thereof are evil" (John 7:7). "But now ye seek to kill Me, a man
that hath told you the truth,which I have heard of God" (John 8:40).
9. Joseph was to enjoy a remarkable future.These dreams of Joseph
intimated that this favored son of Jacob was the subject of high
destinies: they were Divine announcements of his future exaltation.
There can be little doubt that Jacob and his sons perceived that these
dreams were prophetic, otherwise the brethren would have regarded them
as "idle tales," instead of being angered by them. Note, too, that
"his father observed the saying" (v. 11).
So, too, of the Antitype. A remarkable future was promised to the One
who first appeared in lowliness and shame. Concerning the Child that
was to be born unto Israel, the Son given, it was pre-announced: "The
government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called
Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the
Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there
shall be no end" (Isa. 9:6, 7). To his mother the angel declared,
"Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and
shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the
Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of
His father David; and He shall reign over the House of Jacob for ever:
and of His kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke 1:31-33). That
Joseph's Antitype was to enjoy a remarkable future was thus intimated
beforehand.
10. Joseph foretold his future Sovereignty.It is worthy of notice that
the two recorded dreams of Joseph contemplated a double sovereignty:
the first dream concerned "the field," which pointed to the earthly
dominion of our Lord; but the second dream was occupied with the sun,
the moon and the stars, and tells, in type, of the Heavenly dominion
of Christ, for all power (or authority) has been given to Him in
heaven and on earth.
Joseph's announcement of his future exaltation only served to fan the
fires of enmity, and gave intensity to his brethren's hatred. And so
it was with the Savior. The more our Lord unfolded the glory of His
person, the more He spoke of His future exaltation, the more did the
Jews--His brethren according to the flesh--hate Him. The climax of
this is to be seen in Matthew 26:64: "Nevertheless, I say unto you,
Hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of
power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." Here was the announcement
of His future sovereignty, and mark the immediate effects of His words
on those that heard Him: "Then the high priest rent his clothes,
saying, He hath spoken blasphemy."
11. Joseph was envied by his brethren. "Whenhis brethren saw that
their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him"
(verse 4). In these words are found the key to what followed. That
which was the prime cause of the brethren's hatred was envy: as verse
11 tells us, "And his brethren envied him." They were jealous of the
partiality shown by Jacob to their half-brother. This is a sin which
has characterized human nature all down the ages: the difference
between envy and covetousness is this--we envy persons,we covet
things.
Here, too the type holds good. Christ was "envied" by those who were
His brethren, according to the flesh. This comes out in His parable of
the Wicked Husbandman, "Having yet therefore one son, His
well-beloved, He sent Him also last unto them, saying, They will
reverence My Son. But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is
the Heir; come, let us kill Him, and the inheritance shall be ours"
(Mark 12:6, 7). Again, "For this cause the people also met Him, for
that they heard that He had done this miracle. The Pharisees therefore
said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the
world is gone after Him"(John 12:18, 19). How that utterance
manifested the jealousy of their hearts! But even plainer is the
testimony of Matthew 27:17, 18, for there the very word "envy"is
found, "Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto
them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which
is called Christ? For he knew that for envy they had delivered Him."
In our next we shall consider, Joseph betrayed by his brethren.
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] We take this occasion to acknowledge our indebtedness to Dr.
Haldeman and Mr. C. Knapp.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
41. Joseph Betrayed By His Brethren
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 37
"Andhis brethren went to feed their father's flock In Shechem. And
Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in
Shechem? Come, I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am
I" (Gen. 37:12, 13).
12. Joseph sent forth by his father.The verses just quoted above
introduce to us the second of these marvelous typical scenes in which
Joseph shadows forth the Lord Jesus. Here the brethren of Joseph are
seen away from their father. Jacob says to his beloved son, "Come, and
I will send thee unto them." How this reveals the heart of Jacob to
us. He was not indifferent to their welfare. Absent from the father's
house as they were, Jacob is concerned for the welfare of these
brethren of Joseph. He, therefore, proposes to send his well beloved
son on an errand of mercy, seeking their good. And is it not beautiful
to mark the promptness of Joseph's response! There was no hesitancy,
no unwillingness, no proffering of excuses, but a blessed readiness to
do his father's will, "Here am I."
One cannot read of what passed here between Jacob and Joseph without
seeing that behind the historical narrative we are carried back to a
point before time began, into the eternal counsels of the Godhead, and
that we are permitted to learn something of what passed between the
Father and the Son in the remote past. As the Lord God with Divine
omniscience foresaw the fall of man, and the alienation of the race
from Himself, out of the marvelous grace of His heart, He proposed
that His beloved Son should go forth on a mission of mercy, seeking
those who were away from the Father's House. Hence we read so often of
the Son being sent by the Father, "Herein is love, not that we loved
God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for
our sins" (1 John 4:10). And blessed it is to know that the Beloved of
the Father came forth on His errand of love, freely, willingly,
gladly. Like Joseph, He, too, promptly responded, "Here am I." As it
is written of Him in Hebrews 10:7, "Then said I, Lo, I come (in the
volume of the book it is written of Me) to do Thy will,O God."
13. Joseph seeks the welfare of his brethren."And he said to him, Go,
I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with
the flocks, and bring me word again" (Gen. 37:14). Joseph could not
have been ignorant of his brethren's "envy"; he must have known how
they "hated" him; and in view of this, one had not been surprised to
find him unwilling to depart on such a thankless errand. But with
gracious magnanimity and filial fear he stood ready to depart on the
proposed mission.
Two things are to be particularly observed here as bringing out the
striking accuracy of this type: First, Joseph is sent forth with a
definite object before him--to seek his brethren. When we turn to the
Gospels we find the correspondence is perfect. When the Beloved of the
Father visited this world, His earthly mission was restricted to His
brethren according to the flesh. As we read in John 1:11, "He came
unto His own, and His own received Him not": His "own" here refers to
His own people, the Jews. Again, in Matthew 15:24, it is recorded that
the Lord Jesus Himself expressly declared, "I am not sent but unto the
lost sheep of the House of Israel." And again, in Romans 15:8, we are
told, "Now I say that Jesus Christ was a Minister of the Circumcision
for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers."
In the second place, observe the character of Joseph's mission: said
Jacob," Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren." He
was sent not to censure them, but to inquire after their welfare. So,
again, it was with the Lord Jesus Christ. As we read in John 3:17,
"For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but
that the world through Him might be saved."
14. Joseph was sent forth from the vale of Hebron:"So he sent him out
of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem" (Gen. 37:14). There is
no line in this lovely picture, drawn by the Spirit of God, which is
without its own distinctive significance. We quote here from the well
chosen words of Mr. C. Knapp: "Hebron means fellowship or communion.
The vale suggests quiet peacefulness and rest. It was intended, I
believe, to point them forward (and point us back) to the fellowship
of the Son with the Father in heaven's eternal calm and peace previous
to His entrance, at His incarnation, into this scene of sin and toil
and sorrow'' (A Fruitful Bough).
The peaceful vale of Hebron, then, was the place where Joseph dwelt in
happy fellowship with his father; there he was at home, known, loved,
understood. But from this he was sent to a place characterized by
strife and blood-shed-ding, unto those who appreciated him not, yea,
to those who envied and hated him. Faintly but accurately this tells
of the love-passing-knowledge which caused the Lord of Glory to leave
His Home above and descend to a hostile realm where they hated Him
without a cause.
15. Joseph came to Shechem (Gen. 37:14). The word "Shechem" means
"Shoulder," being taken from "the position of the place on the
`saddle' or `shoulder' of the heights which divide the waters there
that flow to the Mediterranean on the west and to the Jordan on the
east" (Smith's Bible Dictionary). The meaning of this name conforms
strictly to the Antitype. The "shoulder" speaks of burden-bearing and
suggests the thought of service and subjection. The moral meaning of
the term is Divinely defined for us in this very book of Genesis--"and
bowed his shoulder to bear and become a servant unto tribute" (Gen.
49:15). How striking it is to read, then, that on leaving his father
in the vale of Hebron, Joseph came to Shechem. How marvelously this
foreshadowed the place which the Lord of Glory took! Leaving His
peaceful place on high, and coming down to this scene of sin and
suffering. He took the Servant's place, the place of submission and
subjection. As we read in Philippians 2:6, 7, "Who, being in the form
of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made Himself
of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant."And again
in Galatians 4:4, "Whenthe fullness of time was come, God sent forth
His Son, made of a woman, made under the law."Verily, "Shechem" was
the place that the Beloved of the Father came to.
Moreover, is it not significant that Shechem has been mentioned before
in the Genesis narrative--see Genesis 34:25-30--especially when we
note what occurred there. Shechem was the p]ace of sin and sorrow, of
evil passions and blood-shedding. Little wonder that Jacob was anxious
about his sons in such a place, and that he sent Joseph to them there
to inquire after their welfare. And how what we read of in Genesis 34
well depicts in terse but solemn summary the history of this earth.
How aptly and how accurately the scene there portrayed exhibited the
character of the place into which the Lord Jesus came. The place which
lie took was that of the Servant; the scene into which He came was one
of sin and strife and suffering.
16. Joseph now became a Wanderer in the field."And a certain man found
him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked
him: saying, What seekest thou? And he said, I seek my brethren: tell
me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks" (Gen. 37:15, 16). In
His interpretation of the Parable of the Tares, the Lord Jesus said,
"the field is the world"(Matthew 13:38). Like Joseph, the Beloved of
the Father became a Wanderer,a homeless Stranger in this world. The
foxes had holes, and the birds of the air had their nests, but the Son
of man had not where to lay his head. What a touching word is that in
John's Gospel, "And every man went unto his own house: Jesus went unto
the Mount of Olives" (John 7:53; 8:1). Every other man had his own
house to which he could go, but the Lord Jesus, the homeless Wanderer
here, must retire to the bleak mountain side. O my soul, bow in
wonderment before that matchless grace which causes thy Savior who,
though lie was rich, yet He for our sakes became poor, that we through
His poverty might be rich!
17. Joseph seeks until he finds his brethren."Andthe man said, They
are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And
Joseph went after his brethren and found them in Dotham" (Gen. 37:17).
When Joseph arrived at Shechem he found his brethren gone; they were
not there. "Nowis his chance to return to Hebron if his heart is not
wholly in his mission, Here he has given him a good excuse for turning
back and giving up the undertaking. But no; he has no thought of
turning back, or giving up the work given him of his father to do"
(Mr. K). Thus it was with that blessed One whom Joseph foreshadowed.
From start to finish we find Him prompted by unswerving devotion to
His Father and unwearied love toward His lost sheep, continuing the
painful search until He found them. No seeming failure in His mission,
no lack of appreciation in those to whom He ministered, daunted Him.
Man might despise and reject Him, those nearest might deem Him "beside
Himself"; Peter might cry, "Spare Thyself," yet none of these things
turned Him aside from going about His Father's business! A work had
been given Him to do, and He would not rest till it was "finished."
"And Joseph went after his brethren." How these words gather up into a
brief sentence the whole story recorded in the four Gospels! As the
Redeemer went about from place to place, one end only was in view--He
was going after His brethren. He enters the synagogue and reads from
the prophet Isaiah, and with what object? That His brethren might be
reached. He walks by the Sea of Galilee, seeking out those who should
walk with Him for a season. He must needs go through Samaria we read;
and why? Be cause there were some of His "brethren" in that place.
Yes, the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost. And,
my Christian reader, of what do these words remind you,"Joseph went
after his brethren?" Ah, how patiently and untiringly that One of whom
Joseph was but a type "went after" you! How many years His unwearied
love pursued you; pursued you over the mountains of unbelief and
across the precipices of sin! All praise to His marvelous grace.
"And found them in Dothan." Dr. Haldeman tells us that "Dothan"
signifies "Law or Custom." "And it was there Jesus found His brethren,
dwelling under the bondage of the Law, and slaves to mere religious
formalism." Yes, the Law of Jehovah had degenerated into the "customs"
of the Pharisees, "Layingaside the commandments of God, ye hold the
traditions of men" (Mark 9:8), was our Lord's charge against them.
18. Joseph conspired against."And when they saw him afar off, even
before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him"
(Gen. 37:18). The hatred of the brethren found opportunity in the love
that sought them. It is striking to notice how that a conspiracy was
formed against Joseph "before he drew near unto them." How this
reminds us of what happened during the days of our Savior's infancy.
No sooner was He born into this world than the enmity of the carnal
mind against God displayed itself! A horrible "conspiracy"was hatched
by Herod in the attempt to slay the newly born Savior. This was in the
days when He was "afaroff." Thirty years before He presented Himself
publicly to the Jews. The same thing is found again and again during
the days of His public ministry. "Then the Pharisees went out and held
a council again Him, how they might destroy Him" (Matthew 12:14), may
be cited as a sample.
19. Joseph's words disbelieved."And they said one to another, Behold
this dreamer cometh. Come now, therefore, and let us slay him, and
east him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured
him; and we shall see what will become of his dreams" (Gen. 37:19,
20). The prophetic announcement of Joseph seemed unto his brethren as
idle tales. They not only hated him, but they refused to believe what
he had said. Their skepticism comes out plainly in the wicked
proposal, "Let us slay him . . . and we shall see what will become of
his dreams." Thus it was with the Christ of God. After He had been
nailed to the cross, "they that passed by reviled Him, wagging their
heads, and saying, Thou that destroyed the temple and buildest it in
three days, save Thyself. If Thou be the Son of God, come down from
the cross. Likewise, also the chief priests mocking Him, with the
scribes and elders, said, He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If
He be the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, And we
will believe Him "--which was an admission that they did not believe.
The Jews believed Him not. His teaching was nothing more to them than
empty dreams. So, too, after His death and burial. "The chief priests
and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, saying, Sir, we remember that
that deceiver said, while He was yet alive, After three days I will
rise again. Command therefore, that the sepulcher be made sure"
(Matthew 27). When the stone was sealed and the watch was set, the
skeptical Pharisees were but saying in effect, "Weshall see what will
become of His dreams."
And is it any different now in modern Christendom? How do men and
women today treat the words of the Faithful and True Witness? Do those
who listen to the Gospel give credence to what they hear? Do they set
to their seal that God is true? Do they really believe as true the
Lord's own words, "He that believeth not is condemned already" (John
3:18)? Ah, unsaved reader, dost thou believe that, that even now the
condemnation of a Holy God is resting upon thee? You do not have to
wait until the last great day; you do not have to wait until the
judgment of the great white throne. No; God's condemnation rest upon
thee now. Unspeakably solemn is this. And there is but one way of
deliverance. There was but one way of escape for Noah and his family
from the flood, and that was to seek refuge in the Ark. And there is
but one way of escape from God's condemnation for you, and that is, to
flee to Christ, who was Himself condemned in the stead of all who
believe on Him. Again: He who was truth incarnate declared, "He that
believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth
on him" (John 3:36). O unsaved friend, if you really believed these
words of Him who cannot lie you would not delay another moment. You
would not dare to procrastinate any longer. Even now, you would east
yourself at His feet, just as you are, as a poor needy and guilty
sinner, receiving Him by faith as your own Savior. Treat not, we
beseech you, these words of the Son of God as idle tales, but believe
them to the saving of your soul.
20. Joseph is insulted. "And it came to pass, when Joseph was come
unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat, his coat
of many colors that was on him" (Gen. 37:23). How this brings out the
wicked hatred of these men for the one who had come seeking only their
welfare. Like beasts of prey they immediately spring upon him. It was
not enough to injure him; they must insult him too. They put him to an
open shame by stripping him of his coat of many colors. And how
solemnly this agrees with the Antitype. In a similar manner the Lord
of Glory was dealt with. He, too, was insulted, and put to shame:
"Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall,
and gathered unto Him the whole band of soldiers. And they stripped
Him" (Matthew 27:27, 28). The same horrible ignominy is witnessed
again at the Cross: "Then the soldiers when they had crucified Jesus,
took His garments"(John 19:23).
21. Joseph is cast into a pit."Andthey took him, and cast him into a
pit; and the pit was empty, there was no water in it" (Gen. 37:24). We
quote now from Dr. Haldeman: "The pit wherein is no water, is another
name for Hades, the underworld, the abode of the disembodied dead: of
all the dead before the resurrection of Christ. `The pit wherein is no
water' (Zech. 9:11). `For as Jonah was three days and three nights in
the whale's belly, so shall the Son of man be three days and three
nights in the heart of the earth' (Matthew 12:40). It was here our
Lord, as to His Soul, abode between death and resurrection."
22. Joseph was taken out of the pit, alive, in his body."And they
lifted up Joseph out of the pit" (Gen. 37:28). "The actual order of
the occurrence is that Joseph was first east into the pit and then
sold; but the moral order of the type is not deranged by the fact; it
is in the light of the Anti-typical history that we make the type to
be verified, as well as to verify it. The lifting out of the pit is
one of those Divine anticipations of the resurrection scattered all
through the Old Testament from Genesis to Malachi" (Dr. H.).
23. Joseph's brethren mingle Hypocrisy with their Hatred."Andthey sat
down to eat bread . . . And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit
is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood? Come, and let us
sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he
is our brother and our flesh" (Gen. 37:27). First, notice the opening
words of verse 25, "And they sat down to eat bread," and this, while
Joseph was helpless in the pit! How this reminds us of Matthew 27:35,
36--"And they crucified Him . . .. And sitting down they watched Him
there!"
But mark now this hypocrisy: "Come, and let us sell him to the
Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him." The parallel to this
is found in John 18: "Thenled they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall
of judgment; and it was early; and they themselves went not into the
judgment hall, lest they should be defiled" (v. 28). Such deceptions
will men practice upon themselves. And again, how remarkable, in this
connection, are the words found in John 18:31: "Then said Pilate unto
them, Take ye Him and judge Him according to your law. The Jews
therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to
death!"
24. Joseph is sold. "Theydrew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and
sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites" (Gen. 37:28). Is it not exceedingly
striking to note that from among the twelve sons of Jacob Judah should
be the one to make this horrible bargain, just as from the twelve
apostles Judas (the Anglecized form of the Greek equivalent) was the
one to sell the Lord!
25. Joseph's blood-sprinkled coat is presented to his father."And they
took Joseph's coat and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat
in the blood; and they sent the coat of many colors, and they brought
it to their father." "The anticipation of the type is self evident.
The blood of Jesus Christ as the blood of a scapegoat, a sin offering,
was presented to the Father" (Dr. H).. In our next, D. V., we shall
consider Joseph in Egypt.
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
42. Joseph In Egypt
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 39, 40
Genesis 37 closes with an account of Jacob's sons selling their
brother Joseph unto the Midianites, and they, in turn selling him into
Egypt. This speaks, in type, of Christ being rejected by Israel, and
delivered unto the Gentiles. From the time that the Jewish leaders
delivered their Messiah into the hands of Pilate they have, as a
nation, had no further dealings with Him; and God, too, has turned
from them to the Gentiles. Hence it is that there is an important turn
in our type at this stage. Joseph is now seen in the hands of the
Gentiles.But before we are told what happened to Joseph in Egypt, the
Holy Spirit traces for us, in typical outline, the history of the
Jews, while the antitypical Joseph is absent from the land.This is
found in Genesis 38.
It is remarkable that Genesis 38 records the history of Judah,for long
before the Messiah was rejected by the Jews,Israel (the ten tribes)
had ceased to have a separate history. Here, then, Judah foreshadows
the history of the Jews since their rejection of Christ. "And Judah
saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite, whose name was Shuah; and
he took her, and went in to her"(Gen. 38:2). How striking this is!
"Canaanite" signifies "the merchantman," and "Shuah" means
"riches."How plainly the meaning of these names give us the leading
characteristics of the Jews during the centuries from the Cross! No
longer are they the settled husbandmen and quiet shepherds as of old;
but, instead, travelling merchants. And "riches" has been their great
pursuit. Three sons were born to Judah by Shuah, and the "Numerical
Bible" suggests as the meaning of their names:
"Er"--enmity;"Onan"--iniquity; "Shelah"--sprout.Deeply significant,
too, are these names. "Enmity" against Christ is what has marked the
Jews all through the centuries of this Christian era. "Iniquity"
surely fits this avaricious people, the average merchant of whom is
noted for dishonesty, lying and cheating. While "sprout" well
describes the feeble life of this nation, so marvellously preserved by
God through innumerable trials and persecutions. The chapter
terminates with the sordid story of Tamar, the closing portions of
which obviously foreshadowing the end-time conditions of the Jews. In
the time of her travail "twins were in her womb" (Gen. 38:27). So in
the tribulation period there shall be two companies in Israel. The
first, appropriately named "Pharez," which means "breach," speaking of
the majority of the nation who will break completely with God and
receive and worship the Antichrist. The second, "Zerah," that had the
"scarlet thread" upon his hand (Gen. 38:30), pointing to the godly
remnant who will be saved, as was Rahab of old by the "scarlet cord."
But we must turn now to Genesis 39.
Genesis 39 is more than a continuation of what has been before us in
Genesis 37, being separated, as it is, from that chapter by what is
recorded in 38. Genesis in 39 is really a new beginning in the type,
taking us back to the Incarnation, and tracing the experiences of the
Lord Jesus from another angle. Continuing our enumeration (see
previous article), we may observe:
26. Joseph becomes a Servant. "And Joseph was brought down to Egypt;
and Potiphar an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian,
brought him out of the hands of the Ishmaelites, which had brought him
down thither (Gen. 39:1). What a contrast from being the beloved son
in his father's house to the degradation of slavery in Egypt! But this
was as nothing compared with the voluntary self-humiliation of the
Lord Jesus. He who was in the form of God, and thought it not robbery
to be equal with God, made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him
the form of a servant (Phil. 2:6, 7). "Bond-slave" expresses the force
of the original better than "servant." It is to this the prophetic
language of Psalm 40 refers. There we hear the Lord Jesus saying,
"Sacrificeand offering Thou didst not desire; Mine ears hast Thou
digged;burnt offering and sin offering hast Thou not required. Then
said I, lo, I come; in the volume of the book it is written of Me. I
delight to do Thy will, O My God." These words carry us back to Exodus
21:5, 6. "And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my
wife, and my children; I will not go out free. Then his master shall
bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or
unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an
awl,and he shall serve him for ever." The Lord Jesus was the Speaker
of that prophecy in Psalm 40, and the fulfiller of this type in Exodus
21. He was the One who took the Servant place, and voluntarily entered
into the degradation of slavery. And it is this which Joseph here so
strikingly typified.
27. Joseph was a Prosperous Servant. "And the Lord was with Joseph,
and he was a prosperous man,and he was in the house of his master the
Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the
Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand" (Gen. 39:2, 3).
Observe, particularly, it is here said, the Lord made all that Joseph
did "to prosper in his hand." How these words remind us of two
prophetic scriptures which speak of the perfect Servant of Jehovah.
The first is the opening Psalm, which brings before us the
"BlessedMan," the Man who walked not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seat of the scornful;
the Man whose delight was in the Law of the Lord, and in whose Law He
did meditate day and night; the Man of whom God said, "And He shall be
like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth His
fruit in His Season; His leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever He
doeth shall prosper" (Ps. 1:3). Manifestly, this spoke, specifically,
of the Lord Jesus, in whom, alone, the terms of the opening verses of
this Psalm were fully realized. The second scripture is found in that
matchless fifty-third of Isaiah (every sentence of which referred to
the Son of God incarnate, and to Him, expressly, as Jehovah's
"Servant,"see Genesis 52:13), we read, "Thepleasure of the Lord shall
prosper in His hand." How marvelously accurate the type! Of Joseph it
is recorded, "The Lord made all that he did to prosper in his
hand"(Gen. 39:3). Of Christ it is said, "Thepleasure of the Lord shall
prosper in His hand"(Isa. 53:10).
28. Joseph's master was well pleased with him. "AndJoseph found grace
in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his
house, and all that he had he put into his hand" (Gen. 39:4). How
could it be otherwise? Joseph was entirely different from any other
servant that Potiphar ever had. The fear of God was upon him; the Lord
was with him, prospering him; and he served his master faithfully. So
it was with the One whom Joseph foreshadowed. The Lord Jesus was
entirely different from any other servant God ever had. The fear of
the Lord was upon Him (see Isaiah 11:2). And so faithfully did He
serve God, He could say, "I do always those things that please Him"
(John 8:29).
29. Joseph, the servant, was made a blessing to others. "And it came
to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and
over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for
Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had
in the house and in the field" (Gen. 34:5). So, too, the Father
entrusted to the Son all the interests of the Godhead the
manifestation of the Divine character, the glorifying of God's name,
and the vindication of His throne. And what has been the outcome of
the Beloved of the Father taking the Servant place, and assuming and
discharging these onerous responsibilities? Has not the Lord "blessed"
the antitypical "Egyptian's house," for the sake of that One whom
Joseph foreshadowed? Clearly, the "Egyptian's house" symbolized the
world,and how bountifully has the world been blessed for Christ's
sake!
30. Joseph was a goodly person. "And Joseph was a goodly person, and
well favored" (Gen. 39:6). How carefully has the Holy Spirit here
guarded the type! We must always distinguish between the person and
the place which he occupies. Joseph had entered into the degradation
of slavery. He was no longer at his own disposal, but subject to the
will of another. He was no longer dwelling in his father's house in
Canaan, but instead, was a bond slave in an Egyptian's house. Such was
his position.But concerning his person we are told, "Joseph was a
goodly person, and well favored." So, too, the Son of God took a lowly
place, the place of humiliation and shame, the place of submission and
servitude. Yet, how zealously did the Father see to it that the glory
of His person was guarded! No sooner was He laid in the manger (the
place He took), than God sent the angels to announce to the Bethlehem
shepherds that the One born (the person) was none other than "Christ,
the Lord." A little later, the wise men from the East prostrate
themselves before the young child in worship. As soon as He comes
forth to enter (the place of) His public ministry--serving others,
instead of being served--God causes one to go before Him and testify
that he was not worthy to stoop down and unloose the shoe-latchet of
the (person) of the Lamb of God. So, too, on the Cross, where,
supremely, God's Servant was seen in the place of shame, God caused
Him to be owned as "the Son of God" (Matthew 27:54)! Truly, was He a
"goodly person, and well favored."
31. Joseph was sorely tempted, yet sinned not. "And it came to pass
after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph;
and she said, Lie with me. But he refused and said unto his master's
wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and
he hath committed all that he hath to my hand. There is none greater
in this house than I; neither hath he kept back anything from me but
thee, because thou art his wife; how then can I do this great
wickedness, and sin against God? And it came to pass as she spake to
Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or
to be with her. And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went
into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of
the house there within. And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie
with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him
out" (Gen. 39:7-12).
It is surely not without design that the Holy Spirit has placed in
juxtaposition the account of the unchastity of Judah in Genesis 38
with the chastity of Joseph here in Genesis 39. And how significant
that the unfaithfulness of the one is placed before the faithfulness
of the other! Joseph's temptation foreshadowed the temptation of the
Lord Jesus, the last Adam, and His faithfulness in refusing the evil
solicitations of Satan, which was in marked contrast from the failure
of the first Adam, before Him. The marvelous accuracy of our type may
be further seen by observing that Joseph's temptation is here divided
into three distinct parts (as was that of our Lord), see Genesis 39:7,
10, 12. So, again, it should be remarked, that Joseph was tempted not
in Canaan, by his brethren, but in Egypt (symbol of the world), by the
wife of a captain of Pharaoh's guard. And the temptation suffered by
the Lord Jesus emanated, not from His brethren according to the flesh,
but from Satan, "the prince of this world."
Beautiful is it to mark how Joseph resisted the repeated
temptation--"How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against
God?" This is the more striking if we link up this utterance of
Joseph's with Psalm 105:19, "The Word of the Lord tried him." So it
was by the same Word that the Savior repulsed the Enemy. But notice
here one point in contrast:"And he (Joseph) left his garment in her
hand, and fled,and got him out" (Gen. 39:12). So, the Apostle Paul,
writing to Timothy, enjoined him to "Flee youthful lusts" (2 Tim.
2:22). How different with the Perfect One! He said, "Get thee hence,
Satan" (Matthew 4:10), and we read, "Then the Devil leaveth Him."In
all things He has the pre-eminence.
32. Joseph was falsely accused. "And she laid up his garment by her,
until his lord came home. And she spake unto him according to these
words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us,
came in unto me to mock me. And it came to pass, as I lifted up my
voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out" (Gen.
39:16-18). There was no ground whatever for a true charge to be
brought against Joseph, so an unjust one was preferred. So it was,
too, with Him who was "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from
sinners." His enemies "thechief priests, and elders, and all the
council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put Him to death. But
found none."Yet, at the last, "came two false witnesses" (Matthew
16:59, 60), who bore untruthful testimony against Him.
33. Joseph attempted no defense. "Andit came to pass, when his master
heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After
this manner did thy servant to me: that his wrath was kindled" (Gen.
39:19), though notice, it does not add, "against Joseph." In Genesis
37, we beheld Joseph's passive submission to the wrong done him by his
heartless brethren. So here, when falsely and foully accused by this
Egyptian woman, he attempts no self-vindication; not a word of appeal
is made; nor is there any murmuring against the cruel injustice done
him, as he is cast into prison. There was no recrimination; nothing
but a quiet enduring of the wrong. When Joseph was reviled, like the
Savior, he reviled not again. And how all this reminds us of what we
read in Isaiah 53:7, with its recorded fulfillment in the Gospels,
"Hewas oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth;He
is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her
shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth!"
34. Joseph was cast into prison. "And Joseph's master took him, and
put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were
bound; and he was there in the prison" (Gen. 39:20). "Takingthe
garment that Joseph had left behind him in his flight, she used it as
a proof of his guilt, and first to the servants, and then to her
husband. She made out a case against the Hebrew slave. The way she
spoke of her husband to the servants (verse 14) shows the true
character of the woman, and perhaps also the terms of her married
life; while the fact that Potiphar only placed Joseph in prison
instead of commanding him to be put to death is another indication of
the state of affairs. For appearance' sake Potiphar must take some
action, but the precise action taken tells its own tale. He evidently
did not credit her story" (Dr. G. Thomas).
Just as Joseph, though completely innocent, was unrighteously cast
into prison, so our Lord was unjustly sentenced to death by one who
owned repeatedly, "I find no fault in Him." And how striking is the
parallel between the acts of Potiphar and Pilate. It is evident that
Potiphar did not believe the accusation which his wife brought against
Joseph--had he really done so, as has been pointed out, he would have
ordered his Hebrew slave put to death. But to save appearances he had
Joseph cast into prison. Now mark the close parallel in Pilate. He,
too, it is evident, did not believe in the guilt of our Lord or why
have been so reluctant to give his consent for Him to be crucified?
He, too, knew the character of those who accused the Savior. But, for
the sake of appearances--as an officer of the Roman Empire, against
the One who was charged with being a rebel against Caesar, for
political expediency--he passed sentence.
35. Joseph thus suffered at the hands of the Gentiles.Not only was
Joseph envied and hated by his own brethren, and sold by them into the
hands of the Gentiles, but he was also treated unfairly by the
Gentiles too, and unjustly cast into prison. So it was with his
Antitype, "The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were
gathered together against the Lord, and against His Christ. For of a
truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom Thou hast anointed, both
Herod and Pontius Pilate. with the Gentiles,and the people of Israel
were gathered together" (Acts 4:26, 27).
36. Joseph, the innocent one, suffered severely. In Stephen's speech
we find a statement which bears this out. Said he, "Andthe patriarchs,
moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt," and then, referring to his
experiences after he had become a slave, he adds, "but God was with
him, and delivered him out of all his afflictions"(Acts 7:9, 10). How
much, we wonder, is covered by these words! What indignities, trials
and pains, was he called on to suffer? In Psalm 105 there is another
word more specific," He (God) sent a man before them, even Joseph, who
was sold for a servant: whose feet they hurt with fetters;he was laid
in iron" (verses 17, 18). How these references remind us of that
Blessed One, who was mocked and spat upon, scourged and crowned with
thorns, and nailed to the cruel tree!
37. Joseph won the respect of his jailor. "But the Lord was with
Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the
keeper of the prison" (Gen. 39:21). Is not the antitype of this found
in the fact that the Roman centurion, the one who had charge of the
Crucifixion of the Savior, cried," Certainly this was a Righteous Man"
(Luke 23:47). Thus did God give His Son favor in the sight of this
Roman who corresponded with Joseph's jailor.
38. Joseph was numbered with transgressors. "Andit came to pass that
after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt, and his
baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt. And Pharaoh was wroth
against two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers and
against the chief of the bakers. And he put them in ward in the house
of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph
was bound" (Gen. 40:1-3). What a marvelous line is this in our typical
picture. Joseph was not alone in the place of shame and suffering. Nor
was the Lord Jesus as He hung on the heights of Calvary. And just as
there were two malefactors crucified with Him, so two offenders were
in the prison with Joseph! But the analogy extends ever further than
this.
39. Joseph was the means of blessing to one, but the pronouncer of
judgment on the other. His fellow prisoners had each of them a dream,
and in interpreting them, Joseph declared that the butler should be
delivered from prison, but to the baker he said, "Within three days
shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a
tree,and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee" (Gen. 40:19). It
is not without good reason that the Holy Spirit has seen fit to record
the details of these dreams. Connected with the spared one, the
butler, we read of "thecup" into which the grapes were pressed (Gen.
49:10-12), suggesting to us the precious Blood of the Lamb, by which
all who believe are delivered. Connected with the one who was not
delivered, the baker, were baskets full of bakemeats (Gen. 40:16, 17),
suggesting human labors, the works of man's hands, which are powerless
to deliver the sinner, or justify him before God: for all such there
is only the "Curse," referred to here by the baker being "hanged on a
tree" (cf. Galatians 3:13). So it was at the Cross: the one thief went
to Paradise; the other to Perdition.
40. Joseph evidenced his knowledge of the future. In interpreting
their dreams, Joseph foretold the future destiny of the butler and the
baker. But observe that in doing this he was careful to ascribe the
glory to Another, saying, "Donot interpretations belong to God?" (Gen.
40:8). So the One whom Joseph foreshadowed, again and again, made
known what should come to pass in the future, yet did he say, "For I
have not spoken of Myself; but the Father which sent Me, He gave Me a
commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak" (John 12:49).
41. Joseph's predictions came true. "Andit came to pass the third day,
which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his
servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the
chief baker among his servants. And he restored the chief butler unto
his butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand. But he
hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them"(Gen.
40:20-22). Just as Joseph had interpreted so it came to pass. So shall
it be with every word of the Son of God, Heaven and earth shall pass
away, but His words shall not pass away. And O, unsaved reader, just
as the solemn announcement of Joseph concerning the baker was actually
fulfilled, so shall these words of the Lord Jesus be found true--"he
that believeth not shall be damned!"
42. Joseph desired to be Remembered. Said Joseph to the butler, "But
think on me when it shall be well with thee" (Gen. 40:14). So, in
connection with the Supper, the Savior has said, "Thisdo in
remembrance of Me."
As we admire these lovely typical pictures, like the queen of Sheba,
there is no more strength left in us, and we can only bow our heads
and say, "How precious are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is
the sum of them!"
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
43. Joseph's Exaltation
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 41
Our present chapter opens by presenting to us the king of Egypt
dreaming two dreams, and awaking with his spirit troubled. The court
magicians and wise men were summoned, and Pharaoh told them his
dreams, but "there was none that could interpret them to Pharaoh."
Then it was that the chief butler recalled his experience in prison.
He remembers how he had a dream, and that a Hebrew slave had
interpreted aright its significance. He recounts this now to the king,
and Pharaoh sends at once for Joseph, who explains to him the meaning
of his own dreams. There are several important truths which here
receive a striking exemplification:
First, we are shown that "The king's heart is in the hand of the
Lord,as the rivers of waters. He turneth it whithersoever He will"
(Prov. 21:1). It was no accident that Pharaoh dreamed as he did, and
when he did. God's time had come for Joseph to be delivered from
prison and exalted to a position of high honor and responsibility, and
these dreams were but the instrument employed by God to accomplish
this end. Similarly, He used, long afterwards, the sleeplessness of
another king to lead to the deliverance of Mordecai and his fellows.
This truth has been expressed so forcefully and ably by C. H. M. in
his "Notes on Genesis," we cannot refrain from quoting him:
"The most trivial and the most important, the most likely and the most
unlikely circumstances are made to minister to the development of
God's purposes. In chapter 39 Satan uses Potiphar's wife, and in
chapter 40 he uses Pharaoh's chief butler. The former he used to put
Joseph into the dungeon; and the latter he used to keep him there,
through his ungrateful negligence; but all in vain. God was behind the
scenes. His finger was guiding all the springs of the vast machine of
circumstances, and when the due time was come, he brought forth the
man of His purpose, and set his feet in a large room. Now, this is
ever God's prerogative. He is above all,and can use all for the
accomplishment of His grand and unsearchable designs. It is sweet to
be able thus to trace our Father's hand and counsel in everything.
Sweet to know that all sorts of agents are at His sovereign disposal;
angels, men and devils--all are under His omnipotent hand, and all are
made to carry out His purposes" (p. 307: italics are ours). How rarely
one finds such faith-strengthening sentiments such as these set forth,
plainly, by writers of today!
Second, we are shown in the early part of Genesis 41 how that the
wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. As it is well known,
Egypt stands in Scripture as a figure of this world. In Joseph's time,
the land of the Pharaoh's was the center of learning and culture, the
proud leader of the ancient civilizations. But the people were
idolaters. They knew not God, and only in His light can we see light.
Apart from Him, all is darkness, morally and spiritually. So we see it
in the chapter before us. The magicians were impotent, the wise men
displayed their ignorance, and Pharaoh was made to feel the
powerlessness of all human resources and the worthlessness of all
human wisdom.
Third, the man of God was the only one that had true wisdom and light.
How true it is that "the secret of the Lord is with them that fear
Him!" These dreams of Pharaoh had a prophetic significance: They
respected the future of Egypt (typically, the world), and no Gentile,
as such, had intelligence in the purpose of God respecting the earth.
God was pleased to make known His counsels to a Gentile, as here, a
Jew had to be called, each time, as interpreter. It was thus with
Nebuchadnezzar. The wise men of Chaldea were as helpless as the
magicians of Egypt; Daniel, alone, had understanding. So, too, with
Belshazzar and all his companions the aged prophet had to be called in
to decipher the message upon the wall. Well would it be if leaders of
the world today turned to the inspired writings of the Hebrew prophets
of the things which must shortly come to pass.
Fourth: That "all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are the called according to His purpose," is writ large
across our lesson. And well for us if we take this to heart. But the
trouble is, we grow so impatient under the process, while God is
taking the tangled threads of our lives and making them "work together
for good." We become so occupied with present circumstances that hope
is no longer exercised, and the brighter and better future is blotted
from our view. Let us bear in mind that Scripture declares, "Better is
the end of a thing than the beginning thereof" (Eccl. 7:8). Be of good
cheer, faint heart; sorrow may endure for a night, but joy cometh in
the morning.So it was with Joseph. For a season he suffered
wrongfully, but at the last God vindicated and rewarded him. Remember
Joseph then, troubled reader, and "let patience have her perfect
work." But we must turn from these moralizings and consider the
typical bearings of our chapter. We continue our previous enumeration.
43. Joseph, in due time, was delivered from prison.Joseph had been
rejected by his brethren, and treated unjustly and cruelly by the
Egyptians. Through no fault of his own he had been cast into prison.
But God did not suffer him to end his days there. The place of shame
and suffering was to be exchanged for one of high dignity and glory.
The throne was to supplant the dungeon. And now that God's time for
this had arrived, nothing could hinder the accomplishment of His
purpose. So it was with our blessed Lord. Israel might despise and
reject Him, wicked hands might take and crucify Him, the powers of
darkness might rage against Him; His lifeless body might be taken down
and laid in the tomb, the sepulcher sealed and a watch set, but "it
was not possible that He should be holden of death" (Acts 2:24). No;
on the third day, He rose again in triumph o'er the grave, leaving the
cerements of death behind Him. How beautifully this was prefigured in
the case of Joseph. "ThenPharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they
brought him hastily out of the dungeon; and he shaved himself, and
changed his raiment,and came in unto Pharaoh" (Gen. 41:14). Compare
John 20:6, 7!
44. Joseph was delivered from prison by the hand of God.It is evident
that, apart from Divine intervention, Joseph had been suffered to
languish in the dungeon to the end of his days. It was only the coming
in of God--Pharaoh's troubled spirit, the failure of the magicians' to
interpret his dream, the butler's sudden recollection of the Hebrew
interpreter-that brought about his release. Joseph himself recognized
this, as is clear from his words to his brethren, at a later date:
"And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth,
and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you
who sent me hither, but God:and He hath made me a father to Pharaoh,
and Lord of all his house, and ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son
Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt" (Gen. 45:7-9). So it was
with the Savior in being delivered from the prison of the tomb: "Whom
God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death" (Acts 2:24).
"This Jesus hath God raised up"(Acts 2:32). "Him God raised up the
third day, and showed Him openly" (Acts 10:40).^[1]
45. Joseph is seen now as the Revealer of secrets. Like the butler and
baker before him, Pharaoh now recounted to Joseph the dreams which had
so troubled his spirit, and which the "wise men" were unable to
interpret. It is beautiful to mark the modesty of Joseph on this
occasion, "And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God
shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace" (Gen. 41:16). So, in a much
higher sense, the Lord Jesus said, "I have given unto them the words
which Thou gavest Me" (John 17:8). And again, "As the Father hath
taught Me, I speak these things" (John 8:28). Once more, "For I have
not spoken of Myself: but the Father which sent Me, He gave Me a
commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak" (John 12:49).
Having listened to the king's dream, Joseph said: "God hath showed
Pharaoh what He is about to do" (Gen. 41:25), and then he made known
the meaning of the dreams. How close is the parallel between this and
what we read of in the opening verse of the Apocalypse! Just as God
made known to the Egyptians, through Joseph,what He was "about to do,"
so has He now made known to us, through Jesus Christ,the things He
will shortly do in this world. The parallel is perfect: said Joseph,
"What God is about to do He showeth unto Pharaoh" (Gen. 41:28), and
the Apocalypse, we are told, is "the revelation of Jesus Christ, which
God gave unto Him to show unto His servants things which must shortly
come to pass."
46. Joseph warned of a coming danger, and urged his hearers to make
suitable provision to meet it. Joseph was no honied-mouthed
"optimist," who spake only smooth and pleasant things. He fearlessly
told the truth. He shunned not to declare the whole counsel of God. He
declared that, following the season of Divine blessing and privilege,
there would come a time of famine, a famine which should consume the
land, and be "very grievous." And in view of this, he warned them to
make ready and be prepared. So also was Christ the faithful and true
Witness. He made known the fact that death does not end all, that
there is a life to come. He warned those who trusted in their earthly
possessions and who boasted of how they were going to enjoy them, that
their souls would be "required" of them, and that at short notice. He
lifted the veil which hides the unseen, and gave His hearers a view of
the sufferings of the damned in Hell. He spake often of that place
where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched, and where
there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. He counseled men
to make provision against the future. He bade men to prepare for that
which lies ahead of all--a face to face meeting with God.
47. Joseph appeared next as the Wonderful Counselor.Having interpreted
to Pharaoh the meaning of his dreams, Joseph then undertook to advise
the king as to the wisest course to follow in order to meet the
approaching emergency, and provide for the future. There were to be
seven years of plenty, which was to be followed by seven years of
famine. Joseph, therefore, counseled the king to store up the corn
during the time of plenty, against the need which would arise when the
season of scarcity should come upon them. Thus did Joseph manifest the
wisdom given to him by God, and display his immeasurable superiority
over all the wise men of Egypt. Again the analogy is perfect. Christ,
too, has been exhibited as "the Wonderful Counselor," the One sent by
God with a message to tell men how to prepare for the future, and make
sure their eternal interests. He is the One "inwhom are hid all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2:3).
48. Joseph's counsel commended itself to Pharaoh and his officers.
"And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all
his servants. And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a
one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? And Pharaoh said
unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath showed thee all this, there is none
so discreet and wise as thou art" (Gen. 41:37-39). Pharaoh recognized
that the wisdom manifested by this Hebrew slave had its source not in
occult magic, but in the Spirit of God. Joseph had spoken with a
discretion and wisdom far different from that possessed by the court
philosophers, and this was freely owned by the king and his servants.
So, too, the words of the Lord Jesus made a profound impression upon
those who heard Him. "And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these
sayings, the people were astonished at His doctrine.For He taught them
as One having authority, and not as the scribes" (Matthew 7:28, 29).
"And when He was come into His own country, He taught them in their
synagogues, insomuch that they were astonished,and said, Whence hath
this man this wisdom?" (Matthew 13:54). Just as Pharaoh and his
servants were struck by the wisdom in Joseph. So here, those who
listened to the Lord Jesus marveled at His wisdom. And just as Pharaoh
confessed, "Can we find such a one as this is?.. there is none so
discreet and wise,"so the auditors of Christ acknowledged, "Never man
spake like this Man" (John 7:46)!
49. Joseph is duly exalted, and set over all Egypt. "And Pharaoh said
unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath showed thee all this, there is none
so discreet and wise as thou art. Thou shalt be over my house, and
according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the
throne will I be greater than thou" (Gen. 41:39, 40). What a blessed
change this was: from shame to glory, from the dungeon to the place of
rule, from being a slave in fetters to being elevated high above all,
Pharaoh alone being excepted. This was a grand reward for his previous
fidelity, and a fitting recognition of his worth. And how beautifully
this speaks to us of the One whom Joseph foreshadowed! He was here in
humiliation and shame, but He is here so no longer. God has highly
exalted Him. He is "gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God;
angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him"(1 Pet.
3:22).
50. Joseph was seated on the throne of another. How marvelously
accurate is the type. Joseph was not seated upon his own throne; he
was not in the place of rule over his brethren. Though he was placed
over Pharaoh's house, and according to his word was all Egypt to be
ruled yet, "inthe Throne" Pharaoh was greater than Joseph. So we read
in Revelation 3:21, that the ascended Christ has said, "to him that
overcometh will I grant to sit with He in My Throne, even as I also
overcame, and am set down with My Father in His Throne."
"Today our Lord Jesus Christ shares the throne of the Father as Joseph
shared the throne of Pharaoh. As Joseph ruled over Pharaoh's house
with his word, so today our Lord Jesus Christ rules over the Father's
household, the household of faith, the Church, by and through His
Word. And today, while the Lord Jesus Christ is on the throne of His
Father, He is not on His own throne. Read the passage just quoted in
Revelation again, and it will be seen that our Lord Jesus Christ
Himself makes a distinction between His own throne and the Father's
throne, and promises reward to the overcomer, not on the Father's
throne, but on His own; and we know, according to the promise of the
angel made to Mary, and the covenant made to David, and the title He
wears as the King of Israel, `the Son of David, the Son of Abraham,'
that His throne is at Jerusalem, `the city of the great King.' On His
Father's throne He sits today as the Rejected Man, the Rejected Jew"
(Dr. Haldeman).
51. Joseph was exalted to the throne because of his personal worth.
"All this is typical of the present exaltation of Christ Jesus the
Lord. He who was once the Crucified is now the Glorified. He whom men
once put upon a gibbet, has been placed by God upon His throne. Joseph
was given his place of exaltation in Egypt purely on the ground of his
personal worth and actual service rendered by him to the country and
kingdom of Egypt" (Mr. Knapp). And what a lovely parallel to this we
find in Philippians 2--yet as far as our Lord excelled Joseph in
personal worth and service, so far is His exaltation the higher--"Who,
being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a
servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in
fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted
Him" (Phil. 2:6-9).
52. Joseph was invested with such insignia as became his new position.
"AndPharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's
hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain
about his neck" (Gen. 40:42). And thus we read of the Antitype: "Him
hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince,and a Savior"
(Acts 5:31). And again, "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower
than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and
honor"(Heb. 2:9). Compare, too, the description of our glorified Lord
as given in Revelation 1. There we behold Him, "clothed with a garment
down to the foot, and girt about the breasts with a golden girdle"
(Gen. 5:13).
53. Joseph's authority and glory are publicly owned."And he made him
to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him,
Bow the knee; and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt" (Gen.
41:43). On the day of Pentecost, Peter said to the Jews who had
condemned and crucified the Savior, "Therefore let all the House of
Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye
have crucified, both Lord and Christ"(Acts 2:36). And it is the part
of wisdom, dear reader, to recognize and own this. Have you recognized
the exalted dignity of Christ, and by faith seen that the One who died
on Calvary's Cross is now seated on the right hand of the Majesty on
high? Have you submitted to His Lordship, so that you live now only to
please Him? Have you "bowed the knee" before Him? If not, O, may
Divine grace constrain you to do so without further delay, voluntarily
and gladly, that you may not be among the great crowd who shall, in
the coming Day, be compelled to do so; for God has sworn, "that at the
Name of Jesus every knee should bow,of things in heaven and things in
earth and things under the earth" (Phil. 2:10).
54. Joseph received from Pharaoh a new name. "And Pharaoh called
Joseph's name Zaphnath-paaneah" (Gen. 41:45), which signifies,
according to its Egyptian meaning, "the Savior of the world." So, to
quote once more from Philippians 2, we read, "Wherefore God also hath
highly exalted Him, and given Him the Name which is above every name.
. . Jesus"(Phil. 2:9, 10). This name He bore while on earth, but at
that time it was held as pledge and promise, "Thou shalt call His name
Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21)
said the angel. But He could not "save His people from their sins"
until He had borne them in His own body on the tree, until He had
risen from the dead, until He returned to heaven and sent forth the
Holy Spirit to apply the benefits and virtues of His finished work.
But when He ascended on high He became Savior in fact. God exalted Him
with His right hand "to be a Prince and a Savior" (Acts 5:31), and
therefore did God Himself then give to His beloved Son the Name which
is above every name, even the Name of "Jesus," which means the
Savior;just as after the period of his shame was over, and Joseph had
been exalted by Pharaoh, he, then, received the name which signifies
"theSavior of the world!"
Reader, have you an interest, a personal one, in the value and saving
efficacy of that Name which is above every name? If not, receive Him
now as your own Savior. If by grace, you have, then bow before Him in
adoration and praise.
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] There are other Scriptures which show that the Lord Jesus raised
Himself (John 2:19; John 10:17. 18, etc).. But, above, we have quoted
those which emphasized the fulfillment of the type.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
44. Joseph The Savior Of The World
_________________________________________________________________
Genesis 41
55. Joseph has a wife given to him. "And Pharaoh called Joseph's name
Zaphnath-paaneah (the Egyptian meaning of which is `Savior of the
world'); and he gave him to wife Asenath, the daughter of Potipharah
priest of On" (Gen. 40:45). It is with some hesitation and much
reluctance that at this point the writer finds himself differing from
other students and commentators. Many whom we respect highly have
regarded Asenath as here prefiguring the Church. Their principal
reason for doing this is because Joseph's wife was a Gentile.But while
allowing the force of this, we feel that it is more than
counterbalanced by another point which makes against it. Believing
that everything in this inspired narrative has a definite meaning and
typical value, and that each verse has been put into its present place
by the Holy Spirit, we are confronted with what is, to us, an
insuperable difficulty if Asenath prefigures the Church, namely, the
fact that in the very next verse which follows the mention of Pharaoh
giving a wife to Joseph, we are told, "And Joseph was thirty years old
when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt" (Gen. 41:46). Had this
statement followed immediately after Genesis 41:14, which records
Joseph being brought out of prison to appear before Pharaoh, and after
this we had been told Joseph received his wife, we should be obliged
to regard Asenath as a type of the Church; but as it is, we believe
the typical application must be sought elsewhere, as we shall now
proceed to point out.
The Holy Spirit has here (we are assured, with definite design) made
mention of Joseph having a wife before his "age" is referred to, and
before his life's work began. That the age of Joseph at the time his
real work started, pointed to the age of the Lord Jesus when His
public ministry commenced, is too obvious to admit of dispute. The
fact, then, that the Holy Spirit speaks of Joseph's wife before the
mention of him being thirty years of age, suggests to the writer that
the typical significance of Asenath must be sought at some point of
time before the Lord Jesus entered upon His life's mission. And that,
of course, takes us back to Old Testament times. And there, we do
learn of Jehovah (the Lord Jesus) possessing a "wife," even Israel.
From the various Scriptures which bring this out we select two verses
from Jeremiah 3. There, God's prophet, when expostulating with His
wayward people, said, "Turn,O backsliding children, said the Lord; for
I am married unto you"(Jer. 3:14); "Surely as a wife treacherously
departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with Me, O
house of Israel, saith the Lord" (Jer. 3:20).
But against this it will be objected, How could Asenath, the
Egyptian,wife of Joseph, typify Israel, the wife of Jehovah?
Formidable as this objection appears at first sight, it is,
nevertheless, capable of easy solution. The difficulty disappears if
we go back to the time when Israel first became Jehovah's wife. Upon
this point the Scriptures are very explicit. In Ezekiel 16, where the
prophet is outlining the sad history of Israel, and where he says,
"How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord God, seeing thou doest all
these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman; in that thou
buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest
thine high place in every street; and hast not been as a harlot, in
that thou scornest hire. But as a wife that committeth adultery, which
taketh strangers instead of her husband;" here, at the outset, the
prophet declares, "Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem, Thy birth
and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan;thy father was an Amorite,
and thy mother a Hittite" (Ezek. 16:3). Here, then, we learn the
origin (the moral origin, no doubt) of Israel, and how fittingly did
Asenath, the Gentile, prefigure Jehovah's wife at that time! It was
not until after Israel was redeemed from Egypt's bondage and
corruption that they became separated from all other nations. If
further confirmation be necessary it is found in Jeremiah 2:2, "Go cry
in the ears of Jerusalem, thus saith the Lord; I remember thee, the
kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest
after Me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown." Israel,
then, became Jehovah's in Egypt,when redeemed by blood, and after by
power.
The issue from Joseph's marriage appears to us to fit in with the
interpretation suggested above much better than with the common
application of the type of Asenath to the Church. "Unto Joseph were
born two sons" (Gen. 41:50), and does not this correspond with the
history of Israel after she became Jehovah's wife? Was not the issue
of that union the two kingdoms in the days of Rehoboam, and does not
the meaning of the names of Joseph's two sons well describe the two
kingdoms which, ultimately, issued from Israel? "Joseph called the
name of the first born Manasseh" (Gen. 41:51), which signifies
"Forgetting,"and was it not that which, peculiarly, characterized the
ten-tribed kingdom! "The name of the second called he Ephraim" (Gen.
41:52), which means "Fruitful," and such was Judah, from whom the Lord
Jesus came!
56. Joseph's marriage was arranged by Pharaoh. How perfectly this
agrees with what we read of in Matthew 22:2! "The kingdom of heaven is
like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for His Son." The fact
that Asenath is mentioned before we are told that Joseph was thirty
years old when he stood before Pharaoh and began his life's work (type
of Christ as He began His public ministry), and that the birth and
naming of his sons occurred afterward, suggests (as is so often the
case, both in types and prophecies) that there is here a double
foreshadowment. This Gentile wife of Joseph points backward, first, to
Israel's condition before Jehovah separated her from all other peoples
and took her unto Himself; and, second, the type seems to point
forward to the time when the Lord shall resume His dealings with her,
see Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 16:62, 63; Hosea 2:19-23; Isaiah
54:5-8^[1]). Then, too, shall the names of Joseph's two sons be found
to possess a double significance, for God's will "forget"Israel's
past, and Israel shall then, as never before, be found "fruitful."
57. Joseph was thirty years old when he began his life's work. "And
Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of
Egypt" (Gen. 41:46). Every line in this wondrous picture has its own
beauty and value. There is nothing here without profound significance.
The Holy Spirit has a definite design in telling us what was Joseph's
age when his public service began. He was thirty years old. How
perfectly does type and antitype correspond! In Luke 3:23 we read,
"AndJesus Himself began to be about thirty years of age."This was the
age of the Lord Jesus when He commenced His public ministry, as it was
Joseph's when he began his life's work.
58. Joseph went forth on his mission from Pharaoh's presence. "And
Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of
Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh" (Gen. 41:46).
In this chapter Pharaoh--as the one who ruled Egypt, who delighted in
the excellencies of Joseph, who set Joseph over all his house, but who
retained the position of supremacy as to the throne--pre-figured God
the Father. Viewed in this light, how blessed is the typical force of
the last-made quotation. It was from Pharaoh's "presence" Joseph began
his life's work! How marvelously this corresponds, again, with what we
read in Luke 3! The words which immediately precede the mention of the
Lord being thirty years old when His public service began, are the
well-known utterance of the Father at the time of His baptism,
"Thouart My beloved Son; in Thee I am well pleased" (Luke 3:22). So
little is told us about the Savior before His active ministry began.
The years spent at Nazareth, save for that one brief statement which
covered the period of His boyhood, are passed over in silence. But as
He came up out of the waters of baptism, the Father bore public
testimony to the perfect life which His Son had lived here on earth,
for, without doubt, the words, "InThee I am well pleased," not only
affirmed the excellency of Christ's person, but witnessed to the
Father's approval of the thirty years which His incarnate Son had
spent in obscurity. That which we desire to call attention to here is,
just as Joseph went forth to his work from Pharaoh's "presence," so
the Lord Jesus started out on His public service from the Father's
presence, there manifested at the Jordan!
59. Joseph's service was an active and itinerant one. "And Joseph went
out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of
Egypt" (Gen. 41:46). Joseph was no idler. He did not betray Pharaoh's
confidence in him, but faithfully discharged his duty. He did not
remain in the place of ease and comfort, but "went throughout all the
land of Egypt." How well these words remind us of what we read in the
Gospels concerning that One whom Joseph foreshadowed. Of Him we read,
"And Jesus went about all Galilee,teaching in their synagogues, and
preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of
sickness" (Matthew 4:23). And again, "And Jesus went about all the
cities and villages"(Matthew 9:35).
60. Joseph's exaltation was followed by a season of plenty. "And in
the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls. And he
gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of
Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field,
which was round about every city, laid he up in the same. And Joseph
gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left
numbering; for it was without number" (Gen. 41:47-49). Concerning the
typical meaning of these verses we quote from Mr. Knapp: "These seven
years of great abundance picture, if they do not typify, the present
dispensation of grace in which it is our happy lot to live. `Now is
the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation' (2 Cor. 6:2).
There were seven years, not of plenty merely, but of `great plenty.'
And during those years, we read `the earth brought forth by handfuls.'
It was a time of extraordinary abundance. And there was never a day
like the one in which we live. Never before the present dispensation
did God send His messengers out into all the world to proclaim to
every sinner a free and a full salvation through faith in the name of
His own exalted Son. There never was a time of such `abundance,' such
`great plenty,' at any former period of God's dealings with the earth.
And it is a remarkable fact, which I have not seen previously noted,
that of all the distinct dispensations of time referred to in
Scripture, the present is by far the longest. And oh, what a tale of
grace this tells! God is indeed `long suffering to usward, not willing
that any should perish.'"
We doubt not that the saved of this dispensation are far in excess of
any previous one. How few were saved during the centuries which passed
from the days of Abel up to the Flood! How few appear to have been
saved during the times of the patriarchs! How few among Israel, from
the days of Joshua onwards, gave evidence of being born again! How few
seem to have been saved during the public ministry of Christ--but a
hundred and twenty were found in the upper room waiting for the Holy
Spirit. How evident it is, then, that in contrast from all that has
preceded, the earth is now bringing forth "in abundance"! It is the
"much fruit" (John 12:24) which our Lord declared should issue from
His death.
61. Joseph's exaltation was also followed by a period of famine.
"Andthe seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt,
were ended. And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as
Joseph had said; and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land
of Egypt there was bread" (Gen. 41:53, 54). Just as the "seven
years"--a complete period--pointed to the present interval of Grace,
during which the great spiritual harvest is being garnered, so the
"seven years" of famine (another complete period) look onward to that
which shall follow the present dispensation. After the going forth of
the Gospel of God's grace has accomplished its Divine purpose, and
"the fulness of the Gentiles be come in" (Rom. 11:25), the Holy Spirit
will depart out of the world, and there shall come that season which
Scripture denominates "thegreat tribulation." Many are the passages
which refer to that season. It is termed "the time of Jacob's trouble"
(Jer. 30:7), for then will be the season of Israel's darkest hour. It
was to this Daniel referred when he said, "Thereshall be a time of
trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same
time" (Dan. 12:1). Concerning this same period the Lord Jesus spake,
when He said, "For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not
from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time,
neither shall be. And except that the Lord had shortened those days,
no flesh should be saved" (Mark 13:19, 20). It will be the time when
Satan is east down to the earth, when the Antichrist shall be here in
full power, and when the storm of God's judgment shall burst upon the
world. Morally and spiritually, it will be a time of "famine," and,
like that which typified it in the days of Joseph, it shall be"very
grievous" (Gen. 41:31). Moreover, the sphere encompassed by God's sore
judgments in that day will be no local one, but just as we are told
that the dearth of old was not confined to Egypt, but that "the famine
was over the face of all the earth" (Gen. 41:56), so in Revelation
3:10 we are told, the "Hour of Temptation" comes upon "all the
world,to try them which dwell upon the earth." It was of this same
period that Amos prophesied, "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord
God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor
a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. And they
shall wander, from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east;
they shall run to and fro to seek the Word of the Lord, and shall not
find it" (Amos 8:11, 12). At present the world is enjoying the years
of plenty, and how little it believes in the coming time of "famine,"
now so near at hand! Be warned then, dear reader, and "Seek ye the
Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near" (Isa.
55:6); for, if you are left on earth for the coming Day of Wrath, it
shall be said, "the harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are
not saved" (Jer. 8:20).
62. Joseph is now seen dispensing bread to a perishing world. "Andwhen
all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for
bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what
he saith to you, do" (Gen. 41:55). "Itwas a wonderful thing that the
despised and rejected Jew should be the passport to the favor of
Pharaoh; a wonderful thing that the rejected Jew should be exalted
into the place of a Savior for a famine-smitten world; it was a
wonderful thing that this rejected Jew should be the only Savior for
that starving world. Equally true and wonderful is it today that Jesus
the rejected Jew is the passport to the favor of God; that He is `the
Way, the Truth, and the Life,' and that `no man cometh unto the Father
but by Him'; wonderful that this rejected Christ should be exalted
into a Savior for a famine-smitten world; wonderful that this rejected
Christ is the alone Savior for a starving world.
"Joseph was sent by his father to his brethren that he might be a
blessing unto them, and they refused; then God turned their sin so
that while it should remain as a judgment to them, it might become a
blessing to others. In sending His Son to fulfill the promises made to
the fathers, God would have brought covenant and numberless blessings
to Israel; they refused, and God has made use of their blindness and
sin to turn salvation to others. He has made the very sin and
blindness of the people to be the occasion of grace and mercy to the
whole world. ` Through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles'
(Rom. 11:11)."--Dr. H.
63. Joseph alone dispensed the Bread of Life. It is beautiful to
observe here how Pharaoh directed all who cried to him for bread to go
unto Joseph: "And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people
cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians:
Go unto Joseph;what he saith to you, do" (Gen. 41:55). May we not say
this was the Gospel for Egypt, the good news that Joseph was the
appointed Savior, the glad tidings that whosoever was hungry might go
to Joseph and obtain relief. How perfectly this foreshadowed the
present Gospel of God's grace! When a guilty and convicted sinner,
with a great hunger in his soul, cries unto God, what is His response?
Why, does He not refer all such to the person of His blessed Son! Only
in Christ is salvation to be found, for "neither is there salvation in
any other: for there is none other Name under heaven, given among men
whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Just as of old Pharaoh said to
the Egyptians, "Go unto Joseph: what he saith to you, do," so, upon
the Mount of Transfiguration the Father said to the disciples of
Christ, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye
him"(Matthew 17:5), and this is what He is still saying to men.
64. Joseph became a Savior to all peoples. "And all countries came
into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so
sore in all lands"(Gen. 41:57). Joseph was raised up by God to meet a
world-wide need. The "dearth" was in "all lands" (Gen. 41:54). But
God, through Joseph, made ample provision to supply the wants of all.
There was nothing provincial about the bounties which Joseph
dispensed, he readily gave to each alike, no matter whether it was the
Egyptians, his own brothers, or strangers from distant lands, all were
fed. And how blessed to know this is equally true of the Antitype!
God's Savior for sinners is no provincial one. He is for both Jew and
Gentile, rich and poor, educated and illiterate, old and young, men
and women--all, alike, may find in Him that which can satisfy their
deepest need, the Gospel is for every creature, and its terms are,
"Whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting
life." And just as peoples from "all countries came to Joseph," so
those who will sing the new song in heaven shall proclaim, "Worthy art
Thou to take the book, and to open the seals thereof; for Thou wast
slain, and didst purchase unto God with Thy blood men of every
tribe,and tongue, and people and nation" (Rev. 5:9).
65. Joseph had illimitable resources to meet the need of all. "And
Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left
numbering; for it was without number" (Gen. 41:49). How abundant was
God's provision! He provided with no niggardly hand. There was to be
amply sufficient for every one that applied for the alleviation of his
need. And how this reminds us of those blessed expressions which we
meet with so frequently in the Epistles! There we read of" the riches
of His grace" (Eph. 1:7), yea, "the exceeding riches of His grace"
(Eph. 2:7). There we read of God being "rich in mercy" (Eph. 2:4),
and, again, of His "abundant mercy" (1 Pet. 1:3). There we read of
"the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Eph. 3:8), for "in Him dwelleth
all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9). And again we are
told, "The same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him"
(Rom. 10:12).
Thank God, the Savior He has provided for us is possessed of
illimitable resources. There is no shortness or strainness in Him.
There is infinite value in that precious blood which He shed upon the
Cross to make an atonement for sin. There is infinite pity in His
heart toward sinners. There is infinite readiness and willingness on
His part to receive all who will come to Him. There is infinite power
in His arm to deliver and keep that which is committed unto Him. There
is no sinner so depraved that Christ's blood cannot cleanse him. There
is no sinner so bound by the fetters of Satan that Christ cannot free
him. There is no sinner so weary and despondent that Christ cannot
satisfy him. The promise of the Savior Himself is, "Come unto Me, all
ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew
11:28). O, sin-sick soul, put Him to the test for yourself, and see.
Come to Christ just as you are, in all your wretchedness and need, and
He will gladly receive you, blot out all your iniquities, and put a
new song into your mouth. May God, in His grace, cause some despondent
ones to prove for themselves the infinite sufficiency of His Son.
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] The spiritual and dispensational condition of Israel at the moment
when God shall resume His dealings with His ancient people, is, again,
aptly figured by a Gentile, for they are termed by Him now, and until
then "Lo-ammi" (Hosea 1:9), which means "Not My people."
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
45. Joseph And His Brethren Dispensationally Considered
_________________________________________________________________
Since we left Genesis 37-38 nothing more has been heard of the family
of Jacob. Joseph is the one upon whom the Holy Spirit has concentrated
attention. In Genesis 37 we saw how Joseph was sent by his father on
an errand of mercy to his brethren, inquiring after their welfare;
that Joseph came unto them and they received him not; that, instead,
they envied and hated him, and sold him into the hands of the
Gentiles. Then, we have followed his career in Egypt, and have seen
how that the Egyptians, too, treated him badly, casting him into the
place of shame and humiliation. Also, we have seen how God vindicated
His faithful servant, bringing him out of prison-house and making him
governor of all Egypt. Finally, we have learned how that Joseph's
exaltation was followed by a season of plenty, when the earth brought
forth abundantly, and how this in turn, was followed by a grievous
famine, when Joseph came before us as the dispenser of bread to a
perishing humanity. But during all this time the brethren of Joseph
faded from view, but now, in the time of famine they come to the front
again.
All of this is deeply significant, and perfect in its typical
application. Joseph foreshadowed the Beloved of the Father, sent to
His brethren according to the flesh, seeking their welfare. But they
despised and rejected Him. They sold Him, and delivered Him up to the
Gentiles. The Gentiles unjustly condemned Him to death, and following
the crucifixion, His body was placed in the prison of the tomb. In due
time God delivered Him, and exalted Him to His own right hand.
Following the ascension, Christ has been presented as the Savior of
the world, the Bread of Life for a perishing humanity. During this
dispensation the Jew is set aside: it is out from the Gentiles God is
now taking a people for His name. But soon this dispensation shall
have run its appointed course and then shall come the tribulation
period when, following the removal of the Holy Spirit from the earth,
there shall be a grievous time of spiritual famine. It is during this
tribulation period that God shall resume His dealings with the
Jews--the brethren of Christ according to the flesh. Hence, true to
the and-type, Joseph's brethren figure prominently in the closing
chapters of Genesis. Continuing our previous enumeration we shall now
follow the experiences of the brethren from the time they rejected
Joseph.
66. Joseph's brethren are driven out of their own land.In Genesis 37
the sons of Jacob are seen delivering up Joseph into the hands of the
Gentiles, and nothing more is heard of them till we come to Genesis
42. And what do we read concerning them there! This: "Now when Jacob
saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye
look one upon another? And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is
corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that
we may live, and not die. And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy
corn in Egypt. And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those
that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan" (Gen. 42:1-3, 5).
Canaan was smitten by the scourge of God. It was eaten up by a famine.
Jacob and his family were in danger of dying, and the pangs of hunger
drove the brethren of Joseph out of their land, and compelled them to
journey down to Egypt--symbol of the world. This was a prophecy in
action, a prophecy that received its tragic fulfillment two thousand
years later. Just as a few years after his brethren had rejected
Joseph, they were forced by a famine (sent from God) to leave their
land and go down to Egypt, so a few years after the Jews had rejected
Christ and delivered Him up to the Gentiles, God's judgment descended
upon them, and the Romans drove them from their land, and dispersed
them throughout the world.
67. Joseph was unknown and unrecognized by his brethren. "And Joseph
was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the
people of the land. And Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down
themselves before him with their faces to the earth. And Joseph knew
his brethren, but they knew not him" (Gen. 42:6, 8). Joseph had been
exalted over all the house of Pharaoh, but Jacob knew it not. All
these years he thought that Joseph was dead. And now his family is
suffering from the famine, the scourge of God, and his sons, driven
out of Canaan by the pangs of hunger, and going down to Egypt, they
know not the one who was now governor of the land. So it has been with
Jacob's descendants ever since the time they rejected their Messiah.
They received not the love of the truth, and for this cause God has
sent them strong delusion that they should believe a lie. They know
not that God raised the Lord Jesus: they believe He is dead, and
through all the long centuries of the Christian era a veil has been
over their hearts, and the beginning of the tribulation period will
find them still ignorant of the exaltation and glory of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
68. Joseph, however, saw and knew his brethren. "And Joseph saw his
brethren, and he knew them" (Gen. 42:7). Yes, Joseph "saw" his
brethren, his eye was upon them, even though they knew him not. So the
eye of the Lord Jesus has been upon the Jews all through the long
night of their rejection. Hear His words (as Jehovah) through Jeremiah
the prophet, "For mine eyes are upon all their ways:they are not hid
from My face, neither is their iniquity hid from Mine `Eyes'" (Gen.
16:17). So, too, through Hosea, He said, "I know Ephraim, and Israel
is not hid from Me" (Gen. 5:3).
69. Joseph punished his brethren. "AndJoseph saw his brethren, and he
knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto
them . . . and he put them all together into ward three days" (Gen.
42:7, 17). We quote here from the impressive words of Dr. Haldeman:
"Joseph was the cause of their troubles now. Joseph was punishing them
for their past dealing with himself. The secret of all Judah's
suffering during the past centuries is to be found in the fact that
the rejected Messiah has been dealing `roughly' with them. He has been
punishing them, making use of their willfulness and the cupidity of
the nations, but, all the same, punishing them. `My God will cast them
away, because they do not hearken unto Him: and they shall be
wanderers among the nations' (Hos. 9:17). `For I say unto you, Ye
shall not see Me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is He that
cometh in the name of the Lord.' (Matthew 23:38, 39) `That upon you
may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood
of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zecharias, son of Barachias, whom
ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All
these things shall come upon this generation (nation)' (Matthew 23:35,
36). Nothing can account for the unparalleled suffering of this
people, but the judgment and discipline of the Lord."
70. Joseph made known to them a way of deliverance through
Substitution. "Andhe put them all together into ward three days. And
Joseph said unto them the third day, this do, and live, for I fear
God. If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house
of your prison; go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses . . .
And he took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes" (Gen.
42:17-19, 24). Once more we quote from Dr. Haldeman's splendid article
on Joseph:
"Onthe third day he caused Simeon to be bound in the place of his
brethren, and declared that by this means they might all be delivered,
in the third day era, that is to say, on the resurrection side of the
grave. On the day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter presented our Lord
Jesus Christ as the risen one whom God had exalted to be a Prince and
a Savior unto Israel, declaring that if the latter should repent of
their evil and sin toward Him whom He had sent to be Messiah and King,
He would accept His death as the substitution for the judgment due
them; that He would save them and send His Son again to be both
Messiah and Savior."
71. Joseph made provision for his brethren while they were in a
strange land. "Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn,
and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them
provision for the way; and thus did he unto them" (Gen. 42:25).
Although they knew not Joseph, and although he spoke roughly unto his
brethren and punished them by casting them into prison, nevertheless,
his judgments were tempered with mercy. Joseph would not suffer his
brethren to perish by the way. They were here in a strange land, and
he ministered unto their need. So it has been throughout this
dispensation. Side by side with the fact that the Jews have been
severely punished by God, so that they have suffered as no other
nation, has been their miraculous preservation. God has sustained them
during all the long centuries that they have been absent from their
own land. God has provided for them by the way, as Joseph did for his
erring brethren. Thus has God fulfilled His promises of old. "For I am
with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of
all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full
end of thee; but I will correct thee in measure, and I will not leave
thee altogether unpunished" (Jer. 30:11). And again; "Thus saith the
Lord God; although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and
although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to
them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come"
(Ezek. 11:16).
72. Joseph was made known to his brethren at the second time. This was
emphasized by Stephen in his parting message to Israel; "And at the
second time Joseph was made known to his brethren" (Acts 7:13). At
their first visit, though Joseph knew his brethren, they knew not him.
It was on the occasion of their second visit to Egypt that Joseph
revealed himself to them. How marvelously accurate the type! The first
time the Lord Jesus was seen by His brethren after the flesh, they
knew Him not, but when they see Him the second time He shall be known
by them.
It is significant that the Holy Spirit has singled out this highly
important point, and has repeated it, again and again, in other types.
It was thus with Moses and Israel. "And it came to pass in those days,
when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren,and looked on
their burdens; and he spied an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, one of his
brethren. And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that,
there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand" (Ex.
2:11, 12). And how did his brethren appreciate his intervention on
their behalf? They despised him; they said, "Who made thee a prince
and a judge over us" (Ex. 2:14). They said, in effect, as Israel said
of Christ, "We will not have this Man to reign over us" (Luke 19:14).
But the second time (after a long interval, during which Moses was hid
from them) that he appeared unto them, they accepted him as their
Leader.
It was thus with Joshua and Israel. The first time that Joshua
appeared before the Nation was as one of the two "spies" who brought
to them a favorable report of the land, and counselled his brethren to
go up and possess it. But Israel rejected his message (Num. 13). It
was not until long after when Joshua came before the people, publicly,
for the second time, that they accepted him as their Leader, and were
conducted by him into their inheritance.
The same principle is illustrated, again, in the history of
David.David was sent by his father seeking the welfare of his
brethren;"And Jesse said unto David his son, take now for thy brethren
an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the
camp to thy brethren. And carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of
their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge"
(1 Sam. 17:17-18). But when he reached them, they resented his
kindness, and their "anger was kindled against David" (See 1 Samuel
17:28), and it was not until years later that they, together with all
Israel, owned him as their King.
Each of these was a type of the Lord Jesus. The first time He appeared
to Israel they received Him not; but at His second advent they shall
accept Him as their Leader and King.
73. Joseph's brethren confess their Guilt in the sight of God. "And
Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? What shall we speak? or
how shall we clear ourselves! God hath found out the iniquity of thy
servants"(Gen. 44:16). There are several striking verses in the
prophets which throw light upon the antitypical significance of this
point. "And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall bring you
into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up
Mine hand to give it to your fathers. And there shall ye remember your
ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall
loathe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have
committed" (Ezek. 20:42, 43). And again, "I will go and return to My
place, till they acknowledge their offense,and seek My face; in their
affliction they will seek me early" (Hosea 5:15). So it was with
Joseph; he did not reveal himself to his brethren until they had
acknowledged their "iniquity." And so will Israel have to turn to God
in real and deep penitence before He sends His Son back to them (see
Acts 3:19, 20).
74. Joseph's brethren were also, at first, troubled in his presence.
"And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet
live? And his brethren could not answer him, for they were troubled at
his presence" (Gen. 45:3). How perfectly does antitype correspond with
type! When Israel shall first gaze upon their rejected Messiah, we are
told, "And they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they
shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in
bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his first born"
(Zech. 12:10). As Israel shall learn then the awfulness of their sin
in rejecting and crucifying their Messiah, they shall be "troubled"
indeed.
75. Joseph acted toward his brethren in marvelous grace. "And Joseph
said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came
near, And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold
me hither; for God did send me before you to preserve life . . .
Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them, and after
that his brethren talked with him" (Gen. 45:4, 5, 15). So shall it be
when Israel is reconciled to Christ; "Inthat day there shall be a
fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of
Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness" (Zech. 13:1). Then shall Christ
say to Israel, "For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with
great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid My face from
thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on
thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer" (Isa. 54:7, 8).
76. Joseph was revealed as a Man of Compassion. "Andthere stood no man
with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren, And he
wept aloud"(Gen. 45:1-2). Seven times over we read of Joseph weeping.
He wept when he listened to his brethren confessing their guilt (Gen.
42:24). He wept when he beheld Benjamin (Gen. 43:30). He wept when he
made himself known to his brethren (Gen. 45:1-2).. He wept when his
brethren were reconciled to him (Gen. 45:15). He wept over his father
Jacob Genesis (Gen. 46:29). He wept at the death of his father (Gen.
50:1). And he wept when, later, his brethren questioned his love for
them (Gen. 50:15-17). How all this reminds us of the tenderheartedness
of the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom we read so often, He was "moved with
compassion," and twice that He "wept"--once at the graveside of
Lazarus, and later over Jerusalem. 1 Joseph revealed himself to Judah
and his brethren, before he was made known to the rest of Jacob's
household. So, too, we are told in Zechariah 12:7, "The Lord also
shall save the tents of Judah first."
78. Joseph then sends for Jacob. "InScripture, Judah stands for Judah
and Benjamin considered together. You will note that it is Judah and
Benjamin who are made prominent in the revelation of Joseph. Jacob in
prophetic language signifies the Ten Tribes. Sending for Jacob and his
household, in typical language, is sending for the Ten Tribes of
Israel. Precisely as the type brings Judah before the self-disclosed
Joseph, and then Jacob is brought into the land in the presence of
Joseph, so the scriptures clearly teach us that after the Lord comes
to repentant Judah and is received by them at Jerusalem, He will send
for the remaining household of Jacob, for the lost and wandering
tribes of Israel, to come into the land to own and greet him. `And
they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord, out
of all nations' (Isa. 66:20)"--Dr. Haldeman.
79. Joseph's brethren go forth to proclaim his glory. "Hasteye, and go
up to my father, and say unto him, thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath
made me lord of all Egypt;come down unto me, tarry not . . . And ye
shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt" (Gen. 45:9, 13). In
like manner, after Israel has been reconciles to Christ, they shall go
forth to tell of the glories of their King: "And I will send those
that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul and Lud, that
draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not
heard My fame, neither have seen My glory, and they shall declare My
glory among the Gentiles" (Isa. 66:19). And again: "And the remnant of
Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the Lord, as
the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man" (Micah 5:7).
80. Joseph makes ready his chariot and goes forth to meet Jacob. "And
Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Jacob his father"
(Gen. 46:29). Says Dr. Haldeman, "This is really the epiphany of
Joseph. He reveals himself in splendor and Kingliness to his people.
He meets Judah in Goshen first and then meets his father, the
household of Jacob. This is a representation of the truth as we have
already seen it. It is the coming of Christ in His glory to meet Judah
first, and then all Israel. Our attention is specially drawn to his
appearing to the people in chariots of glory. So of the greater Joseph
we read, `For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with His
chariots like a whirlwind' (Isa. 66:15)."
81. Joseph settles his brethren in a land of their own. "AndIsrael
dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had
possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly" (Gen.
47:27). Goshen was the best part of the land of Egypt (symbol of the
world). As Pharaoh had said, "The land of Egypt is before thee, in the
best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of
Goshen let them dwell" (Gen. 47:6). So Palestine, when restored to its
pristine beauty and fertility, shall be "thebest land" in all the
earth; and there, in the Millennium, shall Israel have "possessions"
and "multiply exceedingly."
82. Joseph's brethren prostrate themselves before him as the
Representative of God. "And his brethren also went and fell before his
face; and they said, Behold we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto
them, Fear not; for (am) I in the place of God?" (Gen. 50:18, 19). The
prophetic dream of Joseph is realized. The brethren own Joseph's
supremacy, and take the place of servants before him. So in the coming
Day, all Israel shall fall down before the Lord Jesus Christ, and say,
"Lo,this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us; this
is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in
His salvation" (Isa. 25:9).
We close at the point from which we started. Joseph signifies
"Addition," and Addition is Increase, and "increase" is the very word
used by the Holy Spirit to describe the dominant characteristic of the
Kingdom of Him whom Joseph so wondrously foreshadowed. "Of the
increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the
throne of David, and upon His Kingdom, to order it and to establish it
with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever" (Isa.
9:7).
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Gleanings in Genesis
by A. W. Pink
46. Joseph and His Brethren Evangelically Considered
_________________________________________________________________
We have grouped together again the last nine chapters of Genesis,
which treat principally of Joseph and his brethren, and have singled
out from them the most prominent and significant of their typical
teachings. In our last article, we contemplated the dispensational
bearings of the type, and this is, no doubt, its primary application.
But there is also a secondary one, one which we may term the
evangelical,and it is this we shall now consider. Joseph here
strikingly prefigures Christ as the Savior of sinners, while his
brethren accurately portray the natural condition of the ungodly, and
in the experiences through which they passed as their reconciliation
with Joseph was finally effected, we have a lovely Gospel
representation of the unsaved being brought from death unto life.
Continuing our previous enumeration, note.
83. Joseph's brethren dwelt in a land wherein was no corn. They dwelt
in Canaan, and we are told, "the famine was in the land of Canaan"
(Gen. 42:5). There was nothing there to sustain them. To continue
where they were meant death, therefore did Jacob bid his sons go down
to Egypt and buy from there "that we may live, and not die" (Gen.
42:2). Such is the condition which obtains in the place where the
ungodly dwell. Alienated from the life of God, they are living in a
world which is smitten with a Spiritual famine, in a world which
furnishes no food for the Soul. The experience of every unregenerate
person is that of the Prodigal Son--there is nothing for him but the
husks which the swine feed upon.
84. Joseph's brethren wished to pay for what they received. "And
Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt" (Gen. 42:3). It
is striking to observe the prominence of this feature here. The word
"buy" occurs no less than five times in the first ten verses of this
chapter. Clearly, they had no other thought of securing the needed
food than by purchasing it. Such is ever the conception of the natural
man. His own mind never rises to the level of receiving a gift from
God. He supposes that he must earn God's approval, win God's favor,
and merit God's acceptance of him. It was thus with Naaman, when he
went to the prophet of God, to be healed of his leprosy. This was the
Prodigal's conception--"make me as one of thy hired servants," that
is, as one who worked for what he received. So it was here with
Joseph's brethren. And so it is still with every natural man.
85. Joseph's brethren assume a self-righteous attitude as they come
before the lord of Egypt. When they appeared before Joseph he tested
them. He "spoke roughly unto them" (Gen. 42:7). He said, "Yeare spies;
to see the nakedness of the land ye are come" (Gen. 42:9). And what
was their response? They answered him, "Nay,my lord, but to buy food
are thy servants come. We are all one man's sons; we are true men; thy
servants are no spies" (Gen. 42:10, 11). It is thus when God begins
His work with the sinner. He wounds before He heals, He wounds in
order that He may heal. By His Spirit He speaks "roughly." He sends
forth the arrow of conviction. He speaks that which condemns the
natural man. And what is the sinner's first response? He resents this
"rough" speaking. He repudiates the accusations brought against him.
He denies that he is totally depraved and "dead in trespasses and
sins." He attempts to vindicate himself. He is self-righteous. He
boasts that he is a "true man"!
86. Joseph's brethren were cast into prison for three days. "Andhe put
them all together into ward three days" (Gen. 42:17). This was not
unjust, nor was it harsh treatment. It was exactly what they deserved.
Joseph was putting these men into their proper place, the place of
shame and condemnation. It is thus God deals with the lost. The sinner
must be made to realize what is his just due. He must be taught that
he deserves nothing but punishment. He must be shown that the place of
condemnation and shame is where he, by right, belongs. He must be
abased before he can be exalted.
87. Joseph's brethren were now smitten in their Conscience. "And they
said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in
that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would
not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us" (Gen. 42:21).
Notice they said this "one to another," not yet were their consciences
active in the presence of God!The analogy holds good in the experience
of the unregenerate. As God's work goes forward in the soul,
conscience becomes active, there is deep "distress," and there is an
acknowledgment of sin, but at this stage the awakened and troubled one
has not yet come to the point where he will take the place of a lost
sinner before God.
88. Joseph makes it known that deliverance is by Grace. "Then Joseph
commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man's
money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus
did he unto them" (Gen. 42:25). What a lovely touch to the picture is
this! The Bread of Life cannot be purchased. It must be accepted as a
free gift, if it is received at all. The terms of the Gospel are
"without money, and without price." And how beautifully was this shown
forth here, when Joseph, as the type of Christ, orders the money to be
restored to those who came to "buy the corn." Clearly, this was a
foreshadowing of the blessed truth, "By grace are ye saved, through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of
works, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9).
89. Joseph's brethren now enjoy a brief respite. "And they laded their
asses with the corn, and departed thence" (Gen. 42:26). They had been
brought out of prison, the desired corn was obtained, and they were
returning home. Their minds were now at rest, and we may well conclude
that their recently disturbed consciences were quiet again. But not
yet had they been brought into their true rest. Not yet had they been
reconciled to Joseph. Only temporary relief had been obtained after
all. Deeper exercises lie before them. And how strikingly this
prefigures the experiences of the awakened sinner! After the first
season of conviction is over, after one has first learned that
salvation is by grace and not by works, there generally follows a
season of relief, a temporary and false peace is enjoyed, before the
sinner is truly and savingly brought into the presence of Christ.
90. Joseph's brethren soon had their superficial peace disturbed. "And
as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn,
he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack's mouth. And he
said unto his brethren, My money is restored, and lo, it is even in my
sack: and their heart faded them, and they were afraid, saying one to
another, What is this that God hath done unto us!" (Gen. 42:27, 28).
How true to life again! The type is easily interpreted. God will not
allow the awakened soul to rest until it rests upon Christ alone. And,
so, He causes the experiences of the way to dispel the false peace.
What do we read of next! "And the famine was sore in the land. And it
came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought
out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little
food" (Gen. 43:1, 2). And again, the analogy is easily traced. The
hunger of the Soul becomes more acute in the one with whom the Spirit
of God is dealing; the sense of need is deepened; the "famine"
conditions of this poor world are felt more keenly. And there is no
relief to be obtained until, once more, he comes into the presence of
the true Governor of Egypt.
91. Joseph's brethren continued to manifest a legal spirit. "And their
father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of
the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a
present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts and
almonds . . . And the men took that present, and they took double
money in their hand, and Benjamin, and rose up, and went down to
Egypt, and stood before Joseph" (Gen. 43:11, 15). How like the soul
that has begun to be exercised before God! Uneasy in conscience, and
discerning more and more the vanity of the world, the sinner redoubles
his efforts to please God.He turns over a new leaf and seeks harder
than ever to win God's approval. How little these men knew
Joseph--what did he, as Governor over all Egypt, want with their
presents! And how little, as yet, the newly awakened soul, knows
Christ! Joseph said, "These men shall dine with me at noon" (Gen.
43:16). So, too, Christ isthe One who has spread the feast. The word
of the Gospel is, "Comefor all things are now ready" (Luke 14:17).
Christ is the Provider; the poor sinner is but the receiver.
92. Joseph's brethren are now made happy again. "Andthey sat before
him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest
according to his youth: and the men marveled one at another. And he
took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin's mess
was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were
merry with him" (Gen. 43:33, 34). Ah, what is man! Not yet had sin
been told out. Not yet had a right relationship been established.
Nevertheless, they could be "merry." A superficial observer would have
concluded that all was now well. It reminds us of the stony ground in
the parable of the Sower--he "heareth the Word, and anon with joy
receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself"(Matthew 13:20, 21). It
is greatly to be feared that there are many such to-day. God's saving
work goes much deeper than producing evanescent emotions.
93. Joseph is determined to bring his brethren out into the fight.
"Andhe commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's
sacks with food as much as they can carry, and put every man's money
in his sack's mouth. And put my cup in the sack's mouth of the
youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that
Joseph had spoken" (Gen. 44:1, 2). There could be no settled or real
fellowship between Joseph and his brethren until the wrong had been
righted. There could be no communion of heart until full confession of
guilt had been made. And this is the goal God has in view. He desires
to bring us into fellowship with Himself. But He is holy,and sin must
be confessed and put away, before we can be reconciled to Him.
94. Joseph's brethren, at last, take their true place before God. They
had been in the presence of Joseph, though they knew him not; they had
been "merry" before him, and they were now going on their way
light-heartedly. Joseph, then, sent his "steward"after them, saying,
"Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto
them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?" (Gen. 44:4). In like
manner, the Lord sends His Holy Spirit to follow up His work in the
heart of the awakened soul. The "steward" brought back the brethren
into the presence of Joseph once more. Thus, too, does the Holy Spirit
bring the convicted sinner back into the presence of God. And mark the
sequel here: "And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord! what
shall we speak! or how shall we clear ourselves! GOD hath found out
the iniquity of thy servants" (Gen. 44:16). How blessed is this! What
a change from their earlier attitude before him, when they affirmed
they were "true men"! Now, they give up all attempt to clear
themselves, and take the place of guilty ones before Joseph,
acknowledging that God had "found out" their "iniquity." This is the
goal Joseph has had before him all the way through. And this is the
design of the Spirit's work in the sinner. Not till he ceases to
vindicate himself, not till he comes out into the light, not till he
owns he is guilty, and unable to "clear himself," can he be blest.
Once the sinner acknowledges before God that he is undone, lost, it
will not be long till Christ is revealed to him as the One who can
fully meet his deep, deep need. So it was with Joseph and his
brethren.
95. Joseph made himself known to his brethren. "Then Joseph could not
refrain himself before all them that stood by him, and he cried, Cause
every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while
Joseph made himself known unto his brethren" (Gen. 45:1). How blessed
to note the opening word here--"Then." Now that his brethren had
acknowledged their guilt, there was no delay. That which had hindered
Joseph from revealing himself sooner was now gone.
Notice, particularly, that as Joseph made himself known unto his
brethren he cried, "Cause every man to go out from me." Thus it is
when Christ reveals Himself to the self-confessed and needy sinner.
None must come between the needy soul and the Redeemer. Away, then, ye
priests, who pose as mediators. Away, ye ritualists who would
interpose your ordinances as conditions of salvation. Away, all ye
human interferers, who would get the poor sinner occupied with any but
Christ alone. Let "every man go out."
96. Joseph invites his brethren to come near to him. "And Joseph said
unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near"
(Gen. 45:4). Unspeakably blessed is this. There is no aloofness here.
All distance is (lone away with. So, too, in marvelous grace, the
Savior bids the poor trembling sinner "Come near" unto Himself. Joseph
did more. He proclaimed in their ears a wondrous message; he said,
"God hath sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth,
and to save your lives by a great deliverance"(Gen. 45:7).
"Itis a great salvation, mark. It is not the limited, partial, mean
salvation that some men would make it out to be saving only those who
help to save themselves, or saving them for a time, and allowing them
to lapse and be lost again. Oh no, thank God, it is a salvation worthy
of Himself, and such a salvation as only could result from that
finished, faultless work of Christ on the Cross. And what but a great
salvation could avail for sinners such as we? We are all of us great
sinners; our guilt was great, our need was great, and nothing but a
great salvation could be of any use to us. I hope you have it, friend.
Don't neglect it. `How shall we escape,' the Spirit asks, `if we
neglect so great salvation?' (Heb. 2:3)" (Mr. Knapp).
97. Joseph tells his brethren of full provision made for them. He
said, "Andthou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be
near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and
thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast. And there will I
nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and
thy household, and all that thou hast come to poverty" (Gen. 45:10,
11). How this tells out, in type, what is in the heart of our blessed
Savior! He desires His redeemed to be near to Himself! He is to be no
Stranger to them now. Moreover, He promises to sustain them--"there
will I nourish thee" said Joseph, and the promise to all who believe
is, "My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in
glory by Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19).
98. Joseph gives proof that he is fully reconciled to his brethren.
"Moreover, he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them, and after
that his brethren talked with him" (Gen. 45:15). The "kiss" betokened
the fact they were forgiven. It speaks, too, of love. Thus was the
Prodigal greeted after he returned from the far country and owned
himself as a sinner. Notice, it was Joseph who kissed them, and not
the brethren who kissed Joseph. So, also, it was the Father who kissed
the Prodigal. God always takes the initiative, at every point. How
blessed, too, the words which follow, "andafter that his brethren
talked with him."Their fears were all gone now. Reconciled to Joseph,
they could now enjoy his fellowship and converse with him. So it is
with the saved sinner and his Savior.
99. Joseph's joy was shared by others. "And the fame thereof, was
heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brethren are come, and it
pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants" (Gen. 45:16). "This is the Old
Testament fifteenth of Luke. Sinners are received and reconciled; the
lost is found; it is, as it were, `life from the dead' with souls.
`And there is joy in the presence of God.' God and the angels, like
Pharaoh and his servants, rejoice when sinners are brought to
repentance. There is joy all around. Joseph rejoices; his brethren
rejoice; Pharaoh rejoices; his servants rejoice" (Mr. Knapp).
100. Joseph's brethren now go forth seeking others. Joseph gave to his
brethren an honorable commission. He had said to them, "Hasteye, and
go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God
hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not . . . And
ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye
have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither" (Gen.
45:9, 13). So, too, in marvelous grace, the Lord commissions those
whom He saves. He bids them go forth seeking others who know Him not.
Joseph bade his brethren tell Jacob that he was alive, that God had
made him "lord of all Egypt," and they were to tell of his "glory." In
like manner, believers are sent forth to tell of a Savior that is
alive for evermore; of a Savior whom God hath made "bothLord and
Christ"; of a Savior, who has been crowned with "glory and honor."
Notice that twice over Joseph bade his brethren to make "haste" in
their going forth (verses 9, 13). So with us: there is to be no
tardiness. The King's business "requireth haste." The time is short,
and precious souls are perishing all around.
101. Joseph gives his brethren a word of admonition they go forth. "So
he sent his brethren away, and they departed and he said unto them,
See that ye fall not out by the way"(Gen. 45:24). And how much we need
this word of exhortation. The flesh is still in us. The Devil seeks to
stir up a spirit of rivalry and jealousy. But says the apostle, "The
servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all" (2 Tim.
2:24). If each of us were to heed this, there would be no "falling out
by the way"!
We leave the reader to trace out for himself the typical application
of the sequel. Joseph's brethren were faithful to the commission given
them. They did not invent a message of their own as they approached
Jacob. They had no need to do so. Joseph had told them what to say;
their business was to repeat the words of Egypt's "governor." And God
owned their message. The end for which it was designed was achieved.
Jacob and his household--seventy souls in all--went down to Egypt and
were royally received by Joseph. So, too, we do not have to invent our
message. We are sent forth to "preach the Word," and as we are
faithful to our calling, God will reward us, for He has promised that
His Word" shall not return unto Him void." Let us be encouraged then
by this example of the first Old Testament evangelists, and go forth
into a famine-stricken world telling of One who is mighty to save,
leaving the measure of our success to the sovereign will of Him who
alone giveth the increase. Thus shall we have a share in discharging
our honorable commission of giving the Gospel to every creature, thus
shall we glorify God, and thus shall we be bringing nearer that glad
Day when the One whom Joseph foreshadowed shall return to this earth,
and, taking the government upon His shoulder, shall reign in
righteousness and peace.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Joshua
by A.W. Pink
1. Introduction
_________________________________________________________________
The Significance of Joshua
"I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are Thy works" (Ps.
139:14). The reference there is to the physical body of man, which is
the product of Omniscience. "Thy testimonies are wonderful: therefore
doth my soul keep (treasure and submit to) them" (Ps. 119:29). The
Maker of man's body is the Author of the Word and each is alike
"wonderful", evidencing its Divine source. The human body is made up
of two halves; two arms and legs, two eyes and ears, two lungs and
kidneys etc.; so also the Word is made up of the two Testaments. Each
is a living organism: a single and complete entity, yet with many
members. Each of those members is necessary to give completeness to
the others, and the cutting off of one results in mutilation to the
whole. Each of those members has its own function to fulfill and each
book in the Scriptures makes its own separate contribution to the sum
of Divine revelation. As each physical member is fitted for
discharging its own distinctive office, so the substance of each book
in the Bible is suited to its own special theme. As there is a real
difference between both the texture and purpose of the eye and the
ear, so there is between the contents and leading subjects of any two
books in the Word.
The analogies drawn between the living and physical body of man and
the living and holy Word of God might be considerably extended. The
design and functions of some members of our bodies are self-evident
even to the layman. But there are others which are understood only by
a trained physician. In like manner, the purpose and purport of some
of the books of the Bible is more or less apparent to the rank and
file of God's people, but the special character and distinctive
features of others is discerned only by the Spirit-qualified teacher.
That particular parallel may be extended still further: as there are
certain glands of the body which still puzzle anatomists, so there are
some books of Scripture the theme of which is by no means certain to
the most diligent student. After all the centuries that have passed
and all the attention that has been devoted to the human body and the
Divine Word there yet remains an element of mystery about the one and
the other, and only the blatant or the ignorant will deny it.
Now it should be evident that in approaching the study of one of the
books of Scripture it must be of considerable help to the student if
he can ascertain what is its main design and what is its outstanding
topic. As we pointed out in these pages over twenty years ago, in our
Introduction to Exodus (now out of print), each book in the Bible has
a prominent and dominant theme which, as such, is peculiar to itself,
around which everything is made to center and of which all the details
are but the amplification. What that leading subject may be, we should
make it our business to prayerfully and diligently ascertain. This can
best be discovered by reading and re-reading the book under review,
noting carefully any particular feature or expression which occurs
frequently in it--such as "under the sun" in Ecclesiastes or "the
righteousness of God" in Romans. If other students before us have
published the results of their labors it is our bounden duty to
closely examine their findings in the light of Holy Writ, and either
verify or disprove. Before pointing out the peculiar character and
dominant subject of Joshua, let us briefly state that of the books
preceding.
Genesis is obviously the book of beginnings. Considered historically
there is a three-fold beginning recorded: of the heavens and the
earth, of the post-diluvian world, of the nation of Israel--in the
call of Abram. Viewed doctrinally, it illustrates, as might be
expected, the foundation-truth of election, for our salvation began in
God's eternal purpose. Thus we see here that Noah (alone of the
antediluvians) "found grace in the eyes of the Lord" (Gen. 6:8), and
that Shem (rather than Japheth or Ham) was the one selected to be the
channel through which should ultimately issue the Savior (Gen. 9:26).
Here we see God singling out Abram to be the father of the chosen
Nation. Here we see God choosing Isaac and passing by Ishmael, loving
Jacob but hating Esau. Here we behold God appointing Joseph from the
twelve sons of Jacob to be the honored instrument of saving them all
from the famine. The same principle appears again in the passing by of
Joseph's older son and bestowing the portion of the firstborn upon
Ephraim (Gen. 48:13-20). "God hath from the beginning chosen you unto
salvation" (2 Thess. 2:13), and that basic truth is illustrated again
and again in that book which begins the Scriptures.
Historically the book of Exodus treats of the deliverance and
departure of the Hebrews out of Egypt, but doctrinally its theme is
clearly that of redemption. That is just what the spiritual mind would
expect, for it is by means of the redemptive work of Christ that the
Father's eternal purpose is made good. If the first book of the Bible
reveals a sovereign God passing by some and choosing others to
salvation, Exodus makes known how that salvation is accomplished,
namely, by the mighty power of God and through the blood of the Lamb.
Moses was bidden to say unto the children of Israel "I am the Lord,
and will bring you out from under the burden of the Egyptians and I
will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a
stretched out arm and with great judgments" (Ex. 6:6)--the first
clause showing what redemption is from and the last how it is
effected. At the Red Sea they sang "Thou in Thy mercy hast led forth
the people which Thou hast redeemed. Thou hast guided them in Thy
strength unto Thy holy habitation" (Ex. 15:13). Between those two
passages comes the record of the slaying of the lamb and the efficacy
of its blood, while the remainder of the book is devoted to
instructions re God's habitation.
The book of Leviticus covers a period in Israel's history of less than
two months, for the whole of it (as well as the first ten chapters of
Numbers) treats of what occurred between the first day of the second
year and the twentieth day of the second month (Ex. 40:17, Numbers
10:11). As we might expect, being the third book of Scripture, it
views the people of God as on resurrection ground--regenerated. It is
not so much doctrinal as experimental. The key is hung upon its door:
"And the Lord called unto Moses and spake unto him out of the
tabernacle" (Lev. 1:1). It naturally and necessarily comes after
Exodus, informing us what we are redeemed for, being the book of
Divine fellowship and worship. Here we are shown the glorious
privileges of the believer, the holy requirements of God and the
gracious provisions which He has made to meet them. It proclaims that
God will be "sanctified in them that draw nigh Him" (Lev. 10:3).
Typically it is full of Christ, setting Him before us as our Altar,
Sacrifice, and High Priest.
The fourth book of Scripture treats of the practical side of the
spiritual life, tracing the history of the believer in the world--for
four is the number of the earth. Its key is also hung upon the porch:
"And the Lord spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai" (Ex.
1:1)--the "wilderness" being a symbol of this world in its fallen
condition, alienated from God. It records at greater length than
Exodus the history of Israel's journeyings and sojournings. Its theme
then is the walk and wanderings of the believer during this life,
depicting his testings and trials in the world. Note well it is
preceded by Leviticus, for only as we first commune with God within
the veil are we fitted to go out into the world and there walk before
Him. Typically it represents the experiences we encounter in this
scene of sin and suffering, our repeated and excuseless failures and
God's long-sufferance. It reveals God maintaining His holy government
and yet dealing in grace with His own, destroying unbelieving rebels
yet preserving the faithful.
Deuteronomy is the bridge between the four books which precede and the
seven which follow it, for the former deal with Israel before they
entered Canaan and the latter with their history after settling there.
Its name signifies "a second law"--the ten commandments of Exodus 20
being repeated in Deuteronomy 5: the reason for this being, because of
their awful sin at Kadesh-barnea, God swore that all the adult
Israelites who came out of Egypt (with the sole exception of Caleb and
Joshua) should perish in the wilderness (Num. 14). That fearful threat
had now been carried out and in Deuteronomy we find Moses (himself on
the eve of death) addressing the generation who had grown up in the
wilderness. That new generation required to know on what terms they
were about to enter Canaan and on what conditions they should hold and
enjoy it. The addresses of Moses therefore centered around two things:
reviewing the past and giving instructions for the future, pressing
upon them the claims of God (Deut. 10:12): hence the key words are
"remember" (14 times), "hear" (over 30) and "do" (about 100). In its
application to us it reveals that whole-hearted obedience to God is
the grand condition of possessing our possessions.
The book of Joshua records one of the most interesting and important
portions of Israel's history. It treats of the period of their
estatement as a nation, of which Genesis was prophetic and the rest of
the Pentateuch immediately preparatory. The books of Moses would be
imperfect without this one: as it is the capstone of them, so it is
the foundation of those which follow. Omit Joshua and there is a gap
left in the sacred history which nothing could supply. Without it what
precedes would be incomprehensible and what follows unexplained. The
sacred writer was directed to fill that gap by narrating the conquest
and apportionment of the promised land. Thus this book may be
contemplated from two distinct but closely related standpoints: first
as the end of Israel's trials and wanderings in the wilderness, and
second as the beginning of their new life in the land. It is that
twofold viewpoint which supplies the clue to its spiritual
interpretation, as it alone solves the problem which so many have
found puzzling in this book.
As the inheritance which the Lord appointed, promised and gave to
Israel, Canaan has rightly been regarded as a type of Heaven, unto
which the Church is journeying through this wilderness-world. But
Canaan was the scene of fierce battles, and that presents a serious
difficulty unto many, though it should not. They point out that Heaven
will not be the place of fighting, but of eternal rest and felicity,
and then ask, How could Israel's history in Canaan prefigure our
experience on High? It did not, but it strikingly and accurately
foreshadowed what Christians must accomplish if they are to enter and
enjoy "the purchased possession". The book of Joshua not only exhibits
the sovereign grace of God, His covenant-faithfulness, His mighty
power put forth on behalf of His people, but it also reveals what was
required from them in the discharge of their responsibility:
formidable obstacles had to be surmounted, a protracted warfare had to
be engaged in, fierce foes overcome, before they entered into the
actual enjoyment of the land.
If our conception of what constitutes a Christian or the character of
the Christian life be altogether lopsided, little wonder that we have
difficulty in rightly applying to ourselves the contents of that book
which typically contains so much important instruction for us. If we
will confine our viewpoint solely unto the sovereign grace of God in
connection with our salvation, and deliberately close our eyes to all
that Scripture teaches upon the discharge of our responsibility in
relation thereto, then it would indeed be strange if we apprehended
how that on the one hand Canaan was a free gift unto Israel, which
they entered by grace alone; and on the other, that they had to fight
for every inch of it! But when we realize that "eternal life" is both
the gift of God (Rom. 6:23) and a "crown" which has to be won by
faithfulness (Rev. 2:10), that the Christian inheritance is not only
purchased by the blood of the Lamb, but is also the "reward" of those
who "serve the Lord Christ" (Col. 3:24), then we should have no
trouble in perceiving how the type answers to the antitype.
"Narrow is the way that leadeth unto Life" (Matthew 7:14) i.e., unto
Heaven, unto Glory. There is but one way that "leadeth unto" it, and
that is the way of personal and practical holiness (Isa. 35:8),
"without which no man shall see the Lord". That "way" is a narrow one
for it shuts out the world and excludes self-pleasing. True, the few
who tread it have previously been made partakers of spiritual life,
for none of the unregenerate walk therein; nevertheless they must
persevere in it to the end, resisting temptations to forsake it and
overcoming whatever would impede, if they are to enter Life itself.
Salvation is indeed by grace, and grace alone, for human merit has no
place therein; yet good works are necessary, because it was to fit us
for them that grace is given. In Joshua we have a striking and blessed
exemplification of the two-foldness of Truth and the perfect balance
of its essential parts. The sovereign grace of God and the discharge
of His peoples' responsibility run side by side therein. Canaan was
God's free gift unto Israel, yet they had to fight for possession of
it--let that be carefully pondered, and remember it was typical.
The reader should keep steadily in mind that Israel's entrance into
Canaan occurred at the end of their trials in the wilderness. Taking
that alone, by itself, we have a foreshadowing of our entrance into
Heaven at the close of this life (Rev. 14:13); but viewing Israel's
entrance into Canaan in the light of all that is recorded in the book
of Joshua, we must regard what precedes as the experiences of the soul
prior to conversion, and Israel's history there as adumbrating his new
life. Thus, in Exodus we see the natural man in bondage to sin and
Satan; in Leviticus we behold him as one to whom God is speaking,
making known His holy requirements; in Numbers he finds himself in a
great howling wilderness, which is what the world appears to one who
has been awakened by the Spirit; while in Deuteronomy he learns the
strictness and spirituality of the Law, which cuts into pieces his
self-righteousness and reveals that Another than Moses must become the
Captain of his salvation if ever he is to be estated in the
antitypical Palestine.
Let the reader also remember that Israel's entrance into Canaan marked
the beginning of a distinct stage in their history, and there we have
a figure of the new life of the converted soul. Observe carefully how
definitely and clearly this is brought out in the type. It was a new
generation of Israel (the second and not the adult one that came out
of Egypt) which is here in view; that they were under a new leader--no
longer Moses but Joshua; that they were inducted into a new
sphere--delivered from the wilderness, entering into Canaan. Thus we
have a picture of those who have passed through a season of conviction
of sin, who have felt the terrors of the Law, and have now been
brought to put their trust in Jesus Christ, the antitypical Joshua.
Conversion dates the end of the old life and the beginning of the new.
As Israel's entrance into Canaan marked the end of their wilderness
wanderings, so at conversion the soul experiences the verity of
Christ's promise, "Come unto Me and I will give you rest". Likewise,
as Israel's entrance into Canaan marked the beginning of their life of
conquest, so at conversion we begin that "good fight of faith" which
is required before we can enter our Eternal Rest.
Those two aspects of the Christian's rest are brought together in
Hebrews 4. First, "we which have believed do enter into rest" (v. 3).
The moment a regenerated, awakened, convicted soul savingly believes
in Christ the burden of his sins roll away, and peace of conscience,
rest of soul, assurance of acceptance by God, are his. Yet, he is not
there and then taken to heaven. No indeed, he is now made conscious of
foes, both within and without, of which previously he knew nothing. He
is now called upon to mortify the flesh, resist the Devil, overcome
the world: not by his own might, but in the strength of the Lord,
under the leadership of the antitypical Joshua; and this in order to
an entrance into the promised inheritance. Thus, Second, Hebrews 4:11
bids us "let us labor therefore to enter into that Rest". Yes, "labor"
is necessary (cf. John 6:27, 2 Corinthians 5:9): fighting the good
fight, finishing our course, keeping the faith is required, if we are
to receive the "crown of righteousness" (2 Tim. 4:7, 8)!
Joshua's Earlier Days
Joshua was born in the land of Egypt and with the sole exception of
Caleb he was the only adult Israelite in the great exodus who survived
the forty years wanderings in the wilderness and actually entered
Canaan. He is mentioned for the first time in Exodus 17:9, where he is
introduced to our notice most abruptly, nothing being told us there of
his parentage, early history, or his piety. It was on the occasion
when Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim: "Moses said
unto Joshua, Choose out men and go fight with Amalek". From that brief
statement we gather that our hero had already attracted the notice of
Moses, gained his confidence and was therefore a man of valor and
competent to be captain over others. The following verse also
represents him in a favorable light: "So Joshua did as Moses had said
to him": he made no demur, objected not to receive orders from his
superior, but obediently complied with his instructions. "And Joshua
discomfitted Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword" (v.
13): thus success attended his efforts.
What we have briefly glanced at above supplies a most striking
illustration of the law of first mention. The initial occurrence of
anything in Scripture invariably supplies the key to the later ones,
forecasting by means of a broad outline its subsequent usage. In other
words, the first time a subject or object, a person or thing, is
brought before us in God's Word what is there said of it or him
virtually supplies a definition of its meaning, or at least gives us
the principal clue to the significance of its later mentionings. Thus
it is here. The very first time Joshua is brought to our notice it is
as a successful warrior: and note carefully, not slaying innocent
people, but in fighting the enemies of the Lord. How this brief
allusion in Exodus 17 foreshadowed the great work which lay before
him! The immediate sequel confirms this: "And the Lord said unto
Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the
ears of (not Israel, but) Joshua, for I will utterly put out the
remembrance of Amalek from under heaven" (Ex. 17:14)--a plain hint of
his future work, as an appointed instrument to execute the Divine
vengeance upon His foes.
Personally we believe there is a definite reference unto Joshua in
Exodus 23:20-23, though his name be not specifically mentioned. Those
verses contain a Divine prophecy and promise unto Israel, and as is so
often the case with similar passages, there is, we conceive, a double
allusion. "Behold I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way
and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared." No doubt the
primary reference is to Christ as the Angel of the Covenant, yet
subordinately it points, we think, unto Joshua as God's "messenger" or
"angel", for he was the one who actually brought Israel into the
heritage which God had prepared for them. So too it seems clear that
there is a double allusion in "My name is in Him" (v. 21): when the
Angel of the covenant became incarnate it was said "His name shall be
called Immanuel" (Matthew 1:23), and when our hero's name was changed
from "Oshua" to "Jeho-shua" (Num. 13:16), the Divine name was
incorporated into his! Israel were ordered to "obey his voice" (Ex.
23:22) and in Joshua 1:16 they affirmed to him "all that thou
commandest us we will do"!
The next reference to him is found in Exodus 24:13, when in response
to Jehovah's bidding Moses went up unto Him in the mount that he might
receive from Him the tables of the Law, we are told that "Moses rose
up and his minister Joshua, and Moses went up into the mount of God".
From this reference we learn the peculiar and honored position which
he occupied even at this early stage in his career: he was the
"minister" or assistant of Moses, the personal attendant of that
eminent man of God. But there is more in it than that: he was
subservient to Moses, yet he was also to complement his work. Moses
brought Israel out of Egypt, but Joshua would bring them into Canaan.
That the latter was not disconnected from the former is clear from the
opening verses of his book, for not only is Joshua there again
designated "Moses' minister" (Josh. 1:1), but when the Lord gave to
him his great commission He expressly bade him "do according to all
the law which Moses My servant commanded thee" (Josh. 1:7). So in the
antitype: Christ was "made under the Law" (Gal. 4:4).
When Moses left the camp to go unto Jehovah into the mount, his
minister Joshua accompanied him, though evidently only a part of the
ascent--the attendant being left at some lower level as Moses drew
near unto the Lord. In what follows we are furnished with a valuable
sidelight on our hero's character. Joshua was left alone for "forty
days and forty nights" (Ex. 24:18)! What a testing of his faith, his
patience, and his fidelity was that! His response to that severe test
shines out the more blessedly when contrasted from the conduct of
Aaron in the camp. Exodus 25 to 31 gives a record of the instructions
which Moses received, while the opening verses of 32 show us what
transpired in the camp. "When the people saw that Moses delayed to
come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together
unto Aaron and said unto him, "Up, make us gods which shall go before
us, for as for this Moses . . . we wot not what is become of him" (v.
1). Apparently Aaron shared their fears that they would see Moses no
more, for he yielded to their solicitation.
Now in blessed contrast from the unbelief and impatience of the people
and of Aaron, Joshua trustfully and perseveringly awaited the return
of his master. Thus was he tried and proved, manifested to be "a
vessel unto honor, sanctified and meet for the Master's use" before
the grand task of conducting Israel into Canaan was assigned unto him.
Proof that Joshua had remained in the mount during those forty days
and nights is supplied by Exodus 32:15-18, for there we are informed
"And Moses turned and went down the mount . . . and when Joshua heard
the noise of the people as they shouted (in their idolatrous and
carnal revelry: see verse 6), he said unto Moses, There is a noise of
war in the camp. And he said, It is not the noise of them that shout
for mastery, neither is it the noise of them that cry for being
overcome; but the noise of them that sing do I hear"--observe that
though puzzled by what he heard, yet Joshua placed a favorable
construction upon it, not supposing the worst.
When Moses drew nigh unto the camp and beheld the idolatrous and
lascivious scene spread before him, he was filled with righteous
indignation, and took the golden calf, burnt it in the fire, ground it
to powder, strewed it upon the water and made the children of Israel
drink. Under his orders the Levites slew about three thousand men and
the Lord "plagued the people". After they had been severely chastened
and humbled, Moses "took the tabernacle and pitched it without the
camp". Then as he entered into the tabernacle the Cloudy Pillar
descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle and the Lord talked
with Moses. Later "he turned again into the camp, but his servant
Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the
tabernacle" (Ex. 33:11). That is indeed a remarkable statement, yet
too brief to warrant inferences. But it at least shows the
distinguished favor bestowed upon the honored servant of Moses, that
he, rather than Aaron, was here left in charge of the sacred tent of
meeting: whether he was inside it when Jehovah stood at its door we
cannot say.
Another brief mention is made of Joshua in Numbers 11. On the occasion
when Moses gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people and
set them round about the tabernacle, the Lord came down in a cloud and
spake unto him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him and gave unto
the seventy elders, so that "they prophesied and did not cease". Two
others of the elders had for some reason remained in the camp, yet the
Spirit now rested upon them, so that they too "prophesied" even in the
camp. Evidently deeming this irregular, a young man ran and told Moses
of the unusual occurrence. "And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of
Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord, Moses, forbid
them" (v. 28). That too reveals his character: he did not take it upon
himself to rebuke the elders, nor did he request Moses to slay them.
It was zeal for his master that promoted his petition, as Moses' reply
clearly indicates: "enviest thou for my sake" There was no jealousy or
self seeking here on the part of Joshua, but only a concern for the
honor of the one he served.
We turn now to that passage which is probably the most familiar to the
reader wherein our hero figures. When the Lord gave order to Moses
that he send twelve men to "search the land of Canaan", a ruler from
each tribe, Oshua was the one selected from the tribe of Ephraim, and
it was on this occasion that his name was changed to "Jeho-shua" (Num.
13:16), or, in its abbreviated form "Joshua": so that he was one of
the persons mentioned in Scripture--all of them of eminence--whose
name was changed. "Oshua" means "salvation" and "Jeho-shua" he by whom
Jehovah will save. We need hardly add that, through the Greek, Joshua
is precisely the same as "Jesus"--see Acts 7:45, Hebrews 4:8. When the
twelve spies returned to Moses and made report of what they had seen,
though they acknowledged the land was one that flowed with milk and
honey, yet its inhabitants appeared to them so formidable and their
cities so powerful they declared, "We be not able to go against the
people, for they are stronger than we". The immediate sequel was most
solemn and sad.
Though Caleb boldly declared "Let us go up at once and possess it, for
we are well able to overcome it", his fellow-spies persisted in their
"evil report" and the whole congregation wept, murmured against Moses
and Aaron, lamented that they had ever started out on their journey
and said one to another "let us make a captain and let us return into
Egypt. Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the
assembly . . . and Joshua and Caleb . . . rent their clothes". Then it
was that our hero (and his faithful companion) evinced his spiritual
character and caliber, for we are told that they said unto) the whole
company of Israel, "The land which we pass through to search it is an
exceeding good land. If the Lord delight in us, then He will bring us
into this land and give it us . . . Only rebel not ye against the
Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land, for they are bread for
us: their defense is departed from them, and the Lord is with us; fear
them not" (Num. 14:7-9). Thus we see their confidence in God and their
courage, for as the next verse shows they took their lives into their
hands in so remonstrating with the people.
It was there that that wayward and stiff-necked generation of Israel
filled up the measure of their sin. It was then that Jehovah swore in
His wrath that they should not enter into His rest (Ps. 95:11, Hebrews
3:18). They had said, "Would God we had died in this wilderness" (Num.
14:2), and now He took them at their word, declaring "your carcasses
shall fall in this wilderness, and all that were numbered of you,
according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, who
murmured against Me, doubtless ye shall not come into the land which I
sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh and
Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, which ye said should be a
prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye
despised" (vv. 29-31). The ten spies who brought an evil report upon
the land "died by the plague before the Lord, but Joshua the son of
Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh . . . lived" (vv. 37, 38), being
the only two adults who came out of Egypt which entered into Canaan.
In Numbers 27 we have an account of the ordination of Joshua to office
as the future leader of Israel. "And the Lord said unto Moses, Take
thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay thine
hand upon him (the symbol of identification), and set him before
Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a
charge in their sight (as proof of his induction into office). And
thou shalt put some of thine honor upon him, that all the congregation
of the children of Israel may be obedient (to him). And he shall stand
before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask for him after the judgment of
Urim before the Lord: at his (Joshua's) word shall they go out and at
his word shall they come in, he and all the children of Israel with
him, even all the congregation. And Moses did as the Lord commanded
him" (vv. 18-22). Thus, to all who feared the Lord and had respect
unto His servant Moses, none could henceforth doubt that Joshua was
the man appointed to lead Israel after the removal of Moses from this
scene.
"Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt . . . shall see the
land . . . save Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun
for they have wholly followed the Lord" (Num. 32:11,12). That is
another statement which throws light upon the spiritual character and
caliber of Joshua. When Jehovah declared he had "wholly followed" Him,
He did not signify he had lived a sinless life, but that he had trod
the path of obedience, faithfully performed his duty and sincerely
aimed at the glory of God in it. He had stood firm and fearless in a
day of prevailing unbelief and general apostasy. In passing it may be
pointed out, at a later date, Caleb did not hesitate to affirm he had
"wholly followed the Lord" (Josh. 14:6-8), upon which Matthew Henry
rightly said that "since he had obtained this testimony from God
Himself, it was not vain glorious in him to speak of it, any more than
it is for those who have God's Spirit witnessing with their spirit
they are the children of God, to humbly and thankfully tell others,
for their encouragement, what God has done for their souls"
"These are the names of the men which shall divide the land unto you:
Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun" (Num. 34:17): here we
learn that our hero, under the guidance of the high priest (Josh.
14:1), was to apportion the inheritance among the tribes. "Joshua, the
son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither:
encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it" (Deut. 1:38).
That was surely necessary, for well might he be discouraged after
seeing Moses himself fall under the weight of leadership. A part of
the encouragement which Moses gave to his successor is recorded in
Deuteronomy 3:21, "I commanded Joshua at that time (namely, when
reviewing the overthrow of the powerful monarchs of Bashan and Og),
Thine eyes have seen all that the Lord your God hath done unto these
two kings: so shall the Lord do unto all the kingdoms whither thou
passest", which was as though Moses reminded Joshua, when the Lord
begins a work He finishes it--His overthrow of those kings was an
earnest of the destruction of all who opposed His people. It is
blessed to remember that those whom God calls into His service He also
grants "encouragement" along the way. So we have always found it.
"And Moses called unto Joshua and said unto him in the sight of all
Israel: Be strong and of a good courage, for thou must go with this
people unto the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers to
give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, He
it is that doth go before thee: He will not fail thee, neither forsake
thee; fear not neither be dismayed" (Deut. 31:7, 8). Here was further
"encouragement" for Joshua and the final charge which he received from
his predecessor. That "charge" was a wise mingling of precept and
promise, of calling unto the discharge of duty and of informing him
where his strength lay for the performance thereof. It is blessed to
see that the apostle did not hesitate to apply unto all the people of
God (Heb. 13:5) this promise made specifically to Joshua "He will not
fail thee nor forsake thee"--something which should be carefully noted
by those who have so much to say about "rightly dividing the Word of
Truth"!
"And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses
had laid his hands on him; and the children of Israel hearkened unto
him and did as the Lord commanded Moses" (Deut. 34:9). This is the
final reference to Joshua in the Pentateuch, occurring right after the
account of the death and burial of Moses. God may remove His workmen,
but He ceases not to carry forward His work. When one of His servants
be, removed, He raises up another to take his place--not always to
fill his place, for the work may already be completed (for the time
being, at any rate) in that particular section of His vineyard, and if
so, the new man may be called upon to break soil elsewhere. This was
really the case here. Moses was raised up specifically to bring Israel
out of the house of bondage--a stupendous and difficult task--and by
Divine enablement he accomplished it. He was Israel's leader
throughout their wilderness journeys, but now they were over. An
entirely new venture lay before the people of God: their entrance into
and taking possession of their heritage, and that called for a new
leader.
In the preceding paragraphs we have seen how the new leader of Israel
had been duly appointed by God (not chosen by the people!) and then
publicly ordained or inducted into his office, for God requires all
things, especially in connection with His immediate service, to be
done "decently and in order". We have seen too something of the
qualifications which Joshua possessed for the work assigned him, for
when God calls a man to a work, He endows him suitably for the same,
equipping him both naturally and spiritually. Pharaoh might require
the Hebrews to make bricks without supplying them with straw, but not
so the Lord! Joshua was indwelt by the Spirit (Num. 27:18), possessed
of unusual faith, patience and courage, and "full of the spirit of
wisdom"--that being as necessary as any of the others. Finally, we are
told above "and the children of Israel hearkened unto him", for God
ever works at both ends of the line: when He fits a man to minister,
He also prepares a people for him to minister unto.
A General Survey
As Moses sent forth the twelve spies to "search the land of Canaan"
before Israel sought to enter into occupation of the same, so we
propose to now take a bird's eye view of that book which bears the
name of Joshua before examining it in close detail. We shall not give
a chapter by chapter summary of its contents, but rather essay a
comprehensive sketch of those contents as a whole, pointing out the
main design of the book, and some of its leading features. It has
already been stated in our Introductory article, that this portion of
Scripture treats of the period of Israel's estatement as a nation in
that land which Jehovah gave unto their fathers, and that it forms
both the capstone of the Pentateuch and the foundation of the
Historical books which follow. The design of its penman, under the
superintendence of the Holy Spirit, was to describe the conquest of
Canaan by the Hebrews and the apportionment of it among their twelve
tribes.
It was not Joshua's intention to give an account of his own life, nor
even to undertake a description of his principal exploits and
achievements: rather was it his purpose to show how the Lord had made
good His promises unto the patriarchs. If that dominant fact be kept
steadily in mind it will explain fully and satisfactorily the
principle of selection and the arrangement of the materials he was
guided to use. We can then the better perceive why Joshua recorded
what he did, why he related certain incidents in fullness of detail
and merely glanced at others, and why whole years are passed over in
silence. He was writing with a definite plan before his mind, and
therefore he related only what was pertinent to his scheme and design,
omitting everything which was not relevant thereto. The same principle
of selection regulated all the sacred penmen, and it is only as we are
able to discern the particular plan of each book that we can properly
appreciate what is brought into the picture and what is left out.
It has been far too little realized that the historians of Scripture
were much more than journalists narrating interesting events, more
than mere chroniclers writing for the sake of gratifying the curiosity
of those who should live in a future age, or even of detailing
memorable incidents to please their contemporaries. They were
theocratic historians (a theocracy is a government in which the chiefs
of state are the immediate servants of God--there has never been but
one), whose object was to trace the progress and development of the
kingdom of God on earth: to mark its great epochs and record those
events which were, from a religious standpoint, of deep importance to
their own and future generations. Thus it is with the book that is now
to be before us--and equally so with those that follow, for they give
not merely the history of Israel, but the history of God's kingdom in
Israel: discover its plan or theme and tire choice or rejection of
certain materials becomes patent.
The book opens with the Lord's directions to Joshua, who had already
been designated as the successor of Moses, to go over Jordan and take
possession of the land which He had sworn to their fathers and to
divide it among the people as their inheritance, with the promise that
if he faithfully observed the laws given by Moses that God would be
with him, and "there shall not a man be able to stand before thee all
the days of thy life" (Josh. 1:5). Those opening verses supply the key
to the whole book. Joshua's execution of his commission in strict
obedience to the Divine directions and God's gracious fulfillment of
His promised assistance are the sum of all it contains. The first
twelve chapters treat of the conquest of Canaan. They do not contain a
detailed account of all the marches and the battles of each campaign:
instead, only the outstanding particulars are narrated--those which
marked the progress of events, those which brought out most clearly
God's miraculous help, and those which demonstrated the necessity and
inseparable connection between their obedience and that miraculous
help.
Many other things belonging to the Conquest, such as battles, capture
of cities, and even long expeditions which had nothing remarkable
about them, are therefore mentioned only summarily, so as to give a
general view of the whole line of operations with its ultimate
success. The time occupied in the conquest was much briefer,
everything considered, than might be supposed. Though we cannot
calculate the exact length of it, we may its approximate duration.
After Canaan had been subdued and upon the division of its territory,
we find Caleb saying "And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive as
He said these forty and five years, even since the Lord spake this
word unto me (in Numbers 14:80) while the children of Israel wandered
in the wilderness" (Josh. 14:10). From that forty-five years we have
to deduct the thirty-eight years spent in the Wilderness (Deut. 2:14),
so that the whole campaign lasted less than seven years.
In chapters 13-21 we have the Dividing of the Land among the several
tribes, concerning which it is difficult for a commentator to write
profitably at any length. In chapter 22 the two and a half tribes who
had assisted their brethren in the Conquest and stood by them in the
allotting of Canaan, return to their own possession across the Jordan.
Then an interval of several years is passed over during which Israel
was settled in the Land, an interval which fell not within the scope
of the writer to take notice of, for it furnished nothing suited to
his particular theme. Finally, we come to the closing scene of
Joshua's life, when he gathered around him the responsible heads of
the Nation, rehearsed what God had done for them in giving them-such a
goodly heritage, and engaged them to renewed pledges of obedience unto
Him. Thus the book closes with a recapitulation of Jehovah's
fulfillment of the promise with which it opens and a public
covenant-engagement of the people to serve the Lord who had driven out
the Amorites and the other nations from before them.
After Joshua had received his orders to go up and possess the Land, he
at once sent forth two spies. The experiences they met with are
described with considerable detail not because of the interest
attaching to their hazardous undertaking and their remarkable escape
from a perilous situation, but because what occurred vividly
exemplified the promise which the Lord had given to Moses' "there
shall no man be able to stand before thee, for the Lord shall lay the
fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread
upon" (Deut. 11:25)--a promise, which as we have seen, was repeated in
substance to Joshua himself. Hence we fine in striking and full accord
therewith Rahab acknowledging to the spies, "I know that the Lord hath
given you the land and that your terror is fallen upon us and that all
the inhabitants of the land faint because of you" (Josh. 2:9). The
anxious preparations of the king, his vigorous pursuit of the spies,
and their language to Joshua upon the accomplishment of their mission
(Josh. 2:24) all served to forcibly illustrate that fact.
Next follows the passage of the Jordan. Its waters though unusually
high, were supernaturally divided, so that the people of God passed
over dry shod. Let us pause and ask, What was the design of that
remarkable event? God works no trifling miracles. He does not suspend
the established order of nature without good reason, nor unless some
important end is to be answered by so doing. Wherein lay the necessity
for this prodigy? Israel could have crossed the Jordan by natural
means, without the intervention of Omnipotence. Though the river was
then too high for fording, especially for the women and children, yet
boats could have been built or bridges thrown across it, for the
Jordan is neither swift nor very wide, and such a delay had been but a
brief one. The reason for this miracle was the same as of all others
recorded in Holy Writ the necessity for it was not physical but moral.
The object of all miracles is to reveal the power and grace of God.
The laws of nature which God established at the beginning were amply
sufficient to accomplish every physical end it is only to meet our
moral and spiritual needs that they are ever interfered with. Israel
might have taken Canaan without any miracle, but in such a case there
had been no glorious display unto them of God's all-mightiness, His
loving-kindness, His nearness to them. The stupendous marvels which He
wrought in Egypt, at the Red Sea, in the Wilderness, and now in
Canaan, were designed to teach the covenant people (and the
surrounding nations, too) that the gods of the heathen were no gods
and could neither do good nor evil. Jehovah was the living and true
God "the Lord of all the earth" (Josh. 3:11, 13)! Those miracles were
intended to make them more sensible of the infinite perfections of the
One with whom they had to do, and of their complete dependence upon
Him. Consequently they were brought into situations from which they
could not extricate themselves in order to learn it was the Lord their
God who delivered them.
In a variety of ways Israel were made to see that it was not their own
valor and strength which delivered them, but rather Jehovah's right
hand and mighty arm which secured the victory for them. Canaan did not
become theirs so much by their own prowess and conquest as by Divine
gift. But there was a special reason why the Lord intervened for them
in the extraordinary manner He did at the Jordan, for it was as though
He then opened to them the door of that land which He had promised and
personally conducted them into it. By that memorable act the Lord
pledged to them the subjugation of the whole country. At the same time
there was in connection therewith, the public act of Joshua in his new
capacity as leader of the people, and thus it gave Divine authority
and confirmation to his office in their eyes, and was, in comparison
with his predecessor at the Red Sea, a striking verification of that
word to him "As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee" (Josh. 1:5).
The circumcising of the people and their celebration of the Passover
comes next (chapter 5). There should be no difficulty in perceiving
the relevancy and significance of these events at this stage in the
book we are now reviewing. They belonged to the Conquest, inasmuch as
that very conquest was conditioned upon Israel's punctilious
compliance with all that Moses had commanded. After the appearing unto
Joshua of the "Captain of the Lord's host," there follows an account
of the capture of Jericho. In connection therewith there stand out
plainly the same two features which mark the passage of the Jordan:
that an unquestioning obedience to God's orders was required from
them, and that the victory was His and not theirs. In the conquest of
Ai the same lesson is taught, though in reverse: there they were made
to taste the bitter consequences which followed upon their
disobedience to the Divine injunctions. But we will not now further
anticipate what we hope to consider in the articles which are to
follow.
At this point a word needs to be said, perhaps, in reply to the
attacks made now upon this book by the enemies of the Lord. The
ethical character of the contents of Joshua has been viciously
criticized by infidels and agnostics. The Israelites have been
regarded as a horde of fierce nomads, falling upon and murdering the
Canaanites, and stealing the land of a peaceful people. These critics
have asserted it is unworthy of the Divine character to represent Him
as sanctioning such injustice and ferocity. In reply it needs to be
pointed out that, Canaan was Israel's by Divine appointment and gift
long before (Gen. 15)--a promise repeated to Abraham's immediate
descendants; and it was in fulfillment thereof that they now received
the land. They entered and took possession of Canaan by immediate
command from God, who has an absolute right to interfere in human
affairs as He pleases. Moreover, it was in the exercise of His
righteousness (as well as of His sovereignty) that God now took from
the Canaanites the land which they had forfeited by their sins, and by
His grace gave to Israel with the distinct understanding that they,
too, would be deprived of it if they proved unfaithful and disobedient
stewards.
But why should God give instructions for the utter destruction of the
Canaanites? Because of their horrible depravity and gross idolatry:
let the reader turn to Leviticus 18:3, 27, 28 and then see the verses
between 3 and 27 for a description of those "abominations," and also
remember God did not act in judgment upon them until" the iniquity of
the Amorites "had come to the" full" (Gen. 15:16). God now glorified
His justice by destroying those who refused to glorify Him by a
willing obedience. Israel acted not under the impulse of a lust of
conquest but as the executioners of Divine wrath--just as the flood,
the pestilence, the earthquake are commissioned by Him to cut off
those who provoke His holiness. When He is pleased to do so, He makes
use of men as His instruments, rather than the elements. "The
Assyrian" was the rod of God's anger to cut off nations, though he
knew not he was being so employed (Isa. 10:5-7). Why then might He not
use an elect and godly nation as the conscious instrument of His just
vengeance!
Israel was manifestly under God's guidance, and their success mast be
attributed to His presence and might. Miraculous power attended them
and proved that the commission and commands they had received were no
fanatical delusions, but the mandates of the Judge of all the earth.
He opened a way for them through the Jordan, threw down the walls of
Jericho, smote their enemies with hailstones and even stayed the sun
in its course. There could be no mistaking the fact that the living
God was in their midst. But there was also a special reason why Israel
should be the particular executioner of God's vengeance in this
instance rather than that the land should be totally depopulated by,
say, pestilence. In that case, they could not have felt so sensibly
their own weakness and entire dependency on the power of God. In such
a case they had soon forgotten His agency in giving them the land, and
attributed it to secondary causes; nor would the residue of the
Canaanites been left as a continual trial to test their faithfulness
in the service of the Lord.
But why should only the Canaanites be singled out for this summary
judgment? Were there not many other idolatrous nations?--why then
should they be exempted? The righteous government of God extends over
all nations, and each is punished when its iniquities are come to the
full: not by the same means or to the same extent, but punished as God
deems best. But the Canaanites were not only idolaters, but they were
guilty of practices which the heathen themselves regarded with
abhorrence. Let it also be remembered that this generation of Israel
under Joshua was the most pious one in all their history as a nation,
and that they burned with the same holy zeal against Achan as against
the degenerate Canaanites; and that later God sorely punished Israel,
too, when they turned away from Him. Most important then are the
lessons contained in this book. It shows how God intervenes in the
affairs of human history. It reveals that He deals with nations as
well as individuals--deals with them in mercy or judgment according as
they honor or displease Him.
The contents of this book and the lessons which they are designed to
teach us are greatly needed by our own generation. First, in
counteracting the one-sided "evangelism" of our day, which tells the
sinner that all he has to do is to accept Christ as his personal
Savior and Heaven is then his certain portion--ignoring the fact that
there is a fight which must be fought and a race to be run before he
can be crowned. Second, in rebutting that doleful view that the
Christian should expect nothing but frequent and well-nigh constant
defeat in his warfare against the world, the flesh, and the
devil--overlooking the truth that if he meets the required conditions
he may "do all things through Christ strengthening him." Third, in
setting before us, by clear exemplifications and striking
illustrations, the rules and requirements upon which success is
conditioned. Here, as nowhere else in Scripture, are we shown how we
may be "over-comers." Fourth, in making known the blessed fact--so
little apprehended by Christians today--that it is both their
privilege and birthright to enter into a present possession and
enjoyment of their Inheritance. O that more of us may do so.
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http://www.pbministries.org. All rights reserved.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Joshua
by A.W. Pink
2. The Great Commission
Joshua 1:1-9
_________________________________________________________________
The Call to Faith
"Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass
that the Lord spake unto Joshua" (Josh. 1:1). The opening word of this
verse, when rightly rendered, supplies to the spiritual mind an
indication of the verbal inspiration of the Scriptures. Properly
translated it would be "And," and what uninspired writer would ever
think of beginning his production with such a connective! John
Urquhart in his "The Bible: its Structure and Purpose" (vol. 1) called
attention to this feature, which though a minute detail is one of
considerable importance, namely, that many of the books of the O.T.
commence with the conjunction "ve." This indicates of course that
those which open thus are so closely linked with the ones preceding
that they are really continuations of them. But, we may say, it does
more than that: the employment of "And" at the beginning of quite a
number of them signifies that they are not so many books but chapters
in the Book. In other words, this binding together of the variously
books by the copulative "And" gives more than a hint of their
fundamental-unity: that one Author composed them, that one Rule of
Faith is found in them
Genesis has no "And" at the commencement of its opening verse, for the
simple reason that it is the first book or chapter, the beginning. But
Exodus opens with this connective "ve"--"and"--rendered there "Now."
So does Leviticus, and likewise Numbers. Thereby we are taught that
those first books are inseparably united together, and form the first
division of the Bible. But, as Urquhart pointed out, "It is a surprise
at first glance when we find that Deuteronomy, which is regarded as
the completion of the four previous books, is, as a fact, disconnected
from them." He might also have dwelt on the fact that such a variation
or difference is a designed evidence of Divine superintendence. The
very fact that Deuteronomy is regarded (and from one standpoint,
rightly so) as the completion of the Pentateuch argues that were the
first five books of the Bible nothing more than the uninspired
productions of Jews, writing in collaboration, the fifth one had been
brought into accord with those which precede it.
The absence of" and" at the opening of Deuteronomy at once intimates
that that book is not a supplement to what has gone before, but rather
a new beginning, or a new division of the O.T. It looks forward and
not backward: a careful study of its contents will verify this. Joshua
comes next and it does open with "And "--and so does every book which
follows until 1 Chronicles is reached! Thus, Joshua to the end of 2
Kings is annexed to Deuteronomy, and the whole forms the second
division of the O.T. Having pointed out this feature, let us pause and
consider its significance. Why are the first four books of the Bible
coupled together? why the next eight? and why does Deuteronomy belong
to the second group rather than the first? The answer must be sought
in the history of Israel, for that is the theme of the O.T. The first
four books give us the history of Israel outside the Land which was
promised them for an inheritance, the next eight treat of their
history in it. Deuteronomy rehearses the past history of the Nation
and restates the Law in view of their approaching possession of.
Canaan, informing them how they must conduct themselves therein.
"And after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord" (Josh. 1:1).
The removal of Moses from their head was a heavy loss unto Israel. For
many years he had been their leader and legislator. It was under him
they had been delivered from the cruel bondage of Egypt. It was in
answer to his prayers that a way was opened for them through the Red
Sea. He was the one who acted as their representative before the Lord
and as His mouthpiece unto them. It is true there were times when they
distrusted him and murmured against him, yet on the whole they
respected and confided in him. A stage had now been reached when it
seemed that Israel needed him more than ever, for with practically no
fighting experience and possessing scarcely any weapons, they were
about to pit themselves against the "seven nations in the land of
Canaan" (Acts 13:19). Yet he was no longer to be their commander:
death took him from them. That was a deep mystery to carnal reason, a
most painful providence, a sore trying of their faith. That they felt
it keenly is clear:
"the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty
days" (Deut. 34:10). "And after the death of Moses the servant of the
Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun,
Moses' minister, saying, "Moses My servant is dead: now therefore
arise, go over this Jordan" (vv. 1, 2). The work of God is in nowise
hindered by the decease of His servants, no matter how eminent they be
in office nor how much used in blessing to His people. Though the
workmen be removed, His work goes forward to its ordained completion.
"God will change hands to show that whatever instruments He uses, He
is not tied to any" (Matthew Henry). That does not mean that God will
necessarily supply another pastor for a church when one has died, for
His work in that particular place may be finished; or that when His
time arrives for the work of this magazine to end, that He will
provide another; but it does mean that He will continue to maintain
His Cause upon earth and supply every need of His people. That is
certain, and it should both comfort and inspire us with courage in
these dark days in which our lot is cast.
It is to be duly noted that Joshua did not push himself forward to
fill the breach made by the departure of Moses, but waited until
ordered by the Lord to do so. The relation which he sustained to his
predecessor is not only one of interest but also of deep importance,
not so much so from a historical standpoint as from the typical and
doctrinal. This is the point at which we should amplify that statement
at some length, but we are afraid to do so lest some of our readers
wonder if we are ever going to `get down to business,' for we have
already written three articles without taking up the opening verses of
our book. Yet others will say, What does that matter if their contents
were instructive and profitable? We will therefore adopt a compromise,
and defer our remarks upon that subject until a little later.
Meanwhile perhaps a few may be stimulated to ponder and supply answers
for themselves to the following questions: What was the varied
relationship of Joshua unto Moses? and what important truth is
illustrated and illuminated thereby?
"Moses My servant is dead, now therefore arise, go over this Jordan,
thou and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, to
the children of Israel" (Josh. 1:2). The appointed time had now
arrived, for Jehovah to make good the promises which He had made to
Abraham and his children long centuries before. All that had been
accomplished through Moses was but preliminary thereto, yet supplying
a sure earnest that He would continue to show Himself strong on their
behalf, so long as they adhered strictly to the covenant which He had
entered into with them at Sinai. For that covenant, and the earlier
one constituted the basis of all His dealings with Israel: while they
kept it, they prospered: when they broke it, they experienced His
judgments. It is to be duly observed that this commission which Joshua
here received from the Lord was given to him as the head of Israel: it
was made not with him alone, but the nation as well: "thou and all
this people." This needs to be borne in mind in connection with all
that follows.
"Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I
given unto you, as I said unto Moses" (Josh. 1:3). Here again (see
previous verse) the Lord emphasized the fact that Canaan was a
sovereign and free gift which He made unto Israel. It was not a
portion to which they were in any wise entitled: neither they nor
their ancestors had done anything to merit such a heritage, nor would
their subsequent prowess in conquering or dispossessing the Canaanites
warrant the idea that they had earned it. Thus it is with the eternal
inheritance of the spiritual Israel. When they are finally gathered
into it, they will with one accord exclaim "Not unto us, O Lord, not
unto us, but unto Thy name give glory" (Ps. 115:1). And even now while
upon earth, they frankly aver, "Not by works of righteousness which we
have done, but according to His mercy He saved us by the washing of
regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, which He shed on us
abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior" (Titus 3:5, 6). They one
and all subscribe to that declaration "By grace are ye saved through
faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; not of works
lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9).
Nevertheless, though Canaan was a Divine gift unto Israel, yet they
did, not enter into possession of it without effort on their part:
their concurrence was required, and thereby their responsibility was
enforced! Unless that fact be clearly recognized we shall be all at
sea in applying the type unto ourselves, and seriously, aye fatally,
pervert God's "plan" or way of salvation. There is not the slightest
excuse for our doing so, for the teaching of Scripture on this
subject--both in the type and the antitype--is as clear as a sunbeam.
Canaan was first given unto Abraham, and he is "the father of all them
that believe" (Rom. 4:11), and therefore his case is the norm or model
after which ours is patterned. Concerning Abraham himself, all room
for doubt as to how he obtained Canaan, is removed by Hebrews 11:8:
"By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out unto a place (which he
should after receive for an inheritance), obeyed, and he went out, not
knowing whither he went." It was by faith-obedience that Canaan became
his.
What has just been pointed out and our placing that clause in
parenthesis is clearly confirmed by Genesis 12:1, "Now the Lord had
said unto Abraham, Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred
and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee." There
was no promise at that time that the land would be made over to him
for a possession: it was not until years after that God said to him "I
am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees to give thee
this land to inherit it." Abraham was first required to break
completely from his old life and separate from the world, to submit
himself unreservedly to God, to walk by faith, to act in unquestioning
obedience to His revealed will, before the heritage became his! Yes,
my reader, the call which Abraham received from God made very real and
definite demands upon him; and since he is "the father of us all"
(Rom. 4:16), each of his children must be conformed to the family
likeness. Abraham is a figure or prototype of those who have, by
grace, been made "partakers of the heavenly calling" (Heb. 3:1).
"By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he
should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed, and he went out, not
knowing whither he went"--still less knowing that the land would be
given to him. A saving faith is one which heeds the Divine
commandments as well as relies upon the Divine promises. Make no
mistake about that, dear friends, Christ is "the Author of salvation
unto all them that obey Him" (Heb. 5:9). Abraham obeyed not only in
word, but in deed: "he went out." In that he was in marked contrast
from the prevaricating one who said "I go, Sir, and went not" (Matthew
21:30). Faith and obedience can no more be severed than can the sun
and the light, fire and heat. Therefore we read of "the obedience of
faith" (Rom. 1:5 margin). "Obedience is faith's daughter. Faith hath
not only to do with the grace of God, but with the duty of the
creature as well. By apprehending grace, it works upon duty: `faith
worketh by love' (Gal. 5:6). It fills the soul with apprehensions of
God's love, and then makes use of the sweetness of love to urge us to
more work or obedience" (T. Manton).
And now the descendants of Abraham were called upon to act by a
similar faith and walk by the same implicit obedience unto God which
had marked their progenitor! The Jordan must be crossed, cities must
be captured, battles must be fought, the Canaanites conquered, before
Israel could enter into possession of and enjoy their inheritance.
True, blessedly true, they were not required to perform such feats in
their own unaided strength: the might of Omnipotence would work on
their behalf. Yet also and equally true was it that God would show
Himself strong on their behalf only while they yielded to His
authority and conducted themselves according to His orders. The Land
was indeed His gift--His free and sovereign gift--unto them, yet they
would only. obtain possession of the same by their own efforts. There
is nothing inharmonious between those two things, any more than there
is an inconsistency in the Gospel call, "He, every one that thirsteth
come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money come ye, buy and eat;
yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price" (Isa.
55:1)--alas that that repeated buy is totally ignored by modern
`evangelism.'
"Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon that have I
given you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon
even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the
Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun
shall be your coast" (Josh. 1:3). As we have pointed out in a previous
paper, the contents of this book have a twofold application: an
initial and a progressive, to the sinner and to the saint. That is
intimated, we believe, by the very position Joshua occupies in the
Sacred Canon: it sustains a dual relation: coming after, yet being
linked to the Pentateuch, and also forming the commencement of the
Historical books. That hints strongly at a twofold spiritual
significance of its contents. Concerning the land of Canaan Moses said
to the Congregation, "Ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the
inheritance which the Lord your God giveth you" (Deut. 12:9). In
contrast from the wanderings in the Wilderness, Canaan was their
"rest," but in actual experience their entrance into the Land marked
the beginning of years of hard fighting. The moment a sinner believes
in Christ peace of conscience, rest of soul is his; nevertheless, only
then begins the fierce battle between the flesh and the spirit.
That rest of soul enjoyed by the Christian when he ceases fighting
against God and trusts in the Savior is an earnest of his inheritance,
a foretaste of the perfect and eternal rest awaiting him on high. The
initial act of faith in Christ puts him in possession of an
inalienable title to "the purchased possession," but his actual
entrance therein is yet future. But it is both his privilege and duty
to "possess his possessions" (Obad. 17) even now, to enjoy them by
faith and anticipate them by hope. It is his privilege and duty to
appropriate by faith and live in the present enjoyment of that rich
portion which God has given him in Christ. But the flesh, the world
and the Devil will oppose, and seek to keep him out of a present
enjoyment of his possession. There is nothing the Devil hates more
than to see a saint glorying in God and rejoicing in Christ his Lord,
and therefore both directly and by means of indwelling sin, or the
allurements and cares of this world, he is ever seeking to deprive him
of his rights. But if we mortify the flesh, steadfastly resist the
Devil, live a life of faith and walk obediently, we can overcome both
self, Satan and the world.
In this connection we need to recall that word of the Lord unto Israel
at an earlier date: "I will not drive them out from before thee in one
year, lest the land become desolate and the beast of the field
multiply against thee: by little and little I will drive them out from
before thee, until thou be increased and inherit the land" (Ex.
23:20,30), which shows that God does not act arbitrarily, but
compassionately with respect to His people. To their short-sightedness
it might have appeared a more signal mercy had God exterminated the
Canaanites in the first few months after the crossing of its boundary,
but that had neither been most for His glory nor their good. There
were wild beasts in the land as well as gross idolaters, and even
though the latter had been extirpated, Israel were yet too few in
number to properly occupy the whole of the country--they must wait for
that until they had sufficiently multiplied. Moreover, by driving out
the Canaanites from before them" little by little," Israel was kept in
a state of constant dependence before the Lord. That is one of His
principal designs in all His dealings with people: to wean them from
self-reliance and teach them to lean more and more upon Himself.
The spiritual application to the Christian of the above is simple and
informative. God has nowhere promised to give him victory over all his
enemies at once, and therefore he should not expect it. Nor would it
be good for him if He did--pride and self-esteem would be the
immediate outcome. "Therefore will the Lord wait that He may be
gracious unto you" (Isa. 30:18). He has many things to say unto us,
but we cannot bear them now (John 15:12); and He has victories to give
us, but we are not yet fitted for them. As Israel were not to be
discouraged by the slowness of their arms, neither must we be dismayed
if victory be not ours at once--still less entertain the thought that
success will never be achieved by us. In like manner, the possessing
of our possessions, the present entering into and enjoyment of our
heritage in Christ, is not attained all in a moment, but it is a
progressive experience--"by little and little." Growth in grace is not
an instantaneous thing like the new birth, but a gradual one: patience
has to have her perfect work.
Perhaps some reader may recall another word of Jehovah's spoken before
the Jordan was crossed: "The Lord thy God is He which goeth over
before thee: as a consuming fire He shall destroy them and He shall
bring them down before thy face; so shalt thou drive them out and
destroy them quickly" (Deut. 9:3). We need hardly say that there, is
no conflict between this passage and the one in Exodus 23, for there
are no" contradictions" in the Word of God. All that is needed is a
little careful attention to each passage. The "I will not drive them
out before them in one year" of Exodus 23:29 has reference to the
Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites, as the previous verse shows;
whereas the "them" of Deuteronomy 9:3 is the Anakim--see verse 2. Nor
does this present any difficulty in the spiritual application: there
are some enemies which the Christian is enabled to overcome "quickly,"
while there are others which continue to try him unto the end of his
earthly course.
Divine Assurances
It is scarcely possible to overstate the importance of the book of
Joshua. Its contents are an intrinsic part of "the children's bread",
which is essential to their well-being. It is of incalculable value to
us both doctrinally and practically. Doctrinally it casts clear light
on a subject which has deeply exercised the best theologians
throughout the centuries, namely, the relation which the Gospel
sustains to the Law; yet so far as we are aware, none has ever
appealed to this portion of the Word as providing a solution to that
problem. Surely it is clear that if we can ascertain what was the
precise relations which Joshua bore to Moses, we shall discover the
relations which the Gospel sustains to the Law. It has indeed been
recognized by many that the relation of those men unto each other
indicated in a general way one of the chief distinctions between the
Law and the Gospel: that as Joshua rather than Moses was the one who
led Israel into Canaan, so it is the merits of Christ and not the
works of the Law to which the sinner must look for his justification;
but there they stopped. Instead of starting at the beginning and
tracing through the subject, they began in the middle and drew a
single conclusion.
The very first thing told us about Joshua in the book which bears his
name is that he was "Moses' minister" (Josh. 1:1), a statement that
looks back to Exodus 24:13. Thus, Joshua is not set before us as
antagonistic to Moses, but as his attendant and supporter. Apply that
to the antitype and it should at once be evident that it is a serious
mistake to regard the Gospel and the Law as being mutual enemies.
Perhaps some will object, but is it not derogatory to the Son of God
to view Him as subservient to the Law? Our reply is, What saith the
Scriptures? Upon that point there is no room for uncertainty: "When
the fullness of time was come God sent forth His Son, made of a woman,
made under the Law" (Gal. 4:4). It was in order to prevent any mistake
upon this point, to allay any fears they might entertain about it,
that Christ said to His disciples "Think not that I am come to destroy
the Law or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill"
(Matthew 5:17)--to "fulfill" it by rendering thereto a perfect
obedience and then to endure, on behalf of His sinful people, its
unremitting penalty.
But second, it is quite clear from the book of Deuteronomy that the
mission of Joshua was to complement that of Moses, to bring to a
successful issue what he began. Moses had led Israel out of Egypt and
he had been their leader all through the wilderness journeyings, but
it was left unto Joshua to induct Israel into their promised
inheritance. Here too we find no antagonism between Joshua and Moses,
but rather the one augmenting the other. Therein we have a blessed and
striking adumbration of the relation which the Gospel sustains to the
Law: it is not its adversary but its handmaid, not its destroyer but
its fulfiller. Christ has not only honored and magnified the Law
person ally, but He secures its being honored and magnified in the
affections and lives of His redeemed: "For the Law was given by Moses,
but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). "For what the
Law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending
His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned
sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled
in us" (Rom. 8:3, 4).
Under Moses the Law obtained not its due because of the weakness of
the flesh in those who received it. They declared unto Moses "speak
thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee, and we
will hear and do" (Deut. 5:27). Nor was the Lord displeased at such an
avowal. So far was He from condemning them for a presumptuous boast,
we are told, "the Lord said unto me, I have heard the voice of the
words of this people which they have spoken unto thee: they have well
said all that they have spoken" (v. 28). Nevertheless, there was a
"weakness" of which they were ignorant, but of which He was cognizant,
for He went on to say "Oh that there were such a heart in them that
they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, that it might
be well with them and with their children forever!" There we learn
what their "weakness" consisted of: they lacked a heart for the Lord
Himself. That is the lack of the natural man the world over: until he
is born again no man has either any filial fear of God nor love for
Him, and where those be absent there is neither desire nor sincere
effort to keep them.
"The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the
Law of God, neither indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7). Inexpressibly solemn
are those words: true of writer and reader alike until a miracle of
grace was wrought within him. The carnal mind is not subject to the
Law of God nor is it capable of being so: it is utterly lawless,
determined only on pleasing self and having our own way. The reason
for this in-subjection of the carnal mind to the Divine Law is that it
is "enmity against God": it is alienated from Him, it hates
Him--abhorring His ineffable holiness and despising His sovereign
authority. But at regeneration the love of God is shed abroad in the
heart by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5): a contrary principle is implanted
which opposes that enmity and its reigning power is destroyed. Hence,
there is on the part of the regenerated person a radically changed
disposition and attitude to the Divine Law, so that he declares "I
delight in the Law of God after the inward man . . . with the mind I
myself serve the Law of God" (Rom. 7:22, 25).
Third, not only was Joshua, originally, "Moses' minister", not only
did he supplement his ministry and bring his mission to successful
completion, but when commissioned by Jehovah to conduct His people
into Canaan, he was bidden "Only be thou strong and very courageous,
that thou mayest observe to do according to all the Law which Moses My
servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the
left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of
the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate
therein day and night" (Josh. 1:7,8). Here again we see that so far
from the work assigned Joshua being inimical to that of his
predecessor, he was enjoined to honor and magnify it. That commission
concerned not so much Joshua personally as it did the people entrusted
to his charge. If Israel were to "possess their possessions", then
under the leader ship of Joshua they must regulate their conduct by
the Divine Law. God has not regenerated those for whom Christ died
that they might live as they please, but that they "might serve Him
without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days
of our life" (Luke 1:73, 75).
Herein lies the triumph and glory of the Gospel: not merely that
transgressors are pardoned and sinners delivered from the wrath to
some, but-that they are "created in righteousness and true holiness"
(Eph. 4:24), given a nature which delights in the Law and sincerely
serves it. The Law is written on their hearts (Heb. 8:10), enshrined
in their affections, and under the leadership of the antitypical
Joshua their conduct is governed by it. Christ has left them an
example that they should follow His steps (1 Pet. 2:21), and He
respected, honored, and fulfilled the Law. True, they do not perfectly
obey the Law, though they long to and honestly endeavor so to do, and
where there is that honest endeavor God accepts the will for the deed.
So far from the Law's being set aside, N.T. saints are "under the Law
to Christ" (1 Cor. 9:21), and just so far as they act in accordance
with that fact is "good success" theirs in the spiritual life.
Here, then, is the relation between the Law and the Gospel. First, as
Moses preceded Joshua, so God employs the Law as an instrument for
convicting the sinner of his need of Christ, for "by the Law is the
knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20). Second, as Joshua was "Moses'
minister", so Christ was made under the Law and satisfied its every
requirement, both preceptive and penal, that a perfect righteousness
might be provided for His people. Third, as the mission of Joshua
supplemented and complemented that of Moses, so when the Gospel of
Christ is made the power of God unto salvation to every one that
believeth, there is communicated to that soul a nature which loves the
Law and is subject to it. Fourth, as the success of Israel in Canaan
turned upon their obedience to Joshua, who was to be regulated wholly
by the Law of Moses, so the Christian enters into possession of his
possessions only so far as he is subject to the Law in the hands of
the Mediator. This will be made increasingly evident if we are
permitted to continue our meditations upon this book of Scripture.
In our last we dwelt a little on Joshua 1:1-3. With verse 4 should be
compared Genesis 15:18, Exodus 23:31, Numbers 34:3-12, Deuteronomy
11:24. Turning now to verse 5 we have the blessed promises which the
Lord made unto Joshua as the basis of the great commission he then
received. "There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all
the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I
will not fail thee, nor forsake thee". In seeking to ponder them in
the light of what immediately follows, we need to bear in mind that
the terms of the commission were made with Joshua not simply as a
private person, but as leader of the Nation, that what God required
from him He required from them, and that what He promised him He
promised them. We saw this when looking at verse 2, wherein Jehovah
said unto Joshua "Moses My servant is dead: now therefore arise, go
over this Jordan, thou and all this people" That "therefore" is most
significant and suggestive so far from the loss of their former leader
inclining them to sit down in dejection and despair, it was all the
more necessary why they should go forward under their new commander.
"There shalt not any man be able to stand before thee". That this
promise was made unto the Nation as here represented by Joshua is
clear from a comparison with Deuteronomy 7:24. There we find Moses
addressing the whole congregation, assuring it of what the Lord God
would do for them when He brought them into the land (see verse 1):
"He shall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy
their name from under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand
before thee". Thus as Joshua 1:2 gave the Divine call of duty unto
Israel--"arise, go over this Jordan, thou and all this people unto the
land which I do give thee"--so in verse 5 we see the Divine
encouragement given them unto the discharge of their duty. Moses had
to face the haughty monarch of Egypt--then the mightiest kingdom on
earth--and confront his wise men and magicians; yet none were able to
stand before him. Powerful nations were in possession of Canaan, among
them the giant Anakim (Deut. 9:2), but none shall be able to withstand
Joshua and those tinder him: "as I was with Moses, so I will be with
thee"
"There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of
thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee". But was that
blessed assurance designed only for Joshua and the Israelites of that
day? Is it not recorded also for our sakes (Rom. 4:23, 24). Then are
we making practical use of it? Do we frequently remind ourselves of
the same? Do we plead it before the throne of grace in time of need
and ask God to make it good in our experience? Realizing that we are
called upon to "fight the good fight of faith", conscious of our
weakness and the might of our foes, have we put God in mind of this
word? If not, why not? Is not our failure at this point the
explanation of many other failures? It is not enough that we should
long to enter more fully into our heritage in Christ, we should also
appropriate unto ourselves this blessed assurance and beg God to
overthrow whatever is standing in the way and hindering us from a
present and personal enjoyment of our spiritual portion. We should be
daily and confidently entreating Him to teach us to vanquish the
Anakim which are usurping our rightful heritage.
Should any doubt the dispensational validity of what we have just
pointed out and demur at the idea of Christians today applying to
themselves a specific promise made to Joshua thousands of years ago,
then all room for a questioning of the same should at once be removed
by the final clause of that verse' "I will not fail thee nor forsake
thee" (v. 5). Let the reader very carefully observe that that very
promise is quoted in Hebrews 13 and a most important conclusion drawn
from it: "For He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my Helper and I will not fear
what man shall do unto me" (vv. 5, 6). The very fact that the Holy
Spirit moved the apostle to apply unto Christians that promise made
unto Joshua is clear proof of its significance for believers in this
age. Although the principle of one basic interpretation with many
legitimate applications may still be maintained, the promises of God
frequently transcend dispensational distinctions. This is particularly
true when the promise is restated in another historical context. In
such instances the promise definitely pertains to those living in the
other era as well and God's children should rightly partake of this
needful portion of their bread.
What has just been mentioned ought to be so obvious that it requires
no further amplification: but since some of our readers have been
wrongly instructed therein, we must labor the point a little further.
Are not the needs of believers the same in one age as another? Does
not God bear the same relation to them and is He not affected alike
unto all of His children--does He not bear them the same love? If He
would not fail or forsake Joshua, then He will not us. Are not
Christians today under the same everlasting covenant of grace as were
the O.T. saints? Then they have a common charter: "For the promise is
unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off--as many
as the Lord our God shall call" (Acts 2:39). Let us not forget that
"Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our
learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might
have hope" (Rom. 15:6). Then let this principle be held tenaciously by
us: the Divine promises which were made on special occasions to
particular individuals are of general use for all the members of the
Household of Faith.
"I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee" is one of "the exceeding
great and precious promises" of God (2 Pet. 1:4) which is addressed to
me now as much as it was to Joshua of old, and therefore is available
for my faith to lay hold of and enjoy. Note the use which the apostle
made of the same: "So that we may boldly say, the Lord is my Helper,
and I will not fear what man shall do unto me" (Heb. 13:6). Those
words "so that" point an inference drawn from the promise: a double
conclusion is thereby reached--confidence in God and courage against
man. That intimates the various and manifold use we should make of
God's promises. The conclusion drawn by the apostle was based upon the
character of the Promiser and similarly should faith ever reason.
Since God is infinitely good, faithful, all-powerful and immutable, we
may boldly or confidently declare with Abraham "the Lord will provide"
(Gen. 29:8), with Jonathan "there is no restraint to the Lord to save
by many or by few" (1 Sam. 14:6), with Jehoshaphat "None is able to
withstand Thee" (2 Chron. 20:6), with Paul "If God be for us, who can
be against us" (Rom. 8:31).
"So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear
what man shall do unto me". Note attentively the change in number from
the plural to the singular: general principles are to be appropriated
by us in particular, as general precepts are to be taken by us
individually--as the Lord Jesus individualized the "Ye shall not tempt
the Lord your God" of Deuteronomy 6: 16 when assailed by Satan
(Matthew 4:10)! It is only by taking the Divine promises and precepts
unto ourselves personally that we mix faith with the same and make a
proper and profitable use of them. It is further to be observe d that
"The Lord is my Helper." etc, is a citation from Psalm 118:6. In that
quotation the apostle teaches us again that the language of the O.T.
is exactly suited unto the case of Christians now, and that they are
fully warranted in appropriating the same"; "we may boldly say" just
what the Psalmist did! It was in a season of sore distress that David
expressed his confidence in the Lord, at a time when it appeared that
his enemies were about to swallow him up; but contrasting the
omnipotence of Jehovah with the feebleness of the creature his heart
was strengthened and emboldened.
Ah, but does the reader clearly perceive what that involved? It meant
that David turned his mind away from the seen to the unseen. It means
that he was regulated by faith rather than by sight or reason. It
means that His heart was occupied with the omnipotent One. But it
means much more: he was occupied with the relationship of that
omnipotent One unto himself. It means that he recognized and realized
the spiritual bond there was between them, so that he could rightly
and boldly say "the Lord is my Helper". If He be my God, my Redeemer,
my Father, then He can be counted upon to undertake for me when I am
in, sore straits, when my foes would devour me, or when my barrel of
meal is well-nigh empty. But that "my" is the language of faith and
"my Helper" is the conclusion which faith's assurance unhesitatingly
drew. Often God so orders His providences and places us in trying
circumstances that there may be suitable opportunity for our exercise
of faith and that He may be glorified by the same. Nothing honors Him
more than the unquestioning confidence of our hearts when everything
outward seems thoroughly against us.
Yes, David turned away his eyes from his numerous and powerful enemies
unto the omnipotent One, and so should we. God will not disappoint us
if we do: He never fails those who really trust Him. Consider another
example which illustrates the same principle. On one occasion "the
children of Moab the children of Ammon, and with them other besides
the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle" (2 Chron. 20:1).
The king was quickly informed that "there cometh a great multitude
against thee", and we are told that he "feared". But that was not all
he did: he "set himself to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast
throughout all Judah". Then in the presence of the whole congregation
he prayed and pleaded with Jehovah, concluding with "O our God, wilt
Thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company
that cometh against us, neither know we what to do: but our eyes are
upon Thee" (v. 12). Nor did they look unto Him in vain. Read the
sequel--verses 14-26: without themselves striking a blow, the Lord
smote their enemies with such a spirit of confusion that they fell
upon one another and completely destroyed themselves.
Divine Injunctions
When Jehovah called Moses to go down into Egypt and make known His
demand unto Pharaoh He assured His servant "I will be with thy mouth
and teach thee what thou shalt say" (Ex. 4:12). When Jeremiah was
ordained a prophet unto the nations and he shrank from the task before
him, God said "they shall fight against thee, but they shall not
prevail against thee, for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver
thee" (Jer. 1:19). With such assurances does the Lord fortify the
hearts of those whom He commissions to go forth in His name.
Similarly, when the risen Redeemer bade His apostles make disciples of
all nations and baptize them, He first emphasized the fact that "all
power had been given to Him in heaven and in earth", and then
comforted them with the declaration "Lo, I am with you alway, even
unto the end of the world (Matthew 28:18-20). So too when He told Paul
to remain at Corinth, He cheered him thus: "Be not afraid, but speak,
and hold not thy peace, for I am with thee and no man shall set on
thee to hurt thee, for I have much people in this city" (Acts 18:9,
10).
In like manner did the Lord prepare Joshua for the undertaking to
which he was called. First, He gave him the threefold assurance,
"There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of
thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail
thee, nor forsake thee" (Josh. 1:5). The time had arrived when he was
to lead the people of Israel across the Jordan and marshal their
forces for the conquest of the promised land. On the threshold of that
difficult and dangerous task Jehovah had thus encouraged and animated
His servant. Great were the obstacles and perils confronting them, but
great too were the consolations here vouchsafed him. Highly favored as
was Joshua in being made the recipient of such promises, yet they were
not designed to set aside the discharge of his own responsibility: he
was not to say within himself, These covenant engagements will
certainly be fulfilled, so there is no need for me to be exercised. So
far from using them as a couch for him to rest upon, they were
designed as, a girdle wherewith to gird up his loins for future
activities.
"Be strong and of a good courage, for unto this people shalt thou
divide for an inheritance the land which I sware unto their fathers to
give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous" (Josh. 1:6,7). The
Divine assurance received by Joshua was therefore intended as a spur
unto energy, as an incentive to the performance of duty, for the
quickening of his heart unto the same. The connection between this
exhortation and what immediately precedes it inculcates a most
important practical lesson: God's promises are not meant to set aside
His precepts, but rather are given to encourage us to do with all our
hearts and might whatever He has bidden us. Assurances of Divine
assistance must never be regarded as nullifying our accountability or
as rendering needless the putting forth of our utmost endeavors, but
instead, are to be taken as so many guarantees that if we be "always
abounding in the work of the Lord" (the discharge of our daily
duties), then we may know "that our labor is not in vain in the Lord"
(1 Cor. 15:58).
Those professing Christians who reason, God has promised never to
leave nor forsake us and therefore it is quite safe for us to flirt
with the world and trifle with Sill, do but make manifest the
unregenerate condition of their hearts. They who take unto themselves
the Divine declaration "He who hath begun a good work in you will
perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6), and then
conclude there is no need for them to make their calling and election
sure, or desire the sincere milk of the Word that they may grow
thereby, render it very doubtful that a good work has been begun in
them. They who say, God will assuredly fulfill His decrees and draw
unto Christ all whom He has ordained unto eternal life, and therefore
there is no need for us to be deeply concerned about souls and seek
after their salvation, speak not the language of His true children,
but wrest the Truth. If our response to God's promises be that of
sloth and carelessness, that is proof we have received them carnally
and not spiritually. The use or misuse we make of the Divine cordials
affords a good index of the state of our hearts.
God had just assured Joshua "as I was with Moses, so I will be with
thee" That language was unequivocal and unqualified, yet it was far
from signifying that he might take things easily, or simply "stand
still, and see the salvation of the Lord"--words which have heed
grievously misapplied. No, rather were they designed to inspire him to
the performance of duty and to let him know that his efforts should
not be in vain. "Be strong and of a good courage"' that was the first
effect which those assurances should work in him, and until they did
he was not fitted for the task before him. That task entailed the
facing of problems and dangers such as were enough to make the
stoutest heart to quake, nevertheless, Joshua was to undertake it
without trepidation or hesitation. And why so? Because the living God,
the omnipotent Jehovah had declared that not a man should be able to
stand before him, that He would not fail nor forsake him. Then what
was there to fear? Had not Joshua good ground, sufficient reason, to
be strong and to act valiantly?
Upon entering Canaan powerful enemies had to be faced, for the land
was inhabited by races of giants, men who were famous both for stature
and strength. They were a fierce and warlike people, strongly armed,
for they had "chariots of iron" (Josh. 17:16). True, but God had said
"Not any man shall be able to stand before thee". Formidable obstacles
had to be overcome. The cities of the Canaanites were fortified,
described by the ten spies as "great and walled up to heaven" (Deut.
1:28) That was the language of unbelief's exaggeration, yet they were
mighty strongholds which had to be overthrown. Even so, God's "I will
not fail thee" was more than sufficient. Again, there was the food
problem to be considered. In the wilderness the Israelites had been
daily supplied with manna from heaven, but that was now to cease. When
the Jordan was crossed that great host of people must quarter on the
enemy. Who was to provide for such a multitude? How should they be
fed? Was not such a problem enough to make Joshua quail? No, not after
he had received such assurances.
Not only were the Canaanites a numerous and powerful foe, but those
whom Joshua commanded were a most unpromising people. What trouble
they had occasioned his predecessor in the desert! Ever ready to
murmur, wanting to turn back to Egypt, stiff-necked, and with no faith
in Jehovah. What could Joshua expect from their immediate descendants?
How far could he count on their loyalty and cooperation? Was it not
more than likely that their hearts would turn from him as those of
their fathers so often had from Moses? Even so, God had said "I will
not forsake thee" How well suited were those Divine assurances to his
situation! In view of them what good reason had the Lord to bid him
"Be strong and of a good courage". And in view of the same what
sufficient ground had Joshua to go forward in full confidence and
valor! So he would if he took those promises to heart and mixed faith
with them. Ah, it all turned on that. As cause stands to effect so
would the laying hold of those promises produce strength of spirit and
courageous action. Joshua did receive them by faith, and such was
their effect upon him.
What bearing does the above have upon us today? In our last we pointed
out that the promise of Joshua 1:5 belongs to Christians today, and
here we must insist that the precept "Be strong and of a good courage"
is also addressed to us personally, that God so enjoins us. "Quit you
like men, be strong" (1 Cor. 16:13), "be of good courage" (Ps. 31:24)
make known the Divine requirements from us. Those are the graces
specially needed by believers if they are to overcome their enemies,
surmount the obstacles in their path and possess their possessions.
Granted, says the reader, but when you bid me "be strong" you do but
tantalize me, seeing that is the very thing I desire to be and yet am
conscious I am not. But cannot you see the fault is entirely your own'
that your weakness and fear is due to your failure to mix faith with
God's promises? What more do you want than what God has said to you in
Joshua 1:5? If God be for you, who can be against you? Look away from
yourself, from your enemies, from your difficulties, unto Him who hath
said "I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee": count upon Him, and
strength will displace weakness and courage fear.
"Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to
do according to all the Law, which Moses My servant commanded thee"
(v. 7). This exhortation is not a mere repetition of the one in the
previous verse, but a particularizing of it or an application of the
same to a specific duty. The "be strong and of a good courage" cf.
verse 5 was more general, this here relates especially to walking in
tee way of God's commandments. Resoluteness, fortitude, daring and
perseverance were required for the great exploits which lay ahead, yet
equally necessary and essential--if less apparent unto some today--was
strength and courage if Joshua was to be completely submissive to the
legislation of his predecessor. The world admires most the man who is
independent, strikes out along a line of his own, and counts meekness
and submission as a mean-spirited thing. It is the free-thinker and
the free-liver who is generally admired by the godless, and obedience
is despised as something servile. Joshua was now virtually made king
in Jeshurun and it called for real courage for Israel's
commander-in-chief to take his orders from another, and especially so
when the carrying out of the same seemed to be a hazardous matter.
Let the Christian faithfully apply this exhortation unto himself and
perhaps he will the better perceive what it involved for Joshua. "Be
thou strong and very courageous, that (in order that) thou mayest
observe to do according to all the Law". Is there not an inseparable
connection between the two things: is not courage required in order to
obedience? Fellow-Christian, if your character and conduct is to be
regulated by the Divine standard, if all {he details of your life are
to be ordered by God's statutes, what will men think and say of you?
Will they not deem you mad? It calls for courage, courage of a high
order, for a preacher to scorn all novelties and disdain the
contemptuous sneers of his fellows that he is "behind the times"
because he declares only the counsel of God. And it calls for real
courage for the private Christian to cleave close to the path of
obedience when many professors will sneer at his "strictness" and
"strait-lacedness". How many are afraid of being thought "queer" or
"puritanical"! Ah, my reader, it requires resolution and valor to swim
against the tide of popular opinion, as it does to differ from "our
doctrines" if one sees God's Word requires it.
"That thou mayest observe to do according to all the Law, which Moses
My servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to
the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest" (v. 7).
There was the commission which Joshua received from the Lord. He was
not to be regulated by his own inclinations nor lean unto his own
understanding, he was not to be governed by the principle of
expediency nor be seeking to please those under him; instead, he must
be actuated in all things by a "thus saith the Lord". For the carrying
out of that commission he needed strength and courage, that he might
be daring enough to strictly heed the instructions which Moses had
left in writing for him. And in order to the exercise of those graces
his heart must be constantly occupied with the assuring promises God
had given him. So God's servant today must teach His people to observe
all things whatsoever Christ has commanded, resting on His promise
"Lo, I am with you alway". So too the private Christian must heed that
word "whatsoever He saith unto you, do" (John 2:5), counting on His
promise to make his way prosperous.
As another has pointed out, "In Joshua's case, full obedience to the
Divine command involved innumerable difficulties, such as besieging
fortified cities and fighting against warriors who came to battle in
chariots of iron armed with scythes". He who contemplates enlisting
under the banner of Christ needs well to sit down and count the cost,
for it is no child's play. to "follow the Lamb whithersoever He
goeth". A merely nominal profession is easy enough to make and
maintain after the manner of the times, but to be a real Christian
means to deny self, take up the cross and go forth unto Christ without
the camp. Through his obedience Joshua made many enemies. When it
became known that Jericho had been captured and Ai vanquished, we read
of certain kings confederating together to destroy him. Such will be
the experience of the obedient Christian. It will be his desire and
effort to make no enemies, but if he is faithful to Christ many of his
old friends will turn against him, and he probably prove that his foes
are found even in his own household. "Woe unto you" if "all men speak
well of you".
Joshua's obedience required strength and courage because it involved
years of persevering effort. Rome was not built in a day, nor was
Canaan captured in a twelve month. Long marches, protracted campaigns,
much heavy fighting was entailed before Israel fully entered into
possession of their heritage. As another has said "The days were not
long enough for his battles. He bids the sun stand still and the moon
is stayed: and even when that long day has passed, yet the morning
sees him sword in hand still. Joshua was like those old knights who
slept in their armor. He was always fighting". Such is the life of the
Christian a warfare from end to end. No sooner does he receive pardon
from Christ than the great conflict begins. Every yard of the narrow
way which leadeth unto Life is contested--not a foot will Satan yield
to him. When victory has been obtained over one lust, another
immediately raises its ugly head. When one temptation has been
overcome, ten others more subtle menace him. There is no respite, no
furlough is granted. "He that endureth unto the end shall be saved",
and none other will. Something more than human strength and prowess is
called for.
"Do according to all the Law which Moses My servant commanded thee:
turn not from it to the right hand or to the left". As one has well
pointed out, "It is the exactness of obedience which constitutes the
essence of obedience" The fact is that if we do not desire and
earnestly endeavor to keep all of God's commandments we are totally
lacking in the spirit of genuine obedience. He who picks and chooses
between them is a self-pleaser and not a God-pleaser. The vast
majority in Christendom today say, We must not be too precise: but
that is too thin a garb to cover their hypocrisy. At heart they want
to turn their backs on God's Law altogether, but as an open avowal of
such a sentiment would at once expose them, they resort to such cant
as, We must not be too nice, too strict, too particular. It is this
temporizing and compromising which has brought Christendom into the
sorry state that it is now in. An omission here and a human addition
there opened the flood-gates of evil. As the Lord will have all our
hearts or nothing, so He will accept only an obedience which respects
"all His commandments" (Ps. 119:6), and not one which is partial and
discriminating.
Joshua was granted no indulgence, but must adhere rigidly and
constantly to the Rule set before him. No matter how contrary to
natural wisdom and prudence might be the carrying out of its precepts,
no matter how unpopular it should make him with the people of Israel,
God required full and continuous obedience from him. And so He does of
us today, and unto those of His nominal disciples who fail to render
the same, He asks, "Why call ye Me, Lord, and do not the things which
I say?" (Luke 6:46). Yes, "nominal" disciples is all they are, for He
Himself declares "that servant which knew his Lord's will and prepared
not, neither did according to His will, shall be beaten with many
stripes" (Luke 12:47). t is probable that the apostle had Joshua 1:7
in mind when he said "by the armor of righteousness on the right hand
and on the left" (2 Cor. 6:9)--righteousness is right doing, acting
according to the standard of right, namely, the Law of God. When one
said to a Puritan, "Many people have rent their consciences in halves:
could you not just make a little nick in yours?" He answered, "No, I
cannot, for my conscience belongs to God"
Finally, let us notice that the path of obedience is the path of
prosperity: "turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that
(in order that) thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest" (v. 7).
Conformity unto the revealed will of God may entail trial, but there
will be abundant compensation. Of course there shall, for the Lord
will be no man's Debtor. The path of obedience is the path of
blessing: the treading thereof may incur the frowns of men, but what
matters that if we have the smile of our Master! True, the prosperity
may not immediately appear, for faith has to be tried and patience
developed, yet in the long run it will be found that in keeping the
Divine commandments "there is great reward" (Ps. 19:11). So Joshua
found it: he adhered strictly to the Divine Law and success crowned
his efforts; and that is recorded for our encouragement. Let us not
forget that "Godliness is profitable for all things: having promise of
the life that now is and of that which is to come" (1 Tim. 4:8), yet
that promise is conditioned by our keeping of the precepts.
The Primacy of God's Word
We turn now to the closing portion of the great commission which
Joshua received frown the Lord. We have already seen that it came to
him after the death of Moses, and that it was concerned with Israel's
conquest and occupation of the land of Canaan (v. 1-4). We have
contemplated the blessed assurances which Jehovah gave unto His
servant, for the comforting of his heart and the strengthening of his
hands (v. 5). We have pondered the general injunction which God laid
upon the new leader of His people (v. 6), and sought to show its
meaning and timeliness. We have also noted the particular application
which the Lord made of that injunction unto Joshua, in requiring that
he should be very courageous in regulating all his actions by the
statutes He had given through Moses and placed on permanent record as
an authoritative Rule for all who should succeed him, and how that He
enjoined implicit and undeviating obedience from him, (v. 7), and
endeavored to indicate the very real and practical bearing all of that
has upon our spiritual lives today. In what we are now to ponder, we
learn what more was demanded of Joshua in order to ensure a successful
realization of all the foregoing.
"This Book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou
shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do
according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy
way prosperous and then thou shalt have good success" (Josh. 1:8).
Joshua was to be guided and governed wholly by the written Word, which
was something unprecedented, unique, No man before Joshua had received
orders from God to regulate his conduct by the Words of a Book. True,
Abram and his household obeyed God's voice in keeping His commandments
and His statutes (Gen. 26:5). Moses too had acted by Divine authority,
but each had received his instructions from the mouth of the Lord, But
Joshua, and all who succeeded him, must be governed by "this Book of
the Law" It is remarkable that Joshua and the Book come before us
together, without any introduction, in the same passage: "and the Lord
said unto Moses, Write this in a book and rehearse it in the ears of
Joshua" (Ex. 17:14)--the Book was prepared for Joshua; Joshua came to
fulfill the words of the Book. The typical significance of that is at
once apparent.
Let it be carefully noted that God's Word, from its very first
appearance as a book, occupies the same position, namely, the position
of unqualified supremacy. It was set above Joshua: all his actions
were to be regulated by it. Let us also observe that the authority of
this Book is quite independent of its quantity or size. "The law of
Moses", "Moses and the Prophets", "The Law, the Prophets and the
Psalms" (Luke 24:44), are descriptions of the same Book, differing in
the quantity of its matter but not differing in its authority, nor in
its relation to the people of God. "Blessed is he that readeth and
they that hear the words of this prophecy" (Rev. 1:3), is a
declaration that applies with equal force to the Holy Scriptures in
every stage of their compilation, from the opening chapters of "The
Book of the Law" till the completion of the Sacred Canon. Let us
further remark that in this first title given to the Bible in its
earliest form, we have emphasized its leading characteristic: it
contains more than good advice or salutary counsel--it is a "Law"
binding upon us, a Law clothed with Divine authority, a Rule for us to
walk by.
"This Book of the Law" comprised the entire Pentateuch, the first five
books (or chapters) of the O.T. It is not "these books of the Law" for
all through the O.T. those five books are regarded as a unit. Now it
is very rare indeed that we turn aside and pay any attention to the
ravings of skeptics and infidels, but on this occasion we will depart
from our custom. It is one of the many erroneous allegations of the
self-styled "Higher Critics" that the Pentateuch was not written by
Moses, but was composed at a very much later date--some say, in the
time of king Manasseh; others, not until the days of Ezra. But over
against this assertion, stands the fact that a definite "Book" is
spoken of all through the O.T., as being constantly appealed to, with
directions how it was to be preserved; and it should be of interest to
our readers if we briefly outline the references to the same. The
first mention of this "Book" is as stated above, in Exodus 17:14, and
there we see it was written by Jehovah's command, and (in the Hebrew)
is designated the Book.
"And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord . . . and he took the Book
of the Covenant and read it in the audience of the people" (Ex.
24:4,7), tells who was its first penman. "Moses wrote their goings out
according to their journeys by the commandment of the Lord" (Num.
33:2), and if we compare Deuteronomy 1:2, 3 and Deuteronomy 2:14 it
will be found that those "journeys" were from the early part of the
first year after Israel came out of Egypt until the end of the
thirty-eighth. "Moses wrote this Law and delivered it unto the
priests, the sons of Levi" (Deut. 31:9) entrusting it to their
custody, and verse 26 of the same chapter informs us he bade the
Levites, "take this Book of the Law and put it in the side of the ark
of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a
witness against them". It is clear from verse 19 that copies were made
of parts of it at least, but the standard copy was preserved in the
side of the ark, which vessel was kept in the holy of holies. From
that Standard copy each king of Israel was required to "write him a
copy of this Law in a book out of that which is before the priests the
Levites" (Deut. 17:18).
Once every seven years the whole of the Book of the Law was to be read
in the hearing of the entire congregation. "And Moses commanded them,
saying, At the end of every seventh year, in the solemnity of the year
of release, in the feast of tabernacles, when all Israel is come to
appear before the Lord their God in the place which He shall choose,
thou shalt read this Law before all Israel in their hearing . . . that
they may learn and fear the Lord your God and observe to do all the
words of this Law" (Deut. 31:11-13). This was the Book by which Joshua
was to be regulated. At a later date, the Spirit moved him to write
therein (Josh. 24:26), as Samuel also added portions thereto (1 Sam.
10:25). It was this Book Davit] had in mind when he prayed "teach me
Thy statutes"; "order my steps in Thy Word" (Ps. 119:12, 133). When
David drew nigh unto death, he gave this commission unto Solomon:
"Keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in His ways, to keep His
statutes and His commandments . . . as it is written in the Law of
Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest" (1 Kings
2:1-4).
Alas, Solomon failed to heed that injunction, following too much the
evil devices of his heart. The decline which began in his reign
accelerated and continued many generations, and during that time "this
Book of the Law" was lost to the people. In the days of Josiah, the
high priest "found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord" (2
Kings 22:8), for He had guarded and preserved it despite Israel's
apostasy, and the godly king himself read "all the words of the Book
of the Covenant" in the hearing of a vast assembly (2 Kings 23:2, 3).
Later, we find Ezra doing the same thing (Neh. 8:1,8, 13:1). Daniel
made reference to this Book; "the curse is poured upon us and the oath
that is written in the Law of Moses the servant of God, because we
have sinned against Him" (Dan. 9:11). While the very last chapter of
the O.T. contains this injunction, "Remember ye the Law of Moses, My
servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the
statutes and judgments" (v. 4); which completes the cycle.
"This Book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth" (Josh. 1:8).
No man, however dignified his position, is above the Law of God.
Though exalted to be commander-in-chief over Israel, and thereby given
great power and authority, Joshua himself must be in subjection to the
Divine Law: he was to issue no orders save those which were authorized
by the Rule given to him. He was to invent no new statutes or
ordinances, but be regulated solely by what was written. If Joshua was
to complete the work which Moses began, then he must maintain the Law
which Moses had established. There was no need for him to make new
laws: he was already furnished with a Divine and complete Charter, and
that it was his business to heed and enforce. "To the Law and to the
Testimony" he was to be held accountable, and if he spake not
according thereto, then there was no light in him (Isa. 8:20), and
those under him would be left in spiritual darkness. Just so far as he
executed this commission would the smile of God be upon him and
prosperity attend his efforts.
"But thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest
observe to do according to all that is written therein" (Josh. 1:8).
Meditation upon the Word of God is one of the most important of all
the means of grace and growth in spirituality, yea there can be no
true progress in vital and practical godliness without it. Meditation
on Divine things is not optional but obligatory, for it is something
which God has commanded us to attend unto. The order which Joshua
received was not restricted to himself, but is addressed to all of
God's people. Nor does it by any means stand alone. "Set your hearts
unto all the words which I testify among you this day" (Deut. 32:46).
"Ponder the path of thy feet" (Prov. 4:26); "Consider your ways" (Hag.
1:7). "Let these sayings sink down into your ears" (Luke 9:44), which
they cannot do, unless they be frequently turned over in our minds.
"Whatsoever things are true, venerable, just, pure, lovely . . . think
on these things" (Phil. 4:8).
Meditating in God's Law day and night is one of the outstanding marks
of the man whom He calls "Blessed" (Ps. 1:1, 2). It is a holy art and
habit commended in the practice and example of the saints: Isaac (Gen.
24:62), David (Ps. 119), the mother of our Lord (Luke 1:19, 51). But
though meditation be a duty and a great moral and spiritual aid, it is
practiced by few. The usual plea proffered by those who neglect it is,
I am too busy, my life is so crowded with a multiplicity of duties and
concerns, that, alas, I have not the necessary leisure for quiet
ruminating. Our first reply is, Then you are acting in the energy of
the flesh and suffering yourself to be little better than a slave. God
is no Egyptian taskmaster. Christ's yoke is easy and His burden is
light and if your "burden" be heavy it is a self-imposed one. God
calls you to no manner of life which crowds out the needs of your soul
and entails the neglect of your eternal interests. "Set your affection
on things above, not on things on the earth" (Col. 3:2) is His
unchanging call, and He has given no harsh and unreasonable precepts.
But this plea "I am too busy to engage in regular and spiritual
meditation" is an idle excuse, yea it is worse--it is a deceit of your
evil heart. It is not because you are short of time, but because you
lack a heart for the things of God! "Where your treasure is, there
will your heart be also" (Matthew 6:21), and that which most occupies
our heart will most engage the mind, for our thoughts always follow
our affections; consequently the smallest actions, when we have no
delight in them, are tedious and burdensome. Is it not money which
most absorbs the attention of the miser? The voluptary thinks only of
satisfying his senses. The giddy youth is concerned mainly with the
pursuit of pleasure. The man of the world devotes his time and
energies to acquiring wealth and honors. It is not lack of opportunity
but of relish for the Word and a desire to please God which lies at
the root of our failure here. Said David "O how love I Thy Law, it is
my meditation all the day" (Ps. 119:97)--he evidenced his love for
God's Law by constantly pondering it! To him meditation was not a task
but a joy.
You may seek an extenuation by appealing to numerous obligations and
heavy responsibilities, but it is invalid before God. You certainly do
not hold a more important position than Joshua did, nor are your tasks
more numerous and exacting. Well did Matthew Henry point out, "If ever
any man's business might have excused him from meditation, and other
acts of devotion, one would think Joshua's might at this time. It was
a great trust that was lodged in his hands: the conduct of it was
sufficient to fill him if he had ten souls, and yet he must find time
and thoughts for meditation. Whatever affairs of this world we have on
hand, we must not neglect the one thing needful". We cannot expect the
God of Truth to be with us if we neglect the Truth of God. Nor is
reading it and hearing it preached sufficient: they produce but a
transient effect upon us, but meditating on some portion of the Word,
going over it again and again in our minds, deepens the impression,
fastens the truth on our memory, and sets our hearts and hands a-work.
But let us carefully observe that meditation was not enjoined upon
Joshua in a general way, but with a specific design: "thou shalt
meditate therein day and night, that (in order that) thou mayest
observe to do according to all that is written therein". His mind was
to be exercised upon God's Word with a specific purpose and practical
end: not simply to rest in contemplation, but in order to be regulated
by its precepts, through a serious inculcating of them upon his heart.
Meditation was not to be an occasional luxury, but the regular
discharge of a constant duty--"day and night", and this in order to a
prompter, fuller and more acceptable obedience. God requires an
intelligent, voluntary, and joyous obedience, and if we are really
desirous of pleasing and glorifying Him we shall not only familiarize
ourselves with His Word, but habitually ponder how its holy precepts
may best regulate all the details of our daily lives. "I will meditate
on Thy precepts, and have respect unto Thy ways" (Ps. 119:15) -- the
latter cannot properly be without the former.
It is easy to persuade ourselves we really desire that our lives may
be well-pleasing to God, but what evidence can we produce that such a
desire is genuine. That which is well-pleasing unto God is made known
in His statutes: to what extent are our hearts and minds seriously
engaged with them? It is by definitely recalling who is their Author
that I am most likely to hold them in greater reverence and esteem,
realize they are designed for my good, and bring my walk into fuller
accord with them. It is only by repeated and prayerful meditation upon
them that I shall perceive their spirituality and scope. For example,
that the prohibition of any vice inculcates its opposite virtue: that
the thing forbidden is not merely the overt act, but everything
leading up to and stimulating the same. It is by meditating on the
precepts we come to understand them, that our consciences are
impressed by them, that our wills are moved to do them.
"My hands also will I lift up unto Thy commandments, which I have
loved, and I will meditate in Thy statutes" (Ps. 119:48). The moving
cause of David's respect for the Divine commandments was his love for
them, and that produced two practical effects. First, a "lifting up of
the hands", which is an expression of varied significance, but here it
means to make a diligent application unto the keeping of them.
"Without thee shall no man lift up his hand" (Gen. 41:44)--attempt to
do anything. "Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up Thine hand: forget not the
humble" (Ps. 10:12)--put forth Thine active power for their
assistance. "Lift up the hands which hang down" (Heb. 12:12)--set them
to vigorous use. It is, then, a figurative expression which imports a
serious and deliberate setting about upon a course of action. "I will
lift up my hands unto Thy commandments": I will apply myself
diligently to the keeping of them; I will earnestly endeavor to put
them into practice; such is my solemn resolution.
Second, and in order to the carrying out of that resolution, "I will
meditate in Thy statutes". It is not enough to barely approve of them:
they must also be performed--see James 1:22, 1 John 2:4. If we would
seriously address ourselves to a course of obedience, then we must use
much forethought and meditation. God's chief complaint against Israel
of old was, "My people doth not consider" (Isa. 1:3). God's statutes
must be kept in mind and what they require from us constantly
pondered. The longer we hold the Divine precept before the conscience,
the more powerfully shall we be affected by it. We complain of our
forgetfulness, but fail to take the right course to cure it: the Word
is only fixed in our minds by turning it over and over in our
thoughts. "Be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the
Lord is" (Eph. 5: 17): grace does not act as a charm, but sets us
a-work, and much care and labor is entailed in obtaining spiritual
understanding--see Proverbs 2:1-5.
"For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shall have
good success". Yes, "then", but only then. We must comply with the
required conditions. Walking in the path of God's commandments alone
ensures success in the spiritual warfare. God's smile of approbation
will not be upon us unless we walk as obedient children. Nor shall we
possess our possessions and enjoy our heritage except as we conduct
ourselves by the Divinely-given Rule. And in order to "observe to do
according to all that is written therein" then we must "meditate
therein day and night"! The designed use of this exercise is to bring
the heart to a greater detestation of sin and a more diligent care to
please God, and thereby we promote both our temporal and eternal
welfare. We have dwelt the longer on these verses because they are of
incalculable importance to the Christian life. If we would prosper as
Joshua did, then we must act as he did!
The Concluding Charge
"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage: be not
afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee
whithersoever thou goest" (Josh. 1:9). This was the concluding part of
the charge which Jehovah there laid upon His servant. For the third
time Joshua was bidden to be courageous. The natural inference to draw
from such repetition would be that he was a timid and cowardly man;
but his previous record effectively disposes of such a conclusion. He
was one of the twelve selected by Moses to spy out the Land. In his
bold dissent from the gloomy report of ten of his fellows, and in his
fighting of Amalek (Ex. 17) he had manifested himself as one possessed
of valor. Yet God saw fit to press this injunction upon him
repeatedly: as Matthew Henry pointed out, "Those that have grace, have
need to be called upon again and again to exercise grace and improve
it". Though that precept did not imply that Joshua was faint-hearted,
it did import he would be faced with situations which called for the
exercise of sterling qualities.
But let it be pointed out that there is a moral courage, as well as a
physical, and not all possessing the latter are endowed with the
former. How many who flinched not in the face of the enemy's fire,
were afraid to be seen reading God's Word! There is also strength of
mind and will, which refuses to be daunted by difficulties and
dismayed by failures. Let it also be noted that that threefold call to
act valiantly was not a mere repetition. In verse 6 Joshua was bidden
to be strong and of a good courage in view of the task before
him--which demanded physical prowess. In verse 7 it was an injunction
unto personal and moral courage: "that thou mayest observe to do
according to all the Law"--to seek not counsel from his fellows, nor
fear their criticisms, but to order all his actions by "the Book". It
requires more courage to keep to the old paths than it does to follow
after novelties. A stout heart is indispensable in order to tread the
path of God's commandments.
"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage" (v. 9).
It seems to us this was more distinctly a call to the exercise of
spiritual courage. In proportion as the child of God becomes aware of
his own weakness and insufficiency, he is very apt to be cast down;
instead, it should make him look outside himself and lay hold of the
strength of Another. Was it not as though the Lord said to His
servant: It is indeed unto a great undertaking I have commissioned
thee, but let not a sense of thine own infirmities deter thee, for
"have not I commanded thee"! It would be a great help unto Joshua if
he kept his eye on the Divine warrant. The same One who had issued the
precept must be looked unto for enablement to the performance thereof.
Christ Himself was borne up under His suffering by a regard to the
Divine will: "as the Father gave Me commandment, even so I do; Arise,
let us go hence" (John 14:31).
"Have not I commanded them? Be strong and of a good courage". It is
not sufficiently realized that God's commandments, equally with His
promises, are addressed unto faith; yet a little reflection ought to
convince us that such is the case. That which we are required to
believe and take for our Rule is the Word of God as a whole, and a
heart which has been turned unto the Lord and brought into loving
subjection to Him does not delight in one part of it and despise
another. The fact is we do not believingly receive God's Word at all,
unless we heartily receive everything in it: there are precisely the
same reasons for our embracing the precepts as the promises. Yea, in
one sense, it should be easier for us to be convinced of our present
duty than to be assured of the future things promised us. It is by our
obedience to the Divine precepts that our faith is to be tested and
measured. Faith without works is dead. Faith worketh by love (Gal.
5:6), and how can I express my love than by doing what God bids me:
"he that hath My commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth
Me" (John 14:21).
"I have believed Thy commandments"' (Ps. 119:66). Have we? Do we
clearly understand what is signified and included in that statement?
To "believe God's commandments" is to have a ready alacrity to hear
God's voice in them, for the heart to be suitably impressed and for
our actions to be regulated by them. Faith always has to do with God
Himself. It is the work of faith to acquaint us with the character of
God and His attributes, and to be duly influenced in our souls by a
sense of the same. Faith looks to His majesty as truly as it does to
His love, and submits to His authority as truly as it delights in His
grace. The precepts as much as the promises bind us to trust in God:
the one issues from His lips and requires a response from us as much
as does the other. The commandments are an expression of God's will,
binding us to our duty, and since they are not addressed unto sense,
they must be given unto faith. There can, in fact, be no acceptable
obedience unless it proceeds from faith--Hebrews 11:8.
Faith views the commandments as what God demands of me and therefore
submits to His authority. As the promises are not really esteemed and
embraced by us unless they are received as from God, so the precepts
do not awe our consciences nor bring the will into subjection to them
unless we accept them as Divine fiats binding upon us. If we actually
believe God's promises with a living faith, then our hearts are drawn
off from carnal vanities, to seek our happiness in what they pledge
us. In like manner, when we actually believe God's precepts with a
lively faith, our hearts are drawn off from a course of self-will, for
we accept them as the only Rule to guide and govern us in the
obtaining of that happiness; and thereby we submit ourselves to the
Divine authority and conduct ourselves "as obedient children". Nothing
produces a real submission of soul but a conscious subjection to a
"thus saith the Lord."
Faith receives the commandments as coming from an all-mighty Lawgiver
and therefore as One who is not to be trifled with, knowing "There is
one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy" (James 4:12). It is
because the unregenerate do not believe in the majesty, authority,
righteousness and power of God that they so lightly regard and despise
His commandments. But faith realizes there is a Day of accounting, a
Day of Judgment ahead, and keeps before it the penalty of
disobedience. Hebrews 2:1-4 makes it clear that we ought to be as
solemnly affected by the Divine Law and the majesty of its Promulgator
as though we had been personally present at Sinai. But faith not only
recognizes the authority of the Divine precepts but their excellency
too. It sets too its seal that "the Law is holy, and the Commandment
holy, and just and good" (Rom. 7:12). Nay more, it says with the
apostle "I delight in the Law of God after the inward man" (Rom.
7:22).
When the apostle declared "I consent to the Law that it is good" (Rom.
7:16) he expressed his willingness and desire to be ruled by a perfect
Law. A bare assent is not sufficient: there must be a consent too--a
readiness to obey. "Consent" is a mixed act, in which the judgment and
the will concur. The commandments are not only received as God's, but
they are highly valued and embraced as such. The more we are convinced
of their excellency, the easier it is to obey them. "The Lord
commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for
our good always" (Deut. 6:24). Satan would fain have us think God's
Law is a severe and harsh one; but the Spirit assures us "His
commandments are not grievous" (1 John 5:4). God has made an
inseparable connection between the precepts and the promises: the
latter cannot benefit us if we disregard the former--our peace and
happiness depend on complying with the one as much as it does with the
other. Our assurance of acceptance with God cannot be greater than the
diligence of our obedience: see 1 John 2:4.
"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage, be not
afraid, neither be thou dismayed". Let it be duly noted that the
Divine precepts are to govern our inner man as well as our actions.
"Behold, Thou desirest truth in the inward parts" (Ps. 51:6). God's
commands require more than external conformity, including also the
state of our hearts, and the spirit in which, we obey. Covetousness is
as sinful as lying, anxiety as theft, despair as murder, for each is a
disobeying God. The above command is addressed to us as truly as it
was to Joshua, and so too is the promise that accompanies it: "For the
Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest"--with us as "a
very present help". How that should encourage us to turn the precepts
into believing prayer, looking to the Lord to work in us that which He
requireth, and counting upon Him to do so! Then, can we, in the
fullest sense say, "I have believed Thy commandments".
Here then was an additional reason why the Lord should, three times
over, bid Joshua "be strong and of a good courage": "it was not
written (not spoken) for his sake alone . . . but for us also" (Rom.
4:23, 24), and that is why we have spent so much time upon these
particular verses. The directions given to Joshua for the conquering
of Canaan and enjoyment of the promised heritage, are the instructions
we must needs follow if success is to be ours in the warfare to which
we are called. It is the "good fight of faith" in which we are to
engage, and a life of faith consists first and foremost in a life of
obedience to the Divine statutes, submitting ourselves to the
authority of an invisible God, ordering our lives by the Rule He has
given us. It consists in a trustful seeking of strength from Him that
we may be enabled to do those things which are pleasing in His sight.
It consists in a laying hold of His promises as the incentive of our
task.
But a life of faith calls for a stout heart, that we may not be
daunted by either the difficulties or the dangers of the way. The
flesh, the world and the Devil are arrayed against us, seeking our
destruction. Nor are we called upon to engage them for a season
only--it is a lifelong battle. Nor can we expect to avoid hardship or
escape being wounded in such a conflict. Let the young Christian
realize, then, that if he is to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ" (2
Tim. 2:3) he must "be strong and of a good courage", and faint not
though the march wearies, and be not dismayed when the enemy gains an
advantage over him. He may be bested in the preliminary skirmishes, he
may be hard put to it to so much as hold his ground for days together,
but if he "endure to the end"--and for that fortitude, resoluteness,
perseverance, as well as trusting in the Lord, are
indispensable--victory is certain.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Joshua
by A.W. Pink
3. The Response Of Faith
Joshua 1:10-18
_________________________________________________________________
"Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people", giving to them
their orders. Observe that he did not call a conference of the heads
of the tribes to ascertain how many of them he could count upon for
cooperation, nor to seek their counsel and advice. No, like the
apostle, when the Lord's will was made known to him, he could say "I
conferred not with flesh and blood" (Gal. 1:16). Nor did he, like
vacillating Felix, defer the performance of duty unto "a more
convenient season". There is an old but wise adage "Strike while the
iron's hot": act at once in response to the convictions of conscience
or the promptings of the Spirit. Or better, perform your duty
immediately it is clear to you. The longer we delay, the more
reluctant we are to comply with God's requirements. Delay itself is
disobedience. Procrastination evidences a lack of heart for the Divine
precepts and an absence of concern for the Divine glory.
It is nothing but a species of hypocrisy for me to tell myself that I
am willing to obey God while I delay in doing so, for nothing hinders
me but want of heart--where there's a will there's always a way. When
there is an earnest bent of heart we shall not linger. When the
rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem proceeded apace we are told "for
the people had a mind to work" (Neh. 4:6). Once a duty is discovered,
it should be discharged. Peril attends the neglect of any acknowledged
obligation. "Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people": he not
only complied with God's order, but he did so promptly. There was no
absorption with the difficulties confronting him, no inventing of
excuses for the non-performing of his task, no tardiness of action,
but prompt obedience. That is another important secret of success
which each of us needs to take to heart.
"Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people". That was his
response to the commission he had received' an immediate tackling of
the duty nearest to hand. He could say with David, "I made haste, and
delayed not, to keep Thy commandments" (Ps. 119:60). He resolved upon
a course of instant obedience, and promptly put it into execution. He
considered that the One who was vested with such sovereignty and
power, and who had given him such blessed assurances, was worthy of
being loved and served with all his heart and might. Is that the case
with you? with me? "Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord"
(Col. 3:23), and where there is heartiness, there will be no delay. Is
it not evident then, my reader, that the readiness or tardiness of our
obedience is a good index to the state of our hearts? When we stand
debating instead of doing, reasoning instead of "running" (Ps.
119:32), something is seriously wrong.
Alas, how different is our obedience from our praying under the
pressure of need. When at our wit's end or sorely afflicted and we cry
for relief or deliverance, is not our language that of David's "Lord,
hear me speedily" (Ps. 102:2)? And how disappointed and fretful we are
if His answer does not come swiftly. Ah, may we not perceive from what
has been before us why it is that His answers are often delayed! If we
be so slow in responding to His calls of duty, what right have we to
expect the Holy One to be early in responding to our calls for favor?
The One who has reason to ask "how long?" (Rev. 6:10) is not myself,
but God. A holy alacrity in God's service is much to be desired. "We
are too often in haste to sin; O that we may be in a greater hurry to
obey God" (C.H. Spurgeon). Have we not much lost time to make up?
"Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people". In so doing he did
not act officiously, but was rightly exerting the authority with which
God had endowed him. As the servant of Jehovah he was himself subject
to the will of his Master, but as the leader of God's people it was
both meet and necessary that he should exercise his power and control
over them. Therein he has left an example which each genuine minister
of the Gospel would do well to emulate. While it be true that they
today do not occupy a position which is in all respects analogous to
that of Joshua's, yet as those who have been called and commissioned
by Christ to preach in His name (John 13:20) and "rule over" His
assemblies (Heb. 13:17), it behooves them to conduct themselves with
becoming dignity and decorum so as to command the respect of those
they address.
The true minister of the Gospel is neither a pope nor a mere
figure-head. He is to behave neither as a Diotrophes lording it over
God's heritage, nor as a sycophant who is subservient to others. There
is a happy medium between conducting himself as a blatant dictator and
a servile flatterer. There are far too many preachers today who act as
though they are begging their hearers to do Christ and His cause a
favor, who are so apologetic, fawning and effeminate they have
forfeited the respect of real men. "These things speak, and exhort,
and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee" (Titus 2:15).
"The most effectual way for ministers to secure themselves from
contempt, is to keep close to the doctrine of Christ and imitate Him"
(Matthew Henry), and He taught "as One having authority" (Matthew
7:29).
`Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, Pass
through the host and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals,
for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to
possess the land which the Lord your God giveth you to possess" (Josh.
1:10,11). It is striking to note the iteration of this word
"commanded". First, the Lord declared unto Joshua "Have not I
commanded thee!" (v. 9), then he commanded his officers, and they in
turn commanded the people: the exercise of Divinely-given authority
and the requirement of implicit obedience was essential if success was
to be theirs. And those two things are indispensable today if we would
have the Lord show Himself strong on our behalf. If the minister of
the Gospel be required to "exhort and rebuke with all authority"
(Titus 2:15), those committed to his care are bidden "obey them that
have the rule over you" (Heb. 13:17). God requires from His people a
subjection to the ministerial office, as truly as he does to the
magisterial in the civil realm (Rom. 13) and to the husband and parent
in the domestic (Eph. 5:22; 6:1). Discipline must be maintained in the
house of God.
"Prepare you victuals". A journey lay ahead, a strenuous campaign was
before them, but the one thing enjoined by way of anticipation was
"prepare you victuals". The spiritual significance and application of
that unto ourselves is obvious. If we would be strong and
stouthearted, and therefore equipped for our warfare, we must be well
fed--nourished up in the words of faith" (1 Tim. 4:6). The "victuals"
are furnished us by God, but we must "prepare" them. At no point does
God encourage slothfulness. Unless we give good heed to this
injunction we shall not be able to overcome our foes. That word is
addressed as directly to us today as it was unto Israel in the time of
Joshua. We are guilty of flagrant dishonesty if we appropriate to
ourselves the promises "I will not fail thee nor forsake thee . . .
The Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest" (vv. 5, 9),
and disregard the precepts "Observe to do according to all that is
written . . . meditate therein day and night . . . be strong and of a
good courage . . . prepare you victuals".
"Prepare you victuals, for within three days ye shall pass over this
Jordan" One had naturally expected that order to be "Prepare you
boats", for there was no bridge across the river. There had been none
over the Red Sea, yet Israel had crossed it safely, dry-shod, and that
without recourse to boats or rafts. As Matthew Henry pointed out "He
that brought them out of Egypt on eagle's wings, would in like manner
bear them into Canaan". Such was evidently Joshua's expectation on
this occasion. He was fully assured that if he and those under him
rendered obedience to the Divine Will they could count upon God's
help: hence his contemptuous "this Jordan"--it would present no
difficulty to Omnipotence, nor need it dismay them. "In three days ye
shall pass over this Jordan: not "ye may", nor "ye shall attempt to do
so": it was the language of full confidence--not in them, nor in
himself, but in the living God. Such must be the spirit of those who
feed and lead God's people today, otherwise they will depress rather
than hearten.
There is an important typical and spiritual truth contained in that
"three days": it is the number of resurrection. It is only as the
Christian conducts himself as one who is risen with Christ that he can
overcome the flesh, the world and the Devil, and that requires two
things from him: the exercise of faith and of obedience. Faith seeing
myself as God sees me, faith viewing myself as one with Christ in His
death and resurrection, faith appropriating His victory over sin,
death and Satan. "Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto
sin, but alive unto God in Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:11). That is
the "reckoning" of faith, for feelings have nothing whatever to do
with it. It is taking our stand on the infallible Word of God,
irrespective of our conscious "experience". In the reckoning of the
Divine Law the one who trustfully commits his soul unto Christ has
"passed from death unto life", and faith is to accept that blessed
truth on the bare but all-sufficient authority of God. The believer is
legally and vitally united to a risen and triumphant Savior.
What has just been pointed out is of first importance. There can be no
real peace for the conscience, no substantial rest of soul, no lasting
joy of heart, until the Christian is assured on the authority of Him
who cannot lie that "our old man is (Greek "was") crucified with Him"
(Rom. 6:6) and that we are "risen with Christ" (Col. 3:1). The
believer cannot walk on resurrection ground until it is a settled and
glorious fact in his mind that he is on resurrection ground, legally
one with his risen Surety, rejoicing that "there is therefore now no
condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus"; yea glorying in the
fact that the righteousness of Christ has been imputed to his account.
When that is received by faith then "the joy of the Lord is my
strength". I cannot possibly go forward and "fight the good fight of
faith" nor expect any success in overcoming the Canaanites, so long as
I doubt my acceptance before God and fail to realize my union with
Christ. That is foundational, and we repeat, feelings have nothing
whatever to do with it.
But something more than the exercise of faith--resting on the
declarations of Holy Writ--is required if I am to enter experimentally
and practically into the good of my being legally one with Christ, and
that is, the rendering of obedience to Him. "He died for all (His
people), that they which live (legally) should not henceforth live
(practically) unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them and
rose again" (2 Cor. 5:15). "But now we are delivered from (the curse
of) the Law, being dead to that wherein we were held, that we should
serve in newness of spirit" (Rom. 7:4)--from a spirit of gratitude and
joy. Henceforth the Christian is to "walk in newness of life" (Rom.
6:4): a new principle is to actuate him--love; a new design is to
regulate him--honoring his Master. The self-will which dominated him
while unregenerate is to be displaced by seeking to please Christ in
all things. That is to "walk in newness of life", on resurrection
ground.
The antitypical Canaan is ours. It is the "purchased possession",
bought by Christprecious blood. That inheritance is to be enjoyed now:
by faith, by hope, by fixing our affection upon things above. As we do
so, we experimentally "possess our possessions". "The upright shall
have good things in possession" (Prov. 28:10)--not merely in prospect,
but in actual possession. But there are powerful foes seeking to keep
us from enjoying our heritage! True, but we may obtain victory over
them, as Israel did over theirs. We may, we shall, in proportion as
faith is in exercise and as we walk obediently. Note the precision and
meaning of Joshua language: "to go in to possess the land which the
Lord your God giveth you to possess it" (v. 11). God had given Canaan
in promise long before (v. 3), but that promise was to be realized by
that generation according as they submitted themselves to Him. So it
is with us: God will give us a present possession if we meet His
requirements.
The Lord God had sworn unto their fathers "to give them" the land of
Canaan (v. 6), yet that did not preclude strenuous efforts on their
part. Hitherto He had furnished them with manna, for there was nothing
in the wilderness they could live upon; but now His command was
"prepare you victuals", and that was indicative of what was required
from them--they must discharge their responsibility. The Lord never
panders to laziness: it is the one who is out and out for Him who
enjoys most of His smile. A protracted conflict had to be waged, and
success there in was made dependent upon their implicit compliance
with God's orders through Joshua: only thus would He give the land
into their possession. That is the central message of this book:
unreserved obedience as the condition of God putting forth His power
against our enemies and bringing us into the enjoyment of our
inheritance.
"And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites and to half the tribe of
Manasseh, spake Joshua, saying, Remember the word which Moses the
servant of the Lord commanded you (12, 13). The reference is to what
is recorded in Numbers 32. Upon Israel's conquest of the kingdoms of
the Amorites and Bashan (v. 33), the two and a half tribes, who had "a
very great multitude of cattle" (v. 1), came to Moses and asked "let
this portion be given unto thy servants for a possession, and bring us
not over Jordan" (v. 5). At first he was very displeased, regarding
their request as proceeding from unbelief and from an unwillingness to
bear their share in the fighting which lay ahead. But being assured
that on permission being granted them to build sheepfolds for their
cattle and dwellings for their children, their men-folk would
accompany the other tribes and fight with them until Canaan was
conquered (v. 16-19), Moses consented to their proposal (v. 20-24).
If careful attention be paid to Moses' words on that occasion we see
how that incident supplied a striking illustration of what is dominant
in this book. Numbers 32:33 says "he gave unto them" that portion of
country, yet it was not an absolute grant but a provisional one, which
turned upon the faithful discharge of their responsibility. If the
reader does not like the sound of that statement, if it clashes with
his "belief", let him pay extra diligence to what follows, and if
needs be correct his "beliefs". "Moses said unto them, If ye will do
this thing, if ye will go armed before the Lord to war . . . until the
land be subdued before the Lord, then afterward ye shall return (to
your side of the Jordan) and be guiltless before the Lord and before
Israel; and this land shall be your possession before the Lord" (v.
20-22). They agreed: "thy servants will do as my lord commandeth" (v.
25).
Then we are told, "So concerning them Moses commanded Eleazar the
priest and Joshua the son of Nun" (v. 28). Accordingly, now that Moses
was dead and the Lord's time had come for Israel to enter Canaan,
Joshua said unto those two and a half tribes "Remember the word which
Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you". In so doing he complied
with his commission, for Jehovah had bidden him "observe to do
according to all the Law which Moses My servant commanded thee" (v.
7), and this was one of those things (Num. 32:28)! It was not natural
prudence or a spirit of expediency which actuated Joshua to seek their
cooperation, still less was it from fear that the remaining tribes
would be insufficient for the task confronting them, but obedience to
his Master which regulated his action.
Joshua did not take it for granted that the two and a half tribes
would now carry out their agreement, but definitely reminded them of
the same and held them to it. But note how he did so. He did not beg
for their compliance as a favor unto himself--I hope you will be
willing to serve under me. Nor did he appeal on behalf of their
brethren--the other tribes will be encouraged if you are willing to
help them. Nor did he bid them remember their promise to Moses. No, he
pressed upon them the Word of God! That is another lesson for the
servants of God to heed today: if we would honor Him, we must honor
His Word, by enforcing its requirements. "God now commandeth all men
everywhere to repent" should be their language to the unsaved.
"Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you,
saying, The Lord hath given you rest and hath given you this land.
Your wives, your little ones and your cattle shall remain in the land
. . . but ye shall pass before your brethren armed, all the mighty men
of valor, and help them. Until the Lord hath given your brethren rest,
as He hath given you, and they also have possessed the land which the
Lord your God giveth them; then ye shall return unto the land of your
possessions and enjoy it" (v. 13-15). There are a number of things
here on which we can but briefly touch. That word "remember" signifies
heed, and is invariably a call to obedience. The fact that their
portion had already been "given", placed an additional obligation on
them--gratitude demanded their compliance. As Matthew Henry reminds us
"when God by His providence has given us rest, we ought to consider
how we may honor Him with the advantages of it, and what service we
may do to our brethren"
Once again we would call attention to the truth here exemplified: we
cannot enter into our inheritance without fighting. See how the two
aspects combine: the eastern country of the Jordan had already been
allotted and given to the two and a half tribes, but they must now
bear their share in the conquest of Canaan. Nay, they must take the
lead in the fighting: "ye shall pass before your brethren armed"--they
were to form the `spearhead' of Israel's army. See the meetness and
justice of that arrangement: they had obtained their inheritance
before any of their brethren, and so they must be in the van. And thus
it came to pass: when the Jordan was crossed the two and a half tribes
"passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spake to
them" (Ex. 4:12). Observe it was "the mighty men of valor" who did
so--there were no women in the `forces'!
"And they answered Joshua saying, All that thou commandest us we will
do, and whithersoever thou sendest us we will go. According as we
hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only
the Lord thy God be with thee, as He was with Moses" (v. 16, 17). If
we wrote a separate article on these verses, we should entitle it
"Joshua's encouragement" and dwell upon the relation between this
incident and that which precedes. It is ever God's way to honor those
who honor Him. Joshua had promptly complied with his commission and
had magnified God's Word, and now He moved those two and a half tribes
to willingly serve under him. In his words "Until the Lord have given
your brethren rest . . . and they also have possessed the land" (v.
15), he had spoken in unwavering faith as to the outcome, and now the
Lord graciously inclined these men to fully cooperate with him.
Those two and a half tribes might have pleaded that their agreement
had been made with Moses, and that since death cancels all contracts,
his decease released them from their engagement. But instead, they
averred their unqualified readiness to accept Joshua as their leader
and yield to his authority. Their promise to him went beyond what they
had pledged unto Moses. Joshua had received the assurance "Be not
afraid neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee
whithersoever thou goest" (v. 9), and in His mowing those two and a
half tribes to loyal subjection unto Joshua, He gave the initial
manifestation and earnest of His fulfillment of the same. Their
promise to Joshua on this occasion was no idle boast, for as Joshua
22:1-6 shows, they faithfully kept their word. "Only the Lord be with
thee, as He was with Moses" (v. 17) should be regarded as their prayer
for him.
"Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy commandment, and will not
hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be
put to death: only be strong and of a good courage" (v. 18). They
suggested that this military edict should be enacted in order to
prevent cowardice and disloyalty on the part of others in the army,
implying their readiness to cooperate in the enforcing of the same. It
is probable that they had in mind the Lord's word unto Moses, "I will
raise them up a prophet from among their brethren like unto thee, and
will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that
I shall command him. And it shall come to pass that whosoever will not
hearken unto My words which he shall speak in My Name, I will require
it of him" (Deut. 18:18,19). We know that prophecy received its
ultimate fulfillment in Christ, but Joshua was a type of Him. "Only be
thou strong and of a good courage" was tantamount to their declaring
"We, for our part, will do nothing to weaken thy hands, but on the
contrary will do all in our power to make thy lot easier!" Such should
ever be the attitude of the Christian unto both magistrates and the
ministers of the Gospel.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Joshua
by A.W. Pink
4. A Scarlet Cord
Joshua 2:1-24
_________________________________________________________________
The Spies
In the second half of chapter 1, the Holy Spirit has recorded the
response made by Joshua unto the great commission he had received from
the Lord: he complied promptly, he conducted himself according to the
Divine Rule, and he acted in faith. The command he issued to his
officers (v. 11) showed he had no doubt whatever that the Jordan would
be crossed, and his words to the two and a half tribes (v. 15) evinced
his full confidence in the Lord's help for the whole campaign. Such
language had been both honoring to God and encouraging to His people.
We have already seen how the Lord rewarded His servant by constraining
the two and a half tribes to accept Joshua as their leader and yield
full obedience unto his authority. Those things are recorded for our
instruction and encouragement: to show that none are ever the losers
by trusting in the Lord and rendering obedience to His Word. In what
is now to engage our attention we have a further proof of the Lord
showing Himself strong on behalf of the dutiful.
The land which Joshua was called upon to conquer was occupied by a
fierce, powerful and ungodly people. Humanly speaking, there was no
reason to conclude that the Canaanites would render assistance or do
ought to make his task easier: rather to the contrary, as the attitude
and actions of the kings had shown (Num. 21:1, 23, 33). When he sent
forth the two spies to obtain information about Jericho, he could not
naturally expect that any of its inhabitants would render them any
help in their difficult task. Yet that is exactly what happened, for
those spies received remarkable favor in the eyes of her in whose
house they obtained lodgment. Not only was she kindly disposed toward
them, but she even hazarded her own life on their behalf. What an
illustration was this that "When a man's ways please the Lord, He
maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him" (Prov. 16:7)! Those
two men were in the path of duty, carrying out the orders of God's
servant, and He undertook for them.
"And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy
secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and
came into a harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there" (Josh.
2:1). For some time past the children of Israel had been encamped in
the plains of Shittim, which bordered on the Jordan and lay opposite
Jericho (Num. 33:49). And now Joshua sent forth these two spies to
obtain information about this enemy stronghold which lay in their path
of advance. In so doing, Joshua has been severely criticized by some,
who regarded him as here acting according to a carnal policy, that was
dictated by unbelief. They argue that he should have trusted the Lord
wholly, and that had he done so, he had relied upon Him alone, instead
of resorting to this device. We do not agree with these fault-finders,
for we consider their criticism is entirely unwarranted, arises from
their own confusion of mind, and is a most mischievous one.
In the first place, Joshua had a good precedent for acting as he did,
for Moses had sent forth spies to view Canaan on a former occasion
(Num. 13) and Joshua had been Divinely ordered to regulate his conduct
by "this Book of the Law . . . to do according to all that is written
therein" (Josh. 1:7,8), and that was one of the things recorded
therein! But there are those who say that the suggestion to send forth
those first spies proceeded from the unbelief of those who proffered
it, and that Moses failed to detect their evil motive. That is indeed
the view taken by most writers on the subject but there is nothing
whatever in the Word to support it. Moses declared "the saying pleased
me well" (Deut. 1:23), and he made no apology later for his action.
The exercise of unbelief appeared in the sequel it was the gloomy
report of ten of the spies which expressed unbelief, and the ready
credence of that report by the faithless congregation.
Not only is Scripture silent upon any unbelief prompting the sending
forth of those twelve spies, but Numbers 13:1, 2 expressly informs us,
"And the Lord spake unto Moses saying, Send thou men, that they may
search the land of Canaan"! Nor is there the slightest indication that
that was a concession on the Lord's part, or His giving up the people
unto their hearts' lusts. Joshua, then, had a good precedent, and a
written example to guide him in the sending forth of the two spies.
Yet, even had there been neither, so far from his action being
reprehensible, it was the exercise of wise prudence and the use of
legitimate means. It was his duty to `look before he leaped" to
ascertain the lay-out of Jericho, to discover if there was a weak spot
in its defenses to learn the best point at which to attack, and make
his plans accordingly. In so doing, he was but discharging his
responsibility.
There is much misunderstanding today about the scope of those words
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own
understanding" (Prov. 3:5), and only too often fanaticism is
confounded with faith. It needs to be clearly insisted upon that the
exercise of faith does not preclude the use of all legitimate means,
though we are not to rest in the means alone, but rather count upon
God's blessing the same. To decline the locking of my doors and the
fastening of my windows when there is an epidemic of burglary in the
neighborhood, or to retire for the night and leave a roaring fire in
the grate, under the pretext of counting upon God's protecting my
property, is not trusting but tempting Him should any disagree with
that statement, let him carefully ponder Matthew 4:6, 7! Faith in God
does not preclude the discharge of my performance of duty, both in
taking precautions against danger or using proper means for success.
Joshua was no more actuated by unbelief in sending forth those spies
than Cromwell was when he bade his men "Trust in God, and keep your
powder dry". Faith does not release us from our natural obligations.
As yet, Joshua knew not that the Lord had purposed that Jericho would
fall without Israel having to fight for it. It was some time later
when He revealed to His servant that this stronghold of the Canaanites
would be overthrown without Israel's army making any direct assault
upon it. The secret will of God was in nowise the Rule for Joshua to
order his actions by he was to do according to all that was "written"
in the Scriptures; and thus it is for us our responsibility is
measured by the Word, not by God's decrees, nor the inward promptings
of His Spirit. As Israel's leader, it was Joshua's duty to learn all
he could about Jericho and its surroundings before he advanced upon
it--Luke 14:31 illustrates the principle for which we are here
contending.
"And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy
secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went. In
view of his own earlier experience (Num. 13), there is good reason to
believe that Joshua made a careful selection on this occasion and
chose men of faith, courage and prudence. We are therefore justified
in concluding that ere those spies set out on their dangerous venture,
they first sought unto the Lord, committed themselves and their cause
into His hands, and asked Him to graciously give them success in the
same. If such were the case, and it would be uncharitable to suppose
otherwise, then they received fulfillment of that promise "It shall
come to pass that before they call I will answer, and while they are
yet speaking I will hear" (Isa. 65:24). Ere those two men set out on
their mission, the Lord had gone before them, preparing their way, by
raising up a brave and staunch friend in the person of her in whose
house they took refuge. How often has the writer--and probably the
reader too--met with just such a blessed experience!
"And they went and came into a harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged
there". They were Divinely directed to that particular house, though
it is not likely they were personally conscious of the fact at the
first. God's providence acts silently and secretly, by working in us
"both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13). Those
spies acted quite freely, by their own volition, yet their steps were
"ordered by the Lord" (Ps. 37:23). The house in which they sheltered
was owned by a harlot, named Rahab: not that she was still plying her
evil trade, but that formerly she had been a woman of ill fame, the
stigma of which still clung to her. As Matthew Henry pointed out,
"Simon the leper (Matthew 26:5) though cleansed from his leprosy, wore
the reproach of it in his name as long as he lived: so `Rahab the
harlot', and she is so called in the New Testament, where both her
faith and her good works are praised"
"And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men
in hither tonight of the children of Israel to search out the country"
(v. 2). Since it must have been known unto all in Jericho that the
hosts of Israel had been encamped for some months on the opposite side
of the Jordan, a keen watch had doubtless been kept on all their
movements, and the entry of the two spies had therefore been observed.
Even when we have committed ourselves and our cause unto God, and are
in the path of duty, we have no right to expect that we shall be
exempted from trials, and that all will be smooth sailing. So long as
Christians are left in a world which lieth in the Wicked one (1 John
5:19), and is therefore hostile unto true godliness, they may look for
opposition. Why so? why does God permit such? that their graces may be
tested and developed, evidencing whether they be real or fancied; and
if the former, bringing forth fruit to the glory of their Author.
Had He so pleased, the Lord could have prevented the discovery of
those spies in Jericho. Had He not done so in the case of the twelve
men sent forth by Moses? From Numbers 13 it appears that they made an
extensive survey of Canaan, and returned to report unto Israel without
their enemies being aware of what had occurred. But God does not act
uniformly, varying His methods as seems best in His sight. That not
only exemplifies His own sovereignty, but keeps us in more complete
dependence upon Him, not knowing whether His interposition on our
behalf will come in one way or in another, from this direction or from
that. No, even though those two men were under His immediate guidance
and protection, He permitted their entry into Jericho to become known.
Nor were they the losers by that: instead, they were granted a
manifestation of God's power to deliver them from a horrible death.
In more than one respect is it true that "the children of this world
are in their generation wiser than the children of light" (Luke 16:8):
a case in point is here before us. Does not the wise precaution taken
by these Canaanites put most of us to shame! Are not the wicked much
keener in looking after their interests than the righteous are? Are
not unbelievers much more on the alert against what would be
disastrous to their prospects than the saints are? The Christian ought
ever to be on his guard, watching for the approach of any enemy. But
is he? Alas, no; and that is why Satan so often succeeds in gaining an
advantage over him. It was while men slept that Satan sowed his tares
(Matthew 13:25), and it is when we become slack and careless that the
Devil trips us up. We must "watch" as well as "pray" if we would not
"enter into temptation" (Matthew 26:41). Let those who have access to
Bunyan's works read his "Holy War".
There is yet another line of truth which is illustrated here, and
which we do well to heed. A careful and constant watch--by "night" as
well as by day!--had evidently been set, yet notwithstanding the same,
the two spies succeeded in obtaining an entrance into Jericho! "Except
the Lord keep the city, the watchmen waketh but in vain" (Ps. 127:1)
was strikingly exemplified on this occasion. And what is the spiritual
application of that unto us?--this should ever be what exercises our
hearts as we read and ponder God's Word. Is not the answer found in
the verse just quoted above: since watchfulness as well as prayer be
necessary if we are to avoid temptation, equally indispensable is
prayerfulness as well as watchfulness. No matter how alert and
vigilant we be, unless God's assistance be humbly, earnestly, and
trustfully sought, all our efforts will be in vain. "Commit thy way
unto the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass"' (Ps.
37:5).
Viewing this detail from a higher standpoint may. we not also see here
a demonstration, of that truth "There are many devices in a man's
heart, nevertheless the counsel of the Lord that shall stand" (Prov.
19:21). It was so here: the king of Jericho proposed, but God
disposed. He determined to prevent any Israelite from entering his
city, but his well-laid plans came to naught. When the Lord sets
before us an open door, none can shut it. (Rev. 3:8), and He set
before those two spies an open door into Jericho, and it was utterly
futile for any man to endeavor to keep them out. Equally true is it
that when the Lord "shutteth no man openeth" (Rev. 3:7), yet God
Himself can do so: therefore it is the privilege and duty of His
servant never to accept defeat, but seek the prayers of God's people
that He would "open to him a door of utterance, to speak the mystery
of Christ "`(Col. 4:3).
"And the king of Jericho spake unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men
that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house; for they be
come to search out all the country" (v. 3). If the reader has not
already formed the habit of so doing, let him now begin to read such a
passage as the one we are considering with the specific object of
trying to find something in each verse of practical importance to
himself--not that which is "deep" and intricate, but what lies on the
surface and is obvious to a thoughtful reader. Here we may learn an
important and needful "lesson" from the action of the king of Jericho.
When he was informed that Israel's spies were now in the city, he did
not treat the report with either contemptuous scorn or careless
unconcern, but believed the same and acted promptly upon it. Well for
us if we heed a timely warning and seek to nip a danger while it is
still in the bud. If we do not heed the first alarms of conscience,
but instead, trifle with temptation, a fall is sure to follow; and the
allowance of one sin leads to the formation of an evil habit.
Changing our angle of meditation, let us contemplate the effect upon
the two spies of the demand made upon Rahab by the king's officers. If
she complied with their peremptory order and delivered her guests into
their hands, then--humanly speaking--they could hope for no other
treatment than what has always been meted out unto captured spies.
Imagine the state of their minds as they listened intently--which
doubtless they did--to that ominous command. Remember they were men of
like passions unto ourselves: would they not, then, be filled with
perturbation and consternation? Up to this point things had gone
smoothly for them, but now all seemed lost. Would they not ask
themselves, Did we do the right thing after all in taking shelter in
this house? Ah, have we not too passed through some similar
experience? We entered upon what we believed was a certain course of
duty, committed the same unto God and sought His blessing. At first
all went well, His smile appeared to be upon us, and then a crisis
occurred which seemed to spell sure defeat. Faith must be tested,
patience have her perfect work.
Rahab's Defiance
"And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men
that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be
come to search out all the country. And the woman took ("had taken")
the two men and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I
wist not whence they were. And it came to pass about the time of the
shutting of the gate, when it was dark that the men went out: whither
the men went, I wot not; pursue after them quickly, for ye shall
overtake them" (Josh. 2:3-5). This passage has presented some
formidable difficulties to not a few of those who have carefully
pondered it, and perhaps we can best help our readers by seeking to
answer the following questions. First, did Rahab do right in defying
the king's authority and betraying her own country? Second, is she to
be exonerated in the untruths she here told? Third, if not, how is
Hebrews 11:31 to be explained?
"Let every soul be subject unto the powers that be, for there is no
power but of God" (Rom. 13:1). God requires us to render submission to
human government: to be obedient to its laws, to pay the taxes it
appoints, to cooperate in upholding its authority. Christians
especially should set an example as law-abiding citizens, rendering to
Caesar that which he has a right to demand from his subjects. Jeremiah
29:7 makes it clear that it is the duty of God's people to seek the
good of the country in which they reside--see the sermon by Andrew
Fuller on "Christian Patriotism" which appeared in these pages a year
ago. There is but one qualification, namely, when the powers that be
require anything from me which is obviously contrary to the revealed
will of God, or prohibit my doing what His Word enjoins: where such a
case arises, my duty is to render allegiance unto God and not unto any
subordinate authority which repudiates His requirements.
The refusal of the three Hebrew captives to worship Nebuchadnezzar's
image and Daniel's defiance of the decree of Darius which forbade him
praying unto God, are cases in point (Dan. 3:18, 6:10). We must never
render to Caesar that to which God alone is entitled. "Fear God; honor
the king" (1 Pet. 2:17) indicates our relative obligations: God must
be feared at all costs; the king is to be cheerfully and universally
honored so far as that consists with my fearing God. When the
religious powers forbade the apostles to preach in Christ's name, they
replied, "We ought to obey God rather than man" (Acts 5:29). It was
thus with Rahab: there was a clash of interests: loyalty to her king
and country, loyalty to God and His servants. In the kind providence
of God such a dilemma is rarely presented to a saint today, but if it
were, the lower authority must yield to the higher.
It is indeed the duty of a saint to seek the good of that country
which affords him both shelter and subsistence, nevertheless he is
bound to love God and His people more than his country and
fellow-citizens. He owes fidelity to the Lord first, and then to the
place he lives in; and he is to promote the welfare of the latter so
far as it is compatible with the former. In seeking to estimate the
conduct of Rahab, we must carefully weigh Hebrews 11:31, James 2:25,
and especially Joshua 2:9-11. From her language it is manifest that
she was fully convinced the Lord had purposed the destruction of the
Canannites, and therefore she must either side with Him and His people
against her country, or enter into a hopeless contest against the
Almighty and perish under His judgments. By her actions she
exemplified what God requires from every truly converted soul; to
renounce allegiance with His enemies--however closely related (Luke
14:26)--and refuse to join with them in opposing His people.
As one who had received mercy from the Lord--for Hebrews 11:31
evidences that sovereign grace had brought her out of darkness into
God's marvelous light before Joshua sent those men to reconnoiter--and
as one who knew Jehovah had given the land of Canaan unto Israel, it
was plainly the duty of Rahab to do all in her power to protect these
Israelish spies, even at risk to her own safety. That principle is
clearly enunciated in the N.T.: "we ought to lay down our lives for
the brethren" (1 John 3:16). But now the question arises, in view of
that being her duty, was Rahab warranted in resorting to falsehoods so
as to protect the two men she had given shelter to? Different opinions
have been formed of her conduct, and various arguments employed in the
attempt to vindicate her. Some of the best commentators, even among
the Puritans, pleaded she was guiltless in this matter, and we know of
none who plainly stated that she sinned therein.
One of the most difficult tasks which confronts a Christian writer is
that of commenting on the offenses of God's dear people: that on the
one hand he may not dip his pen in the pharisaic ink of
self-superiority, and that on the other hand he does not make light of
any evil or condone what is reprehensible. He is himself compassed
with infirmity and a daily transgressor of God's law, and should be
duly affected by a realization of the same when dealing with the
faults of his fellows. Nevertheless, if he be a servant of God,
preaching or writing to the saints, then he must remember that "it is
required in stewards that a man be found faithful" (1 Cor. 4:2), and
he is most certainly unfaithful if--even from a desire to be
charitable--he deliberately lowers God's standard of holiness,
minimizes that which contravenes it, or glosses over anything which is
culpable. Much grace and wisdom is needed if he is to act in both a
spirit of meekness and righteousness, of compassion' and fidelity.
It is one of the many evidences of the Divine inspiration of the
Scriptures that their Author has painted the conduct of the most
eminent characters portrayed therein in the colors of reality and
truth. Unlike human biographies, which almost always present a
one-sided view-setting forth and extolling the virtues of its subjects
and ignoring or toning down their vices--the Holy Spirit has not
concealed the blemishes of the most distinguished saints: the lapses
of Noah, Abram, Moses, David being faithfully chronicled. It is true
that their sins are not mentioned in the N.T., for the sufficient and
blessed reason they were all under the atoning blood of the Lamb;
nevertheless, the record of them remains on the pages of the
O.T.--left there as a lasting warning unto us. Moreover, it is to be
borne in mind that the sins of N.T. saints are not to be ignored but
to guide those whose task it is to comment thereon.
The prevarications of Rahab unto the king's officers is appealed to by
the Jesuits in support of their pernicious dogma "The end justifies
the means", that if we aim at a praiseworthy object it is permissible
to use questionable or even evil means to attain the same--a principle
which has regulated many so-called "Protestants" during the past
century, and which is flagrantly flouted before our eyes today
throughout Christendom, as seen for example, in the carnal and worldly
devices used to attract young people to "religious" services. But "let
us do evil that good may come" is a sentiment entertained by no truly
regenerate soul, rather is it detested by him; and Scripture plainly
declares of such as are actuated by it, that their "damnation is just"
(Rom. 3:8). Bellarmine, the infamous champion of Popery, boldly
declared in his work on "The Pontifice" that "If the Pope should err
in commending vice or forbidding virtue, the Church is bound to
believe vice to be good and virtue to be bad" (Book 4, chapter 5).
Some have pointed out the exceptionally trying position in which Rahab
found herself, arguing that considerable latitude should be allowed
her therein. We are aware that appeal is often made to that aphorism
"Circumstances alter cases", and while we are not sure what its
originator had in mind, this we do know, that no "circumstances" can
ever obliterate the fundamental distinction between good and evil. Let
the reader settle it in his mind and conscience that it is never right
to do wrong and since it be sinful to lie, no circumstances can ever
warrant the telling of one. It is indeed true that all transgressions
of the Divine Law are not equally heinous in themselves nor in the
sight of God: that some sins are, by reason of certain aggravations,
greater than others, even of the same species. Thus, a lie unto God is
worse than a lie unto a fellow-creature (Acts 5:4), a premeditated and
presumptuous lie is viler than one uttered upon a surprise by
temptation.
It is also true that attendant circumstances should be taken into
account when seeking to determine the degree of criminality: it would
be a far graver offense for writer or reader to utter falsehoods than
it was for Rahab, for we should be sinning against greater privileges
and light than she enjoyed. She had been reared in heathendom: yet
while that mitigated her offense, it certainly did not excuse her. One
preacher who occupied a prominent pulpit in London asked the question,
"Was Rahab justified in those falsehoods?" and answered in the
affirmative, arguing "She must either utter them or else betray the
spies, and their lives would have been lost". But that the reasoning
of unbelief, for it leaves out God. Had Rahab remained silent before
the king's officers declining to give any information, or had she
acknowledged that the spies were on her premises, was the Lord unable
to protect them?
We much prefer the brief remarks of Thomas Ridgley's to those of his
contemporaries. "She would have been much clearer from the guilt of
sin had she refused to give the messengers any answer relating to
them, and so had given them leave to search for them, and left the
event hereof to Providence". Undoubtedly Rahab was placed in a most
trying situation, for as Ridgley went on to point out, "This, indeed,
was a very difficult duty, for it might have endangered her life; and
her choice to secure them and herself by inventing this lie, brought
with it a degree of guilt, and was an instance of the weakness of her
faith in this respect" That last clause brings us to the heart of the
matter: she failed to fully trust the Lord, and the fear of man
brought a snare. He whose angels had smitten the men of Sodom with
blindness (Gen. 19:11) and who had slain the fifty men sent to lay
hands on His prophet (2 Kings 1:9-12), could have prevented those
officers finding the spies.
Some have gone even farther than exonerating Rahab, insisting that God
Himself approved of her lies, appealing to Hebrews 11:31 and James
2:25 in support. But there is nothing whatever in either of those
verses which intimates that the Lord sanctioned her falsehoods.
Hebrews 11:31 says nothing more about this incident than that "she had
received the spies with peace". James points out that the faith of
Rahab was "justified by works"--not by her "words"--and then specified
which "works", namely, her receiving of the messengers and her sending
them out another way. But, it may be asked, Did not the workings of
providence in the sequel go to show God approved of Rahab's policy?
did He not give success to the same? Answer, His providences are no
Rule for us to walk by or reason from: though water flowed from the
rock which Moses smote in his anger, yet that was no proof God
approved of His servant's display of temper. God indeed graciously
overruled Rahab's conduct, yet that did not vindicate her.
We frankly acknowledge--though to our shame, that were we placed in a
similar situation to the one which confronted Rahab and God should
leave us to ourself, we would acquit ourselves no better than she did,
and probably far worse. Yet that acknowledgement by no means clears
her, for two wrongs do not make one right. If God's restraining hand
be removed or His all-sufficient grace be withheld, the strongest of
us is as weak as water. Therefore none is in any position to point the
finger of scorn or throw a stone at her. As Manton tersely summed up
the case "Her lie was an infirmity, pardoned by God, and not to be
exaggerated by men". It should be remembered that Rahab had only
recently been brought to a saving acquaintance with the Lord. Many
young converts have but little clear knowledge of the Truth and
therefore less should be expected from them than mature saints: they
make many mistakes, yet they have a teachable spirit, and as light
increases their walk is more and more regulated by the same.
In closing, let us point out one or two lessons which may be learned
from what has been before us. First, we may see therein the refutation
of a popular and widespread error, namely, that if our motives be
right the action is a praise-worthy one. It is quite true that an
unworthy motive will ruin a good deed--as, for example, contributing
to charity in order to obtain a reputation for benevolence, or in
performing religious exercises so as to be seen and venerated by men;
yet a good motive can never render an evil act a desirable one. Even
though Rahab's design was to protect the lives of two of God's people,
that did not render commendable the deception which she practiced on
the kings' messengers. Four things are required to render any action a
good work in the sight of God: it must proceed from a holy principle,
be regulated by the Rule of righteousness, be done in a right
spirit--of faith or love; and be performed with a right end in
view--the glory of God or the good of His people.
Second, it is recorded--as in Holy Writ are all the failings and falls
of the saints--as a solemn warning for us to take to heart. So far
from furnishing examples for us to imitate or refuges for us to hide
in, they are so many danger-signals for us to heed and turn into
earnest prayer. We are men and women of like passions as they were
subject to. Native depravity still remains in us as it did in them,
even after regeneration. In ourselves we are no stronger than they
were and no better able to resist the inclinations of the flesh. What
need has each of us then, to pray "hold Thou me up, and I shall be
safe" (Ps. 119:117). And even when we are preserved from outward sins,
the flesh obtrudes and defiles our best performances. It was "by
faith" that Rahab received the spies with peace, and at risk to
herself concealed them on her roof, yet when the officers appeared on
the scene her faith failed and she resorted to lying. Our godliest
deeds would damn us if they were not cleansed by the atoning blood of
Christ.
Third, this incident gives real point to and reveals our deep need of
crying "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil".
Indeed, that seems the principal lesson to draw from it: that I may be
kept from any such situation, that, conscious of my weakness, I may be
preserved from such a temptation as confronted Rahab. We deem it more
than a coincidence that in the very midst of preparing this article we
heard--the first time in five years--from an old reader in Holland.
During the last half of that time, while the enemy was occupying that
country, our friend and his wife concealed three Jewesses in their
home, and the last ten days before liberation actually had two German
billeted with them: yet no discovery was made of their refugees. I
know not what my friend had done if they had asked him point blank
whether he was sheltering any Jews; but I am thankful not to be placed
in such a situation myself.
Had I been in his place, I would have begged the Lord to keep from me
any such interrogators and counted upon His doing so. Perhaps we may
be pardoned for relating an experience--to the praise of the
faithfulness of a prayer-hearing God. Some fifteen years ago when
residing in Hollywood, California, we occupied a furnished bungalow.
The owner was a Jewess, and when we gave notice of leaving she put an
advertisement in the local papers and stuck up a prominent sign "To
Let" at the foot of our drive. Though she knew we kept the Lord's day
holy and held a small service in our room each Sabbath evening, she
insisted it was her right to show over the house those who answered
the advertisement. We protested strongly, but she would not heed,
saying "Sunday" was always her best letting day. We then told her that
our God would keep away all applicants on the coming Sabbath, which
she heard with derisive scorn.
That Saturday evening my wife and I spread the matter before the Lord
and begged Him to cause His angel to encamp round about us, and
protect us by keeping away all intruders. During the Sabbath, which
was a cloudless day, we continued seeking God's face, confident He
would not put us to confusion before our landlady. Not a single caller
came to look over the house, and that night we held our little meeting
as usual, undisturbed!--one of those present will read these lines,
though not until he does so will he know what has been related. Next
day our landlady, who owned two similar bungalows, stated it was the
first time in her ten years' experience of letting that she had ever
failed to let on a "Sunday". Ah, my reader, God never fails those who
trust Him fully. He will protect you if you confidently count upon
Him. "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil".
A Harlot's Faith
Little as Joshua may have realized it, he was Divinely impelled and
directed to send forth the two spies to "Go view the land, even
Jericho" (Josh. 2:1). Why so? Because there was one of God's elect
residing in that city, and none of His sheep shall perish. Unto that
vessel of mercy were they led, in order that arrangements should be
made for her protection, so that she "perished not with them that
believed not" (Heb. 11:31). There was then a needs be why those two
spies should visit Jericho and converse with Rahab, not merely a
military needs be but one far more vital and blessed. It is still
another example of what we have, on several occasions, called
attention to, in these pages, namely, that when God works, He always
works at both ends of the line. As it was in the case of the Ethiopian
and Philip the evangelist and of Cornelius and Peter, so it was here.
Before those two men set foot in Jericho the Lord had already wrought,
signally and savingly, in the heart of Rahab, and now opportunity is
afforded for her to confess her faith, to receive a token for good,
and to be made a blessing unto others.
The needs be for those spies entering Jericho reminds one of John 4,
and there are some striking parallels between what is recorded there
and the case of Rahab. First, we are told of the Lord Jesus that "He
must needs go through Samaria" (v. 4). That "must" was not a
geographical but a moral one. From all eternity it had been ordained
that He should go through Samaria There was one of God's elect there,
and though she was "alienated from the commonwealth of Israel", being
a Samaritan, yet she could not be ignored: "other sheep I have which
are not of this fold, them also I must bring" (John 10:16) declared
the good Shepherd. There were those in Samaria whom the Father had
given Him from before the foundation of the world, and them He must
save. And, my reader, if you be one of God's elect, even though now
unregenerate, there is a needs be put on the Lord Jesus to save you.
For years you have been fleeing from Him, but when the appointed time
arrives, He will overtake you.' You may kick against the pricks, as
did Saul of Tarsus, but He will overcome your rebellion and reluctance
and win you to Himself.
Second, not only was the one whom Christ was constrained to seek and
save in John 4 a woman, and a Gentile, but she was one of loose moral
character. Said He to her, "Thou hast had five husbands, and he whom
thou now hast is not thy husband" (v. 18). Such too had been this
chosen one in Jericho: defiled both in mind and body with idolatry and
adultery--"Rahab the harlot". Many of God's elect, though by no means
all of them, fall into gross wickedness in their unconverted days:
fornicators, idolaters, thieves, drunkards, extortioners: "and such
were some of you; but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God"
(1 Cor. 6:9-11). How illustriously is the sovereign mercy and
invincible might of God displayed in the conforming of such unto His
image! "Base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath
God chosen" And why so? "That no flesh should glory in His presence"
(1 Cor. 1:26-29), that His wondrous grace might the more clearly
appear.
But grace does not leave its subjects in the condition in which it
finds them. No indeed, it appears "Teaching us that, denying
ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously,
and godly in this present world; looking for that blessed hope and the
glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ"
(Titus 2:12,13). Saving faith is ever accompanied by evangelical
repentance, which mourns over past sins and resolves to avoid a
repetition of them in the future. Saving faith ever produces
obedience, being fruitful in good works. Those who are the recipients
of God's grace are not only grateful for their own salvation, but are
concerned about the salvation of others, especially of those near and
dear to them by nature. When Christ stood revealed to the Samaritan
adulteress, she "went her way into the city and saith to the men, Come
see a man, which told me all things that I ever did: is not this the
Christ?", and "many believed on Him" (vv. 28, 29, 39). So too Rahab
asked for kindness to be shown her father's house, and her whole
family found deliverance (Josh. 2:12, 13). But we are anticipating.
The case of Rahab is worthy of our closest attention, for it
exemplifies and magnifies the riches of Divine mercy in many striking
respects. Born and brought up in heathendom, belonging to a race that
was to be exterminated, her salvation was a signal display of God's
dominion, who not only singles out whom He pleases to be the
recipients of His favors, but is trammeled by nothing in the bestowal
of them. "She was not only a Gentile, but an Amoritess, of that race
and seed which in general was devoted to destruction. She was
therefore an instance of God's sovereignty in dispensing with His
positive laws, as it seemed good unto Him, for of His own mere
pleasure He exempted her from the doom announced against all those of
her original and traducion" (John Owen). Being the supreme Potentate,
God is not bound by any law or consideration other than His own
imperial will, and therefore does He have mercy on whom He will have
mercy, and whom He will He hardens" (Rom. 9:18).
In God's saving of Rahab and bringing her into the congregation of His
people we may perceive a clear and glorious foreshadowing, of the
fuller scope of His eternal purpose as it is now made more plainly
manifest in this N.T. era. Since Rahab was a Canaanite, she was by
nature cut off from the Abrahamic stock and therefore a "stranger to
the covenants of promise" (Eph. 2:12). By her conversion and admission
into the congregation of Israel she was obviously both a type and a
pledge of the calling of the Gentiles and their reception into the
mystical Body of Christ. Thus did coming events cast their shadows
before them. In such cases as Rahab and Ruth God gave an early
intimation that His redemptive purpose was not confined to a single
people, but that it reaches out unto favored individuals in all
nations. Their incorporation by marriage among the Hebrews was a
blessed adumbration of the "wild olive tree" being graft in and made a
partaker of "the root and fatness of the (good) olive tree" (Rom.
11:17). Such we believe is, in part at least, the typical and
dispensational significance of what is here before us.
But the outstanding feature of this remarkable case is the free and
discriminating grace of God toward her. Not only did Rahab belong to a
heathen race, but she was a notorious profligate, and in singling her
out to be the recipient of His distinguishing and saving favor God
made it evident that He is no respecter of persons. By her choice she
was given up to the vilest of sins, but by the Divine choice she was
predestinated to be delivered from the miry pit and washed whiter than
snow by the precious blood of Christ, and given a place in His own
family. It is in just such cases as hers that the unmerited favor of
God shines forth the more resplendently. There was nothing whatever in
that poor fallen woman to commend her to God's favorable regard, but
where sin had abounded grace did much more abound, bestowing upon her
His unsolicited and unearned favors--the gift of eternal life (Rom.
6:23), the gift of saving faith (Eph. 2:8, 9), the gift of evangelical
repentance (Acts 5:31). He is indeed "the God of all grace" (1 Pet.
5:10), and as such He is a giving and freely-conferring God, and not
one who barters and sells. His bestowments are "without money and
without price", imparted to spiritual bankrupts and paupers.
Not only may we behold in Rahab's case the exercise of Divine
sovereignty and the manifestation of Divine grace, but we may also
pause and admire the wondrous working of God's power. This is best
perceived if we take into careful consideration the virtually
unparalleled element which entered into it: here the Holy Spirit
wrought almost entirely apart from the ordinary means of grace. There
were no Sabbaths observed in Jericho, there were no Scriptures
available for reading, there were no prophets sounding forth messages
from Heaven, nevertheless Rahab was quickened unto newness of life and
brought unto a saving knowledge of the true God. The Lord Almighty is
not restricted to the employing of certain agencies nor hindered by
the lack of instruments: He deigns to use such or dispenses with them
entirely as He pleases. He has but to speak, and it is done, to
command, and it stands fast (Ps. 33:9). It is to be duly noted that
this woman, who had previously walked in open sin, was regenerated and
converted before the spies came to her house: their visit simply
afforded an opportunity for the avowal and public manifestation of her
faith.
It is quite clear from both the Old and N.T. that Rahab was converted
before the two spies first spoke to her. Her language to them was that
of a believer: "I know that the Lord hath given you the land...the
Lord your God He is God in heaven above and in earth beneath" (Josh.
2:9,11) -- yea, such assurance puts many a modern professing believer
to shame. "By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that
believed not, when she had received the spies with peace" (Heb.
11:31). Summing up the whole of her conduct on that occasion, Thos.
Scott pointed out, "It cannot therefore be reasonably doubted her
faith had, before this, been accompanied with deep repentance of those
sinful practices from which she derived the name of Rahab the
harlot'"; with which we heartily concur. But some, who have been
poisoned with the errors of dispensationalism, and others who are
slaves to the mere letter and sound of the Word, are likely to object,
saying that is a gratuitous assumption, for the word "repentance" is
never found in Scripture in connection with Rahab. For their benefit
we will devote another paragraph or two unto this subject.
"Repent ye and believe the Gospel" (Mark 1:15); "Testifying both to
the Jews and also to the Greeks repentance toward God and faith toward
our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21). A contrite spirit and a heart
acceptance of the Gospel are inseparably connected, so that wherever
the one is mentioned the other is presupposed. For example, take the
passages recording the Gospel commission: in Mark 16:16 the emphasis
is on "believing", while in Luke 24:47 it is on "repentance"--the two
together explaining the "make disciples" of Matthew 28:19. The one
cannot exist without the other: it is just as morally impossible for
an impenitent heart to believe, as it is for an unbeliever to repent.
There may indeed be a mental assent to the Truth unaccompanied by any
brokenness of heart, as there may be natural remorse where no faith
exists; but there can be no saving faith where evangelical repentance
is absent. Since the faith of Rahab was a saving one, as Hebrews 11
clearly shows, it must have been attended with godly sorrow for sin
and reformation of life. There can be no pardon while there is no
repentance (Isa. 55:7, Luke 24:47, Acts 3:19) i.e. mourning over and
abandoning of our evil ways.
Repentance is a change of mind: one that goes much deeper and includes
far more than a mere change of opinion or creed. It is a changed mind,
a new perception, an altogether different outlook on things as they
previously appeared. It is the necessary effect of a new heart.
Repentance consists of a radical change of mind about God, about sin,
about self, about the world. Previously God was resisted, now He is
owned as our rightful Lord. Previously sin was delighted in, but now
it is hated and mourned over. Previously self was esteemed, but now it
is abhorred. Previously we were of the world and its friendship was
sought and prized, now our hearts have been divorced from the world
and we regard it as an enemy. Everything is viewed with other eyes
than formerly, and an entirely different estimate is formed of them.
The impenitent see in Christ no beauty that they should desire Him,
but a broken and contrite heart perceives that He is perfectly suited
to him. Thus, while He continues to be despised by the self-righteous
Pharisees, He is welcomed and entertained by publicans and sinners.
Repentance softens the hard soil of the soul and makes it receptive to
the Gospel Seed.
Repentance necessarily leads to a change of conduct, for a change of
mind must produce a change of action: repentance and reformation of
life are inseparable.. It must have been thus with Rahab: she who had
been a harlot, would become chaste, and a life of wanton pleasure
would give place to one of honest work. Some may deem our conclusion a
`far-fetched' one, but personally we consider that we are given a
plain intimation of her changed manner of life. In Joshua 2:6 we are
told that she brought them up to the roof of the house and hid them
with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof".
As there is not a superfluous nor meaningless word in the Scriptures,
why then has the Holy Spirit specified the particular kind of straw
which Rahab used to cover and conceal the two spies? Now "flax" was
laboriously gathered by the industrious women, laid out on the flat
roofs of the houses to dry, and was then used for spinning and
weaving. The presence of a quantity of it "laid out" on Rahab's roof
was an evidence she was now living a useful life.
But that is not all the presence of the "flax" tells us. If we go to
the trouble of searching our concordance and comparing Scripture with
Scripture, we discover something yet more praiseworthy. In the last
chapter of the book of Proverbs we are supplied with a full-length
portrait of "a virtuous woman", and one of her features is that "she
seeketh wool and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands"! Such we
are assured was now the character and occupation of this outstanding
monument of mercy. Another mark of repentance is a changed esteem of
and attitude toward the people of God: formerly their presence
irritated, for their piety condemned us; but when the heart be changed
by the operations of Divine grace, their company and communion is
desired and valued. It was thus with Rahab and the two Israelites: she
"received the spies with peace" (Heb. 11:31) is the Divine testimony.
It was not with reluctance and complaint that she accepted them into
her abode, but with a spirit of good will, welcoming and giving them
shelter. Admire then the blessed transformation which the operations
of the Spirit had wrought in her character.
Let us now consider more particularly her faith. First, the ground of
it. "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Rom.
10:17). This does not mean that faith is originated by hearing the
Word of God, any more than that the shining of the sun imparts sight
to the eye. No, faith is bestowed by a sovereign act of the Spirit,
and then it is instructed and nourished by the Word. As an unimpaired
eye receives light from the sun and is thereby enabled to perceive
objects so faith takes in the testimony of God and is regulated
thereby. My acceptance of the Truth does not create faith, but makes
manifest that I have faith, and it becomes the sure ground on which my
faith rests. Unto the spies Rahab said, "I know that the Lord hath
given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us and that
all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have
heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when ye
came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites
that were on the other side, Jordan, Sihon and Og whom ye utterly
destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things our hearts did
melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of
you" (vv. 9-11).
How marked the contrast between Rahab and that generation of Israel
whose carcasses fell in the wilderness! They not only "heard" of but
were the actual eye-witnesses of those wonderful prodigies which
Jehovah wrought on behalf of His people. They personally saw Him
cleave a way for them right through the Red Sea so that they passed
through it dry-shod, and then His causing the waters to come together
again to the drowning of Pharaoh and his hosts. They beheld the solemn
manifestation of His august presence on Sinai. They were the daily
recipients of a supernatural supply of food from heaven, and drank of
water which was made to gush from a smitten rock. But their hearts
were unaffected and no faith was begotten within them. They too
"heard" God's voice (Heb. 3:5, 6) but responded not, and therefore
were debarred from the promised land: "they could not enter in because
of unbelief" (Heb. 3:19). Ah, my reader, something more than the
beholding of miracles or witnessing outward displays of God's power is
required in order to beget faith in those who are spiritually dead, as
was evidenced again in the days of Christ.
How marked the contrast too between Rahab and the rest of her
compatriots! As her words in Joshua 2:9-11 clearly indicate, they too
heard the same reports she did of the marvels performed by the Lord's
might, yet they produced no faith in them. They were indeed awestruck
and terrified by the accounts of the same that reached them, so that
for a season there did not remain any more courage in them; but that
was all. Just as under the faithful preaching of God's servants many
have been temporarily affected by announcements of the Day of Judgment
and the wrath to come, but never surrendered themselves to the Lord.
God declared unto Israel, "This day will I begin to put the dread of
thee and the fear of thee upon the nations that are under the whole
heaven, who shall hear report of thee, and shall tremble and be in
anguish because of thee" (Deut. 2:25). That was literally fulfilled in
the case of the inhabitants of Jericho, yet it wrought no spiritual
change in them, for they were children in whom was no faith, and they
had no faith because no miracle of grace was wrought in their souls.
Of itself the soundest preaching effects no spiritual change in those
who hear it.
Mark the contrast: "By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them
that believed not" (Heb. 11:31). And why? Because a sovereign God had
made her to differ from them (1 Cor. 4:7). She was blessed with "the
faith of the operation of God" (Col. 2:12). Consequently, she "heard"
of the works of the Lord not merely with the outward ear, as was the
case with all her fellow-citizens, but with the ear of the heart, and
therefore was she affected by those tidings in a very different manner
from what they were who heard but "believed not". It is clear from her
words "I know that the Lord hath given you the land" that she had both
heard and believed the promises which He had made to Abraham and his
seed, and perceiving He was a gracious and giving God, hope had been
born in her. Behold then the distinguishing favor of God unto this
vessel of mercy and realize that something more than listening to the
Gospel is needed to beget faith in us. "The hearing ear and the seeing
eye, the Lord hath made even both of them" (Prov. 20:12). Only those
"believe the report" to whom "the arm (power) of the Lord is revealed"
(Isa. 53:1). As later with Lydia, so Rahab was one "whose heart the
Lord opened that she attended unto the things which were spoken" (Acts
16:14).
Solemn indeed is the warning pointed by the unbelieving fellows of
Rahab. So far as we are informed, they heard precisely the same report
as she did. Nor did they treat those tidings with either skepticism or
contempt: instead, they were deeply affected by them, being
terror-stricken, The news of God's judgments upon the Egyptians, and
their nearer neighbors, the Amorites, made their hearts melt as they
feared it would be their turn next. If it be asked, Why did they not
immediately and earnestly cry unto God for mercy, the answer--in part,
at least--is supplied by Ecclesiastes 8:11: "Because sentence against
an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons
of men is fully set in them to do evil" Space was given for
repentance, but they repented not. A further respite was granted
during the six days that the hosts of Israel marched around Jericho,
but when nothing happened and those hosts returned to their camp, its
inhabitants continued to harden their hearts. Thus it is with the
majority of our fellows today, even of those who are temporarily
alarmed under the faithful ministry of God's servants.
The workings of natural fear and the stirrings of an uneasy conscience
soon subside; having no spiritual root, they endure not. Only one in
all that city was Divinely impressed by the account which had been
received of the Lord's work in overthrowing the wicked. Ah, my reader,
God's sheep have ever been few in number, though usually a great many
goats have mingled with them, so that at a distance and to a
superficial survey it seems as though the flock is of a considerable
size. Not only few in number, but frequently isolated from each other,
one here and one there, for the children of God are "scattered abroad"
(John 11:52). The experience of David was very far from being a unique
one when he. Exclaimed "I am like a pelican of the wilderness, I am
like an owl of the desert. I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the
housetop" (Ps. 102:6, 7). God's thoughts and ways are not as ours,
being infinitely wiser and better, though only the anointed eye can
perceive that. Not only is His keeping power more strikingly
displayed, and glorified, by preserving a lone sheep in the midst of
goats and wolves, but that solitary believer is cast back the more
upon Him.
It is this very loneliness of the saint which serves to make manifest
the genuineness of his faith. There is nothing remarkable in one
believing what all his associates believe, but to have faith when
surrounded by skeptics, is something noteworthy. To stand alone, to be
the solitary champion of a righteous cause when all others are
federated unto evil, is a rare sight. Yet such was Rahab. There were
none in Jericho with whom she could have fellowship, none there to
encourage her heart and strengthen her hands by their godly counsel
and example: all the more opportunity for her to prove the sufficiency
of Divine grace! Scan slowly the list presented in Hebrews 11, and
then recall the recorded circumstances of each. With whom did Abel,
Enoch, Noah have spiritual communion? From what brethren did Joseph,
Moses, Gideon receive any help along the way? Who were the ones who
encouraged and emboldened Elijah, Daniel, Nehemiah? Then think it not
strange that you are called to walk almost if not entirely alone, that
you meet with scarcely any like-minded or any who are capable of
giving you a lift along the road.
During the past six years this magazine was sent to quite a number in
the different fighting forces, and without a single exception they
informed us that they were circumstanced similarly to Rahab. Some were
with the British, some with the Colonials, some with the Americans;
some were in the navy, others in the army and air force; but one and
all reported the same thing--totally cut off from contact with
fellow-Christians. The "Studies" were sent to anal deeply appreciated
by men in both the royal and the merchant navies, but in each instance
they were on different ships, surrounded by the ungodly. How easily
the Lord could have gathered them together on to one ship! But He did
not. And it was for their good that He did not, otherwise He had
ordered things differently (Rom. 8:28). Faith must be tried, to prove
its worth. Nor is it a hot-house plant, which wilts and withers at the
first touch of frost. No, it is hardy and sturdy, and so far from
winds and rain dashing it to pieces, they are but occasions for it to
become more deeply rooted and vigorous.
The isolation of Rahab appears in that utterance of hers: "I know your
terror is fallen upon us". They were but naturally and temporarily
affected, she spiritually and permanently so. What she heard came to
her soul with Divine power. And again we say, it was God who made her
to differ. By nature her heart was no different from that of her
companions, but having been supernaturally quickened into newness of
life, she received with meekness the engrafted Word. "All men have not
faith" (2 Thess. 3:2) because all are not born again. Faith is one of
the attributes and activities of that spiritual life (or nature) which
is communicated at regeneration. The firm foundation for faith to rest
upon is the sure Word of God, and Divine testimony: by it alone is
faith supported and established. Frames and feelings have nothing
whatever to do with it, nor is spiritual confidence either begotten or
nourished by them. Assurance comes from implicitly receiving the Word
into the heart and relying upon it. Such was the case with Rahab: "I
know that the Lord hath given you the land . . . (or we have heard how
the Lord" etc. She received those tidings "not as the word of men, but
as it is in truth the Word of God" (1 Thess. 2:13). Have you done so,
my reader?
Observe well how definite and confident was her language. There was no
"if" or "perhaps", no dubious "I hope", but instead, a sure and
positive "I know". That was the knowledge of a saving faith. It is
true that faith and assurance may be distinguished, yet they can no
more be separated than can faith and obedience. Faith without works is
dead, and faith without assurance is something of which this writer
can find no mention in Scripture. We refer, of course, to a saving
faith. What is that faith? It is taking God at His Word, appropriating
it unto myself; personally resting upon the testimony of Him who
cannot lie. Now I either am doing so, or I am not. If I am, then I
must be conscious of so doing, for I cannot possibly be trusting in
God and relying on His promise and yet be unaware that I am so doing.
Read through the N.T. epistles and nowhere is there a single passage
addressed to saints who questioned their acceptance by God, but
everywhere the language is "we know" 2 Corinthians 5:l, Galatians 4:9,
Ephesians 6:9, Philippians 1:6, Colossians 3:24, 1 Thessalonians 1:4,
1 Peter 1:18, 19.
Rahab's faith was not only accompanied with confidence but it
regulated her actions. The faith of God's elect is a living, energetic
principle, which "worketh by love" (Gal. 5:6) and produces fruit to
the glory of God. Therein it differs radically from that nominal and
inoperative faith of frothy professors, which goes no deeper than a
mere mental assent to the Gospel and ends in fair but empty words.
That faith which is unaccompanied by an obedient walk and abounds not
in good works is "dead, being alone" (James 2:17). Different far was
the faith of Rahab. Of her we read, `likewise also was not Rahab the
harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers and
had sent them out another way" (James 2:25). This does not mean that
her good works was the meritorious ground of her acceptance with God,
but that they were the evidence before men that a spiritual principle
had been communicated to her, the fruits of which vindicated and
approved her profession, demonstrating that she was a member of the
household of faith. "Had she said `I believe God is yours and Canaan
is yours, but I dare not show you any kindness, her faith had been
dead and inactive, and would not have justified her . . . Those only
are true believers that can find in their hearts to venture for God,
and take His people for their people, and cast in their lot among
them" (Matthew Henry).
That is something which needs to be constantly insisted upon in this
day of empty profession. A faith which does not issue in conversion is
not a saving one, and conversion is a radical change of conduct, a
right-about face, a reversal of our former manner of life. Saving
faith necessarily involves the relinquishing of what previously
occupied the heart, the repudiation of what formerly was trusted in,
the abandonment of all that is opposed to the thrice holy God. It
therefore involves the denying of self and the forsaking of old
companions. It was thus with Abram, who was required to leave his old
situation in Ur of Chaldea and follow the call of God. It was thus
with Moses, who "refused to be called (any longer) the son of
Pharaoh's daughter. Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the
people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season,
esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of
Egypt" (Heb. 11:24-26). It was thus with Ruth, who, in sharp contrast
from Orphah went "back unto her people and unto her gods", refusing to
forsake Naomi, averring "thy people shall be my people, and thy God my
God" (Ruth 1:15, 16). And it was thus with Rahab. A faith which does
not relinquish anything and produce a break from former associations
is worth nothing.
Yes, Rahab's faith was a self-denying one, and nothing short of that
is what the Gospel requires from all to whom it is addressed. Said the
Lord Jesus, "Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross, and follow Me" (Mark 8:34); and again, "Whosoever
does not bear his cross and come after Me, cannot be My disciple"
(Luke 14:27). Ah, dear friend, you may profess to "believe John 3:16",
but suffer us to ask, Do you also, do you really, believe Luke 14:27?
Be honest with yourself: does your daily walk supply proof you do so?
The self-denying faith of Rahab appeared in her preferring the will of
God to the safety of her country and in sheltering those two spies
before the pleasing of her fellow-citizens. Still more conspicuously
did it appear in the venturing of her own life rather than betray the
messengers of Joshua, who were the worshippers of the true God. Her
faith in God and love for His people made her scorn whatever scoffs
she might be subject to and the dangers threatening her. A saving
faith is ready, whenever God shall call upon us, to part with
everything which we hold near and dear in this world. Acts of
self-denying obedience are the best and surest evidences of a real
spiritual faith.
From the standpoint of natural and temporal considerations Rahab's
faith cost her something. It induced her "to renounce all her
interests among the devoted Canaanites (i.e., doomed to destruction),
to venture her life and expose herself to the imminent danger of the
most cruel tortures in expressing her love for the people of God (T.
Scott). Such is the wonder-working power of the Spirit in a human
soul, producing that which is contrary to fallen human nature, causing
it to act from new principles and motives, making it to prefer
sufferings for Christ's sake and to endure afflictions by throwing in
its lot with His people, than to pursue any longer the vanities of
this world. Such was the transformation wrought in Saul of Tarsus, who
not only bore with fortitude the persecutions which faith in Christ
entailed, but rejoiced that he was counted worthy to suffer for His
sake. Such too has been the blessed fruit borne by the faith of many a
converted Jew since then, and many a Gentile too, especially those in
Papish and heathen countries, as the missionary-records abundantly
testify. And such in stone measure is the case with every converted
soul.
In "receiving the spies with peace" Rahab made it manifest that she
had a heart for the people of God, and was ready to do everything in
her power to assist them . . . That brief clause summarizes all that
is revealed in Joshua 2 of her kindly conduct toward the two
Israelites. She welcomed them into her home, engaged them in spiritual
conversation, made provision for their safety, and refused to betray
them. "Her whole conduct manifested a reverential fear of the Lord, an
entire belief of His Word, a desire and hope of His favor, an
affection for His people, and a disposition to forsake, venture and
suffer anything in His cause" (Scott). We believe there is a latent
reference to her kindness (as well as Abram's) in Hebrews 13, for the
word translated "messengers" in James 2:25 is the one rendered
"angels" in Hebrews 13:2: "Let brotherly love continue, Be not
forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained
angels unawares. Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them".
Alas, that so many today instead of so doing, are almost ready to rend
each other to pieces over every difference of opinion.
Yet, as we saw in our last, Rahab's faith--like ours--was not free
from defect, for her falsehoods proceeded from one who failed to trust
God fully. This illustrates, in a general way, the humbling fact that
in our best performances there is a mingling of frailty and folly. But
let it be pointed out that in this matter her conduct is far from
being recorded as an excuse for us to shelter behind. Rather is it
chronicled as a solemn warning, and also to teach us that faith in its
beginnings has many blemishes. God bears with much weakness,
especially in the lambs of His flock. Those who have faith do not
always act faith, but there is often much of the flesh mixed with that
which is of the spirit. Very different is our case and situation from
that of this young convert from heathendom. Rightly did the editor of
Matthew Henry's O.T. commentary point out, "Her views of the Law must
have been exceedingly dim and contracted: a similar falsehood told by
those who enjoy the light of Revelation, however laudable the motive,
would of course deserve much heavier censure".
"And she said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given you the
land...for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above, and in earth
beneath" (vv. 9, 11). Here we find her making an open avowal of that
which the Holy Spirit had secretly wrought in her heart. She
acknowledged Jehovah to be the true God, that Israel was the people
whom He had loved and owned, and hoped for a place among them. Nothing
less is required from the believing sinner today: "If thou shalt
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine
heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved"
(Rom. 10:9). The Lord will not own any cowardly and secret disciples.
"Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess
also before My Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me
before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven"
(Matthew 10:32, 33). Joseph was not ashamed to confess his God in
Egypt, nor Daniel in Babylon, and when Paul stood forth in the midst
of the idolatrous crew and soldiers on the ship and told of the
reassuring message he had received from the angel of God, he added,
"whose I am, and whom I serve" (Acts 27:23). Then, no matter where we
be, let us not be afraid to show our colors and make known whose
banner we serve under.
"Now therefore, I pray you, sware unto me by the Lord, since I have
showed you kindness, that ye will also show kindness unto my father's
house, and give me a true token. And that ye will save alive my
father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that
they have, and deliver our lives from death" (vv. 12, 13). Some
contracted hearts, in which the very milk of human kindness appears to
have congealed, would regard this request of Rahab's as highly
presumptuous. Personally, we believe that her soul was so overflowing
with gratitude unto the Lord for having saved such an abandoned
wretch, that her faith now perceived something of the infinitude of
the Divine mercy, and believed that such a God would be willing to
show grace to the whole of her family. Nor was she disappointed.
Moreover, as Matthew Henry rightly pointed out, "those who show mercy
may expect to receive mercy". Thus God promised Ebedmelech, in
recompense for his kindness to the prophet, that in the worst of times
he should "have his life for a prey" (Jer. 39:18).
That this request of Rahab's was something more than an expression of
the tenderness of nature is evident from the whole of its tenor: that
it was the language of faith appears from her assurance that without
any doubt Canaan was going to fall before Israel. Her "sware unto me
by the Lord" indicates the intelligence of her faith--a solemn oath
would clinch the matter. In asking for a "true token", she made
request for some pledge of deliverance --the word occurs first in
Genesis 9, where God announced that the rainbow would be "the token of
the covenant", in supplicating for the deliverance of her whole
family, she left us an example which we may well follow. It is right
that we should desire God to show mercy unto those who are near and
dear unto us: not to do so would show we were lacking in natural
affection. It only becomes wrong, when we ignore God's sovereignty,
and dictate instead of supplicate. It is blessed to observe that He
who has said "according unto your faith be it unto you", responded to
Rahab's faith (Josh. 6:22)!
The Scarlet Cord
Rahab's request of the two spies that they should enter into a solemn
covenant with her, guaranteeing the preservation of her family from
the impending destruction of Jericho (Josh. 2:12, 13), placed them in
a very awkward predicament, or it is more accurate to say, presents an
acute problem which we fear some of our moderns would fail to solve
aright. Only a short time before, Israel had received the following
commandment concerning their treatment of the Canaanites: "When the
Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee, thou shalt smite them and
utterly destroy them: thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show
mercy unto them." (Deut. 7:2). In the light of that express
prohibition, what ought the spies to do? The correct answer to that
question turns upon the proper application of a real and necessary
distinction between the Divine commands--a distinction which has been
drawn by well-instructed scribes in all ages--namely, between moral
and positive laws: the one being grounded in essential rectitude, the
other in sovereignty. The moral nature with which God has endowed us
teaches that parents should cherish and care for their children, and
that children should revere and obey their parents; but it would not
prompt Christians to practice baptism or observe the Lord's
supper--those are positive institutions, ad extra.
The things enjoined by God's positive laws depend solely on His
sovereign pleasure, there being no other reason for them. But the
things enjoined by His moral precepts are required not only by the
authority of His will, but also by that nature and order of things
which He has placed in the creation. The former are alterable at His
pleasure, being appointed by mere. prerogative' the other are
perpetual, enforcing as they do the necessary distinctions of good and
evil. All the ceremonial laws given unto Israel were of the former
order thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and thy
neighbor as thyself--the sum of the Ten Words--belonging unto the
latter. The former are only of local application unto those who
receive them by Divine revelation, the latter are universally binding
on all who are possessed of moral accountability. Whenever obedience
to a positive law would involve a plain violation of the principles of
the moral law, then the inferior must necessarily yield to the
superior though God requires us to believe and do many things which
are contrary to our depraved inclinations, yet He never demands from
us that which is opposed to the moral nature He has given us.
An illustration of the distinction pointed out above is supplied by
the case of David and his men when they were a hungered, and he
requested five loaves of the show bread (1 Sam. 21). Abimelech the
priest pointed out that that bread was not for common use, but had
been "sanctified unto the Lord", yet after being assured the men were
free from defilement, gave the loaves unto David. None other than our
Lord tells us that though it "was not lawful" for them to eat the
sacred bread, yet they were "blameless" (Matthew 12:3-6). Thus the
positive law which prohibited the priest from giving the hallowed
bread for food unto David and his men, yielded to the pressing need of
the situation. "The Son of David approves of it, and shows from it
that mercy is to be preferred to sacrifice, that ritual observances
must give way to moral duties, and that that may be done in a case of
urgent providential necessity which may not otherwise be done"
(Matthew Henry).
The law laid down in Deuteronomy 7:2 was, then, a positive one, and
neither absolute in its force nor binding in all cases, for justice
itself requires that we must ever show mercy unto the merciful and
never return evil for good. Now Rahab had shown mercy unto the two
spies, and at great risk to herself. The instincts of humanity would
fill them with kindly feeling toward their benefactress. Gratitude is
a law of nature, and the law of nature takes precedence over positive
precepts. Thus those two godly Israelites had sufficient moral
sensibility and spiritual discernment to perceive that Deuteronomy 7:2
could not debar them from acting justly and kindly toward her who had
ensured their safety. Yet, though their duty was quite clear, that did
not warrant them acting hurriedly and rashly. No arrangement should be
entered into thoughtlessly, on tire impulse of the moment. No definite
promise should be made until we have carefully weighed what we are
committing ourselves unto, for our word must be our bond. Still less
should we enter into any solemn compact without first prayerfully and
thoroughly pondering all that is involved in it.
"And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye (better "thou",
as in verse 20) utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the
Lord hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with
thee". (Josh. 2:14). Let it be noted that the fulfillment of Rahab's
request was suspended upon an "if"! Necessarily so, for those men were
entering into a covenant with her--as her "sware unto me by the Lord"
intimated' compare 1 Samuel 20:16,17: Psalm 89:3--and a covenant is a
mutual compact in which each party agrees to do or grant certain
things in return for the other fulfilling certain conditions. That
which they agreed upon was qualified by three provisos, the first of
which was that she must continue loyal to their interests. Thus we see
their circumspection in binding Rahab to this condition. "They that
will be conscientious in keeping their promises, will be cautious in
making them, and perhaps may insert certain conditions which may
otherwise seem frivolous (Matthew Henry). The Christian should always
qualify his promises with "the Lord willing" or "the Lord enabling
me".
They solemnly bound themselves for her preservation in the common
destruction of Jericho. Their "our life instead of you to die"
(margin) not only affirmed that they would be as much concerned about
her safety as their own, but signified a definite imprecation of God's
judgment on them if they failed in their part of the agreement. "We
will deal kindly with thee" was an assurance that their words would
prove no empty ones, but that there should be an actual performance of
what was promised. Observe too how they employed the language of
faith: "it shall be when the Lord hath given us the land." There was
no doubt in their minds about the issue: instead, they were fully
convinced that Canaan was going to be conquered--yet "by the Lord" and
as His "gift"! We too should wage the fight of faith with full
assurance of the outcome, that the Lord will grant ultimate success,
so that each exclaims, "I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever"
(Ps. 23:6). In their "we will deal kindly" they gave proof they were
imbrued with no ferocious spirit, and were far from being the
blood-thirsty creatures which infidels charge the conquerors of Canaan
with being.
"Then she let them down by a cord through the window, for her house
was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall" (v. 15). As soon
as she received promise from the spies, Rahab set about assisting them
in their escape. It was most convenient for them that her house was so
situated, for had it been in the center of the town there was much
more likelihood of their being recognized and arrested; but being on
the outer wall, they could be let down by night unseen by unfriendly
eyes. Yet let it be pointed out that the convenience was no mere happy
coincidence but ordered by the Lord, for of all men He hath appointed
"the bounds of their habitation" (Acts 17:26)--a sovereign God
ordained where each of us should be born and reside. But not only was
the particular location of Rahab's house of assistance to the spies,
it also served to display more evidently the power of God, for it was
the wall of the city which "fell down flat" (Josh. 6:20) and the
preservation of her lone house amid the universal devastation, stood
forth as a monument both of His might and of His mercy.
"And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers
meet you, and hide your elves three days until the pursuers be
returned, and afterward may ye go your way" (v. 16). It is striking to
behold the blending together of Divine power and human precaution all
through, this incident. The grand truth of Divine preservation is
typically illustrated, yet that preservation was accomplished by the
use of means at every point: Rahab's by obeying the orders she
received, her house because of the cord in her window, the spies by
concealing themselves in the mountain. Let those who teach the
"eternal security of the saints" see to it that they present it with
the safeguards by which God has hedged it about. True, the
accomplishment of His eternal purpose of grace is not left contingent
upon the acts of the creature, nevertheless He who has ordained the
end has also appointed the means by which that end is reached. God has
not promised to conduct any one to Heaven without the exercise of his
faculties and the discharge of his responsibility. He deals with us
throughout as moral agents, and requires us to heed His warnings and
avoid that which would destroy us (1 Cor. 9:27).
Committing my soul and its eternal interests into the hand of the Lord
by no means releases me of obligation. "He who has fixed the limits of
our life, has also entrusted us with the care of it; has furnished us
with means and supports for its preservation, has also made us
provident of dangers, and that they may not oppress us unawares has
furnished us with cautions and remedies. Thus it is evident what is
our duty". That, my reader, is a quotation not from the Arminian, John
Wesley, but from the Reformer, John Calvin!--alas that so many who
claim to be Calvinists lack his wisdom and balance of doctrine. The
truth of Divine preservation is not designed as a shelter for either
laziness or licentiousness. God's promises are made to those who
honestly strive against sin and mourn when tripped up by it, and not
to those who take their fill thereof and delight therein; for He
undertakes to keep His saints in holiness and not in wickedness. If
God has turned our feet into that way which leadeth unto life, we must
continue therein, otherwise we shall never reach our desired
destination. Only those who press forward to that which is before
reach the Goal.
Saving faith is far more than an isolated act: it is a spiritual
principle which continues to operate in those to whom it is
communicated. Divine preservation works through Christian
perseverance, for grace is given us not to render our efforts
needless, but to make them effectual. God does not carry His children
to glory in a state of passivity, but works in them both to will and
to do of His good pleasure--to hate and fear sin, to desire and strive
after holiness; to heed His warnings, to shun the things which would
destroy, to keep His commandments. The Christian must continue as he
began, for Christian perseverance is the maintaining of godly
affections and practices. We are indeed "kept by the power of God",
yet "through faith" (1 Pet. 1:5), and therefore so long as the flesh
is left in us and we in the world, we are required to attend unto that
exhortation "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil
heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God" (Heb. 3:13), for
the verses which follow solemnly remind us that many of those who came
out of Egypt never entered Canaan!--"they could not enter in because
of unbelief" (v. l9).
"And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers
meet you, and hide yourselves three days until the pursuers be
returned, and afterward may ye go your way". Observe how this
illustrates and enforces what we have just said above. The spies were
under the immediate care of God, they had trustfully committed
themselves into His hands, and He would certainly bring them safely
back unto Joshua. Nevertheless, they were required to exercise care
and caution, and they did so, for verse 22 shows they acted in exact
accordance with Rahab's counsels. They might have argued, We cannot
afford to waste three days in the mountain, rather does it behoove us
to make all possible speed to Joshua and make our report unto him. But
that had been only the feverish energy of the flesh: "he that
believeth shall net make haste" (Isa. 28:16)--alas that that wise old
proverb "Slow but sure, is sure to do well" is now despised. Nor did
those spies, under the plea of trusting God, recklessly disregard the
peril of being captured by the pursuers--that had keen tempting Him,
acting presumptuously rather than believingly. God requires us to
conduct ourselves circumspectly, to exercise good judgment.
"And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath,
which thou hast made us to sware. Behold, when we come into this land,
thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread (or "rope") in the window
which thou didst let us down by; and thou shalt bring thy father, and
thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household home unto
thee" (vv. 17,18). If the spies must need take due precautions for
their personal safety, equally indispensable was it that Rahab should
act in obedience with their orders, otherwise they would be released
from their promise and the oath would no longer be binding upon them.
Their oath, as pointed out above, was for the confirmation of the
covenant they had entered into with Rahab, and a covenant is a mutual
compact between two parties, which is rendered null and void if either
of them fails to keep his part of the agreement. Now the Gospel itself
is a covenant, for in it God offers and promises certain blessings
upon our acceptance of His offer and compliance with His terms (Ps.
50:5, Jer. 50:5) and we are required to be "mindful always of His
covenant" (1 Chron. 16:15) and to "keep His covenant" (Ps. 25:10)--for
a fuller discussion of this see the March and April articles on
"Reconciliation".
The binding of the scarlet cord in her window was for the purpose of
identifications, so that when Israel made their attack upon Jericho
they might know which was her house, and spare it. It must be borne in
mind that when the spies gave her those instructions they knew not
that the Lord was going to work a miracle, and cause the walls of the
city to fall down without any assault upon them by Israel. That was
not revealed unto Joshua until later (Josh. 6:5), illustrating the
fact that God's will is made known unto us only a step at a time--He
sees the end from the beginning (Acts 15:18), but He does not permit
us to do so (John 13:7). That cord was the "token" for which she had
asked (v. 12), and it enabled the army of Israel to ascertain which
was her house--just as the sprinkled blood on the door-posts of the
Hebrews in Egypt caused the angel of death to recognize their houses
and pass over them, when He went forth to slay the firstborn (Ex.
12:13); and just as the 144,000 who are exempted from judgment are
"sealed in their foreheads" (Rev. 7:3), their identifying mark being
that of obedience to the Lord (Rev. 14:1-5), for it is obedience which
manifestatively distinguishes the children of God from the children of
the devil.
"And it shall be that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house
into the streets, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be
guiltless; and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood
shall be on our head if any hand be laid upon him" (v. 19). Thus the
terms of the covenant or agreement were precisely stated and carefully
explained to her before they parted. Those of Rahab's family who were
to be preserved from the common destruction must be inside her house,
separated from the wicked; if they forsook that shelter and mingled
with the heathen inhabitants of Jericho, they would perish with
them--as Noah and his family had in the flood, unless they had
separated from the ungodly and taken refuge in the ark. Typically this
teaches the imperative necessity of separation from the world if we
would escape from its impending doom, The case of Rahab's family
remaining secluded in her house as the condition of their preservation
is parallel with Acts 27, where we find that though the angel of God
assured Paul "there shall be no loss of life" (v. 21, yet when the
sailors were about to abandon it, he cried, "except these abide in the
ship, ye cannot be saved" (v. 31), and except Christians maintain
separation from this evil world they cannot escape destruction with
it.
"And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine
oath which thou hast made us sware" (v. 20). Let those who proclaim
the grand truth of "the eternal security of the saints" fail not to
give due place unto that "if"--the if not of uncertainly from the
Divine side, but of enforcing responsibility from the human. Let them
carefully ponder the "if" in Romans 8:13 and 11:22; 1 Corinthians
15:2; Colossians 1:23; Hebrews 3:6, 14. Scripture does not teach a
mechanical security, but one which is obtained through our use of
means and avoidance of dangers. The preservation of Rahab from
destruction was conditioned upon her obedience to the instructions of
God's messengers and her use of the means they specified. First, she
must mention not their business or betray them to their enemies: she
must be loyal to them and promote their interests--a figure of love
for the brethren. Second, she must place the scarlet cord in the
window so that her house might be recognized: we must bear the
identifying mark of God's children. Third, she must abide in her
house: we must maintain separation from the world.
"And she said, According unto your words, so be it": there was no
resentment, no offering of objections. "And she bound the scarlet line
in window" (v. 21), manifesting by her obedience that she was an elect
and regenerate soul. Unless you, my reader, are walking in obedience
to God, you have no scriptural warrant to conclude you are "eternally
secure". The reward of her faith and obedience is revealed in other
passages. First, she "perished not with them that believed not" (Heb.
11:31). Second, she "dwelt in Israel" (Josh. 6:25): from being a
citizen of heathen Jericho, she was given place in the congregation of
the Lord. Third, she became the honored wife of a prince in Judah, the
mother of Boaz and one of the grandmothers of David (Matthew 1:5).
Fourth, she was one of the favored ancestresses of the Savior (Matthew
1). Thus did God do for her exceeding abundantly above all that
she-asked or thought: delivered from awful depths of sin and shame,
elevated heights of honor and dignity.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Joshua
by A.W. Pink
5. Standing At The Jordan
Joshua 3:1-6
_________________________________________________________________
The Jordan
The long season of preparation had reached its close, and the arduous
task confronting Israel must now be tackled. The forty years they had
spent in the wilderness requires to be viewed from a twofold
standpoint. First, it was a Divine judgment on the adult generation
which, after being so graciously brought out of Egypt and so
gloriously delivered at the Red Sea, gave way to an evil heart of
unbelief, balking at the prospect of conquering Canaan (Num. 13:28-33)
and resolving to "return into Egypt" (Num. 14:1-4)--whose carcasses
fell in the wilderness (1 Cor. 10:5,10; Hebrews 3:8-17). Second, it
was a training for the younger generation who were to occupy the land
of promise. This has not been sufficiently recognized. During that
forty years many sons and daughters had been born, and they were given
to behold the wonders of the Lord in a manner and to an extent which
no other generation ever has. Not only was there a visible display of
Jehovah's faithfulness and power before their eyes in sustaining such
a vast number by a daily supply of food from heaven, but at the close
Moses could say "your clothes are not waxed old upon you and thy shoe
is not waxed old upon thy foot" (Deut. 29:5).
And is not this ever the Lord's way with His people. He does not bid
them to trust in Him with all their hearts and lean not unto their own
understandings until He has given them clear proof that He is fully
worthy of their confidence. He does not call upon them to overcome the
world, mortify their lusts and resist the devil, until He has
strengthened them with might by His Spirit in the inner man. He does
not exhort them to tread that path of "much tribulation" which alone
conducts to Glory, without first weaning their hearts from this world,
giving a death wound to their love of sin, and vouchsafing them a
ravishing earnest of that glory. How gracious is the Lord, and how
tender are His ways! He does not quench the smoking flax, but feeds
the spark of grace with the oil of His Spirit. He carries the lambs in
His bosom (Isa. 40:11) until they be able to walk. Only a personal and
experimental knowledge of Him with whom they have to do will sustain
the heart of a saint under the testings and trails to which he must be
submitted.
In the same way the Lord deals with and furnishes His servants. It was
thus with Joshua's predecessor. When Jehovah first appeared unto him
and made known it was His purpose to employ him in leading the Hebrews
out of Egypt, he was fearful, and though the Lord declared He would
stretch forth His hand smiting Egypt with all His wonders and giving
His people favor in the sight of their oppressors, poor Moses
continued to raise objections that Israel would not believe him nor
hearken to his voice. Then the Lord bade him cast his rod on the
ground, and it became a serpent; told him to take it by the tail, and
it became a rod in his hand. Ordered him to thrust his hand into his
bosom, and he drew it forth leprous as snow; repeating the action and
it was made whole (Ex. 4:1-4). Thus assured Moses went forth on his
mission. So it was with the Eleven: before they entered upon their
life work and went forth to "make disciples of all nations", they
spent three years with Christ (Mark 3:14)--witnessing His miracles and
being instructed by Him.
We have already seen how such was the case with Joshua. First, the
Lord had spoken to him after the death of Moses, giving him the most
definite and heartening promises for his faith to rest upon (Josh.
1:1-6). Then his hands had been strengthened by the ready cooperation
of the two and a half tribes whose portion lay on the eastern side of
Jordan, vowing "According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so
will we hearken unto thee" (Josh. 1:12-18). Next he had sent forth the
two spies to reconnoiter the land and they, having received a most
unlooked-for welcome and assistance from Rahab, had returned and said
unto Joshua, "Truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the
land, for all the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us"
(Josh. 2:24). "What more could Israel and their leader want! The Lord
had gone before them preparing their way, causing His "terror" to fall
upon the inhabitants (Josh. 2:9). With what confidence then might
Joshua and all the people go forward into their inheritance! And
should it not be the same with Christians now? "When He putteth forth
His sheep He goeth before them, and the sheep follow Him" (John 10:4).
If our eyes be fixed on Him and our ears respond to His voice there is
nothing to be afraid of.
But we must now turn to the sequel: and what does the reader suppose
is the nature of it? A severe testing of faith? Doubtless that is what
many would term it: personally we would prefer to say, A glorious
opportunity for exercising faith in the living God. Do not, dear
reader, look so much upon painful circumstances and difficult
situations as unpleasant trials of faith which have to be endured, but
rather thankfully regard them as golden occasions for you to prove
afresh the sufficiency of Him who never fails those who fully trust
Him. God gives His people grace not only for the comfort of their
hearts, but to use for Him. He has placed His sure promises in the
Word not merely for us to wonder at, but to turn unto good account. He
grants encouragements along the way and strengthens us that we may
press forward and do further exploits in His name. He imparts faith
unto His people that they may employ it in a manner honoring to Him.
Such it appears to us is, in part, the relation between Joshua 1 and 2
and what is now to be before us. Israel was faced with a most
formidable obstacle, but in view of what God had wrought for them,
there was no ground for dismay.
Above we have said, Such it appears to us is, in part, the relation
between Joshua 1 and 2 and what is now to be before us. But there is
something else, and if we deliberately disregarded it, we should be
guilty of handling the Word of God deceitfully and seriously
misleading His people. That `something else' is either blankly
repudiated today--by those who turn the grace of God into
lasciviousness in failing to insist that grace reigns through
righteousness (Rom. 5:21), teaching us to deny ungodliness and worldly
lusts, that we should live soberly, righteously and godly (Titus 2:11,
12); or is ignored by those who studiously omit everything which would
be unpalatable to empty professors, well knowing that if they are to
receive their support, such must be Bolstered up in their worldliness
and carnality. These hirelings harp continually on God's grace, His
promises, and naught but faith being required by Him; and woefully
fail to lay stress upon God's holiness, His precepts, and obedience
being indispensably necessary. Joshua 1 and 2, my reader, contains
something more than precious promises and gracious encouragements.
Joshua 1 and 2 also make prominent the claims of God and strongly
enforces human responsibility. Let us refresh the reader's memory.
First, the Lord had bidden Joshua "Only be thou strong and very
courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law
which Moses My servant commanded thee. This Book of the Law shall not
depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and
night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written
therein; for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous" Thus was the
leader himself required to render the most complete subjection unto
the revealed will of the Lord, and informed that success would hinge
thereon. Joshua, in turn, "Commanded the officers of the people" what
orders to give unto them. Then he pressed upon the two and a half
tribes their obligations, bidding them "Remember the word which Moses
the servant of the Lord commanded you" (Josh. 1:7-13). It was only in
the behalf of a people whose hearts were right with Him and who walked
in the way of His precepts, that the Lord would show Himself strong.
Faith in Him was to be evidenced by obedience unto His commands; no
other faith would He own.
It is to be carefully noted that Joshua 3, like Joshua 2, opens with
the word "And", which not only shows the three chapters are closely
connected, but also tells us we must carry in our minds what has
previously engaged our attention. Joshua and the people, as they
started forward on their new venture, must be regulated entirely by
the instructions which they had already received. So must we be! And
if we are to make a right application of this memorable incident unto
ourselves, if we are to draw from it the spiritual lessons which it is
designed to teach us, then we need to heed what was before us in the
previous sections. A most formidable obstacle lay in Israel's path:
the river Jordan barred their entrance into Canaan, and we are now to
behold how that obstacle was surmounted. If we are to make a personal
and practical use of this portion of Scripture, that river which
intercepted Israel's progress should be regarded as illustrative of
any problem or obstruction which confronts the minister of the Gospel
or the ordinary Christian, and then ascertain from this passage what
he must do if he is to overcome his difficulty and be enabled to go
forward.
"And Joshua rose early in the morning' (Josh. 3:1). Observe well that
the Holy Spirit has taken due notice of this! Not only so, but He has
recorded the same thing again in Joshua 6:12; 7:16; 8:20! In his early
rising, as in so many other respects, he foreshadowed the antitypical
Joshua, our Savior: see Mark 1:35, Luke 4:42, etc. Joshua's "early"
rising shows that he was not slothful, a lover of his own ease, but
one whose heart was in his work and who diligently applied himself
unto the same. Therein he has left an example for each servant of
Christ to follow. The minister of the Gospel is to be no slacker and
shirker, but rather "a workman that needeth not to be ashamed" (2 Tim.
2:15). Whether he rises early or (as this writer) finds it more
expedient to burn the midnight oil, he is in honor and duty bound to
spend at least as many hours in his study each day as does the farmer
in his field, the clerk in his office, or the labored in the factory.
He has no warrant to expect God to use him unless he be industrious
and denies himself.
"And they removed from Shittim and came to Jordan, he and all the
people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over" (Josh.
3:1). Moses had conducted Israel as far as Shittim (Num. 25:1), and
after his death it was from there that Joshua had sent out the two
spies (Josh. 2:1). They had returned to him with their favorable
report, and now we behold the sequel. In his "rising early" Joshua
gave proof that he did not shirk the difficult task before him, but
was anxious to come to grips with it. The Lord rewarded his diligence
by inclining the people to cooperate with him. They might have
demurred, saying "What is the use of leaving this place where we have
so long been en-camped, and moving forward to Jordan itself, where
there are neither bridges nor boats for us to cross over it? Instead,
they laid hold of the promise "within three days ye shall pass over
this Jordan (Josh. 1:11), and went forward in faith and obedience.
They knew not how the obstacle was to be overcome, and for the moment
that was none of their business. Their responsibility was to proceed
along the path of duty so far as they were able, and count upon God's
continuing to keep that path open for them!
"And it came to pass after three days that the officers went through
the host" (v. 2). At first thought it seems strange that such a
multitude should be left encamped there for this length of time ere a
further word was spoken to them, but a little reflection should
indicate the Lord's design therein, and then show us the important
lesson we should learn there-from. Ponder this incident; visualize the
scene before your mind's eye. It was not an army of men only, but a
vast congregation of men, women and children, to say nothing of their
baggage and herds of animals, and further advance was blocked by the
river. Whatever the breadth and depth of the Jordan in recent
centuries or today, it is evident that it presented an impassable
obstruction in Joshua's time--moreover, it was in flood at that
particular season (Josh. 3:15): and yet they were left to gaze upon it
for three days, faced with the fact that they had no means of their
own for crossing it! Why? What was the Lord's object in this? Was it
not to impress Israel more deeply with a realization of their own
utter helplessness? Was it not to shut them up more completely unto
Himself?
And is not that, very often, the chief design of God's providential
dealings with us? To bring us to the end of our own resources, to make
us conscious of our own insufficiency, by bringing us into a situation
from which we cannot extricate ourselves, confronting us with some
obstacle which to human wit and might is insurmountable? By nature we
are proud and self-reliant, ignorant of the fact that the arm of flesh
is frail. And even when faced with difficulties, we seek to solve them
by our own wisdom, or get out of a tight corner by our own efforts.
But the Lord is graciously resolved to humble us, and therefore the
difficulties are increased and the corner becomes tighter, and for a
season we are left to ourselves--as Israel was before the Jordan. It
is not until we have duly weighed the difficulty and then discovered
we have nothing of our own to place in the opposite scale, that we are
really brought to realize our impotency, and turn unto Him who alone
can undertake for us and free us from our dilemma. But such dull
scholars are we that, the lesson must be taught us again and yet again
before we actually put it into practice.
Those three days before that unfordable river was the necessary
preparation for what followed--the background from which the following
miracle might be the more evident to and the more appreciated by
Israel. Man's extremity furnishes the most suitable opportunity for
God to display His power. And it is not until man is made painfully
aware of his extremity that he turns unto the Lord and seeks His
intervention. That truth is writ large across the 107th Psalm, which
forcible illustrates and exemplifies what we have been seeking to
express. "Hungry and thirsty their souls fainted in them. Then they
cried unto the Lord in their trouble" (vv. 5,6). "There was none to
help: then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He saved
them" (vv. 12,13). "They draw near unto the gates of death: then they
cry unto the Lord" (vv. 18,19). They "are at their wits' end: then
they cry unto the Lord" (vv. 27,28). They are brought into a desperate
situation, to the end of their own resources, and then it is that
they--not merely utter a few cold and formal petitions, but--"cry unto
the Lord", and such a cry is ever responded to by His deliverance.
Ah, my reader, do not close your eyes to the Jordan--the problem, the
difficulty, the obstacle--that confronts you, but face it. Do not
attempt to minimize it, but take its full measure. Continue
contemplating it until you plainly realize your own helplessness to
cope with the same, and then trustfully turn unto Him who is capable
of dealing with it. Suppose you be a minister of the Gospel, and you
yearn for your hearers to be saved is there not an insuperable
obstacle standing in the way of the realization of your desire? Indeed
there is' the stolid indifference and unresponsiveness of your
hearers. That is the "Jordan" which confronts you the spiritual
insensibility of your congregation--and "Jordan" is the symbol of
death! Do you fully realize that' that your hearers have no more
spiritual life in them than the waters of that river had? That you can
no more open their hearts to the reception of the Gospel than Israel
could open a path through the Jordan? Are you acting accordingly? Few
ministers, few churches today are! When they would have a "revival"
they hire an outside evangelist and count on special singing, instead
of crying unto the Lord.
"And it came to pass after three days that the officers went through
the host. And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark
of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests the Levites
bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place and go after it"
(Josh. 3:2,3), For three days the congregation of Israel had been
encamped before that river which barred their entrance into the land
of promise, thus being obliged to take full stock of that formidable
barrier and made fully conscious of their own helplessness. The Jordan
is the symbol of death, and it is not until the saint appropriates the
solemn truth or has learned from painful experience that death is
written upon all his natural powers that he is likely to make any real
spiritual progress or enter practically into his fair heritage. That
was the great lesson which had to be learned by the father of them
that believe, before his longing could be realized and fruit borne.
Because Sarah was barren he thought to obtain the desired son by
Hagar, only to bring trouble upon his household. Not until he truly
recognized the natural impotency of himself and his wife did he count
upon Him who quickeneth the dead' Romans 4:17-21.
Thus it was too with the chief of the apostles. "For we would not,
brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia,
that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we
despaired even of life. But we had the sentence of death in ourselves
that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raiseth the
dead. Who delivered us from so great a death (Acts 19:22-41), and doth
deliver (from those who then sought his life), in whom we trust that
He will yet deliver us" (2 Cor. 1:8-10). It is God's way with His
people to so order His providences that they are "pressed out of
measure, above strength", until they are brought to despair of
deliverance by their own efforts. Then it is they discover that death
is stamped upon all their members and powers and are brought to
acknowledge "we have no might . . . neither know we what to do" (2
Chron. 20:12). Ah, but note they at once added, "but our eyes are upon
Thee"! It was for that very reason Paul and his companions had "the
sentence of death" in themselves--that they "should not trust in
themselves, but in God which raiseth the dead"
By nature we are self-confident and by practice to a considerable
extent self-reliant. But those qualities have no scope or place in the
spiritual life, having to be completely renounced. Just as we must
repudiate our own righteousness before the righteousness of Christ is
imputed to us, so we are required to disown our own wisdom and
strength ere the power of Christ works in us and for us. "Whosoever
will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow Me" (Mark 8:34) is Christ's own unchanging demand. To "deny
himself" is for a man to abandon all trust in himself, to disclaim any
capability of his own, to be emptied of self. In order thereto God
often brings him into situations where he discovers it is utterly vain
to look to himself for relief. Until he has found out that all
attempts to extricate himself are futile, he has not learned his utter
helplessness, and until he does so he will not really look outside
himself unto the Lord. Israel then were made to feel their
powerlessness during the three days they were encamped before the
overflowing Jordan, and that, in order to prepare them to count upon
the Almighty.
But let it is also be duly observed that to "deny himself" is not only
for a man to disown his own righteousness, wisdom and strength, but
also to renounce all self-will and self-pleasing. The whole of "self"
is to be set aside and "the cross" taken up: that is, the principle of
self-sacrifice, is to dominate and regulate him, and that, in order to
"follow Christ" The former are negative--means to an end' they are
preparatives unto a life of obedience or a practical owning of the
Lordship of Christ. We turn to God "from idols"--the chief of which is
self--that we should "serve the living and true God" (1 Thess. 1:9)
i.e., that we should be subject to Him, governed by Him. And that is
the important truth set forth here. Israel were now commanded to turn
their gaze away from the Jordan and fix their eyes steadily on "the
ark" And of what or of whom does the ark speak? Of Christ, says the
reader. True, yet such an answer is far too general to be of any
elucidation. Of Christ in what relation? Of His person, His work, or
His official character? If of His office, which particular aspect
thereof?
It should be evident to any attentive student that the spiritual
interpretation of our passage--both doctrinally and practically--turns
upon our answers to those questions. The ark is the central object in
this miraculous event, being mentioned by name in chapters 3 and 4 no
less than sixteen times and alluded to as "it "five times, or a total
of twenty-one times, or 7x3, which in the language of Scripture
numerics signifies, a complete manifestation of God. What, then, was
the ark, and for what purpose was it made? The ark was a coffer or
chest, made of shittim wood, overlaid both within and without with
pure gold (Ex. 25:10,11). It was to be a depository for the two tables
of stone (Ex. 25:16), and accordingly, when all its sacred furniture
was made and the tabernacle was set up, we are told that Moses "took
and put the testimony into the ark" (Ex. 40:20), where it still abode
in the days of Solomon (1 Kings 8:9). It is most essential that this
fact be carefully noted, if we are to perceive aright the spiritual
meaning of this holy vessel: the ark was made for the Law, and not the
Law for the ark, as is abundantly clearly from Deuteronomy 10:1-5.
It was for the above-mentioned reason that the ark was called "the ark
of the testimony" (Ex. 26:33, 34, etc.). The tables of stone on which
the finger of God had written the ten Commandments were termed "the
tables of testimony" (Ex. 31:18), and from their being deposited in it
the ark received its principal designation, and since the ark was the
most important object in the tabernacle, it was called "the tabernacle
of testimony" (Num. 1:51, 53, etc.). The tables of stone were
designated "the testimony", the ark "the ark of the testimony", and
the tabernacle "the tabernacle of testimony" because they one and all
declared what God is and made known the terms on which He would hold
fellowship with His people. The Law was a revelation of the
righteousness of Jehovah, with its demands upon the faith, love and
obedience of His saints. It witnessed immediately to the Divine
holiness, yet by necessary implication to the sinfulness of Israel.
The tabernacle was the place of God's habitation where Israel was to
meet with Him: not only to receive a knowledge of His will and hold
fellowship with Him (Ex. 25:21,22) but also having a prominent respect
to their sins against which the Law was ever testifying, and to use
the appointed means of their restoration to His favor and blessing.
It has not been sufficiently recognized by more recent writers that in
that Tabernacle of Testimony not only was witness plainly borne unto
the ineffable holiness and majesty of the Lord, but also to His
gracious condescension and abounding mercy. It testified to the
wondrous provisions He had made whereby transgressors of the Law could
receive pardon and the defiled be cleansed. In its outer court stood
the brazen altar, where sacrifices of atonement were offered. There
too was the laver of water for the washing of the hands and feet (Ex.
30:18-20). Still more significant and blessed, the very ark which
enshrined the Law was covered with the mercy-seat (Ex. 25:21)! That
mercy-seat formed Jehovah's throne in Israel, for it was there between
the cherubim that He "dwelt" (Ps. 80:1 etc.), ruling over His people.
Thus the ark and its lid, the mercy-seat, testified unto His being "a
just God and a Savior'!" (Isa. 45:21): the Law, proclaiming His
inexorable justice, the mercy-seat testifying to the provision of His
grace for the transgressions of His people--a covering of mercy that
they might draw near unto Him and live.
We turn now to take particular note of the fact that in Joshua 3:3
etc. the ark is called "the ark of the covenant", the reference being
to that compact into which Jehovah entered with Israel at Sinai and
which they solemnly bound themselves to keep (Ex. 19:1-6; 24:1-8). By
the establishment of the Sinaitic Covenant the relation between God
and Israel was brought into a state of formal completeness. Under the
Abrahamic covenant (Gen. 17:7, 8 etc.) the Lord had pledged Himself to
faithfully bestow upon Abraham's seed every needful blessing, and now
that covenant of promise was supplemented by the covenant of Law,
which bound that seed to render the dutiful return of obedience which
their gracious God justly required from them. The foundation was thus
outwardly laid for a near and lasting relationship, resulting in a
blessed intercourse between the God of Abraham on the one hand and the
dutiful descendants of Abraham on the other. And it was primarily with
the design of furthering and securing that end that the ratification
of the covenant at Sinai was so immediately followed by instructions
for the making and erection of the tabernacle.
The Ten Commandments were the terms of the covenant entered into at
Sinai (Ex. 34:28): "He declared unto you His covenant which He
commanded you to perform, even ten commandments" (Deut. 4:13), and it
was on the basis of their compliance therewith that God undertook to
deal with Israel and make good His promises to Abraham. His readiness
to show Himself strong in their behalf was at once evidenced: "and
they departed from the mount of the Lord three days' journey; and the
ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them in the three days'
journey, to search out a resting-place for them" (Num. 10:33). But
alas, the very next thing recorded is "the people complained" and "it
displeased the Lord"' and His chastening hand fell heavily upon them
(Num. 11:1). Then we learn of the opposition made against Moses by his
own brother and sister, and the Lord's smiting Miriam with leprosy
(Num. 12). That is at once followed by an account of the sending forth
of the twelve men to spy out the land of Canaan, the mixed report
which they made upon their return, the unbelief and rebellion of the
people, with their repudiation of Moses as their leader and
determination to return unto Egypt (Num. 13:1; 14:5).
The evil conduct of Israel is summed up by the Psalmist in those
solemn words "They kept not the covenant of God and refused to walk in
His Law (Ps. 78:10). Their breaking of the covenant at once released
the Lord from making good unto that perverse generation His
declarations unto Abraham, and therefore He told them "your carcasses
they shall fall in this wilderness. And your children shall wander in
the wilderness . . . after the number of the days in which ye searched
the land, forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your
iniquities, forty years, and ye shall know My breach of promise" (Num.
14:32-34). They should know to their lasting misery what had produced
that "breach of promise" (compare the "if" of Exodus 19:5!) and the
protracted and woeful consequences thereof. The promises Jehovah made
unto Abraham and unto Moses would not be fulfilled unto that
particular generation because of their unbelief and disobedience; but
unto their descendants they should be made fully good. As Joshua
himself testified at a later date, "the Lord delivered all their
enemies into their hands. There failed not aught of any good thing
which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel: all came to pass"
(Josh. 21:44, 45).
The forty years' wandering in the wilderness expired with the death of
Moses, and all whose sins occasioned that punishment had also died. It
was the new and younger generation over which Joshua was placed, and
now a fresh chapter opened in the history of Israel What has been
pointed out above explains not only the prominent position occupied by
the ark in the crossing of Jordan and in the subsequent events, but
why it is there designated "the ark of the covenant". Israel's
success, or rather the Lord's showing Himself strong in their behalf,
would turn upon their keeping of the covenant established at Sinai and
their walking in implicit obedience unto God. Israel's crossing of the
Jordan with their eyes fixed on the ark signified that they marched
into Canaan led by the Law!
What has just been emphasized is of something more than mere
historical importance: it is recorded for the instruction of God's
people in all generations, and needs to be turned by them into earnest
prayer for Divine enablement. It reveals to us the principal thing
which the Holy One requires from us if He is to undertake for us and
make a way through whatever "Jordan" may confront us. It makes known
the basic principle of God's governmental dealings with His people in
every age: the exercise of His power on our behalf is regulated by our
submission to Him. God cannot be the Patron of sin, and therefore He
will not show Himself strong in the behalf of rebellious subjects. As
said before, we must deny self and take up our cross in order to
"follow" Christ, and what that signifies is made clear to us here in
Israel's "following" the ark of the covenant. "He that saith he
abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk even as He walked" (1
John 2:6), and He walked in perfect subjection to the Law of God!
The Ark
"And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the
covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it,
then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. Yet there shall
be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure:
come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go;
for ye have not passed this way heretofore" (Josh. 3:3,4). Keeping in
mind the principal things which have already been before us: that this
was a new generation of Israel which was about to enter into their
heritage; that that heritage prefigured the portion and privileges
which should--in this life--be enjoyed by the Christian; that the ark
was an outstanding type of the person of Christ; that the particular
name by which it is here designated intimates the special character in
which Christ is to be viewed and followed by the believer; that
Israel's crossing of the Jordan and entrance into Canaan is fraught
with the most important practical instruction for us today; let us
proceed.
The ark was the sacred chest in which the two tables of stone were
deposited, and thus it pointed to Christ as our Lawgiver (Ps. 40:8;
John 14:15). The ten commandments were the terms of the covenant which
was mutually entered into between Jehovah and Israel at Sinai (Ex.
34:28), and it was on the basis of their compliance, or non-compliance
with that solemn pact that the Lord agreed to deal with Israel and
make good His promises to Abraham. Hence the name by which the ark is
called throughout Joshua 3 and 4. Thus the ark here prefigured Christ
as the believer's Covenant-head, the meaning of which, though of the
first moment, is alas little understood today. It is in the Gospel
that Christ is tendered unto u: as such, and it is by our complying
with its terms that the soul enters into a covenant with Him. "Incline
your ear, and come unto Me: Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will
make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David"
or" the Beloved" (Isa. 55:3). That is the Gospel offer or proposal,
and our acceptance thereof is a "joining ourselves to the Lord, to
serve Him and to love the name of the Lord" and is a "taking hold of
His covenant" (Isa. 56:6).
That which will best enable us to grasp the basic truth which we are
here concerned with is the marriage contract, for marriage is a
covenant voluntarily, lovingly, and solemnly entered into between two
parties, wherein each gives himself or herself unto the other,
disowning all rivals, pledging unending fidelity, vowing to make the
interests and welfare of the other his or her own. Nothing less than
is what the Lord requires from man. The evangelist calls upon his
hearers to throw down the weapons of their enmity against Him, forsake
all illicit lovers, and unite themselves with those who declare, "Come
and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that
shall not be forgotten" (Jer. 1:5). Thus it was in that wondrous and
blessed foreshadowment in Genesis 24, where Abraham (figure of the
Father) sent forth his servant Eliezer (figure first of the Holy
Spirit, yet principally of the evangelist through whom He works) to
seek and woo a wife (emblem of the Church collectively and of the
believer individually) for his son Isaac--Christ; the whole of which
sets before us a most instructive picture of the preaching of the
Gospel, both from the standpoint of God's sovereign grace and the
enforcing of human responsibility--though, as usual, the latter is
ignored by most Calvinistic writers thereon.
As the figure of the evangelist we may note how Eliezer received most
specific instructions from Abraham concerning his mission and how that
servant obediently complied therewith (Gen. 24:10). Then we observe
how Eliezer betook himself unto prayer, asking the Lord to grant him
"good speed" and success on his errand (v. 12)--an unmistakable plain
intimation that Eliezer is not to be regarded solely as a type of the
Holy Spirit. When Abraham's servant encountered the object of his
quest he presented her with tokens of his good will (v. 22), and
extolled the excellency of his master (v. 35). Then we behold how she
was required to make a personal decision "Wilt thou go with this man?"
(v. 58): she had to choose for herself, freely and deliberately. Such
a decision, personal and definite, is required from the sinner as the
terms of the Gospel are presented unto him, for they are addressed to
him as a moral agent, testing and enforcing his responsibility. "And
she said, I will go." She was willing and ready to turn her back upon
the old life, and forsake her family to become the wife of Isaac. "And
she became his wife" (v. 67), and never regretted her decision. And
that is the grand type and picture of a soul entering into an
everlasting covenant with the Lord Jesus, the eternal Lover of His
people--made willing in the day of His power.
In full accord with the striking type of Genesis 24 we find our Lord
Himself speaking of the Gospel-order thus: "The kingdom of heaven is
like unto a certain King which made a marriage for His Son" (Matthew
22:2), upon which Matthew Henry rightly averred. "The Gospel covenant
is a marriage covenant betwixt Christ and the believer, and it is a
marriage of God's making. This branch of the similitude is only
mentioned, and not prosecuted here"; by which he meant that the
wedding feast and its guests is what is mainly dwelt upon in the
sequel. Concerning the force of the "marriage" figure itself. Thomas
Scott aptly said, "The union of the Son of God with man by assuming
human nature; the endeared relationship into which He receives His
Church and every member of it; the spiritual honors, riches and
blessings to which they are advanced by this sacred relation; the
comforts they receive from His condescending and faithful love, and
from communion with Him; and the reciprocal duties of their relation
to Him are all intimated by the metaphor." True, yet, with their
accustomed partiality and lack of balance, most preachers have dwelt
considerably upon the first four of these analogies, but have been
criminally silent upon the "reciprocal duties" which that relation
involves, and which we are here insisting upon.
The same lopsidedness is seen again in the explanations given of
Matthew 22:11: "When the King came in to see the guests, He saw there
a man which had not on a wedding garment." Thomas Scott is right in
saying, "This denotes that some who are not true believers appear as
willing and welcome guests at the Gospel feast and intrude into its
most sacred ordinances," but it seems to us he quite missed the point
when he added, "It is not material whether we understand the wedding
garment to mean the imputed righteousness of Christ, or the
sanctification of the Spirit; for both are alike necessary and they
always go together." This parable is not treating so much of the
Divine side of things, but rather the testing of human responsibility
and the disclosing of its failures. Verses 3,5 and 6 exhibit man's
obstinacy and enmity, while verse 11 depicts the exposure of an empty
profession. "If the Gospel be the wedding feast, then the wedding
garment is a frame of heart and a course of life agreeable to the
Gospel and our profession of it" (Matthew Henry). Many take up a
profession of the Gospel and claim to be united to Christ without any
newness of heart and life. They lack a disposition and conduct suited
to Christ and His precepts: they are devoid of habitual and practical
holiness. They have no marriage "certificate"!
Now none can enter into and enjoy the heritage which God has provided
for His people save those who have personally and experimentally
passed from death unto life, who have entered into definite and solemn
covenant with Him, and who cleave unto and conduct themselves by the
commandments of Christ--the anti-typical Joshua. That is the great and
grand truth portrayed here in Joshua 3 and 4, and it is because it is
such a momentous one, and yet so little apprehended today, that we are
laboring it so much in our comments upon this passage. It is at
regeneration that me soul passes from death unto life, when by a
sovereign act of God's power--wherein we are entirely passive--we are
spiritually quickened and thereby capacitated to turn unto Him. This
miracle of grace is made manifest by the understanding of its subject
being enlightened to perceive his awful enmity against God, by his
conscience being convicted of his guilty and lost condition, by his
affections being turned against sin so that he now loathes it, by his
will being inclined God-wards; all of which issues in a genuine
conversion or right-about-face--a forsaking of his wicked ways, an
abandoning of his idols, a turning away from the world, and a taking
of Christ to be his absolute Lord, all-sufficient Savior, and
everlasting Portion.
Such a conversion--and none other is a saving one is an entering into
covenant with God in Christ, and a being married or united unto Him.
Hence we find the conversion of the Corinthians described thus: they
"first gave their own selves to the Lord and unto us, by the will of
God" (2 Cor. 8:5): that is, they willingly yielded and gladly
dedicated themselves unto the Lord--acknowledging the just
requirements of His proprietorship and authority, and responding to
the claims of His redeeming love as the only suitable acknowledgment
of that debt which can never be repaid; and gave up themselves unto
His servants to be directed by them; which is ratified in baptism,
when we openly give up ourselves to be His people. Hence, under a
slightly varied figure Paul reminded those who had been thus converted
under his preaching, "I have espoused you to one Husband, that I may
present you as a chaste virgin to Christ" (2 Cor. 11:2). The apostle
had been the instrument in forming a connection between them and
Christ like that of the marriage union, the obligations of which are
devotedness, fidelity, loving obedience; and unto the preservation and
promotion thereof the apostle labored with a godly jealousy for them.
At regeneration the Spirit vitally unites us to Christ; at conversion
we personally and practically give up ourselves unto Him. Conversion
is when we accept Christ to be our Husband and Lord, to be cherished
and ruled by Him. It is an entering into a covenant-engagement with
Him, for Him to be our only God, and for us to be His faithful people.
That the covenant relationship is a marriage union is clear from
Jeremiah 31:32, Hosea 2:18, 19 (and cf. Jeremiah 2:2; Ezekiel 16:60);
and that is why Israel's idolatry was commonly spoken of as
(spiritual) adultery--unfaithfulness to Jehovah, going after other
gods. Since conversion be our entering into covenant with God in
Christ, the great business of the Christian life is to "keep His
covenant" (Ps. 25:10): that is, to be regulated at all times by its
terms. Or, since conversion be a marriage union with Christ, the w,
hole aim of the Christian life is to be as a loving and dutiful wife
should unto her husband. All of which is summed up in that
comprehensive word. "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the
Lord, so walk ye in Him" (Col. 2:6): continue as you began, be
actuated by the same motives and principles now as when you first
surrendered to Him, let your Christian life be a perpetuation of your
conversion, be wholly devoted to Him.
What we have endeavored to set before the reader above as a definition
and description of the true and normal Christian life is that which is
typically portrayed in Joshua 3 and 4. The ark was a figure of Christ;
the "ark of the covenant of the Lord your God" pointed to Him as our
Covenant-head, the One with whom we entered into a solemn compact and
engagement at our conversion, to be henceforth and for ever only His.
Israel's following of that ark pictured our keeping of the covenant,
our being in practical subjection to Christ as our Lord and Lawgiver,
our being faithful to the marriage relationship, ever seeking to
please and promote the interests of the eternal Lover of our souls.
Just in proportion as we conduct ourselves thus will Israel's
experiences become ours. As they submitted unto Joshua's orders, as
they obediently followed the ark of the covenant, God put forth His
mighty power on their behalf, they entered into a present "rest" (Heb.
4:3), He subdued their enemies, and a land flowing with milk and honey
became their actual portion. And if such experiences be not those of
the writer, or the reader, it is just because he is failing to conduct
himself as Israel did here.
Having entered so fully into an attempt to explain the fundamental
principles underlying this incident and the main lessons to be learned
from it, there will be the less need to spend much time on its
details. "There shall be a space between you and it about two thousand
cubits by measure: come not near unto it" (v. 4). That was parallel
with the solemn prohibition given unto Israel when the Lord was about
to enter into covenant with their fathers, and make known unto them
the terms of that covenant: "the third day the Lord will come down in
the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai. And thou shalt set
bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves
that ye go not up into the mount or touch the bound of it. Whosoever
toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death" (Ex. 19:12). The
spiritual application of both unto us is set forth in that word, "God
is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints and to be had in
reverence of all them that are round about Him" (Ps. 89:7). Or, to
express the same in New Testament language, "Let us have grace whereby
we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: for our God
is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:28, 29).
The natural and local reason why the ark of the covenant should
proceed so far in advance was that it could readily be seen by all the
vast multitude: had there been no space between it and them, those who
followed closely behind it would obscure the view of the others--only
those in the first few ranks had been able to behold it. But being
borne by the priests half a mile in the van, the ark would be visible
to the whole multitude. But typically and spiritually the lessons
inculcated were: First, we should ever bear in mind that by nature we
are sinners, and as such far removed from the Holy One. Second, that
as sinners we are to look off unto Christ as our Sin-bearer, of which
the mercy seat or propitiatory (which formed the lid of the ark)
spoke. As the uplifted serpent on the pole (emblem of Christ bearing
the curse for His people) was visible to all the congregation, so the
ark in the foreground. Third, that as saints we need to keep our eyes
steadfastly fixed upon Him, "looking off unto Jesus the Author and
Finisher of faith" (Heb. 12:2), for it is a life of faith unto which
He has called us, strength for which is to be found in Him alone.
Fourth, Christ's leaving His people an example that they should
"follow His steps," for "when He puteth forth His sheep, He goeth
before them and the sheep follow Him" (John 10:4): our duty is to
"follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth" (Rev. 14:4). Fifth, the
immeasurable superiority of Christ above His people--"that in all
things He should have the preeminence" (Col. 1:18), He being the Head
we but members of His body. This must ever be borne in mind by them,
for though He be their Kinsman-Redeemer and is not ashamed to call
them "brethren," nevertheless He is their Lord and their God, and to
be owned and worshiped as such--"that all should honor the Son even as
they honor the Father" (John 5:23). Sixth, that we must conduct
ourselves toward the Lord our God with proper decorum and not with
unholy familiarity. Seventh, that He entered the and-typical Canaan in
advance, to take possession of heaven on our behalf: "whither the
Forerunner is for us entered "(Heb. 6:20)--there is both a present and
future, an initial and a perfect occupying of our heritage.
"Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand
cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by
which ye must go; for ye have not passed this way heretofore" (Josh.
3:4). Having pointed out some of the probable reasons why the ark was
to proceed so far in advance of the people, we must now turn to
consider the meaning of the last clause of this verse. Personally, we
consider the commentators and sermonizers have quite missed the force
of the "for ye have not passed this way heretofore" when they explain
it is signifying "For ye are about to march over unfamiliar ground."
Admittedly the Hebrew, and at first glance this English rendering,
appears to decidedly favor such a view, yet a careful weighing of this
clause in the light of its whole setting seem to require a different
interpretation of it, understanding it to mean "for ye have not
marched in this manner hitherto." Nor is that by any means a wresting
of the text, for though the Hebrew word "derek" be translated "way" in
the vast majority of instances, yet it is rendered "manner" eight
times--as, for example, in Genesis 19:31; Isaiah 10:24, 26).
To give as the reason why the children of Israel should follow the ark
on this occasion as "because ye are about to tread new and strange
ground" seems to possess little or no point, for had not that been
equally true on most of their journeying across the wilderness! But,
it will be asked, to what else is the reference? We answer something
entirely different from what had marked their marches previously, as
the "heretofore" indicates. The immediate context is concerned with
the informing of Israel as to when they were to advance: "when ye see
the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests the
Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place and go after
it" (v. 3). Hitherto, it was only when the cloud moved that they did
so too (see Exodus 3:21, 22, 49, 38); "whether it was by day or by
night that the cloud was taken up, they journeyed" (Num. 9:21, and cf.
14:14). During the whole of the preceding forty years Israel had been
led by that supernatural "pillar of cloud," but now and henceforth
that cloud was no longer to be with them. It was a visible token of
Jehovah's presence, especially granted unto. `Moses, and with his
death it disappeared.
A different arrangement was now made, a new means for recognizing
God's will concerning their journeyings was now revealed unto Israel,
another symbol of Jehovah's presence should henceforth strike terror
into. the hearts of His enemies. The ark of the covenant now took, in
an important sense, a new position. Formerly, when journeying the ark
had been carried in the midst of the host. It had indeed gone before
Israel on one previous occasion "to search out a resting place for
them" (Num. 10:33), yet the very next verse informs us "and the cloud
of the Lord was upon them by day, when they went out of the camp";
and, as we have seen, the immediate sequel was the fatal apostasy of
that generation. The cloud had moved above the ark (cf. Leviticus
16:2), where all the people could see it easily and follow the ark
without inconvenience; but now the cloud was no longer with them--the
ark becoming their visible guide. Another indication of this new
arrangement appears in the ones who bore the ark. A specific command
had been given that the ark should be carried by the sons of Kohath
(Num. 3:30, 31; 4:15), but here "the priests" were appointed as its
bearers.
Thus, in keeping with this new venture by the new generation, a
different order of procedure was appointed--"ye have not traveled in
this manner before." The first generation of Israel had been a
lamentable and utter failure, but there can never be any failure with
the Lord God, nor in the accomplishment of His eternal counsels. God
always takes care of His own glory and of the full and final blessing
of His people according to His purpose; yea, He never suffers them to
be divorced or pass out of His own hands. In His wondrous wisdom and
amazing grace God has inseparably united the two, and therefore does
He make all things, work together for the accomplishment of each
alike, for He has made His people and their blessing a constituent
part of His glory--"Israel My glory" (Isa. 46:13). Thus we see how
fitting it was that the ark of the covenant went in advance of the
twelve tribes on their entrance into Canaan, which the Lord had chosen
to be the place where He would make a full display of Himself in the
midst of His people. As the Lord had magnified Himself before Pharaoh
and his hosts in Egypt and at the Red Sea in connection with Israel's
exodus, so now He would magnify Himself in the sight of the Canaanites
as He bared His arm on behalf of His people.
This is indeed a marvelous and blessed truth that God has bound up the
good of His people with His own manifestative glory, that at the same
time that He furthers the one He promotes the other also. It is a
truth which ought to exercise a powerful influence upon our hearts and
lives, both in strengthening holy confidence and in preventing unholy
conduct. It furnishes us with an invincible plea when praying for the
prosperity of God's cause on earth or for our own individual
fruitfulness: "grant it, O Lord, for the honor of Thy great name." It
was on that ground Moses, in a sore crisis, presented his petition
(Num. 14:15-17), so Joshua (Josh. 7:9), Hezekiah (2 Kings 19:19), Joel
(Joel 2:17). But One far greater than any of those prayed "Father, the
hour is come, glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee"
(John 17:1). And should not each Christian say, "Father undertake for
me, that Thy child may--in his measure--glorify Thee"! Yet this
wondrous truth has a bearing on duty as well as privilege. Since my
good and God's glory be inseparably united, how careful I should be in
avoiding everything which would bring reproach upon His name! How
diligent in seeking to tread that path where communion with Him is
alone to be had! How zealous in "doing all things to the glory of God"
(1 Cor. 10:31).
"And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow
the Lord will do wonders among you" (Josh. 3:5). The word "sanctify"
is one of the most difficult terms to define that is used in
Scripture: partly because of the great variety of objects to which it
is applied; partly because it has so many different shades of meaning;
partly because doctrinally and experimentally considered there is both
a Divine and a human side to sanctification, and few find it easy to
adjust those two sides in their minds. With their customary partiality
Calvinistic writers and preachers confine themselves almost entirely
to the Church's sanctification by the Father (setting her apart from
the non-elect by His eternal decree), by the Son (who cleansed her
from her sins and adorned her by His merits), and by the Holy Spirit
(by her regeneration and daily renewing), and say little or nothing
upon the necessity and duty of the Christian's sanctifying himself.
Whereas Arminian writers and preachers dwell almost exclusively on the
human side of things, as the believer's dedication of himself unto God
and His service, and his daily cleansing of himself by the Word: Since
the days of the Puritans few indeed have made a full-orbed,
presentation of this important truth.
The first time the term occurs in Holy Writ is Genesis 2:3, and, as is
invariably the case, this initial mention at once indicates its
essential meaning and content: "And God blessed the seventh day and
sanctified it," which obviously means that He separated it from the
other six days and set it apart for His own particular use--such is
the underlying and root idea in all its subsequent occurrences where
God Himself is the Agent or Actor. The next reference is Exodus 13:2:
"Sanctify unto Me all the firstborn: whatsoever openeth the womb among
the children of Israel, of man or beast: it is Mine": that was
something which the Lord required from them, namely, to dedicate and
devote the firstborn entirely unto Him. The third occurrence is in
Exodus 19: "And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people and
sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. And
be ready against the third day, for the third day the Lord will come
down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai" (vv. 10, 11, and
see v. 15). There the word "sanctify" manifestly has reference unto a
personal cleansing by the Israelites themselves, to fit them for the
approach of the thrice Holy One.
Now it is quite clear that the injunction which Joshua gave unto
Israel in verse 5 was of precisely the same import as that which Moses
received for the people in Exodus 19. The Lord Was about to appear on
their behalf, and they were required to be in a meet condition. When
God bade Jacob go to Bethel and make there an altar unto Him, we are
told that the patriarch said unto his household, "Put away the strange
gods that are among you and be clean, and change your garments" (Gen.
35:1, 2)--idols and the worship of the Lord do not accord. Unto the
elders of Bethlehem the prophet said, "I am come to sacrifice unto the
Lord: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice" (1 Sam.
15:5). In each case the reference was first unto the removal of
ceremonial defilement, the putting away of all outward pollution, and
then to bringing their hearts into a suitable frame towards the One
with whom they had to do, for God has never been satisfied with mere
external purification and punctiliousness of formal worship (Isa.
29:13, 14). Sacred duties call for diligent preparation on the part of
those who would discharge them. Holy things are not to be touched with
unholy hands nor approached with hearts filled by the world (Ps. 26:6;
1 Tim. 2:8).
Christians are bidden to draw near unto God, "having their hearts
sprinkled from an evil conscience [i.e. all known sin forsaken and
confessed] and their bodies washed with pure water"--their daily walk
regulated and purified by the Word (Heb. 10:22), for we must not
insult Him by carelessness and moral unfitness. In order thereto we
need to give constant heed to that precept, "Let us cleanse ourselves
from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in
the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:l). And be it carefully noted that "cleanse
ourselves" is as much a part of the inspired Word of God as is "the
blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin," and that
that latter statement is qualified by (though scarcely ever quoted!)
"If we walk in the light as He is in the light." The Holy One requires
us to sanctify ourselves both internally and externally, and if we do
not, our worship is unacceptable. "If a man purge himself from these
[the things which "dishonor"] he shall be a vessel unto honor,
sanctified; and meet for the Master's use, prepared unto every good
work" (2 Tim. 2:21). "Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth
himself even as He is pure" (1 John 3:3). How? By mortifying his lusts
and cultivating his graces, by daily repentings and renewings of his
consecration.
"Sanctify yourselves," then, has been an imperative requirement of God
upon His people in all generations. The only difference which the
change of covenant has made is that, under the old, their
sanctification of themselves consisted chiefly in a ceremonial and
external purification, while that of the new is principally a moral
and internal one, and where that obtains the outward life will be
adjusted `to our Rule. No servant of Christ declares "all the counsel
of God" who fails to press that imperative requirement of God's upon
His people, and if he be silent thereon he "withholds" that which is
"profitable for them." We must "draw nigh to God" if we would have Him
draw nigh unto us (James 4:8), and, as that verse goes on to tell the
careless and those with unexercised consciences, in order to draw near
unto Him aright we must "cleanse our hands and purify our hearts"!
"Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in His
holy place?" which in New Testament language means, Who shall be
received by God as an acceptable worshipper? The inspired answer is.
"He that hath clean hands and a pure heart, who hath not lifted up his
soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully" (Ps. 24:3, 4). Alas that so
little heed is now given to such verses.
"And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow
the Lord will do wonders among you." That was an enforcing of their
moral responsibility. It was a call for them to cleanse themselves and
dedicate themselves unto the Lord their God. It was a bidding of them
to prepare themselves by prayer and meditation, to recall God's
gracious interventions in the past, to ponder His ineffable holiness,
awful majesty, mighty power and abundant mercy, and thereby bring
their hearts into a fit frame, so that with faith, reverence and
admiration they might behold the great work which Jehovah was about to
do for them. They must be in a suitable condition in order to witness
such a manifestation of His glory: their hearts must be "perfect
toward Him"--sincere and upright, honest and holy--if He was to "show
Himself strong in their behalf" (2 Chron. 16:9). Have we not here the
explanation why God is not now performing marvels in the
churches?--they are too carnal and worldly! And is not this the reason
why a way is not being made through our personal "jordans"? And why we
receive not wondrous and blessed discoveries of His glory--we are not
"sanctified" in a practical way nor sufficiently separated from the
world.
"And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow
the Lord will do wonders among you." Observe the positive and
confident language of Joshua: there was no doubt whatever in his mind
that their covenant God would perform a miracle on their behalf, and
therefore he assured them accordingly. What an example for Christ's
servant to follow! He has no right to expect that his flock will wax
valiant in fight if their shepherd be full of unbelief and fear. And,
too, when urging upon them the duty of self-sanctification, he should
fail not to add the encouragement, "the Lord will do wonders," for
sure it is that the more we shun that which defiles, and devote
ourselves unto God's service and glory, the more will He work mightily
in us, for us and through us. It is quite possible that on this
occasion Joshua had in mind that word, "And it came to pass when the
ark set forward that Moses said, Rise up, O Lord, and let Thine
enemies be scattered" (Num. 10:35), for certain Joshua was that when.
the ark should now advance the waters of the Jordan would recede.
"And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the
covenant and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of
the covenant and went before the people" (v. 6). Having directed the
people what to do, Joshua now gives instruction unto the priests.
Thereby he acted in strict accord with his own personal commission
("do according to all that is written in this book of the Law" (Josh.
1:8)--i.e. the Pentateuch), for in preparation of Jehovah's descent
upon Sinai Moses had given express charge to the priests as well as to
the people (Ex. 19:22). In the charge here given to the priests we see
how their subjection to the revealed will of God was put to the proof,
how their faith and courage were tested, and how their reverence for
the symbol of the Lord's presence was to be manifested. Corresponding
unto them today are the ministers of the Gospel, concerning whom T.
Scott well said, "They are especially required to set before the
people an example of obedience, patience, and unshakable confidence in
God, by abiding in their perilous position or difficult stations which
He has assigned them, when others fear to pass that way; and in so
doing they may expect peculiar support and protection."
The people were commanded to follow the priests as far as they carried
the ark, but no farther, and God's children today are responsible to
heed and obey His servants (Heb. 13:7, 17) only while they set forth
and honor Him of whom the ark was a figure. Namely, Christ; yet not
simply as a Savior, but in the fullness of His threefold office: as
our Prophet or Teacher (the Law within the ark), our Priest (the
propitiatory upon it), our King and Lord' ("the ark of the covenant").
But the minister of the Gospel is required to do more than faithfully
preach Christ, namely live Him: "Be thou an example of the believers
in word, in conversation, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity'" (1
Tim. 4:12); "In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works"
(Titus 2:7; and cf. 1 Thess. 2:10; 1 Pet. 5:3). The minister is to set
before his people a godly example. Unless he takes the lead in
enduring hardships and facing dangers (not showing more concern for
his own ease and safety), then his exhortations unto self-denial and
courageous action will have no power upon his hearers.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Joshua
by A.W. Pink
6. Crossing The Jordan
Joshua 3:7-17
_________________________________________________________________
The Miracle
"And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee
in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that as I was with
Moses so I will be with thee. And thou shalt command the priests that
bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of
the water of Jordan ye shall stand still in Jordan (Josh. 3:7, 8).
Before his death it had been revealed to Moses by the Lord that Joshua
should be his successor as the leader of His people, and unto that
office he had been solemnly set apart (Num. 27:18-23). Moses had also
announced unto Israel that Joshua "should cause them to inherit the
Land" (Deut. 1:38), and "the children of Israel hearkened unto him,
and did as the Lord commanded Moses" (Deut. 34:9). After the death of
Moses the people had avowed their willingness to do whatever Joshua
commanded them and to go whither he should send them, and expressed
the desire that Divine assistance would be granted him: "the Lord thy
God be with thee, as He was with Moses" (Josh. 1:16, 17). In the
interval the two spies had reconnoitered Jericho at his orders, the
people had followed him from Shittim to the Jordan (Josh. 3:1), and
had remained there three days. Now the time had come for the Lord to
more fully authenticate His servant.
Joshua had duly discharged his duty and now he was to be rewarded. He
had set before the people a noble example by acting faith on God's
word, had confidently expressed his assurance that God would make good
His promise (Josh. 1:11, 15), and now the Lord would honor the one who
had honored Him. Joshua had been faithful in a few things and he
should be made ruler over many. Devotedness unto God never passes
unrecognized by Him. The Lord would now put signal honor upon Joshua
in the sight of Israel as He had done upon Moses at the Red Sea and at
Sinai. "The Lord said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick
cloud that the people may hear when I speak unto thee, and believe
thee for ever" (Ex. 19:9): thus did He honor and authenticate Moses.
And here at the Jordan he magnified Joshua by the authority which He
conferred upon him, and attested him as His appointed leader of
Israel. The result of this is stated in Joshua 4:15, "on that day the
Lord magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they feared
[revered and obeyed] him as they feared Moses, all the days of his
[Joshua's] life."
But we must be careful lest we overlook something far more glorious
than what has just been pointed out. Surely those words, "This day
will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel," should at
once turn our thoughts to One infinitely superior to Joshua: that what
God did here for His servant was a foreshadowment of what later He did
to His Son at this same Jordan. No sooner was our blessed Lord
baptized in that river than, "Lo, the heavens were opened unto Him and
he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon
Him: And, lo, a voice from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in
whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:16, 17). Then was He "made manifest
to Israel" (John 1:31). Then was He authenticated for His great
mission. Then did God "begin to magnify Him." Still more wonderful is
the type when we observe at what part of the Jordan this occurred:
"These things were done in Beth-abara" (John 1:28), which signified
"the place of passage" (John 1:28), so that Christ was attested by the
Father at the very place where Israel passed through the river and
where Joshua was magnified!
Solemn indeed was the contrast. By what took place at the Jordan
Israel knew that Joshua was their Divinely appointed leader and
governor, and therefore they "feared him . . . all the days of his
life" (Josh. 4:15), rendering implicit and undeviating obedience unto
his orders: "And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua" (Josh.
24:31). But after the and-typical Joshua had been far more
illustriously magnified at the Jordan. identified as the Son of God
incarnate, and owned by the Father as the One in whom He delighted,
what was Israel's response? Did they love and worship Him? Did they
fear and obey Him? Very far otherwise: "He came unto His own, and His
own received Him not" (John 1:11). Their hearts were alienated and
their ears closed against Him. Though He spake as never man spake,
though He went about doing good, though He wrought miracles of power
and mercy, they "despised and rejected Him," and after a brief season
cried "Away with Him, crucify Him." Marvel, dear Christian reader,
that the Lord of glory endured such humiliation "for us men and our
salvation." Wonder and adore that He so loved us as not only to be
willing to be hated of men but smitten of God that our sins might be
put away.
"And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant,
saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall
stand still in Jordan" (v. 8). What anointed eye can fail to see here
again a shadowing forth of a greater than Joshua! Next after this
mention of God's beginning to magnify Joshua in the sight of the
people, we find him exercising high authority and giving orders to the
priests; and almost the first public act of Christ's after the Father
had attested and honored Him at the Jordan is what is recorded in
Matthew 5-7. In that sermon on the mount we behold our Savior doing
the very same thing: exercising high authority, as He evinced by His
frequently repeated "I say unto you," and issuing, orders to His
disciples, who, under the new covenant, correspond to the priests
under the old; and it is very striking to see how the twofold
application of that term and the type appear in that sermon. As we
pointed out in our last, the "priests," when bearing the ark of the
covenant, were figures of the ministers of the Gospel in their
official character, but looked at as those privileged to draw near
unto God. The "priests" were types of all the redeemed of Christ (1
Pet. 2:5, 9).
Now in the opening verses of Matthew 5, it was His servants whom
"Christ taught" (vv. 1, 2, 13-16), and to whom He issued commandments,
for "His disciples" there are to be understood as "apostles"--as in
Matthew 10:1, 2, and 28:16-20. Yet as we continue reading that
wondrous discourse we soon perceive that it cannot be restricted unto
ministers of the Gospel, but is addressed to the whole company of His
people. Therein we learn what is required from the redeemed by the One
who is their Lord, possessed of Divine authority: namely, entire
subjection unto Him, unreserved conformity to His revealed will. As
the priests of Israel must order their actions by the instructions
which they received from Joshua, so must the ministers of the Gospel
take their orders from their Divine Master, and so also must the whole
company of His redeemed be regulated wholly by the injunctions of the
Captain of their salvation. Nothing less is due unto Him who endured
such shame and suffering on their behalf; nothing else becomes those
who owe their all unto Him who died for them. It is in this way that
their gratitude and devotion is to be manifested: "If ye love Me, keep
My commandments" (John 14:13).
"And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant,
saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall
stand still in Jordan." What a testing of their faith and obedience
was that! The swollen and unfordable river before them, and they
ordered to advance unto the very edge thereof, yea, to stand still in
it! How senseless such a procedure unto carnal reason! Such too
appears the policy and means appointed by God in the Gospel: "For
after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it
pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe"
(1 Cor. 1:21). And the preaching of Christ crucified, my ministerial
friends, is entirely a matter of faith and obedience, for to our
natural intellect and perceptions it appears to be utterly inadequate
to produce eternal fruits. And even when we have preached Christ to
the best of our poor powers, it often seems that our efforts are
unavailing, and we are perhaps sorely tempted to act contrary unto
that word, "the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but spiritual."
Seek grace, then, to heed the lesson pointed by the above verse:
discharge your responsibility to the utmost extent and trustfully
leave the issue with God, as did the priests.
But there is not only a much-needed message contained in verse 8 for
the discouraged servants of Christ, but there is one too for the rank
and the of God's people, especially those of them who may be sorely
tried by present circumstances. Their faith and obedience must be
tested--that its reality may appear. Some of the Lord's commandments
present less difficulty, for they are embodied in the laws of our land
and respected by all decent people. But there are others of His
precepts which are most trying to flesh and blood and which are
scoffed at by the unregenerate. Nevertheless, our course is clear:
there can be no picking and choosing--"whatsoever He saith unto you,
do" (John 2:5). Yes, but when I have sought to obey to the best of my
ability I find circumstances all against me, a situation beyond my
powers to cope with, a "jordan" too deep and wide for me to pass
through. Very well, here is the word exactly suited to your case: come
to "the brink of the water" and then "stand still in it": proceed to
your utmost limits in the path of duty and then count upon the
omnipotent One to undertake for you.
"And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear
the words of the Lord your God" (v. 9). Once more our minds are
carried beyond the type to Antitype, who said unto Israel, "My
doctrine is not Mine, but His that sent Me" (John 7:16), and again,
"the Father which sent Me, He gave Me a commandment what I should say
and what I should speak" (John 12:49). And therefore the most diligent
heed is to be given and the most unquestioning obedience rendered unto
Him. "And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is
among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the
Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and
the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites" (v. 10). That
title, "the living God," is used in the Scriptures to point a contrast
with the inanimate idols of the heathen (2 Kings 19:4; 1 Thessalonians
1:9), and doubtless was employed by Joshua on this occasion for the
purpose of accentuating the impotency and worthlessness of all false
gods, who were utterly incapable of rendering aid, still less of
performing prodigies, for their deluded votaries; a warning also to
Israel against the sin of idolatry to which they ever were so prone.
As Joshua owned Jehovah as "the living God" so also Christ
acknowledged the One who had sent Him as the "living Father" (John
6:57).
"And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among
you" (v. 10). Note carefully the statement which immediately follows:
"and that He will without fail drive out from before you the
Canaanites," etc. We had naturally expected Joshua to say in this
connection, God will open a way for you to pass through this Jordan,
but instead he gives assurance of the conquest of the "seven nations
in the land of Canaan" (Acts 13:19). And why? To assure Israel that
the miracle of the Jordan was a Divine earnest, a certain guarantee,
that the Lord would continue to show Himself strong in their behalf.
And similarly He assures His people today. "Being confident of this
very thing: that He which hath begun a good work in you, will finish
it" (Phil. 1:6). Israel's supernatural journey through Jordan was a
figure of our regeneration, when we pass from death unto life, and
that experience ensures that the living God will perfect that which
concerneth us" (Ps. 138:8). In a word, regeneration is an infallible
earnest of our ultimate glorification. But as Israel concurred with
God, and were themselves active in driving out the Canaanites, so we
have to mortify our lusts and overcome the world in order to possess
our inheritance.
Yes, replies the reader, but that is much easier said than done. True,
yet, not only is it indispensable that we should do so, but if due
attention be paid to the passage before us and its spiritual
application unto ourselves, valuable instruction will be found herein
as to the secrets of success. Not to anticipate too much what yet
remains to be considered in detail, let us summarize the leading
points so far as they bear upon what was just said above. First,
Israel was required to act with implicit confidence in God: so must
we, if we are to be successful in our warfare, for it is "the good
fight of faith" which we are called upon to wage. Second, Israel must
render the most exact obedience to God's revealed will: so we can only
prevail over our lusts and possess our possessions by walking in the
path of His precepts. Third, Israel had to fix their eyes upon "the
ark of the covenant": so we are to be subject unto Christ in all
things, and make daily use of His cleansing blood--the propitiatory
which formed the lid of the ark.
Fourth, "The Lord of all the earth"--God in His unlimited
dominion--was the particular character in which Israel here viewed
God: so we must rely upon His all-mighty power and count upon Him
making us more than conquerors.
"Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth
over before you into Jordan. Now therefore take you twelve men out of
the tribes of Israel, out of every man a tribe. And it shall come to
pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the
ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters
of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters
that come down from above; and they shall stand upon a heap" (vv.
11-13).
In those words Joshua now specifically announced and described one of
the most remarkable of the miracles recorded in Holy Writ. The priests
were to proceed unto the edge of the water and then stop--that it
might be the more evident that the Jordan was driven back at the
presence of the Lord. As Matthew Henry wrote, "God could have divided
the river without the priests, but they could not without Him. The
priests must herein set a good example and teach the people to do
their utmost in the service of God, and trust Him for help in time of
need." Note how the opening' word of verse 11 emphasized yet again
that attention was to be concentrated upon the ark, which, as we have
previously pointed out, was made for the Law and not the Law for
it--typifying. Christ, "made under the Law" (Gal. 4:4), magnifying and
making it honorable (Isa. 42:21).
Remember too that the propitiatory formed the lid of the ark: it was
not only a cover for the sacred coffer, but a shield between the Law
and the people of God. The central thing within it was the Law (1
Kings 8:9), and between the cherubim on its mercy seat Jehovah had His
throne (Ps. 99:1). That is why all through Joshua 3 and 4 it is termed
"the ark of the covenant," for when Moses went up upon Sinai the
second time we are told that "he wrote upon the tables the words of
the covenant, the ten commandments" (Ex. 34:28). It should be
carefully borne in mind that even under the old covenant the promise
preceded the giving of the Law (Ex. 3:17; 12:25), yet the fulfillment
thereof was not to be without the enforcing of their accountability.
In like manner the ten commandments themselves were prefaced by "I am
the Lord thy God which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt,"
manifesting His "goodness" to them and His "severity" upon their
enemies--that was the testimony of His character who entered into
covenant with them.
It is to be duly noted that the particular designation given to
Jehovah in connection with the ark of the covenant in verse 11 is
repeated in verse 13, which at once intimates it is one of special
weight and significance. This title, "the Lord of all the earth," is
not found in the Pentateuch, occurring here in Joshua 3 for the first
time, its force being more or less indicated by what is said in verse
10 and the nature and time of the miracle then wrought. The reference
here is unto God the Father, and signifies His absolute sovereignty
and universal dominion--the Proprietor and Governor of the earth which
He created, the One whom none can successfully resist. This title
occurs in the Scriptures seven times! Twice in Joshua 3, then in Psalm
97:5, Micah 4:15, Zechariah 6:5. In Zechariah 4:14, we behold the
three Persons of the Godhead in their covenant characters: "these are
the two Anointed Ones [Christ and the Holy Spirit] that stand before
the Lord of all the earth." But in Isaiah 54:5, we see the incarnate
Son, "the Lord of hosts is His name, and thy Redeemer the Holy One of
Israel, the God of all the earth shall He be called"--a prophetic
intimation of the taking down of the "middle wall of partition," when
Jew and Gentile alike should own Him as their God.
As a reward for Joshua's past faithfulness and in order to equip him
more thoroughly for the great task before him, the Lord determined to
put signal honor upon His servant so that Israel might assuredly know
that as the mighty God had been with Moses so He would be with his
successor (Josh. 3:7). That at once turns our thoughts back to Exodus
14: and it is both interesting and instructive to trace out the many
points of contrast and comparison between what occurred at the Red Sea
and here at Jordan. Let us consider first those respects in which they
differed.
First, the one terminated Israel's exodus from the house of bondage,
while the other initiated their entrance into the land of promise.
Second, the former miracle was wrought in order that Israel might
escape from the Egyptians, the latter to enable them to approach and
conquer the Canaanites. Third, in connection with that, the Lord
caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind (Ex. 14:21); but with
reference to this no means whatever were employed--to demonstrate that
He is not tied unto such, but employs or dispenses with them as He
pleases. Fourth, the earlier miracle was performed at nighttime (Ex.
14:21), the latter in broad daylight. Fifth, at the Red Sea multitudes
were slain, for the Lord "made the waters to return upon the
Egyptians, so that it covered the chariots and the horsemen: all the
host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them, there remained not
so much as one of them" (Ex. 14:28); whereas at the Jordan not a
single soul perished. Sixth, the one was wrought for a people who just
previously had been full of unbelief and murmuring, saying unto Moses:
"Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die
in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us?" (Ex.
14:11); the other for a people who were believing and obedient (Josh.
2:24; 3:1).
Seventh, with the sole exception of Caleb and Joshua all the adults
who benefited by the former miracle perished in the wilderness because
of their unbelief, while not a single one of those who were favored to
share in the latter failed to "possess their possessions." Eighth, at
the Red Sea the waters were divided" (Ex. 14:21), but here at the
Jordan they were not so--rather they were made to "stand upon a heap"
(Josh. 3:13). Ninth, in the former the believer's judicial death unto
sin was typed out; in the latter, his legal oneness with Christ in His
resurrection, to be followed by a practical entrance into his
inheritance. Tenth, consequently, whereas there was no "sanctify
yourselves" before the former, such a call was an imperative
requirement for the latter (Josh. 3:5). Eleventh, the response made by
Israel's enemies to the Lord's intervention for Israel at the Red Sea
was, "I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my lust
shall be satisfied upon them" (Ex. 15:9); but in the latter, "It came
to pass when all the people of the Amorites, which were on the other
side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites . . .
heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan . . . that their
heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more" (Josh. 5:1).
Twelfth, after the working of the former "Israel saw the Egyptians
dead upon the sea shore" (Ex. 14:31); after the latter a cairn of
twelve stones memorialized the event (Josh. 4:20-24).
It is surely remarkable that there are as many analogies between the
two miracles as dissimilarities. Yet that illustrates a principle
which the attentive observer will find exemplified all through
Scripture, and which the young student is advised to make careful note
of. "Two" is the number of witness--as the Lord sent forth the
apostles in pairs to testify of Him. It was the minimum number for
such under the Law (John 8:17), for if the sworn testimony of two
different men agreed, this was considered conclusive. Thus two is also
the number of comparison and contrast. Hence it will be found that
when there are only two of a kind, such as the miracles of the Red Sea
and the Jordan, there is always a number of marked resemblances and
divergencies between them. Some may like to work out for themselves
the parallels and oppositions between the Old and New Testaments,
Sinai and Sion, the first and second advents of Christ, the respective
careers of Moses and Joshua, the ministries of Elijah and Elisha, and
so on. The same principle is exemplified where a Greek word occurs but
twice: as "apopnigo" (Luke 8:7, 23), "apokueo" (James 1:15, 18),
"panoplia" (Luke 11:22; Ephesians 6:11). So too when two parables,
miracles, incidents, are placed in juxtaposition.
The following are some of the points of resemblance between these two.
(1) In each case the miracle was connected with water. (2) Neither was
done in a corner or beheld by only a few, but was witnessed by the
whole nation of Israel. (3) Each was preceded by an act required of
God's servant--Moses, in the stretching forth of his hand (Ex. 14:21);
Joshua, in giving command to the people. (4) Each was the removal of a
formidable barrier in Israel's path. (5) Each had the design of
authenticating Israel's leader (Ex. 14:31; Joshua 4:14). (6) Each
presented a severe test unto Israel's faith and obedience (Ex. 14:15;
Joshua 3:3). (7) In each case they passed over dry-shod. (8) Both
miracles were wrought in silence: neither was accompanied by shouts of
triumph, nor was there any sounding of the rams' horns--as, later, in
the case of the miraculous fall of Jericho's walls (Josh. 6:9, 20).
(9) Afterward both the Red Sea and the waters of the Jordan returned
again to their normal state. (10) Each inaugurated a new period in
Israel's history. (11) In both there was a prodigious display of
Jehovah's power to the consternation of His enemies. (12) Both
miracles were celebrated by songs of praise.
Some of our readers may think that we made a slip in the last point:
they will recall the songs of Israel in Exodus 15 and ask, But where
is there any song of praise celebrating what occurred at the Jordan?
Separate celebration there is none, but the two miracles are conjoined
and made the special subject of sacred ode, namely in Psalm 114, to
which we would now direct attention. Many of those who are best
qualified to express a considered opinion on the merits of poetry have
freely testified that in this psalm the art of sacred minstrelsy has
reached its climax: that no human mind has ever been able to equal,
much less to excel, the grandeur of its contents. In it we have most
vividly depicted the greatest of inanimate things rendering obeisance
unto their Maker. As one beautifully summarized it, "The God of Jacob
is exalted as having command over river, sea and mountain, and causing
all nature to pay homage and tribute before His majesty."
Psalm 114 is a remarkable one in several respects. First, it is
written without any preface. It is as though the soul of its author
was so elevated and filled with a sense of the Divine glory that he
could not pause to compose an introduction, but rather burst forth at
once into the midst of his theme, namely, the wondrous works which
were wrought for Israel of old, of which they were the actual
eye-witnesses and beneficiaries. Second, in it the rules of grammar
are ignored, for in verse two we find the possessive pronoun used
without a preceding substantive. The presence of God is concealed in
the first verse, for, as Isaac Watts pointed out, "If God had appeared
before, there could be no wonder when the mountains should leap and
the sea retire--therefore, that these convulsions of nature may be
brought in with due surprise, His name is not mentioned till
afterwards." Third, this psalm was fittingly made a part of "the
Hallelujah" which the Jews of all later generations were wont to sing
at their Passover supper. Fourth, all that is portrayed in this psalm
was typical of the still greater wonders wrought by the redemptive
work of Christ.
That psalm celebrates the marvels performed by Jehovah on behalf of
His people of old, particularly their exodus from Egypt and His
conducting them through the Red Sea and the Jordan. Such glorious acts
of God's power and grace must never be forgotten, but owned in
gladsome praise. "When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob
from a people of strange language, Judah was His sanctuary, Israel His
dominion" (vv. 1 and 2). The Lord delivered His people from the house
of bondage that they might serve Him and show forth His praises, in
the duties of worship and in obedience to His Law. In order thereto,
He set up His "sanctuary among them--first in the tabernacle, then in
the temple, finally in Christ His incarnate Son--in which He gave
special tokens of His presence. Further, He set up His "dominion" or
throne among them, being Himself their Lord, King and Judge. Observe
well how that here, as everywhere, privilege and duty, Divine favor
and human responsibility, are united. God acted graciously. God
maintained the rights of His righteousness. As His "sanctuary" Israel
was separated unto God as a peculiar people, a nation of priests, holy
unto the Lord. As His "dominion" they were a theocracy, governed
directly by Him. So we have been redeemed that we should "serve Him .
. . in holiness and righteousness . . . all the days of our life"
(Luke 1:74, 75). If we enjoy the favors of His "sanctuary" we must
also submit to His "dominion."
"The sea saw, and fled; Jordan was driven back. The mountains skipped
like rams, the little hills like lambs" (vv. 3, 4). In those words the
inspired poet depicts inanimate creation trembling before its Maker.
It was because Jehovah was Israel's "sanctuary" and "dominion" that
the Red Sea fled before them. Sinai quivered and the waters of Jordan
were effectually dammed. The Almighty was at the head of His people,
and nothing could stand before Him, or withstand them. The sea saw":
it now beheld what it never had previously, namely, "the pillar of
cloud" (Ex. 14:19)--symbol of Jehovah's presence; and, unable to
endure such a sight, fled to the right and to the left, opening a
clear passage for the Hebrews. Jordan, too, as the ark of the covenant
entered its brim, was driven back, so that its rapid torrent was
stayed, yea, fled uphill. Graphic figures were those of that
invincible operation of Divine grace in the hearts of God's elect,
when the mighty power of God is so put forth that turbulent rebels are
tamed, fierce lusts subdued, proud imaginations cast down, and
self-sufficient wiseacres are brought to enter the kingdom of Christ
as "little children"!
"What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that
thou wast driven back? Ye mountains that ye skipped like rams, ye
little hills like lambs?" (vv. 5, 6). That is the language of holy
irony, the Spirit of God pouring contempt upon the unbelieving
thoughts of men who foolishly imagine that the Almighty can be
withstood, yea, thwarted by the creatures of His own hands. "What
ailed thee, O thou sea?": the poet apostrophizes it in the terms of
mockery. Wast thou so terribly afraid? Did thy proud strength then
utterly fail thee? Did thy very heart dry up, so that no resistance
wast left in thee?" Such an interrogation also teaches us that it
behooves us to inquire after the reason of things when we behold the
marvels of nature, and not merely gaze upon them as senseless
spectators. We have here also a foreshadowing and sure prophecy of the
utter impotency of the wicked in the last great day: if the granite
cliffs of Sinai were shaken to their base when Jehovah descended upon
it, what consternation and trembling will seize the stoutest hearts
when they stand before their awful Judge! See verse 7.
Psalm 114 is by no means the only place where we find celebration made
of the miracles witnessed at the Red Sea and Jordan and the other
marvels wrought about the same time. The prophet Habakkuk also links
together those two wonders, and in language which serves to cast
further light upon the Lord's design therein--teaching us the
importance and necessity of carefully comparing Scripture with
Scripture, if we would obtain a full view of any event or subject, for
each passage makes its own distinct contribution unto the whole. In
Joshua we behold the Lord acting more in His sovereign grace and
covenant faithfulness on behalf of the seed of Abraham, but Habakkuk
informs us He was exercising righteous indignation against His
enemies, who had devoted themselves unto the most horrible idolatry
and unspeakable immorality. It was in holy wrath against both the
Egyptians and the Canaanites that God put forth His mighty power, when
the iniquity of the Amorites" had come to the "full" (Gen. 15:16). The
whole of Habakkuk 3 is exceedingly graphic and solemn, though we must
do no more here than make a bare quotation of portions of it.
The Holy One is vividly pictured as manifesting Himself in the whole
of that district which lay to the south of Judah, including Sinai,
when "His glory covered the heavens and the earth was full of His
praise" (v. 3). "He stood and measured the earth" (v. 6) or "caused
the earth to tremble," as the Jewish Targum renders it, and as appears
to be required by the parallelism of the next clause: "He beheld
[merely "looked upon"!], and drave asunder the nations." That sixth
verse may be regarded as the "text" which is illustrated by God's
control over the forces of nature. "Was the Lord displeased against
the rivers? was Thine anger against the rivers? [when He made the
lower waters of the Jordan to flee away, and the higher ones to "stand
on a heap"]; was Thy wrath against the sea, that Thou didst ride upon
Thine horses and Thy chariots of salvation?" (v. 8), when, as an
invincible Conqueror, Thou didst carry all before Thee! "The mountains
[of Sinai] saw Thee and trembled: the overflowing of the water [Joshua
3:15] passed by: the deep uttered his voice and lifted up his hands on
high" (v. 10)--see Joshua 3:16--as though in token of submission to
and adoration of their Maker. "The sun and moon stood still in their
habitation" (v. 11)--see Joshua 10:12, 13. "Thou didst march through
the land in indignation, Thou didst thresh the heathen in anger" (v.
12).
Returning to Joshua 3. "Behold the ark of the covenant of the Lord of
all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan . . . And it shall
come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that
bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the
waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the
waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon a heap"
(vv. 11, 13). "He who is your covenant God with you, has both the
right and power to command, control, use and dispose of all nations
and all creatures. He is `the Lord of all the earth' and therefore He
needs not you, nor can He be benefited by you: therefore it is your
honor and happiness to have Him in covenant with you; all the
creatures are at your service, when He pleases all shall be employed
for you. When we are praising and worshipping God as Israel's God, and
ours through Christ, we must remember that He is the Lord of the whole
earth, and reverence and trust in Him accordingly . . . While we make
God's precepts our rule, His promises our stay, and His providence our
guide, we need not dread the greatest difficulties we may meet with in
the way of duty" (Matthew Henry).
Here we may see yet another reason--beyond those we have previously
pointed out--why the sacred ark was carried so far in advance of the
people (v. 4), namely, that the whole congregation might have a better
and clearer view of the miracle which God was about to perform for
them. The host of Israel standing so far in the rear would have a much
plainer opportunity of witnessing and adoring the glorious power of
their God.
Lessons from the Crossing
Before mentioning some of the different aspects of Truth which are
illustrated in Joshua 3, let us look at the miracle there recorded.
"And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents to pass
over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before
the people; and as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and
the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of
the water, for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of
harvest" (vv. 14, 15). First, observe well the time when this wonder
was wrought. It was in the spring of the year, when the river was in
spate. At that season the snows on Mount Lebanon (near which Jordan
had its rise) melted, when there was an annual inundation of the
valley. God selected a month when conditions were such as to form the
most suitable background for an illustrious display of His power. He
did not defer the crossing of the river until the end of summer, when
it had been at its lowest, but chose the month when it was at its
broadest and deepest, that His hand might be the more plainly seen. 1
Chronicles 12:15, tells us Jordan continued to "overflow" in the days
of David.
Next, we would take note of a little detail here which brings out the
minute accuracy of Scripture and attests its historical verity, and
that in a most artless manner. Joshua 3:15, tells us it was "the time
of harvest." Now the "barley harvest" came first (Ruth 1:22), and
after an interval of a month or so the "wheat harvest" (Ruth 2:21,
23). Now the Jordan was crossed on the tenth day of the fourth month
(Josh. 4:19), or four days before the Passover, which fell in with the
barley harvest. From Exodus 9:31, we learn that the barley ripened at
that season, for the plague of hail was only a day or two before the
Passover. From that verse we learn that the "flax" crop ripened at the
same time, and, since the climate of Palestine differed little from
that of Egypt, this, no doubt, was the case in Canaan too. Thus, by a
comparison of Joshua 3:13, and 4:19, with Exodus 9:31, we see that
Israel crossed the Jordan when both the barley and the flax were ripe.
What a silent but convincing confirmation does that furnish of the
incidental statement that Rahab hid the spies "with the stalks of
flax" (Josh. 2:6)! This is one out of scores of similar instances
adduced by J.J. Blunt in his remarkable book (out of print) Undesigned
Coincidences to manifest the veracity of the Word.
"That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon a
heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan, and those
that came down toward the sea of the plain, the salt sea, failed and
were cut off; and the people passed over right against Jericho" (v.
16). First, the waters were cleft asunder so that those which came
down from above--i.e. from the mountains--were invincibly dammed, so
that the down-flowing torrent was supernaturally stayed. It was as
though an enormous but invisible sluice had suddenly shut off the
stream at its source. Second, the huge volume which had already
descended was made to turn backward and stand on a heap in a congealed
mass--which in our judgment was more remarkable than what occurred at
the Red Sea. That solid wall of water must have appeared like some
mammoth buttress, yet without any apparent support. Third, the waters
which were already in the Jordan valley rapidly drained away into the
Dead Sea, leaving the whole of the river's bed dry--"as far downward,
it is likely, as it swelled upward" (Matthew Henry). Most vividly did
R. Gosse depict this prodigy.
"At any time the passage of the river by such a multitude, with their
wives and children, their flocks and herds, and all their baggage,
would have presented formidable difficulties; but now the channel was
filled with a deep and impetuous torrent, which overflowed its banks
and spread widely on either side, probably extending nearly a mile in
width; while in the very sight of the scene were the Canaanitish
hosts, who might be expected to pour out from their fortress and
exterminate the invading multitude before they could reach the shore.
Yet these difficulties were nothing to Almighty power, and only serve
to heighten the effect of the stupendous miracle about to be wrought.
No sooner had the feet of the priests touched the brim of the
overflowing river than the swollen waters receded from them; and not
only the broad lower valley but the deep bed of the stream was
presently emptied of water, and its pebbly bottom became dry. The
waters which had been in the channel speedily ran off, while those
which would naturally have replaced them from above were miraculously
suspended, and accumulated in a glassy heap, far above the city Adam .
. . nearly the whole channel of the Lower Jordan from a little below
the Lake of Tiberias to the Dead Sea was dry."
"And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood
firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites
passed over on dry ground until all the people were passed clean over
Jordan" (v. 17). What a test of the priests' faith and obedience was
that!--a much more severe one than that required of them in verse 8.
There they were only bidden to step into the brink of the water, which
at most occasioned but a temporary inconvenience, though since they
had to do so before any miracle was wrought, it called for
unquestioning, submission to the Divine will. But here they were
required to remain stationary in the center of the river bed, which to
sight was a most perilous situation--with the great mass of the higher
waters liable to suddenly rush down and engulf them. But there they
patiently abode, for it must have taken many hours for such a huge
multitude to pass over on foot. God's servants are not only called
upon to set His people an example of implicit confidence in and full
obedience to Him, but to take the lead when dangers threaten and
acquit themselves courageously and perseveringly. The Lord fully
vindicated the priests' obedience, holding back the mighty torrent
until after they too crossed to the farther side; thereby denoting
that the same power which divided the waters kept them suspended.
Consider now some of the lessons taught us here.
(1) We are shown the fundamental things which God requires from His
people. First, they must "sanctify themselves" (v. 5), the essential
elements of which are separation from sin and the world, entire
consecration of ourselves unto God. Thereby we evince that He has won
our hearts. Second, they must obediently follow the ark of the
covenant, ordering their actions by it. In the ark was the Divine
Law--the articles of the covenant. They must, in resolve and earnest
endeavor, be regulated by the will of God in all things, doing
whatsoever He commanded them. Third, they must steadily and thankfully
view the propitiatory which formed the lid of the ark. Here we behold
the blessed balance. The ark spoke of the righteous demands of God
upon us, the mercy-seat of His gracious provisions for us. Humbly
confess your sins to God, and thankfully plead the cleansing blood of
Christ. If we conduct ourselves by those three basic rules all will be
well.
(2) What a glorious God do we serve! He is possessed of all-mighty
power and infinite wisdom. All the powers and elements of nature are
subject to Him and make way for His presence. When He so pleases He
can alter all the properties of those elements and change the course
of nature. Nothing is too hard for that One who has turned liquid
floods into solid walls, who has caused the sun to stand still (yea,
to go backward: 2 Kings 20:11), who has made flinty rocks to pour out
fountains of water, ravens to feed Elijah, iron to swim, fire not to
burn. "He turneth rivers into a wilderness and the water-springs into
dry ground. . . . He turneth the wilderness into a standing water and
dry ground into water-springs. And there He maketh the hungry to
dwell" (Ps. 107:32-35). And if such a God be for us, who can be
against us?
(3) Man's extremity is God's opportunity. The Lord waits to be
gracious. Often He suffers our circumstances to become critical, yea,
desperate, before He appears on our behalf. Here was Israel ready to
enter Canaan, and there was the Jordan "overflowing his banks"--a
season which to carnal reason seemed the most unfavorable of all. Ah,
but it afforded the Lord a most fitting occasion to display His
sufficiency. "Though that opposition made to the salvation of God's
people have all imaginable advantage, yet God can and will conquer it.
Let the banks of Jordan be filled to the brim, filled till they rush
over it, it is as easy to Omnipotence to divide them and dry them up,
as if they were never so narrow, never so shallow: it is all one unto
the Lord" (Matthew Henry). Then let not the Christian reader give way
to despair because the conditions in which he finds himself are
altogether beyond his power to overcome. Your troubles may have
already reached the high-water mark, but when they "overflow" and all
appears to be lost, then you may expect the Lord to show Himself
strong in your behalf.
(4) We have here an illustration of the grand truth expressed in
Romans 8:28, "For we know that all things work together for good to
them that love God." Alas, there are times when many a Christian has
unbelievingly said with Jacob "all these things are against me" (Gen.
42:36), and even though some may not have gone that far, yet few could
plead guiltless to having feared that some things were against them.
Did not the flooded valley appear to be directly against Israel,
working for their ill? Yet, in reality, the very overflowing of the
Jordan was among the all things contributing to their good, for it
furnished an occasion for their God to the more manifestly display His
power for them, so that instead of hindering, that inundation actually
promoted their good--strengthening, their faith in the Lord. How that
should reassure the hard-pressed saint today! The very thing or things
which are inclining you to give way to despair will yet prove a
blessing in disguise, and you will have reason to acknowledge with
David "it is good for me that I have been afflicted" (Ps. 119:71). The
dark dispensations of Divine providence, the tribulations you
experience, are for the trying and development of your graces.
(5) We have here an exemplification of what is stated in Genesis
1:6-9, where we are told that on the second day "God made the
firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from
the waters which were above the firmament." By the latter "waters" we
understand the reference to be unto something other than the ordinary
moisture suspended in the atmosphere, namely, to those "floods" of
Genesis 7:11, 12. "By the dividing of the waters from the waters [at
the Jordan] and the making of the dry land [there] to appear, God
would remind them of that which Moses by Divine revelation had
instructed them in concerning the work of creation. That, by what they
now saw, their belief of that which they there read might be assisted,
and they might know that the God whom they worshipped was the same God
that made the world and that it was the same power which was engaged
and employed for them" (Matthew Henry). Thus this miracle of Joshua 3
serves to illustrate the verity of Genesis 1:6-9.
(6) We also behold a striking but solemn type of Christ effecting the
work of our redemption. The ark adumbrated Him as the Covenant-head of
His people: borne by the priests, signifying that His work was wrought
in His official character. The Divine appointment that the ark must go
so far in advance of the people (Josh. 3:4) foreshadowed the blessed
but awe-inspiring fact that Christ was alone in performing the work of
redemption: "there is none to help" (Ps. 22:11) was His plaintive cry.
Peter declared that he was ready to accompany his Master unto death,
but He answered, "whither I go, thou canst not follow Me now" (John
13:36). And why? Because Christ was about to endure the wrath of God
and experience the awful curse of the Law in the stead of His people.
The "Jordan" was not only an emblem of death, but of judgment--"dan"
meaning "judging" (Gen. 30:6). Observe well that in Joshua in. 15, we
are most significantly told that the river fled back to the place of
Adam, to intimate that Christ bore the judgment of all our sills, even
"original sin"--the condemnation which the first man's transgression
brought upon us, as well as the additional guilt of all our own
iniquities.
(7) How to act when confronted by difficulty or danger. Though we
dwelt upon this at some length in a previous article, yet because we
deem it the most important practical lesson inculcated, we make
further reference to it now. Perplexing problems, baffling situations,
being faced with formidable obstacles are, from time to time, the
experience of each Christian: how then is he to conduct himself?
Without again enlarging upon the necessity of his taking full stock of
the obstacle and of his own inability to remove it, of his refusing to
lean unto his own understanding or resort to any carnal expediency, of
his being regulated only by the Word of God and walking "in newness of
life," we will stress but one feature, the central one: his looking
trustfully, expectantly, and perseveringly unto the Lord to make a
passage for him through his "Jordan." In a word, to keep the eye of
faith steadfastly fixed on the Anti-typical Ark, to grasp firmly His
promise, "When thou passeth through the waters, I will be with thee;
and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee . . . for I am
the Lord thy God: the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior" or "Deliverer"
(Isa. 43:2).
(8) For the Christian there is nothing whatever to fear in death, is
another truth writ large across Joshua 3. Yet the fact remains that,
excepting sin, there is nothing so much dreaded by not a few of God's
children: with them a horror of sin proceeds from a spiritual
principle, of death from their natural constitution. But death can no
more harm a saint than the Jordan did any of the children of Israel,
and that for the very same reasons. Christ has vanquished death, as in
a figure the ark of the covenant vanquished the Jordan. It was as that
sacred vessel entered the brim that its waters fled before it, and in
consequence all who followed it passed through dry shod. So it was
Christ's going before His people into death which has rendered it
impotent to hurt them, and therefore they exultantly cry, "O death,
where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death
is sin, and the strength of sin is the Law, but thanks be to God which
giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor.
15:55-57), for He endured the Law's penalty upon our behalf and
extracted the fatal sting from death. For the believer death is the
portal into the heavenly Canaan.
Activity of the Priesthood
Before we turn to consider the contents of Joshua 4 and contemplate
the memorials that God ordered to mark the Jordan miracle, we should
look more definitely at a prominent detail in chapter three which did
not receive due attention in the preceding articles, and which
supplies an important link between the two chapters, namely, the
prominent part played by the priests in bearing the ark of the
covenant, the "ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth," before
which the lower waters of the Jordan fled and the upper water "stood
upon a heap." Therein we behold the nation of Israel in its primary
relations to God. In the books, of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers we
are shown the establishment of God's way with them and the declaration
of His will and purpose through Moses, who was both their Divinely
appointed commander and mediator, while Aaron was their great high
priest. That relationship was reaffirmed in the opening verses of
Joshua: "As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. I will not fail
thee, nor forsake thee" (Josh. 1:4). Besides that assurance to Joshua
personally, as the successor of Moses, there was the necessary
continuation of the high priest and the Levitical priesthood in
Israel's midst.
The priesthood in their service had charge of the ark and the order of
the tabernacle which was erected at Shiloh (Josh. 18:1), neither of
which Joshua nor his armed men were suffered to touch. Each of those
great functionaries held their respective appointments directly from
the Lord, and the two in their combined action--whether in the
sanctuary of God or in the camp of Israel--executed the will of
Jehovah concerning both His majesty and holiness, which was thus the
glory of His people. The priesthood and the tabernacle were
indispensable as their way of approach unto God as worshippers, while
outwardly the relations of God with Israel, by the ark of the
covenant, were manifested in the sight of all their enemies. That was
equally true during the ministration of Aaron in the wilderness, or
the Levites with Joshua when the waters of Jordan fled, or while
marching around the city of Jericho and its walls fell down flat. Just
as Moses and Aaron were inseparable in their varied ministrations from
the exodus of Egypt and onward, so were the priest and the captain of
Israel's hosts at the door of the tabernacle in Shiloh when the land
was divided among Israel's tribes (Josh. 18:10).
Not only were those two distinctive orders and services established by
God at the beginning (adumbrated as early as Exodus 4:14, 15!), but
when Aaron died on mount Hor, we are told that "Moses stripped Aaron
of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son," and this he did "as
the Lord commanded in the sight of all the congregation" (Num. 20:27,
28). In like manner, when the death of Moses drew nigh on mount Abarim
(the "mountain" is ever the symbol of government), he besought the
Lord "to set a man over the congregation" (Num. 27:16), and the Lord
bade him, "Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the
Spirit, and lay thine hand upon him [the figure of identification] and
set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and
give him a charge in their sight" (vv. 18, 19). The connection, and
yet the contrast between them, was intimated thus: "And he shall stand
before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him, at the
judgment of Urim before the Lord: at his [Joshua's] word shall they go
out and at his word shall they come in; both he and all the children
of Israel with him" (Num. 27:21).
What has just been pointed out serves to explain the fact that in the
book which bears his name, Joshua (though the commander-in-chief of
Israel) is seen to be subservient unto Eleazar the priest--four times
the two are mentioned together, and in each instance Eleazar is given
the precedence. This order and those Divine appointments were the
basis of the history of Israel under Joshua and the anointed
priesthood, with "the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God" which
they bore along, for that ark (as was pointed out in an earlier
article) was not only the witness of Joshua's presence in the midst of
His people, but also the symbol of His relations with them. God ever
takes care of His own glory and yet at the same time promotes the full
blessing of His people according to His eternal purpose. He never
allows those two things to be separated, or to pass from His own
immediate control but works them out together, for He has made their
felicity an integral part of His glory. How fitting then that the ark
of the covenant should be in advance of the twelve tribes as they went
forward into their inheritance and unto the mount (Zion) of God's
holiness.
But let us pause for a moment and point out the practical bearing of
this upon ourselves. It is indeed a most wonderful and blessed thing
that the great God has inseparably connected His own manifestative
glory and the good of His own people, yet it is one which should have
a moving and melting effect upon our hearts, and cause us to see
diligently to it that our lives are duly ordered and made suitable
thereto. Without entering into details, let us summarize in two brief
statements the obligations which that grand truth devolve upon us.
First, we should ever be on our guard against separating our present
communion with God from the revealed pathway of His glory. Communion
with God can only be had and maintained while we tread "the way of
holiness" (Isa. 35:10), for we cannot glorify Him unless we walk in
obedience to Him. Second, Christ Himself must be the Object of our eye
(Heb. 12:2) and heart (Song 8:6): upon Him our affections are to be
set (Col. 3:1, 2), to Him we are to live (Phil. 1:21), for it is in
Him the glory of God and the present and eternal blessedness of His
people meet.
In Psalm 78:61, the ark is designated "His glory," and when (in token
of His displeasure with Israel and of the severance of their communion
with Him) God suffered the ark to be captured by the Philistines, the
daughter-in-law of the high priest cried, "The glory is departed from
Israel" (1 Sam. 4:22). But here in Joshua 3 that "glory" advanced at
the head of Israel and opened a way for them into Canaan. But every
eye was to be upon "the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God," who
went before them to find a "resting place" worthy of Himself, in which
to keep His appointed service and share His delights with His people.
Accordingly we find, in the heyday of Israel's prosperity, that
Solomon prayed at the dedication of the temple on Mount Zion, "Now
therefore arise, O Lord God, into Thy resting place, Thou, and the ark
of Thy strength: let Thy priests, O Lord God, be clothed with
salvation, and let Thy saints rejoice in Thy goodness" (2 Chron. 6:41,
42) -- which will receive its final and complete fulfillment when the
prayer of Christ in John 17:24, receives its answer.
Now it was "the priests, the Levites" who were appointed to bear the
ark, which, when Israel saw in motion, was their signal for
advance--"then ye shall remove from your place and go after it" (Josh.
3:3). As the congregation did so, the first thing which they beheld
was the manner in which God gets glory to Himself, namely, by driving
back that which intercepted their way, putting forth His mighty power
on their behalf as "the Lord your God." That which we are particularly
concerned with now is the fact that it was when "the feet of the
priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water . . .
that the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon a
heap very far from the city of Adam, that is beside Zaretan; and those
that came down toward the sea of the plain, the salt sea, failed, and
were cut off; and the people passed over right against Jericho" (Josh.
3:15, 16). Thereby the priesthood are given a distinguished position
on this occasion, and are placed in the forefront in this book because
of their consecration and appointment to the service of the sanctuary.
Yet their prominence did not derogate from the honor of Joshua as the
leader of the people, for he is the one who gave direction unto the
priests (Josh. 3:6)!
That is very remarkable, and should be duly pondered. When the Lord
said unto Joshua, "This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight
of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was, with Moses, so I
will be with thee," the very next thing was, "And thou shalt command
the priests that bear the ark of the covenant" (Josh. 3:8). Even when
Eleazar, the high priest, comes more distinctively into the forefront
in connection with the assigning of the inheritance of the tribes, he
does not interfere with the place which God had given Joshua. One of
the principal values of these inspired records is the conjoint action
of Eleazar and Joshua when they could act together. The same feature
of the honorable and prominent place accorded the priesthood, and yet
Joshua's authority over them, is seen again in chapter six, in
connection with the taking of Jericho, for not only did the ark of the
covenant go before all the men of war, but that in turn was preceded
by "seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns," before
whose blast the walls fell down; yet it was Joshua who issued orders
to these priests (Josh. 6:6).
We have dwelt the longer upon this prominent feature of the book of
Joshua (about which we shall have more to say, D.V., as we pass on to
the later chapters) not only because it has been largely ignored by
those who have written thereon, but also and chiefly, because of the
deep importance of the same when considered, first, in connection with
the Lord Jesus Christ; and, second, in connection with His people. It
has indeed been widely recognized that Joshua is one of the
outstanding characters of the Old Testament, who foreshadowed our
Savior, and if we are spared to complete this series we hope to show
that he did so in no less than fifty details. But it has been
perceived by very few indeed that Eleazar was equally a type of
Christ, and that the two must be viewed in conjunction in order to
behold the completeness of their joint adumbrations. That should be
apparent at once from their immediate predecessors, for we need to
join together Moses and Aaron in order to obtain the Divinely designed
prefiguration of the One who was both "The Apostle and High Priest of
our profession, Christ Jesus" (Heb. 3:1). Thus it was also with Joshua
and Eleazar.
That the history of the children of Israel was a typical one and that
it adumbrated the experiences, the provisions made for, and the
salvation of the whole election of grace, is too plain for any
anointed eye to miss. Their oppression by Pharaoh and their groaning
amid the brick kilns of Egypt present an unmistakable picture of our
servitude to Satan and bondage under sin, our condition by nature as
the consequence of our fall in Adam. Their utter inability to free
themselves from the cruel yoke of the Egyptians forcibly portrayed our
own native impotency to better our condition. The sovereign grace of
God in raising up a deliverer in the person of Moses, was a prophecy
in action of the future coming forth of the Divine Deliverer to
emancipate His people. The provision of the lamb and the efficacy of
its blood to provide shelter from the angel of death on the night of
the Passover, yet more clearly revealed what is now fully proclaimed
by the Gospel. While the overthrow of Pharaoh and his hosts at the Red
Sea and Israel's sight of the "Egyptians dead upon the seashore" (Ex.
14:30) told of the completeness of our redemption and the putting away
of our sins from before the face of God.
The subsequent history of Israel in the wilderness, their testings and
trials there, their failures and successes, the gracious and full
provision which the Lord made for them, have rightly been contemplated
as shadowing forth the varied experiences of the saints as they
journey unto their eternal Inheritance. But the typical value of the
second half of Exodus and much of the book of Leviticus has been far
less generally discerned. The delivering of His people from their
enemies was but a means to a far grander end, namely, that they should
be brought into a place of favor and nearness unto God; and Exodus
25-40 and most of Leviticus make known the provisions which God has
made for the maintenance of their communion with Him, and this in such
a way that the requirements of His ineffable holiness were duly
maintained and the obligations of their moral agency and their duties
as a redeemed people should be fitly discharged. Their relations with
Jehovah were maintained on the one hand, through the Divinely
appointed priesthood; and on the other, by their obedience to the
Divine commandments. Only thereby could they draw nigh unto the Holy
One as acceptable worshippers, and only thereby could they receive
from Him the necessary instructions for their guidance.
The typical significance of the book of Joshua, while maintaining and
enforcing the truth made known in the foregoing books, supplements and
complements the earlier history. Here it is Israel, under God,
possessing their possessions, brought into that rest which had been
promised their fathers. In regard to this, we prefer to speak in the
language of one whom we consider was better qualified to treat upon
this subject. "The earthly Canaan was neither designed by God, nor
from the first was it understood by His people to be, the ultimate and
proper inheritance which they were to occupy; things having been
spoken and hoped for concerning it which plainly could not be realized
within the bounds of Canaan. The inheritance was one which could be
enjoyed only by those who had become the children of the resurrection,
themselves fully redeemed in soul and body from all the effects and
consequences of sin--made more glorious and blessed, indeed, than if
they had never sinned, because constituted after the image of the
heavenly Adam. And as the inheritance must correspond with the
inheritor, it can only be man's original possession restored--the
earth redeemed from the curse which sin brought on it, and, like man
himself, be the fit abode of a Church made like, in all its members,
to the Son of God.
"The occupation of the earthly Canaan by the natural seed of Abraham
was a type, and no more than a type, of this occupation by a redeemed
Church of her destined inheritance of glory; and consequently
everything concerning the entrance of the former on their temporary
possession was ordered so as to represent and foreshadow the things
which belong to the Church's establishment in her permanent
possession. Hence, between the giving of the promise, which, though it
did not terminate in the land of Canaan, yet included that, and
through it prospectively exhibited the better inheritance, a series of
important events intervened, which are capable of being fully and
properly examined in no other way than by means of their typical
bearing of the things hereafter to be disclosed respecting that better
inheritance.
"If we ask, why did the heirs of promise wander about so long as
pilgrims, and withdraw to a foreign region before they were allowed to
possess the land, and not rather, like a modern colony, quietly
spread, without strife or bloodshed, over its surface, till the whole
was possessed? Or, why were they suffered to fall under the dominion
of a foreign power from whose cruel oppression they needed to be
redeemed, with terrible executions of judgment on the oppressor,
before the possession could be theirs? Or why, before that event,
also, should they have been put under the discipline of law, having
the covenant of Sinai. with its strict requirements and manifold
obligations of service, superadded to the covenant of grace and
promise? Or why, again, should their right to the inheritance itself
have to be vindicated from a race of occupants who had been allowed
for a time to keep possession of it, and whose multiplied abominations
had so polluted it that nothing short of their extermination could
render it a fitting abode for the heirs of promise? The full and
satisfactory answer to all such questions can only be given by viewing
the whole in connection with the better things of a higher
dispensation--as the first part of a plan which was to have its
counterpart and issue in the glories of a redeemed creation, and for
the final results of which the Church needed to be prepared, by
standing in similar relations and passing through like experiences in
regard to an earthly inheritance.
"The whole series of transactions which took place between the
confirmation of the covenant of promise with Jacob, and the actual
possession of the land promised, and especially of course the things
which concerned that greatest of all the transactions, the revelation
of the Law from Sinai is to be regarded as a delineation in the type,
of the way and manner in which the heirs of God are to obtain the
inheritance of the purchased possession. Meanwhile, there are two
important lessons which the Church may clearly gather and which she
ought never to lose sight of: First, that the inheritance, come when
and how it may, is the free gift of God, bestowed by Him as sovereign
Lord and Proprietor on those whom He calls to the fellowship of His
grace. Second, that the hope of the inheritance must exist as an
animating principle in their hearts, influencing all their procedure.
Their spirit and character must be such as become those who are the
expectants as well as heirs of that better country, which is an
heavenly; nor can Christ ever be truly formed in the heart, until He
be formed as `the hope of glory'" (P. Fairbairn, Volume 1 of his The
Typology of Scripture, 1865).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Joshua
by A.W. Pink
7. The two Memorials
Joshua 4:1-24
_________________________________________________________________
Typical Application
That which is recorded in the book of Joshua fully maintains the Truth
presented in the Pentateuch, yet its typical teaching carries us
considerably beyond what is there set forth. This is to be expected,
especially when we bear in mind (as we must do continually while
pondering its contents) that it was the new generation of Israel which
is here in view. The lesson taught at the supernatural crossing of the
Jordan conducts us farther in the unfolding of the Gospel than what
was signified at the Red Sea. There, it was the might of God put forth
on behalf of His covenant people in the total destruction of that
antagonistic power which had held them captive so long and had refused
to let them go. Here, it was His vanquishing of that obstacle which
barred the way into their inheritance. When Satan's captives are freed
at the miracle of regeneration, he does not henceforth ignore them and
leave them in peace: though he cannot prevent their entrance into the
"purchased possession," yet he is ever assailing them in one form or
other as he seeks to keep them from a present enjoyment of the same.
What is required from us in order to thwart those designs of our
Enemy, we are seeking to show in the course of this series of
articles.
But it was the Divine side of things, the provisions God made for
Israel's entrance into and occupation of the land of Canaan with which
we were more concerned in our last. Those provisions were, first, the
appointing and qualifying of Joshua to be the leader of Israel, the
typical captain of their salvation." Second, the ark of the covenant,
which (we repeat) was both the witness of Jehovah's presence in
Israel's midst and the symbol of His relations to them. And third, the
priesthood, culminating in their service in "the tabernacle which was
pitched in Shiloh." Thus, as we hope to yet show, not only are we
required to turn unto the epistles of Paul to the Romans, the
Ephesians and the Colossians, in order to find the antitypical truths
of what was spiritually adumbrated of us by Israel in the book of
Joshua, but also to his epistle to the Hebrews. We know of only one
other writer who has called attention to that fact, in an article
written before we were born, and which appeared in a magazine (The
Bible Treasury) under the title of "The Book of Joshua and the Epistle
to the Hebrews," unto which we gladly acknowledge our indebtedness and
of which we made flee use.
We are now to take notice of the Divine command which Joshua received,
to take twelve stones from the bed of the Jordan, "out of the place
where the priests' feet stood firm" (Josh. 4:3), which were made a
"memorial" unto future generations, and in addition, the setting up of
"twelve stones in the midst of Jordan" (Josh. 5:9). At the Red Sea
Israel neither left twelve stones in its bed, nor took twelve with
them unto the other side. Instead, Pharaoh and his chosen captains,
his chariots and his host, God drowned therein, so that Israel sang
"The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone"
(Ex. 15:4, 5). "But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the
midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall unto them on their right
hand and on their left. Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the
hand of the Egyptians" (Ex. 14:29, 30), and put the song of redemption
into their mouths, saying, "The Lord hath triumphed gloriously" (Ex.
15:1, 13). At the Red Sea Jehovah showed Himself strong on the behalf
of that people who had previously found shelter under "the blood of
the lamb," and whom He now brought nigh unto Himself--"unto Thy holy
habitation" (Ex. 15:13, 17).
But at the Jordan a further and grander lesson was taught Israel,
something which went beyond the truth of redemption by blood and by
power, even that of resurrection. Fundamental and blessed as is the
truth taught us by the cross of Christ, there is something further
which is even more vital and glorious, and that is our Lord's victory
over the grave. When the apostle throws out that irrefutable
challenge, "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?" his
triumphant answer is, "It is God that justifieth, who is he that
condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again"
(Rom. 8:33, 34). It is abundantly clear in 1 Corinthians 15 (see
especially verses 3 and 4, 14, 17) that the resurrection of Christ is
not only an integral part of the Gospel but its distinctive and
outstanding feature; and those evangelists who go no farther than the
cross are preaching only half of the Gospel. But more, the saints
themselves are greatly the losers if their faith and spiritual
apprehensions stop short at the atoning death of Christ, for
unspeakably precious as it is to recognize our death unto sin in the
death of the Surety, still more blessed is it to perceive our federal
union with Him and our title to the inheritance in His triumph over
death.
At the Jordan the redeemed of God were shown their own passage through
death and resurrection by the figure of the twelve stones placed in
the Jordan and the twelve stones taken out of it. It was at this point
that Israel entered upon a new stage in their history, yet
perpetuating all the essential features which had previously marked
them as the peculiar people of the Lord--as will be seen when we
examine (D.V.) into the new circumcising at Gilgal, the celebration of
the Passover, and the appearing of the Captain of the Lord's host with
drawn sword (chapter 5). Nevertheless, as said above, that which
characterized the crossing of the Jordan is in sharp contrast with
what took place at the Red Sea. There, instead of the priests bearing
the ark of the covenant being seen, it was Israel's enemies which lay
there, consumed as stubble by the wrath of the Lord. On the other
hand, no Canaanites were in Jordan, not a single foe was overthrown
there; yet it was sanctified to the Lord and to Israel by the priests
and the ark of the covenant for glory and victory as truly as were the
waters of the Red Sea when they returned and engulfed the host of
Pharaoh in terrible judgment--that glory and victory quickly appears
in the sequel.
As previously pointed out, the river Jordan was not only the emblem of
death, but of judgment also, as the word itself signifies--"jor,"
literally, "spread," and "dan" which means "judging" (Gen. 30:6). The
use made of this river in New Testament times supplies clear
confirmation, for the Jordan was where the Lord's forerunner exercised
his ministry, of whom it was foretold "prepare ye the way of the
Lord." And how did he do so? By preparing a people to receive Him. In
what manner? By preaching "Repent ye," i.e., judge yourselves; and
those who did so were (most appropriately) baptized of him in the
Jordan confessing their sins" (Matthew 3:8); and by that "baptism of
repentance unto the remission of sins" (Mark 1:4) they acknowledged
that death was their due, and therefore were they (symbolically)
placed in a watery grave. There too, the Lord Jesus as the Surety and
Sin-bearer of His people identified Himself with them by being placed
beneath its waters, thereby pledging Himself unto that "baptism" of
death (Luke 12:50) wherein He met the needs of all who truly repent or
adjudge themselves worthy of death, when all "the waves and billows"
of God's wrath (Ps. 42:6) passed over Him.
The good Shepherd entered the river of judgment on behalf of His
sheep, making for them a new covenant by His atoning death, delivering
thereby from judgment all who follow Him: "this is My blood of the new
covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew
26:28) He declared only a few hours before the crucifixion, when He
instituted the memorial of His death. That was typified by the
entrance into Jordan of the ark of the covenant "borne by the priests"
and at once the flow of its waters was stayed, so that the people who
followed it passed over dry-shod, though the ark itself did not come
out of the Jordan until it had secured a passage for all the people
(Josh. 3:17). Profoundly suggestive and significant are those words
For the priests which bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan until
every thing was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to speak unto
the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua (Josh. 4:10).
How that reminds us of "Jesus, knowing that all things were now
accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst .
. . when Jesus therefore had received the vinegar He said, It is
finished, and He bowed His head and gave up the spirit" (John 19:28,
30). All that the justice of God demanded, all that the Law required
(" Moses commanded") had been rendered by the antitypical Joshua.
"And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over
Jordan, that the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying, Take ye twelve men
out of the people, out of every tribe a man, and command ye them,
saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place
where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry
them over with you, and leave them there in the lodging place where ye
shall lodge this night" (Josh. 4:1-3), i.e., in Gilgal (v. 19). That
those stones were large ones is evident from the fact that they were
to be carried upon the "shoulder." The men who carried them had been
selected beforehand (Josh. 3:13), ready for this task, that there
might be no delay in connection with what lay immediately before the
nation--the encamping of that vast multitude for the night in a
suitable place, namely, at one which was afterwards called Gilgal, and
which some inform us was about mid-way between the river Jordan and
the city of Jericho. In the light of Joshua 4:4, "then Joshua called
the twelve men whom he had prepared of the children of Israel," we
personally regard that as a foreshadowing of the antitypical Joshua,
who at an early stage of His ministry "called unto Him the twelve"
(Mark 6:7).
"And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the Lord your
God into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone
upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of Israel:
That they may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their
fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? Then ye
shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the
ark of the covenant of the Lord: when it passed over Jordan, the
waters of Jordan were cut off; and these stones shall be for a
memorial unto the children of Israel for ever" (vv. 5-7). The two
words we have italicized call attention to the double design which
those stones were intended to serve, which will be more intelligible
to the reader when he bears in mind that those twelve stones "did
Joshua pitch in Gilgal" (v. 20). They were not left flat on the ground
but orderly formed into a cairn or monument. The Hebrew word for
"pitch" there, Young's Concordance defines as "To cause to stand,
raise." Twenty times this verb is rendered "set up" in the Authorized
Version. It is the same word which is used in connection with the
erection of the Tabernacle when it was complete (Ex. 40:2, etc.).
Thus, those large stones were arranged in such a manner, possibly
placed one on top of another monolith-like, so as to attract the
attention and invoke the inquiry of those who should afterwards behold
them.
That monument of stones was designed first as a "sign" unto Israel. It
was a message for their hearts via their eyes rather than ears. It was
an enduring sermon in stone. It spoke of the goodness and power of God
exercised on their behalf at the Jordan. That word "sign" is a very
full one--our Lord's miracles are termed "signs" (John 20:30; Acts
2:22). The two wonders which Moses was empowered to work before his
brethren were called "signs" (Ex. 4:1-9), they authenticated him as
their Divinely-appointed leader and signified that the power of the
Almighty was with him. In Deuteronomy 11:18, and Judges 6:17, "sign"
has the force of token or representation--of Israel's being regulated
by God's Word, and of the Lord's granting success to the commission He
had committed to Gideon. In other passages a "sign" was a portent or
pledge of something concerning the future--1 Samuel 10:1-9; 2 Kings
19:29. In each of those senses may "sign" be understood in Joshua 4:6.
That cairn of stones was to signify that Israel had not crossed the
Jordan by their own ability, but because of the miracle-working power
of God. It was a representation unto them that they had passed through
the river's bed dry-shod. More especially, it was an earnest and
pledge of what God would yet do for them.
Second, that monument was designed as a "memorial" that Israel had
passed through the river of death, that they were now (typically) on
resurrection ground, that judgment lay behind them. Israel upon the
Canaan side of Jordan adumbrated that blessed truth expressed by our
Redeemer in John 5:24, where He so definitely assures His people that
each soul who hears His word and believes on the One who sent Him
"hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is
passed from death unto life." The reason why he shall not "come into
condemnation" is because in the person of his Surety he has already
been condemned and suffered the full judgment of God upon all his
sins, and therefore, judicially, as federally united to Christ, he "is
passed from death [that death which is the wages of sin] unto
life"--that "life" which is the award of the Law, as it was
"magnified" by the Savior and "made honorable" (Isa. 42:21). As the
ark of the covenant entered the river of death and judgment the flow
of its waters was stopped until the ark had secured a safe passage for
all who followed it; so Christ endured the unsparing wrath of God that
by His atoning death those who were legally one with Him, and who are
made voluntary followers of Him, shall be delivered from all future
judgment.
In addition to the monument erected on the Canaan side of the river we
are told that "Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in
the place where the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood;
and they are there unto this day" (Josh. 4:9). Thus there was a double
monument to perpetually commemorate Israel's passing through the place
of judgment: the one in the midst of the Jordan, the other in their
new camping-ground at Gilgal. What anointed eye can fail to see in
them the two signs and memorials which Christ has instituted to
symbolize that, as the result of their faith in His atoning death, His
people have not only passed through death and judgment, but are now
united to a risen Christ and are "alive unto God"! The meaning of the
two ordinances appointed by Christ dearly confirms this, for each of
them speaks of both death and resurrection. "Know ye not, that so many
of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?
Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death, that like as
Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we
also should walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:4, 5; and cf. Colossians
2:12). Christian baptism is designed to symbolize the believer's union
with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection, as well as being
his personal profession that he is dead to the world and has resolved
to walk in newness of life.
The Lord's Supper also, while it celebrates our passage with Christ
through death, yet it is with the added blessedness and triumph of
being now on the resurrection side of judgment. Just as the twelve
stones which had been in Jordan were formed into a single cairn in the
camp at Gilgal--type of "the Israel of God" (Gal. 6:16) in its
entirety, made into "one body"--was a testimony that the twelve tribes
had passed through the unfordable river; so the Lord's supper,
partaken of by those who were once lost sinners under condemnation, is
a testimony that they have passed over, and being on resurrection
ground can look forward not to judgment but to the consummation of
their hope and bliss. This is clear from 1 Corinthians 11:26, "For as
often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's
death till He come." The Lord's supper not only looks back to the
cross but forward to Christ's return in glory, and therefore is it
designated a "feast" (1 Cor. 5:8) and not a fast, and instead of
"bitter herbs" (Ex. 12:8) being eaten, the "wine" of gladness is
drunk.
Practical Application
The very fact that God saw fit to devote two whole chapters of His
Word unto a description of Israel's crossing of the Jordan is more
than a hint that the narration of that memorable incident embodies
teaching of much importance and value for His people in succeeding
generations. Christians are greatly the losers if they concentrate
their attention chiefly upon the New Testament and regard the Old
Testament as containing little of vital moment for their souls. If on
the one hand the New Testament often illuminates and explains the Old,
yet on the other hand there is not a little in the New Testament which
cannot be properly understood apart from the Old. In the last two or
three articles we sought to indicate the typical and spiritual
significance of Israel's passage through the river of death and
judgment; on this occasion we propose to point out some of the
practical lessons to be learned from the things there recorded. We
shall not give a complete exposition of chapter 4: but single out
various details for comment, and intimate the many useful truths
inculcated by the memorial erected in Gilgal.
"For the priests which bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan,
until everything was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to speak
unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the
people hasted and passed over" (v. 10). There are three things here
which are worthy of our observation and admiration. First, the
implicit obedience and patient fortitude of the priests. They were the
ones who occupied the place both of honor and of danger. They were the
ones who bore the ark, before whose presence the waters had "rose up
like a heap," held by an invisible Hand. Advancing to "the midst of
Jordan," they remained stationary for many hours, until all the vast
host of Israel had crossed to the far shore. It was a severe test both
of their courage and patience. Therein an example is left the
ministers of the Gospel to continue steadfast in their duty, to be a
model unto their people of uncompromising fidelity, of undaunted
courage, of patient endurance. Second, we see again how that Joshua
closely followed the orders he had received from Moses, doing nothing
without a Divine command; while the priests, in turn, were required to
be regulated by Joshua's orders--the ministers of the Gospel are to be
governed solely by Christ.
Third, the deportment of "the people" on this occasion exemplified
that which should ever characterize the rank and file of the saints in
connection with those who minister unto them in spiritual things. We
are told that they "hasted and passed over." That denoted their
thoughtful consideration of the priests, so that they would not be put
to unnecessary delay and strain through their dilatoriness--the slower
their movement, the longer the priests would have to stand bearing the
ark! The practical lesson is that God's people should do everything in
their power to make the spiritual lot of God's servants easier. That
can be done by promptly responding to their instructions, by
supporting them through earnest prayer, and by being thoughtful of
their comfort. That is something which particularly needs to be laid
to heart in this day of selfishness and lack of concern for the
comfort of others. It is both solemn and blessed to note how God took
note of this detail, that the Holy Spirit has specifically recorded
this thoughtful "haste" of the people. The Lord not only marks what we
do, but how we do it: as in "his princes gave willingly" (2 Chron.
35:8), "their nobles put their necks to the work of the Lord . . .
Zabbi earnestly repaired the other piece" (Neh. 3:5, 20).
"And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad, and half the
tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as
Moses spake unto them: About forty thousand prepared for war passed
over before the Lord unto battle, to the plains of Jericho" (vv. 12,
13). Here is a case in point how that one part of Scripture is
dependent upon another for its explanation and interpretation. We have
to go back to Numbers to discover why these particular ones
constituted the fighting force of the nation. Those two and a half
tribes, who were rich in cattle, desired to have for their portion the
fertile lands of Jazer and Gilead, rather than any part of Canaan (vv.
1-5). When Moses demurred, they agreed to build sheepfolds for their
cattle and fenced cities for their little ones, and then they would go
armed before the children of Israel until the remaining tribes had
secured their inheritance (vv. 16, 17). Moses agreed to their
proposal, and they ratified that arrangement; and Moses then gave
command to Eleazar and Joshua to see that their promise was made good.
Here in Joshua 4 we are shown the fulfillment of the same. Those two
and a half tribes were the only ones unencumbered with their families
and flocks, and thus we see how suited they were to be the fighting
force, and how graciously God made all things work together for good
unto His people.
"On that day the Lord magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and
they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life" (v.
14). Therein we may see how the Lord made good unto Joshua the word He
gave him in Joshua 3:7. "Faithful is He that calleth you, who also
will do it" (1 Thess. 5:24). That detail has been placed upon
imperishable record for the encouragement of every servant of the
Lord. Ministers of the Gospel may prosecute their labors with absolute
confidence in the promises of their Master: not one of them shall
fail. He has said of His Word, "it shall not return unto Me void, but
it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the
thing whereto I sent it" (Isa. 55:11); then he need not entertain the
slightest doubt about the same. He has declared "all that the Father
giveth Me shall come to Me," that they "shall believe on Me through
their [His ministers'] word" (John 6:37; 17:20); then neither the
perversity of the opposition of Satan can prevent it. He has promised
human nature nor His servants, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto
the end of the world (Matthew 28:20), then let them conduct themselves
accordingly. Let them also learn from Joshua 4:14, and its context
that the surest way. for them to gain the respect and observation of
their people is to be diligent in personally honoring and obeying God,
and caring for their welfare.
"And the Lord spake unto Joshua, saying, Command the priests that bear
the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan. Joshua
therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of Jordan"
(vv. 15-17). That is indeed striking: the priests did not take a step
until they were Divinely authorized. There they stood hour after hour,
and there they still remained after the vast concourse had passed
through and reached the other side in safety! Patiently they waited
until leave was given them to move. They did not act on their own
impulse or initiative, but meekly waited God's time. "The priests did
not quit their station till Joshua, who had commanded them hitherto,
ordered them from thence: nor did he thus order them till the Lord
commanded him: so obedient were all parties to the Word of God, and so
entirely confident of His protection" (Matthew Henry). It is ours to
render unquestioning obedience to God, and leave the consequences with
Him; nor need we have the least fear or hesitation in so doing--we
shall not be the losers, but the gainers. "Them that honor Me, I will
honor" (1 Sam. 2:30) is more certain than that night shall follow day,
as the writer has often proved.
"And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the
covenant of the Lord were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the
soles of the priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry land, that the
waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his
banks, as they did before" (v. 18). No sooner did the priests with the
ark step upon the shore of Canaan than the Jordan resumed its normal
flow, or rather its abnormal condition, for it was then in flood. That
at once accentuated the miracle which had just been wrought, making it
the more apparent that the stopping of its flow was not from any
abnormal natural cause, but that it was the will of their Creator
which had temporarily suspended the laws of nature, for the display of
His glory and the fulfillment of His promise unto His people. As
Israel beheld the upper waters which had been invisibly dammed and the
lower ones that had stood up in a heap now suddenly acting as
formerly, how apparent it would be unto them that it was the presence
and power of their covenant God which had wrought so gloriously for
them!
Bearing in mind the meaning of "Jordan," the spiritual application of
verse 18 is apparent. It was the presence in its midst of the priests
who bore the ark which stayed its course: and it is the godly example
and faithful ministry of God's servants which, under the Divine
blessing to His people, and through their moral influence upon others,
which hold back His judgments upon the world. They are the salt of the
earth, which prevents the carcass of the unregenerate mass turning
into complete putrefaction. But that "salt" has steadily diminished
during the last two centuries. As the population of the world has
increased, the proportion of the righteous--despite a widespread
"profession"--has decreased, and therefore sin has abounded more and
more; and so too have the judgments of God. As the entrance of
righteous Noah and his family into the ark was the signal for the
flood to commence, as the removal of just Lot from Sodom was at once
followed lay the fire and brimstone from heaven, so the removal of
God's eminent servants and saints from the earth (the places of few
being filled) has been followed by the Divine judgments which we have
witnessed and are still witnessing. Dispensationally, Joshua 4:18,
foreshadowed the awful fact that when the Day of grace is concluded,
the world will be completely inundated by the storm of God's wrath.
"And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first
month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho" (v. 19).
There is nothing meaningless or valueless in the Scriptures. and we
are the losers if we ignore or pass hurriedly over its time marks. The
carnal critic would say, what interest is it unto me which particular
day of the month this event occurred; but different far should be the
spirit of the believer. But how is he to ascertain the significance of
this detail? By looking up the marginal references, and if they do not
furnish what he needs, by consulting his concordance, where he will
find that the first reference to "the tenth day" of the first month
(Ex. 12:2, 3) supplies the key. It was the day when the paschal lamb
was selected !--to be slain on the fourteenth (Ex. 12:6, and see
Joshua 5:10). How wonderfully God times everything for His people! "He
so ordered things here that Israel entered Canaan four days before the
annual solemnity of the Passover, and on the very day when the
preparation for it was begun, for He would have them enter into Canaan
graced and sanctified with that religious feast, and would have them
to be reminded of their deliverance from Egypt that, combining the two
together, God might be glorified as the Alpha and Omega of their
blessing" (Matthew Henry).
"And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua
pitch [i.e. "erect"] in Gilgal" (v. 20). Probably those large stones
were placed on some eminence where there was none other, for they were
to be "a monument unto the children of Israel forever" (v. 7). Some
surmise, and we think with considerable probability; that when the
Pharisees and Sadducees came to John's baptism and he said unto them
"Think not to say within yourselves we have Abraham to our father: for
I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children
unto Abraham" (Matthew 3:9) he pointed to the very cairn erected by
Joshua. Confirmation of this appears to be furnished by John 1:28,
which informs us that he baptized in "Bethabara beyond Jordan," for
"Bethabara" means "the house of passage." i.e., the place where Israel
passed over the river.
"And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children
shall ask their fathers, in time to come, saying, What meaneth these
stones? Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over
this Jordan on dry land. For the Lord your God dried up the waters of
Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the Lord your
God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up from before us, until we
were gone over" (vv. 21-23). Normal children have inquiring minds and
ought not to be snubbed or even discouraged when they ask their
parents questions. Rather should parents seek to improve their
curiosity as an opening for instruction, directing the same into
profitable channels. The very inquisitiveness of little ones affords
their elders an opportunity to make known unto them the wonderful
works of God, that their minds may be informed and their hearts awed
by His perfections. But note well, it is the father (the "head" of the
home) upon whom the main responsibility devolves, to see to it that
his children are taught by him the things of God (Eph. 6:4). Let him
not pass on this task to his wife, still less to "Sunday-school
teachers."
"That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord that
it is mighty: that ye might fear the Lord your God for ever" (v. 24).
God's miraculous deliverances of His own people have a message for all
the world, and when He is pleased to sanctify the same unto the
unregenerate, they are deeply impressed thereby (Dan. 3:29; 6:25-27).
The effects produced by the Jordan miracle are recorded in verse 1,
which properly ends chapter iv: "Anal it came to pass, when all the
kings of the Amorites which were on the side of Jordan westward, and
all the kings of the Canaanites which were by the sea, heard that the
Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of
Israel until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was
there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel." The
Canaanites were completely dispirited and cowed, realizing their utter
incompetence to successfully oppose a people who had the Almighty for
their Friend and Benefactor. But we must now seek to formulate the
various lessons which we should learn from the memorial erected at
Gilgal to mark the miraculous passage of the Jordan.
First, the wonderful works of God are worthy of treasuring in our
memories, and He requires that pains be taken by us to see that they
are so. It should be carefully noted that Joshua, even in the midst of
a most exacting business, was not permitted to neglect the promotion
of the Lord's honor. While superintending the passage through the
river's bed of that vast concourse of people, with all their baggage
(tents, etc.) and cattle, God bade him see to it that he took a man
from each tribe and bid them select the twelve stones which were to be
carried to Gilgal (Josh. 4:2, 3). Nor did he demur or ask for a more
convenient season.
Second, God's ordering of this memorial is a solemn reminder of how
prone our hearts are to forget His past interpositions on our behalf.
Of Israel we are told they "forgat His works and His wonders that He
showed them "; and again, that "they soon forgat His works" (Ps.
78:11; 106: 13). Alas, is not the same true of us? Even of the
apostles Christ asked, "Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the
five loaves ye took up?" (Matthew 16:9).
Third, because of our proneness to forget, suitable means are to be
used in assisting us. We are to make conscience of the fact that God
has bidden us to "remember all the way which the Lord thy God led
thee" (Deut. 8:2), and that precept should be turned into earnest
prayer that we may not be negligent therein. We should frequently call
to mind our previous experiences of God's faithfulness and tender care
of us. This will strengthen the spirit of thanksgiving and cause us to
praise God anew. It will deepen our confidence in Him to count upon
Him in present emergencies and trust Him for future deliverances. The
more we do so, the less shall we fear the experience of death, assured
that God will undertake for us as we are called upon to pass through
the valley of the shadows, as certainly as He conducted Israel safely
through the Jordan (see 2 Corinthians 1:10)!
Fourth, not only God's past deliverances of us are to be treasured up
in our memories, but also His mercies unto His people in times gone
by. Faith is to look back to what the arm of the Lord hath done "in
the ancient days, in the generations of old," and say, "Art not Thou
He which hath dried the sea . . . that made the depths of the sea, a
way for the ransomed to pass over." And what will be the consequence
of such exercise of believing memories? This: "Therefore the redeemed
of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion" (Isa.
51:9-11). Why has God recorded the deliverance of Noah from the flood
and of Lot from Sodom but to assure us that "the Lord knoweth how to
deliver the godly out of temptation" (2 Pet. 2:5-9). Not only is "what
was written aforetime written for our learning and comfort" (Rom.
15:4), but what God did aforetime is to teach us what He can and will
now do for His own. "I remembered Thy judgments of old, O Lord, and
have comforted myself" (Ps. 119:52).
Fifth, the monument erected at Gilgal teaches us that we should take
thought of and seek to make provision for the rising generation. That
cairn of stones was erected with the express desire of evoking inquiry
from those who should later behold it. God would have the wonders of
His power and mercy preserved for posterity. There was to be a
permanent witness of what God had wrought for His people; that no
impotency or weakness of theirs prevented them reaching the shores of
Canaan. It was meant as a sure pledge that God would continue to show
Himself strong in Israel's behalf and would overthrow those then in
occupation of the land. Thus, we rejoice when readers of this magazine
purchase the bound volumes with this design before them. At least one
is now thankfully reading those volumes which his mother (now in
heaven) purchased from us twenty years ago, when he was unconverted.
We cherish the hope that the bound volumes will be read by many long
after we are called Home.
Sixth, in the nature or character of the two monuments which Joshua
was instructed to set up, we see how different are the thoughts and
ways of the Lord from those of men. No costly shrine, with useless
ornamentations and affected splendor, was to mark the event, but only
that which, though impressive, was simple and plain. "Never did
triumphant column or arch, with all the magnificence of architecture,
form so proper a monument of some celebrated victory as the twelve
rude stones from Jordan's channel recorded the miraculous passage of
Israel into Canaan under the conduct of the ark of the Lord." Equally
true is this of the two signs and memorials which God has appointed
for this dispensation. When divested of all priestly and parsonic
trappings, how plain and simple, yet how significant and impressive,
are the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's supper. The same
principle was exemplified by Christ in the choice of His
ambassadors--for the most part unlettered fishermen.
Seventh, that monument teaches us that we should recognize and own the
corporate unity of God's people. It was comprised of twelve stones,
taken up by one man from out of each tribe (Josh. 4:2) and erected in
Gilgal. That is the more noticeable since two and a half of the tribes
had received their inheritance on the eastward side of the Jordan. Yet
this cairn on the western shore must have in it not nine or ten, but
twelve stones, to signify the oneness of Israel. We behold the same
thing again in 1 Kings 18: when, centuries later, the division between
the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel obtained, and Elijah
"took twelve stones according to the number of the sons of Jacob, unto
whom the word of the Lord came, saying, Israel shall be thy name, and
built with them an altar on Mount Carmel" (vv. 31, 32), resting by
faith on God's Word when what was visible to sight clashed with the
same. They were all the elect of God and brethren. So we should view
God's children, separated as they now are by party partitions and
denominational walls, as members of the same Family, and sharing, a
common interest. Let our hearts embrace and our prayers include the
entire household of faith.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Joshua
by A.W. Pink
8. Symbols of Committal
Joshua 5:1-15
_________________________________________________________________
Circumcision
That which is to engage our attention on this occasion, as in the
article following, is still concerned with what was preparatory to the
real task awaiting Israel, and is found in what, strictly speaking,
belongs unto the introductory portion of Joshua, rather than to the
body of the book, where Israel's conquest and occupation of Canaan is
the distinctive subject. Yet it is in these opening chapters that the
Holy Spirit has (in typical form) revealed the fundamental secrets of
success in the Christian warfare and their present enjoyment of the
heritage which Christ has procured for them. It is therefore all the
more needful for us to proceed slowly and seek to thoroughly
assimilate these initial truths if we are to obtain the richest
benefit from them. The first thing absolutely indispensable to
Israel's possession of Canaan was their crossing of the Jordan. That,
as we have shown, was a figure of the Christian passing through death
and judgment in the person of his Surety and then his entrance into
"life." It is only one who is on resurrection ground that is qualified
to overcome the foes which would prevent him possessing his
possessions. Equally essential is it for the Christian to experience
in a spiritual and practical way that which marked Israel's history at
Gilgal.
"At that time the Lord said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and
circumcise the children of Israel the second time" (Josh. 5:2). With
those words chapter 5 ought to begin, for verse 1 in our Bibles
obviously concludes the preceding one. Here in verses 2-9 the Holy
Spirit has recorded what took place in Gilgal, namely, the
circumcising of Israel. The narration of that important event is
introduced by informing us when it occurred--a detail which must not
be overlooked when seeking the spiritual application unto ourselves.
"At that time," i.e., first when the Lord their God had so signally
shown Himself strong in their behalf by performing a miracle of mercy
for them. Second, when they had just passed through the river which
spake of death and judgment. Third, as soon as they had set foot
within the borders of their promised inheritance. Fourth, four days
before the Passover, as a necessary pre-requisite and qualification
for them to participate in that feast. Fifth, ere they began the real
task of possessing their possessions--by vanquishing those who would
seek to prevent their enjoyment of the same. We shall ponder first the
literal or historical meaning of this for the natural Israel, and then
its application unto and significance as it respects the spiritual
Israel, the Church of Christ.
The "circumcise the children of Israel the second time" requires a
word of explanation. It should be apparent at once that the reference
is not unto a repetition of a painful operation upon those who had
previously been circumcised, but rather in contrast from a general
circumcising of Israel on an earlier occasion. In the light of Joshua
24:14, Ezekiel 20:7, 8 and 23:3 it is clear that during their lengthy
sojourn in Egypt the children of Israel departed grievously from the
revelation which God had made unto their fathers, and the statutes
(Gen. 26:5) He had given them; and judging from the case of Moses' own
son (Ex. 4:24, 25), there is little doubt that the ordinance of
circumcision had been generally, if not universally, neglected and
omitted by them. The words "God remembered His covenant with Abraham,
with Isaac, and with Jacob" (Ex. 2:24, and 6:5) imply that Israel had
forgotten it. The express prohibition that none should partake of the
Passover, save those who were circumcised (Ex. 12:48, 49), and the
added statement. "Thus did all the children of Israel: as the Lord
commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they," denotes that circumcision had
at last been administered--probably at the beginning of the "thick
darkness which was upon all Egypt" for the "three days" (Ex. 10:21)
that preceded the Passover night.
Verses 4 to 7 (of Joshua 5) tell us what it was that required such a
wholesale circumcising of the male Israelites--adults as well as
children--on this occasion: "Now all the people that came out were
circumcised, but all the people that were born in the wilderness by
the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised
(v. 5), which in view of Genesis 17:9-11, was a startling omission.
There has been considerable conjecture as to why Israel had failed to
administer this essential rite for so many years. Thos. Scott says,
"The reason for this omission is not so manifest." John Gill, "because
of their frequent journeying, and the inconvenience of performing it
being always uncertain when they pitched their tents how long they
should remain and when they should remove . . . it was not safe to
administer it." But the most popular explanation is that of sinful
neglect. Yet even though that were the case with the great majority,
would not the pious among them have complied? If rank disobedience was
the cause, why is there no record of Moses rebuking them for such a
grave sin? And why had not Joshua insisted upon it while they tarried
in the plains of Moab, instead of waiting till the Jordan was crossed.
Matthew Henry came very much nearer the true explanation, though he
states it rather vaguely and with some measure of uncertainty. The
real reason, we submit, was what occurred at Kadesh-barnea. It was
there the murmuring and unbelief of Israel reached its awful and fatal
climax. when they hearkened to the evil report of the ten spies and
refused to go forward into the land of Canaan, saying "Let us make us
a captain, and let us return to Egypt"; and when Joshua and Caleb
expostulated with them "all the congregation bade stone them with
stones" (Num. 14:1-10). It was then that Jehovah swore in His wrath
that they should not enter into His rest (Ps. 95:11). It was then that
He declared "But as for you, your carcasses, they shall fall in this
wilderness. And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty
years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcasses be wasted in the
wilderness. All the number of the days in which ye searched the land,
forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities forty
years, and ye shall know My breach of promise" (Num. 14:32-34)--their
apostasy and breaking of the covenant releasing Him from His
engagement to bring them into Canaan. There is the key to Joshua 5:5!
When Israel, after repeated provocations, at length consummated their
rebellion by despising the promised land and refused to advance beyond
Kadesh-barnea, God swore that only two of that generation should enter
it, the remainder being condemned to perish in the wilderness. Thus
for thirty-eight years (Deut. 2:14) Israel was in a state of apostasy,
and during that time their children bore the reproach of the same by
being denied the "token" or "sign of the covenant" (Gen.
17:11)--wrongly termed by men "the seal of the covenant," for
circumcision never "sealed" anything to anyone saving only to Abraham
(Rom. 4:11). While the awful sentence of Numbers 14:32-34, lasted,
Israel was a rejected people, and therefore their children were not
entitled to bear the mark of covenant-relationship to God. But for the
sake of their children, He did not withdraw every token of mercy from
that generation, but provided sustenance and guidance throughout their
journeys: the daily supply of manna, the pillar of cloud and fire, the
erection of the tabernacle, etc., were so many intimations that God's
favor would yet return unto Israel, though He had cast off their
fathers.
The miraculous passage of the Jordan gave clear proof that Israel was
once more restored unto the Divine favor, that Jehovah had resumed His
covenant relationship with them, that in emerging from the river of
death, judgment was behind them; that His sentence upon their fathers
had been completed. That miracle showed unmistakably that Jehovah now
owned Israel as His people, and therefore were they fit subjects again
to receive the sign of the covenant upon their bodies. Circumcision
was the token of the Abrahamic covenant (Gen. 17:11). That ordinance
was the mark by which the natural seed of Abraham was distinguished
from all other nations as a people in covenant with Jehovah, and which
bound them by a special obligation to obey Him. It was the sign of the
promissory part of the covenant which secured to Abraham's seed the
land of promise (Gen. 17:8). Thus it was fitting that this second
generation should now be circumcised. Moreover, the restoration of
circumcision was to be accompanied by a revival of other institutions
which had lapsed in the wilderness--such as the Passover feast, for
which circumcision was a prerequisite. Upon Israel's entrance into
Canaan they came under a stricter discipline than hitherto (Deut. 6:1;
12:1, 8).
"At that time the Lord said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives and
circumcise again the children of Israel the second time." At the very
time when Israel had entered that land whose inhabitants their
unbelieving fathers had reported to be "strong" and "the cities are
walled, and very great," yea. "all the people we saw in it are men of
a great stature" (Num. 13:28, 32). What a testing of Joshua's faith
was this: that all the males of Israel should now, for several days,
be thoroughly incapacitated for fighting (Gen. 34:25)! But God
intended it should be made manifest that the camp of Israel was
governed by Himself, and not by any worldly policy. "What general ever
opened a campaign in an enemy's country in the manner that Joshua did?
On such occasions, all attention paid to the exercises of religion is
too generally considered as a needless waste of time. Yet if indeed
the help of God be the best security for success, and if His anger is
more to be feared than the sword of any enemy, it will be found true
policy to begin every expedition with repentance of sin, and
attendance on the solemn worship of the Lord, and with using every
method of securing His protection, though to a carnal eye it may
appear unfavorable to success" (T. Scott).
"And Joshua made him sharp knives and circumcised the children of
Israel" (v. 3). Severe as was this testing of his faith to thus
handicap his fighting forces, yet counting upon the Lord's protection,
his confidence in Him triumphed over it. We need hardly say that such
a vast undertaking was not performed by him in person, but is
attributed unto Joshua because the operation was carried out under his
order and observation--just as we read that "Jesus made and baptized
more disciples than John. Though Jesus Himself baptized not, but His
disciples" (John 4:1, 2). Not only was this command of God's a severe
test of Joshua's faith, but of the people's too: their submission
would evidence whether they owned the verity of that Divine promise
(Num. 14:7, 8) which their fathers had disbelieved. Moreover, their
submitting unto circumcision was designed as a test of their
obedience, for their conquest of Canaan was conditioned upon their
punctilious compliance with all that God had commanded through Moses
(Josh. 1:8). Their willing compliance was a fulfillment of the promise
which they had made unto Joshua, in Joshua 1:17, 18, and afforded a
further demonstration that the? were the best of all the generations
of Israel--in answer to the prayer of Moses (Ps. 90:13-17).
"And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people,
that they abode in their places in the camp till they were whole. And
the Lord said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of
Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal
[or "rolling "] unto this day" (vv. 8, 9). The commentators are
strangely "at sea" concerning the significance of that expression "the
reproach of Egypt," most of them regarding it as a reference to the
stigma incurred by Israel when they were the slaves of the Egyptians.
But surely that reproach was for ever rolled away when Jehovah
delivered His people from Egypt by a high arm, brought them safely
through the Red Sea and there destroyed Pharaoh and his hosts. No,
rather is it an allusion to Egypt's taunt of Exodus 32:12. During the
thirty-eight years when Israel was rejected by God there appeared
ground for Egypt's sneer that they would perish in the wilderness; but
all occasion for such a reproach had now been removed by the Lord's
return unto Israel, and by restoring the token of the covenant He gave
intimation that He had resumed His mighty works on their behalf, that
they were His people and He their God.
But we must turn now and consider the application of this unto
ourselves, for like all the ceremonial rites and institutions of the
Old Testament times, circumcision is, anti-typically, a real and
substantial thing unto New Testament saints. Stating it first in a
brief sentence, circumcision respected the mortification of sin, the
putting off of the filth of the flesh. But that statement calls for
explanation and amplification, for the great majority of Christians
have very low and defective thoughts on this subject--inherited as
they have been from the errors of Rome. Far too many of God's children
today suppose that "mortification" signifies a dying to some specific
acts of sin, the overcoming of this or that particular corruption. But
that is a serious mistake. Watching against, offering stern resistance
unto, and obtaining the victory over some particular acts of sin,
falls far short of real mortification. That is evident from the fact
that none of that is beyond what persons in a state of nature may do,
and not a few have actually done. Men and women whose hearts know
nothing whatever of the power of Divine grace have, nevertheless,
succeeded in gaining the mastery over an unruly temper, and of denying
their craving for strong drink.
Again, let it be granted that, as the result of a course of strict
self-discipline, a Christian has overcome some besetting sin; or,
putting it on a higher ground, that by Divine enablement in answer to
prayer, he has become dead to some particular lust; nevertheless, the
evil nature, the root, the filthy fountain from which such foul
streams proceed, the whole body of sin, still remains within! No,
Christian mortification consists of something much better, something
far greater and grander than anything poor Papists are acquainted
with. To be mortified unto sin is a higher and holier mystery than to
be delivered from any mere acts of sin. It consists of having union
and communion with Christ in His death unto sin (Rom. 6:10, 11). It is
the effect and fruit of Christ's death for us, and of Christ's death
in us by the vower of the Holy Spirit, whereby we live upon and enjoy
fellowship with Him in His death, and are made partakers of "the power
of His resurrection." As faith is exercised upon Him as our Head, we
experience the virtue and efficacy of His death and resurrection in
our hearts and lives.
That which was shadowed forth by circumcision, namely the putting off
of the filth of the flesh, all believers find the substance of in
Christ, and the same is made good in their souls--in measure here, but
perfectly, so at death. In order to obtain a complete view of the
Christian's circumcision, we need to consider it federally and
judicially, then spiritually and experimentally, and then practically
and manifestatively. First, then, all believers are legally
circumcised in Christ. That which circumcision prefigured was the
removal of the pollution of sin, and that was accomplished for
believers judicially in the death of their Head. Circumcision
symbolized the entire mortification of sin, and that is the effect and
fruit of Christ's death for His people. "Ye are complete in Him
[Christ], which is the Head of all principality and power. In whom ye
are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting
off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ"
(Col. 2:10, 11). There we have the blessed fact stated, that in Christ
their federal Head His redeemed are already, truly legally
circumcised. It is said to be "without hands to distinguish it from
the physical circumcision of the type, and to show that it is the
result of no attainment of ours. Colossians 2:11, is a statement which
is addressed to our faith, for it refers to something outside of our
actual experience, to something which we have in Christ.
The apostle was moved by the Holy Spirit to employ quite a variety of
terms to express the same fact. In Romans 6:2, he said of all
believers "we died unto sin." In 1 Corinthians 6:9, "but ye are
washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the
Lord Jesus." In Galatians 2:20, he declared--as the representative of
all saints--"I am crucified with Christ." Here in Colossians 2:11, he
affirms, "In whom also ye are circumcised," which signifies that in
the sight of God's Law and justice the total pollution and defilement
of sin (as well as its guilt and criminality) has been for ever
removed. I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions" (Isa.
44:22). "Thou art all fair My love, there is no spot in thee" (Song
4:7). "And you that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind
by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh,
to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in His sight"
(Col. 1:21, 22). These scriptures bear witness that Christ and the
Church are federally and legally one: that God the Father accepts them
and views them in the Beloved as both righteous and holy; that He now
sees them as without spot or wrinkle or any such thing; that He
pronounces them eternally cleansed and blessed.
The faith of many of God's people apprehends the blessed fact that the
guilt and condemnation of their actual transgressions was perfectly
atoned for by Christ, but the faith of very few apprehends that their
evil nature itself and all their corruptions have been made a legal
end of by the sacrifice of Christ. They recognize by faith that God
views them as cleansed from the curse of the Law, that there is "no
condemnation" resting upon them; but they fail to perceive that the
justice of God regards them as purged from the very presence and
defilement of sin in their natures, that there is no filth within
them. Yet the latter is just as true of them as is the former. Their
"old man was crucified with Christ" (Rom. 6:6). They were circumcised
in Christ, which is described as a "putting off the body. of the sins
of the flesh." Indwelling sin is called a "body" because it consists
of various parts and members, and that "body of sin" has been "put
off," yea, "destroyed" or "annulled" as the word used in Romans 6:6
signifies. Not only so, but the holiness of Christ has been imputed or
placed to the account of their souls, so that God Himself declares,
"the King's daughter is all glorious within" (Ps. 45:13), and not
merely "without"--as covered with the robe of Christ's righteousness.
We say again that Colossians 2:11, is a Divine declaration (as is Song
of Solomon 4:7, and Psalm 45:13, quoted above) which is addressed to
faith. and is not a description of Christian experience; though in
proportion as faith really appropriates it, we experience the comfort
and joy of it. Alas that some of our readers are likely to refuse that
comfort and joy through suspicion and fear that a belief of the same
might lead to carelessness and low views of sin. When God bids His
children to "reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin"
(Rom. 6:11)--which means exactly the same as "Reckon ye also
yourselves to be circumcised indeed in Christ, in putting off the body
of the sins of the flesh"--He certainly is not bidding them do
anything which has a dangerous tendency. He exhorts them to so regard
themselves because they have good and solid ground for doing so. They
had a representative being and existence in their Head when He
suffered and died to remove both the guilt and the defilement of their
sins. Unless we were one with Christ in His death, there could be no
pardon or cleansing for us. The saints then are to regard their state
before God to be what Christ's is: delivered from sin's dominion,
accepted in the Father's unclouded favor.
In our last we pointed out that the circumcising of all the male
Israelites at Gilgal was a type of the circumcision of the Church.
First, that all believers were legally circumcised in Christ: that at
the cross the "body [or totality] of the sins of the flesh" was put
off, completely and forever removed from the sight of God's law and
justice; for such is the blessed, meaning and teaching of Colossians
2:11. God's elect had a federal being, a representative existence in
their Head, so that when He died unto sin, they died unto sin; and it
is both the duty and privilege of faith to appropriate that truth, and
rest upon that fact. Therein we have revealed the Gospel method of
mortifying sin--in blessed contrast from the fleshly devices of the
Papists. It must flow from our union and communion with the Lord Jesus
in His death, and faith's receiving of the virtue and efficacy of it.
The fountain of all true and spiritual mortification was opened at the
Cross and God is very jealous of the honor of the person and work of
His beloved Son, and every departure from Him and it, every attempt of
the carnal mind to devise some other remedy for any of the wounds
which sin has inflicted upon and within us, is doomed to certain
failure. Christ alone must be looked to for deliverance, not only from
the guilt of sin but from its power and pollution; yes, and from its
presence too.
But it must now be pointed out that as Christ is the federal Head of
His people, so also is He their vital or life-giving Head. As the
natural head of the physical body influences all its members,
imparting life and motion to them (for when one side of the brain
becomes paralyzed, one whole side of the body does too), so Christ
imparts life unto and influences the members of His mystical body, the
Church. This He does by sending down His Spirit into their hearts, who
communicates to them what Christ did and purchased for them. Thereby
they are circumcised spiritually and experimentally. That brings us to
the second branch of our subject. "For he is not a Jew who is one
outwardly, neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh.
But he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the
heart; in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of
men, but of God" (Rom. 2:28, 29). There is much of deep importance in
those two verses yet they are little understood today, especially by
Dispensationalists and writers on "Prophecy"; but it would be outside
our present scope to give an exposition of them, or even show the
apostle's line of argument in that passage; rather we must confine
ourselves to that in them which bears directly upon our present theme.
"Circumcision is that of the heart: in the spirit, and not in the
flesh." There we are plainly taught that real "circumcision," the
circumcision which God most approves, is an internal one. Even that is
little understood by our moderns, and has no real place in their
teaching. We wonder how many of our own readers have any definite and
clear-cut conception of what is meant by spiritual "circumcision."
Very few, we fear. All the more need then for us to take up this
subject here, instead of seeing how swiftly we can get through the
book of Joshua by merely offering generalizations upon its contents.
It should be apparent to all who have read the Scriptures with any
degree of attention and care that He who "desires Truth in the inward
parts" (Ps. 51:6) required very much more from Israel even in Old
Testament times than obedience to the outward ordinance of
circumcision. The call "Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your
heart, and be no more stiff-necked" (Deut. 10:16) is too plain for
misunderstanding. It is quite clear from Leviticus 26:41 and the last
clause of Jeremiah 9:26 that the Lord punished Israel because they
were "uncircumcised in heart." The same fault Stephen charged upon the
Jews of his day (Acts 7:51).
"Circumcise yourselves to the Lord and take away the foreskins of your
heart" (Jer. 4:4) was His just demand. John Gill acknowledged that
"men are exhorted to this" (alas that so many of his admirers refuse
to do so), though he rightly added "yet elsewhere He promises to do
this for them." God has ever required reality and not simply outward
profession, inward and moral purity and not merely external and
ceremonial. "O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness" (Jer.
4:14). This spiritual circumcision, or cleansing of the heart, is the
negative side of regeneration, or as the older writers more aptly
expressed it "the privative" side. Strictly speaking there is no
English word which accurately defines it, but "privative" is the
nearest--that which results in a privation through the absence of
something, the withholding or taking of it away. This is one aspect or
part of "the great change" which takes place in a person when he is
made the subject of a miracle of grace. Since we recently dealt with
that in considerable detail, there is the less need to be lengthy on
this occasion; but as spiritual circumcision is included in the
general term "regeneration," we must not altogether ignore it.
As we emphasized in our articles upon "The Great Change," far too many
writers when treating of regeneration confine their attention unto but
a single aspect of the same--the communication of a new life or
"nature." But that contemplates only one angle of it even from the
positive side. There is a negative or privative side too. There is
travail and pain in connection with a birth. Perhaps the reader will
find it easier to grasp what we are saying and the better understand
our terms when we remind him that justification has two parts to it: a
privative and a positive--something removed and something bestowed.
The cancellation or removal of the guilt and penalty of all sins is
the privative side of justification, for remission (forgiveness) means
"sending away." The imputation of the meritorious obedience of Christ
to the account of the believing sinner is the positive side, for
"justify" signifies to declare a person (not merely innocent, but)
righteous. The two things are brought together in that lovely type in
Zechariah 3:4, "Behold I have caused thine iniquity to pass from
thee"--that is the privative side; "and I will clothe thee with change
of raiment" (the "best robe" of Luke 15) is the positive.
Now at regeneration something is removed, as well as something
imparted: "I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I
will give you a heart of flesh" (Ezek. 36:26). Though that be
metaphorical language, yet is the figure easily understood. The
affections are divorced from evil and united to that which is good. By
the miracle of grace, God takes away the love of sin and implants a
love of holiness. And how is fallen man's radical and inveterate love
of sin removed from him? By the Holy Spirit's illumination, revealing
to him the exceeding sinfulness of sin; by His convicting him of the
enormity and heinousness of sin, striking his conscience with terror
and horror at having waged war against the Almighty; by bringing him
to realize that it was his sins which caused the Lord of glory to
bleed and die. Then it is that the love of sin receives its
death-wound in his soul. Then it is he is "pricked in his heart" and
cries out in anguish and despair "what shall I do?" (Acts 2:37). Which
is only another way of saying, Then it is that his soul is spiritually
and experimentally circumcised; when so far as his love of it is
concerned, he puts off "the body of the sins of the flesh" (Col.
2:11).
The work of the Holy Spirit within the saint is many-sided, but its
grand design and accomplishment is to make good unto him what Christ
did for him: or to state it in other words, the Spirit imparts to the
soul an actual acquaintance and effects with it a spiritual experience
of what he has in Christ federally and legally. Christ died unto sin,
for He was "made sin [judicially] for us," and His death was the penal
death of our sin. Consequently, when the Holy Spirit is given to us He
first works death in our hearts: that is, He both slays our
self-righteousness, and gives a death-wound to sin in our affections.
As the apostle tells us when relating one aspect of his own
conversion, "when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died" (Rom.
7:9). That is, when those words "thou shalt not covet," thou shalt not
even lust after or desire any unlawful object, was applied in Divine
power to his soul, the awful nature and extent of his sin became a
living reality in his conscience, and he died to all good opinions of
himself. By the spiritual slaying of our self-righteousness and making
us loathe sin, the soul is experimentally "made conformable unto
Christ's death" (Phil. 3:10).
"The Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy
seed [which is to be taken generally as "all" and "the world" in the
New Testament] to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart" (Deut.
30:6). There we have the two principal aspects of regeneration or the
miracle of grace brought together: the privative side, the
circumcising of the heart, when it is made willing to part with its
cherished sins, when its affections are severed from all evil. That is
in order to the positive side, namely, the heart's being brought to
love the Lord with all its faculties and strength. That love to God,
John Gill rightly pointed out is "the duty of every man," and thus of
the unregenerate: so, contrary to his followers, Gill not only taught
"duty faith," but "duty love"! Nevertheless, none performs this duty
until God Himself circumcises the heart. Then it is that the soul of
the elect is transformed from a natural man into "a new creature"
(Gal. 6:15). That moral change of "putting off the old man with his
deeds" (Col. 3:9) was prefigured by the fact that literal circumcision
was required to be performed on the "eighth day" (Lev. 12:3)--the
numeral which always signifies a new beginning, and thus of "the new
creature."
There is yet another aspect of this subject which calls for careful
attention, namely, that circumcision of the Christian which is
practical and manifestative. What Christ accomplished for His people,
His Spirit effects within them, and they are required to make the same
apparent in their daily lives and actions. Our federal and legal
circumcision in Christ was in order to our vital and experimental
circumcision, for by His meritorious work on their behalf the Lord
Jesus procured the gift and grace of the Spirit unto His people (Gal.
3:13, 14). Our inward circumcision by the operations of the Spirit
unto His people was in order to the better qualifying us for the
discharge of our responsibility and the glorifying of our God. While
at regeneration the Spirit gives a death-wound unto sin in the
affection of its favored subject, and while at the same time He
implants in his heart an imperishable love of and longing for
holiness, yet He does not then remove from him the evil
principle--"the flesh" remains in his soul unto the end of his earthly
pilgrimage. Consequently, there is now a ceaseless conflict within him
(Gal. 5:17), and therefore he is henceforth called upon to fight the
good fight of faith": to swim against the stream of his corruptions,
deny self, mortify his members which are upon the earth.
The foes against which the Christian is called to wage conflict are
mighty and powerful. That evil trinity, the flesh, the world, and the
Devil, are relentlessly determined to destroy him. How then is he to
successfully engage them in mortal contest? A great variety of answers
have been returned to that question, all sort of rules and regulations
prescribed; but most of them proceeded from "physicians of no value."
It is too generally overlooked that this is "the fight of faith." The
Devil can only be successfully resisted as we remain "steadfast in the
faith" (1 Pet. 5:9). "This is the victory, that over-cometh the
world--our faith" (1 John 5:4). And there can be no victory over
indwelling sin except by the actings of faith. And faith, my reader,
always has to do with Christ: He is its grand Object (Heb. 12:2), its
Sustainer (Phil. 1:21), its Strengthener (Phil. 4:13). That is
according to the appointment of the Father, who has determined that
His people should be beholden to His beloved Son for everything, that
they may ascribe their all unto Him, that they may place the crown of
honor and glory upon His Head. Christ is the alone Savior not only
from the guilt and pollution of sin, but likewise from its power and
ragings within us.
In this matter of practical circumcision, our mortifying of sin, man's
thoughts and ways are as far below God's as in everything else--as far
as the earth is below the heavens. Man supposes he must do this in
order to obtain that, avoid this in order to enjoy that, abstain from
evil so as to enter into good. But he knows not where to obtain
strength for the doing! Contrastively, God's way is to furnish that
which equips for the performance of duty: to bestow freely, that
gratitude will respond gladly; to lavish love upon us, that we cannot
but love Him in return; to make known what He has made Christ to be
unto us, and then bids us walk worthily of such a Savior. He first
makes us "light in the Lord," and then bids us "walk as children of
light" (Eph. 5:8). He first makes us saints, then bids us act "as
becometh saints" (Eph. 5:3). He makes us holy, then calls us "to be in
behavior as becometh holiness" (Titus 2:3).
Immediately after Christians are bidden to likewise reckon ye also to
have died indeed unto sin, but live unto God in Christ our Lord, they
are exhorted "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye
should obey it in the lusts thereof" (Rom. 6:11, 12). Though they have
died unto sin legally, sin is far from being dead within them. Though
they are no longer "in the flesh" (Rom. 8:9) so far as their standing
before God is concerned, yet "the flesh" is still in them. Though
Christ has put away the whole of the guilt and pollution of their
sins, He has not yet fully delivered them from its power--that they
might prove the sufficiency of His grace, the marvels of His
forbearance, and the reality of His keeping power; and that there
might be opportunity for the trial, exercise, and development of their
graces. But though the evil principle (or "nature") be not eradicated,
the Christian is exhorted "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal
body." In that "therefore" we have an example of the apostle's
evangelical method when urging Christians to perform their duty: not
in order to obtain some further blessing, but because of what they
already have in Christ.
That "therefore" looks back generally over the whole preceding section
(from Joshua 5:1), but has a more particular reference to Joshua 6:10,
11. The "Let not therefore sin reign" is far more than an appeal for
us to exercise our wills: it is a call for faith to make one's own all
that standing and state which is ours by virtue of our legal and vital
union with Christ. Faith is urged to apprehend and appropriate our
sinlessness in Christ by our death and resurrection in Him. That is
the only right way of approach unto gaining the victory over sin in
our daily lives. God will set no premium upon unbelief, but He will
honor faith. Faith is called upon to recognize and reckon that sin was
vanquished by Christ, and therefore it has no right to lord it over
us. We are to refuse obedience to its desires and behests. We are to
yield no subserviency unto the dethroned adversary of Christ, but
strive constantly against every effort it makes to gain the ascendancy
over us. And in order unto strength for such striving, we are to draw
motives and encouragement from the love of Christ, who suffered and
died for us. Strength to resist sin comes from faith's eyeing Christ
and love's drawing from Him incentives to mortify that which slew Him.
It is "the love of Christ" which is ever to constrain the Christian in
all things. But I must first be assured of His love for me, before my
affections will flow out to Him in grateful submission and service.
Any service which issues from fear or is prompted by reward, is either
legal or mercenary, and unacceptable to Him. Without a realization of
pardoning mercy in the soul, we can gain no victory over indwelling
sin. In Christ we are not only dead to sin legally, but victors over
it. As faith beholds sin perfectly conquered by Christ judicially, it
seeks to have fellowship with Him therein in a practical way. To
repudiate long cherished sins, relinquish beloved idols, is a cutting
and painful experience to nature, and therefore is it designated a
circumcision and mortifying of our members; yea, so distressing is
such work, our Lord likened it unto plucking out a right eye and
cutting off a right hand (Matthew 5:29, 30). Yet such is not only a
needful and profitable duty, but it becomes a desirable and longed-for
one by those who truly love the Lord. The more their minds be
spiritually occupied with Christ's love, the more are their affections
drawn forth unto Him, and the more are their hearts brought to hate
sin; and the more we hate sin, the more are we dying to it in our
affections!
In our last, we pointed out the importance of observing the opening
words of verse 2 when seeking the spiritual and practical application
unto ourselves of what God required from Israel at Gilgal. "At that
time": as soon as they had passed through that river which spoke of
death and judgment they were required to be circumcised. Likewise it
is immediately after the Christian is assured of his union with Christ
in death and resurrection that he is enjoined "Let not sin therefore
reign in your mortal body." It is by faith's realization of that union
we draw motives to resist sin's solicitations and derive strength
against it. And as stated in our last we cannot serve God trustfully
and joyously unless we are assured we are forever beyond condemnation
(Rom. 8:1), so it must now be added, there can be no progress in the
Christian life unless we heed Romans 6:12. That is amplified in the
next verse' "Neither yield ye your members as instruments of
unrighteousness unto sin; but (1) yield yourselves unto God as those
that are alive from the dead and (2) your members as instruments of
righteousness unto God." Because you have been "made alive," put away
all the trappings of death, put off the old man, mortify the lusts of
the flesh. Give up yourselves to God without any reserve.
Yet we repeat, obedience unto Romans 6:12, 13, is possible only as we
maintain the assurance of our perfect standing in Christ (v. 11),
drawing motives and strength therefrom for practical holiness, and by
constantly seeking help from Christ by drawing upon His fullness (John
1:16). That is ever the evangelical order, "Be ye kindly affectioned
one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for
Christ's sake hath forgiven you" (Eph. 4:32). "Set your affection on
things above, and not on things on the earth." Why? "For ye died, and
your life is hid with Christ in God . . . mortify therefore your
members which are upon the earth" (Col. 3:1-5). "Put off all these:
anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communications out of your
mouth; lie not one to another." Why? "Seeing that ye have put off the
old man with his deeds" (Col. 3:8, 9). "Behold! what manner of love
the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of
God . . . when He shall appear we shall be like Him; for we shall see
Him as He is." And what is the effect of faith's appropriation
thereof? This, "And every one that hath this hope in him purifieth
himself [not merely ought to do] even as He is pure" (1 John 3:1-3).
But, says the Christian reader, notwithstanding my best efforts to
keep my heart occupied with Christ and my faith fixed steadfastly on
Him, sin daily gets the better of me. And what is the effect upon you?
Are you pleased thereby? No, the very reverse; you are cut to the
quick. That too is an integral part of practical "circumcision." Not
only is every denying of self, every striving against sin, an element
of mortification or practical circumcision, but equally so is all
godly sorrow, all evangelical repentance, all contrite confession of
sin. Blessed are they that "mourn" over their backslidings and falls,
for it evidences they belong to those "whose circumcision is that of
the heart, in the spirit and not in the letter" (Rom. 2:29)--real and
effectual, in contrast from the formal and ceremonial.
The Passover
It is most blessed to observe how Israel conducted themselves upon
their first entrance into the promised land, for therein is manifested
not the workings of nature but the fruits of Divine grace. After God
had wrought so signally for them at the Jordan, they did not rush
ahead and seek to immediately possess their inheritance. The
miraculous dividing of its waters so that they passed through
dry-shod, must have greatly disspirited the Canaanites and thus have
prepared the way for an easy triumph for the invaders. It had been
natural, yea, what all military men would call "good policy" for
Israel to have made the most of this terror by striking a heavy blow
at once, pressing on with might and main before the enemy could
recover himself, and so carry all before them in one swift campaign.
But God's people follow not the ways nor employ the devices of the
world. They are a "peculiar people": distinct and separate from the
unregenerate, acting, not by carnal wisdom and expediency, but
regulated by spiritual considerations. "He that believeth shall not
make haste" (Isa. 28:16) is one of the principles by which they are
required to act, for "the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to
the strong" (Eccl. 9:11).
Instead of immediately assaulting Jericho, the children of Israel
pitched their tents at Gilgal and tarried there for a season.
Exemplary restraint was that, and one which we do well to take to
heart in this feverish age of mad speed. This tarrying in the camp at
Gilgal was the more noteworthy when we bear in mind the very lengthy
interval which had elapsed since their exodus from Egypt, during which
they were prevented from reaching their goal and realizing their eager
expectation. Yet there was something far more praiseworthy than
self-discipline which marked their conduct on this occasion: they had
the glory of God before them. They eyed His authority, had respect for
His institutions, and acted in faith and obedience to His
appointments. That should ever be what marks God's people,
collectively or singly. It is neither the first business of the Church
to "win the world for Christ" nor of the individual Christian to seek
the salvation of his relatives and companions: rather is it to "show
forth the praises of Him who hath called us out of darkness into His
marvelous light" (1 Pet. 2:9) by our entire subjection to His Word.
God has nowhere promised to use those who make not conscience of
obeying Him in all things.
The appointments of God and not the attaining of their own desires
were given the pre-eminence. First, Joshua had, in submission to the
Lord's requirement, circumcised all those male Israelites who had been
born in the wilderness. We have previously shown that the
non-observing of that rite during those thirty-eight years was due to
no sinful neglect, but was owing to the apostasy of their fathers at
Kadesh-barnea, in consequence of which Jehovah declared "ye shall know
My breach of promise" (Num. 14:32-34), and therefore were their
children denied the token or "sign of the covenant" (Gen. 17:11). But
the miraculous passage of the Jordan demonstrated that Israel was once
more restored to the Divine favor, that He had resumed His covenant
relationship with them that in emerging from the river of death
judgment was behind them; and therefore it was fitting that this
second generation should now be given that mark winch distinguished
them from all other nations as bound by special obligation to serve
their God. It was also observed how that the Lord's commanding Joshua
to then circumcise the people presented a real test to his faith and
obedience, severely handicapping for a few days his fighting forces;
but counting upon God's protection, he confided in Him and triumphed
over the trial.
Second, we are told, "And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal
and kept the Passover" (v. 10). Appropriately did Matthew Henry point
out, "We may well imagine that the people of Canaan were astonished
and that, when they observed the motions of the enemy they could not
but think them very strange. When soldiers take the field, they are
apt to think themselves excused from religious ceremonies (they have
not time or thought to attend to them), yet Joshua opens the campaign
with one act of devotion after another. What was afterwards said to
another Joshua might truly be said to this: `Hear now, O Joshua, thou
and thy fellows that sit before thee are men wondered at' (Zech. 3:8);
and yet indeed he took the right method." And, my reader, if we be
actuated and regulated by a concern to the glory of God worldlings
will wonder at us. It cannot be otherwise, for the natural man acts
only from a spirit of self-love and self-will, and his end is
self-pleasing and self-advancement. Thus, if he beholds any denying
self, subordinating their interests to the honoring of God, he marvels
at such conduct. Unless, then, we be "wondered at," yea, sneered at
and regarded as crazy, it is because we have "left our first love" and
become conformed to this world.
Israel's keeping of the Passover was, like the circumcising of the
people, an act of obedience unto the Lord: in fact the one could not
be without the other, for it had been expressly laid down that "no
uncircumcised person shall eat thereof" (Ex. 12:48). For that very
reason this ordinance had not been observed while the Nation lay under
the wrath of God. They had kept it on the first anniversary of the
event which it commemorated (Num. 9:5), but not during the next
thirty-eight years. God had said "I hate, I despise your feast days,
and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. Though ye offer Me
burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them" (Amos
5:21, 22)-- language which not only applied to the prophet's own day
but also bad special reference to their sojourn in the wilderness as
verse 25 evinces. But now the Lord had resumed His covenant relations
with Israel and they had attended to the matter of circumcision; it
was in order, yea, requisite, for them to do so. They had been
strictly enjoined "Ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to
thee and to thy sons for ever. And it shall come to pass, when ye be
come to the land which the Lord will give you, according as He hath
promised, that ye shall keep this service." (Ex. 12:24, 25).
In previous articles we have noted that this particular generation
under Joshua was not only vastly better than the one which preceded
but also far more spiritual than any that followed it. This was
exemplified in the willingness of their adults to be circumcised
without any demur. It appears again in what is now before us. The Lord
had particularly said unto Moses almost a year after their leaving
Egypt, "Let the children of Israel also keep the Passover at his
appointed season" (Num. 9:5), as though to intimate, otherwise His
command in Exodus 12:24, had not been complied with. But on this
occasion no mention is made of God's reminding them of their duty. We
are told "the children of Israel kept the Passover" (v. 10). And that
is not all which is stated: "on the fourteenth day of the month,"
which is something more than a mere narration of a historical fact--it
tells us that they kept the Passover "at his appointed season." Nor is
that all: it is added "at even," which was as the Lord required. How
the Spirit delights to notice and record the details of obedience! The
Israelites did not tamper with this Divine ordinance and change it to
a morning observance to suit their own convenience, as a compromising
Christendom has done with "the Lord's supper." Unless we conform
strictly to the letter of the Divine precept, it is not "obedience"
but "will worship."
Israel's act of keeping the Passover was not only one of obedience but
also of commemoration. "And this day shall be unto you for a memorial,
and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations.
. . . And it shall come to pass when your children shall say unto you,
What mean ye by this service? That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice
of the Lord's Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of
Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses
It is a night to be much observed unto the Lord" (Ex. 12:14, 26, 27,
42). This feast, then, was appointed to celebrate the great goodness
of the Lord unto His people and their deliverance both from death and
from the house of bondage. It was designed to keep before their minds
the blessed provision He had made for them in the night of their
deepest need, a provision all sufficient. It was to express anew their
gratitude unto God for His distinguishing favor: the original
"sacrifice" was expiatory, but the memorial of it was eucharistic. It
was intended to signalize those perfections of God which had been
exemplified on that never-to-be-forgotten night.
The Passover had demonstrated in unmistakable manner the sovereignty
of God, when He had "put a difference between the Egyptians and
Israel" (Ex. 11:7), that is, between the reprobate and His own
elect--no lamb was provided for the former! It had manifested the
grace of God. By nature the children of Israel were no better than the
Egyptians, nor in conduct, as is clear from Ezekiel 20:7, 8; 23:3. It
was out of His mere good pleasure and unmerited favor that the Lord
exempted Israel from the destroyer (Ex. 12:23). It displayed the
righteousness of God, which announced that He "will by no means clear
the guilty" (Ex. 34:7). They were flagrant sinners and "the wages of
sin is death": death must do and did its work in their households too
when the sacrificial lamb was slain. It revealed the amazing mercy of
God in providing that substitute. It placated the wrath of God: He
said to the avenging angel concerning Israel's firstborn "deliver him
from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom" (Job 33:24),
illustrating that basic principle "without shedding of blood is no
remission." It testified the faithfulness of God: "When I see the
blood I will pass over you," and He did. It made known His love, which
had chosen Israel to be His favored people (Deut. 10:15).
Again, the Passover was not only commemorative, but anticipative: it
memorialized what was past and also foreshadowed what was to come. The
institution and ritual of the Passover furnished one of the most
striking representations of the person and work of Christ to be met
with anywhere in the Old Testament. That it was a type thereof is
clear from 1 Corinthians 5:7. "Christ our Passover is sacrificed for
us." Here then is our authority for regarding the contents of Exodus
12 as shadowing forth the cross-work of the Savior, and it is this
which invests that chapter with such deep interest. The Passover was
the first of those annual "feasts" which God appointed unto Israel,
for it sets forth the grand truth of redemption, which is the
foundation blessing of believers, the fountain from which all others
flow; and the Passover was kept upon Israel's entrance into Canaan to
signify that their possession of the Inheritance, no less than their
deliverance from Egypt, was owing to the merits of the blood of the
Lamb. Christ Himself observed it, saying to His apostles "With desire
have I desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer" (Luke
22:15). In the light of these facts it becomes us to give our best
attention to the teaching of Scripture thereon.
Observe first, the occasion of its institution. It was at the close of
God's judgments upon Egypt. He had declared, "About midnight will I go
out into the midst of Egypt, and all the firstborn in the land of
Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his
throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the
mill, and all the firstborn of beasts. And there shall be a great cry
throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor
shall be like it any more. But against any of the children of Israel
shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may
know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and
Israel" (Ex. 11:4-7). Note carefully the exact wording of verse 5: it
was not "all the firstborn of the land of Egypt shall die," but "all
the firstborn in the land of Egypt," and that necessarily included
Israel's equally with Egypt's. Yet in verse 7 the Lord said, He would
"put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel" so that the latter
should be wholly exempt from judgment. That is what infidels would
term "a flat contradiction," but the Christian knows there is none in
the Word of Truth. What, then, is the explanation?
Each of those Divine declarations was literally accomplished: all the
firstborn in the land of Egypt died, nevertheless the firstborn of
Israel were delivered from the angel of death. But how could that be?
Surely both could not take place! Yet they did, and therein we have a
blessed illustration of the contents of the Gospel. It was the
question of sin which was here raised and dealt with by God,
consequently both parties were equally involved in His righteous
judgment. The Israelites were not only sinners by nature, but
practice; not only sins of infirmity, but high-handed sins of idolatry
(Lev. 17:7; Josh. 24:14). Divine holiness can never ignore sin no
matter where it be found: when the angels sinned God "spared them not"
(2 Pet. 2:4). Justice must be satisfied; sin must pay its wages. A
reprieve is out of the question. Then must guilty Israel perish? It
would seem so. Human wisdom could devise no way of escape. But Divine
wisdom did, and without compromising righteousness. How? By means of a
substitute: sentence of death was executed on an innocent victim,
because guilt had been legally transferred unto it. A lamb was
provided for Israel, and it died in their stead.
Observe next, the nature of this transaction: "it is the Lord's
Passover (Ex. 12:11). Those words bring before us a fundamental aspect
of Truth which is much neglected in evangelical preaching. Gospellers
have much to say upon what Christ's death accomplished for those who
believe on Him, but far less upon what it effected God-wards. Yet that
is clearly brought out in the first direct mention of the "lamb" in
Scripture: "God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering"
(Gen. 22:8). It was not simply that God would provide a lamb," but
that He would provide Himself one! The antitypical Lamb was appointed
and supplied to glorify God, to vindicate His throne, magnify His law,
satisfy His justice and holiness. The life and death of Christ brought
infinite glory to God though not a sinner had been saved thereby. The
two leading aspects of Christ's atonement--God-ward and us-ward--were
shadowed again in the ritual for the day of atonement: "Aaron shall
cast lots upon the two goats: one lot for the Lord, and the other for
the scapegoat" (Lev. 16:7, 8)--Israel's substitute, which bore away
their sins into a place uninhabited. Christ must first be "the Lord's
Passover," accepted by Him, before He could be "our Passover" (1 Cor.
5:7)--received by us.
Consider now the substance of God's gracious provision for Israel,
namely, "the lamb." Though we cannot dwell upon details, we will
furnish a broad outline for the benefit of young preachers. How well
fitted was a lamb to be an emblem of the Savior is at once apparent:
so gentle and innocent, so mild and harmless, neither hurting others,
nor seeming to have the capacity to resent an injury; useful in life
(its fleece), valuable for food when killed. (1) The Passover lamb was
taken "out from the sheep" (Ex. 12:5). "I will raise them up a Prophet
from among their brethren." (Deut. 18:18). Christ, according to His
humanity, was made of the seed of David." "Forasmuch then as the
children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise
took part of the same" (Heb. 2:14). (2) It was taken from the flock
(not on the first, but) "the tenth day of the month" (v. 3). The Son
of God did not become incarnate as soon as sin entered the world, but
when "the fullness of time was come" (Gal. 4:4), after forty centuries
of human history had passed: after man had been fully tested (10 is
the number of his responsibility) and his probation (which 40
signifies) was completed--10 x 10 x 40.
(3) "Your lamb shall be without blemish" (Ex. 12:5, and cf. Leviticus
22:21, 22). Nothing but a perfect sacrifice could satisfy an
infinitely perfect God. One who had any sin in him could not make
atonement for sinners. But where was such a one to be found? Nowhere
among the fallen sons of men. That lamb "without blemish" pointed to
the immaculate purity of Christ (Heb. 7:26, 27; 1 Peter 1:19). (4) "A
male of the first year" (v. 5): it was not to be too young or too old,
but was to die in the fullness of its strength. So Christ died neither
in childhood nor in old age. but in the prime of manhood--He was cut
off "in the midst of His days" (Ps. 101:24). (5) "And ye shall keep it
up until the fourteenth day of the month" (v. 6). For four days the
lamb, separated unto sacrifice, was kept tethered, apart from all
others, during which time it could be fully inspected to perceive its
flawlessness. Anti-typically that may be taken two ways: on the
principle of "a day for a year" (Num. 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6)--before His
public ministry began (which lasted between three and four years) the
Father bore testimony to the perfection of the Lamb (Matthew 3:17);
taking it literally, during His last four days Christ was under the
closest scrutiny of men, and even His judge confessed "I find no fault
in Him."
(6) The lamb must be slain: "The whole congregation of Israel shall
kill it in the evening" (v. 6). That is very striking. It was not
Moses and Aaron, or the Levites, who slew it, but the entire people as
represented by the heads of every household. Nor was it only the chief
priests and elders who were responsible for the slaying of Christ, for
when Pilate decided the issue as to whether Barabbas or Christ should
be released, he did so on the popular vote of the common people, who
all cried "crucify Him" (Mark 15:6-15). In like manner it was the sins
of each believer individually (Gal. 2:20) and of the Church
corporeally (Eph. 5:25) which necessitated the death of Christ. It is
also very remarkable to observe that though many thousands of lambs
were slain that night, it was said "Israel shall kill it," not "them"!
"There was only one before God's mind--the Lamb of Calvary"
(Urquhart). (7) Its blood must be applied: "Thou shall take the blood
and sprinkle it on the two side-posts," etc. (v. 7). Mental assent to
the Gospel without a personal receiving of Christ avails not to
deliver from judgment: there must be an appropriation of Christ,
"faith in His blood" (Rom. 3:25). A Savior accepted, not a Savior
provided, actually saves.
(8) The sprinkled blood gave security. "When He seeth the blood . . .
the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to
come in" (v. 23). And why? Because death had already done its work
there! God's eye was not on the house or its inmates, but on the
atoning blood. (9) "And the blood shall be to you for a token" (v.
13), i.e., "a token for good (Ps. 86:17). It was to assure their
hearts, as the "token" given to Rahab (Josh. 2:12) was a guarantee of
her preservation. God would have the hearts of His people in perfect
peace, even while hearing the cries of the stricken Egyptians. No harm
should befall them, and no fear distress while they rested on His sure
promise! It is most important for the believer to distinguish between
the foundation of his security and the basis of his peace: that which
provided safe refuge from judgment was the slain lamb and its
sprinkled blood; that which afforded a sure stay for the heart was the
Word of One who cannot lie. (10) "Ye shall eat the flesh in that
night" (v. 8). This was God's gracious provision for those within the
house. Eating speaks of fellowship. It is Christ as the Food of His
people, feeding by faith upon Him for strength and sustenance of soul.
(11) It must be "roast with fire" (v. 8). "Fire" here, as throughout,
speaks of the wrath of a sin-hating God. The "roasting" of the lamb
was a solemn figure of Christ suffering what was due to His people
when He passed under and endured the awful wrath of God as He was
"made a curse" (Gal. 3:13). It is that which explains the deeper
meaning of His cry "I thirst": it was the effect of agony of soul as
He endured the fierce heat of God's wrath. "Not sodden [boiled] at all
with water" tells us nothing was allowed to hinder the direct action
of "fire" on the Sin-bearer: God "spared not His own Son" (Rom. 8:32).
(12) "With bitter herbs" (v. 8) or remorse of conscience. The
Christian cannot have "fellowship with His sufferings" without
remembering it was his sins which made them needful. (13) "And thus
shall ye eat it: with loins girded . . . and staff in your hand" (v.
11). Fellowship with Christ can only be had as we maintain our pilgrim
character. (14) "Not a bone of it shall be broken" (v. 46 and see John
19:33-36).
All the leading features of redemption were more or less shadowed
forth by the Passover, and therein God would keep those things in the
minds and before the eyes of Israel by their annual memorial of the
same. But not only did the Passover furnish a vivid portrayal of the
Gospel, it was also a means for Israel's good, a gracious provision
for their bodily needs. Before another day dawned they were to leave
Egypt and start out for the promised land, and by feeding on the lamb
strength was supplied for the journey which lay before them. Thus it
is with the Christian: he must feed on Christ in order for strength as
he passes through this wilderness, for the world supplies no
nourishment for the soul. So it was at Gilgal (Josh. 5:10): as the
Passover had been the prelude to Israel's deliverance from Egypt and
the commencement of their wilderness history, so it was made
introductory to their new experience in Canaan: it was a blessed
reminder that while they walked according to the Divine precepts, they
might count upon God's mighty power. As their feeding on the lamb in
Egypt supplied energy for their wilderness journey, equally needful
was its strength for the warfare in which they were about to engage.
"And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the
Passover, unleavened cakes and parched corn in the selfsame day"
(Josh. 5:11). Once more we would observe how the Holy Spirit delights
to take notice of and place on record the details of the saints'
obedience. It had been expressly commanded that the Pascal lamb must
be eaten with "unleavened bread" (Ex. 12:8), and strict compliance was
here made with that order. They did not say, as long as it is bread,
what else matters? but subjected their wills to God's. Throughout the
Scriptures "leaven" is emblematical of corruption and evil, and
therefore it had been a horrible incongruity and most unsuited to use
leavened bread at a feast wherein the immaculate purity of Christ was
set forth in the lamb "without blemish." The least tampering with the
Divine ordinances alters their significance, mars their beauty, and is
an act of presumption on man's part. If they be not kept in the letter
of them, they certainly are not in their spirit, for true love seeks
to please its object in all things.
"In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even ye
shall cat unleavened bread, until the first and twentieth day of the
month at even. Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your
houses: for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul
shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel" (Ex. 12:19). Thus,
when it is said in Joshua 5:10, that when the children of Israel
encamped in Gilgal they "kept the Passover" we are to understand that
for a whole week they observed the same. As Matthew Henry pointed out,
"They kept the Passover in the plains of Jericho as it were in
defiance of the Canaanites that were round about them and enraged
against them, and yet could not give them any disturbance. Thus God
gave them an early instance of the performance of that promise, that
when they went up to keep the feasts, their land should be taken under
the special protection of Divine Providence: Exodus 34:24, `Neither
shall any man desire the land.' He now `prepared a fable before them
in the presence of their enemies' (Ps. 23:5)."
"And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the
Passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the self-same day" (v.
11). A supply of food was already to hand when they entered Canaan:
probably in granaries abandoned by its inhabitants as they took refuge
in the walled city of Jericho. The Lord is no Egyptian taskmaster,
requiring His people to make bricks without supplying them with straw.
Now that "the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord" was to be eaten
seven days (Lev. 23:6), an abundant quantity of grain was available
for them. It is blessed to observe that before they used any of it for
their own comfort, it was made into unleavened cakes in their worship
of Jehovah. Thus did they act on the basis of that essential precept,
"Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all
thine increase" (Prov. 3:9). And as the Lord Jesus has taught us,
"seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matthew
6:33). He is to be given the pre-eminence by us in all things, and
accordingly as we honor Him, so will He honor us.
This supply of corn upon Israel's first entrance into Canaan was an
earnest of that promise which God had made through Moses: "It shall be
when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which He
sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, to give
thee great and goodly cities which thou buildest not, and houses full
of good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou
diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not"
(Deut. 6:10, 11), the complete fulfillment whereof is recorded in
Joshua 24:13. Typically, the "old corn of the land," equally with the
manna, spoke of Christ (John 12:24), yet in a very different
character. The manna--"a small round thing" (Ex. 16:14), which lay on
the ground and was Israel's wilderness food--was an emblem of Christ
in His humiliation; but the old corn of Canaan pointed to Christ in
His exaltation. The Christian needs to meditate and act faith on
Christ not only as he is presented to us in all His moral perfections
in the four Gospels, but also upon His official glories as they are
set forth in the Epistles, particularly does he need to be occupied
with Him as portrayed in Hebrews as our great High Priest and
Intercessor.
In the earlier articles of this series we laid considerable emphasis
on the fact that the spiritual value and the practical use which we
should make of the book of Joshua is, that we should see unfolded
therein the principles by which the Christian is to enter into a
present possession and enjoyment of his inheritance, and the secrets
of successfully fighting the good fight of faith and the spiritual
warfare to which he is called. We sought to make plain what are some
of those basic principles and essential secrets as they are
illustrated and exemplified by the historical incidents recorded in
the first four chapters of this book, and before turning from the
first two sections of chapter 5: let us stress the truth that two more
of them are here intimated as foreshadowed in the circumcising of the
Israelites and their keeping of the Passover The Christian must be
diligent in mortifying his lusts if he would walk in newness of life,
and equally necessary is it that he feed daily on Christ--considered
both as the sacrificial Lamb and as the great High Priest--in order to
obtain strength to overcome the flesh, the world and the Devil.
Practically, the corn of Canaan is a portion of our Inheritance which
faith is to now appropriate.
"And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old
corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more;
but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year" (v.
12). "To show that it did not come by chance, or by common providence
as snow or hail does, but by the special designation of Divine wisdom
and goodness; for as it came just when they needed it, so it continued
as long as they had occasion for it, and no longer" (Matthew Henry).
The practical lesson which we are to draw therefrom is, that we are
not to expect extraordinary supplies when they can be had in an
ordinary way: God works no unnecessary miracles. It is blessed to
remember that the Lord had not discontinued the manna when the people
despised it (Num. 11:6), nor even when He severed His
covenant-relation with that evil generation; but had mercifully
continued to give it for the sake of their children, who had now grown
up and entered Canaan. Here ends the first main Division of the book:
Joshua 1:1-9 is the Introduction; Joshua 1:10 to 5:12, concerns the
passage of the Jordan; Joshua 5:13 to chapter 12: the conquest of
Canaan.
"And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up
his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man over against him with His sword
drawn in His hand: and Joshua went unto Him and said to Him, Art Thou
for us, or for our adversaries?" (v. 12). Though this verse begins a
new section of the book yet it opens with the word "And"--not simply
to preserve the continuity of the narrative, but especially to link
this incident with what immediately precedes. God has promised to
honor those who honor Him, and Joshua had done so in the circumcising
of the people and in the strict observance of the Passover and the
feast of unleavened bread; and now the Lord bestows a signal favor
upon His servant. How much we lose by failing to render unto our God
that full and implicit obedience which is His due! "He that hath My
commandments and keepeth them. he it is that loveth Me; and he that
loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will
manifest Myself to him" (John 14:21) declares the Savior. That is
exactly what He was here doing unto obedient Joshua! It is of His
spiritual manifestations to the soul we deprive ourselves by
disobedience.
"And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up
his eyes and looked." Probably he was here engaged in reconnoitering
the walled city with a view to determining his best plan of campaign
against it, for as Israel's leader that was his obvious duty; nor
would the firm expectation that the Lord should show Himself strong on
behalf of His people discharge him from the performing of it. Even
when we are fully assured that God is for us and will undertake for
us, it is required that we act as rational creatures, use all proper
means and precautions, and put forth our best efforts. To refuse doing
so on the pretext of relying wholly on God to do all for us is not
faith but presumption. Though Christ was about to supply a miraculous
draught of fishes, yet He bade Peter "Launch out into the deep and let
down your nets" (Luke 5:4). True, we must not lean unto our own
understanding nor rely on our own strength, vet both the one and the
other are to be exercised by us. It was, then, while Joshua was in the
path of duty discharging his responsibility, that the Lord met with
him! Only while similarly engaged are we warranted in expecting His
help.
"And it came to pass, that when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted
up his eyes and looked." The doubling of the verb seems to intimate a
twofold significance about Joshua's action--a natural and a spiritual:
that after viewing the enemy's citadel, he supplicated the Lord. The
usage of the verbs confirms this. The "lifted up" his eyes in a
natural way, taking a comprehensive survey of things, occurs in
Genesis 13:10, 14; while it is found in a spiritual sense in "unto
Thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul" (Ps. 25:1); for "looked" see
Genesis 8:13 and Exodus 2:25. "And behold, a Man over against him,
with His sword drawn in His hand." This represented a real test to
Joshua's valor. God had bidden him "Be strong and of a good courage"
(Josh. 1:6), and now he is put to the proof. There is nothing whatever
here to intimate that Joshua beheld this Man in a vision, but rather
that He appeared before him objectively and tangibly. Even though He
had a "drawn sword in His hand," Israel's leader did not panic and
flee, but boldly advanced "unto Him." We should harbor no fear while
in the path of duty, but count upon the Divine promise "The Angel of
the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth
them."
On the other hand Joshua did not rashly draw his own sword and engage
this Man in conflict. Instead, he inquired, "Art Thou for us, or for
our adversaries?" which challenge intimates Joshua recognized that
this Stranger was no Israelite. A moment later he was to discover this
Person was more than "a Man." Previously the Lord had spoken unto
Joshua (Josh. 1:1; 3:7; 4:1, 15), but had made no visible
manifestation of Himself unto His servant until now. Observe well how
God suits the revelation of Himself unto His saints according to their
circumstances and needs: to Abraham in his tent He appeared as a
Traveler (Gen. 18:1, 2, 13), to Moses at the backside of the desert in
a bush (Ex. 3:1, 2), to Joshua at the beginning of his campaign as "a
Man of war" (cf. Exodus 15:3). In the celebrating of the Passover
Christ had been prefigured as the Lamb, slain (v. 11); here in verse
13, with drawn sword in hand, He appeared as "the Lion of the tribe of
Judah" (Rev. 5:5). It was one of the pre-incarnate appearings of the
Son of God in human form, which brings before us a most blessed yet
profoundly-mysterious subject, concerning which the reader will
probably welcome a few details.
In respect to Their Godhead, each of the three Divine Persons is
equally invisible: the Triune God is seen alone in Christ. The
invisibility of the Divine Being to mortal eyes is clearly taught in
Old and New Testament alike. "There shall no man see Me, and live"
(Ex. 33:20), "no man hath seen God at any time" (John 1:18), "dwelling
in the light which no man can approach unto: whom no man hath seen nor
can see" (1 Tim. 6:16). That raises the question, How are we to
understand those passages in the Old Testament where it is said "Jacob
called the place Peniel [the face of God]: for I have seen God face to
face, and my life is preserved" (Gen. 32:20), "and they saw the God of
Israel" (Ex. 24:10). In many passages it was not only that God was
seen in vision or symbol, but corporately and actually. As, for
example, by Moses: "If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will
make Myself known unto him in a vision and will speak unto him in a
dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all Mine house.
With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark
speeches; and the similitude ["form" or "likeness"] of the Lord shall
he behold" (Num. 12:6-8). Those are what infidels term
"contradictions."
The New Testament makes it known that another Person of the same
essence as the Father has had for His office the making known of God
unto His people: "the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the
Father, He hath declared Him" (John 1:18), "he that hath seen Me,"
said Christ, "hath seen the Father" (John 14:9), "Who is the Image of
the invisible God" (Col. 1:15 and cf. Hebrews 1:3). The intimate
communion between the two Persons appears in Exodus 23:20, 21: "Behold
I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in thy way, and to bring
thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of Him and obey Him,
provoke Him not; for He will not pardon your transgressions: for My
name is in Him." Observe how such language is used there by one Person
about another Person as precludes our identifying Him as a single
Person; yet both are certainly Divine. Thus, we must not exclude
Jehovah the Father wholly from these communications to the Old
Testament saints and attribute all the messages unto the Son
immediately. We are to admit the presence of the first Person per se
(by Himself), as well as the second: two Persons with Divine
attributes, employing the name of Jehovah in common, the one the
Sender, the other the Sent--the latter communicating directly with
men.
In each instance the theophanic manifestation was made by God the Son,
sometimes in the form of an angel, at others in the form of man. It is
the same person, whether called "the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,"
"the God of Israel" or "the Angel of the covenant." Those mysterious
appearances were so many intimations that the Son even then personated
the character of the Mediator, under which He would yet reveal Himself
openly. It was God the Son who thus appeared to Hagar (Gen. 16:7),
Abraham (Gen. 18:1), Jacob (Gen. 32:24-30), Israel (Judg. 2:1), Gideon
(Judg. 6:12-18), Manoah (Judg. 13:21). In Malachi 3:1, "the Messenger"
or "Angel of the covenant" is called "The Lord of His temple." Those
theophanies not only disclosed a personal distinction in the Godhead,
but show the pre-existence and Deity of our Redeemer. That the Jehovah
who manifested Himself again and again unto Israel in the wilderness
was none other than the Mediator, is unequivocally established by 1
Corinthians 10: "for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed
them and that Rock was Christ. . . . Neither let us tempt Christ, as
some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents" (vv. 4, 9).
See also Hebrews 11:26.
The appearing of the Son of God to men in human form--sometimes in
vision (Ezek. 1:26; Daniel 10:5, 6), sometimes in prophecy (Ps. 89:17;
Daniel 7:13), sometimes tangibly (Gen. 32:24; Joshua 5:13)--were so
many anticipations of the Word becoming flesh, and were in order to
acquaint the Church with the Person of her Head by providing a blessed
intercourse between them. They were endearing manifestations of Christ
to His saints (and to none other!) of His love, that "His delights
[even then] were with the sons of men" (Prov. 8:31). It is most
blessed to observe how many and varied ways the Lord Jesus took to
display His personal love unto His people by vision and open
revelation, by type and tangible similitude, in the early ages of the
world, until the time that He became incarnate and tabernacled among
men. They were all designed to prepare the minds of His people for His
becoming the Son of man and furnishing the supreme proof of His love
for them in New Testament times. He graciously adopted such methods to
indicate how much He longed for the fullness of time when He should
put away their sins and bring in an everlasting righteousness for
them.
"And He said, Nay, but as Captain of the host of the Lord am I now
come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and did worship and
said unto Him, What saith my Lord unto His servant?" (v. 14). Joshua
now discovered it was far more than "a Man" who stood before him, and
therefore did he prostrate himself before Him and humbly sought His
will. Had this Visitor been only an angel, he had rebuked Joshua for
worshipping him (Rev. 19:10; 22:8, 9); but this Person accepted it,
thereby evincing His Deity! This faithful servant of His now had a
special visit from his Lord to inaugurate the great enterprise on
which he was about to engage, namely, the putting of the inhabitants
of Canaan to the sword. It was the sign and token that complete
victory should be Israel's, a guarantee that success should be granted
their warfare. This "Man over against him, with drawn sword in His
hand" had come as no idle Spectator of the conflict, but to command
and direct every movement of their battles. "As Captain of the host of
the Lord am I now come": at the head of the angelic hierarchy stands
the Angel of the Lord, "the Captain of our salvation" (Heb. 2:10).
"And the Captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe
from off thy foot, for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And
Joshua did so" (v. 13). Here was further proof that the One speaking
to Joshua was infinitely above the highest celestial creature, for the
arch-angel's presence had not rendered the very ground whereon he
stood sacred. It was in fact none other than the august Person before
whom the seraphim veil their faces and cry, "Holy, holy, holy is the
Lord of Hosts" (Isa. 6:3 and cf., John 12:41). It will be noted that
the token of reverence required from Joshua was identical with that
demanded of Moses by "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God
of Jacob" at the burning bush (Ex. 3:5, 6). That order for the
removing of his shoes not only linked together the two incidents, but
supplied a further assurance of God's promise to His servant "as I was
with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake
thee" (Josh. 1:5). What an encouragement for faith was that! Who could
stand before the Captain of the Lord's host? What was there for Israel
to fear under such a Leader! Note how the Spirit again registers
Joshua's obedience to the command to remove his shoes: "And Joshua did
so." Nothing is too small for God's notice. Our every act is recorded
by Him--how solemn! how blessed!
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Joshua
by A.W. Pink
9. Victory at Jericho
Joshua 6:1-27
_________________________________________________________________
A Closed City
We have now arrived at what is perhaps the most interesting and
instructive incident recorded in this book, namely, the fall of
Jericho, which appears to have been the principal stronghold of the
Canaanites. Up to this point everything had been more or less
preliminary and preparatory: now the real task before them must be
faced and tackled: the Canaanites must be dispossessed if Israel were
to occupy their goodly heritage. They had already received very great
encouragement in connection with the Jordan, where the Lord had so
signally undertaken for them by the might of His power. Having
attended to the important duty of circumcision and having kept the
feast of the Passover, they were now fitted and furnished to go
forward. What a parable was that of the beginning of the Christian
life! Having been made the subject of the miracle of regeneration,
plucked as a brand from the burning, the sinner saved by Divine grace
now enters upon a new life--one as radically different in character as
Israel's after they left the wilderness behind. Having obediently
submitted to the ordinance of baptism and fed on the antitypical Lamb,
the believer is not to settle upon his oars, but is called upon to
engage in spiritual warfare and glorify God as "a soldier of Jesus
Christ" (2 Tim. 2:3), serving under His banner and doing exploits,
overcoming his foes and entering into a present possession of his
inheritance.
Jericho was a frontier town and key city. It was a powerful fortress
barring Israel's ingress. Its capture was indispensable before any
progress could be made by Israel in conquering and occupying the land
of Canaan. It was the enemy's leading fastness, which doubtless they
considered to be quite impregnable, and the destruction of it would
not only be a great encouragement unto Israel, but must still further
dismay the remaining Canaanites. In its overthrow we perceive how
different are the ways of God from man's, and with what ease He
accomplishes His purposes. Here we behold how futile are the efforts
of those who oppose Him, and how worthless the refuges in which they
vainly seek shelter. In this memorable episode we are taught how the
people of God are to act if they would have Him show Himself strong in
their behalf: how that carnal scheming and worldly methods are given
no place; but instead, faith, obedience, courage, patience, must be
exercised, if they would obtain the victory over their foes. In what
is here to be before us we see not Israel acting on the defensive,
seeking to protect themselves from the attacks of others, but rather,
under Divine orders, taking the initiative and assuming the offensive,
which tells us there is an active side to the Christian warfare as
well as a passive one--something which is too often forgotten by many
of us.
We must not lose sight of the close connection between what is now to
be before us and that which engaged our attention in the preceding
article. There we beheld Joshua alone by Jericho, verse apparently
reconnoitering that fortress and noting its formidable
strength--compare our remarks on chapter 3, verses 1 and 2, where
Israel was required to take full stock of the flooded river which
barred their entrance into Canaan. While so engaged, Israel's leader
was suddenly confronted with a mysterious Personage "with His sword
drawn in His hand" who, upon being asked, "Art thou for us, or for our
adversaries?" replied, "Nay, but as Captain of the host of the Lord am
I now come" (v. 14). Just as Jehovah had appeared to Moses at the
burning bush before he entered upon his great task of leading the
children of Israel out of the house of bondage and Moses received
assurance that God had "come down to deliver them out of the hand of
the Egyptians and to bring them out of that land, unto a land flowing
with milk and honey" (Ex. 3:8), so Joshua was then given promise that
an all-sufficient Leader would take charge of Israel's host and
conduct them to complete victory. That we should link together Exodus
3:1-10, and Joshua 5:13-15, is intimated by the fact that on each
occasion the appearing of the Lord was marked by the command, "loose
thy shoe."
As stated in our last article, the second main division of the book of
Joshua commences at chapter 5, verse 13 (that section which has for
its theme The Conquest of the Land), and therefore it behooves us to
pay extra close attention to its opening verses. The incident
described therein is not only introductory to what follows in the next
six chapters, but it furnishes the key to their right interpretation.
The appearing of the Angel of the Lord unto Moses at the burning bush
had a deeper design than the strengthening of his heart, being a
symbolical representation of the people of God then in "the iron
furnace" (Deut. 4:20), the "furnace of affliction" (Isa. 48:10), and
that the Lord Himself was present with them in it: "in all their
affliction He was afflicted, and the Angel of His presence saved them"
(Isa. 63:9, and cf. Matthew 25:36; Acts 9:11). But in Joshua verse
13-15, the Lord is viewed as no longer suffering in and with His
people, but stands forth as their Captain, to command and lead them in
battle. It was plain intimation that this was not Israel's quarrel, in
which they should seek Divine assistance; but Jehovah's own quarrel,
and Israel was but a division of His "host." The wars of Israel are
expressly called "the wars of the Lord" (Num. 21:54). Israel's
destruction of the Canaanites was no private vengeance, but Divine,
because their iniquities were now "come to the full" (Gen. 15:26; Lev.
18:25-28).
Far more was involved here than appears on the surface, and it is only
by carefully comparing Scripture with Scripture that we can discover
what was really taking place behind the scenes. The dispossession of
the Canaanites from their native land should cause us no uneasiness,
for it was no unrighteous act on Israel's part: rather were they made
the instrument of God's holy judgment upon those who had persisted so
long in their abominations that naught remained but their
extermination. We need to look above the human side of things here,
and contemplate them in the light of that expression, "the wars of the
Lord," for that is what they were. It was more than human forces which
were involved on both sides, namely, Divine and infernal. Jehovah
Himself was now waging war upon Satan and his hosts. The Canaanites
were devoted to idolatry and necromancy, using divination, being
enchanters, witches, charmers, consulters with familiar spirits; and
as Moses had announced, "because of these abominations the Lord thy
God doth drive them out before thee" (Deut. 18:9-14)! As the apostle
also informs us, "the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they
sacrifice to demons, and not to God" (1 Cor. 10:20). God, then, was
here waging war upon the powers of darkness, and, as was evident at
the Red Sea, none could withstand Him.
The subject is admittedly mysterious, yet sufficient light is cast
upon it by the Word of God to enable us to perceive something of its
real character. When man apostatized from God, he became the captive
of the Devil; and when Christ came here to effect the redemption of
His enslaved people, He had first to conquer their Captor. The Gospels
make it clear that Christ's conflict was far more than one with men
who hated Him, namely, against the Prince of this world--it was Satan
who "entered into Judas" and moved him to perform his dastardly work.
The "strong man armed" kept his palace, and his goods were in peace.
But when "a Stronger than he came upon him," He overcame him and took
from him all his armor in which he trusted, and "divideth his spoils"
(Luke 11:21, 22, and cf. Isaiah 53:12); "that through death He might
destroy him that had the power of death" (Heb. 2:14); "having spoiled
principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing
over them in Himself" Col. 2:14). Likewise His soldiers are bidden to
"Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against
the wiles of the Devil"; the reason given being, "For we wrestle not
against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against wicked
spirits in the heavenlies" (Eph. 6:10, 11)! How little is this
realized!
"Now Jericho was straitly shut up, because of the children of Israel:
none went out, and none came in" (Josh. 6:1). This at once arrests our
attention. They were not willing to issue forth and fight against
Israel in the open. The fear of the Lord was upon them. What Jehovah
wrought for His obedient people at the Jordan had struck terror into
their souls. They were made to realize that One was with them who
could not be withstood. "And it came to pass, when all the kings of
the Amorites which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the
kings of the Canaanites which were by the sea, heard that the Lord had
dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel,
until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there
spirit in them any more because of the children of Israel" (v. 1).
Consequently, their hope now lay in the height and strength of the
walls of Jericho. There they sheltered, yet in a spirit of uneasiness.
When there is an ungrieved Spirit in the midst of God's people, not
only are they made the subjects of His quickening, fructifying and
comforting influences, but those that are without are awed by His
power! It is the absence of His restraint which explains the present
lawlessness of society.
"Now Jericho was straitly shut up." The attentive reader will observe
that the margin has it, "did shut up and was shut up." It is an
expressive emphasis in the Hebrew like "dying thou shalt die" (Gen.
2:17) and "in blessing I will bless thee" (Gen. 22:17). All the
passages of ingress and egress were closed: the heavy gates barred,
the inhabitants shut in by the massive walls. But what could such
measures avail them? What are bolts and bars unto Him who can make the
iron gate of a city "open of his own accord" (Acts 12:10), and cause
"all the doors" of a prison to be opened when He pleases (Acts 16:26)?
Verily, "except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in
vain (Ps. 127:1). How little is that apprehended by this materialistic
generation, who give little or no thought at all unto the agency of
God in human affairs! What a rude awakening awaits them at the moment
of death, and in the Day to come, when it shall be made to appear
before an assembled universe that any other refuge than Christ Himself
in which sinners sought shelter, stood them in no better stead in the
hour of trial than Jericho did the Canaanites!
Jericho was one of those well-secured cities of Canaan of which it is
said, "The cities were walled and very great" (Num. 13:28) and which
to the carnal spies appeared utterly unassailable (Deut. 1:28). It was
therefore a challenge to faith--just as was Jordan. God did not work
that first miracle before Israel's faith was put to the proof, but
afterward. The priests bearing the ark were required, at the Divine
command, "When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan ye
shall stand still in Jordan" (Josh. 3:8), and it was not until they
had complied with that order that the Lord wrought so wondrously for
them: "And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the
feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brink of the
water . . . that the water which came down from above stood and rose
up in a heap" (vv. 15 and 16). So it was at Jericho. The Captain of
the Lord's host had declared He would undertake for Israel, yet here
was this citadel barred against them! Its gates were not opened by
Divine hand, nor was its king panic-stricken so that he surrendered to
them. No; "Jericho was straitly shut up." That was what confronted
outward sight! So it is in our experiences today. "According unto your
faith be it unto you": it is in response to that, God works.
"And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand
Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor" (Josh.
6:2). Very blessed is that. The Lord graciously made free with His
servant, and before the campaign opened assured him of the complete
success of the same. But let us not fail to call to mind that which
had immediately preceded this favor, for there is an inseparable moral
connection between them, which it behooves us to note. Joshua himself,
the priests, and the whole nation had exercised an exemplary obedience
to the Divine will and had manifested a real concern for the Divine
glory--in circumcising the men and in celebrating the Passover feast.
It is ever God's way to make free with us when everything is right
between Him and our souls. Thus we have illustrated and exemplified
here yet another effect that always follows when there is an ungrieved
Spirit in the midst of a company of saints. Not only does He awe those
who are without, but Divine communications are freely vouchsafed unto
those who are within! That ought to be a normal and regular
experience, and not an occasional and extraordinary one. As the Lord
Jesus declared, "He that hath My commandments and keepeth them, he it
is that loveth Me; and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father,
and I will love him and will manifest Myself to him" (John 14:21).
Above, we have said that this confronting of Jericho "straitly shut
up" was a challenge to faith, and that God acts "according to" our
faith. But faith must ever have a foundation to rest upon, and here
one was afforded the same. That word "See, I have given unto thine
hand Jericho," was instructive and emphatic. "See" was a definite call
to view things with the eye of the spirit rather than that of the
body: contemplate this obstacle by faith and not by carnal reason.
Just as at the Red Sea the word was, "Stand still, and see the
salvation of the Lord, which He will show you today . . . the Lord
shall fight for you" (Ex. 14:13, 14). Yet they saw not that
"salvation" or deliverance outwardly until they had, in faith and
obedience, complied with the Divine order, "speak unto the children of
Israel that they go forward" (v. 15). They were required to "see"
God's promised deliverance by faith before it was accomplished unto
outward sight! It was the same thing here: "See, I have given into
thine hand Jericho." Have you, my reader, thus "seen" that blessed One
of whom previously you had only "heard" (Job 42:5)? Have you thus
"seen Him who is invisible" (Heb. 11:27)? Have you thus "seen your
final and complete victory over sin and death? Have you thus seen that
place which your Redeemer has gone to prepare for you? That is what
faith is: "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things
not seen" (Heb. 11:1)!
Instructions for Conquest
"And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand
Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor" (Josh.
6:2).
That gracious declaration was not only a challenge unto the exercise
of faith, and an evidence of God's bounty, but it was also designed to
subdue all the workings of self-sufficiency. The proud flesh remains
in all God's people, and the best of them are prone to take unto
themselves that credit and praise which belong alone unto God. But
that "See [take note of, keep steadily in mind, that] I have given
into thine hand Jericho" was meant to exclude all boasting. It was not
only a word to encourage and animate, but also one to humble,
signifying that the success of this venture must be ascribed unto the
Lord Himself, apart from whom "we can do nothing" (John 15:5). Victory
over our enemies must never be ascribed to our own prowess: rather are
we to aver, "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give
glory, for Thy mercy, for Thy truth's sake" (Ps. 115:1). Jericho was
Israel's by Divine donation, and therefore its capture was to be
attributed wholly unto the God of all grace. "What hast thou that thou
didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive, why dost thou glory, as
if thou hadst not received it?" (1 Cor. 4:7). What need there is for
that truth to be pressed today upon a boastful and vainglorious
Christendom!
When the people of Lystra saw the healing of the cripple, they sought
to render Divine homage unto Barnabas and Paul, which, when they
beheld, "rent their clothes and ran in among the people crying and
saying, Sirs why do ye this thing? we also are men of like passions
with you" (Acts 14:14, 15). O for more of that self-effacing spirit.
How dishonoring it is unto God to have so many professing Christians
eulogizing worms of the dust and using such expressions as "He is a
great man," "a remarkable preacher," "a wonderful Bible teacher." What
glory doth the Lord get therefrom? None. No wonder the unction of the
Spirit is now so generally withheld! Moreover, nothing is so apt to
destroy a preacher's usefulness as to puff him up with flattery;
certainly nothing is so insulting to the Spirit and more calculated to
cause Him to withdraw His blessing than such idolatrous man-worship.
How much better to say, "Such a preacher is highly favored of the Lord
in being so gifted by Him." "The pastor was much helped by God in his
sermon this morning." "Every good and every perfect gift is from
above, and cometh down from the Father of lights" (James 1:17), and
therefore it behooves us to thankfully acknowledge the Giver and
freely render unto Him undivided praise for every blessing which He
vouchsafes us through His servants, whether it comes in an oral or
written form.
"And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand
Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor." Taking
that verse as a whole, we may perceive the Lord's concern for His own
honor. He is very jealous of the same, saying "My glory will I not
give unto another" (Isa. 42:8). Let us not forget that Herod was eaten
up of worms "because he gave not glory to God" (Acts 12:23)! It was to
prevent Israel's committing this sin the Lord here made this
affirmation unto their leader. It was in order that His people might
freely own, "He hath done marvelous things: His right hand and His
holy arm hath gotten Him the victory" (Ps. 80:1). How often the
Scriptures record such statements as these: "today the Lord hath
wrought salvation [deliverance] in Israel" (1 Sam. 11:14); "So the
Lord saved Israel that day" (1 Sam 14:23); "The Lord wrought a great
salvation for Israel" (1 Sam. 19:5); "The Lord wrought a great victory
that day" (2 Sam. 23:10); "By him [Naaman] the Lord had given
deliverance unto Syria" (2 Kings 5:1). Alas, how little is such
language now heard! David had been taught this God-honoring and
self-abasing truth, as is shown by his words "Blessed he the Lord my
strength, who teacheth my hands to war, my fingers to fight" (Ps.
144:1). Such should be the acknowledgment made by us in connection
with our spiritual warfare and every success granted us in the
Christian life.
"And ye shall compass the city: all ye men of war, and go round about
the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests shall
bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day
ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with
the trumpets. And it shall come to pass, that when they have made a
long blast with the rams' horns, when ye hear the sound of the
trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall
of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every
man straight before him" (vv. 3-5). In view of the preceding verse,
that may strike some of our readers as a very strange requirement. If
the Lord had definitely given Jericho into the hands of Joshua, why
were such elaborate preparations as these necessary for its overthrow?
Let those who feel the force of any such difficulty weigh attentively
what we are about to say. In reality, those verses exemplify and
illustrate a principle which it is most important for us to apprehend.
That principle may be stated thus: the disclosure of God's gracious
purpose and the absolute certainty of its accomplishment in no wise
renders needless the discharge of our responsibilities. God's assuring
us of the sureness of the end does not set aside the indispensability
of the use of means. Thus, here again, as everywhere, we see preserved
the balance of Truth.
So far from the Divine promises being designed to promote inactivity
on our part, they are given as a spur unto the same, to assure us that
if our efforts square with the Divine Rule, they will not be in vain.
The gracious declaration that God had given Jericho into the hand of
Israel did not discharge them from the performance of their duty, but
was to assure them of certain success in the same. That principle
operates throughout in the accomplishment of the Divine purpose. The
truth of election is not revealed in order to license a spirit of
fatalism, but to rejoice our hearts by the knowledge that the whole of
Adam's race is not doomed to destruction. Nor are the elect
mechanically delivered from destruction apart from any action of
theirs, for though they be "chosen to salvation," yet it is "through
sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the Truth" (2 Thess.
2:13)--unless the Truth be embraced by them no salvation would be
theirs, for "he that believeth not shall be damned." Likewise the
revealed truth that Christ will yet "see of the travail of His soul
and be satisfied" (Isa. 53), that "all that the Father giveth Him
shall come to Him" (John 6:37), does not render needless the preaching
of the Gospel to every creature, for that preaching is the very means
which God has appointed and which the Holy Spirit makes effectual in
drawing unto Christ those for whom He died. We must not divide what
God has joined together.
It is the sundering of those things which God has connected--wherein
He has made the one dependent upon another--which has wrought so much
evil and caused so many useless divisions among His people. For
example, in the twin truths of Divine preservation and Christian
perseverance. Our assurance of glorification in no wise sets aside the
need for care and caution, self-denial and striving against sin on our
part. There is a narrow way to be trodden if Life is to be reached
(Matthew 7:14), a race to be run if the prize is to be secured (Heb.
12:1; Philippians 3:14). We are indeed "kept by the power of God,' yet
"through faith" (1 Pet. 1:5) and not irrespective of its exercise; and
faith eyes and makes use of the Divine precepts equally with the
Divine promises, and heeds God's admonitions and warnings as well as
appropriates His comforts and encouragements. God has nowhere declared
that He will preserve the reckless and presumptuous. He preserves in
faith and holiness, and not in carnality and worldliness. Christ has
guaranteed, the eternal security of a certain company, but He was
careful to first describe the marks of those who belong to it: "My
sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me, and they
shall never perish" (John 10:27, 28), but no such assurance is given
unto any who disregard His voice and follow a course of self-will and
self-pleasing. God's promise of Heaven to the believer is far from
signifying that he will not have to fight his way there.
The appointed means must never be separated from the appointed end.
Strength for the body is obtained through the mouth, and health is not
maintained without observing the rules of hygiene. Crops will not be
produced unless the ground be prepared and sown. Yet in connection
with spiritual matters we need to be particularly careful that we
employ only those methods and use none but those means which God has
appointed. "If a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned
except he strive lawfully" (2 Tim. 2:5). For us to determine the
methods and select those means which appeal most to us when engaged in
the service of God is presumptuous, a species of self-will, laying us
open to the charge of "Who hath required this at your hand?" (Isa.
1:12); and for us to ask God's blessing upon the same is only seeking
to make Him of our mind. Let us not forget the solemn warning Pointed
by the death of Uzzah, when the Lord God made a breach in Israel
because they "sought Him not after the due order" (1 Chron. 15:13). We
must keep closely to God's "due order" if we are to have His
approbation. That was one of the outstanding lessons here taught
Joshua. He was not left free to follow his own devices, but must
adhere strictly to the plan God gave him, following out His
instructions to the very letter if Jericho was to fall before Israel.
How passing strange those instructions must have appeared! How utterly
inadequate such means for such an enterprise! How futile would such a
procedure seem unto carnal reason! "No trenches were to be opened. no
batteries erected, no battering-rams drawn up, nor any military
preparations made" (Matthew Henry). Who ever heard of a mighty
fortress being completely demolished in response to a company of
people walking around it? Ah, God's ways are not only very different
from man's, but they are designed to stain his pride and secure the
glory unto Himself. The leader and lawgiver of Israel was preserved in
a frail ark of bulrushes. The mighty giant of the Philistines was
overcome by a sling and a stone. The prophet Elijah was sustained by a
widow's handful of meal. The forerunner of Christ dwelt in the
wilderness, had his raiment of camel's hair and a leathern girdle, and
fed upon locusts and wild honey. The Savior Himself was born in a
stable and laid in a manger. The ones whom He selected to be His
ambassadors were for the most part unlettered fishermen. What striking
illustrations are these that "that which is highly, esteemed among men
is abomination in the sight of God" (Luke 16:15)! Yet how needful it
is to keep this principle before us!
Had Joshua called a council of war and consulted with the heads of the
tribes as to what they deemed the best policy to adopt, what
conflicting advice he had most probably received, what various methods
of assault had been advocated. One would have reasoned that the only
way to subdue Jericho was by the starving out of its inhabitants
through a protracted siege Another would have counseled the use of
ladders to scale its walls by men heavily mailed and armed. A third
would have argued that heavy battering-rams would be more effective
and less costly in lives to the attackers. While a fourth would have
suggested a surprise attack by secretly tunneling under the walls.
Each would have leaned unto his own understanding, and deemed his plan
the best. But Joshua conferred not with flesh and blood, but received
his commission direct from the Lord, and therein he has left an
example for all His servants to follow. The minister of the Gospel is
responsible to Christ: he is His servant, called and commissioned by
Him, and from Him alone must he take his orders. He has no authority
except what Christ has given him, and he needs no more. Joshua did not
refer the instructions he had received from God to the judgment of the
priests and elders and ask their opinion on the same, but instead
acted promptly upon them, counting upon the Divine blessing, however
his fellows might regard them.
"When the Lord effects HIS purposes by such means and instruments as
we deem adequate, our views are apt to terminate upon them, and to
overlook Him `who worketh all things after the counsel of His own
will.' To obviate this propensity, the Lord sometimes deviates from
the common track and works by methods or instruments which in
themselves appear not at all suited to produce the intended effect;
nay, sometimes have no real connection with it (Num. 20:6-9; Ezekiel
37:1-10; John 9:4-7). But it is our duty to use only those means which
the Lord appoints or allows, to submit to His will, and depend upon
His blessing; and with patient waiting and self-denying diligence, to
expect the event: and we shall thus succeed as far as is conducive to
our real good. He takes peculiar pleasure in leading men's attention
to His own truths and ordinances, in exercising their faith and
patience, in inuring them to submit their understandings implicitly to
His teaching and their wills to His authority, and in securing to
Himself their praises and thankful acknowledgements. In promoting true
religion, especially, He works by means and instruments which the
proud, the learned, and the wealthy of this world generally despise.
The doctrine of a crucified Savior, God manifested in the flesh, as
the only foundation of a sinner's hope of acceptance, and the only
source of sanctifying grace; preached by ministers, frequently, of
obscure birth and moderate abilities, and destitute of the advantages
of eminent learning or eloquence; sometimes even homely in their
appearance and address" (Thomas Scott).
Looking more closely now at the instructions which Joshua received
from the Lord on this occasion, we see that once more "the ark" was
given the place of honor, being made central in the order of the
procession. First were to proceed the "men of war," then came the ark
with seven priests in front of it with "trumpets of rams' horns," and
behind it came all the body of the people. The ark was the recognized
symbol of Jehovah's presence, and its being carried before the
congregation was to intimate the victory was from Him. Very much
indeed turns upon our realization of the Divine presence--both as a
restraint upon the flesh, and a stimulant to the spirit. When assured
that the Lord is not only for us but with us, fear gives place to holy
confidence. Deeply important is it for the servant of Christ not only
to adhere strictly to the terms of His commission, but also to rest
upon His blessed promise, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the
end" (Matthew 28:19, 20). Equally necessary for the rank and the of
God's people to lay hold of that word, "I will never leave thee, nor
forsake thee." Joshua had received personal assurance of this by the
appearing to him of the "Captain of the Lord's host" (Josh. 5:13-15),
and by the prominence accorded the ark: the whole congregation were
given a visible reminder of the same fact. All were to move with their
eyes fixed upon the Captain of their salvation, for none could stand
before Him.
But the ark was also the repository of the tables of stone, on which
were inscribed the ten commandments. It therefore denoted that Israel
now marched as subject to the Divine Law, for only as they acted in
obedience to its terms could success be expected. As was pointed out
in our articles on the crossing of the Jordan, Israel marched into
Canaan led by the Law: so here we are shown their conquest of the land
depended upon their compliance with its requirements. But more: the
presence of the ark here intimated that the Law was the minister of
vengeance to the Canaanites: their cup of iniquity was now full and
they must suffer the due reward of the same. Here the Law was "the
minister of death" as the sequel demonstrated: see verse 21.
Seven Days of March
In our last we considered the instructions which Joshua received from
the Lord concerning Jericho; now we are to observe how the same were
carried out. "And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said
unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear
seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord. And he said
unto the people, Pass on, and compass the city, and let him that is
armed pass on before the ark of the Lord" (Josh. 6:6, 7). It is
therefore quite evident from these verses that Joshua understood God's
promise "I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof,
and the mighty men of valor" (v. 2) as meaning that, if His directions
were faithfully and exactly executed, but only in that case, would the
city be supernaturally overthrown. That promise was to assure Joshua
that the Canaanites would be unable to successfully defend their city,
and that the Lord would make it manifest that He had delivered it up
to Israel; nevertheless they must act in full subjection to His
revealed will.
This incident of the capture of Jericho is one which should be
carefully pondered and taken to heart by all the people of God today,
especially so by His servants, for if it be so it will supply a grand
tonic to faith, and effectually counteract that spirit of gloom which
now so widely obtains. Alas, the majority of professing Christians are
far more occupied with what are called "the signs of the times" than
they are with the One in whose hand all "times and seasons" are (Acts
1:7). They are walking by sight, rather than by faith; engaged with
the things seen, rather than with those which are unseen. The
consequence is that many of them are cast down and dispirited over
present conditions, and only too often the preacher is apt to regard
the situation as hopeless. But that is to be of the same temper as the
unbelieving spies, who said "We be not able to go up against the
people: for they are stronger than we" (Num. 13:31), magnifying the
difficulties which confronted them and yielding to a spirit of
defeatism.
If the minister of the Gospel be occupied with the smallness of his
congregation, and their unresponsiveness to his preaching; if he dwell
unduly upon the lack of interest on the part of the young people, and
listens to the prophets of gloom, who ever give the darkest possible
interpretation to things, then he may well be dejected. But if his
thoughts be formed by and his own soul fed upon the Word of God, then
he will discover that there is no cause whatever for dismay. Scripture
nowhere teaches that God is seeking to convert the world, rather does
it declare that He is visiting the Gentiles "to take out of them a
people for His name" (Acts 15:14). When giving instructions to His
servants, Christ bade them "take no anxious thought," for He would
have their hearts at rest, trusting, in the living God to supply their
every need; and also said "Fear not little flock, for it is your
Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:22, 32). He
ever sought to strengthen their confidence in the invincibility of
God's purpose, declaring "all that the Father giveth Me, shall come
unto Me" (John 6:37).
Instead of perplexing his mind with useless speculations about the ten
toes of Daniel's colossus, the business of the minister of the Gospel
is to faithfully carry out the commission which he has received from
his Master (Matthew 38:19, 20). Instead of wasting time upon the
newspapers and listening in to the wireless in order to ascertain the
latest threats of the Kremlin or menaces of the Vatican, let him give
more earnest heed to that injunction "Study to show thyself approved
unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing
the Word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15). Instead of being so absorbed with
the activities of Satan's emissaries, let him mix faith with that
heartening assurance of the Most High, "For as the rain cometh down,
and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the
earth and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the
sower, and bread to the eater: so shall My Word be that goeth forth
out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall
accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper whereto I sent
it" (Isa. 55:10, 11).
The Word of God is not outdated: "heaven and earth shall pass away but
My words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:35). Then preach that Word
in its purity, in its fullness, with implicit confidence in its
sufficiency. The Gospel of Christ is not obsolete, but is still "the
power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth" (Rom. 1:16).
Then proclaim it, realizing that the curse of God rests on all who
preach any other (Gal. 1:8). Do you reply, I have, in my poor way,
sought to preach the Gospel as faithfully and earnestly as I know how:
but so far as I can see, it has been fruitless, and I am thoroughly
discouraged. Then take heed, we beg you, to the incident which is here
before us. Get down on your knees right now and beg God to bless this
article unto you. Fervently implore Him to open your heart to receive
the same. Ponder afresh those words "by faith the walls of Jericho
fell down, after they were compassed about seven days" (Heb. 11:30).
Surely then "all things are possible to him that believeth" (Mark
9:23)!
It requires no forced or fanciful effort of ours to show that Israel's
conquest of Jericho adumbrated the victories won by the Gospel, when
it is faithfully preached and the blessing of God attends the same. As
was pointed out in our last, Jericho was one of the leading
strongholds of the enemy: "the cities are walled and very great" (Num.
13:28). Probably Jericho was the most powerfully fortified of any of
them, and as such it presented a formidable obstacle unto Joshua and
his fellows. Nevertheless, it fell before them in response to the
punctual observance of the orders which they had received from the
Lord. It was in manifest reference to this that the apostle declared,
"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God
to the pulling down of strongholds" (1 Cor. 10:4). How blessedly and
unmistakably was that demonstrated under his own ministry! How
gloriously was the same made evident in the days of Luther! How
frequently has the same truth been made to appear in various parts of
the earth since then. And you, my brethren in the ministry, have the
same glorious Gospel to preach, and the same mighty God to look unto
to bless your labors!
Do you reply, But I am no Joshua, no Paul, no Luther? Then we remind
you of the apostle's self-abasing and God-honoring words to those who
were glorying in the flesh. "Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but
ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man. I
have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then
neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but
God that giveth the increase" (1 Cor. 3:5-7). The men whom God has
most used throughout the ages were those who rated themselves as
nobodies! But you say, I feel so weak and ill-equipped--God grant that
such is your sincere language, for if the contrary were the case, if
you deemed yourself an able and well-qualified man, you are no servant
of Christ's. Listen again to Paul, who with all his gifts and graces
contemplated the tasks before him in this spirit and attitude' "who is
sufficient for these things?" (2 Cor. 2:16.)
Writing to those same saints and looking back to the days of his
evangelistic labors among them, the apostle declared "I came to you
not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the
testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you save
Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in
fear, and in much trembling" (1 Cor. 2:13). Self-diffidence is no
disqualification for Christ's service. It was not Paul that was
"great," but rather that the weapons he used when engaging the forces
of evil were "mighty through God"! And what were those "weapons"?
Prayer, "the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God" (Eph.
6:17), and faith in the One who had commissioned him. Note that we put
prayer first. Does not the example of the supreme Preacher (Mark 1:35;
Luke 6:12, 13) require us to do so? Did not the Twelve declare, "We
will give ourselves continually to [1] prayer and [2] to the ministry
of the Word" (Acts 6:4)? Then do thou the same. Concerning faith, we
refer the reader again to Hebrews 11:30. Now fellow preachers, the
same three "weapons" are available to us, and we need no others for
the glorifying of Christ and the execution of His commission.
Note well, ye preachers, our last sentence. We did not say that no
other weapons are needed in order for you to be eminently "successful"
in your work, or that your use of the same will ensure prompt "visible
results." That must not be made your chief concern nor immediate end:
and if you make it such, a jealous God is most likely to blow upon
rather than bless your efforts. Your paramount care and principal
design must be the glorifying of God (1 Cor. 10:31): to make known His
excellency, to enforce His just claims upon the creatures of His
hands, to bid men throw down the weapons of their warfare against Him,
and be reconciled to Him. If you be a real servant of God's He has
sent you forth to magnify Christ: the salvation of sinners is but
secondary and subordinate thereto. God would have a universal
testimony borne unto the matchless worth of the person and work of
Christ--the Gospel is a "witness" (Matthew 24:14) to His perfections.
God would have proclaimed far and wide the amazing fact that His own
beloved Son "became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross"
(Phil. 2:8), being wholly devoted unto the will of His Father.
It is of first importance that we should be quite clear upon the
nature of the Gospel: it is "the Gospel of God . . . concerning His
Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 1:1, 3). In the Gospel is made known
the Savior's personal dignities: that He is the Lord of glory, the
Prince of life, the King of kings, the Creator and Upholder of the
universe. In the Gospel is revealed His amazing condescension and
humiliation: how that in obedience to the Father's word He voluntarily
and gladly, took upon Him the form of a servant and was made in the
likeness of sin's flesh, tabernacling for a season in this scene. In
the Gospel is exhibited His holy and unique life: performing the work
which the Father had given Him to do. In the Gospel is displayed His
official glories, as Prophet, Priest and Potentate. In it is told
forth His grace unto sinners: dying the just for the unjust. In it is
declared how that He magnified the Divine Law and made it honorable,
superlatively glorifying the Father thereby. In it we are informed how
that God rewarded His incarnate Son by raising Him from the dead, and
seating Him at His own right hand on high. Our business, fellow
preachers, is to proclaim that Gospel in its purity and fullness, that
God may be glorified, and His Son magnified.
Our commission is crystal clear. It is no other than this: "Speak unto
them, and tell them: whether they will hear, or whether they will
forbear" (Ezek. 3:11). Our business is to declare "all the counsel of
God" and keep back nothing that is profitable unto souls (Acts 20:20,
27). Our marching orders are the same as Jonah's (Jon. 3:2) and of
Deuteronomy 4:2: "Preach unto it [the city] the preaching that I bid
thee." "Ye shall not add unto the Word which I command you, neither
shall ye diminish ought from it." Only by so doing will God be
glorified and our souls cleared from the awful charge of infidelity.
But if we do so--and only by Divine grace, earnestly and constantly
sought, can we--we may safely leave "results" with the Lord of the
harvest. Nay more, we may rest in full confidence on the promise "them
that honor Me, I will honor" (1 Sam. 2:30). But it must be left with
Him as to when and how He "honors." In the Day to come He will say
"Well done, good and faithful servant." Even now "we are unto God a
sweet savor of Christ, in them that are saved and in them that perish"
(2 Cor. 2:15)!
But let us now take a more definite look at the instructions given to
Israel's priests in Joshua 6:6. Observe carefully a significant
omission therein, which silently but decidedly confirms what has been
said above. Joshua did not announce to them the promise which he had
received from the Lord in verses 2 and 5, but simply gave them their
marching orders, without any assurance that success would certainly
attend their efforts! In this, as in almost all things, Joshua was a
type of Christ, who, although receiving promise from His Father (in
the everlasting covenant) of the sure success of His undertaking (cf.
Isaiah 53:10-12), yet when commissioning His servants, gave them
specific commandments but said not a word about their labors being
fruitful!--see Matthew 28, 29, 30; Mark 16:15, 16; Luke 24:46-49; John
20:21-23; Acts 1:7, 8. So here: the priests were told what to do, and
that was all. Unquestioning and unreserved obedience to their orders
was what was required from them: nothing more, nothing less. They
were, first, to "take up the ark of the covenant"; second, to "bear
seven trumpets of rams' horns"; and third, to go "before the ark of
the Lord." Let us now point out the typical significance of the same.
The ark of the covenant was the symbol of the Lord's presence with
them, as their "Leader and Commander" (Isa. 55:4). In like manner,
Christ has assured His servants "Lo! I am with you always, even unto
the end of the world" (Matthew 28:20). That is to be realized by
faith, and not by sense. The minister of the Gospel is to go forward
to the fight in the blessed consciousness that he is not alone: he is
to act with full assurance that the Captain of his salvation is with
him. What a difference it will make if he steadily bear the same in
mind! Let him act accordingly. Let the known presence of Christ serve
both as a bridle upon the flesh, and as a spur to his zeal. The
priests "bearing the trumpets" at once identifies them as adumbrating
ministers of the Gospel sounding forth their imperative message. "Cry
aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show My people
their transgressions" (Isa. 58:1). "I set watchmen over you, saying,
Hearken to the sound of the trumpet" (Jer. 6:17). "Blow ye the trumpet
in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain" (Joel 2:10). The
apostle made use of this figure when he said "If the trumpet give an
uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle" (1 Cor.
14:8).
The sounding of the trumpets by the priests on this occasion had a
twofold design: to strike terror into the hearts of the Canaanites: to
inspire with courage and confidence the people of God. And that is the
twofold work of Christ's servants. First, to solemnly declare the
revealed wrath of God against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of
men (Rom. 1:18): to announce His war against those who continue in
sin: to boldly declare "he that believeth not shall be damned." Thus
did the supreme Gospeler: Matthew 11:23, 24; John 3:18, 36! Second, to
strengthen the hearts of God's people: "And if ye go to war in your
land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an
alarm with the trumpets, and ye shall be remembered before the Lord
your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies" (Num. 10:9). "And
it shall be when ye are come nigh to the battle, that the priest shall
approach and speak unto the people, and shall say unto them, Hear, O
Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not
your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye
terrified because of them; for the Lord your God is He that goeth with
you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you" (Deut. 20:2,
4). Thus is the preacher to encourage the saints in their conflict
with the flesh, the world, and the devil.
"And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said unto them, Take
up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets
of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord. And he said unto the
people, Pass on and compass the city, and let him that is armed pass
on before the ark of the Lord" (Josh. 6:6, 7). Lack of space prevented
the completion of our remarks upon these two verses in our last. There
we dwelt at length upon the former one, and sought to show that
Israel's priests, on this occasion, shadowed forth the ministers of
the Gospel, and how that the appointed (spiritual) weapons of their
"warfare are made mighty through God to the pulling down of
strongholds" (2 Cor. 10:4). Care needs to be taken against carnalizing
that expression and interpreting it in a manner unwarranted by the
Analogy of Faith. It is not the Gospel converting people en masse (in
a body)--"Glasgow for Christ," "Chicago for Christ," as Arminian
slogans express it--but the delivering of individual souls from that
powerful "refuge of lies" in which the natural man is entrenched. The
meaning of 2 Corinthians 10:4, is explained in the next verse:
"Casting down imaginations [or "reasongings"] and every high thing
that exalteth itself against God, and bringing into captivity every
thought to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5). The heart of the
natural man is stoutly opposed to God, being filled with enmity
against Him. It is fortified by the love of sin against every appeal
unto holiness. The unregenerate are so inured and hardened by habit
and practice that the Holy Spirit declares "Can the Ethiopian change
his skin or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are
accustomed to do evil' (Jer. 13:23). Their wills are enslaved, so that
they "will not come to Christ" (John 5:40). They are steeled against
both the terrors of the Law and the attractions of the Gospel.
Furthermore they are the captives of the devil (Luke 11:21; 2 Timothy
2:26), and are unable to emancipate themselves. Naught but a miracle
of grace can free them, and the means used by the Spirit in
accomplishing that miracle is the preached Word, effectually applied
to the heart by His power. Then is the proud rebel humbled into the
dust before God, delivered from the dominion of sin and Satan,
transformed into a loving and loyal subject of Christ.
In the seventh verse of Joshua 6, instructions were given to the
people. On this occasion they were to accompany the priests! When
crossing the Jordan the priests went "before the people" (Josh. 3:6),
and stood alone "in the midst of Jordan" until "all the people had
passed over" (Josh. 4:20). There they foreshadowed our great High
Priest, who "by Himself" opened a way through death for His people
(see Chapter Six). But here the priests typified the servants of
Christ, as engaged on their evangelistic labors. Consequently the
hosts of Israel must now accompany them. What a word is that for the
rank and the of the people of God today! Only too often has the
minister of the Gospel to go forth alone. He does not receive that
moral and spiritual support to which he is entitled, and which he so
much needs. No wonder so many faithful preachers are discouraged when
the prayer-meetings are so thinly attended, and when so few are
holding up their hands at the throne of grace! O that it may please
God to use this paragraph in stirring up professing Christians to be
more definite and fervent in praying for all godly ministers. Only a
preacher knows what difference it makes to have the assurance that the
hearts of his people are with him!
"And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the
seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns passed on
before the Lord, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the
covenant of the Lord followed them" (v. 8). Observe, first, how
precise is the time-mark here of the priests' action: they did not
move forward until the people had taken their allotted position
according to the instructions they had received from their leader.
There was to be conjoint action: the priests accompanied by the
people--exemplifying what we have said in the above paragraph. Second,
since there is nothing meaningless or superfluous in Holy Writ, note
how the Spirit has again emphasized the rude nature of the priests'
"trumpets." No less than five times in this chapter are we told that
those employed on this occasion were made of "rams' horns"--a cruder
or meaner material could scarcely be imagined. They were in designed
and striking contrast with the "trumpets of silver" which were
normally used in the camp of Israel (Num. 10:1-10). It was God pouring
contempt on the means used--those which were despicable in the eyes of
men--that Israel's pride might be stained and Himself glorified, for
His strength is ever made perfect through weakness.
Bearing in mind that Israel's priests here foreshadowed the true
servants of Christ, their using trumpets of rams' horns is deeply
significant, albeit, very distasteful to that pride of heart which
glories in the flesh. It not only emphasized the feebleness of the
means used by God in accomplishing His purpose of grace, namely, that
it hath pleased Him "by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
believe" (1 Cor. 1:21), but also indicated the type of men God deigns
to employ as His mouthpieces. When our Lord chose the men who were to
be His apostles and ambassadors, He selected not those who occupied
eminent stations in the world, nor those who had passed through the
schools of learning, but unlettered fishermen and a despised
tax-gatherer--that was the antitype of "the rams' horns" in contrast
with "the trumpets of silver"--men of lowly origin, despised by those
who are great and wise in their own eyes! To effect the mightiest of
all works, God employs what is to the mind of the natural man the most
inadequate means, in order that His wisdom and power may be the more
apparent. The Gospel does not depend for its success on human
wisdom--a fact lost sight of by the churches today.
That same flesh-withering truth is dearly expressed in 1 Corinthians
1:26-31, though few have perceived it. The immediate design of the
apostle in 1 Corinthians 1 and 2 was to show that the great and grand
change wrought in the hearts of believers is not to be ascribed to any
wisdom or power possessed by the preacher (who is hut a channel
through which God condescends to work), but is to be attributed wholly
to the Divine grace in making his message effectual. The Corinthians
were glorying in human instruments, setting up one against another
(see Joshua 1:12), and the apostle shows how utterly baseless and
foolish was such glorying. He pointed out that it was not the learning
of Paul nor the eloquence of Apollos which could convert a soul, but
that God must, from beginning to end, accomplish the same. This he
demonstrates by describing the type of instruments which He makes to
be vehicles of blessing unto sinners. "For ye see your calling,
brethren [i.e. ye perceive from your own calling out of darkness into
God's marvelous light], that not many wise men after the flesh, not
many mighty, not many noble"--"are employed" (by God) is a far better
and more pertinent supplement than "are called."
"But God hath chosen [for His servants] the foolish things of the
world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the
world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the
world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen; and things
which are not [nonentities, nobodies] to bring to naught the things
that are." Thus, verses 26-28 are to be connected with the whole
context, and not simply with verses 24, 25. In them we behold again
"the trumpets of rams' horns"--God employing instruments which appear
utterly inadequate to carnal reason. That interpretation is clearly
confirmed by "that no flesh should glory in His presence," for the
Corinthians were not glorying in themselves, but in their ministers
(Josh. 1:12; 3:4)! It is clinched by the next words: "But of Him [and
not by Paul, or Apollos, or any worm of the earth] are ye in Christ
Jesus" (v. 30). Thus, Paul was showing that it was not through learned
philosophers nor highly trained rabbins that the Corinthians had heard
the Gospel of their salvation, but rather through those whom both the
one and the other regarded with contempt. If further corroboration be
needed, verse 31 supplies it!
God is jealous of His honor and will not share it with another. It
pleases Him, as a general rule, to select for His instruments those
who have no glittering accomplishments: rather, plain, simple, homely
men. It is not silver-tongued orators through whom He most shows forth
His praises, but by those who have nothing more, naturally, to commend
them unto their hearers than that which resembles the "rams' horns"!
His most eminent servants have not been those of royal blood, noble
birth, or high station, but taken from the lower walks of life.
Luther, the principal agent used by God in the mighty Reformation, was
the son of a miner. Bunyan was but a tinker, yet his book Pilgrim's
Progress has been translated into more languages, had a much wider
circulation, and been used in blessing to a far greater number of
souls, than all the writings put together of the learned Owen and
Goodwin! Spurgeon had neither university nor college training, nor was
he a graduate of any seminary! Though after God's call to the
ministry, each of them studied hard and long to improve himself! In
proportion as the churches have made an idol of education and
theological learning in their ministers, has their spirituality waned:
that is a fact, however unpalatable it may be.
There is a third thing in verse 8 which claims our notice, namely,
that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns
"passed on before the Lord." This is generally understood to mean that
they preceded the ark, but that can scarcely be its significance,
unless we are ready to conclude there is needless tautology here, for
the same verse ends by declaring "and the ark of the covenant of the
Lord followed them." What then is imported by they "passed on before
the Lord"? It is very much more than a bare historical detail, which
has no relation unto us today--alas that so few search for the present
application to themselves of all in the Bible. There is that here
which the servants of Christ need to observe and take to heart:
something of vital importance and blessedness. That brief statement
reveals to us the inward condition of the priests. It expressed their
attitude unto Jehovah, and the Spirit of Truth delighted to record the
same. Man looketh on the outward appearance but God looketh on the
heart; and the hearts of Israel's priests were engaged with Him, and
they comported themselves accordingly. By carefully comparing
Scripture with Scripture we may ascertain the meaning of this clause.
In Genesis 5:24, we are told that "Enoch walked with God." In 1 Samuel
2:21, that "the child Samuel grew before the Lord." In Deuteronomy
13:4, that Israel were bidden to "walk after the Lord their God."
While in' Colossians 2:6, Christians are exhorted "As ye have
therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him." In those
four prepositions we have an outline of the whole privilege and duty
of the saint in his relation to God. To "walk with God" is only
possible unto one who has been reconciled to Him, for "Can two walk
together except they be agreed?" (Amos 3:2). Thus it is expressive of
holy communion with God. To go or walk "before the Lord" is to conduct
ourselves in the realization that all our actions are being
scrutinized by Him: "For the ways of man are before the eyes of the
Lord, and He pondereth all his goings" (Prov. 5:21). Thus it is
expressive of holy fear. To walk "after the Lord" is to live in
complete subjection to His revealed will: "And the king stood in his
place and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and
to keep His commandments, and His testimonies, and His statutes, with
all his heart and with all his soul" (2 Chron. 34:31). There it is
expressive of unreserved obedience. To "walk in Christ" is expressive
of union, like a branch in the vine, and signifies to live by His
enablement, strengthened by Him, "rooted and built up in Him" as
Colossians 2:27, explains it.
But the one passage which more expressly explains these words of the
priests passing on "before the Lord" is Genesis 17:1, when He said
unto Abraham "I am the Almighty God: walk before Me, and be thou
upright." That was said, first, by way of rebuke, right after his
impatient and carnal conduct with Hagar. Second, that was said for his
instruction and encouragement: to show him that there was no occasion
for taking matters into his own hands. The Lord now made known Himself
to Abraham as "The Almighty"--El Shaddai--the fully competent One,
able to supply all his need, without the patriarch resorting to any
fleshly devices. In view of which Abraham was bidden to "walk before
Me and be thou upright": that is, count upon My infinite resources.
Thus, when it is said that Israel's priests "passed on before the
Lord," the meaning is that they acted in complete dependence upon
God's all-sufficiency, confidently counting upon His undertaking for
them. In the light of Proverbs 5:21, it signifies too that they moved
forward in God's fear, conscious that His eye was upon them, and
therefore they dared not depart from the orders which He had given
them.
Let every preacher who reads this article endeavor to recognize that
this too has been recorded for his learning, his guidance, his
encouragement. Let him seek to realize, first, that he is beneath the
all-seeing eye of his Master: that his actions are "before the eyes of
the Lord, and He pondereth all his ways." Let him bear that in mind
while he is out of the pulpit: that the One to whom he must yet render
an account of his stewardship takes note whether he is an idler and
slacker, or one who faithfully devotes his time to prayer and study,
and not only to "sermon preparation." And, second, let him view by
faith the all-sufficiency of the One before whom he walks, refusing to
depart from His instructions, confidently counting upon Him fulfilling
His purpose by and through him. Let him constantly call to mind that
He is none other than "the Almighty," the self-sufficient Jehovah. No
other provider, no other protector is needed. It was because Abraham
forgot that that he stooped to fleshly devices; and when we forget it,
we are very apt to depart from His rule and resort to carnal methods.
It is distrust of God which lies behind the fleshly and worldly
devices now so commonly employed in the churches.
"And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the
trumpets, and the rearward came after the ark, the priests going on,
and blowing with the trumpets" (v. 9). Here our attention is directed
away from the priests unto the remainder of the children of Israel,
and they are divided into two companies--those who went before, and
those who followed behind the ark of the covenant. The ones taking the
lead consisted of the fighting force, who were to advance when the
walls of Jericho fell down and slay those within the city This
arrangement originated not in the mind of Joshua, for at no point was
he required to lean unto his own understanding. The Lord had
previously given orders through Moses that the fighting men of the
tribes of Reuben and Gad should "go armed before the Lord to war . . .
until He had driven out His enemies from before Him" (Num. 32:20, 21).
It was in obedience thereto that Joshua here acted. As the margin more
correctly renders, it was the "gathering host" of Israel who made up
the rearward. In that twofold division we may find a hint that only a
few of the Lord's people are possessed of a courageous spirit and
prepared to show a bold front to the enemy.
"And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor
make your voice to be heard, neither shall any word proceed out of
your mouth until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout" (Josh.
6:10). Here is the third item in the instructions which Joshua gave to
"the people." First, they had been bidden to "compass the city"; and
second, the armed men among them to "pass on before the ark of the
Lord" (v. 7); now they are enjoined to maintain strict silence as the
long procession wended its way around Jericho. Very precisely and
emphatically was this order worded: its threefold prohibition
reminding us of the repeated interdiction of Proverbs 4:14, 15, "Enter
not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away." There is no
excuse for ignorance of the Divine will: the things which God forbids
us doing are as plainly stated in His Word as those which He requires
of us.
No explanation was given the people, but simply the bare command:
sufficient for them that so God required. Pondering it in the light of
Scripture, several reasons for it and significations of it may be
suggested. First and more generally, this injunction for the people to
preserve complete silence constituted a test of their obedience--made
the more real by their not being told why such an imposition was
necessary. For the mouths of such a vast multitude to be sealed during
the entire march around the city was no small test of their subjection
unto the revealed will of Jehovah. Second and more specifically, such
decorous silence well became them on this occasion. Why so? Because
God was in their midst, and He is "greatly to be feared in the
assembly of His saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that
are about Him" (Ps. 89:7)--a verse which many preachers today need to
press upon their congregations, among whom much irreverence obtains in
the house of prayer. If the seraphim veil their faces before the Lord,
how reverent should be our worship!
The "ark of the covenant" was the symbol of the Lord's presence, and
its being in Israel's midst on this occasion required that they
conduct themselves with the utmost propriety. God was about to speak
loudly to the Canaanites in judgment, and it was therefore fitting
that every human voice should be stilled. There is "a time to keep
silence, and a time to speak" (Ecclesiastes 3:7). When Pharaoh and his
hosts were pursuing the children of Israel, and they were confronted
by the Red Sea, they were told, "The Lord shall fight for you, and ye
shall hold your peace" (Ex. 14:14). The case was a parallel one here:
Jehovah was about to lay bare His mighty arm and show Himself strong
on behalf of His people, and it was meet that they should be still
before Him, in reverent expectation of the event. It was a case of
"hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God, for the day of the
Lord [when He acts in an extraordinary manner] is at hand" (Zeph.
1:7); "Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord; for He is raised up
out of His holy habitation" (Zech. 2:13). The profound silence
observed by Israel's hosts added impressively to the gravity and
solemnity of their procession.
Again; Israel's being forbidden to open their mouths on this occasion
supplied another illustration and exemplification of the difference
which marks the ways of God from man's. We are aware that some are
likely to regard that statement as a trite platitude, yet they are
probably the very ones who most need to be reminded of it here, for
they are the least affected and influenced by it. God's work is to be
done in His appointed way: but instead of that, much of what now
pretends to be "His work" is being done in the world's way. God works
silently, whether it be in creation, providence, or grace. Vegetation
makes no noise in the process of its growth. God's government, both of
individuals and nations, is wrought secretly. The miracle of
regeneration is not perceptible to our senses, though its effects and
fruits soon become apparent. So it is in His dealings with our souls'
the Lord is not in the wind, nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire,
but in the "still small voice" (1 Kings 19:11, 12). We too should go
about our appointed tasks in the same calmness' "a meek and quiet
spirit" is of "great price" in His sight (1 Pet. 3:4).
Third, the silence required of "the people" on this occasion supplied
another important line in the typical picture furnished by this
incident--though one which certainly will not appeal to many in
present-day Christendom. Israel's capture of Jericho unmistakably
pre-figured the victories achieved, under God, by the Gospel. The
priests blowing with the trumpets of rams' horns pictured the servants
of God preaching His Word. The forbidding of "the people" to open
their mouths signified that the rank and the of Christians are to have
no part in the oral proclamation of the Truth--they are neither
qualified for nor called to the ministration of the Word. Nowhere in
the Epistles is there a single exhortation for the saints as such to
engage in public evangelism, nor even to do "personal work" and seek
to be "soul winners." Rather are they required to "witness for Christ"
by their daily conduct in business and in the home. They are to "show
forth" God's praises, rather than tell them forth. They are to let
their light shine. The testimony of the life is far more effectual
than glib utterances of the lips. Actions speak louder than words.
How vastly different was the typical scene presented here in Joshua 6
from that which is now beheld in the so-called "evangelism" of our
day! Here everything was orderly, decorous and reverent. "The people"
in the rear' "the ark of the covenant"--symbol of the Lord's
presence--in the midst: the "seven priests" blowing with their
trumpets: the "armed men in front. The absolute silence of all the
hosts of Israel--so utterly different from the war cries to which they
were accustomed--must have deeply impressed the citizens of Jericho.
But not only is there the marked absence of that dignified silence,
gravity, solemnity, and reverence, which befits all gatherings that
are professedly engaged in Divine worship, but modern "evangelism" is
characterized by that which is noisy, vulgar, and carnally exciting.
How different the self-advertised "evangelists" of this decadent age
from the supreme Evangelist, who "suffered not the demons to speak,
because they knew Him," and who said to the cleansed leper "See thou
say nothing to any man" (Mark 1:34, 42)!
"So the ark of the Lord compassed the city, going about it once" (v.
11). And what follows? Therefore its walls at once fell down? No; "and
they came into the camp and lodged in the camp." Then they had all
their trouble for nothing! No indeed. But nothing happened: they were
no forwarder, but just where they were previously! That is estimating
things by sight, and is an erroneous conclusion. Much had happened.
That which is of supreme importance had been accomplished. God had
been honored and glorified! How so? By the implicit obedience of
Joshua, of the priests, of the congregation of Israel. O that both
ministers and laymen were more thoroughly convinced that nothing
honors God so much as our obedience. "To obey is better than
sacrifice" (1 Sam. 15:22)--the most lavish offering is unacceptable to
God unless it be made by one whose will is subject to His. Attending
meetings, contributing generously to His cause, busying ourselves in
what is wrongly termed `Christian service," is worthless--yea, a
species of hypocrisy--if we be not walking in the path of the Divine
precepts.
Unless what has just been said be laid to heart by both the public
servants of God and private Christians, the most important lessons of
this incident will be missed. As was pointed out in our last, the
preacher who most honors Christ is not the one who produces the
largest "visible results," but he who sticks the closest to His
commission and preaches the Word most faithfully. So with the saints.
The Christian housewife who discharges her God-given duties in the
home and the domestic in the kitchen who conscientiously performs her
menial tasks are as pleasing and glorifying to Christ as the most
self-denying missionary in the foreign field. What is the one
outstanding excellence in the Savior's life and work which the Holy
Spirit has emphasized more than any other? Is it not that His meat and
drink was to do the will of Him that sent Him (John 4:34)! That there
was no limit in His subjection to the Father's authority, that He
"became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:8)!
Say not that nothing was accomplished by Israel here, but admire their
God-honoring obedience, and seek to emulate them.
"And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark
of the Lord" (v. 12). Nothing escapes the all-seeing eye of the One
with whom we have to do. In human estimation this may appear a very
trivial detail, nevertheless it is one which the Holy Spirit delighted
to notice and place upon imperishable record. Why so? Because it
marked the diligence, fidelity and zeal of those servants of the Lord.
Why so? Because they also inculcated yet another lesson which
ministers of the Gospel need to heed. They are expressly bidden to
study and show themselves "approved unto God, workmen who needeth not
to be ashamed" (2 Tim. 2:15). Slackness and slothfulness ill become
those who claim to be the ambassadors of Him who rose up "a great
while before day" (Mark 1:35) and "early in the morning He came again
into the temple" to teach the people (John 8:2). That searching
question of His, "what do ye more than others?" (Matthew 5:47), is
capable of many legitimate applications--not least to the preacher.
Does he spend fewer or more hours per day in his study than do those
who work for their daily bread!
"And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the
ark of the Lord went on continually, and blew with the trumpets; and
the armed men went before them, but the rearward came after the ark of
the Lord, the priests going on and blowing with the trumpets" (v. 13).
The Hebrew word for "trumpet" (shophar) has its first occurrence in
Exodus 19:16, 19, where its loud blast was used to awe the nation at
Sinai: highly significant is the fact that it is mentioned just
fourteen times here in Joshua 6:7-22, or the number of perfect
witness. The word for "rams' horns" (yobel) is the one used throughout
Leviticus 25, where twenty times it is rendered "jubilee," so that as
an alternative to "trumpets of rams' horns" it would be equally
permissible to say "trumpets of jubilee." In the year of jubilee all
slaves were released and given their freedom, and all alienated
estates were restored to their original owners. In view of the
oft-repeated "ye shall return every man unto his possession" (Lev.
25:11, 13, 27, 28) and "the land of your possession" (v. 27) we
perceive the significance and appropriateness of the sounding of
"trumpets of jubilee" as Israel now began to possess their
inheritance.
In that double meaning and purpose of the priests' "trumpets of rams'
horns" we have clearly intimated the nature of that twofold work to
which God has appointed His servants. Those trumpets had a mission and
a ministry both unto the Canaanites and to Israel: the one were to be
awed and affrighted, the other to be cheered and comforted. By
faithfully preaching the holiness of God, the demands of His Law, the
sinfulness of sin, and the reality of its awful wages, the minister of
the Gospel is to strike terror into the hearts of the ungodly (2 Cor.
5:10), urging them to "flee from the wrath to come." Unto those who
give evidence that they have forsaken their wicked ways and believed
the Gospel, it is his privilege and duty to strengthen their faith and
gladden their hearts by announcing to them the liberty which they have
in Christ and the nature of that glorious inheritance which He
purchased for them. In other words, to proclaim the grand jubilee
tidings, so that assurance and joy may be the present portion of the
redeemed. It is in the Epistles that the blessed contents of the
Gospel are most fully unfolded to the saints.
"And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into
the camp" (v. 14). A careful reading of the context shows that while
Divine assurance had been made unto Joshua himself that the Lord had
given Jericho into his hand, yet he made no mention of this when
giving orders to either the priests, the people, or the armed men: all
were to act in what the world terms "blind obedience"--without any
promise of reward. It is also to be duly noted that while Joshua had
been informed by God how many days and times the enemy's stronghold
must be encircled before its walls should supernaturally collapse (vv.
3-5), he kept this knowledge to himself, leaving all under him in
ignorance of how long this strange method of procedure was to be
continued. The absence of such information made an additional demand
upon the faith and obedience of Israel on this occasion. After making
one complete circuit of the city, the holy ark of Jehovah being
carried aloft in their midst, and all the host had returned to their
camp without any tangible result, it is much to their credit that they
repeated the whole performance a second time. Yet still there was not
the slightest sign of God's appearing on their behalf!
How striking then are the closing words of verse 14: "so they did six
days"! After a second and third encompassing of Jericho, without any
apparent success, little wonder had the people complained and said,
What is the use of prolonging this business? Admire then their
persistency. How different was this generation from their forefathers
in the wilderness, who so quickly became discouraged and murmured
against their leader!--and never possessed their heritage! In
contrast, their sons vowed unto Joshua, "All that thou commandest us
we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us we will go" (Josh.
1:16), and faithfully did they keep their word. This too has been
recorded for our instruction and for our encouragement. Was there not
a time, fellow-minister, when Christ made Himself known and you asked
"Lord, what wouldest Thou have me do?" Did He not in His condescending
grace answer "Son, go work today in My vineyard"? When you received
His call to devote the whole of your time and talents to His service,
did you not promise to spend and be spent in the same? Then be not
weary in well doing, for in due season ye shall reap, if ye faint not.
However impetuous be our spirit, the Lord is never in a hurry, and we
are required to wait His leisure. Every dispensation of God has its
prefixed period: as the mercy itself, equally so the timing of the
mercy, is wholly in God's hand. "The vision is yet for an appointed
time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry,
wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry ` (Hab.
2:3). It is not at our beck and call: we can neither hasten nor retard
the Almighty. "He that believeth shall not make haste" (Isa. 28:16),
but continue steadfast in the performance of duty. We must neither
fail through discouragement, nor adopt means of our own in order to
speed the issue. Two things are required of us: adhering strictly to
the directions which God has given us, trustfully and hopefully
waiting His blessing on the same. Patience must have her perfect work.
Thus it was with Israel here. They fainted not because the walls of
Jericho fell not the first or second, nor even the fifth or sixth day;
nor did they take matters into their own hands and resort to another
method. Rather did they "Wait on the Lord, and keep His way" (Ps.
37:34).
"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him" (Ps. 37:7) was the
grand lesson inculcated by this incident. Confide in the Lord's
goodness, count upon His power, submit fully to His authority, or
there will be no waiting for Him. Israel must have implicit trust in
the One who had given them their instructions through Joshua. And so
must we. We are to wait in obedience as servants, and in expectation
as believers. A desirous expectation concerning the future must be
subordinated to a meek submission to God's will in the present. "Wait
on the Lord, and keep His way, and He shall exalt thee to inhabit the
land" (Ps. 37:34). It is failure to "wait on the Lord"--through giving
way to the feverish flesh--which causes us to depart from "His way"!
Those who are in too great a hurry to acquire things take "short cuts"
which God has not appointed; but such who act in unholy haste are sure
to repent at leisure. But if we patiently tarry for God's time, then
we shall confine ourselves to those means which He has assigned. Let
preacher and layman alike lay hold of that promise, "they shall not be
ashamed [or "confounded"] that wait for Me" (Isa. 49:23).
"And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about
the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner
seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times" (v.
15). What a demand upon their faith, obedience, and patience was this!
After their apparently fruitless effort of marching around Jericho
once a day for no less than six days, now they were required not only
to do the same on the seventh day, but to then repeat the performance
no less than seven times more! And note well those words "after the
same manner." There was to be no change of procedure: seeming failure
did not warrant them in adopting other measures: they must adhere
strictly to the Divine directions unto the end. What a needful lesson
is there pointed for us! Not only was their testing protracted, but it
became increasingly severe. Once a day for six days had been
unavailing; and six times more on the seventh day passed without any
Divine intervention; yet still they persevered! What cause for shame
that we become discouraged so easily and faint so quickly!
A brief word needs to be said about the repeated occurrence of the
number seven here: the seven priests, the seven trumpets, the seven
days, and the seven encirclements of Jericho on the seventh day cannot
be without some design and significance. The best comment we have seen
thereon is John Owen's: "The compassing of the city once every day for
six days, and the entrance into it on the seventh, had respect unto
the work of the creation. For God was now entering into His rest with
respect unto. His worship, in a new way of settlement and solemnity,
such as He had not erected or made use of from the beginning of the
world. Hence He frequently calls it `His rest' (Ps. 95:11; 132:8, 14;
Hebrews 3:11; 4:3, 11). And it was a type of the new creation, with
the rest of Christ thereon, and of believers in Him. Therefore would
God give here a resemblance of the first work of the labor of the six
days, and the reward they received on the seventh."
The Obedience of Faith
"And it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose up about the
dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven
times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times" (Josh.
6:15). Israel was now put to a more exacting test than hitherto: once
a day they had marched around Jericho for six consecutive days, but on
the seventh they must do so no less than seven times. That illustrates
a principle in the ways of God. In His dealings with His people the
Lord develops their graces by submitting them to a variety of trials,
which are harder and harder to bear. Was it not thus with "the father
of all them that believe" (Rom. 4:11)? First, Abraham was called upon
to leave his native land, and go forth not knowing whither. Then,
after receiving promise from God of a son, his wife for many years
remained barren. Finally, when the son was given and grown, the
patriarch was bidden to offer him for a burnt offering. Do not expect
your path to become easier, but rather that trials will be more
severe. Why so? That the sufficiency of God's grace may be known.
Seek to visualize the course followed by Israel on this occasion:
project yourself in spirit among them: remember they were "men of like
passions with you. For six days they had apparently made fools of
themselves before the eyes of the Canaanites, and they did so
unmurmuringly. Six times more they repeated the process, yet without
any Divine intervention or the slightest outward sign of success! The
powerful walls of Jericho stood as firm as ever! What was the use of
making still another journey around them when twelve had produced no
tangible results? But they made no demur, nor declined such a
seemingly senseless waste of time and energy. Instead, they carried
out their orders. That is the most remarkable example of united
obedience recorded in the Scriptures--emphasized here by the Spirit's
telling us twice in this verse that "they compassed the city seven
times." Admire then the grace of God which wrought so gloriously in
and through them. He it was who subdued their corruptions and made
them willing in the day of His power. Though trials increase in
severity, so increased grace is given to bear them!
Here, as ever in Scripture, we should discern a blessed conjunction of
the Divine and the human, and the latter concurring with the former.
God wrought secretly by imparting to them the inclination and the
impulse; they exercising the same by obedient action. Though a much
more severe test was made of them on this seventh day, it is expressly
recorded that "they rose early about the dawning of the day." That is
the spirit in which to approach our tasks and perform our duties: with
earnestness and enthusiasm, and not reluctantly and tardily. The more
unpleasant the task, the sooner should it be tackled and disposed of.
The harder be the duty, the more energetically should it be
discharged. "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might"
(Eccl. 9:10). This is not the time for the Christian to take his ease:
he must "labor" before he enters into his rest (Heb. 4:11). He is not
called to picnic, but to "fight the good fight of faith," and that
implies strong opposition, and calls for the putting forth of all that
is within us, if victory is to be ours.
"And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with
the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout, for the Lord hath
given you the city" (v. 16). Note well when that promise was made to
Israel. Not until they had fully discharged their duty, not until
their obedience and patience had been severely tested, only after they
had completed twelve circuits of the city, were they assured that God
would deliver it into their hands. Does not that fact suggest that we
make too much of the promises, or rather too little of the precepts to
which they are attached? There has been a deplorable lack of balance
at this point on the part of many preachers and writers. Comforting
passages have been taken from their setting, and promises severed from
the conditions by which they are qualified. The consoling of saints
rather than the honoring of God is too often the aim of the pulpit.
The manifestation of "good works" (Matthew 5:16) and the bearing of
"much fruit" in our lives (John 15:8) are what most glorifies the
Father.
"And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with
the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout." Previously they had
been enjoined to preserve strict silence (v. 10). They were not to
shout at their own caprice or pleasure, but only as and when their
leader bade them--they must be completely subservient to his orders.
Now the time had come for them to give one loud concerted shout. Why
so? To indicate the victory was sure. But this latter command was a
harder one than the former. The injunction to maintain a decorous
silence was but a test of their morale; but this order for them to
give a grand and general shout made a very real demand upon their
faith and obedience, for it was to be made while the fortress still
stood intact before them! Easy enough to shout after the victory; but
this was to be given in assured anticipation of the same. It was
faith's shout of conquest. It had been prophetically announced by
Balaam, when he was moved to say of Israel, "the Lord his God is with
him, and the shout of a king is among them" (Num. 23:21).
"And the city shall be accursed devoted ["devoted"--margin] even it
and all that are therein to the Lord: only Rahab the harlot shall
live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the
messengers that we sent" (v. 17). This brings before us the dark side
of the picture with the sole exception of Rahab and her family all
within Jericho were doomed. They were accursed, being idolaters and
flagrantly wicked. As such they were "devoted to the Lord," that is,
set apart unto destruction, to the praise of the glory of His justice.
"The Lord hath made all things for Himself: yea, even the wicked for
the day of evil" (Prov. 16:4). True, God hath made a difference
between them according to His purpose of election, yet, whether this
one was "chosen to salvation" (2 Thess. 2:13) or that one was "before
of old ordained to this condemnation" (Jude 1:4), both alike were
created for the Divine glory. In the former, God makes manifest the
riches of His mercy; in the latter, He displays the purity of His
holiness and the verity of His righteousness. God's burning hatred
against sin and His power to execute vengeance on all accursed to Him
were solemnly demonstrated here at Jericho.
"And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye
make yourselves accursed when ye take of the accursed thing, and make
the camp of Israel a curse and trouble it. But all the silver and
gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the Lord:
they shall come into the treasury of the Lord" (vv. 18, 19). Their
being forbidden to enrich themselves by any of the spoils of war was a
further testing of Israel's obedience. Thereby they were taught not to
set their hearts upon worldly wealth, nor heap up an abundance of it
for themselves. As Matthew Henry pointed out, God had promised them a
land flowing with milk and honey, not a land abounding with silver and
gold, for He would have them live comfortably in it that they might
serve Him cheerfully, but not covet either to trade with distant
countries, or to hoard for after time." There was a special reason for
this prohibition being laid upon Israel here (for we do not find it
repeated subsequently) namely, that Jericho was the first fruits of
Canaan, and therefore it was most fitting that it should be entirely
devoted unto the Lord, and its treasures consecrated unto Him.
It is to be duly noted that Joshua was not acting on his own
initiative nor was he prompted by his own understanding when he
proscribed the possessions of the Canaanites, for Moses had given
express orders, "The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with
fire: thou shalt not desire the silver and gold that is on them, nor
take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an
abomination to the Lord thy God. Neither shalt thou bring an
abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it; but
thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it" (Deut.
7:25, 26). There we see once again how Joshua was in all things, like
his Antitype, regulated by Divine Law. Let us also point out how that
this prohibition supplied yet another line in the typical picture
which the capture of Jericho presents to us: when success attends the
efforts of Christ's servants, they must be particularly on their guard
against taking any credit unto themselves: all the glory must be
ascribed to God alone!
"So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets. And it
came to pass when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the
people shouted with a great shout, that the walls of Jericho fell down
flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight
before him, and they took the city" (v. 20). Here was the grand reward
of Israel's courage, obedience and patience. Looking at it from one
viewpoint, it must be said that the walls of Jericho fell down by the
alone act of God, for no human hand or power contributed to it in the
least. Yet from another viewpoint, the miracle may be justly
attributed unto Israel: "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after
they were compassed about seven days" (Heb. 11:30). From yet another
angle it is equally permissible and correct to say that Jericho fell
in response to their implicit obedience. Nor is there the slightest
inconsistency in those three statements: far from being contradictory,
they are complementary if preserved in the above order. Though He
certainly is not restricted thereto, yet God is pleased, generally, to
work in response to the faith and obedience of His people.
It is a very serious mistake to suppose that faith is restricted to a
resting upon God's promises: it is equally to be exercised in
complying with His precepts. Trusting God is only one part of faith's
work. It is far too little recognized that conforming to God's
revealed will is also required of faith. Faith always has to do with
God: He is its Object and His Word is its Rule and Regulator. It was
by faith that Noah and his family were delivered from the flood, yet
it was because he took to heart the warning God gave him, and being
moved with fear complied with His directions and "prepared an ark to
the saving of his house" (Heb. 11:7). It was by faith that Abraham
received the land of Canaan for an inheritance, yet in order thereto,
when. he was called to leave his home he "obeyed and went out not
knowing whither he went" (Heb. 11:8). The man after God's own heart
did something more than confide in Him: "I have believed Thy
commandments" (Ps. 119:66) he declared. The Divine commandments,
equally with the Divine promises, were the objects of his faith. Are
they of your faith, my reader?
"By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed
about seven days" (Heb. 11:30). For the benefit of the many young
preachers who take this magazine we propose to sermonize that verse,
and at the same time summarize what has been before us in Joshua 6.
Let us consider the daring of their faith. When Israel crossed the
Jordan, they, as it were, burned all their bridges and boats behind
them. It was not only the "armed men," but the whole congregation
which was involved. Flight was impossible, and there was no fortress
in which to shelter, nor even houses to which they could retire. They
were now in the enemy's territory, completely exposed to him. To
advance unto Jericho and to march quietly around its walls (within
which were "men of valor"--verse l) seemed a perilous undertaking, for
what was to hinder the Canaanites from shooting at them, or casting
down rocks upon them? It was truly an adventure of faith, and it is
adventuresome faith which God delights to honor. Unbelief is hesitant
and timorous, but daring faith is confident and courageous. "The
wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a
lion" (Prov. 28:1). O to be strong in the Lord, and in the power of
His might.
There are three degrees of faith. There is a faith which reposes on
the truth of the Gospel, when the weary and heavy-laden sinner comes
to Christ and rests his soul upon His atoning sacrifice. There is a
faith which reckons, counting upon the veracity and fidelity of God to
fulfill His promises and undertake for us (Rom. 4:21; 2 Timothy 1:12).
There is also a faith which risks, which dares something for the Lord.
That kind of faith was exemplified by Moses when he ventured to
confront the king of Egypt, and make known to him Jehovah's demands.
This daring faith was manifested by David, when with naught but a
sling and some pebbles he went forth and engaged the mighty Goliath.
It was demonstrated by Elijah, when single-handed he contested with
the hosts of Jezebel's false prophets on Mount Carmel. We see it again
in Daniel, when he dared to be cast into the den of lions rather than
comply with the idolatrous edict of Babylon's king; and when his three
fellows refused to be intimidated by the fiery furnace. We behold it
again and again in the ministry and journeys of the apostle Paul, who
shrank not from perils of every conceivable kind, that he might preach
the unsearchable riches of Christ.
In the sequel to each of the above cases, we behold how God honored
those trusting and brave hearts. God may indeed severely try, but in
the end it will be seen that He never confounds or puts to shame those
whose eyes are fixed steadfastly upon Himself, seeking His glory. It
is venturesome faith which He ever delights to reward. When those who
carried the man sick of the palsy were unable to get near Christ
because of the press, and therefore broke through the roof and lowered
the sufferer, so far from charging them with impudence or presumption
"when Jesus saw their faith" He owned the same by healing the sick man
(Mark 2:5). When Peter essayed to walk unto Him upon the sea, Christ
rebuked him not for his rashness, but because his faith wavered.
Luther would not be deterred by his friends from going to Worms,
saying he would do so though every the on its houses were a devil.
George Muller feared not to count upon God to feed and clothe his two
thousand orphans, refusing to make an appeal (direct or indirect) for
funds. How such examples shame the churches today! How few are
prepared to risk anything in the Lord's service!
Consider next the obedience of Israel's faith--here the most prominent
feature of all. Joshua himself, the priests, the armed men, the body
of the people, carried out all their directions to the letter. The
method prescribed and the means appointed not only appeared to be
utterly inadequate to reason, but senseless; nevertheless they were
strictly complied with. To do nothing more than walk around the
powerful walls of Jericho and for the priests to blow upon their
trumpets of rams' horns, seemed a childish and ridiculous performance,
yet that was what they had been bidden to do. Unquestioning submission
to God's revealed will, an exact carrying out of His instructions.
employing none other than those means which He has assigned, is what
God requires from us, both in the performance of our daily duties and
in that which pertains more especially to His worship and service. We
are forbidden to lean unto our own understandings or resort unto our
own devices. God has plainly declared His mind unto us in the Holy
Scriptures, and they are to be the alone Rule and Regulator of all our
actions. Implicit obedience unto the Lord is absolutely essential if
we are to have His blessing upon our efforts.
Reader, the Divine commandments and precepts often appear strange unto
fleshly wisdom. How absurd did God's order appear to the great Naaman
when he was bidden to bathe his leprous body in the Jordan; yet there
was no healing for him until he complied with the same. How contrary
was it to all human ideas for God to send His prophet to be fed for
many months by a widow who had naught but a handful of meal and a
little oil; yet under Him, it proved amply sufficient. What a testing
of Simon's submission when Christ told him to let down the nets for a
draught: they had toiled all night and taken nothing, yet said the
apostle "nevertheless at Thy word I will let down the net" (Luke 5:5).
How unreasonable it must have seemed to the Twelve when Christ bade
them tell the vast multitude to sit down and only five loaves and two
little fishes were in sight! And how unreasonable does it now appear
unto the majority of preachers and members to heed the call to cast
away all the fleshly and worldly devices which have been brought into
the churches, substituting fasting and prayer, and counting upon God
to bless the preaching of His own Word.
"The obedience of faith" (Rom. 16:26). Weigh well those words. Too
often has it been affirmed that obedience is an effect or fruit of
faith. Obedience is an essential element of faith: the one can no more
be separated from the other than can the light and heat of the sun.
Where there is no true obedience, there is no real faith God-wards.
The Gospel requires obedience as truly as it does reliance, for it
bids the rebel sinner throw down the weapons of his warfare against
God, to repent of his wickedness, and to surrender to the Lordship and
yoke of Christ. In 2 Peter 2:21, the Gospel is designated "the Holy
Commandment," and in 2 Thessalonians 1:8, we are told that Christ will
yet take vengeance upon them "that obey not the Gospel of our Lord
Jesus Christ" which goes on to give the solemn answer to that
searching question "What shall the end be of them that obey not the
Gospel of God?" (1 Pet. 4:17), namely, they "shall be punished with
everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord." The Gospel
does far more than issue an invitation to "receive Christ as a
personal Savior" or offer pardon to all who do so; it first makes
known the holy requirements of God for us to forsake our evil ways and
submit ourselves to the just claims of Christ.
Christ "became the Author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey
Him" (Heb. 5:9): not simply those who trust in Him. In like manner,
the Holy Spirit is by God "given to them that obey Him" (Acts 5:22).
As we began, so must we continue, and be able to say with David "Teach
me good judgment and knowledge, for I have believed Thy commandments"
(Ps. 119:66). The commandments neither sway the conscience nor incline
the affections until they be received as from God. "As the promises
are not believed with a lively faith unless they draw off the heart
from carnal vanities to seek that happiness which they offer to us; so
the precepts are not believed rightly unless we be fully resolved to
acquiesce in them as the only rule to guide us in the obtaining of
that happiness, and to adhere to them, and to do them" (Manton). To
"believe God's commandments" is to hear His voice in them, to submit
to His authority, to have our hearts and actions governed by His
revealed will in them. If we heed not God concerning our present
duties, we do but deceive ourselves when we imagine we are trusting
Him with respect to future privileges. We must consent to the
commandments as good and blessed in themselves, and love them as
issuing from our Father.
The Discipline of Faith
"By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed
about seven days" (Heb. 11:30). In our last we contemplated the daring
and obedience of Israel's faith on this memorable occasion, and now we
turn to observe the discipline of it. We have reference to Joshua
6:10, where we learn that the people were commanded, "Ye shall not
shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word
proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout." That
injunction constituted a very real test of their morale. For all that
host of Israel to preserve strict silence as they journeyed around
Jericho's walls was a severe restraint upon their natural
inclinations--the more so that no explanation for the same was
furnished them. There are times when to preserve silence is far harder
than for us to express, what is on our minds. The tongue is an unruly
member, yet God requires us to control the exercise of it, and there
are occasions when to be mute is a manifestation of grace which is
honoring to Him. Such was the case when fire from the Lord devoured
the presumptuous sons of Aaron, and their father "held his peace"
(Lev. 10:3), and when David was sorely chastised by God and he was
dumb, and opened not his mouth" (Ps. 39:9)!
How often are the sinews of faith cut by the injudicious and
unfriendly criticisms of those who pose as our Christian friends, who
so far from encouraging us to adhere strictly to our Rule, would have
us conform to this world! How often is the servant of Christ hindered
by the God-dishonoring counsels and carnal suggestions of church
members when he seeks to employ none but spiritual weapons! How much
mischief is wrought by those who are perpetually talking about the
difficulties confronting us! The soldiers of Christ must be trained:
faith must be disciplined: each one in the ranks of the Lord's hosts
must learn there is "a time to keep silent and a time to speak"
(Ecclesiastes 3:7). The children of Israel must neither make any sally
upon this garrison of the Canaanites, nor employ the customary
war-cries of assailants, but, instead, preserve a solemn silence as in
sacred procession they encompassed the city. That might have conveyed
the impression that they were lacking in spirit and zeal, thereby
rendering them increasingly despicable in the sight of their enemies,
yet that was the manner in which they were required to conduct
themselves. God delights to make use of contemptible instruments and
means, that the glory may be His alone.
We turn next to consider the patience of their faith, which was
conspicuously evidenced here. The walls of Jericho did not fall down
the first day nor the sixth that Israel marched around them, but only
"after they had been compassed about seven days." Nor did they fall
the first time they were encompassed on the seventh day, but not until
after seven circuits had been made on that day. No less than thirteen
journeys around them were completed before the power of God was
displayed. Why so? To test their patience as well as their courage and
obedience. They must be kept waiting on the Lord. "As promised
deliverances must be expected in God's way so they must be expected in
God's time" (Matthew Henry). Israel were required to carry out the
orders they had received, to persevere in the performance of duty, and
leave the issue with the Lord. The race is not to the swift, nor the
battle to the strong, but to those who are steadfast and persistent.
"It is good [though we may not think so at the time] that a man should
both hope and quietly wait for the salvation [deliverance] of the
Lord" (Lam. 3:26).
Observe how one Scripture throws light upon another: Hebrews 11:30,
does not tell us that Israel encompassed Jericho seven times on the
seventh day, nor does Joshua 6 inform us that they did so "by faith."
As pointed out previously, neither the priests nor the people received
any assurance from Joshua that success would attend their efforts:
they are seen there simply complying strictly and patiently with the
instructions they had been given. But in Hebrews 11 the Holy Spirit
discloses to us that they acted in faith. But how could that be,
seeing they had no promise to rest upon? We wonder if that question
presents any difficulty to the reader. We hope not, for it is a
mistake to suppose there can be no faith in God unless we have some
definite word from Him to warrant it. So far as Scripture acquaints
us, when Abraham was told to sacrifice Isaac upon the altar, he
received no promise that he would be restored to him again;
nevertheless, it was "by faith" he offered Isaac "accounting that God
was able to raise him up, even from the dead" (Heb. 11:19). David had
no promise that he would slay Goliath, yet he had full confidence that
God would enable him to do so. Daniel had no guarantee of deliverance
from the lions, yet he "believed in his God" for protection from them
(Josh. 6:23).
Faith has to do with a known God, with One who is a living reality to
the soul, with One who can be counted upon to undertake for us. It is
God in His revealed character, as made known to us in His Word, God in
Christ in covenant relation to us, who is the Object of faith. True, a
definite promise makes it easier to act faith, yet is not the Promiser
greater than the promises, as the Giver is to all His gifts! And when
we are unable to locate a promise which precisely meets our particular
case, that should not deter us from having implicit confidence in God
Himself. When David was guilty of the terrible sins of adultery and
murder, there was no sacrifice under the law available for such
crimes, but he had recourse to the known mercy of God (Ps. 51:1)--the
infinite mercy of an infinite God; nor was he confounded. So with
Israel before Jericho. They had for years been supernaturally fed in
the wilderness, and unfailingly guided by the pillar of cloud and
fire. They had witnessed the miracle-working power of Jehovah acting
on their behalf in opening a way for them through the Jordan. And now
they confidently counted upon His showing Himself strong in their
behalf in overthrowing this mighty citadel.
Yes, it was "by faith," in the daring and obedience of faith, they
acted, trusting God to work for them. But He was pleased to put their
faith to a severe proof: they were required to exercise "the patience
of hope" (1 Thess. 1:3), to persevere in the course God had appointed,
expecting Him to honor the same. Yea, to repeat their performance
again and again, and still without the least sign of their efforts
being rewarded. Why so? To make it the more evident that the conquest
of Canaan was of the Lord and not of them. Each fruitless journey
around the city made it increasingly apparent that their enemies were
to be overcome not by their power but by God's. What a lesson is there
here for each of us. "My soul, wait thou only upon God, for my
expectation is from Him" (Ps. 62:5). "Therefore will the Lord wait,
that He may be gracious unto you . . . blessed are they that wait for
Him" (Isa. 30:18). But is it not at that very point most of us fail
the worst? How easily we become discouraged if our efforts do not meet
with prompt success, or if our prayers be not speedily answered! How
impatient is the flesh!
"For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of
God, ye might receive the promise" (Heb. 10:36). Indeed we have, for
each of us is very prone to say of the Lord, as his mother said of
Sisera, "Why is His chariot so long in coming, why tarry the wheels of
His chariot" (Judg. 5:28). Speaking to His disciples, the Lord Jesus
declared, "Men ought always to pray, and not to faint" (Luke 18:1).
How much we need to take that word to heart! How often have we
"fainted" when victory was almost in sight! We become discouraged when
our "Jericho" does not fall the first or second time it is
encompassed. Most of us find it much harder to wait than to believe,
yet we prove by painful experience that our fretful impatience
accomplishes no good nor speeds the desired event a single moment. Let
us be more definite and earnest in begging the Holy Spirit to work
this grace of patience in us, and to be "watching thereunto with all
perseverance" (Eph. 6:18), assured that "in due season we shall reap,
if we faint not."
Consider for a moment the assurance of their faith--a striking proof
of which was given by them in what is recorded in Joshua 6:20. There
we are told, "So the people shouted when the priests blew with the
trumpets, and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the
trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell
down flat." Twice over in that verse does the Holy Spirit record that
which was so honoring to the Lord. During all their circuits of the
city, they had been bidden to maintain a complete silence, but when
their obedience and patience had been fully tested, they were ordered
to "shout," for said their leader "the Lord hath given you the city"
(v. 26). But mark it well, that shout must be made while the powerful
walls still stood intact! It was therefore a shout of faith, of
confidence in God, of full assurance that He would appear in their
behalf and recompense their "patient continuance in well doing." That
shout signified their strong persuasion that victory was certain. That
is what assurance consists of: an unshakable belief that God will make
good His Word, a steadfast reliance that He will reward those that
seek Him diligently (Heb. 11:6).
That concerted and loud shout of Israel before the actual event was
one of confident expectation. By such assurance God is greatly
glorified. Though Abraham was about a hundred years old and his wife's
womb dead, when he received promise of a son he was "fully persuaded
that what God had promised He was able also to perform" (Rom. 4:21).
When the son of the woman of Shunem died, so strong was her faith
that, though none had previously been restored to life, she
confidently expected her son to be revived (2 Kings 4)--her actions in
verse 21 and her words in verse 23 evince the same. Of our Lord's
mother it is said, "Blessed is she which believed that there shall be
a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord" (Luke
1:45). To the distressed mariners Paul said, "Be of good cheer, for I
believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me" (Acts 27:25).
What examples are these of the heart's full reliance upon God while
outward appearances were quite unpromising! When Moffatt, the
missionary who had labored for years among the Bechuanas without
seeing a single seal to his ministry, received a letter from friends
in England who wished to make him a present, asking him to specify
what it should be, he answered, "A communion set"! Months after, when
it arrived, more than a dozen converted natives sat down with him to
remember the Lord's death. Say not "How wonderful" but "How deplorable
I do not trust Him more fully."
Take note of the renunciation of their faith. Israel's being forbidden
to seize the spoils of war, and being told that the silver and gold
must be "consecrated unto the Lord" (vv. 18, 19), teaches us that real
faith takes no credit unto its subject, but ascribes all the honor of
its performances unto the Giver. Faith precludes all boasting and
self-congratulation (Eph. 2:8, 9). Faith belongs to those who are
"poor in spirit." So far from promoting Laodicean self-esteem, it
humbles us unto the dust, causing us to look away from self unto God.
It is a self-emptying grace, moving us to stretch forth the beggar's
hand. Consequently, it takes no praise to itself, but gives the whole
unto its Bestower. Its language is "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us,
but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy mercy, for Thy truth's sake"
(Ps. 115:1). Blessedly was this exemplified by Abraham. When the Lord
gave him the victory over Chedorlaomer, and the king of Sodom invited
him to take the spoils unto himself, Abraham answered, "I have lifted
up my hand unto the Lord, that I will not take from a thread to a
shoe-latchet . . . lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abraham rich"
(Gen. 14:22, 23)!
Finally, behold the triumph of faith. "And it came to pass, when the
people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a
great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up
into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city"
(v. 20). Nothing can stand before faith: the most formidable obstacles
give way to it. "All things are possible to him that believeth" (Mark
9:23) as the whole of Hebrew 11 clearly shows. The language of an
expectant faith is, "Through God we shall do valiantly, for He it is
that shall tread down our enemies" (Ps. 50:12), because faith looks
away from self, with all its infirmities and limitations, unto the
Almighty. "This is the victory that overcometh the world: our faith"
(1 John 5:4): when it is in exercise, the world can neither enthrall
nor intimidate, for it elevates the heart above the creature. Israel's
capture of Jericho is recorded for the encouragement of the saints of
all generations, and our lengthy consideration of the same will have
been in vain unless it has put new life into us as it has demonstrated
afresh the invincibility of God's purpose, the sufficiency of His
power, and His readiness to put it forth on the behalf of those who
render implicit obedience to His revealed will and count upon His
rewarding the same.
"And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and
woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and ass, with the edge of the
sword" (v. 21). For several centuries the long-suffering of God had
waited because "the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full" (Gen.
15:16). Forty years previously, in the first year of the Exodus, the
Lord had solemnly threatened them, bringing the sword of Israel to the
borders of Canaan, and then withdrawing His hand for a time, giving
them a further respite. But the period of waiting was now over. That
united shout from Israel was the sign that the Lord would tarry no
longer, that the day of His wrath was come. All the guilty inhabitants
of Jericho were made a solemn and awful sacrifice to the Divine
justice. "The Canaanites were ripe for destruction, and the Lord was
pleased, instead of destroying them by a pestilence, a famine, an
earthquake, a devastating fire from heaven, to employ the Israelites
as the executioners of His vengeance, both for their warning and
instruction, and for that of all who read these records. Had an angel
been commissioned to slay them (as one did Sennacherib's army: 2 Kings
19:35), who would have charged Him with iniquity or cruelty? In all
public calamities infants are involved and tens of thousands die with
great agony every year.
"Now either God is not the agent in these calamities, which
opinion--though often implied in man's reasonings on these
subjects--is not far from atheism; or they must consist with the most
perfect justice and goodness. What injustice then could there be in
ordering the destruction of a guilty race by the sword of His people?
Or what injustice can be charged on them while executing His express
commission, as ratified by undeniable miracles? It is evident that the
hand of God would be far more noticed in these uncommon events than if
He had destroyed His enemies by the ordinary course of second causes.
The malignity of sin, with the indignation of Goal against sinners,
and His power and determination to inflict condign punishment on them,
would be far more conspicuous and impressive. In short, every man who
by reading the account of these awful judgments, in any age or place,
has been led to a deeper sense of the evil of sin, and warned to
repent and seek mercy from the Lord, will to eternal ages glorify the
Divine wisdom and goodness, in the very dispensations which embolden
the blasphemies of the impenitent and unbelieving" (Thomas Scott).
"Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God" (Rom. 11:22): the
latter is as truly a Divine perfection as is the former.
In verses 22-25 we see how the promise given to Rahab in Joshua 2:14,
19, was made good: "By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them
that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace" (Heb.
11:31). Therein we behold the mercy of God unto those who really turn
to and believe in Him. The inhabitants of Canaan had heard of
Jehovah's drying up the waters of the Red Sea, and of Israel's
destroying of Sihon and Og, but Rahab alone believed "that the Lord
hath given you the land" (Josh. 2:9, 10). She evidenced her faith by
receiving the two spies with good will, and sheltering those servants
of God from their foes at the hazard of her own life (illustrating the
principle that faith ever requires self-denial), and by a strict
compliance with their instructions. The blessed consequence and sequel
was that she "perished not with them that believed not." The
preservation of her house, which was "upon the town wall" (Josh.
2:15), was as manifest a miracle as was the falling down of all other
parts of it, and typified the eternal security of those who trust in
the Lord.
Let us now briefly epitomize some of the many important lessons
inculcated and illustrated by the contents of Joshua 6:1. Closed doors
and high walls are no insuperable obstacle when God be for us and with
us: Acts 12:10 (v. 1). 2. Faith is to behold that which is invisible
to sight and reason: John 8:56; Hebrews 11:1 (v. 2). 3. Divine
promises do not render needless the discharge of responsibility (v.
3). 4. God pours contempt on human pride by appointing means which are
contemptible in the eyes of the world (v. 4). 5. Encouragements (v. 5)
are not to be bandied about promiscuously, but given to the diligent
and faithful (v. 16). 6. The "ark," in which was the Law and the
"trumpets of jubilee" which announced the Gospel, tells, of the
preacher's twofold work (v. 6). 7. The rank and the of God's people
are required to support and hearten His ministers (v. 7). 8. The
Lord's presence with them (Matthew 28:20) is what is to animate and
regulate His ministers (v. 7). 9. The position of honor is reserved
for the ark and the priests: Hebrews 13:7, 17; 1 Thessalonians 5:12,
13 (v. 9). 10. Muffle not the Gospel trumpet and let it give forth no
uncertain sound: 1 Corinthians 14:8 (v. 9). 11. We must be "swift to
hear, slow to speak": James 1:19; 1 Peter 3:15 (v. 10). 12. All
murmuring against God and unwarrantable criticisms of His servants
must be suppressed (v. 10).
13. God takes note of and appreciates thoroughness, the completing of
each task assigned (v. 11). 14. Punctuality, diligence,
whole-heartedness, must ever characterize the servant of Christ (v.
12). 15. Though no visible results appear, the priests must blow their
trumpets "continually" (v. 13). 16. Patience and perseverance are
called for in the discharge of all our God-given duties (v. 14). 17.
The more trying and difficult the task, the more earnestly should we
set ourselves to it (v. 15). 18. When success is delayed, our efforts
are to be increased and not diminished (v. 15). 19. We must not be
discouraged over the lack of early success, but let patience have her
perfect work (v. 15). 20. God's promise is to be faithfully relied
upon during the time when there is no indication of its fulfillment
(v. 16). 21. Though saints as such have no commission to speak in
public, yet their mouths are to utter the Lord's praise (v. 16). 22.
It is implicit confidence in Himself which the Lord ever delights to
honor--"when" (v. 16). 23. The whole world lieth in the Wicked One and
is under the wrath of God (v. 17). 24. We bring trouble upon ourselves
when we set our affection on earthly things (v. 18). 25. God never
confounds those who trust and obey Him (v. 18). 26. The most unlikely
means are used by God in the doing of great things (v. 20). 27.
Eternal destruction is the portion of all out of Christ (v. 21),
eternal security of those who trust Him (vv. 22, 23). 28. Build not
again the things you have destroyed or renounced: Galatians 2:18 (v.
26; cf. Psalm 85:8).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Joshua
by A.W. Pink
10. Sin, Defeat, Judgment
Joshua 7:1-26
_________________________________________________________________
Humiliation at Ai
The seventh chapter of Joshua presents to us a drastically different
scene from those which have engaged our attention in the previous
chapters, yea, so startling is the contrast that we are reminded of
that old adage, "Truth is stranger than fiction." Up to this point
everything had gone smoothly and blessedly for Israel, but now their
progress is suddenly halted. Hitherto we have witnessed them, under
God, going from strength to strength and glory to glory. Strict
obedience to the Divine commands had marked their every movement;
here, the very reverse obtained. They had duly attended to the
essential matter of circumcision and had kept the appointed Passover
feast. On His part, the Lord had wrought wondrously for them, bringing
them through the Jordan dry-shod and overthrowing the principal
fortress of the enemy without a blow having to be struck by Israel.
But a startling contrast now confronts us: immediately following the
memorable victory at the formidable Jericho, Israel suffer humiliating
defeat at the much weaker town of Ai. A member of the tribe of Judah
had committed a grievous crime, and the whole nation suffer in
consequence. As there was a serpent in Eden and a Judas among the
apostles, so there was an Achan in the midst of an obedient Israel.
A series of sad failures are set before us in the passage we are about
to consider. The whole nation is thus depicted, "The hearts of the
people melted and became as water" (Josh. 7:5). That dejection of
God's people was occasioned by the cowardice shown by three thousand
of their armed men, who had "fled before the men of Ai," thirty-six of
them being slain as the enemy chased them (v. 5). That had been
preceded by the remiss conduct of Joshua himself, who, instead of
seeking counsel from the Lord, had acted upon the carnal advice of his
spies (v. 4). The men whom Joshua had sent out to reconnoiter Ai so
far forgot their place that, upon their return, instead of making a
simple report, they presumed to inform their commander-in-chief of the
policy which they deemed it best for Israel to follow on this occasion
(v. 3). But before all this, the anger of the Lord had been kindled
against Israel by the sin of Achan at Jericho (v. 1). That was what
explained all which followed: the cause of which they were the
consequences. One decayed apple will soon infect a whole box of sound
ones; or, to change the figure for a more Scriptural one," A little
leaven leaveneth the whole lump." (1 Cor. 5:6).
In the light of history there is nothing at all unusual in the sad
failures mentioned above, for poor human nature is "as unstable as
water" (Gen. 49:4). Yet in view of the fact that this generation was
far and away the best which Israel ever had, and that Jehovah Himself
was their Captain (Josh. 5:15) in the conquest of Canaan, it does seem
strange that such a deplorable lapse now occurred. How are we to
account for the Divine permission, yea, fore-ordination of the same?
From the general teaching of Scripture, may we not say that the Lord
suffered this grievous defection for such reasons as these? First, to
teach all succeeding generations of His people that they are never in
greater danger of yielding to the pride of their hearts than when the
Lord's power has been most signally displayed on their behalf. Second,
to exemplify the basic truth that, if we are to enjoy a continuation
of God's governmental blessing, we must remain steadfast in our
subjection to His holy will. Third, to set before His saints a lasting
warning that the Holy One is jealous of His glory, and will not
condone sin in His own people. Fourth, to emphasize that nothing can
be concealed from Him: that the most secret actions of an individual
fall beneath His observation (Prov. 15:3).
How ominous is the initial "But" of Joshua 7:1--the first chapter of
our book opening thus: sad intimater of what follows, and well suited
to point the contrast with the closing verse of chapter 6. There we
read, "So the Lord was with Joshua and his fame was noised throughout
all the country"; now we are told, "But the children of Israel
committed a trespass . . . for Achan . . . took of the accursed thing,
and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel."
The contrast is a double one: the Lord was with Joshua, but here His
anger was kindled against Israel. The consequence of the former was
that Joshua's fame was proclaimed abroad; the sequel of the latter is
that he was humiliated and lies on his face before the ark (Josh.
7:5). How often are the brightest prospects dimmed and the most
promising projects hindered by sin! It was so with king Saul, and
later with Solomon. Thus with Israel's progress in the conquest of
Canaan: victory at Jericho gives place to defeat before Ai. How this
shows us that a time of success is when we most need to be on our
guard, and "rejoice with trembling" (Ps. 2:11). The moon never suffers
an eclipse except at a time when it is at the full! Grace is needed by
us to use the grace God gives us and to save us from turning His
blessings into curses.
Here, then, is another most important practical lesson for us to lay
to heart in connection with the possessing of our possessions and the
present enjoyment of our spiritual heritage. When God has vouchsafed
light from His Word and opened up to us some passage, beware lest we
become conceited and attribute the same to our own perspicuity. When
victory is granted over some lust or deliverance from a powerful
temptation, boast not, but rather endeavor to become more watchful.
When God gives the pastor souls for his hire and prospers his labors,
humbling grace must be diligently sought that he may not cherish the
spirit of Nebuchadnezzar and say, "Is not this great Babylon that I
have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power!"
(Dan. 4:30). Remember that solemn warning, "But Jeshurun [Israel]
waxed fat and wicked: thou art waxed fat, thou art grown thick, thou
art covered with fatness: then he forsook God" (Deut. 32:15). We need
to be much on our guard and fight against the Laodicean
self-sufficiency and self-glorying of this evil day. Unless we be kept
"little in our own sight" (1 Sam. 15:17) and "poor in spirit," the
overthrow of some Jericho in our experience will be followed by an
ignominious defeat before an Ai!
"But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed
thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of
Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing." This awful
trespass was committed within the very environs of Jericho,
immediately after God had miraculously caused its walls to fall down
flat. In connection with the destruction and sacking of that city,
specific instructions had been given to Israel that they must neither
spare any lives nor take any of the spoils unto themselves (Josh.
6:17-19). The spiritual lesson for us therein is that "the good fight
of faith" in which the Christian is called to engage consists of a
mortifying of the flesh, the denying of self, and the renouncing of
this world in our affections. It was far more than a bare theft of
which Achan was guilty, namely, the heinous act of sacrilege, a taking
of that which was "consecrated to the Lord"! It is to be carefully
noted that the Holy Spirit has furnished us with the genealogy of the
offender, and since there is nothing meaningless or unimportant in the
Word of Truth, it behooves us to attend to this detail. Achan was the
immediate descendant of "Zerah," and he was the son of Judah's
whoredom (Gen. 38:15-30). What a solemn example of the sins of the
fathers being visited upon the children I
Significant indeed is the name of this disturber of the nation's peace
and prosperity, for Achan means "Trouble." It is both solemn and
striking to note how the Holy Spirit has phrased His allusion to
Achan's sin: He does not say "one of," but rather "the children of
Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing." God regarded them
as a unit, and hence what one individual is considered the sin of the
nation. This is borne out by what follows, for the whole congregation
was affected thereby; "and the anger of the Lord was kindled against
[not simply "Achan" but] the children of Israel." We have a parallel
in the local church of the New Testament: "whether one member suffer,
all the members suffer with it (1 Cor. 12:26), an example of which is
furnished in Joshua 5:17, of the same epistle. Israel had been plainly
warned that if any one of them took of the accursed thing, they would
"make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it" (Josh. 6:18), yet
that solemn warning deterred not the selfish and rebellious Achan.
Until the walls of Jericho fell, all kept strictly, to rank, but upon
their fall they went "every man straight before him (Josh. 6:20). Thus
the moment discipline was relaxed this reprobate cared only for
himself.
"And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven on
the east side of Bethel, and spake unto them saying, Go up and view
the country" (v. 4). Joshua did not rest on his oars, but proceeded to
the task which lay before him, sending out scouts to examine the next
place to be captured. After such a notable victory, he did not deem
himself entitled to sit down and take things easy, or give himself to
feasting; but believed in the policy of striking while the iron is
hot. The best time to hoist sail is when the wind is blowing, so that
advantage may be taken of the same. Thus it is spiritually. When
favored with a breeze from Heaven (John 3:8), it is a propitious
season for religious enterprise. Yet observe that the zeal of Joshua
was tempered with prudence: he did not rush blindly ahead, but wisely
took a preview of what was next to be done. It is the feverish energy
of the flesh which impels professing Christians to act hurriedly and
rashly, instead of "sitting down first and "consulting" whether they
be sufficiently equipped for the task which they assay (Luke 14:31).
There is a happy mean between recklessness and a caution which
degenerates into apathy.
Ai was a place of sacred memories, for in Genesis 12:8, we are told of
Abraham that he removed "unto a mountain on the east of Bethel and
pitched his tent [emblem of being a "stranger and pilgrim" there],
having Bethel on the west and Hai [same as "Ai" in Joshua 7] on the
east; and there he built an altar to the Lord [symbol of his being a
worshipper] and called upon the name of the Lord." But now this
territory was occupied by the wicked and marked out for destruction.
It was because of their abominable idolatry and immorality that the
Lord used Israel as His instrument of judgment upon the Canaanites
(Lev. 18:24, 25; Deuteronomy 18:10-l2). Evidence of this is found in
the names mentioned in Joshua 7:2, for "Beth-aven" signifies "House of
vanity" or "iniquity." Incidentally we may note an example of the
minute accuracy of Scripture in the topographical reference there: "Go
up and view the country," said Joshua, while the Holy Spirit informs
us in Genesis 12:8, that Abraham "removed unto a mountain on the east
of Bethel"--which means "The House of God." Ah, my reader, there are
no "contradictions" in Holy Writ, but, instead, the most perfect
harmony `throughout; but only the reverent and diligent student
perceives that.
"But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed
thing, for Achan . . . took of the accursed thing, and the anger of
the Lord was kindled against Israel. And Joshua sent men from Jericho
to Ai . . . saying, Go up and view the country. The two verses are
linked together, and thereby a solemn lesson is pointed. It is evident
that Joshua was ignorant of the perfidy of Achan, and therefore was
quite unaware that the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel. It
is a very serious thing to provoke the Lord, and thereby forfeit His
providential smile. Yet how few of the "churches" today are conscious
that the anger of the Lord is kindled against them! Kindled against
them for the self-same reason that it was here against Israel, namely,
for having trafficked in "the accursed thing." Dispensationalists may
deny it, and say that occurred under the Dispensation of Law, but
there is no parallel in this "Dispensation of Grace." Therein they
betray their crass ignorance, and, it is much to be feared, their
unregeneracy--hearts which know not the Holy One. The case of Ananias
and Sapphira (Acts 5; Revelation 2:14-16 and 20-23) and a quenched
Spirit in our midst clearly give the lie to their assertions.
"And the men went up and viewed Ai. And they returned unto Joshua, and
said unto him, Let not all the people go out, but let about two or
three thousand men go up and smite Ai; make not all the people to,
labor thither, for they are but few (v. 3). In carrying out Joshua
orders those men acted commendably, but in taking it upon them to
advise their general, their conduct was most reprehensible. It was
nothing but downright impudence for those subordinates to tell Joshua
what he should do. Had he asked for their suggestions it had been a
different matter, but to proffer them unsought was a piece of
impertinence. It appeared to be the language of kindness, prompted by
consideration of others--to save the great bulk of the nation from a
needless waste of energy. Yet, plausible as were their words, it was
carnal counsel they gave: as much so as Peter's "Pity Thyself, Lord,"
which seemed to emanate from deep solicitude for Him, when in reality
it issued from Satan (Matthew 16:22, 23). The same answer which, the
Redeemer returned unto the apostle was due these spies: "thou savorest
not the things that be of God, but those that be of men." They were
leaning on the arm of flesh, filled with a sense of self-sufficiency.
These men who returned from their reconnoitering were inflated with
pride. Their language was that of presumption, engendered by previous
success. They began to entertain the idea that they belonged to a
great nation, and none could stand before them. They contemptuously
regarded Ai as an easy prey, as their "for they are few" indicated.
What need for the whole of the army to journey thither: a small
company of our men will suffice. There was no dependency upon the One
who had wrought wonders for them. Instead, they felt that a couple of
battalions could do wonders, and that there was no need for Israel to
put forth all their strength. Alas, how like unto them God's servants
and people often are today. When the Lord is pleased to exercise His
power in the saving of souls, preaching appears to be an easy matter,
and the minister is tempted to spend less time and labor in the
preparation of his sermons. And when God grants a saint victory over
some powerful lust, he is apt to feel there is less need to pray so
earnestly. But such a spirit is disastrous. Only as we continue
sensible of our weakness shall we seek strength from Above. Take
warning from this incident and strive against pride and presumption,
especially when God has granted some success.
"Let not all the people go up: but let about two or three thousand go
up and smite Ai; make not all the people to labor thither, for they
are few" (v. 3). How different was that conceited boast from me
language or the first spies: "Truly the Lord hath delivered into our
hands all the land" (Josh. 2:24)! Let not victory lead to negligence.
We have no right to count upon the Lord's doing all for us unless we
make full use of the means that He has appointed. All of Israel were
required to assemble at Jericho: none was left behind in his tent,
none suffered to remain at a distance as a mere spectator. It might
appear to them as a needless waste of "man-power," but God required
it; and gave success to their obedience. There was the precedent for
them to follow. But the dictate of carnal wisdom intervened. Ai
appeared to be an inconsiderable place and no great force required to
reduce it. Self-confidence promised an easy conquest, so the greater
part of the army might be spared. Instead of regarding it as a blessed
privilege for the whole nation to behold the Lord showing Himself
strong in their behalf, these men said, "make not all the people to
labor thither" or to be a "weariness," as the word is eight times
rendered elsewhere--just as at the close of the Old Testament a
degenerate Israel said of God's worship "what a weariness is it!"
(Mal. 1:13).
"So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men" (v.
4).
Very solemn indeed is that, for it shows us what the most honored of
God's servants are when left to themselves. We say riot "the most
eminent," for that savors far too much of the flesh; but rather the
"most favored." Whatever privileges we have enjoyed, or nearness to
God has been granted us, we are still entirely dependent upon Him for
a continuance of preserving grace. If that be withheld from any one of
us for a single hour, we shall miserably fail and sin. The upholding
Spirit was now withdrawn from Joshua for a season (why so, will be
pointed out later), and therefore he acted as a natural man would and
followed the carnal policy advanced by his underlings. Instead of
rebuking their pride with "Let not him that girdeth on his harness
boast himself as he that putteth it off" (1 Kings 20:11), he adopted
their fleshly policy, This was the more lamentable and excuseless
because express instructions had been given him, "he shall stand
before Eleazer the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the
judgment of Urim before the Lord: at His word shall they go out and at
his word shall they come in" (Num. 27:18-21).
Alas, the evil leaven of Achan's trespass was at work "leavening the
whole lump," secretly yet surely defiling all his fellows. Failing to
ask counsel of the Lord, Joshua was now deprived of spiritual
perception, and so discerned not the carnality and evil of the plan
set before him. He should have realized at once that it was at direct
variance with the Divine pattern given him at Jericho. There
everything was done in complete obedience to the revealed will of God,
in full dependence upon Him, and yet without the slightest neglect of
means or human instrumentality--the entire congregation took their
assigned places and parts. But here there was no inquiring of God's
mind, no reliance on His intervention, and a small part only of the
"armed men" were deemed sufficient to perform the work of the whole.
Thus the greater part would be idle and the congregation itself
deprived of the grand privilege of witnessing the mighty works of
their God. When Jericho fell, the whole nation saw by whose Hand its
powerful walls were demolished, and could give Him the glory. Thus,
the plan adopted now by Joshua was a breaking in upon the Divine
design.
How solemnly does that point the injunction "Cease ye from man whose
breath is in his nostrils, for wherein is he to be accounted of?"
(Isa. 2:22). What a warning is there here for the pastor to give no
heed to the carnal advice of his church officers, and to say with
David "My soul, wait thou only upon God" (Ps. 62:5). Emulate the
apostle who "conferred not with flesh and blood" (Gal. 1:16). It
matters nothing what others think and say of you so long as you have
the Divine approbation. No matter how plausible may be the suggestions
proffered, take orders from none save your Master. At the beginning of
the campaign Joshua had given commandment that the Reubenites,
Gadites, and half the tribe of Manassah should "remain in the land"
and not enter into possession of their inheritance on the other side
of Jordan "until the Lord have given your brethren rest" (Josh.
1:12-15), thereby insisting that the whole of the twelve tribes should
present a united front before the enemy until victory was complete.
But the plan now followed introduced disunity. It is the following of
fleshly methods which generally brings divisions among the people of
God. Later, the Lord said to Joshua "Take all the people of war with
thee" (Josh. 8:1). He had to return to the Divine plan before there
could be any success!
The sad failure of Israel before Ai is one which calls for the most
careful and prayerful study. Not only because it points, in a general
way, a warning which needs to be taken to heart by all of God's
people, especially so by His servants, but more particularly because
of the book in which it is recorded and the grand truth which is there
illustrated. As we proceed from chapter to chapter it needs to be
definitely borne in mind that the theme of Joshua is Israel's entry
into and conquest of Canaan, and that this typified the Christian's
occupation by faith of his heavenly heritage. In the earlier articles
of this series we emphasized that fact considerably, frequently
pointing out the principles which must regulate the saints if they are
to actually "possess their possessions" (Obad. 17) in this life. Alas
that so few of them do enjoy their inheritance--because of their
failure to act by the same. We need not now enumerate and describe
these principles suffice it to say that they are all summed up in,
unremitting submission to the revealed will of God. While Israel
followed that course, all went well for them; but as soon as they
departed therefrom, disastrous was the consequence. And that is
written for our learning (Rom. 15:4). O that a teachable spirit may be
granted both writer and reader.
"The upright shall have good things in possession" (Prov. 28:10). The
upright are they who walk with their eyes fixed on God, in subjection
to His authority, and in dependence on His grace. While they maintain
that character they have the "good things" purchased by Christ not
merely in promise and prospect, but in present "possession," enjoying
real and blessed foretastes of their eternal portion. But when
self-will and self-pleasing obtrude, they are made to eat the bitter
fruits of their folly. And hence it is that in the book we are now
studying we are shown, both in the crossing of the Jordan and the
capture of Jericho, the blessed effects of Israel's obedience unto the
Lord; and on the other hand, we have faithfully set before us--in the
shameful defeat at Ai--the evil results which inevitably followed
Israel's disobedience. In the one we are taught some of the secrets of
success, or the things which must be attended to by us if we are to
have the mighty power of God working in our behalf; while in the other
is made known what are the certain precursors of the Lord's
displeasure and of our being overcome by our enemies. The one is as
necessary for our instruction as is the other.
It would be stating the same thing in a slightly different form and
from another angle if we said, The principal subject developed in the
book of Joshua is a showing unto God's people how their enemies are to
be conquered, for Israel had to vanquish and dispossess the Canaanites
before they could occupy their land. In like manner the Christian must
overcome the Devil, the world, and the flesh before he can
experimentally enjoy his heavenly heritage. Israel's warfare against
the seven nations of the land was a figure of the believer's conflict
with his spiritual foes. The grand lesson which is set before us in
the type is that our foes can be subdued by none but the Lord, and
that He will fight for us only so long as we are in complete
subjection to Him and maintain entire dependence upon Him. "For if ye
shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you to do
them, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, and to
cleave unto Him. Then will the Lord drive out all these nations from
before thee" (Deut. 11:22, 23). Blessedly was that exemplified at
Jericho; but the converse was demonstrated at Ai: the former is
chronicled for our encouragement; the latter is narrated as a solemn
warning for us to take to heart.
The first thing for us to heed--as we observe that the defeat of Ai
followed immediately after the victory at Jericho--is the startling
fact that the people of God are never in greater danger of giving
place to pride and presumption than when God has signally blessed and
prospered them. Never does a believer need to act more warily and in
full dependence upon the Lord than when his graces are in lively
exercise and his heart in an exhilarated frame. Unless he does so,
self-confidence will creep in, and more reliance will be placed upon
inherent grace than upon the One from whose fullness we need to be
continually receiving grace for grace. No matter how strong be our
faith, joyful our heart, energetic our grace, we must still look up
for fresh supplies and renewings in the inner man, for without such
our graces will no longer act, no, not for a single hour. Only as we
remain in the place of conscious weakness are we really strong. Only
as the empty hand of a beggar continues to be extended, shall we
receive "the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:19). Alas,
how often do we give the Lord occasion to complain, "I spoke unto thee
in thy prosperity, but thou sadist [by thy self-sufficient attitude] I
will not hear" (Jer. 22:21).
The hidden cause of Israel's defeat at Ai was the sin of Achan, who
had secretly committed a grievous trespass against the Lord (Josh.
7:1), and as the sequel shows, it is a very solemn and serious matter
to provoke Him. In this case His displeasure was evinced by his
leaving Israel to act in their own wisdom and strength, and that could
issue in naught but disaster. Here we have illustrated the important
truth that so long as there be an ungrieved Spirit in the midst of an
assembly, He directs its counsels and moves its officers and members
to work in a wise and becoming manner; but when He is slighted, then
His gracious operations are suspended, and they are left to act in the
energy of the flesh--to the dishonor of the Lord, and to their own
undoing and sorrow. Thus it was here. Out of the hidden root of
Achan's offense grew the more obvious causes of the Ai defeat. Pride
and presumption were at work. Ai was regarded with contempt, as an
easy prey (v. 3); but to their own overthrow. Learn from this, my
reader, that it is a fatal mistake to underestimate the strength of
our enemies! It is only as we truly realize that our spiritual foes
are too powerful for us to vanquish that we shall really seek help and
strength from the Lord.
Alas, Joshua accepted the counsel of those who belittled Ai: "So there
went up thither of the people about three thousand men" (Josh. 7:4).
And what was the inevitable outcome of such carnal self-confidence?
This: "they fled before the men of Ai." What a spectacle! Behold
attentively the consequence of leaving the place of humble dependency!
Mark well what happens when we follow our own devices. Left to
themselves, the courage of these men of war wholly deserted them. It
is only as we take unto us "the whole armor of God" that we are "able
to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand" (Eph.
6:13). If instead we lean upon the arm of flesh, it is certain to fail
us. Sad it is to see those three thousand Israelites panic-stricken
before the heathen, especially as the record of the same follows right
after the final statement of chapter 6: "So the Lord was with Joshua
and his fame was noised throughout all the country." How the
ignominious defeat of his soldiers would reflect upon the name and
fame of Israel's commander! Sadder still is it to know that our sinful
failures not only injure ourselves and those people of God with whom
we are connected, but that they also bring dishonor upon our Redeemer.
Should not the realization of that make us work out our salvation
"with fear and trembling"?
"And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men, for they
chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in
the going down" (v. 5). How forcibly does this incident illustrate
what was repeatedly pointed out in the earlier articles. Israel's
success in conquering Canaan depended entirely upon the Lord's showing
Himself strong in their behalf, and that turned upon their unqualified
obedience to Him. As Matthew Henry rightly pointed out, the check
which they here received "served to let them know they were still upon
their good behavior." Success was to come from God and not their own
valor, yet that success was bestowed only so long as they adhered to
the pattern which He had given them. One essential feature in that
pattern was that the unity of Israel must be preserved--a united front
was to be presented to the enemy; consequently "all the men of war"
and "all the people" of Israel were bidden to march against Jericho
(Josh. 6:3, 5). But in connection with Ai the spies counseled Joshua,
quite otherwise: make not all to labor thither" (Josh. 7:3). He
acceded: "there went up thither about three thousand"; and now we see
them in flight, some of them slain, and the remainder chased to
"Shebarim," which most significantly means "breaches"!
Next we are shown the effects which this disgrace had upon the
congregation. When they learned of the retreat and heard that some of
their brethren had been slain, "the hearts of the people melted and
became as water." And well they might. Had not Joshua previously
assured the nation, "Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among
you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the
Canaanites" (Josh. 3:10)? Now that He was no longer leading them to
victory, but suffering them to be overcome by their foes, they had
reason to be thoroughly dejected. As Matthew Henry well remarked,
"True Israelites tremble when God is angry." Here again we may note
yet another striking contrast. When Jehovah had put forth His mighty
power on Israel's behalf in the drying up of the Jordan, we are told
that "all the kings of Canaan," when they heard of it, "their heart
melted, neither was there spirit in them any more" (v. 1). But here
the hearts of Israel melted and became as water (Josh. 7:5)!
Nevertheless, even then, God was working in mercy unto Israel. By that
painful and humiliating providence He was about to bring to light the
hidden things of darkness, give His people an opportunity to
dissociate themselves from the trespass of Achan and punish the
culprit.
"And Joshua rent his clothes and fell to the earth upon his face
before the ark of the Lord until the eventide, he and the elders of
Israel, and put dust upon their heads" (v. 6). It is to be duly noted
that nothing is here said of Joshua berating the soldiers for their
cowardice, or of his expostulating with the people for their
faint-heartedness. He did not prate about "the fortunes of war" and
tell them there was no need to be dismayed, nor did he make any effort
to raise their spirits. Rather did he realize the exceeding gravity of
the situation and refuse to say "Peace, peace" when he knew that
something was radically wrong. The "elders"--the responsible heads of
the nation--also recognized that the defeat was owing to the Lord's
being provoked, and they too abased themselves before Him. The rending
of their clothes was a symbol of perturbation and lamentation (Gen.
37:24; 2 Samuel 1:11), the putting of dust on their heads betokened
distress and grief (1 Sam. 4:12; Job 2:12). How very different was
their conduct from the foolish and fatal "optimism" that is now so
rife, and which is nothing else than a declining to face realities, a
refusing to recognize the fact that the Lord is displeased and is
withholding His blessing.
When things go seriously wrong, either with the individual Christian
or with the local church, diligent and solemn examination is called
for. When the providential frown of God be upon us, and we ignore the
same or "seek to make the best of a bad job," we are only inviting
still heavier chastisements. We are bidden to "hear the rod" (Mic.
6:9, and not to disregard or steel our hearts against it; and the
first thing required of us in order to ascertain its message is to
humble ourselves before the One who wields it, for "the meek will He
guide in judgment, and the meek will He teach His way" (Ps. 25:9).
When God afflicts us we ought to afflict ourselves. "The day of the
Lord [any season when He displays His displeasure and acts in
judgment] is great and terrible, and who can abide it? Wherefore also
now saith the Lord, turn ye even to Me with all you heart, and with
fasting and with weeping . . . for He is merciful and gracious" (Joel
2:12, 13). For thirty years past that is what God has been saying--by
His providences--to the whole of Christendom, and particularly to our
nation. But alas, it has to be said of us, as of Israel of old, "Thou
hast stricken them, but they have not grieved . . . they have refused
to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than rock"
(Jer. 5:3).
"And Joshua rent his clothes and fell to the earth upon his face
before the ark of the Lord." It is to be carefully observed that not
only did he now humbly take his place in the dust, but he did so
before that sacred coffer which was the symbol of the Lord's throne
and presence in Israel. Most suitably was that posture and position
selected, for the holy ark had been grievously slighted! Both in the
crossing of the Jordan and the march around Jericho, the ark had, by
Divine orders, been accorded the place of honor, as it was borne aloft
by the priests, signifying unto Israel thereby that victory for them
depended upon their covenant God being duly magnified and counted
upon. His glory shone forth unmistakably as, by His almighty power, He
had made a way for Himself and His people. It was Joshua's sad failure
in not giving the ark its proper place, which was the immediate cause
of Israel's humiliation at Ai. Not only had Israel's unity been broken
by his heeding the boastful suggestion of the spies, but the guidance
and help of the ark was dispensed with, and thereby Jehovah had been
affronted! It was, we believe, in the conscious realization of this,
that Joshua now lay on his face before it.
Once before, and only once, had Israel suffered defeat at the hands of
the heathen, and it is by comparing the two together, that fuller
light is obtained upon the incident now before us. Both that reverse
in the wilderness and this one in the land issued from the same cause:
the pride of self-confidence. The earlier defeat occurred just after
the crisis at Kadeh-barnea, when the nation succumbed to unbelief,
refusing to follow the counsel of Caleb and Joshua, and listening to
the God-dishonoring report of the ten spies. After hearing the Divine
sentence that all of them should perish in the wilderness, mourning
and confessing their sin, they went to the opposite extreme, and in
blatant self-sufficiency declared "We will go up unto the place which
the Lord hath promised." Moses at once rebuked them: "Wherefore do ye
now transgress the commandment of the Lord; but it shall not prosper.
Go not up, for the Lord is not among you, that ye be not smitten
before your enemies. But they presumed to go up to the hill-top;
nevertheless the ark' of the covenant of the Lord, and Moses, departed
not out of the camp. Then the Amalekites came down . . . and smote
them" (Num. 14:44-45). Thus history repeated itself: in their mad
assurance, the three thousand went to Ai without the ark and suffered
defeat.
"And Joshua rent his clothes and fell to the earth upon his face
before the ark of the Lord." That act and attitude of his not only
expressed an humbling of himself beneath the mighty hand of God, an
unsparing self-judgment for his failure, but it also betokened a
spirit of hope. Does the reader ask, How so? Because that which formed
the lid of the ark was the "mercy-seat," where forgiveness could be
obtained on the ground of propitiation. Nor do we regard it as a
straining of the verse to introduce this idea here: rather does it
appear to us to be required by the Spirit's having informed us that
Joshua continued thus "until the eventide." Very blessed indeed is
that if it be remembered that the God of Israel had appointed, "thou
shalt offer upon the altar two lambs of the first year, day by day
continually: the one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning, and the
other lamb thou shalt offer at even" (Ex. 29:38, 39). Then does not
Joshua's remaining before the ark until the time of the evening
sacrifice confirm the thought that he did so in the expectation of
receiving an answer of peace," of obtaining mercy through the Lamb!
Let the reader compare 1 Kings 18:36; Ezra 9:4, 5; Daniel 9:21!
Ere passing from this verse its central figure needs to be
contemplated from yet another angle. Does not Joshua's "falling to the
earth upon his face" foreshadow once more the Divine Savior! When we
remember that the root cause of the Ai calamity, which Joshua was here
lamenting, was the trespass of Achan in "the accursed thing," must we
not recognize in Joshua's humiliation thereat a striking and solemn
prefiguration of the Redeemer's anguish in Gethsemane? When entering
upon the climax of His sufferings and the Surety of His people was
about to be "made a curse" for them before God, we are told that He
"fell on His face, and prayed" (Matthew 26:39). And the very next
thing which Joshua here did was to pray (v. 7). If it be objected that
Joshua was acknowledging his own sad failure, we answer, That only
brings out more pointedly the type, for in Gethsemane the Holy One is
seen as the Sin-bearer, the iniquities of His people being laid upon
Him. Yet in all things He has the pre-eminence: very different indeed
was His prayer in the Garden from that of Joshua's on this occasion,
for the types instruct us not only by comparison but also by way of
contrast--as in Israel's eating of the manna, and later dying; not so
with those who eat the Bread of Life (John 6:49, 50).
"And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast Thou at all brought
this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites
to destroy us?" (v. 7). Here begins one of the prayers of the Old
Testament, which, like those contained in the New, vary considerably
both in tenor and tone. It is therefore well for us to inquire, What
is prayer? That question may be answered in many ways, according as it
be considered from various angles. Thus, prayer is a communing with
God, an adoring of Him. Prayer is offering praise to Him, a thanking
Him for all His mercies. Prayer is also the making known of our needs
unto God, and a looking to Him for the supply of the same. Likewise it
is an acknowledging of our sins before Him, and seeking His
forgiveness and restoration. Further, it is a taking on our spirits
the burdens of others and making intercession on their behalf. But
here in Joshua 7 we have something quite different from any of those
aspects of prayer which, though an humbling one, is nevertheless one
which all saints at some time or other in their lives need to avail
themselves of. On this occasion we behold Joshua overwhelmed, heavily
burdened, deeply perturbed, and we hear him pouring out his heart
before God without restraint. It is our privilege and duty to do so in
similar seasons, though endeavoring to avoid his faults. It will bring
relief to an oppressed spirit!
There was no eloquent phrasing, no pleading of the Divine promises, no
expressing of any definite petition in Joshua's prayer; but instead an
unstudied and spontaneous unburdening of himself before the Lord. If
it be examined in a critical and carping spirit, it will be easy to
detect its faults and condemn it for its incoherency and
inconsistency. But whatever defects this prayer possessed, it must not
be overlooked that it obtained a hearing from God! It will therefore
be well for each of us to ponder Joshua 7:7-9, in the light of the
title of Psalm 102: "A prayer of the afflicted when he is overwhelmed
and poureth out his complaint before the Lord." Upon these words an
exceptionally favored and honored servant of God wrote: "You and I may
be in various cases of affliction: we may at times be overwhelmed with
the same: it will be well with us if we act as the Psalmist here doth.
I never in the whole of my life got any good by carrying my
affliction, or speaking when overwhelmed with sorrow to anyone else;
no, let it be with a saint of ever so great a degree in the school of
Christ. When I have poured out my complaint before the Lord, I have.
Blessed be His name for it."
A Penitent Leader's Prayer
In our last we contemplated Joshua, after Israel's humiliating defeat
at Ai, on his face before the ark of the Lord. There he lay, with rent
garments and dust upon his head, in a posture of self-judgment and
abasement. Not until the hour of the evening sacrifice did he open his
mouth to God, and then he might have said, "I poured out my complaint
before Him, I showed Him my trouble" (Ps. 142:2). Those words present
to us an aspect of prayer all too little dwelt upon by preachers and
writers. It is wrong to think that we should approach God only when
our hearts are composed and in a spiritual frame. It is our privilege
to come to the throne of grace for "mercy" and to sob out our griefs
when deeply distressed. David tells us he did so "When my spirit was
overwhelmed within me" (Ps. 142:3). It is for our relief that we tell
out our woes to One who is "touched with the feeling of our
infirmities." When none other can enter into our case or assuage our
grief, we should present ourselves before the Divine footstool as
objects of compassion, remembering that "the Lord is very pitiful and
of tender mercy" (James 5:11), and therefore He will not break the
bruised reed or quench the smoking flax.
"When it lies in his line of duty for an expositor to comment upon a
recorded instance of an outpouring of heart by a troubled soul, his
task is neither an easy nor a pleasant one; for not a little scum
rises to the surface when the spirit reaches boiling point. The Hebrew
word for "complaint" in Psalm 142:2, does not mean fault-finding, but
signifies, rather, that which causes pain and anguish, as in Job 7:13,
and 9:27. We may indeed complain to God and unburden ourselves before
Him, yet we ought never to complain of Him or murmur at any of His
dealings. But where shall we find one clothed with flesh and blood who
is guiltless in this respect? Where indeed! Only in Him who, amid
"strong crying and tears," said, "Nevertheless, not My will, but Thine
be done." If one of our "complaints" be examined in a captious spirit
it will not be difficult for another to find in it expressions which
are inadvisable. Let us not then scrutinize this prayer of Joshua's in
a pharisaic spirit, but rather let us approach it with that word
before us, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a
stone" (John 8:7). On the other hand, we must not gloss over the
faults nor deliberately condone what is reprehensible in it.
Not a little of human infirmity was discovered by Joshua's language on
this occasion, and though that be easily accounted for, yet it must
not be rendered an excuse for justifying our failures. As is so often
the case with us, especially when deeply perturbed, there was a
strange mingling of the flesh and the spirit seen in the prayer which
is now to engage our attention. While some of its expressions cannot
be approved, yet it should be borne in mind that Joshua was not here
murmuring against any direct dealing of the Lord with himself, but was
venting his sore distress over what had just befallen his nation, and,
was deeply grieved at the reproach which the same must bring upon the
name of the Lord. While those considerations might modify his fault,
yet they by no means absolve him. The truth is that Joshua too was a
sinner saved by sovereign and amazing grace, and that fact was made to
appear clearly in this incident. Let us then admire once more the
impartiality and fidelity of the sacred historians in narrating this
blemish in Joshua's conduct, and behold therein another proof of the
Divine inspiration of the Scriptures, which painted each character in
the colors of truth and reality, concealing not the defects of its
greatest heroes.
The temporary breakdown of Joshua in heeding the presumptuous counsel
of the spies, instead of seeking guidance from the Lord through the
high priest (Num. 27:21), and in slighting the ark instead of
according it the place of honor, was now further betrayed by his mouth
and the hard thoughts which he entertained against God. "And Joshua
said, Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast Thou at all brought this people
over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy
us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side
Jordan!" (Josh. 7:7). In this failure of so honored a character as
Joshua let both writer and reader see his own deep need of walking
humbly before God and clinging to Him in conscious weakness. An object
lesson is here set before us of how quickly faith fails its possessor
when it be not sustained by its Author and Giver. The trouble was that
Joshua's heart was no longer occupied with the plain and sure promises
he had received from God. And why? Because he was walking by sight,
viewing things with the eyes of carnal reason. He rashly concluded
from the setback at Ai that it was the harbinger of total defeat.
Unbelief is unable to see things in their proper perspective and
proportions: thirty-six men and not the whole of the three thousand
had been slain!
It was not without good reason that the apostle was moved by the
Spirit to say to those who were partakers of the heavenly calling,
"Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of
unbelief" (Heb. 3:13). There is a very real danger of our doing so,
and we need to be ever on our guard against it, walking circumspectly.
Even the faith of. him who is designated "the father of all them that
believe" (Rom. 4:11) failed, for when there arose a famine in the
land, instead of trusting God to supply all his need (as Elijah did),
he "went down into Egypt to sojourn there" (Gen. 12:10). That
breakdown in Abraham's faith was due to the same cause as that of
Joshua's! He was out of communion with God. First, he had left Bethel
("the house of God"), where he had built an altar to the Lord, and
then he journeyed "toward the south" (Gen. 12:8), i.e. Egyptwards. And
thus, as we have seen with Joshua, instead of inquiring of the Lord,
he had hastily adopted the carnal policy of his underlings. Disaster
followed, and now a spirit of unbelief possessed him. Learn, then,
dear reader, that faith will only be preserved in a healthy condition
as we maintain close communion with God through those means of grace
which He has appointed.
"Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast Thou at all brought this people over
Jordan to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us?"
Very sad indeed is it to hear Joshua now using the very language which
had been employed forty years previously by that generation of Israel
whose carcasses fell in the wilderness. Of them it is recorded that
they "murmured in their tents and said, Because the Lord hated us He
hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the
hand of the Amorites, to destroy us"; the explanation of such
despondency being, as Moses charged them, "in this thing ye did not
believe the Lord" (Deut. 1:27, 32). And now Joshua is guilty of
expressing the same unbelief. This is the more lamentable since he
(together with Caleb) had rebuked the skepticism of the congregation,
saying, "Rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of
the land, for they are bread for us their defense is departed from
them, and the Lord is with us; fear them not" (Num. 14:9) -- that was
the language of confidence in God. But as faith in Him will make the
weak and timid strong and courageous, so will unbelief fill the
stoutest heart with terror.
Observe how inconsistent and incoherent is the language of unbelief.
Joshua acknowledged that it was the Lord who had brought Israel over
Jordan, and then asked if He had done so only for them to be destroyed
at the hands of the heathen. It is ever thus. Though the wise of this
world look upon the children of faith as a company of credulous
simpletons, yet really "the shoe is on the other foot." Nothing is so
reasonable as to believe the Bible, for it is the Word of Him who
cannot lie. But none so imposed upon and irrational as those who
reject a revelation from heaven that is attested by "many infallible
proofs": to scorn what is authenticated by unimpeachable evidence is a
mark of madness and not intelligence. And when a child of God gives
way to unbelief his spiritual understanding becomes deranged, and the
conclusions he then draws are faulty and absurd. Behold another
example of this in the case of David, when he "said in his heart, I
shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul (1 Sam. 27:1). How could
he possibly do so, when God Himself had assured him of the throne? He,
too, had failed to ask counsel of the Lord, and now that he talks with
his own deceitful heart he utters the language of a fool.
What need is there for the Christian to cry, "Lord, I believe, help
Thou mine unbelief." And if that prayer be sincere, so far from his
excusing unbelief, he will mourn over it; so far from regarding it as
an innocent infirmity for which he is to be more sympathized with than
blamed, he will strive against its evil workings. We have no patience
with those who well-nigh exalt the carnal fears and doubts of God's
people into spiritual graces and evidences of humility and "deep
experience." Any teaching which makes light of the distrust of God, or
which causes His children to pity themselves for their failures and
falls, is to be condemned and shunned. To call into question the
Divine promises is to make God a liar, and that is a heinous offense
by whomsoever committed. As faith honors God, so does unbelief
dishonor Him. Faith is said to glorify God (Rom. 4:20), and therefore
unbelief is a failing to render to Him the glory which is His due.
Unbelief in His people is the sin against which God has most
proclaimed His displeasure. Moses and Aaron were excluded from Canaan
because of their unbelief (Num. 20:12). The father of John the Baptist
was stricken dumb for not believing what God had revealed (Luke 1:20).
Christ chided His disciples for nothing so much as He did for their
unbelief (Matthew 8:26; Luke 24:25). "Lord, increase our faith" must
be our daily request.
"Would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!
"Surely this cannot be the language of one who was on his face before
the ark of the Lord! Ah, my reader, no fictitious history had
contained such an unthinkable anomaly as that. Nevertheless it is true
to life, as many a saint discovers by sad experience. Just previously
"the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was noised throughout all the
coast (Josh. 6:27); here disgracing himself, by complaining of the
Lord's dealings with Israel. Then in the posture of self-abasement,
and now uttering the language of self-will. For how many of God's own
people do those words of Jacob's concerning Reuben apply: "Unstable as
water" (Gen. 49:2). Humbly seeking for light from the Word, and puffed
up with conceit when it be granted. Praying for more patience, and
fretful when the Divine providences are working it in us (James 1:2).
Intrepidly contending, single-handed, against eight hundred and fifty
false prophets (1 Kings 18), and immediately after fleeing in terror
from the threats of a woman (1 Kings 19:2, 3). Ephraim was not the
only one like "a cake not turned" (Hosea 7:8)--baked on one side,
dough on the other. Oh, what a compound of inconsistencies and
contradictions is the Christian as the flesh lusteth against the
spirit and the spirit against the flesh! Oh, the long-suffering of the
Lord!
The best of God's children (if there be any best!) are frequently
affected with fits of unbelief and chillings of love. Today they find
themselves earnestly proposing and resolving to do those things which
are good, but tomorrow they may discover their zeal has somewhat
abated, so uncertain and inconstant are their affections. Now hopeful,
anon despondent; now singing God's praises, anon their harps upon the
willows; now walking obediently in the path of the Divine precepts,
anon straying off into bypath meadow. None differ so much from them as
they often differ from themselves! Nay, in the very graces for which
they are eminent, how have they failed! Moses was the meekest man upon
the earth, yet in what a froward passion was he when he struck the
rock twice and "spake unadvisedly with his lips"! Peter was the most
zealous and courageous of the apostles, yet he yielded to sinful fear
in the presence of a maid. Some will glorify God in one condition, but
dishonor Him in another. They may conduct themselves becomingly while
God keeps them low, and then become fretful against Him when they are
exalted. On the contrary, others who tread softly in a time of
prosperity are filled with murmuring when the cold winds of adversity
smite them.
"Would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side
Jordan!" Alas, what is man? What is a saint when left to himself? What
will not his inbred corruptions produce unless Divine grace suppress
them! How the, evil leaven was working! How horribly Joshua himself
was affected by Achan's sin! Yet that in no wise excused his own
unseemly language, JOSHUA was here taking direct issue with the Most
High, openly quarrelling with His dispensations, complaining at His
providential dealings. And has the writer and the reader, even after
becoming a Christian, never been guilty of the same black offense? Ah,
have we not cause to hang our heads in shame? And should not the
remembrance of past risings up of a rebellious spirit cause us to beg
God to subdue our iniquities and bring our will into fuller subjection
to His? Instead of marveling at the sad language of Joshua, see in it
a portrayal of our own wayward hearts and our deep need of crying
"Hold Thou me up" (Ps. 119:117).
"Would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!
"Most assuredly that was not the utterance of "a sound mind," least of
all as now issuing from one who had recently passed through such an
experience as Joshua's: he had just witnessed a whole generation of
his nation discontented with the wilderness, repeatedly lusting after
the fleshpots of Egypt. It was the height of folly to express such a
wish. Moreover, it was not at all a matter of "contentment": they had
left the wilderness at the command of God, and not because they were
dissatisfied with it. Mark well the sad process which preceded that
frenzy. First, a severance of communion with God, then giving way to
an evil heart of unbelief, then quarrelling with God's providential
dealings, and now bereft of spiritual sanity, for surely it was
nothing less to prefer the wilderness to Canaan! But is it not ever
thus when fellowship with the Lord is broken and unbelief actuates us?
The barren wilderness is a figure of this perishing world, and when a
Christian is out of touch with Christ and a spirit of distrust
possesses him he is infatuated with the things of earth and, unless
Divine grace restores him to his senses, becomes more attached to them
than the things which are above.
"O Lord, what shall I say!" It seems to us that these words mark a
return to sanity. The wild outburst of the preceding verse is checked.
It is almost as though he now felt ashamed of his rash utterances as
he began to realize to whom he was speaking. Yet he is still quite
disturbed and scarcely knows how to express himself. "O Lord, what
shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!"
(v. 8). Israel was beloved of him, yet he could think of nothing to
say on their behalf which excused their cowardly defeat. Nevertheless
he should have known how to answer his question. The Lord does not act
capriciously, nor does He "afflict willingly nor grieve the children
of men" (Lam. 3:33), but only as they give Him occasion; and therefore
Joshua ought to have humbly begged the Lord to make known to him the
reason for His afflicting judgment. Should he not have asked, "O Lord:
why doth Thine anger burn against Thy people? wherein have we provoked
Thee?" When they were defeated in battle by the Philistines, the
elders of Israel inquired, "Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us today?"
(1 Sam. 4:3). When there was a famine in the land for three years,
"David inquired of the Lord" (2 Sam. 21:1), and He at once made known
the cause of the same.
What has just been pointed out presents a lesson which we do well to
heed. As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of
the wicked; but [rather] that the wicked turn from his way and live"
(Ezek. 32:11). Much less has the Lord any pleasure in smiting His own
people. Yet He must maintain His own honor, and deal with them
according to His holiness as well as His grace. And they must "hear
the rod" if they would profit from it and "be partakers of His
holiness" (Heb. 12:10, 11). Closing our eyes to the providential signs
God gives us of His displeasure will not improve matters; nor will
wringing our hands in despair when things go wrong get us anywhere.
While on the one hand God has said, "My son, despise not thou the
chastening of the Lord," yet on the other He bids us nor faint when
thou art rebuked by Him" (Heb. 12:5). What then should we do and say?
Humble ourselves beneath His mighty hand and pray "give me to
understand wherein I have erred . . . show me wherefore Thou
contendest with me" (Job 6:24; 10:2) that I may put right what is
wrong, and once more have Thy smile upon me. Such an inquiry, if it be
sincere and humble, will not be in vain.
"O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turneth their backs before their
enemies! "Let us apply those words to ourselves. What should be the
believer's reaction to the sad state which the religious world is now
in? As he beholds the awful declension of the outward cause of Christ
on earth, and realizes that the Spirit has been quenched, what ought
he to do and say? First, solemnly examine himself and his ways, and
seek to ascertain how far his own sins have contributed to the present
absence of the Lord's blessing from the churches. During "the
desolations of Jerusalem" Daniel sought the Lord, and he tells us "I
made my confession and said . . . we have sinned and committed
iniquity" (Josh. 9:2-5, etc.). Let each of us do likewise. Second, we
should be deeply affected by the present situation and mourn before
God because of the reproach which prevailing conditions in Christendom
cast upon His name: see Psalm 119:53, 136; Jeremiah 9:1. Third, we
should turn the exhortation of Revelation 3:2, into earnest prayer,
and beg the Lord to "strengthen the things which remain that are ready
to die," and revive His work in the midst of the years. Fourth, we
should plead before Him the promise "When the enemy shall come in like
a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him"
(Isa. 59:19). "Who can tell if God will not turn and repent, and turn
away from His fierce anger that we perish not?" (Jon. 3:9).
"For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear,
and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and
what wilt Thou do unto Thy great name?" (v. 9). Here the supplicant
becomes more intelligible, for the first half of this verse is to be
regarded as a plea, being tantamount to asking the Lord to remember
that Israel were the sheep of His pasture, and therefore to spare them
from falling a prey to the wolves. Then Joshua pointed out the danger
Israel were now in, thereby taking the place of weakness; next, he
looked to the love and pity of the Lord: Israel's name, which is dear
to Thee, will be blotted out if the heathen completely destroy
them--which was an indirect appeal to the promises God had made to the
fathers (Gen. 15:18, etc.). Finally, he points out the reproach which
would be cast upon God were the Canaanites to triumph completely. Thus
when we penetrate beneath the surface agitations of Joshua, we see
that at heart it was concern for the Divine glory which had prompted
this prayer! He could not endure a prospect which reflected upon the
fidelity and power of their covenant God. Herein he foreshadowed the
antitypical Joshua. He, too, when in deep trouble of soul, had asked
"What shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour?" No, rather,
"Father glorify Thy name" (John 12:27, 28)! Let that be our plea, and
it will prove a prevailing one.
Divine Inquisition
Joshua 7 presents to our notice that which is very different from what
is found in the preceding chapters. It opens with the ominous word
"But," which solemnly prepares for what follows. First, the heinous
sin of Achan, which, though the nation knew it not at that time,
caused the Lord to burn in "the fierceness of his anger" against
Israel (v. 26). The evil effects of Achan's offense and the
consequences of Jehovah's displeasure soon appeared. The spies whom
Joshua sent out to reconnoiter Ai were left to the exercise of their
carnal reason. The result was that when making their report they
presumptuously took it upon them to advise their leader how to act.
Regarding Ai as an easy prey, they intimated there was no need for the
whole nation of Israel to journey thither, that a single battalion of
their men would suffice. Thereby they suggested a departure from the
pattern which the Lord had given His people both at the Jordan and at
Jericho, and introduced disunity. Instead of seeking counsel from the
Lord, Joshua adopted their foolish plan. The ark of the covenant was
left behind in the camp, and three thousand only were sent against Ai.
The outcome was disastrous. A spirit of cowardice possessed them, and
they fled from the Canaanites, thirty-six of them being slain.
The whole congregation was thoroughly dismayed: "the hearts of the
people melted, and became as water." Quite unaware of the root cause
of Israel's ignominious setback, Joshua and the elders of the nation
rent their clothes, put dust upon their heads, and fell to the earth
on their faces before the slighted ark of the Lord. There they
remained "until the eventide," when the second of the daily sacrifices
was presented. At that hour Joshua addressed himself unto the Lord,
pouring out his distressed heart before Him. In view of the
circumstances, it is not to be wondered at that the infirmities of
this honored servant of the Lord were made manifest on this occasion.
As is usually the case with us at such times, there was a strange
mingling of the flesh and spirit, in the supplication of Joshua. While
some of his utterances are not to be condoned, still less echoed, yet
it should be borne in mind that he was not complaining at any of the
Lord's dealings with him personally, but was deeply perturbed at what
had befallen God's people. Though his opening expressions were
unseemly, his closing ones evidenced that his heart beat true to
Jehovah and that it was the honor of His name which so greatly
concerned him. We shall now consider the response which his prayer met
with from God.
"And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus
upon thy face?" (Josh. 7:10). Before considering those somewhat
puzzling words, let it be attentively observed that God did not refuse
His servant a hearing, even though considerably infirmity had marred
it. Blessed be His name, "He knoweth our frame, He remembereth that we
are dust" (Ps. 103:14), and in His tender mercy "A bruised reed shall
He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench" (Matthew 12:20).
Joshua had exclaimed, "O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth
their backs before their enemies? For the Canaanites and all the
inhabitants of the land shall hear, and shall environ us round, and
cut off our name from the earth; and what wilt Thou do unto Thy great
name?" (v. 9). In those words he had virtually confessed his own
failure. used the language of godly sorrow, and had evinced a deep
concern for the glory of God. Well for us if such elements be present
in our lispings before the throne of grace. The holy but gracious One
never repulses those in whom such a spirit is found. On the ground of
the evening sacrifice (the slain lamb!) Jehovah met with this soul who
manifested a "broken and contrite heart" (Ps. 51:17). How that should
encourage failing yet penitent believers today!
"And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus
upon thy face?" Care needs to be taken in the interpreting of this
verse. If it be detached from its context we are almost certain to err
and jump to a wrong conclusion, regarding it as an expression of the
Lord's displeasure. But if due attention be paid unto its opening
"And," and note carefully both what precedes and what immediately
follows, we should have no difficulty in arriving at its general
tenor. It is not God's way to condemn those who take their place in
the dust before Him: rather is His controversy with them who refuse to
do so. Nevertheless, though He pardons, He does not gloss over our
faults: see Psalm 85:8; John 5:14. As the prayer of Joshua had been a
mixed one, so with the Divine response. God did not turn a deaf ear to
it, nor did He ignore His servant's petulance, but gently reproved
him. It was both a mild rebuke and a word of instruction. "Wherefore
liest thou thus upon thy face?" Why so distressed and dejected? There
is other work for thee to do. But before performing it, he must be
directed by his Master. Up to now Joshua was in complete ignorance of
Achan's offense--the root cause of the disaster.
"Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which
I commanded them: for they have taken of the accursed thing, and have
also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among
their own stuff" (v. 11). That too needs to be pondered, first, in the
light of its setting. As we do so, it will be seen that an important
and blessed practical truth receives exemplification: "the secret of
the Lord is with them that fear Him" (Ps. 25:10). If we really seek
God's honor and glory, we shall not be left long in ignorance of the
best way to recognize and promote it. So it was here: the Lord now
informed Joshua what it was which lay behind Israel's defeat at Ai. In
like manner, if our seeking unto Him be sincere and earnest--whether
it be an individual or an assembly--God will soon reveal to us what it
is that has been withholding His blessing upon our efforts. "Israel
hath sinned"' there has been no failure on My part. I have not
changed, but am just as willing and ready as ever to undertake for My
people; but they have choked the channel of blessing. Thus it ever is.
We speak of God's hiding Himself, when in fact we have departed from
Him. It is always man that does the turning away, thereby depriving
himself of the Divine strength, protection and prosperity.
In the above words of Jehovah unto Joshua it is most noticeable how He
set forth and stressed the enormity of Achan's crime: one detail being
added to another until no less than six items are specified in the
terrible indictment. First, the general charge is made "Israel hath
sinned," followed by the fearful accusation "they have also
transgressed My covenant which I commanded them," which greatly
aggravated their sin. Observe that the charge is preferred against the
whole nation, and not simply against a single individual' "Israel,"
"they," for in the sight of God they were a corporate and federal
unit: as the local church of this Christian era is a moral unit before
Christ: see 1 Corinthians 12:20, 26; 5:6. This feature received
additional emphasis in the reference to "the Covenant," for that had
been made with and solemnly entered into by the whole congregation
(Ex. 24). Next we behold how the Divine Law was brought to the fore:
"They have taken of the accursed thing," which was a definite
violation of the explicit prohibition of Deuteronomy 13:17--"there
shall cleave naught of the cursed thing to thine hand." Yet more: "and
have also stolen," thereby adding considerably to the heinousness of
the offense, for it was a direct breach of the eighth commandment in
the Decalogue.
"And have also stolen" emphasized another reprehensible feature of the
crime--it had been committed surreptitiously and with previous design.
It was not that Achan had been suddenly overcome by an unexpected
temptation, but that he acted with deliberation, stealthily and
secretly, his deceitful and wicked heart persuading him that he would
thereby escape the cognizance of the Most High. Horrible impiety is it
when we entertain the idea that we can impose upon Omniscience. The
more secret our wickedness be, the more does it evince the heart's
depravity and industry therein, planning and scheming how to bring the
sin to pass with the least danger and shame to ourselves. It was thus
with David when he plotted the death of Uriah (2 Sam. 11:14, 15). So
too had Ananias and Sapphira arranged in private to impose a fraud
upon the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:27). How we should pray to be preserved
from secret sins! They are particularly heinous because of the
premeditation and dissimulation which is used in their commission.
"And dissembled also," which made his case that much blacker. When
Israel met with shameful defeat at Ai, and the whole nation was
plunged into grief, Achan played the part of a hypocrite, pretending
to be innocent of causing the same--instead of confessing his
iniquity. Finally, "And they have put it even among their own stuff,"
instead of bringing it into the "treasury of the Lord" (Josh. 6:19).
"Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their
enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they
were accursed; neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy
the accursed thing from among you (v. 12). Weigh attentively that
statement my reader, for it casts a flood of light upon the reason why
the visible cause of Christ is in its present lamentable condition.
What took place at Ai has been and is being duplicated in thousands of
churches and assemblies the world over. Instead of enjoying the Lord's
blessing, His frown is upon them; instead of overcoming the Enemy,
they are humiliated before him. How many a minister of the Gospel has
to the best of his ability faithfully preached the Word, yet to no
effect, unless it be to considerably reduce the size of his
congregation! How many a one fearing that he was a "misfit," has
resigned his charge and has accepted a call to another part of the
Lord's vineyard, only to discover after a short time there that
conditions are just as heartbreaking as those in his previous sphere!
A spirit of deadness rests upon his church: the prayer meeting is
cold, and thinly attended, preaching is burdensome. His most earnest
appeals seem to hit the wall and return upon him. The power of the
Spirit is markedly absent: souls are not converted, nor even
convicted.
The above verses makes known one of "the ways of the Lord" or one of
the principles which regulate His governmental dealings in time. When
a company who profess to be in covenant relationship with Him violate
its terms and flagrantly transgress His commandments, then His
blessing is withheld from them. No matter how zealous and active they
may be, God prospers not their efforts. They may go out as of yore
against the foe, but the Lord fights not for them. They are left to
themselves, and soon their nakedness and shame is made manifest. God
will not be trifled with. To the church in Pergamos the Son of God
declared "I have a few things against thee," and after specifying what
they were, added, "Repent, or else I will come on thee quickly, and
will fight against thee with the sword of My mouth (Rev. 2:14-16).
Likewise did He threaten the church in Thyatira, "I will kill thy
children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who
searcheth the reins and hearts, and I will give unto every one of you
according to your works" (Rev. 2:23).
Alas that the majority of the churches today know nothing of that
solemn fact. Alas that they have received so little instruction upon
the holiness which must obtain in the assembly if the presence of
Christ is to be enjoyed there. Alas that "the accursed thing" has not
only been suffered a place, but "they have put it even among their own
stuff." Alas that they know not the Holy One has a controversy with
them over this very thing. Alas that they are ignorant of the fact
that their spiritual poverty and powerlessness, their being humiliated
before the world, is due to the Divine judgment upon their sins. Alas
that they are completely unaware of the Divine sentence "neither will
I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed thing from
among you." Paul had to rebuke the Corinthian assembly because they
tolerated moral evil in their midst, and bade them "Purge out
therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump" (1 Cor. 5:17).
"Except ye destroy" was the enforcing of Israel's responsibility.
How unmistakably the defeat at Ai and God's solemn words to Joshua
make it evident that such a promise as that given in Deuteronomy 20
was not an absolute one. There God had given instruction, "And it
shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priests
shall approach and speak unto the people, and shall say unto them,
Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies:
let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye
terrified because of them; For the Lord your God is He that goeth with
you to fight for you against your enemies, to save you" (vv. 2-4).
Neither in those words, nor in anything preceding or following, was
there any proviso. It has the appearance of an absolute promise,
without any qualification. Taken by itself, it was so; but taken in
conjunction with other passages in Deuteronomy, it was not so--as the
event at Ai, and the later experiences of Israel demonstrated.
Scripture needs always to be compared with Scripture in order to
arrive at the full meaning of any single verse. If we are too lazy to
do the necessary searching in order to locate other qualifying or
amplifying passages, then the fault is entirely our own if we be left
in ignorance of the signification of any statement of Holy Writ. The
whole book of Deuteronomy needs to be read through if we are to
rightly understand such a passage as the one in the twentieth chapter.
Our purpose in calling attention to Deuteronomy 20:2-4, in connection
with our study of Joshua 7, is to show how easy it is to wrest God's
Word, and to utter a warning and protest against the careless and
dishonest manner in which it is now so often handled. Such passages as
Deuteronomy 6:16-18 and 11:8, 9, require to be kept steadily in mind
when reading Joshua and the books which follow, for they supply the
key to much that is recorded in them. And in connection with the
promise in Deuteronomy 20:2-4, particularly do we need to set side by
side with it such statements as "For if ye shall diligently keep all
these commandments which I command you to do this day, to love the
Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to cleave unto Him, Then will
the Lord drive out all these nations from before you" (Josh. 11:22,
23) and "It shall come to pass if thou shalt hearken diligently to the
voice of the Lord your God, to observe to do all His commandments
which I command thee this day . . . that the Lord thy God will set
thee on high above all nations of the earth" (Josh. 28:1); but if they
obeyed not, His curse would certainly fall upon them (Josh. 28:15). It
is handling God's Word deceitfully to stress its promises and ignore
their qualifying conditions: to quote John 8:32, and omit verse 31, to
cite John 10:28, and be silent upon verse 27. Hebrews 3:6, 14, are
just as necessary for us as Joshua 8:10-12. God has indeed promised to
show Himself strong in the behalf of those whose hearts are perfect
towards Him; but nowhere has He declared that He will fight for the
self-willed and disobedient.
"Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against
tomorrow for thus saith the Lord God of Israel. There is an accursed
thing in the midst of thee, O Israel. Thou canst not stand before
thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you"
(v. 13). This was the sequel to the "wherefore liest thou thus upon
thy face?" (v. 10); this was the duty concerning which the Lord was
now instructing His servant. It was not simply "Arise! "but
"Up"--bestir thyself now unto the duty which I enjoin thee. "Sanctify
the people": this was ever the order when the nation was about to
witness some outstandingly solemn or glorious transaction. Thus it was
immediately before God gave the Law at Sinai (Ex. 19:10). Thus it was
following the murmuring at Taberah, when the Lord "came down" and
talked with Moses (Num. 11:18). Thus it was on the eve of Jehovah's
wondrous intervention for them at the Jordan (Josh. 3:5). In each case
the call was for the people to be sanctified, that is, for them to be
formally and reverently assembled before the Lord. Joshua was also to
bid them sanctify yourselves against tomorrow," which signified, duly
prepare yourselves for the solemn and searching ordeal which the Lord
has appointed: spare no pains in seeing to it that you are in a meet
condition for the approach of the Holy One.
Continuing the Lord's response to Joshua's prayer subsequent to the
humiliating repulse at Ai. After informing him that Israel had sinned
grievously, and therefore His blessing had been withheld from their
efforts, the Lord bade His servant, "Up, sanctify the people" (v. 13).
Before we consider the immediate and historical application of those
words, let us observe how they supplied yet another line to the
typical picture of the Savior which is set forth in this book. As we
have passed from chapter to chapter the readers' attention has been
directed to quite a number of things in which Joshua foreshadowed the
Lord Jesus. A further detail now appears in this injunction for him to
sanctify the people, for it prefigured Christ as the Sanctifier of His
Church: "Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with
His own blood, suffered without the gate" (Heb. 13:12). And what was
the moral condition of His people when He did so? Precisely the same
as Israel's was here: defiled under the curse of the Law, "the
fierceness of God's anger" being upon them (Josh. 7:26 and cf.
Ephesians 2:3). To deliver them therefrom, the antitypical Joshua
suffered the full penalty of their sins, and set them apart unto God
in all the acceptableness of His meritorious sacrifice. Mark also the
time when this occurred: as it was immediately following upon Joshua's
"falling to the earth upon his face" (Josh. 7:6) that he was bidden to
"sanctify the people," so it was a few hours after His prostration on
the ground in Gethsemane that Christ sanctified His people at the
cross!
Turning from the spiritual and mystical signification of the order
Joshua received to its literal and historical meaning, we understand
by God's "sanctify the people" that he was to formally and reverently
convene the nation in orderly array before the Lord. That injunction
was probably the exact equivalent of one received by Israel's prophet
at a later date, "Sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the
people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the
children" (Joel 2:15, 16), for it is clear from what follows here that
all Israel were required to take their place before the Divine
tribunal. "Sanctify the people, and say unto them, Sanctify yourselves
against tomorrow, for thus saith the Lord God of Israel. There is an
accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel, thou canst not stand
before thine enemies until ye put away the accursed thing from among
you" (Josh. 7:13). It is striking and interesting to note how that the
Lord here repeated what He had just said in the previous verse, both
in charging them with their being an accursed thing in Israel's midst
and that because of it they could not stand before their enemies. Such
reiteration not only evinced how heinous was their crime in the eyes
of the Holy One, but also gave point unto the call for the people to
"sanctify yourselves"--not "for the morrow" but against it. They were
to duly anticipate in their consciences the Divine inquisition which
would then be held, when the guilty would be unerringly identified and
severely punished. Thus, "Sanctify yourselves" was tantamount unto
"Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel" (Amos 4:12).
"Sanctify the people, and say unto them sanctify yourselves against
tomorrow." The same demand had been made at Sinai, and what is
recorded of it casts light upon the import of it here: they were to
wash their bodies and clothes, and abstain from their wives" (Ex.
19:14, 15). Thus, "sanctify" here has the force of purify: "For if the
blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the
unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh" (Heb. 9:13 and cf.
2 Timothy 2:21). Under the law "sanctification" or "separation and
consecration to the Lord, was secured by a process of cleansing. By a
comparison with Joel 2:15, 16, and its context (vv. 13, 17) it is
clear that, in addition to ceremonial purification, Israel were here
enjoined to cleanse themselves morally. "Sanctify yourselves" would
therefore imply and include a solemn call to self-examination,
humiliation, and supplication; and that in turn would necessitate a
separating of their minds from all other cares and concerns, that they
might give themselves undistractedly and earnestly unto those solemn
duties. Such acts of devotion can only be suitably performed as the
thoughts and affections are detached from the daily business and
worries of this world. As they had been required to sanctify
themselves before they received the Law, so now they were ordered to
do so when about to witness a most fearful enforcing of its penalty.
Possibly some will be inclined to ask, Since a single individual only
had committed this offense, or at most with the connivance of his
family (Josh. 7:21), what reason or propriety was there in calling
upon all the people to employ themselves in solemn self-examination?
How could those who knew they were innocent of perpetrating a serious
crime, sincerely engage in such a task? Those who are truly jealous of
the glory of God and who are painfully conscious of the fact that "in
many things we all offend:' (James 3:2) will have no difficulty in
meeting such an objection. The name of the Lord had been grievously
sullied by the enemy's triumph at Ai, and His saints could not but
bitterly mourn over it. Furthermore, the whole nation had been put to
shame when their soldiers had fled before the Canaanites; yea, the
nation was vet in imminent danger while exposed to "the fierceness of
God's anger" (v. 26), and therefore it was most fitting that there
should be an humbling of the entire congregation before the Lord--as
the example of Joshua and their elders (v. 6) had intimated. Moreover,
as Matthew Henry pointed out, "The sins of others may be improved by
us, as furtherances of our sanctification, as the scandal of the
incestuous Corinthian occasioned a blessed reformation in the church:
2 Corinthians 7:11." Every time a saint is overtaken in a fault, it
should give point unto his fellows of that warning "let him that
thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall"
(1 Cor. 10:12).
Ere passing on, one other question needs to be noticed: if the
"sanctify the people" unto Joshua foreshadowed Christ's sanctification
of His Church, then what was spiritually connoted by his bidding the
people "sanctify yourselves"? There was a double sanctification: one
by Joshua and one by themselves! That two-foldness of Truth appears
again and again in connection with God's people. As believers on the
Lord Jesus Christ they are saved (Acts 16:31), yet they are bidden to
work out their own salvation (Phil. 2:12) and cf. (1 Tim. 4:16). They
are new creatures in Christ, yet exhorted to put on the new man (Eph.
4:24). They are now clean, and yet need to have their feet washed.
They are complete in Christ (Col. 2:10), yet are bidden to grow in
grace and add to their faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, etc. (2
Pet. 1:5). Every believer has been "perfected forever" (Heb. 10:14),
yet confesses that he is not already perfect (Phil. 3:11). The one
refers to what they are in Christ, the other to what they are in
themselves. Unless the Christian reader learns to draw that
distinction, much in the epistles will seem almost a meaningless
jumble; if not a series of contradictions. There is a tremendous
difference between how the believer appears in the sight of God, and
how he looks in his own eyes and those of his fellows. He stands
before God in the infinite value of Christ's righteousness, while in
his actual experience he is warring against the world, the flesh and
the devil, and is often worsted by them.
"Sanctification" is still more complex, for a threefold distinction is
necessary in order to bring into view its leading features, namely,
our federal, personal, and practical holiness. By our fall in Adam we
lost not only the favor of God but the purity of our nature, and
therefore we need to be both reconciled to Him and sanctified in our
inner man. The former is secured by the work of Christ; the latter is
effected by the operation of the Holy Spirit. The former is judicial;
the latter is vital. Christ is the covenant Head of His people, and
since He is the Holy One, all in Him are representatively holy. He is
their holiness as truly as He is their righteousness: "But of Him are
ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and
righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30). He
is "made unto them" sanctification in precisely the same way as God
"made Him to be sin for us" (2 Cor. 5:21), namely, by legal reckoning,
by imputation. But that is not all: believers are not only sanctified
federally and legally, but personally and vitally in themselves. In
consequence of their covenant union with Christ, the Holy Spirit is
sent to quicken them into newness of life, to indwell them. to abide
with them forever. This is their "sanctification of the Spirit" (2
Thess. 2:13).
The fruit of the believer's sanctification in Christ and of the
Spirit's indwelling are, in various ways and degrees, made manifest in
their daily lives, which is what we term practical sanctification. A
principle of holiness is imparted at regeneration, and the workings
and effects of the same soon appear in the conduct. Sanctification of
the Spirit produces a real and radical change in its favored subject,
and so transforms his behavior "as becometh the Gospel of Christ."
That which has been wrought within every believer is manifested
without, by an obedient walk in the paths of holiness as marked out in
the Word. Thereby evidence is given that they have been created "by
God in righteousness and true holiness" (Eph. 4:24). It is on the
basis of their federal and vital oneness with Christ that exhortations
unto practical holiness are addressed to them: "he that saith he
abideth in Christ ought himself also so to walk even as He walked" (1
John 2:6). And it is by virtue of the Spirit's sanctification that
such exhortations are exactly suited to the new nature He has wrought
in them: "Let it not be once named among you as becometh saints" (Eph.
5:3). Those whom the Spirit has made "saints" (i.e. "sanctified ones")
are to conduct themselves as such (Rom. 16:2). The nation of Israel
had been set apart unto the Lord, and that call, "sanctify
yourselves," was the equivalent of saying, Act accordingly. To us the
word is, "Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh
and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1; and
cf. 1 Peter 1:15).
"Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow, for thus saith the Lord God of
Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel:
thou canst not stand before thine enemies until ye take away the
accursed thing frown among you." "The Lord did not point out the
criminal immediately, but He left the matter in ambiguity for some
time, and at last brought it to light gradually: that both magistrates
and people might learn to do their duty, and to keep a vigilant eye
over one another; and that the delay and process might make the
transaction more solemn, and excite the more careful self-examination
and sanctification of themselves by every method appointed under the
law" (T. Scott). Similarly did the Savior say unto His apostles, "Have
not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?" (John 6:70).
Later He informed them that one of them would betray Him, though still
without actually naming the one who would be guilty of such horrible
perfidy; which resulted in each of the eleven asking: "Lord is it I?"
Such ought to be the first concern of each of us, once it becomes
evident that the light of God's countenance is no longer shining upon
the company of saints with whom we are in fellowship: bowing before a
heart-searching God and asking, Am I responsible for the withdrawal of
Thy favor? Where such a spirit obtains among the members it will not
belong ere the One who is jealous of the honor of His house makes
known the cause of His displeasure.
"In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your
tribes: and it shall be that the tribe which the Lord taketh shall
come according to the families thereof; and the family which the Lord
shall take come by households; and the household which the Lord shall
take shall come man by man" (v. 13). First, the opening words of this
verse teach us that once an evil be known there must be no delay in
dealing with it--true alike whether it respects an assembly or where
only a single individual be concerned. The honor of God and our own
welfare alike demand prompt action when any "accursed thing" be
involved. To procrastinate in such a case is like playing with fire.
Delay in such a matter is a sure sign our hearts are not right with
God. By all means investigate thoroughly and make sure that God has
been publicly slighted, and then be not tardy in dealing with the
offender. Next, we should note the Lord's insistence upon what Joshua
had previously disregarded, namely, the unity of Israel. In heeding
the counsel of the spies and detaching three thousand from the body of
the nation (v. 3), he acted contrary to the pattern God gave him in
the crossing of Jordan and taking of Jericho. "Israel hath sinned,"
God declared, and now He required that the whole of the tribes should
share in the shame of Achan's offense--as later He gave orders "Take
all the people of war" against Ai (Josh. 8:1).
"In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your
tribes, and it shall be that the tribe which the Lord taketh shall
come according to the families thereof." The culprit had not been
named, and before he was identified there must be a searching
investigation. Very solemn indeed was the procedure followed. Most
probably the whole congregation was assembled before the tabernacle.
The word "brought" is the one generally used in connection with
offering of the sacrifices (Lev. 1:2, 10)--"bring," therefore, has the
force here of the people being presented for the Lord's inspection.
Doubtless it was the "princes" or heads of each tribe which came,
respectively, before Joshua and Eleazar. Three times over in this
verse we have the expression "which the Lord shall take." We naturally
inquire, what is signified thereby? In what way or by what process did
He do so? If Scripture be compared with Scripture it seems clear that
the Lord here distinguished between the innocent and the guilty by
means of the Urim and Thummim in the high priest's breastplate. When
Joshua was first set apart unto his office, orders were given that "he
shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him
after the judgment [decision or verdict] of the Urim before the Lord"
(Num. 27:21). Under certain circumstances the will of God was made
known via the Urim and Thummim, and evidently Eleazar "asked counsel"
for Joshua by them on this occasion.
Of Saul it is said that "when he inquired of the Lord, the Lord
answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophet" (1
Sam. 28:6)-- proof of His having abandoned the apostate king. Thence
we gather that by means of the Urim and Thummim, prophetic guidance
was at certain times obtained from God. This is further borne out by
Ezra 2:63, when Nehemiah forbade the rejected children of the priests
eating of the most holy things, he added "till there stand up a priest
with Urim and Thummim"--through which the Divine mind will again be
revealed. From these passages the late Dr. Bullinger drew the
following deductions: "The Urim and Thummim were probably two precious
stones, which were drawn out as a lot to give Jehovah's judgment. `The
lot is cast into the lap [Hebrew "bosom"] but the whole judgment
thereof is of the Lord' (Prov. 16:33)--bosom is here put for the
clothing or covering over it: of Exodus 4:6, 7; Ruth 4:16 . . . Thus,
those two placed in the `bag' and one drawn out would give the
judicial decision which would be `of the Lord.' Hence, the breastplate
itself was known as `the breastplate of judgment' (Ex. 28:15), because
by that Jehovah's judgment was obtained when it was needed. Hence,
when the land was divided `by lot' (Num. 26:55) Eleazar the high
priest must be present. (Num. 34:17; Joshua 17:14)."
Both words are in the plural number, though (as is often the case in
the Hebrew) probably it is what is known as the plural of
majesty"--used for the purpose of emphasizing the importance of a
thing or the dignity of an object. It is likely that the "Urim" was a
single stone or object and the "Thummim" another, though we cannot be
certain. The English equivalent for those words is "light" or "lights"
and "perfections"; in the Septuagint they are rendered by "delosis"
and "aletheim," meaning "manifestation and truth." As the high priest
thrust his hand into the bag of his breastplate (note "doubled" in
Exodus 27:16), possibly the bringing forth of the "Urim" indicated the
Lord's yes and the "Thummim" His no, or vice-versa. In the instance we
are now considering, most likely the appearing of the Urim signified
the bringing to light of the guilty; whereas the issuing of the
Thummim announced the "perfection" or sincerity of the innocent. Thus,
as the head or heads of each tribe stood before Eleazar he would draw
out the Thummim until the turn of Judah arrived, as indicated by the
Urim. The same process was followed after the guilty tribe had been
identified: the heads of its leading "families" standing before the
Lord's representative, and when the particular family was identified,
the same with its "households," until the culprit himself stood
unmasked before all.
"And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall
be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath
transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he hath wrought
folly in Israel" (v. 15). Solemn indeed was the transaction which we
have endeavored to picture above, fearful the trial of all who took
part in it. A threefold reason may be suggested for the leisurely
nature of this inquisition. First, it manifested the calmness and
thoroughness of the Judge of all the earth: He is ever a God of order,
departing not therefrom when sitting in judgment. Second, the
terribleness of their ordeal would impress upon Israel the reality of
the holy covenant which God had made with them, and demonstrate before
they again the majesty of the Divine Law--seen in arresting the waters
of Jordan, overthrowing the walls of Jericho, and now equally so in
taking vengeance on the transgressor. Third, in affording the guilty
one further space for repentance: but alas, his heart was hardened and
he refused to come forward and own that he was the cause of the whole
trouble. The dreadful sentence that he should be "burnt with fire"
does not necessarily signify he was to be roasted alive--Joshua 7:25
seems to clearly show otherwise. If it be asked, Why burn them and
their possessions if they were already dead from stoning? To express
still more vividly the Divine detestation, and that nothing whatever
of the accursed thing should remain.
Judgment
"So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their
tribes" (Josh. 7:16). Here we behold his willingness and readiness in
obeying the command he had received (v. 14). However painful the task,
there was no delay. In Joshua 3:1, we saw God's servant rising early
to engage in a pleasant duty; here, there was equal alacrity when a
distressing one was to be performed. Though a sore trial to flesh and
blood, yet Joshua's heart was in this work; for he yearned to have the
Lord's honor vindicated, and for the nation to be restored to His
favor. Therein we have a further adumbration of the antitypical
Joshua, of whom we read that after announcing "behold, the hour is at
hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners," at
once added "Rise, let us be going" (Matthew 26:45, 46). Yet here, as
everywhere, the Savior had the pre-eminence. There was no "rising
early in the morning," for there was no retiring to rest for Him that
night! Through all the hours of darkness He was hounded from pillar to
post: from Gethsemane to appear before Annas, then sent from him to
Caiaphas, from him to Pilate, from him to Herod, from him back to
Pilate, from him to the cross: all the while on foot, His body a mass
of bleeding wounds, without His eyes closing in slumber! Nevertheless,
He advanced unto those who thirsted for His blood (John 18:4), ready
to be led as a lamb to the slaughter.
"So Joshua rose up early, in the morning, and brought Israel by their
tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken." This must have come as a
most painful shock to that tribe as a whole, as well as to Joshua
himself. Wondrous things had been foretold of Judah. It was to be the
royal and ruling tribe (Gen. 49:10). The Lord had laid honor on it by
supernaturally endowing one of its men for special skilled work in
connection with the furnishing of the tabernacle (Ex. 31:3-5). Of it
sprang the illustrious Caleb (Num. 13:8). Judah was the tribe which
took the lead when the nation was on march across the wilderness (Num.
10:14). His was to be the largest portion of Canaan (Deut. 34:2). And
here their name was disgraced! Nor was this the first time, as a
reference to Genesis 38:2, 15 and 16 will show--Achan being a direct
descendant of the Zarah or Zerah of Genesis 38:30, in Joshua 7:18.
"This was an allay to their dignity and might serve as a check to
their pride. Many there were who were its glories, but here was one
that was its reproach. Let not the best families think it strange if
there be those found in them and descended from them that prove their
grief and shame. Since Judah was to have the largest lot in Canaan,
the more inexcusable is one of that tribe if, not content to wait for
his own share, he break in upon God's property" (Matthew Henry).
Achan remained obdurate even now that it was made known that the
guilty one belonged to the tribe of Judah. As he had not confessed his
offense when Israel was repulsed at Ai and the hearts of the people
melted and became as water (v. 5), so now he maintained silence, yea,
continued doing so when his own "family" was singled out (v. 17) and
when his particular "household" was identified (v. 18), But in a few
more moments he was to receive proof of that Divine declaration "Be
sure your sin will find you out" (Num. 32:29). He was also on the
point of learning "he that covereth his sins shall not prosper" (Prov.
28:13). To "cover sin" is a keeping of it within our own bosom, a
refusing to bring it out into the light by a frank confession of the
same unto God. Pride restrains many therefrom: they have such a high
esteem of themselves that even though guilty they are too
self-opinionated to own their sins. With others, unbelief is what
hinders: they who have no faith to be assured that God will cover
repented sins, vainly attempt to do so themselves even while remaining
impenitent. Fear and shame are what cause the majority to hide their
sins. Sin is such a hideous monster that they will not own it as
theirs. But whatever be the cause, they "shall not prosper."
"And he brought the family of Judah: and he took the family of the
Zarhites, and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and
Zabdi was taken; he brought his household man by man: and Achan, the
son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of
Judah was taken" (vv. 17, 18). It should be borne in mind that all of
the innocent were under a cloud of suspicion until the culprit himself
was definitely recognized. Moreover, it was expedient for the benefit
of future generations that no stigma should rest upon the guiltless.
"The tribe, family, parentage of the offender were specified with
exactness, that the infamy might not rest on the reputation of any
other of the same name" (T. Scott). Achan "was taken" means that he
was now identified by the "Urim," singled out by the unerring judgment
given through the high priest. It was now made manifest before the
whole congregation that the Divine justice had seized him. When the
secret sins of men are brought to light God should be owned in it, and
the perpetrator should acknowledge with the brethren of Joseph: "God
hath found out the iniquity of thy servants"
(Gen. 44:16). "For there is nothing covered that shall not be
revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known" (Luke 12:2).
"And Joshua said unto Achan, My son give, I pray thee, glory to the
Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto Him, and tell me now what
thou hast done, hide it not from me" (v. 19). Here again we must look
beyond Joshua unto the One spoken of in Acts 17:31, "Because He hath
appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness by
that Man whom He hath ordained." God Himself will judge, yet not
immediately, but mediately through Christ. So here Achan was bidden to
give glory to the Lord God, but Joshua at once added, "tell me what
thou hast done, hide it not from me"! The expression "my son" was not
here a term of tenderness or kindness (as it usually is with us), but
a form of address used by one of eminence or authority unto an
inferior, as Saul termed David "my son" (1 Sam. 24:16) and Joab
designated Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, "my son" (2 Sam. 18:22);
conversely, a superior was owned as "father" (2 Kings 5:13; 6:21).
Nevertheless, it is striking to note how mildly Joshua addressed
Achan: "This is an example to all not to insult over those who are in
misery, though they have brought themselves into it by their own
wickedness, but to treat even offenders with the spirit of meekness,
not knowing what ourselves should have been and done if God had put us
into the hands of our own counsels" (Matthew Henry).
"And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give I pray thee, glory to the
Lord God of Israel and make confession unto him." Very striking and
blessed is that' the honor of Jehovah was what was uppermost in His
servant's heart and mind--as it ever was with the anti-typical Joshua
(John 8:50; 12:23). But how could Achan's confession give glory to
God? In many ways. It testified to the Divine omniscience in detecting
and exposing his profane and stealthy conduct, picking him out from
that vast multitude as the guilty one. It acknowledged God's holiness
in abhorring his wickedness, thereby setting to his seal that "He is
of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity"
(Hab. 1:13). It witnessed to His justice, that God was righteous in
being so displeased with him. It owned His veracity that "the soul
that sinneth it shall die" (Ezek. 18:4). What is the glory of God but
the sum of His perfections? It is by those perfections that He is made
known to us both in the written and personal Word. And therefore to
glorify Him is for us to recognize, acknowledge and be suitably
affected by the Divine attributes; as conversely we are guilty of
slighting Him when denying, either in word or act, His perfections.
When we trample upon His Law we repudiate His authority. When we defy
Him, we disdain His power. When we think to conceal sin from Him, we
disown His omniscience.
"My son, give, I pray thee glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make
confession unto Him." It is all too little realized by any of us that
this is one of the ways appointed by God in which we glorify Him. In
connection with the confessing of sin we are too apt to confine our
thoughts unto the clearing of our conscience and being restored to
fellowship. In other words, we are too much wrapped up in ourselves
and too little occupied with the excellencies of the One we approach.
A truly contrite soul will eye the dominion of God, acknowledging His
right to rule over us and our duty to live in entire subjection to
Him, and will bemoan his insubordination. He will eye God's
righteousness and own that "His law is holy, and the commandment holy
and just and good" (Rom. 7:12), and therefore that he is without
excuse in breaking it. He will eye His long suffering, which has
granted him space to repent, instead of cutting him off in the
commission of sin. He will eye the abundant mercy of God, which has
opened a way. for his pardon without compromising His holiness, laying
hold of the promise: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1
John 1:9). Failure to confess sin is not only to deprive ourselves of
comfort, but is to withhold from God that which is His due.
Acceptable confession is very much more than an exercise of our lips
unless it issues from groanings within, our words are worthless and
ineffectual. And there will be no inward groaning until we realize the
sinfulness of our sins and are duly affected thereby. We shall never
confess sin with a true sense of its infinite evil until we consider
its contrariety to the nature and will of God, and perceive how it
reflects dishonor upon the Divine perfection, particularly as it is a
contempt of His authority and a direct opposition to His purity. Nor
shall we ever confess our sins with brokenness of heart and confusion
of face, until we are sensible of the vile ingratitude of them, as
they are committed by those who are under the strongest obligations to
the contrary. There will be no confession of sin with self-abhorrence
until we recognize that it is aggravated by the light and privileges,
the goodness and mercy, the exhortations and warnings, against which
we have transgressed, for they greatly heighten our iniquities (Ezra
9:10-15). To affect our minds and consciences with the heinousness of
sin, so as to be kept humble and filled with self-abasement, we need
to meditate frequently upon what it cost Christ to make atonement for
the same. The sincerity and fervor of our confession evince the depth
of our hatred of sin.
"And Joshua said unto Achan . . . tell me now what thou hast done,
hide it not from me." That "now" was a word of reproof and reproach
because the offender had remained silent so long. Achan had delayed
until it was impossible any longer to conceal his guilt--his
confession being wrung from him by the preceding process. The earlier
confession be made, the more God is honored, and the sooner will peace
be restored to the conscience; but, better late than never. It is the
fool who procrastinates; the apostate who defiantly refuses to do so.
Fearfully solemn is that warning: "Give glory to the Lord your God
before He cause darkness and before your feet stumble upon the dark
mountains, and while ye look for light. He turn it into the shadow of
death and make it gross darkness" (Jer. 13:16). Note that to "make
confession" and "hide it not" are equivalent terms, and that not to
confess is tantamount to a denial (John 1:20). Joshua's "tell me now
what thou hast done, hide it not from me" makes known unto us what
confession of sin is to consist of, namely, a frank and full
acknowledgment of the offense, without any attempt at concealment or
self-extenuation, however humiliating it may be. By so doing we bear
witness that God's prohibition was a righteous one and that His
punishment (or chastisement) is just.
"And Achan answered Joshua and said, Indeed I have sinned against the
Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done" (v. 20), which was
no more a proof of his genuine contrition than was King Saul's
acknowledgment, "I have sinned and transgressed the commandment of the
Lord" (1 Sam. 15:24), or the remorseful avowal of Judas, "I have
sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood" (Matthew 27:4). In
what follows we are shown that confession of sin must be in detail.
"When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two
hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels
weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and behold, they are hid
in the earth in the midst of thy tent, and the silver under it" (v.
21). The temptation entered through the eye, and that excited the
concupiscence of his corrupt heart: as the prophet said in a different
connection, "mine eye affecteth my heart" (Lam. 3:51). How needful it
is that we emulate the holy example of Job, who declared: "I have made
a covenant with mine eyes" (Job 31:1). How earnestly should we cry
unto God daily "Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity: quicken
Thou me in Thy way" (Ps. 119:37) -- make me to view things as Thou
dost, and to esteem or disesteem them according to the teaching of Thy
Word. Had Achan regarded those objects with the eyes of faith, he had
looked upon them as "accursed things," for so had God pronounced them!
"I saw . . . then I coveted them." Having viewed them with the eyes of
unbelief, he lusted after them. What a solemn warning for each of us
to heed! Covetousness has in it a far greater degree of malignity and
is more highly provoking to God than is commonly thought. Colossians
3:5, declares that covetousness "is idolatry," for it is a bestowing
upon the creature that respect and love which is due alone unto the
Creator. When we mortify not our inordinate desire, we cherish a viper
within our own bosom, for it gnaws at the very roots of contentment
and gratitude (Heb. 13:5). When our desire exceeds the present portion
God has allotted us, we are no longer satisfied with the same and are
unable to enjoy and give thanks for it. "I coveted . . . them, I took
them": thus he followed precisely the same order as did Eve (Gen. 3:6,
and cf. James 1:14, 15). "And behold they are hid in the earth in the
midst of the tent." There we behold both the "deceitfulness of sin"
and the anxiety it brings. "No sooner had he got possession of his
plunder than it became his burden! . . . so differently do the objects
of temptation appear at a distance to what they do when apprehended
and when the infatuation ceases" (T. Scott). They who yield to a
spirit of covetousness "pierce themselves through with many sorrows"
(1 Tim. 6:8-10).
"So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent." The members
of the congregation were as desirous and zealous to have Jehovah's
honor vindicated as was their leader. "And behold it was hid in his
tent and the silver under it. And they took them out of the midst of
the tent, and brought them unto Joshua and unto all the children of
Israel" (vv. 22, 25). This was done in order that conclusive evidence
of Achan's guilt should be laid before the eyes of the whole nation,
and thereby was brought to light the hidden things of darkness. By
that procedure a solemn warning was given the people (and us) of the
utter futility of any attempt to conceal anything from the eyes of Him
which are "in every place, beholding the evil and the good" (Prov.
15:4). "And poured it out before the Lord" (v. 23): that is, either at
the feet of His representative, the high priest, or more probably
immediately before the ark of the covenant. The accursed things were
not poured out "unto the Lord" for His acceptance, but before Him for
His destruction--they were never brought into His treasury for use in
His service, but totally destroyed, as the sequel shows.
"And Joshua and all Israel took Achan, the son of Zerah, and the
silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons and his
daughters, and his oxen and asses and his sheep, and all that he had,
and they brought them into the valley of Achor" (v. 24). Here was
unity of action. The whole nation was required to dissociate itself
from the trespass and take part in punishing the culprit. For any not
to concur therein would be to condone the sin--just as when any church
members refuse to take part in a similar action. Achan and all
pertaining to him were taken outside the camp--compare "take away from
among yourselves" (1 Cor. 5:2)! Note how what followed gave force to,
and shows an additional reason for, the "sanctify ourselves" of verse
13. For those who are themselves erring creatures to sit in judgment
upon one of their fellows calls for unsparing self-judgment. Ere a
church is in a meet condition to enforce a holy discipline it is
required that its officers and members humble themselves before God
and clear their own consciences, by confessing every known sin and
pleading the cleansing blood of Christ. Only then can they act in
godly fear and trembling. Only then will "he that is without sin among
you let him first cast a stone no longer prevent them performing a
necessary but painful duty.
"And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble
thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them
with fire. after they had stoned them with stones" (v. 25). "By this
severity against Achan the honor of Joshua's government--now in the
infancy of it--was maintained; and Israel, at their entrance upon the
promised Canaan, were minded at their peril, the provisos, and
limitations of the grant by which they held it" (Matthew Henry). It is
worthy of note that at the opening of the tabernacle worship we behold
an instance of the severity of Divine judgment upon the two sons of
Aaron (Lev. 10:1, 2), so here upon their entry into Canaan, and
similarly at the dawn of Christianity in connection with the death of
Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5) we have examples of the same thing:
designed no doubt to increase godly fear, promote dutiful
circumspection, and prevent general wickedness. Such solemn
demonstrations before the eyes of the people would render it the less
easy for them to forget that their God was "a consuming fire" unto
those who provoked Him
"The severity of the punishment must be estimated by the relation of
Achan's crime to the whole plan of the conquest of Canaan. If the
destruction of Canaan was indeed the execution of Divine vengeance, it
must be kept entirely clear of all human motives, lest men should say
that Jehovah had given His people license to deal with the Canaanites
as seemed best for themselves. The punishment of Saul, (1 Sam.
15:21-23) and the repeated statement in Esther 9:10, 15, 16
(notwithstanding the king's permission in Esther 8:11), `but on the
spoil laid they not their hand" are illustrations of the same
principle" (Ellicott). In addition, it is to be borne in mind that
Achan deliberately transgressed the plain commandment of Deuteronomy
13:17, that he acted in contempt of the awful curse which Joshua had
just previously denounced (Josh. 6:17-19), that he defied Jehovah at a
time when His presence was so conspicuously manifest among His people,
that his crime was not only one of theft but sacrilege (converting to
his own use what was devoted to the Lord), and that his offense
resulted in the people of God being put to shame in the sight of the
heathen.
Our remaining space permits us to do no more than briefly point out
that the above incident shadows forth most of the principal features
of the Last Assize. (1) It is then there will be a full and final
display of God's perfections and the Divine glory will shine forth
conspicuously. (2) As "all Israel" here, so all mankind there, will
stand before the antitypical Joshua. (3) As the tribe of Judah was
marked off from the others, so will the goats then be separated from
the sheep. (4) The hidden things of darkness shall then be brought to
light. (5) As the innocent were cleared before the guilt were charged,
so the righteous will be vindicated before the unrighteous are
condemned. (6) As Achan made no attempt to deny his guilt or demur at
his punishment, so the damned will concur with the justice of their
sentence. (7) As all Israel united in the stoning of Achan's family,
so the saints "will judge the world" (1 Cor. 16:2). (8) As the guilty
were "burned with fire" after their death, so everlasting fire will be
the portion of the lost. (9) As there was a permanent "memorial" unto
the grace of God (Josh. 4:9), so unto His holiness (Josh. 7:26): the
redeemed will for ever exemplify God's love, the reprobate His wrath.
Lack of space prevented our adding a word at the close of our last on
the concluding verse of Joshua 7, so to it we now turn. "And they
raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the Lord
turned from the fierceness of His anger. Wherefore the name of that
place was called the valley of Achor [Trouble], unto this day." Three
things are to be noted: the memorial to solemnly remind Israel of
Achan's sin, the Lord's reconciliation, and the name given to the
place of execution and appeasement. As the twelve stones taken out of
Jordan were permanently pitched in Gilgal (Josh. 4:20-23) to
perpetuate the memory of the miracle which the Lord had so graciously
wrought there, so a great heap of stones was raised to mark the spot
where the vengeance of the Holy One fell upon the one who had so
grievously offended Him. That heap of stones was designed to serve as
a terrible warning, against the crime of sacrilege, to rebuke those
who imagine themselves secure in secret sins, and to furnish a witness
of what an awful thing it is to be a troubler of God's people.
There is an instructive emphasis in the "so the Lord turned from the
fierceness of His anger," teaching us that the assemblies of His
people must exercise a strict and holy discipline (for the honor of
His name) if they are to escape His governmental judgments and
chastenings. Cast into its positive form that statement would read,
when Israel had put away "the accursed thing" and dealt faithfully
with the disturber of their peace, they were restored again to God's
favor. Two further references are made in the Scriptures to this
place, and very significant and blessed they are. Unto backsliding
Israel the Lord declared His purpose to recover and restore her,
saying, "I will give her vineyards from thence, and the valley of
Achor for a door of hope" (Hosea 2:15): our putting away of the
offensive thing--by repentance and reformation--affords ground for
hoping that God will renew His favors unto us. "And Sharon shall be a
fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor [where things are put right
with God] a place for the herds to lie down in, for My people that
have sought Me" (Isa. 65:10) -- a promise which should be
spiritualized and pleaded by each wayward but contrite saint.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Joshua
by A.W. Pink
11. The Conquest of Ai
Joshua 8:1-35
_________________________________________________________________
Encouragement and Direction
"And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed:
take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see! I
have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city,
and his land" (Josh. 8:1). In the preceding verse we are told "the
Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger," and while there can be
little or no doubt that Joshua would--after the matter of Achan had
been dealt with--infer the same, yet he had not been given any token
from Him that such was the case; but now he received from God a word
of cheer, a word of instruction, and a word of promise for faith to
lay hold of. "When we have faithfully put away sin, that accursed
thing which separates between our God, then, and not till then, we may
expect to hear from God for our comfort; and God's directing us how to
go on in our Christian walk and warfare is a good evidence of His
being reconciled to us (Matthew Henry): that is, fellowship with Him
is now restored. Note well that commentator's "and not till then": no
purveyors of "smooth things" were the faithful and practical Puritans,
nor did they entertain their hearers and readers with matters of no
spiritual profit.
The Lord's word "arise" intimates that, following the stoning of Achan
and his family, Joshua again took his place on his face, or at least
on his knees, before the Lord, seeking consolation and counsel from
Him. Israel's progress in their conquest and occupation of Canaan had
been rudely interrupted, and though the hindering cause had been put
away, yet Joshua dare not attempt any further advance until His Master
gave fresh indication of His will. This teaches us that, after a sin
has been unsparingly judged by us--be it the case of an individual
Christian, or that of an assembly--there must be a humble and definite
waiting upon God for guidance as to what He would have us do next. His
"fear not, neither be thou dismayed" shows that the offense of Achan
and its disastrous consequences had been a sore and unexpected blow to
Joshua, making him almost ready to faint. "Corruptions within the
church weaken the hands and dampen the spirits of her guides and
helpers, more than opposition from without; treacherous Israelites are
to be dreaded more than malicious Canaanites" (Matthew Henry).
That word, "fear not, neither be thou dismayed," was designed not only
for Joshua personally, but for the whole of the congregation. Israel
had failed lamentably at their first assault upon Ai, had been deeply
humiliated, and in consequence "the hearts of the people melted and
became as water" (Josh. 7:5), and though they had obeyed the Divine
command of Joshua 7:15 in utterly destroying the culprit and all that
he had, yet they were in real need of an intimation that they had been
restored to God's favor, and could count upon His leading them again
to victory. Equally requisite is it that the penitent and humbled
Christian should lay hold of this or some similar reassuring word.
When iniquities have prevailed against him (Ps. 65:3) and the enemy
has humiliated him, he is prone to be "swallowed up with over-much
sorrow" (2 Cor. 2:7) and suffer Satan to keep him in the slough of
despond, which is not only needless and foolish, but dishonoring to
God if he has sincerely and contritely forsaken his sins, then he
should confidently reckon upon God's mercy (Prov. 28:13) and
appropriate His promise "He is faithful and just [to Christ's atoning
sacrifice] to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
The word of comfort or reassurance was followed by one of instruction:
"take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai."
Therein Joshua and the people under him received definite directions
from the Lord what they must next do. Joshua was now to turn from the
throne of grace and make for the field of battle, as the believer has
to leave the place of secret prayer and go forth to conflict in the
world. Linking the two words together, the Lord was bidding His
servant not to be dismayed by the previous repulse at Ai, but to be
strong and courageous. In like manner, He calls upon the restored
backslider to renew the contest with his enemies. If at first you
don't succeed, try, try again. Quit not the fight because you have
been worsted, nor even if you were wounded. Though you were blamable
for the failure, having confessed the same to God, resume the
struggle. That is a part of what is included in perseverance in grace"
or "the final perseverance of the saints." "Rejoice not against me, O
mine enemy; when I fall, I shall arise" (Micah 7:8). In its
application to us individually the "take all the people of war with
thee" means, See to it that all your powers and graces are exerted in
a concerted effort.
"See, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and
his city, and his land," That was spoken from the Divine purpose: it
was not "I will," but "I have given." It was God "calling those things
which be not as though they were" (Rom. 4:17), as when He told the
aged patriarch with barren wife, "I have made thee a father of many
nations." And as that word to Abraham was addressed unto his faith, so
was this one here to Joshua. "See, I have given into thy hand the king
of Ai" signified, Regard it as an accomplished fact, behold the
victory with the eye of your spirit as one already achieved. It is
thus that the soldiers of Christ are to wage their spiritual warfare
fully persuaded of the happy outcome. As the beloved, yet often
hard-pressed, apostle expressed it. "I therefore so run, not as
uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air" (1 Cor.
9:26) -- having no doubt whatever of reaching the goal, nor of
vanquishing his enemy. It is "the good fight of faith" to which we are
called, but if we be regulated by our reason or feelings it soon
becomes a fight of unbelief. This "see" (by faith) of Joshua 8:1, was
similar to that of Exodus 14:13 and Joshua 6:2.
Ere passing on to the next verse let it be pointed out that the one we
have just been pondering contains a timely message for the pastor,
especially if he be discouraged and disheartened by the absence of any
apparent success or fruit for his labors. First, he should search
himself before God and test both his message and method by the Word,
to see if he has in any way grieved the Holy Spirit and thereby
prevented His blessing upon his ministry. Should such prove to be the
case, his sin must be unsparingly judged and abandoned. If after
diligent self-examination no hindering cause is revealed, then let him
take these words of the Lord as spoken immediately to himself: "Fear
not, neither be thou dismayed"--it is fear which causes dejection and
dismay! Then let him say, "What time I am afraid, I will trust in
Thee" (Ps. 61:3), or better, "I will trust and not be afraid" (Isa.
12:2). "Take all the people of war with thee": earnestly solicit the
prayerful cooperation of the saints, and, whether you have that or no,
be sure to take unto thee "all the armor of God." Further, eye by
faith such promises as Isaiah 55:11; Matthew 28:20, for only thus will
your fears be quietened.
"And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and
her king: only the spoil thereof and the cattle thereof shall ye take
for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it"
(Josh. 8:2). No mercy was to be shown the enemy, no truce made with
him, but all the inhabitants were to be "utterly destroyed" as in the
former instance (Josh. 7:21). This teaches us that the Christian must
adopt an uncompromising attitude toward every form of evil, even
abstaining from the very appearance of it (1 Thess. 5:22). On this
occasion Divine permission was given Israel to appropriate the spoil
and the cattle unto themselves. The cattle upon a thousand hills are
the Lord's (Ps. 50:10), and He disposes of them as He pleases. In
connection with Jericho Israel were forbidden to take anything unto
themselves, the whole being "consecrated unto the Lord" (Josh. 7:18),
thereby intimating that He has a special claim upon "the first-fruits"
(Ex. 23:19; Proverbs 3:9), for that initial restriction was not again
enforced. The grant here made may be regarded as a gracious reward for
their obedience in Joshua 7:25, thereby exhibiting the folly of
covetous Achan--we never lose by waiting God's time, and only bring
trouble upon ourselves if we attempt to anticipate it.
The method by which Ai was to be taken was quite different from the
one used against the first stronghold of the Canaanites, which shows
us, among other things, that God does not work uniformly. Thomas Scott
pointed out that "Jericho had been taken by a miracle . . . in order
to teach the people to depend on God, and give Him the glory of all
their successes. But they seemed to have inferred that they might
despise their enemies and indulge themselves. They were therefore, in
the next instance, instructed that diligence, self-denial and the
exercise of all their powers, both of body and mind, were required in
order to secure success." While fully agreeing with those remarks, yet
they do not, we think, fully explain the case. Though God be absolute
sovereign, so that He ever acts freely, yet His ways with men are not
capricious, but generally accord with their own behavior. Because of
their rash conduct in the first attack on Ai, Israel had missed God's
best, and must now be content with His second best, is how we prefer
to express it. The root cause of their failure was the flagrant
offense of Achan, but more immediately it was due to the conceit of
the spies and the folly of Joshua in acceding to their carnal
suggestion.
"So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai; and
Joshua chose out thirty thousand men of valor, and sent them away by
night. And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait
against the city, even behind the city: go not very far from the city,
but be ye all ready" (vv. 3, 4). To how much trouble had Israel now
put themselves in order to overthrow Ai! Ah, my reader, it requires no
little pains in order to return to the path of blessing once we have
departed from the same! In various ways God makes us feel the folly of
leaning unto our own understanding or acting in self-will, and shows
us something of what we bring upon ourselves by missing His best.
Observe too how precisely the Lord corrected Israel's failures, making
them reverse their former policy. When the spies returned from the
reconnoitering of Ai, they said unto Joshua, "Let not all the people
go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai."
That was in direct variance with the pattern which God gave to Israel
in Joshua 6:3, and to which He now required them to return--"take all
the people of war with thee" (Josh. 8:1). The closing words of the
spies "for they be few" in Joshua 7:3 showed they regarded Ai with
contempt, as an easy prey, and the proposal that a single battalion of
their fighting men would suffice was manifestly the language of
conceit.
The Lord countered their pride by appointing a much more humbling
method for capturing Ai than the one used in the overthrow of Jericho.
There, Israel's army had marched openly around the walls of that
fortress; here, where a smaller and weaker city was involved, the
humiliating strategy of a secret ambush was assigned in order for an
attack from the rear. In the latter case, Joshua had failed to spread
before the Lord the suggestion of the spies and seek counsel of Him,
and disastrous was the consequence. The result was that he had to
spend many hours "on his face" before the ark ere an explanation of
Israel's repulse was vouchsafed him; and later, he had to bow again
before the Lord ere instructions were given for the new plan of
campaign (Josh. 8:1). The servant of God must not follow his own
devices, but rather act according to the Word of his Master, for only
then is he justified in counting upon His blessing. It is blessed to
observe that however humbling the means which God now required to be
used, both Joshua and those under him complied with the instructions
God gave them. Having received an answer of peace from the Lord and an
intimation of His will for them, they acted promptly in carrying out
of the same.
"So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai."
That was not only an act of obedience, but, we doubt not, should also
be regarded as one of faith--in response to Jehovah's "See! I have
given into thy hand the King of Ai." Should any one be disposed to
ask, "But since the Lord had made such an announcement, why was it
necessary for Joshua and the whole of his army to go to so much
trouble?" he would betray his ignorance both of God's sovereignty and
of man's accountability. God's predestination of the end does not
render needless our use of means: rather does the former include the
latter, and is realized by the same. When the Lord informed Hezekiah
through one of His prophets that He would "add unto his days fifteen
years" (Isa. 38:5), that certainly did not imply that the king might
henceforth dispense with food, drink and sleep; any more than God's
assurance to Paul that there should be "no loss of life" of the ship's
contingent rendered it the less imperative to abstain from
recklessness and to use means for their preservation (Acts 27:22-24,
31). God's gracious assurances unto His people are not designed to
promote indolence, but instead to stimulate and to encourage
diligence, knowing that "our labor is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Cor.
15:58).
While it be true that unless God gives the victory no efforts of ours
can possibly achieve it nevertheless it is our bounden duty to make
every effort. Though the fall of Ai was certain, yet Israel were
called upon to discharge their responsibility. God's promises to us
are not given to induce slothfulness, but to be a spur unto obedience
to His precepts. Faith is no substitute for diligent and zealous work,
but is to act as the director of the same. Hope is not to absolve us
from the discharge of our obligations, but is to inspire unto the
performing of the same. It is because victory is sure in the end that
the soldiers of Christ are called upon to fight: that assurance is to
be their incentive, from which they are to draw their energy. The
genuine exercise of faith has a powerful influence both upon the
Christian's efforts to mortify the old man and to vivify the new. This
is clear from Romans 6:11, and what follows: we must by the reckoning
of faith account ourselves legally one with the Lord Jesus Christ in
His death and resurrection before we can expect any success in
subduing our lusts or developing our graces (Josh. 5:13). Faith is
indeed the victory "that overcometh the world" (1 John 5:4), yet as
the previous verse clearly shows, it is a faith which is operative in
the keeping of God's commandments.
Thus, while Israel were called upon to exercise faith in the Divine
assurance of success, yet they were also required to adhere strictly
to the strategy which God appointed. Very definite were the orders
Joshua gave unto the thirty thousand men who were to fall upon the
city from the rear: "Ye shall lie in wait against the city, behind the
city: go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready" (Josh. 5:4):
they were told where to go, what to do, and how to comport themselves.
Equally explicit are the instructions of the Christian in connection
with the waging of his spiritual warfare, and the measure of his
success will very largely be determined by how closely he sticks to
them. Thus, after bidding believers "Be strong in the Lord, and in the
power of His might" (which can only be by the exercise of faith upon
Him), the apostle bade them "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye
may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil" (Eph. 6:10, 11),
which plainly imports that unless they heeded his injunction they
would fall before the enemy's artifices. This is the more noticeable,
because after enforcing his exhortation by informing us of the
formidable forces which are under Satan's control (Josh. 5:12), he
repeats, "Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may
be able to withstand in the evil day, and having overcome all [margin]
to stand" (Josh. 5:13). God has provided the armor, but we have to
"take unto us and "put on" the same; and not merely a part of it, but
"the whole."
In our last we pointed out that in Joshua 8:1, the Lord gave unto His
servant a word of cheer, a word of instruction, and a word of promise.
His "fear not, neither be thou dismayed" was to graciously reassure
Joshua's heart after the dishonorable repulse Israel had met with upon
their first assault on Ai--the reasons for their defeat having been
shown. In its wider application, it was a message of comfort to the
whole nation, after their elders had duly humbled themselves before
the Lord, that they must not be unduly cast down nor suffer Satan to
induce them to give way to a spirit of despair. The word of
instruction was an intimation of the Divine will of what was now
required from Joshua and those under his command: "take all the people
of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai." Therein their presumptuous
conduct in Joshua 7:3 was denounced, and an order was given for them
to return to the Divine pattern which they had received in Joshua 6:3.
The word of promise was addressed unto their faith: "See! I have given
into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his
land." That was spoken from the standpoint of the certainty of the
Divine counsels, and faith was to receive it without question.
The word of instruction received amplification in the second verse: Ai
and its inhabitants were to be utterly destroyed. In this instance
Israel were given permission to take the cattle as a spoil unto
themselves. Finally, the strategy to be followed was made known: an
"ambush" was to be laid for the city from its rear. Next we are told,
"So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai; and
Joshua chose out thirty thousand men of valor, and sent them away by
night" (Josh. 8:3). That is to be regarded as an act not only of
obedience but of faith too, or rather as "the obedience of faith"
(Rom. 1:5, margin). It is a great mistake to suppose that faith in God
renders needless our discharge of duty or the use of all lawful means:
instead, it is to energize unto the one and to look unto God for His
blessing upon the other. Confidence in God does not produce passivity,
nor will the diligence which it evokes issue in self-confidence. True
faith ever produces good works, yet those works are performed in a
spirit of dependence upon the Lord. It is written: "The way of man is
not in himself" (Jer. 10:23), but it is written again: "This is the
way, walk ye in it" (Isa. 30:21). Thus does Scripture always guard
Scripture!
"And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against
the city behind the city: go not very far from the city, but be ye all
ready" (Josh. 8:4). Though victory was Divinely guaranteed, that did
not preclude the discharge of their responsibilities. Faith in God was
to operate in the performing of His commandments. Accordingly, Joshua
issued very definite orders to those thirty thousand of his soldiers,
telling them where to go and how to conduct themselves. As we said at
the close of our last article, equally explicit are the instructions
given to the Christian in connection with his spiritual warfare, and
the measure of his success therein will very largely be determined by
how closely he adheres to the same. It is to be noted that the force
which was to lie in wait behind the city was "sent away by night" (v.
3), and thus its members were deprived of their rest, calling for
self-denial on their part. That is the first and chief task appointed
the believer: as Israel had to overcome and dispossess the Canaanites
ere they could enter into their inheritance, so we have to get the
victory over the flesh, the world and the Devil before there can be
any present possessing of our possessions and enjoyment of the same.
Before Christ can be followed, self has to be "denied," and the cross
(self-sacrifice) accepted as the regulating principle of our lives
(Matthew 16:24).
That to which we have just called attention receives confirmation in 1
Corinthians 9:24-27, where Paul says, first, "Know ye not that they
which run in a race run all, but only one receiveth the prize? So run
that ye may obtain," likening the Christian life unto the running of a
race--which calls for rigorous training, vigorous exertion, and
patient endurance. Then he informs them what is required, and is
essential, in order to succeed therein' "And every man that striveth
for the mastery is temperate in all things": that is, he puts a bridle
upon his appetites, is abstemious in the use of comforts, and
exercises a strict self-control at every point. Next, the apostle made
mention of his own life, which exemplified what he had just said, and
which sets before us an example to follow: "I therefore so run, not as
uncertainly"--I myself practice such self-discipline as being
absolutely necessary in order to ensure success. I conduct myself in
such a manner and order my life in such a way that the outcome is not
left in any doubt. I run within the lines marked out--keeping to the
prescribed path of duty; pressing on till the goal is reached,
exerting myself to the utmost unto the end.
Then, slightly varying his figure, and coming closer to what Joshua 8
has in view, the apostle added: "So fight I, not as one that beateth
the air"--I conduct myself, and so observe the rules of the contest,
that there can be no uncertainty that I shall be "more than conqueror
through Him that loved us." Paul daily denied himself, mortified his
lusts, and consequently he knew that the crown of life was thereby
ensured. He did not waste his energies or spend his strength for
naught. All his efforts were directed to the grand purpose of
subjugating the desires of the flesh and bringing all his members into
subjection to God. Alas, how many professing Christians today are
wasting their energies upon tasks which God has never assigned them!
Then in verse 27 he frankly stated the awful alternative: if I fail to
make my body the servant of my soul, by yielding its members unto God
(Rom. 6:19) and fighting against the lusts of the flesh and
temptations of Satan, then eternal disgrace will be my portion.
Finally, let it be carefully noted that the apostle continues his
exhortation to self-denial and caution in the tenth chapter (as its
opening word indicates) from the case of Israel, who doubtless felt as
they stood on the other side of the Red Sea, that all danger was past
and their entrance into Canaan was certain; yet, because of yielding
to evil lusts, they were destroyed in the wilderness (vv. 1-15).
Thus we see how that the principles which were to regulate Joshua and
his men were the same as those which are to govern Christians in
connection with their spiritual warfare. "The two Testaments, like our
two eyes, mutually enlighten and assist each other" (A. Searle). They
were to proceed with the utmost confidence in God, yet with entire
submission to Him. They were to act faith in His sure promise, and at
the same time render implicit obedience to His precept. They were to
go forward fully assured that Jehovah had given Ai into their hands,
nevertheless they must adhere strictly to the strategy He had
specified. So, though told "the God of peace shall bruise Satan under
your feet shortly" (Rom. 16:20), we are definitely bidden to resist
him steadfast in the faith (1 Pet. 5:9). Our confidence is "that He
which hath begun a good work in us will finish it" (Phil. 1:6)
nevertheless, in the very next chapter we are exhorted "work out your
own salvation with fear and trembling" (v. 12). Mighty foes and
powerful forces are arrayed in the fight, but the ultimate issue is
not in doubt: "forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in
the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58).
Unto the thirty thousand who were to lie in ambush behind the city
Joshua had said, "go not very far from the city, but be ye all
ready"--awake, alert, prepared promptly to make the most of any
favorable opportunity which should be presented to them. Such must be
the demeanor and spirit of the soldiers of Jesus Christ: "be sober, be
vigilant" precedes the call to resist our adversary "steadfast in the
faith" (1 Pet. 5:8, 9). Then Joshua added, "And I, and all the people
that are with me, will approach unto the city: and it shall come to
pass when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee
before them" (v. 5). How different was this policy from their boldly
walking around the walls of Jericho! How humiliating, to proud flesh
to have to turn their backs upon the Canaanites! Surely it is obvious
from such a course of procedure that Israel had missed God's best!
True, the enemy was routed and utterly destroyed, and his city reduced
to ashes, yet the method which the Lord here called upon Israel to
adopt made it but too plain that they only entered into His second
best for them.
"For they will come out after us till we have drawn them from the
city; for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first:
therefore we will flee before them" (v. 6). Those words expressed a
deduction which Joshua drew from what the Lord had said to him in
verse 1, for since His announcement that He had given the king of Ai
and his people and his city into Israel's hand was accompanied by
instructions for them to lay an ambush for the city from the rear (v.
2), it logically followed that the success of such strategy depended
upon the army of Ai being lured out of it. Yet in the light of the
whole context it is clear that we have here something more than a
mental inference, namely faith's conclusion. Joshua was warranted in
having the utmost confidence in the successful outcome of this plan,
because he was employing the means which the Lord had appointed, and
was resting on His promise in verse 1, and there-tore counted upon His
blessing the same by drawing forth the forces of the enemy and thus
leaving their city unprotected. This has been placed upon record for
our learning and encouragement, particularly for ministers of the
Gospel: if they adhere strictly to the methods and means God has
appointed, and they look to Him for His blessing on the same, then
whatsoever He has purposed shall assuredly be accomplished thereby.
From the above we see how that we should profit from past experiences,
especially those wherein disaster overtook us. Note how in the fifth
verse Joshua had declared, "they will come out against us as at the
first." That knowledge was now put to good use, and by availing
himself of the same Joshua turned a previous defeat into a success. As
Joshua perceived what course the king of Ai would follow, so
Christians are told concerning their great adversary, "we are not
ignorant of his devices" (2 Cor. 2:11)--nor are we of the various
allurements and snares of the world, and least of all of the treachery
and wickedness of our own hearts. Great care needs to be taken and
honesty exercised upon this point, for while on the one hand the Word
makes it very plain that Satan tempts and assaults the saints, on the
other hand we are all too prone to father upon him our own sinful
brats. It may not always be easy to decide whether a solicitation unto
evil originated with our own lusts or the Devil, yet this is sure,
that he can gain no advantage over us without our own consent, and
therefore whenever we yield to his seductions the fault and guilt are
ours, and instead of blaming Satan we must unsparingly condemn
ourselves and confess the same to God.
This is obviously the principal practical lesson for us to draw from
this detail of verse 6: that our knowledge of the enemy's policy and
tactics should be turned to good account, or otherwise we fail to
profit from God's exposure of the same in the Word of Truth. "For we
are not ignorant of his devices": from what is revealed in Holy Writ,
from what we observe by carefully noticing the falls of our fellows,
and from what we learn from our personal experience, we are cognizant
of his favorite methods, baits, subtleties, and lines of approach; and
such knowledge increases our responsibility to be ever on our guard,
to take measures to counteract the same, and, as Joshua here did, turn
them to our advantage. To be forewarned is to be forearmed and when we
know beforehand from which direction the attack upon us is most likely
to take place, we can not only forestall the same, but turn it to good
account. The favorite devices of Satan are to prejudice unbelievers
against the Truth and so engulf them in the pleasures of the world
that they lose sight of the interests of their souls and the
inestimable importance of the world to come, to mar the believer's
testimony for Christ, and to destroy the peace of Christian assemblies
by fomenting a spirit of strife and jealousy.
Ere passing on from this point, let us remind the young preacher that
he may gather a wealth of suitable material from the Scriptures
themselves should he desire to make a sermon on "Satan's devices." In
such case he should, of course, concentrate mainly on those which were
employed upon Eve in Genesis in. and those upon our Lord in Matthew 4
Without furnishing a complete list, he may supplement them from the
following. Satan seeks to puff up (1 Chron. 21:1), to stir up to
rebellion against the Divine providences and encourage hard thoughts
of God (Job 1:11; 2:7-9), to produce a spirit of cowardice and induce
us to betray Christ, as in the case of Peter (Luke 22:31), to consort
and bargain with the open enemies of Christ and lead us to betray Him
(John 13:2), to drive to despair and self-destruction (Matthew 27:5),
to foster the spirit of covetousness and attempt to impose upon the
Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3), to tempt to marital infidelity (1 Cor. 7:5),
to undue severity (2 Cor. 2:6-11), to corrupt our minds from the
simplicity which is in Christ (2 Cor. 11:2), to pose as an angel of
light and transform his ministers as the ministers of righteousness (2
Cor. 11:14, 15), to deny the Truth (2 Tim. 2:25, 26), to intimidate (1
Pet. 5:8), to slander God's servants and saints (Rev. 12:10).
"Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon the city: for
the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand" (v. 7). Joshua was
still addressing the thirty thousand of his men who were to lie in
wait behind Ai until the opportune moment arrived for them to fall
upon it. That would be when the main force of Israel had made a
frontal approach in order to tempt its defenders to come out against
them, and on their being thus drawn out into the open Israel would
pretend to flee, inducing them to pursue and leave their homes
defenseless. "Then ye shall rise up," seizing the favorable
opportunity without delay. The success of the plan required the full
cooperation of Joshua's men. Not all of them were appointed to the
same stations or allotted the same tasks, but each was required to
play his part faithfully. Had those who were to accompany Joshua
refused to turn tail when the men of Ai advanced upon them, those who
formed the ambush had their long wait in vain; and unless they acted
promptly in occupying the soldier-less city, then Joshua's plan had
failed. Hence it was that Joshua had bidden them, "be ye all ready,"
that they might immediately avail themselves of the great advantage
which his ruse offered them.
The spiritual application to its of the above is obvious. The Lord's
people are called upon to act together in their spiritual warfare. Not
all are assigned positions of equal honor, nor are they given the same
tasks to perform, yet they must supplement one another and act in
conjunction if the interests of their Master's cause are to be
furthered, and if they are not to be humiliated before the common
enemy. Unless the pastor has the full cooperation of his church
officers, he is placed at a most serious disadvantage, and unless the
rank and file of the members cooperate with both, little success will
crown their efforts. Nor is it sufficient for one local church to
fulfill its spiritual functions: there must be mutual accord and
concerted action on the part of the several battalions of Christ's
soldiers if the enemy is to be defeated. Is it not the deplorable
absence of such united effort on the part of God's people that
explains the comparative impotency of modern Christianity? While a
spirit of jealousy and discord prevails, and factions and schisms so
largely obtain, corporate fellowship is impossible, and where there is
no fellowship there can be no united front presented before the powers
of darkness, and therefore no Ais captured to the glory of God.
Let us now observe and admire the blessed balance of Truth as
exemplified in the passage which is now before us. In the last three
or four verses which have engaged our attention, it is the
human-responsibility side of things which is manifestly in view, the
several duties which the different parts of Israel's army were called
upon to perform, and perform them they must if success was to attend
their efforts. Nevertheless, Joshua was most particular in guarding
the Lord's glory, and in letting his men know that it was the Divine
blessing upon their efforts which would make them prosperous. This is
clear from his words: "Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and
seize upon the city, for the Lord God will deliver it into your
hands." There was the Divine-grace side of things! The two things are
not contradictory but complementary, as in "the hand of the diligent
maketh rich" and "the blessing of the Lord it maketh rich" (Prov.
10:4, 22). Both are consistent: the one reveals the primary cause, the
other the subordinate and instrumental one. Neither will be effectual
without the other. The sluggard looks for prosperity without
diligence; the self-sufficient or practical atheist, from diligence
alone: but the balanced Christian, from the blessing of God in the
exercise of diligence. That wise combination keeps him both active and
humble, energetic, vet dependent on God. "Except the Lord build the
house, they labor in vain that build it" (Ps. 127:1), yet if they
build not there will be no "house"!
Ambush
"And it shall be, when ye have taken the city, that ye shall set the
city on fire: according to the commandment of the Lord shall ye do.
See I have commanded you" (Josh. 8:8). In those words Joshua completed
the orders given to thirty thousand of his men who were to lie in
ambush behind Ai. He had already assigned the position they were to
occupy. He had bidden them to be all of them ready to strike the blow
while the iron was hot. He had explained the part which the major
portion of his army would play, making their own task much easier. He
had assured them the Lord God would deliver the city into their hands.
And now he informed them how they must make a thorough job of and
complete the task allotted them. Only half of it was accomplished when
the city was captured: it must be reduced to ashes. This teaches us
that there is to be no relaxing in the performance of duty when God
has granted our efforts a measure of success, but a continuing to
render full obedience unto all His commandments. Much easier said than
done, declares the reader. True, we reply, but enabling grace is
available if we seek it wholeheartedly. When the Lord is pleased to
prosper our labors, instead of a complacent slackening on our part, it
should serve as a spur and encouragement to attempt yet greater things
in His name.
Observe the time-mark again: "when ye have taken the city, that ye
shall set the city on fire." There was to be no tardiness in executing
the orders given them. Each of us should be able, by Divine grace, to
aver, "I made haste, and delayed not to keep Thy commandments" (Ps.
119:60). When our duty is clear it should be performed with alacrity.
The more unpleasant it be, the sooner it is done the better. Least of
all can we afford to trifle with sin or indulge our evil lusts: no
quarter must be shown our enemies--Ai must be completely destroyed!
The revealed will of God is to be complied with without any
reservation on our part. As full obedience was here required from
Joshua's men, not only to take the city, but to destroy it, nothing
less is required from the soldiers of the Lord Jesus. There was a
needs be for these men to carry out their part of the plan promptly,
for the sight of the smoking houses would not only dismay and panic
the king of Ai and his forces (v. 20), but was to serve as a signal to
Joshua that his "ambush" had made themselves masters of the city, and
therefore that he and his company might turn round and fall upon their
pursuers. Thus we see that tardiness on our part acts as a hindrance
to our brethren!
"Joshua therefore sent them forth; and they went to lie in ambush, and
abode between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai" (Josh. 8:9). It
speaks well for the spirit and loyalty of these men that they made no
objection to their leader's orders: that in view of the disaster which
overtook their brethren on a former occasion (Josh. 7:4, 5), they
raised no demur. Nor did they complain at being deprived of their rest
through being sent away "by night" (v. 3). It is also to be recognized
that the position assigned unto them was the real post of danger, for,
isolated as they would be from the main body of Israel's army, they
ran the imminent hazard (humanly speaking) of being discovered by the
enemy, and cut off and annihilated by them. It therefore says much for
their courage, too, that they promptly complied with Joshua's orders.
From the Divine side of things we may perceive again that when God
works He always works at both ends of the line: having assured Joshua
of the certainty of victory, the Lord also wrought in these men, "both
to will and to do of His good pleasure," by inclining them to fulfill
their mission faithfully. Incidentally, we may observe the minute
accuracy of Scripture, as seen in the topographical harmony between
this verse and Genesis 12:8, Bethel and Ai being in close proximity.
"But Joshua lodged that night among the people" (v. 9). He did not
accompany the thirty thousand, for there was other important work to
engage his attention. It was his evident duty to be with the principal
body of his force, that he might maintain their morale, for only a day
or two previously their hearts "had melted and become as water" when
tidings of the initial failure reached them (Josh. 7:4, 5). He would
therefore seek to inspire them with confidence and courage, and turn
their minds from the defeat unto the Lord's promise. Not only must
discipline be enforced, but there were duties to be discharged which
he could not suitably delegate to others, for he had to supervise all
the arrangements which needed to be made for the morrow. Yet there is
something more here. There is no reason to believe that Joshua had
ever done otherwise: nowhere else is such a statement made. Why, then,
this particular emphasis: "Joshua lodged that night among the people"?
We believe it is because the Holy Spirit looked forward to the
Antitype. The Lord Jesus was the homeless Stranger here, and "had not
where to lay His head," spending His nights upon the mountain-side
(John 7:53; 8:1). So far as we are aware, the Gospels record but one
exception: the last night but one before His crucifixion Christ lodged
with His friends at Bethany (Mark 14:3, and cf. 14:10 with John 13:3)!
"And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and numbered the people, and
went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai" (v.
10). As there was to be no slackness on the part of those whom he had
sent away to ambush Ai, so there was no lazing or giving way to
self-indulgence by their commander, but the setting before his men a
pattern of alacrity and intenseness. "Those who would maintain their
spiritual conflicts must not love their ease" (Matthew Henry). The
pastor should set his members an example of earnestness, diligence,
and zeal. There was no neglecting of his duty on Joshua's part, no
treating casually the approaching engagement. All was done decently
and in order, in preparation for the forthcoming march. By his
"numbering of the people" we understand his marshalling of the host in
their proper ranks, seeing to it that each man was in his correct
place under his own tribal standard. Then he and the tribal heads took
the positions of command. Pastors must have the co-operation and
support of their church officers, and they in turn inspire the rank
and file with courage and unselfishness. It is to be observed that the
"elders" were here accorded a position of honor, for those who humble
themselves before God (Josh. 7:6) are in due time exalted by Him.
"And all the people, even the people of war that were with him, went
up and drew nigh, and came before the city, and pitched on the west
side of Ai: now there was a valley between them and Ai" (v. 11). The
whole fighting force of Israel, having been duly mustered, left the
camp at Gilgal, where the women, children, and other non-combatants
would remain until the return of the army. Once again we mark the
geographical accord of the statement that they "went up" with Genesis
12:8, where, quite incidentally, we are told that Bethel and Ai were
situate in a mountainous region. They "drew nigh and came before the
city," which was in fulfillment of the agreement Joshua had entered
into with the thirty thousand (v. 5)--foreshadowing the fidelity of
the Captain of our salvation to fulfill His engagements and make good
His promises. It is blessed to see how the Lord overcame the fears of
Joshua's followers (Josh. 7:5) and wrought in them a willingness to
accompany their leader--which is to be regarded as a part of His
gracious answer to the prayer of Joshua 7:7-12! The statement that
"there was a valley between them and Ai" is not without spiritual
significance--they lined up their forces on high ground, and
Christians must regard themselves as "partakers of the heavenly
calling" (Heb. in. 1) and conduct themselves accordingly if they would
be successful in the good fight of faith.
"And he took about five thousand men and set them to lie in wait
between Bethel and Ai on the west side of the city" (v. 12). No
hurried assault was made upon the enemy by Joshua, but first an
orderly disposition of his forces was arranged. It seems strange that
some of the commentators should boggle over this verse and be in doubt
as to whether or not the five thousand men here spoken of were drawn
from the thirty thousand, or were another company, for to us the
narrative makes it quite plain that they were a separate force which
was now assigned to another position. Joshua's design therein was
evident, for his project served a twofold purpose: it cut off Bethel
sending any reinforcements to Ai, and it prevented the forces of Ai
escaping in that direction when Joshua turned round and fell upon
them. It was what strategists would term a flanking movement. Therein
we behold the thoroughness of Joshua's preparations, notwithstanding
the Divine promise which he had received--"I have given into thine
hand the king of Ai," etc. (v. 1)--he took every possible precaution
and spared no effort on his part to ensure victory. In other words he
made the fullest possible use of all the means at his disposal. And we
are required to do likewise.
"And when they had set the people, even all the host that was on the
north side of the city, and their liers in wait on the west of the
city, Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley" (v. 13).
After their uphill march from Gilgal, Joshua decided that his forces
should remain stationary until the morning--another illustration of
the important principle. "he that believeth shall not make haste." But
though he had risen up early that morning there was no taking of his
ease by Joshua that night. No furloughs are granted the soldiers of
Jesus Christ, for their enemies take none. Our spiritual warfare calls
for incessant alertness. How Joshua spent that night we are not told.
Some think it was to make a reconnaissance--to ascertain the lay of
the land, its roads, etc.--but that was hardly likely by night. Others
suppose he spent the time in prayer, asking God's blessing on the
forthcoming fight, yet advance no reason why he should leave the camp
in order to do so. In any case it was a bold act on his part to
venture alone so near unto Ai--an act in accord with the Lord's words
to him in Joshua 1:9. Turning from the type to the Antitype, we have
here what confirms our remarks on verse 9. Our Lord's last night
before the great conflict was spent alone in "the valley" of
humiliation--from Gethsemane to Pilate's judgment hall!
"And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that they hasted and
rose up early, and the men of the city went our against Israel to
battle, he and all his people, at a time appointed, before the plain;
but he wist not that there were liers in ambush against him behind the
city" (v. 14). From the opening words of this verse it seems dear that
whatever Joshua had done that night in the valley it was now visible
to those in Ai as soon as day broke, and that it at once attracted
their attention: something which appears to have constituted a
challenge to them--reminding us again of our Lord, who so far from
hiding from His enemies boldly "went forth" to meet those who had come
to apprehend Him (John 18:4). Their "rising up early" indicates their
bloodthirstiness and eagerness for the fray, doubting not that an easy
conquest would be theirs; possibly they thought to spring a surprise
upon Israel by a dawn attack. Alas, how often are we surprised and
overcome through failure to be constantly upon our guard. It is while
Christ's servants "sleep" that the enemy sows his tares (Matthew
13:25). There is some difficulty in determining the meaning of "went
out against Israel to battle at a time appointed": possibly it
signifies the same hour as when they were successful against Israel on
a former occasion (Josh. 7:5), deeming it a "lucky" one.
"But he wist not that there were liers in ambush against him behind
the city." That appears quite a commonplace statement, yet in reality
it is far otherwise. The success of Israel's strategy depended upon
their men in ambush being undetected, and that in turn depended upon
the secret operations of God upon and within the king of Ai. It seems
well-nigh impossible that no less than thirty thousand should remain
concealed within so short a distance of the city, and not merely for a
few minutes, but for forty-eight hours. It was a miracle, as truly so
as the sun's remaining stationary at the command of Joshua--the tenth
chapter. It was due to the power of Jehovah, who prevented the king of
Ai from sending out scouts and discovering the hostile force in his
rear. "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord as the rivers of
water: He turneth it whithersoever He will" (Prov. 21:1)--sometimes to
act wisely, at others foolishly; sometimes to deal kindly with His
people (Ezra 6:22), at others to hate them, as in the case of Pharaoh.
What is before us in our present passage supplies a striking
illustration of the dominion of God over all and His full control of
the wicked, preventing this heathen monarch from taking the most
elementary precautions for the safeguarding of his city and people.
What has just been pointed out is far too little attended unto today
even by the people of God, that the almighty Governor of the world
exerts a restraining influence upon the wicked, and that for the good
of His people. Yet Scripture records many specific examples of the
same. Thus when Abraham sojourned in Gerah, and from fear denied that
Sarah was his wife, her honor was (humanly speaking) placed in the
utmost jeopardy, for the king of that place sent and "took her," yet
"had not come near her," for, as God said to him, "for I also withheld
thee from sinning against Me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch
her" (Gen. 20:1-6). Had not the Lord, secretly but effectually,
interposed, Abimelech had grievously wronged Sarah. Ah, my reader, how
often hath thy gracious God withheld the wicked from touching
thee--burglars from breaking into thy house, etc. Again we say, the
restraining operations of the Most High are all too little perceived
by us. Another notable instance is that of Balaam. He was hired by the
king of Moab to curse Israel, and it is clear from the Divine
narrative that he was anxious to do so, that he might earn "the wages
of unrighteousness." But the Lord prevented him, so that he had to
acknowledge, "How shall I curse whom the Lord hath not cursed . . . He
hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it" (Num. 23:8, 20).
When Jacob was recounting the wrongs he had suffered at the hands of
Laban, his father-in-law, who had deceived him and changed his wages
ten times, he added. "But God suffered him not to touch me" (Gen.
31:7), and received a further proof thereof in the immediate sequel
(v. 29), when the Lord again held Laban back from venting his anger
upon him. The brethren of Joseph hated him, and "conspired against him
to slay him" (Gen. 37:18), but Jehovah interposed and thwarted their
designs. Nor is this restraining power of God limited to individuals,
but is exerted upon whole communities and nations. Thus we are told:
"The terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and
they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob" (Gen. 35:5). Centuries
later the Psalmist was moved to make reference to that phenomenon,
"When they were but a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers
in it. When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to
another people, He suffered no man to do them wrong" (Ps. 105:12-14),
bridling their lusts and causing the wolf to dwell with the lamb and
the leopard to lie down with the kid. "Neither shall any man desire
thy land when thou shalt go up to appear before the Lord thy God
thrice in the year"(Ex. 34:24). When the men-folk were no longer
present to defend their farms, God restrained the covetous desires and
designs of the surrounding heathen.
We consider that what has been alluded to in the last two paragraphs
casts much light upon the incident which is here before us, that it
was due to the restraining operations of God that the king of Ai
failed to send out scouts in all directions ere he led forth the whole
of his army from the city, and left it defenseless. Instead, "they
hasted and rose up early, and the men of the city went out against
Israel to battle" (v. 14). Infatuated by his previous success, filled
with self-confidence, he rushed forward to complete disaster. Thus it
was with Pharaoh and his hosts when they pursued the Israelites
through the Red Sea and perished therein. Before God destroys the
wicked, He first gives them up to a spirit of madness. Should these
lines be read by a Christ-less soul who is yet in his sins, we beg him
to pause and heed the solemn warning which is here presented to him.
Let not his previous immunity from Divine judgment fill him with a
false sense of security: "they are most in danger who are least aware
of it" (Matthew Henry). `The king of Ai was blind to his own
interests--are not you the same? He failed to take the most obvious
precautions--are not you guilty of similar folly: hastening unto
eternity and utterly unprepared to meet your God? O "seek ye the Lord
while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near" (Isa. 55:6).
"Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your heart" (Ps. 95:7,
8).
"And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that they hasted and
rose up early, and the men of the city went out against Israel to
battle, he and all his people, at a time appointed, before the plain;
but he wist not that there were liers in ambush against him behind the
city" (Josh. 8:14). In Scripture those words, "it came to pass," are
something more than a formal manner of prefacing a narrative or
introducing an incident, signifying the accomplishment of the Divine
foreordination, that it occurred precisely as God had decreed, for He
has predestined the actions of the wicked equally with those of the
godly. Exactly what it was that they "saw" we know not, but they
failed to investigate it, and, being regulated by their senses rather
than by reason, precipitately rushed forward to death. Infatuated by
his previous success (Josh. 7:5), unconscious that he was fighting
against the Almighty and flinging himself upon the thick bosses of His
bucklers (Job 15:26), the king issued forth to what he confidently
believed would be an easy victory, yet only to fulfill God's purpose
(Ecclesiastes 3:1). Upon further reflection, we are now satisfied that
that is the meaning of the clause which has puzzled the
commentators--"at a time appointed," i.e. of God, for He has fixed the
hour of every man's death (Job 7:1).
"And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them,
and fled by the way of the wilderness" (Josh. 8:15). They pretended to
be filled with terror, and instead of making a firm stand against
these Canaanites they gave ground, and probably fled in some disorder
toward the wilderness. Yet however distasteful and degrading it was
for the main body of Israel to feign themselves cowards, it was
necessary for them to do so if their plan was to succeed. In like
manner, there are times when some Christians are required to act a
humble part, perhaps a humiliating one, if the task which is assigned
others of their brethren is to be duly accomplished. All cannot occupy
positions of equal honor in the church, any more than can all the
servants of a king's household be equal--scullery maids are as
essential as lords in waiting. In the days of David there were some
who girded on their swords and accompanied him to the battlefield,
while there were others who were required to remain behind and guard
the provender; but it is blessed to observe that when the spoil was to
be divided he gave orders, "as his part is that goeth down to the
battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall
[take] part alike" (1 Sam. 30:24).
"God hath set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath
pleased Him--And the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of
thee; nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much
more those members of the body which seem to be more feeble, are
necessary. . . . Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in
particular" (1 Cor. 12:18, 21, 22, 27). In our remarks upon Joshua
8:9, we pointed out how admirable was the self-sacrificing, obedient,
and courageous spirit displayed by the thirty thousand: how that they
murmured not at being deprived of their rest through being sent away
"by night," or at the dangerous post assigned them. Equally
praiseworthy was the conduct of this force which accompanied Joshua.
They might have asked, Is it for this that thou hast brought us from
Gilgal? Have we had a long uphill march only to turn tail as soon as
the enemy advance toward us? Or, Since the Lord has delivered Ai into
our hands [verse 1], what need is there for us to play so ignominious
a part and cut so sorry a figure before the heathen? Instead, they
meekly complied with their orders and loyally supported their leader.
But in that to which we have just called attention we should recognize
the secret power of God at work, overcoming their natural scruples and
inclining them to co-operate fully with their brethren, and thus
fulfill His will. This too should be regarded as a part of His
gracious answer to the prayer of Joshua 7:6-9. How wondrously He acts
when we truly humble ourselves before Him and are concerned for the
honor of His name! He makes things work smoothly, yea, work together,
when He shows Himself strong in our behalf. Yet how often we miss
perceiving the same through failing to observe closely His providences
and connect the same with our previous cries unto Him for help. For
the sake of our more hyper-Calvinistic readers it may be well for us
to point out here that there is nothing more "inconsistent in admiring
the virtues of these men of Israel while ascribing the same unto the
gracious operations of God than there was in the apostle's telling the
Colossians that he "rejoiced" in their orderliness and the
"steadfastness of their faith" (Josh. 2:5), when he knew full well
that God was the Author of those spiritual fruits. Because there are
no official powers or authorities "but of God," that does not preclude
our rendering "honor to whom honor is due" (Rom. 13:1, 7)!
"And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them,
and fled by the way of the wilderness." Once again there is something
more here than that which is of historical interest, or even of
practical instruction for our hearts. Little as it may appear at first
glance, yea, utterly incongruous as it may sound, Joshua's conduct on
this occasion--when considered in the light of the immediate
sequel--plainly and strikingly foreshadowed Him who though He was rich
vet for our sakes became poor, that we through His poverty,
humiliation and suffering might be rich. "What Joshua did in this
strategem is applicable to our Lord Jesus, of whom he was a type.
Joshua conquered by yielding, as if he had himself been conquered: so
our Lord Jesus. when He bowed His head and gave up the spirit, seemed
as if death had triumphed over Him, and as if He and all His interests
had been routed and ruined; but in His resurrection He rallied again,
and gave the powers of death a total defeat; He broke the serpent's
head by suffering him to bruise His heel. A glorious strategem"!
(Matthew Henry). How wonderful are the ways of God, who not only set
the sun in the heavens, gave to the lamb its characteristics,
appointed the fruit-bearing vine to be a figure of Christ but also
shaped Old Testament events so as to prefigure His person and work!
"And all the people that were in Ai were called together to pursue
after them: and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from
the city" (v. 16). This too was "of the Lord," and it should be
marvelous in our eyes. Therein we behold the success which God gave to
Joshua's ruse, when his men made a feint as though they were beaten;
or rather to his obedient compliance with the orders he had received
from the Lord. Not only had the king of Ai gone out with the whole of
his military force--sallying forth with the exultant cry: "They flee
before us, as at the first" (v. 6)--but when Israel was seen in flight
the non-combatant citizens were summoned to join in their pursuit;
thereby rendering still easier the task assigned the thirty thousand.
It is obvious that Without the Divine blessing on this plan such a
considerable body of men could no more have remained concealed than
could Jacob's device in Genesis 30:37-43, have prospered. "See how the
prosperity of fools destroys them and hardens their hearts to their
ruin" (Matthew Henry). Because God had used the king of Ai on a former
occasion to chastise Israel, he and his people were puffed up with
conceit.
Note carefully the precise expression used here by the Holy Spirit:
the inhabitants of Ai were "drawn away from the city." Those words set
forth another of the secret operations of the Most High in His
government of this world. In our last, we called attention to the
restraining influence which He exerts upon men; here His impelling
vower is seen. To His people He says, "I have loved thee with an
everlasting love, therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee"
(Jer. 31:3), yet not with physical force, but a moral suasion which
overcomes their native enmity and frees the will from the dominion of
sin. "I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love" (Hos.
11:4): not by external force, such as is used on brute beasts, but by
cogent arguments, tender inducements, constraining motives and
obligations, such as are suited to work on the understandings,
affections and wills of rational creatures; the same being rendered
effectual by the supernatural power and application of the Spirit.
Such Divine drawing is absolutely essential in order to the saving of
sin's slaves and the freeing of Satan's captives, for as the Lord
Jesus so plainly declared, "No man can come to Me except the Father
which hath sent Me draw him" (John 6:44)--a truth so repugnant to the
proud heart of the natural man, that when Christ uttered it, "From
that time many of His disciples went back and walked no more with Him"
(John 6:65, 66).
Not only does the Word of Truth make known this drawing power of God
upon His elect, but it reveals Him putting forth the same upon the
non-elect, though in their case He presents a very different set of
reasons and inducements before their minds. "I will harden Pharaoh's
heart that he shall follow after thee" (Ex. 14:4)--impelling Egypt's
king to pursue His people unto the Red Sea. So too with the other
kings of Canaan: "For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts that
they should come against Israel to battle, that He might destroy them
utterly" (Josh. 11:20). Unto Barak Deborah announced that the Lord God
of Israel had declared: "I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon
Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his
multitude: and I will deliver him into thine hand" (Judg. 4:7). "I
will bring them against My land, that the heathen may know Me" (Ezek.
38:16) in the power of My fury (v. 18). "I will also gather all
nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat"
(Joel 3:2). So it was with the Aites: the Hebrew word rendered "draw
away" in Joshua 8:16, is translated "pluck" in Jeremiah 32:24, "pull
out" in Jeremiah 12:13, "be rooted out" in Job 18:14.
"And there was not a man left in Ai or Bethel that went not out after
Israel: and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel" (v.
17). Further proof was this that the king of Ai had been given up to a
spirit of madness, employing every male at his disposal to pursue
Israel, leaving none to guard the city or secure his own retreat in
case of emergency. It is hard to conceive a greater piece of folly
unless it be that of Pharaoh, who, after witnessing such manifest
demonstrations of the power and wrath of Jehovah upon Egypt, should,
immediately after the death of all the firstborn, pursue Israel, and
then attempt to march through the Red Sea. The one equally with the
other was blinded by pride and obstinacy. Yet observe well that those
in verses 17 "went out" of their own volition! Thus does Scripture
uniformly present together the two sides of man's free agency and
God's invincible operations, without any philosophical explanation of
the "consistency" of the two things. God "draws" irresistibly, yet
without the slightest violation upon man's will or the least
impairment of his accountability. If we deny either the one or the
other, then we flatly repudiate what is clearly revealed in Holy Writ.
What has just been alluded to is certainly profoundly mysterious, vet
that is no valid reason why we should reject it, for if we believe
only that which we can fully understand our creed will be a very small
one. Even our consciousness bears witness that we act voluntarily, and
the ungodly will themselves, at times, admit that a "higher power"
constrained them to follow such and such a course; nor do they feel
that they were reduced to "mere machines" in so being. Viewing the
contents of verse 17 in connection with the warfare of the saint, we
are there shown that the hand of every man of this world is,
spiritually speaking, against him. Many of them are indeed
kind-hearted, generous, and benevolent unto a Christian in temporal
things; but (all unconscious to themselves) they are antagonistic to
his eternal interests. Their influence is entirely earthly, and never
heavenly. What was the attitude of the world toward Christ? Without a
single exception, hostile. Pharisees and Sadducees, priests and
scribes, politicians and the common people, the Roman soldiers, and
even the crucified malefactors, reviled Him, until a miracle of grace
transformed one of them into a worshipper. If we were more like Christ
we should experience more of the world's enmity and persecution.
"And the Lord said unto Joshua, Stretch out the spear that is in thy
hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thine hand. And Joshua
stretched out the spear that he had in his hand toward the city" (v.
18). He had waited for a further word from Jehovah before taking this
action. As it was at Jericho, so here at Ai: each stage of the process
in the capturing and destroying of the city must be ordered by the
Lord. Thus it was with Moses in every project in which he engaged. So
also with the apostles, teaching us that the servant of Christ must
not do anything without His authorization. It is indeed blessed to
observe here that Joshua's hand was the first one to be outstretched
against Ai. Is not the lesson for us therein plain? It is when the
antitypical Joshua stretches forth His hand on our behalf that the
best time has come for us to act. The need for the Lord to inform
Joshua when to stretch forth his hand is obvious, for it served as a
signal to those in ambush, and that required to be precisely
timed--when the men of Ai had left the city--so that they might
swiftly seize their opportunity.
The Lord did not fail His servant, but at the crucial moment gave him
the word of command: "Stretch out the spear that is in thy hand." That
action was not only designed as a signal to his men in ambush, but, as
verse 26 makes clear, by the same He directed the whole engagement,
until complete victory was achieved. Now was drawing near the hour of
Joshua's triumph, for he was on the point of leading Israel to
conquest, of which his outstretched spear was the symbol. That too was
a foreshadowing of our blessed Savior. It seems evident from verses 22
and 24 that throughout the contest Joshua must have occupied some
position of eminence, from which he gave orders to his troops, and
therein he was a figure of Christ on high. The last night but one
before the fight, lodging among the people (v. 9), as did Christ with
His friends at Bethany. The next night alone in "the midst of the
valley" (v. 13)--the symbol of deep, humiliation (Isa. 40:4: Luke
1:52). as our Lord spent His in Gethsemane and the judgment halls of
the Jews and Romans. Then fleeing before the foe as if beaten (v. 15).
as Christ, in apparent defeat, was out to death by His enemies. Now
assured by God of victory (v. 18), as He has promised to make Christ's
foes His footstool.
In concluding this article we propose to consider more closely the
lines of typical teaching in Joshua 8. In the course of our comments
we have indicated some of the practical applications to be made of its
contents, and have pointed out the several respects in which Joshua
again foreshadowed our Lord. But now we must inquire. What
contribution to the particular theme of this book is made by the
capturing and destroying of Ai: what are the principal lessons there
for us concerning the Christian's warfare? That question is more
easily asked than answered, late must acknowledge we have experienced
more difficulty here than when pondering what was before us in Joshua
3 and 4. But that is to be expected. First, because Israel here was
only enjoying God's second best, and where that be the case His
showing Himself strong on our behalf is curtailed, and acts of folly
on our part raise, as it were, a cloud of dust, which prevents our
perceiving so clearly the workings of God. Second, because the human
side of things is more prominent. At first the babe is carried, but
the time arrives when it must learn to use its own feet: so with the
saint, who has to develop his graces and subdue his lusts.
Both in the crossing of the Jordan and the capturing of Jericho, the
Lord did all for Israel, working miracles on their behalf; but in
connection with Ai much more was required from them. Thus it is in the
spiritual life. Regeneration is a miracle of grace, wherein we were
entirely passive; but in order to our growth in grace and spiritual
progress, all our faculties have to be called into action. The "lambs"
Christ carries in His bosom (Isa. 40:11), but the "sheep" are required
to follow Him (John 10:27). Immediately after conversion the power of
God is so put forth that usually the believer experiences a season of
peace from the assaults of Satan and the stirrings of his inward
corruptions. But soon he becomes conscious of the serpent's enmity and
is made painfully aware of the powerful enemies within his own heart;
and the fight of faith gradually becomes fiercer, and he meets with
some humiliating falls in the contest. Yet we can discern the wisdom
of God therein, promoting our good. If He continued to do all for us
without our active concurrence, and if nothing but victory was our
uniform experience, we should quickly become proud and
self-sufficient--as was the case with Israel after Jericho! But under
Divine chastenings, and through His instructions, we are taught how to
turn former defeats into successes--by using the means appointed and
counting upon God's blessing the same.
Worship in Victory
"And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide. And as soon as
the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his carcass
down from the tree, and cast it at the entering of the gate of the
city, and raise there a great heap of stones, that remaineth unto this
day. Then Joshua built an altar unto the Lord God of Israel in mount
Ebal . . . an altar of whole stones" (Josh. 8:29-31). It can scarcely
be doubted that there is a designed contrast between those two events.
In the former we see the ignominy of Ai's king, here we behold the
worship of the King of kings. The one marked the grave of a
malefactor, the other recognized the claims of the Holy One. Great
indeed is the contrast between the dead body under the stones and the
accepted sacrifice upon the altar of stones. That bore witness to the
carrying out of the curse of the Law, on this was inscribed its
precepts. The former was at "the gate" of Ai (the place of
judgment--Amos 5:10), the latter was in a mount. That was intended as
a solemn warning unto evil-doers, this was for the instruction of
those who desired to do well.
"Then Joshua built an altar unto the Lord God of Israel in mount
Ebal." Everything connected with the incident prefaced by that
statement is of deep importance and interest, calling for our closest
attention. A further word upon the Spirit's time-mark. This act of
worship followed immediately upon the destruction of Ai and all its
inhabitants. We should naturally expect that after Israel's capturing
of Jericho and Ai they had continued to advance, proceeding to the
further occupying of Canaan. Now that they had made themselves masters
of its frontier towns, it would appear the only sound policy to forge
ahead while their terror was upon the foe, and penetrate into the very
heart of his country. Instead, a long and difficult journey was taken
unto mount Ebal, that a solemn religious ordinance might be observed.
In the midst of their military campaign a lengthy pause was made in
order that Jehovah might be honored. "The camp of Israel was drawn out
into the land not to engage the enemy but to offer sacrifice, to hear
the Law read, and to say Amen to the blessings and curses. It is a
remarkable instance of the zeal of Israel for the service of God and
for His glory" (Matthew Henry).
The offering of burnt offerings and peace offerings to Jehovah upon
this occasion was an acknowledgment of His blessing upon their arms,
and a rejoicing before Him in the successes which His power and
goodness had vouchsafed them. At Rephidim Israel had been taught that
victory over Amalek was obtained by the hands of Moses being lifted up
toward the throne of heaven, and as a monument thereto he erected an
altar, naming it "Jehovah-nissi." which signifies "the Lord my banner"
(Ex. 17:15). So here, as the captain of their salvation, Joshua had
not only "stretched out the spear that he had in his hand" (Josh.
8:18), but had kept it raised and extended until victory was complete
(v. 26), and now he expressed his gratitude by erecting this altar to
mark the same. That is clearly, evident from the opening "then" of
verse 30. Yet his act on this occasion imported something more. As yet
Israel had conquered but a very small section of Canaan, and here they
journeyed upwards of another hundred miles, and upon reaching mount
Ebal Joshua built this altar. It was therefore a remarkable act of
faith, a claiming of the whole land for the Lord--men only build on
land which is their own! Thus, instead of waiting until Israel's
victory was complete, Joshua anticipated the same in a sure and
certain hope!
This is the first time that any "altar" is mentioned in the book of
Joshua, and there are some very striking parallels between it and the
one mentioned in Exodus 20:24. Both were erected upon a mount; both of
them at the express command of the Lord, and not merely by the
spiritual impulses and promptings of Moses and Joshua. Both of them
were designed to magnify the Divine Law, and to exemplify the grand
fact that grace reigns through righteousness. On both of them were
sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings (Ex. 24:5). The one was
shortly after Israel's supernatural exodus from the house of bondage
and crossing of the Red Sea, the other soon after their miraculous
crossing of the Jordan and entrance into the promised land. In the
course of these articles we have frequently emphasized the fact that
in his actions Joshua (as one of the outstanding types of Christ) was
constantly regulated by the written Word of God. That had again
received illustration in Joshua 8:29, for the taking down of the
carcass of the king of Ai was required in Deuteronomy 21:23. Equally
so was that principle exemplified here in Joshua 8:30, for the
building of this altar was in compliance with the injunctions given
through Moses.
In the book of Deuteronomy many instructions were given the children
of Israel near the close of their sojourn in the wilderness as to how
they must conduct themselves upon their entrance into the land of
promise. Therein we find that which explains the incident recorded in
the closing verses of Joshua 8.It had been said unto them, "Therefore
it shall be when ye be gone over Jordan, that ye shall set up these
stones, which I command you this day, in mount Ebal; and thou shalt
plaister them with plaister. And there shalt thou build an altar unto
the Lord thy God, an altar of stones: thou shalt not lift up any iron
tool upon them. Thou shalt build the altar of the Lord thy God of
whole stones: and thou shalt offer burnt offerings thereon unto the
Lord thy God; and thou shalt offer peace offerings, and shalt eat
there, and rejoice before the Lord thy God "These shall stand upon
mount Gerizim to bless the people . . . and these shall stand upon
mount Ebal to curse" (Deut. 27:4-7, 12, 13).
The "altar" was the meeting-place between God and men. In its
construction it was of the most simple and unpretending character, no
place being allowed for the exercise of human art. This may appear
strange when we remember that both rich materials and elaborate skill
were expended upon the tabernacle and its internal furnishings--the
outer-court vessels alone excepted. But when we call to mind the
purpose of the altar and its leading object, the difficulty vanishes,
and the propriety of its extreme plainness at once appears. It was
there the Holy One and the fallen creature transacted concerning sin
and salvation: that the alien might be reconciled, the guilty
pardoned, the cleansed one have fellowship with the Lord. Therefore
did He appoint that man should there be reminded of his utter
unworthiness and impotency as he came before the One who deigned to
meet with him. His curse rested on the ground for man's sake (Gen.
3:15), and by no effort of his can man remove it. For the altar to be
made of ornamented plates of costly metal would have misrepresented
the object for which it was designed, and disposed man to forget his
vile condition. So, in the general direction for the formation of
altars, God ordained it should be a rude mound of earth, or of
unpolished stones (Ex. 20:24, 25; and cf. 1 Kings 18:31, 32).
The altar, then, must be of God's workmanship, unbeautified by man's
skill, so that he could not glory in his own production. That chosen
meeting place of God with man as a sinner must be such as would convey
the impression of a direct contact between the God of heaven and the
earth which He had made--on a "mount," but the altar naked, simple,
unadorned; thereby emphasizing His own condescension and the poverty
of the sinner. The leading idea designed to be set forth by the
materials of the altar was confirmed by its name. Departing from the
common usage of antiquity, Scripture employs a term which vividly
enunciates both the humbling element on man's side and the grace on
God's. That name is misbeach, which means place of slaughter, for it
was thither the victim was brought and slain. And thus, from the
beginning, God taught His people the solemn fact that there could be
no communion between Himself and fallen creatures save by the shedding
of blood; that the sentence of death must be executed upon the guilty.
Later, when a stationary altar was appointed for the sanctuary, it was
ordered to be made not of gold and silver, but of wood overlaid with
brass.
"Then Joshua built an altar unto the Lord God of Israel in mount Ebal,
as Moses the servant of the Lord commanded the children of Israel. As
it is written in the book of the Law of Moses: an altar of whole
stones over which no man hath lifted any iron. And they offered
thereon burnt offerings unto the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings"
(Josh. 8:30, 31): In addition to what has been said above, it should
be pointed out that the "altar" prefigured our Lord Jesus Christ. He
is the sole meeting place between the thrice holy God and guilty
sinners. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none
other name given among men whereby we must be saved"
(Acts 4:12). None comes unto the Father but by Him. They who look to
the merits of the apostles or the mediation of Mary to give them
access to God, and their prayers and works acceptance before Him, are
miserably deluded; and it is but charity to tell them so. Christ
Himself is at once the antitypical Altar, Sacrifice for sin, and
acceptable Offerer. While those three things may be distinguished,
both in shadow and substance, they must not be separated, for they all
meet in Him. As it is "the altar that sanctifieth the gift" (Matthew
23:19), so the dignity of Christ's person gives infinite value to His
offering. Furthermore, He is our "Altar" (Heb. 13:10) to whom we bring
our sacrifices of praise (Heb. 13:15), and presents the same, perfumed
by His merits, unto God (Rev. 8:3, 4).
The pile of stones on mount Ebal was not gathered to be thrown in
judgment at sinners, but for an altar on which was to be offered a
sacrifice for sinners. Very express was the prohibition concerning the
stones of the altar: "Thou shalt not lift up any iron tool upon them.
Thou shalt build the altar of the Lord thy God of whole stones." Those
unpolished but whole stones set forth both the humiliation and
perfection of the Savior, as He appeared respectively to men and to
God. To the natural eyes of Israel He possessed "no form nor
comeliness," and when they saw Him, they perceived no beauty in Him
that they should desire Him. But in the sight of the Father He was "a
precious corner-stone," and in Him He delighted. Nothing was to be
hewn off the life of Christ, for it was perfect. None of His actions
needed any modification. Yea, as Exodus 20:25, declared, "If thou lift
up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it." Not a single deed of
Christ's could be bettered, and if one had been missing from His
entire life the whole had been spoilt. Much the same thing was borne
witness to here as was symbolically shadowed forth in our Lord's coat,
which was "without seam, woven from the top throughout" (John 19:23).
More noteworthy than either the time when the altar was erected or the
materials of which it was composed was the place where it was set up,
namely mount Ebal. There were two mountains to which Israel were now
brought--Gerizim and Ebal--and we should naturally have expected to
find the altar on the former, for it was there the blessings of the
Law upon the obedient were pronounced (Deut. 11:29), whereas it was on
the latter that its curses were published. But "as for God, His way is
perfect" (2 Sam. 22:31), and everything was ordered here so as to
foreshadow the most terrible yet most blessed event of all history.
The vicarious offering sacrificed on Ebal prefigured the Head of the
Church entering the place of the curse, yea, being made a curse for
His members. So that what we have here is very similar to--and equally
unexpected and precious as--the altar on mount Sinai (Ex. 24:4) (see
our "Glorious Sinai" article in the April issue). A reference to
Deuteronomy 27:4-7, shows the analogy between the two is yet more
complete: the Lord gave orders that after the offering of sacrifice
they should "eat there [of the peace offering] and rejoice before the
Lord thy God," as their fathers before them had done on Sinai (Ex.
24:11). How remarkably did Divine grace shine forth there! Who had
thought of rejoicing on the mount of the curse!
"And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which
he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel" (v. 32). That also
was in obedience to Deuteronomy 27:8, and was equally remarkable. That
altar was built as a monument of the Divine mercy to Israel's
victories, yet it was not an account of their triumphs but a copy of
the Ten Commandments that was inscribed upon it! The grand practical
lesson for us therein is that the best way to remember God's mercies
is not to forget His Law. As Gurnall well said, "God counts those
mercies forgotten which are not written in legible characters in our
lives." For Israel, that writing of the Decalogue upon the stones of
the altar was a reminder to them that they were taking possession of
Canaan not only on the ground of the promise to Abraham but also
according to the terms of that Law which they solemnly covenanted
themselves to keep (Deut. 11:29-32). The two things must not be
separated: in presenting their offerings upon the altar, they spoke to
God; in the writing of the Law upon its stones, He spoke to them,
enforcing His holy claims upon them. Christ died to deliver His people
from the penalty of the Law, but not from obedience to its precepts.
On Deuteronomy 27:8, John Gill rightly said, "The Law being written on
stones denotes the duration of it, which continued not only during the
times of the Old Testament dispensation, and to the times of John, and
had its fulfillment in Christ, but stilt continues; for though Christ
has redeemed His people from the curse and condemnation of it, yet it
is in His hands as a rule of direction to them, as to their walk and
conversation. Nor is it made void by any doctrine of the Gospel, and
nothing more strongly enforces obedience to it than the Gospel. The
moral law is immutable, invariable, and eternal I n its nature, and it
is in the matter of it." Alas, that so many of Mr. Gill's admirers
have departed so far from his teaching thereon. Thomas Scott also
said, "We must rest our hope on the atonement of the great Redeemer,
and keep the holy Law of God continually before us as the rule of our
grateful obedience. We only deceive ourselves if we suppose that our
praise unto God is sincere for the gift of His Son, unless we also
delight in His Law and serve the same (Rom. 7:22, 25). God will not be
bribed by the worship of rebels (see 1 Samuel 15:22; Psalm 106:12,
13).
Ere giving a brief exposition of the verses that follow, let us
further admire the striking and blessed prefiguration of Christ in
what has been before us. No less than three times has the Holy Spirit
recorded the Divine prohibition that the altar must be built of unhewn
and unadorned stones--in Exodus 20:25; Deuteronomy 27:5; Joshua
8:31--so carefully did He guard the glory of Christ. In sharp contrast
with us, who, though "living stones," yet need much shaping, there
were no rough or sharp edges in the character of Christ; no polishing
of His life was required to render it well pleasing to the Father, So
much did He resent anything which marred a type that when the sons of
Aaron offered "strange fire" upon the altar they were immediately
consumed by fire from heaven (Lev. 10), and when the ark was set upon
a cart instead of on the shoulders of the priests, judgment fell upon
Uzzah (2 Sam. 6). God was exceedingly jealous of the honor of His
beloved Son, bidding Moses, again and again, to make all things in the
tabernacle according to "the pattern" which He showed him (Ex. 25:9,
etc.), for everything therein pointed to and set forth the person and
perfections of the Mediator. The writing of the Law on the stones of
the altar tells of Christ's sustaining the honor of the Law, that in
Him alone is it "established" (Rom. 3:31).
"And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges,
stood on this side of the ark and on that side before the priests the
Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord; as well the
stranger, as he that was born among them: half of them over against
mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded before,
that they should bless the people of Israel" (v. 33). A most solemn
and auspicious assembly was this, when the whole nation, with their
responsible heads, were gathered before the Lord. The "ark of the
covenant"--mentioned here for the last time in Joshua--was brought out
of the tabernacle on this momentous occasion. The original tables of
the Law were preserved therein, and now its statutes had been written
on the stones of the altar. That which here took place is to be
regarded as a solemn ratification by the new generation of Israel of
the covenant entered into by their fathers at Sinai. The sanctions of
the Law were now proclaimed in the hearing of the whole congregation,
and by their repeated "Amen (Deut. 22:15, 16, etc.) all Israel
consented to the terms of the covenant. The mention of "the stranger"
here anticipated the gathering of the Gentiles into the Church.
It must have been an exceedingly impressive sight as the entire
congregation of Israel assembled in the valley between those two
mountains. There had been nothing like it since their solemn gathering
on Sinai forty years previously: in fact what took place here was
virtually a repetition of what had occurred there--Israel solemnly
covenanting to keep God's Law. As the former had been preceded by
wondrous displays of God's grace and power on their behalf, so it had
been here; and thus, in each instance, submission and obedience to Him
was to be an expression of their love to Him and gratitude for His
favors. Such is precisely the place which the Law is to have with the
Christian. Because the Lord Jesus has borne his sins and reconciled
him to God, he is to express his thankfulness by receiving God's Law
at His hand (1 Cor. 9:21) and thereby respond to His injunction: If ye
love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15).
The scene which is set before us in the closing verses of Joshua 8 is
equaled only by that which is exhibited in Exodus 24: The events
described therein are parallel in every way, the latter being
explained by the former. In each there is a public assembling of the
whole congregation of Israel before the Lord. In each a federal
engagement is solemnly entered into. Each was transacted upon a mount,
where an altar was erected, the Divine Law prominently honored, and
the people ate before Jehovah. The difference between them is that in
the former it was the first generation of Israel which had recently
emerged from Egypt that was concerned; while in the latter it was the
first generation of those who had shortly before entered Canaan. The
claims of Jehovah were now made known unto this new generation in a
striking and impressive manner, and they were required to aver their
recognition of those claims and affirm subjection to the same. First
an altar had been erected and sacrifices offered thereon. Most
appropriately had "the peace offering" a place, for a portion of it
was for the Lord and a portion of it was eaten by the offerer (Lev.
7:32, 34), for a covenant is a mutual engagement between two parties,
and thus the Lord and His people here communed together.
Upon the stones of that altar the Decalogue was written. Typically,
that set forth the fact that the Law had been magnified by Christ
(Isa. 42:21). In His teaching He had fully maintained its authority
(Matthew 5:17), in His life He rendered perfect obedience to it, and
in His death He endured its awful penalty. Practically, we are there
taught that the redeemed are to receive the Law from the Redeemer.
Christ did not keep the Law for His people in order that they might be
freed from its holy requirements, but to honor God therein and leave
them an example that they should follow His steps. In order thereto,
He has not only brought them under the deepest possible obligations of
gratitude unto Himself, bidding them to express their love unto Him by
keeping His commandments, but has also procured for them the priceless
gift of the Holy Spirit, who puts His laws into their hearts and
writes them upon their minds (Heb. 10:16): that is, implanting a love
for them, and impressing them with their importance, authority, and
spirituality. And therefore it is that the truly regenerate delight in
the Law of God after the inward man, and with their minds serve the
same (Rom. 7:22, 25).
It is to be duly noted that in the Holy Spirit's description of the
company convened on that auspicious occasion express mention is made
of "as well the stranger as he that was born among them" (Josh. 8:33),
which, as previously pointed out, anticipated the time when the
Gentiles would also be brought into the congregation of the Lord. The
various references made to "the stranger" in the law of Moses have not
received anything like the attention they should by Christian
commentators. Provision was made for "the stranger," upon his
circumcision, to partake of the Passover feast; yea, it was enacted:
"One law shall be to him that is home-born, and unto the stranger that
sojourneth among you" (Ex. 12:48, 49); yea, even the cities of refuge
were available to him equally with the Israelite (Josh. 20:9)!
Commandment was given unto Israel that "the stranger that dwelleth
with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love
him as thyself" (Lev. 19:34). As he shared Israel's privileges. so he
had to share their obligations also, by entering into covenant with
God (Deut. 29:11, 12), and therefore if he blasphemed the name of the
Lord the same penalty was inflicted upon him as upon a guilty Hebrew
(Lev. 24:16).
"And afterwards he read all the words of the Law: the blessings and
cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the Law.
There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read
not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the
little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them" (Josh.
8:34, 35). Thus the entire assembly came under the sound of the just
requirements of their Benefactor and Governor. As Deuteronomy 27
informs us, as each of the solemn curses of the Law was uttered by the
Levites "with a loud voice" (not an apologetic whisper!), it was
required that "all the people should answer and say, Amen (vv. 14,
15), thereby solemnly concurring therewith. As Matthew Henry pointed
out, "It was (1) a profession of their faith in the truth of them. (2)
An acknowledgment of the equity of them. (3) An imprecation upon
themselves as strongly obliged them to have nothing to do with those
evil practices upon which the curse was here entailed." What an
example was this occasion of the importance of the public reading of
lengthy sections of God's Word, and that its most unpalatable portions
must not be omitted! The reading of the Law to "the strangers" again
intimates that the Gentiles are under it. No further mention of "the
ark" is found in Joshua, for the covenant had now been ratified by the
second generation of Israel.
Israel had marched into Canaan led by the written Law of God (Josh.
3:11-17), for the ark of the covenant was the Divinely appointed chest
in which were deposited and preserved the tables on which the Lord's
own finger had inscribed that Law which Israel had covenanted to keep.
The same Law had been borne around the walls of Jericho (Josh. 6:4),
being the minister of vengeance unto the idolatrous Canaanites. That
same Law had now been written on the stones of the altar on Ebal
(Josh. 8:32), thus becoming the Law of the Land. Was not this God's
very object, in enabling Israel to conquer Canaan: that He should have
not only a people in obedience to Him, but a country in which the
blessedness of their obedience should be exhibited before the
surrounding nations? Beyond question, for Moses declared, "I have
taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded
me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep
therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding
in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and
say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people"
(Deut. 4:5, 6; and cf. 1 Kings 10:8, 9). As Jehovah reminded their
descendants centuries later, "Ye are My witnesses" (Isa. 43:10; and
cf. Mal. 3:12).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Joshua
by A.W. Pink
12. Honor Amidst Deception
Joshua 9:1-27
_________________________________________________________________
Enemy Reactions
"And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side
Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the
great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the
Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebasite. heard thereof;
that they gathered themselves together to fight with Joshua and with
Israel with one accord" (Josh. 9:1, 2). At first glance there appears
little pertinency or propriety in mentioning this detail immediately
after what was described in the closing verses of Joshua 8: But
careful readers will observe that this passage begins with the word
"and," and those who have followed us through the previous articles of
this series should know by now what use to make of it. It calls for
thoughtful attention to what immediately precedes, so that the force
of the connection may be the better perceived by us. And that not
merely so as to fix in our minds the order of events, but more
especially that we may ascertain the spiritual lessons which are
pointed thereby. The book of Joshua contains very much more than a
mere historical record of Israel's conquest and occupation of the land
of Canaan, namely a shadowing forth of that spiritual warfare unto
which Christians are called.
Believers in Christ are not only "witnesses" unto Him (Acts
1:8)--showing forth His praises, reflecting the moral perfections of
His character, disciples, "they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He
goeth" (Rev. 14:4)--but they are also soldiers of Jesus Christ (2 Tim.
2:3), and as such it is especially to the book of Joshua that they
should turn for instruction, inspiration, warning, and encouragement.
What then are the lessons we should draw from that which is recorded
in Joshua 9:1 and 2? Two, according as we recognize the twofold link
between those verses and their context--with that which immediately
precedes and with what is rather more remote. In other words, this
coming together of the kings of Canaan, and their agreeing, to join
forces in making a mass attack upon Israel, is to be regarded first as
it is related to that which has just been before us in the closing
verses of Joshua 8:namely the magnification of the Decalogue on mount
Ebal and the covenant which was made by the new generation of Israel
with Jehovah; and then with the whole of Joshua 6-8 where the
overthrow of Jericho and Ai is narrated. The force of the opening
"and" is borne out by the "heard thereof" at the close of verse 1. It
is the enemy's reaction to those events which is here in view.
Brief though their record be, those two verses present to our notice
that which is of deep importance, and something which should be
particularly heeded by ministers who desire to be faithful to their
calling. The Holy Spirit's mention of this federating of Canaan's
kings to fight against Joshua and Israel, immediately after describing
what had taken place on the mountains of Ebal and Gerizim, is
obviously designed to supply us with a typical illustration and solemn
exemplification of man's hostility to the Law of God. No sooner did it
reach the ears of these kings that Joshua had built an altar on Ebal
and had inscribed on its stones the Divine Decalogue--which was
henceforth to be the Law of the Land--than they made common cause
against God's people and determined to use force, as the "heard
thereof" (v. 1) plainly intimates. To acknowledge the rights and
authority of the Most High, and submit themselves unto His revealed
will, is something which the unregenerate both resent and oppose. They
desire to be lords of themselves and are resolved to go their own way.
The language expressed by the actions of all of them, and by the
mouths of many, is that of the self-willed and arrogant Pharaoh: "Who
is the Lord that I should obey His voice?" (Ex. 5:2). They are
determined to please themselves.
Here is the very essence of human depravity. Sin is a revolt against
God, a refusing to be in subjection to Him. Sin is not only a
determining to follow our own inclinations, but it is a fighting
against our Maker and Governor. The carnal mind is enmity against God.
Unspeakably solemn is that declaration, and one which is most
repugnant to human susceptibilities. Nevertheless, it is a fact which
cannot be gainsaid. Proof thereof is furnished in the clause
immediately following: "for it [the mind of the natural man] is not
subject to the Law of God; neither indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7). Nothing
more plainly evinces the inveterate hostility of the unregenerate unto
God than their insubordination and opposition against the Divine Law.
Few indeed will openly admit that they hate God, and fewer still are
aware of that awful fact, for sin is very deceitful (Heb. 3:13), and
blinds the judgment (Eph. 4:18). Nowhere is that more clearly
demonstrated than throughout the entire realm of idolatry. If men were
pleased with the true God, they would not have manufactured so many
false ones. They desire a God and a system of religion which are
suited to their depraved inclinations. Millions who bow not before an
image of wood or stone nevertheless believe in a God which their own
sentiments and imaginations have devised, and against him (or it) they
have no enmity!
But let the true and living God be apprehended as His character is set
forth in the Scriptures, and that enmity will soon be more evident.
Let Him be known as the Divine Potentate who shapes one vessel unto
honor and another unto dishonor, entirely as He pleases; as the
ineffably Holy One who cannot look on evil, and hates all workers of
iniquity; and as the righteous Judge of all, who will by no means
clear the guilty; and the fallen creature's hatred of such a One will
appear in its true colors. Let Him give to such creatures His Law, and
require unqualified obedience thereto, and they at once rebel. If God
would forgo His sovereign rights, their opposition would be subdued;
if He would lay aside His scepter men would cease fighting against
Him. But because He declines to do so, the will of the creature is
opposed to the will of the Creator, and he refuses subjection to His
throne. Conclusive proof that the sinner's nature is diametrically the
opposite of God's is seen in his deadly opposition to the Divine
government. The moral law is both a revelation of its Author's
character and an expression of His will, and man's repudiation of it
exhibits the contrariety of sin to holiness.
What has just been pointed out was unmistakably and most solemnly
demonstrated when the Lawgiver became incarnate and dwelt here upon
earth, for the ill will of religious and irreligious alike was active
against Him. Not only was He despised and rejected by men, but as He
plainly declared "they hated Me without a cause" (John 15:25). Nor did
they make any attempt to cloak their malice. While He healed the sick
and provided the multitude with loaves and fishes, their hostility was
held in abeyance; but when He pressed upon them the claims of His
lordship, defined the terms of discipleship, and made known the
character and requirements of His kingdom, their resentment soon
flared up. Not only did He come unto His own and "His own received Him
not," but "His citizens hated Him and sent a message after Him saying,
"We will not have this One to reign over us" (Luke 19:14). Let it not
be forgotten that it was as "the King of the Jews" Christ was
crucified! "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take
counsel together, against Jehovah and against His Christ, saying, Let
us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us" (Ps.
2:2, 3; and cf. Acts 4:25-27)--chafing at the Divine Law, refusing
subjection to the Divine authority.
Thus, in the gathering of the kings of Canaan "to fight with Joshua
and with Israel" immediately after the promulgation of the Divine Law
upon the mountains of Ebal and Gerizim, we have both a solemn
adumbration of what took place in the hours immediately preceding our
Lord's crucifixion, and an illustration of man's opposition to the
Law. Up to this point the Canaanites had been on the defensive, but in
Joshua 9:1, 2, we see them preparing to take the offensive, and make a
united attack on God's people. The kings there mentioned were of
varied nationalities and interests, and occupied widely scattered
territories, but here we behold them sinking their differences and
federating together "with one accord"! Just as the priests and
scribes, the Pharisees and Sadducees united in opposing the incarnate
Lawgiver. And just as it is today, for both "dispensational" Arminians
and "Antinomian" Calvinists make common cause in repudiating the
Decalogue as the Christian's rule of life. So will every true servant
of Christ discover. Let him give to the Law that place in his ministry
which it has in the Scriptures, let him be faithful in discharging his
Divine commission (and remember "all the counsel of God" includes very
much more than what are termed "the doctrines of grace"!), and press
upon unbelievers and believers the claims of Christ's Kingship, and
the strictness and spirituality of the Decalogue, and he too will be
despised and reviled.
In our last we pointed out that the word "And" at the beginning of
Joshua 9 has a double force: intimating that what now follows is to be
linked with, first, what is recorded in the closing verses of Joshua
8, namely the magnification of the Divine Decalogue on mount Ebal and
the renewing of the Mosaic covenant by this new generation of Israel;
and second, with the whole of Joshua 6-8 which narrate their
conquests, under God, of Jericho and Ai. In other words, the contents
of Joshua 9 make known to us the enemy's reactions to those incidents.
As the events were twofold, so were his reactions. First, we are
informed that as soon as the kings of Canaan "heard thereof" they
"with one accord" agreed to unite themselves together "to fight with
Joshua and with Israel" Up to this point they had acted on the
defensive, but now they saw that their own interests were threatened,
they determined to make a mass attack upon Israel. "The varied
expressions here used [in Joshua 9:1] include the inhabitants of the
land to the utmost western and northern borders" (T. Scott). It was
not an immediate attack that was planned, but a consulting together
how best to put a stop to Israel's progress and secure their own
territories.
Verily, "there is nothing new under the sun." A "League of Nations" or
federating together of different peoples to "pool" their resources is
no modern invention, but as old as human history. Here was a banding
together of rival kings to make common cause in opposing the people of
God. They entered into an agreement "at top level" to support and
assist each other, and ultimately to assail Israel--which they did, as
Joshua 11:1-5 shows. For the time being they were willing to sink
their individual differences and combine together. Nor was this the
first time that such a thing had happened. As far back as Abraham we
are told that "It came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar,
Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of
nations; that these made war with Bera king of Sodom and with Birsha
king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim,
and the king of Bela, which is Zoar. All these were joined together in
the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea" (Gen. 14:1-3). which may
well be designated "the Western bloc of nations" against the "Eastern
power and its satellites." At a later date we find still another
"consulting together with one consent" of a number of nations, and a
federating of themselves against Israel (see Ps. 83:4-8).
That which is recorded in Joshua 9:1, 2, should be of real practical
value unto those who are engaged in fighting the good fight of faith.
There is real wisdom in that old adage. "To be forewarned is to be
forearmed." It is often a very real help to have reliable information
of what effects a certain action produces upon the foe. Here we are
shown the nature of such immediately upon Israel's solemn renewal of
their covenant with Jehovah. The lesson in plain: it is when God's
people are most conscious of their obligations, when most determined
by grace to discharge the same, when most zealous in fully
consecrating themselves unto the Lord, that the ire of Satan breaks
out the fiercest. As we have pointed out, up to this point these
Canaanitish kings had remained quiescent, but now they planned
aggression. Naturally speaking, it seems strange that they were not
actually hostile from the beginning, opposing Israel's crossing of the
Jordan, for they had received notice of their approach (Josh. 2:9,
10). Nor had these kings made any attempt to go to the relief of
Jericho when that city was seriously threatened by those under
Joshua's command.
But notice what these kings did not do. They did not surrender
themselves unto Israel. They did not consider themselves outnumbered,
and cast themselves on Joshua's mercy. Even alter they learned of the
miraculous crossing of the Jordan and the falling of Jericho's walls,
they did not capitulate. Nor do the enemies of the Christian. No
matter how marked or extensive the victory God grants us, we must not
conclude that the worst of the fight is now over. Satan in his
activities is the nearest approach to "perpetual motion" found in any
creature. He never accepts defeat or quits the field. One had thought
he must recognize the utter futility of assailing Immanuel but he did
not. And though completely worsted and routed in his attempt, it was
only "for a season" (Luke 4:13) he left Him. Why then should any of
His followers expect to be exempted! The same is true of "the flesh,"
with all its evil lusts. Indwelling sin never surrenders to the new
nature, nor ceases its attacks upon it. Nay, the farther a Christian
advances into an experiential entrance into and enjoyment of his
spiritual heritage, the fiercer the conflict becomes, and the more
determined and concentrated the efforts of his enemies to thwart him.
It is striking to see how the Holy Spirit has particularized the
diversity of the kings described in Joshua 9:1: some were from the
mountains, some from the valleys, and yet others from the sea coasts;
yet though so widely scattered they federated together against Israel.
That illustrates the fact that the spiritual enemies of God's people
are of many kinds and types, that every form of worldliness--its most
refined and elevated as well as its coarsest and lowest--is a menace
to them. Equally so are their own evil lusts varied and numerous:
self-will, pride, unbelief, slothfulness, cowardice, impatience,
discontent, and a host of others, have to be resisted and mortified.
How the unanimity of those heathen tribes should shame Christians
because of their divisions! And how their banding together against
Israel ought to arouse the believer to the realization that all his
graces must work actively together--faith strengthening hope, love
animating both--in waging the fight to which he is called. If it
appears strange that these kings had been quiet so long, to carnal
reason it seems the more so that they should now plan an offensive
after God had so signally shown Himself strong on the behalf of His
people. But behind the scenes the Lord was saying, "Assemble
yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces" (Isa. 8:9).
Thus will it yet be with the enemies of His Church.
But we must now turn to and consider the second reaction of the
Canaanites unto the recent conquests of Israel. This is quite
different from the former one, and is described in Joshua 9:3-7. Here
we are informed, "And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua
had done unto Jericho and to Ai, they did work wilily, and went and
made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their
asses, and wine-bottles old and rent, and bound up; and old shoes and
clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread
of their provision was dry and moldy. And they went up to Joshua unto
the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him and to the men of Israel, We be
come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us." In
Joshua 10:2, we are told that "Gibeon was a great city, as one of the
royal cities... greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty";
nevertheless, they were afraid of Israel. Herein we behold the
sovereignty of God: His "terror" (Gen. 35:5) fell not upon the kings
mentioned in the preceding verses, yet it did upon the Gibeonites! Yet
God was not acting arbitrarily or capriciously: He had His own wise
reasons for making the Gibeonites an exception.
"And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto
Jericho and Ai" (v. 3). This is all of a piece with what is recorded
in Joshua 2:9, 10, where Rahab had said to the spies, "I know that the
Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon
us... For we have heard how the Lord dried up, the water of the Red
Sea for you when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two
kings of the Amorites that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and
Og, whom ye utterly destroyed." Here is a further example of the same
thing, which serves to demonstrate the consistency and truthfulness of
this history. Spiritually considered, it illustrates this principle:
that the unbelieving world do not remain in ignorance of the mighty
works of God, which renders their unbelief the more inexcusable and
adds to their guilt. The miracles of Christ were not wrought in a
corner, but openly and publicly, so that even His enemies were obliged
to acknowledge the reality of them (John 11:47), and Herod, too. was
informed of the same (Luke 23:8). The same is true today, both of the
providential interpositions of the Most High in the affairs of
nations, and the supernatural operations of the Holy Spirit in His
elect.
Whenever there is a definite and striking display of the Holy Spirit's
power, some of the unregenerate are impressed and attracted thereby,
and seek to join themselves unto the objects of the same. We behold an
instance of that in connection with Abraham. He experienced an
effectual call from God, which produced a supernatural effect, for it
was against nature that he should leave his home, abandon the land of
his fathers, and go forth "not knowing whither he went." It was a
peculiarly distinctive work of God of which he was made the subject,
for the Lord Himself tells us, "I called him alone" (Isa. 51:2).
Nevertheless, we find that both his father and his nephew were so
impressed by the change wrought in Abraham and his determination to
make a complete break from his old manner of life, that they
accompanied him as he left Chaldea (Gen. 11:31)--though the former
died before Canaan was reached, and the latter was far from happy
therein. Likewise when the children of Israel left Egypt, in order to
go unto their inheritance, "a mixed multitude went up also with them"
(Ex. 12:38), and had an evil influence upon the people of God (Num.
11:4). It was the same again when those in captivity availed
themselves of the edict of Cyrus that they might return to Palestine,
for after they did so, and the Law of Moses was restored, we read that
they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude" (Nehemiah 13:3)!
In this dual reaction of the Canaanites unto the mighty works which
Jehovah had wrought in their land--their determining to use force
against Israel, and under the pretense of friendship to seek union
with them--we have exemplified the two principal characters assumed by
the arch-enemy of God and His people and the methods employed under
them. The Devil is depicted in the Scriptures both as the roaring lion
and the subtle serpent. As the lion, he uses force and seeks to
terrorize; as the serpent, he employs cunning and endeavors to poison
and corrupt. In the former character he acts more openly, and assaults
from without; in the latter, he works more secretly, aiming to defile
from within. Against our first parents he appeared as the lying and
beguiling serpent but in employing Cain to murder righteous Abel, we
behold the power and cruelty of the lion (1 John 3:12). Thus it was in
connection with what we have here. In stirring up the kings of Canaan
to fight with Joshua, Satan was relying upon the use of arms; but in
moving the Gibeonites to cloak their character and pose to be what
they were not, so that Israel might be deceived into making a league
with them, we behold his craftiness, purposing to introduce his leaven
into the meal.
We often point out in these pages that God does not work according to
a stereotyped plan, but that infinite variety marks His operations.
The same is true, in a lesser degree, of the Devil--who is ever a
marked imitator. He too acts not uniformly. If one plan or method
fails he always has another in reserve, as the whole history of
Christendom has repeatedly demonstrated. He altered his tactics with
Christ: first seeking to slay Him while a babe, then almost posing as
an angel of light when tempting Him, and then as the dragon of
darkness (Luke 22:53) he bruised His heel. So too with the followers
of the Lord Jesus: first openly and directly persecuting, then
flattering and fawning upon, and then corrupting by unholy alliances.
The opposition and cruelty of Nero and other Roman emperors failing,
the patronage of Constantine and the making of Christianity the state
religion succeeded in accomplishing Satan's design; just as centuries
later the spirituality and power of the great Reformation under Luther
was curtailed when the German princes gave support to it because of
the political liberty which it promised them. No wonder the apostle
declares that--with the Word of Truth in our hands--"we are not
ignorant of Satan's devices" (2 Cor. 2:11), and with the records of
the last nineteen centuries before us there is still less excuse for
our being unacquainted with his strategy.
That which is narrated in Joshua 9:3-6, of the dishonest Gibeonites
gives us a typical picture of graceless professors seeking to "join'
the people of God. They knew there was no likelihood of their desire
being realized if they presented themselves before Israel in their
true character, so they resorted to guile in order to deceive them.
"They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been
ambassadors" (v. 4). It must not be overlooked that while Satan is
very subtle the flesh also is exceedingly artful, fully capable of
playing many parts in order to gain its own ends. Behold how it moved
Jacob to cover himself with a hairy skin and masquerade as Esau, king
Saul to disguise himself when he went to the witch of Endor (1 Sam.
28:8), the wife of Jeroboam feigning herself to be another when she
visited the prophet Ahijah, whose eyes were set by reason of age (1
Kings 14:1-6), and the wolves in sheeps' clothing of Christ's day. In
his second epistle Paul warned the Corinthians against "false
apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles
of Christ" (2 Cor. 11:13), and Jude complained that ungodly men had
"crept in unawares" into the assemblies of the saints (Jude 1:4). The
churches are full of such today.
Those Gibeonites posed as "ambassadors," men not only of peaceful
design but of importance, fitted to enter into an official engagement
with Israel and make a covenant with them. Such is the character
assumed by thousands of hypocrites who apply for church membership.
They pretend to be fully qualified to be taken into fellowship among
the Lord's people, claiming that the peace of God is in their hearts.
These Gibeonites pretended to have journeyed from a far country and
attired themselves accordingly. They "took old sacks upon their asses,
and wine bottles old and rent, and bound up; and old shoes and clouted
upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of
their provision was dry and moldy." Very thorough were they in this
work of imposture, well made up for the part they were playing--even
in conforming to Israel's peculiar ways by using "asses" rather than
horses. In like manner, empty professors will often go to considerable
trouble in their efforts to impose upon the people of God, affecting
an outward change in their conduct and laying claim to inward graces
which they possess not. They pose as being "poor in spirit," convicted
of sin, and hungry for the bread of life, and prate about their
unworthiness.
Not only does this incident point a solemn and urgent warning for the
churches of Christ to be much on their prayerful guard against taking
hypocrites into their membership, but it also intimates how the
individual Christian needs to be aware of his danger in being imposed
upon by his inward enemies, for his lusts not only assume a great
variety of forms, but often pretend to be his friends. He knows, both
from Scripture and his own experience, that "the flesh lusteth against
the spirit," but often he fails to realize that even his corruptions
are capable of posing as virtues, and would fain persuade him that
they are kindly disposed and have good designs toward him. It is not
merely that his evil lusts become less active for a season, and even
appear to be asleep, but that they seem to have undergone a change for
the better, and now assume the garb of piety. For example, it is easy
for a Christian--if he fails to weigh everything in the balances of
the Sanctuary and rigidly test his motives by Holy Writ--to persuade
himself that his natural self-will is now a holy zeal for God, or that
his impatience is really spiritual earnestness, or that his
slothfulness is a holy caution.
The "flesh" or sinful nature takes upon itself many plausible guises,
and those carnal enemies which are actually very near to us--yea, a
part of our very selves--often pretend to have come from "a far
country" (Luke 19:12), that is, from heaven itself, just as the
Gibeonites presented themselves before Israel as having come from a
great distance. In other words, what we sometimes regard as heavenly
graces are nothing but our native corruptions dressed up to deceive
us. Particularly is this the case with mock humility and lowliness.
The Gibeonites appeared not in the attractive apparel of purple and
fine linen, but in rags and tatters! Likewise will our very pride take
on a deceptively modest appearance and pose. One may, from the
teaching of God's Word, be intellectually convinced of the total
depravity of man, yea, be thoroughly persuaded of his own sinfulness
and unworthiness, without his heart being in the least affected and
bowed in contrition before God. He may even imagine that he has made
considerable progress in the work of mortification, and become
complacent in the belief that he is increasingly "denying ungodly and
worldly lusts," and perceive not that such complacence is a sure sign
that pride is at work.
Oh, how powerful and terrible is the "deceitfulness of sin" (Heb.
3:13). If Joshua himself was imposed upon by these hypocritical
Canaanites, how carefully and cautiously do we need to carry
ourselves, and seek to profit from this incident. Make no mistake
here, my reader: the real Christian has many "Gibeonites" within his
own breast to contend with! In addition to what has been pointed out
above, let us add that one may be not only absorbed with his good
works, but even well pleased with the knowledge and sense which he has
of his own corruptions. Truly. "the heart is deceitful above all
things." Who can know it? Yet if we be sincere and diligent in
examining ourselves, in comparing the workings of our hearts with the
searching and holy teachings of God's Word, daily viewing ourselves in
its mirror, we shall perceive more of its "wiliness." True humility is
never engaged with itself, still less is it pleased therewith; but
rather mourns over its paucity and the constant opposition produced by
the workings of pride. True humility delivers from self-importance and
self-exaltation, and keeps us from posing as "ambassadors"--wanting to
have the pre-eminence.
The Gibeonites
In our last we dwelt upon the twofold reaction of the Canaanites to
the notable victories which the Lord gave Israel at Jericho and Ai,
namely the determination of the kings to employ massed force (Josh.
9:1, 2), and the deception which the Gibeonites practiced upon them
(Josh. 9:3-6), which illustrates the dual character in which Satan
opposes the people of God and the methods he employs therein--as the
roaring lion seeking to devour, as the subtle serpent using guile.
Both Scriptural and ecclesiastical history demonstrate that the latter
is far more dangerous and successful than the former. When open
persecution fails either to exterminate or intimidate the faithful,
Satan resorts to his secret wiles, which only too often corrupt their
testimony. Nor is the reason for this hard to discover. Not only is
the former method much more easily detected, but fierce opposition
casts believers upon the Lord for enabling strength and fortitude, and
thus proves a blessing in disguise to them, whereas they are very apt
to be less on their guard against Satan's sly artifices, and if pride
persuades them that they are too well established in the Truth to be
misled by error or taken in by hypocrites, they more easily fall
victims of his snares.
What has just been pointed out receives forceful exemplification in
the incident we are pondering. By God's enablement Joshua and his men
made short work of the combined efforts of the kings and their vast
armies (Josh. 11:1-12), but, as 2 Samuel 21:1, shows, the descendants
of these Gibeonites were long a thorn in Israel's side. But the fault
was entirely their own: due (as we shall see) to their unwatchfulness
and self-sufficiency. It was a solemn example of that which our Lord
had in mind when He said, "The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man
which sowed good seed in his field, but while men slept, his enemy
came and sowed tares among the wheat" (Matthew 13:24, 25). In His
interpretation, Christ stated that "the good seed are the children of
the kingdom, but the tares are the children of the wicked one" (v.
38). That is precisely what happened here. Let it be carefully noted
that the enemy did not introduce among the wheat darnel or thistles,
but "tares," which are a spurious imitation of the wheat, and so
closely alike in appearance that the one cannot be distinguished from
the other until the time of harvest. So these Gibeonites came not in
their true characters, but posed as those who had come from a far
country.
As stated in our last, a threefold view may be taken of these
Gibeonites. First, as the world extending its patronage to corporate
Christianity, seeking to destroy its distinctive testimony and
heavenly character by an amalgamation with the state. In the light of
that severe indictment, "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not
that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?" (James 4:4), we
see that the proposal for such an unholy alliance and glaring
infidelity unto God must be promptly refused Second, as hypocrites
applying for membership in the local church. In view of the Divine
prohibition, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for
what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what
communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with
Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?" (2 Cor.
6:14, 15), how it behooves each Christian assembly to examine
prayerfully and carefully the qualifications of each one seeking
fellowship therewith! Third as our evil lusts pretending to be what
they are not, to have undergone a change for the better, so that they
would fain persuade the unguarded that they are to be numbered among
his graces. That which we are now to consider shows how inexcusable is
our being imposed upon.
"And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him,
and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore
make yea league with us" (Josh. 9:6). Incidentally, this reference to
Gilgal makes it clear that Israel had made the long journey unto Ebal
(Josh. 8:30) for the express purpose of obeying the Lord's injunction
in Deuteronomy 27:4, 5, etc., that they remained there but a short
time, and then returned to their original camp. But there is far more
in it than that: the fact that Israel succumbed to this temptation at
this particular place rendered their failure the more inexcusable.
That will be evident from the sequel. "Gilgal" is mentioned for the
first time in our book at Joshua 5:9, and there we learn that it was
the place where "the reproach of Egypt" was rolled away, when the male
members of that new generation were circumcised. In other words, it
was there that they received the outward mark and sign that they were
separated from all other nations in covenant relation with Jehovah
(Gen. 17:9, 10), set apart to His service. It was also the place where
they "kept the Passover" (Josh. 5:10), for it is only those who submit
to God's ordinances and walk according to His precepts who can really
enjoy communion with Him.
What has just been pointed out shows the need for looking up the
marginal references of each passage, and seeking to ascertain the
meaning of the proper nouns in Scripture--if we are too dilatory or in
too much of a hurry to do so, we are sure to be the losers. It also
supplies the key to the more specific typical signification of this
incident. Circumcision connoted dedication unto God and was the Old
Testament's figure of mortifying the lusts of the flesh (Jer. 4:4;
Deuteronomy 10:16)--the two things which Satan hates in the Lord's
people above everything else and which he opposes at every turn, for
they are what distinguish them from the world, and promote God's
glory. That which the Devil is most anxious to destroy is the
testimony of the saints as a peculiar people, devoted unto God,
walking with Him in separation from the ungodly (Rom. 12:1, 2). They
are to conduct themselves as "strangers and pilgrims" (1 Pet. 2:11) in
this scene. Through Balaam Jehovah had declared "the people shall
dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations" (Num. 23:9,
and cf. Deuteronomy 33:28). Through these Gibeonites--for it is ever
his way to use human instruments (his "ministers--2 Corinthians 11:14,
15)--the enemy was making an attack upon Israel's consecration,
inducing them to ignore God's injunction of separation by a union with
the heathen.
Thus, in the light of the special theme of Joshua, the outstanding
lesson for us here is that a vital aspect of the believer's spiritual
warfare consists of the imperative need for maintaining his
consecration to God and persevering with the work of mortification,
ever being on the alert against the wiles of the Devil to hinder him
therein. But more: he must be on his most diligent guard against the
workings of pride while engaged in this very work. That also is
clearly implied in this incident. After their arduous journey to Ebal
and full obedience to God there, they had returned to Gilgal, yet it
was here they suffered themselves to be deceived by the craft of
Satan! Alas, how deceitful are our hearts! How prone we are to be
elated with the very things Divine grace works in and through us. If
we are gratified with o or consecration, pleased with our self-denial,
puffed up with our obedience, or proud of our prayerfulness and
increasing dependence upon God, we are headed for disaster. "Pride
goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Prov.
16:18), and pride was certainly at work in Israel at this time. Oh,
how much we need to heed these injunctions. "Be not high minded, but
fear" (Rom. 11:20) and "rejoice with trembling" (Ps. 2:11)!
It is true that God had said unto Israel, "When thou comest nigh unto
a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it. And it shall
be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall
be that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries unto
thee, and they shall serve thee" (Deut. 20:10, 11)--a passage which
must be kept in mind when reading Deuteronomy 20:16, 17, and one which
shows that even here, in holy wrath, God "remembered mercy." But that
was an entirely different matter from what is now before us. There was
nothing whatever in the case of these Gibeonites which justified
Joshua in ignoring the plain injunction, "Take heed to thyself lest
thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou
goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee" (Ex. 34:13). There
is nothing that the Lord abominates more than unholy mixtures. "Thou
shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds... thou shalt not plough
with an ox and an ass together... thou shalt not wear a garment of
divers sorts, as of woolen and linen together" (Deut. 22:9-11) plainly
states the principle, and Revelation 3:15, 16, demonstrates His
abhorrence of our repudiation of the same, for "Laodiceanism" is a
union between the world and the professing Church.
"And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell
among us, and how shall we make a league with you?" (v. 7). No doubt
it was the responsible heads of the congregation who took the lead in
making answer to these disguised Canaanites, who had come with the
express purpose of telling lies, to tempt the people of God and lead
them into sin. Three things are evident from their words. First, they
were well instructed in the Law, for they realized it would be wrong
to accede to this suggestion. Second, they were then occupying the
ground of faith: "dwell among us was as though the whole of Canaan was
already in their possession! Third, they did not immediately and
impulsively grant their request, but voiced the language of distrust.
It is those very things which made the sequel graver. It pays to be
wary, yea, suspicious of impostors, if we are not to be deceived by
glib tongues. "Put not your trust in princes" (Ps. 146:3), and in a
day like ours, "Take ye heed every one of his neighbor, and trust ye
not in any brother" (Jer. 9:4). We are sure to suffer if we disregard
such warnings.
The careful reader will have observed that these "inhabitants of
Gibeon" (v. 3) are designated "Hivites" in verse 7, and, assured that
there is nothing superfluous in Holy Writ, he will endeavor to
ascertain why this detail has been placed on record. It cannot be
without reason and significance that the Spirit has here told us that
these deceivers belong to the Hivites, and therefore it is our duty to
discover His design therein. That may require a little trouble on our
part (for the meaning of much in the Word is withheld from those who
fail to search it diligently), but if it serves to cast light on this
incident, it is worth it. The only way to discover the Spirit's design
is to use the concordance and look up other passages, particularly in
the earlier books, where "the Hivites" are mentioned. Nor have we far
to seek. In Genesis 34: we learn how the sons of Jacob answered
Shechem and his father (who was a "Hivite"--verse 2) "deceitfully"
verse 13), and by a treacherous ruse succeeded in slaying them and
spoiling their city (vv. 14-29). Here then was the biter bit: the
descendants of those who had so wickedly deceived the Hivites were now
in turn deceived by them!
In the preceding article we called attention to the fact that while
the terror of the Lord had not fallen upon the kings of Joshua 9:1,
yet it had upon the Gibeonites, and that while we may behold therein
an illustration of His sovereignty, who makes one to differ from
another as He pleases, yet He acts not capriciously therein. Let us
now amplify that statement. There was nothing arbitrary in the Lord's
dealing with these Hivites, rather was He treating with them according
to the principles of His government. Though at times His mills grind
slowly, yet none the less surely. Centuries previously the sons of
Jacob had wickedly tricked the Gibeonites, and now God suffered their
descendants to reap the consequences of such deception. Thus what is
here before us is a clear case of what is termed "poetic justice." But
though God was righteous in permitting Israel to be imposed upon, that
in no wise interfered with their accountability or excused their
slackness. Joshua and the princes of the congregation acted quite
freely, and, as verse 14 clearly intimates, were to blame because they
sought not directions from the Lord. God's Word, and not His secret
will, is the rule of our responsibility.
"And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants" (v. 8). This was the
language of deference, signifying inferiority and expressing their
willingness to perform any tasks assigned them. That was the bait to
entrap Israel: We can be useful and do the rough work for you. But
Joshua was not satisfied with their indefinite statement. He was on
his guard, but not sufficiently so. "And Joshua said unto them, Who
are ye? and front whence come ye?" It was at this very point that he
failed. Instead of conferring with them he should have gone apart and
sought counsel from the Lord (v. 14). He was evidently in doubt, and
"whatsoever is not of faith, is sin" (Rom. 14:23). Even the wisdom of
this world warns us, "When in doubt, do nothing." But the Word of God
proffers the believer far better advice than that: "If any of you lack
wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth liberally to all" (Jam. 1:5).
It is always the height of folly for us to parley with the enemy.
Moreover, in thus interrogating them Joshua was but tempting these
Gibeonites to tell further lies! Remember that, my reader, and go very
slow in asking souls, "Are you saved?" or "How did you like the
magazine I loaned you?" lest you be guilty of giving occasion to your
friend (in order to "save his face") to utter a falsehood.
"And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are
come, because of the name of the Lord thy God, for we have heard the
fame of Him and all that He did in Egypt, and all that He did to the
two kings of the Amorites that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of
Heshbon and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth" (vv. 9, 10).
The Gibeonites had already lied unto the princes of Israel (v. 6 and
cf. 15), and now that the further questioning of Joshua had given them
an opportunity to declare their true characters, they only used it for
an occasion to add to their guilt. Originally they had stated, "We be
come from a far country" (v. 6), now they said, "From a very far
country," illustrating the solemn fact that one lie generally leads to
another and still worse one. How earnestly we need to pray, Remove
from me the way of lying" (Ps. 119:29)! It is very humiliating but
salutary to note that the Lord deemed it requisite to enjoin His own
children, "Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with
his neighbor" (Eph. 4:25). Exaggerating is lying, so also is the
making of promises which we have no real intention of keeping. Do you
really mean it when you say to certain ones, "I am so glad to meet
you"? We may act a lie as well as utter one.
A careful examination of the tale told to Joshua by these Gibeonites
reveals how everything in it was designed to appeal unto Israel's
pride. First, they claimed to have come from a very far country, which
was to flatter Joshua that he was now being courted by those from so
great a distance. That very feature was part of the temptation which
fanned the egotism of Hezekiah and led to his undoing, for he was
"glad" when the king of Babylon made friendly overtures unto him, and
showed his messengers all his treasures, for when God's servant took
him to task, he said: "They are come from a far country unto me" (Isa.
39:3). Beware, my reader, of all those who fawn upon you, and remember
that "the Lord shall cut off all flattering lips" (Ps. 12:3). Second,
their repeated "thy servants" emphasized their readiness to take an
inferior and subordinate place, and be subservient to Israel. Third,
they intimated that so great was the fame of Joshua's God that, even
so remotely situate, they had "heard" of His wondrous works. This too
was said for the purpose of ingratiating themselves with Joshua, as
though they too desired to come under Jehovah's protection.
One Hebrew scholar tells us that their words "From a very far country
are thy servants come because of the name of the Lord thy God" may be
translated "unto the name of the Lord thy God": that is, willing to be
proselytes to Judaism, desirous of embracing Israel's religion--the
added "for we have heard the fame of Him" seems to confirm that
rendering, and thus a strong appeal was thereby made to Israel's
piety. They appeared to be deeply impressed by the wonders which God
had wrought, and therefore sought friendship with Israel. For this
purpose they had undertaken a very fatiguing journey, which evidenced
their willingness to be tributary unto them. Their story had been
carefully thought out and was "all of a piece," for while they made
reference to their knowledge of what Jehovah had done in Egypt and to
the kings of the Amorites, they were careful to make no mention, of
the supernatural crossing of the Jordan, nor of Israel's recent
victories at Jericho and Ai--for tidings of them would not yet have
reached "a very far country"! Thus we are shown how far hypocrites
will go in order to gain the friendship of God's people.
Joshua's Failure
In our last article (upon the early verses of Joshua 9) we saw how
that Israel's supernatural crossing of the Jordan and the victories
which the Lord gave them at Jericho and Ai had struck terror into the
hearts of the Gibeonites. Consequently, those Canaanites who resided
in that part of the land which Israel must very soon reach determined,
by means of a piece of trickery, to outwit the hosts of God, and
thereby preserve their own lives. They decided to pose as those who
dwelt in "a far country"--that is, beyond the bounds of Canaan
itself--and who wished to enter into a league of peace with the
Hebrews. Accordingly, they attired themselves in tattered garments and
came to Israel's camp at Gilgal. They told a plausible tale, saying
that the fame of Jehovah had reached their ears--thereby intimating
their desire to come under His protection and become proselytes to His
religion. They apologized for their sorry appearance, explaining that
it was due to the long and fatiguing journey they had come. It was a
subtle appeal to Israel's pride that tidings of the wonder-working
power of their God had gone so far abroad that even these remote
strangers were acquainted with the same, and therefore sought union
with His favored people. In reality it was a tempting of Israel to act
at direct variance with an injunction from Jehovah which expressly
forbade their doing any such thing.
These Gibeonites belonged to the tribe of the Hivites (Josh. 9:7). and
the renowned Hebraist, John Gill, tells us that "The name Hivites
signifies serpents"! They certainly acted here in complete accord
therewith, conducting themselves "wilily" (Josh. 9:4), telling
downright lies, and succeeding in thoroughly deceiving Joshua and his
princes. Yet Israel ought not to have been imposed upon by them. Even
from a natural standpoint their conduct was excuseless. Only recently
they had themselves resorted to a subtle strategy in the taking of Ai,
and therefore it now behooved them to be doubly on the alert lest they
be paid back in their own coin. `I he men of Israel were indeed
suspicious, for they said, "Peradventure ye dwell among us, and how
shall we make a league with you?" (Josh. 9:7). Evidently they
remembered those words, "When the Lord thy God shall deliver them
before thee, thou shalt smite them and utterly destroy them: thou
shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them" (Deut.
7:2). Nor was Joshua himself satisfied with the first account they
gave of themselves, as his "Who are ye? and from whence come ye?" (v.
8) evidenced. Yet the suspicions of both the one and the other were
soon lulled to sleep.
"And they said, From a very far country thy servants are come, because
of the name of the Lord thy God" (Josh. 9:9). It is to be noted that
though Joshua had specifically asked them, "Who are ye? and from
whence come ye?" in their reply they neither declared their
nationality nor named the place of their birth. Thus, typically
considered, their credentials were unsatisfactory at the vital point,
for it is the spiritual birth of those applying for fellowship that
the churches need to inquire most closely into. "We have heard... all
that He did in Egypt... and to the two kings of the Amorites that were
beyond Jordan" (v. 10), intimating that a deep impression had been
made upon them thereby. "Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants
of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the
journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants,
and therefore now make ye a league with us" (v. 11). Thus they
pretended that their senate had been formally convened and had
unanimously appointed their ambassadors to enter into this covenant
with Israel--i.e. they were vouched for by reliable authorities, so
that Joshua need have no fear of being imposed upon by charlatans.
If the tale told by these Gibeonites was really true, and they had
come from "a very far country," then the extreme measures which
Jehovah had commanded His people to take with the inhabitants of the
land (Deut. 7:1, 2) would not have to be executed against them. This
is clear from Deuteronomy 20:15, 16, where a very definite distinction
was drawn between the two cases: "Thus shalt thou do [offer "peace"
unto it (vv. 10, 11)] unto all the cities which are very far off from
thee, which are not of the cities of these nations. But of the cities
of those, people which the Lord thy God hath given thee for an
inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth. But thou
shalt utterly destroy them: the Hivites, and the Amorites," etc. Yet
these Gibeonites were not the inhabitants of another country, but
belonged to the tribe of the Hivites (Josh. 9:7), and as Genesis
10:15, 17, makes known, "the Hivite" was an immediate descendant of
the accursed Canaan (Gen. 9:25). "This our bread we took hot for our
provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you;
but now, behold, it is dry, and it is moldy. And these bottles of
wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be tent; and these
our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long
journey" (vv. 12, 13).
Their repeated "behold" or "see" was an appeal to Israel's senses. The
present condition of the food and clothing of these Gibeonites was
appealed to in corroboration of the account which they had given of
themselves. But there was no more reason why Israel should be deceived
through their eyes than their ears. Had they walked by faith instead
of sight, it would have been impossible. For faith always has to with
God and is regulated by His Word. Faith is the expression of a spirit
of dependence upon Him, and that, in turn, issues from the realization
of our own insufficiency. It was doubly inexcusable that Israel were
imposed upon here, for they were in "the camp at Gilgal" (Josh. 9:6),
where the tabernacle of the priesthood resided, and therefore the
place where the mind of the Lord could be obtained if they sought Him
in the way of His appointment. That way had been plainly made known
unto Joshua, for through Moses God gave orders to him, "He shall stand
before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the
judgment of Urim before the Lord: at his word shall they go out, and
at his word they shall come in, both he, and all the children of
Israel with him" (Num. 27:21). It was the failure of Israel, and
especially of Joshua on this occasion: to avail themselves of God's
gracious provision that rendered their conduct so blamable.
In like manner, there is no excuse for a Christian's being deceived by
appearances, or left in ignorance concerning God's will as to his path
of duty. The Lord has made ample provision for his instruction. It is
our holy privilege to go unto the antitypical Eleazar and ask counsel
of Him, and the great High Priest of the spiritual Israel will,
through the Urim and Thummim (which signify "lights and perfections ")
of His Word, lead us in a plain path. "Trust in the Lord with all
thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding; in all thy
ways acknowledge Him" are His requirements, and if we meet them--by
His grace, which He is ever ready to give unto those who humbly seek
it (James 4:6)--then His sure promise is, "and He shall direct thy
paths (Prov. 3:5, 6). As another has aptly expressed it, "This is the
polar-star of a child of God--faith in his Father's providences,
promises, and grace. Let the eye look upward, and all will be light
(Matthew 6:22; cf. Ps. 32:8; 34:5). To "trust in the Lord with all our
heart" is to make Him our entire and exclusive confidence. To "lean
not unto our own understanding" is to renounce our own wit and wisdom
and refuse to rely upon the proud dictates of reason. To "acknowledge
God in all our ways" is to own His proprietorship and supremacy, to
ask counsel of Him, to seek His glory, and to be conformed unto His
will. Comply with those conditions and Divine guidance is
guaranteed--His Spirit will bring to our mind the verse which is
exactly suited to our case, and cause us to be regulated by the same.
But alas, instead of trusting in the Lord with all our hearts we are
prone to put our confidence in anyone or anything else. How lamentably
we fail in looking alone unto God in each fresh trial and emergency,
and counting upon His supplying our every need. It is just because we
are so slow in casting all our care upon Him and so reluctant to draw
strength from Him day by day, and hour by hour, that we stand in need
of this very exhortation. Equally so with the one which immediately
follows. The understanding has indeed been given us by God, and it is
our duty not only to exercise the same, but diligently to cultivate
it. Nor will anything else so sharpen and refine it as will the study
of and meditation upon the Scriptures. Nevertheless, it must not be
depended upon, for the mind has been degraded by the fall and darkened
by indwelling sin, and therefore is, at best, an unsafe guide. Even in
a regenerated man, a prophet of God, it proved a mistaken counselor (2
Sam. 7:2-5). As a fallen creature, it is still the tendency of a
believer to lean unto his own understanding--to his foolish notions
and false fancies; to make a god of reason. Just in proportion as we
yield to that tendency are we remiss in acknowledging God in all our
ways. If we be regulated by natural prudence much trouble shall we
make for ourselves, for God will justly suffer us to reap the
consequences of our folly. It was at these very points Israel failed
in the incident we are now considering.
"And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the
mouth of the Lord" (Josh. 9:14). Here was the crux of the whole
matter. Israel failed sadly: failed to give the Lord His proper place;
failed to avail themselves of His gracious provision to make known His
will via the high priest. And the cause of their failure is here
plainly revealed, for the two halves of this verse are inseparably
connected. By "the men took of their victuals" we are not to
understand that they sampled the same by eating thereof, for obviously
there was no need to do that with moldy bread. No, it signifies that
they took it into their hands for a closer inspection in order to
confirm what the Gibeonites had told them. In other words, they walked
by sight and relied upon the testimony of their senses. They acted
naturally and not spiritually. Instead of seeking guidance from the
Lord through His servant, as they were in duty bound to do by His
Word, they confided in their own wisdom, relied upon their own
judgment, and thus a looking unto God was precluded. They "asked not
counsel at the mouth of the Lord": had they done so there had been no
need for them to test the food of these Gibeonites! Had they clone so
they had not been deceived by them! The whole blame rested upon
themselves.
This was Israel's second failure after their entrance into Canaan, and
in neither of them was Joshua guiltless. The previous one occurred in
connection with their first assault on Ai. Those who had reconnoitered
the place had said unto Joshua, "Let not all the people go up, but let
about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; make not all the
people to labor thither, for they are but few" (Josh. 7:3). Flushed by
their victory at Jericho, possessed by a spirit of self-confidence,
they too much lost sight of the fact that the capture of Jericho was
due not to the brilliance of their strategy or the valor of their
arms, but to the miracle-working power of Jehovah. They now deemed
themselves to be invincible and were assured that the taking of the
remainder of Canaan would be a simple task. They therefore felt that a
single battalion of their soldiers would be sufficient to capture that
town--even though there were "twelve thousand men" in it (Josh. 8:25).
And their leader, instead of seeking counsel from the Lord, foolishly
adopted their suggestion. As may well be anticipated, God blew upon
their carnal policy and suffered their proud hearts to be humiliated.
They were put to shame before their enemies, fled in panic, and the
whole congregation of Israel was thoroughly dismayed (Josh. 7:4-6).
We would naturally think that if there were another failure on the
part of Joshua and Israel it would be quite dissimilar from the former
one, arising from a different cause. Surely, after having had their
eyes opened to see the reason for their first defeat, they would now
be doubly on their guard against a repetition of the same. Alas, human
nature is slow to learn and profit from its failures. Even the father
of the faithful repeated his initial fault, for though he did wrong in
going down into Egypt to sojourn there, and committed a yet worse
offense in denying his relationship to Sarah, and though he was there
put to shame by Pharaoh for his deception (Gen. 12:10-20), yet he was
guilty of the selfsame thing when he went and sojourned in Gerah (Gen.
20:1, 2)! The same was true of poor Peter: as it was a sprat of
cowardice which led to his denial of Christ, so he yielded to the same
weakness at Antioch, separating from the Gentile believers when
certain ones came from Jerusalem, "fearing them which were of the
circumcision" (Gal. 2:12). In each case it was "the fear of man" that
ensnared him (Prov. 20:25), and as that verse clearly intimates, such
ensnaring is the consequence of our not "trusting in the Lord." Thus
it was too in the incident we are now pondering: Joshua relapsed into
his former fault.
In the very next test presented to Israel and their leader, they
failed in the same way its they did in connection with Ai. Instead of
consulting the Lord, they used their "common sense." As the result,
Israel and Joshua too were deceived by the plausible story told by the
Gibeonites, and misled by their appearance and the condition of their
victuals. And this too has been recorded for our instruction: "For
whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our
learning" (Rom. 15:4). Yet it is not the mere reading of them that is
required: if we are really to profit therefrom, we must examine each
incident closely, pondering each detail carefully, and taking it home
unto ourselves. The failures of eminent saints have not been
chronicled either to encourage slackness on our part or to discourage
us, but rather to illustrate and demonstrate that though the spirit be
willing yet the flesh is weak, and especially to give point to that
exhortation, "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed
lest he fall" (1 Cor. 10:12). If after some painful disillusionment we
say, "I believe I have learned my lesson this time," it is a sure sign
we have not done so if we now proudly assure ourselves, "I shall not
be deceived again in that way."
That which supplies such solemn warning to us in the cases alluded to
above is that in each instance the failure was not committed by a
young and inexperienced disciple, but was the lapse of a mature saint;
for Abraham, Peter and Joshua had long walked with God. He that hath
ears to hear, let him hear--heed! But, more particularly, that which
is now engaging our attention is to be viewed in the light of the book
in which it is found, and the special theme which is developed
therein. As we have so often stated, the book of Joshua sets forth in
both a typical and practical manner the spiritual warfare of the
saints, and their present entrance into and enjoyment of their
spiritual heritage. And in it the Holy Spirit has described not only
Israel's victories but their defeats also, and a prayerful study of
the same makes known to us both the secrets of success and the causes
of failure in fighting the good light of faith. It is only as we keep
these facts steadily, in mind as we pass from chapter to chapter and
from one episode to another, and faithfully make a personal
application of the same unto our own hearts and lives, that we shall
really be advantaged by the same. Let us then observe carefully the
nature of Joshua's failure on this occasion.
It was more of a negative than a positive one. In nowise was it an act
of deliberate disobedience or defiant pitting of his own will against
the Lord's. Where those elements exist, the offense is very much
graver, and the resulting chastisement from God will be much sorer.
What Joshua did here was not by studied premeditation, but was more of
a case of being "overtaken in a fault" (Gal. 6:1). That in nowise
excused him, yet we must not regard him as being guilty of something
worse than what he actually did. Both in Joshua 7:3, 4 and here (Josh.
9:14, 15) he acted too impulsively and precipitately. Instead of
waiting upon the Lord and seeking direction from Hint, in each
instance he acted "on the spur of the moment," and on the ground of
mere nature, walking by sight instead of by faith. What point this
gives to the Divine injunction, "He that believeth shall not make
haste" (Isa. 28:16)! If we act in too big a hurry to pray over
anything and work in the energy of the flesh, we displease the Lord,
hinder His cause, and bring trouble upon ourselves. The principal
lesson taught us in this incident is that, in order to light the good
fight of faith successfully, we must maintain the place of dependence
upon God and be constantly seeking wisdom from above.
"And asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord" (v. 14), and
therefore acted in independence of Him--possibly because he regarded
this as too trivial a matter to take unto God. But there also we must
not lean unto our own understanding: "In everything by prayer and
supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto
God" (Phil. 4:4)--big as well as little, the least matters as well as
the greatest. What a holy privilege! But "prayer and supplication" is
very much more than perfunctorily offering up a petition unto heaven:
it is a definite waiting upon God, a diligent seeking from Him. It
involved time and trouble for Joshua to ask counsel of the Lord: for
it required him to go unto the high priest and inquire His mind
through him. As we read in Judges 20:27, 28, The children of Israel
inquired of the Lord [for the ark of the covenant of God was there in
those days and Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood
before it in those days] saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle
against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the
Lord said, Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into thine
hand"--and cf. 1 Samuel 23:9, 12. Observe how frequently "the man
after God's own heart" inquired of Him: 1 Samuel 22:10; 23:2, 4; 30:8;
2 Samuel 2:1, 5, 19. Beautiful too is the picture set forth in Ezra
8:21.
"And Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them, to
let them live, and the princes of the congregation sware unto them"
(v. 15). This is not recorded to Joshua's honor, but it manifests the
inflexible fidelity of the Divine historian. Scripture is impartial in
relating the blemishes of its most famous characters. Joshua ought to
have said to these Gibeonites what a loyal servant of God said to the
adversaries of Judah and Benjamin: "Ye have nothing to do with us"
(Ezra 4:3). In order to maintain a testimony unto the holiness of God,
His people are required to walk in separation from the world; but here
we behold Joshua entering into an alliance with those who were under
the Divine curse. That is the grand aim of Satan: to destroy the
witness of the saints as those who are called to walk apart from the
ungodly. Alas, that they so often permit him to succeed! What
communion has light with darkness? What concord is there between a
people in covenant relation with the Holy One and those who are
idolaters? None whatever. Therefore let the former be much on their
guard at this point, conduct themselves accordingly, strenuously
resist every temptation from Satan to compromise. Finally, let us
remember that the Christian is never to "make peace" with his inward
enemies, but must ceaselessly fight against them.
It was said by James Durham, the Puritan, "It is hard to know, in
spiritual exercises, whether it be more difficult to attain some
gracious frame or to maintain it when it is attained, whether more
seriousness is required for making peace with God, or for keeping it
when made." That observation is confirmed both in the teaching of
God's Word and the experience of His children: as it is easier in
natural things to squander than acquire, so spiritually to retain is
as hard a task as to obtain. In Psalm 85:8, we read, "I will hear what
God the Lord will speak: for He will speak peace unto His people, but
let them not turn again to folly." Alas that we should need such an
injunction as that. When a child has burned his fingers he is afraid
of the fire, and when a believer has dishonored the Lord. and brought
trouble upon himself by foolish conduct, he ought to be doubly on his
guard against a repetition thereof. Yet only too often, instead of
decreasing self-confidence and walking softly before the Lord, he
relaxes his efforts to mortify pride, becomes careless in the use of
God's appointed means for maintaining fellowship with Himself in the
paths of righteousness, and therefore falls again into the same sin.
The very fact that believers are here dehorted "let them not turn
again to folly" intimates their proneness to do so. Yet that is so far
from making any allowance for the same, it expressly forbids it.
Moreover, what immediately precedes renders a repetition of the fault
the more excuseless. When the Lord has so graciously "spoken peace to
His people," that is, has pardoned their transgressions and allayed
their consciences, a spirit of gratitude should cause them to be more
careful in avoiding everything which would displease and grieve Him.
As Matthew Henry rightly pointed out, "The remission of sins past is
not a permission for sins to come, but a great bridle and restraint to
it." Peace is spoken by God unto those who turn from sin, and
therefore we have a clearly implied warning here that if we return
thereto peace will depart from us. Just so far as we really valve
God's peace will we diligently endeavor to avoid whatever destroys it.
Sin is a breach of the Law (1 John 3:4), God-ward it is an "offense"
(Rom. 5:17) or affront, self-ward it is folly or acting contrary to
our interests, "forsaking our own mercies" (Jon. 2:8).
All sin is foolish, but backsliding is doubly so, and it is because of
our corrupt tendency unto it that such a caution as the above requires
to be taken to heart by all of us. The more so because of sin's
insidiousness--ever ready to trip us up if we are the least bit off
our guard. As pointed out at the close of our last, sin is by no means
always premeditated. Joshua's failure in the making of a covenant with
the Gibeonites was no deliberate act of disobedience, but was more a
case of being "overtaken in a fault" (Gal. 6:1)--through hurried
action, instead of seeking counsel from the Lord. To be "overtaken in
a fault" is a very different thing from resolving and contriving the
same: the one is inadvertent, the other planned. It is ever to be
borne in mind that the Christian has no inherent strength of his own:
he stands by faith (Rom. 11:20), and faith is directly opposed to
self-confidence. Therefore it is that, unless he maintains a constant
prayerful vigilance and self-discipline, he is ever in danger of a
sudden surprisal from the force of temptation, or being overborne by
the heat of his passions.
Joshua had not only failed in a similar way previously, but he had
been rebuked for it by the Lord, and convicted of his folly (Josh.
7:10, 11). The repetition of such failure has been recorded by the
Holy Spirit to bring home to us our weakness and fickleness. If one so
highly favored of God as he who had so signally honored Him by. the
general tenor of his character and conduct was capable of these
momentary lapses, then how much do both writer and reader need to heed
that exhortation "Be not high minded, but fear." The sad fact is that
a believer may not only fall into sin, but--unless he preserves a
spirit of entire dependence upon the Lord--he may, through the
infirmity of the flesh, fall into the same sin. Samson (who was a
believer--Hebrews 11:32) did so, first by marrying a Philistine woman
(Judg. 14), which was expressly forbidden by the Divine Law, and later
by consorting with a Philistine harlot (Judg. 16.), for which he paid
dearly. Jehoshaphat committed a great sin in joining affinity with the
wicked Ahab (2 Chron. 18:1-3) and was reproved for the same (Josh.
19:2); yet in Joshua 20:35, we find him relapsing into the same sin.
When we are guilty of similar folly, it should lead us to deeper
repentance, though not to despair.
"And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let
them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them. And it
came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league
with them that they heard that they were their neighbors, and that
they dwelt among them" (Josh. 9:15, 16). As Gill pointed out, "The
league seems to have been made the same day they came. The Gibeonites
were no doubt in haste to have it confirmed, lest they should be
discovered; and Joshua and the princes of Israel took no pains and
gave themselves no great trouble to inquire about them, but made peace
with them at once." And now the deception of the one and the folly of
the hasty action of the other were discovered. With rare exceptions,
lies are quickly exposed. Only truth wears and lasts. Impostures are
speedily found out, as Jacob's by his father Isaac, Jeroboam's wife's
by the prophet (1 Kings 14:1-6), that of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts
5). Then how utterly vain must be every attempt to impose upon Him
unto whom "all things are naked and opened"! It is impossible to
deceive Omniscience by masquerading before Hint in the garb of a
hypocritical profession, nor will His people be deceived thereby if
they carefully weigh them in the balances of the Scriptures.
The terrible times in which we are living call for a further word on
this practical subject. "The lip of truth shall be established for
ever; but a lying tongue is but for a moment" (Prov. 12:19). Then how
important it is to eye eternity in all our words--doubly so in the
case of preachers! The profession of the Truth may indeed occasion
present inconvenience and trouble from men, but it shall receive an
eternal reward from God. On the other hand, the preacher who, for
momentary gain and popularity, represses the Truth and is a purveyor
of lies shall reap a harvest of everlasting shame and woe. But that
verse applies to all of us. As Matthew Henry tersely expressed it,
"Those that make a lie their refuge, will find it a refuge of lies."
Falsehoods and deceits are not only evil in themselves, but a foolish
expedient, for they expose the perpetrator to speedy detection, which
renders him suspect and distrusted in everything. Even though his
fellows should fail to disprove him unless he sincerely repents, "He
that speaketh lies shall perish." (Prov. 19:9). Nothing makes us more
like the Devil than this, for he was a liar from the beginning (John
8:44). How earnestly we should pray, "Remove from me the way of lying"
(Ps. 119:29)!
"And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a
league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors, and
that they dwelt among them" (v. 16). That may well be viewed from
another angle. Not only is it a fact that, as a general rule,
deceptions are quickly discovered, but it is equally true that, where
the heart beats true to Him, God will not long suffer His people to be
imposed upon. They are children of the day and not of the night, and
therefore there is no reason why they should stumble over any
obstacles in their path. As their Master declares, "I am the light of
the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall
have the light of life" (John 8:12). But to follow Christ means very
much more than "believing" in Him: it signifies to commit ourselves
unreservedly to His government, to walk in His precepts, to emulate
the example which he has left us. And in the main, and with few
deviations, that is exactly what Joshua and Israel had done since
their entrance into Canaan. They had been obedient to Jehovah,
complying with His revealed will in all things. And though they had
temporarily failed to seek counsel from Him, and in consequence had
been beguiled by the Gibeonites, yet because the main course of their
lives was pleasing to God, He soon allowed them to learn their
mistake. How gently the Lord deals with us!
"And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities on
the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon," etc. (v. 17). This is
explanatory of the foregoing verse and, by implication, shows us how
unnecessary was Israel's precipitate action--had they withheld their
judgment and decision but a very short time, they would have learned
that these Gibeonites had by no means come from a very far country. By
the children of Israel" here, we are not to understand the entire
congregation--for the camp still remained at Gilgal (Josh. 10:17)--but
rather their fighting-men with the responsible heads of the tribes.
Most probably they had advanced this distance in order to investigate
the report they had received. It should be pointed out that this was
not the "third day" from setting out on their journey--for it was but
a night's march from Gilgal to their cities (Josh. 10:9)--but from the
time when they first "heard" that the Gibeonites were their neighbors.
Definite confirmation of this was now before them, for here were
"their cities." The Holy Spirit's emphasis here by the repetition of
"the third day" intimates that this is a detail which the reader
should duly ponder. A further word thereon.
It should be carefully noted that in John 8:12, Christ did not simply
say that the one who followed Him should have light, but "the light of
life," and this is exactly what is typically portrayed here in verses
16 and 17, for at the end of three days" brings us (symbolically
speaking) on to resurrection ground. Joshua and his fellows had acted
by sight instead of faith, and here the Spirit supplies demonstration
of that fact. They had conducted themselves on the ground of mere
nature, being regulated by their senses, and not as quickened souls
whose privilege it was to enjoy unbroken communion with God and be
guided by Him. They had, for the moment, relapsed into carnality, but
now "on the third day" they were back on resurrection ground and given
to see things in a true light. So the Christian has, by God's grace
and power, been brought from death unto life, and is henceforth called
upon to "walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:4) and to "put on the new
man" (Eph. 4:24), which means to act as one who is a new creature in
Christ, to be governed by heavenly principles. If he fails to do so,
then he will lack discernment and wisdom for his path, and be left to
his erring natural judgment. Only so long as his eye be "single" to
God's glory will he be full of light.
"And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the
congregation had sworn unto them by the Lord God of Israel" (v. 18).
Here is further evidence that the rulers in Israel were back again on
resurrection ground--in communion with the Lord, conducting themselves
as regenerated men. The fear of God was upon them, and they acted
accordingly! Had they now been walking according to the flesh, they
had argued that "circumstances alter cases," that because the
Gibeonites had lied to them they were now automatically released from
keeping their part of the compact. The carnal mind would reason that a
covenant was surely not binding when one of the parties entering into
it had acted under false pretences. But no such corrupt principles
regulated these princes. Their word was their bond. "Though we have
been imposed upon, we must not think ourselves at liberty to
retaliate: solemn engagements made, even to our own hurt, must be
conscientiously adhered to" (Thomas Scott). Two wrongs never make one
right, and for a child of God to descend unto the sinful level of
worldlings is doubly heinous. The deception practiced by these
Canaanites did not excuse Israel's hasty action: they had been foolish
in so rashly committing the nation, and now they must suffer the
consequences of the same.
"And the congregation murmured at the princes" (v. 18). The fault was
entirely their own that Israel's leaders had been ensnared by such a
piece of trickery, and though by grace they had respect unto the
Lord's honor and refused to perjure themselves, yet they were made to
feel the evil results of failing to "ask counsel at the mouth of the
Lord" (v. 14). There is no previous mention of "murmuring" on the part
of any of the Israelites; but now their unity was disturbed! This was
no casual incident, but a Divine providence, designed to speak loudly
unto those who had ears to hear. It was a Divine chastisement, an
outward mark of the Lord's displeasure--yet how mild a one! The
immediate reason for this "murmuring" is fairly obvious: the soldiers
were chagrined at being withheld from seizing and plundering these
cities; nevertheless, had not Joshua and the princes offended against
the Lord in acting on their own judgment instead of waiting upon Him
for-directions, His restraining hand had prevented such an exercise of
the carnal cupidity of the rank and the of the people, and no spirit
of discontent and division would have been shown. Though God
judicially pardons our failures, in His governmental ways He often
makes us to eat the fruits of our folly.
"But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn
unto them by the Lord God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch
them" (v. 19). It is blessed to behold the harmony and unanimity of
the princes, that none of them were weakened by the opposition which
was encountered. It was not only their own word which was involved,
but their word under Divine oath, and to violate that would both
perjure themselves and grossly discredit their God in the estimation
of the heathen. It can hardly be doubted that the congregation itself
must have known of their oath, but charity requires us to believe that
they had temporarily forgotten it. By way of illustration we may see
in this murmuring of the congregation against these princes that, when
either religious or political leaders are actuated and regulated by
holy and lofty principles, it must not be expected that those under
them will appreciate and seek to further their motives, but rather
will criticize and oppose. Blessed it is to see how these princes
stood their ground, fearing God and not the people. And the Lord
honored them therein, for no further murmurings against them are
mentioned--the Lord subduing the people's lusts!
An Honored Oath
"This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath be
upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them" (Josh. 9:20).
In the preceding verses we saw how Israel had been deceived by some of
the Canaanites, who, pretending to be from a very far country, posed
as ambassadors authorized to treat with Joshua and enter into a treaty
of peace for their people. Those impostors had not only prepared a
very plausible tale, but were carefully made up in keeping with the
part they played, appearing in tattered garments and with moldy bread
as evidences of the long journey they had taken. Instead of seeking
counsel at the mouth of the Lord. Joshua and the responsible heads of
the nation walked by sight and relied upon their senses (v. 14).
Instead of deferring their decision and taking the trouble to
carefully investigate the claims of the Gibeonites, Israel hurriedly
entered into a covenant with them to spare their lives. Instead of
making them a conditional promise, the princes solemnly ratified the
agreement by oath (v. 15). All of this should be regarded by us as a
pointed warning to avoid precipitate action, and as showing the wisdom
of heeding that injunction, "He that believeth shall not make haste"
(Isa. 28:16).
Within three days the folly of Israel was made manifest, for upon
penetrating a little deeper into Canaan they came to the cities of the
Gibeonites (vv. 16, 17). It is to be duly noted that Israel's
discovery of the trick that had been played upon them was not made by
any spiritual discernment of theirs--which had assuredly been the case
had a "single eye" been maintained to God's glory (Matthew 6:22)--but
by external means. Moreover, though the Lord did not allow them to be
deceived for any length of time, He made evident, even if in a
comparatively mild and gentle way, His displeasure against the princes
through His providential dealings with them. The "murmuring" against
them by the congregation, though "very natural under the
circumstances," should be regarded as a Divine chastisement--God's
suffering the people to voice their discontent, instead of working in
them a spirit of acquiescence. Thus, for the moment, the harmony of
Israel was disturbed and their unity seriously threatened. But it is
good to see that, with one accord, the princes feared God rather than
men, and, so far from desiring amity at any price, recognized that
"the wisdom which is from above is first pure, then peaceable" (Jam.
3:17).
Instead of yielding to the desire of the rank and the of the People,
who obviously wanted to avenge themselves upon the Gibeonites, and
plunder their cities, all the princes stood their ground, and said,
"We have sworn unto them by the Lord God of Israel: now therefore we
may not touch them" (v. 19). Matthew Henry pertinently remarked that
they "did not apply themselves to Eleazar for a dispensation, much
less did they pretend that no faith is to be kept with heretics--with
Canaanites; no, they were strangers to the modern artifices of the
Roman Church to elude the most sacred bonds and even to sanctify
perjuries." No, they were determined to honor the engagement into
which they had entered. Happy the nation whose leaders and governors
abide by their obligations. The testing of these princes was a very
real one, but though their fidelity should occasion a mutiny of the
people, they refused to go against their consciences. There can be
little room for doubt that it was their unanimity which God used to
pacify the murmuring congregation, teaching us that the best way to
suppress discontent by the governed is for there to be a solid and
firm front presented by the governors. Yet it was no mere policy of
expediency which regulated these princes, but rather the fear of God
and their determination not to dishonor Him.
"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the
Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain" (Ex.
20:7). There is the original and fundamental law concerning oaths, and
with it should be linked, "Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve
Him. and shalt swear by His name" (Deut. 6:13). An oath, then, is a
solemn appeal to the dread name of Jehovah, which, by awakening the
spirit of the swearer to a consciousness of the awe-inspiring presence
and cognizance of the Most High, gives all its sanctity and power to
it. Properly speaking there are four things in an oath. First, a
formal asseveration of the truth--which should always be spoken even
though no oath be taken. Second, an acknowledgment of the presence of
the thrice Holy One, who is solemnly called upon as a Witness in
confirmation of the statement that we make. Third, an invocation,
whereby we request God to testify unto our conscience that what we
swear to is nothing but the truth (Rom. 9:1). Fourth, an imprecation,
in which the swearer calls upon God to be the Revenger of all lies,
binding himself to Divine punishment if he swear falsely. Since an
oath be the invoking of God, it is an act of worship, an ascribing
glory and owning Him as Judge.
It is therefore evident that the violation of an oath is a sin of the
first magnitude, for it is a breach of the third commandment, a taking
of God's name in vain, which He will not hold guiltless. As Leviticus
19:12, informs us, to commit perjury in the name of God is an act of
profanity. From such awful considerations it follows that an oath is
to be feared (Eccl. 9:2), and that once made it is binding (Num.
30:3)--a solemn example of which is seen in the case of Jephthah
(Judg. 11:25). Consequently, it is not to be entered into lightly, nor
should one be taken at all except in matters of real importance, and
then only in the gravest spirit and manner. There are times, as
Deuteronomy 6:13, shows, when it becomes our duty to appeal unto God
by solemn oaths, for deciding matters which cannot be adequately
settled without one (Heb. 6:16). It is to be observed that, when
occasion required and men were warranted in the taking of an oath,
such obtained centuries before the giving of the Law at Sinai. Thus
Abraham swore to Abimelech (Gen. 21:23, 24), and required an oath to
be taken by his servant when seeking a wife for Isaac (Gen. 24:8, 9).
Jacob swore to Laban, and Joseph to his father. Since these instances
had no respect unto the legal institutes of Moses, they lead us to
conclude that there would be nothing in the Gospel to forbid such a
practice in this Christian era--again and again Paul confirmed his
testimony by calling on God as Witness (2 Cor. 1:23; Gal. 1:20).
"This we will do to them: we will even let them live, lest wrath be
upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them" (v. 20). One of
the distinguishing marks given of those who shall abide in the Lord's
tabernacle (enjoy intimate communion with Him) and dwell in His holy
hill (spend eternity in heaven) is, "He that sweareth to his own hurt,
and changeth not" (Ps. 15:1, 4): that is, who will not go back on his
oath no matter what temporal loss might be involved. On the other
hand. "perjured persons" are classed with murderers of fathers and
mothers, whoremongers, slave dealers, etc. (1 Tim. 1:9, 10). Very far
were these princes from now treating their engagement with the
Gibeonites as "a mere scrap of paper"--the Kaiser, Hitler and
Mussolini brought down Divine wrath upon themselves and their people
by just such perfidy. It is exceedingly solemn to observe that this
was one of the crimes which characterized Israel during the closing
days of their Old Testament history--see Zechariah 5:4; Malachi in. 5;
2 Chronicles 36:11-13--"until the wrath of the Lord arose against His
people, till there was no remedy" (2 Chron. 36:16). Only so long as
Britain honors her treaty obligations--no matter what sacrifices be
involved--is there any hope of "remedy" for its people.
"And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers
of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the princes
had promised them" (v. 21). These princes were twelve in number, one
at the head of each of Israel's tribes (Num. 1:15, 16, 44). That God
was pleased with their sparing the lives of the Gibeonites is clearly
evidenced from the sequel, for the very next chapter records how He
gave them the most glorious victory in all their wars. Furthermore, we
find that, centuries later, He severely avenged the wrong which Saul
did unto the descendants of this tribe, manifesting His sore
displeasure against that king's injuring of them in violation of this
very league (2 Sam. 21:1)--mark how David, the "man after God's own
heart," honored his oath to Jonathan in this connection, exempting
Mephibosheth, Saul's grandson, from the just avengement (v. 7). Though
the lives of these Gibeonites were spared, their liberty was taken
from them, and they were made bondmen--not only tributaries, but under
the yoke of servitude. To be "hewers of wood and drawers of water"
would not only be wearisome employment, but regarded as a very low and
menial one (cf. Deut. 29:11).
From what has been before us in the above incident, as well as from
its sequel, we may perceive how that we are never the ultimate losers
by fearing the Lord and honoring His name. Folly was committed by
Joshua and the princes in so hastily concluding a league with the
Gibeonites, and it was too late to rectify it: nevertheless, God
overruled the same to His own glory and the benefit of His people,
providing both Himself and them with useful servants. God can, and in
His own wondrous way often does, turn our mistakes into advantages.
That way will not be as good and glorious as His first best for us,
yet it will not be without blessing. The same incident also teaches us
the needlessness of taking things into our own hands and seeking to
anticipate the Divine appointment. The congregation suffered no injury
by restraining their desire to seize and plunder the cities of the
Gibeonites mentioned in Joshua 9:17, for if the reader will consult
Joshua 18:25-28, he will find that in the end, when the land came to
be divided, the first three cities there mentioned were obtained by
them, and the fourth in Joshua 15:2. It is never to our detriment to
wait the Lord's time!
"And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore
have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you: when ye dwell
among us?" (v. 22). Let us duly observe and admire: the blessed
restraint which Israel's leader here placed upon himself. Though these
Gibeonites were now entirely at his disposal, he used not his power
tyrannically. Nor did he give way to an outburst of temper because of
their chicanery, and harshly denounce them as base liars. Instead, he
mildly reproved them for their fraud and gave them opportunity to
explain their conduct. As Matthew Henry rightly pointed out, "A just
cause needs not anger to defend it, and a bad one is never made the
better by it." The Lord forbids us rejoice (malignantly) when our
enemy falls (Prov. 24:17), and severely chastised the Edomites because
they had "spoken proudly in the day of Judah's distress" (Obad. 1:12).
This was the sin of Shimei, scorning his humiliated sovereign (2 Sam.
16:5-9), for which he paid with his life (1 Kings 2:9, 10) How very
differently was the Lord Jesus dealt with when He was arraigned before
His judges! In Joshua's mild treatment of the Gibeonites we may behold
blessedly shadowed forth "the meekness and gentleness of Christ" (2
Cor. 10:1).
"Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed
from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the
house of my God" (v. 23).
Those words do not signify that Joshua now pronounced a curse upon
them, but rather that it would henceforth be made to appear that they
belonged to an accursed posterity. In a previous article we pointed
out that the reason why these Gibeonites are designated "`Hivites" in
Joshua 9:9, was to intimate that they were the descendants of Canaan
(Gen. 10:5-7), and here we have set before us an illustration of the
sentence pronounced upon him because of his father's sin. By the
spirit of prophecy Noah had declared, "Cursed be Canaan; a servant of
servants shall he be unto his brethren" (Gen. 9:25). The curse, then,
consisted of servitude, and here we behold one part of its fulfillment
in these Gibeonites being made the manual servants of Israel. How
mysteriously yet wondrously does God order His providences unto the
fulfillment of His Word, guiding the princes to select or determine
this particular form of punishment upon these men! In Joshua's
confirmation of the sentence of the twelve princes we have a striking
adumbration of Christ making good His promise to the twelve apostles,
"Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound [ratified] in
heaven" (Matthew 18:18).
"And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy
servants, how that the Lord thy God commanded Moses to give you all
the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before
you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and
have done this thing" (v. 24). Let us first notice that in this part
of their reply they bore witness to God's having made good one of His
promises to Israel and fulfilled a prophecy made through Moses, to the
effect that such reports would reach their ears of the irresistible
power of Israel's God, and the fame of His wondrous works on their
behalf, that the inhabitants of Canaan would be filled with dismay and
their hearts sink within them. "I will send My fear before thee and
will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come" (Ex. 23:27).
"This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee
upon all nations" (Deut. 2:25), Jehovah had declared, thereby
fulfilling the prediction of Exodus 15:14: "The people shall hear and
be afraid, sorrow shall take hold of the inhabitants of Palestina.'"
Such terror would fill them that their spirits would sink completely
and they would be panic-stricken at the prospect before them. Such was
the case here.
"There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the Lord your God
shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that
ye shall tread upon, as He hath said unto you" (Deut. 11:25). God
would strike such terror into the Canaanites, and make them so
conscious of their impotency, that He would render the same
subservient to the success of His people. Rahab had, previously,
avowed the accomplishment of this, acknowledging that tidings of
Jehovah's miracle-working power had reached them, that "your terror is
fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because
of you" (Josh. 2:9). In like manner will God yet make good every
prophecy He has made and every promise that He has given. It is
therefore to be duly noted that these Gibeonites freely testified that
the nation of Israel was now acting according to the commandment of
the Lord their God, and not from a spirit of personal
blood-thirstiness and greed. They made no attempt to justify the lies
which they had told, but frankly owned that they were in dread of
losing their lives, and that the principle of self-preservation had
moved them to resort to such a device.
"And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right
unto thee to do unto us, do" (v. 25). That was tantamount to saying,
We are fully in thy power and entirely at thy disposal, and readily
submit ourselves to thy discretion. Their foregoing statement evinces
that they had not only "heard" but also believed that God's promises
to His people and threatenings to His enemies would certainly be
fulfilled. They realized God's word was inviolable and His power
invincible, and therefore nothing remained but for them to cast
themselves upon His clemency. In their "as it seemeth good and right
unto thee to do unto us, do" unto Joshua, one can see they hoped for
the best: treat with us according to the laws of justice and kindness,
and especially act consistently with the league made and the oath
taken. It is in precisely such a spirit and attitude that sinners are
to come before God in Christ--convicted of their sins, convinced of
the verity of God's threatenings, casting themselves upon His good
pleasure, hoping in His mercy, submitting unreservedly to His will,
ready to take His yoke upon them.
"And so He did unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the
children of Israel, that they slew them not. And Joshua made them that
day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for
the altar of the Lord" (vv. 26, 27). How blessedly the and-typical
Joshua was there foreshadowed! Though the guilt of these men was
established, and though they belonged to an accursed race, yet he
spared their lives, and that on the ground of a covenant made by oath!
Thus he did what was both good and right": yea, he went beyond what
they "asked or thought," showing them favor and conferring honor upon
them, by appointing them to minister unto the "altar of the Lord"; and
thus they would be taught the worship of the true God and delivered
from idolatry. It is striking to note that the only ones who
acknowledged what they "heard" about the Lord (Josh. 2:10; 9:24) were
delivered from His judgments. The descendants of these
Gibeonites--termed "Nethinim" or "devoted persons"--had a place of
honor in the service of the temple centuries later (1 Chron. 9:2; Ezra
8:20; Neh. 7:60).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Joshua
by A.W. Pink
13. Victory At Gibeon
Joshua 10:1-43
_________________________________________________________________
Peacemaking
As its opening verse shows, the tenth of Joshua is closely connected
with chapters 6, 8, and 9, and this needs to be duly heeded by us if
we are to discover and appropriate the spiritual lessons which it has
for the Lord's people today--which should ever be one of our principal
quests when reading God's Word. In chapters 6 and 8, we have an
account of Israel's conquest of the cities of Jericho and Ai, but in
the ninth something quite different is presented. Following the
fighting at Ai there came a lull, and the capitulation of the
Gibeonites unto Israel without any strenuous efforts on the part of
the latter. It is often thus in the experience of Christians. When
they have been particularly active in engaging the enemy and a notable
victory has been obtained, the Lord grants a brief season of rest and
comparative quietness. Yet they are not to conclude therefrom that the
hardest part of their conflict is now over, so that it is safe for
them to relax a little. What we are about to ponder indicates the
contrary, and warns us that Satan does not readily admit defeat. Not
only was Israel's warfare far from being ended, but a more determined
and concerted resistance was to be encountered. Instead of having to
meet the force of a single king, the massed armies of five of them had
now to be defeated. The same thing appears in the history of our
Savior: the farther His gracious ministry proceeded, the greater and
fiercer the opposition reel with. Sufficient for the disciple to be as
his Master.
Proceeding from the general to the particular, we observe that the
opening verses of Joshua 10 confirm the typical application which we
made of the concluding portion of the preceding chapter. At the close
of our last we pointed out that what is there recorded of the
Gibeonites adumbrated sinners surrendering themselves unto Christ, or,
to use an expression which was freely employed by the Puritans, their
"making peace with God." More recently, some have taken decided
exception to that expression. It is affirmed that the sinner can do
nothing whatever to make peace with God, and that it is quite
unnecessary for him to essay doing so, seeing that Christ has "made
peace through the blood of His cross. But that is to confound things
which differ, confusing what Christ purchased, and when the same is
actually applied unto us. The question--and a most important one
too--is, What does God require from the sinner in order for him to
become a personal partaker of the benefits of that legal "peace" which
Christ made with God? To which some make answer, Nothing but
faith--simply believing that Christ has fully atoned for all our sins
and relying upon the sufficiency of His sacrifice. But that is only
half the answer, the second half, for it leaves out an essential
requirement which must precede believing.
"Repent ye, and believe the Gospel" (Mark 1:15), "Testifying both to
the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith
toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21). It is very clear from
these passages that repentance is as necessary as faith. Nay, we go
farther, and declare that an impenitent heart is incapable of
exercising a saving faith. Christ complained to Israel's leaders, "Ye
repented not afterward, that ye might believe in him" (Matthew
21:32)--they responded not to the ministry of His forerunner because
they had no realization of their sinful and lost condition. Those
"dispensationalists" who state that repentance is required only of the
Jews evince their ignorance of the most elementary truths of
Scripture, for in "the great commission" Christ ordered His servants
"that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name
among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem" (Luke 24:47), and His
apostle announced that God "now [in this Christian era!] commandeth
all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30). Of course He does, for
such a call is the pressing of His holy claims upon those who have
ignored the same--who have disregarded His authority, slighted His
law, and lived entirely to please themselves. It is because so little
repentance has been preached that Christendom is now crowded with
empty professors.
Repentance is a taking sides with God against myself. It is the laying
aside of my awful enmity against Him. It is the privative side of
conversion, for there must be a turning from something before there
can be a turning unto God. Repentance consists of a holy horror and
hatred of sin, a complete heart-forsaking of it, a sincere confessing
of it unto God. True repentance is always accompanied by a deep
longing and a genuine determination to abandon that coarse which is
displeasing to God. It is impossible, in the very nature of the case,
that a soul could seek God's pardon with any honesty while he
continued to defy Him and persist in what He forbids. Thus, repentance
is the sinner's making his peace with God--the throwing down of the
weapons of his rebellion, ceasing his warfare against Him. Nor is
there anything in the least degree "legalistic" or meritorious about
this, for repentance or making peace with God neither atones for our
vile misconduct of the past nor moves God to be gracious unto us.
Repentance no more purchases salvation than does faith, yet the one is
as indispensable as the other. The wicked is required to "forsake his
way . . . and return unto the Lord" before He will have mercy upon him
and abundantly pardon (Isa. 55:7, and cf. 1 Kings 8:47-50; Acts 3:19).
"Now it came to pass, when Adonizedek king of Jerusalem had heard how
Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to
Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the
inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them;
that they feared greatly" (Josh. 10:1, 2). Once more we would note the
very varied effects upon different ones of what they had "heard" of
Israel's exploits, and how some of them attributed their successes
unto Jehovah, while others did not so. Rahab (Josh. 2:9-11) and the
Gibeonites (Josh. 9:9) were examples of the former, and the kings of
Joshua 9:1, and this Adonizedek of the latter. The king of Jerusalem,
despite his high-sounding name, gave God no place in his thoughts; yet
he was thoroughly alarmed at Israel's progress. His fear was
cumulative. He was rendered uneasy at the tidings of Jericho's
overthrow, still more so at the news of the destruction of Ai; but
when he and his subjects learned of the Gibeonites having concluded a
league of peace with Joshua, "they feared greatly"--most probably
because he had counted on their considerable support in resisting
these aggressors.
We would also attentively heed the Spirit's emphasis here on the
time-mark: "It came to pass, when Adonizedek . . . heard." There is
nothing meaningless or superfluous in the Scriptures, and it is by
noting such a detail as this that we often obtain the key which opens
to us the spiritual significance of what follows. In this instance the
immediate sequel was the banding together of four others with the king
of Jerusalem against Gibeon, and in the light of the closing verses of
chapter 9, the typical force of this is not difficult to perceive. It
is when sinners renounce the service of their former master, and the
friendship of the world, in order to make their peace with God and
join interests with His people, that they must be prepared to
encounter persecution from the ungodly. That is why the Saviour bade
all would-be disciples of His to sit down first and "count the cost"
(Luke 14:28-33), and His servant warned believers, "Marvel not, my
brethren, if the world hate you" (1 John 3:13). In Adonizedek's
determination to slay the Gibeonites we have adumbrated the inveterate
enmity of the serpent against the Redeemer's "seed" Previously, while
Satan keepeth his palace, "his goods are in peace" (Luke 11:21), but
when he loses any of his captives, his rage against them knows no
bounds.
Ere passing on let us ponder one other detail in our opening verse,
namely Israel's "utter destruction" of Jericho and Ai, for a most
important lesson is inculcated by that adjective. In its application
to the spiritual warfare of the Christian it tells us that we must be
ruthlessly thorough in the work of mortification. No half measures are
to be taken against the things which hinder the present possession Of
our heritage. There must be no compromising with our lusts, no
trifling with temptation, no flirting with the world. True, inward
corruptions will strongly resist our onslaughts upon them, as the men
of Ai did when Israel came against it. For a time the king of Ai had
the better of the contest, so that Israel were dismayed; but they did
not abandon the fight, instead they humbled themselves before the
Lord, and He graciously undertook for them. Not that they were
released from the discharge of their responsibilities, so that they
could passively witness His operations on their behalf. No, indeed.
They were required to perform their duty and employ different tactics.
Accordingly, as they implicitly followed His instruction, the Lord
prospered them and Ai was utterly destroyed": in other words, complete
victory was theirs.
But the overthrowing and destroying of Ai proved to be neither an easy
nor a pleasant task to Israel, for in the course thereof they passed
through both a humiliating and distressing experience. So it is in
that work of unsparing mortification to which the Christian is called.
Our Lord likened it unto the plucking out of a right eye and the
cutting off of a right hand (Matthew 5:29, 30). By such language He
intimated the difficulty and severity of the work He has assigned us.
The "eye" represents that which is dearest to the natural man, and the
"hand" what is the most useful to him. The plucking out of the one and
the cutting off of the other signify that we are to exercise the most
rigorous denying of self, that however precious an idol or profitable
any unrighteous course may be unto the carnal nature, they must be
sacrificed for Christ's sake. No matter how unwelcome it proves to the
flesh, its lusts are not to be spared; for unless they be brought into
subjection to God, the soul is gravely imperiled. By Divine grace this
difficult task is not impossible. The "utter destruction" of Ai, then,
is recorded both for our emulation and for our encouragement. Yet
remember that, though a brief lull may follow such a victory, the
surrender of our remaining enemies is not to be looked for; rather
must we expect a yet more determined resistance from them, seeking to
prevent any further spiritual advance by us.
"They feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the
royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men
thereof were mighty" (v. 2). We believe the Holy Spirit's design in
giving us these particulars about the Gibeonites was at least
threefold: to magnify the grace of God in subduing them unto Himself,
to account for the subsequent actions of Adonizedek, and to cast light
upon the typical significance of the sequel. In view of what we are
here told about the Gibeonites, it is the more remarkable that they
had not only made peaceful overtures unto Joshua, but had offered no
demur at taking upon them the yoke of servitude and becoming hewers of
wood and drawers of water unto Israel. Therein we should discern a
people, hostile to Him by nature, "made willing" in the day of God's
power, and the might of His grace in bringing them to submit readily
to the most exacting and pride-abasing terms. Such is the nature of
the miracle of conversion in every case: the slaying of man's awful
enmity against God, the humbling of his haughty heart, the bending of
his stubborn will, the bringing of hint to a complete surrender unto
the lordship of Christ, making him an "obedient child" (1 Pet. 1:14).
"They feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the
royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men
thereof were mighty" (v. 2). Gibeon was not only a formidable frontier
town but also the capital of that section, and such a city and
territory yielding so tamely to Israel much alarmed the king of
Jerusalem. Not only had he lost what he probably counted upon as being
a powerful ally, but he feared that other cities would follow suit, so
that he now began to tremble for his own skin. If so powerful a people
had capitulated without striking a blow, who could be expected to take
a resolute stand against Joshua and his men? Not only was he much
alarmed, but greatly chagrined and incensed against the Gibeonites,
and so resolved upon their destruction (vv. 4, 5), which indicates the
third design of the Spirit here. The "greater" the trophy which grace
secures for Christ, the more "royal" his status, the fiercer will be
the opposition which he meets with from his enemies. That is why those
whom the Lord makes the ministers of His Gospel are the chief marks of
Satan's malice. But let them not be dismayed thereby. Not only is it a
high honor to suffer for Christ's sake, but the opposition a faithful
preacher encounters is a good sign that God is using him to make
inroads into the Devil's kingdom.
"Wherefore Adonizedek king of Jerusalem sent unto Hoham king of
Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of
Lachich. and unto Debit king of Eglon, saying, Come up unto me, and
help me, that we may smite Gibeon: for it hath made peace with Joshua
and with the children of Israel" (vv. 3, 4). It will be remembered
that the Canaanitish kings whose territories lay farther to the north
and the west had previously decided to federate themselves against
Israel (Josh. 9:2), and by this time would probably be engaged in
mustering their forces for a combined assault upon them. But the
tidings of Gibeon's alliance with Joshua so intimidated and enraged
these five kings, whose cities were nearer the point which Israel had
then reached, that they decided to anticipate the plan of their
remoter fellows by falling upon Gibeon. It is likely that the king of
Jerusalem reckoned upon Joshua having his hands so full in making his
arrangements and deploying his forces to meet the impending attack of
the northern anti western armies of the Canaanites that he would be
unable to come to the relief of the Gibeonites. It therefore appeared
to be a favorable opportunity and a safe venture for these five kings
to fall upon those whom they regarded as their renegade countrymen;
yet in so doing they but accelerated their own destruction.
Verse 2 opens by saving, "That they feared greatly," yet the preceding
verse mentions no one save the king of Jerusalem, and so we would
expect it to read that "he feared greatly." While it is likely that
the plural number is designed to include his subjects, it is also
highly probable that the "they" looks forward to the four kings
mentioned in the next verse, and it intimates why they were willing to
respond to Adonizedek's call. Thus we behold again how widespread was
the terror inspired by the news of Israel's victories. Not only was
this a further fulfillment of what the Lord had announced in Exodus
23:27, and Deuteronomy 11:25, but we may perceive therein a shadowing
forth of what takes place under the proclamation of the Gospel. As we
pointed out above, the hearing of what the mighty arm of Jehovah had
wrought reacted very differently in them than in others. There was the
same opportunity for rhose kings to make their peace with Joshua as
the Gibeonites had. and their fatal refusal to do so supplies a solemn
illustration of the fact that the Gospel is "the savor of life unto
life" to those who believe and are saved, but" the savor of death unto
death" to those who reject it and are lost (2 Cor. 2:15, 16). Nor is
fear sufficient to move a sinner to throw down the weapons of his
warfare against God, as appears not only from the case before us, but
also from that of Pharaoh and of Felix who "trembled" as he listened
to Paul speaking on "judgment to come" (Acts 24:25).
Not only was Adonizedek unwilling to humble himself and make peace
with Joshua, but he was determined that none of his near neighbors
should do so, and in his persuading them to follow his policy we have
a sad instance of a strong character being able to influence others to
evil. To be a personal transgressor is bad enough, but to be a
ringleader in wickedness evinces a high degree of depravity and is
doubly damnable. Adonizedek's "Come up unto me, and help me" is to be
understood in the light of "that we may smite Gibeon," thereby
signifying that it was a duty devolving equally upon all of them. At
first one wonders what they thought would be gained by such a course:
would it not be more prudent to husband their forces for self-defense
when the army of Joshua should invade their section? Probably their
purpose was to make an object lesson of Gibeon and thereby intimidate
other cities from following their example. But the inspiring motive
which prompted the prime mover is clearly seen in the ground of his
appeal unto his fellows: "For it [Gibeon] hath made peace with Joshua
and with Israel," and as the closing words of verse 1 add, "and were
among them." Thus it was something more than an instinct of
self-preservation which moved them to act, namely a malignant spirit
against those who had united themselves with the people of God.
Thereby they had alienated themselves from their original associates
and evoked their wrath.
Declaration of War
The typical teaching of the Old Testament is one of its most striking
and blessed features. It not only demonstrates the Divine authorship
thereof, by causing the shadows to outline so accurately the coming
substance, but supplies valuable instruction for the student of the
New. We are sometimes reminded that "In the Old Testament the New is
contained, and in the New Testament the Old is explained," but there
is a danger lest we draw the inference that the latter has largely
displaced the former. This is so far from being the case that the
former casts considerable light on the latter, and supplies the keys
which unlock many of its details. Rather are the two Testaments like
the two eyes of our body--both necessary in order to complete vision,
the one complementing the other. Not only are we largely dependent
upon the prophets for an understanding of the predictions made by
Christ and through His apostles, not only is there much in the
historical books which supplies vivid illustrations and
exemplifications of the practical teaching and precepts of the
Epistles, but the ordinances and ceremonies of Judaism foreshadowed
and help to open unto us many aspects of Gospel truth. We have sought
to give prominence to this in our progress through the book of Joshua,
showing that in numerous ways its central character prefigured the
Lord Jesus, that Israel's experiences in the conquest of Canaan
adumbrated the Christian's spiritual warfare, and that both solemn and
precious evangelical pictures arc to be found therein.
During the past century there were those who rendered a valuable
service unto Christendom by the stress they laid upon the importance
and worth of the Old Testament types, and how that many incidents
recorded in its historical books set forth "the way of salvation." Yet
it is much to be regretted that they were so partial in their
selection, and that their emphases on certain particular aspects of
the way of salvation were often so disproportionate. It is indeed
blessed to point out how that Rahab was delivered from destruction and
obtained a place among the people of God by the exercise of faith, and
how that the Cities of Refuge are a blessed representation of that
security which is to be found in Christ for those who are pursued by
the Law; but it is equally striking to behold, and necessary to insist
on if the balance of truth is to be preserved, that the Gibeonites
making peace with Joshua provides just as real and striking a "Gospel
picture" as do the former. There are some of the types which more
especially magnify the grace of God; there are others which exemplify
His holiness. In the one is displayed His benevolent overtures; in the
other, the claims of His righteousness. Sometimes it is the freeness
of the Divine mercy which is stressed, at others the responsibility of
the sinner is pressed.
Those who have read critically our last six articles on the Gibeonites
(Josh. 9) may have concluded that we were guilty of contradicting
ourselves, for we began by viewing them as illustrating the character
and conduct of empty professors and hypocrites applying for union with
God's people, yet ended by regarding them as types of repentant
sinners coming to Christ and making their peace with God. It was not a
case of our forgetting what we had first pointed out, nor is there
anything inconsistent therewith in our latter remarks. There is a
fullness in God's Word which pertains not to the writings of men, and
many and varied are the "applications" which may be legitimately made
of a single passage in it. In Genesis 22. Isaac is first a type of
Christ, in his subjection to his father's will and his readiness to be
offered in sacrifice; but later he is a figure of the sinner--the ram
taking his place and dying in his stead! From Exodus 16 many striking
comparisons can be drawn between the manna and Christ as the bread of
life, yet in John 6 we find Him making some very definite contrasts
between them. Some of the characters in Scripture portray both the
unsaved and backslidden believers, nor is there anything incongruous
in their so doing. So it is with the Gibeonites: they need to be
regarded in two different relations, in accordance with the marked
change in their early and later conduct.
We must distinguish between the Gibeonites as they were moved by Satan
to act dishonestly and tempt Israel and as they were subsequently
moved by the Holy Spirit to surrender unto Joshua and made willing to
take his yoke upon them. In his natural condition the sinner is a
hypocrite, and even when he is brought sincerely to seek after Christ
not a little carnality is mingled with his efforts. There is a very
marked difference to be observed between the wily conduct of the
Gibeonites in Joshua 9:3-6, and their frankness and meekness in Joshua
9:24, 25, and equally so should there be between the "applications"
which the expositor makes of them. What follows in chapter 10 confirms
the accommodation we made of the closing verses of chapter 9. No
sooner had the Gibeonites made their peace with Joshua than the rage
of the enemy was stirred against them. Thus it is in the experience of
a saved sinner. If he be truly converted--gives Christ His rightful
place in his heart and life, making a thorough break from the
world--it is not long before he discovers that so far from his former
companions congratulating him, or being ready to emulate him, they now
turn against him and become antagonistic, persecuting him in some form
or other, seeking to bring about his downfall rather than encourage
him.
But we must take a yet closer look at those who opposed the
Gibeonites. Five kings of the Amorites combined together to destroy
them: they were not only fellow Canaanites but close neighbors. Thus
we regard them as something more than a figure of the Christian's foes
in general, namely a pointing more definitely to those whom, at first,
he does not suspect of being inimical to him. When a young convert has
broken from the ungodly he is more or less prepared for the enmity of
the profane world, but not so of the professing world: rather does he
expect that those who bear the name of Christ will he his friends.
Alas, he has to discover (in principle at least, and often literally)
that "a man's enemies are the men of his own house" (Mic. 7:6)--quoted
by our Savior in Matthew 10:36. This is yet another lesson that the
Christian has to learn in connection with his spiritual warfare, and a
particularly painful one it is. But sufficient for the disciple to be
as his Master, for we are told of our Lord that "neither did His
brethren believe in Him" (John 7:5) and that His kinsmen regarded Him
as crazy, saying "He is beside Himself" (Mark 3:21); while it was one
of His apostles who betrayed Him.
What has just been pointed out was clearly adumbrated by those who
assailed the Gibeonites. First, as already remarked, they were near
neighbors, fellow Canaanites. Second, they dwelt in the mountains
(Josh. 10:6), and it is ever to be borne in mind that there are no
meaningless details in God's Word. To inform us that these kings
resided in the mountains is only another way of saying that they
occupied high ground, that theirs was an elevated position. Sad to
say, it is often those who hold a similar place in the religious realm
who are the least friendly toward the Lord's little ones. Desiring to
have the pre-eminence, they are merciless unto any who refuse to be
subject to them--as the Sanhedrin hounded Christ to death and forbade
His ambassadors to preach in His name. The mountains are also a symbol
of pride (Isa. 40:4) with which every Diotrephes is filled (3 John).
Third, the same feature appears again in the high-sounding names of
these kings (Josh. 10:3), for Adonizedek, the prime mover, means "lord
of righteousness"; Hoham, "Jah (God) protects"; Piram, "wild" or
"fierce"; Japhia, "high" or "elevated"; Debit, "speaker" --suitable
cognomens for pretentious professors!
Adonizedek, the king of Jerusalem, sent a message unto the four kings
saying: "Come up unto me, and help me, that we may smite Gibeon"
(Josh. 10:4). Very soon after the Gibeonites had entered into their
friendly league with Israel they found the most powerful forces of
southern Canaan arrayed against them. They had done them no wrong, but
rather had shown their fellows the wisest and best course to adopt.
Yet this was the very thing which the arch-conspirator most dreaded
(vv. 1, 2). Incidentally, we may note how, at that early date,
Jerusalem exerted more or less of a dominating influence in the land
of Palestine, for not only was it its king who took the lead in this
movement, but his city was to be the gathering center for the others.
Yet apparently he had not sufficient confidence in his own forces to
act alone, so sought the cooperation of four of his fellows. Had it
been merely a matter of coming to his aid, it is to be doubted whether
they would have responded, for they were more or less rivals. Human
nature and tribal bigotry being the same then as now, it would be
self-interest which moved them to accede, and since Gibeon was "as one
of the royal cities" (v. 2) they coveted a share of its spoils.
But let us observe next the ground of Adonizedek's appeal unto his
fellows: "for it hath made peace with Joshua and with the children of
Israel" (v. 4). That which so incensed him was their union with the
people of God. It is to be duly noted that this is the third time
their "making peace" is mentioned (Josh. 9:15; 10:1), and the setting
in which the phrase occurs leaves us in no doubt as to its precise
import. It connotes a change of relationship and the complete reversal
of the old order of life. Spiritually speaking, it is our response to
the Gospel call "be ye reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:20)--cease your
enmity against Him. The very expression occurs in "Let him take hold
of My strength, that he may make peace with Me" (Isa. 27:5). It is a
complete surrendering of ourselves unto God. It is identical with
conversion, which is a thorough right-about-face. Genuine repentance
is always accompanied by reformation of conduct. The wicked must
abandon his course of self-will and self-pleasing and "return unto the
Lord" (from whom he departed in Adam's apostasy) if his sins are to be
pardoned (Isa. 55:7, and compare Prov. 28:13).
The Scriptures are full of what is deliberately and fatally omitted
from the false "evangelism" of our day, which blatantly announces that
nothing is required from the sinner except faith in Christ. But an
impenitent heart cannot savingly believe, nor is there any forgiveness
for those who are determined to continue in a course of carnality and
worldliness. "Put away the strange Gods which are among you, and
incline your heart unto the Lord God" (Josh. 24:23)--idols must be
abandoned before He can be loved and served. Repent ye therefore, and
be converted is the Divine demand. Observe well what immediately
follows: "that your sins may be blotted out" (Acts 3:19.). The same
order occurs again in Mark 4:12: "Lest at any time they should [1] be
converted, and [2] their sins should be forgiven them." That is the
order of human responsibility. "We . . . preach unto you that ye
should [1] turn from these vanities [2] unto the living God" (Acts
14:15). Again, Paul declared that his business was to turn men "from
darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God" (Acts 26:18),
and note well that precedes "that they may receive forgiveness of
sins." Likewise must a Christian cast off the works of darkness" ere
he can "put on the armor of light" (Rom. 13:12).
"Therefore the five kings of the Amorites . . . gathered themselves
together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before
Gibeon, and made war against it" (v. 5). That is set over against the
"made peace" of the preceding verse, teaching us clearly that to make
our peace with God signifies to cease fighting against Him. It also
shows that, when we do so, those who are opposed to Him will turn
against us, and that no matter how circumspectly we conduct ourselves.
It is the desire of a Christian to live amicably with all men, but he
soon has cause to say with the Psalmist, "I am for peace: but when I
speak, they are for war" (Ps. 120:7). The enemies of the Lord will not
leave alone those who wear His yoke and are joined to His people. In
uniting with Israel the Gibeonites had alienated themselves from their
heathen neighbors. The four kings offered no objection to Adonizedek's
plan, but willingly made common cause in seeking the destruction of
their fellows. What a sidelight that casts upon the character of the
Canaanites! How it serves to demonstrate their fitness to be the
objects of Jehovah's judgment! It is also to be noted that all of
these five kings were Amorites, and these were the ancient enemies of
God's people (Num. 21:21-23).
In those days it was not the custom of an invading army to make an
immediate attack upon a city, but rather to surround it and weaken its
inhabitants by a process of starvation--cutting them off from all
further supplies from without. Ancient cities were surrounded by high
and thick walls and protected by powerful gates, and to make a direct
assault at first would prove a costly undertaking. Accordingly we read
that the hosts of these kings "encamped before Gibeon." They were
evidently quite sure of themselves and had no doubt of success.
Probably they thought it unlikely that Joshua would go to the trouble
of honoring his league with the Gibeonites, and, in any case, that the
camp of Israel was too far distant for their fighting men to come up
to the relief of the besieged city; and therefore that the task would
prove a simple one. But like many others before and since, they were
to prove that "the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the
strong" (Ecclesiastes 9:11). Like Pharaoh of old, these kings had left
the Lord out of their reckoning! And they too discovered that nothing
more surely provokes Him against evil-doers and hastens their
destruction than for them to make war against those who have entered
into a covenant with Him.
But why should God permit this unprovoked attack? Why did He suffer
the Gibeonites to be so menaced? Since they had made their peace with
Him, why did He not cause the rest of the Canaanites to be at peace
with them? For a variety of reasons. First, to impress upon them their
own origin. They too were "clay of the same lump," and in the evil
conduct of their invading fellows they had a solemn reminder of what
they were by nature. By this painful method the Lord was saying to
them, "Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the
flesh . . . having no hope, and without God in the world" (Eph. 2:11,
12). It was naught but sovereign grace which made them differ from
those who sought to slay them. It is a salutary exercise of heart for
us to heed that Divine injunction, "look unto the rock whence ye are
hewn, to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged" (Isa. 51:1). Such a
look will remove pride from us; such a realization will keep us in our
proper place--in the dust before God. The Gibeonites belonged to the
same accursed race as these five kings, and it was only God's
distinguishing mercy which prevented them from sharing their doom.
Seek to remember that, Christian reader, when you are being persecuted
by the world, and ask yourself who it is that has delivered you from
being among the persecutors!
Many other answers may be returned to our question as to why God
permitted the Gibeonites to face such a situation. It was to test
their faith and make it evident unto them whether or not they now
regretted the radical step they had recently taken. Would they tell
themselves what fools they had been to antagonize their former
companions, or were they prepared to endure afflictions for the Lord's
sake? Those who heed Christ's exhortation to first sit down and "count
the cost" before enlisting under His banner will not "think it
strange" when the fiery trial comes upon them. Again, it was to make
them realize that they were living in a hostile world, as sheep in the
midst of wolves. Sooner or later each believer is made to prove that
unwelcome fact. "Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you" (1
John 3:13). It did your Master, and the more faithful you be to Him
the more fellowship will you have with His sufferings. Again, this
trial was designed to cast them back the more upon the Lord: to wean
them from any hankering they had to maintain communion with those who
were strangers to Him. Finally, it afforded an opportunity to prove
God's sufficiency: His compassion, fidelity. power.
And how did the Gibeonites react to the peril threatening them? They
did not repudiate their alliance with Israel and apologize to
Adonizedek for what he would regard as their perfidy. They did not put
their trust in the strength of the city's walls; nor did they, on the
other hand, regard their predicament as hopeless, and despairingly
await their end. Instead, "the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the
camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up
to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the
Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us"
(v. 6). Either they had advance tidings of the impending attack, and
in order to save time dispatched messengers unto Joshua, or the cordon
which their enemies had thrown around the city was not so complete as
to prevent some of their number issuing forth on their mission. Very
blessed is it to behold their conduct on this occasion. They appealed
to the one who had recently shown them mercy and spared their lives.
They had full confidence in him, neither questioning his willingness
to come to their aid nor doubting his ability to rescue them.
In appealing to Joshua for help they disavowed their self-sufficiency.
So far from proudly entertaining the idea that they were capable
themselves of repulsing the enemy, they looked to Joshua for
deliverance. Though by nature all the men of Gibeon were "mighty" (v.
2), they relied not on their own skill and valor, but humbled
themselves by applying elsewhere for assistance. Note this well, dear
reader, if you would be victorious in the fight of faith. Recognize
that the forces confronting you are far too formidable for your own
wisdom and might. Take the place of dependence and look to the
antitypical Joshua. It is in conscious weakness that our strength lies
(2 Cor. 12:10). There is no other way of becoming strong in the Lord
and in the power of His might than by utterly discounting our own
fancied competency. "To them that have no might He increaseth
strength" (Isa. 40:29). On the other hand, woe is denounced on those
who trust in chariots" (Isa. 31:1). Trust in the Lord and thou shalt
not be confounded.
Deliverance
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Ps.
46:1). In the heyday of youth, "while the evil days come not" those
words mean comparatively little unto us. As the sunshine of prosperity
is enjoyed our minds do not dwell upon the shelter provided for the
storm, Nevertheless, God has ordained that sooner or later each of His
children will be devoutly thankful that such a verse is in His Word,
and give them to prove experientially the verity and preciousness of
it. Then it is, but only then, we discover that "trouble" is a
blessing in disguise--as the dark clouds pour down showers which
refresh the parched earth. It is true that trouble does not always
issue in conscious and manifest blessing, but in such case the fault
is ours. Many of the troubles which people impiously ascribe to "bad
luck" or "misfortune are brought upon themselves by hurried decisions
or foolish conduct. But if the Christian will place the blame where it
belongs, confess to God the sinful failures which have occasioned his
trouble, and beg Him graciously to sanctify the same unto him, his
prayer will be answered, and he too will learn that the Divine Workman
can bring good out of evil.
It is very blessed to observe the climacteric emphasis in Psalm 46:1.
First, what God is in Himself: "our refuge and strength"--the One to
whom we may turn for succor and shelter; the One whose grace is
sufficient for every need. Second, what He is unto His people in
trouble, namely a real "help," for He is no "fair weather friend," but
One who may confidently be counted upon in the day of adversity and
affliction. Third, this is amplified thus: He is not only a "`help,"
but a present one: not one who is far distant, but by our
side--"closer than hands or feet." And to make it still more emphatic
and impressive "a very present help," added the Psalmist--as Spurgeon
expressed it, "more nearly present than the trouble itself." For, mark
it well, it is not merely that the Lord is a very present help in time
of trouble" as so many misquote it, but "in trouble" itself. Thus His
assistance may be counted upon with absolute certainty. He is a very
present help in trouble to enable us to bear it, to sustain us under
it, to comfort us in it, to bring us through it, yea, to sanctify the
same unto us. Thus have His people, in all ages, abundantly proved. He
was "a very present help in trouble" unto Jacob when He subdued the
enmity of Laban and Esau, to Joseph in Egypt, to the widow of
Zaraphath, to Daniel in the lions' den. And He is the same today!
No matter how cautiously we plan or discreetly we act, there is no
escaping trouble in some form or other, for man is "born unto trouble
as the sparks fly upward" (Job 5:7). How can it be otherwise: myself a
fallen and erring creature, dwelling in a world which lieth in the
wicked one? But let not that fact sour or dismay you: rather use it
for obtaining personal proof of the validity and value of the Divine
assurances. Trouble is sent not to drive us from God, but to draw us
to Him. Emulate the Psalmist: "In the day of my trouble I sought the
Lord" (Ps. 77:2)--not took matters into his own hands, seeking to put
right what was wrong, for that ends in making bad matters worse. The
believer's duty and privilege is clear: to appropriate and plead that
precious promise, "Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver
thee, and thou shalt glorify Me" (Ps. 50:15). Follow not the vain
policy of the world in attempting to forget your trouble or drown it
in pleasure, or grit your teeth and make the best of a bad job. No,
make the living God your recourse: count upon His loving-kindness and
tender pity, bear in mind His mighty power and infinite resources, so
that nothing is too hard for Him.
Does the reader say, I have called upon the Lord again and again, but
He has not removed my trouble or even mitigated it? Nor has He
promised to do so. But in Psalm 1:15, He says, "I will deliver thee,"
and is not that the same thing? No, certainly not; rather is it
something much better. There is something worse, something to be far
more dreaded, than "trouble," namely the sinful way in which we are so
prone to act while under it. The promise is "Call upon Me in the day
of trouble: I will deliver thee"--not "from it," but from thyself.
Call upon Me humbly, trustfully, perseveringly, and I will "deliver
thee"--from open rebellion against Me, from a suicide's grave, from
sinking into utter despair. But more, "and thou shalt glorify Me," by
meekly and patiently enduring what I have appointed thee, by leaning
harder upon Me, and by thus improving the trouble. This is both our
duty and privilege: "glorify ye the Lord in the fires" (Isa. 24:15).
To glorify Him should ever be our aim, whether in health or on a bed
of suffering. Let not the afflicted saint give way to self-pity and
regard himself as "the victim of circumstances," but seek grace to
rise above and be victor over them. "Wait on the Lord, be of good
courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart" (Ps. 27:14).
Trouble is not always in consequence of our wrongdoing or injudicious
conduct. So far from it, it may be caused by fidelity to Christ,
thereby stirring up against us the enmity of Satan. Such was the case
of the Gibeonites. A short time after they had made peace with Joshua,
entered into a league with him, and he had appointed them to be
servants "for the altar of the Lord," five kings of the Amorites
determined to destroy them, and "they and all their hosts . . .
encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it" (Josh. 10:5).
Whereupon we are told, "And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the
camp to Gilgal, saying, slack not thy hand from thy servants; come up
to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the
Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us"
(v. 6). Most commendable was such an action. In the hour of their need
they turned unto the one who had so graciously spared their lives and
entered into a covenant with them: they confided in his sympathy and
counted upon his ability and willingness to come to their aid. Thus it
is that Christians should ever do with the antitypical
Joshua--"casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you" (1
Pet. 5:7).
That appeal of the Gibeonites unto Joshua may be typically regarded as
the prayer of believers unto the Lord. Considered thus, it contains
valuable instruction for us. First, observe the place which they took:
"thy servants" they acknowledged themselves to be. Such language
breathed a spirit of dependence, disowning any might or sufficiency of
their own. This is what becomes us as we approach the mercy
seat--taking the place of confessed weakness, coming as empty-handed
beggars. Second, they acquainted Joshua with the desperateness of
their situation, spreading their case before him. Such is ever our
privilege: to unburden our hearts unto Him who alone can afford us
real relief. Third, they made known their request: "save us, and help
us." Logically those clauses should be reversed, but a burdened and
agitated heart pays little attention to its phrasing when dire
calamity prompts the cry for deliverance. Fourth, this appeal was
couched in terms of urgency: "slack not thy hand . . . for all the
kings of the Amorites . . . are gathered together against us." That
was not the language of dictation or of impatience, but a cry of
distress, and an appeal unto the relation which now obtained between
them and Joshua, for subservience is entitled to protection.
But there was one word in their appeal which perhaps some of our
readers would deem unsuitable for use in a prayer unto God: "Come up
quickly" begged the Gibeonites. Let God's Word determine, for to it we
must ever turn for instruction and guidance. Before referring thereto
let us bear in mind that the situation in which those men were placed
was no ordinary one, but rather were they in extremity, so that unless
effectual help reached them promptly it would be too late. Thus we are
not about to turn unto the Scriptures for something which will supply
us with a general rule to direct us on all occasions, but rather to
ascertain whether there are any prayers to God recorded therein which
intimate that it is permissible for His people to employ the language
of importunity when, to them, their case appears desperate.
Undoubtedly there are, not only in a single passage but in many. "Bow
down Thine ear to me: deliver me speedily" (Ps. 31:2), cried David.
And again, "Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation" (Ps. 38:22):
he entreated that the help might not be long in coming. "But I am poor
and needy: make haste unto me, O God" (Ps. 70:5): a desperate case
calls for timely aid.
God's time is always the best time, yet when we are sorely pressed we
may beg Him to act on our behalf without delay. "Hear me speedily, O
Lord: my spirit faileth" (Ps. 143:7). When our case is critical we may
plead its urgency. "O my God, make haste for my help" (Ps. 71:12).
Such a cry was evoked by the sore pressure of affliction, and it shows
that if real necessity justifies it we may be urgent with God. though
never out of willfulness. At a time when the enemy had come in like a
flood and the cause of God was languishing, and His people were in
sore straits, we find that Asaph prayed. "Let Thy tender mercies
speedily prevent ["meet"] us, for we are brought very low" (Ps. 79:8):
thus in dire distress it is permissible for us to ask for speed on
God's part. What is still more pertinent to this particular point is
the example of our Savior, for in the Messianic Psalms we find that He
cried, "O Lord, My strength, haste Thee to help Me" (Ps. 22:19, and
cf. 40:13). "I am in trouble; hear Me speedily" (Ps. 69:17). And
again, "In the day when I call answer Me speedily" (Ps. 102:2).
"So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with
him, and all the mighty men of valor" (v. 7). Joshua did not send a
messenger to the hard-pressed Gibeonites telling them that they must
fight their own battles or proffer the excuse that his hands were
already too full for him to intervene on their behalf. Nor did he
raise an objection against the hard journey which such an undertaking
would involve. Not thus would he mock those who were looking to him
for deliverance. Instead, he responded promptly and readily to their
pressing request. Therein we see again how blessedly Joshua prefigured
the Savior. As we read through the four Gospels, we find that the Lord
Jesus never failed to answer an appeal for help, whether that appeal
came from Jew or Gentile, rich or poor, saint or sinner. He was just
as willing to heal the servant of the Roman centurion as He was the
mother-in-law of His apostle, and to grant the request of the poor
leper as to raise Lazarus. Nor did He refuse to give an interview unto
Nicodemus because he sought Him by night, or turn a deaf ear to the
dying thief when He was experiencing the pains of crucifixion. And, my
reader, He is the same today as He was yesterday: vastly different in
the position He occupies, but unchanged in His readiness to succor the
needy.
Though we are very familiar with what has just been pointed out, and
freely acknowledge the preciousness of the same, yet every one of us
needs to be reminded of it, especially when we are hard pressed. Not
only are we ever prone to give way to an evil heart of unbelief, but
when sore trouble comes upon us we are likely to be so occupied with
it as almost to lose sight of our blessed Lord. One reason why He
sends or permits the trouble is that we may be drawn closer to Him,
and prove more fully His sufficiency to help us, no matter what
straits we may be in. As He never turned a deaf ear to any cry of
distress during the days of His flesh, nor refused to undertake for
anyone who sought His help, neither will He do so now that lie is
seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high. As He promptly
delivered Peter when he cried, "Lord save me, I perish," so will He
still thrust forth His mighty hand and rescue any believer who,
fearful that he may be drowned in a sea of troubles, calls upon Him
for relief the Gibeonites did not appeal in vain to the captain of
Israel in their emergency, nor will the Christian if he trustfully
petitions the antitypical Joshua.
"So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with
him, and all the mighty men of valor." This shows that he had learned
his lesson" or had profited from his previous failure (Josh. 7:3-6),
for now he employed at least the major part of his forces and
accompanied them in person. We say "at least the major part of his
forces." for it is most unlikely that he would leave the camp, with
all the women and children, entirely undefended. Thus this is probably
one of the many instances in Scripture where the word "all is not to
be taken absolutely, without qualification, but would here signify
battalions of the men of war from all the tribes. Herein we see Joshua
fulfilling his covenant engagement, for when those Gibeonites threw in
their lot with the people of God they came under His
protection--compare Ruth 2. And a courageous enterprise it was--very
different from the former ones. On earlier occasions, at Jericho and
at Ai, it was but a single enemy which he had to engage, but here it
was the massed forces of no less than five kings which he had now to
encounter, and they had the great advantage of being stationed in the
heights unto which he must ascend. Typically, Joshua was here a figure
of the good Shepherd going forth to rescue His imperiled sheep, and in
the "all the people of war with him" we behold the plenitude of
Christ's resources (Matthew 28:18).
"And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered
them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee"
(v. 8). We are not told that Joshua "asked counsel of the Lord" on
this occasion, nor is it at all likely that he did so. There is no
need for any to inquire what be God's will for him when his path of
duty is clearly marked out before him, as was the case here. They
having owned his dominion and submitted to his yoke, Joshua was now
under definite obligation to go to the assistance of the
Gibeonites--as the government is to safeguard its loyal subjects.
Nevertheless it is more than probable that Joshua's heart was lifted
up to trod as he prepared for his arduous and dangerous undertaking,
seeking wisdom from Him and making request for Him to grant him
success m the same. Not only is this to be inferred from all that is
recorded of the general tenor of his pious life but had Joshua now
gone forth in a spirit of independence and self-sufficiency, we can
scarcely conceive of the Holy One, under such circumstances,
vouchsafing him such a word as this. In appearing unto Joshua at this
time the Lord intimated His approval of Israel's sparing the lives of
the Gibeonites (Josh. 9:18-20) and of their venturing to deliver them
from their enemies, and accordingly He gave him this message of
encouragement and assurance.
"Fear them not." Very gracious was this. The Lord would have the heart
of His servant in perfect peace from the outset, and thus be the
better prepared for the forthcoming battle. Fear is due to unbelief,
through being occupied with the puny might of those who are arrayed
against us, instead of our faith being fixed upon the almightiness of
the One who is for us. But the Lord did more than barely exhort His
servant to banish from him the spirit of trepidation, giving him an
all-sufficient reason why tranquility of mind should now possess him:
"for I have delivered them into thine hand." Thus, here too, we are
taught that perfect peace of heart is the fruit of the mind is being
stayed upon Jehovah. "I will trust, and not be afraid, for the Lord
Jehovah is strength" (Isa. 12:2): the latter is ever the consequence
of the former--when we resolve to make Him our confidence, none will
affright us. In His "there shall not a man stand before thee" there
was a renewing of the original promise which the Lord had made unto
Joshua in Joshua 1:5. "God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this;
that power belongeth unto God (Ps. 62:11)--alas, most of us are so
dull of hearing that the message has to be repeated much oftener than
"twice" before we really believe it.
"Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, and went up from Gilgal all
night" (v. 9). First, we should observe that the assurance which the
Lord had just given Joshua was not perverted by him into an excuse for
slackness on his part, but very much the reverse. Instead of reasoning
that since victory was certain there was no need to exert himself and
his men unduly, rather were they thereby stimulated to
self-sacrificing effort. He did not wait until the morning before
starting out on the hard and hazardous mountain climb, but, setting
aside his own comfort, journeyed all through the night. Second,
therein we behold the merciful response which he made unto the urgent
request of the Gibeonites, "Come up to us quickly, and save us." He
delayed not, but promptly hastened to their relief. As Matthew Henry
pointed out, "If one of the tribes of Israel had been in danger, he
could not have shown more care and zeal for its relief than here for
Gibeon, remembering then, as in other cases, that there must be one
law for the stranger that was proselytized, as for him that was born
in the land. Third, he came upon the one "suddenly," when they were
least expecting it, probably before day had broken and ere they had
made their dispositions and taken their places, thereby throwing them
into instant confusion and consternation.
"And the Lord discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a
great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up
to Beth-horon, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah (v. 10). If
more of the servants and soldiers of Christ were willing to lose a
night's sleep in His cause, particularly in efforts to help their
distressed brethren, we should oftener behold the Lord baring His
mighty arm, showing Himself strong on their behalf. Observe how
jealous the Holy Spirit ever is in guarding the Divine glory! Joshua
was unquestionably an able strategist and those under him were "mighty
men of valor," and no doubt they acquitted themselves well on this
occasion; yet that also was of God, and therefore the honors must be
ascribed unto Him. Not only spiritual gifts, but physical powers,
natural aptitudes, mental endowments, military skill and success, are
all bestowed upon men by their Maker--"what hast thou that thou hast
not received?" This is not sufficiently recognized by us: if it were,
there would be less of idolatrous hero worship.
Miracles
The spiritual ignorance and skepticism of the day in which we are
living calls for a clear and unhesitating setting forth of the
teaching of God's Word upon this subject. It is the duty of every
preacher and Sabbath-School teacher to bring before the rising
generation what Holy Writ reveals thereon. Without any drawing upon
the imagination, yet by the use of vivid and picturesque language, it
is one which can be made deeply interesting to the young. Broadly
speaking, the miracles of the Bible are of two kinds or classes:
manifest and supernatural judgments of God upon the wicked; gracious
and mighty interpositions of God on behalf of His people. Of the
former we may instance the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by fire
from heaven: of the latter, the opening of a way through the Red Sea
so that Israel passed through dry-shod. Briefly, we would define a
miracle as a supernatural event brought about by a special act of
Divine providence, an extraordinary display of God's power. It is an
event occurring in the natural world, which is apparent to the senses
and of such a nature that it can be rationally attributed only to the
immediate act of God. As a special and more obvious interposition of
God, a miracle differs from His common or ordinary providences.
The objection made by infidels against miracles, that they are
contrary to nature and its established order, is quite pointless, for
it entirely leaves out of consideration the fact that they are due to
the direct intervention of One who is superior to those laws and can
alter the mode of their operation whenever it pleases Him. The various
ways and means by which God governs the universe demonstrate both His
freedom and His sovereignty. Matter is ruled by forms, bodies by
souls, inferior bodies by celestial, the visible world by invisible
angels, angels and souls immediately by God. Nor do the same things
always keep the same track or follow the same course. In Moses' time
the flowing sea stood up as a wall and the flinty rock flowed as a
river. In Joshua's day the glorious sun was halted in his race and
remained quite stationary for a whole day. In Elijah's life the iron
swam, and in Daniel's the fire did not burn. During Christ's ministry
there were numerous excesses of nature, actings by prerogative,
displays of the Divine glory. Such variety in the motions of nature
exhibits the perfect freedom and superintendence of nature's Lord.
Whatever philosophical difficulties miracles may present to unbelief,
the explanation which the Bible gives of them is far more rational and
satisfactory than any that human wisdom can supply. The theories and
hypotheses advanced by atheists are incredible and irrational, for
they are at once un-philosophical and unscientific. But once the
living God be postulated as their Author, One who is eternal and
almighty, infinite in wisdom and goodness, supernatural works are to
be expected. To say that miracles are "impossible" is absurd and the
acme of arrogance, for the one who makes such an assertion virtually
assumes himself to be possessed of omniscience--endowed with all
knowledge. To deny that they exist is, if possible, still worse, for
it is a deliberate closing of the eyes to that which confronts us on
every side. Creation is a miracle, for it immeasurably transcends the
capabilities and even the understanding of the natural man. The
combined wit and resources of all physicists and scientists in the
world could not create so much as a single blade of grass. No wonder
the Lord asks puny man, "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations
of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding" (Job 38:4).
The sustentation and preservation of creation is a miracle. None but
the One who gave them being could provide for and maintain such an
innumerable multitude of creatures. Even if the wise of this world
were able to bring into existence a blade of grass, they could not
keep it alive a single day if deprived of the soil, and denied the
water and sunshine which God provides. The regulation of the created
system is a miracle. Man may tamper with the clocks in his
"daylight-saving" schemes, but he cannot make the sun rise an hour
earlier or set an hour later. He may sinfully fret and fume at the
weather, but he can no more alter or modify it by any of his devices
than he can change the tides of the sea. Providence is a continuous
miracle, supplying the needs of not only a billion human beings, but
myriads of animals, the birds of the air and the denizens of the deep.
"Thou openest Thine hand, they are filled with good. Thou hidest Thy
face, they are troubled" (Ps. 104:28, 29) -- so dependent is the world
on its Maker's bounty. Man may attempt to "ration," but when God calls
for a famine he is helpless before it.
Strictly speaking, a miracle is something more than an unusual
occurrence or mysterious prodigy, for the effects of the electric
telegraph had been such unto those who lived a thousand years ago, but
today they are explainable by natural laws. Contrariwise, the more
fully a real miracle be comprehended the more evident it is that such
a phenomenal effect is above all the powers of nature, and must be
attributed to an immediate act of God's intervention. Nor are we
justified in regarding such interventions as anarchical infractions of
nature's order, but rather as the interposition of the Divine will,
directing events unto the outworking of His purpose, every miracle
being wrought in strict accord with His decrees. As the Westminster
Confession so admirably expresses it, "God in His ordinary providence
maketh use of means, yet is free to work without [Hosea 1:7], above
[Romans 4:19], and against [2 Kings 6:6; Daniel 3:27] them at His
pleasure." It must not be thought that the Creator has brought into
existence a system or instituted such laws as tie His own hands. No,
"Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did He in heaven, and in earth, in
the seas, and all deep places" (Ps. 135:6).
Great care needs to be taken how we employ such expressions as
"nature" and "the laws of nature," for they were coined by those who
had no knowledge of or faith in the living God, and are commonly used
by men who would exclude the thought of God's immediate presence and
power in the universe. But the Scriptures teach us to see the hand of
God operating directly in all that is attributed to "natural causes"
by the skeptics. The Christian rejects the idea that the universe is
naught but a vast machine which works involuntarily, necessarily and
uniformly. Instead he acknowledges a present God in providence as well
as creation. As he admires the flowers which spring from the tiny
seeds, renewing the original grace and beauty of the parent plant, he
traces the immediate influence of the Creator, as truly and as much as
in making Aaron's rod to bud (Num. 17:8). Nor is the vegetating of the
seed any less a Divine work and marvel because it is multiplied by
millions and repeated year by year for successive ages. What unbelief
terms "the course of nature" is but the agency of God. He is operating
on the right hand and on the left, constantly maintaining and
directing all things, though men discern Him not. Without Him "not a
sparrow falls to the ground."
That the so-called "laws of nature" are being continually modified in
their action by the intervention of Divine will appears plainly in the
marked differences in the weather from year to year. Though Lewis be
situated so far to the west, this writer has witnessed snow lying on
the ground during July! That is, of course, very exceptional, but it
illustrates what has just been said, as do also the frequent
falsifications of the "weather prophets," even of those who claim that
it "runs in cycles." The same thing is exhibited in the longevity of
different individuals: not only do no two centenarians give the same
recipe for the attaining of old age, but many of them have been of
frail physique and delicate constitution, and if naught but physical
properties and laws determine the event, then the strongest should
live the longest and the weakest die early. The material world abounds
in such exceptions. "Cut off a snail's head and' it will grow out
again; cut off a crab's head, but it will not grow out again. Cut off
a crab's claw and it will grow out again, but cut off a dog's leg and
it will not grow out again" (Roget: Physiology).
Why such marked variations in the seasons? Why such disparity in the
health and mentality of members of the same family? Why those
differences in the operation of the very same properties and laws of
animal substance? "It is as easy for God to turn nature out of its
settled course as it was to place it in the station it holds and the
course it runs" (Charnock). Verily, "He hath done whatsoever He hath
pleased" (Ps. 115:3). Rightly did R. Haldane argue, "To affirm that a
suspension or alteration of the laws of nature is impossible is to
confer on them the attribute of Deity, and to declare they are
supreme; and having no superior, precludes the existence of God as
well as miracles, or it represents Him as subordinate to His own laws"
(Evidence and Authority of Revelation, Volume 1). We say again that
what is called the course of nature" is nothing but the direct agency
of God, the exercise of His will, wisdom and power. "Nature" would
cease to move were its Maker to withdraw His energy from it. It can no
more operate of itself than it could produce itself. Those laws by
which God usually conducts the government of the material creation
were originally adjusted by Him, are now preserved by His power and
are deviated from whenever He pleases.
"And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel and were in the
going down to Beth-horon, that the Lord cast down great stones from
heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died
with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the
sword" (Josh. 10:11). It will be recalled that when the Gibeonites
made their peace with Joshua and entered into a league with him, five
kings of the Amorites gathered their armies together and made war upon
their capital. They sent to Joshua an urgent appeal for help, which he
answered at once by marching at the head of his men through the night.
Coming upon the Canaanites unexpectedly, and probably before they had
made their dispositions and appointed sentries, they threw them into
consternation. Moreover, "the Lord discomfited them before Israel, and
slew them with a great slaughter," thereby signifying His approval of
Israel's sparing the lives of the Gibeonites by now giving them the
most glorious victory in all their wars. As the remaining Amorites
fled the Lord employed against them the artillery of heaven, which
demonstrates how hopeless is the case of those who have Him for their
enemy.
In casting down the great stones of hail upon the Amorites we may
observe what a variety of means God uses in executing His will. In
overwhelming the antediluvian world He employed a deluge of rain; in
the destruction of Sodom, fire from heaven; in the overthrow of
Pharaoh and his hosts at the Red Sea, by removing the wheels of their
chariots and drowning them. Therein we behold His sovereignty
exemplified, as it is too in ministering unto His people. This was not
the first time God made the hail a messenger of judgment, for He did
so in the seventh plague upon Egypt (Ex. 9:22-26). Many of the
premillenarians believe that "hail" will be one of the weapons again
used by God in His judgments on the earth (Rev. 16:21). This awful
visitation on the Canaanites had been foretold: "Hast thou seen the
treasures of the hail, which I have reserved . . . against the day of
battle and war?" (Job 38:22, 23)--Job was probably written before
Joseph's birth.
There are three things which were singular and striking about the hail
in Joshua 10. First, its great size: second, its force and
efficacy--being like bullets from a machine gun, slaying men outright.
Occasionally, we have read of hail of unusual dimensions, which did
great damage to crops and cattle, but not of it effecting such
wholesale slaughter of human beings as on this occasion. Third, its
discrimination--none of the Israelites being killed! This is the
feature which most evidently evinced the miraculous nature of this
hail. Though Joshua's men must have been in close combat with the
Canaanites and more or less mixed up with them as they pursued them,
none of the deadly missiles fell on God's people. This was even more
remarkable than what occurred under the seventh plague, for whereas
the Lord then sent it throughout all the land of Egypt, none fell in
Goshen (Ex. 9:26); but here it fell all round the Israelites, yet
without one of them being harmed--illustrating that word, "A thousand
shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it
shall not come nigh thee" (Ps. 91:7).
There is probably an allusion to this miracle and others of a similar
nature in Psalm 18:13, 14, both passages speaking of "The Lord
discomfited them . . . and chased them," and mentioning the hail.
There was no escaping His wrath. Hopeless is the plight of all who
provoke Him. When the appointed hour of His vengeance arrives, none
can deliver himself. Thus will it be with everyone who mocks Him and
persecutes His people. They shall discover, to their eternal undoing,
that it is "a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."
That more died from the hailstones than Israel slew with the sword
made good God's word unto Joshua, "Thine eyes have seen all that the
Lord your God hath done unto these two kings: so shall the Lord do
unto all the kingdoms whither thou passest Ye shall not fear them: for
the Lord your God He shall fight for you" (Deut. 3:21, 22). And to Him
may the Christian look in his spiritual warfare, and "if God be for
us, who can be against us?"
The opening verses of Psalm 44 supply a striking and blessed
commentary upon what has been before us. "We have heard with our ears,
O God, our fathers have told us, what work Thou didst in their days,
in the times of old. How Thou didst drive out the heathen with Thy
hand, and plantedst them; how Thou didst afflict the people, and cast
them out. For they got not the land in possession by their own sword,
neither did their own arm save them: but Thy right hand, and Thine
arm, and the light of Thy countenance, because Thou hadst a favor unto
them." This was a God-honoring acknowledgment. Canaan was His gift
unto Israel, and He put them in possession of it. Their warriors,
indeed, were not inactive, but it was the light of His countenance
which inspired them with valor. God was the Conqueror of Canaan.
Without His power working in and for them, all their efforts had been
in vain. By employing the artillery of heaven against the five kings
the Lord made this the more evident.
And what is the application which we are to make of the same? First,
give unto the Lord the honor which is due to Him, and freely ascribe
our victories unto Him. Whatever success be ours, it is wholly due to
the might and goodness of God. Without His blessing all our endeavors
would be useless. Second, recognize and own His sovereign grace to be
the fount from which proceed all His actings on our behalf; "because
thou hadst a favor unto them." Third, make known to our children the
miracle-working power of God, especially what He has wrought for us.
Fourth, count upon Him undertaking for us: He is the same almighty God
and Savior now as then! What we read of in Scripture and have heard
from our fathers should strengthen faith, encourage prayer, stimulate
hope: "Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob" (Ps.
44:4). Thou art my sovereign Lord, my sure Defense against all
enemies, my all-sufficient Redeemer. Intervene on my behalf, confound
my foes, grant me the victory. Thou hast but to speak and it is done,
to "command" and it standest fast.
"And the Lord discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a
great slaughter" (Josh. 10:10). Therein we behold a solemn
exemplification of Christ's utterances in Matthew 18:6, "But whoso
shall offend one of these little ones that believe in Me, it were
better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that
he were drowned in the depth of the sea." Jehovah had previously acted
in accordance with that principle in connection with Egypt, for it was
because Pharaoh oppressed and afflicted the Hebrews so sorely that his
land and people were visited by the ten great plagues. And now the
five kings of Canaan had provoked the Most High by their assault upon
Gibeon (vv. 4, 5), for its inhabitants had made peace with Joshua and
with the children of Israel, entering into a league with them, and
thereby coming under the Lord's protection. As pointed out in a
previous article, the Gibeonites are to be regarded as young converts,
and in seeking their destruction the Amorites had affronted God
Himself, for as the prophet assured His people, "he that toucheth you
toucheth the apple of His eye" (Zech. 2:8, and cf. Acts 9:1, 4). Many
of those Amorites had fallen beneath the sword of Israel, but a still
greater number died under the great hailstones which the Lord cast
upon them from heaven (v. 11). In whatever direction they fled the
vengeance of God overtook them, for as Isaiah 28:21, informs us, the
Lord acted in "wrath" with them.
A great number of the Canaanites had fallen, but the remnant of their
armies continued in flight. Joshua was reluctant that complete victory
should be prevented by failing daylight, and though he and his men had
marched all through the preceding night (v. 9) in hastening to the
relief of the sorely menaced Gibeonites, so that he could spring a
surprise attack upon their invaders, and though they had been engaged
in fighting and pursuing the retreating foe over the mountain passes,
yet he was loath to call a halt before his task was completed. We
therefore behold him, next, supplementing his self-sacrificing
diligence by a remarkable display of faith: "he said in the sight of
Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the
valley of Ajalon" (v. 12). From the natural standpoint that appears
like the act of a madman, and even from a spiritual aspect it seems to
be the height of presumption. Yet it was neither the one nor the
other: rather was it the exercise of full confidence in a
miracle-working God. Faith must not be judged by the standards of
carnal reason.
But, it may be asked, must not faith have something solid to rest
upon, some word of God's to lay hold of and direct it? Generally, yes;
but not necessarily something specific in every instance. For example,
when David committed his fearful sin in connection with Uriah, no
provision was made for such a case, nor had he any promise from God
which he could plead. What then did he do? Psalm 51 reforms us. He
cast himself upon the known character of his God. No sacrifice was
appointed under the law for murderers, and therefore the guilty one
here acknowledged, "Thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it"
(v. 16). What then? "According unto the multitude of Thy tender
mercies blot out my transgressions" (v. 1) was his plea. And Psalm
32:5, shows it prevailed! Again, when Daniel was cast into the lions
den, so far as the Scripture informs us he had no definite word from
God of deliverance, yet he was delivered and that "because he believed
in his God" (Josh. 6:23)--without any specific promise to appropriate
to his case, Daniel's faith confided in the power and sufficiency of
his God to extricate him from his perilous position; and the Lord did
not confound him. Of course not! It is always safe to trust Him.
In the present instance there is little room for doubt that Joshua had
an extraordinary impulse or impression made on his heart by the Holy
Spirit, for that alone will satisfactorily account for so pious a man
asking God to do this unprecedented thing, as it alone explains why He
granted such an unheard-of request. It may be objected that nothing is
here said of Joshua making any request. Neither are we told in 1 Kings
17 that Elijah made request of the Lord that there should be a
drought, yet James 5:17, informs us that he did: "he prayed earnestly
that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of
three years and six months." But further, let it be duly noted, we are
reformed that "Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord
delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel" (v. 12).
Surely that confirms the thought expressed at the opening of this
paragraph, that Joshua acted here in response to an extraordinary
impulse from above, as was not infrequently the case with eminent
servants of God during the Old Testament era.
"Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up
the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight
of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon, and thou, Moon, in the
valley of Ajalon." The two things, it will be noted, are here joined
together, and their order intimates their relationship. The inspired
record here is too brief to justify dogmatic assertions. To us it
appears that Joshua asked God's permission so to command the sun, or
that while he communed with Him he received corn mission to do so. As
Matthew Henry pointed out, "The prayer had not been granted by the
Divine power, if it had not been dictated by the Divine grace. God
wrought this faith in him and then said `According to thy faith,' and
to the prayer of faith `be it unto thee.' It cannot be imagined,
however, that such a thing as this should have entered into his mind
if God had not put it there. A man would have a thousand projects in
his head for the completing of the victory, before he would have
thought of desiring the sun to stand still; but even in the Old
Testament saints `the Spirit made intercession according to the will
of God.' What God will give, He inclines the hearts of His praying
people to ask, and for what He will do, He will be inquired of (Ezek.
36:37)."
Not only was Joshua's ordering of the sun to stand still a glorious
exhibition of his faith and implicit confidence in God, but it also
manifested his zeal in the service of God. This appears more plainly
if we bear in mind what has already received our notice, namely that
he had engaged in a tiring uphill march all through the previous
night, and then had been employed in fighting from early dawn till
late that day, for the terms of this double command to the celestial
luminaries intimate that the sun was then near the hour of its
setting, and the moon of rising. Yet instead of now welcoming a
respite, and an opportunity to rest himself and his men, his heart
longed for the prolongation of the hours of daylight, so that he might
complete his task and utterly exterminate the enemy. How blessedly he
here typed out the One who declared by the Spirit of prophecy "the
zeal of Thine house hath eaten me up" (Ps. 69:9)! In its practical
application unto ourselves this detail makes it evident that there
must be unwearied efforts put forth by us in our spiritual warfare and
that we are not to rest satisfied with partial victories, but must
continue fighting until complete success is ours. No doubt Joshua and
his men found "they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their
strength" (Isa. 40:31), and so shall we, if we do likewise.
"He said in the sight of all Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon
Gibeon." To express himself thus before all his army evinced how
strong was the assurance of his faith. Joshua was not afraid that the
Lord would put him to confusion before the people. Confident that God
had inspired his cry, he doubted not that it would be answered. It was
to the Almighty, the creator of the sun and moon, that he looked, and
with Him all things are possible. Doubtless, he counted too on
Jehovah's special favor unto His covenant people. Moreover, He had
said; "I have delivered them into thine hand" (v. 8), and therefore
the remaining Amorites must not be allowed the opportunity of escaping
under the shelter of nightfall. Looking higher: what anointed eye can
fail to see in his action here a striking adumbration of Christ as the
miracle-worker, who, by His many wonders and signs, gave proof that He
was not only the promised Messiah, but none other than God, manifest
in flesh. How vividly does Joshua's staving the planets in their
courses remind us of that One who had such command over the elements
that His disciples marveled saying, "What manner of man is this, that
even the winds and the sea obey Him!" (Matthew 8:27).
"And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had
avenged themselves upon their enemies" (v. 13). This is one of the
favorite passages which infidels scoff at. Wise in their own conceits,
they affirm that for such a thing to happen as is here recorded is
contrary to science and philosophy. We do not propose to waste any
time in replying to them. It was long ago pointed out by Bishop
Watson, "The machine of the universe is in the hand of God, and He can
stay the motion of any part, or of the whole, with less trouble than
any of us can stop a watch." If a human engineer can slow the speed of
an express train by putting on the brake, and bring it to a complete
standstill by cutting off the steam, what cannot the Divine engineer
do with any ponderous body which He has Himself set in motion. The sun
is but an instrument, made by God to perform His good pleasure. That
He is in no wise dependent upon or limited by it is clear from the
fact that light existed and the earth was clothed with vegetation
before the sun was made (Gen. 1.)! By the miracles of Joshua 10:13,
and Isaiah 38:8, the Most High demonstrated that the daily rising and
setting of the sun is not from a blind instinct of nature, and that He
controls its course: "which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not"
(Job 9:7).
"And the sun stood still." Here, as in many other passages, we are
taught that the Lord God has a superintendence over all the creatures
of His hand. He sends forth His imperious commands not only unto
angels and men (Dan. 4:35), but to the birds of the air (1 Kings 17:4)
and to the wild beasts (Dan. 6:22), yea, to inanimate things. He
issues His edicts to the clouds and to the light of the sun and they
promptly submit and obey. He addresses the light as though it were a
rational creature: He commands it not to shine and it shines not. The
host of heaven, as well as the inhabitants of the earth, are entirely
at His disposal. The whole course of nature moves or stands still at
the mere will of its Maker. As the sun stood still at His word through
Joshua, so at His fiat it went backward in the days of Hezekiah (Isa.
38:8), and it is by His orders that the same sun, at any time,
withdraws its genial beams and is muffled up with dark vapors. "With
clouds He covereth the light; and commandeth it not to shine by the
cloud that cometh bewixt" (Job 36:32).
Those who profess to believe in an omnipotent God do but betray their
crass folly when they attempt to reason, and conclude that He either
cannot or does not exercise His power in other ways than those known
to our very limited experience. It is true that the sun rises and
proceeds in a natural course, yet only by Divine commission. Though
nothing in nature be more constant than the rising of the sun, God can
suspend its motion whenever He likes. He who at first commanded it to
rise can easily countermand it. What is swifter in motion than the
sun? All creatures upon earth are but slugs in comparison; the eagle
of the air but a snail. Yet God can stop it instantly. When He sends
forth His prohibition it cannot stir a foot till He removes that
prohibition. It shone not for three days upon Egypt (Ex. 10:22). Since
He can stop the sun from shining what cannot He do! Great indeed is
God's power: equally great is His goodness, which causes the sun to
shine upon the evil and unthankful when it is in His power to withhold
it. How little is that realized by the world! O that men would praise
the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works unto the
children of men.
Nothing is more "natural" than the succession of the four seasons;
nevertheless, there is so great diversity and such marked inequality
between summer and summer and winter and winter (even in the same part
of the earth) that it is obvious to all enlightened minds that each is
controlled and regulated by a new and particular providence of God. It
was indeed wonderful that when a blind beggar cried, "Son of David,
have mercy on me," Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called,"
and healed him (Mark 10:48, 49). Behold there "the Sun of
righteousness" stayed in His course by the appeal of a poor sinner!
There are some who think the action of Joshua in this amazing incident
foreshadowed Christ at His second coming when He saves Israel,
appealing to Zechariah 14:7: that in the day of the Lord's battle with
the nations "it shall come to pass that at evening time it shall be
light," upon which, at present, this writer has no definite opinion,
either pro or con; having learned from long experience to be very
chary of prophetical speculations. Sufficient for him to know that
whatever the Lord has purposed, promised, or threatened concerning His
future dealings with the earth will certainly come to pass.
Rather would we dwell upon the practical message which this miracle
has for us today. The Christian's confidence in the Lord ought to be
greatly strengthened by a pondering of the same. Though God no longer
halts the sun in its course, yet He does many remarkable things in
answer to the believing supplications of His people. When George
Muller was crossing the Atlantic to fulfill an important preaching
engagement, his ship. was delayed by a dense fog off the coast of
Newfoundland. Said he to the captain," I have never yet been late for
an appointment: let us go to prayer." The fog lifted almost
immediately and the ship arrived in port on time! When entering our
train from Chicago to Pittsburgh (April 1931) we encountered a
Christian lady in distress. The porter had wrongly put her into an
express, which would carry her hundreds of miles beyond her
destination; and the ticket collector informed her that there was no
possibility of the train halting at her village. The writer and his
wife reminded her that nothing is too hard for God. We had special
prayer, and were able to assure her that the Lord would stop the
train. Some hours later she was told to get ready, and it stopped for
a few seconds. Some of our readers in Pennsylvania will recall this
incident, for they saw the letter of thanks which Mrs. Pink received,
telling of how the experience had brought her to trust more fully in a
miracle-working God.
"And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had
avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book
of Jasher"? (v. 13). The book of Jasher is generally thought to be the
same as "the book of the wars of the Lord" mentioned in Numbers 21:14.
A further reference is made to it in 2 Samuel 1:18. Apparently it was
a book in which were chronicled outstanding events in the fighting of
Israel. The fact that this miracle was recorded in such a book during
the lifetime of Joshua not only indicates the deep impression which
this phenomenon had made upon the minds of the people but attests its
verity. As at a later date Israel sang, "Saul hath slain his
thousands, and David his tens of thousands," so they would recite this
memorable deed of Joshua's which had an effect upon the whole frame of
nature, producing an alteration therein. What is still more important,
this miracle is referred to in the inspired writings of the prophets:
"The sun and moon stood still in their habitation" (Hab. 3:11). As a
miracle is of Divine causality--an event wrought in the external world
by the immediate power of God--so miracles are authenticated by Divine
testimony--usually by at least "two witnesses."
Remarkable as was this event, it by no means stands entirely alone in
a class by itself. We have already alluded to Exodus 10:22, and Isaiah
38:8, and would further compare the statement that "the stars in their
courses fought against Sisera" (Judg. 5:20), and also the star which
miraculously moved and led the wise men from the East to the house
where the infant Savior then was (Matthew 2.). But let us also point
out the mystical interpretation which may be legitimately made of what
has been before us. As God controls the movements of the sun, causing
it to shine brightly or to be overcast with dark clouds, so it is with
spiritual light. Those parts of Africa and Asia upon which the Sun of
righteousness shone so blessedly during the first three centuries of
this Christian era have since been under the black dominion of
Mohammedanism, and such lands as Italy and Spain, which were favored
with the glorious light of the Gospel in the days of Paul, have long
languished under the darkness of popery. On the other hand, heathen
lands are now being evangelized. God orders spiritual light and
darkness as truly as the natural.
What most impresses us in connection with this miracle is the clear
demonstration which it affords of the supremacy of God and His
absolute control of all creatures. There was no power in Joshua nor
any extraordinary dispensation committed him to exert such an
influence upon the whole frame of nature as to produce so great an
alteration therein. No, it is clear that he had a Divine warranty to
speak that which he knew Jehovah Himself was about to effect. He first
addressed himself to Him in prayer, then received assurance from Him,
and then at his word the heavenly bodies remained stationary for many
hours. Therein we behold how the living God is both the alpha and
omega, the first cause and the last end, the wise contriver and the
sure moderator of everything, to His own glory, according to the
counsel of His own will. Thus will faith perceive the wisdom, goodness
and power of God in every event. Anything short of that is virtual
atheism, which gives God no place in His dominion over the world.
Writing on Joshua 10:13, John Gill said, "How this is to be reconciled
with the Copernican system or that with this, I shall not inquire."
Wise man not to pretend to understand what has not been Divinely
revealed. Wiser still in refusing to allow the theorizings of a
Prussian astronomer to cast doubt on what He has made known, or to
suggest an interpretation which "harmonizes" the same with the
hypothesis of "science falsely so called" (1 Tim. 6:20).
Makkedah
"And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had
avenged themselves upon their enemies" (Josh. 10:13). Therein
demonstration was made of the absolute supremacy and invincible might
of Jehovah. Three great miracles were wrought that day by the Lord on
behalf of his people, for they are explainable by naught but Divine
causation. First, there had been the great hailstones that God had
cast down from heaven, and which were remarkable for their magnitude,
their efficacy and their discrimination--more of the Amorites dying
from them than by the sword of Israel, and so directed that none of
the latter were even injured by them. Second, the sun standing still
in mid heaven, and remaining so for "almost a whole day." Third, the
staying of the moon in her course, for it is to be noted that Joshua
(as the type of Christ) had addressed her directly: "Sun, stand thou
still upon Gibeon, and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon" (v.
12)--evidently he did not believe that the two bodies acted so
automatically m conjunction that it was unnecessary to give distinct
command unto the latter, for in such case he would have spoken only to
the sun. It was therefore a different and additional miracle that the
moon also "stayed," as is further evident by the Holy Spirit's
separate mention of each in verse 13.
It is exceedingly solemn to observe that these extraordinary displays
of God's power were judgments upon the Canaanites, and that like the
great deluge in the days of Noah, the destruction of the cities of the
plain by fire from heaven, and the fearful plagues upon Egypt, the
miracles of Joshua 10 were interpositions of Jehovah for the express
purpose of destroying the wicked. This presents to us an aspect of the
Divine character which, in the vast majority of pulpits, has been
deliberately ignored and suppressed for the past fifty years, until
the Deity of Holy Writ is now, even in Christendom, "the unknown God."
Those miracles make it clearly evident that God's holiness is as real
as His grace, His justice as His mercy, His wrath as His love; and
they require to be given equal prominence in the preaching of those
who profess to be His ministers. They were so by the Divine Preacher:
neither prophet nor apostle spoke so plainly or so frequently as did
Christ upon the fearful portion awaiting the lost: such expressions as
"the wrath of God," the "damnation of hell," "the furnace of fire
[where] there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth," the "worm that
dieth not and the fire that is not quenched," were upon His lips much
oftener than "the love of God."
It is the lamentable and patent dishonesty of so many pulpits during
the past two or three generations that is so largely responsible for
the moral corruption of our nation today. Of old the Lord complained
of those in Israel "whose lips should keep knowledge," that "ye have
not kept My ways, but have been partial in the Law" (Mal. 2:9), and
thus has history repeated itself. Instead of declaring "all the
counsel of God" (Acts 20:27), unfaithful men dwelt only on those
portions of the Truth which made for their own popularity,
deliberately omitting whatever would be unpalatable to their
unregenerate hearers. Such a one-sided portrayal was made of the
Divine character that the Most High was not held in awe; the moral law
was relegated unto the Jews, so that sin became to be regarded
lightly; and the soothing opiate that God loves everybody took away
all fear of the wrath to come. Thousands of thinking men forsook such
an effeminate ministry, and those who continued under it were lulled
soundly asleep. The children of the former, for the most part, grew up
entirely godless; while those of the latter believed in a "god" which
is the figment of a sickly sentimentality. And, my reader, where there
is no reverence of God and respect for His Law, there will never be
genuine regard for human law.
In consequence of such widespread perfidy on the part of the
"churches," and the disastrous effects thereof upon the community, an
insulted and incensed God is now dealing with Christendom, not in
grace, but in judgment! Never was an error so plainly exposed as
"Dispensationalism" has been during our lifetime. So far from the
"silent heaven" of Sir Robert Anderson and his school, the heavens
have been thundering loudly. Instead of this Christian era differing
from all previous ones, by an exemption from open displays of God's
anger, it has been, and still is, marked by such with increasing
frequency and severity. True, the Day of Salvation has not yet
expired, the way of deliverance from the everlasting burning is still
available for every individual who accepts the free offer of the
Gospel; nevertheless, God has a controversy with those who have
slighted His authority and ignored the claims of His righteousness. It
is an obvious fact that His judgments have fallen the heaviest upon
those parts of the earth which have enjoyed the most spiritual light
but deliberately closed their eyes to it. He has ceased using the
"still small voice" of winsomeness, and has been speaking loudly in
the earthquake and the fire (1 Kings 19).
"And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord
hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel" (v.
14). Those words supply definite confirmation of our remarks upon
verse 12, that these miracles were wrought by God in answer to the
supplication of His servant--he had at first addressed himself unto
the Lord in private, and then, in the hearing of Israel, to the
luminaries of heaven. Therein we behold the amazing condescension of
the Most High, that he deigns not only to listen to the voice of His
creatures, but also to respond to their appeals. It should be pointed
out that, as so often in Scripture, the language of this verse is
relative and not absolute--both before and since then God has often
listened to the voice of man, but not to the extent of altering the
movement of the whole planetary system. In this extraordinary instance
we may perceive how, once more, the Lord made good His promise to
Joshua, in Joshua 3:7, and, as the man whom He delighted to honor,
further "magnified him in the sight of all Israel." The final clause
of the verse tells us why Jehovah so acted on this occasion--to make
it still more evident that He was the Captain of Israel's armies, and
that when He laid bare His mighty arm none of their enemies could
stand before Him. These supernatural phenomena must have made a deep
impression upon the surrounding nations, especially those given to the
study of astronomy.
"And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to
Gilgal" (v. 15). This verse is by no means free of difficulty, for in
view of what is recorded in verses 17-20 it would appear that both
Joshua and his men remained for some time in the vicinity of Gibeon;
while verse 21 is still more definite--"and all the people returned to
the camp to Joshua at Makkedah." Moreover, as Scott pointed out, "It
is most unlikely that Joshua would march his army twenty or thirty
miles in the midst of victory"--especially after marching all the
previous night and being so strenuously engaged that supernaturally
prolonged day. The absence of the word "Then" at the beginning of the
verse precludes the necessity of our understanding it to mean that
they returned immediately unto "the camp to Gilgal"; and since
identically the same statement is made in verse 43, we regard this in
verse 15 as being said by way of anticipation and not as something
then accomplished. Ultimately they returned there: to acquaint the
congregation with their victory, to render public thanks to God, and
to resume and complete their preparations for the northern campaign
(Josh. 11:1-7). Note well the "all Israel with him," which was yet
another miracle--not one had been killed by the hail or slain by the
Canaanites!
"But these five kings fled, and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah"
(v. 16). These were the same kings mentioned in verse 3, who had
determined upon the destruction of Gibeon. That very morning they had
proudly stood at the head of their armies, only to see them utterly
routed and almost annihilated, not only by the sword of Israel but
also by the artillery of heaven. The tables had indeed been turned
with a vengeance, as the opening "But" of the verse is designed to
emphasize. Instead of seeking to rally the remnants of their armies
and leading their men in a final stand, they were panic-stricken, and
ignominiously took to their heels in an attempt to preserve their own
lives. They must have realized that more than human forces were
arrayed against them, and, filled with terror, they sought to escape
the avenger. Doubtless they cherished the hope that the darkness which
was due would aid their escape, and they must have been utterly
dismayed by the supernatural prolongation of the daylight. They had
traveled quite a distance from Gibeon, but the relentless chase of
those who sought their death still continued (v. 10).
The "cave" incidents recorded in the Scriptures are of considerable
variety. The first one noticed was the place of unmentionable
degradation on the part of Lot and his daughters after their merciful
deliverance from Sodom (Gen. 19:30-38). The next is where Abraham
honorably purchased the field of Ephron, wherein was a cave which
became the burial place of his wife Sarah (Gen. 23:17, 19), as another
was the temporary sepulcher of Lazarus (John 11:38)--not so the
Savior's, whose holy body was laid in a new tomb "hewn out in the
rock" (Matthew 27:60). In the cave of Adullam, David and his loyal
followers found asylum from the murderous designs of Saul. At a later
date another cave provided shelter for fifty of the Lord's prophets,
when Obadiah hid them from the wicked Jezebel (1 Kings 18:4), to which
allusion is made in Hebrews 11:38. The final reference is in
Revelation 6 when in the great day of the Lamb's wrath--of which
Joshua 10 provided a faint adumbration, for in that day too the
heavenly bodies shall be affected--the kings of the earth and the
great men shall hide themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the
mountains, and shall say unto them, "Fall on us, and hide us from the
face of Him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb"
(vv. 12-17).
"And it was told Joshua, saying, The five kings are found hid in a
cave at Makkedah" (v. 17). We may perhaps connect this verse with the
fifteenth, and understand by its language simply that Joshua had
planned to return at once unto Gibeon. Before actually carrying out
his design, apparently, he determined to make sure that vengeance had
been executed upon the ringleaders of the unprovoked attack upon
Gibeon. The fact that Joshua was here told that these kings were
"found" suggests that he had given instructions to make search, and
ascertain whether the five kings were among those captured, or if
their corpses could be identified upon the field of battle. Whether it
was some of his own men who had succeeded in locating the fugitives,
and now acquainted Joshua with their hiding place, or Canaanitish
traitors who had observed their taking refuge in this cave, and
desired to ingratiate themselves with Joshua by turning "informers,"
we know not the bare fact alone is stated: their attempt at
concealment had failed. It is to be borne in mind that they were
endeavoring to escape not only the sword of Israel, but the vengeance
of God--for "the Lord fought for Israel" (v. 14) and concealment from
Him was impossible.
"And Joshua said, Roll great stones upon the mouth of the cave, and
Set men by it for to keep them" (v. 18). Observe the collectedness of
Israel's leader even in the heat of battle. Instead of being elated
and excited by the tidings he had just received, or perturbed because
it conflicted with his intention of returning forthwith to Gibeon, he
calmly gave orders which would effectively prevent the escape of the
kings, securing them in the cave until such time as would be
convenient for them to be brought before him and dealt with as they
deserved, for the next two verses indicate that information had also
just been received that Israel's task on this occasion had not yet
been completed. "The kings escaped the hailstones and the sword, only
to be reserved to a more ignominious death; for the cave in which they
took shelter became first their prison and then their grave" (T.
Scott). Very similar was this to the case of Pharaoh, who survived the
ten plagues upon the land of Egypt, that he might be a greater and
more notable memorial of God's wrath and power. Both instances supply
illustrations of that solemn declaration, "The Lord knoweth how . . .
to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished" (2 Pet.
2:9).
"And stay ye not, but pursue after your enemies, and smite the
hindmost of them; suffer them not to enter into their cities: for the
Lord your God hath delivered them into your hand" (v. 19). When
directing the battle against the King of Ai it appears that Joshua
stood on some eminence where he could be seen by his men and from
which he issued his orders (Josh. 8:18, 26). But on this occasion they
were in a mountainous section of Canaan where the terrain was much
more broken, which precluded such a policy. It is clear from verse 10
that after the principal engagement the Amorites fled in several
directions. Possibly the main body of those who took to their heels
had been slain, and Joshua concluded that the death-dealing hail had
accounted for the remainder, and had therefore commenced preparations
for the return to their headquarters. But the information he had
recently received caused him to change his plans, and to issue the
above order. His "stay ye not" implies that there had been a pause,
and he now gave this word to stimulate his men unto a final effort.
Well as they had done, and weary as they might be, this was no time to
relax or to sit down congratulating one another.
Note the argument made use of by Joshua as he here encouraged those
under him to redouble their efforts and finish the work required of
them: "for the Lord your God hath delivered them into your hand." It
may well be that they were reluctant to act so ruthlessly, and that
there was some doubt in their mind about pursuing so merciless a
policy. Having completely defeated them in battle, and seen a still
greater number killed by the hailstones, should not the remaining
survivors be shown clemency? But neither Joshua nor those under him
were free to please themselves in this matter: "when the Lord thy God
shall deliver them before thee, thou shalt smite them, and utterly
destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy
unto them" (Deut. 7:2--repeated in verses 16-23). That Divine command
was a general and not a universal one, being limited as to time
("when") and qualified by Deuteronomy 20:10, 11. On each occasion the
task of Israel's army was to be regulated by that Divine mandate. That
it must be so in this instance was made unmistakably clear by
Jehovah's words to Joshua in verse 8, "I have delivered them into
thine hand," and therefore they must slay the Amorites without pity or
respite.
"And it came to pass, when Joshua and the children of Israel had made
an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they were
consumed, that the rest which remained of them entered into fenced
cities" (v. 20). The closing words of this verse make it clear that,
notwithstanding the extremely heavy losses which the Amorites had
sustained, some of them succeeded in making good their escape. That
some of them would do so was intimated by Joshua's "smite the
hindmost" in the preceding verse. It was too late then to round them
all up: only the laggards in the rear could be overtaken. So it is in
the spiritual warfare of the Christian: even after his greatest
victories, some of his enemies still survive. In view of God's
dealings with Israel we need not be surprised at this, for at a later
date He told them: "I also will not henceforth drive out any from
before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died: that
through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the
Lord to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not" (Judg.
2:21, 22).
"And all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in
peace: none moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel"
(v. 21). That "all the people returned to the camp" shows that none of
the Israelites had been slain by the enemy. So it is spiritually.
Whatever buffetings the believer endures, none of his graces can be
destroyed by Satan. That the men of Israel returned to the camp to
Joshua in peace shows how the saint should conduct himself when he has
been granted success over his foes, namely, seek and enjoy communion
with the antitypical Joshua. That none moved his tongue against them
demonstrates how fully the fear of God had fallen upon the Canaanites:
so awed were they that none dared to curse their victors, or utter a
word of reproach against them.
Let us remind the reader once more that Israel's conquest and
occupation of the land of Canaan present to us a typical picture of
the Christian's warfare and present enjoyment of his spiritual
inheritance. That warfare is many-sided, and constitutes one of the
principal parts of the "service" in which the Lord requires His people
to be engaged, and which renders all their other actions unacceptable
unto Him while it be disregarded. Alas that we are living in a day of
such gross darkness and crass ignorance that comparatively few, even
in Christendom, have any scriptural concept of the kind of enemies
which the saint is called upon to conquer, or the nature of that work
in which he ought to abound. The worst of his foes is neither the
world nor the Devil, but rather "the flesh." It is not external
temptations but inward lusts that constitute his gravest menace and
greatest danger. It is the subduing of those "fleshly lusts, which war
against the soul" (1 Pet. 2:11), the resisting of his inbred
corruptions, which the believer is to be constantly occupied with, for
while they be neglected all his other efforts to please God are in
vain. "From whence come wars and fightings among you [Christians]?
come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?"
(Jam. 4:1).
It is the mortification of their lusts and the cultivation of their
graces which is the lifelong task that God has set before His
children. The greater part of the New Testament consists of the
epistles, which are addressed directly to the saints, and they will be
searched in vain for any exhortation which bids them preach to others,
engage in evangelistic activities, or do "personal work." On the other
hand, those epistles will be found to abound in such injunctions as,
"Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto
sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the
dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. . . .
Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the
armor of light" (Rom. 6:13, 13:12), "Having therefore these promises,
dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the
flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor.
7:1), "That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man,
which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in
the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after
God is created in righteousness and true holiness" (Eph. 4:22-24), "Be
diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and
blameless" (2 Pet. 3:14).
There
is the scriptural answer to the oft-raised question, What can I do for
the Lord in return for all He has done for me? How can I best express
my gratitude for His wondrous mercy? By keeping "thy heart with all
diligence" (Prov. 4:23), for true godliness is not so much a thing of
the head, or of the hand, but of the heart. Therein lies the "sphere
of his service." There he will discover more than enough to keep him
diligently engaged the remainder of his days: to transform a barren
wilderness, or rather a neglected field (Prov. 24:30, 31), into a
garden for his Master to delight in; to root out the weeds and burn up
the thorns and thistles, and to replace them with fragrant flowers and
luscious fruits; for only then will he be able to say, "Let my Beloved
come into His garden, and eat His pleasant fruits" (Song 4:16). But
alas, pride and the restless energy of the flesh cause him to be
occupied with the gardens (souls) of his fellows, instead of working
out his own salvation with fear and trembling. It is much easier to
preach unto others than to gain the mastery over sinful self. It is
greatly to be feared that many a Christian has cause to say, "They
made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not
kept" (Song 1:6).
"Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication.
uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and
covetousness" (Col. 3:5). Here is the duty enjoined, the great task
assigned. The tense of the verb expresses continued action, that which
is to be our daily concernment and practice, and not merely by fits
and starts. The evil lusts here named are termed "members" because
indwelling sin is compared with an organism--"the old man" (Eph.
4:22), "the body of this death" (Rom. 7:24). In addition to our
natural bodies, there is a body of corruption, which wholly compasses
the soul--"the body of the sins of the flesh" (Col. 2:11). "Your
members which are upon the earth" is added to prevent our supposing
that the reference is to a mortifying of our physical bodies, for
external macerations are of no avail. It is our depraved nature which
uses these lusts, as the natural body does its members. Sin is very
much alive in the Christian, for the flesh or evil nature is ever
opposing the spirit (Gal. 5:17), and he is called upon to employ no
half measures in resisting the same. Corrupt propensities are to be
dealt with unsparingly, sinful desires sternly denied, evil thoughts
rejected with abhorrence.
Dangerous enemies are not to be handled gently, and sin is to be shown
no mercy, but is to be so striven against that we earnestly seek to
slay it. "Mortify" means put to death, destroy. Extinguish all
lustings after earthly and carnal things which are opposed to the
spiritual anti heavenly life which we have in and from Christ. Yet the
term is not to be understood absolutely, in the sense of slaying so as
to deprive of the being of sin; but rather to render it useless. In
Romans 4:19, we read of Abraham that "he considered not his own body
now dead," yet it was not so absolutely; but its natural vigor was
greatly abated. Hence Hebrews 11:12, speaks of his being "as good as
dead." As Owen well expressed it, "To mortify signifies a continued
act, in taking away the power and force of anything, until it ceases
to be dead unto some certain ends or purposes." The flesh cannot be
subdued without our doing violence to its affections, and the
figurative expression of "mortifying" is used to denote the
painfulness and troublesomeness of the task. But however unpleasant
the duty, we only make more pain for ourselves it be neglected.
Neglect weakens and wastes indwelling grace, for it is impossible for
sin and grace to be strong in the soul at the same time.
Now it is this aspect of our spiritual warfare which is in view in
Joshua 10:17-27. In the slaying of those five kings we have shadowed
forth the Christian's obligation to mortify his lusts and render
impotent the sin which indwells him. There are several respects in
which those kings typed out the believer's corruptions. First, they
belonged to an alien race, being Amorites: so, too, the lusts of the
flesh are not a part of man's original nature. Second, they sought to
slay the Gibeonites, who were a figure of young converts: in like
manner, the flesh is hostile to the spirit. Third, they were defeated
by the men of Israel: thus also is the saint frequently given the
victory over his temptations. Fourth, they hid in a cave: after their
temporary defeat, our lusts cease their raving and we are granted a
respite. Fifth, they were then rendered helpless by Joshua's orders
(v. 18), as our passions are when Christ rebukes them and bids them be
still. Sixth, they were taken out of their concealment and brought
before Joshua, teaching us that Christ alone can deal effectually with
our enemies. Finally, the captains of Israel were bidden to place
their feet upon the necks of these kings, after which they were slain.
In the preceding articles on Joshua 10 we have already covered, from
the historical standpoint, the first five of the above points, and we
must now consider more distinctly their typical significance ere
turning to the final ones. The great work of mortification in which
God calls His people to engage consists of a constant endeavor to
subdue the ragings of indwelling sin, in order that they may serve and
glorify Him. Sin is an active principle, ever inclining us to
evil--"warring against' the new nature (Rom. 7:23), hindering us from
that which is good, drawing off the heart from holy duties or
distracting us in them; and therefore it is to be steadfastly
resisted. Complete exemption from its power is not attainable in this
life, but its influence over us may be greatly diminished.
Mortification is to be extended unto every internal disposition which
is evil, as well as unto our external acts, refusing to hearken to
their solicitation and denying them that food on which they could feed
(Rom. 13:14), vigorously opposing them as water is cast upon fire. We
are to aim at extirpating not only those gross sins which are
condemned by men, but even those which are condoned and admired by the
world.
When the five kings had met with a summary defeat at Gibeon, they
"fled, and hid themselves in a cave" (Josh. 10:16). Similar is the
experience of the believer when the Lord has granted him a notable
victory or a blessed season of revival in his soul: his heart rests
sweetly on Christ and inward peace is now his portion. Nevertheless,
though quiet, his enemies have not ceased to be, and therefore he
needs to make close inspection within, and deal with what will again
cause him trouble if it be left to itself. Thus we are told that
Joshua was informed, "The five kings are found hid in a cave" (v. 17),
which implies that a diligent search had been made for them. Israel's
leader then gave orders for great stones to be rolled upon the mouth
of the cave, and men set before it "for to keep them" (v. 18). Such is
our responsibility: to use every means appointed by God for the
subduing and suppression of our lusts, and preventing their breaking
forth into renewed activity. Said the apostle, "I keep under my body,
and bring it into subjection" (1 Cor. 9:27). Said the Psalmist, "I
have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep Thy
Word" (Ps. 119:101).
"Then said Joshua, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those
five kings unto me out of the cave. And they did so, and brought forth
those five kings unto him out of the cave: the king of Jerusalem, the
king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king
of Eglon" (Josh. 10:22, 23). The opening word of those verses is both
important and significant, for it not only indicates the connection
between them and verse 21, but also serves to intimate and introduce a
prophetic picture of things to come. First, there had been "a very
great slaughter" of the Lord's enemies (v. 20), as there will be at
the close of this world's history (2 Thess. 1:7-9; Rev.19:11-15).
Second, "all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah"
(v. 21)--a blessed foreshadowing of the entire Church being gathered
around the antitypical Joshua after their warfare is accomplished.
Third, "none moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel"
(v. 21): in like manner will the supremacy of Christ and His redeemed
be recognized and owned in the great day to come (1 Cor. 6:2, 3, Rev.
2:26). Fourth, Joshua did not personally fetch these kings out of
their hiding place, but called upon others to bring them before him:
so before Christ "shall be gathered all nations" (Matthew 25:32)--by
"the holy angels" of verse 31, the "reapers" of Matthew 13:30.
Those kings had thought more of their own skins than of the welfare of
their men. They had fled for their lives and sought refuge from their
pursuers. But in vain--impossible to evade the vengeance of God. Their
place of concealment was soon discovered, and at the time which best
suited Joshua they were brought before him and dealt with as they
deserved--those who foment war rarely escape the worst of its
consequences. No further respite was allowed them: these kings, who
had determined the destruction of the peaceful Gibeonites, must now
appear before Israel's commander. Awful and solemn moment was that: an
illustration of what shall take place at the final assize, when the
wicked will have to stand before and be judged by the great Joshua.
They who made lies their refuge shall then be exposed. They who sought
shelter in a nominal profession and mingled with the people of God
shall then be openly discovered. None can be concealed from the eyes
of Omniscience, none escape His tribunal. "Thine hand shall find out
all Thine enemies" (Ps. 21:8), and then will they prove what a fearful
thing it is to "fall into the hands of" the One they opposed.
In Joshua's requiring the kings to be brought before him, the
Christian is taught that he must (in prayer) bring all his foes--be
they inward lustings or outward temptations--to the Savior, for it is
not by his own strength he can vanquish them. Next, "Joshua called for
all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war
which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these
kings." And we are told, "They came near and put their feet upon the
necks of them" (v. 24). Very striking is this, and most important the
spiritual instruction contained therein. Being dealt with in this
manner betokened that these kings were in complete subjugation unto
the people of God. And that is the attitude which faith is to take
unto all its enemies, regarding them as foes already defeated--not by
himself, but by his victorious Head; and, as a member of His body,
sharing therein. Christ has gloriously prevailed over sin and Satan,
and it is the Christian's privilege to appropriate the same unto
himself. Has not God promised him, "Thou shalt tread upon the lion and
adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet"
(Ps. 91:13)? That is realized each time the saint treats with contempt
and abhorrence the evil solicitations of Satan and his agents.
What we have just said ought to be the constant and uniform experience
of the believer. That it is not so is due in part to his failure to
plead daily the promise of Psalm 91:13, and count upon the Lord making
it good more fully unto him. God has "put all things under His
[Christ's] feet" (Eph. 1:22), which is explained by, "Thou hast put
all things in subjection under His feet (Heb. 2:8); and by Joshua's
bidding his captains place their feet upon the necks of these defeated
kings we are thereby shown that our Savior would have His people bring
into subjection their spiritual enemies and share in His triumph over
them. He would have them plead before God the efficacy of His
sacrifice, and beg Him to grant them a deeper acquaintance
experientially of its cleansing virtues. Is it not written, "they
overcame him [the Devil] by the blood of the Lamb" (Rev. 12:11)? And
so shall we, if we trust in its sufficiency--not only to put away our
sins from before God, but also to enable us to prevail over them in
our present warfare. Christ has made believers "kings and priests unto
God" (Rev. 1:6), then let them earnestly seek grace to act as such,
having dominion over themselves, ruling their spirit (Prov. 16:32; 1
Cor. 6:12).
"And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and
of good courage: for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies
against whom ye fight" (v. 25). The ultimate and complete victory of
the believer is infallibly certain. "The God of peace shall bruise
Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be
with you" (Rom. 16:20). The juxtaposition of those two things should
be carefully noted, the second one intimating that the first statement
is made for the express purpose of quickening us to fight the good
fight of faith. The issue of that fight is not left in the slightest
doubt. The members of Christ's body must be partakers of the victory
of their Head. In emphasizing the prediction of Genesis 3:15, too
little attention has been given to the promise of Romans 16:20.
Christians have to do with a foe that was completely defeated at the
cross, for through death Christ annulled him who had the power of
death (Heb. 2:14) and spoiled principalities and powers, triumphing
over them (Col. 2:15). Those consolatory declarations are made to
encourage us to resist the Devil, regarding him as a foe already
conquered, as one who has no claims upon us, as one whom at the close
God will tread under our feet; and the extent to which we appropriate
"the [available] grace of our Lord Jesus Christ" will be the measure
in which we shall tread him underfoot now.
"And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them, and hanged them on
five trees: and they were hanging upon the trees until the evening.
And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun, that
Joshua commanded and they took them down off the trees, and cast them
into the cave wherein they had been hid, and laid great stones in the
cave's mouth, which remain until this very day" (vv. 26, 27). The
mightiest of those who have rebelled against God and persecuted His
people will yet be treated with the utmost ignominy and summary
judgment. Hanging them upon trees demonstrated that they were accursed
of God (Gal. 3:13). "Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be
unpunished. Their wisest counsels prove a snare to entangle them,
their most valiant and vigorous exertions expose their weakness and
end in disgrace and dismay, their choicest blessings are changed into
a curse and their secret retreats become their prisons or their
graves! Kings and mighty captains, who are disobedient to God, will at
last be treated as arch-rebels, to be distinguished only by the
deepest infamy and heaviest vengeance; and all the Israel of God will
join the triumph of the Captain of their salvation in trampling upon
the necks of their proudest opposers, exclaiming, `So let all Thine
enemies perish, O Lord' (cf. Psalm 149:6-9)" (Thomas Scott).
Challenged
One or two details m the closing verses of chapter 10 which lack of
space prevented a consideration of in our last issue, must be noticed
here. First, it is blessed to observe that all which is recorded from
verse 28 onwards manifests how fully the faith expressed by Joshua in
verse 25 was vindicated. There he had encouraged the captains of his
men of war, for as they placed their feet upon the necks of the five
conquered kings of the Amorites, he boldly said unto them, "Fear not,
nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the
Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight." What implicit
confidence in the living God did he there display! There is nothing in
the context to show that Israel's leader had received a recent
assurance from his Master to that effect: rather do we consider that
his heart was resting upon that word he had long ago received through
Moses--"Thine eyes have seen all that the Lord your God hath done unto
these two kings [namely Og king of Bashan, and Sihon of the Amorites,
who opposed Israel in the wilderness and were overthrown]: so shall
the Lord do unto all the kingdoms whither thou passest" (Deut. 3:21).
There can be no doubt that that promise became the "sheet anchor" of
Joshua when he came to be elevated to the position of
commander-in-chief of Israel's forces. He had "mixed faith" with the
same (Heb. 4:2) and it became the stay of his soul until his arduous
and dangerous task had been completed. He had already received more
than one definite "earnest" of the Lord's making good that word:
Jericho and Ai had fallen before them, and the five kings of the
Amorites had been utterly routed. But much heavier fighting now lay
before them. They had barely made a beginning, and far more yet
remained to be accomplished. But Joshua had no doubts, no fear of the
outcome. His trust was in the Lord of hosts, and he was not afraid to
commit himself before others. Fully assured of the Divine fidelity, he
boldly avowed his confidence therein before and unto his brethren.
What an example for Christian leaders to follow! "My soul shall make
her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad"
(Ps. 34:2). The confident language of those who are well acquainted
with the Lord is an inspiration to those of their brethren of less
experience. They who have proved the Lord's goodness should give free
expression thereto that others may be confirmed in their trust of a
faithful God. Thus it was here with Joshua.
"And the Lord delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, which took it
on the second day" (Josh. 10:32). That detail marks a difference from
the other Canaanitish towns captured by them. Libnah (v. 30), Eglon
(35), Hebron (37) and Debir (39) were apparently mastered in a single
attack; but not so Lachish. Spiritually, that teaches the Christian
that some of his lusts are more powerful than others, and require a
longer and more determined effort on his part to subdue them. And,
too, an initial failure to enter into possession of a particular
portion of our inheritance must not deter us from making a second
effort to do so. Ellicott pointed out that it appears from other
scriptures too that Lachish was a fortress of considerable strength.
When Sennacherib king of Assyria "came up against all the fenced
cities of Judah" (2 Kings 18:13), although he personally "laid siege
against Lachish, and all his power with him" (2 Chron. 32:9), yet he
had to abandon his attempt to reduce it (2 Kings 19:7, 8). At a later
date, when Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judah in the reign of its last king,
Lachish was one of the two places which were the last to be conquered:
"for these defensed cities remained of the cities of Judah" (Jer.
34:7).
Our reason for here calling attention to the above historical fact is
twofold. First, because it supplies a striking illustration of the
Divine inspiration of the Bible from its minute accuracy and
consistency. Those three passages, though lying so far apart, agree in
showing that Lachish was a city of considerable strength and one which
was more than ordinarily difficult to capture. It is one of
innumerable evidences of the authenticity or genuineness of Holy Writ,
which by silent testimony bears witness to its perfect harmony. This
argument, drawn from unmistakable coincidence without design, will
have greater weight with those best qualified to weigh evidence. In
the mouths of three independent witnesses (Josh., the writer of 2
Chronicles and Jeremiah) the truth of what they wrote is hereby
established, for their separate allusions unto Lachish are unstudied
and without collusion, yet are they thoroughly consistent and
concordant. Second, because by comparing Joshua 10:32, with those
latter passages we learn that Israel succeeded where such mighty
warriors as Sennacherib and Nebuchadnezzar failed, which teaches the
valuable lesson that under God His people are able to achieve what the
natural man cannot!
"And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time,
because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel" (Josh. 10:42).
Another indication of the Divine authorship of the Bible are those
words. There is no magnifying of the human instrument, no paying
homage to a national hero, but, instead, a placing of the glory, where
it rightfully belongs. This is but one of a score of similar passages
m which we may perceive the Holy Spirit's jealousy of the Divine
honor, wherein Israel's successes are attributed unto Jehovah's
showing Himself strong in their behalf. This He does in a variety of
ways, for when the Lord fights for His people He fights against their
enemies. In the case of Pharaoh and his army, He filled them with a
spirit of madness, so that they rushed headlong to their destruction;
in others, He instilled a spirit of fear so that they fled when no man
pursued them (2 Kings 7:6, 7), and then is made good that word, "The
flight shall perish from the swift . . . and he that is courageous
among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, saith the Lord"
(Amos 2:14-16). A true humility in Christ's servants today will
recognize and readily acknowledge the same principle when their labors
are made to prosper.
"And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, unto the camp to
Gilgal" (v. 43), which seems to intimate that during the lengthy
campaign in which they had been engaged none of the Hebrews were
slain, but that their complete force returned safe and sound to their
headquarters. It is not without reason that the Holy Spirit mentions
by name the place where their camp was situated, for it points at
least three most important and valuable lessons for us. First, Gilgal
was, spiritually speaking, the place of self-judgment and conscious
weakness (see our Joshua articles 27 and 28), for it was there that
the Israelites were circumcised (Josh. 4:19; 5:2, 3), and that should
ever be the place unto which the Christian has recourse after his
victories, for only as he preserves a sense of his own nothingness
will his strength be maintained. Second, Gilgal was the place of
Divine fellowship: "the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and
kept the Passover" (Josh. 5:10): only as communion with God is
maintained may we count upon Him granting us further success in the
light of faith. Third, Gilgal was me place where the tabernacle was
erected (Josh. 6:6), where the priesthood officiated, where sacrifices
were offered, and where the Lord manifested his presence.
We would fain believe that when Joshua and all his men returned to
Gilgal that, before acquainting their families with the details of how
graciously and wondrously the Lord had wrought for them in their
battles, they first offered sacrifices of thanksgiving unto Him, and
rendered public praise for the notable successes which He had
vouchsafed them. The least they could do was to acknowledge Him who
was the Bestower of their conquests. And the same is true of us, my
readers: the only fitting way in which we can celebrate our spiritual
triumphs is to give the whole of the glory of them unto their Author,
as that is likewise the best preparative for the further fighting
which lies before us. We are diligent and earnest in making
supplication unto the Lord when we are hard pressed by the foe, and we
should be equally explicit and fervent before Him when He has granted
us deliverance. He requires us to make known our requests with
thanksgiving (Phil. 4:6), and it is more and more our conviction that
one chief reason why so many of our requests are refused is that we
fail to appreciate sufficiently those He has granted. God will not set
a premium upon ingratitude.
But even though the Christian returns to the place of self-abasement
after his victories, enters into sweet communion with the Lord and
duly acknowledges His favors, he must not expect that henceforth all
will be plain sailing for him. It was not so with Joshua and Israel,
for the very next thing we read after their return to Gilgal is, "And
it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor had heard those things, that
he sent to Joab king of Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the
king of Achshaph. . . . And they went out, they and all their hosts
with them, much people, even as the sand that is upon the sea shore in
multitude, with horses and chariots very many. And when all these
kings were met together, they came and pitched together at the waters
of Merom, to fight against Israel" (Josh. 11:1-5)! Here is a throwing
down of the gauntlet with a vengeance. Hitherto the Canaanites had
acted on the defensive, for it was Israel who assaulted Jericho and
Ai, and the attack of the five kings had not been against Joshua, but
the Gibeonites; but now they took the offensive, fiercely challenging
Israel's right to remain in Canaan.
There is an old saying that "Any fool can make money, but it takes a
wise man to keep it." Certainly it requires much diligence and care
for the Christian to retain what he has acquired spiritually, to
maintain the progress he has made, to consolidate that portion of his
heritage which he has entered into, for the great enemy of souls will
strive hard to deprive him thereof. He challenged our first parents in
Eden while in their sinless condition, for it was abject misery unto
him to see them happy. This principle runs all through Genesis. When
God prospered Abraham in Canaan and his flocks and herds increased,
such strife arose between his herdsmen and Lot's that they could no
longer dwell together in peace. Later, the Philistines filled with
earth the wells which his servants had dug ( Genesis 26:15), and when
Isaac's men dug new ones the men of Gerar objected, challenging their
right to the same, and striving with them ( Genesis 26:20, 21). When
Jehovah made known His purpose that Rebekah's elder son should serve
the younger, she had the effrontery to contest His decision ( Genesis
25:23; 27:6, etc.). When by means of dreams it was made known that the
rest of his brethren should be subservient to Joseph and pay him
homage, they determined to prevent the fulfillment thereof.
Even Joseph challenged the desire of his dying father to bestow his
principal blessing upon Ephraim (Gen. 48:17). When the Hebrews were
peacefully settled in Goshen "there arose up a new king over Egypt,
which knew not Joseph" (Ex. 1:8), who was jealous of and fiercely
assailed them. And all these things have been recorded for our
instruction, to teach us to expect that attempts will be made to
dispossess us of our rightful portion. Yea, we find that Satan
blatantly and impiously assaulted the Holy One, challenging Him to
supply proof of His deity--since you be the Son of God, "command that
these stones be made bread." So too during His public ministry: again
and again he stirred up the priests and Pharisees to demand by what
authority He did this and that. Such opposition is epitomized in the
parable of the wheat and tares: no sooner had Christ sown the good
seed in the field than His right thereto was challenged by Satan's
sowing darnel therein.
The Devil sought to rob the apostles of their portion, as is clear
from the words of Christ: "Satan hath desired to have you, that he may
sift you as wheat" (Luke 22:31)--His use of the plural pronoun shows
that more than Simon was involved. How long was it after Pentecost
before the enemy stirred up Saul of Tarsus to persecute the primitive
Christians and encompassed the death of Stephen? No sooner had Peter
been Divinely sent unto Cornelius and a blessed work of grace
commenced among the Gentiles, than there was determined opposition and
an attempt made to bring the same to an end by denying Peter's rights
to evangelize the Gentiles. The Book of Acts records instance after
instance of attacks made upon the peace and prosperity of one church
after another. What force do all the above examples give to our need
of taking heed of that exhortation "hold fast that which is good" (1
Thess. 5:21), for the flesh, the world and the Devil will combine in
seeking to get us to relinquish the same. Because of the corruptions
of our hearts, the temptations of Satan, the allurements of the world,
we are in real danger of letting go what is more precious than rubies.
Having bought the Truth, we must resolutely see to it that we "sell it
not" (Prov. 23:23).
It is not without good reason that the Lord has bidden His people to
"hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering" (Heb. 10:23),
and never was it more imperative that they attended to that
injunction. We must, despite all opposition and persecution, continue
in and press forward along that narrow way which leads unto life, for
only he that endures unto the end shall be saved. No matter how
fiercely you be assailed, surrender not your ground, but steadfastly
maintain your profession. That "hold fast" presupposes inducements to
compromise and renounce. It signifies the putting forth of our utmost
endeavors to remain steadfast. "Hold that fast which thou hast, that
no man take thy crown" (Rev. 3:11). Adhere firmly thereto in faith and
with a good conscience: never was it more needful to do so. The
character of these times demands unfailing loyalty and unswerving
devotion to Christ and to all He has committed to us. "Know ye not
that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So
run, that ye may obtain" (1 Cor. 9:24)--it is not the start but the
end which determines the fitness to wear the crown.
Thus it will be seen, once again, that the passage before us contains
lessons of deep importance for the Christian, particularly regarding
his spiritual warfare and present enjoyment of his heritage. The
children of Israel had made quite a little progress in their conquest
of Canaan, but now they were very seriously challenged as to their
occupancy. A most formidable attempt was being made to dispossess
them, yea, utterly to vanquish them. In chapter 10 only live kings
united in their attack upon Gibeon, but here there was a federation of
all the remaining kings of Palestine. The vastness of the forces
deployed by them appears in "even as the sand that is on the sea
shore," and with them were "horses and chariots very many" (v. 4). Ah,
my reader, Satan will not readily admit defeat! He did not in
connection with Job, but renewed his assault again and again. "When
the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry
places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return.
. . . Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more
wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last
state of that man is worse than the first" (Matthew 12:43-45)!
The believer must be prepared for such challenges being made to him,
for if Satan opposed our invulnerable Head it is not to be expected
that he will leave alone the vulnerable members of His mystical body;
and though at the command of Christ he departed from Him, it was only
"for a season." So it is with us. We may be enabled by grace so to
resist the Devil that he will flee from us (James 4:7), yet we may be
sure that it will not be long before he returns and resumes the
conflict. Nor are his efforts confined to individual saints: he
assaults their assemblies too, as the New Testament and all
ecclesiastical history of this Christian era shows--how many churches'
candles have been put out by him because of lack of watchfulness on
their part, or through failure to take a firm stand against him! That
word of the apostle to the church officers at Ephesus needs to be laid
to heart by all holding a similar position today: "Take heed therefore
unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost
hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which He hath
purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departing
shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. . . .
Therefore watch" (Acts 20:28-31).
These paragraphs are not being written merely to fill up space, but in
the endeavor to supply young believers with a timely warning, to put
them on their guard against the onsets of their adversary. To be
forewarned is to be forearmed, and though we may not be ignorant of
Satan's devices, yet all of us need to be frequently reminded of them.
At no one point does he more often assail than in seeking to take from
us what is ours. In Matthew 13:19, our Lord solemnly pointed out that
the wicked one is able to catch away that which was sown in the heart,
yet the fault is our own if we suffer him to do so. He will endeavor
to rob us of some Divine promise which we are trying to rest upon, by
denying our personal title to the same. He will challenge our warrant
to some particularly helpful portion of the minister's sermon, saying
that it pertains not to us. He will call into question our right to
peace of conscience and joy of heart. He will oppose us when reading
the Word or engaged in prayer. In short, we must expect to be
challenged by him at every point, and seek grace steadfastly to resist
him.
In concluding this article let us take note that Joshua 11 opens with
the word "And," which intimates that this formidable federation of the
Canaanites took the field against Israel while they were at Gilgal
(Josh. 10:43), which is one reason why we have entitled this
meditation "Challenged." There is nothing which more enrages Satan
than to behold the saints taking the place of conscious weakness
before the Lord, or enjoying blessed communion with God as they feast
with Him upon the Lamb; yet there is never a time when it is so
certain that he will meet with no success as he attempts to vent his
enmity against them, for it is impossible for him to injure any who
"dwelleth in the secret place of the most High," for of such it is
declared, he "shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty," and
therefore can he confidently affirm "I will say of the Lord, He is my
refuge and fortress: my God; in Him will I trust." For the promise to
him is "Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler"
(Ps. 91:1-3). Those who live a life of fellowship with God are assured
of His protection, and may therefore preserve a holy serenity of mind,
assured that He will repel their foes and defend them. Nevertheless,
as Scott pertinently pointed out, "The believer must never put off his
armor, or expect durable peace, till he closes his eves in death."
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Joshua
by A.W. Pink
14. The Final Conquest
Joshua 11:1-12:24
_________________________________________________________________
A Challenge Met
Before developing the central theme suggested by the verses which are
now to be before us, let us offer a few comments upon their setting.
"And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor had heard those things,
that he sent" a message to many of his fellow kings, and they, with
their armies, met together to fight against Israel (Josh. 11:1-5). It
has been pointed out by another that "Jabin seems to have held in
northern Palestine a similar position of power and influence to what
Adonizedek king of Jerusalem did in the south." If the reader refers
back to Joshua 10:1-5, he will find that that king had done precisely
the same thing, except that his assault was made not directly against
Israel, but upon the Gibeonites who had made peace with them. It is a
trite remark to say that "history repeats itself," nevertheless it is
one which casts an unfavorable reflection upon fallen human nature,
for it is tantamount to acknowledging that one generation fails to
profit from the faults of those who preceded them and avoid the fatal
pits into which they fell. What proof that all are "clay of the same
lump (Rom. 9:21), and that "As in water face answereth to face, so the
heart of man to man" (Prov. 27:19).
"When Jabin . . . had heard these things." Once more we meet with this
important word: compare Joshua 2:10; 5:1; 9:1, 9; 10:1; and note the
various reactions of those who received such tidings. It is true that
"faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom.
10:17), yet it is also a fact that "The hearing ear, and the seeing
eye, the Lord hath made even both of them" (Prov. 20:12). True alike
both naturally and spiritually, for morally man is both deaf and blind
to the things of God (Matthew 13:13, 14), and therefore the voice of
mercy is disregarded and the sinner perceives no beauty in Christ that
he should desire Him. To his need and to the remedy he is alike
insensible. Until a miracle of grace is wrought within him, his
imagination is darkened and his heart closed against God. That is why
multitudes that hear the Gospel with the outward ear profit not, and
those who are saved under it and receive it into their hearts do so
solely because God has made them to differ from their unbelieving
fellows. Jabin "had heard" of the destruction of Jericho and Ai, but
instead of trembling thereat he hardened his heart. Thus do sinners
rush madly to destruction, notwithstanding the repeated warnings they
receive from the deaths of their godless fellows.
That which is recorded in the beginning of Joshua 11 looks back to and
is the sequel of what was briefly noticed by us in Joshua 9:2. That
was preliminary, a consulting together, and probably a determining and
promising how strong a force each king was prepared to contribute unto
the common cause. This was the materialization of their plans and the
actual taking of the field by their armies.
Up to that point the Canaanites had acted more or less on the
defensive, but upon hearing of the overthrow and burning of Ai they
determined to take the offensive. First, the various kings mentioned
in Joshua 11:1-3, considered that now their own interests were
seriously threatened it was time to unite their forces and make a
massed attack upon Israel. Second, the king of Jerusalem and his
satellites agreed to fall upon the Gibeonites. The latter was the
first to be carried into execution, and, though it met with failure
and the utmost disaster, Jabin and his confederates (which appears to
have included all the Canaanites to the utmost western and northern
borders) were undeterred, and instead of casting themselves upon
Israel's mercy determined to destroy them in battle.
This "league of nations" or uniting together of several kings and
making common cause was no new thing even at that early date, for
Genesis 14:1-3, reveals that centuries before there had been what
might well be designated "the western bloc of nations" assailing "the
eastern power and its tributaries." But this movement was to meet with
no more success than had the concerted measures taken by Adonizedek."
And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people,
even as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude, with horses
and chariots very many" (Josh. 11:4). A real challenge was now made to
Israel's further occupancy of the land, and a most terrifying sight
must it have presented to the natural eye. This vast assembly was not
only far more numerous than any force which Israel had previously
encountered, but it was much more formidable and powerful, being
provided with a great number of horses and chariots, whereas Israel's
army was on foot (Deut. 17:16): note the absence of the mention of
horses in Genesis 24:35; 26:14; Job 1:3--they are seen first in Egypt
(Gen. 47:17).
As a protest against the slavish literalism which now exists in
certain circles, and as a demurrer against those who insist that the
words of Revelation 7:9, "a great multitude, which no man could
number," mean exactly what they affirm, a few words require to be said
upon our being told that the assembled hosts of the Canaanites were
"even as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude." One had
supposed that any person of average intelligence and education would
at once perceive that such language is hyperbolical, and therefore not
to be understood according to the strict letter of it. Such a
rhetorical figure is frequently used in Scripture for the purpose of
producing a vivid impression. Thus, in the days of Moses the Lord
declared He had multiplied Israel "as the stars of heaven for
multitude" (Deut. 1:10). When the Midianites assailed Israel it is
said, "they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and
their camels were without number" (Judg. 6:5) and "as the sand by the
sea side for multitude" (Josh. 7:12). The Philistines who gathered
themselves together against Saul are described as "the sand which is
on the sea shore in multitude" (1 Sam. 13:5). When God's judgments
were on Israel He declared, "Their widows are increased to Me above
the sand of the seas" (Jer. 15:8). Nineveh is said to have multiplied
its merchants "above the stars of heaven" (Nah. 3:16).
Thus, "as the sand which is upon the sea shore" is a proverbial
expression to signify a great number. Before such massed armies Israel
might well be affrighted, especially since they were at such a
disadvantage, entirely on foot. In the light of Judges 4:3, it is
highly probable that the chariots commanded by Jabin were of iron,
and, as was customary of those used by the ancients in warfare, armed
with terrible scythes, to cut down men as they drove along. Doubtless
such a host would be fully assured of an easy victory, but they were
to discover, as others both before and since have done, that "the race
is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong" (Ecclesiastes
9:11). The size and might of this assembly only made its overthrow the
more notorious and demonstrated more evidently that it was the
Almighty who fought for Israel. Since they were the aggressors, Israel
were fully justified in destroying them. In like manner will God in
the day of judgment have abundant cause to cast into hell those who
have rebelled against Him and strengthened themselves against the
Almighty (Job 15:25).
We entitled the preceding article "Challenged" and concluded by
pointing out that the last verse of Joshua x shows us Israel at
Gilgal--the place of conscious weakness and of communion with God--and
that while there the enemy could not harm them. In substantiation of
that statement, we quoted the opening verses of Psalm 91. "He that
dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the
shadow of the Almighty" (v. 1). Without attempting to indicate the
typical allusions of that figurative language, or entering into any
niceties of exposition, suffice it to say that spiritually it
signifies that they who live in close fellowship with God are in the
place of safety and security. No evil can reach them there, or, as
Spurgeon expressed it, "the outstretched wings of His love and power
cover them from all harm." "I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge
and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust" (v. 2). That was the
inference the Psalmist drew from that fact, the application he made to
himself of that blessed promise. Confiding in the Lord, resting on His
word, he knew that he was fully protected from all the storms of life
and the malice of his foes. No matter how many, how powerful, how
relentless his enemies, he was resolved to trust in Him who was his
covenant God, his all in all.
"Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from
the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with His feathers, and
under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and
buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the
arrow that flieth by day" (vv. 3-5). In those words we are permitted
to hear the Psalmist's holy soliloquy, assuring himself that,
regardless of what form the enemy's attack should take or when it
came, he had an unfailing shield in the Lord, and therefore there was
nothing for him to fear. And that is just as true today, my reader, as
it was three thousand years ago. He who unreservedly places himself in
the hands of God is perfectly secure in the midst of all
dangers--infallibly so in connection with his soul, and reasonably so
in regard to his body--and therefore should he enjoy full serenity of
mind when his godless fellows are filled with alarm and terror. But
let it be carefully noted that verse 1 is the foundation on which
rests all that follows. It is only as close communion with God be
maintained that the soul will be able to confide in and rely upon Him
in seasons of stress or peril. While we dwell in the secret place of
the most High, the most skillful deceiver cannot beguile nor the most
formidable foe harm us.
The greater the dangers menacing God's people, the greater support may
they ask for and expect from Him. The more entirely their hearts be
fixed on Him as their strength and deliverer, the more certainly shall
their spiritual enemies be subdued by them. See this most strikingly
exemplified here in Joshua 11: "And when all these kings were met
together, they came and pitched together at the waters of Merom, to
fight against Israel. And the Lord said unto Joshua, Be not afraid
because of them: for to morrow about this time will I deliver them up
all slain before Israel" (vv. 5, 6). First, let us observe that
Jehovah here made good the word that He had given through Moses: "When
thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and
chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the
Lord thy God is with thee . . . to fight for you against your enemies,
to save you" (Deut. 20:1, 4). How this reminds us of the declaration,
"He is faithful that promised" (Heb. 10:23)! One of the titles which
Deity has taken unto Himself is "The faithful God" (Deut. 7:9). How
safely then may He be relied upon! None ever yet really trusted Him in
vain.
"And the Lord said unto Joshua, Be not afraid because of them: for to
morrow about this time will I deliver them up all slain before
Israel." Very striking indeed is that statement and most blessed. Does
the reader perceive its real force as he weighs its connection with
what immediately precedes? Surely it is apparent: the challenge made
by the Canaanites was not simply against Israel, but against Israel's
God! It is like what we find in the opening chapters of Job, where
something very much more than a satanic attack upon that patriarch is
in view. The evil one dared to assail Jehovah Himself, for when He
asked him, "Hast thou considered My servant Job, that there is none
like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth
God, and escheweth evil?" we are told that "Satan answered the Lord,
and said, Doth Job fear God for naught? Hast not Thou made an hedge
about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every
side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is
increased in the land" (Josh. 1:8-10). That was a maligning of the
Divine character, for it was tantamount to saying that Job worshipped
God not for what He was in Himself, but merely for what He had
bestowed upon him.
What we have just pointed out is made yet plainer in Satan's next
words: "But put forth Thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and
he will curse Thee to Thy face"--so far from adoring Thee because of
Thy personal perfections, Job merely renders a mercenary service for
what he gets from Thee. Base insinuation was that: Job is Why dutiful
servant not because he has any love for Thee or genuine regard to Thy
will, but from selfish principles, and that reflects no credit on
Thee. It was an impugning of the Divine character, a blasphemous
challenging of God's ,own excellency. As the sequel shows, the Lord
accepted the challenge, and by so doing made fully evident the
adversary's lie, for after he had been allowed to slay his sons and
seize his possessions, the Lord gave Job the same commendation as
before: "a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and
escheweth evil, and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou
movedst Me against him" (Josh. 2:3). Thus did God glory over the
baffled Devil and upbraid him for his failure, for Job was equally
loyal to Him in adversity as in prosperity. Still Satan was not
satisfied: "all that a man hath will he give for his life . . . touch
his bone and his flesh, and he will curse Thee to Thy face" (Josh.
2:4, 5). And again he was proved a liar, for the patriarch declared,
"Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him" (Josh. 13:15).
Though the circumstances were different, the same principle was really
involved here in Joshua 11:--the Devil's enmity against and opposition
to God. For it was the Lord who had given Canaan unto Abraham and his
seed, and He it was who had brought them into it. Palestine was
Israel's by right of Divine donation. But now the occupancy of their
inheritance was hotly challenged. All those kings with their armies
were determined to destroy them. The gauntlet was thrown down: let it
be put to the issue was the language of their actions. The Lord
promptly accepted the challenge, and let it be known unto Israel that
"he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of His eye" (Zech. 2:8).
Blessed figure of speech was that: telling not only of the inherent
weakness and tenderness of the Lord's people, but intimating their
nearness and dearness unto Himself. God strongly resents any affront
done to them, and will severely punish those who seek to harm them.
Therefore did the Lord immediately assure Joshua that there was no
reason for him to be dismayed by this imposing force of the enemy:
they were but flinging themselves upon "the thick bosses of His
bucklers" (Job 15:26), rushing headlong to their destruction, as would
be made to appear on the morrow. So likewise, in the end, will all the
works of the Devil be destroyed.
A most important truth is exemplified in all that has been pointed out
above, yet one that is little apprehended by God's people today,
namely that Satan's assault upon them is really an attack upon their
Lord--upon them only because of their relationship to Him. That is
illustrated again in Acts 9: for when He arrested Saul of Tarsus on
the road to Damascus, as he was "breathing out threatenings and
slaughter against the disciples of the Lord," He said, "why
persecutest thou Me?"--it was the Devil who was impelling Saul, as it
was Christ and not merely His disciples against whom he was venting
his animosity. And thus it is now. As God suffered Satan to afflict
Job so sorely, not because that patriarch had given occasion to be
severely chastised, but in order that his integrity might the more
plainly appear and the Divine character be vindicated, so He still
permits the adversary both to tempt and buffet His people, that their
steadfastness (in varying degrees, but always from a total apostasy)
may redound to His own glory. As we are told in 1 Peter 1:7, "That the
trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that
perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise
and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ"--not only, and
not principally, theirs, but primarily and pre-eminently God's.
The practical value of this important truth scarcely requires to be
pointed out. Since it be the Lord Himself rather than His redeemed
against whom the venom of the serpent is ultimately aimed, how secure
are the saints in His hand! Secure, because His own personal honor is
involved in their preservation, He has given definite assurance that
"This is the Father's will which hath sent Me, that of all which He
hath given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at
the last day" (John 6:39), that they shall "never perish, neither
shall any man pluck them out of My hand" (John 10:28), and therefore
if the Devil were to bring about the eternal destruction of a single
one of them Christ would be eternally disgraced. But such a calamity
is utterly impossible, for though Satan be mighty, the Son of God is
almighty. Upon that fact, in full persuasion of the everlasting
preservation of every soul who has fled to the Lord Jesus for refuge,
may each believer rest with implicit confidence. Here, then, is yet
another important lesson taught the believer in this invaluable book
of Joshua concerning his spiritual warfare, namely that the contest
is, ultimately, between Satan and his Savior, and therefore the issue
cannot be in the slightest doubt: as surely as Joshua and the children
of Israel overcame and vanquished all the Canaanites who came against
them, so will Christ and His Church triumph gloriously over the Devil
and his angels.
But further. It is the believer's privilege to realize, especially
when fiercely assaulted and sorely pressed by the foe, that the
outcome of the fight in which he is engaged rests not with him, but
with the Captain of his salvation, and therefore to Him he may turn at
all times for succor and for victory. What the Lord said here unto
Joshua the Christian should regard as being said unto himself: "Be not
afraid because of them." Those who are now arrayed against the
Christian and who seek his destruction shall soon themselves be
destroyed. "The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet
shortly" (Rom. 16:20), and meanwhile, as the apostle immediately
added, "The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Amen." But just as
that assuring word spoken to Joshua was addressed unto his faith and
could be enjoyed only by the exercise of that grace in the interval
before its fulfillment, so serenity of mind while menaced by his foes
can only be the believer's as he by faith appropriates that promise
unto himself. Then let his triumphant language be, "Behold, God is my
salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid" (Isa. 12:2). In proportion
as he does so will he be warranted in resting on that declaration,
Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from
the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with His feathers." (Ps.
91:3, 4).
In our last we considered the Divine response made to the formidable
movement inaugurated by Jabin and his fellows. the Lord promptly took
up the cudgels on behalf of His menaced people. He assured His servant
that he need entertain no fear whatever about the outcome, promising
him, "I will deliver them up all slain before Israel" (Josh. 11:6). In
like manner is the Christian to be assured, and therefore it is his
holy privilege to enter upon and engage in the good fight of faith
resting on the sure pledges of God, confident of a successful issue.
"He is faithful that promised" (Heb. 10:23). The more we meditate upon
the veracity of the Promiser, the more will faith be strengthened. In
proportion as we truly realize that we have to do with One who cannot
lie, the greater confidence shall we have in His Word. Instead of
being so much occupied with the difficulties of the way (which will
but engender doubts), we need to look above unto Him who has given us
such "exceeding great and precious promises" (2 Pet. 1:4) to be the
stay of our hearts, to cheer and gladden us. Those promises are to be
treasured up in our minds, for they are both the food of faith to
nourish and strengthen it and the fuel of faith to stoke and energize
it, otherwise it will lack that which is necessary for its activity,
as a fire will not burn without wood or coals--thus coldness of heart
is due mainly to faith being deprived of its fuel!
There will be little or no success in our spiritual warfare unless we
make much of the Divine promises, and still more of the Promiser
Himself. The foes that have to be encountered are far too powerful to
be overcome by any might of ours, and therefore must we look to Him
whose soldiers we are. If we do so, no matter how great our weakness
or formidable the task assigned, the Lord will not fail us. "Through
faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was
delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged Him
faithful who had promised" (Heb. 11:11). There were strong impediments
in the way of her faith, and at first She was staggered by them, but
as she regarded the immutability and fidelity of the Promiser her
doubts were stilled, faith prevailed, and strength was given. As
Manton well said, "Every Divine promise has annexed to it the
challenge, `Is anything too hard for the Lord?'" As in Sara's case, so
with us, very often there is a fight with unbelief before faith is
established on the promise. But instead of suffering obstacles to
hinder faith, they should be made a help to it--arguing, Here is a
grand opportunity for me to prove the sufficiency of my God. He never
promises more than He is able to perform. His word never exceeds His
power: "Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it" (1
Thess. 5:24).
It should be duly considered that this massing of the Canaanites
against Israel occurred not soon after they entered the land, nor did
they encounter anything like such an opposing force either at Jericho
or Ai. No, rather was this trial met with after they had made
considerable progress in taking possession of their heritage. Thus it
was too with the father of all them that believe: each new test of
Abraham's faith was more severe than the preceding ones. And so it is
in the Christian life. Thus it is the mature and aged warrior to whom
this word is most appropriate: "Be not afraid." Why should Joshua
fear? Since God had so wondrously delivered Israel from the bondage of
Egypt, overthrown Pharaoh and his chariots in the Red Sea, provided
for them all through their wilderness journey, miraculously opened the
Jordan for them to enter into Canaan, most certainly He was not going
to abandon them now and allow them to perish at the hands of Jabin and
his armies. No indeed, when God begins a work He never stops when it
is but half done, but always completes and perfects it (Phil. 1:6). So
it was with Israel under Joshua; and so it is with every elect vessel'
"whom He justified, them He also glorified" (Rom. 8:30). Much takes
place between the one and the other, but though death itself occurs
(as has been the case with His people for the last six thousand
years), the former guarantees the latter.
Let then the tried and aged pilgrim take comfort from the Lord's
dealings with Israel, and give no place whatever to Satan's lie that
God has tired of him. Like the fiend that he is, the Devil seeks to
attack us most fiercely when much oppressed by circumstances or at our
weakest physically. When natural vigor has abated and the increasing
weight of years is felt, he will seek to inject the most
God-dishonoring doubts into the minds of His people. Reject them with
abhorrence, and rest on the Divine assurance, "I will never leave
thee, nor forsake thee" (Heb. 13:5). He who has cared for His child
all through the years most certainly will not forsake him or her in
the time of old age. He who has responded to your cries in former days
will not turn a deaf ear now that your voice has grown feeble. "He
shall deliver thee in six troubles [has he not done so?]: yea, in
seven [the final one] there shall no evil touch thee" (Job 5:19). Past
deliverances are sure earnests of future ones. "And even to your old
age I am He: and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and
I will bear; even I will carry, and wilt deliver you" (Isa. 46:4):
those are the "I wills" of Him who is the Truth. Rest your whole
weight on them.
But resting upon the promises does not mean that the saint may shirk
any of his duties, or even relax in the performing of them. Rather do
such Divine assurances involve corresponding obligations. That is
clear from the two halves of the verses quoted in our opening
paragraph: "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without
wavering; (for He is faithful that promised)" (Heb. 10:23). That "for"
is very forceful, supplying us with a powerful motive unto
steadfastness and diligence. Since God be faithful to us, we ought to
be faithful unto Him. To hold fast the profession of our faith is a
comprehensive expression which includes every aspect of the Christian
life, and the knowledge that God will infallibly make good His word
unto us is to animate unto fidelity in the carrying out of its
engagements. The Divine promises are not only comforting pillows on
which to rest our weary heads, but cordials to strengthen, spurs to
move us, encouragements for us to press forward along the way,
arguments for us to make use of in prayer. The Divine promises are the
food of faith, and faith is for producing good works. That is the
practical application which the apostle made of the Divine assurances
in 1 Corinthians 15:54-57: Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye
steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,
forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."
So far from annulling the believer's responsibility or countenancing
any slackness in the discharge of the same, spiritual privileges
involve additional obligations. But alas, man is such a creature of
extremes that even a Christian when he be deeply impressed with one
aspect of the Truth is very apt to become so absorbed with it as to
lose sight of and leave out of his reckoning the counter-balancing
aspect of the Truth. Because God performs everything for us, it does
not mean there is nothing for us to do. If we ascribe the glory unto
Him to whom alone it is due we shall freely own to the Lord, "for Thou
also hast wrought all our works in us" (Isa. 26:12); nevertheless that
does not alter the fact He has bidden us "work out your own salvation
with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12), yet that too is immediately
followed with, "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to
do of His good pleasure." There the two sides of the Truth are placed
in juxtaposition, and notice well the order in which they are set
before us. First the enforcing of our duty, and then the encouraging
motive to inspire us therein. The latter is not added to induce
indolence, but in order to encourage effort. We have no scriptural
warrant to expect that God will show Himself strong in our behalf
unless we make conscience of His precepts and use the means He has
appointed. Our bread is Divinely guaranteed (Isa. 33:16), nevertheless
it must be labored for (John 6:27).
The relation of Philippians 2:13, to Philippians 2:12, is a double
one, being designed both to cheer and to humble us. The child of God
is very conscious of his weakness, and knowing that the world, the
flesh and the Devil are arrayed against him, and contemplating the
tasks set before him--tasks which are spiritual and far above the
compass of mere nature--he asks, How can I possibly accomplish them?
The answer is, Divine assistance is assured. The believer is not left
to himself, but the omnipotent God operates within as well as for him,
and therefore is he to go forth in the confidence that Divine grace
will be sufficient for him. Help is indeed needed by him, and if he
conducts himself aright that help will certainly be given. On the
other hand, he is required to work out his own salvation "with fear
and trembling," that is in a spirit of humility and lowliness. But how
is that possible unto those who are proud and independent? We are all
of us Pharisees by nature--boastful and prone to self-glorying. How
then can we be emptied of such a spirit? And again Philippians 2:13,
supplies the answer. From this consideration: since it be God who
works in me all that is praiseworthy; then I have nothing to boast of.
I am constantly to remind myself that it is God who makes me to differ
from those of my fellows whom He leaves to themselves. The strongest
inducement possible to produce a self-abasing spirit is the
realization that apart from Christ we can do nothing (John 15:5).
Above we have said that there will be little or no success in our
spiritual warfare unless we make much of the Divine promises: let us
now add that the same is equally true of the Divine precepts. That
also is taught us in Joshua 11:6, for immediately after assuring His
servant, "Be not afraid because of them: for to morrow about this time
will I deliver them up all slain before Israel," the Lord added, "thou
shalt hough their horses and burn their chariots with fire." God's
promises are not designed to further slothfulness, but to stimulate to
the performance of duty. God does not work in us to promote idleness,
but to "will and to do of His good pleasure." When the farmer sees God
working by softening the ground with gentle showers, he is encouraged
to plough and plant his fields. When the yachtsman perceives God
working by stirring the becalmed air with a breeze, he is encouraged
to hoist his sails. So it is spiritually. Grace is given the
regenerate for them to use: "stir up the gift of God which is in thee"
(2 Tim. 1:6). We are to "work out" what God has wrought in us, yet in
complete dependence upon Him. We must beware of abusing the truth of
Divine operations and take to heart the warning of the lazy servant
who hid his talent in the earth.
To be a successful warrior I must be able to say with David (and none
obtained more military victories than he!): "Thy testimonies have I
taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart"
(Ps. 119:111). We agree with C. Bridges that when "testimony" occurs
in the singular number it has reference to the Bible as a whole--the
entire revelation of God's will unto mankind--but when found in the
plural it is chiefly the perceptive parts of Scripture which are in
view. This is borne out by verse 138: "Thy testimonies that Thou hast
commanded," and "I have kept Thy precepts and Thy testimonies" (168).
David had chosen God's statutes or precepts as his "heritage" to live
upon. Not the world did he select for his happiness, but a heritage of
holiness and wisdom, one which would not fail in time and one that
would endure for ever. He made this choice because he realized their
value: that they are like their Author, namely "righteous and very
faithful" (138), and because he loved them exceedingly (167). So too
did the apostle bear witness: "I delight in the law of God after the
inward man" (Rom. 7:22) --only then will our obedience be acceptable
unto Him. "I have kept Thy precepts and Thy testimonies," and as
Spurgeon said, "If we keep God's testimonies they will keep us--right
in opinion, comfortable in spirit, holy in conversation, hopeful in
expectation."
The Divine testimonies are as necessary and essential unto the
believer in his spiritual warfare as are the Divine assurances. It is
the fight of faith which we are called to wage, and as God's promises
are its food, so His precepts are its directors. Faith has three great
tasks to perform: to trust implicitly in God, to render obedience to
His revealed will, and steadfastly to resist all that is opposed
thereto. The promises provide encouragement for the first, the
precepts light for the second, and the Lord Himself must be looked
unto for strength for the third. So it was in Joshua 11:6: the Divine
promise there was immediately followed by a precept; Joshua was
required to hough the horses of the Canaanites and burn their chariots
with fire. Matthew Henry pointed out that this new campaign upon which
Joshua was now entering "was a glorious one, no less illustrious than
the former in the success of it, though in respect of miracles, it was
inferior to it in glory. The wonders God then wrought for them, were
to initiate and encourage them to act vigorously themselves. Thus the
war carried on by the preaching of the Gospel, against Satan's
kingdom, was at first furthered by miracles; but the warfare by then
was sufficiently proved to be of God, and the managers of it are now
left to the ordinary assistance of Divine grace in the use of the
sword of the Spirit, and must not expect hail-stones, or the standing
still of the sun."
The order given to Joshua for the houghing of the horses of the
Canaanites and the burning of their chariots involved, of course, the
vanquishing of them in battle. Accordingly we ate told, So Joshua
came, and all the people of war with him, against them by the waters
of Merom suddenly; and they fell upon them" (v. 7). Though it was the
Lord Himself who had accepted the challenge of Jabin and his
confederates, and had assured His servant that He would deliver them
up all slain before Israel on the morrow, this did not signify that he
and his men were to remain passive--mere spectators of God's working.
He was indeed about to act mightily for them, yet at the same time by
and through them! This also needs to be made clear and emphasized in
certain quarters today: not only where hyper-Calvinism or a species of
fatalism holds sway, but also where a certain type of the "victorious
life" teaching is misleading souls, for the one is as paralyzing as
the other. The Christian is informed that the reason why he so often
yields to external temptations or is overcome by indwelling sin is
because he is making the great mistake of trying to fight his foes
personally; that they will never be conquered until he, "by faith,"
turns them over to Christ and counts upon His vanquishing them for
him; that the battle is not his but the Lord's; that He triumphed over
Satan and all his hosts at the cross; and that if we yield ourselves
completely to Him His victory will be ours without any effort on our
part.
There is just sufficient veneer of the Truth to give this line of
teaching a plausible appearance, vet there is also more than enough
repudiation of Scripture to convince all who are subject to God's Word
of its error. Seemingly it supplies a blessed solution to the most
distressing problem in the Christian life, and at the same time
appears to honor Christ, but in fact it repudiates human
responsibility, and falsifies the teaching of our Lord. Faith is not
only to rest upon the Divine promises and rely upon what Christ has
done for His people; it is also required to bring forth good works,
run in the way of His commandments, follow the example He has left us.
When one of the leaders of this modern movement declares, "As I trust
Christ in surrender there need be no fight against sin, but complete
freedom from the power and even the desire of sin," he not only
inculcates what is contrary to the recorded experience of God's people
in all ages, but he takes direct issue with Scripture itself. The
Bible speaks of "striving against sin" (Heb. 12:4), wrestling against
principalities and powers (Eph. 6:12), bids the believer "fight the
good fight of faith" (1 Tim. 6:12), enjoins him to "endure hardness,
as a good soldier of Jesus Christ . . . that he may please Him who has
chosen him to be a soldier" (2 Tim. 2:3, 4), and calls upon him to
"put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against
the wiles of the devil" (Eph. 6:11).
It is obvious that the above references, and others of a similar
nature, would be quite useless, meaningless, if the ideal state of
Christian living were a merely passive thing, and if it be summed up
in the catchword of one of its popular advocates, "Let go, and let
God." Most assuredly the believer cannot gain the victory by his own
powers; instead, he is to seek strength from the Lord, and then to use
the same actively and strenuously. To speak of a passive "overcomer"
is to employ words without meaning. To make the believer a mere
onlooker of the Lord's exploits is to reduce him to something less
than a moral agent. "Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord"
must not be so misunderstood and misapplied as to neutralize the
exhortation "Let us run with patience [i.e. perseverance] the race
that is set before us" (Heb. 12:1). "Running," like "wrestling" and
"fighting," is a figure which expresses the putting forth of vigorous
endeavor. True, we are to be "looking unto Jesus" while thus engaged,
yet run we must. True also that the Christian is to reckon on the
blessed fact that his Savior has triumphed over Satan, and yet that
does not alter the fact that he is required to "resist the devil."
True, God has promised to tread Satan under our feet shortly, vet be
is not there now, any more than Christ's enemies have yet been made
His footstool (Heb. 10:13). The ultimate victory is sure, yet it has
to be fought for by each one of us.
Thus it was in Joshua 11. Divine assurance that Jabin and his army
would be slain on the morrow had been given, yet that did not release
Israel from performing their duty. God had made no announcement that
He would destroy the Canaanites by fire from heaven, as He did the
cities of the plain (Gen. 19), or that He would cause the earth to
open her mouth and swallow them up as in the case of Korah and his
company (Num. 16). Instead, He had promised to "deliver them up all
slain before Israel"--a word which imported, according to its common
usage, being killed in battle. That His servant so understood it is
evident, for we are told that he and all the men of war with him "fell
upon them." Joshua did not seek a defensive position and dig trenches
for the protection of his men, and then sit down and wait for the Lord
to work. No, with full confidence in his Master's promise, he took the
initiative, acted aggressively, and launched an attack upon the
foe--boldly, suddenly, unexpectedly. God had said "to morrow I will
deliver them up," and, taking Him at His word, Joshua delayed not.
Probably that was the very last thing which the hosts of Jabin were
expecting, and they would be thrown into the utmost confusion from the
very outset.
The Challengers Vanquished
Our design in these articles has been to supply something more than a
bare exposition of the book of Joshua, namely to point out some of the
bearings which its contents have upon us today. A true understanding
of God's Word is indeed of first importance, for unless its meaning be
rightly apprehended, of what service will it be unto us? Yet it is the
use to which we put it, the measure in which we appropriate its
principles and precepts to the regulating of our daily walk, that is
equally important. "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do
them" (John 13:17), that is the test. Thus, to spare no pains in
endeavoring to arrive at the meaning of God's Word, that he may give a
sound interpretation of the same, is only a part of the duty resting
upon the minister of the Gospel, and especially the teacher of God's
people. Another part of his work, equally necessary and exacting, is
for him to make practical application unto his hearers of each passage
he takes up, to point out the various lessons it inculcates, to
accommodate it unto the present condition and circumstances of those
to whom he ministers. Only so will he emulate the example left him by
the Divine Teacher of the Church: only so will he pursue the same
course that was followed by His apostles: only so will he be of
greatest service unto His needy, tried and often sorely perplexed
people. It is not the elucidation of mysteries or light upon prophecy
that they most need, but that which will comfort, strengthen and
stimulate them.
Such a policy as just intimated will indeed slow down the speed of one
who undertakes to go systematically through a whole book of Scripture,
or even a single chapter thereof. But so far from speed being a
virtue, it is. more often a vice, as much in modern life tragically
shows. "He that believeth shall not make haste". (Isa. 28:16) holds
good of the "opening up" of God's Word, as it does of everything else.
and must be heeded if souls are to be really edified. But though such
a method will not make for swiftness, yet by God's blessing (on much
prayerful meditation) it will produce something far more substantial
and satisfying than the superficial generalizations which now so
widely obtain. both in the pulpit and in the religious press. As the
old adage says, "Slow but sure is sure to do well." Instead of seeing
how quickly we could race through the book of Joshua, we have
endeavored to ascertain and then point out the practical application
of its contents unto ourselves and our readers. Particularly have we
dwelt at length upon the many things in it which illustrate the
various aspects of the Christian's spiritual warfare: the snares he
must avoid. the rules he must observe, the means he must employ, in
order to success therein. We have sought to call attention to the
grand incentives and the real encouragements furnished by this book to
"fight the good fight of faith," and to show how strength for the same
is to be obtained.
In addition, we have endeavored to remove those "stumbling-blocks"
(Isa. 57:14) which various types of error lay in the path of the
Christian warrior. Let us now add a few words to what was said at the
close of our last concerning the misleading teaching of certain
sections of what is known as "the victorious life" movement. While on
the one hand we heartily concur with their deploring of the carnal and
worldly walk of the rank and the of professing Christians, and agree
that many of God's own people are living far below their privileges in
Christ; yet on the other hand we neither endorse their language nor
believe the remedy they prescribe is the true one. All of their
leaders are decidedly Arminianistic, which at once evinces that they
are unsafe guides to follow. It is scripturally warrantable to say
that some believers are living Christ-dishonoring lives and acting
contrary to God's revealed will; but that is very far from justifying
the oft-made assertion that He desires to do this or that in and for
them, but they will not let Him. That would connote a thwarted
Redeemer, and obviously a defeated Christ could not be the Leader of
any "victorious" followers! Such a "Christ" is very different from Him
who is no less than "the mighty God" (Isa. 9:6). Verily "the legs of
the lame are not equal" (Prov. 26:7), and they who are proudest of
their consistency are often the most inconsistent in their beliefs and
conduct.
To contend for holiness of life is indeed praiseworthy, and to urge
God's people to "possess their possessions" and enjoy now the rich
heritage which is theirs in Christ is also a thing most needful; yet
zeal requires to be tempered with knowledge, and if a spirit of
fanaticism is to be avoided all must be tested by Holy Writ. Satan is
never more dangerous than when he appears as an angel of light. To
carnal reason it seems that Christ's acceptance of the Devil's
challenge to cast Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple had
been an outstanding act of faith in God to preserve Him from all
injury; nevertheless, His reply shows that such had been an act of
presumption and contrary to Scripture. Likewise, it may strike us as
most honoring to Christ to say that He is ready to do all for us if we
surrender wholly to His control; but the fact is that He will no more
relieve us of personally contending with our foes than He would repent
and believe for us in order to our being saved. Strengthen us He will,
if we seek His grace aright; yet that strength will be given for the
purpose of equipping us to fight the good fight of faith. As the
apostle declared, "I also labor, striving according to His working,
which worketh in me mightily" (Col. 1:29). Nor is there anything in
that statement the least derogatory to His glory; but very much to the
contrary.
Resuming our remarks upon Joshua 11. In view of the great
preponderance of Jabin's forces over Israel's, and the weighty
advantage he had in being possessed of so many horses and chariots,
while they were on foot, there can be no doubt that he was not only
fully confident of victory, but that he considered, the initiative lay
entirely in his own hands, and that there was not the least likelihood
of their launching any attack upon him. Yet that was the very thing
that happened. "So Joshua came, and all the people of war with him,
against them by the waters of Merom suddenly; and they fell upon them"
(v. 7). Therein we behold the confidence, the obedience, the daring
and the promptness of faith. Joshua's confidence lay not in his own
military skill, nor in the valor of his men, but in the sure promise
of the One whom he served. The assault which he now made upon the
Canaanites was not dictated by caprice, feelings, or carnal reason,
but was in compliance with the orders which he had received from the
Lord. His falling suddenly upon Jabin and his army was not due to any
impatience or anxiety for the issue to be immediately determined, but
was the result of laying hold of the Lord's "to morrow" in the
preceding verse. His action was not a venturesome or foolhardy one,
but a daring to rely upon his God when faced with what to sight
appeared a hopeless situation--as the Hebrews, and later Daniel,
feared not to defy the edicts of the king of Babylon.
"And the Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel, who smote them,
and chased them unto great Zidon, and unto Misrephoth-maim, and unto
the valley of Mizpeh eastward; and they smote them, until they left
them none remaining" (v. 8). Thus did Israel's God make good His word
through Moses (Deut. 20:1), fulfill the promise made to His servant,
and vindicate the faith of Joshua. Thus was provided yet another proof
of how firm is the foundation on which has rested the faith of God's
people in all generations. And thus too did He demonstrate His
acceptance of the impious challenge of Jabin and his fellows, and make
it clear that "There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel
against the Lord" (Prov. 21:30)--another verse, by the way, whose
language is not to be taken absolutely and where an interpreter is
needed to bring out its sense. As a matter of fact all the wisdom of
Satan and all the policy of the unregenerate is directed, immediately
and actively, against the Lord; yet all in vain. He that sitteth in
the heavens laughs at the most determined and concerted projects of
men against Himself and His Anointed, and fulfils His pleasure despite
them (Ps. 2:1-6). As well attempt to stop the sun from shining or the
ocean from moving as seek to nullify the decrees of the Almighty. All
who make war with the Lamb shall most certainly be vanquished by Him
(Rev. 17:14).
The total failure of Jabin's long-planned project demonstrated clearly
that there is "no counsel against the Lord" which has the remotest
possibility of succeeding. The best-contrived policy against Him comes
to foolishness. "He taketh the wise in their own craftiness [not
"ignorance "!]: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong"
(Job 5:13). Pharaoh's counsel to depress the Hebrews issued in their
being increased (Ex. 1:8-12). Ahithophel's counsel was befooled at the
very time when "it was as if a man had inquired at the oracle of God"
(2 Sam. 16:23; 17:7, 14, 23, with 15:31). Ahab's attempt to falsify
God's word by seeking to ward off the threatened stroke against his
life (1 Kings 22:30-34), Athaliah's deep-laid plot to exterminate the
family of David and thereby frustrate the Divine promise (2 Kings
11:1), the blatant boast and wicked design of Sennacherib against
Judah (2 Chron. 32:21; Isaiah 30:31), the strong and repeated efforts
of the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin to prevent their building of
the temple (Ezra 4:6), and later the craft of Sanballat to oppose the
erecting of the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah), the determination of
Haman to slay all the Jews (Esther 3), Herod's seeking to kill the
infant Savior (Matthew 2)--all came to naught, as inevitably they
should do when opposing the decrees of heaven.
"And the Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel" (v. 8), thereby
fulfilling the promise which He had given unto Joshua the day
previously (v. 6). Blessed is it to learn from this, and many other
passages, that the wicked, equally with the righteous, are in the
hands of Him who made them and are entirely at His sovereign disposal.
One of the chief designs of Scripture is to reveal unto us the several
relations which God sustains unto His creatures. He is not only their
Creator, but their Lawgiver and Ruler, their King and Governor, and,
ultimately, their Judge, to whom they must yet render an account of
their deeds. Since the reprobate as well as the elect are represented
as clay in the hands of the Divine Potter determining their eternal
destiny (Rom. 9:21-24), then certainly He has full control of them and
their actions while they be in a time state. This is a very real and
substantial part of the believer's consolation, that his God "doeth
according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants
of the earth: and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doest
Thou?" (Dan. 4:35), and therefore that neither Satan nor any of his
children can make the least move against one of the Lord's people
without His express permission and the removing of His providential
hindrances.
"And the Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel." What a
commentary was that upon "The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen
to naught: He maketh the devices of the people of none effect" (Ps.
33:10)! Not only are the wicked the subjects of God's government, but
their every action is controlled by Him and made subservient to His
eternal purpose, yet without His having any part in their wickedness.
Was it not so in the cases of Pharaoh and Judas? And is it possible to
select more extreme ones? If then the greatest of all rebels fulfilled
the purpose of the Almighty (though quite unwittingly so far as they
were concerned), then think it not strange that it is so with all
lesser rebels. Nimrod and his fellows thought to erect a tower whose
top should reach unto heaven, but God frustrated them. Abimelech king
of Gerah sent and took Sarah unto himself, but God suffered him not to
touch her (Gen. 20:6). Balaam loved the wages of unrighteousness and
hired himself out unto Balak to go and curse Israel, but the Lord so
interposed that that prophet had to confess to his chagrin, "Behold, I
have received commandment to bless: and He hath blessed; and I cannot
reverse it" (Num. 23:20). "Surely the wrath of man shall [be made to]
praise Thee: the remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain" (Ps. 76:10).
"The Lord hath prepared His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom
ruleth over all" (Ps. 103:19)--over the evil and the good, over the
demons and those they indwell as truly as over His Church. God rules
in the decisions of the senate, the tumults of the people, the fury of
battle, as really as in the ragings and tides of the sea. The plotting
of kings, the ambitions of aggressors, the avarice of conquerors, are
fully controlled by the Most High. He presides in their counsels,
determines their decisions, decides which nations they shall attack,
bending their minds to comply with His eternal decrees. Unmistakably,
repeatedly, uniformly, is that the teaching of Holy Writ. Note well
what the Lord said of that heathen monarch who was so filled with the
lust of conquest: "O Assyrian, the rod of Mine anger, and the staff in
their hand is Mine indignation. I will send him against an
hypocritical nation, and against the people of My wrath will I give
him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread
them down like the mire of the streets. Howbeit he meaneth not so . .
. but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few"
(Isa. 10:5, 7). The Assyrian had other designs of a more ambitious
scope, but God changed the direction of his thoughts, and caused him
to be His instrument of retribution in inflicting judgment upon a
people who had sorely provoked Him. God employed him, unknown to
himself, as "the rod of His anger: thus he was in God's hand and his
actions determined by Him.
"And the Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel . . . and they
smote them, until they left them none remaining (v. 8). See here the
utter futility and madness of fighting against the Almighty! When He
"delivered them up" unto their justly deserved death, what could they
do? Nothing, they were helpless, unable to escape the due reward of
their iniquity. "Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be
unpunished; but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered" (Prov.
11:21). Thus it was with Jabin and his hosts; their confederacy in
evil came to naught. Their number, strength and unanimity availed them
nothing now that God's hour of vengeance had arrived. Therein we have
a solemn anticipation and adumbration of the judgment awaiting the
world of the ungodly. The Lord has solemnly declared that He "repayeth
them that hate Him to their face, to destroy them" (Deut. 7:10); and
again, "Thine hand shall find out all Thine enemies: Thy right hand
shall find out those that hate Thee. Thou shalt make them as a fiery
oven in the time of Thine anger: the Lord shall swallow them up in His
wrath, and the fire shall devour them" (Ps. 21:8, 9). Out of Christ
there is no protection from God's justice. When He appears to judge
the world, the stoutest heart will melt in terror and the most
obdurate will cry to the rocks. "Fall on us, and hide us from the face
of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for
the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"
(Rev. 6:16, 17).
"And Joshua did unto them as the Lord bade him: he houghed their
horses, and burned their chariots with fire" (v. 9). In the flush and
excitement of victory Israel's leader failed not to comply with the
orders he had received from his Master, and it is blessed to see how
the Holy Spirit has taken notice of and recorded the same, thereby
showing us the value which God places upon obedience. Not only so, but
the chronicling of these details here is for our spiritual
instruction, intimating as they do once more that further victories
are not to be expected by us unless we remain in complete subjection
to the Divine will. The continued blessing of God on our efforts to
overcome our foes is dependent upon the maintenance of lowliness and
submission unto Him, for if pride or self-will is allowed, then the
Holy Spirit is grieved. Humility ever expresses itself in obedience to
God. What is recorded here in verse 9 explains what follows to the end
of the chapter, where we are shown how Joshua's progress remained
unretarded. In what particular way this "houghing" was done we are not
informed, so we cannot be sure whether the horses were only rendered
powerless for warfare or completely destroyed. In view of burning the
chariots, it seems more likely that they would be killed, so as to
prevent other Canaanites from using them; the more so since they would
be of no value to Israel.
"And Joshua did unto them as the Lord bade him: he houghed their
horses, and burned their chariots with fire." What proof was this that
"There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is
not delivered by much strength. An horse is a vain thing for safety"
(Ps. 31:16, 17)! As God can save those who are without armies, so
those with them are helpless if He be against them--as was clearly
demonstrated at the Red Sea. It is a striking fact that the most
glorious days of military victory for Israel were when the veto of
Deuteronomy 17:16, was strictly regarded by them. In addition to their
remarkable exploits in the time of Joshua, we may recall their
victories over Sihon and Og (Num. 21:23-26, 33-35), their overcoming
of Sisera and his nine hundred chariots of iron (Judg. 4:3-16), and
David's victory over the king of Zobah, with his thousand chariots (2
Sam. 8). On the other hand, it is equally noticeable that Israel's
declension dates from their transgression of Deuteronomy 17:16 (1
Kings 4:26; 10:26), and that defeat came from the very quarter in
which they foolishly placed their confidence (2 Chron. 12:2, 9 and
compare Isaiah 31:1): all of which goes to show "The horse is prepared
against the day of battle: but safety [or "victory"] is of the Lord"
(Prov. 21:31), It may also be pointed out that later, when Israel
renounced this vain confidence, God healed their backsliding (Hos.
14:3, 4).
God and War
The title of this article may possibly shock some of our readers,
thinking that "Satan and War" would be a more appropriate and accurate
one. There are an increasing number today among churchgoers who
repudiate the idea that God has anything to do, designedly and
directly, with such calamities as tidal waves, earthquakes, or wars.
Since there are such things, these people attribute them to and blame
them upon the Devil. Their beliefs differ little from the religious
conceptions of the ancient Persians and modern Parsees, for
Zoroastrianism teaches that there are two Gods presiding over this
sphere, a good and an evil one; that all blessings are to be ascribed
unto the former and all our ills unto the latter. And just as that
ancient system of philosophy and religion contains no definite
statement as to which of the opposing deities will ultimately triumph,
so these modern dualists have so little confidence in the true and
living God, and are so determined to dissociate Him from the affairs
of this scene, that they talk (and even write) about the likelihood of
this earth being blown to smithereens by some devilish kind of bomb,
instead of this world being (when it has served His purpose) destroyed
by its Creator with fire (Ps. 1, 3), as He did the antediluvian world
by water.
It needs to be constantly pressed upon this skeptical generation that
the One who made this world is now governing it; and that not merely
in a vague and general way, but most definitely and specifically. The
Lord God presides over all its affairs, regulates all its events,
directs all its inhabitants. If He did not, if there be some creatures
beyond His control some happenings outside His jurisdiction, then
there would be no guarantee that everything which transpires on earth
(as well as in heaven) shall redound to His glory, and that all things
are working together for good to them that love Him. Instead, all
confidence in the future would be at an end, all peace of heart and
tranquility of mind an empty dream. But Scripture is far too plain on
this matter to be misunderstood: His kingdom ruleth over all (Ps.
103:19), who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will"
(Eph. 1:11), "For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things:
to whom be glory for ever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36). So far from Satan being
able to thwart Him, he could not lay a finger upon Job or any of his
possessions until the Lord gave him permission to do so; and the
demons could not enter the herd of swine without Christ's consent
(Mark 5:12, 13). Nor can the Devil gain the slightest advantage over a
saint without his own allowance, and if he resists him steadfastly in
the faith, he is obliged to flee from him (Jam. 4:7).
Since "all things" are of God, then wars must not be excluded. So
truly is this the case that His Word declares, "The Lord is a man of
war" (Ex. 15:3): thus Deity hesitates not to assume unto Himself a
militant title. And again He declares, "The Lord mighty in battle"
(Ps. 24:8), which is illustrated and demonstrated again and again in
the history of Israel, when He showed Himself strong in their behalf
and slew their foes. "The Lord of hosts mustereth the host of the
battle. They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the
Lord, and the weapons of His indignation, to destroy the whole land"
(Isa. 13:4, 5). It may be objected that these are Old Testament
references, and that the spirit of the New Testament denounces all war
as now being unlawful. But the New Testament is far from bearing that
out; its teaching thereon is in full accord with the Old. Thus, when
the soldiers came to Christ's forerunner for instruction, asking,
"What shall we do?" he did not say, Fight no more, abandon your
calling, but gave them directions how to conduct themselves. When the
centurion came to the Savior and drew an argument from his military
calling, our Lord did not condemn his profession or rebuke him for
holding such an office; instead, He highly commended his faith (Luke
7:8, 9).
When foretelling the destruction of Jerusalem, Christ declared that
God would send forth His armies (Matthew 22:7), so that the Roman
legions were but instruments in His hands, directed by Him to effect
His judgment. When examined by Pilate, our Lord said, "My kingdom is
not of this world: if My kingdom were of this world, then would My
servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is
My kingdom not from hence" (John 18:36). Those words clearly imply
that, though carnal means were then improper for advancing His
spiritual kingdom, yet had not His state of humiliation precluded His
assumption of the royal scepter His followers might, lawfully have
fought to defend His title. Moreover, His qualifying "now suggests
that such a time would come, as Revelation 19:11, plainly confirms.
When the ten kings determine to make the mother of harlots desolate
and burn her with fire, we are told, "For God hath put it in their
hearts to fulfill His will" (Rev. 17:16, 17). How entirely different
is the God of Holy Writ from the fictitious one of the sentimental
dreamers of this effeminate age!
In our previous comments upon Israel's fighting in Canaan, our
principal emphasis has been upon the application thereof unto the
spiritual warfare in which the Christian is called upon to engage, but
our articles would lack completeness if we failed to devote one unto
the literal side of things. Much of human history consists of a
chronicling of wars, and it is a matter of no little concern and
importance that we should turn the light of Scripture thereon and
ascertain God's relation thereto. Is He but a far-distant Spectator
thereof, having no immediate connection with the horrible carnage of
the battlefield, or is His agency directly involved in the same? To
speculate upon such a matter is not only useless, but impious. War is
ever a frightful calamity, the more so if it be a civil one, when one
part of the populace is madly fighting against another; or when many
nations become involved or embroiled. At such a time the suffering and
anguish experienced rudely shake the belief of many in an overruling
providence; and even God's own people find it difficult to stay their
minds on the Ruler of the universe and trust in His goodness and
wisdom, unless they be firmly rooted in the Truth.
Those who are familiar with history know how many sad proofs it
contains that human beings are often more cruel than are the beasts of
the jungle. Lions and tigers kill their prey in order to appease their
hunger, but men destroy their fellows only to gratify their insatiable
lusts of ambition and avarice. During the course of the centuries wild
animals have killed thousands of mankind, but within the last few
years literally millions have been destroyed by the restless
wickedness of those who cared not what immeasurable suffering would
result from the meeting of their greedy desires. We cannot
sufficiently deplore the depravity of human nature which has made men
beasts of prey, or rather devils to one another, seeking whom they may
devour. The events of this enlightened century only too plainly
confirm the teaching of Scripture on the thorough corruption of fallen
human nature, that in their unregenerate condition men are "hateful,
and hating one another" (Titus 3:3). But let us not condemn the
ferocity and wickedness of our fellows in any self-righteous spirit,
but in the humbling realization that we too are clay of the same lump,
and that if a spirit of benevolence now governs us, it is naught but
sovereign grace which makes us to differ.
But while we contemplate with grief, shame and horror the vile works
of men of the same vicious natures as our own, we must by no means
overlook and ignore the place which Divine providence has in all those
occurrences in which they are the actors. God is supreme, and all
inferior agents are under His government, held by Him in such
effectual control that they can do nothing without Him. In the most
tremendous evils which they inflict, they are the ministers of His
vengeance. Even when whole nations be destroyed, by whatsoever means,
the hand of God is in that work of judgment. We briefly alluded unto
this in our last, but deemed it necessary to supplement what was there
pointed out. "I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians' and they
shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his
neighbor; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. And the
spirit [courage] of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will
destroy the counsel thereof . . . and the Egyptians will I give over
into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall reign over
them, saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts" (Isa. 19:2-4)--words which
ought to cause not a few people to revise their ideas on this subject.
When cities are reduced to rubble, when civil war afflicts a country,
when kingdoms are destroyed, the agency of God is to be acknowledged
therein.
The worst tyrants, when inflicting the greatest outrages, are the
instruments of God, accomplishing His will. In Jeremiah 25:9, we find
Jehovah referring to Nebuchadnezzar as "My servant"--just as He spoke
of "My servant Moses" (Num. 12:7) and "David My servant" (Ps. 89:3).
The king of Babylon was just as truly an instrument in effecting the
Divine purpose as they were: they in delivering and building up, he in
punishing and destroying. "Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from
far, O house of Israel, saith the Lord . . . and they shall eat up thy
harvest, and thy bread, which thy sons and thy daughters should eat:
they shall eat up thy flocks and thine herds: . . . they shall
impoverish thy fenced cities, wherein thou trustedst, with the sword"
(Jer. 5:15, 17). God brings judgment upon a nation as surely as He
gives blessing: uproots as truly as He plants. "Lo, I raise up the
Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the
breadth of the land to possess the dwelling-places that are not
theirs: they are terrible and dreadful" (Hab. 1:6, 7). How clearly do
those words show that heathen nations are under God's control and used
by Him when it serves His purpose.
The Babylonians were employed by the Ruler of this world for the
chastisement of His people and commissioned by Him to carry the Jews
into captivity, yet in so doing they incurred great guilt and were
made to reap as they had sown. Those things may seem utterly
inconsistent unto carnal reason, yet they are not so in reality, for
Nebuchadnezzar acted with no thought of fulfilling the Divine decrees,
but rather to satisfy his own rapacity, and therefore was his kingdom
providentially destroyed by Him with an unexampled destruction. Others
were sent by God to execute His vengeance on Babylon, and though they
in turn were incited by their own passions, nevertheless He it was who
called forth their hosts and gave them the victory. "Behold, I will
stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as
for gold, they shall not delight in it. Their bows also shall dash the
young men to pieces, and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the
womb; their eye shall not spare children" (Isa. 13:17, 18). How awful
does Providence appear here! Even when savage idolators violate every
dictate of humanity, they are the executors of the judgments of the
Almighty. While their conduct is most horribly guilty, in the Divine
sovereignty it fulfils God's will.
"The Lord of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory,
and to bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth. . . . He
shook the kingdoms: the Lord hath given a commandment against the
merchant city, to destroy the strong holds thereof" (Isa. 23:9-11).
The demolition of Tyre by the Chaldeans was not only the fulfillment
of prophecy, but was accomplished by Divine agency. God did it, yet
man did it. In unconsciously doing the work of the Lord, men act quite
freely, and therefore are justly accountable for doing what it was
eternally predestined they should do. Philosophy cannot plumb such a
depth by its own line, but Scripture clears up the mystery. Of Cyrus
God declared, "Thou art My battle axe and weapons of war: for with
thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy
kingdoms" (Jer. 51:20). What is there said of that mighty conqueror is
equally true of all conquerors that ever lived, or shall live, on this
earth. Conquerors regard themselves almost as gods, but the axes and
saws with which men cut and cleave wood might with far better reason
exalt themselves to the rank of human creatures. None of them can. do
anything but what God's counsel determined before to be done by their
hands, and therefore it is our bounden duty to give God the glory for
all the judgments which are done by them, and to adore His awful
providence in all the miseries they inflict upon guilty kingdoms.
It is in the light of all that has been said above that the conquest
of Canaan by Israel is to be viewed. Joshua 10:30, 42, makes it quite
clear that the "sword" of Joshua was the sword of the Lord--compare
"The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon" (Judg. 7:20). Equally so, it is
in the light of various passages found in the Pentateuch that we must
consider the severity of God's dealings with those whom His servant
was commissioned to slay. The original inhabitants of Canaan were
flagitious offenders, not only in being gross idolators, but in
trampling underfoot the laws of morality and of humanity. If the
reader turns to Leviticus 18:3, 27, 28, and then ponders what is
recorded between verses 3 and 27, he will perceive the horrible
depravity which the Amorites exhibited, for in those verses a black
catalogue is supplied of the vile "abominations" of which they were
guilty. Those heathen tribes were like a cankerous sore in the body
politic, contaminating the surrounding nations, and therefore it was
an act of mercy unto the latter, as well as a just punishment upon the
former, that God ordered Joshua to destroy them root and branch. The
Lord had borne long with them, but now that the iniquity of the
Amorites had come to the full (Gen. 15:16) naught but summary judgment
suited their case.
Not only is no apology required for the Lord in connection with His
solemn works of judgment, but He is to be owned and magnified therein.
"O Lord, Thou art my God; I will exalt Thee, I will praise Thy name;
for Thou hast done wonderful things; Thy counsels of old are
faithfulness and truth. For Thou hast made of a city an heap; of a
defensed city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall
never be built. Therefore shall the strong people glorify Thee" (Isa.
25:1, 2)--as Israel did when Pharaoh and his hosts were overthrown by
the waters of the Red Sea, and as the inhabitants of heaven shall
exclaim "Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto
the Lord our God: For true and righteous are His judgments, for He
hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her
fornication, and hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand"
(Rev. 19:1, 2). God is glorious in His works of providence as well as
in His works of creation. As He made all things "good" at the creation
of the world, so He doeth all things "well" in His government of it.
He is to be revered and adored even of those works which He performs
by the hand of His creatures. He is glorious in what He does by and
through wicked men as well as by His saints: glorious in His acts of
vengeance as well as in His acts of grace.
But if the balance of truth is to be preserved on this subject, clue
place must be given and full regard had to another class of passages,
which show that when God deals in judgment--whether it be with
individuals or nations--He does so because man's sinfulness calls for
it, and not because He delights therein. This is clear from Ezekiel
14, where, after announcing the "four sore judgments" which he would
send upon Jerusalem, the Lord God declared, "And ye shall know that I
have not done this without cause" (vv. 21-23), for as Jeremiah 22:8,
9, informs us, "And many nations shall pass by this city, and they
shall say every man to his neighbor, Wherefore hath the Lord done thus
unto this great city? Then they shall answer, Because they have
forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshipped other gods
and served them." How plain is the testimony of Lamentations in. 33,
"For He doth not afflict willingly [from His heart] nor grieve the
children of men." Equally so is Ezekiel 33:11, "As I live, saith the
Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the
wicked turn from his way and live." Therefore are we told that
judgment is "His strange work. . . . His strange act" (Isa. 28:21),
for it is not as agreeable to Him as His works of mercy.
God approves of righteousness wherever it be found, and rewards the
same with temporal blessings; but He ever disapproves of sin, and
sooner or later visits His anger upon it (Prov. 14:34). Yet even when
the dark clouds of His judgment are hanging over a kingdom or an evil
system, calamity may be averted by national humiliation before God and
reformation of conduct (Ex. 9:27-29; Luke 19:41-44; Rev. 2:21, 22).
How much to the point are those words of the Lord in Jeremiah 18:8:
"If that nation, against whom I have pronounced [judgment], turn from
their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto
them"--as was most definitely exemplified in the case of Nineveh. That
verse has, of course, no reference to the alteration of His eternal
decree, but instead enumerates one of the principles by which God
governs this world, namely that He deals with nations as with
individuals--according to their conduct, making them to reap as they
have sown, for His judgment is ever tempered by His mercy (Judg.
3:8-10).
Now each of the two sides of our subject pointed out above was
illustrated in Joshua 11: On the one hand we are told, "For it was of
the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel
in battle, that He might destroy them utterly, and that they might
have no favor, but that He might destroy them, as the Lord commanded
Moses" (v. 20)--because they had filled up the measure of their
iniquities and were ripe for judgment (compare Matthew 23:32; 1 Thess.
2:16; Rev. 14:7, 18). On the other hand we read that "But as for the
cities that stood still in their strength, Israel burned none of them,
save Hazor only" (v. 13), by which is meant those who remained passive
and fought not against Israel. So that here too in wrath God
remembered mercy. That is one of several passages which show that
Israel did not massacre unresisting Canaanites (cf. Deuteronomy 20:10,
11)--Joshua 24:11, shows that those in Jericho assumed a hostile
attitude, and therefore we may conclude that those in Ai did so too.
Summary
Before turning to the next section of our book (chapters 13-18), which
treats of the apportioning of the land unto the tribes of Israel and
their actual entrance into their inheritance, one more article is
called for on chapter 11: with a few supplementary remarks upon the
twelfth, where we have abbreviate of Israel's conquests. A report is
made of the protracted fighting which the complete subjugation of the
Canaanites entailed, and this is followed by a list of the thirty-one
kings who were vanquished by Joshua. There are a number of details in
the former chapter which, despite the five articles we have already
written thereon, have not yet been noticed, and which are much too
important for us to pass over, for they are details which adumbrate
and illustrate various aspects of that good fight which Christians are
called upon to wage. They concern things which, if success is to crown
our efforts, contain valuable lessons that we do well to take to
heart. Since they be included in the "whatsoever things were written
aforetime were written for our learning" (Rom. 15:4), we cannot afford
to ignore them.
When our Lord had miraculously fed the multitude with the five barley
loaves and two small fishes, we are told that He bade His disciples to
"gather up the fragments . . . that nothing be lost" (John 6:12)--a
word that needs to be pressed much upon God's people today, for some
of them are following the evil example of this wasteful and wanton
generation by being guilty of throwing away much that could well be
used or reused. It is in the spirit and according to the general
principle contained in that precept of Christ's that we turn again to
Joshua 11 for though we have, again and again, feasted from its
contents in our more or less general survey of them, yet quite a few
scattered "fragments" therein claim our attention, and these we shall
now endeavor to "gather up" into this present article. Though we lack
the ability to do as the apostles did and "fill twelve baskets" with
the same, yet we trust that by Divine assistance we shall be able to
provide sufficient to meet the needs of some hungry souls. The Lord
graciously grant it.
"And all the cities of those kings, and all the kings of them, did
Joshua take, and smote them with the edge of the sword, and he utterly
destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the Lord commanded" (Josh.
11:12). Most express orders had been given to him by his predecessor
to do these very things (Deut. 7:2; 20:16, 17); he was to show no
mercy and spare none, for they were drinking in iniquity like water is
by the parched. And Moses, in turn, had received these instructions
from the Lord Himself. Thus, in the slaughtering of the idolatrous and
immoral Amorites, Joshua and his men were not actuated by a spirit of
bloodthirstiness or malice, but instead were having regard to the
Divine precepts. The practical application of this detail unto
ourselves should be obvious. Some of God's statutes enjoin that which
is painful unto flesh and blood (Matthew 16:24; Phil. 3:10), yea,
quite contrary to our fallen natures (Matthew 5:29, 30), yet we must
not pick and choose only those which are agreeable to us, but conform
to the most trying and disagreeable of them; and even though it
involves antagonizing those nearest and dearest to us (Matthew 10:34,
35; Luke 14:26), we must, like David, "have respect to all God's
commandments" (Ps. 119:6).
"As the Lord commanded Moses His servant, so did Moses command Joshua,
and so did Joshua: he left nothing undone of all that the Lord
commanded Moses" (Josh. 11:15). That is to be regarded first as a
general statement, summarizing his obedience unto such enactments as
Exodus 23:24; 34:11-13; Numbers 33:52; Deuteronomy 12:3, in which he
was bidden to overthrow their idols and quite break down their images,
to destroy their altars and cut down their groves, to destroy all
their pictures and pluck down all their high places, to break down
their pillars and burn their groves with fire; in short, so thoroughly
to make an end of all the monuments of their religion that the very
names of their false gods should be "destroyed out of that place."
Thus Joshua was not free to follow his own caprice, nor left to the
exercise of his own judgment, but was required to carry out the
detailed orders which he had received from his Master. How
conscientiously and thoroughly he did so appears from this inspired
record of the Holy Spirit: "he left nothing undone of all that the
Lord commanded."
"Would we approve ourselves upright, then we must leave nothing undone
which the Lord hath commanded: for though omissions are not so
scandalous, either in the world or in the Church, as commissions, they
are as certainly acts of disobedience and effects of a will
unsubjected to the Divine authority" (Thomas Scott). As our Lord told
the Pharisees, who were very punctilious in paying tithe of mint and
anise, yet omitted the weightier matters of the Law--judgment, mercy,
and faith--"these ought ye to have done and not to leave the other
undone" (Matthew 23:23). Sincere obedience is impartial. He who from a
right principle obeys any of God's commandments will have respect unto
all of them. Here is one of the radical differences between gracious
souls and empty professors: the latter act for themselves and not for
God, and will do no more than what they consider promotes their own
interests or enhances their reputation before their fellows and, like
the Pharisees, usually lay stress on the "least" commandments,
especially those things which distinguish them from other
denominations, and neglect those which relate to moral duties
attending to such externals as the "washing" of their hands, yet
making no serious attempt to cleanse their hearts.
What a searching word is this for both writer and reader to measure
himself by: "he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded"!
Therein he conformed to that fundamental injunction, "What thing
soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto,
nor diminish from it" (Deut. 12:32). For men to add anything to the
precepts of God, as binding upon the conscience or as being essential
to personal piety, is an affront upon His wisdom, for it is tantamount
to charging Him with an oversight. Equally so, to diminish aught from
the Divine commandments, to ignore or render any of them void, is to
despise God's authority and goodness. If we be wise, even a regard to
our own interests will cause us to render unqualified obedience, for
God has enjoined nothing but what is for our good, and therefore none
of His commandments can be neglected but to our injury and loss. What
a solemn word too is this to the preacher! Oh, that he may be able to
look his congregation in the face and say truthfully at the close of a
pastorate, "I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you" (Acts
20:20).
"Joshua made war a long time with all those kings" (Josh. 11:18).
Though the account of his conquest of Canaan be a very brief one and
his numerous victories are packed into a small compass, yet it is not
to be thought that they were all obtained within a few days (or even
weeks) as was the case at Jericho and in the campaign described in
chapter 10 but rather occupied a considerable period. Yet, after all,
the expression "a long time" is a relative one, for the swiftness or
slowness of time's passing is not always to be gauged by the clock.
When its span is filled with stress and strain, its flight seems much
slower--as it would to the mothers and wives more than to the fighting
men of Israel themselves--hence in the Hebrew it reads "many days."
But, as a matter of fact, that span of time comprised only seven
years, as may be seen by a comparison of Joshua 14:1-10, with
Deuteronomy 2:14, for in the former we learn that Caleb was only
eighty-five when Canaan was conquered and but forty when sent forth by
Moses to spy out the land; while the latter informs us that
thirty-eight of those years had been spent in the wilderness before
Israel crossed the Jordan. Thus the whole of Canaan was subdued and
occupied by Israel within the space of seven years.
Those words, "And Joshua made war a long time with all those kings,"
tell us of his constancy, and the stability of those who served under
him. They did not take things easy after Jericho was captured, nor
relax their efforts when Ai fell before them, but continued steadfast
until they had completed the task assigned them. What a noble example
for the Christian to follow in the prosecution of his spiritual
warfare! Let him not be appalled by the obstacles confronting him,
deterred by the number of enemies to be overcome, nor disheartened by
his failures along the way. Patience and fortitude must be earnestly
sought from above. Though the fight of faith lasts "a long time," for
it is to be without any intermission while we are left in this scene,
yet "Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall
reap, if we faint not" (Gal. 6:9). It is just because we are so prone
to flag in our efforts during the performance of duty that this
exhortation is addressed unto us and repeated in 2 Thessalonians 3:13!
Then let us watch and guard against this evil tendency and persevere
unto the end.
"And at that time came Joshua, and cut off the Anakims from the
mountains, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the
mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel: Joshua
destroyed them utterly with their cities" (v. 21). Apparently a
special campaign was made against them, and particular notice is here
made of the same. Nor is the reason for this far to seek. It will be
remembered that when Moses sent forth the twelve men to spy out the
land of Canaan and upon their return ten of them threw cold water upon
the prospect of Israel's occupying it, they emphasized the formidable
strength of its walled cities and made mention of the Anakims as being
of "great stature," the descendants of the giants, being by comparison
"as grasshoppers" in their own sight (Num. 13:28-33). But mighty as
those men were, and taking refuge as they now did in their fastnesses,
Joshua and his men--notwithstanding the difficulty of the mountain
passes and attacking these giants in their caves--hunted them out and
completely routed the very ones who had originally inspired their
unbelieving fathers with such terror.
"Even that opposition, which seemed invincible, was got over. Never
let the sons of Anak be a terror to the Israel of God, for even their
day will come to fall. Giants are dwarfs to Omnipotence; yet this
struggle with the Anakims was reserved for the latter end of the war,
when the Israelites were become more expert in the arts of war and had
had more experience of the power and goodness of God. God sometimes
reserves the sharpest trials of His people, by affliction and
temptation, for the latter end of their days. Therefore, `let not him
that girds on his harness boast as he that puts it off.' Death, that
tremendous son of Anak, is the last enemy to be encountered, but it is
to be destroyed (1 Cor. 15:26). Thanks be to God who will give us the
victory" (Matthew Henry). The words "Joshua destroyed them utterly
with their cities" are not to be understood absolutely, as the later
Scriptures show, for both of the books of Samuel make it clear that
the race of these giants had not been completely exterminated, that
some of their number succeeded in escaping and either concealed their
presence from Israel or took refuge in the surrounding countries. This
is more than hinted at in the verse that follows.
"There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of
Israel: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, there remained" (v. 22).
This was one of the passages used by J.J. Blunt as an illustration of
his striking book, Undesigned Coincidences. He pointed out that 1
Samuel 17:4, informs us that the Philistine champion whom David
vanquished was "Goliath, of Gath," whose height was six cubits and a
span--ten feet--and then bids the reader mark the value of that
description, which though quite casual serves to authenticate its
historicity. Next, he reminds us of the testimony of Moses in Numbers
13:32, 33, where we are told that certain of the original inhabitants
of Canaan were "men of great stature . . . giants, the sons of Anak,
which come of the giants." Those details are to be carefully borne in
mind in connection with Joshua's final feat of arms, when, as we have
seen, he "cut off the Anakims from the mountains," and none of them
were left in the land of Israel "only [observe the exception] in Gaza,
in Gath, and in Ashdod."
Thus, when we find in the book of Samuel that Gath is most
incidentally named as the country of Goliath, that fact squares most
unmistakably with the two other independent facts chronicled by two
other authors, Moses and Joshua: the one that the Anakims were of
gigantic size, the other that some of that almost exterminated race,
who survived the sword of Joshua, actually continued to dwell at Gath!
Thus in the mouths of those three witnesses is the Word established,
concurring as they do in a manner the most artless and satisfactory,
in confirming one particular at least in that remarkable exploit of
Israel's shepherd boy. Since this one particular, and that like a
hinge upon which the whole incident moves, is discovered to be a
matter of fact beyond all question, and in the absence of any evidence
to the contrary, we have good reason to regard the other particulars
of the same history to be authentic too. But there are also many
providential circumstances involved in it which argue the invisible
Hand by which David slew his adversary. His being on hand to hear and
accept the haughty challenge, his bag with five small stones opposed
to the helmet of brass and the coat of brazen mail and the spear like
a weaver's beam, the first sling of a pebble, the panic of the whole
host of the Philistines and their overthrow, combine to show that it
was no ordinary event, and that "the Lord sayeth not with sword and
spear," but that the battle is the Lord's, and that He gave it into
Israel's hand (1 Sam. 17:47).
"So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord said
unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel
according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from
war" (Josh. 11:23). It is clear from Joshua 13 and the book of Judges
that those words are to be regarded as a general statement, probably
meaning "the far greater and better part, all before described; all
that he went against--he failed not in any of his attempts; no place
stood out against him that he besieged or summoned; all yielded to
him" (John Gill). Thus did God make good His promises unto the
patriarchs (Deut. 1:8), to Moses (Deut. 3:18), and to Joshua (Josh.
1:6). And now, for a season, the land rested from war"' those
Canaanites who had escaped, fearing to attack and remaining quiet; the
surrounding nations invading them not. The spiritual application of
this unto ourselves is both apparent and blessed. However unpleasant
and irksome the spiritual warfare of the Christian may be, his
patience in tribulation should ever be encouraged by the joyful
expectation of hope (Rom. 12:12), for ere long perfect rest above
shall be his portion, and that not for a season, but for ever.
The twelfth chapter forms a fitting conclusion to the military
campaigns of Joshua, containing as it does a summary of his numerous
victories and a list of the thirty-one kings which were smitten by
him. A short account is there given of the conquests made by Israel
both in the times of Moses and of Joshua. The land which the Lord gave
unto Israel consisted of two parts, for though it was but a single
country, yet its terrain was divided by the Jordan. Thus the conquest
of Canaan was a single enterprise, though it was actually accomplished
in two distinct stages. That portion on the eastward side of Jordan
was subdued by Moses, and given to the two and a half tribes, but the
much larger half lay on the western side, and was subjugated by Joshua
and allotted unto the nine and a half tribes. Typically, that probably
has a threefold significance or application. First, redemptively, the
fruits of Christ's mediatorial work: far more have benefited therefrom
since His death (the Jordan) than those who were saved by Him during
the days of His public ministry. Second, dispensationally, in
connection with the Church and its members: most probably a much
greater number of them being sinners taken out from the Gentiles than
those who had formerly been from the Jews.
Third, spiritually, in connection with the believer's salvation: a
portion of his inheritance is entered into and enjoyed by him before
the Jordan is crossed, but the principal part of it lies on the
farther side of death. But while looking for the mystical meaning of
this, let us not overlook the practical lesson. "Them did Moses the
servant of the Lord and the children of Israel smite: and Moses the
servant of the Lord gave it for a possession unto the Reubenites, and
the Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh. And these are the kings of
the country which Joshua and the children of Israel smote on this side
Jordan on the west . . . which Joshua gave unto the tribes of Israel
for a possession according to their divisions" (Josh. 12:6, 7). The
linking together of those two things is instructive. "The enjoyment of
present blessings should revive the grateful remembrance of former
mercies, and the benefit derived from the labors of the living
servants of the Lord should remind us to respect the memories of those
who have hitherto served Him in their generation. The national
covenant mediated by Moses engaged many temporal advantages to Israel"
(T. Scott).
"And these are the kings of the country which Joshua and the children
of Israel smote on this side Jordan on the west . . . all the kings
thirty and one" (Josh. 12:7, 24). It may be thought strange that there
should have been so many kings in such a small country. In reality, it
supplies evidence of the accuracy and veracity of this historical
record, for it is in perfect accord with the ancient practice followed
in various countries, namely that many of their principal cities had
their own separate kings. Historians inform us that when Julius Caesar
landed in Britain he found four kings in the single county of
Kent--then how many more would there be in the whole island? How
blessedly did Joshua's conquest of all those kings illustrate the
truth that the more entirely our hearts be fixed upon the Lord our
strength (Josh. 11:6, 7), the more certainly will our foes--however
powerful or numerous--be subdued before us! According to its gematria
(the use of letters instead of figures--for our modern numerals were
unknown to the ancients), thirty-one equals EL--the name of God. If
then He be for us, who can be against us?
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Joshua
by A.W. Pink
15. The Spoils of Victory
Joshua 13:1-33
_________________________________________________________________
The thirteenth chapter of Joshua is another chapter which offers very
little scope for the commentator, for it consists largely of
geographical details. After a brief but blessed word from the Lord to
Joshua himself, the first six verses contain a list of those parts of
the land which had not yet been possessed by Israel, together with an
assurance from God that He would drive out from before His people the
inhabitants of those sections also. In the next six verses the Lord
gives orders concerning the dividing of apportioning of Canaan, naming
some of the places therein and the bounds thereof. Then comes a
reference to the portion which Moses had allotted unto the two and a
half tribes on the eastward side of Jordan, with a detailed
description of the same. Parenthetically, mention is made of Israel's
slaying of Balaam, and twice over we are informed that Moses gave no
inheritance to the tribe of Levi. Thus its contents admit of no
unified treatment, its central subject being, perhaps, best described
as the spoils of victory enjoyed by Israel and the respective portions
therein assigned to her tribes.
Canaan was (as we have previously pointed out) at once a Divine gift,
yet as to their occupying of the same it was the result of Israel's
own prowess. It was bestowed upon them by free grant from God,
nevertheless it had to be conquered by them. Therein there was an
accurate shadowing forth of the Christian's inheritance. That too is
wholly of Divine grace and mediatorial purchase, but it is not
actually entered into by the heirs of promise without much effort on
their part. It is at this point that theologians have so often gone
wrong, by attributing either too much or too little unto the creature.
Only by cleaving very closely to Holy Writ as a whole--and not by
singling out detached fragments--are we preserved from serious error.
On the one hand, we must see to it that we return right answers to the
questions, "For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast
thou that thou didst not receive?" (1 Cor. 4:7); on the other, we must
give due place to such exhortations as "Strive to enter in at the
strait gate" (Luke 13:24) and "Let us labor therefore to enter into
that rest" (Heb. 4:11); and not ignore such statements as "knowing
that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance" (Col.
3:24). Only thus will the balance of truth be preserved.
It is indeed true that the child of God has nothing good or spiritual
but what the Lord has freely bestowed upon him. But does that mean he
is as passive a "receiver" as the earth is when fructified by heaven's
refreshing showers and genial sunshine? Great care needs to be taken
in answering that question lest we contradict the Word of Truth.
Certainly he is no co-operator with Christ in the work of his
redemption. There is not the least warrant for us to say, "God will do
His part if we do ours." There is no dividing of the honors: the glory
is God's alone, and we have no ground for boasting. Most assuredly the
elect have nothing to do with their election, for God chose them in
Christ before the foundation of the world, and there is not a line in
His Word to show that His choice was determined by anything
praiseworthy which He foresaw in them. Those ordained to be vessels of
honor were "clay of the same lump" as the vessels appointed to
dishonor. Nor had they a thing to do with their redemption, for all
that was required to make atonement for their sins and reconcile them
to God was accomplished by Christ centuries before they existed. Nor
had they anything whatever to do with their regeneration, for they
were dead in trespasses and sins when the Spirit quickened them into
newness of life.
But it is quite wrong to infer from the above that the regenerated
soul remains a passive agent. Equally wrong is it to suppose that he
is how possessed of any self-sufficiency, that his new nature empowers
him to perform his duty. Though he has become a living branch of the
Vine, yet he is entirely dependent upon the Vine's nourishing and
fructifying. But we must not confine ourselves to that particular
figure and relationship. The Christian is a moral agent, and grace has
been given him to improve. Means of grace have been provided, and he
is responsible to employ the same. He has a conflict to engage him, a
race to run. There is a world for him to overcome, a devil to resist,
a salvation to be worked out with fear and trembling. True, in and of
himself he is quite incapable of accomplishing such tasks;
nevertheless, through Christ he "can do all things" (Phil. 4:13). He
must tread the narrow way if he would actually enter into the fullness
of Life, and is required to endure unto the end if he is to be finally
saved. He must fight the good fight of faith if he is to enter into
the eternal inheritance. These things are just as true and real as
those mentioned in the preceding paragraphs.
It must not be forgotten that Scripture itself records, and without
the least condemnation or criticism, such utterances as "by the word
of Thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer" (Ps.
17:4), "I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might
keep Thy word" (Ps. 119:101), "I keep under my body" (1 Cor. 9:27), "I
have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the
faith" (2 Tim. 4:7). Those are not carnal boastings but true
statements of fact, and due place must be given to them in our
theological system, or our doctrinal beliefs are very defective. True
indeed, it was by Divine grace that those men conducted themselves
thus, yet they were active moral agents therein, and not passive
ciphers. Thus also was Canaan a Divine gift unto Abraham and his
descendants, but they had to fight--fight long and hard--in order to
enter into possession of the same. True also that the Lord fought for
them, and that their victories must be ascribed unto Him who so
signally showed Himself strong in their behalf; nevertheless that
altered not the fact that they fought and subdued their foes. Both the
Divine and the human sides are to be recognized and owned by us.
In like manner our salvation has the same two sides unto it. God is
indeed both the Alpha and the Omega thereof, yet He deals with us as
rational creatures and enforces our responsibility in connection with
the same. So far as we can discover, the plants in the garden and the
trees in the orchard owe their growth and fertility entirely to the
Creator. But it is otherwise with believers: they are required to use
the means of grace which God has appointed, and look to Him to bless
the same. The vegetables and trees are incapable of taking precautions
against pests and tornadoes; but we are obligated to avoid evil,
resist temptation, and take shelter from the storm. Eternal life is a
Divine gift (Rom. 6:23), but we are to "lay hold on" it (1 Tim. 6:12).
The celestial inheritance is "the purchased possession" of Christ for
His people (Eph. 1:14), yet it is also "the reward" of service unto
the Lord (Col. 3:24). Grace is freely given, but we are to use it, and
must improve the same if we would receive more (Luke 8:18; Matthew
25:16). "Seek the Lord, and His strength: seek His face evermore" (Ps.
105:4)--there is the meeting-place of the two sides! We have no
sufficiency of our own, but if grace be duly sought (Heb. 4:16) then
"our sufficiency is of God" (2 Cor. 3:5).
"Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the Lord said unto him,
Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much
land to be possessed" (Josh. 13:1). Unlike Moses, of whom it is
recorded that at the close of a still longer life his eye was not dim,
nor his natural force abated (Deut. 34:1), the strenuous life Joshua
had lived took heavy toll of him, and the infirmities of old age had
come upon him. Probably he had then reached the century mark, for he
was one of the twelve originally sent forth by Moses to spy out the
land, and therefore would be at least as old as Caleb, who was then
eighty-five (Josh. 14:10), and most likely quite a few years more, for
he was but 110 at the time of his death (Josh. 24:29). But it is
blessed to see that, despite his increasing bodily weakness, the Lord
did not desert him in his old age, but now honored him with a special
visit and a most gracious communication. And that, dear reader, is
recorded for the particular comfort and encouragement of His aged
pilgrims. Unto them He has given the sure promise: "And even to your
old age I am He [the unchanging One]; and even to hoar hairs will I
carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will
deliver you" (Isa. 46:4), and that blessed assurance it is their holy
privilege to rest upon day by day with childlike faith.
It is to be noted that after informing His servant that he was old and
stricken in years--for the Lord never flatters man, nor withholds His
Truth (except in judgment) from man--He did not say "but there
remaineth yet very much land to be possessed": instead it was "and
there remaineth." Thus He was not saying this by way of reproach. It
appears to us that God so addressed Himself to Joshua on this
occasion, First, to instruct Him: to let him know that He was no
Egyptian taskmaster, who imposed burdens grievous to be borne; rather
did He tenderly remember that Joshua was dust. By virtue of growing
frailty he would be unfit to complete so vast a task as conquering the
whole of Canaan--the major part of which remained to be done. Second,
to humble him. While Joshua had much ground to be thankful for the
considerable success with which the Lord had crowned his efforts, he
had no reason to be elated, for the energy was still in possession of
the remoter sections of Israel's inheritance. Third, it was, as the
following verses make clear, for the purpose of acquainting him with
his immediate duty.
While the Lord took knowledge of the enfeebled frame of His servant,
yet He did not for that reason encourage him to be slack. On the
contrary, He assigned him a new though much lighter task. It is not
the revealed will of God that His people should spend their old age in
idleness. He does not preserve them through all the dangers of youth
and the trials of maturity that they should be mere cumberers of the
ground. He may well suffer them to become exceedingly tottery and
perhaps bedridden and entirely dependent upon others; yet even so it
is their privilege and duty to beg Him to make good in them that
precious word, "They shall still bring forth fruit in old age: they
shall be fat and flourishing" (Ps. 92:14). They may still commune with
the Lord, and manifest the effects thereof. The decay of nature is no
reason why grace should languish. Even when thoroughly helpless, the
fruits of patience, meekness and gratitude may be borne, and they may
carry themselves as the monuments of God's goodness and the memorials
of His faithfulness, and thereby "show forth His praises." Though the
strenuous efforts of earlier years be no longer possible, the ministry
of prayer is available unto the very end, and who can say that more
will not be accomplished therein for eternity than by any other
spiritual activity?
As intimated above, one of the Lord's designs in now appearing unto
Joshua was to make known unto him his duty; yea, this seems to have
been His leading object. What that duty consisted of was revealed in
verse 7: he was to superintend in the apportioning of the land unto
the nine and a half tribes--the other two and a half having already
been allotted their heritage by Moses. It was most essential that he
should be the one to perform this task. Clothed as he was with Divine
authority, called of God to be Israel's head, so markedly used by Him
in vanquishing the armies of the Amorites and destroying their
strongholds, none so well fitted as he now to divide the spoils of
victory. Enjoying the confidence of the congregation, it behooved him
to set about this important task while life and sufficient strength
remained; and not leave unto some successor to do what could be far
better and more appropriately done by himself. The decisions of the
one who had in the hearing of the nation commanded the sun and the
moon to stand still would not be challenged by the tribes; whereas it
was not nearly so likely that they would freely accept the rulings of
another Joshua then must not delay.
"This is the land that yet remaineth [i.e. to be possessed]: all the
borders of the Philistines, and all Geshuri" (v. 2). From there to the
end of verse 6 follows a list of the more remote sections of Palestine
which were still occupied by the heathen. Here, then, by clear
implication, was another task assigned unto Joshua: to stir up the
people unto further efforts, that while he could not personally take
any further part in the fighting he must press upon the nation the
duty still devolving upon them. Instead of now taking their ease and
being satisfied with those portions of their inheritance which had
already been secured, they must continue to "possess their
possessions," and not miss God's best for them. It is highly probable
that the great majority of Israel were quite ignorant of the extent of
the land, unacquainted with the terms of the promise made by the Lord
unto Abraham in Genesis 15:18-21, etc. During their lengthy sojourn in
Egypt their ancestors had lapsed into idolatry (see Leviticus 17:7;
Ezekiel 20:7, 8; 23:3), and so unacquainted were they with the Lord
Himself that when Jehovah commissioned Moses to lead His people out of
the house of bondage he asked, "When I . . . say unto them, The God of
your fathers hath sent me to you; and they shall say to me, What is
His name? what shall I say unto them?" (Ex. 3:13).
Sufficient attention has not been paid unto what has just been pointed
out. While it be far from excusing the conduct of Israel under
Moses--in view of the wondrous deliverance the Lord wrought for them
and the signal favors shown by Him unto them at the Red Sea, at Sinai.
and during the forty years that followed--yet it does supply the key
which explains much that otherwise is altogether unaccountable. Their
children had been reared in the wilderness, and now they had entered
Canaan under Joshua it is likely that they knew little or nothing of
its boundaries. Thus we consider it was for this reason that it was
now necessary for the Lord to instruct Joshua by the details furnished
in Joshua 13:2-5, that he might inform the people of the full extent
of that land which had been given to them. The spiritual application
of this unto ourselves is not difficult to perceive. Even after their
regeneration, God's people are totally ignorant of the unsearchable
riches that are theirs in Christ, until informed of the same from the
Scriptures. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered
into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them
that love Him "(1 Cor. 2:9). Nevertheless it at once follows, "But God
hath revealed them unto Us by His Spirit"--in His Word; and as we
diligently search that Word we learn what those things are.
Matthew Henry pointed out three reasons why the Lord commissioned
Joshua to acquaint Israel with the fact that "there remaineth yet very
much land to be possessed," and to amplify that statement by
announcing to them all the geographical details given in verses 2-5.
First, that they might be more affected with God's goodness in giving
them so extensive a portion, and thereby be engaged to love and serve
Him. He would have them occupied with the Divine bounty, that their
obedience to Him might be prompted by gratitude and not by a slavish
fear. And thus it is to be with His people today: deep appreciation of
His grace and goodness is to prompt them to run in the path of His
commandments. Second, that they might not be tempted to make any
league or contract any dangerous familiarity with those neighbors, so
as to learn their ways; but might be jealous of them, as those who
kept them out of their rightful inheritance. In like manner,
Christians, as they contemplate the possession purchased for them, are
to conduct themselves as strangers and pilgrims in this scene, keeping
their garments unspotted from the world, walking with God in
separation therefrom. Third, that they might keep themselves in a
posture of war, and not think of putting off their harness as long as
there remained any of the land to be possessed.
In closing this article, a final word upon the application of verses
1-5 to the aged pilgrim. You may, dear reader, be stricken in years,
nevertheless the fact must be faced that "`there remaineth yet very
much land to be possessed." No matter what be your growth in grace or
the extent of your progress in spiritual things, you are not as
completely conformed to the image of Christ as you should be, nor have
you as fully possessed your possessions (Obad. 1:17), as it is your
privilege to do. Take a leaf out of the apostle's book. Near the close
of his life he declared, "Brethren, I count not myself to have
apprehended: but this one thing I do; forgetting those things which
are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I
press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in
Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:13, 14). Do thou the same. As for verses 2-5,
we too should sit down and draw up a list of those parts of our
heritage not yet experientially possessed by us--and note that verse 2
is headed by the most difficult one, for the later Scriptures show
that Israel had most trouble from the Philistines. Do you ask, What
good could that do? It should humble. It should prompt to more
definite prayer. We read of "the meekness and gentleness of Christ" (2
Cor. 10:1). Are those graces made good in you ?
When Joshua had become old and more or less enfeebled, the Lord
appeared unto His servant, and after informing him that there remained
yet very much land to be possessed, and naming some of the places and
peoples to be conquered, He declared, "them will I drive out from
before the children of Israel: only divide thou it by lot unto the
Israelites for an inheritance, as I have commanded thee" (Josh. 13:6).
It had been so with Moses: under God he had begun the task of
occupying Canaan (namely that part thereof which lay to the east of
Jordan), but only a small beginning had been made. Joshua had been
used to carry forward the enterprise considerably, yet it was far from
being completed--others would be raised up later to effect the Divine
purpose. And it has been the same ever since. A start was all that was
made by the apostles in the evangelizing of the Gentiles, for when the
last of them expired there remained yet very much land to be
possessed. Calvin and Luther were mightily employed in delivering
God's people from the deadly shackles of Rome, yet when the last of
the Reformers was called home how much yet remained to be
accomplished!
It is the same now. At the close of the most active and
self-sacrificing life in the service of Christ, each succeeding
minister of His leaves this scene with very much of the world still
occupied by the enemy. But observe now the blessed consolation the
Lord gave unto Joshua: "them will I drive out," not "from before
thee," for he would not live to see it accomplished, but "from before
the children of Israel." As he had carried forward the work begun by
Moses, so others would be Divinely appointed and equipped to advance
his efforts--the honor of laying the capstone thereon being reserved
for David centuries later. A similar assurance should be the very real
confidence of every aged minister of the Gospel. There is no statement
in Scripture, so far as the writer can perceive, to show that a time
will ever come when all upon earth will be saved, or even nominally
receive the Truth: yet the Divine promise is given, "One generation
shall praise Thy works to another" (Ps. 145:4); yea, that some "shall
fear Thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all
generations" (Ps. 72:5). The words of Christ in Matthew 28:20, make it
clear that He will have some of His on earth till the last, and His
"all that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me" (John 6:37) proves
that neither man nor devil will prevent the salvation of the entire
election of grace. "The foundation of God standeth sure . . . The Lord
knoweth them that are His" (2 Tim. 2:19) provides a grand haven of
rest for every anxious heart.
"Them will I drive out from before the children of Israel: only divide
thou it by lot unto the Israelites" (v. 6). We regard this statement
as one with a clearly implied proviso attached to it, and as such
addressed to their responsibility, presupposing their concurrence.
Therefore we agree with Matthew Henry's comments thereon: "This
promise that He would drive them out front before the children of
Israel plainly supposes it as the condition of the promise that the
children of Israel themselves must attempt and endeavor their
extirpation, must go up against them, else they could not be said to
be driven out before them. If afterwards, through sloth or cowardice
or affection to these idolaters, they sat still and let them alone,
they must blame themselves, and not God, if they be not driven out."
Nor was that Puritan alone in so understanding those words of the
Lord. Even the high Calvinist J. Gill remarked thereon, "Which the
Lord would deliver into their hands, providing they were obedient to
His will, for, because they were not, many of those places never came
into their possession, though divided to them by lot"; and again
(later), "that is on condition of their obedience, for it appears that
not only the Sidonians but many others, even the chief, and most of
those mentioned, were never possessed by them."
The same is true of Christians and their eternal inheritance: there
are certain conditions which they are obligated to meet. "Conditions"
not in the Romish sense, as con-causes with the Father's choice and
the Son's atonement; nor in the Arminian sense, of an absolute power
lying in their own wills and strength to comply therewith. But
according to the order of things which God has established, for the
enforcing of their moral agency--as there must be a sowing before
reaping, the cross before the crown. Principal causes (God's grace and
Christ's merits) do not exclude necessary means--grace must not be
turned into lasciviousness nor Christ made the minister of sin.
Scripture is unmistakably plain on this point: "For we are made
partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence
steadfast unto the end" (Heb. 3:14, and note well the "if" in John
8:51; 1 Corinthians 15:2; Colossians 1:23). As remission of sins is
promised to none but those who repent (Luke 24:47; Acts 3:19) and
believe (Acts 10:43), so only he that endures to the end shall be
saved (Matthew 24:13). "Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest
[the antitypical Canaan], lest any man fall after the same example of
unbelief" (Heb. 4:11), as the Israelites in the wilderness. That
warning is a real one, which we ignore at our eternal peril.
"Only divide thou it by lot unto the Israelites . . . as I have
commanded thee" (Josh. 13:6). This was the business in which Joshua
was now to engage: to apportion it--the entire territory, both what
was already subdued and those parts of it which still remained to be
conquered. "Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance unto the
nine tribes, and the half tribe of Manasseh, with whom the Reubenites
and the Gadites have received their inheritance, which Moses gave
them, beyond Jordan eastward" (vv. 7, 8). Having received orders and
authority from God, Joshua was to set about this task at once with all
diligence. He was not to wait until all the tribes had actually
secured their inheritance, but must define or mark out the portion
allotted to each of them, so that they might know the particular
section to which he had Divine title, and go forward, take and occupy
the same. Thus Joshua was to act with full confidence in God. Though
he should be called to leave the field of battle and enter his rest,
others would be raised up to carry on the conflict until the Divine
purpose was realized. This, we say again, needs to be borne in mind by
the Lord's people in all generations, for considerable unbelief is
often mingled with their grief when some much-used servant of His is
removed from this world--as though the cause of Christ was jeopardized
thereby.
Once more Joshua was to count implicitly upon Jehovah: to work while
it was yet day for him, and to leave the outcome to his Master.
Probably the major part of the land was then occupied by the
Canaanites, yet he was personally to superintend the allotting of the
whole of it to Israel. Thus was he called upon to trust in the Lord
with all his heart, and lean not unto his own understanding (Prov.
3:5), as had Noah and Abraham before him (Heb. 11:7, 8). That is the
principle by which every servant of God is ever to act. As Paul
declared, "For we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5, 7). The
apostle and his fellow workers lived and labored by faith, being
inspired with courage and strength from having their hearts occupied
with things invisible. Theirs was not a single act, but a constant
course of trustfulness. To walk by faith is to conduct ourselves in
the firm belief of those things we do not see, resting on the sure
Word of God and being practically influenced thereby. It is to live in
a steady expectation of things to come--the realities and glories of
heaven. It is the opposite of being governed by our senses or
regulated by visible objects, for "faith is the substance of things
hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1), making them
real and precious to the soul.
It was at this point that the predecessor of Joshua had failed;
though, through not linking up parallel passages with Numbers 13:1-3,
many have not perceived this--another case where Scripture must be
compared with Scripture if we are to obtain the complete picture. "And
ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men
before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word
again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.
And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you" and sent
them forth (Deut. 1:22, 23). Those words seem to make two things quite
evident. First, that this project originated with the people. Second,
that Moses failed to discern the distrust which prompted their
proposal--his approval thereof being a case of evil communications
corrupting good manners. At a later date, when chiding the children of
Gad and of Reuben, he said, "Wherefore discourage ye the heart of the
children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord hath
given them? Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea
to see the land" (Num. 32:7, 8), which shows they had a spirit of
unwillingness to go up into it.
From the account given in Numbers 13:17-20, we learn that they
questioned the value of the promised inheritance, as the language "see
the land, what it is . . . whether it be good or bad . . . whether it
be fat or lean" makes clear. Thus it was rank unbelief in the word of
the Lord which lay behind their policy, while their "by what way we
must go up" of Deuteronomy 1:22, showed their lack of confidence in
being Divinely directed as to the best route to take. What need was
there to go and examine the kind of land which the Lord had chosen for
them, when He had already informed them that it was one "flowing with
milk and honey" (Ex. 3:8)? What occasion was there to investigate the
approaches into it when there were the pillars of cloud and of fire to
guide and show them the way? Nor have we any need to ask what God's
will for us is, when He has already made known the same, or to inquire
as to our path of duty, when we possess His Word as a lamp unto our
feet. But alas, Israel had a better opinion of their own policy and
judgment than of God's; and is it not often the same with us?
Though approving of the carnal suggestion of the people, before acting
on the same Moses evidently sought confirmation from the Lord, and we
are told that He said, "Send thou men, that they may search the land
of Canaan" (Num. 13:2). In thus giving permission, God acted in
judgment. Deuteronomy 1:6-8, makes it clear that a year previously
Israel had received Divine orders to go forward and possess the land
which had been given unto their fathers, but as soon as they left
Horeb one sin after another was committed by them (Num. 11 and 12).
God had been provoked by their waywardness, and in order to make
further manifest the hardness of their hearts He now gave them up to
their lusts. The sequel at once demonstrated their unbelief and
perversity. God also suffered their desire to be granted in order to
serve as a solemn warning to His people in all generations. If we
profit not from the recorded sins and punishments of others, then is
our case indeed inexcusable. When God gratifies our self-will and
suffers us to follow the schemes of our own devising, we pay dearly
for it. If we have more confidence in our own wisdom or the
representations of our senses than we have in the Divine counsels, we
shall inevitably taste the bitterness of our foolishness.
It seems rather strange that, after a full description of the
territory given to the two and a half tribes had previously been
furnished in the closing verses of Numbers 32 the middle of
Deuteronomy in. a briefer reference in Deuteronomy 29 and a fuller one
again in Joshua 12:4-6, a further account of the same should be
repeated here. Matthew Henry suggested the following explanation.
First, as the reason why the nine and a half tribes should now be
assigned their portions: since their brethren had already been
provided for, it was just and meet that they should be so too. Second,
as the pattern for Joshua now to follow. He was not being ordered to
do something unprecedented, for he had been personally present when
Moses had distributed the eastern section of Palestine unto the two
and a half tribes, and from his example he might well now act. Third,
as an inducement unto Joshua to make no delay in performing this task,
that the remaining tribes might no longer be kept out of their
heritage. Thus the Lord who had provided for the former was equally
solicitous about the welfare of the latter. Fourth, that the portion
given to the two and a half tribes years before now being specified in
detail signified a ratification of the original grant, thus obviating
any disputes about the boundaries. Joshua was not free to make any
alterations.
The account given of the portions allocated unto the two and a half
tribes closes with the ominous statement, "Nevertheless the children
of Israel expelled not the Geshurites, nor the Maachathites: but the
Geshurites and Maachathites dwell among the Israelites until this day"
(v. 13). This is the first time that anything of this nature is
recorded of them, though if we are permitted to go through the book of
Judges we shall see that other of the tribes were equally remiss at a
later date. It reminds us of a similar and most regrettable failure on
the part of Queen Elizabeth and those who succeeded her. Under the
Reformation in the days of Luther and Calvin, the Protestant sections
of Europe were delivered from the idolatries of the mass, Mariolatry
and the worship of idols; but those who followed were found sadly
wanting in purging themselves from other popish evils and
superstitions. It is worthy of note that as the two and a half tribes
were placed in their inheritance before their fellows, so (centuries
later) they were displaced before the other tribes were, being carried
captive to Assyria, and that because they "went a whoring after the
gods of the people of the land" (1 Chron. 5:25, 26). Such a proportion
does Providence often observe in the dispensations of prosperity and
adversity, setting the one over against the other.
"Balaam also the son of Besor, the soothsayer, did the children of
Israel slay with the sword among them that were slain by them" (Josh.
13:23). Nothing definite is known about the early life of this
mysterious person. He is introduced abruptly in the Scriptures, being
mentioned first in Numbers 22:5. A "soothsayer" was one who essayed to
foretell the future and possess strange powers by means of the occult
forces of evil. Balaam was a magician of renown and had, apparently,
acquired some knowledge of the true God--probably by hearing of what
He had wrought in Egypt and at the Red Sea (see Joshua 2:10). Israel
had then crossed the wilderness, and had arrived at the country of the
Moabites--in the vicinity of the Jordan. Balak its king was afraid
that Israel would destroy his people, and sent for Balaam to use his
enchantments against them. Accordingly, his servants visited the
prophet "with the rewards of divination in their hand," and invited
him to return with them to their master, and pronounce such a curse on
the Israelites that the Moabites might smite them (Num. 22:5-7).
Balaam's character was at once revealed by his response to this
temptation: he neither accepted nor refused. Instead of reprimanding
them, he bade them lodge with him, and he would return his answer next
morning.
During the night God appeared to him, and said, "Thou shalt not go
with them; thou shalt not curse the people. Next morning Balaam
informed his visitors "The Lord refuseth to give me leave to go with
you," and they departed without him--though he dishonestly failed to
tell them why he must not accept their commission. Refusing to be
discouraged by Balaam's repulse, Balak sent again to him, promising to
promote him with very great honor if he would come and curse Israel.
Though he knew the mind of the Lord. he temporized and invited the
princes to stay with him that night. Prompted by the love of gain, he
now mocked God by pretending to ask His permission--as though He might
change His mind; and God now mocked him, giving him leave to go, but
commanding him to utter only the word He gave him. This is evident
from "And God's anger was kindled because he went," and from "the
angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary against him."
(Num. 22:22).
Rebuked by the dumb ass and told by the angel, "I went out to
withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me," Balaam
acknowledged his sin; yet when the word "Go with the men" was given to
test him further, he was carried forward against all checks by the
violent impulse of his lusts. When he arrived at his destination, so
powerfully did the Spirit of God restrain that Balaam blessed Israel
instead of cursing them. Nevertheless, so strongly did he love "the
wages of unrighteousness" (2 Pet. 2:15), and so determined was he to
earn the same, that he now devised a method which promised to ensure
the ruin of Israel (Num. 31:16, and cf. Revelation 2:14), and which
had been completely successful had not God intervened (Ps. 106:28,
29). Thus did he definitely range himself against Israel and defy the
Lord. Soon after he reaped what he had sown: linking his interests
with the Moabites and Midianites, he died with them (Num. 22:7; 31:8).
Such is the doom of the double-hearted, and those who are in bondage
to covetousness. None can serve God and mammon.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Joshua
by A.W. Pink
16. The Division of the Land
Joshua 14:1-16:10
_________________________________________________________________
Dividing the Land
"And these are the countries which the children of Israel inherited in
the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of
Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of
Israel, distributed for inheritance to them. By lot was their
inheritance, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine
tribes and for the half tribe" (Josh. 14:1, 2). Joshua was now old and
stricken in years, and before the time came when no man can work the
Lord had bidden him engage in the most important task of
superintending the apportioning of Israel's heritage (Josh. 13:1, 6,
7). Invested with Divine authority to act as Israel's head, manifestly
enjoying the favor of the Lord, possessing the full confidence of the
people as their tried and faithful leader, none other was so well
suited to perform this particular work. But like all the other duties
which he had discharged, this one called also for the exercise of
faith, for Joshua was now required to assign the entire country of
Canaan which lay on the western side of Jordan: not only those
portions of it which Israel had already conquered and taken possession
of, but also the extensive sections which were still occupied by the
Canaanites. This called for the most implicit confidence in the
Lord--that He would grant the tribes possession thereof.
The land of Canaan had already been conquered, so far as its standing
armies had been completely routed, its principal strongholds
destroyed, and its kings slain. Yet much of its actual territory was
still in the hands of its original inhabitants, who remained to be
dispossessed. It is important to distinguish between the work which
had been done by Joshua and that which still remained for Israel to
do. He had overthrown the ruling, powers, captured their forts, and
subdued the Canaanites to such an extent as had given Israel firm
foothold in the country. But he had not exterminated the population in
every portion of it, yea, powerful nations still dwelt in parts
thereof, as is clear from Judges 2:20-23, and 3:1-4; so that much was
still demanded from Israel. Therein we behold again the accuracy of
the type. The antitypical Joshua has secured for His people an
inalienable title to the heavenly Canaan, yet formidable foes have to
be overcome and much hard fighting done by them before they enter into
their eternal rest. The same is true of the present enjoyment thereof:
faith and hope encounter much opposition ere there is an experiential
participation of the goodly heritage which Christ has obtained for
them.
The method appointed for the dividing of the land is deeply
interesting and instructive. Two distinct principles were to operate,
yet the giving place to the one appears to rule out the other. The
first had been laid down by the Lord through Moses: "Unto these the
land shall be divided for an inheritance according to the number of
names. To many thou shalt give the more inheritance, and to few thou
shalt give the less inheritance: to every one shall his inheritance be
given according to those that were numbered of him" (Num. 26:53,
54--repeated in Numbers 33:54). There was the general rule which was
to be followed in the dividing of Canaan and the quartering of the
people: the size of the section allocated was to be determined by the
numerical strength of the tribe to which it was given. Yet immediately
after Numbers 26:54, a second law was named: "Notwithstanding the land
shall be divided by lot: according to the names of the tribes of their
fathers they shall inherit. According to the lot shall the possession
thereof be divided between many and few." That is to say, the
disposition of the inheritance was to be determined by the sovereign
will of God, for the lot was regulated by Him and made known His
pleasure.
Those two principles seem to be mutually incompatible, and we are not
acquainted with any attempt to show the agreement of the one with the
other. It is the age-old problem of the conjunction of the Divine and
human elements: in this instance, the human by the dimensions of the
several tribes; the Divine by God's determining their respective
portions. Yet, in the case now before us, no real difficulty is
presented: the larger tribes would still obtain the biggest sections,
but the "lot" specified the particular situation in Canaan which was
to be theirs. Neither Joshua, Eleazar, nor the heads of the tribes
were free to dispose of the land according to their own ideas or
desires: the final locations were reserved to the providence of God,
to whose imperial will all must acquiesce, howsoever contrary to their
thoughts and wishes. Such an arrangement not only accorded unto God
His proper place in the transaction, but it also precluded the
exercise of any spirit of partiality or favoritism on the part of
Israel's leaders, and at the same time served effectually to close the
mouths of the people from murmuring.
The more those two apparently conflicting principles be pondered, the
more shall we admire the wisdom of Him who appointed the same.
Obviously, it was most equitable and advisable that the larger tribes
should be accorded more extensive quarters than the lesser ones, for
their requirements would be the greater. Yet, fallen human nature
being what it is, it is equally evident that had Israel been left
entirely unto themselves the weaker tribes would have been deprived of
their rightful portions: for if not entirely denied a separate
heritage, they would most probably have been obliged to submit unto
having the least desirable sections of the land Nor would there have
been any redress, for in such a case (numerical) might would be right.
It was therefore necessary for there to be a Divine supervision: not
only in fixing the exact boundaries of each allotment, but also in
determining their several locations, so that the mountainous sections
and the fertile valleys should be fairly distributed. This is one of
many examples where we see how the Divine legislation protected the
welfare of the weak, and how the Lord ever manifested a concern for
the poor and needy.
Side by side with Joshua 14:1, 2, should be placed Leviticus 25:23-28:
"The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is Mine; for ye are
strangers and sojourners with Me. And in all the land of your
possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land. If thy brother be
waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of
his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother
sold. And if the man have none to redeem it, and himself be able to
redeem it; then let him count the years of the sale thereof, and
restore the over-plus unto the man to whom he sold it; that it may
return unto his possession. But if he be not able to restore it to
him, then that which is sold shall remain in the hand of him that hath
bought it until the year of jubilee: and in the jubilee it shall go
out, and he shall return unto his possession." That was the Divine law
respecting the real estate of the Hebrews and the transferring of the
same: a law by which the rights of rich and poor alike were fully and
equitably safeguarded. In cases of need, property might be sold
conditionally, but not absolutely so that the same should never again
return to its original owner.
The above passages set forth a remarkable and unique law of property,
displaying a wisdom wherein righteousness and mercy were blessedly
intermingled, encouraging as it did individual enterprise, and yet
also curbing greed. That disposition and arrangement was the very
reverse of "State ownership," for the land was portioned out to the
twelve tribes, and within the territory of each tribe the land was
divided among its families. If hardship and poverty required a family
to mortgage or sell its property, thereby an opportunity was offered
unto the thrifty and ambitious to enlarge their holdings. But in the
jubilee year that property reverted to its seller, and thus the
cupidity of "capitalists" was restrained, and thereby were they
prevented from taking undue advantage of the distress of others by a
permanent acquirement of their estates. Thus the Bible not only
teaches the right of the individual to own his own house (cf. John
19:27) and possess real estate (Acts 4:34), but, by clear and
necessary implication, condemns State ownership, which is a manifest
violation of the rights and liberties of the individual. How
many-sided and far-reaching is the teaching of Holy Writ!
"The Israelites had acquired the land by conquest, but they were not
allowed to seize upon what they could, nor to have it all in common,
nor to share it out by consent or arbitration; but, with solemn appeal
to God Himself, to divide by lot; for Canaan was His land, and Israel
were His people. This was likewise the readiest way of satisfying all
parties, and preventing discontent and discord" (Thomas Scott). Yet it
should be pointed out that the basic law that operated here has also
obtained all through human history. The Lord God is the Proprietor as
well as the Governor of both heaven and earth, the sovereign Disposer
of all the affairs of the children of men. He is the One who controls
the courses of empires and determines the lives of dynasties, and has
also decided the limits of each person's territory. That principle is
clearly enunciated in Deuteronomy 32:8, "When the Most High divided to
the nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of Adam, He
set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children
of Israel." And none of those nations ever has or will exceed those
"bounds" which the Almighty originally prescribed.
As truly as the Divine "lot" assigned the particular parts of
Palestine which the different tribes of Israel should possess, so has
God predestined the precise portions of the earth which each nation
shall occupy. "When He gave to the sea His decree, that the waters
should not pass His commandment" (Prov. 8:29), He gave a similar edict
unto the nations. And military leaders impelled by the lust of
conquest, and aggressive dictators aspiring to world dominion, have
discovered that, like the restless sea (which is the scriptural symbol
of the nations: Daniel 7:2, and cf. Revelation 17:15), God has set a
bound which they "could not pass," "and though the waves thereof toss
themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they
not pass over it" (Jer. 5:22, and cf. Job 38:11). Men like Napoleon,
the Kaiser and Hitler might be dissatisfied with the allotments of
providence, chafe against the restraints it had placed upon their
greed, rage and roar against their neighbors, and attempt to acquire
their Divinely given portions, but vain were their efforts. Thus will
any present or future aspirant yet find out.
Deuteronomy 32:8, informs us that God had before His mind the children
of Israel when He divided to the nations their inheritance, for, as
the apostle told his saints, "all things are for your sakes" (2 Cor.
4:5). Thus there was a partial reference to the seven nations whose
place and portion were assigned them in Canaan, so that the Hebrews
found it in a high state of cultivation, provided with towns and
houses, all prepared for their use! In like manner, the favored land
in which the writer and the reader live, with all its natural and
national advantages, and the temporal provisions we enjoy therein, is
as much the special appointment and gift of God as Canaan was to
Israel, and as truly demands our gratitude. God has the sole disposing
of this life and the interests thereof, as truly as He has of the life
to come. No man has a foot of land more than God has laid out for him
in His all-wise providence: so whatever of this world's goods he
obtains let him bear in mind, "thou shalt remember the Lord thy God:
for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth" (Deut. 8:18). This
world is not governed by blind chance, but by Divine wisdom. However
possessions come to us, they are from God as the first cause.
God "hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the
face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and
the bounds of their habitation" (Acts 17:26) As Toplady remarked
thereon, "The very places which people inhabit are here positively
averred to be determined and fore-appointed by God. And it is very
right it should be so, else some places would be overstocked with
inhabitants, and others deserted Whereas by God's having
fore-appointed the bounds of our habitations, we are properly sifted
over the face of the earth, so as to answer all the social and higher
purposes of Divine wisdom." God has appointed where each person shall
reside: the particular country in which he should be born, and the
very city, town, village, and house in which we shall dwell, and how
long he shall remain there; for our times are in His hand (Ps. 31:15).
A striking illustration of that is seen in connection with both the
birthplace and the subsequent abode of the Savior. It was ordained
that He should be born at Bethlehem, and though circumstances appeared
to prevent. God set in motion a Roman census throughout the whole of
its empire, requiring Joseph and Mary to journey unto Bethlehem, (Luke
2:1-6). Later, they resided at the appointed Nazareth (Matthew 2:23).
The distribution of Canaan was by lot. To ascertain precisely what it
consisted of and how the mind of God was made known therein, Scripture
has to be carefully compared with Scripture, and even then we cannot
be quite certain of the exact method followed. The first time (which
is always of most importance) the lot is mentioned is in Leviticus
16:8, "And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the
Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat": i.e. to determine which of
them should be used for the God-ward side of the atonement
(propitiation) and which the man-ward (the removal of sins). Thus the
first occurrence of "the lot" associates it with Israel's high priest,
and shows that it was employed in determining the will of God. So too
"Eleazar the priest" is expressly mentioned both in Numbers 34:17, and
Joshua 14:1, in connection with the transaction we are here
considering. Likewise, when the claim was made by the daughters of
Zelophehad to a portion of Canaan their case was determined before
Eleazar the priest, Joshua, and the princes of the tribes (Josh.
17:3-6), because the use of the lot was there involved, as the word
"fell," or more literally "came forth" (v. 5), indicates.
Personally we incline strongly to the view taken by the author of The
Companion Bible (unprocurable today) that God's will in "the lot" was
obtained by means of the mysterious "Urim and Thummim," which were
probably two precious stones, for there was no commandment given to
"make" them, and which were "put in the breastplate" of the high
priest, (Ex. 28:30). Apparently they were "put" in a bag in "the
ephod" or robe of the high priest, which bag was formed by doubling a
part of the garment--note "doubled" in Exodus 28:16, and "inward" (v.
26). In Proverbs 16:33, we are told, "The lot is cast into the lap
[Hebrew "bosom," which is put for the clothing covering it--cf. Exodus
4:6, 7]; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord." Thus "the
lot" was for the purpose of giving a judgment or infallible decision,
and the breastplate is designated "the breastplate of judgment" (Ex.
28:15), because by it God's judgment or verdict was given when the
same was needed--compare 1 Samuel 28:6, where the Lord refused to
oblige the apostate Saul.
Thus it seems that when the lot was needed the high priest placed his
hand in the bag or pocket behind his breastplate, and drew forth
either the Urim or the Thummim, the one signifying Yes, and the other
No, for in Joshua 18:11, we are told that the lot "came up," in Joshua
19:1, that it "came forth," and in Joshua 19:17, that it "came out."
Joshua 19:51, informs us that this important transaction took place at
the entrance to the house of God: "These are the inheritances, which
Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the
fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, divided for an
inheritance by lot in Shiloh before the Lord, at the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation." This casts light upon a number of
passages treating of incidents in the later history of Israel. Thus,
when they were uncertain as to whether or not they should go up
against Benjamin again, they came to the house of God and inquired of
the Lord, and it was Phinehas the high priest who obtained answer for
them (Judg. 20:26-28). In Ezra 2:61-63, no verdict could be given
unless the high priest were present, with his breastplate of judgment,
with "the lot," Urim and Thummim, which would give Jehovah's
decision--guilty or innocent.
It is to be duly noted that, in addition to Eleazar the priest and
Joshua himself, "the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the
children of Israel" (Josh. 14:1) were also present when the official
distribution of the land was made. This was in obedience to the Divine
injunction given through Moses that "one prince of every tribe" (Num.
34:18) should be taken to serve as commissioners on this occasion.
They were entrusted with the oversight, to be witnesses that
everything had been conducted fairly and properly in the distribution
of the land according to the size of the tribes and in the casting of
the lot. Thus would they protect the rights of the tribes, preclude
all suspicion that any partiality had been shown, and be qualified
authoritatively to determine any controversy which might later arise.
"Public affairs should be so managed, as not only to give their right
to all, but, if possible, to give satisfaction to all that they have
right done them" (Matthew Henry). It is very striking to note that God
not only selected those commissioners during the lifetime of Moses,
but actually named them all (Num. 34:19-29), which thereby guaranteed
their preservation from death during the long interval, either from
natural causes or from the fighting in Canaan.
The Inheritance
In our last we virtually confined our attention to a consideration of
the method appointed by God for the distribution of Canaan among the
tribes of Israel--that of Levi being exempted therefrom. That method
was "the lot," and however casual and contingent the casting thereof
might seem to man it was Divinely certain, for "the whole disposing
thereof is of the Lord" (Prov. 16:33), so that His will was infallibly
made known thereby. All important matters of order under the Divine
theocracy were thus determined. Hence we find king Saul making request
of the Lord God, "give a perfect lot" (1 Sam. 14:41). The cities in
which the sons of Aaron and their families were to dwell were
determined by lot (1 Chron. 6:63), so too were the sacred singers of
the divine worship (1 Chron. 25:7, 8). Likewise. in Nehemiah's day,
those who were to reside in Jerusalem were chosen by lot (Josh. 11:1).
In case of rival claims, the different parties agreed to abide by its
decision, and thus "The lot causeth contentions to cease, and parteth
between the mighty" (Prov. 18:18).
The practical application which is to be made unto ourselves of the
above principle is that God does not leave secondary causes to their
work as an idle spectator, bat interposes and orders all the affairs
of our lives. As an old writer quaintly expressed it, "Notwithstanding
all our blowing, the fire will not burn without the Lord." "Except the
Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the
Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain" (Ps. 127:1) As
the apportioning of Canaan was entirely by Divine determination, so
are the bounds of our habitation fixed, and in whatever way our
position and portion in this world be assigned or acquired by us, we
should regard the same as coming from the Lord, and be thankful for
and contented with it. One of the secrets of tranquility of mind and
happiness of heart is for us to be grateful and joyful for what God
has so graciously given us, instead of lusting after and repining over
those things which He wisely withholds. "Godliness with contentment is
great gain . . . and having food and raiment let us be therewith
content" (1 Tim. 5:6, 8).
As the portion which Jehovah appointed, promised, and gave unto
Abraham and his descendants, the land of Canaan has, all through this
Christian era, been rightly regarded as figuring the heavenly Canaan,
unto which the members of Christ are now journeying as they pass
through this scene of sin and trial. Rightly so we say, for in the
first place the New Testament refers often to the everlasting bliss of
God's people as an inheritance. The evangelical commission which Paul
received from the Lord unto the Gentiles was "to open their eyes, and
to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto
God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among
them which are sanctified by faith that is in Me" (Acts 26:18). And
therefore did he bid the Colossians gave "thanks unto the Father,
which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the
saints in light" (Josh. 1:12). In Hebrews 9:15, he termed it the
"eternal inheritance"; while Peter assured the saints that they had
been begotten "to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and
that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you" (1 Pet. 1:4).
In the second place, Canaan was given to Israel on the ground of the
covenant which Jehovah made with Abraham (Ex. 6:4, Psalm 105:9-11). In
like manner, our heritage of blessing and glory is bestowed upon us in
consequence of the everlasting covenant of grace. God and the Mediator
agreed together in counsel for the accomplishment of a common end: to
further the manifested glory of God and to secure the salvation of His
people. In Zechariah 6:13, we read, "And the counsel of peace shall be
between Them both," the reference being to Jehovah and the Man whose
name is the Branch of the previous verse. That "counsel of peace"
signifies the compact between Them. Or the fulfillment of certain
conditions by the Mediator, God stipulated to reward Him and His seed.
That everlasting covenant is the foundation of all the good which God
does to His people (Luke 1:68-72; Heb. 13:20, 21). His promises unto
them were made to their Surety, on whose behalf He transacted. A
remarkable proof of this is found in Titus 1:2, "In hope of eternal
life, which God, that cannot lie, promised [not simply "purposed "]
before the world began"--promised Christ that He would bestow eternal
life (another name for the "inheritance"--Matthew 7:14) upon all His
seed.
In the third place, the everlasting portion of Christians is not only
an "inheritance," but an allotted one. This is taught plainly in
Ephesians 1:11, though a careful comparison of other passages is
required in order to discern the real meaning and force of that verse.
Since most of the Lord's people are unacquainted with the same, it
will be necessary for us to enter into some detail In verses 3-9 the
apostle had spoken of election, of adoption to glory (or an
inheritance), of redemption, and of vocation. Then in verse 10 he
stated that the design of the whole of the foregoing was that God
should head up or gather together in one all things in Christ, both
which are in heaven (the angels) and (the redeemed) which are on
earth. In verses 11-13 this is amplified and explained. First he
refers to Jewish believers, and says, "In whom [Christ, the Head] also
we have obtained an inheritance," or a part in that grand "gathering
together" into one in Christ. Then in verse 13 he alludes to the
Gentiles: "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of
truth, the gospel of your salvation," for it is not until his
conversion that any soul actually obtains either an interest in or
meetness for the inheritance.
The "we have obtained an inheritance" is a single word--a compound
one--in the original, and is derived from kleros, concerning which
that eminent Greek scholar and exegete C. Hodge said, "The word kleros
means to cast lots, to distribute by lot, to choose by lot, and, in
the middle voice, to obtain by lot or inheritance or simply to
obtain." Our own study has confirmed that, First, kleros signifies a
part or portion in a thing, to be a partaker with others therein, and
it is so rendered in Acts 1:17, 25. Thus the saints have a part in
that gathering together of all things in Christ. Second, kleros
signifies an inheritance, and is so rendered in Hebrews
1:4--"heritage" in 1 Peter 5:3. Third, kleros signifies a lot, being
so translated seven times: Matthew 27:35, etc., Acts 1:26. Thus by
combining those three meanings we get a part or portion, which part or
portion is an inheritance, and this inheritance comes to us by lot, as
did that of the Hebrews: "Ye shall divide the land by lot for an
inheritance" (Num. 33:54, and see Ezekiel 45:1). and therefore it is
called "the lot of our inheritance" (Num. 36:3).
It is also to be observed that the verbal noun of Ephesians 1:11 (for
a verb it is) is a passive one, importing that the inheritance has
been bestowed upon us, and is not something actively acquired by us.
The word is used in the passive voice when we say a man is
disinherited, but we have no English word that answers thereto to say
a man is inherited, so we supply a word and say he is endowed with an
inheritance. The Christian's inheritance is not something he has
earned by his own efforts, nor is it even sought by him, but is
conferred upon him gratuitously. We obtained an inheritance in Christ,
were made joint heirs with Him, before we were aware of it. In some
cases this is much more evident than in others, as with those who are
utterly unconcerned about their souls' eternal welfare being suddenly
and quite unexpectedly apprehended by Christ--like Saul of Tarsus. Yet
in reality it is so in every case, for Christ took the initiative in
seeking out and working upon the ones who became anxious seekers after
Him, for did not God first quicken the dead in sins, none would ever
make a movement towards Him; yet they know no more about that
quickening than a man asleep would of obtaining an inheritance then
bequeathed to him.
Thus it turns out under the preaching of the Gospel and those who hear
the same: the lot falls on some and passes by others. One may attend
out of idle curiosity and be arrested by God the first sermon he
hears; as Zacchaeus, being little, climbed up into a tree, that he
might get a glimpse of the miracle-worker who was passing that way,
yet Christ said unto him "make haste, and come down. . . . This day is
salvation come to this house"; while regular attendees are left to
themselves. "Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye
shall find, bid to the marriage": every saint is Divinely ordained,
yet to human perception things are carried out casually, as if grace
comes to them by lot--even as Saul merely went forth to seek his
father's asses, but before he arrived back home had been anointed king
of Israel. The hearers of Christ's forerunner went to view a novelty,
as they would go to a show (Luke 7:24, 25), yet under his call to
repentance many of their hearts were turned to God.
The above remarks receive definite confirmation in 2 Peter 1:1, where
the apostle addresses himself to "them that have obtained like
precious faith with us," for the Greek word there used also signifies
"to obtain by lot" (Young's Concordance), being the same one as is
rendered "his lot was to burn incense" (Luke 1:9). By using that term,
Peter would remind his readers that if they had really believed to the
saving of their souls they were indebted for their faith not at all to
their own superior sagacity but solely to the sovereign dispositions
of Divine grace. In the distribution of His favors, that blessed
portion had fallen to their share. Thus 2 Peter 1:1, is one of many
verses which teach us that saving faith is a gift from God, and not a
product of the creature's will: all room for boasting is excluded (1
Cor. 4:7): it is the Divine lot which makes believer differ from
unbeliever! It is not simply predestination which gives a soul a right
to the Divine inheritance, but a Divine work--a work of grace on the
heart--which is the effect of predestination. So teaches the apostle
in Ephesians 1:12-14: it was after they heard the Gospel, "after that
ye believed," that they were sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise,
"which is the earnest of our inheritance." It is not until we are
converted that we obtain a personal interest in the inheritance." This
is dear from Acts 26:18, for Christ sent forth Paul to preach in order
to turn men "from darkness unto light . . . that they may receive
forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified
[set apart from unbelievers] by faith that is in Me." Simon Magus was
told frankly, "Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter." And
why? because he was an impenitent and unpardoned soul (Acts 8:21, 22).
We have to be made meet by the gracious operations of the Spirit
before we become partakers of the inheritance (Col. 1:12). Likewise
does 1 Peter 1:3, 4, expressly inform us that we must be begotten of
God ere we have a saving and experiential interest in the heavenly
inheritance.
After stating that those who are converted have obtained an
inheritance or "part" in the gathering together into one of all things
in Christ, the apostle then traced this unspeakable blessing back to
its source: "being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who
worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (Eph. 1:11). God
has sent forth the Gospel on no uncertain mission, but whenever and by
whomsoever it be preached it shall not return unto Him void, but
accomplish that which He pleases and prosper in the thing whereto He
sent it--all the forces of evil being powerless to prevent it. It is
not left to human caprice, the wills of those who hear it, and though
it comes to men by "lot" (which to the eye of man appears to be wholly
a matter of chance), yet that lot is directed by God's eternal
predestination; and though the favored ones on which the lot falls be
by nature as alienated from God and as dead in sin as those whom the
lot passes by, nevertheless their effectual calling and conversion is
accomplished by Him who works all things after the counsel of His own
will.
Many of God's people rejoice and give thanks unto Him for His bringing
them front death unto life, working repentance and faith in them, and
granting them a saving interest in Christ; but fail to perceive that
those acts of the Divine mercy are the consequence and fruits of God's
eternal choice and foreordination of them unto eternal life and glory
(Acts 13:48; 2 Thess. 2:13, 14). The order of the Divine procedure is
clearly stated in Romans 8: "For whom He did foreknow, He also
predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might
be the firstborn [chief] among many brethren" (v. 29). Foreknowledge
there is the knowledge of approbation, as in "The Lord knoweth the way
of the righteous" (Ps. 1), "you only have I known of all the families
of the earth" (Amos 3:2, and see Rom. 11:2). The distinction between
foreknowledge and predestination is this: the Divine foreknowledge is
of the persons selected and approved; the predestination is the
appointing of the blessings designed them. The next verse shows how
that grand purpose of God is accomplished: "Moreover whom He did
predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also
justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified."
Thus, God's electing grace and sovereign purpose are the ground and
root of all that follows. Many other passages teach the same thing. "I
have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with
loving-kindness have I drawn thee" (Jer. 31:3)--all of God's dealings
with His people in time are the outworking, of His decrees concerning
them in eternity past. "God hath from the beginning chosen you to
salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the
truth" (2 Thess. 2:13): He who determined the end also appointed and
provided the means thereto. "Who hath saved us, and called us with an
holy calling, not according to our works [either actual or foreseen,
for we have no good ones except those which He produces in and through
us], but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in
Christ Jesus before the world began" (2 Tim. 1:9). Now observe how
strong and emphatic is the language of Ephesians 1:11: "In whom also
we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the
purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own
will." Not only predestinated to that inheritance, but according to
Divine purpose, which expresses the certainty and immutability
thereof; and that the decree of Him who effectually works all things
after the contrivance of His own pleasure, none being able to
withstand Him.
In the fourth place the allotment of Israel's inheritance was conveyed
through the exercise of the priest's office. "And these are the
countries which the children of Israel inherited in the land of
Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the
heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel,
distributed for inheritance to them" (Josh. 14:1). Since a solemn
appeal was to be made unto God for the knowledge of His will, the
presence of the high priest with his Urim and Thummin was necessary.
Accordingly, Eleazar, the son and successor of Aaron (Deut. 10:6), is
here mentioned, and that before Joshua. By thus giving him the
precedence, signal honor was placed upon the priesthood. Therein we
behold once more the beauty and the accuracy of the type, though ours
is an age of such spiritual ignorance that few today perceive this.
The careful student of the New Testament will have observed that the
priesthood of Christ is there given a prominence which is accorded
unto neither His prophetic nor His kingly office. Nor is that in the
least surprising, for it was the very end of His incarnation "that He
might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to
God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people" (Heb. 2:17).
There was obviously no necessity for the assumption of human nature by
the Son of God if the only results to be achieved thereby were the
publication of truths undiscoverable by the efforts of human reason
and the promulgation of laws invested with the authority of God, for
prophets and apostles were quite competent (by Divine enduement) to
perform such offices. But the mediation of Christ rendered it
requisite and fitting that it should assume the peculiar form of
priesthood, so that His death might be not only a satisfaction unto
justice, but a sweet-smelling sacrifice--a free-will offering unto
God. It is most important to recognize that Christ's redemptive work
was a priestly one. This has been denied by Socinians, and it is sad
to find some who believe in Christ's deity adopting the vain reasoning
of "Unitarians" concerning the sacerdotal nature of the Savior's
oblation. The New Testament represents Christ not only as priest, but
as the great High Priest of His people, and if the character, purpose
and scope of that office be interpreted in the light of the Old
Testament types (as it must be) there is no room left for doubt as to
the meaning of the antitype.
Now it is in the epistle to the Hebrews that the functions of Christ's
priesthood are most fully made known. There we are shown that both
Aaron and Melchizedek were needed to foreshadow completely its various
aspects: the design of God in appointing Aaron was to typify the
person and work of Christ, as is clear from "as was Aaron . . . so
also Christ" (Josh. 5:4, 5)--an unmistakable parallel. Hebrews 2:17,
makes it quite plain that Christ acted as Priest here on earth, for He
made "reconciliation for the sins of the people "--as Aaron was priest
before he entered the holiest, so also was Christ. Hebrews 7:26,
exhibits the qualifications and excellencies which fitted Christ to
discharge this office, describing what He was here when brought into
contact with sin and sinners. "Such an high priest became us": was
requisite for and suited to fallen creatures--none other could expiate
our sins, procure acceptance with God, or purchase eternal redemption.
Hebrews 8:3; 9:11-15, 25-28; 10:10-12, also prove that Christ
discharged His priestly office on earth, offering Himself as a
sacrifice to God. Conclusive proof of this was furnished by God's
rending of the veil, thereby setting aside the whole system of the
Levitical order, His priestly oblation having superseded theirs.
As might well be expected from their relative positions in the Sacred
Canon, Hebrews takes us farther than Romans (wonderful as that epistle
is) in the revelation of God's manifold wisdom and the unveiling of
His amazing grace. In Romans the scene is laid in the law court; in
Hebrews, within the temple. In the former, the righteousness of God is
displayed; in the latter, His holiness shines forth. In the one,
justification is the outstanding provision of the Gospel; in the
other, sanctification is the product of Christ's sacrifice. In Romans
Christ is seen as the covenant Head and federal Representative of His
people; in Hebrews as their great High Priest. In the former,
believers obtain a secure standing before God's throne; in the latter,
they are privileged to draw nigh as worshippers before the mercy seat.
As both Aaron and Melchizedek were needed to set forth the sacrificial
and royal functions of Christ's priesthood, so both Phinehas and
Joshua were required (Josh. 14:1) to exhibit Him as the Bestower of
our inheritance--the Lamb-Lion of Revelation 5:5, 6. As Priest (and
Lamb) Christ purchased the "eternal inheritance" (Heb. 9:11-15), as
the antitypical Joshua (and Lion) His power conducts the heirs into
it.
In our last we pointed out some of the principal respects in which the
distribution of the land of Canaan unto the tribes of Israel
adumbrated the blessings and glory which the spiritual Israel obtain
in and by Christ. We saw that, in the first place, our eternal portion
is distinctly termed an "inheritance" (1 Pet. 1:4) Second, that our
inheritance is bestowed upon us on the ground of a covenant (Luke
1:72). Third, that our inheritance too is an allotted one (Eph. 1:11),
and that the very faith which is necessary to give us a personal and
saving interest therein is bestowed upon us by Divine lot (1 Pet.
1:2). Fourth, that our glorious heritage is conveyed to us by the
exercise of Christ's priesthood (Heb. 9:11-15). Continuing to ponder
the analogies between type and antitype, we note, in the fifth place,
that responsible princes of Israel's tribes attended when Canaan was
divided, for there were present with Eleazar the priest and Joshua
"the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel"
(Josh. 14:1). Nothing is told us of the particular part they played in
that important transaction, but it appears that they were appointed to
act as overseers or supervisors on that occasion.
"And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have
followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the
throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging
the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matthew 19:28). That, in our opinion, is
what answers to and corresponds with that particular detail in Joshua
14:1. If "the saints shall judge the world," yea, "judge angels" (1
Cor. 6:2, 3), we need not be surprised to learn that the twelve shall
sit upon thrones judging the tribes of Israel. The apostles were
closest to Christ and shared most in His humiliation, and therefore in
the day of His manifested glory they will be distinguished from and
honored above all their brethren. Since they were so fiercely
persecuted by the Jews, they will be Christ's assessors in their
judgment. A further dignity is bestowed upon them by the names of the
twelve apostles of the Lamb being in the twelve foundations of the new
Jerusalem (Rev. 21:12). In each instance--Joshua 14:1; Matthew 19:28;
1 Corinthians 6:2, 3 the bare fact is stated without any explanation
or amplification, and therefore any attempt to speculate thereon is
not only useless but impious.
In the sixth place, our inheritance is a reward. As we have so
frequently pointed out in these articles, while Canaan was the land of
promise, Israel had to fight for it: even Jacob spoke of one portion
therein "which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and
with my bow" (Gen. 48:22). It was bequeathed unto Abraham and his
seed, nevertheless it became theirs only by their own prowess.
Notwithstanding its being theirs by Divine donation, in a subordinate
but very real sense their actual entrance into and possession thereof
was the result of their own efforts. Whether or not we can perceive
the "consistency" and congruity of those different principles, they
are the plain facts of the case. Nor should they present any
difficulty to us, for they are complementary to each other, and not
contradictory. God's sovereignty lies at the foundation of all things,
yet in His dealings with men--His own people not excepted--He ever
treats with them as moral agents, enforces their accountability, and
causes them to reap as they have sown, whether it was evil or good
seed.
Now what pertained to the bestowment and acquirement of the earthly
Canaan holds good in connection with the heavenly Canaan. It could not
be otherwise, for God made the type to shadow forth accurately the
antitype, therefore we read, "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as
to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall
receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ"
(Col. 3:23, 24). Nothing can be more free or a matter of bounty than
an inheritance. Then since it be an inheritance, with what propriety
term it a "reward"? If a reward, how can it be, at the same time, an
"inheritance "? The two things seem to be quite incompatible,
especially since the inheritance is also designated "the purchased
possession" (Eph. 1:14)--bought with the blood of Christ. Yet such
language is no more antithetical that that of the Savior when He
exhorted the Jews to "labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for
that meat which endureth unto everlasting life," and then added,"
which the Son of man shall give unto you" (John 6:27); nor that of His
apostle, who declared, "For we which have believed do enter into
rest," and then enjoined, "let us labor therefore to enter into that
rest" (Heb. 4:3, 11).
There is much in the Scriptures which appears to the infidel to be
contradictory: as that "the Lord our God is one Lord" (Deut. 6:4), yet
is three distinct persons; that "His mercy endureth for ever" (Ps.
136:1), yet that He will send many of His creatures to everlasting
punishment; that Christ should affirm "I and Father are one" (John
10:30), yet also declared "My Father is greater than I" (John 14:28).
And though the Christian perceives the perfect harmony of those
statements, yet there are some things which greatly puzzle him. As for
instance, that since God has predestinated everything which comes to
pass, what room is left for free agency and the discharge of human
responsibility? If the fall has deprived men of all spiritual
strength, how can they be justly held blameworthy for failing to
perform spiritual duties? If Christ died for the elect only, how can
He be freely offered to every creature? If the believer be Christ's
"free man," then why is he required to take upon him His yoke? If he
has been set at liberty (Gal. 5:1), how can he be "under the law" (1
Cor. 9:21)? If he be preserved by God, then how can his own
perseverance be necessary in order to the attainment of eternal bliss?
If sin does not have dominion over him (Rom. 6:14), why do "iniquities
prevail against" him so often (Ps. 65:3)?
Whatever difficulties may be involved, the fact remains that Scripture
has not a little to say about God's rewarding the obedient and
crowning the overcomer. "In keeping of them there is great reward"
(Ps. 19:11). "To him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward"
(Prov. 11:18). "Then He shall reward every man according to his works"
(Matthew 16:27). "Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been
faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many" (Matthew
25:23). "They [the poor] cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be
recompensed at the resurrection of the just" (Luke 14:14). There are
other declarations that God will take special note of the fidelity of
His servants, and amply compensate them for the sufferings which they
have endured in His behalf. "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile
you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you
falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is
your reward in heaven" (Matthew 5:11). "Be thou faithful unto death,
and I will give thee a crown of life" (Rev. 2:10). Now all such
passages as these must be allowed their obvious and legitimate force,
and be given a due place in our hearts and minds.
In a brief and incidental statement on this subject, Calvin
beautifully preserved the balance. "The Scripture shows what all our
works are capable of meriting when it represents them as unable to
bear the Divine scrutiny, because they are full of impurity. And in
the next place what would be merited by the perfect observance of the
Law if this could anywhere be found, when it directs us, `when ye
shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are
unprofitable servants' (Luke 17:10), because we shall not have
conferred any favor on God, but only have performed the duties
incumbent upon us, for which no thanks are due. Nevertheless, the good
works which the Lord has conferred on us, He denominates our own, and
declares that He will not only accept, but also reward them. It is our
duty to be animated by so great a promise, and to stir up our minds
that we `be not weary in well doing,' and to be truly grateful for so
great an instance of the Divine goodness. . . . Good works, therefore,
are pleasing to God and not unprofitable to the authors of them, and
they will moreover receive the most ample blessings from God as their
reward: not because they merit them, but because the Divine goodness
has freely appointed them this reward" (Institutes, book 3, chapter
5).
If it were "inconsistent" with the Divine perfections for God to
bestow any future rewards on His people both for Christ's sake
(primarily and meritoriously) and because of their own obedience
(according to the terms of the new covenant and the governmental
principles of God), then it would be equally so for Him to grant any
present ones, for no difference in time or place can make any change
in the essential nature of things. That He does richly recompense them
in this world is clear from many passages. "Great peace have they
which love Thy law" (Ps. 119:165 and cf. Isaiah 58:13, 14). The peace
and joy which are the believer's now flow originally from the
meditation of Christ, but subordinately from his own obedience and
fidelity--if he pursues a course of disobedience, then peace of
conscience will not be his. Those who deny themselves for Christ's
sake and the Gospel's are assured of a grand reward: "an hundredfold
now in this time," as well as "in the world to come eternal life"
(Mark 10:30). "Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise
of the life that now is, and of that which is to come" (1 Tim. 4:8).
He who was outstandingly the apostle of grace declared, "I press
toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus" (Phil. 3:14): whatever that "prize" may consist of, the fact
remains that the Holy Spirit moved him to use that term. Nevertheless,
it is evident that our rewards, whether present or future, are not due
to us as a wage is to a hired servant who has properly fulfilled his
duty: rather are they entirely a matter of Divine bounty. This is
clear from the following considerations. First, it is Divine grace
which alone produces our good works: "Thou also hast wrought all our
works in us" (Isa. 26:12). Second, it is Divine grace which approves
of them, despite their defects, for our gifts or benevolences (Phil.
4:18) and our worship are "acceptable to God by Jesus Christ" (1 Pet.
2:5): yea, our prayers are heard by God only because of the "much
incense" of Christ's merits being added to them (Rev. 8:3, 4). Third,
there is no proportion between our performances or sufferings and the
"exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (2 Cor. 4:17) which they
"worketh for us."
Rewards are in no sense the recognition of personal worthiness, for we
can deserve nothing good at the hands of God. Therein they differ
radically from the punishment which shall be meted out unto the
reprobate. The penalty inflicted on the wicked is an act of strict
justice, the paying to them the wages of sin: but the rewarding of the
righteous is entirely a matter of Divine bounty, and therefore all
room for boasting is excluded. It is impossible for any creature to
bring God under obligation to him or make Him in any wise his debtor.
Nevertheless, He is graciously pleased to recognize, own and
recompense all that is done with an eye to His glory. Promises of
reward are among the incentives to industry (Ps. 126:6), the
encouragements of fidelity (Heb. 11:26), and the motives to inspire us
in unwearied well doing (Gal. 6:9)--it was for "the joy set before
Him" that the Lord Jesus endured the cross (Heb. 12:2). Finally, it is
to be pointed out that in signifying His approval of the services of
the saints, God, at the same time, is owning the Spirit's work in
them, for they are the "fruits" of His gracious operation.
In the seventh place, there will be degrees of glory among the saints
when they enter into their final inheritance, though there are those
who call this into question. It is objected that, since all believers
are clothed with the righteousness of Christ and are equal in that
respect, all have title to an equal inheritance. But that does not
follow: varying degrees or measures of grace are bestowed upon one and
another of them in this life. But since they all stand in the same
relation to God, and are His dear children, will they not enjoy the
same honors and dignities? Not necessarily, for even in this world
they are not all of the same spiritual stature. Some are babes in
Christ, while others are young men and fathers (1 John 2:12-14), and,
no matter how long they be left here, some of the first-mentioned
never attain unto the level of the others. Some argue that since all
be of grace, distinctions could not obtain. All is of grace, and every
crown will be cast at the feet of Christ, yet it does not follow that
they shall be in all respects alike. Paul's crown of rejoicing will
greatly consist in the salvation of those among whom he labored (1
Thess. 2:19), yet that will not be the case with every inhabitant of
heaven.
Others insist that the saint's title to eternal life is the
meritorious work of the Mediator, being "the gift of God . . . through
Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:23), and that since all of His redeemed
have His obedience imputed to them, that must ensure equality in
glory. Not so, for Revelation 14:13, tells us that, from henceforth,
blessed are the dead which die in the Lord, that they may rest from
their labors, and then adds, "their works do follow them." Note, not
"precede" as the ground of their justification, but "follow" as
intermediate causes of their felicity. Since the amount of their works
varies, so will they contribute to different degrees in augmenting
their bliss. But since all be loved with the same love, called by the
same calling, and are heirs of the same inheritance, it must be
concluded that all will possess it in the same degree. If that
reasoning proves anything, it "proves too much," for in such case all
would be on a spiritual equality now; whereas it is an
incontrovertible fact that God distributes His gifts and graces
unevenly among His people.
All of the redeemed will be entirely content and perfectly happy in
heaven, rejoicing with joy unspeakable and full of glory: yet while
every cup of bliss will be full, they will not all be of the same
size. All the saints will participate in celestial and eternal
felicity, but not on an equality, "otherwise there would be no
suitableness in God's dispensations. . . . There are higher degrees of
glory for those who have done and suffered most" (Matthew Henry). This
too was definitely foreshadowed in the distribution of Canaan. Joshua
did not divide the land into twelve equal parts, for the Lord had
given orders, "To many thou shalt give the more inheritance, and to
few thou shalt give the less inheritance: to every one shall his
inheritance be given according to those that were numbered of him"
(Num. 26:54); and so it came to pass. That also had a spiritual
significance and application to us. "A believer's state of happiness
is determined by his faith, but the measure of his happiness in that
state depends upon the fruits of faith. Faith alone saves a Christian,
but his crown is brighter according as his faith works more abundantly
by love" (John Berridge, 1774).
As we have shown above, Scripture repeatedly informs us that the
services and sufferings of the saints shall be rewarded in the day to
come: though that reward be not of debt, but of grace, yet it is a
"reward"--which could not be if what is enjoyed in the life to come
had no relation to and bore no proportion to what was done in this
life. As the different portions allotted Israel were determined by the
size of their tribes, so that of the saints will be regulated by the
number of their good works, in proportion as they use their talents.
"Every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor" (1
Cor. 3:8): according to the extent to which he exercised his grace and
holiness here. As there are different measures of fruitfulness among
believers, some thirty-fold, some sixty-fold, and some a hundredfold
(Mark 4:8), so there will be differences of reward. Though an eternity
of bliss will be the portion of both the repentant thief and the
apostle Paul, it is inconceivable that the latter will receive no more
from the hands of Christ than the former. "To deny degrees in glory is
to say that God will not suit men's wages to works" (Thomas Brooks,
1606-1680).
"But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly;
and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully" (2 Cor.
9:6). "As there is a difference in the kind of crop according to the
kind of seed (Gal. 6:7, 8), so according to the degree. Some well,
others better; so some fare well, others better, are more bountifully
rewarded; for God will deal more liberally with those who shall
accordingly with greater diligence acquit themselves in well doing.
There is a proportionate observance" (Manton). "Knowing that
whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the
Lord" (Eph. 6:8), "that is, shall be particularly and punctually
considered by God for it. He shall receive the same, not for kind, but
for quantity and proportion" (Manton). The moral government of God
will thus be honored, and the equity of His procedure manifested. All
will be of grace, yet then too shall it be seen that grace works
"through righteousness" (Rom. 5:21). "Ye shall receive the reward of
the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ" (Col. 3:24), who is not
only a bountiful Master, but a faithful one. "For God is not
unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have
showed toward His name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and
do minister" (Heb. 6:10).
It is in His office as moral Governor that the Lord will act in the
day to come, and therein He will display not only His benevolence, but
His righteousness. It will become Him to exhibit His approbation of
holiness, put honor upon virtue, and crown fidelity. "If heavenly
bliss bear any relation to the labors and sufferings of the present
life on behalf of Christ, which the Scriptures assure us it does,
these being diverse, that must also be the same" (Andrew Fuller).
Different degrees of glory accords most with God's ways in creation,
which is everywhere marked by diversity rather than uniformity. There
are differences and disparities in everything among men: in wisdom and
rank, in abilities and riches. Among the angels also there are
"principalities and powers, thrones and dominions." It accords with
God's dealings with His saints here ú He gives the greatest spiritual
blessings to those who most eminently glorify Him. Various measures of
glory accords too with different degrees of punishment for the wicked
(Matthew 11:22; Luke 12:47, 48: Hebrews 10:29). "Heavenly bliss will
consist in ascribing glory to God and the Lamb: but this can be
proportioned only in proportion as we have glory to ascribe. When Paul
acknowledges `by the grace of God I am what I am,' there is a thousand
times more meaning in the expression, and a thousand times more glory
redounds to God, than in the uttering of the same words by some men,
even though they be men of real piety" (A. Fuller).
Individual Portions
Our previous articles upon the distribution of Canaan were confined
almost entirely to the typical side of things, adumbrating as it did
that blessed heritage which God decreed and Christ purchased for His
people. But we must now consider briefly some of the literal features
connected with the same. The orderly dividing of the land was not only
a wise provision, but a necessary arrangement, so that the particular
section of each tribe should be clearly defined. In Joshua 14-19 a
full and detailed description is recorded of the boundaries of each
one. That was done by the immediate appointment and direction of God,
and not by any human sagacity and prudence, still less by the dictates
of partiality and greed. All was regulated by "the lot." This was done
long before the whole of Canaan was actually conquered and possessed
by Israel. There was to be no waiting until all the tribes had secured
their respective portions: instead, they were now informed of the
exact section to which they had been given a Divine title, so that
they might go forward and possess their possessions. Thus were they
called unto the exercise of faith and full confidence in God as they
set about the performing of their respective tasks.
In our last we saw that the method which God selected for the
allocating of Canaan unto Israel combined the principles of grace,
sovereignty and righteousness: of grace, inasmuch as Israel's
inheritance was a Divine gift; of sovereignty, for all was done by lot
or submitting to the Divine will in the dispositions made; of
righteousness, for the numerical strength of the tribe was taken into
account in the size of the portion allotted it. The plan followed was
thus the very opposite of what would be euphemistically termed a
"Welfare State," for there was no dividing of the land into twelve
equal parts. The whole of Scripture makes it plain that it is the
Divine will that there should be distinctions both among nations, in
the territory which they occupy, and among individuals, in the
property which they possess. Likewise, it is required that each shall
be contented with what the Lord has assigned them and him. "Thou shalt
not covet" is as much a part of the Divine law as "Thou shalt not
kill." When the antitypical Joshua was asked to appoint two of His
disciples to the chief places of honor in His kingdom He replied, "to
sit on My right hand, and on My left, is not Mine to give, but it
shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of My Father" (Matthew
20:23), thereby acknowledging the sovereignty of the Father.
The benefits to be derived from the dividing of Canaan to Israel by
Divine lot should at once be apparent. Not only did such an
arrangement exclude the exercise of human avarice and injustice, but
it also precluded any occasion for strife and wrangling between the
several tribes, determining as it did the precise location assigned
unto each of them, with the limits thereof. Thus all ground for
jealousy, misunderstanding and lawsuits about their respective
territories was obviated. But more: Israel were thereby taught to
submit themselves to the good pleasure of the Lord. Therein lies the
chief practical lesson which we should draw from this transaction: to
surrender ourselves wholly to the Divine will and beg God to choose
for us--whether it be in the matter of our earthly vocation, the
selection of a life-partner, or the measure of temporal prosperity
which will be most for His glory and our good. As an old writer truly
remarked, "Such as refer themselves unto God to choose for them, will
never find cause to repent of their lot." No, it is when we leave Him
out, lean unto our own understanding, act by carnal impulse, that we
bring trouble upon ourselves. How we should pray daily, "work in me
both to will and to do of Thy good pleasure."
Before the lot was cast for the determining of the portions of the
respective tribes, Caleb appeared before those who had charge of that
business, and presented his claim unto Hebron for his own possession.
A brief allusion was made to the same at the end of our October 1951
article, but a closer examination of the incident is now called for.
Ere so doing, it should be pointed out that Joshua 14:5, is a general
statement, which is amplified in Joshua 15:1, and onwards, the
narrative being interrupted by what is now to be before us. "Then the
children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of
Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the
Lord said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in
Kadesh-barnea" (v. 6). Observe here the gracious humility of the man!
Caleb was himself one of those who had been Divinely appointed to
serve as one of the commissioners, to see that the lot was carried out
in a proper manner (Num. 34:17-19); yet, lest it might appear that he
was seeking unduly to use his authority in furthering his own
interests, he brought with him some of his brethren to act as
witnesses. How careful was he to "abstain from all appearance of evil"
(1 Thess. 5:22)! Equally circumspect should we be in all of our public
transactions.
"Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from
Kadesh-barnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it
was in mine heart" (v. 7, and cf. Numbers 13:30). Those last words are
very expressive and blessed. It was in Caleb's heart that God was
fully able to give what He had promised: that the gigantic Amorites
with their chariots of iron were nothing to Him. Caleb was strong in
faith, and therefore he was quite sure that Jehovah would make good
His word. It was the Lord Himself who had put such a firm persuasion
in his heart: just as at a later date, when faced with a task that was
formidable unto flesh and blood, Nehemiah declared "neither told I any
man what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem" (Josh. 2:12):
that too was something which burned within and sustained him through
heavy trials. David also had "found it in his heart to build the house
of the Lord." How that language of Caleb's made it evident that his
heart was set upon the Promised Land! His "treasure" was there, and so
was his heart also. That was his animating hope all through the forty
years he had to spend with his unbelieving fellows in the wilderness.
And so it should be with each Christian: his affections set upon
things above as he journeys through this world to the antitypical
Canaan.
"Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the
people melt: but I wholly followed the Lord my God" (v. 8). His
fellows walked by sight instead of faith, and consequently they were
occupied with and appalled by the obstacles which stood in the way.
Full of distrust themselves, they infected the whole of the
congregation with the same, intimidating and discouraging them so far
that their spirits sank. But Caleb refused to be influenced by them,
yea, boldly withstood them. "I wholly followed the Lord my God" was
not the language of presumption, but a plain declaration that he was
neither daunted by the power of the enemy nor swayed by the skepticism
of his brethren. It signified that on that occasion he had faithfully
discharged his duty, remained steadfast in his faith in God, assured
that He would enable His people to overcome the mighty sons of Anak.
That meaning of his, "I wholly followed the Lord," is made clear by
the contrast of Numbers 32:11, where the Lord complained of his
unbelieving fellows, "they have not wholly followed Me," and from the
fact that He there predicated the same fidelity and perseverance of
Joshua. The great value which God set upon His servant's steadfastness
appears in His having recorded it in His Word no less than six times:
Numbers 14:2; 32:12; Deuteronomy 1:36: Joshua 14:8, 9, 14.
"And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet
have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children's for ever,
because thou hast wholly followed the Lord my God" (v. 9). The sure
word of prophecy he had hid--held fast, treasured--in his heart
throughout the lengthy interval. It is to be considered that probably
most of that generation of Israel would be ignorant of the Divine
grant which had been made unto him and his descendants so long before,
and therefore Caleb quoted the Lord's promise thereon for their
benefit more than Joshua's, so that it might appear that he was not
now making any selfish or unreasonable demand. The Divine promise was
recorded in Deuteronomy 1:36, and treasured in the mind of Caleb. His
object was to prevent this particular part of Palestine being put in
the lot with the other portions of the country. He had a definite and
valid claim upon the same, and he here insisted upon his right. Since
God's own mind concerning it had been plainly made known, then it
would be useless to appeal unto His will respecting it via the lot, as
in the case of the sections for the tribes.
"And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as He said, these forty
and five years, even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses, while
the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am
this day fourscore and five years old" (v. 10). What a God-honoring
testimony was this! Passing through all the vicissitudes of Israel's
wilderness wanderings, during which so many of his fellows were
removed from this scene, engaged in the five years of fighting in
Canaan, when no doubt there was often but a step betwixt him and
death, Caleb here ascribed his preservation not to "good luck" or
"fortune" (heathen terms!), but unto Him "which holdeth our soul in
life" (Ps. 66:9). Caleb had something more than a general realization
that his times were in God's hands (Ps. 31:15): his faith had laid
hold of a special promise, as his "as He said" plainly shows. He was
resting on the word of One who cannot lie--as David, at a later date,
relied upon God's changeless veracity ú "do as Thou hast said" (2 Sam.
7:25). We are on both sure and comfortable ground, my reader, when we
take our stand upon God's promise, expecting a fulfillment. Caleb's
repeated "and now" was tantamount to his saying, The time has at last
arrived for the Lord to make good His engagement.
"As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent
me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both
to go out, and to come in" (v. 11). In those words he was forestalling
an objection which might be made against his appeal. Should the
demurrer be advanced, But you are much too old for such a difficult
and dangerous venture as the dispossessing of the giants from the
mountainous district of Hebron, that such a strenuous and hazardous
task called for a much younger man. Caleb here pressed his physical
fitness for the same. The One who had preserved his life throughout
the years had also renewed his youth like the eagle's (Ps. 103:5). Ah,
my reader, God does nothing by halves when He appoints a man for any
particular work, He also equips the worker and furnishes him with
everything needful. Not only so, He sustains and animates the heart
for the task. Faith inspires resolution and courage, and He who had
enabled His servant to hold fast for so long to His promise also
removed all hesitation and fear, so that Caleb was just as ready and
eager to set about the task which lay before him as he was in the
prime of life.
"Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord spake in that
day; for thou hearedst in that day how the Anakims were there, and
that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the Lord will be with
me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said (v. 12).
The second halt of this verse is very lovely, yet some have quite
misunderstood its force. Though Caleb still retained his vigor, it was
not that upon which he relied, nor yet upon his military ability and
experience; but instead, upon the Lord. Thus his "if so be the Lord
will be with me" was not the language of doubting, but of
self-renunciation. He had no confidence in the flesh and felt his own
insufficiency. There will not be faith in God, nor even a sincere
looking to Him, my reader, while we retain faith in ourselves. Trust
in the Lord is ever accompanied by distrust of self. No, Caleb was
conscious that the successful accomplishment of the work before him
was quite beyond his own powers, but he counted upon the faithfulness
of God to undertake for him. Proof was this that the Divine promise
was no empty theory to him, but a precious reality. Therein he
differed sharply from his unbelieving companions: they were occupied
with the power of the enemy and their own impotence; he with the
omnipotent One and the sureness of His word.
"And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh
Hebron for an inheritance" (v. 13). Thus was the promise of God
through Moses made good by Joshua. This is very blessed, for it causes
us to look beyond the shadow to the substance: the fulfillment of all
the Divine promises is in and through the antitypical Joshua. "For all
the promises of God in Him [Christ] are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the
glory of God by us" (2 Cor. 1:20). Since Christ Himself is the end and
chief object of all the promises, He has become by His mediatorial
character both the channel of supply to all who receive the grace of
God in truth and the medium of their responsive praise. To the
certified promises thus declared to God's elect, in the person of His
Son, the Church now sets the seal of her Amen, affirming thus
adoringly to the glory of the Father what the lips of Christ have
first spoken to her heart. In Christ we now have by an everlasting
covenant of grace whatever good things God spoke aforetime. In the
Lord Jesus the very fullness of God dwells, and in that holy humanity
which He took upon Him for our sakes. The concentrating of God's
mercies in the living and effective Vindicator of His promises--"the
Amen, the faithful and true witness" (Rev. 3:14)--is declared to be
"to the glory of God by us," because of the praise which He receives
from His people as they realize that all is summed up for them in
God's Beloved and in their Beloved.
"Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb . . . unto this day,
because that he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel. And the name
of Hebron before was Kirjath-arba: which Arba was a great man among
the Anakims. And the land had rest from war" (vv. 14, 15). Hebron
signifies "fellowship," and may have been so named because of the
wonderful communion which Abraham had with God there (Gen. 13:18,
first mention). This is the place above all others which the enemy of
souls seeks to prevent God's people occupying. What a suitable place
was Hebron for Caleb! How appropriate an inheritance for the one who
(we are once more told) "wholly followed the Lord God of Israel"--who
persevered in the performing of his duty, though opposed by ten of his
companions and menaced by the whole congregation; which shows us that
the ones and twos who are out and out for God must not expect to be
popular, no, not with their brethren. Nevertheless, Hebron or the
place of intimate fellowship with God is ever the portion of such.
Finally, let it be duly noted that upon Caleb was conferred the honor
of the hardest task of all--the overcoming of the mighty sons of Anak.
The next chapter tells us, "And Caleb drove thence the three sons of
Anak" (Josh. 15:14). Of course he did ! God never fails such a one.
In Joshua 17:3, 4, another case is recorded of claim to an individual
portion being laid before Joshua, which is in some respects similar to
that of Caleb. It was made by the five daughters of Zelophehad, who
belonged to the tribe of Manasseh. Those women had received promise
through Moses that when Canaan was divided among Israel they should
have an inheritance, and now they came before those who had charge of
the allotting, making request for the implementing of the same. God's
commandment and promise by Moses is recorded in Numbers 27:1-11. These
women appeared before what might be termed the supreme court, pointing
out that their father was dead and had left no son. Up to that time no
legal provision had been made where the male issue had failed, and
thus these daughters of Zelophehad, having neither father nor brother,
found themselves destitute. Instead of murmuring and mourning over
their hard lot, they wisely came before God's servants and asked for
arrangement to be made for them to have a portion of their tribe's
section. Moses did not presume to answer their inquiry personally, but
brought the case before the Lord, and He declared, "thou shalt cause
the inheritance of their father to pass unto them."
In Numbers 36 we learn that the case of those five women was brought
again before Israel's high court. This time it was the chief fathers
of the families of Gilead, to which Zelophehad belonged, who appeared.
A difficulty was anticipated: should these five women intermarry with
other tribes, then their portion would pass out of Manasseh's
possessions unto another's, and that would probably occasion future
strife and confusion. In reply thereto, a more specific law was
enacted: "Let them marry to whom they think best; only to the family
of the tribe of their father shall they marry. So shall not the
inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe" (vv.
6, 7). It is very blessed to see how the Lord honored the faith of
those women by protecting their interests. At the time when they first
appeared before the judges, Israel was in the wilderness! Canaan had
not then been entered, still less conquered and possessed, yet so sure
were these women that God would fulfill His promise to give that land
unto His people that even then they put in their claim to a portion
thereof. As Matthew Henry wittily remarked, "they were five wise
virgins indeed."
In a striking address made in 1918 on the Virgin Birth, Dr. A.T.
Scofield (not the editor of the Scofield Bible) pointed out that but
for the above scriptures an insuperable difficulty had stood in the
way of Christ's being "the King of the Jews." "Therefore in any case
it seems our Lord could not be the inheritor of the throne of David,
either through Joseph, for he was not born of Joseph, or through Mary,
because a woman could not inherit it: and but for one remarkable
circumstance it would be impossible for Him to be King of the Jews. In
fact, the virgin birth in itself would appear to bar Him from the
throne." Then the doctor went on to show that the "remarkable
circumstance" which removed all difficulty was found in Numbers 27:8,
"If a man die, and have no son [as in the case of Heli, the father of
Mary], then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter."
Thus our Lord, according to the flesh, had legal title to inherit the
throne of David, while Numbers 36:6, shows why it was necessary for
Mary to be espoused to Joseph. From which we may see that not only in
the ceremonial law, but in the civil law of Israel also, God ever had
Christ before Him !
Tribal Portions
We turn now to those chapters (Josh. 15-19) which offer the least
scope to the expositor, the presence, of which has probably deterred
not a few from attempting to write a connected commentary on this
sixth book of the Word. Those chapters contain, for the most part, a
geographical description of the different portions of Canaan which
were allotted unto Israel's tribes. They consist largely of a list of
places, many of which are never referred to again in the Scriptures,
and which cannot now be identified; nor can we be sure, in the
majority of instances, of the precise meanings of the names of those
towns and villages; though in those cases where such is obtainable the
typical and moral significance thereof is more or less apparent. That
nothing has been recorded in the Bible without Divine design must be
believed by every reverent heart--the genealogies of 1 Chronicles 1-9
not excepted--and that all is of real value to the people of God is
not to be questioned; yet, so far as we are aware, the Holy Spirit has
not yet "opened" their purport and spiritual contents to the Church.
Acknowledging our ignorance and refusing to speculate thereon, we can
but single out a few of the more prominent details found in this
section, and offer some remarks thereon.
"This then was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah by their
families" (Josh. 15:1). The first two of the tribes to have made known
to them their allotments were Judah and Joseph: that being detailed
here, the other in the next chapter. Upon which Matthew Henry said,
"Judah and Joseph were the two sons of Jacob on whom Reuben's
forfeited birthright devolved. Judah had the dominion entailed on him,
and Joseph the double portion, and therefore the two tribes were first
seated: Judah in the southern part of the land of Canaan, and Joseph
in the northern part, and on them the other seven did attend, and had
their respective lots as appurtenances to these two; the lots of
Benjamin, Simeon and Dan were attendant to Judah, and those of
Issachar and Zebulon, Napthtali and Asshur to Joseph. These two were
first set up to be provided for, it should seem, before there wag such
an exact survey of the land as we find afterward [Joshua 18:9].
"It is probable that the most considerable parts of the northern and
southern countries, and those that lay nearest to Gilgal, and which
the people were best acquainted with, were first put into two
portions, and the lot was cast upon them between these two principal
tribes, of the one of which Joshua was, and of the other Caleb, who
was the first commissioner in this writ of partition; and by the
decision of that lot the southern country fell to Judah, of which we
have an account in this chapter; and the northern to Joseph, of which
we have an account in the two following chapters. And when this was
done, there was a more equal dividend (either in quantity or quality)
of the remainder among the seven tribes. And this, probably, was
intended in that general rule which was given concerning this
partition: `to the more ye shall give the more inheritance, and to the
fewer ye shall give the less inheritance: every man's inheritance
shall be in the place where his lot falleth' (Num. 33:54): that is,
`Ye shall appoint two greater portions, which shall be determined by
lot, to those more numerous tribes of Judah and Joseph, and then the
rest shall be lesser portions, to be allotted to the less numerous
tribes.' The former was done in Gilgal, the latter in Shiloh." It
should also be pointed out that, as the injunction was given that when
Israel were on the march "these [i.e. Judah] shall first set forth"
(Num. 2:9), so the assigning of Judah's portion first was a prophetic
intimation of the future pre-eminence of this tribe.
It is to be observed that the description given of Judah's heritage is
broken into at Joshua 15:13, by mention being made of Caleb (who
belonged to this tribe) receiving Hebron for his personal portion.
This was before us in our last, but a further detail is here recorded
which claims our attention. After informing us that he drove thence
the three sons of Anak we are told that "Caleb said, He that smiteth
Kirjath-sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter
to wife" (v. 16). This should not be understood as an exhibition of
any personal sloth on Caleb's part, still less of fear, but rather as
his affording an opportunity for another to obtain some laurels as
well as himself. It is to be borne in mind that in the East the father
is regarded as having the right to dispose of his daughter, and it is
the regular custom for him to select her husband without consulting
her--compare 1 Samuel 17:25. Kirjath-sepher was a fortress of the
Anakims, one that was difficult of approach, being situated on a hill
(note "went up" in verse 15). The offer made by Caleb was an incentive
to bravery: he knew that only a man of faith and courage would attack
such a place.
In the above we obtain a further insight into Caleb's character and
see what a well-balanced one it was: he was not only a man of strong
faith, an intrepid warrior, but a dutiful father as well. It was not
only that he desired to stir up Israel generally to set about the
tasks which still required performing (Josh. 16:10, shows that some of
them had already become slack in their duty), but that he desired to
make sure that his daughter obtained a worthy husband. Caleb's
challenge was accepted by his own nephew, for we read: "And Othniel
the son of Kenez, the brother of Caleb, took it" (v. 17). It is
noteworthy that, years later, this same Othniel who acted so admirably
and valiantly on this occasion became both a deliverer, and a judge in
Israel (Judg. 3:9), and, in fact, the first person who presided over
the nation after Joshua's death. "It is good for those who are setting
out in the world to begin betimes with that which is great and good,
that, excelling in service when they are young, they may excel in
honor when they are old" (Matthew Henry).
"And he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife" (v. 17). It is to be
borne in mind that there was nothing in the Mosaic Law which forbade
the marrying of cousins. As others before us have suggested, it is
highly probable that Othniel was in love with Achsah before her father
made this proposal. It is also likely that Caleb was aware of it and
looked favorably upon him, but decided thus to put him to the test
before finally committing himself. It was both an honor to wed the
daughter of the man who was the chief of his tribe and a great
privilege for Othniel to marry into a family so marked by faith and
piety, and to be united to one who we cannot doubt had been brought up
in the nurture and admonition of the Lord: such a woman is to be
desired far above one who is endowed with the riches of this world, or
possesses little else than a pretty face.
"And it came to pass, as she came unto him, that she moved him to ask
of her father a field: and she lighted off her ass; and Caleb said
unto her, What wouldest thou?" (v. 18). Here we behold some of the
becoming traits which marked the character of Caleb's daughter. The
"as she came unto him" means to her husband, her father accompanying
them from his house where they would be married. First, her meekness
appears in the owning of Othniel as her head--desiring that he should
be the one to present her request unto Caleb. Apparently Othniel
considered that the request would come better from her direct; and
though contrary to her own inclination she deferred to her husband's
judgment. Second, her getting down from her mount betokened her
respect and reverence for her father (compare Genesis 24:64, where
Rebekah did the same when Isaac approached her), which showed that
marriage had not "turned her head"; she was as ready to honor her
parents now as formerly.
Perceiving that his daughter desired to ask him for some favor, Caleb
said to her, "What wouldest thou?" And she answered, "Give me a
blessing; for thou hast given me a south-land; give me also springs of
water" (v. 19). We do not understand from the first clause that she
meant the paternal benediction, or that he should supplicate Jehovah
for a blessing upon her, but rather an inheritance over and above what
he had already given her. She desired this bounty because it would add
to the comfort of her settlement: teaching us thereby that it is no
transgression of the commandment "Thou shalt not covet" to desire
those conveniences and comforts which may be obtained in an honest and
honorable way. Caleb had already given her some land which was much
exposed to the sun and poorly watered: having married according to his
orders, she felt he would the more readily grant what she now
petitioned him for. Her modesty appears in the simplicity of her
request, namely some field with springs of water in it. She might have
asked for jewels to adorn her person, or servants to make her lot
easier in the home; instead, she confined herself to bare necessities,
for land without water could not be very productive.
"And he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs," probably
bestowing upon her more than she had asked. Plain is the celestial
lesson illustrated for us here: if earthly parents are ready to bestow
upon their children that which is good for them, how much readier is
our heavenly Father to give both spiritual and temporal blessings when
we ask Him in faith! This is indeed a lovely domestic picture, and
each of its features claims our admiration and imitation. Here we see
the wife in subjection to her husband, and he declining to take
advantage of his authority. When husbands and wives mutually advise
and jointly agree about that which is for the common good of the
family, the domestic machinery will run smoothly. Here we see a
married woman despising not her father when he was old, and she lost
not by honoring him. Here we see how wise parents will not deem that
lost which they bestow upon their children for their real advantage,
especially when they are dutiful ones. "When the character of parents,
the education of their children, and the children's consequent prudent
and pious conduct combine, there is the fairest prospect that they
will be settled in life to the mutual comfort and advantage of all the
parties concerned" (T. Scott).
There is one other detail recorded here of the tribe of Judah, and it
is in marked contrast with the above. "As for the Jebusites the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them
out: but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem
unto this day" (Josh. 15:63). It is to be recalled that in the tenth
chapter we saw how that the king of Jerusalem persuaded four of his
fellow monarchs or chieftains to join him in launching an attack upon
Gibeon (which made peace with Israel), and how that Joshua completely
vanquished their combined forces, slew the five kings (v. 26), and
took all their land (v. 42). Judges 1:8, supplies an additional
detail, informing us. "Now the children of Judah had fought against
Jerusalem, and had taken it, and smitten it with the edge of the
sword, and set the city on fire." However, it would appear that during
the next few years, while Israel were occupied in conquering other
parts of the country, the Jebusites recovered the fort of mount Sion
at least, which remained in their hands till the time of David (2 Sam.
5:7). Matthew Henry suggested: "It may, therefore, be justly looked
upon as the punishment of their neglect to conquer other cities which
God had given them, that they were so long kept out of this." So
today, if the Lord's people be slack in performing their duties, they
need not be surprised if some important centers of Christendom remain
under the control of the enemy, having the management of the same--how
many of the denominational boards, seminaries, etc., are now governed
by modern Jebusites!
"And the lot of the children of Joseph fell from Jordan by Jericho,
unto," etc. (Josh. 16:1). The order of procedure among the tribes of
Israel was always Judah first, the sons of Joseph second, which is in
full accord with that parenthetical but important statement in 1
Chronicles 5:1, 2. "Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel
(for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father's
bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of
Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright.
For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief
ruler; but the birthright was Joseph's)." As Ellicott pointed out,
"Accordingly, in the division of the land of Canaan under Joshua,
there are three successive stages. First, the settlement of the tribe
of Judah in the strongholds in the south of Palestine. Second, the
estating of Ephraim and Manasseh in the center of the country, and in
some strong positions in the north. Third, the settlement of the
remaining tribes, so as to fill up the gaps between Judah and Joseph,
and also upon the outskirts of their territory, so as to be, as it
were, under the shelter of their wings."
Reuben's portion was much inferior to that of Joseph, for it lay on
the wilderness side of the Jordan (Josh. 13:7, 15-21), separating them
from the tribes on the western side, thereby exposing them to be
attacked more easily by enemies. As a matter of fact, this tribe, with
that of Gad (which adjoined it) was sorely stricken by Hazael (2 Kings
10:32, 33), and afterwards carried into captivity twenty years before
the general seizure of the ten tribes by the king of Assyria (1 Chron.
5:26); whereas Joseph and his posterity were highly favored in their
lot, for their position lay in the very heart of the land of Canaan,
extending from the Jordan in the east to the Mediterranean in the
west. It is therefore very striking indeed to note how that on the one
hand we behold in Reuben's heritage and its history a solemn
demonstration of God's "visiting the sins of the fathers upon the
children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate" Him;
and on the other hand we see in the case of Joseph's posterity a
blessed exemplification of the Divine promise "showing mercy unto
thousands of them that love Me and keep My commandments" (Ex. 20:4,
5). The disposings of Divine providence are not capricious or
arbitrary, but regulated by moral and spiritual considerations which
accord with the principle of sowing and reaping.
"And the separate cities for the children of Ephraim were among the
inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their
villages" (Josh. 16:9). This was because the tribe of Ephraim was now
much more numerous than that of Manasseh. Matthew Henry appropriately
called attention to the fact that "though when the tribes were
numbered in the plains of Moab, Manasseh had got the start of Ephraim
in number, for Manasseh was then fifty-two thousand and Ephraim but
thirty-two thousand (Num. 26:34, 37); yet, by the time they were well
settled in Canaan, the hands were crossed again (Gen. 48:13, 14) and
the blessing of Moses was verified: `They are the ten thousands of
Ephraim, and these are the thousands of Manasseh.'" Since the
Ephraimites were much more plentiful than the Manassites, additional
cities were given them besides "the lot" which fell to them. Those
cities were in the heritage of Manasseh, God having assigned them more
than their own needs required. No doubt that was to test them, to
afford an opportunity of showing kindness to their brethren, by giving
of their abundance to those who lacked. This is one reason why
Providence so orders things that "ye have the poor always with you"
(Matthew 26:11): note that "always"--sure intimation that Socialism,
the Welfare State, will never become universally and permanently
established.
"And they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer" (Josh.
16:10), which marked the boundary of this tribe, and was close to the
sea (v. 3). Their failure to do so was much worse than that of Judah
to recapture Jerusalem (Josh. 15:63), for they made an attempt to do
so, whereas these did not. No specific reason is given for their
wanting in duty, whether it was because of cowardice, slothfulness, or
something else; but the fact remains that they disobeyed the
commandment in Deuteronomy 20:16. There is no intimation that these
Canaanites renounced their idolatry and became worshippers of Jehovah.
But the second half of the verse seems plainly to indicate that their
disobedience was due to the spirit of greed: "But the Canaanites dwell
among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute." Since
the Ephraimites were strong enough to subject the Canaanites and
compel them to play tribute, no excuse can be made for allowing such
to live with them. They considered their financial gain more than
submission to God or the good of their country, which was in keeping
with their general character--compare Hosea 12:8. They soon followed
the ways of those heathen, and became idolators themselves (Judg.
17:1-5). The Canaanites continued to dwell in Gezer until the days of
Solomon, when the king of Egypt took and gave it to his daughter who
had married Solomon (1 Kings 9:16, 17).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Joshua
by A.W. Pink
17. Indolence in Final Possession
Joshua 17:1-19:51
_________________________________________________________________
The Danger of Partial Victory
Before turning to the next chapter an incident recorded in Joshua 17
requires our attention. It may be recalled that the fourteenth chapter
closed with the words, "And the land had rest from war." At first
sight that seems to be a blessed statement, but in view of several
later ones it should rather be regarded as the striking of an ominous
note. The fact is that Israel had, temporarily at least, become weary
of well-doing, and were resting on their oars, for they had failed to
complete the task which God had assigned them. There were many places
yet unsubdued, numerous companies of the Canaanites which were still
unconquered. That resting from war was fraught with evil consequences,
for soon after we are told, "As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out" (Josh.
15:63). And again, it is recorded of the Ephraimites, "they drave not
out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among
the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute" (Josh. 16:10).
And once more, "yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the
inhabitants of those cities; but the Canaanites would dwell in the
land" (Josh. 17:12). Sad blemishes were those in the account given of
the general success of the nation.
The above failures are to be accounted for by God's withholding of His
power and blessing upon their efforts. And why did He not show Himself
strong on their behalf? Because they had failed in their duty, for,
instead of finishing the work which the Lord had given them to do,
they became slack and took their ease, and later, like poor Samson
when he awoke out of his sleep, said, "I will go out as at other
times," but "wist not that the Lord was departed from him" (Judg.
16:20); thus it happened with them--they were shorn of their strength.
For God to have given success unto those Israelites would be
countenancing their indolence. Never does He place a premium upon
slothfulness, but, instead, leaves those who yield thereto to suffer
the painful effects thereof. The lessons for us to learn therefrom are
obvious. God grants His people no furloughs in the "good fight of
faith" (1 Tim. 6:12) to which He has called them, and should they take
one, then their enemies will inevitably prove too strong, nor will the
Captain of their salvation fight their battles for them. Our
commission is, "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men,
be strong" (1 Cor. 16:13), and if we heed not, most unpleasant will be
the outcome.
It is important to note carefully the order of those four precepts,
for the first three must be obeyed in order to the realization of the
fourth. Unless we be vigilant in guarding against the temptations and
dangers on every side, are faithful in holding the truth of the Gospel
both doctrinally and practically, are undismayed and undaunted by
those who oppose us--conducting ourselves boldly and bravely--we shall
have no strength with which to overcome our foes. Nor is there to be
any cessation in the discharge of those duties: the Divine command is
"always abounding in the work of the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58) i.e.,
striving against sin, resisting the Devil, bringing forth the fruits
of holiness. But note well the precise point at which the great
failure of Joshua 14:15, occurred: it was immediately following the
most notable successes which had attended their arms, so that they
probably thought they were now entitled to a respite. Here too the
lesson is plain for us: it is right after some signal victory which
grace has given us over our lusts that we are most in danger--tempted
to relax our efforts. Ah, my reader, forget not that it is the "fool"
who says "take thine ease" (Luke 12:19), whereas God enjoins us, "Let
not thine hands be slack" (Zeph. 3:16).
In Joshua 17:14-18, an incident is recorded which afforded a further
opportunity for Joshua to display yet another striking quality of his
character. There we read of the children of Joseph coming to Israel's
leader with a complaint:
"Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing
I am a great people, forasmuch as the Lord hath blessed me hitherto?"
(v. 14). The tribe of Joseph was, of course, a double one, comprising
the descendants of both Ephraim and Manasseh, nevertheless we consider
that avowal of their greatness had reference to something more than
their numerical strength, namely their honorable parentage--their
being the descendants of the man whom Pharaoh had made lord of
Egypt--and thus it was the breathing of pride. This is borne out by
the subsequent history of this tribe, in the light of which their
complaint unto Joshua was thoroughly characteristic of the haughty
spirit that possessed them. Thus we behold their arrogance again in
their murmuring against Gideon (Judg. 8:1), in the conduct of Jephthah
(Judg. 11:9, 30, 31), and later still in the days of David they were
constantly asserting their claim to superiority in Israel without
exhibiting any qualification for it.
"And Joshua answered them, If thou be a great people, then get thee up
to the wood country, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the
Perizzites and of the giants, if mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee"
(v. 15). Thus did Joshua turn their argument against themselves,
rebuking their pride and discontent, as well as their unbelief and
indolence, for there was plenty of room for their expansion if they
possessed the necessary enterprise and courage. Ellicott pointed out
that it is plain from what is here stated that a large part of the
country of Palestine then consisted of uncleared forest, that the
inhabitants of that district were far fewer than those in the valley
of Esdrealon and of the territory assigned to Judah in the south. Also
that this fact justifies the strategy of the attack of Israel upon the
center of the country, so that the forces of the Canaanites were
necessarily divided, and thus Israel could strike first with their
whole force at the southern armies, and then turn round upon the
enemies in the north. This serves to explain the ease with which they
set up the Law at Ebal (Josh. 8:30) at the commencement of the
invasion, and the selection of Shiloh for their capital afterwards.
"And the children of Joseph said, The hill is not enough for us: and
all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots
of iron, both they who are of Beth-shean and her towns, and they who
are of the valley of Jezreel" (v. 16). Here we behold their
covetousness, for Joshua 17:5, informs us that "there fell ten
portions to Manasseh, beside the land of Gilead and Bashan, which were
on the other side Jordan," while another and separate inheritance had
been allotted unto their brethren the Ephraimites. But though they had
been given the largest share of Canaan they were not satisfied, while
the reference they made unto the "chariots of iron" possessed by the
Canaanites, who occupied the adjacent valleys, at once revealed the
unbelief and timidity of their hearts and disproved their pretensions
to being "a great people." See here again, my reader, the evil results
of allowing ourselves an intermission from the warfare to which the
Christian is called: as surely as he ceases therein and takes his
ease, so will a spirit of discontent with his lot come upon him, and
so too will unbelief occupy him with the might of his enemies and
dispirit him.
"And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and to
Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people, and hast great power: thou
shalt not have one lot only: but the mountain shall be thine: for it
is a wood, and thou shalt cut it down: and the outgoings of it shall
be thine: for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have
iron chariots, and though they be strong" (vv. 17, 18). We do not
regard that as the language of satire, but rather as pressing upon
them the discharge of their responsibility, and calling upon them to
trust in the Lord and go forward in His name. Joshua pointed out that
there were extensive tracts of wooded country which could be cleared
for agricultural use, so that, if they continued to multiply, land
would be available for their families True there was the menace of the
powerfully armed Canaanites in the immediate vicinity, but if they
bestirred themselves and performed their duty, looking to the Lord for
protection and help, they might assuredly count upon His enabling them
to drive out those who then possessed that land which He had given
unto the seed of Abraham, and be granted strength to vanquish all
their enemies. Thus from Joshua's reply it is clear that they were
lacking in diligence and enterprise.
There can be little doubt that the Ephraimites and Manassehites
expected to receive preferential treatment from Joshua, since he
himself belonged to the tribe of Ephraim (Num. 13:8); but Joshua
refused to show partiality unto his brethren, thereby demonstrating
his fidelity unto the commission Jehovah had given him. Blessed is it
to behold in that refusal still another adumbration in the character
of his Antitype, for when the Savior was asked to assign the seats on
His right hand and on His left unto those who were nearest and dearest
to Him (James and John), He declined to show any favoritism (Matthew
20:20-23). In his Practical Observations on this passage Thomas Scott
well remarked, "Alas, professing Christians are often more disposed to
murmur, envy and covet, than to be content, thankful, and ready to
distribute. Indeed, we are more prone to grasp at what belongs to
others, than to manage our own to the best advantage; and many
complain of poverty, and encroach upon the benevolence of others,
because they rebel against the sentence of Divine justice, `Thou shalt
eat thy bread in the sweat of thy brow.'
"Men excuse themselves from labor on any pretense, and nothing serves
the purpose better than having rich and powerful relations, though by
providing for them, these are often partial and unfaithful in
disposing of those funds with which they are entrusted for the public
benefit. But there is more real kindness in pointing out to men the
advantages within their reach, that they may be excited to improve
them, than in gratifying their indolence and profusion. True religion
gives no sanction to these evils: `we commanded,' says the apostle,
`that if any man would not work, neither should he eat'; and many of
our cannots are only the language of sloth, which magnifies every
difficulty into an impossibility, and represents every danger as
inevitable destruction. This is especially the case in our spiritual
work and warfare; but even our professed relation to the Captain of
the Lord's host will not avail us if we be indolent and
self-indulgent. Our very complaints that comforts are withheld,
frequently result from negligence and fear of the cross; and when
convinced that we can do nothing, we are apt to sit still and attempt
nothing." Such has been poor human nature throughout the ages: either
spurred on by the feverish energy of the flesh, so that we run without
being sent, or lazing and repining instead of doing with our might
what God has bidden us to do.
"And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled
together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation
there. And the land was subdued before them" (Josh. 18:1). The
commentators are unanimous in supposing that this moving of Israel's
camp and headquarters was by Divine appointment. They surmise that
Joshua had received some message from Jehovah, either direct or
through the Urim and Thummim of the high priest, bidding him remove
the tabernacle from Gilgal to Shiloh; and they also point out the
advantages of this new location. Gilgal was at the extremity of
Palestine, being situated on the bank of the Jordan; whereas Shiloh
was in the heart of the land, and thus would be much more handy for
the males to visit (Deut. 16:16) after the tribes had departed to
their separate sections. Personally, we consider that is assuming too
much. There is not the slightest hint that God had given any orders
for them to leave Gilgal, where they had been encamped ever since
their supernatural entrance into Canaan, and we regard the absence of
any record of God's revealing His will for them to do so as ominous.
It seems to us much more likely that this move was dictated by what
the flesh terms "prudential considerations"--their own convenience.
"Shiloh was in the lot of Ephraim, the tribe to which Joshua belonged,
and it was expedient that the sanctuary should be near the residence
of the chief governor" (Scott). But if that was the reason which
prompted Joshua to act, then he was leaning to his own understanding,
instead of having his paths directed by the Lord (Prov. 3:5, 6).
Gilgal was the place of circumcision (Josh. 5:9)--typically the
mortifying of the flesh and separation from the world--and so long as
Israel returned thither after each campaign the power and blessing of
the Lord rested upon them. They should, therefore, have been very slow
in leaving Gilgal, even though what it signified spiritually was very
unpleasant to nature. Nothing is said of their waiting upon the Lord
for guidance, no mention made of their seeking His mind via the high
priest. Let it be carefully borne in mind that what is here said in
Joshua 18:1, follows right after the record of a number of sad
failures. Observe too that the Holy Spirit does not here designate the
sacred tent "the house of the Lord" as He did in Joshua 6:24, or "the
Lord's tabernacle" as in Joshua 22:19, but merely "the tabernacle," as
though to indicate that He did not endorse or associate Himself with
the move made--cf. "the Jews' Passover" and "a feast of the Jews"
(John 2:13; 5:1), rather than "the Lord's Passover" (Ex. 12:11) and a
feast "of the Lord" (Lev. 23:2). It is also solemnly significant that
in the opening chapters of Judges (which record Israel's failures
after the death of Joshua) we are told "there arose another generation
after them, which knew not the Lord" (Josh. 2:10), so apparently they
had forsaken the angel of His presence, who had remained at their true
base.
During several generations of Israel's spiritual poverty and
powerlessness the tabernacle remained at Shiloh (1 Sam. 4:3), but in
centuries later, when God through Elijah and Elisha was granting a
revival unto Israel, those prophets made Gilgal and not Shiloh their
headquarters (2 Kings 2:1), the Holy Spirit thereby intimating that if
in a dark day of declension we make the place of circumcision
(devotedness unto God) our camping ground or center, then the Divine
blessing will be upon us. But Gilgal is not at all popular, making
demands which are unwelcome to flesh and blood. Thus in the type
itself: Gilgal lay at he very extremity of the land, a long and
tiresome journey being entailed for the men of war to return to camp,
and therefore a more convenient headquarters--easy to the flesh--would
be far more acceptable. The commentators dwell upon the fact that
"Shiloh" was one of the names by which the Messiah was fore-announced
(Gen. 49:10), and conclude that it was with an eye to Him that Israel
so designated the place to which the tabernacle was now taken and
erected. But we very much question such a view, for Joshua 18:1, reads
as though this place was already known as Shiloh when they arrived
there, and not that they gave it such a name on this occasion. The
word itself means "rest," and that was what appealed to them now that
so much of Canaan had been subdued.
We have pointed out above that what is recorded in Joshua 18:1, comes
right after several marked failures on the part of three of Israel's
tribes, and now immediately following it we find Joshua upbraiding
seven of the other tribes, saying "How long are ye slack to go to
possess the land, which the Lord God of your fathers hath given you?"
(v. 3)! Thus, the whole context is directly against a favorable
construction being placed on this mention of moving their headquarters
to Shiloh. Instead, we consider that they acted precipitately, that
they walked by sight instead of by faith, and consulted too much their
own convenience. Viewed thus, there is pointed another practical
lesson unto which we do well to take heed. Not only is it our bounden
duty, but also for our good both spiritually and temporally, that we
heed the Divine precept "he that believeth shall not make haste" (Isa.
28:16). To act by impulse or passion is unworthy of a rational
creature, yet it is only by definite prayer, constant watchfulness and
strict self-discipline that we shall be preserved from the frenzied
spirit of this foolish generation, which makes a god of speed.
More specifically, the above incident cautions us to be slow when
contemplating a change of our location. Only too often the Lord's
people are regulated in this matter by material considerations rather
than by spiritual ones, thinking more of improving their position than
of glorifying God; and many of them are made to smart for their pains.
"Ponder the path of thy feet" (Prov. 4:26) is wisdom's counsel, and
failure to do so results in many a fall. Those who act hastily usually
have reason to repent at their leisure. "The prudent man looketh well
to his going" (Prov. 14:15). The Christian should do more than that:
"Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring
it to pass! "Nor is that all: "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently
for Him" (Ps. 37:5, 7) to make His way plain before your face, and
remember that He guides us a step at a time, rather than making
evident the whole of our path at once. Lean not unto your own
understanding, nor confer with flesh and blood: instead, beg the Lord
to work patience in you, and let your attitude be that of David's, "My
soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him" (Ps.
62:5). "The way of the righteous [the one whose heart is right with
God] is made plain" (Prov. 15:19): until it be so, remain where you
are.
Indolence
Not a very appealing title for an article ! Quite so, but the Bible
does not flatter human nature, nor should God's servant do so. However
unpleasant, realities should be faced, and not shunned or denied. But
though our theme be unattractive, it is surely a timely one. Does not
indolence stare us in the face on every side? Is there not a spirit of
sloth and apathy apparent in all classes? Has there ever been such a
generation as ours for loathing work and loving pleasure? The
expression "organized labor" has become almost synonymous with "the
shirking of duty": it is a holding out of the nation to ransom in
order to extract the maximum amount of money for the minimum
expenditure of energy. On the other hand, any fair-minded man who is
really acquainted with the social and economic conditions which
prevailed a century ago must acknowledge that, because of the
merciless greed of far too many employers, labor was virtually forced
to organize itself to secure bare justice. But human nature being what
it is, the pendulum has now swung to the opposite extreme, so that in
many cases the employer can no longer obtain a fair day's work for a
fair day's pay.
As the Lord God informed man at the beginning, one of the consequences
of his falling into sin was, "in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat
bread, till thou return unto the ground" (Gen. 3:19)--a sentence from
which men have sought to escape by their "labor-saving" devices:
generally to the promotion of indolence, the impairing of health, and
often the loss of life. Yet it is a mistake to suppose that all work
has been entailed by the fall: not so. In his sinless condition man
was put into the garden of Eden "to dress it and to keep it" (Gen.
2:15). Whereas work was then a pleasure and easy, now it is
distasteful and burdensome. Never more so than in our day, when
shorter hours and bigger pay is the demand--much of the pay being
spent not in wholesome re-creation, but in injurious dissipation. And
how few there are who realize and recognize that this manual and
industrial blight is traceable to a spiritual and religious evil. As
we have pointed out more than once, social conditions are the
repercussions of ecclesiastical ones; the state of the world is
largely a reflection of the state of the churches. As the breakdown of
parental authority in the home was preceded by lack of discipline in
the assembly, the disregard of law in the state by the jettisoning of
God's Law by the pulpit, so the apathy of artisans is but a shadowing
forth of the indolence of the majority of professing Christians.
It is true that perfection has never been found among the Lord's
people, yet a relative healthiness and vigor have frequently marked
them. But during the past century there has been a steady and
noticeable deterioration in spirituality and a sad decline in
practical godliness. Power has diminished, love has cooled, less and
less of the fruit of the Spirit and works of righteousness has been
produced. Instead of "always abounding in the work of the Lord"
(rendering universal obedience unto Him), the majority of those
bearing the name of Christ were "at ease in Zion." Instead of going
forth to meet the Bridegroom with lamps trimmed and burning, the wise
virgins, equally with the foolish ones, slumbered and slept. Instead
of running the way of God's commandments (Ps. 119:32), too many sat
still; waiting for God to "apply" the promises to their hearts.
Instead of engaging in aggressive evangelism, most of the churches
petted and pampered their own members. Instead of contending earnestly
in the world for the Faith, other churches turned aside to bitter
wrangling and profitless contentions among themselves. The Lord's
cause languished, and Satan was well pleased.
Among the contributing causes which have produced and promoted a
generation of spiritual sluggards may be mentioned the following.
First, the slackness of preachers. An ever-increasing number of men
who sought a soft and easy job were attracted to the ministry, and few
indeed burned the midnight oil in their studies and spent themselves
in the service of Christ. Second, unfaithful preaching, where there
was an entirely one-sided emphasis: a concentrating upon blessings and
privileges and a neglecting of duties and obligations, a magnifying of
the gifts of Divine grace, but a minimizing of the requirements of
God's holiness. Third, the inculcation and encouragement of a spirit
of fatalism, through failing to preserve the balance of truth between
God's sovereignty and man's responsibility, between human ability and
accountability, with the result that a race of do-nothings was
produced--waiting for God to give them more grace, instead of using
what He had already bestowed. Fourth, being too readily discouraged by
the difficulties in the tasks assigned by God, walking too much by
sight rather than faith, their zeal abating because they could
perceive so little fruit produced. It is not without good reason that
the Holy Spirit repeated in 2 Thessalonians 3:13, the exhortation of
Galatians 6:9: "Be not weary in well doing"!
"And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which
had not yet received their inheritance" (Josh. 18:2). Why was this?
Because some Divine decree had blocked the way? Because "God's time"
for them to do so had not yet arrived? No indeed, from a very
different cause. It was due to their own indifference. The immediate
sequel makes it very evident that there was no unwillingness on God's
part: the indisposition was in them. Thus, this statement is more than
an explanatory reference, namely a word of reproach. In view of what
is recorded in Joshua 15:63, and Joshua 16:9, 10, we see how
infectious is the spirit of sloth: the evil which affected Judah and
Ephraim had spread to the remaining tribes. "A little leaven leaveneth
the whole lump," more especially so where the leaders are involved:
when the principal tribes of men be dilatory, those of lower rank will
quickly emulate them. These tribes were heedless of their privileges,
too unconcerned to avail themselves of their advantages.
"And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, How long are ye slack to
go to possess the land, which the Lord God of your fathers hath given
you?" (v. 3). Thus did their leader reprove them for not bestirring
themselves and securing their portions of Canaan. Such a reproof
supplies confirmation of our remarks on the previous verse: it was due
entirely to their own laziness, and not to anything in God, that they
were not yet in happy possession of their possessions. True, the
language of Joshua did not signify that those tribes could have
occupied their portions before the same had been assigned them by the
lot, but rather that they were to blame for not applying to the high
court of Israel for the same. They had witnessed the allotments of the
other two and a half tribes, yet had been too unconcerned to ask for
theirs. This laxity was not confined to a single tribe, but had, like
a dry rot, spread through the body politic. Not only is such an evil
very contagious, but when it has gripped a person or people it cannot
be easily and quickly thrown off, as Joshua's "how long? "shows.
How like the vast majority of modern church members were those
Israelites! They had crossed the Jordan and set foot in Canaan, but
they had become slack and failed to make their own the fair prospects
before them. In like manner, countless thousands make a profession,
join the Church, and, imagining that their sins have been forgiven and
their souls delivered from the wrath to come, are satisfied with their
case and complacently rest on their oars. They make no conscience of
mortifying their lusts, no serious efforts to perfect holiness in the
fear of the Lord, no progress in the Christian life. They are drones,
yea, stumbling-blocks to those who seek to be diligent in making their
calling and election sure. They are deceived by Satan. Persuaded that
they were saved some time in the past, they delude themselves into
thinking that, however slack they be in resisting the Devil and
overcoming the world, they are eternally secure. They shirk the cross,
yet imagine the crown is sure. They engage not in the good fight of
faith, yet suppose they have laid hold of eternal life. They do not
make the pleasing and obeying of God their daily concern, yet think to
obtain the reward of the inheritance.
The fatal mistake made by so many is to think that, once assured their
names are written in heaven, they may, with complete safety to
themselves, lapse into a state of utter carelessness. Whereas, so long
as he remains in this world, the Christian is required to "continue in
the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of
the gospel" (Col. 1:23), to take heed that there be not in him an evil
heart of unbelief in departing from the living God, and be on his
guard against being hardened through the deceitfulness of sin (Heb.
6:12, 13), to work out his own salvation with fear and trembling
(Phil. 2:12), and to hearken unto the solemn warning of Christ, "No
man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for
the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62). It is he who "endureth unto the end"
that shall be saved (Matthew 24:13), and not those who yield to their
lusts and tempt Christ (1 Cor. 10:10, 7-9). Christians are called upon
to build up themselves on their most holy faith (Jude 1:20), and that
is a work which demands labor and industry. "For if ye live after the
flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds
of the body, ye shall live" (Rom. 8:13).
"How long are ye slack to go to possess the land?" No longer meeting
with any open opposition, they had settled down to rest, though more
than half of Israel had not yet obtained their inheritance. Those
Israelites were "too well pleased with their present condition, liked
well enough to live in a body together, had no mind to be scattered
abroad. The spoil of the cities they had taken served them to live
plentifully for the present, and they banished the thoughts of time to
come. They were slothful: it may be they wished the thing done, but
had no spirit to set about it or move toward the doing of it, though
it was so much for their own advantage. The countries that remained to
be divided lay at a distance, and some parts of them in the hands of
the Canaanites. If they go to take possession of them, the cities must
be built or repaired, they must drive their flocks and herds a great
way, and carry their wives and children to strange places; and this
will not be done without great care and pains, and breaking through
hardships" (condensed from Henry). Again we say, how we like unto
their religious descendants: more than fifty per cent of professing
Christians fail to fix their affections on things above and
continually set themselves to the appropriation and enjoyment of them.
And Joshua said, "Give out from among you three men for each tribe,
and I will send them, and they shalt rise, and go through the land,
and describe it according to the inheritance of them; and they shall
come again to me" (v. 4). Once more we see that there was a human
side, as well as a Divine one, to this important transaction. This
detail also serves to illustrate, and in a clear definite manner, the
important truth that the fact of God's sovereignty (in the "lot") does
not set aside the exercise of human responsibility: they were required
to discharge their moral agency and act intelligently. Alas, how many
hyper-Calvinists have sought to excuse their apathy by perverting and
sheltering behind the Divine decrees! How fearfully deceitful is the
human heart in persuading not a few that they are displaying a
commendable spirit of humility and meekness in "waiting God's time"
before they act, when instead they are guilty of shirking their duty.
There is a terrible amount of humbuggery under a seemingly pious
guise. There is no unwillingness on God's part to give: the
unwillingness to seek and take is always on our side. Then let us be
honest, and place the blame where it belongs.
Joshua did not wait for a reply from the people to his reproving
question, "How long are ye slack?" but at once set them upon their
duty. In the injunction which he gave them we may perceive again that
blessed balance which marks all the ways of God and of His servants
when directed by Him--in this instance, between the exercise of their
freedom and the discharge of their responsibility (in "give" [or
"choose"] out from among you three men for each tribe") and the acting
of his authority: "and I will send them." The spiritual lesson for us
therein is that the Christian is not to engage in any self-appointed
tasks, but be directed in his service by the authoritative
instructions of the antitypical Joshua. Their leader did not take it
upon him to appoint the different individuals who were to serve in
this maturer, but left the selecting of them to the tribes; but when
chosen, he gave them their commission. The same principle is to be
observed under Christianity: "look ye out among you seven men of
honest report, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint
[by setting them] over this business" (Acts 6:3).
Though Joshua set these men to work, yet it was far from being either
a difficult or an unpleasant task which he assigned them: "they shall
rise and go through the land, and describe it according to the
inheritance of them: and they shall come again to me. And they shall
divide it into seven parts: Judah shall abide in their coast on the
south, and the house of Joseph shall abide in their coasts on the
north. Ye shall therefore describe the land into seven parts, and
bring the description hither to me, that I may cast lots for you here
before the Lord our God" (vv. 4-7). It was virtually an appeal to
their cupidity, a stirring of them up to recognize their advantages
and privileges. It was a project by which they might behold for
themselves what a goodly inheritance God had given them: By thus
surveying the same, they would obtain a better knowledge of what
awaited them, and then they would be more disposed, to bestir
themselves and take possession thereof. If the believer's faith were
more occupied with the "far more exceeding and eternal weight of
glory," then he would be less dispirited by his "light affliction,
which is but for a moment" (2 Cor. 4:17). They were not to encroach
upon the portions of Judah and Joseph, but rather to confine their
attention unto what was available to them. Thus a spirit of
covetousness was disallowed.
"And the men went and passed through the land, and described it by
cities into seven parts in a book, and came again to Joshua to the
host at Shiloh. And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the
Lord: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel
according to their divisions" (vv. 9, 10). Aroused from their stupor,
shamed by their leader's rebuke, they performed his bidding. As he had
given them orders (vv. 4, 8), they delivered the results of their
commission not to their tribes, but to himself--just as the disciples
made their report unto Christ (Luke 10:17), and as each of us must yet
render an account unto Him (Rom. 14:12). From this incident it seems
clear that while the relative positions or general locations of the
tribes were determined by the "lot," yet the proportion of land
assigned to each one was decided (in some measure) by other
considerations: as Joshua 17:17, 18, shows, the lot did not preclude
the exercise of individual enterprise and industry to improve the
same--as everlasting glory is sure to all the redeemed, yet the degree
thereof will be decided by their own zeal and fidelity.
Final Possession
In our last we dwelt upon the rebuke by Israel's leader unto those
seven tribes which were slack in going up to possess that land which
the Lord God of their fathers had given them. How that he bade them
appoint three men of each tribe to go and make a thorough survey of
those sections of Canaan which had not yet been distributed. They were
required to furnish something after the order of a map, supplying a
detailed description of the country, fully sectionalized, and return
unto the commander with their report. They duly performed their task:
"the men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities
into seven parts in a book, and came again to Joshua to the host at
Shiloh." And we are told, "And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh
before the Lord: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children
of Israel according to their divisions" (Josh. 18:9, 10). The order of
their allotments accorded neither with their seniority nor with their
numerical strength.
It is to be borne in mind that two and a half of the tribes, namely
the Reubenites, the Gaddites, and half of Manasseh, had been assigned
their places and portions by Moses on the eastern side of the Jordan
(Num. 32:33), and in Joshua 13, the boundaries of the same had been
carefully defined and stated. After Caleb had put in his lawful claim
to mount Hebron, and had been granted the same, the tribes of Judah,
Joseph, and the second half of Manasseh were given their allotments, a
full enumeration of the places which they were to occupy being
furnished in Joshua 15, 16 and 17; at which we have already glanced.
What was done for them by Eleazer and Joshua at Gilgal was now done
for their fellows at Shiloh. We shall not attempt any detailed
examination of their respective territories, for there is little in
the geographical description which lends itself to the making of
edifying comments thereon. On the other hand, it would be improper for
us to ignore the same entirely. We shall therefore content ourselves
with an occasional remark thereon.
First, "And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up
according to their families: and the coast of their lot came forth
between the children of Judah and the children of Joseph" (Josh.
18:11). Two striking predictions had been made concerning this tribe,
which, though the one almost appears to clash with the other, were
manifestly fulfilled, as the verses now before us and the subsequent
history of this tribe demonstrate. The earlier one was made by dying
Jacob: "Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour
the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil" (Gen. 49:27). It is
evident from this language that the patriarch followed not his natural
inclinations on this occasion, for Benjamin was his youngest and most
dearly beloved son. No, it was under Divine impulse that he uttered
this remarkable prophecy. Yet it is to be observed that while the wolf
is characterized mainly by its ferociousness it is also marked in its
fortitude and courage. Benjamin was indeed the fiercest and most
warlike of the tribes. The reference to what he should do "in the
morning" and "at night" intimates that there is a distinct reference
here to both the earlier and later history of the tribe.
The fierceness and cruelty of the men belonging to this tribe appeared
conspicuously in the horrid treatment which they meted out to the
Levite's concubine. Their warlike character and ability and tenacity
in fighting were seen in their singly withstanding the combined forces
of all the other tribes in two pitched battles, in one of which 20,000
of them defeated the opposing army of 400,000, and later refused to
yield until they were almost completely destroyed (Judg. 19:14-30;
20:12-14). King Saul, who so fiercely persecuted David, was of this
tribe. Other examples of their fierceness and valor are found in 2
Samuel 2:15, 16; 1 Chronicles 8:40; 10:2; 2 Chronicles 17:17. In their
later history Benjamin allied himself to Judah, and thus "divided the
spoil," sharing in their privileges. Esther and Mordecai were also of
this tribe, and through them the enemies of Israel were destroyed. But
the most renowned and honorable of them all was Saul of Tarsus (Phil.
3:5), and most remarkably were the terms of Jacob's prophecy made good
in him, for in the morning of his career, when persecuting the early
Christians, he ravened as a wolf: but at the close, by his
evangelistic labors, he delivered the Devil's prey.
The later prediction concerning this tribe was made through Moses: "Of
Benjamin he said, The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by
him; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and He shall dwell
between his shoulders" (Deut. 33:12), which had reference chiefly to
the favored and honored position or portion which that tribe would
occupy. As others before have pointed out, it was here intimated that
the temple, in which Jehovah would dwell, would be situated within the
territory of this tribe. And such was indeed the case, for Jerusalem,
the holy city, was in the lot of Benjamin (Josh. 18:28)--"though Sion,
the city of David, is supposed to belong to Judah, yet mount Moriah,
on which the temple was built, was in Benjamin's lot. God is Himself
said to dwell between his shoulders' because the temple stood on that
mount as the head of a man upon his shoulders" (Matthew Henry). Thus
Benjamin was under the protection of the Divine sanctuary, adumbrating
the grand truth that "As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so
the Lord is round about His people from henceforth even for ever" (Ps.
125:2).
"The coast of their lot came forth between the children of Judah and
the children of Joseph" (Josh. 18:11). Herein we behold the gracious
ruling of Divine providence in arranging for "little Benjamin" (Ps.
68:27) to be located between two of the most powerful of the tribes.
It is to be observed that in the prophetical benedictions of Moses
that of Benjamin came right after that of Judah and immediately before
Joseph's (Deut. 33:7-17)--Levi having no separate portion or lot in
Canaan--so that there may be ("as frequently in Scripture) a double
meaning in the words "He shall dwell between his shoulders" (v.
12)--the place of strength (Isa. 9:6) and of security (Luke 15:5).
There was also a peculiar propriety in this appointment, for Benjamin
was Joseph's own brother, and later was the tribe which united with
Judah in adhering to the throne of David and the temple at Jerusalem.
Finally, we see in this arrangement the wisdom of God in the lot, for
nothing was more likely to secure a united Israel than to make
Benjamin ,the link between the two most powerful and naturally rival
tribes--it was through the mutual affection of Judah and Joseph for
Benjamin, as their father's youngest and dearest son, that the
brethren were reconciled in Genesis 44:18 - 45:24.
"And the second lot came forth to Simeon, for the tribe of the
children of Simeon according to their families: and their inheritance
was within the inheritance of the children of Judah" (Josh. 19:1). The
portion which had been given to Judah was more extensive than was
required by that tribe. "It seems that, without murmuring, Judah
renounced his claim, at the instance of Joshua and those who had been
nominated to the work of dividing the land" (Scott). This is borne out
by what is stated in verse 9, "Out of the portion of the children of
Judah was the inheritance of the children of Simeon: for the part of
the children of Judah was too much for them: therefore the children of
Simeon had their inheritance within the inheritance of them"--there
were more cities than they could fill, more land than they could
cultivate. It is worthy of note that this is the only recorded
instance of their portion being too large for any of them, and it is
surely significant that it was Judah's which proved to be the
exception, for it was the tribe from which according to the flesh our
Lord sprang. Thus we have here adumbrated that grand truth of the
fullness of Christ, that in Him there is an abundance of grace,
inexhaustible riches available for the saints to draw upon!
It is striking to note that this second lot fulfilled the prophecy of
Jacob. He had linked together Simeon and Levi in judgment, who earlier
had been united in wickedness (Gen. 34:25), saying, as God's
mouthpiece, "I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel"
(Gen. 49:5-7). Because of his noble conduct subsequently, the curse
upon Levi was revoked and displaced by the blessing of the Lord, and
he who was originally joined to his brother in sin and cruelty was
eventually joined to the Lord in grace and honor, so that there was
made with his seed "the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because
he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of
Israel" (Num. 25:6-13). Nevertheless, the terms of the patriarch's
prediction were accomplished, for the Levites had as their portion in
Canaan forty-eight cities, which were scattered throughout the
inheritance of the other tribes (Num. 35:8; Joshua 14:4; 21:3). So too
in the case of Simeon: his descendants received not a separate
territory in the promised land, but had their portion within the
allotment of Judah, and, as Joshua 19:2-8, shows, the tribe of Simeon
was widely "scattered," being dispersed among many different cities.
"And the third lot came up for the children of Zebulun according to
their families" (Josh. 19:10). The part played by Zebulun in the
history of the nation was not a prominent one, but though referred to
rarely as a tribe, each time that mention is made of them it is of a
highly creditable nature. First, we read of them in Judges 5 where
Deborah celebrates in song the notable victory over Jabin and Sisera,
and recounts the parts played therein by the different tribes. In
verse 18 we read, "Zebulun and Naphtali were a people that jeoparded
their lives unto the death in the high places of the field." In I
Chronicles 12 where we have enumerated those who "came to David to
Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul to him," we are told, "Of Zebulun,
such as went forth to battle, expert in war, with all instruments of
war, fifty thousand, which could keep rank: they were not of double
heart" (vv. 23, 33). So too they were among those who brought a rich
supply of provisions for the feast on that occasion. But that which
mainly characterized it was the maritime nature of this tribe.
Jacob foretold, "Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he
shall be for a haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon"
(Gen. 49:13). Moses also, "And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, Zebulun,
in thy going out; and Issachar, in thy tents. They shall call the
people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of
righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and
of treasures hid in the sand" (Deut. 33:18, 19). And so it came to
pass, for Joshua 19 goes on to say of the lot of Zebulun "and their
border went up toward the sea"--a statement of seemingly little
importance and easily overlooked by the casual reader; yet one which
announced the literal fulfillment of prophecies made centuries before.
The expressions "thy going out" and "they shall suck of the abundance
of the seas" received their accomplishment in their ocean life and
trading in foreign parts.
But that which is of interest to the Christian in connection with
Zebulun's portion is the honorable place which it receives in the New
Testament, for if the character of the people was praiseworthy, even
more notable was the position they occupied in Palestine. Matthew
4:15, 16, informs us that "the land of Zebulun and the land of
Naphtali" (which adjoined it) was none other than "Galilee of the
Gentiles," concerning which it is said, "The people which sat in
darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and
shadow of death light is sprung up." Nazareth, where the Savior spent
so much of His time when He tabernacled here among men, was in its
borders, and it was also on the shores of its sea that He did so much
of His preaching and wrought so many miracles. Well might the voice of
prophecy bid Zebulun "rejoice" (Deut. 33:18). Therein also we may
perceive the deeper and spiritual allusion in the words "Rejoice in
thy going out. . . . They shall call the people unto the mountain,"
i.e. the kingdom of the Messiah (Isa. 2:2), which was done by the
preaching of Christ and His apostles--which means those who go out It
is remarkable that, with the lone exception of Judas, all of the
twelve apostles were men of Galilee! Zebulun was also "for a haven,"
and it was in its borders that Joseph and Mary, with the Christ child,
found a haven after their return from Egypt, and it afforded Him
shelter when the Jews sought to kill Him in Judea (John 7:1).
"And the fourth lot came out to Issachar" (Josh. 19:17). Since this
tribe was united with Zebulun in blessing (Deut. 33:18, 19), there is
the less need for us to offer separate remarks thereon. The "in their
tents" was in apposition to the "ships": they would be a pastoral
people rather than a sea-going one cultivating the land. Their
inheritance was the fertile plain of Jezreel, with its surrounding
hills and valleys, afterwards known as lower Galilee--it extended from
Carmel to the Jordan, and in breadth to mount Tabor. Shunem (1 Kings
4:8, etc.) was one of its cities, and Naboth's vineyard was within its
lot. Matthew Henry pointed out how that we may see both the
sovereignty and the wisdom of Divine providence in appointing not only
the bounds of men's habitations, "but their several employments for
the good of the public ú as each member of the body is situated and
qualified for the service of the whole. Some are disposed to live in
cities, some in the countryside, others in sea-ports. The genius of
some leads them to the pen, some to trading, others to mechanics. `If
the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing?'" (1 Cor. 12:17).
"And the fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher"
(Josh. 19:24). It was pointed out in the opening paragraph that the
order in which the tribes are here mentioned is not that of seniority:
rather is it a spiritual one, according to the meaning of their names
as given in Genesis. Benjamin signifies "the son of the right hand"
(Gen. 35:18), Simeon "hearing" (Gen. 29:33), Zebulun "dwelling" (Gen.
30:20), Issachar "hire" or "reward" (Gen. 30:18), Asher "happy" (Gen.
30:23), Naphtali "wrestling" (Gen. 30:8), Dan "judging" (Gen. 30:16).
Combined we get: The son of the right hand (the place of honor and
power) is the hearing one (the new birth precedes believing!),
dwelling (no longer tossed about like the restless sea) in Christ;
great is his reward, for he is happy or blessed. Such a one is marked
by wrestling against (instead of submitting to) the powers of evil,
and by unsparingly judging himself. And of what does the happiness of
the spiritual Asher consist? The meanings (taken from Young's
concordance) of the towns mentioned in Joshua 19:25, 26 (omitting the
second, "Hall," which is unknown), are: portion, height, dedicated,
the king's oak (strength and durability), a station, depression
(mourning for sin), fruitful place, glass river (Rev. 22:1).
"And the sixth lot came out to the children of Naphtali" (Josh.
19:32). This is also of most interest to us because of its New
Testament connections. Its territory adjoined that of Zebulun (Matthew
4:13), yet each had its own distinct interest. Jacob likened Naphtali
to "a hind let loose" and foretold, "he giveth goodly words" (Gen.
49:21): while Moses spoke of him as "full with the blessing of the
Lord" (Deut. 33:23). In the title to Psalm 22 our Lord is likened to
"the hind of the morning," because of His swiftness to do His Father's
will and work. The cities of Capernaum and Bethsaida were in the
borders of Naphtali. which were indeed filled with the blessing of the
Lord, for it was there that Christ and His apostles did most of their
preaching and gave forth "goodly words."
"And the seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan"
(Josh. 19:40). Genesis 30:1-6, records his lowly origin. As this tribe
brought up the rear of the congregation when they were on the march,
so they were the last to receive their inheritance. Jacob likened Dan
to a serpent, Moses to a "lion's whelp." Samson was of this tribe, and
in him both characters were combined. Dan was the first tribe to fall
into idolatry (Judg. 18:30), and apparently remained in that awful
condition for centuries, for we find the apostate king Jeroboam
setting up his golden calves in Bethel and Dan (1 Kings 12:28, 29, and
cf. 2 Kings 10:29).
"When they had made an end of dividing the land for inheritance by
their coasts, the children of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua the
son of Nun among them: according to the word of the Lord they gave him
the city which he asked, Timnath-serah in mount Ephraim; and he built
the city, and dwelt therein" (Josh. 19:49, 50). Blessed is it to see
that, though the greatest and boldest among them, the one who had led
Israel to the conquest of Canaan, instead of seeking first his own
portion, he waited till all had received theirs. Thus did he put the
public good before his private interests, seeking theirs and not his
own. "Our Lord Jesus thus came and dwelt among us, not in pomp, but in
poverty, providing rest for us, yet Himself not having where to lay
His head" (Matthew Henry). Nor did Joshua seize his portion as a
right, but, like his grand Antitype, "asked" for it (Ps. 2:8). And as
Christ built the Church and indwells it, so Joshua built his city.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Joshua
by A.W. Pink
18. The Cities of refuge
Joshua 20:1-9
_________________________________________________________________
"The Lord also spake unto Joshua, saying, Speak to the children of
Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I spake
unto you by the hand of Moses: that the slayer that killeth any person
unawares and unwittingly may flee thither: and they shall be your
refuge from the avenger of blood. And when he that doth flee unto one
of those cities shall stand at the entering of the gate of the city,
and shall declare his cause in the ears of the elders of that city,
they shall take him into the city unto them, and give him a place,
that he may dwell among them. And if the avenger of blood pursue after
him, then they shall not deliver the slayer up into his hand; because
he smote his neighbor unwittingly, and hated him not beforetime. And
he shall dwell in that city, until he stand before the congregation
for judgment, and until the death of the high priest that shall be in
those days: then shall the slayer return, and come unto his own city,
and unto his own house, unto the city from whence he fled." (Josh.
20:1-6).
In that passage we are furnished with a condensed account of the
statutes with regard to murder which the Lord gave to Israel for the
maintenance of righteousness in their midst. On the one hand, there
must be a strict enforcing of justice; on the other, the exercising of
mercy. The guilty were not to be cleared; the innocent must not be
executed. Due and orderly investigation must be made, and each case
tried on its own merits before a court of law. Where guilt was
established, malice aforethought being proved by witnesses, the death
penalty was to be inflicted upon the murderer. But when a neighbor had
been inadvertently killed extreme measures were not to be taken
against the one occasioning his death. Nor was the next-of-kin to the
one slain permitted to take matters into his own hands and wreak
vengeance upon him who by misadventure had tragically terminated his
life. Instead, there was a sanctuary provided for the innocent, to
which he could fly, shelter afforded for one who had involuntarily
committed homicide.
The original statute pertaining to the subject was, "Whoso sheddeth
man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God
made He man" (Gen. 9:6). There is nothing whatever "Jewish" about that
injunction, for it was given centuries before the nation of Israel had
any existence. It needs emphasizing today that capital punishment as
the penalty for murder was ordained by God Himself long before the
giving of the Mosaic law, and, since it has never been repealed by
Him, that precept is binding until the end of time. It is important to
observe that the reason for this law is not here based upon the
well-being of human society, but is grounded upon the fact that man is
made "in the image of God." That expression has a twofold
significance; a natural and a moral--the moral image of God (inherent
holiness) was lost at the fall, but the natural still exists, as is
clear from 1 Corinthians 11:7, and James 3:9. Thus, the primary reason
why it is sinful to slay a man is because he is made in the image of
God. "To deface the king's image is a sort of treason among men,
implying a hatred against him, and that if he himself were within
reach, he would be served in the same manner. How much more heinous,
then, must it be to destroy, curse, oppress, or in any way abuse the
image of the King of kings!" (A. Fuller).
Whereas that original statute of God has never yet been repealed, it
has been more fully explained, amplified, and safeguarded in later
passages; and to them we now turn. The first one having a direct
bearing upon our present subject is found in Exodus 21:12-14: "He that
smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death." There is
the general principle, but it is qualified thus: "And if a man lie not
in wait, but God deliver him into his hand, then I will appoint thee a
place whither he shall flee. But if a man come presumptuously upon his
neighbor, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from Mine altar,
that he may die." A sharp distinction was thus drawn between
deliberate murder and involuntary manslaughter. In the former
instance, when one smote his fellow intentionally, whether from
premeditated malice or in the heat of sudden passion, so that he
expired from the injury, then the deed must be regarded as murder, and
the death penalty be enforced. But where one unwittingly and
unwillingly inflicted an injury upon another, even though it proved to
be a fatal one, he was not to be executed for the act. Instead, there
was a place appointed by God to which he might flee, and where he
could be sheltered from any who sought vengeance upon him.
We have been much impressed by the fact that the above passage is
found in the very next chapter after the one which records the Ten
Commandments. Let those who have such a penchant for drawing invidious
and odious comparisons between that which obtained under the old
covenant and that which pertains to the new take careful note that
this gracious provision was made by God under that very economy which
dispensationalists are so fond of terming "a forbidding and unrelieved
regime of stern law." It was nothing of the kind, as any impartial
student of the Word is aware. In all ages God has tempered His justice
with mercy and caused His grace to reign through righteousness. Let it
not be overlooked that such declarations as the following are found in
the Old Testament scriptures. "Like as a father pitieth his children,
so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him" (Ps. 103:13). "Great are Thy
tender mercies, O Lord" (Ps. 119:156). The putting forth of His wrath
is spoken of as His "strange work" (Isa. 28:21). "Thou art a God ready
to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great
kindness" (Neh. 9:17). "He restraineth not His anger for ever, because
He delighteth in mercy" (Mic. 7:18), and most evidently did the cities
of refuge testify to that fact.
Ere passing on from Exodus 21:13, 14, let us also duly attend to the
wording of verse 13. It is not "And if a man lie not in wait, but
accidentally slay another," but instead, "And if a man lie not in wait
[having no intention to injure his neighbor], but God deliver him into
his hand." In full accord with the uniform teaching of Holy Writ
concerning the Divine superintendence of all events, such a calamity
as is here supposed is not ascribed to "chance" or "ill fortune" (for
there is nothing fortuitous in a world governed by God), but instead
is attributed to an act of God--i.e., the Lord being pleased to take
away in that manner the life which He had given. "Unto God the Lord
belong the issues from death" (Ps. 68:20). The gates of the grave open
unto none except at the command of the Most High, and when He gives
the word none can withstand it. "My times [to be born and to die:
Ecclesiastes 3:2] are in Thy hand" (Ps. 31:15), and not in my own.
"Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with
Thee, Thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass" (Job 14:5).
Not only is the hour of death Divinely decreed, but the form in which
it comes. "Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him" (John
10:31), but in vain, for God had ordained that He should be crucified.
No matter in what manner death comes, it is the Lord who kills and
"bringeth down to the grave" (1 Sam. 2:6).
"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of
Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come over Jordan into the land
of Canaan; then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for
you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at
unawares" (Num. 35:9-11). That which is mentioned in Exodus 21 had
reference to God's merciful provision for Israel during the time they
remained in the wilderness. There was, even then, "a place" appointed
by the Lord to which the manslayer might turn for sanctuary. We are
not told where that place was. Some of the ancient Jewish writers
suppose that it was located "outside the camp," but, since all the
cities of refuge were cities which pertained to the Levites, we
consider it more in keeping with the Analogy of Faith to conclude that
the "place" was within that part of the camp assigned to the priests.
That temporal provision wag to give way to a more permanent
arrangement after the children of Israel became settled in their
inheritance.
"And of these cities which ye shall give six cities shall ye have for
refuge. Ye shall give three cities on this side Jordan, and three
cities shall ye give in the land of Canaan, which shall be cities of
refuge" (Num. 35:13, 14). Two and a half of the tribes, namely the
children of Gad, the children of Reuben, and half the tribe of
Manasseh, had been assigned their place and portion on the eastern
side of the Jordan (Num. 32:33), in the fertile valley which had been
occupied by Sihon king of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan, who,
refusing Israel's request to pass through that country, had been slain
in battle and their territory seized by the conquerors (Num.
21:21-31). The remaining three were to be situated in convenient
sections in Palestine, where they would be accessible at short notice
unto those who might have need of the same. Nor was their use
restricted to those who were of the natural seed of Abraham: "These
six cities shall be a refuge, both for the children of Israel, and for
the stranger, and for the sojourner among them: that every one that
killeth any person unawares may flee thither" (v. 15). Thus, even
under the Mosaic economy, Divine mercy was extended unto those who
threw in their lot with the people of God!
In the verses that follow various cases are described in detail, so
that there might be no miscarriage of justice when the magistrates
were adjudicating thereon: "And if he smite him with an instrument of
iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be
put to death. And if he smite him with throwing a stone, wherewith he
may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be
put to death. Or if he smite him with an hand weapon of wood,
wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall
surely be put to death. The revenger of blood himself shall slay the
murderer: when he meeteth him he shall slay him. But [or "and"] if he
thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying of wait, that he die;
or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he die: he that smote him
shall surely be put to death; for he is a murderer: the revenger of
blood shall slay the murderer, when he meeteth him" (vv. 17-21). Thus
those cities of refuge were not meant to afford shelter for murderers
as such. Therein they differed noticeably from the sacred precincts of
the heathen gods, which provided a safe asylum for any violent or
wicked man. The Divine statute insisted on the sanctity of life and
the inflexible maintenance of righteousness.
Equally express were the instructions on the other side. "But if he
thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him any thing
without laying of wait; or with any stone, wherewith a man may die,
seeing him not, and cast it upon him, that he die, and was not his
enemy, neither sought his harm: then the congregation shall judge
between the slayer and the revenger of blood according to these
judgments. And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the
hand of the revenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him
to the city of his refuge, whither he was fled: and he shall abide in
it unto the death of the high priest, which was anointed with the holy
oil" (vv. 22-25). Shelter and security were provided only for one who
had brought about the death of another without deliberate design, yea,
with no intention of inflicting any injury upon him. Murder, strictly
speaking, involves more than the overt act: it includes the spirit
behind the act, the motive prompting it. If the act be performed
"without enmity" and with no desire to harm another, then it is a case
of involuntary manslaughter and not of murder.
To prevent any guilty one taking advantage of this provision for the
innocent, the accused must "stand before the congregation in judgment"
(Num. 35:12): that is, he was to be brought before a court of justice,
where the magistrates were to give him a fair trial. Full and formal
investigation was to be made, so that the accused had every
opportunity to prove his innocence. "Then the congregation shall judge
between the slayer and the revenger of blood according to these
judgments." Once the manslayer had been received into the city of
refuge, the avenger of blood could act only as prosecutor (previously
he had the right to be the executioner--v. 19), and his case had to be
determined by the rules God had specified. If it were proved that
death had ensued where no malicious attempt upon life had been made,
but, instead, the injury had been inflicted casually, "unawares," then
the death penalty was not to be visited upon him.
It is highly important in the administration of law that that no
innocent person should be made to suffer, and equally so that the
guilty should not be exempted from the due reward of his iniquities.
In the case of murder, the Divine law required proof of previous
malice, a laying in wait to slay the victim, deliberate measures taken
to encompass his death, an assault with some weapon of violence to
accomplish the fell deed. "Whoso killeth any person, the murderer
shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall
not testify against any person to cause him to die. Moreover ye shall
take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of
death: but he shall be surely put to death" (Num. 35:30, 31). Thereby
did the Lord manifest His abhorrence of this crime: no atoning
sacrifice was available for it, nor could any ransom be accepted for
its perpetrator. Justice must be administered impartially, the law
strictly enforced without fear or favor. Very solemn and impressive is
it to note what follows.
"So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it
defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that
is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. Defile not
therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the
Lord dwell among the children of Israel" (Num. 35:33, 34). Such
shedding of blood not only defiles the conscience of the murderer, who
is thereby proved not to have eternal life abiding in him (1 John
3:15), but also pollutes the land in which the crime was committed,
being abominable to God and to all good men. Nor can that land be
cleansed from the blood of murder but by executing condign judgment
upon the murderer himself. Thus we are informed that there was far
more involved in the enforcing of these statutes than the maintenance
of righteousness between man and man. As another has pointed out, "the
glory of God, the purity of His land, and the integrity of His
government, had to be duly maintained. If those were touched, there
could be no security for anyone."
The same things are taught, substantially, in the New Testament,
particularly in Romans 13:1-4. There the civil ruler or magistrate is
twice denominated "the minister of God": first, in protecting the
law-abiding; second, in penalizing the law-defiant. He is Divinely
appointed to maintain civic righteousness, for if the restraints of
government be removed, a state of anarchy and bedlam at once ensues.
The "sword" is the symbol of the ultimate power of life and death
(Gen. 3:24; Zechariah 13:7), and the "he beareth not the sword in
vain" signifies that God has invested him with the authority to
inflict capital punishment--the common method of which in olden times
was by decapitating with the sword. It is an essential part of the
governor's office to be "a revenger, to execute [God's] wrath upon him
that doeth evil." Nothing is said about its being his duty to reform
criminals, rather is it his business to redress wrongs and to instill
fear into those who contemplate doing wrong. Romans 13:1-4, is silent
upon any efforts being required to reclaim the refractory, the
emphasis being placed upon his alarming them and imposing the full
penalty of the law: compare 1 Peter 2:14. It is a sure sign of a
nation's moral degeneracy, and a dishonoring and incurring of God's
displeasure, when capital punishment is abolished, or magistrates
become lax and yield to sentimentality.
Reverting to the case of the one who is not guilty of deliberate
murder, there are four other details which require to be noticed.
First, when one unintentionally killed a neighbor, there must usually
have been in such cases a culpable degree of carelessness, and
therefore, though his life was spared, his freedom was curtailed.
Second, accordingly he was required to leave his home and family, and
take up residence in the city of refuge. Third, if he forsook that
city, he forfeited legal protection, and then, should the revenger of
blood find him without its borders, he was entitled to kill him (Num.
35:27). Fourth, it was required that he remain within the city of
refuge until the death of the high priest, and then he was free to
return to his home and reside there unmolested (v. 28). By limiting
the time of his banishment by the high priest's death, honor was put
upon the priesthood--as it had been in selecting those cities, for
they all belonged to the Levites. "The high priest was to be looked
upon as so great a blessing to his country, that when he died their
sorrow upon that occasion should swallow up all other resentments"
(Matthew Henry).
Further reference is made to our subject in Deuteronomy 4:41-43,
wherein we see illustrated the law of progressive development. First,
bare mention of an unspecified "place" is referred to (Ex. 21:13).
Next, instructions are given for the appointing of six cities of
refuge, without stating more than that three of them are to be on the
wilderness side of the Jordan, and three within Canaan (Num. 35:14,
15). Then the first three are actually named (Deut. 4:43), while in
Joshua 20:7, 8, the locations of all six are given. In Deuteronomy 19,
more definite instructions were communicated as to the precise
situations of those cities; the land was to be divided into three
parts, so that one of them would be the more readily accessible for
those in any particular section (vv. 2, 3). A "way" which led to each
city was to be prepared (v. 3) so as to guide the fugitive who was
fleeing unto it. Joshua 20:4, supplies the additional information that
when the manslayer arrived at the gate of the city of refuge he
received a preliminary hearing from the elders ere he was admitted,
which was followed by a fuller and more formal investigation of his
case in a court of justice (v. 6).
In his comments upon Numbers 35, T. Scott well remarked, "This
remarkable law, expressive of the deepest detestation of murder, yet
providing most effectually against the innocent being punished with
the guilty, is likewise an instructive typical representation of the
salvation of the Gospel. `The wrath of God is revealed from heaven
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men (Rom. 1:18). If it
is appointed unto men once to die, and after death the judgment, with
the eternal consequences, in the meanwhile a Refuge is provided and
revealed in Christ Jesus. His ministers warn sinners to flee from the
wrath to come, and instruct and exhort them to `flee for refuge to lay
hold upon the hope set before them.' All things are prepared for the
reception of those who obey this call. By faith they discern both
their danger and refuge. Then fear warns and hope animates. Should
death, like the avenger of blood, find them without, destruction is
inevitable." The fact that the cities of refuge are described at more
or less length in no fewer than four of the Old Testament
books--Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy and Joshua--denotes the importance
of them, as well as adumbrating the delineation which we have of the
antitypical Refuge in the four Gospels.
When we bear in mind how much the Holy Spirit delighted in shadowing
forth the Lord Jesus under the Old Testament, in type and figure, and
when we observe how closely and strikingly the various things said of
the cities of refuge point to the Savior, we must conclude that they
were Divinely designed to foreshadow Him. In seeking to understand and
interpret the types, two dangers need to be guarded against: first,
the giving way to an unbridled imagination; second, ultra-caution and
conservatism. On the one hand, we must not indulge in the fanciful
allegorizing of Oregon; on the other, we must eschew the rationalizing
of the Higher Critics. In the past, too many have been chargeable with
the first: but today, when the Divine element is either denied or
pushed into the background, the pendulum has swung to the opposite
extreme. To assume that we are unwarranted in regarding anything in
the Old Testament as possessing a spiritual significance unless the
New Testament expressly says so is as unjustifiable as to insist that
there are no prophecies there except those specifically termed such in
the New Testament--for instance, Genesis 3:15.
Concerning the subject now before us there are, in the judgment of
this writer, at least two passages in the Epistles which confirm the
view that the cities of refuge are to be regarded as having a
spiritual meaning and reference. The first is in Philippians 3:9,
where the apostle, after announcing and then renouncing all his
natural advantages as a Hebrew, counting them but loss for the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord, expresses the
desire that he might be "found in Him, not having mine own
righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the
faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." There
the proud Pharisee forsook his own righteousness, which was condemned
by the law--as the manslayer fled from the avenger of blood--and he
betook himself to the righteousness of Christ as the homicide did
within the city of refuge from the sword of justice. The second
passage is a still more manifest allusion to this Old Testament
figure, for there the heirs of promise are assured that God has
provided strong consolation unto those who have "fled for refuge to
lay hold upon the hope set before us" (Heb. 6:18), i.e. in the Gospel:
reminding us of the prayer of David, "Deliver me, O Lord, from mine
enemies: I flee unto Thee to hide me" (Ps. 143:9)
The manslayer is an apt representation of the sinner, who is a
soul-slayer: "thou hast destroyed thyself" (Hos. 13:9). But more
particularly: he sets before us the awakened sinner. Previously, the
man had lived in quietness and comfort, but when he slew another,
though unintentionally, his peace was shattered. Everything was
suddenly changed: there was danger without, and fear within. He now
discovered himself to be in a very evil case. There lies the body of
another, dead by his own carelessness. Who can conceive the distress
and dismay which overwhelm his mind? He knows that the next of kin has
the right to take vengeance and slay him. He is no longer safe in his
own home; he is unable to find security in any building of his own
hands; he must perforce flee for his life. Thus it is with the
unconverted. In his natural condition, a false serenity is his, and he
finds contentment in the things of this world and the pleasures of
sin. Then, unawares, the Holy Spirit arouses him from the sleep of
spiritual death, convicts him of sin, makes him realize that the wrath
of God is upon hint, and his soul exposed to eternal death. Oh, what
unspeakable anguish is his as he now realizes himself to be a rebel
against the Most High, lost and undone.
Intolerable dread now fills him as the fire of hell is felt in his
spirit and the undying worm gnaws at his conscience. What must I do?
How shall I escape? are his urgent inquiries. Proud reason can furnish
no answer. His outlook appears to be hopeless, his case beyond the
reach of mercy. Now it is that the message of the Gospel receives
welcome attention. He has heard it, perhaps, many times before, but
without any personal interest or deep concern. So with the manslayer.
Hitherto he gave little or no thought at all to what he had read or
heard about the cities of refuge: having no need of them, they
possessed no special interest for him. But matters are very different
with him now. Having become a homicide, those places become of the
utmost importance in his esteem, and he is greatly relieved by the
knowledge that a merciful provision has been made with God to meet his
desperate case, that shelter is available from the avenger. Thus it is
with the sinner. He may be informed about, God's way of salvation, but
he never sets his heart upon it, labors to understand it clearly, and
appropriate it unto his own deep need, until he is made sensible of
his ruined condition.
"Men do not flee for refuge when they are in no distress. The vessel
puts not into the harbor of refuge when winds and waves all favor her.
A man does not escape out of a city, like Lot from Sodom, unless he be
persuaded that the city is to be destroyed, and that he is likely to
perish in it. Ah! Indeed, we who are saved confess with gratitude to
Him that has delivered us that we were once in danger. In danger, my
brethren; is the word strong enough? In danger of eternal burnings! It
was worse than that, for we are brands plucked out of the fire; we
already burned with that fire of sin, which is the fire of hell"
(Spurgeon). It is one thing to be in deadly danger--as are all who lie
under the condemnation and curse of God's broken law--but it is quite
another to have a feeling sense of the same in our souls. A man is
satisfied with his condition until he sees his vileness in the light
of God's holiness. He has a good opinion of his own character and
righteousness until his eyes be Divinely opened to perceive that he is
a moral leper. He is self-complacent and self-confident until he is
given a terrifying sense of the wrath of God pursuing him for his
sins, and that there is but a step between him and eternal death.
But mark it well, my reader: it is not sufficient for the manslayer to
recognize his peril, nor to have the knowledge that God has provided
relief for him: he must flee to the city of refuge and personally
avail himself of its shelter. Not until he actually passed within the
portals of that sanctuary was he safe from the avenger of blood. His
case was so desperate that it admitted of no delay. If he valued his
life he must flee in haste. A dilatory and trifling spirit would
evince that he had no real sense of his peril. So it is with the
sinner. No matter how deep or long-protracted be his convictions,
until he really betakes himself to Christ and closes with His gracious
offer he is a lost soul. He is either under the wrath of God or under
the atoning blood of Christ. There is no middle place between the two.
He is this very day "condemned already" (John 3:18), waiting for
execution, or he is absolved, so that vengeance cannot strike him. As
it was something more than a momentary alarm, which could easily be
shaken off, that seized the manslayer--deepening in its intensity the
more he pondered it so something more than a temporary fright that
soon passes away is required to make the sinner come to Christ.
"The manslayer left his house, his wife, his children, everything, to
flee away to the city of refuge. That is just what a man does when he
resolves to be saved by grace: he leaves everything he calls his own,
renounces all the rights and privileges which he thought he possessed
by nature; yea, he confesses to having lost his own natural right to
live, and he flees for life to the grace of God in Christ Jesus. The
manslayer had no right to live except that he was in the city of
refuge, no right to anything except that he was God's guest within
those enclosing walls. And so we relinquish, heartily and thoroughly,
once and forever, all ideas arising out of our supposed merits; we
hasten away from self that Christ may be all in all to us. Fleeing for
refuge implies that a man flees from his sin. He sees it and repents
of it" (Spurgeon). There has to be a complete break from the old
self-pleasing life. Sin must be made bitter before Christ will be
sweet. Fleeing for refuge implies earnestness, for the manslayer dared
not dawdle or saunter: he ran for his life. It implied unwearied
diligence, so that he loitered not till shelter and safety were
reached.
It is just at this point that the convicted sinner needs to be most
careful. When Satan cannot prevail with a person to reject wholly the
imperative duty of his fleeing to Christ, his next attempt for the
ruination of his soul is to prevail with him at least to put off the
performing of it. Many who have been shaken from their unconcern are
easily persuaded to defer a wholehearted seeking of Christ until they
have taken their fill of the things of this world, until they are
warned by serious illness or the infirmities of old age that soon they
must leave it, hoping that a season of repentance will be given them
before they die. But such postponing shows they are unwilling to
repent and believe until they be forced by necessity, and that they
prefer the world to Christ. Thus they unfit themselves more and more
for this urgent duty by continuing in sin and wasting the time which
is now theirs. Others persuade themselves they are not yet
sufficiently convicted of sin, and must wait till God assures them
more fully that the Gospel is suited to their case; and thus those who
are wrongly termed "seekers" misspend their day of grace.
It is quite evident from what has been before us that in this type
there is an enforcing of the sinner's responsibility. A merciful
provision had been made to meet the dire need of the homicide, yet he
was required to exert himself in order to benefit thereby. The city of
refuge was graciously available for him, but he must flee thither and
enter it if he would be safe. If under any pretext he failed to do so,
and was slain by the next of kin, his blood was upon his own head. As
another has stud, "It is not at all likely that anyone would be so
blind or so infatuated as to fold his arms in cold indifference and
say, If I am fated to escape, I shall escape: my efforts are not
needed; for if I am not fated to escape, I cannot escape, my efforts
are of no use. We cannot fancy a manslayer using such silly language,
or being guilty of such blind fatuity as this. He knows too well that
if the avenger could but lay his hand upon him all such notions would
be of small account. There was but one thing to be done, and that was
to escape for his life--to flee from impending judgment, to find his
safe abode within the gates of the city of refuge."
The cities of refuge were a manifest type of Christ as He is presented
and offered to sinners in the Gospel.
1. They were appointed by God Himself. They were not of man's
devising, as the Gospel is no human invention. They were an expression
of the Divine mercy: and how rich the grace thus evidenced, for it
provided not merely one, but no less than six, of these cities! They
anticipated the urgent situation. The Lord did not wait until an
Israelite had unwittingly slain one of his fellows, and then arrange
for his deliverance from the sword of justice. No, He is ever
beforehand in supplying what we lack. Those cities were available ere
they were made use of. In like manner, God's appointing of Christ to
be the Savior of sinners was no afterthought to meet an unlooked-for
emergency: in the Divine purpose and plan Christ was the Lamb "slain
from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8).
2. Those cities were given to provide shelter from the avenger. That
was the outstanding feature in this lovely evangelical picture. Sought
by one who was determined to execute judgment upon him, the manslayer
turned unto this haven of peace. To attempt to brazen things out was
futile: equally so is it for the sinner to imagine he can successfully
defy Him whose justice is even now pursuing him. Thus there was no
other alternative but death. In like manner "Neither is there
salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven
given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). To delay was
madness: "he shall flee unto one of those cities, and live" (Deut.
19:5) was the peremptory requirement. It was dangerous for Lot to
linger in Sodom, lest fire and brimstone destroy him (Gen. 19:17). So
God bids us, "Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts"
(Heb. 3:7, 8).
3. Those cities were placed on an eminence, being built upon hills or
mountains, as several of their names and the locations of others
plainly intimate. This made them the more readily seen and kept in
sight by those who were fleeing to the same. As such they blessedly
prefigured Him whom "God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince
and a Savior, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of
sins" (Acts 5:31). So too when the Gospel is faithfully preached the
antitypical Refuge is held forth, so that it may be said of the
hearers, "before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently [plainly]
set forth" (Gal. 3:1). For the same reason, the ministers of Christ
who lift Him before their congregations are likened to "a city that is
set on an hill" (Matthew 5:14).
4. The road to the city was plainly marked out. "Thou shalt prepare
thee a way . . . that every slayer may flee thither (Deut. 19:3).
Jewish writers say it was a law in Israel that one day in every year
there were persons sent to repair the roads leading to them, to remove
all stumbling-stones which might by time have fallen in the way, and
to see also that the signposts which were set up at every corner
leading to the city were carefully preserved, and the name Miklac
(that is, refuge) legible upon them. Whether or not that was the case,
certain it is that in the Gospel God has fully and plainly made known
the way of salvation, so that "wayfaring men, though fools, shall not
err therein" (Isa. 35:8). See also Romans 10:6-8.
5. They were easy of access. Those cities were so situated that when a
person had need of such, one was near at hand. Express instructions
were given that they were to be "in the midst of the land" (Deut.
19:2, 3), and not in remote corners which had been difficult to
approach. The land had to be divided "into three parts," one city of
refuge in each, so that it could be reached within a single day's
journey, no matter where the manslayer resided--what a touching proof
of God's tender mercy! Everything was done to facilitate the
homicide's escape. The application is obvious: "The Lord is nigh unto
them that are of a broken heart" (Ps. 34:18). Unto such He says, "My
righteousness is near" (Isa. 51:5). The way to Christ is short: it is
but a simple renunciation of self and a laying hold of Him to be our
all in all.
6. The city of refuge provided protection only for the homicide from
the revenger of blood. The deliberate murderer was excluded, to teach
us that there is no salvation in Christ for presumptuous sinners who
still go on deliberately in their trespasses. Those who persist in
willful sin, and continue to defy God and trample upon His law, bar
themselves from His mercy. There is no shelter in a holy Christ for
those who are in love with sin, but unto those that flee to Him from
their sins there is "plenteous redemption." In Christ the penitent and
believing sinner is secure from the curse of the broken law and the
wrath of God, for the Lord Jesus endured them in his stead. In Christ
he is safe also from the fury of a raging Devil and is delivered from
the accusations of a guilty conscience.
7. Nevertheless, the one who took refuge in that city had to remain
there. If he was foolish enough at any time to forsake its bounds, the
revenger of blood had the right to slay him (Num. 35:26, 27). As it
was his duty to flee into it, so he was obliged to continue therein.
That imports the responsibility of the believer to make use of Christ
not only at the time of his conversion, but all through his life.
There is as much emphasis placed upon our abiding in Christ as there
is upon our coming to Him (John 8:31; Colossians 1:23; Hebrews 3:6,
14; 1 John 2:28).
8. They were available for Gentiles as well as Jews (Num. 35:15). How
thankful we should be that "there is no difference between the Jew and
the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon
Him" (Rom. 10:12).
9. It was the death of the high priest which secured full and final
deliverance (Josh. 20:6). It is indeed striking to observe how the
procuring cause of the believer's redemption was prefigured in this
many-sided type, though some expositors experience a self-created
difficulty in connection therewith. All the days that Israel's high
priest lived and the manslayer abode within the city, no condemnation
could come upon him; and since the Christian's High Priest is "alive
for evermore," they are eternally secure. Still, it was upon the death
of Aaron or his successor that the homicide was made free, as we owe
our emancipation to the death of Christ--thus the double figure of the
city (safety) and the high priest's death (propitiation) was necessary
to set forth both aspects, as were the two goats of Leviticus 16:7, 8.
There may also be a designed dispensational hint here: saints were
saved of old, but not until the death of Christ was the full liberty
of son-ship enjoyed (Gal. 4:1-7).
10. The names of these cities (Josh. 20:7, 8) spoke of what the
believer has in Christ. Kadesh signifies "holy," and Jesus Christ, the
Holy One of God, is made unto the believer sanctification as well as
righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30)--how deeply suggestive that this is the
first mentioned, that in the Redeemer we have a sanctuary of holiness.
Shechem means "shoulder," which is `the place of strength (Isa. 9:7)
and of safety (Luke 15:5)--under the government of Christ the believer
finds security. Hebron means "fellowship," and through Christ His
people are brought into communion with the Father and with the holy
angels. Bezer means "a fortified place" and "The Lord is good, a
strong hold in the day of trouble" (Nah. 1:7); therefore "I will say
of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I
trust" (Ps. 91:2). Ramoth means "height" or "exaltation": in Christ we
are elevated above the world, made to sit in heavenly places (Eph.
2:6). Golan means "exultation" or "joy," and "we also joy in God
through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:11).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Joshua
by A.W. Pink
19. The Levitical Cities
Joshua 21:1-45
_________________________________________________________________
The residence of the Levites. On this occasion it will be the cities
which were Divinely appointed them for residence which will engage our
attention. Since it has pleased the Lord to devote a whole chapter,
and a lengthy one, to the subject, it is evident that--whether or not
we can discern it--there must be that in it which is of spiritual
importance and practical value for us today. Nor shall we experience
any difficulty in ascertaining its central message if we bear in mind
that the ministers of the Gospel are the counterparts of the Levites
of old. In that chapter we find it recorded that the heads of the
tribe of Levi came before the assembled court of Israel and presented
their claim for suitable places where they might settle with their
families and possessions. Their petition was received favorably, and
their request was granted. Forty-eight cities with their suburbs were
assigned them--appointed by the "lot," as had been the case with all
the other tribes.
"Then came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites unto Eleazar
the priest, and unto Joshua the son of Nun, and unto the heads of the
fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel; and they spake unto
them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, The Lord commanded by
the hand of Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with the suburbs
thereof for our cattle. And the children of Israel gave unto the
Levites out of their inheritance, at the commandment of the Lord,
these cities and their suburbs" (Josh. 21:1-3). Aaron was a descendant
of Levi, and in his official capacity as the high priest of Israel he
foreshadowed the Lord Jesus, who now, as the Son of God consecrated
for evermore, is "a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true
tabernacle which the Lord pitched, and not man" (Heb. 7:28--8:2, and
cf. Rev. 15:3-5). The sons of Aaron, by natural generation, are types
of Christians who are given to Christ to serve Him (Num. 3:63), the
brethren of Christ sharing by grace His double title of both king and
priest (Rev. 1:6, 7). The priestly sons of Aaron and the ministering
Levites were also a figure of the public servants of the Lord in the
present dispensation, as is clear from 1 Corinthians 9: "Do ye not
know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of
the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the
altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the
gospel should live of the gospel" (vv. 13, 14).
In stating that ministers of the Gospel are present-day counterparts
of Israel's priests and Levites, it must be borne carefully in mind
that (in keeping with the radical differences which characterize the
old and the new covenants) there are marked features of dissimilarity
as well as resemblance between them. It was the failure, or refusal,
to recognize that fact which laid the foundation for the Judaizing and
paganizing of public Christianity and the erection and development of
"mystery Babylon," with all its sacerdotal and ritualistic
pretensions. While there is, as 1 Corinthians 9:13, 14, shows, an
analogy in the provision made for the support of the ministers
respectively in both dispensations, there is none whatever in the
services they render. The priests had no commission to go forth and
evangelize (that fell more to the lot of the prophets--Jonah 1:2,
etc.), nor is the preacher today called of God to act as an
intermediary between others and himself, or in any way to offer
satisfaction for their sins--only on the essential ground of his being
a Christian (and not in an official character as a clergyman) may he
intercede for his brethren or present a sacrifice of praise on their
behalf.
Israel's priests and Levites were, by their birth and calling, nearer
to God than were those for whom they acted, and by virtue of their
office holier than they. But both nearness to God and sanctification
are conferred in Christ, without any distinction, upon all who are
called of God unto the fellowship of His Son, so that, fundamentally,
saved ministers and the believers to whom they minister are equal
before God. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor
free, there is neither male nor female [and we may add, there is
neither clergy nor laity]: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal.
3:28). Whatever vital privilege and spiritual dignity Christ purchased
for one He secured for all His redeemed alike. It is most important
that we should be quite clear upon this point, for it gives the
death-blow to all priest-craft. There is absolutely nothing of a
sacerdotal character in true Christian ministry, and therefore the
whole system of Romanism is antichristian. Again, the Jewish
priesthood was restricted to the limits of a single family--the
Aaronic--whereas in the selection of those whom He calls to preach the
Gospel of His Son God is no respecter of persons, but acts according
to His sovereign grace and power.
Stating it in its simplest terms, Joshua 21 sets forth the gracious
provision which Jehovah made to meet the temporal needs of the
Levites. They were the ones who served Him in the tabernacle and
ministered to the congregation in holy things, and as such suitably
adumbrated the Divinely called ministers of the Gospel, whose lives
are devoted to Christ and His churches. Unlike all the other tribes,
no separate portion of Canaan was allotted to the Levites upon the
distribution of the land (Deut. 10:8, 9; Joshua 13:14). In like
manner, the good soldier of Jesus Christ is forbidden to entangle
himself with the affairs of this life (2 Tim. 2:3, 4), for it would
ill become one who was the messenger of heaven to occupy his heart
with earthly avocations. He is called upon to practice what he
preaches, to be a living exemplification of his sermons, denying all
fleshly and worldly lusts, and be "an example of the believers, in
word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." He
is required to walk in entire separation from the world, and give
himself "wholly" to the things of God and the welfare of souls, that
his profiting may appear unto all (1 Tim. 4:12, 15). What
mortification of corrupt affections and inordinate desires of earthly
things and what spiritual mindedness are necessary if the preacher is
to give a just representation of Him in whose name he ministers.
But though no separate portion of Canaan was to be apportioned to the
Levites, that was far from signifying that they must in some way
secure their own interests, or that they were left dependent upon the
capricious charity of their brethren. It was not the Divine will that
they should earn their living by the sweat of the brow, or that they
should beg their daily bread. Not so does the Lord treat His beloved
servants. He is no Egyptian taskmaster, demanding that they make
bricks but refusing to provide them with straw; instead, He is "the
God of all grace," who has promised to supply their every need. Thus
it was with the Levites. Full provision was made for their temporal
sustenance. The Lord had not only appointed that a liberal part of the
heave and wave offerings was to be their food, as well as the best of
the oil, and the wine, and the first-fruits, with the tithes of the
children of Israel (Num. 18:9-19, 24); but He had also given a
commandment that the other tribes should give unto the Levites, out of
their own inheritance, cities to dwell in and the suburbs round about
them (Num. 35:2-5). In like manner, God has stipulated that those of
His people who are indebted to the spiritual ministrations of His
servants should, in turn, minister to their temporal subsistence. This
is clear from 1 Corinthians 9:13, 14, and, though it may be somewhat
of a digression, we will take a closer look at that passage.
In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul was vindicating his apostleship (v. 3), which
his traducers denied. They objected that he had not personally seen
Jesus Christ (v. 1), as had the twelve. That he did not live like
other men, going without the ordinary comforts of life (v. 4), being
unmarried (v. 5). That he and his companion Barnabas were obliged to
support themselves by their own manual labors (v. 6), and therefore
that he knew they were not entitled to count upon the gifts of
believers for their sustenance (v. 12). The main drift of his reply
was that, though he acted voluntarily on the principle of self-denial,
yet that by no means disproved that he was sent of God, or that he had
not a right to be maintained by the saints. So far from that being the
case, he was clearly and fully warranted in claiming their support.
This he demonstrates by a number of plain and irrefutable arguments,
educed from a variety of cogent considerations. Those arguments lay
down principles which are applicable to the servants of Christ in all
generations, and therefore are pertinent for today, making known as
they do the revealed will of God on this practical matter. It
therefore behooves the Lord's people carefully to weigh the same and
be regulated by them.
He began by asking, "Have not we power to forbear working?" (v. 6).
The word "power" there signifies right or authority, being used in the
same sense as it is in John 1:12. Though in the interrogative form, it
has the force of an emphatic affirmative: such is our legitimate
prerogative, if we choose to exercise it--to abstain from earning our
own living, and to count upon the saints ministering to our bodily
needs. This he proceeded to prove by three obvious analogies. First,
this accords with the universally recognized rule: "Who goeth a
warfare at any lime at his own charges?" (v. 7): as it is the bounden
duty of the State to provide for its defenders, equally so of the
churches to care for the soldiers of Christ. Second, this is in
keeping with the well-established principle that the workman is
entitled to remuneration: "Who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of
the fruit thereof?" Third, this is exemplified by the law of nature:
"Or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not the milk of the flock?" (v.
7): the husbandman by virtue of his calling has a right to a
livelihood from the same. But, conclusive as was such reasoning, the
apostle did not conclude at that point.
Paul then proceeded to show that the duty he was contending for--the
temporal maintenance of Christ's servants--was not only required by
the law of nations, and the dictates of nature, but was urged by the
law of God: "For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not
muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn (cf. Deuteronomy
25:4)--an example of the humanity which marks the statutes that God
gave to Israel (cf. Exodus 23:19, twice repeated; Deuteronomy 22:6).
Laboring for its owner, the ox was worthy of its food, and must not be
deprived thereof. Upon which the apostle asks, "Doth God take care for
oxen? Or saith He it altogether [i.e. assuredly] for our sakes?" (v.
9). If He be so solicitious about the welfare of animals and requires
that they be treated justly and kindly, is He indifferent as to how
His honored servants be dealt with? Surely not. "For our sakes, no
doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope, and
that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope" (v.
10). The Mosaic precept was designed in its ultimate application to
enforce the principle that labor should have its remuneration, so that
men would work more cheerfully. In the next verse the obvious
conclusion is drawn.
"If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we
shall reap your carnal things?" (v. 11). If it be right and meet that
those who cultivate the earth should be encouraged to do their work
diligently by the assurance that they shall themselves be permitted to
enjoy the fruit of their labors, then surely those who engage in the
far more important and exacting task of toiling in Christ's vineyard,
endeavoring to advance His cause, proclaim His Gospel, feed His sheep,
should be recognized and rewarded. The same precept is enforced again
in 2 Timothy 2:6, "The husbandman that laboreth must be first partaker
of the fruits." Still more plainly is the exhortation given, "Let him
that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all
good things. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man
soweth, that shall he also reap" (Gal. 6:6, 7). Thus it is laid down
as an unchanging principle that spiritual benefits demand a temporal
return. Not that any price can be put upon the invaluable ministry of
the Gospel, but that those whom God has set apart to preach it have a
just claim for generous compensation. And that not in the way of
charity or gratuity, but as a sacred debt--a debt which professing
Christians fail to discharge at the peril of their souls. For let none
be deceived: if they fail to support the Gospel, God will severely
chastise them.
Such a statement as that in verse 11 rebukes and shames any spirit of
miserliness or stinginess on the part of those who participate in the
privileges of a Gospel ministry but fail to do their fair part in
supporting the same, If God's servants have been used of Him to bestow
one class of benefits, is it unreasonable or unequal that they should
receive another class of benefits in return? Why, there is no
proportion between the one and the other. They dispense that which is
spiritual and concerns the eternal interests of the soul, whereas you
are required to contribute only that which is material for the needs
of the body. If they have faithfully executed their office, will you
consider it burdensome to discharge your obvious obligations? Shame on
you if you feel that way. Instead, it should be regarded as a holy
privilege. "On every principle of commutative justice the minister's
right to a subsistence must be conceded" (Hodge). But the apostle did
not conclude his appeal even at this point, but clinched his argument
by citing scriptural proof that God had ordained this very thing.
"Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the
things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers
with the altar?" (v. 13). Here the testimony of God's own institution
is quoted, linking all that has been before us in 1 Corinthians 9 with
the theme of Joshua 21, for the reference has directly in view the
provision made by the Lord for the maintenance of Israel's priests and
Levites. They were supported in their work by the offerings of the
people, being Divinely permitted to eat a portion of the animals which
had been presented to God in sacrifice. The priests the Levites, and
all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel:
they shall eat the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and His
inheritance" (Deut. 18:1, and cf. Num. 5:9, 10). "A part of the animal
offered in sacrifice is burned as an offering to God, and a part
becomes the property of the priest for his support; and thus the altar
and the priest become joint participators of the sacrifice. From these
offerings the priests derived their maintenance" (A. Barnes, to whom
we are indebted for not a little of the above). Thus, that for which
the apostle was contending was sanctioned by Divine authority.
"Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel
should live of the gospel" (v. 14). Here, by Divine inspiration, the
apostle declares that Christ has made the same ordinance for this
dispensation as obtained under the old one. He who provided that those
who served Him in His earthly temple should be partakers of the altar
has also willed that those who minister His Gospel should be duly
cared for. This is not optional, but obligatory. It is a Divine
command, which demands obedience. If on the one hand the minister is
entitled to support, on the other hand his hearers are not at liberty
to withhold the same. It is both a duty and a privilege to comply. It
is not a matter of charity, but of right, that the preacher should be
compensated for his labors. "The maintenance of ministers is not an
arbitrary thing, left purely to the good will of the people, who may
let them starve if they please; no, as the God of Israel commanded
that Levites should be well provided for, so has the Lord Jesus, the
King of the Church, ordained, and a perpetual ordinance it is"
(Matthew Henry). Devotion to the Lord, the spirit of gratitude, the
claims of love, and the workings of grace should make the duty a
delight. The honor of Christ's cause, the usefulness of His servants,
yes, and the happiness of His people (Acts 20:35), are bound up in
heeding this rule.
A beautiful illustration of compliance with the Divine requirement is
found in Philippians 4. There we have the apostle expressing his
appreciation and gratitude unto an assembly of the saints for the
practical way in which they had manifested their love to him and their
fellowship in the Gospel: "But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that
now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were
also careful [solicitous], but ye lacked opportunity" (v. 10). They
were not among that large class of professing Christians who deem
themselves willing to profit from a Gospel ministry, but who have very
little concern for the temporal welfare of Christ's servants. On the
contrary, they had been mindful of His minister, and as occasion arose
and opportunity was afforded they had sent of their substance to him
while he was away laboring in other parts. This brought back to his
memory similar kindnesses which they had shown him years before: "Now
ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel [when he
commenced his evangelistic career], when I departed from Macedonia, no
church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye
only. For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my
necessity" (vv. 15, 16). So far from being a case of "out of sight,
out of mind," he was constantly in their thoughts.
During Paul's extensive travels the Philippians had lost touch with
him--though not their interest in him, as the "wherein [i.e. during
the lengthy interval] ye were also careful" attests, but they had no
"opportunity" to communicate with him. But now that they learned that
he was a prisoner in Rome for the Truth's sake, they sent to him a
further token of their affection and esteem by Epaphroditus (v. 18).
Most blessed is it to mark the spirit in which the apostle received
their gift. First, while gratefully acknowledging their present (v.
14), he looked above them to the One who had put into their hearts the
desire to minister unto him: "I rejoiced in the Lord greatly (v. 10).
Second, he was made happy too on their behalf: "Not because I desire a
gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account" (v. 17)--it
furnished proof of the workings of the spirit of grace within,
evidencing that they were in a healthy condition spiritually. Third,
he declared that their gift met with the approval of his Master, that
it was "an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable,
well-pleasing to God" (v. 18). Fourth, he assured them that they would
be no losers by caring for him: "But my God shall supply all your need
according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (v. 19).
"Then came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites unto Eleazar
the priest, and unto Joshua the son of Nun, and unto the heads of the
fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel" (Josh. 21:1). There
are one or two details here which call for a brief word of
explanation. First, each of the tribes was divided into or was grouped
under its leading families: they being the descendants of the original
sons--the heads, or chiefs, being designated "fathers." Second,
Eleazar is mentioned here because this transaction involved the use of
"the lot," and he was the one who bore the sacred bag containing the
Urim and the Thummim, by which the Divine will was made known. Joshua
was also present as Israel's commander, to see that all was done in an
orderly manner. Third, the additional reference to "the heads of the
fathers of the tribes" clearly intimates that they were now formally
assembled as a court, to examine the petitions of claimants and
determine their cases.
The careful reader will observe that the chapter opens with the word
"Then." That time-mark is more than a historical reference, pointing
an important practical lesson which we do well to heed. Historically,
the incident recorded here occurred "when they had made an end of
dividing the land for inheritance by their coasts," and when "the
children of Israel gave an inheritance to Joshua the son of Nun"
(Josh. 21:49). Then Joshua was bidden by the Lord, "Speak to the
children of Israel, saying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge,
whereof I spake unto you by the hand of Moses" (Josh. 20:2). Now the
Lord had previously given orders that those cities of refuge (six in
number) were to be "among the cities which ye shall give unto the
Levites . . . and to them ye shall add forty and two cities. So all
the cities which ye shall give to the Levites shall be forty and eight
cities: them shall ye give with their suburbs" (Num. 35:6, 7). Those
cities of refuge had now been specified (Josh. 21:7, 8), but as yet
the remaining forty-two had not been assigned them.
"And they spake unto them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan" (v. 2), for
that was where the tabernacle was now situated, and therefore the
place where the mind of the Lord could be authoritatively ascertained.
It is blessed to see that the Levites deferred their appeal until all
the other tribes had been provided for, thereby setting an admirable
pattern before all the official servants of God, to suppress
everything in themselves which has even the appearance of
covetousness. How incongruous and reprehensible it is for those who
profess to be the ministers of grace and truth to exhibit a mercenary
or greedy demeanor! It was "an instance of their humility, modesty,
and patience (and Levites should be examples of these and other
virtues) that they were willing to be served last, and they fared
never the worse for it. Let not God's ministers complain if at any
time they find themselves postponed in men's thoughts and cares, but
let them make sure of the favor of God and the honor that comes from
Him, and then they may well enough afford to bear the slights and
neglects of men" (Matthew Henry).
It should also be carefully noted that these God-honoring Levites made
known their claim openly and publicly, instead of secretly and
privately. They did not engage in a "whispering campaign," going
around sowing the seeds of dissension among their brethren, or of
criticism of Joshua, complaining at their being neglected--for as yet
no provision had been made where they should reside with their
families and flocks. No, they applied in an orderly and frank manner
before the Divinely appointed court, saying, "The Lord commanded by
the hand of Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with the suburbs
thereof for our cattle" (v. 2). Their petition was brief and to the
point; their language firm but reverent. They came not as beggars, and
asked for no favors. Their appeal was neither to charity nor to
equity--as being due them on the ground of fairness. They used no
claim of worthiness or fidelity to duty. Instead, their appeal was
made to the word of God, that which He had commanded by Moses; and
thus they acted on the basis of a "Thus saith the Lord."
It is quite evident, then, that on this occasion the Levites were far
from being actuated by a spirit of either discontent or covetousness.
Had they been moved by avarice they had not waited until now, but had
either taken matters into their own hands or had put in their claim
much earlier. No, it was an orderly request that they should now
receive that to which they were entitled by Divine grant. Most
commendable was their meekness and patience. How different the
character and conduct of so many ecclesiastics during the Christian
era, whose love of money and lust for power knew no bounds, scrupling
not to employ the most tyrannous measures and heartless methods to
impoverish their members while they lived in luxury and resided in
their "palaces"! And the same spirit is by nature in every preacher,
and against its least indulgence he needs to be on his guard.
Unspeakably solemn is it to note that the oft-quoted words, "For the
love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after,
they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with
many sorrows," occur in one of the pastoral epistles! They are
succeeded by, "But thou, O man of God [i.e. servant of Christ], flee
these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love,
patience, meekness" (1 Tim. 6:10, 11).
Nor is it without reason that the injunction "having food and raiment,
let us be therewith content" is found in the same epistle (Josh. 6:8),
immediately preceding the above warning and exhortation. Few realize
the sinfulness of discontent, which is nothing but a species of
self-will, a secret murmuring against Providence, a being dissatisfied
with the portion God has given us. Contrariwise, contentment is a holy
composure of mind, a resting in the Lord, a thankful enjoyment of what
He has graciously bestowed. Hence, contentment is the spiritual
antidote to covetousness: "Let your conversation be without
covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have" (Heb.
13:5)--the former vice can be avoided only by assiduously cultivating
the opposite virtue. If the preacher is to magnify his office and
glorify his Master, he needs to mortify his fleshly lusts and carnal
ambitions, abstaining from all extravagance, and living frugally:
evidencing that his affections are set upon things above and not on
things below. When Socrates the pagan philosopher beheld a display of
costly and elegant articles for sale, he exclaimed: "How many things
are here that I need not!" Such ought to be the attitude and language
of every child of God as he passes through this "Vanity Fair,"
pre-eminently so in the case of His servants.
"Giving no offense in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: but
in all things approving [commending] ourselves as the ministers of
God" (2 Cor. 6:3, 4). What an exalted standard of piety is that! Yet
nothing less is what the Holy One requires of His representatives. The
unbelieving are ever ready to charge the Gospel itself with having a
strong tendency to encourage the carnalities which disgrace the
character of so many professors, and especially if the same appear in
the lives of those who preach it. Nor is that a thing to be wondered
at. What can be expected from those who have no experiential
acquaintance with the things of God than to conclude that those who
preach salvation by grace through Jesus Christ are the products of the
same? In their judgment, the daily life of the preacher either
commends or condemns his message. Hence it is that, among other
reasons, the minister of Christ is bidden: "In all things showing
thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine showing uncorruptness,
gravity, sincerity, sound speech [and not the slang of the world],
that cannot be condemned, that he that is of the contrary part may be
ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you" (Titus 2:7, 8).
Returning more directly to the Levites in Joshua 21. In their "The
Lord commanded by the hand of Moses to give us cities to dwell in"
they were, in reality, pleading a Divine promise! It was recorded in
Numbers 35:1-8, that Jehovah issued definite orders to that end, and
therefore they were asking only for that to which they had a right by
Divine authority. Here too they have left an example, which needs to
be followed not only by God's servants but by all of His people, for
it is the use which we make of His promises that, to a considerable
extent, regulates our spiritual prosperity, as well as the peace and
joy of our hearts. First, we should labor to become well acquainted
with the same, for while we, remain in ignorance no benefit can be
derived from them. Those Levites were informed upon that which
concerned their interests. So should we be. We should daily search the
Scriptures for them, and make an inventory of our spiritual wealth.
The Divine promises are the peculiar treasure of the saints, for the
substance of faith's inheritance is wrapped up in them. Second, they
should be carefully stored in our minds, constantly meditated upon,
and every effort of Satan's to rob us of the same steadfastly
resisted.
Third, God's promises are to be personally appropriated and pleaded
before His throne of grace. This is one reason why He has given them
to us: not only to manifest His loving-kindness in making known His
gracious intentions, but also for the comfort of our hearts. Had He so
pleased, our Father could have bestowed His blessings without giving
us notice of His benign purposes; but He has ordained that we should
enjoy them twice over: first by faith, and then by fruition. By this
means He weans our hearts away from things seen and temporal, and
draws them onward and upward to things which are spiritual and
eternal. Thus are we to make His promises the support and stay of our
souls. Not only are they to be the food of faith, but the regulators
of our petitions. Real prayer is the making request for those things
which God is pledged to bestow: "And this is the confidence that we
have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He
heareth us" (1 John 5:14): that is, according as His will is made
known to us in His Word--anything other than that is self-will on our
part (Jam. 4:3).
While on the one hand God has promised to bestow, on the other hand we
are required to make request--that He may be duly owned and honored,
that we express our dependence upon Him. "Ask, and ye shall receive"
is the Divinely appointed way. In Ezekiel 36:36, God makes most
definite promise to His people, adding, "I the Lord have spoken it,
and I will do it." Yet immediately after, He declares, "Thus saith the
Lord God: I will yet [nevertheless] for this be enquired of by the
house of Israel, to do it for them." Such inquiry is designed for the
strengthening of our faith, the quickening of our hope, the
development of our patience. Cities had been Divinely assured unto the
Levites, yet they received them not until they appealed for them by
pleading God's word to them through Moses! And that has been recorded
for our instruction. One wonders how often it is the case that "ye
have not, because ye ask not" (James 4:2)--always so when faith be not
in exercise (James 1:6, 7). Observe well how Jacob pleaded the Divine
promise in Genesis 32:18; Moses in Exodus 32:13; David in Psalm
119:58; Solomon in 1 Kings 8:25, and go thou and do likewise.
"And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites out of their
inheritance, at the commandment of the Lord, these cities and their
suburbs" (Josh. 21:3). Thus was the priestly tribe fully provided for
through its brethren by Divine ordinance; and it is blessed to mark
how particularly the Holy Spirit has placed it upon record that they
discharged this obligation as an act of obedience unto God. They might
have demurred at being called upon to relinquish some of the places
which they had fought hard to obtain, but they raised no objection and
duly performed their duty when reminded of the Divine will. In like
manner, Christians are bidden to communicate unto those who care for
their spiritual interests, and to do so at God's commandment. Equally
striking is it to observe how that the portion received by the Levites
was a gift--so referred to in both verses 2 and 3. This act of giving
was designed by the Lord to counteract that selfish spirit and
attachment to a present world which is common to all of us. The same
principle is illustrated again in Romans 15:27: "their debtors they
are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their [Israel's]
spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal
things."
The principle which was to regulate the allocating of the Levitical
cities by their brethren was clearly defined in Numbers 35:8, "And the
cities which ye shall give shall be of the possession of the children
of Israel: from them that have many ye shall give many: but from them
that have few ye shall give few; every one shall give of his cities
unto the Levites according to his inheritance which he inheriteth."
Thus was each tribe accorded the opportunity of making grateful
acknowledgment unto the Lord of what He had so graciously bestowed
upon them, for what they gave unto the Levites was accepted as given
to Him, and thereby were their possessions sanctified to them--some of
the best and largest of the cities being freely donated. The several
tribes were not assessed uniformly, but according to the extent of
their possessions. The equity of such an arrangement is at once
apparent. The same was duly executed, for out of Judah's and Simeon's
lots (the most extensive) nine cities were given, whereas out of the
other tribes only four cities were taken from each (Josh. 31). In like
manner, New Testament saints are exhorted, "Upon the first day of the
week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered
him" (1 Cor. 16:2), i.e. a definite proportion of his income.
If it be true on the one side that a mercenary priesthood has been
notorious for its greedy grasping of wealth and temporal power; on the
other side, only too frequently many of the most devoted and
self-sacrificing of Christ's servants have received the scantiest
acknowledgment. As Barnes remarked, "The poor beast that has served
the man and his family in the days of his vigor is often turned out in
old age to die; and something like this sometimes occurs in the
treatment of ministers of the Gospel. The conduct of a people,
generous in many other respects, is often unaccountable in their
treatment of their pastors: and one of the lessons which ministers
often have to learn, like their Master, by bitter experience, is the
ingratitude of those in whose welfare they have toiled and prayed and
wept." Yet that is far from being always the case, as this writer can
thankfully testify. For upwards of forty years the Lord has moved His
stewards to minister freely and liberally to his temporal needs: so
that we too can reply to His question "lacked ye anything? Nothing"
(Luke 22:35). No good thing has He withheld from us.
The method followed by Israel in selecting the Levitical cities
appears to have been something like this. First, the court, after duly
considering the size of its inheritance, appointed how many cities
should be taken out of each tribe. Then the "fathers of the tribes"
agreed among themselves which cities were most suitable. After that
had been settled, the forty-eight cities were divided into four
groups, for the four branches of the Levitical tribe. Lots were cast
to determine the distribution of them. The sons of Levi were Gershom,
Kohath, Merari. From Kohath descended Moses, Aaron and Miriam (1
Chron. 6:1-3). The "children of Aaron" (Josh. 21:4) were not only
Levites, but priests too, whose more immediate work was to serve at
the altar. It should be duly noted that though this was the least
numerous of the four branches, yet, in keeping with the prominence of
the priesthood throughout the book of Joshua, "the first lot" (v. 10)
was for the children of Aaron, and thus was honor placed again upon
this Divine institution. It is further to be observed that more cities
were assigned unto them than to any other branch of Levi.
It should perhaps be pointed out that the term "city" in Scripture
does not signify (as it does with us today) a large town having a
corporation, but simply "an enclosed space "--see Genesis 4:17, for
the first mention. The "suburbs," as pastures for the cattle, extended
for nearly a mile in every direction (Num. 35:5). In appointing the
larger number of cities for the children of Aaron we see a proof of
the Divine foreknowledge, for those who have made a thorough study of
this detail judge that they increased more than any of the other three
families, therefore larger accommodation would be required for their
descendants in the future. That their cities were taken from that part
of Canaan which had been given to the tribes of Judah, Simeon and
Benjamin (Josh. 21:4) was also profoundly significant, illustrating as
it did the wise disposings of Providence, for that was the territory
which lay nearest to Jerusalem, which centuries later was to be the
site of the temple, and the headquarters of Judaism. That was the
place which had been chosen in the Divine counsels where God should
put His name. "Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of
the world" (Acts 15:18)!
In verse 8 the statement is repeated, "And the children of Israel gave
by lot unto the Levites these cities with their suburbs, as the Lord
commanded by the hand of Moses." This is to intimate that all was done
by Divine appointment and in obedience unto God's will. There is a
touching detail recorded in verse 11 which we must not overlook, for
there we are told that the city of Hebron became the possession of the
children of Aaron. It will be remembered that this was the city which
had been given to Caleb by the commandment of the Lord (Josh. 15:13).
It seems, then, that he had personally made it a voluntary present
unto the priests, thereby setting an example before his fellows of
noble generosity and devotion to the cause of Jehovah. How he puts to
shame many church members of today who are so neglectful of the
maintenance of Christ's servants! Those who are indifferent to the
temporal welfare of His ministers cannot be in communion with Him who
notices the fall of every sparrow, or recognize the holy privileges of
being "fellow-helpers to the Truth" (3 John 1:8). May writer and
reader ever act in this manner "according to the commandment of the
Lord."
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Joshua
by A.W. Pink
20. Demobilization
Joshua 22:1-34
_________________________________________________________________
Pledges Honored
"Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half
tribe of Manasseh" (Josh. 22:1). The opening "Then" looks back to
21:43-45, where there is a brief but blessed summing up of all that is
recorded in the foregoing chapters: "And the Lord gave unto Israel all
the land which He sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed
it, and dwelt therein. And the Lord gave them rest round about,
according to all that He sware unto their fathers: and there stood not
a man of all their enemies before them; the Lord delivered all their
enemies into their hand. There failed not ought of any good thing
which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass."
Therein thankful acknowledgment was made of the inviolable integrity
of Jehovah, for there had been an exact performance of everything He
had promised. Therein we behold His unchanging faithfulness:
notwithstanding their wilderness provocations, He brought them into
Canaan. Therein we have exhibited the perfect harmony which there is
between God's words and His works, which are wonderful not only in
contrivance, but equally so in their execution. Therein we learn how
sure is the fulfillment of Divine prophecy; every detail predicted was
literally accomplished.
The Lord had promised to give the land of Canaan unto Abram's seed for
a possession (Gen. 12:7), and He had now done so. He promised to make
Abram's seed a prolific and numerous one (Gen. 13:16), and they
"multiplied and grew" (Ex. 1:12), so that by the time they left Egypt
a single family had become "about six hundred thousand on foot that
were men, besides children" (Ex. 12:37). The Lord promised to preserve
them in all places whither they went (Gen. 28:15), and He had done
so--in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and throughout all their wilderness
journeyings. He promised to bring into Canaan the fourth generation of
Abram's descendants after their sojourn in Egypt (Gen. 15:16), and a
close examination of Exodus 6:16-28, proves that so it came to pass.
The Lord promised to give them success in their fighting:
"I will send My fear before thee (cf. Joshua 2:9), and will destroy
all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine
enemies turn their backs unto thee . . . for I will deliver the
inhabitants of the land into your hand" (Ex. 23:27, 31), and so their
sons acknowledged (Ps. 44:3). He promised to deliver "kings" into
their hands (Deut. 8:24), and Joshua 10:24, 40, attests that He did
so. He promised to give them "rest" in the land (Deut. 12:10), and we
are told "the Lord gave them rest" (Josh. 21:44).
There were indeed some of the original inhabitants still left in the
land to test and try God's people; but at the close of the seven-year
campaign all open conflict had ceased. The whole of Canaan had now
been given by Divine lot unto Abram's descendants: the greater part of
it was then occupied by the different tribes, and they were peacefully
settled in their heritage. If they continued to obey the Lord and
count upon His enablement, they should still more completely possess
their possessions. "There failed not ought of any good thing which the
Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel." Such will be the triumphant
testimony of the whole Church collectively and of every Christian
individually. In due season shall all that God has promised the
spiritual Israel come to pass, with regard both to their present
comfort and future felicity. All will be accomplished, exactly and
perfectly, as God has declared, for all His promises are in Christ yea
and amen (2 Cor. 1:20). At the last, when the whole company of the
redeemed will have entered their eternal rest and inheritance, they
will bear joyous witness that "He hath done all things well."
"Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half
tribe of Manasseh" (Josh. 22:1). The passage which opens with those
words contains the sequel to what is recorded at some length in
Numbers 22. There we read, "Now the children of Reuben and the
children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they
saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead that, behold, the place
was a place for cattle . . . came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar
the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying . . . the
country which the Lord smote before the congregation of Israel, is a
land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle; wherefore, said they,
if we have found grace in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy
servants for a possession, and bring us not over Jordan" (vv. 1-5).
They referred to the land which had formerly been occupied by Sihon
and Og, whose forces Israel had, under God, completely destroyed, and
whose territory they then seized by right of victory (Num. 21:21-35).
Lying in the Jordan valley, the ground was well watered, and ideal for
pasturage.
For several months the camp of Israel had remained stationary on the
plains of Moab: looking backward to the house of bondage from which
they had been delivered; looking forward to the land of Canaan which
had been promised them for their inheritance. Behind them lay the
dreary desert, before them was the river of Jordan. In view of the
mentioning of "the princes of the congregation" in addition to
Eleazar, it would appear that an official conference of the Sanhedrin,
or chief counsel of the nation, was being held--perhaps over the
disposing of the territory which had been acquired by their recent
victory. The language used by the spokesman of the two tribes also
conveys the impression that their request was of the nature of a
formal petition. It was to the effect that they should be given the
title to settle in the luxurious valley of Jazer and Gilead. There was
nothing underhand or stealthy in the appeal which they. made, but an
honorable and open approach unto the heads of authority; and in a meek
and modest spirit, as their "if we have found grace in thy sight"
evinces. Notwithstanding, the commentators generally condemn their
action.
It is concluded by some that their conduct was very blameworthy: that
they showed contempt of Canaan, or, if not that, were following the
line of least resistance in wanting to remain where they were, and
thus escape the hardships and fighting which the crossing of the
Jordan would involve. Others see in their proposal a display of
covetousness, a greedy desire to make this fertile portion their own.
Still others charge them with being lacking in public spirit, putting
their own private interests before the common good of the nation.
Personally, we see nothing definite in the narrative to support such
views, but rather some things to the contrary. Had their request been
as reprehensible as these critics make out, they had been promptly
informed of its unlawfulness, and there the matter would have
terminated. Most certainly the Lord had never confirmed it! God had
already delivered this land into the hands of Israel, and someone must
inherit and inhabit it. It was particularly suited for pasturage, and
that was what these tribes, with their "very great multitude of
cattle," most needed. Nor were they despising the Lord's inheritance,
for the boundary of Canaan was not the Jordan, but rather the
mountain-range of Gilead, which separated it from the desert lying
beyond. Thus, as Joshua 22:9, shows, the section desired by these
tribes was as much within Canaan proper as was the land on the farther
side of the Jordan.
Moses was thoroughly displeased with their suggestion, placing the
worst construction upon it. He supposed that their request proceeded
from a spirit of cowardice and sloth. He considered that they were
giving way to unbelief, distrusting God's power, seeking to shelve
their responsibility (Num. 35:6). In any case, it would mean the
weakening of Israel's army by a reduction of at least one fifth of its
manpower. Moreover, they were asking him to establish a dangerous
precedent, which others might desire to follow (v. 7). He recalled the
faint-heartedness of their fathers, and the disastrous sequel which
had attended the same (vv. 8, 9). He feared that their attitude would
bring down the Lord's wrath upon the whole congregation (v. 14). But
his suspicions were unwarranted, and his fears unnecessary.
"And they came near unto him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here
for our cattle, and cities for our little ones: but we ourselves will
go ready armed before the children of Israel, until we have brought
them unto their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fenced
cities because of the inhabitants of the land. We will not return unto
our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his
inheritance. For we will not inherit with them on yonder side Jordan,
or forward; because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side
Jordan eastward" (Num. 32:16-19). Thus did they show how grievously
Moses had misjudged them, and how unfounded were his surmisings. They
had no intention of sitting still while the other tribes went to war.
Without murmuring or disputing, they expressed a willingness to share
their brethren's burden. So far from being afraid to enter the field
against the enemy, they were prepared to take the lead and go "before
the children of Israel." They would remain with their fellows until
all of them were duly settled. Nor would they require any compensation
or expect to receive any share of the spoils.
Satisfied with their explanation and assurances, Moses conditionally
granted their request. Holding them to their promises, he agreed to
the proposal 6n their fulfillment of its terms. If they carried out
their part of the contract, the land of Jazer and Gilead should be
their "possession before the Lord" (Num. 32:22). But if they went back
upon their word, then they would be offending against God Himself, and
in such an event their sin was certain to find them out (v. 23), which
signifies that bitter and inevitable would be the consequences, and
not discovered or brought to light. "Thy servants will do as my lord
commandeth" (v. 25) was their ready response and solemn vow. Thereupon
the agreement was formally and publicly ratified before Israel's
supreme court, Joshua (who was to succeed him) being expressly
informed of the compact (v. 28), according to the terms of which the
coasts and cities of Sihon and Og became the possession of the two and
a half tribes (v. 33). Thus did they strikingly prefigure the Old
Testament saints, who entered into their spiritual inheritance during
the Mosaic economy.
When Joshua took over the leadership, he addressed himself to the two
and a half tribes thus: "Remember the word which Moses the servant of
the Lord commanded you, saying, The Lord your God hath given you rest,
and hath given you this land," and then detailed the stipulated
conditions of this provisional arrangement (Josh. 1:12-15). As we
pointed out in the ninth article of this series, Joshua was acting
here not on the ground of natural prudence, but in obedience to his
Master's will. The Lord had bidden him to "observe to do according to
all the law, which Moses My servant commanded thee" (Josh. 1:7), and
this was one of those things (Num. 32:28)! Thus, the new head of the
nation did not take it for granted that they would carry out their
agreement, but definitely reminded them of the same and held them to
it. It is blessed, too, to observe the ground upon which he appealed
to them: it was neither as a personal favor to himself for their
co-operation nor as an encouragement unto their brethren, but as an
act of obedience: "Remember the word which Moses the servant of the
Lord commanded you."
Equally blessed is it to hear their response: "And they answered
Joshua, saying, All that thou commandest us we will do, and
whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go. According as we hearkened
unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only the Lord
thy God be with thee" (Josh. 1:16, 17). Thus did they solemnly and
explicitly renew their agreement; and, as the sequel demonstrates, it
was no idle boast that they made. It is ever God's way to honor those
who honor Him: Joshua had given Him His proper place by complying with
his commission and magnifying God's Word, and now the Lord graciously
inclined these two and a half tribes willingly to serve under him. In
his "until the Lord have given your brethren rest . . . and they also
have possessed the land" (v. 15), he expressed his unwavering faith in
the successful outcome of the campaign; and here the Lord moved these
men to give him their full support. They averred their willingness to
accept him as their commander and yield full obedience to his
authority.
Faithfully did they fulfill their part of the agreement: "And the
children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of
Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses
spake unto them: about forty thousand prepared for war passed over
before the Lord unto battle, to the plains of Jericho" (Josh. 4:12,
13). How the Holy Spirit delights to record the obedience of saints!
And now we come to the happy sequel to the whole of the above: "Then
Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of
Manasseh, and said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the servant
of the Lord commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I
commanded you: ye have not left your brethren these many days unto
this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the Lord your
God" (Josh. 22:2, 3). A real tribute of praise was that, and a signal
proof of the magnanimity of the one who paid it. Though they had only
discharged a manifest obligation and fulfilled their part of the
contract, it cost Joshua nothing to acknowledge their fidelity and
commend their obedience, and such a word from their general would mean
much to them.
They had given further proof of the sterling quality of their
character by submitting to the authority of Joshua. They might have
pleaded that their agreement had been made with Moses, and that, since
death cancels all contracts, his decease relieved them of their
engagement. But having put their hand to the plough, they refused to
look back (Luke 4:62). Or, to change the figure, they conducted
themselves in a manner that was in every respect the very opposite of
that of the Ephraimites at a later date, of whom we read that they
"turned back in the day of battle. They kept not the covenant of God,
and refused to walk in His law" (Ps. 78:9, 10). Alas, how the courage
of many who enlist under the banner of Christ fails them in the day of
testing, so that they retreat before the foe: and in the hour of
temptation prove false to their good resolutions and solemn promises
and vows. Different far was it with these Reubenites and Gadites. Not
only did they begin well, but they also endured unto the end; yea,
their wholehearted devotion to the cause of God and His people
increased, for a comparison of Joshua 1:16, with Numbers 32:31,
reveals that the promise which they made unto Joshua went beyond that
which they had pledged unto Moses.
For seven years they had served obediently under Joshua, had
disinterestedly put the welfare of the nation before their own private
comforts, had made no attempt to rejoin their families, but had
remained by the side of their brethren until Canaan was conquered.
Most commendable was their meekness in waiting for their dismissal.
They did not chafe at the delay, but were submissive to their leader's
will. Instead of seeking out Joshua and complaining that it was high
time for them to return to their homes, they quietly tarried for Him
to take the initiative in the matter. As another remarked, "Like good
soldiers they would not move till they had orders from their general.
They had not only done their duty to Joshua and Israel, but, which was
best of all, they had made conscience of their duty to God: `Ye have
kept the charge,' or, as the word is, `Ye have kept the keeping,' that
is, Ye have carefully and circumspectly kept the commandments of the
Lord your God: not only in this particular instance of continuing in
the service of Israel to the end of the war, but in general, you have
kept up religion in your part of the camp--a rare and excellent thing
among soldiers, and which is worthy to be praised" (Matthew Henry).
"And now the Lord your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as He
promised them: therefore now return ye, and get you unto your tents,
and unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the
Lord gave you on the other side Jordan" (v. 4). How careful was Joshua
to place the crown of honor where it rightly belonged, and ascribe the
glory of their victory unto the Author of the same! At the same time,
he considered it meet that thankful acknowledgment should be made to
those who had assisted him therein. "God must be chiefly eyed in our
praises, but instruments must not be altogether overlooked" (Matthew
Henry). Equally definite was Joshua in here magnifying the fidelity of
Jehovah, reminding Israel that the successful outcome of their
military efforts, and the resultant rest for the whole nation, was the
fulfillment of the sure word of the Lord. Having faithfully performed
their part of the contract by sharing the hardships and dangers of
their brethren, Joshua now made good the assurances which Moses had
given to the two and a half tribes, publicly and solemnly granting
them an honorable discharge from the army and authorizing them to
rejoin their families.
"But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses
the servant of the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God, and to
walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments, and to cleave unto
Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul" (v.
5). Ere dismissing the two and a half tribes, Joshua gave them
salutary counsel. No instructions were furnished for the fortifying of
their cities or for the cultivation of their land, the whole emphasis
being placed upon the regulating of their spiritual lives. Nor was
there any lowering of the rule to meet their "moral inability," but a
strict maintaining of God's claims upon them. "Perfect obedience to
the Divine Law was no more practicable in the days of Joshua than at
present, yet his exhortation takes no notice of this, for the standard
of obedience cannot be too high (Matthew 5:43-48), nor our aim too
high, as we are sure to fall very far short of what we propose for
ourselves. But the consciousness of our imperfections subserves the
purposes of humiliation, and the feeling of our insufficiency dictates
prayers for forgiveness and assistance" (Thomas Scott). It is not
sufficient that we know God's Law, we are required to do it: in order
to obedience, we most "take diligent heed": we shall only walk in
God's ways to the extent that we serve Him wholeheartedly, for love to
Him is the spring of all acceptable obedience and worship.
Demobilization
Attention has been called to the conflicting opinions relative to the
actions of the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh
in seeking their inheritance on the wilderness side of Jordan. The
opinion of some is that they did wrong; while, of course, the opposite
opinion is shared by others. In these studies this second opinion has
been sustained. Where in Scripture there is no direct statement to
clarify a matter, it is well not to dogmatize but to love as brethren
and to be courteous (1 Pet. 3:8). One thing is sure, they returned to
their possessions on the east side of Jordan with the commendation and
blessing of Joshua.
Frequently the Apostle Paul opens his epistles to the churches, as did
Joshua his address to the two and a half tribes, with a word of
praise. To the saints with the bishops and deacons at Philippi, he
wrote, "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every
prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your
fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now" (Phil. 1:3-5).
Christians should seek to maintain the attitude of "honor to whom
honor is due, and all the glory to God."
While Joshua released the two and a half tribes from present military
obligations, he imposed upon them other obligations of both a
spiritual and a material character; they were to be mindful of the
Lord and of their brethren.
Joshua reduced the content of the divine commandment to five important
statements: to love the Lord, to walk in His ways, to observe His
commandments, to cleave to Him and to serve Him. These would engage
the entire personality and demand an unreserved response of the whole
being to the divine claims. Their meaning to those for whom they were
intended would be very similar to that of the Apostle's words to the
saints at Corinth and, of course, to us: "Ye are not your own. For ye
are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in
your spirit, which are God's" (1 Cor. 6:19-20).
It would be difficult for these faithful war veterans not to feel a
sense of pride in their accomplishment, especially after the eulogy of
Joshua; and to feel that the much riches, much cattle, silver, gold,
brass, iron, and very much raiment, with which they returned were
their own, the remunerative spoils of the battles they had fought and
won, their possessions purchased with blood. Notwithstanding, Joshua
instructed them, saying, "Divide the spoil of your enemies with your
brethren" (v. 8), those that had remained at home to guard their
belongings.
Moses had set a precedent years before when he had avenged the
children of Israel of the Midianites. The Lord spoke to him, and said,
"Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of beast,
thou, and Eleazar the priest, and the chief of the fathers of the
congregation: And divide the prey into two parts; between them that
took the war upon them, who went out to battle, and between all the
congregation" (Num. 31:26-27). Centuries later this was the principle
upon which David commanded his men, "As his part is that goeth down to
the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they
shall part alike" (1 Sam. 30:24).
While this is not the only principle underlying David's song of
triumph, Psalm 68, it is one of them. The victor who had led the
former captor into captivity gave gifts unto men, apparently from the
spoils of the battle (v. 18), sharing his victory with others. The
Spirit of God applies this conception to our Lord Jesus in Ephesians
4:8, 11: "When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and
gave gifts unto men. . . . And he gave some, apostles; and some,
prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers." As
the men who remained on the east side of Jordan were enriched by the
spoils of the war fought by their brethren, even so the Church has
been enriched by the spoils of Calvary where Christ, "having spoiled
[stripped] principalities and powers, . . . made a shew of them
openly, triumphing over them in it" (Col. 2:15). Our blessed Lord
shares with His Church His glorious victory.
The Memorial Altar
"Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" (1 Cor.
10:12). God's people must learn to act in the spirit of Hezekiah, who
said, "I shall go softly all my years" (Isa. 38:15). There is always
need of caution lest, having earned a commendation, we imprudently and
inadvertently bring upon ourselves and others unnecessary troubles.
God would have His own abstain from every appearance of evil (1 Thess.
5:22). The plans we formulate and execute may veil the true intention
of the heart, and result in misunderstandings.
Shiloh had become the headquarters of Joshua (Josh. 18:8-9). Gilgal
was the place associated with the conquest of the land (Josh. 5); it
was from his military position there that Joshua directed the invasion
of Canaan. When the conquest was assured, obviously he moved to
Shiloh, a good choice because of its central location, and from there
supervised the distribution of the territory. It was from here that
these heroic soldiers were demobilized and sent back to their
families.
A memorial marked that earlier extraordinary episode in the history of
the nation, the crossing of the Jordan. Moses had built it when first
they entered the land. Representatives of these very tribes had
carried the stones out of the river and piled them as a cairn on its
bank (Josh. 4), stones which were to be a sign to future generations.
They had carried out the instructions of the Lord, "This may be a sign
among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come,
saying, What mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them, That
the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant
of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut
off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of
Israel for ever" (vv. 6-7).
The Reubenites, the Gadites, and those from Manasseh apparently felt
that as a memorial witnessed before their posterity to the miraculous
entering into Canaan, so a memorial should also witness to their
children why they recrossed the Jordan, and why they had their
inheritance on the east side. No matter how plausible the argument for
the altar seemed, there was a great difference between the cairn of
stones and the altar as they stood on the bank of Jordan; the one was
there in obedience to the Word of God, the other because of human
reasoning and planning. Any departure from the divine will as it has
been revealed, whether by an addition to it or a subtraction from it,
must ultimately involve us in difficulties.
The intention of the two and a half tribes may have been sincere
enough, but the appearance of the altar certainly seemed to violate
the Word of God given by Moses, "And it shall be on the day when ye
shall pass over Jordan unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth
thee, . . . there shalt thou build an altar unto the LORD thy God"
(Deut. 27:1-10). Their brethren viewed it in that light. The motive
may not have been wrong, but the method was not right.
From the reading of Joshua 22:11 in the King James Version, it would
appear as if the two altars were very close together; but since the
phrase, "at the passage of the children of Israel," might also be
rendered "at the side of them" the actual position of this second
altar is not given.
This memorial of sacred appearance might easily have been a trap for
future generations instead of a witness. The brazen serpent which
brought life to many dying in Israel (Num. 21), eventually became a
snare and the people worshiped it. Good King Hezekiah destroyed it
along with other idolatrous objects when he instituted his reforms in
the nation (2 Kings 18:4).
We read that it was "a great altar to see to"; that is, to look upon.
It was large so as to attract attention. How very human! An
accomplishment by man generally results in a large celebration and
display, an ostentatious reminder of successful performance. The
classic example of this is Nebuchadnezzar and his massive image
through which he sought worship. With pride he exclaimed, "Is not this
great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the
might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty?" Even as he thus
spoke, divine judgment was decreed against him (Dan. 4:30-31). Surely,
"a man's pride shall bring him low" (Prov. 29:23). "Whosoever shall
exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall
be exalted" (Matthew 23:12).
Alarm spread quickly among the other tribes. "When the children of
Israel heard of it [the building of the altar], the whole congregation
of the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to
go up to war against them" (v. 12).
Shiloh, as we have noticed, was the center of government. Israel met
there in a general and solemn assembly. This was not a movement
resulting from mass psychology, nor was it a rash act that might burst
into mob violence. The Lord through Moses had legislated already how
apostasy was to be punished. Israel, therefore, in formal assembly
gathered for consultation and investigation. This wise and firm action
stands in vivid contrast to that of the men of Gilead who
indiscriminately slew forty-two thousand of the tribe of Ephraim
(Judg. 12). The rash words of the Ephraimites on that occasion
indubitably were provocative, but the harsh and cruel deeds of
Jephthah and his followers were not justifiable.
The Spirit of God differentiates between righteous indignation and
cruel anger and malice. Of the first He says, "Be ye angry and sin
not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath"; but of the second He
says, "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil
speaking, be put away from you, with all malice" (Eph. 4:26, 31).
The thoroughness with which the governing body of Israel, probably the
Sanhedrin, studied the matter is admirable. They conducted their
investigation according to the will of the Lord which stipulated,
should certain men arise and attempt to lead the people of their city
into idolatry: "Then shalt thou enquire and make search, and ask
diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that
such abomination is wrought among you; Thou shalt surely smite the
inhabitants of that city" (Deut. 13:12-18).
The procedure they were to follow required both caution and patience.
They were to enquire; that is, seek the answer to the difficulty. They
were to search; that is, more intensely examine the evidence for
proof. They were to ask diligently; make direct interrogations. They
were to adopt a process of justice which would lead them to a
righteous decision. Spiritual discretion and discernment will "prove
all things; hold fast that which is good" (1 Thess. 5:21). The church
at Ephesus was commended by the Lord because she "tried them which say
they are apostles, and are not, and found them liars" (Rev. 2:2). It
was the failure in the Corinthian church to practice a judicial
caution, a failure to investigate certain discrepancies, that brought
upon them the severe reproof: "Do ye not know that the saints shall
judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye
unworthy to judge the smallest matters? . . . I speak to your shame.
Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that
shall be able to judge between his brethren?" (1 Cor. 6:2-5).
This enquiry in Israel revealed certain fundamental principles which
should be observed in dealing with rumors of a detrimental nature:
consultation, representation, declaration, and recommendation. When
these are strictly adhered to, they will result either in exoneration
or condemnation.
At the solemn assembly the elders of Israel decided to make
representation to their brethren: "The children of Israel sent unto
the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half
tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, Phinehas the son of
Eleazar the priest, And with him ten princes, of each chief house a
prince throughout all the tribes of Israel" (vv. 13-14). A large
degree of wisdom is evinced in the choice of Phinehas. It was during a
sad period of apostasy that he first distinguished himself. The Lord
said concerning him: "Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron
the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel,
while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the
children of Israel in my jealousy. Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto
him my covenant of peace" (Num. 25:11-12). Their sending Phinehas was
the outcome of his forceful resistance to apostasy and the consequent
confidence this produced in the minds of his brethren. They knew that
without doubt Phinehas would maintain the honor of Jehovah's name, and
that he would defend the monotheistic testimony of the nation.
Furthermore, no more favorable choice could have been made for the two
and a half tribes. To be exonerated by so zealous an individual as
Phinehas would be a complete justification of blamelessness, and would
result in an immediate restoration of confidence and national unity.
The entire course of action proves the truth of the thrice repeated
proverb, "In the multitude of counselors there is safety" (Prov.
11:14; 15:22; 24:6).
Phinehas and the princes which accompanied him, with candor and
concern stated their suspicions of idolatry and rebellion, and from
the bitterness of national disaster at Peor presented the case from
the perspective of the tribes gathered at Shiloh. If such sins were
permitted, the entire congregation would suffer. Since "a little
leaven leaveneth the whole lump," and there were still some among them
so tainted (v. 17), all would be implicated and exposed to divine
displeasure. Had the men of Reuben, of Gad, and of half Manasseh
forgotten? "Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the
accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel?" (v.
20).
Nevertheless, with this stern reprimand of what to them seemed a
grievous error, there was a gracious recommendation for peaceful
settlement. "If the land of your possession be unclean, then pass ye
over unto the land of the possession of the LORD, wherein the LORD's
tabernacle dwelleth, and take possession among us: but rebel not
against the LORD, nor rebel against us, in building you an altar
beside the altar of the LORD our God" (v. 19). There are those who see
in this appeal an allusion to indiscretion on the part of the two and
a half tribes choosing to remain on the east of Jordan. They look upon
the altar as another instance of indiscreet action arising from a
selfish and covetous attitude.
The carrying out of the advice given by the heads of Israel might
cause considerable inconvenience, might require relocation of
territory, might result in overcrowding in some areas within the
original boundaries. Whatever a recrossing of Jordan might involve, it
would be an insignificant consideration if only the secession be
abandoned and the nation be spared. The words of the princes were
mellowed by grace and truth; they spoke the truth in love (Eph. 4:15).
Truth alone will make one too intolerant; love alone will make him too
tolerant. Where these are properly combined, they produce a maturity
that will express itself in vigor and kindness, in discernment and
sympathy, in righteousness and compassion, in stability and
flexibility. The firm yet gentle manner in which the men from Gilead
were treated probably helped them to be courteous and humble.
As there were serious internal difficulties within Israel, early in
her history, there were also internal difficulties within the Church
in her early history. The same firm and gracious principles which led
to the solution in Israel were applied in the Church. Errors in
practice, like those propagated in Antioch, led to a council at
Jerusalem where, after a careful and prayerful examination of the
difficulties under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, proper
recommendation was made to Gentile believers, a recommendation made by
capable representatives (Acts 15). The Church would have been spared
many a heartache had she followed the example set by the apostles and
elders on that occasion.
The reply and the denial of the men of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh were
characterized by simplicity and sincerity. Their appeal to the witness
of God (v. 22) as a proof of their blamelessness is forceful. In this
they employed three distinct names: El, Elohim, and Jehovah, God in
His power, in His trinitarian nature, and in His eternal essence.
Furthermore, there is a suggestion in this appeal that God alone, as
He had revealed Himself, was acknowledged by them, and that they
claimed Him as their covenant-keeping Lord. God was their witness, and
should they be prevaricating, so they asserted, then let God require
it of them, let Him not spare them.
In their repudiation of all evil intentions, they made reference to
the anxiety that had motivated their action: "For fear of this thing,
. . . In time to come your children might speak unto our children,
saying, What have we to do with the LORD God of Israel?" (v. 24).
Whether or not some in Israel had manifested an attitude that caused
them this concern is not known. It may have been the product of evil
surmisings on their own part. Many of the fears of the human heart are
self-imposed. In spite of the excellent arrangement made between Moses
and themselves (Num. 32), they may have experienced a guilt complex
over deflecting from the original plan.
Their fear was not over the attitude of their own posterity but that
of others. If they had doubts about the behavior of the descendants of
the other tribes, they seemed quite self-assured. The future history
of these two and a half tribes (1 Chron. 5:25-26) leads to the
conclusion that they had more to fear in their self-complacence then
they had in the imaginary attitude and action of others. "The heart is
deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"
(Jer. 17:9).
Apparently unconscious of self-complacence, these men from Gilead
presented their explanation with sincerity and clarity. Yes, they had
built an altar patterned after the brazen altar in the Tabernacle,
only larger. They may have thought that the pattern itself would have
been a link between them and their brethren on the west side of
Jordan. They may also have thought that in an altar of such shape,
they would have a reminder of God's demands, the demands of the one
and only true God. They may likewise have thought that its presence
would confirm in their lives, and in those of future generations, that
God could be approached only on the basis of atonement. One thing was
sure, it was not to be used for animal sacrifices. They averred their
plan: "Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for
burnt-offering, nor for sacrifice: But that it may be a witness
between us, and you, and our generations after us" (vv. 26-27).
Following their explanation they disclaimed any attempt to rebel
against the Lord, or to depart from the service of the Tabernacle at
Shiloh.
The reply of Phinehas expressed pleasure, not in that they had built
an altar, but in that they had not trespassed against the Lord, and
consequently the nation had been saved from God's wrath against
apostasy. The absence of any reference to the altar by Phinehas at
this time might be interpreted as a disapproval. It was the fact that
the two and a half tribes had not transgressed that pleased the
children of Israel when Phinehas and his associates on their return
reported the matter. A civil war to extirpate the evil from the
congregation had been averted. The joy that was Israel through this
clear understanding expressed itself in worship. "The children of
Israel blessed God." Open strife and armed conflict had been avoided,
and so praise ascended to the Lord.
"And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar
Ed: for it shall be a witness between us that the LORD is God" (v.
34). How long the altar Ed remained is not stated, but in little more
than four centuries, its witness to God was forgotten. We read: "And
they transgressed against the God of their fathers, and went a whoring
after the gods of the people of the land, whom God destroyed before
them. And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of
Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria, and he
carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half
tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara,
and to the river Gozan, unto this day" (1 Chron. 5:25-26).
Such are the good intentions of men. They do not have the strength to
implement their good resolutions. The tendency of man is downward. The
very generations for which the altar was intended despised its
testimony and plunged into idolatry. Apart from the grace and power of
God deterioration is stamped on all human plans.
A New Priest
Any scriptural reference to the believer's walk is an allusion to his
public habit of life; his walk is his manner of living before men by
whatsoever influence directs him. According to the New Testament
various powers control the walk of the child of God. He may walk after
the flesh (Rom. 8:4), and thus be directed by sensual desires; or he
may walk in darkness (1 John 1:6-7), and thus respond to ignorance.
Instead, he may walk after the Spirit (Rom. 8:4), and follow the
inward impulses of God the Holy Spirit; and he may walk by faith (2
Cor. 5:7), and live in reliance upon the Lord. Furthermore, he may
walk in light (1 John 1:6-7), and enjoy the atmosphere of purity and
holiness; and he may walk in truth (2 John 3; 3 John 4), and be guided
by divine revelation. It is true that at times he may be called upon
to walk through fire (Isa. 43:2), and experience in the trial the
presence of the Son of God as did the three Hebrew youths (Dan. 3).
The highest form of public living is a demonstration of the results of
constantly walking with the Lord. To walk with God would be to hold
communion with Him, and that communion would result in pleasing Him
personally and glorifying Him publicly.
This high plane of spiritual living apparently is a very rare
experience among men. As far as actual biblical records are concerned
only a very few men have received commendable mention in regard to
this form of intimate, enjoyable, and spiritually successful living.
The life of Enoch is summarized in these words: "Enoch walked with
God: and he was not; for God took him" (Gen. 5:24). Noah received a
similar commendation: "Noah was a just man and perfect in his
generations, and Noah walked with God" (Gen. 6:9).
David is given credit for walking before the Lord (1 Kings 3:14), but
there seems to be a difference. Walking before the Lord would involve
the ideas of walking in His presence under His scrutiny and fulfilling
His will. It lacks the thought of companionship and pleasure expressed
by the use of the preposition "with."
In Malachi 2:6, the Lord declared of a descendant of Levi, "He walked
with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity."
The prophet, in the immediate context, deplored the carnal state of
the priesthood in his day. When its incumbents should have been the
living exponents of the law, alas, such was their sin that God's curse
had descended upon them. In contrast to what they were, a reference is
made to one of their ancestors, presumably Phinehas. (Compare Numbers
25:12 with Malachi 2:5.) It is believed by many that the Lord here
recalled the zeal of Phinehas in the matter of Zimri and Cozbi (Num.
25).
Phinehas was the man who walked with God in peace and equity;
consequently, the absence of inward conflict was well reflected in the
uprightness of his behavior. In his relationship with God's people,
this man who walked with God in peace and equity was strict in
discipline and keen in discretion. In all probability he had learned
of the divine discipline that had consumed his two uncles, Nadab and
Abihu, in their sin (Lev. 10:1-7), and had been thereby warned. At any
rate, he did not hesitate to vindicate the holiness of God with a
javelin (Num. 25:7). With him the wages of sin were death.
Righteousness demanded the punishment of evil, and justice the
execution of the guilty, so in his zeal he justified the character of
God.
Phinehas was not only a severe disciplinarian, but he was a discreet
negotiator; that we saw in his plenipotentiary work for Israel as they
dealt with the two and a half tribes which made the great altar. How
true are the proverbs, "Most men will proclaim every one his own
goodness: but a faithful man who can find? The just man walketh in his
integrity: his children are blessed after him" (Prov. 20:6-7).
Phinehas was a humble and faithful man of much ability.
The name Phinehas suggests one of bold countenance; if this trait is
to be added to what has been already noticed, he was a man of courage,
peace, and uprightness. How much are men of this type needed in the
Church today! He was the third high priest of Israel in the line of
direct descent, and some historians claim that he functioned as such
for nineteen years.
While we admire zeal, it becomes necessary, notwithstanding, that we
differentiate between spiritual and carnal zeal. Phinehas drew a
javelin, and was approved of God; Peter drew a sword and in the flesh
sought to defend his Master, and suffered the Lord's rebuke (John
18:10-11).
The Book of Joshua closes with a reference to the death and burial of
Eleazar, the high priest of Joshua's day. His natural successor was
Phinehas. It is recorded, "And Israel served the LORD all the days of
Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and
which had known all the works of the LORD, that he had done for
Israel" (Josh. 24:31). Phinehas would be the high priest to these
elders. From what has been learned of his character and actions, his
influence would be beneficial.
Attention is frequently called to the progressive spiritual
deterioration evident in certain family lines. In the case of Eleazar
and his son Phinehas the opposite is obvious. Aaron, their father and
grandfather, was influenced by the people for ill (Ex. 32:19-24);
Phinehas, conversely, influenced the people for good (Josh. 22:32-34).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in Joshua
by A.W. Pink
22. Valedictory
Joshua 24:1-33
_________________________________________________________________
Shechem
Three geographic points were of vital importance to Israel during
their early years in the Land of Promise: Gilgal, Shiloh, and Shechem.
Gilgal was the military headquarters of the invasion; Shiloh, the
religious center of the people; and Shechem, the political cradle of
the nation. These might illustrate different periods in the life of a
Christian, periods not altogether consecutive, for what these
represent may transpire also concurrently. They illustrate the stages
of spiritual preparation, revitalized devotion, and progressive
consolidation.
GILGAL: This military bridgehead where Israel raised the memorial of
twelve stones was near Jericho. It was not only used as a headquarters
by Joshua in the early days; it became a center of administration some
350 years later, and was thus used by Samuel. We read, "He went forth
from year to year in a circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and
judged Israel in all these places" (1 Sam. 7:16). It was there that
Samuel anointed Saul as king (1 Sam. 10:1), and there he slew Agag (1
Sam. 15:33).
During the Israelitish invasion of the land, Gilgal was the place to
which Joshua frequently returned to reorganize his forces, to
replenish his supplies, and to strengthen his men. This place may
illustrate for us the many privileges and experiences of the child of
God in the heavenly places. "God, . . . even when we were dead in
sins, hath quickened us together with Christ,...And hath raised us up
together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus"
(Eph. 2:4-6). Israel had entered into her promised possessions by
descending into and ascending out of Jordan; Gilgal, therefore,
figuratively speaking, was the place of resurrection, illustrating the
present spiritual position of the believer as risen with Christ and
seated in heavenly places.
Gilgal was not only the place of resurrection, it was also the place
of responsibility. The enemy was near, and any apparent failure of his
strength was only temporary (Josh. 5:1). He soon mobilized his
military strength and presented a united resistance to Israel (Josh.
11:1-5).
The Christian faces an array of invisible offensive powers. "We
wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph. 6:12). We need
therefore to put on the whole armor of God and to stand and withstand
in an evil day.
The reproach of Egypt was rolled away at Gilgal for it was to the
nation a place of recovery. There Israel accepted again the sign of
the Abrahamic covenant, circumcision. This act was by the law of God
(Gen. 17:10-14; Leviticus 12:3). It became a rite so distinctive of
Israel that their oppressors tried to prevent its observance. There is
a reference in the writings of the Maccabees to this wickedness of
Antiochus Epiphanes, who decreed that every one in his realm should
forsake his former laws, as these were keeping the people apart and
from acting as one. He forbade the Jews the right to offer burnt
offerings, and sacrifices, and drink offerings, in the temple. He
decreed that they should profane the Sabbath and feast days, and that
they should also leave their children uncircumcised. It may have been
that the Egyptians did likewise, and that this humiliation was rolled
away on a national basis at Gilgal.
During the years in the wilderness, circumcision, for one cause or
another had not been practiced; it was, therefore, necessary in order
to claim the promises and presence of God in a fuller measure to
comply with His law. "Joshua made him sharp knives and circumcised the
children of Israel." According to Jewish tradition, these knives were
buried with Joshua. Some, considering the highly spiritual and typical
significance of circumcision (Deut. 10:16; Romans 2:27), make the
burying of these knives the symbolic cause of the spiritual decline
and lawlessness recorded in the Book of Judges.
SHILOH: How deeply emotions are stirred by the very mention of the
name Shiloh! This city situated east of the main road from Jerusalem
to Bethel, and about nine miles north of Bethel, was the place chosen
for the sanctuary. The religious life of the people revolved around
this center all during the years of occupation, and throughout the
days of the Judges. It was there that Israel replenished their
spiritual strength, and, so it seems, it was there that they
eventually lost it.
Since the sanctuary was at Shiloh, God's people resorted there to
enjoy His presence; the godly Elkanah "went up out of his city yearly
to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh" (1 Sam.
1:3). Furthermore, in the early days of national life with its
difficulties, it was there that Israel sought the mind of the Lord
(Josh. 22). As has been suggested, it may have been at Shiloh that
Joshua addressed the elders, heads, judges, and officers of the nation
as he anticipated his departure from them (Josh. 23:1).
Young Samuel was given to the Lord at Shiloh, and served Him there in
his youth; his prophetic ministry actually began there.
Apparently the ark was taken there shortly after the occupation of the
land by Israel, and it remained there until it was carried into the
camp of Israel from whence it was captured by the Philistines. Eli's
wicked sons lived at Shiloh and by their deeds profaned the place
where the Lord had put His name.
Excavations by archaeologists at the site of Shiloh sustain the
contention that at the time the Philistines captured the ark, they
destroyed the city and the sanctuary. Such evidence explains why the
ark, when returned to Israel, was not set up at Shiloh. This
destruction of Shiloh, while probably carried out by the Philistines,
was the disciplinary act of God because of the sin and declension of
His people. Of this the Psalmist wrote centuries later, "When God
heard this, he was wroth and greatly abhorred Israel: So that he
forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men;
And delivered his strength into captivity and his glory into the
enemy's hand" (Ps. 78:59-61).
The Word of the Lord through Jeremiah recalled the spiritual departure
which characterized Israel in the early days of Samuel, the weakness
of Eli, the gross sins of his sons, and the consequent judgment of God
upon the nation at large and upon the place of the ark and the
tabernacle, Shiloh. Furthermore, in this way the Lord draws a
parallelism with conditions in Jeremiah's day, and refers to the
destruction of Shiloh as a warning of impending doom (Jer. 7:12-15;
26:6-7).
Shiloh was indeed the spiritual pivot of national life. God's grace,
guidance, and power had all been manifested there. The devout of the
people had made pilgrimages to the sacred city, and their leaders had
received indications of divine purposes at the sanctuary within its
area; but, alas, there had been at Shiloh so great a departure from
God, that seven centuries later, it was remembered and used to warn
God's apostate people.
Similar spiritual conditions, with the corresponding punishment, have
been seen in the lives of more than one professed believer. Where
grace has been abundantly bestowed, responsibility is increased; where
this responsibility is not assumed in all humility, where indolence
and neglect result in a conformity to the things of this present evil
age, nothing can be expected but acts of divine displeasure.
SHECHEM: This ancient city was situated on the floor of a valley near
its entrance, Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal forming the respective
walls. The contour of the land resulted in a natural amphitheater, the
acoustics of which were so good that the human voice carried to
exceptional distances. Shechem was not only the geographic center of
Canaan; it was in some respects the moral heart of the nation. It was
at this city that Abraham built the first altar to the Lord within the
land, and it was here that God appeared to him, and promised, "Unto
thy seed will I give this land" (Gen. 12:7).
Near this same city the patriarch Jacob purchased a field (Gen.
33:18-20), and settled there for a while on his return to his father's
home. His two sons, Simeon and Levi, displayed their subtlety and
cruelty here, acts which forced him to withdraw in shame and fear from
the area.
Not only had the two great patriarchs of the nation been there but the
nation itself had previously visited this vicinity. Joshua, after
final victory at Ai and in compliance with the prediction of Moses, in
faith called the nation together. As they stood, six tribes on Mount
Gerizim and six tribes on Mount Ebal, he raised a cairn of stones,
upon the plaster of which he wrote the law. Moreover, he read to the
nation the curses and the blessings of the law to which the nation
replied, "Amen." In that manner he renewed the covenant of God with
Israel.
Now at the close of his full and active life, Joshua calls all the
tribes back again to Shechem, to present themselves there before the
Lord.
It may have been that the gathering together of the representatives of
the nation at Shiloh was a regular administrative council and that he
took that occasion to address himself to the national leaders; but the
mighty convocation gathered before God at Shechem was extraordinary.
Thirty years before, the same people had gathered in the same place in
order to renew their covenant with God; they now gather to say
farewell to the talented and noble leader, and to listen to his last
words of encouragement and admonition.
A mental picture of Joshua addressing the tribes of Israel positioned
on the slopes of Gerizim and Ebal suggests similar scenes. One is
reminded thereby of aged and grieved Samuel, disappointed by the
behavior of his own sons, and displeased by the desires of Israel for
a king, standing among the elders of the nation praying to the Lord on
their behalf, and repeating in their hearing the divine message of God
to them (1 Sam. 8:1-10).
A New Testament scene in like manner comes to mind. Peter, an aged
apostle, sitting in a room away in the city of Babylon, dictating a
letter to the churches of the saints, passes on to their younger
leaders the commission which he had himself received from the Lord:
"Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight
thereof" (1 Pet. 5).
Joshua was a soldier and an administrator; Samuel a judge and a
prophet; and Peter a servant and an apostle of the Lord Jesus; but all
had one burden in common: the welfare of the people of God. In
Joshua's case the opposing influence was mostly external; in Samuel's
case, it was mostly internal; but, in the case of Peter the adverse
influences were both external and internal.
The voice of Joshua that resounded throughout the valley and over the
slopes of Gerizim and Ebal was not the last to be heard in the great
amphitheater. Jotham stood on the top of Gerizim and told his parable
to the men of Shechem. His attitude was one of defiance and fear, for
we read, "And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt
there, for fear of Abimelech his brother" (Judg. 9:21). In the case of
Joshua at Shechem there is dependence upon God, not defiance; there is
quietness, not fear; there is authority, not weakness; there is clear
instruction, not parabolism. With authority "Joshua gathered all the
tribes of Israel to Shechem . . . they presented themselves before
God" (Josh. 24:1). Oh, that Israel had remained submissive to divine
authority, and receptive to the Word of God! This they were throughout
the period of the elders that overlived Joshua (Josh. 24:31); but
lawlessness and idolatry invaded their hearts. We read, consequently,
"There was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right
in his own eyes" (Judg. 17:6; 21:25). Hope for a theocracy in the
nation vanished with the up-surging disregard of authority and the
disrespect of divine revelation.
The Church of God might well learn from the sad history recorded in
the Book of Judges. Departure resulted in discipline; reprobation in
partial recovery. In spite of the deterrents placed in the way, the
decline was progressive until Eli's daughter-in-law exclaimed, "The
glory is departed from Israel!" The Lord apparently withdrew His
presence and allowed His people to suffer the consequence of their own
folly. In this Laodicean period of the Church's history when the Lord
seems to be on the outside, on the outside appealing to the
individual, oh, that wills might be brought into subjection to
divinely constituted authority, and hearts made receptive to the
Scriptures of Truth!
There is a belief among some Christians that the gifts of the apostles
and prophets have forever passed away, and that these gifts have no
important influence upon the Church of God today. True, the persons
who were the embodiments of those gifts have gone home to Glory and,
unlike the other three public gifts--the evangelist, the pastor, and
the teacher--these were not transferable from one generation to
another. When a great evangelist dies, God raises up another; when a
pastor or teacher passes away, these gifts are entrusted to other
persons. This was not so with the two important gifts, the apostle and
the prophet. These men in the early Church were fitted for a special
ministry, and when that ministry was fulfilled, they were removed and
not replaced. Undoubtedly, there is a succession of evangelists,
pastors, and teachers; certainly not of apostles and prophets.
While this is true, we must maintain a proper and scriptural
perspective. The apostles themselves have passed to their eternal
reward, but we have their authoritative writings. In these writings we
still hear the apostles speaking with a power which was invested in
them exclusively. No man today possesses the authority of, say, the
Apostle Paul. Only such an one could write to the church of God at
Corinth and say, "What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod [a
scepter of authority], or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?" (1
Cor. 4:21). The divine authority conferred upon Paul (and of course
the same is true of all the other apostles) ended with his death.
In contrast to the temporary investment of the persons, the sacred
Writings given by inspiration through them possess a permanent
authority. "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man:
but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (2
Pet. 1:21). The words of the New Testament possess for the Church of
God today all the authority of faraway apostolic times.
There are four important verbs used in apostolic writings which
emphasize the divine authority of the New Testament Scriptures. These
are: "to command," "to charge," "to ordain," and "to will." There, no
doubt, are others, but these will suffice for our present
consideration. These verbs do not all possess the same force and
power: in fact, their power seems to decrease in the order in which
they have been listed. "To command" is to demand obedience. This verb
is used in connection with the words of Christ and with the words of
His apostles. Both Paul and Peter use it. Paul's commands are given in
connection with domestic affairs (1 Cor. 7:10); public ministry (1
Cor. 14:37); church fellowship (Col. 4:10); and personal holiness and
behavior (1 Thess. 4:2). Peter uses it in relation to the entire
ministry of all the apostles (2 Pet. 3:2).
The attitude of lawlessness so prevalent in the world frequently
infiltrates the congregations of the Lord's people. Such a spirit
resents authority and refuses all commands. While the verb "to charge"
is weaker than the previous one, nevertheless, it imposes
responsibility. Paul not only did this himself, but he authorized
Timothy to do likewise. Paul charged the elders at Thessalonica to
read his epistle to the entire church (1 Thess. 5:27). He charged
Timothy to observe the instruction concerning the qualifications of
elders (1 Tim. 5:21); to keep the divine command relative to moral
standards (1 Tim. 6:13-14); and to perform the ministry that he had
received from the Lord (2 Tim. 4:1).
"To ordain" suggests the making of an appointment or arrangement with
some authority. The idea of ordaining or appointing was used by the
Lord, by His apostles, and by certain apostolic delegates. Paul used
this verb in regard to marital relationships (1 Cor. 7:17), certain
abuses existing within the church at Corinth (1 Cor. 11:34), and
overseers (Titus 1:5). It was also used by Paul and Barnabas at
Galatia (Acts 14:23), and by the elders and apostles at Jerusalem in
connection with Christian liberty (Acts 16:4).
The last verb suggested, "to will," while being the weakest of the
four, expresses the idea of a preference made by conviction. Paul thus
uses the word asserting that the males should pray publicly (1 Tim.
2:8); that younger women should marry (1 Tim. 5:14); and that
believers should maintain good works (Titus 3:8).
Jesus marveled at the humility of the Roman centurion who said, "I
also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say
unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and
to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it" (Luke 7:8). While possessing
authority to command others, he himself was under superior authority.
In reading the New Testament, we must ever remember that while the
apostles with authority commanded, charged, ordained, and willed, they
were under the supreme authority of Christ. As the authority of the
Roman centurion, an officer over one hundred men, was only the
expression of the authority of his general; even so, divine authority
expressed in the writings of these holy men is but the transmission
through them of the absolute authority of the risen Christ and Lord,
the supreme authority to be obeyed.
May the Lord's beloved people learn from the history of the nation of
Israel that "to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the
fat of rams" (1 Sam. 15:22).
Joshua's Review of Israel's History
We are not much concerned with the actual mechanics of this meeting at
Shechem. Whether Joshua was able to make himself heard, or whether he
relayed his message to each tribe through an elder, is not important
for our purpose. The acoustics of the valley are reputedly good, and
it is wonderful what the human voice accomplishes under favorable
circumstances. Benjamin Franklin asserts that on one occasion, with
ease and comfort, he listened to George Whitefield preach in the open
air to an estimated crowd of twenty thousand persons.
Our primary concern is with the speaker himself. His first words are
very important, for they indicate the actual source of the message. We
allude frequently to this chapter as being Joshua's valedictory
speech, but literally this was a direct word from God. "Joshua said
unto the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel." This great
national leader was only a mouthpiece for God.
One recalls the timidity of Joshua's predecessor, Moses, and his
acknowledgment of inability to speak in public: "O my Lord, I am not
eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy
servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the LORD
said unto him. Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or
deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? Now therefore
go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say"
(Ex. 4:10-12).
Forty years before, Moses had learned how ineffective were his
persuasive powers. He no doubt recalled the challenge of his fellow
Hebrew, "Who made thee a prince and a judge over us?" (Ex. 2:14).
Moses had learned the futility of human endeavor exerted without
divine sanction. How gracious the Lord was with His servant! He, first
of all, assured him that all the functions and capabilities of the
human senses: speech, sight, and hearing, were fully known to Him,
their Creator. He was not, therefore, assigning to Moses an
unreasonable task. In second place, He allayed the fears which beset
Moses' heart, stating, "I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what
thou shalt say." Joshua in all probability did not have such an
experience of fear and timidity. From the opening words of his speech
we learn he knew that God was merely using him as a mouthpiece to
accomplish His own purpose. Moses was possessed by a feeling of
inability; Jeremiah with a sense of immaturity. Said Jeremiah, "Ah,
Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child" (Jer. 1:6).
Although probably forty-five years of age, Jeremiah lamented his
limitations and inexperience.
In the case of Moses the ability apparently already existed, but
required stirring. Moses was encouraged to use what God had already
given him. In the case of Jeremiah the Lord put forth his hand, and
touched his mouth, and said, "Behold, I have put my words in thy
mouth" (Jer. 1:9). Here a divine impartation seems to be implied.
Similar language is used in connection with Daniel, who had gone
through such an experience that his mouth was closed, his lips sealed.
Daniel records, "Behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men
touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake" (Dan. 10:16).
Whether in the servant of the Lord it is as in the case of Moses, the
sanctification of some latent ability; or, as in the case of Jeremiah,
the endowment of special powers; or, as in the case of Daniel, the
recovery of lost capabilities; one and all must result from divine
intervention and imposition. It was only when so fitted that a prophet
could write, "Thus saith the LORD." Furthermore, it was only after
such an experience from the Lord that the Apostle Paul could write, "I
command, yet not I, but the Lord" (1 Cor. 7:10).
If it were necessary that these holy men of old needed the divine
touch upon their lips and personalities, how much greater is the
requirement today! "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of
God" (1 Pet. 4:11). The Old Testament Scriptures are called the
oracles of God (Acts 7:38; Romans 3:2), and without doubt the New
Testament may thus be described; it is referred to as a sacred writing
(2 Pet. 3:16). Men who profess to be servants of Christ today must
speak in perfect accord with what has already been written in that
which is acknowledged as "the oracles of God." There is an imperative
need in the Church for men who like Joshua can face the congregation
of the Lord and solemnly assert, "Thus saith the Lord GOD."
Joshua, like many of the great orators of Israel, began his speech
with a review of national history: Israel's divine call, preservation,
establishment, and hope. Moses reviewed their history as he
anticipated their entrance into the land of promise, and he did so to
impress upon them the grace of God that had elevated them from a very
lowly origin (Deut. 26). Here Joshua follows this usual method, but
does so to manifest God's determined intention to firmly implant
Israel as a nation in Canaan. The Psalmist in like manner examines the
details of national history for the proof of divine immutability in
the fulfilling of the covenants made by God to His people (Ps. 78). In
the days of Nehemiah a great and holy convocation met for the reading
of the law and for prayer. At that time the entire history of the
nation was considered from its beginning to demonstrate the mercy of
God. Israel had declined and had departed from the Lord and because of
this spiritual and moral defection had endured His discipline. As a
nation His people were obliged to confess, "Nevertheless for thy great
mercies' sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them;
for thou art a gracious and merciful God" (Nehemiah 9:31). It would be
difficult to think of the history of Israel without recalling
Stephen's brilliant address before the Sanhedrin, an address through
which the accused became the judge, and the judges became the accused.
Stephen surveyed the different stages of the national story from its
earliest days to indicate the rebellious spirit against the Lord that
had always characterized Israel, a rebellion that had reached its
climax in the rejection and crucifixion of the Messiah (Acts 7). What
tremendous lessons may be learned from history: lessons of God's
faithfulness, lessons of man's complete failure!
The many activities of the Lord since the beginning of His dealings
with Israel are here set down in order. Such clauses as the following
prove the power of God to accomplish what He had intended: "I took,"
"I gave," "I sent," "I brought," "I have brought," "I have done," and
"I destroyed."
When Pharaoh and his taskmasters increased the burdens of the
Israelites and made them serve under greater rigor, God made promise
to His people saying, "I am the LORD, and I will bring you out," "I
will rid you out," "I will redeem you," "I will take you to me," "I
will be with you," "I will bring you in" (Ex. 6:6-8). God is not using
here the simple future of our grammar; these promises are
predetermined by the sovereign fiat of God. Through Joshua God is
asserting that what He purposed to do for the nation, He has done.
Israel now possessed the land of Canaan, not because of their own
strength, nor because of wise leadership. The Lord claims the credit
of the mighty accomplishment for Himself. "I brought you into the land
of the Amorite, . . . I gave them into your hands. . . . I destroyed
them before you."
A contrast is seen between the words of Jethro to Moses and those of
the Apostle Paul. Said Jethro, "Thou art not able to perform it
thyself alone" (Ex. 18:18). The Apostle wrote of Abraham's attitude
toward the Lord, that he was fully persuaded "what he [God] had
promised, he was able also to perform" (Rom. 4:21). All this
illustrates what Paul had in mind when he wrote to the Philippians,
"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good
work in you [ten years previously] will perform it until the day of
Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6).
In this review of their history the Lord refers to their call in
Abraham and his descendants, their redemption at the Red Sea, their
preservation in the wilderness, and their inheritance of the land.
The purpose of God in directing their minds to their ancestor Abraham,
whom He had called from a land of idolatry, was to remind them of His
abhorrence of this wickedness, and that, in the separation of their
forefathers from such an environment and from such a practice, they
were to consider themselves separate from it as well. "Your fathers
dwelt on the other side of the flood [beyond the river Euphrates] . .
. and they served other gods." They who thus sat in darkness saw a
great light. Stephen says, "The God of glory appeared unto our father
Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran" (Acts
7:2). The conversion of Abraham from polytheism to monotheism was
complete. The former idolater became a worshipper of the only true and
living God. He left Ur of the Chaldees, a great political and
religious center in which Sin, the moon-god, was worshipped, to look
for "a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God."
During his pilgrimage between these two cities, God led him through a
land in which he was a stranger, and gave him Isaac. And to Isaac, God
gave Jacob, and multiplied his seed. Thus the foundation of the nation
was laid in God's calling of Abraham, and in His gift of Isaac and
Jacob. There was nothing here that happened by chance; all was
according to the sovereign will of God.
Many events in Israel's history are not referred to in this address;
it is the high points only that the Lord would employ in the farewell
of Joshua.
God plagued Egypt through the hands of Moses and Aaron. Here again the
Lord reminds His people of His disdain for the gods of the heathen;
these are the evidence of departure from Himself. "Professing
themselves to be wise, they [men] became fools, And changed the glory
of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man,
and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things" (Rom.
1:22-23). Part of Moses' message in regard to the Passover was,
"Against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD"
(Ex. 12:12). The objects venerated by Israel's oppressors fell under
the judgment of God; He destroyed them one by one. Since idolatry was
a snare into which Israel might fall, she would not be seduced without
warning; she would know God's concept of this grave sin, and his
hateful judgment upon it. The last word of the speaker in this
connection refers to the overthrow of the idolaters, and possibly
their deified king, Pharaoh. "When they [Israel] cried unto the LORD,
He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea
upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done
in Egypt" (Josh. 24:7).
Almost every object was considered the habitation of some spirit;
consequently, reptiles, insects, animals, birds, and humans became
deities in the life of the Egyptians. They considered many of their
pharaohs as the incarnation of one of their favorite gods. "Upon their
gods also the LORD executed judgments" (Num. 33:4).
The many years spent in the wilderness are passed over in silence. The
Lord is not narrating the events of human failure, "the provocation in
the wilderness." He, rather, is stating His own glorious exploits. In
Hebrews chapter 11 much of the sin and failure in the lives of the
heroes of faith is eliminated in order to magnify the grace of God in
responding to their confidence in Him; but here the deletions are to
demonstrate the mighty power of God in the important events of
history.
The next reminiscence is that of the defeat of the Amorites and the
experience with Balak, king of Moab, and Balaam. What is recorded in
the Book of Numbers, chapters 22 to 24, might not be considered as war
by some. But God declares, "Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab,
arose and warred against Israel." There are different methods of
conducting a war. We are well acquainted with the expression "the cold
war," which in reality is a war on the nerves of the opponent rather
than against his military force. Balak's strategy was the use of
divination by means of demon power. In the law, God insisted, "There
shall not be found among you any one . . . that useth divinations, or
an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a
consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer" (Deut.
18:10-11). These were the very means which Balak tried to employ
against Israel. The Lord through Joshua says, "I delivered you out of
his hand."
The closing part of Joshua's review of their past treats the crossing
into the land of promise and the resistance they encountered at that
time. The entire confederacy of seven nations is mentioned, not only
to remind them of the forces of opposition they had faced, but to
prove again that not with their own accoutrements had they gotten the
victory. How true the assertion of Joshua at his earlier meeting with
the representatives of the people, "Ye have seen all that the LORD
your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the LORD
your God is he that hath fought for you" (Josh. 23:3).
What an encouragement for the Christian! A great array of enemies
would hinder him in the enjoyment of his inheritance in Christ. There
are principalities and powers, the rulers of the darkness, and
spiritual wickedness (Eph. 6:12) to hamper his progress. Israel armed
herself with obedience and faith and followed the instructions of the
Lord: with the result that God delivered these enemies in Canaan into
her hand: she relied upon the power of God's might, not upon her army
and strategy.
In the struggle against opposing powers in heavenly places, those
powers would rob the Christian of his spiritual possessions. May he,
yea all of us, be strong in the power of God's might, and put on the
armor He has graciously provided, every whit of which speaks of our
blessed Lord Jesus, Christ-imputed and Christ-imparted. Let us ever
remember that we have an adversary the devil as a roaring lion walking
about seeking whom he may devour. We are enjoined to resist him
steadfastly (1 Pet. 5:8-9), and if we do, God affirms, "Resist the
devil, and he will flee from you" (Jam. 4:7).
The hornets to which Joshua refers were one of the means the Lord
employed in this fierce combat against the Canaanites. There are
different viewpoints in regard to these. Some Bible students believe
that the hornets may have been literal plagues of stinging creatures,
of which there seem to be different species in Palestine. It is
believed that these scourges infested certain areas and attacked the
Canaanites. If we are to accept them as literal, then we must also
believe that the Lord wrought a miracle in protecting the people of
Israel from similar attacks.
There are other Bible students, equally careful in their exegesis, who
believe that the reference here and in Exodus 23:28 and Deuteronomy
7:20, is to figurative hornets; that the Lord is referring
metaphorically to the stinging terrors which gripped the Canaanites as
they watched the advance of the children of Israel into their
territories. The promise of the Lord in the Exodus passage would
rather substantiate this contention: "I will send my fear before thee,
and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, . . . I will
send hornets before thee."
God fulfilled His prediction. He drove out the Canaanite. Whether by
literal hornets or merely figurative ones is not too important; His
was the victory.
The final statement in this immediate context suggests to the reader
the words of Jeremiah: "Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man
glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might,
let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth
glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the
LORD which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in
the earth" (Jer. 9:23-24). Israel could not boast of her prowess; she
could not correctly speak of her conquest of the land; but she could
glory in her God who gave her richly all these things to enjoy: a
beautiful country, established cities, and fruit-bearing vines and
olive trees which they had never cultivated.
Joshua's Exhortation
The Apostle Paul generally in the first part of his epistles teaches
doctrine, and, then, in the second part exhorts to corresponding
duties. He first gives the reason for Christian conduct, and then
logically insists upon commendable behavior. There is something
similar here, not that Joshua was teaching doctrine, but he was
reviewing the grace and goodness of God throughout their past in order
to appeal to the hearts of the people for an attitude of holiness,
fear, and love toward God.
Nothing moves the heart, and therefore the will, like recollections of
the grace of God in hours of need, like the guidance of the Lord in
difficulties, the power of God in victories, and the patience of God
in periods of weakness and temptation. These in themselves are
sufficient to produce a response to the claims of God upon us.
The Spirit of God makes an entreaty to the saints at Rome, and, of
course, likewise to us. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the
mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Rom. 12:1).
This appeal rests upon the tracings of the mercies of God in the
earlier chapters. In these it is demonstrated how patiently and
mercifully God deals with man who has come short of glorifying Him,
and how He so changes this unregenerate man and eventually glorifies
him. Man, who fails, because of his depravity, to glorify God, by God
in His mercy is ultimately glorified. What tender mercies! Well might
the Spirit, on the ground of the grace that justifies and glorifies,
appeal for unreserved devotion and sacrificial living for the Lord.
Through Joshua the Lord in like manner entreats Israel on the ground
of His wonderful accomplishments and benevolence.
The appeal of Joshua was primarily against idolatry. Obviously he had
reason to fear further and deeper defection. Among them there were
some who venerated the gods which Abraham once served on the other
side of the Euphrates, some who still worshipped the gods of the
Egyptians, and some who seemed very susceptible to the worship of the
gods of the Canaanites. The leaven of pagan idolatry was already at
work.
One cannot think of this appeal by Joshua without recalling the
earnest pleadings of Elijah some centuries later: "How long halt ye
between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him. . . . And the
people answered him not a word" (1 Kings 18:21). It was only after the
dramatic proof that Baal was nonexistent, and that the Lord was indeed
the living and true God, that the people fell on their faces, and
said, "The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God" (1 Kings
18:21-39).
Until the seventy years' captivity in Babylon, the inclination on the
part of Israel, and of Judah as well, was toward idolatry. Since then
the house has been swept and garnished, but in the future days of the
antichrist, this evil will return with sevenfold intensity, and the
last state will be worse than the first (Matthew 12:43-45). Thank God,
the day will come when under the benign rule of the true Messiah,
Ephraim shall say, "What have I to do any more with idols? I have
heard him, and observed him" (Hos. 14:8).
The aged Apostle John knew the tendencies of the human heart to depart
from the living God. He closes his first epistle with the exhortation,
"Little children, keep yourselves from idols." There is not the danger
of a Christian indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God falling into the
wicked practices of heathen worship; but there is the danger of his
esteeming altogether too highly some much-liked object, and allowing
it a place in his affections which the Lord asks for Himself alone. As
Israel was admonished to put away all strange gods, and to fear and
serve the Lord alone, so the Christian is responsible to rid from his
heart all carnal idolatrous love; to keep himself from idols (1 John
5:21), and to keep himself in the love of God, looking for the mercy
of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life (Jude 21).
With the background of a national weakness and a propensity toward
idolatry, Joshua avers his own determination. "Choose you this day
whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that
were on the other side of the flood [beyond the Euphrates], or the
gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my
house, we will serve the LORD" (Josh. 24:15). These were words of
knowledge and wisdom. Joshua knew the futility and degeneracy of
idolatry, and, furthermore, he knew the reality and supremacy of God.
Observation and experience fully equipped him to so challenge the
nation. Idolatry was obnoxious to him, but God was very personal and
true.
That the whole nation felt the impact of these words is obvious in
their reply. They were also to feel the force of other charges by
Joshua before they were finally dismissed. To this challenge based
upon the reality of God, "The people answered and said, God forbid
that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods; . . . therefore
will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God" (vv. 16-18). How
little they knew of the wickedness of their own hearts! They would be
influenced for good throughout their own generation by the example and
power of Joshua. Consequently we read, "Israel served the LORD all the
days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that over-lived Joshua"
(v. 31). Notwithstanding, we read of a sad change: "And also all that
generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another
generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works
which he had done for Israel" (Judg. 2:10).
How miserably that first generation had failed! Had they served the
Lord, had they obeyed the command of Moses, such dreadful ignorance
would not have prevailed. Before Israel had crossed the frontier of
Canaan Moses had said, "Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul
diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen,
and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but
teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons; . . . The LORD said . . .
Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words,
that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon
the earth, and that they may teach their children" (Deut. 4:9-10).
Joshua received their reply, but such was his knowledge of this
insidious evil that he declared the infinite holiness of God and the
sure and dire consequence of their sin. God would not forgive "the
great transgression," as David called idolatry. To indulge further in
this evil would only result in the severest possible divine
punishment. For presumptuous sin there would be no remedy.
This solemn assertion of divine holiness might well be thoughtfully
considered. "The LORD . . . he is an holy God; he is a jealous God"
(v. 19). The Apostle Peter made an impressive appeal to the strangers
of the dispersion, and, of course, makes it also to us: "As he which
hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation
[mode of living]; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth
according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here
in fear" (1 Pet. 1:15-17).
The second reply of the people reveals how vain they were in
themselves and, at the same time, how ignorant they were of the true
character of God. The words of the Decalogue had not deeply impressed
them. "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I
the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the
fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation" (Ex.
20:5).
The words of Joshua on this occasion remind one of the words of Paul
to the Corinthians as he draws lessons from the behavior of Israel in
the wilderness. He describes how many of them fell under the
disciplinary hand of God because of sin, and asserts, "Now all these
things happened unto them for ensamples," and then gives the word of
warning, "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest
he fall." That is, let him be careful lest he too fall under divine
discipline. The congregation gathered before Joshua thought that it
stood well, but their leader knew them thoroughly, and for them he
feared lest eventually they too would fall under punitive measures by
the Lord.
There had been a time in the life of their forefather Jacob when he
said unto his household, "Put away the strange gods that are among
you, and be clean, and change your garments: And let us arise, and go
up to Bethel: and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me
in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.
And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their
hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid
them under the oak which was by Shechem" (Gen. 35:2-4).
On this occasion his descendants did not follow the example of Jacob.
There was no such practical response to the appeals, warnings, and
admonitions of Joshua. He therefore took them at their word, and made
a covenant that day. Alas for their self-confidence! It has been
pointed out that Joshua actually made a covenant for the people rather
than with the people. What he wrote in the Book of the Law is not
certain, but one might assume that he recorded the proceedings of the
day: the instructions, entreaties, and warnings, as well as the bold
answers of the people. Moreover, he set up a stone as a witness of all
the transactions of the convocation.
This means of preserving the evidence of an agreement was very common
in patriarchal times. Jacob used a heap of stones to mark the
arrangement between himself and his uncle Laban (Gen. 31:43-55). We
have noticed in chapter 22 that the tribes of Reuben and Gad erected
an altar as a witness between themselves and the other tribes. Here
Joshua uses a great stone as the evidence of the promise of Israel to
God.
It is rather interesting to notice that the first time we see Joshua
in service with Moses was during the battle with Amalek. At the close
of the conflict we read, "And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for
a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I
will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And
Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi" (Ex.
17:14-15). The public service of this remarkable soldier and
administrator closes, as it had opened, with the keeping of factual
records and the sealing of these by a permanent witness in stone.
Throughout the life and service of Joshua the influence of Moses may
be traced. Typically there are some contrasts. Moses represents the
law which cannot give the believer that liberty in Christ that is his
through faith; Joshua typifies our Lord Jesus in whom we are seated in
heavenly places and through whom we enter into our inheritance.
Notwithstanding, as historical characters, we see how the elder
influenced the younger. Joshua, like his worthy predecessor, was a
very humble man; he sought little for himself; he was a faithful man
and executed the will of God as he understood it; and he trusted the
Lord implicitly. Furthermore, like Moses, he kept records, and made
covenants, and used means to permanently fix these in the minds of the
people. It would seem that God fits a younger man through association
with an older one. This is seen in the case of Timothy. The Apostle
Paul wrote to him saying, "Hold fast the form of sound words, which
thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus" (2
Tim. 1:13). "Continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and
hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them" (2 Tim.
3:14).
The work for which Joshua was so well trained and equipped, the
service which he endeavored to do in faithfulness for God, had come to
an end. "So Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his own
inheritance."
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Gleanings in Joshua
by A.W. Pink
23. In Memoriam
_________________________________________________________________
There have been various conjectures as to what Joshua wrote in the
Book of the Law of God. Some assume that he added the book that bears
his name to those already prepared by Moses, and that the Book of
Joshua forms a necessary link between the Pentateuch and the
historical books of the Old Testament. In one sense at least, it is
the complement to the Pentateuch, for it demonstrates the power of God
to bring the children of Israel into the land as He had promised when
He brought them out of Egypt. This Book of Joshua received divine
endorsement through the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews. There is
in that epistle a direct reference to Joshua himself (Josh. 4:8), and
another to the history recorded in his writings (Josh. 11:30-31).
It seems logical that Joshua be considered the author of this work.
Many military leaders and many governors have sketched for future
generations the events and details of battles in which they had
directed the main movements. Nevertheless, there is some reasonable
doubt as to his writing the entire book on the occasion referred to in
this the last chapter. The amassing of all the details, the organizing
of the material, and the compilation would require much more time. It
could have been commenced at Shechem and completed after Joshua
reached his home. This work of history could have been the last
service he performed for the Lord and his beloved people.
Because of his character and service, Moses, the servant of the Lord,
earned for himself the distinctive title, "Moses the man of God" (Ps.
90). Joshua in like manner seems to have earned the appellation, "the
servant of the LORD" (Josh. 24:29; Judges 2:8). Both of these
remarkable men had lived a God-centered life. In fact, the Lord was
the circumference as well as the center; He controlled the entire area
of daily experiences. In language similar to that of the Apostle Paul,
both of them could have said, "Be ye followers of me, even as I also
am a follower of the Lord."
Obviously, the closing two paragraphs of the book were not written by
the hero. Who appended the account of Joshua's death and burial we do
not know, but they seem a necessary close to the work.
In his death he was ten years younger than his predecessor, Moses; but
of Moses at the time of his death it is written, "His eye was not dim,
nor his natural force abated" (Deut. 34:7). But of Joshua it is
recorded, "Joshua waxed old and stricken in age" (Josh. 23:1). Whether
the Lord preserves a man in a miraculous way, as in the case of Moses,
until his service is completed; or whether He allows nature to take
its course, as in the case of Joshua, is entirely within His own
wisdom and power. May we learn to say, as suggested by James, "Ye
ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that"
(Jam. 4:15).
It was a sad day when the nation gathered to honor and bury their
great warrior governor. They gathered in the city which he had asked
and which they had given him according to the word of the Lord (Josh.
19:50). We have noticed the influence that Joshua had wielded during
his lifetime; it is gratifying to notice also that the beneficial
influence remained upon that generation. "Blessed are the dead which
die in the Lord from henceforth; yea, saith the Spirit . . . that they
may rest from their labors." "Surely . . . the righteous shall be had
in everlasting remembrance." That Joshua should have been honored by
the nation, and that the people he had taught, and before whom he had
been such an example, should have walked in the ways of the Lord, all
will agree. But do all practice this proper attitude? There are
leaders among the congregations of the saints today. Do we revere
their name, and do we emulate their exemplary lives? The writer to the
Hebrews admonishes to remember the leaders of the past as well as
those of the present: "Remember them which have the rule over you, who
have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering
the end of their conversation." "Obey them that have the rule over
you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they
that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with
grief: for that is unprofitable for you" (Heb. 13:7 and 17).
Two other burials are mentioned here: that of Joseph and that of
Eleazar. Joseph died in Egypt, but under oath the children of Israel
arranged to carry his bones with them when they left Egypt. Joseph did
not want to remain in a permanent grave until his people had a
permanent rest in the land of promise. His final resting place was in
the area where his father Jacob had bought a property from Shechem's
father for an hundred pieces of money (Gen. 33:19-20), and where Jacob
built an altar after his return to the land from Haran.
It is assumed by many that the bones of Joseph were buried much
earlier than the time covered by this chapter, probably at the time of
the renewing of the covenant mentioned in Genesis 8:30-35. They were
laid to rest near to the place where his grandfather Abraham first
entered the land, and where he built his first altar, and where God
appeared to him--the place of Shechem and Moreh.
The other burial mentioned is that of the high priest Eleazar. He had
succeeded to the office on the death of his father Aaron, and had been
very closely associated with Joshua during the conquest of the land
and the administration of the tribes. In fact, he had conducted the
inaugural ceremony for Joshua. Furthermore, he had assisted Joshua in
the division of the land among the tribes. Scripture is silent as to
the time of his death. Josephus, the Jewish historian, says that he
died about the same time as did Joshua.
The account of the burial of these three wonderful leaders forms a
very befitting close to this Book of Joshua. One by one they had
served their generation and had fallen asleep, but their very names
direct the attention to the One who remains forever. The name Joshua
means "Jehovah is salvation"; Joseph, "Jehovah may add"; Eleazar, "God
is help." History is ever in the making; times change as do conditions
and people. Amidst all that is mutable, how stabilizing and
strengthening to know that there is One who never changes, and to hear
His own word, "I Jehovah change not" (Mal. 3:6), and the New Testament
revelation, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever"
(Heb. 13:8).
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Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 1: Excellencies Which
Pertain to the Godhead as God
1. The Solitariness of God
Perhaps The Title of the chapter is not sufficiently explicit to
indicate its theme. This is partly because so few are accustomed to
meditate upon the personal perfections of God. Comparatively few who
occasionally read the Bible are aware of the awe-inspiring and
worship-provoking grandeur of the divine character. That God is great
in wisdom, wondrous in power, yet full of mercy is assumed by many as
common knowledge. But to entertain anything approaching an adequate
conception of His being, nature, and attributes, as revealed in the
Scripture, is something which very few people in these degenerate
times have done. God is solitary in His excellency. "Who is like unto
Thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like Thee, glorious in holiness,
fearful in praises, doing wonders?" (Ex. 15:11).
"In the beginning, God" (Gen. 1:1). There was a time, if "time" it
could be called, when God, in the unity of His nature (though
subsisting equally in three persons), dwelt all alone. "In the
beginning, God." There was no heaven, where His glory is now
particularly manifested. There was no earth to engage His attention.
There were no angels to sing His praises. There was no universe to be
upheld by the word of His power. There was nothing, no one, but God;
and that not for a day, a year, or an age, but "from everlasting."
During a past eternity God was alone--self-contained, self-sufficient,
in need of nothing. Had a universe, or angels, or humans been
necessary to Him in any way, they also would have been called into
existence from all eternity. Creating them when He did added nothing
to God essentially. He changes not (Mal. 3:6), therefore His essential
glory can be neither augmented nor diminished.
God was under no constraint, no obligation, no necessity to create.
That He chose to do so was purely a sovereign act on His part, caused
by nothing outside Himself, determined by nothing but His own good
pleasure; for He "worketh all things after the counsel of His own
will" (Eph. 1:11). That He did create was simply for His manifestative
glory. Do some of our readers imagine that we have gone beyond what
Scripture warrants? Then we appeal to the Law and the testimony:
"Stand up and bless the LORD, your God, for ever and ever; and blessed
be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise"
(Neh. 9:5). God is no gainer even from our worship. He was in no need
of that external glory of His grace which arises from His redeemed,
for He is glorious enough in Himself without that. What was it that
moved Him to predestinate His elect to the praise of the glory of His
grace? It was "according to the good pleasure of His will" (Eph. 1:5).
We are well aware that the high ground we tread here is new and
strange to almost all of our readers, so it is well to move slowly.
Let us appeal again to the Scriptures. As the apostle brings to a
close a long argument on salvation by sovereign grace, he asks, "For
who hath known the mind of the LORD? Or who hath been His counselor?
Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him
again?" (Rom. 11:34-35). The force of this is that it is impossible to
bring the Almighty under obligation to the creature. God gains nothing
from us. "If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? Or what
receiveth He of thine hand? Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art;
and thy righteousness may profit the son of man" (Job 35:7-8). But it
certainly cannot affect God, who is allblessed in himself. "When ye
shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are
unprofitable servants" (Luke 17:10)--our obedience has profited
nothing.
We go farther: our Lord Jesus Christ added nothing to God in His
essential being and glory, either by what He did or suffered. True,
gloriously true, He manifested that glory of God to us, but He added
nothing to God. He Himself expressly declares so, and there is no
appeal from His words, "My goodness extendeth not to thee" (Ps. 16:2).
The whole of that psalm is a psalm of Christ. Christ's goodness or
righteousness reached unto His saints in the earth (Ps. 16:3), but God
was high above and beyond it all.
It is true that God is both honored and dishonored by men, not in His
essential being, but in His official character. It is equally true
that God has been glorified by creation, by providence, and by
redemption. We do not dare dispute this for a moment. But all of this
has to do with His manifestative glory and the recognition of it by
us. Yet, had God so pleased, He might have continued alone for all
eternity, without making known His glory unto creatures. Whether He
should do so or not He determined solely by His own will. He was
perfectly blessed in Himself before the first creature was called into
being. And what are all the creatures of His hands unto Him even now?
The Scripture again answers:
Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the
small dust of the balance; behold, He taketh up the isles as a very
little thing. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts
thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. All nations before Him are as
nothing; and they are counted to Him less than nothing, and vanity. To
whom, then, will ye liken God? Or what likeness will ye compare unto
him? (Isa. 40:15-18).
That is the God of Scripture; but, He is still "the unknown God" (Acts
17:23) to heedless multitudes. "It is he that sitteth upon the circle
of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are like grasshoppers; that
stretch out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent
to dwell in: Who bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges
of the earth as vanity" (Isa. 40:22-23). How vastly different is the
God of Scripture from the god of the average pulpit!
Nor is the testimony of the New Testament any different from that of
the Old. How could it be since both have one and the same Author?
There too we read, "Which in his times he shall show, who is the
blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who
only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach
unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see; to whom be honor and power
everlasting. Amen" (1 Tim. 6:15-16). Such a One is to be revered,
worshipped, adored. He is solitary in His majesty, unique in His
excellency, peerless in His perfections. He sustains all, but is
Himself independent of all. He gives to all and is enriched by none.
Such a God cannot be found out by searching. He can be known only as
He is revealed to the heart by the Holy Spirit through the Word. It is
true that creation demonstrates a Creator, and so plainly that men are
"without excuse." Yet we still have to say with Job, "Lo, these are
parts of His ways; but how little a portion is heard of him? But the
thunder of His power, who can understand?" (Job 26:14). The so-called
argument from design by well-meaning apologists has, we believe, done
much more harm than good. It has attempted to bring the great God down
to the level of finite comprehension, and thereby has lost sight of
His solitary excellence.
Analogy has been drawn between a savage who finds a watch upon the
sands, and from a close examination of it infers a watchmaker. So far
so good. But attempt to go farther. Suppose the savage sits on the
sand and endeavors to form a conception of this watchmaker, his
personal affections and manners, his disposition, acquirements, and
moral character, all that goes to make up a personality. Could he ever
think or reason out a real man, the man who made the watch, so he
could say, "I am acquainted with him"? It seems trifling to ask, but
is the eternal and infinite God so much more within the grasp of human
reason? No, indeed. The God of Scripture can be known only by those to
whom He makes Himself known.
Nor is God known by the intellect. "God is a Spirit" (John 4:24), and
therefore can only be known spiritually. But fallen man is not
spiritual, he is carnal. He is dead to all that is spiritual. Unless
he is born again, supernaturally brought from death unto life,
miraculously translated out of darkness into light, he cannot even see
the things of God (John 3:3), still less apprehend them (1 Cor. 2:14).
The Holy Spirit has to shine in our hearts (not intellects) to give us
"the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2
Cor. 4:6). But even that spiritual knowledge is fragmentary. The
regenerated soul has to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord
Jesus (2 Pet. 3:18).
The principal prayer and aim of Christians should be to "walk worthy
of the LORD unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and
increasing in the knowledge of God" (Col. 1:10).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 1: Excellencies Which
Pertain to the Godhead as God
2. The Decrees of God
The Decree Of God is His purpose or determination with respect to
future things. We have used the singular number as Scripture does
(Rom. 8:28; Ephesians 3:11), because there was only one act of His
infinite mind about future things. But we speak as if there had been
many, because our minds are only capable of thinking of successive
revolutions, as thoughts and occasions arise, or in reference to the
various objects of His decree, being many, they seem to us to require
a distinct purpose for each. But an infinite understanding does not
proceed by steps, from one stage to another: "Known unto God are all
His works, from the beginning of the world" (Acts 15:18).
The Scriptures mention the decrees of God in many passages, and in a
variety of terms. The word "decree" is found in Psalm 2:7. In
Ephesians 3:11 we see His "eternal purpose;" in Acts 2:23, His
"determinate counsel and foreknowledge;" in Ephesians 1:9, the mystery
of His "will;" in Romans 8:29 that He also did "predestinate;" in
Ephesians 1:9, His "good pleasure." God's decrees are called His
"counsel" to signify they are consummately wise. They are called God's
"will" to show He was under no control, but acted according to His own
pleasure. When a man's will is the rule of his conduct, it is usually
capricious and unreasonable; but wisdom is always associated with will
in the divine proceedings, and accordingly, God's decrees are said to
be "the counsel of his own will" (Eph. 1:11).
The decrees of God relate to all future things without exception;
whatever is done in time, was foreordained before time began. God's
purpose was concerned with everything, whether great or small, whether
good or evil. But with reference to the latter we must be careful to
state that while God is the Orderer and Controller of sin, He is not
the Author of it in the same way that He is the Author of good. Sin
could not proceed from a Holy God by positive and direct creation, but
only by decretive permission and negative action. God's decree, as
comprehensive as His government, extends to all creatures and events.
It was concerned about our life and death; about our state in time,
and our state in eternity. As God works all things after the counsel
of His own will, we learn from His works what His counsel is (was), as
we judge an architect's plan by inspecting the building erected under
his direction.
God did not merely decree to make man, place him upon the earth, then
leave him to his own uncontrolled guidance. Instead, He fixed all the
circumstances in the lot of individuals, and all the particulars which
comprise the history of the human race from commencement to close. He
did not merely decree that general laws should be established for the
government of the world, but He settled the application of those laws
to all particular cases. Our days are numbered, and so are the hairs
of our heads. We may learn what is the extent of the divine decrees
from the dispensations of providence in which they are executed. The
care of Providence reaches to the most insignificant creatures, and
the most minute events--the death of a sparrow, the fall of a hair.
Let us now consider some of the properties of the divine decrees.
First, they are eternal. To suppose any of them to be made in time, is
to suppose that some new occasion has occurred, some unforeseen event
or combination of circumstances has arisen, which has induced the Most
High to form a new resolution. This would argue that the knowledge of
the Deity is limited, and that He grows wiser in the progress of
time--which would be horrible blasphemy. No man who believes that the
divine understanding is infinite, comprehending the past, the present,
and the future, will ever assent to the erroneous doctrine of temporal
decrees. God is not ignorant of future events which will be executed
by human volitions; He has foretold them in innumerable instances, and
prophecy is but the manifestation of His eternal prescience. Scripture
affirms that believers were chosen in Christ before the world began
(Eph. 1:4), yes, that grace was "given" to them then (2 Tim. 1:19).
Second, the decrees of God are wise. Wisdom is shown in the selection
of the best possible ends and the fittest means to accomplish them.
That this character belongs to the decrees of God is evident from what
we know of them. They are disclosed to us by their execution, and
every proof of wisdom in the works of God is a proof of the wisdom of
the plan, in conformity to which they are performed. As the psalmist
declared, "O LORD how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made
them all" (Ps. 104:24). It is indeed but a very small part of them
which falls under our observation, yet, we ought to proceed here as we
do in other cases, and judge of the whole by the specimen, of what is
unknown by what is known. He who sees the workings of admirable skill
in the parts of a machine which he has an opportunity to examine is
naturally led to believe that the other parts are equally admirable.
In like manner should we satisfy our minds as to God's works when
doubts obtrude themselves upon us, and repel the objections which may
be suggested by something we cannot reconcile to our notions of what
is good and wise. When we reach the bounds of the finite and gaze
toward the mysterious realm of the infinite, let us exclaim, "O, the
depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!" (Rom.
11:33).
Third, they are free. "Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or
being his counsellor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and
who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught
him knowledge, and showed to him the way of understanding?" (Isa.
40:13-14). God was alone when He made His decrees, and His
determinations were influenced by no external cause. He was free to
decree or not to decree, and to decree one thing and not another. This
liberty we must ascribe to Him who is supreme, independent, and
sovereign in all His doings.
Fourth, they are absolute and unconditional. The execution of them is
not suspended upon any condition which may, or may not be, performed.
In every instance where God has decreed an end, He has also decreed
every means to that end. The One who decreed the salvation of His
elect also decreed to work faith in them (2 Thess. 2:13). "My counsel
shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure" (Isa. 46:10); but that
could not be, if His counsel depended upon a condition which might not
be performed. But God "worketh all things after the counsel of his own
will" (Eph. 1:11).
Side by side with the immutability and invincibility of God's decrees,
Scripture plainly teaches that man is a responsible creature and
answerable for his actions. If our thoughts are formed from God's
Word, the maintenance of the one will not lead to the denial of the
other. That there is a real difficulty in defining where the one ends
and the other begins is freely granted. This is always the case where
there is a conjunction of the divine and the human. Real prayer is
composed by the Spirit, yet it is also the cry of a human heart. The
Scriptures are the inspired Word of God, yet they were written by men
who were something more than machines in the hand of the Spirit.
Christ is both God and man. He is omniscient, yet "increased in
wisdom" (Luke 2:52). He is almighty, yet was "crucified through
weakness" (2 Cor. 13:4). He is the Prince of life, yet He died. High
mysteries all--yet faith receives them unquestioningly.
It has been pointed out often in the past that every objection against
the eternal decrees of God applies with equal force against His
eternal foreknowledge. Jonathan Edwards said:
Whether God has decreed all things that ever come to pass or not, all
that own the being of a God, own that He knows all things beforehand.
Now, it is self-evident that if He knows all things beforehand, He
either doth approve of them or doth not approve of them; that is, He
either is willing they should be, or He is not willing they should be.
But to will that they should be is to decree them.
Finally, attempt to assume and then contemplate the opposite. To deny
the divine decrees would be to predicate a world and all its concerns
regulated by undesigned chance or blind fate. Then what peace, what
assurance, what comfort would there be for our poor hearts and minds?
What refuge would there be to fly to in the hour of trial? None at
all. There would be nothing better than the black darkness and abject
horror of atheism. How thankful we should be that everything is
determined by infinite wisdom and goodness! What praise and gratitude
are due unto God for His divine decrees. Because of them, "We know
that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them
who are the called according to His purpose" (Rom. 8:28). Well may we
exclaim, "For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to
whom be glory forever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 1: Excellencies Which
Pertain to the Godhead as God
3. The Knowledge of God
God Is Omniscient. He knows everything; everything possible,
everything actual; all events, all creatures, of the past, the
present, and the future. He is perfectly acquainted with every detail
in the life of every being in heaven, in earth, and in hell. "He
knoweth what is in the darkness" (Dan. 2:22). Nothing escapes His
notice, nothing can be hidden from Him, nothing is forgotten by Him.
Well may we say with the psalmist, "Such knowledge is too wonderful
for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it" (Ps. 139:6). His
knowledge is perfect. He never errs, never changes, never overlooks
anything. "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his
sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with
whom we have to do" (Heb. 4:13). Such is the God with whom we "have to
do"!
"Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my
thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art
acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue,
but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether" (Ps. 139:2-4). What a
wondrous Being is the God of Scripture! Each of His glorious
attributes should render Him honorable in our esteem. In apprehension
of His omniscience we ought to bow in adoration before Him. Yet how
little do we meditate upon this divine perfection! Is it because the
very thought of it fills us with uneasiness?
How solemn is this fact: nothing can be concealed from God! "For I
know the things that come into your mind, every one of them" (Ezek.
11:5). Though He be invisible to us, we are not so to Him. Neither the
darkness of night, the closest curtains, nor the deepest dungeon can
hide the sinner from the eyes of Omniscience. The trees of the garden
were not able to conceal our first parents. No human eye beheld Cain
murder his brother, but his Maker witnessed his crime. Sarah might
laugh derisively in the seclusion of her tent, yet Jehovah heard it.
Achan stole a wedge of gold and carefully hid it in the earth, but God
brought it to light. David took great pains to cover up his
wickedness, but the allseeing God sent one of His servants to say to
him, "Thou art the man!" To writer and reader also is said, "Be sure
your sin will find you out" (Num. 32:23).
Men would strip Deity of His omniscience it they could--what a proof
that "the carnal mind is enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7). The wicked do
as naturally hate this divine perfection as much as they are naturally
compelled to acknowledge it. They wish there might be no Witness of
their sins, no Searcher of their hearts, no Judge of their deeds. They
seek to banish such a God from their thoughts: "They consider not in
their hearts that I remember all their wickedness" (Hosea 7:2). How
solemn is Psalm 90:8. Good reason has every Christ-rejecter for
trembling before it. "Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our
secret sins in the light of thy countenance."
But to the believer, the fact of God's omniscience is a truth fraught
with much comfort. In times of perplexity he says with Job, "But he
knoweth the way that I take" (Job 23:10). It may be profoundly
mysterious to me, quite incomprehensible to my friends, but "he
knoweth"! In times of weariness and weakness believers assure
themselves "He knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust"
(Ps. 103:14). In times of doubt and suspicion they appeal to this very
attribute, saying "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and
know my thoughts: And see if there by any wicked way in m e, and lead
me in the way everlasting" (Ps. 139:23-24). In times of sad failure,
when our actions have belied our hearts, when our deeds have
repudiated our devotion, and the searching question comes to us,
"Lovest thou Me?"; we say, as Peter did, "Lord, thou knowest all
things; thou knowest that I love thee" (John 21:17).
Here is encouragement to prayer. There is no cause to fear that the
petitions of the righteous will not be heard, or that their tears will
escape the notice of God, since He knows the thoughts and intents of
the heart. There is no danger of the individual saint being overlooked
amidst the multitude of supplicants who hourly present their
petitions, for an infinite Mind is as capable of paying the same
attention to millions as if only one were seeking its attention. So,
too, the lack of appropriate language, the inability to give
expression to the deepest longing of the soul, will not jeopardize our
prayers, for "It shall come to pass, that before they call, I will
answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear" (Isa. 65:24).
"Great is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is infinite"
(Ps. 147:5). God knows whatsoever has happened in the past in every
part of His vast domains, and He is thoroughly acquainted with
everything that now transpires throughout the entire universe. But He
also is perfectly cognizant with every event, from the least to the
greatest, that will happen in ages to come. God's knowledge of the
future is as complete as His knowledge of the past and the present,
because the future depends entirely upon Himself. Were it in anywise
possible for something to occur apart from either the direct agency or
permission of God, then that something would be independent of Him,
and He would at once cease to be supreme.
Now the divine knowledge of the future is not a mere abstraction, but
something inseparably connected with and accompanied by His purpose.
God designed whatsoever shall yet be, and what He has designed must be
effected. As His most sure Word affirms, "He doeth according to his
will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth:
and none can stay his hand" (Dan. 4:35). Again, "There are many
devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that
shall stand" (Prov. 19:21). The wisdom and power of God being alike
infinite, the accomplishment of whatever He hath purposed is
absolutely guaranteed. It is no more possible for the divine counsels
to fail in their execution than it would be for the thrice-holy God to
lie.
Nothing relating to the future is uncertain so far as the
actualization of God's counsels are concerned. None of His decrees are
left contingent either upon creatures or secondary causes. There is no
future event which is only a mere possibility, that is, something
which may or may not come to pass, "Known unto God are all His works
from the beginning" (Acts 15:18). Whatever God has decreed is
inexorably certain, for He is without variableness, or shadow of
turning (James 1:17). Therefore we are told at the very beginning of
that book which unveils to us so much of the future, "things which
must shortly come: to pass" (Rev. 1:1).
The perfect knowledge of God is exemplified and illustrated in every
prophecy recorded in His Word. In the Old Testament, scores of
predictions concerning the history of Israel were fulfilled to their
minutest detail, centuries after they were made. Scores more foretold
the earthly career of Christ, and they, too, were accomplished
literally and perfectly. Such prophecies could only have been given by
One who knew the end from the beginning, whose knowledge rested upon
the unconditional certainty of the accomplishment of everything
foretold. In like manner, both Old and New Testaments contain many
other announcements yet future. They, too, "must be fulfilled" (Luke
24:44), because they were foretold by Him who decreed them.
It should, however, be pointed out that neither God's knowledge nor
His cognition of the future, considered simply in themselves, are
causative. Nothing has ever come to pass, or ever will, merely because
God knew it. The cause of all things is the will of God. The man who
really believes the Scriptures knows beforehand that the seasons will
continue to follow each other with unfailing regularity to the end of
earth's history (Gen. 8:22), yet his knowledge is not the cause of
their succession. So God's knowledge does not arise from things
because they are or will be, but because He has ordained them to be.
God knew and foretold the crucifixion of His Son many hundreds of
years before He became incarnate, and this, because in the Divine
purpose, He was a Lamb slain from the foundation of the world: hence
we read of His being "delivered by the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2:23).
A word or two of application. The infinite knowledge of God should
fill us with amazement. How far exalted above the wisest man is the
Lord! None of us knows what a day may bring forth, but all futurity is
open to His omniscient gaze. The infinite knowledge of God ought to
fill us with holy awe. Nothing we do, say, or even think, escapes the
knowledge of Him with whom we have to do: "The eyes of the LORD are in
every place, beholding the evil and the good" (Prov. 15:3). What a
curb this would be to us, if we meditated upon it more frequently!
Instead of acting recklessly, we should say with Hagar, "Thou God
seest me" (Gen. 16:13). The apprehension of God's infinite knowledge
should fill the Christian with adoration. The whole of my life stood
open to His view from the beginning. He foresaw my every fall, my
every sin, my every backsliding; yet, He fixed His heart upon me. Oh,
how the realization of this should bow me in wonder and worship before
Him!
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 1: Excellencies Which
Pertain to the Godhead as God
4. The Foreknowledge of God
What Controversies have been engendered by this subject in the past!
But what truth of Holy Scripture is there which has not been the
occasion of theological and ecclesiastical battles? The deity of
Christ, His virgin birth, His atoning death, His second advent; the
believer's justification, sanctification, security; the church, its
organization, officers, discipline; baptism, the Lord's Supper, and a
score of other precious truths might be mentioned. Yet, the
controversies which have been waged over them did not close the mouths
of God's faithful servants. Why, then, should we avoid the vexing
question of God's foreknowledge, because some will charge us with
fomenting strife? Let others contend if they will, our duty is to bear
witness according to the light given us.
There are two things concerning the foreknowledge of God about which
many are in ignorance: the meaning of the term, and its Scriptural
scope. Because this ignorance is so widespread, it is easy for
preachers and teachers to palm off perversions of this subject, even
upon the people of God. There is only one safeguard against error,
that is to be established in the faith. For that there has to be
prayerful, diligent study, and a receiving with meekness the engrafted
Word of God. Only then are we fortified against the attacks of those
who assail us. There are those who misuse this very truth to discredit
and deny the absolute sovereignty of God in the salvation of sinners.
Just as higher critics repudiate the divine inspiration of the
Scriptures, and evolutionists, the work of God in creation, so some
pseudo Bible teachers pervert His foreknowledge to set aside His
unconditional election unto eternal life.
When the blessed subject of divine foreordination is expounded, when
God's eternal choice of certain ones to be conformed to the image of
His Son is set forth, the enemy sends along someone to argue that
election is based upon the foreknowledge of God. This foreknowledge is
interpreted to mean that God foresaw certain ones who would be more
pliable than others and they would respond more readily to the
strivings of the Spirit. So, because God knew they would believe, He
predestinated them unto salvation. But such logic is radically wrong.
It repudiates the truth of total depravity, for it argues that there
is something good in some men. It takes away the independency of God,
for it makes His decrees rest upon what He discovers in the creature.
It completely turns things upside down, for in saying God foresaw
certain sinners who would believe in Christ, and because of this He
predestinated them unto salvation, is the very reverse of the truth.
Scripture affirms that God, in His sovereignty, singled out certain
ones to be recipients of His distinguishing favors (Acts 13:48);
therefore He determined to bestow upon them the gift of faith. False
theology makes God's foreknowledge of our believing the cause of His
election to salvation. However, God's election is the cause, and our
believing in Christ the effect.
Before we proceed further with this much misunderstood theme, let us
define our terms. What is meant by "foreknowledge"? "To know
beforehand" is the ready reply of many. But we must not jump to
conclusions, nor must we turn to Webster's dictionary as the final
court of appeal, for it is not a matter of the etymology of the term
employed. What we need is to find out how the word is used in
Scripture. The Holy Spirit's usage of an expression always defines its
meaning and scope. Failure to apply this simple rule is responsible
for so much confusion and error. So many people assume they already
know the significance of a certain word used in Scripture, then they
are too dilatory to test their assumptions with a concordance. Let us
amplify.
Take the word "flesh." Its meaning appears so obvious that many would
regard it as a waste of time to look up its various connections in
Scripture. It is hastily assumed that the word is synonymous with the
physical body, so no inquiry is made. But, in fact, flesh in Scripture
frequently includes far more than what is corporeal; all that is
embraced by the term can only be ascertained by a diligent comparison
of every occurrence of it and by a study of each separate context.
Take the word "world." The average Bible reader imagines this word is
the equivalent for the human race, and consequently, many passages
where the term is found are wrongly interpreted. Take the word
"immortality." Surely it requires no study! Obviously it has reference
to the indestructibility of the soul. Ah, but it is wrong to assume
anything where the Word of God is concerned. If the reader will take
the trouble to carefully examine each passage where "mortal" and
"immortal" are found, it will be seen these words are never applied to
the soul, but always to the body.
Now what has just been said on "flesh," the "world," "immortality,"
applies with equal force to the terms "know" and "foreknow." Instead
of imagining that these words signify no more than a simple cognition,
carefully weigh the different passages in which they occur. The word
"foreknowledge" is not found in the Old Testament. But "know" occurs
there frequently. When that term is used in connection with God, it
often signifies to regard with favor, denoting not mere cognition but
an affection for the object in view. "I know thee by name" (Ex.
33:17). "Ye have been rebellious against the LORD from the day that I
knew you" (Deut. 9:24). "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew
thee" (Jer. 1:5). "They have made princes, and I knew not" (Hosea
8:4). "You only have I known of all the families of the earth" (Amos
3:2). In these passages "knew" signifies either "loved" or
"appointed."
In like manner, the word "know" is frequently used in the New
Testament, in the same sense as in the Old. "Then will I profess unto
them, I never knew you" (Matthew 7:23). "I am the good shepherd, and
know my sheep, and am known of mine" (John 10:14). "If any man love
God, the same is known of him" (1 Cor. 8:3). "The Lord knoweth them
that are his" (2 Tim. 2:19).
Now the word "foreknowledge" as it is used in the New Testament is
less ambiguous than in its simple form "to know." If you carefully
study every passage in which it occurs, you will discover that it is a
moot point whether it ever has reference to the mere perception of
events yet to take place. The fact is that foreknowledge is never used
in Scripture in connection with events or actions; instead, it always
refers to persons. It is persons God is said to "foreknow," not the
actions of those persons. To prove this we will quote each passage
where this expression is found.
The first occurs in Acts 2:23: "Him, being delivered by the
determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by
wicked hands have crucified and slain." Careful attention to the
wording of this verse shows that the apostle was not speaking of God's
foreknowledge of the act of the crucifixion, but of the Person
crucified: "Him (Christ) being delivered by."
The second is Romans 8:29-30: "For whom he did foreknow, he also did
predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be
the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate,
them he also called." Weigh well the pronoun used here. It is not what
He did foreknow, but whom He did. It is not the surrendering of their
wills nor the believing of their hearts, but the persons themselves,
which is in view.
"God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew" (Rom. 11:2).
Once more the plain reference is to persons, and to persons only.
The last mention is in 1 Peter 1:2: "Elect according to the
foreknowledge of God the Father." Who are "elect according to the
foreknowledge of God the Father?" The previous verse tells us the
reference is to the "strangers scattered," i.e., the diaspora, the
dispersion, the believing Jews. Thus, the reference is to persons, and
not to their foreseen acts.
Now in view of these passages (and there are no more) what scriptural
ground is there for anyone to say God "foreknew" the acts of certain
ones, i.e., their "repenting and believing," and that because of those
acts He elected them unto salvation? The answer is, None whatever.
Scripture never speaks of repentance and faith as being foreseen or
foreknown by God. Truly, He did know from all eternity that certain
ones would repent and believe, yet this is not what Scripture refers
to as the object of God's foreknowledge. The word uniformly refers to
God's foreknowing persons; then let us "hold fast the form of sound
words" (2 Tim. 1:13).
Another thing we want to call particular attention to is that the
first two passages quoted above show plainly and teach implicitly that
God's foreknowledge is not causative, that instead, something else
lies behind, precedes it--something that is His own sovereign decree.
Christ was "delivered by the (1) determinate counsel and (2)
foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2:23). His counsel or decree was the
ground of His foreknowledge. So again in Romans 8:29. That verse opens
with the word "for," which tells us to look back to what immediately
precedes. What, then, does the previous verse say? This, "all things
work together for good to them . . . who are the called according to
His purpose." Thus God's "foreknowledge" is based upon His "purpose"
or decree (see Psalm 2:7).
God foreknows what will be because He has decreed it. It is therefore
a reverse order of Scripture, putting the cart before the horse, to
affirm that God elects because He foreknows people. The truth is, He
foreknows because He has elected. This removes the cause of election
from outside the creature, and places it in God's own sovereign will.
God purposed in Himself to elect a certain people, not because of
anything good in them or from them, either actual or foreseen, but
solely out of His own pleasure.
Why He chose the ones He did, we do not know. We can only say, "Even
so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight." The plain truth of
Romans 8:29 is that God, before the foundation of the world, singled
out certain sinners and appointed them unto salvation (2 Thess. 2:13).
This is clear from the concluding words of the verse: "Predestinated
to be conformed to the image of His son." God did not predestinate
those whom He foreknew were conformed. On the contrary, those whom He
foreknew (i.e., loved and elected) He predestinated "to be conformed."
Their conformity to Christ is not the cause, but the effect of God's
foreknowledge and predestination.
God did not elect any sinner because He foresaw that he would believe,
for the simple but sufficient reason that no sinner ever believes
until God gives him faith; just as no man sees until God gives him
sight. Sight is God's gift, seeing is the consequence of my using His
gift. So faith is God's gift (Eph. 2:8-9), believing is the
consequence of my using His gift. If it were true that God had elected
certain ones to be saved because in due time they would believe, then
that would make believing a meritorious act. In that event the saved
sinner would have ground for "boasting," which Scripture emphatically
denies (Eph. 2:9).
Surely God's Word is plain enough in teaching that believing is not a
meritorious act. It affirms that Christians are a people "which had
believed through grace" (Acts 18:27). If, then, they have believed
"through grace," there is absolutely nothing meritorious about
believing; if nothing meritorious, it could not be the ground or cause
which moved God to choose them. No! God's choice proceeds not from
anything in us, or anything from us, but solely from His own sovereign
pleasure. Once more, we read of "a remnant according to the election
of grace" (Rom. 11:5). There it is, plain enough; election itself is
of grace, and grace is unmerited favor, something for which we had no
claim upon God whatsoever.
It is highly important for us to have clear and scriptural views of
the foreknowledge of God. Erroneous conceptions about it lead
inevitably to thoughts most dishonoring to Him. The popular idea of
divine foreknowledge is altogether inadequate. God not only knew the
end from the beginning, but also He planned, fixed, predestinated
everything from the beginning. And, as cause stands to effect, so
God's purpose is the ground of His prescience. If then the reader is a
real Christian, he is so because God chose him in Christ before the
foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4); and chose not because He foresaw
you would believe, but simply because it pleased Him to choose; chose
you notwithstanding your natural unbelief. This being so, all glory
and praise belongs alone to Him. You have no ground for taking any
credit to yourself. You have "believed through grace" (Acts 18:27),
and that, because your very election was "of grace" (Rom. 11:5).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 1: Excellencies Which
Pertain to the Godhead as God
5. The Supremacy of God
In One Of His Letters to Erasmus, Luther said, "Your thoughts of God
are too human." Probably that renowned scholar resented such a rebuke,
the more so, since it proceeded from a miner's son. Nevertheless, it
was thoroughly deserved. We, too, prefer the same charge against the
vast majority of the preachers of our day, and against those who,
instead of searching the Scriptures for themselves, lazily accept
their teachings. The most dishonoring conceptions of the rule and
reign of the Almighty are now held almost everywhere. To countless
thousands, even professing Christians, the God of Scripture is quite
unknown.
Of old, God complained to an apostate Israel, "Thou thoughtest that I
was altogether such an one as thyself" (Ps. 50:21). Such must now be
His indictment against apostate Christendom. Men imagine the Most High
is moved by sentiment, rather than by principle. They suppose His
omnipotency is such an idle fiction that Satan can thwart His designs
on every side. They think that if He has formed any plan or purpose at
all, then it must be like theirs, constantly subject to change. They
openly declare that whatever power He possesses must be restricted,
lest He invade the citidel of man's free will and reduce him to a
machine. They lower the all-efficacious atonement, which redeems
everyone for whom it was made, to a mere remedy, which sin-sick souls
may use if they feel so disposed. They lessen the strength of the
invincible work of the Holy Spirit to an offer of the Gospel which
sinners may accept or reject as they please.
The god of this century no more resembles the Sovereign of Holy Writ
than does the dim flickering of a candle the glory of the midday sun.
The god who is talked about in the average pulpit, spoken of in the
ordinary Sunday school, mentioned in much of the religious literature
of the day, and preached in most of the so-called Bible conferences,
is a figment of human imagination, an invention of maudlin
sentimentality. The heathen outside the pale of christendom form gods
of wood and stone, while millions of heathen inside christendom
manufacture a god out of their carnal minds. In reality, they are but
atheists, for there is no other possible alternative between an
absolutely supreme God, and no God at all. A god whose will is
resisted, whose designs are frustrated, whose purpose is checkmated,
possesses no title to deity, and far from being a fit object of
worship, merits nothing but contempt.
The supremacy of the true and living God might well be argued from the
infinite distance which separates the mightiest creatures from the
Creator. He is the Potter, they are but the clay in His hands, to be
molded into vessels of honor or to be dashed into pieces (Ps. 2:9) as
He pleases. Were all the denizens of heaven and all the inhabitants of
earth to combine in open revolt against Him, it would cause Him no
uneasiness. It would have less effect upon His eternal, unassailable
throne than the spray of Mediterranean's waves has upon the towering
rocks of Gibraltar. So puerile and powerless is the creature to affect
the Most High, Scripture tells us that when the Gentile heads unite
with apostate Israel to defy Jehovah and His Christ, "He that sitteth
in the heavens shall laugh" (Ps. 2:4).
The absolute and universal supremacy of God is plainly affirmed in
many Scriptures. "Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and
the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the
heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and
thou art exalted as head above all . . . And thou reignest over all"
(1 Chron. 29:11-12). Note "reignest" now, not "will do so in the
Millennium." "O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven?
and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine
hand is there not power and might, so that none [not even the Devil
himself] is able to withstand thee"? (2 Chron. 20:6). Before Him
presidents and popes, kings and emperors, are less than grasshoppers.
"But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul
desireth, even that he doeth" (Job 23:13). My reader, the God of
Scripture is no make-believe monarch, no imaginary sovereign, but King
of kings, and Lord of lords. "I know that thou canst do everything,
and that no thought of thine can be hindered" (Job 42:2); or, another
translator, "no purpose of thine can be frustrated." All that He has
designed, He does. All that He has decreed, He perfects. All that He
has promised, He performs. "But our God is in the heavens: he hath
done whatsoever he hath pleased" (Ps. 115:3). Why has He? Because
"there is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD"
(Prov. 21:30).
God's supremacy over the works of His hands is vividly depicted in
Scripture. Inanimate matter, irrational creatures, all perform their
Maker's bidding. At His pleasure, the Red Sea divided and its waters
stood up as walls (Ex. 14); the earth opened her mouth, and guilty
rebels went down alive into the pit (Num. 14). When He so ordered, the
sun stood still (Josh. 10); and on another occasion went backward ten
degrees on the dial of Ahaz. To exemplify His supremacy, He made
ravens carry food to Elijah (1 Kings 17); iron to float on the waters
(2 Kings 6:5); lions to be tame when Daniel was cast into their den;
fire to burn not when three Hebrews were flung into its flames. Thus,
"Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in
the seas, and all deep places" (Ps. 135:6).
God's supremacy is also demonstrated in His perfect rule over the
wills of men. Ponder carefully Exodus 34:24. Three times in the year
all the males of Israel were required to leave their homes and go up
to Jerusalem. They lived in the midst of hostile people, who hated
them for having appropriated their lands. What, then, was to hinder
the Canaanites from seizing the opportunity, during the absence of the
men, to enslave the women and children and take possession of their
farms? If the hand of the Almighty was not upon the wills even of
wicked men, how could He make this promise beforehand, that none
should so much as "desire" their lands? "The king's heart is in the
hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water; He turneth it whithersoever
he will" (Prov. 21:1).
But, some may object, do we not read again and again in Scripture how
men defied God, resisted His will, broke His commandments, disregarded
His warnings, and turned a deaf ear to all his exhortations? Certainly
we do. Does this nullify all we have said? If so, then plainly the
Bible contradicts itself. But that cannot be. What the objector refers
to is simply the wickedness of men against the external word of God.
We have mentioned what God has purposed in Himself. The rule of
conduct He has given us to walk by is perfectly fulfilled by none of
us. His own eternal counsels are accomplished to their minutest
details.
The absolute and universal supremacy of God is affirmed with equal
positiveness in the New Testament. We are told that God "worketh all
things after the counsel of His own will" (Eph. 1:11)--the Greek for
"worketh" means "to work effectually". For this reason we read, "For
of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory
forever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36). Men may boast they are free agents, with
a will of their own, and are at liberty to do as they please. But
Scripture says to those who boast, "we will go into such a city, and
continue there a year, and buy and sell . . . ye ought to say, If the
Lord will" (Jam. 4:13, 15).
Here then is a sure resting-place for the heart. Our lives are neither
the product of blind fate nor the result of capricious chance. Every
detail of them was ordained from all eternity and is now ordered by
the living, reigning God. Not a hair of our heads can be touched
without His permission. "A man's heart deviseth his way, but the LORD
directeth his steps" (Prov. 16:9). What assurance, what strength, what
comfort this should give the real Christian! "My times are in thy
hand" (Ps. 31:15). Then let me "Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently
for him" (Ps. 37:7).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 1: Excellencies Which
Pertain to the Godhead as God
6. The Sovereignty of God
The Sovereignty Of God may be defined as the exercise of His supremacy
(see preceding chapter). Infinitely elevated above the highest
creature, He is the Most High, Lord of heaven and earth; subject to
none, influenced by none, absolutely independent. God does as He
pleases, only as He pleases, always as He pleases. None can thwart
Him, none can hinder Him. So His own Word expressly declares: "My
counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure" (Isa. 46:10); "He
doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the
inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay His hand" (Dan. 4:35).
Divine sovereignty means that God is God in fact, as well as in name,
that He is on the throne of the universe, directing all things,
working all things "after the counsel of His own will" (Eph. 1:11).
Rightly did the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon say in his sermon on
Matthew 20:15:
There is no attribute more comforting to His children than that of
God's Sovereignty. Under the most adverse circumstances, in the most
severe trials, they believe that Sovereignty has ordained their
afflictions, that Sovereignty overrules them, and that Sovereignty
will sanctify them all. There is nothing for which the children ought
more earnestly to contend than the doctrine of their Master over all
creation--the Kingship of God over all the works of His own hands--the
Throne of God and His right to sit upon that Throne.
On the other hand, there is no doctrine more hated by worldings, no
truth of which they have made such a football, as the great,
stupendous, but yet most certain doctrine of the Sovereignty of the
infinite Jehovah. Men will allow God to be everywhere except on His
throne. They will allow Him to be in His workshop to fashion worlds
and make stars. They will allow Him to be in His almonry to dispense
His alms and bestow His bounties.
They will allow Him to sustain the earth and bear up the pillars
thereof, or light the lamps of heaven, or rule the waves of the
evermoving ocean; but when God ascends His throne, His creatures then
gnash their teeth, and we proclaim an enthroned God, and His right to
do as He wills with His own, to dispose of His creatures as He thinks
well, without consulting them in the matter; then it is that we are
hissed and execrated, and then it is that men turn a deaf ear to us,
for God on His throne is not the God they love. But it is God upon the
throne that we love to preach. It is God upon His throne whom we
trust.
"Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in
the seas, and all deep places" (Ps. 135:6). Such is the mighty
Potentate revealed in Holy Writ: unrivalled in majesty, unlimited in
power, unaffected by anything outside Himself. But we are living in a
day when even the most orthodox seem afraid to admit the proper
Godhood of God. They say that to press the sovereignty of God excludes
human responsibility; whereas human responsibility is based upon
divine sovereignty, and is the product of it.
"But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath
pleased" (Ps. 115:3). He sovereignly chose to place each of His
creatures on that particular footing which seemed good in His sight.
He created angels; some He placed on a conditional footing, others He
gave an immutable standing before Him (1 Tim. 5:21), making Christ
their head (Col. 2:10). Let it not be overlooked that the angels which
sinned (2 Pet. 2:5), were as much His creatures as the angels that
sinned not. Yet God foresaw they would fall. Nevertheless He placed
them on a mutable, creature, conditional footing, and suffered them to
fall, though He was not the author of their sin.
Too, God sovereignly placed Adam in the Garden of Eden upon a
conditional footing. Had He so pleased, He could have placed him upon
an unconditional footing; He could have placed him on a footing as
firm as that occupied by the unfallen angels; He could have placed him
upon a footing as sure and as immutable as that which His saints have
in Christ. Instead, He chose to set him in Eden on the basis of
creature responsibility, so that he stood or fell according to how he
measured up or failed to measure up to his responsibility--obedience
to his Maker. Adam stood accountable to God by the Law which his
Creator had given him. Here was responsibility, unimpaired
responsibility, tested under the most favorable conditions.
God did not place Adam upon a footing of conditional,
creature-responsibility, because it was right He should so place him.
No, it was right because God did it. God did not even give creatures
being because it was right for Him to do so, i.e., because He was
under any obligations to create; but it was right because He did so.
God is sovereign. His will is supreme. So far from God being under any
law of right, He is a law unto Himself, so that whatever He does is
right. Woe be to the rebel that calls His sovereignty into question:
"Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive
with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that
fashioneth it, What makest thou?" (Isa. 45:9).
Again, the Lord sovereignly placed Israel upon a conditional footing.
Exodus 19, 20, and 24 afford a full proof of this. They were placed
under a covenant of works. God gave them certain laws. National
blessing for them depended upon their observance of His statutes. But
Israel was stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart. They rebelled
against Jehovah, forsook His Law, turned unto false gods, apostatized.
In consequence, divine judgment fell upon them, they were delivered
into the hands of their enemies, dispersed abroad throughout the
earth, and remain under the heavy frown of God's displeasure to this
day.
It was God in the exercise of His sovereignty that placed Satan and
his angels, Adam and Israel in their respective responsible positions.
But so far from His sovereignty taking away responsibility from the
creature, it was by the exercise of it that He placed them on this
conditional footing, under such responsibilities as He thought proper.
By virtue of this sovereignty, He is seen to be God over all. Thus,
there is perfect harmony between the sovereignty of God and the
responsibility of the creature. Many have more foolishly said that it
is quite impossible to show where divine sovereignty ends and creature
accountability begins. Here is where creature responsibility begins:
in the sovereign ordination of the Creator. As to His sovereignty,
there is not, and never will be, any end to it!
Let us see further proofs that the responsibility of the creature is
based upon God's sovereignty. How many things are recorded in
Scripture which were right because God commanded them--which would not
have been right had He not so commanded! What right had Adam to eat of
the trees of the garden? The permission of his Maker (Gen. 2:16);
without such, he would have been a thief! What right had Israel to
borrow of the Egyptians' jewels and raiment (Ex. 12:35)? None, unless
Jehovah had authorized it (Ex. 3:22). What right had Israel to slay so
many lambs for sacrifice? None, except that God commanded it. What
right had Israel to kill off all the Canaanites? None, only as Jehovah
had bidden them. What right has the husband to require submission from
his wife? None, unless God had appointed it. So we might go on. Human
responsibility is based on divine sovereignty. One more example of the
exercise of God's absolute sovereignty: God placed His elect upon a
different footing than Adam or Israel. He placed them upon an
unconditional footing. In the Everlasting Covenant Jesus Christ was
appointed their Head, took their responsibilities upon Himself, and
wrought out a righteousness for them which is perfect, indefeasible,
eternal. Christ was placed upon a conditional footing, for He was
"made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law," but with
this infinite difference: the others failed, He did not, and could
not. Who placed Christ upon that conditional footing? The Triune God.
It was sovereign will that appointed Him, sovereign love that sent
Him, sovereign authority that assigned His work.
Certain conditions were set before the Mediator. He was to be made in
the likeness of sin's flesh; He was to magnify the Law and make it
honorable; He was to bear all the sins of all God's people in His own
body on the tree; He was to make full atonement for them; He was to
endure the outpoured wrath of God; He was to die and be buried. On the
fulfillment of those conditions He was promised a reward (Isa.
53:10-12). He was to be the firstborn among many brethren; He was to
have a people who should share His glory. Blessed be His name forever,
He fulfilled those conditions.
Because He did so, the Father stands pledged, on solemn oath, to
preserve through time and bless throughout eternity every one of those
for whom His incarnate Son mediated. Because He took their place, they
now share His. His righteousness is theirs. His standing before God is
theirs, His life is theirs. There is not a single condition for them
to meet, not a single responsibility for them to discharge in order to
attain their eternal bliss. "By one offering He hath perfected for
ever them that are sanctified (Heb. 10:14).
Here then is the sovereignty of God openly displayed before all,
displayed in the different ways in which He has dealt with His
creatures. Part of the angels, Adam, Israel, were placed upon a
conditional footing. Continued blessing was dependent upon their
obedience and fidelity to God. But in sharp contrast, the "little
flock" (Luke 12:32) have been given an unconditional, an immutable
standing in God's covenant, God's counsels, God's Son; their blessing
is dependent upon what Christ did for them. "The foundation of God
standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His"
(2 Tim. 2:19). The foundation on which God's elect stand is a perfect
one; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it (Eccl.
3:14). Here, then, is the highest and grandest display of the absolute
sovereignty of God. He has "mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom
he will be hardeneth" (Rom. 9:18).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 1: Excellencies Which
Pertain to the Godhead as God
7. The Immutability of God
This Is One of the divine perfections which is not sufficiently
pondered. It is one of the excellencies of the Creator which
distinguishes Him from all His creatures. God is perpetually the same:
subject to no change in His being, attributes, or determinations.
Therefore God is compared to a rock (Deut. 32:4) which remains
immovable, when the entire ocean surrounding it is continually in a
fluctuating state. Even so, though all creatures are subject to
change, God is immutable. Because God has no beginning and no ending,
He can know no change. He is everlastingly "the Father of lights, with
whom is no variableness neither shadow of turning" (James 1:17).
First, God is immutable in His essence. His nature and being are
infinite, and so, subject to no mutations. There never was a time when
He was not; there never will come a time when He shall cease to be.
God has neither evolved, grown, nor improved. All that He is today, He
has ever been, and ever will be. "I am the Lord, I change not" (Mal.
3:6), is His own unqualified affirmation. He cannot change for the
better, for He is already perfect; being perfect, He cannot change for
the worse. Altogether unaffected by anything outside Himself,
improvement or deterioration is impossible. He is perpetually the
same. He only can say, "I AM THAT I AM" (Ex. 3:14). He is altogether
uninfluenced by the flight of time. There is no wrinkle upon the brow
of eternity. Therefore His power can never diminish, nor His glory
ever fade.
Second, God is immutable in His attributes. Whatever the attributes of
God were before the universe was called into existence, they are
precisely the same now, and will remain so forever. Necessarily so;
for they are the very perfections, the essential qualities of His
being. Semper idem (always the same) is written across every one of
them. His power is unabated, His wisdom undiminished, His holiness
unsullied. The attributes of God can no more change than deity can
cease to be. His veracity is immutable, for His Word is "forever
settled in heaven" (Ps. 119:89). His love is eternal: "I have loved
thee with an everlasting love" (Jer. 31:3) and, "Having loved his own
which were in the world, he loved them unto the end" (John 13:1). His
mercy ceases not, for it is "everlasting" (Ps. 100:5).
Third, God is immutable in His counsel, His will never varies. Perhaps
some are ready to object when we read "It repented the LORD that He
had made man" (Gen. 6:6). Our first reply is, Do the Scriptures
contradict themselves? No, that cannot be. Numbers 23:19 is plain
enough: "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man,
that he should repent." The explanation is simple. When speaking of
Himself, God frequently accommodates His language to our limited
capacities. He describes Himself as clothed with bodily members, as
eyes, ears, hands.
He speaks of Himself as "waking" (Ps. 78:65), as "rising early" (Jer.
7:13); yet He neither slumbers nor sleeps. When He institutes a change
in His dealings with men, He describes His course of conduct as
"repenting." Yes, God is immutable in His counsel. "The gifts and
calling of God are without repentance" (Rom. 11:29). It must be so,
for "He is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul
desireth, even that he doeth" (Job 23:13).
Change and decay in all around we see,
May He who changeth not abide with thee.
God's purpose never alters. One of two things causes a man to change
his mind and reverse his plans: want of foresight to anticipate
everything, or lack of power to execute them. But as God is both
omniscient and omnipotent, there is never any need for Him to revise
His decrees. No, "The counsel of the LORD standeth forever, the
thoughts of his heart to all generations" (Ps. 33:11). Therefore we
read of, "the immutability of his counsel" (Heb. 6:17).
Here we may perceive the infinite distance which separates the highest
creature from the Creator. Creaturehood and mutability are correlative
terms. If the creature was not mutable by nature, it would not be a
creature; it would be God. By nature we tend to nothing, as we came
from nothing. Nothing stays our annihilation but the will and
sustaining power of God. None can sustain himself a single moment. We
are entirely dependent on the Creator for every breath we draw. We
gladly own with the psalmist, "thou holdeth our soul in life" (Ps.
66:9). The realization of this ought to make us lie down under a sense
of our own nothingness in the presence of Him "in whom we live and
move, and have our being."
As fallen creatures we are not only mutable, but also everything in us
is opposed to God. As such we are "wandering stars" (Jude 13), out of
our proper orbit. The wicked are "like the troubled sea, when it
cannot rest" (Isa. 57:20). Fallen man is inconstant. The words of
Jacob concerning Reuben apply with full force to all of Adam's
descendants, "unstable as water" (Gen. 49:4). Thus it is not only a
mark of piety, but also the part of wisdom to heed that injunction,
"cease ye from man" (Isa. 2:22). No human being is to be depended on.
"Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom is no
help" (Ps. 146:3). If I disobey God, then I deserve to be deceived and
disappointed by my fellows. People who like you today, may hate you
tomorrow. The multitude who cried, "Hosanna to the Son of David,"
speedily changed to "Away with him, crucify him."
Here is solid comfort. Human nature cannot be relied upon; but God
can! However unstable I may be, however fickle my friends may prove,
God changes not. If He varied as we do, if He willed one thing today
and another tomorrow, if He were controlled by caprice, who could
confide in Him? But He is ever the same. His purpose is fixed, His
will stable, His word is sure. Here then is a rock on which we may fix
our feet, while the mighty torrent sweeps away everything around us.
The permanence of God's character guarantees the fulfillment of His
promises: "For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed;
but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant
of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee" (Isa.
54:10).
Here is encouragement to prayer. "What comfort would it be to pray to
a god that, like the chameleon, changed color every moment? Who would
put up a petition to an earthly prince that was so mutable as to grant
a petition one day, and deny it another?" (S. Charnock, 1670). Should
someone ask what is the use of praying to One whose will is already
fixed, we answer, because He requires it. What blessings has God
promised without our seeking them? "If we ask any thing according to
his will, he heareth us" (1 John 5:14). He has willed everything that
is for His child's good. To ask for anything contrary to His will is
not prayer, but rank rebellion.
Here is terror for the wicked. Those who defy Him, break His laws,
have no concern for His glory, but live their lives as though He did
not exist, must not suppose that, when at the last they shall cry to
Him for mercy, He will alter His will, revoke His word, and rescind
His awful threatenings. No, He has declared, "Therefore will I also
deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and
though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear
them" (Ezek. 8:18). God will not deny Himself to gratify their lusts.
God is holy, unchangingly so. Therefore God hates sin, eternally hates
it. Hence the eternality of the punishment of all who die in their
sins.
The divine immutability, like the cloud which interposed between the
Israelites and the Egyptian army, has a dark as well as a light side.
It insures the execution of His threatenings, as well as the
performance of His promises; and destroys the hope which the guilty
fondly cherish, that He will be all lenity to His frail and erring
creatures, and that they will be much more lightly dealt with than the
declarations of His own Word would lead us to expect. We oppose to
these deceitful and presumptuous speculations the solemn truth, that
God is unchanging in veracity and purpose, in faithfulness and justice
(J. Dick, 1850).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 1: Excellencies Which
Pertain to the Godhead as God
8. The Holiness of God
"Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? for thou only
art holy" (Rev. 15:4). He only is independently, infinitely, immutably
holy. In Scripture, He is frequently styled "The Holy One." He is so
because the sum of all moral excellency is found in Him. He is
absolute purity, unsullied even by the shadow of sin. "God is light,
and in him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). Holiness is the very
excellency of the divine nature; the great God is "glorious in
holiness" (Ex. 15:11). Therefore we read, "Thou art of purer eyes than
to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity" (Hab. 1:13).
As God's power is the opposite of the native weakness of the creature,
as His wisdom is in complete contrast from the least defect of
understanding or folly, so His holiness is the very antithesis of all
moral blemish or defilement. Of old God appointed singers in Israel
"that should praise the beauty of holiness'" (2 Chron. 20:21). "Power
is God's hand or arm, omniscience His eye, mercy His bowels, eternity
His duration, but holiness is His beauty" (S. Charnock). It is this,
supremely, which renders Him lovely to those who are delivered from
sin's dominion.
A chief emphasis is placed upon this perfection of God.
God is oftener styled Holy than Almighty, and set forth by this part
of His dignity more than by any other. This is more fixed on as an
epithet to His name than any other. You never find it expressed "His
mighty name" or "His wise name," but His great name, and most of all,
His holy name. This is the greatest title of honor; in this latter
doth the majesty and venerableness of His name appear (S. Charnock).
This perfection, as none other, is solemnly celebrated before the
throne of heaven, the seraphim crying, "Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD
of hosts" (Isa. 6:3). God Himself singles out this perfection, "Once
have I sworn by my holiness" (Ps. 89:35). God swears by His holiness
because that is a fuller expression of Himself than anything else.
Therefore we are exhorted, "Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his,
and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness" (Ps. 30:4). "This
may be said to be a transcendental attribute, that, as it were, runs
through the rest, and casts lustre upon them. It is an attribute of
attributes" (J. Howe, 1670). Thus we read of "the beauty of the LORD"
(Ps. 27:4), which is none other than "the beauty of holiness" (Ps.
110:3).
As it seems to challenge an excellency above all His other
perfections, so it is the glory of all the rest: as it is the glory of
the Godhead, so it is the glory of every perfection in the Godhead; as
His power is the strength of them, so His holiness is the beauty of
them; as all would be weak without almightiness to back them, so all
would be uncomely without holiness to adorn them. Should this be
sullied, all the rest would lose their honor; as at the same instant
the sun should lose its light, it would lose its heat, its strength,
its generative and quickening virtue. As sincerity is the lustre of
every grace in a Christian, so is purity the splendor of every
attribute in the Godhead. His justice is a holy justice, His wisdom a
holy wisdom, His power a "holy arm" (Ps. 98:1). His truth or promise a
"holy promise" (Ps. 105:42). His name, which signifies all His
attributes in conjunction, "is holy," (Ps. 103:1) (S. Charnock).
God's holiness is manifested in His works. "The LORD is righteous in
all His ways, and holy in all his works" (Ps. 145:17). Nothing but
what is excellent can proceed from Him. Holiness is the rule of all
His actions. At the beginning He pronounced all that He made "very
good" (Gen. 1:31), which He could not have done had there been
anything imperfect or unholy in them. Man was made "upright"
(Ecclesiastes 7:29), in the image and likeness of his Creator. The
angels that fell were created holy, for we are told that they "kept
not their first habitation" (Jude 6). Of Satan it is written, "Thou
wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till
iniquity was found in thee" (Ezek. 28:15).
God's holiness is manifested in His Law. That Law forbids sin in all
of its modifications--in its most refined, as well as its grossest
forms, the intent of the mind as well as the pollution of the body,
the secret desire as well as the overt act. Therefore we read, "Thy
law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good" (Rom.
7:12). Yes, "the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the
eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments
of the LORD are true and righteous altogether" (Ps. 19:8,9).
God's holiness is manifested at the cross. Wondrously, and yet most
solemnly does the atonement display God's infinite holiness and
abhorrence of sin. How hateful must sin be to God for Him to punish it
to its utmost desserts when it was imputed to His Son!
Not all the vials of judgment that have or shall be poured out upon
the wicked world, nor the flaming furnace of a sinner's conscience,
nor the irreversible sentence pronounced against the rebellious
demons, nor the groans of the damned creatures, give such a
demonstration of God's hatred of sin, as the wrath of God let loose
upon His Son. Never did Divine holiness appear more beautiful and
lovely than at the time our Savior's countenance was most marred in
the midst of His dying groans. This Himself acknowledges in Psalm 22.
When God had turned His smiling face from Him, and thrust His sharp
knife into His heart, which forced that terrible cry from Him, "My
God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" He adores this
perfection--"Thou art holy," (v. 3) (S. Charnock).
Because God is holy He hates all sin. He loves everything which is in
conformity to His laws, and loathes everything contrary to them. His
Word plainly declares, "The froward is an abomination to the LORD"
(Prov. 3:32). And again, "The thoughts of the wicked are an
abomination to the LORD" (Prov. 15:26). It follows, therefore, that He
must necessarily punish sin. Sin can no more exist without demanding
His punishment than it can without requiring His hatred of it. God has
often forgiven sinners, but He never forgives sin; the sinner is only
forgiven on the ground of Another having borne his punishment; for
"without shedding of blood is no remission" (Heb. 9:22). Therefore we
are told "The Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries, and He
reserveth wrath for His enemies" (Nah. 1:2). For one sin God banished
our first parents from Eden; for one sin all the posterity of Canaan
fell under a curse which remains over them to this day; for one sin
Moses was excluded from the promised land; Elisha's servant smitten
with leprosy; Ananias and Sapphira were cut off from the land of the
living.
Here we find proof for the divine inspiration of the Scriptures. The
unregenerate do not really believe in the holiness of God. Their
concept of His character is altogether one-sided. They fondly hope
that His mercy will override everything else. "Thou thoughtest that I
was altogether as thyself" (Ps. 50:21), is God's charge against them.
They think only of a god patterned after their own evil hearts, hence
their continuance in a course of mad folly. Such is the holiness
ascribed to the divine nature and character in Scripture that it
clearly demonstrates their superhuman origin.
The character attributed to the gods of the ancients and of modern
heathendom are the very reverse of that immaculate purity which
pertains to the true God. An ineffably holy God, who has the utmost
abhorrence of all sin, was never invented by any of Adam's fallen
descendants! The fact is that nothing reveals more of the terrible
depravity of man's heart and his enmity against the living God than to
have set before him One who in infinitely and immutably holy. His own
idea of sin is practically limited to what the world calls crime.
Anything short of that, man palliates as "defects," "mistakes,"
"infirmities." And even where sin is owned at all, man makes excuses
and extenuations for it.
The God which the vast majority of professing Christians love, is
looked upon very much like an indulgent old man, who himself has no
relish for folly, but leniently winks at the indiscretions of youth.
But the Word says, "Thou hatest all workers of iniquity" (Ps. 5:5).
And again, "God is angry with the wicked every day" (Ps. 7:11). But
men refuse to believe in this God, and gnash their teeth when His
hatred of sin is faithfully pressed upon their attention. No, sinful
man was no more likely to devise a holy God than to create the lake of
fire in which he will be tormented forever and ever.
Because God is holy, acceptance with Him on the ground of creature
doings is utterly impossible. A fallen creature could sooner create a
world than produce that which would meet the approval of infinite
Purity. Can darkness dwell with light? Can the Immaculate One take
pleasure in "filthy rags" (Isa. 64:6)? The best that sinful man brings
forth is defiled. A corrupt tree cannot bear good fruit. God would
deny Himself, vilify His perfections, were He to account as righteous
and holy that which is not so in itself; and nothing is so which has
the least stain upon it contrary to the nature of God. But that which
His holiness demanded His grace has provided in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Every poor sinner who has fled to Him for refuge stands, "accepted in
the beloved" (Eph. 1:6).
Because God is holy, the utmost reverence becomes our approaches to
Him. "God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and
to be had in reverence of all about him" (Ps. 89:7). Then, "Exalt ye
the LORD our God, and worship at his footstool; he is holy" (Ps.
99:5). Yes, "at His footstool," in the lowest posture of humility,
prostrate before Him. When Moses would approach unto the burning bush,
God said, "put off thy shoes from off thy feet" (Ex. 3:5). He is to be
served "with fear" (Ps. 2:11). Of Israel His demand was, "I will be
sanctified in them that come nigh Me, and before all the people I will
be glorified" (Lev. 10:3). The more our hearts are awed by His
ineffable holiness, the more acceptable will be our approaches to Him.
Because God is holy, we should desire to be conformed to Him. His
command is, "Be ye holy, for I am holy" (1 Pet. 1:16). We are not
bidden to be omnipotent or omniscient as God is, but we are to be
holy, and that "in all manner of deportment" (1 Pet. 1:15). "This is
the prime way of honoring God. We do not so glorify God by elevated
admirations, or eloquent expressions, or pompous services of Him, as
when we aspire to a conversing with Him with unstained spirits, and
live to Him in living like Him" (S. Charnock). Then as God alone is
the source and fount of holiness, let us earnestly seek holiness from
Him; let our daily prayer be that He may "sanctify us wholly; and our
whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess. 5:23).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 1: Excellencies Which
Pertain to the Godhead as God
9. The Power of God
WE CANNOT HAVE a right conception of God unless we think of Him as
all-powerful, as well as all-wise. He who cannot do what he will and
perform all his pleasure cannot be God. As God has a will to resolve
what He deems good, so He has power to execute His will.
The power of God is that ability and strength whereby He can bring to
pass whatsoever He pleases, whatsoever His infinite wisdom may direct,
and whatsoever the infinite purity of His will may resolve . . . As
holiness is the beauty of all God's attributes, so power is that which
gives life and action to all the perfections of the Divine nature. How
vain would be the eternal counsels, if power did not step in to
execute them. Without power His mercy would be but feeble pity, His
promises an empty sound, His threatenings a mere scarecrow. God's
power is like Himself: infinite, eternal, incomprehensible; it can
neither be checked, restrained, nor frustrated by the creature (S.
Charnock).
"God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this, that power belongeth
unto God" (Ps. 62:11). "God hath spoken once"; nothing more is
necessary! Heaven and earth shall pass away, but His word abides
forever. "God hath spoken once"; how befitting His divine majesty! We
poor mortals may speak often and yet fail to be heard. He speaks but
once and the thunder of His power is heard on a thousand hills.
The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his
voice; hailstones and coals of fire. Yea, he sent out his arrows, and
scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them. Then
the channels of waters were seen and the foundations of the world were
discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy
nostrils" (Ps. 18:13-15).
"God hath spoken once." Behold His unchanging authority. "For who in
the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the
mighty can be likened unto the LORD?" (Ps. 89:6). "And all the
inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth
according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants
of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest
thou?" (Dan. 4:35). This was openly displayed when God became
incarnate and tabernacled among men. To the leper He said, "I will, be
thou clean, and immediately his leprosy was cleansed" (Matthew 8:3).
To one who had lain in the grave four days He cried, "Lazarus, come
forth," and the dead came forth. The stormy wind and the angry waves
hushed at a single word from Him. A legion of demons could not resist
His authoritative command.
"Power belongeth unto God," and to Him alone. Not a creature in the
entire universe has an atom of power save what God delegates. But
God's power is not acquired, nor does it depend upon any recognition
by any other authority. It belongs to Him inherently.
God's power is like Himself, self-existent, self-sustained. The
mightiest of men cannot add so much as a shadow of increased power to
the omnipotent One. He sits on no buttressed throne and leans on no
assisting arm. His court is not maintained by His courtiers, nor does
it borrow its splendor from His creatures. He is Himself the great
central source and Originator of all power (C. H. Spurgeon).
Not only does all creation bear witness to the great power of God, but
also to His entire independency of all created things. Listen to His
own challenge: "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the
earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures
thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?
Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened or who laid the
cornerstone thereof?" (Job 38:4-6). How completely is the pride of man
laid in the dust!
Power is also used as a name of God, "the Son of man sitting at the
right hand of power" (Mark 14:62), that is, at the right hand of God.
God and power are so inseparable that they are reciprocated. As His
essence is immense, not to be confined in place; as it is eternal, not
to be measured in time; so it is almighty, not to be limited in regard
of action (S. Charnock).
"Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of
him? but the thunder of His power who can understand?" (Job 26:14).
Who is able to count all the monuments of His power? Even that which
is displayed of His might in the visible creation is utterly beyond
our powers of comprehension, still less are we able to conceive of
omnipotence itself. There is infinitely more power lodged in the
nature of God than is expressed in all His works.
"Parts of his ways" we behold in creation, providence, redemption, but
only a "little part" of His might is seen in them. Remarkably this is
brought out in Habakkuk 3:4; "and there was the hiding of His power."
It is scarcely possible to imagine anything more grandiloquent than
the imagery of this whole chapter; yet nothing in it surpasses the
nobility of this statement. The prophet (in a vision) beheld the
mighty God scattering the hills and overturning the mountains, which
one would think afforded an amazing demonstration of His power. Nay,
says our verse, that is rather the "hiding" than the displaying of His
power. What does it mean? So inconceivable, so immense, so
uncontrollable is the power of deity, that the fearful convulsions
which He works in nature conceal more than they reveal of His infinite
might!
It is very beautiful to link together the following passages: "He
walketh upon the waves of the sea" (Job 9:8), which expresses God's
uncontrollable power. "He walketh in the circuit of heaven" (Job
22:14), which tells of the immensity of His presence. "He walketh upon
the wings of the wind" (Ps. 104:3), which signifies the amazing
swiftness of His operations. This last expression is very remarkable.
It is not that "He flieth," or "runneth," but that He "walketh" and
that, on the very "wings of the wind"--on the most impetuous of the
elements, tossed into utmost rage, and sweeping along with almost
inconceivable rapidity, yet they are under His feet, beneath His
perfect control!
Let us now consider God's power in creation. "The heavens are thine,
the earth also is thine, as for the world and the fullness thereof,
thou hast founded them. The north and the south thou hast created
them" (Ps. 89:11-12). Before man can work he must have both tools and
materials. But God began with nothing, and by His word alone out of
nothing He made all things. The intellect cannot grasp it. God "spake
and it was done, He commanded and it stood fast" (Ps. 33:9). Primeval
matter heard His voice. "God said, Let there be . . . and it was so"
(Gen. 1). Well may we exclaim, "Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy
hand, high is thy right hand" (Ps. 89:13).
Who, that looks upward to the midnight sky; and, with an eye of
reason, beholds its rolling wonders; who can forbear enquiring, Of
what were their mighty orbs formed? Amazing to relate, they were
produced without materials. They sprung from emptiness itself. The
stately fabric of universal nature emerged out of nothing. What
instruments were used by the Supreme Architect to fashion the parts
with such exquisite niceness, and give so beautiful a polish to the
whole? How was it all connected into one finely-proportioned and nobly
finished structure? A bare fiat accomplished all. Let them be, said
God. He added no more; and at once the marvelous edifice arose,
adorned with every beauty, displaying innumerable perfections, and
declaring amidst enraptured seraphs its great Creator's praise. "By
the word of the LORD were the heavens made, and all the host of them
by the breath of his mouth," Psalm 150:1 (James Hervey, 1789).
Consider God's power in preservation. No creature has power to
preserve itself. "Can the rush grow up without mire? Can the flag grow
up without water?" (Job 8:11) Both man and beast would perish if there
were not herbs for food, and herbs would wither and die if the earth
were not refreshed with fruitful showers. Therefore is God called the
Preserver of "man and beast" (Ps. 36:6). He "upholdeth all things by
the word of his power" (Heb. 1:3).
The preservation of the earth from the violence of the sea is another
plain instance of God's might. How is that raging element kept
confined within those limits where He first lodged it, continuing its
channel, without overflowing the earth and dashing in pieces the lower
part of the creation? The natural situation of the water is to be
above the earth, because it is lighter, and to be immediately under
the air, because it is heavier. Who restrains the natural quality of
it? Certainly man does not, and cannot. It is the fiat of its Creator
which alone bridles it: "And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no
further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed" (Job 38:11). What a
standing monument of the power of God the preservation of the world
is!
Consider God's power in government. Take His restraint of the malice
of Satan. "The devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom
he may devour" (1 Pet. 5:8). He is filled with hatred against God, and
with fiendish enmity against men, particularly the saints. He who
envied Adam in paradise, envies us the pleasure of enjoying any of
God's blessings. Could he have his will, he would treat us all the
same way he treated Job; he would send fire from heaven on the fruits
of the earth, destroy the cattle, cause a wind to overthrow our
houses, and cover our bodies with boils. But, little as men may
realize it, God bridles him to a large extent, prevents him from
carrying out his evil designs, and confines him within His
ordinations.
Too, God restrains the natural corruption of men. He suffers
sufficient outbreaks of sin to show what fearful havoc has been
wrought by man's apostasy from his Maker. But who can conceive the
frightful lengths to which men would go were God to remove His curbing
hand? "Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness, their feet are
swift to shed blood" (Rom. 3:15) is the nature of every descendant of
Adam. Then what unbridled licentiousness and headstrong folly would
triumph in the world, if the power of God did not interpose to lock
down the flood-gates of it. See Psalm 93:3-4.
Consider God's power in judgment. When He smites, none can resist Him
(see Ezekiel 22:14). How terribly this was exemplified at the flood!
God opened the windows of heaven and broke up the great fountains of
the deep, and (excepting those in the ark) the entire human race,
helpless before the storm of His wrath, was swept away. A shower of
fire and brimstone from heaven, and the cities of the plain were
exterminated. Pharaoh and all his hosts were impotent when God blew
upon them at the Red Sea. What a terrific word is in Romans 9:22:
"What if God, willing to show wrath, and to make His power known,
endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to
destruction." God is going to display His mighty power upon the
reprobate, not merely by incarcerating them in Gehenna, but by
supernaturally preserving their bodies as well as souls amid the
eternal burnings of the lake of fire.
Well may all tremble before such a God. To treat with disrespect One
who can crush us more easily than we can a moth, is a suicidal policy.
To openly defy Him who is clothed with omnipotence, who can rend in
pieces or cast into hell any moment He pleases, is the very height of
insanity. To put it on its lowest ground, it is but the part of wisdom
to heed His command, "Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish
from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little" (Ps. 2:12).
Well may the enlightened soul adore such a God! The wondrous, infinite
perfections of such a Being call for fervent worship. If men of might
and renown claim the admiration of the world, how much more should the
power of the Almighty fill us with wonderment and homage. "Who is like
unto thee, O LORD, among the gods, who is like thee, glorious in
holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders" (Ex. 15:11).
Well may the saint trust such a God! He is worthy of implicit
confidence. Nothing is too hard for Him. If God were stinted in might
and had a limit to His strength we might well despair. But seeing that
He is clothed with omnipotence, no prayer is too hard for Him to
answer, no need too great for Him to supply, no passion too strong for
Him to subdue, no temptation too powerful for Him to deliver from, no
misery too deep for Him to relieve. "The Lord is the strength of my
life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Ps. 27:1). "Now unto him that is
able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,
according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the
church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen"
(Eph. 3:20-21).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 1: Excellencies Which
Pertain to the Godhead as God
10. The Faithfulness of God
Unfaithfulness Is One of the most outstanding sins of these evil days.
In the business world, a man's word is, with rare exceptions, no
longer his bond. In the social world, marital infidelity abounds on
every hand, the sacred bonds of wedlock are broken with as little
regard as discarding an old garment. In the ecclesiastical realm,
thousands who have solemnly covenanted to preach the truth have no
scruples about attacking and denying it. Nor can reader or writer
claim complete immunity from this fearful sin. How many ways have we
been unfaithful to Christ, and to the light and privileges which God
has entrusted to us! How refreshing, then, and how blessed, to lift
our eyes above this scene of ruin, and behold One who is faithful,
faithful in all things, at all times.
"Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God"
(Deut. 7:9). This quality is essential to His being, without it He
would not be God. For God to be unfaithful would be to act contrary to
His nature, which is impossible. "If we believe not, yet he abideth
faithful; he cannot deny himself' (2 Tim. 2:13). Faithfulness is one
of the glorious perfections of His being. He is clothed with it: "O
LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy
faithfulness round about thee?" (Ps. 89:8). So too when God became
incarnate it was said, "Righteousness shall be the girdle of His
loins, and faithfulness the girdle of His reins" (Isa. 11:5).
What a word in Psalm 36:5, "Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and
Thy faithfulness unto the clouds." Far above all finite comprehension
is the unchanging faithfulness of God. Everything about God is great,
vast, imcomparable. He never forgets, never fails, never falters,
never forfeits His word. To every declaration of promise or prophecy
the Lord has exactly adhered; every engagement of covenant or
threatening He will make good, for "God is not a man, that he should
lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and
shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"
(Num. 23:19). Therefore does the believer exclaim, "His compassions
fail not, they are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness" (Lam.
3:22-33).
Scripture abounds in illustrations of God's faithfulness. More than
4,000 years ago He said, "While the earth remaineth, seedtime and
harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night
shall not cease" (Gen. 8:22). Every year furnishes a fresh witness to
God's fulfillment of this promise. In Genesis 15 Jehovah declared unto
Abraham, "thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is promise. In
Genesis 15 Jehovah declared unto Abraham, "thy seed shall be a
stranger in a land that is 16). Centuries ran their weary course.
Abraham's descendants groaned amid the brickkilns of Egypt. Had God
forgotten His promise? No, indeed. Exodus 12:41, "And it came to pass
at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day
it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land
of Egypt." Through Isaiah the Lord declared, "Behold, a virgin shall
conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Isa.
7:14). Again centuries passed, but "When the fullness of the time was
come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman" (Gal. 4:4). God is
true. His Word of promise is sure. In all His relations with His
people God is faithful. He may be safely relied upon. No one ever yet
really trusted Him in vain. We find this precious truth expressed
almost everywhere in the Scriptures, for His people need to know that
faithfulness is an essential part of the divine character. This is the
basis of our confidence in Him. But it is one thing to accept the
faithfulness of God as a divine truth, it is quite another to act upon
it. God has given us many "exceeding great and precious promises," but
are we really counting on His fulfillment of them? Do we actually
expect Him to do for us all that He has said? Are we resting with
implicit assurance on these words, "He is faithful that promised"
(Heb. 10:23).
There are seasons in the lives of all when it is not easy, not even
for Christians, to believe that God is faithful. Our faith is sorely
tried, our eyes dimmed with tears, and we can no longer trace the
outworking of His love. Our ears are distracted with the noises of the
world, harassed by the atheistic whisperings of Satan, and we can no
longer hear the sweet accents of His still small voice. Cherished
plans have been thwarted, friends on whom we relied have failed us, a
professed brother or sister in Christ has betrayed us. We are
staggered. We sought to be faithful to God, and now a dark cloud hides
Him from us.
We find it difficult, yes, impossible, for carnal reasons to harmonize
His frowning providence with His gracious promises. Ah, faltering
soul, seek grace to heed Isaiah 50:10, "Who is among you that feareth
the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in
darkness and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and
stay upon his God."
When you are tempted to doubt the faithfulness of God, cry out, "Get
thee hence, Satan." Though you cannot now harmonize God's mysterious
dealings with the avowals of His love, wait on Him for more light. In
His own good time He will make it plain to you. "What I do thou
knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter" (John 13:7). The
sequel will demonstrate that God has neither forsaken nor deceived His
child. "And therefore will the LORD wait that he may be gracious unto
you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon
you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait
for him" (Isa. 30:18).
"Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust Him for His grace,
Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face. Ye fearful
saints, fresh courage take, The clouds ye so much dread, Are rich with
mercy, and shall break In blessing o'er your head."
"Thy testimonies which thou hast commanded are righteous and very
faithful" (Ps. 119:138). God has not only told us the best, but also
He has not withheld the worst. He has faithfully described the ruin
which the fall effected; He has faithfully diagnosed the terrible
state which sin produced; He has faithfully made known His inveterate
hatred of evil, and that He must punish the same; He has faithfully
warned us that He is "a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29). Not only does
His Word abound in illustrations of His fidelity in fulfilling His
promises, but also it records numerous examples of His faithfulness in
making good His threatenings. Every stage of Israel's history
exemplifies that solemn fact. So it was with individuals: Pharaoh,
Korah, Achan, and a host of others are many proofs. Thus it will be
with you. Unless you have fled, or flee, to Christ for refuge, the
everlasting burning of the lake of fire will be your certain portion.
God is faithful.
God is faithful in preserving His people. "God is faithful, by whom ye
are called unto the fellowship of His Son" (1 Cor. 1:9). In the
previous verse a promise was made that God would confirm unto the end
His own people. The apostle's confidence in the absolute security of
believers was founded not on the strength of their resolutions or
ability to persevere, but on the veracity of the One who cannot lie.
Since God has promised to His Son a certain people for His
inheritance, to deliver them from sin and condemnation, and to become
the participants of eternal life in glory, it is certain that He will
not allow any of them to perish.
God is faithful in disciplining His people. He is faithful in what He
withholds, no less than in what He gives. He is faithful in sending
sorrow as well as in giving joy. The faithfulness of God is a truth to
be confessed by us not only when we are at ease, but also when we are
smarting under the sharpest rebuke. Nor must this confession be merely
of our mouths, but of our hearts also. When God smites us with the rod
of chastisement, it is faithfulness which wields it. To acknowledge
this means that we humble ourselves before Him, own that we fully
deserve His correction; and instead of murmuring, thank Him for it.
God never afflicts without a reason: "For this cause many are weak and
sickly among you" (1 Cor. 11:30), illustrates this principle. When His
rod falls on us let us say with Daniel, "O LORD, righteousness
belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces" (Dan. 9:7).
"I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in
faithfulness hast afflicted me" (Ps. 119:75). Trouble and affliction
are not only consistent with God's love pledged in the everlasting
covenant, but also they are parts of the administration of the same.
God is not only faithful, notwithstanding afflictions, but faithful in
sending them. "Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and
their iniquity with stripes: my loving kindness will I not utterly
take from him nor suffer my faithfulness to fail" (Ps. 89:32-33).
Chastening is not only reconcilable with God's lovingkindness, but
also it is the effect and expression of it. It would quiet the minds
of God's people if they would remember that His covenant love binds
Him to lay on them seasonable correction. Afflictions are necessary
for us: "In their affliction they will seek me early" (Hosea 5:15).
God is faithful in glorifying His people. "Faithful is he which
calleth you, who also will do" (1 Thess. 5:24). The immediate
reference here is to saints being "preserved blameless unto the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ." God treats us not on the ground of our
merits (for we have none), but for His own great name's sake. God is
constant to Himself and to His own purpose of grace "whom he called .
. . them he also glorified" (Rom. 8:30). God gives a full
demonstration of the constancy of His everlasting goodness toward His
elect by effectually calling them out of darkness into His marvelous
light. This should fully assure them of the certain continuance of it.
"The foundation of God standeth sure" (2 Tim. 2:19). Paul rested on
the faithfulness of God when he said, "I know whom I have believed,
and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed
unto him against that day"
(2 Tim. 1:12).
Apprehension of this blessed truth will preserve us from worry. To be
full of care, to view our situation with dark forebodings, to
anticipate the morrow with sad anxiety, is to reflect upon the
faithfulness of God. He who has cared for His child through all the
years, will not forsake him in old age. He who has heard your prayers
in the past, will not refuse to supply your need in the present
emergency. Rest on Job 5:19, "He shall deliver thee in six troubles:
yea, in seven there shall be no evil touch thee."
Apprehension of this truth will check our murmurings. The Lord knows
what is best for each of us. One effect of resting on this truth will
be to silence our petulant complainings. God is greatly honored when,
under trial and chastening, we have good thoughts of Him, vindicate
His wisdom and justice, and recognize His love in His rebukes.
Apprehension of this truth will breed increasing confidence in God.
"Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit
the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful
Creator" (1 Pet. 4:19). The sooner we trustfully resign ourselves, and
all our affairs into God's hands, fully persuaded of His love and
faithfulness, the sooner we will be satisfied with His providences and
realize that "He doeth all things well."
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 1: Excellencies Which
Pertain to the Godhead as God
11. The Lovingkindness of God
We Propose To Engage The Reader with another of His excellencies--of
which every Christian receives innumerable proofs. We turn to a
consideration of God's lovingkindness because our aim is to maintain a
due proportion in treating of the divine perfections, for all of us
are apt to entertain onesided views of them. A balance must be
preserved here (as everywhere), as it appears in those two statements
of the divine attributes, "God is light" (1 John 1:5), "God is love"
(1 John 4:8). The sterner, more awe-inspiring aspects of the divine
character are offset by the gentler, more winsome ones. It is to our
irreparable loss if we dwell exclusively on God's sovereignty and
majesty, or His holiness and justice; we need to meditate frequently,
though not exclusively, on His goodness and mercy. Nothing short of a
full-orbed view of the divine perfections--as revealed in Holy
Writ--should satisfy us.
Scripture speaks of "the multitude of his lovingkindnesses," and who
is capable of numbering them? (Isa. 63:7). Said the psalmist, "How
excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God!" (Ps. 36:7). No pen of man, no
tongue of angel, can adequately express it. Familiar as this blessed
attribute of God's may be to people, it is something entirely peculiar
to divine revelation. None of the ancients ever dreamed of investing
his gods with such endearing perfection as this. None of the objects
worshipped by presentday heathen possess gentleness and tenderness;
very much the reverse is true, as the hideous features of their idols
exhibit. Philosophers regard it as a serious reflection upon the honor
of the Absolute to ascribe such qualities to it. But the Scriptures
have much to say about God's lovingkindness, or His paternal favor to
His people, His tender affection toward them.
The first time this divine perfection is mentioned in the Word is in
that wondrous manifestation of deity to Moses, when Jehovah proclaimed
His "Name," i.e., Himself as made known. "The LORD, the LORD God,
merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in goodness and
truth" (Ex. 34:6), though much more frequently the Hebrew word,
chesed, is rendered "kindness" and "lovingkindness." In our English
Bibles the initial reference, as connected with God, is Psalm 17:7,
where David prayed, "Shew thy marvelous lovingkindness, O thou that
savest by thy fight hand them which put their trust in thee."
Marvelous it is that One so infinitely above us, so inconceivably
glorious, so ineffably holy, should not only notice such worms of the
earth, but also set His heart upon them, give His Son for them, send
His Spirit to indwell them, and so bear with all their imperfections
and waywardness as never to remove His lovingkindness from them.
Consider some of the evidences and exercises of this Divine attribute
unto the saints. "In love having predestinated us unto the adoption of
children by Jesus Christ unto himself" (Eph. 1:4-5). As the previous
verse shows, that love was engaged on their behalf before this world
came into existence. "In this was manifested the love of God toward
us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we
might live through him" (1 John 4:9), which was His amazing provision
for us fallen creatures. "I have loved thee with an everlasting love,
therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee" (Jer. 31:3), by the
quickening operations of My Spirit, by the invincible power of My
grace, by creating in you a deep sense of need, by attracting you by
My winsomeness. "I will betroth thee unto me for ever, yea, I will
betroth thee unto me in righteousness and in judgment, and in
lovingkindness and in mercies" (Hos. 2:19). Having made us willing in
the day of His power to give ourselves to Him, the Lord enters into an
everlasting marriage contract with us.
This lovingkindness of the Lord is never removed from His children. To
our reason it may appear to be so, yet it never is. Since the believer
be in Christ, nothing can separate him from the love of God (Rom.
8:39). God has solemnly engaged Himself by covenant, and our sins
cannot make it void. God has sworn that if His children keep not His
commandments He will "visit their transgression with the rod and their
iniquity with stripes." Yet He adds, "Nevertheless my lovingkindness
will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.
My covenant will I not break" (Ps. 89:31-34). Observe the change of
number from "their" and "them" to "Him." The lovingkindness of God
toward His people is centered in Christ. Because His exercise of
lovingkindness is a covenant engagement it is repeatedly linked to His
"truth" (Ps. 40:11; 138:2), showing that it proceeds to us by promise.
Therefore we should never despair.
"For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my
kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my
peace be removed, saith the Loan that hath mercy on thee" (Isa.
54:10). No, that covenant has been ratified by the blood of its
Mediator, by which blood the enmity (occasioned by sin) has been
removed and perfect reconciliation effected. God knows the thoughts
which He entertains for those embraced in His covenant and who have
been reconciled to Him; namely, "thoughts of peace, and not of evil"
(Jer. 29:11). Therefore we are assured, "The LORD will command His
lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with
me" (Ps. 42:8). What a word that is! Not merely that the Lord will
give or bestow, but command His lovingkindness. It is given by decree,
bestowed by royal engagement, as He also commands "deliverances" (Ps.
44:4), "the blessing, life for evermore" (Ps. 133:3), which announces
that nothing can possibly hinder these bestowments.
What ought our response to be? First, "Be ye therefore followers
("imitators") of God, as dear children; and walk in love" (Eph.
5:1-2). "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved,
bowels of mercies, kindness" (Col. 3:12). Thus it was with David: "Thy
lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth"
(Ps. 26:3). He delighted to ponder it. It refreshed his soul to do so,
and it molded his conduct. The more we are occupied with God's
goodness, the more careful we will be about our obedience. The
constraints of God's love and grace are more powerful to the
regenerate than the terrors of His Law. "How excellent is thy
lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust
under the shadow of thy wings" (Ps. 36:7). Second, a sense of this
divine perfection strengthens our faith, and promotes confidence in
God.
Third, it should stimulate the spirit of worship. "Because thy
lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee" (Ps.
63:3; cf. 138:2). Fourth, it should be our cordial when depressed.
"Let . . . thy merciful kindness (same Hebrew word) be for my comfort"
(Ps. 119:76). It was so with Christ in His anguish (Ps. 69:17). Fifth,
it should be our plea in prayer, "Quicken me, O LORD, according to try
lovingkindness" (Ps. 119:159). David applied to that divine attribute
for new strength and increased vigor. Sixth, we should appeal to it
when we have fallen by the wayside. "Have mercy on me, O God,
according to thy lovingkindness" (Ps. 51:1). Deal with me according to
the gentlest of Thy attributes, make my case an exemplification of Thy
tenderness. Seventh, it should be a petition in our evening devotions.
"Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning" (Ps. 143:8).
Arouse me with my soul in tune therewith, let my waking thoughts be of
Thy goodness.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 1: Excellencies Which
Pertain to the Godhead as God
12. The Goodness of God
The Goodness Of God endureth continually" (Ps. 52:1). The goodness of
God respects the perfection of His nature: "God is light, and in him
is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). There is such an absolute
perfection in God's nature and being that nothing is wanting to it or
defective in it; nothing can be added to it to make it better.
He is originally good, good of Himself, which nothing else is; for all
creatures are good only by participation and communication from God.
He is essentially good; not only good, but goodness itself: the
creature's good is a superadded quality, in God it is His essence. He
is infinitely good; the creature's good is but a drop, but in God
there is an infinite ocean or gathering together of good. He is
eternally and immutably good, for He cannot be less good than He is;
as there can be no addition made to Him, so no subtraction from Him
(Thomas Manton).
God is summurn bonum, the chiefest good.
The original Saxon meaning of our English word God is "The Good." God
is not only the greatest of all beings, but the best. All the goodness
there is in any creature has been imparted from the Creator, but God's
goodness is underived, for it is the essence of His eternal nature. As
God is infinite in power from all eternity, before there was any
display thereof, or any act of omnipotence put forth; so He was
eternally good before there was any communication of His bounty, or
any creature to whom it might be imparted or exercised. Thus, the
first manifestation of this divine perfection was in giving being to
all things. "Thou art good, and doest good" (Ps. 119:68). God has in
Himself an infinite and inexhaustible treasure of all blessedness
enough to fill all things.
All that emanates from God--His decrees, His creation, His laws, His
providences--cannot be otherwise than good: as it is written. "And God
saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good" (Gen.
1:31). Thus, the goodness of God is seen, first, in creation. The more
closely the creature is studied, the more the beneficence of his
Creator becomes apparent. Take the highest of God's earthly creatures,
man. Abundant reason he has to say with the Psalmist, "I will praise
thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy
works, and that my soul knoweth right well" (Ps. 139:14). Everything
about the structure of our bodies attests to the goodness of their
Maker. How suited the hands to perform their allotted work! How good
of the Lord to appoint sleep to refresh a wearied body! How benevolent
His provision to give the eyes lids and brows for their protection! So
we might continue indefinitely.
Nor is the goodness of the Creator confined to man, it is exercised
toward all His creatures. "The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou
givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and
satisfiest the desire of every living thing" (Ps. 145:15-16). Whole
volumes might be written, and have been, to amplify this fact. Whether
it is the birds of the air, the beasts of the forest, or the fish in
the sea, abundant provision has been made to supply their every need.
God "giveth food to all flesh, for his mercy endureth forever" (Ps.
136:25). Truly, "The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD" (Ps.
33:5).
The goodness of God is seen in the variety of natural pleasures which
He has provided for His creatures. God might have been pleased to
satisfy your hunger without the food being pleasing to our
palates--how His benevolence appears in the varied flavors He has
given to meats, vegetables, and fruits! God has not only given us
senses, but also that which gratifies them; this too reveals His
goodness. The earth might have been as fertile as it is without being
so delightfully variegated. Our physical lives could have been
sustained without beautiful flowers to regale our eyes, and exhale
sweet perfumes. We might have walked the fields without our ears being
saluted by the music of the birds. Whence then, this loveliness, this
charm, so freely diffused over the face of nature? Verily, "His tender
mercies are over all his works" (Ps. 145:9).
The goodness of God is seen in that when man transgressed the law of
His Creator a dispensation of unmixed wrath did not at once commence.
God might well have deprived His fallen creatures of every blessing,
every comfort, every pleasure. Instead, He ushered in a regime of a
mixed nature, of mercy and judgment. This is very wonderful if it be
duly considered; and the more thoroughly that regime is examined the
more it will appear that "mercy rejoiceth against judgment" (James
2:13). Notwithstanding all the evils which attend our fallen state,
the balance of good greatly preponderates. With comparatively rare
exceptions, men and women experience a far greater number of days of
health than they do of sickness and pain. There is much more
creature-happiness than creature-misery in the world. Even our sorrows
admit of considerable alleviation, and God has given to the human mind
a pliability which adapts itself to circumstances and makes the most
of them.
Nor can the benevolence of God be justly called into question because
there is suffering and sorrow in the world. If man sins against the
goodness of God, if he despises "the riches of His goodness and
forbearance and longsuffering," and after the hardness and impenitency
of his heart treasurest up unto himself wrath against the day of wrath
(Rom. 2:5-6), who is to blame but himself? Would God be "good" if He
did not punish those who ill-use His blessings, abuse His benevolence,
and trample His mercies beneath their feet? It will be no reflection
upon God's goodness, but rather the brightest exemplification of it,
when He will rid the earth of those who have broken His laws, defied
His authority, mocked His messengers, scorned His Son, and persecuted
those for whom He died.
The goodness of God appeared most illustriously when He sent forth His
Son "made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were
under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons" (Gal.
4:4-5). It was then that a multitude of the heavenly host praised
their Maker and said, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace,
good will toward men" (Luke 2:14). Yes, in the Gospel the "grace (Gr.,
benevolence or goodness) of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared
to all men" (Titus 2:11). Nor can God's benignity be called into
question because He has not made every sinful creature a subject of
His redemptive grace. He did not do so with the fallen angels. Had God
left all to perish it had been no reflection on His goodness. To any
who challenge this statement we remind him of our Lord's sovereign
prerogative: "Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own?
Is thine eye evil, because I am good?" (Matthew 20:15).
"O that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his
wonderful works to the children of men" (Ps. 107:8). Gratitude is the
return justly required from the objects of His beneficence; yet is it
often withheld from our great Benefactor simply because His goodness
is so constant and so abundant. It is lightly esteemed because it is
exercised toward us in the common course of events. It is not felt
because we daily experience it. "Despisest thou the riches of his
goodness?" (Rom. 2:4). His goodness is despised when it is not
improved as a means to lead men to repentance, but, on the contrary,
serves to harden them from supposing that God entirely overlooks their
sin.
The goodness of God is the life of the believer's trust. It is this
excellency in God which most appeals to our hearts. Because His
goodness endureth forever, we ought never to be discouraged: "The Lord
is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and he knoweth them that
trust in him" (Nah. 1:7).
When others behave badly to us, it should only stir us up the more
heartily to give thanks unto the Lord, because He is good; and when we
ourselves are conscious that we are far from being good, we should
only the more reverently bless Him that He is good. We must never
tolerate an instant's unbelief as to the goodness of the Lord:
whatever else may be questioned, this is absolutely certain, that
Jehovah is good; His dispensations may vary, but His nature is always
the same. (C. H. Spurgeon).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 1: Excellencies Which
Pertain to the Godhead as God
13. The Patience of God
Far Less Has Been Written on the patience of God than on the other
excellencies of divine character. Not a few of those who have
expatiated at length upon the divine attributes have passed over the
patience of God without any comment. It is not easy to suggest a
reason for this, for surely the longsuffering of God is as much one of
the divine perfections as is His wisdom, power, or holiness--as much
to be admired and revered by us. True, the actual term will not be
found in a concordance so frequently as the others, but the glory of
this grace shines on almost every page of Scripture. Certainly we lose
much if we do not frequently meditate upon the patience of God and
earnestly pray that our hearts and ways may be more completely
conformed thereto.
Probably the principal reason why so many writers have failed to give
us anything, separately, upon the patience of God is because of the
difficulty of distinguishing this attribute from divine goodness and
mercy, particularly the latter. God's longsuffering is mentioned in
conjunction with His grace and mercy again and again (see Exodus 34:6;
Numbers 14:18; Psalm 86:15). That the patience of God is really a
display of His mercy is one way it is frequently manifested. But that
they are one and the same excellency, and are not to be separated, we
cannot concede. It may not be easy to discriminate between them.
Nevertheless, Scripture fully warrants us in predicating some things
of the one which we cannot of the other.
Stephen Charnock, the Puritan, defines God's patience, in part:
It is a part of the Divine goodness and mercy, yet differs from both.
God being the greatest goodness, hath the greatest mildness; mildness
is always the companion of true goodness, and the greater the
goodness, the greater the mildness. Who so holy as Christ, and who so
meek? God's slowness to anger is a branch of His mercy: "the LORD is
full of compassion, slow to anger" (Ps. 145:8). It differs from mercy
in the formal consideration of the subject: mercy respects the
creature as miserable, patience respects the creature as criminal;
mercy pities him in his misery, patience bears with the sin which
engendered the misery, and giving birth to more.
Personally we define the divine patience as that power of control
which God exercises over Himself, causing Him to bear with the wicked
and forebear so long in punishing them. Nahum 1:3 reads, "The LORD is
slow to anger and great in power," upon which Mr. Charnock said:
Men that are great in the world are quick in passion, and are not so
ready to forgive an injury, or bear with an offender, as one of a
meaner rank. It is a want of power over that man's self that makes him
do unbecoming things upon a provocation. A prince that can bridle his
passions is a king over himself as well as over his subjects. God is
slow to anger because great in power. He has no less power over
Himself than over His creatures.
At the above point, we think, God's patience is most clearly
distinguished from His mercy. Though the creature is benefitted, the
patience of God chiefly respects Himself, a restraint placed upon His
acts by His will; whereas His mercy terminates wholly upon the
creature. The patience of God is that excellency which causes Him to
sustain great injuries without immediately avenging Himself. Thus the
Hebrew word for the divine longsuffering is rendered "slow to anger"
in Nehemiah 9:17, Psalm 103:8. Not that there are any passions in the
divine nature, but God's wisdom and will is pleased to act with a
stateliness and sobriety which becomes His exalted majesty.
In support of our definition we point out that it was to this
excellency in the divine character that Moses appealed, when Israel
sinned so grievously at Kadesh-Barnea, and there provoked Jehovah so
sorely. Unto His servant the Lord said, "I will smite them with the
pestilence and disinherit them." Then the typical mediator pleaded, "I
beseech thee let the power of my LORD be great according as thou hast
spoken, saying, The LORD is longsuffering" (Num. 14:17). Thus, His
longsuffering, is His power of self-restraint.
Again, in Romans 9:22 we read, "What if God, willing to show his
wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering
the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction." Were God to immediately
break these reprobate vessels into pieces, His power of self-control
would not so eminently appear; by bearing with their wickedness and
forebearing punishment so long, the power of His patience is
gloriously demonstrated. True, the wicked interpret His longsuffering
quite differently--"Because sentence against an evil work is not
executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set
in them to do evil" (Eccl. 8:11)--but the anointed eye adores what
they abuse.
"The God of patience" (Rom. 15:5) is one of the divine titles. Deity
is thus denominated, First, because God is both the author and object
of the grace of patience in the creature. Second, because this is what
He is in Himself: patience is one of His perfections. Third, as a
pattern for us: "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and
beloved, bowels of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness,
longsuffering" (Col. 3:12). And again, "Be ye therefore followers
[emulators] of God, as dear children" (Eph. 5:1). When tempted to be
disgusted at the dullness of another, or to revenge one who has
wronged you, remember God's infinite patience with you.
The patience of God is manifested in His dealings with sinners. How
strikingly it was displayed toward the antideluvians. When mankind was
universally degenerate, and all flesh had corrupted his way, God did
not destroy them till He had forewarned them. He "waited" (1 Pet.
3:20) probably no less than one hundred and twenty years (Gen. 6:3),
during which time Noah was a "preacher of righteousness" (2 Pet. 2:5).
Later, when the Gentiles not only worshipped and served the creature
more than the Creator, but also committed the vilest abominations
contrary to even the dictates of nature (Rom. 1:19-26), and hereby
filled up the measure of their iniquity; yet, instead of drawing His
sword to exterminate such rebels, God "suffered all nations to walk in
their own ways" and gave them "rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons"
(Acts 14:16-17).
Marvelously God's patience was exercised and manifested toward Israel.
First, He "suffered their manners" for forty years in the wilderness
(Acts 13:18). Later, they entered Canaan, but followed the evil
customs of the nations around them, and turned to idolatry; though God
chastened them sorely, He did not utterly destroy them, but in their
distress, raised up deliverers for them. When their iniquity rose to
such a height that none but a God of infinite patience could have
borne them, He, notwithstanding, spared them many years before He
allowed them to be carried into Babylon. Finally, when their rebellion
against Him reached its climax by crucifying His Son, He waited forty
years before He sent the Romans against them; and that only after they
had judged themselves "unworthy of eternal life" (Acts 13:46).
How wondrous God's patience is with the world today. On every side
people are sinning with a high hand. The divine law is trampled under
foot and God Himself openly despised. It is truly amazing that He does
not instantly strike dead those who so brazenly defy Him. Why does He
not suddenly cut off the haughty infidel and blatant blasphemer, as He
did Ananias and Sapphira? Why does He not cause the earth to open and
devour the persecutors of His people, so that, like Dathan and Abiran,
they shall go down alive into the pit? And what of apostate
Christendom, where every possible form of sin is now tolerated and
practiced under cover of the holy name of Christ? Why does not the
righteous wrath of heaven make an end of such abominations? Only one
answer is possible: because God bears with" much longsuffering the
vessels of wrath fitted to destruction."
What of the writer and the reader? Let us review our own lives. It is
not long since we followed a multitude to do evil, had no concern for
God's glory, and lived only to gratify self. How patiently He bore
with our vile conduct! Now that grace has snatched us as brands from
the burning, and given us a place in God's family, and begotten us
unto an eternal inheritance in glory; how miserably we requite Him.
How shallow our gratitude, how tardy our obedience, how frequent our
backslidings! One reason why God suffers the flesh to remain in the
believer is that He may exhibit His "longsuffering to us-ward" (2 Pet.
3:9). Since this divine attribute is manifested only in this world,
God takes advantage to display it toward "His own."
May your meditation upon this divine excellency soften our hearts,
make our consciences tender; and may we learn in the school of
experience the "patience of saints," namely, submission to the divine
will and continuance in well doing. Let us seek grace to emulate this
divine excellency. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which
is in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). In the immediate context
Christ exhorts us to love our enemies, bless them that curse us, do
good to them that hate us. God bears long with the wicked
notwithstanding the multitude of their sin. Shall we desire to be
revenged because of a single injury?
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 1: Excellencies Which
Pertain to the Godhead as God
14. The Grace of God
This Is A Perfection of the divine character exercised only toward the
elect. Neither in the Old Testament nor in the New is the grace of God
ever mentioned in connection with mankind generally, still less with
the lower orders of creatures. It is distinguished from "mercy," for
the mercy of God is "over all his works" (Ps. 145:9). Grace is the
lone source from which flows the goodwill, love, and salvation of God
unto His chosen people. This attribute of the divine character was
defined by Abraham Booth in his helpful book, The Reign of Grace,
thus: "It is the eternal and absolute free favor of God, manifested in
the vouchsafement of spiritual and eternal blessings to the guilty and
the unworthy."
Divine grace is the sovereign and saving favor of God exercised in
bestowing blessings upon those who have no merit in them and for which
no compensation is demanded. Nay, more; it is the favor of God to
those who not only have no positive deserts of their own, but also who
are thoroughly illdeserving and hell-deserving. It is completely
unmerited and unsought, and is altogether unattracted by anything in
or from or by the objects upon which it is bestowed.
Grace cannot be bought, earned, nor won by the creature. If it could
be, it would cease to be grace. When a thing is said to be of "grace"
we mean that the recipient has no claim upon it, that it was in no
wise due him. It comes to him as pure charity, and, at first, unasked
and undesired.
The fullest exposition of the amazing grace of God is found in the
epistles of Paul. In his writings "grace" stands in direct opposition
to works and worthiness, all works and worthiness, of whatever kind or
degree. This is abundantly clear from Romans 11:6, "And if by grace,
then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. If it
be of works, then is it no more grace, otherwise work is no more
work." Grace and works will no more unite than acid and alkali. "By
grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is
the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:8,
9). The absolute favor of God can no more consist with human merit
than oil and water will fuse into one (see also Romans 4:4-5).
There are three principal characteristics of divine grace. First, it
is eternal. Grace was planned before it was exercised, purposed before
it was imparted: "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy
calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose
and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began"
(2 Tim. 1:9). Second, it is free, for none ever purchased it: "Being
justified freely by his grace" (Rom. 3:24). Third, it is sovereign,
because God exercises it toward and bestows it upon whom He pleases:
"Even so might grace reign" (Rom. 5:21). If grace reigns, then it is
on the throne, and the occupant of the throne is sovereign. Hence,
"the throne of grace" (Heb. 4:16).
Just because grace is unmerited favor, it must be exercised in a
sovereign manner. Therefore the Lord declares, "I will be gracious to
whom I will be gracious" (Ex. 33:19). Were God to show grace to all of
Adam's descendants, men would at once conclude that He was righteously
compelled to take them to heaven as a compensation for allowing the
human race to fall into sin. But God is under no obligation to any of
His creatures, least of all to those who are rebels against Him.
Eternal life is a gift, therefore it can neither be earned by good
works, nor claimed as a right. Seeing that salvation is a gift, who
has any right to tell God on whom He ought to bestow it? It is not
that the Giver ever refuses this gift to any who seek it
wholeheartedly, and according to the rules which He has prescribed.
No, He refuses none who come to Him empty handed and in the way of His
appointing. But if out of a world of impenitent and unbelieving, God
is determined to exercise His sovereign right by choosing a limited
number to be saved, who is wronged? Is God obliged to force His gift
on those who do not value it? Is God compelled to save those who are
determined to go their own way?
Nothing riles the natural man more and brings to the surface his
innate, inveterate enmity against God than to press upon him the
eternality, the freeness, and the absolute sovereignty of divine
grace. That God should have formed His purpose from everlasting,
without in anywise consulting the creature, is too abasing for the
unbroken heart. That grace cannot be earned or won by any efforts of
man is too self-emptying for self-righteousness. That grace singles
out whom it pleases to be its favored objects, arouses hot protests
from haughty rebels. The clay rises up against the Potter and asks,
"Why hast Thou made me thus?" A lawless insurrectionist dares to call
into question the justice of divine sovereignty.
The distinguishing grace of God is seen in saving that people whom He
has sovereignly singled out to be His high favorites. By
"distinguishing" we mean that grace discriminates, makes differences,
chooses some and passes by others. It was distinguishing grace which
selected Abraham from the midst of his idolatrous neighbors and made
him "the friend of God." Distinguishing grace saved "publicans and
sinners," but said of the religious Pharisees, "Let them alone"
(Matthew 15:14). Nowhere does the glory of God's free and sovereign
grace shine more conspicuously than in the unworthiness and unlikeness
of its objects. Beautifully was this illustrated by James Hervey in
1751:
Where sin has abounded, says the proclamation from the court of
heaven, grace doth much more abound. Manasseh was a monster of
barbarity, for he caused his own children to pass through the fire,
and filled Jerusalem with innocent blood. Manasseh was an adept in
iniquity, for he not only multiplied, and to an extravagant degree,
his own sacrilegious impieties, but he poisoned the principles and
perverted the manners of his subjects, making them do worse than the
most detestable of the heathen idolators (see 2 Chronicles 33). Yet,
through this superabundant grace he is humbled, he is reformed, and
becomes a child of forgiving love, an heir of immortal glory.
Behold that bitter and bloody persecutor, Saul; when breathing out
threatenings and bent upon slaughter, he worried the lambs and put to
death the disciples of Jesus. The havoc he had committed, the
inoffensive families he had already ruined, were not sufficient to
assuage his vengeful spirit. They were only a taste, which, instead of
glutting the bloodhound, made him more closely pursue the track, and
more eagerly pant for destruction. He is still thirsty for violence
and murder. So eager and insatiable is his thirst, that he even
breathes out threatening and slaughter (Acts 9:1). His words are
spears and arrows, and his tongue a sharp sword. `Tis as natural for
him to menace the Christians as to breathe the air. Nay, they bled
every hour in the purposes of his rancorous heart. It is only owing to
want of power that every syllable he utters, every breath he draws,
does not deal out deaths, and cause some of the innocent disciples to
fall. Who, upon the principles of human judgment, would not have
pronounced him a vessel of wrath, destined to unavoidable damnation?
Nay, who would not have been ready to conclude that, if there were
heavier chains and a deeper dungeon in the world of woe, they must
surely be reserved for such an implacable enemy of true godliness?
Yes, admire and adore the inexhaustible treasures of grace--this Saul
is admitted into the goodly fellowship of the prophets, is numbered
with the noble army of martyrs and makes a distinguished figure among
the glorious company of the apostles.
The Corinthians were flagitious even to a proverb. Some of them
wallowing in such abominable vices, and habituated themselves to such
outrageous acts of injustice, as were a reproach to human nature. Yet,
even these sons of violence and slaves of sensuality were washed,
sanctified, justified (1 Cor. 6:9-11). "Washed," in the precious blood
of a dying Redeemer; "sanctified," by the powerful operations of the
blessed Spirit; "justified," through the infinitely tender mercies of
a gracious God. Those who were once the burden of the earth, are now
the joy of heaven, the delight of angels.
Now the grace of God is manifested in and by and through the Lord
Jesus Christ. "The law was given by Moses, grace and truth came by
Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). This does not mean that God never exercised
grace toward any before His Son became incarnate--Genesis 6:8 and
Exodus 33:19 clearly show otherwise. But grace and truth were fully
revealed and perfectly exemplified when the Redeemer came to this
earth, and died for His people upon the cross. It is through Christ
the Mediator alone that the grace of God flows to His elect. "Much
more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man,
Jesus Christ . . . much more they which receive abundance of grace,
and of the gift of righteousness, shall reign in life by one, Jesus
Christ . . . so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal
life by Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 5:15, 17, 21).
The grace of God is proclaimed in the Gospel (Acts 20:24), which is to
the self-righteous Jew a "stumbling block," and to the conceited and
philosophizing Greek "foolishness." Why so? Because there is nothing
whatever in it that is adapted to gratify the pride of man. It
announces that unless we are saved by grace, we cannot be saved at
all. It declares that apart from Christ, the unspeakable Gift of God's
grace, the state of every man is desperate, irremediable, hopeless.
The Gospel addresses men as guilty, condemned, perishing criminals. It
declares that the most chaste moralist is in the same terrible plight
as the most voluptuous profligate; that the zealous professor, with
all his religious performances, is no better off than the most profane
infidel.
The Gospel contemplates every descendant of Adam as a fallen,
polluted, hell-deserving, and helpless sinner. The grace which the
Gospel publishes is his only hope. All stand before God convicted as
transgressors of His holy Law, as guilty and condemned criminals;
awaiting not sentence, but the execution of sentence already passed on
them (John 3:18; Romans 3:19). To complain against the partiality of
grace is suicidal. If the sinner insists upon bare justice, then the
lake of fire must be his eternal portion. His only hope lies in bowing
to the sentence which divine justice has passed upon him, owning the
absolute righteousness of it, casting himself on the mercy of God, and
stretching forth empty hands to avail himself of the grace of God made
known to him in the Gospel.
The third Person in the Godhead is the Communicator of grace,
therefore He is denominated "the spirit of grace" (Zech. 12:10). God
the Father is the Fountain of all grace, for He purposed in Himself
the everlasting covenant of redemption. God the Son is the only
Channel of grace. The Gospel is the publisher of grace. The Spirit is
the Bestower. He is the One who applies the Gospel in saving power to
the soul, quickens the elect while spiritually dead, conquers their
rebellious wills, melts their hard hearts, opens their blind eyes,
cleanses them from the leprosy of sin. Thus we say with the late G. S.
Bishop, in Grace in Galatians:
Grace is a provision for men who are so fallen that they cannot lift
the axe of justice, so corrupt that they cannot change their own
natures, so averse to God that they cannot turn to Him, so blind that
they cannot see Him, so deaf that they cannot hear Him, and so dead
that He himself must open their graves and lift them into
resurrection.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 1: Excellencies Which
Pertain to the Godhead as God
15. The Mercy of God
"O Give Thanks unto the LORD; for he is good, for his mercy endureth
for ever" (Ps. 136:1). For this perfection of the divine character God
is greatly to be praised. Three times over in as many verses does the
Psalmist call upon the saints to give thanks unto the Lord for this
adorable attribute. Surely this is the least that can be asked from
those who have been such bounteous gainers. When we contemplate the
characteristics of this divine excellency, we cannot do otherwise than
bless God for it. His mercy is "great" (1 Kings 3:6); "plenteous''
(Ps. 86:5); "tender" (Luke 1:78); "abundant" (1 Pet. 1:3); it is "from
everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him" (Ps. 103:17). Well
may we say with the psalmist, "I will sing aloud of thy mercy" (Ps.
59:16).
"I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the
name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be
gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy" (Ex. 33:19).
Wherein differs the mercy of God from his grace? The mercy of God has
its spring in the divine goodness. The first issue of God's goodness
is His benignity or bounty, by which He gives liberally to His
creatures, as creatures; thus He has given being and life to all
things. The second issue of God's goodness is His mercy, which denotes
the ready inclination of God to relieve the misery of fallen
creatures. Thus, mercy presupposes sin.
Though it may not be easy at the first consideration to see a real
difference between the grace and the mercy of God, it helps us if we
carefully ponder His dealings with unfallen angels. He has never
exercised mercy toward them, for they have never stood in any need
thereof, not having sinned or come beneath the effects of the curse.
Yet, they certainly are the objects of God's free and sovereign grace.
First, because of His election of them from out of the whole angelic
race (1 Tim. 5:21). Second, and in consequence of their election,
because of His preservation of them from apostasy, when Satan rebelled
and dragged down with him one-third of the celestial hosts (Rev.
12:4). Third, in making Christ their Head (Col. 2:10; 1 Peter 3:22),
whereby they are eternally secured in the holy condition in which they
were created. Fourth, because of the exalted position which has been
assigned them: to live in God's immediate presence (Dan. 7:10), to
serve Him constantly in His heavenly temple, to receive honorable
commissions from Him (Heb. 1:14). This is abundant grace toward them;
but mercy it is not.
In endeavoring to study the mercy of God as set forth in Scripture, a
threefold distinction needs to be made, if the Word is to be "rightly
divided." First, there is a general mercy of God, extended not only to
all men, believers and unbelievers alike, but also to the entire
creation: "His tender mercies are over all his works" (Ps. 145:9); "He
giveth to all life, and breath, and all things" (Acts 17:25). God has
pity upon the brute creation in their needs, and supplies them with
suitable provision.
Second, there is a special mercy of God, which is exercised toward the
children of men, helping and succouring them, notwithstanding their
sins. To them also He communicates all the necessities of life: "for
he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth
rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5:45). Third, there is a
sovereign mercy reserved for the heirs of salvation, which is
communicated to them in a covenant way, through the Mediator.
Following out a little further the difference between the second and
third distinctions pointed out above, it is important to note that the
mercies which God bestows on the wicked are solely of a temporal
nature; that is to say, they are confined strictly to this present
life. There will be no mercy extended to them beyond the grave. "It is
a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not
have mercy on them, and he that formed them will show them no favor"
(Isa. 27:1 I).
But at this point a difficulty may suggest itself to some of our
readers, namely, does not Scripture affirm that, "His mercy endureth
forever" (Ps. 136:1)? Two things need to be pointed out in that
connection. God can never cease to be merciful, for this is a quality
of the divine essence (Ps. 116:5); but the exercise of His mercy is
regulated by His sovereign will. This must be so, for there is nothing
outside Himself which obliges Him to act. If there were, that
something would be supreme, and God would cease to be God.
It is pure, sovereign grace which alone determines the exercise of
divine mercy. God expressly affirms this fact in Romans 9:15, "For he
saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy." It is
not the wretchedness of the creature which causes Him to show mercy,
for God is not influenced by things outside of Himself as we are. If
God were influenced by the abject misery of leprous sinners, He would
cleanse and save all of them. But He does not. Why? Simply because it
is not His pleasure and purpose so to do. Still less is it the merits
of the creature which causes Him to bestow mercies upon them, for it
is a contradiction in terms to speak of meriting mercy. "Not by works
of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He
saved us" (Titus 3:5)--the one standing in direct antithesis from the
other. Nor is it the merits of Christ which move God to bestow mercies
on His elect; that would be putting the effect for the cause. It is
"through", or because of, the tender mercy of our God that Christ was
sent here to His people (Luke 1:78). The merits of Christ make it
possible for God to righteously bestow spiritual mercies on His elect,
justice having been fully satisfied by the Surety! No, mercy arises
solely from God's imperial pleasure.
Again, though it be true that God's mercy "endureth forever," yet we
must observe carefully the objects to whom His mercy is shown. Even
the casting of the reprobate into the lake of fire is an act of mercy.
Punishment of the wicked is to be contemplated from a threefold
viewpoint. From God's side, it is an act of justice, vindicating His
honor. The mercy of God is never shown to the prejudice of His
holiness and righteousness. From their side, it is an act of equity,
when they are made to suffer the due reward of their iniquities.
But from the standpoint of the redeemed, the punishment of the wicked
is an act of unspeakable mercy. How dreadful would it be if the
present order of things should continue forever, when the children of
God are obliged to live in the midst of the children of the devil.
Heaven would at once cease to be heaven if the ears of the saints
still heard the blasphemous, filthy language of the reprobate. What a
mercy that in the New Jerusalem "there shall in no wise enter into it
any thing that defileth, neither worketh abomination" (Rev. 21:27)!
Lest the reader think that in the last paragraph we have been drawing
upon our imagination, let us appeal to Scripture in support of what
has been said. In Psalm 143:12 David prays, "And of thy mercy cut off
mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy
servant." Again, in Psalm 136:15, God "overthrew Pharaoh and his hosts
in the Red Sea: for His mercy endureth forever." It was an act of
vengeance upon Pharaoh and his hosts, but it was an act of mercy unto
the Israelites. Again, in Revelation 19:1-3:
I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia;
Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God: for
true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great
whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath
avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said,
Alleluia. And her smoke rose up forever and ever.
From what has just been said, let us note how vain is the presumptuous
hope of the wicked, who, notwithstanding their continued defiance of
God, nevertheless count upon His being merciful to them. How many
there are who say, I do not believe that God will ever cast me into
hell; He is too merciful. Such a hope is a viper, which if cherished
in their bosoms will sting them to death. God is a God of justice as
well as mercy, and He has expressly declared that He will "by no means
clear the guilty" (Ex. 34:7). He has said, "The wicked shall be turned
into hell, and all the nations that forget God" (Ps. 9:17). As well
might men reason: I do not believe that if filth be allowed to
accumulate and sewerage become stagnant and people deprive themselves
of fresh air, that a merciful God will let them fall a prey to a
deadly fever. The fact is that those who neglect the laws of health
are carried away by disease, notwithstanding God's mercy. It is
equally true that those who neglect the laws of spiritual health shall
forever suffer the second death.
Unspeakably solemn is it to see so many abuse this divine perfection.
They continue to despise God's authority, trample upon His laws,
continue in sin, and yet presume upon His mercy. But God will not be
unjust to Himself. God shows mercy to the truly penitent, but not to
the impenitent (Luke 13:3). To continue in sin and yet reckon upon
divine mercy remitting punishment is diabolical. It is saying. "Let us
do evil that good may come," and of all such it is written, "whose
damnation is just" (Rom. 3:8). Presumption shall most certainly be
disappointed (read carefully Deuteronomy 29:18-20). Christ is the
spiritual mercy seat, and all who despise and reject His Lordship
shall "perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little"
(Ps. 2:12).
But let our final thought be of God's spiritual mercies unto His own
people. "Try mercy is great unto the heavens" (Ps. 57:10). The riches
of it transcend our loftiest thought. "For as the heaven is high above
the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him" (Ps.
103:11). None can measure it. The elect are designated "vessels of
mercy" (Rom. 9:23). It is mercy that quickened them when they were
dead in sins (Eph. 2:4-5). It is mercy that saves them (Titus 3:5). It
is His abundant mercy which begat them unto an eternal inheritance (1
Pet. 1:3). Time would fail us to tell of His preserving, sustaining,
pardoning, supplying mercy. Unto His own, God is "the Father of
mercies" (2 Cor. 1:3).
"When all Thy mercies, O my God, My rising soul surveys,
Transported with the view I'm lost, In wonder, love, and praise."
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 1: Excellencies Which
Pertain to the Godhead as God
16. The Love of God
Three Things are told us in Scripture concerning the nature of God.
First, "God is a Spirit" (John 4:24). In the Greek there is no
indefinite article. To say God is a spirit is most objectionable, for
it places Him in a class with others. God is spirit in the highest
sense. Because He is spirit He is incorporeal, having no visible
substance. Had God a tangible body, He would not be omnipresent, He
would be limited to one place; because He is spirit He fills heaven
and earth.
Second, "God is light" (1 John 1:5), the opposite of darkness. In
Scripture "darkness" stands for sin, evil, death; and "light" for
holiness, goodness, life. "God is light" means that He is the sum of
all excellency. Third, "God is love" (1 John 4:8). It is not simply
that God loves, but that He is Love itself. Love is not merely one of
His attributes, but His very nature.
There are many who talk about the love of God, who are total strangers
to the God of love. The divine love is commonly regarded as a species
of amiable weakness, a sort of good-natured indulgence; it is reduced
to a mere sickly sentiment, patterned after human emotion. The truth
is that on this, as on everything else, our thoughts need to be formed
and regulated by what is revealed in Scripture. That there is urgent
need for this is apparent not only from the ignorance which so
generally prevails, but also from the low state of spirituality which
is now so sadly evident everywhere among professing Christians. How
little real love there is for God. One chief reason for this is
because our hearts are so little occupied with His wondrous love for
His people. The better we are acquainted with His love--its character,
fullness, blessedness--the more our hearts will be drawn out in love
to Him.
1. The love of God is uninfluenced. By this we mean, there was nothing
whatever in the objects of His love to call it into exercise, nothing
in the creature to attract or prompt it. The love which one creature
has for another is because of something in them; but the love of God
is free, spontaneous, uncaused. The only reason God loves any is found
in His own sovereign will: "The LORD did not set his love upon you,
nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye
were the fewest of all people: but because the LORD loved you" (Deut.
7:7-8). God has loved His people from everlasting, and therefore
nothing of the creature can be the cause of what is found in God from
eternity. He loves from Himself, "according to his own purpose" (2
Tim. 1:9).
"We love him, because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19). God did not
love us because we loved Him, but He loved us before we had a particle
of love for Him. Had God loved us in return for ours, then it would
not be spontaneous on His part; but because He loved us when we were
loveless, it is clear that His love was uninfluenced. It is highly
important if God is to be honored and the heart of His child
established, that we should be clear on this precious truth. God's
love for me, and for each of "His own," was entirely unmoved by
anything in them. What was there in me to attract the heart of God?
Absolutely nothing. But, to the contrary, everything to repel Him,
everything calculated to make Him loathe me--sinful, depraved, a mass
of corruption, with "no good thing" in me.
"What was there in me that could merit esteem, Or give the Creator
delight?
`Twas even so, Father, I ever must sing, Because it seemed good in Thy
sight."
2. It is eternal. This of necessity. God Himself is eternal, and God
is love; therefore, as God Himself had no beginning, His love had
none. Granted that such a concept far transcends the grasp of our
finite minds, nevertheless, where we cannot comprehend, we can bow in
adoring worship. How clear is the testimony of Jeremiah 31:3, "I have
loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness
have I drawn thee." How blessed to know that the great and holy God
loved His people before heaven and earth were called into existence,
that He had set His heart upon them from all eternity. Clear proof is
this that His love is spontaneous, for He loved them endless ages
before they had any being.
The same precious truth is set forth in Ephesians 1:4-5, "According as
he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we
should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having
predestinated us." What praise should this evoke from each of His
children! How quieting for the heart. Since God's love toward me had
no beginning, it can have no ending! Since it is true that "from
everlasting to everlasting" He is God, and since God is love, then it
is equally true that "from everlasting to everlasting" He loves His
people.
3. It is sovereign. This also is self-evident. God Himself is
sovereign, under obligation to none, a law unto Himself, acting always
according to His own imperial pleasure. Since God is sovereign, and
since He is love, it necessarily follows that His love is sovereign.
Because God is God, He does as He pleases; because God is love, He
loves whom He pleases. Such is His own express affirmation: "Jacob
have I loved, but Esau have I hated" (Rom. 9:13). There was no more
reason in Jacob why he should be the object of divine love than there
was in Esau. They both had the same parents, and were born at the same
time, being twins, yet God loved the one and hated the other! Why?
Because it pleased Him to do so.
The sovereignty of God's love necessarily follows from the fact that
it is uninfluenced by anything in the creature. Thus, to affirm that
the cause of His love lies in God Himself, is only another way of
saying, He loves whom He pleases. For a moment, assume the opposite.
Suppose God's love were regulated by anything else than His will, in
such a case He would love by rule, and loving by rule He would be
under a law of love, and then so far from being free, God would
Himself be ruled by law. "In love having predestinated us unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to"--what?
Some excellency which He foresaw in them? No. What then? "According to
the good pleasure of his will" (Eph. 1:4-5).
4. It is infinite. Everything about God is infinite. His essence fills
heaven and earth. His wisdom is unlimitable, for He knows everything
of the past, present, and future. His power is unbounded, for there is
nothing too hard for Him. So His love is without limit. There is a
depth to it which none can fathom; there is a height to it which none
can scale; there is a length and breadth to it which defies
measurement by any creature standard. Beautifully this is intimated in
Ephesians 2:4, "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love
wherewith he loved us." The word "great" there is parallel with the
"God so loved" of John 3:16. It tells us that the love of God is so
transcendent it cannot be estimated.
No tongue can fully express the infinitude of God's love, or any mind
comprehend it: it "passeth knowledge" (Eph. 3:19). The most extensive
ideas that a finite mind can frame about divine love, are infinitely
below its true nature. The heaven is not so far above the earth as the
goodness of God is beyond the most raised conceptions which we are
able to form of it. It is an ocean which swells higher than all the
mountains of opposition in such as are the objects of it. It is a
fountain from which flows all necessary good to all those who are
interested in it (John Brine, 1743).
5. It is immutable. As with God Himself there is "no variableness,
neither shadow of turning" (James
1:17), so His love knows neither change or diminution. The worm Jacob
supplies a forceful example of this: "Jacob have I loved," declared
Jehovah, and despite all his unbelief and waywardness, He never ceased
to love him. John 13:1 furnishes another beautiful illustration. That
very night one of the apostles would say, "Show us the Father";
another would deny Him with cursings; all of them would be scandalized
by and forsake Him. Nevertheless, "having loved his own which were in
the world, he loved them unto the end." The divine love is subject to
no vicissitudes. Divine love is "strong as death . . . many waters
cannot quench it" (Song 8:6-7). Nothing can separate from it (Rom.
8:35-39).
"His love no end nor measure knows, No change can turn its course,
Eternally the same it flows From one eternal source."
6. It is holy. God's love is not regulated by caprice, passion, or
sentiment, but by principle. Just as His grace reigns not at the
expense of it, but "through righteousness" (Rom. 5:21), so His love
never conflicts with His holiness. "God is light" (1 John 1:5) is
mentioned before "God is love" (1 John 4:8). God's love is no mere
amiable weakness, or effeminate softness. Scripture declares, "whom
the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he
receiveth" (Heb. 12:6). God will not wink at sin, even in His own
people. His love is pure, unmixed with any maudlin sentimentality.
7. It is gracious. The love and favor of God are inseparable. This is
clearly brought out in Romans
8:32-39. What that love is from which there can be no "separation," is
easily perceived from the design and scope of the immediate context.
It is that goodwill and grace of God which determined Him to give His
Son for sinners. That love was the impulsive power of Christ's
incarnation: "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten
Son" (John 3:16). Christ died not in order to make God love us, but
because He did love His people. Calvary is the supreme demonstration
of divine love. Whenever you are tempted to doubt the love of God,
Christian reader, go back to Calvary.
Here then is abundant cause for trust and patience under divine
affliction. Christ was beloved of the Father, yet He was not exempted
from poverty, disgrace, and persecution. He hungered and thirsted.
Thus, it was not incompatible with God's love for Christ when He
permitted men to spit upon and smite Him. Then let no Christian call
into question God's love when he is brought under painful afflictions
and trials. God did not enrich Christ on earth with temporal
prosperity, for "He had not where to lay his head." But He did give
Him the Spirit without measure (John 3:34). Learn that spiritual
blessings are the principal gifts of divine love. How blessed to know
that when the world hates us, God loves us!
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 1: Excellencies Which
Pertain to the Godhead as God
17. The Wrath of God
It Is Sad To Find so many professing Christians who appear to regard
the wrath of God as something for which they need to make an apology;
or at least they wish there were no such thing. While some would not
go so far as to openly admit that they consider it a blemish on the
divine character, yet they are far from regarding it with delight.
They like not to think about it, and they rarely hear it mentioned
without a secret resentment rising up in their hearts against it. Even
with those who are more sober in their judgment, not a few seem to
imagine that there is a severity about the divine wrath which is too
terrifying to form a theme for profitable contemplation. Others harbor
the delusion that God's wrath is not consistent with His goodness, and
so seek to banish it from their thoughts.
Yes, many turn away from a vision of God's wrath as though they were
called to look upon some blotch in the divine character, or some blot
upon the divine government. But what says the Scriptures? As we turn
to them we find that God has made no attempt to conceal the fact of
His wrath. He is not ashamed to make it known that vengeance and fury
belong to Him. His own challenge is, "See now that I, even I, am he,
and there is no God with me: I kill, and I make alive: I wound, and I
heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. For I lift
up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever. If I whet my
glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render
vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me" (Deut.
32:39-41). A study of the concordance shows that there are more
references in Scripture to the anger, fury, and wrath of God, than
there are to His love and tenderness. Because God is holy, He hates
all sin; because He hates all sin, His anger bums against the sinner
(Ps. 7:11).
The wrath of God is as much a divine perfection as is His
faithfulness, power, or mercy. It must be so, for there is no blemish
whatever, not the slightest defect in the character of God. Yet there
would be if "wrath" were absent from Him! Indifference to sin is a
moral blemish, and he who does not hate it is a moral leper. How could
He who is the sum of all excellency look with equal satisfaction upon
virtue and vice, wisdom and folly? How could He who is infinitely holy
disregard sin and refuse to manifest His "severity" (Rom. 9:12) toward
it? How could He who delights only in that which is pure and lovely,
not loathe and hate that which is impure and vile? The very nature of
God makes hell as real a necessity, as imperatively and eternally
requisite, as heaven is. Not only is there no imperfection in God, but
also there is no perfection in Him that is less perfect than another.
The wrath of God is eternal detestation of all unrighteousness. It is
the displeasure and indignation of divine equity against evil. It is
the holiness of God stirred into activity against sin. It is the
moving cause of that just sentence which He passes upon evil doers.
God is angry against sin because it is a rebelling against His
authority, a wrong done to His inviolable sovereignty.
Insurrectionists against God's government shall be made to know that
God is the Lord. They shall be made to feel how great that Majesty is
which they despise, and how dreadful is that threatened wrath which
they so little regarded. Not that God's anger is a malignant and
malicious retaliation, inflicting injury for the sake of it, or in
return for injury received. No. While God will vindicate His dominion
as the Governor of the universe, He will not be vindictive.
That divine wrath is one of the perfections of God is not only evident
from the considerations presented above, but is also clearly
established by the express declarations of His own Word.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven (Rom. 1:18). "It was
revealed when the sentence of death was first pronounced, the earth
cursed, and man driven out of the earthly paradise; and afterwards by
such examples of punishment as those of the deluge and the destruction
of the cities of the plain by fire from heaven; but especially by the
reign of death throughout the world. It was proclaimed in the curse of
the Law on every transgression, and was intimated in the institution
of sacrifice. In the 8th of Romans, the apostle calls the attention of
believers to the fact that the whole creation has become subject to
vanity, and groaneth and travaileth together in pain. The same
creation which declares that there is a God, and publishes His glory,
also proclaims that He is the enemy of sin and the avenger of the
crimes of men. But above all, the wrath of God was revealed from
heaven when the Son of God came down to manifest the divine character,
and when that wrath was displayed in His sufferings and death, in a
manner more awful than by all the tokens God had before given of His
displeasure against sin. Besides this, the future and eternal
punishment of the wicked is now declared in terms more solemn and
explicit than formerly. Under the new dispensation there are two
revelations given from heaven, one of wrath, the other of grace
(Robert Haldane).
Again, that the wrath of God is a divine perfection is plainly
demonstrated by what we read in Psalm 95:11, "Unto whom I sware in my
wrath." There are two occasions of God "swearing": in making promises
(Gen. 22:16), and in denouncing threatening (Deut. 1:34). In the
former, He swears in mercy to His children; in the latter, He swears
to terrify the wicked. An oath is for solemn confirmation (Heb. 6:16).
In Genesis 22:16, God said, "By myself have I sworn." In Psalm 89:35,
He declares, "Once have I sworn by my holiness"; while in Psalm 95:11
He affirmed, "I swear in My wrath." Thus the great Jehovah Himself
appeals to His wrath as a perfection equal to His holiness: He swears
by the one as much as by the other. Again; as in Christ "dwelleth all
the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9), and as all the divine
perfections are illustriously displayed by Him (John 1:18), therefore
we read of "the wrath of the Lamb" (Rev. 6:16).
The wrath of God is a perfection of the divine character upon which we
need to frequently meditate. First, so that our hearts may be duly
impressed by God's detestation of sin. We are prone to regard sin
lightly, to gloss over its hideousness, to make excuses for it. But
the more we study and ponder God's abhorrence of sin and His frightful
vengeance upon it, the more likely we are to realize its heinousness.
Second, to beget a true fear in our souls for God: "Let us have grace,
whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For
our God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:28-29). We cannot serve Him
acceptably unless there is due reverence for His awful Majesty and
godly fear of His righteous anger; these are best promoted by
frequently calling to mind that "our God is a consuming fire." Third,
to draw out our souls in fervent praise for having delivered us from
"the wrath to come" (1 Thess. 1:10).
Our readiness or our reluctance to meditate upon the wrath of God
becomes a sure test of how our hearts really are affected toward Him.
If we do not truly rejoice in God, for what He is in Himself, and that
because of all the perfections which are eternally resident in Him,
then how dwelleth the love of God in us? Each of us needs to be most
prayerfully on guard against devising an image of God in our thoughts
which is patterned after our own evil inclinations. Of old, the Lord
complained, "Thou thoughtest that I was altogether . . . as thyself"
(Ps. 50:21), If we rejoice not "at the remembrance of his holiness"
(Ps. 97:12), if we rejoice not to know that in a soon coming day God
will make a glorious display of His wrath, by taking vengeance on all
who now oppose Him, it is proof positive that our hearts are not in
subjection to Him; that we are yet in our sins.
"Rejoice, O ye nations [Gentiles] with his people: for he will avenge
the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his
adversaries" (Deut. 32:43). And again, "I heard a great voice of much
people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor,
and power, unto the LORD our God: For true and righteous are his
judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the
earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants
at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia" (Rev. 19:1). Great will be
the rejoicing of saints in that day when the Lord shall vindicate His
majesty, exercise His awful dominion, magnify His justice, and
overthrow the proud rebels who dared to defy Him.
"If thou, LORD, shouldest mark [impute] iniquities, O Lord, who shall
stand?" (Ps. 130:3). Well may each of us ask this question, for it is
written, "the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment" (Ps. 1:5). How
sorely was Christ's soul exercised with thoughts of God's marking the
iniquities of His people when they were upon Him. He was "amazed, and
very heavy" (Mark 4:33). His awful agony, His bloody sweat, His strong
cries and supplications (Heb. 5:7), His repeated prayers, "If it be
possible, let this cup pass from Me," His last dreadful cry, "My God,
my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" all manifest what fearful
apprehensions He had of what it was for God to "mark iniquities." Well
may poor sinners cry out, Lord who shall "stand" when the Son of God
Himself so trembled beneath the weight of His wrath? If you, my
reader, have not "fled for refuge" to Christ, the only Savior, "how
wilt thou do in the swelling of the Jordan" (Jer. 12:5)?
When I consider how the goodness of God is abused by the greatest part
of mankind, I cannot but be of his mind that said, The greatest
miracle in the world is God's patience and bounty to an ungrateful
world. If a prince hath an enemy got into one of his towns, he doth
not send them in provision, but lays close siege to the place, and
doth what he can to starve them. But the great God, that could wink
all His enemies into destruction, bears with them, and is at daily
cost to maintain them. Well may He command us to bless them that curse
us, who Himself does good to the evil and unthankful. But think not,
sinners, that you shall escape thus; God's mill goes slow, but grinds
small; the more admirable His patience and bounty now is, the more
dreadful and unsupportable will that fury be which ariseth out of His
abused goodness. Nothing smoother than the sea, yet when stirred into
a tempest, nothing rageth more. Nothing so sweet as the patience and
goodness of God, and nothing so terrible as His wrath when it takes
fire (William Gurnall, 1660).
Then flee, my reader, flee to Christ; "flee from the wrath to come"
(Matthew 3:7) ere it is too late.
A word to preachers: Do we in our oral ministry preach on this solemn
subject as much as we ought? The Old Testament prophets frequently
told their hearers that their wicked lives provoked the Holy One of
Israel, and that they were treasuring up to themselves wrath against
the day of wrath. Conditions in the world are no better now than they
were then! Nothing is so calculated to arouse the careless and cause
carnal professors to search their hearts, as to enlarge upon the fact
that "God is angry with the wicked every day" (Ps. 7:11).
The forerunner of Christ warned his hearers to "flee from the wrath to
come" (Matthew 3:7). The Savior bade His auditors, "Fear him, which
after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto
you, Fear him" (Luke 12:5). Paul said, "Knowing therefore the terror
of the Lord, we persuade men" (2 Cor. 5:11). Faithfulness demands that
we speak as plainly about hell as about heaven.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 1: Excellencies Which
Pertain to the Godhead as God
18. The Contemplation of God
We Reviewed in previous chapters some of the wondrous and lovely
perfections of the divine character. From this contemplation of His
attributes, it should be evident to us all that God is, first, an
incomprehensible Being; and, lost in wonder at His infinite greatness,
we adopt the words of Zophar, "Canst thou by searching find out God?
canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as
heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?
The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the
sea" (Job 11:7-9). When we turn our thoughts to God's eternity, His
immateriality, His omnipresence, His almightiness, our minds are
overwhelmed.
But the incomprehensibility of the divine nature is no reason why we
should desist from reverent inquiry and prayerful striving to
apprehend what He has so graciously revealed of Himself in His Word.
Because we are unable to acquire perfect knowledge, it would be folly
to say we will therefore make no efforts to attain to any degree of
it. C. H. Spurgeon has well said:
Nothing will so enlarge the intellect, nothing so magnify the whole
soul of man, as a devout, earnest, continued, investigation of the
great subject of the Deity. The most excellent study for expanding the
soul is the science of Christ and Him crucified and the knowledge of
the Godhead in the glorious Trinity.
The proper study of the Christian is the Godhead. The highest science,
the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy, which can engage
the attention of a child of God, is the name, the nature, the person,
the doings, and the existence of the great God which he calls his
Father. There is something exceedingly improving to the mind in a
contemplation of the divinity. It is a subject so vast, that all our
thoughts are lost in its immensity; so deep, that our pride is drowned
in its infinity. Other subjects we can comprehend and grapple with; in
them we feel a kind of self-content, and go on our way with the
thought, "Behold I am wise." But when we come to this master science,
finding that our plumbline cannot sound its depth, and that our eagle
eye cannot see its height, we turn away with the thought "I am but of
yesterday and know nothing" (sermon on Malachi 3:6).
Yes, the incomprehensibility of the divine nature should teach us
humility, caution, and reverence. After all our searchings and
meditations we have to say with Job, "Lo, these are parts of his ways:
but how little a portion is heard of him?" (Job 26:14). When Moses
besought Jehovah for a sight of His glory, He answered him "I will
proclaim the name of the LORD before thee" (Ex. 33:19); as another has
said, "the name is the collection of His attributes." Rightly did the
Puritan John Howe declare:
The notion therefore we can hence form of His glory, is only such as
we may have of a large volume by a brief synopsis, or of a spacious
country by a little landscape. He hath here given us a true report of
Himself, but not a full; such as will secure our apprehensions--being
guided thereby--from error, but not from ignorance. We can apply our
minds to contemplate the several perfections whereby the blessed God
discovers to us His being, and can in our thoughts attribute them all
to Him, though we have still but low and defective conceptions of each
one. Yet so far as our apprehensions can correspond to the discovery
that He affords us of His several excellencies, we have a present view
of His glory.
The difference is great between the knowledge of God which His saints
have in this life and that which they shall have in heaven; yet, as
the former should not be undervalued because it is imperfect, so the
latter is not to be magnified above its reality. True, the Scripture
declares that we shall see "face to face" and "know" even as we are
known (1 Cor. 13:12), but to infer from this that we shall then know
God as fully as He knows us, is to be misled by the mere sound of
words, and to disregard that restriction of the same which the subject
necessarily requires. There is a vast difference between the saints
being glorified and their being made divine. In their glorified state,
Christians will still be finite creatures, and therefore, never able
to fully comprehend the infinite God.
The saints in heaven will see God with the eye of the mind, for He
will be always invisible to the bodily eye; and will see Him more
clearly than they could see Him by reason and faith, and more
extensively than all His works and dispensations had hitherto revealed
Him; but their minds will not be so enlarged as to be capable of
contemplating at once, or in detail, the whole excellence of His
nature. To comprehend infinite perfection, they must become infinite
themselves. Even in heaven, their knowledge will be partial, but at
the same time their happiness will be complete, because their
knowledge will be perfect in this sense, that it will be adequate to
the capacity of the subject, although it will not exhaust the fullness
of the object. We believe that it will be progressive, and that as
their views expand, their blessedness will increase; but it will never
reach a limit beyond which there is nothing to be discovered; and when
ages after ages have passed away, He will still be the
incomprehensible God (John Dick, 1840).
Second, from a review of the perfections of God, it appears that He is
an all-sufficient Being. He is allsufficient in Himself and to
Himself. As the First of beings, He could receive nothing from
another, nor be limited by the power of another. Being infinite, He is
possessed of all possible perfection. When the Triune God existed all
alone, He was all to Himself. His understanding, His love, His
energies, found an adequate object in Himself. Had He stood in need of
anything external, He had not been independent, and therefore would
not have been God.
He created all things, and that "for himself" (Col. 1:16), yet it was
not in order to supply a lack, but that He might communicate life and
happiness to angels and men, and admit them to the vision of His
glory. True, He demands the allegiance and services of His intelligent
creatures, yet He derives no benefit from their offices, all the
advantage redounds to themselves (Job 22:2-3). He makes use of means
and instruments to accomplish His ends, yet not from a deficiency of
power, but oftentimes to more strikingly display His power through the
feebleness of the instruments.
The all-sufficiency of God makes Him the Supreme Object which is ever
to be sought. True happiness consists only in the enjoyment of God.
His favor is life, and His loving kindness is better than life. "The
LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him" (Lam.
3:24); our perceptions of His love, His grace, His glory, are the
chief objects of the saints' desire and the springs of their highest
satisfaction. "There be many that say, Who will show us any good?
LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. Thou hast put
gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their
wine increased" (Ps. 4:6-7). Yes, the Christian, when in his right
mind, is able to say, "Although the fig tree shall not blossom,
neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall
fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off
from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will
rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation" (Hab.
3:17-18). Third, from a review of the perfections of God, it appears
that He is the Sovereign of the universe. John Dick said:
No dominion is so absolute as that which is founded on creation. He
who might not have made any thing, had a right to make all things
according to His own pleasure. In the exercise of His uncontrolled
power, He has made some parts of the creation mere inanimate matter,
of grosser or more refined texture, and distinguished by different
qualities, but all inert and unconscious. He has given organization to
other parts, and made them susceptible of growth and expansion, but
still without life in the proper sense of the term. To others He has
given not only organization, but conscious existence, organs of sense
and self-motive power. To these He has added in man the gift of
reason, and an immortal spirit, by which he is allied to a higher
order of beings who are placed in the superior regions. Over the world
which He has created, He sways the scepter of omnipotence. "I praised
and honored him that liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting
dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: and all
the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth
according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants
of the earth: and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doeth
thou?' (Dan. 4:34-35).
A creature, considered as such, has no rights. He can demand nothing
from his Maker; and in whatever manner he may be treated, has no title
to complain. Yet, when thinking of the absolute dominion of God over
all, we ought never to lose sight of His moral perfections. God is
just and good, and ever does that which is right. Nevertheless, He
exercises His sovereignty according to His own imperial and righteous
pleasure.
He assigns each creature his place as seems good in His own sight. He
orders the varied circumstances of each according to His own counsels.
He molds each vessel according to His own uninfluenced determination.
He has mercy on whom He will, and whom He will He hardens. Wherever we
are, His eye is upon us. Whoever we are, our life and everything is
held at His disposal. To the Christian, He is a tender Father; to the
rebellious sinner He will yet be a consuming fire. "Now unto the King
eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory
for ever and ever. Amen" (1 Tim. 1:17).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 1: Excellencies Which
Pertain to the Godhead as God
19. The Bounties of God
"Eye Hath Not Seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart
of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him" (1
Cor. 2:9). How often this passage is quoted only that far; how rarely
are the words added, "But God hath revealed them unto us by his
Spirit" (verse 10). Why is this? Is it because so few of God's people
search out and enjoy what the Spirit has revealed in the Word about
those things God has prepared for them that love Him? If we were more
occupied with God's riches than with our poverty, Christ's fullness
than our emptiness, the divine bounties than our leanness, on what a
different plane of experience we would live!
We are much impressed by noting some of "the riches of His grace"
(Eph. 1:7). It is striking to note that our Christian life starts at a
marriage feast (Luke 14:16-23; Matthew 2-10), just as Christ's first
miracle was wrought at one (John 2). The word to us is, "Come, for all
things are now ready" (Luke 14:17); "Behold, I have prepared my
dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready;
come unto the marriage" (Matthew 22:4). Observe the "I have prepared,"
agreeing with "the things which God hath prepared for them that love
Him" (1 Cor. 2:9). Notice the "are ready," confirming "God hath
revealed them unto us" (1 Cor. 2:10). Mark the "my dinner, my oxen and
my fatlings," for "all things are of God" (2 Cor. 5:18). The creature
contributes nothing; all is provided for him. Finally, weigh the "come
unto the marriage." The figure is very blessed; it speaks of joy,
festivity, feasting.
He spread the banquet, made me eat. Bid all my fears remove, Yea, o'er
my guilty, rebel head He placed His banner--Love.
Practically the same figure is employed by Christ again in Luke 15.
There He pictures the penitent prodigal welcomed home by the father.
No sooner is he clothed and fitted for the house than the words go
forth, "Bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and
be merry" (verse 23); and we are told "they began to be merry." In the
parable, that merriment met with no reverse, since it is portrayed
without a break and without a bound. Then we may conclude that this
newborn joy ought to characterize all this festive scene--as truly so
now, as soon it will be in glory.
A beautiful type of the lavish manner in which God bestows His
bounties upon His people is found in Genesis 9:3: "Every moving thing
that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given
you all things." This was Jehovah's response to the "sweet savor"
which He had just smelled. It is most important that we should note
the connection, and perceive the ground on which God so freely
bestowed "all things" upon the patriarch. At the close of Genesis 8
Noah built an altar unto the Lord, and presented burnt offerings. At
the beginning of Genesis 9 we learn God's answer, which blessedly
foreshadowed the unmeasured portion bestowed upon the new creation,
the members of which have been blessed "with all spiritual blessings
in heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1:3).
These blessings are based upon God's estimate of the value of Christ's
sacrifice of Himself. The abiding worth of that sacrifice is
immeasurable and illimitable, as immeasurable as the personal
excellency of the Son, as illimitable as the Father's delight in Him.
The nature and extent of those blessings, which accrue to God's elect
on the ground of Christ's finished work, are intimated by the
substantives and adjectives employed by the Holy Spirit when He
describes the profuseness of the divine bounties already bestowed upon
us, and which we shall enjoy forever!
Take first God's grace. Not only are we told of the "riches of his
grace" (Eph. 1:7), and of the "exceeding riches of His grace" (Eph.
2:7), but also we read that it has "abounded unto many," and that we
receive "abundance of grace," yes, that grace has super-abounded (Gr.,
Romans 5:15, 17, 20)--the limitless wealth of divine grace flowing
forth and multiplying itself in its objects. The foundation or moving
cause of this is found in John 1. When the only begotten Son became
flesh and tabernacled here for a season, it was as One who was "full
of grace and truth." Because we have been made joint heirs with Him it
is written, "And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for
grace" (verse 16).
Take again God's love. There has been neither reserve nor restraint in
the outflow of His love to its loveless, unlovely objects. He has
loved His people with an everlasting love (Jer. 31:3). Wondrously He
manifested it, for when the fullness of time was come, He sent forth
His Son, born of a woman. Yes, He did so love the world as to give His
only begotten Son, "that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life": therefore we read of His "great love
wherewith he loved us" (Eph. 2:4). The Greek word translated "great"
is rendered "plenteous" (Matthew 9:37), and "abundant" (1 Pet. 1:3).
Love unmeasured, that passes knowledge, fills our lives with its
unceasing ministrations, ever active in priesthood and advocacy on
high, how truly it is love abundant.
Our present theme is inexhaustible. Our Lord came here that His people
"might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John
10:10). This was first made good when Christ, as the Head of the new
creation and the "beginning of the creation of God" (Rev. 3:14),
breathed on His disciples, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit." It was the
risen Savior communicating His resurrection life to His own (compare
Genesis 2:7 for the beginning of the old creation). So too when that
same One, who down here received the Spirit without measure (John
3:34), ascended on high as the glorified Man, He baptized His people
in the Holy Spirit (Acts 2). As the apostle Paul assures Gentile
saints, "He shed on us abundantly" (Titus 3:6). Once more, he
emphasized the profuseness of God's bounties.
Consider now His confidences. The Lord Jesus said to His disciples,
"Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what
his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I
have heard of my Father I have made known unto you" (John 15:15).
There are things which the angels "desire to look into" (1 Pet. 1:12),
yet they have been made known to us by God's Spirit. What a word in
Ephesians, "Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and
prudence; having made known unto us the mystery of his will" (Eph.
1:8-9) This may be termed the abundance of His counsels.
Once more, consider the exercise and display of His power. Paul prayed
that we might know, "what is the exceeding greatness of his power to
us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set
him at his own right hand in the heavenly places" (Eph. 1:19-20). Here
was the might of God working transcendently in an objective way; its
correlative is recorded in Ephesians 3:20: "Now unto him that is able
to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according
to the power that worketh in us." Clearly this is the highest putting
forth of energy, working subjectively.
In such lavish measure then God has blessed His people. As the apostle
wrote to the Colossians concerning Him, "For in him dwelleth all the
fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete [filled full] in
him" (Col. 2:9-10). But it is one thing to know, intellectually, of
these bounties of God; it is quite another, by faith, to make them our
own. It is one thing to be familiar with the letter of them; it is
another to live in their power and be the personal expression of them.
What shall our response be to such divine munificence? Surely it is
that "the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many
redound to the glory of God" (2 Cor. 4:15). Surely it is that we
should "abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost" (Rom.
15:13). It is only here that hope finds its sphere of exercise, since
only in the saints will it receive full fruition. If God speaks so
uniformly of the varied character of our blessing--whether it be His
grace, His love, His life imparted to us, His confidences, His power,
His mercy (1 Pet. 1:3 ff.)--as being so abundant, it must be because
He wants to impress our hearts with the exuberance of the bounties He
has bestowed on us. The practical effect of this on our souls should
cause us to "joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:11), to
draw out all that is within us in true worship, to fit us for a closer
and deeper fellowship with Him. "And God is able to make all grace
abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all
things, may abound to every good work" (2 Cor. 9:8).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 1: Excellencies Which
Pertain to the Godhead as God
20. The Gifts of God
A GIVING GOD! What a concept! To our regret, our familiarity with it
often dulls our sense of wonderment at it. There is nothing that
resembles such a concept in the religions of heathendom. Very much to
the contrary; their deities are portrayed as monsters of cruelty and
greed, always exacting painful sacrifices from deluded devotees. But
the God of Scripture is portrayed as the Father of mercies, "who
giveth us richly all things to enjoy" (1 Tim. 6:17). It is true that:
He has His own rights--the rights of His holiness and proprietorship.
Nor does He rescind them, but rather enforces them. But what we would
contemplate here is something which transcends reason and had never
entered our minds to conceive. The Divine Claimer is at once the
Divine Meeter. He required satisfaction of His broken Law, and Himself
supplied it. His just claims are met by His own grace. He who asks for
sacrifices from us made the supreme sacrifice for us! God is both the
Demander and the Donor, the Requirer and the Provider.
1. The gift of His Son. Of old the language of prophecy announced:
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given" (Isa. 9:6).
Accordingly, the angels announced to the shepherds at the time of His
advent: "Unto you is born this day . . . a Savior" (Luke 2:11). That
gift was the supreme exemplification of the divine benignity. "In this
was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his
only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent
his Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:9-10). That was
the guaranty of all other blessings. As the apostle argued from the
greater to the less, assuring us that Christ is at once the pledge and
channel of every other mercy:" He that spared not his own Son, but
delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely
give us all things?" (Rom. 8:32). God did not withhold His choicest
treasure, the darling of His bosom, but freely yielded Him up; and the
love that spared not Him will not begrudge anything that is for the
good of His people.
2. The gift of His Spirit. The Son is God's all-inclusive gift. As
Manton said, "Christ cometh not to us empty handed: His person and His
benefits are not divided. He came to purchase all manner of blessings
for us." The greatest of these is the Holy Spirit, who applies and
communicates what the Lord Jesus obtained for His people. God pardoned
and justified His elect in Old Testament times on the ground of the
atonement, which His Son should make at the appointed time. On the
same basis He communicated to them the Spirit (Num. 9:25; Nehemiah
9:20), otherwise none would have been regenerated, fitted for
communion with God, or enabled to bring forth spiritual fruit. But He
then wrought more secretly, rather than "in demonstration and in
power"; came as "the dew," rather than was "poured out" copiously; was
restricted to Israel, rather than communicated to Gentiles also. The
Spirit in His fullness was God's ascension gift to Christ (Acts 2:33)
and Christ's coronation gift to His Church (John 16:7). The gift of
the Spirit was purchased for His people by Christ (see Galatians
3:13-14 and note carefully the second "that" in verse 14). Every
blessing we receive is through the merits and mediation of Christ.
3. The gift of life. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of
God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:23). There
is a double antithesis between those two things. First, the justice of
God will render unto the wicked what is due them for their sins, but
His mercy bestows upon His people what they do not deserve. Second,
eternal death follows as a natural and inevitable consequence from
what is in and done by its objects. Not so eternal life, for it is
bestowed without any consideration of something in or from its
subjects. It is communicated and sustained gratuitously. Eternal life
is a free bounty, not only unmerited but also unsolicited by us, for
in every instance God has reason to say, "I am found of them that
sought me not" (Isa. 65:1; cf. Romans 3:11). The recipient is wholly
passive. He does not act, but is acted upon when he is brought from
death unto life. Eternal life -- a spiritual life now, a life of glory
hereafter--is sovereignly and freely bestowed by God. Yet it is also a
blessing communicated by Him unto His elect because the Lord Jesus
Christ paid the price of redemption. Yes, it is actually dispensed by
Christ. "I give unto them [not merely "offer"] eternal life" (John
10:28; see also 17:3).
4. The gift of spiritual understanding. "And we know that the Son of
God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him
that is true" (1 John 5:20). What is communicated to the saint when he
is born again is wholly spiritual and exactly suited for taking in the
Scriptural knowledge of Christ. It is not an entirely new faculty
which is then imparted, but rather the renewing of the original one,
fitting it for the apprehension of new objects. It consists of an
internal illumination, a divine light that shines in our hearts,
enabling us to discern the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus
Christ (2 Cor. 4:6). Though we are not now admitted into a corporeal
sight of Christ, yet He is made a living reality to those who have
been quickened into newness of life. By this divine renewing of the
understanding we can now perceive the peerless excellency and perfect
suitability of Christ. The knowledge we have of Him is seated in the
understanding. That fires the affections, sanctifies the will, and
raises the mind into being fixed upon Him. Such a spiritual
understanding is not attained by any efforts of ours, but is a
supernatural bestowment, a divine gift conferred upon the elect, which
admits them into the secrets of the Most High.
5. The gift of faith. The salvation of God does not actually become
ours until we believe in, rest upon, and receive Christ as a personal
Savior. But as we cannot see without both sight and light, neither can
we believe until life and faith are divinely communicated to us.
Accordingly, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should
boast" (Eph. 2:8-9). Arminians would make the second clause of verse 8
a mere repetition of the first, and in less expressive and emphatic
language. Since salvation is by grace, it is superfluous to add that
it is "not of yourselves." But because "faith" is our act, it was
necessary--so that the excellency of it should not be arrogated by the
creature, but ascribed unto God--to point out that it is not of
ourselves. The very faith which receives a gratuitous salvation is not
the unassisted act of man's own will. As God must give me breath
before I can breathe, so faith ere I believe. Compare also "faith
which is by him" (Acts 3:16); "who believe, according to the working
of his mighty power" (Eph. 1:19); "through the faith of the operation
of God" (Col. 2:12); "who by him do believe in God" (1 Pet. 1:21).
6. The gift of repentance. While it is the bound duty of every sinner
to repent (Acts 17:30)--for ought he not to cease from and abhor his
rebellion against God?--yet he is so completely under the blinding
power of sin that a miracle of grace is necessary before he will do
so. A broken and a contrite spirit are of God's providing. It is the
Holy Spirit who illuminates the understanding to perceive the
heinousness of sin, the heart to loathe it, and the will to repudiate
it. Faith and repentance are the first evidence of spiritual life. For
when God quickens a sinner He convicts him of the evil of sin, causes
him to hate it, moves him to sorrow over and turn from it. "Surely
after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed,
I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded" (Jer.
31:19). "All His grace in us" (Matthew Henry). Compare "a Prince and a
Savior, for to give repentance to Israel" (Acts 5:31); "Then hath God
also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life" (Acts 11:18); "if
God peradventure will give them repentance" (2 Tim. 2:25).
7. The gift of grace. "I thank my God always on your behalf, for the
grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 1:4). Grace
is used there in its widest sense, including all the benefits of
Christ's merits and mediation, providential or spiritual, temporal or
eternal. It includes regenerating, sanctifying, preserving grace, as
well as every particular grace of the new nature--faith, hope, love.
"But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of
the gift of Christ" (Eph. 4:7), that is, according as He is pleased to
bestow, and not according to our ability or asking. Therefore we have
no cause to be proud or boastful. Whatever grace we have to resist the
devil, patiently bear affliction, or overcome the world, is from Him.
Whatever obedience we perform, or devotion we render Him, or sacrifice
we make, is of His grace. Therefore must we confess, "for all things
come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee" (1 Chron. 29:14).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 1: Excellencies Which
Pertain to the Godhead as God
21. The Guidance of God
There Is A Need to amplify the positive aspect of divine guidance.
There are few subjects which bear on the practical side of the
Christian life, and that believers are more exercised about, than that
they may be "led of the Lord" in all their ways. Yet when some
important decision has to be made, they are often puzzled to know how
"the Lord's mind" is obtained. Great numbers of tracts and booklets on
this subject have been written, but they are so vague that they offer
little help. There certainly exists a real need today for some clear,
definitive treatment of the subject.
For some years I have been convinced that one thing which contributes
much to shrouding this subject in mystery is the loose, misleading
terms generally employed by those who refer to it. While such
expressions are used, "Is this according to God's will?", "Do I have
the prompting of the Holy Spirit?", "Were you led of the Lord in
that?", sincere minds will continue to be perplexed and never arrive
at any certainty. These expressions are so commonly used in religious
circles that probably quite a few readers will be surprised at our
challenging them. We certainly do not condemn these expressions as
erroneous, but rather we wish to point out that they are too
intangible for most people until more definitely defined.
What alternative, then, have we to suggest? In connection with every
decision we make, every plan we form, every action we execute, let the
question be, "Is this in harmony with God's Word?" Is it what the
Scriptures enjoin? Does it square with the rule God has given us to
walk by? Is it in accord with the example which Christ left us to
follow? If it is in harmony with God's Word, then it must be
"according to God's will," for His will is revealed in His Word. If I
do what the Scriptures enjoin, then I must be "prompted by the Holy
Spirit," for He never moves any one to act contrary thereto. If my
conduct squares with the rule of righteousness (the precepts and
commands of the Word), then I must be "led of the Lord," for He leads
only into the "paths of righteousness" (Ps. 23:1, 3). A great deal of
mystical vagueness and puzzling uncertainty will be removed if the
reader substitutes for, "Is this according to God's will?" the simpler
and more tangible, "Is this according to God's Word?"
God, in His infinite condescension and transcendent grace, has given
us His Word for this very purpose, so that we need not stumble along
blindly, ignorant of what pleases or displeases Him, but that we might
know His mind. That divine Word is given to us not simply for
information, but to regulate our conduct, to enlighten our minds, and
to mold our hearts. The Word supplies us with an unerring chart by
which to steer through the dangerous sea of life. If we sincerely and
diligently follow, it will deliver us from disastrous rocks and
submerged reefs, and direct us safely to the heavenly harbor. That
Word has all the instructions we need for every problem, every
emergency we may be called upon to face. That Word has been given to
us "that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all
good works" (2 Tim. 3:17). How thankful we should be that the Triune
God has favored us with such a Word.
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Ps.
119:105). The metaphor used here is taken from a man walking along a
dangerous road on a dark night, in urgent need of a lantern to show
him where to walk safely and comfortably, to avoid injury and
destruction. The same figure is used again in the New Testament. "We
have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye
take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place" (2 Pet.
1:19). The dark place is this world, and it is only as we take heed to
the Word, to the light God has given us, that we shall be able to
perceive and avoid "the broad road which leadeth to destruction," and
discern the narrow way which alone "leadeth unto Life."
It should be observed that this verse plainly intimates God has placed
His Word in our hands for an intensely practical purpose, namely, to
direct our walk and to regulate our deportment. At once this shows us
what is the first and principal use we are to make of this divine
gift. It would do a traveler little good to diligently scrutinize the
mechanism of a lamp, or to admire its beautiful design. Rather he is
to take it up and make a practical use of it. Many are zealous in
reading "the letter of Scripture," and many are charmed with the
evidences of its divine Authorship. But how few realize the primary
purpose for which God gave the Scriptures, how few make a practical
use of them--ordering the details of their lives by its rules and
regulations. They eulogize the lamp, but they do not walk by its
light.
Our first need as little children was to learn to walk. The mother's
milk was only a means to an end: to nourish the infant's life, to
strengthen its limbs so that they should be put to a practical use. So
it is spiritually. When we have been born again and fed by the Spirit
on the pure milk of the Word, our first need is to learn to walk, to
walk as the children of God. This can be learned only as we ascertain
our Father's will as revealed in Holy Writ. By nature we are totally
ignorant of His will for us and of what promotes our highest
interests. It is solemn and humbling that man is the only creature
born into this world devoid of intelligence as to how to act, and who
needs to be taught what is evil and what is good for him.
All the lower orders of creation are endowed with an instinct which
moves them to act discreetly, to avoid what is harmful, and to follow
what is good. But not so man. Animals and birds do not have to be
taught which herbs and berries are poisonous; they need no curbs upon
them not to overeat or over drink--you cannot even force a horse or a
cow to gorge and make itself sick. Even plants turn their faces to the
light and open their mouths to catch the falling rain. But fallen man
has not even the instinct of the brutes. Usually he has to learn by
painful experience what is harmful and injurious. And, as it has been
well said, "Experience keeps an expensive school"--her fees are high.
Too bad that so many only discover this when it is too late, when they
have wrecked their constitutions beyond repair.
Some may answer to this, "But man is endowed with a conscience." True,
but how well does it serve him until he is enlightened by the Word and
convicted by the Spirit? Man's understanding has been so darkened by
sin, and folly is so bound up in his heart from childhood (Prov.
22:15), that until he is instructed he does not know what God requires
of him, nor what is for his highest good. That is why God gave us His
Word: to make known what He justly demands of us; to inform us of
those things which destroy the soul; to reveal the baits which Satan
uses to capture and slay so many; to point out the highway of holiness
which alone leads to heaven (Heb. 12:14); and to acquaint us with the
rules which must be observed if we are to walk that highway.
Our first duty, and our first aim, must be to take up the Scriptures
to ascertain what is God's revealed will for us, what are the paths He
forbids us to walk, what are the ways pleasing in His sight. Many
things are prohibited in the Word which neither our reason nor our
conscience would discover. For example, we learn, "that which is
highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God" (Luke
16:15); "the friendship of the world is enmity with God" (James 4:4);
"he that hasteth with his feet sinneth" (Prov. 19:2). Many things are
also commanded which can only be known if we acquaint ourselves with
its contents. For example, "Lean not unto thine own understanding"
(Prov. 3:5); "Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in
whom there is no help" (Ps. 146:3); "Love your enemies, bless them
that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which
despitefully use you and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44).
The above are but samples of hundreds of others. It is obvious that
God's Word cannot be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path
unless we are familiar with its contents, particularly until we are
informed on the practical rules God has given us to walk by. Hence it
should be obvious that the first need of the Christian is not to delve
into the intricacies and mysteries of Scripture, study the prophecies,
nor entertain himself with the wonderful types therein. Rather he
needs to concentrate on what will instruct him as to the kind of
conduct which will be pleasing to the Lord. The Scriptures are given
us, primarily, not for our intellectual gratification, nor for
emotional admiration, but for life's regulation. Nor are the precepts
and commands, the warnings and encouragements contained therein simply
for our information. They are to be reduced to practice, they require
unqualified obedience.
"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou
shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do
according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy
way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success" (Josh. 1:8).
God will be no man's debtor. In keeping His commands there is "great
reward" (Ps. 19:11). Part of that reward is deliverance from being
deceived by the false appearances of things, from forming erroneous
estimates, from pursuing a foolish policy. Part of that reward is
acquiring wisdom so that we choose what is good, act prudently, and
follow those paths which lead to righteousness, peace, and joy. He who
treasures in his heart the divine precepts and diligently seeks to
walk by their rule will escape those evils which destroy his fellows.
"If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the
light of this world" (John 11:9). To walk in the day means to be in
communion with One who is Light, to conduct ourselves according to His
revealed will. Just so far as the Christian walks in the path of duty,
as defined for him in the Word, will he walk surely and comfortably.
The light of that Word makes the way plain before him, and he is
preserved from falling over the obstacles with which Satan seeks to
trip him. "But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there
is no light in him" (verse 10). Here is the solemn contrast: he who
walks according to the dictates of his lusts and follows the counsel
and example of the ungodly, falls into the snares of the devil, and
perishes. There is no light in such an one, for he is not regulated by
the Sun of righteousness.
"I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in
darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12). It is one
thing to have "life," it is another to enjoy the "light of life" that
is only obtained by following Christ. Notice the tense of the verb: it
is "he that followeth me," which signifies a steady, continuous course
of action. The promise to such a one is, "he shall not walk in
darkness." But what does it mean to follow Christ? First and foremost,
to be emptied of self-will, for "even Christ pleased not himself"
(Rom. 15:3). It is absolutely essential that self-will and
self-pleasing be mortified if we are to be delivered from walking in
darkness.
The unchanging order is made known by Christ, "If any man will come
after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me"
(Matthew 16:24). Christ cannot be followed until self is denied and
the cross accepted as the distinguishing mark of discipleship. What
does it mean to deny self? It means to repudiate our own goodness, to
renounce our own wisdom, to have no confidence in our own strength, to
completely set aside our own will and wishes, that we should not hence
forth live unto ourselves, but unto [Him] who died for us (2 Cor.
5:15). What does it mean to "take up our cross"? It signifies a
readiness to endure the world's hatred and scorn, to voluntarily
surrender our lives to God, to use all our faculties for His glory.
The cross stands for unreserved and loving obedience to the Lord, for
of Him it is written, that "He became obedient unto death, even the
death of the cross." It is only as self with all its lustings and
interests is denied, and as the heart is dominated by the spirit of
Calvary, that we are prepared to follow Christ.
And what is signified by "follow" Christ? It means to take His yoke
upon us (Matthew 11:29), and live in complete subjection to Him; to
yield fully to His Lordship, to obey His commands, and thus truly
serve Him. It is seeking to do only those things which are pleasing in
His sight; to emulate the example which He left us, and He was in all
things subject to the Scriptures. As we follow Him, we "shall not walk
in darkness." We will be in happy fellowship with Him who is the true
light. For our encouragement for they were men of like passions--it is
recorded of Caleb and Joshua, "they have wholly followed the LORD"
(Num. 32:12). Having put their hand to the plow, they did not look
back. Consequently, instead of perishing in the wilderness with their
disobedient fellows, they entered the promised land.
Thus the great business, the task of the Christian, is to regulate his
life by and conform his conduct to the precepts of the written Word
and the example left us by the Incarnate Word. As he does so, and in
proportion as he does so, he is emancipated from the darkness of his
natural mind, freed from the follies of his corrupt heart, delivered
from the mad course of this world, and he escapes the snares of the
devil. "Through knowledge shall the just be delivered" (Prov. 11:9).
Yes, great is the reward of keeping God's commandments. "Then shalt
thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every
good path. When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is
pleasant unto thy soul; discretion shall preserve thee, understanding
shall keep thee" (Prov. 2:9-11).
It is well for those who are sensitive to both their own weakness and
fallibility, and the difficulties with which they are surrounded in
life, that the Lord has promised to guide His people with His eye, to
cause them to hear, "This is the way, walk ye in it," when they are in
danger of turning aside. For this purpose He has given to us the
written Word as a lamp to our feet, and encourages us to pray for the
teaching of His Holy Spirit so that we may rightly understand and
apply it. However, too often many widely deviate from the path of duty
and commit gross, perplexing mistakes, while they profess a sincere
desire to know the will of God, and think they have His warrant and
authority. This must certainly be due to misapplication of the rule by
which they judge, since the rule itself is infallible. The Scriptures
cannot deceive us, if rightly understood; but they may, if perverted,
confirm us in a mistake. The Holy Spirit cannot mislead those under
His influence; but we may suppose that we are so, when we are not.
Many have been deceived as to what they ought to do, or into forming a
judgment beforehand of events in which they are closely concerned, by
expecting direction in ways which the Lord has not warranted. Here are
some of the principal ones:
Some, when two or more things were in view, and they could not
immediately determine which to prefer, committed their case to the
Lord in prayer. Then they have proceeded to cast lots, taking it for
granted, after such a solemn appeal, that the turning up of the lot
might be safely rested on as an answer from God. It is true, the
Scripture (and right reason) assures us that the Lord disposes the
lot. Several cases are recorded in the Old Testament where lots were
used by divine appointment. But I think neither these, nor the
choosing of Matthias to the apostleship by lot, are proper precedents
for our conduct. In the division of the land of Canaan, in the affair
of Achan, and in the nomination of Saul to the kingdom, recourse to
lots was by God's express command. The instance of Matthias likewise
was singular, since it can never happen again (namely, the choice of
an apostle).
All these were before the canon of Scripture was completed, and before
the full descent and communication of the Holy Spirit, who was
promised to dwell with the Church to the end of time. Under the New
Testament dispensation, we are invited to come boldly to the throne of
grace, to make our request known to the Lord, and to cast our cares
upon Him. But we have neither precept nor promise respecting the use
of lots. To have recourse to them without His appointment seems to be
tempting Him rather than honoring Him, and it savors more of
presumption than dependence. Effects of this expedient have often been
unhappy and hurtful, a sufficient proof of how little it is to be
trusted as a guide of our conduct.
Others, when in doubt, have opened the Bible and expected to find
something to direct them to the first verse they should cast their eye
upon. It is no small discredit to this practice that the heathens used
some of their favorite books in the same way. They based their
persuasions of what they ought to do, or what should befall them,
according to the passage they happened upon. Among the Romans, the
writings of Virgil were frequently consulted on these occasions, which
gave rise to the wellknown expression of the Sortes Virgilinae.
Indeed, Virgil is as well adapted to satisfy inquiries in this way as
the Bible itself. For if people will be governed by the occurrence of
a single text of Scripture without regarding the context, or comparing
it with the general tenor of the Word and with their own
circumstances, they may commit the greatest extravagances. They may
expect the greatest impossibilities, and contradict the plainest
dictates of common sense, and all the while they think they have the
Word of God on their side. Can opening to 2 Samuel 7:3, when Nathan
said unto David, "Do all that is in thine heart, for the LORD is with
thee," be sufficient to determine the lawfulness or expediency of
actions? Or can a glance of the eye upon our Lord's words to the woman
of Canaan, "Be it unto thee even as thou wilt" (Matthew 15:28), amount
to proof that the present earnest desire of the mind (whatever it may
be) shall be surely accomplished? Yet it is certain that big matters
with important consequences have been engaged in, and the most
sanguine expectations formed, upon no better warrant than dipping (as
it is called) upon a text of Scripture.
A sudden strong impression of a text that seems to have some
resemblance to the concern on the mind has been accepted by many as an
infallible token that they were right, and that things would go just
as they would have them. Or, on the other hand, if the passage bore a
threatening aspect, it has filled them with fears which they have
found afterwards were groundless. These impressions have been more
generally regarded and trusted to, but have frequently proved no less
delusive. It is true that such impressions of a precept or a promise
that humble, animate, or comfort the soul, by giving it a lively sense
of the truth contained in the words, are both profitable and pleasant.
Many of the Lord's people have been instructed and supported
(especially in a time of trouble) by some seasonable word of grace
applied and sealed by His Spirit to their hearts. But if impressions
or impulses are received as a voice from heaven, directing to
particular actions that could not be proved to be duties without them,
a person may be inwardly misled into great evils and gross delusions.
Many have been so. There is no doubt that the enemy of our souls, if
permitted, can furnish us with Scriptures in abundance for these
purposes.
Some persons judge of the nature and event of their designs by the
freedom they find in prayer. They say that they commit their ways to
God, seek His direction, and are favored with much enlargement of
spirit. Therefore they cannot doubt but what they have in view is
acceptable in the Lord's sight. I would not absolutely reject every
plea of this kind, yet without other corroborating evidence I could
not admit it as proof. It is not always easy to determine when we have
spiritual freedom in prayer. Self is deceitful. When our hearts are
much fixed upon a thing, this may put words and earnestness into our
mouths. Too often we first determine secretly for ourselves, and then
ask counsel of God. In such a disposition we are ready to grasp at
everything that may seem to favor our darling scheme. And the Lord,
for the detecting and chastisement of our hypocrisy (for hypocrisy it
is, though perhaps hardly perceptible to ourselves), may answer us
according to our idols (see Ezekiel 14:3-4). Besides, the grace of
prayer may be in exercise when the subject matter of the prayer may be
founded upon a mistake, from the intervention of circumstances with
which we are unacquainted. Thus, I may have a friend in a distant
country. I hope he is alive, I pray for him, and it is my duty to do
so. The Lord, by His Spirit, assists His people in their present duty.
If I can pray with much liberty for my distant friend, it may be a
proof that the Spirit is pleased to assist my infirmities, but it is
no proof my friend is alive at the time I pray for him. If the next
time I pray for him I should find my spirit straitened, I am not to
conclude that my friend is dead, and therefore the Lord will not
assist me in praying for him any longer.
Once more, a remarkable dream has often been thought as decisive as
any of these methods of knowing the will of God. True, many wholesome
and seasonable admonitions have been received in dreams. But to pay
great attention to dreams, or especially to be guided by them, to form
our sentiments, conduct our expectations upon them, is superstitious
and dangerous. The promises are not made to those who dream, but to
those who watch.
The Lord may give to some upon occasion a hint or encouragement out of
the common way. But to seek His direction in such things as just
mentioned is unscriptural and ensnaring. Some presumed they were doing
God's service while acting in contradiction to His express commands.
Others were infatuated to believe a lie, declaring themselves assured
beyond the shadow of a doubt of things which never came to pass. When
they were disappointed, Satan improved the occasion to make them doubt
the plainest and most important truths, and to count their whole
former experience as a delusion. These things have caused weak
believers to stumble, offenses against the Gospel have multiplied, and
evil spoken of the way of truth.
How, then, may the Lord's guidance be expected.? After all these
negative premises, the question may be answered in a few words. In
general, He directs His people by affording them, in answer to prayer,
the light of His Holy Spirit, which enables them to understand and
love the Scriptures. The Word of God is not to be used as a lottery,
nor is it designed to instruct us by shreds and scraps, which detached
from their proper places have no determined import. But it is to
furnish us with just principles, right apprehensions, to regulate our
judgments and affections thereby to influence and regulate our
conduct. Those who study the Scriptures in humble dependence upon
divine teaching are convinced of their own weakness. They are taught
to make a true estimate of everything around them and are gradually
formed into a spirit of submission to the will of God. They discover
the nature and duties of their situations and relations in life, and
the snares and temptations to which they are exposed. The Word of God
dwelling in them is a preservative from error, a light to their feet,
and a spring of strength and consolation. By treasuring up the
doctrines, precepts, promises, examples, and exhortations of Scripture
in their minds--and daily comparing them with the rule by which they
walk--they grow into an habitual frame of spiritual wisdom. They
acquire a gracious taste which enables them to judge right and wrong
with a degree of certainty, as a musical ear judges sounds. They are
seldom mistaken, because they are influenced by the love of Christ
which rules in their hearts, and a regard for the glory of God.
In particular cases, the Lord opens and shuts for them, breaks down
walls of difficulty which obstruct their path, or hedges up their way
with thorns when they are in danger of going wrong. They know their
concerns are in His hands; they are willing to follow where and when
He leads but are afraid of running before Him. They are not impatient.
Because they believe, they will not be hasty, but wait daily upon Him
in prayer, especially when they find their hearts engaged in any
pursuit. They are jealous of being deceived by appearances, and dare
not move farther or faster than they can see His light shining upon
their paths. I express at least their desire, if not their attainment.
Though there are seasons when faith languishes, and self prevails too
much, this is their general disposition. And the Lord does not
disappoint their expectations. He leads them on a right way, preserves
them from a thousand snares, and satisfies them that He is and will be
their Guide even unto death.
The positive side of the subject probably needs some amplification.
The general rule may be stated thus: if we are daily concerned in
seeking to please God in all the details, great and small, of our
lives. He will not leave us in ignorance of His will concerning us.
But if we are accustomed to gratify self and only turn up to God for
help in times of difficulty and emergency, then we must not be
surprised if He mocks us and allows us to reap the fruits of our
folly. Our business is to walk in obedient subjection to Christ, and
His sure promise is, "he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness"
(John 8:12). Make sure you sincerely endeavor to follow the example
Christ left us, and He will not leave you in uncertainty as to which
step you should take when you come to the place of decision.
"Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the
Lord is" (Eph. 5:17). From this verse it is clear that it is both the
right and the duty of the Christian to know the Lord's will for him.
God can neither be pleased nor glorified by His children walking in
ignorance or proceeding blindly. Did not Christ say to His beloved
disciples, "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant
knoweth not what His lord doeth: but I have called you friends, for
all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you"
(John 15:15). If we are in the dark as to how we ought to proceed in
anything, it is clear that we are living far below our privileges. No
doubt the majority of our readers will give hearty assent to these
statements, but the question which concerns most of them is, How are
we to ascertain the Lord's will concerning the varied details of our
lives?
First, notice this exhortation, that we should be understanding "what
the will of the Lord is," is preceded by "Wherefore be ye not unwise."
That word unwise does not signify bare ignorance or lack of knowledge,
otherwise the two halves of the verse would merely express the same
thought in its negative and positive forms. No, the word "unwise"
there means "lacking in common sense," (or "be not ye foolish" (RV).
Nor does the word "foolish" signify no more than it now does in common
speech. In Scripture the fool is not simply one who is mentally
deficient, but is the man who leaves God out of his life, who acts
independently of Him. This must be borne in mind as we arrive at the
meaning of the second half of Ephesians 5:17.
Observe that Ephesians 5:17 opens with the word "Wherefore," which
points back to what immediately precedes: "See then that ye walk
circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because
the days are evil" (vv. 15-16). Unless those exhortations are
prayerfully and diligently heeded, it is impossible that we
"understand what the will of the Lord is." Unless our walk be right
there can be no spiritual discernment of God's will for us. This
brings us back to a central thought. Our daily walk is to be ordered
by God's Word. In proportion as it is so we will be kept in His will
and preserved from folly and sin.
"A good understanding have all they that do His commandments" (Ps.
111:10). A good understanding may be defined as spiritual instinct. We
all know what is meant by the instinct with which the Creator has
endowed animals and birds. It is an inward faculty which prompts them
to avoid danger and moves them to seek what is for their well-being.
Man was endowed originally with a similar instinct, though of a far
superior order to that of lower creatures. But at the fall, he, to a
large extent, lost it. As one generation of depraved beings followed
another, their instinct has become more and more weakened, until now
we see many conducting themselves with far less intelligence than the
beasts of the field. They rush madly to destruction, which the
instinct of the brutes would avoid. They act foolishly, yes, madly,
contrary even to common sense, in conducting their affairs and
concerns without discretion.
At regeneration, God gives His elect "the spirit . . . of a sound
mind" (2 Tim. 1:7), but that spirit has to be cultivated. It needs
training and direction. The necessary instruction is found in the
Word. From that Word we learn what things will prove beneficial to us,
and what will be injurious; what things to seek after, and what to
avoid. As the precepts of Scripture are reduced to practice by us, and
as its prohibitions and warnings are heeded, we are able to judge
things in their true light. We are delivered from being deceived by
false appearances, we are kept from making foolish mistakes. The
closer we walk by the Word, the more fully this will prove to be the
case with us: a good judgment or spiritual instinct will form in us,
so that we conduct our affairs discreetly and adorn the doctrine we
profess.
So highly does the saint prize this spiritual instinct or sound mind,
that he prays "Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have
believed thy commandments" (Ps. 119:66). He realizes it can only be
increased as he is divinely taught by the Spirit applying the Word to
his heart, opening to him its meaning, bringing it to his remembrance
when needed, and enabling him to make a proper use of it. But note
that in this prayer the petition is backed up with a plea, "for I have
believed in Thy commandments." "Believed" is not merely an
intellectual assent, but approved with the affections. Only when that
is the case is such a petition sincere. There is an inseparable
connection between these two things. Where God's commandments are
loved by us, we can count upon Him to teach us good judgment.
As we said, the "fool" is not the mentally deficient, but the one who
leaves God out of his thoughts and plans, who cares not whether his
conduct pleases or displeases Him. The fool is a godless person.
Contrariwise, the "wise" (in Scripture) are not the highly
intellectual or the brilliantly educated, but those who honestly seek
to put God first in their lives. God "honors" those who honor Him (1
Sam. 2:30). He gives them "good judgment." True, it is not acquired
all in a day, but "here a little and there a little." Yet the more
completely we surrender to God, the more the principles of His Word
regulate our conduct, the swifter will be our growth in spiritual
wisdom. In saying that this good judgment is not acquired all at once,
we do not mean that a whole lifetime has to be lived before it becomes
ours, though this is often the case with many. Some who have been
converted but a few years are often more spiritual, godly, and possess
more spiritual wisdom than those who were converted years before.
By treasuring up in his mind the doctrines, precepts, promises,
exhortations, and warnings of Scripture, and by diligently comparing
himself with the rule by which he is to walk, the Christian grows into
a habitual frame of spiritual wisdom. He acquires a gracious taste
which enables him to judge of right and wrong with a degree of
readiness and certainty, as a musical ear judges sounds, so that he is
rarely mistaken. He who has the Word ruling in his heart is influenced
by it in all his actions. Because the glory of God is the great aim
before him, he is not permitted to go far wrong. Moreover, God has
promised to show Himself strong on behalf of the one whose heart is
perfect toward Him. He does this by regulating His providences and
causing all things to work together for his good.
"The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single,
thy whole body shall be full of light" (Matthew 6:22). The language is
figurative, yet its meaning is not difficult to ascertain. What the
eye is to the body, the heart is to the soul, for out of the heart are
"the issues of life" (Prov. 4:23). The actions of the body are
directed by the light received from the eye. If the eye is single,
that is, sound and clear, perceiving objects as they really are, then
the whole body has light to direct its members, and the man moves with
safety and comfort. In like manner, if the heart is undivided, set on
pleasing God in all things, then the soul has clear vision, discerning
the true nature of things, forming a sound judgment of their worth,
choosing wisely, and directing itself prudently. When the heart is
right with God, the soul is endowed with spiritual wisdom so that
there is full light for our path.
"But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness.
If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that
darkness"! (Matthew 6:23). Here is the solemn contrast. If the vision
of our bodily eye is defective, a cataract dimming it, then nothing is
seen clearly. All is confusion, the man stumbles as if in the dark, as
if continually liable to lose his way and run into danger. In like
manner, where the heart be not right with God, where sin and self
dominate, the whole soul is under the reign of darkness. In
consequence, the judgment is blinded so that it cannot rightly discern
between good and evil, cannot see through the gild of Satan's baits,
and thus is fatally deceived by them. The very light which is in
fallen man, namely his reason, is controlled by his lusts, so, great
is his darkness.
The verses we have just considered were spoken by Christ immediately
after what He had been saying about the right laying up of treasures
(Matthew 6:19-21). It was as though He both anticipated and answered a
question from His disciples. If it is so important for us not to lay
up treasures in earth, but rather treasures in heaven, why is it that
the men commonly regarded as the shrewdest, and considered to be the
most successful, seek after earthly treasures, rather than heavenly?
To this Christ replied: marvel not at this--they cannot see what they
are doing: they are like blind men gathering pebbles supposing that
they are valuable diamonds.
Christ casts much light on what we now see on every side. They who
have set their hearts on things of time and sense, are but spending
their energies for that which will stand them in no stead when they
come to their deathbeds. They labor for that which satisfieth not
(Isa. 55:2). The reason they conduct themselves so insanely--pursuing
so eagerly the pleasures of this world, which will bear nothing but
bitter regrets in the world to come--is because their hearts are evil.
God has no real place in their thoughts, and so He gives them up to
the spirit of madness. There must be the single eye--the heart set
upon pleasing God--if the soul is to be filled with heavenly wisdom,
which loves, seeks, and lays up heavenly things. That wisdom is
something which no university can impart. It is "from above" (Jam.
3:17).
It should be noted that our Lord's teaching upon the "single eye,"
with the whole body "full of light," and the "evil eye" with the whole
body "full of darkness," is immediately followed with, "No man can
serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the
other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye
cannot serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24). This at once establishes
the meaning of the preceding verses. Christ had been speaking (in a
figure) of setting the Lord supremely before the heart, which
necessarily involves casting out worldly things and fleshly
considerations. Men think to compound with God and their lusts, God
and mammon, God and worldly pleasures. No, says Christ. God will have
all or nothing. He that serveth Him must serve Him singly and
supremely. Are you willing to pay the price to have divine light on
your path?
We have not attempted to enter into specific details and state how a
person is to act when some difficult or sudden emergency confronts
him. Rather we have sought to treat of basic principles and thoroughly
establish them. Though it might satisfy curiosity, it would serve no
good purpose for a teacher to explain an intricate problem in higher
mathematics to a student who had not already mastered the elementary
rules of arithmetic. So it would be out of place to explain how
particular cases or circumstances are to be handled before we have
presented those rules which must guide our general walk.
Thus far we have dealt with two main things: the absolute necessity of
being controlled by the Word of God without, and the having a heart
within which is single to God's glory and set upon pleasing Him--if we
are to have the light of heaven on our earthly path. A third
consideration must now engage our attention: the help of the Holy
Spirit. But at this point we most need to be on our guard, lest we
lapse into a vague mysticism on the one hand, or become guilty of wild
fanaticism on the other. Many have plunged into the most foolish and
evil courses under the plea they were "prompted by the Spirit." No
doubt they were prompted by some spirit, but most certainly not by the
Holy Spirit. HE never prompts anything contrary to the Word. Our only
safety is to impartially bring our inward impulses to the test of Holy
Writ.
"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of
God" (Rom. 8:14). This divine Guide is perfectly acquainted with the
path God has ordained for each celestial traveler. He is fully
conversant with all its windings and narrowness, its intricacies and
dangers. To be led by the Spirit is to be under His government. He
perceives our temptations and weakness, knows our aspirations, hears
our groans, and marks our strugglings after holiness. He knows when to
supply a check, administer a rebuke, apply a promise, sympathize with
a sorrow, strengthen a wavering purpose, confirm a fluctuating hope.
The sure promise is, "He will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13).
He does so by regulating our thoughts, affections and conduct; by
opening our understandings to perceive the meaning of Scripture,
applying it in power to the heart, enabling us to appropriate and
reduce it to practice. Each time we open the sacred volume, let us
humbly and earnestly seek the aid of Him who inspired it.
Note that Romans 8:14 opens with "for." The apostle introduces a
confirmation of what he had affirmed in the previous verses. They who
"walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (verse 4), they who
mind "the things of the Spirit" (verse 5); they who "through the
Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body" (verse 13), are the ones who
are "led by the Spirit." As the Spirit of holiness, His aim is to
deepen the imprint of the restored image of God in the soul, to
increase our happiness by making us more holy. Thus He leads to
nothing but what is sanctifying. The Spirit guides by subduing the
power of indwelling sin, by weaning us from the world, by maintaining
a tender conscience in us, by drawing out the heart to Christ, by
causing us to live for eternity.
"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own
understanding: in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct
thy paths" (Prov. 3:5-6). Note the order: the promise at the close of
the passage is conditional upon our meeting three requirements. First,
we are to have full confidence in the Lord. The Hebrew verb for
"trust" here literally means "to lean upon." It conveys the idea of
one who is conscious of feebleness turning unto and resting upon a
stronger one for support. To "trust in the Lord" signifies to count
upon Him in every emergency, to look to Him for the supply of every
need, to say with the psalmist, "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not
want" (Ps. 23:1). It means that we cast all our cares upon Him, draw
from Him strength hour by hour and thus prove the sufficiency of His
grace. It means for the Christian to continue as he began. When we
first cast ourselves upon Him as lost sinners, we abandoned all our
own doings and relied upon His abounding mercy.
But what is meant by "trust in the Lord with all thine heart?" First,
the giving to God our undivided confidence, not looking to any other
for help and relief. Second, turning to Him with childlike simplicity.
When a little one trusts, there is no reasoning, but a simple taking
of the parent's words at face value, fully assured that he will make
good what he said; he does not dwell on the difficulties in the way,
but expects a fulfillment of what is promised. So it should be with us
and our heavenly Father's words. Third, it means with our affections
going out to Him, "love believeth all things, hopeth all things," (1
Cor. 13:7). Thus, to trust in the Lord "with all our heart" is love's
reliance in believing dependence and expectation.
The second requirement is, "and lean not unto thine own
understanding,'' which means we are not to trust in our own wisdom or
rely upon the dictates of human reason. The highest act of human
reason is to disown its sufficiency and bow before the wisdom of God.
To lean unto our own understanding is to rest upon a broken reed, for
it has been deranged by sin. Yet many find it harder to repudiate
their own wisdom than they do to abandon their own righteousness. Many
of God's ways are "past finding out." To seek to solve the mysteries
of Providence is the finite attempting to comprehend the Infinite.
Philosophizing about our lot, or reasoning about our circumstances, is
fatal to rest of soul and peace of heart.
Third, "in all thy ways acknowledge Him." This means, first, we must
ask God's permission for all that we do, and not act without His
leave. Only then do we conduct ourselves as dutiful children and
respectful servants. It means, second, that we seek God's guidance in
every undertaking, acknowledging our ignorance and owning our complete
dependence upon Him. "In every thing by prayer and supplication"
(Phil. 4:6). Only so is God's lordship over us owned in a practical
way. It means, third, seeking God's glory in all our ways, "Whatsoever
ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31). If we only did so,
how very different many of our ways would be! If more frequently we
paused and inquired, Will this be for God's glory? we would be
withheld from much sinning and folly, with all its painful
consequences. It means, fourth, to seek God's blessing upon
everything. Here is another simple and sufficient rule: anything on
which I cannot ask God's blessing is wrong.
"And He shall direct thy paths." Meet the three conditions just
mentioned and this is the sure consequence. The need to be directed by
God is real and pressing. Left to ourselves we are no better off than
a rudderless ship or an auto without a steering wheel. It is not
without reason that the Lord's people are so often termed "sheep," for
no other creature is so apt to stray or has such a propensity to
wander. The Hebrew word for "direct" means "to make straight." We live
in a world where everything is crooked. Sin has thrown everything out
of joint, and in consequence confusion abounds all around us. A
deceitful heart, a wicked world, and a subtle devil ever seek to lead
us astray and compass our destruction. How necessary it is, then, for
God to "direct my paths."
What is meant by "He shall direct thy paths?" It means, He will make
clear to me the course of duty. God's "will" always lies in the path
of duty, and never runs counter to it. Much needless uncertainty would
be spared if only this principle were recognized. When you feel a
strong desire or prompting to shirk a plain duty, you may be assured
it is a temptation from Satan, and not the leading of the Holy Spirit.
For example, it is contrary to God's revealed will for a woman to be
constantly attending meetings to the neglect of her children and home.
It is shirking his responsibility for a husband to get off alone in
the evenings, even in religious exercises, and leave his tired wife to
wash the dishes and put the children to bed. It is a sin for a
Christian employee to read the Scriptures or "speak to people about
their souls" during business hours.
The difficulty arises when it appears we have to choose between two or
more duties, or when some important change has to be made in our
circumstances. There are many people who think they want to be guided
by God when some crisis arrives or some important decision has to be
made. But few of them are prepared to meet the requirements intimated
in the Scriptures. The fact is that God was rarely in their thoughts
before the emergency arose. Pleasing Him did not exercise them while
things were going smoothly. But when difficulty confronts them, when
they are at their wits end on how to act, they suddenly become very
pious, turn to the Lord, earnestly ask Him to direct them and make His
way plain.
But God cannot be imposed upon in any such manner. Usually such people
make a rash decision and bring themselves into still greater
difficulties. Then they attempt to console themselves with, "Well, I
sought God's guidance.'' God is not to be mocked like that. If we
ignore His claims on us when the sailing is pleasant, we cannot count
upon Him to deliver us when the storm comes. The One we have to do
with is holy, and He will not set a premium upon godlessness (called
by many "carelessness"), even though we howl like beasts when in
anguish (Hos. 7:14). On the other hand, if we diligently seek grace to
walk with God day by day, regulating our ways by His commandments,
then we may rightfully count upon His aid in every emergency that
arises.
But how is the conscientious Christian to act when some emergency
confronts him? Suppose he stands at the dividing of the ways. Two
paths, two alternatives, are before him, and he does not know which to
choose. What must he do? First, let him heed that most necessary word,
which as a rule of general application is ever binding upon us, "he
that believeth shall not make haste" (Isa. 28:16). To act from a
sudden impulse never becomes a child of God, and to rush ahead of the
Lord is sure to involve us in painful consequences. "The LORD is good
unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good
that a man should both hope, and quietly wait for the salvation
[deliverance] of the LORD" (Lam. 3:25-26). To act in haste generally
means that afterward we repent at leisure. How much each of us needs
to beg the Lord to daily lay His quietening hand upon our feverish
flesh!
Second, ask the Lord for Him to empty your heart of every wish of your
own. It is impossible for us to sincerely pray, "Thy will be done"
until our own will has, by the power of the Holy Spirit, been brought
into complete subjection to God. Just so long as there is a secret
(but real) preference in my heart, my judgment will be biased. While
my heart is really set upon the attainment of a certain object, then I
only mock God when I ask Him to make His way plain; and I am sure to
misinterpret all His providences, twisting them to fit my own desire.
If an obstacle is in my path, I then regard it as a "testing of
faith"; if a barrier is removed, I at once jump to the conclusion that
God is undertaking for me, when instead He may be testing, on the eve
of giving me up to my own "heart's lust" (Ps. 81:12).
This point is of supreme importance for those who desire their steps
to be truly ordered of the Lord. We cannot discern His best for us
while the heart has its own preference. Thus it is imperative to ask
God to empty our hearts of all personal preferences, to remove any
secret, set desire of our own. But often it is not easy to take this
attitude before God, the more so if we are not in the habit of seeking
grace to mortify the flesh. By nature each of us wants his own way,
and chafes against every curb placed upon us. Just as a photographic
plate must be blank if it is to receive a picture upon it, so our
hearts must be free from personal bias if God is to work in us "both
to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13).
If you find that as you continue to wait upon God, the inward struggle
between the flesh and the spirit continues, and you have not reached
the point where you can honestly say, "Have Thine own way, Lord," then
a season of fasting is in order. Ezra 8:21 reads, "Then I proclaimed a
fast there . . . that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to
seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones." This is
written for our instruction, and even a glance at it shows it is
pertinent. Nor is fasting a religious exercise peculiar to Old
Testament times. Acts 13:3 records that before Barnabas and Saul were
sent forth on their missionary journey by the church at Antioch, "When
they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent
them away." There is nothing meritorious in fasting, but it expresses
humility of soul and earnestness of heart.
The next thing is to humbly and sincerely acknowledge to God our
ignorance, and request Him not to leave us to ourselves. Tell Him
frankly you are perplexed and do not know what to do. But plead before
Him His own promise, and ask Him for Christ's sake to make it good to
you. "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to
all men liberally, and up-braideth not; and it shall be given him. But
let him ask in faith, nothing wavering" (James 1:5-6). Ask Him to
grant the wisdom you need so much, that you may judge rightly, that
you may discern clearly what will promote your spiritual welfare, and
therefore be most for His glory.
"Commit thy way unto the LORD, trust also in him; and he shall bring
it to pass" (Ps. 37:5). In the interval if you go to fellow-Christians
for advice, most probably no two will agree, and their discordant
counsel will only confuse. Instead of looking to man for help,
"Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving" (Col.
4:2). Be on the lookout for God's answer. Mark attentively each
movement of His providence, for as a straw in the air indicates which
way the wind is blowing so the hand of God may often be discerned by a
spiritual eye in what are trifling incidents to others. "And let it
be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry
trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go
out before thee" (2 Sam. 5:24).
Finally, remember that we need not only light from the Lord to
discover our duty in particular cases, but when that has been
obtained, we need His presence to accompany us, so that we may be
enabled to rightly follow the path He bids us go. Moses realized this
when he said to the Lord, "If thy presence go not with me, carry us
not up hence" (Ex. 33:15). If we do not have the presence of God with
us in an undertaking--His approval upon it, His assistance in it, His
blessing upon it--then we find it a snare if not a curse to us.
As a general rule it is better for us to trouble our minds very little
about guidance. That is God's work. Our business is to walk in
obedience to Him day by day. As we do so, there works within us a
prudence which will preserve us from all serious mistakes. "I
understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts" (Ps.
119:100). The man who keeps God's precepts is endowed with a wisdom
which far surpasses that possessed by the sages or the learned
philosophers. "Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness"
(Ps. 112:4). The upright man may experience his days of darkness, but
when the hour of emergency arrives light will be given him by God.
Serve God with all your might today, and you may calmly and safely
leave the future with Him. A duteous conformity to what is right will
be followed by luminous discernment of what would be wrong.
Seek earnestly to get the fear of God fixed in your heart so that you
tremble at His Word (Isa. 66:2) and are really afraid to displease
Him. "What man is he which feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the
way that he shall choose" (Ps. 25:12). "Behold, the fear of the Lord,
that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding" (Job 28:28).
"Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD" (Hos. 6:3). The
more we grow in grace the fuller our knowledge will be of God's
revealed will. The more we cultivate the practice of seeking to please
God in all things, the more light we will have for our path. "The pure
in heart shall see God" (Matthew 5:8). If our motive is right, our
vision will be clear.
"The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness
of transgressors shall destroy them" (Prov. 11:3). The upright man
will not willingly and knowingly go aside into crooked paths. The
honest heart is not bewildered by domineering lusts nor blinded by
corrupt motives. Having a tender conscience he possesses keen
spiritual discernment; but the crooked policy of the wicked involves
them in increasing trouble and ends in their eternal ruin. "The
righteousness of the perfect [sincere] shall direct his way: but the
wicked shall fall by his own wickedness" (Prov. 11:5). An eye single
to God's glory delivers from those snares in which the ungodly are
taken. "Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD
understand all things" (Prov. 28:5). Unbridled passions becloud the
understanding and pervert the judgment until men call good "evil" and
evil "good" (Isa. 5:20); but he who seeks to be subject to the Lord
shall be given discretion.
"The Lord shall direct thy paths." First, by His Word: not in some
magical way so as to encourage laziness, nor like consulting a
cookbook full of recipes for all occasions, but by warning us of the
byways of sin and making known the paths of righteousness and
blessing. Second, by his Spirit: giving us strength to obey the
precepts of God, causing us to wait patiently on the Lord for
directions, enabling us to apply the rules of Holy Writ to the varied
duties of our lives, bringing to our remembrance a word in due season.
Third, by His providences: causing friends to fail us so that we are
delivered from leaning upon the arm of flesh, thwarting our carnal
plans so that we are preserved from shipwreck, shutting doors which it
would not be good for us to enter, and opening doors before us which
none can shut.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 1: Excellencies Which
Pertain to the Godhead as God
22. The Blessings of God
"The Blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow
with it" (Prov. 10:22). Temporal blessing, as well as spiritual, comes
from Him. "The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich" (1 Sam. 2:7). God is
the sovereign disposer of material wealth. If it is received by birth
or inheritance, it is by His providence, If it comes by gift, He moved
the donors to bestow. If it accumulates as the result of hard work,
skill, or thrift, He bestowed the talent, directed its use, and
granted the success. This is abundantly clear in the Scriptures. "The
LORD hath blessed my master greatly . . . he hath given him flocks,
and herds, and silver, and gold" (Gen. 24:35). "Isaac sowed in that
land, and received the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed
him" (Gen. 26:12). So it is with us. Then say not in your heart, "The
might of my hand or brains has gotten me this temporal prosperity."
"But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth
thee power to get wealth" (Deut. 8:18). When riches are acquired by
God's blessing by honest industry, there is no accusing conscience to
sour the same. If sorrow attend the use or enjoyment of them, it is
due entirely to our own folly.
"Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto
thee, that he may dwell in thy courts" (Ps. 65:4). There is no doubt
that the primary reference there (though not the exclusive one) is to
"the man Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. 2:5), for as God-man He is what He is
by the grace of election, when His humanity was chosen and
foreordained to union with one of the Persons in the Godhead. None
other than Jehovah proclaimed Him, "mine elect, in whom my soul
delighted" (Isa. 42:1). As such He is, "The man that is my fellow,
saith the LORD of hosts" (Zech. 13:7), the "heir of all things."
Christ was not chosen for us, but for God; and we were chosen for
Christ, to be His bride. "Christ is My first elect He said, then chose
our souls in Christ the Head." The essence of all blessings is to be
in Christ, and those who partake of it do so by the act of God, as the
fruit of His everlasting love unto them.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath
blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the
world" (Eph. 1:3-4). In that initial blessing of election all others
are wrapped up, and in due course we are partakers of them. "As the
dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD
commanded the blessing, even life for evermore" (Ps. 133:3). It is
both the duty and privilege of every sin-laden soul to come to Christ
for rest, nevertheless it is equally true that no man can come to Him
except the Father draw him (John 6:44). Likewise it falls upon all who
hear the Gospel to respond to that call. "Incline your ear, and come
unto me: hear, and your soul shall live" (Isa. 55:3), yet how can
those who are dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1) do so? They
cannot. They must first be divinely quickened into newness of life. A
beautiful figure of that divine operation is here before us. In
eastern lands the earth is hard, dry, barren. So are our natural
hearts. The dew descends from above silently, mysteriously,
imperceptibly and moistens the ground, imparting vitality to
vegetation, making the mountainside fruitful. Such is the miracle of
the new birth. Life is communicated by divine fiat; not a probationary
or conditional one, not a fleeting or temporal one, but spiritual and
endless, for the stream of regeneration can never dry up. When God
commands, He communicates (cf. Psalm 42:8; 48:28; 111:9). As the
blessing is a divine favor, so the manner of bestowing it is
sovereign. That is solely His prerogative, for man can do nothing but
beg. Zion is the place of all spiritual blessings (Heb. 12:22-24).
"Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O
LORD, in the light of Thy countenance" (Ps. 89:15). This is one of the
blessed effects of Divine quickening. When one has been born of the
Spirit, the eyes and ears of his soul are opened to recognize
spiritual things. It is not merely that they "hear the joyful sound,"
for many do that without any experiential knowledge of its charm; but
know from its message being brought home in power to their hearts.
That joyful sound is the "glad tidings of good things" (Rom. 10:15),
namely, "that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." Such
souls as inwardly know that heavenly music are indeed blessed. As they
are assured of free access unto God through the blood of Christ, the
beneficent light of the divine countenance is now beheld by them.
There is probably an allusion in Psalm 89:15, First to the sound made
by Aaron as he went into the holy place and came out (Ex. 28:33-35),
which was indeed a "joyful sound" unto the people of God. It gave
evidence that their high priest was engaged before the Lord on their
behalf. Second, a general reference to the sound of the sacred
trumpets which called Israel to their solemn feasts (Num. 10:10).
Third, a more specific one to the trumpet of jubilee (Lev. 25:9-10),
which proclaimed liberty to bondmen and restoration of their
inheritance to them who had forfeited it. So the announcement of the
Gospel of liberty to sin's captives is music to those who have ears to
hear.
"Blessed are all they that put their trust in him" (Ps. 2:12). The
critical reader observes that we follow a strictly logical order.
First, election is the foundation blessing, being "unto salvation" and
including all the means thereof (2 Thess. 2:13); second, the bestowal
of eternal life which capacitates the favored recipient to welcome
experientially the joyful sound of the Gospel. Now there is a personal
and saving embracing thereof. Note that the words of our present text
are preceded by "Kiss the Son," which signifies, "Bow in submission
before His scepter, yield to His Kingly rule, render allegiance to
Him" (1 Sam. 10:1; 1 Kings 19:18). It is most important to note that
order, and still more so to put it into practice. Christ must be
received as Lord (Col. 2:6) before He can be received as Savior. Note
the order in 2 Peter 1:11; 2:20; 3:18. The "put their trust in Him"
signifies to take refuge in. They repudiate their own righteousness
and evince their confidence in Him by committing themselves to His
keeping for time and eternity. His Gospel is their warrant for doing
so, His veracity their security.
"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered"
(Ps. 32:1). This is an intrinsic part of the blessedness of putting
our trust in Him. The joyful sound has assured them that "Christ died
for the ungodly," and that He will by no means cast out anyone who
comes unto Him. Therefore do they express their faith in Christ by
fleeing to Him for refuge. Blessed indeed are such, for, having
surrendered to His lordship and placed their reliance in His atoning
blood, they now enter into the benefits of His righteous and
benevolent government. More specifically, their "iniquities are
forgiven and their sins are covered"--"covered by God, as the ark was
covered with the mercyseat; as Noah was covered from the flood; as the
Egyptians were covered by the depths of the sea. What a cover that
must be which hides forever from the sight of the all-seeing God all
the filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit" (Charles Spurgeon).
Paul quotes those precious words of Psalm 32:1 in Romans 4:7, as proof
of the grand truth of justification by faith. While the sins of
believers were all atoned for at the cross and an everlasting
righteousness procured for them, they do not become actual
participants until they believe (Acts 13:39; Gal. 2:16).
"Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the
ways of them" (Ps. 84:5). This is another accompaniment of the new
birth. The regenerated receives the spirit of "a sound mind" (2 Tim.
1:7) so that he now sees himself to be not only without any
righteousness of his own, but also is conscious of his weakness and
insufficiency. He has made the name of the Lord his strong tower,
having run into it for safety (Prov. 18:10). Now he declares, "in the
LORD have I righteousness and strength" (Isa. 45:24), strength to
fight the good fight of faith, to resist temptations, to endure
persecution, to perform duty. While he keeps in his right mind, he
will continue to go forth not in his own strength, but in complete
dependence upon the strength in Christ Jesus. Those ways of God's
strength are the divinely appointed means of grace to maintain
communion: feeding on the Word, living on Christ, adhering to the path
of His precepts.
"Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways"
(Ps. 128:1). Here is another mark of those under divine benediction:
to have such a deep reverence of the Spirit as results in regular
obedience to Him. The fear of the Lord is a holy awe of His majesty, a
filial dread of displeasing Him. It is not so much an emotional thing
as practical, for it is idle to talk about fearing God if we have no
deep concern for His will. It is the fear of love which shrinks from
dishonoring Him, a dread of forgetting His goodness and abusing His
mercy. Where such fear is, all other graces are found.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 1: Excellencies Which
Pertain to the Godhead as God
23. The Cursings of God
It Is Solemn To Learn that these blessings and cursings proceed from
the same mouth. Yet a little reflection will convince the reader that
such must be the case. God is light as well as love, holy as well as
gracious, righteous as well as merciful. Therefore He expresses His
abhorrence of and visits His judgments upon the wicked, as truly as He
blesses and manifests His approval on those who are pleasing in His
sight. An eternal heaven and an eternal hell are the inevitable and
ultimate pair of opposites. This awesome duality is displayed in the
natural world. On one hand our senses are charmed by the golden
sunsets, the flowering gardens, the gentle showers and the fertile
fields. On the other hand, we are shocked and terrified by the fearful
tornado, the devouring blights, the devasting flood, and the
destructive earthquake. "Behold therefore the goodness and severity of
God" (Rom. 11:22). From Mt. Ebal were announced the divine curses
(Deut. 27), and from Matthew Gerizim the divine blessings (Deut. 28).
The one could not be without the other. Thus too it will be in the
last day, or while Christ will say unto His brethren, "Come ye blessed
of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world," yet to those who despised and rejected Him shall He say
"Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire'" (Matthew 25:34,
41).
"Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all
the days of thy life" (Gen. 3:17). That was one of the consequences
which attended Adam's apostasy from God, a part of the divine
vengeance which fell upon him. Because the first man stood as the
covenant head and legal representative of his race, the judgment which
came upon him is shared by all his descendants. Adam was the
vice-regent of God in this scene. He was given dominion over all
things mundane, and when he fell the effects of his awful sin were
evident on every hand. His fair inheritance was blasted. The very
ground on which he trod was cursed, so that henceforth it brought
forth "thorns and thistles," compelling him to toil for his daily
bread in the sweat of his face. Every time we cultivate a plot of
land, the numerous weeds it produces hinder our efforts and supply
very real proof of the divine sentence pronounced in Genesis 3 and
evince that we belong to a fallen race.
"Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and
maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD" (Jer.
17:5). A thorough acquaintance with ourselves ought to render the
warning of this solemn passage unnecessary, yet sad experience proves
otherwise. Have we not sufficient knowledge of ourselves--our
changeableness and utter unreliability -- to discover that "he that
trusteth in his own heart is a fool" (Prov. 28:26)? Then why should we
suppose that any of our fellows are more stable and dependable? The
best of Adam's race, when left to themselves, are spectacles of
fickleness and frailty. "Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men
of high degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are
altogether lighter than vanity" (Ps. 62:9). To seek either the
patronage or protection of man is an affront to the Most High, for it
puts that confidence in the creature to which the Creator alone is
entitled. The folly of such wickedness is emphasized in "and maketh
flesh his arm," leaning upon that which is frail and helpless (2
Chron. 32:8; Matthew 26:41; Romans 8:3). The Christian needs to turn
this awful malediction into prayer for deliverance from the temptation
to look to man for help or relief! Indirectly, yet powerfully, this
verse proves that Christ is far more than man; for if it calls down a
divine curse for one to put his trust in man for any temporal
advantage, how much more so if he trusts in a mere creature for
eternal salvation!
"If ye will not hear, and ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory
unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon
you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already,
because ye do not lay it to heart" (Mal. 2:2). The Lord is very tender
of His honor and will not share His glory with another (Isa. 48:11),
and those who do not take that fact to heart are certain to call down
divine wrath upon themselves. Those words (Mal. 2:2) were addressed in
the first instance to the priests of Israel. The prophet had reproved
them for their sins. Now he declared that if they would not seriously
attend to his warnings, and glorify God by repentance and reformation
of conduct, then He would blight their temporal mercies. It is a
signal favor for man to be called to minister publicly in the name of
the Lord. But infidelity entails the most dreadful consequences. Often
they are given up to blindness of mind, hardness of heart, seared
consciences. The principle of this malediction has a much wider
bearing and applies both to those who hear the Gospel and a nation
blessed with its light.
"But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto
you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed"
(Gal. 1:8). God is very jealous of His Gospel, and this verse should
also convince His servants and people of the solemn responsibility
resting upon them to preserve it in its purity. The Gospel of God
makes known the only true way of salvation, and therefore any
corrupting of it is not only dishonoring to its Author, but also most
dangerous and disastrous to the souls of men. The apostle was
censuring those who were repeating an impossible mixture of Law and
Gospel, insisting that circumcision and compliance with the ceremonial
rites of Judaism were as necessary as faith in Christ for
justification. His was not the language of intemperate zeal, for he
repeats the same in the next verse, but a holy fidelity
which-expressed his detestation of an error which not only insulted
the Savior but also would prove fatal to those who embraced it. The
single foundation of a sinner's hope is the merits of Christ, His
finished work of redemption. Those who would add to the same by any
doings of their own are headed for eternal destruction. Therefore any
who teach men to do so are cursed of God and should be abhorred by His
people.
"For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for
it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things
which are written in the book of the law to do them" (Gal. 3:10). The
first part of this verse means: all who count on being saved by their
own performances, or rely upon their own obedience for acceptance by
God, are under the curse of His Law and exposed to His wrath.
Justification by keeping the Law is an utter impossibility for any
fallen creature. Why so? Because God's Law requires flawless and
perpetual conformity, sinless perfection in thought and word and deed,
and because it makes no provision for failure to comply with its holy
and righteous terms. It is not sufficient to hear about or know the
requirements of God's Law. They must be met. Thus it is obvious that a
Law which already condemns cannot justify, that any who hope to merit
God's favor by their faulty attempts to obey it are badly deceived.
"To expect to be warmed by the keen northern blast, or to have our
thirst quenched by a draught of liquid fire, were not more, were not
so, incongruous" (J. Brown). This statement (Gal. 3:10) was made by
the apostle to show that every man is under divine condemnation until
he flees to Christ for refuge.
"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse
for us" (Gal. 3:13). Here is the glorious Gospel summed up in a brief
sentence. The curse has been borne for all those who believe, visited
upon the Savior. A way has been opened where guilty sinners may not
only escape from the curse of the Law, but actually be received into
the favor of God. Amazing grace! Matchless mercy! All who put their
trust in Christ are delivered from the Law's sentence of doom so that
they shall never fall under it. We are righteously delivered, because
as the Surety of His people Christ was born under the Law, stood in
their law place, had all their sins imputed to Him, and made Himself
answerable for them. The Law, so finding Him, charged Him with the
same, cursed Him, and demanded satisfaction. Accordingly He was dealt
with by the supreme Judge, for "God spared not His own Son," but
called upon the sword of justice to smite the shepherd (Zech. 13:7).
By His own consent the Lord Jesus was "made a curse" by God Himself.
Because He paid the ransom price all believers are
"redeemed"--delivered from God's wrath and inducted into His blessing.
"But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh
unto cursing; whose end is to be burned" (Heb. 6:8). This is in sharp
contrast with the previous verse. The good-ground hearer "bringeth
forth"--the Greek signifying a production of what is normal and in due
season. The graceless professor "beareth thorns"--the Greek word
connoting an unnatural and monstrous production. There, "herbs meet
for them by whom it is dressed"; here, worthless "thorns and briers."
The one "receiveth blessing from God", the other is "nigh unto
cursing' `--about to be visited with divine judgment.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 1: Excellencies Which
Pertain to the Godhead as God
24. The Love of God to Us
By "Us" We Mean His People. Although we read of the love "which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:39), Holy Writ knows nothing of a love
of God outside of Christ. "The LORD is good to all: and His tender
mercies are over all his works" (Ps. 145:9), so that He provides the
ravens with food. "He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil"
(Luke 6:35), and His providence ministers unto the just and the unjust
(Matthew 5:45). But His love is reserved for His elect. That is
unequivocally established by its characteristics, for the attributes
of His love are identical with Himself. Necessarily so, for "God is
love." In making that postulate it is but another way to say God's
love is like Himself, from everlasting to everlasting, immutable.
Nothing is more absurd than to imagine that anyone beloved of God can
eternally perish or shall ever experience His everlasting vengeance.
Since the love of God is "in Christ Jesus," it was attracted by
nothing in its objects, nor can it be repelled by anything in, of, or
by them. "Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them
unto the end" (John 13:1). The "world" in John 3:16 is a general term
used in contrast with the Jews, and the verse must be interpreted so
as not to contradict Psalm 5:5; 6:7; John 3:36; Romans 9:13.
The chief design of God is to commend the love of God in Christ, for
He is the sole channel through which it flows. The Son has not induced
the Father to love His people, but rather was it His love for them
which moved Him to give His Son for them. Ralph Erskine said:
God hath taken a marvelous way to manifest His love. When He would
show His power, He makes a world. When He would display His wisdom, He
puts it in a frame and form that discovers its vastness. When He would
manifest the grandeur and glory of His name, He makes a heaven, and
puts angels and archangels, principalities and powers therein. And
when He would manifest His love, what will He not do? God hath taken a
great and marvelous way of manifesting it in Christ: His person, His
blood, His death, His righteousness.
"All the promises of God in him [Christ] are yea, and in him Amen,
unto the glory of God" (2 Cor. 1:20). As we were chosen in Christ
(Eph. 1:4), as we were accepted in Him (Eph. 1:6), as our life is hid
in Him (Col. 3:3), so are we beloved in Him--"the love of God which is
in Christ Jesus": in Him as our Head and Husband, which is why nothing
can separate us therefrom, for that union is indissoluble.
Nothing so warms the heart of the saint as a spiritual contemplation
of God's love. As he is occupied with it, he is lifted outside of and
above his wretched self. A believing apprehension fills the renewed
soul with holy satisfaction, and makes him as happy as it is possible
for one to be this side of heaven. To know and believe the love which
God has toward me is both an earnest and a foretaste of heaven itself.
Since God loves His people in Christ, it is not for any amiableness in
or attraction about them: "Jacob have I loved." Yes, the naturally
unattractive, yes, despicable, Jacob--"thou worm Jacob." Since God
loves His people in Christ, it is not regulated by their fruitfulness,
but is the same at all times. Because He loves them in Christ, the
Father loves them as Christ. The time will come when His prayer will
be answered, "that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast
loved them, as thou hast loved me" (John 17:23). Only faith can grasp
those marvelous things, for neither reasoning nor feelings can do so.
God loves us in Christ: What infinite delight the Father has as He
beholds His people in His dear Son! All our blessings flow from that
precious fountain.
God's love to His people is not of yesterday. It did not begin with
their love to Him. No, "we love him, because he first loved us" (1
John 4:19). We do not first give to Him, that He may return to us
again. Our regeneration is not the motive of His love, rather His love
is the reason why He renews us after His image. This is often made to
appear in the first manifestation of it, when so far from its objects
being engaged in seeking Him, they are at their worst. "Now when I
passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of
love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea,
I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the
Lord God, and thou becamest [manifestatively] mine" (Ezek. 16:8).
Not only are its objects often at their worst when God's love is first
revealed to them, but actually doing their worst, as in the case of
Saul of Tarsus. Not only is God's love antecedent to ours, but also it
was borne in His heart toward us long before we were delivered from
the power of darkness and translated into the Kingdom of His dear Son.
It began not in time, but bears the date of eternity. "I have loved
thee with an everlasting love" (Jer. 31:3).
"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent
his Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10). It is
clear from those words that God loved His people while they were in a
state of nature, destitute of all grace, without a particle of love
towards Him or faith in Him; yes, while they were His enemies (Rom.
5:8, 10). Clearly that lays me under a thousand times greater
obligation to love, serve, and glorify Him than had He loved me for
the first time when my heart was won. All the acts of God to His
people in time are the expressions of the love He bore them from
eternity. It is because God loves us in Christ, and has done so from
everlasting, that the gifts of His love are irrevocable. They are the
bestowal of "the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness,
neither shadow of turning." The love of God indeed makes a change in
us when it is "shed abroad in our hearts," but it makes none in Him.
He sometimes varies the dispensations of His providence toward us, but
that is not because His affection has altered. Even when He chastens
us, it is in love (Heb. 12:6), since He has our good in view.
Let us look more closely at some of the operations of God's love.
First, in election. "We are bound to give thanks alway to God for you,
brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning
chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit [His
quickening] and belief of the truth" (2 Thess. 2:13). There is an
infallible connection between God's love and His selection of those
who were to be saved. That election is the consequence of His love is
clear again from Deuteronomy: "The Lord did not [1] set His love upon
you, nor [2] choose you, because ye were more in number than any
people" (Deut. 7:7). So again in Ephesians: "In love: having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will" (Eph. 1:4-5).
Second, in redeeming. As we have seen from 1 John 4:10, out of His
sovereign love God made provision for Christ to render satisfaction
for their sins, though prior to their conversion He was angry with
them in respect to His violated Law. And "how shall He not with him
also freely give us all things?" (Rom. 8:32)--another clear proof that
His Son was not "delivered up" to the cross for all mankind. For He
gives them neither the Holy Spirit, a new nature, nor repentance and
faith.
Third, effectual calling. From the enthroned Savior the Father sends
forth the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:33). Having loved His elect with an
everlasting love, with lovingkindness He draws them (Jer. 41:3),
quickens into newness of life, calls them out of darkness into His
marvelous light, makes them His children. "Behold, what manner of love
the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of
God" (1 John 3:1). If filiation does not issue from God's love as a
sure effect, to what purpose are those words?
Fourth, healing of backslidings: "I will heal their backsliding, I
will love them freely" (Hos. 14:4), without reluctance or hesitation.
"Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it"
(Song 8:7). Such is God's love to His people--invincible,
unquenchable. Not only is there no possibility of its expiring, but
also the black waters of backslidings cannot extinguish it, nor the
floods of unbelief put it out.
Nothing is more irresistible than death in the natural world, nothing
so invincible as the love of God in the realm of grace. Goodwin
remarked:
What difficulties does the love of God overcome! For God to overcome
His own heart! Do you think it was nothing for Him to put His Son to
death? . . . When He came to call us, had He no difficulties which
love overcame? We were dead in trespasses and sins, yet from the great
love wherewith He loved us, He quickened us in the grave of our
corruption: "lo, he stinketh"--even then did God come and conquer us.
After our calling, how sadly do we provoke God! Such temptations that
if it were possible the elect should be deceived. It is so with all
Christians. No righteous man but he is "scarcely saved" (1 Pet. 4:18),
and yet saved he is, because the love of God is invincible: it
overcomes all difficulties.
An application is hardly necessary for such a theme. Let God's love
daily engage your mind by devout meditations on it so that the
affections of your heart may be drawn out to Him. When cast down in
spirit, or in sore straits, plead His love in prayer, assured that it
cannot deny anything good for you. Make God's wondrous love to you the
incentive of your obedience to Him--gratitude requires nothing less.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 1: Excellencies Which
Pertain to the Godhead as God
25. The Gospel of the Grace of God
"To Testify the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24) formed part
of the farewell address of the apostle Paul to the leaders of the
church at Ephesus. After he reminded them of his manner of life among
them (vv. 18-21), he tells them of his forthcoming trip to Jerusalem,
which was to culminate in his being carried prisoner to Rome. He says,
"And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing
the things that shall befall me there: save that the Holy Ghost
witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me"
(vv. 22-23). And, then, in a truly characteristic word he says, "But
none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto
myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry,
which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the
grace of God" (v. 24). Wherever the providence of God might take him,
whatever his circumstances might be, whether in bonds or in freedom,
this should be his mission and message. It is to this same ministry
that the Lord of the harvest still appoints His servants: to "testify
the Gospel of the grace of God."
There is a continual need to return to the great fundamental of the
faith. As long as the age lasts the Gospel of God's grace must be
preached. The need arises out of the natural state of the human heart,
which is essentially legalistic. The cardinal error against which the
Gospel has to contend is the inveterate tendency of men to rely on
their own performances. The great antagonist to the truth is the pride
of man, which causes him to imagine that he can be, in part at least,
his own savior. This error is the prolific mother of a multitude of
heresies. It is by this falsehood that the pure stream of God's truth,
passing through human channels, has been polluted.
Now the Gospel of God's grace is epitomized in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For
by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is
the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." All genuine
reforms or revivals in the churches of God must have as their basis a
plain declaration of this doctrine. The tendency of Christians is like
that of the world, to shy away from this truth which is the very sum
and substance of the Gospel. Those with any acquaintance with Church
history know how sadly true this is. Within fifty years of the death
of the last of the apostles, so far as we can now learn, the Gospel of
God's grace almost ceased to be preached. Instead of evangelizing, the
preachers of the second and third centuries gave themselves to
philosophizing. Metaphysics took the place of the simplicity of the
Gospel.
Then, in the fourth century, God mercifully raised up a man,
Augustine, who faithfully and fearlessly proclaimed the Gospel. So
mightily did God empower both his voice and pen that more than half of
Christendom was shaken by him. Through his instrumentality came an
heaven-sent revival. His influence for good staved off the great
Romish heresy for another century. Had the churches heeded his
teaching, popery would never have been born. But, they turned back to
vain philosophy and science, falsely so-called.
Then came the Dark Ages, when for centuries the Gospel ceased to be
generally preached. Here and there feeble voices were raised, but most
of them were soon silenced by the Italian priests. It was not until
the fifteenth century that the great Reformation came. God raised up
Martin Luther, who taught in no uncertain terms that sinners are
justified by faith, and not by works.
After Luther came a still more distinguished teacher, John Calvin. He
was much more deeply taught in the truth of the Gospel, and pushed its
central doctrine of grace to its logical conclusions. As Charles
Spurgeon said, "Luther had, as it were, undamned the stream of truth,
by breaking down the barriers which had kept back its living waters as
in a great reservoir. But the stream was turbid and carried down with
it much which ought to have been left behind. Then Calvin came, and
cast salt into the waters, and purged them, so that there flowed on a
purer stream to gladden and refresh souls and quench the thirst of
poor lost sinners."
The great center of all Calvin's preaching was the grace of God. It
has been the custom ever since to designate as "Calvinists" those who
emphasize what he emphasized. We do not accept that title without
qualification, but we certainly are not ashamed of it. The truth
Calvin thundered forth was identical with the truth Paul had preached
and set down in writing centuries before. This was also the substance
of Whitefield's preaching, which God honored so extensively as to
produce the great revival in his day. Let as now consider:
The Gospel Is a Revelation of the Grace of God.
The "Gospel of the grace of God" is one of the Holy Spirit's
appellations of that Good News which the ambassadors of Christ are
called upon to preach. Various names are given to it in the
Scriptures. Romans 1:1 calls it the "gospel of God," for He is its
Author. Romans 1:16 terms it the "gospel of Christ," for He is its
theme. Ephesians 6:15 designates it the "gospel of peace," for this is
its bestowment. Our text speaks of it as the "Gospel of the Grace of
God," for this is its Source.
Grace is a truth peculiar to divine revelation. It is a concept to
which the unaided powers of man's mind never rises. Proof of this is
in the fact that where the Bible has not gone "grace" is unknown. Very
often missionaries have found, when translating the Scriptures into
native tongues of the heathen, they were unable to discover a word
which in any way corresponds to the Bible word "grace." Grace is
absent from all the great heathen religions--Brahmanism, Buddhism,
Mohammedanism, Confucianism, Zoroastrianism. Even nature does not
teach grace: break her laws and you must suffer the penalty.
What then is grace? First, it is evidently something very blessed and
joyous, for our text speaks of the "good news of the grace of God."
Secondly, it is the opposite of Law: Law and Gospel are antithetical
terms: "The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus
Christ" (John 1:17). It is significant that the word "Gospel" is never
found in the Old Testament. Consider a few contrasts between them:
The Law manifested what was in man--sin; grace manifests what is in
God--love, mercy. The Law speaks of what man must do for God; grace
tells of what Christ has done for men. The Law demanded righteousness
from men; grace brings righteousness to men. The Law brought out God
to men; grace brings in men to God. The Law sentenced a living man to
death; grace brings a dead man to life. The Law never had a
missionary; the Gospel is to be preached to every creature. The Law
makes known the will of God; grace reveals the heart of God!
In the third place, grace, then, is the very opposite of justice.
Justice shows no favor and knows no mercy. Grace is the reverse of
this. Justice requires that everyone should receive his due; grace
bestows on sinners what they are not entitled to--pure charity. Grace
is "something for nothing."
Now the Gospel is a revelation of this wondrous grace of God. It tells
us that Christ has done for sinners what they could not do for
themselves--it satisfied the demands of God's Law. Christ has fully
and perfectly met all the requirements of God's holiness so that He
can righteously receive every poor sinner who comes to Him. The Gospel
tells us that Christ died not for good people, who never did anything
very bad; but for lost and godless sinners who never did anything
good. The Gospel reveals to every sinner, for his acceptance, a Savior
all-sufficient, "able to save unto the uttermost them that come unto
God by Him."
The Gospel Is a Proclamation of the Grace of God.
The word "Gospel" is a technical one, employed in the New Testament in
a double sense: in a narrower, and in a wider one. In its narrower
sense, it refers to heralding the glorious fact that the grace of God
has provided a Savior for every poor sinner who feels his need, and by
faith receives Him. In its wider sense, it comprehends the whole
revelation which God made of Himself in and through Christ. In this
sense it includes the whole of the New Testament.
Proof of this double application of the term Gospel is found in 1
Corinthians 15:1-3, a definition of the Gospel in its narrower sense:
"that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again." Then
Romans 1:1 uses the term Gospel in its wider sense: there it includes
the whole doctrinal exposition of that epistle. When Christ bade His
disciples, "Preach the Gospel to every creature," I do not think He
had reference to all that is in the New Testament, but simply to the
fact that the grace of God has provided a Savior for sinners.
Therefore we say that the Gospel is a proclamation of the grace of
God.
The Gospel affirms that grace is the sinner's only hope. Unless we are
saved by grace we cannot be saved at all. To reject a gratuitous
salvation is to spurn the only one that is available for lost sinners.
Grace is God's provision for those who are so corrupt that they cannot
change their own natures; so averse to God, they cannot turn to Him;
so blind they cannot see Him; so deaf they cannot hear Him; in a word,
so dead in sin that He must open their graves and bring them on to
resurrection-ground, if ever they are to be saved. Grace, then,
implies that the sinner's case is desperate, but that God is merciful.
The Gospel of God's grace is for sinners in whom there is no help. It
is exercised by God "without respect of persons," without regard to
merit, without requirement of any return. The Gospel is not good
advice, but Good News. It does not speak of what man is to do, but
tells what Christ has done. It is not sent to good men, but to bad.
Grace, then, is something that is worthy of God.
The Gospel Is a Manifestation of the Grace of God.
The Gospel is the "power of God unto salvation to everyone that
believeth." It is the chosen instrument which God uses in freeing and
delivering His people from error, ignorance, darkness, and the power
of Satan. It is by and through the Gospel, applied by the Holy Spirit,
that His elect are emancipated from the guilt and power of sin. "For
the preaching of the cross is to them which perish foolishness; but
unto us which are saved it is the power of God . . . But we preach
Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks
foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks,
Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God" (1 Cor. 1:18, 23).
Where evolution is substituted for the new birth, the cultivation of
character for faith in the blood of Christ, development of willpower
for humble dependence on God, the carnal mind may be attracted and
poor human reason appealed to, but it is all destitute of power and
brings no salvation to the perishing. There is no Gospel in a system
of ethics, and no dynamic in the exactions of law.
But grace works. It is something more than a good-natured smile, or a
sentiment of pity. It redeems, conquers, saves. The New Testament
interprets grace as power. By it redemption comes, for it was by "the
grace of God" that Christ tasted death "for every one" of the sons
(Heb. 2:9). Forgiveness of sins is proclaimed through His blood
"according to the riches of his grace" (Eph. 1:7). Grace not only
makes salvation possible but also effectual. Grace is all-powerful.
"My grace is sufficient for thee" (2 Cor. 12:9)--sufficient to
overcome unbelief, the infirmities of the flesh, the oppositions of
men, and the attacks of Satan.
This is the glory of the Gospel: it is the power of God unto
salvation. In one of his books, Dr. J. H. Jowett says:
A little while ago I was speaking to a New York doctor, a man of long
and varied experience with diseases that afflict both the body and
mind. I asked him how many cases he had known of the slaves of drink
having been delivered by medical treatment into health and freedom.
How many he had been able to "doctor" into liberty and self-control.
He immediately replied, "Not one." He further assured me that he
believed his experience would be corroborated by the testimony of the
faculty of medicine.
Doctors might afford a temporary escape, but the real bonds are not
broken. At the end of the apparent but brief deliverance, it will be
found that the chains remain. Medicine might address itself to
effects, but the cause is as real and dominant as ever. The doctor has
no cure for the drunkard. Medical skill cannot save him. But grace
can! Without doctors, drugs, priests, penance, works, money or price,
grace actually saves. Hallelujah! Yes, grace saves. It snaps the
fetters of a lifetime, and makes a poor sinner a partaker of the
divine nature and a rejoicing saint. It saves not only from the
bondage of fleshly habits, but also from the curse of the fall, from
the captivity of Satan, from the wrath to come.
What effect has this message on your heart? Does it fill you with
praise to God? Are you thankful to know that salvation is by grace?
Can you see and appreciate the infinite difference between all of
man's schemes for self-betterment and the "Gospel of the Grace of
God"?
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 2: Excellencies Which
Pertain to God the Son as Christ
26. The Fulness of Christ
It is fitting that we should contemplate the excellencies of Christ
the Mediator, for "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God" is
to be seen "in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6). The fullest
revelation that God is and what He is, is made in the person of
Christ. "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son,
which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared" (1 John 1:18).
But this knowledge of God is not a mere matter of intellectual
apprehension, which one man can communicate to another. But it is a
spiritual discernment, imparted by the Holy Spirit. God must shine in
our hearts to give us that knowledge.
When the materialistic Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father," the
Lord Jesus replied, "he that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (John
14:9). Yes, He was "the brightness of His glory, and the express image
of His person" (Heb. 1:3). In the eternal, incarnate Word "dwelleth
all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9). Amazing and
glorious fact, it is in the perfection of manhood that the fullness of
the Godhead is in Christ revealed to our faith. We could not ascend to
God, so He descended to us. All that men can ever know of God is
presented to them in the person of His incarnate Son. Hence, "That I
may know him" (Phil. 3:10) is the constant longing of the most mature
Christian.
It is our design to declare some part of that glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ which is revealed in Scripture, and proposed as the object of
our faith, love, delight, admiration and adoration. But after our
utmost endeavors and most diligent inquiries we have to say, "How
little a portion" (Job 26:14) of Him we understand. His glory is
incomprehensible, His praises unutterable. Some things a divinely
illuminated mind can conceive of, but what we express, in comparison
to what the glory is in itself, is less than nothing. Nevertheless,
that view which the Spirit grants from the Scriptures concerning
Christ and His glory is to be preferred above all other knowledge or
understanding. So it was declared, by him who was favored to know Him,
"Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of
the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord" (Phil. 3:8).
John Owen has well said:
The revelation made of Christ in the blessed Gospel is far more
excellent, more glorious, more filled with rays of Divine wisdom and
goodness than the whole creation, and the just comprehension of it, if
attainable, can contain or apprehend. Without the knowledge hereof,
the mind of man, however priding itself in other inventions and
discoveries, is wrapped up in darkness and confusion. This therefore
deserves the severest of our thoughts, the best of our meditations,
and our utmost diligence in them. For if our future blessedness shall
consist in living where He is, and beholding of His glory; what better
preparation can there be for it, than in a constant previous
contemplation of that glory, in the revelation that is made in the
Gospel unto this very end, that by a view of it we may be gradually
transformed into the same glory.
The grandest of all privileges which believers are capable of, either
in this world or the next, is to behold the glory (the personal and
official excellencies) of Christ; now by faith, then by sight. Equally
certain, no man will ever behold the glory of Christ by sight in
heaven, who does not now behold it by faith. Where the soul has not
been previously purified by grace and faith, it is incapable of glory
and the open vision. Those who pretend to be greatly enamored by or to
ardently desire that which they never saw or experienced, only dote on
their imaginations. The pretended desires of many (especially on
deathbeds) to behold the glory of Christ in heaven, but who had no
vision of it by faith while they were in this world, are nothing but
self-deceiving delusions.
while they were in this world, are nothing but self-deceiving
delusions.
30). God has proposed to us the "mystery of godliness," that is, the
person of His incarnate Son and His mediatorial work, as the supreme
object of our faith and meditation. In this "mystery" we are called
upon to behold the highest exhibition of the divine wisdom, goodness,
and condescension. The Son of God assumed manhood by union with
Himself, thereby constituting the same person in two natures, yet
infinitely distinct as those of God and man. Thereby the Infinite
became finite, the Eternal temporal, and the Immortal mortal, yet
continued still infinite, eternal and immortal.
It cannot be expected that those who are drowned in the love of the
world will have any true apprehension of Christ, or any real desire
for it. But for those who have "tasted that the Lord is gracious" (1
Pet. 2:3), how foolish we would be if we gave all our time and
strength to other things, to the neglect of diligent searching of
Scripture to obtain a fuller knowledge of Him.
Man is "born to trouble as the sparks fly upward," but the same
Scriptures reveal a divinely appointed relief from all the evils to
which fallen man is heir--so that we may not faint under them, but
gain the victory over them.
Listen to the testimony of one who passed through a far deeper sea of
trial than the great majority of men:
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed,
but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not
destroyed . . . For which cause we faint not: but though our outward
man perish, yet the inward is renewed day by day. For our light
affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory: while we look not at the things
which are seen . . . but the things which are not seen are eternal (2
Cor. 4:8; 4:16-18).
It is beholding by faith things which "are not seen" by the eye (which
the spiritually poverty-stricken occupants of palaces and millionaire
mansions know nothing of), the things that are spiritual and eternal,
which alleviates the Christian's afflictions. Of these unseen, eternal
things the supernal glories of Christ are the principal. He who can
contemplate Him who is "the Lord of glory," will, when "all around
gives way," be lifted out of himself and delivered from the prevailing
power of evil.
Not until the mind arrives at a fixed judgment that all things here
are transitory and reach only to outward man--that everything under
the sun is but "vanity and vexation of spirit," and there are other
things incalculably better to comfort and satisfy the heart--not till
then will we ever be delivered from spending our lives in fear,
distress, and sorrow. Christ alone can satisfy the heart. And when He
does truly satisfy, the language of the soul is, "Whom have I in
heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside
thee" (Ps. 73:25).
How slight and shadowy, how petty and puerile are those things from
which the trials of men arise! They all grow from the one root of the
over-valuation of temporal things. Money cannot purchase joy of soul.
Health does not insure happiness. A beautiful home will not satisfy
the heart. Earthly friends, no matter how loyal and loving, cannot
speak peace to a sin-burdened conscience, nor impart eternal life.
Envy, covetousness, discontent, receive their death wound when Christ,
in all His loveliness, is revealed as the "chiefest among ten
thousand" (Song 5:10).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 2: Excellencies Which
Pertain to God the Son as Christ
27. The Radiance of Christ
The law had "a shadow of good things to come" (Heb. 10:1). A beautiful
illustration of this is in the closing verses of Exodus 34, where
Moses descends from the mount with a radiant face. The key to the
passage is found in noting the exact position it occupies in this book
of redemption. It comes after the legal covenant which Jehovah made
with Israel; it comes before the actual setting up of the tabernacle
and the Shekinah glory filling it. This passage is interpreted in 2
Corinthians 3. Exodus 34 supplies both a comparison and a contrast
with the new dispensation of the Spirit, of grace, of life more
abundant. But before that dispensation was inaugurated God saw fit for
man to be tested under Law, to demonstrate what he is as a fallen and
sinful creature.
Man's trial under the Mosaic economy demonstrated two things: first,
that he is "ungodly"; second, that he is "without strength" (Rom.
5:6). But these are negative things. Romans 8:7 mentions a third
feature of man's terrible state, namely, that he is "enmity against
God." This was manifest when God's Son tabernacled for thirty-three
years on this earth. "He came unto his own, and his own received Him
not" (John 1:11). Not only so, but also He was "despised and rejected
of men." Nay, more, they hated Him "without a cause" (John 15:25). Nor
could their hatred be appeased until they had condemned Him to a
malefactor's death and nailed Him to the cross. Remember it was not
only the Jews who put to death the Lord of glory, but also the
Gentiles. Therefore the Lord said, when looking forward to His death,
"Now is the judgment of this world" (John 12:31), not of Israel only.
There the probation or testing of man ended.
Man is not now under probation; he is under condemnation: "As it is
written, There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that
understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone
out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none
that doeth good, no, not one" (Rom. 3:10-12). Man is not on trial; he
is a culprit under sentence. No pleading will avail; no excuses will
be accepted. The present issue between God and the sinner is, will man
bow to God's righteous verdict?
This is where the Gospel meets us. It comes to us as to those who are
already lost, to those who are "ungodly," "without strength," "enmity
against God." It announces to us the amazing grace of God, the only
hope for poor sinners. But grace will not be welcomed until the sinner
bows to the sentence of God against him. That is why both repentance
and faith are demanded from the sinner. These two must not be
separated. Paul preached "repentance toward God. and faith toward our
Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21). Repentance is the sinner's
acknowledgement of that sentence of condemnation under which he lives.
Faith is acceptance of the grace and mercy extended to him through
Christ. Repentance is not turning over a new leaf and vowing to mend
our ways. Rather it is setting to my seal that God is true when He
tells me I am "without strength," that in myself my case is hopeless,
that I am no more able to "do better next time" than I am to create a
world. Not until this is really believed (not as the result of
experience, but on the authority of God's Word) shall we really turn
to Christ and welcome Him--not as a Helper, but as a Savior.
As it was dispensationally, so it is experimentally. There must be "a
ministration of death" (2 Cor. 3:7) before there is a "ministration of
spirit" or life (2 Cor. 3:8): there must be "the ministration of
condemnation" before "the ministration of righteousness" (2 Cor. 3:9).
A "ministration of condemnation and death" falls strangely on our
ears, does it not? A "ministration of grace" we can understand: but a
"ministration of condemnation" is not so easy to grasp. But this
latter was man's first need. He must be shown what he is in himself--a
hopeless wreck, utterly incapable of meeting the righteous
requirements of a holy God--before he is ready to be a debtor to mercy
alone. We repeat: as it was dispensationally, so it is experimentally.
It was to his own experience that the apostle Paul referred when he
said, "For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment
came, sin revived, and I died" (Rom. 7:9). In his unregenerate days he
was, in his own estimation, "alive," yet it was "without the law,"
apart from meeting its demands. "But when the commandment came," when
the Holy Spirit wrought within him, when the Word of God came in power
to his heart, then "sin revived." He was made aware of his awful
condition, and then he "died" to his self-righteous complacency. He
saw that, in himself, his case was hopeless. Yes, the appearing of the
glorified Mediator comes not before, but after, the legal covenant.
"And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did
neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the
words of the covenant, the ten commandments" (Ex. 34:28). Our passage
abounds in comparisons and contrasts. The "forty days" here at once
recalls the "forty days" in Matthew 4. Here it was Moses; there it was
Christ. Here it was Moses on the mount; there it was Christ in the
wilderness. Here it was Moses favored with a glorious revelation from
God; there it was Christ being tempted of the devil. Here it was Moses
receiving the Law at the mouth of Jehovah; there it was Christ being
assailed by the devil to repudiate that Law. We scarcely know which is
the greater wonder of the two: that a sinful man was raised to such a
height of honor as to spend a season in the presence of the great
Jehovah, or that the Lord of glory. Should stoop so low as to be for
six weeks with the foul fiend.
"And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the
two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the
mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shown while he
talked with him" (Ex. 34:29). Blessed it is to compare and contrast
this second descent of Moses from the mount with what is before us in
chapter 32. There the face of Moses is diffused with anger (v. 19);
here he comes down with countenance radiant. There he beheld a people
engaged in idolatry; here he returns to a people abashed. There we
behold him dashing the tables of stone to the ground (v. 19); here he
deposits them in the ark (Deut. 10:5).
This event also reminds us of a New Testament episode, very similar,
yet dissimilar. It was on the mount that the face of Moses was made
radiant, and it was on the mount that our Lord was transfigured. But
the glory of Moses was only a reflected one, whereas that of Christ
was inherent. The shining of Moses' face was the consequence of his
being brought into the immediate presence of the glory of Jehovah; the
transfiguration of Christ was the outshining of His own personal
glory. The radiance of Moses was confined to his face, but of Christ
we read, "His raiment was white as the light" (Matthew 17:2). Moses
"knew not" that the skin of his face shone; Christ did, evident from
His words, "Tell the vision to no man" (Matthew 17:9).
Verse 29 brings out what is the certain consequence of intimate
communion with the Lord, and in a twofold way. First, no soul can
enjoy real fellowship with God without being affected by it to a
marked degree. Moses had been absorbed in the communications received
and in contemplating His glory. His own person caught and retained
some of the beams of that glory. So it is still (Ps. 34:5, R.V.),
"They looked upon Him, and their faces were radiant." It is communion
with the Lord that conforms us to His image. We shall not be more
Christlike until we walk more frequently and more closely with Him.
"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the
Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by
the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18). The second consequence of real
communion with God is that we will be less occupied with ourselves.
Though Moses' face shone with "a light not seen on land or sea," he
did not know it. This illustrates a vital difference between
self-righteous Pharisaism and true godliness; the former produces
complacency and pride, the latter leads to self-abnegation and
humility. The Pharisee (there are many of his tribe still on earth)
boasts of his attainments, advertises his imaginary spirituality, and
thanks God he is not as other men. But the one who, by grace, enjoys
much fellowship with the Lord learns of Him who was "meek and lowly in
heart," and says, "Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name
give glory" (Ps. 115:1). Engaged with the beauty of the Lord, he is
delivered from selfoccupation, and is therefore unconscious of the
very fruit of the Spirit being brought forth in him. But though he is
not aware of his increasing conformity to Christ, others are.
"And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the
skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him" (Ex.
34:30). This shows us the third effect of communion with God. Though
the individual himself is unconscious of the glory manifested through
him, others recognize it. Thus it was when two of Christ's apostles
stood before the Jewish Sanhedrin: "Now when they saw the boldness of
Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant
men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had
been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13, italics added). We cannot keep company
very long with the Holy One without His imprint being left upon us.
The man who is thoroughly devoted to the Lord does not need to wear
some badge in his coat lapel, nor to proclaim that he is "living a
life of victory." It is still true that actions speak louder than
words.
"And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the
skin of His face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him." The
typical meaning of this is given in 2 Corinthians 3:7, "But if the
ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious,
so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of
Moses for the glory of his countenance." Concerning this, Ed Dennett
has said:
Why, then, were they afraid to come near him? Because the very glory
that shone upon his face searched their hearts and consciences--being
what they were, sinners, and unable of themselves to meet even the
smallest requirements of the covenant which had now been inaugurated.
It was of necessity a `ministration' of condemnation and death, for it
required a righteousness from them which they could not render, and
inasmuch as they must fail in the rendering it, would pronounce their
condemnation, and bring them under the penalty of transgression, which
was death. The glory which they thus beheld upon the face of Moses was
the expression to them of the holiness of God--that holiness which
sought from them conformity to its own standards, and which would
vindicate the breaches of that covenant which had now been
established. They were therefore afraid because they knew in their
inmost souls that they could not stand before Him from whose presence
Moses had come.
Typically the covenant Jehovah made with Moses and Israel at Sinai,
and the tables of stone on which the ten commandments were engraved,
foreshadowed a new covenant.
For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all
countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle
clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness,
and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I
give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away
the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of
flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in
my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye shall
dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my
people, and I will be your God (Ezek. 36:24-28).
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah . . . After
those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts,
and write in their hearts . . . And they shall teach no more every man
his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for
they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of
them, saith the Lord (Jer. 31:31-34).
Spiritually, this is made good for Christians even now. Under the
gracious operations of the Spirit of God our hearts have been made
plastic and receptive. Paul refers to this at the beginning of 2
Corinthians 3.
The saints at Corinth had been manifested to be Christ's epistle
ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the
living God, not on stone tables, but on fleshy tables of the heart.
Their hearts being made impressionable by Divine working, Christ could
write upon them, using Paul as a pen, and making every mark in the
power of the Spirit of God. But what is written is the knowledge of
God as revealed through the Mediator in the grace of the new covenant,
so that it might be true in the hearts of the saints--"They shall all
know Me." Then Paul goes on to speak of himself as made competent by
God to be a new covenant ministry, "not of the letter, but of the
spirit." (C. A. Coates).
"And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the
congregation returned unto him; and Moses talked with them. And
afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in
commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in Mount Sinai. And
till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face"
(Ex. 34:31-33). Does not this explain their fear as they beheld the
shine of Moses' face? Note what was in his hands! He carried the two
tables of stone on which were written the ten words of the Law, the
"ministration of condemnation." The nearer the light of the glory
came, while it was connected with the righteous claims of God upon
them, the more cause they had to fear. That holy Law condemned them,
for man in the flesh could not meet its claims. "However blessed it
was typically, it was literally a ministry of death, for Moses was not
a quickening spirit, nor could he give his spirit to the people, nor
could the glory of his face bring them into conformity with himself as
the mediator. Hence the veil had to be on his face" (C. A. Coates).
The dispensational interpretation of this is given in 2 Corinthians
3:13: "And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the
children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which
is abolished." Here the apostle treats of Judaism as an economy. Owing
to their spiritual blindness Israel was unable to discern the deep
significance of the ministry of Moses, or the purpose of God behind
it, that to which all the types and shadows pointed. The "end" of 2
Corinthians 3:13, is parallel with Romans 10:4, "For Christ is the end
of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."
The veil on Israel's heart is self-sufficiency, which makes them still
refuse to submit to God's righteousness. But when Israel's heart turns
to the Lord the veil will be taken away. What a wonderful chapter
^<0234001>Exodus 34 will be to them then! For they will see that
Christ is the spirit of it all. What they will see, we are privileged
to see now. All this had an "end" on which we can, through infinite
grace, fix our eyes. The "end" was the glory of the Lord as the
Mediator of the new covenant. He has come out of death and gone up on
high, and the glory of all that God is in grace is shining in His face
(C. A. Coates).
"But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the
vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the
children of Israel that which he was commanded. And the children of
Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and
Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with
him" (v. 34-35). Moses unveiled in the presence of the Lord is a
beautiful type of the believer of this dispensation. The Christian
beholds the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor.
4:6). Therefore, instead of being stricken with fear, he approaches
with boldness. God's Law cannot condemn him, for its every demand has
been fully met and satisfied by his Substitute. Hence, instead of
trembling before the glory of God, we "rejoice in hope of the glory of
God" (Rom. 5:2).
There is no veil now either on His face or our hearts. He makes those
who believe on Him to live in the knowledge of God, and in response to
God, for He is the quickening Spirit. And He gives His Spirit to those
who believe. We have the Spirit of the glorious Man in whose face the
glory of God shines. Is it not wonderful? One has to ask, Do we really
believe it? But we all, looking on the glory of the Lord with unveiled
face, are transformed according to the same image from glory to glory,
even as by the Lord the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:18). If we had not His Spirit
we should have no liberty to look on the glory of the Lord, or to see
Him as the Spirit of these marvelous types. But we have liberty to
look on it all, and there is transforming power in it. Saints under
the new covenant ministry are transfigured.
This is the `surpassing glory' which could not be seen or known until
it shone in the face of Him of whom Moses in Exodus 34 is so
distinctly a type. The whole typical system was temporary, but its
`spirit' abides, for Christ was the Spirit of it all. Now we have to
do with the ministry of the new covenant subsists and abounds in glory
(C. A. Coates).
The authority of Paul's apostleship had been called into question by
certain Judaizers. In the first verses of 2 Corinthians 3 he appeals
to the Christians there as the proof of his God-commissioned ministry.
He defines the character of his ministry (v. 6) to show its
superiority over that of his enemies. He and his fellow gospelers were
"ministers of the new testament" or covenant. He then draws a series
of contrasts between the two covenants, Judaism and Christianity. What
pertained to the old is called "the letter," and that relating to the
new "the spirit." One was mainly concerned with what was external, the
other was largely internal; the one slew, the other gave life, one of
the leading differences between the Law and the Gospel.
In what follows, the apostle, while allowing the Law was glorious,
shows that the Gospel is still more glorious. The old covenant was a
"ministration of death," for the Law could only condemn. Therefore,
though a glory was connected with it, yet it was such that man in the
flesh could not behold (v. 7). Then how much more excellent would be,
must be, the glory of the new covenant, seeing it was "a ministration
of the spirit" (v. 8). Compare verse 3 for proof of this. If there
were a glory connected with what "concluded all under sin" (Gal.
3:22), much more glorious that ministration must be which announced a
righteousness "unto all and upon all them that believe" (Rom. 3:22).
It is more glorious to pardon than to condemn; to give life than to
destroy (v. 9). The glory of the former covenant therefore pales into
nothingness before the latter (v. 10), further seen from the fact
Judaism is "done away," whereas Christianity "remaineth" (v. 11).
Compare Hebrews 8:7-8.
The apostle draws still another contrast (v. 12) between the two
economies, namely the plainness or perspicuity over against the
obscurity and ambiguity of their respective ministries (vv. 12-15).
The apostle used "great plainness of speech," while the teaching of
the ceremonial law was by shadows and symbols. Moreover, the minds of
the Israelites were blinded, so that there was a veil over their eyes.
Therefore, when the writings of Moses were read they were incapable of
looking beyond the type to the Antitype. This veil remains upon them
to this day, and will continue until they turn to the Lord (vv.
15-16). Literally the covenant of Sinai was a ministration of
condemnation and death, and the glory of it had to be veiled. But it
had an "end" (v. 13) which Israel could not see. They will see that
end in a coming day. But in the meantime we are permitted to read the
old covenant without a veil, and to see that Christ is the "spirit" of
it all.
The language of verse 17 is somewhat obscure: "Now the Lord is that
Spirit," which does not mean that Christ is the Holy Spirit. The
"spirit" here is the same as in verse 6, "not of the letter, but of
the spirit" (cf. Romans 7:6). The Mosaic system is called "the letter"
because it was purely objective and possessed no inward principle or
power. But the Gospel deals with the heart, and supplies the spiritual
power (Rom. 1:16). Moreover, Christ is the spirit, the life, the heart
and center of all the ritual and ceremonialism of Judaism. He is the
key to the Old Testament, for "in the volume of the book" it is
written of Him. So also Christ is the spirit and life of Christianity.
He is "a quickening spirit" (1 Cor. 15:45). And "where the Spirit of
the Lord is, there is liberty." Apart from Christ, the sinner, be he
Jew or Gentile, is in bondage; he is the slave of sin and the captive
of the devil. But where the Son makes free, He frees indeed (John
8:32).
Finally, the apostle contrasts the two glories, the glory connected
with the old covenant--the shining on Moses' face at the giving of the
Law with the glory of the new covenant, in the person of Christ. "But
we all, with open [unveiled] face beholding as in a glass the glory of
the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as
by the Spirit of the Lord." Note here, first, "we all." Moses alone
beheld the glory of the Lord in the mount; every Christian now beholds
it. Second, "with open face," with freedom and with confidence;
whereas Israel was afraid to gaze on the radiant and majestical face
of Moses. Third, we are "changed into the same image." The law had no
power to convert or purify; but the ministry of the Gospel, under the
operation of the Spirit, has a transforming power. Those who are saved
by it and who are occupied with Christ as set forth in the Word (the
"mirror"), are, little by little, conformed to His image. Ultimately,
when we "see him as he is" (1 John 3:2), we shall be "like him"--full,
perfectly, eternally.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 2: Excellencies Which
Pertain to God the Son as Christ
28. The Condescension of Christ
For The Sake Of Accuracy, a distinction should be drawn between the
condescension and the humiliation of Christ, though most writers
confound them. This distinction is made by the Holy Spirit (Phil.
2:7-8). First, He "made himself of no reputation": second, He "humbled
himself." The condescension of God the Son consisted in His assuming
our nature, the Word becoming flesh. His humiliation lay in the
consequent abasement and sufferings He endured in our nature. The
assumption of human nature was not, of itself, a part of Christ's
humiliation, for He still retained it in His glorious exaltation. But
for God the Son to take into union with Himself a created nature,
animated dust, was an act of infinite condescension.
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with
God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of
a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in
fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted
him, and given him a name which is above every name (Phil. 2:6-9).
These verses trace the path of the Mediator from highest glory to
deepest humiliation, and back again to His supreme honor. What a
wondrous path was His! And how terrible that this divine description
of His path should have become the battleground of theological
contention. At few points has the awful depravity of man's heart been
more horribly displayed than by the blasphemies vented upon these
verses.
A glance at the context (Phil. 2:1-5) at once shows the practical
design of the apostle was to exhort Christians to spiritual fellowship
among themselves--to be likeminded, to love one another, to be humble
and lowly, to esteem others better than themselves. To enforce this,
the example of our Lord is proposed in the verses we now consider. We
are to have the same mind in us that was in Him; the mind, spirit,
habit, of self-abnegation, the mind of self-sacrifice, and of
obedience to God. We must humble ourselves beneath the mighty hand of
God, if we are to be exalted by Him in due time (1 Pet. 5:6). To set
before us the example of Christ in its most vivid colors, the Holy
Spirit takes us back to the position which our Mediator occupied in
eternity. He shows us that supreme dignity and glory was His, then
reminds us of those unfathomable depths of condescension and
humiliation into which He descended for our sakes.
"Who being in the form of God." First of all, this affirms the
absolute Deity of the Son, for no mere creature, no matter how high in
the scale of being, could ever be "in the form of God." Three words
are used concerning the Sons' relation to the Godhead. First, He
subsists in the "form" of God, seen in Him alone. Second, He is "the
image of the invisible God" (Col. 1:15), which expression tells of His
manifestation of God to us (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:6). Third, He is the
"brightness of his glory and the express image of his person" (Heb.
1:3), or more exactly, the "effulgency (outshining) of His glory and
the exact Expression of His substance" (Bagster Interlinear). These
perhaps combine both concepts suggested by form and image, namely,
that the whole nature of God is in Christ, that by Him God is declared
and expressed to us.
"Who being," or subsisting (it is hardly correct to speak of a divine
person "existing." He is selfexistent; He always was in "the form of
God." "Form" (the Greek word is only found elsewhere in the New
Testament in Philippians 2:7, Mark 16:12) is what is apparent. "The
form of God" is an expression which seems to denote His visible glory,
His displayed majesty, His manifested sovereignty. From eternity the
Son was clothed with all the insignia of deity, adorned with all
divine splendor. "The Word was God" (John 1:1).
"Thought it not robbery to be equal with God." Almost every word in
this verse has been the occasion of contention. But we have sufficient
confidence in the superintending providence of God to be satisfied the
translators of our authorized version were preserved from any serious
mistake on a subject so vitally important. As the first clause of our
verse refers to an objective delineation of the divine dignity of the
Son, so this second clause affirms His subjective consciousness. The
word "thought" is used (here in the aorist tense) to indicate a
definite point in time past. The word rendered "robbery" denotes not
the spoil or prize, but the act of taking the spoil. The Son did not
reckon equality with the Father and the Holy Spirit an act of
usurping.
"Thought it not robbery to be equal with God." This is only a negative
way to say that Christ considered equality with God as what justly and
essentially belonged to Him. It was His by indisputable right. Christ
esteemed such equality as no invasion of Another's prerogative, but
regarded Himself as being entitled to all divine honors. Because He
held the rank of one of the Three coeternal, coessential, and
co-glorious persons of the Godhead, the Son reckoned His full and
perfect equality with the other two was His unchallengeable portion.
In Verse 6 is no doubt a latent reference to Satan's fall. He, though
"the anointed cherub" (Ezek. 28:14), was infinitely below God, yet he
grasped at equality with Him. "I will ascend above the heights of the
clouds, I will be like the most High" (Isa. 14:14).
However the Greek word for "robbery" is translated, it is evident the
emphatic term of this clause is "equal." For if it signifies a real
and proper equality, then the proof for the absolute deity of the
Savior is irrefutable. How, then, is the exact significance of this
term to be determined? Not by having recourse to Homer, nor any other
heathen writer, but by discovering the meaning of its cognate. If we
can fix the precise rendering of the adjective, then we may be sure of
the adverb. The adjective is found in several passages (Matthew 20:12;
Luke 6:34; John 5:18; Acts 11:17; Revelation 21:6). In each passage
the reference is not to a likeness only, but to a real and proper
equality! Thus the force of this clause is parallel with, "I and my
Father are one" (John 10:30).
"My Father is greater than I" (John 14:28) must not be allowed to
negate John 10:30. There are no contradictions in Holy Writ. Each of
these passages may be given its full force without there being any
conflict between them. The simple way to discover their perfect
consistency is to remember, that Scripture exhibits our Savior in two
chief characters: as God the Son, the second Person of the Trinity;
and as Mediator, the God-man, the Word become flesh. In the former, He
is described as possessing all the perfections of deity; in the
latter, as the Servant of the Godhead. Speaking of Himself according
to His essential Being, He could unqualifiedly say, "I and Father are
one,"--one in essence or nature. Speaking of Himself according to His
mediatorial office, He could say, "My Father is greater than I," not
essentially, but economically.
Each expression used (Phil. 2:6) is expressly designed by the Holy
Spirit to magnify the divine dignity of Christ's person. He is the
Possesser of a glory equal with God's, with an unquestioned right to
that glory, deeming it no robbery to challenge it. His glory is not an
accidental or phenomenal one, but a substantial and essential one,
subsisting in the very "form of God." Between what is Infinite and
what is finite, what is Eternal and what is temporal, He who is the
Creator and what is the creature, it is utterly impossible there
should be any equality. "To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be
equal? saith the Holy One" (Isa. 40:25), is God's own challenge. Thus,
for any creature to deem himself "equal with God" would be the highest
robbery and supremest blasphemy.
"But made Himself of no reputation." The meaning of the words is
explained in those which immediately follow. So far was the Son from
tenaciously insisting upon His personal rights as a member of the
blessed Trinity, He voluntarily relinquished them. He willingly set
aside the magnificent distinctions of the Creator, to appear in the
form of a creature, yes, in the likeness of a fallen man. He abdicated
His position of supremacy, and entered one of servitude. Though equal
in majesty and glory with God, He joyfully resigned Himself to the
Father's will (John 6:38). Incomparable condescension was this. He who
was by inherent right in the form of God, suffered His glory to be
eclipsed, His honor to be laid in the dust, and Himself to be humbled
to a most shameful death.
"And took upon Him the form of a servant." In so doing, He did not
cease to be all that He was before, but He assumed something He had
not been previously. There was no change in His divine nature, but the
uniting to His divine person of a human nature. "He who is God, can no
more be not God, than he who is not God, can be God" (John Owen). None
of Christ's divine attributes were relinquished, for they are as
inseparable from His person as heat is from fire, or weight from
substance. But His majestic glory was, for a season, obscured by the
interposing veil of human flesh. Nor is this statement negated by John
1:14--"we beheld His glory" (explained by Matthew 16:17), in contrast
from the unregenerate masses before whom He appeared as "a root out of
a dry ground," having "no form nor comeliness" (Isa. 53:2).
It was God Himself who was "manifest in the flesh" (1 Tim. 3:16). The
One born in Bethlehem's manger was "The mighty God" (Isa. 9:6), and
heralded as, "Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11). Let there be no
uncertainty on this point. Had He been "emptied" of any of His
personal excellency, had His divine attributes been laid aside, then
His satisfaction or sacrifice would not have possessed infinite value.
The glory of His person was not in the slightest degree diminished
when He became incarnate, though it was (in measure) concealed by the
lowly form of the servant He assumed. Christ was still "equal with
God" when He descended to earth. It was "The Lord of glory" (1 Cor.
2:8) whom men crucified.
"And took upon Him the form of a servant." That was the great
condescension, yet is it not possible for us to fully grasp the
infinity of the Son's stoop. If God "humbleth Himself to behold the
things that are in heaven, and in the earth!" (Ps. 113:6) how much
more so to actually become "flesh" and be amongst the most lowly. He
entered into an office which placed Him below God (John 14:28; 1
Corinthians 11:3). He was, for a season, "made lower than the angels"
(Heb. 2:7); He was "made under the law" (Gal. 4:4). He was made lower
than the ordinary condition of man, for He was "a reproach of men, and
despised of the people" (Ps. 22:6).
What point all this gives to, "Let this mind be in you, which was also
in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5). How earnestly the Christian needs to
seek grace to be content with the lowest place God and men assign him;
to be ready to perform the meanest service; to be and do anything
which brings glory to God.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 2: Excellencies Which
Pertain to God the Son as Christ
29. The Humanity of Christ
It Has Been Truly Said:
Right views concerning Christ are indispensable to a right faith, and
a right faith is indispensable to salvation. To stumble at the
foundation, is, concerning faith, to make shipwreck altogether; for as
Immanuel, God with us, is the grand Object of faith, to err in views
of His eternal Deity, or to err in views of His sacred humanity, is
alike destructive. There are points of truth which are not
fundamental, though erroneous views on any one point must lead to
God-dishonoring consequences in strict proportion to its importance
and magnitude; but there are certain foundation truths to err
concerning which is to insure for the erroneous and the unbelieving,
the blackness of darkness forever" (J. C. Philpot, 1859).
To know Christ as God, to know Him as man, to know Him as God-man, and
this by a divine revelation of His person, is indeed to have eternal
life in our hearts. Nor can He be known in any other way than by
divine and special revelation. "But when it pleased God, who separated
me from my mother's womb and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son
in me" (Gal. 1:15-16). An imaginary conception of His person may be
obtained by diligently studying the Scriptures, but a vital knowledge
of Him must be communicated from on high (Matthew 16:17). A
theoretical and theological knowledge of Christ is what the natural
man may acquire, but a saving, soul-transforming view of Him (2 Cor.
3:18) is only given by the Spirit to the regenerate (1 John 5:20).
"But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a
servant, and was made in the likeness of men" (Phil. 2:7). The first
clause (and the preceding verse) was before us in the last two
chapters. The two expressions we consider here balance with (and thus
serve to explain) those in verse 6. The last clause of v. 7 is an
exegesis of the one immediately preceding. "Made in the likeness of
men" refers to the human nature Christ assumed. The "form of a
servant" denotes the position or state which He entered. So, "equal
with God" refers to the divine nature, the "form of God" signifies His
manifested glory in His position of Lord over all.
The humanity of Christ was unique . History supplies no analogy, nor
can His humanity be illustrated by anything in nature. It is
incomparable, not only to our fallen human nature, but also to
unfallen Adam's. The Lord Jesus was born into circumstances totally
different from those in which Adam first found himself, but the sins
and griefs of His people were on Him from the first. His humanity was
produced neither by natural generation (as is ours), nor by special
creation, as was Adam's. The humanity of Christ was, under the
immediate agency of the Holy Spirit, supernaturally "conceived" (Isa.
7:14) of the virgin. It was "prepared" of God (Heb. 10:5); yet "made
of a woman" (Gal. 4:4.).
The uniqueness of Christ's humanity also appears in that it never had
a separate existence of its own. The eternal Son assumed (at the
moment of Mary's conception) a human nature, but not a human person.
This important distinction calls for careful consideration. By a
"person" is meant an intelligent being subsisting by himself. The
second person of the Trinity assumed a human nature and gave it
subsistence by union with His divine personality. It would have been a
human person, if it had not been united to the Son of God. But being
united to Him, it cannot be called a person, because it never
subsisted by itself, as other men do. Hence the force of "that holy
thing which shall be born of thee" (Luke 1:35). It was not possible
for a divine person to assume another person, subsisting of itself,
into union with Himself. For two persons, remaining two, to become one
person, is a contradiction. "A body hast thou prepared me" (Heb.
10:5). The "me" denotes the divine Person, the "body," the nature He
took unto Himself.
The humanity of Christ was real . "Forasmuch then as the children are
partakers of flesh and blood, he also Himself likewise took part of
the same . . . Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like
unto his brethren" (Heb. 2:14, 17). He assumed a complete human
nature, spirit, soul, and body. Christ did not bring His human nature
from heaven (as some have strangely and erroneously concluded from 1
Corinthians 15:47), but it was composed of the very substance of His
mother. In clothing Himself with flesh and blood, Christ also clothed
Himself with human feelings, so He did not differ from His brethren,
sin only excepted.
"While we always contend that Christ is God, let us never lose the
conviction He is most certainly a man. He is not God humanized, nor a
human deified; but, as to His Godhead, pure Godhead, equal and
coeternal with the Father; as to His manhood, perfect manhood, made in
all respects like the rest of mankind, sin alone excepted. His
humanity is real, for He was born. He lay in the virgin's womb, and in
due time was born. The gate by which we enter our first life he passed
through also. He was not created, nor transformed, but His humanity
was begotten and born. As He was born, so in the circumstances of His
birth, he is completely human. He was as weak and feeble as any other
babe. He is not even royal, but human. Those born in marble halls of
old were wrapped in purple garments, and were thought by the common
people to be a superior race. But this Babe was wrapped in swaddling
clothes and had a manger for a cradle, so that the true humanity of
His being would come out."
As He grows up, the very growth shows how completely human He is. He
does not spring into full manhood at once, but He grows in wisdom and
stature, and in favor with God and man. When he reaches man's estate,
He gets the common stamp of manhood upon His brow. "In the sweat of
thy brow shalt thou eat bread" is the common heritage of us all, and
He receives no better. The carpenter's shop must witness to the toils
of a Savior, and when He becomes the preacher and the prophet, still
we read such significant words as these--"Jesus, being weary sat thus
on the well." We find Him needing to betake Himself to rest in sleep.
He slumbers at the stem of the vessel when it is tossed in the midst
of the tempest. Brethren, if sorrow be the mark of real manhood, and
"man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward," certainly Jesus
Christ has the truest evidence of being a man. If to hunger and to
thirst be signs that He was no shadow, and His manhood no fiction, you
have these. If to associate with His fellow-men, and eat and drink as
they did, will be proof to your mind that He was none other than a
man, you see Him sitting at a feast one day, at another time He graces
a marriage-supper, and on another occasion He is hungry and "hath not
where to lay His head" (C. H. Spurgeon).
They who deny Christ's derivation of real humanity through His mother
undermine the atonement. His very fraternity (Heb. 2:11), as our
Kinsman-Redeemer, depended on the fact that He obtained His humanity
from Mary. Without this He would neither possess the natural nor the
legal union with His people, which must lie at the foundation of His
representative character as the "last Adam." To be our Goel
(Redeemer), His humanity could neither be brought from heaven nor
immediately created by God, but must be derived, as ours was, from a
human mother. But with this difference: His humanity never existed in
Adam's covenant to entail guilt or taint.
The humanity of Christ was holy . Intrinsically so, because it was "of
the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 1:20); absolutely so, because taken into
union with God, the Holy One. This fact is expressly affirmed in Luke
1:35, "that holy thing," which is contrasted with, "but we are all as
an unclean thing" (Isa. 64:6), and that because we are "shapen in
iniquity" and conceived "in sin" (Ps. 51:5). Though Christ truly
became partaker of our nature, yet He was "holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners" (Heb. 7:26). For this reason He could say, "For
the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me" (John 14:30).
There was nothing in His pure humanity which could respond to sin or
Satan.
It was truly remarkable when man was made in the image of God (Gen.
1:26). But bow in wonderment and worship at the amazing condescension
of God being made in the image of man! How this manifests the
greatness of His love and the riches of His grace! It was for His
people and their salvation that the eternal Son assumed human nature
and abased Himself even to death. He drew a veil over His glory that
He might remove our reproach. Surely, pride must be forever renounced
by the followers of such a Savior.
Inasmuch as "the man Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. 2:5) lived in this world
for thirty-three years, He has left "an example, that ye should follow
his steps" ( 1 Peter 2:21). He "did no sin," nor should we (1 Cor.
15:24). "Neither was guile found in his mouth," nor should it be in
ours (Col. 4:6). "When he was reviled, He reviled not again," nor must
His followers. He was weary in body, but not in well-doing. He
suffered hunger and thirst, yet never murmured. He "pleased not
himself" (Rom. 15:3), nor must we (2 Cor. 5:15). He always did those
things which pleased the Father (John 8:29). This too must ever be our
aim (2 Cor. 5:9).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 2: Excellencies Which
Pertain to God the Son as Christ
30. The Person of Christ
We Enter With Fear And Trembling upon this high and holy subject.
Christ's name is called "Wonderful" (Isa. 9:6), and even the angels of
God are commanded to worship Him (Heb. 1:6). There is no salvation
apart from a true knowledge of Him (John 17:3). "Whosoever denieth the
Son [either His true Godhead, or His true and holy humanity] . . .
hath not the Father" (1 John 2:23). They are thrice-blessed to whom
the Spirit of Truth communicates a supernatural revelation of the
Being of Christ (Matthew 16:17). It will lead them in the only path of
wisdom and joy, for in Him "are hid all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge" (Col. 2:3) until they are taken to be where He is and
behold His supernal glory forever (John 17:24). An increasing
apprehension of the Truth concerning the person of Christ should be
our constant aim.
"Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was
manifest in the flesh" (1 Tim. 3:16). In view of such a divine
declaration as this, it is both useless and impious for any man to
attempt an explanation of the wondrous and unique person of the Lord
Jesus. He cannot be fully comprehended by any finite intelligence. "No
man knoweth the Son, but the Father" (Matthew 11:27). Nevertheless, it
is our privilege to grow "in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18). So too it is the duty of His servants to
hold up the person of the God-man as revealed in Holy Scriptures, as
well as to warn against errors which cloud His glory.
The one born in Bethlehem's manger was "the mighty God" (Isa. 9:6),
"Immanuel" (Matthew 1:23), "the great God and our Savior" (Titus
2:13). He is also the true Man, with a spirit, a soul and a body, for
these are essential to human nature. None could be real man without
all three. Nevertheless, the humanity of Christ (that holy thing, Luke
1:35) is not a distinct person, separate from His Godhead, for it
never had a separate existence before taken into union with His deity.
He is the God-man, yet "one Lord" (Eph. 4:5). As such He was born,
lived here in this world, died, rose again, ascended to heaven, and
will continue thus for all eternity. As such He is entirely unique,
and the Object of lasting wonder to all holy beings.
The person of Christ is a composite one. Two separate natures are
united in one peerless Person; but they are not fused into each other,
instead, they remain distinct and different. The human nature is not
divine, nor has it been, intrinsically, deified, for it possesses none
of the attributes of God. The humanity of Christ, absolutely and
separately considered, is neither omnipotent, omniscient, nor
omnipresent. On the other hand, His deity is not a creature, and has
none of the properties which pertain to such. Taking to Himself a
human nature did not effect any change in His divine being. It was a
divine person who wedded to Himself a holy humanity, and though His
essential glory was partly veiled, yet it never ceased to be, nor did
His divine attributes cease to function. As the Godman, Christ is the
"one mediator" (1 Tim. 2:5). He alone was fitted to stand between God
and men and effect a reconciliation between them.
It needs to be maintained that the two natures are united in the one
person of Christ, but that each retains its separate properties, just
as the soul and body of men do, though united. Thus, in His divine
nature, Christ has nothing in common with us--nothing finite, derived
or dependent. But in His human nature, He was made in all things like
to His brethren, sin excepted. In that nature He was born in time, and
did not exist from all eternity. He increased in knowledge and other
endowments. In the one nature He had a comprehensive knowledge of all
things; in the other, He knew nothing but by communication or
derivation. In the one nature He had an infinite and sovereign will;
in the other, He had a creature will. Though not opposed to the divine
will, its conformity to it was of the same kind with that in perfect
creatures.
The necessity for the two natures in the one person of our Savior is
self-evident. It was fitting that the Mediator should be both God and
man, that He might partake of the nature of both parties and be a
middle person between them, filling up the distance and bringing them
near to each other. Only thus was He able to communicate His benefits
to us; and only thus could He discharge our obligations. As Witsius,
the Dutch theologian (1690) pointed out: "None but God could restore
us to true liberty. If any creature could redeem us we should be the
peculiar property of that creature: but it is a manifest contradiction
to be free and yet at the same time be the servant of any creature. So
too none but God could give us eternal life: hence the two are joined
together--`The true God, and eternal life' (1 John 5:20)."
It was equally necessary that the Mediator be Man. He was to enter our
Law-place, be subject to the Law, keep it, and merit by keeping it.
"But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son,
made of a woman, made under the law" (Gal. 4:4). Note the order. He
must first be "made of a woman," before He could be "made under the
law." But more, He had to endure the curse of the Law, suffer its
penalty. He was to be "made sin" for His people, and the wages of sin
is death. But that was impossible to Him until He took upon Him a
nature capable of mortality. "Forasmuch then as the children are
partakers of flesh and blood, He also himself likewise took part of
the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power
of death, that is, the devil" (Heb. 2:14).
Thus, the person of the God-man is unique. His birth had no precedent
and His existence no analogy. He cannot be explained by referring Him
to a class, nor can He be illustrated by an example. The Scriptures,
while fully revealing all the elements of His person, yet never
present in one formula an exhaustive definition of that person, nor a
connected statement of the elements which constitute it and their
mutual relationships. The "mystery" is indeed great. How is it
possible that the same person should be at the same time infinite and
finite, omnipotent and helpless? He altogether transcends our
understanding. How can two complete spirits coalesce in one person?
How can two consciousnesses, two understandings, two memories, two
wills, constitute one person? No one can explain it. Nor are we called
upon to do so. Both natures act in concert in one person. All the
attributes and acts of both natures are referred to one person. The
same person who gave His life for the sheep, possessed glory with the
Father before the world was!
This amazing Personality does not center in His humanity, nor is it a
compound one originated by the power of the Holy Spirit when He
brought those two natures together in the womb of the virgin Mary. It
was not by adding manhood to Godhead that His personality was formed.
The Trinity is eternal and unchangeable. A new person is not
substituted for the second member of the Trinity; neither is a fourth
added. The person of Christ is just the eternal Word, who in time, by
the power of the Holy Spirit, through the instrument of the virgin's
womb, took a human nature (not at that time a man, but the seed of
Abraham) into personal union with Himself. The Person is eternal and
divine; His humanity was introduced into it. The center of His
personality is always in the eternal and personal Word, or Son of God.
Though no analogy exists by which we may illustrate the mysterious
person of Christ, there is a most remarkable type in Exodus 3:2-6. The
"flame of fire" in the midst of the "bush," was an emblem of the
presence of God indwelling the Man Christ Jesus. Observe that the One
who appeared there to Moses is termed, first, "the angel of the LORD,"
which declares the relation of Christ to the Father, namely, "the
angel (messenger) of the covenant." But secondly, this angel said unto
Moses, "I am the God of Abraham," that is what He was absolutely in
Himself. The fire--emblem of Him who is a "consuming fire"--placed
itself in a bush (a thing of the earth), where it burned, yet the bush
was not consumed. A remarkable foreshadowing this was of the "fullness
of the Godhead," dwelling in Christ (Col. 2:9). That this is the
meaning of the type is clear, when we read of "The good will of him
that dwelt in the bush" (Deut. 33:16).
The great mystery of the Trinity is that one Spirit should subsist
eternally as three distinct Persons: the mystery of the person of
Christ is that two separate spirits (divine and human) should
constitute but one person. The moment we deny the unity of His person
we enter the bogs of error. Christ is the God-man. The humanity of
Christ was not absorbed by His deity, but preserves its own
characteristics. Scripture does not hesitate to say, "Jesus increased
in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man" (Luke 2:52).
Christ is both infinite and finite, self-sufficient and dependent at
the same time, because His Person embraces, two different natures, the
divine and the human.
In the incarnation the second Person of the Trinity established a
personal union between Himself and a human spirit, soul, and body. His
two natures remained and remain distinct, and their properties or
active powers are inseparable from each nature respectively.
The union between them is not mechanical, as that between oxygen and
nitrogen in our air; neither is it chemical, as between oxygen and
hydrogen when water is formed; neither is it organic, as that
subsisting between our hearts and brains; but it is a union more
intimate, more profound, and more mysterious than any of these. It is
personal. If we cannot understand the nature of the simpler unions,
why should we complain because we cannot understand the nature of the
most profound of all unions? (A. A. Hodge, to whom we are also
indebted for a number of other thoughts in this article).
"Is there a thing beneath the sun That strives with Thee my heart to
share?
O tear it thence, and reign alone,
The Lord of every motion there. Then shall my heart from earth be
free, When it has found repose in Thee.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 2: Excellencies Which
Pertain to God the Son as Christ
31. The Subsistence of Christ
The Ground We Now Tread upon is quite unknown even to the majority of
God's people (so great has been the spiritual and theological
deterioration of the last century--though it was familiar to the
better-taught saints of the Puritans' times and of those who followed.
That the Son of God is coequal with the Father and the Spirit, and
that nearly 2,000 years ago the Word became flesh and was made in the
likeness of men, is still held firmly (and will be) by all truly
regenerated souls. That it is the union of the divine and human
natures in His wondrous person which fits Him for His mediatorial
office, is also apprehended more or less clearly. But that is about as
far as the light of nearly all Christians can take them. That the
God-man subsisted in heaven before the world was is a blessed truth
which has been lost to the last few generations.
A thoughtful reader who ponders a verse such as John 6:62 must surely
be puzzled. "What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where
he was before?'' Mark it well that our Redeemer there spoke of Himself
not as the Son before He became incarnate. But ignorant as we may be
of this precious truth, Old Testament saints were instructed therein,
as evident from Psalm 80, where Asaph prays, "Let thy hand be upon the
man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for
thyself" (v. 17). Yes, the Man Christ Jesus, taken into union with
Himself by the second person of the Trinity, subsisted before the
Father from all eternity, and was the object of the Old Testament
saints' faith.
When first presented, the last statement appears to be mysticism run
wild, or downright heresy. It would be if we had said that the soul
and body of the Son of Man had any existence before He was born at
Bethlehem. But this is not what Scripture teaches. What the written
Word affirms is that the Mediator (Christ in His two natures) had a
real subsistence before God from all eternity. First, He was
"foreordained before the foundation of the world" (1 Pet. 1:20). He
was chosen by God to be the Head of the whole election of grace (see
Isaiah 42:1). But more; it was not only purposed by God that the
Mediator (the Man Christ Jesus wedded to the eternal Word, John 1:1,
14) should have an historical existence when the "fullness of time"
(Gal. 4:4) had arrived, but He had an actual subsistence before Him
long before that. But how could this be?
In seeking the answer, it will help us to contemplate something which,
though not strictly analogous, on a lower plane serves to illustrate
the principle. Hebrews 11:1 records that "faith is the substance of
things hoped for." The Greek word for "substance" more properly
signifies "a real subsistence." It is opposed to what is only an image
of the imagination, it is the antithesis of fantasy. Faith gives a
real subsistence in the mind and heart of things which are yet to be,
so that they are enjoyed now and their power is experienced in the
soul. Faith lays hold of the things God has promised so that they
become actually present.
If faith possesses the power to add reality to what as yet has no
historical actuality; if faith can enjoy in the present that whose
existence is yet future, how much more was God able to give the
Mediator a covenant subsistence endless ages before He was born. In
consequence, Christ was the Son of Man in heaven, secretly before God,
before He became the Son of Man openly in this world. As Christ
declared of His Father in the language of prophecy, "In the shadow of
his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft: in his quiver
hath he hid me (Isa. 49:2). Note that the verses which follow refer to
the everlasting covenant. The "quiver" of God is a fine expression to
denote the secrecy and security in which the purpose of God was
concealed.
Many passages speak of this wondrous subject. Perhaps the clearest,
and the one with the most detail, is Proverbs 8. The term "wisdom" (v.
12) is one of the names of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 1:24). That
"wisdom" has reference to a person is clear (v. 17), and to a divine
person (v. 15). The whole passage (vv. 13-36) has Christ in view, but
in what character has not been clearly discerned. While it is evident
that what is said (vv. 15-16, 32-36) could only apply to a divine
person, it should be equally plain that some of the terms (vv. 23-24
ff.) cannot be predicated of the Son of God. Contemplated only as
coeternal and coequal with the Father, it could not be said that
Christ was ever "brought forth."
From all the terms used in Proverbs 8:13-36 it should be apparent that
some are impossible to understand of Christ's deity (separately
considered), as others of them cannot be of His humanity only. But the
difficulties disappear once we see that the whole passage contemplates
the Mediator, the God-man in His two natures. The Man Christ Jesus, as
united to the second Person of the Godhead, was "possessed" (v. 22),
by the Triune God from all eternity. Let us note some things about
this marvelous passage:
"The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works
of old" (v. 22). The speaker is the Mediator, who had a covenant
subsistence before God ere the universe came into being. The Man
Christ Jesus, taken into union with the eternal Son, was "the
beginning" of the Triune God's "way." It is difficult to speak of
eternal matters as first, second, and third, yet God set them forth in
the Scriptures for us, and it is permissible to use such distinctions
to aid our understanding. The first act or counsel of God had respect
to the Man Christ Jesus. He was appointed to be not only the Head of
His Church, but also "the firstborn of all creation" (Col. 1:15). The
predestination of the Man Christ Jesus unto the grace of divine union
and glory was the first of God's decrees: "in the head [Gr.] of the
book" it was written of him (Heb. 10:7; cf. Isa. 42:1; Rev. 13:8).
The person of the God-man Mediator was the foundation of all the
divine counsels (cf. Ephesians 3:11; 1:9-10). He was ordained to be
the cornerstone, on which all creation was to rest. As such, the
Triune Jehovah "possessed" or "embraced" Him as a treasury in which
all the divine counsels were laid up, as an efficient Agent for the
execution of all His works. As such, He is both "the wisdom of God"
and "the power of God" executively, being a perfect vehicle through
which to express Himself. As such, He was "the beginning" of God's
way. The "way" of God, signifies the outworking of His eternal
decrees, the accomplishing of His purposes by wise and holy
dispensations (cf. Isaiah 55:8-9).
"I was set up from everlasting" (v. 23). This could not be spoken of
the Son Himself, for as God He was not capable of being "set up." Yet
how could He be set up as the God-man Mediator? By mediatorial
settlement, by covenant-constitution, by divine subsistence before the
mind of God. From the womb of eternity, in the "counsel of peace"
(Zech. 6:13), before all worlds, Jesus Christ was in His official
character "set up." Before God planned to create any creature, He
first set up Christ as the great Archetype and Original. There was an
order in God's counsels as well as creation, and Christ has "the
pre-eminence" in all things.
The Hebrew verb for "set up" is "anointed," and should have been so
translated. The reference is to the appointing and investing of Christ
with the mediatorial office, which was done in the everlasting
covenant. All the glory our Lord possesses as Mediator was then
granted to Him, on the condition of His obedience and sufferings.
Therefore when He finished His work He prayed, "Glorify thou me with
thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world
was" (John 17:5). The glory which is there expressly in view is that
exalted place which had been given to Him as the Head of all creation.
In the timeless transactions of the everlasting covenant, in the
unique honor which had been accorded Him as the "Beginning" of God's
"way," the "firstborn of all creation," He had this glory. For the
open manifestation of it He now prayed--answered at His ascension.
"When there were no depths, I was brought forth" (v 24). "Brought
forth" out of the womb of God's decrees; "brought forth" into
covenant-subsistence before the divine mind; "brought forth" as the
Image of the invisible God; "brought forth" as the Man Christ Jesus,
after whose likeness Adam was created. Though Adam was the first man
by open manifestation on earth, Christ had the priority as He secretly
subsisted in heaven. Adam was created in the image and after the
likeness of Christ as He actually, but secretly, subsisted in the
person of the Son of God, who, in the fullness of time, was born
openly.
"Then I was by him, as one brought up with him" (v. 30). Gesenius says
that the Hebrew verb here is connected with one which means "to prop,
stay, sustain," and hence "such as one may safely lean on." It is
rendered "nurse" in Ruth 4:16 and 2 Samuel 4:4. As men commit their
children to a nurse to cherish and train, so God committed His
counsels to Christ. The Hebrew word for "brought up" also signifies a
"master-builder" (RV). Christ took the fabric of the universe upon
Himself, to contrive the framing of it with the most exquisite skill.
It is akin to the Hebrew word "amen," which has the same letters as
the verb to which Gesenius refers, only with different vowel points.
How blessedly it describes Him who could be relied upon to carry out
the Father's purpose!
"And I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him" (v 30).
It is not absolutely the mutual eternal delight of the Father and the
Son, arising from the perfection of the same Divine excellency in each
person that is intended. But respect is plainly had unto the counsels
of God concerning the salvation of mankind by Him who is His "Wisdom"
and "Power" unto that end. The counsel of "peace" was between Jehovah
and the Branch (Zech. 6:13), or the Father and the Son as He was to
become incarnate. For therein was He "foreordained before the
foundation of the world" (1 Pet. 1:20) namely, to be a Savior and
Deliverer, by whom all the counsels of God were to be accomplished,
and this by His own will and concurrence with the Father. And such a
foundation was laid of the salvation of the Church in those counsels
of God, as transacted between the Father and the Son, that it is said
(Titus 1:2), "eternal life" was "promised before the world began" (J.
Owen).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 2: Excellencies Which
Pertain to God the Son as Christ
32. The Servitude of Christ
God Has Many Servants, not only on earth, but also in heaven. The
angels are "all ministering spirits" (Heb. 1:14) who, "do his
commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word" (Ps. 103:20). But
what we now contemplate is not any servant of God or from God, but
something infinitely more blessed and amazing, the Divine Servant
Himself. What a remarkable phenomenon, an anomaly in any other
connection. Yes, what amounts to a contradiction in terms, for
supremacy and subordination, Godhood and servanthood, are opposites.
Yet this is the surprising conjunction Holy Writ sets before us: that
the Most High abased Himself, the Lord of glory assumed the form of a
menial, the King of kings became a subject. Most of us at least were
taught from childhood that the Son of God took unto Himself our nature
and was born as a Babe at Bethlehem. Perhaps our familiarity with this
tended to blunt our sense of wonderment at it. Let us ponder not so
much the miracle or mystery of the Divine Incarnation, but the fact
itself.
"Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and
extolled, and be very high" (Isa. 52:13). There are four things here:
First, the note of exclamation, "Behold"; Second, the subject, the
divine "servant"; Third, the perfection of His work, "shall deal
prudently"; Fourth, the reward bestowed upon Him, "He shall be exalted
and extolled." The opening "behold" is not only a call for us to focus
our gaze upon and adoringly consider the One before us, but also and
primarily as an exclamation or note of wonderment. What an amazing
spectacle to see the Maker of heaven and earth in the form of a
Servant, the Giver of the Law Himself become subject to it. What an
astonishing phenomenon that the Lord of Glory should take upon Him
such an office. How this ought to stir our souls. "Behold!" wonder at
it, be filled with holy awe, and then consider what our response ought
to be.
"Behold, my servant." None other than the Father Himself owns Christ
in this office. This is most blessed, for it is in sharp contrast from
the treatment He received at the hands of men. It was because the
Messiah appeared in servant form that the Jews despised and rejected
Him. "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary . . . And they were
offended at him" (Mark 6:3). Apparently the holy angels were
nonplussed at such an incredible sight, for they received, and needed,
the divine order, "Let all the angels of God worship him" when He
brought His firstbegotten into the world (Heb. 1:6). "Let," as though
they were uncertain, as well they might be now that their Maker had
assumed creature form; "all the angels of God," none excepted, the
highest as well as the lowest, archangel, cherubim, seraphim,
principalities, and powers; "worship him," render homage and praise
unto Him, for far from His self-abasement having tarnished His
personal glory, it enhanced it.
How blessed to hear the Father testifying of His approbation of the
One who had entered Bethlehem's manger, bidding the angels not to be
staggered by so unparalleled a sight, but to continue worshiping the
second Person in the Holy Trinity even though He now wore a menial
garb. Nor has the Holy Spirit failed to record their obedience, for He
has told us that while the shepherds were keeping watch over their
flock by night, a celestial messenger announced the Savior's birth,
"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly
host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on
earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:13-14). How jealous the
Father was of His incarnate Son's honor! It was evidenced again when
He condescended to be baptized in the Jordan, for "The heavens were
opened unto him," the Spirit of God descended like a dove and abode
upon Him, and the Father declared, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I
am well pleased" (Matthew 3:16-17). "Behold, my servant" He says to
us.
"Shall deal prudently." Here we need to be on our guard, lest we
interpret carnally. In the judgment of the world, to "deal prudently"
is to act tactfully. Nine times out of ten tact is nothing more than a
compromise of principle. Measured by the standards of unregenerate
"policy," Christ acted very imprudently. He could have spared Himself
much suffering had He been "less extreme" and followed the religious
tide of His day. He could have avoided much opposition had He been
milder in His denunciations of the Pharisees or withheld those aspects
of the truth which are most distasteful to the natural man. Had He
been more tactful as this evil generation considers things, He had
never overthrown the tables of the moneychangers in the temple and
charged such unholy traffickers with making His Father's house "a den
of thieves," for it was then He began to "make so much trouble for
Himself." But from the spiritual viewpoint, from the angle of ever
having the Father's glory in view, from the side of seeking the
eternal good of His own, Christ ever "dealt prudently." None other
than the Father testifies to the fact.
Instead of illustrating where Christ dealt "prudently," we have sought
to dispose of a general misconception and warn against interpreting
that expression in a fleshly manner, it is true the Christian may, in
rashness or acting with a zeal that is not according to knowledge,
bring upon himself much unnecessary trouble; yet if he is faithful to
God and uncompromising in his separation from the world, he is certain
to incur the hatred and opposition of the ungodly. He must expect
religious professors to tell him he has only himself to blame, that
his lack of tact has made things so unpleasant for him. Christ's
dealing prudently means He acted wisely. He never erred, never acted
foolishly, never did anything which needed to be corrected; but the
wisdom from which He acted was not of this world, but was "from
above," and therefore was "pure, then peaceable, gentle" (James 3:17).
O for more of such prudence--obtained by communion with Christ,
drinking in of His Spirit.
"He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high." This tells of the
reward given Christ for His willingness to become a "servant" and for
His faithfulness in discharging that office. It tells us first of the
Father's own valuation of His Son's condescension and of the
recompense He has made the One who became obedient unto death.
"Wherefore God hath highly exalted him. and given him a name which is
above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of
things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and
that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the
glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:9-11). The perfect Servant has been
exalted to the Throne, seated "on the right hand of the Majesty on
high" (Heb. 1:3), "angels and authorities and powers being made
subject unto him" (1 Pet. 3:22). It tells also of Christ's exaltation
in the affections of His people. Nothing endears the Redeemer more to
their hearts than the realization that it was for their sakes He
"became poor" and abased Himself. "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and
glory, and blessing" (Rev. 5:12) is their united testimony.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 2: Excellencies Which
Pertain to God the Son as Christ
33. The Despisement of Christ
"He Is Despised and rejected of men" (Isa. 53:3), forms part one of
the Messianic predictions. God made known long beforehand the
treatment His Son would receive when He became incarnate. The prophecy
of Isaiah was in the hands of the Jews 700 years before Jesus was born
at Bethlehem; yet, so exactly did it describe what befell Him that it
might well have been written by one of the apostles. Here is one of
the incontrovertible proofs of the divine inspiration of Scriptures,
for only One who knew the end from the beginning could have written
this history beforehand.
It might have been supposed that the coming to earth of the Lord of
glory would meet with a warm welcome and reverent reception; and more
so in view of His appearing in human form, and His going about doing
good. Since He came not to judge, but to save, since His mission was
one of grace and mercy, since He ministered to the needy and healed
the sick, will not men gladly receive Him? Many would naturally think
so, but in so doing they overlook the fact that the Lord Jesus is "the
Holy One." None but those who have the principle of holiness in their
hearts can appreciate ineffable Purity. Such an assumption as just
mentioned ignores the solemn fact of human depravity: the heart of
fallen man is "desperately wicked" (Jer. 17:9). How can the Holy One
appear attractive to those who are full of sin!
Nothing so clearly evidences the condition of the human heart, nor so
solemnly demonstrates its corruption, as its attitude toward Christ.
Much is recorded against man in the Old Testament (see Psalm 14:1-4);
yet, dark as its picture is of fallen human nature, it fades into
insignificance before what the New Testament sets before us. "The
carnal mind is enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7); never was this so
frightfully patent as when He was manifested in flesh. "If I had not
come, and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no
cloke for their sin" (John 15:22). The appearing of Christ fully
exposed man, and brings to light as nothing else has the desperate
wickedness of his heart. Let us consider three questions: Who was (and
still is) "despised and rejected of men"? Why is He so grievously
slighted? In what way is He scorned?
Who was so unwelcome here? First, the One who pressed upon men the
absolute sovereignty of God. Few things are so distasteful to the
proud human heart as the truth that God does as He pleases, without
consulting with the creature; that He dispenses His favors entirely
according to His imperial will. Fallen man has no claims upon Him, is
destitute of any merit, and can do nothing whatever to win God's
esteem. Fallen man is a spiritual pauper, entirely dependent upon
divine charity. In bestowing His mercies, God is regulated by nothing
but His own "good pleasure." "Is it not lawful for me to do what I
will with mine own?" (Matthew 20:15) is His unanswerable challenge;
yet, as the context shows, man wickedly murmurs against this.
The Lord Jesus came to glorify His Father, therefore we find Him
maintaining His crown-rights and emphasizing His sovereignty. In His
First message, in the Capernaum synagogue, He pointed out there were
many widows in Israel during the days of Elijah. But when there was
great famine throughout the land, the prophet was not sent to any but
one at Zarephath; and though there were many lepers in Israel in the
time of Elisha, none were healed, except by distinguishing mercy shown
to Naaman, the Syrian. The sequel was, "All they in the synagogue,
when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and
thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill
whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong"
(Luke 4:28-29). For pressing the truth of God's absolute sovereignty,
Christ was "despised and rejected of men."
Who was so unwelcome here? Second, the One who upheld God's Law. In it
is the divine authority expressed, and complete subjection to it is
required from the creature: thus Christ pressed the demands of God's
Law upon man. "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the
prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill" (Matthew 5:17);
"All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even
so to them: for this is the law and the prophets" (Matthew 7:12). But
fallen men resent restraints, and want to be a law unto themselves.
Their language concerning God and His Christ is, "Let us break their
bands asunder and cast away their cords from us" (Ps. 2:3). Because
the Lord Jesus enforced the requirements of the Decalogue He was
"despised and rejected of men." A solemn illustration of this occurs
when he spoke to the Jews, "Did not Moses give you the law, and yet
none of you keepeth the law. Why go ye about to kill me?" (John 7:19).
What was their response? "The people answered and said, Thou hast a
devil" (v. 20).
Who was so unwelcome here? Third, the One who denounced human
tradition in the religious sphere. Despite the fall, man is
essentially a religious creature. The image of God in which he was
originally created has not been completely destroyed. The world over,
blacks and whites, reds and yellows, pay homage to gods of their own
devising; there are few things on which they are more tender than
their sacerdotal superstitions. He who condemns, or even criticizes,
the devotees of any form or order of worship, will be greatly
disliked. Christ drew upon Himself the hatred of Israel's leaders by
His denunciation of their inventions. He charged them with "making the
Word of God of none effect through their tradition" (Mark 7:13). When
He cleansed the temple, the chief priests and scribes were "sore
displeased" (Matthew 21:15).
Who was so unwelcome here? Fourth, the One who repudiated an empty
profession. Nothing so infuriated the Jews as Christ's exposure and
denunciation of their vain pretensions. Since He was omniscient, it
was impossible to impose upon Him; inflexibly righteous, He could not
accept deceptions; absolutely holy, He must insist upon sincerity and
reality. When they declared "Abraham is our father," He answered, "If
ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham." When
they added, "we have one Father, even God," He replied, "If God were
your Father, ye would love me . . . ye are of your father, the devil,
and the lusts of your father ye will do." This so riled them that they
exclaimed, "Say we not well that thou are a Samaritan, and hast a
devil" (John 8:48).
On another occasion, the Jews asked Him, "How long dost thou make us
to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly" (John 10:24). He at
once exposed their hypocrisy by saying, "I told you, and ye believed
not . . . But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep . . . My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" (John
10:25-27). They were so angry they "took stones again to stone him."
Men will not tolerate One who pierces their religious disguise,
exposes their shams, and repudiates their fair but empty profession.
It is the same today.
Who was so unwelcome here? Fifth, the One who exposed and denounced
sin. This explains why Christ was not wanted here. He was a constant
thorn in their sides. His holiness condemned their unholiness. Men
wish to go their own way, to please themselves, to gratify their
lusts. They want to be comfortable in their wickedness, therefore they
resent that which searches the heart, pierces the conscience, rebukes
their evil. Christ was absolutely uncompromising. He would not wink at
wrongdoing, but unsparingly denounced it, in whomever He found it. He
boldly affirmed, "For judgment I am come into this world" i.e., to
discover men's secret characters, to prove they are blind in spiritual
things, to demonstrate they love darkness rather than light. His
person and preaching tested everything and everyone with whom He came
into contact.
Why was (and is) Christ "despised and rejected of men?" First, because
He required inward purity. Here is the great difference between all
human religions and divine: the former concern themselves with
external performances; the latter with the source of all conduct. "Man
looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart"
(1 Sam. 16:7). Christ's exposition and enforcement of this truth made
Him unpopular with the leaders.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the
outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of
extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is
within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean
also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like
unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are
within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye
also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of
hypocrisy and iniquity" (Matthew 23:25-28).
Why was Christ "despised and rejected of men?" Second, because He
demanded repentance. "Repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15),
was His demanding call. That order is unchanging, for it is impossible
to believe the Gospel till the heart be contrite. Repentance is taking
sides with God against ourselves. It is the unsparing judgment of
ourselves because of our high-handed rebellion. It is a ceasing to
love and tolerate sin, and to excuse ourselves for committing it. It
is a mourning before God because of our transgressions of His holy
Law. Therefore, Christ taught, "Except ye repent, ye shall all
likewise perish" (Luke 13:3), for He would not condone evil. He came
to save His people from their sins, and not in them.
Why was Christ "despised and rejected of men?"
Third, because He insisted on the denial of self. This is on two
principal points, namely, indulging and exalting of self. All fleshly
lusts are to be unsparingly mortified, and self-righteousness is
allowed no place in the gospel scheme. This was unmistakably plain in
our Lord's teaching: "If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Matthew 16:24). Yet
nothing is more contrary to the desires of the natural man, and
Christ's insistence upon these terms of discipleship causes Him to be
despised and rejected of men.
How is Christ "despised and rejected of men?" In different ways, and
in varying degrees: professedly and practically, in words and in
works. It is most important to clearly recognize this, for Satan
deceives a great many souls at this point. He deludes them into
supposing that because they are not guilty of what pertains to the
avowed infidel and blatant atheist, therefore they are innocent of the
fearful sin of slighting and defying the Lord Jesus. My reader, the
solemn fact remains that there are millions of people in Christendom
who, though not atheists and infidels, yet despise and reject the
Christ of God. "They profess that they know God; but in works they
deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work
reprobate" (Titus 1:16). That verse clearly enunciates the principle.
Christ's authority is "despised" by those who disregard His precepts
and commandments. Christ's yoke is "rejected" by those who are
determined to be lord over themselves. Christ's glory is "despised" by
those who bear His name yet have no concern whether their walk honors
Him or no. Christ's Gospel is "rejected" by those who on the one hand
affirm that sinners may be saved without repenting of and turning away
from their sins, and on the other hand by those who teach heaven may
be won by our own good works.
There are some who intellectually reject Christ, by repudiating His
claims, denying that He is God the Son, assumed a holy and impeccable
humanity, and died a vicarious death to save His people from their
sins. Others virtually and practically reject Christ. There are those
who profess to believe in the existence of God, own His power, and
talk about His wondrous handiwork; yet they have not His fear upon
them and are not in subjection to Him. So there are many who claim to
trust in the finished work of Christ, yet their daily walk is no
different from that of thousands of respectable worldlings. They
profess to be Christians; yet are covetous, unscrupulous, untruthful,
proud, self-willed, uncharitable; in a word, utterly unchristian.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 2: Excellencies Which
Pertain to God the Son as Christ
34. The Crucifixion of Christ
"They Crucified Him . . . and sitting down they watched Him there"
(Matthew 27:35-36). The reference is to Roman soldiers, as is clear
from John 19:23, and confirmed by Matthew 27:54. They were authorized
to carry out the death sentence passed by Pilate, and into their hands
the governor had delivered the Savior (vv. 26-27). With coarse
scurrility they executed the task. Adding insult to injury, they
exposed the Lord Jesus to the indignities of a mock coronation: robing
Him in scarlet, crowning Him with thorns, hailing Him as King of the
Jews. Giving full expression to their enmity, they spat upon Him,
smote Him with a reed, and mocked Him. Restoring to Him His raiment,
they conducted Him to Golgotha and affixed Him to the cross. Having
gambled for His garments, they sat down to watch Him to frustrate any
attempt at rescue His friends might make, and to wait until life was
extinct. Let us note three things:
First, the circumstances. The religious leaders of Israel had taken
the initiative, for there "assembled together the chief priests, and
the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high
priest, who was called Caiaphas. And consulted that they might take
Jesus by subtilty, and kill him" (Matthew 26:3-4). How many of the
foulest crimes which have blackened the pages of history were
perpetrated by ecclesiastical dignitaries. Yet the common people were
in full accord with their leaders, for "the multitude" (Mark 15:8)
requested Pilate to adhere to his custom of releasing a prisoner to
them. When he gave them the choice between Christ and Barabbas, they
preferred the latter; and when the governor asked what was their
pleasure concerning the former, they cried, "Crucify him" (Mark
15:13). It was to "content the people" that Pilate released Barabbas
(v. 15). When Pilate reasoned with them "all the people said, his
blood be on us and on our children" (Matthew 27:25). And Pilate, the
administrator of the Roman law, which boasted of justice, acceded to
their unjust demands.
Second, the scene. It was the outskirts of Jerusalem, a city more
memorable than either Rome, London, or New York; the residence of
David, the royal city, the seat of Israel's kings. The city witnessed
the magnificence of Solomon's reign, and here the temple stood. Here
the Lord Jesus had taught and wrought miracles, and into this city He
had ridden a few days earlier seated upon an ass as the multitudes
cried, "Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the
name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest" (Matthew 21:9)--so fickle is
human nature. Israel had rejected their King and therefore He was
conducted beyond the bounds of the city, so that He "suffered without
the gate" (Heb. 13:12). The actual place of the crucifixion was
Golgotha, signifying "the place of a skull." Nature had anticipated
the awful deed, since the contour of the ground resembled a death's
head. Luke gives the Gentile name "Calvary" (Luke 23:33), for the
guilt of that death rested on both Jew and Gentile.
Third, the time. This was as significant and suggestive as the
historical and topographical associations of the place itself. Christ
was crucified on the fourteenth of Nisan, or about the beginning of
April. It was the first of Israel's great national feasts, the most
important season in the Jewish year. It was the Passover, a solemn
celebration of that night when all the firstborn sons of the Hebrews
were spared from the angel of death in the land of Egypt. At this
season great multitudes thronged Jerusalem, for it was one of the
three annual occasions when every male Israelite was commanded to
appear before Jehovah in the temple (Deut. 16:16). Thus, huge crowds
had journeyed there from all parts of the land. It was in no obscure
corner nor in secret that the Great Sacrifice was offered up to God.
And the fourteenth of Nisan was the day appointed for it, for the Lord
Jesus was the antitypical Lamb. "Christ our passover is sacrificed for
us" (1 Cor. 5:7). On no other day could He be slain. At an earlier
date they "sought to take him: but no man laid hands on him, because
his hour was not yet come" (John 7:30).
"They crucified him . . . and sitting down they watched him there." My
divisions are simple: what they saw; what I see; what do you see?
What They Saw
They behold the most amazing event of all history, the most
awe-inspiring spectacle men ever saw, the most tragic and yet the most
glorious deed ever performed. They beheld God incarnate taken by
wicked hands and slain--and at the same time the Redeemer voluntarily
laying down His life for those who have forfeited every claim upon
Him. To the soldiers it was an ordinary event, the execution of a
criminal; and thus it is with most who hear the Gospel. It falls on
their ears as a religious commonplace. To the Roman soldiers, at least
for a while, Christ appeared only as a dying Jew; thus it is with the
multitude today.
They beheld the incomparable perfections of the Crucified One . How
immeasurably different the mien of the suffering Savior from what they
had witnessed from others in similar circumstances! No cursing of His
lot, no reviling of His enemies, no maledictions upon themselves. The
very reverse. His lips are engaged in prayer. "Father", He says,
"forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). How
amazed they must have been as they heard the Blessed One on the tree
making "intercession for the transgressors" (Isa. 53:12). The two
thieves crucified with Him mocked the Redeemer (Matthew 27:44); but at
the eleventh hour one of them was "granted repentance unto life" (Acts
11:18). Turning to Jesus, he said, "Lord, remember me when thou comest
into thy kingdom" (Luke 23:42). The Lord did not decline his appeal
and say, "you have sinned beyond the reach of mercy"; but answered,
`Verily, I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise"
(v. 43). They witnessed an unparalleled display of sovereign grace to
one of the greatest of sinners.
They beheld most mysterious phenomena . They sat down to "watch Him,"
but after a while they were no longer able to do so. At midday it
suddenly became midnight. "From the sixth hour [after sunrise] there
was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour" (Matthew 27:45).
It was as though the sun refused to shine on such a scene, as though
nature itself mourned over such a sight. During those three hours a
transaction took place between Christ and God which was infinitely too
sacred for finite eyes to gaze upon, a mystery which no mortal mind
can fully enter. As soon as the Savior committed His spirit into the
hands of the Father, "Behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain
from the top to the bottom, and the earth did quake and the rocks
rent; and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which
slept arose" (Matthew 27:51-52). This was no ordinary sufferer; it was
the Creator of heaven and earth, and heaven and earth expressed their
sympathy.
They beheld and heard what was blessed to their conviction and
conversion . Pharaoh witnessed a most remarkable display of God's
power in the plagues which He sent upon Egypt, but far from inclining
him to repentance he continued to harden his heart. Thus it always is
with the unregenerate while they are left to themselves; neither the
most astonishing tokens of God's goodness nor the most awe-inspiring
of judgments melt them. But God was pleased to soften the callous
hearts of these Roman soldiers and illumine their heathen minds. "Now
when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw
the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly,
saying, Truly this was the Son of God" (Matthew 27:54).
We regard this as another of the miracles at Calvary--a miracle of
amazing grace. And we expect to meet in heaven the man who hammered
the nails into the Savior's hands and thrust the spear into His
side--God's answer to Christ's prayer, "Father, forgive them." So
there is hope for the vilest sinner if he will surrender to the
Lordship of Christ and trust in His blood.
What I See
I see an unveiling of the character of man . "Now all things that are
discovered [margin] are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever
doth make manifest is light" (Eph. 5:13). Christ is "the true light"
(John 1:9)--the essential, divine, all-revealing light; consequently
all men and all things stood exposed in His presence. The worst things
predicated in Scripture of fallen human nature were exemplified in the
days of Christ. God says that the heart of man is "desperately wicked"
(Jer. 17:9), and it was so demonstrated by the treatment of His
beloved Son. Scarcely was He born into this world than men made a
determined effort to slay Him. Though He constantly went about doing
good, relieving the distressed, and ministering to the souls and
bodies of the needy, He was so little appreciated that He had to say,
"The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son
of man hath not where to lay his head" (Matthew 8:20). On one occasion
"they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts" (Matthew
8:34).
Not only was Christ unwelcome here, but also men hated Him "without a
cause" (John 15:25). He gave them every reason to admire Him, but they
had an inveterate aversion for Him. The Word declares, "the carnal
mind is enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7). Multitudes go through the form
of paying homage to God, but of a "god" of their own imagination. They
hate the living God, and were it possible would rid the universe of
Him. This is clear from their treatment of Christ, for He was none
other than "God manifest in flesh" (1 Tim. 3:16). They hated and
hounded Him to death, and nothing short of death by crucifixion would
appease them. At Calvary the real character of man was revealed, and
the desperate wickedness of his heart laid bare.
I see an unveiling of sin . Sin! That "abominable thing," which the
Lord hates (Jer. 44:4), is regarded so lightly by those who commit it.
Sin! It caused our first parents to be banished from Eden and is
responsible for all the woe in the world. Sin! It produces strife and
bloodshed and has turned this "land of the living" into a mammoth
cemetery. Sin! A hideous monster we so much dislike hearing about and
which we are so ready to excuse. Sin ! Satan employs all his subtle
arts to render it attractive, and sets it forth in the most appealing
colors. One of the great designs of the incarnation was to bring to
light the hidden things of darkness. The presence here of the Holy One
served as a brilliant light in a long-neglected room, revealing its
squalor and filth. "If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had
not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin" (John 15:22).
Christ here spoke comparatively. Evil as man had shown himself through
history, the coming of Immanuel to earth brought sin to a head. All
that had gone before was a trifling thing when compared to the
monstrous wickedness done against Love incarnate. In the treatment the
Son of God received at the hands of men we see sin in its true colors,
stripped of all disguise, exposed in all its hideous reality, in its
true nature as rebellion against God. At Calvary we behold the climax
of sin, the fearful, horrible lengths to which it is capable of going.
What germinated in Eden culminated in the crucifixion. The first sin
occasioned spiritual suicide, the second fratricide (Cain murdered his
brother): but here at Calvary it resulted in Deicide, the slaying of
the Lord of glory. We also see the fearful wages of sin--death and
separation from God. Since Christ hung there as the Sinbearer, He
received the punishment due to them.
I see an unveiling of the character of God . The heavens declare His
glory and the firmament shows His handiwork, but nowhere are His
perfections more prominently displayed than at the cross. Here is His
ineffable holiness. The holiness of God is the delight He has in all
that is pure and lovely; therefore His nature burns against whatever
is evil. God hates sin wherever it is found and He made no exception
of Christ when He saw it imputed on His beloved Son. There God "laid
on him the iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53:6). He dealt with Him
accordingly, pouring out His holy wrath upon Him. God is "of purer
eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity" (Hab. 1:13);
therefore He turned His back on the Sinbearer. "My God, my God, why
hast thou forsaken me?" the suffering Savior cried, then answered His
own query, "Thou art holy" (Ps. 22:1, 3).
I see God 's inflexible justice. The pronouncement of His Law is, "the
soul that sinneth it shall die." No deviation from it can be made, for
Jehovah has expressly declared He "will by no means clear the guilty"
(Ex. 34:7). But will He not make an exception of the One whom He
testifies is the Lamb "without blemish and without spot" (1 Pet.
1:19)? No! For though Christ was sinless both by nature and action,
because the sins of His people had been laid upon Him, God "spared not
his own Son" (Rom. 8:32). Because sin was transferred to Him,
punishment must be visited upon Him. Therefore, God cried, "Awake O
sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow,
saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd" (Zech. 13:7). God would
not abate one iota of His righteous demand or allow sentiment to sully
the fair face of His government. He claims to be par excellence the
Judge who is "without respect of persons." How fully that was
demonstrated at Calvary by His refusal to exempt the person of His
Beloved, the One in whom His soul delighted (Isa. 42:1), when He
occupied the place of the guilty.
I see God 's amazing grace. "God commendeth his love toward us [His
people], in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom.
5:8). Had He so pleased, God could have consigned the whole of Adam's
race to everlasting woe. That is what each of us richly deserves. And
why should He not do so? By nature we are depraved and corrupt; by
practice incorrigible rebels, with no love for Him nor concern for His
glory. But out of His own goodness He determined to save a people from
their sins, to redeem them by Christ "to the praise of the glory of
his grace" (Eph. 1:6). He determined to pluck them as brands from the
burning so they might be the eternal monuments of His mercy. Because
it was wholly outside their power to make atonement for their fearful
crimes, He Himself provided an all-sufficient sacrifice for them. He
is "the God of all grace" (1 Pet. 5:10) and He has given innumerable
tokens of this. But nowhere were the "riches of His grace" so lavishly
and wondrously displayed as at Calvary.
See here God's manifold wisdom. The Word declares, "There shall in no
wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh
abomination" (Rev. 21:27); then how is it possible that I can ever
gain admittance into the heavenly Jerusalem? How can it be that one so
completely devoid of righteousness could ever receive divine
approbation? The Law says, "The soul that sinneth it shall die." I
have sinned and broken the Law, how then can I escape its penalty?
Since I am a spiritual pauper how can the necessary ransom be
procured? These are problems that no human intelligence can solve. Nor
is the knot to be cut by an appeal to the bare mercy of God, for His
mercy is not an attribute which overrides His justice and integrity.
But at the Cross the divine perfections shone out in glorious unity
like the blending of the colors in the rainbow. There "Mercy and truth
met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other" (Ps.
85:10). God's justice was satisfied by Christ and therefore His mercy
flows freely to all who repent and believe. The wisdom of God appears
in creation and providence, but nowhere so grandly as at the cross.
I see myself . What? Yes, as I turn my gaze to the cross I behold
myself, and so does everyone who looks with the eye of faith. Christ
hung there as the Surety of His people, and there cannot be
representation without identification. Christ identified with those
whose sins He bears, believers identified with Him. In the sight of
God they are one. Christ took my place, and faith appropriates that
fact. In the person of my Substitute I satisfied every requirement of
God's Law. In the person of Christ I paid the full price which divine
justice demanded. In the person of Christ I stand approved before God,
for I am clothed with His meritorious perfections (Isa. 61:10). The
whole ransomed Church of God can say of Christ, "He was wounded for
our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities" (Isa. 53:4), "Who
his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree" (1 Pet. 2:24).
And faith individualizes it and declares, "I am crucified with Christ
. . . who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20). Hallelujah!
What a Savior.
What Do You See?
You behold One whom you despise and reject , if you are unsaved.
Perhaps you deny it, saying my attitude is merely negative. You err.
If you are not the friend of Christ you are His enemy. There is no
third class. "He that is not with me is against me" (Matthew 12:30) is
His own verdict, and from that there is no appeal. You have despised
His authority, flouted His laws, treated His claims with contempt. You
reject His yoke and scepter and refuse to be ruled by Him; thus you
unite with those who cast Him out and hounded Him to death.
You behold One who is presented as Savior . Yes, despite your wicked
treatment of Him hitherto, He is set before you in the Gospel as One
willing and able to heal the wounds sin has made and to save your
souls from eternal death. If you will throw down the weapons of your
warfare against Him, surrender to His Lordship, and trust in His
redeeming blood, He will accept you now. "Him that cometh to me I will
in no wise cast out" (John 6:37).
You behold the One who is to be your Judge if you refuse to accept Him
as Savior. Come to Him now as a repentant sinner, as a spiritual
pauper, casting yourself upon His grace, and He will pardon your
iniquities and give you a royal welcome. "Come unto me, all ye that
labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28)
is His own invitation with promise. But continue to turn your back
upon Him and one day He will say to you, "Depart from me, ye cursed
into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew
25:41).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 2: Excellencies Which
Pertain to God the Son as Christ
35. The Redemption of Christ
Our Righteous Redeemer--does such a title have a strange sound to the
reader? Is that adjective unfamiliar in such a context? The great
majority of us probably are far more accustomed to such expressions as
"our loving Redeemer" and "our gracious Redeemer," or even "our mighty
Redeemer." We employ the term here not because we are striving for
originality. No, rather such an appellation is required by the
teaching of Scripture. In fact, if we carefully observe where the Holy
Spirit has placed His emphasis it is incumbent on us that we should
conform our terminology thereto. See how many passages you can recall
where either "loving" or "gracious" is used as an adjective in
connection with Christ. If memory fails, consult a concordance, and
you will be surprised that neither of them occurs a single time! Now
try the word "righteous" and see how many passages refer to the Lord
Jesus as such.
Christ is referred to as "my righteous servant" (Isa. 53:11); as "a
righteous Branch" (Jer. 23:5); and in the next verse as "The Lord Our
Righteousness"; as "the sun of righteousness" (Mal. 4:2): as a
"righteous man" (Luke 23:47); as "the righteous judge" (2 Tim. 4:8).
He is seen as the antitypical Melchizedek or "King of righteousness"
(Heb. 7:2-3); as our "advocate with the Father," "Jesus Christ the
righteous" (1 John 2:1). In addition, the same Greek word "dikaios" is
rendered "just" in the following passages: Pilate's wife sent a
warning to her husband, "Have thou nothing to do with this just
[righteous] man" (Matthew 27:19); in the same chapter Pilate himself
declared, "I am innocent of the blood of this just person" (v. 34). He
is called "the just" (Acts 3:14; James 5:6); and "the just one" (Acts
7:52; 22:14); while in 1 Peter 3:18 are the well-known words, "Christ
also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust"--actually
rendered "the righteous for the unrighteous" (ARV). When Zechariah
predicted His entry into Jerusalem, riding on an ass, he said,
"Behold, thy king cometh to thee, he is just"; in Revelation 19:11,
where He is depicted on a white horse, it is said, "in righteousness
he doth judge and make war."
In all of these passages, the Father's "fellow" and equal is viewed in
His official character, as the Godman Mediator. Equally evident is
that the verses intimate the Lord Jesus is righteous in His person, in
the administration of His office, in the discharge of the Great
Commission given Him. Before His incarnation it was announced
"righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the
girdle of his reins" (Isa. 11:5); and Christ affirmed by the spirit of
prophecy, "I have preached righteousness in the great congregation"
(Ps. 40:9). There was no fault or failure in His performing of the
honoured and momentous task committed to Him, as His own words to the
Father prove: "I have glorified thee on the earth. I have finished the
work which thou gavest me to do" (John 17:4). God's owning of Christ
as "my righteous servant" signifies that He excellently executed the
work entrusted to Him. As the Holy Spirit declares, He "was faithful
to him that appointed him" (Heb. 3:2). When the Father rewarded Him He
said, "Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness" (Ps. 45:7).
Further, Christ is the righteous Redeemer of His people because their
righteousness is in Him. He wrought out a perfect righteousness for
them. Upon their believing in Him, it is imputed or reckoned to their
account; therefore He is designated "The Lord Our Righteousness" (Jer.
23:6). Christ was righteous not as a private person, not for Himself
alone, but for us sinners and our salvation. He acted as God's
righteous Servant and as His people's righteous sponsor. He lived and
died that all the infinite merits of His obedience might be made over
to them. In justifying His sinful people God neither disregarded nor
dishonored His law; instead He "established" it (Rom. 3:31). The
Redeemer was "made under the law" (Gal. 4:4). Its strictness was not
relaxed nor was one iota of its requirements abated in connection with
Him. Christ rendered to the Law a personal, perfect, and perpetual
obedience: therefore He did "magnify the law, and make it honorable"
(Isa. 42:21). Consequently God is not only gracious but "just" at the
very moment He is "the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus"
(Rom. 3:26), because Jesus satisfied every requirement of
righteousness on behalf of all who trust in Him.
In the righteous Redeemer we find the answer to the question, "How can
those who have no righteousness of their own and who are utterly
unable to procure any, become righteous before God?" How can man, who
is a mass of corruption, draw nigh unto the ineffably Holy One, and
look up into His face in peace? He can do so by coming to God as
unrighteous, acknowledging his inability to remove unrighteousness,
and offering nothing to palliate Him. Because we were unable to reach
up to the holy requirements or righteousness of the Law, God brought
His righteousness down to us: "I bring near my righteousness" (Isa.
46:13). That righteousness was brought near to sinners when the Word
became flesh and tabernacled among men; it is brought near to us in
the Gospel, "for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from
faith to faith' (Rom. 1:17). This righteousness God imputes to all who
believe and then deals with them according to its deserts.
"For he [God] hath made him [Christ] to be sin for us, who knew no
sin; that we might be [not put into a capacity of acquiring a
righteousness of our own, but] made the righteousness of God in him"
(2 Cor. 5:21). Here is the double imputation of our sins to Christ and
of His righteousness to us. We are not said to be made righteous, but
"righteousness" itself; and not righteousness only, but "the
righteousness of God" the utmost that language can reach. In the same
manner that Christ was "made sin," we are made "righteousness.''
Christ did not know actual sin, but in His mediatorial interposition
on our behalf He was dealt with as a guilty person. Likewise we are
destitute of all legal righteousness; yet upon receiving Christ, we
are viewed by the divine majesty as righteous creatures. Both were by
imputation; an amazing exchange! So as to exclude the idea that any
inherent righteousness is involved, it is said, "we are made the
righteousness of God in Him." As the sin imputed to Christ is inherent
in us, so the righteousness by which we are justified is inherent in
Him.
The divine plan of redemption fully satisfies the claims of the Law.
There was nothing in all its sacred injunctions which Christ did not
perform, nothing in its awful threatenings which He did not sustain.
He fulfilled all its precepts by an unspotted purity of heart and a
perfect integrity of life. He exhausted the whole curse when He hung
on the cross, abandoned by God, for the sins of His people. His
obedience conferred higher honor upon the Law than it could possibly
have received from an uninterrupted compliance by Adam and his
posterity. The perfections of God, which were dishonored by our
rebellion, are glorified in our redemption. In redemption God appears
inflexibly just in exacting vengeance, and inconceivably rich in
showing mercy. "The sword of justice and the scepter of grace has each
its due exercise, each its full expression" (James Hervey). The
interests of holiness are also secured, for where redemption is
received by faith it kindles in the heart an intense hatred of sin and
the deepest love and gratitude to God.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 2: Excellencies Which
Pertain to God the Son as Christ
Part 2: Excellencies Which
Pertain to God the Son as Christ
36. The Saviourhood of Christ
"My Thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,
Saith the LORD" (Isa. 55:8). Solemnly these words manifest the
terrible havoc sin has wrought in fallen mankind. They are out of
touch with their Maker; nay more, they are "alienated from the life of
God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of
their heart" (Eph. 4:18). As a consequence, the soul has lost its
anchorage, everything has been thrown out of gear, and human depravity
has turned all things upside down. Instead of subordinating the
concerns of this life to the interests of the life to come, man
devotes himself principally to the present and gives little or no
thought to the eternal. Instead of putting the good of his soul ahead
of the needs of the body, man is occupied chiefly about food and
raiment. Instead of man's great aim being to please God, ministering
to self has become his prime business.
Man's thoughts ought to be governed by God's Word, and his ways
regulated by God's revealed will. But the converse is true. So the
things which are of great price in the sight of God (1 Pet. 3:4) are
despised by the fallen creature, and "that which is highly esteemed
among men is abomination in the sight of God" (Luke 16:15). Man has
turned things topsy turvy, sadly in evidence when he attempts to
handle divine matters. The perversity which sin has caused appears in
our reversing God's order. The Scripture speaks of man's "spirit and
soul and body" (1 Thess. 5:23), but when the world refers to it, it
says "body, soul, and spirit." Scripture declares that Christians are
"strangers and pilgrims" in this scene; but nine times out of ten,
even good men talk and write of "pilgrims and strangers."
This tendency to reverse God's order is part of fallen man's nature.
Unless the Holy Spirit interposes and works a miracle of grace, its
effects are fatal to the soul. Nowhere do we have a more tragic
example of this than in the evangelistic message now being given,
though scarcely anyone seems aware of it. That something is radically
wrong with the world is widely recognized. That Christendom is in a
sad state many are painfully conscious--that error abounds on every
side, that practical godliness is at a low ebb, that worldliness has
devitalized many churches, is apparent to increasing numbers. But few
see how bad things are, few perceive that things are rotten to the
very foundation; yet such is the case.
God's true way of salvation is little known today. The Gospel which is
being preached, even in orthodox circles, is often an erroneous
gospel. Even there man has reversed God's order. For many years it has
been taught that nothing more is required for a sinner's salvation
than to "accept Christ as his personal Savior." Later, he ought to bow
to Him as Lord, consecrate his life to Him, and serve Him fully. But
even if he fails to do so, heaven is sure for him. He will lack peace
and joy now, and probably miss some millennial crown; but having
received Christ as his personal Savior, he has been delivered from
wrath to come. This is a reversal of God's order. It is the devil's
lie, and only the day to come will show how many have been fatally
deceived by it.
We are aware this is strong language, and it may come as a shock; but
test it by this light: Every passage of the New Testament where these
two titles occur together say "Lord and Savior," and never "Savior"
(Luke 1:46-47). Unless Jehovah had first become her "Lord," most
certainly He would not have been her "Savior." No one who seriously
ponders the matter has any difficulty perceiving this. How could a
thrice-holy God save one who scorned His authority, despised His
honor, and flouted His revealed will. It is infinite grace that God is
ready to be reconciled to us when we throw the weapons of our
rebellion against Him; but it would be an act of unrighteousness,
putting a premium upon lawlessness, were He to pardon the sinner
before he was first reconciled to His Maker.
The saints of God are bidden to make their "calling and election sure"
(2 Pet. 1:10) (and this, by adding to their faith the other graces
enumerated in vv. 5-7). They are assured that if they do so they shall
never fall, for so an entrance shall be ministered to them abundantly
"into the everlasting kingdom of our [1] Lord and [2] Savior Jesus
Christ" (2 Pet. 1:11). But particularly note the order in which
Christ's titles are mentioned: it is not "our Savior and Lord," but
"Lord and Savior." He becomes the Savior of none until the heart and
will unreservedly receive Him as Lord.
"For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through
the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again
entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them
than the beginning" (2 Pet. 2:20). Here the apostle refers to those
who had a head knowledge of the Truth, and then apostatized. There had
been a reformation outwardly in their lives, but no regeneration of
the heart. For a while they were delivered from the pollution of the
world, but with no supernatural work of grace having been wrought in
their souls, the lustings of the flesh proved too strong. They were
again overcome and returned to their former manner of life like the
"dog to its vomit" or the "sow to its wallowing in the mire." The
apostasy is described as, "to turn from the holy commandment delivered
unto them," which referred to the terms of discipleship made known in
the Gospel. But what we are particularly concerned about is the Holy
Spirit's order: these apostates had been favored with the "knowledge
of (1) the Lord and (2) Savior Jesus Christ."
God's people are exhorted to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18). Here again God's
order is the opposite of man's. Nor is this merely a technical detail,
concerning which a mistake is of little moment. No, the subject is
basic, vital and fundamental, and error at this point is fatal. Those
who have not submitted to Christ as Lord, but who trust in Him as
Savior are deceived.
The same principle is illustrated in passages where other titles of
Christ occur. Take the opening verse of the New Testament (Matthew
1:1) where He is presented as "Jesus Christ, [1] the son of David, [2]
the son of Abraham." Waiving the dispensational signification of these
titles, view them from the doctrinal and practical viewpoint, which
should be our first consideration. "Son of David" brings in the
throne, emphasizes His authority, and demands allegiance to His
scepter. And "son of David" comes before "son of Abraham!" Again, we
are told that God had exalted Jesus to his own right hand "to be [1] a
Prince and [2] a Savior" (Acts 5:31). The concept embodied in the
title "Prince" is that of supreme dominion and authority, "The prince
of the kings of the earth" (Rev. 1:5).
In the Book of Acts we quickly discover that the message of the
apostles was altogether different--not only in emphasis, but also in
substance--from the preaching of our times. On the day of Pentecost
Peter declared, "Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be
saved" (Acts 2:21), and reminded his hearers that God had made Jesus
"both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36), not Christ and Lord. To Cornelius
and his household Peter presented Christ as "Lord of all" (Acts
10:36). When Barnabas came to Antioch, he "exhorted them all, that
with purpose of heart they should cleave unto the Lord" (Acts 11:23);
also Paul and Barnabas "commended them to the Lord, on whom they
believed" (Acts 14:23). At the great synod in Jerusalem, Peter
reminded his fellows that the Gentiles would "seek after [not only a
Savior, but] the Lord" (Acts 15:17). To the Philippian jailor and his
household Paul and Silas preached "the word of the Lord" (Acts 16:32).
The apostles not only emphasized the Lordship of Christ, but also they
made surrender to it essential to salvation. This is clear from many
other passages: "And believers were the more added to [not Christ,
but] the Lord" (Acts 5:14); "And all that dwelt at Lydda and Saron saw
him, and turned to the Lord" (Acts 9:35); "And many believed in the
Lord" (Acts 9:42); "And much people was added unto the Lord" (Acts
11:24). "Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being
astonished at the doctrine of the Lord" (Acts 13:12); "And Crispus,
the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his
house" (Acts 18:8).
Few today have a right conception of what a scriptural and saving
conversion is. The call to it is set forth in Isaiah 55:7, "Let the
wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let
him return [having in Adam departed] unto the LORD, and He will have
mercy upon him." The character of conversion is described in 1
Thessalonians 1:9, "Ye turned to God from idols to serve the living
and true God." Conversion, then, is a turning from sin unto holiness,
from self unto God, from Satan unto Christ. It is the voluntary
surrender of ourselves to the Lord Jesus, not only by a consent of
dependence upon His merits, but also by a willing readiness to obey
Him, giving up the keys of our hearts and laying them at His feet. It
is the soul declaring, "O LORD our God, other lords beside thee have
had dominion over us [namely, the world, the flesh, and the devil]:
but by thee only will we make mention of thy name" (Isa. 26:13).
Conversion consists in our being recovered from our present sinfulness
to the moral image of God, or, which is the same thing, to a real
conformity to the moral law. But a conformity to the moral law
consists in a disposition to love God supremely, live to Him
ultimately, and delight in Him superlatively, and to love our neighbor
as ourselves: and a practice agreeing thereto. And therefore
conversion consists in our being recovered from what we are by nature
to such a disposition and practice (James Bellamy, 1770).
Note the searching words in Acts 3:26, "Unto you first God having
raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you in turning away every
one of you from his iniquities." This is Christ's way of blessing
men--converting them. However the Gospel may instruct and enlighten
men, so long as they remain the slaves of sin, it has conferred upon
them no eternal advantage. "Know ye not that to whom ye yield
yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey;
whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" (Rom.
6:16).
There is a very real difference between believing in the deity of
Christ and surrendering to His lordship. Many are firmly persuaded
that Jesus is the Son of God; they have no doubt He is the Maker of
heaven and earth. But that is no proof of conversion. The demons owned
Him as the "Son of God" (Matthew 8:29). What we press here is not the
mind's assent to the Godhood of Christ, but the will's yielding to His
authority, so that the life is regulated by His commandments. There
must be a subjecting of ourselves to Him. The one is useless without
the other. "He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them
that obey him" (Heb. 5:9).
Yet in the face of the clear teaching of Holy Writ, when unsaved
people are concerned about their future destiny, and inquire, "What
must we do to be saved?" the answer they are usually given is, "Accept
Christ as your personal Savior." Little effort is made to press upon
them (as Paul did the Philippian jailor) the Lordship of Christ. Many
a blind leader of the blind glibly quotes, "But as many as received
him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God" (John 1:12).
Perhaps the leader objects, "But nothing is said there about receiving
Christ as Lord." Directly, no; nor is anything said there about
receiving Christ "as a personal Savior"! It is a whole Christ which
must be received, or none at all.
But if the objector will carefully ponder the context of John 1:12, he
will quickly discover that it is as Lord Christ is presented, and as
such must be received by us. In the previous verse, "He came unto his
own, and his own received him not." In what character does that view
Him? Clearly, as the Owner and Master of Israel; and it was as such
they "received him not." Consider what He does for those who do
receive Him: "to them gave he power [the right or prerogative] to
become the sons of God." Who but the Lord of lords is vested with
authority to give others the title to be sons of God! In an
unregenerate state, no sinner is subject to Christ as Lord, though he
may be fully convinced of His deity, and employ "Lord Jesus" when
referring to Him. When we say that no unregenerate person "is subject
to Christ as Lord," we mean that His will is not the rule of life; to
please, obey, honor, and glorify Christ is not the dominant aim,
disposition, and striving of the heart. Far from this being the case,
his real sentiment is, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey His
voice?" (Ex. 5:2). The whole trend of his life is saying, "I will not
have this man to reign over me" (see Luke 19:14). Despite all
religious pretensions, the real attitude of the unregenerate toward
God is, "Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.
What is the Almighty, that we should serve [be in subjection to] him?"
(Job 21:14-15). Their conduct intimates, "our lips are our own: who is
lord over us?" (Ps. 12:4). Instead of surrendering to God in Christ,
every sinner turns "to his own way" (Isa. 53:6), living only to please
self.
When the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, He causes that person to see
what sin really is. He makes the convicted one understand that sin is
rebellion against God, a refusal to submit to the Lord. The Spirit
causes him to realize that he has been an insurrectionist against Him
who is exalted above all. He is now convicted not only of this sin, or
that idol, but also is brought to realize his whole life has been a
fighting against God; that he has knowingly, willfully, and constantly
ignored and defied Him, deliberately choosing to go his own way. The
work of the Spirit in God's elect is not so much to convince each of
them they are lost sinners (the conscience of the natural man knows
that, without any supernatural operation of the Spirit!); it is to
reveal the exceeding "sinfulness of sin" (Rom. 7:13), by making us see
and feel that all sin is a species of spiritual anarchy, a defiance of
the Lordship of God.
When a man has really been convicted by the supernatural operation of
the Holy Spirit, the first effect on him is complete and abject
despair. His case appears to be utterly hopeless. He now sees he has
sinned so grievously that it appears impossible for a righteous God to
do anything but damn him for eternity. He sees what a fool he has been
in heeding the voice of temptation, fighting against the Most High,
and in losing his own soul. He recalls how often God has spoken to him
in the past--as a child, as a youth, as an adult, upon a bed of
sickness, in the death of a loved one, in adversities--and how he
refused to listen and deliberately turned a deaf ear. He now feels he
has sinned away his day of grace.
But the ground must be plowed and harrowed before it is receptive to
seed. So the heart must be prepared by these harrowing experiences,
the stubborn will broken, before it is ready for the healing of the
Gospel. But how very few ever are savingly convicted by the Spirit!
The Spirit continues His work in the soul, plowing still deeper,
revealing the hideousness of sin, producing a horror of and hatred for
it. The sinner next receives the beginning of hope, which results in
an earnest inquiry, "What must I do to be saved?" Then the Spirit, who
has come to earth to glorify Christ, presses upon that awakened soul
the claims of His Lordship (i.e. Luke 14:26-33) and makes us realize
that Christ demands our hearts, lives, and all. Then He grants grace
to the quickened soul to renounce all other lords, to turn away from
all idols and to receive Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King.
Nothing but the sovereign and supernatural work of the Spirit can
bring this to pass. A preacher may induce a man to believe what
Scripture says about his lost condition, persuade him to bow to the
divine verdict, and then accept Christ as his personal Savior. No man
wants to go to hell, and fire is assured intellectually that Christ
stands ready as a fire escape, on the sole condition that he jump into
His arms ("rest on His finished work"), thousands will do so. But a
hundred preachers are unable to make an unregenerate person realize
the dreadful nature of sin, or show him that he has been a lifelong
rebel against God, or change his heart so that he now hates himself
and longs to please God and serve Christ. Only the Spirit can bring
man to the place where he is willing to forsake every idol, cut off a
hindering right hand or pluck out an offending right eye.
Probably some will say, "But the exhortations addressed to saints in
the epistles show that it is Christians, and not the unsaved, who are
to surrender to Christ's Lordship (Rom. 12:1). Such a mistake only
serves to demonstrate the gross spiritual darkness which has enveloped
even orthodox Christendom. The exhortations of the epistles simply
signify that Christians are to continue as they began, "As ye have
therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him" (Col.
2:6). All the exhortations may be summed up in two words: "Come to
Christ," "Abide in Him"; and what is abiding but coming to Christ
constantly (1 Pet. 2:4)? The saints (Rom. 12:1) had already been
bidden to "yield" themselves "unto God" (Rom. 6:13). While we are on
earth we will always need such admonitions. The backslidden church at
Ephesus was told, "Repent, and do the first works" (Rev. 2:5).
And now a pointed question: Is Christ your Lord? Does He in fact
occupy the throne of your heart? Does He actually rule your life? If
not, then most certainly He is not your Savior. Unless your heart has
been renewed, unless grace has changed you from a lawless rebel to a
loving subject, then you are yet in your sins, on the broad road to
destruction.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 2: Excellencies Which
Pertain to God the Son as Christ
37. The Lordship of Christ
"But Sanctify in your hearts Christ as Lord" (1 Pet. 3:15, RV). In
view of the context it is striking to note that it was Peter whom the
Spirit of God first moved to write these words. As he did so, his
heart, no doubt, was filled with sorrow and deep contrition. He says,
"If ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid
of their terror, neither be troubled" (v. 14). On a never-to-be
forgotten occasion, he had been afraid of the "terror" of the wicked.
In Pilate's palace the fear of man brought him a snare. But in our
text he announces the divine remedy for deliverance from the fear of
man.
"But sanctify in your hearts Christ as Lord." In the light of its
setting, this means, first of all, to let the awe of the lordship of
Christ possess your hearts. Dwell constantly on the fact that Christ
is Lord. Because He is Lord, all power in heaven and earth is His;
therefore He is Master of every situation, sufficient for every
emergency, able to supply every need. When a Christian trembles in the
presence of his enemies, it is because he doubts or has lost sight of
the faithfulness and power of Christ.
"But sanctify in your hearts Christ as Lord." The motive for obeying
this precept should not be our own peace and comfort, but His honor
and glory. To guard against the feat of man, the saint is to cultivate
the fear of the Lord, that Christ may be magnified. The Lord Jesus is
glorified when His persecuted people preserve a calm demeanor and
immovable fortitude in the face of all opposition. But this is
possible only as our hearts are occupied with Him, and particularly
with His lordship.
"But sanctify in your hearts, Christ as Lord." These words have a
wider application. How little professing Christians dwell on the
lordship of Christ! How sadly inadequate are the real Christian's
views of that One who has a name which is above every name! "That I
may know [obtain a better knowledge of] him" (Phil. 3:10), should be
the daily longing of our hearts, and the earnest prayer of our lips.
Not only do we need to grow in "grace" but also in "the knowledge of
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18).
How little we really know the Christ of God. "No man knoweth
[perfectly] the Son, but the Father" (Matthew 11:27); yet much has
been revealed concerning Him in the Scriptures. How little we study
those Scriptures with the definite object of seeking a better, deeper,
fuller knowledge of the Lord Jesus! How circumscribed is the scope of
our studies! Many form their conceptions of Christ from the first four
books of the New Testament and rarely read beyond those books.
The gospels treat of Christ's life during the days of His humiliation.
They view Him in the form of a Servant, who came not to be ministered
unto, but to minister. True, Matthew's Gospel sets forth the kingship
of Him who was here as Jehovah's Servant; yet it is as the rejected
King. True also, John's Gospel portrays the divine glories of the
incarnate Son; yet as the One who was unknown in the world which He
had made, and as rejected by His own to whom He came (John 1:10-11).
It is not until we pass beyond the gospels that we find the lordship
of Jesus of Nazareth really made manifest. On the day of Pentecost,
Peter said, "Let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath
made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ"
(Acts 2:36). The humbled One is now victorious. He who was born in
lowliness has been exalted "far above all principality, and power, and
might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this
world, but also in that which is to come" (Eph. 1:21). He who suffered
His face to be covered with the vile spit of men has been given a name
more excellent than the angels (Heb. 1:4). He whom man crowned with
thorns has been "crowned with glory and honor" (Heb. 2:9). He who
hung, in apparent helplessness upon a cross has taken His seat "on the
right hand of the Majesty on high" (Heb. 1:3).
The epistles, in contrast to the gospels, were all written from the
viewpoint of an ascended Christ. They treat of a glorified Savior. How
much we lose by their neglect! Why is it that when Christ comes to our
minds our thoughts turn back to the "days of His flesh"? Why are our
hearts so little occupied with the heavenly Christ? Why do we meditate
so little upon His exaltation, His seat and session at God's right
hand? Is it not because we read the epistles so infrequently?
Many Christians find the epistles so much more difficult than the
gospels. Of course they do, because they are so unfamiliar. Enter a
strange city and its layout, streets and suburbs are unknown. It is
hard to find your way about. So it is with the epistles. The Christian
must live in them to become acquainted with their contents.
It is in the epistles alone that the distinctive character of
Christianity is set forth; not in the gospels; the Acts is
transitionary; and most of the Revelation belongs to the future. The
epistles alone treat of the present dispensation. But present-day
preaching rarely notices them. Christians, in their private reading of
the Word, seldom turn to them. But in the Epistles only is
Christianity
expounded--Christianity has to do with a risen, glorified, and
enthroned Christ. Thus, if we are to "Sanctify in your hearts Christ
Jesus as Lord," we must spend much time in the epistles.
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Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 2: Excellencies Which
Pertain to God the Son as Christ
38. The Friendship of Christ
How Many Have Ever Heard a sermon or read an article on this subject?
How many of God's people think of Christ in this blessed relationship?
Christ is the best Friend the Christian has, and it is both his
privilege and duty to regard Him as such. Our scriptural support is in
the following passages: "There is a friend that sticketh closer than a
brother" (Prov. 18:24), which can refer to none other than the Lord
Jesus; "This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of
Jerusalem" (Song 5:16). That is the language of His Spouse, the
testimony of the Church, avowing this most intimate relationship. Add
to these the witness of the New Testament when Christ was termed "a
friend of publicans and sinners" (Luke 7:34).
Many and varied are the relationships in which Christ stands to a
believer, and he is the loser if He is ignored in any of them. Christ
is God, Lord, Head, Savior of the Church. Officially He is our
Prophet, Priest, and King; personally He is our Kinsman-Redeemer, our
Intercessor, our Friend. That title expresses the near union between
the Lord Jesus and believers. They are as if but one soul actuated
them; indeed, one and the same spirit does, for "he that is joined
unto the Lord is one spirit" (1 Cor. 6:17). "Christ stands in a nearer
relation than a brother to the Church: He is her Husband, her
Bosomfriend" (John Gill). "We are members of his body, of his flesh,
and of his bones" (Eph. 5:30). But even those relationships fall short
of fully expressing the nearness, spiritual oneness, and
indissoluableness of the union between Christ and His people. There
should be the freest approaches to Him and the most intimate
fellowship with Him. To deny Christ that is to ignore the tact He is
our best Friend.
"There is a Friend that sticketh closer than a brother." That
endearing title not only expresses the near relation between Him and
His redeemed but also the affection which He bears them. Nothing has,
does, or can, dampen, or quench its outflow. "Having loved his own
which were in the world, he loved them unto the end" (John 13:1). That
blessed title tells of the sympathy He bears His people in all their
sufferings, temptations, and infirmities. "In all their affliction he
was afflicted . . . in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and
he bare them, and carried them all the days of old" (Isa. 63:9). What
demonstrations of His friendship! That title also tells of His deep
concern for our interests. He has our highest welfare at heart;
accordingly He has promised, "I will not turn away from them, to do
them good" (Jer. 32:40). Consider more definitely the excellencies of
our best Friend:
Christ is an ancient Friend . Old friends we prize highly. The Lord
Jesus was our Friend when we were His enemies! We fell in Adam, but He
did not cease to love us; rather He became the last Adam to redeem us
and "lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). He sent His
servants to preach the Gospel unto us, but we despised it. Even when
we were wandering in the ways of folly He determined to save us, and
watched over us. In the midst of our sinning and sporting with death,
He arrested us by His grace, and by His love overcame our enmity and
won our hearts. Christ is a constant Friend; One that "loveth at all
times" (Prov. 17:17). He continues to be our Friend through all the
vicissitudes of life--no fair-weather friend who fails us when we need
Him most. He is our Friend in the day of adversity, equally as much as
in the day of prosperity. Was He not so to Peter? He is "a very
present help in trouble" (Ps. 46:1), and evidences it by His
sustaining grace. Nor do our transgressions turn away His compassion
from us; even then He acts as a friend. "If any man sin, we have an
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (1 John 2:1).
Christ is a faithful Friend . His grace is not shown at the expense of
righteousness, nor do His mercies ignore the requirements of holiness.
Christ always has in view both the glory of God and the highest good
of His people. "Faithful are the wounds of a friend" (Prov. 27:6). A
real friend performs his duty by pointing out my faults. In this
respect, too, Christ does "show himself friendly" (Prov. 18:24). Often
He says to each of us, "I have a few things against thee" (Rev.
2:14)--and rebukes us by His Word, convicts our conscience by His
Spirit, and chastens us by His providence "that we might be partakers
of his holiness" (Heb. 12:10).
Christ is a powerful Friend . He is willing and able to help us. Some
earthly friends may have the desire to help us in the hour of need,
but lack the wherewithal: not so our heavenly Friend. He has both the
heart to assist and also the power. He is the Possessor of
"unsearchable riches," and all that He has is at our disposal. "The
glory which thou gavest me I have given them" (John 17:22). We have a
Friend at court, for Christ uses His influence with the Father on our
behalf. "He ever liveth to make intercession for us" (Heb. 7:25). No
situation can possibly arise which is beyond the resources of Christ.
Christ is an everlasting Friend . He does not desert us in the hour of
crisis. "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I
will fear no evil, for thou art with me" (Ps. 23:4). Nor does death
sever us from this Friend who "sticketh closer than a brother," for we
are with Him that very day in paradise. Death will have separated us
from those on earth, but "absent from the body" we shall be "present
with the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:8). And in the future Christ will manifest
Himself as our Friend, saying "Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."
Since Christ is such a Friend to the Christian, what follows?
Friendship should be answered with friendship! Negatively, there
should be no coldness, aloofness, trepidation, hesitancy on our part;
but positively, a free availing ourselves of such a privilege. We
should delight ourselves in Him. Since He is a faithful Friend we may
safely tell Him the secrets of our hearts, for He will never betray
our confidence. But His friendship also imposes definite
obligations--to please Him and promote His cause, and daily seek His
counsel.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 2: Excellencies Which
Pertain to God the Son as Christ
39. The Helpfulness of Christ
One Of The Apostle's purposes in writing the epistle to the Hebrews is
to strengthen the faith of those who were sorely tried and
wavering--and by parity of reason all who are weak in grace. "For in
that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them
that are tempted" (Heb. 2:18). The method he followed in prosecuting
that end was to set forth the transcendent excellency of Christ, with
His good will to the sons of men. He exhibits at length the
perfections of His person, His offices, and His work. He declares that
He is the Son of God, who has been made the Heir of all things; that
He is the brightness of the Father's glory and the express image of
His person. Full demonstration was made of His immeasurable
superiority to angels, yet so infinite was His condescension and so
great His love to those given Him by the Father that He took a place
lower than that occupied by celestial creatures; yet, "in all things .
. . to be made like unto his brethren" (Heb. 2:17). In His offices He
is revealed as the supreme Prophet, the final spokesman of Deity (Heb.
1:1-2), as a glorious king (Heb. 1:8), as "a merciful and faithful
high priest" (Heb. 2:17); in His work as making "reconciliation [lit.
"propitiation"] for the sins of the people" (Heb. 2:17), as ever
living to make intercession for them (Heb. 7:25), as "bringing many
sons unto glory" (Heb. 2:10).
So amazing was the grace of this august Being that He not only partook
of the nature of those He came here to save, but also He entered fully
into their circumstances, became subject to their infirmities, was
tempted in all respects as they are (inward corruption excepted). He
shed His precious blood and died a shameful death in their stead and
on their behalf; and all of this to manifest the reality and abundance
of His mercy unto sinners, fire their hearts, and draw out the
affections of believers to Him. The apostle points out one of the
blessed consequences of the Son's having become incarnate and entered
into fellowship with His suffering people. First, the Lord of glory
came down into the realm of temptation. Scripture is always to be
understood in its widest possible latitude; therefore "tempt" is
signifying put to the proof, subjected to trials and troubles,
solicited to evil. Christ was tempted by God, by men, by the devil.
Second, He "suffered" while being tempted. Those temptations were not
mere make-believe, but real and painful. It could not be otherwise,
for not only did He partake of all human sensibilities, but also His
holiness felt acutely every form of evil. Third, the remembrance of
His sufferings makes Him the more mindful of ours.
"For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to
succor them that are tempted." Let us consider first the timeliness
and preciousness of those words to those to whom they were originally
addressed. The Hebrews saints were Jews who had been convened in the
days of Christ and under the preaching of the apostles, and they were
in peculiarly trying circumstances. Their unconverted countrymen
regarded them as apostates from Moses, and therefore from Jehovah
Himself. They would have no fellowship with them, but instead regarded
them with the utmost contempt and treated them most cruelly. This
resulted in great distress and privation, so that they "endured a
great fight of afflictions," were "made a gazingstock both by
reproaches and afflictions," even to "the spoiling of their goods"
(Heb. 10:32-34), because of their continued loyalty to Christ. Hence
they were strongly tempted to abandon the Christian profession, resume
their former place under Judaism, and thereby escape further trouble.
Now it was to believers in such a situation that our text was
addressed. The apostle reminds them that Christ Himself was severely
tempted, that He was subjected to worse trials than ours; yet He
endured the same and emerged a victorious Overcomer. Then he assured
them that the Savior was able to sustain, comfort, and strengthen
them.
There are Christians today who are in circumstances similar to those
of the oppressed Hebrews. The world hates them, and does so in
proportion to their fidelity and conformity to Christ. Some are
treated harshly by ungodly relatives. Some suffer at the hands of
graceless professors. Others experience divine chastisement or
perplexing providences, or are passing through the waters of
bereavement or a painful sickness. At such times Satan is particularly
active, launching his fiercest attacks, tempting them in various ways.
Here is relief--real, present, all-sufficient relief. Turn your heart
and eye to the Savior, and consider how well qualified He is to succor
you. He is clothed with our humanity, and therefore capable of being
"touched with the feeling of our infirmities." The experience through
which He passed fit Him to pity us. He knows all about your case,
fully understands your trials and gauges the strength of your
temptation. He is not an indifferent spectator, but full of
compassion. He wept by the grave of Lazarus--and He is the same today
as yesterday. He is faithful in responding to the appeals of His
people.
"He is able to succor" no matter what form the temptation or trial
takes. "Succour" is a comprehensive word: it means "to befriend," "to
assist those in need," "to strengthen the weak." But the Greek term is
even more striking and beautifully expressive: it signifies to hasten
in response to a cry of distress, literally to "run in to the call" of
another. Chrysostom interpreted it, "He gives out His hand unto them
with all readiness." A blessed illustration is seen in the case of
Christ stretching forth His hand to catch hold of Peter as he began to
sink in the sea (Matthew 14:30-31). That was the Savior succouring one
of His own. The same tender benevolence was yet more fully exemplified
where we behold Him as the good Samaritan tending the wounded traveler
(Luke 10:33-35). "He is able." The Greek word implies both fitness and
a willingness to do a thing. Christ is alike competent and ready to
undertake for His people. There is no unwillingness in Him. The
straitness is always in us. "He is able to save them to the uttermost
that come unto God by him" (Heb. 7:25) signifies readiness as well as
ability.
During His sojourn on this earth, was He not ever ready to heal
diseased bodies? And do you think that He is now unwilling to minister
to distressed souls? Perish the thought. He was always at the disposal
of the maimed, the blind, the palsied, yes, of the repellent leper
too. He was ever prepared, uncomplainingly, to relieve suffering,
though it cost Him something--"there went virtue out of him" (Luke
6:19)--and though much unbelief was expressed by those He befriended.
As it was then apart of His mission to heal the sick, so it is now a
part of His ministry to bind up the brokenhearted. What a Savior is
ours! The almighty God, the all-tender Man. One who is infinitely
above us in His original nature and present glory, yet One who became
flesh and blood, lived on the same plane as we do, experienced the
same troubles, and suffered as we, though far more acutely. Then how
well qualified He is to supply your every need! Cast all your care
upon Him, knowing that He cares for you.
Whatever your circumstances, the succouring Savior is all-sufficient
and enters sympathetically into your condition. He knew what it was to
be weary (John 4:6) and exhausted (Mark 4:36-38). He knew what it was
to suffer hunger and thirst. Are you homeless? He had not a place to
lay His head. Are you in straitened circumstances? He was cradled in a
manger. Are you grief-stricken? He was the Man of sorrows. Are you
misunderstood by fellow believers? So was He by His own disciples.
Whatever your lot, He can enter fully into it. He experienced all the
miseries of mankind, and has not forgotten them. Are you assailed by
Satan? So was He. Do blasphemous thoughts at times torment your mind?
The devil tempted Him idolatrously to worship him. Are you in such
desperation as to think of making an end of yourself? Satan challenged
Him to cast Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple. He "was in
all points tempted like as we are, sin excepted."
Angels may pity, but they can have no fellow feeling. But Christ's
compassion (to suffer with) moves Him to succor. In some instances He
does so before the temptation comes, and in a variety of ways. He
prepares for it by forewarning of the same; as with Israel being
afflicted in Egypt (Gen. 15:13), and Paul (Acts 9:16)--in our case by
causing His providences to presage the temptation; by fitting us for
them, as Christ was anointed with the Spirit before the devil tempted
Him; or by melting the heart with a sense of His goodness, which moves
us to say,
"How then can I do this great wickedness?" (Gen. 39:9).
He succours under temptation; in some cases by the powerful
application of a precept or promise, which as a cable holds the heart
fast amid the storm; by a providential interposition which prevents
our executing the evil intention, or by removing the temptation
itself; by giving us to prove the sufficiency of His grace (2 Cor.
1:2). He succours after temptation, by giving us a spirit of
contrition (Luke 22:61-62), moving us to confess our sins. As angels
ministered to Him after His conflict with Satan, so He ministers to
us. Then no matter how dire your situation or acute your suffering,
apply to Christ for relief and deliverance, and count upon His help.
It is when the child is most ill that the mother comes and sits beside
it (Isa. 66:13).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 2: Excellencies Which
Pertain to God the Son as Christ
40. The Call of Christ
"Come Unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and
lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is
easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).
Familiar as the sound of those words are to professing Christians,
there is a pressing need for their careful examination. Few portions
of God's Word have received such superficial treatment. That these
verses call for prayerful meditation some will admit, but few realize
that such a "simple passage" demands protracted study. Many take it
for granted they already understand its meaning, hence they make no
diligent inquiry into the significance of its terms. The mere fact a
verse is so frequently quoted is no proof that we really see its
import; yet, such familiarity has precluded careful examination and
renders it far more likely we do not rightly grasp its truth.
There is a vast difference between being acquainted with the sound of
a verse of Holy Writ and entering into the sense of it. Our age is
marked by industrial loafing and mental slackness. Work is detested
and how quickly a task may be disposed of, rather than how well it may
be done, is the order of the day. The same dilatory spirit marks the
products of both the pulpit and the printed page; hence the
superficial treatment this passage commonly receives. No regard is
paid to its context or no laborious attempt made to ascertain its
coherence (the relation of one clause to another); no painstaking
examination and exposition of its terms.
If ever a passage of Scripture were mutilated and its meaning
perverted, it is this one. Only a fragment of it usually is quoted,
with the part most unpalatable to the flesh omitted. A particular call
is twisted into a promiscuous invitation by deliberately ignoring the
qualifying terms there used by the Savior. Even when the opening
clause is quoted, no attempt is made to show what is involved in "come
to Christ," so the hearer is left to assume he already understands its
meaning. The special offices in which the Son of God is portrayed,
namely as Lord and Master, as Prince and Prophet, are ignored, and
another substituted. The conditional promise made by Christ is
falsified by making it an unconditional one, as though His "rest"
could be obtained without our taking His "yoke" upon us, and without
our "learning" of Him.
Such charges may be resented bitterly by a large number of churchgoers
who do not wish to hear anyone criticized. But if they are prepared to
remain "at ease in Zion," if they are content whether they be deceived
or not, if they have such confidence in men that they are willing to
receive the most valuable things of all secondhand, if they refuse to
examine their foundations and search their hearts, then we must "let
them alone" (Matthew 15:14). But there are still some who prize their
souls so highly they consider no effort too great to ascertain whether
or not they possess a saving knowledge of God's truth; whether or not
they truly understand the terms of God's salvation; whether or not
they are building on an unshakable foundation.
Take a closer look at the passage. It opens with, "Come unto Me . . .
and I will give you rest" and closes with, "and ye shall find rest
unto your souls." It is not (as some have supposed) two different
rests which are spoken of, but the same in both cases; namely,
spiritual rest, saving rest. Nor are two different aspects of this
rest portrayed; but rather one rest viewed from two distinct
viewpoints. In the former, divine sovereignty is in view, "I will
give"; in the latter, human responsibility is enforced, "ye shall
find." In the opening clause Christ affirms that He is the Giver of
rest; in what follows He specifies the terms upon which He dispenses
rest; or to express it another way, the conditions which we must meet
if we are to obtain that rest. The rest is freely given, yet only to
those who comply with the revealed requirements of its Bestower.
"Come unto Me." Who issues this call? Christ, you reply. True, but
Christ in what particular character? Did Christ speak as King,
commanding His subjects; as Creator, addressing His creatures; as
Physician, inviting the sick; or as Lord, instructing His servants?
But do you draw a distinction in your mind between the person of
Christ and the office of Christ? Do you not distinguish sharply
between His office as Prophet, as Priest, and as King? Have you found
such distinctions both necessary and helpful? Then why do people
complain when we call attention to the varied relations which our Lord
sustains, and the importance of noting which of these relations He is
acting in at any time. Attention to such details often makes all the
difference between a right and wrong understanding of a passage.
To answer our query in what particular character Christ issued this
call, it is necessary to look at the verses preceding. Attention to
context is one of the very first concerns for those who would
carefully ponder any particular passage. Matthew 11 opens with John
the Baptist having been cast into prison, from which he sent
messengers to Christ to acquaint Him with his perplexity (vv. 2-3).
Our Lord publicly vindicated His forerunner and magnified his unique
office (vv. 4-15). Having praised the Baptist and his ministry, Christ
went on to reprove those who had been privileged to enjoy both it and
that of His own, because they did not profit from it, but had despised
and rejected both. So depraved were the people of that day, they
accused John of being demon-possessed and charged Christ with being a
glutton and a winebibber (vv. 16-19).
One of the most solemn passages in Holy Writ (vv. 20-24) records some
of the most fearful words which ever fell from the lips of the Son of
God. He unbraided the cities where most of His mighty works were done
because "they repented not" (v. 20). Note that Christ refused to gloss
over the perversity of the people; instead, He charged them with their
sins. And let Antinomians observe that, so far from the Christ of God
ignoring human responsibility or excusing men's spiritual impotency,
He held them strictly accountable and blamed them for their
impenitency.
Wilful impenitency is the great damning sin of multitudes that enjoy
the Gospel, and which (more than any other) sinners will be upbraided
with to eternity. The great doctrine that both John the Baptist,
Christ Himself, and the apostles preached, was repentance: the great
thing designed to both in the "piping" and in the "mourning" was to
prevail with people to change their minds and ways. to leave their
sins and turn to God; but this they would not be brought to. He does
not say, because they believed not, for some kind of faith many of
them had, that Christ was a "Teacher come from God;" but because they
"repented not"--their faith did not prevail to the transforming of
their hearts and the reforming of their lives. Christ reproved them
for their other sins that He might lead them to repentance, but when
they repented not, He upbraided them with that as their refusal to be
healed. He upbraided them with it, that they might upbraid themselves,
and might at length see the folly of it, as that which alone makes the
sad case a desperate one and the wound incurable (Matthew Henry).
The particular sin for which Christ upbraided them was that of
impenitence. The special aggravation of their sin was that they had
witnessed most of Christ's miraculous works, for in those cities the
Lord had for some time resided and performed many of His miracles of
healing. Some places enjoy the means of grace more plentifully than
others. Just as certain parts of the earth receive a much heavier
rainfall than others, certain countries and towns have been favored
with purer Gospel preaching and more outpourings of the Spirit than
others. God is sovereign in the distribution of His gifts, both
natural and spiritual, and "unto whomsoever much is given, of him
shall much be required" (Luke 12:48). The greater our opportunities
the greater our obligations; and the stronger the inducements we have
to repent the more heinous is impenitence, and the heavier reckoning
will be. Christ notes His "mighty works" among us, and will yet hold
us to an account of them.
"Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida!" (Matthew 11:21).
Christ came into the world to dispense blessing. But if His person is
despised, His authority rejected, and His mercies slighted, then He
has terrible woes in reserve. But how many church attenders hear
anything at all about this? Often the pulpiteer has deliberately taken
the line of least resistance and sought only to please the pew,
withholding what was unpalatable or unpopular. Souls are deceived if a
sentimental Christ is substituted for the Scriptural Christ, if His
"Beatitudes" (Matthew 5) are emphasized and His "woes" (Matthew 23)
are ignored.
In still further aggravation of their sin of impenitence, our Lord
affirmed that the citizens of Chorazin and Bethsaida were worse at
heart than the Gentiles they despised. He asserted that if Tyre and
Zidon had enjoyed such privileges as they, they would have "repented
long ago in sackcloth and ashes." Some of the blessings Christendom
despises would be welcome in many parts of heathendom.
We are not competent to solve every difficulty, or fully to understand
the whole of this subject; it suffices that Christ knew the hearts of
the impenitent Jews to be more hardened in rebellion and enmity, and
less susceptible of suitable impressions from His doctrine and
miracles, than those of the inhabitants of Tyre and Sidon would have
been; and therefore their final condemnation would be proportionably
more intolerable (Thomas Scott).
On the one hand this passage does not stand alone (see Ezekiel 3:6-7);
on the other, the repentance spoken of by Christ is not necessarily
one which leads to eternal salvation.
Still more solemn are the awful words of Christ (Matthew 11:23-24),
where He announced the doom of highly favored Capernaum. Because of
the unspeakable privileges enjoyed by its inhabitants, they had been
lifted heavenwards. But because their hearts were so earthbound they
scorned such blessings; therefore they would be "brought down to
hell." The greater the advantages enjoyed, the more fearful the doom
of those who abuse them; the higher the elevation, the more fatal a
fall from it. Honorable Capernaum is then compared with dishonorable
Sodom, which, because of its enormities, God had destroyed with fire
and brimstone. It was in Capernaum the Lord Jesus had resided chiefly
upon entry into His public ministry, and where so many of His miracles
of healing were accomplished. Yet so obdurate were its inhabitants, so
wed to their sins, they refused to apply to Him for the healing of
their souls. Had such mighty works been done by Him in Sodom its
people would have been affected and their city remain as a lasting
monument of divine mercy.
"But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for the land of
Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee" (v. 24). Yes, my reader,
though you may hear nothing about it from the pulpit, there is a "day
of judgment" awaiting the world. It is, "the day of wrath and
revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every
man according to his deeds"; it is the day "when God shall judge the
secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel" (Rom. 2:5, 16);
"For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret
thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil" (Eccl. 12:14); "The
Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to
reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished" (2 Pet.
2:9); The punishment then meted out will be in proportion to the
opportunities given and rejected; the privileges vouchsafed and
scorned; the light granted and quenched. Most intolerable will be the
doom of those who have abused the greatest advancements heavenwards.
"At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of
heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and
prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes" (Matthew 11:25). The
connection between this and the preceding verses is most instructive.
There the Lord Jesus intimates that the majority of His mighty works
had produced no good effect upon those who saw them, that their
beholders remained impenitent. So little influence had His gracious
presence exerted upon Capernaum, where He spent much of His time, that
its fate would be worse than Sodom's. Christ looks away from earth to
heaven, and finds consolation in the sovereignty of God and the
absolute security of His covenant. From upbraiding the impenitence of
men, Christ turned to render thanks to the Father. On the word
"answered," Matthew Henry said, "It is called an answer though no
other words are found recorded but His own, because it is so
comfortable a reply to the melancholy considerations preceding it, and
is aptly set in the balance against them."
A word of warning is needed at this point, for we are such creatures
of extremes. In earlier paragraphs we referred to those who
substituted a sentimental Christ for the true Christ; yet the reader
must not infer from this that we believe in a stoical Christ, hard,
cold, devoid of feeling. Not so. The Christ of Scripture is perfect
Man as well as God the Son, possessed of human sensibilities; yes,
capable of much deeper feeling than any of us, whose faculties are
blunted by sin. The Lord Jesus was not unaffected by grief when He
pronounced the doom of those cities, nor did He view them with
fatalistic indifference as He found comfort in the sovereignty of God.
Scripture must be compared with Scripture: He who wept over Jerusalem
(Luke 19:41) would not be unmoved as He foresaw the intolerable fate
awaiting Capernaum. The fact that He was "the Man of sorrows"
precludes any such concept.
A similar warning is needed by hyper-Calvinists with fatalistic
stoicism:
It seems plain then, that those who are indifferent about the event of
the Gospel, who satisfy themselves with this thought, that the elect
shall be saved, and feel no concern for unawakened sinners, make a
wrong inference from a true doctrine, and know not what spirit they
are of. Jesus wept for those who perished in their sins. Paul had
great grief and sorrow of heart for the Jews, though he gave them this
character, "that they pleased not God, and were contrary to all men."
It well becomes us, while we admire distinguishing grace to ourselves,
to mourn over others: and inasmuch as secret things belong to the
Lord, and we know not but some, of whom we have at present but little
hopes, may at last be brought to the knowledge of the Truth, we should
be patient and forebearing after the pattern of our heavenly Father,
and endeavor by every proper and prudent means to stir them up to
repentance, remembering that they cannot be more distant from God than
by nature we were ourselves (John Newton).
As perfect Man and as "minister of the circumcision" (Rom. 15:8) the
Lord Jesus felt acutely any lack of response to His arduous efforts.
This is clear from His lament, "I have labored in vain, I have spent
my strength for nought" (Isa. 49:4). But observe how He comforted
Himself. "Yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work [or
"reward"] with my God" (Isa. 49:4). Thus, both in the language of
prophecy and here in Matthew 11:25-26, the Lord Jesus sought relief
from the discouragements of the Gospel by retreating into the divine
sovereignty. "We may take great encouragement in looking upward to
God, when round about us we see nothing but what is discouraging. It
is sad to see how regardless most men are of their own happiness, but
it is comfortable to think that the wise and faithful God will,
however, effectually secure the interests of His own glory" (Matthew
Henry).
Christ alluded here to the sovereignty of God in three details. First,
by owning His Father as "Lord of heaven and earth," that is, as sole
Proprietor thereof. It is well to remember, especially when it appears
Satan is master of this lower sphere, that God not only "doeth
according to His will in the army of heaven," but also "among the
inhabitants of the earth," so that "none can stay his hand" (Dan.
4:35). Second, by affirming, "Thou hast hid these things from the wise
and prudent." The things pertaining to salvation are concealed from
the self-sufficient and self-complacent, leaving them in nature's
darkness. Third, by declaring, "and hast revealed them unto babes." By
the effectual operation of the Holy Spirit a divine discovery is made
by those who are helpless in their own esteem. "Even so, Father; for
so it seemed good in thy sight," expressed the Savior's perfect
acquiescence.
"All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the
Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son,
and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him" (Matthew 11:27). This
verse supplies the immediate connecting-link between the sovereignty
of divine grace mentioned (vv. 25-26) and the communication of that
grace through Christ (vv. 28-30). The settlements of divine grace were
made and secured in the everlasting covenant; communication of it is
by and through Christ as the Mediator of that covenant. First, here is
the grand commission the Mediator received from the Father: all things
necessary to the administration of the covenant were delivered unto
Christ (cf. Matthew 28:18; John 5:22, 17:2). Second, here is the
inconceivable dignity of the Son: lest a false inference be drawn from
the preceding clause, the essential and absolute deity of Christ is
affirmed. Inferior in office, Christ's nature and dignity is the same
as the Father's. As Mediator, Christ receives all from the Father, but
as God the Son He is, in every way, equal to the Father in His
incomprehensible Person. Third, here the work of the Mediator is
summed up in one grand item: that of revealing the Father to those
given to Him.
Thus the context of Matthew 11 reveals Christ in the following
characters: as the Upbraider of the impenitent; as the Pronouncer of
solemn "woe" upon those who were unaffected by His mighty works; as
the Announcer of the day of judgment, declaring that the punishment
awaiting those who scorned gospel mercies should be more intolerable
than that meted out to Sodom; as the Affirmer of the high sovereignty
of God who conceals and reveals the things pertaining to salvation; as
the Mediator of the covenant; as the Son coequal with the Father; and
as the One by whom the Father is revealed. "Come unto me, all ye that
labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).
Having examined the context of these words, so that we might the
better see their connection and the particular characters in which
Christ is portrayed, consider the persons addressed, the ones who were
invited to the Rest-giver. This point brings some differences among
commentators. Some give a narrower scope to this call of Christ, and
some a wider. Note however, that all of the leading earlier expositors
restricted this particular call to a special class:
He now kindly invites to Himself those whom He acknowledges to be fit
for becoming His disciples. Though He is ready to reveal the Father to
all, yet the great part are careless about coming to Him, because they
are not affected by a conviction of their necessities. Hypocrites give
themselves no concern about Christ because they are intoxicated with
their own righteousness, and neither hunger nor thirst after His
grace. Those who are devoted to the world set no value on a heavenly
life. It would be vain therefore for Christ to invite either of these
classes, and therefore He turns to the wretched and afflicted. He
speaks of them as "laboring" or being under a "burden," and does not
mean generally those who are oppressed with griefs and vexations, but
those who are overwhelmed by their sins, who are filled with alarm at
the wrath of God and are ready to sink under so weighty a burden (John
Calvin).
The character of the persons invited: all that labor and are heavy
laden. This is a word in season to him that is weary (Isa. 50:4).
Those that complain of the burden of the ceremonial law, which was an
intolerable yoke, and was made much more so by the tradition of the
elders (Luke 11:46); let them come to Christ and they shall be made
easy . . . But it is rather to be understood of the burden of sin,
both the guilt and the power of it. All those, and those only, are
invited to rest in Christ that are sensible of sin as a burden and
groan under it, that are not only convicted of the evil of sin--their
own sin--but are contrite in soul for it; that are really sick of sin,
weary of the service of the world and the flesh, that see their state
sad and dangerous by reason of sin, and are in pain and fear about it:
as Ephraim (Jer. 31:18-20), the prodigal (Luke 15:17), the are in pain
and fear about it: as Ephraim (Jer. 31:18-20), the prodigal (Luke
15:17), the 30). This is a necessary preparative for pardon and peace
(Matthew Henry).
Who are the persons here invited? They are those who "labor" (the
Greek expresses toil with weariness) and are "heavy laden." This must
here be limited to spiritual concerns, otherwise it will take in all
mankind, even the most hardened and obstinate opposers of Christ and
the Gospel. Referring to the self-righteous religionists, this writer
went on to say, "You avoid gross sins, you have perhaps a form of
godliness. The worst you think that can be said of you is, that you
employ all your thoughts and every means that will not bring you under
the lash of the law, to heap up money, to join house to house and
field to field; or you spend your days in a complete indolence,
walking in the way of your own hearts, and looking no further: and
here you will say you find pleasure, and insist on it, that you are
neither weary nor heavy laden . . . then it is plain that you are not
the persons whom Christ here invites to partake of His rest (John
Newton).
The persons invited are not "all" the inhabitants of mankind, but with
a restriction: "all ye that labor and are heavy laden," meaning not
those who labor in the service of sin and Satan, are laden with
iniquity and insensible of it: those are not weary of sin nor burdened
with it, nor do they want or desire any rest for their souls; but such
who groan, being burdened with the guilt of sin on their consciences
and are pressed down with the unsupportable yoke of the Law and the
load of their trespasses, and have been laboring till they are weary,
in order to obtain peace of conscience and rest for their souls by the
observance of these things, but in vain. These are encouraged to come
to Him, lay down their burdens at His feet and look to Him, and lay
hold by faith on His person, blood and righteousness (John Gill).
In more recent times many preachers have dealt with the text (Matthew
11:28) as though the Lord Jesus was issuing an indefinite invitation,
regarding His terms as sufficiently general and wide in their scope to
include sinners of every type. They supposed that the words, "ye that
labor and are heavy laden," refer to the misery and bondage which the
fall brought upon the human race, as its unhappy subjects vainly seek
satisfaction in the things of time and sense, and endeavor to find
happiness in the pleasures of sin. "The universal wretchedness of man
is depicted on both its sides--the active and the passive forms of it"
(Fausset and Brown). They are laboring for contentment by gratifying
their lusts, only to add to their miseries by becoming more and more
the burdened slaves of sin.
It is true the unregenerate "labor in the very fire" and they "weary
themselves for very vanity" (Hab. 2:13); it is true they "labor in
vain" (Jer. 51:58), and "what profit hath he that hath labored for the
wind?" (Ecclesiastes 5:16). It is true they "spend money for that
which is not bread," and "labor for that which satisfieth not" (Isa.
55:2), for "the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled
with hearing" (Eccl. 1:8). It is equally true that the unregenerate
are heavy laden, "a people laden with iniquity" (Isa. 1:4), yet they
are totally insensible to their awful state. "The labor of the foolish
wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the
city" (Eccl. 10:15). Moreover, "The wicked are like the troubled sea,
when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no
peace, saith my God, to the wicked" (Isa. 57:20-21). They have neither
peace of conscience nor rest of heart. But it is quite another matter
to affirm these are the characters Christ invited to come unto Him for
rest.
We prefer the view taken by the older writers. Over a century ago a
latitudinarian spirit began to creep in, and even the most orthodox
were often, unconsciously, affected by it. Those in the pews were more
inclined to chafe against what they regarded as the "rigidity" and
"narrowness" of their fathers; and those in the pulpit had to tone
down those aspects of truth which were most repellent to the carnal
mind, if they were to retain their popularity. Side by side with
modern inventions, an increased means for travel, and the
dissemination of news, came what was termed "a broader outlook" and "a
more charitable spirit." Posing as an angel of light, Satan succeeded
in Arminianizing many places of truth; and even where this was not
accomplished, high Calvinism was whittled down to moderate Calvinism.
These are solemn facts which no student of ecclesiastical history can
deny. Christendom has not fallen into its present condition all of a
sudden; rather its present state is the outcome of a long and steady
deterioration. The deadly poison of error was introduced here a
little, there a little, with the quantity increased as less opposition
came against it. As the acquiring of "converts" absorbed more and more
of the attention and strength of the Church, the standard of doctrine
lowered, sentiment displaced convictions, and fleshly methods were
introduced. In a comparatively short time many of those sent out to
"the foreign field" were rank Arminians, preaching "another gospel."
This reacted upon the homeland, and soon the interpretations of
Scripture given out from pulpits moved into line with the "new spirit"
which had captivated Christendom.
While we do not affirm that everything modem is evil or that
everything ancient was excellent, there is no doubt that the greater
part of the boasted "progress" in Christendom of the nineteenth and
twentieth centuries was a progress downward and not upward--away from
God and not toward Him, into the darkness and not the light. Therefore
we need to examine with double caution any religious views which
deviate from the common teachings of the godly Reformers and Puritans.
We need not be worshipers of antiquity as such, but we need to regard
with suspicion those "broader" interpretations of God's Word which
have become popular in recent times.
We should point out some of the reasons why we do not believe that
Christ was making a broadcast invitation that was issued promiscuously
to the light-headed, gay-hearted, pleasure-crazy masses which had no
appetite for the Gospel and no concern for eternal interests. This
call was not addressed to the godless, careless, giddy and worldly
multitudes, but rather to those who were burdened with a sense of sin
and longed for relief of conscience.
First, the Lord Jesus received no commission from heaven to bestow
rest of soul upon all, but only upon the elect of God. "For I am come
down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that
sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all
which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up
again at the last day" (John 6:38-39). That, necessarily, regulated
all His ministry.
Second, the Lord Jesus always practiced what He preached. To His
disciples He said, "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither
cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their
feet, and turn again and rend you" (Matthew 7:6). Can we, then,
conceive of our holy Lord inviting the unconcerned to come unto Him
for that which their hearts abhorred? Has He set His ministers such an
example? Surely, the word He would have them press upon the
pleasure-intoxicated members of our generation is, "Rejoice, O young
man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy
youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine
eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee
into judgment" (Eccl. 11:9).
Third, the immediate context is entirely out of harmony with the wider
interpretation. Christ pronounced most solemn "woes" on those who
despised and rejected Him (Matthew 11:20-24), drawing consolation from
the sovereignty of God and thanking Him because He had hidden from the
wise and prudent the things which belonged unto their eternal peace
but had revealed them unto babes (vv. 25-26). It is these "babes" He
invites to Himself; and we find Him presented as the One commissioned
by the Father and as the Revealer of Him (v. 27).
It must not be concluded that we do not believe in an unfettered
Gospel, or that we are opposed to the general offer of Christ to all
who hear it. Not so. His marching orders are far too plain for any
misunderstanding; his Master has bidden him "preach the Gospel to
every creature," so far as Divine providence admits, and the substance
of the Gospel message is that Christ died for sinners and stands ready
to welcome every sinner willing to receive Him on His terms. The Lord
Jesus announced the design of His incarnation in sufficiently general
terms as to warrant any man truly desiring salvation to believe in
Him. "I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance"
(Matthew 9:13). Many are called even though but few are chosen
(Matthew 20:16). The way we spell out our election is by coming to
Christ as lost sinners, trusting in His blood for pardon and
acceptance with God.
In his excellent sermon on these words before us, John Newton pointed
out that, when David was driven into the wilderness by the rage of
Saul, "every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt,
and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and
he became a captain over them" (1 Sam. 22:2). But David was despised
by those who, like Nabal (1 Sam. 25:10), lived at their ease. They did
not believe he should be a king over Israel, therefore they preferred
the favor of Saul, whom God had rejected. Thus it was with the Lord
Jesus. Though a divine person, invested with all authority, grace, and
blessings--and declaring that He would be the King of all who obeyed
His voice--yet the majority saw no beauty that they should desire Him,
felt no need of Him, and so rejected Him. Only a few who were
consciously burdened believed His Word and came to Him for rest.
What did our Lord signify when He bade all the weary and heavy laden
"come unto Me?" First, it is evident that something more than a
physical act or coming to hear Him preach was intended. These words
were first addressed to those already in His presence. Many who
attended His ministry and witnessed His miracles never came to Him in
the sense intended. The same holds true today. Something more than a
bare approach through the ordinances--listening to preaching,
submitting to baptism, partaking of the Lord's Supper--is involved in
coming to Christ. Coming to Christ in the sense He invited is a going
out of the soul after Him, a desire for Him, a seeking after Him, a
personal embracing and trusting Him.
Coming to Christ suggests first, and negatively, a leaving of
something, for the divine promise is, "He that covereth his sins shall
not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy"
(Prov. 28:13). Coming to Christ, then, denotes turning our backs upon
the world and turning our hearts unto Him as our only Hope. It means
to abandon every idol and surrender ourselves to His Lordship; it is
repudiating our own righteousness and dependency, and the heart going
out to Him in loving submission and trustful confidence. It is an
entire going out of self with all its resolutions to cast ourselves
upon His mercy; it is the will yielding itself to His authority, to be
ruled by Him and to follow where He leads. In short, it is the whole
soul of a self-condemned sinner turning unto a whole Christ,
exercising all our faculties, responding to His claims upon us, and
prepared to unreservedly trust, unfeignedly love, and devotedly serve
Him.
Thus, coming to Christ is the turning of the whole soul to Him.
Perhaps this calls for amplification. There are three principal
faculties in the soul: the understanding, the affections, and the
will. Since each of these were operative and affected by our original
departure from God, so they are and must be active in our return to
Christ. Of Eve it is recorded, "When the woman saw that the tree was
good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be
desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof" (Gen. 3:6).
First, she "saw that the tree was good for food," she perceived the
fact mentally, a conclusion drawn from her understanding. Second, "and
that it was pleasant to the eyes." That was the response of her
affections to it. Third, "and a tree to be desired to make one wise."
Here was the moving of her will. "And took of the fruit thereof and
did eat," was the completed action.
So it is in the sinner's coming to Christ. First there is apprehension
by the understanding. The mind is enlightened and brought to see a
deep need of Christ and His suitability to meet those needs. The
intelligence sees He is "good for food," the Bread of life for the
nourishment of our souls. Second, there is the moving of the
affections. Before, we saw no beauty in Christ that we should desire
Him, but now He is "pleasant to the eyes" of our souls. It is the
heart turning from the love of sin to the love of holiness, from self
to the Savior. Third, in coming to Christ there is an exercise of the
will, for He said to those who would not receive Him, "Ye will not
come to me that ye might have life" (John 5:40). This exercise of the
will is a yielding of ourselves to His authority.
None will come to Christ while they remain in ignorance of Him. The
understanding must accept His suitability for sinners before the mind
can turn intelligently to Him as He is revealed in the Gospel. Neither
can the heart come to Christ while it hates Him or is wedded to the
things of time and space. The affections must be drawn out to Him. "If
any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema" (1 Cor.
16:22). Equally evident is it that no man will come to Christ while
his will is opposed to Him: it is the enlightening of his
understanding and the firing of his affections which subdues his
enmity and makes the sinner willing in the day of God's power (Ps.
110:3). Observe that these exercises of the three faculties of the
soul correspond in character to the threefold office of Christ: the
understanding enlightened by Him as Prophet; the affections moved by
His work as Priest; and the will bowing to His authority as King.
In the days on earth the Lord Jesus stooped to minister to the needs
of men's bodies, and not a few came unto Him and were healed. In that
we may see an adumbration of Him as the Great Physician of souls and
what is required of sinners if they are to receive spiritual healing
at His hand. Those who sought out Christ to obtain bodily relief were
persuaded of His mighty power, His gracious willingness, and of their
own dire need. But note that then, as now, this persuasion in the
Lord's sufficiency and His readiness to nourish varied in different
cases. The centurion spoke with full assurance, "Speak the word only,
and my servant shall be healed" (Matthew 8:8). The leper expressed
himself more dubiously, "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean"
(Matthew 8:2). Another used fainter language, "If thou canst do any
thing, have compassion and help us" (Mark 9:22); yet even there the
Redeemer did not break the bruised reed nor quench the smoking flax,
but graciously wrought a miracle on his behalf.
But observe that in each of these cases there was a personal, actual
application to Christ; and it was this very application which
manifested their faith, even though it was as small as a grain of
mustard seed. They were not content with having heard of His fame, but
improved it. They sought Him out for themselves, acquainted Him with
their case, and implored His compassion. So it must be with those
troubled about soul concerns. Saving faith is not passive, but
operative. Moreover, the faith of those who sought Christ for physical
relief refused to be deterred by difficulties. In vain the multitudes
charged the blind man to be quiet (Mark 10:48). Knowing that Christ
was able to give sight, he cried so much the more. Even when Christ
appeared to manifest a great reserve, the woman refused to leave till
her request was granted (Matthew 15:27).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 2: Excellencies Which
Pertain to God the Son as Christ
41. The Rest of Christ
"Come Unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest" (Matthew 11:28). In a message on these words John Newton
pointed out:
The dispensation of the Gospel may be compared to the cities of refuge
in Israel. It was a privilege and honor to the nation in general that
they had such sanctuaries of Divine appointment, but the real value of
them was known and felt by only a few. Those alone who found
themselves in that case for which they were provided could rightly
prize them. Thus it is with the Gospel of Christ: it is the highest
privilege and honor of which a professing nation can boast, but it can
be truly understood and esteemed by none except weary and heavy laden
souls, who have felt their misery by nature, are tired of the drudgery
of sin, and have seen the broken Law pursuing them like the avenger of
blood of old. This is the only consideration which keeps them from
sinking into abject despair, in that God has graciously provided a
remedy by the Gospel and that Christ bids them "Come unto Me, and I
will give you rest."
If awakened, convicted, and distressed souls would but appropriate the
full comfort of that blessed invitation and obey its terms, their
complaints would end; but remaining ignorance, the workings of
unbelief, and the opposition of Satan combine to keep them back. Some
will say, "I am not qualified to come to Christ: my heart is so hard,
my conscience so insensible, that I do not feel the burden of my sins
as I ought, nor my need of Christ's rest as I should." Others will
say, "I fear that I do not come aright. I see from the Scriptures and
hear from the pulpit that repentance is required from me and that
faith is an absolute essential if I am to be saved; but I am concerned
to know whether my repentance is sincere and deep enough and if my
faith is anything better than an historical one--the assent of the
mind to the facts in the Gospel."
We may discover from those who sought healing from Him what is meant
by the invitation Christ makes to those who have sought the approval
of God and met His requirements in the Law. First, they were persuaded
of His power and willingness and of their own deep need of His help.
So it is in the matter of salvation. The sinner must be convinced that
Christ is "mighty to save," that He is ready to receive all who are
sick of sin and want to be healed. Second, they made an application to
Him. They were not content to hear of His fame, but wanted proof of
His wonderworking power. So too the sinner must not only credit the
message of the Gospel, but also he must seek Him and trust Him.
Those who sought Christ as a Physician of souls continued with Him and
became His followers. They received Him as their Lord and Master,
renounced what was inconsistent with His will (Luke 9:23, 60),
professed an obedience to His precepts, and accepted a share in His
reproach. Some had a more definite call to Him, such as Matthew, who
was sitting at the receipt of custom, indifferent to the claims of
Christ until He said, "Follow me" (Matthew 9:9). That word was
accompanied with power and won his heart, separating him from worldly
pursuits in an instant. Others were drawn to Him more secretly by His
Spirit, such as Nathanael (John 1:46), and the weeping penitent (Luke
7:38). The ruler came to the Lord with no other intention than to
obtain the life of his son (John 4:53), but he secured much more than
he expected, and he believed, with all his house.
These things are recorded for our encouragement. The Lord Jesus is not
on earth in visible form, but He promised His spiritual presence to
abide with His Word, His ministers, and His people to the end. Weary
sinners do not have to take a hard journey to find the Savior, for He
is always near (Acts 17:27) wherever His Gospel is preached. "But the
righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in
thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (That is, to bring Christ
down from above.) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (That is, to
bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is
nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of
faith, which we preach" (Rom. 10:6-8). If you cannot come to Christ
with a tender heart and burdened conscience, then come to Him for
them.
Is it a sense of your load which makes you say you are not able? Then
consider that this is not a work, but a rest. Would a man plead I am
so heavy laden that I cannot consent to part with my burden; so weary
that I am not able either to stand still or to lie down, but must
force myself farther? The greatness of your burden, so far from being
an objection, is the very reason why you should instantly come to
Christ, for He alone is able to release you. But perhaps you think you
do not come aright. I ask, how would you come? If you come as a
helpless unworthy sinner, without righteousness, without any hope but
what arises from the worth, work, and Word of Christ, this is to come
aright. There is no other way of being accepted. Would you refresh and
strengthen yourself, wash away your own sins, free yourself from your
burden, and then come to Him to do these things for you? May the Lord
help you to see the folly and unreasonableness of your unbelief (John
Newton).
There is no promise in Scripture that God will reward the careless,
halfhearted, indolent seeker; but He has declared, "Ye shall seek me,
and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart" (Jer.
29:13) He has a fixed time for everyone whom He receives. He knew how
long the poor man had waited at the pool (John 5:6), and when His hour
came He healed him. So endeavor to be found in the way: where His Word
is preached, and diligently search His Word in the privacy of your
room. Be much in prayer. Converse with His people, and He may join you
unexpectedly, as He did the two disciples walking to Emmaus.
"I will give you rest." What a claim! No mere man, no matter how godly
and spiritual, could promise this. Abraham, Moses, or David could not
bid the weary and heavy laden to come unto him with the assurance that
he would give them rest. To impart rest of soul to another is beyond
the power of the most exalted creature. Even the holy angels are
incapable of bestowing rest upon others, for they are dependent on the
grace of God for their own rest. Thus this promise of Christ
manifested His uniqueness. Neither Confucius, Buddha, nor Mohammed
ever made such a claim. It was no mere Man who uttered these words,
"Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give
you rest." He was the Son of God. He made man, and therefore He could
restore him. He was the Prince of peace, thus capable of giving rest.
As Christ is the only One who can bestow rest of soul, so there is no
true rest apart from Him. The creature cannot impart it. The world
cannot communicate it. We cannot manufacture it. One of the most
pathetic things in the world is to see the unregenerate vainly seek
happiness and contentment in the material things. At last they
discover these are all broken cisterns which hold no water. Observe
them turning to priests or preachers, penance or fastings, reading and
praying, only to find, as the prodigal son did when he "began to be in
want," that "no man gave unto him" (Luke 15); or see the poor woman
who had "suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all
that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse" (Mark
5:26). All the unregenerate, illiterate or learned, find "the way of
peace have they not known" (Rom. 3:17).
It is much to be thankful for when we realize experimentally that none
but Christ can do helpless sinners any good. This is a hard lesson for
man, and we are slow to learn it. The fact is not involved in itself,
but the devilish pride of our hearts makes us self-sufficient until
divine grace humbles us. It is part of the gracious work of the Holy
Spirit to bring us off our creature dependence, to knock the props
from under us, to make us see that Jesus Christ is our only hope.
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name
under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).
Strikingly this was illustrated by the dove sent forth by Noah. "But
the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto
him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth:
then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him
into the ark" (Gen. 8:9). Significantly, the very name "Noah" meant
"rest" (Gen. 5:29, margin); and it was only as the dove was "caused to
come unto him" that she obtained rest. So it is with the sinner.
What is the nature of this rest Christ gives to all who come to Him?
The Greek word expresses something more than rest, or a mere
relaxation from toil; it denotes refreshment likewise. A person weary
with long bearing a heavy burden will need not only to have it
removed, but likewise he wants food and refreshment to restore his
spirits and to repair his wasted strength. Such is the rest of the
Gospel. It not only puts a period to our fruitless labor, but it
affords a sweet reviving cordial. There is not only peace, but joy in
believing (John Newton).
Thus it is a spiritual rest, a satisfying rest, "rest for the soul" as
the Savior declares in this passage. It is such a rest the world can
neither give nor take away.
In particularizing upon the nature of this rest we may distinguish
between its present and future forms. Concerning the former, First, it
is a deliverance from that vain and wearisome quest which absorbs the
sinner before the Spirit opens his eyes to see his folly and moves him
to seek true riches. Piteous it is to behold those who are made for
eternity wasting their energies in wandering from object to object,
searching for what will not satisfy, only to be mortified by repeated
disappointments. It is so with all until they come to Christ, for He
has written about all the pleasures of this world, "Whosoever drinketh
of this water shall thirst again" (John 4:13). For example, Solomon,
who had everything the heart could desire and gratified his lusts to
the full, found that, "behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit"
(Eccl. 1:14). From this vexation of spirit Christ delivers His people,
for He declares, "whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give
him shall never thirst" (John 4:14).
Second, it is the easing and tranquilizing of a burdened conscience.
Only one who has been convicted by the Holy Spirit appreciates what
this means. When one has to cry out, "The arrows of the Almighty are
within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of
God do set themselves in array against me" (Job 6:4); when the curse
of God's broken Law thunders in our ears; when we have an inward sense
of divine wrath and the terrors of a future judgment fall upon the
soul, then there is indescribable anguish of mind. When a true work is
wrought in the heart by the Spirit we exclaim, "Thine arrows stick
fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore. There is no soundness in my
flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones
because of my sin" (Ps. 38:2-3). When we first see the wondrous love
of God for us, and how vilely we have repaid Him, then we are cut to
the quick. When by faith we come to Christ all this is altered. As we
see Him dying in our stead and that there is now no condemnation for
us, the intolerable load falls from our conscience--and a peace which
passeth all understanding is ours.
Third, it is a rest from the dominion and power of sin. Here again
only those who are the subjects of His grace can enter into what is
meant. The unawakened are unconcerned about the glory of God,
indifferent as to whether their conduct pleases Him. They have no
concept of the sinfulness of sin and no realization of how completely
sin dominates them. Only when the Spirit of God illumines their minds
and convicts their consciences do they see the awfulness of their
state; and only then, as they try to reform their ways, are they
conscious of the might of their inward foe and of their inability to
cope with him. In vain deliverance is sought in resolutions and
endeavors in our own strength. Even after we are quickened and begin
to understand the Gospel, for a season (often a lengthy one) it is
rather a fight than a rest. But as we grow more out of ourselves and
are taught to live in Christ and draw our strength from Him by faith,
we obtain a rest in this respect also.
Fourth, there is a rest from our own works. As the believer realizes
more clearly the sufficiency of the finished work of Christ he is
delivered experimentally from the Law and sees that he no longer owes
it service. His obedience is no longer legal but evangelical, no
longer out of fear, but out of gratitude. His service to the Lord is
not in a servile, but in a gracious spirit. What was formerly a burden
is now a delight. He no longer seeks to earn God's favor, but acts in
the realization that the smile of God is upon him. Far from rendering
him careless, this will spur him on to strive to glorify the One who
gave His own Son as a sacrifice. Thus, bondage gives place to liberty,
slavery to sonship, toil to rest. And the soul reposes on the
unchangeable Word of Christ and follows Him steadily through light and
darkness.
There is also a future rest beyond any that can be experienced here,
although our best conceptions of the glory awaiting the people of God
are inadequate. First, in heaven there will be a perfect resting from
all sin, for nothing shall enter there which could defile or disturb
our peace. What it will mean to be delivered from indwelling
corruptions no tongue can tell. The closer a believer walks with the
Lord, and the more intimate his communion with Him is, the more
bitterly he hates that within him which ever fights against his desire
for holiness. Therefore the apostle cried, "O wretched man that I am!
who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Rom. 7:24). But we
will not carry this burden beyond the grave.
Second, we shall be delivered from beholding the sins of others. No
more will our hearts be pained by the evils which flood the earth.
Like Lot in Sodom, we are grieved with the conversation of the
godless. "Who that has any love to the Lord Jesus, any spark of true
holiness, any sense of the worth of souls in his heart, can see what
passes amongst us without trembling? How openly, daringly, almost
universally, are the commandments of God broken, His Gospel despised,
His patience abused, and His power defied" (John Newton). If that were
the state of affairs 200 years ago what would this writer say were he
on earth today to witness not only the wickedness of a profane world,
but also the hypocrisy of Christendom? As the believer sees how the
Lord is dishonored in the house of those who pose as His friends, how
often he thinks, "Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I
fly away, and be at rest" (Ps. 55:6).
Third, there will be perpetual rest from all outward afflictions; for
in heaven none will harass the people of God. No more will the saint
live in the midst of an ungodly generation, which may not actively
persecute him, yet they only reluctantly tolerate his presence. Though
afflictions are needful, and when sanctified to us are also
profitable, nevertheless they are grievous to bear. But a day is
coming when these tribulations will no longer be necessary, for the
fine gold will have been purged from the dross. The storms of life
will be behind, and an unbroken calm will be the believer's lot
forever. Where there will be no more sin, there will be no more
sorrow. "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there
shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall
there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (Rev.
21:4).
Fourth, it will be a rest from Satan's temptations. How often he
disturbs the present rest of believers! How often they have cause to
say with the apostle, "Satan hath hindered me." He seeks in various
ways to hinder them from attending the public means of grace; to
hinder them when they try to meditate on the Word or pray. The devil
cannot bear to see one of Christ's people happy, so he tries
constantly to disturb their joy. One reason why God permits this is
that they may be conformed to their Head. When He was here on earth
the devil continually hounded Him. Even when believers come to the
hour of departure from this world, their great enemy seeks to rob them
of assurance, but he can pursue them no further. Absent from the body,
they are present with the Lord, forever out of the reach of their
adversary.
Finally, they rest from unsatisfied desires. When one has really been
born of the Spirit, he wants to be done with sin forever. He longs for
perfect conformity to the image of Christ, and for unbroken fellowship
with Him. But such longings are not realized in this life. Instead,
the old nature within the believer ever opposes the new, bringing him
into captivity to the law of sin (Rom. 7:23). But death affords final
relief from indwelling corruptions, and he is made "a pillar in the
temple of his God, and he shall go out no more" (Rev. 3:12). On the
morning of the resurrection the believer's body shall be "fashioned
like unto his glorious body" (Phil. 3:21), and his soul's every
longing shall then be fully realized. The change from grace to glory
will be as radical as the change from nature to grace.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 2: Excellencies Which
Pertain to God the Son as Christ
42. The Yoke of Christ
"Come Unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest." This is not a broadcast invitation, addressed indefinitely
to the careless, giddy masses; rather is it a gracious call to those
who seriously seek peace of heart, yet are still bowed down with a
load of guilt. It is addressed to those who long for rest of soul, but
who know not how it is to be obtained, nor where it is to be found. To
such Christ says, "Come unto me, and I will give you rest." But He
does not leave it there. He goes on to explain. Our Lord makes the
bare affirmation that He is the giver of rest (Matthew 11:28). In what
follows He specifies the terms on which He dispenses it, conditions
which we must meet if we are to obtain it. The rest is freely "given,"
but only to those who comply with the revealed requirements of its
Bestower.
"Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in
heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls"
(Matthew 11:29). In those words Christ voiced the conditions which men
must meet if they are to obtain rest of soul. We are required to take
His yoke upon us. The yoke is a figure of subjection. The force of
this figure may be understood if we contrast oxen running wild in the
field with oxen harnessed to a plow, where their owner directs their
energies. Hence we read, "It is good for a man that he bear the yoke
in his youth" (Lam. 3:27). That means unless youths are disciplined,
brought under subjection and taught to obey their superiors, they are
likely to develop into sons of Belial, intractable rebels against God
and man. When the Lord took Ephraim in hand and chastised him, he
bemoaned that he was like "a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke" (Jer.
31:18).
The natural man is born "like a wild ass's colt" (Job
11:12)--completely unmanageable, self-willed, determined to have his
own way at all costs. Having lost his anchor by the fall, man is like
a ship entirely at the mercy of winds and waves. His heart is unmoored
and he runs wild to his own destruction. Thus he has a need for the
yoke of Christ if he is to obtain rest for his soul. In its larger
sense, the yoke of Christ signifies complete dependence, unqualified
obedience, unreserved submission to Him. The believer owes this to
Christ both as his rightful Lord and his gracious Redeemer. Christ has
a double claim upon him: he is the creature of His hands, and gave him
being, with all his capacities and faculties. He has redeemed him and
acquired an additional claim on him. The saints are the purchased
property of another; therefore the Holy Spirit says, "Ye are not your
own, for ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your
body, and in your spirit, which are God's (1 Cor. 6:19-20).
"Take my yoke upon you," by which Christ meant: surrender yourself to
My Lordship, submit to My rule, let My will be yours. As Matthew Henry
pointed out:
We are here invited to Christ as Prophet, Priest and King, to be
saved, and in order to this,to be ruled and taught by Him. As the
oxen are yoked in order to submit to their owner's will and to work
under his control, so those who would receive rest of soul from
Christ are here called upon to yield to Him as their King. He died
for His people that they should not henceforth live unto
themselves, "but unto him which died for them, and rose again" (2
Cor. 5:15). Our holy Lord requires absolute submission and
obedience in all things both in the inward life and the outward,
even to "bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of
Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5). Alas that this is so little insisted upon in
a day when the high claims of the Savior are whittled down in an
attempt to render His Gospel more acceptable to the unregenerate.
It was different in the past, when those in the pulpit kept back
nothing profitable for their hearers. God honored such faithful
preaching by granting the anointing of His Spirit, so that the Word
was applied in power. Take this sample:
No heart can truly open to Christ that is not made willing, upon
due deliberation, to receive Him with His cross of sufferings and
His yoke of obedience: "If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me . . . Take my yoke
upon you, and learn of me" (Matthew 16:24; 11:29). Any exception
against either of these is an effectual barrier to union with
Christ. He looks upon that soul as not worthy of Him that puts in
such an exception: "he that taketh not his cross, and followeth
after me, is not worthy of me" (Matthew 10:38). If thou judgeth not
Christ to be worthy all sufferings, all losses, all reproaches, He
judges thee unworthy to bear the name of His disciple. So, for the
duties of obedience--called His "yoke"--he that will not receive
Christ's yoke can neither receive His pardon nor any benefit by His
blood (John Flavel, 1689).
"Take my yoke upon you." Note carefully that the yoke is not laid upon
us by another, but one which we place upon ourselves. It is a definite
act on the part of one who seeks rest from Christ, and without which
His rest cannot be obtained. It is a specific act of mind, an act of
conscious surrender to His authority, to be ruled only by Him. Saul
took this yoke upon him when, convicted of his rebellion and conquered
by a sense of the Savior's compassion, he said, "Lord, what wouldest
thou have me to do?" To take Christ's yoke upon us signifies setting
aside of our wills and completely submitting to His sovereignty,
acknowledging His Lordship in a practical way. Christ demands
something more than lip service from His followers, even a loving
obedience to all His commands, "Not every one that saith unto me,
Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth
the will of my Father which is in heaven . . . "whosoever heareth
these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise
man, which built his house upon a rock" (Matthew 7:21, 24).
"Take my yoke upon you." Our coming to Christ necessarily implies
turning of our backs upon all that is opposed to Him. "Let the wicked
forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him
return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him" (Isa. 55:7). So
taking His yoke presupposes our throwing off the yoke we had worn
before, the yoke of sin and Satan, of self-will and self-pleasing. "O
LORD our God, other lords besides thee have had dominion over us"
confessed Israel of old (Isa. 26:13). Then they added, "but by thee
only will we make mention of thy name." Thus taking Christ's yoke upon
us denotes a change of master, a conscious, cheerful change on our
part. "Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness
unto sin . . . Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants
to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey: whether of sin unto
death or of obedience unto righteousness" (Rom. 6:13, 16).
"Take my yoke upon you." It may sound much like a paradox--to bid
those who labor and are heavy laden, who come to Christ for "rest," to
take a "yoke" upon them. Yet, in reality it is far from the case.
Instead of the yoke of Christ bringing its wearer into bondage, it
introduces a real liberty, the only genuine liberty there is. The Lord
Jesus said to those who believed in Him, "If ye continue in my word,
then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the
truth shall make you free" (John 8:31-32). There must first be a
"continuing in His Word," a constant walking in it. As we do this He
makes good His promise, "and ye shall know the Truth": know it in an
experimental way, know its power, and its blessedness. The consequence
is, "the Truth shall make you free"--free from prejudice, from
ignorance, from folly, from self-will, from the grievous bondage of
Satan and the power of sin. Then the obedient disciple discovers that
divine commandments are "the perfect law of liberty" (James 1:25).
David said, "I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts" (Ps.
119:45).
By the yoke, two oxen were united together in the plow. The yoke then
is a figure of practical union. This is clear from, "Be ye not
unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath
righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with
darkness? (2 Cor. 6:14). The Lord's people are forbidden to enter into
any intimate relationships with unbelievers, prohibited from marrying,
forming business partnerships, or having any religious union with
them. This yoke speaks of a union which results in a close communion.
Christ invites those who come to Him for rest to enter into a
practical union with Him so that they may enjoy fellowship together.
So it was with Enoch, who "walked with God" (Gen. 5:24). But "Can two
walk together except they be agreed?" (Amos 3:3). They cannot. They
must be joined together in aim and unity of purpose, to glorify God.
"Take my yoke upon you." He does not ask us to wear something He has
not worn. O the wonder of this! "Let this mind be in you, which was
also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not
robbery to be equal with God; but made himself of no reputation, and
took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of
men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and
became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil.
2:5-8). The One who was equal with God "made himself of no
reputation." He, the Lord of glory, took upon Him "the form of a
servant." The very Son of God was "made of a woman, made under the
law" (Gal. 4:4). "Even Christ pleased not himself" (Rom. 15:3); "I
came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him
that sent me" (John 6:38). This was the yoke to which He gladly
submitted, complete subjection to the Father's will, loving obedience
to His commands. And here He says, "Take my yoke upon you." Do as I
did, making God's will yours. John Newton pointed out this is
three-fold:
First, the yoke of His profession,putting on of the Christian uniform
and owning the banner of our Commander. This is no irksome duty,
rather is it a delight. Those who have tasted that the Lord is
gracious are far from being ashamed of Him and of His Gospel. They
want to tell all who will hear what God has done for their souls. It
was true of Andrew and Philip (John 1:41, 43), and with the woman of
Samaria (John 4:28-29). As someone has said, "Many young converts in
the first warmth of their affection have more need of a bridle than of
a spur in this concern." No Christian should ever be afraid to show
his colors; nevertheless he should not flaunt them before those who
detest them. We will not go far wrong if we heed, "Be ready always to
give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that
is in you with meekness and fear" (1 Pet. 3:15). It is only when, like
Peter, we follow Christ "afar off," that we are in danger of denying
our discipleship.
Second, the yoke of His precepts.
These the gracious soul approves and delights in: but still we are
renewed but in part. And when the commands of Christ stand in
direct opposition to the will of man, or call upon us to sacrifice
a right hand or a right eye; though the Lord will surely make those
who depend upon Him victorious at the last, yet it will cost them a
struggle; so that, when they are sensible how much they owe to His
power working in them, and enabling them to overcome, they will, at
the same time, have a lively conviction of their own weakness.
Abraham believed in God, and delighted to obey, yet when he was
commanded to sacrifice his only son, this was no easy trial of his
sincerity and obedience; and all who are partakers of his faith are
exposed to meet, sooner or later, with some call of duty little
less contrary to the dictates of flesh and blood (John Newton).
Third, the yoke of His dispensations,His dealings with us in
Providence. If we enjoy the favor of the Lord, it is certain that we
will be out of favor with those who hate Him. He has plainly warned,
"If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye
are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world,
therefore the world hateth you" (John 15:19). It is useless to suppose
that, by acting prudently and circumspectly, we can avoid this. "All
that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (2 Tim.
3:12). It is only by unfaithfulness, by hiding our light under a
bushel, by compromising the Truth, by attempting to serve two masters,
that we can escape "the reproach of Christ." He was hated by the world
and has called us to fellowship with His sufferings. This is part of
the yoke He requires His disciples to bear. Moreover, "whom the Lord
loveth he chasteneth." It is hard to bear the opposition of the world,
but it is harder still to endure the rod of the Lord. The flesh is
still in us and resists vigorously when our wills are crossed;
nevertheless we are gradually taught to say with Christ, "the cup
which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" (John 18:11).
"And learn of me: for I am meek and lowly in heart." Once again we
call attention to the deep importance of observing our Lord's order
here. Just as there can be no taking of His yoke upon us until we
"come" to Him, so there is no learning of Him (in the sense meant)
until we have taken His yoke upon us--until we have surrendered our
wills to His and submitted to His authority. This is far more than an
intellectual learning of Christ, it is an experimental, effectual,
transforming learning. By painstaking effort any man may acquire a
theological knowledge of the person and doctrine of Christ. He may
even obtain a clear concept of His meekness and lowliness; but that is
vastly different from learning of Him in so as to be "changed into the
same image from glory to glory" (2 Cor. 3:18). To "learn" of Him we
must be completely subject to Him and in close communion with Him.
What is it that we most need to be taught of Him? How to do what will
make us objects of admiration in the religious world? Or how to obtain
such wisdom that we will be able to solve all mysteries? How to
accomplish such great things that we will be given the preeminence
among our brethren? No indeed, nothing resembling these, for "that
which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God"
(Luke 16:15). What, then, Lord? This: "Learn of me, for I am meek and
lowly in heart." These are the graces we most need to cultivate, the
fruits which the Husbandman most highly values. Of the former grace it
is said, "even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which in the
sight of God is of great price" (1 Pet. 3:4); of the latter the Lord
declared, "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is
of a contrite and humble spirit" (Isa. 57:15). Do we really believe
these Scriptures?
"For I am meek." What is meekness? We may best discover the answer by
observing the word in other verses. For example, "Now the man Moses
was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the
earth" (Num. 12:3). This refers to the gentleness of Moses' spirit
under unjust opposition. Instead of returning evil, he prayed for the
healing of Miriam. So far from being weakness (as the world supposes),
meekness is the strength of the man who can rule his own spirit under
provocation, subduing his resentment of wrong, and refusing to
retaliate. The "meek and quiet spirit" also has to do with the
subjection of a wife to her husband (1 Pet. 3:1-6); her chaste
conversation (or behavior) which is to be "coupled with fear" (v. 2);
even as Sarah "obeyed Abraham, calling him lord" (v. 6). It is
inseparably associated with gentleness: "the meekness and gentleness
of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:1); "gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men"
(Titus 3:2). The "spirit of meekness" is in sharp contrast from the
apostle using "the rod" (1 Cor. 4:21).
Thus we may say that "meekness" is the opposite of self-will. It is
pliability, yieldedness, offering no resistance, as clay in the
Potter's hands. When the Maker of heaven and earth exclaimed, "I am a
worm, and no man" (Ps. 22:6), He referred not only to the unparalleled
depths of shame into which He descended for our sakes, but also to His
lowliness and submission to the Father's will. A worm has no power of
resistance, not even when it is stepped on. So there was nothing in
the perfect Servant which opposed the will of God. Behold in Him the
majesty of meekness, when He stood like a lamb before her shearers,
committing Himself to the righteous Judge. Contrast Satan, who is
represented as "the great red dragon"; while the Lamb stands as the
symbol of the meekest and gentlest.
The meekness of Christ appeared in His readiness to become the
covenant head of His people, and to assume our nature; in being
subject to His parents during the days of His childhood; in submitting
to the ordinance of baptism; in His entire subjection to the Father's
will. He made no retaliation; He counted not His life dear unto
Himself, but freely laid it down for others. We most need to learn of
Him not how to become great or self-important, but how to deny self,
to become tractable and gentle, to be servants--not only His servants,
but also the servants of our brethren.
"For I am meek and lowly in heart." As meekness is the opposite of
self-will, so lowliness is the reverse of self-esteem and
self-righteousness. Lowliness is self-abasement, yes, self-effacement.
It is more than a refusing to stand up for our own rights. Though He
was so great a Person, this grace was preeminently displayed by
Christ. "The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to
minister" (Matthew 20:28); "I am among you as he that serveth" (Luke
22:27). Behold Him as he performed the menial duties of washing: the
feet of His disciples. He was the only one born into this world who
could choose the home and the circumstances of His birth. What a
rebuke to our foolish pride His choice was! My reader, we must indeed
learn of Him if this choice flower of paradise is to bloom in the
garden of our souls.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 2: Excellencies Which
Pertain to God the Son as Christ
43. The Quintessence of Christ
The Lord Jesus uttered a gracious invitation which is accompanied by a
precious promise--"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of
me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your
souls" (Matthew 11:28-29)--and then He proceeded to make known the
conditions of that promise. To those whose consciences are weighted
down by a burden of guilt and who are anxious for relief, He says,
"Come unto me and rest." But His rest can only be obtained as we meet
His requirements: that we take His "yoke" upon us, and that we "learn"
of Him. Taking Christ's yoke upon us consists of surrendering our
wills to Him, submitting to His authority, consenting to be ruled by
Him (see chapter 42). Now consider what it means to "learn" of Him.
Christ is the antitypical Prophet, to whom all of the Old Testament
prophets pointed. He alone was personally qualified to fully make
known the will of God. "God, who at sundry times and in diverse
manners spake in time past unto the fathers, by the prophets, hath in
these last days spoken unto us by his Son" (Heb. 1:1-2). Christ is the
grand Teacher of His Church, all others are subordinate to and
appointed by Him. "He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets: and
some evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting
of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the
body of Christ" (Eph. 4:11-12). Christ is the chief Shepherd and
Feeder of His flock, His undershepherds learn of and receive from Him.
Christ is the personal Word in whom and through whom the divine
perfections are illustriously displayed. "No man hath seen God at any
time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he
hath declared him" (John 1:18). So we must come to Christ to be
instructed in heavenly doctrine and built up in our holy faith.
"Learn of me." Christ is not only the final Spokesman of God, the One
by whom the divine will is fully uttered, but also He is also the
grand Exemplar set before His people. Christ did more than proclaim
the Truth, He became the embodiment of it. He did more than utter the
will of God; He was the personal exemplification of it. The divine
requirements were perfectly set forth in the character and conduct of
the Lord Jesus. And therein He differed radically from all who went
before Him, and all who come after Him. The lives of the prophets (Old
Testament) and the apostles (New Testament) shed scattered rays of
light, but they were merely reflections of the Light. Christ is "the
Sun of righteousness,'' therefore fully qualified to say, "learn of
me." There was no error in His teaching, nor the slightest blemish in
His character, or flaw in His conduct. The life He lived presents to
us a perfect standard of holiness, a perfect pattern for us to follow.
When His enemies asked, "Who art thou?" He answered, "even the same
that I said unto you from the beginning" (John 8:25). The force of
that remarkable answer (expressed in the Greek) is brought out yet
more plainly in Bagster's Interlinear and the margin of the American
Revised Version, "Altogether that which I also spoke unto thee." In
reply to their interrogation, the Son of God affirmed that He was
essentially and absolutely what He declared Himself to be. I have
spoken of "light"; I am that light. I have spoken of "truth", I am
that truth--the incarnation, personification, and exemplification
thereof. None but He could really say I am Myself what I am speaking
to you about. The child of God may speak the truth and walk in the
truth, but He is not the truth. Christ is! A Christian may let his
light shine, but he is not the light. Christ was, and therein we see
His exalted uniqueness. "We may know him that is true" (1 John 5:20);
not "him who taught the truth," but "him that is true."
Because the Lord Jesus could make this claim--"I am altogether that
which I spoke unto thee": I am the living embodiment, the personal
exemplification of all which I teach, that He is a perfect Pattern for
us to follow--that He can say, "Learn of me." "He has left us an
example, that we should follow His steps" (1 Pet. 2:21). Since we bear
His name (Christians) we should imitate His holiness. "Be ye followers
of me, as I also am of Christ" (1 Cor. 11:1). The best of men are but
men at the best. They have their errors and defects, which they freely
acknowledge; therefore where they differ from Christ it is our duty to
differ from them. No man, however wise or holy, is a perfect rule for
other men. The standard of perfection is in Christ alone; He is the
rule of every Christian's walk. "Not as though I had already attained,
either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may
apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus" (Phil.
3:12). Though we fall far short of teaching such a standard in this
life, nothing short of it should be our aim.
"He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk even as
he walked" (1 John 2:6). Many reasons might be given in proof of
"ought." It is vain for any man to profess he is a Christian unless he
evidences that it is both his desire and endeavor to follow the
example Christ left His people. As the Puritans said, "Let him either
put on the life of Christ, or put off the name of Christ; let him show
the hand of a Christian in works of holiness and obedience, or else
the tongue and language of a Christian must gain no belief or credit."
God has predestinated His people "to be conformed to the image of his
Son" (Rom. 8:29). The work was begun here and perfected after death,
but that work is not consummated in heaven unless it is commenced on
earth. "We may as well hope to be saved without Christ, as to be saved
without conformity to Christ" (John Flavel).
This practical conformity between God's Son and His sons is
indispensable to their relation in grace, this relationship between
body and head. Believers are members of a living organism of which
Christ is the Head; of members, "By one Spirit we are all baptized
into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or
free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:13);
of Christ, "and [God] gave him to be the head over all things to the
church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in
all" (Eph. 1:22-23). The two together (members and Head) form
Christ-mystical. Now as Christ, the Head, is pure and holy, so also
must be the members. An animal with a human head would be a
monstrosity. For the sensual and godless to claim oneness to Christ is
to misrepresent Him before the world, as though His mystical Body were
like the image of Nebuchadnezzar, with the head of fine gold and the
feet of iron and clay (Dan. 2:32 ff.).
This resemblance to Christ appears necessary from the communion which
all believers have with Him in the same Spirit of grace and holiness.
Christ is the "Firstborn among many brethren," and God anointed Him
"with the oil of gladness above thy fellows" (Ps. 45:7). That oil of
gladness is an emblem of the Holy Spirit, and God gives the same to
each of the fellows or partners. Where the same Spirit and principle
is, there the same fruits and works must be produced, according to the
proportions of the Spirit of grace bestowed. This is the very reason
the Holy Spirit is given to believers. "But we all, with open face
beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the
same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2
Cor. 3:18).
Also, the very honor of Christ demands conformity of Christians to His
example. In what other way can they close the mouths of those who
reject their Master and vindicate His blessed name from the reproaches
of the world? How can Wisdom be justified of her children except in
this way? The wicked will not read the inspired record of His life in
the Scriptures; therefore there is all the more need to have His
excellencies set before them in the lives of His people. The world
sees what we practice, as well as hears what we profess. Unless there
is consistency between our profession and practice we cannot glorify
Christ before a world which has cast Him out.
Then, there must be an inward conformity to Christ before there can be
any resemblance on the outside. There must be an experimental oneness
before there can be a practical likeness. How can we possibly be
conformed to Him in external acts of obedience unless we are conformed
to Him in those springs from which such actions proceed? We must live
in the Spirit before we can walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:25). "Let this
mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5), for the
mind should regulate all our other faculties. Therefore we are told,
"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is
life and peace" (Rom. 8:6). What was "the mind which was in Christ
Jesus?" It was that of self-abnegation and devotedness to the Father.
That we must begin with inward conformity to Christ is evident from
our text; after saying "learn of me." He at once added, "for I am meek
and lowly in heart."
We need to attend closely to our Lord's order in this passage,
insisting we cannot possibly "learn" of Him (in the sense meant here)
until we have taken His "yoke" upon us, until we surrender ourselves
to Him. It is not merely to an intellectual learning of Him which
Christ calls us, but to an experimental, effectual, and transforming
learning; and in order to obtain that we must be completely subject to
Him. John Newton suggested that there is yet another relation between
these two things: not only is our taking of Christ's yoke upon us an
indispensable requirement for our learning of Him, but also our
learning of Him is His duly appointed means to enable us to wear His
yoke.
"Learn of me." Be not afraid to come to Me for help and instruction,
"for I am meek and lowly in heart." Here is encouragement. You need
not hesitate to come to such a One, the Maker of heaven and earth,
King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the One before whom all the
angels of heaven prostrate themselves in homage, yet the One who is
the Friend of sinners. He is able to solve our every problem and
supply strength for the weakest; because He is Man, possessed of human
sensibilities, therefore is He capable of being "touched with the
feeling of our infirmities."
"Learn of me." I know why these things appear so hard. It is owing
to the pride and impatience of your hearts. To remedy this, take Me
for your example; I require nothing of you but what I have
performed before you, and on your account: in that path I mark out
for you, you may perceive My own footsteps all the way. This is a
powerful argument, a sweet recommendation, the yoke of Christ, to
those who love Him, that He bore it Himself. He is not like the
Pharisees, whom He censured (Matthew 23:4) on this very account:
who bound heavy burdens, and grievous to be borne, and laid them on
men's shoulders, but they themselves would not move them with one
of their fingers.
1. Are you terrified with the difficulties attending your
profession:disheartened by hard usage, or too ready to show
resentment against those who oppose you? Learn of Jesus, admire and
imitate His constancy: "Consider him who endured the contradiction
of sinners against himself" (Heb. 12:3). Make a comparison (so the
word imports) between yourself and Him, between the contradiction
which He endured and that which you are called to struggle with;
then surely you will be ashamed to complain. Admire and imitate His
meekness: when He was reviled, He reviled not again; when He
suffered, He threatened not; He wept for His enemies, and prayed
for His murderers. Let the same mind be in you which was also in
Christ Jesus.
2. Do you find it hard to walk steadfastly in His
precepts,especially in some particular instances, when the maxims
of worldly prudence and the pleadings of flesh and blood, are
strongly against you? Learn of Jesus. He pleased not Himself (Rom.
15:3): He considered not what was safe and easy, but what was the
will of His heavenly Father. Entreat Him to strengthen you with
strength in your soul, that as you bear the name of His disciples,
you may resemble Him in every part of your conduct, and shine as
lights in a dark and selfish world, to the glory of His grace.
3. Are you tempted to repine at the dispensations of Divine
providence? Take Jesus for your pattern. Did He say, when the
unspeakable sufferings He was to endure for sinners were just
coming upon Him, "The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I
not drink it?" (John 18:11); and shall we presume to have a will of
our own? especially when we further reflect, that as His sufferings
were wholly on our account, so all our sufferings are by His
appointment, and all designed by Him to promote our best, that is
our spiritual and eternal welfare? (John Newton).
"Learn of me." Christ, then, taught His disciples not only by precept,
but also by example, not only by word of mouth but also by His own
perfect life of obedience to the Father's will. When He uttered these
words (Matthew 11:29) He was wearing the "yoke" and personally
exemplifying meekness and lowliness. What a perfect Teacher, showing
us in His own selflessness what these graces really are. He did not
associate with the noble and mighty, but made fishermen His
ambassadors and sought out the most despised, so that He was dubbed "a
friend of publicans and sinners."
"And learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart." Those heavenly
graces, the roots from which all other spiritual excellencies spring,
can only be learned from Christ. The colleges and seminaries cannot
impart them, preachers and churches cannot bestow them, no
self-culture can attain unto them. They can only be learned
experimentally at the feet of Christ, only as we take His yoke upon
us. They can only be learned as we commune with Him and follow the
example He left us. They can only be learned as we pray that we may be
more fully conformed to His image and trustfully seek the enablement
of His Spirit to "mortify the deeds of the body."
What causes have we to mourn that there is so little meekness and
lowliness in us! How we need to confess unto God our lamentable
deficiency. Yet, merely mourning does not improve matters. We must go
to the root of our folly and judge it. Why have I failed to learn
these heavenly graces? Has it not to be said of me, as of Israel,
"Ephraim is a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke?" Not until my proud
spirit is broken and my will completely surrendered to Christ, can I
truly "learn of Him."
And taking Christ's yoke upon us and learning of Him is a daily thing.
Christianity is far more than a creed or ethical code--it is a being
conformed practically to the image of God's Son. So many make the
great mistake in supposing that coming to Christ and taking His yoke
is a single act, which may be done once and for all. Not so! It is to
be a continuous and daily act, "To whom coming [again and again], as
unto a living stone" (1 Pet. 2:4). We need to continue as we began.
The mature Christian who has been fifty years in the way needs Christ
as urgently now as he did the first moment he was convicted of his
lost condition. He needs to daily take His yoke and learn of Him.
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 2: Excellencies Which
Pertain to God the Son as Christ
44. The Leadership of Christ
"For My Yoke Is Easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:30). As
pointed out (see chapter 43) the yoke, employed figuratively, is the
symbol of service. Such an instrument united oxen together in pulling
the plow or wagon, so they worked for their master. Our text refers to
the service of Christ, in contrast to the service of sin and Satan.
The devil promises his subjects a grand time if they follow his
promptings, but sooner or later they discover, "the way of
transgressors is hard" (Prov. 13:15). Sin deceives. Its deluded
victims imagine they enjoy liberty while indulging the lusts of the
flesh; but when failing health suggests they had better change their
ways, they discover they are bound by habits they cannot break. Sin is
a more cruel taskmaster than were the Egyptians to the Hebrews. And
the service of Satan imposes far heavier burdens than Pharaoh ever
placed upon his slaves. But "My yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
This declaration of the Savior may also be the sequel to His opening
words in this passage. There He invited those who labored and were
heavy laden, which may be understood in a twofold sense: those who
were sick of sin and bowed down by a sense of its guilt, and those who
labored to meet the requirements of divine holiness and are cast down
by their inability to do so. Those who seek to fulfill the letter of
God's Law, far from finding it "easy," discover it is very hard; while
those who endeavor to work out a righteousness of their own to gain
God's esteem, find it a heavy task and not a "light burden."
"For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Exactly what is the
relation between this verse and the ones preceding? To which of the
previous clauses is it more immediately connected? We cannot discover
that any commentator has made any specific attempt to answer this
question. We deem it wise to link these closing words of the Redeemer
with each of the earlier utterances. Thus, "Come unto me, all ye that
labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest; for my yoke is
easy, and my burden is light. There is encouragement for us to come
and proof that He will give us rest. "Take my yoke upon you": you need
not fear to do so, "for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." "And
learn of me," for not only am I "meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall
find rest unto your souls," but "for my yoke is easy."
"For my yoke is easy." The Greek word is variously rendered, "good,"
"kind," "gracious." There is nothing to chafe or hurt, rather is it
pleasant to wear. The question has been raised if Christ spoke
absolutely or relatively. That is, did He describe what the yoke was
in itself, or how that yoke appeared to His people? We believe both
senses are included. Assuredly Christ's yoke or service is a light or
gracious one in itself, for all His commandments are framed by
infinite wisdom and love and are designed for the good of those who
receive them. So far from being a harsh tyrant who imposes hard duties
for the mere sake of exerting His authority, Christ is a gracious
Master who ever has in mind the welfare and highest interests of His
subjects. His commandments "are not grievous" in themselves, but
beneficent. The "father of lies" affirms Christ's yoke to be difficult
and heavy.
But not only is the yoke of Christ "easy" in itself, but also it
should be so in the sense and apprehension of His people. It will be
so, if they do as He bids. The unregenerate find the yoke of Christ
irksome and heavy, for it grates against the carnal nature. The
service of Christ is drudgery to those in love with the world and who
find their delight in fleshly lusts; but to one whose heart has been
captivated by Christ, to be under His yoke is pleasant. If we come to
Christ daily to be renewed by His grace, to yield ourselves afresh to
His rule; if we sit at His feet to be taught of Him the loveliness of
meekness and lowliness: if we enjoy spiritual communion with Him and
partake of His rest, then whatsoever He commands is delightful to us,
and we prove for ourselves that "wisdom's ways are ways of
pleasantness, and all her paths are peace" (Prov. 3:17).
Here the Christian may discover the most conclusive evidence that a
good work of grace has begun in his heart. How many poor souls are
deeply distressed over this point. They ask themselves continually,
Have I been genuinely converted or am I yet in a state of nature? They
keep themselves in needless suspense because they fail to apply the
scriptural methods of confirmation. Instead of measuring themselves by
the rules in the Word, they await some extraordinary sensation in
their heart. But many have been deceived at this point, for Satan can
produce happy sensations in the heart and deep impressions on the
mind. How much better is the testimony of an enlightened conscience.
Judging things by the Word of God, it perceives that the yoke of
Christ is easy and light.
But this principle works both ways. If we find by experience that
Christ's yoke is easy and His burden is light then what must be said
of a vast number of professing Christians who, by their own conduct,
often avow that the Lord's service is burdensome? Though members of
evangelical churches, may we conclude they are of the class who have a
name that they live, and yet are dead (Rev. 3: 1)? Certainly we cannot
allow that Christ made a false predication of His yoke. Then only one
alternative is left. We are obliged to regard as strangers to
godliness those who find a life of communion with the Lord and
devotedness to His service dull or irksome.
Do not misunderstand this point. We are not affirming the Christian
life is nothing but a bed of roses, or that when a person comes to
Christ and takes His yoke that his troubles end. Not so. Instead, in a
real sense his troubles only then begin. It is written, "Yea, and all
that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (2 Tim.
3:12). Wearing the yoke of Christ unites us to Him; and union with Him
brings us into "fellowship with His sufferings." The members of
Christ's body, share the experience of their Head. The world hated and
persecuted Him, and it hates those who bear His image. But the more
closely we walk with Christ, the more we will suffer the hostility of
Satan, for his rage is stirred up when he finds he has lost another of
his captives.
Not only does the one who truly comes to Christ and takes upon him His
yoke evoke the hatred of Satan and of the world, but also he is now
the subject of inward conflicts. The corrupt nature which was his at
birth is neither removed nor refined when he becomes a Christian. It
remains within him, unchanged. But now he is more conscious of its
presence and its vileness. Moreover, that evil nature opposes every
movement of the holy nature he received at the new birth. "The flesh
lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and
these are contrary the one to the other" (Gal. 5:17). This discovery
of the plague of his own heart and that within there is opposition to
holy aspirations, is a source of deep anguish to the child of God. He
often cries, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from this
body of death?" (Rom. 7:24).
We cannot affirm that the Christian's life is one of unclouded
sunshine; yet we must not convey the impression the believer's lot is
far from being envious, and that he is worse off than the unbeliever.
Far from it. If the Christian uses diligently the means of God's
appointing, he will possess a peace which passeth all understanding,
and experience joys the worldling knows nothing about. The world may
frown and the devil rage against him, but an approving conscience, the
smile of God, the communion with fellow-believers, and the assurance
of eternity with his Beloved, are ample compensation.
What is there in the yoke of Christ which makes such amends for the
enmity it evokes and the suffering it entails, so that the believer
will attest that it is an easy one? In seeking to answer this question
we shall avail ourself of the help of John Newton's sermons, in
outline. First, those who wear the yoke of Christ act from a principle
which makes all things easy. This is love. Any yoke will chafe when
resisted, but even one of cast-iron would be pleasant if it were lined
with felt and padded with wool. And this is what renders the yoke of
Christ easy to His people. It is lined with love, His to them, and
theirs to Him. Whenever the shoulder becomes sore, look to the lining!
Keep the lining right and the yoke will be no more a burden to us than
wings are to a bird, or a wedding ring to a bride.
Scripture records that when Jacob served a hard master seven years for
Rachel, they seemed but a few days to him "for the love he had to her"
(Gen. 29:20). What a difference it makes when we perform a difficult
task, whether for a stranger or a dear friend, an exacting employer or
a close relative. Affection makes the hardest joy easy. But there is
no love like that which a redeemed sinner bears to Him who died in his
stead. We are willing to suffer much to gain the affection of one we
highly esteem, even though we are not sure of success; but when we
know the affection is reciprocal, it gives added strength for the
endeavor. The believer does not love with uncertainty. He knows that
Christ loved him before he had any love for the Savior; yes, loved him
even when his own heart was filled with enmity against Him. This love
supplies two sweet and effectual motives in service:
A desire to please.This is the question love is ever asking. What can
I do to gratify, to make happy the object of my affection? Love is
ever ready to do whatever it can, and regrets that it cannot do more.
Neither time, difficulties, nor expense concern the one whose heart is
warmly engaged. But the world is not in the secret. They neither know
nor appreciate the principles which motivate the people of God. Not
only are they at a loss to understand why the Christian is no longer
willing to join with them in the pleasures of sin, but also they fail
to see what satisfaction he finds in reading the Scriptures, in secret
prayer, or public worship. They suppose that some mental derangement
is responsible, and advise him to leave such gloomy exercises to those
on the verge of the grave. But the believer can answer, "the love of
Christ constraineth me."
A pleasant assurance of acceptance.What a difference it makes when we
are able to determine whether or not what we do will be favorably
received. If we have reason to fear that the one for whom we work does
not appreciate our efforts, we find little delight in the task and are
tempted to spare ourselves. But if we have good reason to believe that
our labors will meet with a smile of approval, how much easier is the
labor and how much more readily will we do it with our might. It is
this encouragement which stimulates Christ's disciples. They know that
He will not overlook the smallest service in His name or the slightest
suffering endured for His sake; for even a cup of cold water given on
His account is acknowledged as though proffered immediately to Him
(Mark 9:41).
Second, service is still easier and lighter if it is agreeable to our
inclinations. Esau would probably have done anything to please his
father to obtain the blessing. But no commandment could have been more
agreeable to him than to be sent for venison, because he was a hunter
(Gen. 25:27). The Christian has received from God a new nature, he has
been made "a partaker of the divine nature" (2 Pet. 1:4). Just as the
magnetic needle ever points to the North Star, so this spiritual
principle ever turns to its Author. Consequently, God's Word is its
food, communion with Him its desire, His Law its delight. True, he
still groans under inward corruption, but these are part of sin's
burden and no part of Christ's yoke. He groans because he cannot serve
Him better. But just so far as he exercises his faith he rejoices in
every part of Christ's yoke. Professing His name is a holy privilege,
His precepts are a profitable meditation, and suffering for Christ's
sake is counted an high honor.
Third, the burden of Christ is light because sustaining grace is
granted to its wearer. Service to a loved one would be impracticable
if you were infirm and incapacitated. Nor could you take a long
journey to minister to a friend, no matter how dear, if you were
crippled. But the yoke of Christ is easy in this respect too--He
supplies sufficient strength to the bearer. What is hard to flesh and
blood is easy to faith and grace. It is true, apart from Christ the
believer "can do nothing" (John 15:5); but it is equally true he "can
do all things" through Christ strengthening him (Phil. 4:13). It is
true that, "Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young
men shall utterly fall"; yet we are divinely assured "they that wait
upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with
wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk,
and not faint" (Isa. 40:30-31). What more can we ask? It is entirely
our own fault if we are not "strong in the Lord, and in the power of
his might" (Eph. 6:10).
Whatever the Lord may call upon us to do, if we depend on Him in the
use of appointed means, He will most certainly equip us for it. He is
no Pharaoh, requiring us to make bricks and providing no straw for the
same. So far from it, He promises, "as thy days, so shall thy strength
be" (Deut. 33:25). Moses may complain, "I am slow of speech, and of a
slow tongue," but the Lord assures him," I will be with thy mouth, and
teach thee what thou shalt say" (Ex. 4:10, 12). Paul acknowledged,
"Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of
ourselves;" yet he at once added, "but our sufficiency is of God" (2
Cor. 3:5). So too whatever sufferings the Lord calls upon His people
to endure for His sake, He will assuredly grant sustaining grace. "All
power in heaven and in earth" belongs unto Christ and therefore is He
able to make our enemies flee before us and deliver from the mouth of
the lion. Even though He permits His servants to be beaten and cast
into prison, yet songs of praises are put into their mouths (Acts
16:25).
Finally, the easiness of Christ's yoke appears in the rich
compensations that accompany it. Under sin's yoke we spent our
strength for what did not satisfy, but when wearing Christ's yoke we
find rest for our souls. If we live a life of pleasing self and
seeking our own honor, then we reap misery and woe; but when self is
denied and Christ is glorified, peace and joy is ours. No man serves
Christ for nothing: in keeping His commandments there is "great
reward" (Ps. 19:11)--not of debt, but of grace, after. The Christian
may have much to cast him down, but he has far more to cheer him up
and send him on his way rejoicing. He has free access to the throne of
grace, precious promises to rest upon, and the consolation of the Holy
Spirit to comfort his soul. He has a Friend who sticketh closer than a
brother, a loving Father who supplies his every need, and the blessed
assurance that when the appointed hour arrives he shall go to another
world, where there is no sin or sorrow, but "fullness of joy," and
"pleasures for evermore" (Ps. 16:11).
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A. W. Pink Header
Gleanings in the Godhead
by A.W. Pink
Revised: February 14, 2005
Part 2: Excellencies Which
Pertain to God the Son as Christ
45. The Example of Christ
Two Serious Mistakes have been made by men in taking or not taking
Christ for their example. It is difficult to determine which is the
more evil and fatal of the two. First, those who held up the perfect
life of the Lord Jesus before the uncoverted maintained that they must
imitate it in order to find acceptance with God. In other words, they
made emulating Christ "the way of salvation" to lost sinners. This is
a fundamental error, which cannot be resisted too strenuously. It
repudiates the total depravity and spiritual helplessness of fallen
man. It denies the necessity for the new birth. It nullifies the
atonement by emphasizing Christ's flawless life at the expense of His
sacrificial death. It substitutes works for faith, creature efforts
for divine grace, man's faulty doings for the Redeemer's finished
work. If the Acts and epistles are searched it will be revealed that
the apostles never preached imitating Christ as the way to obtain
forgiveness of sins and secure peace with God.
But in recent generations the pendulum has swung to the opposite
extreme. If, a century ago, the example which Christ has left His
people was made too much of, our moderns make far too little of it; if
they gave it a place in preaching to the unsaved which Scripture does
not warrant, we have failed to press it upon Christians to the extent
Scripture requires. If those a century ago are to be blamed for
misusing the example of Christ in connection with justification, we
are guilty of failing to use it in connection with sanctification.
While it is true that the moral perfections which Christ displayed
during His earthly sojourn are still extolled in many places, how
rarely one hears (or reads) of those who insist that emulating Christ
is absolutely essential for the believer's preservation and ultimate
salvation. Would not the great majority of orthodox preachers be
positively afraid to make any such assertion, lest they be charged
with legality?
The Lord Jesus Christ is not only a perfect and glorious Pattern of
all graces, holiness, virtue, and obedience, to be preferred above all
others, but also He alone is such. In the lives of the best of the
saints, Scripture records what it is our duty to avoid, as well as
what we ought to follow. Sometimes one is puzzled to know whether it
is safe to conform to them or not. But God has graciously supplied us
with a sure rule which solves that problem. If we heed it we will
never be at a loss to see our duty. Holy men and women of Scripture
are to be imitated by us only as far as they were themselves conformed
unto Christ (1 Cor. 11:1). The best of their graces, the highest of
their attainments, the most perfect of their duties, were spoiled by
blemishes; but in Christ there is no imperfection whatever, for He had
no sin and did no sin.
Christ is not only the perfect, but also the pattern Man; and
therefore is His example suitable for all believers. This remarkable
fact presents a feature which has not received the attention it
deserves. There is nothing so distinctive in personality as racial and
national characteristics. The greatest of men bear unmistakable marks
of their heredity and environment. Racial peculiarities are
imperishable; to the last fiber of his being, Luther was a German,
Knox a Scot; and with all his largeness of heart, Paul was a Jew. In
sharp contrast, Jesus Christ rose above heredity and environment.
Nothing local, transient, national, or sectarian dwarfed His wondrous
personality. Christ is the only truly catholic man. He belongs to all
ages and is related to all men, because He is "the Son of man." This
underlies the universal suitability of Christ's example to believers
of all nations, who one and all may find in Him the perfect
realization of their ideal.
This is indeed a miracle, and exhibits a transcendent perfection in
the Man Christ Jesus which is rarely pondered. How remarkable that the
converted Englishman may find in Christ's character and conduct a
pattern as well-suited to him as to a saved Chinese; that His example
is as appropriate for the regenerated Zulu as for a born-again German.
The needs of Lord Bacon and Sir Isaac Newton were as truly met in
Christ as were those of the half-witted youth who said, "I'm a poor
sinner and nothing at all, But Jesus Christ is my all in all." How
remarkable that the example of Christ is as appropriate for believers
of the twentieth century as it was for those of the first, that it is
as suitable for a Christian child as for his grandparent!
He is appointed of God for this very purpose. One end why God sent His
Son to become flesh and tabernacle in the world was that He might set
before us an example in our nature, in One who was like unto us in all
things, sin excepted. Thereby He exhibited to us that renewal to His
image in us, of that return to Him from sin and apostasy, and of that
holy obedience He requires of us. Such an example was needful so that
we might never be at a loss about the will of God in His commandments,
having a glorious representation of it before our eyes. That could be
given us no other way than in our own nature. The nature of angels was
not suited as an example of obedience, especially in the exercise of
such graces as we specially stand in need of in this world. What
example could angels set us in patience in afflictions or quietness in
sufferings, when their nature is incapable of such things? Nor could
we have had a perfect example in our nature except in one who was holy
and "separate from sinners."
Many Scriptures present Christ as the believer's Exemplar: "Take my
yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart"
(Matthew 11:29),--learn by the course of My life as well as by My
words; "When he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and
the sheep follow him" (John 10:4)--He requires no more of us than He
rendered Himself; "I have given you an example, that ye should do as I
have done to you" (John 13:15); "Now the God of patience and
consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to
Christ Jesus" (Rom. 15:5); "Let this mind be in you, which was also in
Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5). "Let us run with patience the race that is
set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our
faith" (Heb. 12:1-2); "But if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye
take it patiently, this is acceptable unto God. For even hereunto were
ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example,
that ye should follow his steps" (1 Pet. 2:20-21); "He that saith he
abideth in him ought himself so to walk, even as he walked" (1 John
2:6).
Example is better than precept. Why? Because a precept is more or less
an abstraction, whereas an example sets before us a concrete
representation; therefore has more aptitude to incite the mind to
imitation. The conduct of those with whom we are in close association
exerts a considerable influence upon us, either for good or evil. The
fact is clearly recognized in the Scriptures. For example, we are
enjoined, "Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious
man thou shalt not go: lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to
thy soul" (Prov. 22:24-25). It was for this reason that God commanded
the Israelites to utterly destroy all the inhabitants of Canaan, so
that they might not learn their evil ways and be contaminated by them
(Deut. 7:2-4). Contrariwise, the example of the pious exerts an
influence for good; that is why they are called "the salt of the
earth."
In keeping with this principle, God has appointed the consideration of
Christ's character and conduct as a special means to increase the
piety in His people. As their hearts contemplate His holy obedience,
it has a peculiar efficacy to their growing in grace beyond all other
examples. It is in beholding the Lord Jesus by faith that salvation
comes to us. "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the
earth" (Isa. 45:22). Christ is presented before the sinner in the
Gospel, with the promise that whosoever believingly looks to Him shall
not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:14-15). This is a
special ordinance of God, and it is made effectual by the Spirit to
all who believe. In like manner, Christ is presented to the saints as
the grand Pattern of obedience and Example of holiness, with the
promise that as they contemplate Him as such we shall be changed into
His image (2 Cor. 3:18). Our response to that appointment of God is
rewarded by a growing in piety.
But to get down to details: what is involved in the saints' imitating
of Christ? First, it presupposes that they be already regenerate. The
hearts of His followers must be sanctified before their lives can be
conformed to Him. The spirit and principle of obedience must be
imparted to the soul before there can be an external imitation of
Christ's practice. This order is plainly enunciated in, "I will give
them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will
take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of
flesh: that they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances,
and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God"
(Ezek. 11:19-20). One who is yet in the gall of bitterness and the
bond of iniquity has no heart for spiritual things; therefore the tree
must be made good before it can produce good fruit. We must first live
in the Spirit and then walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:25). One might as
well urge the Ethiopian to change his skin or the leopard his spots,
as call upon the unconverted to follow the example Christ has left His
people.
Second, imitating Christ definitely denotes that no Christian may
govern himself or act according to his own will. Those who are a rule
to themselves act in fearful defiance of the Most High. "O LORD, I
know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that
walketh to direct his steps" (Jer. 10:23). A man may as well feign to
be his own creator as his own guide. No man has wisdom enough to
direct himself. When born again we are conscious of this fact. Our
proud hearts are humbled and our rebellious wills broken, and we feel
the need of being led by Another. The cry of a converted heart is,
"Lord, what wouldst thou have me to do?" His answer to us today is,
follow the example which I have left you, learn of me, walk as I
walked.
Third, if this imitating of Christ clearly implies that no man may
pretend to be his own master, it is equally evident that no matter how
wise or how holy he is, no Christian has the right or is qualified to
rule others. Christ alone is appointed and fitted to be the Lord of
His people. It is true that we read in the Word, "That ye be not
slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit
the promises" (Heb. 6:12); and "Obey them that have the rule over you,
and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that
must give account" (Heb. 13:17). Yet that must be taken in
subordination to the example of Christ. The best of men are but men at
the best; they have their errors and faults, and where they differ
from Christ it is our duty to differ from them. It is very important
that we be quite clear upon this point, for much mischief has resulted
from allowing some to deprive others of a vital part of their rightful
liberty.
It is not that Scripture teaches an ecclesiastical democracy, that is
as far from the truth as the Romish hierarchy at the opposite extreme.
God has placed rulers in the Church, and its members are commanded to
obey them; but their rule is administrative and not legislative--to
enforce the laws of Christ, and not invent rules of their own. Paul
affirmed, "Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are
helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand" (2 Cor. 1:24); and Peter
declared of the elders or bishops, "Neither as being lords over God's
heritage, but being ensamples to the flock" (1 Pet. 5:3). Filled with
so great a measure of the Spirit of wisdom and holiness as Paul was,
yet he goes no higher than this; "Be ye followers of me, even as I
also am of Christ" (1 Cor. 11:1).
Fourth, the imitation of Christ plainly intimates that true
Christianity is very strict and exacting, and in no wise countenances
licentiousness or the indulgence of fleshly lusts. This needs emphases
in such a day as ours, when so much laxity prevails. People suppose
they may be followers of Christ and yet ignore the path which He
traveled; that they may decline the unpleasant task of denying self
and yet make sure of heaven. What a delusion! The vital necessity of
the careful imitation of Christ disallows all loose walking, and
rejects the claim of any to being real Christians if they do not heed
His example. Neither worldliness nor self-indulgence can find any
protection beneath the wings of the Gospel. The unvarying rule,
binding on all who claim to be His, is "Let every one that nameth the
name of Christ depart from iniquity" (2 Tim. 2:19). Let him either
follow the example of Christ, or cease claiming to belong to Him; let
him tread the highway of holiness or all his fair words are worthless.
Fifth, the imitation of Christ necessarily implies the blemishes of
the best of men. If the life of Christ is our pattern, then the
holiest among His followers are obliged to admit they come far short
of this standard of duty, and not in a few details, but in every
respect. The character and conduct of the Lord Jesus were without spot
or blemish; therefore they are so high above our poor attainments that
we are filled with shame when we measure ourselves by them.
Self-satisfied religionists may take delight in comparing themselves
with others, as the Pharisee did with the publican. Deluded souls who
suppose that all Christian holiness consists of is measuring up to
some humanly invented standard of perfection (or entering into some
peculiar experience), may pride themselves that they have "received
the second blessing," or "have the fullness or baptism of the Spirit;"
yet all who honestly measure themselves by the perfections of Christ
will find abundant cause to be humbled.
This too, is a point of tremendous practical importance. If I place my
handkerchief against a dark background, it will appear spotlessly
clean; but, if I lay it upon newly fallen snow, the imperfection of
its whiteness is quickly apparent. If I compare my own life with that
preached by certain "victorious-life" advocates I may conclude that my
life is quite acceptable. But if I diligently apply to myself the
plumbline of Christ's example, then I must at once acknowledge, like
Peter of old, I am but following Him "afar off." Surely none was more
proficient in holiness and punctilious in obedience than Paul; yet,
when he compared himself to Christ, he declared, "Not as though I had
already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if
that I may apprehend" (Phil. 3:12).
Sixth, the imitation of Christ as our pattern clearly implies His
transcendent holiness, that His holiness is high above that of all
creatures. Therefore it is the greatest of the Christian's ambitions
to be conformed to His image (Phil. 3:10). Christ has a double
perfection: a perfection of being and a perfection of working. His
life on earth supplies a perfect rule for us because there was no blot
or error therein. He was "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from
sinners," and such an High Priest became us (Heb. 7:26). Thus the
conformity of professing Christians to Christ's example is both the
test and measure of all their graces. The nearer anyone approaches to
this Pattern, the closer he comes to perfection.
Finally, the Christian's imitation of Christ, under the penalty of
forfeiting his claim to any saving interest in Christ, necessarily
denotes that sanctification and obedience are the evidences of our
justification and acceptance with God. Scriptural assurance is
unattainable without sincere and strict obedience. "The work of
righteousness [not of loose living] shall be peace" (Isa. 32:17). "We
have it not for our holiness, but we always have it in the way of
holiness. Let men talk what they will of the immediate sealings and
comforts of the Spirit, without any regard to holiness, or respect to
obedience: sure I am, whatever delusion they meet with in that way,
true peace and consolation is only to be found and expected here"
(John Flavel, to whom we are indebted for much in the seven points).
"Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should
follow his steps" (1 Pet. 2:21). We have seen that not only is the
perfect life of Christ a suitable pattern of holiness and obedience
for His people to imitate, but also that God has expressly appointed
it for that purpose. This is so that we may have a sure rule to walk
by, the Law of God translated into concrete terms and its requirements
set before us by a personal representation; and also for the purpose
of humbling our proud hearts, by revealing to us how far short we come
of measuring up to God's standard of righteousness. Furthermore, God
has appointed that the example of Christ should be followed by His
people so that His Son might be honored by them; to distinguish His
followers from the world; and so that they should evidence the reality
of their profession. Imitating Christ, then, is not optional, but
obligatory.
But here a very real difficulty confronts those who sincerely seek
grace to heed this divine appointment. In what particular respects are
we to regard Christ as our Exemplar? All things recorded of Him in
Holy Writ are for our instruction, but not all for our imitation.
There were some things Christ did as God; for example, He wrought
miracles. "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work . . . For as the
Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son
quickeneth whom he will" (John 5:17, 21); "But that ye may know that
the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to
the sick of and palsy), Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine
house" (Matthew 9:6)--even the apostles never performed such deeds in
their own name or by their own power. Again; as Mediator, He performed
works of merit, thus making expiation for the sins of His people and
"bringing in everlasting righteousness" for them, and obtaining their
justification and reconciliation. So now His intercession secures
their preservation. No mere man can do anything meritorious, for at
best we are all "unprofitable servants."
Even as Man, Christ performed extraordinary acts which are not for our
emulation: fasting for forty days and nights, walking on the water,
spending a whole night in prayer (Luke 6:12)--we do not read in
Scripture of anyone else doing so--are cases in point. So He performed
certain temporary works which pertained to the time in which He lived,
which are not for our imitation--such as His being circumcised,
keeping the Passover. Wherein, then, is Christ to be imitated by us?
First, in all those moral duties which pertain to all men at all
times, which are neither extraordinary nor temporary, comprehended in
the loving of God with all our hearts and our neighbors as ourselves.
Second, in such duties as belong to a like calling: as the child
obeying its parents (Luke 2:51); the citizen paying his taxes (Matthew
17:27); the minister of the Gospel diligently (Luke 8:1) and
faithfully (Heb. 3:2) discharging his office. Third, in all such works
as have like reason and occasion for doing them (Matthew 12:12; John
8:59).
The believer's conformity to Christ corresponds to the states through
which He passed. Christ Jesus first entered a state of humiliation,
before God rewarded Him by bringing Him into a state of exaltation.
Therefore has God ordered that the members shall resemble their Head.
They are called upon to endure sufferings, before they enter into the
promised glory. The disciples of the Lord Jesus have to experience a
measure of opposition, persecution, hatred, affliction, and they do so
for their hope of a better life to come. In that, they do but follow
"the captain of their salvation," who was "made perfect through
sufferings" (Heb. 2:10). Has not God declared, "If we be dead with him
[Christ], we shall also live with him: if we suffer, we shall also
reign with him" (2 Tim. 2:11-12). That order is inescapable, "Always
bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life
also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body" (2 Cor. 4:10).
In like manner, the Christian is to be conformed to the special acts
of Christ's mediation, which are His death and resurrection. These are
of paramount consideration, for they are not only a pattern proposed
to our meditation, but also a great influence upon our dying to sin
and living unto holiness. This is evidenced from the fact that those
effects of grace in us are ascribed to those acts of Christ's
mediation which carry most correspondence with them. Thus our
mortification is ascribed to Christ's crucifixion (Gal. 2:20); our
vivification to His rising unto life (Phil. 3:10); and our heavenly
mindedness to His ascension (Phil. 3:20); so that all of those chief
acts of Christ are verified in His people. We die to sin as Christ
died for it.
But in descending to more specific details, it is in Christ's graces
we are to be conformed to Him. All the graces and virtues of the
Spirit were represented in their grandest glory and brightest luster
in His life here on earth. First, the purity and holiness of His life
is proposed as a glorious pattern for the saints to imitate. "Every
man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure"
(1 John 3:3). Before enlarging upon this, let us point out where
Christ is unique and beyond our imitation. He was essentially holy in
His being, for He is "the Holy One of God." He entered this world
immaculate, pure from the least stain of pollution, "That holy thing
which shall be born of thee" (Luke 1:35). Again, He was effectually
holy, for He makes others holy. By His sufferings and blood there
opened a fountain "for sin and for uncleanness" (Zech. 13:1). He is
also infinitely holy, as He is God, and no measure can be set upon His
holiness as Mediator, for He received the Spirit without measure (John
3:34). In these particulars He is inimitable.
Notwithstanding these exceptions, the holiness of Christ is a pattern
for us. He was truly and sincerely holy, without fiction or pretense.
When the prince of this world scrutinized Him he could find no defect
in Him (John 14:30). He was pure gold throughout. The Pharisee may
pretend to be holy, but it is only in outward appearance. Now the
Christian's holiness must be genuine, sincere, without simulation.
Christ was uniformly holy, at one time and place as well as another.
The same even tenor of holiness ran through the whole of His life from
first to last. So should it be with His followers. "As he which hath
called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation" (1
Pet. 1:15). What inconsistencies we have to bemoan; one part of our
life heavenly, another earthly.
Christ was exemplarily holy; a pattern to all that came near Him, so
that even those sent to arrest Him had to return to their masters and
say, "never man spake as this man." We are to imitate Him in this
respect. The Thessalonian saints were commended because they, "were
ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you
sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but
also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad" (1 Thess.
1:7-8). Let none go out of our company without being either convicted
or edified. Christ was strictly holy. "Which of you convicteth me of
sin?" was His challenge. The most observing and unfriendly eye could
pick no flaw in His actions. It is our duty to imitate Christ in this
too, "That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without
rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye
shine as lights in the world" (Phil. 2:15).
Second, the obedience of Christ to His Father's will is a pattern for
the Christian's emulation. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in
Christ Jesus . . . [who] became obedient unto death" (Phil. 2:5, 8).
Christ's obedience was free and voluntary, not forced and compulsory.
"Then said I, Lo, I come . . . I delight to do thy will, O my God"
(Ps. 40:7-8). Nor did He waver, later, when suffering so grievously in
the discharge of that will. "Therefore doth my Father love me, because
I lay down my life" (John 10:17). So the Christian is to follow the
steps of Christ, doing nothing grudgingly and counting not God's
commands grievous. Our obedience must be rendered cheerfully if it is
to be acceptable. See His perfect submission in Gethsemane. Here too
He left us an example. We are to make no demur to the most unpleasant
task God assigns us. Happy the Christian who can say with the apostle,
"for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for
the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 21:13).
The obedience of Christ was entirely disinterested. It was wrought for
no self ends, but for the glory of God. "I have glorified thee on the
earth. I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do" (John
17:4). Christ sought not honor of men, but the great desire of His
soul was "Father, glorify Thy name" (John 12:28). This quality must
also characterize our obedience. "Look not every man on his own
things, but every man also on the things of others" (Phil. 2:4). The
streams of Christ's obedience flowed from the fountain of love to God.
"But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father
gave me commandment, even so I do" (John 14:13). Let this also be true
of us, for loveless obedience is of no value in the sight of God. The
obedience of Christ was constant, continuing to His very last breath.
Being not "weary in well-doing" is required of us. "Be thou faithful
unto death" (Rev. 2:10).
Third, the self-denial of Christ is the pattern for the believer. "If
any man wilt come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross, and follow me" (Matthew 16:24). Though there is to be a
resemblance, there can be no exact equivalent. "For ye know the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes
he became poor" (2 Cor. 8:9). Who can gauge what Christ, for the glory
of God and the love which He bare to the elect, gave up for us? How
trivial in comparison is the greatest sacrifice we are called upon to
make! Christ was under no obligation whatever to deny Himself for us,
but He has placed us under the strongest obligation to deny ourselves
for His sake. Though under no obligation, He denied Himself readily,
making no objection to the severest part of it. Then let it not be
said of us, "For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus
Christ's" (Phil. 2:21). Let not self be loved, petted, pitied,
pampered, and indulged; rather renounce and mortify it, and make
pleasing and glorifying Christ your great business.
Fourth, the activity and diligence of Christ in fulfilling the work of
God committed unto Him, was a pattern for all believers to imitate. It
is said of Him that He "went about doing good" (Acts 10:38). What a
glorious work He accomplished in so short a time!--a work which will
be celebrated through all eternity by the praises of the redeemed, a
work upon which His heart was intently set. "My meat is to do the will
of him that sent me" (John 4:34). It was a work under which He never
fainted, despite the greatest opposition. The shortness of the time
provoked Him to the greatest diligence. "I must work the works of him
that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work"
(John 9:4). He improved all opportunities and occasions: granting
Nicodemus an interview at night, preaching the Gospel to the woman at
the well when He was exhausted from His journey. Nothing displeased
Him more than to be dissuaded from His work. "Get thee behind me,
Satan," He said to Peter when the apostle said, "spare thyself, Lord."
Shall His followers trifle their lives away in vanity? Shall we be
slothful when He was so diligent? How great an honor God has placed on
us by calling us to His service. Steadfastness in the work of
obedience is our greatest security in the hour of temptation. "The
LORD is with you, while ye be with him" (2 Chron. 15:2). Diligence in
prosecuting holiness is the way to get more (Luke 8:18). Graces grow
by being used; spiritual acts lead to spiritual habits; talents
faithfully employed are rewarded by an increase. Diligence in the work
of God is the direct way to an assurance of the love of God (2 Pet.
1:5-10). Diligence in obedience is the greatest security against
backsliding. Coldness leads to carelessness, carelessness to
negligence, negligence to apostasy. The more diligent we are in
serving God, the more our likeness to Christ.
Fifth, the inoffensiveness of the life of Christ on earth is an
excellent pattern to all His people. He injured none, and never gave
occasion for any to be justly injured by Him. He was not only holy,
but also "harmless." He waived His own personal rights to avoid giving
an offense, as in the case of tribute money. When he was reviled, He
"reviled not again" (1 Pet. 2:23). So circumspect was our Savior that
when His enemies sought occasion against Him, they could not find any
(John 19:4). Let us earnestly seek grace that we may imitate this
blessed excellency of His life, that we may obey God's command and be
"blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke" (Phil.
2:15). The honor of Christ, whose name we bear, is bound up in our
deportment. The rule which He has laid upon us, is "Be ye wise as
serpents, and harmless as doves" Matthew 10:16).
Sixth, the humility and meekness of Christ is proposed by Himself as a
pattern for His people's imitation. "Learn of me: for I am meek and
lowly in heart" (Matthew 11:29). He abased Himself, by taking upon Him
the form of a servant. He stooped to the lowest office by washing the
disciples' feet. When He presented Himself to Israel as their King, it
was in humiliation, riding upon the back of an ass. "Behold, thy King
cometh unto thee, meek" (Matthew 21:5). He declared, "the Son of man
came not to be ministered unto, but to minister" (Matthew 20:28). He
condescended to the lowest of men, eating with "publicans and sinners"
(Matthew 9:11). In all of this He left us an example to follow. O to
be "clothed with humility" (1 Pet. 5:5), and thereby evidence our
conformity to Christ.
Pride ill becomes one who professes to be a follower of the Lord
Jesus. It not only betrays lack of communion with Christ, but also a
woeful ignorance of self. Nothing is so provoking to God, and more
quickly estranges the soul from Him. "Though the LORD is high, yet
hath he respect unto the lowly; but the proud he knoweth afar off"
(Ps. 138:6). Pride is totally inconsistent with the complaints we make
of our corruptions, and it presents a serious stumbling block to the
children of God. Be not ambitious of the world's great ones, but
content yourself as one of Christ's little ones. Learn humility at His
feet. Evidence it in your apparel and deportment (1 Pet. 3:3). Display
it in cultivating fellowship with the poorest of the flock (Rom.
12:16). Show it by speaking of and comporting yourself as "less than
the least of all saints" (Eph. 3:8).
Seventh, the contentment of Christ in a low and mean condition in this
world is an excellent pattern for His people's imitation. His portion
here was a condition of deepest poverty and contempt. The child of
lowly parents; born in a manger. So deprived of the comforts of this
world that, much of His time, He had not where to lay His head; so
poor He had to borrow a penny to point out its superscription. Yet He
never murmured or complained. Nay, so far from it, so perfectly
content was He with God's appointments, that He declared, "The lines
are fallen unto me in pleasant places" (Ps. 16:6). Under the most
degrading sufferings, He never resisted: "He was oppressed, and he was
afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the
slaughter" (Isa. 53:7).
O that in this also the poorest Christians would imitate their
Savior, and learn to manage an afflicted condition with a contented
spirit: let there be no complaints, or foolish charging of God
heard from you, whatever straits or troubles He brings you into.
The meanest and most afflicted Christian is owner of many rich,
invaluable mercies (Eph. 1:3; 1 Corinthians 3:23). Is sin pardoned
and God reconciled? then never open your mouths any more. You have
many precious promises that God will not forsake you in your
straits (Heb. 13:5). Your whole life has been an experience of the
faithfulness of God to His promises. How useful and beneficial all
your afflictions are to you! they purge your sins, wean you from
the world, and turn to your salvation; then, how unreasonable must
your discontentedness at them be! The time of your relief and full
deliverance from all your troubles is at hand: the time is but
short that you shall have any concernment about such things. Your
lot falls by Divine direction upon you, and bad as it may be, it is
much easier and sweeter than the condition of Christ in this world
was. Yet He contented, and why not you? (John Flavel).
"He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even
as he walked" (1 John 2:6). The principal design of the apostle in
this epistle is to exhibit certain signs and marks, both negative and
positive, for the examination or trial of men's claims to being
Christians (1 John 5:13). It is in that light our verse must be
interpreted. The proof of a saving interest in Christ is our imitation
of Him. Were this criterion faithfully insisted upon today from the
pulpit much of the empty profession now abounding would be clearly
exposed. A claim is made, "He that saith he abideth in Him," which
signifies an interest in and communion with Him. The only way that
claim can be established is by walking as Christ walked, following the
example He has left us.
Every man is bound to the imitation of Christ under penalty of
forfeiting his claim to Christ. The necessity of this imitation of
Christ convincingly appears divers ways. First, from the
established order of salvation, which is fixed and unalterable. God
that hath appointed the end, hath also established the means and
order by which men shall attain the ultimate end. Now conformity to
Christ is the established method in which God will bring many souls
to glory. "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn
among many brethren" (Rom. 8:29). The same God who has
predestinated men to salvation, has, in order, predestinated them
to conformity to Christ. This order of heaven is never to be
reversed; we may as well hope to be saved without Christ, as to be
saved without conformity to Christ.
Secondly, the nature of Christ-mystical requires this conformity,
and renders it indispensably necessary. Otherwise, the body of
Christ must be heterogeneous: of a nature different from the Head,
and how monstrous and uncomely would this be! This would represent
Christ to the world in an image, or idea, much like that, "The head
of fine gold, the breasts and arms of silver, the thighs of brass,
the legs of iron, the feet part of iron and part of clay" (Dan.
2:32-33). Christ, the Head, is pure and holy, and therefore very
unsuitable to sensual and worldly members. And therefore the
apostle in his description of Christ-mystical, describes the
members of Christ (as they ought to be) of the same nature and
quality with the Head: "As is the heavenly, such are they also that
are heavenly; and as we have borne the image of the earthy, so we
shall also bear the image of the heavenly." That image or
resemblance of Christ, which shall be complete and perfect after
the resurrection, must be begun in its first draught here by the
work of regeneration.
Thirdly, this resemblance and conformity to Christ appears
necessary from the communion which all believers have with Him in
the same spirit of grace and holiness. Believers are called
Christ's "fellows"or co-partners (Ps. 45:7) from their
participation with Him of the same Spirit. God giveth the same
Spirit unto us, which He more plentifully poured out upon Christ.
Now where the same Spirit and principle is, there the same fruits
and operations must be produced, according to the proportions and
measures of the Spirit of grace communicated; and this reason is
farther enforced by the very design and end of God in the infusion
of the Spirit of grace: for it is plain from Ezekiel 36:27 that
practical holiness and obedience is the scope and design of that
infusion of the Spirit. The very innate property of the Spirit of
God in men is to elevate their minds, set their affections upon
heavenly things, purge their hearts from earthly dross, and fit
them for a life of holiness and obedience. Its nature also is
assimilating and changeth them in whom it is into the same image
with Jesus Christ, their Heavenly Head (2 Cor. 3:18).
Fourth, the necessity of this imitation of Christ may be argued
from the design and end of Christ's exhibition to the world in a
body of flesh. For though we detest that doctrine of the Socinians.
which makes the exemplary life of Christ to be the whole end of His
incarnation, yet we must not run so far from an error as to lose a
precious truth. We say, the satisfaction of His blood was a main
and principal end of His incarnation, according to Matthew 20:28.
We affirm also, that it was a great design and end of the
incarnation of Christ to set before us a pattern of holiness for
our imitation, for so speaks the apostle: He "hath left us an
example, that we should follow His steps" (1 Pet. 2:21); and this
example of Christ greatly obliges believers to His imitation: "Let
this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5).
Fifthly, our imitation of Christ is one of those great articles
which every man is to subscribe, whom Christ will admit into the
number of His disciples. "Whosoever doth not bear his cross, and
come after me, cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:27): and again "If
any man serve me, let him follow me" (John 12:26). To this
condition we have submitted, if we be sincere believers; and
therefore are strictly bound to the imitation of Christ, not only
by God's command, but by our own consent. But if we profess
interest in Christ, when our hearts never consented to follow, and
imitate His example, then are we self-deceiving hypocrites, wholly
disagreeing from the Scripture character of believers. They that
are Christ's are there described as walking not after the flesh,
but after the Spirit.
Sixthly, the honor of Christ necessitates the conformity of
Christians to His example, else what way is there left to stop
detracting mouths, and to vindicate the name of Christ from the
reproaches of the world? How can wisdom be justified of her
children, except it be this way? By what means shall we cut off
occasion from such as desire occasion, but by regulating our lives
by Christ's example. The world hath eyes to see what we practice,
as well as ears to hear what we profess. Therefore either show the
consistency between your profession and practice, or you can never
hope to vindicate the name and honor of the Lord Jesus" (John
Flavel, Puritan).
From all that has now been before us we may draw the following
inferences. First, if all who claim a saving interest in Christ are
strictly bound to imitate Him, then it follows that Christianity is
very unjustly charged by the world with the evils and scandals of
empty professors. Nothing can be more unreasonable, for Christianity
severely censures loose and scandalous actions in all professors, and
therefore is not to be blamed for them. "For the grace of God that
bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying
ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously,
and godly in this present world" (Titus 2:11-12). Really, it is an
argument greatly in favor of Christianity that even wicked men covet
the name of it, though they only cloak their sins under it.
Second, if all professors forfeit their claim to a saving interest in
Christ who endeavor not, sincerely and earnestly, to imitate Him in
the holiness of His life, then how small a number of real Christians
are there in the world! If flowery talking without strict walking, if
common profession without holy practice, if Church membership without
denying self and treading the narrow way, were sufficient to
constitute a Christian, then a considerable percentage of earth's
population would be entitled to that name. But if Christ owns none but
those who follow the example that He left, then His flock is indeed a
little one. The vast majority of those who claim to be Christians have
a name to live, but are dead (Rom. 6:13). The demands of Christ are
too rigid for them. They prefer the broad road where the majority are
found.
Third, what blessed times we should witness if true Christianity once
generally obtained and prevailed in the world! How it would humble the
proud, mellow the self-willed, and spiritualize those who are carnal.
A perverse world has often charged Christianity with being the cause
of all the tumult in it; whereas nothing but pure Christianity, in the
power of it, can cure those epidemics of evil. If the great majority
of our fellows were regenerated by the Spirit and brought to walk
after Christ in holiness, living in meekness and self-denial, then our
prisons would be closed, armies and navies done away with, jealousies
and animosities be removed, and the wilderness and solitary places be
glad. The desert would rejoice and blossom as the rose. That is what
constitutes the great difference between heaven and a world that lieth
in the wicked one. Holiness is the very atmosphere of the former,
whereas it is hated and banned here.
Fourth, it also follows that real Christians are the best companions.
It is a blessed thing to fellowship with those who genuinely seek to
follow the example of Christ. The holiness, heavenly mindedness, and
spiritual graces which were in Him are, in their measure, to be found
in all of His true disciples. They show the praises of Him who called
them out of darkness into light. Something of the fruit of the Spirit
is to be seen in all those whom He indwells. Yet it must be remembered
there is a great deal of difference between one Christian and another,
that the best is sanctified only in part. If there is something
engaging and sweet, there is also that which is distasteful and bitter
in the most mature saints. This is what gives us occasion to forbear
one another in love. Nevertheless, notwithstanding all infirmities and
corruptions, the Lord's people are the best companions on this earth.
Happy are they who now enjoy fellowship with those in whom can be
discerned the likeness of Christ.
Fifth, if no man's claim to being Christ's is warranted except so far
as he is walking according to Him, then how groundless and worthless
are the expectations of all unsanctified persons, who walk after their
own lusts.
None are more forward to claim the privileges of religion than
those that reject the duties of it; multitudes hope to be saved by
Christ, who yet refuse to be governed by Him. But such hopes have
no Scripture warrant to support them; yea, they have many Scripture
testimonies against them. "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall
not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived; neither
fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor
abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor
drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the
kingdom of God" (1 Cor. 6:9). O how many thousand vain hopes are
laid in the dust, and how many thousand souls are sentenced to Hell
by this one Scripture! (John Flavel, 1660).
Then how it behooves those of us who profess to be Christians to "be
not conformed to this world," but to be "transformed by the renewing
of our minds" (Rom. 12:2). How we should strive to follow Christ's
steps. That should be the great business of our lives, as it is the
chief scope of the Gospel. If Christ has conformed Himself to us by
taking upon Him our nature, how reasonable it is that we should
conform ourselves to Him in a way of obedience. He came under the Law
for our sakes (Gal. 4:4), the least we can do in return is to gladly
take His yoke upon us. It was Christ's abasement to conform Himself to
those who were infinitely beneath Him; it will be our advancement to
conform ourselves to Him who is so high above us. Surely the love of
Christ must constrain us to spare no efforts to "grow up into him in
all things" (Eph. 4:15).
If we will be conformed to Him in glory, how logical it is that we
should now conform ourselves to Him in holiness. "We shall be like
him, for we shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:2), like Him not only in
our souls, but also our bodies too will be transformed like unto His
(Phil. 3:21). What a motive this is to bring us into conformity with
Christ here, especially since our conformity to Him in holiness is the
evidence of our conformity to Him in glory (Rom. 6:5). The conformity
of our lives to Christ is our highest excellence in this world, for
the measure of our grace is to be estimated by this rule. So far as we
imitate Christ, and no farther, are we of any real help to those
around us; contrariwise, the less we be conformed to Christ, the
greater hindrances and stumbling blocks we are both to the saved and
unsaved. What a solemn consideration this is! How it should drive us
to our knees, seeking grace to be closer followers of Christ.
"That ye should walk worthy of God, who hath called you into his
kingdom and glory" (1 Thess. 2:12). By "worthiness" the apostle had no
reference to what is meritorious, but to that decorum which befits a
Christian. As Davenant pointed out, "The word `worthy' as used in
Scripture does not always denote an exact proportion of equality
between one thing and another, but a certain suitableness and fitness
which excludes inconsistency." To walk worthy of God is to walk as
Christ walked, and any deviation from that standard is a reflection on
our profession and a reproach upon Him. It is for our own peace that
we be conformed to Christ's pattern. The answer of a good conscience
and the smile of God's approbation are rich compensation for denying
the flesh. A comfortable death is the ordinary close of a holy life.
"Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man
is peace" (Ps. 37:37).
In drawing to a conclusion let us consider a few lines of comfort to
those who are cast down by the realization of how far short they come
of measuring up to the standard Christ set before them. According to
the yearnings of the new nature, you have sincerely endeavored to
follow Christ's example. But being weak in grace and meeting with much
opposition from the flesh and temptations from the devil, you have
been frequently turned aside from the holy purposes of your honest
hearts, to the great discouragement of your souls. You can say with
David, "O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!" (Ps.
119:5): you have tried hard to follow after holiness, "If by any
means" you might attain it. But your efforts have been repeatedly
thwarted, your aspirations dashed, and you have to cry, "O wretched
man that I am! who shall deliver me?" (Rom. 7:24).
First, let us assure the genuinely exercised soul that such defects in
obedience do not invalidate your justification, or affect your
acceptance with and standing before God. Your justification is built
not upon your obedience, but upon Christ's. However imperfect you are,
you are "complete in him" (Col. 2:10). Woe to Abraham, Moses, David,
or Paul if their justification depended upon their own holiness and
good works. Let not your sad failures dampen your joy in Christ, but
rather be increasingly thankful for His robe of righteousness. Second,
your heart anguish over your unlikeness to Christ, instead of being a
proof that you are less sanctified than those who do not grieve over
their lack of conformity to Him, evidences that you are more
sanctified than they; for it shows you are better acquainted with your
heart than they are, have a deep loathing of sin, and love God more.
The most distinguished saints have made the bitterest lamentation on
this account (Ps. 38:4).
Third, the Holy Spirit makes an excellent use of your infirmities and
turns your failures into spiritual advantages. By those very defects
He hides pride from your eyes, subdues your self-righteousness, causes
you to appreciate more deeply the riches of free grace and place a
higher value on the blood of the Lamb. By your many falls He makes you
to long more ardently for heaven, and gradually reconciles you to the
prospect of death. The more a holy soul is buffeted by sin and Satan,
the more sincerely he will cry, "O that I had wings like a dove! for
then would I fly away, and be at rest" (Ps. 55:6). "O the blessed
chemistry of Heaven, to extract such mercies out of such miseries"
(John Flavel), to make sweet flowers spring up out of such bitter
roots. Fourth, your infirmities do not break the bond of the
everlasting covenant, that holds firm, notwithstanding your many
defects and corruptions. "Iniquities prevail against me" said David,
yet in the same breath he added, "thou shalt purge them away" (Ps.
65:3).
Fifth, though the defects of your obedience are grievous to God, yet
your deep sorrows for them are well pleasing in His sight. "The
sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart,
O God, thou wilt not despise" (Ps. 51:17). Sixth, your grief is a
conformity to Christ, for He was "the Man of sorrows." If He suffered
because of our sins, shall we not be made to weep over them. Seventh,
"Though God have left many defects to humble you, yet He hath given
many things to comfort. This is a comfort, that the desire of thy soul
is to God and the remembrance of His name. This is a comfort, that thy
sins are not thy delight as once they were, but thy shame and sorrow.
This is a comfort, that thy case is not singular, but more or less the
same complaints and sorrows are found in all gracious souls through
the world" (John Flavel, to whom we are indebted for much of the
above).
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INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
Chapter 1
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Man is notoriously a creature of extremes, and nowhere is that fact
more evident than in the attitude taken by different ones to this
subject. Whereas some have affirmed the Bible is written in such
simple language that it calls for no explaining, a far greater number
have suffered the papists to persuade them that its contents are so
far above the grasp of the natural intellect, its subjects so profound
and exalted, its language so abstruse and ambiguous that the common
man is quite incapable of understanding it by his own efforts, and
therefore that it is the part of wisdom for him to submit his judgment
to "holy mother church," who brazenly claims to be the only Divinely
authorized and qualified interpreter of God's oracles. Thus does the
Papacy withhold God's Word from the laity, and impose her own dogmas
and superstitions upon them. For the most part the laity are quite
content to have it so, for thereby they are relieved of searching the
Scriptures for themselves. Nor is it much better with many
Protestants, for in most cases they are too indolent to study the
Bible for
The principal passage appealed to by Romanists in an attempt to
bolster up their pernicious contention that the Bible is a dangerous
book--because of its alleged obscurity--to place in the hands of the
common people is 2 Peter 3:15, 16. Therein the Holy Spirit has told us
that the apostle Paul, according to the wisdom given him, spoke in his
epistles of "some things hard to be understood, which they that are
unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, to
their own destruction." But as Calvin long ago pointed out, "We are
not forbidden to read Paul's epistles because they contain some things
difficult to be understood, but that, on the contrary, they are
commended to us, providing we have a calm and teachable mind." It is
also to be noted that this verse says "some things" and not "many,"
and that they are "hard" and not "incapable of being understood"!
Moreover, the obscurity is not in them, but in the depravity of our
nature which resists the holy requirements of God, and the pride of
our hearts which disdains seeking enlightenment from Him. The
"unlearned" here refers not to illiteracy, but to being untaught of
God; and the "unstable" are those with no settled convictions, who,
like weathervanes, turn according to
On the other hand, there are some misguided souls who have suffered
the pendulum to swing to the apposite extreme, denying that the
Scriptures need any interpreting. They aver they have been written for
simple souls, saying what they mean and meaning what they say. They
insist that the Bible requires to be believed and not explained. But
it is wrong to pit those two things against each other: both are
necessary. God does not ask for blind credence from us, but an
intelligent faith, and for that three things are indispensable: that
His Word should be read (or heard), understood, and personally
appropriated. None other than Christ Himself gave exhortation, "Whoso
readeth, let him understand" (Matthew 24:15)--the mind must be
exercised upon what is read. That a certain amount of understanding is
imperative appears further from our Lord's parable of the Sower and
the Seed: "When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and
understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away
that which was sown in his heart.., but he that received seed into the
good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it"
(Matthew 13:19, 23). Then let us spare no pains to arrive at the
meaning of what we read, for what use can
Others take the position that the only Interpreter they need, the only
One adequate for the task, is the Holy Spirit. They quote: "But ye
have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things . . . but
the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye
need not that any man teach you" (1 John 2:20, 27). To declare that I
need none but the Holy Spirit to teach me may sound very honoring to
Him, but is it true? Like all human assertions that one requires to be
tested, for nothing must be taken for granted where spiritual things
are concerned. We answer that it is not, otherwise Christ makes
superfluous provision by giving "pastors and teachers for the
perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry" (Eph. 4:11,
12). We must ever bear in mind that it is a very short step from
trusting God to tempting Him, from faith to presumption (Matthew 4:6,
7). Neither should we forget what is God's common and usual method in
supplying the wants of His creatures--mediately and not immediately,
by secondary causes and human agent. That pertains as much to the
spiritual realm as to the natural. It has pleased God to furnish His
people with gifted instructors, and instead of haughtily ignoring them
we ought (while testing their teaching-- Acts 17:11) to accept
Far be it from us to write anything which would discourage the young
believer from recognizing and realizing his dependence upon God, and
his need of constantly turning to Him for wisdom from above,
particularly so when engaged in reading or meditating upon His Holy
Word. Yet he must bear in mind that the Most High does not tie Himself
to answer our prayers in any particular manner or way. In some
instances He is pleased to illumine our understandings directly and
immediately, but more often than not He does so through the
instrumentality of others. Thereby He not only hides pride from us
individually, but places honor on His own institution, for He has
appointed and qualified men to "feed the flock" (1 Pet. 5:2), "guides
over us" whose faith we are bidden to follow (Heb. 13:7). It is true
that, on the one hand, God has so written His Word that the wayfaring
man, though a fool, should not err therein (Isa. 35:8); yet, on the
other hand, there are "mysteries" and "deep things" (1 Cor. 2:10); and
while there is "milk" suited to babes there is also "strong meat,"
which belongs only to those who are of full
Turning from the general to the particular let us evince there is a
real need for interpretation. First, in order to explain seeming
contradictions. Thus, "God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him . . .
Take now thy son . . . and offer him there for a burnt offering" (Gen.
22:1, 2). Now place by the side of that statement the testimony of
James 1:13, "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God:
for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man."
Those verses appear to conflict openly with each other, yet the
believer knows that such is not the case, though he may be at a loss
to demonstrate that there is no inconsistency in them. It is therefore
the meaning of those verses which has to be ascertained. Nor is that
very difficult. Manifestly the word "tempt" is not used in the same
sense in those sentences. The word "tempt" has both a primary and a
secondary meaning. Primarily, it signifies to make trial of, to prove,
to test. Secondarily, it signifies to allure, seduce, or solicit to
evil. Without a shadow of doubt the term is used in Genesis 22:1, in
its primary sense, for even though there had been no Divine
intervention at the eleventh hour, Abraham had committed no sin in
By the Lord's tempting Abraham on this occasion we are to understand
not that He would entice unto evil as Satan does but rather that He
made trial of the patriarch's loyalty, affording him an opportunity to
display his fear of Him, his faith in Him, his love to Him. When Satan
tempts he places an allurement before us with the object of
encompassing our downfall; but when God tempts or tests us, He has our
welfare at heart. Every trial is thus a temptation, for it serves to
make manifest the prevailing disposition of the heart--whether it be
holy or unholy. Christ was "in all points tempted like as we are, sin
(indwelling) excepted" (Heb. 4:15). His temptation was real, yet there
was no conflict within Him (as in us) between good and evil--His
inherent holiness repelled Satan's impious suggestions as water does
fire. We are to "count it all joy when we fall into divers
temptations" or "manifold trials," since they are means of mortifying
our lusts, tests of our obedience, opportunities to prove the
sufficiency of God's grace. Obviously we should not be called on to
Again, "The Lord is far from the wicked" (Prov. 15:29), yet in Acts
17:27, we are told He is "not far from every one of us"--words which
were addressed to a heathen audience! These two statements seem to
contradict one another, yea, unless they be interpreted they do so. It
has, then, to be ascertained in what sense God is "far from" and in
what sense He is "not far from" the wicked--that is what is meant by
"interpretation." Distinction has to be drawn between God's powerful
or providential presence and His favorable presence. In His spiritual
essence or omnipresence God is ever nigh unto all of His creatures
(for He "fills heaven and earth"--Jer. 23:24) sustaining their beings,
holding their souls in life (Ps. 64:9), bestowing upon them the
mercies of His providence. But since the wicked are far from God in
their affections (Ps. 73:27), saying in their hearts "Depart from us:
for we desire not the knowledge of Thy ways" (Job 21:14), so His
gracious presence is far from them: He does not manifest Himself to
them, has no communion with them, hears not their prayers ("the proud
He knoweth afar off"--Ps. 138:6), succors them not in the time of
their need, and will yet bid them "depart from Me, ye cursed" (Matthew
25:41). Unto the righteous God is graciously near: Psalms 34:18;
Once more. "If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true" (John
5:31)--"though I bear record of Myself, yet My record is true" (John
8:14). Another pair of opposites! Yet there is no conflict between
them when rightly interpreted. In John 5:17-31, Christ was declaring
His sevenfold equality with the Father: first in service, then in
will. Verse 19 means He could originate nothing that was contrary to
the Father, for they were of perfect accord (see v. 30). In like
manner, He could not bear witness of Himself independently of the
Father, for that would be an act of insubordination. Instead, His own
witness was in perfect accord therewith: the Father Himself (v. 37),
and the Scriptures (v. 39), bore testimony to His absolute deity. But
in John 8:13, 14, Christ was making direct reply to the Pharisees, who
said His witness was false. That He emphatically denied, and appealed
again to the witness of the Father (v. 18). Yet again. "I and My
Father are one" (John 10:30)--"My Father is greater than I" (John
14:28). In the former, Christ was speaking of Himself according to His
essential being; in the latter, in reference to His mediatorial
character or
Second, interpretation is necessary to prevent our being misled by the
mere sound of words. How many have formed wrong conceptions from the
language used in different verses through their failure to understand
its sense. To many it appears impious to place a different meaning
upon a term than what appears to be its obvious signification; yet a
sufficient warning against this should be found in the case of those
who have so fanatically and stubbornly adhered to Christ's words,
"this [unleavened bread] is My body," refusing to allow that it must
mean "this represents My body" -- as "the seven candlesticks which
thou sawest are [i.e. symbolize] the seven churches" (Rev. 1:20). The
error of Universalism, based upon indefinite terms being given an
unlimited meaning, points further warning. Arminianism errs in the
same direction. "That He by the grace of God should taste death for
every man" (Heb. 2:9) no more included Cain, Pharaoh and Judas than
"every man" is to be understood absolutely in Luke 16:16; Romans 12:3;
1 Corinthians 4:5; and "all men" in 1 Timothy 2:4, 6, is no more to be
taken as meaning
"Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations" (Gen. 6:9). Of
Job, too, it is said that he was "perfect and upright" (1:1). How many
have allowed themselves to be misled by the sound of those words. What
false concepts have been formed of their import! Those who believe in
what they term "the second blessing" or "entire sanctification"
consider they confirm their contention that sinless perfection is
attainable in this life. Yet such a mistake is quite inexcusable, for
what is recorded very soon afterwards of those men shows plainly they
were very far from being without moral defect: the one becoming
intoxicated, the other cursing the day of his birth. The word
"perfect" in those and similar passages signifies "honest, sincere,"
being opposed to hypocrisy. "We speak wisdom among them that are
perfect" (1 Cor. 2:6). There, and in Philippians 3:15, the word
signifies "mature"--compare "of full age" in Hebrews 5:14--as distinct
from infantile.
"I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men . . and they shall
sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the King, whose name is
the Lord of hosts" (Jer. 51:57). Those words are cited by gross
materialists, who believe in the annihilation of the souls of the
wicked. They need not detain us long, for the language is plainly
figurative. God was about to execute judgment upon the pride of
Babylon, and as a historical fact that mighty city was captured while
its king and his courtiers were in a drunken stupor, being slain
therein, so that they awoke no more on earth. That "perpetual sleep"
cannot be understood literally and absolutely is evident from other
passages which expressly announce the resurrection of the
wicked--Daniel
"He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath He seen
perverseness in Israel" (Num. 23:21). How often those words have been
regarded absolutely, without any regard to their context. They were a
part of Balaam's explanation to Balak, why he could not curse Israel
so that they should be exterminated by the Midianites. Such language
did not mean that Israel was in a sinless state, but that up to that
time they were free from any open rebellion against or apostasy from
Jehovah. They had not been guilty of any heinous offense like
idolatry. They had conducted themselves as to be unfit for cursing and
cutting off. But later the Lord did see "perverseness" in Israel, and
commissioned Babylon to execute His judgment upon them (Isa. 10). It
is unwarrantable to apply this relative statement to the Church
absolutely, for God does "behold iniquity" in His children, as His
chastening rod demonstrates; though
Third, interpretation is needed for the inserting of an explanatory
word in some passages. Thus in "Thou art of purer eyes than to
[approvingly] behold evil, and canst not [condoningly] look on
iniquity" (Hab. 1:13). Some such qualifying terms as these are
required, otherwise we should make them contradict such a verse as
"The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the
good" (Prov. 15:3). God never beholds evil with complacency, but He
does to requite it. Once more. "For who hath resisted His [secret or
decretive] will?" (Rom. 9:19); "neither did according to His [revealed
or preceptive] will" (Luke 12:47)--unless those distinctions be made
Scripture would contradict itself. Again, "Blessed are they that
[evangelically, i.e., with genuine desire and effort] keep His
testimonies" (Ps. 119:2)--for none
For our concluding example of the need for interpretation let us take
a very familiar and simple verse: "Jesus Christ the same yesterday,
and today, and forever" (Heb. 13:8). Does that "say what it means"?
Certainly, says the reader; and the writer heartily agrees. But are
you sure that you understand the meaning of what it says? Has Christ
undergone no change since the days of His flesh? Is He the same
absolutely today as He was yesterday? Does He still experience bodily
hunger, thirst, and weariness? Is He still in "the form of a servant,"
in a state of humiliation, "the Man of sorrows"? Interpretation is
here obviously needed, for there must be a sense in which He is still
"the same." He is unchanged in His essential Person, in the exercise
of His mediatorial office, in His relation unto and attitude toward
His Church--loving them with an everlasting love. But He has altered
in His humanity, for that has been glorified; and in the position
which He now occupies (Matthew 28:18; Acts 2:36). Thus the best known
and most elementary verses call for careful examination and prayerful
meditation in order to arrive at the meaning of their terms.
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INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 2
_________________________________________________________________
In the previous chapter we sought to show the need for interpretation,
that it devolves upon us to ascertain the import of what is meant by
every sentence of Holy Writ. What God has said to us is of inestimable
importance and value, yet what profit can we derive therefrom unless
its significance is clear to us? The Holy Spirit has given us more
than a hint of this by explaining the meaning of certain words. Thus,
in the very first chapter of the New Testament it is said of Christ,
"they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God
with us" (Matthew 1:23). And again, "We have found the Messias, which
is, being interpreted, the Christ"--margin "the Anointed" (John 1:43).
Again, "And they bring Him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being
interpreted, The place of a skull" (Mark 15:22). Yet again
"Melchizedec, king of Salem . . . first being by interpretation King
of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of
peace" (Heb. 7:1, 2). Those expressions make it clear that it is
essential that we should understand the sense of each word used in the
Scriptures. God's Word is made up of words, yet they convey nothing to
us while they remain unintelligible. Hence, to
Before setting forth some of the rules to be observed and the
principles to be employed in the interpretation of Scripture, we would
point out various things which require to be found in the would-he
interpreter himself. Good tools are indeed indispensable for good
workmanship, but the best of them are to little purpose in the hands
of one who is unqualified to use them. Methods of Bible study are only
of relative importance; but the spirit in which it is studied is
all-important. It calls for no argument to prove that a spiritual book
calls for a spiritually minded reader, for "the natural man receiveth
not the things of the Spirit of God neither can he know them, because
they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14). God's Word is a
revelation of things which affect our highest interests and
everlasting welfare, and it demands both implicit and cordial
acceptance. Something more than intellectual training is required: the
heart must be right as well as the head. Only where there is honesty
of soul and spirituality of heart will there be clearness of vision to
perceive the Truth; only then will the mind be capable of discerning
the full import of what is read, and understand not only the bare
meaning of its words, but the sentiments they are designed to
We will repeat here what we wrote in Studies in the Scriptures twenty
years ago. "There is grave reason to believe that much Bible reading
and Bible study of the last few years has been of no spiritual profit
to those engaged in it. Yea, we go farther: we greatly fear that in
many instances it has proved a curse rather than a blessing. This is
strong language, we are well aware, but no stronger than the case
calls for. Divine gifts may be misused and Divine mercies abused. That
this has been so in the present instance is evidenced by the fruits
produced. Even the natural man can (and often does) take up the study
of the Scriptures with the same enthusiasm and pleasure as he might
one of the sciences. Where this is the case, his store of knowledge is
increased, and so also is his pride. Like a chemist engaged in making
interesting experiments, the intellectual searcher of the Word is
quite elated when he makes some new discovery, yet the joy of the
latter is no more spiritual than would be that of the former. So, too,
just as the success of the chemist generally increases his sense of
self-importance and causes him to look down upon those more ignorant
than himself, such alas, has been the case with those who have
investigated the subjects of Bible "
Since the imagination of man, like all the other faculties of his
moral being, is permeated and vitiated by sin, the ideas it suggests,
even when pondering the Divine oracles, are prone to be mistaken and
corrupt. It is part of our sinful infirmity that we are unable of
ourselves to interpret God's Word aright; but it is part of the
gracious office of the Holy Spirit to guide believers into the truth,
thereby enabling them to apprehend the Scriptures. This is a distinct
and special operation of the Spirit on the minds of God's people,
whereby He communicates spiritual wisdom and light unto them, and
which is necessary unto their discerning aright the mind of God in His
Word, and also their laying hold of the heavenly things found therein.
"A distinct operation" we say, by which we mean something ab extra or
over and above His initial work of quickening; for while it be a
blessed fact that at regeneration He has "given us an understanding,
that we may know Him that is true" (1 John 5:20), yet more is needed
in order for us to "know the things that are freely given to us of
God" (1 Cor. 2:12). This is evident from the case of the apostles, for
though they had companied and communed with Christ for the space of
three years, yet we are informed that, at a later date, "Then opened
He their understanding, might understand the scriptures" (Luke 24:45).
How what has been just alluded to should impress the Christian himself
with the need for holy caution when reading the Word, lest he wrest
its contents unto his own injury! How it should humble him before its
Author and make him realize his utter dependence upon Him! If the new
birth were sufficient of itself to capacitate the believer to grasp
Divine things, the apostle had never made request for the Colossian
saints that they "might be filled with the knowledge of God's will in
all wisdom and spiritual understanding" (1:9), nor would he have said
to his son in the faith, "the Lord give thee understanding in all
things" (2 Tim. 2:7). There never was a more foolish notion or
pernicious idea entertained than that the holy mysteries of the Gospel
so lie within the province of human reason that they may be known
profitably and practically without the effectual aid of the blessed
Spirit of Truth. Not that He instructs us in any other way than by and
through our reason and understanding, for then we should be reduced to
irrational creatures; but that He must enlighten our minds, elevate
and direct our thoughts, quicken our affections, move our wills, and
thereby enable our understandings, if we are to apprehend
Nor does the Holy Spirit's teaching of the individual Christian by any
means set aside or render him independent of making diligent and
conscientious use of the ministry of the pulpit, for that is an
important means appointed by God for the edifying of His people. There
is a happy medium between the attitude of the Ethiopian eunuch who,
when asked, "Understandest thou what thou readest?" replied, "How can
I, except some man should guide me?" (Acts 8:30, 31), and the wrong
use made of "ye need not that any man teach you" (1 John 2:27) --
between a slavish reliance upon human instruments and a haughty
independence of those whom Christ has called and qualified to feed His
sheep. "Yet is not their understanding of the Truth, their
apprehension of it, and faith in it, to rest upon or to be resolved
into their authority, who are not appointed of God to be `lords of
their faith,' but `helpers of their joy' (2 Cor. 1:24). And therein
depends all our interest in that great promise that we shall be `all
taught of God,' for we are not so, unless we do learn from Him those
"(John Owen).
"And all Thy children shall be taught of the Lord" (Isa. 54:13, and
cf. John 6:45). This is one of the great distinguishing marks of the
regenerate. There are multitudes of unregenerate religionists who are
well versed in the letter of Scripture, thoroughly acquainted with the
history and the doctrines of Christianity, but their knowledge came
only from human media--parents, Sunday school teachers, or their
personal reading. Tens of thousands of graceless professors possess an
intellectual knowledge of spiritual things which is considerable,
sound, and clear; yet they are not Divinely taught, as is evident from
the absence of the fruits which ever accompany the same. In like
manner, there are a great number of preachers who abhor the errors of
Modernism and contend earnestly for the Faith. They were taught in
Bible institutes or trained in theological seminaries, yet it is
greatly to be feared that they are total strangers to a supernatural
work of grace in their souls, and that their knowledge of the Truth is
but a notional one, unaccompanied by any heavenly unction, saving
power, or transforming effects. By diligent application, and personal
effort one may secure a vast amount of scriptural information, and
become an able expositor of the Word; but he cannot obtain thereby a
heart-affecting and heart-purifying knowledge thereof. None but the
Spirit of Truth can write God's Law on my heart,
Here, then, is the first and most essential qualification for
understanding and interpreting the Scriptures, namely a mind illumined
by the Holy Spirit. The need for this is fundamental and universal. Of
the Jews we are told, "But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the
veil is upon their heart" (2 Cor. 3:15). Though the Old Testament be
deeply venerated and diligently studied by the "orthodox" section, yet
is its spiritual purport unperceived by them. Such also is the case
with the Gentiles. There is a veil of ill-will over the heart of
fallen man for "the carnal mind is enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7).
There is a veil of ignorance over the mind. As a child may spell out
the letters and learn to pronounce words the sense of which he
apprehends not, so we may ascertain the literal or grammatical meaning
of this Word and yet have no spiritual knowledge of it, and thus
belong to that generation of whom it is said "hearing ye shall hear,
and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not
perceive" (Matthew 13:14). There is a veil of prejudice over the
affections. "Our hearts are overcast with strong affections of the
world, and so cannot clearly judge practical truth" (Manton). That
which conflicts with natural interests and calls for the denying of
self is unwelcome. There is a veil of pride which
Now that veil is not completely removed from the heart at
regeneration, hence our vision is yet very imperfect and our capacity
to take in the Truth unto spiritual profit very inconsiderable. In his
first epistle to the Corinthian church the apostle said, "If any man
think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to
know" (8:2). It is a great mercy when the Christian is made to realize
that fact. So long as he remains in this evil world and the corrupt
principle of the flesh continues in him, the believer needs to be led
and taught by the Spirit. This is very evident from the case of David,
for while he declared, "I have more understanding than all my
teachers," yet we find him praying to God, "Open Thou mine eyes, that
I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law. . . . Teach me, O Lord,
the way of Thy statutes. . . . Give me understanding" (Ps. 119:18, 33,
34). Observe that the Psalmist did not complain at the obscurity of
God's Law, but realized the fault was in himself. Nor did he make
request for new revelations (by dreams or visions), but instead a
clearer sight of what was already revealed. Those who are the best and
longest taught are always
It is to be duly noted that the verb in Psalm 119:18, literally
signifies "uncover, unveil mine eyes," which confirms our opening
sentence in the last paragraph. God's Word is a spiritual light
objectively, but to discern it aright there needs to be sight or light
subjectively, for it is only by and in His light that "we see light"
(Ps. 36:9). The Bible is here termed "God's Law" because it is clothed
with Divine authority, uttering the mandates of His will. It contains
not so much good advice, which we are free to accept at our pleasure,
but imperious edicts which we reject at our peril. In that Word are
"wondrous things" which by the use of mere reason we cannot attain
unto. They are the riches of Divine wisdom, which are far above the
compass of man's intellect. Those "wondrous things" the believer longs
to behold or clearly discern, yet is he quite unable to do so without
Divine assistance. Therefore, he prays that God will so unveil his
eyes that he may behold them to good purpose, or apprehend them unto
faith and obedience-- i.e., understand them
"Behold, God exalteth [elevates the soul above the merely natural] by
His power: who teacheth like Him?" (Job 36:22). None; when He
instructs, He does so effectually. "I am the Lord thy God which
teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou
shouldest go" (Isa. 48:17): that is what His "teaching" consists of--a
producing of pious conduct. It is not merely an addition being made to
our mental store, but a bestirring of the soul to holy activity. The
light which He imparts warms the heart, fires the affections. So far
from puffing up its recipient, as natural knowledge does, it humbles.
It reveals to us our ignorance and stupidity, shows us our sinfulness
and worthlessness, and makes the believer little in his own eyes. The
Spirits' teaching also gives us clearly to see the utter vanity of the
things highly esteemed by the unregenerate, showing us the
transitoriness and comparative worthlessness of earthly honors, riches
and fame, causing us to hold all temporal things with a light hand.
The knowledge which God imparts is a transforming one, making us to
lay aside hindering weights, to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts,
and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.
Beholding the glory of the Lord we are "changed into the same image
from glory to "(2 Cor. 3:18).
The very character of Divine teaching demonstrates how urgent is our
need of the same. It consists very largely in overcoming our native
antipathy for and hostility to Divine things. By nature we have a love
of sin and hatred of holiness (John 3:19), and that must be
effectually subdued by the power of the Spirit ere we desire the pure
milk of the Word--observe what has to be laid aside before we can
receive with meekness the ingrafted Word (Jam. 1:21; 1 Pet. 2:1);
though it be our duty, only He can enable us to perform it. By nature
we are proud and independent, self-sufficient and confident in our own
powers. That evil spirit clings to the Christian to the end of his
pilgrimage, and only the Spirit of God can work in him that humility
and meekness which are requisite if he is to take the place of a
little child before the Word. The love of honor and praise among men
is another corrupt affection of our souls, an insuperable obstacle to
the admission of the Truth (John 5:44; 12:43), which has to be purged
out of us. The fierce and persistent opposition made by Satan to
prevent our apprehension of the Word (Matthew 13:19; 2 Cor. 4:4) is
far too powerful for us to resist in our own strength; none but the
Lord can deliver us from his evil suggestions and
Second, an impartial spirit is required if we are to discern and
apprehend the real teaching of Holy Writ. Nothing more beclouds the
judgment than prejudice--none so blind as those who will not see.
Particularly is that the case with all who come to the Bible with the
object of finding passages which prove "our doctrines." An honest
heart is the first quality the Lord predicated of the good-ground
hearer (Luke 8:15), and where that exists we are not only willing but
desirous to have our own views corrected. There can be no advance made
in our spiritual apprehension of the Truth until we are ready to
submit our ideas and sentiments to the teaching of God's Word. While
we cling to our preconceived opinions and sectarian partialities,
instead of being ready to abandon all beliefs not clearly taught in
Scripture, neither praying nor studying can profit the soul. There is
nothing which God hates more than insincerity, and we are guilty
thereof if, while asking Him to instruct us, we at the same time
refuse to relinquish what is erroneous. A thirst for the Truth itself,
with a candid determination for it to mold all our thinking and direct
our practice, is indispensable if we are to be
Third, a humble mind. "This is an eternal and unalterable law of God's
appointment, that whoever will learn His mind and will, as revealed in
Scripture, must be humble and lowly, renouncing all trust and
confidence in themselves. The knowledge of a proud man is the throne
of Satan in his mind. To suppose that persons under the predominancy
of pride, self-conceit and self-confidence can understand the mind of
God in a due manner is to renounce the Scripture, or innumerable
positive testimonies to the contrary" (Owen). The Lord Jesus declared
that heavenly mysteries are hid from the wise and prudent, but
revealed unto babes (Matthew 11:25). Those who assume an attitude of
competency, and are wise in their own esteem, remain spiritually
ignorant and unenlightened. Whatever knowledge men may acquire by
their natural abilities and industry is nothing unto the glory of God,
nor to the eternal gain of their souls, for the Spirit refuses to
instruct the haughty. "God resisteth the proud" (Jam. 4:6)-- "He draws
up against him, He prepares Himself, as it were, with His whole force
to oppose his progress. A most formidable expression! If God only
leaves us unto ourselves, we are all ignorance and darkness; so what
must be the dreadful case of those against whom He appears in arms?"
(John Newton). But, blessed be His name, He "giveth grace unto the
"--those of a childlike disposition.
Fourth, a praying heart. Since the Bible is different from all other
books, it makes demands upon its readers which none other does. What
one man has written, another man can master; but only the Inspirer of
the Word is competent to interpret it unto us. It is at this very
point that so many fail. They approach the Bible as they would any
other book, relying on a closeness of attention and diligence of
perusal to understand its contents. We must first get down on our
knees and cry unto God for light: "Incline my heart unto Thy
testimonies . . . give me understanding, that I may learn Thy
commandments . . . order my steps in Thy word" (Ps. 119:36, 73, 133).
No real progress can be made in our apprehension of the Truth until we
realize our deep and constant need of a Divinely anointed eye. "If any
of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all liberally"
(Jam. 1:5). It is because they make use of that promise that many a
Christian ploughman and simple housewife is taught of the Spirit,
while prayerless scholars know not the secret of the Lord. Not only do
we need to pray "that which I see not, teach Thou me," but request God
to
Fifth, a holy design. Many are deceived in this matter, mistaking an
eagerness to acquire scriptural knowledge for a love of the Truth
itself. Inquisitiveness to discover what the Bible says is why some
read it. A sense of shame to be unable to discover its teaching
prompts others. The desire to be familiar with its contents so as to
hold their own in an argument moves still others. If it be nothing
better than a mere desire to be well versed in its details which
causes us to read the Bible, it is more than likely that the garden of
our souls will remain barren. The inspiring motive should be honestly
examined. Do I search the Scriptures in order to become better
acquainted with their Author and His will for me? Is the dominating
purpose which actuates me that I may grow in grace and in the
knowledge of the Lord? Is it that I may ascertain more clearly and
fully how I should order the details of my life, so that it will be
more pleasing and honoring to Him? Is it that I may be brought into a
closer walking with God and the enjoyment of more unbroken communion
with Him? Nothing less is a worthy aim than that I
In this chapter we have dealt only with the elementary side of our
subject, nevertheless of what is of basic importance, and which few
attend unto. Even in the palmy days of the Puritans, Owen had to
complain, "the number is very small of those who diligently, humbly,
and conscientiously endeavour to learn the Truth from the voice of God
in the Scriptures, or to grow wise in the mysteries of the Gospel by
such ways as wherein alone that wisdom is attainable. And is it any
wonder if many, the greater number of men, wander after vain
imaginations of their own or others?" May it not be so with those who
read this chapter.
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INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 3
_________________________________________________________________
Chapter dealt with some of the more elementary yet essential
qualifications which must needs be found in any who would enter into
the spiritual meaning of Holy Writ. It was therefore suited to all the
people of God in general. But in this we propose to treat of those
things which have a more particular hearing upon those whom God has
called to preach and teach His Word: those whose whole time and
energies are to be devoted to seeking the spiritual and eternal
welfare of souls, and the better equipping of themselves for that most
blessed, solemn, and important work. Their principal tasks are to
proclaim God's Truth and to exemplify and commend their message by
diligently endeavoring to practice what they preach, setting before
their hearers a personal example of practical godliness. Since it be
the Truth they are to preach, no pains must be spared in seeing to it
that no error be intermingled therewith, that it is the pure milk of
the Word they are giving forth. To preach error instead of Truth is
not only grievously to dishonor God and His Word, but will
The preacher's task is both the most honorable and the most solemn of
any calling, the most privileged and at the same time the most
responsible one. He professes to be a servant of the Lord Jesus
Christ, a messenger sent forth by the Most High. To misrepresent his
Master, to preach any other Gospel than His, to falsify the message
which God has committed to his trust, is the sin of sins, which brings
down upon him the anathema of heaven (Gal. 1:8), and will be visited
with the sorest punishment awaiting any creature. Scripture is plain
that the heaviest measure of Divine wrath is reserved for unfaithful
preachers (Matthew 23:14; Jude 13). Therefore the warning is given,
"be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater
condemnation" (Jam. 3:1) if unfaithful to our trust. Every minister of
the Gospel will yet have to render a full account of his stewardship
unto the One whom he claims called him to feed His sheep (Heb. 13:17),
to answer for the souls who were committed to his charge. If he fails
to diligently warn the wicked, and he dies in his iniquity, God
declares "his blood will I require at thine "(Ezek. 3:18).
Thus the chief and constant duty of the preacher is to conform unto
that injunction, "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman
that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2
Tim. 2:15). In the whole of Scripture there is no exhortation
addressed to preachers which is of greater importance than that one,
and few equal. Doubtless that is why Satan has been so active in
seeking to obscure its first two clauses by raising such a cloud of
dust over the last one. The Creek word for "study" here signifies
"give diligence": spare no efforts, but make it your paramount concern
and constant endeavor to please your Master. Seek not the smiles and
flatteries of worms of the earth, but the approbation of the Lord.
That is to take precedence of everything else: unless it is, attention
to the second thing mentioned will be in vain. Entirely subordinate
all other aims to commending thyself unto God -- thine own heart and
character, thy dealings with and walk before Him, ordering all thy
ways according to His revealed will. What are your "service," your
ministrations, worth, if He be displeasedwith thee?
"A workman that needeth not to be ashamed." Be conscientious,
diligent, faithful, in the use you make of your time and the talents
God has entrusted to you. Give unremitting heed to that precept.
"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might" (Eccl. 9:10)
-- put your very best into it. Be industrious and assiduous, not
careless and slovenly. See how well you can do each thing, and not how
quickly. The Greek word for "workman" is also translated "laborer,"
and in twentieth-century English might well be rendered "toiler." The
ministry is no place for trifiers and idlers, but for those who are
prepared to spend and be spent in the cause of Christ. The preacher
ought to work harder than the miner, and to spend more hours per week
in his study than does the man of business in his office. A workman is
the very opposite of a shirker. If the preacher is to show himself
approved unto God and be a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
then he will have to labor while others sleep, and do so until he
"Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy
profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the
doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save
thyself, and them that hear thee" (1 Tim. 4:15, 16). This is another
part of the. mandate which Christ has laid upon His official servants,
and a most comprehensive and exacting one it is. He requires them to
put their hearts into the work, to give the whole of their thoughts to
it, to lay themselves completely out in it, to devote all their time
and strength thereto. They are to keep clear of all secular affairs
and worldly employments, and show all diligence in the task assigned
them. That it is an arduous task appears from the different
designations given them. They are called "soldiers" to denote the
exertions and fatigue which attend the proper discharge of their
calling; "overseers and watchmen" to intimate the care and concern
which accompany their office; "shepherds and teachers" to signify the
various duties of leading and feeding those committed to their charge.
But first and foremost they are to take heed to their personal growth
in
Particularly does the minister need to attend unto this injunction
"take heed unto thyself" in his study of the Scriptures, reading them
devotionally ere he does so professionally; that is, seeking their
application and blessing to his own soul before searching for sermonic
materials. As the saintly Hervey expressed it, "Thus may we always be
affected when we study the oracles of Truth. Study them, not as cold
critics, who are only to judge of their meaning, but as persons deeply
interested in all they contain. Who are particularly addressed in
every exhortation, and directed in every precept. Whose are the
promises, and to whom belong the precious privileges. When we are
enabled thus to realize and appropriate the contents of that
invaluable Book, then shall we taste the sweetness and feel the power
of the Scriptures. Then shall we know by happy experience that our
Divine Master's words are not barely sounds and syllables, but that
they are spirit and they are life." No man can be constantly giving
out -- that which is fresh and savory--unless he be continually taking
in. That which he is to declare unto others is what his own ears have
first heard, his own eyes have seen,
The mere quoting of Scripture in the pulpit is not sufficient--people
can become familiar with the letter of the Word by reading it at home;
it is the expounding and application of it which are so much needed,
"And Paul, as his manner was . . . reasoned with them out of the
scriptures, opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have
suffered, and risen again from the dead" (Acts 17:2, 3). But to "open"
the Scriptures helpfully to the saints requires something more than a
few months' training in a Bible institute, or a year or two in a
seminary. None but those who have been personally taught of God in the
hard school of experience are qualified so to "open" the Word that
Divine light is cast upon the spiritual problems of the believer, for
while Scripture interprets experience, experience is often the best
interpreter of Scripture. "The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth,
and addeth learning to his lips" (Prov. 16:23), and that "learning"
cannot be acquired in any of man's schools. No one can learn what
humility is by means of the concordance, nor secure more faith by
studying certain passages of Scripture. The one is acquired through
painful discoveries of the plague of our hearts, and the other is
increased by a deepening acquaintance with God. We must ourselves
"To seek after mere notions of Truth, without an endeavor after an
experience of its power in our hearts, is not the way to increase our
understanding in spiritual things. He alone is in a posture to learn
from God, who sincerely gives up his mind, conscience, and affections
to the power and rule of what is revealed unto him. Men may have in
their study of the Scriptures other ends also, as the profit and
edification of others. But if this conforming of their own souls unto
the power of the Word be not fixed in the first place in their minds
they do not strive lawfully, nor will they he crowned. And if at any
time, when we study the Word, we have not this design expressly in our
minds, yet if upon the discovery of any truth we endeavour not to have
the likeness of it in our own hearts, we lose our principal advantage
by it" (John Owen). It is much to be feared that many preachers will
have reason to lament in the day to come, "They made me the keeper of
the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept" (Song of Sol.
1:6)--like a chef preparing meals for others and himself
While the preacher is to ponder the Word devotionally, he is also to
read it studiously. If he is to become able to feed his flock with
"the finest of the wheat" (Ps. 81:16), then he must needs study it
diligently and daily, and that to the end of his life. Alas, that so
many preachers abandon their habit of study as soon as they are
ordained! The Bible is an inexhaustible mind of spiritual treasure,
and the more its riches are opened to us (by hard digging) the more we
realize how much there is yet unpossessed, and how little we really
understand what has been received. "If any man think that he knoweth
any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know"
The Word of God cannot be understood without a constant and laborious
study, without a careful and prayerful scrutiny of its contents. This
is not to say that it is recondite and obscure. No, it is as plain and
intelligible as in the nature of things it can be, adopted in the best
possible manner to give instruction in the holy and profound things of
which it treats. But none can be instructed by the best possible means
of instruction who will not take pains with the same. Promise of
understanding is made not to the dilatory and indolent, but to the
diligent and earnest, to those who seek for spiritual treasure (Prov.
2:3, 5). The Scriptures have to be searched, searched daily,
persistently and perseveringly, if the minister is to become
thoroughly familiar with the whole of what God has revealed, and if he
is to set before his hearers "a feast of fat things." Of the wise
preacher it is said, "he still taught the people knowledge, yea, he
gave good heed, and sought out," even "sought to find out acceptable
words" (Eccl. 12:9, 10), as if his whole soul was engaged in the
discovery of the best mode as
No preacher should be content with being anything less than "a man
mighty in the scriptures" (Acts 18:24). But to attain thereunto he
must subordinate all other interests. An old writer quaintly said,
"The preacher should be with his time as the miser is with his
gold--saving it with care, and spending it with caution." He must also
remind himself constantly whose Book it is he is about to take up, so
that he ever handles it with the utmost reverence, and can aver "my
heart standeth in awe of Thy word" (Ps. 119:161). He must approach it
in lowly-mindedness, for it is only unto such that the Lord "giveth
more grace." He must ever come to it in the spirit of prayer, crying
"that which I see not teach Thou me" (Job 34:32): the enlightening
grace of the Spirit will often open mysteries to the meek and
dependent which remain closed to the most learned and scholarly. A
holy heart is equally indispensable for the reception of supernatural
truth, for the understanding is clarified by the purifying of the
heart. Let there also be a humble expectation of Divine help, for
"according unto your faith be it unto you" holds good
It is only by giving heed to the things which have been pointed out in
the preceding paragraphs that the necessary foundations are laid for
any man's becoming a competent expositor. The task before him is to
unfold, with clearness and accuracy, the Word of God. His business is
entirely exegetical--to bring out the true meaning of each passage he
deals with, whether it accords with his own preconceptions or no. As
it is the work of the translator to convey the real sense of the
Hebrew and Creek into English, so the interpreter's is to apprehend
and communicate the precise ideas which the language of the Bible was
meant to impart. As the renowned Bengel so well expressed it, "An
expositor should be like the maker of a well: who puts no water into
it, but makes it his object to let the water flow, without diversion,
stoppage, or defilement." In other words, he must not take the
slightest liberty with the sacred text, nor give it a meaning which it
will not legitimately bear; neither modifying its force nor
superimposing upon it
To comply with what has just been said calls for an unbiased approach,
an honest heart, and a spirit of fidelity, on the part of the
interpreter. "Nothing should be elicited from the text but what is
yielded by the fair and grammatical explanation of its language" (P.
Fairbaim). It is easy to assent to that dictum, but often difficult to
put it into practice. A personal shrinking from what condemns the
preacher, a sectarian bias of mind, the desire to please his hearers,
have caused not a few to evade the plain force of certain passages,
and to foist on them significations which are quite foreign to their
meaning. Said Luther, "We must not make God's Word mean what we wish.
We must not bend it, but allow it to bend us, and give it the honor of
being better than we can make it." Anything other than that is highly
reprehensible. Great care needs ever to be taken that we do not
expound our own minds instead of God's. Nothing can be more
blameworthy than for a man to profess to be uttering a "Thus saith the
Lord" when he is merely expressing his own
If the druggist is required by law to follow exactly the doctor's
prescription, if military officers must transmit the orders of their
commanders verbatim or suffer severe penalties, how much more
incumbent is it for one dealing with Divine and eternal things to
adhere strictly to his text book! The interpreter's task is to emulate
those described in Nehemiah 8:8, of whom it is said "they read in the
book in the law of the Lord God distinctly, and gave the sense, and
caused them to understand the reading." The reference is to those who
had returned to Palestine from Babylon. While in captivity they had
gradually ceased to use Hebrew as their spoken language. Aramaic
displacing it. Hence there was a real need to explain the Hebrew words
in which the Law was written (cf. Neh. 13:23, 24). Yet the recording
of this incident intimates that it is of permanent importance, and has
a message for us. In the good providence of God there is little need
today for the preacher to explain the Hebrew and the Creek, since we
already possess a reliable translation of them into our own mother
tongue--though occasionally, yet very sparingly, he may do so. But his
principal business is to "give the sense" of the English Bible and
cause his hearers to "understand" its contents. His responsibility is
to adhere strictly to that injunction, "let him speak My word
faithfully. What is "(Jer. 23:28).
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INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 4
_________________________________________________________________
The preacher should be, above everything else, a man of the Book,
thoroughly versed in the contents of God's Word, one who is able to
bring forth out of his treasure "things new and old" (Matthew 13:52).
The Bible is to be his sole text-book, and from its living waters he
is to drink deeply and daily. Personally, we use nothing else than the
English Authorized Version and Young's concordance, with an occasional
reference to the Greek Interlinear and the American Revised Version.
Commentaries we consult only alter we have made a first-hand and
exhaustive study of a passage. We strongly urge young preachers to be
much on their guard against allowing commentaries to become a
substitute for, instead of a supplement to, their own minute and full
examination and pondering of Holy Writ. As there is a happy mean
between imagining either that the Bible is so plain and simple that
anyone can understand it or so difficult and profound that it would be
a waste of time for the average person to read it, so there is between
being mainly dependent on the labors of others and simply echoes of
their ideas and utterly disparaging that light and help which may be
obtained from God's servants of the past.
It is at the feet of God that the preacher must take his place,
learning from Him the meaning of His Word, waiting upon Him to open
its mysteries, looking to Him for his message. Nowhere but in the
Scriptures can he ascertain what is pleasing or displeasing unto the
Lord. There alone are opened the secrets of Divine wisdom, of which
the philosopher and scientist know nothing. And as the great Dutch
Puritan rightly pointed out, "Whatever is not drawn from them,
whatever is not built upon them, whatever does not most exactly accord
with them, however it may recommend itself by the appearance of the
most sublime wisdom, or rest on ancient tradition and consent of
learned men, or the weight of plausible arguments, it is vain, futile,
and, in short, a lie. `To the law and to the testimony: if they speak
not according to this word it is because there is no light in them.'
Let the theologian delight in those sacred Oracles: let him exercise
himself in them day and night, meditate in them, draw all his wisdom
from them. Let him compass all his thoughts on them, let him embrace
nothing in religion which he does not find there" (Herman Witsius).
1. Coming now to those principles which are to guide the student in
his efforts to interpret God's Word, we place first and foremost the
need for recognizing the inter-relation and mutual dependence of the
Old and New Testaments. We do so because error at this point
inevitably results in a serious misunderstanding and perverting of not
a little in the later Scriptures. We do not propose to enter into a
refutation of the modern heresy of "dispensationalism," but to treat
of this section of our subject constructively. After a long and
careful comparison of the writings of that school with The Institutes
of Calvin, and our observation of the kind of fruit borne by the one
and the other, it is our conviction that that eminent reformer was far
more deeply taught by the Holy Spirit than those who claimed to
receive so much "new light on God's Word" a century ago. We would
therefore urge every preacher who possesses Calvin's Institutes to
give his very best attention to its two chapters on "The Similarity of
the Old and New Testaments" and "The Difference of the Two
Testaments."
The similarity of the two Testaments is much greater and more vital
than their dissimilarity. The same triune God is revealed in each, the
same way of salvation is set forth, the same standard of holiness is
exhibited, the same eternal destinies of the righteous and the wicked
made known. The New has all its roots in the Old, so that much in the
one is unintelligible apart from the other. Not only is a knowledge of
the history of the patriarchs and of the institutions of Judaism
indispensable for an understanding of many details in the Gospels and
the Epistles, but its terms and ideas are identical. That it is
entirely unwarrantable for us to suppose that the message proclaimed
by the Lord Jesus was something new or radically different from the
early communications of God appears from His emphatic warning: "Think
not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come
to destroy, but to fulfil" (Matthew 5:17)--to vindicate and
substantiate them, to free them from human perversions and
misrepresentations, and to make good what they demanded and announced.
So far from there being any antagonism between the teaching of Christ
and Divine messengers who preceded Him, when He enunciated "the golden
law" He stated, "for this is the law and the prophets" (Matthew 7:12).
Most certainly there was no conflict between the testimony of the
apostles and that of their Master, for He had expressly enjoined them
to teach their converts "to observe all things whatsoever I have [not
shall!] commanded you" (Matthew 28:20). Nor did the doctrinal system
of Paul differ in any wise from that enunciated in the Old Testament.
At the very beginning of the first epistle bearing his name he is
particular to inform us that the Gospel unto which God had separated
him was none other than the one "He had promised afore by His prophets
in the holy scriptures" (Rom. 1:1, 2); and when he stated that the
righteousness of God was now revealed apart from the Law, he was
careful to add, "being witnessed by the law and the prophets" (3:21).
When he vindicated his teaching on justification by faith without the
deeds of the Law, he did so by appealing to the case of Abraham and
the testimony of David (Rom. 4). When he admonished the Corinthians
against being lulled into a false sense of security because of the
spiritual gifts which had been bestowed upon them, he reminded them of
the Israelites who had been highly favored of God, yet that did not
keep them from His displeasure when they sinned, even though they "did
all eat the same spiritual meat; and did drink the same spiritual
drink" (1 Cor. 10:1-5). And when illustrating important practical
truth, he cites the history of Abraham's two sons (Gal. 4:22-31).
In many respects the New Testament is a continuation of and a
complement to the Old. The difference between the old and new
covenants referred to in Hebrews is a relative and not an absolute
one. The contrast is not really between two opposites, but rather
between a gradation from the lower to the higher plane--the one
preparing for the other. While some have erred in too much Judaizing
Christianity, others have entertained far too carnal a conception of
Judaism, failing to perceive the spiritual elements in it, and that
under it God was then as truly administering the blessings of the
everlasting covenant unto those whom He had chosen in Christ as He is
now, yea, that He had done so from Abel onwards. Rightly, then, did
Calvin rebuke the madness of our modern dispensationalists when
reproving those of their forerunners who appeared in his day, saying,
"Now what would be more absurd than that Abraham should be the father
of all the faithful, and not possess even the lowest place among them?
But he cannot be excluded from the number, even from the most
honorable station, without the destruction of the Church."
Whether the speaker is Christ or one of His apostles, at almost every
vital point he clinches his argument by an appeal to the Old Testament
scriptures, proof-texts therefrom being found in almost every page in
the New. Innumerable examples might be adduced to show that both the
ideas and the language of the former have given their impress to the
latter--more than six hundred expressions in the one occurring in the
other. Every clause in the "Magnificat" (Luke 1:46-55) and even in the
family prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) is drawn from the Old Testament. It
therefore behooves the student to give equal attention to both of the
principal divisions of the Bible, not only thoroughly familiarizing
himself with the latter but endeavoring to drink deeply of the spirit
of the first, in order to fit him for understanding the second. Unless
he does so, it will be impossible for him to apprehend aright much in
the Gospels and Epistles. Not only is a knowledge of the types
necessary to comprehend the anti-types--for what would "Christ our
passover is sacrificed for us" (1 Cor. 5:7) mean to one ignorant of
Exodus 12; and how much in Hebrews 9 and 10 is intelligible apart from
Leviticus 16?--but many important words of the New Testament can be
correctly defined only by referring back to their usage in the Old
Testament: such as "firstborn, redeem, propitiation," etc.
That there must be a fundamental harmony between Judaism and
Christianity appears in the fact that the same God is the Author of
both, and is unchanging in His perfections and the principles of His
government. The former was indeed addressed more to the outward man,
was transacted under visible forms and relations, and had respect
primarily to a worldly sanctuary and earthly inheritance;
nevertheless, they were all of them a "shadow of heavenly things"
(Heb. 8:5; 10:1). "In the New Testament we have a higher, yet very
closely related, exhibition of truth and duty than in the Old, which
involves both the agreements and differences of the two covenants. The
agreements lie deeper and concern the more essential elements of the
two economies; the differences are of a more circumstantial and formal
nature" (Fairbairn). Personally, we would say that the principal
variations appear in that in the one we have promise and prediction,
in the other performance and fulfillment: first the types and shadows
(the "blade"), then the reality and substance or "full corn in the
ear." The Christian dispensation excels the Mosaic in a fuller and
clearer manifestation of God's perfections (1 John 2:8), in a more
abundant effusion of the Spirit (John 7:39; Acts 2:3), in its wider
extent (Matthew 28:19, 20), and in a larger measure of liberty (Rom.
8:15; Gal. 4:2-7).
2. The second principle which the expositor must make a most careful
study of is that of scriptural quotation. Not a little help in
ascertaining the right laws of interpretation may be obtained from
diligently observing the manner in which and the purpose for which the
Old Testament is cited in the New. There can be little room for doubt
that the record which the Holy Spirit has supplied of the way in which
our Lord and His apostles understood and applied the Old Testament was
as much designed to throw light generally on how the Old Testament is
to be used by us as it was to furnish instruction on the particular
points for the sake of which passages in the Law or the prophets were
more immediately appealed to. By examining closely the words quoted
and the sense given to them in the New Testament, we shall not only be
delivered from a slavish literalism, but be better enabled to perceive
the fullness of God's words and the varied application which may be
legitimately made of them. A wide, but generally neglected, field is
open for exploration, but instead of endeavoring here to make a
thorough canvass of the same, we shall simply supply a few
illustrations.
In Matthew 8:16, we are told that on a certain occasion Christ "healed
all that were sick," and then under the guidance of the Holy Spirit
the evangelist added, "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by
Esaias the prophet [namely in 53:4], saying, Himself took our
infirmities and bare our sicknesses." Such a use of that Messianic
prediction is most illuminating, intimating as it does that it had a
wider signification than the making of atonement for the sins of His
people, namely that during the days of His public ministry Christ
entered sympathetically into the condition of the sufferers, and took
upon His spirit the sorrows and pains of those to whom He ministered,
that His miracles of healing cost Him much in the way of compassion
and endurance. He was personally afflicted by their afflictions.
Christ began His mediatorial work of removing the evil which sin had
brought into the world by curing those bodily ailments which were the
fruits of sin, and by so doing shadowed forth the greater work He was
to accomplish at the cross. The connection between the one and the
other was more plainly indicated when He said alternatively to the
sick of the palsy, "Thy sins be forgiven thee" and "arise, take up thy
bed and go unto thine house" (Matthew 9:2,6).
Consider next how Christ used the Old Testament to refute the
materialists of His day. The Sadducees held the notion that the soul
and body are so closely allied that if one perishes the other must
(Acts 23:8). They saw the body die, and therefrom concluded that the
soul had also. Very striking indeed is it to behold incarnate wisdom
reasoning with them on their own ground. This He did by quoting from
Exodus 3, where Jehovah had said unto Moses, "I am the God of Abraham,
and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." But wherein were those
words to the point? What was there in them which exposed the error of
the Sadducees? Nothing explicitly, but much implicitly. From them
Christ drew the conclusion that "God is not the God of the dead, but
of the living" (Matthew 22:32). It was not that He had been their
"God," but that He was so still--"I am their God," therefore they
still lived. Since their spirits and souls were yet alive, their
bodies must be raised in due course, for being their "God" guaranteed
that He would be to them and do for them all that such a relation
called for, and not leave a part of their nature to be a prey of
corruption. Therein Christ established the important principle of
interpretation that we may draw any clear and necessary inference from
a passage, provided it clashes not with any definite statement of Holy
Writ.
In Romans 4:11-18, we have a remarkable example of apostolic reasoning
from two short passages in Genesis, wherein God made promise unto
Abraham that he should be a father of many nations (17:5) and that in
his seed should all the nations of the earth be blessed (22:18). Since
these assurances were given to the patriarch simply as a believer,
before the Divine appointment of circumcision, Paul drew the logical
conclusion that they pertained to Jews and Gentiles alike, providing
they believed as he did and thereby had imputed to them the
righteousness of Christ, that the good of those promises belonged unto
all who "walk in the steps of his faith." Therein we are plainly
taught that the "seed" of blessing mentioned in those ancient
prophecies was essentially of a spiritual kind (cf. Gal. 3:7-9;
14:29), including all the members of the household of faith, wherever
they be found. As Stifler pertinently remarked, "Abraham is called
father neither in a physical sense nor a spiritual: he is father in
that he is head of the faith clan, and so the normal type." In Romans
9:6-13, the apostle was equally express in excluding from the good of
those promises the merely natural descendants of Abraham.
Romans 10:5-9, supplies a striking illustration of this principle in
the way that the apostle "opened" Deuteronomy 30:11-14. His design was
to draw off the Jews from regarding obedience to the Law as necessary
unto justification (Rom. 10:2, 3). He did so by producing an argument
from the writings of Moses, wherein a distinction was drawn between
the righteousness of the Law and the righteousness of faith. The Jews
had rejected Christ because He came not to them in the way of their
carnal expectations, and therefore refused the grace tendered by Him.
They considered the Messiah was far off, when in fact He was "nigh"
them. There was no need, then, for them to ascend to heaven, for
Christ had come down from thence; nor to descend into the deep, for He
had risen from the dead. The apostle was not merely accommodating to
his purpose the language of Deuteronomy 30, but showing its
evangelical drift. As Manton said, "The whole of that chapter is a
sermon of evangelical repentance" (see vv. 1, 2). It obviously looked
forward to a time after Christ's ascension when Israel would be
dispersed among the nations, so that the words of Moses there were
strictly applicable to this Gospel dispensation. The substance of
verses 11-14 is that the knowledge of God's will is freely accessible,
so that none are required to do the impossible.
In Romans 10:18, more than a hint is given of the profound depths of
God's Word and the wide breadth of its application. "But I say, Have
they not heard [the Gospel, though they obeyed it not--v. 16]? Yes
verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the
ends of the world"--quoted from Psalm 19:4. The publication of the
Gospel was not restricted (Col. 1:5, 6), but was as general and free
as the Divine declarations of the heavens (Ps. 19:1). "The universal
revelation of God in nature was a providential prediction of the
universal proclamation of the Gospel. If the former was not
gratuitous, but founded in the nature of God, so must the latter be.
The manifestation of God in nature is for all His creatures to whom it
is made, in pledge of their participation in the clearer and higher
revelations" (Hengstenberg). Not only did Old Testament prophecy
announce that the Gospel should be given to the whole world, but the
heavens mystically declared the same thing. The heavens speak not to
one nation only, but the whole human race! If men did not believe it
was not because they had not heard. Another example of the mystical
signification of certain scriptures is found in 1 Corinthians 9:9, 10.
In Galatians 4:24, the inspired pen of Paul informs us that certain
domestic incidents in the household of Abraham "are in allegory," that
Hagar and Sarah represented "the two covenants," and that their sons
prefigured the kind of worshippers those covenants were fitted to
produce. But for that Divine revelation unto and through the apostle
we should never have known that in those facts of history God had
concealed a prophetic mystery, that those domestic occurrences
prophetically shadowed forth vitally important transactions of the
future, that they illustrated great doctrinal truths and exemplified
the difference in conduct of spiritual slaves and spiritual freemen.
Yet such was the case, as the apostle showed by opening to us the
occult meaning of those events. They were a parable in action: God so
shaped the affairs of Abraham's family as to typify things of vast
magnitude. The two sons were ordained to foreshadow those who should
be born from above and those born after the flesh--that even Abraham's
natural descendants were but Ishmaelites in spirit, strangers to the
promise. While Paul's example here is certainly no precedent for the
expositor to give free rein to his imagination and make Old Testament
episodes teach anything he pleases, it does intimate that God so
ordered the lives of the patriarchs as to afford lessons of great
spiritual value.
We have, above, designedly selected a variety of examples, and from
them the diligent student (but not so the hurried reader) will
discover some valuable Divine hints and helps on how the Scriptures
are to be understood, and the principles by which they are to be
interpreted. Let them be reread and carefully pondered.
3. Constant care must be diligently taken strictly to conform all our
interpretations to the Analogy of Faith, or, as Romans 12:6, expresses
it, "let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith." Charles
Hodge, who, for doctrinal soundness, spiritual scholarship, and
critical acumen, is unsurpassed, states that the original and proper
meaning of the word "prophet" is interpreter--one who declares the
will of God, who explains His mind to others. He also says that the
word rendered "proportion" may mean either proportion, or measure,
rule, standard. Since "faith" in this verse must be taken objectively
(for there were "prophets" like Balaam and Caiphas, who were devoid of
any inward or saving faith), then this important expression signifies
that the interpreter of God's mind must be most particular and
scrupulous in seeing to it that he ever does so in accordance with the
revealed standard He has given us. Thus "faith" here is used in the
same sense as in such passages as "the faith" in Galatians 1:23; 1
Timothy 4:1, etc.; namely the "one faith" of Ephesians 4:5, "the faith
which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3) -- the written Word
of God.
The exposition made of any verse in Holy Writ must be in entire
agreement with the Analogy of Faith, or that system of truth which God
has made known unto His people. That, of course, calls for a
comprehensive knowledge of the contents of the Bible--sure proof that
no novice qualified to preach to or attempt to teach others. Such
comprehensive knowledge can be obtained only by a systematic and
constant reading of the Word itself--and only then is any man fitted
to weigh the writings of others! Since all Scripture is given by
inspiration of God, there are no contradictions therein; thus it
obviously follows that any explanation given of a passage which
clashes with the plain teaching of other verses is manifestly
erroneous. In order for any interpretation to be valid, it must be in
perfect keeping with the scheme of Divine Truth. One part of the Truth
is mutually related to and dependent upon others, and therefore there
is full accord between them. As Bengel said of the books of Scripture,
"They indicate together one beautiful, harmonious and gloriously
connected system of Truth."
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A. W. Pink Header
INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 5
_________________________________________________________________
To say that all our interpretations must conform strictly to the
Analogy of Faith may sound very simple and obvious, yet it is
surprising to find how many not only unskilled but experienced men
depart therefrom. Of course, those who covet "originality," and have a
penchant for bringing out something new or startling (especially from
obscure passages) without regard to this basic principle, are sure to
err. But as J. Owen observed, "Whilst we sincerely attend unto this
rule, we are in no danger of sinfully corrupting the Word of God,
although we shall not arrive unto its proper meaning in every place."
For example, when we learn that "God is a spirit" (John 4:24),
incorporeal and invisible, that prevents us from misunderstanding
those passages where eyes and ears, hands and feet are ascribed to
Him; and when we are informed that with Him there is "no variableness,
neither shadow of turning" (Jam. 1:17), we know that when He is said
to "repent" He speaks after the manner of men. Likewise, when Psalm
19:11, and other verses make promise of the saints being rewarded for
their gracious tempers and good works, other passages show that such
recompense is not because of merit, but is bestowed by Divine
No verse is to be explained in a manner which conflicts with what is
taught, plainly and uniformly, in the Scriptures as a whole, and which
whole is set before us as the alone rule of our faith and obedience.
This requires from the expositor not only a knowledge of the general
sense of the Bible, but also that he takes the trouble to collect and
compare all the passages which treat of or have a definite bearing
upon the immediate point before him, so that he may obtain the full
mind of the Spirit thereon. Having done that, any passage which is
still obscure or doubtful to him must be interpreted by those which
are clear. No doctrine is to be founded on a single passage, like the
Mormons base on 1 Corinthians 15:29, their error of members of that
cult being baptized for their ancestors; or as the papists appeal to
James 5:14, 15, for their dogma of "extreme unction." It is only in
the mouths of two or three witnesses that any truth is established, as
our Lord insisted in His ministry: John 5:31-39; 8:16-18. Care is to
be taken that no important teaching is based alone on any type,
figurative expression, or even parable; instead, they are to be used
only in illustrating plain
Let it, then, be settled in the mind of the expositor that no
scripture is to be interpreted without regard to the relation in which
it stands to other parts. Adherence to this fundamental rule will
preserve from the wresting of many a verse. Thus, when we hear Christ
saying, "My Father is greater than I" (John 14:28), attention to His
previous declaration, "I and My Father are one" (John 10:31), will
preclude any idea that He was, in His essential person, in any wise
inferior; therefore the reference in John 14:28, must refer to His
mediatorial office, wherein He was subservient to the Father's will.
"Must," we say, for the Son is none other than "the mighty God" (Isa.
9:6), "the true God" (1 John 5:20). Again, such words as "be baptized,
and wash away thy sins" (Acts 22:16) must not be understood in a way
that conflicts with "the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us
from all sin" (1 John 1:7), but regarded as a symbolical "washing"
only. "To reconcile all things unto Himself" (Col. 1:20) cannot teach
universalism, or every passage affirming the eternal punishment of the
lost would he contradicted. 1 John 3:9, must be understood in a way
4. The need for paying close attention to the context is also a matter
of first importance. Not only must each statement of Scripture be
explained in full harmony with the general Analogy of Faith, but more
specifically, in complete agreement with the plain sense and tenor of
the passage of which it forms a part. That "plain sense" must be
diligently searched for. Few things have contributed more to erroneous
interpretations than the ignoring of this obvious principle. By
divorcing a verse from its setting or singling out a single clause,
one may "prove" not only absurdities but real falsities by the very
words of Scripture. For instance, "hear the church" is not an
exhortation bidding the laity submit their judgments unto clerics,
but, as Matthew 18:17, shows, the local assembly must decide the issue
when a trespassing brother refuses to be amenable to private counsel.
As another has pointed out, "An ingenious and disingenuous mind can
select certain detached verses of Scripture, and then combine them in
the most arbitrary manner, so that while they indeed are all the very
words of Scripture, yet at the same time, they express the thoughts of
the 's."
Much help is obtained in ascertaining the precise significance of
certain expressions by observing the circumstances and occasion of
their utterance. Through failure to do so, many a sermonizer has
failed to perceive the real force of those well-known words "Open Thou
my lips; and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise" (Ps. 51:15).
David's mouth had been closed by sin and non-confession, and thereby
the Spirit quenched! Now that he had put matters right with the Lord,
he longed for Him to unstop his shame-covered lips. The spiritual
significance of an event is often perceived by noting, its connection.
A striking illustration of this is found in Matthew 8:23-26, which, be
it borne in mind, has an application unto us. The key to it is found
in the last clause of verse 23 and in reading verses 19-22. The order
of thought there is very suggestive: the whole passage treats of
"following" Christ, and verses 23-26 supply a typical picture of the
character of the disciple's path through a stormy world: encountering
trials, difficulties and dangers; and it often appears that the Lord
is "asleep"--unmindful of or indifferent to our peril! In reality it
is a testing of faith, a showing us that He requires to be waited on,
The parable recorded in Luke 15:3-32, cannot possibly be interpreted
aright if its context be ignored. What needless perplexity has been
occasioned and diversity among the commentators concerning the
identity of the ninety-nine sheep left in the wilderness (defined as
"just persons who need no repentance") and the "elder son" (who
complained at the generous treatment accorded his brother), through
failure to use the key we observe that this one parable (in three
parts) was not spoken by Christ to the disciples, but addressed to His
enemies. It was given in reply to the Pharisees and scribes who had
murmured because our Lord received sinners and ate with them. His
design was to expose the condition of their hearts, and to vindicate
His own gracious actions. He did so by portraying the lost condition
of His carping critics, and by making known the ground on which He
received sinners into fellowship with Himself, and revealing the
Divine operations which issue in that blessed result. Once those broad
facts be apprehended, there is no difficulty in understanding the
details of the
Two distinct and sharply contrasted classes are set before us in Luke
15:1, 2: the despised publicans and sinners who, from a deep sense of
need, were attracted to Christ; and the proud and self-satisfied
Pharisees and scribes. In each of the three parts of the parable the
same two classes are in view, and in that order. First, the good
Shepherd seeks and secures His lost sheep, for it is His work which is
the basis of salvation; the ninety and nine, who in their own
estimation needed no repentance, figured the self-righteous
Pharisee--left in "the wilderness," in contrast with the sheep brought
"home." In the second, the secret operations of the Spirit in the
heart (under the figure of a woman inside the house) are described,
and by means of the "light" the lost coin is recovered--the other nine
being left to themselves. In the third, the one sought out by the
Shepherd, illumined by the Spirit, is seen with the Father; whereas
the older son (who boasted "neither transgressed I at any time Thy
commandment") figures the Pharisee--a stranger to the feasting and
rejoicing! Learn from this the importance of observing to whom a
passage is addressed, the circumstances and occasion when uttered, the
central design of the speaker or writer, before attempting to
interpret its
Every verse beginning with the word "For" requires us to trace the
connection: usually it has the force of "because," supplying proof of
a preceding statement. Likewise the expression "For this cause" and
words like "wherefore and therefore" call for close attention, so that
we may have before us the promise from which the conclusion is drawn.
The widespread misunderstanding of 2 Corinthians 5:17, supplies an
example of what happens when there is carelessness at this point. Nine
times out of ten its opening "Therefore" is not quoted, and through
failure to understand its meaning an entirely wrong sense is given to
"if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed
away; behold, all things are become new." That prefatory "therefore"
indicates that this verse is not to he considered as a thing apart,
complete in itself, but rather as closely connected with something
foregoing. On turning back to the previous verse we find it too begins
with the word "wherefore," which at once shows that this passage is a
didactic or doctrinal one, and neither a biographical one which
delineates the experience of the soul nor a hortatory one calling unto
the
It should be carefully noted that the "any man" of 2 Corinthians 5:17,
shows it is not describing some exceptional attainment of a favored
few, nor depicting mature Christians only, but rather is postulating
something which is common to all the regenerate. As a matter of fact,
the verse is not treating of Christian experience at all, but of the
new relationship into which regeneration brings us. It would take us
too far afield now to supply detailed answers to the questions: On
what particular subject was the apostle writing? What required him to
take it up? What was his special design on this occasion? Suffice it
to say, he was refuting his Judaizing traducers and cutting the ground
from under their feet. In verses 14-16, he insists that union with
Christ results in judicial death to natural relations, wherein all
fleshly distinctions of Jew and Gentile cease; yea, brings us on to
new or resurrection ground, producing a new standing before God. As
members of a new creation, we are under an entirely new covenant, and
for us the limitations and restrictions of the old covenant are
"passed away." It is the principal design of the epistle to the this
fact fully manifest.
5. Equally necessary is it for the interpreter to determine the scope
of each passage, i.e., its coherence with what precedes and follows.
Sometimes this can best be done by duly noting the particular book in
which it is found. Notably is this the case with some in Hebrews. How
many a Christian, who has had a bad fall or been stayed in a course of
backsliding, has, after his repentance, needlessly tortured himself by
such verses as 6:4-6; 10:26-31! We say needlessly, for those verses
were addressed to a very different class, one whose case was quite
otherwise. Those Hebrews occupied a unique position. Reared under
Judaism, they had espoused the Gospel; but later were distressed and
shaken because of the non-realization of the carnal hopes they
entertained of the Messiah, and the sore persecution they were then
suffering, and were sorely tempted to abandon their Christian
profession and return to Judaism. In the passages mentioned above they
were plainly warned that such a course would be fatal, Thus to apply
those passages to backslidden Christians is entirely unwarrantable,
making a use
Sometimes the key to a passage is to be discovered by observing in
which part of a book it occurs. A pertinent example of this is found
in Romans 2:6-10, which has been grievously wrested by not a few. The
grand theme of that epistle is "the righteousness of God" -- stated in
1:16, 17. Its first division runs from 1:18, to 3:21, wherein the
universal need for God's righteousness is demonstrated. Its second
runs from 3:21, to 5:1, in which the manifestation of God's
righteousness is set forth. Its third, the imputation of God's
righteousness: 5:1, to 8:39. In 1:18-32, the apostle establishes the
guilt of the Gentile world, and in chapter 2 that of the Jew. In its
first sixteen verses he states the principles which will operate at
the Great Assize, and in verses 17-24 makes direct application of them
to the favored nation. Those principles are as follows: (1) God's
judgment will proceed on the ground that man stands self-condemned (v.
1); (2) it will be according to the real state of the case (v. 2); (3)
mercy abused increases guilt (vv. 3-5); (4) deeds, not external
relations or lip profession, will decide the issue (vv. 6-10); (5) God
will be impartial, showing no favoritism (v. 11); (6) full account
will be taken of the various degrees of light enjoyed by different men
(vv. 11-15); (7) the judgment will
From that brief analysis (which exhibits the scope of the passage) it
is quite evident that the apostle was not making known the way of
salvation when he declared, "Who will render to every man according to
his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for
glory and honor and immortality, eternal life" (vv. 6, 7). So far from
affirming that fallen men could secure everlasting felicity by their
own well-doing or obedience to God, his design was the very opposite.
His purpose was to show what the holy Law of God required, and that
that requirement would be insisted upon in the Day of Judgment. Since
his depraved nature makes it impossible for any man, Jew or Gentile,
to render perfect and continual obedience to the Divine Law, then the
utter hopelessness of his case is made apparent, and his dire need to
look outside himself unto the righteousness
Another passage where inattention to its scope has resulted in false
doctrine being drawn from it is 1 Corinthians 3:11-15. Appeal is
frequently made to it in support of the dangerous delusion that there
is a class of real Christians who have forfeited all "reward" for the
future, having no good works to their credit; yet will enter heaven.
Such a concept is grossly insulting to the Holy Spirit, for it implies
that He performs a miracle of grace in the soul, indwells that person,
yet that he brings forth no spiritual fruit. Such a grotesque idea is
utterly contrary to the Analogy of Faith, for Ephesians 2:10, tells us
that those whom God saves by grace through faith are "His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus unto good works." Those who walk not in good
works are unsaved, for "faith without works is dead" (Jam. 2:20).
Scripture declares, "Verily there is a reward for the righteous" (Ps.
58:11), that "every [regenerated] man shall have praise of God" (1
Cor. 4:5), which certainly could not be the case if some of them are
but cumberers of the
Not only is this erroneous interpretation highly dishonoring to God
and at direct variance with the plain teaching of other scriptures,
but it is refuted by the context. In order to understand 1 Corinthians
3:11-15, verses 1-10 must be heeded--so as to determine the subject
which the apostle is treating. At the beginning of chapter 3 Paul
returns to the charge he had made against the Corinthians in 1:11,
where he reproved them for pitting one servant of God against another,
with the resultant divisions-- he principal occasion of his writing to
them. In 3:3, he points out that such conduct evinced their carnality.
He reminds them that both himself and Apollos were "but ministers" (v.
5). He had merely planted and Apollos watered--it was God who gave the
increase. Since neither of them was "any thing" unless God deigned to
bless his labors (v. 7), what madness it was to make an idol of a mere
instrument! Thus it is clear, beyond any doubt, that the opening
verses of 1 Corinthians 3 treat of the official ministry of God's
servants. It is plainer still in the Greek, for the word "man" occurs
nowhere in the passage, "every man" being literally "every one," i.e.,
of the particular class referred to.
The same subject is continued in verse 8, though there be diversity in
the work of God's servants (one evangelistic, another indoctrinating),
yet their commission is from the same Master and their mutual aim the
good of souls; therefore it is sinful folly to array one against or
exalt him above another. Though Christ has distributed different gifts
to His servants and allotted them a variety of ministry, "each shall
receive his own reward." The building itself is God's, ministers being
the workmen (v. 9). In verse 10 Paul refers to the ministerial
"foundation" he had laid (see Eph. 2:20), and what follows concerns
the materials used by builders who came after him. If those materials
(their preaching) honored Christ and edified saints, they would endure
and be rewarded. But if instead the preacher used for his themes the
increase in crime, the menace of the bomb, the latest doings of the
Jews, etc., such worthless rubbish would be burned up in the Day to
come and be unrewarded. Thus it is the materials used by preachers in
their public ministrations, and not the walk of private Christians,
which is here in view.
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INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 6
_________________________________________________________________
The word "interpretation" has in this connection both a stricter or
narrower meaning and a looser or wider one. In the former sense, it
signifies to bring out the grammatical force of the passage; in the
latter, to explain its spiritual purport. If the expositor confine
himself rigidly to the technical rules of exegesis, though he may be
of some service to the pedant, he will afford little practical help to
the rank and file of God's people. To discourse upon the chemical
properties of food will not feed a starving man, neither will tracing
out the roots of the Hebrew and Greek words (necessary though that be
in its proper place) the better enable Christ's followers to fight the
good fight of faith. That remark connotes neither that we despise
scholarship on the one hand nor that we hold any brief for those who
would give free rein to their imagination when handling the Word of
God. Rather do we mean that the chief aim of the expositor should be
to bring together the Truth and the hearts of his hearers or readers,
that the former may have a vitalizing, edifying, transforming effect
upon the latter.
In the preceding articles of this series it has been pointed out that
the interpreter's task is to emulate those described in Nehemiah 8:8,
of whom it is said, "they read in the book in the law of God
distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the
reading," and to do that the preacher must needs spend many hours
every week in his study. Each word in his text must be given its
precise and definite meaning according to its general scriptural usage
(unless there be very clear intimation to the contrary in the passage
before him), or otherwise it would be arbitrary license, and he would
expound God's oracles not by their own terms but by his own fancies or
preconceived ideas. The laws of language must never be violated or the
meanings of words changed to suit ourselves. We are not to evacuate
the true force and import of any term, but to explain it on sound
principles, and not by forced constructions or Jesuitical evasions.
The task of the interpreter is to determine, by strict exegetical
investigation, the exact import of the words used by the Holy Spirit,
and, as far as he possibly can, give forth God's thoughts in his own
language. It is to ascertain and fix the exact meaning of the terms
used in Holy Writ and scrupulously to avoid the interjection of his
personal opinions. He must insert nothing of his own, but simply
endeavor to give the real sense of each passage before him. On the one
hand, he must not ignore, conceal, or withhold anything that is
manifestly in it; on the other hand, he must not add to or twist
anything therein to suit his own caprice. Scripture must be allowed to
speak for itself, and it does so only so far as the preacher sets
forth its genuine import. Not only is he to explain its terms, but
also the nature of the ideas they express, otherwise he is apt to make
use of scriptural terms and yet give them an unscriptural sense. One
may discover with accuracy the meaning of each word in a passage, and
yet, from some misconception of its scope or bias in his own mind,
have a faulty apprehension of what the passage really teaches.
Carelessness which would not be tolerated in any other connection is,
alas, freely indulged in with the Bible. Artists who are most
particular in selecting their colors when painting a natural object
are often most remiss when assaying to portray a sacred one. Thus
Noah's ark is represented as having a number of windows in its sides,
whereas it had but one, and that on the top! The dove which came to
him after the flood had subsided is pictured with an olive branch
instead of a "leaf" (Gen. 8:11) in its mouth! The infant Moses in the
ark of bulrushes is depicted with a winsome smile on his face instead
of tears (Ex.. 2:6)! Let no such criminal disregard to the details of
Holy Scripture mark the expositor. Instead, let the utmost care and
pains be taken to ensure accuracy, by scrutinizing every detail,
weighing each jot and tittle. The word for search the scriptures"
(John 5:39) signifies diligently to track out, as the hunter does the
spoor of animals. The interpreter's job is to bring out the sense and
not merely the sound of the Word.
In enumerating, describing, and illustrating some of the laws or rules
which are to govern the interpreter, we have already considered:
First, the need for recognizing and being regulated by the
interrelation and mutual dependence of the Old and New Testaments.
Second, the importance and helpfulness of observing how quotations are
made from the Old in the New: the manner in which and purposes for
which they are cited. Third, the absolute necessity for strictly
conforming all our interpretations to the general Analogy of Faith:
that each verse is to be explained in full harmony with that system of
Truth which God has made known to us: that any exposition is invalid
if it clashes with what is taught elsewhere in the Bible. Fourth, the
necessity of paying close attention to the whole context of any
passage under consideration. Fifth, the value of ascertaining the
scope of each passage, and the particular aspect of Truth presented
therein.
There is not a little in the Sermon on the Mount which forcibly
illustrates this rule, for many of its statements have been grievously
misunderstood through failure to perceive their scope or design. Thus,
when our Lord declared, "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old
time, Thou shalt not commit adultery; but I say unto you, That
whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery
with her already in his heart" (Matthew 5:27, 28), it has been
supposed that He was setting forth a higher standard of moral purity
than the one enunciated from Sinai. But such a concept is at direct
variance with His design. After solemnly affirming (in v. 17) that so
far from its being His mission to destroy the Law or the prophets He
had come to fulfil them (i.e., enforce and comply with their
requirements), He certainly would not immediately after pit Himself
against their teaching. No, from verse 21 onwards He was engaged in
making known that righteousness which He required in the citizens of
His kingdom, which exceeded the righteousness "of the scribes and
Pharisees," who were retailing the dogmas of the rabbis, who had "made
the commandment of God of none effect" by their traditions (Matthew
15:6).
Christ did not say, "Ye know what God said at Sinai," but "ye have
heard that it was said by them of old time," which makes it
unmistakably clear that He was opposing the teaching of the elders who
had restricted the seventh commandment of the Decalogue to the bare
act of unlawful intercourse with a married woman; insisting that it
required conformity from the inward affections, prohibiting all impure
thoughts and desires of the heart. There is much in Matthew 5-7 which
cannot be rightly apprehended except our Lord's principal object and
design in this address be clearly perceived: until then its plainest
statements are more or less obscure and its most pertinent
illustrations irrelevant. It was not the actual teaching of the Law
and prophets which Christ was here rebutting, but the erroneous
conclusions which religious teachers had drawn therefrom and the false
notions based on them, and which were being so dogmatically
promulgated at that time. The sharp edge of the Spirit's sword had
been blunted by a rabbinical toning down of its precepts, thereby
placing a construction upon them which rendered them objectionable to
the unregenerate.
"Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth
for a tooth. But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but
whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other
also" (vv. 38, 39) supplies another example of the need for
ascertaining the scope of a passage before attempting to explain it.
Through failure to do so many have quite missed the force of this
contrast. It has been supposed that our Lord was here enjoining a more
merciful code of conduct than that which was exacted under the Mosaic
economy; yet if the reader turns to Deuteronomy 19:17-21, he will find
that those verses gave instruction to Israel's "judges": that they
were not to be governed by sentiment, but to administer strict justice
to the evil-doer--"eye for eye," etc. But this statute, which pertains
only to the magistrate enforcing judicial retribution, had been
perverted by the Pharisees, giving it a general application, thereby
teaching that each man was warranted in taking the law into his own
hands. Our Lord here forbade the inflicting of private revenge, and in
so doing maintained the clear teaching of the Old Testament (see Ex.
23:4, 5; Lev. 19:18; Prov. 24:29; 25:21, 22, which expressly forbade
the exercise of personal malice and retaliation).
"Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I
will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And
the rain descended and the floods came, and the wind blew, and beat
upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock"
(Matthew 7:24, 25). How many sermons have had read into them from
those verses what is not there, and failed sadly to bring out what is
in them, through not understanding their scope. Christ was not there
engaged in proclaiming the Gospel of the grace of God and revealing
the alone ground of a sinner's acceptance with Him, but was making a
practical and searching application of the sermon He was here
completing.
The opening "Therefore" at once intimates that He was drawing a
conclusion from all He had previously said. In the preceding verses
Christ was not describing meritmongers or declaiming against those who
trusted in good works and religious performances for their salvation,
but was exhorting His hearers to enter in at the strait gate (vv. 13,
14), warning against false prophets (vv. 15-20), denouncing an empty
profession. In the verse immediately before (v. 23), so far from
presenting Himself as the Redeemer, tenderly wooing sinners, He is
seen as the Judge, saying to hypocrites, "Depart from Me, ye that work
iniquity."
In view of what has just been pointed out, it would be, to say the
least, a strange place for Christ to introduce the Evangel and
announce that His own finished work was the only saving foundation for
sinners to rest their souls upon. Not only would that give no meaning
to the introductory `Therefore," but it would not cohere with what
immediately follows where, instead of pointing out our need of
trusting in His atoning blood, Christ showed how indispensable it is
that we render obedience to His precepts. True indeed that there is no
redemption for any soul except through "faith in His blood" (Rom.
3:25), but that is not what He was here treating of. Rather was He
insisting that not everyone who said unto Him, "Lord, Lord," should
enter into His kingdom, but "he that doeth the will of My Father which
is in heaven" (v. 21). In other words, He was testing profession,
demanding reality: that genuine faith produces good works. They who
think themselves to be savingly trusting in the blood of the Lamb
while disregarding His commandments are fatally deceiving themselves.
Christ did not here liken the one who heard and believed His sayings
to a wise man who built his house secure on a rock, but instead the
one who "heareth and doeth them"--as in verse 26, the builder on the
sand is one who hears His sayings "and doeth them not."
"Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the
deeds of the law" (Rom. 3:28): "Ye see then how that by works a man is
justified, and not by faith only" (Jam. 2:24). Unless the scope of
each writer be clearly apprehended, those two statements flatly
contradict each other. Romans 3:28, is a conclusion from what had been
advanced in verses 21-27--all boasting before God being rendered
impossible by the Divine method of salvation. From the very nature of
the case, if justification before God be by faith, then it must be by
faith alone--without the mingling of anything meritorious of ours.
James 2:24, as is clear from verses 17, 18 and 26, is not treating of
how the sinner obtains acceptance with God, but how such a one
supplies proof of his acceptance. Paul was rebutting that legalistic
tendency which leads men to go about and "establish their own
righteousness" by works; James was contending against that spirit of
licentious Antinomianism which causes others to pervert the Gospel and
insist that good works are not essential for any purpose. Paul was
refuting meritmongers who repudiated salvation by grace alone; James
was maintaining that grace works through righteousness and transforms
its subjects: showing the worthlessness of a dead faith which produces
naught but a windy profession. The faithful servant of God will ever
alternate in warning his hearers against legalism on the one hand and
libertarianism on the other.
6. The need of interpreting Scripture by Scripture. The general
principle is expressed in the well-known words "comparing spiritual
things with spiritual" (1 Cor. 2:13), for while the preceding clause
has reference more especially to the Divine inspiration by which the
apostle taught, as the authoritative mouthpiece of the Lord, yet both
verses 12 and 14 treat of the understanding of spiritual things, and
therefore we consider that the last clause of verse 13 has a double
force. The Greek word rendered "comparing" is used in the Septuagint
translation of the Old Testament again and again, to express the act
of interpreting dreams and enigmas, and C. Hodge paraphrases
"comparing spiritual things with spiritual" by "explaining the things
of the Spirit in the words of the Spirit," pointing out that the word
"spiritual" has no substantive connected with it, and thus most
naturally agrees with "words" in the former sentence. For these
reasons we consider that 1 Corinthians 2:13, enunciates a most
valuable and important rule for the understanding and interpreting of
God's Word, namely that one part of it is to be explained by another,
for the setting side by side of spiritual things serves to illuminate
and illustrate one another, and thereby is their perfect harmony
demonstrated. Something more than a confused or vague knowledge of the
Scriptures is to be sought after: the ascertaining that one part of
the Truth is in full accord with other parts makes manifest their
unity --as the curtains in the tabernacle were linked together by
loops.
To a very large extent, and far more so than any uninspired book, the
Bible is a self-explaining volume: not only because it records the
performance of its promises and the fulfillment of its prophecies, not
only because its types and antitypes mutually unfold each other, but
because all its fundamental truths may be discovered by means of its
own contents, without reference to anything ab extra or outside
itself. When difficulty be experienced in one passage it may be
resolved by a comparison and examination of other passages, where the
same or similar words occur, or where the same or similar subjects are
dealt with at greater length or explained more clearly. For example,
that vitally important expression "the righteousness of God" in Romans
1:17--every other place where it occurs in Paul's epistles must be
carefully weighed before we can be sure of its exact meaning, and
having done so there is no need to consult heathen authors. Not only
is this to be done with each word of note, but its parts and
derivatives, adjuncts and cognates, are to be searched out in every
instance, for often light will thereby be cast upon the same. That God
intended us to study His Word thus is evident from the absence of any
system of classification or arrangement of information being supplied
us on any subject.
The principal subjects treated in the Scriptures are presented to us
more or less piecemeal, being scattered over its pages and made known
under various aspects, some clearly and fully, others more remotely
and tersely: in different connections and with different
accompaniments in the several passages where they occur. This was
designed by God in His manifold wisdom to make us search His Word. It
is evident that if we are to apprehend His fully made known mind on
any particular subject we must collect and collate all passages in
which it is adverted to, or in which a similar thought or sentiment is
expressed; and by this method we may be assured that if we conduct our
investigation in a right spirit, and with diligence and perseverance,
we shall arrive at a clear knowledge of His revealed will. The Bible
is somewhat like a mosaic, whose fragments are scattered here and
there through the Word, and those fragments have to be gathered by us
and carefully fitted together if we are to obtain the complete picture
of any one of its innumerable objects. There are many places in the
Scriptures which can be understood only by the explanations and
amplifications furnished by other passages.
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INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 7
_________________________________________________________________
In His grace and wisdom God has fully provided against our forming
misconceptions of any part of His Truth, by employing a great variety
of synonymous terms and different modes of expression. Just as our
varied senses, though each imperfect, are effective in conveying to
our minds a real impression of the outside world by means of their
joint operation, so the different and supplementary communications of
God through the many penmen of Scripture enable us to revise our first
impressions and enlarge our views of Divine things, widening the
horizon of Truth and permitting us to obtain a more adequate
conception of the same. What one writer expresses in figurative
language, another sets forth in plain words. While one prophet
stresses the goodness and mercy of God, another emphasizes His
severity and justice. If one evangelist exhibits the perfections of
Christ's humanity, another makes prominent His deity; if one portrays
Him as the lowly servant, another reveals Him as the majestic King.
Does one apostle dwell upon the efficacy of faith, then another shows
the value of love, while a third reminds us that faith and love are
but empty words unless they produce spiritual fruit? Thus Scripture
requires to be studied as a whole, and one part of it compared with
another, if we are to obtain a proper apprehension of Divine
revelation. Very much in the New Testament is unintelligible apart
from the Old: not a little in the Epistles requires the Gospels and
the Acts for its elucidation.
More specifically. The value of comparing Scripture with Scripture
appears in the corroboration which is afforded. Not that they require
any authentication, for they are the Word of Him who cannot lie, and
must be received as such, by a bowing unreservedly to their Divine
authority. No, but rather that our faith therein may be the more
firmly and fully fixed. As the system of double entry in bookkeeping
provides a sure check for the auditor, so in the mouths of two or
three witnesses the Truth is established. Thus we find our Lord
employing this method in John 5, making manifest the excuselessness of
the Jews' unbelief in His deity by appealing to the different
witnesses who attested the same (vv. 32-39). So His apostle in the
synagogue at Antioch, when establishing the fact of His resurrection,
was not content to cite only Psalm 2:7, in proof, but appealed also to
Psalm 16:10 (Acts 13:33-36). So too in his Epistles: a striking
example of which is found in Romans 15, where, after affirming that
"Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God,
to confirm the promises made unto the fathers," he added, "And that
the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy," quoting Psalm 18:49, in
proof; but since this was a controverted point among the Jews, he
added further evidence--note his "And again" at the beginning of
verses 10, 11, 12. So also "by two immutable things [God's promise and
oath] . . . we might have strong consolation" (Heb. 6:18).
Scripture needs to be compared with Scripture for the purpose of
elucidation. "If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if
he be thirsty, give him water to drink; for thou shalt heap coals of
fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee" (Prov. 25:21, 22).
The commentators are about equally divided between two entirely
diverse views of what is signified by the figurative expression "coals
of fire" being heaped upon the head of an enemy by treating him
kindly: one class contending that it means the aggravating of his
guilt, the other insisting that it imports the destroying of a spirit
of enmity in him and the winning of his good will. By carefully
comparing the context in which this passage is quoted in Romans 12:20,
the controversy is decided, for that makes it clear that the latter is
the true interpretation, for the spirit of the Gospel entirely rules
out of court the performing of any actions which would ensure the doom
of an adversary. Yet an appeal to the New Testament ought not to be
necessary in order to expose the error of the other explanation, for
the Law equally with the Gospel enjoined love to our neighbor and
kindness to an enemy. As John tells us in his First Epistle, when
inculcating the law of love he was giving "no new commandment," but
one which they had had from the beginning; but now it was enforced by
a new example and motive (2:7, 8).
"He could there do no mighty work, save that He laid His hands upon a
few sick folk, and healed them" (Mark 6:5). So determined are some
Arminians to deny the almightiness of God and the invincibility of His
will that they have appealed to this passage in proof that the power
of His incarnate Son was limited, and that there were occasions when
His merciful designs were thwarted by man. But a comparison of the
parallel passage in Matthew 13:54-58, at once gives the lie to such a
blasphemous assertion, for we are there told "He did not many mighty
works there because of their unbelief." Thus it was not any limitation
in Himself, but something in them, which restrained Him. In other
words, He was actuated by a sense of propriety. The emphasis both in
Mark 6:5, and Matthew 13:58, is on the word "there," for, as the
context shows, this occurred at Nazareth where He was lightly
esteemed. To have performed prodigies of power before those who
regarded Him with contempt had, in principle, been casting pearls
before swine; as it had been unfitting to have wrought miracles to
gratify the curiosity of Herod (Luke 23:8)--elsewhere He did many
supernatural works. In Genesis 19:22, the Lord could not destroy Sodom
until Lot had escaped from it, while in Jeremiah 44:22, He "could no
longer bear" the evil doings of Israel -- it was moral propriety, not
physical inability.
Comparison is useful also for the purpose of amplification. Not only
does one Scripture support and illuminate another, but very often one
passage supplements and augments another. A simple yet striking
example of this is seen in what is known as the Parable of the Sower,
but which perhaps might be more aptly designated the Parable of the
Seed and the Soils. The deep importance of this parable is intimated
to us by the Holy Spirit in His having moved Matthew, Mark and Luke to
record the same. The three accounts of it contain some striking
variations, and they need to be carefully compared together in order
to obtain the complete pictures therein set forth. Its scope is
revealed in Luke 8:18: "Take heed therefore how ye hear." It speaks
not from the standpoint of the effectuation of the Divine counsels,
but is the enforcing of human responsibility. This is made
unmistakably clear from what is said of the one who received the seed
into good ground--the fruitful hearer of the Word. Christ did not
describe him as one "in whom a work of Divine grace is wrought," or
"whose heart had been made receptive by the supernatural operations of
the Spirit," but rather as he that received the Word in "an honest and
good heart." True indeed the quickening work of the Spirit must
precede anyone's so receiving the Word as to become fruitful (Acts
16:14), but that is not the particular aspect of the Truth which our
Lord was here presenting; instead, He was showing what the hearer
himself must seek grace to do if he is to bring forth fruit to God's
glory.
The sower himself is almost lost sight of (!), nearly all of the
details of the parable being concerned with the various kinds of soil
into which the seed fell, rendering it either unproductive or yielding
an increase. In it Christ set forth the reception which the preaching
of the Word meets with. He likened the world to a field, which He
divided into four parts, according to its different kinds of ground.
In His interpretation He defined the diverse soils as representing
different kinds of people who hear the preaching of the Word, and it
solemnly behooves each of us diligently to search himself, that he may
ascertain for sure to which of those grounds he belongs. Those four
classes --from the descriptions given of the soils and the
explanations Christ furnished of them--may be labeled, respectively,
the hard-hearted, the shallow-hearted, the half-hearted, and the
whole-hearted. In the first, the seed obtained no hold; in the second,
it secured no root; in the third, it was allowed no room; in the
fourth, it had all three, and therefore yielded an increase. The same
four classes have been found in all generations among those who have
sat under the preaching of God's Word, and they exist in probably
every church and assembly on earth today; nor is it difficult to
distinguish them, if we measure professing Christians by what the Lord
predicated of each one.
The first is the "wayside" hearer, whose heart is entirely
unreceptive--as the highway is beaten down and hardened by the traffic
of the world. The seed penetrates not such ground, and "the fowls of
the air" catch it away. Christ explained this as being a picture of
one who "understandeth not the word" (though it be his duty to take
pains and do so--1 Cor. 8:2), and the wicked one takes away the Word
out of his heart--Luke 8 adds "lest they believe and be saved." The
second is the "stony-ground" hearer--i.e., ground with a rock
foundation over which lies but a thin layer of soil. Since there be no
depth of earth the seed obtained no root, and the scorching sun caused
it soon to wither away. This is a representation of the superficial
hearer, whose emotions are stirred, but who lacks any searching of
conscience and deep convictions. He receives the Word with a natural
"joy," but (Matthew's account) "when tribulation or persecution
ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended." These are they
who have no root in themselves, and consequently (as Luke's account
informs us) "for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall
away." Theirs is naught but a temporary and evanescent faith, as we
much fear is the case with the great majority of the "converts" from
special missions and "evangelistic campaigns."
The third, or thorny-ground, hearer is the most difficult to identify,
but the Lord has graciously supplied fuller help on this point by
entering into more detail in His explanations of what the "thorns"
signify. All three accounts tell us that they "grew up," which implies
that no effort was made to check them; and all three accounts show
that they "choked" the seed or hindered the Word. Matthew's record
defines the thorns as "the care of this world, and the deceitfulness
of riches." Mark adds "and the lust of other things entering in."
While Luke mentions also "the pleasures of this life." Thus we are
taught that there is quite a variety of things which hinder any fruit
being brought to perfection -- against each of which we need to be
much on our prayerful guard. The good-ground hearer is the one who
"understandeth" the Word (Matthew 13:23), for unless its sense be
perceived it profits us nothing -- probably an experiential
acquaintance therewith is also included. Mark 4 mentions the
"receiving" of it (cf. Jam. 1:21), while Luke 8 describes this hearer
as receiving the Word "in an honest and good heart," which is one that
bates all pretence and loves the Truth for itself, making application
of the Word to his own case and judging himself by it; "keeps it,"
cherishes and meditates upon it, heeds and obeys it; and "brings forth
fruit with patience."
In a preceding chapter we called attention to Matthew 7:24-27, as an
example of the importance of ascertaining the scope of a passage. Let
us now point out the need for comparing it with the parallel passage
in Luke 6:47-49. In it the hearers of the Word are likened unto wise
and foolish builders. The former built his house on the foundation of
God's Word. The building is the character developed thereby and the
hope cherished. The storm which beat upon the house is the trial or
testing to which it is subjected. Luke alone begins his account by
saying the wise man came to Christ--to learn of Him. His wisdom
appeared in the trouble he took and the pains he went to in order to
find a secure base on the rock. Luke's account adds that he "digged
deep," which tells of his earnestness and care, and signifies
spiritually that he searched the Scriptures closely and diligently
examined his heart and profession--that digging deep is in designed
contrast with the "no depth of earth" (Mark 4:5) of the stony-ground
hearer. Luke alone uses the word "vehemently" to describe the violence
of the storm by which it was tested: his profession survived the
assaults of the world, the flesh and the devil, and the scrutiny of
God at the moment of death; which proves he was a doer of the Word and
not a hearer only (Jam. 1:22). Useless is the confession of the lips
unless it be confirmed by the life.
The comparing of Scripture with Scripture is valuable for the purpose
of harmonization or preserving the balance of Truth, thus preventing
our becoming lopsided. An illustration of this is found in connection
with what is termed "the great commission," a threefold record of
which, with notable variations, is given in the last chapter of each
of the Synoptic Gospels. In order to obtain a right or full knowledge
of the complete charge Christ there gave unto His servants, instead of
confining our attention to only one or two of them--as is now so often
the case--the three accounts of it need to be brought together. Luke
24:47, shows it is just as much the minister's duty "that repentance
and remission of sins should be preached in His name" as it is to bid
sinners "believe on Him"; and Matthew 28:19, 20, makes it clear that
it devolves as much upon him to baptize those who believe and then to
teach them to observe all things whatsoever He commanded as to "preach
the gospel to every creature." Quality is even more important than
quantity! One of the chief reasons why so few of the Christian
churches in heathen lands are self-supporting is that missionaries
have too often failed in thoroughly indoctrinating and building up
their converts, leaving them in an infantile state and going elsewhere
seeking to evangelize more of their fellows.
Failure to heed this important principle lies at the foundation of
much of the defective evangelism of our day, wherein the lost are
informed that the only thing necessary for their salvation is to
"believe in the Lord Jesus Christ." Other passages show that
repentance is equally essential: "Repent ye, and believe the gospel"
(Mark 1:15), "Repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus
Christ" (Acts 20:21). It is important to note that wherever the two
are mentioned repentance always comes first, for in the very nature of
the case it is impossible for an impenitent heart to believe savingly
(Matthew 21:32). Repentance is a realization of my blameworthiness in
being a rebel against God, a taking sides with Him and condemning
myself. It expresses itself in bitter sorrow for and hatred of sin. It
results in an acknowledgment of my offenses and the heart abandonment
of my idols (Prov. 28:13), a throwing down the weapons of my warfare,
a forsaking of my evil ways (Isa. 55:7). In some passages, like Luke
13:3; Acts 2:38; 3:19, repentance alone is mentioned. In John 3:15;
Romans 1:16; 10:4, only "believing" is specified. Why is this? Because
the Scriptures are not written like lawyers draw up documents, wherein
terms are wearily repeated and multiplied. Each verse must be
interpreted in the light of Scripture as a whole: thus where
"repentance" only is mentioned believing is implied; and where
"believing" alone is found repentance is presupposed.
7. Briefer statements are to be interpreted by fuller ones. It is an
invariable rule of exegesis that when anything is set out more fully
or clearly by one writer than another the latter is always to be
expounded by the former, and the same applies to two statements by the
same speaker or writer. Particularly is this the case with the first
three Gospels: parallel passages should be consulted, and the shorter
one interpreted in the light of the longer one. Thus, when Peter asked
Christ, "How often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?
till seven times?" and our Lord answered "Until seventy times seven"
(Matthew 18:21, 22) it must not be taken to signify that a Christian
is to condone wrongs and exercise grace at the expense of
righteousness; for He had just previously said, "If thy brother shall
trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him
alone: if he shall hear [heed] thee, thou hast gained thy brother" (v.
15). No, rather must Christ's language in Matthew 18:22, be explained
by His amplified declaration in Luke 17:3, 4--"If thy brother trespass
against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he
trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day
turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him": God
Himself does not forgive us until we repent (Acts 2:38; 3:19)! If a
brother repents not, no malice is to be harbored against him; yet he
is not to be treated as though no offense had been committed.
Much harm has been done by some who, without qualification, pressed
our Lord's words in Mark 10:11, "Whosoever shall put away his wife,
and marry another, committeth adultery against her," thereby
subjecting the innocent party to the same penalty as the guilty one.
But that statement is to be interpreted in the light of the fuller one
in Matthew 5:32, "Whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the
cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever
shall marry her that is divorced [for any other cause] committeth
adultery"-- repeated by Christ in Matthew 19:9. In those words the
sole Legislator for His people propounded a general rule: "Whosoever
putteth away his wife causeth her to commit adultery," and then He put
in an exception. namely that where adultery has taken place he may put
away, and he may marry again. As Christ there teaches the lawfulness
of divorce on the ground of marital infidelity, so He teaches that it
is lawful for the innocent one to marry again after such a divorce,
without contracting guilt. The violation of the marriage vows severs
the marriage bond, and the one who kept them is, after divorce is
obtained, free to marry again.
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INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 8
_________________________________________________________________
8. The need of collecting and collating all passages dealing with the
same subject, where cognate terms or different expressions are used.
This is essential if the expositor is to he preserved from erroneous
conceptions thereof, and in order for him to obtain the full mind of
the Spirit thereon. Take as a simple example those well-known words,
"Ask, and it shall he given you" (Matthew 7:7). Few texts have been
more grievously perverted than that one. Many have regarded it as a
sort of blank check, which anybody--no matter what his state of soul
or manner of walk--may fill in just as he pleases, and that he has but
to present the same at the throne of grace and God stands pledged to
honor it. Such a travesty of the Truth would not deserve refutation
were it not now being trumpeted so loudly in some quarters. James 4:3,
expressly states of some, "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask
amiss": some who "ask" do not receive! And why? Because theirs is but
a carnal asking--"that ye may consume it upon your own lusts"--and
therefore a holy God denies them.
Asking God in prayer is one thing; asking becomingly, rightly,
acceptably and effectually is quite another. If we would ascertain how
the latter is to be done, the Scriptures must be searched for the
answer. Thus, in order to ensure a Divine hearing, we must approach
God through the Mediator: "Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My
name, He will give it you" (John 16:23). But to ask the Father in His
name signifies very much more than just uttering the words "grant it
for Christ's sake." Among other things it signifies asking in Christ's
person, as identified with and united to Him; asking for that which
accords with His perfections and will be for His glory; asking for
that which He would were He in our place. Again, we must ask in faith
(Mark 11:24), for God will place no premium upon unbelief. Said Christ
to His disciples, "If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye
shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you" (John 15:7),
where two further conditions are stipulated. In order to receive we
must ask according to God's will (1 John 5:14) as made known in His
Word. What a deplorable misuse has been made of Matthew 7:7, through
failure to interpret it in the light of collateral passages!
Another example of failure at this point is the frequent use made of
Galatians 6:15, "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any
thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature" (or "new creation"). It
is most proper and pertinent to use that verse when showing that
neither the ceremonial ordinances of Judaism nor the baptism and
Lord's supper of Christianity are of any worth in rendering us meet
for the inheritance of the saints in light. So too, though much less
frequently, we are reminded that, "For in Christ Jesus neither
circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which
worketh by love" (Gal. 5:6), that is out of gratitude to God for His
unspeakable Gift, and not from legal motives--only for what they may
obtain. But how very rarely does the pulpit quote "Circumcision is
nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the
commandments of God" (1 Cor. 7:19) --that which respects our
submission to the Divine authority, our walking in subjection to God's
will, is omitted. It is only by placing these three verses side by
side that we obtain a balanced view. We are not vitally united to
Christ unless we have been born again; we are not born again unless we
possess a faith that works by love; and we have not this saving faith
unless it be evidenced by a keeping of God's commandments.
It is the duty of the expositor to gather together the various
descriptions and exemplifications given in Scripture of any particular
thing, rather than to frame a formal definition of its nature, for it
is in this way that the Holy Spirit has taught us to conceive of it.
Take the simple act of saving faith, and observe the numerous and
quite different expressions used to depict it. It is portrayed as
believing on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31), or the reposing of
the soul's confidence in Him. As a coming to Him (Matthew 11:28),
which implies the forsaking of all that is opposed to Him. As a
receiving of Him (John 1:12), as He is freely offered to sinners in
the Gospel. As a fleeing to Him for refuge (Heb. 6:18), as the
manslayer sought asylum in one of the cities provided for that purpose
(Num. 35:6). As a looking unto Him (Isa. 45:22), as the bitten
Israelites unto the serpent upon the pole (Num. 21:9). As an
acceptance of God's testimony, and thereby setting to our seal that He
is true (John 3:33). As the entering of a gate (Matthew 7:13) or door
(John 10:9). As an act of complete surrender or giving of ourselves to
the Lord (2 Cor. 8:5), as a woman does when she marries a man.
The act of saving faith is also set forth as a calling upon the Lord
(Rom. 10:13), as did sinking Peter (Matthew 14:30) and the dying
thief. As a trusting in Christ (Eph. 1:13) as the great Physician,
counting upon His sufficiency to heal our desperate diseases. As a
resting in the Lord (Ps. 37:7) as on a sure foundation (Isa. 28:16).
As an act of appropriation or eating (John 6:51) to satisfy an aching
void within. As a committal (2 Tim. 1:12): as a man deposits his money
in a bank for safe custody, so we are to put our souls into the hands
of Christ for time and eternity (cf. Luke 23:46). As faith in His
blood (Rom. 3:25). As a belief of the Truth (2 Thess. 2:13). As an act
of obedience unto God's holy commandment (2 Pet. 2:21) in complying
with the terms of the Gospel (Rom. 10:16). As a loving of the Lord
Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 16:22). As a turning unto the Lord (Acts 11:21)
--which implies a turning from the world. As a receiving of the
witness of God (1 John 5:9, 10) as an all sufficient ground of
assurance, without the evidence of feeling or anything else. As a
taking of the water of life (Rev. 22:17). Most of these twenty
expressions are figurative, and therefore better fitted than any
formal definition to convey to our minds a more vivid concept of the
act and to preserve from a one-sided view of it.
Much harm has been done by incompetent "novices" when treating of the
subject of regeneration, by confining themselves to a single
term--"born again." This is only one of many figures used in Scripture
to describe that miracle of grace which is wrought in the soul when he
passes from death unto life and is brought out of darkness into God's
marvelous light. It is termed a new birth because a Divine life is
communicated and there is the commencement of a new experience. But it
is also likened to a spiritual resurrection, which presents a very
different line of thought, and to a "renewing" (Col. 3:10), which
imports a change in the original individual. It is the person who is
Divinely quickened and not merely a "nature" which is begotten of God:
"Ye must be born again" (John 3:7), not merely something in you must
be; "he is born of God" (1 John 3:9). The same person who was
spiritually dead-- his whole being alienated from God--is then made
alive: his whole being reconciled to Him. This must be so, otherwise
there would be no preservation of the identity of the individual. It
is a new birth of the individual himself, and not of something in him.
The nature is never changed, but the person is--relatively not
absolutely.
If we limit ourselves to the figure of the new birth when considering
the great change wrought in one whom God saves, not only will a very
inadequate concept of the same be obtained, but a thoroughly erroneous
one. In other passages it is spoken of as an illuminating of the mind
(Acts 26:13), a searching and convicting of the conscience (Rom. 7:9),
a renovating of the heart (Ezek. 11:19), a subduing of the will (Ps.
110:3), a bringing of our thoughts into subjection to Christ (2 Cor.
10:5), a writing of God's Law on the heart (Heb. 8:10). In some
passages something is said to be removed from the individual (Deut.
30:6; Ezek. 36:26)--the love of sin, enmity against God; while in
others something is communicated (Rom. 5:5; 1 John 5:20). The figures
of creation (Eph. 2:10), renewing (Titus 3:5) and resurrection (1 John
3:14) are also employed. In some passages this miracle appears to be a
completed thing (1 Cor. 6:11; Col. 1:12), in others as a process yet
going on (2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 1:16). Though the work of grace be one,
yet it is many-sided. Its subject is a composite creature and his
salvation affects every part of his complex being.
Physical birth is the bringing into this world of a creature, a
complete personality, which before conception had no existence
whatever. But the one regenerated by God had a complete personality
before he was born again. Regeneration is not the creation of an
individual which hitherto existed not, but the spiritualizing of one
who already exists--the renewing and renovating of one whom sin has
unfitted for communion with God, by bestowing upon him that which
gives a new bias to all his faculties. Beware of regarding the
Christian as made up of two distinct and diverse personalities.
Responsibility attaches to the individual and not to his "nature" or
"natures." While both sin and grace indwell the saint, God holds him
accountable to resist and subdue the one and yield to and be regulated
by the other. The fact that this miracle of grace is also likened to a
resurrection (John 5:25) should prevent us forming a one-sided idea of
what is imported by the new birth and "the new creature," and from
pressing some analogies from natural birth which other figurative
expressions disallow. The great inward change is also likened to a
Divine "begetting" (1 Pet. 1:3), because the image of the Begetter is
then stamped upon the soul. As the first Adam begat a son in his own
image (Gen. 5:3), so the last Adam has an "image" (Rom. 8:29) to
convey to His sons (Eph. 4:24).
What has been pointed out above applies with equal force to the
subject of mortification (Col. 3:5). That essential Christian duty is
set forth in the Scriptures under a great variety of figurative
expressions, and it is most needful that we take pains to collect and
compare them if we are to be preserved from faulty views of what God
requires from His people on this important matter of resisting and
overcoming evil. It is spoken of as a circumcising of the heart (Deut.
11:16), a plucking out of the right eye and cutting off of the right
hand (Matthew 5:29, 30), which tells of its painfulness. It is a
denying of self and taking up of the cross (Matthew 16:24). It is a
casting off of the works of darkness (Rom. 13:12), a putting off of
the old man (Eph. 4:22), a laying apart of all filthiness and
superfluity of naughtiness (James 1:21) -- each of which is necessary
before we can put on the armor of light or the new man, or receive
with meekness the ingrafted Word, for we have to cease doing evil ere
we can do well (Isa. 1:16, 17). It is a making no provision for the
flesh (Rom. 13:14), a keeping under the body, i.e., of sin (Rom. 6:6;
Col. 2:11) and bringing it into subjection (1 Cor. 9:27), a cleansing
of ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit (2 Cor. 7:1),
and abstinence from all appearance of evil (1 Thess. 5:22), a laying
aside of every weight (Heb. 12:1).
9. Equally necessary is it not to sever what God has joined together.
By nature all of us are prone to run to extremes, particularly so
those with a philosophical turn of mind, who, seeking for unity of
thought, are in great danger of forcing a unity into the sphere of
their limited knowledge. To do this, they are very apt to sacrifice
one side or element of the Truth for another. I may be quite clear and
logical at the expense of being superficial and half-orbed. A most
solemn warning against this danger was supplied by the Jews in
connection with their interpretation of the Messianic prophecies, by
dwelling exclusively upon those which announced the glories of Christ
and neglecting those which foretold His sufferings: so that even the
apostles themselves were evilly affected thereby, and rebuked by
Christ for such folly (Luke 24:25, 26). It is at this very point that
the people of God, and particularly His ministers, need to be much on
their guard. Truth is twofold (Heb. 4:12): every doctrine has its
corresponding and supplementary element, every privilege its implied
obligation. Those two sides of the Truth do not cross each other, but
run parallel with one another: they are not contradictory but
complementary, and both must be held fast by us if we are to be kept
from serious error.
Thus we must never allow the grand truth of God's sovereignty to crowd
out the fact of human responsibility. The will of the Almighty is
indeed invincible, but that does not mean that we are nothing better
than inanimate puppets. No, we are moral agents as well as rational
creatures, and throughout are dealt with by God as such. "It must
needs be that offenses come," said Christ, but He at once added, "woe
to that man by whom the offense cometh" (Matthew 18:7). There the two
things are joined together: the infallible certainty of the Divine
decrees, the culpability and criminality of the human agent. The same
inseparable conjunction appears again in that statement concerning the
death of Christ: "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have
crucified and slain" (Acts 2:23). Again, our zeal for the doctrine of
election must not suffer us to ignore the necessity of using means.
They who reason, If I be elected, I shall be saved whether or not I
repent and trust in Christ, are fatally deceiving themselves: "chosen
you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of
the truth" (2 Thess. 2:13) is proof. None are ever saved until they
believe (Luke 8:12; Heb. 10:39), and therefore all are to be exhorted
to do so.
Particular redemption (Christ making atonement for the sins of His own
people only) must not prevent His servants from preaching the Gospel
to every creature and announcing that there is a Saviour for every
sinner out of hell who appropriates Him for his own. Sunder not the
two halves of John 6:37: all that the Father gives Christ shall come
to Him, albeit the individual must seek Him (Isa. 55:6; Jer. 29:13).
Nor does the inability of the natural man annul his accountability,
for though no man can come to Christ except the Father draw him (John
6:44), his refusal to come is highly blameworthy (Prov. 1:24-31; John
5:40). Nor is a divided Christ to be presented to sinners for their
acceptance. It is a delusion to imagine that His priestly sacrifice
may be received while His kingly rule is refused, that His blood will
save me though I despise His government. Christ is both "Lord and
Saviour" and in that unalterable order (2 Pet. 1:11; 3:2, 18), for we
must throw down the weapons of our warfare against Him and take His
yoke upon us in order to find rest unto our souls. Thus repentance and
faith are equally necessary (Mark 1:15; Acts 20:21).
While justification and sanctification are to be sharply
distinguished, nevertheless they must not be divorced (1 Cor. 1:30;
6:11). "Christ never comes into the soul unattended. He brings the
Holy Spirit with Him, and the Spirit His train of gifts and graces.
Christ comes with a blessing in each hand: forgiveness in one,
holiness in the other" (Thos. Adams, 1650). Yet how rarely is
Ephesians 2:8, 9, completed by the quoting of verse 10! Again, the
twin truths of Divine preservation and Christian perseverance must not
be parted, for the former is accomplished via the latter and not
without it. We are indeed "kept by the power of God," yet "through
faith" (1 Pet. 1:5), and if in 1 John 2:27, the apostle assured the
saints "ye shall abide in Him," in the very next verse he called on
them to "abide in Him"; as Paul also bade such work out their own
salvation with fear and trembling, and then added "For it is God which
worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Phil.
2:13). Balaam wished to die the death of the righteous, but was not
willing to live the life of one. Means and ends are not to be
separated: we shall never reach heaven unless we continue in the only
way (the "narrow" one) which leads thereto.
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INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 9
_________________________________________________________________
10. The simple negative often implies, conversely, the positive. This
is a very simple canon of exegesis, yet one to which the attention of
the young student needs to be called. A negative statement is, of
course, one where something is denied or where the absence of its
opposite is supposed. In common speech the reverse of a negative
usually holds good, as when we declare, "I hope it will not rain
today," it is the same as saying, "I trust it will remain fine." That
this rule obtains in Scripture is clear from the numerous instances
where the antithesis is stated. "Thou wilt not suffer Thine Holy One
to see corruption" is explained in "Thou wilt show Me the path of
life" (Ps. 16:10, 11). "I have not refrained My lips, O Lord, Thou
knowest. I have not hid Thy righteousness within My heart," and then
the positive side at once follows: "I have declared Thy faithfulness
and Thy salvation" (Ps. 40:9, 10). "Wherefore putting away lying,
speak every man truth with his neighbor . . . Let him that stole steal
no more: but rather let him labor," (Eph. 4:25, 28). Many other
examples might be given, but these are sufficient to establish the
rule we are here treating of.
Now the Holy Spirit has by no means always formally drawn the
antithesis, but rather has in many instances--that we might exercise
our minds upon His Word--left us to do so. Thus, "A bruised reed shall
He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench" (Matthew 12:20)
signifies that He will tenderly care for and nourish the same. "The
scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35) is the equivalent of, It must
be, it most certainly will he, fulfilled. "Without Me ye can do
nothing" (John 15:5) implies that in union and communion with Him we
"can do all things" (Phil. 4:13)--incidentally note how the former
serves to define the latter: it is not that I shall then be able to
perform miracles, but fitted to bring forth fruit! "Be not unequally
yoked together with unbelievers" (2 Cor. 6:14) has the force of "Come
out from among them and be ye separate," as verse 17 shows. "Let us
not be desirous of vain glory" (Gal. 5:26) imports Be lowly in mind
and esteem others better than yourself (Phil. 2:3). "These things
write I unto you, that ye sin not" (1 John 2:1) equals My design is to
inculcate and promote the practice of holiness, as all that follows
clearly shows.
Negative commandments enjoin the opposite good: "Thou shalt not take
the name of the Lord thy God in vain" (Ex. 20:7) implies that we are
to hold His name in the utmost reverence and hallow it in our hearts.
Negative threatenings are tacit affirmations: "The Lord will not hold
him guiltless that taketh His name in vain": rather will He condemn
and punish him. Negative promises contain positive assurances: "A
broken and contrite heart O God, Thou wilt not despise" (Ps. 51:17)
means that such a heart is acceptable to Him. "No good thing will He
withhold from them that walk uprightly" (Ps. 84:11) is tantamount to
saying that everything which is truly good for such will certainly be
bestowed upon them. Negative conclusions involve their opposites: "The
father of the fool hath no joy" (Prov. 17:21) purports that he will
suffer much sorrow and anguish because of him--oh, that wayward
children would make conscience of the grief which they occasion their
parents. "To have respect of persons is not good" (Prov. 28:21), but
evil. Negative statements carry with them strong assertives: "Yea,
surely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert
judgment" (Job 34:12): rather will He act holily and govern
righteously.
11. In sharp contrast with the above, it should be pointed out that in
many cases statements put in the interrogative form have the force of
an emphatic negative. This is another simple rule which all expositors
should keep in mind. "Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou
find out the Almighty unto perfection?" (Job 11:7)--indeed no. "Which
of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?" (Matthew
6:27)--none can do so by any such means. "For what is a man profited,
if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Matthew
16:26)--nothing whatever, nay, he is immeasurably, worse off. "Ye
generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?"
(Matthew 23:33)--they cannot. "How can ye believe, which receive honor
one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only?"
(John 5:44)--such is morally impossible. "How shall they believe in
Him of whom they have not heard?" (Rom. 10:14)--they will not. On the
other hand, the question of Matthew 6:30, is a strong affirmation;
while that of Matthew 6:28, is a prohibition.
12. The right use of reason in connection with the things of God. This
is another rule of exegesis which is of considerable importance, yet
one that requires to be used with holy care and caution, and by one of
mature judgment and thorough acquaintance with the Word. For that
reason it is not to be employed by the novice or inexperienced. The
Christian, like the non-Christian, is endowed with rationality, and
the sanctified exercise thereof certainly has its most fitting sphere
in the realm of spiritual things. Before considering the application
of reason to the expounding of the Truth, let us point out its more
general province. Two examples thereof may be selected from the
teaching of our Lord. "Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the
field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He
not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?" (Matthew 6:30). Here
we find Christ demonstrating, by a simple process of logic, the utter
unreasonableness of distrustful anxiety in connection with the supply
of temporal necessities. His argument is drawn from the consideration
of Divine providence. If God cares for the field, much more will He
for His dear people: He evidences His care for the field by clothing
it with grass, therefore much more will He provide clothing for us.
"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your
children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good
things to them that ask Him?" (Matthew 7:11). Here again the Lord
shows us how this faculty is to be employed by a process of holy
reasoning. He was speaking on the subject of prayer, and presented an
argument for assuring His disciples of their being heard at the throne
of grace. The argument is based on a comparison of inequalities and
the reason drawn from the less to the greater. It may be framed thus:
If earthly parents, though sinful, are inclined to listen to the
appeals of their little ones, most certainly our heavenly Father will
not close His ears to the cries of His children: natural parents do,
in fact, respond to and grant the requests of their little one,
therefore much more will our Father deal graciously and generously
with His. It is said of Abraham that he accounted or reckoned thus
within himself: There is nothing impossible with God. Likewise the
apostle, "For I reckon [convince myself by logical reasoning] that the
sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the
glory which shall be revealed in us" (Rom. 8:18). Other illustrations
of Paul's inspired reasoning are found in Romans 5:9, 10; 8:31, 32. In
all of these instances we are taught the legitimacy and right use of
reasoning.
The Lord Jesus often argued, both with His disciples and with His
adversaries, as with rational men, according to the principles of
sound reasoning He did so from prophecy and the conformity of the
event to the prediction (Luke 24:25, 26; John 5:39, 46). He did so
from the miracles which He performed (John 10:25, 37, 38; 14:10, 11)
as being incontrovertible evidence that He was sent of God, and
reproved His despisers for failing to identify Him as the Messiah. His
"Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth;
but how is it that ye do not discern this time? Yea, and why even of
yourselves judge ye not what is right?" (Luke 12:56, 57) was a direct
and scathing rebuke because--on its lowest ground--they had failed to
use properly their reasoning powers, as Nicodemus did: "We know that
Thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles
that Thou doest, except God be with him" (John 3:2). So, too, the
apostle when exhorting believers to flee from idolatry added: "I speak
as to wise men; judge ye what I say" (1 Cor. 10:15).
In his masterly exposition of Hebrews 4:3, Owen pointed out that the
apostle's argument there rested upon the logical rule that "unto
immediate contraries contrary attributes may certainly be ascribed, so
that he who affirms the one at the same time denies the other; and on
the contrary, he that denies the one affirms the other. He that saith
it is day, doth as really say it is not night, as if he had used those
formal words." His whole design in 4:1-11, was to demonstrate by
various testimonies and examples that unbelief cuts off from the rest
of God, whereas faith gives an entrance thereinto. In verse 3 he
affirms, "For we which have believed do enter into rest," in
substantiation of which he adds, "as He said, As I have sworn in my
wrath, if they shall enter into My rest." There the apostle again
quoted from Psalm 95 (see Heb. 3:7, 11, 15, 18). From the sad
experience of Israel's failure to enter into God's rest because of
their unbelief and disobedience Paul drew the obvious and inescapable
conclusion that believers "do enter" therein.
We repeat, it is only by that principle of logic that the apostle's
argument in Hebrews 4:3, can be understood. If any of our readers be
inclined to take issue with that statement, then we would respectfully
urge them to turn to and carefully ponder that verse, and see if they
can perceive how the proof-text cited supplies any confirmation of the
proposition laid down in its opening clause. From that exposition Owen
pointed out, "And here by the way we may take notice of the use of
reason, or logical deductions, in the proposing, handling and
confirming of sacred supernatural truths and articles of faith. For
the validity of the apostle's proof in this place depends upon the
certainty of the logical maxim before mentioned, the consideration of
which removes the whole difficulty. And to deny this liberty of
deducing consequences, or one thing from another, according to the
just rules of ratiocination, is quite to take away the use of the
Scripture, and to banish reason from those things wherein it ought to
be principally employed."
In Hebrews 8:13, is found another and yet much simpler example of
reasoning upon Scripture. "In that He saith, A new covenant, He hath
made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to
vanish away." The apostle's design in this epistle was to exhibit the
immeasurable superiority of Christianity over Judaism, and exhort
Hebrew believers to cleave steadfastly unto Christ, the true light and
substance, and not to return to the shadows and symbols of a system
which had then served its purpose. Among other reasons, he had
appealed to the promise of a "new covenant" made by Jehovah in
Jeremiah 31:31-34. This he had cited in Hebrews 8:8-12, and then he
drew a logical inference from the word "new"--God's calling this
better economy a new one clearly implied that the previous one had
become obsolete: just as the Psalmist (102:25, 26), when affirming
that the present earth and heavens would perish, added as proof that
they should "wax old like a garment." Thus the declaration made in
Hebrews 8:13, is (by way of logical deduction) adduced as a proof of
the proposition stated in 8:7, "For if that first covenant had been
faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second."
In Ephesians 4:8, Paul quotes from Psalm 68:18, and then shows us how
we are to make a right use of reason or to exercise the intellectual
and moral faculties: "Now that He ascended, what is it but that He
also descended?": the exaltation of Christ presupposed a previous
humiliation. Again, "Do you think that the scripture saith in vain,
The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?" (Jam. 4:5). But as
Thomas Manton pointed out in his exposition of that verse, such a
statement is nowhere found in the Bible in those particular terms,
adding "The Scripture `saith' that which may be inferred from the
scope of it by just consequence. Immediate inferences are as valid as
express words. Christ proved the resurrection not by direct testimony,
but by argument (Matthew 22:32). What the Scripture doth import
therefore by good consequence should be received as if it were
expressed." Still another of the apostles had recourse to reasoning
when he said, "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is
greater" (1 John 5:9), and infinitely more dependable; hence the
excuselessness of those who reject it.
Those who are familiar with the writings of Augustine and Calvin will
have observed how frequently they drew the inference that whatever be
freely bestowed by God is something of which fallen man, considered in
himself, is destitute. It is an obvious deduction of reason, and a
sure canon of exegesis, which is of simple and universal application,
that everything which is graciously supplied in and by Christ is
wanting in our natural condition. Thus, every verse which speaks of
eternal life as a Divine gift, or which makes promise of it to those
who believe, necessarily presupposes that we are without it, and
therefore spiritually dead. So, too, the Christian's receiving of the
Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; Gal. 3:2; 4:6) takes it for granted that in
their unregenerate condition they were without Him, having forfeited
His indwelling presence by sin; the same being graciously restored to
us by the mediation of Christ (John 7:39; Gal. 3:14). As the result of
the fall, the Holy Spirit was--in the exercise of Divine
justice--withdrawn from the human heart, and in consequence it was
left not only without a Divine inhabitant, but a prey of all those
influences--natural, worldly, satanic--which, in the absence of the
Holy Spirit, inevitably draw the affections away from God; but at
regeneration the Spirit is again given (Ezek. 34:27).
While the faculty of reason is vastly superior to our bodily senses
(distinguishing man from and elevating him above the animals), it is
greatly inferior to faith (the gift of God to His people), and that,
in turn, to the Holy Spirit --upon whom we are dependent for the
directing of the one and the strengthening of the other. There is much
confusion of mind and not a little wrong thinking on the part of the
saints concerning the place and extent which reason may and should
have in connection with the Scriptures. Assuredly God has not
subordinated His word to our reason for us to accept only what
commends itself to our judgment. Nevertheless, He has furnished His
people with this faculty, and though insufficient of itself it is a
valuable aid in the understanding of Truth. While reason is not to be
made the measurer of our belief, yet it is to be used as the handmaid
of faith, by comparing passage with passage, deducing inferences and
drawing consequences according to the legitimate laws of logic. Never
is the faculty of reason so worthily employed as in endeavoring to
understand Holy Writ. If on the one hand we are forbidden to lean unto
our own understanding (Prov. 3:5), on the other we are exhorted to
apply our hearts to understanding (Prov. 2:2).
God has supplied us with an unerring standard by which we may test
every exercise of our reason upon His Word, namely the Analogy of
Faith. And it is there that we have a sure safeguard against the wrong
use of this faculty. Though it be true that very often more is implied
by the words of Scripture than is actually expressed, yet reason is
not a law unto itself to make any supplement it pleases. Any deduction
we make, however logical it seems, any consequence we draw, no matter
how plausible it be, is erroneous if it be repugnant to other
passages. For example, when we read "Be ye therefore perfect, even as
your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48), we may
conclude that sinless perfection is attainable in this life, but if we
do so we err, as Philippians 3:12, and 1 John 1:8, show. Again, should
I draw the inference from Christ's words "no man can come to Me,
except the Father which hath sent Me draw him" (John 6:44) that
therefore I am in no wise responsible to come unto Him, that my
inability excuses me, then I certainly err, as John 5:40, and other
passages make clear.
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A. W. Pink Header
INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 10
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IT is of first importance that the expositor should constantly hear in
mind that not only are the substance and the sentiments expressed in
Holy Writ of Divine origin, but that the whole of its contents are
verbally inspired. Its own affirmations lay considerable emphasis upon
that fact. Said holy Job, "I have esteemed the words of His mouth more
than my necessary food" (23:12): he not only venerated God's Word in
its entirety, but highly prized each syllable in it. "The words of the
Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified
seven times" (Ps. 12:6). We believe that is more than a general
statement concerning the preciousness, purity and permanence of what
proceeds out of the mouth of Jehovah, for it is to be duly noted that
the Divine utterances are not simply likened to silver tried in a
furnace, but to "a furnace of earth." Though the Holy Spirit has
employed the vernacular of earth, yet He has purged what He uses from
all human dross, giving some of His terms an entirely different force
from their human original, investing many of them with a higher
meaning, and applying all with spiritual perfection--as the "purified
seven times" purports. Thus, "every word of God is pure" (Prov. 30:5).
The Lord Jesus repeatedly laid stress on this aspect of the Truth.
When making known to His disciples the fundamental requirements of
their receiving answers to prayer, He said, "If ye abide in Me
[maintain a spirit of constant dependence upon and remain in communion
with Him], and My words abide in you [forming your thoughts and
regulating your desires], ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be
done unto you" (John 15:7)--for in such cases they would request only
that which would be for God's glory and their own real good. Again, He
declared, "the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they
are life" (John 6:63). God's Word then is made up of words, and each
one in it is selected by Divine wisdom and positioned with unerring
precision. It therefore behooves us to spare no pains in seeking to
ascertain the exact meaning of each of its terms and most diligently
to scrutinize the exact order in which they are placed, for the right
understanding of a passage turns first upon our obtaining a correct
understanding of its language. That should be so obvious as to require
no argument, yet it is surprising how often that elementary principle
is ignored and contravened.
Before stating several more rules which should direct the expositor,
particularly those which relate more directly to the interpretation of
words and phrases, let us mention several warnings which need to be
heeded. First, do not assume at the outset that all is plain and
intelligible to you, for often the words of Scripture are used in a
different and higher sense than they are in common speech. Thus it is
not sufficient to be acquainted with their dictionary meaning: rather
do we have to ascertain how they are used by the Holy Spirit. For
example, "hope" signifies very much more in the Word of God than it
does on the lips of men. Second, do not jump to the conclusion that
you have arrived at the meaning of a term because its force is quite
obvious in one or two passages, for you are not in a position to frame
a definition until you have weighed every occurrence of it. That
demands much toil and patience, yet such are necessary if we are to be
preserved from erroneous ideas. Third, do not conclude that any term
employed by the Spirit has one uniform signification, for that is far
from being the case. The force of these cautions will be made the more
apparent in the paragraphs that follow.
13. The limitation of general statements. General statements are
frequently to be limited, both in themselves and their application.
Many examples of this principle occur in the book of Proverbs, and
obviously so, for a proverb or maxim is a broad principle expressed in
a brief form, a moral truth set forth in condensed and universal
language. Thus, "He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it;
and he that hateth suretiship is sure" (11:15) enunciates the general
rule, yet there are exceptions thereto. "Children's children are the
crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers" (17:6),
though that is far from being the case in every instance. "Whoso
findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favor of the Lord"
(18:22), as many a man--the writer included--has discovered; yet the
experience of not a few has been quite to the contrary. "Foolishness
is bound up in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall
drive it from him" (22:15), yet God reserves to Himself the sovereign
right to make that good to whom He pleases--where He blesses not this
means, the child is hardened in his perversity. "Seest thou a man
diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings" (22:29), though
sometimes the most industrious meet with little material success.
General statements must be qualified if to interpret them in an
unlimited sense clashes with other verses. A case in point is our
Lord's prohibition, "Judge not, that ye be not judged" (Matthew 7:1),
for if that injunction be taken without any restriction it would
flatly contradict His precept, "judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24);
yet how often is this precept hurled at the heads of those performing
a Christian duty. The capacity to weigh or judge, to form an estimate
and opinion, is one of the most valuable of our faculties, and the
right use of it one of our most important tasks. It is very necessary
that we have our senses "exercised to discern [Greek "thoroughly
judge"] both good and evil" (Heb. 5:14) if we are not to be deceived
by appearances and taken in by every oily-mouthed impostor we
encounter. Unless we form a judgment of what is true and false, how
can we embrace the one and avoid the other? We are bidden to "beware
of false prophets," but how can we do so unless we judge or carefully
measure every preacher by the Word of God? We are prohibited from
having fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but that
requires us to determine which are such. Christ was not here
forbidding all judging of others, but was reprehending an officious or
magisterial, a presumptuous, hypocritical, rash or hasty,
unwarrantable, unfair, and unmerciful judgment. Much grace and wisdom
is required by us to heed rightly this word of our Master's.
Another pertinent example is found in our Lord's "Swear not at all"
(Matthew 5:34). In the section of the sermon on the mount in which
those words occur, Christ was freeing the Divine commandments from the
errors of the rabbis and Pharisees, enforcing their strictness and
spirituality. In the instance now before us, the Jewish doctors had
restricted the Mosaic statutes upon oaths to the simple prohibition
against perjury, encouraging the habit of swearing by the creature and
the taking of oaths lightly in ordinary conversation. In verses 34-37
our Lord inveighed against those corrupt traditions and practices.
That He never intended His "swear not at all" to be taken absolutely
is clear from His bidding men to swear by no creature, and from His
reprehending all oaths in ordinary conversation. The general analogy
of Scripture reveals the need for oaths on certain occasions. Abraham
swore to Abimelech (Gen. 21:23, 24) and required his servant to take
an oath (Gen. 24:8, 9); Jacob (Gen. 31:53) and Joseph (Gen. 47:31)
each took one. Paul repeatedly confirmed his teaching by solemnly
calling God for a witness (Rom. 9:1; 2 Cor. 1:23, etc.). Hebrews 6:16,
indicates that oaths are both permissible and requisite.
There are many expressions used in the Scriptures indefinitely rather
than specifically, and which are not to be understood without
qualification. Some of them are more or less apparent, others can only
be discovered by a comparison and study of other passages treating of
the same subject. Thus, "the salvation of God is sent unto the
Gentiles, and that they will hear it" (Acts 28:28, and cf. 11:18) did
not signify that every one of them would do so. Similarly, "The glory
of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together"
(Isa. 40:5) and "I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh" (Acts 2:17)
were simply announcements that the grace of God was to overflow the
narrow bounds of Israel after the flesh. So too "the world" has a
variety of meanings and is very rarely synonymous with all mankind. In
such passages as John 7:4, and 12:19, only a very small part of its
inhabitants were included. In Luke 2:1, the profane world is in view;
in John 15:18, 19, the professing world, for it was the religious
sections of Israel which hated Christ. In John 14:17, and 17:9, it is
the non-elect who are referred to--compare "the world of the ungodly"
(2 Pet. 2:5), whereas in John 1:29, and 6:33, it is the world of God's
elect, who are all actually saved by Christ.
Another word which is used in the Bible with considerable latitude is
"all," and very rarely is it found without limitation. "All things,
whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive"
(Matthew 21:22) obviously means whatsoever we ask that is according to
God's will (1 John 5:14). When the apostles said to Christ, "All seek
for Thee" (Mark 1:37), that "all did marvel" at His miracles (Mark
5:20), and that "all the people came unto Him" in the temple (John
8:2), those expressions were far from signifying the sum total of the
inhabitants of Palestine. When Luke tells his readers that he "had
perfect understanding of all things from the very first" (1:3), and
when we are informed that Christ foretold all things (Mark 13:23) unto
His apostles, such language is not to be taken absolutely. In like
manner such statements as "all glorified God for that which was done"
(Acts 4:21), "this is the man, that teacheth all men every where
against the people, and the law" (Acts 21:28), "thou shalt be His
witness unto all men" (Acts 22:15), are to be regarded relatively.
Consequently, in the light of those examples, when he deals with "He
died for all" (2 Cor. 5:15) and "gave Himself a ransom for all" (1
Tim. 2:6), the expositor must ascertain from other Scriptures (such as
Isa. 53:8; Matt. 1:21; Eph. 5:25) whether they mean all mankind or all
who believe.
The same is true of the expression "every man" (see for instance, Mark
8:25; Luke 16:16; Rom. 12:3; and compare 2 Thess. 3:2; 1 Cor. 4:5). So
too the words "all things." Neither "all things are clean unto you"
(Luke 11:41) nor "all things are lawful unto me" (1 Cor. 6:12) can be
taken at face value, or many Scriptures would be contradicted. "I am
made all things to all men" (1 Cor. 9:22), must be explained by what
immediately precedes. The "all things" of Romans 8:28, has reference
to "the sufferings of this present time," and the "all things" of
8:32, means the "all things that pertain unto life and godliness" (2
Pet. 1:3). The "times of restitution of all things" (Acts 3:21) is at
once modified by the words immediately following: "which God hath
spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began,"
and most certainly none of them predicted the restoration of the
Devil, and his angels to their pristine glory. "To reconcile all
things unto Himself" (Col. 1:20) must not be understood to teach
undiluted Universalism, or every passage affirming the eternal
damnation of the Christless would be contradicted.
14. Positive statements with a comparative force. Many injunctions in
Scripture are expressed in an absolute form, yet are to be understood
relatively. This is evident from those examples which are there and
thus explained. "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth"
(Matthew 6:19) is expounded in the next verse: "But lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven." "Labor not for the meat which
perisheth" (John 6:27) is not an absolute prohibition, as the "but for
that meat which endureth unto everlasting life" shows. Likewise, "Look
not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of
others" (Phil. 2:4): we must love our neighbors as ourselves. "So then
neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth" is to
be taken relatively, for God frequently employs both the one and the
other as instruments to do those very things: "but God that giveth the
increase" (1 Cor. 3:7) shows where the emphasis is to be placed, and
the One to whom the glory is to be ascribed. "Whose adorning let it
not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of
gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the
heart, in that which is not corruptible . . . a meek and quiet spirit,
which is in the sight of God of great price" (1 Pet. 3:3, 4).
There are, however, numerous examples that are not immediately
explained for us, but which the Analogy of Faith makes clear. "And God
spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the Lord: And I appeared
unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty;
but by My name Jehovah was I not known to them" (Ex. 6:2, 3). Yet it
is quite plain from the words of Abraham in Genesis 15:6, 8, from his
calling the altar "Jehovah-jireh" (Gen. 22:14), from Genesis 26:2, 24,
and from God's words to Jacob in 28:13, that the patriarchs were
acquainted with this Divine title. But they did not know Him as the
Fulfiller of His promises or in His actual covenant faithfulness;
whereas Moses and the Hebrews were now to be given proof of His word
in Genesis 15:13, 14, and be brought into the land of Canaan. "Mine
eyes are ever toward the Lord" (Ps. 25:15) must be understood in
harmony with other Scriptures which show there were times when David's
eyes were turned away from the Lord, and, as the result, he fell into
grievous sins; nevertheless that was the habit of his heart, the
general tenor of his spiritual life. See 1 Kings 15:5, for another
comparative statement about David.
"Sacrifice and offering Thou didst not desire" any longer continued,
as what follows shows--the shadows giving place to the substance:
"burnt offering and sin offering hast Thou not required" (Ps. 40:6).
Those last words are obviously to be understood relatively, for such
offerings were then required by Divine appointment. But the
presentation of the most costly sacrifices (the ram, or a bullock)
were unacceptable to Him unless they proceeded from those who
sincerely desired to obey and serve Him, as is clear from such
passages as Proverbs 21:27; Isaiah 1:11-15. Comparative conformity to
the precepts of the moral Law was of much greater importance than
compliance with the ceremonial (see 1 Sam. 15:22; Ps. 69:30, 31; Prov.
21:3; Hos. 6:6; 1 Cor. 7:19). Worship is rejected unless proffered by
love and gratitude. Similarly are we to understand, "For I spake not
unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them
out of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices" (Jer.
7:22)--those were not the primary or principal things I enjoined. No,
"But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey My voice": the design
of the whole revelation at Sinai being to inculcate practical
subjection to God's will, the Levitical ritual being a means to that
end.
Words that are used to express perpetuity are not to be stretched any
farther than the known duration of the things spoken of. As when the
Jews were commanded to keep certain institutions throughout their
generations to be ordinances for ever (Ex. 12:24; Num. 15:15), it was
not signified they were to do so throughout eternity, but only during
the Mosaic economy. Likewise the everlasting mountains and perpetual
hills of Habakkuk 3:6, spoke only of comparative permanency and
stability, for the earth is yet to be destroyed. "But when thou doest
alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth" (Matthew
6:3). Neither is this to be taken absolutely, otherwise any act of
beneficence which came under the cognizance of our fellows would be
prohibited, and that would be contrary to the Analogy of Faith. The
primitive Christians did not always conceal their donations, as Acts
11:29, 30, demonstrates. Secrecy itself may become a cloak of avarice,
and under the pretence of hiding good works we may hoard up money to
spend upon ourselves. There are times when a person of prominence may
rightly excite his backward brethren by his own spirit of liberality.
This Divine precept was designed to restrain the corrupt ambition of
our hearts after the praise of men. Christ meant that we are to
perform deeds of charity as unobtrusively as possible, making it our
chief concern to have the approbation of God rather than the applause
of our fellows. When a good work has been done, we should dismiss it
from our minds, and instead of congratulating ourselves upon it, press
on to other duties which are yet before us.
We are not to conclude from the terms of Luke 14:12, 13, that it is
wrong for us to invite our friends and relatives to partake of our
hospitality, though a comparative is there again expressed in positive
language; but rather must we see to it that the poor and needy are not
neglected or slighted by us. "For the law was given by Moses, but
grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). How often have
those words been misunderstood, yea, wrested; for it is a serious
mistake to conclude from them either that there was no "grace" under
the Mosaic economy or that there is no "law" under the Christian. The
fact is that the contrast is not between the messages of Moses and
Christ, but the characteristics of their ministries. "Ye see Me no
more" (John 16:10), said Christ to His apostles. Yet they did! What
then did He mean? That they should not see Him again in a state of
humiliation, in the form of a Servant, in the likeness of sin's
flesh--compare "like unto the Son of man" (Rev. 1:13) because then in
His glorified state. Acts 1:3, definitely informs us that Christ was
seen of the apostles for forty days after His resurrection, and, of
course, He is now seen by them in heaven. When the apostle declared,
"I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and
Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2), he did not mean that that was his sole
theme, but rather that such was his dominant and prominent subject.
When we are exhorted "be careful for nothing" (Phil. 4:6), we
certainly are not to understand that care to please God is excluded,
or that we are not to have deep concern for our sins.
The above examples (many others could be added) show that constant
care is needed to distinguish between positive and comparative
statements, and between words with an absolute force and those with
merely a relative one.
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INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 11
_________________________________________________________________
15. Non-literal language. We have left this important canon of
exegesis until a somewhat late stage, because maturity of judgment is
called for in the applying of the same. There is a considerable amount
of non-literal language in the Word of God and it is very necessary
that the expositor should recognize the same. Great harm has been done
through failure to do so, and not a few serious errors have been
taught as the result of regarding what was figurative as literal.
Generally speaking, the words of Scripture are to he understood in
their plain and simple meaning; yea, their natural and obvious
signification is always to be retained unless some evident and
necessary reason requires otherwise; as, for example, when Christ bids
us pluck out a right eye and cut off a right hand if the same causes
us to sin, or when He charged the scribes and Pharisees with
"devouring widows' houses" (Matthew 23:14), for manifestly such
language is not to be taken at its face value. But there are many
other instances which are not nearly so apparent as those, as when
Christ said "by chance there came down a certain priest that way"
(Luke 10:31), meaning that he took that direction without any
particular purpose or special design--for a literal understanding of
those words would deny the orderings of Providence.
Keen discrimination, both spiritual and mental, is required for
distinguishing between the literal and the non-literal in Scripture.
That applies in the first place to the translator, as a few simple
illustrations will show. He has to determine in each occurrence of the
word kelayoth whether to render it literally "kidneys" or figuratively
"reins": our Authorized Version gives the former eighteen times, and
the later thirteen. In such passages as Psalms 16:7; 26:2; 73:21,
"reins" has reference to the inner man, particularly the mind and
conscience: as the kidneys are for eliminating the impurities of the
blood, so the mind and conscience are to deliver us from evil. The
Hebrew word ruach literally means wind, and is so rendered ninety
times in the Authorized Version; yet it is also used emblematically of
the spirit, often of the Holy Spirit, and is so over 200 times. Much
spiritual wisdom and discernment is required by the translator to
discriminate. Lachash is rendered "earrings" in Isaiah 3:20, but
"prayer" in Isaiah 26:16! The Greek word presbuteros literally means
an aged person, and is so rendered in Acts 2:17, and Philemon 9, but
in most cases it refers to "elders" or church officers.
Now if great care needs to be taken by the translator in
distinguishing between things that differ, equally so of the
expositor. Let him duly lay to heart the warnings supplied by the
experience of the apostles. How often they failed to grasp the meaning
of their Master's language! `When He declared, "Not that which goeth
into the mouth defileth a man; hut that which cometh out of the
mouth," they said unto Him, "Declare unto us this parable," and He
answered, "Are ye also yet without understanding?" (Matthew 15:11, 15,
16). When He bade them "beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of
the Sadducees" they reasoned among themselves and concluded that it
was because they had taken no bread (Matthew 16:6, 7). When He told
them that He had meat to eat that they knew not of, they imagined that
someone had ministered to His bodily needs during their absence (John
4:32, 33). When He said, "Our friend Lazarus sleepeth," they supposed
(as any of us would have done!) that He referred to natural sleep. How
often is it recorded that they "understood not" the words of Christ
(Mark 9:32; Luke 18:34; John 8:27; 12:16). They quite missed His
meaning when He asked, "If I will that he tarry till I come, what is
that to thee?" (John 21:22, 23).
The figurative element is very prominent in the Scriptures, especially
so in the Old Testament, where natural things are commonly used and
accommodated to explain spiritual things, suiting its instructions to
man's present state, in which he cannot see the things of God except
through the glass of nature. Every Hebrew word has a literal sense and
stands for some sensible object, and therefore conveys a comparative
idea of some impalpable object. While in the body we must receive
information via our senses. We cannot of ourselves form the least idea
of any Divine or celestial object but as it is compared to and
illustrated by something earthly or material. Inward realities are
explained by outward phenomena, as in "rend your heart, and not your
garments, and turn unto the Lord your God" (Joel 2:13), and "blessed
are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness." Spiritual
mercies are set before our eyes under their familiar but expressive
pictures in nature, as in "For I will pour water upon him that is
thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour My Spirit upon
thy seed, and My blessing upon thine offspring" (Isa. 44:3), and "Drop
down, ye heavens, from above, and let them bring forth salvation"
(Isa. 45:8).
Others before us have pointed out that there is a Divinely designed
analogy between the natural and the spiritual worlds. God so framed
the visible realms as to shadow forth the invisible, the temporal to
symbolize the eternal. Hence the similitudes so often employed by
Christ, drawn by Him from the natural kingdom, were not arbitrary
illustrations, but pre-ordained figures of the supernatural. There is
a most intimate connection between the spheres of creation and of
grace, so that we are taught thereby to look from one to the other.
"By means of His inimitable parables, Christ showed that when nature
was consulted aright it spoke one language with the Spirit of God; and
that the more thoroughly it understood, the more complete and varied
will be found the harmony which subsists between the principles of its
constitution and those of His spiritual kingdom" (P. Fairbairn). Who
can fail to perceive both the aptness and the sublimity of the
parallel between that allusion from the natural realm and its
antitypical realization: "Until the day break, and the shadows flee
away" (Song of Sol. 2:17), where the reference is to both the first
(John 8:56) and second appearing of God's Son in the flesh (Phil. 1:6,
10)?
Words are used in a literal sense when given their plain and natural
meaning; figuratively, when a term is diverted to an object to which
it does not naturally or normally belong. Thus "hard" is the quality
of a stone, but when predicated of the heart it is employed
figuratively. A figure of speech consists in the fact of a word or
words being used out of their ordinary sense and manner, for the sake
of emphasis, by attracting our attention to what is said. Not that a
different meaning is given to the word, but a new application of it is
made. The meaning of the word is always the same when rightly used,
and thus figures carry their own light and explain themselves. In the
great majority of instances there is no difficulty in distinguishing
between the literal and the non-literal. Here too there is a close
resemblance between the Word of God and His works in creation. For the
most part objects in the natural world are plain and simple, easily
distinguished; yet some are obscure and mysterious. There are certain
"laws" perceptible which regulate the actions of nature; nevertheless,
there are notable exceptions to most of them. Thus we may be sure that
God has not employed language which could only confuse and confound
the unlearned, yet the meaning of many things in His Word can be
ascertained only by bard labor.
If all Scripture had been couched in highly figurative language and
mysterious hieroglyphics, it had been quite unsuited to the common
man. On the other hand, if all were as simple as the A B Cs there had
been no need for God to provide teachers (Eph. 4:11). But how is the
teacher to determine when the language is literal and when
non-literal? Generally, plain intimation is given, especially in the
employment of metaphor, where one object is used to set forth another,
as in "Judah is a lion's whelp" (Gen. 49:9). More particularly. First,
when a literal interpretation would manifestly clash with the
essential nature of the subject spoken of, as when physical members
are ascribed to God, or when the disciple is required to "take up his
cross" (live a life of self-sacrifice) in order to follow Christ.
Second, when a literal interpretation would involve an absurdity or a
moral impropriety, as in "When thou sittest to eat with a ruler,
consider diligently what is before thee: and put a knife to thy
throat, if thou be a man given to appetite" (Prov. 23:1, 2): giving no
quarter to your lusts; and heaping coals of fire on an enemy's head
(Rom. 12:20). Third, refer to other passages, and interpret such a
verse as Psalm 26:6, by Genesis 35:1, 2, and Hebrews 10:22.
From all that has been said above it is evident that we must avoid a
stark literalism when dealing with sensory or material representations
of immaterial things, and when bodily terms are used of non-bodily
ones. "The sword shall devour" (Jer. 46:10): to devour is the property
of a living creature with teeth, but here by a figure it is applied to
the sword. "Let my right hand forget her cunning" (Ps. 137:5): here
"forgetting," which pertains to the mind, is applied to the
hand--signifying "may it lose its power to direct aright." "I turned
to see the voice" (Rev. 1:12) means Him that uttered it. "Keep thy
foot when thou goest to the house of God" (Eccl. 5:1) may be taken in
both a literal and a figurative sense. In the former, it would signify
"let your gait be demure and your speed unhurried and reverent as you
approach the place of worship"; in the latter, "pay attention to the
motions of your mind and the affections of your heart, for they are to
the soul what the feet are to the body." It is unto the due ordering
of our inward man that our attention should be chiefly directed.
It is also very necessary for the expositor constantly to bear in mind
that many of the things pertaining to the new covenant are set forth
under the figures of the old. Thus Christ is spoken of as "our
Passover" and as Priest "after the order of Melchisedec" (Heb. 6:20).
Paradise is described as "Abraham's bosom" (Luke 16:22). The New
Testament saints are referred to as Abraham's seed and "the Israel of
God" (Gal. 3:7; 6:16); as "the circumcision" (Phil. 3:3), and as "a
chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation" (1 Pet. 2:9);
while in Galatians 4:26, they are informed that "Jerusalem which is
above is free, which is the mother of us all." Again, the "For ye are
not come unto the mount that might be touched" (Heb. 12:18) refers not
to any material mount, but to that order of things which was formally
instituted at Sinai, the moral features of which were suitably
symbolized and strikingly adumbrated by the physical phenomena which
attended the giving of the Law. Likewise, "ye are come unto mount
Sion" (12:22) no more signifies a material mount than "we have an
altar" (13:10) means that Christians have a tangible altar. It is the
antitypical, spiritual, heavenly Sion which is in view--that glorious
state into which Divine grace has brought all who savingly believe the
Gospel.
Again, the expositor needs to be on the alert to detect ironical
language, for it usually signifies the very opposite to what is
expressed, being a form of satire for the purpose of exposing an
absurdity and to hold up to ridicule. Such language was employed by
God when He said, "Behold, the man is become as one of Us, to know
good and evil" (Gen. 3:22), and when He bade Israel, "Go and cry unto
the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of
your tribulation" (Judges 10:14); by Elijah, when he mocked the
prophets of Baal: "Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is . . . in a
journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awakened" (1 Kings
18:27); by Micaiah when he answered Jehoshaphat, "Go, and prosper: for
the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king" (1 Kings 22:15);
by Job, "No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with
you" (12:2); in Ecclesiastes 11:9: "Rejoice, O young man, in thy
youth. . . walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine
eyes"; by Christ, when He said, "A goodly price that I was prised at
of them" (Zech. 11:13); and by Paul, "now ye are rich, ye have reigned
as kings without us" (1 Cor. 4:8).
Nor are we to take literally the language of hyperbole or
exaggeration, when more is said than is actually meant, as when the
ten spies said of Canaan, "the cities are great and walled up to
heaven" (Deut. 1:28), and when we are told that their armies were
"even as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude" (Josh.
11:4). So too the description given of those that came up against
Gideon: "like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels without
number" (Judges 7:12), and "there is no nation or kingdom, whither my
lord hath not sent to seek thee" (1 Kings 18:10). Further examples are
found in: "They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the
depths" (Ps. 107:26); "Rivers of water run down mine eyes" (Ps.
119:136); "A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a
strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time" (Isa. 60:22);
"Their widows are increased to Me above the sand of the seas" (Jer.
15:8), which should be borne in mind when reading Revelation 7:9; "And
there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they
should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself
could not contain the books that should be written" (John 21:25).
16. The elucidation of the types. No treatise on hermeneutics would be
complete if it ignored this important and interesting department of
exposition. Yet such a vast field pertains thereto that it is
impossible to do it justice in a few sentences. The New Testament
plainly teaches that there is not a little in the Old which
anticipated and adumbrated things to come. From earliest times it
pleased God to prepare the way for the grand word of redemption by a
series of parabolical representations, and the business of the
interpreter is to explain the same in the light of the fuller
revelation which God has vouchsafed since then. Types belong to that
sphere which concerns the relation of God's earlier and later
dispensations, and therefore a type may be defined as a model or sign
of another object or event which it depicted beforehand, shadowing
forth something which should later correspond to and provide the
reality of the same. But the question arises, How are we to avoid the
erroneous and the extravagant in our selection and unfolding of the
types? Space will only allow us to offer the following hints and
rules.
First, there must be a genuine resemblance in form or spirit between
any person, act or institution under the Old Testament and what
answers to it in the Gospel. Second, a real type must be something
which had its ordination from God, being meant by Him to foreshadow
and prepare the way for the better things under Christ. Thus the
resemblance between the shadow and the substance must be real and not
fancied, and designed as such in the original institution of the
former. It is that previous intention and pre-ordained connection
between them which constitutes the relation of type and antitype.
Third, in tracing out the connection between the one and the other, we
have to inquire, What was the native import of the original symbol?
What did it symbolize as a part of the then existing religion? And
then the expositor is to proceed and show how it was fitted to serve
as a guide and stepping-stone to the blessed events and issues of
Messiah's kingdom. For example, by means of the tabernacle and its
services God manifested toward His people precisely the same
principles of government, and required from them substantially the
identical disposition and character, that He does now under the higher
dispensation of Christianity. Fourth, due regard must be had to the
essential difference between the actual natures of the type and the
antitype: the one being material, temporary and external; the other
spiritual, eternal and often internal.
_________________________________________________________________
Index
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INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 12
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17. Exposition of the parables. This is another branch of our subject
to which at least one whole chapter should be devoted, but the danger
of overtaxing the patience of some of our readers renders it
inadvisable. Because of the great simplicity of their nature and
language, it is commonly supposed that the parables are more easily
understood than any other form of scriptural instruction, when the
fact is that probably more erroneous teaching has been given out
through misapprehending the force of some of their details than is the
case with anything else in the Word. Great care needs to be taken with
them: especially is it important to ascertain and then keep in mind
the scope or leading design of each one. But instead of so doing, only
too often they are approached solely for the purpose of finding
apparent support for some particular doctrine or idea which the
preacher desires to prove. And in consequence, not a little in them
has been wrested from its original purport, and made to signify what
is flatly contradicted by other passages. Here, too, the Analogy of
Faith must be held steadily in view, and our interpretation of each
parable made to square therewith.
The children's definition that "a parable is an earthly story with a
heavenly meaning" expresses the general idea. It is a form of teaching
whereby spiritual things are represented under sensible images.
Parables are virtually word pictures, bearing somewhat the same
relation to the instruction of those to whom they are addressed as do
the pictorial illustrations used in books to elucidate for the reader
the printed page. From the relation to the truth presented or lesson
enforced can be gathered certain important but simple and obvious
principles, which need to be borne in mind in the study of our Lord's
parables. First, the parable, as an illustrative picture, can only
present its subject partially. No picture can give every aspect or
exhibit every side of its object, any more than an architect's "ground
plan" of a building shows its second and third stories, far less
depict it as when completed--though it might suggest something of
them. So a parable sketches for us only certain aspects of the
subject. Hence we find them in groups: all in a group representing the
same subject, but each one setting forth a distinct feature of the
same--as in those of Matthew 13, dealing with the "mysteries of the
kingdom of heaven." Hence, too, those of Luke 15 show us not only
grace receiving sinners; but seeking, finding, clothing, feasting
them.
Second, parables are subordinate to direct teaching; being designed
not for proof, but for illustration of a doctrine or duty. It is alway
to be deplored when professing Christians are guilty of setting one
part of the Scriptures against another, but when a parable is used to
nullify some plain doctrine or commandment of God, absurdity is added
to irreverence. Hence to appeal to Matthew 18:23-25, in proof that the
God of all grace may revoke His forgiveness, or to deny man's
responsibility on the ground that "the lost piece of silver" of Luke
15 portrays the sinner by an inanimate object, is both foolish and
profane. Third, it is equally apparent that we must seek to determine
Christ's principal aim of the chief moral lesson which He intended to
enforce in each one: yet that obvious duty is much neglected. Only too
often parables are treated as though their design was left open to
conjecture and their lessons to uncertain inference. Such an impious
idea and loose way of handling them is clearly refuted by those which
Christ Himself explained to His disciples. Thus we are not left
entirely to our own resources, for those interpreted by the Lord are
to be regarded as specimens--each setting forth some distinct truth,
every detail possessing a significance.
Fourth, it is important to obtain a right understanding of the
parabolical representation itself, since it supplies the basis of the
spiritual instruction. Unless we understand the natural allusion, we
cannot give a satisfactory exposition of the language in which it is
set forth. Care has also to be taken that we do not extend the
representation beyond the bounds in which it was intended to move.
That representation becomes obvious when we concentrate upon the
leading idea of the parable and allow its details to make that more
distinct. A parable must not be broken into parts but looked at as a
whole, though let it not be forgotten that every detail contributes to
its central truth, there being no mere verbiage. Usually the context
makes clear what is its purpose and purport. Thus the parable of the
king taking account of his servants (Matthew 18:23) was in reply to
Peter's inquiry in verse 21; that of the rich fool in Luke 12 was
occasioned by a spirit of covetousness on the part of one who desired
to obtain a part of his brother's inheritance. Those in Luke 15 grew
out of what is related in its opening verses. Parables bear upon the
more fundamental aspects of duty and deportment rather than on the
minute details of either.
As intimated above, much erroneous teaching has resulted from failure
to heed those simple rules. Thus, certain theologians who are
basically unsound on the Atonement have argued from the parable of the
prodigal son that, since no sacrifice was needed to reconcile him to
the Father or provide access to the bosom of His love, God pardons
absolutely, out of pure compassion. But that is a manifest wresting of
the parable, for it is not as a Father but as the righteous Governor
that God requires a satisfaction to His justice. Equally so is it a
serious misrepresentation of the grace of the Gospel if we reason from
the parable of the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:23-35) that Divine
grace is ever exercised unto men except through a propitiatory
sacrifice, a reparation made to the broken Law, which God has accepted
(Rom. 3:24). Those parables were never intended to teach the ground of
Divine forgiveness: it is wrong to force any parable to display a
whole system of theology. Some have even drawn from Christ's
forbidding His disciples to pluck up the tares an argument against the
local church's exercising such a strict discipline as would issue in
the disfellowship of heretical or disorderly members--refuted by His
teaching in Revelation 2 and 3, where such laxity is severely rebuked.
Equally dangerous and disastrous is that interpretation which has made
the parable of the laborers in the vineyard teach salvation by works.
Since the parable affords a notable example of the importance of
heeding the setting, we will offer a few remarks thereon. After the
rich young ruler's refusal to leave all and follow Christ, and His
seeking to impress upon His disciples the solemn warning of that sad
spectacle, Peter said, "Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed
Thee; what shall we have therefore?" (Matthew 19:22-27). The Lord
returned a twofold answer: the first part, as the question was
legitimate, declaring that both here and hereafter there should be
abundant reward to those who followed Him (vv. 28, 29). In the second
part our Lord searched Peter's heart, intimating that behind his
inquiry was a wrong spirit--a carnal ambition which He had so often to
rebuke in the apostles: shown in their disputes as to which of them
should be greatest in the kingdom and which should have the chief
seats therein. There was a mercenary spirit at work in them which
considered they had claim to higher wages than others: since they were
the first to leave all and follow Christ, thereby magnifying their own
importance and laying Him under obligations. Hence the parable of
Matthew 20:1-15, is preceded by the words. "But many that are first
shall be last; and the last shall be first," and followed by similar
words.
Since there be no room to doubt that the parable of the laborers in
the vineyard was designed to illustrate the words in Matthew 19:30,
and 20:16, it is clear that it was never intended to teach the way of
salvation--to interpret it so is entirely to miss its scope. The
Lord's object was manifestly to impress upon His disciples that,
unless they mortified the same, the evils of the heart were of such a
character as to rob the earliest and most prolonged external devotion
of all value, and that the latest and briefest service unto Him would,
by reason of the absence of self-assertion, be deemed worthy in His
sight of receiving reward equal to the former. Moreover, He would have
them know that He would do what He would with His own--they must not
dictate the terms of service. It has been justly observed by Trench in
his notes on this parable that an "agreement was made by the first
hired laborers (20:2) before they entered upon their labor--exactly
the agreement which Peter wished to make: "what shall we have?"--while
those subsequently engaged went in a simpler spirit, trusting that
whatever was right and equitable the householder would give them."
18. Words with different meanings. There are many terms in the
Scriptures which are by no means employed uniformly. Some have diverse
senses, others are given varied shades of one general sense. That does
not mean they are used arbitrarily or capriciously, still less in
order to confuse the minds of the simple. Sometimes it is because the
original term is too full to be expressed by a single English
equivalent. Sometimes it occurs with another form of emphasis. More
often it is the various applications which are made of it to several
objects. Thus it is an important part of the expositor's task to trace
out those distinctions, and, instead of confounding the same, make
clear each fresh sense, and thus "rightly divide the word of truth."
Thus the Greek word Paracletos is rendered "Comforter" of the Spirit
in John's Gospel, but "advocate" of Jesus Christ in his first Epistle
(2:1). There appears to be little in common between those expressions,
but when we discover that the Greek term means "one called to one's
side (to help)," the difficulty is removed, and the blessed truth is
revealed that the Christian has two Divine Helpers: a practical and a
legal; one within his heart and one in heaven; one ministering to him,
the other engaged for him.
The Greek word diatheke occurs thirty-three times; its common
meaning--like the Hebrew berith--being "covenant." In the Authorized
Version it is so rendered twenty times, and "testament" thirteen. Now
a covenant is, strictly speaking, a contract between two parties, the
one promising to do certain things upon the fulfillment of certain
conditions by the other; whereas a testament or will is where one
bequeaths certain things as gifts. There seems to be nothing in common
between the two concepts, in fact that which is quite contrary.
Nevertheless we believe our translators rightly rendered the term both
ways, though not always happily so: most certainly it should be
"covenant" in 2 Corinthians 3:6; Revelation 11:19. It is rightly
rendered "covenant" in Hebrews 8:6, and "testament" in 9:15, for a
statement is there made to illustrate a certain correspondency between
the preparatory and the ultimate in God's dispensations. A will does
not become valid while the person making it is alive: it can only take
effect after his decease. Hebrews 9:15-17, treats of a disposition
showing the manner in which men obtain an inheritance through the
riches of Divine grace. Thus, instead of using syntheke, which more
exactly expressed a covenant, the Holy Spirit designedly employed
diatheke, which was capable of a double application.
Let us now consider a few examples wherein the same English word is
given a number of variants. As in the well-known words of our Lord,
"Let the dead bury their dead" (Matthew 8:22), so the word "see" is
used in two different senses in Hebrews 2:8, 9: "But now we see not
yet all things put under Him. But we see Jesus. . .owned with glory,
and honor," where the first refers to open sight, the second to
faith's perception. "Ransom" is by power as well as by price.
Sometimes God defended or delivered His people by destroying His
enemies: Proverbs 21:18; Isaiah 43:4; Pharaoh and his hosts at the Red
Sea. Many have been much perplexed by the markedly different
applications made of the word "burden" in Galatians 6:2, 5: "Bear ye
one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. . . . Every
man shall bear his own burden." The former has in view the burdens of
the Christian's infirmities, which should be sympathetically,
prayerfully and practically shouldered by his brethren and sisters.
The latter has reference to individual responsibility, his personal
state and destiny, which he must himself discharge, that cannot be
shifted upon others. The Greek word for the former is "weights," or
loads--calling for a friendly hand. The latter signifies a "charge,"
or trust imposed.
The meaning of the term "flesh" appears to be so obvious that many
would regard it as quite a waste of time to look up its various
connections in Scripture. It is hastily assumed that the word is
synonymous with the physical body, and so no careful investigation is
made. Yet, in fact, "flesh" is used in Scripture to include far more
than the physical side of our being. We read of "the will of the
flesh" (John 1:13) and "the works of the flesh" (Gal 5:19), some of
which are acts of the mind. We are forbidden to make provision for the
flesh (Rom. 13:14), which certainly does not mean that we are to
starve or neglect the body. When it is said "the Word was made flesh"
(John 1:14) we are to understand that He took unto Himself an entire
human nature, consisting of spirit (Luke 23:46), soul (John 12:27),
and body. "In the days of His flesh" (Heb. 5:7) signifies the time of
His humiliation, in contrast with His present exaltation and glory.
Again, the average reader of the Bible imagines that "the world" is
the equivalent of the whole human race, and consequently many of the
passages in which it occurs are wrongly interpreted. Many too suppose
that the term "immortality" calls for no critical examination,
concluding that it refers to the indestructibility of the soul. But we
must never assume that we understand anything in God's Word. If the
concordance be consulted it will be found that "mortal" and "immortal"
are never applied to man's soul, but always to hisbody.
"Holy" and "sanctify" represent in our English Bibles one and the same
Hebrew and Greek word in the original, but they are by no means
employed with a uniform significance, being given quite a variety of
scope and application -- hence the diverse definitions of men. The
word is such a pregnant one that no single English term can express
it. That it signifies more than "set apart" is clear from what is said
of the Nazarite: "all the days of his separation he is holy unto the
Lord" (Num. 6:8)--"all the days of his separation he is separated"
would be meaningless tautology. So of Christ, "holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners" (Heb. 7:26), where "holy" means much
more than "separate." When applied to God it imports His ineffable
majesty (Isa. 57:15). In many passages it expresses a moral quality
(Rom. 7:12; Titus 1:8). In others it refers to cleansing (Eph. 5:26;
Heb. 9:13). Often it means to hallow or dedicate to God (Ex. 20:11;
John 17:19). As the term is applied to the Christian it connotes,
broadly speaking, (1) that sacred relationship Godward into which
grace has brought us in Christ; (2) that blessed inward endowment by
which the Spirit has made us meet for God and capacitated us to
commune with Him; (3) the changed life resulting therefrom (Luke 1:75;
1 Pet. 1:15).
The word "judgment" is another which calls for real study. There are
judgments of God's mouth which His servants must faithfully declare
(Ps. 119:13), namely the whole revelation of His will, the rule by
which we are to walk and by which He will yet judge us. Those
"judgments" (Ex. 21:1) are the Divine edicts which make known the
difference between right and wrong. There are also judgments of God's
hand: "I know, O Lord, that Thy judgments are right, and that Thou in
faithfulness hast afflicted me" (Ps. 119:75). Those are for the
gracious discipline of His children; whereas those upon the wicked
(Ezek. 5:15) are judicial curses and punishments. In some passages
they express the whole of God's providential ways, many of which are
"a great deep" (Ps. 36:6), "unsearchable" (Rom. 11:33) to any finite
mind, not to be pried into by us. They intimate His sovereign rule,
for "righteousness and judgment are the habitation of His throne" (Ps.
97:2), likewise the rectitude of Christ's administration (John 9:39).
"He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles" (Isa. 42:1) imports
the righteous doctrine of His Gospel. In Jude 14 and 15 the reference
is to the solemn transactions of the last day. "Teach me good judgment
and knowledge" (Ps. 119:66) is a request for discretion, a clearer
apprehension to apply knowledge rightly. To "do justice and judgment"
(Gen. 18:19) signifies to be equitable and just in our dealings.
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INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 13
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19. The Holy Spirit's use of words. The correct interpretation of many
passages can be satisfactorily established only by a careful
investigation of how their terms are employed by the sacred writers,
for not a few of them possess an entirely different force from their
dictionary meanings. The signification of the words of Holy Writ is to
be determined neither by their etymology nor by the sense which they
bear in classical writings, but rather by their actual use in the
Hebrew and Creek Scriptures--with the collateral help of the
Septuagint version. Each term must be defined in strict harmony with
the sense given to it in the Word itself. It is because the average
reader of the Bible interprets much of its language in accord with how
the same is employed in the common speech of his fellows that he has
an inadequate, and often degrading, concept of its expressions. The
concordance will stand him in far better stead than the best
dictionary. Take the word "chasten." Upon human lips it means to
punish, but such is far from the thought when we read of God's using
the rod upon His children--even "for correction" falls far short.
Paideia is only another form of paidon, which signifies "young
children" (John 21:5). One can see at a glance the direct connection
which exists between "disciple" and "discipline": equally clear in the
Creek is the relation between "chasten" and "child" --son-training
expresses it more accurately (Heb. 12:7).
Consider the grand truth and glorious privilege of adoption. Probably
it is not going too far to say that only a very small percentage of
Christians entertain any scriptural concept thereof. In human affairs
it has reference to a procedure whereby a boy or girl who bears no
relation to a man and woman becomes legally their child. From that the
conclusion is drawn that on the ground of Christ's atoning sacrifice
and by the Spirit's work of regeneration those who previously bore no
intimate relation to God then become His children. Such an idea is not
only crude, but utterly erroneous. John 11:52, makes it quite clear
that Christ died for His people under the consideration of their being
the children of God, and not in order to make them so: as both the
Hebrews in Egypt (Ex. 5) and the heathen in Corinth (Acts 18:10) were
owned by God as His before the one was redeemed and the other had the
Gospel preached unto them. "And because ye are sons [and not to make
them such], God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your
hearts, crying, Abba, Father" (Gal. 4:6). The Spirit is given to
quicken, communicate the nature of sons, and reveal to us our union
with Christ.
The inestimable blessing of adoption was bestowed upon the elect by
predestination, it being God's design therein to make them His sons by
a mere act of His sovereign will: "Having foreordained us unto
adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto Himself, according to the
good pleasure of His will" (Eph.1:5). Thus it is neither what Christ
has done for them nor what the Spirit works in them which makes them
the children of God. Adoption refers to that state of grace into which
the elect are brought by virtue of their union with Christ. It is a
sonship-in-law, in and through the Son, God appointing them unto union
and communion with Him. Adoption conveys the legal right to every
blessing we enjoy both here and hereafter. "The Spirit itself beareth
witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if
children, then heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ" (Rom. 8:16,
17). As holiness is that which fits us for heaven, so adoption or
sonship conveys the right thereto. "Adoption does not so much design
the blessing itself prepared in the Divine predestination, or the
grace received in effectual calling, as the inheritance to which the
saints are adopted, even the heavenly glory: see Romans 8:23" (J.
Gill).
The elect were bestowed upon Christ before the foundation of the world
in the relation of children: "Behold I and the children which God hath
given Me" (Heb. 2:13) will be His own triumphant exclamation at the
last day -- not one of them lost. It is quite true that by the fall
they became alienated from God, and thus in need of His being
reconciled to them and they to Him; that they became dead in
trespasses and sins, and therefore required to be quickened into
newness of life. But observe closely how Galatians 4:4, 5 states it:
"God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to
redeem them [previously His] that were under the law, that we might
receive the adoption of sons," and because we were such the Spirit was
given to us. The declaration of adoption was made first in
predestination (Eph. 1:5), afterwards in Christ, and then in the
believer. As the Puritan Charnock so succinctly stated it, "Adoption
gives us the privilege of sons, regeneration the nature of sons.
Adoption relates unto God as a Father, regeneration engraves upon us
the lineaments of a Father. That makes us relatively His sons by
conferring a power or right (John 1:12); this makes us formally His
sons by conveying a principle (1 Pet. 1:23). By that we are enstated
in the Divine affection; by this we are partakers of the same."
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am
not come to destroy, but to fulfil" (Matthew 5:17). A momentous
statement was that, and a right understanding thereof is essential,
particularly of the exact meaning of its final word. Determined to
deny at all costs the evangelical truth that Christ rendered to the
Law a vicarious obedience on behalf of His people, Socinians insist
that in this passage "fulfil" signifies to fill out or fill full. But
such a definition is entirely arbitrary, and is refuted by the canon
of interpretation we are now illustrating. As the scholarly Smeaton
pointed out, "No example of such a usage can be adduced when the verb
is applied to a law or to an express demand contained in the spirit of
the law: in which case it uniformly means `to fulfil'. Thus it is
said, `he that loveth another hath fulfilled [i.e., kept] the law'"
(Rom. 13:8). The inflexible usage of language rules the sense in such
a phrase, to the effect that Christ must be understood to say that He
came not to fill out or to supplement the law by additional elements,
but to fulfil it by being made under it.
"Second, `fill out' is inadmissible as applied to the second term or
object of the verb: Christ did not come to fill out or expound the
prophets, but simply to fulfil their predictions. Whenever the word
here used is applied to anything prophetical, it is always found in
such a connection that it can only mean `to fulfil,' and hence we must
not deviate from its uniform signification. Third, the eighteenth
verse must be regarded as giving a reason for the statement made in
the seventeenth. But what sort of a reason would be given if we were
to render the connected verses thus: I am come to fill out or
supplement the law, for verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth
pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till
all be `fulfilled'?" Moreover, it is to be carefully noted that the
term fulfil was here placed by Christ in direct antithesis to
"destroy," which further determines its scope and meaning, for to
destroy the law is not to empty it of its meaning, but to rescind or
abrogate it. Thus to "fulfil" is to be taken in its plain and natural
sense, as meaning to perform what the Law and the prophets required:
to substantiate them, to make good what they demanded and announced.
Law can only be fulfilled by a perfect obedience being rendered to it.
What has just been before us leads us to point out that the only sure
and satisfactory way of settling the old controversy between the
Protestant and popish theologians as to whether the word "justify"
means to make just or to pronounce just is to ascertain how the term
is used by the sacred writers, for an appeal to Holy Writ does not
leave the issue in the slightest doubt. In the first place, when we
are said to "glorify God" we do not render Him glorious, but announce
that He is so. When we are bidden to sanctify the Lord God in our
hearts (1 Pet. 3:15), we do not make Him holy, but assert that He is
so. Equally, when it is said "that Thou mightest be justified when
Thou speakest, and be clear when Thou judgest" (Ps. 51:4), the force
of it is that Thou mightest be pronounced righteous in Thy judicial
verdicts. In none of these instances is there the least ambiguity or
uncertainty, in none is there any transformation wrought in the object
of the verb--to suggest so would be horrible blasphemy. When wisdom is
said to be "justified of her children" (Matthew 11:19) it obviously
signifies that she is vindicated by them. Nor does the word have any
different force when it is applied to the sinner's acceptance with
God.
In the second place, it is to be noted that in many passages
justification is placed over against condemnation. The meaning of a
term is often perceived by weighing the one that is placed in
opposition to it--as "destroy" is over against "fulfil" in Matthew
5:17. "If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto
judgment, that the judges may judge them; then they shall justify the
righteous, and condemn the wicked" (Deut. 25:1). "He that justifieth
the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are
abomination to the Lord" (Prov. 17:15). "For by thy words thou shalt
be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned" (Matthew
12:37). Thus the forensic sense of the term is definitely established,
for in those and similar passages two judicial sentences are mentioned
which are exactly the reverse of each other. As to condemn a man "is
not to make him unrighteous", but is simply the pronouncing of an
adverse sentence against him, so to justify is to not to effect any
moral improvement in his character, but is simply declaring him to be
righteous. The word is still further explained by Romans 3:19, 20:
"that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become [be
brought in] guilty before God: Therefore by the deeds of the law there
shall no flesh be justified in His sight," where guilt and
non-justification are synonymous.
But in all generations Satan and his agents have labored to make men
believe that when Scripture speaks of God's justifying sinners it
signifies the making of men righteous by means of something which is
infused into them, or else produced by them; thereby dishonoring
Christ. The early chapters of Romans are devoted to an exposition of
this all-important truth. First, it is shown that "there is none
righteous" (3:10), none who measures up to the Law's requirements.
Second, that God has provided a perfect righteousness in and by
Christ, and that this is revealed in the Gospel (1:16, 17; 3:21, 22).
Third, that this righteousness, or vicarious obedience, of Christ is
imputed or reckoned to the account of those who believe (4:11, 24).
Fourth, that since God has placed to the credit of the believing
sinner the fulfillment of the Law by his Substitute, he is justified
(5:1, 18). Fifth, therefore none can lay anything to his charge
(8:33). Thus may the believing sinner exultantly exclaim, "In the Lord
have I righteousness and strength" (Isa. 45:24), "I will greatly
rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath
clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the
robe of righteousness" (Isa. 61:10). "I will go in the strength of the
Lord God: I will make mention of Thy righteousness, even of Thine
only" (Ps. 71:16).
Many suppose when they read of the "foreknowledge" of God (Acts 2:23;
1 Pet. 1:2) that the expression simply means His cognizing beforehand.
It imports very much more, expressing infallible certainty because
based upon His eternal decree. God foreknows what will be because He
has purposed what shall be. In its verbal form the word is actually
rendered "foreordained" rather than "foreknown" in 1 Peter 1:20. Some
Arminians, in their inveterate opposition to the Truth, have insisted
that the word "elect" means a choice or excellent person, rather than
a selected one, appealing to Christ's being termed God's "elect" in
Isaiah 42:1. But the Holy Spirit has anticipated and refuted that
wretched shift by defining the term in Matthew 12:18 (where He cites
Isa. 42:1), "Behold My servant, whom I have chosen." Mark 13:20,
settles the meaning of "elect" once for all: "the elect's sake, whom
He hath chosen." In common speech "prince" signifies one who is
inferior to the king, but not when Christ is called "the Prince of
peace" and "the Prince of life," as is clear from His being "Prince of
the kings of the earth" (Rev. 1:5). Many have been puzzled over
mustard being called "the greatest among herbs" (Matthew 13:22), and
love being greater than faith (1 Cor. 13:13), when in fact faith is
its root: but "greatest" does not mean largest in the former, or
superior in the latter, but the most useful--the "best gifts" of 1
Corinthians 12:31, and "greater" in 1 Corinthians 14:5, signify more
useful.
20. Distinguish between things that differ, for if we do not the Bible
will at once appear to contradict itself, and our minds will be in a
state of hopeless confusion. If we carelessly generalize and confound
things apart, not only shall we form a vague conception of them, but
in many instances a thoroughly erroneous one. Most necessary is it
that the expositor attend diligently to this rule: only so will he be
able to give the true explanation of many a verse. Not only is it
important to discriminate between two diverse things, but often to
draw distinctions between various aspects of the same subject. Take,
first, the word "care." In Luke 10:41, we find our Lord rebuking
Martha because she was "careful and troubled about many things," and
His servant wrote, "I would have you without carefulness" (1 Cor.
7:32); while in Philippians 4:6, Christians are exhorted to "be
careful for nothing." On the other hand, we are exhorted that there
should be no division in the local church, "but that the members
should have the same care one for another" (1 Cor. 12:25), and the
apostle commended penitent saints for the "carefulness" it wrought in
them and expressed his own concern for their welfare by referring to
"our care" for them (2 Cor. 7:11, 12). Thus there is a "care" which is
forbidden and a care that is required. The one is a godly and moderate
solicitude, which moves to watchfulness and the taking of pains in the
performing of duty; the other is a destructive and inordinate one that
produces distraction and worry.
In like manner we must distinguish sharply between two totally
different kinds of fear: the one which is becoming, spiritual, and
helpful; the other carnal, worthless, hurtful. Believers are bidden to
work out their own salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12),
that is with a conscientious horror of displeasing the One who has
been so gracious to them. Conversely, "perfect love casteth out fear"
(John 4:18), namely that slavish dread which causes torment, those
terrifying thoughts which make us look forward to the day of judgment
with dismay. "God is greatly to be feared" (Ps. 89:7): that is, held
in the highest esteem and reverence, the heart deeply impressed with
His majesty, awed by His ineffable holiness. When we read of those who
"feared the Lord, and served their own gods" (2 Kings 17:33), it means
that out of a dread of His vengeance they went through the outward
form of worshipping Him, but that the love of their wicked hearts was
set upon their idols. Thus a filial fear inspires with a grateful
desire to please and honor God, but a servile fear produces terror in
the mind because of a guilty conscience, as was the case with Adam
(Gen. 3:9, 10), and is so now with the demons (Jam. 2:19). The one
draws to God, the other drives from Him; the one genders to bondage
and leads to despair; the other works humility and promotes the spirit
of adoration.
In order to understand certain passages it is absolutely needful to
recognize that there is a twofold "will" of God spoken of in the
Scriptures, by which we do not mean His decretive will and His
permissive will, for in the final analysis that is a distinction
without a difference, for God never permits anything which is contrary
to His eternal purpose. No, we refer to the very real distinction
which there is between His secret and His revealed will, or, as we
much prefer to express it, between His predestinating and His
preceptive will. God's secret will is His own counsels which He has
divulged to no one. His revealed will is made known in His Word, and
is the definer of our duty and the standard of our responsibility. The
grand reason why I should follow a certain course or do a certain
thing is because it is God's will that I should do so--made known to
me in the rule I am to walk by. But suppose I go contrary to His Word
and disobey, have I not crossed His will? Assuredly. Then does that
mean that I have thwarted His purpose? Certainly not, for that is
always accomplished, notwithstanding the perversity of His creatures.
God's revealed will is never performed perfectly by any of us, but His
secret or foreordinating will is never prevented by any (Ps. 135:6;
Prov. 21:30; Isa. 46:10).
What has just been referred to above is admittedly a great deep, which
no finite mind can fully fathom. Nevertheless, the distinction drawn
must be made if we are not to be guilty of making the Scriptures
contradict themselves. For example, such passages as the following
evince the universality and invincibility of God's will being
accomplished. "But He is in one mind, and who can turn Him? and what
His soul desireth, even that He doeth" (Job 23:13). "But our God is in
the heavens. He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased" (Ps. 115:3). "He
doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the
inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him,
"What doest Thou?" (Dan. 4:35). "For who hath resisted His will?"
(Rom. 9:19). On the other hand, such passages as the following have
reference to the revealed or preceptive will of God which may be
withstood by the creature. "And that servant, which knew his Lord's
will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to His will"
(Luke 12:47). "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification"
(1 Thess. 4:3). "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of
God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (1 Thess. 5:18). God's secret will
is His eternal and unchanging purpose concerning all things which He
has made, and is brought about by means and through agencies which He
has appointed to that end, and which can no more be hindered by men or
devils than they can prevent the sun from shining.
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INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 14
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In view of certain passages in the Old Testament, not a few have been
perplexed by that word, "No man hath seen God at any time" (John
1:18)--words once used as a stock argument by infidels to "prove that
the Bible is full of contradictions." Such verses call for the
interpreter: to explain their sense, and thereby distinguish between
things that differ. Some of those statements which speak of the Lord's
"appearing" to one and another of the ancient celebrities refer to His
doing so as the Angel of the covenant; others were theophanic
manifestations, wherein He assumed the human form (cf. Ezek. 1:26;
Dan. 3:25), presaging the Divine incarnation; others mean that He was
seen by faith (Heb. 11:26). When Isaiah declared, "I saw also the Lord
sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the
temple" (6:1), it signifies that he did so with the eyes of his
understanding, in prophetic vision, and not with his bodily sight.
God, essentially considered, is "invisible" (1 Tim. 1:17), for His
essence or nature cannot be seen (1 Tim. 6:16), no, not by the holy
angels nor by the glorified saints in heaven. When it is said we shall
see "face to face" (1 Cor. 13:12), it imports "plainly and
distinctly," in contrast with "through a glass, darkly" (obscurely) in
the former part of the verse; though the Lord Jesus actually will be
seen face to face.
A careful examination of the different passages in which our Lord is
referred to as coming reveals the fact that by no means all of them
allude to His personal and public return, when He shall "appear the
second time without sin unto salvation" (Heb. 9:28). Thus, "I will not
leave you comfortless: I will come to you" (John 14:18), which had
reference, first, to His corporate coming unto His disciples after His
resurrection and, second, to His coming spiritually at Pentecost, when
He gave them another Comforter. "If a man love Me, he will keep My
words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him" (John
14:23)--come in the powerful influences of Divine grace and
consolation. "And that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by
the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: and came and preached
peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh" (Eph.
2:16, 17), which was accomplished mediately, in the ministry of His
servants, for be who receives them receives Him (Matthew 10:40).
"Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do
the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will
remove thy candlestick out of his place" (Rev. 2:5, and cf.
2:16)--that is a judicial visitation. "He shall come unto us as the
rain" (Hos. 6:3): every spiritual revival and bestowment of grace is a
coming of the Lord unto the soul.
Another example where it is necessary to distinguish between things
that differ is to observe carefully the various shades of - meaning
given to the word hope. In some passages the reference is to the grace
of hope, the faculty by which we expect some future good, as in
"faith, hope, charity" (1 Cor. 13:13), of which God is the
Author--"the God of hope" (Rom. 15:13). In some verses it is the
ground of expectation, that on which it rests, as it is said of
Abraham, "Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the
father of many nations," which is explained in what follows:
"according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be" (Rom.
4:18)--his hope reposing upon the sure promise of God. In other places
it is the object of hope that is in view, the things expected, or the
One in whom our confidence is placed, as in "the hope which is laid up
for you in heaven" (Col. 1:5), "looking for that blessed hope" (Titus
2:13), "O Lord, the hope of Israel" (Jer. 17:13). Occasionally the
term signifies the assurance which is produced, as in "my flesh also
shall rest in hope" (Ps. 16:9) and "rejoice in hope. . .hope maketh
not ashamed" (Rom. 5:2, 5).
For clearness of thought and soundness of doctrine, it is most
necessary to distinguish between the three tenses and the various
aspects of God's salvation. Familiar as we are with that word, it is
used with unpardonable looseness (even by the majority of preachers),
through failure to recognize that it is the most comprehensive term to
be found in the Scriptures, and to take the trouble of ascertaining
how it is used therein. Only too often a most inadequate concept is
formed of the scope and contents of that word, and through ignoring
the distinctions which the Holy Spirit has drawn nothing but a blurred
and jumbled idea is obtained. How few, for example, would be able to
give a simple exposition of the following statements: "Who hath saved
us" (2 Tim. 1:9, and cf. Titus 3:5); "work out your own salvation with
fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12); "Now is our salvation nearer than
when we believed" (Rom. 13:11, and cf. 1 Pet. 1:5). Now these verses
do not refer to three different salvations, but rather to three
aspects of one salvation. The first as an accomplished fact--from the
pleasure and penalty of sin. The second as a present process--from the
power and ragings of sin. The third as a future prospect--from the
very presence of sin.
If the balance of truth is to be preserved and the evil practice of
pitting one aspect against another, or of over-emphasizing one and
ignoring another, is to be avoided, a careful study needs to be made
of the different causes and means of salvation. There are no less than
seven things which concur in this great work, for all of them are
said, in one passage or another, to "save" us. Salvation is ascribed
to the Father: "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling"
(2 Tim. 1:9)--because of His electing love in Christ. To the Lord
Jesus: "He shall save His people from their sins" (Matthew
1:21)--because of His merits and satisfaction. To the Holy Spirit: "He
saved us, by the . . . renewing of the Holy Ghost" (Titus
3:5)--because of His almighty and efficacious operations. To the
instrumentality of the Word: "The engrafted word, which is able to
save your souls" (Jam. 1:21)--because it discovers to us our need and
reveals the grace whereby we may be saved. To the labors of the Lord's
servants: "in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that
hear thee" (1 Tim. 4:16)--because of their fidelity to the Truth. To
the conversion of the sinner, in which both repentance and faith are
exercised by him: "save yourselves from this untoward generation"
(Acts 2:40)--by the repentance spoken of in verse 38: "by grace are ye
saved through faith" (Eph. 2:8). To the ordinances: "baptism doth also
now save us" (1 Pet. 3:21)--sealing the grace of God to a believing
heart.
Now those seven concurring causes of salvation need to be considered
in their order and kept in their proper places, otherwise incalculable
harm will be done. For instance, if we elevate a subordinate cause
above a primary one, then all sense of real proportion is lost. The
love and wisdom of God are the root cause, the first mover of all
else. Next are the merits and satisfaction of Christ, which are also
the foundation of all else that follows. The effectual operations of
the Holy Spirit produce in sinners those things which are necessary
for their participation in the benefits purposed by the Father and
purchased by Christ. The Word is the chief means employed by God in
conviction and conversion. As the result of the Spirit's operation and
the application of the Word in power to our hearts, we are brought to
repent and believe. In this, it is the Spirit's usual custom to employ
the minister of Christ as His subordinate agents. Baptism and the
Lord's supper are means whereby we express our repentance and faith,
and have them confirmed to us. Nor must those concurring causes be
confounded, so that we attribute to a later one what pertains to an
earlier one. We must not ascribe to the ordinances that which belongs
to the Word, nor to conversion what originates through the Spirit, nor
give to Him the honor which is peculiar to Christ. Each is to be
carefully distinguished, defined, and kept in its proper place.
The need of distinguishing between things that differ is further
evidenced by the following. The walking in darkness of Isaiah 1:10, is
not occasioned by the Lord's withdrawing the light of His countenance,
but is due to the absence of ministerial instruction, and therefore is
to be explained by Amos 8:11; whereas the walking in darkness of 1
John 1:6, consists of an open revolt from God. The word "dead" in John
6:49, signifies physically; "not die" in the next verse means
spiritually; "shall never see death" in John 8:51, has reference to
the second death. The passing "from death unto life" of John 5:24, is
legal, the reward of the Law--justification; but the passing "from
death unto life" of 1 John 3:14, is experiential--regeneration. The
"one new man" of Ephesians 2:15, is that mystical body which is
composed of saved Jews and Gentiles, whereof Christ is the Head;
whereas "the new man" of Ephesians 4:24, is the new state and standing
secured by regeneration, and which the recipient is required to make
manifest in his daily deportment. Christ's being "without sin" at His
first advent (Heb. 4:15) means that He was personally and
experientially so, being the Holy One of God; but His being "without
sin" at His second advent (Heb. 9:28) imports imputatively so, no
longer charged with the guilt of His people. In such passages as
Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:8; etc., "faith" signifies the act and grace
of faith, but in 1 Timothy 3:9; 4:1; Jude 3, "the faith" refers to the
body of doctrine revealed in Scripture.
21. The spiritual meaning of Scripture: not simply in the application
which may fairly be made of a passage, but its actual content. We have
in mind those passages where a material object or historical
transaction adumbrated or contemplated spiritual objects and
experiences. Great care needs to be exercised here, lest on the one
hand we be such slaves to "literalism" that we miss the deeper
significance and higher import of many things in God's Word; or lest
on the other hand we give free rein to our imagination and "read into"
a verse what is not there or "carnalize" what should be taken in its
plain and natural sense. Against both of those evils the expositor
needs to be constantly on his guard. Let it also be pointed out that
in not a few instances the Scriptures possess both a literal and a
mystical force, and one of the tasks devolving upon the interpreter is
to bring out each of them clearly. A few examples will make our
meaning simpler.
The first six verses of Psalm 19 contain a sublime description of the
perfections of God as they are displayed in the material creation,
especially in the heavenly bodies; yet it is quite evident that the
apostle Paul also regarded what is there said of the sun and stars as
their being Divinely designed emblems of the kingdom of grace. For in
Romans 10:4-17, we find that he had before him the universal
publication of the Gospel, and that in verse 18 he quoted from Psalm
19: "But I say, Have they not heard? Yes, verily, their sound went
into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world."
Ministers of Christ are designated "stars" (Dan. 12:3; Rev. 1:20), for
as the stars illumine all parts of the earth, so evangelical
messengers scatter the rays of light and truth upon the darkness of an
ungodly world. And as there is no speech or language where the voice
of the celestial stars is not heard, for they are so many tongues
proclaiming the glory of their Maker, so the ministers of Christ have,
at different periods of history, heralded God's good news in every
human tongue. On the day of Pentecost men of many nations heard God's
servants speak in their own tongues the wonderful works of God, so
that even then the line of the apostles' testimony "went through all
the earth" (Acts 2:9-11, and cf. Col. 1:5, 6, 23).
The propriety of the apostle's spiritual interpretation of Psalm 19:4,
is at once apparent, and it supplies us with an invaluable key for the
opening of what immediately follows. In the light of Messianic
predictions it is quite clear that what is said in verses 5 and 6 is
to be understood, ultimately, of Christ Himself, for in Malachi 4:2,
He is expressly called "the Sun of righteousness," who should "arise
with healing in His wings." As the sun is a celestial body, so the
Saviour is not a product of the earth (John 8:23), but is "the Lord
from heaven" (1 Cor. 15:47). Thus the Psalmist went on to say, "In
them [the heavens] hath He set a tabernacle for the sun." Attention is
focused upon the central luminary in the firmament, all the lesser
ones being as it were lost sight of. So it is in the Gospel: one
central Object alone is set forth and magnified therein. As the
heavens, particularly the sun, exhibit the natural glory of God, so
the Gospel, in its revelation of the Son, makes manifest the moral
glory of God. Most appropriately is the Gospel likened to a
"tabernacle" or tent (rather than a fixed temple), for as Israel's of
old, so it both contains and yet veils Christ's glory, and is designed
to move freely from place to place, rather than be stationary.
"Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber." Just as the sun
in the early morning throws back the curtains of his pavilion, issuing
forth to disperse the sombreness of night, so in the Gospel Christ
appears as a Bridegroom, removing the darkness of unregeneracy from
His people, to be loved and admired by all who believe. "And rejoiceth
as a strong man to run a race," fully assured of His triumph (Rev.
6:2). "His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit
unto the ends of it." In Micah 5:2, we are told that Christ's "going
forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity" (margin).
Those goings forth were, first, in that everlasting covenant which is
ordered in all things and sure, wherein He promised "Lo, I come to do
Thy will, O God." Second, in the announcements of prophecy, when, from
Genesis 3:15, onwards, the curtains were thrown back wider and wider,
for the person of the Messiah to appear in increasing distinctness,
until in Isaiah 53 He stood forth fully revealed. Third, in the
travels of the Gospel from one side of the earth to the other, which
will continue until His yet grander appearing. When He shines into a
soul "there is nothing hid from the heat thereof." This interpretation
is confirmed by verse 7: "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting
the soul."
The eighth Psalm supplies us with another example of a passage of
Scripture having a double purport--a natural and also a spiritual. The
principal scope of that psalm, as its opening and closing verses show,
is to magnify the Creator--by extolling the wondrous works of His
hands. As David beheld the beauties and marvels of the heavens, he had
such a sense of his own nothingness that he exclaimed, "What is man
[enosh--frail, puny man], that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of
man [a diminution of "man"], that Thou visitest him?" Then his
wonderment deepened as he went on to say, "For Thou hast made him a
little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and
honor. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands;
Thou hast put all things under his feet." Therein we behold both the
sovereignty and the abounding grace of God, in so highly elevating one
so lowly. This filled the Psalmist with amazement and awe, that God
should have placed all mundane creatures in subjection unto man rather
than unto angels (Gen. 1:28). Therein we behold the goodness of God to
mankind, and the high favor conferred upon them. But that by no means
exhausts the scope and sense of those verses.
Psalm 8:4-6, is quoted by the apostle in Hebrews 2:6-8, where he was
proving from Scripture the immeasurable superiority of Christ over
angels. He was indeed for a little while (during the season of His
humiliation) made lower than they, but after He had triumphantly
concluded the work given Him to do, God exalted Him far above them.
Thus, what was spoken indefinitely of "man" by David, Paul makes a
definite and spiritual application of unto Christ, for after saying
"we see not yet all things put under Him," he at once added "but we
see Jesus," which signifies that we see accomplished in Him the terms
of that ancient oracle. All room for doubt on that score is removed by
Paul's next words, "who was made a little lower than the angels for
the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor." That Psalm 8 is
a Messianic one is further seen by the passages cited from it in
Matthew 21:16; 1 Corinthians 15:27, which unquestionably applies to
the Lord Jesus. The language used by David, then, was far more than a
natural outburst of admiration of God's works in creation, namely a
spiritual ecstasy as he was granted an insight into the mystery of
grace, the kingdom of Christ, and the love of the Father unto the
person of the Mediator.
But the ravishment of David's spirit was excited by something more
than what has just been pointed out: the "man" whom he contemplated
was the "new man," the "perfect man" of Ephesians 2:15, and 4:13--that
spiritual Man of which Christ is the Head. David's utterance had
respect, ultimately, not only unto Christ personal, but unto Christ
mystical, for the Redeemer shares with His redeemed the spoils of His
victory and admits them to a participation in His reward. They are His
"joint-heirs" (Rom. 8:17), and it is their glorification which Psalm
8:5, 6, had in final view. Even now the angels are in a position of
subordination to them (Heb. 1:14) and in a coming day the redeemed
shall be "crowned with glory and honor." "To him that overcometh will
I grant to sit with Me on My throne" (Rev. 3:21, and cf. 21:7). The
exaltation of Christ is the guarantee of the Christian's, for He
entered heaven as the firstfruits--the earnest of the coming harvest.
Oh, what a prospect is there here for faith to lay hold of and hope to
enjoy now! If it were more real to us, if we were more engaged in
looking away from the present to the future, we should be filled with
wonderment and praise, and the petty trials and troubles of this life
would affect us much less than they do.
Psalm 89 supplies us with a further illustration of the principle we
are here treating, and a very striking and important one it is.
Historically it looks back to what is recorded in II Samuel 7:4-17,
namely, the covenant which the Lord made with David; yet none with
anointed eyes can read that Psalm without quickly perceiving that a
greater than the son of Jesse is there in view, namely his Saviour. In
the light of Isaiah 42:1, "I have made a covenant with My Chosen, I
have sworn unto David My Servant" (Ps. 89:3), it is quite clear that
the spiritual reference is to that covenant of grace which God made
with the Mediator before the foundation of the world; compare "Then
thou spakest in vision to Thy Holy One" (v. 19). This is further
confirmed in what immediately follow: "Thy seed will I establish
forever, and build up thy throne to all generations" (v. 4), which is
not true of the historical David. As Spurgeon remarked, "David must
always have a seed, and truly this is fulfilled in Jesus beyond his
hopes. What a seed David has in the multitude which have sprung from
Him who was both his Son and his Lord! The Son of David is the great
Progenitor, the last Adam, the everlasting Father; He sees His seed,
and in them beholds of the travail of His soul. David's dynasty never
decays, but on the contrary, is evermore consolidated by the great
Architect of heaven and earth. Jesus is a King as well as a
Progenitor, and His throne is ever being built up." As we read through
this Psalm, verse after verse obliges us to look beyond the literal to
the spiritual, until the climax is reached in verse 27, where God says
of the antitypical David, "I will make Him My Firstborn, higher than
the kings of the earth."
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A. W. Pink Header
INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 15
_________________________________________________________________
1 Corinthians 10:1-4, furnishes another illustration of what we are
here treating; to wit, the spiritual content of many passages in God's
Word. "Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how
that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the
sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And
did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same
spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed
them: and that Rock was Christ." As a matter of fact, historically,
Divinely recorded, they partook of material food and drank of water
which flowed from a literal rock; yet three times over the apostle
declared that the same were spiritual. In so doing Paul was not merely
intimating that there was a close analogy between God's dealings with
the Hebrews of old and with His saints today: rather was he insisting
that the wilderness experiences of Israel after the flesh adumbrated
the soul experiences of Israel after the spirit. It is not only that
the Divine institutions under Judaism possessed a symbolical and
typical significance, but that Christians enter into the spiritual
substance of which they were but the shadows. Christ is our altar
(Heb. 13:10), our passover (1 Cor. 5:7), our high priest (Heb. 4:14).
In Him we are spiritually circumcised (Col. 2:11).
"But ye are come unto mount Sion" (Heb. 12:22) is also to be
understood spiritually, and not literally. That should be quite
obvious, yet, because of the gross and carnal ideas of modern
Dispensationalists, there is need for us to labor the point. That is
one of the many passages where the blessings and privileges of the new
covenant are expressed in language taken from the old, the antitype
being presented under the phraseology of the type. Thus, when Christ
announced the free intercourse which now exists between heaven and
earth, and which His redemptive work was to produce, He described it
in words taken from Jacob's vision: "Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending
and descending upon the Son of man" (John 1:51). Very remarkable and
full was that statement, containing much more within it than has been
discerned by the majority of expositors. It not only declared that
there was to be restored a blessed intercourse between the holy
spirits of the upper world and the saints while here in the lower one,
but it also revealed the foundation on which that intercourse rests,
furnishing the key to such passages as Acts 12:7, and Hebrews 1:14. It
is to be carefully noted that Christ here referred to Himself as "the
Son of man," a title which uniformly alludes to His self-abasement as
the last Adam, or to some of the consequences of His obedience unto
death.
As the result of Christ's atoning death, a new and living way has been
opened into the very presence of God, blood-washed sinners having the
title to draw near unto Him in full assurance of faith. But John 1:51,
teaches something more than that the Redeemer is the uniting link
between heaven and earth, the alone Mediator between God and men,
namely that one of the precious fruits of His atoning work is the
restoration of that long-forfeited intercourse between men and angels.
As Christ broke down the middle wall of partition between Jews and
Gentiles by His death upon the cross, having thereby slain the enmity
which was between them, so He has also made an end of the estrangement
which sin had caused between holy angels and men: they are brought
together as the two branches of one family, gathered and united under
one Head (Eph. 1:10). By the blood of His cross, Christ has reconciled
all things in heaven and in earth (Col. 1:20), uniting them together
in one happy fellowship, and for that reason did an angel say unto
John, "I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the
testimony of Jesus" (Rev. 19:10). Thus John 1:51, teaches us that
Christ is the Medium of a spiritual communion between the inhabitants
of earth and heaven, the Maintainer of their fellowship.
Now as Christ announced the oneness which He would produce between the
angels and His people by an allusion to Jacob's vision, so He referred
to paradise as "Abraham's bosom" (Luke 16:22), and His apostle spoke
of the new covenant (prefigured by Sarah) as "Jerusalem which is above
is free, which is the mother of us all" (Gal. 4:26) and the New
Testament saints as "the circumcision" (Phil. 3:3). In like manner (to
return to Heb. 12:22), when he said "But ye are come unto mount Sion,
and unto the city of the living God" he referred to the spiritual
"Sion," or that blessed and glorious state into which believers have
been called by the Gospel. That language looks back, of course, to the
Old Testament, where (according to the different spellings in the
Hebrew and Creek) it is called "Zion," and which represented or
exemplified the highest revelation of Divine grace in Old Testament
times. It was the place of God's habitation (Ps. 76:2). It was the
object of God's special love, and the birthplace of His elect: "The
Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. . . . And of Zion
it shall be said, This and that man was born in her" (Ps. 87:2, 3, 5).
Salvation and all blessings proceed therefrom (Ps. 128:5; 134:3).
Zion was not only the site of the temple, but the seat from which
David reigned and ruled over the kingdom of Israel, issuing his laws
and extending the power of his government over the whole of the holy
land. As such it adumbrated the Messiah's kingdom. It is (in
fulfillment of the Father's promise) to the celestial Zion that the
Lord Jesus has been exalted (Ps. 2:6, and cf. Heb. 2:9), and there He
sways His sceptre over the hearts of His people. Zion is where the
spiritual David is enthroned, and whence "the rod of His strength"
goes out, not only in bringing His redeemed into willing subjection,
but by ruling "in the midst of His enemies" (Ps. 60:2; Isa. 2:3).
Thus, in saying to believers of the Gospel, "Ye are come unto mount
Sion, and unto the city of the living God," the Holy Spirit assures
them that they have been given a personal interest in all the goodly
things said of Sion anywhere in the Scriptures:
that the spiritual content of those good things belongs to the New
Testament saints particularly, that they have access to the spiritual
throne of the antitypical David--the throne of grace. Since "all the
promises of God in Him [Christ] are yea, and in Him Amen" (2 Cor.
1:20), then those in Christ have a right and title to all the glorious
things spoken of Zion in the Old Testament. Compare Joshua 1:5, and
Hebrews 13:5, 6, for an illustration of this principle.
There is another class of passages, somewhat different from those
noticed above, which needs to be considered under this head of the
spiritual import of verses in the Word. These may be suitably
introduced by a statement in Revelation 11:8, "And their dead bodies
shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called
Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified." As might well be
expected, even by those who have only a comparatively slight
acquaintance with the numerous works on the Apocalypse, with their
manifold interpretations, commentators differ widely in their
explanations of this verse. We do not propose to add to their number
by attempting to identify the "two witnesses" or to determine if the
"great city" where they are slain is to be understood literally or
symbolically, nor whether the reference be to some place or some thing
in the past, the present, or the future, for such speculations possess
no practical value, offering not the slightest aid in fighting the
good fight of faith. It is sufficient for our present purpose simply
to call the reader's attention to the words we have italicized, and to
point out how that clause establishes once more the principle of
exegesis which we are here illustrating.
By saying that the "great city" of Revelation 11:8, is spiritually
called Sodom and Egypt, the Holy Spirit intimates that it is
characterized by the same evils which Scripture teaches us to
associate with those places, that the filthiness of Sodom and the
harshness of Egypt, in embittering the lives of God's people of old,
marked the scene where the two witnesses testified for God and were
slain for their fidelity. It is probable that the language of
Revelation 11:8, contains a designed allusion to Ezekiel 16:44-59,
where repeated mention is made of a mystical Sodom. "Mystical" we say,
for when the Lord declared, "When I shall bring again their captivity,
the captivity of Sodom and her daughters" (v. 53), and the question be
asked whether there will yet be a restoring of the historical Sodom
and the other cities of the plain, that is but to carnalize what is to
be understood spiritually (by literalizing what is figurative), and
would be to transfer the subject there spoken of from the moral
government of God toward men, for the merely natural reign of the
Divine providential arrangements respecting the material world.
When the Lord said to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, "Thou art thy
mother's daughter, that lotheth her husband and her children . . your
mother was an Hittite, and your father an Amorite" (Ezek. 16:45), He
was charging them with being guilty of the same abominations that
marked the original dwellers in Palestine, who at a very early date
apostatized from God, being among the first idolators after the great
deluge. "As I live, saith the Lord God, Sodom thy sister hath not
done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy
daughters. Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride,
fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness" (16:48, 49). God spoke
thus to the backslidden and corrupt Jewish nation because she trod the
polluted way and imitated the sins of the ancient city of ill fame. To
designate the covenant people "Sodom," because the state and manners
of the one were identical with the other's, was one of the most solemn
and impressive ways that could be taken to describe their inveterate
depravity and vile character. Clear, then, it is that "Hittite,"
"Amorite" and "Sodom" in those verses are no more to be taken
literally than is "David" in Ezekiel 34:23, or "Balaam" and "Jezebel"
in Revelation 2:14, 20.
One more illustration of this kind must suffice. When His disciples
asked Christ, "Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?"
He answered them, "Elias is come already," and we are told, "Then the
disciples understood that He spake unto them of John the Baptist"
(Matthew 17:10-13). That is one of the passages which Theosophists
appeal to in support of their belief in reincarnation, and if our
Lord's words are to he taken at their face value, then we should have
to admit that they lend some color at least to that theory. Like the
Dispensationalists of our day, the scribes were great sticklers for
the letter of Scripture, and insisted that the Divine promise,
"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the
great and dreadful day of the Lord" (Mal. 4:5) meant just what it
said. Here is certainly another case in point where the interpreter is
needed, carefully to compare Scripture with Scripture and bring out
the spiritual purport of them. That John the Baptist was not the
actual person of the Tishbite is quite clear from his own blank
denial, for when he was asked, "Art thou Elias?" he expressly
declared, "I am not" (John 1:21). The question therefore remains, What
did our Lord signify when He said of His forerunner "Elias is come
already"?
That Christ was uttering a profound truth, one which could be
apprehended only by spiritual and Divinely enlightened souls, when He
declared that John the Baptist was Elijah, is very evident from His
words to the apostles in Matthew 11:13, 14, "For all the prophets and
the law were prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it [or
"him"], this is Elias, which was for to come." Those words also
contained an indirect rebuke of their carnal beliefs and sentiments
respecting the expected kingdom of the Messiah: His added, "He that
hath ears to hear, let him hear" (v. 15) confirms what we have just
pointed out, for that call was never made except when something
difficult for the natural man to understand was in view. John the
Baptist was rejected by Israel's leaders. Herod had beheaded him, and
Christ declared that He too should "suffer" (Matthew 17:12), and that
was something which ill accorded with their views. A suffering
Messiah, whose herald had been murdered, was difficult to harmonize
with the teaching of the scribes concerning Malachi 4:5; yet there is
nothing in that verse which should stumble us today, for our Lord has
made its meaning quite clear.
In addition to the elucidation of Malachi 4:5, furnished above, it
should be pointed out that the key passage which opens the mystery is
Luke 1:17, where it was announced that John should go before Christ
"in the spirit and power of Elias"--language which manifestly
signifies that he was not a reincarnation of the Tishbite. The
essential oneness of the two men in their character and work rendered
the history of the earlier one a prophecy of the other. The latter
appeared at a time when conditions were much the same as those which
characterized the state of Israel in the days of Ahab. The
resemblances between the two men are many and marked. John was
essentially a preacher of repentance. He was a man of great austerity,
garbed similarly to the prophet of Gilead. Real trial was made of his
fidelity also by the hatred and persecution of the ungodly, but he was
zealous for the Lord, both in reproving sin in high places and in
seeking to bring about a reformation of his nation. Both his mission
and his disposition were Elijah-like in character.
Ere leaving this branch of our many-sided subject, a much more
numerous class of passages, which also differ considerably from those
already noticed, require our attention, namely those which delineate
the ups and downs of the Christian life. Many of them are set forth in
plain and literal terms, others in highly figurative or typical
language. Still others are concealed behind historical transactions
which were Divinely designed to shadow forth the trials and
temptations, the backslidings and falls, the conflicts and
chastenings, the hopes and disappointments, the revivings and
recoverings of saints in this era. We have left these until the last,
not because they are of lesser importance, but because they require a
Divinely taught and mature expositor to deal with them. They call for
one who is well acquainted with his own heart, both with the workings
of corruption and the operations of grace therein, as well as one with
a considerable knowledge of God's "ways," if he is to trace out the
different experiences of His people as they are reflected in the
Scriptures. It is comparatively easy to bring out the spiritual
meaning of, say, Exodus 15:23-25, or of Psalm 23; but it is harder
(though necessary) to do so with Psalm 38:9, 10; 63:1, 2; 107:17-20;
Proverbs 24:30-34; Isaiah 17:10, 11; and Hosea 2:14, 15.
Let us now illustrate from the history of Jonah as it spiritually
portrays the experience of many a backslidden saint. The Lord gave
that prophet a commandment, but it was contrary to his natural
inclinations. He disobeyed, seeking to flee "from the presence of the
Lord"--yielding to self-will saps the spirit of prayer and relish for
the Word. Jonah went down into a ship--seeking the things of the
world. God began to chasten him, by sending out "a great wind into the
sea" because of his disobedience. That ought to have spoken loudly to
his conscience, but, alas, he was sound asleep. Jonah perceived not
the first manifestation of the Divine displeasure, and therefore was
not troubled over the same. So it is with a backslidden saint:
conscience slumbers when God afflicts: he is too stupefied to "hear
the rod." But God would not allow Jonah to remain indifferent. He was
rudely aroused from his slumbers by the shipmaster, lots were cast and
it fell upon Jonah himself. His "cast me forth into the sea" (1:12)
was the language of that despondency which comes upon one when he is
made to reap the whirlwind. Yet God did not desert His wayward and
despairing child: He "prepared a great fish to swallow up
Jonah"--supernaturally preserving him. The sequel is blessed: said the
erring one, "I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and
He heard me" (2:2); yes, and delivered him.
Such are, in their essential features, the usual experiences of a
carnal believer who is determined to have his own way. In His
lovingkindness the Lord disciplines such a one for his self-will and
carnality. When he acts like "a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke"
(Jer. 31:18), and follows a course of disobedience, God makes his
self-pleasing plans to miscarry and prevents him reaching some
Tarshish on which he set his heart. The Lord will not long suffer any
of His own to do as they please. By the workings of His providence, a
"great wind" comes and thwarts their desires and designs. If they fail
to see God's hand therein and do not penitently humble themselves
beneath it, then His rod falls still more heavily upon them. Then it
is that they cry unto Him in their affliction. Note how Jonah looked
beyond all instruments and acknowledged, "Thou hast cast me into the
deep" (2:3) and owned his folly (2:8). In his "I will pay that that I
have vowed" (2:9) we behold him restored to a spirit of submission;
while his "salvation is of the Lord" freely ascribes his recovery unto
His goodness. Thus Jonah 1 and 2 contain a spiritual picture both of
the trials of a froward saint and of the faithfulness and mercy of God
in His dealings with him.
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INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 16
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There are certain types of mind, particularly the mystical and
fanatical, which are prone to substitute fanciful concepts for
spiritual interpretations. God's Word requires to be handled with
reverential fear, and with much prayer for discernment and guidance,
lest we tread on holy ground with the shoes of carnal wisdom; or the
novice, striving after originality, give rein to his imagination,
instead of disciplining himself to adhere strictly to the Analogy of
Faith. Every preacher needs to be constantly on his guard against
substituting human ingenuity for the teaching of the Spirit. Satan has
ever mimicked the operations of the Spirit, and counterfeited a
spiritual opening up of the Scriptures by wild perversions thereof. An
early instance of this is the Kabbala, which, though of great esteem
among the Jews, abounds in the most absurd explanations of Holy Writ.
The rash allegorizing of Origen is another example to be studiously
avoided, for he twisted the plainest and simplest texts into the most
grotesque shapes or meanings. The strange system of exegesis adopted
by Swedenborg is yet another case in point. The imagination needs to
be bridled by both a tender conscience and the spirit of a sound mind.
Just so far as we really value a spiritual interpretation of God's
Word will we abominate all counterfeits. Two extremes are to be
guarded against, both by those who advance and those who receive some
new explanation of a passage: a love of the fantastic and a prejudice
against what is novel. There is a middle ground between hastily
condemning or accepting, namely to weigh carefully and prayerfully
what is presented, testing it by other passages and by our own
experience. Doubtless most of us can recall some interpretations which
were new, and which at first struck us as being "far-fetched," but
which we now regard as sound and helpful. If the Holy Spirit had not
informed us that Abraham's two wives were figures of the two covenants
(Gal. 4:24), and that the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 30:11-14, were
to be understood spiritually of the righteousness of faith (Rom.
10:6-9), we had considered such interpretations ridiculous. Remember
that God grants light to one minister which He does not to another.
Even though his explanation commend not itself to you at the moment,
beware of rashly calling it "a perversion of the Scriptures," lest the
same is being blessed to some poor child of God whose heart is feeding
on what your head rejects.
22. Double reference and meaning. It is ever to be borne in mind that
there is a fullness, as well as a depth, in the words of God which
pertains not to those of men, so that rarely will a single and brief
definition adequately explain a scriptural term. For that reason we
must constantly be on our guard against limiting the scope of any
Divinely inspired statement, and saying that it means only so and so.
Thus, when we are told that God made man in His own image and
likeness, those words probably have at least a fourfold allusion.
First, to the incarnation of the Son, for He is distinctly designated
the "image of the invisible God" (Col. 1:15). Second, to man's being a
tripartite creature, for "God said, Let us make man in our image"
(Gen. 1:26)--a trinity in unity, consisting of "spirit and soul and
body" (1 Thess. 5:23). Third, in His moral likeness, which man lost at
the fall, but which is restored at regeneration (Eph. 4:24; Col.
3:10). Fourth, to the position assigned man and the authority with
which he was invested: "let them have dominion over" (Gen. 1:26). Adam
was a "god" or ruler, under the Lord, of all mundane creatures.
In view of what has been pointed out, it is evident that the favorite
dictum of Dispensationalists--"application is manifold, interpretation
but one"--is erroneous, for the above are not four interpretations of
the "image of God" from which we may choose, but the actual fourfold
meaning of the term itself. To say that "interpretation is but one" is
also flatly contradicted by our Lord's explanation of the parable of
the sower, for when He defined its terms He gave three or four
different significations to the "thorns"--compare Matthew 13:22; Mark
4:18, 19; Luke 8:14. We are in hearty accord with paragraph nine in
the opening chapter of the Westminster Confession of Faith, when it
says, "The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the
Scripture itself; and therefore, when there is a question about the
true and full sense of any Scripture (which is not manifold, but one),
it must be searched and known by other places that speak more
clearly," except that we dissent from the limitation mentioned in the
parentheses. We much prefer to side with Joseph Caryl (one of the
framers of the Westminster Confession), who, when commenting on a
verse the words of which were susceptible of various meanings, and
which had been diversely explained by expositors, said, "In a
Scripture which may, without the impeachment of any truth, admit
divers sense, I would not be so positive in one as to reject all
others."
Even if it were true that the grammatical meaning of a verse be only
one, nevertheless it may have a double reference, as is certainly the
case with some of the prophecies in Holy writ, which possess a major
and a minor fulfillment. In his introduction to the book of Revelation
in Ellicott s commentary, when writing upon prophecy, its annotator
said, "The words of God mean more than one man or one school of
thought can compass. There are depths of Truth unexplored which lie
beneath the simplest sentences. Just as we are wont to say that
history repeats itself, so the predictions of the Bible are not
exhausted in one or even many fulfillments. Each prophecy is a single
key which unlocks many doors, and the grand and stately drama of the
Apocalypse has been played out perchance in one age to be repeated in
the next." We greatly fear that it is nothing but narrow-minded
partisanship which has caused so many to disdain such a concept, and
made them reject all other interpretations which accord not with their
own particular system. David said, "Thy commandment is exceeding
broad" (Ps. 119:96): let us see to it that we do not contract or limit
the same.
The Father's declaration concerning His Son "By His knowledge shall My
righteous servant justify many" (Isa. 53:11) certainly has a double
force: the "knowledge" He possesses and the knowledge which He
imparts. As Manton pointed out, "it may be taken either way: actively,
for the knowledge which He shall give out; passively, for our
apprehension of Christ," for the former without the latter cannot
justify us. "By His knowledge" can be regarded both subjectively and
objectively. First, by His own personal knowledge of the Father (John
17:25), which was the ground of what He imparted unto men (John 3:11)
for their salvation. Second, for our saving knowledge of Him--received
from Him. Instead of quibbling as to whether or not Isaiah intended to
include each of those meanings, let us be thankful that he was guided
to use language which included both senses. Again, our Lord's
figurative expression when He declared that "the gates of hell" should
not prevail against "His Church" (Matthew 16:19) admits of a double
reference: death Isa. 38:10) and the power of evil. Death and the
grave have prevailed over every human institution, but not so over
Christ (Acts 2:27), or His Church (Ps. 72:17; Matthew 28:20), nor
shall any weapon formed against her prosper (Isa. 54:17)--meanings so
dissimilar are no more surprising than the symbolical application of
the word "lion" to Satan (1 Pet. 5:8) and to Christ (Rev. 5:5).
"Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of
transgressions" (Gal. 3:19). That answer admits of two different
significations. First, the immediate purpose in the Law's being
formerly proclaimed and enforced subsequently to the promised
inheritance to Abraham and his seed was to place a bridle upon the
carnality of the Hebrews and check their sinning--by making known to
them God's will and the fearful penalty of flouting His authority.
Second, its ultimate design was to prepare the way for Christ, by
demonstrating their need of Him because of their awful guilt. The
"because of transgressions" is intentionally general enough to include
both: to suppress transgressions, to make manifest transgressors. So
too the next verse has a dual meaning: "Now a mediator is not a
mediator of one [party] but God is one." In view of the context (v. 10
onwards, especially 16-19), "God is one" signifies first, that His
purpose is immutable. His design was the same in both the Abrahamic
and Sinaitic covenants--the Law being given with a gracious end in
view, to pave the way for the Saviour: hence the question and answer
in verse 21. Yet in view of the whole context it is equally clear,
second, that "God is one" means that His method of salvation remains
unaltered through all dispensations. "Is He the God of the Jews only?
is He not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: seeing it
is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and the
uncircumcision through faith" (Rom. 3:29, 30).
What has just been noticed leads us to point out that the terms
"Israel," "Jew," and "seed of Abraham" all have a twofold allusion.
The expression "Israel after the flesh" (1 Cor. 10:18) is obviously a
discriminating one, and would be meaningless were there no Israel
after the spirit, that is regenerated Israel, "the Israel of God"
(Gal. 6:16). The "Israel after the flesh" were the natural descendants
of Abraham, whereas the spiritual Israel, whether Jews or Gentiles,
are those who are born again and worship God in spirit and in truth.
When the Psalmist declared "Truly God is good to Israel, even to such
as are of a clean heart" (73:1), he certainly did not refer to the
fleshly descendants of Jacob, for the greater part of them lacked "a
clean heart"! When our Lord said of Nathanael, "Behold an Israelite
indeed, in whom is no guile" (John 1:47), He obviously meant very much
more than one who proceeded naturally from Jacob. His language was as
distinguishing as when He said, "If ye continue in My word, then are
ye My disciples indeed" (John 8:31). "An Israelite indeed" connoted a
genuine son of the spiritual Israel, a man of faith and prayer, holy
and honest. "In whom is no guile" supplies further confirmation that a
saved character was there in view (compare Ps. 32:1).
When Christ said, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house
of Israel" (Matthew 15:24), He could not intend the fleshly
descendants of Jacob, for, as many Scriptures plainly show (Isa. 42:6;
Rom. 15:8, 9), He was sent unto the Gentiles also. No, the "lost sheep
of the house of Israel" there imported the whole election of grace.
"And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and
mercy, and upon the Israel of God" (Gal. 6:16) could not possibly
refer to the nation, for God's wrath was on that--it is on the Israel
chosen by the Father, redeemed by the Son and regenerated by the
Spirit that Divine peace and mercy rest. "Not as though the word of
God had taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of
Israel" (Rom. 9:6). The Jews erroneously imagined that the promises
which God had made to Abraham and his seed pertained only to his
natural descendants: hence their claim "we have Abraham to our father"
(Matthew 3:9). But those promises were not made to men after the
flesh, but to men after the spirit, the regenerate, they alone being
the "children of the promise" (Rom. 9:8). God's promises to Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob were given to them as believers, and they are the
spiritual property and food of believers, and none else (Rom. 4:13,
16). Until that fact be grasped, we shall be all at sea with the Old
Testament promises (cf. 2 Cor. 1:20, and 7:1; 2 Pet. 1:4).
"Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the
children of Abraham" (Gal. 3:7). The children of Abraham are of two
kinds, physical and spiritual: those who are his by nature, and those
who are connected with him by grace. "To be the children of a person
in a figurative sense is equivalent to `resemble him and to be
involved in his fate,' good or bad. To be `the children of God' is to
be like God, and also, as the apostle states, it is to be `heirs of
God.' To be `the children of Abraham' is to resemble Abraham, to
imitate his conduct and to share his blessedness" (John Brown). So to
be "the children of the wicked one" (Matthew 13:38) is to be conformed
to his vile image, both in character and in conduct (John 8:44), and
to share his doom (Matthew 15:41). Christ said to the carnal Jews of
His day, "If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of
Abraham" (John 8:39). It is his spiritual children who "walk in the
steps of that faith which he had" (Rom. 4:12) and who are "blessed
with faithful Abraham" (Gal. 3:9). We must be united to Christ, who is
"the Son of Abraham" (Matthew 1:1), in order to enter into the
blessings which God covenanted unto the patriarch. The double
significance of the expression "children" or "seed of Abraham" was
plainly intimated at the beginning, when God likened his seed to the
stars of the heavens and the sand which is upon the sea shore (Gen.
22:17).
In like manner, the word "Jews" is applied to two very different
classes of people, though few today would think so if they confined
themselves to the ministry of a class who pride themselves on having
more light than the majority of professing Christians. Nevertheless,
such is unequivocally established by the declaration of Romans 2:28,
29: "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that
circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is
one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit,
and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God." Surely
nothing could be plainer than that, and in the light of such a
statement it seems passing strange that there are those--boasting
loudly of their orthodoxy, and bitterly condemning all who differ from
them--who insist that the term "Jew" pertains only to the natural
descendants of Jacob, and ridicule the idea that there is any such
thing as a spiritual Jew. But when God tells us, "he is a Jew, which
is one inwardly," He manifestly means that the true "Jew," the
antitypical one, is a regenerated person, who enjoys the "praise" or
approbation of God.
It is not only childish, but misleading, to affirm that "Israel" means
Israel and "Jew" means Jew, and that when God's Word makes mention of
Jerusalem or Zion nothing else is referred to than those actual
places. Those who make such assertions are but deceiving themselves
(and others who are gullible enough to heed them) by the mere sound of
words. As well aver that "flesh" signifies nothing more than the
physical body, that "water" (John 4:14) refers only to that material
element, or that "death" (John 5:24) signifies nothing but physical
dissolution. There is an end of all interpretation--bringing out the
sense of Scripture--when such a foolish attitude be adopted. Each
verse calls for careful and prayerful study, so that it may be fairly
ascertained which the Spirit has in view: the carnal Israel or the
spiritual, the literal seed of Abraham or the mystical, the natural
Jew or the regenerate, the earthly Jerusalem or the heavenly, the
typical Zion or the antitypical. God has not written His Word in such
a way that the average reader is made independent of that help which
He has designed to give through His accredited teachers.
We can well imagine those of our readers who have sat under the errors
of Dispensationalism saying, "All of this seems very confusing, for we
have been taught to distinguish sharply between Israel and the Church,
the one being an earthly people and the other a heavenly." Of course,
Israel was an "earthly people": so too were the Egyptians, the
Babylonians, and all the other inhabitants of this world. This writer
and his Christian readers are also an "earthly people," for neither
their bodies nor their souls have yet been removed to heaven. In
reply, the objector will say that it was Israel's inheritance which
was an earthly one. But we ask, was it? Was the inheritance of the
patriarchs an earthly one? Hebrews 11:14-16, plainly shows otherwise,
for there we are told "they seek a country," that after they had
entered the land of Canaan "now they [Abraham, Isaac and Jacob] desire
a better country, that is, an heavenly." Was the inheritance of Moses
an earthly one? Let Hebrews 11:26, make answer: "Esteeming the
reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he
had respect unto the recompence of the reward," namely the eternal one
(cf. Col. 3:24)! Was David's inheritance a mundane one? If so, how
could he speak of himself as "a stranger in the earth" (Ps. 39:12;
119:119)? Psalm 73:25 shows what his heart was set upon.
It is not sufficient to affirm that Israel's inheritance was an
earthly one: which "Israel" must be definitely stated, and also what
the inheritance adumbrated. As the portion which Jehovah appointed,
promised, and gave to Abraham and his descendants, that land of Canaan
has, throughout the Christian era, been rightly regarded as figuring
the heavenly inheritance, to which the members of Christ are
journeying as they pass through this scene of sin and trial. In order
to obtain the complete typical picture of the varied spiritual
experiences and exercises of God's elect as they were so vividly
foreshadowed of old, we have to take into account not only the history
of the Hebrews in Egypt and their wilderness journeyings, but also
what was demanded of them in order to make their entrance into and
occupation of the land of Canaan. As we have so frequently pointed out
in our articles on the life and times of Joshua, Canaan is also to be
contemplated from two standpoints, natural and spiritual: spiritually,
as portraying the heritage of regenerated Israelites, which heritage
is to be appropriated and enjoyed now by faith and obedience, but
which will not be fully entered into until t e Jordan of death has
been crossed. Admittedly, great care has to be taken with the Analogy
of Faith.
Though Canaan was a divine gift to the natural Israel, nevertheless
their occupation thereof was the result of their own prowess. It was
indeed bestowed upon them by free gift from God, yet it had to be
conquered by them. Therein was accurately shadowed forth what is
necessary in order to make an entrance into the heavenly Canaan. The
book of Joshua not only displays the sovereign grace of God, exhibits
His covenant faithfulness, and the mighty power which He puts forth on
behalf of His people, but it also makes known what He required from
them in the discharge of their responsibility, and shows that the Lord
only fought for His people while they remained in entire dependence on
and were in complete subjection to Him. There were formidable
obstacles to be surmounted, fierce and powerful foes to be vanquished,
a hard and protracted warfare to be waged, and only while they
actively concurred did the Lord show Himself strong on their behalf.
"For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I
command you, to do them, to love the Lord your God, to walk in His
ways, and to cleave unto Him; then will the Lord drive out all these
nations. . . . Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread
shall be yours" (Deut. 11:22-24). That was not the "if" of
uncertainty, but had to do with their accountability--as the "if" of
John 8:31, 51; Colossians 1:23 and Hebrews 3:6, 14 has to do with
ours.
The Church's inheritance is wholly of divine grace and mediatorial
purchase, yet it is not entered into by the heirs of promise without
arduous efforts on their part. There is the strait gate to be entered
and the narrow way to be trodden (Matthew 6:13, 14). There is a race
to be run which calls for temperance in all things (1 Cor. 9:24-26).
There is a fight to be fought (1 Tim. 6:12; 2 Tim. 4:7), and in order
to be successful therein we have to take unto us "the whole armor of
God" (Eph. 6:13) and make daily use of the same. There is a ceaseless
conflict with the flesh to be engaged in (al. 5:17), a Devil to be
steadfastly resisted in the faith (1 Pet. 5:8, 9), an alluring and
opposing world to be overcome (Jam.4:4; 1 John 5:4). While it is
blessedly true that "we which have believed do enter into rest" (Heb.
4:3). Christ's yoke is taken upon us, nevertheless the divine
injunction remains, "let us labor therefore to enter into that rest"
(Heb. 4:11) which awaits us on high, and of which the land flowing
with milk and honey was the emblem.
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INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 17
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23. The law of order. God's Word is like His works: designed
disposition and minute precision characterizing it throughout. If "to
every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under
heaven" (Eccl. 3:1) in the natural world, assuredly the same holds
good in connection with the spiritual realm and all that pertains
thereto. Even those who make no claim to being Christians recognize
and acknowledge that "order is heaven's first law." God is a God of
order, and most unmistakably is that fact displayed all through Holy
Writ. Everything therein is methodically arranged and in its proper
place: change that arrangement and confusion and error at once ensue.
Thus it is of deep importance that we pay close attention to the order
in which Truth has been set forth by the omniscient Spirit. The key to
many a verse is to he found in noting the position it occupies, its
coherence with what precedes, its relation to what follows.
Whether its contents he considered historically, doctrinally, or
typically, Genesis must open the Word, for it is the book of
beginnings. It has been aptly called "the seed-plot of the Bible," for
in it is to be found in germ form almost everything which is
afterwards more fully developed in the books which follow.
Doctrinally, its theme is that of Divine election, which is the first
act of God's grace unto His people. Then comes Exodus, which treats of
redemption by purchase and power (6:6; 15:13). The third book, as
might he expected, views God's people as on resurrection ground, being
not so much doctrinal as experiential in its character. Leviticus
shows what we are redeemed unto, having for its theme fellowship and
worship: its key is hung on the door--the Lord speaking out of the
tabernacle (1:1). The fourth book deals with the practical side of the
spiritual life, tracing out the history of the believer in this
world--for four is the number of the earth. "The wilderness" (1:1) is
a symbol of the world in its fallen condition, the place of testing
and trial. It subject is the walk and warfare of the saints.
The positioning of those four books clearly manifests design in the
Divine workmanship, and teaches us the order in which the Truth should
be presented. An equally striking illustration is seen in the
juxtaposition and order of the last two books of Solomon, for the
theme of Ecclesiastes is unquestionably: "No satisfaction to be found
under the sun," while that of the Canticles tells of "full
satisfaction in the Son": over the one may be inscribed: "Whosoever
drinketh of this water [the cisterns of the world] shall thirst
again"; over the other: "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I
shall give him shall never thirst" (John 4:14). In 2 Timothy 3:16,
Paul informs us that the Scriptures are profitable "for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness," and that
is the very order which he has followed in his epistles. For Romans is
a doctrinal treatise, the Corinthian epistles a reproof of disorders
in the assembly, Galatians a correcting of erroneous teaching, and
Ephesians describes that walk which alone is worthy of a child of God.
Not only are the books in the Bible unerringly positioned, but the
contents of each are arranged in logical and necessary sequence. Thus
it is intensely interesting to mark how that each of the patriarchs in
Genesis shadowed forth some distinct and fundamental truth concerning
the believer. In Abraham we have illustrated that of Divine election
and effectual calling. In Isaac we have portrayed Divine sonship (by a
supernatural birth) and the life of submission to God's will. In Jacob
we have pictured the conflict between the flesh and the spirit: the
two natures in the believer, intimated by his dual name,
Jacob--Israel. In Joseph we have exemplified the grand truth of
heirship: following a season of trial, made ruler of Egypt. Thus the
historical order is also the doctrinal and experiential, progressive
and climacteric. The five great offerings of Leviticus 1-5 typify as
many distinct aspects of the person and work of the Lord Jesus, and
invaluable instruction is to be obtained by pondering the sequence of
them.
Psalms 22, 23, and 24 present us with a significant and blessed triad,
especially as Christ is seen in them. In the first, we behold Him
suffering for His people; in the last we see Him as the King of glory
receiving a royal welcome into heaven, and are furnished with a
delineation of the characteristics possessed by those whom He fits to
dwell with Him there; while in the central one we are shown how
graciously He ministers to and provides for His sheep (whom He is
leading to the celestial fold) during the interval they are left on
earth. In Psalm 22 we behold the "good Shepherd" (John 10:11), in 23
the "great Shepherd" (Heb. 13:20), in 24 the "chief Shepherd" (1 Pet.
5:4). Again, if it be essential to the believer's comfort that,
finding Romans 7 accurately describes his spiritual experience, his
faith should lay hold of the Divine assurances of Romans 8, it is
equally necessary that preachers not only hold fast to the absolute
sovereignty of God in election and reprobation as set forth in Romans
9; but that they also proclaim the free offer of the Gospel to all men
and enforce their responsibility to accept that offer, as presented in
Romans 10.
What has been exemplified in the above paragraphs applies not only in
the general, but is equally true in detail. For example, the
arrangement of the ten commandments of the moral law (which comprehend
the sum of righteousness) is profoundly significant. They were written
on two tables of stone, to intimate that they fall into two distinct
groups. The first four concern our responsibility Godward, the last
six of our obligations manward. Vain is it to pretend that we are
sincere worshippers of God if the duties of love unto our neighbors be
neglected; equally worthless is that profession of piety which, while
abstaining from crimes against our fellows, withholds from the Majesty
of heaven the honor and glory which are His due. Again, the five
exhortations contained in Psalm 37:1-7 are arranged in logical and
inevitable order. We must cease from fretfulness and envy if we would
trust in the Lord, and we must trust in Him before we can delight in
Him, and that is necessary in order to have a confident committing of
our way unto Him, and resting in and waiting patiently for Him.
The order of the beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-11, is full of valuable
instruction, and we miss much by failing to attend closely thereto. In
the first four we are shown the heart-exercises of those who have been
awakened by the Spirit. First, there is a sense of need, a realization
of their nothingness and emptiness. Second, there is a judging of
self, a consciousness of guilt and sorrowing over their lost
condition. Third, an end of attempting to justify themselves, an
abandonment of all pretences to personal merit, a taking of their
place in the dust before God. Fourth, the eye of the soul is turned
away from self to Another: they are conscious of their dire need of
salvation. The next four describe the fruits found in the regenerate.
Thus, in those beatitudes Christ gives the distinguishing birthmarks
of those who are the subjects of His kingdom, and makes known the ones
on whom God's benediction rests.
What anointed eye can fail to see the perfect order of the model
prayer Christ has given His disciples? In it He has supplied, a simple
but comprehensive directory: revealing how God is to be approached by
His children, the order in which their requests are to be presented,
the things they most need to ask for, and the homage due unto Him.
Every aspect of prayer is included: adoration, supplication,
argumentation. Every clause in it occurs in the Old Testament,
denoting that our prayers must be scriptural if they are to be
acceptable (1 John 5:14). Its petitions are seven in number, showing
the completeness of the outline here furnished. All its pronouns are
in the plural, teaching the Christian that the needs of his brethren
and sisters, and not merely his own, should be before him when he bows
at the throne of grace.
Let the student pay close attention to the order followed in these
additional examples, which we leave him to work out for himself. The
miracles of Christ in Matthew 8 and 9. The seven parables in Matthew
13. The sevenfold result of justification as set forth in Romans
5:1-11. The seven graces of 2 Peter 1:5-7, the presence and
cultivation of which enables the saint to make his calling and
election sure both to himself and his fellows, for the "these things"
of verse 10 are those mentioned in verses 5-7. Everything in Scripture
is according to definite design.
The special design of Luke was to set forth the perfections of our
Lord's humanity, and it is very blessed to trace out the different
passages in his Gospel where Christ is seen as a Man of prayer. "It
came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven
was opened" (Luke 3:21). Luke is the only one who supplies this
significant detail, and a most precious one it is. The Saviour's
baptism marked the end of His private life, and the beginning of His
official mission. And here we learn that He was in the act of devotion
at the very outset of His public ministry. He was engaged in
dedicating Himself unto God, seeking grace for the stupendous work
that lay before Him. Thus the first sight which the multitude had of
Him was in prayer! "And He withdrew Himself into the wilderness, and
prayed" (v. 16). This occurred just after His miracles of mercy, when
there went "a fame abroad of Him: and great multitudes came together
to hear, and to be healed by Him." His response to this show of
popularity was striking, and full of instruction for His servants. He
retired from the acclaims of the masses, and got alone with God.
Again, "He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night
in prayer to God" (Luke 6:12). This followed immediately after the
scribes and Pharisees were "filled with madness" against Him, and
right before He selected the twelve. Our Redeemer made no attempt to
fight His enemies, but retired to commune with the Father. Before
calling the apostles, He spent the night petitioning God.
"And it came to pass, as He was alone praying, His disciples were with
Him: and He asked them saying, Whom say the people that I am?" (Luke
9:18). This was just following His feeding of the multitude: after
engaging in public duty, He withdrew in order to have private
devotion. We may infer from the question which He asked His disciples
that the unbelief of men was beginning to cast a shadow upon His soul,
and that He now sought relief and strength from above. "And went up
into the mountain to pray. And as He prayed, the fashion of His
countenance was altered, and His raiment was white and glistening"
(Luke 9:28, 29). It was while engaged in prayer that Christ was
transfigured-- how significant, and instructive! "And it came to pass,
that, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His
disciples said unto Him, Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1). This is
one of the passages (see also the Messianic Psalms) which gives us
some insight into the nature of His supplications. As they heard Him,
the disciples felt they knew nothing about prayer! "And the Lord said,
Simon, Simon. . .I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not"
(Luke 22:31, 32). There we behold Him as the great High Priest making
intercession for one of His own. And He "kneeled down and prayed,
saying, Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me:
nevertheless, not My will, but Thine, be done" (Luke 22:41, 42). There
is the climax of prayer: complete surrender to and acquiescence in the
Divine will.
In the seven miracles recorded in John's Gospel we may discern a
striking order of thought as they portray Christ communicating life to
His people. In His turning of the water into wine at the Cana marriage
feast (2:6-11) we are shown, symbolically, our need of life--Christ
supplying what was lacking. In the healing of the nobleman's son
(4:47-54), who was "at the point of death," we have pictured the be
stowment of life. In the healing of the impotent man (5:3-9) we behold
the power of life, enabling a helpless cripple to rise up and walk. In
the feeding of the multitude (6:11) we see how graciously Christ
sustains our life. In His going to the fearful disciples on the
storm-swept sea we witness Him defending their lives, delivering them
from danger. In the response made by the blind man whose eyes Christ
opened (9:7, 38) we learn what is to he the occupation of life--he
worshipped Him: in this way, supremely, we are to employ the new
nature. In the raising of Lazarus from the sepulchre (11:44) we have
the consummation of life, for the resurrection of the saints is the
prelude to their eternal felicity.
The teaching of our Lord concerning the Holy Spirit's operations
within and toward the saints follows an instructive and a climacteric
order. First, He made mention of being "horn of the Spirit" (3:6, 8),
for quickening is His initial operation upon the elect. Second, by
means of figurative language (cf. 3:5), He spoke of the Spirit's
indwelling: "the water that I shall give him shall he in him a well of
water springing up into everlasting life" (4:14). Third, He declared
that there should he a breaking forth of the same, and a refreshing of
others: "out of his belly [or innermost part] shall flow rivers of
living water. But this spake He of the Spirit" (7:38, 39). Fourth, He
promised that the blessed Spirit should he theirs permanently: "I will
pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may
abide with you for ever" (14:16). Fifth, He announced that the Spirit
would fullyinstruct them:
"He shall teach you all things" (14:26). Sixth, He declared that the
Spirit should both testify of Him and equip them to testify unto Him:
"But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the
Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He
shall testify of Me: and ye also shall hear witness" (15:26, 27).
Seventh, Christ asserted that the Spirit should magnify Him: "He shall
glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you"
(14:14), making Me altogether lovely in your eyes.
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INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 18
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24. The law of cause and effect. By this we mean the observing and
tracing out of the connection which exists between certain notable
events in the life of an individual or nation and what led up to the
same. For instance, the closing events recorded in the sad history of
Lot startle and stagger us by their deplorable and revolting nature;
yet if we carefully ponder all that preceded, then the tragic finale
can almost be anticipated. Or take the better-known case of Simon
Peter's denial of Christ, which seems to be altogether out of keeping
with what we know of his character. Strange indeed is the anomaly
presented: that the one who feared not to step out of the ship and
walk on the sea to his beloved Master, and who boldly drew his sword
and smote off the ear of the high priest's servant when a strong force
came to arrest the Saviour, should tremble in the presence of a maid,
and be afraid to own the Lord Jesus! Nevertheless, his melancholy fall
was not an isolated event having no relation to what had gone before:
rather was it all of a piece with his previous attitude and actions,
being the logical, and virtually the inevitable, sequel to them. These
are examples of a numerous class of cases, and they should be
carefully borne in mind as we read the biographical portions of
Scripture.
This principle of interpretation will be the more easily grasped when
we point out that it is much the same as the law of sowing and
reaping. That law operates now, in this world, and it is an important
part of the expositor's task to observe its outworking in the lives of
biblical characters. Consider then some of the details recorded about
Lot before his career ended amid the dark shadows of his mountain
cave. After the initial reference to him in Genesis 11:31, nothing is
said about him until after Abraham's sorry sojourn in Egypt. It
appears that Lot contracted Egypt's spirit and acquired a taste for
its fleshpots. In Genesis 13:6, 7, we read of a strife between the
herdsmen of Abraham and Lot: the Lord's later rewarding of the former
and the subsequent conduct of the latter seem clearly to intimate
which of them was to blame. The proposal that Abraham made to his
nephew (13:8, 9) was a most generous one and Lot's carnality at once
appeared in the advantage he took of it. Instead of leaving the choice
to his uncle, Lot yielded to the lust of the eyes, and chose the plain
of Jordan, which was well watered and "like the land of Egypt"! Next,
he "pitched his tent toward Sodom" (13:12). Then he went and "dwelt in
Sodom" (14:12), forsaking the pilgrim's tent for a "house" (19:3).
There he settled down, became an alderman, sitting in its "gate"
(19:1), while his daughters married men of Sodom.
Let us in a similar way briefly trace the several downward steps which
led to Peter's awful fall. There was first his self-assurance and
proud boast when he declared, "Although all shall be offended, yet
will not I" (Mark 14:29). We doubt not his sincerity on that occasion,
but it is clear that he realized not his instability. Self-ignorance
and self-confidence ever accompany each other; not until self be
really known is it distrusted. Second, he failed to comply with his
Master's exhortation, "watch ye and pray" (Mark 14:38-40), and instead
went to sleep again--it is only a felt sense of weakness which causes
one earnestly to seek strength. Third, he disregarded Christ's solemn
warning that Satan desired to seize and sift him (Luke 22:31, 33).
Fourth, we behold him acting in the energy of the flesh in drawing the
sword (John 18:10). Naturally, he meant well, but spiritually, how
dull his perceptions: how completely out of place was his weapon in
the presence of the meek and lowly Saviour! No wonder we are next told
that he followed Christ "afar off" (Matthew 26:58), for he was
entirely out of the current of His spirit. Solemn is it to see him
disregarding the providential warning of the closed door (John 18:16).
He was cold spiritually as well as physically, but how pathetic to see
him warming himself at the enemy's fire (John 18:18). That he "sat
down" in such circumstances (Mark 14:54) shows how serious was his
decline. All of these things paved the way for his ultimate cursing
and swearing (Matthew 26:74).
What unmistakable and manifest instances are the above of the working
of the law of cause and effect! But let us turn now to a different
class of cases, where there was a different sowing and a happier
reaping. In Genesis 22 we have one of the most touching and exquisite
scenes presented in the Scriptures. There we behold grace triumphing
over nature, the spirit rising superior to the flesh. It was the final
and severest test to which the faith and obedience of Abraham were
submitted. He was called upon to sacrifice his beloved Isaac, and to
be himself the executioner. How grandly the sorely tried patriarch
responded, binding his only son, laying him on the altar, taking the
knife in his hand, and desisting not until a voice from heaven bade
him slay not the lad. Now observe the blessed though less-known
sequel. Said the angel of the covenant unto him, "By Myself have I
sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast
not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless
thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed . . . because thou
hast obeyed My voice" (vv. 16-18). Thus was the Lord pleased to make
mention of His servant's submission as the consideration of His
gracious reward on this occasion: not that there was any proportion
between the one and the other, but that He thereby placed this honor
upon that faith and obedience by which Abraham had honored Him. Later,
he made gracious promises to Isaac "because that Abraham obeyed My
voice, and kept My charge" (26:2-5).
In Numbers 14 a very different scene is presented to our view. There
we behold the reactions of Israel unto the doleful report made by the
unbelieving majority of the spies which Moses had sent to reconnoiter
Canaan. "All the congregation lifted up their voice, and . . . wept,"
conducting themselves like a lot of peevish children. Worse still,
they murmured against Moses and Aaron, and spoke of appointing a new
leader to conduct them back again to Egypt. At considerable risk to
their lives (v. 10), Joshua and Caleb remonstrated with them. The Lord
interposed, passed sentence upon that faithless generation, sentencing
them to die in the wilderness. In blessed contrast therewith, He said,
"But My servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and
hath followed Me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he
went; and his seed shall possess it" (v. 24). Numbers 25 supplies us
with another example of the same principle. Setting aside his own
feelings, the son of Eleazar acted for the honor of Jehovah, and of
him the Lord said, he "hath turned My wrath away from the children of
Israel, while he was zealous for My sake. . . . Wherefore say, Behold,
I give unto him My covenant of peace: and he shall have it, and his
seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood;
because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the
children of Israel" (vv. 10-13).
Now it scarcely needs pointing out that neither Abraham, Caleb, nor
Phinehas brought God into his debt, or placed Him under any obligation
to them. Yet their cases illustrate a most important principle in the
governmental ways of God. That principle is stated in His own
declaration: "them that honor Me. I will honor, and they that despise
Me shall be lightly esteemed" (I Sam. 2:30). Though there be nothing
whatever meritorious about the good works of His people, God is
pleased to bear testimony of His approval of the same and make it
manifest concerning His commandments that "in keeping of them there is
great reward" (Ps. 19:11). Thus the Lord witnessed to His acceptance
of the holy zeal of Phinehas by putting an immediate stop to the
plague upon Israel, and by entailing the priesthood on his family. As
Matthew Henry pointed out, "The reward answered to the service: by
executing justice he had made an atonement for the children of Israel
(v. 13), and therefore he and his should henceforth be employed in
making atonement by sacrifice." Proverbs 11:31, states the same
principle, "Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth."
As Spurgeon remarked, "Albeit that the dispositions of Divine grace
are to the fullest degree sovereign and irrespective of human merit,
yet in the dealings of Providence there is often discernible a rule of
justice by which the injured are at length avenged and the righteous
ultimately delivered."
David acknowledged, "The Lord recompensed me according to my
righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His eyesight"
(Ps. 18:24). He was alluding to God's delivering him from his enemies,
particularly from Saul. How had he conducted himself toward the king?
Did he commit any sin which warranted his hostility? Did he injure him
in any way? No, he neither hated Saul nor coveted his throne, and
therefore that monarch was most unjust in so relentlessly seeking his
life. So innocent was David in this respect that he appealed to the
great Searcher of hearts: "Let not them that are mine enemies
wrongfully rejoice over me" (Ps. 35:19). Thus, when he said, "The Lord
recompense me according to my righteousness" he was far from giving
vent to a pharisaical spirit. Instead, he was avowing his innocence
before the bar of human equity. Since he bore his persecutor no
malice, he enjoyed the testimony of a good conscience. In all that he
suffered at the hand of Saul, David retaliated not: he not only
refused to slay, or even injure, him when he was at his mercy, but he
took every opportunity to serve the cause of Israel, notwithstanding
the ingratitude, envy and treachery he received in return. In his
deliverance and in having the throne conferred upon him, David
recognized one of the basic principles operating in the Divine
government of this world, and owned that God had graciously rewarded
him because of his integrity.
Deity hesitates not to take as one of His titles "the Lord God of
recompences" (Jer. 51:56), and has shown, all through His Word, that
He deals with sinner and saint as such. Unto Joshua He said that if he
gave His Word its proper place, meditated in it day and night, that he
might observe to do according to all that is written therein, "then
thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good
success" (1:8, and cf. Job 36:11; Prov. 3:1-4). On the other hand, He
said to wayward Israel "Why transgress ye the commandments of the
Lord, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the Lord, He
hath also forsaken you" (2 Chron. 24:20). That is an unvarying
principle in His government. Of Uzziah we read, "as long as he sought
the Lord, God made him to prosper" (2 Chron. 26:5). The judgment of
God even upon Ahab's kingdom was postponed "because he humbled himself
before Me" said God (1 Kings 21:29). Contrariwise, He told David that
the sword should never depart from his house "because thou hast
despised Me" (2 Sam. 12:9, 10). The New Testament teaches the same
thing. "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy"
(Matthew 5:7). "If ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will
your Father forgive your trespasses" (6:15); "with what measure ye
mete, it shall be measured to you again" (7:2). "Because thou hast
kept the word of My patience, I also will keep thee" (Rev. 3:10).
God has established an inseparable connection between holiness and
happiness, and it is no small part of the expositor's work to point
out that as our ways please Him His smile is upon us; but when we are
wayward, we are greatly the losers; to show that though God's people
are not under the curse of the rod they are under its discipline; and
for him to note scriptural illustrations of that fact. It is one thing
to have our sins pardoned, but it is quite another to enjoy God's
favors in providence and nature as well as spiritually, as the lives
of biblical characters clearly exemplify. God does not afflict
willingly (Lam. 3:33), but chastens because we give Him occasion to do
so (Ps. 89:30-33). When we grieve not the Holy Spirit, He makes Christ
more real and precious to the soul; the channel of blessing is
unchoked, and real answers are received to prayer. But alas, how often
we give God occasion to say "your sins have withholden good things
from you" (Jer. 5:25). Then let the preacher miss no opportunity of
proving from Scripture that the path of obedience is the path of
blessing (Ps. 81:11-16), and demonstrate that God orders His ways with
us according to our conduct (Isa. 48:10) -- He did so with Christ
Himself (John 8:29; 10:17; Ps. 45:7).
25. The law of emphasis. The fundamental importance and perpetuity of
the moral law was intimated in its being written by God's own finger,
and by the two tables on which it was inscribed being placed for safe
custody within the sacred ark. The inestimable value of the Gospel was
signified in its being announced to the shepherds by an angel,
"Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all
people," and his being joined by a great multitude of the heavenly
host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on
earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:10, 14). The relative
weightiness of anything is generally indicated by the place and
prominence given to it in the Scriptures. Thus, only two of the
evangelists make mention of the actual birth of Christ; only one of
them supplies us with any details about His boyhood; Mark and Luke
alone refer to His ascension; but all four of them describe His
sacrificial death and victorious resurrection! How plainly that tells
us which should be most pressed by His servants, and which should most
engage the hearts and minds of His people!
Another means and method employed by the Spirit to arrest our
attention and focus our minds upon distinct portions of the Truth is
His use of a great number of "figures of speech." In them He has
arranged words and phrases in an unusual manner for the purpose of
more deeply impressing the reader with what is said. The learned
author of The Companion Bible (now almost unobtainable) dealt more
fully with this subject than any English writer, and from him we now
select one or two examples. The figure of anabasis or graduation, in
which there is the working up to a climax, as in "Who shall lay any
thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is
he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen
again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh
intercession for us" (Rom. 8:33, 34). So again in II Peter 1:5-7, "add
to your faith virtue . . . charity." The opposite figure is that of
catabasis or gradual descent, a notable instance of which is found in
Philippians 2:6-8.
The more common form of emphasis is that of repetition. This is found
in the Word in quite a variety of ways, as in the doubling of a name:
"Abraham, Abraham" (Gen. 22:11). There were six other individuals whom
the Lord thus addressed: "Jacob, Jacob" (46:2), "Moses, Moses" (Exod.
3:4), "Samuel, Samuel" (1 Sam. 3:10), "Martha, Martha" (Luke 10:41),
"Simon, Simon" (22:10), "Saul, Saul" (Acts 9:4). Then there was our
Lord's pathetic "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem" (Matthew 23:37), and His cry
of anguish, "My God, My God" (Matthew 27:46); as there will yet be the
urgent "Lord, Lord" of the lost (Luke 13:25). Such intensified forms
of expression as "the holy of holies," "the song of songs, vanity of
vanities," and the unspeakable "for ever and ever," express the same
principle. Again, "Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall
strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord" (Ps. 27:14);
"Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice" (Phil.
4:4). Yet more emphatic is the "holy, holy, holy" of Isaiah 6:3, the
"O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord" (Jer. 22:29), and
because it will not, the "I will overturn, overturn, overturn" (Ezek.
21:27), with the resultant "Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabitants of the
earth" (Rev. 8:13).
A simple form of structural repetition occurs in the adoring language
found at both the beginning and the end of Psalm 8, "O Lord our Lord,
how excellent is Thy name in all the earth!" Other forms of this
principle are what are technically known as cyloides, or circular
repetition, where the same phrase occurs at regular intervals, as in
"Turn us again, O God" (Ps. 80:3, 7, 9); epibole, or overlaid
repetition, where the same phrase is used at irregular intervals, as
"the voice of the Lord" (Ps. 29:3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9); epimone, or
lingering, where the repetition is with the design of making a more
lasting impression, as in John 21:15-17, where our Lord continued to
challenge the love of His erring disciple, and evinced His acceptance
of his responses by His "feed My lambs, feed My sheep."
In the Old Testament many examples are found of what is called Hebrew
parallelism, in which the same thought is expressed in different
language. For instance, "He shall judge the world in righteousness, He
shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness" (Ps. 9:8). Pride
goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall" (Prov.
16:18, and compare Isa. 1:18). In other cases the truth is driven home
by a contrast: "The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked:
but He blesseth the habitation of the just" (Prov. 3:33, and 15:17).
In the Greek emphasis is indicated by the order of words in a
sentence: "Now of Jesus Christ the birth was on this wise" (Matthew
1:18); "But commendeth His love toward us" (Rom. 5:8).
The importance of heeding the Divine emphasis in intimated in a number
of ways. "The verily, verily" with which Christ prefaced some of His
weightiest utterances. His use of the interrogative rather than the
affirmative in such cases as "What shall it profit a man, if he shall
gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36)--so much
more forceful than "It would profit a man nothing if," etc. In order
to call urgent attention to what He has just said, Christ's "he that
hath ears to hear, let him hear" is used again, with a slight
variation, in each of His addresses to the seven churches of
Revelation 2 and 3. Several notable statements of Paul are prefaced
with "This is a faithful saying." When he explains the significance of
Melchizedek he gives point to this principle: "first being by
interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of
Salem, which is, King of peace" (Heb. 7:2, and cf. James 3:17). For
the purpose of impressiveness other declarations are introduced with
the word "Behold"; "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for
brethren to dwell together in unity!" (Ps. 133:1, and cf. 1 John 3:1).
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INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 19
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26. The origin of words. An enormous amount of time, research and
study has been devoted thereto, and men of great erudition have
embodied the results of their labor in volumes which are massive and
expensive. Yet in the judgment of the writer they are far from
possessing that value which has often been attributed to them, nor
does he consider they are nearly as indispensable to the preacher as
many have affirmed. Undoubtedly they contain considerable information
of interest to etymologists, but as a means for interpreting the
Scriptures lexicons are greatly overrated. A knowledge of the
derivation of the words used in the original Scriptures cannot be
essential, for it is unobtainable to the vast majority of God's
people. Moreover, the attempts to arrive at such derivations are often
not at all uniform, for the best Hebraists are far from being agreed
as to the particular roots from which various words in the Old
Testament are taken. To us it seems very unsatisfactory, yea, profane,
to turn to heathen poets and philosophers to discover how certain
Greek words were used before they were given a place in the New
Testament. But what is still more to the point, such a method breaks
down before the Holy Spirit's actual employment of various terms.
In view of what was said under the eighteenth canon of exegesis, we do
not propose to write much on this one. Instead, we will confine
ourselves to a single example, which illustrates the closing sentence
of the preceding paragraph, and which will at the same time give the
lie to an error which is very widespread today. Many of those who deny
that the wicked will be punished everlastingly appeal to the fact that
the Greek adjective aionios simply signifies "age lasting," and that
eis ton aiona (Jude 13) and eis aionas aionon (Rev. 14:11) mean "to
the age" and "to the ages of ages" and "for ever" and "for ever and
ever." The simple reply is, Granted; yet that is nothing to the point
at issue. True, those Creek expressions are but time terms, for the
sufficient reason that the minds of the ancients were incapable of
rising to the concept of eternity. Therefore the language employed by
those who were destitute of a written revelation from God makes
nothing either pro or con concerning the endlessness of the bliss of
the redeemed or of the misery of the lost. In order to ascertain that
we must observe how the terms are used in Holy Writ.
The connections in which the Holy Spirit has employed the word aionios
leave no room whatever for any uncertainty of its meaning in the mind
of an impartial investigator. That word occurs not only in such
expressions as "eternal destruction," "everlasting fire," "everlasting
punishment," but also in "life eternal" (Matthew 25:46), "eternal
salvation" (Heb. 5:9), "eternal glory" (1 Pet. 5:10); and most
assuredly they are timeless. Still more decisively, it is linked with
the subsistence of Deity: "the everlasting God" (Rom. 16:26). Again,
the force and scope of the word are clearly seen in the fact that it
is antithetical to what is of limited duration: "the things which are
seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2
Cor. 4:18). Now it is obvious that if the temporal things lasted
forever there could be no contrast between them and the things which
are eternal. Equally certain is it that if eternal things be only "age
long" they differ not essentially from temporal ones. The contrast
between the temporal and the eternal is as real and as great as
between the things "seen and unseen." Again, in Philemon verse 15
aionios (rendered "for ever") is set over against "for a season,"
showing that the one is the very opposite of the other -- "receive him
for ever" manifestly signifies never banish or turn him away.
Before leaving this subject it should be pointed out that the absolute
hopelessness of the condition of the lost rests not only on the fact
that their punishment is said to be eternal, but on other collateral
considerations which are equally final. There is not a single instance
recorded in Scripture of a sinner being saved after death, nor any
passage holding out any promise of such. On the other hand, there are
many to the contrary. "He, that being often reproved hardeneth his
neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy" (Prov.
29:1), which would not be the case if, after "ages" in purifying fire,
he was ultimately admitted into heaven. To His enemies Christ said,
"ye . . . shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come" (John
8:21) death would seal their doom. That is equally certain from those
fearful words of His, "the resurrection of damnation" (John 5:29),
which excludes every ray of hope for their recovery in the next life.
For the apostate "there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins" (Heb.
10:26). "For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no
mercy" (Jas. 2:13). "Whose end is destruction" (Phil. 3:19). Therefore
is it written at the close of Scripture, "He that is unjust, let him
be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still"
(Rev. 22:11)--as the tree falls, so will it forever lie.
27. The law of comparison and contrast. While this rule is much less
important to the expositor than many of the others, it is of deep
interest; and though little is known, yet this principle is accorded a
prominent place in the Word. And in view of what has been termed "the
pair of opposites" which confront us in every sphere, it should
occasion us no surprise to find this canon receiving such frequent
illustration and exemplification in the Scriptures, and that in
several ways. God and the Devil, time and eternity, day and night,
male and female, good and evil, heaven and hell, are set one over
against the other. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the
earth, and the earth has its two hemispheres, the northern and the
southern. So also there are the Old and New Testaments, the Jew and
the Gentile, and after the days of Solomon the former were split into
two kingdoms; while throughout all Christendom we find the genuine
possessor and the graceless professor. Whatever be the explanation, we
are faced everywhere with this mysterious duality: the visible and the
invisible, spirit and matter, land and sea, centrifugal and
centripetal forces at work, life and death.
As pointed out on a previous occasion, Truth itself is ever twofold,
and hence the Word of God is itself likened to a two-edged sword. Not
only is it, first, a revelation from God, and, second, addressed to
human responsibility; but a great many passages in it have a twofold
force and meaning, a literal and a spiritual; many of its prophecies
possess a double fulfilment, a major and a minor; while promise and
precept, or privilege and corresponding obligation, are ever combined.
Cases of pairs are numerous. The two great lights (Gen. 1:16); two of
every sort entering the ark (6:19). The two tables on which the Law
was written. The two birds (Lev. 14:4-7); the two goats (16:7); the
two-tenth deals of fine flour and the two loaves (23:13, 17). The
repeated miracle of water from the smitten rock (Exod. 17, Num. 20),
as Christ also duplicated the feeding of a great multitude with a few
loaves and fishes. The two signs to Gideon (Judges 6). The two olive
trees (Zech. 4). The two masters (Matthew 6:24); the two foundations
(7:24-27). The two debtors (Luke 7:41); the two sons (15:11); the two
men who went into the temple to pray (18:10). The two false witnesses
against Christ (Matthew 26:60); and the two thieves crucified with
Him. The two angels (Acts 1:10). The two "immutable things" of Hebrews
(6:18). The two beasts (Rev. 13).
As Christ sent forth His apostles in pairs, so all through the Bible
two individuals are more or less closely associated: in a few
instances the one complementing the other, but in the majority there
being a marked contrast between them. Thus we have Cain and Abel,
Enoch and Noah, Abraham and Lot, Sarah and Hagar, Isaac and Ishmael,
Jacob and Esau, Moses and Aaron, Caleb and Joshua, Naomi and Ruth,
Samuel and Saul, David and Jonathan, Elijah and Elisha, Nehemiah and
Ezra, Martha and Mary, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, Annas and
Caiaphas, Pilate and Herod, Paul and Barnabas. Sometimes a series of
marked antitheses meet together in the life of a single individual.
Notably was this the case with Moses. "He was the child of a slave,
and the son of a princess. He was born in a but, and lived in a
palace. He was educated in the court, and dwelt in the desert. He was
the mightiest of warriors, and the meekest of men. He had the wisdom
of Egypt, and the faith of a child. He was backward in speech, and
talked with God. He had the rod of the shepherd, and the power of the
infinite. He was the giver of the law, and the forerunner of grace. He
died alone on mount Nebo, and appeared with Christ in Judaea. No man
assisted at his funeral, yet God buried him" (I. M. Haldeman).
A. T. Pierson pointed out that another series of striking paradoxes is
found in that remarkable prophecy of the Messiah in Isaiah 53. Though
the Son of God, yet His report was not believed. He appeared to God as
"a tender plant," but to men as "a root out of a dry ground."
Jehovah's Servant, in whom His soul delighted, but in the esteem of
the Jews possessed of no form or comeliness. Appointed by the Father
and anointed by the Spirit, yet despised and rejected of men. Sorely
wounded and chastised by sinners, yet believing sinners healed by His
stripes. No iniquity found in Him, but the iniquities of many were
upon Him. Himself the Judge of all, yet brought before the judgment
bar of human creatures. Without generation, yet possessing a numerous
seed. Cut off out of the land of the living, yet alive for evermore.
He made His grave with the wicked, nevertheless He was with the rich
in His death. Though counted unrighteous, He makes many righteous. He
was spoiled by the strong, yet He spoiled the strong, delivering a
multitude of captives out of his hand. He was numbered with and mocked
by transgressors, but made intercession for them.
It is indeed remarkable to find the twofoldness of things confronting
us so frequently in connection with the plan of redemption. Based upon
the work of the great federal heads, the first Adam and the last Adam,
with the fundamental covenants connected with them: the covenant of
works and the covenant of grace. The last Adam with His two distinct
natures, constituting Him the God-man Mediator. Two different
genealogies are given of Him, in Matthew 1, and Luke 3. There are His
two separate advents: the first in deep humiliation, the second in
great glory. The salvation He has provided for His people is twofold:
objective and subjective or legal and vital, the one which He did for
them, and the other which He works in them--a righteousness imputed to
them, and a righteousness imparted. The Christian life is a strange
duality: the principles of sin and grace ever opposing one another.
The two ordinances Christ gave to His churches: baptism, and the
Lord's supper.
There are many points of contrast between the first two books of the
Bible. In the former we have the history of a family; in the latter
the history of a nation. In the one the descendants of Abraham are but
few in number; in the other they have increased to hundreds of
thousands. In Genesis the Hebrews are welcomed and honored in Egypt,
whereas in Exodus they are hated and shunned. In the former we read of
a Pharaoh who says to Joseph, "God hath showed thee all this" (41:39),
but in the latter another Pharaoh says unto Moses, "I know not the
Lord" (5:2). In Genesis we hear of a "lamb" promised (22:8), in Exodus
of the "lamb" slain and its blood sprinkled. In the former we have
recorded the entrance of Israel into Egypt; in the latter the exodus
of them is described. In the one we behold the patriarchs sojourning
in the land which flowed with milk and honey; in the other their
descendants are wanderers in the wilderness. Genesis closes with
Joseph in a coffin, while Exodus ends with the glory of the Lord
filling the tabernacle.
It is both interesting and instructive to compare the supernatural
passages of Israel through the Red Sea and the Jordan. There are at
least twelve details of resemblance between them, which we will leave
the reader to work out for himself. Here, we will consider their
points of dissimilarity. First, the one terminated Israel's exodus
from the house of bondage, the other initiated their entrance into the
land of promise. Second, the former miracle was wrought in order that
they might escape from the Egyptians, the latter to enable them to
approach and conquer the Canaanites. Third, in connection with the one
the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind (Exod.
14:21), but with reference to the other no means whatever were
employed--to demonstrate that He is not tied to such, but employs or
dispenses with them as He pleases. Fourth, the earlier miracle was
performed at nighttime (14:21), the latter in broad daylight. Fifth,
at the Red Sea multitudes were slain, for the Lord made the waters to
return upon the Egyptians so that they "covered the chariots, and the
horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after
them; there remained not so much as one of them" (14:28), whereas at
the Jordan not a single soul perished.
Sixth, the one was wrought for a people who just previously had been
full of unbelief and murmuring (Exod. 14:11), the other for a people
who were believing and obedient (Josh. 2:24; 3:1). Seventh, with the
sole exception of Caleb and Joshua, all the adults who benefited from
the former miracle died in the wilderness; whereas the great majority
of those who were favored to share in the latter "possessed their
possessions." Eighth, the waters of the Red Sea were "divided" (Ex.
14:21), those of the Jordan were made to "stand upon an heap" (Josh.
3:13). Ninth, in the former the believer's judicial death unto sin was
typed out; in the latter his legal oneness with Christ in His
resurrection, followed by a practical entrance into his inheritance.
Tenth, consequently, there was no "sanctify yourselves" before the
former, but such a call was an imperative requirement for the latter
(Josh. 3:5). Eleventh, the response made by Israel's enemies to the
Lord's interposition for His people at the Red Sea was, "I will
pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be
satisfied upon them" (Ex. 15:9); but in the latter, "It came to pass,
when all the kings of the Amorites . . . heard that the Lord had dried
up the waters of the Jordan . . . their heart melted, neither was
there spirit in them any more" (Josh. 5:1). Twelfth, after the former,
"Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore" (Ex. 14:30); after
the latter, a cairn of twelve stones memorialized the event (Josh.
4:20-22).
Many examples of this principle are to be found by observing closely
the details of different incidents which the Holy Spirit has placed
side by side in the Word. For instance, how sudden and strange is the
transition which confronts us as we pass from I Kings 18-19. It is as
though the sun were shining brilliantly out of the clear sky, and the
next moment, without any warning, black clouds draped the heavens. The
contrasts presented in those chapters are sharp and startling. In the
former we behold the prophet of Gilead at his best; in the latter we
see him at his worst. At the close of the one "the hand of the Lord
was on Elijah" as he ran before Ahab's chariot; at the beginning of
the other the fear of man was upon him, and he "went for his life."
There he was concerned only for the glory of Jehovah, here he is
occupied only with self. There he was strong in faith, and the helper
of his people; here he gives way to unbelief, and is the deserter of
his nation. In the one he boldly confronts the four hundred prophets
of Baal undaunted, here he flees panic stricken from the threats of a
single woman. From the mountain top he betakes himself to the
wilderness, and from supplicating the Lord that He would vindicate His
great name to begging Him to take away his life. Who would have
imagined such a tragic sequel? How forcibly does the contrast exhibit
and exemplify the frailty and fickleness of the human heart even in a
saint!
The work of Elijah and Elisha formed two parts of one whole, the one
supplementing the other, and though there are manifest parallels
between them there are also marked contrasts. Both of them were
prophets, both dwelt in Samaria, both were confronted with much the
same situation. The falling of Elijah's mantle upon Elisha intimated
that the latter was the successor of the former, and that he was
called upon to continue his mission. The first miracle performed by
Elisha was identical with the last one wrought by his master: the
smiting of the waters of the Jordan with the mantle, so that they
parted asunder for him (2 Kings 2:8, 14). At the beginning of his
ministry Elijah had said to king Ahab, "As the Lord God of Israel
liveth, before whom I stand" (1 Kings 17:1), and when Elisha came into
the presence of Ahab's son he also declared, "As the Lord of hosts
liveth, before whom I stand" (2 Kings 3:14). As Elijah was entertained
by the woman of Zarephath, and rewarded her by restoring her son to
life (1 Kings 17:23), so Elisha was entertained by a woman at Shunem
and rewarded her by restoring her son to life (2 Kings 4).
Striking as are the points of agreement between the two prophets, the
contrasts in their careers and work are just as vivid. The one
appeared suddenly and dramatically on the stage of public action,
without a word being told us concerning his origin or how he had been
previously engaged; but of the other, the name of his father is
recorded, and an account is given of his occupation at the time he
received his call into God's service. The first miracle of Elijah was
the shutting up of the heavens, so that for the space of three and a
half years there was neither dew nor rain according to his word;
whereas the first public act of Elisha was to heal the springs of
water (2 Kings 2:21, 22) and to provide abundance of water for the
people (3:20). The principal difference between them is seen in the
character of the miracles wrought by and connected with them: the
majority of those performed by the former were associated with death
and destruction, but the great majority of those attributed to Elisha
were works of healing and restoration: the one was more the prophet of
judgment, the other of grace. The former was marked by loneliness,
dwelling apart from the apostate masses; the latter seems to have
spent most of his time in the company of the prophets, presiding over
their schools. The one was taken to heaven in a chariot of fire, the
other fell sick in old age and died a natural death (22:9).
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A. W. Pink Header
INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 20
_________________________________________________________________
IN the last chapter we pointed out that different aspects of Truth are
frequently emphasized in the Scriptures by placing two incidents in
juxtaposition in order to give point to various differences between
them. We gave several illustrations from the Old Testament of the law
of comparison and contrast: let us now show that the same principle
holds good in the New Testament. Consider, first, the striking
antitheses between what is recorded in Luke 18:35-42, and 19:1-9. That
which is narrated in the former occurred as Christ approached Jericho
(the city of the curse--Joshua 6:26), whereas the latter took p lace
after He had passed through it. The subject of the first was a blind
beggar, that of the second was "chief of the publicans." Bartimaeus
occupied a lowly place, for he "sat by the way side"; Zacchaeus
assumed an elevated position, for he "climbed up into a sycamore
tree." The one was intent on seeking alms from the passers-by; the
other was determined to "see Him"--Christ. Bartimaeus took the
initiative and cried "Son of David, have mercy on me"; Christ took the
initiative with Zacchaeus, bidding him "come down." The former
supplicated for his sight; of the latter Christ made a peremptory
request: "today I must abide at thy house." The multitude rebuked
Bartimaeus for crying to Christ; all "murmured" at Christ for
There is a striking series of contrasts between what is found in the
opening verses of John 3 and John 4. What is recorded in the former
occurred in Jerusalem: in the latter the scene is laid in Samaria. In
the one we have "a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus"; in the
other, an unnamed woman. He was a person of distinction, a "master of
Israel"; she was of the lower classes, for she came to the well "to
draw water." He was a favored Jew, she a despised Samaritan--a
semi-heathen. Nicodemus was a man of high reputation, a member of the
Sanhedrin; the one with whom Christ dealt in John 4 was a woman of
dissolute habits. Nicodemus came to Jesus; Christ waited for the woman
at the well, and she had no thought of meeting her Saviour. The former
incident took place "by night"; the latter at midday. To the
self-righteous Pharisee Christ said, "Ye must be born again"; to the
sinner of the Gentiles He told of "the gift of God." Nothing is said
of how the former interview ended--apparently Nicodemus was, at that
time, unconvinced; the latter went forth and bore
By comparing together what is recorded in the earliest parts of John
12 and 13 some interesting and instructive contrasts are revealed. In
the former we read that "they made Him a supper"; in the latter, there
is a supper which He appointed. There He is seated at the table; here
He arose from it. There He is honored; here He performs the office of
a menial. In the one we behold Mary at the feet of the Saviour; in the
other we see the Son of God stooping to attend to the feet of His
disciples. The feet speak of the walk. Christ's feet were anointed
with costly ointment; those of the apostles were washed with water. As
Christ passed through this world He contracted no pollution: he left
it as He entered--"holy, harmless, undefiled" (Heb. 7:26). That His
feet were anointed with the fragrant spikenard tells us of the sweet
savor which ever ascended from Him to the Father, perfectly glorifying
Him in every step of His path. In sharp contrast with His, the walk of
the disciples was defiled, and the grime of the way needed to be
removed if they were to have "part" or communion with Him (13:8). His
feet were anointed before theirs were washed, for in all things He
must have the "preeminence" (Col. 1:18). In connection with the former
Judas complained; in the latter, Peter demurred. Interpretatively the
one had Christ's burial in view (12:7); the other adumbrated an
important
Many illustrations of this principle are found in connection with
words and expressions that are used only twice in the Scriptures, and
startling are the contrasts between them. Apopnigo occurs only in Luke
8:7, 33:the one having reference to the seed being choked by thorns;
the other where the demon possessed swine were choked in the sea. In
Luke 2:1-5, apographe is employed in connection with the Firstborn
Himself being enrolled on earth, whereas in Hebrews 12:23, it refers
to the Church of the Firstborn enrolled in heaven. Apokueo is used in
James 1:15, 23: of lust bringing forth sin, and of the Father
begetting us with the Word of Truth. Apolausi.s is applied to the
things which God has given us to enjoy lawfully (1 Tim. 6:17), and to
the refusal of Moses to enjoy the unlawful pleasures of sin (Heb.
11:25). Anthrakia is found only in John 18:18, where Peter joined
Christ's enemies before "a fire of coals," and in 21:9, where the
disciples fed before one in the presence of Christ. Choramakros is the
"far country" into which the prodigal took his journey (Luke 15:13),
and a very different one to which Christ went at His ascension (Luke
19:12). Panoplia is used of the enemy's "armor" (Luke 11:22), and of
the armor Christ has provided for the saints (Eph.
There are two references to "the king's dale": in the one Melchizedek
brought forth that which symbolized Christ (Gen. 14:17, 18); in the
other, Absalom erected a monument to himself (2 Sam. 18:18). What a
marked (and probably designed) contrast there is between the
expressions "there fell of the people that day about three thousand
men" (Ex. 32:28), and "the same day there were added unto them about
three thousand souls" (Acts 2:41)--the only occasions where "about
three thousand" is used in Scripture. Similar too is this example:
"there were with him [David] about four hundred men" (1 Sam. 22:2),
and there "rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a
number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves" (Acts 5:36). In
1 Samuel 28:24), we read of the "fat calf" of the witch of Endor; in
Luke 15:23, we are told of "the fatted calf' which was killed for the
prodigal son! Katischuo occurs only in "the gates of hell shall not
prevail against it"--the Church (Matthew 16:18), and "the voice of
them and of the chief priests prevailed" (Luke
How much we miss through failing to heed carefully that word,
"comparing spiritual things with spiritual" (1 Cor. 2:13). If we spent
more time in prayerfully meditating on the Scriptures, we should
oftener have occasion to say with David, "I rejoice at Thy word, as
one that findeth great spoil" (Ps. 119:162). It is not to the hurried
nor to the cursory reader that its treasures are revealed. What a
startling and solemn contrast there is between Christ was "numbered
with the transgressors" (Mark 15:28), and Judas was "numbered with"
the apostles (Acts 1:17). Kataluma is used only in Luke 2:7, where it
is rendered "there was no room for them in the inn"; and in Luke
22:11, where it is translated "guestchamber"--where the Saviour
partook of the passover with His disciples. The woman of Thyatira in
Acts 16:14, had her heart opened by the Lord so that she might "take
unto her" (which is the meaning of the Greek word rendered "attend")
the message of God's servant; but the woman of Thyatira in Revelation
2:20, opened her mouth for the purpose of seducing God's servants!
Only twice do we read of the Lord Jesus being kissed, and what a
contrast: the woman's kiss of devotion (Luke 7:38), Judas' kiss of
betrayal (Matthew
In connection with the interpreting of Scripture the value of this
principle of comparing two things or passages and of observing their
variations may be still more definitely seen by placing side by side
our Lord's parable of the wedding feast of Matthew 22:1-10, and the
parable of the great supper of Luke 14:16-24. The commentators have
carelessly assumed that they teach the same thing, but a close
examination of them will show that, though they have a number of
things in common, they present quite different aspects of Truth:
illustrating, respectively, the external, general and powerless call
of the Gospel and the internal, particular and effectual call of God.
In the former it is "servants" (in the plural number) who are engaged
(vv. 3, 4, 6, 8, 10); whereas in the latter it is "that servant" (v.
21), "his servant" (v. 21), "the servant" (vv. 22, 23). It is to be
noted that their commissions are not the same: the servants are
instructed to "call them that were bidden to the wedding" (v. 3), to
"tell them" (v. 4), and to "bid to the marriage" (v. 9), and nothing
more; whereas the servant was not only to "say to them that were
bidden, Come" (v. 17), but also to "bring in" (v. "compel them to come
in" (v. 23).
When those distinctions are dully weighed, it should be quite evident
that, whereas in Matthew 22 the "servants" are the ministers of God
sent forth to preach the Gospel to every creature, "the servant" of
Luke 14 is none other than the Holy Spirit, who by His invincible
power and effectual operations quickens God's elect into newness of
life He alone is able to overcome their natural disrelish for and
opposition to Divine things, as He alone is competent to "bring in
hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind." Nor
could anyone less truly say of his efforts, "Lord, it is done as thou
hast commanded" (Luke 14:22). As Christ was the "servant" of the God
head (Matthew 12:18-20) during the days of His flesh, so the blessed
Spirit is the "servant" of Christ during this era (John 16:14; Acts
2:33). This interpretation is further confirmed by the fact that the
servants were "entreated spitefully" and even "slain" (Matthew 22:6).
Moreover, we read of them, "So those servants went out into the
highways, and gathered together all [into the local churches] as many
as they found, both had and good" (Matthew 22:10), for they were
unable to read hearts; but no such statement is made of the Servant,
who "brings" (to heaven)
Ere leaving this division of our subject, one other example of its
importance and value. By making use of the law of contrast we are able
decisively to determine the controversy which Socinians have raised
upon that momentous verse, For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who
knew no sin; that we [which were destitute of acceptable obedience]
might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21). That is
one of the profoundest and most comprehensive statements to be found
in the Scriptures concerning the atonement, containing as it does a
brief epitome of the whole plan of salvation. Enemies of the Gospel
insist that the "made sin" ought to be translated "made a
sin-offering," but such is entirely inadmissible, for in that case the
antithesis would require us to render "that we might be made a
righteous-offering of God in Him"--a manifest absurdity. The contrast
which is here drawn fixes the exact meaning of the terms used.
Believers are legally constituted righteous in Christ before God, and
therefore the contrast demands that Christ was legally constituted
sin--guilty in the eyes of God's Law. The grand truth affirmed in this
verse is the exchange of places with the counter imputations thereof:
our sins were reckoned to the account of our Surety, rendering Him
judicially guilty; His obedience is reckoned to our account,
28. The law of first mention. Very frequently this is of great help in
arriving at the meaning of a word or expression. Since there be but
one Speaker throughout the entire Word, and He knew from the beginning
all that He was going to say, He has so ordered His utterances as to
forecast from the outset whatever was to follow. Thus, by noting its
setting and associations, the initial occurrence of anything in the
Scriptures usually intimates to us how it subsequently will be
employed. In other words, the earliest pronouncement of the Holy
Spirit on a subject very frequently indicates, substantially, what is
found in the later references thereto. This is of real assistance to
the expositor, supplying him with a kind of key to what follows. So
far as we are aware, attention was originally directed to this canon
of exegesis by Lord Bacon (1600), and for more than forty years this
writer has made use of the same, putting it to the test in scores of
instances; and while he has found a few cases where the first mention
of a term failed to intimate clearly its future scope, he has never
met with one that was out of harmony therewith; and the vast majority
of them were invaluable in serving to define their significance and
scope. This will appear from the illustrations
The first prophecy recorded in Scripture supplies the key to the whole
subject of Messianic prediction, furnishing a remarkable outline and
forecast of all that was to follow. Said the Lord God to the serpent,
"And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy
seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his
heel" (Gen. 3:15). First, it is to be noted that those words were not
addressed to Adam and Eve, implying that man was not the immediate
party in the covenant of recovery; that it depended not upon anything
of, by or from him. Second, that this Divine pronouncement was made
after the fall, and from this point onwards prophecy is always
consequent upon human failure, not coming in during the normal state
of affairs, but only when ruin has begun and judgment is
impending--the next prophecy was through Enoch (Jude 14, 15) just
before the flood! In the prophecy of Genesis 3:15, it was revealed
that all human hope was to center in a Coming One. It made known that
the Coming One should be man, the woman's "seed," and therefore of
supernatural birth. It announced that He would be the object of
Satan's enmity. It foretold that He should be temporarily
humiliated--bruised in His heel. It also proclaimed His ultimate
victory, for He should bruise the serpent's head, and therefore must
be more than man. It intimated the age-long strife there would be
between the two seeds: the children of the Devil and those united unto
And the Lord said unto Cain, "What hast thou done? the voice of thy
brother's blood crieth unto Me from the ground" (Gen. 4:10). That is
the first time that all-important word "blood" is mentioned in the
Scriptures, and like all the initial occurrences of fundamental terms
it well repays the most careful attention and meditation. Profoundly
important is this reference, foreshadowing as it does some of the most
essential and outstanding features of the atonement of Christ. Abel
was a shepherd (Gen. 4:2) and was hated, though without cause, by his
brother (1 John 3:12). He did not die a natural death, but met with a
violent end: as the good Shepherd was crucified and slain by wicked
hands (Acts 2:23). In the light of those facts, how deeply significant
are the words "the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto Me." That
is the all-important but inexpressibly blessed thing in connection
with the blood of Christ: it is vocal Godwards! It is "the blood of
sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel" (Heb.
12:24), for it satisfied every demand of God and procured inestimable
blessing for His people. The next mention of "blood" is in Genesis
9:4, where we learn that life is in the blood. The third reference is
Exodus 12:13, where it delivers from the avenging angel. Put the three
together and we have a complete outline of all the subsequent teaching
of Scripture upon the blood. They treat, respectively, of death, life,
salvation.
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INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 21
_________________________________________________________________
The first time that center of man's moral nature--the heart--is
mentioned in the Scriptures we have an infallible forecast of all
later teaching thereon. "And God saw that the wickedness of man was
great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his
heart was only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5). Remarkably full is the
outline here furnished us. Observe first the words "and God saw,"
intimating that He alone is fully conversant with this inward spring
from which proceed the issues of life. Second, that it is upon the
same His eyes are fixed: "man looketh on the outward appearance, but
the Lord looketh on the heart" (1 Sam. 16:7). Third, that what is here
said of man's heart is explanatory of his wicked conduct: since the
fount itself be foul, filthy must be the streams flowing therefrom.
Fourth, that man's heart is now radically evil, and that continually,
being "deceitful [the Hebrew word is rendered "crooked" in Isa. 40:4,
and "polluted" in Hosea 6:8] . . . and "desperately [incurably]
wicked" (Jer. 17:9); out of which, as Christ declared, proceed all the
abominations committed by fallen man (Mark 7:21-23). Fifth, that the
"heart" equals the whole of the inner man, for the marginal rendering
of "every imagination of the thoughts of his heart" is "the purposes
and desires," and thus it is not only the seat of his thought, but
that of his affections and will.
"And it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth, and it
grieved Him at His heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I
have created from the face of the earth" (Gen. 6:6, 7). This is the
initial reference to repentance, and though its language be indeed
metaphorical--for by a figure of speech (anthropopathia) the Lord
ascribes to Himself human feelings--yet it contains all the essential
elements thereof. First it is striking to find that this grace is here
attributed not to the creature, but to the Creator, telling us that
repentance originates not in one whose mind is enmity against God and
whose heart is hard as a stone, but is a Divine gift (Acts 5:31;
11:18; 2 Tim. 2:25), wrought in him by the Holy Spirit. Second, that
repentance has sin for its object. for it is the wickedness of men
which is here said to make Jehovah repent. Third, its nature is
clearly defined: as a change of mind (God's repenting that He had made
man) and a grief of heart. Fourth, that the genuineness of repentance
is evidenced by reformation, or an alteration of conduct, a resolve to
undo (as far as is humanly possible) that which is sorrowed over--seen
in the Lord's decision to destroy man from off the face of the earth.
In Genesis 15:6, we find the earliest mention of three of the most
important words which are used in connection with the sinner's
salvation, and most significant and blessed is it to see them here
joined together. "And he [Abraham] believed in the Lord; and He
counted it to him for righteousness." What a remarkable anticipation
was this of the fuller unfolding of the Gospel which is to be found in
the Prophets and the New Testament! It records the response made by
"the father of all them that believe" (Rom. 4:11) to the amazing
promise which Jehovah made to him: that, despite his being so old
(almost one hundred years), he should not only beget a son, but
ultimately have an innumerable seed, and that from the same should
spring the Messiah. As Romans 4:19, 20, states, "he considered not his
body now dead ... he staggered not at the promise of God through
unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God." First, here
we have the simplest definition of faith to be found in the Bible: "he
believed in the Lord." More literally, "he amened Jehovah": that is to
say, his heart gave the answering assurance "it shall be so." In other
words, by implicitly receiving the Divine testimony, he "set to his
seal that God is true" (John 3:33). He realized that it was the word
of Him "that cannot lie."
Second, we here learn what was God's gracious response to that
childlike confidence which so honored Him: "He counted it to him for
righteousness." The word "counted" means accounted or placed to his
credit; the same Hebrew word being translated "imputeth"' Ps. 32:2:
"Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity"--charges
it not against him. It is not the act of Abraham's faith which is here
referred to, but the glorious Object to which it looked, namely, his
promised Seed and Son--his Saviour. Third, we are here taught how a
believing sinner is legally constituted just before God. By nature he
has no righteousness of his own, for so long as he be without Christ,
his best performances are but as filthy rags in the sight of Divine
holiness. Not only was Abraham destitute of righteousness, but he
obtained it not by any efforts of his own: his faith was the sole
means or instrument which linked him to a righteousness outside of
himself. After citing his case, the apostle went on to say, "Even as
David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God
imputeth righteousness without works" (Rom. 4:6), "for with the heart
man believeth unto righteousness" (Rom. 10:10).
Since the above treats of such a vital aspect of the Truth, we will
link with it and consider briefly Deuteronomy 25:1. "If there be a
controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges
may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the
wicked." That is the first occurrence of this important word, and its
setting more than hints at its meaning. First, justification is
entirely a judicial matter, being the sentence of pronouncement of the
Judge of all the earth. Second, it is the opposite of condemnation,
and when one is condemned in the law courts he is not made wicked, but
adjudged guilty. Third, he is regarded as "righteous," that is the Law
has nothing against him--because in the believer's case all its
requirements have been fully met by his Surety. We may also consider
in this connection, "Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord,
which He will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen
today, ye shall see them again no more forever" (Ex. 14:13). How
deeply significant is that first mention of "salvation," containing as
it does all the prime elements of our spiritual deliverance. It was
the Lord's salvation, in which they had no part or hand, yea, they had
to cease from all activity in order to see the same. It consisted of a
miraculous deliverance from death. It was a present thing, which they
experienced that day. It was complete and eternal, for they would see
their enemies again "no more for ever."
Most suggestive is the initial reference to the lamb. "And he said,
Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt
offering?" (Gen. 22:7, 8). How blessed and significant to observe, in
the first place, that this conversation was between a loving father
and an only begotten son (Heb. 11:17). Second, how remarkable to learn
that the lamb would not be demanded from man, but supplied by God.
Third, still more noteworthy are the words "God will provide Himself a
lamb," because it was for the meeting of His requirements, the
satisfying of His claims. Fourth, the lamb was not here designed for
food (for that was not the prime thought), but "for a burnt offering."
Fifth, it was a substitute for the child of promise, for, as verse 13
exhibits, "the ram" (a male lamb in the prime of its strength) was not
only provided by God, but was also offered by Abraham "in the stead of
his son"! How significant it is to discover that the word worship is
mentioned for the first time in connection with this scene: "I and the
lad will go yonder and worship, and will come again to you" (v. 5).
Worship calls for separation from unbelievers, as Abraham left his two
young men behind him; it is possible only on resurrection ground ("the
third day" v. 4); and it consists of offering unto God our best--our
Isaac.
How indicative are the opening words of the Bible: "In the beginning
God." Here man is taught the first grand truth which he needs to know:
that God is first and foremost, the Author of all things: the source
and spring of all good. The first appearance of Satan in Scripture
reveals to us his subtle character, the methods he employs, that God's
Word is the chief object of his assaults, and stamps him as the
arch-liar. How the first recorded words of the Redeemer, "Wist ye not
that I must be about My Father's business?" (Luke 2:49), summed up His
mission and all His subsequent teaching, as well as intimated that
such would be neither appreciated nor understood by men. Many other
illustrations of this law of first mention might be given, but the
above are amply sufficient to exemplify its reality and value. They
reveal how important it is to trace things back to their source, and
show that God has hung the key on the door for us to make use of. And
they demonstrate the Divine authorship of the Bible, displaying as
they do that the later books invariably employ terms and phrases with
uniform significance and in perfect harmony with their initial
mention. What proofs that He who knew the end from the beginning
inspired holy men of old in the very words they selected and the use
which they made of them.
29. The law of progress. Since the Scriptures be the "word of life"
(Phil. 2:16), they are "quick [living], and powerful" (Heb. 4:12). So
far from being "a dead book" as the papists blasphemously assert, and
a dead letter" as some Protestants have ignorantly averred, the Bible
is instinct with the very life of its Author. This fact is plainly
exemplified in the principle of growth which marks all its parts and
itself as a whole. This can be tested and verified by any competent
person who will take the trouble to read the Scriptures
systematically, or trace out a subject from start to finish. As this
be done, he will perceive that Truth is unfolded orderly and
gradually, progressively and climactically: that there is presented to
us first the blade, then the ear, and after that the full corn in the
ear. While the first mention of a thing intimates its scope and more
or less anticipates what is to follow, the subsequent references
amplify the same, each one making its own contribution to the whole,
and thereby we obtain both a clearer and a fuller understanding of the
same. The path of Truth is like that of the just: it "shineth more and
more."
As we pointed out nearly forty years ago, the above-named principle is
strikingly and blessedly illustrated in connection with the Lamb. In
Genesis 22:8, the lamb is prophesied: "God will provide Himself a
lamb." In Exodus 12 the lamb is clearly typified, as "without
blemish," whose blood provided shelter from the destroying angel, and
whose flesh was to be the food of God's people. In Isaiah 53:7, the
lamb is definitely personified: "He is brought as a lamb to the
slaughter." In John 1:29, we find the lamb identified, as pointing to
Him, Christ's forerunner announced "Behold the Lamb of God, which
taketh away the sin of the world." In 1 Peter 1:19, mention is made of
Him as the lamb that was crucified: "But with the precious blood of
Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." In Revelation
5:6, we see the Lamb glorified, for the seer of Patmos was privileged
to behold in heaven, standing, "a Lamb as it had been slain." While in
Revelation 22:1, we see the Lamb satisfied: "And He showed me a pure
river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne
of God and of the Lamb." With these we may link the progressive scope
seen in the validity of Christ's sacrifice. In Genesis 4:4, for the
individual; in Exodus 12:3, for the "house" or family; in Leviticus
16:21, for the nation; in Ephesians 5:25, for the Church or the whole
election of grace.
Another example of this law of progress may be seen by tracing out the
Messianic prophecies and observing how there is "line upon line" until
the picture is complete. The subject is too vast to deal with
comprehensively here, but let us look at a single aspect of it, namely
those which respect His birth. In Genesis 3:15, it was intimated that
the destroyer of Satan would be a member of the human race--the
woman's seed. Genesis 9:27, revealed which of the three main divisions
of the human race He would descend from: "He [God] shall dwell in the
tents of Shem." In Genesis 22:18, it was made known that He should be
an Israelite--Abraham's seed. 2 Samuel 7:12, 13, announced that He
should be of the tribe of Judah--issuing from David. Isaiah 11:10,
defined His ancestry yet more definitely: He would spring from the
family of Jesse. Isaiah 49:1, predicted that He would be named, and by
God Himself, before His birth, as indeed He was. While Micah 5:2,
specified the very place where he would be born--Bethlehem. Such
examples as these not only demonstrate clearly the Divine inspiration
of the Bible, but evidence that the canon of Scripture, as we now have
it, has been superintended by God Himself, for its order is not so
much chronological as logical.
There is a steady advance observable in the respective purposes and
scope of the four Gospels. Obviously, Matthew's must come first, for
its chief design is to present Christ as the Embodiment of the Old
Testament promises and the Fulfiller of the prophecies there made
concerning the Messiah. For much the same reason Mark's comes second,
for whereas in the former Christ is seen testing the old covenant
people, here He is viewed as ministering to them. But Luke's Gospel
has a much wider scope, being far more Gentile in its character. In it
Christ is contemplated in connection with the human race: the Son of
man related to yet contrasted with the sons of men. John's Gospel
conducts us to much higher ground, for whereas in the first three He
is depicted in human relationships (as the Son of Abraham, the Servant
of God, and the perfect Man), here His Divine glory shines forth and
we behold Him as the Son of God in relation to the family of God. This
same principle is also exemplified in what is recorded in their
closing chapters. Matthew takes us no farther than the resurrection of
Christ; in Mark 16:19, mention is made of His ascension; in Luke
24:49, promise is given of the coming of the Spirit on the day of
Pentecost; while John's Gospel ends with a reference to His second
coming!
The predictive announcements which the Saviour made to His disciples
of His forthcoming sufferings observe this principle, being cumulative
in their respective revelations. "From that time forth began Jesus to
show unto His disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and
suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be
killed" (Matthew 16:21). That supplied a general outline--in keeping
with the law of first mention. "And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus
said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of
men: and they shall kill Him" (17:22, 23). Here the additional fact of
His being betrayed was mentioned. "And the Son of man shall be
betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall
condemn Him to death, and shall deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock,
and to scourge, and to crucify Him" (20:18, 19): here He enlarged upon
the horrible indignities which He would suffer. "Then saith Jesus unto
them, All ye shall be offended because of Me this night" (26:31).
There the perfidy of His own disciples was foretold. How like the
Saviour it was to break the sad news to them gradually! What
consideration for their feelings!
It is to be noted that in those announcements, as in all the other
references which He made to His passion, the Lord spoke only of the
human side thereof, being entirely silent upon the Godward aspect. In
perfect accord with this law of progress, we have to proceed beyond
the Gospels (which give a historical account of the external facts) to
the Epistles, where the Spirit (sent to guide the apostles into "all
truth") makes known the spiritual design and internal meaning of the
Cross. There we are informed that the death of Christ was both a
propitiatory and an expiatory one: a satisfaction unto Divine justice,
a sacrifice which put away the sins of God's people. So too in the
Epistles themselves we find that, while in the earlier ones the
individual effects and blessings of redemption are more in view, in
the later ones the individual is no longer prominent, rather is he
seen as a part of a greater whole--a member of the body of Christ.
True, in the earlier ones the individual is not ignored. But the
proportion of the two aspects has changed: what is primary in the
former becomes secondary in the latter. That is the natural order in
the development of Truth.
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INTERPRETATION OF THE SCRIPTURES
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 22
_________________________________________________________________
30. The law of full mention. We have treated the principle of first
mention, and showed that the initial reference to a subject or the
earliest occurrence of a term indicated from its context and the
manner in which it was used would be its force in all later
references. This we followed with the law of progressive mention,
wherein it was seen that the Holy Spirit has observed an orderly
development in the unfolding of each aspect of the Truth; that as it
is naturally, so in connection with Divine revelation: there is first
the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. That may
be further illustrated by a simple and well-known example, namely the
three allusions made to Nicodemus in John's Gospel. In John 3 we
behold the midnight condition of his soul; in 7:50, 51, we see, as it
were, the dawning of twilight; but in 19:39, 40, the daylight had
fully broken. Now those principles are augmented by a third, for, as
A. T. Pierson pointed out in his most helpful book The Bible and
Spiritual Criticism (now out of print), somewhere in the Bible each of
its prominent themes is given a complete and systematic presentation.
In other words, a whole chapter is devoted to an exhaustive treatment
of what is more briefly mentioned elsewhere. Below, we barely mention
examples of this fact--culled from Dr. Pierson, supplemented by our
own researches.
Exodus 20 gives us the complete Decalogue, the ten commandments of the
moral law being stated clearly and orderly. Psalm 119 sets forth at
length the authority, the importance and the manifold excellency of
the written Word of God. In Isaiah 53 we have a full-length picture of
the vicarious sufferings of the Saviour. John 17 contains a complete
outline on the subject of intercession, revealing as it does the
substance of those things which our great High Priest asks of the
Father for His people. In Romans 3:10-20, we have the most detailed
diagnosis of the depraved condition of fallen man to be met with in
the Bible. In Romans 5:12-21, the foundation doctrine of federal
headship is developed at length. In Romans 7 the conflict between the
"two natures" in the believer is described as it is nowhere else. In
Romans 9 the awful sovereignty of God, in election or reprobation, is
dealt with more largely than elsewhere. In 1 Corinthians 15 the
resurrection of the believer's body is depicted in its full-robed
splendor. In 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 every aspect of Christian giving
and the varied motives which should prompt our benevolences are
stated. In Hebrews 2:6-18, we find the clearest and most comprehensive
setting forth of the reality of our Lord's humanity. In Hebrews 11 we
have a wonderfully complete outline of the life of faith. Hebrews 12
furnishes us with an extensive treatment of the subject of Divine
chastisement. In James 3 we have summed up what the rest of the Bible
teaches concerning the might and malice of the tongue. The whole of
Jude is devoted to the solemn theme of apostasy.
In these chapters we have endeavored to set before our readers those
rules which we have long made use of in our own study of the Word.
Since they were designed more especially for young preachers, we have
spared no efforts to make them as lucid and complete as possible,
placing in their hands those principles of exegesis which have stood
us in best stead. Though not a distinct canon of hermeneutics, a few
remarks require to he offered on the subject of punctuation, for since
there be none in the original manuscripts, the manner and mode of
dividing the text is often a matter of interpretation. The early
copies were unbroken into chapters and verses, still less had they any
notations of their sentences and clauses. It should also be pointed
out that the use of large capitals in such verses as Exodus 3:14;
27:3; Isaiah 26:4; Jeremiah 23; Zechariah 14:20; Revelation 17:6;
19:16, originated with the Authorized Version of 1611, for they are
not found in any of the previous translations. They are without any
authority, and were used to indicate what the translators deemed to be
of particular importance.
The use of parentheses
is entirely a matter of interpretation, for there were none in the
originals and few in the early Creek copies. The translators deemed
them necessary in a few instances, so as to indicate the sense of a
passage by preserving the continuity of thought, as in Romans 5:13-17,
which is an unusually long one. Some of the simplest and best known
examples are Matthew 6:32; Luke 2:35; John 7:50; Romans 1:2. It is not
to be thought that words enclosed in brackets are of less importance:
sometimes they are an amplification, as in Mark 5:13; at others they
are explanatory, as in Mark 5:42; John 4:2. Instead of being only of
trivial significance, a number of parenthetical clauses are of deep
moment. For instance, "For I know that in myself (that is in my
flesh,) dwelleth no good thing" (Rom. 7:18)--the absence of that
qualifying word had denied that there was any principle of grace or
holiness in him. Similar examples are found in 2 Corinthians 5:7, and
6:2. On the other hand, some are of doubtful propriety: not all will
consider that the parentheses found in the following passages are
necessary or even expedient: Mark 2:10; John 1:14, and 7:39; 1
Corinthians 9:21; 2 Corinthians 10:4; Ephesians 4:9, 10. Below are
three passages in which this writer considers the use of parentheses
is a real help in the understanding of them.
In our judgment a threefold change is required in the punctuation of 1
Corinthians 15:22-26. First, the clause "then cometh the end" should
be placed at the close of verse 23 and not at the beginning of verse
24, for it completes the sentence instead of beginning a new one.
Second, the whole of verse 25 requires to be placed in brackets if the
order of thought is to be preserved. Third, the italicized words in
verses 24 and 26 should be deleted, for they are not only unnecessary,
but misleading. Punctuated thus, the passage will read: "For as in
Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all he made alive; but every man
[literally "everyone"] in his own order: Christ the firstfruits,
afterward they that are Christ's at His coming, then the end." As the
sin of Adam resulted not only in his own death, but also in the deaths
of all who were in him as their federal head, so the obedience unto
death of Christ not only procured His own resurrection, but ensures
that of all who are united to Him as their federal Head: a
resurrection in honor and glory--the resurrection of the wicked "to
shame and everlasting contempt" falls not within the scope of this
chapter. The clause "then the end" denotes not "the termination of all
mundane affairs," but signifies the conclusion of the
resurrection--the completion of the harvest (John 12:24).
By placing its first clause at the close of verse 23, what follows in
verse 24 begins a fresh sentence, though not a new subject. "When He
shall have delivered up the kingdom to God [not His mediatorial one,
but only that aspect thereof which concerns the suppression of all
revolters against heaven], even the Father; when He shall have put
down all rule and all authority and power (for He must reign till He
hath put down all enemies under His feet), the last enemy shall be
destroyed--death." Christ rose again to reign: all power in heaven and
in earth has been given to Him for the express purpose of subjugating
and annulling all the enemies of Himself and of His Father, and this
issues in the abolition of death in the glorious resurrection of all
His people. The grand object throughout this chapter is to show the
guarantee which Christ's resurrection gives for that of His
redeemed--denied by some (v. 12). That this subject is continued after
the passage we are here critically examining is clear from verses
29-32, where further arguments are advanced--from the case of those
who are baptized and Paul's own experiences. Verses 24-26 are brought
in to assure the hearts of believers: many powerful enemies seek to
bring about their destruction, but their efforts are utterly vain, for
Christ shall triumph over them all--death itself being abolished at
their resurrection.
Most of the commentators have experienced difficulty when attempting
to trace the course of the apostle's argument in Hebrews 4:1-11. Its
structure is indeed much involved, but not a little light is cast on
it by placing verses 4-10 in parentheses. The exhortation begun in
3:12, is not completed till 4:12, is reached: all that intervenes
consists of an exposition and application of the passage quoted from
Psalm 95 in 3:7-11. The connecting link between the two chapters is
found in, "So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief"
(3:19). On those words is based the admonition of 4:1-3, which bids us
to take to heart the solemn warning there given. The first clause of
verse 3, when literally rendered, reads: "For we enter into the rest,
who believe"--the historical tense is thus avoided. It is neither
"have entered" nor "shall enter," but an abstract statement of a
doctrinal fact--only believers enter into God's rest. The second half
of 4:3, quotes again from Psalm 95.
In the parentheses of 4:4-10, the apostle enters upon a discussion of
the "rest" which the Psalmist spoke of and which he was exhorting his
readers to strive to enter, bidding them to take heed lest they fell
short of attaining thereto. First, he pointed out (vv. 4-6) that David
had not referred to God's own rest upon creation and the Sabbath rest
which ensued therefrom. Second, nor was it the rest of Canaan (vv. 7,
8) into which Joshua led Israel. Third, it was something then future
(v. 9), namely the rest announced in the Gospel. Fourth, in verse 10
there is a noticeable change of number from the "us" in verse 1 and
the "we" of verse 3 to "He that is entered into His rest," where the
reference is to Christ Himself--His entrance being both the pledge and
proof that His people will do so: "whither the forerunner is for us
entered" (6:20). In 4:11, the apostle returns to his principal
exhortation of 3:13, and 4:1-3. There he had said, "Let us therefore
fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of
you should seem to come short of it"; here he makes known how that
"fear" is to exert itself: not in dread or doubting, but a reverential
respect to the Divine threatenings and promises, with a diligent use
of the appointed means of grace.
"Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice
(first for his own sins, and then for the people's): for this He did
once, when He offered up Himself" (Heb. 7:27). This is another verse
which has troubled commentators, but all difficulty is removed by
inserting the above parentheses. In this and the next verse, the
apostle specifies some of the respects in which our High Priest is
superior to the priests of the Aaronic order. His perfections,
described in verse 26, exempted Him from all the infirmities and
blemishes which pertain to the Levitical priests, and which
disqualified them from making an effectual atonement unto God for sin.
In blessed contrast, Christ was infinitely well pleasing to God: not
only without personal transgression and defilement, but intrinsically
holy in Himself. Thus, not only was there no need for Him to offer any
sacrifice for Himself, but His oblation for His people was of infinite
value and eternal validity. "This He did once" announces the glorious
fact of its absolute sufficiency: that it requires no repetition on
His part, nor augmentation from us.
The use of italics
is also largely a matter of interpretation. In ordinary literature
they are employed for emphasis, but in our Bibles they are inserted by
the translators with the design of making the sense clearer. Sometimes
they are helpful, sometimes harmful. In the Old Testament it is, in
certain instances, more or less necessary, for the Hebrew has no
copulative, but joins the subject to the predicate, which gives an
emphasis of abruptness to which the English mind is unaccustomed, as
in "From the sole of the foot even unto the head--no soundness in it.
. .Your country--desolate, your cities--burned with fire" (Isa. 1:6,
7). In the great majority of cases this writer ignores the added words
of men, considering it more reverent so to do, as well as obtaining
more directly the force of the original. In some instances the
translators quite missed the real thought of the passage, as in the
last clause of Exodus 2, where "God had respect unto them" ought to be
"had respect unto it," i.e., "His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac
and with Jacob" of the previous verse. The last word of Daniel 11:32,
is too restrictive--doing His will also is included.
But it is in the New Testament that the majority of mistakes occur.
There we find a number of passages where needless additions have been
made and where the meaning has been misapprehended, falsified, by the
words the translators inserted. In Romans 8:27, "the will of God" is
too contracted--His covenant, His word, His grace and mercy are not to
be excluded. The "from another" in 1 Corinthians 4:7, unduly narrows
the scope--from what you were as unregenerate is not to be excluded.
"Inspirer" is preferable to "author" in 1 Corinthians 14:33, for God
is the Decreer of all things (Rom. 11:36), yet not the Prompter of
confusion. It is very doubtful if "the nature of" is permissible in
Hebrews 2:16, for is it not the Divine incarnation which is there in
view (that we have in v. 14), but rather the purpose and consequence
of the same. Its opening "For" looks back, remotely, to verses 9 and
10; immediately, to verses 14 and 15. In verse 16 a reason is given
why Christ tasted death for "every son," and why He destroyed
(annulled the power of) the Devil in order to liberate his captives:
it was because He laid hold of (espoused) not the cause of (the
fallen) angels, but the chosen seed of Abraham--thus a foundation is
here laid for what is said in verse 17.
2 Corinthians 6:1, is a yet worse instance, for by inserting the words
"with Him" a thought entirely foreign to the apostle's scope is
introduced, and ground given for horrible boasting. Paul was referring
to the joint efforts of God's servants: the one planting and another
watering (1 Cor. 3:5, 6). To say they were "workers together with God"
would be to divide the honors. If any supplement be made, it should be
under Him. The ministers of the new covenant were fellow workers,
merely "helpers" of the joy (1:24) of God's people. So too the correct
punctuation (as the Greek requires) of 1 Corinthians 3:9, is: "For
God's we are: fellow workers; God's heritage ye are." One other
example must suffice. The added "to bring us" in Galatians 3:24, quite
misses the scope of the passage, and inculcates false doctrine. The
apostle was not there treating with the experiential side of things,
but the dispensational (as the opening verses of the next chapter
demonstrate); not with the unsaved as such, but with God's people
under the old covenant. The Law never brought a single sinner to
Christ: the Holy Spirit does that, and though He employs the Law to
convict souls of their need of Christ, the Gospel is the means which
He employs to make them close with Christ.
Now one or two brief observations and we conclude. The work of the
expositor is to bring out the grammatical and spiritual meaning of
each verse he deals with. In order to do that he must approach it
without bias or prejudice, and diligently study it. He must neither
assume that he knows its meaning nor take his doctrinal views from
others. Nor is he to form his own opinions from a few detached verses,
but carefully compare his ideas with the entire Analogy of Faith. Each
verse requires to be critically examined, and every word thoroughly
weighed. Thus he is to note the "is accepted" of Acts 10:35, and not
"shall be," and the "are" (rather than "shall be") in Hebrews 3:6,
14--to change the tense mentally in those verses would inculcate false
doctrine. Minute care is needed if we are to observe the "the Lord and
Saviour" of 2 Peter 2:20 (not "their"), and the "our" and not "your"
of 1 Corinthians 15:3. Finally, it is not the interpreter's province
to explain what God has not explained (Deut. 29:29), i.e., His "ways"
(Rom. 11:33), miracles, etc.
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Practical Christianity by A.W. Pink
Introduction
_________________________________________________________________
Arthur W. Pink has become known as a masterful expositor of the Word
of God. Both his expository works and some of his doctrinal works have
long been in print. His deep concern for experimental Christianity and
the practical Christian life, however, is not so well known. Yet he
wrote many short series and single articles on what Scripture has to
say about the inner man. And in writing these articles Pink expounded
the Scriptures as penetratingly as he did in his expository and
doctrinal writings. His practical Christianity, then, is not a
collection of pious thoughts on the Christian life or a simple outline
of Scripture, but a full treatment of the subject.
We may add that Pink's concern for practical Christianity grew over
the years. His earlier series concentrated on expositions and basic
doctrines--expositions of Genesis, Exodus, the Life and Times of
Joshua, the Life of David, the Life of Elijah, and of Elisha, the
Sermon on the Mount, the Gospel of John, Hebrews, John's First
Epistle; and doctrinal studies: The Satisfaction (Atonement) of
Christ, The Divine Covenants, Union and Communion, The Holy Spirit,
The Inspiration and Interpretation of Scripture, and others. Pink was
strong on exposition and doctrine; but, of course, these are a
foundation for practice. Pink put it this way, in his introduction to
The Doctrine of Mortification (in this volume): "It is the studied
judgment of this writer, and he is by no means alone therein, that
doctrinal preaching is the most pressing need of the churches today."
"Doctrinal preaching is designed to enlighten the understanding, to
instruct the mind, to inform the judgment. It is that which supplies
motives to gratitude and furnishes incentives to good works."
"Doctrinal Christianity is both the ground and the motive of practical
Christianity, for it is principle and not emotion or impulse which is
the dynamic of the spiritual life." But doctrine, unless reduced to
practice, is of no avail. Pink wrote, "There is no doctrine revealed
in Scripture for a merely speculative knowledge, but all is to exert a
powerful influence upon conduct. God's design in all that He has
revealed to us is to the purifying of our affections and the
transforming of our characters." To that end, this book is a
collection of various articles and series in which the author wrote on
the application of doctrine to the individual soul. This is practical
Christianity.
For thirty years Pink put Out a monthly publication, Studies in the
Scriptures, mainly from his own pen. It is from this that most of his
published works were taken. He would write an article each month on a
given topic, continuing until he had exhausted the meaning of that
particular topic. Several such series were kept going at once, in
addition to individual articles and study notes. The chapters in this
book are taken from the later volumes (Vols. 25-32) of Studies in the
Scriptures. They vary in length from a single article in the original
to as many as ten to twelve articles in a series. All have been
selected because of their subject matter, and have been arranged
approximately in order by theme.
The first chapters (chap. 1-3) relate to the Christian's beginnings in
his new life--his conversion, his new birth, and the changes that take
place. These are not to be omitted in a book on practical
Christianity. Unless they are understood in relation to practice, all
that follows would be misunderstood. There are many who as professing
Christians go about to make progress by natural means. But one can
make no progress in the Christian life until he truly understands how
bad his natural state is and just what took place when God brought him
into a state of grace.
The next chapters (chap. 4-8) deal with some very basic matters. They
take up the attitudes a Christian should have toward progress in the
Christian life--in view of the above, and in view of what God has done
for him and in him if he is really a Christian. And Pink stresses
something that may be startling to some believers reading this
book--that even a renewed and spiritual man in Christ is unable to
produce good in his life. But he doesn't leave it there. He goes ahead
to give practical recommendations on what a Christian can do about it,
in spite of his inability.
A number of chapters (chap. 9-12) deal with authority in Christian
practice--first the authority of God (chap. 9) and His Word (chap.
10), then the authority (actually limitations) of pastors (chap. 11),
and the authority of employers (chap. 12). The last requires a word of
explanation. Most of the instruction in Scripture concerning relations
between managers and workers falls under the master-slave
relationship, and yet today, workers do not stand as slaves to their
supervisors or management. Of course, most readers would have
preferred that Pink discuss some of the differences as well as the
similarities, which he did not do. Nevertheless, there is much that we
may learn by extension from this instruction. These discussions of
authority, however, are much needed today. In an era of self-assertion
of independence in almost all circumstances, it is most important to
understand Divine authority and the extent and limits of human
authority under God.
The last chapter (chap. 13) relates to enjoying God's best for our
lives. Many readers will find this the most practical of all. In spite
of all that God does for us and in us, the principle still holds:
"Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Gal. 5:7). Pink
has practical recommendations from Scripture on what a Christian can
do even when he seriously fails.
This edition of Practical Christianity keeps Pink's work essentially
as he originally wrote it. Except for a few changes in punctuation,
some unusual phrases, and matters pertaining to the original monthly
publication that would not be intelligible to readers today, nothing
has been modified -- Pink's British spelling, most of his unusual
punctuation, and his individual style are retained.
These articles were first published in book form under the title Pink
Jewels, a title that Pink himself most surely would not have approved.
Sections which were previously omitted through oversight in that first
edition have been added, and many flaws and errors have been removed.
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13
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Practical Christianity by A.W. Pink
Part 1: The Christian's Beginning
_________________________________________________________________
Chapter 1-Saving Faith
_________________________________________________________________
"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that
believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:16). These are the words of
Christ, the risen Christ, and are the last that He uttered ere He left
this earth. None more important were ever spoken to the sons of men.
They call for our most diligent attention. They are of the greatest
possible consequence, for in them are set forth the terms of eternal
happiness or misery: life and death, and the conditions of both. Faith
is the principal saving grace, and unbelief the chief damning sin. The
law which threatens death for every sin has already passed sentence of
condemnation upon all, because all have sinned. This sentence is so
peremptory that it admits of but one exception--all shall be executed
if they believe not.
The condition of life as made known by Christ in Mark 16:16, is
double: the principal one, faith; the accessory one, baptism; we term
it accessory because it is not absolutely necessary to life, as faith
is. Proof of this is found in the fact of the omission in the second
half of the verse: it is not "he that is not baptized shall be
damned," but "he that believeth not." Faith is so indispensable that,
though one be baptized, yet believeth not, he shall be damned. As we
have said above, the sinner is already condemned; the sword of Divine
justice is drawn even now, and waits only to strike the fatal blow.
Nothing can divert it but saving faith in Christ. My reader,
continuance in unbelief makes hell as certain as though you were
already in it. While you remain in unbelief, you have no hope and are
"without God in the world" (Eph. 2:12).
Now if believing be so necessary, and unbelief so dangerous and fatal,
it deeply concerns us to know what it is to believe. It behooves each
of us to make the most diligent and thorough inquiry as to the nature
of saving faith. The more so because all faith in Christ does not
save; yea, all faith in Christ does not save. Multitudes are deceived
upon this vital matter. Thousands of those who sincerely believe that
they have received Christ as their personal Saviour, and are resting
on His finished work, are building upon a foundation of sand. Vast
numbers who have not a doubt that God has accepted them in the
Beloved, and that they are eternally secure in Christ, will only be
awakened from their pleasant dreamings when the cold hand of death
lays hold of them; and then it will be too late. Unspeakably solemn is
this, Reader, will that be your fate? Others just as sure that they
were saved as you are, are now in hell.
1. Its Counterfeits
There are those who have a faith which is so like to that which is
saving that they themselves may take it to be the very same, and
others too may deem it sufficient, yea, even others who have the
spirit of discernment. Simon Magus is a case in point. Of him it is
written, "Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized,
he continued with Philip" (Acts 8:13). Such a faith had he, and so
expressed it, that Philip took him to be a Christian, and admitted him
to those privileges which are peculiar to them. Yet, a little later,
the apostle Peter said to him, "Thou hast neither part nor lot in this
matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God . . . I
perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of
iniquity" (Acts 8:21, 23).
A man may believe all the truth contained in Scripture so far as he is
acquainted with it, and he may be familiar with far more than are many
genuine Christians. He may have studied the Bible for a longer time,
and so his faith may grasp much which they have not yet reached. As
his knowledge may be more extensive, so his faith may be more
comprehensive. In this kind of faith he may go as far as the apostle
Paul did when he said, "This I confess unto thee, that after the way
which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing
all things which are written in the law and in the prophets" (Acts
24:14). But this is no proof that his faith is saving. An example to
the contrary is seen in Agrippa: "King Agrippa, believest thou the
prophets? I know that thou believest" (Acts 26:27).
Call the above a mere historical faith if you will, yet Scripture also
teaches that people may possess a faith which is more than the product
of mere nature, which is of the Holy Spirit, and yet which is a
non-saving one. This faith which we now allude to has two ingredients
which neither education nor self-effort can produce: spiritual light
and a Divine power moving the mind to assent. Now a man may have both
illumination and inclination from heaven, and yet not be regenerated.
We have a solemn proof of this in Hebrews 6:4. There we read of a
company of apostates, concerning whom it is said, "It is impossible .
. . to renew them again unto repentance." Yet of these we are told
that they were "enlightened," which means that they not only perceived
it, but were inclined toward and embraced it; and both because they
were "partakers of the Holy Spirit."
People may have Divine faith, not only in its originating power, but
also in its foundation. The ground of their faith may be the Divine
testimony, upon which they rest with unshaken confidence. They may
give credit to what they believe not only because it appears
reasonable or even certain, but because they are fully persuaded it is
the Word of Him who cannot lie. To believe the Scriptures on the
ground of their being God's Word is a Divine faith. Such a faith had
the nation of Israel after their wondrous exodus from Egypt and
deliverance from the Red Sea. Of them it is recorded, "The people
feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and His servant Moses" (Exodus
14:31), yet of the great majority of them it is said that their
carcasses fell in the wilderness, and He swore that they should not
enter into His rest (Heb. 3:17, 18).
It is indeed searching and solemn to make a close study of Scripture
upon this point and discover how much is said of unsaved people in a
way of having faith in the Lord. In Jeremiah 13:11, we find God
saying, "For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I
caused to cleave unto Me the whole house of Israel and the whole house
of Judah, saith the Lord," and to "cleave" unto God is the same as to
"trust" Him: see 2 Kings 18:5,6. Yet of that very same generation God
said, "This evil people, which refuse to hear My words, which walk in
the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve
them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good
for nothing" (Jer. 13:10).
The term "stay" is another word denoting firm trust. "And it shall
come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are
escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that
smote them, but shall stay upon the Lord" (Isa. 10:20); "Thou wilt
keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed upon Thee" (Isa.
26:3). And yet we find a class of whom it is recorded, "They call
themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of
Israel" (Isa. 48:2). Who would doubt that this was a saving faith? Ah,
let us not be too hasty in jumping to conclusions: of this same people
God said, "Thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy
brow brass" (Isa. 48:4).
Again, the term "lean" is used to denote not only trust, but
dependence on the Lord. Of the spouse it is said, "Who is this that
cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?" (Song of
Sol. 8:5). Can it be possible that such an expression as this is
applied to those who are unsaved? Yes, it is, and by none other than
God Himself: "Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob,
and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert
all equity . . . The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests
thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet
will they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us? none
evil can come upon us" (Micah 3:9, 11). So thousands of carnal and
worldly people are leaning upon Christ to uphold them, so that they
cannot fall into hell, and are confident that no such "evil" can
befall them. Yet is their confidence a horrible presumption. To rest
upon a Divine promise with implicit confidence, and that in the face
of great discouragement and danger, is surely something which we would
not expect to find predicated of a people who were unsaved. Ah, truth
is stranger than fiction. This very thing is depicted in God's
unerring Word. When Sennacherib and his great army besieged the cities
of Judali, Hezekiah said, "Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor
dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is
with him: for there be more with us than with him: with him is an arm
of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God" (2 Chron. 32:7, 8); and we
are told that "the people rested themselves upon the words of
Hezekiah." Hezekiah had spoken the words of God, and for the people to
rest upon them was to rest on God Himself. Yet less than fifteen years
after, this same people did "worse than the heathen" (2 Chron. 33:9).
Thus, resting upon a promise of God is not, of itself, any proof of
regeneration.
To rely upon God on the ground of His "covenant" was far more than
resting upon a Divine promise; yet unregenerate men may do even this.
A case in point is found in Abijah, king of Judah. It is indeed
striking to read and weigh what he said in 2 Chronicles 13 when
Jeroboam and his hosts came against him. First, he reminded all Israel
that the Lord God had given the kingdom to David and his sons for ever
"by a covenant of salt" (verse 5). Next, he denounced the sins of his
adversary (verses 6-9). Then he affirmed the Lord to be "our God" and
that He was with him and his people (verses 10-12). But Jeroboam
heeded not, but forced the battle upon them. "Abijah and his people
slew them with a great slaughter" (verse 17), "because they relied
upon the Lord God of their fathers" (verse 18). Yet of this same
Abijah it is said, "he walked in all the sins of his father," etc. (1
Kings 15:3). Unregenerate men may rely upon Christ, rest on His
promise, and plead His covenant.
"The people of Nineveh [who were heathen] believed God" (Jonah 3:5).
This is striking, for the God of heaven was a stranger to them, and
His prophet a man whom they knew not--why then should they trust his
message? Moreover, it was not a promise, but a threatening, which they
believed. How much easier, then, is it for a people now living under
the Gospel to apply to themselves a promise, than the heathen a
terrible threat! "In applying a threatening we are like to meet with
more opposition, both from within and from without. From within, for a
threatening is like a bitter pill, the bitterness of death is in it;
no wonder if that hardly goes down. From without, too, for Satan will
be ready to raise opposition: he is afraid to see men startled, lest
the sense of their misery denounced in the threatening should rouse
them up to seek how they may make an escape. He is more sure of them
while they are secure, and will labour to keep them off the
threatening, lest it should awaken them from dreams of peace and
happiness, while they are sleeping in his very jaws.
"But now, in applying a promise, an unregenerate man ordinarily meets
no opposition. Not from within, for the promise is all sweetness; the
promise of pardon and life is the very marrow, the quintessence, of
the Gospel. No wonder if they be ready to swallow it down greedily.
And Satan will be so far from opposing, that he will rather encourage
and assist one who has no interest in the promise to apply it; for
this he knows will be the way to fix and settle them in their natural
condition. A promise misapplied will be a seal upon the sepulchre,
making them sure in the grave of sin, wherein they lay dead and
rotting. Therefore if unregenerate men may apply a threatening, which
is in these respects more difficult, as appears may be the case of the
Ninevites, why may they not be apt to apply [appropriate] a Gospel
promise when they are not like to meet with such difficulty and
opposition?" (David Clarkson, 1680, for some time co-pastor with J.
Owen; to whom we are indebted for much of the above). Another most
solemn example of those having faith, but not a saving one, is seen in
the stony-ground hearers, of whom Christ said, "which for a while
believed" (Luke 8:14). Concerning this class the Lord declared that
they hear the Word and with joy receive it (Matt. 13:20). How many
such have we met and known: happy souls with radiant faces, exuberant
spirits, full of zeal that others too may enter into the bliss which
they have found. How difficult it is to distinguish such from genuine
Christians--the good-ground hearts. The difference is not apparent;
no, it lies beneath the surface--they have no root in themselves
(Matt. 13:21): deep digging has to be done to discover this fact! Have
you searched yourself narrowly, my reader, to ascertain whether or not
"the root of the matter" (Job 19:28) be in you?
But let us refer now to another case which seems still more
incredible. There are those who are willing to take Christ as their
Saviour, yet who are most reluctant to submit to Him as their Lord, to
be at His command, to be governed by His laws. Yet there are some
unregenerate persons who acknowledge Christ as their Lord. Here is the
scriptural proof for our assertion: "Many will say to Me in that day,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have
cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then
will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that
work iniquity" (Matt. 7:22, 23). There is a large class ("many") who
profess subjection to Christ as Lord, and who do many mighty works in
His name: thus a people who can show you their faith by their works,
and yet it is not a saving one!
It is impossible to say how far a non-saving faith may go, and how
very closely it may resemble that faith which is saving. Saving faith
has Christ for its object; so has a non-saving faith (John 2:23, 24).
Saving faith is wrought by the Holy Spirit; so also is a non-saving
faith (Heb. 6:4). Saving faith is produced by the Word of God; so also
is a non-saving faith (Matt. 13:20, 21). Saving faith will make a man
prepare for the coming of the Lord; so also will a non-saving faith:
of both the foolish and wise virgins it is written, "Then all those
virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps" (Matt. 25:7). Saving faith is
accompanied with joy; so also is a non-saving faith (Matt. 13:20).
Perhaps some readers are ready to say that all of this is very
unsettling and, if really heeded, most distressing. May God in His
mercy grant that this article may have just those very effects on many
who read it. If you value your soul, dismiss it not lightly. If there
be such a thing (and there is) as a faith in Christ which does not
save, then how easy it is to be deceived about my faith! It is not
without reason that the Holy Spirit has so plainly cautioned us at
this very point. "A deceived heart hath turned him aside" (Isa.
44:20). "The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee" (Obad. 3). "Take
heed that ye be not deceived" (Luke 2 1:8). "For if a man think
himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself"
(Gal. 6:3). At no point does Satan use this cunning and power more
tenaciously, and more successfully, than in getting people to believe
that they have a saving faith when they have not.
The Devil deceives more souls by this one thing than by all his other
devices put together. Take this present discourse as an illustration.
How many a Satan-blinded soul will read it and then say, It does not
apply to me; I know that my faith is a saving one! It is in this way
that the Devil turns aside the sharp point of God's convicting Word,
and secures his captives in their unbelief. He works in them a false
sense of security, by persuading them that they are safe within the
ark, and induces them to ignore the threatenings of the Word and
appropriate only its comforting promises. He dissuades them from
heeding that most salutary exhortation, "Examine yourselves, whether
ye be in the faith; prove your own selves" (2 Cor. 13:5). Oh, my
reader, heed that word now.
In closing this first section we will endeavour to point out some of
the particulars in which this non-saving faith is defective, and
wherein it comes short of a faith which does save. First, with many it
is because they are willing for Christ to save them from hell, but are
not willing for Him to save them from self. They want to be delivered
from the wrath to come, but they wish to retain their self-will and
self-pleasing. But He will not be dictated unto: you must be saved on
His terms, or not at all. When Christ saves, He saves from sin--from
its power and pollution, and therefore from its guilt. And the very
essence of sin is the determination to have my own way (Isa. 53:6).
Where Christ saves, He subdues this spirit of self-will, and implants
a genuine, a powerful, a lasting, desire and determination to please
Him.
Again, many are never saved because they wish to divide Christ; they
want to take Him as Saviour, but are unwilling to subject themselves
unto Him as their Lord. Or if they are prepared to own Him as Lord, it
is not as an absolute Lord. But this cannot be: Christ will either be
Lord of all or He will not be Lord at all. But the vast majority of
professing Christians would have Christ's sovereignty limited at
certain points; it must not encroach too far upon the liberty which
some worldly lust or carnal interest demands. His peace they covet,
but His "yoke" is unwelcome. Of all such Christ will yet say, "But
these Mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them,
bring hither, and slay them before Me" (Luke 19:27).
Again, there are multitudes who are quite ready for Christ to justify
them, but not to sanctify. Some kind, some degree, of sanctification
they will tolerate, but to be sanctified wholly, their "whole spirit
and soul and body" (1 Thess. 5:23), they have no relish for. For their
hearts to be sanctified, for pride and covetousness to be subdued,
would be too much like the plucking out of a right eye. For the
constant mortification of all their members they have no taste. For
Christ to come to them as Refiner, to burn up their lusts, consume
their dross, to dissolve utterly their old frame of nature, to melt
their souls, so as to make them run in a new mould, they like not. To
deny self utterly, and take up their cross daily, is a task from which
they shrink with abhorrence.
Again, many are willing for Christ to officiate as their Priest, but
not for Him to legislate as their King. Ask them, in a general way, if
they are ready to do whatsoever Christ requires of them, and they will
answer in the affirmative, emphatically and with confidence. But come
to particulars: apply to each one of them those specific commandments
and precepts of the Lord which they are ignoring, and they will at
once cry out "Legalism"! or "We cannot be perfect in everything." Name
nine duties and perhaps they are performing them, but mention a tenth
and it at once makes them angry, for you have come too close home to
their case. After much persuasion, Naaman was induced to bathe in the
Jordan, but he was unwilling to abandon the house of Rimmon (2 Kings
5:18). Herod heard John gladly and did "many things" (Mark 6:20), but
when John referred to Herodias it touched him to the quick. Many are
willing to give up their theatre-going, and card-parties, who refuse
to go forth unto Christ outside the camp. Others are willing to go
outside the camp, yet refuse to deny their fleshly and worldly lusts.
Reader, if there is a reserve in your obedience, you are on the way to
hell.
2. Its Nature
"There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not
washed from their filthiness" (Prov. 30:12). A great many suppose that
such a verse as this applies only to those who are trusting in
something other than Christ for their acceptance before God, such as
people who are relying upon baptism, church membership or their own
moral and religious performances. But it is a great mistake to limit
such scriptures unto the class just mentioned. Such a verse as "There
is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the
ways of death" (Prov. 14:12) has a far wider application than merely
to those who are resting on something of or from themselves to secure
a title to everlasting bliss. Equally wrong is it to imagine that the
only deceived souls are they who have no faith in Christ.
There is in Christendom today a very large number of people who have
been taught that nothing the sinner can do will ever merit the esteem
of God. They have been informed, and rightly so, that the highest
moral achievements of the natural man are only "filthy rags" in the
sight of the thrice holy God. They have heard quoted so often such
passages as, "By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should
boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9), and "Not by works of righteousness which we have
done, but according to His mercy He saved us" (Titus 3:5), that they
have become thoroughly convinced that heaven cannot be attained by any
doing of the creature. Further, they have been told so often that
Christ alone can save any sinner that this has become a settled
article in their creed, from which neither man nor devil can shake
them. So far, so good.
That large company to whom we are now referring have also been taught
that while Christ is the only way unto the Father, yet He becomes so
only as faith is personally exercised in and upon Him: that He becomes
our Saviour only when we believe on Him. During the last twenty-five
years, almost the whole emphasis of "gospel preaching" has been thrown
upon faith in Christ, and evangelistic efforts have been almost
entirely confined to getting people to "believe" on the Lord Jesus.
Apparently there has been great success; thousands upon thousands have
responded; have, as they suppose, accepted Christ as their own
personal Saviour. Yet we wish to point out here that it is as serious
an error to suppose that all who "believe in Christ" are saved as it
is to conclude that only those are deceived (and are described in
Proverbs 14:12, and 30:12) who have no faith in Christ.
No one can read the New Testament attentively without discovering that
there is a "believing" in Christ which does not save. In John 8:30, we
are told, "As He spake these words, many believed on Him." Mark
carefully, it is not said many believe in Him," but "many believed on
Him." Nevertheless one does not have to read much farther on in the
chapter to discover that those very people were unregenerate and
unsaved souls. In verse 44 we find the Lord telling these very
"believers" that they were of their father the Devil; and in verse 59
we find them taking up stones to cast at Him. This has presented a
difficulty unto some; yet it ought not. They created their own
difficulty, by supposing that all faith in Christ necessarily saves.
It does not. There is a faith in Christ which saves, and there is also
a faith in Christ which does not save.
"Among the chief rulers also many believed on Him." Were, then, those
men saved? Many preachers and evangelists, as well as tens of
thousands of their blinded dupes, would answer, "Most assuredly." But
let us note what immediately follows here: "but because of the
Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the
synagogue: for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of
God" (John 12:42, 43). Will any of our readers now say that those men
were saved? If so, it is clear proof that you are utter strangers to
any saving work of God in your own souls. Men who are afraid to hazard
for Christ's sake the loss of their worldly positions, temporal
interests, personal reputations, or anything else that is dear to
them, are yet in their sins--no matter how they may be trusting in
Christ's finished work to take them to heaven.
Probably most of our readers have been brought up under the teaching
that there are only two classes of people in this world, believers and
unbelievers. But such a classification is most misleading, and is
utterly erroneous. God's Word divides earth's inhabitants into three
classes: "Give none offence, neither to [1] the Jews, nor [2] to the
Gentiles, nor [31 to the church of God" (1 Cor. 10:32). It was so
during Old Testament times, more noticeably so from the days of Moses
onwards. There were first the "gentile" or heathen nations, outside
the commonwealth of Israel, which formed by far the largest class.
Corresponding with that class today are the countless millions of
modern heathen, who are "lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God."
Second, there was the nation of Israel, which has to be subdivided
into two groups, for, as Romans 9:6, declares, "They are not all
Israel, which are of Israel." By far the larger portion of the nation
of Israel were only the nominal people of God, in outward relation to
Him: corresponding with this class is the great mass of professors
bearing the name of Christ. Third, there was the spiritual remnant of
Israel, whose calling, hope and inheritance were heavenly:
corresponding to them this day are the genuine Christians, God's
"little flock" (Luke 12:32).
The same threefold division among men is plainly discernible
throughout John's Gospel. First, there were the hardened leaders of
the nation, the scribes and Pharisees, priests and elders. From start
to finish they were openly opposed to Christ, and neither His blessed
teaching nor His wondrous works had any melting effects upon them.
Second, there were the common people who "heard Him gladly" (Mark
12:37), a great many of whom are said to have "believed on Him" (see
John 2:23; 7:31; 8:30; 10:42; 12:11), but concerning whom there is
nothing to show that they were saved. They were not outwardly opposed
to Christ, but they never yielded their hearts to Him. They were
impressed by His Divine credentials, yet were easily offended (John
6:66). Third, there was the insignificant handful who "received Him"
(John 1:12) into their hearts and lives; received Him as their Lord
and Saviour.
The same three classes are clearly discernible (to anointed eyes) in
the world today. First, there are the vast multitudes who make no
profession at all, who see nothing in Christ that they should desire
Him; people who are deaf to every appeal, and who make little attempt
to conceal their hatred of the Lord Jesus. Second, there is that large
company who are attracted by Christ in a natural way. So far from
being openly antagonistic to Him and His cause, they are found among
His followers. Having been taught much of the Truth, they "believe in
Christ," just as children reared by conscientious Mohammedans believe
firmly and devoutedly in Mohammed. Having received much of instruction
concerning the virtues of Christ's precious blood, they trust in its
merits to deliver them from the wrath to come; and yet there is
nothing in their daily lives to show that they are new creatures in
Christ Jesus! Third, there are the "few" (Matt. 7:13, 14) who deny
themselves, take up the cross daily, and follow a despised and
rejected Christ in the path of loving and unreserved obedience unto
God.
Yes, there is a faith in Christ which saves, but there is a faith in
Christ which does not save. From this statement probably few will
dissent, yet many will be inclined to weaken it by saying that the
faith in Christ which does not save is merely a historical faith, or
where there is a believing about Christ instead of a believing in Him.
Not so. That there are those who mistake a historical faith about
Christ for a saving faith in Christ we do not deny; but what we would
here emphasize is the solemn fact that there are also some who have
more than a historical faith, more than a mere head-knowledge about
Him, who yet have a faith which comes short of being a quickening and
saving one. Not only are there some with this non-saving faith, but
today there are vast numbers of such all around us. They are people
who furnish the antitypes of those to which we called attention in the
last article: who were represented and illustrated in .Old Testament
times by those who believed in, rested upon, leaned upon, relied upon
the Lord, but who were, nevertheless, unsaved souls.
What, then, does saving faith consist of? In seeking to answer this
question our present object is to supply not only a scriptural
definition, but one which, at the same time, differentiates it from a
non-saving faith. Nor is this any easy task, for the two things often
have much in common: that faith in Christ which does not save has in
it more than one element or ingredient of that faith which does
vitally unite the soul to Him. Those pitfalls which the writer must
now seek to avoid are undue discouraging of real saints on the one
hand by raising the standard higher than Scripture has raised it, and
encouraging unregenerate professors on the other hand by so lowering
the standards as to include them. We do not wish to withhold from the
people of God their legitimate portion; nor do we want to commit the
sin of taking the children's bread and casting it to the dogs. May the
Holy Spirit Himself deign to guide us into the Truth.
Much error would be avoided on this subject if due care were taken to
frame a scriptural definition of unbelief. Again and again in
Scripture we find believing and not believing placed in antithesis,
and we are afforded much help toward arriving at a correct conception
of the real nature of saving faith when we obtain a right
understanding of the character of unbelief. It will at once be
discovered that saving faith is far more than a hearty assenting unto
what God's Word sets before us, when we perceive that unbelief is much
more than an error or judgment or a failure to assent unto the Truth.
Scripture depicts unbelief as a virulent and violent principle of
opposition to God. Unbelief has both a passive and active, a negative
and positive, side, and therefore the Greek noun is rendered both by
"unbelief" (Romans 11:20; Heb. 4:6, 11), and "disobedience" (Eph. 2:2;
5:6) and the verb by "believed not" (Heb. 3:18; 11:30) and "obey not"
(1 Peter 3;1; 4:17). A few concrete examples will make this plainer.
Take first the case of Adam. There was something more than a mere
negative failing to believe God's solemn threat that in the day he
should eat of the forbidden fruit he would surely die: by one man's
disobedience many were made sinners (Romans 5:12). Nor did the
heinousness of our first parent's sin consist in listening to the lie
of the serpent, for 1 Timothy 2:14, expressly declares "Adam was not
deceived." No, he was determined to have his own way, no matter what
God had prohibited and threatened. Thus, the very first case of
unbelief in human history consisted not only in negatively failing to
take to heart what God has so clearly and so solemnly said, but also
in a deliberate defiance of and rebellion against Him.
Take the case of Israel in the wilderness. Concerning them it is said,
"They could not enter in [the promised land] because of unbelief"
(Heb. 3:19). Now exactly what do those words signify? Do they mean
that Canaan was missed by them because of their failure to appropriate
the promise of God? Yes, for a "promise" of entering in was "left"
them, but it was not "mixed with faith in them that heard it" (Heb.
4:1, 2)--God had declared that the seed of Abraham should inherit that
land which flowed with milk and honey, and it was the privilege of
that generation which was delivered from Egypt to lay hold of and
apply that promise to themselves. But they did not. Yet that is not
all! There was something far worse: there was another element in their
unbelief which is usually lost sight of nowadays--they were openly
disobedient against God. When the spies brought back a sample of the
goodly grapes, and Joshua urged them to go up and possess the land,
they would not. Accordingly Moses declared, "notwithstanding ye would
not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God"
(Deut. 1:26). Ah, there is the positive side of their unbelief; they
were self-willed, disobedient, defiant.
Consider now the case of that generation of Israel which was in
Palestine when the Lord Jesus appeared among them as "a minister of
the circumcision for the truth of God" (Romans 15:8). John 1:11,
informs us, "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not,"
which the next verse defines as "they believed" Him not. But is that
all? Were they guilty of nothing more than a failure to assent to His
teaching and trust to His person? Nay, verily, that was merely the
negative side of their unbelief. Positively, they "hated" Him (John
15:25), and would "not come to" Him (John 5:40). His holy demands
suited not their fleshly desires, and therefore they said, "We will
not have this man to reign over us" (Luke 19:14). Thus their unbelief,
too, consisted in the spirit of self-will and open defiance, a
determination to please themselves at all costs.
Unbelief is not simply an infirmity of fallen human nature, it is a
heinous crime. Scripture everywhere attributes it to love of sin,
obstinacy of will, hardness of heart. Unbelief has its root in a
depraved nature, in a mind which is enmity against God. Love of sin is
the immediate cause of unbelief: "And this is the condemnation, that
light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than
light, because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19). "The light of the
Gospel is brought unto a place or people: they come so near it as to
discover its end or tendency; but as soon as they find that it aims to
part them and their sins, they will have no more to do with it. They
like not the terms of the Gospel, and so perish in and for their
iniquities" (John Owen). If the Gospel were more clearly and
faithfully preached, fewer would profess to believe it!
Saving faith, then, is the opposite of damning belief. Both issue from
the heart that is alienated from God, which is in a state of rebellion
against Him; saving faith from a heart which is reconciled to Him and
so has ceased to fight against Him. Thus an essential element or
ingredient in saving faith is a yielding to the authority of God, a
submitting of myself to His rule. It is very much more than my
understanding assenting and my will consenting to the fact that Christ
is a Saviour for sinners, and that He stands ready to receive all who
trust Him. To be received by Christ I must not only come to Him
renouncing all my own righteousness (Romans 10:3), as an empty-handed
beggar (Matt. 19:21), but I must also forsake my self-will and
rebellion against Him (Ps. 12:11, 12; Prov. 28:13). Should an
insurrectionist and seditionist come to an earthly king seeking his
sovereign favour and pardon, then, obviously, the very law of his
coming to him for forgiveness requires that he should come on his
knees, laying aside his hostility. So it is with a sinner who really
comes savingly to Christ for pardon; it is against the law of faith to
do otherwise.
Saving faith is a genuine coming to Christ (Matt. 11:28;John 6:37,
etc.). But let us take care that we do not miss the clear and
inevitable implication of this term. If I say "I come to the U.S.A."
then I necessarily indicate that I left some other country to get
here. Thus it is in "coming" to Christ; something has to be left.
Coming to Christ not only involves the abandoning of every false
object of confidence, it also includes and entails the forsaking of
all other competitors for my heart. "For ye were as sheep going
astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your
souls (1 Peter 2:25). And what is meant by "ye were [note the past
tense--they are no longer doing so] as sheep going astray"? Isaiah
53:6, tells us: "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned
every one to His own way." Ah, that is what must be forsaken before we
can truly "come" to Christ--that course of self-will must be
abandoned. The prodigal son could not come to his Father while he
remained in the far country. Dear reader, if you are still following a
course of self-pleasing, you are only deceiving yourself if you think
you have come to Christ.
Nor is the brief definition which we have given above of what it means
really to "come" to Christ any forced or novel one of our own. In his
book Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ, John Bunyan wrote: "Coming to
Christ is attended with an honest and sincere forsaking all for Him
[here he quotes Luke 14:26, 27]. By these and like expressions
elsewhere, Christ describeth the true comer: he is one that casteth
all behind his back. There are a great many pretended comers to Jesus
Christ in the world. They are much like the man you read of in Matthew
21:30, that said to his father's bidding, `I go, sir: and went not.'
When Christ calls by His Gospel, they say, `I come, Sir,' but they
still abide by their pleasure and carnal delights." C. H. Spurgeon, in
his sermon on John 6:44, said, "Coming to Christ embraces in it
repentance, self-abnegation, and faith in the Lord Jesus, and so sums
within itself all those things which are the necessary attendants of
those great steps of heart, such as the belief of the truth, earnest
prayers to God, the submission of the soul to the precepts of His
Gospel." In his sermon on John 6:3 7, he says, "To come to Christ
signifies to turn from sin and to trust in Him. Coming to Christ is a
leaving of all false confidences, a renouncing of all love to sin and
a looking to Jesus as the solitary pillar of our confidence and hope."
Saving faith consists of the complete surrender of my whole being and
life to the claims of God upon me: "But first gave their own selves to
the Lord" (2 Cor. 8:5).
It is the unreserved acceptance of Christ as my absolute Lord, bowing
to His will and receiving His yoke. Possibly someone may object, Then
why are Christians exhorted as they are in Romans 12:1? We answer, All
such exhortations are simply a calling on them to continue as they
began: "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk
ye in Him" (Col. 2:6). Yes, mark it well that Christ is "received" as
Lord. Oh, how far, far below the New Testament standard is this modern
way of begging sinners to receive Christ as their own personal
"Saviour." If the reader will consult his concordance, he will find
that in every passage where the two titles are found together it is
always "Lord and Saviour, and never vice versa: see Luke 1:46, 47; 2
Peter 1:11; 2:20; 3:18.
Until the ungodly are sensible of the exceeding sinfulness of their
vile course of self-will and self-pleasing, until they are genuinely
broken down and penitent over it before God, until they are willing to
forsake the world for Christ, until they have resolved to come under
His government, for such to depend upon Him for pardon and life is not
faith, but blatant presumption, it is but to add insult to injury. And
for any such to take His holy name upon their polluted lips and
profess to be His followers is the most terribly blasphemy, and comes
perilously nigh to committing that sin for which there is no
forgiveness. Alas, alas, that modern evangelism is encouraging and
producing just such hideous and Christ-dishonoring monstrosities.
Saving faith is a believing on Christ with the heart: "If thou shalt
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine
heart that God raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with
the heart man believeth unto righteousness" (Romans 10:9, 10). There
is no such thing as a saving faith in Christ where there is no real
love for Him, and by "real love" we mean a love which is evidenced by
obedience. Christ acknowledges none to be His friends save those who
do whatsoever He commands them (John 15:14). As unbelief is a species
of rebellion, so saving faith is a complete subjection to God: Hence
we read of "the obedience of faith" (Romans 16:26). Saving faith is to
the soul what health is to the body: it is a mighty principle of
operation, full of life, ever working, bringing forth fruit after its
own kind.
3. Its Difficulty
Some of our readers will probably be surprised to hear about the
difficulty of saving faith. On almost every side today it is being
taught, even by men styled orthodox and "fundamentalists," that
getting saved is an exceedingly simple affair. So long as a person
believes John 3:16, and "rests on it," or "accepts Christ as his
personal Saviour," that is all that is needed. It is often said that
there is nothing left for the sinner to do but direct his faith toward
the right object: just as a man trusts his bank or a wife her husband,
let him exercise the same faculty of faith and trust in Christ. So
widely has this idea been received that for anyone now to condemn it
is to court being branded as a heretic. Notwithstanding, the writer
here unhesitatingly denounces it as a most God-insulting lie of the
Devil. A natural faith is sufficient for trusting a human object; but
a supernatural faith is required to trust savingly in a Divine object.
While observing the methods employed by present-day "evangelists" and
"personal workers," we are made to wonder what place the Holy Spirit
has in their thoughts; certainly they entertain the most degrading
conception of that miracle of grace which He performs when He moves a
human heart to surrender truly unto the Lord Jesus. Alas, in these
degenerate times few have any idea that saving faith is a miraculous
thing. Instead, it is now almost universally supposed that saving
faith is nothing more than an act of the human will, which any man is
capable of performing: all that is needed is to bring before a sinner
a few verses of Scripture which describe his lost condition, one or
two which contain the word "believe," and then a little persuasion,
for him to "accept Christ," and the thing is done. And the awful thing
is that so very, very few see anything wrong with this--blind to the
fact that such a process is only the Devil's drug to lull thousands
into a false peace.
So many have been argued into believing that they are saved. In
reality, their "faith" sprang from nothing better than a superficial
process of logic. Some "personal worker" addresses a man who has no
concern whatever for the glory of God and no realization of his
terrible hostility against Him. Anxious to "win another soul to
Christ," he pulls out his New Testament and reads to him 1 Timothy
1:15. The worker says, "You are a sinner," and his man assenting he is
at-once informed, "Then that verse includes you." Next John 3:16, is
read, and the question is asked, "Whom does the word `whosoever'
include?" The question is repeated until the poor victim answers,
"You, me, and everybody." Then he is asked, "Will you believe it;
believe that God loves you, that Christ died for you?" If the answer
is "Yes," he is at once assured that he is now saved. Ah, my reader,
if this is how you were "saved," then it was with "enticing words of
man's wisdom" and your "faith" stands only "in the wisdom of men" (1
Cor. 2:4, 5), and not in the power of God!
Multitudes seem to think that it is about as easy for a sinner to
purify his heart (James 4:8) as it is to wash his hands; to admit the
searching and flesh-withering light of Divine truth into the soul as
the morning sun into his room by pulling up the blinds; to turn from
idols to God, from the world to Christ, from sin to holiness, as to
turn a ship right round by the help of her helm. Oh, my reader, be not
deceived on this vital matter; to mortify the lusts of the flesh, to
be crucified unto the world, to overcome the Devil, to die daily unto
sin and live unto righteousness, to be meek and lowly in heart,
trustful and obedient, pious and patient, faithful and uncompromising,
loving and gentle; in a word, to be a Christian, to be Christ-like, is
a task far, far beyond the poor resources of fallen human nature.
It is because a generation has arisen which is ignorant of the real
nature of saving faith that they deem it such a simple thing. It is
because so very few have any scriptural conception of the character of
God's great salvation that the delusions referred to above are so
widely received. It is because so very few realize what they need
saving from that the popular "evangel" (?) of the hour is so eagerly
accepted. Once it is seen that saving faith consists of very much more
than believing that "Christ died for me," that it involves and entails
the complete surrender of my heart and life to His government, few
will imagine that they possess it. Once it is seen that God's
salvation is not only a legal but also an experimental thing, that it
not only justifies but regenerates and sanctifies, fewer will suppose
they are its participants. Once it is seen that Christ came here to
save His people not only from hell, but from sin, from self-will and
self-pleasing, then fewer will desire His salvation.
The Lord Jesus did not teach that saving faith was a simple matter.
Far from it. Instead of declaring that the saving of the soul was an
easy thing, which many would participate in, He said: "Strait is the
gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be
that find it" (Matt. 7:14). The only path which leads to heaven is a
hard and laborious one. "We must through much tribulation enter into
the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22): an entrance into that path calls for
the utmost endeavours of soul--"Strive to enter in at the strait gate"
(Luke 13:24).
After the young ruler had departed from Christ, sorrowing, the Lord
turned to His disciples and said, "How hard is it for them that trust
in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel
to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into
the kingdom of God" (Mark 10:24, 25). What place is given to such a
passage as this in the theology (if "theology" it is fit to be called)
which is being taught in the "Bible institutes" to those seeking to
qualify for evangelistic and personal work? None at all. According to
their views, it is just as easy for a millionaire to be saved as it is
for a pauper, since all that either has to do is "rest on the finished
work of Christ." But those who are wallowing in wealth think not of
God: "According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were
filled, and their heart exalted; therefore have they forgotten Me!"
(Hosea 13:6).
When the disciples heard these words of Christ's "they were astonished
out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?" Had
our moderns heard them, they had soon set their fears at rest, and
assured them that anybody and everybody could be saved if they
believed on the Lord Jesus. But not so did Christ reassure them.
Instead, He immediately added, "With men it is impossible, but not
with God" (Mark 10:27). Of himself, the fallen sinner can no more
repent evangelically, believe in Christ savingly, come to Him
effectually, than he can create a world. "With men it is impossible"
rules out of court all special pleading for the power of man's will.
Nothing but a miracle of grace can lead to the saving of any sinner.
And why is it impossible for the natural man to exercise saving faith?
Let the answer be drawn from the case of this young ruler. He departed
from Christ sorrowing, "for he had great possessions." He was wrapped
up in them. They were his idols. His heart was chained to the things
of earth. The demands of Christ were too exacting: to part with all
and follow Him was more than flesh and blood could endure. Reader,
what are your idols? To him the Lord said, "One thing thou lackest."
What was it? A yielding to the imperative requirements of Christ; a
heart surrendered to God. When the soul is stuffed with the dregs of
earth, there is no room for the impressions of heaven. When a man is
satisfied with carnal riches, he has no desire for spiritual riches.
The same sad truth is brought out again in Christ's parable of the
"great supper." The feast of Divine grace is spread, and through the
Gospel a general call is given for men to come and partake of it. And
what is the response? This: "They all with one consent began to make
excuse" (Luke 14:18). And why should they? Because they were more
interested in other things. Their hearts were set upon land (verse
18), oxen (verse 19), domestic comforts (verse 20). People are willing
to "accept Christ" on their own terms, but not on His. What His terms
are is made known in the same chapter: giving Him the supreme place in
our affections (verse 26), the crucifixion of self (verse 27), the
abandonment of every idol (verse 33). Therefore did He ask, "which of
you, intending to build a tower [figure of a hard task of setting the
affections on things above], sitteth not down first, and counteth the
cost?" (Luke 14:28).
"How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not
the honour that cometh from God only?" (John 5:44). Do these words
picture the exercise of saving faith as the simple matter which so
many deem it? The word "honour" here signifies approbation or praise.
While those Jews were making it their chief aim to win and hold the
good opinion of each other, and were indifferent to the approval of
God, it was impossible that they should come to Christ. It is the same
now: "Whomsoever therefore will be [desires and is determined to be] a
friend of the world is the enemy of God" (James 4:4). To come to
Christ effectually, to believe on Him savingly, involves turning our
backs upon the world, alienating ourselves from the esteem of our
godless (or religious) fellows, and identifying ourselves with the
despised and rejected One. It involves bowing to His yoke,
surrendering to His lordship, and living henceforth for His glory. And
that is no small task.
"Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which
endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto
you" (John 6:27). Does this language imply that the obtaining of
eternal life is a simple matter? It does not; far from it. It denotes
that a man must be in deadly earnest, subordinating all other
interests in his quest for it, and be prepared to put forth strenuous
endeavours and overcome formidable difficulties. Then does this verse
teach salvation by works, by self-efforts? No, and yes. No in the
sense that anything we do can merit salvation--eternal life is a
"gift." Yes in the sense that wholehearted seeking after salvation and
a diligent use of the prescribed means of grace are demanded of us.
Nowhere in Scripture is there any promise to the dilatory. (Compare
Hebrews 4:11).
"No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him"
(John 6:44). Plainly does this language give the lie to the popular
theory of the day, that it lies within the power of man's will to be
saved any time he chooses to be. Flatly does this verse contradict the
flesh-pleasing and creature-honouring idea that anyone can receive
Christ as his Saviour the moment he decides to do so. The reason why
the natural man cannot come to Christ till the Father "draw" him is
because he is the bondslave of sin (John 8:34), serving divers lusts
(Titus 3:3), the captive of the Devil (2 Tim. 2:26). Almighty power
must break his chains and open the prison doors (Luke 4:18) ere he can
come to Christ. Can one who loves darkness and hates the light reverse
the process? No, no more than a man who has a diseased foot or
poisoned hand can heal it by an effort of will. Can the Ethiopian
change his skin or the leopard his spots? No more can they do good who
are accustomed to do evil (Jer. 13:23).
"And if the righteous with difficulty is saved, the ungodly and sinner
where shall they appear?" (1 Peter 4: 18, Bag. Int.). Matthew Henry
said, "It is as much as the best can do to secure the salvation of
their souls; there are so many sufferings, temptations, and
difficulties to be overcome; so many sins to be mortified; the gate is
so strait, and the way so narrow, that it is as much as the righteous
man can do to be saved. Let the absolute necessity of salvation
balance the difficulty of it. Consider your difficulties are the
greatest at first: God offers His grace and help; the contest will not
last long. Be but faithful to the death and God will give you the
crown of life (Rev. 2:10)." So also John Lillie, "After all that God
has done by sending His Son, and the Son by the Holy Spirit, it is
only with difficulty, exceeding difficulty, that the work of saving
the righteous advances to its consummation. The entrance into the
kingdom lies through much tribulation--through fightings without and
fears within--through the world's seductions, and its frowns--through
the utter weakness and continual failures of the flesh, and the many
fiery darts of Satan."
Here then are the reasons why saving faith is so difficult to put
forth. (1) By nature men are entirely ignorant of its real character,
and therefore are easily deceived by Satan's plausible substitutes for
it. But even when they are scripturally informed thereon, they either
sorrowfully turn their backs on Christ, as did the rich young ruler
when he learned His terms of discipleship, or they hypocritically
profess what they do not possess. (2) The power of self-love reigns
supreme within, and to deny self is too great a demand upon the
unregenerate. (3) The love of the world and the approbation of their
friends stands in the way of a complete surrender to Christ. (4) The
demands of God that He should be loved with all the heart and that we
should be "holy in all manner of conversation" (1 Peter 1:15) repels
the carnal. (5) Bearing the reproach of Christ, being hated by the
religious world (John 15:18), suffering persecution for righteousness'
sake, is something which mere flesh and blood shrinks from. (6) The
humbling of ourselves before God, penitently confessing all our
self-will, is something which an unbroken heart revolts against. (7)
To fight the good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12) and overcome the Devil
(l John 2:13) is too arduous an undertaking for those who love their
own ease.
Multitudes desire to be saved from hell (the natural instinct of
self-preservation) who are quite unwilling to be saved from sin. Yes,
there are tens of thousands who have been deluded into thinking that
they have "accepted Christ as their Saviour," whose lives show plainly
that they reject Him as their Lord. For a sinner to obtain the pardon
of God he must "forsake his way" (Isa. 55:7). No man can turn to God
until he turns from idols (1 Thess. 1:9). Thus insisted the Lord
Jesus, "Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he
cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:33).
The terrible thing is that so many preachers today, under the pretence
of magnifying the grace of God, have represented Christ as the
Minister of sin; as One who has, through His atoning sacrifice,
procured an indulgence for men to continue gratifying their fleshly
and worldly lusts. Provided a man professes to believe in the virgin
birth and vicarious death of Christ, and claims to be resting upon Him
alone for salvation, he may pass for a real Christian almost anywhere
today, even though his daily life may be no different from that of the
moral worldling who makes no profession at all. The Devil is
chloroforming thousands into hell by this very delusion. The Lord
Jesus asks, "Why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I
say?" (Luke 6:46); and insists, "Not every one that saith unto Me,
Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth
the will of My Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 7:2 1).
The hardest task before most of us is not to learn, but to unlearn.
Many of God's own children have drunk so deeply of the sweetened
poison of Satan that it is by no means easy to get it out of their
systems; and while it remains in them it stupefies their
understanding. So much is this the case that the first time one of
them reads an article like this it is apt to strike him as an open
attack upon the sufficiency of Christ's finished `work, as though we
were here teaching that the atoning sacrifice of the Lamb needed to be
plussed by something from the creature. Not so. Nothing but, the
merits of Immanuel can ever give any sinner title to stand before the
ineffably holy God. But what we are now contending for is, When does
God impute to any sinner the righteousness of Christ? Certainly not
while he is opposed to Him.
Moreover, we do not honour the work of Christ until we correctly
define what that work was designed to effect. The Lord of glory did
not come here and die to procure the pardon of our sins, and take us
to heaven while our hearts still remain cleaving to the earth. No, He
came here to prepare a way to heaven (John 10:4; 14:4; Heb. 10:20-22;
1 Peter 2:21), to call men into that way, that by His precepts and
promises, His example and spirit, He might form and fashion their
souls to that glorious state, and make them willing to abandon all
things for it. He lived and died so that His Spirit should come and
quicken the dead sinners into newness of life, make them new creatures
in Himself, and cause them to sojourn in this world as those who are
not of it, as those whose hearts have already departed from it. Christ
did not come here to render a change of heart, repentance, faith,
personal holiness, loving God supremely and obeying Him unreservedly,
as unnecessary, or salvation as possible without them. How passing
strange that any suppose He did!
Ah, my reader, it becomes a searching test for each of our hearts to
face honestly the question, Is this what I really long for? As Bunyan
asked (in his The Jerusalem Sinner Saved), "What are thy desires?
Wouldest thou be saved? Wouldest thou be saved with a thorough
salvation? Wouldest thou be saved from guilt, and from filth too?
Wouldest thou be the servant of the Saviour? Art thou indeed weary of
the service of thy old master, the Devil, sin, and the world? And have
these desires put thy soul to flight? Dost thou fly to Him that is a
Saviour from the wrath to come, for life? If these be thy desires, and
if they be' unfeigned, fear not."
"Many people think that when we preach salvation, we mean salvation
from going to hell. We do mean that, but we mean a great deal more: we
preach salvation from sin; we say that Christ is able to save a man;
and we mean by that that He is able to save him from sin and to make
him holy; to make him a new man. No person has any right to say `I am
saved,' while he continues in sin as he did before. How can you be
saved from sin while you are living in it? A man that is drowning
cannot say he is saved from the water while he is sinking in it; a man
that is frost-bitten cannot say, with any truth, that he is saved from
the cold while he is stiffened in the wintry blast. No, man, Christ
did not come to save thee in thy sins, but to save thee from thy sins,
not to make the disease so that it should not kill thee, but to let it
remain in itself mortal, and, nevertheless, to remove it from thee,
and thee from it. Christ Jesus came then to heal us from the plague of
sin, to touch us with His hand and say `I will, be thou clean'"(C. H.
Spurgeon, on Matt. 9:12).
They who do not yearn after holiness of heart and righteousness of
life are only deceiving themselves when they suppose they desire to be
saved by Christ. The plain fact is, all that is wanted by so many
today is merely a soothing portion of their conscience, which will
enable them to go on comfortably in a course of self-pleasing which
will permit them to continue their worldly ways without the fear of
eternal punishment. Human nature is the same the world over; that
wretched instinct which causes multitudes to believe that paying a
papist priest a few dollars procures forgiveness of all their past
sins, and an "indulgence" for future ones, moves other multitudes to
devour greedily the lie that, with an unbroken and impenitent heart,
by a mere act of the will, they may "believe in Christ," and thereby
obtain not only God's pardon for past sins but an "eternal security,"
no matter what they do or do not do in the future.
Oh, my reader, be not deceived; God frees none from the condemnation
but those "which are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1), and "if any man be
in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are [not "ought to be"]
passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Cor. 5:17). Saving
faith makes a sinner come to Christ with a real soul-thirst, that he
may drink of the living water, even of His sanctifying Spirit (John
7:38, 39). To love our enemies, to bless them that curse us, to pray
for them that despitefully use us, is very far from being easy, yet
this is only one part of the task which Christ assigns unto those who
would be His disciples. He acted thus, and He has left us an example
that we should follow His steps. And His "salvation," in its present
application, consists of revealing to our hearts the imperative need
for our measuring up to His high and holy standard, with a realization
of our own utter powerlessness so to do; and creating within us an
intense hunger and thirst after such personal righteousness, and a
daily turning unto Him and trustful supplication for needed grace and
strength.
4. Its Communication
From the human viewpoint, things are now in a bad state in the world.
But from the spiritual viewpoint things are in a far worse state in
the religious realm. Sad is it to see the anti-Christian cults
flourishing on every side; but far more grievous is it, for those who
are taught of God, to discover that much of the so-called "Gospel"
which is now being preached in many "fundamentalist churches" and"
gospel halls" is but a satanic delusion. The Devil knows that his
captives are quite secure while the grace of God and the finished work
of Christ are "faithfully" proclaimed to them, so long as the only way
in which sinners receive the saving virtues of the Atonement is
unfaithfully concealed. While God's peremptory and unchanging demand
for repentance is left out, while Christ's own terms of discipleship
(i.e. how to become a Christian: Acts 11:26) in Luke 14:26, 27, 33,
are withheld, and while saving faith is frittered down to a mere act
of the will, blind laymen will continue to be led by blind preachers,
only for both to fall into the ditch.
Things are far, far worse even in the "orthodox" sections of
Christendom than the majority of God's own children are aware. Things
are rotten even at the very foundation, for with very rare exceptions
God's way of salvation is no longer being taught. Tens of thousands
are "ever learning" points in prophecy, the meaning of the types, the
significance of the numerals, how to divide the "dispensations," who
are, nevertheless, "never able to come to the knowledge of the truth"
(2 Tim. 3:7) of salvation itself--unable because unwilling to pay the
price (Prov. 23:23), which is a full surrender to God Himself. As far
as the writer understands the present situation, it seems to him that
what is needed today is to press upon the serious attention of
professing Christians such questions as: When is it that God applies
to a sinner the virtues of Christ's finished work? What is it that I
am called upon to do in order to appropriate myself to the efficacy of
Christ's atonement? What is it that gives me an actual entrance into
the good of His redemption?
The questions formulated above are only three different ways of
framing the same inquiry. Now the popular answer which is being
returned to them is, "Nothing more is required from any sinner than
that he simply believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." In the preceding
articles of this series we have sought to show that such a reply is
misleading, inadequate, faulty, and that because it ignores all the
other scriptures which set forth what God requires from the sinner: it
leaves out of account God's demand for repentance (with all that that
involves and includes), and Christ's clearly defined terms of
discipleship in Luke 14. To restrict ourselves to any one scripture
term of a subject, or set of passages using that term, results in an
erroneous conception of it. They who limit their ideas of regeneration
to the one figure of the new birth lapse into serious error upon it.
So they who limit their thoughts on how to be saved to the one word
"believe" are easily misled. Diligent care needs to be taken to
collect all that Scripture teaches on any subject if we are to have a
properly balanced and accurate view thereof.
To be more specific. In Romans 10:13, we read, "For whosoever shall
call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Now does this mean
that all who have, with their lips, cried unto the Lord, who have in
the name of Christ besought God to have mercy on them, have been saved
by Him? They who reply in the affirmative are only deceived by the
mere sound of words, as the deluded Romanist is when he contends for
Christ's bodily presence in the bread, because He said "this is My
body." And how are we to show the papist is misled? Why, by comparing
Scripture with Scripture. So here. The writer well remembers being on
a ship in a terrible storm off the coast of Newfoundland. All the
hatches were battened down, and for three days no passenger was
allowed on the decks. Reports from the stewards were disquieting.
Strong men paled. As the winds increased and the ship rolled worse and
worse, scores of men and women were heard calling upon the name of the
Lord. Did He save them? A day or two later, when the weather changed,
those same men and women were drinking, cursing, card-playing!
Perhaps someone asks, "But does not Romans 10:13 say what it means?"
Certainly it does, but no verse of Scripture yields its meaning to
lazy people. Christ Himself tells us that there are many who call Him
"Lord" to whom He will say "Depart from Me" (Matt. 7:22, 23). Then
what is to be done with Romans 10:13? Why, diligently compare it with
all other passages which make known what the sinner must do ere God
will save him. If nothing more than the fear of death or horror of
hell prompts the sinner to call upon the Lord, he might just as well
call upon the trees. The Almighty is not at the beck and call of any
rebel who, when he is terrified, sues for mercy. "He that turneth away
his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination"
(Prov. 28:9)! "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso
confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy" (Prov. 28: 13). The
only "calling upon His name" which the Lord heeds is that which issues
from a broken, penitent, sin-hating heart, which thirsts after
holiness.
The same principle applies to Acts 16:31, and all similar texts:
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." To a
casual reader, that seems a very simple matter, yet a closer pondering
of those words should discover that more is involved than at first
sight appears. Note that the apostles did not merely tell the
Philippian jailer to "rest on the finished work of Christ," or "trust
in His atoning sacrifice." Instead, it was a Person that was set
before him. Again, it was not simply "Believe on the Saviour," but
"the Lord Jesus Christ." John 1:12 shows plainly that to "believe" is
to "receive," and to be saved a sinner must receive One who is not
only Saviour but "Lord," yea, who must be received as "Lord" before He
becomes the Saviour of that person. And to receive "Christ Jesus the
Lord" (Col. 2:6) necessarily involves the renouncing of our own sinful
lordship, the throwing down of the weapons of our warfare against Him,
and the submitting to His yoke and rule. And before any human rebel is
brought to do that, a miracle of Divine grace has to be wrought within
him. And this brings us more immediately to the present aspect of our
theme.
Saving faith is not a native product of the human heart, but a
spiritual grace communicated from on high. "It is the gift of God"
(Eph. 2:8). It is "of the operation of God" (Col. 2:12). It is by "the
power of God" (1 Cor. 2:5). A most remarkable passage on this subject
is found in Ephesians 1:16-20. There we find the apostle Paul praying
that the saints should have the eyes of their understanding
enlightened, that they might know "what is the exceeding greatness of
His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His
mighty power, which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the
dead." Not the strong power of God, or the greatness of it, but the
"exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward." Note too the standard
of comparison: we "believe according to the working of His mighty
power, which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead."
God put forth His "Mighty power" when He resurrected Christ. There was
a mighty power seeking to hinder, even Satan and all his hosts. There
was a mighty difficulty to be overcome, even the vanquishing of the
grace. There was a mighty result to be achieved, even the bringing to
life of One who was dead. None but God Himself was equal to a miracle
so stupendous. Strictly analogous is that miracle of grace which
issues in saving faith. The Devil employs all his arts and power to
retain his captive. The sinner is dead in trespasses and sins, and can
no more quicken himself than he can create a world. His heart is bound
fast with the grave-clothes of worldly and fleshly lusts, and only
Omnipotence can raise it into communion with God. Well may every true
servant of the Lord emulate the apostle Paul and pray earnestly that
God will enlighten His people concerning this wonder of wonders, so
that instead of attributing their faith to an exercise of their own
will they may freely ascribe all the honour and glory unto Him to whom
alone it justly belongs.
If only the professing Christians of this untoward generation could
begin to obtain some adequate conception of the real condition of
every man by nature, they might be less inclined to cavil against the
teaching that nothing short of a miracle of grace can ever qualify any
sinner to believe unto the saving of his soul If they could only see
that the heart's attitude towards God of the most refined and moral is
not a whit different from that of the most vulgar and vicious; that he
who is most kind and benevolent toward his fellow creatures has no
more real desire after Christ than has the most selfish and brutal;
then it would be evident that Divine power must operate to change the
heart. Divine power was needed to create, but much greater power is
required to regenerate a soul: creation is only the bringing of
something Out of nothing, but regeneration is the transforming not
only of an unlovely object, but of one that resists with all its might
the gracious designs of the heavenly Potter.
It is not simply that the Holy Spirit approaches a heart in which
there is no love for God, but He finds it filled with enmity against
Him, and incapable of being subject to His law (Romans 8:7). True, the
individual himself maybe quite unconscious of this terrible fact, yea,
ready indignantly to deny it. But that is easily accounted for. If he
has heard little or nothing but the love, the grace, the mercy, the
goodness of God, it would indeed be surprising if he hated Him. But
once the God of Scripture is made known to him in the power of the
Spirit, once he is made to realize that God is the Governor of this
world, demanding unqualified submission to all His laws; that He is
inflexibly just, and "will by no means clear the guilty"; that He is
sovereign, and loves whom He pleases and hates whom He wills; that so
far from being an easy-going, indulgent Creator, who winks at the
follies of His creatures, He is ineffably holy, so that His righteous
wrath burns against all the workers of iniquity--then will people be
conscious of indwelling enmity surging up against Him. And nothing but
the almighty power of the Spirit can overcome that enmity and bring
any rebel truly to love the God of Holy Writ.
Rightly did Thomas Goodwin the Puritan say, "A wolf will sooner marry
a lamb, or a lamb a wolf, than ever a carnal heart be subject to the
law of God, which was the ancient husband of it (Romans 7:6). It is
the turning of one contrary into another. To turn water into wine,
there is some kind of symbolizing, yet that is a miracle. But to turn
a wolf into a lamb, to turn fire into water, is a yet greater miracle.
Between nothing and something there is an infinite distance, but
between sin and grace there is a greater distance than can be between
nothing and the highest angel in heaven.. . To. destroy the power of
sin in a man's soul is as great a work as to take away the guilt of
sin. It is easier to say to a blind man, `See,' and to a lame man,
`Walk,' than to say to a man that lies under the power of sin, `Live,
be holy,' for there is that that will not be subject."
In 2 Corinthians 10:4, the apostle describes the character of that
work in which the true servants of Christ are engaged. It is a
conflict with the forces of Satan. The weapons of their warfare are
"not carnal"--as well might modern soldiers go forth equipped with
only wooden swords and paper shields as preachers think to liberate
the Devil's captives by means of human leaning, worldly methods,
touching anecdotes, attractive singing, and so on. No, "their weapons"
are the "word of God" and "all prayer" (Eph. 6:17, 18); and even these
are only mighty "through God," that is by His direct and special
blessing of them to particular souls. In what follows, a description
is given of where the might of God is seen, namely in the powerful
opposition which it meets with and vanquishes; "to the pulling down of
strong holds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that
exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into
captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."
Herein lies the power of God when He is pleased thus to put it forth
in the saving of a sinner. The heart of that sinner is fortified
against Him: it is steeled against His holy demands, His righteous
claims. It is determined not to submit to His law, nor to abandon
those idols which it prohibits. That haughty rebel has made up his
mind that he will not turn away from the delights of this world and
the pleasure of sin and give God the supreme place in his affections.
But God has determined to overcome his sinful opposition, and
transform him into a loving and loyal subject. The figure here used is
that of a besieged town--the heart. Its "strongholds"--the reigning
power of fleshly and worldly lusts--are "pulled down"; self-will is
broken, pride is subdued, and the defiant rebel is made a willing
captive to "the obedience of Christ"! "Mighty through God" points to
this miracle of grace.
There is one other detail pointed by the analogy drawn in Ephesians
1:19, 20, which exemplifies the mighty power of God, namely "and set
Him [Christ] at His own right hand in the heavenly places." The
members of Christ's mystical body are predestinated to be conformed to
the glorious image of their glorified Head: in measure, now;
perfectly, in the day to come. The ascension of Christ was contrary to
nature, being opposed by the law of gravitation. But the power of God
overcame that opposition, and translated His resurrected Son bodily
into heaven. In like manner, His grace produces in His people that
which is contrary to nature, overcoming the opposition of the flesh,
and drawing their hearts unto things above. How we would marvel if we
saw a man extend his arms and suddenly leave the earth, soaring upward
into the sky. Yet still more wonderful is it when we behold the power
of the Spirit causing a sinful creature to rise above temptations,
worldliness and sin, and breathe the atmosphere of heaven; when a
human soul is made to disdain the things of earth and find its
satisfaction in things above.
The historical order in connection with the Head in Ephesians 1:19,
20, is also the experimental order with regard to the members of His
body. Before setting His Son at His own right hand in the heavenlies,
God raised Him from the dead; so before the Holy Spirit fixes the
heart of a sinner upon Christ He first quickens him into newness of
life. There must be life before there can be sight, believing, or good
works performed. One who is physically dead is incapable of doing
anything; so he who is spiritually dead is incapable of any spiritual
exercises. First the giving of life unto dead Lazarus, then the
removing of the grave-clothes which bound him hand and foot. God must
regenerate before there can be a "new creature in Christ Jesus." The
washing of a child follows its birth.
When spiritual life has been communicated to the soul, that individual
is now able to see things in their true colours. In God's light he
sees light (Ps. 36:9). He is now given to perceive (by the Holy
Spirit) what a lifelong rebel he has been against his Creator and
Benefactor: that instead of making God's will his rule he has gone his
own way; that instead of having before him God's glory he has sought
only to please and gratify self. Even though he may have been
preserved from all the grosser outward forms of wickedness, he now
recognizes that he is a spiritual leper, a vile and polluted creature,
utterly unfit to draw near, still less to dwell with, Him who is
ineffably holy; and such an apprehension makes him feel that his case
is hopeless.
There is a vast difference between hearing or reading of what
conviction of sin is and being made to feel it in the depths of one's
own soul. Multitudes are acquainted with the theory who are total
strangers to the experience of it: One may read of the sad effects of
war, and may agree that they are indeed dreadful; but when the enemy
is at one's own door, plundering his goods, firing his home, slaying
his dear ones, he is far more sensible of the miseries of war than
ever he was (or could be) previously. So an unbeliever may hear of
what a dreadful state the sinner is in before God, and how terrible
will be the sufferings of hell; but when the Spirit brings home to his
own heart its actual condition, and makes him feel the heat of God's
wrath in his own conscience, he is ready to sink with dismay and
despair. Reader, do you know anything of such an experience?
Only thus is any soul prepared truly to appreciate Christ. They that
are whole need not a physician. The one who has been savingly
convicted is made to realize that none but the Lord Jesus can heal one
so desperately diseased by sin; that He alone can impart that
spiritual health (holiness) which will enable him to run in the way of
God's commandments; that nothing but His precious blood can atone for
the sins of the past and naught but His all-sufficient grace can meet
the pressing needs of the present and future. Thus there must be
discerning faith before there is coming faith. The Father "draws" to
the Son (John 6:44) by imparting to the mind a deep realization of our
desperate need of Christ, by giving to the heart a real sense of the
inestimable worth of Him, and by causing the will to receive Him on
His own terms.
5. Its Evidences
The great majority of those who read this will, doubtless, be they who
profess to be in possession of a saving faith. To all such we would
put the questions. Where is your proof? What effects has it produced
in you? A tree is known by its fruits, and a fountain by the waters
which issue from it; so the nature of your faith may be ascertained by
a careful examination of what it is bringing forth. We say "a careful
examination," for as all fruit is not fit for eating nor all water for
drinking, so all works are not the effects of a faith which saves.
Reformation is not regeneration, and a changed life does not always
indicate a changed heart. Have you been saved from a dislike of God's
commandments and a disrelish of His holiness? Have you been saved from
pride, covetousness, murmuring? Have you been delivered from the love
of this world, from the fear of man, from the reigning power of every
sin?
The heart of fallen man is thoroughly depraved, its thoughts and
imaginations being only evil continually (Gen. 6:5). It is full of
corrupt desires and affections, which exert themselves and influence
man in all he does. Now the Gospel comes into direct opposition with
these selfish lusts and corrupt affections, both in the root and in
the fruit of them (Titus 2:11, 12). There is no greater duty that the
Gospel urges upon our souls than the mortifying and destroying of
them, and this indispensably, if we intend to be made partakers of its
promises (Romans 8:13; Col. 3:5, 8). Hence the first real work of
faith is to cleanse the soul from these pollutions, and therefore we
read, "They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the
affections and lusts" (Gal. 5:24). Mark well, it is not that they
"ought to" do so, but that they have actually, in some measure or
degree.
It is one thing really to think we believe a thing, it is quite
another actually to do so. So fickle is the human heart that even in
natural things men know not their own minds. In temporal affairs what
a man really believes is best ascertained by his practice. Suppose I
meet a traveler in a narrow gorge and tell him that just ahead is an
impassable river, and that the bridge across it is rotten: if he
declines to turn back, am I not warranted in concluding that he does
not believe me? Or if a physician tells me a certain disease holds me
in its grip, and that in a short time it will prove fatal if I do not
use a prescribed remedy which is sure to heal, would he not be
justified in inferring that I did not trust his judgment were he to
see me not only ignoring his directions but following a contrary
course? Likewise, to believe there is a hell and yet run unto it; to
believe that sin continued in will damn and yet live in it--to what
purpose is it to boast of such a faith?
Now, from what was before us in the above section, it should be plain
beyond all room for doubt that when God imparts saving faith to a soul
radical and real effects will follow. One cannot be raised from the
dead without there being a consequent walking in newness of life. One
cannot be the subject of a miracle of grace being wrought in the heart
without a noticeable change being apparent to all who know him. Where
a supernatural root has been implanted, supernatural fruit must issue
therefrom. Not that sinless perfection is attained in the life, nor
that the evil principle, the flesh, is eradicated from our beings, or
even purified. Nevertheless, there is now a yearning after perfection,
there is a spirit resisting the flesh, there is a striving against
sin. And more, there is a growing in grace, and a pressing forward
along the "narrow way" which leads to heaven.
One serious error so widely propagated today in "orthodox" circles,
and which is responsible for so many souls being deceived, is the
seemingly Christ-honoring doctrine that it is "His blood which alone
saves any sinner." Ah, Satan is very clever; he knows exactly what
bait to use for every place in which he fishes. Many a company would
indignantly resent a preacher's telling them that getting baptized and
eating the Lord's supper were God's appointed means for saving the
soul; yet most of these same people will readily accept the lie that
it is only by the blood of Christ we can be saved. That is true
Godwards, but it is not true manwards. The work of the Spirit in us is
equally essential as the work of Christ for us. Let the reader
carefully ponder the whole of Titus 3:5.
Salvation is twofold: it is both legal and experimental, and consists
of justification and sanctification. Moreover, I owe my salvation not
only to the Son but to all three persons in the Godhead. Alas, how
little is this realized today, and how little is it preached. First
and primarily I owe my salvation to God the Father, who ordained and
planned it, and who chose me unto salvation (2 Thess. 2:13). In Titus
2:4, it is the Father who is denominated "God our Saviour." Secondly
and meritoriously I owe my salvation to the obedience and sacrifice of
God the Son Incarnate, who performed as my Sponsor everything which
the law required, and satisfied all its demands upon me. Thirdly and
efficaciously I owe my salvation to the regenerating, sanctifying and
preserving operations of the Spirit: note that His work is made just
as prominent in Luke 15:8-10, as is the Shepherd's in Luke 15:4-7! As
Titus 3:5, so plainly affirms, God "saved us by the washing of
regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit"; and it is the presence
of His "fruit" in my heart and life which furnishes the immediate
evidence of my salvation.
"With the heart man believeth unto righteousness" (Romans 10:10). Thus
it is the heart which we must first examine in order to discover
evidences of the presence of a saving faith. And first, God's Word
speaks of "purifying their hearts by faith" (Acts 15:9). Of old the
Lord said, "0 Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou
mayest be saved" (Jer. 4:14). A heart that is being purified by faith
(cf. 1 Peter 1:22), is one fixed upon a pure Object. It drinks from a
pure Fountain, delights in a pure Law (Romans 7:22), and looks forward
to spending eternity with a pure Saviour (1 John 3:3). It loathes all
that is filthy--spiritually as well as morally--yea, hates the very
garment spotted by the flesh (Jude 23). Contrariwise, it loves all
that is holy, lovely and Christlike.
"The pure in heart shall see God" (Matt. 5:8). Heart purity is
absolutely essential to fit us for dwelling in that place into which
there shall in no wise enter anything "that defileth, neither worketh
abomination" (Rev. 21:27). Perhaps a little fuller definition is
called for. Purifying the heart by faith consists of, first, the
purifying of the understanding, by the shining in of Divine light, so
as to cleanse it from error. Second, the purifying of the conscience,
so as to cleanse it from guilt. Third, the purifying of the will, so
as to cleanse it from self-will and self-seeking. Fourth, the
purifying of the affections, so as to cleanse them from the love of
all that is evil. In Scripture the "heart" includes all these four
faculties. A deliberate purpose to continue in any one sin cannot
consist with a pure heart.
Again, saving faith is always evidenced by a humble heart. Faith lays
the soul low, for it discovers its own vileness, emptiness, impotency.
It realizes its former sinfulness and present unworthiness. It is
conscious of its weaknesses and wants, its carnality and corruptions.
Nothing more exalts Christ than faith, and nothing more debases a man.
In order to magnify the riches of His grace, God has selected faith as
the fittest instrument, and this because it is that which causes us to
go entirely out from ourselves unto Him. Faith, realizing we are
nothing but sin and wretchedness, comes unto Christ as an empty-handed
beggar to receive all from Him. Faith empties a man of self-conceit,
self-confidence, and self-righteousness, and makes him seem nothing,
that Christ may be all in all. The strongest faith is always
accompanied by the greatest humility, accounting self the greatest of
sinners and unworthy of the least favour (see Matt. 8:8-10).
Again, saving faith is always found in a tender heart. "A new heart
also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I
will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you
an heart of flesh" (Ezek. 36:26). An unregenerate heart is hard as
stone, full of pride and presumption. It is quite unmoved by the
sufferings of Christ, in the sense that they act as no deterrent
against self-will and self-pleasing. But the real Christian is moved
by the love of Christ, and says, How can I sin against His dying love
for me. When overtaken by a fault, there is passionate relenting and
bitter mourning. Oh, my reader, do you know what it is to be melted
before God, for you to be heart-broken with anguish over sinning
against and grieving such a Saviour? Ah, it is not the absence of sin
but the grieving over it which distinguishes the child of God from
empty professors.
Another characteristic of saving faith is that it "worketh by love"
(Gal. 5:6). It is not inactive, but energetic. That faith which is "of
the operation of God" (Col. 2:12) is a mighty principle of power,
diffusing spiritual energy to all the faculties of the soul and
enlisting them in the service of God. Faith is a principle of life, by
which the Christian lives unto God; a principle of motion, by which he
walks to heaven along the highway of holiness; a principle of
strength, by which he opposes the flesh, the world, and the Devil.
"Faith in the heart of a Christian is like the salt that was thrown
into the corrupt fountain, that made the naughty waters good and the
barren land fruitful. Hence it is that there followeth an alteration
of life and conversation, and so bringeth forth fruit accordingly: `A
good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good
fruit'; which treasure is faith" (John Bunyan in Christian Behaviour).
Where a saving faith is rooted in the heart it grows up and spreads
itself in all the branches of obedience, and is filled with the fruits
of righteousness. It makes its possessor act for God, and thereby
evidences that it is a living thing and not merely a lifeless theory.
Even a newborn infant, though it cannot walk and work as a grown man,
breathes and cries, moves and sucks, and thereby shows it is alive. So
with the one who has been born again; there is a breathing unto God, a
crying after Him, a moving toward Him, a clinging to Him. But the
infant does not long remain a babe; there is growth, increasing
strength, enlarged activity. Nor does the Christian remain stationary:
he goes "from strength to strength" (Ps. 84:7).
But observe carefully, faith not only "worketh" but it "worketh by
love." It is at this point that the "works" of the Christian differ
from those of the mere religionist. "The papist works that he may
merit heaven. The Pharisee works that he may be applauded, that he may
be seen of men, that he may have a good esteem with them. The slave
works lest he should be beaten, lest he should be damned. The
formalist works that he may stop the mouth of conscience, that will be
accusing him, if he does nothing. The ordinary professor works because
it is a shame to do nothing where so much is professed. But the true
believer works because he loves. This is the principal, if not the
only, motive that sets him a-work. If there were no other motive
within or without him, yet would he be working for God, acting for
Christ, because he loves Him; it is like fire in his bones" (David
Clarkson).
Saving faith is ever accompanied by an obedient walk. "Hereby we do
know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that saith, I
know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth
is not in him" (1 John 2:3, 4). Make no mistake upon this point:
infinite as are the merits of Christ's sacrifice, mighty as is the
potency of His priestly intercession, yet they avail not for any who
continue in the path of disobedience. He acknowledges none to be His
disciples save them who do homage to Him as their Lord. "Too many
professors pacify themselves with the idea that they possess imputed
righteousness, while they are indifferent to the sanctifying work of
the Spirit. They refuse to put on the garment of obedience, they
reject the white linen which is the righteousness of the saints. They
thus reveal their self-will, their enmity to God, and their
non-submission to His Son. Such men may talk what they will about
justification by faith, and salvation by grace, but they are rebels at
heart; they have not on the wedding-dress any more than the
self-righteous, whom they so eagerly condemn. The fact is, if we wish
for the blessings of grace, we must in our hearts submit to the rules
of grace without picking and choosing" (C.H. Spurgeon on "The Wedding
Garment").
Once more: saving faith is precious, for, like gold, it will endure
trial (1 Peter 1:7). A genuine Christian fears no test; he is willing,
yea, wishes, to be tried by God Himself. He cries, "Examine me, 0
Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart" (Ps. 26:2). Therefore
he is willing for his faith to be tried by others, for he shuns not
the touchstone of Holy Writ. He frequently tries for himself, for
where so much is at stake he must be sure. He is anxious to know the
worst as well as the best. That preaching pleases him best which is
most searching and discriminating. He is loath to be deluded with vain
hopes. He would not be flattered into a high conceit of his spiritual
state without grounds. When challenged, he complies with the apostle's
advice in 2 Corinthians 13:5.
Herein does the real Christian differ from the formalist. The
presumptuous professor is filled with pride, and, having a high
opinion of himself, is quite sure that he has been saved by Christ. He
disdains any searching tests, and considers self-examination to be
highly injurious and destructive of faith. That preaching pleases him
best which keeps at a respectable distance, which comes not near his
conscience, which makes no scrutiny of his heart. To preach to him of
the finished work of Christ and the eternal security of all who
believe in Him strengthens his false peace and feeds his carnal
confidence. Should a real servant of God seek to convince him that his
hope is a delusion, and his confidence presumptuous, he would regard
him as an enemy, as Satan seeking to fill him with doubts. There is
more hope of a murderer being saved than of his being disillusioned.
Another characteristic of saving faith is that it gives the heart
victory over all the vanities and vexations of things below. "For
whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the
victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4).
Observe that this is not an ideal after which the Christian strives,
but an actuality of present experience. In this the saint is conformed
to His Head: "Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John
16:33). Christ overcame it for His people, and now He overcomes it in
them. He opens their eyes to see the hollowness and worthlessness of
the best which this world has to offer, and weans their hearts from it
by satisfying them with spiritual things. So little does the world
attract the genuine child of God that he longs for the time to come
when God shall take him out of it.
Alas, that so very few of those now bearing the name of Christ have
any real experimental acquaintance with these things. Alas, that so
many are deceived by a faith which is not a saving one. "He only is a
Christian who lives for Christ. Many persons think they can be
Christians on easier terms than these. They think it is enough to
trust in Christ while they do not live for Him. But the Bible teaches
us that if we are partakers of Christ's death we are also partakers of
His life. If we have any such appreciation of His love in dying for us
as to lead us to confide in the merits of His death, we shall be
constrained to consecrate our lives to His service. And this is the
only evidence of the genuineness of our faith" (Charles Hodge on 2
Corinthians 5:15).
Reader, are the things mentioned above actualized in your own
experience? If they are not, how worthless and wicked is your
profession! "It is therefore exceedingly absurd for any to pretend
that they have a good heart while they live a wicked life, or do not
bring forth the fruit of universal holiness in their practice. Men
that live in the ways of sin, and yet flatter themselves that they
shall go to heaven, expecting to be received hereafter as holy
persons, without a holy practice, act as though they expected to make
a fool of their Judge. Which is implied in what the apostle says
(speaking of men's doing good works and living a holy life, thereby
exhibiting evidence of their title to everlasting life), `Be not
deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall
he also reap' (Gal. 6:7). As much as to say, Do not deceive yourselves
with an expectation of reaping life everlasting hereafter, if you do
not sow to the Spirit here; it is in vain to think that God will be
made a fool of by you" (Johathan Edwards in Religious Affections).
That which Christ requires from His disciples is that they should
magnify and glorify Him in this world, and that by living holily to
Him and suffering patiently for Him. Nothing is as honoring to Christ
as that those who bear His name should, by their holy obedience, make
manifest the power of His love over their hearts and lives.
Contrariwise, nothing is so great a reproach to Him, nothing more
dishonors Him, than that those who are living to please self, and who
are conformed to this world, should cloak their wickedness under His
holy name. A Christian is one who has taken Christ for his example in
all things; then how great the insult which is done Him by those
claiming to be Christians whose daily lives show they have no respect
for His godly example. They are a stench in His nostrils; they are a
cause of grievous sorrow to His real disciples; they are the greatest
hindrance of all to the progress of His cause on earth; and they shall
yet find that the hottest places in hell have been reserved for them.
Oh that they would either abandon their course of self-pleasing or
drop the profession of that name which is above every name.
Should the Lord be pleased to use this article in shattering the false
confidence of some deluded souls, and should they earnestly inquire
how they are to obtain a genuine and saving faith, we answer, Use the
means which God has prescribed. When faith be His gift, He gives it in
His own way; and if we desire to receive it, then we must put
ourselves in that way wherein He is wont to communicate it. Faith is
the work of God, but He works it not immediately, but through the
channels of His appointed means. The means prescribed cannot effect
faith of themselves. They are no further effectual than in instruments
in the hands of Him who is the principal cause. Though He has not tied
Himself to them, yet He has confined us. Though He be free, yet the
means are necessary to us.
The first means is prayer. "A new heart also will I give you, and a
new spirit will I put within you" (Ezek. 36:26). Here is a gracious
promise, but in what way will He accomplish it, and similar ones?
Listen, "Thus saith the Lord God; I will yet for this be inquired of
by the house of Israel, to do it for them"' (Ezek. 36:3 7). Cry
earnestly to God for a new heart, for His regenerating Spirit, for the
gift of saving faith. Prayer is a universal duty. Though an unbeliever
sin in praying (as in everything else), it is not a sin for him to
pray.
The second means is the written Word heard (John 17:20; 1 Cor. 3:5) or
read (2 Tim. 3:15). Said David, "I will never forget Thy precepts: for
with them Thou hast quickened me" (Ps. 119:93). The Scriptures are the
Word of God; through them He speaks. Then read them, asking Him to
speak life, power, deliverance, peace, to your heart. May the Lord
deign to add His blessing.
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13
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Practical Christianity by A.W. Pink
Part 1: The Christian's Beginning
_________________________________________________________________
Chapter 2-The Power of God
_________________________________________________________________
"Twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God" (Ps. 62:11).
In When first writing upon this subject, we practically confined our
attention to the omnipotence of God as it is seen in and through the
old creation. Here we propose to contemplate the exercise of His might
in and on the new creation. That God's people are much slower to
perceive the latter than the former is plain from Ephesians 1:19,
where the apostle prayed that the saints might know "what is the
exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe, according to
the working of His mighty power." Very striking indeed is this. When
Paul speaks of the Divine power in creation he mentions "His power and
Godhead" (Romans 1:20); but when he treats of the work of grace and
salvation, he calls it "the exceeding greatness of His power."
God proportions His power to the nature of His work. The casting out
of demons is ascribed to His "finger" (Luke 11:20); His delivering of
Israel from Egypt to His "hand" (Ex. 13:9); but when the Lord saves a
sinner it is His "holy arm" which gets Him the victory (Ps. 98:1). It
is to be duly noted that the language of Ephesians 1:19, is so couched
as to take in the whole work of Divine grace in and upon the elect. It
is not restrained to the past--"who have believed according to"; nor
to the time to come--"the power that shall work in you"; but, instead,
it is "the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe."
It is the "effectual working" of God's might from the first moment of
illumination and conviction till their sanctification and
glorification.
So dense is the darkness which has now fallen upon the people (Isa.
60:2), that the vast majority of those even in the "churches" deem it
by no means a hard thing to become a Christian. They seem to think it
is almost as easy to purify a man's heart (James 4:8) as it is to wash
his hands; that it is as simple a matter to admit the light of Divine
Truth into the soul as it is the morning sun into our chambers by
opening the shutters; that it is no more difficult to turn the heart
from evil to good, from the world to God, from sin to Christ, than to
turn a ship round by the help of the helm. And this in the face of
Christ's emphatic statement, "With men this is impossible" (Matt.
19:26).
To mortify the lusts of the flesh (Col. 3:5), to be crucified daily to
sin (Luke 9:23), to be meek and gentle, patient and kind--in a word,
to be Christ-like--is a task altogether beyond our powers; it is one
on which we would never venture, or, having ventured on, would soon
abandon, but that God is pleased to perfect His strength in our
weakness, and is "mighty to save" (Isa. 63:1). That this may be the
more clearly evident to us, we shall now consider some of the features
of God's powerful operations in the saving of His people.
1. In Regeneration
Little as real Christians may realize it, a far greater power is put
forth by God in the new creation than in the old, in refashioning the
soul and conforming it to the image of Christ than in the original
making it. There is a greater distance between sin and righteousness,
corruption and grace, depravity and holiness, than there is between
nothing and something, or nonentity and being; and the greater the
distance there is, the greater the power in producing something. The
miracle is greater according as the change is greater. As it is a more
signal display of power to change a dead man to life than a sick man
to health, so it is a far more wonderful performance to change
unbelief to faith and enmity to love than simply to create out of
nothing. There we are told, "the gospel of Christ . . . is the power
of God unto salvation to every one that believeth" (Romans 1:16).
The Gospel is the instrument which the Almighty uses when
accomplishing the most wondrous and blessed of all His works, i.e. the
picking up of wretched worms of the earth and making them "meet to be
partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light" (Col. 1:12). When
God formed man Out of the dust of the ground, though the dust
contributed nothing to the act whereby God made him, it had in it no
principle contrary to His design. But in turning the heart of a sinner
toward Himself, there is not only the lack of any principle of
assistance from him in this work, but the whole strength of his nature
unites to combat the power of Divine grace. When the Gospel is
presented to the sinner, not only is his understanding completely
ignorant of its glorious contents, but the will is utterly perverse
against it. Not only is there no desire for Christ, but there is
inveterate hostility against Him. Nothing but the almighty power of
God can overcome the enmity of the carnal mind. To turn back the ocean
from its course would not be such an act of power as to change the
turbulent bent of man s wicked heart.
2. In convicting us of sin
The "light of reason" of which men boast so much, and the "light of
conscience" which others value so highly, were utterly worthless as
far as giving any intelligence in the things of God was concerned. It
was to this awful fact that Christ referred when He said, "If
therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that
darkness!" (Matt. 6:23). Yes, so "great" is that darkness that men
"call evil good, and good evil; . . . put darkness for light, and
light for darkness; . . . put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"
(Isa. 5:20). So "great" is that darkness that spiritual things are
``foolishness" unto them (1 Cor. 2:14). So "great" is that darkness
that they are completely ignorant of it (Eph. 4:18), and utterly blind
to their actual state. Not only is the natural man unable to deliver
himself from this darkness, but he has no desire whatever for such
deliverance, for being spiritually dead he has no consciousness of any
need for deliverance.
It is because of their fearful state that, until the Holy Spirit
actually regenerates, all who hear the Gospel are totally
incapacitated for any spiritual understanding of it. The majority who
hear it imagine that they are already saved, that they are real
Christians, and no arguments from the preacher, no power on earth, can
ever convince them to the contrary. Tell them, "There is a generation
that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their
filthiness" (Prov. 30:12), and it makes no more impression than does
water on a duck's back. Warn them that, "Except ye repent, ye shall
all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3), and they are no more moved than are
the rocks by the oceans spray. No, they suppose that they have nothing
to repent of, and know not that their repentance needs "to be repented
of" (2 Cor. 7:10). They have far too high an opinion of their
religious profession to allow that they are in any danger of hell.
Thus, unless a mighty miracle of grace is wrought within them, unless
Divine power shatters their complacency, there is no hope at all for
them.
For, a soul to be savingly convicted of sin is a greater wonder than
for a putrid fountain to send forth sweet waters. For a soul to be
brought to realize that "every imagination of the thoughts of his
heart was only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5) requires the power of
omnipotence to produce. By nature man is independent, self-sufficient,
self-confident: what a miracle of grace has been wrought when he now
feels and owns his helplessness! By nature a man thinks well of
himself; what a miracle of grace has been wrought when he
acknowledges, "in me... dwelleth no good thing" (Rom. 7:18)! By nature
men are "lovers of themselves" (2 Tim. 3:2); what a miracle of grace
has been wrought when men abhor themselves (Job 42:6)! By nature man
thinks he is doing Christ a favour to espouse His Gospel and patronize
His cause; what a miracle of grace has been wrought when he discovers
that he is utterly unfit for His holy presence, and cries, "Depart
from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord" (Luke 5:8). By nature man is
proud of his own abilities, accomplishments, attainments; what a
miracle of grace has been wrought when he can truthfully declare, "I
count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of
Christ Jesus. . . and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ"
(Phil. 3:8).
3. In casting out the Devil
"The whole world lieth in wickedness" (1 John 5:19), bewitched,
fettered, helpless. As we go over the Gospel narratives and read of
different ones who were possessed of demons, thoughts of pity for the
unhappy victims stir our minds, and when we behold the Saviour
delivering these wretched creatures we are full of wonderment and
gladness. But does the Christian reader realize that we too were once
in that same awful plight? Before conversion we were the slaves of
Satan, the Devil wrought in us his will (Eph. 2:2), and so we walked
according to the prince of the power of the air." What ability had we
to deliver ourselves? Less than we have to stop the rain from falling
or the wind from blowing. A picture of man's helplessness to deliver
himself from Satan's power is drawn by Christ in Luke 11:21: "When a
strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace." The
"strong man" is Satan; his "goods" are the helpless captives.
But blessed be His name, "the Son of God was manifested, that He might
destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8). This too was pictured by
Christ in the same parable: "But when a stronger than he shall come
upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein
he trusted, and divideth the spoils" (Luke 11:22). Christ is mightier
than Satan, He overcomes him in the day of His power (Ps. 110:3), and
emancipates "His own" who are bound (Isa. 61:1). He still comes by His
Spirit to "set at liberty them that are bruised" (Luke 4:18),
therefore is it said of God, "who hath delivered us from the power of
darkness, and bath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son"
plucking or snatching out of a power that otherwise would not yield
its prey.
4. In producing repentance
Man without Christ cannot repent: "Him hath God exalted with His right
hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance" (Acts
5:31). Christ gave it as a "prince," and therefore to none but His
subjects, those who are in His kingdom, in whom He rules. Nothing can
draw men to repentance but the regenerating power of Christ, which He
exercises at God's right hand; for the acts of repentance are hatred
of sin, sorrow for it, determination to forsake it, and earnest and
constant endeavour after its deaths But sin is so transcendently dear
and delightful to a man out of Christ that nothing but an infinite
power can draw him to these acts mentioned. Sin is more precious to an
unregenerate soul than anything else in heaven or earth. It is dearer
to him than liberty, for he gives himself up to it entirely, and
becomes its servant and slave. It is dearer to him than health,
strength, time, or riches, for he spends all these upon sin. It is
dearer to him than his own soul. Shall a man lose his sins or his
soul? Ninety-nine out of a hundred vote for the latter, and lose their
souls on that account.
Sin is a man's self. Just as "I" is the central letter of "sin," so
sin is the center, the moving-power, the very life of self. Therefore
did Christ say, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself'
(Matt. 16:24). Men are "lovers of their own selves" (2 Tim. 3:2),
which is the same as saying that their hearts are wedded to sin. Man
"drinketh iniquity like water" (Job 15:16); he cannot exist without
it, he is ever thirsting for it, he must have his fill of it. Now
since man so dotes on sin, what is going to turn his delight into
sorrow, his love for it into loathing of it? Nothing but almighty
power.
Here, then, we may mark the folly of those who cherish the delusion
that they can repent whenever they get ready to do so. But evangelical
repentance is not at the beck and call of the creature. It is the gift
of God: "If God peradventure will give them repentance to the
acknowledging of the truth" (2 Tim. 2:25). Then what insanity is it
that persuades multitudes to defer the effort to repent till their
death-beds? Do they imagine that when they are so weak that they can
no longer turn their bodies they will have strength to turn their
souls from sin? Far sooner could they turn themselves back to perfect
physical health. What praise, then, is due to God if He has wrought a
saving repentance in us.
5. In working faith in His people
Saving faith in Christ is not the simple matter that so many vainly
imagine. Countless thousands suppose it is as easy to believe in the
Lord Jesus as in Caesar or Napoleon, and the tragic thing is that
hundreds of preachers are helping forward this lie. It is as easy to
believe on Him as on them in a natural, historical, intellectual way;
but not so in a spiritual and saving way. I may believe in all the
heroes of the past, but such belief effects no change in my life! I
may have unshaken confidence in the historicity of George Washington,
but does my belief in him abate my love for the world and cause me to
hate even the garment spotted by the flesh? A supernatural and saving
faith in Christ purifies the life. Is such a faith easily attained?
No, indeed! Listen to Christ Himself: "How can ye believe, which
receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh
from God only?" (John 5:44). And again, we read, "They could not
believe" (John 12:39).
Faith in Christ is receiving Him as He is offered or presented to us
by God (John 1:12). Now God presents Christ to us not only as Priest,
but as King; not only as Saviour, but as "Prince" (Acts 5:21)--note
that "Prince" precedes "Saviour," as taking His "yoke" upon us goes
before finding "rest" to our souls (Matt. 11:29)! Are men as willing
for Christ to rule as to save them? Do they pray as earnestly for
purity as for pardon? Are they as anxious to be delivered from the
power of sin as they are from the fires of hell? Do they desire
holiness as much as they do heaven? Is the dominion of sin as dreadful
to them as its wages? Does the filthiness of sin grieve them as much
as the guilt and damnation of it? The man who divides what God has
joined together when He offers Christ to us has not "received" Him at
all.
Faith is the gift of God (Eph. 2:8, 9). It is wrought in the elect by
"the operation of God" (Col. 2:12). To bring a sinner from unbelief to
saving faith in Christ is a miracle as great and as wondrous as was
God's raising Christ from the dead (Eph. 1:19, 20). Unbelief is far,
far more than entertaining an erroneous conception of God's way of
salvation: it is a species of hatred against Him. So faith in Christ
is far more than the mind assenting to all that is said of Him in the
Scriptures. The demons do that (James 2:19), but it does not save
them. Saving faith is not only the heart being weaned from every other
object of confidence as the ground of my acceptance before God, but it
is also the heart being weaned from every other object that competes
with Him for my affections. Saving faith is that "which worketh by
love" (Gal. 5:6), a love which is evidenced by keeping His
commandments (John 14:23); but by their very nature all men hate his
commandments. Therefore where there is a believing heart which is
devoted to Christ, esteeming Him above self and the world, a mighty
miracle of grace has been wrought in the soul.
6. In communicating a sense of pardon
When a soul has been sorely wounded by the "arrows of the Almighty"
(Job 6:4), when the ineffable light of the thrice holy God has shone
into our dark hearts, revealing their unspeakable filthiness and
corruption; when our innumerable iniquities have been made to stare us
in the face, until the convicted sinner has been made to realize he is
fit only for hell, and sees himself even now on the very brink of it;
when he is brought to feel that he has provoked God so sorely that he
greatly fears he has sinned beyond all possibility of forgiveness (and
unless your soul has passed through such experiences, my readers, you
have never been born again), then nothing but Divine power can raise
that soul out of abject despair and create in it a hope of mercy. To
lift the stricken sinner above those dark waters that have so
terrified him, to bestow the light of comfort as well as the light of
conviction into a heart filled with worse than Egyptian darkness, is
an act of Omnipotence. God only can heal the heart which He has
wounded and speak peace to the raging tempest within.
Men may count up the promises of God and the arguments of peace till
they are as old as Methuselah, but it will avail them nothing until a
Divine hand shall pour in "the balm of Gilead." The sinner is no more
able to apply to himself the Word of Divine comfort when he is under
the terrors of God's law, and writhing beneath the strokes of God's
convicting Spirit, than he is able to resurrect the moldering bodies
in our cemeteries. To "restore the joy of salvation" was in David's
judgment an act of sovereign power equal to that of creating a clean
heart (Ps. 51:10). All the Doctors of Divinity put together are as
incapable of healing a wounded spirit as are the physicians of
medicine of animating a corpse. To silence a tempestuous conscience is
a mightier performance than the Saviour's stilling the stormy winds
and raging waves, though it is not to be expected that any will grant
the truth of this who are in themselves strangers to such an
experience. As nothing but infinite power can remove the guilt of sin,
so nothing but infinite power can remove the despairing sense of it.
7. In actually converting a soul
"Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?" (Jer.
13:23). No, indeed; though he may paint or cover them over. So one out
of Christ may restrain the outward acts of sin, but he cannot mortify
the inward principle of it. To turn water into wine was indeed a
miracle, but to turn fire into water would be a greater one. To create
a man out of the dust of the ground was a work of Divine power, but to
re-create a man so that a sinner becomes a saint, a lion is changed
into a lamb, an enemy transformed into a friend, hatred is melted into
love, is a far greater wonder of Omnipotence. The miracle of
conversion, which is effected by the Spirit through the Gospel, is
described thus: "For the weapons of our warfare [i.e. the preachers]
are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of
strongholds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that
exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into
captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:4, 5).
Well has it been said, "To dispossess a man, then, of his self-esteem
and self-sufficiency, to make room for God in the heart where there
was none but for sin, as dear to him as himself, to hurl down pride of
nature, to make stout imaginations stoop to the cross, to make designs
of self-advancement sink under a zeal for the glory of God and an
overruling design for His honour, is not to be ascribed to any but to
an outstretched arm wielding the sword of the Spirit. To have a heart
full of the fear of God that was just before filled with contempt of
Him, to have a sense of His power, an eye to His glory, admiring
thoughts of His wisdom; to have a hatred of his habitual lustings that
had brought him in much sensitive pleasure; to loathe them; to live by
faith in and obedience to the Redeemer, who before was so heartily
under the dominion of Satan and self, is a triumphant act of infinite
power that can `subdue all things' to itself" (S. Charnock).
8. In preserving His people
"Who are kept by the power of God through faith.. . ready to be
revealed in the last time" (1 Pet. 1:5). "Kept from what? Ah, what
mortal is capable of returning a full answer? A whole section might
profitably be devoted to this one aspect of our subject. Kept from the
dominion of sin which still dwells within us. Kept from being drawn
Out of the narrow way by the enticements of the world. Kept from the
horrible heresies which ensnare thousands on every side. Kept from
being overcome by Satan, who ever seeks our destruction. Kept from
departing from the living God so that we do not make shipwreck of the
faith. Kept from turning His grace into lasciviousness. Weak as water
in ourselves, yet enabled to endure as seeing Him who is invisible.
This "is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes."
Sin is a mighty monarch which none of his subjects can withstand.
There was more in Adam while innocent to resist sin than in any other
since, for sin has an ally within the fallen creature that is ever
ready to betray him into temptation from without. But sin had no such
advantage over Adam, nevertheless it overwhelmed him. The non-elect
angels were yet better able to withstand sin than Adam was, having a
more excellent nature and being nearer to God, yet sin prevailed
against them, and threw them out of heaven into hell. Then what a
mighty power is required to subdue it! Only He who "led captivity
captive" can make His people more than conquerors.
"As the providence of God is a manifestation of His power in a
continued creation, so the preservation of grace is a manifestation of
His power in a continued regeneration. God's strength abates and
modifies the violence of temptations, His staff supports His people
under them, His might defeats the power of Satan. The counterworkings
of indwelling corruptions, the reluctancies of the flesh against the
breathings of the spirit, the fallacies of the senses and the rovings
of the mind would quickly stifle and quench grace if it were not
maintained by the same all-powerful blast that first inbreathed it. No
less power is seen in perfecting it, than implanting it (2 Peter 1:3);
no less in fulfilling the work of faith, than in engrafting the word
of faith (2 Thess. 1:11)."--S. Charnock.
The preservation of God's people in this world greatly glories the
power of God. To preserve those with so many corruptions within and so
many temptations without magnifies His ineffable might more than if He
were to translate them to heaven the moment they believed. In a world
of suffering and sorrow, to preserve the faith of His people amid so
many and sore testings, trials, buffetings, disappointments, betrayals
by friends and professed brethren in Christ, is infinitely more
wonderful than if a man should succeed in carrying an unsheltered
candle alight across an open moor when a hurricane was blowing. To the
glory of God the writer bears witness that but for omnipotent grace he
had become an infidel years ago as the result of the treatment he had
received from those who posed as preachers of the Gospel. Yes, for God
to supply strength to His fainting people, and enable them to "hold
the beginning of their confidence stedfast unto the end" (Heb. 3:14),
is more marvelous than though He were to keep a fire burning in the
midst of the ocean.
How the contemplation of the power of God should deepen our confidence
and trust in Him: "Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord
Jehovah is everlasting strength" (Isa. 26:4). The power of God was the
ground of Abraham's assurance (Heb. 11:19), of the three Hebrews' in
Babylon (Dan. 3:17), of Christ's (Heb. 5:7). Oh, to bear constantly in
mind that "God is able to make all grace abound toward us" (2 Cor.
19:8). Nothing is so calculated to calm the mind, still our fears, and
fill us with peace as faith's appropriation of God's sufficiency. "If
God be for us, who can be against us?" (Rom. 8:3 1). His infallible
promise is, "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I
am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will
uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness" (Isa. 41:10). He
who brought a nation through the Red Sea without any ships, and led
them across the desert for forty years where was neither bread nor
water, still lives and reigns!
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
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A. W. Pink Header
Practical Christianity by A.W. Pink
Part 1: The Christian's Beginning
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Chapter 3-The Great Change
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Old Things Passed Away
Some of our older readers may recall a book which made quite a stir in
the religious world, especially the Arminian sections of it, some
forty years ago. It was entitled "Twice-born Men", and was written in
a somewhat racy and sensational style by a well-known journalist,
Harold Begbie. It purported to describe some startling "conversions"
of notorious profligates and criminals under the evangelistic efforts
of the Salvation Army and City Missions. Whether or no the reader is
acquainted with that particular book, he has probably read similar
accounts of reformations of character. He may, as this writer, have
personally heard the "testimonies" of some unusual cases. We recall
listening unto one in New York city some twenty-five years ago: a man
past middle age who had "spent twenty Christmas days in prison", who
had been delivered from a life of crime, attributing his deliverance
to the amazing grace of God and the efficacy of the redeeming blood of
Christ, and who, to use one of his Scriptural quotations, had been
given "beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of
praise for the spirit of heaviness".
Many, if not all, of those reformed characters, testify that so
thorough was the work of grace wrought in them that their old habits
and inclinations had been completely taken away, that they no longer
had the slightest desire to return to their former ways, that all
longing for the things which once enthralled them was gone, declaring
that God had made them new creatures in Christ, that old things were
passed away, and all things had become new (2 Cor. 5:17). Personally
we do not deem ourselves competent to pass an opinion on such cases.
Certainly we would not dare assign any limit to the wonder-working
power of God; nevertheless, we should need to be in close contact with
such people for some considerable time and closely observe their daily
walk, in order to be assured that their goodness was something less
evanescent than "a morning cloud and as the early dew" which quickly
vanishes (Hos. 6:4). On the one hand we should keep in mind the
miraculous transformation wrought in the fierce persecutor of Tarsus,
and on the other we would not forget Matthew 12:43-45.
But this we may safely affirm, that such cases as those alluded unto
above are not general or even common, and certainly must not be set up
as the standard by which we should ascertain the genuineness of
conversion, be it our own or another's. Though it be blessedly true
that in His saving operations God communicates subduing and
restraining grace to the soul--to some a greater measure, to others a
lesser; yet it is equally true that He does not remove the old nature
at regeneration or eradicate "the flesh". Only One has ever trodden
this earth who could truthfully aver "the Prince of this world (Satan)
cometh, and hath nothing in me" (John 14:30)--nothing combustible
which his fiery darts could ignite. The godliest saint who has ever
lived had reason to join with the apostle in sorrowfully confessing
"when I would do good, evil is present in me" (Rom. 7:21). It is
indeed the Christian's duty and privilege to keep himself from all
outward sins: "walk in the spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lusts
of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16), yet as the very next verse tells us, the
flesh is there, operative, and opposing the spirit.
But we will go further. When such persons as those referred to above
appropriate 2 Corinthians 5:17 to describe their "experience", no
matter how well suited its language may seem to their case, they are
making an unwarrantable and misleading use of that verse; and the
consequence has been that many of God's dear children were brought
into sad bondage. Countless thousands have been led to believe that,
if they truly received Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, such
a radical change would be wrought in them that henceforth they would
be immune from evil thoughts, foul imaginations, wicked desires and
worldly lusts. But after they did receive Christ as their Lord and
Saviour, it was not long ere they discovered that things inside them
were very different from what they expected: that old inclinations
were still present, that internal corruptions now harassed them, and
in some instances more fiercely than ever before. Because of the
painful consciousness of "the plague of his own heart" (1 Kings 8:38)
many a one has drawn the conclusion that he was never soundly
converted, that he was mistaken in believing he had been born of God,
and great is their distress.
Now one very important and necessary part of the work to which God has
called His servants is "take up the stumblingblock out of the way of
My people" (Isa. 57:14 and cf. 62:10), and if he would faithfully
attend unto this part of his duty, then he must make it crystal clear
to his hearers, believers and unbelievers, that God has nowhere
promised to eradicate indwelling sin from the one who believes the
Gospel. He does save the penitent and believing sinner from the love,
the guilt, the penalty, and the reigning power of sin; but He does not
in this life deliver him from the presence of sin. The miracle of
God's saving grace does indeed effect a real, a radical, and a lasting
change in all who are the subjects of it--some being more conscious of
the same and giving clearer evidence of it, and some (who previously
led a moral, and perhaps religious, life) less so; but in no single
instance does He remove from the being of that person "the flesh" or
evil principle which he brought with him when he entered this world.
That which was born of the flesh is still flesh: though that which has
been born of the Spirit is spirit (John 3:6).
Not that the minister of the Gospel must swing to the opposite extreme
and teach, or even convey the impression, that the Christian can
expect nothing better than a life of defeat while he be left in this
scene; that his foes, both internal and external, are far too mighty
for him to successfully cope with. God does not leave His dear child
to cope with those foes in his own power, but strengthens him with
might by His Spirit in the inner man; yet he is required to be
constantly on his guard lest he grieve the Spirit and give occasion
for Him to suspend His operations. God tells the saint "My grace is
sufficient for thee", but that grace must be sought (Heb. 4:16) and
used (Luke 8:18), and if it be sought humbly and used aright, then "He
giveth more grace" (Jam. 4:6), so that he is enabled to fight the good
fight of faith. Satan is indeed mighty, but there is one yet mightier:
"greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world" (1 John
4:4), and therefore is the Christian called upon to "be strong in the
Lord and in the power of His might" (Eph. 6:10); and though while
severed from Christ he can produce no fruit (John 15:5), yet
strengthened by Christ, he "can do all things" (Phil. 4:13).
Christians are "overcomers" (1 John 2:13; 5:4; Rev. 2:7). Thus we see
once more that there is a balance to be preserved: avoiding at the one
extreme the error of sinless perfectionism, and at the other that of
spiritual defeatism. Truth is to be presented in its Scriptural
proportions, and not dwelt unduly on either its gloomy or its bright
side. When one is regenerated he is effectually called "out of
darkness into God's marvelous light" (1 Pet. 2:9), yet if an
unconverted soul reading those words forms the idea that should God
quicken him, all ignorance and error will be immediately dispelled
from his soul, he draws an unwarrantable conclusion and will soon
discover his mistake. The Lord Jesus promises to give rest unto the
heavily-laden soul which comes to Him, but He does not thereby signify
that such an one will henceforth enjoy perfect serenity of heart and
mind. He saves His people from their sins (Matt. 1:21), yet not in
such a way that they will have no occasion to ask for the daily
forgiveness of their transgressions (Luke 11:4). It is not that His
salvation is an imperfect one, but that it is not completely
experienced or entered into in this life, as such passages as Romans
13:11, 1 Peter 1:5 show. The "best wine" is reserved unto the last.
Glorification is yet future.
Above we have said that when such characters as those mentioned in the
opening paragraph appropriate 2 Corinthians 5:17 to describe their
"experience", they make an unwarrantable and misleading use of that
verse. They are not the only ones who do so, and since many have been
stumbled by toiling to understand that verse aright, a careful
exposition of it is called for. "If any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become
new". It must be admitted in all fairness that the sound of those
words decidedly favors those who claim that such a miracle of grace
has been wrought in them that the old nature with its evil
propensities was eradicated when they were born again. But in view of
the very different experience of the vast majority of God's children
of the last two thousand years of whom we have any reliable knowledge,
must we not pause and ask, Is that really the sense of the verse?
Probably there are few of our readers who have not been perplexed by
its language.
The careful student will observe that we have omitted the opening word
of 2 Corinthians 5:17, which is done eight times out of ten by those
who quote it; nor are we acquainted with any exposition that
satisfactorily explains its force. "Therefore if any man be in Christ
he is a new creature." Obviously that "therefore" is where we must
begin in any critical examination of the verse. It indicates that a
conclusion is here drawn from a foregoing premise, and tells us this
verse is not to be regarded as a thing apart, complete in itself, but
rather as intimately related to something preceding. On turning back
to verse 16 we find that it, in turn, opens with "Wherefore" (The same
Greek word being used), which at once serves to classify the passage,
indicating that it is a didactic or doctrinal one, wherein the apostle
is presenting an argument, or a reasoned-out train of thought; and not
a hortatory passage wherein a call unto duty is made, or a
biographical passage in which an experience of the soul is delineated.
Unless that key be used, the passage remains locked to us.
The key is hung upon the door by the presence of its introductory
"therefore" or "wherefore", and if it be ignored, and instead we force
the door, then its lock is strained or its panels and hinges broken;
in other words, the interpretation given to it will be a strained and
unsatisfactory one. And such has indeed been the case with those who
sought to explain its meaning without giving any due weight
to--using--the very word on which the verse turns. Disregarding the
opening "therefore", it has been commonly assumed that 2 Corinthians
5:17 is speaking of the miracle of regeneration and describing what is
thereby effected in the one experiencing the same. But those who gave
the verse that meaning at once felt themselves faced with
difficulties, and were obliged to whittle down its terms or qualify
its language, for it is an undeniable fact, a matter of painful
consciousness to Christians, that though some of the "old things"
which characterized them in their unregeneracy have "passed away," yet
others of them have not done so, nor have "all things" yet become new
within them.
In his commentary on 2 Corinthians one otherwise excellent expositor
tells us, "In the 0. T. (Isa. 43:18,19; 65:17) the effects to be
produced by the coming of the Messiah are described as a making all
things new. The final consummation of the Redeemer's kingdom in heaven
is described in the same terms, `He that sat upon the throne said,
Behold, I make all things new' (Rev. 21: 5). The inward spiritual
change in every believer is set forth in the same words, because it is
the type and necessary condition of this great cosmical change. What
would avail any conceivable change in things external, if the heart
remained a cage of unclean birds? The apostle therefore says that if
any man be in Christ he experiences a change analogous to that
predicted by the prophet, and like to that which we still anticipate
when earth shall become heaven. `Old things are passed away: behold,
all things have become new'. Old opinions, plans, desires, principles
and affections are passed away; new views of truth, new principles,
new apprehensions of the destiny of man, and new feelings and purposes
fill and govern the soul".
It is accrediting just such extravagant statements as the above--which
is a fair example of those made by many other good men, who have held
influential positions in the churches--that have brought so many of
God's little ones into cruel bondage, for they know full well that no
such great change has been wrought in them as like unto that which
will obtain on the new earth, concerning which God assures us "there
shall in nowise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither worketh
abomination or maketh a lie", and where "there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for
the former things are passed away" (Rev. 21:27,4). We make so bold as
to say that the Christian experience of that expositor falsified his
own assertions. "Old opinions and plans" many indeed pass away when a
person is soundly converted, but it is not true that old "desires,
principles, and affections" pass away: on the contrary, they remain,
are active, and plague him to the end of his course; otherwise there
would be no corruptions for him to resist, no lusts which he is
exhorted to mortify.
It is really surprising to find some excellent men, whose writings are
generally most helpful and whose memories we revere, uttering such
absurdities when interpreting 2 Corinthians 5:17 (The explanation is
that, like ourselves, they too were compassed with infirmity). Another
of them wrote of the Christian: "He concludes that he is in Christ,
because he is `a new creature.' He finds old things passed away, and
all things become new. His old secure, benumbed, unfaithful conscience
is passed away. His old perverse, stubborn, rebellious will; he has a
new will. His old strong, sensual, corrupt, unbelieving, impenitent
heart is gone. . .his old disordered, misplaced, inordinate
affections,. . .He has new thoughts, new inclinations, new desires,
new delights, new employments." True, he closes his paragraph by
saying "sometimes (i.e. formerly) carnal, but now in some measure
spiritual; sometimes worldly, but now in some degree has his
conversation in heaven; sometimes profane, but now in part holy,"
which not only virtually contradicts his previous sentences, but
serves to illustrate what we said above, about men creating their own
difficulties when ignoring the key to a passage, and being obliged to
tamper with its terms to make them fit their interpretations.
The Greek word for "passed away" is a very strong one, as may be seen
from such passages as Matthew 5:18; 24, 34; James 1:10; 2 Peter 3:10,
and signifies (not from its etymology, but its usage) a removal, a
making an end of. Whatever be the "old things" referred to in 2
Corinthians 5:17, they are not merely subdued, or temporarily put to
sleep, only to waken again with fresh vigor but are "passed
away"--done with. Therefore to define those "old things" as "old
affections, old dispositions of Adam" as still another theologian
does, is utterly misleading, and one had supposed his own spiritual
history had taught him better than to make such an assertion. An older
writer is somewhat more satisfactory, when he says, "By old things he
means all those corrupt principles, self ends, and fleshly lusts
belonging to the carnal state, or the old man; all these are `passed
away', not simply and perfectly, but only in part at present, and
wholly in hope and expectation hereafter". The very fact that such a
frittering of "passed away" was deemed necessary, makes us highly
suspicious of his definition of the "old things"; and should make us
search for an alternative one.
The Dispensational Change
To say that the "old things" which are " passed away" when a person
becomes a new creature in Christ refer to "old desires, principles and
appetites" is flatly contradicted by Romans 7:14 - 25. The old nature,
the "flesh" or evil principle, most certainly does not pass away,
either wholly or in part, neither at the new birth nor at any
subsequent stage of his life while the Christian is left here on
earth. Instead, the "flesh" remains in the saint, and "lusteth against
the spirit" (Gal. 5:17), producing a continual conflict as he seeks to
walk with and please the Lord. That a real and radical change takes
place in the soul when a miracle of grace is wrought within him, is
indeed blessedly true, but to describe that miraculous change as
consisting of or being accompanied by the removal of the old sinful
nature or indwelling corruption, is totally unwarranted and utterly
unscriptural. And it is just because so many have been confused by
this error, and sufficiently affected by it, as to have their
assurance undermined and their peace disturbed, that we are now
writing upon the subject.
It should be carefully noted that 2 Corinthians 5:17 is not describing
some exceptional experience which is attained unto only by a favored
few from among the children of God, but rather is it postulating that
which is common to the whole family: "Therefore if any man be in
Christ he is a new creature". The "if any man" shows that we have here
a proposition which is general, one which is of universal application
unto the regenerate--as much so as though it said "if any man be in
Christ his sins are pardoned". This at once assures the Christian that
it is not through any fault of his that he comes short of such a
standard as some would appear to measure unto. Nor is our verse giving
an account of that which is gained as he reaches Christian maturity,
still less that which will characterize him only when he reaches
Heaven: instead it predicates a present fact the moment one is vitally
united to Christ. It is true the substantive "he is" (or "there
is"--R.V.) is supplied by the translators, yet the legitimacy or
rather the necessity of it is evident from what follows: "old things
are passed away; behold all things are become new
The opening "Therefore" bids us ponder the context. Upon turning to
the verse immediately preceding, here is what we read: "Wherefore,
henceforth know we no man after the flesh, yea, though we have known
Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we (Him so) no more".
We wonder how many of our readers understand that verse, have even
formulated any idea of what it is speaking about. If they consult the
commentators, instead of finding help they are likely to be the more
perplexed, for no two of them are agreed as to its meaning, and some
of them had been more honest if they frankly owned they did not
understand it instead of darkening counsel by a multitude of
meaningless words. Now is it not obvious that, in order to a right
perception of its significance we must seek answers to the following
questions. Whom was the apostle here instructing? Upon what particular
subject was he writing? What required his taking up this subject? or,
in other words, what was his special design on this occasion? This
alone will afford us the true perspective.
As we have pointed out before in these pages, it is necessary to know
something of the circumstances which occasioned the writing of the
Corinthian epistles if we are to obtain an insight of many of their
details. Soon after Paul departed from Corinth (Acts 18) false
teachers assailed the saints there, seeking to undermine the apostle's
influence and discredit his ministry. The result was that the
believers became divided into opposing classes engaged in disputes and
being guilty of carnal walking (1 Cor. 1: 11,12). Those who said "I am
of Paul, and I am of Apollos" were in all probability the Gentile
converts; whereas those who boasted "I am of Cephas and I am of
Christ" (glorying in a fleshly relation to Him which the Gentiles
could not lay claim unto), were undoubtedly the converted Jews. Thus
the enemies of the Gospel had succeeded in sowing the seeds of discord
in the Corinthian assembly, creating jealousies and animosities by an
appeal to racial prejudices, seeking to perpetuate the ancient
enmities of Semitism and anti-Semitism.
Those false teachers had come to Corinth with "letters of
commendation" (2 Cor. 3:1), issued most likely by the temple
authorities. They were "Hebrews" (11:22), professing to be "ministers
of Christ"--i.e. of the Messiah (11:23), yet in fact they were "false
apostles, deceitful workers", the ministers of Satan (11:13-15). They
had attempted to Judaize the Gentile saints, insisting that such could
not participate in the covenant blessings and privileges of God's
people unless they be circumcised and become the proselytes of the
Mosaic religion. It was because of this the apostle had written to
them, "Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the
keeping of the commandments of God" (1 Cor. 7:19). That was indeed a
startling thing to affirm, for it was God who had instituted
circumcision (Gen. 17:10), and for many centuries it had entailed
peculiar privileges (Ex. 12:48). The Lord Jesus Himself had been
circumcised (Luke 2:21). But now it was "nothing"--useless, worthless.
Why so? Because of the great change which had taken place
dispensationally in the kingdom or economy of God upon earth. Judaism
had become effete, a thing of the past. Something new and better had
displaced it.
Those false teachers had evidently denied that Paul was a true apostle
of Christ, arguing (on the basis of what is recorded in Acts 1:21,22)
that he could not be such, since he had not (as the Eleven)
accompanied Him during the days of His flesh. This had obliged him to
write unto the saints vindicating the Divine authority of his
apostleship (1 Cor. 9:1-3). That his first epistle had produced a
salutary effect upon them is clear from 2 Corinthians 1 and 2, yet it
had neither silenced the "false apostles" nor completely established
those whose faith they had shaken; hence the need for his second
epistle to them. On the one hand, the major part of the assembly had
expressed the warmest affection for him (1:14;7:7); but on the other,
the boldness and influence of his adversaries had increased, and their
false charges and determined efforts to repudiate his apostolic
authority (10:2; 11:2-7, 12-15) moved him to indignation. Those two
adverse elements at Corinth is what serve to explain the sudden change
from one subject to another, and the noticeable variations of language
in this second epistle.
In the third chap. of 2 Corinthians the apostle vindicated his
apostleship in a manner which demonstrated the irrelevancy and
worthlessness of the objections of his detractors and which placed the
faith of his converts on an unshakeable foundation, by affirming that
God had made him and his companions "able (or "sufficient") ministers
of the new testament" (v. 6), or as it should be rendered "of the new
covenant". Therein he struck the keynote to all that follows, for unto
the end of the chapter he proceeded to draw a series of contrasts
between the old and new covenants, and exhibited the immeasurable
superiority of the latter over the former. By so doing he entirely cut
away all ground from under the feet of those who were troubling the
Corinthian saints, for what mattered it whether or no Paul had
companied with Christ during the three and a half years of His public
ministry, or whether his converts were circumcised or not, seeing that
the old order of things, Judaism, had been "done away" (v. 7)! Who
would complain at the absence of the stars when the sun was shining in
its meridian splendor?
With unmistakable wisdom from on High, Paul wove into the texture of
his personal vindication a lovely picture of the various respects in
which Christianity excelled Judaism. The one was founded upon what was
written on "the tables of stone ` and the ceremonial law which
accompanied the same; the other is rendered valid and vital by "the
Spirit of the living God" writing in fleshly tables of the heart" (v.
3). The one was "of the letter" which "killeth"; the other "of the
spirit" which "giveth life" (v. 6), those expressions denoting the
leading characteristics of the two covenants or economies--cf. Romans
7:6. Judaism is likened unto "the letter" because it was something
external and objective, for it presented a rule of Divine duty though
it conveyed neither disposition nor power to obey: Christianity has to
do with the soul and is made effectual--Romans 1:16. "The one was
external, the other spiritual; the one was an outward precept, the
other an inward power. In the one case the law was written on stone,
in the other on the heart. The one was therefore letter, the other
spirit" (C. Hodge).
In verses 7-11 the apostle contrasts the ministrations of the two
dispensations or economies. It is not--as the Dispensationalists
erroneously teach--that he here opposes Grace (a word never occurring
in this chapter!) to the Moral Law, but that Christianity is set over
against Judaism. It is a great mistake to suppose that Paul was here
speaking of the Ten Commandments as such: rather is it the whole
Mosaic system which he has in view--"when Moses is read" (v.15) the
reference is primarily to the ceremonial law, wherein there was much
that pointed forward to Christ and typified His work of redemption,
but which, because of their carnality the Jews discerned not. Judaism
was a "ministration of death": the Moral Law is designed to slay all
self-righteousness, for it condemns and brings in the whole world
guilty before God, thereby revealing the sinner's dire need of
salvation. The ceremonial law, with its priesthood and ritual,
likewise exhibited both the guilt and pollution of man, as well as the
ineffable holiness and inexorable justice of God, so that without
shedding of blood is no remission. The brazen altar in the outer
court, where the sacrificial victims were slain, testified loudly to
this fact that Judaism is "a ministration of death".
Though the ministration of the old covenant was one of "death",
nevertheless it was "glorious". Judaism was not of human invention but
of Divine institution. In it there was a solemn and yet glorious
revelation of the moral perfections of God. In it there was a wondrous
and blessed foreshadowing of the person, office and work of the
Redeemer. In it there was a wise and necessary paving of the way for
the introduction and establishment of Christianity. That "glory" was
adumbrated on the countenance of the mediator of that covenant (Deut.
5:5; Gal. 3:19) when he returned to the people after speaking with
Jehovah in the mount, for the "skin of his face shone" (Ex. 34:19).
That radiance of his features was emblematic of the glory pertaining
to the old covenant, and that, in two noticeable respects. First, it
was only an external one, whereas a glorious work of grace is wrought
within the beneficiaries of the new covenant. Second, it was but a
transient glory, as the quickly-fading brightness of Moses' face
symbolized; whereas that connected with the new covenant is one that
"fadeth not away" (1 Pet. 1:4). Christians, beholding the glory of the
Lord, are "changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the
Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18).
Any one who gives an attentive reading to 2 Corinthians 3 and 4 should
have no difficulty at all in understanding what the apostle was
referring to when he said in 5:17 "old things are passed away". First,
he tells us in 3:7 that the glory connected with the old covenant "was
to be done away." But he went further, saying, second, "For if that
which is done away was glorious much more that which remaineth is
glorious" (v. 11): the old economy and its ministry were but temporary
and had even then been set aside. The sacrificing of bulls and goats
was no longer valid now the Antitype had appeared. Third, in verse 13
he uses still stronger language: "that which is abolished" or
"destroyed". In the former epistle (13:10) Paul had laid down the
maxim that "when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in
part shall be done away", so here he declares the new covenant
annulled the old, for that was never designed to have anything more
than a transient existence. The "old things" which are "passed away"
are circumcision, the temple ritual, the Levitical priesthood, the
whole of the ceremonial law; in a word, Judaism and all that marked it
as a system.
In 2 Corinthians 4 the apostle continues the same subject. The "this
ministry" of verse 1 is that of "the new covenant" spoken of in 3:6
and termed "the ministration of the spirit" and "of righteousness"
(vv. 8,9). In 3:14, speaking of the great body of the Jewish nation,
he said, "But their minds were blinded" and in 4:3,4 declares "But if
our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of
this world (i.e. Satan, as the director of its religions) hath blinded
the minds of them that believe not". In 3:9, 10 he affirmed that while
indeed there was a "glory" connected with the old covenant, yet that
of the new "excelled" St. Amplification of that is made in 4:6. The
pillar of cloud and of fire which guided Israel during their journeys
was but external and temporary, but Jehovah has now "shined in our
hearts unto the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ": that inward illumination abides in the believer
forever--immeasurably superior are the "new things" which have
displaced the old! In verses 8-18 the apostle mentioned some of the
trials which a faithful discharge of his commission had entailed.
After a characteristic digression, in which the apostle described the
rich compensations God has provided for His servants--and His people
in general (vv. 1-10), he returns to the subject of his ministerial
labours, making known the springs from which they issued (vv. 11-14).
As in chap. 3, when vindicating his apostleship, he had interwoven
important doctrinal instruction, so here. First, it should be
carefully noted that Paul was still engaged in closing the mouths of
his detractors, yea, furnishing his converts with material to silence
them (see v. 12), speaking of his adversaries as those who "glory in
appearance, and not in heart". In what follows, he adduces that which
could not be gainsaid. "Because we thus judge (or "reason") that if
one died for all, then were all dead" (v. 14)--a most misleading
translation, which is corrected in the R. V.: "one died for all,
therefore all died". It is quite true that those for whom Christ died
were spiritually dead, but that is not what is here referred to--their
being unregenerate was a fact without Christ dying for them! Rather
was Paul showing the legal effect or what follows as the consequence
of Christ's having died for them.
"Having judged this, that if one died for all, then the all died"
(Bag. Int.). The apostle there enunciates a theological axiom: it
expresses the principle of federal representation. The act of one is,
in the sight of the law, the act of all those on whose behalf he
transacts. The whole election of grace "died" judicially in the death
of their Surety. Christ's death, so far as the claims of the Divine
Law or the end of the Divine government were concerned, is the same as
though they had all personally died. "Died" unto what? The
consequences of their sins, the curse of the Law? Yes, though that is
not the main thing which is here in view. What then? This, rather that
they had "died" to their old standing in the flesh: they no longer had
any status in that realm where such distinctions as Jew and Gentile
obtained. They had not only died unto sin, but unto all natural
relations. Death levels all distinctions!
But that is only negative; the apostle goes further, and brings in the
positive side: "And He died for all, that they that live should not
henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him" who has fulfilled all
its requirements. It is the legal oneness of Christ and His Church on
resurrection-ground. Having borne the curse, they are dead in law;
living now through Christ's resurrection, they cannot but "live unto
Him", because judicially one with Him. His resurrection was as
vicarious as His death, and the same individuals were the objects of
both. The pertinency of this reasoning, this blessed truth and fact,
to the apostle's case, should at once be apparent. Christ's own
relation to Judaism terminated at His death, and when He came forth
from the grave it was onto resurrection--entirely new--ground; and
thus it is with all those He legally represented.
What has just been pointed out above is made yet clearer in verse 16,
where the apostle shows the conclusion which must be drawn from what
he had just proved: "Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the
flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now
henceforth know we (Him so) no more". To know a man after the flesh is
to own him according to his natural state his racial distinction. To
know Christ "after the flesh" was to approve Him as the "Seed of
David", the Jewish Messiah. But the death of Christ annulled such
relations: His resurrection brought Him a new and higher relationship.
Therefore in the exercise of his ministry, Paul showed no respect to a
man merely because he was a Jew, nor did he esteem Christ on account
of His being the Son of David--rather did he adore Him as being the
Saviour of Jew and Gentile alike. Thus the sinful partiality of those
who were seeking to Judaize the Corinthian saints was conclusively
exposed. Verse 17 states the grand conclusion to be drawn from what
has been established in the context.
The Great Change
"Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature; old things
are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Cor. 5:17).
Familiar as are those words, simple and plain as their meaning appears
to be, yet like almost every verse in the Epistles this one can only
be rightly understood by ascertaining its connection with the context.
Nay, we go further: unless this verse be interpreted in strict accord
with its setting, we are certain to err in our apprehension of it. The
very fact that it is introduced with "therefore" shows it is
inseparably connected with what goes before, that it introduces an
inference, or draws a conclusion therefrom, and if we ignore it we
reject the key which alone will open its contents. We have already
taken up the preceding verses, though we have by no means attempted to
give a full exposition of the same. Our design has been simply to
supply a sufficient explanation of their terms as would enable the
reader to perceive the apostle's drift. That required us to point out
the general conditions prevailing in the Corinthian assembly (so that
it might appear why Paul wrote to them as he did) and then to indicate
the trend of what he said in chapters 3 and 4.
In 5:12 the apostle tells them, "For we commend not ourselves again
unto you (see 3:1,2), but give you occasion to glory on our behalf,
that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance,
and not in heart". Those who gloried in appearance were the Judaizers,
who boasted of their lineage from Abraham and of belonging to the
Circumcision. In what follows Paul furnishes his converts with
arguments which the false teachers could not answer, employing
language which set aside the exclusivism of Judaism. First he pointed
out that " if one died for all then the all died; and he died for all"
(vv. 14,15). That thrice repeated "all" emphasized the international
scope of Christ's federal work: He died as truly on the behalf and in
the stead of God's elect among the Gentiles as for the elect Jews, and
as verse 15 goes on to show, the one benefits therefrom as much as
does the other. The cross of Christ effected and introduced a great
change in the kingdom of God. Whatever peculiar position of honour the
Jews had previously occupied, whatever special privileges had been
theirs under the Mosaic economy, they obtained no longer. The glorious
inheritance which Christ purchased was to be the portion of all for
whom He endured the curse and of all for whom He earned the reward of
the Law.
Next the apostle showed the logical inferences which must be drawn
forth from what he had established in verses 14,15. First, "Therefore
henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known
Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we (Him so) no more"
(v. 16). Notice first the words which we have placed in italics: they
are time-marks defining the revolutionary transition, calling
attention to the great dispensational change which the redemptive work
of Christ had produced. That change consisted of the complete setting
aside of the old order of things which had held sway during the
fifteen centuries preceding, under which a fleshly relation had
predominated. Christ had ushered in an order of things wherein such
distinctions as Jew and Gentile, bond and free, male and female, had
no virtue and conferred no special privilege. For one who had been
redeemed it mattered nothing whether his brethren and sisters in
Christ were formerly members of the Jewish nation or aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel. He knew or esteemed no man according to his
natural descent. The true Circumcision are they "which worship God in
the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the
flesh"--or their genealogy (Phil. 3:3).
Not only had the death and resurrection of Christ resulted in the
setting aside of Judaism, which was based upon a fleshly descent from
Abraham, and whose privileges could only be enjoyed by those bearing
in their bodies the covenant sign of circumcision (Judaism being
displaced by Christianity, which is based upon a spiritual relation to
Christ, the privileges of which are enjoyed by those who are indwelt
by the Holy Spirit--the sign and seal of the new covenant), but Christ
Himself is now known or esteemed after a different and higher manner.
It was as their promised Messiah He had appeared unto the Jews, and it
was as such His disciples had believed on Him (Luke 24:21; John 1:41,
45). Accordingly, He had bidden His apostles "Go not into the way of
the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not; but go
rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt.
10:5,6)--contrast 28:19 after His resurrection! So far from knowing
Christ as the Jewish Messiah, they worship Him as exalted above all
principality and power. "Jesus Christ was a Minister of the
circumcision" (Rom. 15:8), but He is now seated "on the right hand of
the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the (heavenly)
Sanctuary" (Heb. 8:1,2).
In verse 17 the apostle draws a further conclusion from what he had
stated in verse 15, "Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new
creature" -- yes, "any man", be he a Jew or Gentile. Before we can
ascertain the force of " a new creature" we have to carefully weigh
the opening word, for its absence or presence entirely changes the
character of the sentence: "if any man be in Christ he is a new
creature" is a simple statement of fact, but "therefore if" is a
conclusion drawn from something preceding. That one consideration
should be sufficient to show our verse is not treating of
regeneration, for if it signified "any person who is vitally united to
Christ has been born again", the "therefore" would be entirely
superfluous--he either is or he is not a spiritually-quickened soul
and no reasoning, no inference, can alter the fact. Nor is there
anything in the context from which regeneration can be deduced, for
the apostle is not treating of the gift and operations of the Spirit,
but of the judicial consequences of Christ's federal work. Instead of
describing Christian experience in this 17th verse Paul is stating one
of the legal effects which necessarily results from what Christ did
for His people.
In verses 13, 14 Christ is set forth as the federal Head of His
Church, first in death, then in resurrection. From that doctrinal
statement of fact a twofold inference is pointed. First and negatively
(v. 16) those whom Christ represented died in Him to their old status
or natural standing, so that henceforth they are no longer influenced
by fleshly relationships. Second and positively (v. 17) those whom
Christ represented rose in Him and were inducted into a new status or
spiritual standing. Christ was transacting as the Covenant Head of His
people, and He rose as the Head of the New creation (as Adam was the
head of the old), and therefore if I be federally in a risen Christ I
must legally be "a new creature", having judicially "passed from death
unto life" As Romans 8:1 declares "There is therefore now no
condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus", and why? Because
being legally one with Him they died in Him. In like manner, they are
therefore new creatures in Christ, and why? Because being legally one
with Him they rose in Him "Who is the Beginning (i.e. of the new
creation, cf. Rev. 3:14), the Firstborn from the dead" (Col.
1:18).Judicially they are "risen with Christ" (Col. 3:1).
Not only does the context and its opening "therefore" preclude us from
regarding 2 Corinthians 5:17 as describing what takes place in a soul
at regeneration, but the contents of the verse itself forbid such an
interpretation. It is indeed true that such a miracle of grace effects
a most blessed transformation in the one who is the subject of it, yet
not such as comes up to the terms here used. What is the principal
thing which affects the character and conduct of a person before he is
born again? Is it not "the flesh"? Beyond dispute it is. Equally
indubitable is it that the old nature does not "pass away" when God
quickens a spiritually-dead soul. It is also true that regeneration is
an entrance upon a new life, yet it certainly is not the case that
"all things become new , for he receives neither a new memory nor a
new body. If verse 17 be describing some aspect of Christian
experience then it is glorification, for most assuredly its language
does not suit regeneration.
"And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus
Christ, and hath given to us (the ministers of the new covenant--3:6)
the ministry of reconciliation" (18). This also is quite against the
popular interpretation of the foregoing. Let it be duly noted that
verse 18 opens with "And", which indicates it continues the same line
of thought. "All ("the"--Greek) things" which are of God refer not to
the universe as proceeding from Him, nor to His providential agency by
which all events are controlled, but rather to those particular things
spoken of from verse 13 onwards: all that Christ accomplished, the
great dispensational change which has resulted from His death and
resurrection, the preaching of the ministers of the new covenant, have
God for their Author. The outcome of what Christ did is, that those
for whom He transacted are "reconciled to God", and reconciliation, be
it particularly noted is, like justification, entirely objective and
not subjective as is regeneration! Reconciliation is, as we have fully
demonstrated in our articles on that doctrine, wholly a matter of
relationship--God's laying aside His wrath and being at peace with us.
"And hath given to us (His ambassadors) the ministry of
reconciliation: to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling a (Gk.)
world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them" (vv. 18,
19). From there to the end of 6:10 the apostle informs us what this
"ministry" consisted of. First, it was that God "was in Christ
reconciling" not merely an apostate Judaism, but an alienated "world",
that is, the whole election of grace, the "all" of verses 14, 15. Then
he states the negative side of "reconciliation", namely, "not imputing
their trespasses unto them", which again brings in the legal side of
things. The positive side of reconciliation is given in verse 21:
"that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him", which is
entirely objective and judicial, and in no sense subjective and
experimental. How vastly different is that than if he had said
"reconciling a world unto Himself, imparting unto them a new nature"
or "subduing their iniquities"! It is not what God works in His
people, but what by Christ He has done for them, that the whole
passage treats of.
Turning back again to verse 17. "Therefore": in view of what has been
established in the preceding verses, it necessarily follows that--"if
any man be in Christ he is a new creature": he has a new standing
before God; being representatively one with Christ, he has been
brought onto resurrection ground, he is a member of that new creation
of which Christ is the federal Head, and consequently he is under an
entirely new Covenant. This is the grand and incontrovertible
conclusion which must be drawn: "the old things are passed away:
behold, all things are become new". The natural and national
distinctions which obtained under the old covenant find no place on
resurrection ground: they were connected with the flesh, whereas the
relationship which obtains and the privileges which are enjoyed under
the new covenant are entirely spiritual. Once that was clearly
apprehended and laid hold of by faith it rendered nugatory the
contentions of the Judaizers.
It is by no means easy for us at this late date to conceive of what
that revolutionary transaction from Judaism to Christianity involved,
to Jew and Gentile alike. It was the greatest change this world has
ever witnessed. For fifteen centuries God's kingdom on earth had been
confined unto one favored nation, during which time all others had
been left to walk in their own ways. The gulf which divided Judaism
from Paganism was far more real and very much wider than that which
exists between Romanism and orthodox Christianity. The divisive spirit
between Jew and Gentile was more intense than that which obtains
between the several castes in India. But at the Cross the Mosaic
economy "passed away", the middle wall of petition was broken down,
and upon Christ's resurrection the "Go not into the way of the
Gentiles" gave place to "Go ye into all the world, and preach the
Gospel to every creature." Fleshly relationships which had so markedly
characterized Judaism, now gave place to spiritual ones; yet it was
only with the greatest difficulty that converted Jews could be brought
to realize that fact, and much in the N. T. is devoted unto a proving
of the same. The principal design of the entire epistle to the Hebrews
was to demonstrate that "old things are passed away; behold, all
things are become new"! In it the apostle makes it manifest that the
"old covenant" which Jehovah had entered into with Israel, at Sinai,
with all its ordinances of worship and the peculiar privileges
connected therewith, was disannulled, that it was superceded by a new
and better economy. Therein it is declared that Christ hath "obtained
a more excellent ministry" in proportion to His being "the Mediator of
a better covenant, which was established upon better promises"; and
after quoting from Jeremiah 31 where the new covenant was announced,
pointed out that the former one was "waxed old are ready to vanish
away" (8:6-13). The transcendent superiority of the new above the old
is brought out in many details: the former was but temporary, the
latter is eternal; the one contained only the shadow of good things to
come, the latter the substance. The Aaronic priesthood has been
displaced by Christ's; an earthly inheritance by an heavenly. The
blessed contrast between them is set forth most fully in Hebrews
12:18-24.
Not only did the converted Jews find it difficult to adjust themselves
to the great change produced by the covenant displacing the old, but
unconverted Jews caused much trouble in the Christian assemblies,
insisting that their descent from Abraham conferred special privileges
upon them, and that Gentiles could only participate in them by being
circumcised and becoming subject to the ceremonial law. Not a little
in Paul's epistles is devoted to a refutation of such errors. That the
Corinthians were being harassed by such Judaizers we have already
shown--further evidence is supplied by 2 Corinthians 11:18, where the
apostle refers to "many glory after the flesh", i.e. their natural
lineage. But all ground had been cut from under their feet by what he
had declared in 2 Corinthians 3 and his unanswerable argument in
5:13-18. Christ's death and resurrection had caused "old things" to
pass away: the old covenant, the Mosaic economy, Judaism was no more.
"All things had become new": a new covenant, Christianity, with better
relationships and privileges, a superior standing before God,
different ordinances of worship, had been introduced.
The same is true of the epistle to the Galatians, wherein there are
many parallels to what has been before us in Corinthians. The churches
of Galatia were also troubled by teachers of error, who were seeking
to Judaize them, and Paul uses much the same method in exposing their
sophistries. "There is neither Jew nor Greek . . .bond or free. . .
for ye are all one in Christ" (Gal. 3:28) is an echo of "henceforth
know we no man after the flesh". In several respects the contents of
4:21-31 are similar to what is found in 2 Corinthians 3, for in both
the two covenants are contrasted in Galatians 4, under the allegory of
Hagar and Sarah and their sons, the superiority of the latter is
shown. "Ye that desire to be under the law" (4:21) means under the old
covenant. "Born after the flesh" in verse 23 signifies according to
nature, "by promise" equals supernaturally. "These are" means
"represent the two covenants" (v. 24). "Cast out the bond woman and
her son" of 4:30 has the force of act in accordance with the fact that
the old things are "passed away". While the "For in Christ Jesus
neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new
creature" (the only other place in the N. T. that expression occurs!!)
of 6:15 is enforcing the same truth as 2 Corinthians 5:17.
Once the meaning of 2 Corinthians 5:16 be perceived there is no place
for any dispute as to the signification of what immediately follows.
In the light of 5:12; 10:7; 11:18 it is unmistakably clear that the
apostle was dissuading the Corinthian saints from a carnal and sinful
partiality, namely, of regarding men according to "outward appearance"
or fleshly descent; bidding them to esteem their brethren by their
relation to Christ and not to Abraham, and to view Christ Himself not
as "a Minister of the circumcision" but as "the Mediator of a better
covenant" who has made "all things new". The old covenant was made
with one nation only; the new with believers of all nations. Its
sacrifices made nothing perfect, our Sacrifice has perfected us
forever (Heb. 10:1, 14). Circumcision was for the natural seed of
Jacob; baptism is for the spiritual children of Christ. Only the
Levites were permitted to enter the holy place, all the children of
God have the right of immediate access to Him. The seventh day was the
Sabbath under the Siniatic constitution; the first day celebrates the
order of things introduced by a risen Christ. "Old things are passed
away; behold all things are become new"!
Having endeavoured to remove a stumbling-stone from the path of
conscientious souls by showing that 2 Corinthians 5:13-21, does not
describe the work of the Holy Spirit within God's people, but rather
that which results legally from what Christ did for them, it seems
needful that we should now seek to probe and search out a different
class by considering what does take place in one who is supernaturally
quickened. In other words, having dealt with the great dispensational
change which the death and resurrection of Christ effected, we turn
now to contemplate the great experimental change which, in due time,
is wrought in each one of those for whom the Redeemer shed His
precious blood. There are many in Christendom today who give no
evidence that they have been made the subjects of such a change, who
nevertheless are fully persuaded they are journeying heavenwards;
while there are not a few souls perplexed because uncertain of what
this great change consists of.
That which we now propose to treat of may perhaps be best designated
"the miracle of grace." First, because it is produced by the
supernatural operations of God. Second, because those operations are
wholly of His sovereign benignity, and not because of any worthiness
in those who are the favored subjects of it. Third, because those
operations are profoundly mysterious to human ken. Furthermore, that
expression, "a miracle of grace," is sufficiently abstract and general
as to include all such terms as being "born again," "converted,"
etc.--which really refer to only one phase or aspect of it. Moreover,
it possesses the advantage of placing the emphasis where it properly
belongs and ascribes the glory unto Him to whom alone it is due, for
God is the sole and unassisted Author--whatever instruments or means
He may or may not be pleased to use in the effectuation of the
same--in a sinner's salvation. "It is not of him that willeth nor of
him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy" (Rom. 9:16). By "a
miracle of grace" we include the whole of God's work in His people,
and not simply His initial act of quickening them.
Nothing short of a miracle of grace can change a "natural man" (1 Cor.
2:14) into a "spiritual" one (1 Cor. 2:15). Only the might of
Omnipotence is able to emancipate a serf of Satan's and translate him
into the kingdom of Christ. Anything less than the operations of the
Holy Spirit is incapable of transforming a "child of disobedience"
(Eph. 2:2) into a "child of obedience" (1 Pet. 1:14). To bring one
whose "carnal mind" is "enmity against God" into loving and loyal
subjection to Him is beyond all the powers of human persuasion. Yet
being supernatural it necessarily transcends our powers to fully
understand. Even those who have actually experienced it can only
obtain a right conception thereof by viewing it in the light of those
hints upon it which God has scattered throughout His Word: and even
then, but a partial and incomplete concept. As our eyes are too weak
for a prolonged gazing upon the sun, so our minds are too gross to
take in more than a few scattered rays of the Truth. We see through a
glass darkly, and know but in part. Well for us when we are made
conscious of our ignorance. The very fact that the great change of
which we are here treating is produced by the miracle-working power of
God implies that it is one which is more or less inscrutable. All
God's works are shrouded in impenetrable mystery, even when cognizable
by our senses. Life, natural life, in its origin, its nature, its
processes, baffle the most able and careful investigator. Much more is
this the case with spiritual life. The existence and being of God
immeasurably transcend the grasp ,of the finite mind; how then can we
expect to fully comprehend the process by which we become His
children? Our Lord Himself declared that the new birth was a thing of
mystery: "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the
sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh nor whither it
goeth, so is every one that is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). The
wind is something about which the most learned scientist knows next to
nothing. Its nature, the laws which govern it, its causation, all lie
beyond the purview of human inquiry. Thus it is with the new birth: it
is profoundly mysterious, defying proud reason's diagnosis,
unsusceptible of theological analysis.
The one who supposes he has a clear and adequate comprehension of what
takes place in a soul when God plucks him as a brand from the burning
is greatly mistaken: "If any man think that he knoweth any thing, he
knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know" (1 Cor. 8:2). To the very end
of his earthly pilgrimage the best instructed Christian has reason to
pray "that which I see not teach Thou me" (Job 34:32). Even the
theologian and the Bible-teacher is but a learner and, like all his
companions in the school of Christ, acquires his knowledge of the
Truth gradually--"here a little, there a little" (Isa. 28:10). He too
advances slowly, as one great theme after another is studied by him
and opened up to him, requiring him to revise or correct his earlier
apprehensions and adjust his views on other portions of the Truth as
fuller light is granted him on any one branch thereof. Necessarily so,
for Truth is a unit, and if we err in our understanding of one part of
it that affects our perception of other parts of it.
None should take exception to nor be surprised at our saying that even
the theologian or Bible-teacher is but a learner and acquires his
knowledge of the Truth gradually. "The path of .the just is as the
shining light, which shineth more and more unto the perfect day"
(Prov. 4:18). Like the rising of the sun, spiritual light breaks forth
upon both preacher and hearer by degrees. The men who have been the
most used of God in the feeding and building up of His people were not
thoroughly furnished for their work at the outset of their careers,
but only by dint of prolonged study did they make progress in their
own apprehension of the Truth. Each preacher who experiences any real
spiritual growth views most of his first sermons as those of a novice,
and he will have cause for shame as he perceives their crudity and the
relative ignorance which marked the production of them; for even if he
was mercifully preserved from serious error, yet he will probably find
many mistakes in his expositions of Scripture, various inconsistencies
and contradictions in the views he then held, and which a fuller
knowledge and mature experience now enables him to rectify.
What has just been pointed out explains why the later writings of a
servant of God are preferable to his earlier ones, and why in a second
or third edition of his works he finds it necessary to correct or at
least modify some of his original statements. Certainly this writer is
no exception. Were he to rewrite today some of his earlier articles
and pieces, he would make a number of changes in them. Though it may
be humiliating unto pride to have to make corrections, yet it is also
ground for thanksgiving unto God for the fuller light vouchsafed which
enables him to do so. During our first pastorate we were much engaged
in combating the error of salvation by personal culture and
reformation, and therefore we threw our main emphasis on the truth
contained in our Lord's words, "ye must be born again" (John 3:3, 5,
7), showing that something far more potent and radical than any
efforts of our own were required in order to give admission into the
kingdom of God; that no education, mortification, or religious
adorning of the natural man could possibly fit him to dwell for ever
in a holy heaven.
But in seeking to refute one error great care needs to be taken lest
we land ourselves into another at the opposite extreme, for in most
instances error is Truth perverted rather than repudiated, Truth
distorted by failure to preserve the balance. Being "born again" is
not the only way in which Scripture describes the great change
effected by the miracle of grace: other expressions are used, and
unless they be taken into due consideration an inadequate and faulty
conception of what that miracle consists of and effects will be
formed. Our second pastorate was located in a community where the
teaching of "Entire Sanctification" or sinless perfectionism was rife,
and in combating it we stressed the fact that sin is not eradicated
from any man's being in this life, that even after he is born again
the "old nature" still remains within him. We were fully warranted by
God's Word in so doing, though if we were engaged in the same task
today we should be more careful in defining what we meant by "the old
nature" and more insistent that a regenerate person has a radically
different disposition sinwards from what he had formerly.
That a great change is wrought upon and within a person when God
regenerates him is acknowledged by all His people--a change very
different from that which is conceived of by many who have never
personally experienced it. For example, it goes much deeper than a
mere change of creed. One may have been brought up an Arminian, and
later be intellectually convinced that such tenets are untenable; but
his subsequent conversion to the Calvinistic system is no proof
whatever that he is no longer dead in trespasses and sins. Again, it
is something more radical than a change of inclination or taste. Many
a giddy worldling has become so satiated with its pleasures as to lose
all relish for the same, voluntarily abandoning them and welcoming the
peace which he or she supposes is to be found in a convent or
monastery. So too it is something more vital than a change of conduct.
Some notorious drunkards have signed the pledge and remained total
abstainers the rest of their days, and yet never even made a
profession of being Christians. One may completely alter his mode of
living and yet be thoroughly carnal, forsake a life of vice and crime
for one of moral respectability, and be no more spiritual than he was
previously. Many are deceived at this point.
Let not the reader infer from what has just been said that one may be
the subject of a miracle of grace and yet it be unaccompanied by an
enlightening of his understanding, a refining of his affections, or a
reforming of his conduct. That is not at all our meaning. What we
desire to make clear is that, that miracle of grace consists of
something far superior to those superficial and merely natural changes
which many undergo. Nor does that "something far superior" consist
only in the communication of a new nature which leaves everything else
in its recipient just as it was before: it is the person (and not
simply a nature) who is regenerated or born again. "Except a man be
born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3) is an
altogether different thing from saying "except a new nature be born in
a man he cannot see the kingdom of God." Any deviation from Scripture
is fraught with mischief, and if we reduce that which is personal to
something abstract and impersonal we are certain to form a most
inadequate--if not erroneous--conception of regeneration.
Change of Heart
We turn next to Romans 5:5, where we read, "the love of God is shed
abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us." By
nature no man has any love for God. To those Jews who contended so
vehemently for the unity of God and abhorred all forms of idolatry,
and who in their mistaken zeal sought to kill the Saviour because of
"making Himself equal with God," He declared, "I know you, that ye
have not the love of God in you" (John 5:18, 42). Not only loveless,
the natural man is filled with enmity against God (Rom, 8:7). But when
a miracle of grace is wrought within him by the Holy Spirit, his heart
experiences a great change Godwards, so that the One he formerly
dreaded and sought to banish from his thoughts is now the Object of
his veneration and joy, the One upon whose glorious perfections he
delights to meditate, and for whose honour and pleasure he now seeks
to live.
That great change which is wrought within the regenerate does not
consist in the annihilation of the evil principle, "the flesh," but in
freeing the mind from its dominion, and in the communication of a holy
principle which conveys a new propensity and disposition to the soul:
God is no longer hated but loved. That freeing of the mind from the
evil dominion of the flesh is spoken of in Ezekiel 36:26, as God's
taking away "the stony heart," and that shedding abroad of His love
within the heart by His Spirit is termed giving them "a heart of
flesh." Such strong figurative language was used by the prophet to
intimate that the change wrought is no superficial or transient one.
Through regarding too carnally ("literally") the terms used by the
prophets, dispensationalists and their adherents have created their
own difficulty and failed to understand the purport of the passage. It
is not that an inward organ or faculty is removed and replaced by a
different one, but rather that a radical change for the better had
been wrought upon the original faculty--not by changing its essential
nature or functions, but by bringing to bear a new and transforming
influence upon it.
It ought not to be necessary for us to labour what is quite simple and
obvious to the spiritually-minded, but in view of the fearful
confusion and general ignorance prevailing, we feel that a further
word (for the benefit of the perplexed) is called for. Perhaps a
simple illustration will serve to elucidate still further. Suppose
that for a long time I have cherished bitter animosity against a
fellow creature and treated him with contempt, but that God has now
made me to repent deeply of the injustice I have done him, so that I
have humbly confessed my sin to him, and henceforth shall esteem him
highly and do all in my power to amend the wrong I did him; surely no
one would have any difficulty in understanding what was meant if I
said that I had undergone a real "change of heart" toward that person,
nor would it be misleading to say that a "heart of bitterness" had
been removed from me and "a heart of good will" be given to me. Though
we do not pretend to explain the process yet something very much like
that are the nature and effect of God's taking away the heart of stone
and giving a heart of flesh or freeing the mind of enmity against God
and shedding abroad His love in the heart.
"But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have
obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you
("whereunto ye were delivered"-- margin). Being then made free from
(the guilt and dominion of) sin, ye became the servants of
righteousness" (Rom. 6:17,18). In this passage the Holy Spirit is
describing that wondrous transformation whereby the servants of sin
became the servants of righteousness. That transformation is effected
by their being delivered unto that form of doctrine which requires
hearty obedience. To aid our feeble understanding another similitude
is used. "The Truth which is after godliness" (Titus 1:1) is called
"that form ("type or impress," Young; rendered "fashion, pattern" in
other passages) of doctrine" or "teaching": the figure of a mould or
seal being used wherein the hearts of the regenerate (softened and
made pliable by the Holy Spirit) are likened to molten metal which
receives and retains the exact impress of a seal, answering to it line
for line, conformed to the shape and figure of it. The quickened soul
is "delivered unto" (the Greek word signifies "given over to," as may
be seen in Matthew 5:25; 11:27; 20:19) the Truth, so that it is made
answerable or conformable unto it.
In their unconverted state they had been the willing and devoted
servants of sin, uniformly heeding its promptings and complying with
its behests, gratifying their own inclinations without any regard to
the authority and glory of God. But now they cordially yielded
submission to the teaching of God's Word whereunto they had been
delivered or cast into the very fashion of the same. They had been
supernaturally renewed into or conformed unto the holy requirements of
Law and Gospel alike. Their minds, their affections, their wills had
been formed according to the tenor of God's Standard. Thus, from still
another angle, we are informed of what the great change consists; it
is God's bringing the soul from the love of sin to the love of
holiness, a being transformed by the renewing of the mind--such a
transformation as produces compliance with the Divine will. It is an
inward agreement with the Rule of righteousness into which the heart
is cast and after which the character is framed and modeled, the
consequence of which is an obedience from the heart--in contrast from
forced or feigned obedience which proceeds from fear or self-interest.
"For I was alive without the Law once: but when the commandment came,
sin revived, and I died" (Rom. 7:9). As the last-considered passage
describes the positive side of the great change experienced in the
child of God, this one treats more of its negative aspect. The
commentators are generally agreed that in Romans 7:7-11, the apostle
is narrating one of the experiences through which he passed at his
conversion. First, he says, there had been a time when he was "without
the Law"--words which cannot be taken absolutely. In his unregenerate
days he had been a proud pharisee. Though he had received his training
under the renowned rabbi, Gamaliel, where his chief occupation was the
study of the Law, yet being totally ignorant of its spirituality he
was, vitally and experimentally speaking, as one "without" it--without
a realization of its design or an inward acquaintance of its power.
Supposing that a mere external conformity unto its requirements was
all that was necessary, and strictly attending to the same, he was
well pleased with himself, satisfied with his righteousness, and
assured of his acceptance with God.
Second, "but when the commandment came": verse seven informs us it was
the tenth commandment which the Holy Spirit used as the arrow of
conviction. When those words, "thou shalt not covet," were applied to
him, when they came in the Spirit's illuminating and convicting power
to his conscience, the bubble of his self-righteousness was pricked
and his self-complacency was shattered. Like a thunderbolt out of a
clear sky that Divine prohibition, "thou shalt not (even) desire that
which is forbidden, brought home to his heart with startling force the
strictness and spirituality of the Divine Law. As those words, "thou
must have no self-will," pierced him, he realized the Law demanded
inward as well as outward conformity to its holy terms. Then it was
that "sin revived": he was conscious of his lusts rising up in protest
against the holy and extensive requirements of the Divine Rule. The
very fact that God has said "thou shalt not lust" only served to
aggravate and stir into increased activity those corruptions of which
previously he was unconscious, and the more he attempted to bring them
into subjection the more painfully aware did he become of his own
helplessness.
Third, "and I died": in his own apprehensions, feelings, and estimate
of himself. Before he became acquainted with his inward corruptions
and was made to feel something of the plague of his heart, living a
morally upright life and being most punctilious in performing the
requirements of the ceremonial law, the apostle deemed himself a good
man. He was in his own opinion "alive" uncondemned by the Law, having
no dread of punishment and judgment to come. But when the tenth
commandment smote his conscience, he perceived the spirituality of the
law and realized that hitherto he had only a notional knowledge of it.
Convicted of his inward depravity, of his sinful desires, thoughts and
imaginations, he felt himself to be a condemned criminal, deserving
eternal death. That is another essential element in the great
change--which we should have introduced much earlier had we followed a
theological order rather than tracing out the various references to it
as recorded in the Scriptures. That essential element consists of a
personal conviction of sin, of one's lost estate, and such a
conviction that its subject completely despairs of any self-help and
dies to his own righteousness.
"And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified,
but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit
of our God" (1 Cor. 6:11). The "such were some of you" refers to the
licentious and vicious characters mentioned in verses nine and ten, of
whom Matthew Henry said they were "very monsters rather than men.
Note, some that are eminently good after conversion have been as
remarkable for wickedness before." What a glorious alteration does
grace effect in reclaiming persons from sins so debasing and
degrading! That grand transformation is here described by three words:
"washed, sanctified, justified." It may appear very strange to some of
our readers to hear that quite a number of those who regard themselves
as the champions of orthodoxy, if they do not explicitly repudiate the
first, yet give it no place at all in their concept of what takes
place at regeneration. They so confine their thoughts to that which is
newly created and communicated to the Christian that any change and
cleansing of his original being is quite lost sight of. God's children
are as truly "washed" as they are sanctified and justified. Literally
so? Yes; in a material sense. No, morally.
"But ye are washed" was the fulfillment of that Old Testament promise,
"Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean;
from all your filthiness and your idols will I cleanse you" (Ezek.
36:25). Titus 3:5, makes it clear that the new birth consists of
something more than the communication of a new nature, namely, "the
washing of regeneration"--cf. Ephesians 5:26. It is further to be
noted that "ye are washed" is distinct from "justified," so it cannot
refer to the removal of guilt. Moreover it is effected by the Spirit
and therefore must consist of something which He does in us. The foul
leper is purged: by the Spirit's agency he is cleansed from his
pollutions and his heart is made "pure" (Matt. 5:8). It is a moral
cleansing or purification of character from the love and practice of
sin. First, "washed," then "sanctified" or set apart and consecrated
to God as vessels meet for His use. Thereby we obtain evidence of our
justification--the cancellation of guilt and the imputation of
righteousness to us. Justification is here attributed to the Holy
Spirit because He is the Author of that faith which justifies a
sinner.
"But we all with open (it should be "with unveiled") face beholding as
in a glass (better "mirror") the glory of the Lord, are changed into
the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2
Cor. 3:18). In the unveiled face there is a double reference and
contrast. First, to the veil over the face of Moses (verse 13), which
symbolized the imperfection and transitoriness of Judaism: in
contrast, Christians behold God as He is fully and finally revealed in
the person and work of His Son. Second, to the veil which is over the
hearts of unconverted Jews (verse 16): in contrast with them, those
who have turned to the Lord have the blinding effects of error and
prejudice removed from them, so that they can view the Gospel without
any medium obscuring it. The "glory of the Lord, "the sum of His
perfections, is revealed and shines forth in the Word, and more
particularly in the Gospel. As His glory is beheld by that faith which
is produced and energized by the Spirit, its beholder is changed
gradually from one degree to another into the "same image," becoming
more and more conformed unto Him in character and conduct. The verb
"changed" ("metamorphoo") is rendered "transformed" in Romans 12:2,
and "transfigured" in Matthew 17:2! The "mirrors" of the ancients were
made of burnished metals, and when a strong light was thrown on them
they not only reflected images with great distinctness but the rays of
light were cast back upon the face of one looking into them, so that
if the mirror were of silver or brass a white or golden glow suffused
his or her countenance. The "mirror" is the Scriptures in which the
glory of the Lord is discovered, and as the Spirit shines upon the
soul and enables him to act faith and love thereon, he is changed into
the same image. The glory of the Lord is irradicated by the Gospel,
and as it is received into the heart is reflected by the beholder,
through the transforming agency of the Spirit. By the heart's being
occupied with Christ's perfection, the mind's meditating thereon, the
s subjection to His precepts, we drink into His spirit, become
partakers of His holiness, and are conformed to His image. As our view
of Christ is imperfect, the transformation is incomplete in this life:
only when we "see Him" face to face shall we be made perfectly "like
Him" (1 John 3:2).
"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath
shined in our hearts, unto the light of the knowledge of the glory of
God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6). Had we been following a
strictly logical and theological order, this is another aspect of our
subject we should have brought in earlier, for the spiritual
illumination of the understanding is one of the first works of God
when He begins to restore a fallen creature. By nature he is in a
state of complete spiritual ignorance of God, and therefore of his own
state before Him, sitting in "darkness" and "in the region and shadow
of death" (Matt. 4:16). That "darkness" is something far more dreadful
than a mere intellectual ignorance of spiritual things: it is a
positive and energetic "power" (Luke 22:53), an evil principle which
is inveterately opposed to God, and with which the heart of fallen man
is in love (John 3:19), and which no external means or illumination
can dispel (John 1:5). Nothing but the sovereign fiat and all-mighty
power of God is superior to it, and He alone can bring a soul "out of
darkness into His marvelous light."
As God commanded the light to shine out of that darkness which
enveloped the old creation (Gen. 1:2, 3), so He does in the work of
new creation within each of His elect. That supernatural enlightenment
consists not in dreams and visions, nor in the revelation to the soul
"of anything which has not been made known in the Scripture of Truth,
for it is "The entrance of Thy words (which) giveth light" (Ps.
119:130). Yes, the entrance: but ere that takes place, the blind eyes
of the sinner must first be miraculously opened by the Spirit, so that
he is made capable of receiving the light: it is only in God's light
we "see light" (Ps. 36:9). The shining of God's light in our hearts
partially and gradually dissipates the awful ignorance, blindness,
error, prejudice, unbelief of our souls, thereby preparing the mind to
(in measure) apprehend the Truth and the affections to embrace it. By
this supernatural illumination the soul is enabled to see things as
they really are (1 Cor. 2:10-12), perceiving his own depravity, the
exceeding sinfulness of sin, the spirituality of the Law, the
excellency of truth, the beauty of holiness, the loveliness of Christ.
We repeat: the Spirit communicates no light to the quickened soul
which is not to be found in the written Word, but removes those
obstacles which precluded its entrance, disposes the mind to attend
unto the Truth (Acts 16:14) and receive it in the love of it (2 Thess.
2:10). When the Divine light shines into his heart the sinner
perceives something of his horrible plight, is made conscious of his
guilty and lost condition, feels that his sins are more in number than
the hairs of his head. He now knows that there is "no soundness" (Isa.
1:6) in him, that all his righteousnesses are as filthy rags, and that
he is utterly unable to help himself. But the Divine light shining in
his heart also reveals the all-sufficient remedy. It awakens hope in
his breast. It makes known to him "the glory of God" as it shines in
the face of the Mediator, and the sun of righteousness now arises upon
his benighted soul with healing in His wings or beams. Such knowledge
of sin, of himself, of God, of the Saviour, is not obtained by mental
effort but is communicated by the gracious operations of the Spirit.
"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God
to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations, and
every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God,
and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ"
(2 Cor. 10:4, 5). The apostle is here alluding to his ministry: its
nature, difficulties and success. He likened it unto a conflict
between truth and error. The "weapons" or means he employed were not
such as men of the world depended upon. The Grecian philosophers
relied upon the arguments of logic or the attractions of rhetoric.
Mohammed conquered by the force of arms. Rome's appeal is to the
senses. But the ambassadors of Christ use nought but the Word and
prayer, which are "mighty through God." Sinners are converted by the
preaching of Christ crucified, and not by human wisdom, eloquence, or
debate. The Gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation (Rom.
1:16).
Sinners are here pictured as sheltering in "strongholds." By hardness
of heart, stubbornness of will, and strong prejudices they have
fortified themselves against God and betaken themselves to a "refuge
of lies" (Isa. 28:15). But when the Truth is effectually applied to
their hearts by the Spirit those strongholds are demolished and their
haughty imaginations and proud reasonings are cast down. They no
longer exclaim, "I cannot believe that a just God will make one a
vessel unto honor and another to dishonor," or "I cannot believe a
merciful God will consign any one to eternal torments." All objections
are now silenced, rebels are subdued, lofty opinions of self cast
down, pride is abased, and reverential fear, contrition, humility,
faith and love take their place. Every thought is now brought into
captivity to the obedience of Christ: they are conquered by grace,
taken captives by love, and Christ henceforth occupies the throne of
their hearts. Every faculty of. the soul is now won over to God. Such
is the great change wrought in a soul who experiences the miracle of
grace: a worker of iniquity is made a loving and loyal child of
obedience.
God's Workmanship
"My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be
formed in you" (Gal. 4:19). In the past the apostle had laboured hard
in preaching the Gospel to the Galatians, and apparently his efforts
had met with considerable success. He had plainly set before them
"Christ crucified" (3:1) as the sinner's only hope, and many had
professed to receive Him as He was offered in the Gospel. They had
abandoned their idolatry, seemed to be soundly converted, and had
expressed great affection for their spiritual father (4:15). For a
time they had "run well," but they had been "hindered" (5:7). After
Paul's departure, false teachers sought to seduce them from the Faith
and persuade them that they must be circumcised and keep the
ceremonial law in order to salvation. They had so far given ear unto
those Judaizers that Paul now stood in doubt of them (4:20), being
fearful lest after all they had never been truly regenerated (4:11).
It is to be carefully noted that he did not take refuge in fatalism
and say, If God has begun a good work in them He will certainly finish
it, so there is no need for me to be unduly worried. Very much the
reverse.
No, the apostle was much exercised over their state and earnestly
solicitous about their welfare. By this strong figure of speech "I
travail in birth again," the apostle intimated both his deep concern
and his willingness to labour and suffer ministerially after their
conversion, to spare no pains in seeking to deliver them from their
present delusion and get them thoroughly established in the truth of
the Gospel. He longed to be assured that the great change had taken
place in them, which he speaks of as "Christ be formed in you." By
which we understand that they might be genuinely evangelized by a
saving knowledge of Christ. First, that by spiritual apprehension of
the Truth He might be revealed in their understandings. Second, that
by the exercise of faith upon Him, He might "dwell in their hearts"
(Eph. 3:17): faith gives a subsistence and reality in the soul of that
object on which it is acted (Heb. 9:1). Third, that He might be so
endeared to their affections that neither Moses nor anyone else could
be admitted as a rival. Fourth, that by the surrender of their wills
He might occupy the throne of their hearts and rule over them. Christ
thus "formed in" us is the proof of His righteousness imputed to us.
"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Eph.
2:10). In those words the apostle completes the blessed declaration he
had made in verses 8 and 9, thereby preserving the balance of Truth.
Verses 8 and 9 present only one side of the Gospel and ought never to
be quoted without adding the other side. None so earnest as Paul in
proclaiming sovereign grace; none more insistent in maintaining
practical godliness. Has God chosen His people in Christ before the
foundation of the world? It was that they "should be holy" (Eph. 1:4).
Did Christ give Himself for us? It was that "He might redeem us from
all iniquity and purify unto Himself a peculiar people zealous of good
works" (Titus 2:14). So here, immediately after magnifying free grace,
Paul states with equal clearness the moral results of God's saving
power, as they are exhibited with more or less distinctness in the
lives of His people. Salvation by grace is evidenced by holy conduct:
unless our lives are characterized by "good works" we have no warrant
to regard ourselves as being the children of God.
"We are His workmanship"; He, and not ourselves, has made us what we
are spiritually. "Created in Christ Jesus" means made vitally one with
Him. "In Christ" always has reference to union with Him: in Ephesians
1:4, to a mystical or election union; in 1 Corinthians 15:22, to a
federal or representative one; in 1 Corinthians 6:17, and 2
Corinthians 5:17, to a vital or living one. Saving faith (product of
the Spirit's quickening us) makes us branches of the living Vine, from
whom our fruit proceeds (Hos. 14:8). "Created in Christ Jesus unto
good works" expresses the design and efficacy of God's workmanship,
being parallel with "This people have I formed for Myself: they shall
show forth My praise" (Isa. 43:21). God fits the thing for which He
creates it: fire to burn, the earth to yield food, His saints to walk
in good works--God's work in their souls inclining and propelling
thereunto. He creates us in Christ or gives us vital union with Him
that we should walk in newness of life, He being the Root from which
all the fruits of righteousness proceed. United to the Holy One, holy
conduct marks us. Those who live in sin have never been savingly
joined to Christ. God saves that we may glorify Him by a life of
obedience.
"Put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and
true holiness" (Eph. 4.24). Those words occur in the practical section
of the epistle, being part of an exhortation which begins at verse 22,
the passage as a whole being similar to Romans 13:12-14. Its force is,
Make it manifest by your conduct that you are regenerate creatures,
exhibiting before your fellows the character of God's children. That
which most concerns us now is the particular description which is here
given of the great change effected in the regenerate, namely, "a new
man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."
With our present passage should be carefully compared the parallel one
in Colossians, for the one helps to explain and supplements the other.
There we read "And have put on the new man, which is renewed in
knowledge after the image of Him that created him." In both we find
the expression "the new man," by which we are not to understand that a
new individual has been brought into existence, that a person is now
brought forth who previously had no being. Great care needs to be
taken when seeking to understand and explain the meaning of terms
which are taken from the material realm and applied to spiritual
objects and things.
A regenerated sinner is the same individual he was before, though a
great change has taken place in his soul. How different the landscape
when the sun is shining than when darkness of a moonless night is upon
it--the same landscape and yet not the same! How different the
condition of one who is restored to fullness of health and vigor after
being brought very low by serious illness--yet it is the same person.
How different will be the body of the saint on the resurrection
morning from its present state--the same body which was sown in the
grave, and yet not the same! So too with those saints alive on earth
at the Redeemer's return: "Who shall change our vile body that it may
be fashioned like unto His glorious body" (Phil. 3:21). Thus it is, in
measure, at regeneration: the soul undergoes a Divine work of
renovation and transformation: a new light shines into the
understanding, a new Object engages the affections, a new power moves
the will. It is the same individual, and yet not the same. "Once I was
blind, but now I see" is his blessed experience.
In Ephesians 4:24, we read of the new man "which after God is created
in righteousness and true holiness," while in Colossians 3:10, it is
said "which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that
created him." i.e. originally. By comparing the two passages, we
understand the "which after God" to signify conformity to Himself, for
it is parallel with "after the image of Him." That the new man is said
to be "created" denotes that this spiritual transformation is a Divine
work in which the human individual plays no part, either by
contribution, cooperation, or concurrence. It is wholly a supernatural
operation, in which the subject of it is entirely passive. The "which
is renewed" of Colossians 3:10, denotes that it is not something which
previously had no existence, but the spiritual quickening and
renovating of the soul. By regeneration is restored to the Christian's
soul the moral image of God, which image he lost in Adam at the fall.
That "image" consists in "righteousness and true holiness" being
imparted to the soul, or, as Colossians 3:10, expresses it, in the
spiritual "knowledge" of God. God is now known, loved, revered,
loyally served. It is now fitted for communion with Him.
"Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good
work in you will finish it" (Phil. 1:6). This verse contains a
manifest warning, if an indirect or implied one, against our pressing
too far the figure of a "new creation." "Creation" is an act and not a
"work," a finished or completed object and not an incomplete and
imperfect one. God speaks and it is done, wholly and perfectly done in
an instant. The very fact that the Holy Spirit has employed such
figures as "begetting" and "birth" to describe the saving work of God
in the soul, intimates that the reference is only to the initial
experience of Divine grace. A new life is then imparted, but it
requires nurturing and developing. In the verse now before us we are
informed that the great change produced in us is not yet fully
accomplished, yea, that it is only just begun. The work of grace is
called "good" because it is so in itself and because of what it
effects: it conforms us to God and fits us to enjoy God. It is termed
a "work" because it is a continuous process, which the Spirit carries
forward in the saint as long as he is left in this scene.
This good work within the soul is commenced by God, being wrought
neither by our will nor our agency. That was the ground of the
apostle's persuasion or confidence: that He who had begun this good
work would perform or finish it--had it been originated by man, he
could have had no such assurance. Not only did God initiate this good
work, but He alone continues and perfects it--were it left to unto us,
it would quickly come to nought. "Will finish it until the day of
Jesus Christ" tells us it is not complete in this life. With that
should be compared "them that believe to the saving of the soul" (Heb.
10:39): observe carefully, not "have believed" (a past act) to the
salvation (a completed deliverance) of the soul, but "who believe (a
present act) to the saving of the soul"--a continuous process. As
Christ ever liveth to make intercession for us, so the Spirit ever
exercises an effectual influence within us. The verb for "finish" is
an intensive one, which means to carry forward unto the end. "The Lord
will perfect that which concerneth me" (Ps. 138:8) enunciates the same
promise.
"According to His mercy He saved us by the washing of regeneration and
renewing of the Holy Spirit, which He shed on us abundantly through
Jesus Christ" (Titus 3:5, 6). If we followed our inclination, we
should essay an exposition of the whole passage (verses 4,7), but
unless we keep within bounds and confine ourselves to what bears
directly on our present theme, this topic will be extended too much to
suit some of our readers. In this passage we are shown how the three
Persons of the Godhead cooperate in the work of salvation, and that
salvation itself has both an experimental and legal side to it. Here
we are expressly said to be "saved by" the effectual operations of the
Holy Spirit, so that the Christian owes his personal salvation unto
Him as truly as he does unto the Lord Jesus. Had not the blessed
Spirit taken up His abode in this world, the death of Christ would
have been in vain. It is by the meditation and merits of His
redemptive work that Christ purchased the gift and graces of the
Spirit, which are here said to be "shed on us abundantly through Jesus
Christ our Saviour."
The will of the father is the originating cause of our salvation, the
worth of the Son's redemption, its meritorious cause, and the work of
the Spirit, its effectual cause. Experimental salvation is begun in
the soul by "the washing of regeneration," when the heart is cleansed
from the prevailing love and power of sin and begins to be restored to
its pristine purity. And by the "renewing of the Holy Spirit," that
is, the renewing of the soul in the Divine image: or, more
particularly, "the renewing of the spirit of the mind" (Eph. 4:23),
that is, in the disposition of it. The whole of which is summed up in
the expression, God has given us "a sound mind" (2 Tim. 1:7), "an
understanding, that we may know Him" (1 John 5:20). The mind is
renovated and reinvigorated, so that it is capacitated to "spiritually
discern" the things of the Spirit, which the natural man cannot do (1
Cor. 2:14), no matter how well he be educated or religiously
instructed.
But that to which we would specially direct the attention of the
reader is the present tense of the verbs: "the washing and renewing
(not "renewal") of the Holy Spirit." Like 2 Corinthians 3:18, and
Philippians 1:6, this is another verse which shows the great change is
not completed at the new birth, but is a continual process, in course
of effectuation. The "good work" which God has begun in the soul, that
washing and renewing of the Holy Spirit, proceeds throughout the whole
course of our earthly life, and is not consummated until the
Redeemer's return, for it is only then that the saints will be
perfectly and eternally conformed to the image of God's Son. God says
of His heritage, "I the Lord do keep it: I will water it every moment"
(Isa. 27:3): it is only by the continuous and gracious influences of
the Spirit that the spiritual life is nurtured and developed. The
believer is often conscious of his need thereof, and under a sense of
it cries, "quicken me according to Thy Word." And God does: for
"Though our outward man perish, yet the inward is renewed day by day"
(2 Cor. 4:16). That "inner man" is termed "the hidden man of the
heart" (1 Pet. 3:4).
"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, saith the Lord. I will put My laws into their minds,
and I will write them in their hearts" (Heb. 8:10--quoted from Jer.
31:31-34). Without entering into the prophetic bearings of this
passage (about which none should speak without humble diffidence,)
suffice it to say that by the "house of Israel" we understand "the
Israel of God" (Gal. 6:16), the whole election of grace, to be here in
view. The "I will put" and "I will write" refer to yet another
integral part of the great change wrought in God's people, the
reference being to that invincible and miraculous operation of the
Spirit which radically transforms the favored subjects of it. "God
articles with His people. He once wrote His laws to them, now He
writes His laws in them. That is, He will give them understanding to
know and believe them; He will give them courage to profess and power
to put them into practice: the whole habit and frame of their souls
shall be a table and transcript of His laws" (Matthew Henry).
"I will put My laws into their minds, and I will write them in their
hearts." We are shown how rebels are made amendable to God. "God calls
to us without effect as long as He speaks to us in no other way than
by the voice of man. He indeed teaches us and commands what is right,
but He speaks to the deaf; for when we seem to hear aright, our ears
are only struck by an empty sound, and the heart, being full of
depravity and perverseness rejects every wholesome doctrine. In short,
the Word of God never penetrates into our hearts, for they are iron
and stone until they are softened by Him; nay they have engraved on
them a contrary law, for perverse passions reek within, which lead us
to rebellion. In vain then does God proclaim His Law by the voice of
men until He writes it by His spirit on our hearts, that is until He
frames and prepares us for obedience" (Calvin).
"And I will write them in their hearts." The "heart," as distinguished
from the "mind," comprises the affections and the will. This is what
renders actually effective the former. The heart of the natural man is
alienated from God and opposed to His authority. That is why God wrote
the Ten Words upon tables of stone: not so much to secure the outward
letter of them, as to represent the hardness of heart of the people
unto whom they were given. But at regeneration God takes away "the
heart of stone" and gives "a heart of flesh" (Ezek. 36:26). Just as
the tables of stone received the impression of the finger of God, of
the letter and words wherein the Law was contained, so "the heart of
flesh" receives a durable impression of God's laws, the affections and
will being made answerable unto the whole revealed will of God and
conformed to its requirements: a principle of obedience is imparted,
subjection to the Divine authority is wrought in us.
Here, then, is the grand triumph of Divine grace: a lawless rebel is
changed into a loyal subject, enmity against the Law (Rom. 8:7) is
displaced by love for the Law (Ps. 119:97). The heart is so
transformed that it now loves God and has a genuine desire and
determination to please Him. The renewed heart "delights in the Law of
God" and "serves the Law of God" (Rom. 7:22, 25), it being its very
"nature" to do so! Let each reader sincerely ask himself, Is there now
that in me which responds to the holy Law of God? Is it truly my
longing and resolve to be wholly regulated by the Divine will? Is it
the deepest yearning of my soul and the chief aim of my life to honour
and glorify Him? Is it my daily prayer for Him to "work in me both to
will and to do of His good pleasure"? Is my acutest grief occasioned
when I feel I sadly fail to fully realize my longing? If so, the great
change has been wrought in me.
"According as His Divine power has given unto us all things that
pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that
hath called us by glory and virtue. Whereby are given unto us
exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye might be
partakers of the Divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is
in the world through lust" (2 Pet. 1:3, 4). That is more of a general
description of experimental salvation than a delineation of any
particular part thereof, yet since there be in it one or two
expressions not found elsewhere, it calls for a separate
consideration. The opening "According as" should be rendered
"Forasmuch as" or "Seeing that" (R.V.), for it indicates not so much a
standard of comparison, as that verses 3 and 4 form the ground of the
exhortation of verses 5 to 7. First, we have their spiritual
enduement. This was by "Divine power," or as Ephesians 1:19, expresses
it, "the exceeding greatness of His power to usward, who believe
according to the working of His mighty power," for nothing less could
quicken souls dead in trespasses and sins or free the slaves of sin
and Satan.
That Divine power "hath given unto us (not merely offered them in the
Gospel, but hath graciously bestowed, actually communicated) all
things that pertain unto life and godliness": that is, whatever is
needful for the production, preservation and perfecting of
spirituality in the souls of God's elect. Yet though the recipients be
completely passive, yea, unconscious of this initial operation of
Divine grace, they do not continue so, for, second, their enduement is
accompanied by and accomplished "through the knowledge of Him that
hath (effectually) called us by glory and virtue" or "energy." That
"knowledge of Him" consists of such a personal revelation of Himself
to the soul as imparts a true, spiritual, affecting, transforming
perception of and acquaintance with His excellency. It is such a
knowledge as enables its favored recipient in adoring and filial
recognition to say, "I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear;
but now mine eye seeth Thee" (Job 42:5). God has now become an awe
producing, yet a living and blessed reality to the renewed soul.
Third, through that spiritual "knowledge" which God has imparted to
the soul is received all the gracious benefits and gifts of His love:
"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that
by these ye might be partakers," etc. The "whereby" has reference to
"His glory and virtue," or better ``His glory and energy'' or "might."
The "promises" are "given unto us" not simply in words but in their
actual fulfillment: just as the "by His glory and might" is the same
thing as "His Divine power" in the previous verse, so "are given unto
us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye might be
partakers of the Divine nature" corresponds with "hath given unto us
all things that pertain unto life and godliness," the one amplifying
the other. The "exceeding great and precious promises" were those made
in the Old Testament--the original (Gen. 3:15), fundamental, central,
and all-pervading one being that of a personal Saviour; and those made
by Christ, which chiefly respected the gift and coming of the Holy
Spirit, which He expressly designated as "the promise of the Father"
(Acts 1:4).
Now those two promises--that of a Divine Saviour and that of a Divine
Spirit--were the things that the prophets of old "ministered not unto
themselves, but unto us" (1 Pet. 2:12), and they may indeed most fitly
be termed "exceeding great and precious promises," for they who are
given this Saviour and this Spirit do in effect receive "all things
that pertain unto life and godliness," for Christ becomes their Life
and the Spirit their Sanctifier. Or, as verse 3 expresses it, the end
for which this knowledge (as well as its accompanying blessings) are
bestowed is first "that by these (i.e. the promises are fulfilled and
fulfilling in your experience) ye might be partakers of the Divine
nature." Here we need to be on our guard against forming a wrong
conclusion from the bare sound of those words: "Not the essence of
God, but His communicable excellencies, such moral properties as may
be imparted to the creature, and those not considered in their
absolute perfection, but as they are agreeable to our present state
and capacity" (Thos. Manton).
That "Divine nature," or "moral properties," is sometimes called "the
life of God" (Eph. 4:18), because it is a vital principle of action;
sometimes the "image of Him" (Col. 3:10), because they bear a likeness
to Him--consisting essentially of "righteousness and true holiness"
(Eph. 4:24); or in verse 3, "life and godliness"--spiritual life,
spiritual graces, abilities to perform good works. It is here called
"the Divine nature because it is the communication of a vital
principle of operation which God transmits unto His children. The
second end for which this saving knowledge of God is given is
expressed in the closing words: "having escaped the corruption which
is in the world through lust." Personally we see no need for taking up
this expression before "partakers of the Divine nature" as that
eminent expositor Thos. Manton did, and as did the most able John
Lillie (to whom we are indebted for part of the above), for the
apostle is not here enforcing the human-responsibility side of things
(as he was in Rom. 13:12; Eph. 4:22-24), but treats of the Divine
operations and their effects. It is quite true that we must put off
the old man before we can put on the new man in a practical way, that
we must first attend to the work of mortification ere we can make
progress in our sanctification, but this is not the aspect of Truth
which the apostle is here unfolding. When the Gospel call is addressed
unto our moral agency the promise is "that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:15,16). But where
spiritual things are concerned, the unregenerate man never discharges
his moral agency. A miracle of grace must take place before he does
that, and therefore God in a sovereign manner (unsought by us) imparts
life, that he may and will believe (John 1:12,13; 1 John 5:1)--the
"sanctification of the Spirit" precedes the saving "and belief of the
Truth" (2 Thess. 2:13)! In like manner, our becoming "partakers of the
Divine nature" precedes (not in time, but in order of nature and of
actual experience, though not of consciousness) our escaping "the
corruption that is in the world through lust."
Let not the young preacher be confused by what has been pointed out in
the last paragraph. His marching orders are plain: when addressing the
unsaved he is to enforce their responsibility, press upon them the
discharging of their duties, bidding them forsake their "way" and
"thoughts" in order to pardon (Isa. 550), calling upon them to
"repent" and "believe" if they would be saved. But if God be pleased
to own his preaching of the Word and pluck some brands from the
burning, it is quite another matter (or aspect of Truth) for the
preacher (and, later on, his saved hearer, by means of doctrinal
instruction) to understand something of the nature of that miracle of
grace which God wrought in the hearer, which caused him to savingly
receive the Gospel. It is that which we have endeavoured to deal
within the above paragraphs, namely, explain something of the
operations of Divine grace in a renewed soul, so far as those
operations are described in 2 Peter 1:3, 4.
"Having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."
First, by the Divine operation, and then by our own agency, for it is
ever "God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good
pleasure" (Phil. 2:13). Indwelling sin (depravity) is here termed
"corruption" because it blighted our primitive purity, degenerated our
original state, and because it continues both in its nature and
effects to pollute and waste. That "corruption" has its source, or is
seated in, our "lusts"--depraved affections and appetites. This
"corruption" is what another apostle designated "evil concupiscence"
(Col. 3:5), for it occupies in the heart that place which is due alone
unto the love of God as the Supreme Good. "Lust" always follows that
"nature": as is the nature, so are its desires--if corrupt, then evil;
if holy, then pure. All the corruption that is in the world is
"through lust," i.e. through inordinate desire: lust lies at the
bottom of every unlawful thought, every evil imagination.
The world could harm no man Were it not for "lust" in his heart--some
inordinate desire in the understanding or fancy, a craving for
something which sets him a-work after it. The fault is not in the
gold, but in the spirit of covetousness which possesses men; not in
the wine, but in their craving to excess. "But every man is tempted
when he is drawn away of his own lust" (James 1:14)--the blame lies on
us rather than Satan! It is remarkable that when the apostle explained
his expression "all that is in the world," he defined it as "the lust
of flesh, and the lust of the eye, and the pride of life" (1 John
2:16). Now of Christians our passage says, "having escaped the
corruption that is in the world through lust," and that by the
interposition of the Divine hand, as Lot escaped from Sodom; yet not
through a simple act of omnipotence, but by the gracious bestowments
which that hand brings, but that holiness which He works in the heart,
or, as a passage already reviewed expresses it, "by the washing of
regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit." We escape from the
dominion of inward corruption by the "Divine nature in us" causing us
to hate and resist our evil lusts.
Thus it is by adhering closely to the Divine order of this passage
that we are enabled to understand the meaning of its final clause.
When we become partakers of "the Divine nature," that is, when we are
renewed after the image of God, a principle of grace and holiness is
communicated to the soul, which is called "spirit" because "born of
the Spirit" (John 3:6), and that principle of holiness (termed by many
"the new nature") is a vital and operating one, which offers
opposition to the workings of "corruption" or indwelling sin, for not
only does the flesh lust against the spirit, but "the spirit lusteth
against the flesh" (Gal. 5:17). The "Divine nature" has wrought
"godliness" in us, drawing off the heart of its recipient from the
world to heaven, making him to long after holiness and pant for
communion with God. Herein lies the radical difference between those
described in 2 Peter 1:3,4, and the ones in 2 Peter 2:20 -- nothing is
said of the latter being "partakers of the Divine nature!" Their
"escaping from the pollutions of the world" was merely a temporary
reformation from outward defilements and gross sins, as their turning
again to the same makes clear (verse 22).
"We know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the
brethren" (1 John 3:14). Here is set before us still another criterion
by which the Christian may determine whether the great change has been
wrought in him. First, let us point out that it seems to be clearly
implied here (as in other places in this epistle: e.g. 2:3; 4:13) that
the miracle of grace is not perceptible to our senses at the moment it
occurs, but is cognizable by us afterward from its effects and fruits.
We cannot recall a single statement in Scripture which expressly
declares or even plainly implies that the saint is conscious of
regeneration during the moment of quickening. There are indeed numbers
(the writer among them) who can recall and specify the very hour when
they were first convicted of sin, realized their lost condition,
trusted in the atoning blood, and felt the burden of their hearts roll
away. Nevertheless, they knew not when life was imparted into their
spiritually dead souls--life which prompted them to breathe, feel,
see, hear and act in a way they never had previously. Life must be
present before there can be any of the functions and exercises of
life. One dead in sin cannot savingly repent and believe.
Now it is one of the designs for which the first epistle of John was
written that the regenerate may have assurance that eternal life has
been imparted to them (5:13), several different evidences and
manifestations of that life being described in the course of the
apostle's letter. The one specified in 3:14, is "love for the
brethren." By nature we were inclined to hate the children of God. It
could not be otherwise: since we hated God, and that because He is
holy and righteous, we despised those in whom the image of His moral
perfections appeared. Contrariwise, when the love of God was shed
abroad in our hearts and we were brought to delight ourselves in Him,
His people became highly esteemed by us, and the more evidently they
were conformed unto His likeness, the more we loved them. That "love"
is of a vastly superior nature from any natural sentiment, being a
holy principle. Consequently, it is something very different from mere
zeal for a certain group or party spirit, or even an affection for
those whose sentiments and temperaments are like our own. It is a
Divine, spiritual and holy love which goes out unto the whole family
of God: not respect to this or that brother, but which embraces "the
brethren" at large.
That of which 1 John 3:14 treats is a peculiar love for those saved by
Christ. To love the Redeemer and His Redeemed is congenial to the
spiritual life which has been communicated to their renewed soul. It
is a fruit of that holy disposition which the Spirit has wrought in
them. It must be distinguished from what is so often mis-termed "love"
in the natural realm, which consists only of sentimentality and
amiability. The regenerate "love the brethren" not because they are
affable and genial, or because they give them a warm welcome to their
circle. They "love the brethren" not because they deem them wise and
orthodox, but because of their godliness, and the more their godliness
is evidenced the more will they love them; and hence they love all the
godly--no matter what be their denominational connections. They love
those whom Christ loves, they love them for His sake--because they
belong to Him. Their love is a spiritual, disinterested and faithful
one which seeks the good of its objects, which sympathizes with them
in their spiritual trials and conflicts, which bears them up in their
prayers before the throne of grace, which unselfishly shows kindness
unto them, which admonishes and rebukes when that be necessary.
But that to which we would here direct particular attention is the
language employed by the Spirit in describing the great change,
namely, "passed from death unto life." The same expression was used by
our Lord in John 5:24, though there its force is rather different.
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth (with an inward or
spiritual ear) My word, and (savingly) believeth on Him that sent Me,
hath everlasting life (the very fact he so heareth and believeth is
proof he has it) and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed
from death unto life." The "shall not come into condemnation," brings
in the forensic side of things, and therefore the "hath passed from
death unto life" (which, be it duly noted, is in addition to "hath
everlasting life" in the preceding clause) is judicial. The one who
has had "everlasting life" sovereignly imparted to him, and who in
consequence thereof "hears" or heeds the Gospel of Christ and savingly
believes, has for ever emerged from the place of condemnation, being
no longer under the curse of the Law, but now entitled to its award of
"life," by virtue of the personal obedience or meritorious
righteousness of Christ being imputed unto him; for which reason he is
exhorted "reckon ye also yourself to be dead indeed unto sin but alive
unto God through (in) Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:11).
But 1 John 3:14, is not treating of the forensic or legal side of
things, but the experimental, that of which God's elect are made the
subjects of in their own persons. Here it is not a relative change
(one in relation to the Law), but an actual one that is spoken of.
They have "passed from" that fearful state in which they were
born--"alienated from the life of God" (Eph. 4:18): a state of
unregeneracy. They have been supernaturally and effectually called
forth from the grave of sin and death. They have entered "into life,"
which speaks of the state which they are now in before God as the
consequence of His quickening them. They have for ever left that
sepulchre of spiritual death in which by nature they lay, and have
been brought into the spiritual sphere to "walk in newness of life."
And "love for the brethren" is one of the effects and evidences of the
miracle of grace of which they have been favored subjects. They evince
their spiritual resurrection by this mark: they love the beloved of
Christ; their hearts are spontaneously drawn out unto and they
earnestly seek the good of all who wear Christ's yoke, bear His image
and seek to promote His glory, 1 John 3:14, is not an exhortation but
a factual statement of Christian experience.
Now let the reader most diligently note that in 1 John 3:14, the Holy
Spirit has employed the figure of resurrection to set forth the great
change, and that it also must be given due place in our thoughts as we
endeavour to form something approaching an adequate conception of what
the miracle of grace consists. Due consideration of this figure should
check us in pressing too far that of the new birth. The similitude of
resurrection brings before us something distinct and in some respects
quite different from that which is connoted by "new creation,"
"begetting" (Jam. 1:18) or being "born again" (1 Pet. 1:23). Each of
the latter denotes the bringing into existence of something which
previously existed not; whereas "resurrection" is the quickening of
what is there already. The miracle of grace consists of far more than
the communication of a new life or nature: it also includes the
renovation and purification of the original soul. Because it is a
"miracle," an act of omnipotence, accomplished by the mere fiat of
God, it is appropriately likened unto "creation," yet it needs to be
carefully borne in mind that it is not some thing which is created in
us: for "we (ourselves) are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus"
(Eph. 2:10). It is the person himself, and not merely a nature, which
is born again.
We have now reviewed not less than twenty-five passages from God's
Word, wherein a considerable variety of terms and figures are used to
set forth the different aspects of the great change which takes place
in a person when the miracle of grace is wrought within him: all of
which passages, in our judgment, treating of the same. We have not
sought to expound or comment upon them at equal length, but, following
our usual custom, have rather devoted the most space in an attempt to
explain those which are least understood, which present the most
difficulty to the average reader, and upon which the commentators
often supply the least help. A comparison of those passages will at
once show that what theologians generally speak of as "regeneration"
or "the effectual call" is very far from being expressed by the Holy
Spirit in uniform language, and therefore that those who restrict
their ideas to what is connoted by being born again, or, even on the
other hand, "a change of heart," are almost certain to form a very
one-sided, inadequate and faulty conception of what experimental
salvation consists. Regeneration is indeed a new birth, or the
beginning of a new life; but that it is not all it is--there is also
something resurrected and renewed, and something washed and
transformed!
The Bible is not designed for lazy people. Truth has to be bought
(Prov. 23:23), but the slothful and worldly minded are not willing to
pay the price required. That "price" is intimated in Prov. 2:1-5:
there must be a diligent applying of the heart, a crying after
knowledge, a seeking for an apprehension of spiritual things with that
ardor and determination as men employ when seeking for silver; and a
searching for a deeper and fuller knowledge of the Truth as men put
forth when searching for hid treasures--persevering until their quest
is successful; if we would really understand the things of God. Those
who complain that these articles are "too difficult" or "too deep" for
them, do but betray the sad state of their souls and reveal how little
they really value the Truth; otherwise they would ask God to enable
them to concentrate, and reread these pages perseveringly until they
made its contents their own. People are willing to work and study hard
and long to master one of the arts or sciences, but where spiritual
and eternal things are concerned it is usually otherwise.
"Search the Scriptures" (John 5:39), "comparing the spiritual things
with spiritual" (1 Cor. 2:13). That is what we sought to heed.
Twenty-five different passages have been collated--all of which we are
persuaded treat of some aspect or other of "the miracle of grace" or
the great change--and in varying measure engaged our attention. It
will be observed that in some of them it is the illumination of the
understanding which is in view (Acts 26:18), in others the searching
and convicting of the conscience (Rom. 7:9), and in others the
renovation of the heart (Ezek. 36:26). In some it is the subduing of
the will (Ps. 110:3) which is emphasized, in others casting down
reasonings and bringing our thoughts into subjection (2 Cor. 10:5),
and in others the writing of God's laws in our minds and hearts. In
some the miracle of grace appears to be a completed thing (1 Cor.
6:11), in others the great change is seen as a gradual process (2 Cor.
3:18; Phil. 1:6). In one something is communicated (Rom. 5:5), In
different passages the figures of creation (Eph. 2:10), of renewing
(Titus 3:5), and of resurrection (1 John 3:14) are employed.
If it be asked, Why has it pleased the Holy Spirit to describe His
work so diversely and use such a variety of terms and figures? Several
answers may be suggested. First, because the work itself, though one,
is so many-sided. Its subject is a complex creature and the process of
salvation radically affects every part of his composite being. Just as
sin has marred each part of our constitution and has corrupted every
faculty the Creator gave us, so grace renews and transforms every part
of our constitution and purifies every faculty we possess. When the
apostle prayed, "The very God of peace sanctify you wholly, and your
whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming
of the Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess. 5:23), he was asking that God
would graciously preserve and perfect that which He had already
wrought in His people, and the terms he there used intimated the
comprehensiveness and entirety of the grand miracle of grace. This is
a gem possessing many facets and our estimate of it is certain to be
most faulty if we confine our view to only one of them.
Second, because God would thereby warn us from supposing that He acts
according to a stereotyped plan or method in His saving of sinners.
Variety rather than uniformity marks all the ways and workings of God,
in creation, providence, and grace. No two seasons are alike--no field
or tree yields the same crop in any two years. Every book in the Bible
is equally the inspired Word of God, yet how different in character
and content is Leviticus from the Psalms, Ruth from Ezekiel, Romans
from the Revelation! How varied the manner in which the Lord Jesus
gave sight to different ones who were blind: different in the means
used and the effect produced--one, at first, only seeing men as though
they were trees walking (Mark 8:24)! How differently He dealt with
religious Nicodemus in John 3 and the adulterous woman of John 4,
pressing on the one his imperative need of being born again,
convicting the other of her sins and telling her of "the gift of God!"
The great God is not confined to any rule and we must not restrict His
operations in our thoughts: if we do, we are certain to err.
Third, because God would thereby teach us that, though the work of
grace be essentially and substantially the same in all its favored
subjects, yet in no two of them does it appear identical in all its
circumstances-- neither in its operations nor manifestations. Not only
does endless variety mark all the ways and workings of God, but it
does so equally in His workmanship. This is generally recognized and
acknowledged in connection with the material world, where no two
blades of grass or two grains of sand are alike. But in the spiritual
realm it is very far from being perceived and owned: rather is it
commonly supposed that all truly regenerate persons conform strictly
unto one particular pattern, and those who differ from it are at once
suspected of being counterfeits. This should not be. The twelve
foundations of the new and holy Jerusalem, in which are the names of
the twelve apostles of the Lamb, are all composed of "precious"
stones, but how diverse is each! The first jasper, the second
sapphire, the third a chalcedony, the fourth emerald, etc. (Rev.
21)--different in color, size and brilliancy. Each Christian has his
own measure of faith and grace "according to the measure of the gift
of Christ" (Eph. 4:7).
Those who have written upon God's work of grace in the soul,
especially when treating of His initial act therein, have used a wide
variety of terms--generally those most in vogue among the particular
party to which they belonged. Each denomination has its own more or
less distinctive nomenclature--determined by the portions of Truth it
is wont to emphasize--and even when dealing with doctrine which is
held by all the orthodox, does so with a certain characteristic
pronunciation or emphasis. Thus, in some circles one would find
"effectual calling" the term most frequently employed; in other
places, where "the new birth" is substituted, few would understand
what is meant by "an effectual call"; while "a change of heart" is how
a third group would describe it. Others, who are looser in their
terminology, speak of "being saved," by which some signify one thing,
and others something quite different. As a matter of fact, each of
those expressions is justifiable, and all of them need to be combined
if we are to form anything approaching an adequate concept of the
experience itself.
The better to enable our feeble understandings to grasp something of
the nature of the great change which takes place in each of God's
people, the Holy Spirit has employed a considerable variety of
terms--figurative in character, yet expressing spiritual
realities--and it behooves us to diligently collate or collect the
same, carefully ponder each one, and regard all of them as being
included in "the miracle of grace." Probably we are not capable of
furnishing a full list, but the following are some of the principal
verses in which experimental salvation is described. "The Lord thy God
will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the
Lord thy God with all thine heart" (Deut. 30:6): an operation painful
to the soul, in removing its filth and folly--its love of sin--is
necessary before the heart is brought to truly love God! This figure
of circumcising the heart is found also in the New Testament: Romans
2:29; Philippians 3:3. "Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy
power" (Ps. 110:3): omnipotence must be exercised ere the elect will
voluntarily deny self and freely take Christ's yoke upon them.
"Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean:
from all your filthiness and from your idols will I cleanse you. A new
heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you:
and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will
give you a heart of flesh" (Ezek. 36:25, 26). We are not concerned
here with the prophetic or dispensational bearing of this statement,
but with its doctrinal import. Nor can we here attempt a full
exposition of it. In our judgment those verses describe an essential
aspect of that "miracle of grace" which God performs in His people.
The "clean water" with which He sprinkles and cleanses them within is
an emblem of His holy Word, as John 15:3, Ephesians 5:26, make quite
clear. The heart of the natural man is likened to one of
"stone"--lifeless, insensible, obstinate. When he is regenerated, the
heart of man becomes one "of flesh"--quickened into newness of life,
warm, full of feeling, capable of receiving impressions from the
Spirit. The change effected by regeneration is no superficial or
partial one, but a great, vital, transforming, complete one.
"Make the tree good and his fruit good" (Matt. 10:32): the
Husbandman's method of accomplishing this is shown in Romans 11:17.
"Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not
enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 18:3): to "be converted" is
to experience a radical change, for pride to be turned into humility,
and self-sufficiency into clinging dependence. "Of His fulness have
all we received, and grace for grace" (John 1:16): the life of the
Head is communicated to His members, and every spiritual grace that is
found in Him is, in measure, reproduced in them. "No man can come to
Me except the Father which hath sent Me draw him" (John 6:44): to come
to Christ is to receive Him as our Lord and Saviour--to abandon our
idols and repudiate our own righteousness, to surrender to His
government and trust in His sacrifice; and none can do that except by
the power of God. "Purifying their hearts by faith" (Acts 15:9, and
cf. I Peter 1:22--"Ye have purified your souls by obeying the Truth"):
the Christian does not have two hearts, but one which has been
"purified"! "Whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the
things which were spoken" (Acts 16:14): the door of fallen man's heart
is fast closed against God until He opens it.
"I have appeared unto thee for this purpose: to make thee a minister
and a witness . . .to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to
light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they might receive
forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by
faith that is in Me" (Acts 26:18). Here we have still another
description of that miracle of grace which God performs within His
people and wherein He is pleased to make use of the ministerial
instrumentality of His servants. The faithful preaching of His Word is
given an important place therein, though that preaching is only
rendered effectual by the powerful operations of the Spirit. That
miracle is here spoken of as the opening of our eyes, the reference
being to the eyes of our understanding, so that we are enabled to
perceive something of the spiritual meaning of the Gospel message and
its bearing upon our own deep need. The soul which hitherto was
engulfed in spiritual darkness is brought forth into God's marvelous
light (I Pet. 2:9) so that we now discover the perfect suitability of
Christ unto our desperate case. At the same time the soul is delivered
from the captivity of Satan, who is "the power of darkness" (Luke
22:53), and brought into a new relation with and knowledge of God,
which produces faith in Him and issues in the forgiveness of sins.
Fourth, because God would thereby make it easier for His children to
recognize themselves in the mirror of the Word. Possessed of honest
hearts and fearful of being deceived, some find it no simple matter to
be thoroughly convinced that they have truly experienced the great
change. So far from sneering at their trepidation, we admire their
caution: where the eternal interests of the soul are concerned only a
fool will give himself the benefit of the doubt. But if a miracle of
grace has been wrought in the reader, there is no good reason why he
should long be in uncertainty about it. As in water face answers to
face, so the character of the renewed soul corresponds to the
description of such furnished by the Word of Truth. That description,
as we have seen, is given with considerable variety, sometimes one
feature or aspect being made prominent, sometimes another. It is like
a photographer taking a number of different pictures of the same
person: one with his countenance in repose, another with him smiling;
one a full-face view, another of his profile. One may appear to do him
"more justice" than another or be more easily "recognized," yet all
are likenesses of himself.
Let then the exercised reader impartially scrutinize himself in the
mirror of the Word and see if he can discern in himself some of the
marks of the regenerate, as those marks are there delineated. Observe
well we say "some of" those marks, and not all of them. Though you may
not be sure that Ezekiel 36:26 has taken place in you, perhaps you
know something of what is recorded in Acts 16:14, and Romans 5:5.
Because your first conscious "experience" was not like that of Romans
7:9, perhaps it closely resembled that of Zaccheus, who came down from
the tree and "received Him joyfully" (Luke 19:6). Commenting on the
quickness of his conversion, Whitefield aptly said to those who
queried whether any were genuine Christians who had not undergone some
"terrible experience" of conviction or terror of the wrath to come,
"You may as well say to your neighbor you have not had a child, for
you were not in labour all night. The question is, whether a real
child is born, not how long was the preceding pain"!
There is nothing in the sacred record to show that either Lydia or
Zaccheus felt anything of the terrors of the Law before their
conversion, yet from what is said of them in the sequel we cannot
doubt the reality of their conversion. Though you may not be sure
whether God has put His laws into your mind and written them on your
heart, yet you should have no difficulty in perceiving whether or no
you "love the brethren" as such, and if you do, then you may be fully
assured on the Word of Him that cannot lie, you have "passed from
death unto life." The fact that you are afraid to aver that God has
renewed you after His image and created you "in righteousness and true
holiness" does not of itself warrant you inferring you are still in a
state of nature. Test yourself by other passages and see if you can
discern in your soul some of their marks of regeneration, such as a
grieving over sin, a hungering after righteousness, a panting for
communion with God, a praying for fuller conformity unto Christ. Has
the world lost its charm, are you out of love with yourself, is the
Lamb of God a desirable Object in your eyes? If so, you possess at
least some of the distinctive marks of the regenerate.
Reversal of the Fall
Since we are seeking to write this for the benefit of young preachers
as well as the rank and file of God's people, let us point out that
the nature of this great change may also be determined by
contemplating it as the begun reversal of the Fall: "begun reversal,"
for what is commenced at regeneration is continued throughout our
sanctification and completed only at our glorification. While it be
true that those who are renewed by the Holy Spirit gain more than Adam
lost by the Fall, yet we have clear Scripture warrant for affirming
that the workmanship of the new creation is God's answer to man's
ruination of his original creation. Great care needs to be taken in
cleaving closely to the Scriptures in developing this point,
particularly in ascertaining exactly what was the moral and spiritual
condition of man originally, and precisely what happened to him when
he fell. We trust that a patient perusal of what follows will convince
the reader of both the importance and value of our discussion of these
details at this stage the more so since the children have sadly
departed from the teaching of the fathers thereon.
Even those sections of Christendom which boast the most of their
soundness in the Faith are defective here. Mr. Darby and his followers
hold that Adam was merely created innocent (a negative state), and not
in (positive) holiness. Mr. Philpot said, "I do not believe that Adam
was a spiritual man, that is, that he possessed those spiritual gifts
and graces which are bestowed upon the elect of God, for they are new
covenant blessings in which he had no share" (Gospel Standard, 1861,
page 155). One error ever involves another. Those who deny that fallen
man possesses any responsibility to perform spiritual acts (love God,
savingly believe in Christ) must, to be consistent, deny that unfallen
man was a spiritual creature. Different far was the teaching of the
Reformers and Puritans. "And where Paul treats of the restoration of
this image (2 Cor. 3:18), we may readily infer from his words that man
was conformed to God not by an influx of His substance, but by the
grace and power of His Spirit." And again, "As the spiritual life of
Adam consisted in a union to his Maker, so an. alienation from Him was
the death of his soul" (Calvin, Institutes).
"Adam had the Spirit as well as we: the Holy Spirit was at the making
of him and wrote the image of God upon his heart, for where holiness
was, we may be sure the Spirit of God was too . . .the same Spirit was
in Adam's heart to assist his graces and cause them to flow and bring
forth, and to move him to live according to those principles of life
given him" (Goodwin, 6/54). And again, commenting on Adam's being made
in the image and likeness of God, and pointing out that such an
"image" imports a thing "permanent and inherent," he asked, "what
could this be but habitual inclinations and dispositions unto
whatsoever was holy and good, insomuch as all holiness radically dwelt
in him" (page 202). So too Charnock: "The righteousness of the first
man evidenced not only a sovereign power, as the Donor of his being,
but a holy power, as the pattern of His work. . . .The law of love to
God, with his whole soul, his whole mind, his whole heart and
strength, was originally writ upon his nature. All the parts of his
nature were framed in a moral conformity with God, to answer His Law
and imitate God in His purity" (vol. 2, page 205).
In his Discourse on the Holy Spirit (chapter 4, His "Peculiar works in
the first creation"), when treating of "the image of God" after which
Adam was created (namely, "an ability to discern the mind and will of
God," an "unentangled disposition to every duty" and "a readiness of
compliance in his affections"),J. Owen said, "For in the restoration
of these abilities unto our minds in our renovation unto the image of
God in the Gospel, it is plainly asserted that the Holy Spirit is the
imparter of them, and He doth thereby restore His own work. For in the
new creation the Father, in the way of authority, designs it and
brings all things unto a head in Christ (Eph. 1:10), which retrieves
His original work. And thus Adam may be said to have had the Spirit of
God in his innocency: he had Him in those peculiar effects of His
power and goodness, and he had Him according to the tenor of that
covenant whereby it was possible that he should utterly lose Him, as
accordingly it came to pass." The superiority of the new covenant lies
in its gifts being unforfeitable, because secured in and by Christ.
"God made man upright" (Eccl. 7:29)--the same Hebrew word as in Job
1:8, and Psalm 25:8: "This presupposes a law to which he was conformed
in his creation, as when anything is made regular or according to
rule, of necessity the rule itself is presupposed. Whence we may
gather that this law was no other than the eternal indispensable law
of righteousness, observed in all points by the second Adam. . . . In
a word, this law is the very same which was afterwards summed up in
the Ten Commandments . . .called by us the Moral Law, and man's
righteousness consisted in conformity to this law or rule" (Thomas
Boston, Human Nature in its Fourfold State). "When God created man at
first, He gave him not an outward law, written in letters or delivered
in words, but an inward law put into his heart and concreated with
him, and wrought in the frame of his soul . . .spiritual dispositions
and inclinations, in his will and affections, carrying him on to pray,
love God and fear Him, to seek His glory in a spiritual and holy
manner" (Goodwin). The external command of Genesis 2:17, was designed
as the test of his responsibility, and at the same time it served to
make manifest that his "uprightness" was mutable.
When Adam left the Creator's hand the law of God was in his heart, for
he was endowed with holy instincts and inclinations, which tended unto
his doing that which was pleasing unto God and an antipathy against
whatever was displeasing to Him. That "law of God" within him was his
original character or constitution of his soul and spirit--as it is
the "law" or character of beasts to care for their young and of birds
to build nests for theirs. Should it be asked, Is there any other
Scripture which teaches that God placed His law in the heart of
unfallen Adam? we answer, Yes, by clear and necessary implication.
Christ declared "Thy Law is within My heart" (Psalm 40:8), and Romans
5:14, tells us that Adam was "the figure of Him that was to come."
Again, just as we may ascertain what grain a certain field bore from
the stubble in it, so we may discover what was in unfallen man by the
ruins of what is still discernible in fallen humanity: "the Gentiles
do by nature the things contained in the Law" (Rom. 2:14)--their
consciences informing them that immorality and murder are crimes:
there is still a shadow in his descendants of the character originally
possessed by Adam.
But Adam did not continue as God created him. He fell, and terrible
were the consequences. But it is only by adhering closely to the terms
used in the Word that we can rightly apprehend the nature of those
consequences; yea, unless we allow Scripture itself to interpret those
terms for us, we are certain to err in our understanding of them.
Possibly the reader is ready to exclaim, There is no need to make any
mystery out of it: the matter is quite simple--those consequences may
all be summed up in one word--"death." Even so, we must carefully
inquire what is meant there by "death." "Spiritual death," you answer.
True, and observe well that presupposes spiritual life, and that in
turn implies a spiritual person, for surely one endowed with spiritual
life must be so designated. However, our inquiry must be pressed back
a stage farther, and the question put, Exactly what is connoted by
"spiritual death"? It is at this point so many have gone wrong and,
departing from the teaching of Holy Writ, have landed in serious
error.
It is to be most carefully noted that God did not say to Adam, "In the
day that thou eatest thereof thy spirit or thy soul shall surely die,"
but rather "thou shalt surely die" (Gen. 2:17). It was not some thing
in or some part of Adam which died, but Adam himself! That is very,
very far from being a distinction without any difference: it is a real
and radical difference, and if we tamper with Scripture and change
what it says, we depart from the Truth. Nor is "death" an extinction
or annihilation; instead, it is a separation. Physical death is the
severance or separation of the soul from the body, and spiritual death
is the separation of the soul from God. The prodigal son was "dead" so
long as he remained in "the far country" (Luke 15:24), because away
from his Father. 1 Timothy 5:6, tells us, "she that liveth in pleasure
is dead while she liveth"; that is, she is spiritually dead, dead
Godwards, while alive and active in sin. For the same reason, "the
lake which burneth with fire and brimstone" is called "the Second
Death" (Rev. 2 1:8), because those cast into it are "punished with
everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord" (2 Thess. 1:9).
Man was created a tripartite being, composed of "spirit and soul and
body" (1 Thess. 5:23). That is unmistakably implied in the Divine
account of his creation: "God said, Let Us make man in Our image,
after Our likeness" (Gen. 1:26); the Triune God made man a trinity in
unity! And when man fell, he continued to be a tripartite being: no
part of his being was extinguished, no faculty was lost when he
apostatized from God. It cannot be insisted upon too strongly that no
essential element of man's original constitution was forfeited, no
component part of his complex make-up was annihilated at the Fall, for
multitudes are seeking to hide behind a misconception at this very
point. They would fain believe that man lost some vital part of his
nature when Adam ate of the forbidden fruit, and that it is the
absence of this part in his descendants which explains (and excuses!)
all their failures. They console themselves that they are more to be
pitied than blamed: the blame rests on their first parents, and they,
forsooth, are to be pitied because he deprived them of the faculty of
working righteousness. Much preaching encourages that very delusion.
The truth is that fallen man today possesses identically the same
faculties as those with which Adam was originally created, and his
accountability lies in his making good use of those faculties, and his
criminality consists in the evil employment of them. Others seek to
evade the onus of man by affirming that he received a nature which he
did not possess before the Fall, and all the blame for his lawless
actions is thrown upon that evil nature: equally erroneous and equally
vain is such a subterfuge. No material addition was made to man's
being at the Fall, any more than some intrinsic part was taken from
it. That which man lost at the Fall was his primitive holiness, and
that which then entered into his being was sin, and sin has defiled
every part of his person; but for that we are to be blamed and not
pitied. Nor has fallen man become so helplessly the victim of sin that
his accountability is cancelled; rather does God hold him responsible
to resist and reject every inclination unto evil, and will justly
punish him because he fails to do so. Every attempt to negative human
responsibility and undermine the sinner's accountability, no matter by
whom made, must be steadfastly resisted by us.
It is by persuading men that the spirit died at the Fall, or that some
concrete but evil thing was then communicated to the human
constitution, that Satan succeeds in deceiving so many of his victims:
and it is the bounden duty of the Christian minister to expose his
sophistries, drive the ungodly out of their refuge of lies, and press
continually upon them the solemn fact that they are without the
vestige of an excuse for their own rebellion against God. In the day
of his disobedience Adam himself died, died spiritually, and so did
all his posterity in him. But that spiritual death consisted not of
the extinction of anything in them, but of their separation from God:
no part of Adam's being was annihilated, but every part of him was
vitiated. It was not the essence but the rectitude of man's soul and
spirit which sin destroyed. By the Fall man relinquished his honour
and glory, lost his holiness, forfeited the favour of God, and was
severed from all communion with Him; but he still retained his human
nature. All desire Godwards, all love for his Maker, all real
knowledge of Him was gone. Sin now possessed him, and to the love and
exercise of it he devoted himself. Such too is our natural condition.
Let none conclude from the last few paragraphs that we do not believe
in the "total depravity" of man, or that we do so in such a manner as
practically to evacuate that expression of any real meaning. Most
probably the writer believes more firmly in the utter ruin of fallen
human nature than do some of his readers, and views the plight of the
natural man as being more desperate than they do. We hold that the
state of every unregenerate soul is such that he cannot turn his face
Godward or originate a single spiritual thought, and that he has not
even so much as the wish or will to do so. Nor let it be inferred from
our preceding remarks that we deny the evil principle or "the flesh"
as being existent and dominant in the natural man: we most
emphatically believe--both on the testimony of the Word of Truth and
from personal experience of its awful potency and horrible
workings--that it is. But we also hold that great care should be taken
when seeking to visualize or define in our minds what "the flesh"
consists of. It is a principle of evil and not a concrete or tangible
entity. The moment we regard it as something material, we confuse
ourselves.
It is because all of us are so accustomed to thinking in the terms of
matter that we find it difficult to form a definite concept of
something which though immaterial is real. Nor is it by any means a
simple task for one to express himself thereon so that he will be
coherent unto others. Man lost no part of his tripartite nature when
he fell, nor was a fourth part then communicated to him. Instead,
sin--which is not a material entity--entered into him, and vitiated
and corrupted his entire being. He was stricken with a loathsome
disease which defiled all his faculties and members, so that his
entire spirit and soul became precisely like one whose body is thus
described: "From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no
soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores" (Isa.
1:5). A potato is still a potato even when frozen, though it is no
longer edible. An apple remains an apple when decayed within. And man
still retained his human nature when he apostatized from God, died
spiritually, and became totally depraved. He remained all that he was
previously minus only his holiness.
When man fell he died spiritually and, as we have shown, death is not
annihilation, but separation. Yet that word "separation" does not
express the full meaning of what is signified by "spiritual death."
Scripture employs another term--"alienation," and that too we must
take fully into account. "Alienation" includes the thought of
severance, but it also imparts an opposition. A dear friend may be
separated from me physically, but a cruel enemy is bitterly
antagonistic to me. Thus it is with fallen man: he is not only cut off
from all communion with the Holy One, but he is innately and
inveterately hostile to Him--"alienated" in his affections. We are not
here striving about mere "words," but calling attention to a most
solemn truth and fact. It is thus that the Scripture depicts the
condition of fallen mankind: "Having the understanding darkened, being
alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them,
because of the hardness of their heart" (Eph. 4:18); yea, it solemnly
declares that "the carnal mind is enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7), and
"enmity" is not a negative and passive thing, but a positive and
active one.
"Dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1) is the fearful diagnosis made
of fallen man by the Divine Physician. Yet though that language be
true to fact and is no exaggeration, still it is a figure, and unless
we interpret it in strict accord with Scripture, we shall falsify its
meaning. It is often said that the spiritual state of the natural man
is analogous to that of a corpse buried in the cemetery. From one
standpoint that is correct; from another it is utterly erroneous. The
natural man is a putrefying creature, a stench in the nostrils of the
Holy One, and he can no more perform a spiritual act Godwards than a
corpse can perform a physical act manwards. But there the analogy
ends! There is a contrast between the two cases as well as a
resemblance. A corpse has no responsibility, but the natural man has!
A corpse can perform no actions; different far is the case of the
sinner. He is- active, active against God! Though he does not love Him
(and he ought!), yet he is filled with enmity and hatred against Him.
Thus spiritual death is not a state of passivity and inactivity, but
one of aggressive hostility against God.
Here then, as everywhere, there is a balance to be preserved; yet it
is rarely maintained. Far too many Calvinists, in their zeal to
repudiate the free-willism of Arminians, have at the same time
repudiated man's moral agency; anxious to enforce the utter
helplessness of fallen men in spiritual matters, they have virtually
reduced him to an irresponsible machine. It has not been sufficiently
noted that in the very next verse after the statement "who were dead
in trespasses and sins," the apostle added, "Wherein (i.e. that state
of spiritual death) ye walked (which a corpse in the grave could not!)
according to the course of this world, according to the spirit of the
power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience. Among whom also we all had our conversation ("conduct")
in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the
flesh and of the mind" (Eph. 2:1-3). So that in one sense they were
dead (i.e. Godward) while they lived (i.e. in sin), and in another
sense they lived (a life of self-seeking and of enmity against God),
while dead to all spiritual things.
By the Fall man both lost something and acquired something. Term that
something a "nature" if you will, so long as you do not conceive of it
as something material. That which man lost was holiness, and that
which he acquired was sin, and neither the one nor the other is a
substance, but rather a moral quality. A "nature" is not a concrete
entity, but instead that which characterizes and impels an entity or
creature. It is the "nature" of gravitation to attract; it is the
nature of fire to burn. A "nature" is not a tangible thing, but a
power impelling to action, a dominating influence--an "instinct" for
want of a better term. Strictly speaking a "nature" is that which we
have by our origin, as our partaking of human nature distinguishes us
from the celestial creatures who are partakers of angelic nature. Thus
we speak of a lion's "nature" (ferocity), a vulture's nature (to feed
on carrion), a lamb's nature (gentleness). A "nature," then, describes
more what a creature is by birth and disposition, and therefore we
prefer to speak of holiness or imparted grace as a "principle of
good," and indwelling sin or "the flesh" as a principle of evil--a
prevalent disposition which moves its subjects to ever act in accord
with its distinguishing quality.
If it be kept in mind that, strictly speaking, a "nature" is that
which we have by our origin, as partaking of human nature
distinguishes us from the celestial creatures on the one hand and from
the beasts of the field (with their animal nature) on the other, much
confusion of thought will be avoided. Furthermore, if we distinguish
carefully between what our nature intrinsically consists of and what
it "accidentally" (non-essentially) became and becomes by virtue of
the changes passing upon it at the fall and at regeneration, then we
should have less difficulty in understanding what is signified by the
Lord's assuming our nature. When the Son of God became incarnate He
took unto Himself human nature. He was, in every respect, true Man,
possessed of spirit (Luke 23:46), soul (John 12:27), and body (John
19:40): "in all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His
brethren" (Heb. 2:17)--otherwise He could not be their Surety and
Mediator. This does not explain the miracle and mystery of the Divine
incarnation, for that is incomprehensible, but it states the
fundamental fact of it. Christ did not inherit our corruption, for
that was no essential part of manhood! He was born and ever remained
immaculately pure and holy; nevertheless, He took upon Him our nature
intrinsically considered, but not as it had been defiled by sin; and
therefore is denominated "the son of Adam" (Luke 3:38).
When, then, we say that by the fall man became possessed of a "sinful
nature" it must not be understood that something comparable to his
spirit or soul was added to his being, but instead that a principle of
evil entered into him, which defiled every part of his being, as frost
entering into fruit ruins it. Instead of his faculties now being
influenced and regulated by holiness, they became defiled and
dominated by sin. Instead of spiritual propensities and properties
actuating his conduct, a carnal disposition became the law of his
being. The objects and things man formerly loved, he now hated; and
those which he was fitted to hate, he now desires. Therein lies both
his depravity and his criminality. God holds fallen man responsible to
mortify every inclination unto evil, to resist and reject every
solicitation unto sin, and will justly punish him because he fails to
do so. Nay more, God requires him and holds him accountable to love
Him with all his heart and to employ each of his faculties in serving
and glorifying Him: his failure so to do consists solely in a
voluntary refusal, and for that He will righteously judge him.
Now the miracle of grace is God's answer to man's ruination of
himself, His begun reversal of what happened to him at the Fall. Let
us now establish that fact from the Scriptures and show this concept
is no invention of ours. The very fact that Christ is denominated "the
last Adam" implies that He came to right the wrong wrought by the
first Adam--though only so far as God's elect are concerned. Hence we
find Him saying by the Spirit of prophecy, "I restored that which I
took not away" (Ps. 69:4). A lengthy section might well be written on
those comprehensive words: suffice it now to say that He recovered
both unto God and His people what had been lost by Adam's
defection--to the One His manifestative honour and glory; to the
other, the Holy Spirit and holiness in their hearts. What Christ did
for His people is the meritorious ground of what the Spirit works in
them, and at regeneration they begin to be restored to their pristine
purity or brought back to their original state. Therefore it is that
the great change is spoken of as the "renewing of the Holy Spirit"
(Titus 3:5), that is, a renovating and restoring of spiritual life to
the soul.
"Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with
his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge
after the image of Him that created him" (Col. 3:9). Those to whom the
apostle was writing had, by their profession and practice, "put off"
or renounced "the old man," and by lip and life had avowed and
exhibited the new. That new man is here said to be "renewed in
knowledge," which cannot be the obtaining of a knowledge which man
never had previously but rather the recovery and restoration of that
spiritual knowledge of God which he had originally. That is confirmed
by what follows: "after the image of Him that created him," i.e. at
the beginning. Man was originally made "in the image of God" (Gen.
1:27), which imported at least three things. First, he was constituted
a tripartite being by the Triune God; and this he continued to be
after the Fall. Second, he was created in His natural image, being
made a moral agent, endowed with rationality and freedom of will; this
too he retained. Third, God's moral image, being "made upright,"
endued "with righteousness and true holiness"; which was lost when man
became a sinner, but is restored to him by the miracle of grace.
That which takes place in the elect at regeneration is the reversing
of the effects of the Fall. The one born again is, through Christ, and
by the Spirit's operations, restored to union and communion with God
(1 Pet. 3:18). The one who previously was spiritually dead, alienated
from God, is now spiritually alive, reconciled to God. Just as
spiritual death was brought about by the entrance into man's being of
a principle of evil, which darkened his understanding and hardened his
heart (Eph. 4:18), so spiritual life is the introduction of a
principle of holiness into man's soul, which enlightens his
understanding and softens his heart. God communicates a new principle,
one which is as real and potent unto good as indwelling sin is unto
evil. Grace is now imparted, a holy disposition is wrought in the
soul, a new temper of spirit is bestowed upon the inner man. But no
new faculties are communicated unto him: rather are his original
faculties (in measure) purified, enriched, elevated, empowered. Just
as man did not become less than a threefold being when he fell,
neither does he become more than a threefold being when he is renewed.
Nor will he in heaven itself: his spirit and soul and body will then
be glorified--completely purged from every taint of sin, and perfectly
conformed unto the image of God's Son.
But is not a "new nature" received by us when we are born again? If
that term (in preference to "another principle") be admitted and used,
we must be careful lest we carnalize our conception of what is
connoted by that expression. Much confusion has been caused at this
point through failure to recognize that it is a person, and not merely
a "nature," who is born of the Spirit: "he is born of God" (1 John
3:9). The selfsame person who was spiritually dead Godwards (separated
and alienated from Him) is now spiritually alive Godwards--reconciled
and brought back into union and communion with Him. The same person
whose entire being (and not merely some part of him!) was dead in
trespasses and sins, wherein he walked according to the course of this
world, according to the evil spirit who worketh in the children of
disobedience, fulfilling the lusts of the flesh; his entire being is
now alive in holiness and righteousness, and he walks according to the
course of God's Word, according to the power and promptings of the
Holy Spirit, who worketh in the children of obedience, moving them to
fulfil the dispositions and develop the graces of the spirit or "new
nature."
This must be so, or otherwise there would be no preservation of the
identity of the individual: we repeat, it is the individual himself
who is born again, and not merely something in him. The person of the
regenerate is constitutionally the same as the person of the
unregenerate, each having a spirit and soul and body. But just as in
fallen man there is also a principle of evil which has corrupted each
part of his threefold being -- which principle may be styled his
"sinful nature" (if by that be meant his evil disposition and
character), as it is the "nature" of swine to be filthy; so when a
person is born again another and new principle is introduced into his
being, which may be styled a "new nature," if by it be meant a
disposition which propels him in a new direction--Godwards. Thus, in
both cases, "nature" is a moral principle rather than a tangible
entity. "That which is born of the Spirit is spirit"--spiritual and
not material, and must not be regarded as something substantial,
distinct from the soul of the regenerate, like one part of matter
added to another; rather is it that which spiritualizes his inward
faculties as the "flesh" had carnalized them.
When treating of regeneration under the figure of the new birth some
writers (ourselves included in earlier days) have introduced analogies
from natural birth which Scripture by no means warrants, and which, by
its employment of other figures it disallows. Physical birth is the
bringing forth into this world of a creature, a complete personality
which before conception had no existence whatever. But the one
regenerated by God had a complete personality before he was born
again! To that statement it may be objected, Not a spiritual
personality. True, but keep steadily in mind that spirit and matter
are opposites, and we only confuse ourselves if we think or speak of
that which is "spiritual" as being something concrete. Regeneration is
not the creating of a person who hitherto had no existence, but the
spiritualizing of one who had--the renewing and renovating of one whom
sin had unfitted for communion with God, and this by the imparting to
him of a principle, or "nature," or life, which gives a new and
different bias to all his faculties. Ever beware of regarding the
Christian as made up of two distinct personalities. A century ago a
booklet was published in England purporting to prove that "A child of
God cannot backslide," and many in a reputedly orthodox circle were
evilly affected by it. Its author argued "a regenerated man possesses
two natures: an old man of sin, and a new man of grace; that the old
man of sin never made any progress in the Divine life nor ever can,
consequently he can never go back or imbibe the least taint or
particle of sin. How then can the child of God backslide?" A reviewer
exposed this sophistry by mentioning a Papist in Germany who was a
royal bishop that was very fond of hunting, and who was friendly
admonished of the inconsistency of the chase with the mitre. His reply
was, "I do not hunt as bishop, but as prince," to which it was
answered, "If the prince should break his neck while a-hunting and
went to hell, what would become of the bishop!" That was answering a
fool according to his folly!
The "old man" and the "new man" indwell and belong to the same
individual, and can no more be divorced from his person than the
bishop could be separated from the prince. It is not merely something
in the Christian but the Christian himself who backslides. What we
have called attention to above is but the corollary, a carrying out to
its logical conclusion of another error, equally mischievous and
reprehensible, though not so fully developed, namely, wherein the "two
natures" in the believer are made so prominent and dominant that the
person possessing them is largely lost sight of and his responsibility
repudiated. Thus, it is just as much an idle quibble to reason that
neither "the flesh" or old nature, nor "the spirit" or new nature, is
capable of backsliding. It is the person possessing those two natures
(or principles) who backslides, and for that God holds him accountable
and chastens him accordingly. Unless believers are much on their
guard, they will eagerly snatch at any line of teaching which
undermines their accountability and causes them to slur over the
exceeding sinfulness of their sins, by finding a pretext for supposing
they are more to be pitied than blamed.
The youth differs much from the infant, and the adult from the
immature youth; nevertheless, it is the same individual, the same
human person, who passes through those stages. Human beings we are;
moral agents, responsible creatures we shall ever remain, no matter
what be the precise nature of the internal change we experienced at
regeneration (nor how the character of that experience be defined or
expressed), or whatever change awaits the body at resurrection: we
shall never lose our essential personality or identity as God created
us at the first. Let that be clearly understood and firmly grasped: we
remain the same persons all through our history. Neither the
deprivation of spiritual life at the Fall, nor the communication of
spiritual life at the new birth, affects the reality of our being in
possession of human nature. By the Fall we did not become less than
men; by regeneration we do not become more than men--though our
relation to God is altered. That which essentially constitutes our
manhood was not lost, and no matter what be imparted to us at
regeneration, our individuality and personal identity as a responsible
being remains unchanged. We will now endeavour to summarize all that
has been set before the reader concerning the great change which takes
place in one who is born again, renewed spiritually, resurrected, by
the operations of the Spirit of God. Perhaps this can best be
accomplished by making some epitomized statements and then offering
some further remarks on those against which certain of our readers may
be most inclined to take issue. Negatively, that great change does not
consist of any constitutional alteration in the make-up of our being,
no essential addition being made to our persons. We regard it as a
serious mistake to consider the natural man as possessed of but soul
and body, and as only having a "spirit" communicated to him when he is
regenerated. Again, it is a still worse error to suppose that
indwelling sin is eradicated from the being of a born-again person:
not only does Scripture contain no warrant to countenance such an
idea, but the uniform experience of God's children repudiates it. Nor
does the great change effect any improvement in the evil principle.
The "flesh," with its vile properties and lusts, its deceiving and
debasing inclinations, its power to promote hypocrisy, pride,
unbelief, opposition unto God, remains unchanged unto the end of our
earthly course.
Yet it would be utterly wrong for us to conclude from those negatives
that regeneration is not entitled to be designated a "miracle of
grace" or that the change effected in its subject is far from being a
great one. A real, a radical, a stupendous, a glorious change is
wrought, yet the precise nature of it can only be discovered in the
light of Holy Writ. While it is indeed an experimental change, yet the
subject of it must interpret it by the teaching of Scripture, and not
by either his own reason or feelings. Nor should that statement be
either surprising or disappointing. The miracle of grace effects a
great change Godwards in the one who experiences it, and God is not an
Object of sense nor can He be known by any process of reasoning. We
may then summarize by saying the great change, positively considered,
consists first of a radical change of heart Godwards. God discovers
Himself unto the soul, makes Himself a living reality unto it, reveals
Himself both as holy and gracious, clothed with authority and yet full
of mercy. That personal and powerful revelation of God unto the soul
produces an altered disposition and attitude toward Him: the one
alienated is reconciled, the one who shrank from and was filled with
enmity against Him, now desires His presence and longs for communion
with Him.
Such a vital and radical change in the disposition and attitude of a
soul Godwards is indeed a miracle of grace, and cannot be described as
anything less than a great change. It is as real and great as was the
change when man apostatized from his Maker, as vivid and blessed a
change spiritually as the resurrection will effect physically: when
that which was sown in corruption, in dishonor, in weakness, shall be
raised in incorruption, glory and power; when our vile body shall be
changed, "that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body" (Phil.
3:21). For one who was a total stranger to the ineffably glorious God
to now become experimentally and savingly acquainted with Him, for one
who sought to banish Him from his thoughts to now find his greatest
delight in meditating upon His perfections, for one who lived in total
disregard of His righteous claims upon him to be made a loyal and
loving subject, is a transformation which human language--with all its
adjectives and superlatives--cannot possibly do justice unto. In the
words of Divine inspiration, it is a ``passing from death unto life,''
a being ``called out of darkness into God's marvelous light," a being
"created in Christ Jesus unto good works."
Second, that great change consists in a moral purification of the
inner man. Though this be the most difficult aspect of it for us to
understand, yet the teaching of the Word thereon is too clear and full
to leave us in any uncertainty as to its truth. Such expressions as
"Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean:
from all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you"
(Ezek. 36:25), "but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified" (1 Cor.
6:11), "Ye have purified your souls in obeying the Truth" (1 Pet.
1:22) would be meaningless if there had been no internal
transformation. Our characters are formed by the Truth we receive: our
thoughts are more or less molded, our affections directed, and our
wills regulated by what we heartily believe. Truth has a vital,
effectual, elevating influence. Any man who professes to take the Word
of God for his Guide and Rule and is not altered by it, both
internally and externally, is deceiving himself. `The Truth will make
you free" (John 8:32): from the dominion of sin, from the snares of
Satan, from the deceits of the world. The tastes, the aims, the ways
of a Christian are assimilated to and fashioned by the Word.
A radical change Godwards which is accompanied by a moral purification
within, necessarily consists, in the third place, of a thoroughly
altered attitude toward the Divine Law. It cannot be otherwise. "The
carnal mind is enmity against God"; it is completely dominated by ill
will unto Him. The evidence adduced by the Spirit in demonstration of
that fearful indictment is this, "and is not subject unto the law of
God, neither indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7): the one is the certain outcome
of the other--hatred for the Lawgiver expresses itself in contempt for
and defiance of His Law. Before there can be any genuine respect for
and subjection to the Divine Law the heart's attitude towards its
Governor and Administrator must be completely changed. Conversely,
when the heart of any one has been won unto God, His authority will be
owned, His government honored, and his sincere language will be, "I
delight in the Law of God after the inward man"--i.e. the soul as
renewed by the Spirit (Rom. 7:22). Thus, while the unregenerate are
denominated "the children of disobedience" (Eph. 2:2) the regenerate
are called "obedient children" (1 Pet. 1:14), for obedience is one of
their characteristic marks, evidencing as it does the general tenor
and course of their lives.
After all that has been said, it ought not to be necessary for us to
interrupt our train of thought at this point and consider a question
which can only prove wearisome unto the well-taught reader; but others
who have drunk so deeply from the foul pools of error need a word
thereon. Are there not two "minds" in a born-again person: the one
carnal and the other spiritual? Certainly not, or he would have a dual
personality, and a divided responsibility. By nature his mind was,
spiritually speaking, deranged--how else can a mind which is "enmity
against God" be described? But by grace his mind has been restored to
sanity: illustrated by the demoniac healed by Christ, "sitting, and
clothed, and in his right mind" (Mark 5:15); or as 2 Timothy 1:7,
expresses it, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of
power, and of love, and of a sound mind." It is true his original
carnality ("the flesh") still remains, ever seeking to regain complete
control of his mind; but Divine grace suffers it not to so succeed
that his mind ever becomes "enmity against God." There will be risings
of rebellion against His providences, but a renewed person will
nevermore hate God.
A real and radical change of heart Godwards will, in the fourth place,
be marked by a thoroughly altered attitude towards sin. And again we
say, it cannot be otherwise. Sin is that "abominable thing" which God
"hates" (Jer. 44:4), and therefore that heart in which the love of God
is shed abroad will hate it too. Sin is "the transgression of the Law"
(1 John 3:4), and therefore each one who has been brought to "delight
in the Law" will detest sin and earnestly seek to resist its
solicitations. That which formerly was his native element has become
repugnant to his spiritual inclinations. Sin is now his heaviest
burden and acutest grief. Whereas the giddy worldling craves after its
pleasures and the covetous seek after its riches, the deepest longing
of the renewed soul is to be completely rid of the horrible activities
of indwelling sin. He has already been delivered from its reigning
power, for God has dethroned it from its former dominion over the
heart, but it still rages within him, frequently gets the better of
him, causes him many a groan, and makes him look forward with eager
longing to the time when he shall be delivered from its polluting
presence.
Another important and integral part of the great change consists in
the soul's deliverance from the toils of Satan. Where the heart has
really undergone a radical change of disposition and attitude toward
God, toward His Law, and toward sin, the great Enemy has lost his hold
on that person. The Devil's power over mankind lies in his keeping
them in ignorance of the true God, in the scorning of His Law, in
holding them in love with sin; and hence it is that he "hath blinded
the minds of them that believe not, lest the light of the glorious
Gospel of Christ. . . should shine unto them" (2 Cor.4:4). While God
permits him to succeed therein, men are his captives, his slaves, his
prisoners, held fast by the cords of their lusts. But it was announced
of the coming Saviour that He would "proclaim liberty to the captives
and the opening of the prison to them that are bound" (Isa. 61:1).
Accordingly when He appeared we are told that He not only healed the
sick, but also "all that were oppressed of the Devil" (Acts 10:38).
The regenerate have been delivered "from the power of Satan" (Acts
26:18; Col. 1:13) and made "the Lord's free men." True, he is still
suffered to harass and tempt them from without, but cannot succeed
without their consent; and if they steadfastly resist him, he flees
from them.
In those five aspects of the great change we may perceive the begun
reversal of what took place at man's apostasy from God. What were the
leading elements in the Fall? No doubt they can be expressed in a
variety of ways, but do they not consist, essentially, of these?
First, in giving ear unto Satan and heed to the senses of the body,
instead of to the Word of God. It was in parleying with the Serpent
that Eve came under his power. Second, in preferring the pleasures of
sin (the forbidden fruit which now made such a powerful appeal to her
affection--Gen. 3:6) rather than communion with her holy Maker. Third,
in transgressing God's Law by an act of deliberate disobedience (Rom.
5:19). Fourth, in the loss of their primitive purity: "and the eyes of
them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they
sewed fig-leaves together and made them aprons" (Gen. 3:7). Their
physical eyes were open previously (!) but now they had a discovery of
the consequences of their sin: a guilty sense of shame crept over
their souls, their innocence was gone, they perceived what a miserable
plight they were now in--stripped of their original righteousness,
condemned by their own conscience.
Fifth, in becoming alienated from God: "And they heard the voice of
the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day" (Gen. 3:8).
And what was their response? Did they rejoice at His gracious
condescension in thus paying them a visit? Did they welcome their
opportunity to cast themselves upon His mercy? Or did they even fall
down before Him in brokenhearted confession of their excuseless
offence: Far otherwise. When the Serpent spoke, Eve promptly gave ear
to and conferred with him; but now that the voice of the Lord God was
audible, she and her guilty partner fled from Him. "Adam and his wife
hid themselves from the presence of the Lord among the trees of the
garden." A guilty conscience warned them that it was the approach of
that Judge whose Law they had broken, and they were terror-stricken at
the prospect of having a face-to-face meeting with the One against
whom they had rebelled. They dared not look upon Holiness incarnate,
and therefore sought to escape from His presence. Thereby they
evidenced they had died spiritually--their hearts being separated and
alienated from Him! Their understanding was "darkened" and their
hearts in a condition of "blindness" (Eph. 4:18); a. spirit of madness
now possessed them, as appears in their vain attempt to hide among the
trees from the eyes of Omniscience.
Those then were the essential elements the Fall, or the several steps
in man's departure from God. A parleying with and coming under the
power of the Devil, sin's being made attractive in their sight,
inclining unto the act of disobedience, resulting in the loss of their
primitive purity and their consequent alienation from God. The
attentive reader will observe those things are in the inverse order of
those mentioned above as constituting the five leading characteristics
of the great change wrought in those who are the favored subjects of
the miracle of grace. Nor is the reason for that far to seek:
conversion is a turning round, a right-about face, a being restored to
a proper relation and attitude toward God. Let us employ a simple
illustration. If I journey five miles from a place and then determine
to return to it, must I not re-traverse the fifth mile before coming
to the fourth, and tread again the fourth before I arrive at the
third, and so on until I reach the original point from which I
departed? Was it not thus with the ragged and famished prodigal, who
had journeyed into the far country: he must return unto the Father's
House if he would obtain food and clothing.
If the great change be the reversing of what occurred at the Fall,
then the order of its constituents should necessarily be viewed
inversely. First, being restored to our original relation unto God,
which was one of spiritual union and communion with Him. That is made
possible and actual by the renewing us after His image, which consists
of "righteousness and true holiness," a saving and experimental
knowledge of His ineffable perfections; or in other words, by the
renovation and moral purification of our souls, for it is only the
"pure in heart" (Matt. 5:8) who see God as He actually is--our
rightful Lord, our everlasting Portion. Only then does the Divine Law
have its due and true place in our hearts: its authority being owned,
its spirituality esteemed, the fulfilling of its holy and just
requirements being our sincere and resolute aim. Obviously it cannot
be until we have a right attitude toward God, until our hearts truly
love Him, until after His Law becomes the rule and director of our
lives, that we can perceive the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and
consequently loathe, resist and mourn over it. And just so far as that
be the case with us, are we morally delivered from the power of Satan:
while the heart beats true to God the solicitations of His enemy will
be repellent to us rather than attractive.
But let us point out once more that this great change is not completed
by a single act of the Spirit upon or within the soul, but occurs in
distinct stages: it is commenced at regeneration, continues throughout
the whole process of our experimental sanctification, and is only
consummated at our glorification. Thus, regeneration is only the begun
reversing of what occurred at the Fall. The very fact that
regeneration is spoken of as a Divine begetting and birth at once
intimates there is there only the beginning of the spiritual life in
the soul, and that there is need for the growth and development of
spiritual life in the soul, and that there is need for the growth and
development of the same. "He which hath begun a good work in you will
finish it" (Phil. 1:6) is the plain declaration and blessed assurance
of what is implied by the "birth," and such statements as "the inward
man is renewed day by day" (2 Cor. 4:16) and our being "changed into
the same image from glory to glory as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2
Cor. 3:18) tell us something of the Divine operations within the souls
of the regenerate while the great change is continued and brought,
little by little, unto completion. That miracle of grace which was
begun at regeneration is gradually carried forward in us by the
process of sanctification, which appears in our growth in grace or the
development of our graces.
If the reader desires a more detailed analysis and description of what
that process consists of, how the great change is carried forward in
us by sanctification, we may delineate it thus. First, by the
illumination of the understanding which enables the believer to grow
"in the knowledge of the Lord" and gives him a clearer and fuller
perception of His will. Second, by the elevation and refining of the
affections, the Spirit drawing them forth unto things above, fixing
them on holy objects, assimilating the heart thereto. Third, by the
emancipation of the will, God working in the soul "both to will and to
do of His good pleasure," giving us both the desire and the power to
concur with Him, for He deals with us not as mere automatons but ever
as moral agents. Thus it is our responsibility to seek illumination,
to prayerfully study His Word for the same, to occupy our minds (by
constant meditation) and exercise our hearts with spiritual objects,
and to diligently seek his enablement to avoid everything which would
hinder and use all the means appointed for the promotion of our
spiritual growth. As we do so, that process will issue and appear,
fourth, in the rectification of our life.
From what has just been pointed out it plainly appears that they err
greatly who suppose that regeneration consists of nothing more than
the communication of a new nature or principle to an individual,
leaving everything else in him just as it was before. It is the person
himself who is regenerated, his whole soul which is renewed, so that
all its faculties and powers are renovated and enriched thereby. How
can everything else in him be unchanged, how otherwise can we
designate the blessed transformation which the miracle of grace has
wrought in him, than by styling it "a great change"--a real, radical
and thorough one; since his understanding (which was previously
darkened by ignorance, error and prejudice) is now spiritually
enlightened, since his affections (which formerly were fixed only on
the things of time and sense) are now set upon heavenly and eternal
objects, and since his will (which hitherto was enslaved by sin, being
"free from righteousness"--Rom. 6:20) is now emancipated from its
bondage, being "free from sin" (Rom. 6:18). That glorious
transformation, that supernatural change, is what we chiefly have in
mind when we speak of "the moral purification" of the soul.
Just as the Fall introduced the principle of sin into man's being,
which resulted in the death of his soul Godwards--for death is ever
the wages of sin--so in the reversing of the Fall, a principle of
holiness is conveyed to man's soul, which results in his again being
spiritually alive unto God. Just as the introduction of sin vitiated
and corrupted all the faculties of the soul, so the planting of a
principle of holiness within vitalizes and purifies all its faculties.
We say again that man lost no portion of his original tripartite
nature by the Fall, nor was he deprived of any of his faculties, but
he did lose all power to use them Godwards and for His glory, because
they came completely under the dominion of sin and were defiled by it.
And again we say that man receives no addition to his original
constitution by regeneration, nor is any new faculty then bestowed
upon him, but he is now empowered (to a considerable degree) to use
his faculties Godwards and employ them in His service; because so long
as he maintains communion with God they are under the dominion of
grace and are ennobled, elevated, and empowered by the renewing of the
Spirit.
Conclusion
That which occasions the honest Christian the most difficulty and
distress as he seeks to ascertain whether a miracle of grace has been
wrought within him is the discovery that so much remains what it
always was, yea, often his case appears to be much worse than
formerly--more uprisings of opposition to God, more upsurges of pride,
more hardness of heart, more foul imaginations. Yet that very
consciousness of and grief over indwelling corruptions is, itself,
both an effect and an evidence of the great change. It is proof that
such a person has his eyes open to see and a heart to feel evils which
previously he was blind unto and insensible of. An unregenerate person
is not troubled about the weakness of his faith, the coldness of his
affections, the stirrings of self within. You were not yourself while
you were dead Godwards! But if such things now exercise you deeply, if
your eyes be open to and you mourn over that within to which no fellow
creature is privy, must you not be very different now from what you
once were?
But, asks the exercised reader, if I have been favored with a
supernatural change of heart, how can such horrible experiences
consist therewith? Surely if my heart had been made pure there would
not still be a filthy and foul sea of iniquity within me! Dear friend,
that filth has been in you from birth, but it is only since you were
born again that you have become increasingly aware of its presence. A
pure heart is not one from which all sin has been removed, as is clear
from the histories of Abraham, Moses, David. The heart is not made
wholly pure in this life: as the understanding is only enlightened in
part (much ignorance and error still remaining), so at regeneration
the heart is cleansed but in part. Observe that Acts 15:9, does not
say "purified their hearts by faith," but "purifying"--a continued
process. A pure heart is one which is attracted by "the beauty of
holiness" and longs to be fully conformed thereunto, and therefore one
of the surest proofs I possess a pure heart is my abhorring and
grieving over impurity--as Lot dwelling in Sodom "vexed his righteous
soul" by what he saw and heard there.
Then are we not obliged to conclude that the Christian has two
"hearts"--the one pure and the other impure? Perhaps the best way for
us to answer that question is to point out what is imported by the
"heart" as that term is used in Scripture. In a few passages, where it
is distinguished from the "mind" (1 Sam. 2:35; Heb. 8:10) and from the
"soul" (Deut. 6:5), the heart is restricted to the affections; but
generally it has reference to the whole inner man, for in other places
it is the seat of the intellectual faculties too, as in "I gave my
heart to know wisdom," etc. (Eccl. 1:17) -- I applied my mind unto its
investigation. In its usual and wider signification the "heart"
connotes the one indwelling the body. "The heart in the Scriptures is
variously used: sometimes for the mind and understanding, sometimes
for the will, sometimes for the affection, sometimes for the
conscience.. Generally it denotes the whole soul of man and all the
faculties of it" (J. Owen). We have carefully tested that statement by
the Word and confirmed it. The following passages make it clear that
the "heart" has reference to the man himself as distinguished from his
body.
Its first occurrence is, "God saw that the wickedness of man was great
in the earth and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was
only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5). "Before I had spoken in my heart"
(Gen. 24:45) plainly means "within myself." It does so in "Esau said
in his heart"--determined in himself (Gen. 27:41). "Now Hannah, she
spake in her heart" (1 Sam. 1:13). "Examine me, O Lord, prove me: try
my reins [motives] and my heart" (Ps. 26:2)--my inner man. "With my
whole heart [my entire inner being] have I sought Thee" (Ps. 26:2). In
the New Testament the "mind" often has the same force. On Romans 12:2,
C. Hodge pointed out, "The word nous ["mind"] is used, as it is here
frequently in the New Testament (Rom. 1:28; Eph. 4:17, 23; Col. 2:18,
etc.). In all these and similar cases it does not differ from the
heart, i.e. in its wider sense, for the whole soul." Ordinarily, then,
the "heart" signifies the whole soul, the "inner man," the "hidden man
of the heart" (1 Pet. 3:4) at which God ever looks (1 Sam. 16:7).
Now "the heart" of the natural man (that is, his entire
soul--understanding affections, will, conscience) is "deceitful above
all things, and desperately wicked" (Jer. 17:9), which is but another
way of saying he is "totally depraved"-- the whole of his inner being
is corrupt. And therefore God bids us "Circumcise yourselves to the
Lord and take away the foreskins of your hearts. . .wash thine heart
from wickedness [in true repentance from the love and pollution of
sin] that thou mayest be saved" (Jer.4:4, 14). Yea He bids men "Cast
away from you all your transgressions. . . and make you a new heart"
(Ezek. 18:31), and holds them responsible so to do. That man cannot
effect this change in himself by any power of his own is solely
because he is bound by the cords of his sins: the very essence of his
depravity consists in being of the contrary spirit. So far from
excusing him, that only aggravates his case, and compliance with those
precepts is as much man's duty and as proper a subject for exhortation
as is faith, repentance, love to God. So in the New Testament, "purify
your hearts ye double minded" (Jam. 4:8).
"Make you a new heart." But, says the awakened and convicted sinner,
that is the very thing which I am unable to produce: alas, what shall
I do? Why, cast yourself upon the mercy and power of the Lord, and say
to Him as the leper did, "If Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean." Beg
Him to work in you what He requires of you. Nay, more, lay hold of His
Word and plead with Him: Thou hast made promise "A new heart also will
I give you" (Ezek. 36:26), so "do as Thou hast said" (2 Sam. 7:25). It
is a blessed fact that God's promises are as large as His
exhortations, and for each of the latter there is one of the former
exactly meeting it. Does the Lord bid us circumcise our hearts (Deut.
10:16)? Then He assures His people "I will circumcise thine heart"
(Deut. 30:16). Does He bid us purify our heart (Jam. 4:8)? He also
declares "From all your filthiness and from all your idols will I
cleanse you" (Ezek. 36:25). Are Christians told to cleanse themselves
"from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in
the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1)? Then they are promised "He which hath
begun a good work in you will finish it."
God, then, does not leave the hearts of His people as they were born
into this world, and as they are described in Jeremiah 17:9. No,
blessed be His name, He works a miracle of grace within them, which
changes the whole of their inner man. Spiritual life is communicated
to them, Divine light illumines them, a principle of holiness is
planted within them. That principle of holiness is a fountain of
purity, from which issue streams of godly desires, motives, endeavors,
acts. It is a supernatural habit residing in every faculty of the
soul, giving a new direction to them, inclining them Godwards. Divine
grace is imparted to the soul subjectively, so that it has entirely
new propensities unto God and holiness and newly created antipathies
to sin and Satan, making us willing to endure suffering for Christ's
sake rather than to retain the friendship of the world. To make us
partakers of His holiness is the substance and sum of God's purpose of
grace for us, both in election (Eph. 1:4), regeneration (Eph. 4:24),
and all His dealings with us afterwards (Heb.. 12:10). Not that finite
creatures can ever be participants of the essential holiness of God,
either by imputation or transubstantiation, but only by fashioning us
in the image thereof. It is the communication of Divine grace, or the
planting within us of the principle and habit of holiness, which both
purifies the heart or soul, and which gives the death-wound unto
indwelling sin. Grace is not only a Divine attribute of benignity and
free favour that is exercised unto the elect, but it is also a
powerful influence that works within them. It is in this latter sense
the term is used when God says "My grace is sufficient for thee," and
when the apostle declared "by the grace of God, I am what I am." That
communicated grace makes the heart "honest" (Luke 8:15), "tender" (2
Kings 22:10), "pure" (Matt. 5:8). An honest heart is one that abhors
hypocrisy and pretence, that is fearful of being deceived, that
desires to know the truth about itself at all costs, that is sincere
and open, that bares itself to the Sword of the Spirit. A "tender"
heart is one that is pliant Godwards: that of the unregenerate is
likened unto the "nether" millstone" (Job 41:24), but that which is
wrought upon by the Spirit resembles wax--receptive to His impressions
upon it (2 Cor. 3:3). It is sensitive--like a tender plant--shrinking
from sin and making conscience of the same. It is compassionate,
gentle, considerate.
In addition to our previous remarks thereon, we would add that a heart
(or "soul") which has been made inchoately yet radically pure, and
which is being continually purified, is one in which the love of God
has been shed abroad, and therefore it loathes what He loathes; one
wherein the fear of the Lord dwells, so that evil is hated and
departed from. It is one from which the corrupting love of the world
has been cast out. A pure heart is one wherein faith is operative
(Acts 15:9), attracting and conforming it unto a Holy Object, drawing
the affections unto things above. It is one from which self has been
deposed and Christ enthroned, so that it sincerely desires and
earnestly endeavors to please and honour Him in all things. It is one
that is purged, progressively, from ignorance and error by
apprehending and obeying the Truth (1 Pet. 1:22). A pure heart is one
that makes conscience of evil thoughts, unholy desires, foul
imaginations, which grieves over their prevalency and weeps in secret
for indulging them. The purer the heart becomes, the more is it aware
of and distressed by inward corruptions.
The Puritans were wont to say that at regeneration sin receives its
"death-wound." We are not at all sure what exactly they meant by that
expression, nor do we know of any Scripture which expressly warrants
it--certainly such passages as Romans 6:6,7, and Galatians 5:24, do
not; yet we have no objection to it providing it be understood
something like this. When faith truly lays hold of the atoning
sacrifice of Christ the soul is for ever delivered from the
condemnation and guilt of sin, and it can never again obtain legal
"dominion" over him. By the moral purification of the soul it is
cleansed from the prevailing love and power of sin, so that the lusts
of the flesh are detested and resisted. Sin is divested of its
reigning power over the faculties of the soul, so that full and
willing subjection is no longer rendered to it. Its dying struggles
are hard and long, powerfully felt within us, and though God grants
brief respites from its ragings, it breaks forth with renewed force
and causes us many a groan.
In our earlier days we rejected the expression "a change of heart"
because we confounded it with "the flesh." The heart is changed at
regeneration, but "the flesh" is not purified or spiritualized, though
it ceases to have uncontrolled and undisputed dominion over the. soul.
Indwelling sin is not eradicated, but its reign is broken and can no
longer produce hatred of God. The appetites and tendencies of "the
flesh" in a Christian are precisely the same after he is born again as
they were before. They are indeed "subdued" by grace, and conversion
is often followed by such inward peace and joy it appears as though
they were dead, but they soon seek to reassert themselves, as Satan
left Christ "for a season" (Luke 4:13), but later renewed his
assaults. Nevertheless, grace opposes sin, the "spirit" or principle
of holiness strives against the flesh, preventing it from having full
sway over the soul. As life is opposed to death, purity to impurity,
spirituality to carnality, so there is henceforth experienced within
the soul a continual and sore conflict between sin and grace, each
striving for the mastery.
While then it be true that there are two distinct and diverse springs
of action in the Christian, the one prompting to evil and the other
unto good, it is better to speak of them as two "principles" than
"natures." To conceive of there being two minds, two wills, or two
hearts in him, is no more warrantable than to affirm he has two souls,
which would mean two moral agents, two centers of responsibility,
which would destroy the identity of the individual and involve us in
hopeless confusion of thought. "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in
any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living
God" (Heb 3:12) would be meaningless if the saint possessed two
"hearts"--the one incapable of anything but unbelief the other
incapable of unbelief. The Christian is a unit, a person with one
heart or soul, and he is responsible to watch and be sober, to be
constantly on his guard against the workings of his corruptions, to
prevent sin hardening his heart so that he comes under the power of
unbelief and turns away from God.
"Incline my heart [my whole soul] unto Thy testimonies and not to
covetousness" (Ps. 119:36). This is another one of many verses which
expose the error of a Christian's having two "hearts," the one carnal
and the other spiritual, and making them synonymous with "the flesh"
and "the spirit." It would be useless my asking God to incline "the
flesh" (indwelling sin) unto His testimonies for it is radically
opposed unto them. Equally unnecessary is it for me to ask God not to
incline "the Spirit" (indwelling grace) unto covetousness, for it is
entirely holy. But no difficulty remains if we regard the "heart" as
the inner man: "incline me unto Thy testimonies," etc. The saint longs
after complete conformity unto God's will but is conscious of much
within him that is prone to disobedience, and therefore he prays that
the habitual bent of his thoughts and affections may be unto
heavenliness rather than worldliness: let the reasons and motives unto
godliness Thou hast set before me in Thy Word be made effectual by the
powerful operations of Thy Spirit.
The heart of man must have an object unto which it is inclined or
whereto it cleaves. The thoughts and affections of the soul cannot be
idle or be without some object on which to place them. Man was made
for God, to be happy in the enjoyment of Him, to find in Him a
satisfying portion, and when he apostatized from God he sought
satisfaction in the creature. While the heart of fallen man be devoid
of grace it is wholly carried out to the things of time and sense. As
soon as he is born, he follows his carnal appetites and for the first
few years is governed entirely by his senses. Sin occupies the throne
of his heart, and though conscience may interpose some check, it has
no power to incline the soul Godwards, and sin cannot be dethroned by
anything but a miracle of grace. That miracle consists in giving the
soul a prevailing and habitual bent Godwards. The heart is taken off
from the love of base objects and set upon Christ, yet we are required
to keep our hearts with all diligence, mortify our lusts, and seek the
daily strengthening of our graces.
Great as is the change effected in the soul by the miracle of grace,
yet, as said before, it is neither total nor complete, but is carried
forward during the whole subsequent process of sanctification, a
process that involves a daily and lifelong conflict within the
believer, so that his "experience" is like that described in Romans
7:13-25. The Christian is not the helpless slave of sin, for he
resists it--to speak of a "helpless victim" fighting is a
contradiction in terms. So far from being helpless, the saint can do
all things through Christ strengthening him (Phil. 4:13). As a new
object has won his heart, his duty is to serve his new Master: "yield
yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead, and your
members as instruments of righteousness unto God" (Rom. 6:13) use to
His glory the same faculties of soul as you as you formerly did in the
pleasing of self. The Christian's responsibility consists in resisting
his evil propensities and acting according to his inclinations and
desires after holiness.
The great change in and upon the Christian will be completed when
dawns that "morning without clouds," when the Day breaks "and the
shadows flee away. For then shall he not only see the King in His
beauty, see Him face to face, but he shall be made "like Him,"
fashioned unto the body of His glory, fully and eternally conformed
unto the image of God's Son.
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13
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Practical Christianity by A.W. Pink
Part 2: Progress in the Christian Life
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Chapter 4-Heart Work
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As well might a poor man expect to be rich in this world without
industry, or a weak man to become strong and healthy without food and
exercise, as a Christian to be rich in faith and strong in the Lord
without earnest endeavour and diligent effort. It is true that all our
labours amount to nothing unless the Lord blesses them (Ps. 127:1), as
it also is that apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5).
Nevertheless, God places no premium upon sloth, and has promised that
"the soul of the diligent shall be made fat" (Prov. 13:4). A farmer
may be fully persuaded of his own helplessness to make his fields
productive, he may realize that their fertility is dependent upon the
sovereign will of God, and he may also be a firm believer in the
efficacy of prayer; but unless he discharges his own duty his barns
will be empty. So it is spiritually.
God has not called His people to be drones, nor to maintain an
attitude of passiveness. No, He bids them work, toil, labour. The sad
thing is that so many of them are engaged in the wrong task, or, at
least, giving most of their attention to that which is incidental, and
neglecting that which is essential and fundamental. "Keep thy heart
with all diligence" (Prov. 4:23): this is the great task which God has
assigned unto each of His children. But oh, how sadly is the heart
neglected! Of all their concerns and possessions, the least diligence
is used by the vast majority of professing Christians in the keeping
of their hearts. As long as they safeguard their other
interests--their reputations, their bodies, their positions in the
world--the heart may be left to take its own course.
As the heart in our physical body is the center and fountain of life,
because from it blood circulates into every part, conveying with it
either health or disease, so it is with us spiritually. If our heart
be the residence of impiety, pride, avarice, malice, impure lusts,
then the whole current of our lives will largely be tainted with these
vices. If they are admitted there and prevail for a season, then our
character and conduct will be proportionately affected. Therefore the
citadel of the heart needs above all things to be well guarded, that
it may not be seized by those numerous and watchful assailants which
are ever attacking it. This spring needs to be well protected that its
waters be not poisoned.
The man is what his heart is. If this be dead to God, then nothing in
him is alive. If this be right with God, all will be right. As the
mainspring of a watch sets all its wheels and parts in motion, so as a
man "thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Prov. 23:7). If the heart be
right, the actions will be. As a man's heart is, such is his state now
and will be hereafter: if it be regenerated and sanctified there will
be a life of faith and holiness in this world, and everlasting life
will be enjoyed in the world to come. Therefore, "Rather look to the
cleansing of thine heart, than to the cleansing of thy well; rather
look to the feeding of thine heart, than to the feeding of thy Hock;
rather look to the defending of thine heart, than to the defending of
thine house; rather look to the keeping of thine heart, than to the
keeping of thy money" (Peter Moffat, 1570).
"Keep thy heart with all diligence, for Out of it arc the issues of
life" (Prov. 4:23). The "heart" is here put for our whole inner being,
the "hidden man of the heart" (1 Pet. 3:4). It is that which controls
and gives character to all that we do. To "keep"--garrison or
guard--the heart or soul is the great work which God has assigned us:
the enablement is His, but the duty is ours. We are to keep the
imagination from vanity, the understanding from error, the will from
perverseness, the conscience clear of guilt, the affections from being
inordinate and set on evil objects, the mind from being employed on
worthless or vile subjects; the whole from being possessed by Satan.
This is the work to which God has called us.
Rightly did the Puritan John Flavel say, "The keeping and right
managing of the heart in every condition is the great business of a
Christian's life." Now to "keep" the heart right implies that it has
been set right. Thus it was at regeneration, when it was given a new
spiritual bent. True conversion is the heart turning from Satan's
control to God's, from sin to holiness, from the world to Christ. To
keep the heart right signifies the constant care and diligence of the
renewed to preserve his soul in that holy frame to which grace has
reduced it and daily strives to hold it. "Hereupon do all events
depend: the heart being kept, the whole course of our life here will
be according to the mind of God, and the end of it will be the
enjoyment of Him hereafter. This being neglected, life will be lost,
both here as unto obedience, and hereafter as to glory" (John Owen in
Causes of Apostasy).
1. To "keep" the heart means striving to shut out from it all that is
opposed to God. "Little children, keep yourselves from idols" (1 John
5:21). God is a jealous God and will brook no rival; He claims the
throne of our hearts, and requires to be loved by us supremely. When
we perceive our affections being inordinately drawn Out unto any
earthly object, we are to fight against it, and "resist the devil."
When Paul said, "All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not
expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought
under the power of any" (1 Cor. 6:12), he signified that he was
keeping his heart diligently, that he was jealous lest things should
gain that esteem and place in his soul which was due alone unto the
Lord. A very small object placed immediately before the eye is
sufficient to shut out the light of the sun, and trifling things taken
up by the affections may soon sever communion with the Holy One.
Before regeneration our hearts were deceitful above all things, and
desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9): that was because the evil principle,
the "flesh," had complete dominion over them. But inasmuch as "the
flesh" remains in us after conversion, and is constantly striving for
the mastery over "the spirit," the Christian needs to exercise a
constant watchful jealousy over his heart, mindful of its readiness to
be imposed upon, and its proneness unto a compliance with temptations.
All the avenues to the heart need to be carefully guarded so that
nothing hurtful enters therein, particularly against vain thoughts and
imaginations, and especially in those seasons when they are apt to
gain an advantage. For if injurious thoughts are suffered to gain an
inroad into the mind, if we accustom ourselves to give them
entertainment, then in vain shall we hope to be "spiritually minded"
(Rom. 8:6). All such thoughts are only making provision to fulfil the
lusts of the flesh.
Thus, for the Christian to "keep" his heart with all diligence means
for him to pay close attention to the direction in which his
affections are moving, to discover whether the things of the world are
gaining a firmer and fuller hold over him or whether they are
increasingly losing their charm for him. God has exhorted us, "Set
your affections on things above, not on things on the earth" (Col.
3:2), and the heeding of this injunction calls for constant
examination of the heart to discover whether or not it is becoming
more and more dead unto this deceitful and perishing world, and
whether heavenly things are those in which we find our chief and
greatest delight. "Take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently,
lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they
depart from thy heart" (Deut. 4:9).
2. To "keep" the heart means striving to bring it into conformity with
the Word. We are not to rest content until an actual image of its pure
and holy teachings is stamped upon it. Alas, so many today are just
playing with the solemn realities of God, allowing them to flit across
their fancy, but never embracing and making them their own. Why is it,
dear reader, that those solemn impressions you had when hearing a
searching sermon or reading a searching article so quickly faded away?
Why did not those holy feelings and aspirations which were stirred
within you last? Why have they borne no fruit? Was it not because you
failed to see that your heart was duly affected by them? You failed to
"hold fast" that which you had "received and heard" (Rev. 3:3), and in
consequence your heart became absorbed again in "the care of this
life" or "the deceitfulness of riches," and thus the Word was choked.
It is not enough to hear or read a powerful message from one of God's
servants, and to be deeply interested and stirred by it. If there be
no diligent effort on your part, then it will be said that "your
goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away"
(Hosea 6:4). What, then, is required? This: earnest and persevering
prayer that God will fasten the message in your soul as a nail in a
sure place, so that the Devil himself cannot catch it away. What is
required? This: "Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her
heart" (Luke 2:19). Things which are not duly pondered are soon
forgotten: meditation stands to reading as mastication does to eating.
What is required? This: that you promptly put into practice what you
have learned, walk according to the light God has given, or it will
quickly be taken from you (Luke 8:18).
Not only must the outward actions be regulated by the Word, but the
heart must also be conformed thereto. It is not enough to abstain from
murder, the causeless anger must be put away. It is not enough to
abstain from the act of adultery, the inward lust must be mortified
too (Matt. 5:28). God not only takes note of and keeps a record of all
our external conduct, but He "weighteth the spirits" (Prov. 16:2). Not
only so, He requires us to scrutinize the springs from which our
actions proceed, to examine our motives, to ponder the spirit in which
we act. God requires truth--that is sincerity, reality--in "the inward
parts" (Ps. 51:6). Therefore does He command us, "Keep thy heart with
all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life."
3. To "keep" the heart means to preserve it tender unto sin. The
unregenerate man makes little or no distinction between sin and crime;
as long as he keeps within the law of the land, and maintains a
reputation for respectability among his fellows, he is, generally
speaking, quite satisfied with himself. But it is far otherwise with
one who has been born again: he has been awakened to the fact that he
has to do with God, and must yet render a full account unto Him. He
makes conscience of a hundred things which the unconverted never
trouble themselves about. When the Holy Spirit first convicted him he
was made to feel that his whole life had been one of rebellion against
God, of pleasing himself. The consciousness of this pierced him to the
quick: his inward anguish far exceeded any pains of body or sorrow
occasioned by temporal losses. He saw himself to be a spiritual leper,
and hated himself for it, and mourned bitterly before God. He cried,
"Hide Thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create
in me a clean heart., O God; and renew a right spirit within me" (Ps.
51:9, 10).
Now it is the duty of the Christian, and part of the task which God
has set him, to see to it that this sense of the exceeding sinfulness
of sin be not lost. He is to labour daily that his heart be duly
affected by the heinousness of self-will and self-love. He is
steadfastly to resist every effort of Satan to make him pity himself,
think lightly of wrongdoing, or excuse himself in the same. He is to
live in the constant realization that the eye of God is ever upon him,
so that when tempted he will say with Joseph, "How then can I do this
great wickedness, and sin against God?" (Gen. 39:9). He is to view sin
in the light of the cross, daily reminding himself that it was his
iniquities which caused the Lord of glory to be made a curse for him;
employing the dying love of Christ as a motive why he must not allow
himself in anything that is contrary to the holiness and obedience
which the Saviour asks from all His redeemed.
Ah, my Christian reader, it is no child's play to "keep the heart with
all diligence." The easy-going religion of our day will never take its
devotees (or rather its victims!) to heaven. The question has been
asked, "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand
in His Holy place?" and plainly has the question been answered by God
Himself: "He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart," etc. (Ps. 24:3,
4). Equally plain is the teaching of the New Testament, "Blessed are
the pure in heart: for they shall see God" (Matt. 5:8). A "pure heart"
is one that hates sin, which makes conscience of sin, which grieves
over it, which strives against it. A "pure heart" is one that seeks to
keep undefiled the temple of the Holy Spirit, the dwelling-place of
Christ (Eph. 3:17).
4. To "keep" the heart means to look diligently after its cleansing.
Perhaps some of our readers often find themselves sorrowfully crying,
"Oh, the vileness of my heart!" Thank God if He has discovered this to
you. But, dear friend, there is no sufficient reason why your "heart"
should continue to be vile. You might lament that your garden was
overgrown with weeds and filled with rubbish; but need it remain so?
We speak not now of your sinful nature, the incurable and unchangeable
"flesh" which still indwells you; but of your "heart," which God bids
you "keep." You are responsible to purge your mind of vain
imaginations, your soul of unlawful affections, your conscience of
guilt.
But, alas, you say, "I have no control over such things: they come
unbidden and I am powerless to prevent them." So the Devil would have
you believe! Revert again to the analogy of your garden. Do not the
weeds spring up unbidden? Do not the slugs and other pests seek to
prey upon the plants? What, then? Do you merely bewail your
helplessness? No, you resist them, and take means to keep them under.
Thieves enter houses uninvited, but whose fault is it if the doors and
windows be left unfastened? Oh, heed not the seductive lullabies of
Satan. God says, "Purify your hearts, ye double minded" (James 4:8);
that is, one mind for Him, and another for self! one for holiness, and
another for the pleasures of sin.
But how am I to "purify" my heart? By vomiting up the foul things
taken into it, shamefacedly owning them before God, repudiating them,
turning from them with loathing; and it is written, "If we confess our
sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness." By daily renewing our exercise of
repentance, and such repentance as is spoken of in 2 Corinthians 7:11;
"for behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort,
what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves,
yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea,
what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved
yourselves to be clear in this matter." By the daily exercise of faith
(Acts 15:9), appropriating afresh the cleansing blood of Christ,
bathing every night in that "fountain" which has been opened "for sin
and uncleanness" (Zech. 13:1). By treading the path of God's
commandments: "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth
through the Spirit" (1 Pet. 1:22).
We now point Out what is obvious to every Christian reader, namely
that such a task calls for Divine aid. Help and grace need to be
earnestly and definitely sought of the Holy Spirit each day. We should
bow before God, and in all simplicity say, "Lord, Thou requirest me to
keep my heart with all diligence, and I feel utterly incompetent for
such a task; such a work lies altogether beyond my poor feeble powers;
therefore I humbly ask Thee in the name of Christ graciously to grant
unto me supernatural strength to do as Thou hast bidden me. Lord, work
in me both to will and to do of Thy good pleasure."
"Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the
heart" (1 Sam. 16:7). How prone we are to be occupied with that which
is evanescent, rather than with the things that abide; how ready to
gauge things by our senses instead of by our rational powers. How
easily we are deceived by that which is on the surface, forgetting
that true beauty lies within. How slow we are to adopt God's way of
estimating. Instead of being attracted by comeliness of physical
features we should value moral qualities and spiritual graces. Instead
of spending so much care, time and money on the adorning of the body
we ought to devote our best attention to the developing and directing
of the faculties of our souls. Alas, the vast majority of our fellows
live as though they had no souls, and the average professing Christian
gives little serious thought to the same.
Yes, the Lord "looketh on the heart": He sees its thoughts and
intents, knows its desires and designs, beholds its motives and
motions, and deals with us accordingly. The Lord discerns what
qualities are in our hearts: what holiness and righteousness, what
wisdom and prudence, what justice and integrity, w h at mercy and
kindness. When such graces are lively and flourishing, then is
fulfilled that verse, "My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the
beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies" (Song of
Sol. 6:2). God esteems nothing so highly as holy faith, unfeigned
love, and filial fear; in His sight a "meek and quiet spirit" is of
"great price" (1 Pet. 3:4).
The sincerity of our profession largely depends upon the care and
conscience we have in keeping our hearts. A very searching example of
this is found in 2 Kings 10:31, "But Jehu took no heed to walk in the
law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart." Those words are
more solemn because of what is said of him in the previous verse: "And
the Lord said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that
which is right in Mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab
according unto all that was in Mine heart, thy children of the fourth
generation shall sit on the throne of Israel." Jehu was partial in his
reformation, which showed his heart was not right with God; he
abhorred the worship of Baal which Ahab had fostered, but he tolerated
the golden calves which Jeroboam had set up. He failed to put away all
the evil.
Ah, my reader, true conversion is not only turning away from gross
sin, it is the heart forsaking all sin. There must be no reserve, for
God will not allow any idol, nor must we. Jehu went so far, but he
stopped short of the vital point; he put away evil, but he did not do
that which was good. He heeded not the law of the Lord to walk in it
"with all his heart." It is greatly to be feared that those who are
heedless are graceless, for where the principle of holiness is planted
in the heart it makes its possessor circumspect and desirous of
pleasing God in all things--not from servile fear, but from grateful
love; not by constraint, but freely; not occasionally, but constantly.
"Keep thine heart with all diligence." Guard it jealously as the
dwelling place of Him to whom you have given it. Guard it with the
utmost vigilance, for not only is there the enemy without seeking
entrance, but there is a traitor within desirous of dominion. The
Hebrew for "with all diligence" literally rendered is "above all";
above all the concerns of our outward life, for, careful as we should
be as to that, it is before the eyes of men, whereas the heart is the
object of God's holy gaze. Then "keep" or preserve it more sedulously
than your reputation, your body, your estate, your money. With all
earnestness and prayer, labour that no evil desire prevails or abides
there, avoiding all that excites lust, feeds pride, or stirs up anger,
crushing the first emotions of such evils as you would the brood of a
scorpion.
Many people place great expectations in varied circumstances and
conditions. One thinks he could serve God much better if he were more
prospered temporally; another if he passed through the refining
effects of poverty and affliction. One thinks his spirituality would
be promoted if he could be more retired and solitary; another if only
he could have more society and Christian fellowship. But, my reader,
the only way to serve God better is to be content with the place in
which He has put you, and therein get a better heart! We shall never
enter into the advantages of any situation, nor overcome the
disadvantages of any condition, until we fix and water the root of
them in ourselves." Make the tree good, and the fruit good" (Matt.
12:33): get the heart right, and you will soon be superior unto all
"circumstances."
"But how can I get my heart right? Can the Ethiopian change his skin
or the leopard his spots?" Answer: you are creating your own
difficulty by confounding "heart" with "nature"; they are quite
distinct. It is important to recognize this, for many are confused
thereon. There has been such an undue emphasis upon the "two natures
in the Christian" that often it has been lost sight of that the
Christian is a person over and above his two natures. The Scriptures
make the distinction clear enough. For example, God does not bid us
keep our "nature," but He does our "hearts." We do not believe with
our "nature," but we do with our "hearts" (Rom. 10:10). God never
tells us to "rend" our nature (Joel 2:13), "circumcise" our nature
(Deut. 10:6) or "purify" our nature (James 4:8), but He does our
"hearts"! The "heart" is the very center of our responsibility, and to
deny that we are to improve and keep it is to repudiate human
accountability.
It is the Devil who seeks to persuade people that they are not
responsible for the state of their hearts, and may no more change them
than they can the stars in their courses. And the "flesh" within finds
such a lie very agreeable to its case. But he who has been regenerated
by the sovereign grace of God cannot, with the Scriptures before him,
give heed unto any such delusion. While he has to deplore how sadly
neglected is the great task which God has set before him, while he has
to bemoan his wretched failure to make his heart what it ought to be,
nevertheless he wants to do better; and after his duty has been
pressed upon him he will daily seek grace better to discharge his
duty, and instead of being totally discouraged by the difficulty and
greatness of the work required he will cry the more fervently to the
Holy Spirit for His enablement.
The Christian who means business will labour to have a "willing" heart
(Ex. 35:5), which acts spontaneously and gladly, not of necessity; a
"perfect" heart (1 Chron. 29:9), sincere, genuine, upright; a "tender"
heart (2 Chron. 34:26), yielding and pliable, the opposite of hard and
stubborn; a "broken" heart (Ps. 34:18), sorrowing over all failure and
sin; a "united" heart (Ps. 86:11), all the affections centered on God;
an "enlarged" heart (Ps. 119:32), delighting in every part of
Scripture and loving all God's people; a "sound" heart (Prov. 14:30),
right in doctrine and practice; a "merry" heart (Prov. 15:15),
rejoicing in the Lord alway; a "pure" heart (Matt. 5:8), hating all
evil; an "honest and good heart" (Luke 8:15), free from guile and
hypocrisy, willing to be searched through and through by the Word; a
"single" heart (Eph. 6:5), desiring only God's glory; a "true" heart
(Heb. 10:22), genuine in all its dealings with God.
The Time of Heart Work
The duty of keeping the heart with the utmost diligence is binding
upon the Christian at all times; there is no period or condition of
life in which he may be excused from this work. Nevertheless, there
are distinctive seasons, critical hours, which call for more than a
common vigilance over the heart, and it is a few of these which we
would now contemplate, seeking help from above to point out some of
the most effectual aids unto the right accomplishment of the task God
has assigned us. General principles are always needful and beneficial,
yet details have to be furnished if we are to know how to apply them
in particular circumstances. It is this lack of definiteness which
constitutes one of the most glaring defects in so much modern
ministry.
1. In times of prosperity. When providence smiles upon us and bestows
temporal gifts with a lavish hand, then has the Christian urgent
reason to keep his heart with all diligence, for that is the time we
are apt to grow careless, proud, earthly. Therefore was Israel
cautioned of old, "And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have
brought thee into the land which He sware unto thy fathers, to
Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities,
which thou buildest not, and houses full of good things, which thou
filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and
olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and
be full; then beware lest thou forget the Lord" (Deut. 6:10-12). Alas
that they heeded not that exhortation.
Many are the warnings furnished in Scripture. Of Uzziah it is
recorded, "When he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his
destruction" (2 Chron. 21:16). To the king of Tyre God said, "Thine
heart is lifted up, because of thy riches" (Ezek. 28:5). Of Israel we
read, "And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed
houses full of all goods, wells digged, vineyards and olive yards, and
fruit trees in abundance: so they did eat, and were filled, and became
fat, and delighted themselves in Thy great goodness. Nevertheless they
were disobedient, and rebelled against Thee, and cast Thy law behind
their backs, and slew Thy prophets which testified against them to
turn them to Thee" (Neh. 9:25, 26). And again, "Of their silver and
their gold have they made them idols" (Hosea 8:4).
Sad indeed are the above passages, the more so because we have seen
such a tragic repetition of them in our own days. Oh the
earthly-mindedness which prevailed, the indulging of the flesh, the
sinful extravagance, which were seen among professing Christians while
"times were good!" How practical godliness waned, how the denying of
self disappeared, how covetousness, pleasure and wantonness possessed
the great majority of those calling themselves the people of God. Yet
great as was their sin, far greater was that of most of the preachers,
who, instead of warning, admonishing, rebuking, and setting before
their people an example of sobriety and thrift, criminally remained
silent upon the crying sins of their hearers, and themselves
encouraged the reckless spending of money and the indulgence of
worldly lusts. How, then, is the Christian to keep his heart from
these things in times of prosperity?
First, seriously ponder the dangerous and ensnaring temptations which
attend a prosperous condition, for very, very few of those who live in
the prosperity and pleasures of this world escape eternal perdition.
"It is easier [said Christ] for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven"
(Matt. 19:24). What multitudes have been carried to hell in the
cushioned chariots of earthly wealth and ease, while a comparative
handful have been shipped to heaven by the rod of affliction.
Remember, too, that many of the Lord's own people have sadly
deteriorated in seasons of worldly success. When Israel was in a low
condition in the wilderness, then were they "holiness unto the Lord"
(Jer. 2:3); but when fed in the fat pastures of Canaan they said, "We
are lords; we will come no more unto Thee" (verse 31).
Second, diligently seek grace to heed that word, "If riches increase,
set not your heart upon them" (Ps. 62:10). Those riches may be given
to try you; not only are they most uncertain things, often taking to
themselves wings and flying swiftly away, but at best they cannot
satisfy the soul, and only perish with the using. Remember that God
values no man a jot more for these things: He esteems us by inward
graces, and not by outward possessions: "In every nation he that
feareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him" (Acts
10:35). Third, urge upon your soul the consideration of that awful day
of reckoning, wherein according to our receipt of mercies so shall be
our accountings of them: "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him
shall be much required" (Luke 12:48). Each of us must yet give an
account of our stewardship.
2. In Times of adversity. When providence frowns upon us, overturning
our cherished plans, and blasting our outward comforts, then has the
Christian urgent need to look to his heart, and keep it with all
diligence from replying against God or fainting under His hand. Job
was a mirror of patience, yet his heart was discomposed by trouble.
Jonah was a man of God, yet he was peevish under trial. When the food
supplies gave out in the wilderness, they who had been miraculously
delivered from Egypt, and who sang Jehovah's praises so heartily at
the Red Sea, murmured and rebelled. It takes much grace to keep the
heart calm amid the storms of life, to keep the spirit sweet when
there is much to embitter the flesh, and to say, "The Lord gave, and
the Lord taketh away; blessed be the name of the Lord." Yet this is a
Christian duty!
To help thereunto, first consider, fellow Christian, that despite
these cross providences God is still faithfully carrying out the great
design of electing love upon the souls of His people, and orders these
very afflictions as means sanctified to that end. Nothing happens by
chance, but all by Divine counsel (Eph. 1:11), and therefore it is
that "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them
who are the called according to His purpose" (Rom. 8:28). Ah, beloved,
it will wonderfully calm your troubled breast and sustain your
fainting heart to rest upon that blessed fact. The poor worldling may
say, "The bottom has dropped out of everything," but not so the saint,
for the eternal God is his refuge, and underneath him are still the
"everlasting arms."
It is ignorance or forgetfulness of God's loving designs which makes
us so prone to chafe under His providential dealings. If faith were
more in exercise we should "count it all joy" when we fall into divers
temptations, or trials (James 1:2). Why so? Because we should discern
that those very trials were sent to wean our hearts from this empty
world, to tear down pride and carnal security, to refine us. If, then,
my Father has a design of love unto my soul, do I well to be angry
with Him? Later, if not now, you will see that those bitter
disappointments were blessings in disguise, and will exclaim, "It is
good for me that I have been afflicted" (Ps. 119:7 1).
"God is not the author of confusion" (1 Cor. 14:33); no, the Devil
causes that, and he has succeeded in creating much in the thinking of
many, by confounding the "heart" with the "nature." People say, "I was
born with an evil heart, and I cannot help it." It would be more
correct to say, "I was born with an evil nature, which I am
responsible to subdue." The Christian needs clearly to recognize that
in addition to his two "natures"--the flesh and the spirit--he has a
heart which God requires him to "keep." We have already touched upon
this point, but deem it advisable to add a further word thereon. I
cannot change or better my "nature," but I may and must my "heart."
For example, "nature" is slothful and loves ease, but the Christian is
to redeem the time and be zealous of good works. Nature hates the
thought of death, but the Christian should bring his heart to desire
to depart and be with Christ.
The popular religion of the day is either a head or a hand one: that
is to say, the laboring to acquire a larger and fuller intellectual
group of the things of God or a constant round of activities called
"service for the Lord." But the heart is neglected! Thousands are
reading, studying, talking "Bible courses," but for all the spiritual
benefits their souls derive they might as well be engaged in breaking
stones. Lest it be thought that such a stricture is too severe, we
quote a sentence from a letter recently received from one who has
completed no less than eight of these "Bible study courses": "There
was nothing in that `hard work' which ever called for
self-examination, which led me really to know God, and appropriate the
Scriptures to my deep need." No, of course there was not: their
compilers--like nearly all the speakers at the big "Bible
conferences"-- studiously avoid all that is unpalatable to the flesh,
all that condemns the natural man, all that pierces and searches the
conscience. Oh, the tragedy of this head "Christianity."
Equally pitiable is the hand religion of the day, when young
"converts" are put to teaching a Sunday school class, urged to "speak"
in the open air, or take up "personal work." How many thousands of
beardless youths and young girls are now engaged in what is called
"winning souls for Christ," when their own souls are spiritually
starved! They may "memorize" two or three verses of Scripture a day,
but that does not mean their souls are being fed. How many are giving
their evenings to helping in some "mission," when they need to be
spending the time in "the secret of the Most High"! And how many
bewildered souls are using the major part of the Lord's day in rushing
from one meeting to another instead of seeking from God that which
will fortify them against the temptations of the week! Oh, the tragedy
of this hand "Christianity."
How subtle the Devil is! Under the guise of promoting growth in "the
knowledge of the Lord," he gets people to attend a ceaseless round of
meetings, or to read an almost endless number of religious periodicals
and books; or under the pretence of "honoring the Lord" by all this
so-called "service" he induces the one or the other to neglect the
great task which God has set before us: "keep thy heart with all
diligence; for out of it are the issues of life" (Prov. 4:23). Ah, it
is far easier to speak to others than it is constantly to use and
improve all holy means and duties to preserve the soul from sin, and
maintain it in sweet and free communion with God. It is far easier to
spend an hour reading a sensational article upon "the signs of the
times" than it is to spend an hour in agonizing before God for
purifying and rectifying grace!
This work of keeping the heart is of supreme importance. The total
disregard of it means that we are mere formalists. "My son, give Me
thine heart" (Prov. 23:26): until that be done, God will accept
nothing from us. The prayers and praises of our lips, the labour of
our hands, yea, and a correct outward walk, are things of no value in
His sight while the heart be estranged from Him. As the inspired
apostle declared, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of
angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a
tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and
understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all
faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am
nothing: And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though
I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth nothing"
(1 Cor. 13:1-3). If the heart be not right with God, we cannot worship
Him, though we may go through the form of it. Watch diligently, then,
your love for Him.
God cannot be imposed upon, and he who takes no care to order his
heart aright before Him is a hypocrite. "And they come unto thee as
the people cometh, and they sit before thee as My people, and they
hear thy words, but they will not do them; for with their mouth they
show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And,
lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a
pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument" (Ezek. 33:31, 32).
Here are a company of formal hypocrites, as is evident from the words
"as My people": like them, but not of them. And what constituted them
impostors? Their outside was very fair--high professions, reverent
postures, much seeming delight in the means of grace. Ah, but their
hearts were not set on God, but were commanded by their lusts, went
after covetousness.
But lest a real Christian should infer from the above that He is a
hypocrite too, because many times his heart wanders, and he
finds--strive all he may--that he cannot keep his mind stayed upon God
when praying, reading His Word, or engaged in public worship, to him
we answer that the objection carries its own refutation. You say
"strive all I may"; Ah, if you have, then the blessing of the upright
is yours, even though God sees well to exercise you over the
affliction of a wandering mind. There remains still much in the
understanding and affections to humble you, but if you are exercised
over them, strive against them, and sorrow over your very imperfect
success, then that is quite enough to clear you of the charge of
reigning hypocrisy.
The keeping of the heart is supremely important because "out of it are
the issues of life"; it is the source and fountain of all vital
actions and operations. The heart is the warehouse, the hand and
tongue are but the shops; what is in these comes from thence--the
heart contrives and the members execute. It is in the heart that the
principles of the spiritual life are formed: "A good man out of the
good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an
evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that
which is evil" (Luke 6:45). Then let us diligently see to it that the
heart be well stored with pious instruction, seeking to increase in
grateful love, reverential fear, hatred of sin, and benevolence in all
its exercises, that from within these holy springs may flow and
fructify our whole conduct and conversation.
This work of keeping the heart is the hardest of all. "To shuffle over
religious duties with a loose and heedless spirit will cost no great
pains; but to set thyself before the Lord, and tie up thy loose and
vain thoughts to a constant and serious attendance upon Him: this will
cost something! To attain a facility and dexterity of language in
prayer, and put thy meaning into apt and decent expressions, is easy;
but to get thy heart broken for sin whilst thou art confessing it, be
melted with free grace, whilst thou art blessing God for it, be really
ashamed and humbled through the apprehensions of God's infinite
holiness, and to keep thy heart in this frame, not only in, but after
duty, will surely cost thee some groans and travailing pain of soul.
To repress the outward acts of sin, and compose the external acts of
thy life in a laudable and comely manner, is no great matter--even
carnal persons by the force of common principles can do this; but to
kill the root of corruption within, to set and keep up an holy
government over thy thoughts, to have all things lie straight and
orderly in the heart, this is not easy" (John Flavel).
Ah, dear reader, it is far, far easier to speak in the open air than
to uproot pride from your soul. It calls for much less toil to go out
and distribute tracts than it does to cast out of your mind unholy
thoughts. One can speak to the unsaved much more readily than he can
deny self, take up his cross daily, and follow Christ in the path of
obedience. And one can teach a class in the Sunday School with far
less trouble than he can teach himself how to strengthen his own
spiritual graces. To keep the heart with all diligence calls for
frequent examination of its frames and dispositions, the observing of
its attitude towards God, and the prevailing directions of its
affections; and that is something which no empty professor can be
brought to do! Give liberally to religious enterprises he may, but
give himself unto the searching, purifying and keeping of his heart he
will not.
This work of keeping the heart is a constant one. "The keeping of the
heart is such a work as is never done till life be done: this labour
and our life end together. It is with a Christian in this business, as
it is with seamen that have sprung a leak at sea; if they tug not
constantly at the pump, the water increases upon them, and will
quickly sink them. It is in vain for them to say the work is hard, and
we are weary; there is no time or condition in the life of a
Christian, which will suffer an intermission of this work. It is in
the keeping watch over our hearts, as it was in the keeping up of
Moses' hands, while Israel and Amalek were fighting below (Exodus
17:12); no sooner do Moses' hands grow heavy and sink down, but Amalek
prevails. You know it cost David and Peter many a sad day and night
for intermitting the watch over their own hearts but a few minutes"
(J. Flavel).
Consequences of Heart Work
Having sought to show that the keeping of the heart is the great work
assigned the Christian, in which the very soul and life of true
religion consists, and without the performance of which all other
duties are unacceptable to God, let us now point out some of the
corollaries and consequences which necessarily follow from this fact.
1. The labours which many have taken in religion are lost. Many great
services have been performed, many wonderful works wrought by men,
which have been utterly rejected by God, and shall receive no
recognition in the day of rewards. Why? Because they took no pains to
keep their hearts with God in those duties; this is the fatal rock
upon which thousands of vain professors have wrecked to their eternal
undoing--they were diligent about the externals of religion, but
regardless of their hearts. How many hours have professors spent in
hearing, reading, conferring and praying, and yet as to the supreme
task God has assigned have done nothing. Tell me, vain professor, when
did you spend five minutes in a serious effort to keep, purge, improve
it? Think you that such an easy religion can save you? If so, we must
inverse the words of Christ and say, "Wide is the gate and broad is
the way that leadeth unto life, and many there be that go in thereat."
2. If the keeping of the heart be the great work of the Christian,
then how few real Christians are there in the world. If everyone who
has learned the dialect of Christianity and can talk like a Christian,
if every one who has natural gifts and abilities and who is helped by
the common assisting presence of the Spirit and pray and teach like a
Christian, if all who associate themselves with the people of God,
contribute of their means to His cause, take delight in public
ordinances, and pass as Christians were real ones, then the number of
the saints would be considerable. But, alas, to what a little flock do
they shrink when measured by this rule: how few make conscience of
keeping their hearts, watching their thoughts, judging their motives.
Ah, there is no human applause to induce men to engage in this
difficult work, and were hypocrites to do so they would quickly
discover what they do not care to know. This heart work is left in the
hands of a few hidden ones. Reader, are you one of them?
3. Unless real Christians spend more time and pains about their hearts
than they have done, they are never likely to grow in grace, be of
much use to God, or be possessors of much comfort in this world. You
say, "But my heart seems so listless and dead." Do you wonder at it,
when you keep it not in daily communion with Him who is the fountain
of life? If your body had received no more concern and attention than
your soul, what state would it now be in? Oh, my brother, or sister,
has not your zeal run in the wrong channels? God may be enjoyed even
in the midst of earthly employments: "Enoch walked with God, and begat
sons and daughters" (Gen. 5:19)--he did not retire into a monastery,
nor is there any need for you to do so.
4. It is high time the Christian reader set to this heart work in real
earnest. Do not you lament, "They made me the keeper of the vineyards;
but mine own vineyard have I not kept" (Song of Sol. 1:16)? Then away
with fruitless controversies and idle questions; away with empty names
and vain shows; away with harsh censuring of others--turn upon
yourself. You have been a stranger long enough to this work; you have
trifled about the borders of religion too long: the world has deterred
you from this vitally necessary work too long. Will you now resolve to
look better after your heart? Haste you to your closet.
Advantages of Heart Work
The heart of man is his worst part before it be regenerate, and his
best part afterwards; it is the seat of principles and the source of
actions. The eye of God is, and the eye of the Christian ought to be,
principally fixed upon it. The great difficulty after conversion is to
keep the heart with God. Herein lies the very pinch and stress of
religion; here is that which makes the way to life a narrow way, and
the gate of heaven a straight one. To afford some direction and help
in this great work, these articles have been presented. We realize
their many defects, yet trust that God will be pleased to use them. No
other subject can begin to compare with it in practical importance.
The general neglect of the heart is the root cause of the present sad
state of Christendom; the remainder of this article might readily be
devoted unto the verifying and amplifying of that statement; instead,
we merely point out briefly one or two of the more prominent features.
Why is it that so many preachers have withheld from their
congregations that which was, so obviously, most needed? Why have they
"spoken smooth things" instead of wielding the sword of the Spirit?
Because their own hearts were not right with God: His holy fear was
not upon them. An "honest and good heart" (Luke 8:15) will cause a
servant of Christ to preach what he sees to be the most essential and
profitable truths of the Word, however displeasing they may be unto
many of his people. He will faithfully rebuke, exhort, admonish,
correct and instruct, whether his hearers like it or not.
Why have so many church members departed from the faith and given heed
to seducing spirits? Why have multitudes been led away by the error of
the wicked, turning the grace of God into lasciviousness? Why have so
many others been attracted to companies of notional professors, which,
despite their proud boasts of being the only people gathered together
in (or unto) the name of Christ, are, for the most part, people who
have only an acquaintance with the letter of Scripture and are
strangers to practical godliness? Ah, the answer is not far to seek:
it was because they had no heart acquaintance with the things of God.
It is those who are sickly and diseased who fall easy victims unto the
quacks; so it is those whose hearts are never rooted and grounded in
the Truth who are tossed about with every wind and doctrine. The study
and guarding of the heart is the best antidote against the infectious
errors of the times. And this leads us to point out some of the
advantages of keeping the heart. For much of what follows we are
indebted to the Puritan, John Flavel.
1. The pondering and garrisoning of the heart is a great help to the
understanding of the deep things of God. An honest and experienced
heart is a wonderful aid to a weak head. Such a heart will serve as a
commentary upon a great portion of the Scriptures. When such a one
reads the Psalms of David or the Epistles of Paul, he will find there
many of his own difficulties stated and solved: he will find them
speaking the language of his own heart--recounting his experiences,
expressing his sorrows and joys. By a close and regular study of the
heart he will be far better fitted to understand the things of God
than graceless rabbis and inexperienced doctors--not only will they be
clearer, but far sweeter unto him. A man may discourse orthodoxly and
profoundly of the nature and effects of faith, of the preciousness of
Christ, and the sweetness of communion with God, who never felt the
impressions or efficacy of them upon his own spirit. But how dull and
dry will these notions be unto those who have experienced them.
Ah, my reader, experience is the great schoolmaster. Much in Job and
Lamentations will seem dull and uninteresting until you have had
deeper exercises of soul. The seventh chapter of Romans is not likely
to appeal much unto you until you make more conscience of indwelling
sin. Many of the later Psalms will appear too extravagant in their
language until you enjoy closer and sweeter fellowship with God. But
the more you endeavour to keep your heart, and bring it into
subjection unto God, to keep it from the evil solicitations of Satan,
the more suited to your own case will you find many chapters of the
Bible. It is not simply that you have to be in the "right mood" to
appreciate, but that you have to pass through certain exercises of
heart ere you can discover their appropriateness. Then it is that you
will have "felt" and "tasted" for yourself the things of which the
inspired writers treat. Then it is that you will have the key which
unlocks many a verse that is fast closed unto masters of Hebrew and
Greek.
2. Care in keeping the heart supplies one of the best evidences of
sincerity. There is no external act which distinguishes the sound from
the unsound professor, but before this trial no hypocrite can stand.
It is true that when they think death to be very near many will cry
out of the wickedness and fear in their hearts, but that signifies
nothing more than does the howling of an animal when it is in
distress. But if you are tender of your conscience, watchful of your
thoughts, and careful each day of the workings and frames of your
heart, this strongly argues the sincerity of it; for what but a real
hatred of sin, what but a sense of the Divine eye being upon you,
could put anyone upon these secret duties which lie out of the
observation of all creatures? If, then, it be such a desirable thing
to have a fair testimony of your integrity, and to know of a truth
that you fear God, then study, watch, keep the heart.
The true comfort of our souls much depends upon this, for he that is
negligent in keeping his heart is generally a stranger to spiritual
assurance and the sweet comforts flowing from it. God does not usually
indulge lazy souls with inward peace, for He will not be the patron of
any carelessness. He has united together our diligence and comfort,
and they are greatly mistaken who suppose that the beautiful child of
assurance can be born without soul pangs. Diligent self-examination is
called for: first the looking into the Word, and then the looking into
our hearts, to see how far they correspond. It is true that the Holy
Spirit indwells the Christian, but He cannot be discerned by I-us
essence; it is His operations that manifest Him, and these are known
by the graces he produces in the soul; and those can only be perceived
by diligent search and honest scrutiny of the heart. It is in the
heart that the Spirit works.
3. Care in keeping the heart makes blessed and fruitful the means of
grace and the discharge of our spiritual duties. What precious
communion we have with God when He is approached in a right frame of
soul: then we may say with David, "My meditation of Him shall be
sweet" (Ps. 104:34). But when the heart be indisposed, full of the
things of this life, then we miss the comfort and joy which should be
ours. The sermons you hear and the articles you read (if by God's
servants) will appear very different if you bring a prepared heart to
them! If the heart be right you will not grow drowsy while hearing or
reading of the riches of God's grace, the glories of Christ, the
beauty of holiness, or the needs-be for a scripturally ordered walk.
It was because the heart was neglected that you got so little from
attending to the means of grace!
The same holds good of prayer. What a difference there is between a
deeply exercised and spiritually burdened heart pouring out itself
before God in fervent supplication and the utterance of verbal
petitions by rote! It is the difference between reality and formality.
He who is diligent in heart work and perceives the state of his own
soul is at no loss in knowing what to ask God for. So he who makes it
a practice of walking with God, communing with God, meditating upon
God, spontaneously worships Him in spirit and in truth: like David, he
will say, "My heart is inditing a good matter" (Ps. 45:1). The Hebrew
there is very suggestive: literally it is "my heart is boiling up a
good matter"; it is a figurative expression, taken from a living
spring, which is bubbling up fresh water. The formalist has to rack
his mind and, as it were, laboriously pump up something to say unto
God; but he who makes conscience of heart work finds his soul like a
bottle of new wine--ready to burst, giving vent to sorrow or joy as
his case may be.
4. Diligence in keeping the heart will make the soul stable in the
hour of temptation. The care or neglect of the conscience largely
determines our attitude toward and response unto solicitations of
evil. The careless heart falls an easy prey to Satan. His main attacks
are made upon the heart, for if he gains that he gains all, for it
commands the whole man! Alas, how easy a conquest is an unguarded
heart; it is no more difficult for the Devil to capture it than for a
burglar to enter a house whose windows and doors are unfastened. It is
the watchful heart that both discovers and suppresses the temptation
before it comes in its full strength. It is much like a large stone
rolling down a hill---it is easy to stop at first, but very difficult
after it has gained full momentum. So, if we cherish the first vain
imagination as it enters the mind, it will soon grow into a powerful
lust which will not take a nay.
Acts are preceded by desires, and desires by thoughts. A sinful object
first presents itself to the imagination, and unless that be nipped in
the bud the affections will be stirred and enlisted. If the heart does
not repel the evil imagination, if instead it dwells on it, encourages
it, feeds on it, then it will not be long before the consent of the
will is obtained. A very large and important part of heart work lies
in observing its first motions, and checking sin there. The motions of
sin are weakest at the first, and a little watchfulness and care then
prevents much trouble and mischief later. But if the first movings of
sin in the imagination be not observed and resisted, then the careless
heart is quickly brought under the full power of temptation, and Satan
is victorious.
5. The diligent keeping of the heart is a great aid to the improving
of our graces. Grace never thrives in a careless soul, for the roots
and habits of grace are planted in the heart, and the deeper they are
radicated (cause to take root) there the more thriving and flourishing
grace is. In Ephesians 3:17, we read of being "rooted and grounded in
love": love in the heart is the spring of every gracious word of the
mouth and of every holy act of the hand. But is not Christ the "root"
of the Christian's graces? Yes, the originating root, but grace is the
derivative root, planted and nourished by Him, and according as this
thrives under Divine influences, so the fruits of grace are more
healthy and vigorous. But in a heart which is not kept diligently
those fructifying influences are choked. Just as in an uncared-for
garden the weeds crowd out the flowers, so vain thoughts that are not
disallowed, and lusts which are not mortified, devour the strength of
the heart. "My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and with
fatness; and my mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips: when I
remember Thee upon my bed, and meditate on Thee in the night watches"
(Ps. 55:5, 6).
6. The diligent care of the heart makes Christian fellowship
profitable and precious. Why is it that when Christians meet together
there are often sad jarrings and contentions? It is because of
unmortified passions. Why is their conversation so frothy and
worthless? It is because of the vanity and earthiness of their hearts.
It is not difficult to discern by the actions and converse of
Christians what frames their spirits are under. Take one whose mind is
truly stayed upon God; how serious, heavenly and edifying is his
conversation: "The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his
tongue talketh of judgment: the law of his God is in his heart" (Ps.
37:30, 31). If each of us was humbled every day before God and under
the evils of his own heart, we should be more pitiful and tender
toward others (Gal. 6:1).
7. A heart well kept fits us for any condition God may cast us into,
or any service He has to use us in. He who has learnt to keep his
heart lowly is fit for prosperity; and he who knows how to apply
Scripture promises and supports is fit to pass through any adversity.
So he who can deny the pride and selfishness of his heart is fit to be
employed in any service for God. Such a man was Paul; he not only
ministered to others, but looked well to his own vineyard (see 1 Cor.
9:27). And what an eminent instrument he was for God: he knew how to
abound and how to suffer loss. Let the people defy him, it moved him
not, except to indignation; let them stone him, he could bear it.
8. By keeping our hearts diligently we should the soonest remove the
scandals and stumbling-blocks out of the way of the world. How the
worthy name of our Lord is blasphemed because of the wicked conduct of
many who bear His name. What prejudice has been created against the
Gospel by the inconsistent lives of those who preach it. But if we
keep our hearts, we shall not add to the scandals caused by the ways
of loose professors. Nay, those with whom we come in contact will see
that we "have been with Jesus." When the majestic beams of holiness
shine from a heavenly walk, the world will be awed and respect will
again be commanded by the followers of the Lamb.
Though the keeping of the heart entails such hard labour, do not such
blessed gains supply a sufficient incentive to engage diligently in
the same? Look over the eight special benefits we have named, and
weigh them in a just balance; they are not trivial things. Then guard
well your heart, and watch closely its love for God. Jacob served
seven years for Rebekah, and they seemed unto him but a few days, for
the love that he had unto her. The labour of love is always
delightful. If God has your heart, the feet will run swiftly in the
way of His commandments: duty will be a delight. Then let us earnestly
pray, "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts
unto wisdom" (Ps. 90:12)--as we "apply" our hands unto manual tasks.
Let me now close with a word or two of consolation to all serious
Christians who have sought to give themselves faithfully and closely
to this heart work, but who are groaning in secret over their apparent
lack of success therein, and who are fearful that their experience
falls short of a saving one. First, this argues that your heart is
honest and upright. If you are mourning over heart conditions and
sins, that is something no hypocrite does. Many a one is now in hell
who had a better head than mine; many a one now in heaven complained
of as bad a heart as thine.
Second, God would never leave you under so many heart burdens and
troubles if He intended not your benefit thereby. You say, Lord, why
do I go mourning, all the day having sorrow of heart? For long have I
been exercised over its hardness, and not yet it is broken. Many years
have I been struggling against vain thoughts, and still I am plagued
by them. When shall I get a better heart? Ah, God would thereby show
you what your heart by nature is, and have you take notice of how much
you are beholden to free grace! So, too, He would keep you humble, and
not let you fall in love with yourself!
Third, God will shortly put a blessed end to these cares, watchings
and heartaches. The time is coming when your heart shall be as you
would have it, when you will be delivered from all fears and sorrows,
and never again cry, "O my hard, vain, earthly, filthy heart." Then
shall all darkness be purged from your understanding, all vanity from
your affections, all guilt from your conscience, all perversity from
your will. Then shall you be everlastingly, delightfully, ravishingly
entertained and exercised upon the supreme goodness and infinite
excellency of God. Soon shall break that morning without clouds, when
all the shadows shall flee away; and then we "shall be like Him, for
we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2). Hallelujah!
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13
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Practical Christianity by A.W. Pink
Part 2: Progress in the Christian Life
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Chapter 5-Sleepy Saints
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What an anomaly! Drowsing on the verge of eternity! A Christian is one
who, in contrast to the unregenerate, has been awakened from the sleep
of death in trespasses and sins, made to realize the unspeakable
awfulness of endless misery in hell and the ineffable joy of
everlasting bliss in heaven, and thereby brought to recognize the
seriousness and solemnity of life. A Christian is one who has been
taught experientially the worthlessness of all mundane things and the
preciousness of Divine things. He has turned his back on Vanity Fair
and has started out on his journey to the Celestial City. He has been
quickened into newness of life and supplied with the most powerful
incentives to press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling
of God in Christ Jesus. Nevertheless, it is sadly possible for him to
suffer a relapse, for his zeal to abate, his graces to languish, for
him to leave his first love, and become weary of well-doing. Yea,
unless he be very much on his guard, drowsiness will steal over him,
and he will fall asleep. Corruptions still indwell in him, and sin has
a stupefying effect. He is yet in this evil world, and it exerts an
enervating influence. Satan seeks to devour him, and unless resisted
steadfastly will hypnotize him. Thus, the menace of this spiritual
"sleeping sickness" is very real.
Slumbering saints! What an incongruity! Taking their ease while
threatened by danger. Lazing instead of fighting the good fight of
faith. Trifling away opportunities to glorify their Saviour, instead
of redeeming the time: rusting, instead of wearing Out in His service.
We speak with wonderment and horror of Nero fiddling while Rome was
burning, but far more startling and reprehensible is a careless
Christian who has departed from God, bewitched by a world which is
doomed to eternal destruction. Such a travesty and tragedy is far from
being exceptional. Both observation and the teaching of Scripture
prove it to be a common occurrence. Such passages as the following
make it only too evident that the people of God are thus overcome. "It
is high time to awake out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer
than when we believed" (Rom. 13:11). "Awake to righteousness, and sin
not" (1 Cor. 15:34). "Awake thou that sleepest" (Eph. 5:14). Each of
those clamant calls is made to the saints. So, too, is that
exhortation addressed to them, "Ye are all the children of light, and
the children of the day: we arc not of the night nor of darkness.
Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be
sober" (1 Thess. 5:5,6).
Our Lord gave warning of the same phenomenon in Matthew 25:1-13, which
points some very searching lessons upon the subject now before us. We
do not propose to give an exposition of those verses, still less waste
time on canvassing the conflicting theorizing of men thereon. Instead
of indulging in useless speculations upon what has been termed the
"prophetic" applications of that passage, we intend to dwell upon what
is of far more practical importance and profit to the Christian's
walk. First, let it be duly noted that this parable of the Virgins was
delivered by Christ not to a promiscuous multitude, but to His own
disciples: it was to them that He said, "Watch, therefore, for ye know
neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh" (verse
13). Therein He exhorted His followers to maintain an attitude of the
utmost alertness and diligence, to be on their guard against a sudden
surprisal, to see to it that they were in a constant state of
readiness to welcome and entertain Him at His appearing. In that
thirteenth verse Christ clearly indicated the principal design of this
parable, namely, to enforce the Christian duty of watchfulness,
particularly against the tendency and danger of moral drowsiness and
spiritual apathy in the performance of our duties.
Second, we would here earnestly warn the reader against placing any
restrictions on the words of Holy Writ. In the light of the Analogy of
Faith, that is the general tenor of Scripture, it is quite
unwarrantable for us to limit the words "wherein the Son of man
cometh" to His ultimate appearing at the end of this age or world. It
is our duty to make use of the Concordance and carefully observe the
different senses in which the "coming" of Christ is referred to in the
Word, and distinguish between them. For example, the communications of
grace to God's people in the administration of His Word and ordinances
is spoken of thus, "He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass,
as showers that water the earth" (Ps. 72:6, and cf. Deut. 32:2).
Again, there was a judicial coming of the Lord in the destruction of
Jerusalem, when He made good the threat, "What shall the Lord of the
vineyard do? He will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give
the vineyard to others" (Mark 12:9)--He came not literally in Person,
but instrumentally by the Romans! Then there is also a "coming" of
Christ to His people in the renewed manifestations of His love: "If a
man love Me, he will keep My words; and My Father will love him, and
We will come unto him" John 14:23).
Christ has come to His people vicariously: as He declared unto the
apostles, "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you" (John
14:18), where according to the preceding verses the principal
reference is plainly to the public descent of the Holy Spirit on the
day of Pentecost. Again, Christ often visits His people in the chariot
of His providence: sometimes favorably, at others adversely, as in
"Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do
the first works, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will
remove thy candlestick" (Rev. 2:5, and cf. verse 16). Again, He
"comes" instrumentally by the ministry of the Gospel: "And that He
might reconcile both unto God in one body by the Cross, having slain
the enmity thereby, and came and preached peace to you which were afar
off" (Eph. 2:16, 17, and cf. Luke 10:16). Again, He comes spiritually
to those who yearn for and seek after fellowship with Him: "I will
come in to him, and sup with him, and he with Me" (Rev. 3:20).
Finally, He will come literally and visibly (Acts 1:11; Rev. 1:7).
Thus it is a serious mistake to jumble together the communicative,
judicial, manifestative, vicarious, providential, instrumental, and
spiritual "comings" of Christ; as it also is to restrict to His second
advent every verse where it speaks of His "coming" or appearing.
In like manner, it is equally wrong for us to limit our Lord's "Watch
therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of
man cometh" to a "looking for that blessed hope and the glorious
appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ." Most of the
other seven things mentioned above are not to be excluded therefrom.
We are to be on the qui vive (or alert) for His approaches to us in
the means of grace, attentive to His appearings before us in
providence, recognize Him in the ministry of the Gospel, and
expectantly wait His visits of intimate fellowship. The Christian's
continuance in this world is the period of both his "watching" and his
"waiting" for removal therefrom; and since he knows not whether that
will be by death or by his being caught up to meet the Lord in the
air, he is to be prepared for either event--if he be so for the
former, he will be for the latter. This call for him to "watch"
signifies that he is to "keep his heart with all diligence" (Prov.
4:23), "Keep himself from idols" (1 John 5:2 1), "Keep himself in the
love of God" (Jude 21). It bids us "Watch and pray, that ye enter not
into temptation, knowing that [though] the spirit be willing, the
flesh is weak" (Matt. 26:41). In a word, that exhortation requires us
to attend to the interests of our souls with unremitting diligence and
circumspection.
"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which
took their lamps and went forth to meet the Bridegroom" (Matt. 25:1).
This is not said to be a similitude of the attitude of "the Bride"
toward her Bridegroom, for the scope of it is wider, taking in the
whole sphere of Christian profession. Hence in what follows the
"Virgins" are divided into two groups--the regenerate and the
unregenerate. Thus it would have been inaccurate to designate the
whole of them "the Bride"! It is therefore a discriminating parable,
like that of the wheat and tares, and that of the good and bad fish in
Matthew 13. If it be asked, Why should Christ address such a parable
unto the apostles, the answer is, Because there was a Judas among
them! It is outside our present scope to consider the "foolish"
virgins: suffice it to say that externally they differed not from the
"wise" ones. They represent not the irreligious and immoral, but
unsaved church members, those who have "escaped the pollutions of the
world through the knowledge of the [not "their"!] Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 2:20), but who have never experienced a miracle
of grace in their hearts. Though having lamps in their hands, they had
no oil "in their vessels" (verses 3 and 4)--no grace in their souls!
This calls for writer and reader to make honest and careful
examination of themselves, to "give diligence to make his calling and
election sure" (2 Pet. 1:10).
"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins." Many
and varied are the figures used to describe the disciples of Christ.
They are spoken of as salt, as lights, as sheep, as living stones, as
kings and priests. When complete, and in its corporeal capacity, the
Church is referred to as the Lamb's "Wife," but individually they are
termed "the virgins, her companions" (Ps. 45:14, and cf. Song of Sol.
8:13; Rev. 1:9) They are called "virgins" for the purity of their
faith: for none--no matter how pleasing is his personality or
irreproachable his outward conduct--who is fundamentally unsound is to
be regarded as a Christian. Thus the apostle, when expostulating with
a local church for giving a hearing to false teachers, told them, "For
I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have [ministerially]
espoused you to one Husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin
to Christ" (2 Cor. 11:2). Again; they are called "virgins" for the
purity of their worship. God is a jealous God and will not brook any
rival, and therefore we find, all through Scripture, that idolatry is
expressed as harlotry, hence the vile and corrupt Papacy is designated
"The mother of harlots" (Rev. 17:5). Once more: they are called
"virgins" for the purity of their walk, refusing friendship and
fellowship with the adulterous world, cleaving to Christ--"they are
virgins: these are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth"
(Rev. 14:4).
The saints are expressly bidden to go forth to meet the Bridegroom.
"Go forth, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, and behold king Solomon with
the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his
espousals" (Song of Solomon 3:11)--an exceedingly interesting and
blessed verse which we must not dwell upon. It is the antitypical
Solomon, the prince of peace, who is here in view. His "mother" is the
natural Israel, from whom according to the flesh He sprang--a figure
of the spiritual Israel, in whose hearts He is "formed" (Gal. 4:19).
The "day of his espousals" was when Israel entered into a solemn
covenant with the Lord (Jer. 2:2, and see Ex.. 24:3-8, for the
historical reference), adumbrating our marital union with Christ, when
we "gave our own selves to Him" (2 Cor. 8:5) and were "joined unto the
Lord" (2 Cor 6:17), crowning Him the King of our hearts and lives.
Here the "daughters of Jerusalem"--the same as the "virgins"--are
bidden to "behold" their majestic and glorious King: to attentively
consider the excellency of His person, to be engaged with His
perfections, to admire and adore the One who is "Altogether Lovely."
But in order thereto there must be active effort on their part. Not to
the dilatory does Christ reveal Himself (Song of Sol. 3:1).
"Which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the Bridegroom." The
taking of their lamps signifies making an open profession of their
faith. They were not secret disciples, hiding their light under a
bushel, but those who were unashamed to be known as the followers of
Christ. Luke 12:35, serves to explain this force of the figure: "Let
your loins be girded about, and your lamps [more literally] burning,
and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord." Of His
forerunner Christ said, "He was a burning and shining lamp" (John
5:35). But other thoughts are suggested and things implied by these
virgins taking their lamps. It tells us they availed themselves of
suitable means, making provision against the darkness which they would
encounter. The principal means for the Christian is the Word, which is
"a lamp [same Greek word as in Luke 12:35, and John 5:35] that shineth
in a dark place" (2 Pet. 1:19). It also shows they had no intention of
going to sleep, but purposed to remain vigilant; which renders more
searching what follows. It also intimates they were sensible of the
difficulty of their task. Only one who, after a full day's work, has
sat out the night by a sick bed knows how hard it is to keep alert
throughout the long hours of darkness.
It needs to be clearly realized by the believer that the Word is
supplied him not only as "bread" to feed upon, a "sword" for him to
employ in repulsing the attacks of his enemies, but also as an
illuminator: "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet" (119:105), revealing
those paths in which I must walk if I would meet with the eternal
Lover of my soul. "And went forth to meet the Bridegroom." That must
ever be our object in the use of means and attendance upon the
administration of the Divine ordinances. That going forth to meet the
Lord is to be understood as expressing both external and internal
action. Externally, it signifies separation from the world, especially
its pleasures, for Christ will not be met with while we waste our time
engaging in them. "Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers
... come out from among them" (2 Cor. 6:14-17) must be heeded if we
would "meet the Bridegroom." More particularly, their going forth
denoted a turning of their backs upon the apostate ecclesiastical
system: Christ had informed His disciples that he had abandoned a
Judaism which had rejected Him (Matt. 23:37, 38), so if they would
meet with Him, they too must "go forth unto Him outside the camp"
(Heb. 13:15). The same is true now.
If the Christian would meet with and have blessed fellowship with
Christ, he must not only walk in separation from all intimacy with the
profane world, but turn his back on every section of the religious
world which gives not Christ the pre-eminence. That calls for the
denying of self and "bearing His reproach." Our readiness so to do
will depend upon how highly we esteem Him. Internally, it signified
the activity of their affections. It imports their delight in Him,
that He was the Object of their desires and expectations. It connotes
the exercise of their graces upon Christ, an outgoing of the whole
soul after Him; such a going out after Him as David had: "One thing
[supremely] have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I
may dwell in the house of the Lord [the place of communion] all the
days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord" (Ps. 27:4). There
can be no soul-satisfying beholding of His excellency unless there be
deep longing for and earnest seeking after Him, which is what is
purported by the "went forth to meet the Bridegroom!"
"Went forth to meet the Bridegroom" denotes a craving for fellowship
with and a definite seeking after Him, and where they be absent it is
vain to think we are among those who "love His appearing." Those words
refer to the exercise of the believer's graces, so that he can say "My
soul followeth hard after Thee" (Ps. 63:8). Of faith, acted upon its
Object, viewing Him as His person and perfections are portrayed in the
Word. Of hope, expecting to meet with Him, for Him to "manifest
Himself unto us" (John 14:21), as well as being for ever with Him. Of
love, which desires its Beloved and cannot be content away from Him.
It is for the affections to be set upon things above where Christ
sitteth on the right hand of God, resulting in a stranger and pilgrim
character on earth. It is a going out of self, absorbed with the One
who loves us and gave Himself for us. Only so can He be experientially
encountered, beheld with delight, fellowshipped. That "went forth to
meet the Bridegroom" is such a going forth of the affections and
exercise of our graces upon Him as made Paul to say, "But what things
were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ: yea doubtless, I
count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of
Christ Jesus my Lord" (Phil. 3:8, 9).
"While the Bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept" (Matt.
25:6). How pathetic! How searching and solemn! The season of His
tarrying was the time of their failing. They did not continue as they
began. Their graces were not kept in healthy exercise. They ceased to
attend unto the great business assigned them. They grew weary of
well-doing. Instead of occupying our heads with the "prophetic"
fulfillment of the verse, we need to bare our hearts and suffer them
to be searched by it. Instead of saying, Those words now accurately
describe the present condition of Christendom as a whole, we need to
inquire how far they pertain to each of us individually. Far more to
the point is it to ask myself, Am I a slumbering and sleeping
Christian? Nor is that question to be answered hurriedly. If on the
one hand I need to beware of thinking more highly of myself than I
ought, or pretend all is well with me when such is not the case; on
the other, God does not require me to act the part of a hypocrite, and
in order to acquire a reputation for humility claim to be worse than I
am. Peter was not uttering a presumptuous boast when he said unto
Christ "Thou knowest that I love Thee." But Judas was an impostor when
he greeted Him with a kiss.
But before we can truthfully answer the question, Am I spiritually
asleep? we must first ascertain what are the marks of one who is so.
Let us then, in order to assist the honest inquirer, describe some of
the characteristics of sleep. And since we arc not making any effort
to impress the learned, we will be as simple as possible. The things
which characterize the body when it is asleep will help us to
determine when the soul is so. When the body is asleep it is in a
state of inactivity, all its members being in repose. It is also a
state of unconsciousness, when the normal exercises of the mind are
suspended. It is therefore a state of insensibility to danger, of
complete helplessness. Spiritual sleep is that condition wherein the
faculties of the believer's soul are inoperative and when his graces
no longer perform their several offices. When the mind ceases to
engage itself with Divine things, and the graces be not kept in
healthy exercise, a state of slothfulness and inertia ensures. When
the grand truths of Scripture regarding God and Christ, sin and grace,
heaven and hell, exert not a lively and effectual influence upon us,
we quickly become drowsy and neglectful.
A slumbering faith is an inactive one. It is not exercised upon its
appointed Objects nor performing its assigned tasks. It is neither
drawing upon that fullness of grace which is available in Christ for
His people, nor is it acting on the precepts and promises of the Word.
Though there still be a mental assent to the Truth, yet the heart is
no longer suitably affected by that which concerns practical
godliness. Where such be the case a Christian will be governed more by
tradition, sentiment, and fancy, rather than by gratitude, the fear of
the Lord, and care to please Him. So too when his hope becomes
sluggish, he s6on lapses into a spiritual torpor. Hope is a desirous
and earnest expectation of blessedness to come. It looks away from
self and this present scene and is enthralled by "the things which God
hath prepared for them that love Him." As it eyes the goal and the
prize, it is enabled to run with patience the race set before us. But
when hope slumbers he becomes absorbed with the objects of time and
sense, and allured and stupefied with present and perishing things.
Likewise when love to God be not vigorous, there is no living to His
glory; self-love and self-pity actuating us. When the love of Christ
ceases to constrain us to self-denial and a following the example He
has left us, the soul has gone to sleep.
Where those cardinal graces be not in healthy exercise, the Christian
loses his relish for the means of grace, and if he attempts to use
them it is but perfunctorily. The Bible is read more from habit or to
satisfy conscience than with eager delight, and then no impression is
left on the heart, nor is there any sweet meditation thereon
afterwards. Prayer is performed mechanically, without any conscious
approach unto God or communing with Him. So in attending public
worship and the hearing of the Word: the duty is performed formally
and without profit. When the body sleeps it neither eats nor drinks:
so it is with the soul. Faith is the hand which receives, hope the
saliva which aids digestion, love the masticator and assimilator of
what is partaken. But when they cease to function the soul is starved,
and it becomes weak and languid. The more undernourished be the body
the less strength and ability has it for its tasks. In like manner, a
neglected soul is unfit for holy duties, and the most sacred exercises
become burdensome. Thus, when a saint finds his use of the means of
grace wearisome and the discharge of spiritual privileges irksome, he
may know that his soul is slumbering Godwards.
In the parable itself four causes of spiritual sleep are indicated. 1.
Failure to remain watchful. In its wider sense "watching" signifies an
earnest taking heed unto ourselves and our ways, realizing how prone
we are to "turn again to folly" (Psa. 85:8). So long as the saint be
left in this world, he is in constant danger of bringing reproach upon
the holy Name he bears, and becoming a stumbling-block to his
brethren. Watchfulness (the opposite of carelessness) is exercising a
diligent concern and care for our souls, avoiding all occasions to
sin, resisting temptation (Matt. 26:41). It is to "stand fast in the
faith, quit you like men" (1 Cor. 16:13)--be regular in our duties.
When we be lax in serving the Lord, in mortifying our lusts, and less
fervent and frequent in prayer, then slumber has begun to steal over
us. Ultimately, it respects "looking for that blessed hope," which is
a very different thing from awaiting the fulfillment of prophecy or
the accomplishing of an item in God's "dispensational program." It is
far more than expecting an important event, namely, the second advent
of Christ Himself, and that implies delight in Him, yearning after
Him, practical readiness for His appearing: Luke 12:35, 36.
2. The Bridegroom's delay resulted in lack of perseverance on their
part. Since we know not how soon or how long deferred will be our call
to depart from this world, we need to be unremitting in duty, in a
state of constant readiness. Not only a desirous expectation but a
"patient waiting for Christ" (2 Thess. 3:5) is required of us.
"Blessed are those servants whom the Lord when He cometh shall find
watching. . . If he shall come in the second watch, or come in the
third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. And this
know, that if the good man of the house had known what hour the thief
would come, he would have watched and not have suffered his house to
be broken through" (Luke 12:37, 38). It was because Moses tarried so
long in the mount that Israel grew weary of waiting and gave way to
their lusts--a warning to us not to relax our vigilance. How long had
the Old Testament saints to wait for His first advent! "Behold the
husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth and hath long
patience for it . . . be ye also patient: stablish your hearts" (James
5:7, 8), exercising faith and hope. See Luke 21:36.
3. Intimacy with graceless professors. The wise virgins failed because
they were in too close contact and fellowship with the foolish ones.
That is confirmed by the Divine warning "Be not deceived: evil
companionships [the verbal form of that Greek word is rendered
"communed with" in Acts 24:26] corrupt good manners," which is
immediately followed by "Awake to righteousness, and sin not" (1 Cor.
15:33,34), showing us that intimacy with the Christless produces
lethargy. "We are more susceptible of evil than good: we catch a
disease from one another, but we do not get health from one another.
The conversations of the wicked have more power to corrupt than the
good to excite virtue. A man that would keep himself awake unto God,
and mind the saving of his soul, must shake off evil company"
(Manton). See Psalm 119:115. It is not the openly profane, but the
loose and careless professor who is the greatest menace to the
Christian. Hence "having a form of godliness but denying [inaction]
the power thereof, from such turn away" (2 Tim. 3:5).
4. Inattention to the initial danger: they "slumbered" (a lighter
form) before they slept! How that shows the need for taking solemn and
earnest heed to the beginnings of spiritual decline! If we yield to a
spirit of languor we shall soon lapse into a sound sleep. One degree
of slackness and carelessness leads to another: "Slothfulness casteth
into a deep sleep" (Prov. 19:15), Once our zeal abates and our love
cools, we become remiss and heedless. If we do not fight against a
cold formality when engaged in sacred exercises, we shall ultimately
cease them entirely. All backsliding begins in the heart! Sin
stupefies before it hardens. If we cease to heed the gentle strivings
of the Spirit, conscience will become calloused. "David, when he fell
into adultery and blood, he was like one in a swoon. . . We have need
to stand always upon our watch. Great mischiefs would not ensue if we
took notice of the beginnings of those distempers which afterwards
settle upon us" (Manton).
Other causes of spiritual sleepiness which are not directly indicated
in this parable are specified in or may be deduced from other
passages. For example: "Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity;
quicken Thou me in Thy way" (Ps. 119:37). The apposition of those two
petitions clearly connotes that an undue occupation with worldly
things has a deadening effect upon the heart. Nothing has a more
enervating influence on the affections of a believer than for him to
allow himself an inordinate liberty in carnal vanities. Again, "Take
heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with
surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of this life; and so that day
come upon you unawares . . . Watch ye therefore, and pray always"
(Luke 21 :34..36). Gluttony not only dulls the senses of the body but
renders the mind sluggash too, and thereby the whole man is unfitted
for the discharge of spiritual duties, which call for the engaging and
putting forth of "all that is within us" (Ps. 103:1); equally so do
carking (burdened) cares which engross the attention and stupefy the
understanding and render the affections torpid. Yet more searching is
it to observe that "be sober" precedes "be vigilant" in 1 Peter 5:8.
Sobriety is freedom from excesses, particularly a sparing use made of
the lawful comforts of this life. Any form of intemperance breeds
inertia. If, then, we are able to keep wide awake, we must be
"temperate in all things" (1 Cor. 9:25).
The consequences of spiritual sloth are inevitable and obvious. Space
allows us to do little more than name some of the chief ones. (1)
Grace becomes inoperative. When faith be not exercised upon Christ, it
nods and ceases to produce good works. When hope languishes and
becomes inactive, the heart is no longer lifted above the things of
time and sense by a desirous expectation of good things to come. Then
love declines and is no longer engaged in pleasing and glorifying God.
Zeal slumbers and instead of fervour there is heartless formality in
the use of means and performance of duties. (2) We are deprived of
spiritual discernment, and no longer able to experientially perceive
the vanity of earthly things and value of heavenly, and the need of
pressing forward unto them. (3) A drowsy inattention to God's
providences. Eyes closed in sleep take no notice of His dealings with
us, weigh not the things which befall us. Mercies are received as a
matter of course, and signs of God's displeasure are disregarded (Isa.
42:25).
(4) Unconcernedness in the commission of sin, so that we cease
mortifying our lusts and resisting the Devil. Spiritual stupidity
makes us insensible to our danger. It was while David was taking his
ease that he yielded to the Devil (2 Sam. 11:1, 2). (5) The Holy
Spirit is grieved and His gracious operations are suspended and His
comforts withheld. (6) So far from us overcoming the world, when our
spiritual senses be dulled, we are absorbed with its attractions or
weighted down by its cares. (7) We are robbed by our enemies (Luke
12:39)--of God's providential smile, of our peace and joy. (8)
Fruitlessness: see Proverbs 24:30, 31. (9) Carnal complacency: peace
and joy being derived from pleasant circumstances and earthly
possessions, rather than Christ and our heritage in Him. (10)
Spiritual poverty: see Proverbs 24:33, 34. (11) Indifference to the
cause and interests of Christ: it was while men slept Satan sowed his
tares, and abuses creep into the church. (12) A practical
unpreparedness for Christ's coming: Luke 21:36; Revelation 16:15.
Let us now point out some of the correctives. 1. Spiritual sleepiness
is best prevented by our faith being engaged with the person and
perfections of Christ; it is not monastic retirement, nor the
relinquishment of our lawful connection with the world, but the fixing
of our minds and affections upon the transcendent excellency of the
Saviour, which will most effectually preserve us from being hypnotized
by the baits of Satan. A believing and adoring view of Him who is
"Fairer than the children of men" will dim the luster of the most
attractive objects in this world. When the One who is "altogether
lovely" is beheld by anointed eyes the flowery paths of this scene
become a dreary wilderness, and the soul is quickened to press forward
unto Him, until it sees the King in his beauty face to face. 2.
Especially will a keeping fresh in our hearts the unspeakable
sufferings of the Saviour draw us away from threatened rivals, and
inspire grateful obedience to Him. "For the love of Christ
[particularly His dying love] constraineth us" (2 Cor. 5:14). 3. By
praying daily for God to quicken and revive us. 4. By being doubly on
our guard when things are going smoothly and easily. 5. By maintaining
a lively expectation of Christ's appearing (Heb. 9:28). 6. By
attending to such exhortations as Hebrews 12:2, 3, allowing no
abatement of our vigor. 7. By putting on the whole armor of God (Eph.
6:13-18).
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13
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A. W. Pink Header
Practical Christianity by A.W. Pink
Part 2: Progress in the Christian Life
_________________________________________________________________
Chapter 6-The Christian'S Armour
Ephesians 6:10-18
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In the passage which is to be before us the apostle gathers up the
whole previous subject of the epistle into an urgent reminder of the
solemn conditions under which the Christian's life is lived. By a
graphic figure he shows that the Christian's life is lived on the
battlefield, for we are not only pilgrims but soldiers; we are not
only in a foreign country, but in the enemy's land. Though the
redemption which Christ has purchased for His people be free and full,
yet, between the beginning of its application to us and the final
consummation of it, there is a terrible and protracted conflict
through which we have to pass. This is not merely a figure of speech,
but a grim reality. Though salvation is free, yet it is not obtained
without great effort. The fight to which God's children are called in
this life is one in which Christians themselves receive many sore
wounds, and thousands of professors are slain. Now, as we shall see in
the verses which follow, the apostle warns us that the conflict has to
do with more than human foes; the enemies we have to meet are
superhuman ones, and therefore in order to fight successfully against
them we need supernatural strength.
We must remember that the Christian belongs to the spiritual realm as
well as the natural, and so he has spiritual as well as natural foes;
hence he needs spiritual strength as well as physical. Therefore the
apostle begins here by saying, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the
Lord, and in the power of His might" (verse 10). The word "finally"
denotes that the apostle had reached his closing exhortation, and the
words "be strong" link up with what immediately precedes as well as
with what now follows. Some of you will remember that the whole of the
fifth chapter and the opening verses of the sixth chapter are filled
with exhortations, and in order for the Christian to obey them he
needs to be "strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might."
"Finally, my brethren [after all the Christian duties I have set
before you in the previous verses], "be strong in the Lord, and in the
power of His might." The words "be strong" mean to muster strength for
the conflict, and be strong "in the Lord" signifies that we must seek
strength from the only source from which we can obtain it. Note
carefully, it is not "be strong from the Lord," nor is it "be
strengthened by the Lord." No, it is "be strong in the Lord." Perhaps
you will get the thought if I use this analogy: just as a thumb that
is amputated is useless, and just as a branch cut off from the vine
withers, so a Christian whose fellowship with the Lord has been broken
is in a strengthless, fruitless, useless state. Thus, "be strong in
the Lord" means, first of all, see to it that you maintain a live
practical relationship to and remain in constant communion with the
Lord. It is deeply important that we should, ere we proceed farther,
grasp the exhortation found in verse 10; otherwise there will be no
strength for the conflict.
"Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might." At first sight
there seems to be a needless repetition there; but it is not so. A
soldier not only needs strength of body; he also needs courage, and
that is what is in view in verse 10--the last clause brings in the
thought of boldness. "Be strong": in faith, in hope, in wisdom, in
patience, in fortitude, in every Christian grace. To be strong in
grace is to be weak in sin. It is vitally essential to remember that
we need to have our strength and courage renewed daily. Be strong in
the Lord: seek His strength at the beginning of each day. God does not
impart strength to us wholesale: He will not give us strength on
Monday morning to last through the week. No, there has to be the
renewing of our strength and that strength has to be drawn from the
Lord by the actings of faith, appropriating from His "fulness."
"Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against
the wiles of the devil" (verse 11). Our first need is to stir up
ourselves to resist temptation by a believing reliance upon God's
all-sufficient grace, that is obtaining from Him the strength which
will enable us to go forth and fight against the foe. Our second
greatest need is to be well armed for the conflict into which we must
daily enter. This is the relation between verses 10 and 11: "Be strong
in the Lord" and "Put on the whole armor of God": first, stir up
yourselves to resist temptation, seeking strength at the beginning of
the day for the conflict; then see to it that you take unto
yourselves, put on, the whole armor of God.
The Christian is engaged in a warfare. There is a fight before him,
hence armor is urgently needed. It is impossible for us to stand
against the wiles of the Devil unless we avail ourselves of the
provision which God has made for enabling us to stand. Observe that it
is called the "armor of God": just as the strength we need comes not
from ourselves, but must be supplied by the Lord, so our means of
defence lie not in our own powers and faculties, but only as they are
quickened by God. It is called the "armor of God" because He both
provides and bestows it, for we have none of our own; and yet, while
this armor is of God's providing and bestowing, we have to put it on!
God does not fit it on us; He places it before us; and it is our
responsibility, duty, task, to put on the whole armor of God.
Now it is very important that we should recognize that this term
"armor" is a figurative one, a metaphor, and refers not to something
which is material or carnal. It is a figurative expression denoting
the Christian's graces, and when we are told to "put on" the armor it
simply means we are to call into exercise and action our graces. Those
who wish to approve themselves of being in possession of grace must
see to it that they have all the graces of a saint. "Put on the whole
armor of God, that [in order that] ye may be able to stand against the
wiles of the devil." There is no standing against him if we are not
armored. On the other hand, there is no failing and falling before him
if our graces are healthy and active.
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of
this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (verse. 12).
The opening "for" has the force of "because": the apostle is advancing
a reason, which virtually amounts to an argument, so as to enforce the
exhortation just given. Because we wrestle not against flesh and
blood, but against principalities, not against puny human enemies no
stronger than ourselves, but against the powers and rulers of the
darkness of this world, the panoply of God is essential. That is
brought in to emphasize the terribleness of the conflict before us. It
is no imaginary one, and no ordinary foes we have to meet; but
spiritual, superhuman, invisible ones. Those enemies seek to destroy
faith and produce doubt. They seek to destroy hope and produce
despair. They seek to destroy humility and produce pride. They seek to
destroy peace and produce bitterness and malice. They seek to prevent
our enjoyment of heavenly things by getting us unduly occupied with
earthly things. Their attack is not upon the body, but upon the soul.
"Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able
to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand" (verse
13). The opening "wherefore" means that, in view of the fact that we
wrestle against these powerful, superhuman, invisible foes, who hate
us with a deadly hatred and are seeking to destroy us, therefore
appropriate and use the provision which God has made, so that we may
stand and withstand. The first clause of verse 13 explains the opening
words of verse 11. Verse 11 says "put on," make use of all proper
weapons for repulsing the attacks, and verse 13 says "take unto you
the whole armor of God"; we "put on" by taking it "unto us," that is,
by appropriation, by making it our own. "That ye may be able to
withstand": to withstand is the opposite of yielding, of being tripped
up, thrown down, by the Devil's temptations; it means that we stand
our ground, resist the Devil. "That ye may be able to withstand in the
evil day, and having done all, to stand": the "stand" is the opposite
of a slothful sleep, or a cowardly flight.
I want you to notice that we are not told to advance. We are only
ordered to "stand." God has not called His people to an aggressive war
upon Satan, to invade his territory, and seek to wrest from him what
is his; He has told us to occupy the ground which He has allotted us.
I want you to see what would have been implied had this verse said,
"Take unto you the whole armor of God, and advance upon the devil,
storm his strongholds, liberate his prisoners." But not so; the Lord
has given no charge or commission to the rank and file of His people
to engage in what is now called "personal work," "soul winning,"
rescuing the perishing." All such feverish activities of the flesh as
we now behold in the religious world find no place in this Divine
exhortation. This is the third time in these verses that the Spirit of
God has repeated that word "stand"--not advance, not rush hither and
thither, like a crazy person. "Stand therefore" is all God has told us
to do in our conflict with the Devil.
"Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth." Now that
brings before us the first of the seven pieces of the Christian's
armor mentioned in this passage. First, let me warn you against the
canalization of this word, thinking of something that is external,
visible, or tangible. The figure of the "girdle" is taken from a
well-known custom in oriental countries, where the people all wear
long, flowing outer garments reaching to the feet, which would impede
the actions when walking, working or fighting. The first thing a
person does there when about to be active is to gird up around his
waist that outer garment which tails to the ground. When the garment
is not girded and hangs down, it indicates that the person is at rest.
To "gird up" is therefore the opposite of sloth and ease. Be girdled
about with a girdle of truth: I believe there is a double reference or
meaning here in the word "truth." But first of all I want to take up
what it is that we need to "gird."
The breastplate is for the heart, the helmet for the head; what, then,
is the "girdle" for? In that form from which the figure is borrowed,
the reference is to the waist or loins. But what does that metaphor
denote? Plainly the center or mainspring of all our activities. And
what is that? Obviously the mind is the mainspring of action: first
the thought, and then the carrying out of it. 1 Peter 1:13, helps us
here: "gird up the loins of your mind." "Let your loins be girt about
with truth": it is not so much our embracing the truth as the truth
embracing us. Thus, the spiritual reference is to the holiness in and
regulation of the thoughts of the mind. The mind "girded up" means a
mind which is disciplined; the opposite of one where the thoughts are
allowed to run loose and wild. Again, the "loins" are the place of
strength, so is the mind. If we allow our thoughts and imaginations to
run wild, we will have no communion with God, and no power against
Satan.
"Having your loins girt about with truth." I think the word "truth"
has reference, in the first place, to the Word of God: "Thy word is
truth" (John 17:17). That is what must regulate the mind, control the
thoughts, subdue the imaginations: there must be a knowledge of, faith
in, love for, subjection to, God's Word. "Stand, therefore, having
your loins [your mind] girt about with truth." Now that suggests to us
the characteristic quality of the adversary against whom we are called
upon to arm. Satan is a liar, and we can only meet him with the Truth.
Satan prevails over ignorance by means of guile or deceit; but he has
no power over those whose minds are regulated by the Truth of God.
I think the word "truth" here has a second meaning. Take for example
Psalm 51:6, God ``desireth truth in the inward parts": "truth'' there
signifies reality, sincerity. Truth is the opposite of hypocrisy,
pretence, unreality. That is why the girdle of truth comes first,
because it being lacking, everything else is vain and useless. The
strength of every grace lies in the sincerity of it. In 1 Timothy 1:5,
we read "faith unfeigned," which means true, genuine, real faith; in
contrast with a faith which is only theoretical, notional, lifeless,
inoperative--a faith which utterly withers before the fires of
testing.
The girdle of truth (corresponding to the military belt of the
warrior) signifies, then, the mind being regulated by real sincerity;
and this alone will protect us against Satan's temptations unto
slackness and guile and hypocrisy. Only as this is "put on" by us
shall we be able to "stand against the wiles of the devil": to "stand"
is to "resist" that he does not throw us down.
The second part or piece of the Christian's armor is mentioned in
verse 14: "and having on the breastplate of righteousness." First of
all, notice the connecting "and," which intimates that there is a very
close relation between the mind being girded with truth and the heart
protected with the breastplate of righteousness. All of these seven
pieces of armor are not so connected, but the "and" here between the
first two denotes that they are inseparably united. Now, obviously,
the breastplate of righteousness is that protection which we need for
the heart. This verse is closely parallel to Proverbs 4:23, "Keep
thine heart with all diligence," understanding by the "heart" the
affections and conscience.
As there was a double reference in the word "truth," first to the Word
of God and second to the sincerity of spirit, so I believe there is a
double reference here in the breastplate of righteousness." I think it
refers both to that righteousness which Christ wrought out for us and
that righteousness which the Spirit works in us--both the
righteousness which is imputed and the righteousness which is
imparted--which is what we need if we are to withstand the attacks of
Satan. We might compare 1 Thessalonians 5:8: "Let us, who are of the
day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love." I have
been quite impressed of late in noting how frequently that word
"sober" occurs in the Epistles, either in its substantive or verbal
form. Soberness is that which should characterize and identify the
people of God. It is the opposite of that superficial flightiness
which is one of the outstanding marks of worldlings today. It is the
opposite of levity, and also of that feverish restlessness of the
flesh by which so many are intoxicated religiously and every other
way.
This second piece of armor, as I have said, is inseparably connected
with the girdle of truth, for sincerity of mind and holiness of heart
must go together. To put on the breastplate of righteousness means to
maintain the power of holiness over our affections and conscience. A
verse that helps us to understand this is Acts 24:16, "Herein do I
exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward
God and men." There you have an illustration of a man taking unto
himself, putting on, the "breastplate of righteousness."
We pass on to the third piece of armor. "And your feet shod with the
preparation of the gospel of peace" (verse 15). This is perhaps the
most difficult of the seven pieces of armor to understand and define;
and yet, if we hold fast the first thought, that the Holy Spirit is
using a figure of speech here, that the reference is to that which is
internal rather than external, spiritual rather than material, and
also that He is following a logical order, there should not be much
difficulty in ascertaining what is meant by the sandals of peace. Just
as the girdle of truth has to do with the mind, the breastplate of
righteousness with the heart, so the shoes for the feet area figure of
that which concerns the will. At first sight that may sound
far-fetched, and yet if we will think for a moment it should be
obvious that what the feet are to the body the will is to the soul.
The feet carry the body from place to place, and the will is that
which directs the activities of the soul; what the will decides, that
is what we do.
Now the will is to be regulated by the peace of the Gospel. What is
meant by that? This: in becoming reconciled to God and in having good
will to our fellows the Gospel is the means or instrument that God
uses. We are told in Psalm 110:3, "Thy people shall be willing in the
day of Thy power": that means far more than that they shall be ready
to hearken to and believe the glad tidings of the Gospel. There is
brought over into the Gospel substantially everything which was
contained in both the moral and ceremonial Law. The Gospel is not only
a message of good news, but a Divine commandment and rule of conduct:
"For the time is come that judgment must [not "shall"--now, not in the
future] begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what
shall the end of them be that obey not the gospel of God?" (1 Peter
4:17).
The Gospel requires us to deny ourselves, take up the cross daily, and
follow Christ in the path of unreserved obedience to God. "Your feet
shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace" signifies that you
must with alacrity and readiness respond to God's revealed will. The
peace of "the gospel" comes from walking in subjection to its terms
and by fulfilling the duties which it prescribes. Just so far as we
are obedient to it we experimentally enjoy its peace. Thus, this third
piece of armor is for fortifying the will against Satan's temptations
unto self-will and disobedience, and this by subjection to the Gospel.
Just as the feet are the members which convey the body from place to
place, so the will directs the soul; and just as the feet must be
adequately shod if we are to walk properly and comfortably, so the
will must be brought into subjection unto the revealed will of God if
we are to enjoy His peace. Let there be that complete surrender daily,
the dedicating of ourselves to God, and then we will be impervious
unto Satan's attacks and temptations to disobedience.
You will take notice when we come to the fourth piece of armor that
the "and" is lacking. The first three were joined together, for that
which is denoted by those figurative terms is inseparably linked
together--the mind, the heart, the will: there you have the complete
inner man. "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall
be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked" (verse 16). I
think the words "above all" have a double force. First, literally,
understanding them as a preposition of place, meaning over all,
shielding as a canopy, protecting the mind, the heart and the will.
There must be faith in exercise if those three parts of our inner
being are to be guarded. Second, "above all" may be taken adverbially,
signifying chiefly, pre-eminently, supremely. It is an essential thing
that you should take the shield of faith, for Hebrews 11:6, tells us,
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him." Yes, even if there
were sincerity, love, and a pliable will, yet without faith we could
not please Him. Therefore, "above all" take unto you the shield of
faith.
Faith is all in all in resisting temptation. We must be fully
persuaded of the Divine inspiration of the Scriptures if we are to be
awed by their precepts and cheered by their encouragements; we will
never heed properly the Divine warnings or consolations unless we have
explicit confidence in their Divine authorship. The whole victory is
here ascribed to faith "above all"; it is not by the breastplate,
helmet or sword, but by the shield of faith that we are enabled to
quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. It seems to be a general
principle in the Spirit's arrangement of things in Scripture to put
the most vital one in the center; we have seven pieces of armor, and
the shield of faith is the fourth. So in Hebrews 6:4-6, we have five
things mentioned, and in the middle is "made partakers of the Holy
Spirit."
Faith is the life of all the graces. If faith be not in exercise,
love, hope, patience cannot be. Here we find faith intended for the
defence of the whole man. The shield of the soldier is something he
grips, and raises or lowers as it is needed. It is for the protection
of his entire person. Now the figure which the Holy Spirit uses here
in connection with Satan's attacks is taken from one of the devices of
the ancients in their warfare, namely the use of darts which had been
dipped in tar and set on fire, in order to blind their foes: that is
what lies behind the metaphor of "quench all the fiery darts of the
wicked"; it has in view Satan's efforts to prevent our looking upward!
When these darts were in the air the soldiers had to bow their heads
to avoid them, holding their shields above. And Satan is constantly.
seeking to prevent our looking upward.
The attacks of the Devil are likened to "fiery darts," first, because
of the wrath with which he shoots them. There is intense hatred in
Satan against the child of God. Again, the very essence of his
temptations is to inflame the. passions and distress the conscience.
He aims to kindle covetousness, to excite worldly ambition, to ignite
our lusts. In James 3:6, we read, "the tongue is set on fire of
hell"--that means the Devil's "fiery darts" have affected it. Thirdly,
his temptations are likened unto "fiery darts" because of the end to
which they lead if not quenched; should Satan's temptations be
followed out to the end they would land us in the lake of fire. The
figure of "darts" denotes that his temptations are swift, noiseless,
dangerous.
Now taking the shield of faith means appropriating the Word and acting
on it. The shield is to protect the whole person, wherever the attack
be made, whether on spirit, or soul, or body; and there is that in the
Word which is exactly suited unto each, but faith must lay hold of and
employ it. Now in order to use the shield of faith effectually the
Word of Christ needs to dwell in us "richly" (Col. 3:16). We must have
right to hand a word which is pertinent for the particular temptation
presented. For example, if tempted unto covetousness, we must use "Lay
not up for yourselves treasure on earth"; when solicited by evil
companions, "If sinners entice thee, consent thou not"; if tempted to
harshness, "Be kindly affectioned one to another." It is because the
details of Scripture have so little place in our meditations that
Satan trips us so frequently.
Like most of the other terms used, "faith" here also has a double
signification. The faith which is to be our "shield" is both an
objective and a subjective one. It has reference, first, to the Word
of God without, the authority of which is ever binding upon us. It
points, secondly, to our confidence in that Word, the heart going out
in trustful expectation to the Author of it, and counting upon its
efficacy to repulse the Devil.
"And take the helmet of salvation" (verse 17). This is the fifth piece
of the Christian's armor. First of all we may note the link between
the fourth and fifth pieces as denoted by the word "and," for this
helps us to define what the "helmet of salvation" is; it is linked
with faith! Hebrews 11:1, tells us, "faith is the substance of things
hoped for," and if we compare 1 Thessalonians 5:8, we get a
confirmation of that thought: "But let us, who are of the day, be
sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet
the hope of salvation." Here in Thessalonians, then, we have "hope"
directly connected with "the helmet." Incidentally, this verse is one
of many in the New Testament which puts salvation in the future rather
than in the past! Hope always looks forward, having to do with things
to come; as Romans 8:25, tells us, "If we hope for that we see not,
then do we with patience wait for it." Now faith and hope are
inseparable: they are one in birth, and one in growth; and, we may
add, one in decay. If faith languish, hope is listless.
By the helmet of salvation, then, I understand the heart's expectation
of the good things promised, a well-grounded assurance that God will
make good to His people those things which His Word presents for
future accomplishment. We might link up with this 1 John
3:3--scriptural hope purifies. It delivers from discontent and
despair, it comforts the heart in the interval of waiting. Satan is
unable to get a Christian to commit many of the grosser sins which are
common in the world, so he attacks along other lines. Often he seeks
to cast a cloud of gloom over the soul, or produce anxiety about the
future. Despondency is one of his favorite weapons, for he knows well
that "the joy of the Lord" is our strength" (Neh. 8:10), hence his
frequent efforts to dampen our spirits. To repulse these, we are to
"take the helmet of salvation": that is, we are to exercise
hope--anticipate the blissful future, look forward unto the eternal
rest awaiting us; look away from earth to heaven!
"And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (verse 17).
God has provided His people with an offensive weapon as well as
defensive ones. At first sight that may seem to clash with what we
said about Christians not being called upon to be aggressive against
Satan, seeking to invade his territory and wrest it from him. But this
verse does not clash to the slightest degree. 2 Corinthians 7:1, gives
us the thought: "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let
us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit":
that is the active, aggressive side of the Christian's warfare. We are
not only to resist our lusts but to subdue and overcome them.
It is significant to note how late the "sword of the Spirit" is
mentioned in this list. Some have thought that it should have come
first, but it is not mentioned until the sixth. Why? I believe there
is a twofold reason. First, because all the other graces that have
been mentioned are necessary to make a right use of the Word. If there
is not a sincere mind and a holy heart we shall only handle the Word
dishonestly. If there is not practical righteousness, then we shall
only be handling the Word theoretically. If there is not faith and
hope we shall only misuse it. All the Christian graces that are
figuratively contemplated under the other pieces of armor must be in
exercise before we can profitably handle the Word of God. Second, it
teaches us that even when the Christian has attained unto the highest
point possible in this life he still needs the Word. Even when he has
upon him the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, his
feet shod with the shoes of the preparation of the Gospel of peace,
and has taken unto himself the shield of faith and the helmet of
salvation, he still needs the Word!
The last piece of armor is given in verse 18: "Praying always with all
prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all
perseverance and supplication for all saints." Prayer is that which
alone gives us the necessary strength to use the other pieces of
armor! After the Christian has taken unto himself those six pieces,
before he is thoroughly furnished to go forth unto the battle and
fitted for victory, he needs the help of his General. For this, the
apostle bids us pray "always" with all supplication in the Spirit. We
are to fight upon our knees! Only prayer can keep alive the different
spiritual graces which are figured by the various pieces of armor.
"Praying always": in every season--in times of joy as well as sorrow,
in days of adversity as well as prosperity. Not only so, but "watching
thereunto with all perseverance": that is one of the essential
elements in prevailing prayer--persistence. Watch yourself that you do
not let up, become slack or discouraged. Keep on! The eighteenth verse
is as though the apostle said, "Forget not to seek unto the God of
this `armor' and make humble supplication for His assistance; for only
He who has given us these arms can enable us to make a successful use
of them." Some have called it the "all verse." "Praying always with
all prayer . . . with all perseverance, and supplication for all
saints"--think not only of yourself, but also of your fellow soldiers
who are engaged in the same conflict!
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13
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Practical Christianity by A.W. Pink
Part 2: Progress in the Christian Life
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Chapter 7-The Doctrine of Mortification
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1. Introduction
It is the studied judgment of this writer, and he is by no means alone
therein, that doctrinal preaching is the most pressing need of the
churches today. During the past fifty years a lot has been said about
and much prayer has been made for a God-sent revival, but it is to be
feared that that term is often used very loosely and unintelligently.
Unless we are mistaken, if the question were put, A "revival" of what?
a considerable variety of answers would be given. Personally, we would
say a revival of old-fashioned piety, of practical godliness, of
fuller conformity to the holy image of Christ. The "revival" we need
is a deliverance from that spiritual apathy and laxity which now
characterizes the average Christian, a return to self-denial and
closer walking with God, a quickening of our graces, and the becoming
more fruitful in the bringing forth of good works. Whether or not
Scripture predicts such a revival we know not. Two things we are sure
of: that whatever the future may hold for this world, God will
maintain a testimony unto Himself (Ps. 145:4; Matt. 28:20) and
preserve a godly seed on earth, until the end of human history (Ps.
72:5; Isa. 27:3; Matt. 16:18). Second, that there must be a return to
doctrinal preaching before there will be any improvement in practice.
Both the teaching of God's Word and the testimony of ecclesiastical
history testify clearly to the deep importance and great value of
doctrinal instruction, and the lamentable consequences of a prolonged
absence of the same. Doctrinal preaching is designed to enlighten the
understanding, to instruct the mind, to inform the judgment. It is
that which supplies motives to gratitude and furnishes incentives unto
good works. There can be no soundness in the Faith if the fundamental
articles of the Faith be not known and, in some measure at least,
understood. Those fundamental articles are denominated "the first
principles of the oracles of God" (Heb. 5:12) or basic truths of
Scripture, and are absolutely necessary unto salvation. The Divine
inspiration and authority of the Holy Scriptures, the ever-blessed
Trinity in unity (John 17:3), the two natures united in the one person
of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 John 2:22, and 4:3), His finished work and
all-sufficient sacrifice (Heb. 5:14), the fall, resulting in our lost
condition (Luke 19:10), regeneration (John 3:3), gratuitous
justification (Gal. 5:4)--these are some of the principal pillars
which support the temple of Truth, and without which it cannot stand.
Of old God complained, "My people are destroyed [cut off] for lack of
knowledge" (Hosea 4:6), and declared, "Therefore My people are gone
into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honorable
men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst" (Isaiah
5:13). When He promised "I will give you pastors according to Mine
heart," He described the same as those "which shall feed you with
knowledge and understanding" (Jer. 3:15), and that knowledge is
communicated first and foremost by a setting forth of the glorious
doctrines of Divine revelation. Doctrinal Christianity is both the
ground and the motive of practical Christianity, for it is principle
and not emotion or impulse which is the dynamic of the spiritual life.
It is by the Truth that men are illuminated and directed: "0 send out
Thy light and Thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto Thy
holy hill, and to Thy tabernacles" (Ps. 43:3). We are saved by a
knowledge of the Truth (John 17:3; 1 Tim. 2:4), and by faith therein
(2 Thess. 2:13). We are made free by the Truth (John 8:32). We are
sanctified by the Truth (John 17:17). Our growth in grace is
determined by our growth in the knowledge of God and the Lord Jesus
Christ (2 Peter 1:2 and 3:18). It is mercy and truth that preserve us
(Ps. 61:7~ Proverbs 21 :28)--"understanding shall keep thee" (Prov.
2:11).
Pertinently is the inquiry made, "If the foundations be destroyed,
what can the righteous do?" (Ps. 11:3). The Hebrew word for
"foundations" occurs only once more in the Old Testament, namely in
Isaiah 19:10, where it is rendered "and they shall be broken in the
purposes thereof." As it is from our purposes that our plans and
actions proceed, so it is from the "first principles" of the Word that
its secondary truths are derived; and upon them both, precepts are
based. "The principles of religion are the foundations on which the
faith and hope of the righteous are built" (Matthew Henry). While
those foundations cannot be totally and finally removed, yet God may
suffer them to be so relatively and temporarily. In such case the
righteous should not give way to despair, but instead betake
themselves unto prayer. "Some thing the righteous ones may do, and
should do, when men are attempting to undermine and sap the foundation
articles of religion: they should go to the throne of grace, to God in
His holy temple, who knows what is doing, and plead with Him to put a
stop to the designs and attempts of such subverters of foundations;
and they should endeavour to build one another up on their most holy
faith" (J. Gill).
During the past century there was an increasingly marked departure
from doctrinal preaching. Creeds and confessions of faith were
disparaged and regarded as obsolete. The study of theology was largely
displaced by engaging the mind with science, psychology and sociology.
The cry was raised, "Give us Christ, and not Christianity," and many
superficial minds concluded that such a demand was both a spiritual
and a pertinent one. In reality it was an absurdity, an imaginary
distinction without any vital difference. A scriptural concept of
Christ in His theanthropic person, His mediatorial character, His
official relations to God's elect, His redemptive work for them, can
be formed only as He is contemplated in His essential Godhead, His
unique humanity, His covenant headship, and as the Prophet, Priest and
King of His Church. Sufficient attention has not been given to that
repeated expression "the doctrine of Christ" (2 John, 9), which
comprehends the whole teaching of Scripture concerning His wondrous
person and His so-great salvation. Nor has due weight been given to
those words "the mystery of Christ" (Col. 4:3), which refer to the
deep things revealed of Him in the Word of Truth.
The most conclusive evidences for the Divine origin of Christianity,
as well as the chief glory, appear in its doctrines, for they cannot
be of human invention. The ineffable and incomprehensible Trinity in
unity, the incarnation of the Son of God, the death of the Prince of
life, that His obedience and sufferings satisfied Divine justice and
expiated our offences, the Holy Spirit making the believer His temple,
and our union with Christ, are sublime and lofty truths, holy and
mysterious, which far surpass the highest flight of finite reason.
There is perfect harmony in all the parts of the doctrine of Christ.
Therein a full discovery is made of the manifold wisdom of God, the
duties required of us, the motives which prompt thereto. It is in
perceiving the distinct parts and aspects of Truth, their relation to
one another, their furtherance of a common cause, their magnifying of
the Lord of glory, that the excellence and beauty of the whole are
apparent. It is because many apprehend only detached fragments of the
same that some things in it appear to be inconsistent to them. What is
so much needed is a view and grasp of the whole--acquired only by
diligent and persevering application.
There is much preaching, but sadly little teaching. It is the task of
the teacher to declare all the counsel of God, to show the relation of
one part of it to another, to present the whole range of Truth:
thereby will the hearer's mental horizon be widened, his sense of
proportion promoted, and the beautiful harmony of the whole be
demonstrated. It is his business not only to avow but to evince, not
simply to affirm but to establish what he affirms. Of the apostle we
read that he "reasoned with them Out of the Scriptures, opening and
alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from
the dead" (Acts 17:2, 3). He was eminently qualified for such a task
both by nature and by grace. He was not only a man of God, but a man
of genius and learning. He made considerable use of his reasoning
faculty. He did not ask his hearers to believe anything that he
averred without evidence, but furnished proof of what he taught. He
usually preached on the basic and essential doctrines of the Gospel,
which he felt ought to be verified by plain and conclusive reasoning.
"And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the
Jews and the Greeks" (Acts 18:4, 19). Because such reasoning may be
abused, it does not follow that it should have no place in the pulpit.
To reason fairly is to draw correct consequences from right
principles, or to adduce clear and convincing arguments in support
thereof. In order to reason lucidly and effectively upon the truth of
a proposition, it is usually necessary to explain it, then to produce
arguments in support of it, and finally to answer objections against
it. That is the plan Paul generally follows, as is evident from both
the Acts and his Epistles. When he preached upon the existence of God,
the first and fundamental truth of all religion, he reasoned simply
yet impressively: "Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we
ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or
stone, graven by art and man's device" (Acts 17:29); "For the
invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly
seen" (Rom. 1:20). When he enforced the doctrine of human depravity,
he proved it first by a lengthy description of the character and
conduct of the whole heathen world, and then by quotations from the
Old Testament, and concluded "we have before proved both Jews and
Gentiles, that they are all under sin" (Rom. 3:19).
It is the teacher's task to explain, to prove, and then to apply, for
hearts are reached through the understanding and conscience. When he
appeared before Felix, the apostle "reasoned of righteousness,
temperance, and judgment to come" so powerfully that the Roman
governor "trembled" (Acts 24:25). But alas, solid reasoning,
exposition of Scripture, doctrinal preaching, are now largely things
of the past. Many were (and still are) all for what they term
experience, rather than a knowledge of doctrine. And today we behold
the deplorable effects of the same, for our generation lacks even a
theoretical knowledge of the Truth. That which was termed experimental
and practical preaching displaced theological instruction, and thus
the grand fundamentals of the Gospel were brought into contempt. No
wonder that popery has made such headway in the countries once
Protestant. It may be that that satanic system may yet prevail more
awfully. If it does, none will be able to overthrow it by any
experiences of their own. Nothing but sound doctrinal preaching will
be of any use.
No wonder, either, that practical godliness is also at such a low ebb,
for the root which produces it has not been watered and has withered.
"Where there is not the doctrine of Faith, the obedience of Faith
cannot be expected . . . On the other hand, doctrine without practice,
or a mere theoretical and speculative knowledge of things, unless
reduced to practice, is of no avail . . . Doctrine and practice should
go together, and in order both to know and to do the will of God,
instruction in Doctrine and practice is necessary; and the one
bringing first light will lead to the other" (J. Gill). That is the
order in 2 Timothy 3:16, "All scripture is given by inspiration of
God, and is profitable [first] for doctrine, [and then] for reproof,
for correction, for instruction in righteousness." Thus Paul exhorted
Timothy, "Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in
them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that
hear thee" (1 Tim. 4:16). So too he enjoined Titus, "This is a
faithful saying, and these things [namely the doctrines of verses 3-7]
1 will that thou affirm constantly, that [in order that] they which
have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works" (3:8).
Alas, very, very few now preach the doctrine of Christ in all its
parts and branches, in all its causes and effects, in all its bearings
and dependences. Yet there can be no better furniture for the
spiritual mind than right and clear apprehensions thereof. Our
preservation from error lies therein; our spiritual fruitfulness
depends thereon. Doctrine is the mould into which the mind is cast
(Romans 6:17), from which it receives its impressions. As the nature
of the seed sown determines what will be the harvest, so the substance
of what is preached is seen in the lives of those who sit regularly
under it. Where are the purity, the piety, the zeal, that close
walking with God and uprightness before men, which were so pronounced
in Christendom during the sixteenth and seventeen centuries? Yet the
preaching of the Reformers and Puritans was principally doctrinal,
and, under God, it produced such a love of the Truth that thousands
willingly suffered persecution and great privations, and hazarded
their lives, rather than repudiate the doctrines and ordinances of
Christ. To say it matters not what a man believes so long as his
practice is good is utterly erroneous. Indifference to the Truth
betrays a heart that is not right with God.
It also requires to be pointed out that those men whose ministry was
most owned and used of God during last century were those who followed
in the steps of the Puritans. C. H. Spurgeon, Caesar Malan, Robert
Murray MeCheyne, and the great leaders of the Scottish Free Church
disruption, gave a prominent place to doctrinal instruction in all of
their preaching. An observant eye will soon perceive that there is a
distinct spirit which attends different types of preaching,
manifesting itself more or less plainly in the regular attenders
thereof. There is a solidity and soberness, a stability and godly fear
seen in real Calvinists, which are not found among Arminians. There is
an uprightness of character in those who espouse the Truth which is
lacking in those who imbibe error. Where the sovereignty of God is
denied there will be no holy awe of Him. Where the total depravity of
man is not insisted upon, pride and self-sufficiency will obtain.
Where the impotence of the natural man is not stressed there will be
no dependence upon the Holy Spirit. Where the holy demands of God be
not maintained there will be the absence of its effects on the heart
and life.
Thus may we judge and determine the Truth of preaching: "Whatsoever
doctrine both depress and humble man and advance the glory of God, is
true. It answers the design of the Gospel, which all centers in this:
that man is to be laid low, and God to be exalted as the chief cause.
It pulls man down from his own bottom, and transfers all the glory man
would challenge into the hands of God: it lays man in the dust at
God's footstool. That doctrine which crosses the main design of the
Gospel, and encourages pride in man, is not a spark from heaven. No
flesh must glory in God's presence (1 Cor. 1:29). The doctrine of
justification by works is thrown down by the apostle with this very
argument as a thunderbolt: `Where is boasting then? It is excluded. .
.by the law of faith' (Rom. 3:27), that is by the doctrine of the
Gospel. Boasting would be introduced by ascribing regeneration to
nature, as much as it is excluded by denying justification by works.
The doctrine of the Gospel would contradict itself to usher in
boasting with one hand whilst it thrust it out with the other. Our
Saviour gave this rule long ago, that the glorifying of God is the
evidence of truth in persons: `he that seeketh His glory that sent
him, the same is true' (John 7:18). By the same reason also in things
and doctrines" (Charnock, 1660).
Turning from the general to the particular. In taking up our present
subject (D.V.) we shall endeavour to make good a half-promise given by
us seventeen years ago, for we stated at that time that if we were
spared we hoped to devote a series of articles to this important
truth. Some of our readers may be inclined to challenge the accuracy
of our present title, considering that the duty of mortification
pertains far more to the practical side of things than to the
doctrinal. The objection would be well taken if the popular
distinction were valid, but like so many of the expressions now in
vogue this one will not stand the test of Scripture. The term
"doctrine" has a much wider meaning in the Word of God than is usually
accorded it today. It includes very much more than the "five points"
of Calvinism. Thus we read of "the doctrine which is according to
godliness" (1 Tim. 6:3), which is very much more than a species of
intellectual proposition intended for the instructing of our brains,
namely the enunciation of spiritual facts and holy principles, for the
warming of the heart and the regulating of our lives.
"The doctrine which is according to godliness" at once defines the
nature of Divine doctrine, intimating as it does that its design or
end is to inculcate a right temper of mind and deportment of life
Godwards: it is pure and purifying. The objects which are revealed to
faith are not bare abstractions which are to be accepted as true, nor
even sublime and lofty concepts to be admired: they are to have a
powerful effect upon our daily walk. There is no doctrine revealed in
Scripture for a merely speculative knowledge, but all is to exert a
powerful influence upon conduct. God's design in all that He has
revealed to us is to the purifying of our affections and the
transforming of our characters. The doctrine of grace teaches us to
deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously,
and godly in this present world (Titus 2:11, 12). By far the greater
part of the doctrine (John 7:16) taught by Christ consisted not of the
explication of mysteries, but rather that which corrected men's lusts
and reformed their lives. Everything in Scripture has in view the
promotion of holiness.
If it be an absurdity to affirm that it matters not what a man
believes so long as he does that which is right, equally erroneous is
it to conclude that if my creed be sound it matters little how I act.
"If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own
house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel" (1 Tim.
5:8), for he shows himself to be devoid of natural affection. Thus it
is possible to deny the Faith by conduct as well as by words. A
neglect of performing our duty is as real a repudiation of the Truth
as is an open renunciation of it, for the Gospel, equally with the
Law, requires children to honour their parents. Observe how that awful
list of reprehensible characters mentioned in 1 Timothy 1:9,10, are
said to be "contrary to sound doctrine"--opposed to its salutary
nature and spiritual tendency: i.e. that conduct which the standard of
God enjoins. Observe too how that the spirit of covetousness or love
of money is designated an erring "from the faith" (1 Tim. 6:10): it is
a species of heresy, a departure from the doctrine which is according
to godliness--an awful example of which we have in the case of Judas.
Mortification, then, is clearly one of the practical doctrines of Holy
Writ, as we hope to show abundantly in what follows.
2. An Outline
Romans 8:13 supplies the most comprehensive description of our subject
to be found in any single verse of the Bible, setting forth as it does
the greatest number of its principal features: "For if ye live after
the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the
deeds of the body, ye shall live." This is a most solemn and searching
verse, and one which has little place in modern ministry, be it oral
or written. If Arminians have sadly wrested it, many Calvinists have
refused to face its plain affirmations and implications. Five things
in it claim our best attention. First, the persons addressed. Second,
the awful warning here set before them. Third, the duty enjoined upon
them. Fourth, the effectual Helper provided. Fifth, the promise made
to them. The better to focus our minds, and to enable us to grapple
with the difficulties which not a few have found in the verse, ere
seeking to fill in our outline we will ask a number of pertinent
questions.
What is the relation between our text and the context? Why are both of
its members in the hypothetical form--"if"? Does the "ye" in each half
of the verse have reference to the same persons, or are there two
entirely different classes in view? If the latter be the case, then by
what valid principle of exegesis can we account for such? Why not
change one of them to "any" or ` `they"? What is meant by "live after
the flesh"? Is it possible for a real Christian to do so? If not, and
it is unregenerate persons who are mentioned, then why say they "shall
die," seeing that they are dead already spiritually? Are the terms
"die" and "live" here used figuratively and relatively, or literally
and absolutely? What is imported by "mortify" and why "the deeds of
the body" rather than "the lusts of the flesh"? If the "ye" perform
that task, then how "through the Spirit"? If He be the prime Worker,
then why is the mortifying predicated of them? If there be conjoint
action, then how are the two factors to be adjusted? In what manner
will the promise "ye shall live" be made good, seeing they already be
alive spiritually? We know of no commentator who has made any real
attempt to grapple with these problems.
The whole context makes it quite evident what particular classes of
people are here addressed. First, it is those who are in Christ Jesus,
upon whom there is now no condemnation (verse 1). Second, it is those
who have been made free from the law of sin and death, and had the
righteousness of Christ imputed to them (verses 2-4). Third, it is
those who give proof that they are the beneficiaries of Christ, by
walking not after the flesh, but after the spirit (verse 4). In what
immediately follows a description is given of two radically different
classes: they who are after the flesh, carnally minded; they whose
legal standing is not in the flesh, but in the spirit, who are
spiritually minded because indwelt by the Spirit of God (verses 5-11).
Fourth, concerning the latter--"we" as opposed to the "they" of verse
8--the apostle draws a plain and practical conclusion: "Therefore,
brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh"
(verse 12)--the endearing appellation there used by Paul leaves us in
no doubt as to the particular type of characters he was addressing.
Manton had a most able sermon on this verse, and we will, mostly in
our own language, epitomize his exposition.
Man would fain be at his own disposal. The language of his heart is
"our lips are our own: who is lord over us?" (Ps. 12:4). He affects
supremacy and claims the right of dominion over his own actions. But
his claim is invalid, He was made by Another and for Another, and
therefore he is a "debtor." Negatively, not to the flesh, which is
mentioned because that corrupt principle is ever demanding subjection
to it. Positively, he is debtor to the One who gave him being.
Christians are debtors both as creatures and as new creatures, being
entirely dependent upon God alike for their being and their
well-being, for their existence and preservation. As our Maker, God is
our Owner, and being our Owner He is therefore our Governor, and by
consequence our Judge. He has an absolute propriety in us, an
unchallengeable power over us, to command and dispose of us as He
pleases. We have nothing but what we receive from Him. We are
accountable to Him for our time and our talents. Every benefit we
receive increases our obligation to Him. We have no right to please
ourselves in anything. This debt is indissoluble: as long as we are
dependent upon God for being and support, so long as we are bound to
Him. Sin has in no wise cancelled our obligation, for though fallen
man has lost his power to obey, the Lord has not lost His power to
command.
By virtue of his spiritual being, the saint is still more a debtor to
God. First, because of his redemption by Christ, for he is not his
own, but bought with a price (1 Cor. 6:9). The state from which he was
redeemed was one of woeful bondage, for he was a slave of Satan. Now
when a captive was ransomed he became the absolute property of the
purchaser (Lev. 25:45,46). The end which Christ had in view proves the
same thing: He has "redeemed us to God" (Rev. 5:9). Second, because of
his regeneration. The new nature then received inclines to God: we are
created in Christ Jesus unto good works (Eph. 2:10). Having brought us
from death unto life, renewed us in His image, bestowed upon us the
status and privileges of sonship, we owe ourselves, our strength and
our service unto God as His beneficiaries. The new creature is
diverted from its proper use if we live after the flesh. Third,
because of our own dedication (Rom. 12:1). A genuine conversion
involves the renunciation of the world, the flesh and the devil, and
the giving up of ourselves unto the Lord (2 Cor. 8:5). Since our
obedience to God is a debt, there can be no merit in it (Luke 17:10);
but if we pay it not, we incur the debt of punishment (Matt. 6:12,15).
Since the flesh has no right to command, the gratification of it is
the yielding to a tyrannous usurper (Rom. 6:12,14). When solicited by
the flesh, the believer should reply, "I am the Lord's."
"For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye through the
Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." Here are two
sharply contrasted propositions, each one being expressed
conditionally. Two eventualities are plainly set forth. Two
suppositions are mentioned, and the inevitable outcome of each clearly
stated. Both parts of the verse affirm that if a certain course of
conduct be steadily followed (for it is far from being isolated
actions which are referred to) a certain result would inevitably
follow. This hypothetical form of presenting the Truth is quite a
common one in the Scriptures. Servants of Christ are informed that "If
any man's [literally "any one's," i.e. of the "ministers" of verse 5,
the "laborers" of verse 9] work abide which he hath built thereon, he
shall receive a reward. If any man's ["one's," "minister's"] work
shall be burned, he shall suffer loss" (1 Cor. 3:14, 15). Other
well-known examples are, "for if I yet pleased men, I should not be
the servant of Christ," and "For if I build again the things which I
destroyed [renounced], I make myself a transgressor" (Gal. 1:10;
2:18). "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" (Heb.
2:3, and cf. 10:26). Our text, then, is parallel with, "For he that
soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption: but he that
soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting" (Gal.
6:8).
There are two things which the people of God are ever in need of:
faithful warnings, kindly encouragement--the one to curb their sinful
propensities, the other to animate their spiritual graces to the
performing of duty, especially when they be cast down by the
difficulties of the way or are mourning over their failures. Here too
a balance needs to be carefully preserved. Inexperienced believers
have little realization of the difficulties and perils before them,
and the hearts of older ones are so deceitful that each alike needs to
be plainly and frequently corrected, and exhorted to pay attention to
the danger-signals which God has set up along our way. It is both
striking and solemn to note how often the Saviour sounded the note of
warning, not only unto the wicked, but more especially unto His
disciples. He bade them, "Take heed what ye hear" (Mark 4:24); "Beware
of false prophets" (Matt. 7:15); "Take heed therefore that the light
which is in thee be not darkness" (Luke 11:35); "Remember Lot's wife"
(Luke 17:32); "Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts
be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this
life" (Luke 21:34). To one He had healed, "Sin no more, lest a worse
thing come unto thee" (John 5:14).
The word "flesh" is used in Scripture in a number of senses, but
throughout Romans 8 it signifies that corrupt and depraved nature
which is in us when we enter this world. That evil nature or principle
is variously designated. It is termed sin (Rom. 7:8), "warring against
the law of my mind" (verse 23). In James 4:5, "the spirit that
dwelleth in us lusteth to envy," to indicate that it is not a tangible
or material entity. But more commonly it is called "the flesh" (John
3:6; Rom. 7:25; Gal. 5:17). It is so termed because it is transmitted
from parent to child as the body is, because it is propagated by
natural generation, because it is strengthened and drawn forth by
carnal objects, because of its base character and degeneracy. It was
not in man when he left the hand of his Creator and was pronounced by
Him "very good." Rather was it something that he acquired by the fall.
The principle of sin as a foreign element, as a thing ab extra, as an
invading agent, entered into him, vitiating the whole of his natural
being--as frost enters into and ruins vegetables, and as blight seizes
and mars fruit.
The "flesh" is the open, implacable, inveterate, irreconcilable enemy
of holiness, yea, it is "enmity against God" (Romans 8:7)--an "enemy"
may be reconciled, not so "enmity" itself. Then what an evil and
abominable thing is the flesh: at variance with the Holy One, a rebel
against His Law! It is therefore our enemy, yea, it is far and away
the worst one the believer has. The Devil and the world without do all
their mischief to the souls of men by the flesh within them. "The
flesh is the womb where all sin is conceived and formed, the anvil
upon which all is wrought, the false Judas that betrays us, the secret
enemy within that is ready on all occasions to open the gates to the
besiegers" (Thomas Jacomb, 1622-87). We must distinguish sharply
between being in the flesh and living after the flesh. Thus, "For when
we were in the flesh" (Rom. 7:5) has reference to Christians in their
unregenerate condition, as "they that are in the flesh cannot please
God" speaks of the unsaved; whereas "But ye are not in the flesh, but
in the spirit" (8:8,9) is predicated of believers. "In the flesh"
imports a person's standing and state before God; living after the
flesh describes his course and conversation. The one inevitably
follows and corresponds to the other: a person's character and conduct
agree with his condition and case.
The flesh is radically and wholly evil: as Romans 7:18, declares,
there is "no good thing" in it. It is beyond reclamation, being
incapable of any improvement. It may indeed put on a religious garb,
as did the Pharisees, but beneath is nothing but rottenness. Fire may
as soon be struck Out of ice as holy dispositions and motions be
produced by indwelling sin. As the "flesh" continually opposes that
which is good, so it ever disposes the soul unto what is evil. To
"walk after" or to "live after the flesh" (both terms have the same
force) is for a person to conduct himself as do all the unregenerate,
who are dominated, motivated and actuated by nothing but their fallen
nature. To "live after the flesh" refers not to a single act, nor even
to a habit or a series of acts in one direction; but rather to the
whole man being governed and guided by this vile principle. That is
the case with all who are out of Christ: their desires, thoughts,
speech and deeds all proceed from this corrupt fount. It is by the
flesh that the whole of their souls are set in motion and their entire
course steered. All is directed by some fleshly consideration. They
act from self, or base principle; they act for self, or base end. The
glory of God is nothing to them, the flesh is all in all.
The flesh is a dynamical, active, ambitious principle, and therefore
it is spoken of as a lusting thing. Thus we read of "the lusts of the
flesh," yea, of "the wills of the flesh" (Eph. 2:3--margin) for its
desires are vehement and imperious. "But [indwelling] sin, taking
occasion [being aggravated] by the commandment ["thou shalt not
covet"], wrought in me all manner of concupiscence" [or "lust"] (Rom.
7:8). Education and culture may result in a refined exterior; family
training and other influences may lead to an espousal of religion, as
is the case with the great majority of the heathen; selfish
considerations may even issue in voluntarily undergoing great
austerities and deprivations, as the Buddhist to attain unto Nirvana,
the Mohammedan to gain paradise, the Romanist to merit heaven--but the
love of God prompts none of them, nor is His glory their aim. Though
the Christian be "not in the flesh" as to his status and state, yet
the flesh as an evil principle (unchanged) is still in him, and it
"lusteth against the spirit" (Gal. 5:17) or new nature, and therefore
are we exhorted, "Let not sin [i.e. the flesh] therefore reign in your
mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof" (Rom. 6:12).
It requires to be pointed out that there is a twofold walking or
living after the flesh: the one more gross and manifest, the other
more indiscernible. The first breaks forth into open and bodily lusts
and acts, such as gluttony, drunkenness, moral uncleanness: this is
"the filthiness of the flesh." The second is when the flesh exerts
itself in internal heart lusts, which are more or less concealed from
our fellows, which lie smouldering and festering within our soul, such
as pride, unbelief, self-love, envy, covetousness; this is the
filthiness "of the spirit" (2 Cor. 7:1). In Galatians 5:18,19, the
apostle gives a catalogue of the lustings of the flesh in both of
these respects. He does so to expose a common fallacy. It is generally
assumed that walking or living "according to the flesh" is limited to
the first form mentioned, and the second one is little considered or
regarded. So long as men abstain from gross intemperance, open
profanity, brutish sensuality, they think that all is well with them,
whereas they may be quite free from all gross practices and still be
guilty of living after the flesh. Yea, such is the case with all in
whose hearts there are inordinate affections after the world, a spirit
of self-exaltation, covetousness, malice, hatred, uncharitableness,
and many other reprehensible lusts.
Our text makes crystal clear to us the fundamental and vital
importance of the duty here enjoined, for our performance or
non-performance thereof is literally a matter of life and death.
Mortification is not optional, but imperative. The solemn alternatives
are plainly stated: neglect ensures everlasting misery, compliance
therewith is assured eternal felicity. The whole verse is manifestly
addressed unto saints, and they are faithfully warned, "If ye live
after the flesh ye shall die": that is, die eternally, for as in 5:12,
21; 7:23; 8:6, "death" includes all the penal consequences of sin both
here and hereafter; so in our text "die" manifestly signifies "shall
suffer the second death," which is "the lake which burneth with fire
and brimstone" (Rev. 21:8). The express reason is here advanced why
Christians should not live after the flesh: they are not debtors to it
to do so (verse 12): if they surrender to its dominion, the wages of
sin will most certainly be paid them. "The flesh belongs to the world,
and the man who is yielding to its promptings is in the world, living
like the world, and must perish with the world" (J. Stifler).
It was by yielding to the lusts of the flesh that Adam brought death
upon himself and all his posterity. And if I live after the flesh,
that is, am governed and guided by my old nature, acting habitually
according to its inclinations--for it is a persistent and continuous
course of conduct which is here mentioned--then, no matter what be my
profession, I shall perish in my sin. It is the gratifying and serving
of the flesh, instead of the will of God, which eternally ruins souls.
"It may be asked whether one who has received the grace of God in
truth can live after the flesh. To live in a continued course of sin
is contrary to the grace of God; but flesh may prevail and greatly
influence the life and conversation for a while. How long this may be
the case of a true believer under backsliding, through the power of
corruptions and temptations, cannot be known; but certain it is that
it shall not be always thus with him" (John Gill).
The whole of our verse pertains to professing Christians, and at the
present moment. The Apostle did not simply say, "If ye have lived
after the flesh," for that is the case with every unregenerate soul.
But if ye now live after the flesh, "ye shall die"--in the full
meaning of that word. It is a general statement of a universal truth.
We fully agree with the explanation furnished by B.W. Newton, who was
a decided Calvinist. "An expression of this kind is addressed to us
for two reasons. First, because in the professing church the apostle
knew there were and would be false professors. So whenever collective
bodies are addressed, he always uses words implying uncertainty and
doubt, for tares will be among the wheat. And second, true believers
themselves (though grace can preserve them) have now nevertheless
always a tendency in them to the same paths. Therefore descriptions
like this, which are true to the full of those who merely profess, may
yet be rightly applied to all who are wandering into those paths."
Examples of the one are found in such passages as Galatians 4:20, and
6:8; Ephesians 5:5-7; Colossians 3:5, 6. Of the second it must be
borne in mind that a backsliding Christian had turned aside from the
narrow way of denying self, and that if he follows the course of
self-pleasing to the bitter end, destruction awaits him."
See here the faithfulness of God in so plainly warning of the terrible
doom awaiting all who live after the flesh. Instead of thinking hardly
of God for His threatenings, we should be grateful for them. See the
justice of God. To be pleasing self is to continue in the apostasy of
mankind, and therefore the original sentence (Gen. 2:17) is in force
against them. It is contempt of God, and the heinousness of the sin is
measured by the greatness of Him who is affronted (1 Sam. 2:25).
Moreover, they refuse the remedy, and therefore are doubly guilty. See
here the wisdom of God in appointing the greater punishment to curb
the greatness of the temptation. The pleasures of sin are but for a
season, but the paths of sin are for evermore: if the latter were
soundly believed and seriously considered, the former would not so
easily prevail with us. Behold the holiness of God: a unmortified soul
is unfit for His presence. Vessels of glory must first be seasoned
with grace. Conformity to Christ fits for heaven, and where that be
lacking there can be no entrance.
"For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the
Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live" (Rom. 8:13).
The whole of this verse pertains and belongs to believers, who are
"debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh" (verse 12); but,
instead, debtors to Christ who redeemed them, and therefore to live
unto His glory; debtors to the Holy Spirit who regenerated and
indwells them, and therefore to live in subjection to His absolute
control.
On this occasion we will state very briefly what is signified by
"mortify," leaving till later a fuller explanation of the precise
nature of this duty. First, from its being here placed in apposition
with "live after the flesh," its negative sense is more or less
obvious. To "live after the flesh" is to be completely controlled by
indwelling sin, to be thoroughly under the dominion of our inbred
corruptions. Hence, mortification consists in a course of conduct
which is just the reverse. It imports: Comply not with the demands of
your old nature, but rather subdue them. Serve not, cherish not your
lusts, but starve them: "make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil
the lusts thereof" (Rom. 13:14). The natural desires and appetites of
the physical body require to be disciplined, so that they are our
servants and not our masters; it is our responsibility to moderate,
regulate and subordinate them unto the higher parts of our being. But
the cravings of the body of sin are to be promptly refused and sternly
denied. The spiritual life is retarded just in proportion as we yield
subservience to our evil passions.
The imperative necessity for this work of mortification arises from
the continued presence of the evil nature in the Christian. Upon his
believing in Christ unto salvation he was at once delivered from the
condemnation of the Divine law, and freed from the reigning power of
sin; but "the flesh" was not eradicated from his being, nor were its
vile propensities purged or even modified. That fount of filthiness
still remains unchanged unto the end of his earthly career. Not only
so, but it is ever active in its hostility to God and holiness: "The
flesh lusteth against the Spirit [or new nature] , and the Spirit
against the flesh" (Gal. 5:17). Thus there is a ceaseless conflict in
the saint between indwelling sin and inherent grace. Consequently
there is a perpetual need for him to mortify or put to death not only
the actings of indwelling corruption but also the principle itself. He
is called upon to engage in ceaseless warfare and not suffer
temptation to bring him into captivity to his lusts. The Divine
prohibition is "have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of
darkness [enter into no truce, form no alliance with], but rather
reprove them" (Eph. 5:11). Say with Ephraim of old, "What have Ito do
any more with idols?" (Hosea 14:8).
No real communion with God is possible while sinful lusts remain
unmortified. Allowed evil draws the heart away from God, and tangles
the affections, discomposes the soul, and provokes the Holy One to
close His ears against our prayers: "Son of man, these men have set up
their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their
iniquity before their face: should I be inquired of at all by them?"
(Ezek. 14:3). God cannot in any wise delight in an unmortified soul:
for Him to do so would be denying Himself or acting contrary to His
own nature. He has no pleasure in wickedness, and cannot look with the
slightest approval on evil. Sin is a mire, and the more miry we are
the less fit for His eyes (Ps. 40:2). Sin is leprosy (Isa. 1:6), and
the more it spreads the less converse will the Lord have with us.
Deliberately to keep sin alive is to defend it against the will of
God, and to challenge combat with the Most High. Unmortified sin is
against the whole design of the Gospel--as though Christ's sacrifice
was intended to indulge us in sin, rather than redeem us from it. The
very end of Christ's dying was the death of sin: rather than sin
should not die, He laid down His life.
Though risen with Christ, their life hid with Him in God, and they
certain to appear with Christ in glory, the saints are nevertheless
exhorted to mortify their members which are upon the earth (Col.
3:1-5). It may appear strange when we note what particular members the
apostle specified. It was not vain thoughts, coldness of heart, unwary
walking, but the visible and most repulsive members of the old man:
"fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence";
and in verse 8 he bids them again, "put off all these; anger, wrath,
malice, blasphemy, filthy communication" and lying. Startling and
solemn it is to find that believers require calling upon to mortify
such gross and foul sins as those: yet it is no more than is
necessary. The best Christians on earth have so much corruption within
them, which habitually disposes them unto these iniquities (great and
heinous as they are), and the Devil will so suit his temptations as
will certainly draw their corruptions into open acts, unless they keep
a tight hand and close watch over themselves in the constant exercise
of mortification. None but the Holy One of God could truthfully aver,
"the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me" (John 14:30)
which could be enkindled by his fiery darts.
As the servants of God urge upon the wicked that they slight not any
sin because in their judgment it is but a trivial matter, saying, "Is
it not a little one? and my soul shall live" (Gen. 19:20); so the
faithful minister will press it upon all of God's people that they
must not disregard any sin because it is great and grievous, and say
within themselves, "Is it not a great one? and my soul shall never
commit it." As we presume upon the pardoning mercy of God in the
preserve us from the committing of great and crying sins. It is
because of their self-confidence and carelessness that sometimes the
most gracious and experienced suddenly find themselves surprised by
the most awful lapses. When the preacher bids his hearers beware that
they murder not, blaspheme not, turn not apostates from their
profession of the faith, none but the self-righteous will say with
Hazael, "But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great
thing?" (2 Kings 8:13). There is no crime, however enormous, no
abomination, however vile, but what any of us are capable of
committing, if we do not bring the cross of Christ into our hearts by
a daily mortification.
But why "mortify the deeds of the body"? In view of the studied
balancing of the several clauses in this antithetical sentence, we had
expected it to read "mortify the flesh." In the seventh chapter and
the opening verses of the eighth the apostle had treated of indwelling
sin as the fount of all evil actions; and here he insists on the
mortifying of both the root and the branches of corruption, referring
to the duty under the name of the fruits it bears. The "deeds of the
body" must not be restricted to mere outward works, but be understood
as including also the springs from which they issue. As Owen rightly
said, "The axe must be laid to the root of the tree." In our judgment
"the body" here has a twofold reference. First, to the evil nature or
indwelling sin, which in Romans 6:6, and 7:24, is likened unto a body,
namely "the body of the sins of the flesh" (Col. 2:11). It is a body
of corruption which compasses the soul: hence we read of "your members
which are upon the earth" (Col. 3:5). The "deeds of the body" are the
works which corrupt nature produces, namely our sins. Thus the "body"
is here used objectively of "the flesh."
Second, the "body" here includes the house in which the soul now
dwells. It is specified to denote the degrading malignity which there
is in sin, reducing its slaves to live as though they had no souls. It
is mentioned to import the tendency of indwelling sin, namely to
please and pamper the baser part of our being, the soul being made the
drudge of the outward man. The body is here referred to for the
purpose of informing us that though the soul be the original abode of
"the flesh" the physical frame is the main instrument of its actions.
Our corruptions are principally manifested in our external members: it
is there that indwelling sin is chiefly found and felt. Sins are
denominated "the deeds of the body" not only because they are what the
lusts of the flesh tend to produce, but also because they are executed
by the body (Romans 6:12). Our task then is not to transform and
transmute "the flesh," but to slay it: to refuse its impulses, to deny
its aspirations, to put to death its appetites.
But who is sufficient for such a task--a task which is not a work of
nature but wholly a spiritual one? It is far beyond the unaided powers
of the believer. Means and ordinances cannot of themselves effect it.
It is beyond the province and ability of the preacher: omnipotence
must have the main share in the work. "If ye through the Spirit do
mortify," that is "the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ" of Romans
8:9--the Holy Spirit; for He is not only the Spirit of holiness in His
nature, but in His operations too. He is the principal efficient cause
of mortification. Let us marvel at and adore the Divine grace which
has provided such a Helper for us! Let us recognize and realize that
we are as truly indebted to and dependent upon the Spirit's operations
as we are upon the Father's electing and the Son's redeeming us.
Though grace be wrought in the hearts of the regenerate, yet it lies
not in their power to act it. He who imparted the grace must renew,
excite, and direct it.
Believers may employ the aids of inward discipline and rigor, and
practice outward moderation and abstinence, and while they may for a
time check and suppress their evil habits, unless the Spirit puts
forth His power in them there will be no true mortification. And how
does He operate in this particular work? In many different ways.
First, at the new birth He gives us a new nature. Then by nourishing
and preserving that nature. In strengthening us with His might in the
inner man. In granting fresh supplies of grace from day to day. By
working in us a loathing of sin, a mourning over it, a turning from
it. By pressing upon us the claims of Christ, making us willing to
take up our cross and follow Him. By bringing some precept or warning
to our mind. By sealing a promise upon the heart. By moving us to
pray.
Yet let it be carefully noted that our text does not say, "If the
Spirit do mortify," or even "If the Spirit through you do mortify,"
but, instead, "If ye through the Spirit": the believer is not passive
in this work, but active. It must not be supposed that the Spirit will
help us without our concurrence, as well while we are asleep as
waking, whether or not we maintain a close watch over our thoughts and
works, and exercise nothing but a slight wish or sluggish prayer for
the mortification of our sins. Believers are required to set
themselves seriously to the task. If on the one hand we cannot
discharge this duty without the Spirit's enablement, on the other hand
He will not assist if we be too indolent to put forth earnest
endeavors. Then let not the lazy Christian imagine he will ever get
the victory over his lusts.
The Spirit's grace and power afford no license to idleness, but rather
call upon us to the diligent use of means and looking to Him for His
blessing upon the same. We are expressly exhorted, "let us cleanse
ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting
holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1), and that makes it plain
that the believer is not a cipher in this work. The gracious
operations of the Spirit were never designed to be a substitute for
the Christian's discharge of duty. Though His help be indispensable,
yet it releases us not from our obligations. "Little children, keep
yourselves from idols" (John 5:21) emphasizes our accountability and
evinces that God requires much more than our waiting upon Him to stir
us unto action. Our hearts are terribly deceitful, and we need to be
much upon our guard against cloaking a spirit of apathy under an
apparent jealous regard for the glory of the Spirit. Is no self-effort
required to escape the snares of Satan by refusing to walk in those
paths which God has prohibited? Is no self-effort called for in
separating ourselves from the companionship of the wicked?
Mortification is a task to which every Christian must apply himself
with prayerful diligence and resolute earnestness. The regenerate have
a spiritual nature within that fits them for holy action, otherwise
there would be no difference between them and the unregenerate. They
are required to improve the death of Christ, to embitter sin to them
by His sufferings. They are to use the grace received in bringing
forth the fruits of righteousness. Nevertheless, it is a task which
far transcends our feeble powers. It is only "through the Spirit" that
any of us can acceptably or effectually (in any degree) "mortify the
deeds of the body." He it is who presses upon us the claims of Christ:
reminding us that inasmuch as He died for sin, we must spare no
efforts in dying to sin--striving against it (Heb. 11:4), confessing
it (1 John 1:9), forsaking it (Prov. 28:13). He it is who preserves us
from giving way to despair, and encourages us to renew the conflict.
He it is who deepens our longings after holiness, and moves us to cry,
"Create in me a clean heart, O God" (Ps. 51:10).
"If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body." Mark, my
reader, the lovely balance of truth which is here so carefully
preserved: while the Christian's responsibility is strictly enforced,
the honour of the Spirit is as definitely maintained and Divine grace
is magnified. Believers are the agents in this work, yet they perform
it by the strength of Another. The duty is theirs, but the success and
the glory are His. The Spirit's operations are carried on in
accordance with the constitution which God has given us, working
within and upon us as moral agents. The same work is, in one point of
view, God's; and in another ours. He illumines the understanding, and
makes us more sensible of indwelling sin. He makes the conscience more
sensitive. He deepens our yearnings after purity. He works in us both
to will and to do of God's good pleasure. Our business is to heed His
convictions, to respond to His holy impulses, to implore His aid, to
count upon His grace.
"If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall
live." Here is the encouraging promise set before the sorely tried
contestant. God will be no man's debtor: yea, He is a rewarder of them
that diligently seek Him (Heb. 11:6). If then, by grace, we concur
with the Spirit, denying the flesh, striving after holiness, richly
shall we be recompensed. The promise unto this duty is opposed unto
the death threatened in the clause foregoing: as "die" there includes
all the penal consequences of sin, so "shall live" comprehends all the
spiritual blessings of grace. If by the Spirit's enablement and our
diligent use of the Divinely appointed means we sincerely and
constantly oppose and refuse the solicitations of indwelling sin,
then--but only then--we shall live a life of grace and comfort here,
and a life of eternal glory and bliss hereafter. We have shown
elsewhere that "eternal life" (1 John 2:25) is the believer's present
possession (John 3:36; 10:28) and also his future goal (Mark 10:30;
Gal. 6:8; Titus 1:2). He now has a title and right to it; he has it by
faith, and in hope; he has the seed of it in his new nature. But he
has it not yet in full possession and fruition.
"The promises of the Gospel are not made to the work, but to the
worker; and to the worker not for his work, but according to his work,
for the sake of Christ's work. The promise of life, then, is not made
to the work of mortification, but to him that mortifies his flesh; and
that not for his mortification, but because he is in Christ, of which
this mortification is the evidence. That they who mortify the flesh
shall live is quite consistent with the truth that eternal life is the
free gift of God; and in the giving of it, there is no respect to the
merit of the receiver. This describes the character of all who receive
eternal life; and it is of great importance. It takes away all ground
of hope from those who profess to know God and in works deny Him"
(Robert Haldane). The conditionality of the promise, then, is neither
that of causation nor uncertainty, but of coherence and connection. A
life of glory proceeds not from mortification as the effect from the
cause, but follows merely upon it as the end does the use of means.
The highway of holiness is the only path which leads to heaven.
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
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Practical Christianity by A.W. Pink
Part 2: Progress in the Christian Life
_________________________________________________________________
Chapter 8-The Work Of The Lord
_________________________________________________________________
Our present design is twofold: to censure a misuse, and to explain the
meaning of the following verse: "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye
steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord;
forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord" (1
Cor. 15:58). In the heedless hurry of this slipshod age not a few have
taken those words as though they read, "Work for the Lord," and have
used them as a slogan for what is now styled "Christian service," most
of which is quite unscriptural--the energy of the flesh finding an
outlet in certain forms of religious activities. In this day of pride
and presumption it has been quite general to speak of engaging in work
for the Lord, and to entertain the idea that He is beholden to such
people for the same, that were their labours to cease, His cause would
not prosper. To such an extent has this conceit been fostered that it
is now a common thing to hear and read of our being "co-workers with
God" and "co-operators" with Him. It is but another manifestation of
the self-complacent and egotistical spirit of Laodicea (Rev. 3:17) and
which has become so rife.
But it is likely to be asked, Does not Scripture itself speak of the
saints, or at least ministers of the Gospel, being "co-workers with
God"? The emphatic answer is No, certainly not. Two passages have been
appealed to in support of this carnal and blatant notion, but neither
of them when rightly rendered teach any such thing. The first is 1
Corinthians 3:9, which in the Authorized Version is strangely
translated "For we are laborers together with God." Literally the
Greek reads, "For God's we are: fellow-workers; God's husbandry, God's
building, ye are." The apostle had just rebuked the Corinthians
(3:1-3), particularly for exalting some of the servants of God above
others (verse 4). He reminded them, first, that the apostles were but
ministers or "servants," mere instruments who were nothings unless God
blessed their labours and "gave the increase" (verses 6, 7). Then, he
pointed out that one instrument ought not to be esteemed above
another, for "he that planteth" and "he that watereth are one (verse
8) and shall each "receive his own reward." While in verse 9 he sums
up by saying those instruments are "God's"--of His appointing and
equipping; "fellow-workers," partners in the Gospel field.
The second passage appealed to lends still less color to the conceit
we are here rebutting: "We then as workers together with Him beseech
you" (2 Cor. 6:1), for the words "with Him" are in italics, which
means they are not contained in the original, but have been supplied
by the translators. This verse simply means that the instruments God
employed in the ministry of the Gospel were joint-laborers in
beseeching sinners not to receive His grace in vain. There is no
thought whatever of "co-operating" with God. Why should there be? What
assistance does the Almighty need! Nor does He ever voluntarily
receive any (Job 22:2, 3; Luke 17:10). What an absurdity to suppose
the finite could be of any help to the Infinite! At most, we can but
concur with His appointments, and humbly present ourselves before Him
as empty vessels to be filled by Him. It is wondrous condescension on
His part if He designs to employ us as His agents; the honour is ours,
we confer no favour on Him. The Lord is the sole Operator; His
servants the channels through which He often--though by no means
always--operates. Ministers are not coordinates with God, but
subordinates to Him.
There is something particularly repulsive to a spiritual mind in the
concept of worms of the earth "cooperating" with the Most High, for it
is a virtual deifying of the creature, a placing of him on a par with
the Creator. Surely it is enough simply to point out that fact for all
humble and Spirit-taught souls to reject with abhorrence such a
grotesque fiction. Different far was the spirit which possessed the
chief of the apostles. Said he "I laboured more abundantly than they
all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me" (1 Cor.
15:10). When the Twelve responded to their Master's commission we are
told that "they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working
with them" (Mark 16:20)--otherwise their labours had yielded naught.
Paul placed the honour where it rightfully belonged when he declared
"I will not dare to speak of those things which Christ hath not
wrought by me" (Rom. 15:18). How different was that from regarding
himself as a "co-operator" with Him! It is just such creature boasting
which has driven the Lord outside the churches.
In view of what has been pointed out above, it is scarcely surprising
that those possessed of more zeal than knowledge should eagerly lay
hold of a clause in 1 Corinthians 15:58, and adopt it as their motto.
Such activities as holding Gospel services in the streets, engaging in
what is called "personal work," taking part in meetings where young
people are led to believe they are "giving their testimony for
Christ," and other enterprises for which there is no warrant whatever
in the Epistles (where church members are more directly instructed and
exhorted), are termed "working for the Lord" or "serving Christ." Very
different indeed is the task which He has assigned His followers: a
task far more difficult to perform, and one which is much less
palatable to the flesh. Namely to keep their hearts with all
diligence: mortifying their lusts, and developing their graces (Col.
3:5, 12), to cleanse themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and
spirit and perfect holiness in the fear of God (2 Cor. 7:1), to
witness for Christ by their lives, "showing forth His praises" (1 Pet.
2:9).
There is therefore a real need for the inquiry, Exactly what is meant
by "the work of the Lord" in 1 Corinthians 15:58? It should at once be
apparent that we do not have to go outside the verse itself for proof
that the popular understanding which now obtains of it is thoroughly
unwarrantable. First, it is not one which specially concerns ministers
of the Gospel nor "Christian workers," but instead, pertains to all
the saints, for it is addressed to the "beloved brethren" at large.
Second, the work of the Lord which it enjoins calls for us to be
"steadfast and immovable," which are scarcely the qualities to be
associated with what the churches term "Christian service"--had that
been in view such adjectives as "zealous and untiring" had been far
more pertinent. Third, the duty here exhorted unto is one which allows
of no intermission, as the "always abounding in" expressly
states--even the most enthusiastic "personal workers" would scarcely
affirm that! Finally, the "knowing [not praying or hoping] that your
labour is not in vain in the Lord" makes it clear that the well-meant
but misguided efforts of the religious world today are not in view.
Grammatically "the work of the Lord" may import either that work which
He performs, or that which He requires from His people. The fact that
it is one unto which He calls them, obliges us to understand it in the
second sense. When Christ was asked "What shall we do, that we might
work the works of God?" John 6:28) it should be obvious that they
meant, What are those works which God requires of us? Our Lord
answered: "This is the work of God: that ye believe on Him whom He
hath sent": that is what He has commanded (1 John 3:23) and that is
what will be acceptable unto Him. The same inquiry should proceed from
the Christian: What is the all-inclusive work which God has assigned
us? The summarized answer is given in 1 Corinthians 15:58: the "work
of the Lord," in which the saints are to be always abounding, is a
general designation of the whole of Christian duty. As "the way of the
Lord" (Genesis 18:19) signifies the path of conduct which He has
marked out for us, so "the work of the Lord" connotes that task He has
prescribed us.
As is generally the case with erroneous interpretations, our moderns
have taken this verse Out of its setting and ignored its controlling
context, paying no attention to its opening "Therefore." 1 Corinthians
15 is the great resurrection chapter, and may be outlined thus. First,
the resurrection of Christ Himself (verses 1-1 1). Second, His rising
from the dead secures the "resurrection of life" to all His people
(verses 20-28). Third, the nature of their resurrection bodies (verses
42-54). In between those divisions, denials of the resurrection are
refuted and objections thereto answered. Further indication is this,
that to terminate the chapter with an injunction to engage in what is
termed "Christian service would be totally foreign to what precedes.
Instead, the apostle closes his teaching on resurrection with a
triumphant thanksgiving (verses 55-57) and an ethical inference drawn
from the same. Therein is illustrated a fundamental characteristic of
the Scriptures: that doctrinal declaration and moral exhortation are
never to be severed, the former being the ground upon which the latter
is based: first a statement of the Christian's privileges, and then
pointing out the corresponding obligation.
In the context the Holy Spirit has set before us something of the
glorious future awaiting the redeemed of Christ: in verses 55-58 He
makes practical application of the whole to the immediate present.
Doctrine and duty are never to be divorced. Neither in the promise nor
the precept is "the life that now is" separated from "that which is to
come." All truth is designed to have a sanctifying effect upon our
daily walk. Something more than a mere head belief of the contents of
Scripture is required of us, namely an incorporating of them in the
character and conduct. Truth so blessed as that set forth in verses
42-54 should fill the hearts of believers with joy (verses 55-57), and
move them to the utmost diligence and endeavour to please and glorify
the Lord (verse 58). The "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the
victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (verse 57) is the language of
faith, for faith gives a present subsistence to things which are yet
future. The final verse announces the transforming effect which such a
revelation and a hope so elevating should have upon us; or, stating it
in other words, this injunction makes known the corresponding
obligation which such a prospect entails. What that transforming
effect should be, what that obligation consists of, we shall now seek
to state.
"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your
labour is not in vain in the Lord." An analysis of this verse shows
that it consists of two things: an exhortation and motives to enforce
the same. The exhortation includes a threefold task: to be "steadfast"
in the faith, in our convictions of the Truth; to be "unmovable" in
our affections, in our expectations of the things promised; to be
"always abounding in the work of the Lord," in doing His will, in
performing those good works which He has foreordained we should walk
in. The "work of the Lord" may be regarded first as a general
expression, comprehending all that He requires from us in the way of
duty: in the exercise of every grace and the practice of every virtue.
"Always abounding in the work of the Lord" signifies ever engaged in
obeying His Word, seeking His glory, aiming at the advance of His
kingdom. More specifically, it imports that lifelong task which He has
set before us, and which may be summed up in two words--mortification
and sanctification: the denying of self and putting to death of our
lusts; the developing of our graces and bringing forth the fruits of
holiness.
Strictly speaking, it is "the work of the Lord" to which we are here
called, and the steadfastness and immovability are prerequisites to
our "always abounding" therein. But we shall consider them as separate
duties. First, "be ye steadfast" in the faith and profession of the
Gospel, and not "tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind
of doctrine" (Eph. 4:14). Be firmly fixed in your convictions: having
bought the Truth, sell it not. "Prove all things, hold fast that which
is good." That by no means precludes further progress of attainment,
for we are to press forward unto those things which are still before;
yet in order thereto there must be stability and resolution, a
"holding fast the faithful Word" (Titus 1:9), an eschewing of all
false doctrine.
Second, "unmovable," which is a word implying testing and opposition.
Suffer not the allurements of the world nor the baits of Satan to
unsettle you. Be not shaken by the trials of this life. Be patient and
persevering whatever your lot. Seek grace to say of all troubles and
afflictions, what Paul said of bonds and imprisonments--"none of these
things move me." And why should they? None of them impugn God's
faithfulness. Moreover, they work for us "a far more exceeding and
eternal weight of glory while we look not at the things which are
seen." Then be unwavering in your expectations and "be not moved away
from the hope of the Gospel," no matter what opposition you encounter.
Notwithstanding your discouraging failures, the backslidings of fellow
Christians, the hypocrisy of graceless professors, "hold fast the
confidence and rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end" (Heb. 3:6).
Third, "always abounding in the work of the Lord": constantly occupied
in doing those good works which honour God. More specifically:
"Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the
glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31). "Giving all diligence, add to your
faith, virtue, and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance;
and to temperance, patience; and to patience, brotherly kindness; and
to brotherly kindness, love; for if these things be in you, and
abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful
in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . for if ye do these
things ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered
unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 1:5-11). That is "the work of the Lord,"
that the task assigned us. Then let not the difficulty of such duties
nor the imperfections of your performances dishearten you; suffer not
the hatred of your enemies nor the severity of their opposition to
deter you. "Let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we
shall reap, if we faint not" (Gal. 6:9).
"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your
labour is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58). In the first
portion of this discourse we did little more than give a topical
treatment of this verse: let us now furnish a contextual exposition of
it. In verses 55 and 56 the apostle asked, "O death, where is thy
sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" to which he replied, "The sting
of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law." Then he
exultantly cried: "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ" (verse 57). The tense of the verb
should be closely observed: it is not "hath given" nor "will give,"
but "giveth us the victory." It is also to be carefully noted that the
"victory" here referred to is one over death and the grave viewed in
connection with sin and the Law, and that it is shared by all saints
and is not some peculiar experience which only a few fully consecrated
souls enter into. Obviously, that victory will only be fully and
historically realized on the resurrection morning; yet even now it is
apprehended by faith and enjoyed by hope, and, in proportion as it
really is so, will the believer know practically something of "the
power of Christ's resurrection."
"Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ" is the language of joyful faith, in response to the revelation
given in the previous fifty-six verses. Christ's triumph over death as
the wages of sin and the penalty of the Law ensures the resurrection
of all His sleeping saints, for it was as their federal Head (verses
20-22) that He suffered for their sins and bore the Law's curse, as it
was that as "the last Adam" (verse 45) He was victorious over the
tomb. As faith lays hold of that blessed truth and its possessor
appropriates a personal interest therein, he realizes that he himself
has (judicially) passed from death to life, that sin cannot slay nor
the Law curse him, that he is justified by God "from all things" (Acts
13:39). Such a realization cannot but move him to exclaim "Thanks be
to God." By virtue of his union with Christ, for him death's sting has
been extracted, and therefore it has been robbed of all terror. It is
sin which gives power and horror to death, but since Christ has made
full atonement for the believer's sin and obtained remission for him,
death can no more harm him than could a wasp whose venomous sting had
been removed--though it might still buzz and hiss and attempt to
disturb him.
"The strength of sin is the Law": its power to condemn was supplied by
the transgressing of it. But since Christ was made a curse for us we
are released therefrom. The entire threatening and penalty of the Law
was executed upon the Surety, and therefore those in whose stead He
bore it are exempted from the same. But more: because in Eden sin
violated the holy commandment of the Lawgiver, the Law received a
commanding power over the sinner, making sin to rage and reign in him,
compelling him to serve it as a slave. That was but just. Since man
preferred the exercise of self-will to submission to the authority of
his Maker, the Law was given both a condemning and commanding power
over him. In other words, the enthralling power or strength which sin
exerts over its subjects is an intrinsic part of the Law's curse. The
Law commands holiness, but by reason of man's depravity its very
precepts exasperate his corruptions--as the sun shining on a dung-heap
stirs up its filthy vapors. God punishes sin with sin: since the
commission of sin was man's choice, the strength of sin shall be his
doom. But Christ has not only delivered His people from the penalty of
sin, but from its reigning power too, so that His promise is "Sin
shall not have dominion over you" (Rom. 6:14).
"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord": let that be your response to
mercies so great. Manifestly, the apostle is here drawing a conclusion
from all that precedes, particularly from what is said in verses 56
and 57. Divine grace, through the death and resurrection of Christ,
has judicially delivered the believer from both the guilt and dominion
of sin, and from the whole curse of the Law. How then shall he answer
to such blessings? Why, by seeing to it that those mercies are now
made good by him in a practical way. And how is he to set about the
same? First, by complying with Romans 6:11: "Likewise, reckon ye also
yourselves to have died indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through
Jesus Christ our Lord"; which in the light of the previous verse
signifies: By the exercise of faith in what the Word declares, regard
yourselves as having legally passed from death to life in the person
of your Surety. Second, by heeding Romans 6:12: "Let not sin therefore
reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts
thereof"; which means: Suffer not indwelling sin to lord it over you.
Since you be absolved from all you did in the past, yield obedience to
God and not to your corruptions.
We cannot rightly interpret 1 Corinthians 15:58, unless its connection
with verses 56 and 57 be duly noted. Its opening "Therefore" is as
logical and necessary as the one in Romans 6:12, and what follows that
passage enables us to understand our present one. "Neither yield ye
your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin; but yield
yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead, and your
members as instruments of righteousness unto God": that is, conduct
yourselves practically in harmony with what is true of you (in Christ)
legally. Another parallel passage is, "Forasmuch as Christ hath
suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same
mind" (1 Pet. 4:1), where the doctrinal fact is first stated, and then
the practical duty enjoined. Legally, "victory" is ours now, as our
justification by God demonstrates. Experientially, we have been freed
from the dominion of sin, and are delivered, in measure, from its
enticing power, for there is now that in us which hates and opposes
it. At death, sin is completely eradicated from the soul; and at
resurrection its last trace will have disappeared from the body. From
his exposition of the grand truth of resurrection the apostle made
practical application, exhorting the saints to walk in newness of
life.
In view of our participation in Christ's victory, we are here informed
of the particular duty which is incumbent upon us, namely to strive
against sin, resist temptation, overcome Satan by the blood of the
Lamb, and bring forth the fruits of holiness to Him. But, in order
thereto, we must be "steadfast" in the conviction of our oneness with
Christ in His death and resurrection, and "unmovable" in our love and
gratitude to Him. The Greek for "always abounding in the work of the
Lord" conveys the idea of quality more than quantity, progressive
improvement rather than multiplicity of works--"continually making
advance in true piety" (Matt. Henry). Excel in it is the thought: rest
not satisfied with present progress and attainments, but each fresh
day endeavour to perform your duty better than on the previous one.
This lifelong task of mortification and sanctification is called "the
work of the Lord" because it is the one which He has assigned us,
because it can be performed only in His strength, and because it is
that which is peculiarly well pleasing in His sight.
That duty can only be discharged in a right spirit as faith apprehends
the Christian's union with Christ, and then thankfully acts
accordingly. There cannot be any Gospel holiness without such a
realization. There can be no evangelical obedience until the heart is
really assured that Christ has removed death's "sting" for us and has
taken away from the Law the "strength of sin. Only then can the
believer serve God in "newness of spirit": that is, in loving
gratitude, and not from dread or to earn something. Only then will he
truly realize that as in the Lord he has "righteousness" for his
justification, so in Him he has "strength" (Isaiah 45:22) for his walk
and warfare. Thus the opening "Therefore" of our verse not only draws
a conclusion which states the obligation entailed by the inestimable
blessings enumerated in the context, but also supplies a power motive
for the performance of that obligation--a performance which is to be
regarded as a great privilege. Since "Christ died for our sins (verse
3), since He be "risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of
them that slept" (verse 20), since we shall be "raised in glory" and
"bear the image of the heavenly," let our gratitude be expressed in a
life of practical holiness.
A second motive to inspire the performance of this duty is contained
in the closing clause of our verse: "forasmuch as ye know that your
labour is not in vain in the Lord." He will be no man's Debtor: every
sincere effort of gratitude--however faulty its execution--is valued
by Him and shall be recompensed. "God is not unrighteous to forget
your work and labour of love which ye have showed toward His name"
(Heb. 6:10). The Christian should be fully assured that a genuine
endeavour to do God's will and promote His glory will receive His
smile, produce peace of conscience and joy of heart here, and His
"well done" hereafter. "In the keeping of His commandments there is
great reward." This was the motive which animated Moses in his great
renunciation (Heb. 11:24-26): "he had respect unto the recompense of
the reward."
"Forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."
"Labour" is a stronger word than "work," signifying effort to the
point of fatigue. "In the Lord" means in union with and dependence
upon Him. Such labour shall not be strength spent for naught. Yet that
is exactly what it appears to be to the Christian. To him it seems his
efforts to mortify his lusts and develop his graces are utterly
futile. He feels that his best endeavors to resist sin and bring forth
the fruits of holiness are a total failure. That is because he judges
by sight and sense! God, who looks at the heart and accepts the
sincere will for the deed, reckons otherwise. "Ye know that your
labour is not in vain in the Lord": such an assurance is ours in exact
proportion to the measure of faith. The more confident our hope of
reward, the more determined will be our efforts to mortify sin and
practice holiness--the only "labour" God has assured us "is not in
vain"!
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
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Practical Christianity by A.W. Pink
Part 3: Authority in Christian Practice
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Chapter 9-The Supremacy of God
_________________________________________________________________
In one of his letters to Erasmus, Luther said, "Your thoughts of God
are too human." Probably that renowned scholar resented such a rebuke,
the more so since it proceeded from a miner's son; nevertheless, it
was thoroughly deserved. We, too, though having no standing among the
religious leaders of this degenerate age, prefer the same charge
against the vast majority of the preachers of our day, and against
those who, instead of searching the Scriptures for themselves, lazily
accept their teachings. The most dishonoring and degrading conceptions
of the rule and reign of the Almighty are now held almost everywhere.
To countless thousands, even among those professing to be Christians,
the God of Scripture is quite unknown.
Of old, God complained to an apostate Israel, "Thou thoughtest that I
was altogether as thyself" (Ps. 50:21). Such must now be His
indictment against the apostate Christendom. Men imagine that the Most
High is moved by sentiment, rather than actuated by principle. They
suppose that His omnipotency is such an idle fiction that Satan is
thwarting His designs on every side. They think that if He has formed
any plan or purpose at all, then it must be like theirs, constantly
subject to change. They openly declare that whatever power He
possesses must be restricted, lest He invade the citadel of man's
"free will" and reduce him to a "machine." They lower the
all-efficacious Atonement, which has actually redeemed everyone for
whom it was made, to a mere "remedy," which sin-sick souls may use if
they feel disposed to; and then enervate the invincible work of the
Holy Spirit to an "offer" of the Gospel which sinners may accept or
reject as they please.
The supremacy of the true and living God might well be argued from the
infinite distance which separates the mightiest creatures from the
almighty Creator. He is the Potter, they are but the clay in His
hands, to be molded into vessels of honour, or to be dashed into
pieces (Ps. 2:9) as He pleases. Were all the denizens of heaven and
all the inhabitants of earth to combine in open revolt against Him, it
would occasion Him no uneasiness, and would have less effect upon His
eternal and unassailable throne than has the spray of the
Mediterranean's waves upon the towering rock of Gibraltar. So puerile
(?) and powerless is the creature to affect the Most High that
Scripture itself tells us that when the Gentile heads unite with
apostate Israel to defy Jehovah and His Christ "He that sitteth in the
heavens shall laugh "(Ps. 2:4).
The absolute and universal supremacy of God is plainly and positively
affirmed in many scriptures. "Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the
power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that
is in the heaven and in the earth is Thine; Thine is the kingdom, O
Lord, and Thou art exalted as head above all... and Thou reignest over
all" (1 Chron. 29:11, 12)--note "reignest" now, not "will do so in the
millennium." "O Lord God of our fathers, art not Thou God in heaven?
and rulest not Thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in Thine
hand is there not power and might, so that none [not even the Devil
himself] is able to withstand Thee?" (2 Chron. 20:6). Before Him
presidents and popes, kings and emperors, are less than grasshoppers.
"But He is in one mind, and who can turn Him? and what His soul
desireth, even that He doeth" (Job 23:13). Ah, my reader, the God of
Scripture is no make-believe monarch, no mere imaginary sovereign, but
King of kings, and Lord of lords. "I know that Thou canst do every
thing, and that no thought of Thine can be hindered" (Job 42:2,
margin), or, as another translator, "no purpose of Thine can be
frustrated." All that He has designed He does. All that He has decreed
He perfects. All that He has promised He performs. "But our God is in
the heavens: He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased" (Ps. 115:3). And
why has He? Because "there is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel
against the Lord" (Prov. 21:30).
God's supremacy over the works of His hands is vividly depicted in
Scripture. Inanimate matter, irrational creatures, all perform their
Maker's bidding. At His pleasure, the Red Sea divided and its waters
stood up as walls (Ex. 14); the earth opened her mouth, and guilty
rebels went down alive into the pit (Num. 14). When He so ordered, the
sun stood still (Joshua 10); and on another occasion went backward ten
degrees on the dial of Ahaz (Isa. 38:8). To exemplify His supremacy,
He made ravens carry food to Elijah (1 Kings 17), iron to swim on top
of the waters (2 Kings 6:5), lions to be tame when Daniel was cast
into their den, fire to burn not when the three Hebrews were flung
into its flames. Thus "Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did He in
heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places" (Ps. 135:6).
The absolute and universal supremacy of God is affirmed with equal
plainness and positiveness in the New Testament. There we are told
that God "worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (Eph.
1:11)--the Greek for "worketh" means "to work effectually." For this
reason we read, "For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all
things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36). Men may boast
that they are free agents, with wills of their own, and are at liberty
to do as they please, but Scripture says to those who boast, "We will
go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell. . .
Ye ought to say, if the Lord will" (James 4:13, 15)!
Here then is a sure resting-place for the heart. Our lives are neither
the product of blind fate nor the result of capricious chance, but
every detail of them was ordained from all eternity, and is now
ordered by the living and reigning God. Not a hair of our heads can be
touched without His permission. "A man's heart deviseth his way: but
the Lord directeth his steps" (Prov. 16:9). What assurance, what
strength, what comfort this should give the real Christian! "My times
are in Thy hand" (Ps. 31:15). Then let me "rest in the Lord, and wait
patiently for Him" (Ps. 37:7).
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13
____________________________________________________
About Us
What's New
Audio Works
Baptist History
Bible Study Courses
Eschatology Heretical Teachings
Theological Studies
TULIP
Webmaster
Comfort in a
Time of Sorrow Links & Resources
For the Cause of
God and Truth
Follow us on Twitter
Privacy Policy
Mobile Downloads Print Books
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Contact Us
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¸ Copyright 2004-2012 Providence Baptist Ministries
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Practical Christianity by A.W. Pink
Part 3: Authority in Christian Practice
_________________________________________________________________
Chapter 10-Evangelical Obedience
_________________________________________________________________
No matter how cautiously one may deal with obedience, if he is to be
of any service to the real people of God, his efforts are sure to be
put to a wrong and evil use by hypocrites, for they will "wrest it, as
they do also the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction" (2 Pet.
3:16). Such is the perversity of human nature. When a discriminating
sermon is preached, the particular design of which is to draw a clear
line of demarcation between genuine and nominal Christians, and "take
forth the precious from the vile" (Jer. 15:19), the graceless
professor will refuse to make application of the same and examine his
own heart and life in the light thereof; whereas the possessor of
Divine life is only too apt to draw a wrong deduction and deem himself
to be numbered among the spiritually dead. Contrariwise, if the
message be one of comfort to God's little ones, while too many of them
are afraid to receive it, others who are not entitled will
misappropriate it unto themselves. But let not a realization of these
things prevent the minister of the Gospel from discharging his duty,
and while being careful not to cast the children's bread unto the
dogs, yet the presence of such is not to deter him from setting before
the children their legitimate portion.
Before developing our theme, we will define our terms. "Evangelical
obedience" is obviously the opposite of legal, and that is of two
sorts. First, the flawless and constant conformity unto His revealed
will which God required from Adam and which He still demands from all
who are under the Covenant of Works; for though man has lost his power
to perform, God has not relinquished His right to insist upon what is
His just due. Second, the obedience of unregenerate formalists, which
is unacceptable unto God, not only because it is full of defects, but
because it issues from a natural principle, is not done in faith, and
is rendered in a mercenary spirit, and therefore consists of "dead
works." Evangelical is also to be distinguished from imputed
obedience. It is blessedly true that when they believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, God reckons to the account of all the subjects of the
Covenant of Grace the perfect obedience of their Surety, so that He
pronounces them justified, or possessed of that righteousness which
the Law requires. Yet that is not the only obedience which
characterizes the redeemed. They now personally regulate their lives
by God's commands and walk in the way of His precepts; and though
their performances have many blemishes in them (as they are well
aware), yet God is pleased for Christ's sake to accept the same.
It should need no long and laborious argument to demonstrate that God
must require obedience, full and hearty obedience, from every rational
agent, for only thus does He enforce His moral government over the
same. The one who is indebted to God for his being and sustenance is
obviously under binding obligations to love Him with all his heart,
serve Him with all might, and seek to glorify Him in all that he does.
For God to issue commands is for Him to impose His authority on the
one He has made; for him to comply is but to acknowledge his
creaturehood and render that submission which becomes such. It is as
the Lawgiver that God maintains His sovereignty, and it is by our
obedience that we acknowledge the same. Accordingly we find that upon
the day of his creation Adam was placed under law, and his continued
prosperity was made dependent upon his conformity thereto. In like
manner, when the Lord took the nation of Israel into covenant
relationship with Himself, He personally made known His laws unto them
and the sanctions attached thereto.
There are no exceptions to what has just been pointed out. The
inhabitants of heaven, equally with those of earth, are required to be
in subjection to their Maker. Of the angels it is said they "do His
commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word" (Ps. 103:20).
When His own Son became incarnate and assumed creature form, He too
entered the place of obedience and became subservient to God's will.
Thus it is with His redeemed. So far from the subjects of the Covenant
of Grace being released from submission to the Divine Law, they are
under additional obligations to render a joyful and unqualified
obedience to it. "Thou hast commanded us to keep Thy precepts
diligently" (119:4). Upon which Manton said, "Unless you mean to
renounce the sovereign majesty of God, and put Him besides the throne,
and break out into open rebellion against Him, you must do what He has
commanded. `Charge them that be rich' (1 Tim. 1:9)--not only advise,
but charge them!" Christ is Lord as well as Saviour, and we value Him
not as the latter unless we honour Him as the former (John 13:13).
Not only does God require obedience, but an obedience which issues
from, is animated by, and is an expression of, love. At the very heart
of the Divine Decalogue are the words "showing mercy unto thousands of
them that love Me and keep My commandments" (Ex. 20:6). While there
must be respect for His authority, unless there is also a sense of
God's goodness, and an outgoing of the affections unto Him because of
His excellency, there can be no hearty and acceptable obedience. The
severest self-denials and the most lavish gifts are of no value in
God's esteem unless they are prompted by love. The inseparability of
love and obedience was made plain by Christ when He said, "If ye love
Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15). "He that hath My commandments
and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me" (John 14:2 7). "If a man
love Me, he will keep My words" (John 14:27). Likewise taught His
apostles: "This is the love of God: that we keep His commandments" (1
John 5:3). "Love is the fulfilling [not a substitute for, still less
the abrogation] of the Law" (Rom. 13:10), for it inspires its
performance.
To proceed one step farther: God has graciously promised to work
obedience in His people. "I will put My spirit within you, and cause
you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments and do
them" (Ezek. 36:27)--He would not only point out the way, but move
them to go therein; not force by external violence, but induce by an
inward principle. "They shall all have one Shepherd: they shall also
walk in My judgments and observe My statutes" (Ezek. 37:24). Christ
makes them willing in the day of His power that He should rule over
them, and then directs them by the sceptre of His righteousness. Under
the new covenant God has engaged Himself to create in His people, by
regenerating grace, a disposition which will find the spirituality and
holiness of His requirements congenial unto it. "I will put My laws
into their minds and write them in their hearts" (Heb. 8:10): 1 will
bestow upon them a new nature which will incite unto obedience and
cause them to delight in My Law after the inward man. Herein lies a
part of their essential conformity unto Christ: "I delight to do Thy
will, O My God; yea, Thy Law is within My heart" (Ps. 40:8).
In accordance with those promises, we find that in the ministry of
Christ two things were outstandingly prominent: His enforcement of the
claims of God's righteousness and His proclamation of Divine grace
unto those who felt their deep need. Matthew 5:17-20; 19:16-21;
22:36-40, exemplify the former; Matthew 11:4-6, 28-30; 15:30, 31; Luke
23:42, 43; John 4:10, illustrate the latter. The Son of God came not
to this earth in order to open a door unto self-pleasing and loose
living, but rather to maintain God's holiness and make it possible for
fallen creatures to live a holy life. Christ came here not only as a
Saviour, but as a Lawgiver (Deut. 18:18, 19), "to be Ruler in Israel"
(Micah 5:2), and therefore is He "the author of eternal salvation unto
all them that obey Him" (Heb. 5:9). His mission had for its design not
to lessen God's authority or man's responsibility, but to put His
people into a greater capacity for serving God. Hence we find Him
saying to His disciples, "Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I
command you" (John 15:14); and when commissioning His servants, He
bade them teach believers "to observe all things whatsoever I
commanded you" (Matt. 28:20).
Love to God and our neighbor is indeed the great duty enjoined by Law
(Deut. 6:5; Lev. 10:18) and Gospel alike (Gal. 5:13, 14), yet is it a
love which manifests itself by a hearty obedience (2 John 6). Though
Christ delivers from the curse of the Law, yet not from its precepts:
"That we, being delivered out of the hand of our [spiritual] enemies,
might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before
Him, all the days of our life" (Luke 1:74, 75). Every privilege of the
Gospel entails an added obligation upon its recipient. As creatures it
is our bounden duty to be in entire subjection to our Creator; as new
creatures in Christ it doubly behooves us to serve God cheerfully. It
is a great mistake to suppose that grace sets aside the claims of
righteousness, or that the Law of God demands less from the saved than
it does from the unsaved. Nowhere are the high demands of God set
forth more fully and forcibly than in the epistles addressed to the
saints. Take these as samples: "As He which hath called you is holy,
so be ye holy in all manner of conversation" (1 Pet. 1:15); "That ye
might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in
every good work" (Col. 1:10).
But right here a formidable difficulty presents itself. On the one
hand the renewed soul clearly perceives the necessity and propriety of
such a standard being set before him, and cordially acquiesces
therein; yet on the other hand he has to acknowledge "to will is
present with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not"
(Rom. 7:18). Though it is his deepest longing to measure up fully to
the Divine standard, yet he is incapable of doing so; and though he
cries earnestly unto God for enabling grace and unquestionably
receives no little assistance from Him, yet at the close of this life
his desire remains far from being realized. Now the healthy Christian
is deeply exercised over this, and instead of excusing his failures
cries, "O that my ways were directed to keep Thy statutes" (Ps.
119:5). But that is only half of the problem, and the least difficult
half at that. The other half is, How is it possible for a holy God to
accept and approve of imperfect obedience from His children? That He
will not lower His standard to the level of their infirmities is clear
from the passages quoted above; yet that He does both graciously
receive and reward their faulty performances is equally plain from
other verses.
In what has just been stated we discover one of the fundamental
differences between the Covenants of Works and Grace. Under the former
a rigorous and inflexible demand was made for perfect and perpetual
conformity to God's Law, and no allowance or relief was afforded for
the slightest infraction of it. A single default, the least failure,
was reckoned guilty of breaking all the commandments (James 2:10), for
not only are they, like so many links in the same chain, a strict
unit, but the authority of the Lawgiver behind them was flouted. Nor
was any provision made for the recovery of such a one. The
constitution under Which the first man, and the whole human race in
him, was placed was without any mediator or sacrifice, and no matter
how deep his remorse, or what resolutions of amendment he made, the
transgressor lay under the inexorable sentence: "The soul that sinneth
it shall die," for God will by no means clear the guilty. Moreover,
under the first covenant, God provided no special grace to enable its
subjects to meet His requirements. He made man in His own image, and
pronounced him "very good," and then left him to his native and
created strength. Finally, under that covenant man was required to
yield obedience in order to his justification, for upon his compliance
he was entitled unto a reward.
Now under the Covenant of Grace everything is the very opposite of
that which obtained under the Covenant of Works. Complete
subordination to the Divine will is indeed required of us, yet not in
order to our justification before and acceptance with God. Instead,
the moment we believe on the Lord Jesus and place our whole dependence
on the sufficiency of His sacrifice, His perfect obedience is reckoned
to our account, and God pronounces us righteous in the high court of
heaven and entitled to the reward of His Law. Consequently our
subsequent obedience is rendered neither under threat of damnation nor
from a mercenary spirit, but out of gratitude for our deliverance from
the wrath to come and because of our acceptance in the Beloved. Nor
are we left to our own strength, or rather weakness. God does not
barely command us, and then leave us to ourselves, but works in us
both to will and to do His good pleasure. He communicates to us His
blessed Spirit and makes available that fullness of grace and truth
which there is in Christ our Head, for He is not only a Head of
authority, but also of efficacious influence: "From whom the whole
Body [Church] fitly joined together and compacted by that which every
joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of
every part" (Eph. 4:16).
What is yet more to the point in connection with our immediate
subject, under the New Covenant provision has been made for the
failures of its subjects. God does not reject their obedience because
it is faulty, but graciously accepts the same when it is prompted by
submission to His authority, is performed by faith, is urged by love,
and is done with sincerity of purpose and endeavour. Sin has disabled
from an exact keeping of God's commandments, but He approves of what
issues from an upright heart and which unfeignedly seeks to please
Him. We are bidden to "have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably
[not flawlessly!] with reverence and godly fear" (Heb. 12:29). While
God still justly requires from us a perfect and perpetual obedience,
nevertheless He is graciously pleased to receive and own genuine
efforts to conform to His will. He does so because of the merits of
Christ and His continued mediation on our behalf. Having accepted our
persons He also accepts our love-offerings--note the order in Genesis
4:4. We present spiritual sacrifices unto Him, and they are
"acceptable to God by Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 2:5).
That we are here propounding no new and dangerous error will be seen
from the following quotations. "Notwithstanding, the persons of
believers being accepted through Christ, their good works are also
accepted in Him: not as though they were in this life wholly
unblameable and unreproveable in God's sight, but that He, looking
upon them in His Son, is pleased to accept and reward that which is
sincere, though accompanied with many weaknesses and imperfections"
(Westminster Confession). "I call it Gospel obedience, not that it
differs in substance from that required by the Law, which enjoins us
to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, but that it moves upon
principles, and is carried on unto ends, revealed only in the Gospel"
(John Owen). According to the modification of the new covenant, "God,
out of His love and mercy in Christ Jesus, accepts of such a measure
of love and obedience as answereth to the measure of sanctification
received" (Manton).
Though the above quotations are far from being Divinely inspired, and
therefore are without any binding authority upon the children of God,
nevertheless, they are from men who were deeply taught and much used
by the Holy Spirit, and so are deserving of our serious and prayerful
attention. While the Christian is forbidden to call any man "father,"
that is far from signifying that he should despise such teachers.
There is no Antinomian laxity in the above citations, but a holy
balance such as is scarcely ever found in the ministry of our day.
We have pointed out that God justly requires a perfect obedience from
all rational creatures, and that under no circumstances will He lower
His demand. Every regenerate soul concurs with God's holy claim, and
deeply laments his inability to meet that claim. We also affirmed that
under the moderation of the New Covenant constitution God is
graciously pleased to accept and approve of an obedience from His
people which, though sincerely desiring and endeavoring to measure up
to His perfect standard, is, through their remaining corruptions and
infirmities, a very defective one; and that He does so without any
reflection upon His honour. We followed that brief averment by giving
excerpts from some of the Puritans--the number of which might easily
be multiplied--not for the purpose of buttressing our own teaching,
but in order that it might be seen that we are not advancing here any
dangerous or strange doctrine. Nevertheless, the majority of our
readers will require something from an infinitely higher authority
than that on which to rest their faith, and to it we now turn.
In Genesis 26:5, we find the Lord declaring: "Abraham obeyed My voice,
and kept My charge--My commandments, My statutes, and My laws." Yet he
did not do so perfectly, for he was a man "subject to like passions as
we are"; nevertheless God owned his obedience, and, as the context
there shows, rewarded him for the same. Sincere obedience, though it
be not sinless, is acceptable unto God; if it were not, then it would
be impossible for any of His children to perform a single act in this
life which was pleasing in His sight. Not only so, but many statements
made in the Scriptures concerning saints would be quite unintelligible
to us--statements which oblige us to believe that God receives the
hearty yet imperfect endeavors of His people; yea, that He attributes
unto the same a far higher quality than they do. Thus, He said of Job
"that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God and
eschewed evil" (1:1): yet as we read all that is recorded of him it
soon becomes apparent that he, like ourselves, was "compassed with
infirmity."
When the Lord declared concerning David His servant that "he kept My
commandments and My statutes" (1 Kings 11:34), He was speaking
relatively and not absolutely. "The Lord delights in the way of a good
man" (Ps. 37:23), notwithstanding that he often stumbles, yea, falls,
in the same. There are but two classes of people in the sight of God:
"the children of disobedience" (Eph. 2:2) and "obedient children" (1
Pet. 1:14), yet many a regenerate soul is fearful of classifying
himself with the latter. But he ought not--his scruples are due to an
insufficiently enlightened conscience. When the Lord Jesus said to the
Father of those whom He had given Him, "they have kept Thy Word" (John
17:8), surely it is obvious that He was not affirming that their
obedience was perfect. "Evangelical keeping is filial and sincere
obedience. Those imperfections Christ pardoneth, when He looketh back
and seeth many errors and defects in the life, as long as we bewail
sin, seek remission, strive to attain perfection. All the commandments
are accounted kept when that which is not done is pardoned" (Manton).
When the heart beats true to Him, Christ makes full allowance for our
frailties.
With the Word of God in his hands there is no excuse for anyone who
has, by Divine grace, been brought to hate sin and love God to stumble
over the point we are now treating of. David had many failings and
some of a gross and grievous nature, yet he hesitated not to say unto
God himself: "I have kept Thy precepts" (Ps. 119:56). In what sense
had he done so? Inwardly: in spirit, in holy resolution and earnest
endeavour; outwardly too in the general current of his life; and
wherein he failed, he deeply repented and obtained forgiveness from
God. Christ will yet say to each one who has improved the talents
entrusted to him, "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matt.
25:21), yet that is far from implying that therein he was without
fault or failure. When Paul prayed for the Hebrew saints that God
would make them "perfect in every good work to do His will, working in
you that which is well pleasing in His sight," he was making request
for those indwelt by sin, as his added "acceptable through Jesus
Christ" (Heb. 13:21) necessarily implied. "Whatsoever we ask we
receive of Him, because we keep His commandments" (1 John 3:22) would
have no comfort for us if God accepted only sinless obedience.
"Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the
heart" (1 Sam. 16:7). Those words are capable of more than one
legitimate application, but they are peculiarly pertinent here. True,
God is very far from being indifferent to the substance of our
obedience, yet the spirit in which it is performed is what He notices
first. Duties are not distinguished by their external form, but by
their internal frame--one may perform the same duty from fear or
compulsion which another does freely and out of love. "Waters may have
the same appearance, yet one be sweet and the other brackish. Two
apples may have the same color, yet one may be a crab and the other of
a delightful relish. We must look to the Rule that the matter of our
actions are suited to it; otherwise we may commit gross wickedness, as
those did who thought that they did God service by killing His
righteous servants (John 16:2). We must look also to the face of our
hearts, otherwise we may be guilty of gross hypocrisy" (S. Charnock).
The Pharisees kept the sabbath with great strictness, yet their
outward conformity unto that Divine Law was far from being acceptable
in God's sight.
"The Lord weigheth the spirits" (Prov. 16:2). That has a meaning which
should make each of us tremble; yet it should also be of great comfort
to the regenerate, and evoke thanksgiving. If on the one hand the
omniscient One cannot be imposed upon by the most pious appearance and
utterances of the hypocrite, yet on the other He knows those "who
desire to fear His name" (Neh. 1:11), even though some of their
actions proceed from a contrary principle. All the intentions and
motives of our hearts are naked and open before the eyes of Him with
whom we have to do, and full consideration is given thereto as God
estimates our performances. Was not this very truth both the comfort
and confidence of erring Peter when he declared to his Master: "Lord,
Thou knowest all things: Thou knowest that [contrary to appearances] I
[really and truly] love Thee" (John 21:17). "If Thou, Lord, shouldest
mark iniquities [the shortcomings of Thy full and righteous demands] .
. . who shall stand?" (Ps. 130:3). Not one of His people. But, as the
next verse goes on to assure us, "there is forgiveness with Thee that
Thou mayest be feared"--yes, held in awe, and not trifled with.
Blessed balance of truth!
"For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to
that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not" (2 Cor. 8:12):
upon which Matthew Henry's commentary says: "The willing mind is
accepted when accompanied with sincere endeavors. When men purpose
that which is good and endeavour according to their ability to perform
also, God will accept of what they have or can do, and not reject them
for what they have not and what is not in their power to do; and this
is true as to other things besides the work of charity." Yet it was
prudently added: "But let us note here, that this Scripture will not
justify those who think good meanings are enough, or that good
purposes and the profession of a willing mind are sufficient to save
them. It is accepted indeed, where there is a performance as far as we
are able." A readiness of disposition is what God regards, and that
disposition is judged by Him according to the resources which are at
its command. Our Father estimates what we render unto Him by the
purity of our intentions. Little is regarded as much when love prompts
it. If the heart be really in it, the offering is well pleasing to Him
whether it be but "two young pigeons" (Luke 2:24) or tens of thousands
of oxen and sheep (1 Kings 8:63).
"The Covenant of Grace insists not so much upon the measure and degree
of our obedience, as on the quality and nature of every degree--that
it be sincere and upright" (Ezek. Hopkins). In contrast with legal
obedience, evangelical consists of honest aims and genuine efforts,
striving to live holily and to walk closely with God, according to the
rules He has prescribed in His Word, and, according to the gracious
condescension, yet equity, of the Gospel, is received and rewarded by
God for Christ's sake. That holy purposes and sincere resolutions are
accepted by God, though they be not really accomplished, is clear from
what is recorded of Abraham, namely that "he offered up his son"
(James 2:21), for he never actually "offered up" Isaac, except in
intention and willingness. Upon which Manton said: "God counteth that
to be done which is about to be done, and taketh notice of what is in
the heart, though it be not brought to practice and realization. Yet
not idle purposes when men hope to do tomorrow what should and can be
done today." "We make it our aim, whether at home [in the body] or
absent, to be well pleasing unto Him" (2 Cor. 5:9) must be our grand
and constant endeavour.
Another example to the point is the case of David, who desired and
planned to provide a more suitable dwelling-place for Jehovah in
Israel's midst. As Solomon, at a later date, declared: "But the Lord
said to David my father, Forasmuch as it was in thine heart to build a
house for My name, thou didst well, in that it was in thine heart" (2
Chron. 6:8). God graciously accepted the will for the deed, and
credited His servant with the same. So it is with evangelical
obedience: that which is truly sincere and is prompted by love unto
God, though very imperfect, he graciously accepts as perfect. When He
appeared before Abraham, the father of all them that believe, He
declared, "I am the Almighty [all-sufficient] God, walk before Me and
be thou perfect" (Gen. 17:1), which in the margin is accurately and
helpfully rendered "upright or sincere," for absolute perfection is in
this life impossible. Legal obedience was approved by justice,
evangelical obedience is acceptable unto mercy. The former was
according to the unabated rigor of the Law, which owned nothing short
of a conformity without defect or intermission, whereas the latter is
received by God through Christ according to the milder dispensation of
the Gospel (Gal. 3:8).
2 Chronicles 30 records a very striking instance where God accepted
the will for the deed, and enforced not the full requirements of His
Law. "A multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim and Manasseh,
Issachar and Zebulon, had not cleansed themselves, yet did eat of the
Passover otherwise than it was written. But he prayed for them,
saying, The good Lord pardon everyone that prepareth his heart to seek
God, the Lord God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according
to the purification of the sanctuary." Hezekiah apprehended God's
mercy better than do some of His people today! "And the Lord hearkened
to Hezekiah, and healed the people" (verses 19, 20). Ah, but note well
that the king had restricted his request unto those who had "prepared
their hearts to seek"! Such uprightness was the very opposite of what
we read of in Deuteronomy 29:19, 20: "And it come to pass, when he
heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart,
saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine
heart, to add drunkenness to thirst: the Lord will not spare him, but
the anger of the Lord and His jealousy shall smoke against that man."
Sincere obedience necessarily presupposes regeneration, for filial
submission can proceed only from a real child of God. A spiritual life
or "nature" is the principle of that obedience, for when we are
renewed by God there is newness of conversation. That which is born of
the Spirit is spirit (John 3:6)--disposed and fitted for spiritual
things. Yet after renewal there still remains much ignorance in the
understanding, impurity in the affections, perversity in the will, yet
so as grace prevails over nature, holiness over sin, heavenliness over
worldliness. "But the high places were not removed; nevertheless,
Asa's heart was perfect [upright] with the Lord all his days" (1 Kings
15:14). Though God writes His Law on our hearts (Heb. 8:10), yet as
Ezek. Hopkins pointed out, "This copy is eternally durable, yet it is
but as a writing" upon sinking and leaky paper, which in this life is
very obscure and full of blots." It is also termed "the obedience of
faith" (Rom. 1:5), because without faith it is impossible to please
God; yet how feeble our faith is! It is therefore an obedience which
is performed in reliance upon Christ's mediation (Rev. 8:3,4) and
enablement (Phil. 4:13).
But now we must endeavour to furnish a more definite and detailed
answer to the pressing question: How am I to determine whether my
obedience is really sincere and acceptable to God? By testing it with
these criteria: First, is it one which, in its negative character, has
a universal antipathy for sin? "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil"
(Prov. 8:13)--such is the purity of that nature communicated to God's
child at the new birth. Though evil still cleaves to and indwells him,
yet his heart loathes it. His hatred of evil is evidenced by dreading
and resisting it, by forsaking it in his affections and denying self,
by bitterly mourning when overcome by it and confessing the same unto
God, by exercising the contrary graces and cultivating the love of
holiness. Where there exists this fear of the Lord which abhors evil,
it will make no reserve or exception, nor tolerate or "allow" any form
or phase of it. Instead, it will aver with the Psalmist: "I hate every
false way" (119:104, 128), because contrary to the God I love, and as
polluting to my soul.
Second, is it one which diligently endeavors to regulate the inner man
as well as the outer? God's requirement is: "My son, forget not My
law, but let thine heart keep My commandments" (Prov. 3:1). It was at
this point that the hypocritical Pharisees failed so completely, for,
said Christ: "Ye are like unto whited sepulchres which indeed appear
beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones and all
uncleanness" (Matt. 23:27). The Lord has bidden us "keep thy heart
with all diligence" (Prov. 4:23), and that calls for the checking of
sinful thoughts, the mortifying of evil imaginations, the resisting of
pride, self-will and unbelief; the scrutinizing of our motives and
aims, and making conscience of temptations and occasions to sin.
Third, is it one which has the glory of God for its aim? The heart is
very deceitful, and much of human religion is prompted by nothing
higher than to be "seen of men" and gain a reputation for personal
piety. How searching are those words: "he that speaketh of himself
seeketh his own glory" (John 7:18)! True piety is modest and
self-effacing, aiming only at honoring the Lord and pleasing Him.
Fourth, is it one which has an appropriation of the whole revealed
will of God, enabling me to say, "I esteem all Thy precepts" (Ps. 119:
128)?--for the willful rejection of one is the virtual of all. Though
we fail miserably in some, and keep none of them perfectly, yet do our
hearts approve of every duty enjoined? Fifth, is there a genuine
willingness and honest desire to render full obedience unto God? If
so, we shall not voluntarily and allowedly fall short of the highest
perfection, but have an equal regard unto every Divine statute, not
dispensing with nor excusing ourselves from the most severe and
difficult. Sixth, is there a firm resolution ("I have sworn, and I
will perform it"--119:106), a genuine effort ("I have inclined my
heart to perform Thy statutes alway"--119:112), a persevering industry
("reaching forth unto those things which are before" and "pressing
toward the mark"--Phil. 3:12-14), an assiduous striving to please God
in all things? Seventh, is it accompanied by a conscience which
testifies that though only too often I transgress, yet I loathe myself
for it, and honestly endeavour to conform to the whole of God's will?
Such an obedience God accepts and accounts perfect, because the falls
are due to the subtlety of Satan, the deceitfulness of sin and the
weakness of the flesh, rather than to a deliberate defiance and
determined obstinacy.
Nowhere else in Scripture are the character and conduct of a saint so
clearly and fully delineated as in Psalm 119, and the conscientious
Christian should frequently compare himself with it. All through that
Psalm we find holy resolution and earnest endeavour side by side with
conscious weakness and frailty but dependence upon God. "Thou hast
commanded us to keep Thy precepts diligently" (4)--"O that my ways
were directed to keep Thy statutes" (5)--"I will keep Thy statutes: O
forsake me not utterly" (8)--"With my whole heart have I sought Thee:
O let me not wander from Thy commandments" (10)--"I will run the way
of Thy commandments, when Thou shalt enlarge my heart" (32)--"Consider
how I love Thy precepts: quicken me, O Lord, according to Thy
lovingkindness" (159)--"Let Thine hand help me; for I have chosen Thy
precepts" (173). Thus there are both holy yearning and activity, yet
constant looking to God for strength and enablement.
Thus will it be seen that sincere obedience consists not of a sinless
conformity to God's will, but of genuine desires and proportionate
efforts after it. It comprises two parts: the mortification of our
corrupt affections and the vivification of our graces, so that we
increase in strength and make further advances in true piety. So also
has it two adjuncts or attendants: repentance for past sins, and the
exercise of faith for present grace. Failures are reflected upon with
hatred and shame, are confessed to God with sorrow and contrition,
earnestly resolving and endeavoring to abstain from any further
repetition of them. Faith looks to the merits of Christ, pleads the
virtues of His blood, rests upon His intercession for us in heaven,
lays hold of the promises, and counts upon God's acceptance of our
imperfect obedience for His Son's sake, knowing that it deserves not
His approbation, and is rewarded (Ps. 19:11) not as a matter of debt,
but of pure grace. Then let none conclude that they have no grace
because there are so many imperfections in their obedience: a child
may be weak and sickly, yet a legitimate one! Renew your repentance
daily, rely wholly on the mediation of Christ, and draw upon His
fullness.
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13
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Practical Christianity by A.W. Pink
Part 3: Authority in Christian Practice
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Chapter 11-Private Judgment
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It is our present design to treat of the right, the necessity and the
duty of each person freely to exercise his reason, conscience and
will, especially in matters pertaining to his soul. Every man has the
right to think for himself and express or aver his thoughts on
political, moral and spiritual matters, without being subject to any
civil or ecclesiastical penalty or inconvenience on that account.
Conversely, no man is entitled to force his ideas upon others and
demand that they subscribe thereto, still less to propagate them to
the disturbing of the public peace. This is a truth which needs
proclaiming and insisting upon today, not only because of the
widespread apathy towards taking a firm stand for the same, but
because the dearly bought liberties which have for so many years been
enjoyed by those living in the English-speaking world are now in
danger of being filched from them. On the one hand is the steady
growth of what is termed "Totalitarianism," under which the minds and
bodies of its subjects are little more than robots; and on the other
hand is the rapidly increasing power and arrogance of Rome, in which
the souls of its members are the slaves of a rigid and merciless
tyranny.
In writing upon the freedom of the individual, it is our design to
shun as far as possible anything which savors of party politics; yet,
since the scope of our present theme requires us to say at least a few
words on the right of civil liberty, we cannot entirely avoid that
which pertains to human governments. But instead of airing our
personal views, we shall treat only of those broad and general
principles which are applicable to all nations and all ages, and
restrict ourselves very largely to what the Holy Scriptures teach
thereon. God has not left His people, or even men at large, without
definite instruction concerning their civil and spiritual duties and
privileges, and it behooves each of us to be informed and regulated
thereby. Broadly speaking, the purpose of the State is to promote the
welfare of the commonwealth, and to protect each individual in the
enjoyment of his temporal rights; but it is entirely outside its
province to prescribe the religion of its subjects. Rulers, be they
civil or ecclesiastical, have only a delegated power, and are the
agents and servants of the community, who entrust to them so much
power as is necessary to the discharge of their office and duty.
No human government is perfect, and it may appear to us that a
particular form of government is acting unwisely in its legislation
and arbitrarily in its administration. The question therefore arises,
How should a Christian citizen act under a particularly offensive one?
First, the Word of God requires from him full submission and obedience
to all those of its enactments which are not in themselves sinful: and
that not because the government is one of his choice or because its
policy meets with his approval, but because God Himself has ordered,
"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no
power but of God . . . Whosoever therefore resisteth the power,
resisteth the ordinance of God" (Romans 13:1, 2). Whatever be the
particular form of government, it is of Divine ordering, and His
providence has placed us under it. This is also evident from both the
teaching and personal example of Christ, who bids us, "Render
therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's" (Matt. 22:2 1).
But second, if the government should demand of me compliance with
anything which is contrary to the revealed will of God, then it is my
bounden duty to refuse obedience; yet in such a case God requires me
to submit meekly to any penalty imposed upon me for my declining to
comply.
That a child of God must refuse to do the bidding of a government when
it enjoins something contrary to the Divine will is clear from the
cases of the three Hebrews (Dan. 3:18), and of Daniel in Babylon
(5:10-13), who firmly declined to conform unto the king's idolatrous
demands. It is equally evident from the case of the apostles, who,
when they were commanded by the authorities "not to speak at all nor
teach in the name of Jesus," answered "whether it be right in the
sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye" (Acts
4:19, and cf. 5:29). Yet note well that, while insisting upon their
spiritual rights, in neither case did any of them defend themselves or
their cause by resorting to violence against the chief magistrate. Let
it be steadily borne in mind that an incompetent or an unjust
government is better than none, for the only other alternative is
anarchy and a reign of terror, as history clearly and tragically
testifies--witness the horrors perpetrated in Paris, when its streets
literally ran with blood at the great French Revolution; and the awful
carnage and sufferings which more recently obtained in Russia when the
regime of the Czars was overthrown. "It is better, if the will of God
be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing" (1 Pet.
3:17).
A further question needs considering at this point: Who is to be the
judge of which decrees of a government are sinful? Obviously, in the
last resort, the citizen himself. That is the scriptural and
protestant doctrine of the right of private judgment: to test what the
law of the land requires by the Divine Law. God's authoritative Word
forbids me doing anything which He has prohibited or which is morally
wrong. If any form of government insists upon being the absolute judge
of its own case, then there is an end of personal independence and
freedom. Every rational being lies under moral obligations to
God--obligations which are immediate and inevitable. No government,
and no human creature, can answer for him before God in a case of
conscience or come between him and his guilt; and therefore it is the
most monstrous injustice and iniquity that any power, save the Divine,
should dictate to the conscience. It may be said that this is a
dangerous doctrine, that it is likely to lead to disorder and
insurrection. Not so where the two parts of it be maintained: the
right to refuse only when something is demanded which God's Word
forbids, and the duty of meekly submitting to the penalty thereof--the
latter will check a misuse of the former.
Under no conceivable circumstances should any man relinquish the right
to think and decide for himself. His reason, will and conscience are
Divine gifts, and God holds him responsible for the right use of them,
and will condemn him if he buries his talents in the earth. But as it
is with so many other of His favors, this one is not valued at its
true worth and soon may not be prized at all unless it be entirely
removed and there be a return to the bondage of the "dark ages." A
considerable majority of the present generation are largely if not
wholly unaware--so ignorant as they of history--that for centuries,
even in Britain, civil liberty and the right of private judgment upon
spiritual things were denied the masses by both State and Church,
politicians and prelates alike lording it over the people. Nor was
their tyrannical dominion easily or quickly broken: only after much
suffering and a protracted fight was full freedom secured. Alas, that
such a dearly bought and hard-won privilege should now be regarded so
lightly and be in real danger of being lost again. Nearly two hundred
years ago Toplady pointed out, "Despotism has ever proved an
insatiable gulf. Throw ever so much into it, it would still yearn for
more." Significantly did he add, "Were liberty to perish from any part
of the English-speaking world, the whole would soon be deluged by the
black sea of arbitrary power."
But we must now turn to that part of our subject which more especially
concerns the child of God and his spiritual interests. There are three
basic truths which the battle of the Reformation recovered for
Christendom: the sufficiency and supremacy of the Scriptures, the
right of private judgment, and justification by faith without the
deeds of the law. Each of those was flatly denied by the Papacy, which
taught, and still insists, that human "traditions" are of equal
authority with God's Word, that the Romish church alone is qualified
to explain the Bible or interpret its contents, and that human merits
are necessary in order to our acceptance with God. Having treated at
some length, in recent years with the first, we are now considering
the second. Rightly did Luther affirm that man is responsible to none
but God for his religious views and beliefs, that no earthly power has
any right to interfere in the sacred concerns of the soul--to be lord
of his conscience or to have dominion over his faith. But while the
Reformers contended vigorously for the right and privilege of each
individual to read the Scriptures for himself, and, under the
illumination and guidance of the Holy Spirit, to form his own opinions
of what they teach, yet considerable qualification was made in the
application and outworking of that principle in actual practice. So it
was too in the century that followed, commonly termed "the Puritan
period."
The early Reformers and many of the Puritans were for one uniform mode
of worship and one form of temporal government, with which all must
comply outwardly, whatever their individual convictions and
sentiments. However desirable such a common regime might appear, to
demand subjection thereunto was not only contrary to the very essence
and spirit of Christianity, but also at direct variance with the right
of private judgment. No man should ever be compelled, either by reward
or punishment, to be a member of any Christian society, or to continue
in or of it any longer than he considers it is his duty to do so. Any
attempt to enforce uniformity is an attack upon the right of private
judgment, and is to invade the office of Christ, who alone is the Head
of His people. But alas, how few are fit to be entrusted with any
measure of authority. When Anglicanism was supreme, at the close of
the sixteenth century, anyone who failed to attend the parish church
was subject to a fine! In the next century, when the Presbyterians
held the reins, they proved to be equally intolerant to those who
differed from them.
"Each party agreed too well in asserting the necessity for uniformity
in public worship, and of using the sword of the magistrate for the
support and defence of their principles, of which both made an ill use
whenever they could grasp the power into their own hands. The standard
of uniformity according to the Bishops was the Queen's supremacy and
the laws of the land; according to the Puritans, the decrees of
provincial and national synods, allowed and enforced by the civil
magistrate; but neither party was for admitting that liberty of
conscience which is every man's right, so far as is consistent with
the peace of the civil government" (Daniel Niel's History of the
Puritans, volume 2, page 92). Well did that faithful and impartial
historian point Out, "Christ is the sole lawgiver of His Church, and
has appointed all things necessary to be observed in it to the end of
the world; therefore, when He has indulged a liberty to His followers,
it is as much their duty to maintain it, as to observe any other of
His precepts." Differences of opinion, especially in "church
government," soon led to further divisions and the formation of
parties and sects, and in many instances Protestants were as
dictatorial and tyrannical as the Papists had been, demanding
unqualified submission to their articles of faith and forms of
worship. Only after bitter persecution and much hardship did real
religious liberty gradually emerge, and never yet has it fully and
universally obtained in Protestantism.
No doubt it would be interesting to many of our readers were we to
trace the gradual emergence of religious freedom from bondage in
Germany, Switzerland, Holland, Britain and the U.S.A., and the various
and often unexpected set-backs experienced; but even a bare outline of
its history would be too lengthy a digression. Nor is it hardly
necessary. Human nature is the same in all lands, and in all ages, and
those possessing a workable knowledge of the same in themselves and
their fellows can easily visualize with their minds the nature of
those events. Most of us, if we are honest, must acknowledge that
there is quite a bit of the pontiff in us, and therefore we should not
be surprised to learn that there have been many popish men in most
sections of Christendom, and that a spirit of intolerance and
uncharitableness has often marred the characters of real Christians.
It has been comparatively rare for those of prominence to insist that
"Every species of positive penalty for differing modes of faith and
worship is at once anti-Christian, and impolitic, irrational and
unjust. While any religious denomination of men deport themselves as
dutiful subjects of the State, and as harmless members of the
community, they are entitled to civil protection and social esteem,
whether they be Protestants, Papists, Jews, Mohammedans, or Pagans"
(Toplady). That and nothing short of that, is a true Christian and
Catholic spirit.
"Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read" (Isa. 34:16), for in
it alone is His will made known, the Divine way of salvation revealed,
and a perfect rule and standard of conduct set before us. That Book is
a Divine communication, an authoritative "Thus saith the Lord." It is
addressed to the entire human race, and is binding on every member of
it. By it each of us will be judged in the day to come. It is
therefore both the duty and privilege of every person to read it for
himself, that he familiarize himself with its contents, perceive their
meaning, and conform his conduct to its requirements. It is to be read
reverently, for it is the voice of the Most High which speaks therein.
It is to be read impartially, setting aside personal prejudices and
preconceived ideas, receiving it without doubting or question. It is
to be read humbly, begging its Author to enlighten the understanding
and teach His way. It is to be read constantly, daily, so that we may
drink into its spirit and make it our counselor. It is not only to be
read, but also "seek ye out of the book": take the trouble to compare
one part with another, and thereby obtain its full light on each
particular subject and detail. By such pains it will be found that the
Holy Scriptures are self-interpreting.
In a matter so momentous as my obtaining a correct understanding of
God's will for me, and where the eternal interests of my soul are
concerned, it deeply concerns me to obtain first-hand information of
the same, and not to accept blindly what others say and do, or receive
without question what any church teaches. I must rigidly examine and
test by God's Word all that I hear and read. "Every one of us shall
give account of himself to God" (Romans 14:12). Religion is an
intensely personal thing which cannot be transacted by proxy. It
consists of immediate dealings between the individual soul and its
Maker. No one can repent for me, believe for me, love God for me, or
render obedience to His precepts on my behalf. Those are personal acts
which God holds me responsible to perform. Every man is responsible
for his beliefs. Neither ignorance nor error is merely a misfortune,
but something highly culpable, since the Truth is available unto us in
our mother tongue. If some be deceived by false prophets, the blame
rests wholly on themselves. Many complain that there is so much
difference and contrariety among preachers, they scarcely know what to
believe or what to do. Let them do as God has bidden: "seek ye Out of
the book of the Lord"!
God has given me that precious Book for the very purpose of making
known to me what I am to believe and do, and if I read and search it
with a sincere desire to understand its meaning and be regulated by
its precepts, I shall not be left in the dark. If I so act, there will
be an end to my perplexity because of the "confusion of tongues" in
the religious world, for there are no contradictions, no contrarieties
in God's Word. He holds me responsible to test everything preachers
say: "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to
this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isa. 8:20). That
Word is the sole standard of faith and practice, the "sure word of
prophecy" to which we do well to give heed as unto a light shining in
a dark place (2 Pet. 1:19). Faith rests not upon the testimony of any
man, nor is it subject to any man. It rests on the Word of God, and it
is amenable to Him alone. "He that builds his faith upon preachers,
though they preach nothing but the Truth, and he pretends to believe
it, hath indeed no faith at all, but a wavering opinion, built upon a
rotten foundation" (John Owen). Then "cease ye from man . . . for
wherein is he to be accounted of?" (Isa. 2:22), and "Trust in the Lord
with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding."
(Prov. 3:5).
Each one of us is directly responsible to God for the use he makes and
the compliance he renders to His Word. God holds every rational
creature accountable to ascertain from His living oracles what is His
revealed will and to conform thereunto. None can lawfully evade this
duty by paying someone to do the work for him. Whatever help may be
obtained from God's ministers, we are not dependent on them. To
understand and interpret the Scriptures is not the prerogative of any
ecclesiastical hierarchy. We have the Bible in our own mother tongue.
The throne of grace is available, whither we may turn and humbly make
request, "Teach me, O Lord . . . Thy statutes . . . Give me
understanding . . . Make me to go in the path of Thy commandments"
(Ps. 119:33-35). We have the promise of Christ to rest upon: "If any
man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine" (John 7:17).
Hence there is no valid excuse either for spiritual ignorance or for
misconception of what God requires us to believe and do. Unto His
children God has graciously imparted His Spirit that they may "know
the things that are freely given to us of God" (1 Cor. 2:12). Yet it
is only as God's Word is personally received into the heart that it
"effectually worketh also in you that believe" (1 Thess. 2:13).
There is an urgent need for each person who values his soul and its
eternal interests to spare no pains in making himself thoroughly
familiar with God's holy Word and prayerfully endeavoring to
understand its teaching, not only for the pressing reason stated
above, but also because of the babble now obtaining in Christendom,
and particularly in view of the numerous emissaries of Satan, who lie
in wait at every corner, ready to seduce the unwary and the indolent.
As pointed out before, the conflicting teaching which now abounds in
the churches renders it all the more imperative that each of us should
have strong and scripturally formed convictions of his own. Our Lord
has expressly bidden us, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you
in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves" (Matt.
7:15). That solemn warning points a definite duty, and also implies
our being qualified to discharge the same. That duty is to examine
closely and test carefully by God's Word all that we read and hear
from the pens and lips of preachers and teachers; and that, in turn,
presupposes we are well acquainted with the Word, for how else can we
determine whether an article or a sermon be scriptural or
unscriptural?
There is nothing external by which perverters of the Truth may be
identified. Not only are many of them men of irreproachable moral
character and pleasing personality, but they appear to be deeply
devoted unto Christ and His cause. Nor are they few in number, for we
are told that "many false prophets are gone out into the world"--a
statement which is prefaced by "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but
try the spirits whether they are of God" (1 John 4:1): that is,
diligently weigh their teaching in "the balances of the sanctuary."
These seducers of souls profess to be real Christians, and are often
to be met with even in the circles of the orthodox. Though at heart
ravening wolves, they are disguised "in sheep's clothing"--pretending
to have a great love for souls, they ensnare many. They feign to be
the very opposite of what they are, for instead of being the servants
of Christ they are the agents of Satan "transformed as the ministers
of righteousness" (2 Cor. 11:15). Therein lies their "cunning
craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive" (Eph. 4:14) people by
"good words and fair speeches," and thus delude the "hearts of the
simple" (Rom. 16:18).
Having shown the very real need there is for each person to form his
own judgment of what God's Word teaches, we now turn to consider his
God-given right to do so. This is plainly signified or clearly implied
in many passages. "For the ear trieth words, as the mouth tasteth
meat" (Job 34:2, 3). Upon which the Puritan, Joseph Caryl, very
pertinently asked, "You will not swallow words until. you have tried
them. Why else have we ears to hear? Why are we trusted with reason to
judge things with, or with rules to judge them by? There is no greater
tyranny in the world than to command men to believe (with implicit
faith) as others believe, or to impose our opinions and assertions
upon those who hear them and not give them liberty to try them." Allow
none to dictate to you, my reader, upon spiritual matters. He that is
called in the Lord is "the Lord's free man," and hence it follows, "Ye
are bought with a price: be not ye the servants of men" (1 Cor. 7:22,
23).
"Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind" (Rom. 14:5). In
order to ascertain the precise scope of those words we must examine
the setting in which they occur. They were first addressed to the
saints at Rome, who were composed of believing Jews and Gentiles,
between whom there were differences of opinion upon minor matters.
Though these Jews had heartily received Christ as their promised
Messiah and Saviour, they clung to the idea that the Levitical law,
with its distinction of clean and unclean meats and the observance of
certain fasts and festivals, was still binding upon them. Not only did
they contend zealously for the same, but they were strongly desirous
of imposing them on their fellow Christians, whom they regarded as
proselytes to Judaism. On the other hand, not only had the Gentile
believers not been brought up under the Mosaic rites, but they were
convinced that the ceremonial observances of Judaism had been annulled
by the new and better dispensation which had been inaugurated by the
Lord Jesus. This difference of opinion, with each party holding firm
convictions thereon, menaced the unity of their fellowship and the
exercise of brotherly love unto each other. The one needed to beware
of looking upon the other as being lax and of a latitudinarian spirit,
while the latter must refrain from viewing the former as being bigoted
and superstitious.
Nothing vital was at stake--any more than there is today when the
wearing of jewelry and the use of tobacco are questions agitated in
some Christian circles. But since the peace of the Roman assembly was
being threatened, and a spirit of intolerance had begun to obtain,
through failure of each party to allow full liberty of conscience unto
their brethren, it was needful that the apostle should deal with this
situation and give such instruction unto each as would prevent these
differences of opinion upon non-essentials of faith and practice
leading to a serious breach of the peace. Accordingly Paul was guided
by the Holy Spirit so to counsel them as to give forth at the same
time teaching which is most valuable, essential and pertinent to
similar cases in all generations. This he did by laying down broad and
general principles which it behooves all Christians to be regulated
by; nay, we cannot disregard them without sinning, since they are
clothed with Divine authority. While human nature remains as it is,
and while differently constituted minds do not view things uniformly,
if Christian charity is to be exercised and harmony prevail among
God's people, it is most necessary that they understand and practice
those principles.
First, we are exhorted, "Let not him that eateth despise him that
eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth:
for God hath received him" (Rom. 14:3). Therein both parties are
forbidden to give place unto unbrotherly thoughts and sentiments.
Second, they were asked, "Who art thou that judgest another man's
servant? to his own Master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be
holden up: for God is able to make him stand.' (verse 4). This is
tantamount to saying that it is the height of arrogance for any
Christian to ascend the tribunal of judgment and pass sentence of
condemnation upon a brother in Christ. Third, it is admitted that "one
man esteemeth one day above another; another esteemeth every day
alike," and then follows, "Let every man be fully persuaded in his own
mind" (verse 5). There is the charter of Christian liberty: let none
allow himself to be deprived of it. Those words cannot mean less than
that every Christian has the God-given right to think for himself, to
form his own opinion of what Scripture teaches, and to decide what he
considers is most pleasing and honoring unto God.
Note well how emphatic and sweeping are the words of Romans 14:5. "Let
every man": not only the preacher, but the private member too. "Be
fully persuaded": not coerced, nor uncertain, as he will be if,
instead of forming his own opinion, he heeds the confusion of tongues
now abounding on every side. "In his own mind": neither blindly
following the popular custom nor yielding to the ipse dixit (an
assertion made but not proved; lit. "he himself said it") of others.
Where doubtful things are concerned each one should turn to the
Scriptures for guidance and carefully examine them for himself, and
then act according to his best judgment of what they require him to
do. It is an obligation binding on each of us to be regulated by what
appears to be the revealed will of God. This is what constitutes the
very essence of practical Christianity: the personal recognition of
Christ's property in me and authority over me, and in and over my
brethren. I am neither to exercise dominion over them nor submit to
theirs over me. Let us seek to help each other all we can, but let us
leave Christ to judge us. He only has the capacity as He only has the
right to do so. Perform what you are assured to be your duty and leave
others to do likewise: thereby the rights of the individual are
preserved and the peace of the community promoted.
Different opinions on minor matters are to be expected, but that is no
reason why those holding the same should not dwell together in amity
and enjoy communion in the great fundamentals of the faith. If one is
satisfied that certain "days" should be observed, that he has Divine
warrant to solemnly celebrate "Christmas" or "Easter," then let him do
so. But if another is convinced that such "days" are of human
invention and devoid of Divine authority, then let him ignore them.
Let each one act from religious conviction and suffer not the fear of
censure from or contempt of others to deter him; nor the desire to
ingratiate himself in the esteem of his fellows induce him to act
contrary to his conscience. Each Christian is responsible to believe
and act according to the best light which he has from God and continue
to examine His Word and pray for more light. The dictates of
conscience are not to be trifled with, and the right of private
judgment is ever to be exercised by me and respected in others.
Thereby the Christian duty of mutual forbearance is alone maintained
and a spirit of tolerance and charity exercised.
"I speak as to wise men: judge ye what I say" (1 Cor. 10:15). In those
words the apostle called upon the saints to decide discreetly if what
he had further to advance on the subject condemned them for continuing
to feast in idol temples. He was treating with whether or not such an
action came within the scriptural definition of idolatry. In terming
them "wise men," he intimated that they were well able to weigh an
argument, and therefore it was their duty to examine carefully and
ponder prayerfully what he said. In his "judge ye" he signified his
desire for them to be personally convinced, from the exercise of those
spiritual "senses" which pertain to all the regenerate (Heb. 5:13).
"Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God [with
her head] uncovered?" (1 Cor. 11:13). Not only would Paul have them
obediently submit to the Divine requirements, but also perceive for
themselves what would be becoming, appealing to their sense of
propriety, adding, "doth not nature itself teach you?" Again, "Let the
prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge" (1 Cor. 14:29).
Once more they were called upon to exercise their own judgment--in
this case whether the messages given out by those claiming to be
"prophets" were really the oracles of God.
Now this right of private judgment, and the duty of each person to
determine for himself what God's Word teaches, is categorically denied
by Rome, which avers that "ignorance is the mother of devotion," and
that the highest form of service is that of "blind obedience." The
Papacy insists that the Church is absolutely infallible in all matters
of Christian Faith. During Session IV the Council of Trent (1563)
decreed that "No one, relying on his own skill, shall, in matters of
faith and of morals pertaining to the edification of Christian
doctrine, wresting the sacred Scripture to his own senses, presume to
interpret the said sacred Scripture contrary to that sense which holy
mother Church--whose it is to judge of the true sense and
interpretation of the Holy Scriptures--hath held and doth hold; or
even contrary to the unanimous consent of the Fathers." This was
ratified and repeated in the Dogmatic Decrees of the Vatican Council
(chapter 2): "We, renewing the said decree, declare this to be their
sense, that in matters of faith and morals, appertaining to the
building up of Christian doctrine, that is to be held as the true
sense of Holy Scripture, which our holy mother Church hath held and
holds, to whom it belongs to judge of the true sense of the Holy
Scripture; and therefore that it is permitted to no one to interpret
the sacred Scripture contrary to this sense."
Nor has the arch-deceiver and enslaver of souls receded one hair's
breadth from that position since then. The following propositions were
denounced by the Papacy: "It is profitable at all times and in all
places for all sorts of persons to study the Scriptures, and to become
acquainted with their spirit, piety, and mysteries" (Proposition 79).
"The reading of the Holy Scriptures in the hands of a man of business
and a financier (Acts 8:28) shows that it is intended for everybody"
(Proposition 80). "The Lord's day ought to be sanctified by the
reading of books of piety, and especially of the Scriptures. They are
the milk which God Himself, who knows our hearts, has supplied for
them" (Proposition 81). "It amounts to shutting the mouth of Christ to
Christians, and to wresting from their hands the Holy Bible, or to
keeping it shut from them, by depriving them of the means of hearing
it." Those, together with many other similar postulates, were
"condemned to perpetuity" as being "false and scandalous in his "bull"
(a Papal decree to which is affixed the Pope's seal)--Unigenitus by
Clement XI, issued on September 8, 1713.
In 1824 the encyclical epistle of Pope Leo XII complained of the Bible
Societies, "which," it said, "violate the traditions of the Fathers
and the Council of Trent, in circulating the Scriptures in the
vernacular tongues of all nations." "In order to avoid this
pestilence," said this poor creature, "our predecessors have published
several constitutions . . . tending to show how pernicious for the
faith and for morals is this perfidious instrument," i.e. the Bible
Society. In those countries ruled by the emissaries of the Vatican,
God's Word has ever been, and still is, withheld from the people, and
they are forbidden to read or hear it read under pain of the Pope's
anathema. All known copies of it are seized and committed to the
flames. At this very hour the Lord's people in Spain are being
persecuted for their loyalty to the Bible. So would they be in all
English-speaking countries today if the Romanists could secure full
temporal power over them. The Lord mercifully grant that such a
catastrophe may never again happen.
Ere passing from this aspect of our subject, let us briefly notice one
verse to which appeal is made by Romanists in support of their
contention that the laity have no right to form their own views of
what God's Word teaches: "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the
scripture is of any private interpretation" (2 Pet. 1:20). On the
basis of those words it is insisted that the Bible must be officially
interpreted, and that "holy mother Church" is alone authorized and
qualified to discharge this duty and to render this service. But that
verse affords not the slightest support of their arrogant claim. Those
words, as their context clearly shows, treat of the source of prophecy
and not its meaning. The very next sentence explains what is signified
by verse 20: "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of
man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."
Thus, verse 20 manifestly imports, Be assured at the outset that what
the prophets delivered proceeded not from their own minds. The Greek
word for "private" is never again so rendered elsewhere in the New
Testament, but is translated scores of times "his own." Consequently
the "interpretation" has reference to what was delivered by the
prophets and not to the explication of it: had the "interpretation"
which the prophets delivered issued from themselves, then they had
been "by the will of man," which the next verse expressly denies.
Taking verses 20 and 21 together, nothing could more emphatically
affirm the absolute inspiration of the prophets. They spoke from God,
and not from themselves. The force, then, of verse 20 is that no
prophetic utterance was of human origination. It is the Divine
authorship of their words, and not the explanation of their messages,
that is here in view--the act of supplying the prophecy, and not the
explaining of it when supplied. So far from lending any color to the
view that there inheres somewhere in the Church and its ministers an
authority to fix the sense of Holy Writ, this very verse, as it is
rendered in the Authorized Version, obviously refutes the same,
because for any man--be it the Roman pontiff or a Protestant
prelate--to determine the meaning of God's Word would be of "private
interpretation"! Alas, that is the very thing which has happened
throughout Christendom, for each church, denomination, party, or
"circle of fellowship" puts its own meaning on the Word, and in many
instances contrary to the Truth itself. Let the Christian reader be
fully persuaded that there is nothing whatever in 2 Peter 1:20, which
forbids him weighing the words of Scripture, exercising his own
judgment, and, under the guidance and grace of the Holy Spirit,
deciding what they signify.
Not only is private judgment a right which God has conferred upon each
of His children, but it is their bounden duty to exercise the same.
The Lord requires us to make full use of this privilege, and to employ
all lawful and peaceful means for its maintenance. Not only are we
responsible to reject all erroneous teaching, but we are not to be the
serfs of any ecclesiastical tyranny. "Be not ye called Rabbi: for one
is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man
your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in
heaven" (Matt. 23:8, 9). Those words contain very much more than a
prohibition against according ecclesiastical titles unto men; yea, it
is exceedingly doubtful whether such a concept is contained therein;
rather is Christ forbidding us to be in spiritual bondage to anyone.
In verse 2 He had stated, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses'
seat": that is, they have arrogated to themselves the power of
religious legislation and demand entire subjection from their
adherents. In the verses that follow, our Lord reprehended them for
usurping authority and setting up themselves as demagogues; in view of
which the Lord Jesus bade His disciples maintain their spiritual
liberty and refuse all allegiance or subservience to any such tyrants.
"But be ye not called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and
all ye are brethren" (Matt. 23:8). In every generation there are those
of an officious spirit who aspire to leadership, demanding deference
from their fellows. Such men, especially when they are endowed with
natural gifts above the average, are the kind who become the founders
of new sects and parties, and insist upon unqualified subjection from
their followers. Their interpretation of the Scriptures must not be
challenged, their dicta are final. They must be owned as "rabbis" and
submitted to as "fathers." Everyone must believe precisely what they
teach, and order all the details of his life by the rules of conduct
which they prescribe, or else be branded as a heretic and denounced as
a gratifier of the lusts of the flesh. There have been, and still are,
many such self-elevated little popes in Christendom, who deem
themselves to be entitled to implicit credence and obedience, whose
decisions must be accepted without question. They are nothing but
arrogant usurpers, for Christ alone is the Rabbi or Master of
Christians; and since all of His disciples be "brethren" they possess
equal rights and privileges.
"Call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which
is in heaven" (verse 9). This dehortation has ever been needed by
God's people, for they are the most part simple and unsophisticated,
trustful and easily imposed upon. In those verses the Lord Jesus was
enforcing the duty of private judgment, bidding believers suffer none
to be the dictators of their faith or lords of their lives. No man is
to be heeded in spiritual matters any further than he can produce a
plain and decisive "thus saith the Lord" as the foundation of his
appeal. To be in subjection to any ecclesiastical authority that is
not warranted by Holy Writ, or to comply with the whims of men, is to
renounce your Christian freedom. Suffer none to have dominion over
your mind and conscience. Be regulated only by the teaching of God's
Word, and firmly refuse to be brought into bondage to "the
commandments and doctrines of men," with their "Touch not, taste not,
handle not" (Col. 2:21, 22). Instead, "stand fast therefore in the
liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free" (Gal. 5:1); yet "not using
your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God"
(1 Pet. 2:16)--yielding unreservedly to His authority. Rather than
conform to the rules of the Pharisees, Christ was willing to be
regarded as a Sabbath-breaker!
"Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of
your joy: for by faith ye stand" (2 Cor. 1:24). Weigh well those words
my reader, and remember they were written by one who "was not a whit
behind the very chief of the apostles," and here be disclaims all
authority over the faith of these saints! In the previous verse he had
spoken of "sparing" them, and here "lest it should be thought that he
and his fellow ministers assumed to themselves any tyrannical power
over the churches or lorded it over God's heritage, these words are
subjoined" (John Gill). The word "faith" may be understood here as
either the grace of faith or the object thereof. Take it of the
former: ministers of the Gospel can neither originate, stimulate, nor
dominate it: the Holy Spirit is the Author, Increaser, and Lord of it.
Take it as the object of faith--that which is believed: ministers have
no Divine warrant to devise any new articles of faith, nor to demand
assent to anything which is not plainly taught in the Bible. "If any
man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God" (1 Pet. 4:11), neither
withholding anything revealed therein nor adding anything of his own
thereto.
Paul's work was to instruct and persuade, not to lord it over his
converts and compel their belief. He had written his first letter to
the saints in answer to the queries they had sent him, and at the
beginning of this second epistle explains why he had deferred a
further visit to them, stating that he was prepared to stay away until
such time as they had corrected the evils which existed in their
assembly. He refused to oppress them. "Faith rests not on the
testimony of man, but on the testimony of God. When we believe the
Scriptures, it is not man, but God whom we believe. Therefore faith is
subject not to man, but to God alone . . . The apostles were but the
organs of the Holy Spirit: what they spake as such they could not
recall or modify. They were not the lords, so to speak, of the Gospel
. . . Paul therefore places himself alongside of his brethren, not
over them as a lord, but as a joint believer with them in the Gospel
which he preached, and a helper of their joy, co-operating with them
in the promotion of their spiritual welfare" (C. Hodge). If Paul would
not, then how absurd for any man to attempt to exercise a spiritual
dominion in matters of faith or practice!
"The elders which are among you I exhort . . . Feed the flock of God
which is among you . . . not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the
flock" (1 Pet. 5:1-3). These are part of the instructions given unto
ministers of the Gospel as to how they are to conduct themselves in
the discharge of their holy office, and we would earnestly commend
them to the attention of every pastor who reads this article. They are
Divinely forbidden to abuse their position and to assume any absolute
authority or rule imperiously over the saints. Their task is to preach
the Truth and enjoin obedience to Christ, and not unto themselves.
They are not to act arbitrarily or in a domineering spirit, for though
they be set over believers in the Lord (1 Thess. 5:12) and are to
"rule" and therefore to be submitted unto in their lawful
administration of the Word and the ordinances (Heb. 13:17), yet they
are not to arrogate to themselves dominion over the consciences of men
nor impose any of their own inventions; but instead, teach their flock
to observe all things whatsoever Christ has commanded (Matt. 28:20).
The minister of the Gospel has no right to dictate unto others, or
insist in a dogmatic manner that people must receive what he says on
his bare assertion. Such a spirit is contrary to the genius of
Christianity, unsuited to the relation which he sustains to his flock,
and quite unbecoming a follower of Christ. No arbitrary control has
been committed to any cleric. True ministerial authority or church
rule is not a dictatorial one, but is a spiritual administration under
Christ. Instead of lording it over God's heritage, preachers are to be
"ensamples to the flock": personal patterns of good works, holiness,
and self-sacrifice; models of piety, humility, charity. How vastly
different from the conduct enjoined by Peter has been the arrogance,
intolerance, and tyrannical spirit of his self-styled successors! Nor
are they the only ones guilty thereof. Love of power has been as
common a sin in the pulpit as love of money, and many of the worst
evils which have befallen Christendom have issued from a lusting after
dominion and ecclesiastical honors.
Such is poor human nature that good men find it hard to keep from
being puffed up and misusing any measure of authority when it be
committed unto them, and from not doing more harm than good with the
same. Even James and John so far forgot themselves that, on one
occasion, they asked Christ to grant them the two principal seats of
power and honour in the day of His glory (Mark 10:35-37). Mark well
this part of His reply: "Ye know that they which are accounted to rule
over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones
exercise authority upon them"--they love to bear sway, and, like
Haman, have everybody truckle to them. "But so shall it not be among
you" says Christ to His ministers--eschew any spirit of domineering,
mortify the love of being flattered and held in honour because of your
office. "But whosoever will be great among you shall be your minister;
and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of
all"--those who are to be accounted the greatest in Christ's spiritual
kingdom are the ones characterized by a meek and lowly heart, and
those who will receive a crown of glory in the day to come are those
who most sought the good of others. "For even the Son of man came not
to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom
for many"--then make self-abnegation and not self-exaltation your
constant aim.
"Prove all things: hold fast that which is good" (1 Thess. 5:21). This
is yet another verse which, by clear and necessary implication,
teaches the privilege and right of private judgment, and makes known
the duty and extent to which it is to be exercised. Linking it with
what has been before us in the preceding paragraphs, it shows that if
it be unwarrantable for the servants of Christ to usurp an absolute
power, it is equally wrong for those committed to their care to submit
thereto. Church government and discipline are indeed necessary and
scriptural, yet not a lordly authority but a rule of holiness and
love, wherein a spirit of mutual forbearance obtains. God does not
require the minds and consciences of His children to be enslaved by
any ecclesiastical dominion. Each one has the right to exercise his
own judgment and have a say and vote upon all matters pertaining to
his local assembly; and if he does not, then be fails in the discharge
of his responsibility. Well did one of the old divines say on Psalm
110:1, "Christ is Lord to employ, to command, whom and what He will.
To Him alone must we say, `Lord, save me, I perish.' To Him only we
must say, `Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?' To Him only must we go
for instruction--'Thou hast the words of eternal life.'
It scarcely needs to be said that the right of private judgment
certainly does not mean that we are at liberty to bring the Word of
God to the bar of human reason and sentiment, so that we may reject
whatever does not commend itself to our intelligence or appeal to our
inclinations. The Bible does not submit itself unto our opinion or
give us the option of picking and choosing from its contents: rather
is it our critic (Heb. 4:12). The Law of the Lord is perfect and, the
best of us being very imperfect, it is madness to criticize it. But
when we hear preaching from it, we must try what is said whether or
not it accords with the Word, and whether the interpretation be valid
or strained. It is a fundamental truth that "Christ Jesus came into
the world to save sinners," yet even in the days of the apostles there
were those who, while acknowledging Him as the only Saviour, taught
that there was no salvation apart from circumcision. Accordingly the
church met at Jerusalem "for to consider of this matter" (Acts
15:4-11). So must we "consider" all we hear and read, whether it
agrees with the Divine Rule, taking nothing for granted.
"Prove all things." This is not optional but obligatory: we are
Divinely commanded to do so. God's Word is the only standard of truth
and duty, and everything we believe and do must be tested by it.
Thousands have sought to evade this duty by joining Rome and allowing
that system to determine everything for them. Nor are the majority of
the members of non-popish churches much better, being too indolent to
search and study the Bible for themselves, believing whatever their
preachers tell them. Beware, my reader, of allowing any influence to
come between your soul and God's Word. How early did the Holy Spirit
have occasion to say to one of the primitive churches which had given
way to a spirit of partisanship and bigotry, "Who then is Paul? and
who is Apollos?" When the mind rests upon the human instrument, not
only is spiritual progress in the Truth immediately arrested, but the
living power of what Truth is already attained dies out of the
enslaved heart, being displaced by dogmas received on human authority.
Divine Truth then degenerates into a party distinction, for which many
zealously contend in naught but a sectarian spirit.
The origin of all sectarianism is subjection to men, human authority
supplanting the authority of God, the preacher becoming the dictator.
We must not suffer any to arrogate the place and office of the Holy
Spirit. No human system can feed the soul: it has to come into
immediate and quickening contact with the living and powerful Word of
God in order to be spiritually nourished. Even where real Christians
are concerned, many had their religious beliefs formed before they
were converted, receiving them from their parents or the churches they
attended, and not directly from God and His Word. Therefore they too
need to heed this Divine injunction: "Prove all things: hold fast that
which is good." Bring your beliefs to the test of the Scriptures, and
you are likely to discover that it is much harder and more painful to
unlearn some things than it is to learn new ones. Very few think for
themselves, and fewer still are really willing to "buy the Truth" and
set aside their former opinions, no matter what may be the cost. Much
grace is needed for that! Since the eternal interests of our souls are
involved, it is the height of folly for us to depend upon the judgment
of others, for the ablest ministers are fallible and liable to err.
"These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they
received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the
scriptures daily whether those things were so" (Acts 17:11). Those
Bereans sat in judgment upon the teaching of the apostles! They are
commended for doing so! Not only was it their privilege and duty, but
it is recorded to their honour. But mark how they discharged this
duty. They brought all that they heard from the spoken discourse to
the test of the written Word. They did not judge by their own
preconceptions, views, prejudices, feelings, or partialities, but by
God's Word. If what they heard was in accord therewith, they were
bound to receive and submit to it; but if it was contrary thereto,
they were equally bound to refuse and reject the ministry that taught
it. That is recorded as an example to us! It reveals how we are to
exercise this privilege of private judgment. The apostles claimed to
be sent of God, but were they really preaching the Truth? The Bereans
gave them a ready hearing, but took the trouble to examine and try
their teaching by the Scriptures, and searched them daily whether they
were so. Do thou likewise, and remember that Christ commended the
Ephesian saints because they had tried those who said they were
apostles and "found them liars" (Rev. 2:2).
The right of private judgment does not mean that each Christian may be
a law unto himself, and still less lord over himself. We must beware
of allowing liberty to degenerate into license. No, it means the right
to form our own views from the Scriptures, to be in bondage to no
ecclesiastical authority, to be subject unto God alone. Two extremes
are to be guarded against: slavery to human authority and tradition;
the spirit of self-will and pride. On the one hand we are to avoid
blind credulity, on the other hand an affectation of independence or
the love of novelty, which disdains what others believe, in order to
obtain a cheap notoriety of originality. Private judgment does not
mean private fancy, but a deliberate conviction based on Holy Writ.
Though I must not resign my mind and conscience to others, or deliver
my reason and faith over blindfold to any church, yet I ought to be
very slow in rejecting the approved judgment of God's servants of the
past. There is a happy medium between limiting myself to what the
Puritans and others taught, and disdaining the help they can afford
me. Self-conceit is to be rigidly restrained. Private judgment is to
be exercised humbly, soberly, impartially, with a willingness to
receive light from any quarter. Ponder the Word for yourself, but
mortify the spirit of haughty self-sufficiency; and be ready to avail
yourself of anything likely to afford you a better understanding of
the Truth. Above all, daily beg the Holy Spirit to be your teacher.
"Prove all things": when listening to your favorite preacher, or
reading this book. Accord your brethren the same right and privilege
you claim for yourself.
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13
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A. W. Pink Header
Practical Christianity by A.W. Pink
Part 3: Authority in Christian Practice
_________________________________________________________________
Chapter 12-Christian Employees
_________________________________________________________________
How intensely practical is the Bible! It not only reveals to us the
way to Heaven, but it is also full of instruction concerning how we
are to live here upon earth. God has given His Word unto us to be a
lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path: that is, for the
regulating of our daily walk. It makes known how God requires us to
conduct ourselves in all the varied relations of life. Some of us are
single, others married; some are children, others parents; some are
masters, others servants. Scripture supplies definite precepts and
rules, motives and encouragements for each alike. It not only teaches
us how we are to behave in the church and in the home, hut equally so
in the workshop and in the kitchen, supplying necessary exhortations
to both employers and employees--clear proof God has not designed that
all men should be equal, and sure index that neither "Socialism" nor
"Communism" will ever universally prevail. Since a considerable
portion of most of our lives be spent in service, it is both for our
good and God's glory that we heed those exhortations.
A secular writer recently pointed out that "work has increasingly come
to be regarded as a distasteful means to the achievement of leisure,
instead of leisure as a recuperative measure to refit us for work."
That is a very mild way of saying that the present generation is
pleasure mad and hates any kind of real work. Various explanations
have been advanced to account for this: such as the ousting of
craftsmanship by machinery, the fear of unemployment discouraging
zeal, the doles, allowances and reliefs which are available for those
who don't and won't work. Though each of those has been a contributing
factor, yet there is a more fundamental and solemn cause of this
social disease, namely, the loss of those moral convictions which
formerly marked a large proportion of church-goers, who made
conscience of serving the Lord while engaged in secular activities,
and who were actuated by the principles of honesty and integrity,
fidelity and loyalty.
Nowhere has the hollowness of professing Christians been more
apparent, during the last two or three generations, than at this
point. Nowhere has more reproach been brought upon the cause of Christ
than by the majority of those employees who bore His name. Whether it
be in the factory, the mine, the office, or in the fields, one who
claims to be a follower of the Lord Jesus should stand out
unmistakably from his fellow employees who make no profession. His
punctuality, his truthfulness, his conscientiousness, the quality of
his work, his devotion to his employer's interests, ought to be so
apparent that there is no need for him to let others know by his lips
that he is a disciple of Christ. There should be such a marked absence
of that slackness, carelessness, selfishness, greed and insolence
which mark the majority of the ungodly, that all may see he is
motivated and regulated by higher principles than they are. But, if
his conduct belies his profession, then his companions are confirmed
in their opinion that "there is nothing in religion but talk."
Nor does the whole of the blame rest upon them: the pulpit is far from
being guiltless in this matter. The Lord has expressly bidden His
servants to preach thereon, as being a subject of great importance and
an essential part of that doctrine which is according to godliness.
"Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters
worthy of all honour, that the name of God and His doctrine be not
blasphemed. And they that have believing masters, let them not despise
them because they are brethren, but rather do them service, because
they are believing and beloved, partakers of the benefit: these things
teach and exhort" (1 Tim. 6:1, 2). But where is the minister today who
does so? Alas, how many have despised and neglected such practical yet
unpopular teaching! Desirous of being regarded as "deep," they have
turned aside unto doctrinal disputes or prophetical speculations which
profit no one. God says "If any man teach otherwise. . . he is a fool,
knowing nothing" (1 Tim. 6:3, 4)!
Once again is the pastor Divinely ordered, "But speak thou the things
which become sound doctrine: that the aged men be sober . . . the aged
women likewise . . . young men likewise exhort to be sober-minded. . .
Servants to be obedient unto their own masters, to please them well in
all things; not answering again, not purloining, but showing all good
fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all
things" (Titus 2:1-9). Are you, fellow minister, speaking upon these
things? Are you warning servants that all needless absenteeism is a
sin? Are you informing those of your church members who are employees
that God requires them to make it their constant endeavour to give
full satisfaction unto their masters in every part of their conduct:
that they are to be respectful and not saucy, industrious and not
indolent, submissive and not challenging the orders they receive? Do
you teach them that their conduct either adorns or disgraces the
doctrine they profess? If not, you are sadly failing in carrying out
your commission.
In view of the almost total silence of the pulpit thereon, it is
striking to see how frequently the New Testament epistles inculcate
and enlarge upon the duties of employees. In Ephesians 6 we find the
apostle exhorting, "Servants be obedient to them that are your masters
according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of
heart, as unto Christ. Not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as
the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. With
good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men" (verses 5-7).
Christian servants are required to comply with the calls and commands
of their employers: to do so with respectful deference to their
persons and authority, to be fearful of displeasing them. They are to
be as diligent in their work and to discharge their duties with the
same conscientious solicitude when their master is absent as when his
eye is upon them. They are to perform their tasks "with good will,"
not sullenly and reluctantly, but thankful for an honest means of
livelihood. And all of this as "the servants of Christ," careful not
to dishonor Him by any improper behavior, but seeking to glorify Him:
working from such motives as will sanctify our labours and make them a
"spiritual sacrifice" unto God.
In Colossians 3 the apostle also exhorted, "Servants, obey in all
things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye-service, as
men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God. And whatsoever
ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men" (verses 22,
23). Every lawful command he must obey, however distasteful, difficult
or irksome. He is to be faithful in every trust committed to him.
Whatsoever his hand findeth to do, he must do it with his might,
putting his very best into it. He is to do it readily and cheerfully,
taking pleasure in his work. All is to be done "as to the Lord," which
will transform the secular into the sacred. Then it is added, "Knowing
that of the Lord ye shall receive the inheritance: for ye serve the
Lord Christ" (verse 24)--what encouragement to fidelity is that! "But
he that doeth wrong, shall receive the wrong which he hath done"
(verse 25) is a solemn warning to deter from failure in duty, for
"either in this world or the other, God will avenge all such injury"
(J. Gill).
"Servants be subject to your masters with all fear: not only to the
good and gentle, but also to the froward. For this is thankworthy, if
a man for conscience endure grief, suffering wrongfully" (1 Pet. 2:18,
19). This repeated insistence of the apostles for employees
discharging their duties properly, indicates not only how much the
glory of God is involved therein, but also that an unwillingness on
their part makes such repetition necessary--evidenced by those who
take two or three days' extra holiday by running off to religious
meetings, thereby putting their masters to inconvenience. Holiness is
most visible in our daily conduct: performing our tasks in such a
spirit and with such efficiency as will commend the Gospel unto those
we serve. Let it be borne in mind that these instructions apply to all
servants, male and female, in every station and condition. Let each
reader of these pages who is an employee ask himself or herself, How
far am I really making a genuine, prayerful and diligent endeavour to
comply with God's requirements in the performance of my duties? Let no
"rules of unions" nor "regulations of shop stewards" be allowed to set
aside or modify these Divine commandments.
It is to be pointed out that the above precepts are enforced and
exemplified in the Scriptures by many notable examples. See how the
Spirit delighted to take notice of the devotion of Eliezer, even
praying that the Lord God would "send me good speed this day, and show
kindness unto my master Abraham" (Gen. 24:12), and note how faithfully
he acquitted himself and how well he spake of his master. Jacob could
say, "ye know that with all my power I have served" (Gen. 31:6): can
you aver the same? Though a heathen "his master saw that the Lord was
with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his
hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight" (Gen. 39:3, 4): what a
testimony was that! Scripture also chronicles the unfaithfulness of
Elisha's servant and the fearful judgment which came upon him (2 Kings
5:20-27). Finally, let all domestics and employees remember that the
servant place has been honored and adorned for ever by the willing and
perfect obedience of the incarnate Son of God!
"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do with thy might" (Eccl.
9:10)--put your very best into it.
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13
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A. W. Pink Header
Practical Christianity by A.W. Pink
Part 4: God's Best in the Christian Life
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Chapter 13-Enjoying God'S Best
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Introduction
Since God has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass, to speak of an
enjoying of His best (rather than His second or third best) and
missing His best, strikes some as meaningless if not erroneous
expressions. Before proceeding farther let us explain what we intend
by "enjoying God's best." We mean (as we have written before) for the
saint to have daily communion with God, to walk in the light of His
countenance, for His Word to be sweet unto our taste, light to our
understanding, strength to the inner man. It is for prayer to be a
delight, for answers of peace to be received without intermission, for
the channel of supplies to remain unchoked, open. It is to have the
mind stayed upon Him, to have a conscience void of offence, to have
full assurance of our acceptance in Christ. It is for our graces to be
kept healthy and vigorous, so that faith, hope, love, meekness,
patience, zeal, are in daily exercise. And such should be the
experience of every Christian.
By God's "best" we mean a personal experience of His approbation; a
manifest enjoyment of His favour in grace, in providence, and in
nature. It is not to be limited unto the receiving of His special
favors in a spiritual way, but includes as well His interpositions on
our temporal behalf. It is to have the blessing of the Lord upon our
lives, in all their varied aspects and relations, upon the soul and
body alike. It is to enjoy the sense of His approval, and have Him
showing Himself strong in our behalf. Though it does not mean that
such a one will be exempted from the ordinary vicissitudes and trials
of life, but rather that such will be sanctified unto him and result
in increased blessing, for they not only make a way for God to put
forth His power in delivering him from them or elevating his heart
above them, but they also serve for the developing of his graces and
provide opportunities for him to "glorify Him in the fire";
nevertheless, it does mean that such a one will escape those troubles
and afflictions in which the follies of so many Christians involve
them: it does mean that he will be immune from those sore
chastisements which disobedience and a course of backsliding
necessarily entail.
Before considering those just requirements of God which must be met if
we are to enjoy His best, let us point out that the particular aspect
of truth which is here engaging our attention concerns not the Divine
decrees, but rather the Divine government: for the one consists solely
of the exercise of God's sovereign will, whereas the other is
concerned also with the discharge of our responsibility. In no sense
whatever is there the slightest failure in God's accomplishment of His
eternal purpose, either as a whole, or in any of its parts; but in
many respects God's people fail to possess their possessions and enjoy
those privileges and blessings to which the blood of Christ entitles
them. This subject presents no difficulty to the writer, except the
finding of suitable language to accurately express his thoughts; nor
should it to the reader. The formation and the effectuation of God's
eternal decrees are in no wise affected by man: he can neither delay
nor hasten them. But the present government of this world by God is,
in large measure, affected and determined by the actions of men (His
own people included), so that in this life they are, to a very
considerable extent, made to reap according as they sow, both in
spirituals and in temporals.
It is not sufficiently realized that the Bible has far, very far, more
to say about this present life than it has about the future one, that
it makes known the secrets of temporal felicity as well as everlasting
bliss. Granted that the latter is of immeasurably more importance than
the former, yet the one is the prelude to the other, and unless God be
our satisfying Portion here, He certainly will not be so hereafter. In
their zeal to tell men how to escape from Hell and make sure of
Heaven, many evangelical preachers have had all too little to say upon
our conduct on earth, and consequently many who entertain no doubt
whatever that they will inhabit a mansion in the Father's house, are
not nearly so much concerned about their present walk and warfare as
they should be; and even though they reach their desired haven, such
slackness results in great loss to them now and will do so for ever.
The teaching of Holy Writ is the very reverse of the plan followed by
many an "orthodox pulpit": it not only gives much prominence to, but
in Old and New Testament alike its main emphasis is on, our life in
this world, giving instruction how we are to conduct ourselves here
now. In like manner, there has been a grievous departure from the
Analogy of Faith in the presentation of the attitude of God and His
conduct towards men. Few indeed who have stressed the sovereignty of
God have given even a proportionate place to His governmental
dealings, either with nations or with individuals, the elect or the
reprobate. Yet for every passage in His Word which speaks of God's
eternal counsels, there are scores which describe His time dealings,
and for every verse which alludes to God's secret or decretive will,
there is a hundred which describe His revealed or preceptive will.
Blessed indeed is it to ponder God's predestinating grace; equally
important is it that we study those principles which regulate His
providential dealings with us. The governmental ways of God, that is
His dealings with us in this life, both in our spiritual and temporal
affairs, are determined by something more than an arbitrary
sovereignty. God has established an inseparable connection between our
conduct and its consequences, and He acts in such a way toward us as
to make manifest the pleasure He takes in righteousness and to give
encouragement to those performing it; as He evidences His displeasure
against the unrighteous and makes us to smart for the same.
It is a very great and serious mistake to conceive of the sovereignty
of God as swallowing up all His perfections, and to attribute all His
actions unto the mere exercise of His imperial will. Holy Writ does
not; nor should we do so. Instead, much is said therein of God's
acting both in mercy and righteousness, for they are the chief
principles which regulate His governmental ways. It is true that mercy
is shown by mere prerogative (Rom. 9:18), but not so with
righteousness. God can no more suspend the operation of His
righteousness than He can cease to be. "The righteous Lord loveth
righteousness" (Ps. 11:7); "the Lord is righteous in all His ways"
(Ps. 145:17); "Righteousness and judgment are the habitation of His
throne" (Ps. 97:2). It was predicted of the Messiah that
"righteousness should be the girdle of His loins" (Isa. 11:5), and we
are told that since He loved righteousness and hated iniquity
"therefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness
above Thy fellows" (Ps. 45:7). Alas that so many have completely lost
the balance between God's sovereignty and God's righteousness. It is
His righteousness which regulates all His dealings with the sons of
men now, as it is "in righteousness He will judge" them in the Day to
come. It is His righteousness which requires God to punish vice and
reward virtue, and therefore does He bless His obedient children and
chasten His refractory ones.
The central thing which we wish to make clear and to impress upon the
reader is that God has established an inseparable connection between
holiness and happiness, between our pleasing of Him and our enjoyment
of His richest blessing; that since we are always the losers by
sinning, so we are always the gainers by walking in the paths of
righteousness, and that there will be an exact ratio between the
measure in which we walk therein and our enjoyment of "the peaceable
fruits of righteousness." God has declared "them that honour Me, I
will honour" (1 Sam. 2:30), and that expresses the general principle
which we are here seeking to explain and illustrate, namely that God's
governmental dealings with us are regulated by our attitude toward Him
and our conduct before Him: for in proportion as we honour the Lord,
so will He honour us. But suppose we fail to honour God, suppose we do
not obtain from Him that grace which He is ever ready to give unto
those who earnestly seek it in a right way--what then? Why, we shall
not enter into His best for us; we shall miss it. For as the same
verse goes on to tell us, "and they that despise Me shall be lightly
esteemed."
"This Book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou
shalt meditate therein; for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous,
and then thou shalt have good success" (Joshua 1:8). That expresses in
plain and simple language the basis on which we may enter into and
enjoy God's best for us. The believer is not to be regulated by his
own inclinations or lean unto his own understanding; he is not to be
governed by any consideration of expediency or the pleasing of his
fellows, but seek to please God in all things, being actuated by a
"thus saith the Lord" in everything he does. Nothing less than full
and constant obedience to God is what is required of him. However
distasteful to the flesh, whatever sneers it may produce from
professing Christians, the saint must rigidly and perpetually act by
the Rule that God has given him to walk by. In so doing he will be
immeasurably the gainer, for the path of obedience is the path of
prosperity. Conformity unto the revealed will of God may indeed entail
trial, nevertheless it will be richly compensated in this life, both
in spiritual and temporal bounties.
It cannot be too strongly insisted upon that the path of God's
precepts is the way of blessing. Though the treading thereof incurs
the frowns of the profane world, and the criticisms of not a few in
the professing world, yet it ensures the smile and benediction of our
Master! Those words "for then shalt thou make thy way prosperous" are
from the mouth of "the God of Truth" and are to be received by us
without the slightest quibbling, and treasured in our hearts. The
"prosperity" does not always immediately appear, for faith has to be
tried and patience developed, yet in the long run it will most surely
be found that in keeping the Divine commandments "there is great
reward" (Ps. 19:11). So Joshua found it: he adhered strictly to the
Divine Law, and God crowned his labours with success; and that, dear
reader, is recorded for our encouragement. Yet if we would prosper as
Joshua did, then we must act as he did! That conditional promise made
to Joshua was very far from being a special one made to him
only--rather does it belong equally to every servant and child of God,
for His governmental ways have been the same in all dispensations.
From the beginning of human history it has always been true, and to
the very end of history it will continue so to be, that "no good thing
will He withhold from them that walk uprightly" (Ps. 84:11).
Long before Joshua was born Elihu had affirmed "If they obey and serve
Him they shall spend their days in prosperity and their years in
pleasure" (Job 36:11); and centuries after Joshua's death, the Holy
Spirit declared through Zechariah "Thus saith God, why transgress ye
the command of the Lord, that ye cannot prosper?" (2 Chron. 24:30).
Nor is there any justification to insist that such statements
pertained only to the Mosaic economy. If we unhesitatingly apply to
our owl-i day that precious word in Isaiah 1:18, "Come now, let us
reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they
shall be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson, they shall
be as wool," is it honest to refuse taking unto ourselves the very
next verse "If ye be willing and obedient ye shall eat the good of the
Land"? The principles which regulate God's providential dealings with
His people are in no way altered by any change made in the outward
form of His kingdom upon earth. The teaching of the New Testament is
equally express: that "Godliness is profitable for all things: having
promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come" (1 Tim.
4:8), yet the fulfillment of that promise is conditional upon our
keeping of the Divine precepts, upon our personal piety.
There is a definite proviso on which we are warranted to hope for an
enjoyment of God's best. That was announced by Joshua and Caleb when
they said unto Israel, "If the Lord delight in us then He will bring
us into this land and give it us" (Num. 14:8). That term "delight" has
no reference there unto that Divine love unto the souls of believers
which is the source of their salvation, but rather to His complacency
in their character and conduct. So also is it to be understood in the
words used by David when he was fleeing from the conspiracy of
Absalom: "Carry back the ark of God into the city: if I shall find
favour in the eyes of the Lord, He will bring me again and show me
both it and His habitation. But if He thus say, I have no delight in
thee; behold, here am I, let Him do to me as seemeth good unto Him" (2
Sam. 15:25, 26). David certainly could not mean by that language, If
God have no love for my soul, I am willing to be for ever banished
from Him; for such submission is required of none who lives under a
dispensation of mercy. Rather did he signify, If God approve not of me
as I am the head of His people, let Him take away my life if that so
pleaseth Him.
As we must distinguish between the twofold "will," the twofold
"counsel" and the twofold "pleasure" of God, so we must between His
eternal love for and His present delight in us, between His acceptance
of us in Christ and the acceptableness of our character and conduct
unto Him -- it is the latter which determines His governmental smile
upon us. If any reader deems that distinction an artificial and forced
one, then we ask him, Is no differentiation to be made between those
words of Christ unto the Father "Thou lovedst Me before the foundation
of the world" (John 17:24) and His declaration "Therefore doth My
Father love Me because I lay down My life . . . This commandment have
I received of My Father" (John 10:17, 18)? Is not one the Father's
love of Christ's person, and the other His approbation of His
obedience? So again, must we avoid confounding "I have loved thee with
an everlasting love" (Jer. 31:3) and "For the Father loveth you
because ye have loved Me and have believed that I came out from God"
(John 16:27)? Of Enoch it is said "before his translation he had this
testimony, that he pleased God" (Heb. 11:5), whereas of Israel in the
wilderness He declared "I was grieved with that generation" (Heb.
3:10)!
It must not be inferred from what has been said above that the one who
walks in the paths of righteousness brings God into his debt or that
he merits favour at His hands. Not so, for nothing that we can do
profits God anything, and if we rendered perfect obedience unto His
every precept, we had merely performed our duty and rendered unto God
what is His rightful due. On the other hand, it is very plain that we
profit from and are the gainers by our obedience. Scripture has not a
little to say upon the subject of rewards. It goes so far as to teach
that the joys of the future will bear a definite relation and
proportion to our conduct in the present, such as obtains between
sowing and reaping (Gal. 6:7. 8). If then the future rewarding of the
saints according to their work (Rev. 22:12) clashes neither with the
grace of God nor the merit of Christ, then the present rewarding of
them cannot do so, for no difference in place or condition can make
any difference as to the nature of things. Deity does not hesitate to
take as one of His titles "The Lord God of recompenses" (Jer. 51:56),
and many are the passages which show Him recompensing righteousness
even in this world.
We have already alluded to Psalm 19:11, where we are told of God's
statutes and judgments that "in keeping of them there is great reward"
and we simply call attention now to the tense of that statement: not
"shall be," but is so now. A part of that present "reward" is
described in such verses as "Great peace have they which love Thy Law,
and nothing shall offend [be a "stumbling-block" to] them" (Ps.
119:165); "the work of righteousness [right doing] shall be peace, and
the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance for ever" (Isaiah
32:17). Such too is the testimony of Psalm 58:11, "So that a man shall
say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous; verily He is a God
that judgeth in [governs, administers the affairs of] the earth." "The
righteous [i.e. the one whose practices conform to the Rule of
Righteousness] shall flourish like the palm tree, he shall grow like a
cedar in Lebanon . . . to show that the Lord is upright" (Ps.
92:12-15), i.e. to make it evident that He takes notice of and richly
blesses such. "Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the
earth" (Prov. 11:31). On the other hand, "The Lord will punish Jacob
according to his ways, according to his doings will He recompense him"
(Hosea 12:2).
It is an unalterable law of the Divine government that as we sow, so
shall we reap. That principle is enunciated and illustrated all
through the Scriptures. On the one hand, "they have sown the wind, and
they shall reap the whirlwind" (Hosea 8:7); on the other, "sow to
yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy" (Hosea 10:12). "Even as I
have seen, they that plough iniquity and sow wickedness, reap the
same" (Job 4:8). "Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own
way" (Prov. 1:31). "But to him that soweth righteousness shall be a
sure reward" (Prov. 11:18). Our Lord taught precisely the same thing
when He said, "There is no man that hath left house, or parents or
brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who
shall not receive manifold more in this present time and in the world
to come life everlasting" (Luke 18:29, 30). So too the apostles: "He
which soweth sparingly, shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth
bountifully shall reap also bountifully" (2 Cor. 9:6). "The fruit of
righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace" (James 3:18).
It is lamentable that such passages are so rarely heard from the
pulpit.
It is right here that we have the key to a class of passages which has
puzzled and perplexed not a few, namely, those which speak of the
Lord's repenting. To say that such an expression is a figure of
speech, God's condescending to employ our language, though true,
really explains nothing. But the difficulty is at once removed when it
be seen that the reference is not to the modifying of God's eternal
decrees, but rather unto His governmental ways; signifying that when
men alter their attitude and conduct toward Him, the Lord changes in
His dealings with them -- withholding the judgment threatened, or
bestowing the blessing which their sins had kept back. The general
principle is clearly expressed in, "At what instant I shall speak
concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up and to pull
down, and to destroy it, If that nation against whom I have pronounced
turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do
unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation and
concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, If it do evil in My
sight, that it obey not My voice, then I will repent of the good
wherewith I said I would benefit them" (Jer. 18:7-10).
There is no "if" whatever about the Divine foreordination, but there
is in connection with human responsibility. Necessarily so, for in the
enforcing thereof the alternatives of recompense must be stated. Many
of the woes which God pronounces against kingdoms are not declarations
of His eternal decrees or infallible predictions of what is about to
take place, but rather ethical intimations of His sore displeasure
against sin, and solemn threatenings of what must inevitably follow if
there be no change for the better in those denounced: whether or no
those impending judgments are to become historic realities is
contingent upon their readiness to heed those warnings, or their
refusal to do so. The passage quoted above enunciates that basic moral
law by which God governs the world, telling us that He approves of
obedience and righteousness wherever it be found, and rewards the
same; whereas He hates the opposite and punishes it (see Prov. 14:34).
Jeremiah 18 sets not before us God as the Determiner of human destiny,
but as the Dispenser of temporal awards, governing in equity and in
accordance with the discharge of human accountability, showing He is
ever ready to prosper the righteous.
The same principle pertains unto the individual. "Then came the word
of the Lord unto Samuel, saying, It repenteth Me that I have set up
Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following Me and hath not
performed My commandments" (1 Sam. 15:11). That does not mean God
regretted His former act of enthroning Saul, but that because of his
defection the Lord would reverse it and depose him (verse 26). Thus we
see that God's governmental actions are determined--in part, at
least--by man's conduct. We say "in part," for God does not act
uniformly, and some of His ways in providence are "past finding out,"
as when He suffers the righteous to be severely afflicted, and the
wicked to flourish like a green bay tree. If righteousness were always
visibly rewarded and wickedness punished in this life, there would be
no room for the exercise of faith in God's justice, for the Day of
Judgment would be anticipated instead of presaged. Nevertheless, if we
strike a balance and take the history of each nation or individual as
a whole, God's moral government is now apparent, for we are daily made
to see and feel that we are the losers by sinning and the gainers by
holiness.
If the balance is to be duly preserved here and a proper concept
formed of God's moral government, then it requires to be pointed out
that His justice is tempered with mercy, as well as patience.
Therefore does He grant "space to repent," and where that clemency be
availed of, God acts accordingly. For, as many of those Divine
promises which respect earthly good are conditional upon the
performance of obedience, so many of the Divine judgments threatened
are averted upon a reformation of manners. "If so be they will
hearken, and turn every man from his evil way, that I may repent Me of
the evil, which I purpose [better, "think"] to do unto them because of
the evil of their doings" (Jer. 26:3). Perhaps the most remarkable
example of that is seen in the case of wicked Ahab, who, when he heard
the sentence of woe pronounced, "rent his clothes, and put sackcloth
upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly."
And we are told that the Lord said, "Because he humbleth himself
before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days, but in his son's
days" (1 Kings 21:20-29).
Let us now consider more definitely a few of those Scriptures which
make known what God requires of us if we are to enter into and enjoy
His best. Some of them have already been before us in a general way,
but they require to be examined from a more particular viewpoint.
"This Book of the Law shall not depart Out of thy mouth, but thou
shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do
according to all that is written therein; for then thou shalt make thy
way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success" (Joshua 1:8).
That is so plain no interpreter is needed. "Then," first, when our
speech is ordered by God's Word, all of our converse being consonant
thereto. "The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom and his tongue
talketh of judgment." And why? "The Law of God is in his heart" (Ps.
31:30, 31). Second, in order thereto, it must he made our constant
"meditation." It is by daily pondering the words of Scripture that we
obtain a better understanding of them, fix the same m our memories,
and become more fully conformed to them in our souls. Third, that our
meditation must be with a definite design and practical end: to "do,"
to walk obediently.
"For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole wrath,
to show Himself strong in the behalf of those whose heart is perfect
toward Him" (2 Chron. 16:9). The word generally used for "perfect"
(tamim) signifies sincere, but here a different one (shalem) is
employed, meaning whole. A "whole heart' is in contrast with a
"divided" one (Hosea 10:2), which pertains to him who vainly seeks to
serve two masters, the "double-minded man" who is "unstable in all his
ways" (James 1:8). Those with a whole heart love the Lord their God
with all their mind, soul and strength. They make Him their Portion,
find their delight in Him, constantly seek to please and glorify Him.
Their affections are undivided, their aim in life is one, like Caleb
they "wholly follow the Lord" (Deut. 1:36). And such receive
distinctive favors from Him. The "eyes of the Lord" speaks of His
knowledge, and their "running to and fro throughout the earth" means
that He governs this world in infinite wisdom. The reference is to His
providential dealings: His eye directs His hand, and both are employed
in His giving special supplies and support to those who make Him their
All in all.
"And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that
bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither
and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper" (Ps. 1:3). There is what we
intend by one's enjoying God's best. But to whom does the "he" refer?
To the "blessed man" in the context. The one who has completely broken
with the world: "who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor
standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the
scornful." Observe that the man whom God pronounces "blessed" is one
that is careful about his walk. He refuses to follow the advice of the
unregenerate. They will urge him to be broad-minded and warn him
against being too strict, and press upon him the maxims of the world,
but he heeds them not. He is very particular about his associates,
knowing that those with whom he is intimate will either be a help or a
hindrance to him spiritually. Evil communications corrupt good
manners, and therefore he refuses to fraternize with the Christless.
And so must you, young Christian, if you desire the smile of God to be
upon you.
This opening Psalm strikes the keynote of the whole Psalter, and has
for its theme the blessedness of the righteous, i.e. those who tread
the paths of righteousness; and contrasts the portion and doom of the
ungodly. And the first thing emphasized of that righteous one is that
he has turned his back upon the world, for it is at that point
practical godliness begins. There can be no walking with God, no real
communing with Christ, no treading of "the way of peace," until that
word is heeded: "Come out from among them and be ye separate, saith
the Lord," (2 Cor. 6:17). Second, it is said of this blessed man, "But
his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and in His Law doth he meditate
day and night." He is completely subject to God's authority and makes
His revealed will the rule of his life. Nor does he force himself to
do so against his inclinations, for his delight is in the same. That
is evidenced by its constantly engaging his thoughts, for "where your
treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matt. 6:2 1). The mind is
regulated by the affections: what the heart is most set upon most
engages our thoughts--as gold does the covetous. And the one who
conforms to the requirements of Psalm 1:1, 2, will certainly
experience the blessings of 1:3. There is the less need for us to
dwell upon other passages, for they speak for themselves. "The young
lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they that seek the Lord shall not
want any good thing" (Ps. 34:10). That is, those who put Him first
(Matt. 6:33), who seek Him wholeheartedly (Jer. 29:13), who diligently
inquire after His will and earnestly endeavour to please and glorify
Him in all things, shall not lack any good--which is assured them as
an encouragement for obedience. "No good thing will He withhold from
them that walk uprightly" (Ps. 84:11). As the Puritan, T. Brooks,
pointed out, "Now this choice, this large promise, is made over only
to the upright, and therefore as you would have any share in it
maintain your uprightness." In his explanation of "them that walk
uprightly," John Gill included "Who have their conversation according
to the Gospel of Christ, and walk in the sincerity of their hearts."
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding
[see margin] have all they that do His commandments" (61:10). Upon
which Gill said "Some understand it `good success' or `prosperity,'"
and added, "such usually have prosperity in soul and body, in things
temporal and spiritual," with which we fully concur.
"Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck, write
them upon the table of thine heart. So shalt thou find favour and good
success in the sight of God and man" (Prov. 3:3, 4). Was it not so
with Joseph in Egypt (Gen. 39)? Was it not so with David in Saul's
household (1 Sam. 18)? Was it not so with Daniel and his fellows in
Babylon? "For God giveth to a man that is good in His sight, wisdom,
and knowledge, and joy" (Eccles. 2:26): the phrase "a man that is good
in His sight" is rendered "who pleaseth God" in Ecclesiastes 7:26. The
passages which teach that God deals with men in this life according to
their conduct are too many to cite, and the marvel is that the minds
of so few professing Christians of this age are really affected by
them. Take that well-known word, which has been illustrated all
through history, "I will bless them that bless thee [Abram] and curse
him that curseth thee" (Gen. 12:3), which so far from being
exceptional, only exemplifies the principle we are seeking to
demonstrate. Take again, "Blessed is he that considereth the poor, the
Lord will deliver him in time of trouble; the Lord will preserve him
and keep him alive: he shall be blessed upon the earth" (Ps. 42:1, 2).
Consider now some concrete cases. "And the Angel of the Lord called
unto Abram out of heaven the second time and said, By Myself have I
sworn saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing and hast
not withheld thy son, thine only son, that in blessing I will bless
thee. . . and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be
blessed, because thou hast obeyed My voice" (Gen. 22:15-18). What
could possibly be plainer? So again God said to Isaac, "I will make
thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven and will give unto thy
seed all these countries . . . because that Abram obeyed My voice, and
kept My charge, My commandments" etc. (Gen. 26:4,5). "My servant Caleb
because he had another spirit with him and followed Me fully, him will
I bring into the land" (Num. 14:24). "Wherefore say, Behold I give
unto him [Phinehas] My covenant of peace, and he shall have it, and
his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood,
because he was zealous for his God and made an atonement for the
children of Israel" (Num. 25:12,13). "Hebron therefore became the
inheritance of Caleb. . .because he wholly followed the Lord God"
(Joshua 14:14).
Said David, "The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands hath He recompensed me" (2 Sam.
22:21). It seems strange that any one possessed of a spiritual mind
should be perplexed by these words, for if they be understood
according to their original and obvious meaning, there is nothing in
them to occasion any difficulty. Let them be read in the light of
their context, and they are clear and simple. David was alluding to
God's delivering of him from Goliath and Saul, and from others of his
foes: what had been his conduct toward them? Had he committed any
serious crimes such as warranted their hostility? Had he grievously
wronged any of them? Had they justly or unjustly sought his life? Read
the record of David's history, and it will be found that it contains
not a hint that he coveted the throne or hated Saul. As a fact, he was
entirely innocent of any evil designs against any of them who so
sorely persecuted him. This is plain from one of his prayers to God,
"Let not those who are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me,
neither let them wink with the eye that hated me without a cause" (Ps.
35:19).
It was because David had neither given his enemies just reason for
their persecution and because so far from retaliating, he had borne
them no malice, that he now enjoyed the testimony of a good
conscience. His character had been grievously aspersed and many
hideous things laid to his charge, but his conduct had been upright
and conscientious to an uncommon degree. " In all his persecutions by
Saul, he would not injure him or his party; nay, he employed every
opportunity to serve the cause of Israel, though rewarded by envy,
treachery and ingratitude" (Thos. Scott). When we are maligned and
opposed by men, it is an inestimable consolation to have the assurance
of our own heart unto our innocency and integrity, and therefore we
should spare no pains when passing through a season of such trial in
exercising ourselves "to have always a conscience void of offence,
toward God and man" (Acts 24:14). David, then, was not here giving
vent to the boasting of a pharisaical spirit, but was avowing his
innocency before the bar of human equity. One is not guilty of pride
in knowing himself to be innocent, nor is he so when realizing that
God is rewarding him in providence because of his integrity; for each
is an evident matter of fact.
In saying "The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness" David
enunciated one of the principles operative in the Divine government of
this world. "Albeit that the dispensations of Divine grace are to the
fullest degree sovereign and irrespective of human merit, yet in the
dealings of Providence there is often discernible a rule of justice by
which the injured are at length avenged and the righteous ultimately
delivered" (C. H. Spurgeon). That statement evinces an intelligent
grasp of the viewpoint from which David was writing, namely the
governmental ways of God in time, and not the ground upon which He
saves eternally. Those declarations of the Psalmist had nothing
whatever to do with his justification in the high court of heaven, but
concerned the guiltlessness of his conduct toward his enemies on
earth, because of which God delivered him from them. It would indeed
be most reprehensible for us to transfer such thoughts as are
expressed in 2 Samuel 22:20-28, from the realm of providential
government into the spiritual and everlasting kingdom, for there grace
reigns not only supreme, but alone, in the distribution of Divine
favors. On the other hand, a godly man with clear conscience must not
deny his own consciousness and hypocritically make himself Out to be
worse than he is.
There are those who would dismiss by a wave of the hand what has been
adduced above by saying, All that is Old Testament teaching, what
occurred under the Dispensation of Law. But such an objection is
utterly pointless, for the principles of the Divine government are the
same in every era, and therefore the teaching of the New. Testament on
this subject is identical with that of the Old. For example: "Blessed
are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy" (Matt. 5:7). That has
nothing whatever to do with "salvation by works," for in those verses
Christ is describing the character of His true disciples. Here He
tells us they are "merciful," and in consequence "shall obtain mercy."
It is not that God requires the unregenerate to be merciful in order
to entitle them unto His saving mercy, but rather that the regenerate
are merciful, and according as they act in their true character, so
will God order His governmental ways and paternal discipline toward
them--"with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again"
(Matt. 7:2). On the one hand, "with the merciful, Thou wilt show
Thyself merciful" (Ps. 18:25); on the other, "But if ye forgive not
men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your
trespasses" (Matt. 6:15).
That both Christ and the Father act toward Christians in keeping with
their conduct is clear from John 14:21, 23--such "manifestations" are
withheld from those who fail to walk obediently. "For God is not
unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love which ye have
showed toward His name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and
do minister" (Heb. 6:10), which clearly implies that He would be
unrighteous if He did not reward their benevolence. "For he that will
love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil and
his lips that they speak no guile. Let him eschew evil and do good;
let him seek peace, and ensue it" (1 Pet. 3:10, 11). "We have here an
excellent prescription for a comfortable, happy life in this
querulous, ill-natured world" (M. Henry). To those who follow that
prescription, Gill said, "such shall inherit the blessing, both here
and hereafter." "Whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep
His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight"
(1 John 3:22)! "Because thou hast kept the Word of My patience, I also
will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all
the world to try them that dwell upon the earth" (Rev. 3:10).
Missing God's Best
Having shown at some length that the Old and New Testament alike teach
there is such a thing as entering into any enjoying God's best -- that
if we meet His just requirements He will make our way prosperous--we
must turn now to the darker side of the subject, and face the fact
that it is sadly possible to miss God's best and bring down upon
ourselves adversity. God has not only promised "no good thing will He
withhold from them that walk uprightly" (Ps. 84:11), but He has also
plainly informed us "Your iniquities have turned away these things,
and your sins have withholden good things from you" (Jer. 5:25). Upon
which John Gill said, "these mercies were kept back from them in order
to humble them, and to bring them to a sense of their sins, and an
acknowledgement of them." Adversities do not come upon us at
haphazard, but from the hand of God; nor does He appoint them
arbitrarily, but righteously. God will no more wink at the sins of His
people than He will at those of the worldlings: were He to do so, He
would not maintain the honour of His house. As Manton also pointed out
on Jeremiah 5:25, "If there be any restraint of God's blessing it is
because of man's sin."
"The way of transgressors is hard" (Prov. 13:15): while no doubt the
primary reference there is unto the wicked, yet the principle
expressed applies unmistakably to the redeemed as well. If, on the one
hand, in keeping God's commandments there is "great reward," on the
other hand, the breaking of them involves great loss. If it be true
that Wisdom's ways are ways of pleasantness and all her paths are
peace (Prov. 3:17), certain it is that if we turn from her ways, we
shall be made to smart for it. Alas, how often we stand in our own
light and choke the current of God's favors. It is not only an "evil
thing" but a "bitter" one to forsake the Lord our God (Jer. 2:19).
That is why sin is so often termed "folly," for it is not only a crime
against God, but madness toward ourselves.
Many are the mischiefs caused by our sinning, the chief of which is
that we obstruct the flow of God's blessings. Sin costs us dear, for
it not only immediately takes from us, but it prevents our future
receiving of Divine bounties. In other words, willful sinning prevents
our receiving God's best for us. "Believe in the Lord your God, so
shall ye be established; believe His prophets, so shall ye prosper" (2
Chron. 20:20) states the principle clearly enough. Trust in the Lord
with all your heart, and your souls shall be settled in peace and joy;
receive with submission every discovery of His will through His Word
and servants, and His providential smile shall be your portion. But,
conversely, lean unto your own understanding and suffer unbelief to
prevail, and assurance and tranquility of soul will wane and vanish;
let self-will and self-pleasing dominate, and His providences will
frown upon you. The connection between conduct and its consequences
cannot be broken. Walk in the way of faith and holiness and God is
pleased, and will evidence His pleasure toward us; enter the paths of
unrighteousness and God is provoked, and will visit His displeasure
upon us. When Israel's land was laid waste and their cities were
burned, they were told "Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in
that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, when He led thee by the
way?" (Jer. 2:17). Upon which M. Henry said, "Whatever trouble we are
in at any time, we may thank ourselves for it, for we bring it upon
our own hands by our forsaking of God." "The curse causeless shall not
come" (Prov. 26:2).
Missing God's best is true of the unsaved. As long as unbelievers are
left in this world, opportunity is given them of escaping from the
wrath to come. Therefore they are exhorted--in the Scriptures, if not
from the pulpit--"Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon
Him while He is near" (Isa. 55:6). For the same reason there is a door
represented as being open to them, which the Master of the house will
one day rise up and shut to (Luke 13:24, 25). Nothing could more
clearly express the danger of delay than the language used in such
passages. Nor is there anything in them which at all clashes with the
Divine decrees. As one has pointed out, "All allow that men have
opportunity in natural things to do what they do not, and to obtain
what they obtain not; and if that be consistent with a universal
providence which performeth all things that are appointed for us (Job.
23:14), why cannot the other consist with the purpose of Him who does
nothing without a plan, but worketh all things after the counsel of
His own will."
Slothfulness is no excuse in those who refuse to improve their lot;
nor is intemperance any extenuation for a man's bringing upon himself
physical, financial, and moral disaster. Still less does either
prejudice or indolence release any from his accountability to accept
the free offer of the Gospel. "Wherefore is there a price in the hand
of a fool to get wisdom, seeing he hath no heart to it?" (Prov.
17:16). The "price in his hand" signifies the means and opportunity.
"Wisdom" may be understood both naturally and spiritually. The "fool"
is the one who fails to obtain what he might well and should procure.
The reason he does not is simply that he lacks "a heart" or desire and
determination. As M. Henry said, "He has set his heart upon other
things, so that he has no heart to do his duty, or to the great
concerns of his soul." Such fools the world is full of: they prefer
sin to holiness, this world rather than heaven. "He who in his
bargains exchanges precious things for trifles is a fool. Thus do men
sell their time which is their money given for eternity, and they sell
it for things unsatisfying, they sell themselves for naught" (Thomas
Goodwin); and thereby they miss God's best.
"Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom,
seeing he hath no heart to it?" (Prov. 17:16). After interpreting
those words first as natural wisdom and knowledge, and "the price" as
the worldly substance which a foolish man spends on riotous living,
instead of purchasing useful books for the improvement of his mind,
none other than John Gill said upon its higher application: "or
spiritual wisdom and knowledge: the means of which are reading the
Word, frequent opportunities for attending on a Gospel ministry. .
.conversation with Gospel ministers and other Christians; but instead
of making use of these he neglects, slights and despises them. And it
is asked, with some degree of indignation and astonishment, why or to
what purpose a fool is favored with such means? seeing he hath no
heart to it? to wisdom: he does not desire it, nor to make use of the
price or means in order to obtain it; all is lost upon him, and it is
hard to account for why he should have this price when he makes such
an ill use of it." But Gill created his own difficulty: God provides
the non-elect with spiritual means and opportunities to enforce their
responsibility, so that their blood shall be upon their own heads,
that the blame is theirs for missing His best.
But it is the Christian's doing so that we have chiefly in mind. Sad
indeed is it to behold so many of them living more under the frown of
God than His smile, and sadder still that so few of them have been
taught why it is so with them, and how to recover themselves. The New
Testament makes it clear that many of the primitive saints "ran well"
for a time, and then something hindered them. Observation shows that
the majority of believers "follow the Lord fully" (Num. 14:24) at the
outset but soon "leave their first love." At the beginning, they
respond readily to the promptings of the Spirit and adjust their lives
to the requirements of the Word, until some demand is made upon them,
some self-denying duty is met with, and they balk. Then the Holy
Spirit is grieved, His enabling power is withheld, their peace and joy
wane, and a spiritual decline sets m. Unless they put right with God
what is wrong--repent of and contritely confess their sad failure--the
rod of chastisement falls upon them; but instead of being "exercised
thereby" (Heb. 12:11) some fatalistically accept it as "their
appointed lot," and are nothing bettered thereby.
Now the Lord has plainly warned His people that if they meet not His
just requirements, so far from enjoying His best, adversity will be
their portion. "Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love
the Lord your God. Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto
the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and
shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them and they to you:
Know for a certainty that the Lord your God will no more drive out any
of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps
unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until
ye perish from off this good land which the Lord your God hath given
you (Joshua 23:11-13). The Jews held Canaan by the tenure of their
obedience, and so do those who belong to "the Israel of God" (Gal.
6:15) now possess and enjoy their spiritual Canaan in proportion to
their obedience. But as God has forewarned, "If His children forsake
My Law, and walk not in My judgments; if they break My statutes and
keep not My commandments; then will I visit their transgression with
the rod and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless my
lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer My
faithfulness to fail" (Ps. 89:30-33).
That passage makes it unmistakably clear that while the chastenings
from our Father proceed from both His faithfulness and holy love, yet
they are also marks of His displeasure; and that while they are
designed for our good--the recovery of us from our backsliding--yet
they have been provoked by our own waywardness. The Father's rod is
not wielded by an arbitrary sovereignty, but by righteousness. It is
expressly declared, "For He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the
children of men" (Lam. 3:33), but only as we give Him occasion to do
so. That important statement has not received the attention it
deserves, especially by those who have so focused their thoughts upon
God's eternal decrees as to quite lose sight of His governmental ways.
Hence the tragic thing is that when chastisement becomes their
portion, they know of nothing better than to "bow to God's sovereign
will," which is very little different in principle from the world's
policy of "seeking to make the best of a bad job," or "we must grit
our teeth and endure it." Such a fatalistic and supine attitude ill
becomes a regenerate soul; instead, he is required to be "exercised
thereby."
Only too often such "bowing to the will of God" is so far from being a
mark of spirituality, it rather evinces a sluggish conscience. God
bids His people "hear ye the rod" (Mich. 6:9). It has a message for
the heart, but we profit nothing unless we ascertain what the rod is
saying to us--why it is God is now smiting us! In order to discover
its message, we need to humbly ask the Lord "show me wherefore Thou
contendest with me" (Job 10:2); "cause me to understand wherein I have
erred" (Job. 6:24); reveal to me wherein I have displeased Thee, that
I may contritely acknowledge my offence and be more on my guard
against a repetition of it. The holiness of God will not tolerate sin
in the saints, and when they go on in the same unrepentingly, then He
declares, "Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns"
(Hos. 3:6). Note well "thy way," not "My way." God sets the briars of
trials and the sharp thorns of afflictions in the path of His
disobedient children. If that suffices not to bring them to their
senses, then he adds "and make a wall that she shall not find her
paths"--His providences block the realization of their carnal and
covetous desires.
"But My people would not hearken to My voice, and Israel would have
none of Me. So I gave them up unto their own heart's lusts: they
walked in their own counsels. Oh that My people had hearkened unto Me,
Israel had walked in My ways! I should soon have subdued their enemies
and turned My hand against their adversaries . . . He should have fed
them also with the finest of the wheat, and with honey out of the rock
should I have satisfied thee" (Ps. 81:11-16). When we meet with a
passage like this our first duty is to receive it with meekness, and
not to inquire, How is it to be harmonized with the invincibility of
the Divine decrees? Our second duty is to prayerfully endeavour to
understand its sense, and not to explain away its terms. We must not
draw inferences from it which contradict other declarations of Holy
Writ, either concerning the accomplishments of God's purpose or His
dealing with us according to our conduct. Instead of reasoning about
their teaching, we need to turn these verses into earnest petition
begging God to preserve us from such sinful folly as marked Israel on
this occasion.
There is nothing in those verses which should occasion any difficulty
for the Calvinist, for they treat not of the eternal foreordinations
of God, but of His governmental ways with men in this life. For the
same reason there is nothing in them which in any wise supports the
Arminian delusion that, having created men free moral agents, God is
unable to do for them and with them what He desires without reducing
them to mere machines. We should then, proceed on that which is
obvious in them, and not confuse ourselves by reading in them anything
obscure. The key to them is found in verses 11, 12: Israel walked
contrary to God's will -- not His decretive, but His preceptive. They
acted not according to the Divine commandments, but, in their
self-will and self-pleasing, determined to have their own way; and in
consequence they forfeited God's best for them. Instead of His
subduing their enemies, He allowed the heathen to vanquish them.
Instead of providing abundant harvests, He sent them famines (2 Sam.
21:1). Instead of giving them pastors after His own heart, He suffered
them to be deceived by false prophets (cf. 2 Thess. 2:10, 11).
"Oh that thou hadst hearkened to My commandments! then had thy peace
been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea" (Isa.
48:18). On which even Gill said, "their prosperity, temporal and
spiritual, had been abundant, and would always have continued, have
been increasing and ever-flowing." Failure to walk in the paths of
God's precepts deprives us of many a blessing. In his review of The
Life and Letters of the late James Bourne (Gospel Standard, October
1861), Mr. Philpot said, "There is deep truth in the following
extract"--a sentence or two of which we here quote: "If I pay no
reverence to such a word as this, `Be not overcome of evil, but
overcome evil with good' (Rom. 12:21), I shall fall into bondage, and
find my prayer shut out. It will prove a hindrance to my approaches to
God, for `If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me'
(Ps. 66:18) . . . If you attend not to the word of exhortation, you
will find no communion with His people, no blessing of God upon the
work of your hands."
After describing the sore judgments of God which were about to fall
upon the wayward children of Israel, His faithful servant told them
plainly, "Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee:
this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto
thy heart" (Jer. 4:18). Upon which Gill said "those calamities coming
upon them, they had none to blame but themselves; it was their own
sinful ways and works whereby that this ruin and destruction come on
them." Consider also this passage: "Ye looked for much and lo, it came
to little: and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith
the Lord of host" (Hag. 1:9). This searching question was put for
their sakes, "that they might be made sensible of it, and in order to
introduce what follows: `because of mine house that is waste': which
they suffered to lie waste, and did not concern themselves about the
rebuilding of it; this the Lord resented, and for this reason blasted
all their labours; and `ye run every man unto his own house' " (Gill).
How many a Christian today might trace God's "blowing upon" his
temporal affairs unto his putting his carnal interests before the
Lord's!
Consider now some individual examples. Do not the closing incidents
recorded in the life of Lot make plain demonstration that he "missed
God's best"? Witness his being forcibly conducted out of Sodom by the
angels, where all his earthly possessions, his sons, and his
sons-in-law perished; and when his wife was turned into a pillar of
salt for her defiance. Behold his intemperance in the cave, then
unwittingly committing incest with his own daughters--the last thing
chronicled of him! But "was there not a cause"? Go back and mark him
separating from godly Abraham, coveting the plain of Jordan, pitching
his tent "toward Sodom" (Gen. 13:12). Though "the men of Sodom were
wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly," yet Lot settled in
their midst, and even "sat in the gate of Sodom" (Gen. 19:1), i.e.
held office there! Is it not equally evident that Jacob too missed
God's best? Hear his own sad confession near the close of his career:
"few and evil have the days of my life been" (Gen. 47:9). And is the
explanation far to seek? Read his history, and it should at once be
apparent that he was made to reap exactly as he had sown.
The chequered life of David supplies us with more than one or two
illustrations of the same principle. Few men have experienced such
sore social and domestic trials as he did. Not only was David caused
much trouble by political traitors in his kingdom, but, what was far
more painful, the members of his own family brought down heavy sorrows
upon him. The second book of Samuel records one calamity after
another. His favorite wife turned against him (6:20-22), his daughter
Tamar was raped by her half brother (13:14), and his son Ammon was
murdered (13:28, 29). His favorite son, Absalom, sought to wrest the
kingdom from him, and then met with an ignominious end (18:14). Before
David's death, yet another of his sons sought to obtain the throne (1
Kings 1:5), and he too was murdered (1 Kings 2:24,25). Since the Lord
afflicts not willingly, but only as our sins give occasion, it
behooves us to attend closely to what led up to and brought upon David
those great afflictions. Nor have we far to seek. Read 2 Samuel 3:2-5,
and note his six wives: he gave way to the lusts of flesh, and of the
flesh he "reaped corruption"!
Painful though it be for us to dwell upon the failings and falls of
the sweet Psalmist of Israel, especially since in so many respects he
puts both writer and reader to shame, yet it must be remembered that
"whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our
learning" (Rom. 15:4)--that we might heed such warnings, and be
preserved from similar backslidings. His grievous offence against
Uriah and Bathsheba is prefaced by the fact that he was indulging in
slothful ease, instead of performing his duty (2 Sam. 11:1,
2)--observe well the ominous "But" at the close of verse 1! Though
David sincerely and bitterly repented of those sins and obtained the
Lord's forgiveness, yet by them he missed His best, and for the rest
of his days lived under more or less adverse providences and the
"sword" never departed from his house (2 Sam. 12:10). Nothing could
more plainly evince that a holy God takes notice of our actions and
deals with us accordingly, or make it manifest that it is our own
folly which brings down the rod of God upon us. We read the historical
portions of Scripture to little purpose or profit unless their
practical lessons are taken to heart by us. Our consciences require to
be searched by these narratives far more than our minds be informed by
them!
Let us now point out that the same principle holds good in connection
with the Divine government under the new covenant as obtained under
the old. "And He did not many mighty works there because of their
unbelief" (Matt. 13:58). What place has such a statement as that in
the theology of hyper-Calvinists? None whatever. Yet it should have,
otherwise why has it been placed upon record if it has no analogy
today? As Matt. Henry rightly insisted, "Unbelief is the great
obstacle to Christs favour . . . . The Gospel is `the power of God
unto salvation,' but then it is `to every one that believeth' (Rom.
1:16). So that if mighty works be not wrought in us it is not for want
of power or grace in Christ, but want of faith in us." That was
putting the emphasis where it must be placed if human responsibility
is to be enforced. It was nothing but hardness of heart which
precluded them from sharing the benefits of Christ's benevolence. When
the father whose son was possessed by the demon that the disciples had
failed to expel, said unto the great Physician, "If Thou canst do any
thing, have compassion on us, and help us," He at once turned the "if"
back again upon him, saying, "If thou canst believe, all things are
possible to him that believeth" (Mark 9:22-23).
That we are the losers by our folly and that we bring trouble down
upon ourselves by unbelief is illustrated in the case of the father of
John the Baptist. When the angel of the Lord appeared unto him during
the discharge of his priestly office in the temple, and announced that
his prayer was answered and his wife would bear a son, instead of
expressing gratitude at the good news and bursting forth in
thanksgiving unto God, Zacharias voiced his doubts. saying, "Whereby
shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in
years" Whereupon the angel declared, "Behold thou shalt be dumb, and
not able to speak until the day that these things shall be performed,
because thou believest not my words" (Luke 1:20), upon which Gill
said, "He was stricken with deafness because he hearkened not to the
angel's words, and dumbness because from the unbelief of his heart he
objected to them. We learn from hence, what an evil unbelief is, and
how much resented by God, and how much it becomes us to heed that it
prevails not in us." To which he might well have added: and how God
manifests His resentment against such conduct by sending adverse
providences upon us!
Should it be said that the above incident occurred before the day of
Pentecost--a pointless objection--then let us call attention to the
fact that at a very early date after the establishment of Christianity
God, in an extraordinary manner, visited with temporal judgments those
who displeased and provoked Him. A clear case in point is the visible
manner in which He dealt with Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5). So too
when Herod gratefully accepted the idolatrous adulation's of the
populace, instead of rebuking their sinful flattery, we are told, `And
immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God
the glory; and he was eaten with worms" (Acts 12:23). God does suit
His governmental ways according to the conduct of men, be they
unbelievers. Not always so plainly or so promptly as in the examples
just adduced, yet with sufficient clearness and frequency that all
impartial and discerning observers may perceive that nothing happens
by chance or mere accident, but is traceable to an antecedent cause or
occasion; that His providences are regulated by righteousness.
"For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged
already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done
this deed, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such a one
unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be
saved in the day of the Lord Jesus" (1 Cor. 5:3-5). A member of the
Corinthian assembly had committed a grave offence, which was known
publicly. For the same, he was dealt with drastically: something more
than a bare act of ex-communication or being "disfellowshipped" being
meant in the above verses. The guilty one was committed unto Satan for
him to severely afflict his body--which is evidently meant by "the
flesh" being here contrasted with "the spirit." That Satan has the
power of afflicting the body we know from Job 2:7; Luke 13:16, etc.
And that the apostles, in the early days of Christianity, were endowed
with the authority to deliver erring ones unto Satan to be disciplined
by him, is evident from 2 Corinthians 10:8; 13:10; 1 Timothy 1:20.
Thus we see how a Christian was here visited with some painful disease
because of his sins.
It is sadly possible for Christians to miss God's best through failure
in their home life. This is evident from 1 Peter 3:7, "Likewise, ye
husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto
the wife as unto the weaker vessel, and as heirs together of the grace
of life; that your prayers be not hindered." Incidentally that verse
inculcates family worship, the husband and wife praying together.
Further, it teaches that their treatment of one another will have a
close bearing upon their joint supplications, for if domestic harmony
does not obtain, what unity of spirit can there be when they come
together before the throne of grace? By necessary implication that
also shows how essential it is that they be "equally yoked together,"
for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what
communion hath light with darkness? What joint act of worship is
possible between a child of God and a child of the Devil, between a
regenerate soul and a worldling? Yet even where both the husband and
the wife be true Christians, they are required to regulate their
individual conduct by the precepts which God has given unto each of
them: the wife that she be "in subjection to" her husband and diligent
in cultivating "a meek and quiet spirit" (verses 1-6): the husband
that he heeds the injunctions here given; otherwise their petitions
will be "hindered," and God's best forfeited.
First, the husband is to act according to his knowledge that his wife
is "the weaker vessel," which is not said in disparagement of her sex.
As one has pointed out, It is no insult to the vine to say that it is
weaker than the tree to which it clings, or to the rose to say it is
weaker than the bush that bears it. The strongest things are not
always therefore the best--either the most beautiful or the most
useful." Second, as such he is to "give honour to her": that is, his
superior strength is to be engaged for her defence and welfare,
rendering all possible assistance in lightening her burdens. Her very
weakness is to serve as a constant appeal for a patient tenderness and
forbearance toward her infirmities. Furthermore, he is ever to act in
accordance with her spiritual equality, that they are "heirs together
of the grace of life." Not only should the love which he has for her
make him diligent in promoting her well-being, but the grace of which
he has been made a partaker should operate in seeking the good of her
soul and furthering her spiritual interests: discussing together the
things of God, reading edifying literature to her when she is
relaxing, pouring out together their thanksgivings unto God and making
known their requests at the family altar.
Then it is, when those Divine requirements are met by both wife and
husband, that they may plead that promise, "If two of you shall agree
on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done
for them of My Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 18:19). That
agreement is far more than verbal or even mental: it is a spiritual
one. The Greek word is sumphoneo, and literally signifies "to sound
together." It is a musical term, as when two different notes or
instruments make a harmonious sound. Thus, there must be oneness of
heart, unity of spirit, concord of soul, in order for two Christians
to "agree" before the throne of grace, for their joint petitions to be
harmonious and melodious unto the Lord. It is music in the ear of
their Father when the spiritual chords of a Christian husband and a
Christian wife vibrate in unison at the family altar. But that can
only obtain as they singly and mutually conduct themselves as "heirs
together of the grace of life," their home life being ordered by the
Word of God, everything in it done for His glory: the wife acting
toward her husband as the Church is required to do as the Lamb's Wife,
the husband treating her as Christ loves and cherishes His Church.
Contrariwise, if the wife rebels against the position which God has
assigned her and refuses to own her husband as her head and lord,
yielding obedience to him in everything which is not contrary to the
Divine statutes, then friction and strife will soon obtain, for a
godly husband must not yield to the compromising plea of "peace at any
price." Equally so, if the husband takes unlawful advantage of his
headship and he tyrannical, then, though the wife bear it meekly, her
spirit is crushed, and love is chilled. If he treat her more like a
servant or slave than a wife, the Spirit will be grieved, and he will
be made to smart. If he be selfishly forgetful of her infirmities,
especially those involved in childbearing, if he be not increasingly
diligent in seeking to lighten her load and brighten her lot as the
family grows, if he exercises little concern and care for her health
and comfort, then she will feel and grieve over such callousness, and
harmony of spirit will be gone. In such a case, their prayers will be
"hindered," or, as the Greek word signifies, "cut off" --the very
opposite of "agree" in Matthew 18:19! By domestic discord the heart is
discomposed for supplication, and thus God's best is missed.
From the second and third chapters of the Revelation we learn that the
Lord treats with local churches on the same principles as He does with
individuals: that they too enter into or miss His best according to
their own wisdom or folly. Thus, to the pastor of the Ephesian
assembly, He declared, "I have against thee, because thou hast left
thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and
repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly,
and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent"
(2:4, 5)--how many such a "candlestick" has thus been removed! To the
careless and compromising ones at Pergamos, who then suffered in their
midst those who held doctrine which He hated, the Lord solemnly
threatened, "Repent or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will
fight against thee with the sword of My mouth" (2:14, 15)--those
churches which are slack in maintaining holy discipline invite Divine
judgment. While to the boastful and worldly Laodiceans the Lord
declared, "I will spue thee out of My mouth" (3:16)--I will no longer
own thee as My witness.
Writing on the need of members of a local church having "the same care
of one another" (1 Cor. 12:25) and pointing out how that James 2:1-4,
supplies an example of a company of saints where the opposite practice
obtained, one wrote: "Instead of having the same care, when we make a
difference between him `with a gold ring and goodly apparel' and him
or her with vile or poor clothing, we are being `partial' ... Do not
be deceived with the thought that God does not behold such partiality:
He will not prosper that church, but the members of the whole body
will be made to suffer from this lack of the `same care for one
another'." And we would point out that this brief quotation is not
taken from any Arminian publication, but from a recent issue of a
magazine by the most hyper-Calvinist body we know of in the U.S.A.
What we would particularly direct attention to in it is that when such
a carnal church is "made to suffer" because of the pride and
selfishness of some of its officers or members, then it has missed
God's best. How many such churches are there in Christendom today!
"For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep" (1
Cor. 11:30). Here is a clear case in point where many Christians
missed God's best, and brought down upon themselves His temporal
judgments because of their own misconduct. "For this cause" refers to
their having eaten of the Lord's supper "unworthily" or unbecomingly
-- see verses 20 and 21. When numerous cases of sickness and death
occur in a Christian assembly, they are not to be regarded as a matter
of course, but made the subject of a searching examination before God
and a humbling inquiring of Him. God was not dealing with these
Corinthian saints in mere sovereignty, but in governmental
righteousness, disciplining them for a grave offence. He was
manifesting His displeasure at them because of their sins, afflicting
them with bodily sickness--which in many instances ended fatally--on
account of their irreverence and intemperance, as the "For this cause"
unmistakably shows. This too has been recorded for our instruction,
warning us to avoid sin in every form, and signifying that the
commission of it will expose us to the Divine displeasure even though
we be God's dear children. Here, too, we are shown that our entering
into or missing of God's best has a real influence upon the health of
our bodies!
That same passage goes on to inform us how we may avert such
disciplinary affliction! "For if we would judge ourselves we should
not be judged" (1 Cor. 11:31). There is a Divine judgment to which the
saints are amenable, a judgment pertaining to this life, which is
exercised by Christ as the Judge of His people (1 Pet. 4:17). To Him
each local church is accountable; unto Him each individual believer is
responsible for his thoughts, words and deeds. As such He walks in the
midst of the seven golden candlesticks" (Rev. 2:1). Nothing escapes
His notice, for "His eyes are as a flame of fire" and before Him all
things are naked and opened (2:18). Not that He is strict to impute
every iniquity, or rigorous to punish, for who then could stand before
Him? The Lord is in no haste to correct His redeemed, but is slow to
anger and loth to chasten. Nevertheless He is holy, and will maintain
the honour of His own house, and therefore does He call upon His
erring ones to repent under threat of judgment if they fail to do so.
Not that He ever imposes any penal inflictions for their sins, for He
personally suffered and atoned for them; but out of the love He bears
them He makes known how they may avoid His governmental corrections.
"If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged." There are some
of the Lord's people who, when they be overtaken in a fault, expect
immediate chastisement at His hands, and through fear of it their
knees are feeble and their hands hang down. But that is going to the
opposite extreme from careless indifference: both of which are
condemned by the above verse. It is a law of Christ's judgment that
"if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged." That is, if we
make conscience of having offended, and go directly to the Judge,
unsparingly condemning ourselves and contritely confessing the fault
to Him, He will pardon and pass it by. Though they be far from
parallel, yet we may illustrate by the case of Nineveh under the
preaching of Jonah. When the prophet announced "yet forty days and
Nineveh shall be overthrown" (Jonah 3:4), more was intended than was
expressed. He was not there proclaiming God's inexorable fiat, but was
sounding an alarum to operate as a means of moral awakening. That
"forty days" opened a door of hope for them, and was tantamount to
saying, Upon genuine repentance and true reformation of conduct, a
reprieve will be granted. That is no mere inference of ours, but a
fact clearly attested in the immediate sequel.
"So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put
on sackcloth" (verse 5); while the king published a decree to his
subjects: "Cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from
his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can
tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from His fierce anger,
that we perish not?" And we are told, "And God saw their works, that
they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil that He
had said 1-le would do unto them; and He did it not" (verses 5-10).
God's "repenting" here means that He altered in His bearing toward
them because their conduct had changed for the better, thereby
averting the judgment with which He had threatened them. Now if God
dealt thus with a heathen people upon their repentance and
reformation, how much more will Christ turn away the rod of
chastisement from His redeemed when they truly repent of their sins
and humble themselves before Him! For them there is no mere "who can
tell if God will turn and repent," but the definite and blessed
assurance that "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1
John 1:9).
"For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged." O what
tenderness and Divine longsufferance breathe in those words! That even
when we have erred, yea, sinned grievously, a way is opened for us
whereby we may escape the rod. Ah, but what Divine wisdom and
righteousness are also evinced by them! "If we would judge ourselves"
we should escape the disciplinary consequences of our sins. And why
so? Because the rod is no longer needed by us. Why not? Because in
such a case the desired effect has been wrought in us without the use
of it! What is God's design in chastisement? To bring the refractory
one to his senses, to make him realize he has erred and displeased the
Lord, to cause him to right what is wrong by repentance, confession,
and reformation. When those fruits are borne, then we have "heard the
rod" (Micah 6:9) and it has accomplished its intended work. Very well
then, if we truly, unsparingly, and contritely "judge" ourselves
before God for our sins, then the rod is not required. Having
condemned himself, turned back into the way of holiness, sought and
obtained cleansing from all unrighteousness, he is brought to the very
point--only more quickly and easily! --to which chastening would bring
him! "For if we would judge ourselves": those very words seem to imply
there is both a slowness and a reluctance in the saints so to do a
thought which is confirmed in the next verse. Alas, many of those who
have left their first love are in such a backslidden and sickly case
spiritually that they are incapable of judging themselves. Their
conscience has become so dull through the frequent excusing of what
they deemed trifling things, their walk is so careless, that they
offend their Judge and are virtually unaware of doing so. "Strangers
have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not; yea, grey hairs
[the mark of decline and decay] are here and there upon him, yet he
knoweth not" (Hos. 7:9). Since, then, they are not exercised over
their sins, the rod must awaken them; for their holy Lord will not
tolerate unconfessed sins in His own. But others, who have not
deteriorated to such a sad degree, are conscious of their faults, yet
nevertheless do not judge themselves for the same. Why? What causes
such reluctance to humble themselves before God? What, but accursed
pride! In such case, His mighty hand will bring them down, and hence
it follows:
"For when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should
not be condemned with the world" (verse 32). Such was the case with
the Corinthians. They sinned again and again in different ways, and
were unexercised. They were "carnal," and among them were envying and
strife, yet they judged not themselves. The Lord gave them space for
repentance, but they repented not, until, in the profanation of His
holy supper, He was obliged to act, visiting them with bodily sickness
and death. Thus, from the words, "when we are judged, we are chastened
of the Lord," the conclusion is inescapable: we have failed to condemn
ourselves. As it is a rule of Christ's kingdom that when His people
own their offences and turn from the same, He spares the rod; so it is
equally a rule in His kingdom that when they sin and confess it not,
but continue in the same, then He chastens them. And there is infinite
mercy in that, for it is that they "should not be condemned with the
world." His own wayward children are chastised here in this world, but
the ungodly will bear the full punishment of their sins for ever and
ever in Hell! Sin must be "condemned": either by us, or by the
righteous Judge--here, or hereafter. How much better to judge
ourselves and thereby escape His judgment!
Recovery of God's Best
We have considered various cases, both of individuals and corporate
companies, who missed God's best, and saw how ill it fared with them.
We pointed out how that if we judge ourselves for our sins we shall
escape God's chastening rod. We now turn to the question, Is it
possible for a Christian who has missed God's best to be recovered to
full communion with Him and restored to His providential smile?
Possible, yes; easy, no. Before we show how that possibility may be
realized, let us solemnly ponder what brought that poor soul into such
a sorry plight a plight into which both writer and reader will
certainly fall unless we are ever on our prayerful guard. The grand
but simple secret of a healthy and prosperous spiritual life is to
continue as we began (Col. 2:6): by daily trusting m the sufficiency
of Christ's blood and yielding ourselves to His lordship, seeking to
please and honor Him in all things. As the believer walks with Christ
in the path of obedience, following the example which He has left him,
peace will possess his soul and joy will fill his heart, and the smile
of God will be upon him. But unless he, by grace, fulfil those
conditions, such will not be his happy portion.
If the believer slackens in maintaining daily fellowship with Christ
and drawing from His fullness, if he fails to feed regularly on the
Word and becomes less frequent in his approaches to the throne of
grace, then the pulse of his spiritual life will beat more feebly and
irregularly. Unless he meditates oft on the love of God and keeps
fresh before his heart the humiliation and sufferings of Christ on his
behalf, his affections will soon cool, his relish for spiritual things
will wane, and obedience will neither be so easy nor so pleasant. If
such a spiritual decline be neglected or excused, it will not be long
ere indwelling sin gains the upper hand over his graces, and his heart
will more and more glide imperceptibly into carnality and worldliness.
Worldly pleasures, which previously repelled and were perceived to be
vanities, will begin to attract. Worldly pursuits, which had been only
a means, will become his end, absorbing more and more of his attention
and having a higher value in his eyes. Or worldly cares, which he had
cast upon the Lord, will now oppress and weigh him down. And unless
there be a humbling of himself before God (and His providence hinder),
he will soon be found in the ways of open transgression. Backsliding
begins in the heart!
The case of a backslider is much more serious than that of one who has
been "overtaken in a fault" (Gal. 6:1). For with him it is not a
matter of a sudden surprisal and a single stumble, but rather of a
steady deterioration and definite departure from the Lord. Nor is it,
in its early stages, manifested openly, and hence his brethren may be
quite unaware of it. A secret canker of unwatchfulness and coldness
has infected him: he has yielded to a spirit of laxity and
self-indulgence. When first aware of his decline, instead of being
alarmed, he ignored it; instead of weeping over it before God, he went
on in his carnality, until his graces became inoperative and all power
to resist the devil was gone. With such the Holy Spirit is grieved and
His quickening influences are withdrawn and His comforts are withheld.
There are indeed degrees of backsliding: with some it is partial, with
others total; yet while one remains in that case, it is impossible for
the saint to determine which; nor is there anything in Scripture which
gives a warrantable sense of security unto such a one, or which
countenances any man to be easy in his sins; but very much the
contrary.
Inexpressibly sad is the case of one who continues for a season in a
backslidden state. He has displeased God, dishonored Christ, in many
instances has become a stumbling-block to fellow Christians,
especially to younger ones. He has made himself miserable. He has
sinned and repented not; departed from God, and confessed it not.
Formerly he walked in happy fellowship with God, the light of His
countenance shone upon him, and that peace which passeth all
understanding possessed his soul. But now the joy of salvation is no
more his portion. He has lost his relish for the Word, and prayer has
become a burden. He is out of touch with God, for his iniquities have
separated him from Him (Isa. 59:2), and he can find no rest unto his
soul. He has been spoilt for the world and cannot now find even that
measure of satisfaction in carnal things which the ungodly do.
Wretched indeed is his plight. "The backslider in heart shall be
filled with his own ways (Prov. 14:14): it cannot be otherwise, for he
no longer has any delight in the ways of God. His own backslidings
reprove him, so that he is made to know and see what "an evil and
bitter thing it is to depart from the Lord his God" (Jer. 2:19), and
thereby miss His best.
Yet, pitiful though his case be, it is not hopeless, for the call goes
forth "Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord" (Jer 3:14).
Nevertheless, response thereto is not the simple matter that
lookers-on might suppose. It is very much easier to depart from God
than to return unto Him. Not that His terms of recovery are rigorous,
but because the soul is straitened. It is difficult for the backslider
to perceive the nature and seriousness of his condition, for sin has a
blinding and hardening effect, and the more he falls under the power
of it, the less does he discern the state he is in. Even when his eyes
begin to be opened again, there is an absence of real desire for
recovery, for sin has a paralyzing influence, so that its victims are
"at ease in Zion." Even David was insensible of his awful plight when
Nathan first approached him, and it was not until the prophet
pointedly declared "Thou art the man" that Satan's spell over him was
broken. There is therefore much to be thankful for when such are
awakened from their slumber and made to hear that word "Return, ye
backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings" (Jer. 3:22).
But even then the soul is reluctant to meet God's terms. If nothing
more were required than a lip acknowledgment of his offences and a
return to outward duties, no great difficulty would be experienced;
but to really fulfil the Divine conditions for restoration is a very
different matter. As John Owen affirmed, "Recovery from backsliding is
the hardest task in the Christian religion; one which few make either
comfortable or honorable work of." There has to be an asking, a
seeking, a knocking, if the door of deliverance is to be opened to
him. As John Brine (whose works were favorably reviewed in the Gospel
Standard) wrote to God's people two hundred years ago, "Much labour
and diligence are required unto this. It is not complaining of the
sickly condition of our souls which will effect this cure: confession
of our follies that have brought diseases upon us, though repeated
ever so often, will avail nothing toward the removal of them. If we
intend the recovery of our former health and vigor, we must act as
well as complain and groan." Let us now endeavour to point out how God
requires such a one to "act."
"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and
forsaketh them shall have mercy" (Prov. 28:13) epitomizes both sides
of the case. Sin is a disease of the soul, and (like a bodily one) by
concealing it, we make it increase and become desperate. As the
Puritan, Joseph Caryl, pointed out, "Sin increases two ways in the
concealment of it. First, in its guilt. The obligation to punishment
takes stronger hold upon the soul, and every man is bound the faster
with the chains of darkness by how much more he labours to keep his
sins in the dark. The longer a sin remains on the conscience
unpardoned, the more does the guilt of it increase. Second, in the
filth and contagion of it, in the strength and power of it. It grows
more master, and masterly, and at last raves and rages, commands and
carries all before it." To "cover" our sins is a refusal to bring them
out into the light by an honest confession of the same unto God; in
the case of our fellows, refusing to acknowledge our offences unto
those we have wronged. This reprehensible hiding of sin is an adding
of sin unto sin, and is a certain preventative of prosperity, and if
persisted in will cover the perpetrator with shame and confusion for
ever.
To "cover" sin is to hide it within our own bosoms, instead of openly
acknowledging it. Thus it was with Achan even when the tribes were
solemnly arraigned before Joshua and Eleazar, the high priest: he
solemnly maintained silence until his crime was publicly exposed. Some
seek to conceal their sins by framing excuses and attempting a
self-extenuation: they seek to throw the blame upon their
circumstances, their fellows, or Satan -- upon anything or anyone
except themselves! Others proceed to a still worse device, and seek to
cloak their sin by a lie, denying their guilt. As did Cain, for when
God made inquisition for blood and inquired of him "Where is Abel thy
brother?" he answered "I know not." So too Gehazi blankly denied his
wrong when charged by Elisha (2 Kings 5:25). In like manner acted
Ananias and Sapphira. Three things induce men to make coverings for
their sins. First, pride. Man has such high thoughts of himself that
when guilty of the basest things, he is too self-opinionated to own
them. Second, unbelief. Those who have not faith to believe that God
can and will cover confessed sins, vainly attempt to do so themselves.
Third, shame and fear cause many to hide their sins. Sin is such a
hideous monster they will not own it as theirs.
"But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." Confession
of sin is an indispensable part of repentance, and without repentance
there can be no remission (Acts 3:19). "I acknowledged my sin unto
Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said I will confess my
transgressions unto the Lord, and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my
sin" (Ps. 32:5) -- the pardon was upon his confession. Those who are
so convicted of their sins as to be humbled and sorrowed by a sight
and sense of them, will not hide them out of sight. Nor will their
confession be merely a formal one of the lips, but rather the sobbings
of a contrite heart. And instead of generalizing, there will be a
particularizing; instead of seeking to excuse or gloss over the
offence, it will be painted in its true colors and its aggravations
frankly owned. There will be an acknowledgment of the fact and of the
fault: an unsparing self-condemnation. The language of David in the
opening verses of Psalm 51 will be found most suited to his case. The
sin or sins will be confessed sincerely, contritely, fully, with a
self-abasement and self-loathing. The cry will be made "O Lord, pardon
mine iniquity font is great" (Ps. 25:11).
"And forsake them." To "forsake" our sins is a voluntary and
deliberate act. It signifies to hate and abandon them in our
affections, to repudiate them by our wills, to refuse to dwell upon
them in our minds and imaginations with any pleasure or satisfaction.
It necessarily implies that we renounce them, and are resolved by
God's grace to make the utmost endeavour to avoid any repetition of
them. "We must keep at a distance from those persons and snares which
have drawn us into instances of folly, which have occasioned that
disorder which is the matter of our complaint. Without this we may
multiply acknowledgments and expressions of concern for our past
miscarriages to no purpose at all. It is very great folly to think of
regaining our former strength so long as we embrace and dally with
those objects through whose evil influence we have fallen into a
spiritual decline. It is not our bewailing the pernicious effects of
sin that will prevent its baleful influence upon us for time to come,
except we are determined to forsake that to which is owing our
melancholy disease" (John Brine). There must be a complete break from
all that poisons the soul.
But suppose the saint does not promptly thus confess and forsake his
sins, then what? Why, in such a case, he will "not prosper": there
will be no further growth in grace, nor will the providential smile of
God be upon him. `[he Holy Spirit is grieved, and will suspend His
gracious operations within his soul, and henceforth his "way" will be
made "hard." Such was the experience of David: "When I kept silence,
my bones [a figure of the supports of the soul] waxed old through my
roaring all the day long. For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon
me: my moisture [or vigor or freshness] is turned into the drought of
summer" (Ps. 32:3, 4). Sin is a pestilential thing which saps our
spiritual vitality. Though David was silent as to confession, he was
not so as to sorrow. God's hand smote him so that he was made to groan
under His chastening rod. Nor did he obtain any relief until he
humbled himself before God by confessing and forsaking his sins. Not
that there is anything meritorious in such acts which entitles their
performer to mercy, but this is the holy order which God has
established. He will not connive at our sins, but withholds His mercy
until we take sides with Him in the hatred of them.
"If My people which are called by My name shall humble themselves, and
pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I
hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land"
(2 Chron. 7:24). This passage shows us, first, that God sends temporal
judgments upon His people because of their sins. Second, it makes
known what they are to do when His rod is upon them. Third, it
contains a precious promise for faith to lay hold of. Let us carefully
note what was required from them. First, "If My people shall humble
themselves," which is similar to the "judge ourselves" in 1
Corinthians 11:31, but here when chastisement is upon them. Leviticus
26:41, casts light upon it: "if . . . they accept the punishment of
their iniquity," which is the opposite of asking, What have I done to
occasion this? "After all that is come upon us for our evil deeds and
for our great trespass, seeing that Thou our God hast punished us less
than our iniquities deserve" (Ezra 9:13) illustrates. David "humbled"
himself when he owned, "I know, O Lord, that Thy judgments are right
and that Thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me" (Ps. 119:75). He took
sides with God against himself, and acknowledge his unrighteousness.
Until the stricken one has humbled himself it is vain to think of
proceeding farther, for pride and impenitence bar any approaches unto
the Holy One. But "if" we have duly "humbled" ourselves, second, "and
pray." Only as we take our place in the dust before Him can we truly
do so. And for what will such a one make request? Surely for a deeper
sense of God's holiness and of his own vileness: for a broken and
contrite heart. Accompanying his "humbling" and as an expression
thereof, there will be the penitent confession, and that will be
followed by a begging for faith in God's mercy and a hope of cleansing
and restoration. Third, "and seek My face," which goes farther than
"and pray": expressing diligence, definiteness, and fervour. The
omniscient One cannot be imposed upon by mere lip-service, but
requires the heart. There has to be a face-to-face meeting with the
One we have displeased: He will not gloss over our sins; nor must we.
Hosea 14:2, 3, should be made use of, for the Lord has there made
known the very words which we may appropriately use on such occasions.
Fourth, "and turn from their wicked ways" (which had brought judgment
upon them) has the same force as "forsake" our sins in Proverbs 28:13.
"Then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will
heal their land." Here is the gracious promise. But mark well its
opening "Then": only when we have fully met its conditions. We have no
warrant to look for its fulfillment until its qualifying terms are
observed by us. Note, too, its blessed scope: a hearing from God is
obtained, His forgiveness is assured, and His healing is available for
faith to claim. Say, Lord I have by Thy grace, and to the best of my
poor ability humbled myself, sought Thy face, and renounced my wicked
ways; now do as Thou hast said: "heal my land" -- whether it be my
body, my loved one, or my estate. Remove Thy rod, and let Thy
providential smile come upon me again. Make a believing use of and
plead before God the promises of Hosea 14:4-8! "According unto your
faith be it unto you" (Matt. 9:29) is most pertinent at this point.
God is pledged to honour faith, and never does He fail those who trust
Him fully; no, not when they count upon Him to work a miracle for
them, as this writer can humbly but thankfully testify. How many
Christians live below their privileges!
"Jehovah-rophi" ("the Lord that healeth thee": Ex. 15:26) is as truly
one of the Divine titles as "Jehovah-tsidkneu" ("the Lord our
righteousness": Jer. 23:5), yet how very few of His own people count
upon Him as such; but instead, act like worldlings in such a crisis
and put their confidence in human physicians. Is it possible for one
who through long-continued self-indulgence has missed God's best and
brought down upon himself and family temporal adversity, to be fully
recovered and restored to His favour? Who can doubt it in the light of
this precious, but little-known promise, "I will restore to you the
years the locusts hath eaten" (Joel 2:25)! Is not the One with whom we
have to do "the God of all grace" (1 Peter 5:10);then who is justified
in placing any limitation thereon! Yet, let it not be overlooked that
Divine grace ever works "through righteousness" (Rom. 5:21) and never
at the expense of it, as it would if God were to make light of sin and
condone our transgressions. And let it also be carefully borne in mind
that the Divine promises are addressed to faith, and must be
personally appropriated by us in childlike confidence if we are to
enjoy the good of them. "All things are possible to him that
believeth" (Mark 9:23).
Let the reader turn to the prophet Joel and ponder the whole of
chapter 1 and the first eleven verses of 2. Israel had sinned
grievously and repeatedly, and the Lord had smitten them severely. But
at 2:12, we read, "Therefore [in view of these chastisements,
particularly the plague of locusts] also now, saith the Lord, turn ye
to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and
with mourning. And rend your heart and not your garments, and turn
unto the Lord your God: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to
anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth Himself of the evil."
Then, because in this instance the whole nation was involved, the Lord
gave orders for them to "Sanctify a fast" and to "call a solemn
assembly," bidding "the ministers of the Lord weep before the porch
and the altar, and let them say, Spare Thy people, O Lord, and give
not Thine heritage to reproach"; assuring them "Then will the Lord be
jealous for His land, and pity His people," promising "I will send you
corn and wine and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith . . . I
will remove the northern army [His scourge] . . . Fear not O land, be
glad and rejoice for the Lord will do great things" (2:15, 21).
Then follow those blessed words, "Be glad then, ye children of Zion,
and rejoice in the Lord your God . . . I will restore to you the years
that the locusts hath eaten. Upon their compliance with those
aforementioned requirements of God, that promise was left for faith to
lay hold of and for hope to count upon. And think you, my reader, that
the promise was placed on record only for the benefit of those who
lived thousands of years ago? Surely, we have good reason to say, as
the apostle did in another connection, "It was not written for his
sake alone . . . but for us also" (Rom. 4:23,24). Yes, nevertheless,
it avails us nothing unless faith lays hold of and makes it our own.
Once more we quote that declaration "according to your faith be it
unto you, reverently reminding the Calvinistic reader that those are
not the words of James Arminius, but of God the Son. If ever there is
one time more than another when we have need to cry "Lord, increase
our faith" it is when we are pleading 1 John 1:9, and more especially
when looking to God for a full restoration to His best and counting
upon His fulfilling Joel 2:25, unto us.
Objections
Many other passages might be quoted, both from Old and New Testaments,
which illustrate the principle and fact which we have demonstrated,
wherein we have shown that if we conduct ourselves contrary to the
revealed will of God we shall certainly suffer for it both in soul and
in body, that if we follow a course of self-pleasing we shall deprive
ourselves of those spiritual and temporal blessings which the Word of
God promises to those whose lives are ordered by its precepts. The
teaching of Holy Writ is too clear to admit of any doubt that it makes
a very real and marked difference whether a Christian's ways please or
displease the righteous Ruler of this world: the difference of whether
God be for him or against him--not in the absolute sense, but in His
governmental and providential dealings. Sufficient should have been
adduced to convince any candid mind that God acts towards His saints
today on precisely the same basis as He did with them under the old
economy, that His ways with them are regulated by the same principles
now as then. This supplies a solution to many a problem and explains
not a little in God's dealings with us--as it furnishes the key to
Jacob's chequered life, and shows why the chastening rod of God fell
so heavily upon David and his family.
Nevertheless much of what has been presented is no doubt new and
strange to many, if not to most of our readers. Alas, that it should
be so, for what can be of greater practical importance than for the
Christian to be instructed in how to please God and have His
providential smile upon his life? What is more needed today than to
warn him against the contrary, specifying what will forfeit the same;
and to make known the way of recovery to one who has missed God's
best? How very much better for preachers to devote themselves unto
such subjects, rather than culling sensational items from the
newspapers or the radio to "illustrate" their vain speculations upon
Prophecy. So too, how much more profitable than for them to deliver
abstract disquisitions upon what are termed "the doctrines of grace,"
or uttering contentious declamations against those who repudiate the
same. The practical side of the truth is sadly neglected today, and in
consequence not only are many of God's dear children living far below
their privileges, but they have never been taught what those
privileges are, nor what is required in order for them to enjoy them
in this life.
Since the ground we have been covering is so unfamiliar to many, we
felt it would not be satisfactory for us to end here. Though what we
have advanced is so clearly and fully based upon and confirmed by the
teaching of God's Word, yet probably various questions have arisen in
the minds of different readers to which they would welcome an answer,
difficulties raised in their thoughts which they would like to have
removed. It is only right that we should squarely face the principal
objections which are likely to be made against what we have said. Yet,
let it be pointed out, first, that no objection brought against
anything which is clearly established from the Word can possibly
invalidate it, for Scripture never contradicts itself. And second,
that our inability to furnish a satisfactory solution is no proof that
our teaching is erroneous--a child can ask questions which no adult
can answer. In all the ways and works of God there is, to us, an
element of mystery: necessarily so, for the finite cannot comprehend
the infinite. The wisest among God's saints and servants now see
through a glass darkly and know but "in part," and therefore it is
their wisdom to pray daily "that which I see not, teach Thou me" (Job
34:32).
Yet, while acknowledging that there is an element of mystery, profound
and impenetrable, that is far from saying that God has left His people
in darkness, or that they have neither the capacity nor the means of
knowing scarcely anything about the principles which regulate the Most
High in His dealings with the children of men. If, on the one hand, it
be true that His judgments "are a great deep" (Ps. 36:6), that "Thy
way is in the sea, and Thy path in the great waters, and Thy footsteps
are not known" (Ps. 77:19) to carnal reason; an the other hand, we are
told "He discovereth deep things out of darkness" (Job 12:22) and "He
revealeth the deep and secret things" (Dan. 2:22). While it be true
that God's judgments are unsearchable and His ways `past finding out"
(Rom. 11:33) by human wisdom; yet it is also true, blessedly true,
that "in Thy light shall we see light" (Ps. 36:9), that "He made known
His ways unto Moses" (Ps. 103:7). In His Word the Lord has been
pleased to make known unto us not a little, and it is our privilege
and duty to thankfully receive all the light which God has therein
vouchsafed us; to attempt to go beyond it, to enter into speculation,
is not only useless, but impious.
1. How is it possible for any person to "miss God's best," since He
has foreordained everything that comes to pass (Rom. 11:36), and
therefore has eternally appointed the precise lot and portion of each
individual? That, we think, is a fair and frank way of stating the
principal objection which Calvinists are likely to make. Our first
reply is, Such an objection is quite beside the point, for in these
articles we are not discussing any aspect of God's sovereignty, but
rather are treating of that which concerns human responsibility. If
the rejoinder be made, But human responsibility must not be allowed to
crowd out the essential and basic fact of God's sovereignty, that is
readily granted; nor, on the other hand, must our adherence to God's
sovereignty be suffered to neutralize or render nugatory the important
truth of man's responsibility. One part of the Truth must never be
used to nullify another part of it: both Romans 11:36, and Galatians
6:7, must be given their due places. When we attempt to philosophize
about God's sovereignty and human accountability we are out of our
depth. They are to be received by faith, and not reasoned about. Each
of them is plainly taught and enforced in the Scriptures, and both
must be held fast by us, whether or no we perceive their
"consistency."
Nothing is easier than to raise difficulties and objections. If some
of the "hypers" prefer reasoning to the actings of faith, let us meet
them on their own ground for a moment and give them some questions to
exercise their minds upon. "Then said David, Will the men of Keilah
deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?" (1 Sam. 23:12). It is
unmistakably evident from the sequel that God had ordained David
should escape; yet He answered, "They will deliver thee up. Query: How
could they, since God had decreed otherwise! "Thou shouldest have
smitten five or six times, then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou
hadst consumed it; whereas thou shalt smite Syria but thrice" (2 Kings
13:9). Query: what possible difference to the issue could be made by
the number of times the king smote upon the ground? If God had
predestinated that Syria should be "consumed," could any failure in
the faith of Joash prevent or even modify it? On the other hand, do
not those words of Elisha plainly signify that the extent to which
Israel would vanquish Syria turned upon the measure of the king's
appropriation of the promise "for thou shalt smite the Syrians in
Aphec till thou hast consumed them"? Which horn of the dilemma does
the reasoner prefer?
Again, when the wicked Haman induced Ahasueras to seal the decree
written in his name, that all the Jews scattered abroad throughout his
kingdom should be slain on a certain day, Mordecai was grief-stricken
by the terrible news. Esther sent one of the royal chamberlains to
ascertain the cause of his sorrow. Whereupon her uncle handed the
messenger a copy of the decree to show unto Esther, with the charge
that "she should go in unto the king to make supplications unto him"
(4:8). Esther sent back the messenger to Mordecai to say, `Whosoever,
whether man or woman, shall go unto the king in the inner court who is
not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such
to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live:
but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty
days." To which Mordecai replied, "If thou holdest thy peace at this
time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews
from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be
destroyed" (verse 14). Query: if God had eternally purposed that the
Jews should be delivered through the intervention of Esther, how could
it possibly come "from another place" and she and her family be
destroyed!
If our minds be dominated by our outlook upon life, narrowed down to a
consideration of the inexorableness of the Divine determinations, then
a spirit of irresponsibility will necessarily ensue. It is with the
revealed and not with the secret will of God we need to be concerned.
"The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things
which are revealed [in His Word] belong unto us and to our children
for ever, that we may do all the words of this Law" (Deut. 29:29). It
is the Divine precepts and promises which are to engage our attention.
"According unto your faith be it unto you" (Matt. 9:29) said Christ,
not "according unto the Divine decrees." Are we intimating that faith
can set aside the Divine decrees or obtain something superior to them?
Certainly not: instead, we are pointing out where the great Teacher
placed His emphasis. We must not resolve all of God's dealings with us
into bare sovereignty: to do so is to lose sight of His righteousness.
The unbalanced teaching of hyper-Calvinism has produced a most
dangerous lethargy -- unperceived by them, but apparent to "lookers
on." Those who dwell unduly upon the Divine decrees are in peril of
lapsing into the paralysis of fatalism. There were times when even Mr.
Philpot felt that, as the following quotations from his writings will
show:
"However sovereign the dispensations of God are, no one who fears His
great name should so shelter himself under Divine sovereignty as to
remove all blame from himself. When the Lord asks `hast thou not
procured this to thyself?' the soul must needs reply, Yea, Lord, I
surely have. This is a narrow line, but one which everyone's
experience, where the conscience is tender, will surely ratify. Though
we can do nothing to comfort our own souls, to speak peace to our own
conscience, to bring the love of God into our hearts, to apply the
balm of Gilead to bleeding wounds, and summon the great Physician to
our bedside, we may do many things to repel this moment what we would
seem to invite the next . . . We cannot make ourselves fruitful in
every good word and work, but we may by disobedience and
self-indulgence bring leanness into our souls, barrenness into our
frames, deadness into our hearts, and in the end much guilt upon our
consciences" (Sermon on Jer. 8:22). The same writer when exposing the
error of nonchastisement said, "It nullifies the eternal distinction
between good and evil, and makes it a matter of little real moment
whether a believer walk in obedience or disobedience." Then let those
who have succeeded him devote more of their endeavors into pressing
God's precepts upon His people, and stressing the necessity,
importance, and value of an obedient walk; and in faithfully showing
the serious losses incurred by disobedience.
2. To affirm that our having God's blessing upon us is the consequence
of the Christian's pleasing of Him, may appear unto some as derogatory
unto Christ, as militating against His merits. They will ask, Does not
the believer owe every blessing to the alone worthiness of his Surety?
Answer: that is to confound things which differ. We must distinguish
between God's sovereign will as the originating cause, the work of
Christ as the meritorious cause, the operation and application of the
Spirit as the efficient cause, and the repentance, faith and obedience
of the Christian as the instrumental cause. Keep each of those in its
order and place and there will be no confusion. If that be too
abstruse, let us put it this way. Is not Christ most glorified by them
when His redeemed follow the example which He has left them and walk
as He also walked (1 John 2:6)? If so, will not the governmental smile
of God be upon such? Conversely, would God be honoring His beloved Son
if His providences were favorable unto those who act in self-will,
rather than in subjection to their Master? Further, if God's present
rewarding of our obedience impugn the merits of Christ, then equally
so will the future rewarding He has promised, for neither time nor
place can make any difference in the essential nature of things.
It is so easy for us to mar the fair proportions of Truth and destroy
its perfect symmetry. In our zeal, there is ever the tendency to take
one aspect of Truth and press it so far as to cancel out another. Not
only so in causing God's sovereignty to oust human responsibility, but
to make the merits of Christ bar God from exercising His perfections
in the present government of this world. Some have gone so far as to
blankly deny that God ever uses the rod upon His children, arguing
that Christ bore and took away all their sins, and therefore God could
not chasten them for their transgressions without sullying the
sufficiency of His Son's atonement, thereby repudiating Psalm
89:30-32; Hebrews 12:5-11. Here too we must distinguish between things
that differ. It is important for us to see that while the penal and
eternal consequences of the believer's sins have been remitted by God,
because atoned for by Christ, yet the disciplinary and temporal
effects thereof are not cancelled--otherwise he would never be sick or
die. God never chastens His people penally or vindictively, but in
love, in righteousness, in mercy, according to the principles of His
government: rewarding them for their obedience, chastening for their
disobedience, and thereby and therein Christ is honored and not
dishonored.
3. Since all God's actings unto His people proceed from His uncaused,
amazing, and super-abounding grace, how can it be maintained that He
regulates His dealings with them according to their conduct? Easily,
for there is nothing incompatible between the two things: they are
complementary and not contradictory. As all the perfections of God are
not to be swallowed up in His sovereignty, neither are they all to be
merged into His grace. God is holy as well as benignant, and His
favors are never bestowed in disregard of His purity. Divine grace
never sets aside the requirements of Divine righteousness. When one
has been truly saved by grace, he is taught to deny ungodliness and
worldly lusts, and if he fails to do so, then the rod of God falls
upon him. David was as truly saved by grace through faith, apart from
any good works, as was the apostle Paul; but he was also required to
be "holy in all manner of conversation" as are the New Testament
saints; and when he failed to be so, severe chastening was his
portion. And it was grace, though holy and righteous grace, which
dealt thus with him, that he "should not be condemned with the world"
(1 Cor. 11:32).
The Christian needs to be viewed not only as one of God's elect--one
of His high favorites, and not only as a member of the Father's
family, and as such amenable to His paternal discipline, but also as a
human being, a moral agent, a subject of God's government, and
therefore is he dealt with accordingly by the Ruler of this world. As
such, God has appointed an inseparable connection between conduct and
the consequences it entails, and therefore is He pleased to manifest,
by His providences, His approbation or His disapprobation of our
conduct. It is not that the one who walks in the paths of
righteousness thereby brings God into his debt, but that He
condescends to act toward us according to the principle of gracious
reciprocity. No creature can possibly merit aught good at the hands of
God, for if he rendered perfect and perpetual obedience, he has merely
performed his duty, and hath profited God--essentially
considered--nothing whatever. Moreover, the recompense itself is a
free gift, an act of pure grace, for God is under no compulsion or
obligation to bestow it.
4. When pointing out in connection with "He did not many mighty works
there because of their unbelief" (Matt. 13:28) that "Unbelief is the
great obstacle to Christ's favors" (Matthew Henry), that they closed
the door upon His deeds of mercy, it may be thought by some that we
are approving the horrible impiety that the creature has the power to
thwart the Creator. And when we emphatically deny any such idea,
objectors are likely to ask, But how can you escape such a
consequence? Easily: faith is God's own prescribed ordinance, and
therefore He is in no wise checkmated when He refuses to act contrary
to His own appointed way. Obviously, He is by no means obliged to set
a premium on unbelief or countenance contempt of His means. Mark 6
expresses it more strongly: "He could there do no mighty works," etc.
(verse 5). When it is said God "cannot lie" and "cannot be tempted
with evil "so far from signifying any limitation of His power, the
perfection of His holiness is intimated. So with Christ. Among a
people who were "offended in Him" because they regarded Him as "the
carpenter," no moral end had been furthered by His dazzling their eyes
with prodigies of His might, and therefore He cast not His pearls
before swine.
5. Another class of readers, viz., those who have imbibed the poison
of "dispensationalism" will complain that our teaching in these
discourses is legalistic, confounding the old and new covenants, that
God's dealings with Jacob, David, and the nation of Israel furnish no
parallel with His conduct toward us in this era. But that is a serious
mistake. There is far more of essential oneness between the
administration of those two economies than there was incidental
divergencies, as Calvin long ago demonstrated in his Institutes--see
his chapters upon "The Similarity of the Old and New Testaments" and
"The Difference of the two Testaments." The principal difference
between the Mosaic and Christian dispensations was neither in "the way
of salvation," the spiritual portion of God's children, nor the
principles of His government; but rather that spiritual things were
presented to their view largely under types and shadows, whereas we
have the substance itself openly set before us. Beneath all the
trivial contrasts there is a fundamental unity between them, and it
betrays a very superficial mind which delights in magnifying those
contrasts, while ignoring or denying their basic oneness. But, as we
have shown, the New Testament teaching on our present subject is
identical with that of the Old, "Knowing that whatsoever good thing
any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord" (Eph. 6:8) is
both an echo and summary of the Law and the Prophets.
The underlying unity of the two Testaments is plainly intimated in
that Divine declaration "whatsoever was written aforetime was written
for our learning" (Rom. 15:4). But what could we "learn" from God's
dealings with His people of old if He be now acting according to
radically different principles? Nothing at all. Nay, in such a case it
would follow that the less we read the Old Testament the better for
us, for we should only be confused. The fact is that the principles of
God's government are like Himself--immutable, the same in every age.
"Righteousness and judgment" (Ps. 97:2) are just as truly the
"habitation of His throne" today as when He cast out of heaven the
apostate angels, and as when He destroyed the antediluvians--which was
long before Moses! That God now deals with Christians on precisely the
same basis as He did with the children of Israel, is unequivocally
established by 1 Corinthians 10:6, where, after describing the
privileges they had enjoyed and God's overthrowing them in the
wilderness because of their unbelief, we are told "Now these things
were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things,
as they also lusted": that is, they are real and solemn warnings for
us to take to heart, specimens of those judgments which will befall us
if we emulate their sinful conduct.
Nay, Scripture requires us to go yet farther. So far from the higher
blessings of this Christian era lessening our responsibility, they
much increase them. The greater our privileges, the greater our
obligations. "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much
required" (Luke 12:48), as the one who received five talents was
required to yield more than those who received but one or two. "He
that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three
witnesses, of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be
thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God!" (Heb.
10:28, 29) The principle of that verse clearly signifies that the more
light we have been favored with the deeper are our obligations, and
the greater the guilt incurred when those obligations are not met.
"But there is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared" (Ps.
130:4). Yes, "feared" and not trifled with, by giving free rein to our
lusts. A true apprehension of Divine mercy will not embolden unto sin,
but will deepen our hatred of it, and make us more diligent in
striving against it. Those who "know the grace of God in truth" (Col.
1:6)--in contrast with the ones who have merely a theoretical
knowledge of it -- so far from being careless of their ways and
indifferent to the consequences, will be most diligent in endeavoring
to please and glorify Him who has been so good to them.
6. Some are likely to complain that our teaching is too idealistic and
impracticable, that we have presented an unattainable standard,
arguing that in our present condition it is impossible to enjoy God's
best if that be dependent upon our daily life being well-pleasing unto
Him. We shall be reminded that only one Perfect Man has trod this
earth, and that while the flesh indwells the Christian, failures and
falls are inevitable. Nor should we be surprised at fault being found
with that which rebukes the low level of Christian experience in this
decadent age: those that are at ease in Zion do not welcome anything
which searches the conscience and is calculated to arouse them from
their deplorable apathy. But the One with whom each of us has to do
declares, "Be ye holy, for I am holy" (1 Pet. 1:16), and therefore
does He bid us "Awake to righteousness, and sin not" (1 Cor. 15:34),
"Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh
unto the lusts thereof" (Rom. 13:14), "He that saith he abideth in
Him, ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked" (1 John 2:6).
But we have not said that our enjoyment of God's smile is dependent
upon our actually measuring up to that standard, though nothing short
of it must be our constant aim and earnest endeavour. There is a great
difference between a relative falling short of that standard and a
life of defeat, between daily trespasses and being the slave of some
dominant lust. Had we said that one must lead a sinless life in order
to enter into God's best, the above complaint had been pertinent. But
we have not. If the heart be true to God, if it be our sincere desire
and diligent effort to please the Lord in all things, then His
approbation and blessing will certainly be upon us. And if such really
be our intention and striving, then it will necessarily follow that we
shall mourn over our conscious failures in missing that mark and will
promptly and contritely confess the same--it is by that we may test
and prove the genuineness of our sincerity. It is not the sins of a
Christian, but his unconfessed sins, which choke the channel of
blessing and cause so many to miss God's best.
What has just been stated is clearly established by "he that covereth
his sins shall not prosper" (Prov. 28:13). It is always an inexcusable
and grievous thing for a saint to commit any sin, yet it is far worse
to refuse to acknowledge the same: that is to "add sin to sin" (Isa.
30:1); yea, it evinces a spirit of defiance. So far from such a one
prospering, he closes the door against God's favors (Jer. 5:24). As
the hiding of a disease prevents any cure, so to stifle convictions,
seek to banish them from the mind, and then try and persuade ourselves
that all is well, only makes bad matters worse. None but the penitent
confessor can be pardoned (Ps. 32:5; 1 John 1:9). In the great
majority of cases the chief reason why believers miss God's best is
because they fail to keep short accounts with Him. They do not make
conscience of what the world regards as innocent blemishes and which
empty professors excuse as "trifling faults." And the result is that
the conscience becomes comatose, laxity is encouraged, the Holy Spirit
is grieved, Satan gains increasing power over him, and his unrepented
sins hide God's face from him (Isa. 59:2).
7. It may be inquired, How do you harmonize your teaching that God's
frown is upon His people while they follow a course of self-will and
self-gratification, when it is written "He hath not dealt with us
after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities" (Ps.
103:10)? Answer: there is nothing to harmonize, for the two things in
no wise conflict. That Scripture is not speaking of God's present
governmental dealings, but of what took place at conversion, when the
penal consequences of all our sins were remitted. That is clear from
what immediately follows, for after extolling the exalted character of
God's mercy, the Psalmist declared "As far as the east is from the
west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us" (verses 11,
12). God hath not dealt with the one who savingly believes the Gospel
"after his sins," because He laid them upon his Surety and dealt with
Him accordingly; and being infinitely just, the Divine Judge will not
exact payment twice. Therefore, instead of rewarding him according to
his iniquities he recompenses him according to the merits of his
Redeemer.
If that were not the meaning of Psalm 103:10, we should make the
Scriptures contradict themselves--an evil against which we need ever
to be upon our guard. Psalm 89:30-32, shows that God does deal with
His disobedient children according to their sins--in a disciplinary
way, in this life--expressly declaring that "then will I visit their
transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes." And yet
there is a very real and blessed sense in which the principle of the
former passage applies here too. For, first, God is not severe and
rigorous in marking every offence: if our love be warm and the general
course of our conduct pleases Him, He passes by our non-willful sins.
And, second, God does not chasten immediately when we offend Him, but
graciously grants us space for repentance, that the rod may be
withheld. Third, He does not chasten us fully, according to our
deserts, but tempers His righteousness with mercy. Even when plying
the rod upon us "His compassions fail not," and therefore "we are not
consumed" (Lam. 3:22). God dealt so with His people under the old
economy: Ezra 9:13;Psalm 130:3!
8. Notwithstanding what has just been pointed out, the objection is
likely to be made: Such teaching as yours is calculated to afford very
"cold consolation" to some of God's afflicted people; you are acting
only as a "Job's conforter" to them. Nor is such a demur to be
wondered at in a day when the claimant cry of an apostate Christendom
is "Speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits" (Isa. 30:10).
Though that be the language of the unregenerate, yet when Christians
are in more or less of a backslidden condition, only too often that
becomes the desire of their hearts also; and when the rod of God be
upon them they crave pity and sympathy rather than love's
faithfulness. What such souls most need is help, real help and not
maudlin sentimentality. To give soothing syrup to one needing a bitter
purgative is not an act of kindness. The chastened one requires to be
reminded that God "does not afflict willingly," then urged to "search
and try his ways and turn again to the Lord" (Lam. 3:40), and assured
that upon true confession he will be forgiven.
9. But it may be objected, Did not David deeply repent of, contritely
confess, and sincerely forsake his sins in the matter of Bathsheba and
Uriah, yet God's rod was not removed from him and his family! That is,
admittedly a more difficult question to answer. Nor should we look to
the absolute sovereignty of God for its solution, for rather would
that be cutting the knot instead of endeavoring to untie it. It should
be evident to all that David's was no ordinary case, and that his sins
were such as the Mosaic law called for capital punishment. Moreover,
his iniquities were greatly aggravated by virtue of the position which
he occupied: as a prophet, the sweet Psalmist of Israel, their king.
Crimes committed by those in high civic or ministerial office are far
more heinous and involve graver consequences than do those same crimes
when committed by private persons. Therefore, though the Lord "forgave
the iniquity of his sin" (Ps. 32:5), yet He declared "The sword shall
never depart from thine house" (2 Sam. 12:10). The guilt and penal
effects were remitted, but the governmental consequences remained.
"Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the
enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also born unto thee shall
surely die" (2 Sam. 12:14). And though he "besought God for the child,
and fasted, and lay all night upon the earth," it was in vain; the sin
of the father was visited upon the son, to show that God was "no
respecter of persons" even where a monarch, and one beloved by
Himself, was involved. And "the sword" never did depart from his
house, for one after another of his sons met with a violent end. Such
transgressions of Israel's king received no ordinary chastisements
from God, to show that He would not countenance such actions, but
vindicate His honour by manifesting His abhorrence of them. Thus, the
governmental consequences of David's sins not being remitted upon his
repentant confession is to be accounted for on the ground of his
public character. Another example or illustration of the same
principle is found in the case of Moses and Aaron, who because of
their unbelief at Meribah, being Israel's leaders, were debarred from
entering Canaan (Num. 20:12, 24).
10. As our readers have pondered the foregoing thoughts, it is
probable that not a few have reverted in their minds to the
experiences of Job, and wondered how it is possible to square with
them the substance of what we have been writing. Obviously it is quite
outside our present scope to enter upon anything like a full
discussion of the book which describes the severe trials of that holy
patriarch. Four brief statements must here suffice. First, that book
presents to our notice something which is extraordinary and quite
unique, as well as profoundly mysterious, namely, the position which
Satan there occupies and his challenge of the Lord (Job 1:6-12).
Second, it is therefore unwarrantable for us to appeal to the
experiences of Job in this connection, for his case was entirely
unprecedented. That which was there involved was not any controversy
which God had with Job, but rather His contest with Satan in
evidencing him to be a liar, disproving his charge that Job served God
only for the benefit which he derived from Hun for the same.
Satan's attack was not upon the patriarch, but was aimed at the Lord
Himself, being tantamount to saying, Thou art incapable of winning the
confidence and love of man by what Thou art in Thyself: deal roughly
and adversely with him, and Thou wilt find that so far from him
delighting in Thee and remaining loyal to Thee, he "will curse Thee to
Thy face." Thus the excellency of the Divine character was thereby
impugned and His honour challenged. The Lord condescended to accept
Satan's challenge, and in the sequel demonstrate the emptiness of it
by delivering His servant Job into His enemy's hand and permitting him
to afflict him severely in his estate, his family, and in his own
person. The central theme and purpose of the book of Job is not only
missed, but utterly perverted, if we regard its contents as a
description of God's chastening of Job for his sins (or
"self-righteousness"), rather than a vindicating of His own honour and
giving the lie to Satan's accusation by the making of Job's love and
faith evident. So far from his cursing God, Job said, "Blessed be the
name of the Lord," and after Satan had done his worst, "though He slay
me, yet will I trust in Him."
Third, before Satan was allowed to lay a finger on Him, the Lord
expressly declared of Job "There is none like him in the earth: a
perfect [sincere] and an upright man, one that feareth God and
escheweth evil" (1:8). Thus, at the outset, all ground for uncertainty
of Job's moral condition is removed. The very fact that the first
verse of the book contains such an affirmation renders it quite
excuseless for anyone to conclude that in what follows we see the Lord
dealing with Job on the ground that he had done something which
displeased Him. Instead, no other saint in all the Scriptures is more
highly commended by the Holy Spirit. Fourth, it should be carefully
borne in mind that the book closes by informing us that "the Lord gave
Job twice as much as he had before," that "The Lord blessed the latter
end of Job more than his beginning" (42:10, 16). Thus, so far from
conflicting with or contradicting our thesis that the righteous
prosper, that the providential smile of God rests upon those whose
ways please Him, the case of Job is a striking proof this very thing!
11. The sufferings of our blessed Lord prior to the cross may present
a difficulty unto a few in this connection. There was One who "set the
Lord always before Him" (Ps. 16:8) and who could aver "I do always
those things that please Him" (John 8:29). How then are we to account
for the fact that He was "The Man of sorrows and acquainted with
grief," that from the hour of His birth into this world unto His
death, trial and tribulation, suffering and adversity, was His
portion? Surely that should not occasion a problem or call for much
elucidation. All of Christ's sufferings were due to sin: not His own,
but his Church's. God would not allow an innocent person to suffer,
much less His beloved Son to be unrighteously afflicted at the hands
of the wicked. We never view aright the ill-treatment and indignities
Christ experienced, both before and throughout His ministerial life,
until we recognize that from Bethlehem to Calvary He was the vicarious
Victim of His people, bearing their sins and suffering the due reward
of their iniquities. He was "made under the Law" (Gal. 4:4), and as
the Surety of transgressors was therefore born under its curse. At the
moment of His birth the sword of Divine justice was unsheathed and
returned not to its scabbard.
12. Others may ask, What about the severe and protracted sufferings of
the apostle Paul (2 Cor. 11:23-27). They were neither extraordinary,
like Job's, nor vicarious like Christ's! True, and that leads us to
make this important observation: let none conclude from these articles
that all suffering is to be regarded as retributive. That would be
just as real a mistake as the one made by those who go to another
extreme and suppose that all the suffering of saints is remedial,
designed for purification and the development of their graces--which
has provided a welcome sop for many an uneasy conscience! The subject
of suffering is a much wider one than what has been dealt with in
these articles, wherein but a single phase--the retributive--has been
dealt with. It would take us too far afield to enter upon a systematic
discussion of the whole problem of human sufferings, yet it is
necessary for us to point out several important distinctions. Some
suffering is to be attributed to the sovereignty of God (John 9:2, 3),
yet we believe such cases are few in number.
Some suffering is due to heredity (Ex. 20:5): the whole of Achan's
family were stoned to death for their father's sin (Josh. 7:24, 25),
and the leprosy of Naaman was judicially inflicted upon Gehazi and his
children (2 Kings 5:7). Much suffering is retributive, a personal
reaping of what we have sown. Some is remedial or educative (2 Cor.
4:16,17; James 1:2,3), fitting for closer communion with God, and
increased fruitfulness. Other suffering is for righteousness' sake,
for the Gospel's sake, and Christ's sake (Mart. 5:10, 11), which was
what the apostle experienced, and which the whole "noble army of
martyrs" endured at the hands of pagan Rome, when Christians were cast
to the lions, and equally at the hands of Papal Rome, when countless
thousands were vilely tortured and burned at the stake, and which
would be repeated today if the pope and his cardinals had the power,
for "semper idem" (always the same) is one of their proud boasts. We
must distinguish sharply then between "tribulation" or persecution
(John 16:33; 2 Tim. 3:12) for righteousness' sake, and Divine
chastisement because of our sins.
There is no valid reason why the Christian should be confused in his
mind by the above distinctions: nor will he be if he notes carefully
the Scripture references given to them. Our purpose in drawing them
was not only for the sake of giving completeness to these thoughts,
and to supply preachers with a rough outline on the wider subject of
"suffering," but chiefly in order to point a warning. It is entirely
unwarrantable for us to conclude from the sight of an afflicted saint
that he or she has missed God's best and is being chastised for his or
her offences, though very often such is undoubtedly the case. But in
our own personal experience, when God's providential smile be no
longer upon us, and especially if the comforts of His Spirit be
withdrawn from us, then it is always the wisest policy to assume that
God is manifesting His displeasure at something in our lives, and
therefore should we definitely, humbly and earnestly beg Him to
convict us of wherein we have offended, and grant us grace to
contritely confess and resolutely forsake the same.
The two forms of suffering most commonly experienced by the great
majority of Christians are retributive--for their faults, and
honorary--for the Truth's sake: though where there is much of the one
there is rarely much of the other. Nor should there be any difficulty
in identifying each of them, except that we must not mistake as the
latter that coldness and estrangement of friends which is due to our
own boorishness, for not a few pride themselves they are suffering for
their faithfulness when in reality they are being rebuked and
ostracized for their uncharitableness, or "as a busybody in other
men's matters" (1 Pet. 4:15). A close and humble walking with God, an
uncompromising cleaving to the path of His commandments is sure to
stir up the enmity and evoke the opposition of the unregenerate,
especially of empty professors, whose worldliness and carnality are
condemned thereby. But whatever persecution and tribulation be
encountered for that cause is a privilege and honour, for it is a
having fellowship with Christ's sufferings (1 Pet. 4:13), and such
should "rejoice that they, are counted worthy to suffer shame for His
name" (Acts 5:41). It is the absence of this type of suffering which
evinces we are hiding our colors in order to avoid being unpopular.
Conclusion
Surely it is self-evident that the attitude of a holy God will be very
different toward "a vessel wherein is no pleasure" (Hos. 8:8) and one
who is "a vessel unto honour, sanctified and meet for the Master's
use, prepared unto every good work" (2 Tim. 2:21). As we pointed out
in an earlier article, an enjoyment of God's best will not exempt from
the common tricks and vicissitudes of life but will encure having them
sanctified and blest to him, as it will also deliver from those
troubles and afflictions in which the follies of many Christians
involve them. "Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well, for
they shall eat the fruit of their doings" (Isa. 3:10), on which the
Puritan, Caryl, said, "They shall have good for the good they have
done, or according to the good which they have done. If any object,
But may it not be ill with men that do good and are good? Doth the
Lord always reward to man according to his righteousness? I answer,
first, It is well at present with most that do well. Look over the
sons of men, and generally ye shall find that usually the better they
are, the better they live. Second, I answer, It shall be well with all
that do well in the issue, and for ever" (vol. 10, p. 439).
Finally, we again urge upon young Christians to form the habit of
keeping short accounts with God, to promptly confess every known sin
unto Him, even though it be the same sin over and over again. There is
no verse in all the Bible which this writer has made more use of and
pleaded so frequently as 1 John 1:9. Failure at this point is a
certain forerunner of trouble. Only too often Christians, particularly
in seasons of temporal prosperity, will not take the time and trouble
to search their hearts and lives for those things which displease the
Holy One. Hence it is that God so often has occasion to take his
refractory children apart from the world, laying them upon beds of
sickness, or bringing them into situations where they will "consider
their ways" (Hag. 1:5). If they then refuse to do so, they shall
"suffer loss" (1 Cor. 3:15) eternally. It is greatly to be feared that
not a few who will, by grace, enter the everlasting kingdom of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ shall, through their own follies, fail
to have "an abundant entrance" (2 Pet. 1:11) thereinto. O that neither
writer nor reader may he among those saints who will be "ashamed
before Him at His coming" (1 John 2:28). We shall not, if we put
everything right between our souls and Him in the present!
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
13
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A. W. Pink Header
Profiting From The Word
by A.W. Pink
1. The Scriptures and Sin
__________________________________________
There is grave reason to believe that much Bible reading and Bible
study of the last few years has been of no spiritual profit to those
who engaged in it. Yea, we go further; we greatly fear that in many
instances it has proved a curse rather than a blessing. This is strong
language, we are well aware, yet no stronger than the case calls for.
Divine gifts may be misused, and Divine mercies abused. That this has
been so in the present instance is evident by the fruits produced.
Even the natural man may (and often does) take up the study of the
Scriptures with the same enthusiasm and pleasure as he might of the
sciences. Where this is the case, his store of knowledge is increased,
and so also is his pride. Like a chemist engaged in making interesting
experiments, the intellectual searcher of the Word is quite elated
when he makes some discovery in it; but the joy of the latter is no
more spiritual than would be that of the former. Again, just as the
successes of the chemist generally increase his sense of
self-importance and cause him to look with disdain upon others more
ignorant than himself, so alas, is it often the case with those who
have investigated Bible numerics, typology, prophecy and other such
subjects.
The Word of God may be taken up from various motives. Some read it to
satisfy their literary pride. In certain circles it has become both
the respectable and popular thing to obtain a general acquaintance
with the contents of the Bible simply because it is regarded as an
educational defect to be ignorant of them. Some read it to satisfy
their sense of curiosity, as they might any other book of note. Others
read it to satisfy their sectarian pride. They consider it a duty to
be well versed in the particular tenets of their own denomination and
so search eagerly for proof-texts in support of "our doctrines." Yet
others read it for the purpose of being able to argue successfully
with those who differ from them. But in all this there is no thought
of God, no yearning for spiritual edification, and therefore no real
benefit to the soul.
Of what, then, does a true profiting from the Word consist? Does not 2
Timothy 3:16,17 furnish a clear answer to our question? There we read,
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished
unto all good works." Observe what is here omitted: the Holy
Scriptures are given us not for intellectual gratification and carnal
speculation, but to furnish unto "all good works," and that by
teaching, reproving, correcting us. Let us endeavor to amplify this by
the help of other passages.
1. An individual is spiritually profited when the Word convicts him of
sin. This is its first office: to reveal our depravity, to expose our
vileness, to make known our wickedness. A man's moral life may be
irreproachable, his dealings with his fellows faultless; but when the
Holy Spirit applies the Word to his heart and conscience, opening his
sin-blinded eyes to see his relation and attitude to God, he cries,
"Woe is me, for I am undone." It is in this way that each truly saved
soul is brought to realize his need of Christ. "They that are whole
need not a physician, but they that are sick" (Luke 5:31). Yet it is
not until the Spirit applies the Word in Divine power that any
individual is made to feel that he is sick, sick unto death.
Such conviction that brings home to the heart the awful ravages which
sin has wrought in the human constitution is not to be restricted to
the initial experience which immediately precedes conversion. Each
time that God blesses His Word to my heart, I am made to feel how far,
far short I come of the standard which He has set before me, namely,
"Be ye holy in all manner of conversation" (1 Pet. 1:15). Here, then,
is the first test to apply: as I read of the sad failures of different
ones in Scripture, does it make me realize how sadly like unto them I
am? As I read of the blessed and perfect life of Christ, does it make
me recognize how terribly unlike Him I am?
2. An individual is spiritually profited when the Word makes him
sorrow over sin. Of the stony-ground hearer it is said that he
"heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; yet hath he not
root in himself" (Matt. 13:20,21); but of those who were convicted
under the preaching of Peter it is recorded that they were pricked in
their heart (Acts 2:37). The same contrast exists today. Many will
listen to a flowery sermon, or an address on "dispensational truth"
that displays oratorical powers or exhibits the intellectual skill of
the speaker, but which, usually, contains no searching application to
the conscience. It is received with approbation, but no one is humbled
before God or brought into a closer walk with Him through it. But let
a faithful servant of the Lord (who by grace is not seeking to acquire
a reputation for his "brilliance") bring the teaching of Scripture to
bear upon character and conduct, exposing the sad failures of even the
best of God's people, and, though the crowd will despise the
messenger, the truly regenerate will be thankful for the message which
causes them to mourn before God and cry, "Oh, wretched man that I am."
So it is in the private reading of the Word. It is when the Holy
Spirit applies it in such a way that I am made to see and feel my
inward corruption's that I am really blessed.
What a word is that in Jeremiah 31:19: "After that I was instructed, I
smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded." Do you, my
reader, know anything of such an experience? Does your study of the
Word produce a broken heart and lead to a humbling of yourself before
God? Does it convict you of your sins in such a way that you are
brought to daily repentance before Him? The paschal lamb had to be
eaten with "bitter herbs" (Ex. 12:8); so as we really feed on the
Word, the Holy Spirit makes it "bitter" to us before it becomes sweet
to our taste. Note the order in Revelation 10:9, "And I went unto the
angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto
me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it
shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey." This is ever the experimental
order: there must be mourning before comfort (Matt. 5:4); humbling
before exalting (1 Pet. 5:6).
3. An individual is spiritually profited when the Word leads to
confession of sin. The Scriptures are profitable for "reproof" (2 Tim.
3:16), and an honest soul will acknowledge its faults. Of the carnal
it is said, "For every one that loveth evil hateth the light, neither
cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved" (John 3:20).
"God be merciful to me a sinner" is the cry of a renewed heart, and
every time we are quickened by the Word (Ps. 119) there is a fresh
revealing to us and a fresh owning by us of our transgressions before
God. "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso
confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy" (Prov. 28:13). There
can be no spiritual prosperity or fruitfulness (Ps. 1:3) while we
conceal within our breasts our guilty secrets; only as they are freely
owned before God, and that in detail, shall we enjoy His mercy.
There is no real peace for the conscience and no rest for the heart
while we bury the burden of unconfessed sin. Relief comes when it is
fully unbosomed to God. Mark well the experience of David, "When I
kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.
For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned
into the drought of summer" (Ps. 33:3,4). Is this figurative but
forcible language unintelligible unto you? Or does your own spiritual
history explain it? There is many a verse of Scripture which no
commentary save that of personal experience can satisfactorily
interpret. Blessed indeed is the immediate sequel here: "I
acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I
said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou
forgavest the iniquity of my sin" (Ps. 32:5).
4. An individual is spiritually profited when the Word produces in him
a deeper hatred of sin. "Ye that love the Lord, hate evil" (Ps. 97:
10). "We cannot love God without hating that which He hates. We are
not only to avoid evil, and refuse to continue in it, but we must be
up in arms against it, and bear towards it a hearty indignation" (C.
H. Spurgeon). One of the surest tests to apply to the professed
conversion is the heart's attitude towards sin. Where the principle of
holiness has been planted, there will necessarily be a loathing of all
that is unholy. If our hatred of evil be genuine, we are thankful when
the Word reproves even the evil which we suspected not.
This was the experience of David: "Through thy precepts I get
understanding: therefore I hate every false way" (Ps. 119:128).
Observe well, it is not merely "I abstain from," but "I hate"; not
only "some" or "many," but "every false way"; and not only "every
evil," but "every false way." "Therefore I esteem all thy precepts
concerning all things to be right, and I hate every false way" (Ps.
119:128). But it is the very opposite with the wicked: "Seeing thou
hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee" (Ps. 50:17). In
Proverbs 8:13, we read, "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil," and
this godly fear comes through reading the Word: see Deuteronomy 17:18,
19. Rightly has it been said, "Till sin be hated, it cannot be
mortified; you will never cry against it, as the Jews did against
Christ, Crucify it, Crucify it, till sin be really abhorred as He was"
(Edward Reyner, 1635).
5. An individual is spiritually profited when the Word causes a
forsaking of sin. "Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart
from iniquity" (2 Tim. 2: 19). The more the Word is read with the
definite object of discovering what is pleasing and what is
displeasing to the Lord, the more will His will become known; and if
our hearts are right with Him the more will our ways be conformed
thereto. There will be a "walking in the truth" (3 John 4). At the
close of 2 Corinthians 6 some precious promises are given to those who
separate themselves from unbelievers. Observe, there, the application
which the Holy Spirit makes of them. He does not say, "Having
therefore these promises, be comforted and become complacent thereby,"
but "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse
ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit" (2 Cor. 7:1).
"Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you" (John
15:3). Here is another important rule by which we should frequently
test ourselves: Is the reading and studying of God's Word producing a
purging of my ways? Of old the question was asked, "Wherewithal shall
a young man cleanse his way?" and the Divine answer is "by taking heed
thereto according to thy word." Yes, not simply by reading, believing,
or memorizing it, but by the personal application of the Word to our
"way." It is by taking heed to such exhortations as "Flee fornication"
(1 Cor. 6:18), "Flee from idolatry" (1 Cor. 10:14). "Flee these
things"--a covetous love for money (1 Tim. 6:11), "Flee also youthful
lusts" (2 Tim. 2:22), that the Christian is brought into practical
separation from evil; for sin has not only to be confessed but
"forsaken" (Prov. 28: 13).
6. An individual is spiritually profited when the Word fortifies
against sin. The Holy Scriptures are given to us not only for the
purpose of revealing our innate sinfulness, and the many, many ways in
which we "come short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23), but also to
teach us how to obtain deliverance from sin, how to be kept from
displeasing God. "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not
sin against thee" (Ps. 119:11). This is what each of us is required to
do: "Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his
words in thine heart" (Job 22:22). It is particularly the
commandments, the warnings, the exhortations, we need to make our own
and to treasure; to memorize them, meditate upon them, pray over them,
and put them into practice. The only effective way of keeping a plot
of ground from being overgrown by weeds is to sow good seed therein:
"Overcome evil with good" (Rom 12:21). So the more Christ's Word
dwells in us "richly" (Col. 3: 16), the less room will there be for
the exercise of sin in our hearts and lives.
It is not sufficient merely to assent to the veracity of the
Scriptures, they require to be received into the affections. It is
unspeakably solemn to note that the Holy Spirit specifies as the
ground of apostasy, "because the love of the truth they received not"
(2 Thess. 2:10, Greek). "If it lie only in the tongue or in the mind,
only to make it a matter of talk and speculation, it will soon be
gone. The seed which lies on the surface, the fowls in the air will
pick up. Therefore hide it deeply; let it get from the ear into the
mind, from the mind into the heart; let it soak in further and
further. It is only when it hath a prevailing sovereignty in the heart
that we receive it in the love of it--when it is dearer than our
dearest lust, then it will stick to us" (Thomas Manton).
Nothing else will preserve from the infections of this world, deliver
from the temptations of Satan, and be so effective a preservative
against sin, as the Word of God received into the affections, "The law
of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide" (Ps.
37:31). As long as the truth is active within us, stirring the
conscience, and is really loved by us, we shall be kept from falling.
When Joseph was tempted by Potiphar's wife, he said, "How then can I
do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" (Gen. 39:9). The Word
was in his heart, and therefore had prevailing power over his lusts.
The ineffable holiness, the mighty power of God, who is able both to
save and to destroy. None of us knows when he may be tempted:
therefore it is necessary to be prepared against it. "Who among you
will give ear . . . and hear for the time to come?" Isa. 42:23). Yes,
we are to anticipate the future and be fortified against it, by
storing up the Word in our hearts for coming emergencies.
7. An individual is spiritually profited when the Word causes him to
practice the opposite of sin. "Sin is the transgression of the law" (1
John 3:4). God says "Thou shalt," sin says "I will not"; God says
"Thou shalt not," sin says "I will." Thus, sin is rebellion against
God, the determination to have my own way (Isa. 53:6). Therefore sin
is a species of anarchy in the spiritual realm, and may be likened
unto the waving of the red flag in the face of God. Now the opposite
of sinning against God is submission to Him, as the opposite of
lawlessness is subjection to the law. Thus, to practice the opposition
of sin is to walk in the path of obedience. This is another chief
reason why the Scriptures were given: to make known the path which is
pleasing to God for us. They are profitable not only for reproof and
correction, but also for "instruction in righteousness."
Here, then, is another important rule by which we should frequently
test ourselves. Are my thoughts being formed, my heart controlled, and
my ways and works regulated by God's Word? This is what the Lord
requires: "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving
your own selves" (Jas. 1:22). This is how gratitude to and affection
for Christ are to be expressed: "If ye love me, keep my commandments"
(John 14:15). For this, Divine assistance is needed. David prayed,
"Make me to go in the path of thy commandments" (Ps. 119:35). "We need
not only light to know our way, but a heart to walk in it. Direction
is necessary because of the blindness of our minds; and the effectual
impulsions of grace are necessary because of the weakness of our
hearts. It will not answer our duty to have a naked notion of truths,
unless we embrace and pursue them" (Manton). Note it is "the path of
thy commandments": not a self-chosen course, but a definitely marked
one; not a public "road," but a private "path."
Let both writer and reader honestly and diligently measure himself, as
in the presence of God, by the seven things here enumerated. Has your
study of the Bible made you more humble, or more proud--proud of the
knowledge you have acquired? Has it raised you in the esteem of your
fellow men, or has it led you to take a lower place before God? Has it
produced in you a deeper abhorrence and loathing of self, or has it
made you more complacent? Has it caused those you mingle with, or
perhaps teach, to say, I wish I had your knowledge of the Bible; or
does it cause you to pray, Lord give me the faith, the grace, the
holiness Thou hast granted my friend, or teacher? `Meditate upon these
things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear
unto all' (1 Tim. 6:15).
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A. W. Pink Header
Profiting From The Word
by A.W. Pink
2. The Scriptures and God
__________________________________________
The Holy Scriptures are wholly supernatural. They are a Divine
revelation. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God" (2 Tim.
3:16). It is not merely that God elevated men's minds, but that He
directed their thoughts. It is not simply that He communicated
concepts to them, but that He dictated the very words they used. "The
prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God
spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Pet. 1:21). Any human
"theory" which denies their verbal inspiration is a device of Satan's,
an attack upon God's truth. The Divine image is stamped upon every
page. Writings so holy, so heavenly, so awe-producing, could not have
been created by man.
The Scriptures make known a supernatural God. That may be a very trite
remark, yet today it needs making. The "god" which is believed in by
many professing Christians is becoming more and more paganized. The
prominent place which "sport" now has in the nation's life, the
excessive love of pleasure, the abolition of home-life, the brazen
immodesty of women, are so many symptoms of the same disease which
brought about the downfall and death of the empires of Babylon,
Persia, Greece and Rome. And the twentieth-century idea of God which
is entertained by the majority of people in lands nominally
"Christian" is rapidly approximating to the character ascribed to the
gods of the ancients. In sharp contrast therewith, the God of Holy
Writ is clothed with such perfections and vested with such attributes
that no mere human intellect could possibly have invented them.
God can only be known by means of a supernatural revelation of
Himself. Apart from the Scriptures, even a theoretical acquaintance
with Him is impossible. It still holds true that "the world by wisdom
knew not God" (1 Cor. 1:21). Where the Scriptures are ignored, God is
"the unknown God" (Acts 17:23). But something more than the Scriptures
is required before the soul can know God, know him in a real,
personal, vital way. This seems to be recognized by few today. The
prevailing practice assumes that a knowledge of God can be obtained
through studying the Word, in the same way as a knowledge of chemistry
may be secured by mastering its textbooks. An intellectual knowledge
of God maybe; not so a spiritual one. A supernatural God can only be
known supernaturally (i.e. known in a manner above that which mere
nature can acquire), by a supernatural revelation of Himself to the
heart. "God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath
shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory
of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6). The one who has been
favoured with this supernatural experience has learned that only "in
thy light shall we see light" (Ps. 36:9).
God can only be known through a supernatural faculty. Christ made this
clear when He said, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the
kingdom of God" (John 3:3). The unregenerate have no spiritual
knowledge of God. "The natural man receiveth not the things of the
Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know
them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14). Water, of
itself, never rises above its own level. So the natural man is
incapable of perceiving that which transcends mere nature. "This is
life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God" (John
17:3). Eternal life must be imparted before the "true God" can be
known. Plainly is this affirmed in 1 John 5:20, "We know that the Son
of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know
Him that is true." Yes, an "understanding," a spiritual understanding,
by new creation, must be given before God can be known in a spiritual
way.
A supernatural knowledge of God produces a supernatural experience,
and this is something to which multitudes of church members are total
strangers. Most of the "religion" of the day is but a touching up of
"old Adam." it is merely a garnishing of sepulchers full of
corruption. It is an outward "form." Even where there is a sound
creed, only too often it is a dead orthodoxy. Nor should this be
wondered at. It has ever been thus. It was so when Christ was here
upon earth. The Jews were very orthodox. At that time they were free
from idolatry. The temple stood at Jerusalem, the Law was expounded,
Jehovah was worshipped. And yet Christ said to them, "He that sent me
is true, whom ye know not." (John 7:28). "Ye neither know me, nor my
Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also" (John
8:19). "It is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is
your God. Yet ye have not known him" (John 8:54,55). And mark it well,
this is said to a people who had the Scriptures, searched them
diligently, and venerated them as God's Word! They were well
acquainted with God theoretically, but a spiritual knowledge of Him
they had not.
As it was in the Jewish world, so it is in Christendom. Multitudes who
"believe" in the Holy Trinity are completely devoid of a supernatural
or spiritual knowledge of God. How are we so sure of this? In this
way: the character of the fruit reveals the character of the tree that
bears it; the nature of the waters makes known the nature of the
fountain from which they flow. A supernatural knowledge of God
produces a supernatural experience, and a supernatural experience
results in supernatural fruit. That is to say, God actually dwelling
in the heart revolutionizes, transforms the life. There is that
brought forth which mere nature cannot produce, yea, that which is
directly contrary thereto. And this is noticeably absent from the
lives of perhaps ninety-five out of every hundred now professing to be
God's children. There is nothing in the life of the average professing
Christian except what can be accounted for on natural grounds. But in
the genuine child of God it is far otherwise. He is, in truth, a
miracle of grace; he is a "new creature in Christ Jesus" (2 Cor. 5:
17). His experience, his life, is supernatural.
The supernatural experience of the Christian is seen in his attitude
toward God. Having within him the life of God, having been made a
"partaker of the Divine nature" (2 Pet. 1:4), he necessarily loves
God, loves the things of God, loves what God loves; and, contrariwise,
he hates what God hates. This supernatural experience is wrought in
him by the Spirit of God, and that by means of the Word of God. The
Spirit never works apart from the Word. By that Word He quickens. By
that Word He produces conviction of sin. By that Word He sanctifies.
By that Word He gives assurance. By that Word He makes the saint to
grow. Thus each one of us may ascertain the extent to which we are
profiting from our reading and studying of the Scriptures by the
effects which they are, through the Spirit's application of them,
producing in us. Let us enter now into details. He who is truly and
spiritually profiting from the Scriptures has:
1. A clearer recognition of God's claims. The great controversy
between the Creator and the creature has been whether He or they
should be God, whether His wisdom or theirs should be the guiding
principle of their actions, whether His will or theirs should be
supreme. That which brought about the fall of Lucifer was his
resentment at being in subjection to his Maker:
"Thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will
exalt my throne above the stars of God . . . I will be like the most
High" (Isa. 14:13, 14). The lie of the serpent which lured our first
parents to their destruction was, "Ye shall be as gods" (Gen. 3:5).
And ever since then the heart-sentiment of the natural man has been,
"Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. What is
the Almighty, that we should serve him?" (Job 21:14,15). "Our lips are
our own; who is Lord over us?" (Ps. 12:4). "We are lords; we will come
no more unto thee" (Jer. 2:31).
Sin has alienated man from God (Eph. 4: 18). His heart is averse to
Him, his will is opposed to His, his mind is at enmity against Him.
Contrariwise, salvation means being restored to God: "For Christ also
hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might
bring us to God" (1 Pet. 3:18).
Legally that has already been done; experimentally it is in the
process of accomplishment. Salvation means being reconciled to God;
and that involves and includes sin's dominion over us being broken,
enmity within us being slain, the heart being won to God. This is what
true conversion is; it is a tearing down of every idol, a renouncing
of the empty vanities of a cheating world, and taking God for our
portion, our ruler, our all in all. Of the Corinthians we read that
they "first gave their own selves unto the Lord" (2 Cor. 8:5). The
desire and determination of those truly converted is that they "should
not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them,
and rose again" (2 Cor. 5:15).
God's claims are now recognized, His rightful dominion over us is
acknowledged, He is owned as God. The converted yield themselves "unto
God, as those that are alive from the dead," and their members as
"instruments of righteousness unto God" (Rom. 6:13). This is the
demand which He makes upon us: to be our God, to be served as such by
us; for us to be and do, absolutely and without reserve, whatsoever He
demands, surrendering ourselves fully to Him (see Luke 14:26,27,33).
It belongs to God as God to legislate, prescribe, determine for us; it
belongs to us as a bounded duty to be ruled, governed, disposed of by
Him at His pleasure.
To own God as our God is to give Him the throne of our hearts. It is
to say in the language of Isaiah 26:13, "O Lord our God, other lords
beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make
mention of thy name." It is to declare with the Psalmist, not
hypocritically, but sincerely, "O God, thou art my God; early will I
seek thee" (Ps. 63:1). Now it is in proportion as this becomes our
actual experience that we profit from the Scriptures. It is in them,
and in them alone, that the claims of God are revealed and enforced,
and just so far as we are obtaining clearer and fuller views of God's
rights, and are yielding ourselves thereto, are we really being
blessed.
2. A greater fear of God's majesty. "Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him" (Ps. 33:8).
God is so high above us that the thought of His majesty should make us
tremble. His power is so great that the realization of it ought to
terrify us. He is so ineffably holy, and His abhorrence of sin is so
infinite, that the very thought of wrongdoing ought to fill us with
horror. "God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints,
and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him" (Ps. 89:7).
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Prov. 9:10), and
"wisdom" is a right use of "knowledge." Just so far as God is truly
known will He be duly feared. Of the wicked it is written, "There is
no fear of God before their eyes" (Rom. 3:18). They have no
realization of His majesty, no concern for His authority, no respect
for His commandments, no alarm that He shall judge them. But
concerning His covenant people God has promised, "I will put my fear
in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me" (Jer. 32:40).
Therefore do they tremble at His Word (Isa. 66:5), and walk softly
before Him.
"The fear of the Lord is to hate evil" (Prov. 8: 13). And again, "By
the fear of the Lord men depart from evil" (Prov. i6: 6). The man who
lives in the fear of God is conscious that "the eyes of the Lord are
in every place, beholding the evil and the good" (Prov. 15:3),
therefore is he conscientious about his private conduct as well as his
public. The one who is deterred from committing certain sins because
the eyes of men are upon him, and who hesitates not to commit them
when alone, is destitute of the fear of God. So too the man who
moderates his language when Christians are about him, but does not so
at other times, is devoid of God's fear. He has no awe-inspiring
consciousness that God sees and hears him at all times. The truly
regenerate soul is afraid of disobeying and defying God. Nor does he
want to. No, his real and deepest desire is to please Him in all
things, at all times, and in all places. His earnest prayer is "Unite
my heart to fear thy name" (Ps. 86:11).
Now even the saint has to be taught the fear of God (Ps. 34:11). And
here, as ever, it is through the Scriptures that this teaching is
given us (Prov. 2:5). It is through them we learn that God's eye is
ever upon us, marking our actions, weighing our motives. As the Holy
Spirit applies the Scriptures to our hearts, we give increasing heed
to that command, "Be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long"
(Prov. 23:17). Thus, just so far as we are awed by God's awful
majesty, are made conscious that "Thou God seest me" (Gen. 16:13), and
work out our salvation with "fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12), are we
truly profited from our reading and study of the Bible.
3. A deeper reverence for God's commandments. Sin entered this world
by Adam's breaking of God's law, and all his fallen children are
begotten in his depraved likeness (Gen. 5:3). "Sin is the
transgression of the law" (1 John 3:4). Sin is a species of high
treason, spiritual anarchy. It is the repudiation of God's dominion,
the setting aside of His authority, rebellion against His will. Sin is
having our own way. Now salvation is deliverance from sin, from its
guilt, from its power as well as its penalty. The same Spirit who
convicts of the need of God's grace also convicts of the need of God's
government to rule us. God's promise to His covenant people is, "I
will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and
I will be to them a God" (Heb. 8:10).
A spirit of obedience is communicated to every regenerated soul. Said
Christ, "If a man love me, he will keep my words" (John 14:23). There
is the test: "Hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his
commandments" (1 John 2:3). None of us keeps them perfectly, yet every
real Christian both desires and strives to do so. He says with Paul,
"I delight in the law of God after the inward man" (Rom. 7:22). He
says with the Psalmist, "I have chosen the way of truth," "Thy
testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever" (Ps. 119:30,111).
And teaching which lowers God's authority, which ignores His commands,
which affirms that the Christian is, in no sense, under the Law, is of
the Devil, no matter how oily-mouthed his human instrument may be.
Christ has redeemed His people from the curse of the Law and not from
the command of it; He has saved them from the wrath of God, but not
from His government. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine
heart" never has been and never will be repealed.
1 Corinthians 9:21, expressly affirms that we are "under the law to
Christ." "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself so to walk,
even as he walked" (1 John 2:6). And how did Christ "walk"? In perfect
obedience to God; in complete subjection to His law, honouring and
obeying it in thought and word and deed. He came not to destroy the
Law, but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17). And our love for Him is
expressed, not in pleasing emotions or beautiful words, but in keeping
His commandments (John 14:15), and the commandments of Christ are the
commandments of God (cf. Ex. 20:6). The earnest prayer of the real
Christian is, "Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for
therein do I delight" (Ps. 119:35). Just so far as our reading and
study of Scripture is, by the Spirit's application, begetting within
us a greater love and a deeper respect for and a more punctual keeping
of God's commandments, are we really profiting thereby.
4. A firmer trust in God's sufficiency. Whatsoever or whomsoever a man
most trusts in is his "god." Some trust in health, others in wealth;
some in self, others in their friends. That which characterizes all
the unregenerate is that they lean upon an arm of flesh. But the
election of grace have their hearts drawn from all creature supports,
to rest upon the living God. God's people are the children of faith.
The language of their hearts is, "O my God, I trust in thee: let me
not be ashamed" (Ps. 25:2). and again, "Though he slay me, yet will I
trust in him" (Job 13: 15). They rely upon God to provide, protect and
bless them. They look to an unseen resource, count upon an invisible
God, lean upon a hidden Arm.
True, there are time when their faith wavers, but though they fall
they are not utterly cast down. Though it be not their uniform
experience, yet Psalm 56:11 expresses the general state of their
souls: "In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can
do unto me." Their earnest prayer is, "Lord, increase our faith."
"Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom.
10:17). Thus, as the Scriptures are pondered, their promises received
in the mind, faith is strengthened, confidence in God increased,
assurance deepened. By this we may discover whether or not we are
profiting from our study of the Bible.
5. A fuller delight in God's perfections. That in which a man most
delights is his "god." The poor worldling seeks satisfaction in his
pursuits, pleasures and possessions. Ignoring the Substance, he vainly
pursues the shadows. But the Christian delights in the wondrous
perfections of God. Really to own God as our God is not only to submit
to His sceptre, but is to love Him more than the world, to value Him
above everything and everyone else. It is to have with the Psalmist an
experiential realization that "all my springs are in thee" (Ps. 87:7).
The redeemed have not only received a joy from God such as this poor
world cannot impart, but they "rejoice in God" (Rom. 5:11); and of
this the poor worldling knows nothing. The language of such is "the
Lord is my portion" (Lam. 3:24).
Spiritual exercises are irksome to the flesh. But the real Christian
says, "It is good for me to draw near to God" (Ps. 73:28). The carnal
man has many cravings and ambitions; the regenerate soul declares,
"One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I
may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold
the beauty of the Lord" (Ps. 27:4). And why? Because the true
sentiment of his heart is, "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there
is none upon earth that I desire beside thee" (Ps. 73:25). Ah, my
reader, if your heart has not been drawn out to love and delight in
God, then it is still dead toward Him.
The language of the saints is, "Although the fig tree shall not
blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive
shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut
off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I
will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation" (Hab.
3:17,18). Ah, that is a supernatural experience indeed! Yes, the
Christian can rejoice when all his worldly possessions are taken from
him (see Heb. 10:34). When he lies in a dungeon with back bleeding, he
can still sing praises to God (see Acts 16:25). Thus, to the extent
that you are being weaned from the empty pleasures of this world, are
learning that there is no blessing outside of God, are discovering
that He is the source and sum of all excellency, and your heart is
being drawn out to Him, your mind stayed on Him, your soul finding its
joy and satisfaction in Him, are you really profiting from the
Scriptures.
6. A larger submission to God's providences. It is natural to murmur
when things go wrong, it is supernatural to hold our peace (Lev.
10:3). It is natural to be disappointed when our plans miscarry, it is
supernatural to bow to His appointments. It is natural to want our own
way, it is supernatural to say, "Not my will, but thine be done." It
is natural to rebel when a loved one is taken from us by death, it is
supernatural to say from the heart, "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath
taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21). As God is
truly made our portion, we learn to admire His wisdom, and to know
that He does all things well. Thus the heart is kept in "perfect
peace" as the mind is stayed on Him (Isaiah 26:3). Here, then, is
another sure test: if your Bible study is teaching you that God's way
is best, if it is causing you to submit unrepiningly to all His
dispensations, if you are enabled to give thanks for all things (Eph.
5:20), then are you profiting indeed.
7. A more fervent praise for God's goodness. Praise is the outflow of
a heart which finds its satisfaction in God. The language of such a
one is, "I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall
continually be in my mouth" (Ps. 34:1). What abundant cause have God's
people for praising Him! Loved with an everlasting love, made sons and
heirs, all things working together for their good, their every need
supplied, an eternity of bliss assured them, their harps of gladness
ought never to be silent. Nor will they be while they enjoy fellowship
with Him who is "altogether lovely." The more we are increasing in the
knowledge of God (Col. 1:10), the more shall we adore Him. But it is
only as the Word dwells in us richly that we are filled with spiritual
songs (Col. 3:16) and make melody in our hearts to the Lord. The more
our souls are drawn out in true worship, the more we are found
thanking and praising our great God, the clearer evidence we give that
our study of His word is profiting us.
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Profiting From The Word
by A.W. Pink
3. The Scriptures and Christ
__________________________________________
The order we follow in this series is that of experience. It is not
until man is made thoroughly displeased with himself that he begins to
aspire after God. The fallen creature deluded by Satan, is
self-satisfied till his sin-blinded eyes are opened to get a sight of
himself. The Holy Spirit first works in us a sense of our ignorance,
vanity, poverty and depravity, before He brings us to perceive and
acknowledge that in God alone are to be found true wisdom, real
blessedness, perfect goodness and unspotted righteousness. We must be
made conscious of our imperfections ere we can really appreciate the
Divine perfections. As the perfections of God are contemplated, man
becomes still more aware of the infinite distance that separates him
from the most High. As he learns something of God's pressing claims
upon him, and his own utter inability to meet them, he is prepared to
hear and welcome the good news that Another has fully met those claims
for all who are led to believe in Him.
"Search the Scriptures," said the Lord Jesus, and then He added, "for.
. .they are they which testify of me" (John 5:39). They testify of Him
as the only Saviour for perishing sinners, as the only Mediator
between God and men, as the only one through whom the Father can be
approached. They testify to the wondrous perfections of His person,
the varied glories of His offices, the sufficiency of His finished
work. Apart from the Scriptures, He cannot be known. In them alone He
is revealed. When the Holy Spirit takes of the things of Christ and
shows them unto His people, in thus making them known to the soul He
uses naught but what is written. While it is true that Christ is the
key to the Scriptures, it is equally true that only in the Scriptures
do we have an opening-up of the "mystery of Christ" (Eph. 3:4).
Now the measure in which we profit from our reading and study of the
Scriptures may be ascertained by the extent to which Christ is
becoming more real and more precious unto our hearts. To "grow in
grace" is defined as and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18): the second clause there is not something
in addition to the first, but is an explanation of it. To "know"
Christ (Phil. 3:10) was the supreme longing and aim of the apostle
Paul, a longing and an aim to which he subordinated all other
interests. But mark it well, the "knowledge" which is spoken of in
these verses is not intellectual but spiritual, not theoretical but
experimental, not general but personal. It is a supernatural
knowledge, which is imparted to the regenerate heart by the operations
of the Holy Spirit, as He interprets and applies to us the Scriptures
concerning Him.
Now the knowledge of Christ which the blessed Spirit imparts to the
believer through the Scriptures profits him in different ways,
according to his varying frames, circumstances and needs. Concerning
the bread which God gave to the children of Israel during their
wilderness wanderings, it is recorded that "some gathered more, some
less" (Ex. 16:17). The same is true in our apprehension of Him of whom
the manna was a type. There is that in the wondrous person of Christ
which is exactly suited to our every condition, every circumstance,
every need, both for time and eternity; but we are slow to realize it,
and slower still to act upon it. There is an inexhaustible fullness in
Christ (John 1:16) which is available for us to draw from, and the
principle regulating the extent to which we become "strong in the
grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 2:1) is "According to your
faith be it to you" (Matt. 9:29).
1. An individual is profited form the Scriptures when they reveal to
him his need of Christ. Man in his natural estate deems himself
self-sufficient. True, he has a dim perception that all is not quite
right between himself and God, yet has he no difficulty in persuading
himself that he is able to do that which will propitiate Him. That
lies at the foundation of all man's religion, begun by Cain, in whose
"way" (Jude 11) the multitudes still walk. Tell the devout religionist
that "they that are in the flesh cannot please God" (Rom. 8:8), and he
is at once offended. Press upon him the fact that "all our
righteousnesses are as filthy rags" (Isa. 64:4), and his hypocritical
urbanity at once gives place to anger. So it was when Christ was on
earth. The most religious people of all, the Jews, had not sense they
were "lost" and in dire need of an almighty Saviour.
"They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick"
(Matt. 9:12). It is the peculiar office of the Holy Spirit, by His
application of the Scriptures, to convict sinners of their desperate
condition, to bring them to see that their state is such that "from
the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness" in
them, but "wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores" (Isa. 1:6). As
the Spirit convicts us of our sins--our ingratitude to God, our
murmuring against Him, our wanderings from Him--as He presses upon us
the claims of God--His right to our love, obedience and adoration--and
all our sad failures to render Him His due, then we are made to
recognize that Christ is our only hope, and that, except we flee to
Him for refuge, the righteous wrath of God will most certainly fall
upon us.
Nor is this to be limited to the initial experience of conversion. The
more the Spirit deepens His work of grace in the regenerated soul, the
more that individual is made conscious of his pollution, his
sinfulness and his vileness; and the more does he discover his need of
and learn to value that precious, precious blood which cleanses from
all sin. The Spirit is here to glorify Christ, and one chief way in
which He does so is by opening wider and wider the eyes of those for
whom He died, to see how suited Christ is for such wretched, foul,
hell-deserving creatures. Yes, the more we are truly profiting from
our reading of the Scriptures, the more do we feel our need of Him.
2. An individual is profited from the Scriptures when they make Christ
more real to him. The great mass of the Israelitish nation saw nothing
more than the outward shell in the rites and ceremonies which God gave
them, but a regenerated remnant were privileged to behold Christ
Himself. "Abraham rejoiced to see my day" said Christ (John 8:56).
Moses esteemed "the reproach of Christ" greater riches than the
treasures of Egypt (Heb. 11:16). So it is in Christendom. To the
multitudes Christ is but a name, or at most a historical character.
They have no personal dealings with Him, enjoy no spiritual communion
with Him. Should they hear one speak in rapture of His excellency they
regard him as an enthusiast or a fanatic. To them Christ is unreal,
vague, intangible. But with the real Christian it is far otherwise.
The language of his heart is,
I have heard the voice of Jesus,
Tell me not of aught beside;
I have seen the face of Jesus,
And my soul is satisfied.
Yet such a blissful sight is not the consistent and unvarying
experience of the saints. Just as clouds come in between the sun and
the earth, so failures in our walk interrupt our communion with Christ
and serve to hide from us the light of His countenance. "He that hath
my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he
that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and
will manifest myself to him" (John 14:21). Yes, it is the one who by
grace is treading the path of obedience to whom the Lord Jesus grants
manifestations of Himself. And the more frequent and prolonged these
manifestations are, the more real He becomes to the soul, until we are
able to say with Job, "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear;
but now mine eye seeth thee" (42:5). Thus the more Christ is becoming
a living reality to me, the more I am profiting from the Word.
3. An individual is profited from the Scriptures when he becomes more
engrossed with Christ's perfections. It is a sense of need which first
drives the soul to Christ, but it is the realization of His excellency
which draws us to run after Him. The more real Christ becomes to us,
the more are we attracted by His perfections. At the beginning He is
viewed only as a Saviour, but as the Spirit continues to take of the
things of Christ and show them unto us we discover that upon His head
are "many crowns" (Rev. 19:12). Of old it was said, "His name shall be
called Wonderful" (Isa. 9:6). His name signifies all that He is as
made known in Scripture. "Wonderful" are His offices, in their number,
variety, sufficiency. He is the Friend that sticks closer than a
brother, to help in every time of need. He is the great High Priest,
who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He is the Advocate
with the Father, who pleads our cause when Satan accuses us.
Our great need is to be occupied with Christ, to sit at His feet as
Mary did, and receive out of His fullness. Our chief delight should be
to "consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession" (Heb.
3:1): to contemplate the various relations which He sustains to us, to
meditate upon the many promises He has given, to dwell upon His
wondrous and changeless love for us. As we do this, we shall so
delight ourselves in the Lord that the siren voices of this world will
lose all their charm for us. Ah, my reader, do you know anything about
this in your own actual experience? Is Christ the chief among ten
thousand to your soul? Has He won your heart? Is it your chief joy to
get alone and be occupied with Him? If not, your Bible reading and
study has profited you little indeed.
4. An individual is profited from the Scriptures as Christ becomes
more precious to him. Christ is precious in the esteem of all true
believers (1 Pet. 2:7). They count all things but loss for the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus their Lord (Phil. 3:8).
His name to them is as ointment poured forth (Song of Sol. 1:3). As
the glory of God that appeared in the wondrous beauty of the temple,
and in the wisdom and splendor of Solomon, drew worshippers to him
from the uttermost parts of the earth, so the unparalleled excellency
of Christ which was prefigured thereby does more powerfully attract
the hearts of His people. The Devil knows this full well, therefore is
he ceaselessly engaged in blinding the minds of them that believe not,
by placing between them and Christ the allures of this world. God
permits him to assail the believer also, but it is written, "Resist
the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). Resist him by
definite and earnest prayer, entreating the Spirit to draw out your
affections to Christ.
The more we are engaged with Christ's perfections, the more we love
and adore Him. It is lack of experimental acquaintance with Him that
makes our hearts so cold towards Him. But where real and daily
fellowship is cultivated the Christian will be able to say with the
Psalmist, "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon
earth that I desire beside thee" (Ps. 73:25). This it is which is the
very essence and distinguishing nature of true Christianity.
Legalistic zealots may be busily engaged in tithing mint and anise and
cummin, they may encompass sea and land to make one proselyte, and yet
have no love for God in Christ. It is the heart that God looks at: "My
son, give me thine heart" (Prov. 23:26) is His demand. The more
precious Christ is to us, the more delight does He have in us.
5. An individual who is profited from the Scriptures has an increasing
confidence in Christ. There is "little faith" (Matt. 14:3) and "great
faith" (Matt. 8:10). There is the "full assurance of faith" (Heb.
10:22), and trusting in the Lord "with all the heart" (Prov. 3:5).
Just as there is growing "from strength to strength" (Ps. 84:7), so we
read of "from faith to faith" (Rom. 1:17). The stronger and steadier
our faith, the more the Lord Jesus is honored. Even a cursory reading
of the four Gospels reveals the fact that nothing pleased the Saviour
more than the firm reliance which was placed in Him by the few who
really counted upon Him. He Himself lived and walked by faith, and the
more we do so the more are the members being conformed to their Head.
Above everything else there is one thing to be aimed at and diligently
sought by earnest prayer: that our faith may be increased. Of the
Thessalonian saints Paul was able to say, "Your faith groweth
exceedingly" (2 Thess. 1:3).
Now Christ cannot be trusted at all unless He be known, and the better
he is known the more will He be trusted: "And they that know thy name
will put their trust in thee" (Ps. 9:l0). As Christ becomes more real
to the heart, as we are increasingly occupied with His manifold
perfections and He becomes more precious to us, confidence in Him is
deepened until it becomes as natural to trust Him as it is to breathe.
The Christian life is a walk of faith (2 Cor. 5:7), and that very
expression denotes a continual progress, an increasing deliverance
from doubts and fears, a fuller assurance that all He has promised He
will perform. Abraham is the father of all them that believe, and thus
the record of his life furnishes an illustration of what a deepening
confidence in the Lord signifies. First, at His bare word he turned
his back upon all that was dear to the flesh. Second, he went forth in
simple dependence on Him and dwelt as a stranger and sojourner in the
land of promise, though he never owned a single acre of it. Third,
when the promise was made of a seed in his old age, he considered not
the obstacles in the way of its fulfillment, but was strong in faith,
giving glory to God. Finally, when called on to offer up Isaac,
through whom the promises were to be realized, he accounted that God
was able to "raise him up, even from the dead" (Heb. 11:19).
In the history of Abraham we are shown how grace is able to subdue an
evil heart of unbelief, how the spirit may be victorious over the
flesh, how the supernatural fruits of a God-given and God-sustained
faith may be brought forth by a man of like passions with us. This is
recorded for our encouragement, for us to pray that it may please the
Lord to work in us what He wrought in and through the father of the
faithful. Nothing more pleases, honors and glorifies Christ than the
confiding trust, the expectant confidence and the childlike faith of
those to whom He has given every cause to trust Him with all their
hearts. And nothing more evidences that we are being profited from the
Scriptures than an increasing faith in Christ.
6. An individual is profited from the Scriptures when they beget in
him a deepening desire to please Christ. "Ye are not your own, for ye
are bought with a price" (1 Cor. 6:19,20) is the first great fact that
Christians need to apprehend. Henceforth they are not to "live unto
themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again" (2 Cor.
5:15). Love delights to please its object, and the more our affections
are drawn out to Christ the more shall we desire to honour Him by a
life of obedience to His known will. "If a man love me, he will keep
my words" (John 14:23). It is not in happy emotions or in verbal
professions of devotion, but in the actual assumption of His yoke and
the practical submitting to His precepts, that Christ is most honored.
It is at this point particularly that the genuineness of our
profession may be tested and proved. Have they a faith in Christ who
make no effort to learn His will? What a contempt of the king if his
subjects refuse to read his proclamations! Where there is faith in
Christ there will be delight in His commandments, and a sorrowing when
they are broken by us. When we displease Christ we should mourn over
our failure. It is impossible seriously to believe that it was my sins
which caused the Son of God to shed His precious blood without my
hating them. If Christ groaned under sin, we shall groan too. And the
more sincere those groanings be, the more earnestly shall we seek
grace for deliverance from all that displeases, and strength to do all
that which pleases our blessed Redeemer.
7. An individual is profited from the Scriptures when they cause him
to long for the return of Christ. Love can be satisfied with nothing
short of a sight of its object. True, even now we behold Christ by
faith, yet it is "through a glass, darkly." But at His coming we shall
behold Him "face to face" (1 Cor. 13:12). Then will be fulfilled His
own words, "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be
with me where I am: that they may behold my glory, which thou hast
given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world"
(John 17:24). Only this will fully meet the longings of His heart, and
only this will meet the longings of those redeemed by Him. Only then
will He "see of the travail of His soul, and be satisfied" (Isa.
53:11); and "As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I
shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness" (Ps. 17:15).
At the return of Christ we shall be done with sin for ever. The elect
are predestined to be conformed to the image of God's Son, and that
Divine purpose will be realized only when Christ receives His people
unto Himself. "We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is" (1
John 3: 2). Never again will our communion with Him be broken, never
again shall we groan and moan over our inward corruptions; never again
shall we be harassed with unbelief. He will present His Church to
Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such
thing" (Eph. 5:27). For that hour we eagerly wait. For our Redeemer we
lovingly look. The more we yearn for the coming One, the more we are
trimming our lamps in earnest expectation of His coming, the more do
we give evidence that we are profiting from our knowledge of the Word.
Let the reader and writer honestly search themselves as in the
presence of God. Let us seek truthful answers to these questions. Have
we a deeper sense of our need of Christ? Is He Himself becoming to us
a brighter and living reality? Are we finding increasing delight in
being occupied with His perfections? Is Christ Himself becoming daily
more precious to us? Is our faith in Him growing so that we
confidently trust Him for everything? Are we really seeking to please
Him in all the details of our lives? Are we so yearning for Him that
we would be filled with joy did we know for certain that He would come
during the next twenty-four hours? May the Holy Spirit search our
hearts with these pointed questions!
__________________________________________
Contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
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Profiting From The Word
by A.W. Pink
4. The Scriptures and Prayer
__________________________________________
A prayerless Christian is a contradiction in terms. Just as a
still-born child is a dead one, so a professing believer who does not
pray is devoid of spiritual life. Prayer is the breath of the new
nature in the saint, as the Word of God is its food. When the Lord
would assure the Damascus disciple that Saul of Tarsus had been truly
converted, He told him, "Behold, he prayeth" (Acts 9:11). On many
occasions had that self-righteous Pharisee bowed his knees before God
and gone through his "devotions," but this was the first time he had
ever really prayed. This important distinction needs emphasizing in
this day of powerless forms (2 Tim. 3:5). They who content themselves
with formal addresses to God know Him not; for "the spirit of grace
and supplications" (Zech. 12:10) are never separated. God has no dumb
children in His regenerated family: "Shall not God avenge his own
elect, which cry day and night unto Him?" (Luke 18:7). Yes, "cry" unto
Him, not merely "say" their prayers.
But will the reader be surprised when the writer declares it is his
deepening conviction that, probably, the Lord's own people sin more in
their efforts to pray than in connection with any other thing they
engage in? What hypocrisy there is, where there should be reality!
What presumptuous demandings, where there should be submissiveness!
What formality, where there should be brokenness of heart! How little
we really feel the sins we confess, and what little sense of deep need
for the mercies we seek! And even where God grants a measure of
deliverance from these awful sins, how much coldness of heart, how
much unbelief, how much self-will and self-pleasing have we to bewail!
Those who have no conscience upon these things are strangers to the
spirit of holiness.
Now the Word of God should be our directory in prayer. Alas, how often
we have made our own fleshly inclinations the rule of our asking. The
Holy Scriptures have been given to us "that the man of God may be
perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim. 3:17). Since
we are required to "pray in the Spirit" (Jude 20), it follows that our
prayers ought to be according to the Scriptures, seeing that He is
their Author throughout. It equally follows that according to the
measure in which the Word of Christ dwells in us "richly" (Col. 3:16)
or sparsely, the more or the less will our petitions be in harmony
with the mind of the Spirit, for "out of the abundance of the heart
the mouth speaketh" (Matt. 12:34). In proportion as we hide the Word
in our hearts, and it cleanses, moulds and regulates our inner man,
will our prayers be acceptable in God's sight. Then shall we be able
to say, as David did in another connection, "Of thine own have we
given thee" (1 Chron. 29:14).
Thus the purity and power of our prayer-life are another index by
which we may determine the extent to which we are profiting from our
reading and searching of the Scriptures. If our Bible study is not,
under the blessing of the Spirit, convicting us of the sin of
prayerlessness, revealing to us the place which prayer ought to have
in our daily lives, and is actually bringing us to spend more time in
the secret place of the Most High; unless it is teaching us how to
pray more acceptably to God, how to appropriate His promises and plead
them before Him, how to appropriate His precepts and turn them into
petitions, then not only has the time we spend over the Word been to
little or no soul enrichment, but the very knowledge that we have
acquired of its letter will only add to our condemnation in the day to
come. "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your
own selves" (James 1 :22) applies to its prayer-admonitions as to
everything else in it. Let us now point out seven criteria.
1. We are profited from the Scriptures when we are brought to realize
the deep importance of prayer. It is really to be feared that many
present-day readers (and even students) of the Bible have no deep
convictions that a definite prayer-life is absolutely essential to a
daily walking and communing with God, as it is for deliverance from
the power of indwelling sin, the seductions of the world, and the
assaults of Satan. If such a conviction really gripped their hearts,
would they not spend far more time on their faces before God? It is
worse than idle to reply, "A multitude of duties which have to be
performed crowd out prayer, though much against my wishes." But the
fact remains that each of us takes time for anything we deem to be
imperative. Who ever lived a busier life than our Saviour? Yet who
found more time for prayer? If we truly yearn to be suppliants and
intercessors before God and use all the available time we now have, He
will so order things for us that we shall have more time.
The lack of positive conviction of the deep importance of prayer is
plainly evidenced in the corporate life of professing Christians. God
has plainly said, "My house shall be called the house of prayer"
(Matt. 21:13). Note, not "the house of preaching and singing," but of
prayer. Yet, in the great majority of even so-called orthodox
churches, the ministry of prayer has become a negligible quantity.
There are still evangelistic campaigns, and Bible-teaching
conferences, but how rarely one hears of two weeks set apart for
special prayer! And how much good do these "Bible conferences"
accomplish if the prayer-life of the churches is not strengthened? But
when the Spirit of God applies in power to our hearts such words as,
"Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation" (Mark 14:38), "In
every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your
requests be made known to God" (Phil. 4:6), "Continue in prayer, and
watch in the same with thanksgiving" (Col. 4:2), then are we being
profited from the Scriptures.
2. We are profited from the Scriptures when we are made to feel that
we know not how to pray. "We know not what we should pray for as we
ought" (Rom. 8:26). How very few professing Christians really believe
this! The idea most generally entertained is that people know well
enough what they should pray for, only they are careless and wicked,
and so fail to pray for what they are fully assured is their duty. But
such a conception is at direct variance with this inspired declaration
in Romans 8:26. It is to be observed that that flesh-humbling
affirmation is made not simply of men in general, but of the saints of
God in particular, among which the apostle did not hesitate to include
himself: "We know not what we should pray for as we ought." If this be
the condition of the regenerate, how much more so of the unregenerate!
Yet it is one thing to read and mentally assent to what this verse
says, but it is quite another to have an experimental realization of
it, for the heart to be made to feel that what God requires from us He
must Himself work in and through us.
"I often say my prayers,
But do I ever pray?
And do the wishes of my heart
Go with the words I say?
I may as well kneel down
And worship gods of stone,
As offer to the living God
A prayer of words alone"
It is many years since the writer was taught these lines by his
mother--now "present with the Lord"--but their searching message still
comes home with force to him. The Christian can no more pray without
the direct enabling of the Holy Spirit than he can create a world.
This must be so, for real prayer is a felt need awakened within us by
the Spirit, so that we ask God, in the name of Christ, for that which
is in accord with His holy will. "If we ask any thing according to his
will, he heareth us" (1 John 5:14). But to ask something which is not
according to God's will is not praying, but presuming. True, God's
revealed will is made known in His Word, yet not in such a way as a
cookery book contains recipes and directions for preparing various
dishes. The Scriptures frequently enumerate principles which call for
continuous exercise of heart and Divine help to show us their
application to different cases and circumstances. Thus we are being
profited from the Scriptures when we are taught our deep need of
crying "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1), and are actually
constrained to beg Him for the spirit of prayer.
3. We are profited from the Scriptures when we are made conscious of
our need of the Spirit's help. First, that He may make known to us our
real wants. Take, for example, our temporal needs. How often we are in
some external strait; things from without press hard upon us, and we
long to be delivered from these trials and difficulties. Surely here
we "know" of ourselves what to pray for. No, indeed; far from it! The
truth is that, despite our natural desire for relief, so ignorant are
we, so dull is our discernment, that (even where there is an exercised
conscience) we know not what submission unto His pleasure God may
require, or how He may sanctify these afflictions to our inward good.
Therefore, God calls the petitions of most who seek for relief from
external trials "howlings," and not a crying unto Him with the heart
(see Hos. 7:14). "For who knoweth what is good for man in this life?"
(Eccles. 6:12). Ah, heavenly wisdom is needed to teach us our temporal
"needs" so as to make them a matter of prayer according to the mind of
God.
Perhaps a few words need to be added to what has just been said.
Temporal things may be scripturally prayed for (Matt. 6:11, etc.), but
with this threefold limitation. First, incidentally and not primarily,
for they are not the things which Christians are principally concerned
in (Matt. 6:33). It is heavenly and eternal things (Col. 3:1) which
are to be sought first and foremost, as being of far greater
importance and value than temporal things. Second, subordinately, as a
means to an end. In seeking material things from God it should not be
in order that we may be gratified, but as an aid to our pleasing Him
better. Third, submissively, not dictatorially, for that would be the
sin of presumption. Moreover, we know not whether any temporal mercy
would really contribute to our highest good (Ps. 106:18), and
therefore we must leave it with God to decide.
We have inward wants as well as outward. Some of these may be
discerned in the light of conscience, such as the guilt and defilement
of sin, of sins against light and nature and the plain letter of the
law. Nevertheless, the knowledge which we have of ourselves by means
of the conscience is so dark and confused that, apart from the Spirit,
we are in no way able to discover the true fountain of cleansing. The
things about which believers do and ought to treat primarily with God
in their supplications are the inward frames and spiritual
dispositions of their souls. Thus, David was not satisfied with
confessing all known transgressions and his original sin (Ps. 51:1-5),
nor yet with an acknowledgment that none could understand his errors,
whence he desired to be cleansed from "secret faults" (Ps. 19:12); but
he also begged God to undertake the inward searching of his heart to
find out what was amiss in him (Ps. 139:23, 24), knowing that God
principally requires "truth in the inward parts" (Ps. 51:6). Thus, in
view of I Corinthians 2: 10-12, we should definitely seek the Spirit's
aid that we may pray acceptably to God.
4. We are profited from the Scriptures when the Spirit teaches us the
right end in praying. God has appointed the ordinance of prayer with
at least a threefold design. First, that the great triune God might be
honored, for prayer is an act of worship, a paying homage; to the
Father as the Giver, in the Son's name, by whom alone we may approach
Him, by the moving and directing power of the Holy Spirit. Second, to
humble our hearts, for prayer is ordained to bring us into the place
of dependence, to develop within us a sense of our helplessness, by
owning that without the Lord we can do nothing, and that we are
beggars upon His charity for everything we are and have. But how
feebly is this realized (if at all) by any of us until the Spirit
takes us in hand, removes pride from us, and gives God His true place
in our hearts and thoughts. Third, as a means or way of obtaining for
ourselves the good things for which we ask.
It is greatly to be feared that one of the principal reasons why so
many of our prayers remain unanswered is because we have a wrong, an
unworthy end in view. Our Saviour said, "Ask, and it shall be given
you" (Matt. 7:7): but James affirms of some, "Ye ask, and receive not,
because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts" (James
4:3). To pray for anything, and not expressly unto the end which God
has designed, is to "ask amiss," and therefore to no purpose. Whatever
confidence we may have in our own wisdom and integrity, if we are left
to ourselves our aims will never be suited to the will of God. Unless
the Spirit restrains the flesh within us, our own natural and
distempered affections intermix themselves in our supplications, and
thus are rendered vain. "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God"
(1 Cor. 10:31), (yet none but the Spirit can enable us to subordinate
all our desires unto God's glory.
5. We are profited from the Scriptures when we are taught how to plead
God's promises. Prayer must be in faith (Rom. 10:14), or God will not
hear it. Now faith has respect to God's promises (Heb. 4:1; Rom.
4:21); if, therefore, we do not understand what God stands pledged to
give, we cannot pray at all. The promises of God contain the matter of
prayer and define the measure of it. What God has promised, all that
He has promised, and nothing else, we are to pray for. "Secret things
belong unto the Lord our God" (Deut. 29:29), but the declaration of
His will and the revelation of His grace belong unto us, and are our
rule. There is nothing that we really stand in need of but God has
promised to supply it, yet in such a way and under such limitations as
will make it good and useful to us. So too there is nothing God has
promised but we stand in need of it, or are some way or other
concerned in it as members of the mystical body of Christ. Hence, the
better we are acquainted with the Divine promises, and the more we are
enabled to understand the goodness, grace and mercy prepared and
proposed in them, the better equipped are we for acceptable prayer.
Some of God's promises are general rather than specific; some are
conditional, others unconditional; some are fulfilled in this life,
others in the world to come. Nor are we able of ourselves to discern
which promise is most suited to our particular case and present
emergency and need, or to appropriate by faith and rightly plead it
before God. Wherefore we are expressly told, "For what man knoweth the
things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the
things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have
received, not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God;
that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God" (1
Cor. 2: 11, 12). Should someone reply, If so much be required unto
acceptable praying, if we cannot supplicate God aright without much
less trouble than you indicate, few will continue long in this duty,
then we answer that such an objector knows not what it is to pray, nor
does he seem willing to learn.
6. We are profited from the Scriptures when we are brought to complete
submission unto God. As stated above, one of the Divine designs in
appointing prayer as an ordinance is that we might be humbled. This is
outwardly denoted when we bow the knee before the Lord. Prayer is an
acknowledgment of our helplessness, and a looking to Him from whom all
our help comes. It is an owning of His sufficiency to supply our every
need. It is a making known our requests" (Phil. 4:6) unto God; but
requests are very different from demands. "The throne of grace is not
set up that we may come and there vent our passions before God" (Wm.
Gurnall). We are to spread our case before God, but leave it to His
superior wisdom to prescribe how it shall be dealt with. There must be
no dictating, nor can we "claim" anything from God, for we are beggars
dependent upon His mere mercy. In all our praying we must add,
"Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt."
But may not faith plead God's promises and expect an answer?
Certainly; but it must be God's answer. Paul besought the Lord thrice
to remove his thorn in the flesh; instead of doing so, the Lord gave
him grace to endure it (2 Cor. 12). Many of God's promises are
promiscuous rather than personal. He has promised His Church pastors,
teachers and evangelists, yet many a local company of His saints has
languished long without them. Some of God's promises are indefinite
and general rather than absolute and universal; as, for example
Ephesians 6:2, 3. God has not bound Himself to give in kind or specie,
to grant the particular thing we ask for, even though we ask in faith.
Moreover, He reserves to Himself the right to determine the fit time
and season for bestowing His mercies. "Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek
of the earth . . . it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's
anger" (Zeph. 2:3). Just because it "may be" God's will to grant a
certain temporal mercy unto me, it is my duty to cast myself upon Him
and plead for it, yet with entire submission to His good pleasure for
the performance of it.
7. We are profited from the Scriptures when prayer becomes a real and
deep joy. Merely to "say our prayers each morning and evening is an
irksome task, a duty to be performed which brings a sigh of relief
when it is done. But really to come into the conscious presence of
God, to behold the glorious light of His countenance, to commune with
Him at the mercy seat, is a foretaste of the eternal bliss awaiting us
in heaven. The one who is blessed with this experience says with the
Psalmist, "It is good for me to draw near to God" (Ps. 73:28). Yes,
good for the heart, for it is quietened; good for faith, for it is
strengthened; good for the soul, for it is blessed. It is lack of this
soul communion with God which is the root cause of our unanswered
prayers: "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the
desires of thine heart" (Ps. 37:4).
What is it which, under the blessing of the Spirit, produces and
promotes this joy in prayer? First, it is the heart's delight in God
as the Object of prayer, and particularly the recognition and
realization of God as our Father. Thus, when the disciples asked the
Lord Jesus to teach them to pray, He said, "After this manner
therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven." And again, "God
hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba
[the Hebrew for "Father"], Father" (Gal. 4:6), which includes a
filial, holy delight in God, such as children have in their parents in
their most affectionate addresses to them. So again, in Ephesians
2:18, we are told, for the strengthening of faith and the comfort of
our hearts, "For through him [Christ] we both have access by one
Spirit unto the Father." What peace, what assurance, what freedom this
gives to the soul: to know we are approaching our Father!
Second, joy in prayer is furthered by the heart's apprehension and the
soul's sight of God as on the throne of grace -- a sight or prospect,
not by carnal imagination, but by spiritual illumination, for it is by
faith that we "see him who is invisible" (Heb. 11:27); faith being the
"evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1), making its proper object
evident and present unto them that believe. Such a sight of God upon
such a "throne" cannot but thrill the soul. Therefore are we exhorted,
"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may
obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16).
Thirdly, and drawn from the last quoted scripture, freedom and delight
in prayer are stimulated by the consciousness that God is, through
Jesus Christ, willing and ready to dispense grace and mercy to
suppliant sinners. There is no reluctance in Him which we have to
overcome. He is more ready to give than we are to receive. So He is
represented in Isaiah 30:18, "And therefore will the Lord wait, that
He may be gracious unto you." Yes, He waits to be sought unto; waits
for faith to lay hold of His readiness to bless. His ear is ever open
to the cries of the righteous. Then "let us draw near with a true
heart in full assurance of faith" (Heb. 10:22); "in every thing by
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made
known unto God," and we shall find that peace which passes all
understanding guarding our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus
(Phil. 4:6, 7).
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A. W. Pink Header
Profiting From The Word
by A.W. Pink
5. The Scriptures and Good Works
__________________________________________
The truth of God may well be likened to a narrow path skirted on
either side by a dangerous and destructive precipice: in other words,
it lies between two gulfs of error. The aptness of this figure may be
seen in our proneness to sway from one extreme to another. Only the
Holy Spirit's enabling can cause us to preserve the balance, failure
to do which inevitably leads to a fall into error, for error is not so
much the denial of truth as the perversion of truth, the pitting of
one part of it against another.
The history of theology forcibly and solemnly illustrates this fact.
One generation of men have rightly and earnestly contended for that
aspect of truth which was most needed in their day. The next
generation, instead of walking therein and moving forward, warred for
it intellectually as the distinguishing mark of their party, and
usually, in their defense of what was assaulted, have refused to
listen to the balancing truth which often their opponents were
insisting upon; the result being that they lost their sense of
perspective and emphasized what they believed out of its scriptural
proportions. Consequently, in the next generation, the true servant of
God is called on almost to ignore what was so valuable in their eyes,
and to emphasize that which they had, if not altogether denied, almost
completely lost sight of.
It has been said that "Rays of light, whether they proceed from the
sun, star, or candle, move in perfect straight lines; yet so inferior
are our works to God's that the steadiest hand cannot draw a perfectly
straight line; nor, with all his skill, has man ever been able to
invent an instrument capable of doing a thing apparently so simple"
(T. Guthrie, 1867). Be this so or not, certain it is that men, left to
themselves, have ever found it impossible to keep the even line of
truth between what appear to be conflicting doctrines: such as the
sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man; election by grace
and the universal proclamation of the Gospel; the justifying faith of
Paul and the justifying works of James. Only too often, where the
absolute sovereignty of God has been insisted upon, it has been to the
ignoring of man's accountability; and where unconditional election has
been held fast, the unfettered preaching of the Gospel to the unsaved
has been let slip. On the other hand, where human accountability has
been upheld and an evangelical ministry been sustained, the
sovereignty of God and the truth of election have generally been
whittled down or completely ignored.
Many of our readers have witnessed examples which illustrate the truth
of what has been said above, but few seem to realize that exactly the
same difficulty is experienced when an attempt is made to show the
precise relation between faith and good works. If, on the one hand,
some have erred in attributing to good works a place which Scripture
does not warrant, certain it is that, on the other hand, some have
failed to give to good works the province which Scripture assigns
them. If, on the one side, it be serious error to ascribe our
justification before God to any performances of ours, on the other
side they are equally guilty who deny that good works are necessary in
order to our reaching heaven, and allow nothing more than that they
are merely evidences or fruits of our justification. We are well aware
that we are now (shall we say) treading on thin ice, and running a
serious risk of ourselves being charged with heresy; nevertheless we
deem it expedient to seek Divine aid in grappling with this
difficulty, and then commit the issues thereof to God Himself.
In some quarters the claims of faith, though not wholly denied, have
been disparaged because of a zeal to magnify good works. In other
circles, reputed as orthodox (and they are what we now have chiefly in
mind), only too rarely are good works assigned their proper place, and
far too infrequently are professing Christians urged with apostolic
earnestness to maintain them. No doubt this is due at times to a fear
of undervaluing faith, and encouraging sinners in the fatal error of
trusting to their own doings rather than to and in the righteousness
of Christ. But no such apprehensions should hinder a preacher from
declaring "all the counsel of God." If his theme be faith in Christ,
as the Saviour of the lost, let him fully set forth that truth without
any modification, giving to this grace the place which the apostle
gave it in his reply to the Philippian jailer (Acts 16:31). But if his
subject be good works, let him be no less faithful in keeping back
nothing which Scripture says thereon; let him not forget that Divine
command, "Affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God
might be careful to maintain good works" (Titus 3:8).
The last-quoted scripture is the most pertinent one for these days of
looseness and laxity, of worthless profession, and empty boasting.
This expression "good works" is found in the New Testament in the
singular or plural number no less than thirty times; yet, from the
rarity with which many preachers, who are esteemed sound in the faith,
use, emphasize, and enlarge upon them, many of their hearers would
conclude that those words occur but once or twice in all the Bible.
Speaking to the Jews on another subject, the Lord said, "What. . . God
hath joined together, let not man put asunder" (Mark 10:9). Now in
Ephesians 2: 8-10, God has joined two most vital and blessed things
together which ought never to be separated in our hearts and minds,
yet they are most frequently parted in the modern pulpit. How many
sermons are preached from the first two of these verses, which so
clearly declare salvation to be by grace through faith and not of
works. Yet how seldom are we reminded that the sentence which begins
with grace and faith is only completed in verse 10, where we are told,
"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
We began this series by pointing out that the Word of God may be taken
up from various motives and read with different designs, but that 2
Timothy 3:16,17, makes known for what these Scriptures are really
"profitable," namely for doctrine or teaching, for reproof,
correction, instruction in righteousness, and all of these that "the
man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."
Having dwelt upon its teaching about God and Christ, its reproofs and
corrections for sin, its instruction in connection with prayer, let us
now consider how these furnish us unto "all good works." Here is
another vital criterion by which an honest soul, with the help of the
Holy Spirit, may ascertain whether or not his reading and study of the
Word is really benefiting him.
1. We profit from the Word when we are thereby taught the true place
of good works. "Many persons, in their eagerness to support orthodoxy
as a system, speak of salvation by grace and faith in such a manner as
to undervalue holiness and a life devoted to God. But there is no
ground for this in the Holy Scriptures. The same Gospel that declares
salvation to be freely by the grace of God through faith in the blood
of Christ, and asserts, in the strongest terms, that sinners are
justified by the righteousness of the Saviour imputed to them on their
believing in Him, without any respect to works of law, also assures
us, that without holiness no man shall see God; that believers are
cleansed by the blood of atonement; that their hearts are purified by
faith, which works by love, and overcomes the world; and that the
grace that brings salvation to all men, teaches those who receive it,
that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, they should live soberly,
righteously, and godly in this present world. Any fear that the
doctrine of grace will suffer from the most strenuous inculcation of
good works on a scriptural foundation, betrays an inadequate and
greatly defective acquaintance with Divine truth, and any tampering
with the Scriptures in order to silence their testimony in favour of
the fruits of righteousness, as absolutely necessary in the Christian,
is a perversion and forgery with respect to the Word of God"
(Alexander Carson).
But what force (ask some) has this ordination or command of God unto
good works, when, notwithstanding it, though we fail to apply
ourselves diligently unto obedience, we shall nevertheless be
justified by the imputation of Christ's righteousness, and so may be
saved without them? Such a senseless objection proceeds from utter
ignorance of the believer's present state and relation to God. To
suppose that the hearts of the regenerate are not as much and as
effectually influenced with the authority and commands of God unto
obedience as if they were given in order unto their justification is
to ignore what true faith is, and what are the arguments and motives
whereby the minds of Christians are principally affected and
constrained. Moreover, it is to lose sight of the inseparable
connection which God has made between our justification and our
sanctification: to suppose that one of these may exist without the
other is to overthrow the whole Gospel. The apostle deals With this
very objection in Romans 6:1-3.
2. We profit from the Word when we are thereby taught the absolute
necessity of good works. If it be written that "without shedding of
blood is no remission" (Heb. 9:22) and "without faith it is impossible
to please him" (Heb. 11:6), the Scripture of Truth also declares,
"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall
see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). The life lived by the saints in heaven is
but the completion and consummation of that life which, after
regeneration, they live here on earth. The difference between the two
is not one of kind, but of degree. "The path of the just is as the
shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day" (Prov.
4:18). If there has been no walking with God down here there will be
no dwelling with God up there. If there has been no real communion
with Him in time there will be none with Him in eternity. Death
effects no vital change to the heart. True, at death the remainders of
sin are for ever left behind by the saint, but no new nature is then
imparted. If then he did not hate sin and love holiness before death,
he certainly will not do so afterwards.
No one really desires to go to hell, though there are few indeed who
are willing to forsake that broad road which inevitably leads there.
All would like to go to heaven, but professing Christians are really
willing and determined to walk that narrow way which alone leads
thereto? It is at this point that we may discern the precise place
which good works have in connection with salvation. They do not merit
it, yet they are inseparable from it. They do not procure a title to
heaven, yet they are among the means which God has appointed for His
people's getting there. In no sense are good works the procuring cause
of eternal life, but they are part of the means (as are the Spirit's
work within us and repentance, faith and obedience by us) conducing to
it. God has appointed the way wherein we must walk in order to our
arriving at the inheritance purchased for us by Christ. A life of
daily obedience to God is that which alone gives actual admission to
the enjoyment of what Christ has purchased for His people--admission
now by faith, admission at death or His return in full actuality.
3. We profit from the Word when we are taught thereby the design of
good works. This is clearly made known in Matthew 5:16: "Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and
glorify your Father which is in heaven." It is worthy of our notice
that this is the first occurrence of the expression, and, as is
generally the case, the initial mention of a thing in Scripture
intimates its subsequent scope and usage. Here we learn that the
disciples of Christ are to authenticate their Christian profession by
the silent but vocal testimony of their lives (for "light" makes no
noise in its "shining"), that men may see (not hear boastings about)
their good works, and this that their Father in heaven may be
glorified. Here, then, is their fundamental design: for the honour of
God.
As the contents of Matthew 5: 16 are so generally misunderstood and
perverted we add a further thought thereon. Only too commonly the
"good works" are confounded with the "light" itself, yet they are
quite distinct, though inseparably connected. The "light" is our
testimony for Christ but of what value is this unless the life itself
exemplifies it? The "good works" are not for the directing of
attention to ourselves, but to Him who has wrought them in us. They
are to be of such a character and quality that even the ungodly will
know they proceed from some higher source than fallen human nature.
Supernatural fruit requires a supernatural root, and as this is
recognized, the Husbandman is glorified thereby. Equally significant
is the last reference to "good works" in Scripture: "Having your
conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak
against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they
shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation" (1 Pet. 2:12).
Thus the first and final allusions emphasize their design: to glorify
God because of His works through His people in this world.
4. We profit from the Word when we are taught thereby the true nature
of good works. This is something concerning which the unregenerate are
in entire ignorance. Judging merely from the external, estimating
things only by human standards, they are quite incompetent to
determine what works are good in God's esteem and what are not.
Supposing that what men regard as good works God will approve of too,
they remain in the darkness of their sin-blinded understandings; nor
can any convince them of their error, till the Holy Spirit quickens
them into newness of life, bringing them out of darkness into God's
marvelous light. Then it will appear that only those are good works
which are done in obedience to the will of God (Rom. 6:16), from a
principle of love to Him (Heb. 10:24), in the name of Christ (Col.
3:17), and to the glory of God by Him (1 Cor. 10:31).
The true nature of "good works" Was perfectly exemplified by the Lord
Jesus. All that He did was done in obedience to His Father. He
"pleased not himself" (Rom. 15:3), but ever performed the bidding of
the One who had sent Him (John 6:38). He could say, "I do always those
things that please him" (John 8:29). There were no limits to Christ's
subjection to the Father's will: He "became obedient unto death, even
the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:8). So too all that He did proceeded
from love to the Father and love to His neighbour. Love is the
fulfilling of the Law; without love, compliance with the Law is naught
but servile subjection, and that cannot be acceptable to Him who is
Love. Proof that all Christ's obedience flowed from love is found in
His words, "I delight to do thy will, O my God" (Ps. 40:8). So also
all that Christ did had in view the glory of the Father: "Father,
glorify thy name" (John 12:28) revealed the object constantly before
Him.
5. We profit from the Word when we are taught thereby the true source
of good works. Unregenerate men are capable of performing works which
in a natural and civil sense, though not in the spiritual sense, are
good. They may do those things which, externally, as to matter and
substance of them, are good, such as reading the Bible, attending the
ministry of the Word, giving alms to the poor; yet the mainspring of
such actions, their lack of godly motive, renders them as filthy rags
in the sight of the thrice holy One. The unregenerate have no power to
perform works in a spiritual manner, and therefore it is written,
"There is none that doeth good, no, not one" (Rom. 3:12). Nor are they
able to: they are "not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can
be" (Rom. 8:7). Hence, even the ploughing of the wicked is sin (Prov.
21:4). Nor are believers able to think a good thought or perform a
good work of themselves (2 Cor. 3:5): it is God who works in them
"both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13).
When the Ethiopian can change his skin, and the leopard his spots,
then may they also do good that are accustomed to do evil (Jer.
13:23). Men may as soon expect to gather grapes of thorns or figs of
thistles, as good fruit to grow upon or good works to be performed by
the unregenerate. We have first to be "created in Christ Jesus" (Eph.
2:10), have His Spirit put within us (Gal. 4:6), and His grace
implanted in our hearts (Eph. 4: 7; I Cor. 15:10), before there is any
capacity for good works. Even then we can do nothing apart from Christ
(John 15:5). Often we have a will to do that which is good, yet how to
perform it we know not (Rom. 7:18). This drives us to our knees,
begging God to make us "perfect in every good work," working in us
"that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ" (Heb.
13:21). Thus we are emptied of self-sufficiency, and brought to
realize that all our springs are in God (Ps. 87:7); and thus we
discover that we can do all things through Christ strengthening us
(Phil. 4:13).
6. We profit from the Word when we are taught thereby the great
importance of good works. Condensing as far as possible: "good works"
are of great importance because by them God is glorified (Matt. 5:16),
by them the mouths of those who speak against us are closed (1 Pet.
2:12), by them we evidence the genuineness of our profession of faith
(James 2:13-17). It is highly expedient that we "adorn the doctrine of
God our Saviour in all things" (Titus 2:10). Nothing brings more
honour to Christ than that those who bear His name are found living
constantly (by His enablement) in a Christ-like way and spirit. It was
not without reason that the same Spirit who caused the apostle to
preface his statement concerning Christ's coming into this world to
save sinners with "This is a faithful saying," etc., also moved him to
write, "This is a faithful saying. . . that they which have believed
in God might be careful to maintain good works" (Titus 3:8). May we
indeed be "zealous of good works" (Titus 2:14).
7. We profit from the Word when we are taught thereby the true scope
of good works. This is so comprehensive as to include the discharge of
our duties in every relationship in which God has placed us. It is
interesting and instructive to note the first "good work" (as so
described) in Holy Writ, namely, the anointing of the Saviour by Mary
of Bethany (Matt. 26:10; Mark 14:6). Indifferent alike to the blame or
praise of men, with eyes only for the "chiefest among ten thousand,"
she lavished upon Him her precious ointment. Another woman, Dorcas
(Acts 9:36), is also mentioned as "full of good works"; after worship
comes service, glorifying God among men and benefiting others.
"That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being
fruitful in every good work" (Col. 1:10). The bringing up (not
"dragging" up!) of children, lodging (spiritual) strangers, washing
the saints" feet (ministering to their temporal comforts) and
relieving the afflicted (1 Tim. 5:10) are spoken of as "good works."
Unless our reading and study of the Scriptures is making us better
soldiers of Jesus Christ, better citizens of the country in which we
sojourn, better members of our earthly homes (kinder, gentler, more
unselfish), "throughly furnished unto all good works," it is profiting
us little or nothing.
__________________________________________
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Profiting From The Word
by A.W. Pink
6. The Scriptures and Obedience
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All professing Christians are agreed, in theory at least, that it is
the bounden duty of those who bear His name to honour and glorify
Christ in this world. But as to how this is to be done, as to what He
requires from us to this end, there is wide difference of opinion.
Many suppose that honoring Christ simply means to join some "church,"
take part in and support its various activities. Others think that
honoring Christ means to speak of Him to others and be diligently
engaged in "personal work." Others seem to imagine that honoring
Christ signifies little more than making liberal financial
contributions to His cause. Few indeed realize that Christ is honored
only as we live holily unto Him, and that, by walking in subjection to
His revealed will. Few indeed really believe that word, "Behold, to
obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams" (1
Sam. 15:22).
We are not Christians at all unless we have fully surrendered to and
"received Christ Jesus the Lord" (Col. 2:6). We would plead with you
to ponder that statement diligently. Satan is deceiving many today by
leading them to suppose that they are savingly trusting in "the
finished work" of Christ while their hearts remain unchanged and self
still rules their lives. Listen to God's Word: "Salvation is far from
the wicked; for they seek not thy statutes" (Ps. 119:155). Do you
really seek His statutes"? Do you diligently search His Word to
discover what He has commanded? "He that saith, I know Him, and
keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him"
(1 John 2:4). What could be plainer than that?
"And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?"
(Luke 6:46). Obedience to the Lord in life, not merely glowing words
from the lips, is what Christ requires. What a searching and solemn
word is that in James 1:22: "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers
only, deceiving your own selves"! There are many "hearers" of the
Word, regular hearers, reverent hearers, interested hearers; but alas,
what they hear is not incorporated into the life: it does not regulate
their way. And God says that they who are not doers of the Word are
deceiving their own selves!
Alas, how many such there are in Christendom today! They are not
downright hypocrites, but deluded. They suppose that because they are
so clear upon salvation by grace alone they are saved. They suppose
that because they sit under the ministry of a man who has "made the
Bible a new book" to them they have grown in grace. They suppose that
because their store of biblical knowledge has increased they are more
spiritual. They suppose that the mere listening to a servant of God or
reading his writings is feeding on the Word. Not so! We "feed" on the
Word only when we personally appropriate, masticate and assimilate
into our lives what we hear or read. Where there is not an increasing
conformity of heart and life to God's Word, then increased knowledge
will only bring increased condemnation. "And that servant, which knew
his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to
his will, shall be beaten with many stripes" (Luke 12:47).
"Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth"
(2 Tim 3:7). This is one of the prominent characteristics of the
"perilous times" in which we are now living. People hear one preacher
after another, attend this conference and that conference, read book
after book on biblical subjects, and yet never attain unto a vital and
practical acquaintance with the truth, so as to have an impression of
its power and efficacy on the soul. There is such a thing as spiritual
dropsy, and multitudes are suffering from it. The more they hear, the
more they want to hear: they drink in sermons and addresses with
avidity, but their lives are unchanged. They are puffed up with their
knowledge, not humbled into the dust before God. The faith of God's
elect is "the acknowledging [in the life] of the truth which is after
godliness" (Titus 1:1), but to this the vast majority are total
strangers.
God has given us His Word not only with the design of instructing us,
but for the purpose of directing us: to make known what He requires us
to do. The first thing we need is a clear and distinct knowledge of
our duty; and the first thing God demands of us is a conscientious
practice of it, corresponding to our knowledge. "What doth the Lord
require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk
humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8). "Let us hear the conclusion of the
whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the
whole duty of man (Eccles. 12:13). The Lord Jesus affirmed the same
thing when He said, "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command
you" (John 15:14).
1. A man profits from the Word as he discovers God's demands upon him;
His undeviating demands, for He changes not. It is a great and
grievous mistake to suppose that in this present dispensation God has
lowered His demands, for that would necessarily imply that His
previous demand was a harsh and unrighteous one. Not so! "The law is
holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good" (Rom. 7:12). The
sum of God's demands is, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might" (Deut.
6:5); and the Lord Jesus repeated it in Matthew 22:37. The apostle
Paul enforced the same when he wrote, "If any man love not the Lord
Jesus Christ let him be Anathema" (1 Cor. 16:22).
2. A man profits from the Word when he discovers how entirely and how
sinfully he has failed to meet God's demands. And let us point out for
the benefit of any who may take issue with the last paragraph that no
man can see what a sinner he is, how infinitely short he has fallen of
measuring up to God's standard, until he has a clear sight of the
exalted demands of God upon him! Just in proportion as preachers lower
God's standard of what He requires from every human being, to that
extent will their hearers obtain an inadequate and faulty conception
of their sinfulness, and the less will they perceive their need of an
almighty Saviour. But once a soul really perceives what are God's
demands upon him, and how completely and constantly he has failed to
render Him His due, then does he recognize what a desperate situation
he is in. The law must be preached before any are ready for the
Gospel.
3. A man profits from the Word when he is taught therefrom that God,
in His infinite grace, has fully provided for His people's meeting His
own demands. At this point, too, much present-day preaching is
seriously defective. There is being given forth what may loosely be
termed a "half Gospel," but which in reality is virtually a denial of
the true Gospel. Christ is brought in, yet only as a sort of
make-weight. That Christ has vicariously met every demand of God upon
all who believe upon Him is blessedly true, yet it is only a part of
the truth. The Lord Jesus has not only vicariously satisfied for His
people the requirements of God's righteousness, but He has also
secured that they shall personally satisfy them too. Christ has
procured the Holy Spirit to make good in them what the Redeemer
wrought for them.
The grand and glorious miracle of salvation is that the saved are
regenerated. A transforming work is wrought within them. Their
understandings are illuminated, their hearts are changed, their wills
are renewed. They are made "new creatures in Christ Jesus" (2 Cor.
5:17). God refers to this miracle of grace thus: "I will put my laws
into their mind, and write them in their hearts" (Heb. 8:10). The
heart is now inclined to God's law: a disposition has been
communicated to it which answers to its demands; there is a sincere
desire to perform it. And thus the quickened soul is able to say,
"When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, thy face,
Lord, will I seek" (Ps. 27:8).
Christ not only rendered a perfect obedience unto the Law for the
justification of His believing people, but He also merited for them
those supplies of His Spirit which were essential unto their
sanctification, and which alone could transform carnal creatures and
enable them to render acceptable obedience unto God. Though Christ
died for the "ungodly" (Rom. 5:6), though He finds them ungodly (Rom.
4:5) when He justifies them, yet He does not leave them in that
abominable state. On the contrary, He effectually teaches them by His
Spirit to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts (Titus 2:12). Just as
weight cannot be separated from a stone, or heat from a fire, so
cannot justification from sanctification.
When God really pardons a sinner in the court of his Conscience, under
the sense of that amazing grace the heart is purified, the life is
rectified, and the whole man is sanctified. Christ "gave himself for
us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself
a peculiar people [not "careless about" but], zealous of good works"
(Titus 2:14). Just as a substance and its properties, causes and their
necessary effects are inseparably connected, so are a saving faith and
conscientious obedience unto God. Hence we read of "the obedience of
faith" (Rom. 16:26).
Said the Lord Jesus, "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them,
he it is that loveth me" (John 14:21). Not in the Old Testament, the
Gospels or the Epistles does God own anyone as a lover of Him save the
one who keeps His commandments. Love is something more than sentiment
or emotion; it is a principle of action, and it expresses itself in
something more than honeyed expressions, namely, by deeds which please
the object loved. "For this is the love of God, that we keep his
commandments" (1 John 5:3). Oh, my reader, you are deceiving yourself
if you think you love God and yet have no deep desire and make no real
effort to walk obediently before Him.
But what is obedience to God? It is far more than a mechanical
performance of certain duties. I may have been brought up by Christian
parents, and under them acquired certain moral habits, and yet my
abstaining from taking the Lord's name in vain, and being guiltless of
stealing, may be no obedience to the third and eighth commandments.
Again, obedience to God is far more than conforming to the conduct of
His people. I may board in a home where the Sabbath is strictly
observed, and out of respect for them, or because I think it is a good
and wise course to rest one day in seven, I may refrain from all
unnecessary labour on that day, and yet not keep the fourth
commandment at all! Obedience is not only subjection to an external
law, but it is the surrendering of my will to the authority of
another. Thus, obedience to God is the heart's recognition of His
lordship: of His right to command, and my duty to comply. It is the
complete subjection of the soul to the blessed yoke of Christ.
That obedience which God requires can proceed only from a heart which
loves Him. "Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord" (Col.
3:23). That obedience which springs from a dread of punishment is
servile. That obedience which is performed in order to procure favors
from God is selfish and carnal. But spiritual and acceptable obedience
is cheerfully given: it is the heart's free response to and gratitude
for the unmerited regard and love of God for us.
4. We profit from the Word when we not only see it is our bounden duty
to obey God, but when there is wrought in us a love for His
commandments. The "blessed" man is the one whose "delight is in the
law of the Lord" (Ps. 1:2).And again we read, "Blessed is the man that
feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments" (Ps.
112:1). It affords a real test for our hearts to face honestly the
questions, Do I really value His "commandments" as much as I do His
promises? Ought I not to do so? Assuredly, for the one proceeds as
truly from His love as does the other. The heart's compliance with the
voice of Christ is the foundation for all practical holiness.
Here again we would earnestly and lovingly beg the reader to attend
closely to this detail. Any man who supposes that he is saved and yet
has no genuine love for God's commandment is deceiving himself. Said
the Psalmist, "O how love I thy law!" (Ps. 119:97). And again,
"Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold"
(Ps. 119:127). Should someone object that that was under the Old
Testament, we ask, Do you intimate that the Holy Spirit produces a
lesser change in the hearts of those whom He now regenerates than He
did of old? But a New Testament saint also placed on record, "I
delight in the law of God after the inward man" (Rom. 7:22). And, my
reader, unless your heart delights in the "law of God" there is
something radically wrong with you; yea, it is greatly to be feared
that you are spiritually dead.
5. A man profits from the Word when his heart and will are yielded to
all God's commandments. Partial obedience is no obedience at all. A
holy mind declines whatsoever God forbids, and chooses to practice all
He requires, without any exception. If our minds submit not unto God
in all His commandments, we submit not to His authority in anything He
enjoins. If we do not approve of our duty in its full extent, we are
greatly mistaken if we imagine that we have any liking unto any part
of it. A person who has no principle of holiness in him may yet be
disinclined to many vices and be pleased to practice many virtues, as
he perceives the former are unfit actions and the latter are, in
themselves, comely actions, but his disapprobation of vice and
approbation of virtue do not arise from any disposition to submit to
the will of God.
True spiritual obedience is impartial. A renewed heart does not pick
and choose from God's commandments: the man who does so is not
performing God's will, but his own. Make no mistake upon this point;
if we do not sincerely desire to please God in all things, then we do
not truly wish to do so in anything. Self must be denied; not merely
some of the things which may be craved, but self itself! A willful
allowance of any known sin breaks the whole law (James 2:10, 11).
"Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy
commandments" (Ps. 119:6). Said the Lord Jesus, "Ye are my friends, if
ye do whatsoever I command you" (John 15:14): if I am not His friend,
then I must be His enemy, for there is no other alternative-see Luke
19:27.
6. We profit from the Word when the soul is moved to pray earnestly
for enabling grace. In regeneration the Holy Spirit communicates a
nature which is fitted for obedience according to the Word. The heart
has been won by God. There is now a deep and sincere desire to please
Him. But the new nature possesses no inherent power, and the old
nature or "flesh" strives against it, and the Devil opposes. Thus, the
Christian exclaims, "To will is present with me; but how to perform
that which is good I find not" (Rom. 7:18). This does not mean that he
is the slave of sin, as he was before conversion; but it means that he
finds not how fully to realize his spiritual aspirations. Therefore
does he pray, "Make me to go in the path of Thy commandments; for
therein do I delight" (Ps. 119:35). And again, "Order my steps in Thy
word, and let not any iniquity have dominion over me" (Ps. 119:133).
Here we would reply to a question which the above statements have
probably raised in many minds: Are you affirming that God requires
perfect obedience from us in this life? We answer, Yes! God will not
set any lower standard before us than that (see 1 Pet. 1:15). Then
does the real Christian measure up to that standard? Yes and no! Yes,
in his heart, and it is at the heart that God looks (I Sam. 16:7). In
his heart every regenerated person has a real love for God's
commandments, and genuinely desires to keep all of them completely. It
is in this sense, and this alone, that the Christian is experimentally
"perfect." The word "perfect," both in the Old Testament (Job 1:1, and
Ps. 37:37) and in the new Testament (Phil. 3:15), means "upright",
"sincere", in contrast with "hypocritical".
"Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble" (Ps. 10:17). The
"desires" of the saint are the language of his soul, and the promise
is, "He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him" (Ps. 145:19).
The Christian's desire is to obey God in all things, to be completely
conformed to the image of Christ. But this will only be realized in
the resurrection. Meanwhile, God for Christ's sake graciously accepts
the will for the deed (1 Pet. 2:5). He knows our hearts and see in His
child a genuine love for and a sincere desire to keep all His
commandments, and He accepts the fervent longing and cordial endeavour
in lieu of an exact performance (2 Cor. 8:12). But let none who are
living in willful disobedience draw false peace and pervert to their
own destruction what has just been said for the comfort of those who
are heartily desirous of seeking to please God in all the details of
their lives.
If any ask, How am I to know that my "desires" are really those of a
regenerate soul? we answer, Saving grace is the communication to the
heart of an habitual disposition unto holy acts. The "desires" of the
reader are to be tested thus: Are they constant and continuous, or
only by fits and starts? Are they earnest and serious, so that you
really hunger and thirst after righteousness" (Matt. 5:6) and pant
"after God" (Ps. 42:1)? Are they operative and efficacious? Many
desire to escape from hell, yet their desires are not sufficiently
strong to bring them to hate and turn from that which must inevitably
bring them to hell, namely, willful sinning against God. Many desire
to go to heaven, but not so that they enter upon and follow that
"narrow way" which alone leads there. True spiritual desires use the
means of grace and spare no pains to realize them, and continue
prayerfully pressing forward unto the mark set before them.
7. We profit from the Word when we are, even now, enjoying the reward
of obedience. "Godliness is profitable unto all things" (1 Tim. 4:8).
By obedience we purify our souls (1 Pet. 1:21). By obedience we obtain
the ear of God (1 John 3:22), just as disobedience is a barrier to our
prayers (Isa. 59:2; Jer. 5:25). By obedience we obtain precious and
intimate manifestations of Christ unto the soul (John 14:21). As we
tread the path of wisdom (complete subjection to God) we discover that
"her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace"
(Prov. 3:17). "His commandments are not grievous" (1 John 5:3), and
"in keeping of them there is great reward" (Ps. 19:11).
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Profiting From The Word
by A.W. Pink
7. The Scriptures and the World
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Not a little is written to the Christian in the New Testament about
"the world" and his attitude towards it. Its real nature is plainly
defined, and the believer is solemnly warned against it. God's holy
Word is a light from heaven, shining here "in a dark place" (2 Pet.
1:19). Its Divine rays exhibit things in their true colors,
penetrating and exposing the false veneer and glamour by which many
objects are cloaked. That world upon which so much labour is bestowed
and money spent, and which is so highly extolled and admired by its
blinded dupes, is declared to be "the enemy of God"; therefore are His
children forbidden to be "conformed" to it and to have their
affections set upon it.
The present phase of our subject is by no means the least important of
those that we have set out to consider, and the serious reader will do
well to seek Divine grace to measure himself or herself by it. One of
the exhortations which God has addressed to His children runs, "As
newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow
thereby" (1 Pet. 2:2), and it behooves each one of them honestly and
diligently to examine himself so as to discover whether or not this be
the case with him. Nor are we to be content with an increase of mere
head-knowledge of Scripture: what we need to be most concerned about
is our practical growth, our experimental conformity to the image of
Christ. And one point at which we may test ourselves is, Does my
reading and study of God's Word make me less worldly?
1. We profit from the Word when our eyes are opened to discern the
true character of the world. One of the poets wrote, "God's in His
heaven--all's right with the world". From one standpoint that is
blessedly true, but from another it is radically wrong, for "the whole
world lieth in wickedness" (1 John 5:19). But it is only as the heart
is supernaturally enlightened by the Holy Spirit that we are enabled
to perceive that that which is highly esteemed among men is really
"abomination in the sight of God" (Luke 16:15). It is much to be
thankful for when the soul is able to see that the "world" is a
gigantic fraud, a hollow bauble, a vile thing, which must one day be
burned up.
Before we go further, let us define that "world" which the Christian
is forbidden to love. There are few words found upon the pages of Holy
Writ used with a greater variety of meanings than this one. Yet
careful attention to the context will usually determine its scope. The
"world" is a system or order of things, complete in itself. No foreign
element is suffered to intrude, or if it does it is speedily
accommodated or assimilated to itself. The "world" is fallen human
nature acting itself out in the human family, fashioning the framework
of human society in accord with its own tendencies. It is the
organized kingdom of the "carnal mind" which is "enmity against God"
and which is "not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be"
(Rom. 8:7). Wherever the "carnal mind" is, there is "the world"; so
that worldliness is the world without God.
2. We profit from the Word when we learn that the world is an enemy to
be resisted and overcome. The Christian is bidden to "fight the good
fight of faith" (1 Tim. 6:12), which implies that there are foes to be
met and vanquished. As there is the Holy Trinity--the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit--so also is there an evil trinity--the flesh, the
world, and the Devil. The child of God is called to engage in a mortal
combat with them; "mortal", we say, for either they will destroy him
or he will get the victory over them. Settle it, then, in your mind,
my reader, that the world is a deadly enemy, and if you do not
vanquish it in your heart then you are no child of God, for it is
written "Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world" (1 John 5:4).
Out of many, the following reasons may be given as to why the world
must be "overcome." First, all its alluring objects tend to divert the
attention and alienate the affections of the soul from God.
Necessarily so, for it is the tendency of things seen to turn the
heart away from things unseen. Second, the spirit of the world is
diametrically opposed to the Spirit of Christ; therefore did the
apostle write, "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but
the Spirit which is of God" (1 Cor. 2:12). The Son of God came into
the world, but "the world knew him not" (John 1:10); therefore did its
"princes" and rulers crucify Him (1 Cor. 2:8). Third, its concerns and
cares are hostile to a devout and heavenly life. Christians, like the
rest of mankind, are required by God to labour six days in the week;
but while so employed they need to be constantly on their guard, lest
covetous interests govern them rather than the performance of duty.
"This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (1
John 5:4). Naught but a God-given faith can overcome the world. But as
the heart is occupied with invisible yet eternal realities, it is
delivered from the corrupting influence of worldly objects. The eyes
of faith discern the things of sense in their real colors, and see
that they are empty and vain, and not worthy to be compared with the
great and glorious objects of eternity. A felt sense of the
perfections and presence of God makes the world appear less than
nothing. When the Christian views the Divine Redeemer dying for his
sins, living to intercede for his perseverance, reigning and
overruling things for his final salvation, he exclaims, "There is none
upon earth that I desire beside thee."
And how is it with you as you read these lines? You may cordially
assent to what has just been said in the last paragraph, but how is it
with you actually? Do the things which are so highly valued by the
unregenerate charm and enthral you? Take away from the worldling those
things in which he delights, and he is wretched: is this so with you?
Or, are your present joy and satisfaction found in objects which can
never be taken from you? Treat not these questions lightly, we beseech
you, but ponder them seriously in the presence of God. The honest
answer to them will be an index to the real state of your soul, and
will indicate whether or not you are deceived in supposing yourself to
be "a new creature in Christ Jesus."
3. We profit from the Word when we learn that Christ died to deliver
us from "this present evil world" (Gal. 1:4). The Son of God came
here, not only to "fulfill" the requirements of the law (Matt. 5:17),
to "destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8), to deliver us "from
the wrath to come" (1 Thess. 1:10), to save us from our sins (Matt.
1:21), but also to free us from the bondage of this world, to deliver
the soul from its enthralling influence. This was foreshadowed of old
in God's dealings with Israel. They were slaves in Egypt, and "Egypt"
is a figure of the world. They were in cruel bondage, spending their
time in making bricks for Pharaoh. They were unable to free
themselves. But Jehovah, by His mighty power, emancipated them, and
brought them forth out of the "iron furnace." Thus does Christ with
His own. He breaks the power of the world over their hearts. He makes
them independent of it, that they neither court its favors nor fear
its frowns.
Christ gave Himself a sacrifice for the sins of His people that, in
consequence thereof, they might be delivered from the damning power
and governing influence of all that is evil in this present world:
from Satan, who is its prince; from the lusts which predominate in it;
from the vain conversation of the men who belong to it. And the Holy
Spirit indwelling the saints co-operates with Christ in this blessed
work. He turns their thoughts and affections away from earthly things
to heavenly. By the working of His power, lie frees them from the
demoralizing influence which surrounds them, and conforms them to the
heavenly standard. And as the Christian grows in grace he recognizes
this, and acts accordingly. He seeks yet fuller deliverance from this
"present evil world," and begs God to free him from it completely.
That which once charmed him now nauseates. He longs for the time when
he shall be taken out of this scene where his blessed Lord is so
grievously dishonored.
4. We profit from the Word when our hearts are weaned from it. "Love
not the world, neither the things that are in the world" (1 John
2:15). "What the stumbling-block is to the traveler in the way, the
weight to the runner, the lime twigs to the bird in its flight, so is
the love of the world to a Christian in his course--either wholly
diverting him from, greatly enticing him in, or forcibly turning him
out of it" (Nathaniel Hardy, 1660). The truth is that until the heart
is purged from this corruption the ear will be deaf to Divine
instruction. Not until we are lifted above the things of time and
sense can we be subdued unto obedience to God. Heavenly truth glides
off a carnal mind as water from a spherical body.
The world has turned its back upon Christ, and though His name is
professed in many places, yet will it have nothing to do with Him. All
the desires and designs of worldlings are for the gratification of
self. Let their aims and pursuits be as varied as they may, self being
supreme, everything is subordinated to the pleasing of self. Now
Christians are in the world, and cannot get out of it; they have to
live their Lord's appointed time in it. While here they have to earn
their living, support their families, and attend to their worldly
business. But they are forbidden to love the world, as though it could
make them happy. Their "treasure" and "portion" are to be found
elsewhere.
The world appeals to every instinct of fallen man. It contains a
thousand objects to charm him: they attract his attention, the
attention creates a desire for and love of them, and insensibly yet
surely they make deeper and deeper impressions on his heart. It has
the same fatal influence on all classes. But attractive and appealing
as its varied objects may be, all the pursuits and pleasures of the
world are designed and adapted to promote the happiness of this life
only therefore, "What shall it profit a man if he should gain the
whole world, and lose his own soul?" The Christian is taught by the
Spirit, and through His presenting of Christ to the soul his thoughts
are diverted from the world. Just as a little child will readily drop
a dirty object when something more pleasing is offered to it, so the
heart which is in communion with God will say, "I count all things but
loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord...
and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ" (Phil. 3:8).
5. We profit from the Word when we walk in separation from the world.
"Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?
whosoever will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God" (James
4:4). Such a verse as this ought to search every one of us through and
through, and make us tremble. How can I fraternize with or seek my
pleasure in that which condemned the Son of God? If I do, that at once
identifies me with His enemies. Oh, my reader, make no mistake upon
this point. It is written, "If any man love the world, the love of the
Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15).
Of old it was said of the people of God that they "shall dwell alone,
and shall not be reckoned among the nations" (Num. 23:9). Surely the
disparity of character and conduct, the desires and pursuits, which
distinguish the regenerate from the unregenerate must separate the one
from the other. We who profess to have our citizenship in another
world, to be guided by another Spirit, to be directed by another rule,
and to be journeying to another country, cannot go arm in arm with
those who despise all such things! Then let everything in and about us
exhibit the character of Christian pilgrims. May we indeed be "men
wondered at" (Zech. 3:8) because "not conformed to this world" (Rom.
12:2).
6. We profit from the Word when we evoke the hatred of the world. What
pains are taken in the world to save appearances and keep up a seemly
and good state! Its conventionalities and civilities, its courtesies
and charities, are so many contrivances to give an air of
respectability to it. So too its churches and cathedrals, its priests
and prelates, are needed to gloss over the corruption which seethes
beneath the surface. And to make good weight "Christianity" is added,
and the holy name of Christ is taken upon the lips by thousands who
have never taken His "yoke" upon them. Of them God says, "This people
draweth nigh unto me with their mouth and honoureth me with their
lips; but their heart is far from me" (Matt. 15:8).
And what is to be the attitude of all real Christians toward such? The
answer of Scripture is plain: "From such turn away" (2 Tim. 3:5),
"Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord" (2 Cor.
6:17). And what will follow when this Divine command is obeyed? Why,
then we shall prove the truth of those words of Christ: "If ye were of
the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the
world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world
hateth you (John 15:19). Which "world" is specifically in view here?
Let the previous verse answer: "If the world hate you, ye know that it
hated me before it hated you."
What "world" hated Christ and hounded Him to death? The religious
world, those who pretended to be most zealous for God's glory. So it
is now. Let the Christian turn his back upon a Christ--dishonoring
Christendom, and his fiercest foes and most relentless and
unscrupulous enemies will be those who claim to be Christians
themselves! But "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and
persecute you ... for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad" (Matt.
5:11,12). Ah, my brother, it is a healthy sign, a sure mark that you
are profiting from the Word, when the religious world hates you. But
if, on the other hand, you still have a "good standing" in the
"churches" or "assemblies" there is grave reason to fear that you love
the praise of men more than that of God!
7. We profit from the Word when we are elevated above the world.
First, above its customs and fashions. The worldling is a slave to the
prevailing habits and styles of the day. Not so the one who is walking
with God: his chief concern is to be "conformed to the image of his
Son." Second, above its cares and sorrows: of old it was said of the
saints that they took joyfully the spoiling of their goods, knowing
that they had "in heaven a better and an enduring substance" (Heb.
10:34). Third, above its temptations: what attraction has the glare
and glitter of the world for those who are "delighting themselves in
the Lord?" None whatever! Fourth, above its opinions and approvals.
Have you learned to be independent of and defy the world? If your
whole heart is set upon pleasing God, you will be quite unconcerned
about the frowns of the godless.
Now, my reader, do you really wish to measure yourself by the contents
of this chapter? Then seek honest answers to the following questions.
First, what are the objects before your mind in times of recreation?
What do your thoughts most run upon? Second, what are the objects of
your choice? When you have to decide how to spend an evening or the
Sabbath afternoon, what do you select? Third, which occasions you the
most sorrow, the loss of earthly things, or lack of communion with
God? Which causes greater grief (or chagrin), the spoiling of your
plans, or the coldness of your heart to Christ? Fourth, what is your
favorite topic of conversation? Do you hanker after the news of the
day, or to meet with those who talk of the "altogether lovely" One?
Fifth, do your "good intentions" materialize, or are they nothing but
empty dreams? Are you spending more or less time than formerly on your
knees? Ts the Word sweeter to your taste, or has your soul lost its
relish for it?
__________________________________________
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Profiting From The Word
by A.W. Pink
8. The Scriptures and the Promises
__________________________________________
The Divine promises make known the good pleasure of God's will to His
people, to bestow upon them the riches of His grace. They are the
outward testimonies of His heart, who from all eternity loves them and
foreappointed all things for them and concerning them. In the person
and work of His Son, God has made an all-sufficient provision for
their complete salvation, both for time and for eternity. To the
intent that they might have a true, clear and spiritual knowledge of
the same, it has pleased the Lord to set it before them in the
exceeding great and precious promises which are scattered up and down
in the Scriptures as so many stars in the glorious firmament of grace;
by which they may be assured of the will of God in Christ Jesus
concerning them, and take sanctuary in Him accordingly, and through
this medium have real communion with Him in His grace and mercy at all
times, no matter what their case or circumstances may be.
The Divine promises are so many declarations to bestow some good or
remove some ill. As such they are a most blessed making known and
manifesting of God's love to His people. There are three steps in
connection with God's love: first, His inward purpose to exercise it;
the last, the real execution of that purpose; but in between there is
the gracious making known of that purpose to the beneficiaries not
only show His love fully to them in due time, but in the interim He
will have us informed of His benevolent designs, that we may sweetly
rest in His love, and stretch ourselves comfortably upon His sure
promises. There we are able to say, "How precious also are thy
thoughts unto me, 0 God! how great is the sum of them" (Ps. 139:17).
In 2 Peter 1:4, the Divine promises are spoken of as "exceeding great
and precious." As Spurgeon pointed out, "greatness and preciousness
seldom go together, but in this instance they are united in an
exceeding degree". When Jehovah is pleased to open His mouth and
reveal His heart He does so in a manner worthy of Himself, in words of
superlative power and richness. To quote again the beloved London
pastor: "They come from a great God, they come to great sinners, they
work for us great results, and deal with great matters." While the
natural intellect is capable of perceiving much of their greatness,
only the renewed heart can taste their ineffable preciousness, and say
with David, "How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter then
honey to my mouth" (Ps. 119:103).
1. We profit from the Word when we perceive to whom the promises
belong. They are available Only to those who are in Christ. "For all
the promises of God in him [the Lord Jesus] are yea, and in him Amen"
(2 Cor. I :20). There can be no intercourse between the thrice holy
God and sinful creatures except through a Mediator who has satisfied
Him on their behalf. Therefore must that Mediator receive from God all
good for His people, and they must have it at second hand through Him.
A sinner might just as well petition a tree as call upon God for mercy
while he despises and rejects Christ.
Both the promises and the things promised are made over to the Lord
Jesus and conveyed unto the saints from Him. "This is the [chief and
grandest] promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life" (1 John
2:25), and as the same epistle tells us, "This life is in his Son"
(5:11). This being so, what good can they who are not yet in Christ
have by the promises? None at all. A man out of Christ is out of the
favour of God, yea, he is under His wrath; the Divine threatenings and
not the promises are his portion. Solemn, solemn consideration is it
that those who are "without Christ" are "aliens from the commonwealth
of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no
hope, and without God in the world" (Eph. 2:12). Only "the children of
God" are "the children of the promise" (Rom. 9:8). Make sure, my
reader, that you are one of them.
How terrible, then, is the blindness and how great is the sin of those
preachers who indiscriminately apply the Divine promises to the saved
and unsaved alike! They are not only taking "the children's bread" and
casting it to the "dogs," but they are "handling the word of God
deceitfully" (2 Cor. 4:2), and beguiling immortal souls. And they who
listen to and heed them are little less guilty, for God holds all
responsible to search the Scriptures for themselves, and test whatever
they read or hear by that unerring standard. If they are too lazy to
do so, and prefer blindly to follow their blind guides, then their
blood is on their own heads. Truth has to be "bought" (Prov. 23:23),
and those who are unwilling to pay the price must go without it.
2. We profit from the Word when we labour to make the promises of God
our own. To do this we must first take the trouble to become really
acquainted with them. It is surprising how many promises there are in
Scripture which the saints know nothing about, the more so seeing that
they are the peculiar treasure of believers, the substance of faith's
heritage lying in them. True, Christians are already the recipients of
wondrous blessings, yet the capital of their wealth, the bulk of their
estate, is only prospective. They have already received an "earnest,"
but the better part of what Christ has purchased for them lies yet in
the promise of God. How diligent, then, should they be in studying His
testamentary will, familiarizing themselves with the good things which
the Spirit "hath revealed" (1 Cor. 2:10), and seeking to take an
inventory of their spiritual treasures!
Not only must I search the Scriptures to find out what has been made
over to me by the everlasting covenant, but I need also to meditate
upon the promises, to turn them over and over in my mind, and cry unto
the Lord for spiritual understanding of them. The bee would not
extract honey from the flowers as long as he only gazed upon them. Nor
will the Christian derive any real comfort and strength from the
Divine promises until his faith lays hold of and penetrates to the
heart of them. God has given no assurance that the dilatory shall be
fed, but He has declared, "the soul of the diligent shall be made fat"
(Prov. 13:4). Therefore did Christ say, "Labour not for the meat which
perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life"
(John 6:27). It is only as the promises are stored up in our minds
that the Spirit brings them to remembrance at those seasons of
fainting when we most need them.
3. We profit from the Word when we recognize the blessed scope of
God's promises. "A sort of affectation prevents some Christians from
seeking religion, as if its sphere lay among the commonplaces of daily
life. It is to them transcendental and dreamy; rather a creation of
pious fiction than a matter of fact. They believe in God, after a
fashion, for things spiritual, and for the life which is to be; but
they totally forget that true godliness hath the promise of the life
which now is, as well as that which is to come. To them it would seem
almost profanation to pray about the small matters of which daily life
is made up. Perhaps they will be startled if I venture to suggest that
this should make them question the reality of their faith. If it
cannot bring them help in the little troubles of life, will it support
them in the greater trials of death?" (C. H. Spurgeon).
"Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life
that now is, and of that which is to come" (1 Tim. 4:8). Reader, do
you really believe this, that the promises of God cover every aspect
and particular of your daily life? Or have the "Dispensationalists"
deluded you into supposing that the Old Testament belongs only to
fleshly Jews, and that "our promises" respect spiritual and not
material blessings? How many a Christian has derived comfort from "I
will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Heb. 13:5); well, that is a
quotation from Joshua 1:5! So, too, 2 Corinthians 7:1 speaks of
"having these promises," yet one of them, referred to in 6:18, is
taken from the book of Leviticus!
Perhaps someone asks, "But where am I to draw the line? Which of the
Old Testament promises rightfully belong to me?" We answer that Psalm
84:11 declares, "The Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing
will He withhold from them that walk uprightly". If you are really
walking "uprightly" you are entitled to appropriate that blessed
promise and count upon the Lord giving you whatever "good thing" is
truly required by you. "My God shall supply all your need" (Phil.
4:19). If then there is a promise anywhere in His Word which just fits
your present case and situation, make it your own as suited to your
need." Steadfastly resist every attempt of Satan to rob you of any
portion of your Father's Word.
4. We profit from the Word when we make a proper discrimination
between the promises of God. Many of the Lord's people are frequently
guilty of spiritual theft, by which we mean that they appropriate to
themselves something to which they are not entitled, but which belongs
to another. "Certain covenant engagements, made with the Lord Jesus
Christ, as to His elect and redeemed ones, are altogether without
condition so far as we are concerned; but many other wealthy words of
the Lord contain stipulations which must be carefully regarded, or we
shall not obtain the blessing. One part of my reader's diligent search
must be directed toward this most important point. God will keep His
promise to thee; only see thou to it that the way in which He
conditions His engagement is carefully observed by thee. Only when we
fulfill the requirements of a conditional promise can we expect that
promise to be fulfilled to us" (C. H. Spurgeon).
Many of the Divine promises are addressed to particular characters,
or, more correctly speaking, to particular graces. For example, in
Psalm 25:9, the Lord declares that He will "guide in judgment" the
meek; but if I am out of communion with Him, if I am following a
course of self-will, if my heart is haughty, then I am not justified
in taking to myself the comfort of this verse. Again, in John 15:7,
the Lord tells us, "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye
shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." But if I am
not in experimental communion with Him, if His commands are not
regulating my conduct, then my prayers will remain unanswered. While
God's promises proceed from pure grace, yet it ever needs to be
remembered that grace reigns "through righteousness" (Rom. 5:21) and
never sets aside human responsibility. If I ignore the laws of health
I must not be surprised that sickness prevents me enjoying many of
God's temporal mercies: in like manner, if I neglect His precepts I
have myself to blame if I fail to receive the fulfillment of many of
His promises.
Let none suppose that by His promises God has obligated Himself to
ignore the requirements of His holiness: He never exercises any one of
His perfections at the expense of another. And let none imagine that
God would be magnifying the sacrificial work of Christ were He to
bestow its fruits upon impenitent and careless souls. There is a
balance of truth to be preserved here; alas, that it is now so
frequently lost, and that under the pretence of exalting Divine grace
men are really "turning it into lasciviousness." How often one hears
quoted, "Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee" (Ps.
50:15). But that verse begins with "And," and the preceding clause is
"Pay thy vows unto the most High!" Again, how frequently is "I will
guide thee with mine eye" (Ps. 32:8) seized by people who pay no
attention to the context! But that is God's promise to one who has
confessed his "transgression" unto the Lord (verse 5). If, then, I
have unconfessed sin on my conscience, and have leaned on an arm of
flesh or sought help from my fellows, instead of waiting only on God
(Ps. 62:5), then I have no right to count upon the Lord's guiding me
with His eye--which necessarily presupposes that I am walking in close
communion with Him, for I cannot see the eye of another while at a
distance from him.
5. We profit from the Word when we are enabled to make God's promises
our support and stay. This is one reason why God has given them to us;
not only to manifest His love by making known His benevolent designs,
but also to comfort our hearts and develop our faith. Had God so
pleased He could have bestowed His blessings without giving us notice
of His purpose. The Lord might have given us all the mercies we need
without pledging Himself to do so. But in that case we could not have
been believers; faith without a promise would be a foot without ground
to stand upon. Our tender Father planned that we should enjoy His
gifts twice over: first by faith, and then by fruition. By this means
He wisely weans our hearts away from things seen and perishing and
draws them onward and upward to those things which are spiritual and
eternal.
If there were no promises there would not only be no faith, but no
hope either. For what is hope but the expectation of the things which
God has declared He will give us? Faith looks to the Word promising,
hope looks to the performance thereof. Thus it was with Abraham; "Who
against hope believed in hope. . .and being not weak in faith, he
considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred
years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb; he staggered not.
. .through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God"
(Rom. 4:18, 20). Thus it was with Moses: "Esteeming the reproach of
Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he had respect
unto the recompense of the reward" (Heb. 11:26). Thus it was with
Paul; "I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me" (Acts
27:25). Is it so with you, dear reader? Are the promises of Him who
cannot lie the resting-place of your poor heart?
6. We profit from the Word when we patiently await the fulfillment of
God's promises. God promised Abraham a son, but he waited many years
for the performance of it. Simeon had a promise that he should not see
death till he had seen the Lord's Christ (Luke 2:26), yet it was not
made good till he had one foot in the grave. There is often a long and
hard winter between the sowing-time of prayer and the reaping of the
answer. The Lord Jesus Himself has not yet received a full answer to
the prayer He made in John chapter Seventeen, nineteen hundred years
ago. Many of the best of God's promises to His people will not receive
their richest accomplishment until they are in glory. He who has all
eternity at His disposal needs not to hurry. God often makes us tarry
so that patience may have "her perfect work," yet let us not distrust
Him. "For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it
shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it
will surely come" (Hab. 2:3).
"These all died in faith, not having received the [fulfillment of the]
promises but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them,
and embraced them" (Heb. 11:13). Here is comprehended the whole work
of faith: knowledge, trust, loving adherence. The "afar off" refers to
the things promised; those they "saw" with the mind, discerning the
substance behind the shadow, discovering in them the wisdom and
goodness of God. They were "persuaded": they doubted not, but were
assured of their participation in them and knew they would not
disappoint them. "Embraced them" expresses their delight and
veneration, the heart cleaving to them with love and cordially
welcoming and entertaining them. The promises were the comfort and the
stay of their souls in all their wanderings, temptations and
sufferings.
Various ends are accomplished by God in delaying His execution of the
promises. Not only is faith put to the proof, so that its genuineness
may the more clearly appear; not only is patience developed, and hope
given opportunity for exercise; but submission to the Divine will is
fostered. "The weaning process is not accomplished: we are still
hankering after the comforts which the Lord intends us for ever to
outgrow. Abraham made a great feast when his son Isaac was weaned;
and, peradventure, our heavenly Father will do the same with us. Lie
down, proud heart. Quit thine idols; forsake thy fond doings; and the
promised peace will come unto thee" (C. H. Spurgeon).
7. We profit from the Word when we make a right use of the promises.
First, in our dealings with God Himself. When we approach unto His
throne, it should be to plead one of His promises. They are to form
not only the foundation for our faith to rest upon, but also the
substance of our requests. We must ask according to God's will if we
are to be heard, and His will is revealed in those good things which
He has declared He will bestow upon us. Thus we are to lay hold of His
pledged assurances, spread them before Him, and say, "Do as thou hast
said" (2 Samuel 7:25). Observe how Jacob pleaded the promise in
Genesis 32:12; Moses in Exodus 32:13; David in Psalm 119:58; Solomon
in 1 Kings 8:25; and do thou, my Christian reader, like-wise.
Second, in the life we live in the world. In Hebrews 11:13, we not
only read of the patriarchs discerning, trusting, and embracing the
Divine promises, but we are also informed of the effects which they
produced upon them: "and confessed that they were strangers and
pilgrims in the earth," which means they made a public avowal of their
faith. They acknowledged (and by their conduct demonstrated) that
their interests were not in the things of this world; they had a
satisfying portion in the promises they had appropriated. Their hearts
were set upon things above; for where a man's heart is, there will his
treasure be also.
"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse
ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting
holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1); that is the effect they
should produce in us, and will if faith really lays hold of them.
"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that
by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped
the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Pet. 1:4). Now
the Gospel and the precious promises, being graciously bestowed and
powerfully applied, have an influence on purity of heart and behavior,
and teach men to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live
soberly, righteously, and godly. Such are the powerful effects of
gospel promises under the Divine influence as to make men inwardly
partakers of the Divine nature and outwardly to abstain from and avoid
the prevailing corruptions and vices of the times.
__________________________________________
Contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
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What's New
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Profiting From The Word
by A.W. Pink
9. The Scriptures and Joy
__________________________________________
The ungodly are ever seeking after joy, but they do not find it: they
busy and weary themselves in the pursuit of it, yet all in vain. Their
hearts being turned from the Lord, they look downward for joy, where
it is not; rejecting the substance, they diligently run after the
shadow, only to be mocked by it. It is the sovereign decree of heaven
that nothing can make sinners truly happy but God in Christ; but this
they will not believe, and therefore they go from creature to
creature, from one broken cistern to another, inquiring where the best
joy is to be found. Each worldly thing which attracts them says, It is
found in me; but soon it disappoints. Nevertheless, they go on seeking
it afresh today in the very thing which deceived them yesterday. If
after many trials they discover the emptiness of one creature comfort,
then they turn to another, only to verify our Lord's word, "Whosoever
drinketh of this water shall thirst again" (John 4:13).
Going now to the other extreme: there are some Christians who suppose
it to be sinful to rejoice. No doubt many of our readers will be
surprised to hear this but let them be thankful they have been brought
up in sunnier surroundings, and bear with us while we labour with
those less favored. Some have been taught--largely by implication and
example, rather than by plain inculcation--that it is their duty to be
gloomy. They imagine that feelings of joy are produced by the Devil
appearing as an angel of light. They conclude that it is well-nigh a
species of wickedness to be happy in such a world of sin as we are in.
They think it presumptuous to rejoice in the knowledge of sins
forgiven, and if they see young Christians so doing they tell them it
will not be long before they are floundering in the Slough of Despond.
To all such we tenderly urge the prayerful pondering of the remainder
of this chapter.
"Rejoice evermore" (1 Thess. 5:16). It surely cannot be unsafe to do
what God has commanded us. The Lord has placed no embargo on
rejoicing. No, it is Satan who strives to make us hang up our harps.
There is no precept in Scripture bidding us "Grieve in the Lord alway:
and again I say, Grieve"; but there is an exhortation which bids us,
"Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the
upright" (Ps. 33:1). Reader, if you are a real Christian (and it is
high time you tested yourself by Scripture and made sure of this
point), then Christ is yours, all that is in Him is yours. He bids you
"Eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved" (Song of
Sol. 5:1): the only sin you may commit against His banquet of love is
to stint yourself. "Let your soul delight itself in fatness"(Isa.
55:2) is spoken not to those already in heaven but to saints still on
earth. This leads us to say that:
1. We profit from the Word when we perceive that joy is a duty.
"Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice" (Phil. 4:4). The
Holy Spirit here speaks of rejoicing as a personal, present and
permanent duty for the people of God to carry out. The Lord has not
left it to our option whether we should be glad or sad, but has made
happiness an obligation. Not to rejoice is a sin of omission. Next
time you meet with a radiant Christian, do not chide him, ye dwellers
in Doubting Castle, but chide yourselves; instead of being ready to
call into question the Divine spring of his mirth, judge yourself for
your doleful state.
It is not a carnal joy which we are here urging, by which we mean a
joy which comes from carnal sources. It is useless to seek joy in
earthly riches, for frequently they take to themselves wings and fly
away. Some seek their joy in the family circle, but that remains
entire for only a few years at most. No, if we are to "rejoice
evermore" it must be in an object that lasts for evermore. Nor is it a
fanatical joy we have reference to. There are some with an excitable
nature who are happy only when they are half out of their minds; but
terrible is the reaction. No, it is an intelligent, steady, heart
delight in God Himself. Every attribute of God, when contemplated by
faith, will make the heart sing. Every doctrine of the Gospel, when
truly apprehended, will call forth gladness and praise.
Joy is a matter of Christian duty. Perhaps the reader is ready to
exclaim, My emotions of joy and sorrow are not under my control; I
cannot help being glad or sad as circumstances dictate. But we repeat,
"Rejoice in the Lord" is a Divine command, and to a large extent
obedience to it lies in one's own power. I am responsible to control
my emotions. True I cannot help being sorrowful in the presence of
sorrowful thoughts, but I can refuse to let my mind dwell upon them. I
can pour out my heart for relief unto the Lord, and cast my burden
upon Him. I can seek grace to meditate upon His goodness, His
promises, the glorious future awaiting me. I have to decide whether I
will go and stand in the light or hide among the shadows. Not to
rejoice in the Lord is more than a misfortune, it is a fault which
needs to be confessed and forsaken.
2. We profit from the Word when we learn the secret of true joy. That
secret is revealed in I John 1 :3,4: Truly our fellowship is with the
Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto
you, that your joy may be full." When we consider the littleness of
our fellowship with God, the shallowness of it, it is not to be
wondered at that so many Christians are comparatively joyless. We
sometimes sing, "Oh happy day that fixed my choice on Thee, my Saviour
and my God! Well may this glowing heart rejoice and tell its raptures
all abroad." Yes, but if that happiness is to be maintained there must
be a continued steadfast occupation of the heart and mind with Christ.
It is only where there is much faith and consequent love that there is
much joy.
"Rejoice in the Lord alway." There is no other object in which we can
rejoice "alway." Everything else varies and is inconstant. What
pleases us today may pall on us tomorrow. But the Lord is always the
same, to be enjoyed in seasons of adversity as much as in seasons of
prosperity. As an aid to this, the very next verse says, "Let your
moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand" (Phil. 4:5). Be
temperate in connection with all external things; do not be taken with
them when they seem most pleasing, nor troubled when displeasing. Be
not exalted when the world smiles upon you, nor dejected when it
scowls. Maintain a stoical indifference to outward comforts: why be so
occupied with them when the Lord Himself "is at hand"? If persecution
be violent, if temporal losses be heavy, the Lord is "a very present
help in trouble" (Ps. 46:1)--ready to support and succour those who
cast themselves upon Him. He will care for you, so "be anxious for
nothing" (Phil. 4:6). Worldlings are haunted with carking cares, but
the Christian should not be.
"These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you,
and that your joy might be full" (John 15:11). As these precious words
of Christ are pondered by the mind and treasured in the heart, they
cannot but produce joy. A rejoicing heart comes from an increasing
knowledge of and love for the truth as it is in Jesus. "Thy words were
found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and
rejoicing of mine heart" (Jer. 15:16). Yes, it is by feeding and
feasting upon the words of the Lord that the soul is made fat, and we
are made to sing and make melody in our hearts unto Him.
"Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy" (Ps.
43:4). As Spurgeon well said, "With what exultation should believers
draw near unto Christ, who is the antitype of the altar! Clearer light
should give greater intensity of desire. It was not the altar as such
that the Psalmist cared for, for he was no believer in the heathenism
of ritualism: his soul desired spiritual fellowship, fellowship with
God Himself in very deed. What are all the rites of worship unless the
Lord be in them; what, indeed, but empty shells and dry husks? Note
the holy rapture with which David regards his Lord! He is not his joy
alone, but his exceeding joy; not the fountain of joy, the giver of
joy, or the maintainer of joy, but that joy itself. The margin hath
it, "The gladness of my joy"; i.e. the soul, the essence, the very
bowels of my joy."
"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in
the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall
yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there
shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will
joy in the God of my salvation" (Hab. 3:17,18). That is something of
which the worldling knows nothing; alas, that it is an experience to
which so many professing Christians are strangers! It is in God that
the fount of spiritual and everlasting joy originates; from Him it all
flows forth. This was acknowledged of old by the Church when she said,
"All my springs are in thee" (Ps. 87:7). Happy the soul who has been
truly taught this secret!
3. We profit from the Word when we are taught the great value of joy.
Joy is to the soul what wings are to the bird, enabling us to soar
above the things of earth. This is brought out plainly in Nehemiah
8:10: "The joy of the Lord is your strength." The days of Nehemiah
marked a turning-point in the history of Israel. A remnant had been
freed from Babylon and returned to Palestine. The Law, long ignored by
the captives, was now to be established again as the rule of the
newly-formed commonwealth. There had come a remembrance of the many
sins of the past, and tears not unnaturally mingled with the
thankfulness that they were again a nation, having a Divine worship
and a Divine Law in their midst. Their leader, knowing full well that
if the spirit of the people began to flag they could not face and
conquer the difficulties of their position, said to them: "This day is
holy unto the Lord: (this feast we are keeping is a day of devout
worship; therefore, mourn not), neither be ye sorry, for the joy of
the Lord is your strength."
Confession of sin and mourning over the same have their place, and
communion with God cannot be maintained without them. Nevertheless,
when true repentance has been exercised, and things put right with
God, we must forget "those things which are behind" and reach forth
unto "those things which are before" (Phil. 3:13). And we can only
press forward with alacrity as our hearts are joyful. How heavy the
steps of him who approaches the place where a loved one lies cold in
death! How energetic his movements as he goes forth to meet his bride!
Lamentation unfits for the battles of life. Where there is despair
there is no longer power for obedience. If there be no joy, there can
be no worship.
My dear readers, there are tasks needing to be performed, service to
others requiring to be rendered, temptations to be overcome, battles
to be fought; and we are only experimentally fitted for them as our
hearts are rejoicing in the Lord. If our souls are resting in Christ,
if our hearts are filled with a tranquil gladness, work will be easy,
duties pleasant, sorrow bearable, endurance possible. Neither contrite
remembrance of past failures nor vehement resolutions will carry us
through. If the arm is to smite with vigour, it must smite at the
bidding of a light heart. Of the Saviour Himself it is recorded, "Who
for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the
shame" (Heb. 12:2).
4. We profit from the Word when we attend to the root of joy. The
spring of joy is faith: "Now the God of hope fill you with all peace
and joy in believing" (Rom. 15:13). There is a wondrous provision in
the Gospel, both by what it takes from us and what it brings to us, to
give a calm and settled glow to the Christian's heart. It takes away
the load of guilt by speaking peace to the stricken conscience. It
removes the dread of God and the terror of death which weighs on the
soul while it is under condemnation. It gives us God Himself as the
portion of our hearts, as the object of our communion. The Gospel
works joy, because the soul is at rest in God. But these blessings
become our own only by personal appropriation. Faith must receive
them, and when it does so the heart is filled with peace and joy. And
the secret of sustained joy is to keep the channel open, to continue
as we began. It is unbelief which clogs the channel. If there be but
little heat around the bulb of the thermometer, no wonder that the
mercury marks so low a degree. If there is a weak faith, joy cannot be
strong. Daily do we need to pray for a fresh realization of the
preciousness of the Gospel, a fresh appropriation of its blessed
contents; and then there will be a renewing of our joy.
5. We profit from the Word when we are careful to maintain our joy.
"Joy in the Holy Spirit" is altogether different from a natural
buoyancy of Spirit. It is the product of the Comforter dwelling in our
hearts and bodies, revealing Christ to us, answering all our need for
pardon and cleansing, and so Setting us at peace with God; and forming
Christ in us, so that He reigns in our souls, subduing us to His
control. There are no circumstances of trial and temptation in which
we may refrain from it, for the command is, "Rejoice in the Lord
alway." He who gave this command knows all about the dark side of our
lives, the sins and sorrows which beset us, the "much tribulation"
through which we must enter the kingdom of God. Natural hilarity
leaves the woes of our earthly lot out of its reckoning. It soon
relaxes in the presence of life's hard-ships: it cannot survive the
loss of friends or health. But the joy to which we are exhorted is not
limited to any set of circumstances or type of temperament; nor does
it fluctuate with our varying moods and fortunes.
Nature may assert itself in the subjects of it, as even Jesus wept at
the grave of Lazarus. Nevertheless, they can exclaim with Paul, "As
sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing" (2 Cor. 6:10). The Christian may be
loaded with heavy responsibilities, his life may have a series of
reverses, his plans may be thwarted and his hopes blighted, the grave
may close over the loved ones who gave his earthly life its cheer and
sweetness, and yet, under all his disappointments and sorrows, his
Lord still bids him "Rejoice." Behold the apostles in Philippi's
prison, in the innermost dungeon, with feet fast in the stocks, and
backs bleeding and smarting from the terrible scourging they had
received. How were they occupied? In grumbling and growling? in asking
what they had done to deserve such treatment? No! At midnight Paul and
Silas prayed and sang praises unto God" (Acts 16:25). There was no sin
in their lives, they were walking obediently, and so the Holy Spirit
was free to take of the things of Christ, and show them unto their
hearts, so that they were filled to overflowing. If we are to maintain
our joy, we must keep from grieving the Holy Spirit.
When Christ is supreme in the heart, joy fills it. When He is Lord of
every desire, the Source of every motive, the Subjugator of every
lust, then will joy fill the heart and praise ascend from the lips.
The possession of this involves taking up the cross every hour of the
day; God has so ordered it that we cannot have the one without the
other. Self-sacrifice, the cutting off of a right hand, the plucking
out of a right eye, are the avenues through which the Spirit enters
the soul, bringing with Him the joys of God's approving smile and the
assurance of His love and abiding presence. Much also depends upon the
spirit in which we enter the world each day. If we expect people to
pet and pamper us, disappointment will make us fretful. If we desire
our pride to be ministered to, we are dejected when it is not. The
secret of happiness is forgetting self and seeking to minister to the
happiness of others. "It is more blessed to give than to receive," so
it is a happier thing to minister to others than to be ministered to.
6. We profit from the Word when we are sedulous in avoiding the
hindrances to joy. Why is it that so many Christians have so little
joy? Are they not all born children of the light and of the day? This
term "light," which is so often used in Scripture to describe to us
the nature of God, our relations to Him and our future destiny, is
most suggestive of joy and gladness. What other thing in nature is as
beneficent and beautiful as the light? "God is light, and in Him is no
darkness at all (1 John 1:5). It is only as we walk with God, in the
light, that the heart can truly be joyous. It is the deliberate
allowing of things which mar our fellowship with Him that chills and
darkens our souls. It is the indulgence of the flesh, the fraternizing
with the world, the entering of forbidden paths which blight our
spiritual lives and make us cheerless.
David had to cry, "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation" (Ps.
51:12). He had grown lax and self-indulgent. Temptation presented
itself and he had no power to resist. He yielded, and one sin led to
another. He was a backslider, out of touch with God. Unconfessed sin
lay heavy on his conscience. Oh my brethren and sisters, if we are to
be kept from such a fall, if we are not to lose our joy, then self
must be denied, the affections and lusts of the flesh crucified. We
must ever be on our watch against temptation. We must spend much time
upon our knees. We must drink frequently from the Fountain of living
waters. We must be out-and-out for the Lord.
7. We profit from the Word when we diligently preserve the balance
between sorrow and joy. If the Christian faith has a marked adaptation
to produce joy, it has an almost equal design and tendency to produce
sorrow--a sorrow that is solemn, manly, noble. "As sorrowful, yet
always rejoicing" (2 Cor. 6:10) is the rule of the Christian's life.
If faith casts its light upon our condition, our nature, our sins,
sadness must be one of the effects. There is nothing more contemptible
in itself, and there is no surer mark of a superficial character and
trivial round of occupation, than unshaded gladness, that rests on no
deep foundations of quiet, patient grief--grief because I know what I
am and what I ought to be; grief because I look out on the world and
see hell's fire burning at the back of mirth and laughter, and know
what it is that men are hurrying to.
He who is anointed with the oil of gladness above His fellows (Ps.
45:7) was also "the man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" And both
of these characters are (in measure) repeated in the operations of His
Gospel upon every heart that really receives it. And if, on the one
hand, by the fears it removes from us and the hopes it breathes into
us, and the fellowship into which it introduces us, we are anointed
with the oil of gladness; on the other hand, by the sense of our own
vileness which it teaches us, by the conflict between the flesh and
the Spirit, there is infused a sadness which finds expression in "O
wretched man that I am!" (Rom. 7:24). These two are not contradictory
but complementary. The Lamb must be eaten with "bitter herbs" (Ex.
12:8).
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A. W. Pink Header
Profiting From The Word
by A.W. Pink
10. The Scriptures and Love
__________________________________________
In earlier chapters we have sought to point out some of the ways by
which we may ascertain whether or not our reading and searching of the
Scriptures are really being blessed to our souls. Many are deceived on
this matter, mistaking an eagerness to acquire knowledge for a
spiritual love of the Truth (2 Thess. 2:10), and assuming that
addition to their store of learning is the same thing as growth in
grace. A great deal depends upon the end or aim we have before us when
turning to God's Word. If it be simply to familiarize ourselves with
its contents and become better versed in its details, it is likely
that the garden of our souls will remain barren; but if with the
prayerful desire to be rebuked and corrected by the Word, to be
searched by the Spirit, to conform our hearts to its holy
requirements, then we may expect a Divine blessing.
In the preceding chapters we have endeavoured to single out the vital
things by which we may discover what progress we are making in
personal godliness. Various criteria have been given, which it becomes
both writer and reader honestly to measure themselves by. We have
pressed such tests as: Am I acquiring a greater hatred of sin, and a
practical deliverance from its power and pollution? Am I obtaining a
deeper acquaintance with God and His Christ? Is my prayer-life
healthier? Are my good works more abundant? Is my obedience fuller and
gladder? Am I more separated from the world in my affections and ways?
Am I learning to make a right and profitable use of God's promises,
and so delighting myself in Him that His joy is my daily strength?
Unless I can truthfully say that these are (in some measure) my
experience, then it is greatly to be feared that my study of the
Scriptures is profiting me little or nothing.
It hardly seems fitting that these chapters should be concluded until
one has been devoted to the consideration of Christian love. The
extent to which this spiritual grace is, or is not, being cultivated
and regulated affords another index to the measure in which my perusal
of God's Word is helping me spiritually. No one can read the
Scriptures with any measure of attention without discovering how much
they have to say about love, and therefore it behooves each one of us
prayerfully and carefully to ascertain whether or not his or her love
be really a spiritual one, and whether it be in a healthy state and is
being exercised aright.
The subject of Christian love is far too comprehensive to consider all
its varied phases within the compass of a single chapter. Properly we
should begin with contemplating the exercise of our love toward God
and His Christ, but as this has been at least touched upon in
preceding chapters we shall now waive it. Much too, might be said
about the natural love which we owe to our fellow-men, who belong to
the same family as we do, but there is less need to write on that
theme than on what is now before our mind. Here we propose to confine
our attention to spiritual love to the brethren, the brethren of
Christ.
1. We profit from the Word when we perceive the great importance of
Christian love. Nowhere is this brought out more emphatically than in
1 Corinthians chapter 13. There the Holy Spirit tells us that though a
professing Christian can speak fluently and eloquently upon Divine
things, if has not love, he is like metal, which, though it makes a
noise when struck, is lifeless. That though he can prophesy,
understand all mysteries and knowledge, and has faith which brings
miracles to pass, yet if he be lacking in love, he is spiritually a
nonentity. Yea, that though he be so benevolent as to give all his
worldly possessions to feed the poor, and yield his body to a martyr's
death, yet if he have not love, it profits him nothing. How high a
value is here placed upon love, and how essential for me to make sure
I possess it!
Said our Lord, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples,
if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35). By Christ's making it
the badge of Christian discipleship, we see again the great importance
of love. It is an essential test of the genuineness of our profession:
we cannot love Christ unless we love His brethren, for they are all
bound up in the same "bundle of life" (1 Samuel 25:29) with Him. Love
to those whom He has redeemed is a sure evidence of spiritual and
supernatural love to the Lord Jesus Himself. Where the Holy Spirit has
wrought a supernatural birth, He will draw forth that nature into
exercise, He will produce in the hearts and lives and conduct of the
saints supernatural graces, one of which is loving all who are
Christ's for Christ's sake.
2. We profit from the Word when we learn to detect the sad perversions
of Christian love. As water will not rise above its own level, so the
natural man is incapable of understanding, still less appreciating,
that which is spiritual (1 Cor. 2:14). Therefore we should not be
surprised when unregenerate professors mistake human sentimentality
and carnal pleasantries for spiritual love. But sad it is to see some
of God's own people living on so low a plane that they confuse human
amiability and affability with the queen of the Christian graces.
While it is true that spiritual love is characterized by meekness and
gentleness, yet is it something very different from and vastly
superior to the courtesies and kindnesses of the flesh.
How many a doting father has withheld the rod from his children, under
the mistaken notion that real affection for them and the chastising of
them were incompatible! How many a foolish mother, who disdained all
corporal punishment, has boasted that "love" rules in her home! One of
the most trying experiences of the writer, in his extensive travels,
has been to spend a season in homes where the children have been
completely spoilt. It is a wicked perversion of the word "love" to
apply it to moral laxity and parental looseness. But this same
pernicious idea rules the minds of many people in other connections
and relations. If a servant of God rebukes their fleshly and worldly
ways, if he presses the uncompromising claims of God, he is at once
charged with being "lacking in love." Oh, how terribly are multitudes
deceived by Satan on this important subject!
3. We profit from the Word when we are taught the true nature of
Christian love. Christian love is a spiritual grace abiding in the
souls of the saints alongside faith and hope (1 Cor. 13:13). It is a
holy disposition wrought in them when they are regenerated (1 John
5:1). ft is nothing less than the love of God shed abroad in their
hearts by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5). It is a righteous principle
which seeks the highest good of others. It is the very reverse of that
principle of self-love and self-seeking which is in us by nature. It
is not only an affectionate regard of all who bear the image of
Christ, but also a powerful desire to promote their welfare. It is not
a fickle sentiment which is easily offended, but an abiding dynamic
which "many waters" of cold indifference or "floods" of disapproval
can neither quench nor drown (Song of Sol. 8:7). Though coming far
short in degree it is the same in essence as His of whom we read,
"Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the
end" (John 13:1).
There is no safer and surer way of obtaining a right conception of the
nature of Christian love than by making a thorough study of its
perfect exemplification in and by the Lord Jesus. When we say a
"thorough study," we mean the taking of a comprehensive survey of all
that is recorded of Him in the four Gospels, and not the limiting of
ourselves to a few favorite passages or incidents. As this is done, we
discover that His love was not only benevolent and magnanimous,
thoughtful and gentle, unselfish and self-sacrificing, patient and
unchanging, but that many other elements also entered into it. Love
could deny an urgent request (John 11:6), rebuke His mother (John
2:4), use a whip (John 2: 15), severely upbraid His doubting disciples
(Luke 24:25), and denounce hypocrites (Matt. 23:13-33). Love can be
stern (Matt. 16:23), yea, angry (Mark 3 :5). Spiritual love is a holy
thing: it is faithful to God; it is uncompromising toward all that is
evil.
4. We profit from the Word when we discover that Christian love is a
Divine communication. "We know that we have passed from death unto
life, because we love the brethren" (1 John 3:14). "Love to the
brethren is the fruit and effect of a new and supernatural birth,
wrought in our souls by the Holy Spirit, as the blessed evidence of
our having been chosen in Christ by the Divine Father, before the
world was. To love Christ and His, and our brethren in Him, is
congenial to that Divine nature He hath made us the partakers of by
His Holy Spirit. .. . This love of the brethren must be a peculiar
love, such as none but the regenerate are the subjects of, and which
none but they can exercise, or the apostle would not have so
particularly mentioned it; it is such that those who have it not are
in a state of unregeneracy; so it follows, "he that loveth not his
brother abideth in death" " (S. E. Pierce).
Love for the brethren is far, far more than finding agreeable the
society of those whose temperaments are similar to or whose views
accord with my own. It pertains not to mere nature, but is a spiritual
and supernatural thing. It is the heart being drawn out to those in
whom I perceive something of Christ. Thus it is very much more than a
party spirit; it embraces all in whom I can see the image of God's
Son. It is, therefore, a loving them for Christ's sake, for what I see
of Christ in them. It is the Holy Spirit within attracting and
alluring me with Christ indwelling my brethren and sisters. Thus real
Christian love is not only a Divine gift, but is altogether dependent
upon God for its invigoration and exercise. We need to pray daily that
the Holy Spirit will call forth into action and manifestation, toward
both God and His people, that love which He has shed abroad in our
hearts.
5. We profit from the Word when we rightly exercise Christian love.
This is done, not by seeking to please our brethren and ingratiate
ourselves in their esteem, but when we truly seek their highest good.
"By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God,
and keep his commandments" (1 John 5:2). What is the real test of my
personal love to God Himself? It is my keeping of His commandments
(see John 14:15,21,24; 15:10,14). The genuineness and strength of my
love to God are not to be measured by my words, nor by the lustiness
with which I sing His praises, but by my obedience to His Word. The
same principle holds good in my relations with my brethren.
"By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God,
and keep His commandments." If I am glossing over the faults of my
brethren and sisters, if I am walking with them in a course of
self-will and self-pleasing, then I am not "loving" them. "Thou shalt
not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy
neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him" (Lev. 19:17). Love is to be
exercised in a Divine way, and never at the expense of my failing to
love God; in fact, it is only when God has His proper place in my
heart that spiritual love can be exercised by me toward my brethren.
True spiritual love does not consist in gratifying them, but in
pleasing God and helping them; and I can only help them in the path of
God's commandments.
Petting and pampering one another is not brotherly love; exhorting one
another to press forward in the race that is set before us, and
speaking words (enforced by the example of our daily walk) which will
encourage them to "look off unto Jesus," would be much more helpful.
Brotherly love is a holy thing, and not a fleshly sentiment or a loose
indifference as to the path we are treading. God's "commandments" are
expressions of His love, as well as of His authority, and to ignore
them, even while seeking to be kindly affectioned one to another, is
not "love" at all. The exercise of love is to be in strict conformity
to the revealed will of God. We are to love "in the truth" (3 John 1).
6. We profit from the Word when we are taught the varied
manifestations of Christian love. To love our brethren and manifest
the love in all kinds of ways is our bounden duty. But at no point can
we do this more truly and effectually, and with less affectation and
ostentation, than by having fellowship with them at the throne of
grace. There are brethren and sisters in Christ in the four corners of
the earth, about the details of whose trials and conflicts,
temptations and sorrows, I know nothing; yet I can express my love for
them, and pour out my heart before God on their behalf, by earnest
supplication and intercession. In no other way can the Christian more
manifest his affectionate regard toward his fellow-pilgrims than by
using all his interests in the Lord Jesus in their behalf, in-treating
His mercies and favors unto them.
"Whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and
shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love
of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in
tongue; but in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:17,18). Many of God's
people are very poor in this world's goods. Sometimes they wonder why
it is so; it is a great trial to them. One reason why the Lord permits
this is that others of His Saints may have their compassion drawn out
and minister to their temporal needs from the abundance with which God
has furnished them. Real love is intensely practical: it considers no
office too mean, no task too humbling, where the sufferings of a
brother can be relieved. When the Lord of love was here upon earth, He
had thought for the bodily hunger of the multitude and the comfort of
His disciples" feet!
But there are some of the Lord's people so poor that they have very
little indeed to share with others. What, then, may they do? Why, make
the spiritual concerns of all the saints their own; interest
themselves on their behalf at the throne of grace! We know by our own
cases and circumstances what the feelings, sorrows, and complaints of
other saints must be the subjects of. We know from sad experience how
easy it is to give way to a spirit of discontent and murmuring. But we
also know how, when we have cried unto the Lord for His quieting hand
to be laid upon us, and when He has brought some precious promise to
our remembrance, what peace and comfort have come to our heart. Then
let us beg Him to be equally gracious to all His distressed saints.
Let us seek to make their burdens our own, and weep with them that
weep, as well as rejoice with them that rejoice. Thus shall we express
real love for their persons in Christ by intreating their Lord and our
Lord to remember them with everlasting kindness.
This is how the Lord Jesus is now manifesting His love to His saints:
"He ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25). He makes
their cause and care His own. He is intreating the Father on their
behalf. None is forgotten by Him: every lone sheep is borne upon the
heart of the Good Shepherd. Thus, by expressing our love to the
brethren in daily prayers for the supply of their varied needs, we are
brought into fellowship with our great High Priest. Not only so, but
the saints will be endeared to us thereby: our very praying for them
as the beloved of God will increase our love and esteem for them as
such. We cannot carry them on our hearts before the throne of grace
without cherishing in our own hearts a real affection for them. The
best way of overcoming a bitter spirit to a brother who has offended
is to be much in prayer for him.
7. We profit from the Word when we are taught the proper cultivation
of Christian love. We suggest two or three rules for this. First,
recognizing at the outset that just as there is much in you (in me)
which will severely try the love of the brethren, so there will be not
a little in them to test our love. "Forbearing one another in love"
(Eph. 4:3) is a great admonition on this subject which each of us
needs to lay to heart. It is surely striking to note that the very
first quality of spiritual love named in , Corinthians 13 is that it
"suffereth long" (verse 4).
Second, the best way to cultivate any virtue or grace is to exercise
it. Talking and theorizing about it avails nothing unless it be
carried into action. Many are the complaints heard today about the
littleness of the love which is being manifested in many places: that
is all the more reason why I should seek to se? a better example!
Suffer not the coldness and unkindliness of others to dampen your
love, but "overcome evil with good" (Romans. 12:21). Prayerfully
ponder 1 Corinthians 13 at least once a week.
Third, above all, see to it that your own heart basks in the light and
warmth of God's love. Like begets like. The more you are truly
occupied with the unwearying, unfailing, unfathomable love of Christ
to you, the more will your heart be drawn out in love to those who are
His. A beautiful illustration of this is found in the fact that the
particular apostle who wrote most upon brotherly love was he who
leaned upon the Master's bosom. The Lord grant all requisite grace to
both reader and writer (than whom none more needs to heed them) to
observe these rules, to the praise of the glory of His grace, and to
the good of His beloved people.
__________________________________________
Contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
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Regeneration or The New Birth by A.W. Pink
Introduction
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Two chief obstacles lie in the way of the salvation of any of Adam's
fallen descendants: bondage to the guilt and penalty of sin, bondage
to the power and presence of sin; or, in other words, their being
bound for Hell and their being unfit for Heaven. These obstacles are,
so far as man is concerned, entirely insurmountable. This fact was
unequivocally established by Christ, when, in answer to His disciples'
question, "Who then can be saved?", He answered, "with men this is
impossible." A lost sinner might more easily create a world than save
his own soul. But (forever be His name praised), the Lord Jesus went
on to say, "with God all things are possible" (Matt. 19:25, 26). Yes,
problems which completely baffle human wisdom, are solvable by
Omniscience; tasks which defy the utmost efforts of man, are easily
accomplished by Omnipotence. Nowhere is this fact more strikingly
exemplified than in God's saving of the sinner. As intimated above,
two things are absolutely essential in order to salvation: deliverance
from the guilt and penalty of sin, deliverance from the power and
presence of sin. The one is secured by the meditorial work of Christ,
the other is accomplished by the effectual operations of the Holy
Spirit. The one is the blessed result of what the Lord Jesus did for
God's people; the other is the glorious consequence of what the Holy
Spirit does in God's people. The one takes place when, having been
brought to lie in the dust as an empty-handed beggar, faith is enabled
to lay hold of Christ, God now justifies from all things, and the
trembling, penitent, but believing sinner receives a free and full
pardon. The other takes place gradually, in distinct stages, under the
Divine blessings of regeneration, sanctification, and glorification.
In regeneration, indwelling sin receives its death-wound, though not
its death. In sanctification, the regenerated soul is shown the sink
of corruption that dwells within, and is taught to loathe and hate
himself. At glorification both soul and body will be forever delivered
from every vestige and effect of sin. Now a vital and saving knowledge
of these Divine truths can not be acquired by a mere study of them. No
amount of pouring over the Scriptures, no painstaking examination of
the soundest doctrinal treatises, no exercise of the intellect, is
able to secure the slightest spiritual insight into them. True, the
diligent seeker may attain a natural knowledge, an intellectual
apprehension of them, just as one born blind may obtain a notional
knowledge of the colorings of the flowers or of the beauties of a
sunset, but the natural man can no more arrive at a spiritual
knowledge of spiritual things, than a blind man can a true knowledge
of natural things, yea, than a man in his grave can know what is going
on in the world he has left. Nor can anything short of Divine power
bring the proud heart to a felt realization of this humbling fact;
only as God supernaturally enlightens, is any soul made conscious of
the awful spiritual darkness in which it naturally dwells. The truth
of what has just been said is established by the plain and solemn
declaration of 1 Corinthians 2:14, "But the natural man receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him;
neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
Alas that so many evade the sharp point of this verse by imagining
that it applies not to them, mistaking an intellectual assent to
spiritual things for an experimental acquaintance of them. An external
knowledge of Divine truth, as revealed in Scripture, may charm the
mind and form ground for speculation and conversation, but unless
there is a Divine application of them to the conscience and heart,
such knowledge will be of no more avail in the hour of death than the
pleasing images of our dreams are of any satisfaction when we awake.
How awful to think that multitudes of professing Christians will
awaken in Hell to discover that their knowledge of Divine truth was no
more substantial than a dream! While it be true that no man by
searching can find out God (Job 11:7), and that the mysteries of His
kingdom are sealed secrets until He deigns to reveal them to the soul
(Matt. 13:11), nevertheless, it is also true that God is pleased to
use means in the conveyance of heavenly light to our sin-darkened
understandings. It is for this reason that He commissions His-
servants to preach the Word, and, by voice and pen, expound the
Scriptures; nevertheless, their labors will produce no eternal fruits
unless He condescends to bless the seed they sow and give it an
increase. Thus, no matter how faithfully, simply, helpfully a sermon
be preached or an article written, unless the Spirit applies it to the
heart, the hearer or reader is no spiritual gainer. Then will you not
humbly entreat God to open your heart to receive whatever is according
to His holy Word in this booklet? In what follows, we shall, as God
enables, seek to direct attention to what we have referred to at the
beginning of this booklet as the second of those two humanly
insurmountable obstacles which lies in the way of a sinner's
salvation, and that is, the fitting of him for Heaven, by the
delivering of him from the power and presence of sin. Such a work is a
Divine one, and therefore it is miraculous. Regeneration is no mere
outward reformation, no mere turning over a new leaf and endeavoring
to live a better life. The new birth is very much more than going
forward and taking the preacher's hand: it is a supernatural operation
of God upon man's spirit, a transcendent wonder. All of God's works
are wonderful. The world in which we live is filled with things which
amaze us. Physical birth is a marvel, but, from several standpoints,
the new birth is more remarkable. It is a marvel of Divine grace,
Divine wisdom, Divine power, and Divine beauty. It is a miracle
performed upon and within ourselves, of which we may be personally
cognizant; it will prove an eternal marvel. Because regeneration is
the work of God, it is a mysterious thing. All God s works are
shrouded in impenetrable mystery. Life, natural life, in its origin,
in its nature, its processes, baffles the most careful investigator.
Much more is this the case with spiritual life. The Existence and
Being of God transcends the finite grasp; how then can we expect to
understand the process by which we become His children? Our Lord
Himself declared that the new birth is a thing of mystery: "The wind
bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but
canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth, so is every one
that is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). The wind is something about
which the most learned scientist knows next to nothing. Its nature,
the laws which govern it, the causation, all lie beyond the purview of
human inquiry. So it is with the new birth: it is profoundly
mysterious. Regeneration is an intensely solemn thing. The new birth
is the dividing line between Heaven and Hell. In God's sight there are
but two classes of people on this earth: those who are dead in sins,
and those who are walking in newness of life. In the physical realm
there is no such thing as being between life and death. A man is
either dead or alive. The vital spark may be very dim, but while it
exists, life is present. Let that spark go out altogether, and. though
you may dress the body in beautiful clothes, nevertheless, it is
nothing more than a corpse. So it is in the spiritual realm. We are
either saints or sinners, spiritually alive or spiritually dead.
children of God or children of the Devil. In view of this solemn fact,
how momentous is the question, Have I been born again? If not, and you
die in your present state, you will wish you had never been born at
all.
--ARTHUR W. PINK
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3
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About Us
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Regeneration or The New Birth by A.W. Pink
Chapter 1 - Its Necessity
_________________________________________________________________
1. The need for regeneration lies in our natural degeneration. In
consequence of the fall of our first parents, all of us were born
alienated from the Divine life and holiness, despoiled of all those
perfections wherewith man's nature was at first endowed. Ezekiel 16:4,
5 gives a graphic picture of our terrible spiritual plight at our
entrance into this world: cast out to the loathing of our persons,
rolling ourselves in our own filth, impotent to help ourselves. That
"likeness" of God (Gen. 1:26) which was at first stamped on man s
soul, has been effaced, aversion from God and an inordinate love of
the creature having displaced it. The very fountain of our beings is
polluted, continually sending forth bitter springs, and though those
streams take several courses and wander in various channels, yet are
they all brackish. Therefore is the "sacrifice" of the wicked an
abomination to the Lord (Prov. 15:8), and his very ploughing "sin"
(Prov. 21:4).
There are but two states, and all men are included therein: the one a
state of spiritual life, the other a state of spiritual death; the one
a state of righteousness, the other a state of sin: the one saving.
the other damning; the one a state of enmity, wherein men have their
inclinations contrary to God, the other a state of friendship and
fellowship, wherein men walk obediently unto God, and would not
willingly have an inward notion opposed to His will. The one state is
called darkness, the other light: "For ye were (in your unregenerate
days, not only in the dark, but) darkness, but now are ye light in the
Lord" (Eph. 5:6). There is no medium between these conditions; all are
in one of them. Each man and woman now on earth is either an object of
God's delight or of His abomination. The most benevolent and imposing
works of the flesh cannot please Him. but the faintest sparks
proceeding from that which grace hath kindled are acceptable in His
sight.
By the fall man contracted an unfitness to that which is good. Shapen
in iniquity and conceived in sin (Ps. 51: 5), man is a "transgressor
from the womb" (Isa. 48:8): "they go astray as soon as they be born,
speaking lies" (Ps. 58:3), and "the imagination of man's heart is evil
from his youth" (Gen. 8:21). He may be civilized, educated, refined,
and even religious, but at heart he is "desperately wicked" (Jer.
17:9), and all that he does is vile in the sight of God, for nothing
is done from love to Him, and with a view to His glory. "A good tree
cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth
good fruit" (Matt. 7:18). Until they are born again, all men are "unto
every good work reprobate" (Titus 1:16).
By the fall man contracted an unwillingness to that which is good. All
motions of the will in its fallen estate, through defect of a right
principle from whence they flow and a right end to which they tend,
are only evil and sinful. Leave man to himself, remove from him all
the restraints which law and order impose, and he will swiftly
degenerate to a lower level than the beasts, as almost any missionary
will testify. And is human nature any better in civilized lands? Not a
whit. Wash off the artificial veneer and it will be found that "as in
water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man" (Prov.
27:19). The world over, it remains solemnly true that "the carnal mind
is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God,
neither indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7). Christ will prefer the same charge
in a coming day as when He was here on earth: "Men loved darkness
rather than light" (John 3:19). Men will not come to Him that they
might have "life."
By the fall man contracted an inability to that which is good. He is
not only unfitted and unwilling, but unable to do that which is good.
Where is the man that can truthfully say he has measured up to his own
ideals? All have to acknowledge there is a strange force within
dragging them downward, inclining them to evil, which, notwithstanding
their utmost endeavors against it, in some form or other, more or
less, conquers them. Despite the kindly exhortations of friends, the
faithful warnings of God's servants, the solemn examples of suffering
and sorrow, disease and death on every side, and the vote of their own
conscience, yet they yield. "They that are in the flesh (in their
natural condition) cannot please God" (Rom. 8:18).
Thus it is evident that the need is imperative for a radical and
revolutionary change to be wrought in fallen man before he can have
any fellowship with the thrice holy God. Since the earth must be
completely changed, because of the curse now resting on it, before it
can ever again bring forth fruit as it did when man was in a state of
innocency; so must man, since a general defilement from Adam has
seized upon him, be renewed, before he can "bring forth fruit unto
God" (Rom. 7:4). He must be grafted upon another stock, united to
Christ, partake of the power of His resurrection: without this he may
bring forth fruit, but not "unto God." How can any one turn to God
without a principle of spiritual motion? How can he live to God who
has no spiritual life? Row can he be fit for the kingdom of God who is
of a brutish and diabolical nature?
2. The need for regeneration lies in man's total depravity. Every
member of Adam's race is a fallen creature, and every part of his
complex being has been corrupted by sin. Man's heart is "deceitful
above all things and desperately wicked" (Jer. 17:9). His mind is
blinded by Satan (2 Cor. 4:4) and darkened by sin (Eph. 4:18), so that
his thoughts are only evil continually (Gen. 6:5). His affections are
prostituted, so that he loves what God hates, and hates what God
loves. His will is enslaved from good (Rom. 6:20) and opposed to God
(Rom. 8:7). He is without righteousness (Rom. 3:10), under the curse
of the law (Gal. 3:10) and is the captive of the Devil. His condition
is truly deplorable, and his case desperate. He cannot better himself,
for he is "without strength" (Rom. 5:6). He cannot work out his
salvation, for there dwelleth no good thing in him (Rom. 7:18). He
needs, then, to be born of God, "for in Christ Jesus neither
circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new
creation" (Gal. 6:15).
Man is a fallen creature. It is not that a few leaves have faded, but
that the entire tree has become rotten, root and branch. There is in
every one that which is radically wrong. The word "radical" comes from
a Latin one which means "the root," so that when we say a man is
radically wrong, we mean that there is in him, in the very foundation
and fiber of his being, that which is intrinsically corrupt and
essentially evil. Sins are merely the fruit, there must of necessity
be a root from which they spring. It follows, then, as an inevitable
consequence that man needs the aid of a Higher Power to effect a
radical change in him. There is only One who can effect that change:
God created man, and God alone can re-create him. Hence the imperative
demand, "Ye must be born again" (John 3:7). Man is spiritually dead
and naught but all-mighty power can make him alive.
"By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death
passed upon all men" (Rom. 5:12). In the day that Adam ate of the
forbidden fruit, he died spiritually, and a person who is spiritually
dead cannot beget a child who possesses spiritual life. Therefore, all
by natural descent enter this world "alienated from the life of God"
(Eph. 4:18), "dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1). This is no mere
figure of speech, but a solemn fact. Every child is born entirely
destitute of a single spark of spiritual life, and therefore if ever
it is to enter the kingdom of God, which is the realm of spiritual
life (Rom. 14:17), it must be born into it.
The more clearly we are enabled to discern the imperative need of
regeneration and the various reasons why it is absolutely essential in
order to a fallen creature being fitted for the presence of the thrice
holy God, the less difficulty are we likely to encounter when we
endeavor to arrive at an understanding of the nature of regeneration,
what it is which takes place within a person when the Holy Spirit
renews him. For this reason particularly, and also because such a
cloud of error has been cast upon this vital truth, we feel that a
further consideration of this particular aspect of our subject is
needed.
Jesus Christ came into this world to glorify God and to glorify
Himself by redeeming a people unto Himself. But what glory can we
conceive that God has, and what glory would accrue to Christ, if there
be not a vital and fundamental difference between His people and the
world? And what difference can there be between those two companies
but in a change of heart, out of which are the issues of life (Prov.
4:23): a change of nature or disposition, as the fountain from which
all other differences must proceed--sheep and goats differ in nature.
The whole mediatorial work of Christ has this one end in view. His
priestly office is to reconcile and bring His people unto God; His
prophetic, to teach them the way; His kingly, to work in them those
qualifications and bestow upon them that comeliness which is necessary
to fit them for the holy converse and communion with the thrice holy
God. Thus does He "purify unto Himself a peculiar people zealous of
good works" (Titus 2:14).
"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of
God? Be not deceived" (1 Cor. 6:9). But multitudes are deceived, and
deceived at this very point, and on this most momentous matter. God
has warned men that "the heart is deceitful above all things, and
desperately wicked" (Jer. 17:9), but few will believe that this is
true of them. Instead, tens of thousands of professing Christians are
filled with a vain and presumptuous confidence that all is well with
them. They delude themselves with hopes of mercy while continuing to
live in a course of self-will and self-pleasing. They fancy they are
fitted for Heaven, while every day that passes finds them the more
prepared for Hell. It is written of the Lord Jesus that "He shall save
His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21), and not in their sins: save
them not only from the penalty, but also from the power and pollution
of sin.
To how many in Christendom do these solemn words apply, "For he
flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be
hateful" (Ps. 36:2). The principal device of Satan is to deceive
people into imagining that they can successfully combine the world
with God, allow the flesh while pretending to the Spirit, and thus
"make the best of both worlds." But Christ has emphatically declared
that "no man can serve two masters" (Matt. 6:24). Many mistake the
force of those searching words: the true emphasis is not upon "two,"
but upon "serve"--none can serve two masters. And God requires to be
"served"--feared, submitted unto, obeyed; His will regulating the life
in all its details, see 1 Samuel 12:24, 25. "Thou shalt worship the
Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve" (Matt. 4:10).
3. The need for regeneration lies in man's unsuitedness to God. When
Nicodemus, a respectable and religious Pharisee, yea, a "master in
Israel," came to Christ, He told him plainly that "except a man be
born again" he could neither see nor enter the "kingdom of God" (John
3:3, 5 )--either the Gospel-state on earth or the Glory-state in
Heaven. None can enter the spiritual realm unless he has a spiritual
nature, which alone gives him an appetite for and capacity to enjoy
the things pertaining to it; and this, the natural man has not. So far
from it, he cannot so much as "discern" them (1 Cor. 2:14). He has no
love for them, nor desire after them (John 3:19). Nor can he desire
them, for his will is enslaved by the lusts of the flesh (Eph. 2:2,3).
Therefore, before a man can enter the spiritual kingdom, his
understanding must be supernaturally enlightened, his heart renewed,
and his will emancipated.
There can be no point of contact between God and His Christ with a
sinful man until he is regenerated. There can be no lawful union
between two parties who have nothing vital in common. A superior and
an inferior nature may be united together, but never contrary natures.
Can fire and water be united, a beast and a man, a good angel and vile
devil? Can Heaven and Hell ever meet on friendly terms? In all
friendship there must be a similarity of disposition; before there can
be communion there must be some agreement or oneness. Beasts and men
agree not in a life of reason, and therefore cannot converse together.
God and men agree not in a life of holiness, and therefore can have no
communion together (Condensed from S. Charnock).
We are united to the "first Adam" by a likeness of nature; how then
can we be united to the "last Adam" without a likeness to Him from a
new nature or principle? We were united to the first Adam by a living
soul, we must be united to the last Adam by a quickening Spirit. We
have nothing to do with the heavenly Adam without bearing an heavenly
image (1 Cor. 15:48, 49). If we are His members, we must have the same
nature which was communicated to Him, the Head, by the Spirit of God,
which is holiness (Luke 1:35). There must be one "spirit" in both:
thus it is written, "he that is joined to the Lord is one spirit" (1
Cor. 6:17). And again God tells us, "If any man have not the Spirit of
Christ he is none of His" (Rom. 8:9). Nor can anything be vitally
united to another without life. A living head and a dead body is
inconceivable.
There can be no communion with God without a renewed soul. God is
unable on His part, with honour to His law and holiness, to have
fellowship with such a creature as fallen man. Man is incapable on his
part, because of the aversion rooted in his fallen nature. Then how is
it possible for God and man to be brought together without the latter
experiencing a thorough change of nature? What communion can there be
between Light and darkness, between the living God and a dead heart?
"Can two walk together, except they be agreed? (Amos 3:3). God loathes
sin, man loves it; God loves holiness, man loathes it. How then could
such contrary affections meet together in an amicable friendship? Sin
has alienated from the life of God (Eph. 4:18), and therefore from His
fellowship; life, then, must be restored to us before we can be
instated in communion with Him. Old things must pass away, and all
things become new (2Cor. 5:17).
Gospel-duties cannot be performed without regeneration. The first
requirement of Christ from His followers is that they shall deny self.
But that is impossible to fallen human nature, for men are "lovers of
their own selves" (2Tim. 3:2). Not until the soul is renewed, will
self be repudiated. Therefore is the new-covenant promise, "I will
take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart
of flesh" (Ezek. 11:19). All Gospel duties require a pliableness and
tenderness of heart. Pride was the condemnation of the Devil (1 Tim.
3:6), and our first parents fell through swelling designs to be like
unto God (Gen. 3:5).Ever since then, man has been too aspiring and too
well opinionated of himself to perform duties in an evangelical
strain, with that nothingness in himself which the Gospel requires.
The chief design of the Gospel is to beat down all glorying in
ourselves, that we should glory only in the Lord (1 Cor. 1:29-31); but
this is not possible till grace renews the heart, melts it before God,
and moulds it to His requirements.
Without a new nature we cannot perform Gospel-duties constantly. "They
that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh" (Rom. 8:5).
Such a mind cannot long be employed upon spiritual things. Prickings
of conscience, terrors of Hell, fears of death, may exert a temporary
influence, but they do not last. Stony-ground may bring forth blades,
yet for lack of root they quickly wither away (Matt. 13). A stone may
be flung high into the air, but ultimately it falls back to the earth;
so the natural man may for a time mount high in religious fervor, but
sooner or later it shall be said of him, as it was of Israel, "their
heart was not right with Him, neither were they stedfast in His
covenant" (Ps. 78:37). Many seem to begin in the Spirit, but end in
the flesh. Only where God has wrought in the soul, will the work last
forever (Eccl. 3:14: Phil. 1:6).
As regeneration is indispensably necessary to a Gospel-state, so it is
to a state of heavenly glory. It seems to be typified by the strength
and freshness of the Israelites when they entered into Canaan. Not a
decrepit and infirm person set foot in the promised land: none of
those that came out of Egypt with an Egyptian nature, and desires for
the garlic and onions thereof, with a suffering their old bondage, but
dropped their carcasses in the wilderness; only the two spies who had
encouraged them against the seeming difficulties. None that retain
only the old man, born in the house of bondage; but only a new
regenerate creature, shall enter into the heavenly Canaan. Heaven is
the inheritance of the sanctified, not of the filthy: `that they may
receive an inheritance among them which are sanctified through faith
that is in Me' (Acts 26:18). Upon Adam's expulsion from paradise, a
flaming sword was set to stop his reentering into that place of
happiness. As Adam, in his forlorn state, could not possess it, we
also, by what we have received from Adam, cannot expect a greater
privilege than our root. The priest under the law could not enter into
the sanctuary till he was purified, nor the people into the
congregation: neither can any man have access into the Holiest till he
be sprinkled by the blood of Jesus: Hebrews 10:22" (S. Charnock).
Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. Said Christ, "I go
to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2). For whom? For those who have,
in heart, "forsaken all" to follow Him (Matt. 19:27). For those who
love God (1 Cor. 2:9) love the things of God: they perceive the
inestimable value and beauty of spiritual things. And they who really
love spiritual things, deem no sacrifice too great to win them (Phil.
3:8). But in order to love spiritual things, the man himself must be
made spiritual. The natural man may hear about them and have a correct
idea of the doctrine of them, but he receives them not spiritually in
the love of them (2 Thess. 2:10), and finds not his joy and happiness
in them. But the renewed soul longs after them, not by constraint, but
because God has won his heart. His confession is "Whom have I in
heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside
Thee" (Ps. 73:25). God has become his chief good, His will his only
rule, His glory his chief end. In such an one, the very inclinations
of the soul have been changed.
The man himself must be changed before he is prepared for Heaven. Of
the regenerate it is written, "giving thanks unto the Father, which
hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in
light" (Col. 1:12). None are "made meet" while they are unholy, for it
is the inheritance of the saints; none are fitted for it while they
are under the power of darkness, for it is an inheritance in light.
Christ Himself ascended not to Heaven to take possession of His glory
till after His resurrection from the dead, nor can we enter Heaven
unless we have been resurrected from sin. "He that hath wrought
(polished) us for the self-same thing (to be clothed with our Heavenly
house) is God," and the proof that He has done this is, the giving
unto us "the earnest of the Spirit" (2 Cor. 5:5); and where the Spirit
of the Lord is "there is liberty" (2 Cor. 3:17), liberty from the
power of indwelling sin, as the verse which follows clearly shows.
"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God" (Matt. 5:8).
To "see" God is to be introduced into the most intimate intercourse
with Him. It is to have that "thick cloud" of our transgressions
blotted out (Isa. 44:22), for it was our iniquities which separated
between us and our God (Isa. 58:2). To "see" God, here has the force
of enjoy, as in John 3:36. But for this enjoyment a "pure heart" is
indispensable. Now the heart is purified by faith (Acts 15:9). for
faith has to do with God. Thus, a "pure heart" is one that has its
affections set upon things above, being attracted by "the beauty of
holiness" (Ps. 17:15). But how could he enjoy God who cannot now
endure the imperfect holiness of His children, but rails against it as
unnecessary "strictness" or puritanical fanaticism? God's face is only
to be beheld in righteousness.
"Follow peace with all, and holiness, without which no man shall see
the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). None can dwell with God and be eternally happy
in His presence unless a radical change has been wrought in him, a
change from sin to holiness. This change must be, like that introduced
by the fail, one which reaches to the very roots of our beings,
affecting the entire man: removing the darkness of our minds,
awakening and then pacifying the conscience, spiritualizing our
affections,, converting the will, reforming our whole life. And this
great change must take place here on earth. The removal of the soul to
Heaven is no substitute for regeneration. It is not the place which
conveys likeness to God. When the angels fell. they were in Heaven,
but the glory of God's dwelling place did not restore them. Satan
entered Heaven (Job 2:1), but he left it still unchanged. There must
be a likeness to God wrought in the soul by the Spirit before it is
fitted to enjoy Heaven.
"Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Cor. 15:50). If
the body must be changed ere it can enter Heaven, how much more so the
soul, for "there shall in no wise enter into it anything that
defileth" (Rev. 21:27). And what is the supreme glory of Heaven? Is it
freedom from toil and worry, sickness and sorrow, suffering and death?
No: it is, that Heaven is the place where there is the full
manifestation of Him who is "glorious in holiness"--that holiness
which the wicked, while presumptuously hoping to go to Heaven, despise
and hate here on earth. The inhabitants of Heaven are given a clear
sight of the ineffable purity of God and are granted the most intimate
communion with Him. But none are fitted for this unless their inner
being (as well as outer lives) have undergone a radical,
revolutionizing, supernatural change.
Can it be thought that Christ will prepare mansions of glory for those
who refuse to receive Him into their hearts and give Him the first
place in their lives down here? No, indeed; rather will He "laugh at
their calamity and mock when their fear cometh" (Prov. 1:26). The
instrument of the heart must be tuned here on earth to fit it to
produce the melody of praise in Heaven. God has so linked together
holiness and happiness (as He has sin and wretchedness) that they
cannot be separated. Were it possible for an unregenerate soul to
enter Heaven, it would find there no sanctuary from the lashings of
conscience and the tormenting fire of God's holiness. Many suppose
that nothing but the merits of Christ are needed to qualify them for
Heaven. But this is a great mistake. None receive remission of sins
through the blood of Christ, who are not first "turned from the power
of Satan unto God" (Acts 26:18). God subdues their iniquities whose
sin He casts into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19). Pardoning sins
and purifying the heart are as inseparable as the blood and water
which flowed from the Saviour's side (John 19:34).
Our being renewed in the spirit of our mind and our putting on of the
new man "which after God is created in righteousness and true
holiness" (Eph. 4:23, 24), is as indispensable to a meetness for
Heaven, as an having the righteousness of Christ imputed to us is for
a title thereto. "A malefactor, by pardon, is in a capacity to come
into the presence of a prince and serve him at his table, but he is
not in the fitness till his noisome garments, full of vermin be taken
off" (S. Charnock). It is both a fatal delusion and wicked presumption
for one who is living to please self to imagine that his sins have
been forgiven by God. It is "the washing of regeneration" which gives
evidence of our being justified by grace (Titus 3:5-7). When Christ
saves, He indwells (Gal. 2:20), and it is impossible for Him to reside
in a heart which yet remains spiritually cold, hard, and lifeless. The
supreme pattern of holiness cannot be a Patron of licentiousness.
Justification and sanctification are inseparable: where one is
absolved from the guilt of sin, he is also delivered from the dominion
of sin, but neither the one nor the other can be until the soul is
regenerated. Just as Christ's being made in the likeness of sin s
flesh was indispensable for God to impute to Him His people's sins
(Rom. 8:3), so it is equally necessary for us to be made new creatures
in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17) before we can be, legally. made the
righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21). The need of our being made
"partakers of the Divine nature" (2 Pet. 1:4) is as real and as great
as Christ's taking part in human nature, ere He could save us (Heb.
2:14-17). "Except God be born, He cannot come into the kingdom of sin.
Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of righteousness.
And Divine power--the power of the Holy Spirit, the plenipotentiary
and executant of all the will of Godhead--achieves the incarnation of
God and the regeneration of man. that the Son of God may be made sin,
and the sons of God made righteous" (H. Martin).
How could one possibly enter a world of ineffable holiness who has
spent all his time in sin, i.e., pleasing self? How could he possibly
sing the song of the Lamb if his heart has never been tuned unto it?
How could be endure to behold the awful majesty of God face to face,
who never before so much as saw Him "through a glass darkly" by the
eye of faith? And as it is excruciating torture for the eyes that have
been long confined to dismal darkness, to suddenly gaze upon the
bright -beams of the midday sun, so it will be when the unregenerate
behold Him who is Light. Instead of welcoming such a sight "all
kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him" (Rev. 1:7); yea, so
overwhelming will be their anguish, they will call to the mountains
and rocks, "Fall on us. and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth
on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb" (Rev. 6:17). And, my
reader, that will be your experience, unless God regenerates you!
When the Lord Jesus said "That which is born of the flesh is flesh"
(John 3:6) He not only intimated that every man born into this world
inherits a corrupt and fallen nature, and therefore is unfit for the
kingdom of God; but also that this corrupt nature can never be
anything else but corrupt, so that no culture can fit it for the
kingdom of God. Its tendencies may be restricted, its manifestations
modified by education and circumstances, but its sinful tendencies and
affections are still there. A corrupt tree cannot bring forth good
fruit, prune and trim it as you may. For good fruit, you must have a
good tree or graft from one. Therefore did our Lord go on to say, "And
that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." This brings us to
consider.
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3
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A. W. Pink Header
Regeneration or The New Birth by A.W. Pink
Chapter 2 - Its Nature
_________________________________________________________________
We have now arrived at the most difficult part of our subject.
Necessarily so, for we are about to contemplate the workings of God.
These are ever mysterious, and nothing whatever can be really known
about them, save what He Himself has revealed thereon in His Word. In
endeavoring to ponder what He has said on His work of regeneration two
dangers need to be guarded against: first. limiting our thoughts to
any isolated statement thereon or any single figure the Spirit has
employed to describe it. Second, reasoning from what He has said by
carnalizing the figures He has employed. When referring to spiritual
things. God has used terms which were originally intended (by man) to
express material objects, hence we need to be constantly on our guard
against transferring to the former erroneous ideas carried over from
the latter. From this we shall be preserved if we diligently compare
all that has been said on each subject.
In treating of the nature of regeneration, much damage has been
wrought, especially in recent years, by men confining their attention
to a single figure, namely, that of the "new birth," which is only one
out of many expressions used in the Scriptures to denote that mighty
and miraculous work of God within His people which fits them for
communion with Him. Thus, in Colossians 1:12, 13 the same vital
experience is spoken of as God's having "made us meet to be partakers
of the inheritance of the saints in light: who hath delivered us from
the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His
dear Son." Regeneration is the commencement of a new experience, which
is so real and revolutionizing that the one who is the subject of this
Divine begetting is spoken of as a "new creature"; "old things are
passed away, behold, all things are become new" (2 Cor. 5:17). A new
spiritual life has been imparted to the soul by God, so that the one
receiving it is vitally implanted into Christ.
The nature of regeneration can, perhaps, be best perceived by
comparing and contrasting it with what took place at the fall, for
though the person who is renewed by the Spirit receives more than what
Adam lost by his rebellion, yet, the one is, really, God's answer to
the former. Now it is most important that we should clearly recognize
that no faculty was lost by man when he fell. When man was created,
God gave unto him a spirit and soul and body, Thus, man was a
tri-partite being When man fell, the Divine threat "In the day that
thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die"was duly executed, and man
died spiritually. But that does not mean that either his Spirit or
soul, or any part thereof, ceased to be, for in Scripture "death"
never signifies annihilation, but is a state of separation. The
prodigal son was "dead" while he was in the far country (Luke 15:24),
because he was separated from his father. "Alienated from the life of
God" (Eph. 4:18) describes the fearful state of one who is
unregenerated, so does "she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she
liveth" (1 Tim 5:6), that which is dead spiritually is dead Godwards,
while alive in sin the spirit and soul and body, each being active
against God.
That which took place at the fall was not the destruction of either
portion of man's threefold being, but the vitiating or corrupting of
them. And that, by the introduction of a new principle within him,
namely, sin, which is more of a quality than a substance. But let it
be stated very emphatically that a "nature" is not a concrete entity
but rather that which characterizes and impels an entity or creature.
It is the nature of gravitation to attract, it is the nature of the
wind to blow, it is the nature of fire to burn. A "nature" is not a
tangible thing, but a principle of operation, a power impelling to
action. Thus, when we say that fallen man possesses a "sinful nature,"
it must not be understood that something as substantial as his soul or
spirit was added to his being, but instead, that the principle of evil
entered into him, which polluted and defiled every part of his
constitution, as frost entering fruit spoils it.
At the fall, man lost none of the faculties with which the Creator had
originally endowed him, but he lost the power to use his faculties
Godwards. All desire Godwards, all love for his Maker, and real
knowledge of Him, was lost. Sin possessed him: sin as a principle of
evil, as a power of operation, as a defiling influence, took complete
charge of his spirit and soul and body, so that he became the
"servant" or slave "of sin" (John 8:34). As such, man is no more
capable of producing that which is good, spiritual, and acceptable to
God, than frost can burn or fire freeze: "they that are in the flesh
(remain in their natural and fallen condition) cannot please God"
(Rom. 8:8). They have no power to do so, for all their faculties,
every part of their being, is completely under the dominion of sin. So
completely is fallen man beneath the power of sin and spiritual death,
that the things of the Spirit of God are "foolishness" unto him,
"neither can he know them" (1 Cor. 2:14).
Now that which takes place at regeneration is the reversing of what
happened at the fall.. The one born again is, through Christ, and by
the Spirit's operation, restored to union and communion with God; the
one who before was spiritually dead, is now spiritually alive: John
5:24. Just as spiritual death was brought about by the entrance into
man's, being of the principle of evil, so spiritual life is the
introduction of a principle of holiness. God communicates a new
principle, as real and as potent as sin, Divine grace is now imparted.
A holy disposition is wrought in the soul. A new temper of spirit is
bestowed upon the inner man. But no new faculties are created within
him, rather are his original faculties enriched, ennobled, and
empowered. Just as man did not become less than a threefold being when
he fell, so he does not become more than a threefold being when he is
renewed. Nor will he in Heaven itself: his spirit and soul and body
will simply be glorified, i.e., completely delivered from every taint
of sin, and perfectly conformed to the image of God's Son.
At regeneration a new nature is imparted by God. But again we need to
be closely on our guard lest we carnalize our conception of what is
denoted by that expression. Much confusion has been caused through
failure to recognize that it is a person, and not merely a "nature"
which is born of the Spirit: "ye must be born again" (John 3:7), not
merely something in you must be; "he which is born of God" (1 John
3:9). The same person who was spiritually dead-his whole being
alienated from God-is now made spiritually alive: his whole being
reconciled to God. This must be so, or otherwise there would be no
preservation of the identity of the individual. It is the person, and
not simply a nature which is born of God: "Of His own will begat He
us" (James 1:18). It is a new birth of the individual himself, and not
of something in him. The nature is never changed, but the person
is-relatively, not absolutely.
The person of the regenerate man is essentially the same as the person
of the unregenerate: each having a spirit, and soul and body. But just
as in fallen man there is also a principle of evil which has corrupted
every part of his threefold being, which "principle" is his "sinful
nature" (so-called because it expresses his evil disposition and
character as it is the "nature" of swine to be filthy), so when a
person is born again another and new "principle" is introduced into
his being, a new "nature" or disposition, a disposition which propels
him Godwards. Thus, in both cases, "nature" is a quality rather than a
substance. "That which is born of the Spirit is spirit" must not be
conceived of as something substantial, distinct from the soul of the
regenerate, like one portion of matter added to another; rather is it
that which spiritualizes all his inward faculties, as the "flesh" had
carnalized them.
Again; "that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" is to be carefully
distinguished from that "spirit" which every man has in addition to
his soul and body: (see Num. 16:22; Eccl. 12:7; Zech. 12:1). That
which is born of the Spirit is not something tangible, but that which
is spiritual and holy, and that is a quality rather than a substance.
In proof of this compare the usage of the word "spirit" in these
passages: in James 4:5 the inclination and disposition to envy is
called "the spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy." In Luke 9:55
Christ said to His disciples, "ye know not what manner of spirit ye
are of," thereby signifying, ye are ignorant of what a fiery
disposition is in your hearts. See also Numbers 5:14; Hosea 4:12, 2
Timothy 1:7. That which is born of the Spirit is a principle of
spiritual life, which renovates all the faculties of the soul.
Some help upon this mysterious part of our subject is to be obtained
by noting that in such passages as John 3:6, etc., "spirit" is
contrasted from the "flesh." Now it should scarcely need saying that
"the flesh" is not a concrete entity, being quite distinct from the
body. When the term "flesh" is used in a moral sense the reference is
always to the corruption of fallen man's nature. In Galatians 5:19-21
the "works of the flesh" are described, among them being "hatred" and
"envying," in connection with which the body (as distinguished from
the mind) is not implicated-clear proof that the "flesh" and the
"body" are not synonymous terms. In Galatians 5 the "flesh" is used to
designate those evil tendencies and affections which result in the
sins there mentioned. Thus, the "flesh" refers to the degenerate state
of man's spirit and soul and body, as the "spirit" refers to the
regenerate state of the spirit and soul-the regeneration of the body
being yet future.
The privative (darkness is the privative of light) or negative side of
regeneration, is that Divine grace gives a mortal wound to indwelling
sin. Sin is not then eradicated nor totally slain in the believer, but
it is divested of its reigning power over his faculties. The Christian
is no longer the helpless slave of sin, for he resists it, fights
against it, and to speak of a helpless victim "fighting," is a
contradiction in terms. At the new birth sin receives its death-blow,
though its dying struggles within us are yet powerful and acutely
felt. Proof of what we have said is found in the fact that while sin's
solicitations were once agreeable to us, they are now hated. This
aspect of regeneration is presented in Scripture under a variety of
figures, such as the taking away of the heart of stone (Ezek. 36:26),
the binding of the strong man (Matt. 12:29), etc. The absolute
dominion of sin over us is destroyed by God (Rom. 6:14).
The positive side of regeneration is that Divine grace effects a
complete change in the state of the soul, by infusing a principle of
spiritual life, which renovates all its faculties. It is this which
constitutes its subject a "new creature," not in respect of his
essence, but of his views, his desires, his aspirations, his habits.
Regeneration or the new birth is the Divine communication of a
powerful and revolutionizing principle in the soul and spirit, under
the influence of which all their native faculties are exercised in a
different manner from that in which they were formerly employed, and
in this sense "old things are passed away; behold, all things are
become new" (2 Cor. 5:17). His thoughts are "new," the objects of his
choice are "new," his aims and motives are "new," and thereby the
whole of his external deportment is changed.
"By the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Cor. 15:10). The reference
here is to subjective grace. There is an objective grace, inherent in
God, which is His love, favour, goodwill for His elect. There is also
a subjective grace which terminates on them, whereby a change is
wrought in them. This is by the infusion of a principle of spiritual
life, which is the spring of the Christian's actions. This "principle"
is called "a new heart" and a "new spirit" (Ezek. 36:26). It is a
supernatural habit, residing in every faculty and power of the soul,
as a principle of holy and spiritual operation. Some have spoken of
this supernatural experience as a "change of heart." If by this
expression be meant that there is a change wrought in the fallen
nature itself, as though that which is natural is transformed into
that which is spiritual, as though that which was born of the flesh
ceased to be "flesh," and became that which is born of the Spirit,
then, the term is to be rejected. But if by this expression be meant,
an acknowledgement of the reality of the Divine work, which is wrought
in those whom God regenerates, it is quite permissible.
When treating of regeneration under the figure of the new birth, some
writers have introduced analogies from natural birth which Scripture
by no means warrants, in fact disallows. Physical birth is the
bringing forth into this world of a creature, a complete personality,
which before conception had no existence whatsoever. But the one who
is regenerated had a complete personality before he was born again. To
this statement it may be objected, Not a spiritual personality What is
meant by this? Spirit and matter are opposites, and we only create
confusion if we speak or think of that which is spiritual as being
something concrete. Regeneration is not the creating of a person which
hitherto had no existence, but the renewing and restoring of a person
whom sin had unfitted for communion with God, and this by the
communication of a nature or principle of life, which gives a new and
different bias to all his old faculties. It is altogether an erroneous
view to regard a Christian as made up of two distinct personalities.
As "justification" describes the change in the Christian's objective
relationship to God, so "regeneration" denotes that intrinsic
subjective change which is wrought in the inclinations and tendencies
of their souls Godwards. This saving work of God within His people is
likened unto a "birth" because it is the gateway into a new world, the
beginning of an entirely new experience, and also because as the
natural birth is an issuing from a place of darkness and confinement
(the womb) into a state of light and liberty, so is the experience of
the soul when the Spirit quickens us. But the very fact that this
revolutionizing experience is also likened unto a resurrection (1 John
3:14) should deliver us from forming a one-sided conception of what is
meant by the "new birth" and the "new creature," for resurrection is
not the absolute creation of a new body, but the restoration and
glorification of the old body. Regeneration is also called a Divine
"begetting" (1 Pet. 1:3), because the image or likeness of the
Begetter is conveyed and stamped upon the soul. As the first Adam
begat a son in his own image and likeness (Gen. 5:3), so the last Adam
has an "image" (Rom. 8:29) to convey to His sons (Eph. 4:24; Col.
3:10).
It has often been said that in the Christian there are two distinct
and diverse "natures," namely, the "flesh" and the "spirit" (Gal.
5:17). This is true, yet care must be taken to avoid regarding these
two "natures" as anything more than two principles of action. Thus in
Romans 7:23 the two "natures" or "principles" in the Christian are
spoken of as "I see another law in my members, warring against the law
of my mind." The flesh and the spirit in the believer must be
conceived of as something very different from the "two natures" in the
blessed person of our Redeemer, the God-man. Both the Deity and
humanity were substantial entities in Him. Moreover, the "two natures"
in the saint result in a necessary conflict (Gal. 5:17), whereas in
Christ there was not only complete harmony, but one Lord."
The faculties of the Christian's soul remain the same in their
essence, substance, and natural powers as before he was "renewed," but
these faculties are changed in their properties, qualities and
inclinations. It may help us to obtain a clearer conception of this if
we illustrate by a reference to the waters at Marah (Ex. 15:25, 26).
Those "waters" were the same waters still, both before and after their
cure. Of themselves in their own nature, they were "bitter," so as the
people could not drink of them; but in the casting of a tree into
them, they were made sweet and useful. So too with the waters at
Jericho (2 Kings 19:20, 21), which were cured by the casting of salt
(emblem of grace, Col. 4:6) into them. In like manner the Christian's
affections continue the same as they were in their nature and essence,
but they are cured or healed by grace, so that their properties,
qualities and inclinations are "renewed" (Titus 3:5), the love of God
now being shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5).
What man lost by the, fall was his original relation to God, which
kept all his faculties and affections within proper exercise of that
relation. At regeneration the Christian received a new life, which
gave a new direction to his faculties, presenting new objects before
them. Yet, let it be said emphatically, it is not merely the
restoration of the life which Adam lost, but one of unspeakably higher
relations: he received the life which the Son of God has in Himself,
even "eternal life." But the old personality still remains. This is
clear from Romans 6:13, "but yield yourselves unto God, as those that
are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of
righteousness unto God." The members of the same individual are now to
serve a new Master.
Regeneration is that which alone fits a fallen creature to fulfill his
one great and chief duty, namely, to glorify his Maker. This is to be
the aim and the end in view in all that we do: "Whether therefore ye
eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1
Cor. 10:31). It is the motive actuating us and the purpose before us
which gives value to each action: "When thine eye (figure of the soul
looking outward) is single (having only one object in view-the glory
of God), the whole body is full of light; but when thine eye is evil,
the body is full of darkness" (Luke 11:34). If the intention be evil,
as it certainly is when the glory of God is not before us, there is
nothing but "darkness," sin, in the whole service.
Now fallen man has altogether departed from what ought to be his chief
end, aim, or object, for instead of having before him the honour of
God, himself is his chief concern; and instead of seeking to please
God in all things, he lives only to please himself or his
fellow-creatures. Even when, through religious training, the claims of
God have been brought to his notice and pressed upon his attention, at
best he only parcels out one part of his time, strength and substance
to the One who gave him being and daily loadeth him with benefits, and
another part for himself and the world. The natural man is utterly
incapable of giving supreme respect unto God, until he becomes the
recipient of a spiritual life. None will truly aim at the glory of God
until they have an affection for Him. None will honour Him supremely
whom they do not supremely love. And for this, the love of God must be
shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5), and this only
takes places at regeneration. Then it is, and not till then, that self
is dethroned and God enthroned; then it is that the renewed creature
is enabled to comply with God's imperative call, "My son, give Me
thine heart" (Prov. 23:26).
The salient elements which comprise the nature of regeneration may,
perhaps, be summed up in these three words: impartation, renovation,
subjugation. God communicates something to the one who is born again,
namely, a principle of faith and obedience, a holy nature, eternal
life. This though real, palpable, and potent, is nothing material or
tangible, nothing added to our essence, substance or person. Again:
God renews every faculty of the soul and spirit of the one born again,
not perfectly and finally, for we are "renewed day by day" (2 Cor.
4:16). hut so as to enable those faculties to be exercised upon
spiritual objects. Again; God subdues the power of sin indwelling the
one born again. He does not eradicate it, but He dethrones it, so that
it no longer has dominion over the heart. Instead of sin ruling the
Christian, and that by his own willing subjection, it is resisted and
hated.
Regeneration is not the improvement or purification of the
"flesh,"which is that principle of evil still with the believer. The
appetites and tendencies of the "flesh" are precisely the same after
the new birth as they were before, only they no longer reign over him.
For a time it may seem that the "flesh" is dead, yet in reality it is
not so. Often its very stillness (as an army in ambush) is only
awaiting its opportunity or a gathering up of its strength for a
further attack. It is not long ere the renewed soul discovers that the
"flesh" is yet very much alive, desiring to have its way. But grace
will not suffer it to have its sway. On the one hand the Christian has
to say, "For to will is present with me, but how to perform that which
is good I find not" (Rom. 7:18). On the other hand, he is able to
declare, "Christ liveth in me, and the life which 1 now live in the
flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave
Himself "for me" (Gal. 2:20).
Some people find it very difficult to conceive of the same person
bringing forth good works who before brought forth nothing but evil
works, the more so when it be insisted upon that no new faculty is
added to his being, that nothing substantial is either imparted or
taken from his person. But if we rightly introduce the factor of God's
mighty power into the equation, then the difficulty disappears. We may
not be able to explain, in fact we are not, how God's power acts upon
us, how He cleanses the unclean (Acts 10:15) and subdues the wolf so
that it dwells with the lamb (Isa. 11:6), any more than we can
thoroughly understand His working upon and within us without
destroying our own personal agency; nevertheless, both Scripture and
experience testify to each of these facts It may help us a little at
this point if we contemplate the working of God s power in the natural
realm.
In the natural realm every creature is not only entirely dependent
upon its Maker for its continued existence, but also for the exercise
of all its faculties, for "in Him we live, and move (Greek, 'are
moved') and have our being" (Acts 17:28) Again; as the various parts
of creation are linked together, and afford each other mutual
support-as the heavens fertilize the earth, the earth supplies its
inhabitants with food, its inhabitants propagate their kind, rear
their offspring, and cooperate for the purpose of society-so also the
whole system is supported, sustained and governed by the directing
providence of God. The influences of providence, the manner in which
they operate on the creature, are profoundly mysterious: on the one
hand, they are not destructive of our rational nature, reducing us to
mere irresponsible automatons: on the other hand they are all made
completely subservient to the Divine purpose.
Now the operation of God's power in regeneration is to be regarded as
of the same kind with its operation in providence, although it be
exercised with a different design. God's energy is one, though it is
distinguished by the objects on which, and the ends for which, it is
exerted. It is the same power that creates as upholds in existence:
the same power that forms a stone, and a sunbeam, the same power that
gives vegetable life to a tree, animal life to a brute, and rational
life to a man. In like manner, it is the same power that assists us in
the natural exercise of our faculties, as it is which enables us to
exercise those faculties in a spiritual manner. Hence "grace" as a
principle of Divine operation in the spiritual realm, is the same
power of God as "nature" is His process of operation in the natural
world.
The grace of God in the application of redemption to the hearts of His
people is indeed mighty as is evident from the effects produced. It is
a change of the whole man: of his views, motives, inclinations and
pursuits. Such a change no human means are able to accomplish. When
the thoughtless are made to think, and to think with a seriousness and
intensity which they never formerly did; when the careless are, in a
moment, affected with a deep sense of their most important interests:
when lips which are accustomed to blaspheme, learn to pray; when the
proud are brought to assume the lowly attitude and language of the
penitent; when those who were devoted to the world give evidence that
the object of their desires and aims is a heavenly inheritance: and
when this revolution. so wonderful has been affected by the simple
Word of God, and by the very Word which the subject of this radical
change had often heard unmoved, it is proof positive that a mighty
influence has been exerted, and that that influence is nothing less
than Divine-God's people have been made willing in the day of His
power (Ps. 110:3).
Many figures are used in Scripture, various expressions are employed
by the Spirit, to describe the saving work of God within His people.
In 2Peter 1:4 the regenerated are said to be "partakers of the Divine
nature," which does not mean of the very essence or being of God, for
that can neither be divided nor communicated-in Heaven itself there
will still be an immeasurable distance between the Creator and the
creature, otherwise the finite would become infinite. No, to be
"partakers of the Divine nature" is to be made the recipients of
inherent grace, to have the lineaments of the Divine image stamped
upon the soul: as the remainder of that verse shows. being "partakers
of the Divine nature" is the antithesis of "the corruption that is in
the world through lust."
In 2Corinthians 3:18 this transforming miracle of God's grace in His
people is declared to be a "changing" into the image of Christ. The
Greek word there for "change" is the one rendered "transfigured" in
Matthew 17:2. At Christ's transfiguration no new features were added
to the Saviour's face, but His whole countenance was irradiated by a
new light; so in 2 Corinthians 4:6 regeneration is likened unto a
"light" which God commands to shine in us-note the whole context of 2
Corinthians 3:18 is treating of the Spirit's work by the Gospel. In
Ephesians 2:10 this product of God's grace is spoken of as His
"workmanship," and is said to be "created," to show that He, and not
roan, is the Author of it. In Galatians 4:19 this same work of God in
the soul is termed Christ's being "formed" in us-as the parents' seed
is formed or molded in the mother's womb, the "likeness" of the parent
being stamped upon it.
We cannot here attempt a full list of the numerous figures and
expressions which the Holy Spirit has employed to set forth this
saving work of God in the soul. In John 6:44 it is spoken of as a
being "drawn" to Christ. In Acts 16:14 as the heart being "opened" by
the Lord to receive His Truth. In Acts 26:18 as the opening of our
eyes, a turning us from darkness unto light, and the power of Satan
unto God. In 2 Corinthians 10:5 as the "casting down imaginations. and
every high thing that exalteth itself against the know1edge of God,
and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."
In Ephesians 5:8 as being "light in the Lord." In 2 Thessalonians 2:13
it is designated the "sanctification of the Spirit." In Hebrews 8:10
as God's putting His laws into our mind and writing them on our
heart-contrast the figure in Jeremiah 17:1! Thus it should be most
apparent that we lose much by limiting our attention to one figure of
it. All we have given, and still others not mentioned, need to be
taken into consideration if we are to obtain anything approaching an
adequate conception of the nature of that miracle of grace which is
wrought in the soul and spirit of the elect, enabling them to
henceforth live unto God.
As man was changed in Adam from what he was by a state of creation, so
man must be changed in Christ from what he is by a state of
corruption. This change which fits him for communion with God, is a
Divine work wrought in the inclinations of the soul. It is a being
renewed in the spirit of our minds (Eph. 4:23). It is the infusion of
a principle of holiness into all the faculties of our inner being. It
is the spiritual renovation of our very persons, which will yet be
consummated by the regeneration of our bodies. The whole soul is
renewed, according to the image of God in knowledge, holiness and
righteousness. A new light shines into the mind, a new power moves the
will, a new object attracts the affections. The individual Is the
same, and yet not the same. How different the landscape when the sun
is shining, than when the darkness of a moonless night is upon it-the
same landscape, and yet not the same. How different the condition of
him who is restored to health and vigor after having been brought very
low by sickness; yet it is the same person.
The very fact that the Holy Spirit has employed the figures of
"begetting" and "birth" to the saving work of God in the soul,
intimates that the reference is only to the initial experience of
Divine grace: "He which hath begun a good work in you" (Phil. 1:6). As
an infant has all the parts of a man, yet none of them come to
maturity, so regeneration gives a perfection of parts, which yet have
need to be developed. A new life has been received, but there needs to
be growth of it: "grow in grace" (2 Pet. 3:18). As God was the Giver
of this life, He only can feed and strengthen it. Thus, Titus 3:5
speaks of "the renewing" and not the "renewal" of the Holy Spirit. But
it is our responsibility and bounden duty to use the
Divinely-appointed means of grace which promote spiritual growth:
"desire the sincere milk of the Word that ye may grow thereby" (1 Pet.
2:2); as it is our obligation to constantly avoid everything which
would hinder our spiritual prosperity: "Make not provision for the
flesh to the lusts" (Rom. 13:14), and cf. Matthew 5:29, 30; 2
Corinthians 7:1.
God's consummating of the initial work which we experience at the new
birth, and which He renews throughout the course of our earthly lives,
only takes place at the second coming of our Saviour, when we shall be
perfectly and eternally conformed to His image, both inwardly and
outwardly. First, regeneration; then our gradual sanctification;
finally our glorification. But between the new birth and
glorification, while we are left down here, the Christian has both the
"flesh" and the "spirit," both a principle of sin and a principle of
holiness, operating within him, the one opposing the other: see
Galatians 5:16, 17. Hence his inward experience is such as that which
is described in Romans 7:7-25. As life is opposed to death, purity to
impurity, spirituality to carnality, so is now felt and experienced
within the soul a severe conflict between sin and grace. This conflict
is perpetual, as the "flesh" and "spirit" strive for mastery. From
hence proceeds the absolute necessity of the Christian being sober,
and to "watch unto prayer."
Finally, let it be pointed out that the principle of life and
obedience (the "new nature") which is received at regeneration, is not
able to preserve the soul from sins, nevertheless, there is full
provision for continual supplies of grace made for it and all its
wants in the Lord Jesus Christ. There are treasures of relief in Him,
whereunto the soul may at any time repair and find necessary succour
against every incursion of sin. This new principle of holiness may say
to the believer's soul, as David did unto Abiathar when he fled from
Doeg: "Abide thou with me, fear not; for he that seeketh my life
seeketh thy life; but with me thou shalt be in safeguard" (1 Sam.
22:23). Sin is the enemy of the new nature as truly as it is of the
Christian's soul, and his only safety lies in heeding the requests of
that new nature, and calling upon Christ for enablement. Thus we are
exhorted in Hebrews 4:16, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the
throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in
time of need."
If it ever be a time of need with the soul, it is so when it is under
the assaults of provoking sins, when the "flesh" is lusting against
the "spirit." But at that very time there is suitable and seasonable
help in Christ for succour and relief. The new nature begs, with sighs
and groans, for the believer to apply to Christ. To neglect Him, with
all His provision of grace, whilst He stands calling on us, "Open to
Me . . . for My head is filled with dew and My locks with the drops of
the night" (Song of Sol. 5:2), is to despise the sighing of the poor
prisoner, the new nature, which sin is seeking to destroy, and cannot
but be a high provocation against the Lord.
At the beginning, God entrusted Adam and Eve with a stock of grace in
themselves, but they cast it away, and themselves into the utmost
misery thereby. That His children might not perish a second time, God,
instead of imparting to them personally the power to overcome s-in and
Satan, has laid up their portion in Another, a safe Treasurer; in
Christ are their lives and comforts secured (Col. 3:3). And how must
Christ regard us, if instead of applying to Him for relief, we allow
sin to distress our conscience, destroy our peace, and mar our
communion? Such is not a sin of infirmity which cannot be avoided, but
a grievous affront of Christ. The means of preservation from it is to
hand. Christ is always accessible. He is ever ready to "succour them
that are tempted" (Heb. 2: 18). O to betake ourselves to Him more and
more, day by day, for everything. Then shall each one find "I can do
all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Phil. 4:13).
All men are by nature the children of wrath, and do belong unto the
world, which is the kingdom of Satan (1 John 5:19), and are under the
power of darkness. In this state men are not the subjects of Christ's
kingdom, and have no meetness for Heaven. From this terrible state
they are unable to deliver themselves, being "without strength" (Rom.
5:6). Out of this state God's elect are supernaturally "called" (1
Pet. 2:9), which call effectually delivers them from the power of
Satan and translates them into the kingdom of God's dear Son (Col.
1:13). This Divine "call," or work of grace. is variously denominated
in Scripture: sometimes by "regeneration" (Titus 3:5), or the new
birth, sometimes by illumination (2Cor. 4:6), by transformation (2
Cor. 3:18), by spiritual resurrection (John 5:24). This inward and
invincible call is attended with justification and adoption (Rom.
8:30; Eph. 1:5), and is carried on by sanctification in holiness. This
leads us to consider:
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Regeneration or The New Birth by A.W. Pink
Chapter 3 - Its Effects
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"The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound
thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so
is every one that is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). Though the wind
be imperious in its action, man being unable to regulate it; though it
be mysterious in its nature man knowing nothing of the cause which
controls it; yet its presence is unmistakable, its effects are plainly
evidenced: so it is with every one that is born of the Spirit. His
secret but powerful operations lie beyond the reach of our
understanding. Why God has ordained that the Spirit should quicken
this person and not that, we know not, but the transforming results of
His working are plain and palpable. What there are, we shall now
endeavor to describe.
1. The illumination of the understanding. As it was in the old
creation, so it is in connection with the new. "In the beginning God
created the heaven and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). That was the original
creation. Then came degeneration: "And the earth became without form
and void (a desolate waste) and darkness was upon the face of the
deep." Next came restoration: "And the Spirit of God moved upon the
face of the waters, and God said, Let there be light: and there was
light." So it is when God begins to restore fallen man: "For God who
commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our
hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the
face of Jesus Christ" (2Cor. 4:6).
The Divine illumination which the mind receives at the new birth is
not by means of dreams or visions, nor does it consist in the
revelation of things to the soul which have not been made known in the
Scriptures. Not so, the only means or instrument which the Holy Spirit
employs is the written Word: "The entrance of Thy words giveth light;
it giveth understanding unto the simple" (Ps. 119:130). Hitherto,
God's Word may have been read attentively, and much of its teaching
intellectually apprehended; but because there was a "vail" upon the
heart (2 Cor. 3:15) and so no spiritual discernment (1 Cor. 2:14), the
reader was not inwardly affected thereby. But now the Spirit removes
the vail, opens the heart to receive the Word (Acts 16:14), and
powerfully applies to the mind and conscience some portion of it. The
result is that, the one renewed is able to say "One thing 1 know,
that, whereas I was blind, now I see" (John 9:25). To particularize:
The sinner is now enlightened in the knowledge of his own terrible
condition. He may, before this, have received much scriptural
instruction, subscribed to a sound creed, and believed intellectually
in "the total depravity of man"; but now the solemn declarations of
God's Word concerning the state of the fallen creature are brought
home in piercing power to his own soul. No longer does he compare
himself with his fellows, but measures himself by the rule of God. He
now discovers that he is unclean, that his heart is "desperately
wicked," and that he is altogether unfit for the presence of the
thrice holy God. He is powerfully convicted of his own awful sins,
feels that they are more in number than the hairs of his head, and
that they are high provocations against Heaven, which call for Divine
judgment on him. He now realizes that there is "no soundness" (Isa.
1:6) in him, and that all his best performances are only as "filthy
rags" (Isa. 64:6), and that he is deserving of nought but the
everlasting burnings.
By the spiritual light which God communicates in regeneration the soul
now perceives the infinite demerits of sin, that its "wages" can be
nothing less than eternal death, or the loss of Divine favor and a
dreadful suffering under the wrath of God. The equity of God's law and
the fact that sin righteously calls for such punishment is humbly
acknowledged. Thus his mouth is "stopped" and he confesses himself to
be guilty before God, and justly liable to His awful vengeance, both
for the plague of his own heart and his numerous transgressions. He
now realizes that his whole life has been lived in utter independence
of God, having had no respect for His glory, no concern whether he
pleased or displeased Him. He now perceives the exceeding sinfulness
of sin, its awful malignity, as being in its nature contrary to the
law of God. How to escape the due reward of his iniquity, he knows
not. "What must I do to be saved?" is his agonizing cry. He is
convinced of the absolute impossibility of contributing anything to
his deliverance. He no longer has any confidence in the flesh; he has
been brought to the end of himself.
By means of this illumination the renewed soul, under the guidance of
the Spirit through the Word, now perceives how well-suited is Christ
to such a poor, worthless wretch as he feels himself to be. The
prospect of obtaining deliverance from the wrath to come through the
victorious life and death of the Lord Jesus, keeps his soul from being
overwhelmed with grief and from sinking into complete despondency
because of the sight of his sins. As the Spirit presents to him the
infinite merits of Christ's obedience and righteousness, His tender
compassion for sinners, His power to save, desires for an interest in
Christ now possesses his heart, and he is resolved to look for
salvation in no other. Under the benign influences of the Holy Spirit,
the soul is drawn by some such words as, "Come unto Me all ye that
labor and are heavily laden, and if will give you rest," or "him that
cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out," and he is led to apply to
Him for pardon, cleansing, peace, righteousness, strength.
Other acts besides turning unto Christ flow from this new principle
received at regeneration, such as repentance, which is a godly sorrow
for sin, an abhorring of it as sin, and an earnest desire to forsake
and be completely delivered from its pollution. In the light of God,
the renewed soul now perceives the utter vanity of the world, and the
worthlessness of these paltry toys and perishing trifles which the
godless strive so hard to acquire. He has been awakened from the
dream-sleep of death, and things are now seen in their true nature.
Time is precious and not to be frittered away. God in His awesome
Majesty is an object to be feared. His law is accepted as holy, just
and good. All of these perceptions and actions are included in that
holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. In some these
actions are more vigorous than in others, and consequently, are more
perceptible to a man's self. But the fruits of them are visible to
others in external acts.
2. The elevation of the heart. Rightly does the Lord claim the first
place: "he that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of
Me" (Matt. 10:37). "My son, give Me thine heart" (Prov. 23:26)
expresses God's claim: they "first gave their own selves to the Lord"
(2 Cor. 8:5) declares the response of the regenerate. But it is not
until they are born again that any are spiritually capacitated to do
this, for by nature men are "lovers of their own selves" and "lovers
of pleasure more than lovers of God" (2 Tim. 3:2, 4). When a sinner is
renewed, his affections are taken off his idols and fixed on the Lord
(1 Thess. 1:9). Hence it is written "with the heart (the affections)
man believeth unto righteousness" (Rom. 10:10). And hence, also, it is
written, "if any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be
accursed" (1 Cor. 16:22).
"And the Lord thy God will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy
seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart" (Deut. 30:6). The
"circumcising" of the heart is the "renewing" of it, severing its love
from all illicit objects. None can truly love God supremely till this
miracle of grace has been wrought within him. Then it is that the
affections are refined and directed to their proper objects. He who
once was despised by the soul, is now beheld as the "altogether
lovely" One. He who was hated (John 15:18), is now loved above all
others. "Whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth
that I desire beside Thee" (Ps. 73:25) is now their joyous confession.
The love of God has become the governing principle of the life (2Cor.
5:13). What before was a drudgery is now a delight. The praise of man
is no longer the motive which stimulates action; the approbation of
the Saviour is the Christian's highest concern. Gratitude moves a
hearty compliance with His will. "How precious also are Thy thoughts
unto me, O God" (Ps.139:17) is now his language. And again, "the
desire of our soul is to Thy name, and to the remembrance of Thee.
With my soul have I desired Thee in the night; yea, with my spirit
within me will I seek Thee early" (Isa. 26:8, 9). So too the heart is
drawn out to all the members of His family, no matter what their
nationality, social position, or church-connection: "We know that we
have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren" (1
John 3:14).
3. The emancipation of the will. By nature, the will of fallen man is
free in only one direction: away from God. Sin has enslaved the will,
therefore do we need to be "made free" (John 8:36). The two states are
contrasted in Romans 6: "free from righteousness" (v. 20), when dead
in sin; "free from sin" (v. 18), now that we are alive unto God. At
the new birth the will is liberated from the "bondage of corruption"
(Rom. 8:21 and cf. 2 Pet. 2:19) and rendered conformable to the will
of God (Ps. 119:97). In our degenerate state the will was naturally
rebellious, and its practical language was, "Who is the Lord, that I
should obey Him?" (Ex. 5:2). But the Father promised the Son, "Thy
people shall be willing in the day of Thy power" (Ps. 110:3), and this
is accomplished when God "worketh in us both to will and to do of His
good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13 and cf. Heb. 13:21).
"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within
you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I
will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you,
and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall seek My judgments,
and do them" (Ezek. 36:26, 27). This is a new covenant promise (Heb.
8:10), and is made good in each renewed soul. The will is so
emancipated from the power of indwelling sin as to be enabled to
answer to the Divine commands according to the tenor of the new
covenant. The regenerated freely consent to and gladly choose to walk
in subjection to Christ, being anxious now to obey Him in all things.
His authority is their only rule, His love the constraining power: "If
a man love Me, he will keep My words" (John 14:23).
4. The rectification of the conduct. A tree is known by its fruits.
Faith is evidenced by works. The principle of holiness manifests
itself in a godly walk. "If ye know that He is righteous, ye know that
every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him" (1 John 2:29).The
deepest longing of every child of God is to please his heavenly Father
in all things, and though this longing is never fully realized in this
life-"Not as though I had already attained, either were already
perfect" (Phil. 3:12)-nevertheless he continues "reaching forth unto
those things which are before."
"Ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine whereto ye were
delivered" (Rom. 6:17 mar.). The Greek word for "form" here signifies
"mold." Observe how this figure also presupposes the same faculties
after the new birth as before. Metal which is molded remains the same
metal it was previously, only the fashion or form of it is altered.
That metal which before was a dish, is now turned into a cup, and thus
a new name is given to it: cf. Revelation 3:12. By regeneration the
faculties of the soul are made suitable to God and His precepts, just
as the mould and the thing molded fit one another. As before the heart
was at enmity against every commandment, it is now molded to them.
Does God say, "Fear Me," the renewed heart answers, "I desire to fear
Thy name" (Neh. 1:11). Does God say, "Remember the sabbath day to keep
it holy," the heart answers, "the sabbath is my delight" (Isa. 58:13).
Does God say, "love one another," the new creature finds an instinct
begotten within him to do so, so that real Christians are said to be
"taught of God to love one another" (1 Thess. 4:9).
A change will take place in the deportment of the most moral
unconverted man as soon as he is born from above. Not only will he be
far less eager in his pursuit of the world, more scrupulous in the
selection of his company, more cautious in avoiding the occasions to
sin and the appearance of evil, but he realizes that the holy eye of
God is ever upon him, marking not only his actions, but weighing his
motives. He now bears the sacred name of Christ, and his deepest
concern is to be kept from everything which would bring reproach upon
it. His aim is to let his light so shine before men that they may see
his good works and glorify his Father which is in Heaven. That which
occasions him the deepest distress is not the sneers and taunts of the
ungodly. but that he fails to measure up to the standard God has set
before him and the conformity to it after which he so much yearns.
Though Divine grace may preserve him from outward falls, yet he is
painfully conscious of many sins within: the risings of unbelief, the
swellings of pride, the oppositions of the "flesh" to the desires of
the "spirit." These occasion him deep exercises of heart and lead to
humble and sorrowful confessions unto God.
It is of great importance that the Christian should have clear and
scriptural views of what he is both as the subject of sin and of
grace. Though the regenerate are delivered from the absolute dominion
of sin (Rom. 6:14), yet the principle of sin, the "flesh" is not
eradicated. This is clear from Romans 6:12, "Let not sin therefore
reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts
thereof": that exhortation would be meaningless if there were no
indwelling sin seeking to reign, and no lusts demanding obedience. Yet
this is far from saying that a Christian must go on in a course of
sinning: "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for His seed
remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God" (1
John 3:9), the reference there being to the regular practice and habit
of sinning. Nevertheless, prayerful heed needs to be constantly paid
to this word, "Awake to righteousness, and sin not" (1 Cor. 15:34).
The experiences of Paul, both as a subject of sin and of grace, are
recorded in Romans 7. A careful reading of verses 14-24 reveals the
fact that grace had neither removed nor purified the "flesh" in him.
And as the Christian today compares his own inner conflicts, he finds
that Romans 7 describes them most accurately and faithfully. He
discovers that in his "flesh" is no good thing and he cries "O
wretched man that I am." Though he longs for fuller conformity to the
image of Christ, though he hungers and thirsts after righteousness,
though he is under the influence and reign of grace, and though he
enjoys real fellowship with God, yet, at seasons (some more acutely
felt than others) he feels that though with the mind he serves the law
of God, yet with the flesh the law of sin. Yea, every experience of
reading the Word, prayer, meditation, proves to him that he is, in his
fallen nature, "carnal, sold under sin," and that when he would do
good, evil is present with him. This is a matter of great grief to
him, and causes him to "groan" (Rom. 8:23) and yearn the more for
release from this body of death.
But ought not the Christian to "grow in grace?" Yes, indeed. Yet let
it be said emphatically that growing "in grace" most certainly does
not mean an increasing satisfaction with myself. No, it is the very
opposite. The more I walk in the light of God, the more plainly can I
see the wiliness of the "flesh" within me, and there will be an
ever-deepening abhorrence of what I am by nature. "For to will is
present with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not"
(Rom. 7:18) is not the confession of an unbeliever, nor even of a babe
in Christ, but of the most enlightened saint. The only relief from
this distressing discovery and the only peace for the renewed heart is
to look away from self to Christ and His perfect work for us. Faith
empties of all self-complacency and gives an exalted estimate of God
in Christ.
A growth "in grace" is defined, in part by the words that immediately
follow: "and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ"
(2Pet. 3:18). It is the growing realization of the perfect suitability
of Christ to a poor sinner, the deepening conviction of his fitness to
be the Saviour of such a vile wretch as the Spirit daily shows me I
am. It is the apprehension of how much .1 need His precious- blood to
cleanse me, His righteousness to clothe me, His arm to support me, His
advocacy to answer for me on High, His grace to deliver me from all my
enemies both inward and outward. It is the Spirit revealing to me that
there is in Christ everything that I need both for earth and Heaven,
time and eternity. Thus, growing in grace is an increasing living
outside of myself, living upon Christ. It is a looking to Him for the
supply of every need.
The more the heart is occupied with Christ, the more the mind is
stayed upon Him by trusting in Him (Isa. 26:3), the more will faith,
hope, love, patience, meekness, and all spiritual graces be
strengthened and drawn forth into exercise and act to the glory of
God. The manifestation of growth in grace and in the knowledge of
Christ is another thing. The actual process of growing is not
perceptible either in the natural or in the spiritual sphere; but the
results of it are-mainly so to others. There are definite seasons of
growth, and generally the Christian's spiritual graces are growing the
most while the soul is in distress through manifold temptations,
mourning on account of indwelling sin. It is when we are enjoying God
and are in conscious communion with Him, feasting upon the perfections
of Christ, that the fruits of the Spirit in us are ripened. The chief
evidences of spiritual growth in the Christian are a deepening hatred
of sin and loathing of self, a higher valuation of spiritual things,
and yearning after them, a fuller recognition of our deep need and
dependency on God to supply it.
Regeneration is substantially the same in all who are the subjects of
it: there is a spiritual transformation, the conforming of the soul
unto the image of God: "that which is born of the Spirit is spirit"
(John 3:6). But although every regenerated person is a new creature,
has received a principle of faith and holiness which acts on every
faculty of his being, and is indwelt and led by the Holy Spirit, yet
God does not communicate the same measure of grace (Rom. 12:3; 2Cor.
10:13; Eph. 4:16) or the same number of talents to all alike. God's
children differ from each other as children do at their natural birth,
some of whom are more lively and vigorous than others. God, according
to His sovereign pleasure, gives to some a fuller knowledge, to others
stronger faith, to others warmer affections-natural temperament has
much to do with the form and color which the manifestation of the
"spirit" takes through us. But there is no difference in their state:
the same work has been performed in all, which radically
differentiates them from worldlings.
"Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?" (1 Cor. 6:2).
Does not this clearly denote, yea, require, that the "saints" shall
exercise a distinguishing holiness and live quite otherwise than the
world? Could one who now takes the Lord's name in vain be righteously
appointed to sit in judgment upon those who profane it? Could one who
lives to please self be a fit person to judge those who have loved
pleasure more than God? Could one who has despised and ridiculed
'puritanic strictness of living,' sit with Christ as a judge on those
who lived in rebellion against Him? Never: instead of being the judges
of others, all such will find themselves condemned and executed as
malefactors in that Day.
"The Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold
from them that walk uprightly" (Ps. 84:11). "Grace and glory" are
inseparably connected: they differ not in nature, but in degree.
"Grace" is glory begun; "glory" is grace elevated to the acme of
perfection. 1 John 3:2 tells us that the saints shall be "like Him,"
and this, because they will "see Him as He is." The immediate vision
of the Lord of glory will be a transforming one, the bright
reflections of God's purity and holiness cast upon the glorified will
make them perfectly holy and blessed. But this resemblance to God, His
saints do here, in measure, bear upon them: there are some outlines,
some lineaments of God's image stamped upon them, and this too is
through beholding Him. True, it is (comparatively speaking) through a
glass darkly, yet "beholding" we "are changed into the same image from
glory to glory (from one degree of it to another) as by the Spirit of
the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18).
In conclusion, let both writer and reader test and search himself in
the presence of God, by these questions. How stands my heart affected
toward sin? Is there a deep humiliation and godly sorrow after I have
yielded thereto? Is there a genuine detestation of it? Is my
conscience tender, so that my peace is disturbed by what the world
calls "trifling faults" and "little things?" Am I humbled when
conscious of the risings of pride and self-will? Do I loathe my inward
corruption? What engages my mind in sea sons of recreation? Are my
affections dead toward the world an alive toward God? Do I find
spiritual exercises pleasant and joyous or irksome and burdensome? Can
I truthfully say, "How sweet are Thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter
than honey to my mouth (Ps. 119:103)? Is communion with God my highest
joy? Is the glory of God dearer to me than all the world contains?
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3
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STUDIES ON SAVING FAITH
by A. W. Pink
Part I
SIGNS OF THE TIMES
_________________________________________________________________
It is generally recognized that spirituality is at a low ebb in
Christendom and not a few perceive that sound doctrine is rapidly on
the wane, yet many of the Lord's people take comfort from supposing
that the Gospel is still being widely preached and that large numbers
are being saved thereby. Alas, their optimistic supposition is
ill-founded and sandy grounded. If the "message" now being delivered
in Mission Halls be examined, if the "tracts" which are scattered
among the unchurched masses be scrutinized, if the "open-air" speakers
be carefully listened to, if the "sermons" or "addresses" of a
"Soul-winning campaign" be analyzed; in short, if modern "Evangelism"
be weighed in the balances of Holy Writ, it will be found
wanting--lacking that which is vital to a genuine conversion, lacking
what is essential if sinners are to be shown their need of a Saviour,
lacking that which will produce the transfigured lives of new
creatures in Christ Jesus.
It is in no captious spirit that we write, seeking to make men
offenders for a word. It is not that we are looking for perfection,
and complain because we cannot find it; nor that we criticize others
because they are not doing things as we think they should be done. No;
no, it is a matter far more serious than that. The "evangelism" of the
day is not only superficial to the last degree, but it is radically
defective. It is utterly lacking a foundation on which to base an
appeal for sinners to come to Christ. There is not only a lamentable
lack of proportion (the mercy of God being made far more prominent
than His holiness, His love than His wrath), but there is a fatal
omission of that which God has given for the purpose of imparting a
knowledge of sin. There is not only a reprehensible introducing of
"bright singing," humorous witticisms and entertaining anecdotes, but
there is a studied omission of the dark background upon which alone
the Gospel can effectually shine forth.
But serious indeed as is the above indictment, it is only half of
it--the negative side, that which is lacking. Worse still is that
which is being retailed by the cheap-jack evangelists of the day. The
positive content of their message is nothing but a throwing of dust in
the eyes of the sinner. His soul is put to sleep by the Devil's
opiate, ministered in a most unsuspecting form. Those who really
receive the "message" which is now being given out from most of the
"orthodox" pulpits and platforms today, are being fatally deceived. It
is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but unless God sovereignly
intervenes by a miracle of grace, all who follow it will surely find
that the ends thereof are the ways of death. Tens of thousands who
confidently imagine they are bound for Heaven, will get a terrible
disillusionment when they awake in Hell.
What is the Gospel?
Is it a message of glad tidings from Heaven to make God-defying rebels
at ease in their wickedness? Is it given for the purpose of assuring
the pleasure-crazy young people that, providing they only "believe"
there is nothing for them to fear in the future? One would certainly
think so from the way in which the Gospel is presented--or rather
perverted--by most of the "evangelists," and the more so when we look
at the lives of their "converts." Surely those with any degree of
spiritual discernment must perceive that to assure such that God loves
them and His Son died for them, and that a full pardon for all their
sins (past, present, and future) can be obtained by simply "accepting
Christ as their personal Saviour," is but a casting of
The Gospel is not a thing apart.
It is not something independent of the prior revelation of God's Law.
It is not an announcement that God has relaxed His justice or lowered
the standard of His holiness. So far from that, when Scripturally
expounded the Gospel presents the clearest demonstration and the
climacteric proof of the inexorableness of God's justice and of His
infinite abhorrence of sin. But for Scripturally expounding the
Gospel, beardless youths and business men who devote their spare time
to "evangelistic effort" are quite unqualified. Alas that the pride of
the flesh suffers so many incompetent ones to rush in where those much
wiser fear to tread. It is this multiplying of novices that is largely
responsible for the woeful situation now confronting us, and because
the "churches" and "assemblies" are so largely filled with their
"converts," explains why they are so unspiritual and worldly.
No, my reader, the Gospel is very, very far from making light of sin.
The Gospel shows us how unsparingly God deals with sin. It reveals to
us the terrible sword of His justice smiting His beloved Son in order
that atonement might be made for the transgressions of His people. So
far from the Gospel setting aside the Law, it exhibits the Saviour
enduring the curse of it. Calvary supplied the most solemn and
awe-inspiring display of God's hatred of sin that time or eternity
will ever furnish. And do you imagine that the Gospel is magnified or
God glorified by going to worldlings and telling them that they "may
be saved at this moment by simply accepting Christ as their personal
Saviour" while they are wedded to their idols and their hearts still
in love with sin? If I do so, I tell them a lie, pervert the Gospel,
insult Christ, and turn the grace of God into lasciviousness.
No doubt some readers are ready to object to our "harsh" and
"sarcastic" statements above by asking, When the question was put
"What must I do to be saved?" did not an inspired apostle expressly
say "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved?" Can we
err, then, if we tell sinners the same thing today? Have we not Divine
warrant for so doing? True, those words are found in Holy Writ, and
because they are, many superficial and untrained people conclude they
are justified in repeating them to all and sundry. But let it be
pointed out that Acts 16:31 was not addressed to a promiscuous
multitude, but to a particular individual, which at once intimates
that it is not a message to be indiscriminately sounded forth, but
rather a special word, to those whose characters correspond to the one
to whom it was first spoken.
Verses of Scripture must not be wrenched from their setting, but
weighed, interpreted, and applied in accord with their context; and
that calls for prayerful consideration, careful meditation, and
prolonged study; and it is failure at this point which accounts for
these shoddy and worthless "messages" of this rush-ahead age. Look at
the context of Acts 16:3 1, and what do we find? What was the
occasion, and to whom was it that the apostle and his companions said
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ?" A sevenfold answer is there
furnished, which supplies a striking and complete delineation of the
character of those to whom we are warranted in giving this truly
evangelistic word. As we briefly name these seven details, let the
reader carefully ponder them.
First, the man to whom those words were spoken had just witnessed the
miracle-working power of God. "And suddenly there was a great
earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and
immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were
loosed" (Acts 16:26). Second, in consequence thereof the man was
deeply stirred, even to the point of self-despair: "He drew his sword
and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been
fled" (v. 27). Third, he felt the need of illumination: "Then he
called for a light" (v. 29). Fourth, his self-complacency was utterly
shattered, for he "came trembling" (v. 29). Fifth, he took his proper
place (before God)--in the dust, for he "fell down before Paul and
Silas" (v. 29). Sixth, he showed respect and consideration for God's
servants, for he "brought them out" (v. 30). Seventh, then, with a
deep concern for his soul, he asked, "What must I do to be saved?"
Here, then, is something definite for our guidance--if we are willing
to be guided. It was no giddy, careless, unconcerned person, who was
exhorted to "simply" believe; but instead, one who gave clear evidence
that a mighty work of God had already been wrought within him. He was
an awakened soul (v. 27). In his case there was no need to press upon
him his lost condition, for obviously he felt it; nor were the
apostles required to urge upon him the duty of repentance, for his
entire demeanor betokened his contrition. But to apply the words
spoken to him unto those who are totally blind to their depraved state
and completely dead toward God, would be more foolish than placing a
bottle of smelling-salts to the nose of one who had just been dragged
unconscious out of the water. Let the critic of this article read
carefully through the Acts and see if he can find a single instance of
the apostles addressing a promiscuous audience or a company of
idolatrous heathen and "simply" telling them to believe in Christ.
Just as the world was not ready for the New Testament before it
received the Old; just as the Jews were nor prepared for the ministry
of Christ until John the Baptist had gone before Him with his claimant
call to repentance, so the unsaved are in no condition today for the
Gospel till the Law be applied to their hearts, for "by the law is the
knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20). It is a waste of time to sow seed on
ground which has never been ploughed or spaded! To present the
vicarious sacrifice of Christ to those whose dominant passion is to
take their fill of sin, is to give that which is holy unto the dogs.
What the unconverted need to hear about is the character of Him with
whom they have to do, His claims upon them, His righteous demands, and
the infinite enormity of disregarding Him and going their own way.
The nature of
Christ's salvation is woefully misrepresented by the present-day
"evangelist." He announces a Saviour from Hell, rather than a Saviour
from sin. And that is why so many are fatally deceived, for there are
multitudes who wish to escape the Lake of fire who have no desire to
be delivered from their carnality and worldliness. The very first
thing said of Him in the N.T. is, "thou shalt call His name Jesus, for
He shall save His people (not "from the wrath to come", but) from
their sins"(Matt. 1:21). Christ is a Saviour for those realizing
something of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, who feel the awful
burden of it on their conscience, who loathe themselves for it, who
long to be freed from its terrible dominion; and a Saviour for no
others. Were He to "save from Hell" those who were still in love with
sin, He would be the Minister of sin, condoning their wickedness and
siding with them against God. What an unspeakably horrible and
blasphemous thing with
Should the reader exclaim, I was not conscious of the heinousness of
sin nor bowed down with a sense of my guilt when Christ saved me. Then
we unhesitatingly reply, Either you have never been saved at all, or
you were not saved as early as you supposed. True, as the Christian
grows in grace he has a clearer realization of what sin is--rebellion
against God--and a deeper hatred and sorrow for it; but to think that
one may be saved by Christ whose conscience has never been smitten by
the Spirit and whose heart has not been made contrite before God, is
to imagine something which has no existence whatever in the realm of
fact. "They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are
sick" (Matt. 9:12): the only ones who really seek relief from the
great Physician are they that are sick of sin--who long to be
delivered from its God-dishonoring works and its soul-defiling
pollutions.
Inasmuch, then, as Christ's salvation is a salvation from sin--from
the love of it, from its dominion, from its guilt and penalty--then it
necessarily follows that the first great task and the chief work of
the evangelist is to preach upon SIN: to define what sin (as distinct
from crime) really is, to show wherein its infinite enormity consists;
to trace out its manifold workings in the heart; to indicate that
nothing less than eternal punishment is its desert. Ah, and preaching
upon sin--not merely uttering a few platitudes concerning it, but
devoting sermon after sermon to explaining what sin is in the sight of
God--will not make him popular nor draw the crowds, will it? No, it
will not, and knowing this, those who love the praise of men more than
the approbation of God, and who value their salary above immortal
souls, trim their sails accordingly. "But such preaching will drive
people away!" We answer, better drive people away by faithful
preaching than drive the Holy Spirit away by unfaithfully pandering to
the flesh.
The terms of
Christ's salvation are erroneously stated by the present-day
evangelist. With very rare exceptions he tells his hearers that
salvation is by grace and is received as a free gift; that Christ has
done everything for the sinner, and nothing remains but for him to
"believe"--to trust in the infinite merits of His blood. And so widely
does this conception now prevail in "orthodox" circles, so frequently
has it been dinned in their ears, so deeply has it taken root in their
minds, that for one to now challenge it and denounce it is being so
inadequate and one-sided as to be deceptive and erroneous, is for him
to instantly court the stigma of being a heretic, and to be charged
with dishonoring the finished work of Christ by inculcating salvation
by works. Yet
Salvation is by grace, by grace alone, for a fallen creature cannot
possibly do anything to merit God's approval or earn His favour.
Nevertheless, Divine grace is not exercised at the expense of
holiness, for it never compromises with sin. It is also true that
salvation is a free gift, but an empty hand must receive it, and not a
hand which still tightly grasps the world! But it is not true that
"Christ has done every thing for the sinner." He did not fill His
belly with the husks which the swine eat and find them unable to
satisfy. He has not turned his back on the far country, arisen, gone
to the Father, and acknowledged his sins--those are acts which the
sinner himself must perform. True, he will not be saved for the
performance of them, yet it is equally true that he cannot be saved
without the performing of them--any more than the prodigal could
receive the Father's kiss and ring while he still remained at a guilty
distance from Him!
Something more than "believing" is necessary to salvation. A heart
that is steeled in rebellion against God cannot savingly believe: it
must first be broken. It is written "except ye repent, ye shall all
likewise perish" (Luke 13:3). Repentance is just as essential as
faith, yea, the latter cannot be without the former: "Repented not
afterward, that ye might believe" (Matt. 21:32). The order is clearly
enough laid down by Christ: "Repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mark
1:15).Repentance is sorrowing for sin. Repentance is a
heart-repudiation of sin. Repentance is a heart determination to
forsake sin. And where there is true repentance grace is free to act,
for the requirements of holiness are conserved when sin is renounced.
Thus, it is the duty of the evangelist to cry "Let the wicked forsake
his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto
the Lord (from whom he departed in Adam), and he will have mercy upon
him" (Isa. 55:7).His task is to call on his hearers to lay down the
weapons of their warfare against God, and then to sue for mercy
through Christ.
The way
of salvation is falsely defined. In most instances the modern
"evangelist" assures his congregation that all any sinner has to do in
order to escape Hell and make sure of Heaven is to "receive Christ as
his personal Saviour." But such teaching is utterly misleading. No one
can receive Christ as his Saviour while he rejects Him as Lord. It is
true the preacher adds that, the one who accepts Christ should also
surrender to Him as Lord, but he at once spoils it by asserting that
though the convert fails to do so nevertheless Heaven is sure to him.
That is one of the Devil's lies. Only those who are spiritually blind
would declare that Christ will save any who despise His authority and
refuse His yoke: why, my reader, that would not be grace but a
disgrace--charging Christ with placing a premium on lawlessness.
It is in His office of Lord that Christ maintains God's honour,
subserves His government, enforces His Law; and if the reader will
turn to those passages--Luke 1:46, 47; Acts 5:31 (prince and Saviour);
2 Peter 1:11; 2:20; 3:18--where the two titles occur, he will find
that it is always "Lord and Saviour," and not "Saviour and Lord."
Therefore, those who have not bowed to Christ's sceptre and enthroned
Him in their hearts and lives, and yet imagine that they are trusting
in Him as their Saviour, are deceived, and unless God disillusions
them they will go down to the everlasting burnings with a lie in their
right hand (Isa. 44:20). Christ is "the Author of eternal salvation
unto all them that obey Him" (Heb. 5:9), but the attitude of those who
submit not to His Lordship is "we will not have this Man to reign over
us" (Luke 19:14). Pause then, my reader, and honestly face the
question: are you subject to His will, are you sincerely endeavoring
to keep His commandments?
Alas, alas, God's "way of salvation" is almost entirely unknown today,
the nature of Christ's salvation is almost universally misunderstood,
and the terms of His salvation misrepresented on every hand. The
"Gospel" which is now being proclaimed is, in nine cases out of every
ten, but a perversion of the Truth, and tens of thousands, assured
they are bound for Heaven, are now hastening to Hell, as fast as time
can take them. Things are far, far worse in Christendom than even the
"pessimist" and the "alarmist" suppose. We are not a prophet, nor
shall we indulge in any speculation of what Biblical prophecy
forecasts--wiser men than the writer have often made fools of
themselves by so doing. We are frank to say that we know not what God
is about to do. Religious conditions were much worse, even in England,
one hundred and fifty years ago. But this we greatly fear: unless God
is pleased to grant a real revival, it will not be long ere "the
darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people" (Isa.
60:2), for "Evangelism" constitutes, in our judgment, the most solemn
of all the "signs of the times."
What must the people of God do in view of the existing situation?
Ephesians 5:11 supplies the Divine answer: "Have no fellowship with
the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them," and
everything opposed to the light of the Word is "darkness." It is the
bounded duty of every Christian to have no dealings with the
"evangelistic" monstrosity of the day: to withhold all moral and
financial support of the same, to attend none of their meetings, to
circulate none of their tracts. Those preachers who tell sinners they
may be saved without forsaking their idols, without repenting, without
surrendering to the Lordship of Christ are as erroneous and dangerous
as others who insist that salvation is by works and that Heaven must
be earned by our own efforts.
_________________________________________________________________
Index
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STUDIES ON SAVING FAITH
by A. W. Pink
Part II
SAVING FAITH
_________________________________________________________________
"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that
believeth not shall be damned (Mark 16:16). These are the words of
Christ, the risen Christ, and are the last that He uttered ere He left
this earth. None more important were ever spoken to the sons of men.
They call for our most diligent attention. They are of the greatest
possible consequence, for in them are set forth the terms of eternal
happiness or misery; life and death, and the conditions of both. Faith
is the principal saving grace, and unbelief the chief damning sin. The
law, which threatens death for every sin, has already passed sentence
of condemnation upon all, because all have sinned. This sentence is so
peremptory that it admits of but one exception--all shall be executed
if they believe not.
The condition of life as made known by Christ in Mark 16:16 is double:
the principal one, faith; the accessory one, baptism; accessory, we
term it, because it is not absolutely necessary to life, as faith is.
Proof of this is found in the fact of the omission in the second half
of the verse: it is not "he that is not baptized shall be damned," but
"he that believeth not." Faith is so indispensable that, though one be
baptized, yet believeth not, he shall be damned. As we have said
above, the sinner is already condemned: the sword of Divine justice is
drawn even now and waits only to strike the fatal blow. Nothing can
divert it but saving faith in Christ. My reader, continuance in
unbelief makes Hell as certain as though you were already in it. While
you remain in unbelief, you are "having no hope, and without God in
the world" (Eph. 2:12).
Now if believing be so necessary, and unbelief so dangerous and fatal,
it deeply concerns us to know what it is to believe. It behooves each
one of us to make the most diligent and thorough inquiry as to the
nature of saving faith. The more so, because all faith does not save;
yea, all faith in Christ does not save. Multitudes are deceived upon
this vital matter. Thousands of those who sincerely believe that they
have received Christ as their personal Saviour and are resting on His
finished work, are building upon a foundation of sand. Vast numbers
who have not a doubt but that God has accepted them in the Beloved,
and are eternally secure in Christ, will only be awakened from their
pleasant dreamings when the cold hand of death lays hold of them; and
then it will be too late. Unspeakably solemn is this. Reader, will
that be your fate? Others just as sure they were saved as you are, are
now in Hell.
_________________________________________________________________
Index
____________________________________________________
About Us
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Baptist History
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STUDIES ON SAVING FAITH
by A. W. Pink
Part II
1. Its Counterfeits
_________________________________________________________________
There are those who have a faith which is so like that which is saving
as they themselves may take it to be the very same, and others too may
deem it sufficient, yea, even others who have the spirit of
discernment. Simon Magus is a case in point. Of him it is written,
"Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he
continued with Philip" (Acts 8:13). Such a faith had he, and so
expressed it, that Philip took him to he a genuine Christian, and
admitted him to those privileges which are peculiar to them. Yet, a
little later, the apostle Peter said to him, "Thou hast neither part
nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God
. . . I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the
bond of iniquity" (Acts 8:21, 23).
A man may believe all the truth contained in Scripture so far as he is
acquainted with it, and he may be familiar with far more than are many
genuine Christians. He may have studied the Bible for a longer time,
and so his faith may grasp much which they have not yet reached. As
his knowledge may be more extensive, so his faith may be more
comprehensive. In this kind of faith he may go as far as the apostle
Paul did, when he said, "But this I confess unto thee, that after the
way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers,
believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets"
(Acts 24:14). But this is no proof that his faith is saving. An
example to the contrary is seen in Agrippa: "King Agrippa, believest
thou the prophets? I know that thou believest"(Acts 26:27).
Call the above a mere historical faith if you will, yet Scripture also
teaches that people may possess a faith which is one of the Holy
Spirit, and yet which is a non-saving one. This faith which we now
allude to has two ingredients which neither education nor self-effort
can produce: spiritual light and a Divine power moving the mind to
assent. Now a man may have both illumination and inclination from
heaven, and yet not be regenerated. We have a solemn proof of this in
Hebrews 6:4-6. There we read of a company of apostates, concerning
whom it is said, "It is impossible to renew them again unto
repentance." Yet, of these we are told that they were "enlightened,"
and had "tasted of the heavenly gift," which means, they not only
perceived it. but were inclined toward and embraced it; and both,
because they were "partakers of the Holy Spirit."
People may have a Divine faith, not only in its originating power, but
also in its foundation. The ground of their faith may be the Divine
testimony, upon which they rest with unshaken confidence. They may
give credit to what they believe not only because it appears
reasonable or even certain, but because they are fully persuaded it is
the Word of Him who cannot lie. To believe the Scriptures on the
ground of their being God's Word, is a Divine faith. Such a faith had
the nation of Israel after their wondrous exodus from Egypt and
deliverance from the Red Sea. Of them it is recorded "The people
feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses" (Ex.
14:31), yet of the great majority of them it is said, "Whose carcasses
fell in the wilderness . . . and to whom sware he that they should not
enter into His rest" (Heb. 3:17,18).
It is indeed searching and solemn to make a close study of Scripture
on this point, and discover how much is said of unsaved people in a
way of having faith in the Lord. In Jeremiah 13:11 we find God saying,
"For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to
cleave unto Me the whole house of Israel, and the whole house of
Judah, saith the Lord," and to "cleave" unto God is the same as to
"trust" Him: see 2 Kings 18:5,6. Yet of that very same generation God
said, "This evil people, which refuse to hear My words, which walk in
the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve
them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good
for nothing" (Jer. 13:10).
The term "stay" is another word denoting firm trust. "And it shall
come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are
escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that
smote them; but shall stay upon the Lord" (Isa. 10:20); "Thou wilt
keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee" (Isa. 26:3).
And yet we find a class of whom it is recorded, "They call themselves
of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel" (Isa.
48:2). Who would doubt that this was a saving faith! Ah, let us not be
too hasty in jumping to conclusions: of this same people God said,
"Thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow
brass" (Isa. 48:4).
Again, the term "lean" is used to denote not only trust, but
dependency on the Lord. Of the Spouse it is said, "who is this that
cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her Beloved?" (Song of
Sol. 8:5). Can it be possible that such an expression as this is
applied to those who are unsaved? Yes, it is, and by none other than
God Himself: "Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob,
and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert
all equity . . . The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests
thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet
will they lean upon the Lord, and say, "Is not the Lord among us? none
evil can come upon us" (Micah 3:9,11). So thousands of carnal and
worldly people are leaning upon Christ to uphold them, so that they
cannot fall into Hell, and are confident that no "evil" can befall
them. Yet is their confidence a horrible presumption.
To rest upon a Divine promise with implicit confidence, and that in
the face of great discouragement and danger, is surely something which
we would not expect to find predicated of a people who were unsaved.
Ah, truth is stranger than fiction. This very thing is depicted in
God's unerring Word. When Sennacherib and his great army besieged the
cities of Judah, Hezekiah said, "Be strong and courageous, be not
afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude
that is with him: for there be more with us than with him: with him is
an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God" (2 Chron. 32:7,8);
and we are told that "the people rested themselves upon the words of
Hezekiah." Hezekiah had spoken the words of God, and for the people to
rest upon them was to rest on God Himself. Yet, less than fifteen
years after, this same people did "worse than the heathen" (2 Chron.
33:9). Thus, resting upon a promise of God, is not, of itself, any
proof of regeneration.
To rely upon God, on the ground of His "covenant" was far more than
resting upon a Divine promise; yet unregenerate men may do even this.
A case in point is found in Abijah king of Judah. It is indeed
striking to read and weigh what he said in 2 Chronicles 13 when
Jeroboam and his hosts came up against him. First, he reminded all
Israel that the Lord God had given the kingdom to David and his sons
forever "by a covenant of salt" (v. 5). Next, he denounced the sins of
his adversary (vv. 6-9). Then he affirmed the Lord to be "our God" and
that He was "with him and his people" (vv. 10-12). But Jeroboam heeded
not, but forced the battle upon them. "Abijah and his people slew them
with a great slaughter" (v. 17), "because they relied upon the Lord
God of their fathers" (v. 18). Yet of this same Abijah it is said. "he
walked in all the sins of his father," etc. (1 Kings
15:3).Unregenerate men may rely upon God, depend upon Christ, rest on
His promise, and plead his covenant.
"The people of Nineveh (who were heathen) believed God" (Jonah 3:5).
This is striking, for the God of Heaven was a stranger to them, and
His prophet a man whom they knew not--why then should they trust his
message? Moreover, it was not a promise, but a threatening, which they
believed. How much easier then is it for a people now living under the
Gospel to apply to themselves a promise, than the heathen a terrible
threat! "In applying a threatening we are like to meet with more
opposition, both from within and from without. From within, for a
threatening is like a bitter pill, the bitterness of death is in it;
no wonder if that hardly goes down. From without too, for Satan will
be ready to raise opposition: he is afraid to have men startled, lest
the sense of their misery denounced in the threatening should rouse
them up to seek how they may make an escape. He is more sure of them
while they are secure, and will labour to keep them off the
threatening, lest it should awaken them from dreams of peace and
happiness, while they are sleeping in his very jaws.
"But now, in applying a promise, an unregenerate man ordinarily meets
with no opposition. Not from within, for the promise is all sweetness;
the promise of pardon and life is the very marrow, the quintessence of
the Gospel. No wonder if they be ready to swallow it down greedily.
And Satan will be so far from opposing, that he will rather encourage
and assist one who has no interest in the promise, to apply it; for
this he knows will be the way to fix and settle them in their natural
condition. A promise misapplied will be a seal upon the sepulchre,
making them sure in the grave of sin, wherein they lay dead and
rotting. Therefore if unregenerate men may apply a threatening, which
is in these respects more difficult, as appears they may by the case
of the Ninevites, why may they not be apt to apply (appropriate) a
Gospel promise when they are not like to meet with difficulty and
opposition?" (David Clarkson, 1680, for some time co-pastor with J.
Owen; to whom we are indebted for much of the above.)
Another most solemn example of those having faith, but not a saving
one, is seen in the stony-ground hearers, of whom Christ said, "which
for a while believe" (Luke 8:13). Concerning this class the Lord
declared that they hear the Word and "with joy receiveth it" (Matt.
13:20). How many such have we met and known: happy souls with radiant
faces, exuberant spirits, full of zeal that others too may enter into
the bliss which they have found. How difficult it is to distinguish
such from genuine Christians--the good-ground hearers. The difference
is not apparent; no, it lies beneath the surface--they have "not root
in themselves" (Matt. 13:21): deep digging has to be done to discover
this fact! Have you searched yourself narrowly, my reader, to
ascertain whether or no "the root of the matter" (Job 19:28) be in
you?
But let us refer now to another case which seems still more
incredible. There are those who are willing to take Christ as their
Saviour, yet who are most reluctant to submit to Him as their Lord, to
be at His command, to be governed by His laws. Yet there are some
unregenerate persons who acknowledge Christ as their Lord. Here is the
Scripture proof of our assertion: "Many will say to me in that day,
`Lord, Lord have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have
cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?' and then
will I profess unto them, `I never knew you: depart from me, ye that
work iniquity'" (Matt. 7:22-23). There is a large class ("many") who
profess subjection to Christ as Lord, and who do many mighty works in
His name: thus a people who can even show you their faith by their
works, and yet it is not a saving one!
It is impossible to say how far a non-saving faith may go, and how
very closely it may resemble that faith which is saving. Saving faith
has Christ for its object; so has a non-saving faith (John 2:23, 24).
Saving faith is wrought by the Holy Spirit; so is a non-saving faith
(Heb. 6:4). Saving faith is produced by the Word of God; so also is a
non-saving faith (Matt. 13:20, 21). Saving faith will make a man
prepare for the coming of the Lord, so also will a non-saving: of both
the foolish and wise virgins it is written, "then all those virgins
arose, and trimmed their lamps" (Matt. 25:7). Saving faith is
accompanied with joy: so also is a non-saving faith (Matt. 13:20).
Perhaps some readers are ready to say, all of this is very unsettling,
and if really heeded, most distressing. May God in His mercy grant
that this article may have just these very effects on many who read
it. 0 if you value your soul, dismiss it not lightly. If there be such
a thing (and there is)as a faith in Christ which does not save, then
how easy it is to be deceived about my faith! It is not without reason
that the Holy Spirit has so plainly cautioned us at this very point.
"A deceived heart hath turned him aside" (Isa. 44:20). "The pride of
thine heart hath deceived thee" (Obad. 3). "Take heed that ye be not
deceived" (Luke 21:8). "For if a man think himself to be something,
when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself" (Gal. 6:3). At no point does
Satan use his cunning and power more tenaciously, and more
successfully, than in getting people to believe that they have a
saving faith when they have not.
The Devil deceives more souls by this one thing than by all his other
devices put together. Take this present article as an illustration.
How many a Satan-blinded soul will read it and then say, It does not
apply to me; I know that my faith is a saving one! It is in this way
that the Devil turns aside the sharp point of God's convicting Word,
and secures his captives in their unbelief. He works in them a sense
of false security, by persuading them that they are safe within the
ark, and induces them to ignore the threatenings of the Word and
appropriate only its comforting promises. He dissuades them from
heeding that most salutary exhortation, "Examine yourselves, whether
ye be in the faith; prove your own selves" (2 Cor. 13:5). O my reader,
heed that word now.
In closing this first article we will endeavour to point out some of
the particulars in which this non-saving faith is defective, and
wherein it comes short of a faith which does save. First, with many it
is because they are willing for Christ to save them from Hell, but are
not willing for Him to save them from self. They want to be delivered
from the wrath to come, but they wish to retain their self-will and
self-pleasing. But He will not be dictated unto: you must be saved on
His terms, or not at all. When Christ saves, He saves from sin--from
its power and pollution, and therefore from its guilt. And the very
essence of sin is the determination to have my own way (Isa. 53:6).
Where Christ saves, He subdues the spirit of self-will, and implants a
genuine, a powerful, a lasting desire and determination to please Him.
Again; many are never saved because they wish to divide Christ; they
want to take Him as a Saviour, but are unwilling to subject themselves
unto Him as their Lord. Or, if they are prepared to own Him as Lord,
it is not as an absolute Lord. But this cannot be: Christ will be
either Lord of all, or He will not be Lord at all. But the vast
majority of professing Christians would have Christ's sovereignty
limited at certain points; it must not entrench too far upon the
liberty which some worldly lust or carnal interest demands. His peace
they covet, but His "yoke" is unwelcome. Of all such Christ will yet
say "But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over
them, bring hither, and slay them before me" (Luke 19:27).
Again; there are multitudes which are quite ready for Christ to
justify them, but not to sanctify. Some kind of, some degree of
sanctification, they will tolerate, but to be sanctified wholly, their
"whole spirit and soul and body" (1 Thess. 5:23), they have no relish
for. For their hearts to be sanctified, for pride and covetousness to
be subdued, would he too much like the plucking out of a right eye.
For the constant mortification of all their members, they have no
taste. For Christ to come to them as a Refiner, to burn up their
lusts, consume their dross, to utterly dissolve their old frame of
nature, to melt their souls, so as to make them run in a new mould,
they like not. To utterly deny self, and take up their cross daily, is
a task from which they shrink with abhorrence.
Again; many are willing for Christ to officiate as their Priest, but
not for Him to legislate as their King. Ask them, in a general way, if
they are ready to do whatsoever Christ requires of them, and they will
answer in the affirmative, emphatically and with confidence. But come
to particulars: apply to each one of them those specific commandments
and precepts of the Lord which they are ignoring, and they will at
once cry out "Legalism!" or, "We cannot be perfect in everything."
Name nine duties and perhaps they are performing them, but mention a
tenth and it at once makes them angry, for you have come too close
home to their case. Herod heard John gladly and did "many things"
(Mark 6:20), but when he referred to Herodias, he touched him to the
quick. Many are willing to give up their theatre-going, and
card-parties, who refuse to go forth unto Christ outside the camp.
Others are willing to go outside the camp, yet refuse to deny their
fleshly and worldly lusts. Reader, if there is a reserve in your
obedience, you are on the way to Hell. Our next article will take up
the Nature of saving faith.
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A. W. Pink Header
STUDIES ON SAVING FAITH
by A. W. Pink
Part II
2. Its Nature
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"There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not
washed from their filthiness" (Prov. 30:12). A great many suppose that
such a verse as this applies only to those who are trusting in
something other than Christ for their acceptance before God, such as
people who are relying upon baptism, church membership or their own
moral and religious performances. But it is a great mistake to limit
such scriptures unto the class just mentioned. Such a verse as "There
is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the
ways of death" (Prov. 14:12) has a far wider application than merely
to those who are resting on something of or from themselves to secure
a title to everlasting bliss. Equally wrong is it to imagine that the
only deceived souls are they who have no faith in Christ.
There is in Christendom today a very large number of people who have
been taught that nothing the sinner can do will ever merit the esteem
of God. They have been informed, and rightly so, that the highest
moral achievements of the natural man are only "filthy rags" in the
sight of the thrice holy God. They have heard quoted so often such
passages as, "By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should
boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9), and "Not by works of righteousness which we have
done, but according to His mercy He saved us" (Titus 3:5), that they
have become thoroughly convinced that heaven cannot be attained by any
doing of the creature. Further, they have been told so often that
Christ alone can save any sinner that this has become a settled
article in their creed, from which neither man nor devil can shake
them. So far, so good.
That large company to whom we are now referring have also been taught
that while Christ is the only way unto the Father, yet He becomes so
only as faith is personally exercised in and upon Him: that He becomes
our Saviour only when we believe on Him. During the last twenty-five
years, almost the whole emphasis of "gospel preaching" has been thrown
upon faith in Christ, and evangelistic efforts have been almost
entirely confined to getting people to "believe" on the Lord Jesus.
Apparently there has been great success; thousands upon thousands have
responded; have, as they suppose, accepted Christ as their own
personal Saviour. Yet we wish to point out here that it is as serious
an error to suppose that all who "believe in Christ" are saved as it
is to conclude that only those are deceived (and are described in
Proverbs 14:12, and 30:12) who have no faith in Christ.
No one can read the New Testament attentively without discovering that
there is a "believing" in Christ which does not save. In John 8:30, we
are told, "As He spake these words, many believed on Him." Mark
carefully, it is not said many believe in Him," but "many believed on
Him." Nevertheless one does not have to read much farther on in the
chapter to discover that those very people were unregenerate and
unsaved souls. In verse 44 we find the Lord telling these very
"believers" that they were of their father the Devil; and in verse 59
we find them taking up stones to cast at Him. This has presented a
difficulty unto some; yet it ought not. They created their own
difficulty, by supposing that all faith in Christ necessarily saves.
It does not. There is a faith in Christ which saves, and there is also
a faith in Christ which does not save.
"Among the chief rulers also many believed on Him." Were, then, those
men saved? Many preachers and evangelists, as well as tens of
thousands of their blinded dupes, would answer, "Most assuredly." But
let us note what immediately follows here: "but because of the
Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the
synagogue: for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of
God" (John 12:42, 43). Will any of our readers now say that those men
were saved? If so, it is clear proof that you are utter strangers to
any saving work of God in your own souls. Men who are afraid to hazard
for Christ's sake the loss of their worldly positions, temporal
interests, personal reputations, or anything else that is dear to
them, are yet in their sins--no matter how they may be trusting in
Christ's finished work to take them to heaven.
Probably most of our readers have been brought up under the teaching
that there are only two classes of people in this world, believers and
unbelievers. But such a classification is most misleading, and is
utterly erroneous. God's Word divides earth's inhabitants into three
classes: "Give none offence, neither to [1] the Jews, nor [2] to the
Gentiles, nor [31 to the church of God" (1 Cor. 10:32). It was so
during Old Testament times, more noticeably so from the days of Moses
onwards. There were first the "gentile" or heathen nations, outside
the commonwealth of Israel, which formed by far the largest class.
Corresponding with that class today are the countless millions of
modern heathen, who are "lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God."
Second, there was the nation of Israel, which has to be subdivided
into two groups, for, as Romans 9:6, declares, "They are not all
Israel, which are of Israel." By far the larger portion of the nation
of Israel were only the nominal people of God, in outward relation to
Him: corresponding with this class is the great mass of professors
bearing the name of Christ. Third, there was the spiritual remnant of
Israel, whose calling, hope and inheritance were heavenly:
corresponding to them this day are the genuine Christians, God's
"little flock" (Luke 12:32).
The same threefold division among men is plainly discernible
throughout John's Gospel. First, there were the hardened leaders of
the nation, the scribes and Pharisees, priests and elders. From start
to finish they were openly opposed to Christ, and neither His blessed
teaching nor His wondrous works had any melting effects upon them.
Second, there were the common people who "heard Him gladly" (Mark
12:37), a great many of whom are said to have "believed on Him" (see
John 2:23; 7:31; 8:30; 10:42; 12:11), but concerning whom there is
nothing to show that they were saved. They were not outwardly opposed
to Christ, but they never yielded their hearts to Him. They were
impressed by His Divine credentials, yet were easily offended (John
6:66). Third, there was the insignificant handful who "received Him"
(John 1:12) into their hearts and lives; received Him as their Lord
and Saviour.
The same three classes are clearly discernible (to anointed eyes) in
the world today. First, there are the vast multitudes who make no
profession at all, who see nothing in Christ that they should desire
Him; people who are deaf to every appeal, and who make little attempt
to conceal their hatred of the Lord Jesus. Second, there is that large
company who are attracted by Christ in a natural way. So far from
being openly antagonistic to Him and His cause, they are found among
His followers. Having been taught much of the Truth, they "believe in
Christ," just as children reared by conscientious Mohammedans believe
firmly and devoutedly in Mohammed. Having received much of instruction
concerning the virtues of Christ's precious blood, they trust in its
merits to deliver them from the wrath to come; and yet there is
nothing in their daily lives to show that they are new creatures in
Christ Jesus! Third, there are the "few" (Matt. 7:13, 14) who deny
themselves, take up the cross daily, and follow a despised and
rejected Christ in the path of loving and unreserved obedience unto
God.
Yes, there is a faith in Christ which saves, but there is a faith in
Christ which does not save. From this statement probably few will
dissent, yet many will be inclined to weaken it by saying that the
faith in Christ which does not save is merely a historical faith, or
where there is a believing about Christ instead of a believing in Him.
Not so. That there are those who mistake a historical faith about
Christ for a saving faith in Christ we do not deny; but what we would
here emphasize is the solemn fact that there are also some who have
more than a historical faith, more than a mere head-knowledge about
Him, who yet have a faith which comes short of being a quickening and
saving one. Not only are there some with this non-saving faith, but
today there are vast numbers of such all around us. They are people
who furnish the antitypes of those to which we called attention in the
last article: who were represented and illustrated in .Old Testament
times by those who believed in, rested upon, leaned upon, relied upon
the Lord, but who were, nevertheless, unsaved souls.
What, then, does saving faith consist of? In seeking to answer this
question our present object is to supply not only a scriptural
definition, but one which, at the same time, differentiates it from a
non-saving faith. Nor is this any easy task, for the two things often
have much in common: that faith in Christ which does not save has in
it more than one element or ingredient of that faith which does
vitally unite the soul to Him. Those pitfalls which the writer must
now seek to avoid are undue discouraging of real saints on the one
hand by raising the standard higher than Scripture has raised it, and
encouraging unregenerate professors on the other hand by so lowering
the standards as to include them. We do not wish to withhold from the
people of God their legitimate portion; nor do we want to commit the
sin of taking the children's bread and casting it to the dogs. May the
Holy Spirit Himself deign to guide us into the Truth.
Much error would be avoided on this subject if due care were taken to
frame a scriptural definition of unbelief. Again and again in
Scripture we find believing and not believing placed in antithesis,
and we are afforded much help toward arriving at a correct conception
of the real nature of saving faith when we obtain a right
understanding of the character of unbelief. It will at once be
discovered that saving faith is far more than a hearty assenting unto
what God's Word sets before us, when we perceive that unbelief is much
more than an error or judgment or a failure to assent unto the Truth.
Scripture depicts unbelief as a virulent and violent principle of
opposition to God. Unbelief has both a passive and active, a negative
and positive, side, and therefore the Greek noun is rendered both by
"unbelief" (Romans 11:20; Heb. 4:6, 11), and "disobedience" (Eph. 2:2;
5:6) and the verb by "believed not" (Heb. 3:18; 11:30) and "obey not"
(1 Peter 3;1; 4:17). A few concrete examples will make this plainer.
Take first the case of Adam. There was something more than a mere
negative failing to believe God's solemn threat that in the day he
should eat of the forbidden fruit he would surely die: by one man's
disobedience many were made sinners (Romans 5:12). Nor did the
heinousness of our first parent's sin consist in listening to the lie
of the serpent, for 1 Timothy 2:14, expressly declares "Adam was not
deceived." No, he was determined to have his own way, no matter what
God had prohibited and threatened. Thus, the very first case of
unbelief in human history consisted not only in negatively failing to
take to heart what God has so clearly and so solemnly said, but also
in a deliberate defiance of and rebellion against Him.
Take the case of Israel in the wilderness. Concerning them it is said,
"They could not enter in [the promised land] because of unbelief"
(Heb. 3:19). Now exactly what do those words signify? Do they mean
that Canaan was missed by them because of their failure to appropriate
the promise of God? Yes, for a "promise" of entering in was "left"
them, but it was not "mixed with faith in them that heard it" (Heb.
4:1, 2)--God had declared that the seed of Abraham should inherit that
land which flowed with milk and honey, and it was the privilege of
that generation which was delivered from Egypt to lay hold of and
apply that promise to themselves. But they did not. Yet that is not
all! There was something far worse: there was another element in their
unbelief which is usually lost sight of nowadays--they were openly
disobedient against God. When the spies brought back a sample of the
goodly grapes, and Joshua urged them to go up and possess the land,
they would not. Accordingly Moses declared, "notwithstanding ye would
not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God"
(Deut. 1:26). Ah, there is the positive side of their unbelief; they
were self-willed, disobedient, defiant.
Consider now the case of that generation of Israel which was in
Palestine when the Lord Jesus appeared among them as "a minister of
the circumcision for the truth of God" (Romans 15:8). John 1:11,
informs us, "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not,"
which the next verse defines as "they believed" Him not. But is that
all? Were they guilty of nothing more than a failure to assent to His
teaching and trust to His person? Nay, verily, that was merely the
negative side of their unbelief. Positively, they "hated" Him (John
15:25), and would "not come to" Him (John 5:40). His holy demands
suited not their fleshly desires, and therefore they said, "We will
not have this man to reign over us" (Luke 19:14). Thus their unbelief,
too, consisted in the spirit of self-will and open defiance, a
determination to please themselves at all costs.
Unbelief is not simply an infirmity of fallen human nature, it is
a heinous crime. Scripture everywhere attributes it to love of sin,
obstinacy of will, hardness of heart. Unbelief has its root in a
depraved nature, in a mind which is enmity against God. Love of sin is
the immediate cause of unbelief: "And this is the condemnation, that
light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than
light, because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19). "The light of the
Gospel is brought unto a place or people: they come so near it as to
discover its end or tendency; but as soon as they find that it aims to
part them and their sins, they will have no more to do with it. They
like not the terms of the Gospel, and so perish in and for their
iniquities" (John Owen). If the Gospel were more clearly and
faithfully preached, fewer would profess to believe it!
Saving faith, then, is the opposite of damning belief. Both issue
from the heart that is alienated from God, which is in a state of
rebellion against Him; saving faith from a heart which is reconciled
to Him and so has ceased to fight against Him. Thus an essential
element or ingredient in saving faith is a yielding to the authority
of God, a submitting of myself to His rule. It is very much more than
my understanding assenting and my will consenting to the fact that
Christ is a Saviour for sinners, and that He stands ready to receive
all who trust Him. To be received by Christ I must not only come to
Him renouncing all my own righteousness (Romans 10:3), as an
empty-handed beggar (Matt. 19:21), but I must also forsake my
self-will and rebellion against Him (Psalm 12:11, 12; Prov. 28:13).
Should an insurrectionist and seditionist come to an earthly king
seeking his sovereign favour and pardon, then, obviously, the very law
of his coming to him for forgiveness requires that he should come on
his knees, laying aside his hostility. So it is with a sinner who
really comes savingly to Christ for pardon; it is against the law of
faith to do otherwise.
Saving faith is a genuine coming to Christ (Matt. 11:28;John
6:37, etc.). But let us take care that we do not miss the clear and
inevitable implication of this term. If I say "I come to the U.S.A."
then I necessarily indicate that I left some other country to get
here. Thus it is in "coming" to Christ; something has to be left.
Coming to Christ not only involves the abandoning of every false
object of confidence, it also includes and entails the forsaking of
all other competitors for my heart. "For ye were as sheep going
astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your
souls (1 Peter 2:25). And what is meant by "ye were [note the past
tense--they are no longer doing so] as sheep going astray"? Isaiah
53:6, tells us: "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned
every one to His own way." Ah, that is what must be forsaken before we
can truly "come" to Christ--that course of self-will must be
abandoned. The prodigal son could not come to his Father while he
remained in the far country. Dear reader, if you are still following a
course of self-pleasing, you are only deceiving yourself if you think
you have come to Christ.
Nor is the brief definition which we have given above of what it means
really to "come" to Christ any forced or novel one of our own. In his
book Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ, John Bunyan wrote: "Coming to
Christ is attended with an honest and sincere forsaking all for Him
[here he quotes Luke 14:26, 27]. By these and like expressions
elsewhere, Christ describeth the true comer: he is one that casteth
all behind his back. There are a great many pretended comers to Jesus
Christ in the world. They are much like the man you read of in Matthew
21:30, that said to his father's bidding, `I go, sir: and went not.'
When Christ calls by His Gospel, they say, `I come, Sir,' but they
still abide by their pleasure and carnal delights." C. H. Spurgeon, in
his sermon on John 6:44, said, "Coming to Christ embraces in it
repentance, self-abnegation, and faith in the Lord Jesus, and so sums
within itself all those things which are the necessary attendants of
those great steps of heart, such as the belief of the truth, earnest
prayers to God, the submission of the soul to the precepts of His
Gospel." In his sermon on John 6:3 7, he says, "To come to Christ
signifies to turn from sin and to trust in Him. Coming to Christ is a
leaving of all false confidences, a renouncing of all love to sin and
a looking to Jesus as the solitary pillar of our confidence and hope."
Saving faith consists of the complete surrender of my whole being and
life to the claims of God upon me: "But first gave their own selves to
the Lord" (2 Cor. 8:5).
It is the unreserved acceptance of Christ as my absolute Lord, bowing
to His will and receiving His yoke. Possibly someone may object, Then
why are Christians exhorted as they are in Romans 12:1? We answer, All
such exhortations are simply a calling on them to continue as they
began: "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk
ye in Him" (Col. 2:6). Yes, mark it well that Christ is "received" as
Lord. Oh, how far, far below the New Testament standard is this modern
way of begging sinners to receive Christ as their own personal
"Saviour." If the reader will consult his concordance, he will find
that in every passage where the two titles are found together it is
always "Lord and Saviour, and never vice versa: see Luke 1:46, 47; 2
Peter 1:11; 2:20; 3:18.
Until the ungodly are sensible of the exceeding sinfulness of their
vile course of self-will and self-pleasing, until they are genuinely
broken down and penitent over it before God, until they are willing to
forsake the world for Christ, until they have resolved to come under
His government, for such to depend upon Him for pardon and life is not
faith, but blatant presumption, it is but to add insult to injury. And
for any such to take His holy name upon their polluted lips and
profess to be His followers is the most terribly blasphemy, and comes
perilously nigh to committing that sin for which there is no
forgiveness. Alas, alas, that modern evangelism is encouraging and
producing
Saving faith is a believing on Christ with the heart: "If thou shalt
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine
heart that God raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with
the heart man believeth unto righteousness" (Romans 10:9, 10). There
is no such thing as a saving faith in Christ where there is no real
love for Him, and by "real love" we mean a love which is evidenced by
obedience. Christ acknowledges none to be His friends save those who
do whatsoever He commands them (John 15:14). As unbelief is a species
of rebellion, so saving faith is a complete subjection to God: Hence
we read of "the obedience of faith" (Romans 16:26). Saving faith is to
the soul what health is to the body: it is a mighty principle of
operation, full of life, ever working, bringing forth fruit after its
own kind.
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STUDIES ON SAVING FAITH
by A. W. Pink
Part II
3. Its Difficulty
_________________________________________________________________
Some of our readers will probably be surprised to hear about the
difficulty of saving faith. On almost every side today it is being
taught, even by men styled orthodox and "fundamentalists," that
getting saved is an exceedingly simple affair. So long as a person
believes John 3:16, and "rests on it," or "accepts Christ as his
personal Saviour," that is all that is needed. It is often said that
there is nothing left for the sinner to do but direct his faith toward
the right object: just as a man trusts his bank or a wife her husband,
let him exercise the same faculty of faith and trust in Christ. So
widely has this idea been received that for anyone now to condemn it
is to court being branded as a heretic. Notwithstanding, the writer
here unhesitatingly denounces it as a most God-insulting lie of the
Devil. A natural faith is sufficient for trusting a human object; but
a supernatural faith is required to trust savingly in a Divine object.
While observing the methods employed by present-day "evangelists" and
"personal workers," we are made to wonder what place the Holy Spirit
has in their thoughts; certainly they entertain the most degrading
conception of that miracle of grace which He performs when He moves a
human heart to surrender truly unto the Lord Jesus. Alas, in these
degenerate times few have any idea that saving faith is a miraculous
thing. Instead, it is now almost universally supposed that saving
faith is nothing more than an act of the human will, which any man is
capable of performing: all that is needed is to bring before a sinner
a few verses of Scripture which describe his lost condition, one or
two which contain the word "believe," and then a little persuasion,
for him to "accept Christ," and the thing is done. And the awful thing
is that so very, very few see anything wrong with this--blind to the
fact that such a process is only the Devil's drug to lull thousands
into a false peace.
So many have been argued into believing that they are saved. In
reality, their "faith" sprang from nothing better than a superficial
process of logic. Some "personal worker" addresses a man who has no
concern whatever for the glory of God and no realization of his
terrible hostility against Him. Anxious to "win another soul to
Christ," he pulls out his New Testament and reads to him 1 Timothy
1:15. The worker says, "You are a sinner," and his man assenting he is
at-once informed, "Then that verse includes you." Next John 3:16, is
read, and the question is asked, "Whom does the word `whosoever'
include?" The question is repeated until the poor victim answers,
"You, me, and everybody." Then he is asked, "Will you believe it;
believe that God loves you, that Christ died for you?" If the answer
is "Yes," he is at once assured that he is now saved. Ah, my reader,
if this is how you were "saved," then it was with "enticing words of
man's wisdom" and your "faith" stands only "in the wisdom of men" (1
Cor. 2:4, 5), and not in the power of God!
Multitudes seem to think that it is about as easy for a sinner to
purify his heart (James 4:8) as it is to wash his hands; to admit the
searching and flesh-withering light of Divine truth into the soul as
the morning sun into his room by pulling up the blinds; to turn from
idols to God, from the world to Christ, from sin to holiness, as to
turn a ship right round by the help of her helm. Oh, my reader, be not
deceived on this vital matter; to mortify the lusts of the flesh, to
be crucified unto the world, to overcome the Devil, to die daily unto
sin and live unto righteousness, to be meek and lowly in heart,
trustful and obedient, pious and patient, faithful and uncompromising,
loving and gentle; in a word, to be a Christian, to be Christ-like, is
a task far, far beyond the poor resources of fallen human nature.
It is because a generation has arisen which is ignorant of the real
nature of saving faith that they deem it such a simple thing. It is
because so very few have any scriptural conception of the character of
God's great salvation that the delusions referred to above are so
widely received. It is because so very few realize what they need
saving from that the popular "evangel" (?) of the hour is so eagerly
accepted. Once it is seen that saving faith consists of very much more
than believing that "Christ died for me," that it involves and entails
the complete surrender of my heart and life to His government, few
will imagine that they possess it. Once it is seen that God's
salvation is not only a legal but also an experimental thing, that it
not only justifies but regenerates and sanctifies, fewer will suppose
they are its participants. Once it is seen that Christ came here to
save His people not only from hell, but from sin, from self-will and
self-pleasing, then fewer will desire His salvation.
The Lord Jesus did not teach that saving faith was a simple matter.
Far from it. Instead of declaring that the saving of the soul was an
easy thing, which many would participate in, He said: "Strait is the
gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be
that find it" (Matt. 7:14). The only path which leads to heaven is a
hard and laborious one. "We must through much tribulation enter into
the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22): an entrance into that path calls for
the utmost endeavours of soul--"Strive to enter in at the strait gate"
(Luke 13:24).
After the young ruler had departed from Christ, sorrowing, the Lord
turned to His disciples and said, "How hard is it for them that trust
in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel
to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into
the kingdom of God" (Mark 10:24, 25). What place is given to such a
passage as this in the theology (if "theology" it is fit to be called)
which is being taught in the "Bible institutes" to those seeking to
qualify for evangelistic and personal work? None at all. According to
their views, it is just as easy for a millionaire to be saved as it is
for a pauper, since all that either has to do is "rest on the finished
work of Christ." But those who are wallowing in wealth think not of
God: "According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were
filled, and their heart exalted; therefore have they forgotten Me!"
(Hosea 13:6).
When the disciples heard these words of Christ's "they were astonished
out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?" Had
our moderns heard them, they had soon set their fears at rest, and
assured them that anybody and everybody could be saved if they
believed on the Lord Jesus. But not so did Christ reassure them.
Instead, He immediately added, "With men it is impossible, but not
with God" (Mark 10:27). Of himself, the fallen sinner can no more
repent evangelically, believe in Christ savingly, come to Him
effectually, than he can create a world. "With men it is impossible"
rules out of court all special pleading for the power of man's will.
Nothing but a miracle of grace can lead to the saving of any sinner.
And why is it impossible for the natural man to exercise saving faith?
Let the answer be drawn from the case of this young ruler. He departed
from Christ sorrowing, "for he had great possessions." He was wrapped
up in them. They were his idols. His heart was chained to the things
of earth. The demands of Christ were too exacting: to part with all
and follow Him was more than flesh and blood could endure. Reader,
what are your idols? To him the Lord said, "One thing thou lackest."
What was it? A yielding to the imperative requirements of Christ; a
heart surrendered to God. When the soul is stuffed with the dregs of
earth, there is no room for the impressions of heaven. When a man is
satisfied with carnal riches, he has no desire for spiritual riches.
The same sad truth is brought out again in Christ's parable of the
"great supper." The feast of Divine grace is spread, and through the
Gospel a general call is given for men to come and partake of it. And
what is the response? This: "They all with one consent began to make
excuse" (Luke 14:18). And why should they? Because they were more
interested in other things. Their hearts were set upon land (verse
18), oxen (verse 19), domestic comforts (verse 20). People are willing
to "accept Christ" on their own terms, but not on His. What His terms
are is made known in the same chapter: giving Him the supreme place in
our affections (verse 26), the crucifixion of self (verse 27), the
abandonment of every idol (verse 33). Therefore did He ask, "which of
you, intending to build a tower [figure of a hard task of setting the
affections on things above], sitteth not down first, and counteth the
cost?" (Luke 14:28).
"How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not
the honour that cometh from God only?" (John 5:44). Do these words
picture the exercise of saving faith as the simple matter which so
many deem it? The word "honour" here signifies approbation or praise.
While those Jews were making it their chief aim to win and hold the
good opinion of each other, and were indifferent to the approval of
God, it was impossible that they should come to Christ. It is the same
now: "Whomsoever therefore will be [desires and is determined to be] a
friend of the world is the enemy of God" (James 4:4). To come to
Christ effectually, to believe on Him savingly, involves turning our
backs upon the world, alienating ourselves from the esteem of our
godless (or religious) fellows, and identifying ourselves with the
despised and rejected One. It involves bowing to His yoke,
surrendering to His lordship, and living henceforth for His glory. And
that is no small task.
"Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which
endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto
you" (John 6:27). Does this language imply that the obtaining of
eternal life is a simple matter? It does not; far from it. It denotes
that a man must be in deadly earnest, subordinating all other
interests in his quest for it, and be prepared to put forth strenuous
endeavours and overcome formidable difficulties. Then does this verse
teach salvation by works, by self-efforts? No, and yes. No in the
sense that anything we do can merit salvation--eternal life is a
"gift." Yes in the sense that wholehearted seeking after salvation and
a diligent use of the prescribed means of grace are demanded of us.
Nowhere in Scripture is there any promise to the dilatory. (Compare
Hebrews 4:11).
"No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him"
(John 6:44). Plainly does this language give the lie to the popular
theory of the day, that it lies within the power of man's will to be
saved any time he chooses to be. Flatly does this verse contradict the
flesh-pleasing and creature-honouring idea that anyone can receive
Christ as his Saviour the moment he decides to do so. The reason why
the natural man cannot come to Christ till the Father "draw" him is
because he is the bondslave of sin (John 8:34), serving divers lusts
(Titus 3:3), the captive of the Devil (2 Tim. 2:26). Almighty power
must break his chains and open the prison doors (Luke 4:18) ere he can
come to Christ. Can one who loves darkness and hates the light reverse
the process? No, no more than a man who has a diseased foot or
poisoned hand can heal it by an effort of will. Can the Ethiopian
change his skin or the leopard his spots? No more can they do good who
are accustomed to do evil (Jer. 13:23).
"And if the righteous with difficulty is saved, the ungodly and sinner
where shall they appear?" (1 Peter 4: 18, Bag. Int.). Matthew Henry
said, "It is as much as the best can do to secure the salvation of
their souls; there are so many sufferings, temptations, and
difficulties to be overcome; so many sins to be mortified; the gate is
so strait, and the way so narrow, that it is as much as the righteous
man can do to be saved. Let the absolute necessity of salvation
balance the difficulty of it. Consider your difficulties are the
greatest at first: God offers His grace and help; the contest will not
last long. Be but faithful to the death and God will give you the
crown of life (Rev. 2:10)." So also John Lillie, "After all that God
has done by sending His Son, and the Son by the Holy Spirit, it is
only with difficulty, exceeding difficulty, that the work of saving
the righteous advances to its consummation. The entrance into the
kingdom lies through much tribulation--through fightings without and
fears within--through the world's seductions, and its frowns--through
the utter weakness and continual failures of the flesh, and the many
fiery darts of Satan."
Here then are the reasons why saving faith is so difficult to put
forth. (1) By nature men are entirely ignorant of its real character,
and therefore are easily deceived by Satan's plausible substitutes for
it. But even when they are scripturally informed thereon, they either
sorrowfully turn their backs on Christ, as did the rich young ruler
when he learned His terms of discipleship, or they hypocritically
profess what they do not possess. (2) The power of self-love reigns
supreme within, and to deny self is too great a demand upon the
unregenerate. (3) The love of the world and the approbation of their
friends stands in the way of a complete surrender to Christ. (4) The
demands of God that He should be loved with all the heart and that we
should be "holy in all manner of conversation" (1 Peter 1:15) repels
the carnal. (5) Bearing the reproach of Christ, being hated by the
religious world (John 15:18), suffering persecution for righteousness'
sake, is something which mere flesh and blood shrinks from. (6) The
humbling of ourselves before God, penitently confessing all our
self-will, is something which an unbroken heart revolts against. (7)
To fight the good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12) and overcome the Devil
(l John 2:13) is too arduous an undertaking for those who love their
own ease.
Multitudes desire to be saved from hell (the natural instinct of
self-preservation) who are quite unwilling to be saved from sin. Yes,
there are tens of thousands who have been deluded into thinking that
they have "accepted Christ as their Saviour," whose lives show plainly
that they reject Him as their Lord. For a sinner to obtain the pardon
of God he must "forsake his way" (Isaiah 55:7). No man can turn to God
until he turns from idols (1 Thess. 1:9). Thus insisted the Lord
Jesus, "Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he
cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:33).
The terrible thing is that so many preachers today, under the pretence
of magnifying the grace of God, have represented Christ as the
Minister of sin; as One who has, through His atoning sacrifice,
procured an indulgence for men to continue gratifying their fleshly
and worldly lusts. Provided a man professes to believe in the virgin
birth and vicarious death of Christ, and claims to be resting upon Him
alone for salvation, he may pass for a real Christian almost anywhere
today, even though his daily life may be no different from that of the
moral worldling who makes no profession at all. The Devil is
chloroforming thousands into hell by this very delusion. The Lord
Jesus asks, "Why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I
say?" (Luke 6:46); and insists, "Not every one that saith unto Me,
Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth
the will of My Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 7:2 1).
The hardest task before most of us is not to learn, but to unlearn.
Many of God's own children have drunk so deeply of the sweetened
poison of Satan that it is by no means easy to get it out of their
systems; and while it remains in them it stupefies their
understanding. So much is this the case that the first time one of
them reads an article like this it is apt to strike him as an open
attack upon the sufficiency of Christ's finished `work, as though we
were here teaching that the atoning sacrifice of the Lamb needed to be
plussed by something from the creature. Not so. Nothing but, the
merits of Immanuel can ever give any sinner title to stand before the
ineffably holy God. But what we are now contending for is, When does
God impute to any sinner the righteousness of Christ? Certainly not
while he is opposed to Him.
Moreover, we do not honour the work of Christ until we correctly
define what that work was designed to effect. The Lord of glory did
not come here and die to procure the pardon of our sins, and take us
to heaven while our hearts still remain cleaving to the earth. No, He
came here to prepare a way to heaven (John 10:4; 14:4; Heb. 10:20-22;
1 Peter 2:21), to call men into that way, that by His precepts and
promises, His example and spirit, He might form and fashion their
souls to that glorious state, and make them willing to abandon all
things for it. He lived and died so that His Spirit should come and
quicken the dead sinners into newness of life, make them new creatures
in Himself, and cause them to sojourn in this world as those who are
not of it, as those whose hearts have already departed from it. Christ
did not come here to render a change of heart, repentance, faith,
personal holiness, loving God supremely and obeying Him unreservedly,
as unnecessary, or salvation as possible without them. How passing
strange that any suppose He did!
Ah, my reader, it becomes a searching test for each of our hearts to
face honestly the question, Is this what I really long for? As Bunyan
asked (in his The Jerusalem Sinner Saved), "What are thy desires?
Wouldest thou be saved? Wouldest thou be saved with a thorough
salvation? Wouldest thou be saved from guilt, and from filth too?
Wouldest thou be the servant of the Saviour? Art thou indeed weary of
the service of thy old master, the Devil, sin, and the world? And have
these desires put thy soul to flight? Dost thou fly to Him that is a
Saviour from the wrath to come, for life? If these be thy desires, and
if they be' unfeigned, fear not."
"Many people think that when we preach salvation, we mean salvation
from going to hell. We do mean that, but we mean a great deal more: we
preach salvation from sin; we say that Christ is able to save a man;
and we mean by that that He is able to save him from sin and to make
him holy; to make him a new man. No person has any right to say `I am
saved,' while he continues in sin as he did before. How can you be
saved from sin while you are living in it? A man that is drowning
cannot say he is saved from the water while he is sinking in it; a man
that is frost-bitten cannot say, with any truth, that he is saved from
the cold while he is stiffened in the wintry blast. No, man, Christ
did not come to save thee in thy sins, but to save thee from thy sins,
not to make the disease so that it should not kill thee, but to let it
remain in itself mortal, and, nevertheless, to remove it from thee,
and thee from it. Christ Jesus came then to heal us from the plague of
sin, to touch us with His hand and say `I will, be thou clean'" (C. H.
Spurgeon, on Matt. 9:12).
They who do not yearn after holiness of heart and righteousness of
life are only deceiving themselves when they suppose they desire to be
saved by Christ. The plain fact is, all that is wanted by so many
today is merely a soothing portion of their conscience, which will
enable them to go on comfortably in a course of self-pleasing which
will permit them to continue their worldly ways without the fear of
eternal punishment. Human nature is the same the world over; that
wretched instinct which causes multitudes to believe that paying a
papist priest a few dollars procures forgiveness of all their past
sins, and an "indulgence" for future ones, moves other multitudes to
devour greedily the lie that, with an unbroken and impenitent heart,
by a mere act of the will, they may "believe in Christ," and thereby
obtain not only God's pardon for past sins but an "eternal security,"
no matter what they do or do not do in the future.
Oh, my reader, be not deceived; God frees none from the condemnation
but those "which are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1), and "if any man be
in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are [not "ought to be"]
passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Cor. 5:17). Saving
faith makes a sinner come to Christ with a real soul-thirst, that he
may drink of the living water, even of His sanctifying Spirit (John
7:38, 39). To love our enemies, to bless them that curse us, to pray
for them that despitefully use us, is very far from being easy, yet
this is only one part of the task which Christ assigns unto those who
would be His disciples. He acted thus, and He has left us an example
that we should follow His steps. And His "salvation," in its present
application, consists of revealing to our hearts the imperative need
for our measuring up to His high and holy standard, with a realization
of our own utter powerlessness so to do; and creating within us an
intense hunger and thirst after such personal righteousness, and a
daily turning unto Him and trustful supplication for needed grace and
strength.
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STUDIES ON SAVING FAITH
by A. W. Pink
Part II
4. Its Communication
_________________________________________________________________
From the human viewpoint, things are now in a bad state in the world.
But from the spiritual viewpoint things are in a far worse state in
the religious realm. Sad is it to see the anti-Christian cults
flourishing on every side; but far more grievous is it, for those who
are taught of God, to discover that much of the so-called "Gospel"
which is now being preached in many "fundamentalist churches" and"
gospel halls" is but a satanic delusion. The Devil knows that his
captives are quite secure while the grace of God and the finished work
of Christ are "faithfully" proclaimed to them, so long as the only way
in which sinners receive the saving virtues of the Atonement is
unfaithfully concealed. While God's peremptory and unchanging demand
for repentance is left out, while Christ's own terms of discipleship
(i.e. how to become a Christian: Acts 11:26) in Luke 14:26, 27, 33,
are withheld, and while saving faith is frittered down to a mere act
of the will, blind laymen will continue to be led by blind preachers,
only for both to fall into the ditch.
Things are far, far worse even in the "orthodox" sections of
Christendom than the majority of God's own children are aware. Things
are rotten even at the very foundation, for with very rare exceptions
God's way of salvation is no longer being taught. Tens of thousands
are "ever learning" points in prophecy, the meaning of the types, the
significance of the numerals, how to divide the "dispensations," who
are, nevertheless, "never able to come to the knowledge of the truth"
(2 Tim. 3:7) of salvation itself--unable because unwilling to pay the
price (Prov. 23:23), which is a full surrender to God Himself. As far
as the writer understands the present situation, it seems to him that
what is needed today is to press upon the serious attention of
professing Christians such questions as: When is it that God applies
to a sinner the virtues of Christ's finished work? What is it that I
am called upon to do in order to appropriate myself to the efficacy of
Christ's atonement? What is it that gives me an actual entrance into
the good of His redemption?
The questions formulated above are only three different ways of
framing the same inquiry. Now the popular answer which is being
returned to them is, "Nothing more is required from any sinner than
that he simply believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." In the preceding
articles of this series we have sought to show that such a reply is
misleading, inadequate, faulty, and that because it ignores all the
other scriptures which set forth what God requires from the sinner: it
leaves out of account God's demand for repentance (with all that that
involves and includes), and Christ's clearly defined terms of
discipleship in Luke 14. To restrict ourselves to any one scripture
term of a subject, or set of passages using that term, results in an
erroneous conception of it. They who limit their ideas of regeneration
to the one figure of the new birth lapse into serious error upon it.
So they who limit their thoughts on how to be saved to the one word
"believe" are easily misled. Diligent care needs to be taken to
collect all that Scripture teaches on any subject if we are to have a
properly balanced and accurate view thereof.
To be more specific. In Romans 10:13, we read, "For whosoever shall
call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Now does this mean
that all who have, with their lips, cried unto the Lord, who have in
the name of Christ besought God to have mercy on them, have been saved
by Him? They who reply in the affirmative are only deceived by the
mere sound of words, as the deluded Romanist is when he contends for
Christ's bodily presence in the bread, because He said "this is My
body." And how are we to show the papist is misled? Why, by comparing
Scripture with Scripture. So here. The writer well remembers being on
a ship in a terrible storm off the coast of Newfoundland. All the
hatches were battened down, and for three days no passenger was
allowed on the decks. Reports from the stewards were disquieting.
Strong men paled. As the winds increased and the ship rolled worse and
worse, scores of men and women were heard calling upon the name of the
Lord. Did He save them? A day or two later, when the weather changed,
those same men and women were drinking, cursing, card-playing!
Perhaps someone asks, "But does not Romans 10:13 say what it means?"
Certainly it does, but no verse of Scripture yields its meaning to
lazy people. Christ Himself tells us that there are many who call Him
"Lord" to whom He will say "Depart from Me" (Matt. 7:22, 23). Then
what is to be done with Romans 10:13? Why, diligently compare it with
all other passages which make known what the sinner must do ere God
will save him. If nothing more than the fear of death or horror of
hell prompts the sinner to call upon the Lord, he might just as well
call upon the trees. The Almighty is not at the beck and call of any
rebel who, when he is terrified, sues for mercy. "He that turneth away
his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination"
(Prov. 28:9)! "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso
confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy" (Prov. 28: 13). The
only "calling upon His name" which the Lord heeds is that which issues
from a broken, penitent, sin-hating heart, which thirsts after
holiness.
The same principle applies to Acts 16:31, and all similar texts:
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." To a
casual reader, that seems a very simple matter, yet a closer pondering
of those words should discover that more is involved than at first
sight appears. Note that the apostles did not merely tell the
Philippian jailer to "rest on the finished work of Christ," or "trust
in His atoning sacrifice." Instead, it was a Person that was set
before him. Again, it was not simply "Believe on the Saviour," but
"the Lord Jesus Christ." John 1:12 shows plainly that to "believe" is
to "receive," and to be saved a sinner must receive One who is not
only Saviour but "Lord," yea, who must be received as "Lord" before He
becomes the Saviour of that person. And to receive "Christ Jesus the
Lord" (Col. 2:6) necessarily involves the renouncing of our own sinful
lordship, the throwing down of the weapons of our warfare against Him,
and the submitting to His yoke and rule. And before any human rebel is
brought to do that, a miracle of Divine grace has to be wrought within
him. And this brings us more immediately to the present aspect of our
theme.
Saving faith is not a native product of the human heart, but a
spiritual grace communicated from on high. "It is the gift of God"
(Eph. 2:8). It is "of the operation of God" (Col. 2:12). It is by "the
power of God" (1 Cor. 2:5). A most remarkable passage on this subject
is found in Ephesians 1:16-20. There we find the apostle Paul praying
that the saints should have the eyes of their understanding
enlightened, that they might know "what is the exceeding greatness of
His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His
mighty power, which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the
dead." Not the strong power of God, or the greatness of it, but the
"exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward." Note too the standard
of comparison: we "believe according to the working of His mighty
power, which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead."
God put forth His "Mighty power" when He resurrected Christ. There was
a mighty power seeking to hinder, even Satan and all his hosts. There
was a mighty difficulty to be overcome, even the vanquishing of the
grace. There was a mighty result to be achieved, even the bringing to
life of One who was dead. None but God Himself was equal to a miracle
so stupendous. Strictly analogous is that miracle of grace which
issues in saving faith. The Devil employs all his arts and power to
retain his captive. The sinner is dead in trespasses and sins, and can
no more quicken himself than he can create a world. His heart is bound
fast with the grave-clothes of worldly and fleshly lusts, and only
Omnipotence can raise it into communion with God. Well may every true
servant of the Lord emulate the apostle Paul and pray earnestly that
God will enlighten His people concerning this wonder of wonders, so
that instead of attributing their faith to an exercise of their own
will they may freely ascribe all the honour and glory unto Him to whom
alone it justly belongs.
If only the professing Christians of this untoward generation could
begin to obtain some adequate conception of the real condition of
every man by nature, they might be less inclined to cavil against the
teaching that nothing short of a miracle of grace can ever qualify any
sinner to believe unto the saving of his soul If they could only see
that the heart's attitude towards God of the most refined and moral is
not a whit different from that of the most vulgar and vicious; that he
who is most kind and benevolent toward his fellow creatures has no
more real desire after Christ than has the most selfish and brutal;
then it would be evident that Divine power must operate to change the
heart. Divine power was needed to create, but much greater power is
required to regenerate a soul: creation is only the bringing of
something Out of nothing, but regeneration is the transforming not
only of an unlovely object, but of one that resists with all its might
the gracious designs of the heavenly Potter.
It is not simply that the Holy Spirit approaches a heart in which
there is no love for God, but He finds it filled with enmity against
Him, and incapable of being subject to His law (Romans 8:7). True, the
individual himself maybe quite unconscious of this terrible fact, yea,
ready indignantly to deny it. But that is easily accounted for. If he
has heard little or nothing but the love, the grace, the mercy, the
goodness of God, it would indeed be surprising if he hated Him. But
once the God of Scripture is made known to him in the power of the
Spirit, once he is made to realize that God is the Governor of this
world, demanding unqualified submission to all His laws; that He is
inflexibly just, and "will by no means clear the guilty"; that He is
sovereign, and loves whom He pleases and hates whom He wills; that so
far from being an easy-going, indulgent Creator, who winks at the
follies of His creatures, He is ineffably holy, so that His righteous
wrath burns against all the workers of iniquity--then will people be
conscious of indwelling enmity surging up against Him. And nothing but
the almighty power of the Spirit can overcome that enmity and bring
any rebel truly to love the God of Holy Writ.
Rightly did Thomas Goodwin the Puritan say, "A wolf will sooner marry
a lamb, or a lamb a wolf, than ever a carnal heart be subject to the
law of God, which was the ancient husband of it (Romans 7:6). It is
the turning of one contrary into another. To turn water into wine,
there is some kind of symbolizing, yet that is a miracle. But to turn
a wolf into a lamb, to turn fire into water, is a yet greater miracle.
Between nothing and something there is an infinite distance, but
between sin and grace there is a greater distance than can be between
nothing and the highest angel in heaven.. . To. destroy the power of
sin in a man's soul is as great a work as to take away the guilt of
sin. It is easier to say to a blind man, `See,' and to a lame man,
`Walk,' than to say to a man that lies under the power of sin, `Live,
be holy,' for there is that that will not be subject."
In 2 Corinthians 10:4, the apostle describes the character of that
work in which the true servants of Christ are engaged. It is a
conflict with the forces of Satan. The weapons of their warfare are
"not carnal"--as well might modern soldiers go forth equipped with
only wooden swords and paper shields as preachers think to liberate
the Devil's captives by means of human leaning, worldly methods,
touching anecdotes, attractive singing, and so on. No, "their weapons"
are the "word of God" and "all prayer" (Eph. 6:17, 18); and even these
are only mighty "through God," that is by His direct and special
blessing of them to particular souls. In what follows, a description
is given of where the might of God is seen, namely in the powerful
opposition which it meets with and vanquishes; "to the pulling down of
strong holds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that
exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into
captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."
Herein lies the power of God when He is pleased thus to put it forth
in the saving of a sinner. The heart of that sinner is fortified
against Him: it is steeled against His holy demands, His righteous
claims. It is determined not to submit to His law, nor to abandon
those idols which it prohibits. That haughty rebel has made up his
mind that he will not turn away from the delights of this world and
the pleasure of sin and give God the supreme place in his affections.
But God has determined to overcome his sinful opposition, and
transform him into a loving and loyal subject. The figure here used is
that of a besieged town--the heart. Its "strongholds"--the reigning
power of fleshly and worldly lusts--are "pulled down"; self-will is
broken, pride is subdued, and the defiant rebel is made a willing
captive to "the obedience of Christ"! "Mighty through God" points to
this miracle of grace.
There is one other detail pointed by the analogy drawn in Ephesians
1:19, 20, which exemplifies the mighty power of God, namely "and set
Him [Christ] at His own right hand in the heavenly places." The
members of Christ's mystical body are predestinated to be conformed to
the glorious image of their glorified Head: in measure, now;
perfectly, in the day to come. The ascension of Christ was contrary to
nature, being opposed by the law of gravitation. But the power of God
overcame that opposition, and translated His resurrected Son bodily
into heaven. In like manner, His grace produces in His people that
which is contrary to nature, overcoming the opposition of the flesh,
and drawing their hearts unto things above. How we would marvel if we
saw a man extend his arms and suddenly leave the earth, soaring upward
into the sky. Yet still more wonderful is it when we behold the power
of the Spirit causing a sinful creature to rise above temptations,
worldliness and sin, and breathe the atmosphere of heaven; when a
human soul is made to disdain the things of earth and find its
satisfaction in things above.
The historical order in connection with the Head in Ephesians 1:19,
20, is also the experimental order with regard to the members of His
body. Before setting His Son at His own right hand in the heavenlies,
God raised Him from the dead; so before the Holy Spirit fixes the
heart of a sinner upon Christ He first quickens him into newness of
life. There must be life before there can be sight, believing, or good
works performed. One who is physically dead is incapable of doing
anything; so he who is spiritually dead is incapable of any spiritual
exercises. First the giving of life unto dead Lazarus, then the
removing of the grave-clothes which bound him hand and foot. God must
regenerate before there can be a "new creature in Christ Jesus." The
washing of a child follows its birth.
When spiritual life has been communicated to the soul, that individual
is now able to see things in their true colours. In God's light he
sees light (Psalm 36:9). He is now given to perceive (by the Holy
Spirit) what a lifelong rebel he has been against his Creator and
Benefactor: that instead of making God's will his rule he has gone his
own way; that instead of having before him God's glory he has sought
only to please and gratify self. Even though he may have been
preserved from all the grosser outward forms of wickedness, he now
recognizes that he is a spiritual leper, a vile and polluted creature,
utterly unfit to draw near, still less to dwell with, Him who is
ineffably holy; and such an apprehension makes him feel that his case
is hopeless.
There is a vast difference between hearing or reading of what
conviction of sin is and being made to feel it in the depths of one's
own soul. Multitudes are acquainted with the theory who are total
strangers to the experience of it: One may read of the sad effects of
war, and may agree that they are indeed dreadful; but when the enemy
is at one's own door, plundering his goods, firing his home, slaying
his dear ones, he is far more sensible of the miseries of war than
ever he was (or could be) previously. So an unbeliever may hear of
what a dreadful state the sinner is in before God, and how terrible
will be the sufferings of hell; but when the Spirit brings home to his
own heart its actual condition, and makes him feel the heat of God's
wrath in his own conscience, he is ready to sink with dismay and
despair. Reader, do you know anything of such an experience?
Only thus is any soul prepared truly to appreciate Christ. They that
are whole need not a physician. The one who has been savingly
convicted is made to realize that none but the Lord Jesus can heal one
so desperately diseased by sin; that He alone can impart that
spiritual health (holiness) which will enable him to run in the way of
God's commandments; that nothing but His precious blood can atone for
the sins of the past and naught but His all-sufficient grace can meet
the pressing needs of the present and future. Thus there must be
discerning faith before there is coming faith. The Father "draws" to
the Son (John 6:44) by imparting to the mind a deep realization of our
desperate need of Christ, by giving to the heart a real sense of the
inestimable worth of Him, and by causing the will to receive Him on
His own terms.
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A. W. Pink Header
STUDIES ON SAVING FAITH
by A. W. Pink
Part II
5. Its Evidences
_________________________________________________________________
The great majority of those who read this will, doubtless, be they who
profess to be in possession of a saving faith. To all such we would
put the questions. Where is your proof? What effects has it produced
in you? A tree is known by its fruits, and a fountain by the waters
which issue from it; so the nature of your faith may be ascertained by
a careful examination of what it is bringing forth. We say "a careful
examination," for as all fruit is not fit for eating nor all water for
drinking, so all works are not the effects of a faith which saves.
Reformation is not regeneration, and a changed life does not always
indicate a changed heart. Have you been saved from a dislike of God's
commandments and a disrelish of His holiness? Have you been saved from
pride, covetousness, murmuring? Have you been delivered from the love
of this world, from the fear of man, from the reigning power of every
sin?
The heart of fallen man is thoroughly depraved, its thoughts and
imaginations being only evil continually (Gen. 6:5). It is full of
corrupt desires and affections, which exert themselves and influence
man in all he does. Now the Gospel comes into direct opposition with
these selfish lusts and corrupt affections, both in the root and in
the fruit of them (Titus 2:11, 12). There is no greater duty that the
Gospel urges upon our souls than the mortifying and destroying of
them, and this indispensably, if we intend to be made partakers of its
promises (Romans 8:13; Col. 3:5, 8). Hence the first real work of
faith is to cleanse the soul from these pollutions, and therefore we
read, "They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the
affections and lusts" (Gal. 5:24). Mark well, it is not that they
"ought to" do so, but that they have actually, in some measure or
degree.
It is one thing really to think we believe a thing, it is quite
another actually to do so. So fickle is the human heart that even in
natural things men know not their own minds. In temporal affairs what
a man really believes is best ascertained by his practice. Suppose I
meet a traveler in a narrow gorge and tell him that just ahead is an
impassable river, and that the bridge across it is rotten: if he
declines to turn back, am I not warranted in concluding that he does
not believe me? Or if a physician tells me a certain disease holds me
in its grip, and that in a short time it will prove fatal if I do not
use a prescribed remedy which is sure to heal, would he not be
justified in inferring that I did not trust his judgment were he to
see me not only ignoring his directions but following a contrary
course? Likewise, to believe there is a hell and yet run unto it; to
believe that sin continued in will damn and yet live in it--to what
purpose is it to boast of such a faith?
Now, from what was before us in the above section, it should be plain
beyond all room for doubt that when God imparts saving faith to a soul
radical and real effects will follow. One cannot be raised from the
dead without there being a consequent walking in newness of life. One
cannot be the subject of a miracle of grace being wrought in the heart
without a noticeable change being apparent to all who know him. Where
a supernatural root has been implanted, supernatural fruit must issue
therefrom. Not that sinless perfection is attained in the life, nor
that the evil principle, the flesh, is eradicated from our beings, or
even purified. Nevertheless, there is now a yearning after perfection,
there is a spirit resisting the flesh, there is a striving against
sin. And more, there is a growing in grace, and a pressing forward
along the "narrow way" which leads to heaven.
One serious error so widely propagated today in "orthodox" circles,
and which is responsible for so many souls being deceived, is the
seemingly Christ-honoring doctrine that it is "His blood which alone
saves any sinner." Ah, Satan is very clever; he knows exactly what
bait to use for every place in which he fishes. Many a company would
indignantly resent a preacher's telling them that getting baptized and
eating the Lord's supper were God's appointed means for saving the
soul; yet most of these same people will readily accept the lie that
it is only by the blood of Christ we can be saved. That is true
Godwards, but it is not true manwards. The work of the Spirit in us is
equally essential as the work of Christ for us. Let the reader
carefully ponder the whole of Titus 3:5.
Salvation is twofold: it is both legal and experimental, and consists
of justification and sanctification. Moreover, I owe my salvation not
only to the Son but to all three persons in the Godhead. Alas, how
little is this realized today, and how little is it preached. First
and primarily I owe my salvation to God the Father, who ordained and
planned it, and who chose me unto salvation (2 Thess. 2:13). In Titus
2:4, it is the Father who is denominated "God our Saviour." Secondly
and meritoriously I owe my salvation to the obedience and sacrifice of
God the Son Incarnate, who performed as my Sponsor everything which
the law required, and satisfied all its demands upon me. Thirdly and
efficaciously I owe my salvation to the regenerating, sanctifying and
preserving operations of the Spirit: note that His work is made just
as prominent in Luke 15:8-10, as is the Shepherd's in Luke 15:4-7! As
Titus 3:5, so plainly affirms, God "saved us by the washing of
regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit"; and it is the presence
of His "fruit" in my heart and life which furnishes the immediate
evidence of my salvation.
"With the heart man believeth unto righteousness" (Romans 10:10). Thus
it is the heart which we must first examine in order to discover
evidences of the presence of a saving faith. And first, God's Word
speaks of "purifying their hearts by faith" (Acts 15:9). Of old the
Lord said, "0 Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou
mayest be saved" (Jer. 4:14). A heart that is being purified by faith
(cf. 1 Peter 1:22), is one fixed upon a pure Object. It drinks from a
pure Fountain, delights in a pure Law (Romans 7:22), and looks forward
to spending eternity with a pure Saviour (1 John 3:3). It loathes all
that is filthy--spiritually as well as morally--yea, hates the very
garment spotted by the flesh (Jude 23). Contrariwise, it loves all
that is holy, lovely and Christlike.
"The pure in heart shall see God" (Matt. 5:8). Heart purity is
absolutely essential to fit us for dwelling in that place into which
there shall in no wise enter anything "that defileth, neither worketh
abomination" (Rev. 21:27). Perhaps a little fuller definition is
called for. Purifying the heart by faith consists of, first, the
purifying of the understanding, by the shining in of Divine light, so
as to cleanse it from error. Second, the purifying of the conscience,
so as to cleanse it from guilt. Third, the purifying of the will, so
as to cleanse it from self-will and self-seeking. Fourth, the
purifying of the affections, so as to cleanse them from the love of
all that is evil. In Scripture the "heart" includes all these four
faculties. A deliberate purpose to continue in any one sin cannot
consist with a pure heart.
Again, saving faith is always evidenced by a humble heart. Faith lays
the soul low, for it discovers its own vileness, emptiness, impotency.
It realizes its former sinfulness and present unworthiness. It is
conscious of its weaknesses and wants, its carnality and corruptions.
Nothing more exalts Christ than faith, and nothing more debases a man.
In order to magnify the riches of His grace, God has selected faith as
the fittest instrument, and this because it is that which causes us to
go entirely out from ourselves unto Him. Faith, realizing we are
nothing but sin and wretchedness, comes unto Christ as an empty-handed
beggar to receive all from Him. Faith empties a man of self-conceit,
self-confidence, and self-righteousness, and makes him seem nothing,
that Christ may be all in all. The strongest faith is always
accompanied by the greatest humility, accounting self the greatest of
sinners and unworthy of the least favour (see Matt. 8:8-10).
Again, saving faith is always found in a tender heart. "A new heart
also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I
will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you
an heart of flesh" (Ezek. 36:26). An unregenerate heart is hard as
stone, full of pride and presumption. It is quite unmoved by the
sufferings of Christ, in the sense that they act as no deterrent
against self-will and self-pleasing. But the real Christian is moved
by the love of Christ, and says, How can I sin against His dying love
for me. When overtaken by a fault, there is passionate relenting and
bitter mourning. Oh, my reader, do you know what it is to be melted
before God, for you to be heart-broken with anguish over sinning
against and grieving such a Saviour? Ah, it is not the absence of sin
but the grieving over it which distinguishes the child of God from
empty professors.
Another characteristic of saving faith is that it "worketh by love"
(Gal. 5:6). It is not inactive, but energetic. That faith which is "of
the operation of God" (Col. 2:12) is a mighty principle of power,
diffusing spiritual energy to all the faculties of the soul and
enlisting them in the service of God. Faith is a principle of life, by
which the Christian lives unto God; a principle of motion, by which he
walks to heaven along the highway of holiness; a principle of
strength, by which he opposes the flesh, the world, and the Devil.
"Faith in the heart of a Christian is like the salt that was thrown
into the corrupt fountain, that made the naughty waters good and the
barren land fruitful. Hence it is that there followeth an alteration
of life and conversation, and so bringeth forth fruit accordingly: `A
good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good
fruit'; which treasure is faith" (John Bunyan in Christian Behaviour).
Where a saving faith is rooted in the heart it grows up and spreads
itself in all the branches of obedience, and is filled with the fruits
of righteousness. It makes its possessor act for God, and thereby
evidences that it is a living thing and not merely a lifeless theory.
Even a newborn infant, though it cannot walk and work as a grown man,
breathes and cries, moves and sucks, and thereby shows it is alive. So
with the one who has been born again; there is a breathing unto God, a
crying after Him, a moving toward Him, a clinging to Him. But the
infant does not long remain a babe; there is growth, increasing
strength, enlarged activity. Nor does the Christian remain stationary:
he goes "from strength to strength" (Psalm 84:7).
But observe carefully, faith not only "worketh" but it "worketh by
love." It is at this point that the "works" of the Christian differ
from those of the mere religionist. "The papist works that he may
merit heaven. The Pharisee works that he may be applauded, that he may
be seen of men, that he may have a good esteem with them. The slave
works lest he should be beaten, lest he should be damned. The
formalist works that he may stop the mouth of conscience, that will be
accusing him, if he does nothing. The ordinary professor works because
it is a shame to do nothing where so much is professed. But the true
believer works because he loves. This is the principal, if not the
only, motive that sets him a-work. If there were no other motive
within or without him, yet would he be working for God, acting for
Christ, because he loves Him; it is like fire in his bones" (David
Clarkson).
Saving faith is ever accompanied by an obedient walk. "Hereby we do
know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that saith, I
know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth
is not in him" (1 John 2:3, 4). Make no mistake upon this point:
infinite as are the merits of Christ's sacrifice, mighty as is the
potency of His priestly intercession, yet they avail not for any who
continue in the path of disobedience. He acknowledges none to be His
disciples save them who do homage to Him as their Lord. "Too many
professors pacify themselves with the idea that they possess imputed
righteousness, while they are indifferent to the sanctifying work of
the Spirit. They refuse to put on the garment of obedience, they
reject the white linen which is the righteousness of the saints. They
thus reveal their self-will, their enmity to God, and their
non-submission to His Son. Such men may talk what they will about
justification by faith, and salvation by grace, but they are rebels at
heart; they have not on the wedding-dress any more than the
self-righteous, whom they so eagerly condemn. The fact is, if we wish
for the blessings of grace, we must in our hearts submit to the rules
of grace without picking and choosing" (C. H. Spurgeon on "The Wedding
Garment").
Once more: saving faith is precious, for, like gold, it will endure
trial (1 Peter 1:7). A genuine Christian fears no test; he is willing,
yea, wishes, to be tried by God Himself. He cries, "Examine me, 0
Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart" (Psalm 26:2). Therefore
he is willing for his faith to be tried by others, for he shuns not
the touchstone of Holy Writ. He frequently tries for himself, for
where so much is at stake he must be sure. He is anxious to know the
worst as well as the best. That preaching pleases him best which is
most searching and discriminating. He is loath to be deluded with vain
hopes. He would not be flattered into a high conceit of his spiritual
state without grounds. When challenged, he complies with the apostle's
advice in 2 Corinthians 13:5.
Herein does the real Christian differ from the formalist. The
presumptuous professor is filled with pride, and, having a high
opinion of himself, is quite sure that he has been saved by Christ. He
disdains any searching tests, and considers self-examination to be
highly injurious and destructive of faith. That preaching pleases him
best which keeps at a respectable distance, which comes not near his
conscience, which makes no scrutiny of his heart. To preach to him of
the finished work of Christ and the eternal security of all who
believe in Him strengthens his false peace and feeds his carnal
confidence. Should a real servant of God seek to convince him that his
hope is a delusion, and his confidence presumptuous, he would regard
him as an enemy, as Satan seeking to fill him with doubts. There is
more hope of a murderer being saved than of his being disillusioned.
Another characteristic of saving faith is that it gives the heart
victory over all the vanities and vexations of things below. "For
whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the
victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4).
Observe that this is not an ideal after which the Christian strives,
but an actuality of present experience. In this the saint is conformed
to His Head: "Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John
16:33). Christ overcame it for His people, and now He overcomes it in
them. He opens their eyes to see the hollowness and worthlessness of
the best which this world has to offer, and weans their hearts from it
by satisfying them with spiritual things. So little does the world
attract the genuine child of God that he longs for the time to come
when God shall take him out of it.
Alas, that so very few of those now bearing the name of Christ have
any real experimental acquaintance with these things. Alas, that so
many are deceived by a faith which is not a saving one. "He only is a
Christian who lives for Christ. Many persons think they can be
Christians on easier terms than these. They think it is enough to
trust in Christ while they do not live for Him. But the Bible teaches
us that if we are partakers of Christ's death we are also partakers of
His life. If we have any such appreciation of His love in dying for us
as to lead us to confide in the merits of His death, we shall be
constrained to consecrate our lives to His service. And this is the
only evidence of the genuineness of our faith" (Charles Hodge on 2
Corinthians 5:15).
Reader, are the things mentioned above actualized in your own
experience? If they are not, how worthless and wicked is your
profession! "It is therefore exceedingly absurd for any to pretend
that they have a good heart while they live a wicked life, or do not
bring forth the fruit of universal holiness in their practice. Men
that live in the ways of sin, and yet flatter themselves that they
shall go to heaven, expecting to be received hereafter as holy
persons, without a holy practice, act as though they expected to make
a fool of their Judge. Which is implied in what the apostle says
(speaking of men's doing good works and living a holy life, thereby
exhibiting evidence of their title to everlasting life), `Be not
deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall
he also reap' (Gal. 6:7). As much as to say, Do not deceive yourselves
with an expectation of reaping life everlasting hereafter, if you do
not sow to the Spirit here; it is in vain to think that God will be
made a fool of by you" (Johathan Edwards in Religious Affections).
That which Christ requires from His disciples is that they should
magnify and glorify Him in this world, and that by living holily to
Him and suffering patiently for Him. Nothing is as honoring to Christ
as that those who bear His name should, by their holy obedience, make
manifest the power of His love over their hearts and lives.
Contrariwise, nothing is so great a reproach to Him, nothing more
dishonors Him, than that those who are living to please self, and who
are conformed to this world, should cloak their wickedness under His
holy name. A Christian is one who has taken Christ for his example in
all things; then how great the insult which is done Him by those
claiming to be Christians whose daily lives show they have no respect
for His godly example. They are a stench in His nostrils; they are a
cause of grievous sorrow to His real disciples; they are the greatest
hindrance of all to the progress of His cause on earth; and they shall
yet find that the hottest places in hell have been reserved for them.
Oh that they would either abandon their course of self-pleasing or
drop the profession of that name which is above every name.
Should the Lord be pleased to use this article in shattering the false
confidence of some deluded souls, and should they earnestly inquire
how they are to obtain a genuine and saving faith, we answer, Use the
means which God has prescribed. When faith be His gift, He gives it in
His own way; and if we desire to receive it, then we must put
ourselves in that way wherein He is wont to communicate it. Faith is
the work of God, but He works it not immediately, but through the
channels of His appointed means. The means prescribed cannot effect
faith of themselves. They are no further effectual than in instruments
in the hands of Him who is the principal cause. Though He has not tied
Himself to them, yet He has confined us. Though He be free, yet the
means are necessary to us.
The first means is prayer. "A new heart also will I give you, and a
new spirit will I put within you" (Ezek. 36:26). Here is a gracious
promise, but in what way will He accomplish it, and similar ones?
Listen, "Thus saith the Lord God; I will yet for this be inquired of
by the house of Israel, to do it for them"' (Ezek. 36:3 7). Cry
earnestly to God for a new heart, for His regenerating Spirit, for the
gift of saving faith. Prayer is a universal duty. Though an unbeliever
sin in praying (as in everything else), it is not a sin for him to
pray.
The second means is the written Word heard (John 17:20; 1 Cor. 3:5) or
read (2 Tim. 3:15). Said David, "I will never forget Thy precepts: for
with them Thou hast quickened me" (Psalm 119:93). The Scriptures are
the Word of God; through them He speaks. Then read them, asking Him to
speak life, power, deliverance, peace, to your heart. May the Lord
deign to add His blessing.
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STUDIES ON SAVING FAITH
by A. W. Pink
Part III
COMING TO CHRIST
_________________________________________________________________
By way of introduction let us bring before the readers the following
Scriptures. (1) "Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life" John
5:40. (2) "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest" Matthew 11:28. (3) "No man can come to me, except
the Father which hath sent me draw him" John 6:44. (4) "All that the
Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in
no wise cast out" John 6:37. (5) "If any man come to me, and hate not
his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and
sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And
whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my
disciple" Luke 14:26,27. (6) "To whom coming, as unto a living stone,
disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious" 1 Peter
2:4. (7) "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that
come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for
them" Hebrews 7:25.
The first of these passages applies to every unregenerate man and
woman on this earth. While he is in a state of nature, no man can come
to Christ. Though all excellencies, both Divine and human, are found
in the Lord Jesus, though He is "altogether lovely" (Song of Sol.
5:16), yet the fallen sons of Adam see in Him no beauty that they
should desire Him. They may be well instructed in "the doctrine of
Christ," they may believe unhesitatingly all that Scripture affirms
concerning Him, they may frequently take His name upon their lips,
profess to be resting on His finished work, sing His praises, yet
their hearts are far from Him. The things of this world have the first
place in their affections. The gratifying of self is their dominant
concern. They surrender not their lives to Him. He is too holy to suit
their love of sin; His claims are too exacting to suit their selfish
hearts; His terms of discipleship are too severe to suit their fleshly
ways. They will not yield to His Lordship--true alike with each one of
us till God performs a miracle of grace upon our hearts,
The second of these passages contains a gracious invitation, made by
the compassionate Saviour to a particular class of sinners. The "all"
is at once qualified, clearly and definitely, by the words which
immediately follow it. The character of those to whom this loving word
belongs is clearly defined: it is those who "labour" and are "heavy
laden." Most clearly then it applies not to the vast majority of our
light-headed, gay-hearted, pleasure-seeking fellows, who have no
regard for God's glory and no concern about their eternal welfare. No,
the word for such poor creatures is rather, "Rejoice, O young man, in
thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and
walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but
know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into
judgment" (Eccl. 11:9). But to those who have "laboured" hard to keep
the law and please God, who are "heavy laden" with a felt sense of
their utter inability to meet His requirements, and who long to be
delivered from the power and pollution of sin, Christ says, "Come unto
me, and I will give you rest."
The third passage quoted above at once tells us that "coming to
Christ" is not the easy matter so many imagine it, nor so simple a
thing as most preachers represent it to be. Instead of its so being,
the incarnate Son of God positively declares that such an act is
utterly impossible to a fallen and depraved creature unless and until
Divine power is brought to bear upon him. A most pride-humbling,
flesh-withering, man-abasing word is this. "Coming to Christ" is a
far, far different thing from raising your hand to be prayed for by
some Protestant "priest," coming forward and taking some cheap-jack
evangelist's hand, signing some "decision" card, uniting with some
"church," or any other of the "many inventions" (Eccl. 7:29) of man.
Before any one can or will "come to Christ" the understanding must be
supernaturally enlightened, the heart must be supernaturally changed,
the stubborn will must be supernaturally broken.
The fourth passage is also one that is unpalatable to the carnal mind,
yet is it a precious portion unto the Spirit-taught children of God.
It sets forth the blessed truth of unconditional election, or the
discriminating grace of God. It speaks of a favored people whom the
Father giveth to His Son. It declares that every one of that blessed
company shall come to Christ: neither the effects of their fall in
Adam, the power of indwelling sin, the hatred and untiring efforts of
Satan, nor the deceptive delusions of blind preachers, will be able to
finally hinder them--when God's appointed hour arrives, each of His
elect is delivered from the power of darkness and is translated into
the kingdom of his dear Son. It announces that each such one who comes
to Christ, no matter how unworthy and vile he be in himself no matter
how black and long the awful catalogue of his sins, He will by no
means despise or fail to welcome him, and under no circumstances will
He ever cast him off.
The fifth passage is one that makes known the terms on which alone
Christ is willing to receive sinners. Here the uncompromising claims
of His holiness are set out. He must be crowned Lord of all, or He
will not be Lord at all. There must be the complete heart-renunciation
of all that stands in competition with Him. He will brook no rival.
All that pertains to "the flesh," whether found in a loved one or in
self, has to be hated. The "cross" is the badge of Christian
discipleship: not a golden one worn on the body, but the principle of
self-denial and self-sacrifice ruling the heart. How evident is it,
then, that a mighty, supernatural work of divine grace must be wrought
in the human heart, if any man will even desire to meet such terms!
The sixth passage tells us that the Christian is to continue as he
began. We are to "come to Christ" not once and for all, but
frequently, daily. He is the only One who can minister to our needs,
and to Him we must constantly turn for the supply of them. In our felt
emptiness, we must draw from His "fullness" (John 1:16). In our
weakness, we must turn to Him for strength. In our ignorance we must
seek afresh His cleansing. All that we need for time and eternity is
stored up in Him: refreshment when we are weary (Isa. 40:3 1), healing
of body when we are sick (Ex. 15:26), comfort when we are sad (1 Pet.
5:7), deliverance when we are tempted (Heb. 2:18). If we have wandered
away from Him, left our first love, then the remedy is to "repent and
do the first works" (Rev. 2:5), that is, cast ourselves upon Him anew,
come just as we did the first time we came to Him--as unworthy,
self-confessed sinners, seeking His mercy and forgiveness.
The seventh passage assures us of the eternal security of those who do
come. Christ saves "unto the uttermost" or "for evermore" those who
come unto God by Him. He is not of one mind to day and of another
tomorrow. No, He is "the same yesterday, and today, and for ever"
(Heb. 13:8). "Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved
them unto the end" (John 13:1), and blessedly does He give proof of
this, for "He ever liveth to make intercession for them." inasmuch as
His prayers are effectual, for He declares that the Father hearest Him
"always" (John 11:42), none whose name is indelibly stamped on the
heart of our great High Priest can ever perish. Hallelujah!
Having sought to thus introduce some of the leading aspects of the
subject which is to engage our attention, we now propose to enter into
some detail as the Spirit of Truth is pleased to grant us His
much-needed assistance. Let us consider some of the obstacles in
coming to Christ.
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STUDIES ON SAVING FAITH
by A. W. Pink
Part III
6. OBSTACLES IN COMING TO CHRIST
_________________________________________________________________
Under this head it will be our endeavour to show why it is that the
natural man is unable to "come to Christ." As a starting point let us
again quote John 6:44, "No man can come to me, except the Father which
has sent me draw him." The reason why this is such a "hard saying,"
even unto thousands who profess to be Christians, is because they
utterly fail to realize the terrible havoc which the Fall has wrought;
and, it is greatly to be feared, because they are themselves strangers
to "the plague" of their own hearts (1 Kings 8:38). Surely if the
Spirit had ever awakened them from the sleep of spiritual death, and
given them to see something of the dreadful state they were in by
nature, and they had been brought to feel that the carnal mind in them
was "enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7), then they would no longer cavil
against this solemn word of Christ's. But the spiritually dead can
neither see nor feel spiritually.
Wherein lies the total inability of the natural man?
1. It is not in the lack of the necessary faculties. This needs to be
plainly insisted upon, or otherwise fallen man would cease to be a
responsible creature. Fearful as were the effects of the Fall, yet
they deprived man of none of the faculties with which God originally
endowed him. True it is that the coming in of sin took away from man
all power to use those faculties aright, that is, to employ them for
the glory of his Maker. Nevertheless, fallen man possesses identically
the same threefold nature, of spirit and soul and body, as he did
before the Fall. No part of man's being was annihilated, though each
part was defiled and corrupted by sin. True, man died spiritually, but
death is not extinction of being: spiritual death is alienation from
God (Eph. 4:18): the spiritually dead one is very much alive and
active in the service of Satan.
No, the inability of fallen man to come to Christ" lies in no physical
or mental defect. He has the same feet to take him unto a place where
the Gospel is preached, as he has to walk with to a picture-show. He
has the same eyes by which to read the Holy Scriptures, as he has to
read the world's newspapers. He has the same lips and voice for
calling upon God, as he now uses in idle talk or foolish song. So too
he has the same mental faculties for pondering the things of God and
the concerns of eternity, as he now uses so diligently in connection
with his business. It is because of this that man is "without excuse.'
It is the misuse of the faculties with which the Creator has endowed
him which increases man's guilt. Let every servant of God see to it
that these things are constantly pressed upon their unsaved hearers.
2. We have to search deeper in order to find the seat of man's
spiritual impotency. His inability lies in his corrupt nature. Through
Adam's fall, and through our own sin, our nature has become so debased
and depraved, that it is impossible for any to "come to Christ," to
"love and serve Him," to esteem Him more highly than all the world put
together and submit to His rule, until the Spirit of God renews him,
and implants a new nature. A bitter fountain cannot send forth sweet
waters, nor an evil tree produce good fruit. Let us try and make this
still clearer by an illustration. It is the nature of a vulture to
feed upon carrion: true, it has the same bodily members to feed upon
the wholesome grain as the hens do, but it lacks the disposition and
relish for it. It is the nature of a sow to wallow in the mire: true,
it has the same legs as a sheep, to conduct it to the meadow, but it
lacks the desire for the green pastures. So it is with the
unregenerate man. He has the same physical and mental faculties as the
regenerate have for the things and service of God, but he has no love
for them.
"Adam. . .begat a son in his own likeness, after his image" (Gen.
5:3).What an awful contrast is found here from that which we read two
verses before: `God created man, in the likeness of God made he him."
In the interval, Adam had fallen, and a fallen parent could beget only
a fallen child, transmitting unto him his own depravity. "Who can
bring a clean thing out of an unclean?' (Job 14:4). Therefore do we
find the sweet singer of Israel declaring, "Behold I was shapen in
iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me (Ps. 51:5). Though,
later, grace made him the man after God's own heart, yet by nature
David (as we) was a mass of iniquity and sin. How early does this
corruption of nature appear in children. "Even a child is known by his
doings" (Prov. 20:11): the evil bias of its heart is soon
manifested--pride, self-will, vanity, lying, averseness to good, are
the bitter fruits which quickly appear on the tender but vitiated
twig.
3.The inability of the natural man to "come to Christ" lies in the
complete darkness of his understanding. This leading faculty of the
soul has been despoiled of its primitive glory, and covered over with
confusion. Both mind and conscience are defiled: "there is none that
understandeth" (Rom. 3:11). Solemnly did the apostle remind the
saints: "ye were sometimes darkness" (Eph. 5:8),not merely "in
darkness," but "darkness" itself. "Sin has closed the windows of the
soul, darkness is over all the region: it is the land of darkness and
the shadow of death, where the light is as darkness. The prince of
darkness reigns there, and nothing but the works of darkness are
framed there. We are born spiritually blind, and cannot be restored
without a miracle of grace. This is thy case, whoever thou art, that
art not born again" (Thos. Boston, 1680). "They are wise to do evil,
but to do good they have no knowledge" (Jer. 4:22).
"The carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the
law of God, neither indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7). There is in the
unregenerate an opposition to spiritual things and an aversion against
them. God has made a revelation of His will unto sinners touching the
way of salvation, yet they will not walk therein. They hear that
Christ alone is able to save, yet they refuse to part with those
things that hinder their coming to Him. They hear that it is sin which
slays the soul, and yet they cherish it in their bosoms. They heed not
the threatenings of God. Men believe that fire will burn them, and are
at great pains to avoid it; yet they show by their actions that they
regard the everlasting burnings as a mere scarecrow. The Divine
commandments are "holy, just, and good," but men hate them, and
observe them only so far as their respectability among men is
promoted.
4. The inability of the natural man to "come to Christ" lies in the
complete corruption of his affections. "Man as he is, before he
receives the grace of God, loves anything and everything above
spiritual things. If ye want proof of this, look around you. There
needs no monument to the depravity of the human affections. Cast your
eyes everywhere--there is not a street, nor a house, nay, nor a heart,
which doth not bear upon it sad evidence of this dreadful truth. Why
is it that men are not found on the Sabbath day universally flocking
to the house of God? Why are we not more constantly found reading our
Bibles? How is it that prayer is a duty almost universally neglected?
Why is Christ Jesus so little beloved? Why are even His professed
followers so cold in their affections to Him? Whence arise these
things? Assuredly, dear brethren, we can trace them to no other source
than this, the corruption and vitiation of the affections. We love
that which we ought to hate, and we hate that which we ought to love.
It is but human nature, fallen human nature, that man should love this
present life better than the life to come. It is but the effect of the
fall, that man should love sin better than righteousness, and the ways
of this world better than the ways of God" (C.H. Spurgeon, Sermon on
John 6:44).
The affections of the unrenewed man are wholly depraved and
distempered. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked"(Jer. 17:9). Solemnly did the Lord Jesus affirm that the
affections of fallen man are a mother of abominations: "For from
within (not from the Devil!) out of the heart of men, proceed evil
thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness,
wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride,
foolishness" (Mark 7:21,22). "The natural man's affections are
wretchedly misplaced; he is a spiritual monster. His heart is where
his feet should be, fixed on the earth: his heels are lifted up
against heaven, which his heart should be set on: Acts 9:5. His face
is towards Hell, his back towards Heaven; and therefore God calls him
to turn. He joys in what he ought to mourn for, and mourns for what he
should rejoice in; glories in his shame, and is ashamed of his glory;
abhors what he should desire, and desires what he should abhor:
Proverbs 2:13-15"(From Boston's "Fourfold State").
5. The inability of the natural man to "come to Christ" lies in the
total depravity of his will. "`Oh!' said the Arminian, `men may be
saved if they will.' We reply, `My dear sir, we all believe that; but
it is just the if they will that is the difficulty.' We assert that no
man will come to Christ unless he be drawn; nay, we do not assert it,
but Christ Himself declares it--`Ye will not come to me that ye might
have life' (John 5:40); and as long as that `ye will not come' stands
on record in Holy Scripture, we shall not be brought to believe in any
doctrine of the freedom of the human will. It is strange how people,
when talking about free-will, talk of things which they do not at all
understand. `Now,' says one, `I believe men can be saved if they
will.' My dear sir, that is not the question at all. The question is,
are men ever found naturally willing to submit to the humbling terms
of the gospel of Christ? We declare upon scriptural authority, that
the human will is so desperately set on mischief, so depraved, and so
inclined to everything that is evil, and so disinclined to everything
that is good, that without the powerful, supernatural, irresistible
influence of the Holy Spirit, no human being will ever be constrained
towards Christ" (C.H. Spurgeon).
"Now here is a threefold cord against heaven and holiness, not easily
to be broken; a blind mind, a perverse will, and disorderly,
distempered affections. The mind, swelled with self-conceit, says the
man should not stoop; and the corrupt affections rising against the
Lord, in defense of the corrupt will, says, he shall not. Thus the
poor creature stands out against God and goodness, till a day of power
come, in which he is made a new creature" (T. Boston). Perhaps some
readers are inclined to say, Such teaching as this is calculated to
discourage sinners and drive them to despair. Our answer is, first, it
is according to God's Word! Second, O that it may please Him to use
this article to drive some to despair of all help from themselves.
Third, it makes manifest the absolute necessity of the Holy Spirit's
working with such depraved and spiritually helpless creatures, if they
are ever to savingly come to Christ. And until this is clearly
perceived, His aid will never be really sought in earnest!
There are some souls greatly distressed and puzzled to know exactly
what is signified by "coming to Christ." They have read and heard the
words often, and perhaps many a preacher has bidden them to `come to
Him," yet without giving a scriptural explanation of what that term
connotes. Such as have been awakened by the Spirit, shown their woeful
condition, convicted of their high-handed and lifelong rebellion
against God, and brought to realize their dire need of Christ, and who
are truly anxious to come savingly to Him, have found it a task
altogether beyond their powers. Their cry is, "Oh that I knew where I
might find Him! that I might come even to His seat!" (Job 23:3). True,
there are not many who pass through such an experience, for God's
`flock" is but a "little" one (Luke 12:32). True, the vast majority of
professing Christians claim that the found "coming to Christ" a very
simple matter. But in the clear light of John 6:44 we must assure you,
dear reader, that if you found "coming to Christ" to be easy, then it
is proof you have never come to Him at all in a spiritual and saving
way.
What, then, is meant by "coming to Christ"? First, and negatively, let
it be pointed out that it is not an act which we perform by any of our
bodily members. This is so obvious that there should be no need for us
to make the statement. But in these awful days of spiritual ignorance
and the carnal perversion of the holy things of God, explanation of
the most elementary truths and terms is really required. When so many
precious souls have been deluded into thinking that a going forward to
a "mourner's bench" or "penitent form," or the taking of some
preacher's hand, is the same thing as coming to Christ, we dare not
pass over the defining of this apparently simple term, nor ignore the
need for pointing out what it does not signify.
Second, the word "come," when used in this connection, is a
metaphorical one: that is to say, a word which expresses an act of the
body is transferred to the soul, to denote its act. To "come to
Christ" signifies the movement of a Spirit-enlightened mind toward the
Lord Jesus--as Prophet, to be instructed by Him; as Priest, whose
atonement and intercession are to be relied upon; as King, to be ruled
by Him. Coming to Christ implies a turning of our back upon the world,
and a turning unto Him as our only Hope and Portion. It is a going out
of self so as to rest fl() longer on anything in self. It is the
abandoning of every idol and of all other dependencies, the heart
going out to Him in loving submission and trustful confidence. it is
the will surrendering to Him as Lord, ready to accept His yoke, take
up the cross, and follow Him without reserve.
To "come to Christ" is the turning of the whole soul unto a whole
Christ in the exercise of Divine grace upon Him: it is the mind, heart
and will being supernaturally drawn to Him, so as to trust, love and
serve Him. "It is the duty and interest of weary and heavy-laden
sinners to `come to Jesus Christ'--renouncing all those things which
stand in opposition to Him, or in competition with Him; we must accept
Him as our Physician and Advocate, and give up ourselves to His
conduct and government, freely willing to be saved by Him, in His own
way, and on His own terms" (Matthew Henry). Ere proceeding further, we
would earnestly beg each reader to prayerfully and carefully test and
measure himself of herself by what has been said in this and the
preceding paragraph. Take nothing for granted: as you value your soul,
seek Divine help to make sure that you have truly "come to Christ."
Now a popish "christ" is a christ of wood, and a false preacher's
"christ" is a christ of words; but Christ Jesus, our Lord, is "the
mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace" (Isa. 9:6).
The Christ of God fills heaven and earth: He is the One by whom all
things exist and consist. He is seated at the right hand of the
Majesty on high, having all power, dominion, and might. He is made
higher than the heavens, and unto Him all principalities and powers
are subject. At His presence both the earth and the heavens shall yet
flee away. Such a Christ is neither to be offered nor proffered, sold
nor given by sinful men. He is the unspeakable Gift of the Father to
as many as He has ordained to eternal life, and none others. This
Christ, this Gift of the Father, is supernaturally revealed and
applied to the heirs of salvation by the Holy Spirit, when, where, and
as He pleases; and not when, where, and how men please.
In the preceding article we dwelt at length upon those words of Christ
in John 6:44, "no man can come unto me," seeking to show the nature of
the fallen creature's spiritual impotency, or why it is the
unregenerate are unable to come to Christ in a spiritual and saving
way. Let us now ponder the remainder of our Lord's sentence: "except
the Father which sent me draw him." Of what does that "drawing"
consist? We answer, first, just as our "coming to Christ: does not
refer to any bodily action, so this Divine "drawing" respects not the
employment of any external force. Second, it signifies a powerful
impulse put forth by the Holy Spirit within the elect, whereby their
native impotency for performing spiritual actions is overcome, and an
ability for the same is imparted. It is this secret and effectual
operation of the Spirit upon the human soul which enables and causes
it to come to Christ. This brings us to our next division.
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STUDIES ON SAVING FAITH
by A. W. Pink
Part III
7. COMING TO CHRIST WITH OUR UNDERSTANDING
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1. A knowledge of Christ is essential. There can be no movement
towards an unknown object. No man can obey a command until he is
acquainted with its terms. A prop must be seen before it will be
rested upon. We must have some acquaintance with a person before he
will either be trusted or loved. This principle is so obvious it needs
arguing no further. Apply it unto the case in hand, the subject before
us: the knowledge of Christ must of necessity precede our believing on
Him or our coming to Him. "How shall they believe in him of whom they
have not heard?" (Rom. 10:14). "He that cometh to God must believe
that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek
him" (Heb. 11:6). None can come to Christ while they are ignorant
about Him. As it was in the old creation, so it is in the new: God
first says, "Let there be light."
2. This knowledge of Christ comes to the mind from the Holy
Scriptures. Nothing can be known of Him save that which God has been
pleased to reveal concerning Him in the Word of Truth. It is there
alone that the true "doctrine of Christ" (2 John 9) is to be found.
Therefore did our Lord give commandment, "Search the Scriptures..
.they are they which testify of me" (John 5:39).When He berated the
two disciples for their slowness of heart to believe, we are told that
"beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in
all the scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luke 24:27). The
Divine Oracles are designed "the word of Christ" (Col. 3:16) because
He is the substance of them. Where the Scriptures have not gone,
Christ is unknown: clear proof is this that an acquaintance with Him
cannot be gained apart from their inspired testimony.
3. A theoretical knowledge of Christ is not sufficient. Upon this
point we must dilate at greater length, for much ignorance concerning
it prevails today. A head-knowledge about Christ is very frequently
mistaken for a heart-acquaintance with Him. But orthodoxy is not
salvation. A carnal judgment about Christ, a mere intellectual
knowledge of Him, will never bring a dead sinner to His feet: there
must be a living experience--God's word and work meeting together in
the soul, renewing and understanding. As 1 Corinthians 13:2 so plainly
and solemnly warns us, I may have the gift of prophecy, understand all
mysteries, and all knowledge, yet if I have not love, then I am
nothing. Just as a blind man may, through labor and diligence, acquire
an accurate theoretical or notional conception of many subjects and
objects which he never saw, so the natural man may, by religious
education and personal effort, obtain a sound doctrinal knowledge of
the person and work of Christ, without having any spiritual or vital
acquaintance with Him.
Not every kind of knowledge, even God's Truth and His Christ, is
effectual and saving. There is a form of knowledge, as well as of
godliness, which is destitute of power--"which hast the form of
knowledge and of the truth in the law" (Rom. 2:20). The reference is
to the Jews, who were instructed in the Scriptures, and considered
themselves well qualified to teach others; yet the Truth had not been
written on their hearts by the Holy Spirit. A "form of knowledge"
signifies there was a model of it in their brains, so that they were
able to discourse freely and fluently upon the things of God, yet were
they without the life of God in their souls. O how many have a
knowledge of salvation, yet not a knowledge unto salvation, as the
apostle distinguishes it in 2 Timothy 3:15--such a knowledge as the
latter must be imparted to the soul by the miracle-working operation
of the Holy Spirit.
"They proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the Lord"
(Jer. 9:3). Of whom was this spoken--of the heathen who were without
any written revelation from Him? No, of Israel, who had His law in
their hands, His temple in their midst, His prophets speaking to them.
They had been favored with many and wondrous manifestations of his
majesty, holiness, power and mercy; yet though they had much
intellectual knowledge of Him, they were strangers to Him spiritually.
So it was when the Son of God became incarnate. How much natural light
they had concerning Him: they witnessed His perfect life, saw His
wondrous miracles, heard His matchless teaching, were frequently in
His immediate presence; yet, though the Light shone in the darkness,
"the darkness comprehended it not" (John 1:5). So it is today. Reader,
you may be a diligent student of the N. T, be thoroughly acquainted
with the O. T. types and prophecies, believe all that the Scriptures
say concerning Christ, and earnestly teach them to others, and yet be
yourself a stranger to Him spiritually.
"Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John
3:3), which means that the unregenerate are utterly incapable of
discerning the things of God spiritually. True, they may "see" them in
a natural way: they may investigate and even admire them
theoretically, but to receive them in an experimental and vital way
they cannot. As this distinction is of such great importance, and yet
so little known today, let us endeavour to illustrate it. Suppose a
man who had never heard any music: others tell him of its beauty and
charm, and he decides to make a careful study of it. That man might
thoroughly familiarize himself with the art of music, learn all the
rules of that art, so that he understood the proportions and harmony
of it; but what a different thing is that from listening to a grand
oratorio--the ear now taking in what before the mind knew only the
theory of! Still greater is the difference between a natural and a
spiritual knowledge of Divine things.
The apostle declared, "We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery" (1
Cor. 2:7). He did not only affirm that it is a mystery in itself, but
that it is still spoken "in a mystery." And why is this? Because the
unregenerate, even where it is spoken in their hearing, yea, when it
is clearly apprehended by them in a notional way. yet they neither
know nor apprehend the mystery that is still in it. Proverbs 9:10
declares, "the knowledge of the holy is understanding:" there is no
true understanding of Divine things except the "knowledge of the
Holy." Every real Christian has a knowledge of Divine things, a
personal, experimental, vital knowledge of them, which no carnal man
possesses, or can obtain, no matter how diligently he study them. If I
have seen the picture of a man, I have an image in my mind of that man
according to his picture; but if I see the man himself, how different
is the image of him which is then formed in my mind! Far greater still
is the difference between Christ made known in the Scriptures and
Christ revealed "in me" (Gal. 1:16).
4. There must be a spiritual and supernatural knowledge of Christ
imparted by the Holy Spirit. This is in view in 1 John 5:20, "we know
that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that
we may know him that is true." The faculty must be suited to the
object or subject known. The natural understanding is capable of
taking in Christ and knowing Him in a natural way, but we must be
"renewed in the spirit of your mind" (Eph. 4:23) before we can know
Christ in a spiritual way. There must be a supernatural work of grace
wrought upon the mind by the Holy Spirit before there can be any
inward and spiritual apprehension of the supernatural and spiritual
person of Christ. That is the true and saving knowledge of Christ
which fires the affections, sanctifies the will, and raises up the
mind to a spiritual fixation on the Rock of ages. It is this knowledge
of Him which is "life eternal" (John 17:3). It is this knowledge which
produces faith in Christ, love for Him, submission to Him. It is this
knowledge which causes the soul to truthfully and joyously exclaim,
"Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I
desire beside thee" (Ps. 73:25).
"No man can come unto me, except the Father which hath sent me draw
him" (John 6:44). It is by the secret and effectual operation of the
Spirit that the Father brings each of His elect to a saving knowledge
of Christ. These operations of the Spirit begin by His enlightening
the understanding, renewing the mind. Observe carefully the order in
Ezek. 37:14, "And shall put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live. .
.then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it." No sinner ever
comes to Christ until the Holy Spirit first comes to him! And no
sinner will savingly believe on Christ until the Spirit has
communicated faith to him (Eph. 2:5; Col. 2:12); and even then, faith
is an eye to discern Christ before it is a foot to approach Him. There
can be no act without an object, and there can be no exercising of
faith upon Christ till Christ is seen in His excellency, sufficiency,
and suitability to poor sinners. "They that know thy name will (not
"ought to") put their trust in thee" (Ps. 9:10). But again, we say,
that knowledge must be a spiritual and miraculous one imparted by the
Spirit.
The Spirit Himself, and not merely a preacher, must take of the things
of Christ and show them unto the heart. It is only in God's "light"
that we truly "see light" (Psa. 36:9). The opening of his eyes
precedes the conversion of the sinner from Satan unto God (Acts
26:18). The light of the sun is seen breaking out at the dawn of day,
before its heat is felt. It is those who "see" the Son with a
supernaturally enlightened understanding that "believe" on Him with a
spiritual and saving faith (John 6:40). We behold as in a mirror the
glory of the Lord, before we are changed into His very image (2 Cor.
3:18). Note the order in Romans 3:11, "there is none that
understandeth" goes before "there is none that seeketh after God." The
Spirit must shed His light upon the understanding, which light conveys
the actual image of spiritual things in a spiritual way to the mind,
forming them on the soul; much as a sensitive photographic plate
receives from the light the images to which it is exposed. This is the
"demonstration of the Spirit and of power" (1 Cor. 2:4).
5. How is this spiritual and vital knowledge to be known from a mere
theoretical and notional one? By its effects. Unto the Thessalonians
Paul wrote, "For our Gospel came not unto you in word only, but also
in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance" (1 Thess.
1:5), which is partly explained in the next verse, "having received
the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost." The Spirit
had given that Word an efficacy which no logic, rhetoric, or
persuasive power of men could. It had smitten the conscience, torn
open the wounds which sin had made, exposed its festering sores. It
had pierced them even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit. It
had slain their good opinion of themselves. It had made them feel the
wrath of God burning against them. It had caused them to seriously
question if such wretches could possibly find mercy at the hands of a
holy God. It had communicated faith to look upon the great physician
of souls. It had given a joy such as this poor world knows nothing of.
The light which the Spirit imparts to the understanding is full of
efficacy, whereas that which men acquire through their study is not
so. Ordinary and strong mineral water are alike in color, but differ
much in their taste and virtue. A carnal man may acquire a theoretical
knowledge of all that a spiritual man knows vitally, yet is he "barren
and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Pet.
1:8). The light that he has is ineffectual, for it neither purifies
his heart, renews his will, nor transforms his life. The
head-knowledge of Divine truth, which is all that multitudes of
present-day professing Christians possess, has no more influence upon
their walk unto practical godliness, than though it was stored up in
some other man's brains. The light which the Spirit gives, humbles and
abases its recipient; the knowledge which is acquired by education and
personal efforts, puffs up and fills with conceit.
A spiritual and saving knowledge of Christ always constrains the soul
unto loving obedience. No sooner did the light of Christ shine into
Paul's heart, than he at once asked, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to
do?" (Acts 9:6). Of the Colossians the apostle declared, "The Gospel
which is come unto you.. .bringeth forth fruit... since the day ye
heard.. .and knew the grace of God in truth" or "in reality" (1:6).
But a mere intellectual knowledge of the truth is "held in
unrighteousness" (Rom. 1:18). Its possessors are zealous to argue and
cavil about it, and look down with contempt upon all who are not so
wise as they: yet the lives of these frequently put them to shame. A
saving knowledge of Christ so endears Him to the soul that all else is
esteemed as dung in comparison with His excellency: the light of His
glory has cast a complete eclipse over all that is in the world. But a
mere doctrinal knowledge of Christ produces no such effects: while its
possessors may loudly sing His praises, yet their hearts are still
coveting and eagerly pursuing the things of time and sense.
The natural man may know the truth of the things of God, but not the
things themselves. He may thoroughly understand the Scriptures in the
letter of them, but not in their spirit. He may discourse of them in a
sound and orthodox manner, but in no other way than one can talk of
honey and vinegar, who never tasted the sweetness of the one, nor the
sourness of the other. There are hundreds of preachers who have
accurate notions of spiritual things, but who see and taste not the
things themselves which are wrapped in the words of
Truth--"understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm"
(1 Tim. 1:7). Just as an astronomer who makes a life-study of the
stars, knows their names, positions, and varying magnitudes. yet
receives no more personal and special influence from them than do
other men; so it is with those who study the Scriptures, but are not
supernaturally and savingly enlightened by the Spirit. O my reader,
has the Day-star arisen in your heart (2 Pet. 1:19)?
We trust that sufficient has been said in the previous articles to
make clear unto every Christian reader that the saving "coming to
Christ" of a poor sinner is neither a physical nor mental act, but is
wholly spiritual and supernatural; that that act springs not from
human reason or human-will power, but from the secret and efficacious
operations of God the Spirit. We say clear unto "the Christian
reader," for we must not expect the unregenerate to perceive that of
which they have no personal experience. The distinction pointed out in
the second half of the last article (the whole of which may well be
carefully re-read) between a sound intellectual knowledge of Christ
and a vital and transforming knowledge of Him, between knowing Christ
as He is set forth in the Scriptures, and as He is Divinely revealed
in us (Gal. 1:16), is not one which will appeal to the carnal mind;
rather is it one which will be contemptuously rejected. But instead of
being surprised at this, we should expect it.
Were our last article sent to the average "Fundamentalist" preacher or
"Bible teacher," and a request made for his honest opinion of it, in
all probability he would say that the writer had lapsed into either
"mysticism" or "fanaticism." Just as the religious leaders of Christ's
day rejected His spiritual teachings, so the "champions of orthodoxy,"
those who boast so loudly that they are faithfully and earnestly
contending for the faith, will not receive the humbling and searching
messages of Christ's servants today. The substance of this article
would be ridiculed by them. But their very ridicule only serves to
demonstrate the solemn truth of 1 Corinthians 2:14, "But the natural
man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him." These words have puzzled some who have
thoughtfully pondered them, for they do not seem to square with the
patent facts of observation.
We have personally met the most conscienceless men--untruthful,
dishonest, not scrupling to use tactics which many a non-professor
would scorn--who, nevertheless, ardently proclaimed the Divine
inspiration of the Scriptures, the Deity of Christ, salvation by grace
alone. We have had personal dealings with men whose hearts were filled
with covetousness, and whose ways were worldly almost to the last
degree, yet who tiraded against "modernism" and "evolutionism" etc.,
and "faithfully preached" the Virgin-birth and the blood of Christ as
the sinner's only hope. That these men are "natural" or "carnal," that
is, unregenerate, is plain and unmistakable if we measure them by the
infallible rule of Holy Writ: it would not only be a contradiction in
terms, but blasphemy to say such had been made, by God, "new creatures
in Christ." Nevertheless, so far from the foundation truths of
Scripture being "foolishness" unto these unregenerate characters, they
warmly endorse and ardently propagate them.
But what has been said above does not clash, to the slightest degree,
with 1 Corinthians 2:14, when that verse be rightly read and
understood. Let it be carefully noted that it does not say the "things
of God are foolishness" unto the natural man. Had it done so, the
writer had been at a complete loss to explain it. No, it declares that
the "things of the Spirit of God" are foolishness: and what has been
said above only serves to illustrate the minute accuracy of this
verse. The "things of God" these men profess to believe; the "things
of Christ," they appear to valiantly champion; but the "things of the
Spirit of God they are personal strangers unto; and therefore when His
secret and mysterious work upon the souls of God's elect is pressed
upon them, they appear to be so much "foolishness" unto them--either
"mysticism" or "fanaticism." But to the renewed it is far otherwise.
The Spirit's supernatural operations in the implanting of faith in
God's elect (Col. 2:12) produces a "new creation." Salvation by faith
is wrought through the Spirit's working effectually with the Gospel.
Then it is that He forms Christ in the soul (Gal. 4:19), and lets the
Object of faith through the eye of faith, a real "image" of Christ
being directly stamped upon the newly-quickening soul, which
quickening has given ability to discern Christ. Thus, Christ is
"formed" in the heart, after the manner that an outward object is
formed in the eye. When I say that I have a certain man or object in
my eye, I do not mean that this man or object is in my eye
locally--that is impossible; but they are in my eye objectively--I see
them. So, when it is said that Christ is "formed in us," that Christ
is in us "the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27), it is not to be understood
that He who is now corporeally at the right hand of God, is locally
and substantially formed in us. No, but that Christ at the right hand
of God, the substance and Object of faith, is by the Spirit let in
from above, so that the soul sees Him by the eye of faith, exactly as
He is represented in the Word. So Christ is "formed" in us; and thus
He "dwell(s) in your hearts by faith" (Eph. 3:17).
What we have endeavoured to set forth above is beautifully adumbrated
in the lower and visible world. It is indeed striking to discover how
much of God's spiritual works are shadowed out in the material realm.
If our minds were but more spiritual, and our eyes engaged in a keener
lookout, we should find signs and symbols on every side of the
invisible realities of God. On a sunshiny day, when a man looks into
clear water, he sees there a face (his own), formed by representation,
which directly answers to the face outside and above the water; there
are not two faces, but one, original and yet represented. But only one
face is seen, casting its own single image upon the water. So it is in
the soul's history of God's elect; "But we all, with open face
beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the
same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2
Cor. 3:18). Oh that His image in us may be more evident to others!
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STUDIES ON SAVING FAITH
by A. W. Pink
Part III
8. COMING TO CHRIST WITH OUR AFFECTIONS
_________________________________________________________________
"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me" (John 6:37), declared
the Lord Jesus. He who, before the foundation of the world, gave the
persons of His people unto Christ, now gives them, in regeneration, a
heart for Christ. The "heart" includes the affections as well as the
understanding. In the previous chapter we pointed out how that no man
will (or can) "come to Christ" while ignorant of Him; it is equally
true that no man will (or can) "come to Christ" while his affections
are alienated from Him. Not only is the understanding of the natural
man shrouded in total darkness, but his heart is thoroughly opposed to
God. "The carnal mind is enmity (not merely "at enmity," but "enmity"
itself) against God" (Rom. 8:7); and "enmity" is something more than a
train of hostile thoughts, it is the hatred of the affections
themselves. Therefore when the Holy Spirit makes a man a "new creature
in Christ," He not only renews his understanding, but He radically
changes the heart.
When faith gives us a sight of spiritual things, the heart is warmed
with love to them. Note the order in Hebrews 11:13, where, in
connection with the patriarchs' faith in God's promises, we are told,
"were persuaded of them, and embraced them," which is a term denoting
great affection. When the understanding is renewed by the Spirit, then
the heart is drawn unto Christ with a tender desire for Him. When the
Holy Spirit is pleased to make known in the soul the wondrous love of
Christ to me, then love unto Him is begotten and goes out toward Him
in return. Observe the order in 1 John 4:16, "And we have known and
believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that
dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him;" the apostle places
knowledge (not intellectual, but spiritual) before faith, and both
before a union and communion with Divine love. The light and knowledge
of Christ and heaven which we have by tradition, education, hearing or
reading, never fires the affections. But when the love of God is "shed
abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost" (Rom. 5:5),O what a difference
is produced!
Far too little emphasis has been placed upon this aspect of our
subject. In proof of this assertion, weigh carefully the following
question: Why is it that "he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark
16:16) is quoted a hundred times more frequently by preachers and
tract-writers than "if any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him
be anathema" (1 Cor. 16:22)? If we are to properly preserve the
balance of truth, we must note carefully the manner in which the Holy
Spirit has rung the changes on "believe" and "love" in the N. T.
Consider the following verses: "all things work together for good to
them that (not "trust," but) love God" (Rom. 8:28); "the things which
God hath prepared for them that (not only "believe," but) love Him" (1
Cor. 2:9); "if any love God, the same is known (or "approved") of Him"
(1 Cor. 8:3); "a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
judge, shall give me in that day: and not to me only, but unto all
them also that (not "believe in," but) love his appearing" (2 Tim.
4:8); "a crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love
Him" (James 1:12); "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is
love" (1 John 4:8).
"No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him"
(John 6:44). In the last chapter we saw that this "drawing" consists,
in part, of the Spirit's supernatural enlightenment of the
understanding. It also consists in the Spirit's inclining the
affections unto Christ. He acts upon sinners agreeably to their
nature: not by external force, such as is used on an unwilling animal,
but by spiritual influence or power moving their inward faculties: "I
drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love"(Hosea 11:4)--by
rational conviction of their judgment, by showing them that there is
infinitely more goodness and blessedness in Christ than in the
creature or the sinful gratification of carnal desire; by winning
their hearts to Christ, by communicating to them a powerful sense of
His superlative excellency and complete suitability unto all their
needs. To them that believe, "he is precious"(1 Pet. 2:7)--so
precious, they are willing to part with the world and everything, that
they may "win Christ" (Phil. 3:8).
As was shown at some length in the opening chapter, the affections of
the natural man are alienated from God, wedded to the things of time
and sense, so that he will not come to Christ. Though God's servants
seek to charm him with the lovely music of the Gospel, like the adder
he closes his ear. It is as the Lord portrayed it in the parable of
the Great Supper: "they all with one consent began to make excuse"
(Luke 14:18), one preferring his lands, another his merchandise,
another his social recreation. And nothing short of the Almighty power
and working of the Holy Spirit in the heart can break the spell which
sin and Satan has cast over man, and turn his heart from perishing
objects to an imperishable one. This He does in God's elect by His
secret and invincible operations, sweetly working in and alluring them
by revealing Christ to them in the winsomeness of His person and the
infinite riches of His grace, by letting down His love into their
hearts, and by moving them to lay hold of His kind invitations and
precious promises.
Most blessedly is this represented to us in "My beloved put is hand by
the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him" (Song of Sol.
5:4). Here the door of the heart (Acts 16:14), or more specifically,
the "door of faith" (Acts 14:27), is seen shut against Christ, and the
object of His love being so loath and unwilling as to rise and open to
Him. But though unwelcome, His love cannot be quenched, and He gently
enters (He does not burst the door open!) uninvited. His "hand"
opening the "door" is a figure of His efficacious grace removing every
obstacle in the heart of His elect (cf. Acts 11:21), and winning it to
Himself. The effect of His gracious entry, by His Spirit, is seen in
the "and my bowels were moved for him," which is a figure of the
stirring of the affections after Him--cf. Isaiah 63:15, Philemon 12.
For the thoughts of this paragraph we are indebted to the incomparable
commentary of John Gill on the Song of Solomon.
O what a miracle of grace has been wrought when the heart is truly
turned from the world unto God, from self unto Christ, from love of
sin unto love of holiness! It is this which is the fulfillment of
God's covenant promise in Ezekiel 36:26, "A new heart also will I give
you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the
stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh."
There is no man that loves money so much, but that he is willing to
part with it, for that which he values more highly than the sum he
parts with to purchase it. The natural man esteems material things
more highly than he does spiritual, but the regenerated loves Christ
more than all other objects beside, and this, because he has been made
a "new creature." It is a spiritual love which binds the heart to
Christ.
It is not simply a knowledge of the Truth which saves, but a love of
it which is the essential prerequisite. This is clear from 2
Thessalonians 2:10, "Because they received not the love of the truth,
that they might be saved." Close attention must be paid unto these
words, or a wrong conclusion may be drawn: it is not a love for the
Truth, but a love of the Truth. There are those who have the former,
who are destitute of the latter. We have met Russelites, and have
boarded with Christadelphians, who put many a real Christian to shame:
people who after a long day's work, spent the whole evening in
diligently studying the Bible. Nor was it just to satisfy curiosity.
Their zeal had lasted for years. Their Bible was as precious to them
as a devout Romanist's "beads" or "rosary" are to her. So too there is
a natural "love" for Christ, an ardent devotion for Him, which springs
not from a renewed heart. Just as one reared among devout Romanists,
grows up with a deep veneration and genuine affection for the Virgin;
so one carefully trained by Protestant parents, told from infancy that
Jesus loves him, grows up with a real but natural love for Him.
There may be a historical faith in all the doctrines of Scripture,
where the power of them is never experienced. There may be a fleshly
zeal for portions of God's Truth (as there was in the case of the
Pharisees) and yet the heart not be renewed. There may be joyous
emotions felt by a superficial reception of the Word (as there was in
the stonyground hearers: Matt. 13:20), where the "root of the matter"
(Job 19:28) be lacking. Tears may flow freely at the pathetic sight of
the suffering Saviour (as with the company of women who bewailed
Christ as He journeyed to the cross: Luke 23:27, 28), and yet the
heart be as hard as the nether millstone toward God. There may be a
rejoicing in the light of God's Truth (as was the case with Herod:
Mark 6:20), and yet Hell never be escaped from.
Since then there is a "love for the Truth" in contradistinction from a
"love of the Truth," and a natural love for Christ in contrast from a
spiritual love of Him, how am I to be sure which mine is? We may
distinguish between these "loves" thus: first, the one is partial, the
other is impartial: the one esteems the doctrines of Scripture but not
the duties it enjoins, the promises of Scripture but not the precepts,
the blessings of Christ but not His claims, His priestly office but
not His kingly rule; but not so with the spiritual lover. Second, the
one is occasional, the other is regular: the former balks when
personal interests are crossed; not so the latter. Third, the one is
evanescent and weak, the other lasting and powerful: the former
quickly wanes when other delights compete, and prevails not to control
the other affections; the latter rules the heart, and is strong as
death. Fourth, the former betters not its possessor; the latter
transforms the life.
That a saving "coming to Christ" is the affections being turned to and
fixed upon Him, may be further demonstrated from the nature of
backsliding, which begins with the heart's departure from Christ.
Observe how this is traced to its real source in Revelation 2:4, "Thou
hast left (not "lost") thy first love."The reality and genuineness of
our returning to Christ is evidenced by the effects which the workings
of the understanding produce upon the affections. A striking example
of this is found in Matthew 26:75, "and Peter remembered the word of
Jesus, which said unto him, `Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me
thrice.' And he went out, and wept bitterly": that "remembrance" was
not merely an historical, but a gracious one--his heart was melted by
it. So it ever is when the Holy Spirit works in and "renews" us. I may
recall a past sin, without being duly humbled thereby. I may
"remember" Christ's death in a mechanical and speculative way, without
the affections being truly moved. It is only as the faculty of our
understanding is quickened by the Holy Spirit that the heart is
powerfully impressed.
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STUDIES ON SAVING FAITH
by A. W. Pink
Part III
9. COMING TO CHRIST WITH OUR WILL
_________________________________________________________________
The man within the body is possessed of three principal faculties: the
understanding, the affections, and the will. As was shown earlier, all
of these were radically affected by the Fall: they were defiled and
corrupted, and in consequence, they are used in the service of self
and sin, rather than of God and of Christ. But in regeneration, these
faculties are quickened and cleansed by the Spirit: not completely,
but initially, and continuously so in the life-long process of
sanctification, and perfectly so at glorification. Now each of these
three faculties is subordinated to the others by the order of nature,
that is, as man has been constituted by his Maker. One faculty is
influenced by the other. In Genesis 3:6 we read, "the woman saw
(perceived) that the tree was good for food"--that was a conclusion
drawn by the understanding; "and that it was pleasant to the
eyes"--there was the response of her affections; "and a tree to be
desired"--there was the moving of the will; "she "--there was the
completed action.
Now the motions of Divine grace work through the apprehensions of
faith in the understanding, these warming and firing the affections,
and they in turn influencing and moving the will. Every faculty of the
soul is put forth in a saving "coming to Christ": "If thou believest
with all thine heart, thou mayest"--be baptized (Acts 8:37). "Coming
to Christ" is more immediately an act of the will, as John 5:40shows;
yet the will is not active toward Him until the understanding has been
enlightened and the affections quickened. The Spirit first causes the
sinner to perceive his deep need of Christ, and this, by showing him
his fearful rebellion against God, and that none but Christ can atone
for the same. Secondly, the Spirit creates in the heart a desire after
Christ, and this, by making him sick of sin and in love with holiness.
Third, as the awakened and enlightened soul has been given to see the
glory and excellency of Christ, and His perfect suitability to the
lost and perishing sinner, then the Spirit draws out the will to set
the highest value on that excellency, to esteem it far above all else,
and to close with Him.
As there is a Divine order among the three Persons of the Godhead in
providing salvation, so there is in the applying or bestowing of it.
It was God the Father's good pleasure appointing His people from
eternity unto salvation, which was the most full and sufficient
impulsive cause of their salvation, and every whit able to produce its
effect. It was the incarnate Son of God whose obedience and sufferings
were the most complete and sufficient meritorious cause of their
salvation, to which nothing can be added to make it more apt and able
to secure the travail of His soul. Yet neither the one nor the other
can actually save any sinner except as the Spirit applies Christ to
it: His work being the efficient and immediate cause of their
salvation. In like manner, the sinner is not saved when his
understanding is enlightened, and his affections fired: there must
also be the act of the will, surrendering to God and laying hold of
Christ.
The order of the Spirit's operations corresponds to the three great
offices of Christ, the Mediator, namely, His prophetic, priestly, and
kingly. As Prophet, He is first apprehended by the understanding, the
Truth of God being received from His lips. As Priest, He is trusted
and loved by the heart or affections, His glorious person being first
endeared unto the soul by the gracious work which He performed for it.
As Potentate, our will must be subdued unto Him, so that we submit to
His government, yield to His scepter, and heed His commandments.
Nothing short of the throne of our hearts will satisfy the Lord Jesus.
In order to do this, the Holy Spirit casts down our carnal
imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God, and brings into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5), so that we freely and gladly take
His yoke upon us; which yoke is, as one of the Puritans said, "lined
with love."
"No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him"
(John 6:44). This "drawing" is accomplished by the Spirit: first, in
effectually enlightening the understanding; secondly, by quickening
the affections; third, by freeing the will from the bondage of sin and
inclining it toward God. By the invincible workings of grace, the
Spirit turns the bent of that will, which before moved only toward sin
and vanity, unto Christ. "Thy people," said God unto the Mediator,
"shall be willing in the day of thy power" (Ps. 110:3). Yet though
Divine power be put forth upon a human object, the Spirit does not
infringe the will's prerogative of acting freely: He morally persuades
it. He subdues its sinful intractability. He overcomes its prejudice,
wins and draws it by the sweet attractions of grace.
"God never treats man as though he were a brute; He does not drag him
with cart ropes; He treats men as men; and when He binds them with
cords, they are the cords of love and the bands of a man. I may
exercise power over another's will, and yet that other man's will may
be perfectly free; because the constraint is exercised in a manner
accordant with the laws of the human mind. If I show a man that a
certain line of action is much for his advantage, he feels bound to
follow it, but he is perfectly free in so doing. If man's will were
subdued or chained by some physical process, if man's heart should,
for instance, be taken from him and be turned round by a manual
operation, that would be altogether inconsistent with human freedom,
or indeed with human nature; and yet I think some few people imagine
that we mean this when we talk of constraining influence and Divine
grace. We mean nothing of the kind; we mean that Jehovah Jesus knows
how, by irresistible arguments addressed to the understanding, by
mighty reasons appealing to the affections, and by the mysterious
influence of His Holy Spirit operating upon all the powers and
passions of the soul, so to subdue the whole man, that whereas it was
once rebellious it becomes obedient; whereas it stood stoutly against
the Most High, it throws down the weapons of its rebellion and cries,
`I yield! I yield! subdued by sovereign love, and by the enlightenment
which Thou hast bestowed upon me, I yield myself to Thy will'" (C. H.
Spurgeon, John 6:37).
The perfect consistency between the freedom of a regenerated man's
spiritual actions and the efficacious grace of God moving him thereto,
is seen in 2 Corinthians 8:16,17. "But thanks be to God, which put the
same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you. For indeed he
accepted the exhortation: but being more forward, of his own accord he
went unto you." Titus was moved to that work by Paul's exhortation,
and was "willing of his own accord" to engage therein; and yet it was
"God which put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus" for
them. God controls the inward feelings and acts of men without
interfering either with their liberty or responsibility. The zeal of
Titus was the spontaneous effusion of his own heart, and was an index
to an element of his character; nevertheless, God wrought in him both
to will and to do of His good pleasure.
No sinner savingly "comes to Christ," or truly receives Him into the
heart, until the will freely consents (not merely "assents" in a
theoretical way) to the severe and self--denying terms upon which He
is presented in the Gospel. No sinner is prepared to forsake all for
Christ, take up "the cross," and "follow" Him in the path of universal
obedience, until the heart genuinely esteems Him "The Fairest among
ten thousand," and this none will ever do before the understanding has
been supernaturally enlightened and the affections supernaturally
quickened. Obviously, none will espouse themselves with conjugal
affections to that person whom they account not the best that can be
chosen. It is as the Spirit convicts us of our emptiness and shows us
Christ's fulness, our guilt and His righteousness, our filthiness and
the cleansing merits of His blood, our depravity and His holiness,
that the heart is won and the resistance of the will is overcome.
The holy and spiritual Truth of God finds nothing akin to itself in
the unregenerate soul, but instead, everything that is opposed to it
(John 15:18; Rom. 8:7). The demands of Christ are too humbling to our
natural pride, too searching for the callous conscience, too exacting
for our fleshly desires. And a miracle of grace has to be wrought
within us before this awful depravity of our nature, this dreadful
state of affairs, is changed. That miracle of grace consists in
overcoming the resistance which is made by indwelling sin, and
creating desires and longings Christward; and then it is that the will
cries,
"Nay, but I yield, I yield,
I can hold out no more;
I sink, by dying love compell'd,
And own Thee Conqueror."
A beautiful illustration of this is found in Ruth 1:14-18. Naomi, a
backslidden saint, is on the point of leaving the far country, and
(typically) returning to her Father's house. Her two daughters-in-law
wish to accompany her. Faithfully did Naomi bid them "count the cost"
(Luke 14:28); instead of at once urging them to act on their first
impulse, she pointed out the difficulties and trials to be
encountered. This was too much for Orpha: her "goodness" (like that of
the stony-ground hearers, and myriads of others) was only "as a
morning cloud" and "as the early dew" it quickly went away (Hos. 6:4).
In blessed contrast from this we read, "But Ruth clave unto her. . .
saying, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following
after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest,
I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God."
What depth and loveliness of affection was here! What whole-hearted
self-surrender! See Ruth freely and readily leaving her own country
and kindred, tearing herself from every association of nature, turning
a deaf ear to her mother-in-law's begging her to return to her gods
(v. 15) and people. See her renouncing idolatry and all that flesh
holds dear, to be a worshipper and servant of the living God, counting
all things but loss for the sake of His favour and salvation; and her
future conduct proved her faith was genuine and her profession
sincere. Ah, naught but a miraculous work of God in her soul can
explain this. It was God working in her "both to will and to do of his
good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13). He was drawing her with the bands of
love: grace triumphed over the flesh. This is what every genuine
conversion is--a complete surrender of the mind, heart and will to God
and His Christ, so that there is a desire to "follow the Lamb
whithersoever he goeth" (Rev. 14:4).
The relation between our understanding being enlightened and the
affections quickened by God and the resultant consent of the will, is
seen in Psalm 119:34, "Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy
law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart." "The sure result of
regeneration, or the bestowal of understanding, is the devout
reverence for the law and a reverent keeping of it in the heart. The
Spirit of God makes us to know the Lord and to understand somewhat of
His love, wisdom, holiness, and majesty; and the result is that we
honour the law and yield our hearts to the obedience of the faith. The
understanding operates upon the affections; it convinces the heart of
the beauty of the law, so that the soul loves it with all its powers;
and then it reveals the majesty of the law-Giver, and the whole nature
bows before His supreme will. He alone obeys God who can say `My Lord,
I would serve Thee, and do it with all my heart'; and none can truly
say this till they have received as a free grant the inward
illumination of the Holy Spirit" (C. H. Spurgeon).
Ere turning to our final section, a few words need to be added here
upon 1 Peter 2:4, "To whom coming as unto a living stone. . .we also,
as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house." Has the sovereign
grace of God inclined me to come unto Christ? then it is my duty and
interest to "abide" in Him (John 15:4). Abide in Him by a life of
faith, and letting His Spirit abide in me without grieving Him (Eph.
4:30) or quenching His motions (1 Thess. 5:19). It is not enough that
I once believed on Christ, I must live in and upon Him by faith daily:
Galatians 2:20. It is in this way of continual coming to Christ that
we are "built up a spiritual house." It is in this way the life of
grace is maintained, until it issue in the life of glory. Faith is to
be always receiving out of His fulness "grace for grace" (John 1:16).
Daily should there be the renewed dedication of myself unto Him and
the heart's occupation with Him.
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STUDIES ON SAVING FAITH
by A. W. Pink
Part III
10. TESTS
_________________________________________________________________
Unto those who never savingly "came to Christ," He will yet say
"Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the
Devil and his angels." The contemplation of those awful words ought to
almost freeze the very blood in our veins, searching our consciences
and awing our hearts. But, alas, it is much to be feared that Satan
will blunt their piercing force unto many of our readers, by assuring
them that they have already come to Christ, and telling them they are
fools to doubt it for a moment. But, O dear friend, seeing that there
is no less than your immortal soul at stake, that whether you spend
eternity in Heaven with the blessed or in Hell with the cursed, hinges
on whether or no you really and truly "come to Christ," will not you
read the paragraphs which follow with double care.
1. How many rest on their sound doctrinal views of Christ. They
believe firmly in His Deity, His holy humanity, His perfect life, His
vicarious death, His bodily resurrection, His ascension to God's right
hand, His present intercession on high, and His second advent. So too
did many of those to whom James addressed his epistle, but he reminded
them that the "demons also believe and tremble" (2:19). O my reader,
saving faith in Christ is very much more than assenting to the
teachings of Scripture concerning Him; it is the giving up of the soul
unto Him to be saved, to renounce all else, to yield fully unto Him.
2. How many mistake the absence of doubts for a proof they have
savingly come to Christ. They take for granted that for which they
have no clear evidence. But, reader, a man possesses not Christ by
faith as he does money in a strongbox or title-deeds of land which are
preserved by his lawyer, and which he never looks at once in a year.
No, Christ is as "bread" which a man feeds upon, chews, digests, which
his stomach works upon continually, and by which he is nourished and
strengthened: John 6:53. The empty professor feeds upon a good opinion
of himself, rather than upon Christ.
3. How many mistake the stirring of the emotions for the Spirit's
quickening of the affections. If people weep under the preaching of
the word, superficial observers are greatly encouraged, and if they go
forward to the "mourners' bench" and sob and wail over their sins,
this is regarded as a sure sign that God has savingly convicted them.
But a supernatural work of Divine grace goes much deeper than that.
Tears are but on the surface, and are a matter of temperamental
constitution--even in nature, some of those who feel things the most
give the least outward sign of it. It is the weeping of the heart
which God requires; it is a godly sorrow for sin which breaks its
reigning power over the soul that evidences regeneration.
4. How many mistake a fear of the wrath to come for an hatred of sin.
No one wants to go to Hell. If the intellect be convinced of its
reality, and the unspeakable awfulness of its torments are in a
measure believed, then there may be great uneasiness of mind, fear of
conscience, and anguish of heart, over the prospect of suffering its
eternal burnings. Those fears may last a considerable time, yea, their
effects may never completely wear off. The subject of them may come
under the ministry of a faithful servant of God, hear him describe the
deep ploughing of the Spirit's work, and conclude that he has been the
subject of them, yet have none of that love for Christ which manifests
itself in a life, all the details of which seek to honour and glorify
Him.
5. How many mistake a false peace for a true one. Let a person who has
had awakened within him a natural dread of the lake of fire, whose own
conscience has made him wretched, and the preaching he has heard
terrify him yet more, then is he not (like a drowning man) ready to
clutch at a straw. Let one of the false prophets of the day tell him
that all he has to do is believe John 3:16 and salvation is his, and
how eagerly will he--though unchanged in heart-- drink in such "smooth
things." Assured that nothing more is required than to firmly believe
that God loves him and that Christ died for him, and his burden is
gone: peace now fills him. Yes, and nineteen times out of twenty, that
"peace" is nothing but Satan's opiate, drugging his conscience and
chloroforming him into Hell. "There is no (true, spiritual) peace,
saith my God, to the wicked," and unless the heart has been purified
no man will see God (Matt. 5:8).
6. How many mistake self-confidence for spiritual assurance. It is
natural for each of us to think well and hope well of ourselves, and
to imagine with Haman, "I am the man whom the King delighteth to
honour." Perhaps the reader is ready to say, That is certainly not
true of me: so far from having a high esteem, I regard myself as a
worthless, sinful creature. Yes, and so deceitful is the human heart,
and so ready is Satan to turn everything to his own advantage, these
very lowly thoughts of self may be feasted on, and rested on to assure
the heart that all is well with you. The apostate king Saul began by
having a lowly estimate of himself (1 Sam. 9:21).
7. How many make a promise the sole ground of their faith, and look no
further than the letter of it. Thus the Jews were deceived by the
letter of the law, for they never saw the spiritual meaning of Moses'
ministry. In like manner, multitudes are deceived by the letter of
such promises as Acts 16:31; Romans 10:13, etc., and look not to
Christ in them: they see that He is the jewel in the casket, but rest
upon the superscription without, and never lay hold of the Treasure
within. But unless the person of Christ be apprehended, unless there
be a real surrendering to His Lordship, unless He be Himself received
into the heart, then believing the letter of the promises will avail
nothing.
The above paragraphs have been written in the hope that God may be
pleased to arouse some empty professors out of their false security.
But lest any of Christ's little ones be stumbled, we close with an
excerpt from John Bunyan's Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ: "How
shall we know that such men are coming to Christ? Answer: do they cry
out at sin, being burdened with it, as an exceedingly bitter thing? Do
they fly from it, as from the face of a deadly serpent? Do they cry
out of the insufficiency of their own righteousness, as to
justification in the sight of God? Do they cry out after the Lord
Jesus to save them? Do they see more worth and merit in one drop of
Christ's blood to save them, than in all the sins of the world to damn
them? Are they tender of sinning against Jesus Christ? Do they favour
Christ in this world, and do they leave all the world for His sake?
And are they willing (God helping them) to run hazards for His name,
for the love they bear to Him? Are His saints precious to them? If
these things be so, these men are coming to Christ."
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STUDIES ON SAVING FAITH
by A. W. Pink
Part IV
11. INTRODUCTION
_________________________________________________________________
By way of introduction and in order to acquaint the reader with the
particular angle of viewpoint from which we now approach our present
theme, let it be pointed out that changing conditions in Christendom
call for an ever-varying emphasis on different aspects of Divine
Truth. At different periods the true servants of God have had to face
widely different situations, and meet errors of varied character. This
has called for a campaign of offense and defense adapted to the
exigencies of many situations. The weapons suited to one conflict were
quite useless for another; fresh ones needing to be constantly drawn
from the armory of Scripture.
At the close of that lengthy period known as the "dark ages" (though
throughout it God never left Himself without a clear witness), when
the Lord caused a flood of light to break forth upon Christendom, the
Reformers were faced by the hoary errors of Romanism, among which was
her insistence that none could be positively assured of his salvation
till the hour of death was reached. This caused Luther and his
contemporaries to deliver a positive message, seeking to stimulate
confidence toward God and the laying hold of His sure promises. Yet it
has to be acknowledged there were times when their zeal carried them
too far, leading to a position which could not be successfully
defended from the Scriptures. Many of the Reformers insisted that
assurance was an essential element in saving faith itself, and that
unless a person knew he was "accepted in the Beloved" he was yet in
his sins. Thus, in the revolt from Romanism, the Protestant pendulum
swung too far to the opposite side.
In the great mercy of God the balance of Truth was restored in the
days of the Puritans. The principal doctrine which Luther and his
fellows had emphasized so forcibly was justification by faith alone,
but at the close of the sixteenth century and in the early part of the
seventeenth such men as Perkins, Gattaker, Rollock, etc., made
prominent the collateral doctrine of sanctification by the Spirit. For
the next fifty years the Church on earth was blest with many men
"mighty in the Scriptures," deeply taught of God, enabled by Him to
maintain a well-rounded ministry. Such men as Goodwin, Owen, Charnock,
Flavel, Sibbs, etc., though living in troublous times and suffering
fierce persecution, taught the Word more helpfully (in our judgment)
and were more used of God than any since the days of the apostles to
the present hour.
The ministry of the Puritans was an exceedingly searching one. While
magnifying the free grace of God in no uncertain terms, while teaching
plainly that the satisfaction of Christ alone gave title to Heaven,
while emphatically repudiating all creature-merits, they nevertheless
insisted that a supernatural and transforming work of the Spirit in
the heart and life of the believer was indispensable to fit him for
Heaven. Professors were rigidly tested, and the results and fruits of
faith were demanded before its presence was admitted. Self-examination
was frequently insisted upon, and full details given as to how one
might ascertain that he was a "new creature in Christ Jesus."
Christians were constantly urged to "make their calling and election
sure" by ascertaining that they had clear evidence of the same. While
conditions were far from being perfect, yet there is good reason to
conclude that more deluded souls were undeceived and more hypocrites
exposed than at any other period since the first century A.D.
The eighteenth century witnessed a sad declension and departure from
the faith. Worldly prosperity brought in spiritual deterioration. As
the Puritan leaders died off, none were raised up to fill their
places. Arminianism spread rapidly, followed by Deism (Unitarianism)
and other fatal errors. Worldliness engulfed the churches, and
lawlessness and wickedness were rampant without. The Gospel-trumpet
was almost silent, and the remnant of God's people dwindled down to an
insignificant and helpless handful. But where sin abounded, grace did
much more abound. Again the light of God shone forth powerfully in the
darkness: Whitefield, Romaine, Gill, Hervey, and others being raised
up by God to revive His saints and convert many sinners to Christ. The
main emphasis of their preaching and teaching was upon the sovereign
grace of God as exhibited in the everlasting covenant, the certain
efficacy of Christ's atonement unto all for whom it was made, and the
work of the Spirit in regeneration.
Under the God-given revivals of the latter part of the eighteenth
century the great doctrines of the Christian faith occupied the most
prominent place. In order that the balance of truth might be preserved
during the next two or three generations it became necessary for the
servants of God to emphasize the experimental side of things.
Intellectual orthodoxy qualifies none for Heaven: there must be a
moral and spiritual transformation, a miracle of grace wrought within
the soul, which begins at regeneration and is carried on by
sanctification. During that period doctrinal exposition receded more
and more into the background, and the practical application of the
Word to the heart and life was the characteristic feature in orthodox
circles. This called for serious self-examination, and that, in many
cases, resulted in doubtings and despondency. Where a due balance is
not preserved by preachers and teachers between the objective and
subjective sides of the truth, where the latter preponderates, either
a species of mysticism or a lack of assurance ensues.
The second half of last century found many circles of professing
Christians on the borders of the Slough of Despond. in many companies
the full assurance of salvation was looked upon as a species of
fanaticism or as carnal presumption. Unduly occupied with themselves,
ill-instructed upon the "two natures" in the Christian, thousands of
poor souls regarded doubts and fears, sighs and groans, as the highest
evidence of a regenerate state; but those being mixed with worldly and
fleshly lustings, the subjects were afraid to affirm they were
children of God. To meet this situation many ill-trained evangelists
and teachers sought to direct attention to Christ and His "finished
work," and to get their hearers' confidence placed upon the bare Word
of God. While one evil was corrected another was committed: while the
letter of Scripture was honored, the work of the Spirit was
(unwittingly) dishonored. Supposing they had a remedy which was sure
to work in all cases alike, a superficial work resulted, the aftermath
of which we are now reaping. Thousands of souls who give no evidence
of being born again are quite confident that Christ has saved them.
From the brief outline presented above, it will be seen that the
pendulum has swung from one side to the other. Man is a creature of
extremes, and nought but the grace of God can enable any of us to
steer a middle path. A careful study of the course of religious
history also reveals the fact that the servants of God have been
obliged, from time to time, to vary their note of emphasis. This is
one meaning of that expression, "and be established in the present
truth" (2 Pet. 1:12), namely that particular aspect or line of truth
which is most needful at any given time. Instead of gaining ground,
the Puritans had lost it had they merely echoed what the Reformers had
taught. It was not that Owen contradicted Luther, rather did he
supplement him. Where particular stress has been laid on the counsels
of sovereign grace and the imputed righteousness of Christ, this needs
to be followed by attention being drawn to the work of the Spirit
within the saints. In like manner, where much ministry has been given
on the Christian's state, there is a need for a clear exposition of
his standing before God.
It is truly deplorable that so few have recognized the need for
applying the principle that has just been mentioned. So many, having a
zeal which is not tempered by knowledge, suppose that because some
honored servant of God in the past was granted much success through
his dwelling so largely upon one particular line of truth, that they
will have equal success provided they imitate him. But circumstances
alter cases. The different states through which the professing Church
passes, calls for different ministry. There is such a thing as "a word
spoken in due season"(Prov. 15:23):O that it may please God to open
the eyes of many to see what is most "seasonable" for the degenerate
times in which our lot is cast, and grant them spiritual discernment
to recognize that even many portions of Divine truth may prove highly
injurious to souls if given them out of season.
We recognize this fact easily enough in connection with material
things, why are we so slow to do so when it concerns spiritual things?
Meats and nuts are nutritious, but who would think of feeding an
infant upon them? So too sickness of the body calls for a change of
diet. The same is true of the soul. To make this clearer, let us
select one or two extreme cases. The truth of eternal punishment
should be faithfully preached by every servant of God, but would a
broken-hearted woman who had just lost her husband or child, be a
suitable audience? The glory and bliss of the heavenly state is a
precious theme, but would it be fitting to present it unto a
professing Christian who was intoxicated? The eternal security of the
saints is clearly revealed in Holy Writ, but does that justify me in
pressing it on the attention of a backslidden child of God?
Our introduction has been a lengthy one, yet we deemed it necessary to
pave the way for what follows. The servant of God is facing today a
dreadfully serious and solemn situation. Much that is dearest of all
to his heart he has largely to be silent upon. If he is to faithfully
deal with souls, he must address himself to the condition they are in.
Unless he is much upon his guard, unless he constantly seeks wisdom
and guidance from above, he is likely to make bad matters worse. On
every side are people full of assurance, certain that they are
journeying to Heaven; yet their daily lives show plainly that they are
deceived, and that their assurance is only a fleshly one. Thousands
are, to use their own words, "resting on John 3:16," or 5:24, and have
not the slightest doubt they will spend eternity with Christ.
Nevertheless it is the bounden duty of every real servant of God to
tell the great majority of them that they are woefully deluded by
Satan. O that it may please God to give us the ear and serious
attention of some of them.
Some time ago we read of an incident which, as nearly as we recall,
was as follows. Nearly one hundred years since, conditions in England
were similar to what they have recently been in this country. Banks
were failing, and people were panic-stricken. One man who had lost
confidence in the banks, drew out all his money in five-pound notes,
and then got a friend to change them into gold. Conditions grew worse,
other banks failed, and some of this man's friends told him they had
lost their all. With much confidence he informed them that he had
drawn out his money, had changed it into gold, and that this was
secretly hidden where no one would find it; so that he was perfectly
safe. A little later, when needing to buy some things, he went to his
secret hoard and took out five golden sovereigns. He went from one
shop to another, but none would accept them-- they were bad ones.
Thoroughly alarmed, he went to his hidden money, only to find that it
was all counterfeit coin!
Now, dear reader, you too may be quite sure that your faith in Christ
is true "gold," and yet, after alt, be mistaken. The danger of this is
not to be fancied, but real. The human heart is dreadfully deceitful
(Jer. 17:9). God's Word plainly warns us that "There is a generation
that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their
filthiness" (Prov. 30:12). Do you ask (O that you may, in deep
earnestness and sincerity) How can I be sure that my faith is a
genuine and saving one? The answer is, Test it. Make certain that it
is the "faith of God's elect" (Titus 1:1). Ascertain whether or no
your faith is accompanied with those fruits which are inseparable from
a God-given and Spirit-wrought faith.
Probably many are ready to say, There is no need for me to be put to
any such trouble; I know that my faith is a saving one, for I am
resting on the finished work of Christ. But dear friend, it is foolish
to talk like that. God Himself bids His people to make their "calling
and election sure" (2 Pet. 1:10). Is that a needless exhortation? O
pit not your vain confidence against Divine wisdom. It is Satan who is
striving so hard to keep many from this very task, lest they discover
that their house is built on the sand. There is hope for one who
discovers his illusion, but there is none for those who go on
believing the Devil's lie, and rest content with the very real but
false peace which he gives to so many of his poor victims.
God Himself has supplied us with tests, and we are mad if we do not
avail ourselves of them, and honestly measure ourselves by them.
"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the
Son of God: that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye
may believe (more intelligently) on the name of the Son of God" (1
John 5:13).The Holy Spirit Himself moved one of His servants to write
a whole Epistle to instruct us how we might know whether or not we
have eternal life. Does that look as though the question may be
determined and settled as easily as so many present-day preachers and
writers represent it? If nothing more than a firm persuasion of the
truth of John 3:16 or 5:24be needed to assure me of my salvation, then
why did God give a whole Epistle to instruct us on this subject?
Let the really concerned soul read slowly and thoughtfully through
this first epistle of John, and let him duly observe that not once in
its five chapters are we told "We know that we have passed from death
unto life because we are resting on the finished work of Christ." The
total absence of such a statement ought, surely, to convince us that
something must be radically wrong with so much of the popular teaching
of the day on this subject. But not only is there no such declaration
made in this epistle, the very first passage which contains the
familiar "we know" is quite the reverse of what is now being so widely
advocated as the ground of Christian assurance. "And hereby we do know
that we know him, if we keep his commandments" (1 John 2:3). Is not
that plain enough? A godly life is the first proof that I am a child
of God.
But let us observe the solemn declaration that immediately follows.
"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a
liar, and the truth is not in him" (1 John 2:4). Do these words anger
you? We trust not: they are God's, not ours. Do you refuse to read any
more of this article? That would be a bad sign: an honest heart does
not fear the light. A sincere soul is willing to be searched by the
Truth. If you are unable to endure now the feeble probing of one of
His servants, how will it fare in a soon-coming day when the Lord
Himself shall search you through and through? O dear friend, give your
poor soul a fair chance, be willing to ascertain whether your faith is
real wheat, or only chaff. If it prove to be the latter, there is
still time for you to humble yourself before God and cry unto Him to
give you saving faith. But in that Day it will be too late!
"He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a
liar, and the truth is not in him" (1 John 2:4). How plain and pointed
is this language! How awful its clear intimation! Do you not see, dear
reader, this verse plainly implies that there are those who claim to
know Christ, and yet are liars. The father of lies has deceived them,
and he is doing everything in his power to keep them from being
undeceived. That is why the unregenerate reader finds this article so
unpalatable, and wishes to turn from it. O resist this inclination, we
beseech you. God has given us this very verse by which we may measure
ourselves, and discover whether or not our "assurance of salvation"
will stand the test of His Holy Word. Then act not like the silly
ostrich, which buries his head in the sand rather than face his
danger.
Let us quote one more verse from this first "we know" passage in
John's epistle: "But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love
of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him" (1 John 2:5).This
stands in sharp contrast from the preceding verse. The apostle was
here moved to set before us some clear scriptural evidences of
spiritual faith and love, which constitute the vital difference
between sheep and goats. In verse 4 it is the empty professor who says
"I know Christ as my personal Saviour." He has a theoretical, but not
a vital knowledge of Him. He boasts that he is resting on Christ's
finished work, and is confident that he is saved; but keeps not His
commandments. He is still a self-pleaser. Like Solomon's sluggard, he
is "wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can give a reason"
(Prov. 26:16). He talks boldly, but walks carelessly.
In verse 5it is the genuine Christian who is in view. He does not say
"I know Him," instead he proves it. The apostle is not here presenting
Christ as the immediate Object of faith, but is describing him who has
savingly fled to the Lord for refuge, and this, by the effects
produced. In him Christ's Word is everything: his food, his constant
meditation, his chart. He "keeps" it, in memory, in heart, in action.
Christ's "commandments" occupy his thoughts and prayers as much as do
His promises. That Word working in him subdues his carnal desires,
feeds his graces, and draws them into real exercise and act. That Word
has such a place in his heart and mind that he cannot but give proof
of the same in his talk and walk. In this way the "love of God is
perfected": the Family likeness is plainly stamped upon him; all can
see to which "father" he belongs--contrast John 8:44.
"Whoso keepeth his word. . .hereby (in this way) know we that we are
in Him." Keep His Word perfectly? No. But actually,
characteristically, in deep desire and honest effort to do so. Yes.
Regeneration is that miracle of Divine grace wrought in the soul which
enlists the affections Godward, which brings the human will into
subjection to the Divine, and which produces a real and radical change
in the life. That change is from worldliness to godliness, from
disobedience to obedience. At the new birth, the love of God is shed
abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit, and that love is manifested in
a dominating longing and sincere purpose to please in all things the
One who has plucked me as a brand from the burning. There is a greater
difference between the genuine Christian and the deceived professing
Christian than there is between a living man and a corpse. None need
remain in doubt if they will honestly measure themselves by the Holy
Word of God.
There is only space for us to consider one other scripture in this
opening article, namely, the Parable of the Sower. Why did the Lord
Jesus give us that parable? Why, but to stir me up to serious inquiry
and diligent examination so as to discover which kind of a "hearer" I
am. In that parable, Christ likened those who hear the Word unto
various sorts of ground upon which the seed falls. He divided them
into four different classes. Three out of the four brought no fruit to
perfection. That is exceedingly solemn and searching. In one case, the
Devil catches away the good seed out of the heart (Luke 8:12). In
another case, they "for a while believe, and in time of temptation
fall away" (Luke 8:13). In another case, they are "choked with cares
and riches and pleasures of this life" (Luke 8:14). Are you, my
reader, described in one of these? Do not ignore this question; we beg
you: face it honestly, and make sure which of the various soils
represents your heart.
But there are some "good ground" hearers. And how are they to be
identified? What did the infallible Son of God say of them? How did He
describe them? Did He say, "that on the good ground are they who rest
on the Word of God, and doubt not His promises; are thoroughly
persuaded they are saved, and yet go on living the same kind of life
as previously"? No, He did not. Instead, He declared, "But that on the
good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard
the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience" (Luke
8:15).Ah, dear readers, the test is fruit: not knowledge, not
boastings, not orthodoxy, not joy, but fruit; and such "fruit" as mere
nature cannot produce. It is the fruit of the Vine, namely, likeness
to Christ, being conformed to His image. May the Holy Spirit search
each one of us.
"Can true believers be infallibly assured that they are in the estate
of grace, and that they shall persevere therein unto salvation?
Answer: Such as truly believe in Christ, and endeavour to walk in all
good conscience before Him (1 John 2:3), may, without extraordinary
revelation, by faith grounded upon the truth of God's promises, and by
the Spirit enabling them to discern in themselves those graces to
which the promises of life are made (1 John 3:14, 18, 19, 21, 24; Heb.
6:11-12, etc.), and bearing witness with their spirits that they are
the children of God (Rom. 8:16), be infallibly assured that they are
in the estate of grace and shall persevere therein unto salvation (1
John 5:13; 2 Tim. 1:12)."
"Assurance is the believer's full conviction that, through the work of
Christ alone, received by faith, he is in possession of a salvation in
which he will be eternally kept. And this assurance rests only upon
the Scripture promises to him who believes."
The careful reader will perceive a considerable difference of doctrine
in the two quotations given above. The former us the product of the
Puritans, the latter is a fair sample of what the boasted
enlightenment of the twentieth century has brought forth. The one is
extracted from the Westminster Confession of Faith (the doctrinal
statement of the Presbyterians), the other is taken from the "Scofield
Bible." In the one, the balance of Truth is helpfully preserved; in
the second, the work and witness of the Holy Spirit is altogether
ignored. This example is only one out of scores we could cite, which
sadly illustrates how far we have gone backward. The answer given by
the Puritans is calculated to lead to heart searchings; the definition
(if such it may be called) of the popular dispensationalist is likely
to bolster up the deluded. This brings us to consider, more
definitely, the nature of assurance.
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A. W. Pink Header
STUDIES ON SAVING FAITH
by A. W. Pink
Part IV
12. ITS NATURE
_________________________________________________________________
Let us begin by asking the question, Assurance of what? That the Holy
Scriptures are the inspired and infallible Word of God? No, that is
not our subject. Assured that salvation is by grace alone? No, for
neither is that our immediate theme. Rather, the assurance that I am
no longer in a state of nature, but in a state of grace; and this, not
as a mere conjectural persuasion, but as resting on sure evidence. It
is a well-authenticated realization that not only has my mind been
enlightened concerning the great truths of God's Word, but that a
supernatural work has been wrought in my soul which has made me a new
creature in Christ Jesus. A scriptural assurance of salvation is that
knowledge which the Holy Spirit imparts to the heart through the
Scriptures, that my "faith" is not a natural one, but "the faith of
God's elect"(Titus 1:1), that my love for Christ is sincere and not
fictitious, that my daily walk is that of a regenerated man.
The assurance of the saints is, as the Westminster divines said, "by
the Spirit enabling them to discern in themselves those graces to
which the promises of life are made." Let us seek to amplify that
statement. At the commencement of Matthew 5 we find the Lord Jesus
pronouncing blessed a certain class of people. They are not named as
"believers" or saints," but instead are described by their characters;
and it is only by comparing ourselves and others with the description
that the Lord Jesus there gave, that we are enabled to identify such.
First, He said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit." To be "poor in
spirit" is to have a feeling sense that in me, that is, in my flesh,
"there dwelleth no good thing" (Rom. 7:18). It is the realization that
1 am utterly destitute of anything and everything which could commend
me favorably to God's notice. It is to recognize that I am a spiritual
bankrupt. It is the consciousness, even now (not years ago, when I was
first awakened), that I am without strength and wisdom, and that I am
a helpless creature, completely dependent upon the grace and mercy of
God. To be "poor in spirit" is the opposite of Laodiceanism, which
consists of self-complacency and self-sufficiency, imagining I am
"rich, and in need of nothing."
"Blessed are they that mourn." It is one thing to believe the theory
that I am spiritually a poverty-stricken pauper, it is quite another
to have an acute sense of it in my soul. Where the latter exists,
there are deep exercises of heart, which evoke the bitter cry, "my
leanness, my leanness, woe unto me!" (Isa. 24:16). There is deep
anguish that there is so little growth in grace, so little fruit to
God's glory, such a wretched return made for His abounding goodness
unto me. This is accompanied by an ever-deepening discovery of the
depths of corruption which is still within me. The soul finds that
when it would do good, evil is present with him (Rom. 7:21). It is
grieved by the motions of unbelief, the swellings of pride, the
surging of rebellion against God. Instead of peace, there is war
within; instead of realizing his holy aspirations, the blessed one is
daily defeated; until the stricken heart cries out, "O wretched man
that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Rom.
7:24).
"Blessed are the meek." Meekness is yieldedness. It is the opposite of
self-will. Meekness is pliability and meltedness of heart, which makes
me submissive and responsive to God's will. Now observe, dear reader,
these first three marks of the "blessed" consist not in outward
actions, but of inward graces; not in showy deeds, but in states of
soul. Note too that they are far from being characteristics which will
render their possessor pleasing and popular to the world. He who feels
himself to be a spiritual pauper will not be welcomed by the wealthy
Laodiceans. He who daily mourns for his leanness, his barrenness, his
sinfulness, will not be courted by the self-righteous. He who is truly
meek will not be sought after by the self-assertive. No, he will be
scorned by the Pharisees and looked upon with contempt by those who
boast they are "out of Romans 7 and living in Romans 8." These lovely
graces, which are of great price in the sight of God, are despised by
the bloated professors of the day.
We must not now review the additional marks of the "blessed" named by
the Redeemer at the beginning of His precious Sermon on the Mount, but
at one other we will just glance. "Blessed are they which are
persecuted for righteousness' sake.. Blessed are ye when men shall
revile you. . .for My sake" (Matt. 5:10, 11). Observe that this
antagonism is not evoked by wrongdoing, or by a well-grounded offence.
They who are morose, selfish, haughty, evil speakers, cruel, have no
right to shelter behind this beatitude, when people retaliate against
them. No, it is where Christ-likeness of character and conduct is
assailed; where practical godliness condemns the worldly ways of empty
professors, that fires their enmity; where humble but vital piety
cannot be tolerated by those who are destitute of the same. Blessed,
said Christ, are the spiritual, whom the carnal hate; the gentle
sheep, whom the dogs snap at.
Now dear reader, seek grace to honestly measure yourself by these
criteria. Do such heavenly graces adorn your soul? Are these marks of
those whom the Son of God pronounces "blessed" stamped upon your
character? Are you truly "poor in spirit"? We say "truly": for it is
easy to adopt expressions and call ourselves names--if you are
offended when someone else applies them to you, it shows you do not
mean what you say. Do you "mourn" over your lack of conformity to
Christ, the feebleness of your faith, the coldness of your love? Are
you "meek"? Has your will been broken and your heart made submissive
to God? Do you hunger and thirst after righteousness?--do you use the
means of grace, your searching of the Scriptures, your prayers, evince
it? Are you "merciful," or censorious and harsh? Are you "pure in
heart"? grieved when an impure imagination assails? If not, you have
no right to regard yourself as "blessed"; instead you are under the
curse of a holy and sin-hating God.
It is not, Are these spiritual graces fully developed within you--they
never are in this life. But are they truly present at all? It is not
are you completely emptied of self, but is it your sincere desire and
earnest prayer to be so. It is not do you "mourn" as deeply as you
ought over indwelling sin and its activities, but have you felt at all
"the plague" of your own heart (1 Kings 8:38). It is not is your
meekness all that can be desired, but is there unmistakable proof that
the root of it has actually been communicated to your soul? There is a
growth: "first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the
ear." But that which has no existence can have no growth. Has the
"seed" (1 Pet. 1:23) of grace been planted in your heart: that is the
point which each of us is called upon to determine--not to assume, or
take for granted, but to make "sure" (2 Pet. 1:10) of. And this is
done when we faithfully examine our hearts to discover whether or not
there is in them those spiritual graces to which the promises of God
are addressed.
While Gospel assurance is the opposite of carnal presumption and of
unbelieving doubts, yet it is far from being opposed to thorough
self-examination. But alas, so many have been taught, and by men
highly reputed for their orthodoxy, that if it is not actually wrong,
it is highly injurious for a Christian to look within. There is a
balance of truth to be observed here, as everywhere. That one might
become too introspective is readily granted, but that a Christian is
never to search his own heart, test his faith, scrutinize his motives,
and make sure that he has the "root of the matter" within him (Job
19:28), is contradicted by many plain Scriptures. Regeneration is a
work which God performs within us (Phil. 1:6), and as eternal destiny
hinges on the same, it behooves every serious soul to take the utmost
pains and ascertain whether or not this miracle of grace has been
wrought within him. When Paul stood in doubt of the state of the
Galatians, he said, "My little children, of whom I travail in birth
again until Christ be formed in you" (4:19). So to the Colossians he
wrote, "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (1:27).
"For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the
light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth
cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they
are wrought in (or "by") God" (John 3:20, 21). Here is one of the
vital differences between the unregenerate and the regenerate, the
unbelieving and the believing. Unbelief is far more than an error of
judgment, or speculative mistake into which an honest mind may fall;
it proceeds from heart-enmity against God. The natural man, while left
to himself, hates the searching light of God (v. 19), fearful lest it
should disquiet the conscience, expose the fallacy of his presumptuous
confidence, and shatter his false peace. But it is the very reverse
with him who has been given "an honest and good heart." He who acts
sincerely and conscientiously, desiring to know and do the whole will
of God without reserve, welcomes the Light.
The genuine Christian believes what Scripture says concerning the
natural heart, namely, that it is "deceitful above all things" (Jer.
17:9), and the surest proof that he does believe this solemn fact is
that he is deeply concerned lest "a deceived heart hath turned him
aside" (Isa. 44:20), and caused him to believe that all is well with
his soul, when in reality he is yet "in the gall of bitterness, and
the bond of iniquity." He believes what God's Word says about Satan,
the great deluder, and trembles lest, after all, the Devil has
beguiled him with a false peace. Such a possibility, such a
likelihood, occasions him much exercise of soul. Like David of old
(and every other genuine saint), he "communes with his own heart" (Ps.
4:4), and his "spirit (makes) diligent search" (Ps. 77:6). He turns to
the light of Holy Writ, anxious to have his character and conduct
scrutinized by the same, desiring to have his deeds made manifest, as
to whether they proceed from self-love or real love to God.
It is not that we are here seeking to foster any confidence in self,
rather do we desire to promote real confidence toward God. It is one
thing to make sure that I love God, and it is quite another for me to
find satisfaction in that love. The self-examination which the
Scriptures enjoin (in 1 Cor. 11:28, for example), is not for the
purpose of finding something within to make me more acceptable to God,
nor as a ground of my justification before Him; but is with the object
of discovering whether Christ is being formed in me. There are two
extremes to be guarded against: such an undue occupation with the work
of the Spirit within, that the heart is taken off from the work of
Christ for His people; and, such a one-sided emphasis upon the imputed
righteousness of Christ that the righteousness imparted by the Spirit
is ignored and disparaged. It is impossible that the Third Person of
the Trinity should take up His abode within a soul, without effecting
a radical change within him: and it is this which I need to make sure
of. It is the Spirit's work within the heart which is the only
infallible proof of salvation.
It is perfectly true that as I look within and seek to faithfully
examine my heart in the light of Scripture, that the work of the
Spirit is not all I shall discover there. No, indeed: much corruption
still remains. The genuine Christian finds clear evidence of two
natures, two contrary principles at work within him. This is brought
out plainly, not only in Romans 7 and Galatians 5:17, but strikingly
too in the Song of Solomon: "What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it
were the company of two armies" (6:13). Hence it is that in her
present state, the Bride says, "I am black, but comely, O ye daughters
of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon"
(1:5).And again, "I sleep, but my heart waketh" (5:2)--strange
language to the natural man, but quite intelligible to the spiritual.
And therefore is it also that the renewed soul so often finds suited
to his case the prayer of Mark 9:24: "Lord, I believe; help thou mine
unbelief."
It is because the real Christian finds within himself so much that is
conflicting, that it is difficult for him to be sure of his actual
state. And therefore does he cry, "Examine me, O Lord, and prove me;
try my reins and my heart" (Ps. 26:2). They who are filled with a
carnal assurance, a fleshly confidence, a vain presumption, feel no
need for asking the Lord to "prove" them. So completely has Satan
deceived them, that they imagine it would be an act of unbelief so to
do. Poor souls, they "call evil good, and good evil"; they "put
darkness for light, and light for darkness" (Isa. 5:20). One of the
surest marks of regeneration is that the soul frequently cries "Search
me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if
there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting"
(Ps. 139:23, 24).
Perhaps some of our readers are still ready to say, "I do not see that
there needs to be so much difficulty in ascertaining whether one is in
a lost or saved condition: I am resting upon John 5:24, and that is
sufficient for me." But allow us to point out, dear friend, that John
5:24 is not a promise which Christ gave to an individual disciple, but
instead, a doctrinal declaration which He made in the hearing of a
mixed multitude. If the objector replies, "I believe that verse does
contain a promise, and I am going to hold fast to it," then may we
lovingly ask, Are you sure that it belongs to you? That John 5:24
contains a precious promise, we gladly acknowledge, but to whom is it
made? Let us examine it: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting
life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death
unto life."
That promise is given to a definitely defined character, namely, "He
that heareth my word." Now dear reader, can it be truthfully said that
you are one that "heareth" His Word? Are you sure? Do not be misled by
the mere sound of words. The reference here is not to the hearing of
the outward ear, but to the response of the heart. In the days that He
sojourned on earth, there were many of whom the Lord Jesus had to say
that "hearing (with the outward ear), they hear not" with the heart
(Matt. 13:13). So it is still. To "hear" spiritually, to "hear"
savingly, is to heed (Matt. 18:15), is to obey (Matt. 17:5; John
10:27; Heb. 3:7). Ah, are you obedient? Have you searched the
Scriptures diligently in order to discover His commandments? And that,
not to satisfy an idle curiosity, but desiring to put them into
practice? Do you love His commandments? Are you actually doing them?
Not once or twice, but regularly, as the main tenor of your life--for
note it is not "hear" but "heareth."
Does someone object, "All of this is getting away from the simplicity
of Christ: you are taking us from the Word, and seeking to get us
occupied with ourselves." Well, does not Scripture say, "Take heed
unto thyself" (1 Tim. 4:16)? But it may be answered, "There cannot be
any certainty while we are occupied with our wretched selves; I prefer
to abide by the written Word." To this we have no objection at all:
what we are here pressing is the vital necessity of making sure that
the portions of the Word you cite or are resting upon, fairly and
squarely belong to you. The reader may refer me to "Believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31) and ask, Is
not that plain enough? But have you ever noted, dear friend, to whom
the apostles addressed those words, and all the attendant
circumstances?
It was neither to a promiscuous crowd, nor to a careless and
unconcerned soul, that the apostles said, Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ and thou shalt be saved. Rather was it to an awakened, deeply
exercised, penitent soul, who had taken his place in the dust, and in
deepest anguish cried, "What must I do to be saved?" However, what is
the use you are making of Acts 16:31? You answer, "This: those words
are divinely simple, I believe in Christ, and therefore I am saved;
God says so, and the Devil cannot shake me." Possibly he is not at all
anxious to; he may be well content for you to retain a carnal
confidence. But observe, dear friend, the apostles did not tell the
stricken jailor to "believe on Jesus" nor "believe in Christ"; but to
"believe on the Lord Jesus Christ."
What does it mean to savingly "believe"? We have sought to answer this
question at length in our recent articles on "Saving Faith." But let
us now give a brief reply. John 1:12 makes it clear that to "believe"
is to "receive," to receive "Christ Jesus the Lord"(Col. 2:6). Christ
is the Saviour of none until He is welcomed as Lord. The immediate
context shows plainly the particular character in which Christ is
there viewed: "He came unto his own"(John 1:11); He was their rightful
Owner, because their Lord. But "his own received him not"; no, they
declared, "We will not have this man to reign over us" (Luke 19:14).
Ah, dear friend, this is searching. Have you received "the Lord Jesus
Christ"? We do not ask, "Are you resting on His finished work," but
have you bowed to His scepter and owned His authority in a practical
way? Have you disowned your own sinful lordship? If not, you certainly
have not "believed on the Lord Jesus Christ," and therefore the
promise of Acts 16:3 1 does not belong to you.
"Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his"
(Rom. 8:9). This is just as much a part of God's Word as is Acts 16:3
1. Why do we not hear it quoted as frequently! And how can anyone know
that he is indwelt by the Spirit of Christ? Only by discovering within
him the fruits of His regenerating and sanctifying grace. Not that
either these "fruits" or the "good works" of the Christian are in any
wise or to any degree meritorious. No, no; but as the evidence of his
Divine sonship.
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STUDIES ON SAVING FAITH
by A. W. Pink
Part IV
13. ITS BASIS
_________________________________________________________________
The task which these articles set before us is by no means easily
executed. On the one hand, we wish to be kept from taking the
"children's" bread and casting it to the "dogs"; on the other, it is
our earnest prayer that we may be delivered from casting a
stumblingblock before any of God's "little ones." That which occasions
our difficulty is the desire to expose an empty profession and to be
used of God in writing that which, under His free Spirit, may be used
in removing the scales from the eyes of those who, though
unregenerate, are resting with carnal confidence on some of the Divine
promises given to those who are in Christ--for while a sinner is out
of Christ none of the promises belong to him: see 2 Corinthians 1:20.
Notwithstanding, it behooves us to seek wisdom from above so that we
may write in such a way that any of Christ's who are yet not
established in the faith may not draw the conclusion they are still
dead in trespasses and sins.
Having before us the twofold objective named above, let us ask the
question, Is a simple faith in Christ sufficient to save a soul for
time and eternity? At the risk of some readers turning away from this
article and refusing to read further, we unhesitatingly answer, No, it
is not. The Lord Jesus Himself declared, "Except ye repent, ye shall
all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3). Repentance is just as essential to
salvation as is believing. Again, we read that, "wilt thou know, O
vain man, that faith without works is dead" (James 2:20). A "simple
faith" which remains alone, a faith which does not purify the heart
(Acts 15:9), work by love (Gal. 5:6), and overcome the world (1 John
5:4),will save nobody.
Much confusion has been caused in many quarters through failure to
define clearly what it is from which the sinner needs saving. Only too
often the thought of many minds is restricted to Hell. But that is a
very inadequate conception, and often proves most misleading. The only
thing which can ever take any creature to Hell is unrepented and
unforgiven sin. Now on the very first page of the N. T. the Holy
Spirit has particularly recorded it that, the incarnate Son of God was
named "Jesus" because "he shall save his people from their sins"(Matt.
1:21). Why is it that that which God has placed at the forefront is
relegated to the rear by most of modern evangelists? To ask a person
if he has been saved from Hell is much more ambiguous than to inquire
if he has been saved from his sins.
Let us attempt to enlarge on this a little, for thousands of
professing Christians in these days have but the vaguest idea of what
it means to be saved from sin. First, it signifies to be saved from
the love of sin. The heart of the natural man is wedded to everything
which is opposed to God. He may not acknowledge it, he may not be
conscious of it, yet such is the fact nevertheless. Having been shapen
in iniquity and conceived in sin (Ps. 51:5), man cannot but be
enamoured with that which is now part and parcel of his very being.
When the Lord Jesus explained why condemnation rests upon the unsaved,
He declared "men loved darkness rather than light" (John 3:19).
Nothing but a supernatural change of heart can deliver any from this
dreadful state. Only an omnipotent Redeemer can bring us to "abhor"
(Job 42:6) ourselves and loath iniquity. This He does when He saves a
soul, for "the fear of the Lord is to hate evil" (Prov. 8:13).
Second, to be saved from our sins is to be delivered from the
allowance of them. It is the unvarying tendency of the natural heart
to excuse evil-doing, to extenuate and gloss it over. At the
beginning, Adam declined to acknowledge his guilt, and sought to throw
the blame upon his wife. It was the same with Eve: instead of honestly
acknowledging her wickedness, she attempted to place the onus on the
serpent. But how different is the regenerated person's attitude toward
sin! "For that which I do, I allow not"(Rom. 7:15): Paul committed
sin, but he did not approve, still less did he seek to vindicate, it.
He disclaimed all friendliness toward it. Nay, more; the real
Christian repents of his wrongdoing, confesses it to God, mourns over
it, and prays earnestly to be kept from a repetition of the same.
Pride, coldness, slothfulness, he hates, yet day by day he finds them
reasserting their power over him; yet nightly he returns to the
Fountain which has been opened "for sin and for uncleanness" (Zech.
13:1), that he may be cleansed. The true Christian desires to render
perfect obedience to God, and cannot rest satisfied with anything
short of it; and instead of palliating his failures, he mourns over
them.
Third, to be saved from our sins is to be delivered from the reigning
power or mastery of them. Sin still indwells the Christian, tempts,
annoys, wounds, and daily trips him up: "in many things we offend all"
(James 3:2). Nevertheless, sin is not the complete master of the
Christian, for he resists and fights against it. While far from being
completely successful in his fight, yet, on the other hand, there is a
vast difference between him and the helpless slaves of Satan. His
repenting, his prayers, his aspirations after holiness, his pressing
forward unto the mark set before him, all witness to the fact that sin
does not have "dominion" over (Rom. 6:14) him. Undoubtedly there are
great differences of attainment among God's children: in His high
sovereignty, God grants more grace unto one than to another. Some of
His children are far more plagued by constitutional sins than others.
Some who are very largely delivered from outward transgressions are
yet made to groan over inward ones. Some who are largely kept from
sins of commission have yet to bewail sins of omission. Yet sin is no
longer complete master over any who belong to the household of faith.
The last sentence may perhaps discourage some who have a sensitive
conscience. He who is really honest with himself and has had his eyes
opened in some degree to see the awful sinfulness of self, and who is
becoming more and more acquainted with that sink of iniquity, that
mass of corruption which still indwells him, often feels that sin more
completely rules him now than ever it did before. When he longs to
trust God with all his heart, unbelief seems to paralyze him. When he
wishes to be completely surrendered to God's blessed will, murmurings
and rebellion surge within him. When he would spend an hour in
meditating on the things of God, evil imaginations harass him. When he
desires to be more humble, pride seeks to fill him. When he would
pray, his mind wanders. The more he fights against these sins, the
further off victory seems to be. To him it appears that sin is very
much the master of him, and Satan tells him that his profession is
vain. What shall we say to such a dear soul who is deeply exercised
over this problem? Two things.
First, the very fact that you are conscious of these sins and are so
much concerned over your failure to overcome them, is a healthy sign.
It is the blind who cannot see; it is the dead who feel not--true
alike naturally and spiritually. Only they who have been quickened
into newness of life are capable of real sorrow for sin. Moreover,
such experiences as we have mentioned above evidence a spiritual
growth:a growth in the knowledge of self. As the wise man tells us,
"he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow" (Eccl. 1:18). In
God's light we see light (Ps. 36:9). The more the Holy Spirit reveals
to me the high claims of God's holiness, the more I discover how far
short I come of meeting them. Let the midday sun shine into a darkened
room, and dust and dirt which before were invisible are now plainly
seen. So with the Christian: the more the light of God enters his
heart, the more he discovers the spiritual filth which dwells there.
Beloved brother, or sister, it is not that you are becoming more
sinful, but that God is now giving you a clearer and fuller sight of
your sinfulness. Praise Him for it, for the eyes of the vast majority
of your fellows (religionists included) are blind, and cannot see what
so distresses you!
Second, side by side with sin in your heart is grace. There is a new
and holy nature within the Christian as well as the old and unholy
one. Grace is active within you, as well as sin. The new nature is
influencing your conduct as well as the old. Why is it that you so
desire to be conformed to the image of Christ, to trust Him fully,
love Him fervently, and serve Him diligently? These longings proceed
not from the flesh. No, my distressed brother or sister, sin is not
your complete master; if it were, all aspirations, prayers, and
strivings after holiness would be banished from your heart. There are
"as it were the company of two armies" (Song of Sol. 6:13) fighting to
gain control of the Christian. As it was with our mother Rebekah--"the
children struggled together within her" (Gen. 25:22)--so it is with
us. But the very "struggle" shows that the issue is not yet decided:
had sin conquered, the soul would no longer be able to resist. The
conqueror disarms his enemy so that he can no longer fight back. The
very fact that you are still "fighting" proves that sin has not
vanquished you! It may seem to you that it soon will: but the issue is
not in doubt--Christ will yet save you from the very presence of sin.
Having sought in the above paragraphs to heed the injunction found in
Hebrews 12:12, 13 to "lift up the hands which hang down, and the
feeble knees," and to make "straight paths" for the feet of God's
little ones, "lest that which is lame be turned out of the way," let
us again direct our attention unto those who "have not a doubt" of
their acceptance in Christ, and perhaps feel no personal need for what
has been said above. The Lord declared that a tree is known by its
fruits, so there cannot be anything wrong in examining the tree of our
heart, to ascertain what kind of "fruit" it is now bringing forth, and
discover whether it be such as may proceed from mere nature, or that
which can only issue from indwelling grace. It may at once be
objected, But nothing spiritual can issue from ourselves. From our
natural selves, No; but from a regenerated person, Yes. But how can an
evil tree ever be any different? Christ said, "Make the tree good, and
his fruit good" (Matt. 12:33). This is typed out by engrafting a new
slip on an old stock.
All pretentions unto the present enjoyment of the assurance of faith
by those whose daily lives are unbecoming the Gospel are groundless.
They who are confident of entering that Eternal Happiness which
consists very much in a perfect freedom from all sin, but who now
allow themselves in the practice of sin (persuading themselves that
Christ has fully atoned for the same), are deceived. None truly desire
to be free from sin in the future, who do not sincerely long to
forsake it in the present. He who does not pant after holiness here is
dreadfully mistaken if he imagines he desires holiness hereafter.
Glory is but grace consummated; the heavenly life is but the full
development of the regenerated life on earth. Neither death nor the
second coining of Christ will effect any radical change in the
Christian: it will only perfect what he already has and is. Any, then,
who pretend unto the assurance of salvation, boast of their pardon and
present possession of eternal life, but who have not an experience of
deep sorrow for sin, real indignation against it, and hatred of
themselves because of transgressions, know nothing at all of what holy
assurance is.
In considering the basis of the Christian's assurance we must
distinguish sharply between the ground of his acceptance before God,
and his own knowledge that he is accepted by Him. Nothing but the
righteousness of Christ-wrought out by Him in His virtuous life and
vicarious death--can give any sinner a perfect legal standing before
the thrice holy God. And nothing but the communication of a new
nature, a supernatural work of grace within, can furnish proof that
the righteousness of Christ has been placed to my account. Whom God
legally saves, he experimentally saves; whom He justifies, them He
also sanctifies. Where the righteousness of Christ is imputed to an
individual, a principle of holiness is imparted to him; the former can
only be ascertained by the latter. It is impossible to obtain a
scriptural knowledge that the merits of Christ's finished work are
reckoned to my account, except by proving that the efficacy of the
Holy Spirit's work is evident in my soul.
"Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling
and election sure" (2 Pet. 1:10). Why that order of "calling" before
"election"? Here it is the converse of what we find in Romans 8:29,
30, "whom he did (1) predestinate, them he also (2) called"; but here
in Peter the Christian is bidden to make sure (1) his "calling" and
(2) his "election." Why this variation of order? The answer is simple:
in Romans 8:29, 30, it is the execution of God's eternal counsels; but
in 2 Peter 1 it is the Christian's obtaining an experimental knowledge
of the same. I have to work back from effect to cause, to examine the
fruit so as to discover the nature of the tree. I have no immediate
access to the Lamb's book of life, but if I obtain clear proof that I
have been effectually called by God out of the darkness of sin's
enmity into the light of reconciliation, then I know that my name is
written there.
And how am Ito make my "calling and election sure"?The context of this
passage tells me very plainly. In verses 5-7 we read, "And besides
this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue,
knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance, patience;
and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and
to brotherly kindness, love." There we have a summary of those graces
which make up the Christian character. The word "add" signifies
"supply in connection with," just as in a choir a number of parts and
voices unite together in making harmony; or, as in a rainbow the
various colors, side by side, blend into one beautiful whole. In the
previous verses the apostle had spoken of the grace of God manifested
toward His elect: by regeneration they had "escaped the corruption
that is in the world through lust." Now he adds, Rest not satisfied
with a negative salvation, but press forward unto perfection: be in
thorough earnest to "add to your faith" these virtues. Faith is not to
be alone, but the other spiritual graces must supplement and adorn it.
In verses 8, 9 the Spirit moved the apostle to set before us the
consequences of a compliance or a non-compliance with the duties
specified in verses 5-7. The "these things" in verse 8 are the seven
graces of the previous verses. If "all diligence" be devoted to the
acquiring and cultivating of those lovely virtues, then a certain
consequence is sure to follow: as cause stands to effect, so is
fruitfulness dependent on Christian diligence. Just as the neglect of
our daily food will lead to leanness and feebleness, just as lack of
exercise means flabby muscles, so a disregard of the Divine injunction
of verse 5 issues in soul-barrenness, lack of vision, and loss of holy
assurance. This brings us now to verse 10.
The "Wherefore the rather, brethren," of verse 10 points to a contrast
from the sad tragedy presented in verse 9. There we see the pitiful
results of being in a backslidden state of soul. There is no remaining
stationary in the Christian life: he who does not progress,
retrogrades. He who does not diligently heed the Divine precepts, soon
loses the good of the Divine promises. He who does not add or conjoin
with his "faith" the graces mentioned in verses 5-7, will soon fall
under the power of unbelief. He who does not cultivate the garden of
his soul, will quickly find it grown over with weeds. He who neglects
God's exhortations will lose the joy of His salvation, and will lapse
into such a state of doubting that he will seriously question his
Divine sonship. To prevent this the apostle says, "Wherefore the
rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election
sure."
The obvious meaning, then, of this exhortation in 2 Peter 1:10 is,
Bestir yourselves, take pains to secure satisfactory evidence that you
are among the effectually called and elect of God. Let there be no
doubt or uncertainty about it: you profess to be a child of God, then
justify your profession by cultivating the character and displaying
the conduct of one. Sure proof is this that something more than a mere
resting upon John 5:24 or Acts 16:3 1 is demanded of us! It is only in
proportion as the Christian manifests the fruit of a genuine
conversion that he is entitled to regard himself and be regarded by
others as one of the called and elect of God. It is just in proportion
as we add to our faith the other Christian graces that we have solid
ground on which to rest the assurance we belong to the family of
Christ. It is not those who are governed by self-will, but "as many as
are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" (Rom. 8:14).
"In times so critical to the interests of vital religion, and amidst
such awful departures from the faith as we are daily called upon to
behold, it becomes a very anxious inquiry in the breasts of the
humble--Is there no method under Divine grace by which the believer
may arrive to a well-grounded assurance, concerning the great truths
of the Gospel? Is it not possible for him to be so firmly settled in
those great truths, as that he shall not only be ready `to give an
answer to every one that asketh him a reason of the hope that is in
him,' but to find the comfort of it in his own mind, that his faith
`doth not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God'? To
this inquiry I answer, Yes, blessed be God, there is. An infallible
method is discovered, at once to secure from the possibility of
apostasy, and to afford comfort and satisfaction to the believer's own
mind, concerning the great truths of God; namely, from the Spirit's
work in the heart; by the sweet influences of which he may find `joy
and peace in believing, and abound in hope through the power of the
Holy Spirit'" (Robert Hawker, 1803).
Christian assurance, then, is a scripturally-grounded knowledge that I
am in the Narrow Way which leadeth unto life. Thus, it is based upon
the Word of God, yet consists of the Holy Spirit's enabling me to
discern in myself a character to which the Divine promises are
addressed. We have the same Word to measure ourselves by now as God
will judge us by in the Day to Come. Therefore it behooves every
serious soul to prayerfully and carefully set down the scriptural
marks of God's children on the one side, and the characteristics of
his own soul and life on the other, and determine if there be any real
resemblance between them. We will close this section by quoting from
the saintly Samuel Rutherford (1637).
"You may put a difference betwixt you and reprobates if you have these
marks: If ye prize Christ and His truth so as you will sell all and
buy Him, and suffer for it. If the love of Christ keeps you back from
sinning more than the law or fear of hell does. If you be humble, and
deny your own will, wit, credit, case, honour, the world, and the
vanity and glory of it. Your profession must not be barren and void of
good works. You must in all things aim at God's honour; you must eat,
sleep, buy, sell, sit, stand, speak, pray, read, and hear the Word
with a heart purpose that God may be honoured. Acquaint yourself with
daily praying; commit all your ways and actions to God by prayer,
supplication and thanksgiving; and count not much for being mocked,
for Christ Jesus was mocked before you."
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STUDIES ON SAVING FAITH
by A. W. Pink
Part IV
14. ITS ATTAINMENT
_________________________________________________________________
In writing to a company of the saints an apostle was inspired to
declare, "Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun
a good work in you will perform (or "finish") it until the day of
Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6). That is what distinguishes the regenerate
children of God from empty professors, from those who while having a
"name to live" are really spiritually dead (Rev. 3:1). This is what
differentiates true Christians from deluded ones. And in what does
this "good work" which is "begun" within the saved consist? It is
variously described in different Scriptures. It is the heart in being
purified by faith (Acts 15:9).It is the love of God being shed abroad
in the heart by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:5).It is the laws of God being
written in their hearts (Heb. 8:10). Thus, the nature of Christian
assurance is a well-founded knowledge that I am a child of God. The
basis of this assurance is that there is an unmistakable agreement
between my character, experience, and life, and the description which
Holy Writ furnishes of the characters, experiences, and lives of God's
children. Therefore, the attainment of assurance is by an impartial
scrutiny of myself and an honest comparing of myself with the
scriptural marks of God's children.
A reliable and satisfactory assurance cart only be attained or reached
by means of a thorough self-examination. "O therefore, Christians,
rest not till you can call this rest your own. Sit not down without
assurance. Get alone, and bring thy heart to the bar of trial: force
it to answer the interrogatories put to it; set the qualifications of
the saints on one side, and the qualifications of thy soul on the
other side, and then judge what resemblance there is between them.
Thou hast the same Word before thee, by which to judge thyself now, as
thou shalt be judged by at the great day. Thou mayest there read the
very articles upon which thou shalt be tried; try thyself by these
articles now. Thou mayest there know beforehand on what terms men
shall then be acquitted or condemned. Try now whether thou art
possessed of that which will acquit thee, or whether thou be in the
condition of those that will be condemned; and accordingly acquit or
condemn thyself. Yet be sure thou judge by a true touchstone, and
mistake not the scripture description of a saint, that thou neither
acquit nor condemn thyself by mistake" (The Saint's Everlasting Rest,
Richard Baxter, 1680).
The need for such self-examination is indeed great, for multitudes are
deceived; quite sure that they are Christians, yet without the marks
of one. "They say they are saved, and they stick to it they are, and
think it wicked to doubt it; but yet they have no reason to warrant
their confidence. There is a great difference between presumption and
full assurance. Full assurance is reasonable: it is based on solid
ground. Presumption takes for granted, and with brazen face pronounces
that to be its own to which it has no right whatever. Beware, I pray
thee, of presuming that thou art saved. If thy heart be renewed, if
thou shalt hate the things that thou didst once love, and love the
things that thou didst once hate; if thou hast really repented; if
there be a thorough change of mind in thee; if thou be born again,
then thou hast reason to rejoice: but if there be no vital change, no
inward godliness; if there be no love to God, no prayer, no work of
the Holy Spirit, then thy saying `I am saved' is but thine own
assertion, and it may delude, but it will not deliver thee" (C. H.
Spurgeon on 1 Chron. 4:10).
O what efforts Satan puts forth to keep people from this vitally
important and all-necessary work of self-examination. He knows full
well that if many of his deceived victims set about the task in
earnest, they would soon discover that no miracle of Divine grace has
been wrought in them, and that this would cause them to seek the Lord
with all their hearts. He knows too that real Christians would gain
much advantage against the power of indwelling sin would they but
thoroughly search their own hearts. Many are diverted from this
wholesome work by the evil example set by so many who now bear the
name of Christ. Not a few argue, if he or she (that claims to have
been a Christian so much longer and appears to know the Bible so much
better), who is so worldly, so governed by the "lust of the flesh, and
the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life," is sure he is bound for
Heaven, why should I be concerned?
But the state of men's hearts is what holds so many back from the
discharge of this duty. Some are so ignorant that they know not what
self-examination is, nor what a servant of God means when he seeks to
persuade them to "prove your own selves" (2 Cor. 13:5).Others are so
much in love with sin and have such a dislike for the holy ways of
God, they dare not venture on the trial of their state, lest they
should be forced from the course they so much relish, to one which
they hate. Others are so taken up with their worldly affairs, and are
so busy providing for themselves and their families, they say, "I pray
thee have me excused" (Luke 14:18). Others are so slothful that they
cannot be induced on any consideration to be at those pains which are
necessary in order to know their own hearts.
Pride holds many back. They think highly of themselves. They are so
sure of their salvation, so thoroughly convinced that all is right
between their souls and God, they deem any search after proof and
testing of themselves by Scripture to see if they have the marks of
those who are "new creatures in Christ Jesus," as quite unnecessary
and superfluous. They have been brought up in a religious atmosphere
where none of those professing the name of Christ expressed any doubts
about their state. They have been taught that such doubtings are of
the Devil, a calling into question the veracity of God's Word. They
have heard so many affirm "I know that my Redeemer liveth," they felt
it their duty to echo the same, forgetting that he who first uttered
these words (Job 19:25) was one of whom God said, "There is none like
him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God,
and escheweth evil" (Job 1:8).
Tens of thousands have been taught that it is wrong for the Christian
to look within himself, and they have blindly followed the advice of
such physicians "of no value." How can it be wrong for me to examine
my heart to see whether or not God has written His laws upon it (Heb.
8:10)? How can it be wrong for me to look and see whether or not God
has begun a "good work" in me (Phil. 1:6)? How can it be wrong for me
to test myself by the Parable of the Sower to see which of its four
soils represents my heart? How can it be wrong to measure myself by
the Parable of the Virgins, and ascertain whether or not the "oil" of
regenerating and sanctifying grace is within the "vessel" of my soul
(Matt. 25:4)?Since God Himself declares, "If any man have not the
Spirit of Christ, he is none of His" (Rom. 8:9), how can it be wrong
for me to make sure that I am indwelt by Him?
Rightly did an eminent Puritan say, "The Scripture abounds in commands
and cautions for our utmost diligence in our search and inquiry,
whether we are made partakers of Christ or not, or whether His Spirit
dwell in us or not; which argue both the difficulty of attaining an
assured confidence herein, as also the danger of our being mistaken,
and yet the certainty of a good issue upon the diligent and regular
use of means to that purpose" (John Owen on Heb. 3:14, 1670). Alas,
this is what has been so strenuously opposed by many during the last
two or three generations. An easy-going religion, well calculated to
be acceptable unto the slothful, has been zealously propagated,
representing the salvation of the soul and assurance of the same as a
very simple matter.
It is very evident to one who has been taught of God that the vast
majority of present-day evangelists, tract-writers, and "personal
workers" do not believe one-half of what Holy Writ declares concerning
the spiritual impotency of the natural man, or the absolute necessity
of a miracle of grace being wrought within him before he can savingly
turn to Christ. Instead, they erroneously imagine that fallen man is a
"free moral agent," possessing equal power to accept Christ as to
reject Him. They suppose all that is needed is information and
coercion: to preach the Gospel and persuade men to believe it. But
have they never heard of the Holy Spirit? O yes, and say they believe
that only He can effectually convict of sin and regenerate. But do
their actions agree with this? They certainly do not, for not only is
there practically no definite waiting upon God and an earnest seeking
from Him the power of His Spirit, but they sally forth and speak and
write to the unsaved as if the Holy Spirit had no existence.
Now just as it is plainly implied by such "novices" that lost sinners
can receive Christ any time they make up their minds to do so, just as
they are constantly told that nothing more is needed than to believe
that Christ died for them and rest on John 3:16 and salvation is
theirs; so the idea has been inculcated that the professing Christian
may enjoy the full assurance of faith any time he wishes, and that
nothing more is required for this than to "rest on John 5:24,"etc. One
verse of Holy Scripture is sufficient to give the lie to this popular
delusion: "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we
are the children of God" (Rom. 8:16). If the written promises of God
were sufficient of themselves to produce assurance, then what is there
need for the third person of the Godhead to "bear witness" with the
spirit of the Christian that he is a child of God?
As this verse is virtually given no place at all in modern ministry,
let us ponder its terms: "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our
spirit, that we are the children of God." The clear implication of
these words is that the actual existence of the saint's sonship is, at
times at least, a matter of painful uncertainty, and that the
supernatural agency of the Spirit is required to authenticate the
fact, and thus allay all fear. To be fully assured of the amazing fact
that God is my spiritual Father, demands something more than the
testimony of my own feelings, or the opinions of men; and, let us
reverently add, something more than resting upon a Divine promise.
Millions have "rested on" the words "this is my body," and no argument
could persuade them that the bread upon the Lord's table was not
actually changed into Christ's literal flesh.
Who so competent to authenticate the work of the Spirit in the heart
as the Spirit Himself? What, then, is the mode of His testimony? Not
by visions and voices, nor by any direct inspiration or new revelation
of truth. Not by bringing some verse of Scripture (of which I was not
thinking) vividly before the mind, so that the heart is made to leap
for joy. If the Christian had no surer ground than that to stand upon,
he might well despair. Satan can bring a verse of Scripture before the
mind (Matt. 4:6), and produce in his victims strong emotions of joy,
and impart a false peace to the soul. Therefore the witness of the
Spirit, to be decisive and conclusive, must be something which the
Devil cannot duplicate. And what is that? This: Satan cannot beget
Divine grace and impart real holiness to the heart.
"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit." To "bear witness
with" is a legal term, and signifies to produce valid and convincing
evidence. "Our spirit" here has reference to the renewed conscience.
Concerning natural men it is said, "which show the work of the law
written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness" (Rom.
2:15).But the conscience of the natural man is partial, dim-sighted,
stupid. Grace makes it tender, pliant, and more able to do its office.
The desire of the regenerate man, and unto which he exercises himself,
is "to have always a conscience void of offense toward God, and toward
men" (Acts 24:16). Where such a conscience is (by grace) maintained,
we can say with the apostle, "Our rejoicing is this (what? resting on
John 3:16? No, but) the testimony of our conscience, that in
simplicity and godly sincerity. . .we have had our conversation in the
world" (2 Cor. 1:12).
Was the beloved Paul off the right track when he found something in
himself which afforded ground for "rejoicing"? According to many
present-day teachers(?) he was. It is a great pity that these men do
not give less attention to human writings, and more to the Holy
Scriptures, for then they would read "The backslider in heart shall be
filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from
himself" (Prov. 14:14). If that text be despised because it is in the
O. T., then we also read in the N.T. "But let every man prove his own
work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in
another" (Gal. 6:4). Once more, "let us not love in word, neither in
tongue; but in deed and in truth: And hereby we know that we are of
the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him"(1 John 3:18, 19).
What is the method which God here sets before His children for
assuring their hearts before Him? Not in telling them to appropriate
one of His promises, but to walk in the Truth, and then their own
spirit will bear witness to their Divine sonship.
"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the
children of God." In addition to the testimony of a renewed conscience
which is enjoyed by the Christian when he (by grace) is walking in the
Truth, the Spirit adds His confirmation. How? First, He has laid down
clear marks in the Scriptures by which we may settle the question:
"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of
God" (Rom. 8:14)--why tell us this, if "resting on John 5:24"be all
that is necessary? Second, by working such graces in the saints as are
peculiar to God's children: in Galatians 5:22 these graces are
expressly designated "the fruit of the Spirit." Third, by His
spiritual consolation: "walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the
comfort of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 9:31, and cf. Rom. 15:13). Fourth, by
producing in the Christian the affections which dutiful children bear
to a wise and loving Parent (Rom. 8:15).
To sum up: the blessed Spirit witnesses along with our spirit that we
are the children of God by enabling us to discern (in the light of
Scripture) the effects and fruits of His supernatural operation within
us. The breathings of the renewed heart after holiness, the pantings
after a fuller conformity to the image of Christ, the strivings
against sin, are all inspired by Him. Thus, by begetting in us the
Divine nature, by teaching us to deny "ungodliness and worldly lusts,"
and to "live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world"
(Titus 2:12), the Spirit conducts us to the sure conclusion that we
are the children of God. Thereby He shows us there is a real
correspondency between our experience and revealed truth. "Hereby know
we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his
Spirit" (1 John 4:13).
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STUDIES ON SAVING FAITH
by A. W. Pink
Part IV
15. ITS SUBJECTS
_________________________________________________________________
Under this head we propose briefly to consider the character of those
persons to whom the privilege of Christian assurance rightfully
belongs. Here again there are two extremes to be guarded against. On
the one hand is that class who have been deceived by the slogan
"believe you are saved, and you are saved," which is best met by
pointing out that genuine assurance is never any greater than is our
evidence of the same. On the other hand are those who are fearful that
such evidence is unattainable while the body of sin indwells them. To
such we would ask, Is it impossible to ascertain whether or not the
health of your body is sound? Are there not certain symptoms and signs
which are a clear index? If I were doubtful, and feared that some
fatal disease was beginning to grip me, I would seek a physician. Were
he merely to look at me and then lightly say, Your health is good, I
would leave him and seek another more competent. I would request a
thorough overhauling: the taking of my blood-pressure, the sounding of
my heart, the testing of my other vital organs. So it should be with
the soul.
In seeking to determine from God's Word who are entitled to Christian
assurance, let us ask and answer a number of questions. Who are they
with whom the great God dwells? "with him also that is of (not an
haughty and boastful, but) a contrite and humble spirit" (Isa. 57:15);
"to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite
spirit, and trembleth at My Word" (Isa. 66:2)--do you? Or do you joke
over or argue about its sacred contents? Whom does God really forgive?
They who "repent" and are "converted" (Acts 3:19), that is, they who
turn their backs upon the world and sinful practices, and yield to
Him; those in whose hearts God puts His "laws"and writes them in their
minds, in consequence of which they love, meditate upon, and keep His
commandments: note how Hebrews 10:16 precedes 10:17!
Who is the man whom Christ likened unto one who built his house upon
the rock? Not merely him who "believes," but "whosoever heareth these
sayings of mine, and doeth them" (Matt. 7:24). Who are truly born
again? "Everyone that doeth righteousness" (1 John 2:29); they who
"love the brethren" with such a love as is described in 1 John 3:17,
18. To whom does God experimentally reveal the eternal purpose of His
grace? "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will
show them his covenant" (Ps. 25:14). "To him that ordereth his
conversation aright will I show the salvation of God (Ps. 50:23). What
are the identifying marks of a saving faith? One which "purifies their
hearts" (Acts 15:9), "worketh by love" (Gal. 5:6),"overcometh the
world" (1 John 5:4): only thus may I know that my faith is a living
and spiritual one.
The birth of the Spirit can only be known from its effects (John 3:8).
Thus, it is by comparing what God, in His Word, has promised to do in
His elect with what His Spirit has, or has not, wrought in my heart,
that I can ascertain whether assurance of salvation be my legitimate
portion. This is "comparing spiritual things with spiritual" (1 Cor.
2:13). Wondrous things has God prepared "for them that love Him" (1
Cor. 2:9); how important then for me to make sure that I love Him.
Many suppose that because they have (or had) a dread of eternal
punishment, that therefore they love God. Not so: true love for God is
neither begotten by fears of Hell nor hopes of Heaven: if I do not
love God for what He is in Himself, then I do not love Him at all! And
if I love Him, my desire, my purpose, my aim will be to please Him in
all things. Much might be added to this section of our subject, but we
trust that sufficient has been said to enable exercised and honest
souls to learn how to identify those whom Scripture teaches are
entitled to the assurance of salvation.
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STUDIES ON SAVING FAITH
by A. W. Pink
Part IV
16. ITS HINDRANCES
_________________________________________________________________
"Question: Are all true believers at all times assured of their
present being in the estate of grace, and that they shall be saved?
Answer: Assurance of grace and salvation not being of the essence of
faith (2 Pet. 1:10), true believers may wait long before they obtain
it (1 John 5:13); and, after the enjoyment thereof, may have it
weakened and intermitted, through manifold distempers, sins,
temptations, and desertions (Ps. 77:7-9; 31:22, etc.); yet are they
never left without such a presence and support of the Spirit of God,
as keeps them from sinking into utter despair" (Ps. 73:13-15, 23; 1
John 3:9; Isa. 54:7-11).--Westminster Confession of Faith, Larger
Catechism.
Just as the absence or loss of bodily health is not always
attributable to the same cause or occasion, neither is the absence or
diminution of assurance always to be accounted for in the same way;
and just as any doctor who used only one medicine for the healing of
all diseases would exhibit his crass incompetency, so any "Christian
worker" who prescribes the same treatment to all soul-diseases at once
declares himself a physician "of no value" (Job 13:4). There are
degrees of health, both of body and soul; and this is to be ascribed,
in the first place, to the high sovereignty of God, who distributes
His gifts, both natural and spiritual, as He pleases. Yet, while we
cannot impart health to ourselves, we should use legitimate means
which, under God's blessing, are conducive thereto. So too we may,
through our sinful folly, undermine and destroy our health. The same
holds good in the spiritual realm.
In many cases lack of Christian assurance, or a very low degree
thereof, is due to a poor state of health. Bodily infirmities react on
the mind. Low physical vitality is usually accompanied by lowness of
spirits. A sluggish liver produces depression and despondency. Many a
person whose soul is now "cast down" would be greatly benefited by
more open-air exercise, a change of diet, and a few doses of castor
oil. Yet we are far from saying that this course would result in the
recovery or increase of assurance, for spiritual effects cannot be
produced by material agents. Nevertheless, the removal of a physical
hindrance is often an aid. Who can read the Word to profit while
suffering from a nerve-racking headache! What we wish to make clear is
that, in some instances at least, what is regarded as a lack of
assurance is nothing more than physical inability to enjoy the things
of God. Nor do we mean by this that none are blest with the joy of the
Lord while their bodily health is at a low ebb. Not so: there are
striking cases which show the contrary. But it still remains that many
are missing much spiritual good through their disregard for the
elementary laws of physical well-being.
The assurance of some of God's dear children has been hindered by a
defective ministry. They have sat under teaching which was too
one-sided, failing to preserve a due balance between the objective and
the subjective aspects of the Truth. They have been encouraged to be
far more occupied with self than with Christ. Knowing that many are
deceived, fearful lest they also should be, their main efforts are
directed to self-examination. Disgusted too by the loud boastings of
empty professors, perceiving the worthlessness of the carnal
confidence voiced by the frothy religionists all around them, they
hesitate to avow the assurance of salvation lest they be guilty of
presumption or be puffed up by the Devil. Yea, they have come to
regard doubtings, fears, and uncertainty as the best evidence of
spiritual humility.
Now while we are by no means prepared to sanction the idea last named,
yet we have no hesitation whatever in saying that we much prefer it to
the presumptuous claims now being made by so many. Far rather would we
cast in our lot with a company of lowly, pensive, self-distrustful
people, who exclaim, "'Tis a point I long to know, Oft it causes
anxious thought, Do I love the Lord or no, Am I His, or am I not?,"
than fraternize with those who never have a doubt of their acceptance
with Christ, but who are self-complacent and haughty, and whose daily
walk compares most unfavorably with the former. Better far to be
weighed down by a sense of my vileness and go mourning all my days
over lack of conformity to Christ, than to remain ignorant of my real
state and go about light-hearted and light-headed, wearing a smile all
the time.
But surely there is a happy medium between spending most of my days in
Doubting Castle and the Slough of Despond so that I am virtually a
stranger to "the joy of the Lord," and experiencing a false peace from
Satan which is never disturbed by the voice of conscience. Holy
assurance and lowly heartedness are not incompatible. The same apostle
who cried, "0 wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the
body of this death?" (Rom. 7:24), also declared, "I know whom I have
believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have
committed unto him" (2 Tim. 1:12). "As sorrowful, yet always
rejoicing" (2 Cor. 6:10) summed up his dual experience. We too are
"sorrowful" daily if God has opened our eyes to see something of the
mass of corruption which still indwells us; "sorrowful" too when we
perceive how far, far short we come of the example which Christ has
left us. Yet we also "rejoice" because God has not left us in
ignorance of our dreadful state, that He has planted within us deep
yearnings after holiness, and because we know these yearnings will be
fully realized when we are freed from this body of death.
The assurance of other saints is greatly dampened by the assaults of
Satan. There are three principal things which our great enemy seeks to
accomplish: incite us to sin, hinder the exercise of our graces, and
destroy our peace and joy. If he fails largely in the first two, he is
often very successful in the third. Posing as an angel of light, he
comes to the soul preaching the holiness of God and the exceeding
sinfulness of sin, his object being to overwhelm the conscience and
drive to despair. He presses upon the Christian the awfulness and
prevalency of his unbelief, the coldness of his heart toward God, and
the many respects in which his deportment and actions are
un-Christ-like. He reminds him of numerous sins, both of omission and
commission, and the more tender be his conscience, the more poignant
are Satan's thrusts. He challenges him to compare his character with
that given of the saints in Scripture, and then tells him his
profession is worthless, that he is a hypocrite, and that it is
mockery to take the holy name of Christ upon his polluted lips.
So many succumb to Satan's efforts to disturb their peace and destroy
their assurance through not knowing how to meet his attacks, and
through forgetting that Scripture is very far from representing the
earthly lives of God's children as flawless and perfect. As a general
rule it is the best thing to acknowledge the truth of Satan's charges
when he declares that I am still a great sinner in myself. When he
asks me if such and such a lusting of the flesh be consistent with a
heart in which a miracle of Divine grace has been wrought, I should
answer, Yes, for the "flesh" in me has neither been eradicated nor
refined. When he asks, How can such doubtings consist with a heart to
which God has communicated saving faith? remind him how Scripture
tells us of one who came to Christ saying, "Lord, I believe; help thou
mine unbelief" (Mark 9:24).
But the commonest hindrance to assurance is the indulgence of some
known sin. When a Christian deliberately follows some course which
God's Word forbids, when he lives in some unwarranted practice, and
God has often touched him for it, and his conscience has been sorely
pricked, and yet he perseveres in the same--then no wonder if he be
destitute of assurance and the comfort of the Spirit. The cherishing
of sin necessarily obscures the evidences of Divine sonship, for it so
abates the degree of our graces as to make them indiscernible. Allowed
sin dims the eye of the soul so that it cannot see its own state, and
stupefies the heart so that it cannot feel its own condition. But
more: it provokes God, so that He withdraws from us the benevolent
light of His countenance: "But your iniquities have separated between
you and your God, and your sins have his face from you, that he will
not hear" (Isa. 59:2).
The sad history of David presents a solemn case in point. His fearful
fall brought with it painful consequences: "When I kept silence, my
bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long: for day and night
thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of
summer" (Ps. 32:3,4). But, blessed be God, his earthly life did not
end while he was in this lamentable state: "I acknowledged my sin unto
thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my
transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my
sin" (Ps. 32:5). Further light on the deep exercises of soul through
which David passed is given us in Psalm 51. There we hear him crying,
"Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create
in me a clear heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast
me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation" (vv. 9-12). This leads us to
consider the maintenance of assurance.
_________________________________________________________________
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STUDIES ON SAVING FAITH
by A. W. Pink
Part IV
17. ITS MAINTENANCE
_________________________________________________________________
Here again there are two extremes to be guarded against: the
fatalistic lethargy of I cannot help myself, and the humanistic
effrontery which affirms that the remedy lies in my own hands.
Spiritual assurance is a Divine gift, nevertheless the Christian has a
responsibility for preserving the same. It is true that I cannot speak
peace to my own conscience, or apply the balm of Gilead to my wounded
heart, yet I can do many things to grieve and repel the great
Physician. We cannot bring ourselves near to God, but we can and do
wander from Him. Of ourselves we cannot live to God's glory, but we
can to our own. Of ourselves we cannot walk after the Spirit, but we
can after the flesh. We cannot make ourselves fruitful unto every good
word and work, but we may by disobedience and self-indulgence bring
leanness into our souls and coldness into our affections. We cannot
impart health to our bodies, but we can use means which, by God's
blessing, further the same.
1. Holy assurance cannot be maintained unless the Christian keeps his
heart with "all diligence" (Prov. 4:23). "Watch ye and pray lest ye
enter into temptation" (Mark 14:38). "Take heed, brethren, lest there
be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the
living God" (Heb. 3:12). There must be "A watchful fighting, and
contending against the whole work of sin, in its deceits and power,
with all the contribution of advantage and efficacy that it hath from
Satan and the world. This the apostle peculiarly applies it unto, in
the cautions and exhortations given us, to take heed of it, that we be
not hardened by it; seeing its whole design is to impair or destroy
our interest and persistency in Christ, and so to draw us off from the
living God" (John Owen).
More especially does the Christian need to pray and strive against
presumptuous sins. Right hands must be cut off, right eyes plucked out
(Matt. 5:29); a gangrened member must be amputated, or death will soon
ensue. Cry mightily unto God for enabling grace to mortify besetting
sins. Remember that a deliberate running into the place of danger, a
willful exposing of myself to sin's attacks, is a tempting of the
Lord. "Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of
evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away"
(Prov. 4:14, 15).O what circumspect walking is called for in a world
which abounds with pitfalls on every side!
2. Holy assurance cannot be maintained unless the Christian be
diligent in cherishing his graces. A Christian is one who had been
made a partaker of those spiritual graces which "accompany salvation"
(Heb. 6:9), and for the establishing of his comfort and joy it is
necessary that he know himself to be in possession of them. The best
evidence that we are in a state of grace, is to grow in grace. For
this there needs to be a "daily constant cherishing, and laboring to
improve and strengthen every grace by which we abide in Christ.
Neglected grace will wither, and be ready to die (Rev. 3:2); yea, as
to some degrees of it, and as to its work in evidencing the love of
God unto us, or our union with Christ, it will utterly decay. Some of
the churches in the Revelation had lost their first love, as well as
left their first works. Hence is that command that we should grow in
grace, and we do so when grace grows and thrives in us. And this is
done two ways:
"First, when any individual grace is improved. When that faith which
was weak, becomes strong; and that love which was faint and cold,
becomes fervent and is inflamed; which is not to be done but in and by
the sedulous exercise of these graces themselves, and a constant
application of our souls by them to the Lord Christ. Secondly, by
adding one grace unto another: `and besides this, giving all
diligence, add to your faith, virtue; to virtue, knowledge; etc.' (2
Pet. 1:5);this is the proper work of spiritual diligence. This is the
nature of Gospel-graces, because of their linking together in Christ,
and as they are wrought in us by one and the self-same Spirit, the
exercise of one leads us to the stirring up and bringing in the
exercise of another into the soul" (John Owen).
3. By keeping short accounts with God. "Let us draw near with a true
heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an
evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water" (Heb. 10:22).
Note the intimate connection there is between these things. There
cannot be a sincere and hearty approach unto God as worshippers while
the guilt of sin be resting upon our consciences. Nothing more
effectually curtails our freedom in drawing nigh to the thrice Holy
One than the painful realization that my conduct has been displeasing
to him. "Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence
toward God" (1 John 3:21).
But strive as he may, walk as cautiously and carefully as he will, in
"many things" the Christian "offends" (James 3:2) daily, both by sins
of omission and commission. Yet, blessed be God, provision has been
made by our loving Father even for this sad failure of ours. "If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). As soon as we
are conscious of having done wrong, we should tin-bosom ourselves to
God: holding nothing back, but freely acknowledging each offence. Nor
should we fear to do this frequently, daily, yea constantly. If the
Lord bids us to forgive our sinning brethren "until seventy times
seven" (Matt. 18:22), is He less merciful? "He that covereth his sins
shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them (in heart
and purpose) shall have mercy" (Prov. 28:13).
4. By cultivating daily communion with God. "Our fellowship is with
the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we
unto you, that your joy may be full" (1 John 1:3, 4). Observe the
connection between these two statements: fulness of joy (which, in
this epistle, largely has reference to walking in the unclouded
assurance of our Divine sonship) is the fruit of fellowship with the
Father and His Son. But what is signified by the term "fellowship"?
Many seem to have but vague and visionary ideas of its meaning.
Oneness of heart and mind, common interests and delights, unity of
will and purpose, reciprocal love, is what is denoted. It is a
fellowship "in the light" (1 John 1:5-7). This was perfectly realized
and exemplified by the Lord Jesus. He walked in uninterrupted
communion with the Father: delighting in His will (Ps. 40:8), keeping
His commandments (John 14:31), always doing those things which were
pleasing in His sight (John 8:29). And this very epistle declares "He
that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he
walked" (2:6). What a standard is here set before us! Yet after it we
should prayerfully and constantly strive.
Fellowship is participation in the light and love of God. It is a
refusing of the things He hates and a choosing of the things in which
He delights. It is the losing of my will in His. It is a going out of
self, and an embracing of God in Christ. It is the acceptance of His
estimate of things, thinking His thoughts after Him, viewing the world
and all in it, life both present and future, from His viewpoint. It is
therefore a being moulded into conformity with His holy nature. It is
living to His glory. And thus it is a fellowship of joy, and "the joy
of the Lord is your strength" (Neh. 8:10): strength to overcome
temptations, to perform the duties of life, to endure its sorrows and
disappointments. The closer we walk with the Lord, the brighter will
be the evidences of our Divine sonship.
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STUDIES ON SAVING FAITH
by A. W. Pink
Part IV
18. ITS FRUITS
_________________________________________________________________
Holy assurance delivers from those doubts and fears which rob many a
Christian of his legitimate joy in the Lord. This is clear from the
contrast presented in Romans 8:15, "For ye have not received the
spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of
adoption, whereby we cry, Abba Father." Suspense is bad enough in any
of our concerns, but most of all in connection with our eternal
interests. But true assurance sets us free from the painful bondage of
uncertainty, and even robs death of its terrors. It enables the soul
to say, "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful
in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation"
(Isa. 61:10).
Holy assurance produces patience in tribulation: "And took joyfully
the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in
heaven a better and an enduring substance" (Heb. 10:34). Where the
heart is anchored in God, basking in the sunshine of His countenance,
the Christian will not be afraid of evil tidings, remains calm under
bereavements, is unmoved by persecutions. "When I live in a settled
and steadfast assurance about the state of my soul, methinks I am as
bold as a lion. I can laugh at all tribulation: no afflictions daunt
me. But when I am eclipsed in my comforts, I am of so fearful a spirit
that I can run into a very mouse-hole" (Latimer to Ridley, 1551).
Holy assurance results in a joy in God, which causes its possessor to
despise those vaporous pleasures after which the worldling so much
dotes. "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit
be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields
shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and
there shall be no herd in the stalls; yd I will rejoice in the Lord, I
will joy in the God of my salvation" (Hab.. 3:17, 18). "Wherefore the
rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election
sure . . . for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly
(both now and in the future) into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 1:10, 11).
(The previous chapter really completed Mr. Pink's present treatment
of this theme. He decided to further amplify one or two of the
leading points with the hope that some might be helped thereby. The
following completes chapter 18.)
In view of the error which now so widely abounds, and the confusion
which beclouds so many minds, it is hardly to be expected that one can
unlearn in a few hours what he has been mistakenly receiving as God's
Truth for so many years. Doubtless not a few of our readers wish they
had the opportunity for a personal conversation on the subject, so
that they could state their difficulties and ask questions on anything
that is not yet clear to them. We have therefore decided to write two
further articles in the form of dialogues, introducing widely
different characters, who express a desire to discuss the subject.
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STUDIES ON SAVING FAITH
by A. W. Pink
Part IV
DIALOGUE 1
Mr. Carnal Confidence
_________________________________________________________________
Mr. Carnal Confidence: "Good morning, Mr. Editor, I wish to have a
talk with you about those articles on `Assurance' which you published
in last year's Studies." The Writer: "Be seated, please. First of all,
may we courteously but frankly inform you that our time is already
fully occupied in seeking to minister unto God's dear children, yet we
are never too busy to do all in our power to help a needy soul."
Carnal Confidence: "O, I am not seeking help; my purpose in calling is
to point out some things in your articles where I am quite sure you
erred." The Writer: "It is written, dear friend, `If any man think
that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know'
(1 Cor. 8:2), therefore I trust that God will ever give me grace to
willingly consider and weigh the views of others, and receive through
them anything He may have for me. Yet, on the other hand, I am not
prepared to debate with any man upon Divine things."
Mr. Carnal Confidence: "Well, I am quite sure that I am right, and you
are wrong, and I feel it my duty to tell you so." The Writer: "Very
good, I am ready to listen unto what you have to say, only reminding
you again that I cannot enter into a debate with you, for the things
of God are too holy to argue about; though a friendly discussion, in
the right spirit, may prove mutually helpful. Before beginning, shall
we seek the help of the Holy Spirit, that He may graciously subdue the
flesh in each of us, guide our conversation so that the words of our
mouths and the meditations of our hearts may be `acceptable' in God's
sight (Ps. 19:14); remembering that for every idle word each of us
will yet have to give an account."
Mr. Carnal Confidence: "I consider that in your articles you have made
a very difficult and complicated matter out of what is really very
simple. According to your ideas a person has to go to a lot of trouble
in order to discover whether or not he is saved, whereas if a man
believes God's Word he may be sure in a moment." The Writer: "But are
all those who believe God's Word really saved? Did not the Jews of
Christ's day believe implicitly in the Divine authorship of the O. T.?
Do not Russelites ("Jehovah's Witnesses" - Ed.) and others today
insist loudly upon their faith in the Divine inspiration of the Bible?
Does not the Devil himself believe the same?" Mr. Carnal Confidence:
"That is not what I meant; my meaning is that, if I rest upon some
verse of Holy writ as God's promise to me, then I know He cannot
disappoint me." The Writer: "That is just the same in principle: does
not the Romanist rest with full confidence upon that declaration of
Christ's `this is my body'? Saving faith is not faith in the
authenticity of any verse of Scripture, but rather faith in the Person
of Him who gave us the Scriptures, faith in the Christ who is made
known in the Scriptures."
Mr. Carnal Confidence: "Yes, I know that, and I do believe in God and
in His Son, and I know that I am saved because He says so." The
Writer: "Where in Scripture does God say that you are saved?" Mr.
Carnal Confidence: "In John 5:24,in Acts 16:31, and many other
places." The Writer: "Let us turn to these passages, please. In John
5:24 the Lord Jesus describes one who has `passed from death unto
life.' He tells us two things about that individual, which serve to
identify him. First, `he that heareth my word.' That is definite
enough. But of course it means far more than simply listening to His
Word with the outward ear." Mr. Carnal Confidence: "Ah, right there
you want to mystify what is simple, and perplex souls with what is
quite clear." The Writer: "Pardon me, you are mistaken. I only wish to
rightly understand the words God has used, and to do this it is
necessary to carefully compare Scripture with Scripture and discover
how each word is used by the Spirit." Mr. Carnal Confidence: "I
object; that may be all right for you, but common people do not have
the leisure for deep study: God knew this, and has written His word in
plain language that ordinary folk can understand: `Hear' means `hear,'
and that is all there is to it."
The Writer: "I believe you are quite sincere in what you have said,
and you have expressed the view which a great many hold today; but, if
you will allow me to say so, it is a very defective one. God places no
premium upon laziness. God has so ordered things that nothing is
obtained without diligence and industry. Much work and care has to be
devoted to a garden if anything is obtained from it. The same holds
good every where else: what time and trouble is required to keep our
bodies in working order! Can, then, the eternal concerns of our souls
be more lightly dismissed, or more easily secured? Has not God bidden
us `Buy the truth' (Prov. 23:23)? Has He not plainly told us `If thou
criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if
thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid
treasures; then thou shalt understand the fear of the Lord, and find
the knowledge of God' (Prov. 2:3-5)?"
The Writer: "Mark how the Israelites were fed of old in the
wilderness: Exodus 16. God did not provide them with baken loaves of
bread ready to eat. No, instead, He gave the manna from heaven, which
was `a small round thing' (v. 14). Work and patience were called for
in order to `gather' (v. 17) it. Note too `when the sun waxed hot, it
melted'(v. 21), so that they had to get up early to secure it!
Moreover, the manna would not keep: `let no man leave of it till the
morning': it `bred worms and stank' (vv. 19, 20) if they tried to
preserve it for another day. Then, after it had been gathered, the
manna had to be `ground in mills or beaten in a mortar' and baked in
pans and made into cakes (Num. 11:8). All of this typified the fact
that if a soul is to eat the Bread of life, he must devote himself in
earnest, and, as Christ says, `Labour . . . for that meat which
endureth unto everlasting life'" (John 6:27).
The Writer: "Thus it is in connection with the obtaining of a right
understanding of any verse of Scripture: pains have to be taken with
it, patience has to be exercised, and prayerful study engaged in.
Returning to John 5:24: the one who has passed from death unto life,
says Christ, is `he that heareth My word.' Let us turn then to other
passages where this term is found: `they are turned back to the
iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words' (Jer.
11:10); `because ye have not heard my words, behold, I will send and
take all the families of the north,' etc. (Jer. 25:8, 9); and see
35:17; Zechariah 1:4; Matthew 7:24; John 10:27. In all of these
verses, and in many others which might be given, to `hear' means to
heed what God says, to act upon it, to obey Him. So he who `hears' the
voice of Christ heeds His command to turn away from all that is
opposed to God and become in subjection to Him."
Mr. Carnal Confidence: "Well, let us turn to Acts 16:31, that is
simple enough. There is no room allowed there for any quibbling. God
says `Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved': God
says that to me; I have believed on Christ, and so I must be saved."
Writer: "Not so fast, dear friend. How can you prove God says that to
you?
Those words were spoken under unusual circumstances, and to a
particular individual. That individual had been brought to the end of
himself; he was deeply convicted of his sins; he was in terrible
anguish of soul; he had taken his place in the dust, for we are told
that he `came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas' (Acts
16:29). Now is it fair to take the words of the apostles to such a man
and apply them indiscriminately to anybody? Are we justified in
ignoring the whole setting of that verse, wrenching it from its
context, and giving it to those who have not any of the
characteristics which marked the Philippian jailor?"
Mr. Carnal Confidence: "I refuse to allow you to browbeat me, and move
me from the simplicity of the Gospel. John 3:16 says, `For God so
loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' Now I
have believed on the Son, and therefore am fully assured that I
possess eternal life." Writer: "Are you aware of the fact that in this
same Gospel of John we are told `Many believed in his name, when they
saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto
them' (John 2:23, 24)? There were many who `believed' in Christ who
were not saved by Him: see John 8:30 and note verse 59! John 12:42,
43! There is a believing in Christ which saves, and there is a
believing in Him which does not save; and therefore it behooves every
sincere and earnest soul to diligently examine his `faith' by
Scripture and ascertain which kind it is. There is too much at stake
to take anything for granted. Where eternal destiny is involved surely
no trouble can be too great for us to make sure."
Mr. Carnal Confidence: "I am sure, and no man can make me doubt."
Writer: "Is your faith purifying your heart (Acts 15:9)? Is it
evidenced by those works which God requires (James 2:17)? Is it
causing you to overcome the world (1 John 5:4)?" Mr. Carnal
Confidence: "O I don't claim to be perfect, but I know whom I have
believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have
committed unto Him against that day." Writer: "We did not ask if you
were perfect; but have you been made a new creature in Christ, have
old things passed away, and all things become new (2 Cor. 5:17)?Are
you treading the path of obedience? For God's Word says, `He that
saith I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the
truth is not in him' (1 John 2:4)."
Mr. Carnal Confidence: "I am not occupied with myself, but with
Christ; I am not concerned about my walk, but with what He did for
poor sinners." Writer: "To be `occupied with Christ' is rather a vague
expression. Are you occupied with His authority, have you surrendered
to His Lordship, have you taken His yoke upon you, are you following
the example which He has left His people? Christ cannot be divided: He
is not only Priest to be trusted, but is also Prophet to be heeded,
and King to be subject unto. Before He can be truly `received,' the
heart must be emptied of all those idols which stand in competition
with Him. It is not the adulation of our lips, but the affection of
our souls, which He requires; it is not an intellectual assent, but
the heart's surrender to Him which saves."
Mr. Carnal Confidence: "You are departing from the simplicity of the
Gospel; you are making additions unto its one and only stipulation.
There is nothing that God requires from the sinner except that he
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." Writer: "You are mistaken. The Lord
Jesus said, `Repent ye, and believe the Gospel' (Mark 1:15)." Mr.
Carnal Confidence: "That was before the Cross, but in this
dispensation repentance is not demanded." Writer: "Then according to
your ideas God has changed the plan of salvation. But you err. After
the Cross, Christ charged His disciples, `That repentance and
remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations'
(Luke 24:47). If we turn to the book of Acts we find that the apostles
preached repentance in this dispensation. On the day of Pentecost,
Peter bade the convicted Jews to `repent' (2:38). Reviewing his
ministry at Ephesus Paul declared that he had testified both to the
Jews and also to the Greeks `repentance toward God, and faith toward
our Lord Jesus Christ' (Acts 20:21); while in 17:30 we are told that
God `now commandeth all men every where to repent.'"
Mr. Carnal Confidence: "Then do you insist that if a person has not
repented, he is still unsaved?" Writer: "Christ Himself says so:
`Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish' (Luke 13:5). So too
if a man has not been converted, he is yet unsaved: `Repent ye
therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out' (Acts
3:19). There must be a right-about-face: there must be a turning from
Satan unto God, from the world unto Christ, from sin unto holiness.
Where that has not taken place, all the believing in the world will
not save one. Christ saves none who is still in love with sin; but He
is ready to save those who are sick of sin, who long to be cleansed
from its loathsome foulness, who yearn to be delivered from its
tyrannizing power. Christ came here to save His people from their
sins."
Mr. Carnal Confidence: "You talk to me as though I were the helpless
slave of strong drink or some other appetite, but I want you to know I
was never the victim of any such thing." Writer: "There are other
lusts in fallen man besides those which break forth in gross outward
sins: such as pride, covetousness, selfishness, self-righteousness;
and unless they be mortified, they will take a man to Hell as surely
as will profanity, immorality, or murder. Nor is it enough to mortify
these inordinate affections: the fruit of the Spirit, the graces of
godliness, must also be brought forth in the heart and life; for it is
written, `follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no
man shall see the Lord' (Heb. 12:14). And therefore it is a pressing
duty for each of us to heed the Divine exhortation `Examine
yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye
not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be
reprobates?' (2 Cor. 13:5).
"Notice very carefully, dear friend, that the one point pressed upon
the Corinthians was `that Jesus Christ is in you,' and not their
trusting that He died for them. Just as the Christian can only
discover that his name was written in the Book of Life before the
foundation of the world, by discerning that God has written His laws
in his heart (Heb. 10:16), so I can ascertain that Christ died for me
only by making sure that He now lives in me. And it is obvious that if
the Holy One indwells me that His presence must have wrought a radical
change both in character and in conduct. This, above everything else,
is what we sought to make clear and emphasized in our articles on
`Assurance,' namely the imperative necessity of our making sure that
the Lord Jesus occupies the throne of our hearts, has the supreme
place in our affections, and regulates the details of our lives.
Unless this be the case with us, then our profession is vain, and all
our talk of trusting in Christ's finished work is but idle words."
Mr. Carnal Confidence: "I consider all you have said to be but the
language of a Pharisee. You are occupied with your own fancied
goodness and delighting in your own worthless righteousness." Writer:
"Pardon me, but I rather rejoice in what Christ's Spirit has wrought
in me, and pray that He will carry forward that work of grace to the
glory of His name. But we must bring our discussion to a close. I
would respectfully urge you to attend unto that exhortation addressed
to all professing Christians, `Give diligence to make your calling and
election sure' (2 Pet. 1:10). Mr. Carnal Confidence: "I shall do
nothing of the sort: I hate the very word `election.' I know that I am
saved, though I do not measure up to the impossible standard you want
to erect." Writer: "Fare thee well; may it please the Lord to open
your blind eyes, reveal to you His holiness, and bring you to His feet
in godly fear and trembling."
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STUDIES ON SAVING FAITH
by A. W. Pink
Part IV
DIALOGUE 2
Mr. Humble Heart Questions
_________________________________________________________________
Mr. Humble Heart: Good morning, Sir. May I beg the favour of an hour
of your valuable time?" Editor: "Come in, and welcome. What can I do
for you?" Humble Heart: "I am sore troubled in spirit: I long so much
to be able to call God `my Father,' but I fear I might be guilty of
lying were I to do so. There are many times when I have a little hope
that He has begun a good work within me, but alas, for the most part,
I find such a mass of corruption working within, that I feel sure I
have never been made a new creature in Christ. My heart is so cold and
hard toward God, that it seems impossible the Holy Spirit could have
shed abroad God's love in me; unbelief and doubtings so often master
me, that it would be presumptuous to think I possess the faith of
God's elect. Yet I want to love Him, trust Him, serve Him; but it
seems I cannot."
Editor: "I am very glad you called. It is rare indeed to meet with an
honest soul these days." Humble Heart: "Excuse me, Sir, but I do not
want you to form a wrong impression of me: an honest heart is the very
blessing I crave, but I am painfully conscious, from much clear
evidence, that I possess it not. My heart is deceitful above all
things, and 1 am full of hypocrisy. I have often begged God to make me
holy, and right after, my actions proved that I did not mean what I
said. I have often thanked God for His mercies, and then have soon
fretted and murmured when His providence crossed my will. I had quite
a battle before I came here to see you tonight, as to whether I was
really seeking help, or as to whether my secret desire was to win your
esteem; and I am not sure now which was my real motive."
Humble Heart: "To come to the point, Sir, if I am not intruding. I
have read and re-read your articles on `Assurance' which appeared in
last year's magazines. Some things in those articles seemed to give me
a little comfort, but other things almost drove me to despair.
Sometimes your description of a born-again soul agreed with my own
experience, but at other times I seemed as far from measuring up to it
as the poles are asunder. So I do not know where I am. I have sought
to heed 2 Corinthians 13:5 and `examine' myself, and when I did so, I
could see nothing but a mass of contradictions; or, it would be more
accurate to say, for each one thing I found which seemed to show that
I was regenerate, I found ten things to prove that I could not be so.
And now, Sir, I'm mourning night and day, for I feel of all men the
most miserable."
Editor: "Hypocrites are not exercised about their motives, nor
troubled over the deceitfulness of their hearts! At any rate, I am
thankful to see you so deeply concerned about your soul's eternal
interests." Humble Heart: "alas, Sir, I am not half as much concerned
about them as I ought to be. That is another thing which occasions me
much anguish. When the Lord Jesus tells us that the human soul is
worth more than the whole world put together (Mark 8:36), I feel that
I must be thoroughly blinded by Satan and completely under the
dominion of sin, seeing that I am so careless. It is true that at
times I am alarmed about my state and fearful that I shall soon be in
Hell; at times too, I seem to seek God more earnestly and read His
Word more diligently; but alas, my goodness is `as a morning cloud,
and as the early dew it goeth away' (Hosea 6:4). The cares of this
life soon crowd out thoughts of the life to come. O Sir, I want
reality, not pretense; I want to make sure, yet I cannot."
Editor: "That is not so simple a task as many would have us believe."
Humble Heart: "It certainly is not. I have consulted several
Bible-teachers, only to find them `physicians of no value' (Job 13:4);
I have also conferred with some who boasted that they never have a
doubt, and they quoted to me Acts 16:3 1, and on telling them I did
believe, they cried `Peace, peace,' and there was no peace in my
heart." Editor: "Ah, dear friend, it is not without reason that God
has bidden us `give diligence to make your calling and election sure'
(2 Pet. 1:10). And even after we have given diligence, we still need
the Holy Spirit to bear `witness with our spirit that we are the
children of God' (Rom. 8:16). Moreover, spiritual assurance may easily
be lost, or at least be clouded, as is evident from the case of him
who wrote the 23rd Psalm, for at a later date he had to cry unto God,
`Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation.'"
Editor: "Before proceeding further, had we not better seek the help of
the Lord? His holy Word says, `In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he
shall direct thy paths' (Prov. 3:6). And now, dear Brother, for such I
am assured you really are, What is it that most causes you to doubt
that you have passed from death unto life?" Humble Heart: "My inward
experiences, the wickedness of my heart, the many defeats I encounter
daily." Editor: "Perhaps you are looking for perfection in the flesh."
Humble Heart: "No, hardly that, for 1 know the `flesh' or old nature
is still left in the Christian. But I have met with some who claim to
be living `the victorious life,' who say they never have a doubt,
never a rising of anger, discontent, or any wicked feelings or
desires; that Christ so controls them that unclouded peace and joy is
theirs all the time.
Editor: "Bear with me if I speak plainly, but such people are either
hypnotized by the Devil, or they are fearful liars. God's Word says,
`If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is
not in us' (1 John 1:8). And again, `There is not a just man upon
earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not' (Eccl. 7:20). And again, `In
many things we offend all' (James 3:2). The beloved apostle Paul, when
well advanced in the Christian life, declared, `I find then a law,
that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in
the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my
members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into
captivity to the law of sin which is in my members'" (Rom. 7:21-23).
Humble Heart: "That relieves my mind somewhat, yet it scarcely reaches
the root of my difficulty. What troubles me so much is this: when God
regenerates a man, he becomes a new creature in Christ Jesus: the
change wrought in him is so great that it is termed a `passing from
death unto life.' It is obvious that if God the Holy Spirit dwells in
a person, there must be a radical difference produced, both inwardly
and outwardly, from what he was before. Now it is this which I fail to
find in myself. Instead of being any better than I was a year ago, I
feel I am worse. Instead of humility filling my heart, so often pride
rules it; instead of lying passive like clay in the Potter's hand to
be moulded by Him, I am like a wild ass's colt; instead of rejoicing
in the Lord alway, I am frequently filled with bitterness and
repinings."
Editor: "Such experiences as you describe are very sad and humbling,
and need to be mourned over and confessed to God. They must never be
excused nor glossed over. Nevertheless, they are not incompatible with
the Christian state. Rather are they so many proofs that he who is
experimentally acquainted with the `plague of his own heart' (1 Kings
8:38) is one in experience with the most eminent of God's saints.
Abraham acknowledged he was `dust and ashes' (Gen. 18:27). Job said,
`1 abhor myself' (42:6). David prayed `Have mercy upon me, O Lord; for
I am weak: O Lord, heal me; for my bones are vexed' (Ps. 6:2). Isaiah
exclaimed `Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean
lips' (6:5). In the anguish of his heart, Jeremiah asked, `Wherefore
came I forth out of the womb to see labour and sorrow, that my days
should be consumed with shame?' (20:18). Daniel once owned, `There
remained no strength in me, for my comeliness was turned in me into
corruption' (10:8). Paul cried, `O wretched man that I am! who shall
deliver me from the body of this death?" (Rom. 7:24).
"One of the principal things which distinguishes a regenerate person
from an unregenerate one may be likened unto two rooms which have been
swept but not dusted. In one, the blinds are raised and the sunlight
streams in, exposing the dust still lying on the furniture. In the
other, the blinds are lowered, and one walking through the room would
be unable to discern its real condition. Thus it is in the case of one
who has been renewed by the Spirit: his eyes have been opened to see
the awful filth which lurks in every corner of his heart. But in the
case of the unregenerate, though they have occasional twinges of
conscience when they act wrongly, they are very largely ignorant of
the awful fact that they are a complete mass of corruption unto the
pure eyes of the thrice holy God. It is true that an unregenerate
person may be instructed in the truth of the total depravity of fallen
man, and he may `believe' the same, yet his belief does not humble his
heart, fill him with anguish, make him loathe himself, and feel that
Hell is the only place which is fit for him to dwell in. But it is far
otherwise with one who sees light in God's light (Ps. 36:9); he will
not so much as lift up his eyes to Heaven, but smites upon his leprous
breast, crying `God be merciful to me the sinner.'"
Humble Heart: "Would you kindly turn to the positive side, and give me
a brief description of what characterizes a genuine Christian."
Editor: "Among other gifts, every real Christian has such a knowledge
of God in Christ, as works by love, that he is stirred up to earnestly
inquire after the will of God and studies His Word to learn that will,
having a sincere desire and making an honest endeavour to live in the
faith and practice of it." Humble Heart: "I cannot boast of my
knowledge of God in Christ, yet by Divine grace this I may say: that I
desire no other Heaven on earth than to know and to do God's will, and
be assured that I have His approval." Editor: "That is indeed a good
sign that your soul has been actually renewed, and doubtless He who
has begun a work of grace in your heart, will make the great change
manifest in your life and actions. No matter what he thinks or says,
no unregenerate man really desires to live a life which is pleasing to
God."
Humble Heart: God forbid that I should flatter myself, yet I hope I
have often found delight when reading God's Word or hearing it
preached, and I do sincerely meditate upon it, and long that I may
`grow in grace.' Yet, at times, I am tempted with vain and vile
thoughts, and I strive to banish them, my heart rising up against
them; yet sometimes I yield to them. I loathe lying and cursing, and
cannot endure the company of those who hate practical godliness; yet
my withdrawal from them seems nothing but pharisaical hypocrisy, for I
am such a miserable failure myself. I pray to God for deliverance from
temptation and for grace to resist the Devil, but I fear that I do not
have His ear, for more often than not I am defeated by sin and Satan."
Editor: "When you thus fail in your duty, or fall into sin, what do
you think of yourself and your ways? How are you affected therewith?"
Humble Heart: "When I am in this deplorable condition, my soul is
grieved; my joy of heart and peace of conscience gone. But when I am a
little recovered out of this sinful lethargy, my heart is melted with
sorrow over my folly; and I address myself to God with great fear and
shame, begging Him to forgive me, pleading 1 John 1:9, and humbly
imploring Him to `renew a right spirit within me."' Editor: "And why
is it that you are so troubled when sin conquers you?" Humble Heart:
"Because I truly wish to please the Lord, and it is my greatest grief
when I realize that I have dishonored and displeased Him. His mercy
has kept me, thus far, from breaking out into open and public sins,
yet there is very much within which I know He hates."
Editor: "Well, my dear brother and companion in the path of
tribulation, God has ordained that the Lamb shall be eaten with
`bitter herbs' (Ex. 12:8). So it was with the apostle: `As sorrowful,
yet alway rejoicing' (2 Cor. 6:10) summed up his dual experience:
`sorrowful' over his sinful failures, both of omission and commission;
yet `rejoicing' over the provisions which Divine grace has made for us
while we are in this dreary desert--the Mercy-seat ever open to us,
whither we may draw near, unburden our heavy hearts, and pour out our
tale of woe; the Fountain which has been opened `for sin and for
uncleanness' (Zech. 13:1), whither we may repair for cleansing. I am
indeed thankful to learn that your conscience confirms what your
tongue has uttered. You have expressed enough to clearly evidence that
the Holy Spirit has begun a good work in your soul. But I trust you
also have faith in the Lord Jesus, the Mediator, by whom alone any
sinner can draw near unto God."
Humble Heart: "By Divine grace I do desire to acknowledge and embrace
the Lord Jesus upon the terms on which He is proclaimed in the Gospel:
to believe all his doctrine as my Teacher, to trust in and depend upon
the atoning sacrifice which He offered as the great High Priest, and
to submit to His rule and government as King. But, alas, in connection
with the last `to will is present with me; but how to perform that
which is good I find not'" (Rom. 7:18). Editor: "No real Christian
ever attains his ideal in this life; he never reaches that perfect
standard which God has set before us in His Word, and which was so
blessedly exemplified in the life of Christ. Even the apostle Paul,
near the close of his life, had to say, `Not as though I had already
attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I
may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus'
(Phil. 3:12). But may I ask if you are sensible of how you arrived at
the good desires you mentioned? Do you suppose that such a disposition
is natural to you, or that it has resulted from your own improvement
of your faculties?"
Humble Heart: "No, Sir, I dare not ascribe to nature that which is the
effect and fruit of Divine grace. If I have any measure of
sanctification (which is what I long to be assured of), then it can
only be by the gift and operation of God. I am too well acquainted
with my wretched self: I know too well that by nature I am alive to
vanity and sin, but dead to God and all real goodness; that folly
possesses my soul, darkness shrouds my understanding; that I am
utterly unable to will or to do what is pleasing in God's sight, and
that my natural heart is set contrary to the way of salvation proposed
in the Gospel, rising up against its flesh--condemning precepts and
commandments. I see, I know, I feel that in me, that is in my flesh,
there dwelleth no good thing."
Editor: "Then do you realize what must be the outcome if God were to
leave you unto yourself?" Humble Heart: "Yes, indeed. Without the
assistance of His Holy Spirit, I should certainly make shipwreck of
the faith. My daily prayer is `Hold Thou me up, and I shall be safe'
(Ps. 119:117). My earnest desire is that I may watch and pray against
every temptation. There is nothing I dread more than apostatizing,
relaxing in my duty, returning to wallow in the mire." Editor: "These
are all plain evidences of the saving grace of God at work within you,
which I beseech Him to continue, so that you may be preserved with a
tender conscience, work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling, and obtain a full assurance of His love for you."
Humble Heart: "I thank you kindly, Sir, for your patience and help.
What you have said makes me feel lighter in heart, but I wish to go
home and prayerfully ponder the same, for I dare take no man`s word
for it. I want God Himself to `say unto my soul, I am thy salvation'
(Ps. 35:3).Will you not pray that it may please Him to do so?" Editor:
"You shall certainly have a place in my feeble petitions. The Lord be
very gracious unto you."
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STUDIES ON SAVING FAITH
by A. W. Pink
Part IV
DIALOGUE 3
Editor Visits Humble Heart
_________________________________________________________________
In the communicating of His Word God was pleased to speak `at sundry
times and in divers manners' (Heb. 1:1). In the Scriptures of Truth we
have clear doctrinal instruction and plain precepts for the regulation
of conduct, but we also find "dark parables' and mysterious symbols.
Side by side are history and allegory, hymns of praise and practical
proverbs, precious promises and intricate prophecies. Variety stamps
all the works and ways of God. This illustrates a principle which
should guide those whom the Lord has called to teach His Word: there
should be variety both in the matter of their messages and the methods
employed in delivering them. Many are unable to apprehend abstract
statements, comparatively few have minds trained to follow a course of
logical reasoning. The teacher then, ought to adapt himself to the
capacity of his hearers. Blessedly do we find this exemplified in the
ministry of the perfect Teacher. The teaching of the Lord Jesus was
largely by question and answer. Having this in mind, we feel it may be
wise to follow the last two articles on "Assurance" by another one in
dialogue form.
"Good evening, friend Humble Heart." "Good evening, Mr. Editor. This
is a pleasant surprise for I was not expecting to be favored with a
visit from one of God's servants: I do not feel worthy of their
notice."
Editor: "According to my promise, I have been seeking to remember you
before the Throne of Grace, and while in prayer this morning there was
impressed on my mind those words, `lift up the hands which hang down,
and the feeble knees' (Heb. 12:12). 1 have been impressed of late by
that lovely prophetic picture of Christ found in Isaiah 40:11, `He
shall feed His flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with
His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that
are with young.' The Saviour devotes special care and tenderness upon
the weak of the flock, and in this He has left an example which the
under-shepherds need to follow.
Brother Humble Heart: "It is indeed kind of you, Sir, to bestow any
trouble upon such a poor, worthless creature as I am: I should have
thought your time had been more profitably employed in ministering to
those who can take in the Truth quickly, and who grow in it by leaps
and bounds; as for me, I am so dull and stupid, so full of doubtings
and fears, that your labours on me are wasted." Editor: "Ah, my
friend, all is not gold that glitters. The great majority of those who
`take in the Truth quickly' only do so intellectually--it has no power
over the heart; and those who `grow by leaps and bounds,' grow too
swiftly for it to be real, or worth anything spiritually. Truth has to
be bought (Prov. 23:23): bought by frequent meditation thereon, by
taking it home unto ourselves, by deep exercises of conscience, by
wrestling with God in prayer, that He would apply it in power to the
soul."
Brother H. H.: "Yes, I realize that, and it makes me feel so bad
because God's Word has not been written on my heart. I have gone over
in my mind, again and again, all that you said at our last interview,
and I am sure that I am unregenerate." Editor: "What leads you to such
a conclusion?" Bro. H. H.: "This, if I had been regenerated the Holy
Spirit would be dwelling within me, and in that case He would be
producing His blessed fruit in my heart and life. It is written, `The
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, meekness, temperance' (self-control)--Galatians
5:22-23; and as I have endeavored to examine and search myself, I
discover in me the very opposite of these heavenly graces."
Editor: "God's workings in grace and His ways in the material creation
have much in common, and if we observe closely the latter, we may
learn much about the former. Now in the natural realm the production
of fruit is often a slow process. Glance out now at the trees, and how
do they look? They are lifeless, and seem to be dead. Yet they are
not; the vital sap is still in their roots, even though no signs of it
be apparent to us. But in a little while, under the genial warmth of
the sun, those trees will be covered with blossoms. Then, after a few
days, those pretty blossoms will all have disappeared--blown off by
the winds. Nevertheless, if those trees be examined closely it will be
found that where those blossoms were are now little green buds. Many
weeks have to pass before the owner of those trees is gladdened by
seeing the buds develop into fruit.
"A further lesson may be learned from our gardens. The orchard teaches
us the need for patience: the garden instructs us to expect and
overcome disappointments. Here is a bed, which has been carefully
prepared, and sown with seed. Later, the seed springs up and the
plants appear, from which the flowers are to grow. But side by side
there spring up many weeds too. The uninstructed gardener was not
expecting this, and is apt to be discouraged. Before he sowed the
flower-seed, he thought he had carefully rooted up every nettle,
thistle, and obnoxious plant; but now the bed has in it more weeds
than flowers. So it is, my Brother, with the heart of the Christian.
Though the incorruptible seed of God's Word is planted there (1 Peter
1:23), yet the heart--neglected all through the years of
unregeneracy--is overgrown with weeds (the lusts of the flesh), and to
the anointed eye the heart looks more like the Devil's weed plot than
`the king's garden'" (2 Kings 25:4).
Brother Humble Heart: "What you have just referred to in the natural
realm is quite obvious, but I am not so clear about the spiritual
application. Does not your last illustration belittle the work and
power of the Holy Spirit? You have often quoted in your articles that
Christ saves His people `from their sins' (Matt. 1:21); how, then, can
any person rightfully regard himself as saved, while he is conscious
that many sins still have dominion over him?" Editor: "I am glad you
raised this point, for many dear souls are often troubled over it.
Concerning the work and power of the Holy Spirit: light is thrown on
this by various expressions which God has used in His Word. For
example, in 2 Corinthians 1:22 (cf. Eph. 1:13, 14)) we read that God
has `given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.' Now an `earnest'
means a part, and not the whole--an installment, as it were; the
fullness of the Spirit's power and blessing is communicated to no
Christian in this life. So again in Romans 8:23, `ourselves also,
which have received the firstfruits of the Spirit'--a pledge, a sample
only, of future greater abundance.
"Let me call your attention to the words which immediately follow
those just quoted from Romans 8:23, namely, `even we ourselves groan
within ourselves' which is the more striking because this same thing
is seen again in 2 Corinthians 5:4, 5. So those who are indwelt by the
Spirit of God are a `groaning' people! It is true that the
unregenerate `groan' at times: when suffering great bodily pain, or
over some heavy loss; but the `groaning' of the Christian is
occasioned by something very different: he groans over the remains of
depravity still left within him, over the flesh so often successfully
resisting the Spirit, over seeing around him so much that is
dishonoring to Christ. This is clear from Romans 7:24 and its context,
Philippians 3:18, etc."
Brother Humble Heart: "But only a few days ago I mentioned some of
these very scriptures to one whom I regard as an eminent saint, and he
told me that he had `got out of Romans 7 into Romans 8' long ago."
Editor: "But as we have seen, the Christian in Romans 8 `groans' (v.
23)!" Brother H. H.: "The one I had reference to laughed at me for my
doubts and fears, told me I was dishonoring God by listening to the
Devil." Editor: "It is much to be feared that he is a complete
stranger to those exercises of heart which are experienced by every
regenerate soul, and knows nothing of that heart-anguish and
soul-travail which ever precedes spiritual assurance. The Lord Jesus
did not laugh at fearing souls, but said, `Blessed are they that
mourn.' It is clear that your acquaintance does not understand your
case.
Brother H. H.: "But do you mean to say that all of God's children are
as wretched in soul as I am?" Editor: "No, I would not say that. The
Holy Spirit does not give the same degree of light on the exceeding
sinfulness of sin to all alike, nor does He reveal so fully unto all
their own inward depravity. Moreover, just as God has appointed
different seasons to the year, so no true Christian is always the same
in his soul: there are cheerful days of spring and gloomy days of
autumn, both in the natural and in the spiritual. `But the path of the
just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the
perfect day' (Prov. 4:18), nevertheless, `We must through much
tribulation enter into the kingdom of God,' (Acts 14:22). Both are
true, though we are not always conscious of them both."
Brother H. H.: "I do not believe that any real Christian is ever
plagued as I am: plagued so often with a spirit of rebellion, with
unbelief, with pride, with such vile thoughts and desires that I would
blush to mention them." Editor: "Ah, my Brother, few unregenerate
souls would be honest enough to acknowledge as much! The very fact
that these inward workings of sin plague you, is clear proof that you
are regenerate, and there is within you a nature or principle of
holiness which loathes all that is unholy. It is this which causes the
Christian to `groan,' nevertheless this brings him into fellowship
with the sufferings of Christ. While here the Lord Jesus was `the Man
of sorrows,' and that which occasioned all His grief was sin--not His
own, for He had none: but the sins of others. This then is one reason
why God leaves the sinful nature in His people even after
regeneration: that mourning over it they may be conformed to their
suffering Head."
Brother H. H.: But how does this tally with Christ's saving His people
from their sins?" Editor: "Matthew 1:21 in nowise clashes with what I
have been saying. Christ saves His people from the guilt and
punishment of their sins, because that was transferred to and
vicariously suffered by Him. He saves us too from the pollution of
sin: His Spirit moves us to see, grieve over, confess our sins, and
plead the precious blood; and as this is done in faith, the conscience
is cleansed. He also saves us from the reigning power of sin, so that
the Christian is no longer the absolute and abject slave of sin and
Satan. Moreover, the ultimate fulfillment of this blessed promise
(like that of many others) is yet future: the time is coming when the
Lord Jesus shall rid His people of the very presence of sin, so that
they shall be done with it forever." (See A Fourfold Salvation by NW.
Pink)
Brother H. H.: "While on that point I wish you would explain to me
those words `sin shall not have dominion over you" (Rom. 6:14).
Editor: "Observe first what that verse does not say: it is not `sin
shall not haunt and harass you' or `sin shall not trip you and
occasion many a fall': had it said that, every Christian might well
despair. To `have dominion over' signifies the legal right to command
another, such as a parent over his child, or as one nation has over
another which has been completely conquered in war. Such legal
`dominion' sin has not over any Christian: Christ alone is his
rightful Lord. But sin oftentimes usurps authority over us, yet even
experimentally it has not complete `dominion': it can lead no
Christian to apostatize, that is, utterly and finally renounce Christ.
It can never so dominate the believer that he is thoroughly in love
with sin and repents not when he offends."
Brother H. H.: Thank you; but may I ask another question: Why is it
that some of God's children are not plagued by sin as I am?" Editor:
"How can you be sure that they are not? `The heart knoweth his own
bitterness'" (Prov. 14:10). Brother H. H.: `But I can tell from their
peaceful countenances, their conversation, their joy in the Lord, that
it cannot so be the case with them.' Editor: "Some are blest with a
more cheerful natural disposition than others. Some keep shorter
accounts with God, making it a point of conscience to confess every
known sin to Him. Some are more diligent in using the means of grace:
they who neglect the reading of God's Word, meditation thereon, and
approach the throne of grace only occasionally and formally, cannot
expect to have healthy souls."
Brother H. H.: "I admit I cannot meet your arguments. What you say is
doubtless true of God's people, but my case is far worse than you
realize: I have such a sink of iniquity within, and so often find
myself listless toward all that is spiritual, that I greatly fear
there can be no assurance for me." Editor: "It is the Devil who tells
you that." Brother H. H.: "How can one distinguish between the
harassing doubts which the Devil injects, and the convictions of sin
and piercings of conscience which the Holy Spirit produces?" Editor:
"By the effects produced. Satan will tell you that it is no use to
resist indwelling sin any longer, that it is useless to pray any more.
He seeks to produce despair, and tells many harassed souls they might
as well commit suicide and put an end to their misery. But when the
Holy Spirit convicts a Christian, He also works in his heart a godly
sorrow, and moves him to acknowledge his transgressions to God. He
leads to the throne of grace and gives again a sight of the cleansing
blood of Christ; and this not once or twice, but to the end of our
earthly lives. `For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up
again' (Prov. 24:16). If then this agrees with your own experience,
you must be a Christian."
Brother H. H.: "I cannot but be struck with the fact that your counsel
and instruction is the very opposite of what was given to me by the
last person I spoke to about my sorrows. He is a man very wise in the
Scriptures, having scores of passages at his finger's end. He told me
that the only way to get rid of my doubting was to believe the Word,
and that every time I felt miserable to lay hold on one of the
promises." Editor: "I think I know the company to which that man
belongs. All they believe in is a natural faith, which lies in the
power of the creature; a faith which is merely the product of our own
will-power. But that is not the `faith of God's elect.' Spiritual
faith is the gift of God, and only the immediate operation of the Holy
Spirit can call it forth into action in any of us. Shun such a people,
my Brother. Avoid all who give no real place to the Holy Spirit, but
would make you believe that the remedy lies in your own `free-will.'
Seek more the company and communion of God Himself, and beg Him for
Christ's sake to increase your faith and stay your mind upon Himself."
_________________________________________________________________
Index
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STUDIES ON SAVING FAITH
by A. W. Pink
Part IV
DIALOGUE 4
Humble Heart's Spirit's Lifted
_________________________________________________________________
"Good evening, Mr. Editor. I trust 1 am not intruding." "No, indeed,
you are very welcome Bro. Humble Heart, and I am thankful to see from
your countenance that your heart is lighter" (Prov. 15:13). Bro. H.
H.: "I am glad to say it is so at present, for the Lord has been very
gracious to me, and I cannot but think that it is in answer to your
prayers, for the Scriptures declare, `The effectual fervent prayer of
a righteous man availeth much'" (James 5:16). Editor: `If the Lord has
deigned to hear my feeble intercessions on your behalf, all the praise
alone to Him. But tell me something of His goodness towards you."
Brother H. H.: "May it please the Lord to direct my thoughts, anoint
my lips, and help me to do so. My story is rather a long one, but I
will be as concise as the case allows.
"A poor woman, known among the Lord's people as Sister Fearing, was
left a widow some months ago, and having buried all her children, I
knew she had no one to spade her garden; so this spring I called on
her, and asked if she would allow me to do it." Editor: "I am glad to
hear that: if godliness be not intensely practical, then it is only a
name without the reality. It is written `Pure religion and undefiled
before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows
in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world'
(James 1:27). And did this poor sister avail herself of your kind
offer?" Bro. Humble Heart: "Yes, with tears running down her face, she
told me she was quite unable to express her gratitude. After a while
she said, It was not so much my offer to help which moved her so
deeply, but that it gave her a little hope she was not completely
abandoned by God.
"I asked her why she ever entertained the thought that God had cast
her off? She told me that most of the time she felt herself to be such
a vile and polluted creature that a holy God could not look with any
complacency upon her. She said she was so constantly tormented by
doubts and fears that God must have given her over to an evil heart of
unbelief. She added that, in spite of all her reading of the Word and
crying unto the Lord for strength, her case seemed to grow worse and
worse, so that it appeared Heaven must be closed against her." Editor:
"And what reply did you make to her sorrowful complaint?" Bro. H. H.:
"Why, there flowed into my mind a verse which I had not thought of for
a long time: I felt it was from the Lord, and looking to Him for
wisdom and tenderness, I addressed the dear soul as follows:
"Sister Fearing, I think you are too hasty in your conclusion. I have
been just where you now are. I read in God's Word, `the kingdom of God
is not in word, but in power' (1 Cor. 4:20), and I reasoned that if
God had set up His kingdom in my heart, then the power of sin would be
broken; but alas, I found sin in me stronger than ever. I read `he
that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him' (1 John 4:16),
but I could not believe He dwelt in me while I was in such bondage to
slavish fear. I read `Ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby
we cry "Abba, Father'" (Rom. 8:15), but I could not cry `Abba,
Father': so I was afraid God had nothing to do with me. I read,
`Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin' (1 John 3:9), and
though I was preserved from bringing public reproach upon the name of
Christ, yet I found myself continually overcome by sin within. My
guilty conscience daily condemned me, and unto peace I was a
stranger."
Sister Fearing: "You have accurately described my sad lot; but go on
please." Bro. H. H.: "Suffer me, then, to ask you a few honest
questions. Have you been chastised, rebuked, made tender and sore for
sin? And after feeling God's reproofs, was your spirit revived and
refreshed under the Word, so that you hoped for better days?" Sister
Fearing: "Yes, I have been conscious of God's rod upon me, and have
owned with David, `Thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me' (Ps.
119:75).And there have been times, all too brief, when it seemed I was
softened and revived, and had a little hope; but the sun was soon
again hidden behind dark clouds." Bro. H. H.: "Well, that proves God
does dwell within you, for He declares, `Thus saith the high and lofty
One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high
and holy place, and with him also that is of a contrite and humble
spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of
the contrite ones'" (Isa. 57:15)!
Sister Fearing: "Yes, I am familiar with that verse, but it makes
against me, for had God truly `revived' me, the effects of it would
remain; instead, I am dry and parched, lifeless and barren." Bro. H.
H.: "Again you are too hasty in writing `bitter things against'
yourself (Job 13:26). Such `revivings' of faith, hope, and love in the
soul are evidences of the Spirit's indwelling. But let me now give you
the verse which flowed into my mind at the beginning of our
conversation: it exactly fits your case, `And now for a little space
grace hath been showed from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to
escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may
lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage' (Ezra
9:8). Ah, dear Sister, do you not see that this `little reviving,'
even though it be for `a little space,' is a manifestation of God's
dwelling in a broken and contrite heart?"
Editor: "That was indeed a word in season, and evidently given you by
the Spirit. There are many hindered from enjoying assurance through
unnecessary fears; because sin is in them as an active and restless
principle, they imagine they have no contrary principle of holiness;
and because in part they are carnal, judge that they are not
spiritual. Because grace is but feebly active, they conclude they are
void of it; and because for a long season they enjoy not strong
consolation, suppose they have no title to it. They fail to
distinguish between the motions of the flesh and the motions of the
spirit: as surely as sin manifests the flesh to be in us, so does
grieving over it, striving against it, repenting for it, and the
confessing of it to God, show the spirit or new nature indwells us.
The Christian's sighs and groans are among his best evidences that he
is regenerate."
Bro. H. H.: "May I ask, exactly what you meant when you said, Many are
hindered from enjoying assurance through unnecessary fears? My reason
for asking is, because in Philippians 2:12 God bids His people work
out their salvation with fear and trembling."Editor: "Your question is
well taken. We must distinguish sharply between the fears of godly
jealousy and the fears of unbelief the one is a distrusting of self,
the other is a doubting of God; the former is opposed to pride and
carnal confidence, the latter is the enemy of true peace. The eleven
apostles manifested the fear of godly jealousy when the Saviour
announced that one would betray Him, and each of them inquired, `Lord,
is it I?' David gave way to the fear of unbelief when he said, `I
shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul' (1 Sam. 27:1). But I
have interrupted your narrative; tell me how Sister Fearing responded
to your giving her Ezra 9:8."
Bro. H. H.: "Really, it seemed to make little impression. She sighed
deeply, and for a while said nothing. Then she continued, I fear it
would be presumption for me to say that I have ever been revived for a
dead soul cannot be--he must first be quickened; probably the raising
of my spirits under the reading or hearing of the Word is nothing more
than the joy of the stony-ground hearer (Matt. 13:20, 21). To which I
replied, But one who has never been quickened has no pantings after
God, never seeks Him at all, but seeks to banish Him entirely from his
thoughts. True, he may go to church, and keep up a form of godliness
before others, but there is no diligent seeking after Him in private,
no yearnings for communion with Him.
"Perhaps, dear Sister, it may be a day of `small things' (Zech. 4:10)
with you. Often there is life where there is not strength. A child may
breathe and cry yet cannot talk or walk. If God be the object of your
affection, if sin be the cause of your grief, if conformity to Christ
be the longing of your heart, then a good work has begun in you (Phil.
1:6). If it is indwelling sin which makes you so wretched from day to
day, if it be deliverance from its polluting effects you yearn and
pray for, if it be the lustings of the flesh you are struggling
against, then it must be because a principle of holiness has been
implanted in your heart. Such godly exercises are not in us by nature;
they are the products of indwelling grace. Despair not, for it is
written of Christ, `a bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking
flax shall he not quench'" (Matt. 12:20).
Sister Fearing: "Yes, it is one thing to understand these things
intellectually, but it is quite another for God to apply them in power
to the heart: that is what I long for, and that is what I lack. My
wound is far too deadly for any man to heal. O that I could be sure as
to whether my disrelish of sin arises from mere natural convictions of
conscience that every ungodly person feels more or less, whether they
are suggestions from Satan for the purpose of deceiving me, or whether
they actually are the strivings of the new nature against the old.
Nothing short of the personal, mighty, and saving power of the Holy
Spirit realized in my heart will or can give me genuine relief."
Bro. H. H.: "I am thankful to hear you say this. Human comforts may
satisfy an empty professor, but such a plaster will not heal one of
the elect when stricken by God. It is His purpose to cut off every arm
of flesh from them, to strip them and bring them, in their
helplessness, as empty-handed beggars before the throne of His grace.
As to whether or not the life of God be actually planted in the soul,
therein lies the grand mystery: that is the pivot on which eternal
destiny must turn. And no verdict from man can satisfy on that point.
Only the Lord Himself can give such a testimony or witness as will
satisfy one of His children. But when He does shine into the soul,
when He applies His Word in power, when He says `thy sins are forgiven
thee, go in peace,' then no word from a preacher is needed. The Lord
keep you at His feet till He grants this.
"Until very recently I too was much exercised over the great danger of
Satan instilling a false peace, and making me believe that all was
well, when it was not so; as I was also much perplexed to know how to
distinguish between the convictions of natural conscience and the
exercises of a renewed conscience. But the Lord has shown me that as a
tree is known by its fruits, so the nature of a cause may be
determined by the character of the effects it produces. They who are
deluded by the false peace which Satan bestows are filled with
conceit, presumption, and carnal confidence: they do not beg God to
search them, being so sure of Heaven they consider it quite
unnecessary. The convictions of natural conscience harden, stop the
mouth of prayer, and lead to despair. The convictions of a renewed
conscience produce penitent confession, lead to Christ, and issue in
honesty and uprightness before God.
"In conclusion, let me earnestly counsel you, dear Sister, to have
nothing to do with those who profess their experience to be all peace
and joy; and who, if you ask them whether they are tormented by the
plague of their own heart, or whether they have felt the blood of
Christ applied to their own conscience, laugh, and say they have
nothing to do with feelings, but live above them. Such deluded
creatures can be of no more help to a groaning saint than one
suffering anguish from bodily ills would receive any relief from the
so-called Christian Scientists, who tell him his pains are mental
delusions, and to think only of health and happiness: one and another
are equally physicians of no value. Instead, pour out your woes into
the ears of the great Physician, and in His own perfect time He will
pour oil and wine into your wounds, and put a new song into your
mouth."
Bro. H. H.: "Since then I have said nothing more to her on the
subject, believing it best to leave her alone with God." Editor: "I am
glad to hear that: none but blind zealots will attempt to do the Holy
Spirit's work for Him. Much damage is often done to souls trying to
force things: when God begins a work, we may safely leave it in His
hands to continue and complete the same. And how happy am I, dear
Bro., to perceive the dew of the Spirit upon your own soul. It appears
that `the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers
appear.' and `the time of the singing of birds is come' (Song of Sol.
2:11, 12) with you."
Bro. H. H.: "Thanks be unto God for taking pity upon such a wretch: it
is much better with me now. The strange thing is, though, I had little
or no real assurance myself when I commenced speaking to Sister
Fearing, but as she mentioned the different things which so troubled
her, God seemed to put into my mouth the very words most needed, and
as I spoke them to her, He sealed them unto my own heart." Editor:
"Yes, it is as we read in Proverbs 11:25, `The liberal soul shall be
made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself': in
communicating the Word of God to His children, our own hearts are
refreshed and our own faith is established. To him that useth what he
hath shall more be given.
"I have long perceived the truth of what the apostle says in 2
Corinthians 1:4, `Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we
may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort
wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.' It is God's way to take
His people, and especially His servants, through trying and painful
experiences, in order that they may use to His glory the consolation
wherewith He has comforted them. It is those who know most of the
plague of their own heart, who are best fitted to speak a word in
season to weary souls. It is out of the abundance of the heart the
mouth speaketh, and it is he who has passed through the furnace who
can best deal with those now in the fire. Let us pray that it may
please God to be equally gracious unto Sister Fearing."
THE END
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A. W. Pink Header
Spiritual Growth by Arthur W. Pink
1. Introduction
____________________________________________________
The name which is usually given to our subject by Christian writers is
that of "Growth in Grace" which is a scriptural expression, being
found 2 Peter 3:18. But it appears to us that, strictly speaking,
growing in grace has reference to but a single aspect or branch of our
theme: "that your love may abound yet more and more" (Phil. 1:9)
treats of another aspect, and "your faith groweth exceedingly" (2
Thess. 1:3), with yet another. It seems then that "spiritual growth"
is a more comprehensive and inclusive term and more accurately covers
that most important and desirable attainment: "may grow up into him in
all things, which is the Head, even Christ" (Eph. 4:15). Let it not be
thought from this that we have selected our title in a captious spirit
or because we are striving after originality. Not so: we have no
criticism to make against those who may prefer some other appellation.
We have chosen this simply because it seems more fitly and fully to
describe the ground which we hope to cover. Our readers understand
clearly what is connoted by "physical growth" or "mental growth," nor
should "spiritual growth" be any the less intelligible.
This Subject Is a Deeply Important One
First, that we should seek to understand aright the Spirit's teaching
on this subject. There seems to be comparatively few who do so, and
the consequence is that the Lord is robbed of much of the praise which
is His due, while many of His people suffer much needless distress.
Because so many Christians walk more by sense than by faith, measuring
themselves by their feelings and moods rather than by the Word, their
peace of mind is greatly destroyed and their joy of heart much
decreased. Not a few saints are seriously the losers through
misapprehensions upon this subject. Scriptural knowledge is essential
if we are better to understand ourselves and diagnose more accurately
our spiritual case. Many exercised souls form an erroneous opinion of
themselves because of failure at this very point. Surely it is a
matter of great practical moment that we should be able to judge
aright of our spiritual progress or retrogression that we may not
flatter ourselves on the one hand or unduly depreciate ourselves on
the other.
Some are tempted in one direction, some in the other--depending partly
on their personal temperament and partly on the kind of teaching they
have received. Many are inclined to think more highly of themselves
than they ought, and because they have obtained considerably increased
intellectual knowledge of the truth imagine they have made a
proportionate spiritual growth. But others with weaker memories and
who acquire a mental grasp of things more slowly, suppose this to
signify a lack of spirituality. Unless our thoughts about spiritual
growth be formed by the Word of God we are certain to err and jump to
a wrong conclusion. As it is with our bodies, so it is with our souls.
Some suppose they are healthy while they are suffering from an
insidious disease; whereas others imagine themselves to be ill when in
fact they are hale and sound. Divine revelation and not human
imagination ought to be our guide in determining whether or not we be
"babes, young men, or fathers"--and our natural age has nothing to do
with it.
It is deeply important that our views should be rightly formed, not
only that we may be able to ascertain our own spiritual stature, but
also that of our fellow Christians. If I long to be made a help and
blessing to them, then obviously I must be capable of deciding whether
they are in a healthy or unhealthy condition. Or, if I desire
spiritual counsel and assistance, then I will meet with disappointment
unless I know to whom to go. How can I regulate my course and suit my
converse with the saints I contact if I am at a loss to gauge their
religious caliber? God has not left us to our own erring judgment in
this matter, but has supplied rules to guide us. To mention but one
other reason which indicates the importance of our subject: unless I
can ascertain wherein I have been enabled to make spiritual progress
and wherein I have failed, how can I know what to pray for; and unless
I can perceive the same about my brethren how can I intelligently ask
for the supply of what they most need?
Our Subject Is a Very Mysterious One
Physical growth is beyond human comprehension. We know something of
what is essential to it, and the thing itself may be discovered, but
the operation and process is hidden from us: "As thou knowest not what
is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her
that is with child, even so thou knowest not the works of God who
maketh all" (Eccl. 11:5). How much more so must spiritual growth be
incomprehensible. The beginning of our spiritual life is shrouded in
mystery (John 3:8), and to a considerable extent this is true also of
its development. God's workings in the soul are secret, indiscernible
to the eye of carnal reason and imperceptible to our senses. "The
things of God knoweth no man" save to whom the Spirit is pleased to
reveal them (1 Cor. 2:11, 12). If we know so little about ourselves
and the operation of our faculties in connection with natural things,
how much less competent are we to comprehend ourselves and our graces
in connection with that which is supernatural.
The "new creature" is from above, whereof our natural reason has no
acquaintance: it is a supernatural product and can only be known by
supernatural revelation. In like manner, the spiritual life received
at the new birth thrives as to its degrees, unperceived by our senses.
A child, by weighing and measuring himself, may discover that he has
grown, yet he was not conscious of the process while growing. So it is
with the new man: it is "renewed day by day" (2 Cor. 4:16) yet in such
a hidden way that the renewing itself is not felt, though its effects
become apparent. Thus there is no good reason to be disheartened
because we do not feel that any progress is being made or to conclude
there is no advance because such feeling is absent. "There are some of
the Lord's people in whom the essence and reality of holiness dwell
who do not perceive in themselves any spiritual growth. It should
therefore be remembered that there is a real growth in grace where it
is not perceived. We should judge of it not by what we experience of
it in ourselves, but by the Word. It is a subject for faith to be
exercised on" (S. F. Pierce). If we desire the pure "milk of the Word"
and feed thereon, then we must not doubt that we duly "grow thereby"
(1 Peter 2:3).
To quote again from Pierce: "Spiritual growth is a mystery and is more
evident in some than in others. The more the Holy Spirit shines upon
the mind and puts forth His lifegiving influences in the heart, so
much the more sin is seen, felt and loathed as the greatest of all
evils. And this is an evidence of spiritual growth, namely, to hate
sin as sin and to abhor it on account of its contrariety to the nature
of God. The quick perception and insight which we have of inherent
sin, and our feeling of it, so as to look on ourselves as most vile,
to renounce ourselves and all that we can do for ourselves, and to
look wholly and immediately to Christ for relief and strength are
growth in grace, and a most certain evidence of it." How little is the
natural man capable of understanding that! Having no experience of the
same it sounds to him like a doleful delusion. And how the believer
needs to beg God to teach him the truth about this! As we know nothing
whatever about the new birth save what God has revealed in His Word,
so we can form no correct comprehension about spiritual growth except
from the same source.
Our Subject Is Also a Difficult One
This is due in part to Satan's having confused the issue by inventing
such plausible imitations that multitudes are deceived thereby, and
knowing this the conscientious soul is troubled. Under certain
influences and from various motives people are induced suddenly and
radically to reform their lives; and their absence from the grosser
forms of sin accompanied by a zealous performance of the common duties
of religion is often mistaken for genuine conversion and progress in
the Christian life. These are the "tares" which so closely resemble
the "wheat" that they are often indistinguishable until the harvest.
Moreover, there is a work of the law, quite distinct from the saving
effects wrought by the gospel, which in its fruits both external and
internal cannot be distinguished from a work of grace except by the
light of Scripture and the teaching of the Spirit. The terrors of the
law have come in power to the conscience of many a one, producing
poignant convictions of sin and horrors of the wrath to come, issuing
in much activity in the works of righteousness, but resulting in no
faith in Christ, and no love for Him.
Again: spiritual progress is difficult to discern because growth in
grace is often not nearly so apparent as first conversion. In many
cases conversion is a radical experience of which we are personally
conscious at the time and of which a vivid memory remains with us. It
is marked by revolutionary change in our life. It was when we were
relieved of the intolerable burden of guilt and the peace of God which
passeth all understanding possessed our souls. It was being brought
out of the awful and total spiritual darkness of nature into God's
marvellous light, whereas spiritual growth is but the enjoying further
degrees of that light. It was that tremendous change from having no
grace at all to the beginnings of grace within us, whereas that which
follows is the receiving of additions of grace. It was a spiritual
resurrection, a being brought from death unto life, but the subsequent
experience is only renewings of the life then received. For Joseph
suddenly to be translated out of prison to sit upon the throne of
Egypt, second only to Pharaoh, would affect him far more powerfully
than to have any new kingdoms added to him later, such as Alexander
had. At first everything in the spiritual life is new to the
Christian; later he learns more perfectly what was then discovered to
him, yet the effect made is not so perceptible and entrancing.
Further: the spiritual life or nature communicated at regeneration is
not the only thing in the Christian: the principle of sin still
remains in the soul after the principle of grace as been imparted.
Those two principles are at direct variance with each other, engaged
in a ceaseless warfare as long as the saint is left in this world.
"For the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the
flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot
do the things that ye would" (Gal. 5:17). That fearful conflict is apt
to confuse the issue in the mind of its subject; yea, it is certain to
lead the believer to draw a false inference from it unless he clearly
apprehends the teaching of Scripture thereon. The discovery of so much
opposition within, the thwarting of his aspirations and endeavors, his
felt inability to wage the warfare successfully, makes him seriously
to doubt whether holiness has been imparted to his heart. The ragings
of indwelling sin, the discovery of unsuspected corruptions, the
consciousness of unbelief, the defeats experienced, all appear to give
the lie direct to any spiritual progress. That presents an acute
problem to a conscientious soul.
Our Subject Is Both a Complex and Comprehensive One
By this we mean that this is a tree with many branches, which bears a
different manner of fruits according to the season. It is a subject
into which various elements enter, one that needs to be viewed from
many angles. Spiritual growth is both upward and downward, and it is
both inward and outward. An increased knowledge of God leads to an
increased knowledge of self, and as one results in higher adoration of
its Object, the other brings deeper humiliation in its subject. These
issue in more and more inward denials of self and abounding more and
more outwardly in good works. Yet this spiritual growth needs to be
most carefully stated lest we repudiate the completeness of
regeneration. In the strictest sense, spiritual growth consists of the
Spirit's drawing out what He wrought in the soul when He quickened it.
When a babe is born into this world it is complete in parts though not
in development: no new members can be added to its body nor any
additional faculties to its mind.
There is a growth of the natural child, a development of its members
an expansion of its faculties with a fuller expression and clearer
manifestation of the latter, but nothing more. The analogy holds good
with a babe in Christ. "Though there are innumerable circumstantial
differences in the cases and experience of the called people of God,
and though there is a growth suited to them, considered as `babes,
young men and fathers,' yet there is but one common life in the
various stages and degrees of the same life carried on to its
perfection by the Holy Spirit until it issues in glory eternal. The
work of God the Spirit in regeneration is eternally complete. It
admits of no increase nor decrease. It is one and the same in all
believers. There will not be the least addition to it in Heaven: not
one grace, holy affection, desire or disposition then, which is not in
it now. The whole of the Spirit's work therefore from the moment of
regeneration to our glorification is to draw out those graces into act
and exercise which He hath wrought within us. And though one believer
may abound in the fruits of righteousness more than another, yet there
is not one of them more regenerated than another." (S. E. Pierce)
The complexity of our subject is due in part to both the Divine and
the human elements entering into it, and who is competent to explain
or set forth their meeting-point! Yet the analogy supplied from the
physical realm again affords us some help. Absolutely considered, all
growth is due to the Divine operations, yet relatively there are
certain conditions which we must meet or there will be no growth--to
name no other, the partaking of suitable food is an essential
prerequisite; nevertheless that will not nourish unless God be pleased
to bless the same. To insist that there are certain conditions which
we must meet, certain means which we must use in our spiritual
progress is not to divide the honors with God, but is simply pointing
out the order He has established and the connection He has appointed
between one thing and another. In like manner there are certain
hindrances which we must avoid or growth will inevitably be arrested
and spiritual progress retarded. Nor does that imply that we are
thwarting God, but only disregarding His warnings and paying the
penalty of breaking those laws which He has instituted.
The Difficulty of Expounding Our Subject
The very complexity of our subject increases the difficulty before the
one attempting to expound it, for as is the case with so many other
problems presented to our limited intelligence, it involves the matter
of seeking to preserve a due balance between the Divine and the human
elements. The operations of Divine grace and the discharge of our
responsibility must each be insisted upon, and the concurring of the
latter with the former, as well as the superabounding of the former
over the latter must be proportionately set forth. In like manner our
contemplation of spiritual growth upward must not be allowed to crowd
out that of our growth downward, nor must our deeper loathing of self
be suffered to hinder an increasing living upon Christ. The more
sensible we are of our emptiness the more we must draw upon His
fulness. Nor is our task rendered easier when we remember what we
write will fall into the hands of very different types of readers who
sit under varied kinds of ministry--the one needing emphasis upon a
different note from another.
That there is such a thing as spiritual growth is abundantly clear
from the Scriptures. In addition to the passages alluded to in the
opening paragraph we may quote the following. "They go from strength
to strength" (Ps. 84:7). "The path of the just is as a shining light,
that shineth more and more unto the perfect day" (Prov. 4:18). "Then
shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord" (Hos. 6:3). "But unto
you that fear the Lord shall the Sun of righteousness arise with
healing in his wings, and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of
the stall" (Mal. 4:2). "And of his fulness have all we received, and
grace for grace" (John 1:16). "Every branch in me that beareth fruit
he purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit" (John 15:2). "But we
all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are
changed into the same image from glory to glory as by the Spirit of
the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18). "Increasing in the knowledge of God" (Col.
1:10). "As ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please
God, so ye abound more and more" (1 Thess. 4:1). "He giveth more grace
(James 4:6).
The above list might be extended considerably but sufficient
references have been given to show that not only is such a thing as
spiritual growth clearly revealed in the Scriptures, but that it is
given a prominent place therein. Let the reader duly observe the
variety of expressions which are employed by the Spirit to set forth
this progress or development--thereby preserving us from too
circumscribed a conception by showing us the many-sidedness of the
same. Some of them relate to what is internal, others to what is
external. Some of them describe the Divine operations, others the
necessary acts and exercises of the Christian. Some of them make
mention of increased light and knowledge, others of increased grace
and strength, and yet others of increased conformity to Christ and
fruitfulness. It is thus that the Holy Spirit has preserved the
balance and it is by our carefully noting the same that we shall be
kept from a narrow and one-sided idea of what spiritual growth
consists. If due attention be paid to this varied description we shall
be kept from painful mistakes, and the better enabled to test or
measure ourselves and discover what spiritual stature we have attained
unto.
This Is an Intensely Practical Subject
From what has been pointed out in the last few paragraphs it will be
seen that this is an intensely practical subject. It is no small
matter that we should be able to arrive at the clear apprehension of
what spiritual growth actually consists of, and thereby be delivered
from mistaking it for mere fantasy. If there be conditions which we
have to comply with in order to the making of progress, it is most
desirable that we should acquaint ourselves with the same and then
translate such knowledge into prayer. If God has appointed certain
means and aids, the sooner we learn what they are and make diligent
use of them the better for us. And if there be other things which act
as deterrents and are inimical to our welfare, the more we are placed
upon our guard the less likely we are to be hindered by them. And if
Christian growth has many sides to it this should govern our thinking
and acting thereon, that we may strive after a fitly-proportioned and
well-rounded Christian character, and grow up into Christ not merely
in one or two respects but "in all things" that our development may be
uniform and symmetrical.
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Spiritual Growth by Arthur W. Pink
2. Its Root
____________________________________________________
Before attempting to define and describe what the spiritual growth of
a Christian consists of, we should first show what it is that is
capable of growth, for spiritual growth necessarily supposes the
presence of spiritual life: only a regenerated person can grow.
Progress in the Christian life is impossible unless I be a Christian.
We must therefore begin by explaining what a Christian is. To many of
our readers this may appear to be quite superfluous, but in such a day
as this, wherein spiritual counterfeits and delusions abound on every
side, when so many are deceived on the all-important matter, and
because of such widely-different classes, we deem it necessary to
follow this course. We dare not take for granted that all our readers
are Christians in the Scriptural sense of that term, and may it please
the Lord to use what we are about to write to give light to some who
are yet in darkness. Moreover, it may be the means of enabling some
real Christians, now confused, to see the way of the Lord more
clearly. Nor will it be altogether profitless, we hope, even to those
more fully established in the faith.
Three Kinds of "Christians"
Broadly speaking there are three kinds of "Christians": preacher-made,
self-made, and God-made ones. In the former are included not only
those who were "sprinkled" in infancy and thereby made members of a
"church" (though not admitted to all its privileges), but those who
have reached the age of accountability and are induced by some
high-pressure "evangelist" to "make a profession." This high pressure
business is in different forms and in varying degrees, from appeals to
the emotions to mass hypnotism whereby crowds are induced to "come
forward." Under it countless thousands whose consciences were never
searched and who had no sense of their lost condition before God were
persuaded to "do the manly thing," "enlist under the banner of
Christ," "unite with God's people in their crusade against the devil."
Such converts are like mushrooms: they spring up in a night and
survive but a short time, having no root. Similar too are the vast
majority produced under what is called "personal work," which consists
of a species of individual "buttonholing," and is conducted along the
lines used by commercial travelers seeking to make a "forced sale."
The "self-made" class is made up of those who have been warned against
what has just been described above, and fearful of being deluded by
such religious hucksters they determined to "settle the matter"
directly with God in the privacy of their own room or some secluded
spot. They had been given to understand that God loves everybody, that
Christ died for the whole human race, and that nothing is required of
them but faith in the gospel. By saving faith they suppose that a mere
intellectual assent to, or acceptance of, such statements as are found
in John 3:16 and Romans 10:13 is all that is intended. It matters not
that John 2:23, 24 declares that "many believed in his name but Jesus
did not commit himself unto them," that "many believed on him, but
because of the Pharisees they did not confess him lest they be put out
of the synagogue, for they loved the praise of men more than the
praise of God," which shows how much their "believing" was worth.
Imagining that the natural man is capable of "receiving Christ as
personal Saviour" they make the attempt, doubt not their success, go
on their way rejoicing, and none can shake their assurance that they
are now real Christians!
"No man can come unto me except the Father which has sent me draw him"
(John 6:44). Here is a declaration of Christ which has not received
even mental assent by the vast majority in Christendom. It is far too
flesh-abasing to meet with acceptance from those who wish to think
that the settling of a man's eternal destiny lies entirely within his
own power. That fallen man is wholly at the disposal of God is
thoroughly unpalatable to an unhumbled heart. To come to Christ is a
spiritual act and not a natural one, and since the unregenerate are
dead in sins they are quite incapable of any spiritual exercises.
Coming to Christ is the effect of the soul's being made to feel its
desperate need of Him, of the understanding's being enlightened to
perceive His suitability for a lost sinner, of the affections being
drawn out so as to desire Him. But how can one whose natural mind is
"enmity against God" have any desire for His Son?
God-made Christians are a miracle of grace, the products of Divine
workmanship (Eph. 2:10). They are a Divine creation, brought into
existence by supernatural operations. By the new birth we are
capacitated for communion with the Triune Jehovah, for it is the
spring of new sensibilities and activities. It is not our old nature
made better and excited into spiritual acts, but instead, something is
communicated which was not there before. That "something" partakes of
the same nature as its Begetter: "that which is born of the Spirit is
spirit" (John 3:6), and as He is holy so that which He produces is
holy. It is the God of all grace who brings us "from death unto life,"
and therefore it is a principle of grace which He imparts to the soul,
and it disposes unto fruits which are well pleasing unto Him.
Regeneration is not a protracted process, but an instantaneous thing,
to which nothing can be added nor from it anything taken away (Eccl.
3:14). It is the product of a Divine fiat: God speaks and it is done,
and the subject of it becomes immediately a new creature."
Regeneration is not the outcome of any clerical magic nor does the
individual experiencing it supply ought thereto: he is the passive and
unconscious recipient of it. Said Truth incarnate: "which were born
not of blood [heredity makes no contribution thereto, for God has
regenerated heathens whose ancestors have for centuries been gross
idolators] nor of the will of the flesh [for prior to this Divine
quickening the will of that person was inveterately opposed to God]
nor of the will of [a] man [the preacher was incapable of regenerating
himself, much less others] but of God" (John 1:13)--by His sovereign
and almighty power. And again Christ declared, "The wind bloweth where
it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof [its effects are quite
manifest] but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth
[its causation and operation are entirely above human ken, a mystery
no finite intelligence can solve] so is every one that is born of the
Spirit" (John 3:8)--not in certain exceptional cases, but in all who
experience the same. Such Divine declarations are as far removed from
most of the religious teaching of the day as light is from darkness.
The word "Christian" means "an anointed one," as the Lord Jesus is
"The Anointed" or "The Christ." That was one of the titles accorded
Him in the Old Testament: "The kings of the earth have set themselves
and the rulers have taken counsel together against the Lord and
against his anointed" or "Christ" (Ps. 2:2 and cf. Acts 2:26, 27). He
is thus designated because "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the
Holy Spirit" (Acts 10:38), for induction into His office and enduement
for the discharge thereof. That office has three branches, for He was
to act as Prophet, Priest and King. And in the Old Testament we find
this foreshadowed in the anointing of Israel's prophets (1 Kings
19:16), their priests (Lev. 8:30) and their kings (1 Sam. 10:1; 2 Sam.
2:4). Accordingly it was upon entrance into His public ministry the
Lord Jesus was anointed," for at His baptism "the heavens were opened
unto him" and there was seen "the Spirit of God descending like a dove
and lighting upon him," and the Father's voice was heard saying "This
is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:16, 17). The
Spirit of God had come upon others before that, but never as He now
came upon the incarnate Son, "for God giveth not the Spirit by measure
unto him" (John 3:34), for being the Holy One there was nothing
whatever in Him to oppose the Spirit or grieve Him, but everything to
the contrary.
But it was not for Himself alone that Christ received the Spirit, but
to share with and communicate unto His people. Hence in another of the
Old Testament types we read that "The precious ointment upon the head,
that ran down upon the beard, upon Aaron's beard, that ran down to the
skirts of his garments" (Ps. 132:2). Though all Israel's priests were
anointed, none but the high priest was done so upon the head (Lev.
8:12). This foreshadowed the Saviour being anointed not only as our
great High Priest but also as the Head of His church, and the running
down of the sacred ungent to the skirts prefigured the communicating
of the Spirit to all the members, even the lowliest, of His mystical
Body. "Now he who . . . hath anointed us is God, who hath sealed us
and given us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts" (2 Cor. 1:22).
"Of his [Christ's] fulness have we all received" (John 1:16).
When the apostles were "filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak
with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance" on the day of
Pentecost, and some mocked, Peter declared "This is that which was
spoken by the prophet Joel" and concluded by affirming that Jesus had
been by the right hand of God exalted "and having received of the
Father he that shed forth this" (Acts 2:33). A "Christian" then is an
anointed one because he has received the Holy Spirit from Christ "the
anointed." And hence it is written "But ye have an unction [or
"anointing"] from the Holy One," that is, from Christ; and again. "the
anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you" (1 John 2:20,
27), for just as we read of "the Spirit descending and remaining on
him" (John 1:33) so He abides with us "forever" (John 14:16).
This is the inseparable accompaniment of the new birth. The
regenerated soul is not only made the recipient of a new life but the
Holy Spirit is communicated to him, and by the Spirit he is then
vitally united to Christ, for "be that is joined to the Lord is one
Spirit" (1 Cor. 6:17). The Spirit comes to indwell so that his body is
made His temple. It is by this anointing or inhabitation the
regenerate person is sanctified, or set apart unto God, consecrated to
Him, and given a place in that "holy priesthood" which is qualified
"to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ"
(1 Peter 2:5). Thereby the saint is sharply distinguished from the
world, for "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of
his" (Rom. 8:9). The Spirit is the identifying mark or seal: as it was
by the Spirit's descent on Christ that John recognized Him (John 1:33)
and "him hath God the Father sealed" (John 6:27), so believers are
"sealed with that Holy Spirit." (Eph. 1:13)
But since the individual concerned in regeneration is entirely passive
and at the moment unconscious of what is taking place, the question
arises, How is a soul to ascertain whether or not he has been Divinely
quickened? At first sight it might appear that no satisfactory answer
can be forthcoming, yet a little reflection should show that this must
be far from being the case. Such a miracle of grace wrought in a
person cannot long be imperceptible to him. If spiritual life be
imparted to one dead in sins its presence must soon become manifest.
This is indeed the case. The new birth becomes apparent by the effects
it produces, namely, spiritual desires and spiritual exercises. As the
natural infant clings instinctively to its mother, so the spiritual
babe turns unto the One who gave it being. The authority of God is
felt in the conscience, the holiness of God is perceived by the
enlightened understanding, desires after Him stir within the soul. His
wondrous grace is now faintly perceived by the renewed heart. There is
a poignant consciousness of that which is opposed to the glory of God,
a sense of our sinnership such as was not experienced formerly.
The natural man (all that he is as a fallen creature by the first
birth) receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are
foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14). By no efforts of his own, by no
university education, by no course of religions instruction can he
obtain any spiritual or vital knowledge of spiritual things. They are
utterly beyond the range of his faculties. Self-love blinds him:
self-pleasing chains him to the things of time and sense. Except a man
be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. He may obtain a
notional knowledge of them, but until a miracle of grace takes place
in his soul he cannot have any spiritual acquaintance with them.
Fishes could sooner live on dry ground or birds exist beneath the
waves than an unregenerate person enter into a vital and experimental
acquaintance with the things of God.
The first effect of the spiritual life in the soul is that its
recipient is convicted of his impurity and guilt. The conscience is
quickened and there is a piercing realization of both personal
pollution and criminality. The illumined mind sees something of the
awful malignity of sin, as being in its very nature contrary to the
holiness of God, and in its essence nothing but high-handed rebellion
against Him. From that arises an abhorrence of it as a most vile and
loathsome thing. The demerit of sin is seen, so that the soul is made
to feel it has grievously provoked the Most High, exposing him to
Divine wrath. Made aware of the plague of his heart, knowing himself
to be justly liable to the awful vengeance of the Almighty, his mouth
is stopped, he has not a word to say in self-extenuation, he confesses
himself to be guilty before Him; and henceforth that which most deeply
concerns him is, What must I do to be saved? in what way may I escape
the doom of the Law?
The second effect of the spiritual life in the soul is that its
recipient becomes aware of the suitability of Christ to such a vile
wretch as he now discovers himself to be. The glorious gospel now has
an entirely new meaning for him. He requires no urging to listen to
its message: it is heavenly music in his ears, "good news from a far
country (Prov. 25:25). Nay, he now searches the Scriptures for himself
to make sure that such a gospel is not too good to be true. As he
reads therein of who the Saviour is and what He did, of the Divine
incarnation and His death on the cross, he is awed as never before. As
he learns that it was for sinners, for the ungodly, for enemies that
Christ shed His blood, hope is awakened in his heart and he is kept
from being overwhelmed by his burden of guilt and from sinking into
abject despair. Desires of an interest in Christ spring up within his
soul, and he is resolved to look for salvation in none other. He is
convinced that pardon and security are to be found in Christ alone if
so be that He will show him favor. He searches now to discover what
Christ's requirements are.
A Christian is not only one "anointed" by the Spirit, but he is also
one who is a disciple of Christ (see Matthew 28:19 margin, and Acts
11:26), that is, a learner and follower of Christ. His terms of
discipleship are made known in Luke 14:26-33. Those terms a regenerate
soul is enabled to comply with. Convicted of his lost condition,
having learned that Christ is the appointed and self-sufficient
Saviour for sinners, he now throws down the weapons of his rebellion,
repudiates his idols, relinquishes his love of and friendship with the
world, surrenders himself to the Lordship of Christ, takes His yoke
upon him, and thereby finds rest unto his soul; trusting in the
efficacy of His atoning blood the burden of guilt is removed, and
henceforth his dominant desire and endeavor is to please and glorify
his Saviour. Thus regeneration issues in and evidences itself by
conversion, and genuine conversion makes one a disciple of Christ,
following the example He has left us.
____________________________________________________
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Spiritual Growth by Arthur W. Pink
3. Its Necessity
____________________________________________________
I
We commenced the last chapter by pointing out that none can possibly
make any progress in the Christian life unless he first be a Christian
and then devoted the remainder to defining and describing what a
"Christian" is. It is indeed striking to note that this title is used
by the Holy Spirit in a two fold way: primarily it signifies an
"anointed one"; subordinately it denotes "a disciple of Christ."
Thereby they have brought together in a truly wonderful manner both
the Divine and the human sides. Our "anointing" with the Spirit is
God's act, wherein we are entirely passive; but our becoming
"disciples of Christ" is a voluntary and conscious act of ours,
whereby we freely surrender to Christ's lordship and submit to His
sceptre. It is by the latter that we obtain evidence of the former.
None will yield to the flesh-repellent terms of Christian
"discipleship" save those in whom a Divine work of grace has been
wrought, but when that miracle has occurred conversion is as certain
to follow as a cause will produce its effects. One made a new creature
by the Divine miracle of the new birth desires and gladly endeavors to
meet the holy requirements of Christ.
Here, then, is the root of spiritual growth the communication to the
soul of spiritual life. Here is what makes possible Christian
progress: a person's becoming a Christian, first by the Spirit's
anointing and then by his own choice. This twofold signification of
the term "Christian' is the principal key which opens to us the
subject of Christian progress or spiritual growth, for it ever needs
to be contemplated from both the Divine and human sides. It requires
to be viewed both from the angle of God's operations and from that of
the discharge of our responsibilities. The twofold meaning of the
title "Christian" must also be borne in mind under the present aspect
of our subject, for on the one hand progress is neither necessary nor
possible, while in another very real sense it is both desirable and
requisite. God's "anointing" is not susceptible of improvement, being
perfect; but our "discipleship" is to become more intelligent and
productive of good works. Much confusion has resulted from ignoring
this distinction, and we shall devote the remainder of this chapter to
the negative side, pointing out those respects in which progress or
growth does not obtain.
1. Christian progress does not signify advancing in God's favor. The
believer's growth in grace does not further him one iota in God's
esteem. How could it, since God is the Giver of his faith and the One
who has "wrought all our works in us" (Isa. 26:12)! God's favorable
regard of His people originated not in anything whatever in them,
either actual or foreseen. God's grace is absolutely free, being the
spontaneous exercise of His own mere good pleasure. The cause of its
exercise lies wholly within Himself. The purposing grace of God is
that good will which He had unto His people from all eternity: "Who
bath saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according to our
works, but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us
in Christ Jesus before the world began" (2 Tim. 1:9). And the
dispensing grace of God is but the execution of His purpose,
ministering to His people: thus we read "God giveth more grace," yea,
that "he giveth more grace" (James 4:6). It is entirely gratuitous,
sovereignly bestowed, without any inducement being found in its
object.
Furthermore, everything God does for and bestows on His people is for
Christ's sake. It is in no wise a question of their deserts, but of
Christ's deserts or what he merited for them. As Christ is the only
Way by which we can approach the Father, so He is the sole channel
through which God's grace flows unto us. Hence we read of the "grace
of God, and the gift of grace (namely, justifying righteousness) by
one man, Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:15); and again, "the grace of God which
is given you by Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 1:4). The love of God toward us
is in "Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:39). he forgives us "for
Christ's sake" (Eph. 4:32). He supplies all our need "according to his
riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19). He brings us to heaven
in answer to Christ's prayer (John 17:24). Yet though Christ merits
everything for us, the original cause was the sovereign grace of God.
"Although the merits of Christ are the (procuring) cause of our
salvation, yet they are not the cause of our being ordained to
salvation, They are the cause of purchasing all things decreed unto
us, but they are not the cause which first moved God to decree these
things unto us." (Thos. Goodwin)
The Christian is not accepted because of his graces, for the very
graces (as their name connotes) are bestowed upon him by Divine
bounty, and are not attained by any efforts of his. And so far from
these graces being the reason why God accepts him, they are the fruits
of his being "chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world"
and, decretively, "blessed with all spiritual blessings in the
heavenlies in Christ" (Eph. 1:3, 4). Settle it then in your own mind
once for all, my reader, that growth in grace does not signify growing
in the favor of God. This is essentially a Papish delusion, and though
creature-flattering it is a horribly Christ--dishonoring one. Since
God's elect are "accepted in the beloved" (Eph. 1:6), it is impossible
that any subsequent change wrought in or attained by them could render
them more excellent in His esteem or advance them in His love. When
the Father announced concerning the incarnate Word "This is my beloved
Son [not "with whom" but] in whom I am well pleased" He was expressing
His delight in the whole election of grace, for He was speaking of
Christ in His federal character, as the last Adam, as head of His
mystical body.
The Christian can neither increase nor decrease in the favor of God,
nor can anything he does or fails to do alter or affect to the
slightest degree his perfect standing in Christ. Yet let it not be
inferred from this that his conduct is of little importance or that
God's dealings with him have no relation to his daily walk. While
avoiding the Romish conceit of human merits, we must be on our guard
against Antinomian licentiousness. As the moral Governor of this world
God takes note of our conduct, and in a variety of ways makes manifest
His approbation or disapprobation: "No good thing will he withhold
from them that walk uprightly" (Ps. 84:11), yet to His own people God
says "your sins have withholden good things from you" (Jer. 5:25). So,
too, as the Father He maintains discipline in His family, and when His
children are refractory He uses the rod (Ps. 89:3-33). Special
manifestations of Divine love are granted to the obedient (John 14:21,
23), but are withheld from the disobedient and the careless.
2. Christian progress does not denote that the work of regeneration
was incomplete. Great care needs to be taken in stating this truth of
spiritual growth lest we repudiate the perfection of the new birth. We
must repeat here in substance what was pointed out in the first
article. When a normal child is born into this world naturally the
babe is an entire entity, complete in all its parts, possessing a full
set of bodily members and mental faculties. As the child grows there
is a strengthening of its body and mind, a development of its members
and an expansion of its faculties, with a fuller use of the one and a
clearer manifestation of the other; yet no new member or additional
faculty is or can be added to him. It is precisely so spiritually. The
spiritual life or nature received at the new birth contains within
itself all the "senses" (Heb. 5:14) and graces, and though these may
be nourished and strengthened, and increased by exercise yet not by
addition, no, not in heaven itself. "I know that whatsoever God doeth
it shall be forever: nothing can be put to it nor anything taken from
it" (Eccl. 3:14). The "babe" in Christ is just as truly and completely
a child of God as the most matured "father" in Christ.
Regeneration is a more radical and revolutionizing change than
glorification. The one is a passing from death unto life, the other an
entrance into the fulness of life. The one is a bringing into
existence of "the new man which after God is created in righteousness
and true holiness" (Eph. 4:22), the other is a reaching unto the full
stature of the new man. The one is a translation into the kingdom of
God's dear Son (Col. 1:13). the other an induction into the higher
privileges of that kingdom. The one is the begetting of us unto a
living hope (1 Peter 1:3), the other is a realization of that hope. At
regeneration the soul is made a new creature" in Christ, so that "old
things are passed away, behold, all things are become new" (2 Cor.
5:17). The regenerate soul is a partaker of every grace of the Spirit
so that he is "complete in Christ" (Col. 2:10), and no growth on earth
or glorification in heaven can make him more than complete.
3. Christian progress does not procure a title for heaven. The perfect
and indefeasible title of every believer is in the merits of Christ.
His vicarious fulfilling of the law, whereby He magnified and made it
honorable, secured for all in whose stead He acted the full reward of
the law. It is on the all-sufficient ground of Christ's perfect
obedience being reckoned to his account that the believer is justified
by God and assured that he shall "reign in life" (Rom. 5:17). If he
had lived on earth another hundred years and served God perfectly it
would add nothing to his title. Heaven is the "purchased possession"
(Eph. 1:14), purchased for His people by the whole redemptive work of
Christ. His precious blood gives every believing sinner the legal
right to "enter the holiest" (Heb. 10:19). Our title to glory is found
alone in Christ. Of the redeemed now in heaven it is said, they have
"washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb:
therefore are they before the throne of God and serve Him day and
night in His temple" (Rev. 7:14, 15).
It has not been sufficiently realized that God's pronouncement of
justification is very much more than a mere sense of acquittal or
non-condemnation. It includes as well the positive imputation of
righteousness. As James Hervey so beautifully illustrated it: "When
yonder orb makes his first appearance in the east, what effects are
produced? Not only are the shades of night dispersed, but the light of
day is diffused. Thus it is when the Author of salvation is manifested
to the soul: he brings at once pardon and acceptance." Not only are
our "filthy rags" removed, but the "best robe" is put upon us (Luke
15:22) and no efforts or attainments of ours can add anything to such
a Divine adornment. Christ not only delivers us from death, but
purchased life for us; He not only put away our sins but merited an
inheritance for us. The most mature and advanced Christian has nought
to plead before God for his acceptance than the righteousness of
Christ: that, nothing but that, and nothing added to it, as his
perfect title to Glory.
4. Christian progress does not make us meet for heaven. Many of those
who are more or less clear on the three points considered above are
far from being so upon this one, and therefore we must enter into it
at greater length. Thousands have been taught to believe that when a
person has been justified by God and tasted the blessedness of "the
man whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered" that much
still remains to be done for the soul before it is ready for the
celestial courts. A widespread impression prevails that after his
justification the believer must undergo the refining process of
sanctification, and that for this he must be left for a time amid the
trials and conflicts of a hostile world; yea so strongly held is this
view that some are likely to take exception to what follows.
Nevertheless, such a theory repudiates the fact that it is the
new-creative work of the Spirit which not only capacitates the soul to
take in and enjoy spiritual things now (John 3:3, 5), but also fits it
experimentally for the eternal fruition of God.
One had thought that those laboring under the mistake mentioned above
would be corrected by their own experience and by what they observed
in their fellow Christians. They frankly acknowledge that their own
progress is most unsatisfactory to them, and they have no means of
knowing when the process is to be successfully completed. They see
their fellow Christians cut off apparently in very varied stages of
this process. If it be said that this process is completed only at
death, then we would point out that even on their death-beds the most
eminent and mature saints have testified to being most humiliated over
their attainments and thoroughly dissatisfied with themselves. Their
final triumph was not what grace had made them to be in themselves,
but what Christ was made to be unto them. If such a view as the above
were true, how could any believer cherish a desire to depart and be
with Christ (Phil. 1:23) while the very fact that he was still in the
body would be proof (according to this idea) that the process was not
yet complete to fit him for His presence!
But, it may be asked, is there not such a thing as "progressive
sanctification"? We answer, it all depends on what is signified by
that expression. In our judgment it is one which needs to be carefully
and precisely defined, otherwise God is likely to be grossly
dishonored and His people seriously injured by being brought into
bondage by a most inadequate and defective view of Sanctification as a
whole. There are several essential and fundamental respects in which
sanctification is not "progressive," wherein it admits of no degrees
and is incapable of augmentation, and those aspects of sanctification
need to be plainly stated and clearly apprehended before the
subordinate aspect is considered. First, every believer was
decretively sanctified by God the Father before the foundation of the
world (Jude 1). Second, he was meritoriously sanctified by God the Son
in the redemptive work which He performed in the stead of and on the
behalf of His people, so that it is written "by one offering he bath
perfected forever them that are sanctified" (Heb. 10:14). Third, he
was vitally sanctified by God the Spirit when He quickened him into
newness of life, united him to Christ, and made his body His temple.
If by "progressive sanctification" be meant a clearer understanding
and fuller apprehension of what God has made Christ to be unto the
believer and of his perfect standing and state in Him; if by it be
meant the believer living more and more in the enjoyment and power of
that, with the corresponding influence and effect it will have upon
his character and conduct; if by it be meant a growth of faith and an
increase of its fruits, manifested in a holy walk, then we have no
objection to the term. But if by "progressive sanctification" be
intended a rendering of the believer more acceptable unto God, or a
making of him more fit for the heavenly Jerusalem, then we have no
hesitation in rejecting it as a serious error. Not only can there be
no increase in the purity and acceptableness of the believer's
sanctity before God, but there can be no addition to that holiness of
which he became the possessor at the new birth, for the new nature he
then received is essentially and impeccably holy. "The babe in Christ,
dying as such, is as capable of as high communion with God as Paul in
the state of glory." (S. E. Pierce)
Instead of striving after and praying that God would make us more fit
for heaven, how much better to join with the apostle in "giving thanks
unto the Father who bath made us meet to be partakers of the
inheritance of the saints in light" (Col. 1:12), and then seek to walk
suitably unto such a privilege and dignity! That is for the saints to
"possess their possessions" (Obad. 17); the other is to be robbed of
them by a thinly-disguised Romanism. Before pointing out in what the
Christian's meetness for heaven consists, let us note that heaven is
here termed all inheritance." Now an inheritance is not something that
we acquire by self-denial and mortification, nor purchased by our own
labors or good works; rather it is that to which we lawfully succeed
in virtue of our relationship to another. Primarily, it is that to
which a child succeeds in virtue to his relationship to his father, or
as the son of a king inherits the crown. In this case, the inheritance
is ours in virtue of our being sons of God.
Peter declares that the Father hath "begotten us unto a living hope .
. . to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not
away" (1 Peter 1:4). Paul also speaks of the Holy Spirit witnessing
with our spirit that we are the children of God, and then points out:
"and if children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint-heirs with
Christ" (Rom. 8:16, 17). If we inquire more distinctly, what is this
"inheritance" of the children of God? the next verse (Col. 1. :13)
tells us: it is the kingdom of God's dear Son." Those who me
joint-heirs with Christ must share His kingdom. Already He has made us
"kings and priests unto God" (Rev. 1:5), and the inheritance of kings
is a crown, a throne, a kingdom. The blessedness which lies before the
redeemed is not merely to be subjects of the King of kings, but to sit
with Him on His throne, to reign with Him forever (Rom. 5:17; Rev.
22:4). Such is the wondrous dignity of our inheritance: as to its
extent, we are "joint-heirs with" Him whom God "hath appointed heir of
all things" (Heb. 1:2). Our destiny is bound up with His. O that the
faith of Christians would rise above their "feelings," "conflicts,"
and "experiences," and possess their possessions.
The Christian's title to the inheritance is the righteousness of
Christ imputed to him; in what, then, consists his "meetness"? First,
since it be meetness for the inheritance, they must be children of
God, and this they are made at the moment of regeneration. Second,
since it is the inheritance of saints," they must be saints, and this
too they are the moment they believe in Christ, for they are then
sanctified by that very blood in which they have forgiveness of sins
(Heb. 13:12). Third, since it is an inheritance "in light," they must
be made children of light, and this also they become when God called
them "out of darkness into his marvellous light" (1 Peter 2:9). Nor is
that characteristic only of certain specially favored saints; "ye are
all the children of light." (1 Thess. 5:5) Fourth, since the
inheritance consists of an everlasting kingdom, ill order to enjoy it
we must have eternal life; and that too every Christian possesses: "he
that believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting life" (John 3:36).
"For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:
28). Are they children in name but not in nature? What a question! It
might as well be supposed they have a title to an inheritance and yet
be without meetness for it, which would be saying that our sonship was
a fiction and not a reality. Very different is the teaching of God's
Word: it declares that we become His children by being born again
(John 1:13). And regeneration does not consist in the gradual
improvement or purification of the old nature, but the creation of a
new one. Nor is becoming children of God a lengthy process at all, but
an instantaneous thing. The all-mighty agent of it is the Holy Spirit,
and obviously that which is born of Him needs no improving or
perfecting. The "new man" is itself "created in righteousness and true
holiness" (Eph. 4:22) and certainly it cannot stand in need of a
"progressive" work to be wrought in him! True, the old nature opposes
all the aspirations and activities of this new nature, and therefore
as long as the believer remains in the flesh he is called upon
"through the Spirit to mortify the deeds of the body," yet in spite of
the painful and weary conflict, the new nature remains uncontaminated
by the vileness in the midst of which he dwells.
That which qualifies the Christian or makes him meet for heaven is the
spiritual life which he received at regeneration, for that is the life
or nature of God (John 3:5; 2 Peter 1:4). That new life or nature fits
the Christian for communion with God, for the presence of God--the
same day the dying thief received it, he was with Christ in Paradise!
It is true that while we are left here its manifestation is obscured,
like the sunbeam shining through opaque glass. Yet the sunbeam itself
is not dim, though it appears so because of the unsuitable medium
through which it passes; but let that opaque glass be removed and it
will at once appear in its beauty. So it is with the spiritual life of
the Christian: there is no defeat whatever in the life itself but its
manifestation is sadly obscured by a mortal body; all that is
necessary for the appearing of its perfections is deliverance from the
corrupt medium through which it now acts. The life of God in the soul
renders a person meet for glory: no attainment of ours, no growth in
grace we experience, can fit us for heaven any more than it can
entitle us to it.
II
If the regeneration of Christians be complete, if their effectual
sanctification be effected, if they are already fitted for heaven,
then why does God still leave them here on earth? Why not take them to
His own immediate presence as soon as they be born again?
Our first answer is, There is no "if" about it. Scripture distinctly
and expressly affirms that even now believers are "complete in Christ"
(Col. 2:10), that He has "perfected forever them that are sanctified"
(Heb. 10:14), that they are "made meet for the inheritance of the
saints in light" (Col. 1:12), and more than "complete," "perfect" and
"meet" none will ever be. As to why God--generally, though not
always--leaves the babe in Christ in this world for a longer or
shorter period: even if no satisfactory reason could be suggested,
that would not invalidate to the slightest degree what has been
demonstrated, for when any truth is clearly established a hundred
objections cannot set it aside. However, while we do not pretend to
fathom the mind of God, the following consequences are more or less
obvious.
By leaving His people here for a season opportunity is given for: 1.
God to manifest His keeping power: not only in a hostile world, but
sin still indwelling believers. 2. To demonstrate the sufficiency of
His grace: supporting them in their weakness. 3. To maintain a witness
for Himself in a scene which lieth in the Wicked One. 4. To exhibit
His faithfulness in supplying all their need in the wilderness before
they reach Canaan. 5. To display His manifold wisdom unto angels (1
Cor. 4:9; Eph. 3:10). 6. To act as "salt" in preserving the race from
moral suicide: by the purifying and restraining influence they exert.
7. To make evident the reality of their faith: trusting Him in
sharpest trials and darkest dispensations. 8. To give them an occasion
to glorify Him in the place where they dishonored Him. 9. To preach
the gospel to those of His elect yet in unbelief. 10. To afford proof
that they will serve Him amid the most disadvantageous circumstances.
11. To deepen their appreciation of what He has prepared for them. 12.
To have fellowship with Christ who endured the cross before He was
crowned with glory and honor.
Before showing why Christian progress is necessary let us remind the
reader once more of the double signification of the term "Christian,"
namely, "an anointed one" and "a disciple of Christ," and how this
supplies the principal key to the subject before us, intimating its
twofoldness. His "anointing" with the Spirit of God is an act of God
wherein he is entirely passive, but his becoming a "disciple of
Christ" is a voluntary act of his own, wherein he surrenders to
Christ's Lordship and resolves to be ruled by His sceptre. Only as
this is duly borne in mind shall we be preserved from error on either
side as we pass from one aspect of our theme to another. As the double
meaning of the name "Christian" points to both the Divine operations
and human activity, so in the Christian's progress we must keep before
us the exercise of God's sovereignty and the discharge of our
responsibility. Thus from one angle growth is neither necessary nor
possible; from another it is both desirable and requisite. It is from
this second angle we are now going to view the Christian, setting
forth his obligations therein.
Let us illustrate what has been said above on the twofoldness of this
truth by a few simple comments on a well-known verse: "So teach us to
number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Ps. 90:12).
First, this implies that in our fallen condition we are wayward at
heart, prone to follow a course of folly; and such is our present
state by nature. Second, it implies that the Lord's people have had a
discovery made to them of their woeful case, and are conscious of
their sinful inability to correct the same; which is the experience of
all the regenerate. Third, it signifies an owning of this humiliating
truth, a crying to God for enablement. They beg to be "so taught," as
to be actually empowered. In other words, it is a prayer for enabling
grace. Fourth, it expresses the end in view: "that we may apply our
hearts unto wisdom"--perform our duty, discharge our obligations,
conduct ourselves as "Wisdom's children." Grace is to be improved,
turned to good account, traded with.
We all know what is meant by a person's "applying his mind" to his
studies, namely, that he gathers his wandering thoughts, focuses his
attention on the subject before him, concentrates thereon. Equally
evident is a person's "applying his hand" to a piece of manual labor,
namely, that he get down to business, set himself to the work before
him, earnestly endeavor to make a good job of it. In either case there
is an implication: in the former, that he has been given a sound mind,
in the latter that he possesses a healthy body. And in connection with
both cases it is universally acknowledged that the one ought to so
employ his mind and the other his bodily strength. Equally obvious
should be the meaning of and the obligation to "apply our hearts unto
wisdom": that is, diligently, fervently, earnestly make wisdom our
quest and walk in her ways. Since God has given a "new heart" at
regeneration, it is to be thus employed. If He has quickened us into
newness of life then we ought to grow in grace. If He has made us new
creatures in Christ we are to progress as Christians.
Because this will be read by such widely-different classes of readers
and we are anxious to help all, we must consider here an objection,
for the removal of which we quote the renowned John Owen. "It will be
said that if not only the beginning of grace, sanctification, and
holiness from God, but the carrying of it on and the increase of it
also be from Him, and not only so in general, but that all the actings
of grace, and every act of it, be an immediate effect of the Holy
Spirit, then what need is there that we should take any pains in this
thing ourselves, or use our own endeavors to grow in grace and
holiness as we are commanded? If God worketh all Himself in us, and
without His effectual operation in us we can do nothing, there is no
place left for our diligence, duty, or obedience.
"Answer. 1. This objection we must expect to meet withal at every
turn. Men will not believe there is a consistency between God's
effectual grace and our diligent obedience; that is, they will not
believe what is plainly, clearly, distinctly, revealed in the
Scripture, and which is suited unto the experience of all that truly
believe, because they cannot, it may be, comprehend it within the
compass of carnal reason. 2. Let the apostle answer this objection for
this once: `his Divine power has given unto us all things that pertain
unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of his that hath called
us to glory and virtue; whereby are given unto us exceeding great and
precious promises that by these we might be partakers of the Divine
nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through
lust' (2 Peter 1:3, 4), If all things that pertain unto life and
godliness, among which doubtless is the preservation and increase of
grace, be given unto us by the power of God; if from Him we receive
that Divine nature, by virtue whereof our corruptions are subdued,
then I pray what need is there of any endeavors of our own? The whole
work of sanctification is wrought in us, it seems, and that by the
power of God: we, therefore, may let it alone and leave it unto Him
whose it is, whilst we are negligent, secure and at ease. Nay, says
the apostle, this is not the use which the grace of God is to be put
unto. The consideration of it is or ought to be, the principal motive
and encouragement unto all diligence for the increase of holiness in
us. For so he adds immediately: `But also for this cause' [Greek] or
because of the gracious operations of the Divine power in us; `giving
all diligence, add to your faith virtue,' etc. (v. 5).
`These objectors and this apostle were very diversely minded in these
matters: what they make an insuperable discouragement unto diligence
in obedience, that he makes the greatest motive and encouragement
thereunto. 3. I say, from this consideration it will unavoidably
follow, that we ought continually to wait and depend on God for
supplies of His Spirit and grace without which we can do nothing; that
God is more the Author by His grace of the good we do than we are
ourselves (not I, but the grace of God that was with me): that we
ought to be careful that by our negligences and sins we provoke not
the Holy Spirit to withhold His aids and assistances, and so to leave
us to ourselves, in which condition we can do nothing that is
spiritually good: these things, I say, will unavoidably follow on the
doctrine before declared; and if any one be offended at them it is not
in our power to render them relief."
Coming now more directly to the needs-be for spiritual growth or
Christian progress. This is not optional but obligatory, for we are
expressly bidder, to "Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18)--grow from infancy to the
vigor of youth, and from the zeal of youth to the wisdom of maturity.
And again, to be "building up yourselves on your most holy faith."
(Jude 21) It is not sufficient to be grounded and established in the
faith, for we must grow more and more therein. At conversion we take
upon us the "yoke" of Christ, and then His word is "learn of me,"
which is to be a lifelong experience. In becoming Christ's disciples
we do hot enter His school: not remain in the kindergarten but to
progress under His tuition. "A wise man will hear and increase
learning" (Prov. 1:5), and seek to make good use of that learning. The
believer has not yet reached heaven: he is on the way, journeying
thither, fleeing from the city of destruction. That is why the
Christian life is so often likened unto a race, and the believer unto
a runner: "forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth
unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the
prize" (Phil. 3:13, 14).
1. Only thus is the triune God glorified. This is so obvious that it
really needs no arguing. It brings no glory to God that His children
should he dwarfs. As sunshine and rain are sent for the nourishment
and fructification of vegetation so the means of grace are provided
that we may increase in our spiritual stature. "As newborn babes,
desire the sincere milk of the Word that ye may grow thereby" (1 Peter
2:2) --not only in the intellectual knowledge of it, but in a
practical conformity thereunto. This should be our chief concern and
be made our principal business: to become better acquainted with God,
to have the heart more occupied with and affected by His perfections,
to seek after a fuller knowledge of His will, to regulate our conduct
thereby, and thus "show forth the praises of him who hath called us
out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9). The more we
evidence our sonship, the more we conduct ourselves as becometh the
children of God before a perverse generation, the more do we honor Him
who has set His love upon us.
That our spiritual growth and progress is glorifying unto God appears
plainly from the prayers of the apostles, for none were more concerned
about His glory than they, and nothing occupied so prominent a place
in their intercession as this. As we hope to allude to this again
later, one or two quotations here must suffice. For the Ephesians Paul
prayed, "that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God" (5:19).
For the Philippians, "that your love may abound yet more and more, in
knowledge and in all judgment . . . being filled with the fruits of
righteousness" (1:9-11). For the Colossians, "that ye might walk
worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good
work and increasing in the knowledge of God" (1:10, 11). From which we
learn that it is our privilege and duty to obtain more spiritual views
of the Divine perfections, begetting in us an increasing holy delight
in Him, making our walk more acceptable. There should be a growing
acquaintance with the excellency of Christ, advancing in our love of
Him, and the more lively exercises of our graces.
2. Only thus do we give proof of our regeneration. "Herein is my
Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit: so shall ye be my
disciples" (John 15:8). That does not mean we become the disciples of
Christ as a result of our fruitfulness, but that we make manifest we
are His by our fruitbearing. They who bear no fruit have no vital
union with Christ, and like the barren fig tree, are under His curse.
Very solemn is this, and by such a criterion each of us should measure
himself. That which is brought forth by the Christian is not to he
restricted unto what, in many circles, is called "service" or
"personal work," but has reference to that which issues from the
exercise of all the spiritual graces. Thus: "Love your enemies, bless
them that curse you, do good to them that hate you and pray for them
which despitefully use you and persecute you; that ye may be the
children of your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:44, 45), that
is, that you may make it evident to yourself and fellows that you have
been made "partaker of the Divine nature."
"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these," etc., "but
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance" (Gal. 5:19, 22,
23). The reference is not directly to what the Holy Spirit produces,
but rather to that which is born of the "spirit" or new nature of
which He is the Author (John 5:6). This is evident from its being set
over against the "works of the flesh" or old nature. It is by means of
this "fruit," these lovely graces. that the regenerate make manifest
the presence of a supernatural principle within them. The more such
"fruit" abounds, the clearer our evidence that we have been born
again. The total absence of such fruit would prove our profession to
be an empty one. It has often been pointed out by others that what
issues from the flesh is designated works," for a machine can produce
such; but that which the "spirit" yields is living "fruit" in contrast
from "dead works" (Heb. 6:1; 9:14). This fruit-bearing is necessary in
order to evidence the new birth.
3. Only thus do we certify that we have been made partakers of an
effectual call and are among the chosen of God. "Brethren, give
diligence to make your calling and election sure" (2 Peter 1:10) is
the Divine exhortation--one which has puzzled many. Yet it should not:
it is not to secure it Godward (which is impossible), but to make it
more certain to yourselves and your brethren. And how is this to be
accomplished? Why, by acquiring a clearer and fuller evidence of the
same: by spiritual growth, for growth is proof that life is present.
This interpretation is definitely established by the context. After
enumerating the bestowments of Divine grace (vv. 3, 4) the apostle
says, now here is your responsibility: "And besides this, giving all
diligence, add to your faith [by bringing it into exercise] virtue;
and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to
temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness
brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness love" (vv. 5-7). Faith
itself is ever to be operative, but according to different occasions
and in their seasons let each of your graces be exercised, and in
proportion as they are, the life of holiness is furthered in the soul
and there is a proportionate spiritual growth (cf. Col. 3:12, 13).
4. Only thus do we adorn the doctrine we profess (Titus 2:10). The
Truth we claim to have received into our hearts is "the doctrine which
is according to godliness" (1 Tim. 6:3), and therefore the more our
daily lives be conformed thereto the clearer proof do we give that our
character and conduct is regulated by heavenly principles. It is by
our fruits we are known (Matthew 7:16), for "every good tree bringeth
forth good fruit." Thus, it is only by our being "fruitful in every
good work" (Col, 1:10) that we make it manifest that we are the "trees
of the Lord" (Ps. 104:16). "Now are ye light in the Lord, walk as
children of light" (Eph. 5:8). It is not the character of our walk
which qualifies us to become the children of light, but which
demonstrates that we are such. Because we are children of Him who is
light (1 John 1:5) we must shun the darkness. If we have been
"sanctified in Christ Jesus" (1 Cor. 1:2) then only that should
proceed from us which "becometh saints" (Eph. 5:3). The more we
progress in godliness the more we adorn our profession.
5. Only thus do we experience more genuine assurance. Peace becomes
more stable and joy abounds in proportion as we grow in grace and in
the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and become more
conformed practically to His holy image. It is because so many become
slack in using the means of grace and are so little exercised about
growing up into Christ "in all things" (Eph. 4:16) that doubts and
fears possess their hearts. If they do not "give all diligence to add
to their faith" (2 Peter 1:5) by cultivating their several graces,
they must not be surprised if they are far from being "sure" of their
Divine calling and election. It is "the diligent soul," and not the
dilatory, who "shall be made fat" (Prov. 13:4).
It is the one who makes conscience of obedience and keeps Christ's
commandments who is favored with love-tokens from Him (John 14:21).
There is an inseparable connection between our being "led [forward] by
the Spirit of God"--which intimates our voluntary occurrence--and His
"bearing witness with our spirit" (Rom. 8:14, 16).
6. Only thus are we preserved from grievous backsliding. In view of
much that has been said above this should be quite obvious. The very
term "backsliding" denotes failure to make progress and go forward.
Peter's denial of Christ in the high priest's palace was preceded by
his following Him "afar off" (Matthew 26:58), and that has been
recorded for our learning and warning. The same principle is
illustrated again in connection with the awful fall of David. Though
it was "at the time when kings go forth to battle" he was selfishly
and lazily taking his ease, and while so lax succumbed to temptation
(1 Sam. 11:1, 2). Unless we "follow on to know the Lord" and learn to
make use of the armor which He has provided, we shall easily he
overcome by the Enemy. Only as our hearts are kept healthy and our
affection set upon things above shall we be impervious to the
attractions of this world. We cannot he stationary: if we do not grow,
we shall decline.
7. Only thus shall we preserve the cause of Christ from reproach. The
backsliding of His people makes His enemies to blaspheme--how many
have taken occasion to do so from the sad case of David! When the
world sees us halting, it is gratified, being bolstered up in their
idea that godliness is but a pose, a sham. Because of this, among
other reasons, Christians are bidden to "be blameless and harmless,
the sons of God, without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse
nation, among whom shine ye as lights in the world" (Phil. 2:15). If
we go backward instead of forward--and we must do one or the
other--then we greatly dishonor the name of Christ and fill His foes
with unholy glee. Rather is it "the will of God that with well-doing
we put to silence the ignorance of foolish men" (1 Peter 2:15). The
longer they remain in this world, the more apparent should be the
contrast between the children of light and those who are the subjects
of the Prince of darkness. Very necessary then, from many
considerations, is our growth in grace.
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Contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
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Spiritual Growth by Arthur W. Pink
4. Its Nature
____________________________________________________
I
We have now arrived at what is really the most important part of our
subject, but which is far from being the easiest to handle. If we are
to be preserved or delivered from erroneous views at this point it is
very necessary that we should form a right concept of what spiritual
growth is not and what it actually is. Mistaken ideas thereon are
widely prevalent and many of God's own people have been brought into
bondage thereby. There are those who have made little or no
advancement in the school of Christ that fondly imagine they have
progressed considerably, and are very hurt if others do not share
their opinion; nor is it any simple task to disillusion them. On the
other hand, some who have grown considerably know it not, and even
conclude they have gone backward; nor is it any easy matter to assure
them they have been, needlessly disparaging themselves. in either ease
the mistake is due to measuring themselves by the wrong standard, or
in other words, through ignorance of what spiritual growth really
consists.
If the reader met a half dozen people out of as many different
sections of Christendom whom he is warranted in regarding as children
of God, and asked them to define for him their ideas of spiritual
growth, he would probably be surprised at the diversity and
contrariety of the answers given. As the reception of one part of the
Truth prepares us to take in another, so the admittance of error paves
the way for the coming in of more. Moreover, the particular
denomination to which we belong and the distinctive form of its "line
of things" (2 Cor. 10:16), has a powerful effect in determining the
type of Christians reared under its influences--just as the nature of
the soil affects the plants growing in it. Not only are his
theological views cast into a certain mold and his concept of the
practical side of Christianity largely determined thereby, but his
devotional life and even his personal demeanor are also considerably
affected by the same. Consequently there is much similarity in the
"experience" of the great majority belonging to that particular party.
This is largely the case with all the principal evangelical
denominations, as it is also with those who profess to be "outside all
systems."
Just as a trained ear can readily detect variations of inflection in
the human voice and locate by a person's speech and accent which part
of the country he hails from, so one with wide interdenominational
associations has little difficulty in determining, even from a brief
talk on spiritual things, which sect his companion belongs to: no
label is necessary, his affiliation is plainly stamped upon him. And
if in the course of the conversation he should ask his acquaintance to
describe what he considered to be a mature Christian, his portrayal
would naturally and necessarily be shaped by the particular
ecclesiastical type he was best acquainted with. If he belonged to one
particular group, he would picture a somber and gloomy Christian; but
if to a group at the opposite pole, a confident and joyous one. The
kind most admired in some circles is a deep theologian; in others, the
one who decries "dry doctrine" and is occupied chiefly with his
subjective life. Yet another would value neither theology nor
experience, considering that the soul's contemplation of Christ was
the beginning and end of the Christian life; while still others would
regard as eminent Christians those who were most zealous and active in
seeking to save sinners.
In attempting to describe the character of Christian progress, or as
it is more frequently termed, growth in grace, we shall therefore seek
to avoid a mistake often made thereon by many denominational
writers--a mistake which has had most injurious effects on a large
number of their readers. Instead of bringing out what the Scriptures
teach thereon, only too often they related their own experiences;
instead of treating the essentials of spiritual growth, they dwelt
upon circumstantials; instead of delineating those general features
which are common to all who are the subjects of gracious operations,
they depicted those exceptional things which are peculiar only to
certain types--the neurotic or melancholy. This is much the same as
though artists and sculptors took for their models only those with
unusual deformities, instead of selecting an average specimen of
humanity. True, it would be a human being that was imaged, yet it
could convey only a misrepresentation of the common species. Alas
that, in the religious as well as the physical realm, a freak attracts
more attention than a normal person.
We shall not then relate our own spiritual history. First, because we
are not now writing to satisfy the unhealthy curiosity of a certain
class of readers who delight in perusing such things. Second, because
we regard the private experience of the Christian as being too sacred
to expose to the public view. It has long seemed to us that there is
such a thing as spiritual unchastity: the inner workings of the soul
are not a fit subject to be laid bare before others--"The heart
knoweth his own bitterness, and a stranger doth not intermeddle with
his joy" (Prov. 14:10). Third, because we are not so conceited as to
imagine our own particular conversion and the ups and downs of our
Christian life are of sufficient importance to narrate. Fourth,
because there are probably some features about our conversion and some
things in our subsequent spiritual history which have been duplicated
in very few other cases, and therefore they would only be calculated
to mislead others if they should look for a parallel in themselves.
Finally, because as intimated above, we deem it more honoring to God
and far more helpful to souls to confine ourselves to the teaching of
His Word on this subject.
But before proceeding we must anticipate an objection which is almost
certain to be brought against what has been said in the last
paragraph. Did not the apostle Paul describe his conversion. And may
not, should not, we do so too? Answer: first, Paul is the only New
Testament writer who gave us any account of his conversion or related
anything of his subsequent experiences. It would be a reversal of all
sound reasoning to make an exception into a rule or conclude that an
isolated case established a precedent. The very fact that Paul's case
stands alone, indicates it is not to be made an example of. Second,
his experience was not only exceptional but unique: the means used was
the supernatural appearance to him of the ascended Christ, so that he
had a physical sight of Him and heard His voice with his natural
ears--a thing which none has done since. Third, the account of his
conversion was not made to intimate Christian friends, nor before a
local church when applying for membership, but instead before his
enemies (Acts 22), and Agrippa--virtually his judge--when making a
defense for his life. Thus the circumstances were extraordinary and
afford no criterion for ordinary cases. Finally, his experience on the
Damascus road was necessary to qualify him for the apostolic office
(Acts 1:22; 1 Cor. 15:8, 9; cf. 2 Cor. 12:11).
Once more it seems advisable to take up first the negative side of our
subject ere turning to the positive. So many mistaken notions now hold
the field that they need uprooting if the ground is to be prepared: or
to drop the figure, if the minds of many are to be fitted to take in
the Truth. Our readers differ so much in the type of ministry they
have sat under, and some of them have formed such fallacious views of
what spiritual growth consists of, that if we now described the
principal elements of Christian progress, one and another would
probably consider, according to what they have imbibed, that we had
omitted the most important features. We shall therefore devote the
remainder of this chapter to pointing out as many as possible of those
things which, though often regarded as such, are not essential parts
of spiritual growth, in fact no part thereof at all. Though this may
prove rather wearisome to some, we would ask them to bear with us and
offer up a prayer that it may please God to use the paragraphs which
follow to the enlightenment of those who are befogged.
1. Weight of years. It is often considered that spiritual growth is to
be measured by the calendar, that the length of time one has been a
Christian will determine the amount of progress he has made. Certainly
it ought to be so, yet in fact it is frequently no index at all. God
often pours contempt on the distinctions made by men: out of the mouth
of "babes and sucklings" has He perfected praise (Matthew 21:16). It
is generally supposed that those with snowy locks are much more
spiritual than young believers, yet if we examine what is recorded of
the closing years of Abraham, Isaac, David, Hezekiah and others of
Israel's kings, we find reason to revise or qualify such a conclusion.
True, some of the choicest saints we have ever met were "patriarchs"
and "mothers in Israel," yet they have been exceptions rather than the
rule. Many Christians make more real progress in piety the first year
than in the next ten that follow.
2. Increasing knowledge. We must distinguish between things that
differ, namely, a knowledge of spiritual things and actual spiritual
knowledge. The former can be acquired by the unregenerate: the latter
is peculiar to the children of God. The one is merely intellectual and
theoretical; the other is vital and effectual. One may take up "Bible
study" in the same way as another would the study of philosophy or
political economy. He may pursue it diligently and enthusiastically.
He may obtain a familiarity of the letter of Scripture and a
proficiency in understanding its terms, far in advance of the
hard-working Christian who has less leisure and less natural ability;
yet what is such knowledge worth if it affects not the heart, fails to
transform the character and make the daily walk pleasing to God!
"Though I understand all mysteries and all knowledge . . . and have
not love, I am nothing" (1 Cor. 13:2). Unless our "Bible study" is
conforming us, both inwardly and outwardly, to the image of Christ, it
profits us not.
3. Development of gifts. An unregenerate person taking up the study of
the Bible may also be one who is endowed with considerable natural
talents, such as the power of concentration, a retentive memory, a
persevering spirit. As he prosecutes his study his talents are called
into play, his wits are sharpened and he becomes able to converse
fluently upon the things he has read, and he is likely to be sought
after as a speaker and preacher: and yet there may not be a spark of
Divine life in his soul. The Corinthians grew fast in gifts (1 Cor.
1:4, 7) yet they were but "babes" and "carnal" (3:2, 3), and needed to
be reminded of the "more excellent way" of love to God and their
brethren. Ah, my reader, you may not have the showy gifts of some, nor
be able to pray in public as others, but if you have a tender
conscience, an honest heart, a forbearing and forgiving spirit, you
have that which is far better.
4. More time spent in prayer. Here again, to avoid misunderstanding,
we must distinguish between things that differ: natural prayer and
spiritual. Some are constitutionally devotional and are attracted by
religious exercises, as others are by music and painting; and yet they
may be total strangers to the breathings of God's Spirit in their
souls. They may set aside certain parts of the day for "a quiet time
with God" and have a prayer list as long as their arm, and yet be
utterly devoid of the spirit of grace and supplications. The Pharisees
were renowned for their "long prayers." The Mohammedan with his
"praying mat," the Buddhist with his "praying wheel," and the Papist
with his "beads," all illustrate the same principle. It is quite true
that growth in grace is ever accompanied by an increased dependence
upon God and a delighting of the soul in Him, yet that does not mean
that we can measure our spirituality by the clock--by the amount of
time we spend on our knees.
5. Activity in service. In not a few circles this has been and still
is made the test of one's spirituality. As soon as a young person
makes a Christian profession he is set to work. It matters not how ill
qualified he is, lacking as yet (in many instances) even a rudimentary
knowledge of the fundamentals of the faith, nevertheless he is
required or at least expected to engage forthwith in some form of what
is plausibly termed "service for Christ." But the Epistles will be
searched in vain for a warrant for such things: they contain not so
much as a single injunction for young believers to engage in "personal
work." On the contrary they are enjoined to obey their parents in the
Lord (Eph. 6:1) and the young women are to be "keepers at home" (Titus
2:5). Many have reason to lament "they [not God!] made me the keeper
of the vineyards, but mine own vineyard [spiritual graces] have I not
kept" (Song of Sol. 1:6).
6. Happy feelings. Considerable allowance needs to be made for both
temperament and health. Some are naturally more vivacious and
emotional than others, of a more lively and cheerful spirit, and
consequently they engage in singing rather than sighing, laughter than
weeping. When such people are converted they are apt to be more
demonstrative than others, both in expressing gratitude to the Lord
and in telling people what a precious Saviour is theirs. Yet it would
be a great mistake to suppose that they had received a larger measure
of the Spirit than their more sober and equable brethren and sisters.
A shallow brook babbles noisily but "still waters run deep"--yet there
are exceptions here as the Niagara Falls illustrate. Increasing
holiness is not to be gauged by our inward comforts and joy, but
rather by the more substantial qualities of faith, obedience, humility
and love. When a fire is first kindled there is more smoke and
crackling, but after, though the flame has a narrower compass, it has
more heat.
7. Becoming more miserable. Yet, strange as it may sound to some of
our readers, there are not a few professing Christians who regard that
as one of the principal elements of spiritual growth. They have been
taught to regard assurance as presumption and Christian joy as
lightness, if not levity. Should they experience a brief season of
peace "in believing" they are fearful that the Devil is deceiving
them. They are occupied mostly with indwelling sin rather than with
Christ. They hug their fears and idolize their doubts. They consider
that the slough of despond is the only place of safety, and are
happiest when most wretched. This is by no means an exaggerated
picture, but sadly true to a certain type of religious life, where
long-facedness and speaking in whispers are regarded as evidence of a
"deep experience" and marks of piety. True, the more light God gives
us the more we perceive our sinfulness, though humbled thereby, the
more thankful we should be for the cleansing blood.
8. Added usefulness. But God is sovereign and orders His providences
accordingly. Unto one He opens doors, unto another He closes them, and
to His good pleasure we are called upon to submit. Some streams He
replenishes, but others are suffered to dry up: thus it is in His
dealings with His people--by providing or withholding favorable
openings for them to be of spiritual help to their fellows. It is
therefore a great mistake to measure our growth in grace and our
bringing forth of good fruit by the largeness or smallness of our
opportunities of doing good. Some have larger opportunities when young
than when they become older, yet if the hearts of the latter are
right, God accepts the will for the deed. Some that have the most
grace are stationed in isolated places and are largely unknown to
their fellow Christians, yet the eye of God sees them. Shall we say
that the flowers on the mountain side are wasted because no human eye
admires them, or that the songs of birds in the forests are lost on
the air because they regale not the ears of men!
9. Temporal prosperity. Though it is shared by few of our fellow
ministers, yet it is the firm conviction of this writer that, as a
general rule, temporal adversity and straitened circumstances in the
present life of a Christian is a mark of God's displeasure, an
evidence that he has choked the channel of blessing (see Ps. 84:11;
Jer. 5:25; Matthew 6:33). On the other hand we should certainly be
drawing an erroneous conclusion if we regard the flourishing affairs
of an unregenerate professor as a proof that the smile of heaven
rested upon him, rather would it be the ease of one who was being
fattened for the "day of slaughter" (James 5:5). Many such an one
receives his good things in this world, but in the world to come is
tormented in the flame (Luke 16:24, 25). Even among God's own people
there may be those who yield to a spirit of covetousness, and in some
cases the Lord gratifies their carnal desires, but "sends leanness
into their souls" as He did with Israel of old.
10. Liberality in giving. We do not believe any heart can remain
selfish and miserly where the love of God has been shed abroad in it,
but rather that such an one will esteem it a privilege as well as duty
to support the cause of Christ and minister to any brother in need,
according as God has prospered him, yet it is a very misleading
standard to judge a person's spirituality by his generosity (1 Cor.
13:3). For some years we lived in districts where the principal
denominations taught that the church's spirituality was measured by
the amount it contributed to missions; yet while numbers of them
raised very considerable sums, vital godliness was most conspicuous by
its absence. Millions of dollars are given to the "Red Cross Society"
by those making no Christian profession at all! Never were the coffers
of the churches so full as they are today, and never were the churches
so devoid of the Spirit's unction and blessing.
II
All sound teaching, like the safest method of reasoning, proceeds from
the general to the particular, and therefore we shall attempt to show
the principles from which spiritual growth issues and the main lines
along which Christian progress advances, before we enter into a
detailed analysis of the same. God first gave Israel His law, and then
because His "commandment is exceeding broad" (Ps. 119:96) supplied
amplification through the prophets and a still more specific
explication of its contents through Christ and His apostles. Spiritual
growth is the development of spiritual life, and spiritual life is
communicated to a sinner at the new birth, so the more clearly we are
enabled to understand the nature of regeneration, the better prepared
we shall be to perceive the character of spiritual growth. Admittedly
regeneration is profoundly mysterious, but there are at least two
things which afford us help thereon: the fact that it is a "renewing"
(Titus 3:5), and that it is a real and radical (though not complete or
final) reversal of what happened to us at the fall. The old creation
gives us some idea of the new creation, and the order in which the
former was wrecked prepares us to grasp the order in which the latter
is effected.
Natural man is a composite being, made up of spirit and soul and body.
The "spirit" seems to be the highest part of his nature, being that
which capacitates for God-consciousness or the knowledge of God--He
being "spirit" (John 4:24). The "soul" or ego appears to be that
which, expressing itself through the body, constitutes what is termed
our "personality," and is the seat of self-consciousness, and by it
man has communion with his fellows. The body or physical organism is
that which provides the soul with a habitation in this world, and it
is the seat of sense-consciousness, being that through which man has
contact with material things. The order of Scripture is "spirit and
soul and body" (1 Thess. 5:23), but man with his customary perversity
invariably reverses it and speaks of "body, and soul and spirit." How
that reveals what man has degenerated into: the body, which he can see
and feel, which occupies most of his concern, and comes first in his
consideration and estimation. His "soul" receives little thought and
still less care, and as to his "spirit" he is unaware that he has any.
"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness" (Gen.
1:26). God is tri-une, there being three persons in one and
indivisible Divine essence. And it was in the image of the triune God
that man was made, as the plural pronouns plainly connote. Thus man
was made a tri-une creature. His "spirit" which is the intellectual
principle and highest part, was capacitated for communion with God and
was designed to regulate (by its wisdom) the soul, in which resides
the emotional nature or the "affections." The soul in turn was to
regulate the body, as it received through the physical senses
information of the external world. Hilt at the fall man reversed the
order of his creation: making a "god" of his belly he henceforth
became enslaved to the lower world, and the soul instead of directing
the physical mechanism became to a large extent the lackey of its
senses and demands. Communion with God being severed, the spirit no
longer functioned according to its distinctive nature, and though not
extinguished, was dragged down to the level of the soul.
What has just been pointed out should be clearer to the reader by
pondering it in the light of Genesis 3. In assailing Eve, Satan made
his attack upon her spirit--the principle which receives from God--for
he first called into question the Divine prohibition (v. 2) and then,
replying to her objection, assured her "ye shall not surely die," and
added as an inducement "in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes
shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil" (vv.
4, 5), thereby seeking to weaken her faith, and flatter her ambition
by promising greater wisdom. Hearkening to his lies, the Woman was
"deceived" (1 Tim. 2:14). Her judgment became clouded through doubting
God's threat, and once the light of God in her spirit was lost, all
was lost. Her affections became corrupted so that she now "desired" or
lusted after the forbidden fruit--not by the prompting of her spirit,
but by the solicitation of her physical senses: and her will became
depraved so that she "took" thereof.
Now, from the experimental side of things, regeneration is the initial
work of God in reversing the effects of the fall, for its favored
subject is then "renewed in knowledge, after the image of him that
created him" (Col. 3:10): that is to say, spiritual perception is
restored to him, so that he now has again what he lost in Adam--a
vital, powerful, direct knowledge of God. In consequence of this he is
brought back again into communion with God, restored to a conscious
fellowship with Him. One aspect of this mysterious but blessed work is
brought before us in Hebrews 4:12 where we are told, "the Word of God
is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing
even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit." We understand that
last clause to signify that the regenerated person's "spirit" is now
freed from its Immersion into the soul and is raised to its own
superior level, being placed en rapport (brought into harmony with)
God Himself. Thus Paul declares "I serve [God] with my spirit" (Rom.
1:9)--not "soul"; and "my spirit prayeth" (1 Cor. 14:14). In
distinction therefrom "purified your souls [affections] in obeying the
truth" (1 Peter 1:22).
Though the above may sound recondite and, being new to our readers,
somewhat difficult to grasp, yet it should, we think, be more or less
clear that in order for us to answer to what God has wrought in us, in
order to live as becometh Christians, the body should take second
place to the soul and be ruled thereby: and the soul in turn be
subordinated to the spirit, which is to be enlightened and controlled
by God. Unless the body be made subservient to the soul, man lives his
life on the same level as the animals; and unless the Christian's
"affections" and emotions be regulated by wisdom from the spirit, he
lives on the same plane as the unregenerate. "Seek ye first the
kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be
added unto you" (Matthew 6:33). That means, make the things of the
spirit your paramount concern, and your lower interests will be
automatically subserved. If the mind or spirit be "stayed on God," the
soul will enjoy perfect peace, and the soul at rest will act
beneficially on the body. Thus, in proportion as our lives accord with
what took place in us at the new birth will be our spiritual growth
and prosperity.
Nothing but a knowledge of God can satisfy the spirit of man, as
nought but His love can content the soul. Man's supreme happiness
consists in the exercise of his noblest parts and faculties on their
proper objects, and the more excellent those objects be, the more real
and lasting pleasure do they give us in the knowledge and love of
them. Thus it is that, when God has designs of mercy toward an
individual, He begins by shining upon his understanding and attracting
his heart unto himself. As that work of grace proceeds that individual
is enabled to see something of "the deceitfulness of sin" (Heb. 3:13),
how it has deluded him into vainly imagining that the things of time
and sense could afford him satisfaction, until he discovers that (to
use the figurative language of the prophet) he has "spent his money
for that which is not bread" and "labored for that which satisfieth
not." (Isa. 55:2) Therefore does God say unto him, "hearken unto me,
and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in
fatness." Until God becomes our "Portion" the soul is left with an
aching void.
Here, then, is what occurs at regeneration: God "hath given us an
understanding that we may know him that is true" (1 John 5:20)--and
this He does by quickening the "spirit" in us. And again we read "For
God who [in connection with the first creation, Gen. 1:3] commanded
the light to shine out of darkness, hath [in His work of the new
creation] shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6). Thus,
Christian progress must consist in our advancing in a personal and
experimental knowledge of God, and consequently when the apostle
prayed for the spiritual growth of the Colossians he made request that
they might be "increasing in the knowledge of God" (1:10).
Simultaneously with this communication of a supernatural knowledge of
Himself, the "love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy
Spirit" (Rom. 5:5) and therefore spiritual growth consists of a deeper
apprehension and fuller enjoyment of that love with a more complete
response thereto; and hence when making request for the same on behalf
of the Ephesians Paul prayed that they might "know the love of Christ
which passeth knowledge" (3:19).
It is not our immediate design to give as full a description as our
present light affords of the precise nature of regeneration, but only
to point out those of its principal elements which the better enables
us to grasp what spiritual growth consists of. We will therefore
mention but one other feature of the new birth, or that which is at
least an inseparable adjunct of it, namely, the impartation of faith.
Nor shall we now attempt to define what faith is: sufficient for the
moment to acknowledge that it is a blessed "gift of God" (Eph. 2:8),
in nowise originating in the exercise of the human will, but
communicated by "the operation of God" (Col. 2:12), and therefore it
is a supernatural principle, active in its favored recipient, bringing
forth fruit after its own kind, and thereby evidencing its Divine
source. It is "by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7) the Christian
walks: as said the apostle "the life which I now live in the flesh, I
live by the faith of the Son of God [He being its Object], who loved
me and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20). This it is which
distinguishes all the regenerate from the unregenerate, for the latter
are "children in whom is no faith" (Deut. 32: 20; cf. 2 Thess. 3:3).
The Christian life begins by the exercise of a God-given faith,
namely, an act whereby we receive Christ as our own personal Saviour
(John 1:1). We are "justified by faith," and by Christ "have access by
faith into this grace [i.e., accepted into God is favor] wherein we
stand" (Rom. 5:1, 2). We are "sanctified by faith" (Acts 26:18), that
is, made actual participants of the ineffable purity of Christ.
Through the Spirit we "wait for the hope of righteousness by faith"
(Gal. 5:5; cf. 2 Tim. 4:8). It is by "the shield of faith," and that
alone, we are able to "quench all the fiery darts of the wicked" (Eph.
6:12). It is "through faith and patience" that we "inherit the
promises" (Heb. 6:12). It was by faith that the Old Testament saints
"obtained a good report" (Heb. 11:3) and wrought such wonders as the
remainder of that chapter demonstrates. It is by faith we successfully
resist the Devil (1 Peter 5:9) and overcome the world ( l John 5:4).
From all of which it is very evident that the Treasure of our
Christian progress will he very largely determined by the extent to
which this principle he kept healthy and remains operating in us.
To sum up what has been pointed out above: regeneration is both a
"renewing" and a "new creation." As a "renewing" it is a continual
process, as 2 Corinthians 4:16 clearly shows. This aspect of it is a
partial reversal of and recovery from what happened to us at the fall.
It is a Divine quickening, which necessarily presupposes an entity or
faculty already existing, though in need of being made alive or
revived. This "renewing" is of the inner man, which includes both
spirit and soul or "the mind" arid "heart." It is an initial and
radical act, followed by a repeated but imperceptible process whereby
the nobler or immaterial parts of our beings are elevated or refined.
This does not mean that "the flesh" or evil principle in us undergoes
any improvement, but that our faculties are spiritualized; and thus
spiritual growth will consist of the mind being more and more engaged
with Divine objects, the affections being increasingly set upon things
above, the conscience becoming more tender, and the human will being
made more amenable to the Divine, and thereby the inner man more and
more conformed to the holy image of Christ.
But regeneration is something more than a "renewing" or quickening of
parts and faculties already in existence: it is also a "new creation,"
the bringing into existence of something which did not exist before,
the actual bestowment of something to the sinner in addition to all
that he had as a natural man. That "something" is variously designated
in Scripture (and by theologians) according to its different relations
and aspects. It is termed "life" (1 John 5:12), yea life "more
abundantly" (John 10:10) than unfallen Adam enjoyed. It is named
"spirit" because "born of the Spirit" (John 3:6) and therefore is to
be distinguished from our natural spirit; arid "the spirit of power
and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Tim. 1:7). It is called "the
earnest of the Spirit" (2 Cor. 1:22), being a token or firstfruits of
what will be ours when glorified; and "grace" (Eph. 4:7) as an inward
principle. Theologians designate it "the new nature," and many allude
to it under the composite term of "the Christian's graces," which is
warranted by John 1:16, and is probably the easiest for us to
comprehend. Considered thus, spiritual growth may be said to be the
development of our graces: the strengthening of faith, the enlarging
of hope, the increasing of love, the abounding of peace and joy: see 2
Peter 1:3 and carefully note verses 5-8.
Thus far we have been dwelling almost entirely upon the internal
aspect of our theme, so we will now quote one verse which directs
attention to the external side. "For we are his workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God bath before ordained that
we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10). Here is the response which we are
required to make unto the new birth. God's purpose in our new creation
or regeneration is that we should "walk in good works" that we may
make manifest the spiritual root which He then implanted by bearing
spiritual fruit. Such was the design of Christ in dying for us: to
"purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." (Titus
2:14) From which it plainly follows that, the more zealous we are of
good works and the more steadfastly we walk in them, the more do we
rightly answer to what God has wrought in us. Now the performance of
our daily duties are so many "good works," if they be done from
faith's obedience to God's requirements and with an eye to His
approbation and glory. Hence the more faithfully and conscientiously
we discharge our obligations toward God and toward our fellows, the
more true Christian progress we are making.
All that has been before us above receives simplification when it is
viewed in the light of conversion and its proper sequel. Regeneration
is entirely the work of God, wherein we are passive, but conversion is
an act of ours; the one being the effect and consequence of the other.
The word "conversion" means to turn around, it is a right-about-face.
It is a turning from the world unto God, from Satan unto Christ, from
sin unto holiness, from being absorbed with the things of time unto
devotion to our eternal interests. At regeneration we received a
supernatural knowledge of God, and as the consequence, in His light we
see ourselves as depraved, lost and undone. At regeneration we
received a nature which is "created in righteousness and true
holiness" (Eph. 4:24), and as a consequence we now hate all
unrighteousness and sin. At regeneration we were given an
understanding that we might know Him that is true (1 John 5:20) and
our response is to yield ourselves unto His dominion and trust in His
atoning blood. At regeneration we received Divine "grace" as an
indwelling principle, and the effect is to make us willing to deny
ourselves, take up our cross daily and follow Christ. The proper
sequel to such a conversion is that we steadfastly adhere to the
surrender we then made of ourselves unto the Lord Jesus, and the more
we do so such will be our spiritual progress.
III
We have sought to show the principles from which spiritual growth
issues and the main lines along which Christian progress advances,
pointing out that spiritual growth is the development of the spiritual
life communicated at regeneration. Now we shall look at the
particular, seeking to set out in some detail of what that development
actually consists.
1. Spiritual growth consists of an increase in spiritual knowledge.
God works in us as rational creatures, according to our intelligent
nature, so that nothing is wrought in us unless knowledge paves the
way. We cannot speak a language unless we have some understanding of
the same. We cannot do work with an implement or machine nor play on a
musical instrument until we have a knowledge of them. The same obtains
in connection with spiritual things. We cannot worship intelligently
or acceptably an unknown God. He must first reveal Himself and be
known by us, for we could not love or trust One with whom we had no
acquaintance. Therefore does God's Word declare "They that know thy
name will put their trust in thee" (Ps. 9:10). It cannot be otherwise:
once God is revealed to us as a living reality, the heart at once
confides itself to Him, as being definitely worthy of its fullest
reliance and dependence. It is spiritual ignorance of God which lies
at the foundation of all our distrust of Him, and therefore of all our
doubts and fears: "Acquaint now thyself with, him and be at peace"
(Job 22:21).
The Christian life begins in knowledge, for "the new man is renewed in
knowledge" (Col. 3:10). "This is life eternal, that they might know
thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent" (John
17:3). There has been much difference of opinion among commentators as
to the scope of these words. When, we wrote thereon many years ago we
adopted the view of the majority of Christian writers, namely, a
declaration of the way and means by which eternal life is obtained:
just as the words that follow "this is the condemnation" in John 3:19
do not define the character of that condemnation, but rather tell us
the cause of it. While we still believe in the legitimacy and
soundness of the interpretation we gave formerly, yet a more mature
reflection would not restrict the meaning of John 17:3 to that
explanation, but would also understand it to signify that "eternal
life" (of which we now have but the promise and earnest) or
everlasting bliss and glory will consist of an ever-increasing
knowledge of the triune God as revealed in the Person of the Mediator.
This knowledge does not consist in theological thoughts or
metaphysical speculations about the Godhead, but in such spiritual
understanding of Him as causes us to believe in the Lord God, to cast
our souls upon Him, and center in Him as our everlasting Portion. "The
renewed understanding is raised up and enlightened with a supernatural
life, so that what we know of the Lord is by intuitive knowledge which
the Holy Spirit is most graciously pleased to give. Hence believers
are said to be called out of darkness into marvellous light, and Paul
says `ye were sometime darkness but now are ye light in the Lord.' As
the knowledge of the Father, Son and Spirit is reflected upon the
renewed mind in the person of Christ, so it is received into the
heart." (S. F. Pierce) This spiritual apprehension of God is such as
no outward means can of themselves convey: no, not even the reading of
the Word or hearing it preached. In addition thereto, God by His own
light and power conveys to the human spirit such an effectual
discovery of Himself as radically affects the understanding,
conscience, affections and will, reforming the life.
As the Christian life begins in spiritual knowledge so it is increased
thereby: "But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18), upon which we quote again from
the excellent Pierce. "I conceive that by grace here all those
faculties, graces, habits, dispositions, which are wrought in us by
the Holy Spirit are to be understood. And to have our spiritual
faculties, graces, habits, and dispositions exercised distinctively
and supernaturally on their proper objects and subjects is to `grow in
grace.' What follows in the text is explanatory: `and in the knowledge
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.' He is the Object on which all
our graces are to be exercised. He is the life of all our graces.
Therefore growing into a greater knowledge of Him, and the Father's
love in Him, is to `grow in grace,' for thereby all our graces are
quickened, strengthened, exercised and drawn forth to the praise of
God." While we do not think that exhausts the meaning of 2 Peter 3:18,
yet such an interpretation is borne out by the second verse of the
Epistle: "Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge
of God, and of Jesus our Lord"--not by the knowledge of God alone, nor
of the Lord Jesus alone, but of God in Christ the Mediator, which is
also the force of John 17:3.
One of the ways by which we may ascertain what spiritual growth
consists of is by attending to the recorded prayers of the apostles
and noting what it was for which they made request. Being very eminent
themselves in grace and holiness, it was their earnest desire that the
churches and particular individuals to whom their Epistles were
addressed, might increase and greatly flourish in those Divine
bestowments. Accordingly in his prayer for the Ephesians we find Paul
petitioning that the Father of glory would give undo them "the spirit
of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him," that the eyes of
their understanding might be enlightened that they might know what is
the hope of His calling (vv. 17, 18). It should be obvious that in
asking for such favors for those saints there was no implication that
they were entirely devoid of them or that he sought the initial
bestowment of them--any more than John 20:31 signifies the Fourth
Gospel was addressed to unbelievers (1:16 proves otherwise) or that
his First Epistle was sent to Christians lacking in assurance; rather
does 1 John 5:13 connote "that ye may have a clearer and fuller
knowledge that eternal life is yours."
No, in making those petitions on behalf of the Ephesian saints Paul
requested that a larger degree of heavenly light might be furnished
unto their minds, that they might have a more spiritual apprehension
of the One with whom they had to do, of His wondrous perfections
according to the revelation, He has made of Himself in the Word, and
of his varied relationships to them. It was that they might discern
the wonders of His grace and power toward, in, and for them. It was
that they might have an enlarged conception and perception of their
vivication when they were in a state of death and sin. In like manner,
he prayed that the love of the Philippian saints might "abound yet
more and more in knowledge and all judgment" (1:9). So for the
Colossians, that they might be "increasing in the knowledge of God"
(1:10), which is to be taken in its fullest sense: increasing in the
knowledge of God in the manifestation He has made of Himself in
creation, in providence and in grace; in knowledge of God in His three
Persons, in His Christ the Mediator, in His law, in His gospel; in the
knowledge of His holy will.
This knowledge of God, which distinguishes the regenerate from the
unregenerate, which the apostle solicited on behalf of his converts,
and which is the basic element in all real Christian progress, is
something vastly different from and superior to the mere possession of
a correct opinion about God or any speculative view concerning Him. It
is a supernatural and saving knowledge. A mere theoretical knowledge
of God is inoperative and ineffectual, but an experimental
acquaintance with Him is dynamical and transforming. It is a knowledge
which deeply affects the heart, producing reverential awe, for "the
fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Prov. 9:10). It is such
a knowledge as strengthens the Christian's graces and calls them forth
into lively exercise. Since that Divine light and power is
communicated to the saint by the Spirit through the Scriptures, it
causes him to search and ponder them as he never did previously, and
to mix faith with what he reads and takes mm. It is such a knowledge
as promotes holiness in the heart and piety in the life. It is a
knowledge which produces obedience to the Divine commandments, as 1
John 2:3, 4 plainly teaches. Yet there can be no such knowledge of God
except as lie is apprehended through Christ (2 Cor. 4:6).
Such a knowledge of God lies at the foundation of everything else in
the spiritual life, being both essential and introductory. Without
such a knowledge of God we cannot know ourselves, how to order our
lives in this world, nor what awaits us in the world to come: until
made acquainted with Him who is light (1 John 1:5) we are in complete
darkness. Calvin evinced the profundity of his spiritual insight by
commencing his renowned Institutes in saying, "True and substantial
wisdom primarily consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and the
knowledge of ourselves." Without a personal and spiritual knowledge of
God we cannot perceive the infinite evil of sin and the fearful havoc
it has wrought in us: it is only in His light that we "see light" (Ps.
36:9) and discover the horribleness and totality of our depravity.
Then it is that we both behold and feel ourselves to be just as God
has described us in His Word, Equally so it is only by such knowledge
of God that we can appreciate the Divinely-provided remedy: either in
discovering wherein it consists or realizing our dire need of the
same. "The way of the wicked is as darkness" (Prov. 4:19).
From all that has been pointed out above we may see how completely
dependent the Christian is upon God: no spiritual progress is possible
except as He continues to shine upon us. Neither a powerful intellect,
the artificial aids of philosophy, nor a thorough training in logic,
can contribute one iota unto a spiritual apprehension of Divine
things. True, they are of use in enabling the teacher to discourse
thereon, to express himself more readily and fluently than the
illiterate, but as to discovering to him Divine truth they are of no
value whatever. The reason of this is evident: celestial things are
high above the reach of carnal reason, and therefore it can never
attain unto an acquaintance with their true nature. Heavenly grace is
required for an entrance into heavenly things, and the meanest
capacity is as susceptible to heavenly grace as the most capacious
mind. Moreover, the things of God are addressed to faith, and that is
a grace of which the unregenerate, be he the most accomplished savant,
is utterly devoid. Divine mysteries are hidden from the naturally wise
and prudent. hut they are supernaturally revealed to spiritual babes
(Matthew 11:25)--revealed by the Holy Spirit through a
Divinely-imparted faith.
An uneducated Christian may not be able to enter into the subtle
niceties of theological metaphysics, lie may not be competent to
debate the Truth, with ingenious objectors, but lie is capable of
understanding the character and perfections of God, the person and
work of Christ, the mysteries and wonders of redemption so as to
obtain such a gracious vie\v thereof as to excite in his mind a holy
adoration of the Father and a love for and joy in the Redeemer. And
such a knowledge, and that alone, will stand us in stead in the time
of trial, the hour of temptation, or the article of death. Yet it is
only as the Holy Spirit is pleased to give fresh light and life to the
believer's mind by bringing home anew by His own unction and efficacy
what is already known that he can increase in the spiritual knowledge
thereof. What God has revealed in His Word must be applied again and
again by the Spirit if it is to be operative in us and bear fruit
through us. The believer is as much dependent upon God for any
increase of spiritual knowledge as he was for the first reception of
it, and constantly does he need to bear in mind that humbling word
"without me ye can do nothing."
If we added nothing to the last paragraph we should present a most
unbalanced view of this point, conveying the impression that we had no
responsibility in the matter. As there is a radical difference between
the Christian and the non-Christian, so there is between our first
spiritual knowledge of God and our increase in the same. "But grow in
grace and In the knowledge of our Lord" is a Divine exhortation,
intimating both our privilege and our duty. We are required to make
diligent use of the means God has provided, for He places no premium
on slothfulness. Though we are dependent upon the Spirit to apply the
Truth to us, yet that does not signify that it will make no difference
whether or not we keep the things of God fresh in our minds by daily
meditation upon them. Only God can bring His Word home to our hearts
in living power, nevertheless we must pray "quicken thou me according
to thy Word" (Ps. 119:25). Moreover it is our obligation to abstain
from whatever would grieve the Spirit and thereby weaken the assurance
which enables us to say "my Father" and "my Redeemer." If we increase
not in the knowledge of God the fault is ours.
2. Spiritual growth consists of a deeper delight in spiritual things
and objects. This is ever the accompaniment and effect of spiritual
knowledge--affording us another criterion by which we may test the
kind of knowledge we have. A merely speculative knowledge of Divine
things is cold and lifeless, but a spiritual and experimental
acquaintance with them affects the heart and moves the affections. One
may accept much of God's Word (through early training) in a
traditional way, and even be prepared to contend for the same against
those who oppose it, yet it will avail nothing when the Devil assails
him. Hence we are told that when) the Wicked One is revealed, whose
coming is after the working of Satan, with all power and signs and
lying wonders, God permits him to work "with all deceivableness of
unrighteousness in them that perish," and His reason for this is
stated to he: "because they received not the love of the truth that
they might be saved" (2 Thess. 2:10). At best they had only a letter
acquaintance with the truth: it was never enshrined in their
affections. But different far is it with the regenerate: each of them
can say with the Psalmist "O how love I thy law: it is my meditation
all the day" (Ps. 119:97).
Spiritual delight necessarily follows spiritual knowledge, for an
object cannot be appreciated any further than it is apprehended and
known. Spiritual knowledge of spiritual things imparts not only a
conviction of their verity and the certainty of their reality, but it
also produces the soul's adherence to them, the cleaving of the
affections unto them, a holy joy in them, so that they appear
inexpressibly blessed and glorious unto those granted a discovery of
the same. But not having been admitted into the secret thereof, the
unregenerate can form no true concept or estimate of the Christian's
experience, and when he hears him exclaiming of the things of God
"More are they to be desired than gold, yea, than much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey or the honey-comb" (Ps. 19:10), he can but
regard such language as wild enthusiasm or fanaticism. The natural man
lacks both the power to discern the beauty of spiritual things and a
palate to taste their sweetness. Nor is the believer's relish for
God's Word confined unto the promises and comforting portions: he also
declares "I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have
loved" (Ps. 119:47).
The more the believer advances in spiritual acquaintance with the
excellency and beauty of heavenly things, the more solid satisfaction
do they afford his mind. The more the Christian enters into the
importance and value of God's eternal Truth the more his heart is
drawn out unto the glorious objects revealed therein. The more that he
actually tastes that the Lord is gracious (1 Peter 2:3), the more will
he delight himself mi Him. The more light he is granted upon the
sublime mysteries of the Faith, the more will he admire the wondrous
wisdom which devised them, the power which executed them, the grace
which conveyed them. The more he realizes the Scriptures are the very
Word of God himself, the more he is awed by their solemnity and
impressed with their weightiness. The more the ineffable perfections
of Deity are revealed to his spirit, the more will he exclaim "Who is
like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods [or "mighty ones"], who is like
thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders!" (Ex.
15:11). And the more his heart is occupied with the person, office,
and the work of the Redeemer, the more will he enter into the
experience of hint who said, "I count all things but loss for the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord" (Phil. 3:7).
It is true that, through slackness and folly, the believer may to a
considerable extent lose his relish for spiritual things, so that his
reading of the Word affords him little satisfaction and delight. One
who eats and drinks unwisely upsets his stomach, and then the palate
no longer finds the choicest food agreeable to him. It is thus
spiritually. If the believer be out of communion with God and turns to
the world for satisfaction, he loses his appetite for the heavenly
manna. Wherefore we are bidden to "lay apart all filthiness and
superfluity of naughtiness and receive with meekness the engrafted
word" (James 1:21): there must be this "laying apart" before there can
he an appreciative reception of the Word. So again 1 Peter 2:1 shows
us that there are certain lusts which have to be mortified if we are
to "as new-born babes desire the sincere milk of the Word that ye may
grow thereby." If such exhortations be duly heeded, and the Word of
Christ dwells in us richly, then shall we be found "singing with grace
in our hearts to the Lord" (Col. 3:16) with an ever-deepening joy in
Him.
IV
3. Spiritual growth consists in a greater love for God. When pointing
out the various aspects of regeneration (in chapter 6) we quoted
Romans 5:5: "the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy
Spirit which is given unto us." Contrary to the commentators we do not
regard the reference there as being to God's love for His people, but
rather one of the blessed effects or consequences of the same. First,
because the scope and unity of the whole context requires such an
interpretation. In 5:1-11 the apostle enumerates the sevenfold result
of our being justified by faith: we have peace with God (v. 1), we are
established in His favor (v. 2), we rejoice in hope (v. 2), we are
enabled to benefit from trials (vv. 3, 4), we have a hope that fails
not (v. 5), our hearts are drawn out to God (v. 5), we are assured of
final preservation (vv. 8-10). Second, the relation of the second half
of v. 5 ("because") to the first leads to the same conclusion: it is
our love to God which furnishes evidence that our hope is a valid one.
Third, God's love for us is in Himself, and though manifested unto us
could scarcely he said to be "shed abroad in our hearts." Verse 8
clearly distinguishes His love toward us.
By nature the elect have not one particle of love for God; nay, their
very minds are "enmity" against Him (Rum. 8:7). But He does not leave
them forever in that fearful state. No, having from eternity set His
heart upon them, He has determined to win their hearts unto Himself.
And how is that accomplished? By shedding abroad His love in their
hearts, which we understand to denote, by communicating from Himself a
spiritual principle of love which qualifies and enables them to love
Him. Faith is His gift to them (Eph. 2:8), and the evidence of that
principle being in them is that they now believe and trust in Him.
Hope is also His gift to them (2 Thess 2:16), for prior to
regeneration we had "no hope" (Eph. 2:12), and the evidence of that
principle being in us is that we have a confident expectation of the
future. In like manner, love is also a Divine gift, and the evidence
of that principle being in an individual is that he now loves God,
loves His Christ, loves His image in His people. Note how in Romans 5
we have the Christian's faith (v. 1). hope (vv. 4. 5) and love (v.
5)--which are the thee great dynamics and regulators of the Christian
life.
This Divine virtue which is communicated to the hearts of all
Christians is that which moves their affections to cleave unto God in
Christ as their supreme Good, it is designated "the love of God"
because He is the Bestower of it, because He is the Object of it, and
because He is the Increaser and Perfecter of it. It is first stirred
unto action or drawn out to God, then the soul apprehends His love for
him, for "we love God because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19), for so
long as we feared this wrath we hated Him. This particular grace is
the one which most affects the others: if the heart be kept right the
head will not go far wrong; but when love cools, every grace
languishes. Hence we find the apostle praying for the Ephesian saints
that they might be "rooted and grounded in love" (3:17). As the
Christian grows he learns to love God not only for what He has done
for him but chiefly for what He is in Himself--the infinitely glorious
One, the Sun of all perfection. Yet our love for Him is easily
chilled--through the heart's being turned unto other objects. In fact,
of all of our graces this one is the most sensitive and delicate and
needs the most cherishing and guarding (Matthew 24:12; Rev. 2:5).
The force of what has just been pointed out appears in that
exhortation "keep yourselves in the love of God" (Jude 21).
Negatively, that means, avoid everything which would chill and dampen
it: careless living soon dulls our sense of God's love. Eschew
whatever would grieve the Spirit or thereby give Him occasion to
convict us of our sins and occupy us with our waywardness, instead of
taking the things of Christ and showing them unto us (John 16:14).
Shun the embraces of the world, keeping yourselves from idols (1 John
5:21). Positively, it signifies: use the appointed means for keeping
your affections warm and lively, set on things above. Familiarize
yourself with God's Holy Word, regarding it as a series of letters
from your heavenly Father. Cultivate communion with Him by prayer and
frequent meditations on His perfections. Keep up a fresh sense of His
love for you, sunning your soul in the enjoyment of it. Above all,
adhere strictly to the path of obedience. When the Lord Jesus bade us
"continue ye in my love" he at once went on to explain how we may do
so: "If ye keep my commandments ye shall abide in my love; even as I
have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love" (John 15:9,
10; cf. 1 John 5:3).
A deeper and increasing love for God is not to be ascertained so much
by our consciousness of the same as by the evidences it produces.
There are many who sing and talk about how much they love Christ, but
their walk gives the lie to their avowals. On the other hand there are
some who bemoan the feebleness of their love and the coldness of their
affections whose lives make it manifest that their hearts are true to
Him. Feelings are no safe criterion in this matter: it is conduct
which is the surest index to it. Moreover it must he borne in mind
that the holiest saint who ever walked this earth, who enjoyed the
most intimate fellowship with' the Lord, would be the first to
acknowledge and bewail the inadequacy of his affection for Him whose
love passeth knowledge. Nevertheless there is such a thing as a
growing love for God in Christ, and the same is demonstrated by a
stronger bent of soul toward Him, the mind being more stayed upon Him,
the heart enjoying more communion with Him and greater delight in Him,
and the conscience increasingly exercised in our care to please Him.
The more we are spiritually engaged with God's love for us, the more
will our affections to Him be enflamed.
4. Spiritual growth consists of the strengthening and enlarging of our
faith. Faith is the gift of God (Eph. 2:8), by which is signified that
it is a spiritual principle, grace or virtue which He communicates to
the hearts of His elect at their regeneration. And as His "talents"
are bestowed upon us to trade with, to profit by and increase, so the
principle of faith is given us to use and employ to the glory of God.
Its first act is to believe Christ, trust in Him, and as Colossians
2:6 bids us, "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so
walk ye in Him." This is a most comprehensive and summarized
exhortation, and would require many details in order to furnish a full
explanation of it. For example, it might be pointed out that the
Christian is called upon to walk humbly, dependently, submissively or
obediently; yet all of these are included in faith itself. Faith is a
humbling and self-emptying grace, for it is the stretching forth of
the beggar's hand to receive God's bounty. Faith is an acknowledgment
of my own insufficiency and need, a leaning upon One who is mighty to
save. Faith is also an act of the with whereby it surrenders to the
authority of Christ and receives Him as King to reign over our hearts
and lives. Thus, though there is much more in it than this, yet the
prime and essential force of Colossians 2:6 is: as ye have become
Christians at the first by an act of faith in Christ Jesus the Lord,
continue trusting in Him and let your life be regulated by
faith--"walk" denotes progress or going forward.
In Hebrews 10:38 we are told "now the just shall live by faith." A
very elementary statement is that, yet one which is turned into a
serious error the moment we tamper with or change its pronoun. We are
not justified because of our faith, but because of the imputed
righteousness of Christ, but that righteousness is not actually
reckoned to our account until we believe--instrumentally we are
"justified by faith" (Rom. 5:1). Nor are the justified bidden to "live
upon their faith," though many vainly try to do so. No, the believer
is to live upon Christ, yet it is only by faith that he can do so. Let
us be as simple as possible: I break my fast with food, yet I partake
of that food by means of a spoon. I feed myself, yet it is the food
and not the spoon I eat. It was said of Esau, "by thy sword shalt thou
live" (Gen. 27:40), not on thy sword--he could not eat it. Esau would
live on what his sword brought in. The Christian makes a serious
blunder when he attempts to live upon the faith he fancies he can find
or feel within himself: rather is he to feed upon the Word, and this
he does only so far as his faith is operative--as faith lays hold of
and appropriates its holy and blessed contents.
"Now the just shall live by faith" (Heb. 10:28) may well be regarded
as the text of the sermon which follows immediately in the next
chapter, for in Hebrews 11 we are shown at great length and in
considerable variety of detail how the Old Testament saints exercised
that God-given principle, how they lived by faith, and wrought great
wonders by it. Nothing is there said of their courage, zeal, patience,
but all their works and triumphs are attributed to faith: the reason
for this being that their courage, zeal, and patience were the fruits
of faith. As it was with them, so it is with us: we are called to
"walk by faith" (2 Cor. 5:7) and the extent to which we do so will
determine the measure of success or failure we have in our Christian
lives. As the Lord Jesus declared unto the two blind beggars who
besought His mercy, "according to your faith l)e it unto you" (Matthew
9:29) and to the father of the demon-possessed child "all things are
possible to him that believeth," (Mark 9:23). If we are straightened
it is not in God hut in ourselves, for He ever responds to reliance in
and counting upon His intervention. He has expressly promised to honor
those who honor Him, and nothing honors Him more than a firm and
childlike faith in Him.
"The life which I now live in the flesh,, I live by the faith of the
Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20). Such a
testimony from the chief of the apostles shows us the place which
faith has in the Christian life. This expression "the faith of the Son
of God" signifies that He is the grand Object of faith, the One on
whom it is to be exercised--which should help the reader to a better
understanding of "the love of God" in Romans 5:5 and our remarks
thereon. The Christian) life is essentially a life of faith, and in
proportion as his faith is not operative does he fail to live the
Christian life. A life of faith consists of faith being engaged with
Christ, drawing on him, receiving from Him the supply of every need.
The life of faith begins by looking to Christ, trusting in Him,
relying wholly upon Him as our righteousness before God, and it is
continued by looking to and trusting in Him for everything else. Faith
is to look to Christ for wisdom that we may be able to understand all
that He has revealed concerning God, concerning ourselves, salvation,
and various duties. Faith is to lay hold of His precepts and
appropriate His promises. But more especially, faith is to look to
Christ for strength to perform His precepts acceptably. As we have no
righteousness of our own, so no strength: we are as dependent upon Him
for the one as for the other, and each is obtained from Him by faith.
But at this most vital point many of the Lord's people have been
grievously misled. Under the guise of debasing the creature and
exalting Divine grace, they have been made to believe that they are
quite helpless in this matter: that as God alone is the Imparter of
faith, so He alone is the Increaser of it, and that they have to
meekly submit to His will as to the measure of faith He bestows or as
to what He withholds from them. The consequence is that so far from
their faith increasing, they are for the most part left to spend their
remaining days on earth in a state full of doubting and fears. And
what is still worse, many of them feel tic blame or reproach for the
feebleness of their faith, but instead, blatantly attribute it to the
sovereignty of God. If such people rebuked a godless drunkard for his
intemperance, they would be justly shocked were he to reply "God has
not given inc grace to overcome my thirst"; and yet when they are
reproved for their unbelief they virtually charge God with it, by
saying that He has not granted them a larger measure of faith. What a
wicked slander! What a horrible misuse of the truth of God's sovereign
grace! The blame is theirs, and they should honestly acknowledge it
and penitently confess it before Him.
It is perfectly true that God is the Increaser as well as the Giver of
faith, but it certainly does not follow from this that we have no
responsibility in the matter. The littleness and weakness of my faith
is entirely my own fault: due, not to God's unwillingness to give me
more, but to my sinful failure to use what He has already given me! to
my not crying earnestly unto Him "Lord, increase our faith" (Luke
17:5), and to my woeful neglect in making a proper use of the means He
has appointed for my obtaining an increase of it. When the disciples
were filled with terror of the tempest and awoke their Master, crying
"carest thou not that we perish" (Mark 4:38), He reproved them for
their unbelief, saying "Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?"
(Matthew 8:26): that was far from inculcating the deadly delusion that
they had no responsibility concerning the measure and strength of
their faith! On another occasion He said to His disciples "O fools and
slow of heart to believe" (Luke 24:25), which plainly signified that
they were to blame for their lack of faith and were to be admonished
for their unbelief.
If I have surrendered myself to the Lordship of Christ and trusted in
Him as an all-sufficient Saviour, then Christ is mine, and I may know
He is mine upon the infallible authority of God's Word. Since Christ
is mine, then it is both my privilege and duty to obtain an increasing
knowledge of and acquaintance with Him through the Scriptures. It is
my privilege and duty to "trust in him at all times" (Ps. 62:8), to
make known to Him my every need and to count upon Him to graciously
supply the same. It is my privilege and duty to make full use of
Christ, to live upon Him, to draw from His fulness (John 1:16), to
freely avail myself of His sufficiency to meet my every want. It is my
privilege and duty to store up His precepts and promises in my memory
that the one may direct my conduct and the other support my soul. It
is the office of faith to obtain from Him strength for the former and
comfort from the latter, expecting Him to make good His word "Ask, and
ye shall receive; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened unto you (Matthew 7:7). It is my privilege and duty to "mix
faith" (Heb. 4:2) with every recorded sentence that fell from his
sacred lips, and according as I do so shall I be "nourished up" (1
Tim. 4:6)--my faith will be fed, thrive, and become stronger.
But on the other hand, if I walk by sight, if I constantly take my
eyes off their proper Object, and am all the time looking within at my
corruptions, I shall go backward and not forward. If I am more
concerned about my inward comforts than I am about by outward walk in
the pleasing of Christ, in earnestly seeking to follow the example He
has left me, then the Holy Spirit will be grieved and will cease
taking of the things of Christ and showing them unto me. If I form the
habit of attempting to view the promises of God through the darkened
and thick lens of my difficulties, instead of looking at my
difficulties in the light of God's promises then defeat rather than
victory will inevitably follow. If I turn my eyes from my
all-sufficient Saviour and am occupied with the winds and waves of my
circumstances, then like Peter of old I shall begin to sink. If I do
not make it my daily and diligent business to resist the workings of
unbelief in my heart and cry out to Christ for strength to enable me
to do so, then faith will surely suffer an eclipse, and the fault will
be entirely my own. If I neglect feeding upon "the words of faith and
good doctrine" (1 Tim. 4:6), then my faith, will necessarily be weak
and languishing.
We say again that the Christian life is a life of faith, and just so
far as the believer is not actuated by this spiritual principle does
he fail at the most vital point. But let it be said very emphatically
that a life of faith is not the mystical and nebulous thing which far
too many imagine, but an intensely practical one. Nor is it the
monopoly of men like George Muller and those who go forth to preach
the gospel in foreign lands without any guaranteed salary or belonging
to any human organization, trusting God alone for the supply of their
every need; rather is it the birthright and privilege of every child
of God. Nor is it a life made up of ecstasies and rapturous
experiences, lived up in the clouds: no, it is to be worked out on the
common level of everyday life. The man or woman whose conduct is
regulated by the Divine precepts and whose heart is sustained by the
Divine promises, who performs his or her ordinary duties as unto the
Lord, looking to Him for wisdom, strength and patience for the
discharge thereof, and who counts upon His blessing on the same, is
hiving a life of faith as truly as the most zealous and
self-sacrificing preacher.
It is true we must be on our guard against unwarrantably exalting the
means and making them a substitute for the Lord Himself. The doctrine,
the precepts and the promises of Scripture are so many windows through
which we are to behold God. It is our privilege and duty to look to
Him for His blessing upon the means, and since He has appointed the
same to count upon Him sanctifying them to us, expecting Him to make
them effectual. But we must conclude our remarks upon this point by
mentioning some of the evidences of a deepening and increasing faith.
It is a proof of a stronger and larger faith: when the soul is more
established in the truth; when there is a steadier confidence in God;
when we make greater use of the promises; when we are less influenced
and affected by what other professing Christians believe, resting our
souls alone on a "thus saith the Lord" (1 Cor. 2:5); when we live more
out of ourselves and more upon Christ; when many of His unregenerate
disciples are turning away from Christ and He says "Will ye also go
away?" and we can answer "to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of
eternal life" (John 6:66-69); when we have become more conscientious
and diligent in the performing of our duties, for faith is shown by
its works (James 2:8).
5. Spiritual growth consists of advancing in personal piety. This
matter would be sadly incomplete if we omitted all reference to
progress in practical godliness. As various aspects of this will come
before us under the next branch of our subject, there is the less need
now to enter into much detail. As the Christian obtains an enlarged
spiritual apprehension of God's perfections, not only is his heart
increasingly affected by His wondrous goodness and grace, but he is
more and more awed by His high sovereignty and ineffable holiness, so
that he has a deeper reverence for Him and His fear a larger sphere in
his heart, ever exerting a more potent influence in his approaches to
Him and on his deportment and conduct. In like manner, as the
Christian becomes better acquainted with the person, offices, and work
of Christ, he obtains not only a fuller realization of how much he
owes to Him and what he has in Him, but he is made more and more
conscious of what is due unto Him and what becomes one who is a
follower of the Lord of glory. The better he realizes that he is "not
his own, but bought with a price," the more will he resolve and
endeavor to glorify God in Christ "in his body and in his spirit" (1
Cor. 6:19, 20). longing more ardently for the time when he will be
able to do so without let or hindrance.
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Contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
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A. W. Pink Header
Spiritual Growth by Arthur W. Pink
5. Its Analogy
____________________________________________________
I
An "analogy" is an agreement or correspondence in certain respects
between things which otherwise differ, and just as it is often an aid
to obtaining the force of a word by considering its synonyms, so it
frequently helps us to a better understanding of a subject or object
to compare it with another and ascertain the analogy between them.
This method was frequently used by our Lord in His public leaching,
when He likened the "Kingdom of heaven" to a considerable variety of
things. The same principle is illustrated by the figurative names
which Scripture gives to the people of God. For example, they are
called "sheep," and that not only because of the relation which they
sustain to Christ their Shepherd, but also because there are many
resemblances between the one and the other, God having designed that
in different respects this animal more than any other should shadow
forth the nature and character of a Christian. Much valuable
instruction is obtained by tracing those resemblances. The same Divine
wisdom which designated our Saviour both "the Lamb" and "the Lion" was
exercised in selecting the various objects and creatures after which
His children are figuratively named, and it behooves us to follow out
the analogy between them and learn the lessons they are intended in
impart.
"That they might he called the trees of righteousness, the planting of
the Lord" (Isa. 63:1). Both in the Old Testament and in the New this
similitude is used of the saints. The Psalmist declared "I am like a
green olive tree in the house of God" (52:8) and affirmed "The
righteous shall flourish like the palm tree, he shall grow like a
cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall
flourish" (92:12, 13). Our Saviour employed the same figure when He
said "Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit," and again, "Either
make the tree good and his fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt
and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit" (Matthew
7:17; 12:23)--thus every passage where "fruit" is mentioned is also an
extension of the same emblem. In Romans 11 the apostle likened the
nation of Israel to a "good olive tree" and Christendom to "a wild
olive tree" (vv. 24, 17) in connection with their testimony before the
world. The Saviour Himself was termed "the Branch of the Lord" and as
One who should grow up before him "as a tender plant and as a root out
of a dry ground" (Isa. 4:2; 53:2), while He resembled Himself and His
people in communion with Him to "the true vine" (John 15:1).
Now it should be obvious from the frequency with which this similitude
is used in the Scriptures that it must be a peculiarly instructive
one. Some of the more prominent resemblances are quickly apparent. For
example, their attractiveness. How the countryside and the mountain
slopes are beautified by the trees. And what is so lovely in the human
realm as those who bear the image of Christ and show forth His
praises! They may be despised by the unregenerate, but to an anointed
eye God's children are "the excellent of all the earth," and how they
be regarded by Him whose workmanship they are is revealed in those
words "his beauty shall he as the olive tree" (Hos. 14:6). So, too,
their usefulness. Trees provide a habitation for the birds, shade for
the earth, nourishment for the creature, material for building, fuel
for the relief of man against the cold. Many, too, are the uses which
God makes of His people in this world. Among other things predicated
of them, they are "the salt of the earth"--preserving the body politic
from going to utter putrefaction.
Before turning to that which bears most closely upon our present theme
it should be particularly noted that it is not wild but cultivated
trees which is the similitude used. "Blessed is the man that trusteth
in the Lord . . . for he shall be like a tree planted by the waters"
(Jer 17:7, 8). Observe how frequently this word "planted" occurs:
"which the Lord hath planted" (Num. 24:6) and compare Psalm 92:13, 14;
104:16; Isaiah 61:3. They are the property of the Heavenly Husbandman
(John 15:1; 1 Cor. 3:7-9) and the objects of His care. That it is
which gives such solemn force to our Lord's words "every plant which
my heavenly Father hath riot planted shall be rooted up (Matthew
15:13). This figure of the saints being "planted" by God--transferred
from one soil or position to another--has at least a threefold
reference. First, to God's eternal decree, when He took them out of
the creature mass and chose them in Christ (Eph. 1:3). Second, to
their regeneration, when lie lifts them out of the realm of death and
makes them "new creatures in Christ" (2 Cor. 5:17). Third, to their
translation, when they are removed from earth and planted in His
celestial Paradise. But it is the growth of "trees" we must now
consider.
1. They have the principle of growth within themselves. Trees do not
grow spontaneously and immediately from external furtherances, but
from their own seminal virtue and radical sap. And it is thus with the
spiritual growth of Christians. At regeneration a Divine "seed" is
planted in his heart (1 Peter 1:23; 1 John 3:9) and that "seed"
contains within itself a living principle of growth. We cannot define
that "seed" more closely than to say a new life or spiritual nature
has been communicated to the one born again. It is that which
distinguishes the living children of God from the lifeless profession
all around them. The latter may from external influences--such as the
appeals and exhortations of preachers, the example of Christians, the
natural convictions produced from reading the Word--be induced to
perform all the outward duties of Christianity, but since their works
issue not from a principle of spiritual life in the soul, they are not
the fruits of holiness. That spiritual principle or Divine grace
imparted is described by Christ as "the water" which He gives and
which becomes within its possessor "a well of water springing up into
everlasting life" (John 4:14). Thus it is the nature of Christians to
grow as it is of trees with the seminal principle within them to do
likewise. The tree bearing fruit whose seed is in itself" (Gen.
1:12)--first reference to "trees"!
2. They must be watered from above. Though trees have within
themselves a vital principle yet they are not independent of provision
from their Creator, being far from self-sustaining. Their growth is
not something inevitable by virtue of their own seminal power, for in
a protracted drought they wither and decay. Hence, when Scripture
speaks of the growth of trees it is careful to ascribe it unto God's
watering of them. "I will pour water upon him that is thirsty and
showers upon the dry ground [interpreted by], I will pour out my
Spirit upon thy seed and my blessing upon thine offspring; and they
shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses"
(Isa. 44:3, 4). "I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow up as
the lily and cast forth his roots as Lebanon" (Hos. 14:5). Only as God
waters vegetation will it thrive or even survive. It is so
spiritually. The Christian is not self-sufficient and independent of
God. Though he has a nature capable of growth, if left to itself that
nature would die, for it is only a creature, even though a "new
creature." Hence the believer needs to be "renewed in the inner man
day by day" (2 Cor. 4:16).
3. They grow silently and imperceptibly. The development of the small
sapling into the towering tree is a process veiled in secrecy. "So is
the kingdom of God: as if a man cast seed into the ground, and should
sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow,
he knoweth not how" (Mark 4:26, 27). The growing of the free cannot be
discerned by the keenest eye, except by the consequences and effects
of it. It is equally thus with spiritual growth: it is unrecognizable
to either ourselves or others. No matter how closely we observe the
markings of our hearts or how introspective becomes our viewpoint, we
cannot perceive the actual process. It is seen only by Him by whom it
is wrought. Nevertheless it is made manifest by its effects and
fruits: in the case of some more clearly than others. But though the
process be secret the means are plain: in the case of
trees--nourishment from the soil, moisture from the clouds, light and
heat from the sun. So with the Christian: "meditate on these things,
give thyself wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear to all" (1
Tim. 4:15)--that thy spiritual growth may be evident to those about
thee.
4. They grow gradually. In the case of some trees it is a very slow
experience; with others maturity is reached more quickly. Hence in one
passage the growth of believers is likened unto that of a "cedar" (Ps.
92:12), whereas in another--where a recovered backslider is in
view--it is said, "he shall grow as the lily" (Hos. 14:5). But in the
majority of cases the development of spiritual life in the saints is a
protracted process, being carried on by degrees, or as the prophet
expressed it, "For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept;
line upon line, line upon line; here a little and there a little"
(Isa. 28:10). Our spiritual growth is produced and promoted by the
gracious, wise, patient, and faithful operations of the Holy Spirit.
No real Christian is ever satisfied with his growth: far from it, for
he is painfully conscious of what little progress he has made and how
far short of God's standard he comes. Nevertheless, if he uses the
appointed means and avoids the hindrances, he will grow. But let us
now endeavor to present the analogy more closely.
First, the growth of a tree is upward. The vital principle within it
is drawn out unto the sun above, attracted by its rays. Though rooted
in the earth its nature is to move toward heaven, slowly but surely
lifting its head higher and higher. Thus the growth of a tree is
ascertained first and may be measured by its upward progress. And does
not the analogy hold good in the spiritual realm? is it not thus with
the saint? It is the very nature of that new life which he received at
regeneration to turn unto its Giver. The first evidence of that life
being imparted to the soul is his seeking unto God in Christ. The need
of Him is now felt; His suitability is now perceived, and the heart is
drawn out unto Him. As yet he may not be able intelligently to
articulate the newborn desire in his heart, yet if that desire were
put into Scriptural language it would be expressed thus: "As the hart
panteth after the waterbrooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God"
(Ps. 42:1), for none else can now satisfy the newly-created thirst
within him. In view of the last two chapters there is less need for us
to develop this at length.
The higher the top of a tree reaches toward heaven the further from
the earth does it move. Ponder that, my reader, for it is a parable in
action. Before regeneration your heart was wholly set upon this world
and what it provides for its devotees; but when your heart was
super-naturally illumined and you beheld "the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6) the
spell was broken, and you could no longer be content with the
perishing baubles which hitherto enthralled you. True, the "flesh" may
still lust after them, and if you yield to their solicitations your
peace and joy will he dampened, and for a season disappointment and
sorrow will be your portion; yet there is that within you now that is
no longer contented with childish toys and that seeks after the One
who bestowed that new nature. It is the normal thing for that
spiritual life to grow, and if it does not, you are living far below
your privileges. Such upward growth will consist of stronger yearnings
after God, more constant and frequent seekings after Him, a closer
acquaintance with Him, a warmer love for Him, more intimate communion
with Him, a fuller conformity to Him, and a deeper joy in Him.
As the believer grows Godward His glory becomes more and more his
concern and the pleasing of Him in all his ways the main business of
his life, so that he performs even common duties with an eye
increasingly upon Him. Our personal and experimental knowledge of God
increases by our "following on" to know Him (Hos. 6:3), for the more
we seek to do His will the better we come to understand (John 7:17)
and admire the same. Truth is then sealed on the mind, the
understanding is more quickened in the fear of the Lord, and our
relish of God's ways is intensified. Holy Acts become holy habits and
what was at first difficult and irksome becomes easy and pleasant. The
more we "exercise ourselves unto godliness" (1 Tim, 4:7) the more we
are admitted into its secrets. From a dim perception of spiritual
mysteries we gradually attain unto "all riches of full assurance of
understanding" (Col. 2:2) of them. The more we are weaned from the
world, the keener relish do we have for spiritual things and the
sweeter do they become to our taste. As God is better known, our love
for Him increases and we set a higher esteem on Him, a greater delight
in Him is experienced and more and more the heart pants after a full
fruition of Him in glory.
Not that the believer ever reaches a point where he is satisfied with
his knowledge of God or pleased with his love for Him. There could be
no more lamentable proof of spiritual deadness and fatal
self-deception than a self-complacent view of our love for God. On the
other hand, equally unwarrantable is it to conclude we are not the
children of God at all because our love for Him is so feeble and
faulty. It is not the love of a natural son for his father which
constitutes him his child, though filial love is the proper effect of
that relationship. An exalted conception of the character of the
parent and of the sacredness of the relationship will render an
affectionate child dissatisfied with himself and cause him to declare
"I reproach myself daily that I love my father so little, and I can
never repay him as I ought." That would be the language of filial
relation. Yet he would not be warranted in arguing, Because I do not
love him as I ought, I cannot be his child; or because I love him so
little, I question very much if he loves me at all." Then why reason
thus in connection with our heavenly Father! Summing up this aspect we
may say that, the upward growth of a believer is expressed by his
heavenly mindedness and the measure in which his affections are set
upon things above.
Second, the growth of a tree is downward. It takes a firmer hold of
the soil. More particularly is that the case in hot countries, for
there the tap root of a tree has to penetrate deeper and deeper into
the earth in order to find its needed moisture. An allusion to this
aspect of our analogy is found in Hosea 14:6 where the Lord promises
Israel that he shall "cast forth [or, better, `strike'--see margin]
his roots as Lebanon," that is, as the cedars of Lebanon struck their
roots deeper into the mountain slopes--cf. "his smell as Lebanon" in
the next verse where the obvious reference is to the fragrant aroma of
the cedars. The spiritual counterpart of this is found in such
expressions as "being rooted and grounded in love" (Eph. 3:17) and
"continue in the faith, grounded and settled" (Col. 1:23), the two
things being brought together in "rooted and built up in him and
established in the faith" (Col. 2:7), which all speak in the language
of our present similitude.
As the believer grows spiritually he takes a firmer grip on Christ and
"lays hold on eternal life" (1 Tim. 6:12), no longer touching merely
"the hem of his garment." He becomes more settled in his knowledge and
enjoyment of the Saviour's love and is established more securely in
the faith so that he is less liable to be "tossed to and fro and
carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men and
cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive" (Eph. 4:21).
The young sapling has but a shallow and feeble grip on the earth and
is therefore in greater danger of being uprooted by storms and gales;
but the older tree, which has survived the hostile winds, has taken
deeper root and is more secure, So it is spiritually; the young
Christian is more susceptible to erroneous teachings, but those who
are mature and established in the truth discern and refuse human
fables. The more we are rooted in the love of Christ, governed by the
fear of God, and have His Word dwelling richly in us, the less shall
we be swayed by the fear of man, the customs of the world, or the
assaults of Satan.
But more specifically: the downward growth of a Christian consists in
increasing humility or becoming more and more out of love with
himself. And this of necessity for in exact ratio to his real growth
Godward will be his growth downward. The more we grow upward, that is,
the more we take into our renewed minds spiritual apprehensions of the
perfections of God, the excellency of the Mediator and the merits of
His work, the more are we made conscious of what is due the One and
the Other, and the more deeply do we feel what a poor return we have
made unto them. If it be something deeper and more influential than a
merely speculative or theoretical knowledge of the Father and the Son,
if instead we be granted an experimental, vital, and affecting
knowledge of them, then shall we he made thoroughly ashamed of
ourselves, wholly dissatisfied with our love, our devotion, our
conformity to their image. Such knowledge will humble us into the
dust, making us painfully sensible of the coldness of our hearts, the
feebleness of our graces, the leanness of our souls, and the
corruptions which still indwell us.
The more a tree grows downward, the deeper its roots become imbedded
in the earth, the more firmly it is fixed and the stronger it becomes,
having a greater power to resist the force of the tempest. It is
neither the height nor the girth of the tree, but the depths of its
roots and its clinging to the ground which gives it stability and
security. So it is spiritually. For the believer to grow downward is
for him to have less and less confidence in and dependence upon
himself: "when I am weak, then am I strong"; for a consciousness of my
weakness causes me to turn more and more unto God and cling to Him. "O
our God, wilt thou not judge them, for we have no might against this
great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but
our eyes are upon thee" (2 Chron. 20:12)--that was the language of one
who had grown downward.
II
We have stated that increasing humility in a Christian corresponds to
the downward growth of a tree. As the upward growth of a tree is
accompanied by its becoming more deeply rooted in the ground, so the
Christian's acquaintance with, love for, and delight in God, issues in
a deeper self-depreciation and self-detestation. If the knowledge we
have acquired of the Truth or if what we term our "Christian
experience" has made us think more highly of ourselves and better
pleased with our attainments and performances, then that is a sure
proof we are completely deceived in imagining we have made any real
growth upward. The grand design of the Scriptures is to exalt God and
humble man, and the more we experimentally or spiritually know God the
less we shall think of ourselves and the lower place shall we take
before him. The knowledge which "puff eth up" is merely an
intellectual or speculative one, but that which the Spirit imparts
causes its recipient feelingly to own "I know nothing yet as I ought
to know" (1 Cor. 8:2).
The more the soul converses with God and the more it perceives His
sovereignty and majesty, the more will he exclaim with Abraham, "I am
dust and ashes" (Gen. 18:27). The more the believer is granted a
spiritual view of the Divine perfections, the more will he acknowledge
with Job, "I abhor myself" (42:5). The more the saint apprehends the
ineffable holiness of the Lord, the more will he declare with Isaiah,
"Woe is me? for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips"
(6:5). The more he is occupied with the perfections of Christ, the
more will he find with Daniel, "my comeliness was turned in me into
corruption, and I retained no strength" (10:8). The more he discerns
the exalted spirituality of God's law, and how little his inner man is
conformed thereto, the more will he groan in concert with Paul, "O
wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this
death" (Rom. 7:24). In God's light we see ourselves, discover the
horrible corruptions of our very nature, mourn over the plague of our
own heart (1 Kings 8:38), and marvel at the continued longsufferance
of God unto us.
The truly humble person is not the one who talks most of his own
unworthiness and is frequently telling of how such and such an
experience abased him to the dust. "There are many that are full of
expressions of their own vileness, who yet expect to be looked upon as
eminent saints by others as their due; and it is dangerous for any so
much as to hint the contrary or to carry it towards them any otherwise
than as if we looked upon them as some of the chief of Christians.
There are many that are much in crying out their wicked hearts and
their great short-comings and unprofitableness, and speaking of
themselves as though they looked on themselves as the meanest of the
saints; who yet, if a minister should seriously tell them the same
things in private, and should signify that he feared they were very
low and weak Christians and that they had reason solemnly to consider
of their great barrenness and unprofitableness and falling so much
short of many others, it would be more than they could digest. They
would think themselves highly injured and there would be danger of a
rooted prejudice in them against such a minister." (Jonathan Edwards)
The same writer defined evangelical humility as the "sense that a
Christian has of his own utter insufficiency, despicableness and
odiousness, with an answerable frame of heart." That answerable frame
of heart consists of being "poor in spirit," a sense of deep need, a
realization of sinfulness and helplessness. The natural man compares
himself with his fellows and prides himself that he is at least as
good as his neighbors. But the regenerate person measures himself by
the exalted standard which God has set before him, and which is
perfectly exemplified in the example Christ has left him that he
should "follow His steps;" and as he discovers how lamentably he falls
short of that standard and how "far off" he follows Christ, he is
filled with shame and contrition. This empties him of
self-righteousness and causes him to depend wholly on the finished
work of Christ. It makes him conscious of his weakness and fearful
that he will suffer a sad fall, and therefore he looks above for help
and cries, "Hold thou me up and I shall be safe" (Ps. 119:117), Thus
the truly humble person is the one who lives most outside of himself
on Christ.
This brings us to those oft-quoted but we fear little-understood
words, "grow in grace" (2 Peter 3:18). Growth in grace is only too
frequently confused with the development of the Christian's graces.
That is why we selected a different title for this book than the one
commonly accorded the subject. Growth in grace is but one aspect or
part of spiritual growth and Christian progress. When a minister asked
a simple countryside woman what was her concept of "growing in grace,"
she replied, "A Christian's growth in grace is like the growth of a
cow's tail." Puzzled at her reply, he asked for an explanation.
Whereupon she said, "The more a cow's tail grows, the nearer it comes
to the ground; and the more a Christian grows in grace, the more does
he take his place in the dust before God." Ah, she had been taught
from above something with which many an eminent theologian and
commentator is unacquainted. Growth in grace is a growth downward: it
is the forming of a lower estimate of ourselves; it is a deepening
realization of our nothingness; it is a heartfelt recognition that we
are not worthy of the least of God's mercies.
What is it to enter into a personal experience of saving grace? Is it
not a feeling my deep need of Christ and the consequent perception of
His perfect suitability to my desperate case?--to be acutely conscious
that I am "sick" in soul and the betaking of myself to the great
"Physician"? If so, then must not any advancement in grace consist of
an intensification of the same experience, a clearer and fuller
realization of my need of Christ? And such growth in grace results
from a closer acquaintance and fellowship with Him: "Grace and peace
be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our
Lord" (2 Peter 1:2)--that is, a vital practical, effectual knowledge
of Him. In His light we see light: we become better acquainted with
ourselves, more aware of our total depravity, more conscious of the
workings of our corruptions. Grace is favor shown to the undeserving;
and the more we grow in grace the more we perceive our
undeservingness, the more we feel our need of grace, the more sensible
we are of our indebtedness to the God of all grace. Thereby are we
taught to walk with God and to make more and more use of Christ.
Every Christian reader will agree that if ever there was one child of
God who more than others "grew in grace" it was the apostle Paul; and
yet observe how he said "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to
think anything as of ourselves" (2 Cor. 3:5); and again, "by the grace
of God I am what I am" (1 Cor. 15:10). What breathings of humility
were those! But we can appeal to an infinitely higher and more perfect
example. Of the Lord Jesus it is said that he was "full of grace and
truth" (John 1:14), and yet He declared "Take my yoke upon you and
learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart" (Matthew 11:29). Does
the reader detect a slip of the pen in the last sentence? Since Christ
was "full of grace and truth" we should have said "there fore [and not
`yet'] he declared, `learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in
heart'--the latter was the evidence of the former! Yes, so "meek and
lowly in heart" was He that, though the Lord of glory, He declined not
to perform the menial task of washing the feet of His disciples! And
in proportion as we learn of Him shall we become meek and lowly in
heart. Hence "and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" is
explanatory of "grow in grace" in 2 Peter 3:18.
True humility dwells only in a heart which has been supernaturally
enlightened of God and which has experimentally learned of Christ, and
the more the soul learns of Christ the more lowly will it become. Even
in natural things it is the novice and not the savant who is the most
conceited. A smattering of the arts and sciences fills its youthful
possessor with an exalted estimate of his wisdom, but the further he
prosecutes his studies the more conscious will he become of his
ignorance. Much more so is this the case with spiritual things. An
unregenerate person who becomes familiar with the letter of the Truth
imagines he has made great progress in religion; but a regenerate
person even after fifty years in the school of Christ deems himself a
very babe in spirituality. The more a soul grows in grace, the more
does he grow out of love with himself. In one of his early epistles
Paul said, "I am the least of the apostles" (1 Cor. 15:9); in a later,
"who am less than the least of all saints" (Eph. 3:8); in one of his
last, "sinners, of whom I am chief!" (1 Tim. 1:15)
Third, trees grow inwardly. This brings us to what is admittedly the
hardest part of our subject. We have never made a study of botany, and
even though we had it is doubtful if it would stand us in much stead
on this point. That there must be an inward growth of the tree is
obvious, though exactly what it consists of is another matter. Yet
that need not surprise us, for if the analogy holds good here too, is
not this uncertainty just what we should expect? Is not the inward
growth of a Christian that aspect of his progress which is the most
difficult to define, describe, and still more so to put into practice?
Unless the tree grows inwardly it would not grow in any other
direction, for its outward growth is but the development and
manifestation of its vital or seminal principle. We must fall back
then on general principles and exercise a little common sense, and
say: the inward growth of a tree consists of an increase of its sap, a
resisting of that which would injure, and the toughening of its
tissues.
The sap is the vital juice of all plants and its free circulation the
determiner of its health and growth. The analogy of this in the
Christian is the grace of God communicated to his soul, and his
spiritual progress is fundamentally determined by his receiving fresh
supplies of grace. At regeneration God does not impart to us a supply
of grace sufficient for the remainder of our lives: instead, He has
made Christ to be the grand Fountain of all grace, and we arc required
to continue betaking ourselves to Him for fresh supplies. The Lord
Jesus has issued a free invitation: "If any man thirst, let him come
unto me, and drink" (John 7:37), which must not be restricted to our
first approach. As long as the Christian remains on earth he is as
needy as when he drew his first spiritual breath, and his need is
supplied in no other way than by his coming to Christ daily for fresh
supplies of His grace. Christ is "full of grace," and that fulness is
available for His people to draw from (Heb. 4:16). "He giveth more
grace . . . unto the humble" (James 4:6), that is, to those who
"thirst," who are conscious of their need and who present themselves
as empty vessels to be replenished.
But there is another principle which operates and regulates our
obtaining further supplies of grace: "For unto every one that hath
shall be given and he shall have abundance" (Matthew 25:29; cf. Luke
8:18). The context shows that the one who "hath" is he who has traded
with what had been bestowed upon him: in other words, the way to
obtain more grace is to make a right and good use of what we already
have. Why should Christ give more if we have not improved what He
previously communicated? Faith becomes stronger by exercising it. And
how does the Christian make a good use of grace? By heeding that
all-important injunction, "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out
of it are the issues of life" (Prov. 4:23). This is the great task
which God has assigned to each of His children. The "heart" signifies
the whole inner man--the "hidden man of the heart" (1 Peter 3:4). It
is that which controls and gives character to all that we become and
do. The man is what his heart is, for "as he thinketh in his heart, so
is he" (Prov. 23:7). To guard and garrison the heart is the grand work
God has appointed us: the enablement is His, but the duty is ours.
Negatively, the keeping of the heart with all diligence signifies,
excluding from it all that is opposed to God. It means keeping the
imagination free from vanity, the understanding from error, the will
from perverseness, the conscience clear from all guilt, the affections
from being inordinate and set on evil objects, the inner man from
being dominated by sin and Satan. In a word it means, to mortify the
"flesh" within us, with all its affections and lusts; to resist evil
imaginations, nipping them in the bud; to strive against the swellings
of pride, the workings of unbelief; to swim against the tide of the
world; to reject the solicitations of the Devil. This is to be our
constant concern and ceaseless endeavor. It means to keep the
conscience tender to sin in its first approach. It means looking
diligently after its cleansing when it has been defiled. For all of
this much prayer is required, earnest seeking of God's assistance, His
supernatural aid; and if it be sought trustfully it will not be sought
in vain, for it is the grace of God which teaches us to deny
"ungodliness and worldly lusts" (Titus 2:11, 12).
Positively, the keeping of our hearts with all diligence signifies,
the cultivation of our spiritual graces--called "the fruit of the
spirit" (Gal. 5:22, 23). For the health, vigor, exercise and
manifestation of those graces we are accountable. They are like so
many tender plants which will not thrive unless they are given much
attention. They are like so many tendrils on a vine which must be
lifted from trailing on the ground, pruned and sprayed, if they are to
be fruitful. They are like so many saplings in the nursery which need
rich soil, regular watering, the warmth of the sun, if they are to
thrive. Go carefully over the ninefold list given in Galatians 5:22,
23 and then honestly ask the question, What sincere effort am I really
making to cultivate, to foster, to develop those graces? Compare too
the sevenfold list of 2 Peter 1:5-7 and put to yourself a similar
inquiry. When your graces are lively and flourishing and Christ draws
near, you will be able to say "my Beloved is gone down into his garden
to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens and to gather lilies"
(Song of Sol. 6:2). God esteems nothing so highly as holy faith,
unfeigned love, and filial fear (cf. 1 Peter 3:4; 1 Tim. 1:5).
"Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the
heart" (1 Sam. 16:7). Is that sufficiently realized by us? If it is,
then we are making it our chief concern to keep our hearts with all
diligence. "My son, give me thine heart" (Prov. 23:26): until that be
done, God will accept nothing from you. The prayers and praises of our
lips, the offerings and labors of our hands, yea, a correct outward
walk, are things of no value in His sight unless the heart beats true
to Him. Nor will He accept a divided heart. And if I have really given
Him my heart, then it is to be kept for Him, it must be devoted to
Him, it must be suited to Him. Ah, my reader, there is much head
religion, much hand religion--busily engaged in what is termed
"Christian service, and much feet religion--rushing around from one
meeting, "Bible Conference," "Communion" to another, but where are
those who make conscience of keeping their hearts! The heart of the
empty professor is like the vineyard of "the man void of [spiritual]
understanding," namely, "all grown over with thorns, and nettles had
covered the face thereof" (Prov. 24:30, 31).
A very few words must suffice upon the third aspect of inward growth.
In the case of a tree this consists in the toughening of its tissues
or strengthening of its fibers--apparent from the harder wood obtained
from an older one than from a sapling. The spiritual counterpart of
that is found irk the Christian attaining more firmness and fixedness
of character, so that he is no longer swayed by the opinions of
others. He becomes more stable, so that he is less emotional; and more
rational, acting not from sudden impulse but from settled principle.
He becomes wiser in spiritual things because his mind is increasingly
engaged with the Word of God and his eternal concerns, and therefore
more serious and sober in his demeanor. He becomes confirmed in
doctrine and therefore more discerning and discriminating in whom he
hears and what he reads. Nothing can move him from allegiance to
Christ, and having bought the Truth he refuses to sell it (Prov.
23:23). he is not afraid of being called a bigot, for he has
discovered that "liberality" is emblazoned prominently on the Devil's
banner.
Fourth, the growth of a tree is outward, seen in the spreading of its
boughs and the multiplication of its branches. We have purposely
devoted a greater space to those aspects of our subject on which we
felt the reader most needed help. This one almost explains itself: it
is the daily walk of the believer, his external conduct, which is in
view. If the Christian has grown upward--that is, if he has obtained
an increased vital and practical knowledge of God in Christ; if he has
grown downward--that is, if he has become thoroughly aware of his
total depravity by nature and learned to have "no confidence in the
flesh" (Phil. 3:3) to effect any improvement in himself; if he has
grown inwardly--obtained fresh supplies of grace from Christ and has
diligently used the same by striving against indwelling sin and by
resolutely resisting his carnal and worldly lusts, and if he has
improved that grace by diligently cultivating his spiritual graces in
the garden of his heart; then that upward, downward, and inward growth
will be (not simply "ought to be"), must be, clearly and unmistakably
shown in his outward life.
And how will that upward, downward, and inward growth be manifested by
the Christian outwardly? Why, by a life of obedience to his Lord and
Saviour. Out of love and gratitude unto the One who suffered and did
so much for him, be will sincerely endeavor to please Him in all his
ways. Realizing that he is not his own but bought with a price, he
will make it his highest aim and earnest endeavor to glorify God in
his body and in his spirit (1 Cor. 6:19, 20). The genuineness of his
desire to please God and the intensity of his purpose to glorify Him,
will be evidenced by the diligence and constancy with which he reads,
meditates upon and studies His Word. In searching the Scriptures his
main quest will not be to occupy his mind with its mysteries, but
rather to obtain a fuller knowledge of God's will for him; and instead
of hankering after an insight into its typology or its prophecies he
will be far more concerned in how to become more proficient in
performing God's will. It is in the light of His Word he longs to
walk, and therefore it is His precepts and promises, His warnings and
admonitions, His exhortations and aids, he will most lay to heart.
One of the New Testament exhortations is, "We request you, brethren,
and beseech you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how
ye ought to walk and please God, so ye would abound more and more (1
Thess. 4:1). One of its prayers is, "That ye might be filled with a
knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding: that
ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in
every good work." (Col. 1:9, 10) One of its promises is, "God is able
to make all grace abound toward you, that ye always having all
sufficiency in all things, may abound in every good work." (2 Cor.
9:8) And one of its examples is, "And they [the parents of John the
Baptist] were both righteous before God, walking in all commandments
and ordinances of the law blameless." (Luke 1:6) In the light of those
verses--each of which treats with outward growth--our duty and
privilege is clear: what God requires from us and the sufficiency of
His enablement for the same.
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Contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
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A. W. Pink Header
Spiritual Growth by Arthur W. Pink
6. Its Seasonableness
____________________________________________________
I
"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under
the heaven. . . . He hath made everything beautiful in his time"
(Eccl. 3:1, 11). If the whole of these eleven verses be read
consecutively it will be seen that they furnish a full outline of the
many and different experiences of human life in this world, each
aspect of man's varied career and his reactions thereto being stated.
That which is emphasized in connection with all the mutations and
vicissitudes of life is that they are all ordained and regulated by
God, according to His unerring wisdom. Not only has He appointed a
time to every purpose under heaven, but "everything is beautiful in
his time." Nothing is too early, nothing too late. Everything is
perfectly coordinated, and as we learn from the New Testament made to
"work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the
called according to his purpose" (Rom. 8:28).
There is a predestined time when each creature and each event shall
come forth, how long it shall continue, and in what circumstances it
shall be: all being determined by the Lord. This is true of the world
as a whole, for God "worketh all things after the counsel of his own
will' (Eph. 3:11). This earth has riot always existed. God was the One
who decided when it should spring into being, and He created it by a
mere flat: "For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood
fast" (Ps. 33:9). Nor will it last forever, for the hour is coming
when its very elements "shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also
and the works that are therein shall be burned up" (2 Peter 3:10). How
far distant, or how near, that solemn hour is, no creature has any
means of knowing; yet the precise day for it is unchangeably fixed in
the Divine decree.
The same grand truth which pertains to the whole of creation applies
with equal force to all the workings of Divine Providence. The
beginning and the end, and the whole intervening career, of each
person has been determined by his Maker. So too the rise, the
progress, the height attained, and the entire history of each nation
has been foreordained of Cod. "For of him, and through him, and to him
are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36). A nation
is but the aggregate of individuals comprising it; and though its
corporate life be much longer than of any one generation of its
members, yet it is subject to the same Divine laws. Each kingdom, each
empire, has its birth and development, its maturity and zenith, its
decline and death. The Egyptian had.; so bad the Babylonian,
Medo-Persian, Grecian, and Roman.
What is stated in Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11 holds good of things in the
spiritual realm, equally so with those in the material sphere, though
we are more apt to forget this in connection with the former than with
the latter. It is a act that in the Christian life "To everything
there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven." How
can it be otherwise seeing that the God of creation, the God of
providence and the God of all grace is one. It is true there is much
in the Divine operations both in Providence and in Grace which is
profoundly mysterious, for "great things doeth he which we cannot
comprehend" (Job 37:5). Yet not a little light is cast upon those
higher mysteries if we seek to observe the ways and workings of God in
Nature. How often the Lord Jesus made use of that principle, directing
the attention of His hearers to the most familiar objects in the
physical realm.
Again and again we find the Divine Teacher using the things growing in
the field to illustrate and adumbrate the things which are invisible
and to inculcate lessons of spiritual value. "Consider the lilies."
Not only look upon and admire them, but receive instruction therefrom.
"Learn a parable of the fig tree" (Matthew 24:32). Yes, learn from it:
ponder it, let it inform you about spiritual matters. When Christ
insisted on the inseparable connection there is between character and
conduct, He employed the similitude of a tree being known by its
fruit. When He urged the necessity of new hearts for the reception of
new covenant blessings, He spoke of new bottles for new wine, When He
revealed the essential conditions of spiritual fruitfulness, He
mentioned the vine and its branches. Yes, there is much in the
material world from which we may learn valuable lessons on the
spiritual life.
Take the seasons which Cod has appointed for the year and how each
brings forth accordingly. The coldness and barrenness of the winter
gives place to the warmth and fertility of the spring, while the
vegetables and fruit which sprout in the spring and grow through the
summer are matured in the autumn. Each season has its own peculiar
features and characteristic products. The same principle is seen
operating in a human being. The life of man is divided into distinct
seasons or stages: childhood, youth, maturity and old age; and each of
those stages is marked by characteristic features: the innocence and
shyness of (normal) children, the zeal and vigor of youth, the
stability and endurance of maturity, the experience and wisdom of old
age; and each of these distinctive features is "beautiful in its
time."
Not only has Cod appointed the particular seasons when each of His
creatures shall come forth and flourish, but we are obliged to wait
His set time for the same. If we sow seeds in the winter they will not
germinate. Plants which sprout in the spring cannot be forced, but
have to wait for the summer's sun. So it is in the human realm. "To
everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the
heaven." We cannot put old heads on young shoulders, and such efforts
will not only prove unsuccessful but issue in disastrous consequences.
As everything is "beautiful in his time" they are incongruous and
unseemly out of season. "When I was a child, I spake as a child I
reasoned as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish
things" (1 Cor. 13:11).
In the light of what has been said it is both interesting and
instructive to ponder the ways of God with His people during the Old
Testament and New Testament eras Much of that which obtained under the
Mosaic dispensation was suited to that infantile period and was
"beautiful in his time;" but now that "the fulness of time" has come
such things would be quite out of place. During that kindergarten
stage God instituted an elaborate ritual which appealed to the senses,
and instructed by means of pictures and symbols. There was the
colorful tabernacle, the priestly vestments, the burning of incense,
the playing of instruments. They were all invested with a typical
significance, but when the Substance appeared there was no further
need of them: they had become obsolete, and to bring forward such
things into Christian worship is an unseasonable lapsing back to the
nursery stage.
All that has been pointed out above is most pertinent to the spiritual
growth of the individual Christian, and particularly to the several
stages of his development or progress, and if duly attended to should
preserve from many mistaken notions and erroneous conclusions. As the
year is divided into different seasons so the Christian life has
different stages, and as there are certain features which more or less
characterize the year's seasons so there are certain experiences more
or less peculiar to each stage in the Christian life; and as each of
the year's seasons is marked by a decided change in what the garden
and the orchard then bring forth, so there is a variation and
alteration in the graces manifested and the fruits borne by the
Christian during the several stages through which he passes; but
"everything is beautiful in his time"--as it would be incongruous out
of its season.
Now though the earth's seasons are four in number, yet only three of
them are concerned with fertility or production. The analogy pertains
spiritually: in the Christian life there is a spring, a summer, and an
autumn -- the "winter" is when his body has been committed to the
grave in sure and certain hope of resurrection, awaiting the eternal
Spring. Thus we should expect to find that the more explicit teaching
of the New Testament divides the spiritual life of the saint on earth
into three stages; and such is indeed the case. In one of his parables
of the kingdom of Cod, Christ used the similitude of a man casting
seed into the ground (a figure of preaching the gospel), saying "The
earth bringeth forth of herself: first the blade, then the ear, after
that the full corn in the ear" (Mark 4:28): there are the three stages
of growth. In like manner we find the apostle grading those to whom he
wrote into three classes, namely, "fathers," "young men," and "little
children" (1 John 2:13).
Nothing which lives is brought to maturity immediately in this lower
world: instead, everything advances by gradual growth and orderly
progress. God indeed created Adam and Eve in their full perfection,
but He does not regenerate us into our complete stature in Christ, All
the parts and faculties of the new man come into being at the new
birth, but time is needed for their development and manifestation.
Moreover, as natural talents are not bestowed uniformly -- to some
being given five, to others two, and to yet others only one (Matthew
25:15), so God bestows a greater measure of grace to one of His people
than to another. There is therefore a great difference among
Christians: all are not of one stature, strength, and growth in
godliness. Some are "sheep" and others but "lambs" (John 21:15, 16).
Some are "strong others are "weak" (Rom. 15:1). Some are but "babes,"
and others are of "full age" Heb. 5:13, 14). Nevertheless, each brings
forth fruit "in his season" (Ps. 1:3).
If more attention were paid to the principles which we have sought to
enunciate and illustrate, some of us would be preserved from forming
harsh judgments of our younger brethren and sisters and from
criticizing them because they do not exercise those graces and bear
those fruits which pertain more to the stage of Christian maturity.
One would instantly perceive the folly of a fanner who complained
because his field of grain bore no golden ears during the early months
of spring: equally senseless and sinful is it to blame a babe in
Christ because he has neither the mature judgment nor the patience of
an experienced and long-tried believer. To that statement every
spiritual reader will readily assent: yet we very much fear that some
of these very persons are guilty of the same thing in another
direction--self ward: reproaching themselves in later life because
they lack the glow and ardor, the zeal and zest which formerly
characterized them.
Some older Christians look back and compare themselves with the days
of their spiritual youth and then utter hard things against
themselves, concluding that so far from having advanced, they have
retrograded. In certain cases their lamentations are justifiable, as
with Solomon. But in many instances they are not warrantable, being
occasioned by a wrong standard of measurement and through failing to
bear in mind the seasonableness or unseasonableness of certain fruits
at particular times. They complain now because they lack the
liveliness of earlier days, when they had warmer affections for Christ
and His people, more joy in reading the Word and prayer, more zeal in
seeking to promote the good of others, more fruit for their labors,
They complain that though they now spend more time in using the means
of grace, others who are but spiritual babes appear to derive far
greater benefit though less diligent in duties than they are.
In some cases where conversion has been more radical and clearly
marked, growth is more easily perceived; but where conversion itself
was a quiet and gradual experience, it is much more difficult to trace
out the subsequent progress that is made. As the Christian obtains
more light from God he becomes increasingly aware of his filth, and by
apprehensions of his decrease he will increase in humility. As
spiritual wisdom increases he measures himself by a higher standard,
and thus becomes more conscious of his comings short thereof. Formerly
he was more occupied with his outward walk, but now he is more
diligent in seeking to discipline his heart. In earlier years there
may have been more fervor in his prayers; but now his petitions should
be more spiritual. As the Christian grows spiritually his desires
enlarge and because his attainments do not keep pace he is apt to err
in his judgment of himself: "there is that maketh poor, yet hath great
riches!" (Prov. 13:7)
Young Christians are generally more enthusiastic and active, yet their
zeal is not always according to knowledge, and at times it is
unseasonable through neglecting temporal affairs for spiritual. A
young Christian is ready to respond to almost any plausible appeal for
money, but a mature one is more cautious before he acts lest he should
be supporting enemies of the Truth. The older Christian may not
perform some duties with the same zest as formerly, yet with more
conscience: quality rather than quantity is what now most concerns
him. As we grow older, greater and more difficulties are encountered,
and the overcoming of them evidences that we have a larger measure of
grace. Particular graces may not be as conspicuous as previously, and
yet the exercise of new ones be more evident (2 Peter 1:5-7). Measure
not your growth by any one part of your life, nor by any single aspect
of it, but by your Christian career as a whole.
It is by no means a simple matter to accurately classify believers as
to which particular grade or class they belong to in the school of
Christ, either concerning ourselves or others, for spiritual growth is
rarely uniform--though it ought to be so. Some Christians are weak and
strong at one and the same time, yet in different respects, as both
experience and observation show. Some have better heads than hearts,
while others have sounder hearts than heads. Some are weak in
knowledge, ignorant and unsettled in the Faith, who nevertheless put
to shame their better-instructed brethren by their love and zeal, and
by their walk and fruitfulness. Others have a good understanding of
the Truth but are veritable babes when it comes to putting it into
practice. Solomon was endued with great wisdom, but ruined his
testimony through yielding to fleshly lusts. "A Christian should labor
for a good heart well-headed, and a head well-hearted" (Thos. Manton).
Again; it needs to be borne in mind that there are great differences
in the same Christian at sundry times, yea within a single season, so
that the three stages of spiritual growth may coincide in a single
saint. The maturest "father" in some respects may be as weak as a new
born "babe" in other regards, and tempted as violently as the "young
men. The case of the godliest man is not always uniform. One day he
may be rapt into the holy mount to behold Christ in His glory; and the
same evening he may be tossed with winds and waves, and in his
feelings be like a ship on the point of sinking. Now he may, like
Paul, be caught up into Paradise and favored with revelations which he
cannot express to others, and anon be afflicted with a thorn in the
flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet him. Calms and storms, peace
and troubles, combats and conquests, weakness and strength, alternate
in the lives of God's people; yet in each they may bring forth fruit
which is "beautiful in his time."
All that has been dwelt upon above may appear to some of our readers
as being so elementary and obvious that there was really no need to
point out the same. Though that be the case, there are others who at
least require to be reminded there. It is not so much our knowledge
but the use we make of it that counts the most; and often our worst
failures issue not from ignorance but from acting contrary to the
light we have. A due recognition of the seasonableness or
unseasonable-ness of particular spiritual fruits in the Christian life
will preserve from many wrong conclusions. On the one hand it should
keep him from expecting to find in a spiritual babe those fruits and
developed graces which pertain to a state of maturity, and on the
other hand he who regards himself as a "father" in Christ must
vindicate that estimation by bringing forth far more than do young
Christians.
II
The leading principle which we sought to enunciate and illustrate,
namely, fruit suitable to the season, receives exemplification in that
statement, "A word spoken in due season, how good is it!" (Prov.
15:23): a word of sympathy to one in trouble, of encouragement to the
despondent, of warning to the careless. Hence we find the minister of
Christ exhorted, "Preach the word: be instant in season, out of
season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and doctrine"
(2 Tim. 4:2)--by the "in season, out of season" we understand, at
stated times and as opportunity occurs. The same principle was
exemplified by the Baptist when he said, "Bring forth therefore fruits
meet for repentance" (Matthew 3:8)--praising God for His mercies at
that time would have been unseasonable, rather was godly sorrow for
the abuse of them called for. "There is a time to weep, and a time to
laugh." (Eccl. 3:4)
Fruitfulness is an essential quality of a godly person, but his fruit
should be seasonable. A time of suffering calls for self-examination,
confession, and the exercise of patience. A season of testing and
trial requires the exercise of faith and courage. When blest with
revivings and spiritual prosperity, holy joy and praise are becoming.
It is written "Therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious .
. . blessed are all they that wait for him" (Isa. 30:18)--wait for the
time He has appointed for the development and manifestation of
particular graces. Unseasonable graces are like untimely figs, which
are never full flavored. Most of us are too impatient. "No chastening
for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous . . . nevertheless
afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them
which are exercised thereby" (Heb. 12:11)--exercised in conscience as
to what has given occasion for the chastisement, exercising faith for
the fulfilling of this promise, and patience while awaiting the same.
As we turn now to look at the characteristics which mark the three
stages of the Christian life, it must be borne in mind: (1) we are not
to understand that what is predicated of the "fathers" in nowise
pertains to the "babes," but rather that the particular grace ascribed
abounds in the former more eminently. (2) That what is said of each of
the three may, in different respects, belong to a single Christian so
that "young men" who are "strong" may in another way, be as weak as
the "babes." (3) We must not lose sight of God's liberty in
apportioning His grace as and when He pleases: He works not uniformly,
and causes some of His people to make much more rapid progress than
others during the earlier years of their Christian lives, while others
who seem slow at the start overtake and pass them at a later stage.
"I write unto you little children (teknia) because your sins are
forgiven you for His name's sake." (1 John 2:12) "I write unto you
fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write
unto you young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write
unto you little children (paidia) because ye have known the Father" (1
John 2:13). This is the classical passage on the present aspect of our
theme, though its force is somewhat obscured through the translators
making no distinction between the two different Greek words they have
rendered "little children." 1 John 2:12 pertains to the whole of the
"called" family of God irrespective of growth or attainment, for every
believer has had his sins forgiven him for Christ's sake. The word
used there for "little children" is a term of endearment, and was
employed by Christ in John 13:33 when addressing the apostles, and
occurs again in this epistle in 2:28; 3:7 etc.
Only in 1 John 2:13 are believers graded into three distinct classes
according to the degrees of their spiritual progress: "fathers,"
"young men," and "little children"--or preferably "babes," to mark the
distinction from the word used in verse 12. That is the order of
dignity and responsibility: had it been the order of grace, it had
been "babes, young men and fathers." As some one has said "If Christ
were to enter a Christian gathering for the purpose of showing forth
His favor, He would commence with the youngest and feeblest one
present; but if to judge the works of His servants, He would begin
with the maturest saint." For example, Christ appeared many times
after His resurrection: He ended by manifesting Himself to the apostle
Paul, but with whom did He begin?--with Mary Magdalene out of whom He
had cast seven demons! The same principle is illustrated in the
parable of the "pence" (grace)--beginning with the eleventh-hour
laborer; but reversed in the parable of the "talents," where
responsibility as in view.
As we are writing on the subject of spiritual progress, or as most
writers designate it "growth in grace," we propose to inverse the
order of 1 John 2:13 and consider first the spiritual babes. If any
one should consider we are taking an unwarrantable liberty with the
Word in so doing, we would appeal to Mark 4:28, where our Lord spoke
of "first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the
ear." And now as we seek to grapple more closely with our present task
we have to acknowledge we experience considerable difficulty in
attempting to set forth with any measure of definiteness what it is
which specially marks the spiritual "babe" in contrast from the "young
men" and "fathers," or if others prefer, that which distinguishes the
"blade," from the "ear" and "the full corn in the ear." But if we
cannot satisfy our readers, we trust that we may be kept from
confusing any of them.
In view of the vastly superior conditions which obtained in the days
of the apostles--illustrated by such passages as Acts 2:44, 45;
11:19-21; 1 Corinthians 12:8-11--it is not to be supposed that many of
the features which marked that glorious period will be reproduced in a
"day of small things" (Zech. 4:10) such as that in which we are now
living. The line of demarcation between the church and the world was
much more plainly drawn then than it is now; the contrast between
lifeless and living professors more easily perceived, and so on.
Therefore it is reasonable to conclude that the distinct stages of the
Christian life and the different forms which believers occupied in the
school of Christ, were then more plainly marked; and though the
difference be one of degree rather than of kind, yet that very
difference renders it the more difficult for us to describe or
identify the several grades.
In his most excellent "Letters on Religious Subjects" John Newton has
three pieces entitled "Grace in the Blade," "Grace in the Ear" "Grace
in the Full Corn." He began his second piece by saying "The manner of
the Lord's work in the hearts of His people is not easily traced,
though the fact is certain and the evidence demonstrable from
Scripture. In attempting to explain we can only speak in general, and
are at a loss to form such a description as shall take in the immense
variety of cases which occur in the experience of believers." It is
just because so many preachers have failed to take into their account
that "immense variety of cases," and instead, have pictured the
experience of conversion as though it were cast in a uniform mold,
that numbers of their hearers and readers have been much stumbled,
fearing they were never truly converted because their experience
differed widely from that described by the preacher.
George Whitefield stated, "I have heard of a person who was in a
company with fourteen ministers of the Gospel, some of whom were
eminent servants of Christ, and yet not one of them could tell the
time when God first manifested Himself to their soul." Then he went on
to say to his hearers and readers, "We do not love the pope, because
we love to be popes ourselves, and set up our own experience as a
standard to others. Those that had such a conversion as the Philippian
jailor or the Jews on the day of Pentecost may say, You are not
Christians at all because you had not the like terrible experience.
You may as well say to your neighbor, You have not had a child, for
you were not in labor all night. The question is, whether a real child
is born: not how long was the preceding pain, but whether it was
productive of the new birth and whether Christ has been formed in your
hearts!"
Some are likely to object to what is said above and say, Though the
circumstantials of conversion may vary in different cases, yet the
essentials are the same in all: the law must do its work before the
soul is prepared for the gospel, the heart must be made sensible for
its sickness before it will betake itself unto the great Physician.
Even though that should be the experience of many of the saints, yet
the Holy Spirit is by no means tied down to that order of things, nor
do the Scriptures warrant any such restricted view. Take the cases of
Peter and Andrew, his brother, and the two sons of Zebedee (Matthew
4:18-22), and there is nothing in the sacred narrative to show that
they went through a season of conviction of sin before they followed
Christ! Nor was there in the case of Matthew (9:9). Zaceheus was
apparently attracted by mere curiosity to obtain a sight of the Lord
Jesus, and a work of grace was wrought in his heart immediately, and
he "received him joyfully!" (Luke 19:6)
Let us not be misunderstood at this point. We are neither casting any
reflection upon those ministers who preach the law by which a
knowledge of sin is obtained (Rom. 3:20), nor disparaging the
importance and necessity of conviction of sin. Rather are we insisting
that God is perfectly free to work as He pleases, and that I have no
Scriptural reason to doubt the reality of my conversion simply because
my heart was then melted by a sense of God's wondrous love, rather
than awed by a discovery of His holiness or terrified by a realization
of His wrath; and that I have no warrant to call into question the
genuineness of another's conversion merely because it was not cast in
a certain mold. The all-important thing is whether the subsequent walk
evidences that I have passed from death unto life. In Zechariah 12:10
"mourning" follows and not precedes a saving looking upon Christ!
There are some who taste the bitterness of sin more sharply after
conversion than they did before.
Now as the Holy Spirit is pleased to use different means in connection
with the converting of souls, so also there is real variety in the
experiences of those newly brought to a saving knowledge of the Truth.
On the other hand, as there are certain essentials found in every
genuine conversion--the turning from sin, self, the world unto God in
Christ, receiving Him as our personal Lord and Saviour and then
following him in the path of obedience--so there are certain
characteristics in babes in Christ which distinguish them from the
"young men" and "fathers." And the very name by which they are
designated more or less defines those characteristics. As infants or
little children they are largely creatures of impulse, swayed by their
emotions more than regulated by judgment. Feelings p lay a large part
in their lives. They are very impressionable, easily influenced, and
largely unsuspecting, believing readily whatever is told them by those
who have their confidence.
"I write unto you little children, because ye have known the Father"
(1 John 2:13). That is the distinguishing mark which none other than
the Holy Spirit has given of the spiritual infant. It is a statement
which needs to be particularly taken to heart and pondered by some of
our readers for it plainly signifies that unless we "know the Father"
we are not entitled to regard ourselves as being His children. In the
natural life the very first thing which babes and young children
discover is an acknowledgement--in their infantile way--of their
parents, aiming to call them by their names ("papa" and "mamma") in
distinguishing them from others. And thus it is also spiritually: the
distinguishing act of babes in Christ is to acknowledge God to be
their Father, and this they do by expressing, in their way, their
attachment to Him, their delight in Him, and their dependence on Him,
lisping out His name in their praises and petitions before the throne
of grace.
What we have just pointed out is agreeable to such passages as these:
"thou shalt call me, my Father and shalt not turn away from me. (Jer.
3:19) "I am a Father to [the spiritual] Israel, and Ephraim is my
first born . . . Ephraim, my dear son, a pleasant child . . . I will
surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord." (Jer. 31:9, 20) In the
first formal instruction which the Lord Jesus gave to His young
disciples, He bade them "After this manner pray ye: our Father which
art in heaven." (Matthew 6:9) How can we approach Him with any
confidence or freedom unless we view Him in this blessed relation? If
we have been reconciled to Him by Jesus Christ then God is our Father,
and "because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the spirit of His Son
into your hearts, crying, Father! Father!" (Gal. 4:6); and that spirit
causes its possessor to come in a holy familiarity and childlike
manner to God, and evidences itself in a desire to honor and please
Him.
Not only would it be misleading to our minds for the young convert
(even though old in years) to be likened unto a "little child"
(Matthew 18:2, 3) unless there was a real resemblance, and thus a
propriety in employing this figure, but it would also be a strange
departure from one of the well-established "ways" of God, namely, His
having so wrought in the first creation as to strikingly foreshadow
His works in the new creation, the natural having been made to
adumbrate the spiritual. We see that principle and fact illustrated in
every direction. As in the natural so in the spiritual: there is a
begetting (James 1:19), a conception or Christ being formed in the
soul (Gal. 4:19), a birth (1 Peter 1:23), and that birth evidenced by
a "cry" (Rom. 8:15), and the newborn babe desiring "the sincere milk
of the Word" (1 Peter 2:2); so there are many features in common
between the natural and the spiritual infant.
Little children are far more regulated by their affections than by
their understanding, and the young Christian is much taken with the
love of God, the grace of the Lord Jesus, and the comforts of the Holy
Spirit. he delights greatly in his own experience, and to hear the
experience of others. As the natural child is timorous and easily
scared, so the young Christian is quickly alarmed, as was evidenced by
the fearing disciples on the storm-swept sea, to whom the Saviour said
"O ye of little faith." As the digestive system of a youngster is
feeble, so the babe in Christ needs to be fed on "milk" rather than
"strong meat." "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot
bear them now" (John 16:12). Owing to an undeveloped understanding,
babes in Christ are not "established" in the Faith: "be no more
children--tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of
doctrine" (Eph. 4:14).
"A young convert is much taken with his own importunity in prayer,
with his own enlargements and affections (they being very warm and
lively), with the multitude of means and the much time he spends in
the use of and observance of them; whereas a believer of longer
standing and greater measure of spiritual growth values those
discoveries which the Holy Spirit gives him in prayer and inward
converse with the Lord, of the Father's free love, and the Son's
personal, particular, and prevalent intercession on his behalf: and he
is more taken with those, than with his own fervor and supplications .
The `babes' in Christ are particularly affected with a sense and
enjoyment of pardoning mercy and calling God `Father.' Hence, the
blessings of pardon of sin, peace with God, the spirit of adoption,
and an advancement in and an increased spiritual perception of these
precious realities, must be a growth in grace such as is quite suited
to their spiritual stature and circumstances" (S. E. Pierce).
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Contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
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Spiritual Growth by Arthur W. Pink
7. Its Stages
____________________________________________________
I
In the last chapter we called attention to the fact that Christians
may be graded into three classes according to their "stature" in
Christ or their spiritual development and progress. In proof thereof
appeal was made to Mark 4:28 and 1 John 2:13. In addition to those
passages we may also take note of our Lord's Parable of the Wheat,
wherein He represented the good-ground hearers as bringing forth fruit
in varying degrees or quantities. That parable is recorded in each of
the first three Gospels and there is, among others, this noticeable
difference between their several statements: that Mark says of those
who received the Word, they "bring forth fruit: some thirtyfold, some
sixty, and some a hundred" (4:20); whereas in Matthew's account that
order is reversed: "brought forth some a hundredfold, some sixty, arid
some thirty" (13:23). Evidently the same parable was uttered by our
Lord on different occasions and He did not employ precisely the same
language, the Holy Spirit guiding each Evangelist according to His
particular design in that Gospel.
Since Matthew is the opening book of the New Testament it is obviously
the connecting link between it and the Old, and accordingly the nature
of its contents differ considerably from that of the three which
follow. The prophetic element is far more prominent and its
dispensational character more marked. Many have regarded the parables
of Matthew 13 as supplying a prophetic outline of the history of
Christendom. Personally, we still believe in that view: that, instead
of its course being steadily upwards, it was to be definitely
downwards, and that so far from the gospel converting the world to
Christ this age would witness the whole public testimony of God being
corrupted. Thus we regard the "hundredfold" of Matthew 13:23 as being
descriptive of the primitive prosperity of Christianity in the days of
the apostles, the "sixty" of the noticeable and lesser yield during
the times of the Reformers and Puritans, and the "thirty" as that
which resulted from the labors of men like Whitefield, Jon. Edwards,
and later, Spurgeon; while today nothing is left but the mere
gleanings of the harvest. Thus the course of this Christian
dispensation has been very similar to that of the Mosaical, with its
reformations in the days of David and then of Ezra, but ending as
Malachi shows!
But in Mark 4:20 it is not the corporate testimony which is in view,
hut the spiritual experience of individual believers: "and brought
forth fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred," which
corresponds with the three grades of verse 28--"first the blade, then
the ear, after that the full corn in the ear," and the apostle's more
definite description--"I write unto you fathers, because ye have known
him that is from the beginning. I write unto you young men, because ye
have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you little children [babes]
because ye have known the Father" (1 John 2:13). As Thomas Goodwin
pointed out: John "had an advantage over all his fellow apostles in
that he lived the longest of them, so that in the course of his life
he went through the several ages or seasons that Christians do, and
having also had an experience of other Christians and what was
eminently in and proper to each age of men in Christ, writes to all
sorts accordingly, and sets down what things spiritual belonged into
those several stages."
In the preceding chapter we dwelt upon some of the features which
characterize the "babes" or "little children," pointing out that those
very designations intimate that which distinguishes them from the
"young men" and "fathers," for God has made the natural to shadow
forth the spiritual. "Brethren, be not children in understanding" (1
Cor. 14:20). As in a young child reason is undeveloped, so in a
spiritual babe there is but a feeble apprehension of the deeper things
of God; yet as that exhortation shows, the believer ought soon to pass
out of a state of infancy. What is said of them in 1 John 2:13
describes another mark: "ye have known the Father." Little children
acknowledge their parents, are dear to them, hang about them, cannot
endure to be long absent from them. They expect to be much noticed and
fondled, and accordingly it is said of the good Shepherd "He shall
gather the lambs with his arms and carry them in his bosom" (Isa.
40:11). Little ones must be dangled on the knees, cannot endure the
frowns of a father, and are not yet strong enough for conflicts: and
hence God tempers His providential dealings with them accordingly. The
babe has "tasted that the Lord is gracious" (1 Peter 2:3), but as yet
knows not of the "fulness" there is in Him.
Now the young convert is not to remain a spiritual babe but is bidden
to "grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ" (2 Peter 3:18), yea, to "grow up into him in all things" (Eph.
4:15). God has made full provision for him to do so, and by his
availing himself of that provision is He honored and glorified. But
the sad fact is that many Christians never do so, and many others who
"run well" for a while lapse back again into spiritual infancy. We are
warned against this very danger by the solemn example of the Hebrews,
to whom the apostle had to write, "Of whom we have many things to say
and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for
the time ye ought to he teachers, ye have need that one teach you
again which be the first principles of the oracles of God, and are
become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat. For every one
that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is
a babe" (5:11-13).
Three things marked those believers who had failed to advance in the
school of Christ. First, they were "dull of hearing" which connotes
not slow-wittedness, but failure of affection and will to respond to
the teaching they had received. They were unconcerned about what they
heard, unsearched by it, and consequently it effected no change for
the better in their characters and conduct. In Scripture, to "hear"
God means to heed Him, to bring our ways and works into accord with
His revealed will. God's Word is given to us as a Rule to walk by (Ps.
119:105), and walking signifies to go forward in the highway of
holiness. Thus, to be "dull of hearing" is a species of self-will, it
is a non-response to the call of God, it is to disregard His precepts.
As intelligence begins to dawn, the first thing required of a little
child should be subjection to the will of those who have its best
interests at heart; and the first thing required by the Father of His
children is loving obedience to Him.
Spiritual babes need to be taught "the first principles of the oracles
of God." What were the "first principles" which God taught Adam and
Eve in Eden? Why, that He was their Maker and required obedience from
them. What were the "first principles" inculcated by Jehovah at Sinai?
Why, that Israel must be in dutiful subjection unto the One who had
redeemed them from Egypt. What were the "first principles" enunciated
by Christ in His initial public address? His sermon on the mount must
answer. The "first principles" of spirituality or genuine piety are
personal faith in God and loving obedience to Him. While they be in
operation the soul will prosper and make progress; as soon as they
become inoperative we deteriorate. Hence, the second thing complained
of is, the Hebrews were "unskillful [margin "inexperienced"] in the
word of righteousness." Observe the particular title by which the Word
is here called--that which emphasizes the practical side of things:
they were not walking in "the paths of righteousness" (Ps. 23:3). They
had degenerated into self-pleasers, following the by-ways of
self-will.
Third, they were incapable of receiving "strong meat." The force of
which may be gathered from verses 10, 11. The apostle desired to open
unto the Hebrews the mystery of "Melchizedek" and bring before them
deeper teaching concerning the official glories of Christ, but their
state cramped him. He must suit his instruction according to the
condition of their hearts, as it was evidenced by their walk. He was
similarly restrained by the case of the Corinthians: "And I, brethren,
could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as
unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk and not with meat, for
hitherto (because of their perversity and naughtiness) ye were not
able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able" (1 Cor. 3:1, 2; see Mark
4:33). "Milk" is a figurative expression denoting precisely the same
thing as "the first principles of the oracles of God"--faith,
obedience. As it would be senseless to teach a child grammar before it
learned the alphabet, or arithmetic before it knew the values of the
numerals, so it is useless to teach Christians the higher mysteries of
the Faith or to take an excursion into the realm of prophecy when they
have not learned to be regulated by the practical teaching of
Scripture.
Here, then, are two of the chief reasons why so few Christians really
advance beyond spiritual babyhood and become "young men" that are
"strong" and who "overcome the wicked one." Here are the worms which,
it is to be feared, have been eating at the root of the spiritual life
of some of our readers. Because they were "dull [not of intellect,
but] of hearing." The Creek word for "dull" is rendered "slothful" in
Hebrews 6-12. It denotes a state of slackness and inertia. It means
they were too indolent to bestir themselves. They were spiritual
sluggards. They were not willing to "buy the truth" (Prov.
23:23)--make it their own by incorporating it in their daily lives.
They failed to "gird up the loins of their minds" (1 Peter 1:13) and
earnestly and resolutely set about the task God has appointed them,
namely, to deny self and take up their cross daily and follow Christ.
They did not lay to heart the precepts of the gospel and translate
them into practice. They made no progress in practical godliness.
Second, lack of progress was due to their being "unskillful in the
word of righteousness." The word "righteousness" means right doing, up
to the required standard. God's Word is the alone Rule of
righteousness, the Standard by which all our motives and actions are
to be measured, the Rule by which they are to be regulated. That Word
is to govern us both inwardly and outwardly. By that Word of
Righteousness each of us will be judged in the Day to come. Now it is
not said that those Hebrews were ignorant of this Word, but
"unskillful in" it. The word "unskillful" here means inexperienced,
that is, inexperienced in the practical use they made of it. I may be
thoroughly familiar with its letter, understand much of its literal
meaning, able to quote correctly scores of its verses, yet so far from
that serving any good purpose it will only add to my condemnation if I
am not controlled by it. To be "unskillful in the word of
righteousness" means I have not yet learned how to mortify the flesh,
overcome temptations, resist the Devil; and as long as that be the
case, if I be saved at all, I am only a spiritual infant, undeveloped
in the spiritual life.
Another thing which holds back many a young convert from spiritual
progress is his making too much of his initial experience. Unless he
be on his guard there is great danger of making an idol of the peace
and joy which comes from the knowledge of sins forgiven. God requires
us to walk by faith and not by feelings, for though the latter may for
a while please us, the former is that which honors Him, and the faith
which most honors Him is that which rests on His bare Word when there
are no feelings to buoy us up. Moreover, God is a jealous God and will
not long suffer us to esteem His gifts more highly than Himself. If we
are more occupied with lively frames and inward comforts than we are
with God in Christ, then He will take from us a sense of His comforts,
and the soul will sink and be cast down under a sense of the loss of
them. In such a case, Revelation 2:5 prescribes the remedy: the sin of
idolatry must be penitently confessed and we must return to the
Storehouse of grace as a beggar, and make Christ our all.
Many babes in Christ have their spiritual growth retarded by
(negatively) the lack of suitable instruction, and (positively) by the
cold water poured on their joy and ardor by theft elders. It is
neither necessary nor kind for some would-be wiseacres to tell them,
this joy of yours will not last long: your bright sky will soon be
overcast with dark clouds. Many of them are likely to discover that
soon enough for themselves, while others may live to disprove such
doleful predictions. This writer was often told that he would quickly
lose his assurance of God's acceptance of him in Christ, but though
more than thirty-five years have passed since sovereign grace "plucked
him out of the fire" (Zech. 3:2), his assurance has never wavered or
weakened, for it has always rested on the unchanging Word of Him that
cannot lie. Others are greatly stumbled by empty professors and the
inconsistencies of some real Christians, and they allow that to keep
them from striving after a closer walk with God.
Many are kept weak in faith through failure to attain unto a proper
acquaintance with the person and work of Christ. They do not realize
how sufficient and able He was for everything He undertook to do for
them, and how perfectly He finished the same. They have no clear views
of either the fulness or the freeness of His so-great salvation.
Consequently, a legal spirit working with their unbelief puts them
upon reasoning against their being saved freely by grace through
faith. Those unbelieving reasonings gain great power from their
defeats in their warfare between the spirit and the flesh, or grace
and nature. They hearken to and trust more in the reports of self than
to the testimony of God's Word. Thereby their faith is checked in its
growth and they remain but babes in Christ. Their weak faith receives
but little from Christ, and it continues weak because they have so
little dependence upon the fulness of grace there is in Him for
sinners. They appropriate not His promises, nor trust in His
faithfulness and power. Growth in grace and in the knowledge of Christ
are inseparable, and experimental knowledge of Christ is entirely
dependent upon the exercise of faith on Him.
But we must pass on now to the second class. "I have written unto you
young men because ye are strong, and the Word of God abideth in you,
and ye have overcome the wicked one" (1 John 2:14). Although the
classification which this passage makes of the Lord's people does not
regard them simply according to their natural ages, but rather to the
several degrees of stature in Christ, yet the characters given them
are more or less taken from and assimilated unto what prominently
distinguishes each class in their natural life. Infants rejoice in the
sight of their parents and in prattling to them: thus the spiritual
babes are said to "know the Father." Proverbs 20:29 tells us "the
glory of young men is their strength," and accordingly those who reach
the second stage of Christian development are termed "young men" and
it is said of them ye are strong." Young men are renowned for their
athletic vigor and are the ones called upon to fight in the defense of
their country, and here they are pictured as victorious in conflict,
as having "overcome the wicked one."
II
"I have written unto you young men because ye are strong, and the Word
of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one." Though
these words were most certainly not written by the apostle in order to
flatter, but were beyond doubt a sober statement of fact concerning
those he addressed, yet--because of our dullness of
understanding--they are by no means free of difficulty to us,
Therefore, as the Lord is pleased to enable, we shall endeavor to
supply an answer to the following questions. Wherein do the "young men
differ from the "babes"? In what sense can they be said to be
"strong"?--Is there such a thing as out-growing spiritual weakness!
Exactly what is signified by "the Word of God abideth in you," and are
those words to be understood as explaining the preceding clause or the
one which follows? In view of the many defeats which apparently all
Christians experience, what is meant by "ye have overcome the wicked
one"?
Wherein do "young men" differ from babes"? First, because having been
longer engaged in the practice of godliness, they have learned more
seriously to consider their ways in order that they may avoid sin and
the occasions thereof. They have sufficiently acquainted themselves
with God as to realize the need of watching, praying, striving both
against inward corruptions and outward temptations. They frequently
present before the throne of grace such petitions as these: "Teach me,
O Lord, the way of thy statues, and I shall keep it unto the end. Give
me understanding and I shall keep thy law, yea, I shall observe it
with my whole heart. Make me to go in the path of thy commandments,
for therein do I delight. Incline my heart unto thy testimonies and
not to covetousness (Ps. 119:33-36). Sins which formerly they regarded
as blotted out by the general pardon received at conversion, are now
thought of with shame and bitterness.
Second, they are more diligent in the use of means. Not that they
necessarily devote more time thereto, but that they are more
conscientious and spiritually exercised therein. As they have become
increasingly acquainted with their corrupt inclinations, rebellious
wills, the workings of unbelief and pride, they attend more closely to
that basic duty "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are
the issues of life" (Prov. 4:23), and accordingly they can truthfully
say "I have inclined my heart to perform thy statutes always, even
unto the end" (Ps. 119:112), though they will often have to confess
lack of power to perform their desire. That makes them the more
concerned to learn how to make use of their spiritual "armor," for
none so conscious of its need and so earnest to put it on as this
grade of believers.
Third, they are better versed in the Word of God. Though not so
experienced and proficient in the Word of Righteousness as the
"fathers," yet they are not as unskillful as the "babes." They have
learned much in how personally to appropriate the Scriptures, how to
apply them to their several cases, circumstances, and needs. They long
to make further progress in piety and therefore they meditate in the
law of God day and night. Deeply exercised that their daily lives may
be pleasing to God and adorning to the profession which they make,
they are concerned to inquire "Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse
his way?" and discover the answer to be "by taking heed thereto
according to thy word" (Ps. 119:9). Thus they are daily furnishing
themselves with spiritual knowledge and fortifying themselves against
their enemies.
Fourth, they have learned to look more outside of self. They neither
make so much of inward comforts nor do they lean so much unto their
own understanding as once they did. They look more to Christ and live
more upon Him. As formerly they trusted Him for cleansing and
righteousness, now they turn to Him for wisdom and strength. They have
discovered from experience that these can only be drawn from Him by
the exercise of faith. They have realized themselves to be poor,
helpless creatures, continually in need, and as having no means of
their own to supply them. Thereby the Lord teaches them to live more
out of themselves and more upon His fulness. When the enemy cometh in
like a flood, they look to Christ for victory. When conscious of their
impotency they do not give way to despair, but trust Christ to renew
their strength. Thus by such means they pass from the weakness of
infancy and become "young men."
"I have written unto you young men because ye are strong, and the Word
of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one" (1 John
2:14). We have sought to describe some of the characteristic features
of those whom we consider may justly be regarded as belonging to that
class of Christians who are here designated "young men" particularly
as they are distinguished from the "babes" or "little children." Let
it be understood that what we wrote thereon was in no spirit of
dogmatism, but merely an expression of personal opinion. We consider
that the spiritual "young men" are believers who have acquired a
considerable knowledge of the Truth and are well established in the
whole plan of doctrine as set forth in the Scriptures, though as yet
lacking the deeper understanding thereof as pertains to "the fathers."
To which we would add, they know whom they have "believed" and
"committed" their all, for we would certainly regard a Christian
without assurance that Christ is his as still but a "babe," though we
do not expect all will agree to that.
"I have written unto you young men because ye are strong, and the Word
of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one." How
different are the ways of God from men's, even those of good men! Many
elderly Christians today would deem it most imprudent to write or say
to their younger brethren "ye are strong . . . and have overcome the
wicked one," fearing that such an assertion was "dangerous" because
having a strong tendency to "puff up" its recipients; which only goes
to show how little some of our thoughts are formed by the Word of God
and how prone we all are to fleshly reasoning. Such an attitude is but
a "show of wisdom" (Col. 2:23) and a poor show at that, for it betrays
both ignorance and silliness. Those who are "strong" spiritually are
not at all likely to be puffed up by telling them the truth.
Contrariwise, any who are puffed up by such a statement would
demonstrate they were weak! Let us not seek to be wise above what is
written, but rather set aside our proud reasonings and receive what
God says as "a little child."
In making the above assertion the apostle was certainly not seeking to
flatter them for he did not say "ye have made yourselves strong."
Rather was he making a factual statement. In doing so, he, first,
honored the Holy Spirit, by owning His work within them: the
explanation of that statement of fact was the gracious operations of
the Spirit in their hearts. Second. he was expressing his own joy: it
was a matter of delight to him that they had, by the grace of God,
reached this stage of spiritual health and vigor. Third, it was said
by way of encouragement to them. If on the one hand it be our duty to
rebuke and reprove what is evil in fellow Christians, it equally
becomes us to recognize and own whatever is good in them. A word of
cheer and stimulus is often a real help. If there be "a time to break
down," there is also "a time to build up" (Eccl. 3:3). Paul did not
hesitate to tell the Thessalonians "your faith groweth exceedingly and
the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth" (2
Thess. 1:3).
But what did the apostle signify by his "ye are strong"? Probably the
majority of Christians would promptly reply, Why, only in the sense
that they were "strong in the Lord and in the power of his might"
(Eph. 6:10). Yet we believe that answer is inadequate, and if the
"only" in it he insisted upon, erroneous. We are in hearty accord with
Thomas Goodwin who pointed out that, "There is a double spiritual
strength: one that is radical in the soul itself, consisting in the
strength and vigor of habitual graces; the other is assistant thereto
from the Spirit, according as He is pleased to arm and fill the soul
with Himself, joining with it by strengthening the graces in us, which
we read of in Eph. 3:16, `That He would grant you, according to the
riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in
the inner man.
By nature the Christian was entirely devoid of spiritual power.
Writing to the saints at Rome Paul said, "For when ye were yet without
strength, in due thee Christ died for the ungodly" (5:6). Now that
"yet" would be quite pointless if those to whom he was writing were
still "without strength." "For God hath not given us the spirit of
fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Tim. 1:7). We
dishonor the work of the blessed Spirit if we view the regenerate as
being in the same helpless plight as the unregenerate. At regeneration
we received spiritual life, and as Goodwin pertinently asks "what is
strength but life in an active vigor." Are we not told "the joy of the
Lord is your strength" (Neh. 8:10), i.e., the more the believer
delights himself in the Lord and rejoices in His perfections and his
relation to Him, the more will his soul be invigorated and his graces
quickened. Does not the Psalmist acknowledge Thou "strengthenedst me
with strength in my soul" (138:3), so that he was no longer feeble in
himself,
But let us not be misunderstood at this point. We are not arguing in
favor of any kind of "strength" being imparted to the Christian which
renders him in any wise self-sufficient. No indeed, perish the
thought. Even the "fathers" are as completely dependent, moment by
moment, upon Divine grace, as the youngest and feeblest babe in
Christ. Paradoxical as it may sound to the carnal mind, the very
"strength" which is communicated at the new birth makes its recipient
conscious (for the first time) of his utter weakness. It is the purity
of the new nature in the soul which makes manifest the corruptions of
his flesh: it is his reception of the earnest of his inheritance which
makes him poor in spirit: it is the gift of faith which causes him to
be sensible of the workings of unbelief. It is the life of God in the
renewed which causes them to thirst and pant after God. Nevertheless,
there is a real sense in which the Christian is strong, both
comparatively with his unregenerate impotency, and relatively in
himself.
"A wise man is strong, yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength"
(Prov. 24:5). In proportion as spiritual knowledge increases so also
does spiritual strength. The spirit is nourished and enriched both for
spiritual work and warfare by true wisdom. As we have so often
reminded the reader, growth in grace and in spiritual knowledge are
inseparably connected (2 Peter 3:18). There is a strength of courage,
of fortitude, of resolution, which enables its possessor to stand firm
against opposition, to overcome difficulties, to endure trials and
afflictions. But the reverse of that is expressed in "if thou faint in
the day of adversity, thy strength is small" (Prov. 24:10). If in the
day of testing and trial spirits sink so that your hands hang down and
your knees become weak, if when afflictions come you take the line of
least resistance, neglect the means of grace and are unfitted for
duties, then your "strength" is "small," and such an attitude will
further weaken it. Unto such that word is especially appropriate,
"Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine
heart; wait, I say, on the Lord" (Ps. 27:4).
The order there is to be carefully noted: first, an acknowledgement of
our dependency upon the Lord. Second, a being of good courage. Third,
the Divine promise unto those who are of good courage. Fourth,
trusting God for the fulfillment of His promise of further strength.
It is unto those who have that more is given (Matthew 24:29), it is
those who make use of the grace bestowed who receive larger supplies.
"God more ordinarily vouchsafeth adjuvant (extra-assisting)
efficacious grace to overcome temptations according to the measure of
grace habitual or inherent, and therefore when men (we) are grown up
to more radical inward strength He gives more effectual assisting
strength, and (accordingly) He meeteth forth temptations to the
ability our inward man is furnished withal, as that we are able to
bear them (1 Cor. 10:13). He vouchsafes His actual supplies of aiding
strength according to the proportion of that inherent stock of ability
He sees in the inner man, and then as the conflicts grow greater our
additional aids are together therewith increased" (Thos. Goodwin).
Without further quoting verbatim from this writer we will summarize
and paraphrase his next paragraph, with which we are in hearty accord.
The grace of God indeed works freely, and He ties Himself absolutely
to no rules and measures, but ever acts according to his own good
pleasure. He takes liberty to withhold His supplies of assisting grace
even from those who have most inherent grace, to show us the weakness
of all our grace as it is in us, withholding from "the strong" (Rom.
15:1). His further influencing grace which moves us both to will and
to do--to evidence that His grace is tied to none. This we see both in
David and Hezekiah when they had grown up to this middle age in grace.
Yet that alters not the fact that in His ordinary dispensations God
gives more grace to those who make good use of what they already have:
"every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it that it may bring
forth more fruit" (John 15:2). The promise of being "made fat" is not
to the sluggard but to "the soul of the diligent" (Prov. 13:4).
To sum up: by the apostle's "young men, because ye are strong," we
understand that through using the means of grace, by increased
spiritual knowledge, by appropriating the strength which is in Christ
Jesus (2 Tim. 2:1), through exercising the graces of the new man, by
improving (profiting from) the varied experiences through which they
had passed, and by the assisting operations of the Holy Spirit, they
had developed from "babes" into a higher spiritual stature and were
the better qualified to use their spiritual muscles. It is written
"They that wait upon the Lord [which refers not so much to an act as
it is descriptive of an attitude found in all the regenerate who are
in a healthy condition] shall renew their strength: they shall mount
up with wings as eagles, they shall run, and not be weary; they shall
walk, and not faint" (Isa. 40:31). There is such a thing as overcoming
spiritual weakness or babyhood, but not of continual dependence on the
Lord. There is such an experience as going on "from strength to
strength" (Ps. 84:7). Though without Christ I can do nothing (John
15:5), yet through Him strengthening me "I can do all things" (Phil.
4:13).
"And the Word of God abideth in you." We regard that clause as
connected first, with the preceding one, as casting fight upon and
furnishing a (partial) explanation of why these "young men" were
"strong," as revealing to us one of the principal sources and means of
their spiritual strength. And at the same time it also serves to
define the nature of the strength mentioned, namely, as inherent
grace, as something within themselves. It is by the pure milk of the
Word that the babe in Christ grows (1 Peter 2:2), and it is by that
Word abiding in him that he becomes strong, that the faculties or
graces of the new man are kept healthy and vigorous. But, second, we
regard that clause as having an intimate bearing on the one that
follows, seeing that it ends as well as begins with the word "and."
For it was by means of the Word of God abiding in them that these
young men had been enabled to "overcome the wicked one"--"by the word
of thy lips have I kept me from the paths of the destroyer" (Ps.
17:4).
"And ye have overcome the wicked one." Note, first, this is not an
exhortation or intimation of duty: it is not "ye ought to" but "ye
have" Second, this is not predicated as a rare experience, peculiar to
some exceptionally exalted saint, but is postulated of the whole of
this company: "ye have." Third, it is not described either as a
present process or a future attainment, but as an accomplished thing:
not "ye are overcoming" or "will" do so, but "ye have overcome the
wicked one." Little wonder that Goodwin said on this point, "There is
a second and greater difficulty [beyond defining the "ye are strong"]
namely, How and in what respect they are said more eminently [i.e.,
than the "babes"] to have overcome Satan? For are they not in their
conflicts apt to be overcome and to yield to corrupt affections? and
how far they may be overcome [by those] is not to be determined by
man"--words in brackets are, in each instance, our own additions.
"Ye have overcome the wicked one." Whatever difficulty we may
experience in understanding the meaning of those words, there is
surely no occasion for us needlessly to add to the difficulty. We must
be very careful with this verse, as with all others, not to read into
it what is not there. It does not say "ye have overcome the flesh,"
that the young men had obtained victory over their inward corruptions.
It is a most significant fact, and one which should exert great
influence on our thinking at this point, that while this Epistle
speaks of overcoming "the wicked one" and overcoming "the world"
(5:4), it does not speak of believers overcoming their lusts. It is
true we are bidden to mortify our members which are upon the earth
(Col. 3:5), and that in varying degrees all the regenerate do so. It
is also true that the grace of God effectually teaches its recipients
to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly,
righteously and godly in this present world" (Titus 2:12), but
Scripture nowhere affirms that any saint "overcame the flesh."
As intimated above, we believe that the preceding clause "and the Word
of God abideth in you" throws light upon those words which have
presented such a difficulty unto so many--"and ye have overcome the
wicked one." First, because they declare unto us the principal means
by which the enemy is overcome, namely, the Word of God, which is
expressly designated "the Sword of the Spirit"--the one offensive
weapon which is to be used against the "wicked" (Eph. 6:16, 17).
Supreme demonstration of that was given by the Lord Jesus when He was
attached by the Devil. He then gave proof that the Word dwelt richly
in Him, that the Word of God abode in His affections and thoughts and
was the Regulator of His ways. To each of Satan's temptations He
replied "It is written." He did not parley with the Enemy, He did not
reason or argue with him; He took His stand on the authoritative and
all-sufficient Word of God and refused to turn aside therefrom, and
thereby He overcame him. In that Christ has both left us an example
that we should follow His steps and given us such encouragement as
ensures success.
But second, it seems to us that the clause "and the Word of God
abideth in you" not only signifies the means to be used, but also and
perhaps chiefly, intimates the very nature of wherein the young men
had overcome the wicked one." In other words, the very fact that it
could be said of them "the Word of God abideth in you" was itself the
grand proof of their victory over the great Adversary. In His parable
of the Sower our Lord taught that the seed sown was the Word, and that
which fell by the wayside "the fowls of the air came and devoured it
up." In His interpretation Christ explained that to signify: "Satan
cometh immediately and taketh away the Word that was sown in their
hearts" (Mark 4:15). That shows plainly that the primary and principal
aim of the Devil is to prevent the Word of God finding a permanent
abode in the human heart, and in the case of the vast majority of our
fellows he is permitted to succeed. To a very large percentage of
professing Christians the Lord says, as He did to the Jews, who had
much head knowledge of the Scriptures. "Ye have not the Word of God
abiding in you" (John 5:38).
We are living in a day of such darkness that this generation is
"ignorant of his devices" (2 Cor. 2:11). Many of God's own people seek
to blame Satan for what originates with themselves. Note well the
following statements: "From within, out of the heart of men, [not
"from the Devil"] proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, murders . . . all
these evils come from within." (Mark 7: 21, 23) "Now the works of the
flesh [not "of the Devil"] are manifest, which, are these: adultery .
. . envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like" (Gal.
5:19-21). "Every man is tempted when he is [not "assailed by the Evil
one," but] drawn away of his own lust" (James 1:14). But pride works,
and we do not wish to think that we are so evil and vile, and so we
attempt to escape the onus by attributing to Satan what we ourselves
are responsible for. There is no need for Satan to tempt men to such
things as those passages mention. He works far more subtly and
insidiously than that.
If we go back to Genesis 3, where we have the earliest mention of
Satan--and the first mention of anything in Scripture invariably
supplies time key to subsequent references--we are shown the realm in
which he works and the central object of his attack. That realm is the
religious, and that object is the Word of God. His opening words to
Eve were "Yea hath God said?" calling into question a "thus saith the
Lord." As he seeks night and day to prevent God's Word entering the
human heart, so he labors incessantly to remove it when it has
entered. One of his favorite tactics is to inject doubts into the
minds of spiritual babes, to get them to question the inspiration and
veracity of the Scriptures. Under the imposing terms of "modern
thought," "scholarship," "the discoveries of science," he seeks to sap
the foundation of faith. Where that fails, appeal is made to the
conflicting views of the sects and denominations to discredit the
inerrancy of the Word. Where that fails, recourse is had to human
"tradition" in order to set aside the Oracles of God.
It is far too little realized that every attack which is made upon the
Word of God, every denial of its verbal inspiration and Divine
authority, every repudiation of its sufficiency as being our alone
Rule of faith and practice, every corruption of its doctrine and every
perversion of the ordinances and worship of the Triune God, are from
the Devil. Many of the "babes" in Christ are severely shaken by those
attacks and are tossed to and fro by various winds of erroneous
doctrine. Nevertheless, Divine grace preserves them, and as they grow
in grace and knowledge, as they become more cautious of whom they hear
and what they read, as they become established in the Truth, they
triumph over the Enemy. He fails to destroy their faith in the
Scriptures, to lead them astray by "damnable heresies," to catch away
the Seed sown in their hearts, and therefore the Word of God abiding
in them is sure proof that they have "overcome the wicked one." As the
same apostle goes on to say in his fourth chapter, "many false
prophets are gone out into the world," and then he added, "ye are of
God little children [the term of endearment] and have overcome" (4:1,
4).
III
In Ephesians 4:13 there is a stature of Christ spoken of, namely, that
of "a perfect Man--unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of
Christ." It would lead us too far astray from the present aspect of
our subject, which is the spiritual growth of individual Christians,
to enter into a full analysis and discussion of the passage in which
this verse occurs (4:11-16), suffice it now to point out that it
treats of the corporate growth of the Church and its ultimate
perfection. Verses 11, 12, state the appointment of the Christian
ministry, verse 13 announces its goal, while verses 14-16 makes known
the process by which that goal is reached. There is a "unity of the
faith" among believers now, as to its "first principles," as truly as
there is a saving "knowledge of the Son of God" possessed by them in
this life; but that which this passage contemplates is the
consummation of the same in the Body corporate, when there will be
perfect unity of faith, as there will yet be perfect knowledge and
perfect holiness (Heb. 12:23), for all the saints will then be fully
conformed unto the image of Christ. When the "perfect Man" is openly
revealed, it will consist of a glorified Head with a glorified Body.
"The measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" is that to which
the whole of the Church is predestinated and the accomplishment
thereof will be seen at the second advent of our Lord, "when He shall
come to be glorified in His saints and admired in all them that
believe" (2 Thess. 2:10). But during this present life there are
different stages of spiritual development reached by Christians,
different forms in the school of Christ to which they belong,
different measures of progress made by them. Broadly speaking there
are three degrees of "the stature of Christ" reached by believers in
this life, though the highest of them falls very far short of that
which shall pertain to them in the life to come. Those three degrees
are most clearly specified in 1 John 2:12-14, where the apostle grades
the members of God's family into the "babes," the "young men" and the
"fathers." We have sought to describe the principal features of the
first and second, and now we are to consider what is more
characteristic of and pre-eminent in the third class, the "fathers."
Note carefully how we worded the closing part of the last sentence: it
is not that which is peculiar to, but rather that which is distinctive
of the third class. This needs to be emphasized, or at least plainly
stated, in order to prevent readers from drawing a wrong conclusion.
What is predicated of each separate class is also common to the whole,
though not to the same degree. In their measure the "babes" overcome
the wicked one and have a real and saving knowledge of "him that is
from the beginning," yet they do not "overcome" to the same extent as
the young men" nor "know" Christ so well or extensively as do the
"fathers." In like manner the "fathers" rejoice in the knowledge of
sins forgiven, and "know the Father" even better than they did in the
days of their spiritual infancy; so too they are not only as "strong"
as they were in the time of their spiritual youth, through the Word of
God abiding in them, but they have progressed "from strength to
strength" (Ps. 84:7), for the Word now dwells in them "richly" (Col.
3:16).
Let us remind the reader once more that in 1 John 2:12-14 believers
are not graded according to their natural ages, nor even according to
the length of time they have been Christians, but according to the
spiritual growth and progress they have made in the Christian life.
Some of God's elect are converted very late in life and are left in
this world for but a short season at most, and though they give clear
evidence of a work of grace wrought in them and bring forth fruit to
the glory of God, yet they attain not to the spiritual vigor of "young
men" and still less to the spiritual intelligence and maturity of the
"fathers." On the other hand there are those who are regenerated in
their youth and some of them make steady and constant progress,
adorning the doctrine they profess and becoming useful to their fellow
Christians; while others after a promising beginning, backslide, and
are a grief to their brethren. It is with individual Christians as
with corporate companies of them: of the saints at Rome Paul could say
"your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world" (1:8), while to
the Galatians he complained "ye did run well, who did hinder you?"
(5:7). To the Thessalonians he could say "Your faith groweth
exceedingly" (2 Thess. 1:3), but of the Ephesians it is recorded "thou
hast left thy first love" (Rev. 2:4).
While it be true that the longer a person has been a Christian the
more mature his spiritual character should be, the more growth in
grace ought to mark him, the snore intelligence he should have in the
things of God, yet in many instances this is far from being actualized
in experience. In only too many growth is stunted and progress is
retarded, and some Christians of twenty years' standing advance no
further in the school of Christ than those who entered it a few months
before. We have a type of this in the contrast presented between Elihu
and the aged men who took it upon themselves to counsel and criticize
Job. "I said, Days shall speak and multitude of years shall teach
wisdom"--they were given the floor first, only to exhibit their
incompetency. "But there is a spirit in men, and the inspiration of
the Almighty giveth them understanding. Great men are not always wise,
neither do the aged understand judgment. Therefore, I said, Hearken to
me" (Job 32:7-9). The "hoary head" is only a "crown of glory if it be
found in the way of righteousness" (Prov. 16:31).
Note well, my reader, that statement in the above passage: "the
inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding." Gracious
ability comes not from the passing of the years, but by the teaching
of the Holy Spirit. That gives us the Divine side: but there is also a
human side--that of our responsibility. Said David "I understand more
than the ancients because I keep thy precepts" (Ps. 119:100). Though
study of and meditation upon the Word are indeed means of grace and of
growth, yet spiritual understanding is obtained chiefly from personal
submission to God--He will not grant light on the "mysteries" of
Scripture if we forsake the path of obedience. The young Christian who
walks according to the Divine precepts will have more spiritual
discernment and better judgment than a much older one who is lax in
his "ways." "If any man will do His will, he shall know of the
doctrine" (John 7:17). The world says "Experience is the best
teacher," but it errs: the child who subjects himself wholly to the
Divine Rule has an all-sufficient Guide and is independent of
experience. Understanding obtained through keeping God's precepts is
infinitely better than knowledge secured by painful experience.
"I have written unto you fathers, because ye have known him [that is]
from the beginning" (1 John 2:14). The one thing which is here
predicated of mature Christians is their knowledge of Christ, for the
reference is to the Son of God as incarnate. They have attained unto a
fuller, higher, and more experimental knowledge of Christ. They are
now more occupied with who He is than what He did for them. They
delight in viewing Him as the One who magnified the Divine law and
made it honorable, who satisfied all the requirements of Divine
holiness and justice, who glorified the Father. They have a deep
insight into the mystery of His wondrous Person. They have a clearer
understanding of His covenant engagements and of His prophetic,
priestly, and kingly functions. They have a more intimate acquaintance
with Him through personal fellowship. They have a fuller experience of
his love, His grace, His patience. They have obtained experimental
verification of His teachings, the value of His commandments, and the
certainty of His promises.
The "knowledge" which is here ascribed unto the "fathers" is far more
than a speculative and historical one, with which the majority of
professing Christians are content. There are several degrees of this
merely theoretical knowledge. With some it is nothing more than
memorative, as the Jews are said to have had "a form of knowledge"
Rom. 2:20), like a map of it in their brains--acquired by retaining in
their minds what they have read or heard about Divine things. With
others it is an opinionative knowledge, so that they have not only a
mental acquaintance with parts of the truth, but a kind of conscience
and judgment about those things, which causes them to regard
themselves as "orthodox," and yet wisdom enters not into their hearts
(Prov. 1:20). A few have a yet higher degree of this knowledge, which
in measure affects their hearts and leads to reformation of life, so
that they "escape the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of
the (not `their') Lord and Saviour"; yet its hold on their affections
is too weak to withstand strong temptations, and hence they apostatize
from the Faith and return to their wallowing in the mire (2 Peter
2:20, 22).
In contrast from nominal professors, every regenerated soul has a
supernatural and spiritual knowledge of God, of Christ, and the
gospel, and as he grows in grace it increases. The kind of knowledge
possessed by each of us may be determined by the effects it produces:
whether it be only a bare, non-influential knowledge, or whether it be
a spiritual and saving one is discovered by the fruits it bears. A
Divinely-imparted one leads its possessor to put his trust in the Lord
(Ps. 9:10). to esteem Christ superlatively (Phil. 3:8, 9), to obey Him
(1 John 2:3, 4). It is such as causes us to receive the truth not only
in the light of it, but in the love of it (2 Thess. 2:10), and thus it
is an intimate, permanent, heart-affecting, and life-transforming
knowledge. It is what the apostle terms "the excellency of the
knowledge of Christ," and that is one which causes its possessor to
count all other things but dung, and moves him to pant after a yet
fuller acquaintance with Christ, a more unbroken communion with Him, a
more complete conformity unto His image.
The knowledge of Christ with which the "fathers" are blest is such as
fills their souls with holy awe, astonishment and admiration. They
know Him through the revelation of the gospel as the One who was "set
up from everlasting, from the beginning," who was "daily the Father's
delight" (Prov. 8:23, 30). Thus they know Him as the One who took into
union with His divine person a holy humanity. They know Him as the
Image of the invisible God (Col. 1:16), as the One who has fully told
out the Father. They are led into a knowledge of His Divine majesty,
His Headship of the church, as the Mediator of union and communion,
which floods their hearts with delight. They know Him as their Lord,
their Redeemer; their Hope, their All in all. He is the grand Subject
and Object of their contemplations, so that they are more and more
absorbed with Him. Such knowledge finds expression in speaking well of
Him to fellow-saints, by endeavoring to please Him in all things, by
diligently following the example He has left us.
It must not be concluded from 1 John 2:13, 14 that this deeper and
fuller knowledge of the Person, offices and work of Christ is the only
distinguishing mark which eminently characterizes the "fathers."
Hebrews 5:11-14 shows otherwise: they "teach" others, both by example
and precept, giving counsel and admonition, encouragements and
comfort, to their younger brethren. In that same passage they are
termed "them that are of full age," and the marks of such are
described as "those who by reason of use have their senses exercised
to discern both good and evil," and being capacitated to masticate
"strong meat," which according to the scope of that epistle has
reference to the official glories of Christ, particularly His
priestly. While those who cannot digest such food who find neither
savour nor nourishment therein, are termed "babes," who can relish
naught but "milk," that is, the simpler and more elementary aspects of
the gospel.
Just as the natural infant possesses the very same faculties as the
adult but has not learned to employ them, so the babe in Christ has
all the "senses" or spiritual graces of the "fathers" but has not
learned to use them to the same advantage. As the natural infant is
incapable of distinguishing between wholesome and injurious food, so
the spiritual infant has not the ability to form a correct judgment
and distinguish between preachers who minister only the letter of the
Word and those who are enabled to open it up spiritually. It is by
"reason of use" that the spiritual senses are developed. As the
muscles of the athlete or the fingers of the craftsman become fit or
skillful through constant exercise, so the spiritual graces of the new
man are developed by regularly calling them into play. It is by using
the light we have, by practicing what we already know, which fits the
soul for further disclosures of the truth and for closer communion
with Christ, and which the better enables us to "discern both good and
evil." Thus, a further mark of the "fathers" is wisdom, sound
judgment, keen discernment.
"The old Christian has more solid, judicious and connected views of
the Lord Jesus Christ, and the glories of His redeeming love: hence
his hope is more established, his dependence more simple, his peace
and strength more abiding and uniform than is the case of the young
convert. Though his sensible feelings may not be so warm as when he
was in the state of A (spiritual infancy), his judgment is more solid,
his mind more fixed, his thoughts more habitually exercised upon the
things within the veil. His great business is to behold the glory of
God in Christ, and by beholding he is changed into the same image, and
brings forth in an eminent and uniform manner the fruits of
righteousness. His contemplations are not bare speculations, but have
a real influence, and enable him to exemplify the Christian character
to more advantage and with more consistency than can, in the present
state of things, be expected from the `babes' of `young men'" (John
Newton Grace in the Full Ear).
The "fathers" are such as are more diligently employed in the
exercises of godliness, for having proved for themselves that
obedience to God is true liberty, their practice of piety is not
performed only from a sense of duty, but with joy. They more wisely
manage the affairs of this life, for they have a greater measure of
spiritual prudence and circumspection. They discharge their duties
with increasing diligence and care, knowing that God esteems quality
rather than quantity, the heart engaged therein rather than the length
or measure of the performance. They are more weaned from the delights
of sense, for their assurance is now based upon knowledge rather than
feelings. They are more conscious than they formerly were of their
frailty and ignorance, and therefore lean harder on the everlasting
arms and more frequently seek wisdom from above. They are more
submissive under the varying dispensations of Providence, for the
frying of their faith has wrought patience (James 1:3) and therefore
they are more content to meekly and trustfully leave themselves and
their affairs in the hands of Him that doeth "all things well."
The "fathers" are such as have been greatly favored with light from
the Spirit by His gracious opening of their understandings to perceive
and their hearts to receive the teachings of Holy Writ, and they have
learned that they can no more enter into the spiritual meaning of any
verse in the Word without the Spirit's assistance than create a world,
and therefore their daily prayer is "Open thou mine eyes, that I may
behold wondrous things out of thy law." Through deep acquaintance with
God their characters are more mellowed and their lives are more
faithful to His praise--not necessarily in outward activities but by
the exercise of their graces, thanksgiving, and adoration. Having had
made to them many discoveries of the glories of Christ, received
innumerable proofs of His forbearance, been partakers of countless
love-tokens from Him, their testimony is, "Whom have I in heaven but
thee, and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee" (Ps.
73:25). Their minds are largely taken up with and exercised upon the
wondrous perfections of Christ, both personal and official.
"But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: that the aged
men he sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in
patience" (Titus 2:1, 2). Here we are informed what are the particular
graces which should characterize the "fathers" in God's family. First,
be sober," or as the margin preferably has it, "be vigilant." They
must not stiffer increasing years to induce spiritual lethargy, rather
should they issue in increasing watchfulness and alertness to danger.
"Grave": not garrulous and excitable, but thoughtful and serious: less
allowance will be made for them than younger brethren if they indulge
in levity and vanity. "Temperate" or moderate in all things: the Greek
word signifies "self-restrained," having their tempers and affections
under control. "Sound in faith": sincere and stedfast in their
profession. "In love" to Christ and their brethren. "And patience,"
not peevish and fretful: persevering in good works, meekly enduring
trials and persecutions. "Those who are full of years should be full
of grace and goodness" (Matt. Henry).
Not only does the New Testament maintain the distinction between
spiritual infants and mature Christians, but it reveals how God
provides servants of His who are specially suited unto each: "For
though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet not many
fathers" (1 Cor. 4:15). The "fathers" among the ministers of Christ
are not only characterized by their disinterested, affectionate,
faithful, and prudent instructions, so that they are entitled to the
love and respect shown unto a parent; but are Divinely and
experimentally fitted to open up "the deep things of God" and edify
the older as well as the young saints. Though all the true servants of
Christ are commissioned by Him, yet all are not equally qualified,
gifted, or useful to the church. Many are "instructors in Christ" but
can go no further, being neither designed nor fitted for any thing
beyond that. But a few are greatly superior to them and have more
lasting importance to the flock. All are useful in their several
stations, but all are not useful in the same way.
In concluding this aspect of our subject we cannot do better than call
attention to the analogy between the spiritual growth of the children
of God and that in the incarnate Son. Beautiful indeed is it to behold
how this line of truth was exemplified in Him. The humanity of Christ
was perfectly natural in its ordinary development and everything was
"beautiful in his time" (Eccl. 3:1) in Him. First, we see Him as a
Babe "wrapped in swaddling clothes" and cradled in a manger. Then we
behold His progress from infancy to childhood and as a boy of twelve
His moral perfections shone forth in being "subject to His parents."
and we are told that "He increased in wisdom, and stature and in favor
with God and man" (Luke 2:51, 52). When He became man His glory found
other expressions, working at the carpenter's bench (Mark 6:3)
followed by His public ministry. Supremely was He the "Tree planted by
the rivers of water" which brought forth "his fruit in his season."
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Spiritual Growth by Arthur W. Pink
8. Its Promotion
____________________________________________________
I
We have now arrived at what is perhaps the most important aspect of
our subject--not from the doctrinal side but from the practical
standpoint. It will avail us little to discover that there is a
manifold needs-be why the Christian should grow in grace and in the
knowledge of the Lord, as it would advantage us nothing to be quite
clear in our minds as to what Christian progress is not and what it
really consists of, if we continue to be stationary. While it may
awaken interest to learn that in certain fundamental respects the
growth of saints is like unto trees in their upward, downward, inward
and outward development, yet such information will prove of no real
value unless the conscience be exercised thereby and there be definite
effort on our part. Trees do not grow mechanically, but only as they
derive nourishment from the soil and receive water and sunshine from
above. It is instructive to find out there are different grades in
God's family and to ascertain the characteristics of each, but of what
service will that be to me unless I personally pass from spiritual
infancy to youth and eventually become a "father" in Christ?
While there is a close analogy between the manner of a Christian's
growth and that of a tree, it must not be lost sight of that there is
a real and radical difference between them considered as entities, for
we are moral agents, accountable creatures, while they are not so; and
it is the exercise of our moral agency and the discharge of our
responsibility which is now to engage our attention. Spiritual growth
is very far from being a fortuitous thing, which occurs irrespective
of the use of suitable means, nor does it take place spontaneously or
apart from the availing ourselves of our privileges and the
performance of our duty. Rather is it the outcome of God's blessing
upon our employment of the aids which He has provided and appointed
and the orderly development of the different graces He has bestowed
upon us. As it is in the natural, so it is in the spiritual: there are
certain things which foster and there are other things which hinder
Christian progress, and it is the lasting obligation of the saint to
make full use of the former and to resolutely avoid the latter.
Spiritual growth will not be promoted while we remain indifferent and
inactive, but only as we give the utmost diligence to attending unto
the health of our souls.
In seeking to treat of the spiritual growth of a saint it needs to be
borne in mind that here, as everywhere in the Christian life, there
are two different agents at work, two entirely different principles
are concerned: there is both a Divine and a human side to the subject,
and much wisdom and care are required if a proper and scriptural
proportion is to be maintained. Those two agents are God and the
saint; those two principles are the operations of Divine sovereignty
and the discharge of Christian responsibility. The difficulty
involved--admittedly a real one--is to recognize the existence of each
and to maintain a due balance between the one and the other. There is
a real danger that we become so occupied with the believer's duty and
his diligence in using the proper means, that he takes too much credit
to himself and thereby robs God of His glory--as in large measure do
the Arminians. On the other hand, equally real is the danger that we
dwell so exclusively on the Divine operations and our dependence on
the Spirit's quickening, that a spirit of inertia seizes us and we
become reduced to unaccountable non-entities--as is the case with
Fatalists and Antinomians. From either extreme we should earnestly
seek deliverance.
It is of vital importance at the outset that we clearly recognize that
God alone can make His people grow and prosper, and that we should be
deeply and lastingly sensible of our entire dependency upon Him. As we
were unable to originate spiritual life in our souls, so we are
equally unable to preserve or increase the same. Deeply humbling
though that truth be unto our hearts, yet the declarations of Holy
Writ are too implicit and too numerous to leave us in the slightest
doubt upon it. "None can keep his own soul alive" (Ps. 22:29): true
alike naturally and spiritually; positively, "O bless our God . . .
which holdeth our soul in life" (Ps. 68:9). "Thou maintainest my lot"
(Ps. 16:5) said Christ Himself. "Thy God hath commanded thy strength"
(Ps. 68:28). "From me is thy fruit" (Hos. 14:8). "Thou also hast
wrought all our works in us" (Isa. 26:12). "All my springs are in
thee" (Ps. 87:7). "Without me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5). Such
flesh-withering statements as those cut away all ground for boasting
and place the crown of honor where it rightfully belongs.
But there is another class of passages, equally plain and necessary
for us to receive at their face value and be duly influenced by them:
passages which emphasize the Christian's accountability, which
inculcate the discharge of his responsibility, and which blame him
when he fails therein: passages which show that God deals with His
people as rational creatures, setting before them their duty and
requiring them under pain of His displeasure and their great loss to
diligently perform the same. He expressly exhorts them to "grow in
grace" (2 Peter 3:18). He bids them to "lay aside" the things which
hinder and to desire the sincere milk of the Word that they may grow
thereby" (1 Peter 2:1, 2). So far from holding the Hebrews as being
without excuse for not having grown, He blames them (5:11-14). Though
He has promised to do good unto his people, nevertheless the Lord has
declared "I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel to
do it for them" (Ezek. 36:37), and hesitates not to say "Ye have not,
because ye ask not" (James 3:2).
At first sight it may appear impossible for us to show the
meeting-point between the operations of God's sovereignty and the
discharge of Christian responsibility, and to define the relation of
the latter to the former and the manner of their interworking. Had we
been left to ourselves, it had indeed been a task beyond the compass
of human reason; but Scripture solves the problem for us, and in terms
so plain that the simplest believer has no difficulty in understanding
them. "By the grace of God I am what I am: and His grace which was
bestowed upon me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than
they all; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me" (1 Cor.
15:10). It is true that the apostle was treating more immediately with
his ministerial career, yet in its wider application it is obvious
that the principles of the verse apply with equal propriety and force
to the practical side of the Christian's life--evidenced by the Lord's
people in all ages appropriating to themselves its first and last
clauses: but equally important and pertinent is that which comes in
between them.
In some passages "the grace of God" signifies His eternal good will
unto His people; in others it connotes rather the effect of His favor,
the "grace" which He bestows upon and infuses into them, as in "But
unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the
gift of Christ" (Eph. 4:7). Christ is "full of grace and truth . . .
and of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace" (John
1:14, 16). Just as sin is a powerful principle working within the
natural man, inclining him to evil, so at regeneration God's elect
have communicated to their souls Divine grace, which acts as a
powerful principle working within them and inclining unto holiness.
"Grace is nothing else but an introduction of the virtues of God into
the soul" (T. Manton). That principle of grace which is imparted to us
at the new birth is what is often termed "the new nature" in the
Christian, and is designated "the spirit" because born of the Spirit"
(John 3:6); and being spiritual and holy it is opposed by indwelling
sin--called "the flesh" (Gal. 5:17)--and that in turn opposes the
workings of sin or the lusts of the flesh, the one being contrary to
the other.
The principle of grace or new nature which is bestowed on the saint is
but a creature, and though intrinsically holy it is entirely dependent
upon its Author for strength and growth. And thus we must distinguish
between the principle of grace and fresh supplies of grace for its
invigoration and development. We may liken the newly-born babe and the
young Christian subsequently to a fully-rigged yacht: though its sails
be set, it is incapable of movement until a wind blows. The Christian
is responsible to spread his sails and look to God for a breeze from
Heaven, but until the wind stirs (John 3:8) he will make no progress.
To drop the figure and come to the reality, what has just been said
receives illustration in the apostolic benediction, wherein Paul so
uniformly prayed for the saints, "Grace be unto you and peace from God
our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ"; or as Peter expresses it "grace
and peace be multiplied unto you," for nothing less than grace
"multiplied" will enable any Christian to grow and thrive.
We must distinguish then not only between the eternal good will and
favor of God to His people (Eph. 1:4, 5) and the effect or fruit of it
in the actual infusion of His grace (Eph. 4:7) or bestowal of an
active principle of holiness, but we must also recognize the
difference between that principle and the daily renewing of it (2 Cor.
4:16) or energizings of it by the influences of the Holy Spirit, which
we deserve not. Though that new nature be a spiritual and holy one
which disposes its possessor unto the pleasing of God, yet it has no
sufficiency in itself to produce the fruits of holiness. Said the
Psalmist "O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes" (119:5):
such a desire proceeded from the principle of grace, but having not
the power in itself it needed additional Divine enablement to carry it
out. So again "Quicken thou me according to thy word" (v. 25): the
sparks of grace tinder the ashes of the flesh needed fanning into a
blaze. The life of grace can only be carried on by complete dependence
upon God and receiving from Him a fresh "supply of the Spirit of Jesus
Christ" (Phil. 1:19).
"Ye must depend upon Christ for strength, ability to repent: all
evangelical duties are done in His strength. Christ must give us soft
hearts, hearts that are repentant; and must teach them by His Spirit
before they will repent. Except He smite these rocks, they will yield
no water, no tears for sin; except He break these hearts, they will
not bleed. We may as well melt a flint or turn a stone into flesh as
repent in our own strength. It is far above the power of nature, nay
most contrary to it. How can we hate sin which naturally we love above
all? mourn for that wherein we most delight? forsake that which is as
dear as ourselves? It is the almighty power of Christ which only can
do this: we must rely on, seek to Him, for it--Lam. 5:21" (David
Clarkson, 1670). The same applies just as truly to faith, hope, love,
patience--the exercise of any and all of the Christian graces. Only as
we are strengthened with might by the Spirit in our inner man are we
enabled to be fruitful branches of the Vine.
In its final analysis the spiritual growth of the Christian turns upon
the grace which he continues to receive from God, nor is the measure
obtained determined by anything in or of us. Since it be grace, its
Author dispenses it according to His own sovereign determination: "It
is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good
pleasure" (Phil. 2:13). It is God "that giveth the increase" (1 Cor.
3:7): to some an increase of faith and wisdom, to others of love and
meekness, to yet others of comfort and peace, to yet others strength
and victory--"dividing to every man severally as He will" (1 Cor.
12:11). Our concern and co-operation is equally due to enabling grace,
for of ourselves we are riot sufficient to think anything as of
ourselves: but our sufficiency is of God" (2 Con. 3:5). All that is
good in us is but a stream from the fountain of Divine grace, and
naught but an abiding conviction of that fact will keep us both humble
and thankful. God it is who inclines the mind and will unto any good,
who illumines our understandings and draws out our affections unto
things above. Even the means of grace are ineffectual unless God
blesses them to us; yet we sin if we use then, not.
But let us turn nosy to the human--accountability-side of this
subject: we are required to "grow in grace" (2 Peter 3:18), it is our
responsibility to obtain "more grace" (James 4:6) and the fault is
entirely ours if we do not, for "the God of all grace" (1 Peter 5:10)
is infinitely more willing to give than we are to receive. We are
plainly exhorted "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall
find; knock and it shall be opened unto you" (Matthew 7:7)--where the
reference is to our obtaining fresh supplies of grace. No fatalistic
apathy is inculcated there: no sitting still with our hands folded
until God "be pleased to revive us. No, the very opposite: a definite
"asking," an earnest "seeking," an importunate "knocking," until the
needed supply is obtained. We are expressly bidden to "be strong in
the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 2:1). We are freely invited
"to come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy,
and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16)--pardoning grace,
sanctifying grace, persevering grace, as well as grace to faithfully
perform the common tasks of life.
It is then both our privilege and duty to obtain fresh supplies of
grace each day. Says the apostle "let us have grace (Heb. 12:28). But
let us note the whole of that verse and observe the five things in it.
"Wherefore [an inference drawn from the context] we receiving a
kingdom which cannot be moved [the privilege conferred upon us], let
us have grace [the enablement] whereby we may serve God acceptably
[the task assigned us] with reverence and godly fear"--the manner of
its performance. Such a duty as serving God acceptably we cannot
possibly perform without special Divine assistance. That assistance or
strength is to be definitely, diligently, constantly sought by us. To
quote from John Owen on this verse--who is one of the very last to be
accused of having a legalistic spirit: "to have an increase of this
grace as unto its degrees and measures and to keep in exercise in all
the duties of the service of God, is a duty required of believers by
virtue of all the Gospel privileges which they receive from God. For
herein consists that revenue of glory which on their account He
expecteth and requireth." Alas that so many hyper-Calvinists have got
so far away from that holy balance.
In order to the obtaining fresh supplies of grace we need, first, to
cultivate a sense of our own weakness, sinfulness, and insufficiency,
fighting against every uprising of pride and self-confidence. Second,
we need to be more diligent in using the grace we already have,
remembering that the one who traded with his talents was he to whom
additional ones were entrusted. Third, we need to supplicate God for
the same: since Christ has taught us to ask our Father for our daily
bread, how much more do we need to ask Him for daily grace. There is a
mediatorial fulness of grace in Christ for His people, and it is their
privilege and duty to draw upon Him for the same. "Let us therefore
come boldly [freely and confidently] unto the throne of grace": the
verb is not in the aorist but the present tense, signifying a
continuous coming--form the habit of so doing. It is both our
privilege and duty to come, and to come "boldly." The apostle did not
say none may come except they do so confidently: rather is he showing
(from considerations in the context) how we should come. If we cannot
come with boldness, then let us come asking for it.
We can advance nothing but the most idle and worthless excuses for our
non-compliance with the blessed invitation of Hebrews 4:16 and our
failure to "find grace to help in lime of need," yea, so pointless and
vain are those excuses it would be a waste of time to name and refute
them. If we traced them back to their source, little as we may suspect
it, it would be found that those excuses issue from a sense of
self-sufficiency, as is clearly implied by those words "God resisteth
the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble" (James 4:6). God says to
me, to you, let him take hold of my strength" (Isa. 27:5); and again,
"seek the Lord and his strength" (1 Chron. 16:11). Therefore we should
come before Him with the prayer "Now therefore O God strengthen my
heart" (Neh. 6:9), pleading His promise "I will strengthen thee, yea,
I will help thee" (Isa. 41:10). In an earlier paragraph we quoted the
words "thy God hath commanded thy strength," yet so far from the
Psalmist feeling that relieved him of all responsibility in the
matter, he cried "strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for
us" (68:28).
And now let us show how that I Corinthians 15:10 reveals the meeting
point between the Divine operations of grace and our improvement of
the same. First, "by the grace of God I am what I am"--a brand plucked
out of the fire, a new creature in Christ Jesus. Second, "and the
grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain (contrast 2 Cor.
6:1), but I labored more abundantly than they all": so far from grace
encouraging unto listlessness, it stirred up to earnest endeavor and
the improving of the same, so that the apostle was conscious of and
shrank not from affirming his own diligence and zeal, Third, "yet not
I but the grace of God which was with me": he disowns any credit to
himself, but gives all the glory to God. It is our bounden duty to use
the grace God has bestowed upon us, stirring up and exercising that
holy principle, yet this is not to puff us up. As the apostle said
again, "Whereunto I also labor, striving according to his working,
which worketh in me mightily" (Col. 1:29)--he took no praise unto
himself, but humbly ascribed what he had done entirely unto the Lord.
Fourth, thus grace is given the Christian to make use of, to labor
with--in striving against sin, resisting the Devil, running in the way
of God's commandments; yet in so laboring, lie must be mindful of the
Source of his spiritual energy. We can only work out what God has
wrought in us (Phil. 2:12, 13), but remember it is our duty to "work
out."
Not only is it the Christian's responsibility to seek and obtain more
grace for himself, but it is also his duty to stimulate and increase
the grace of his brethren. Re-read that sentence and let it startle
you out of your lethargy and self-complacency. It is of no avail to
reply, I cannot increase my own stock of grace, let alone that of
another. Scripture is plain on this point: "Let no corrupt
communication proceed out of your mouth; but that which is good to the
use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers" (Eph.
4:29)--note well that verse is addressed not specially to the
ministers of the gospel, but the rank and file of God's people. Yes,
you may, you ought to be a helper, a strengthener, a builder up of
your fellow saints. Crumbling about your lot, groaning over your
state, will not be any stimulus to them: rather will it depress and
foster unbelief. But if you speak of the faithfulness of God, bear to
testimony to sufficiency of Christ, recount his goodness and mercy to
you, quote His promises, then will your hearers experience the truth
of that proverb "Iron sharpeneth iron: so a man sharpeneth the
countenance of his friend" (27:17).
II
It has often been said that "Everything depends upon a right
beginning." There is considerable force in that adage: if the
foundation be faulty, the superstructure is certain to be insecure; if
we take the wrong turn when starting out on a journey, the desired
destination will not be reached--unless the error be corrected. It is
indeed of vital importance for the professing Christian, to measure
himself by the unerring standard of God's Word and make sure that his
conversion was a sound one, and that his house is being built upon the
rock and not upon the sand. Multitudes are deceived, fatally deceived
at this vital point: "there is a generation that are pure in their own
eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness" (Prov. 30:12).
Therefore are God's children expressly bidden "Examine yourselves,
whether ye be in the faith: prove your ownselves" (2 Cor. 13:5). Nor
is that to be done in any half-hearted way: "give diligence to make
your calling and election sure" (2 Peter 1:10) is our bounden duty.
"Prove all things": take nothing for granted, give not yourself the
benefit of any doubt, but verify your profession and certify your
conversion, rest not satisfied until you have clear and reliable
evidence that you are indeed a new creature in Christ Jesus. Then heed
the exhortation that follows: "Prove all things, hold fast that which
is good" (1 Thess. 5:21). That is no needless caution, but one which
it is incumbent upon us to take to heart. There is that still within
you which is opposed to the truth, yea, which loves a lie. Moreover,
you will encounter fierce opposition from without and be tempted to
forsake the stand you have taken. More subtle still will be the evil
example of lax professors, who still laugh at your strictness and seek
to drag you down to their level. For these and other reasons "We ought
to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest
at any time ye should let them slip" (Heb. 2:1)--the "at any time"
intimates we must constantly be out our guard against such a calamity.
"Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for he
us faithful that promised" (Heb. 10:23), and therefore we should be
faithful in performing. See to it that you hide not your light under a
bushel. Be not ashamed of your Christian uniform, but wear it on all
occasions. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your
good works. Be not a compromiser and temporizer, but out and out for
Christ. "Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold
fast" (Rev. 3:3) If your conversion was a saving one you received that
which was infinitely more precious than silver and gold: then prize it
as such and cling tenaciously to it. Hold fast the things of God in
your memory by frequent meditation thereon, keep them warm in your
affections and inviolate in your conscience. "Hold fast that which
thou hast, that no man take thy crown" (Rev. 3:11). If you have by
grace bought the truth, see to it that you "sell it not" (Prov.
23:23): be unflinching in your maintenance of it and unswerving in
your devotedness to Christ and what He has entrusted to you.
Thus it is not only necessary that we begin aright, but it is equally
essential that we continue right: "If ye continue in my word then are
ye my disciples indeed" (John 8:31). A persevering attendance on
Christ's instructions is the best proof of the reality of our
profession. Only by a steady faith in the person and work of Christ, a
firm reliance on His promises, and regular obedience to His
precepts--notwithstanding all opposition from the flesh, the world,
and the Devil--do we approve ourselves to be His genuine disciples.
"As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my
love" (John 15:9)--continue in the believing enjoyment of it. And how
is that to be accomplished? Why, by refraining from those things which
would grieve that love, by doing those things which conduce to a
fuller manifestation thereof. Nor is such counsel in the least degree
"legalistic," as our Lord's very next words show: "If ye keep my
commandments ye shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my
Father's commandments and abide in his love" (v. 10).
It is perfectly true that if a soul has been regenerated by the Spirit
of God that he will "hold on his way," yet it is equally true that
holding our way is the evidence or proof of our regeneration, and that
if we do not so, then we only deceive ourselves if we suppose we are
regenerated. The fact that God has promised to "perform" or "complete"
the good work which He has begun in any of His people does not render
it needless for them to perform and complete the work which He has
assigned them. Not so did the apostles think or act. Paul and Barnabas
spake to their followers "persuading them to continue in the grace of
God" (Acts 13:43), which we understand to signify that they exhorted
them not to be discouraged by the opposition they meet with from the
ungodly, nor allow the ragings of indwelling sin to becloud their
apprehension of the Divine favor, but rather to go on counting upon
the superabounding of God's grace and for them to more and more prove
its sufficiency.
So too we find those same apostles going on to other places
"Confirming the souls of the disciples and exhorting then, to continue
in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the
kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). Very far were they from believing in the
mechanical idea of "once saved, always saved," which is now so rife.
They insisted on the needs-be for the discharge of the Christian's
responsibility and were faithful in warning him of both the
difficulties and perils of the path he must steadfastly pursue if he
was to enter Heaven. Yea, they hesitated not to say unto the saints
that they would be presented unblameable and unreprovable in God's
sight "if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and not moved
away front the hope of the gospel" (Col. 1:23). So too they exhorted
them "Continue in prayer and watch in the same with thanksgiving"
(Col. 4:2)--watch against disinclination to prayer, be not discouraged
if the answer be delayed, be persistent and importunate, be thankful
for past and present mercies and expectant of future ones.
The Christian then is to continue along the same lines as he began.
"As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him" (Col.
2:6). Observe well where the emphasis is placed: it is not "Christ
Jesus the Saviour" or "Redeemer" but "Christ Jesus the Lord." In order
to receive Christ Jesus as "the Lord" it was necessary for you to
forsake all that was opposed to him (Isa. 55:7); continue thus and
"not turn again to folly" (Ps. 85:8). It was required that you throw
down the weapons of your warfare against Him and be reconciled to Him:
then take them not up again, and "keep thyself from idols" (1 John
5:20). It was by surrendering yourself to His righteous claims and
giving to Him the throne of your heart: then suffer not "other lords
to have dominion over you" (Isa. 26:13), but "yield yourself unto God
as one that is alive from the dead" (Rom. 6:13). As Romaine pointed
out, "He must be received always as He was received once." There is no
change of Object and there must be no change in us. Be willing, yea
glad for Him to rule over you.
But let us take note now of another word in that important verse: "As
ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him." Here, as
in so many passages in the Epistles, the Christian life is likened
unto a "walk," which denotes action, movement in a forward direction.
We are not only required to "hold fast" what we have and to "continue"
as we began, but we must advance and make steady progress. The "narrow
way" has to be traversed if Life is to be entered into. There has to
be a forgetting of those things which are behind (no complacent
contentment with any previous attainment) and a "reaching forth unto
those things which are before," pressing "toward the mark for the
prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:14, 15).
There the figure passes from walking to running--which is more
strenuous and exacting. In Hebrews 12:1, 2 the Christian life is
likened unto a race, and in I Corinthians 9:24 we are reminded "they
which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize," to which is
added "so run that ye may obtain."
In discussing the promotion of spiritual growth we have dwelt only on
general principles; in those which immediately follow on the means of
growth, we shall enter more into detail; but before turning to them
let us connect what has been pointed out in the above paragraphs with
what we emphasized earlier in this chapter. There we said that "in the
final analysis the spiritual growth of a Christian depends upon the
grace which he continues to receive from God." Now it should at once
be apparent to any renewed soul that while it is obviously his duty to
hold fast what he has received from God, to continue in the path of
holiness, yea to go forward therein, yet he will only be enabled to
discharge those duties as he receives further supplies of strength and
wisdom from above. Therefore it is recorded for his encouragement,
"God giveth more grace . . . giveth grace unto the humble" (James
4:6), and the "humble" are those who feel their need, who are emptied
of self-confidence and self-complacency, who come as beggars to
receive favors.
"Grace and peace be multiplied unto you" (2 Peter 1:2). In connection
with the apostolic salutations it needs to be borne in mind, first,
they were very much more than pious forms of greeting, they were
definite prayers on behalf of those to whom their Epistles were
addressed. Second, since such prayers were immediately and verbally
inspired by the Holy Spirit, they most certainly contained requests
for those things which were "according to" the Divine will. Third, in
supplicating God for what they did, the apostles set before their
readers an example, teaching them what they most needed and what they
should especially ask for. Fourth, thus Christians today have a sure
index for their guidance and should be at no loss to decide whether
they are warranted in praying for such and such a spiritual blessing.
Believers today may be fully assured that it is both their privilege
and duty to seek from God not only an increase, but also a
multiplication of the grace which he has already bestowed upon them.
The need for increased grace is real and imperative. An active nature
such as man's must either grow worse or better, and therefore we
should be as deeply concerned about the increase of grace as we should
he cautious against the loss of grace. The Christian life is a pulling
against the current of the flesh within and the world without, and
they who row against the stream must needs ply their oars vigorously
and continuously, or the force of the waters will carry them backward.
If a man be toiling up a sandy hill, he will sink down if he does not
go forward: and unless the Christian's affections be increasingly set
upon objects above, then they will soon be immersed in the things of
time and sense. Very solemn and searching is that warning of our
Lord's: the man who did not improve his talent lost it (Matthew
25:28)--many a Christian who once had zeal in the Lord's service and
much joy in his soul, have them no more. Yet still more solemn is it
to note that the call of "Let us go on unto perfection" is at once
followed by a description of the state and doom of apostates (Heb.
6:1, 4).
As Manton pointed out, "It is an ill sign to be contented with a
little grace. He was never good that doth not desire to grow better.
Spiritual things do not cloy in the enjoyment. He that hath once
tasted the sweetness of grace hath arguments enough to make him seek
further grace: every degree of holiness is as desirable as the first,
therefore there can be no true holiness without a desire of perfect
holiness. God giveth us a taste to this end and purpose that we may
long for a fuller draught." Yet He does not force the further draught
upon us, but often tests us to see if such is really wanted by us--as
Christ after communing with the two disciples on the way to Emmaus and
making their hearts "burn within them" while He talked with them in
the way, then "made as though He would have gone further" when they
arrived at their destination; but they "constrained him, saying, Abide
with us" (Luke 24:28-32). The grapes of Eshcol were a sample of what
Canaan produced and fired the zeal of Joshua and Caleb to go up and
possess that land; but their unbelieving brethren were content with
the sample--and never obtained anything more!
In the outward part of the Christian life there may he too much, but
not so in the inward. There is a zeal which is not according to
knowledge, a restless energy of the flesh which spurs to activities
which Scripture nowhere enjoins, but such, works as those are termed
"will worship" (Col. 2:22) and are often dictated by mere tradition or
superstition, or are simply the imitation of what other "church
members" engage in. But there cannot be too much faith in God, too
much of His Holy fear upon us, too much knowledge of spiritual things,
too much denying of self and devotion to Christ, nor too much love for
our fellow saints. For all such virtues we need "abundant grace."
There are some who are far from the kingdom of God, having no deep
concern for their souls ( Eph. 2:13) . There are others who come near
to the kingdom of God (Mark 12:34), yet never enter into it (Acts
26:18). There are some who enter but who make little progress and are
poor testimonials to Christ. But there are a few of whom it is said,
"For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the
everlasting kingdom" (2 Peter 1:11), and as the context shows, they
are the ones who "give diligence"--putting their soul's interests
before everything else.
Those who improve the grace given thereby make room for more (Luke
8:18) and ensure for themselves a more ample reward in the day to
come. We fully concur with Manton that "According to our measures of
grace, so will our measures of glory be, for they that have most grace
are vessels of a larger capacity--others are filled according to their
size." We know there was not full agreement among the Puritans on this
point, though we could quote from others, of them who held there will
be degrees of glory among the saints in Heaven, as there will be
differences of punishment among the lost in Hell. And why not? There
are considerable diversities among the angels on high (Eph. 1:21,
etc.). It cannot be gainsaid that God dispenses the gifts and graces
of His Spirit unequally among His people on earth. Scripture makes it
abundantly clear that God will suit our rewards according to our
services, and our crowns according to the improvement we have made of
His grace and of our opportunities and privileges. The reaping will be
in proportion to the sowing (2 Cor. 9:6, Gal. 6:8). True, every crown
will be cast at the feet of Christ, but the crowns will not be in all
respects alike. Labor, then, to get more grace and improve the same.
Thus there is abundant reason why the child of God should not only
seek for more grace, but that grace may he "multiplied" unto him. If
an earthly monarch should invite one of his subjects to ask a favor of
him, line would not feel himself flattered if only some trifling thing
were requested. Nor do we honor the Sovereign of Heaven by making
petty requests--"We are coming to a King; large petitions let us
bring." Does He not bid us "open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it"
(Ps. 81:10): think you that He means not what He says? Does He not
invite us "drink, yea drink abundantly [from the fountain of grace], O
beloved" (Song of Sol. 5:1): then, why not take Him at His word? He is
"the God of all grace" (1 Peter 5:10) and has revealed to us "the
riches of his grace" (Eph. 1:7), yea, "the exceeding riches of his
grace" (Eph. 2:7): and for whom are they available, if not for those
who feel their deep need of and trustfully seek them? "God is able to
make all grace abound toward you" (2 Cor. 9:8) and He would not have
told us this if He was not also willing to do so.
And now let us anticipate an objection, which might be expressed thus:
I realize that spiritual growth is entirely dependent on receiving
fresh supplies of grace from God, and that it is my responsibility and
duty to diligently and confidently seek the same. I have done so, yet
instead of grace having been "multiplied" to me, my stock has
diminished: so far from having progressed, I have gone backward;
instead of my iniquities being "subdued" (Micah 7:19), my lusts rage
more fiercely than ever. Several replies may he made. First, you may
not have sought as earnestly as you should. Asking and seeking are not
sufficient: there has to be an insistent "knocking" (Matthew 7:7), a
holy striving with God (Rom. 15:30), a saying with Jacob, "I will not
let thee go except thou bless me" (Gen. 32:26). Second, God's time to
grant your request may not have arrived: "therefore will the Lord wait
that he may be gracious unto you" (Isa. 30:18)--He waits to test your
faith, and because He requires persistence and importunity from us.
What is hard to obtain is valued more highly than that which comes
easily.
Third, it is to be born in mind that the infusion of grace into a soul
promptly evokes the enmity of the flesh, and the more grace be given
us the more will sin resist it. Very soon after Christ came into the
world Herod stirred up all the country against Him, seeking to slay
Him; and when Christ enters a soul the whole of indwelling sin is
stirred against Him, for He has come there as its Enemy. The more
grace we have the more conscious are we of our corruptions, and the
more we are occupied with them the less conscious are we of our grace.
As grace is increased so too is our sense of need. Fourth, God does
not always answer in kind. You have asked for increased holiness, and
been answered with more light; for the removal of a burden, and been
given more strength to carry it. You have sought for victory over your
lusts, and have been given humbling grace so that you loath yourself
more deeply. You have besought the Lord to take away some "thorn in
the flesh," and He has answered by giving you grace to bear it.
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Spiritual Growth by Arthur W. Pink
9. Its Means
____________________________________________________
I
After what we have said previously it may seem almost superfluous to
follow with a chapter devoted to a presentation of the principal means
of spiritual growth. If success in the Christian life really narrows
down to our obtaining fresh Supplies of grace from God, then why
enumerate and describe in detail the various aids which are to be
employed for the promotion of personal godliness? Because the
expression "seeking fresh supplies of grace" is a far more extensive
one than is commonly supposed: the "means" are really the channels
through which that grace comes to us. When expounding Matthew 7:7 in
our book Sermon on the Mount it was pointed out that, in seeking grace
to enable the believer to live a spiritual and supernatural life in
this world, though such enablement is to be sought at the Throne of
Grace, yet that does not render useless nor exempt the Christian from
diligently employing the additional means and agencies which God has
appointed for the blessing of His people. Prayer must not be allowed
to induce lethargy in those directions or become a substitute for the
putting forth of our energies in other ways. We are called upon to
watch as well as pray, to deny self, strive against sin, take to us
the whole armor of God, and fight the good fight of faith.
In the preceding portions of his sermon Christ had presented a
standard of moral excellency which is utterly unattainable by mere
flesh and blood. He had inculcated one requirement after another that
lies not within the power of fallen human nature to meet. He had
forbidden an opprobrious word, a malignant wish, an impure desire, a
revengeful thought. He had enjoined the most unsparing mortification
of our dearest lusts. He had commanded the loving of our enemies, the
blessing of those who curse us, the doing good to those who hate us,
and the praying for those who despitefully use and persecute us. In
view of which the Christian may well exclaim "Who is sufficient for
these things? Such demands of holiness are far beyond my feeble
strength: yet the Lord has made them, what then am I to do?" Here is
His own answer: "Ask, and ye shall receive, seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you." The Lord Jesus knew that in
our own wisdom and strength we are incapable of keeping His
commandments, but He at once informed us that the things which are
ordinarily impossible to men can be made possible by God.
Divine assistance is imperative if we are to meet the Divine
requirements. We need Divine mercy to pardon and cleanse, power to
subdue our raging lusts, quickening to animate our feeble graces,
light on our path that we may avoid the snares of Satan, wisdom from
above for the solving of our varied problems. Only God Himself can
relieve our distresses and supply all our need. His assistance, then,
is to be sought: sought prayerfully, believingly, diligently and
expectantly; and if it be thus sought, it will not be sought in vain:
for the same passage goes on to assure us "What man is there of you,
whom if his son ask bread, will give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish,
will he give him a serpent? If ye then being evil know how to give
good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which
is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him!" (Matthew 7:9-11)
What inducement is that! yet other means besides prayer are to he used
by us if we are to obtain that help and succor which we so sorely
need.
There are three principal dangers against which the Christian needs to
guard in connection with the various means which God has appointed for
his spiritual growth. First, to lay too much stress upon and
dependence in them: they are but "means" and will avail nothing unless
God bless them to him. Second, going to the opposite extreme, by
undervaluing them or imagining he can get above them. There are some
who give way to fanaticism or persuade themselves they have been so
"baptized by the Spirit" as to be independent of helps. Third, to look
for that in them which can come only from God in Christ. No doubt
there is room for differences of opinion as to what are the particular
means which are most conducive unto Christian prosperity, and
certainly there is a considerable variety of method among those who
have written on this subject, some throwing their main emphasis on one
aspect of it and some on another. Nor is there any agreement in the
order in which they set forth the several aids to growth. We shall
therefore present them to the reader according as they appear to us in
the light of Scripture.
1. Mortifying of the flesh. In order to obtain fresh supplies of grace
constant watchfulness needs to be exercised that we do not cut
ourselves off from the Source of those supplies. If such a statement
jars upon some of our readers, having to them a "legalistic" or
Arminian sound in it, we fear it is because their sensibilities are
not fully regulated by the teachings of Holy Writ. Would it not be
foolish for me to blame the bulb for emitting no light if I had
switched off the electrical current? Equally vain is it to attribute
any lack of grace in me to the unwillingness of God to bestow it if I
have severed communion with Him. Should it be objected that to draw
such an analogy is carnal, we reply, our object is simply to
illustrate. But does not the Lord Himself distinctly affirm "Your
iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have
hid his face from you, that he will not hear" (Isa. 59:2): then how
can I draw from the Fountain of grace if I have cut myself off from
it!
None but a fanatical enthusiast will argue that a Christian may obtain
a fuller knowledge of God's will and increased light on his path while
he neglects his Bible and books and preaching thereon. Nor will the
Holy Spirit open the Word to me while I am indulging in the lusts of
the flesh and "allowing" sin in my heart and life. Equally clear is it
that no Christian has any Scriptural warrant to expect he will receive
wisdom and strength from above while he neglects the Throne of Grace
and should he keep up the form of "praying" while following a course
of self-will and self-pleasing, answers of peace will be withheld from
him. "If I regard [cherish] iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not
hear me" (Ps. 66:18). "Ye ask and receive not because ye ask amiss,
that ye may consume it upon your lusts" (James 4:3). The Holy One will
he no lackey unto our carnality. "He that turneth away his ear from
hearing the law [i.e., refuses to tread the path of obedience, in
subjection to God's authority], even his prayer shall be abomination"
(Prov. 28:9), for under such circumstances praying would be downright
hypocrisy, a mocking of God.
It is therefore apparent that there is something which must take
precedence of either prayer or feeding on the Word if the Christian is
to make progress in the spiritual life. Whether or not we have
succeeded in making that evident to the reader, Scripture is quite
plain on the point. We are bidden to "receive with meekness the
ingrafted Word," but before we can do so we most first comply with
what immediately precedes, namely, "lay apart all filthiness and
superfluity of naughtiness (James 1:21). Room has to be made in our
hearts for the Word: the old lumber has to be cleaned out before the
new furnishings can be moved into it. We are exhorted "As new-born
babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby"
(1 Peter 2:2). Ah, but there is something else before that, and which
must needs first be attended to: "Wherefore laying aside all malice,
and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings"
(v. 1). There has to be a purging of our corruptions ere there will be
a spiritual appetite for Divine things. The natural man may "study the
Bible" to become intellectually informed of its contents, but there
has to be a "laying aside" of the things God hates before the soul
will really hunger for the Bread of Life.
That to which we have just called attention has not been sufficiently
recognized. It is one thing to read the Scriptures and become
acquainted with their teaching, it is quite another to really feed
upon them and for the life to be transformed thereby. God's Word is a
holy Word, and it requires holiness of heart from the one who would be
profited by it: the soul must be attuned to its message and
transmission before there will be any real "reception." And in order
to holiness of soul sin has to be resisted, self-denied, corrupt lusts
mortified. What we are here insisting upon is illustrated and
demonstrated by the uniform order of Scripture. We have to "hate the
evil" before we "love the good" (Amos. 5:15), and "cease to do evil"
ere we can "learn to do well" (Isa. 1:16, 17). Self has to be denied
and the cross taken up, before we can "follow" Christ (Matthew 16:24).
We have to "cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and
spirit" if we would be "perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2
Cor. 7:1). We cannot "put on the new man" (Eph. 2:22) until we have
"put off concerning the former conversation [or "manner of life"] the
old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts" (Eph.
2:20)!
Sin indwells all Christians and is actively opposed to the principle
of grace or "new nature." When they would do good, evil is present
with them. Indwelling sin or "the flesh"--corrupt nature--has "no good
thing" dwelling in it (Rom. 7:18). Its nature is entirely evil. It is
beyond reclamation, being incapable of any improvement. It may put on
a religious garb, as in the case of the Pharisees, but beneath is
nothing but rottenness. As one has truly said "No good can be educed
out of it: fire may as soon be struck out of ice as good dispositions
and motions be produced in the corrupt heart of the regenerate. It
will never be produced in the corrupt heart of the regenerate. It will
never be prevailed upon to concur with the new principle in any of
those acts which it puts forth: hence the mind of the believer is at
no time wholly spiritual and holy in its acts: there is more or less
of a resistance in his soul for what is holy at all seasons." As the
"flesh" continually opposes what is good, so it ever disposes the will
to what is evil: its desires and motions are constantly towards
objects which are vain and carnal. So far as it is permitted to
control the Christian, it beclouds his judgment, captivates his
affections, and enslaves his will.
Now the principle of grace, "the spirit" has been communicated to the
saint for the express purpose of opposing the solicitations of the
flesh and for the inclining of him unto holiness. Thus the whole of
his duty may be summed up in these two timings: to die unto sin and to
live unto God. And he can only live unto God in exact proportion as he
dies unto sin. That should be self-evident, for since sin is hostile
to God, entirely and inveterately so, only so far as we rise above its
evil influences are we free to act Godwards. Therefore our progress in
the Christian life is to be measured by the degree of our deliverance
from the power of indwelling sin, and that, in turn, will be
determined by how resolutely, earnestly, and untiringly we set
ourselves to this great task of fighting against our corruptions. The
weeds must be plucked up before the flowers can grow in the garden,
and our lusts must be mortified if our graces are to flourish. Sin and
grace each demand the governance of the soul, and it is the
Christian's responsibility to see to it that the former is denied and
the latter given the right to reign over him.
For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye through the
Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live" (Rom. 8:13).
That at once shows us the fundamental and vital importance of this
duty: our attendance or nonattendance thereto is a matter of life or
death. Mortification is not optional but imperative. The solemn
alternative is plainly stated. Those words are addressed to the
saints, and they are faithfully warned "if ye live after the flesh ye
shall die," that is, die spiritually and eternally. To "live after the
flesh" is to live as do the unregenerate, who are motivated, actuated,
and dominated by nothing but their own fallen nature. To "live after
the flesh" refers not to a single action, minor even a whole series of
actions in one particular direction, but for the whole man to be
regulated by the evil principle. Education and culture may produce a
refined exterior; family training or other influences may lead to a
"profession of religion": but the love of God prompts neither, nor is
His glory the end. To "live after the flesh" is to allow our fallen
nature to govern our character and guide our conduct, and such is the
case with all the unregenerate.
"But if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye
shall live." Note well the "if ye do": it is a duty assigned the
Christian it is a task which calls for self-effort. Yet it is not a
work for which he is sufficient of himself: it can only be
accomplished "through the Spirit." But care has to be taken at this
point lest we lapse into error. It is not, if the Spirit through you,"
but "if ye through the Spirit." The believer is not a cipher in this
undertaking. The Spirit is not given to relieve us of the discharge of
our responsibility in this all-important matter, but rather to equip
us for our discharge of the same. The Spirit operates by making us
more sensible of indwelling sin, by deepening our aspirations after
holiness, by causing the love of Christ to constrain, by strengthening
us with His might in the inner man. But we are the ones who are
required to "mortify the deeds of the body," that is, resist the
workings of sin, deny self, put to death our lusts, refuse to "live
after the flesh."
We must not under the guise of "honoring the Spirit" repudiate our
accountability or under the pretext of "waiting for the Spirit to move
us" or "empower us," lapse into a state of passivity. God has called
us to "cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and of the
spirit" (2 Cor. 7:1), to "put off concerning the former conversation
the old man. (Eph. 4:22), to "keep yourselves from idols" (1 John
5:21); and He will not accept the excuse of our inability as a valid
plea. If we be His children, He has infused His grace into our hearts,
and that grace is to be employed in this very task of mortifying our
lusts, and the way to get more grace is to make a more diligent use of
what we already have. We do not "honor the Spirit" by inertia: we
honor Him and "magnify grace" when we can say with David "I kept
myself from mine iniquity" (Ps. 18:23), and with Paul "But I keep
under my body and bring it into subjection" (1 Cor. 9:24). True, it
was by Divine enablement, yet it was not something which God did for
them. There was self-effort--rendered successful by Divine grace.
Observe it is not "If ye have through the Spirit mortified the deeds
of the body," but "if ye do . . . mortify." It is not something which
may be done once for all, but a continuous thing, a lifelong task
which is set before the Christian. The term "mortify" is here used
figuratively, inasmuch as it is a physical term applied to that which
is immaterial; yet its force is easily perceived. Literally the word
signifies "put to death," which implies it is both a painful and
difficult task: the weakest creature may put up some resistance when
its life be threatened, and since sin is a most powerful principle it
will make a mighty struggle to preserve its existence. The Christian
then is called upon to exert a constant and all-out endeavor to subdue
his lusts, resist their inclinations, and deny their solicitations,
"striving against sin" (Heb. 12:4)--not only against one particular
form of its outbreakings, but against all of them, and especially
against the root from which they proceed--"the flesh."
How is the Christian to set about this all-important work? First, by
starving his evil nature: "make not provision for the flesh" (Rom.
13:14). There are two ways of causing a fire to go out: to cease
feeding it with fuel and to pour water upon it. God does not require
us to macerate our bodies nor to adopt severe external austerities,
but we are to abstain from pampering and pleasing them. "To ask meat
for our bodies is necessary, a duty; but to ask meat for our lusts is
provoking to God--Ps. 78:18" (Matthew Henry). "Provision for" the
flesh is anything which has the least tendency to minister unto its
appetites: whatever would stir our carnal lusts must be abstained
from. There are mental lusts as well as physical: such as pride,
covetousness, envy, malice, presumption--these too must be starved and
denied, for they are "filthiness of the spirit" (2 Cor. 7:1). Avoid
all excesses: be temperate in all things. Second, refuse army
familiarity with worldlings: "have no fellowship with the unfruitful
works of darkness" ( Eph. 5:11). Shun evil companions, for "a
companion of fools shall be destroyed" (Prov. 13:20). "Enter not into
the path of the wicked . . . avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it"
(Prov. 4:13, 14). Even those "having a form of godliness" but who in
practice are "denying the power thereof," God says, "from such turn
away" (2 Tim. 3:5).
Third, "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the
issues of life" (Prov. 4:23). Take yourself firmly in hand and
maintain a strict discipline over your inner man, especially your
desires and thoughts. Unlawful desires and evil imaginations need to
be nipped in the bud, by sternly resisting them at our first
consciousness of the same. As it is much easier to pluck up weeds
while they are young or to quench a fire before it takes a firm hold,
so it is much simpler to deal with the initial stirrings of our lusts
than after they have "conceived" (see James 1:15)--refuse to parley
with the first temptation, suffer not your mind to cogitate upon
anything Scripture disallows. Fourth, keep short accounts with God. As
soon as you are conscious of failure, excuse it not, but penitently
confess it to Him. Let not sins accumulate on your conscience, but
frankly and promptly acknowledge them to the Lord. Bathe daily in the
Fountain which has been "opened for sin and for uncleanness" (Zech.
13:1).
It is strange that so many other writers on this subject have failed
to place first among the means of spiritual growth this work of
mortifying the flesh, for it should be quite obvious that it must take
precedence over everything else. Of what avail can it be to read and
study the Word, to spend more time in prayer, to seek to develop my
graces, while ignore and neglect that within me which will neutralize
and mar all other efforts. What would be the use of sprinkling
fertilizer on my ground if I allowed the weeds to grow and multiply
there? Of what avail would it be my watering and pruning of a
rose-bush if I knew there was a pest gnawing at its roots? Settle it
then in your mind, dear reader, that no progress can be made by you in
the Christian life until you realize the paramount importance and
imperative necessity of waging a ceaseless warfare against indwelling
sin, and not only realize the need for the same, but resolutely gird
yourself for and engage in the task, ever seeking the Spirit's help to
give you success therein. The Canaanites must be ruthlessly
exterminated if Israel was to occupy the land of milk and honey, and
enjoy peace and prosperity therein.
II
2. Devotedness to God. The lifelong work of mortification is but the
negative side of the Christian life, being a means to an end: the
positive aspect is that the redeemed and regenerated sinner is
henceforth to live unto God, to wholly give up himself unto Him, to
employ his faculties and powers in seeking to please Him and promote
His glory. In his unregenerate days, he went "his own way" (Isa. 53:6)
and did that which was pleasing unto himself, but at conversion lie
renounced the flesh, the world and the Devil, and turned unto God as
his absolute Lord, supreme End, and everlasting Portion. Mortification
is the daily renewing of that renunciation, a continuing to turn away
from all that God hates and condemns. Devotedness to God is a living
out of the decision and promise which the believer made at his
conversion, when he gave himself unto the Lord (2 Cor. 8:5), chose Him
for his highest Good and entered into covenant with Him to love Him
with all his heart and serve Him with all his strength.
In exact proportion to his strict adherence to his surrender to God at
his conversion will be the believer's spiritual growth and progress in
the Christian life. That mortification and devotedness unto God is the
true order of the principal means for promoting spiritual prosperity
appears, first, from the grand type furnished in the Old Testament.
When God began His dealings with Israel He called them out of Egypt,
separating them from the heathen, as He had their great progenitor
when He called him to leave Ur of Chaldee--a figure of mortification.
But that was merely negative. Having delivered them from their old
manner of life and brought them over the Red Sea, He brought them unto
Himself (Ex. 19:4), made known His will unto them and entered into a
solemn covenant, to which they were consenting parties, declaring "all
that the Lord hath said will we do and be obedient" (Ex. 24:7). Just
so long as they adhered to their vow and kept the covenant all was
well with them. Devotedness unto the Lord was the grand secret of
spiritual success.
This order appears again in that oft-repeated word of Christ's, which
contains a brief but comprehensive summary of His requirements: "If
any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross, and follow me" (Matthew 16:24). There are the fundamental terms
of Christian discipleship and the basic principles by which the
Christian life is to be regulated. Any one who "will come after
me"--who chooses, decides, determines to enlist under My banner, throw
in his lot with Me, become one of My disciples, "let him deny himself
and take up his cross," and that "daily" (Luke 9:23)--which presents
to us the work of mortification. But that is only preliminary, a means
to an end: the principal thing is "and follow me," My example. What
was the grand principle which regulated Him? What was the unchanging
end of Christ's life? This: "I came down not to do mine own will, but
the will of him that sent me" (John 6:38); "I do always those things
that please him" (John 8:29). And we are not following Christ unless
That be our aim and endeavor.
That devotedness to God is the outstanding mark, the essential duty,
the pre-eminent thing in the Christian life, is also clear from the
teaching of the Epistles. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the
mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Rom. 12:1).
That appeal is made unto Christians and begins the hortatory section
of that Epistle. Up to that point the apostle had set forth the great
facts and doctrinal contents of the gospel, and only once did he break
the thread of his discourse by interjecting an exhortation, namely, in
6:11-22, the force of which is here gathered up into a concise but
extensive summary. The "yield yourselves unto God as those that are
alive from the dead" (6: 13) and the "yield your members servants to
righteousness unto holiness" (6:19) is here paraphrased as "present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God." In
substance it is parallel with that word, "Son, give me thine heart,
and let thine eyes observe my ways (Prov. 23:26).
The place which is given to this precept in the New Testament
intimates its paramount importance: "I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service" (Rom. 12:1). That is the first exhortation of the Epistles
addressed to the saints, taking precedence of all others! First, there
is the duty which God requires from us. Second, the ground on which it
is enforced or the motive from which it is to be performed, is made
known. Third, the reasonableness of it is affirmed. The duty to which
we are here exhorted is a call to the unreserved dedication and
consecration of the Christian to God. But since those are terms which
have suffered not a little at the hands of various fanatics we prefer
to substitute for them the devoting of ourselves entirely to God. That
word "devote" is employed in Leviticus 27:21, 28 where it is defined
as "a holy thing unto the Lord" yea, "every devoted thing is most holy
unto the Lord," that is, something which is set apart exclusively for
His use.
Joshua 6 contains a solemn illustration of the force and implications
of that term. Israel's commander informed the people that "the city
[of Jericho] shall be devoted, even it, and all that are therein, to
the Lord" (v. 17). Since it was His power that delivered this city of
the Canaanites into their hands, He claimed it as His, to do with as
He pleased, thereby precluding the Israelites from seizing any of its
spoils for themselves. So that there might be no uncertainty in their
minds, it was expressly added "But all the silver and gold, and
vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the Lord; they shall
come into the treasury of the Lord" (v. 19). Therein lay the enormity
of Achan's sin: not only in yielding to a spirit of covetousness, not
only in deliberately disobeying a Divine commandment, but in taking
unto himself that which was definitely devoted or set apart unto the
Lord. Hence the severity of the punishment meted out to him and all
his household. A monumental warning was that for all future
generations of how jealously God regards that which is set apart unto
Himself, and the awful seriousness of putting to a profane or common
use what has been consecrated to Him!
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye
present your bodies a living sacrifice" signifies, then, that you
devote them unto God, that you solemnly set them apart to Him, for His
use, for His service, for his pleasure, for His glory. The Hebrew word
for "devote" (charam) is rendered "consecrate" in Micah 4:13, and
"dedicated" (cherem) in Ezekiel 44:29. The Greek word for "present"
(paristemi) occurs first in Luke 2:22, where we are told that the
parents of Jesus "brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the
Lord," which in the next verse is defined as "holy to the Lord." How
deeply significant and suggestive that its initial reference should be
to our Great Exemplar! It is found again in 2 Corinthians 11:2, "that
I may present you a chaste virgin to Christ." It is the term used in
Ephesians 5:27, "that ye might present it to himself a glorious
church." It is the same word that is translated "yield yourselves unto
God" in Romans 6:13. It therefore means a definite, voluntary,
personal act of full surrender to God.
This duty which is enjoined upon the Christian is here set forth, more
or less, in the language of the Old Testament types, as the term "a
living sacrifice" clearly intimates, while the word "present" is a
temple term for the bringing thither of anything to God. This duty was
announced in Old Testament prophecy: "they shall bring all your
brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations" (Isa.
66:20), not to be slain and burned in the fire, but to be presented
for God's use and pleasure. So, too, it was revealed that when "our
God shall come" He will say, "Gather my saints unto me, those that
have made a covenant with me by sacrifice" (Ps. 50:3, 5). There were
three principal things taught by the Levitical offerings. First, our
sinfulness, guilt, and pollution, which could only be expiated by "a
life for a life"; and that was for our humiliation. Second, the
wondrous provision of God's grace: Christ a substitute and surety,
dying in our stead; which was for our consolation. Third, the love and
gratitude due unto God, and the new obedience which He requires from
us; and that is for our sanctification.
The Christian is required to surrender the whole of his being to God.
The language in which that injunction is couched in Romans 12:1 is
taken from the usages of the Mosaic economy. "Present your bodies a
living sacrifice" connotes, present yourselves as embodied
intelligences. Our "bodies" are singled out for specific mention to
show there is to be no reservation, that the entire man is to be
devoted to the Lord: "The very God of peace sanctify you wholly, and
your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless" (1 Thess.
5:23). When God called Israel out of Egypt He said "there shall not a
hoof be left behind" (Ex. 10:26). Our "bodies are the members of
Christ" (1 Cor. 6:15) and therefore does He bid us "yield your members
servants to righteousness unto holiness" (Rom. 6:19). It is through
the body that our new nature expresses itself. As 1 Corinthians 6
tells us, the body is "for the Lord, and the Lord for the body" (v.
13). And again, "know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy
Spirit . . . therefore glorify God in your body" (vv. 19, 20).
This duty is expressed in Old Testament terms because the apostle was
comparing Christians to sacrificial animals whose bodies were devoted
as offerings to the Lord, and because he would thereby particularly
emphasize that obligation which devolved upon them to be and do and
suffer whatever God required. The "living sacrifice" points a parallel
and not a contrast, for no animal carcase could be brought by an
Israelite. A living victim was brought by the offerer and he laid his
hand upon his head to signify he transferred to God all his right and
interest in it, then he killed it before God, after which the priests,
Aaron's sons, brought the blood and sprinkled it upon the altar (Lev.
1:2-5). In the application of this term to the Christian it may also
include the idea of permanency: present your bodies a perpetual
sacrifice: as in Christ "the living bread" (John 6:51) and "a living
hope" (1 Peter 1:3); it is not to be a transient "sacrifice," but one
never to be recalled. "Holy" means unblemished, and set apart solely
for God's use, as the vessels of the tabernacle and temple were
devoted exclusively to His service.
The Christian is called upon to give up himself to God, and that
cannot be done without cost, without proving that a "sacrifice" is
indeed a sacrifice, even though a willing one; yet it is only by so
doing we can be conformed to the death of Christ (Phil. 3:10). It is
to be done intelligently, voluntarily, as a free will offering to God,
with full and hearty consent, as one gives himself or herself to
another in marriage, so that the believer can now say "I am my
beloved's and my beloved is mine" (Song of Sol. 6:3). Yet it is to be
done humbly, with grief and shame for having so long delayed, for
having wasted so much of my time, and strength in the service of sin.
It is to be done gratefully, from a deep sense of Divine grace and
mercy, so that the love of Christ constrains me. It is to be done
unreservedly, with no reservation, arm unqualified devoting of myself
unto God. It is to be done purposefully, with the sincere desire,
intention and endeavor to be ruled by Him in all things, ever
preferring and putting His interests and pleasure before my own.
But let us notice now the ground on which this duty is enforced, or
the motive by which it is to be performed. "I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God." It is not "I command you," for it is
not the Divine authority to which appeal is made. "Beseech" is the
tender language of loving entreaty, asking for a gracious response to
the amazing grace of God. The "therefore" is a deduction made from
what precedes. In the foregoing chapters the apostle had, from 3:21
onwards, set forth the gospel "mercies" or riches of Divine grace.
They consist of election, redemption, regeneration, justification,
sanctification, with the promise of preservation and
glorification--blessings that pass knowledge. What, then, shall be our
response to such inestimable favors? It was as though the apostle
anticipated his Christian brethren being so overwhelmed by such lavish
displays of God's goodness to them, they would exclaim "What shall I
render unto the Lord for all his benefits'? What possible return can I
make to Him for His surpassing love? Here, says Paul is the answer to
such a query, to such a heart longing.
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God." It
is thus you will manifest your gratitude and evince your appreciation
of all God has done for, to, and in you. It is thus you will exhibit
the sincerity of your love for Him. It is thus you will prove
yourselves to be "followers" of Christ and adorn His gospel. It is
thus you will please thin who has done everything for you: not merely
by vocal thanksgiving, but by personal thanksgiving. Thus did the
apostle begin to present and press those obligations which are
involved by the blessed favors and privileges set forth in the
preceding chapters. Those doctrinal disclosures are not so many
speculative things to engage our brains, but are precious discoveries
for the inflaming of our hearts. The contents of Romans 3 to 8 are
given not only for the informing of our understandings, but also for
the reforming of our lives. We should never abstract privilege from
duty, nor duty from privilege, but take them together. The "therefore"
of 12:1 points the practical application to all that goes before.
"Acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." Poor and
paltry as is such a return to the Divine munificence, yet God is
pleased to receive the offering up of ourselves and to announce that
such an offering is agreeable to Him. That is in striking and blessed
contrast from "the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination unto the
Lord" (Prov. 15:8). The words "reasonable service" are susceptible of
various renditions, though we doubt if any are better than that of the
Authorized Version. Logical or rational are warrantable alternatives,
for God certainly requires to be served intelligently and not blindly
or superstitiously. Literally, it may be translated "your service
according to the Word." "Service" may be rendered "worship," for it is
an act of homage and a temple service which is here in view, and thus
accords with the idea of "sacrifice": God requires the worship of our
body as well as of the mind. But in the light of the preceding
"therefore" we prefer "reasonable service."
"Which is your reasonable service." And is it not so? "Those that obey
not the Word are called `fools' (Jer. 8:9) and `unreasonable men' (2
Thess. 2:3), because lacking in wisdom to discern the excellency and
equity of God's ways. What can be more reasonable than that He who
made all things for Himself should be served by the creatures that He
made? That we should live unto Him who gave us being? That the Supreme
should be obeyed, the infallible Truth believed, that He who can
destroy should be feared, that He who doth reward should be loved and
trusted in?" (E. Reynolds, 1670). It is reasonable because it is what
Omniscience requires of us: this is the fundamental part of our
covenant when we choose Him as our God: "One shall say, I am the
Lord's and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord" (Isa.
44:5). By our own solemn consent we acknowledge God's right in us and
yield to His claims. He requires that His right be confirmed by our
consent: "take my yoke upon you"--He forces it on none.
"Which is your reasonable service." And again we ask, Is it not so?
Does not a change of masters involve a changed order of life? Should
not those who have been recovered from sin to God show the reality of
that change in being as earnest in holiness as before they were in
sin? Talk is cheap, but actions speak louder than words. If God gave
Christ to us as a sin-offering, is it too much to ask that we devote
ourselves to Him as a thank-offering? Christ was content to be nothing
that God might be all, and is it not "reasonable" that our judicial
oneness with Christ should have for its complement practical
conformity to Him. If we have by regeneration passed from death unto
life, is it not reasonable and meet that we devote ourselves as a
"living sacrifice" to God and walk in newness of life? Are not the
"mercies of God," appropriated by faith and realized in the heart,
sufficient inducement to move His people to give up themselves
entirely to His will, to be ordered, employed, and disposed of
according to His good pleasure?
Are any inclined to ask, What has all the above to do with spiritual
growth or Christian progress? We answer, much every way. Genuine
conversion is a giving up of ourselves to God, an entering into
covenant with Him that He should be our God, and His promises are made
to "such as keep his covenant and to those that remember his
commandments to do them" (Ps. 10:3). But if we turn from devoting
ourselves to God to sin and the world, and thereby break the covenant,
what possible spiritual prosperity can we enjoy or progress make?
Christ died for all His people "that they which live should not
henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him who died for them, and
rose again" (2 Cor. 5:15). If then I relapse into a course of
self-pleasing, so far from advancing in the Christian life, I have
backslidden, repudiated the initial dedication of myself to God and
have east Christ's yoke from off me. Spiritual growth consists of
increasing devotedness to God and being more and more conformed unto
Christ's death.
It is one of the most effectual means for spiritual growth to live in
the daily realization that Christ has "redeemed us to God" (Rev. 5:9):
to restore His rights over us, to admit us to His favor and
friendship, to enjoy fellowship and communion with Him, that we may be
for His pleasure and glory; then to conduct ourselves accordingly.
Only as we are wholly devoted to His service and praise, only as all
our springs and joy are in Him, do we actualize the design of our
redemption. No progress in the Christian life can be made any further
than as we are regulated by the fact "ye are not your own, for ye are
bought with a price" (1 Cor. 6:19, 20). When that is really
apprehended in the heart, the soul will become the consecrated priest
and his body will be the living sacrifice offered unto God daily
through Jesus Christ. Then will it be the devotedness not of
constraint but of love. The more fully we are conformed to Christ's
death, the more closely we be following the example he has left us,
the more (and the only) true Christian progress are we making.
III
3. Honoring the Word. By which we mean according to God's holy and
infallible Word the place which is due it in our affections, thoughts,
and daily lives. But we shall only do so as we are deeply impressed
with whose Word it is and the reasons for which it has been given to
us. God has "magnified his word above all his name" (Ps. 138:2), and
if we be in our right minds we shall value it far more highly than
anything else (Ps. 119:72). Apart from the Word we are in total
darkness spiritually (Eph. 5:8). Without the Scriptures we can know
nothing about the character of God, His attitude toward us, or our
relation to Him. Without the Scriptures we are ignorant of the nature
of sin and its infinite demerits, nor are we capable of discovering
how to be saved from the love, guilt and pollution of it. Without the
Scriptures we know not whence we sprang, whither we are going, nor how
to conduct ourselves in the interval between. Even as Christians, we
have no other means for ascertaining God's will for us, the path we
should tread, the enemies we must fight, the armor we require, and how
to obtain grace to help in time of need.
All who profess to be Christians will give at least a mental assent to
what has just been pointed out. But when it comes to the applying or
working out of the same, there are wide differences of practice. In
the matter of what use is to be made of God's Word there is
considerable diversity of opinion. Rome does all she can to withhold
the Scriptures from the people, forbidding the reading of them; or,
where that is deemed Impolitic, seeking to discourage the same. Her
evil leaven has spread far and wide, for multitudes of nominal
"Protestants" who do not formally accept the dogmas of the Papacy
suppose that the Bible is a mysterious Book, quite beyond the
comprehension of the uninitiated and that "the church" alone is
competent to explain its teachings. Therefore they are quite content
to receive their religious instructions secondhand, accepting what the
prelate or preacher tells them from the pulpit, and since they do not
"search the Scriptures" for themselves, they are unable to test what
he tells them, and are liable to be deceived concerning their eternal
interests. Thus there is no difference in this respect between them
and the infatuated Papists.
But there are others who "read the Bible" for themselves: but here
there are many types. Some do so traditionally, because their parents
and grandparents read a portion each day, yet in few cases do they
give evidence of possessing a saving knowledge of the truth. Others
read it superstitiously, regarding the Bible as a sort of religious
charm: when in great perplexity or deep sorrow they turn to the Book
they generally neglect, hoping to find guidance or solace from it.
Many read it educationally. If their closest friends are more or less
religious they would feel ashamed if unable to take an intelligent
part in the conversation, and so seek a general acquaintance with its
contents. Others read it denominationally, that they may be equipped
to defend "our Articles of Faith" and hold their own in controversy,
seeking texts which will refute the beliefs of others. A few read it
professionally: it is their textbook. Their principal quest is
material suitable for sermons and "Bible readings." Some read it
inquisitively, to satisfy curiosity and feed intellectual pride: they
specialize on prophecy, the types, numerics, and so on.
Now one may read the Bible from such motives as those until he is as
old as Methuselah and his soul be profited nothing? One may read and
re-read the Bible through systematically from Genesis to Revelation,
he may "search the Scriptures" diligently--comparing passage with
passage, he may become quite an accomplished "Bible student, and yet,
spiritually speaking, be not one whit better off for his pains. Why
so? Because he failed to realize the chief reasons why God has given
us His Word and to act accordingly, because his motive is faulty,
because the end he had in view is unworthy. God has given the Word to
us as a revelation of Himself: of His character, of His government, of
His requirements. Our motive in reading it, then, should be to become
better acquainted with Him, with His perfections, with His will for
us. Our end in perusing His Word should be to learn how to please and
glorify Him, and that, by our characters being formed under its holy
influence and our conduct regulated in all its details by the rules He
has there laid down. The mind needs instructing, but unless the
conscience be searched, the heart influenced, the will moved, such
knowledge will only puff us up and add to our condemnation.
In the preceding chapters we pointed out that in order to spiritual
growth the Christian must needs engage daily in mortifying the flesh
and in devoting himself as a living sacrifice to God, giving our
reasons for placing them first and second among the principal aids to
prosperity. Obviously giving due place to the Word comes next, for
only by its instructions can we learn what has to be mortified and how
to please God In our walk. Some thought was required on how best to
formulate this third grand help. Many have described it as studying
the Word, but as pointed out above one may "study" it (as the
"scribes" of our Lord's day had) and yet be none the better for it.
Others use the expression feeding on the Word, which is better, though
today there are thousands who think they are feeding thereon and yet
give little or no sign their souls are being nourished or that they
are becoming more fruitful branches of the Vine. We have therefore
chosen honoring the Word as being a more comprehensive term.
Now in order to honor the Word we must ascertain the purposes for
which God has given it to us, and then regulate our efforts
accordingly. The Word expressly informs us the chief ends for which it
was written. "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction
in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16). Since they are inspired by God it
naturally and necessarily follows that they are "profitable," for He
could not be the Author of what was purposeless and useless to its
recipients. For what are the Scriptures "profitable"? First, for
doctrine, that is, for sound and wholesome doctrine, "doctrine which
is according to godliness" (1 Tim. 6:3). The word doctrine means
"teaching" or instruction, and then the principle or article received.
In the Scriptures we have the truth and nothing but the truth on every
object and subject of which they treat, such as no mere creature could
have arrived at or invented. The unfolding of the doctrine of God is a
revelation of his Being and character, such as had never been
conceived by philosophers or poets. Their teaching concerning man is
such as no physicist or psychologist had ever discovered by his own
unaided powers. Such, too, is its doctrine of sin, of salvation, of
the world, of Heaven, of Hell.
Now to read and ponder the Scriptures for "doctrine" is to have our
beliefs formed by its teachings. So far as we are under the influence
of prejudice, or receive our religious ideas on human authority, and
go to the Word not so much with the desire to be instructed on what we
know not, but rather for the purpose of finding some thing which will
confirm us in what we have already imbibed from man, be it right or
wrong, so far we exercise a sinful disregard to the Sacred Canon and
may justly be given up to our own deceits. Again; if we set up our own
judgment so as to resolve not to accept anything as Divine truth but
what we can intellectually comprehend, then we despise God's Word and
cannot be said to read it either for doctrine or correction. It is not
enough to "call no man Master": if I exalt my reason above the
infallible dictates of the holy Spirit, then my reason formulates my
creed. We must come to the Word conscious of our ignorance, forsaking
our own thoughts (Isa. 55:7), with the earnest prayer "that which I
see not, teach thou me" (Job 34:32), and that, so long as we remain on
earth.
First and foremost then the inspired Scriptures are profitable for
doctrine: that our thoughts, ideas and beliefs concerning all the
subjects of Divine revelation may be formed and regulated by their
infallible teachings. How that rebukes those who sneer at theological
instruction, who are prejudiced against the doctrinal exposition of
the gospel, who ignorantly account such "dry" and uninteresting, who
are all for what they term "experimental religion." We say
"ignorantly," for the distinction they seek to draw is an unscriptural
and invalid one. The Word of God nowhere draws a line between the
doctrinal and the experimental. How could it? when true experimental
piety is nothing but the influence of truth. upon the Soul under the
agency of the Holy Spirit. What is godly sorrow for sin but the
influence of the truth upon the conscience and heart! Is it anything
else than a realization or feeling sense of the heinousness of sin, of
its contrariety to what ought to be, of its being committed against
light and love, dissolving the heart to grief? Until those truths are
realized there will be no weeping over your sin. Peace and joy in
believing: yes, but you must have an Object to believe in; take away
the great doctrine of the Atonement and all your faith and peace are
annihilated.
Yes, first and foremost the Scriptures are "profitable for doctrine":
God says so, and those who declare otherwise are liars and deceivers.
That refutes and condemns those who are prejudiced against the
doctrine of the gospel on the pretense that it is unfriendly to the
practical side of the Christian life. That personal piety or holy
living may be neglected through an excessive attachment to favorite
theological tenets is readily granted, but that doctrinal instruction
is inimical to following the example which Christ has left us, we
emphatically deny. The whole teaching of Scripture is "the doctrine
which is according to godliness" (1 Tim. 6:3): that is to say, it is
the doctrine which inculcates "godliness, which supplies motives to
godliness, and which therefore promotes it. If Divine truth be
received according to the lovely proportions in which it is presented
in the Word, so far from such a reception of it enervating practical
godliness, it will be found to be the life of it. Doctrinal,
experimental and practical religion are so necessarily connected
together, they could have no existence apart from each other. The
influence of the truth upon our hearts and minds is the source of all
our spiritual feelings, and those feelings and affections are the
springs of every good word and work.
Second, the inspired Scriptures are profitable "for reproof" or
conviction. Five times the Greek word is rendered "rebuke" and once
"tell him his fault" (Matthew 18:15). Here is the chief reason why the
Scriptures are so unpalatable to the unsaved: they set before him a
standard concerning which he knows he falls far short: they require
that which is thoroughly distasteful to him and prohibit those things
which his evil nature loves and craves. Thus, their holy teachings
roundly condemn him. It is because the Word of God inculcates holiness
and censures every form of evil that the unregenerate have such a
disrelish for it. It is because the Word convicts its reader of his
sins, upbraids him for his ungodliness, blames him for his inward as
well as outward lack of conformity thereto, that the natural man shuns
it. Flesh and blood resent interference, chafe against being censured,
and is angry when told his or her faults. It is much too humbling for
the pride of the natural man to be rebuked for his failures and chided
for his errors. Therefore he prefers "prophecy" or something which
pricks not his conscience!
"Profitable for reproof." Are you, am I, willing to be reproved? Are
we really, honestly desirous of having made known to us everything in
us which is contrary to the law of the Lord and is therefore
displeasing to Him? Are we truly agreeable to be searched by the white
light of the truth, to bare our hearts to the sword of the Spirit? The
true answer to that question reveals whether or no we are regenerate,
whether a miracle of grace has been wrought in us or whether we are
still in a state of nature. Unless the answer be in the affirmative,
there cannot possibly be any spiritual growth for us. Of the wicked it
is said "They despised all my reproof" (Prov. 1:30). On the one hand
we are told "lie that hateth reproof is brutish" and "shall die"
(Prov, 12:1; 15:17); on the other, "reproofs of instruction are the
way of life," "he that heareth reproof getteth understanding" (Prov.
6:23; 15:32). If we are to profit from the Scriptures we must ever
approach them with an honest desire that all amiss in us may be
rebuked by their teachings and be humbled into the dust before God in
consequence thereof.
Third, the Scriptures are profitable "for correction." The Greek word
occurs nowhere else in the New Testament, but signifies "setting
right." The reproving is but a means to an end: it is a showing us
what is wrong that it may be put right. Everything about us, both
within and without needs correcting, for the fall has put man all out
of joint with God and holiness. Our thoughts on everything are wrong
and need readjusting. Our affections are all disorderly and need
regulating. Our character is utterly unlike Christ's and has to be
conformed to His image. Our conduct is wayward and demands squaring
with the Rule of righteousness. God has given to us His Word that
under its guidance we may regulate our beliefs, renovate our hearts
and reform our lives. Hence it answers but a poor end to read a
chapter once or twice a day for the sake of decency, without any
definite intention of complying with the mind of God as revealed
therein. Since He has given us the Scriptures "for correction" we
should ever approach them with a sincere purpose of bringing into
harmony with them everything that is disorderly within us and
irregular without us.
Fourth, the Scriptures are profitable "for instruction in
righteousness." That is the end for which the other three things are
the means. As Matthew Henry pointed out: the Scriptures are
"profitable to us for all the purposes of the Christian life. They
answer all the ends of Divine revelation. They instruct us in that
which is true, reprove us for all that which is amiss, direct us in
all that which is good." "Instruction in righteousness" refers not to
the imputed righteousness of Christ, for that is included in
"doctrine," but relates to integrity of character and conduct--it is
inherent and practical righteousness, which is the fruit of the
imputed. For that we need "instructing" out of the Word, for neither
reason nor conscience are adequate for such a task. If our judgment be
formed or our actions regulated by dreams, visions, or supposed
immediate revelations from Heaven, rather than by the plain meaning of
the Holy Scriptures, then we slight them and God may justly give us up
to our own delusions. If we follow the fashion, imitate our fellows,
or take public opinion for our standard, we are but heathen. But if
the Word of God is the only source of our wisdom and guidance, we
shall be found treading "the paths of righteousness" (Ps. 23:6).
The Bible is something very different from a picture-book for amusing
children, though it contains beautiful types and depicts scenes and
events in a manner no artist's brush could convey. It is something
more than a precious mine of treasure for us to dig into, though it
contains wonders and riches far more excellent than any unearthed at
Kimberley. It has not been sufficiently realized that God has given us
His Word for the ordering of our daily lives. "The secret things
belong unto the Lord our God: but the things which are revealed belong
unto us and to our children forever, that we may DO all the words of
this law" (Deut. 29:29). How very rarely do we hear or see that last
clause quoted! Is not the omitting of it a significant and solemn
comment on our times? God has given us his Word not for intellectual
entertainment, not for the merely curious to exercise his imagination
upon, not for making it a battleground of theological strife, but to
be "a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path" (Ps. 119: 105)--to
point out the way in which we should walk and to sedulously avoid
those by-ways which lead to certain destruction.
"For what things were written aforetime were written for our learning,
that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have
hope" (Rom. 15:4). Thus the whole of the Old Testament is for our
instruction "in order that by patiently cleaving to the Lord in faith
and obedience, and all our trials and temptations, and by taking
comfort from the daily perusal of the Scriptures we might possess a
joyful hope of Heaven, notwithstanding past sins and present manifold
defects" (T. Scott). "Now all these things [concerning Israel's sins
in the wilderness and God's judgments upon them] happened unto them
for ensamples, and they are written for our admonition" (1 Cor. 10:11)
or warning: for us to take to heart, to heed, to avoid. We shall meet
with similar temptations and there is still the same evil nature in us
as was in them, and unless it be mortified, the same awful fate will
overtake us. "Make me to go in the path of thy commandments" (Ps.
119:35). It will profit us nothing, nay, it will add to our
condemnation, if we read the preceptive parts of the Scriptures
without attention and determination, through God's help, to conform
our conduct thereto.
"My little children, these things write I unto you that ye sin not" (1
John 2:1). That is the design, bearing, and end not only of this
Epistle but of all the Scriptures. That is the object at which every
doctrine, every precept, every promise aims: "that ye sin not." The
Bible is the only book in the world which pays any regard to sin
against God. The revelation which it makes of God's omniscience--"Thou
knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my
thoughts afar off" (Ps. 139:2)--says to me, sin not. So of His
omnipresence--"The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the
evil and the good" (Prov. 15:3)--says to me, sin not. Are we taught
the holiness of God? it is that we should be holy. Is the truth of
resurrection revealed? it is that we "awake to righteousness and sin
not" (1 Cor. 15:34). For what purpose was the Son of God manifested?
that "He might destroy the works of the Devil" (1 John 3:8). Precious
promises are given us with the express design that we should "cleanse
ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting
holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1).
"Desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby" (1
Peter 2:2). In order to be nourished by the Word we must desire it,
and like every other desire that one may be cultivated or checked--as
after a time the manna was loathed by those who lusted for the
flesh-pots of Egypt. The aim of that desire for the Word is "that ye
may grow thereby": grow in knowledge, in grace, in holiness, "grow up
into Christ in all things" (Eph. 4:15); grow in fruitfulness to God
and helpfulness to your fellows. The Word must not only be desired,
but "received with meekness" (James 1:21): that is, with yieldedness
of will and pliability of heart, with readiness to be molded by its
holy requirements. It must also be "mixed with faith" (Heb, 4:2): that
is, received unquestioningly as God's own Word to me, appropriated and
assimilated by me. It must be approached humbly and prayerfully, as
the Hebrews had to bow down or go upon their knees to obtain the tiny
manna on the ground. "Teach me thy statutes" (Ps. 119:12): their
meaning, their application to all the details of my life, how to
perform them.
If we would read the Scriptures to advantage, if our souls are to be
nurtured by them, if we are to make true Christian progress, then it
must be by earnest prayer and constant meditation.. It is only by
pondering the words of God that they become fixed in our minds and
exert a salutary influence upon our thoughts and actions. Things
forgotten have no power to regulate us, and Scripture is soon
forgotten unless it be turned over and over in the mind. A wondrous
blessing is pronounced upon the man who meditates in God's law day and
night: "He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that
bringeth forth his fruit in his season, his leaf also shall not
wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper" (Ps. 1:3). "These
things write we unto you that your joy may be full" (1 John 1:4).
Holiness and happiness are inseparably connected. Destruction and
misery are in the ways of the wicked (Rom. 3:16), but Wisdom's ways
are "ways of pleasantness and all her paths are peace" (Prov. 3:17).
IV
4. Occupation with Christ. Clearly this comes next. We must have the
Scriptures before we can have Christ, for they are they which testify
of Him (John 5:39): where the Bible has not gone Christ is unknown.
But in the Scriptures He is fully revealed: in the volume of the Book
it is written of Him. In Him all its teachings center, for they are
"the doctrine of Christ" (2 John 9). In Him all its precepts are
perfectly fulfilled. In Him all its promises are certified (2 Cor.
1:20). In Him all its prophecies culminate, for "the testimony of
Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Rev. 19:10). Divorce doctrine from
Christ and it is indeed "dry." Separate precepts from Christ and we
have no perfect exemplification of them. Sever the promises from
Christ and they are no longer "Yea and Amen." Part asunder the
prophecies from Christ and they are of no profit to the soul, but
rather enigmas for useless speculation. Christ is the Alpha and Omega
of the written Word: "Jesus Christ" is the first name mentioned in the
New Testament (Matthew 1:1) and the last (Rev. 22:21), and the Old is
filled with foreshadowings and forecasts of Him.
If the Christian desires the milk of the Word that he may grow
thereby, it is that he "may grow up into him in all things, which is
the Head, even Christ" (Eph. 4:15). It is unto the image of God's Son
that the saint is predestinated to be conformed. It is upon Christ,
now seated at God's right hand, he is to steadfastly set his affection
(Col. 3:1). It is with his eyes fixed upon Christ that he is to run
the race which is set before him (Heb. 12:2). It is of Christ he is to
learn (Matthew 11:29), from His fulness he is to receive (John 1:16),
by His commandments be directed (John 14:15). It is on Christ he is to
feed, as Israel did on the manna in the wilderness (John 6). It is to
Christ he is to go in all his troubles (Matthew 14:12), for He is a
High Priest who can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. It
is for the honor and glory of Christ he is ever to aim (Phil. 1:20).
In short, the Christian is so to act that he can say "For to me to
live is Christ."
Now in order to have fellowship with another there most be three
things: that other must be known, he must be present, and I must have
a free and familiar access to him. Thus it is with the soul and
Christ. First, I must be personally acquainted with Him: He must be a
living reality to my soul. Therefore it follows that if I am to have
close fellowship with Him I must become better acquainted with Him,
and in proportion as I do so, such will be my true progress. We agree
with Pierce that the words "grow in grace" are explained (in part, at
least) by the clause which immediately follows: "and in the knowledge
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18), for the second
verse of that epistle tells us that grace and peace are multiplied
unto us "through the knowledge of God and of our Lord Jesus." One of
the chief things which retards the Christian, which renders him weak
in faith and causes his graces to languish, is his failure to increase
in the knowledge of his Lord and Saviour, and thereby attain to a
deeper and more intimate acquaintance with Him. How can we fully trust
or set our affections upon One who is well nigh a stranger to us?
Though the Christian believes in an unseen Christ, he does not--he
could not--trust in an unknown Christ. No, his testimony is "I know
whom I have believed" (2 Tim. 1:12), which does not mean I know Him
because I have believed, but rather I believed in Him because He stood
revealed to my heart. Take the experience of the one who penned those
words. There was a time when Paul was ignorant of Christ. Before his
conversion the apostle knew Him not, and consequently he then had no
faith in Him, no love for Him, no pantings after Him. And it is thus
with all before regeneration: they knew not the things which belong to
their everlasting peace. Paul was a great scholar, a strict moralist,
a devout religionist, yet he was completely ignorant of the Lord Jesus
Christ, whom to know is life eternal. He was trained by Gamaliel the
famous teacher of that day, was deeply versed in the contents of the
Old Testament, and had listened to the sermon of dying Stephen; and
yet was a total stranger to the Christ of God. Nor did his theological
training, philosophic mind or acquaintance with the Scriptures, lead
him to a saving knowledge of Christ.
All that Paul knew of Christ was by teaching from above. It was God
who enlightened his mind with a saving knowledge of the truth and who
drew his heart unto the Lord Jesus by His own invincible grace and
love. And thus it is with each one whom the Lord God omnipotent
calleth. Every person in his natural state is altogether ignorant of
the true God and is an utter stranger to the alone and all-sufficient
Mediator, the righteous Redeemer, who is mighty to save. And how are
they brought into an acquaintance with Him? It is wholly of grace and
through the supernatural operations of the Holy Spirit upon their
souls. As the Spirit of wisdom and revelation He is pleased to quicken
the soul with spiritual life and to illumine the mind with a knowledge
of Divine Truth, imparting an inward spiritual perception of Christ to
the heart thereby. The outward revelation of Christ to us is in the
written Word, which sets Him forth and testifies of Him, in which He
is clearly, freely, and fully exhibited. But that external revelation
has no saving effect upon us until the Holy Spirit shines upon our
blind minds, removes the veil which is over our hearts (2 Cor. 3:14,
16), and opens our understandings that we might understand the
Scriptures (Luke 24:45) and what is written therein concerning Christ.
It is only as the soul is regenerated that it is capacitated to take
in spiritual views of the person, office and work of Christ, to obtain
a real and satisfying knowledge of His Godhood and manhood, the
purpose and design of the Father in His miraculous incarnation, life,
obedience, death, and resurrection. It is the great office and work of
the Holy Spirit to "testify" of the Son (John 15:26), to "glorify" Him
(John 16:14), to take of the things of Christ and "show unto" those
for whom He died (John 16:15), to make Him known unto the hearts of
poor sinners. He does this in and by the Word, after He has fitted the
soul to receive it. Hence the apostle said "We know that the Son of
God is come" (1 John 5:20). How did John and those to whom he wrote
"know" that? His next words tell us: "and hath given us an
understanding that we may know him that is true." A spiritual
understanding, which is the gift of God, is a principal part of the
Holy Spirit's work in regeneration, and it is by that spiritual
understanding the quickened soul is enabled to receive from the Word a
spiritual and supernatural knowledge of Christ, just as it is by means
of the eye--and that alone--we can see and admire the glorious shining
of the sun.
If it be asked, What are those sights which the Holy Spirit gives us
whereby He begets faith in the heart or whereby He makes a discovery
of Christ unto the soul? The answer is, the Spirit gives us no other
views of Christ than what are in exact accordance with the revelation
made of Him in the Scriptures of truth. But more specifically: the
first discovery which the Spirit makes of Christ to the poor sinner is
as a fully-suited and all-sufficient Savior, whose person and
perfections are eternal and infinite, who was born into this world and
called Jesus that should "save his people from their sins" (Matthew
1:21). He makes known to the soul the wondrous love and amazing grace
of Christ, His robe of righteousness, His efficacious blood which was
shed for those deserving of naught but Hell. He thereby takes of the
things of Christ and makes such a discovery of them that the soul is
captivated, the will captured and the heart won to Him, and thereby
the sinner is led to believe in His person, surrender to His scepter,
and rest on His finished work. The Spirit enlightens the
understanding, brings the will to choose Him as his absolute Lord, his
heart to love Him, and his conscience to he satisfied with His
sacrifice, and his whole being yields to be governed and guided by
Him.
Thus Christ is revealed in the hearts of his people (Gal. 1:16) as
their one hope of eternal glory. The Word of God is the sole rule and
ground of their faith. Christ is exhibited therein as the immediate
Object of it, and as the Spirit takes of the things of Him and reveals
them to the renewed soul He draws forth its acts upon Christ as he is
made known, and thereby He becomes real and precious to the soul;
thereby the heart is brought into the enjoyment of his love, to
delight in His perfections, to behold Him as "altogether lovely." As
Christ is made the Object of faith, faith is a spiritual perception of
him and thereby He has become a living and present Reality. As the
heart is engaged with Him, as the thoughts are exercised upon His
person, His titles, his offices, His perfection, His work, the soul
exclaims, "my meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the
Lord" (Ps. 104:34). Believers love not an unknown Christ, nor do they
trust in One with whom they are unacquainted. Though unseen by the
natural eye, when faith is in exercise that one can say "I know that
my Redeemer liveth."
Now it is from this personal, inward, and spiritual knowledge of
Christ, received from the Word, as taught by the Spirit, that faith in
Christ takes its rise and love to Him springs therefrom as its proper
cause. But all believers do not possess an equally clear and full
knowledge of Christ. To some He is more fully revealed, whilst others
have a vaguer view and lesser apprehension of Him, which constitutes
the difference between a strong and a weak Christian. The weak
believer knows but little of Christ and therefore does not trust or
delight in Him so much as does a stronger one, for the latter differs
from him in that he is led into a closer and fuller acquaintance with
the Saviour. That may be accounted for both from the Divine side of
things and from the human. As we cannot see the sun but in his own
light, so neither can we see the Sun of righteousness but in His light
(Ps. 36:9). As we cannot see temporal things and objects without
light, so faith cannot see Christ but as the Holy Spirit shines upon
and enlightens it. Nevertheless, Christ is not capricious in His
shining, nor is the Spirit arbitrary in His illumination.
Christ has declared "he that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he
it is that loveth me . . . and I will love him and will manifest
myself to him" (John 14:21). But if the Christian yields to a spirit
of self--pleasing, and for a season keeps not the commands of his
Lord, then such precious manifestations of Him to his soul will be
withheld. It is the office and work of the Spirit to take of the
things of Christ and show them to the renewed, but if the believer
disregards that injunction "grieve not the Holy Spirit of God" (Eph.
4:30) and allows things in his life which are displeasing to Him, so
far from regaling him with fresh views of Christ he will withhold His
cordials and comforts, and make him wretched until be is convicted of
his backsliding and brought to full confession thereof. On the one
hand the Christian who is favored with a deeper knowledge and clearer
acquaintance with Christ frankly disavows any personal credit and
freely ascribes his blessings wholly unto distinguishing grace; but on
the other hand, the Christian who makes little progress in the school
of Christ and enjoys but little intimate fellowship with Him, must
take the entire blame to himself--a distinction which ever needs to be
borne in mind.
Concerning Israel of old and the supply of food which God gave them in
the wilderness it is recorded "and gathered some more, some less" (Ex.
16:17). The manna (type of Christ) was freely given, made accessible
to all alike: if then some were more indolent to appropriate as goodly
a portion as others, they had only themselves to blame. So it is with
the saint and Christ. We are instructed to pray that we may be
increasing in the knowledge of God" (Col. 1:10), but if we are
negligent to do so, or offer the petition only half-heartedly, we
shall have not. We are assured "then shall we know if we follow on to
know the Lord" (Hos. 6:3). The hebrew word for "follow on" signifies
"persevere," "follow after": it is a forceful word, connoting
earnestness and diligence. The way and means are there described: we
must highly value and steadfastly endeavor alter the same, making it
our principal quest (see Prov. 2:1-4; Phil. 3:12-15), and then if we
perform the prescribed duty we may certainly expect the promised
blessing. But if we be lethargic and rest on our oars, no progress is
made., and the fault is entirely ours.
Since the believer owes his salvation to Christ and is to spend
eternity with Him, surely he should make it his chief business and
absorbing concern to obtain a clearer and better knowledge of Him. No
other knowledge is so important, so blessed, so satisfying. We do not
mean a bare, theoretical, speculative and uninfluential knowledge of
Him, but a supernatural, spiritual, believing, and transforming one.
Said the apostle "I count all things but loss for the excellency of
the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord" (Phil. 3:9). Observe how
comprehensive is this knowledge: "Christ, Jesus, Lord"--comprising the
principal aspects in which He is set forth in the Word: "Christ,"
respecting His person and office; "Jesus," His work and salvation;
"Lord," His dominion and rule over us. Note too it is an appropriating
knowledge: "Christ Jesus my Lord" to apprehend Him as mine, on good
grounds, is the excellency of this knowledge. The demons know Him as
Prophet, Priest and King, but they apprehend Him not with personal
appropriation to themselves. But this knowledge enables its possessor
to say "Who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).
This spiritual and saving knowledge of Christ is an effectual one. As
Hebrews 6:9 speaks of "things that accompany salvation," so there are
things which accompany this knowledge. "They that know thy name [the
Lord as revealed] will put their trust in him" (Ps. 9:10) it cannot be
otherwise, and the better they know Him, the firmer and fuller will be
their trust. "He that seeth the Son and believeth on him may have
everlasting life" (John 6:40)--seeing the Son is put before believing
as the cause which produces the effect. The more we study and meditate
upon the glorious person of Christ and His perfect salvation, the more
we realize the everlasting sufficiency of His life and death to save
from all our sins and miseries, the more will faith be fed and
spiritual graces nourished. So too the more will our hearts be
enflamed and our affections drawn out to Him. It must be so, for
"faith worketh by love" (Gal. 5:6). The more Christ is trusted the
more He is endeared to the soul. The more we live in sights and views
of all He has done for us, of all His office relations to us, the more
glorious will He be in our esteem. It is a spiritual view of Christ by
faith which removes guilt from the conscience, produces a sense of
peace and joy in the heart, and enables the soul to say "my beloved is
mine, and I am his."
As this knowledge is accompanied by faith and love, so also is it with
obedience. "Hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his
commandments" (1 John 2:3)--we know no more than we practice! "As ye
have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him" (Col.
2:6)--submitting to His authority, believing His gospel, leaning on
His arm, counting on His faithfulness, looking to Him or everything.
To walk "in him" means to act in practical union with Him. The "walk"
is to be regulated by His revealed will, to tread the path He has
appointed for us. To submit to His will is the only true liberty, as
it is the secret of solid peace and joy. To take His yoke upon us and
learn of Him ensures genuine rest of soul. But as we only enjoy the
good of Christ's promises as they are received by faith (appropriated
to myself and relied upon), so with His precepts--they must be
personally taken to myself and submitted to. Hence we read of "the
obedience of faith" (Rom. 1:5). So, too, they only can be performed by
affection: "if ye love me keep my commandments."
In order to commune with Christ there must be a spiritual knowledge of
Him and an acting faith upon Him. Said the one who most perfectly
exemplified the Christian character "the life that I now live in the
flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave
himself for me" (Gal. 2:20). Christ was his all-absorbing Object, the
Object of his faith and love. Christ was the One who had won his
heart, whom he longed to please and honor, whose name and fame he
sought to spread abroad, whose example he endeavored to follow. It was
upon Him he fed by faith and unto Him he lived in all his actions. It
was from Him he had received his spiritual life, and it was to glorify
Him that he desired to spend and be spent. All our fellowship with
Christ is by faith. It is faith which makes Him real--"seeing him who
is invisible" (Heb. 11:27). It is faith which makes Him present:
"Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw and was glad" (John 8:56).
It is faith which brings Christ down from heaven into the heart (Eph.
3:17). It is faith which enables us to prefer Him above all things and
to say "there is none upon earth I desire besides thee" (Ps. 73:25).
"Of his fulness have all we received and grace for grace" (John 1:
16). The "we" are those spoken of in verses 12, 13. In verse 14 "full
of grace and truth" has reference to His own personal perfections, but
in verse 16 it is His mediatorial fulness which God has given Him for
His people to draw upon. The word "fulness" is sometimes used for
abundance, as in "the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof"
(Ps. 24:1), but as one of the Puritans pointed out, that is too narrow
for its meaning here. In Christ there is not only a fulness of
abundance, but of redundancy--an overflowing fulness of grace. There
is a communication of this fulness of Christ to all believers, and
they have it in a way of "receiving" (cf. Rom. 5:11; Gal, 3:2; 4:5).
That which believers receive from Christ is here said to be "grace for
grace, by which is meant grace answerable to grace--as "an eye for an
eye and a tooth for a tooth," (Matthew 5:38) signifies an eye
answerable to an eye. Whatever grace or holiness there is in Jesus
Christ, there is something in the saint answerable thereto--there is
the same Spirit in the Christian as in Christ.
There is in Christ, as the God-man mediator, a "fulness of grace"
which is available for His people. There is laid up in Him, as in a
vast storehouse, all that the believer needs for time and eternity. Of
that fullness they have received regenerating grace, justifying grace,
reconciling grace; from that fulness they may receive sanctifying
grace, preserving grace, fruit-bearing grace. It is available for
faith to draw upon: all that is required is that we expectantly bring
our empty vessels to be filled by Him. There is a fulness of grace in
Christ which infinitely exceeds our fulness of sin and want, and from
it we are freely invited to draw, "Jesus stood and cried saying, "If
any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink" (John 7:37). Those
words are not to be limited to the sinner's first coming to Christ nor
is the "thirst" to be understood in any restricted sense. If the
believer thirsts for spiritual wisdom, for purity, for meekness, for
any spiritual grace, then let him come to the Fountain of grace and
"drink"--what is drinking but "receiving," our emptiness ministered
unto by His fulness.
When poor Martha, weighed down by her "much serving" fretfully asked
the Saviour to chide her sister, He answered "But one thing is
needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken
away from her" (Luke 10:40-42). What was that "good part" which she
had chosen? This, she "sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word" (v. 39).
Mary had a felt sense of her need: she knew where that need could be
supplied: she came to receive out of Christ's fulness. And He declared
that that is "the one thing needful," for it includes everything else.
Put yourself in that posture of soul, that expectation of faith,
whereby you can receive from Him. To he occupied with, Christ was "the
good part" which would never be taken from her. But in this restless
age "sitting at the feet of Jesus" is a lost art. Instead of humbly
recognizing their own deep need of being ministered to, puffed up with
a sense of their importance and actuated by the energy of the flesh,
they are "cumbered with much serving"--looking after the vineyards of
others, but neglecting their own (Song of Sol. 1:6).
If the Christian is to make real progress he must needs be more
occupied with Christ. As He is the sum and substance of all
evangelical truth then an increasing acquaintance with His person,
offices, and work cannot but nourish the soul and promote spiritual
growth. Yet there must be constantly renewed acts of faith on Him if
we are to draw from His fulness and be more conformed to His image.
The more our affections be set on Him, the lighter shall we hold the
things of this world and the less will carnal pleasures appeal to us.
The more we spiritually meditate upon His humiliations and sufferings,
the more will the soul learn to loathe sin and the more shall we
esteem our heaviest afflictions but "light." Christ is exactly suited
to our every case and Divinely qualified to supply our every need.
Look less within and more to Him. He is the only One who can do you
good. Abhor everything which competes with Him in your affections. Be
not satisfied with any knowledge of Christ which does not make you
more in love with Him and conforms you more to His holy image.
____________________________________________________
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A. W. Pink Header
Spiritual Growth by Arthur W. Pink
10. Its Decline
____________________________________________________
I
First, its nature. That which we are here to be concerned with is what
some writers term "backsliding"--a lucid and expressive word that is
not employed so often as it should be or once was. Like most other
theological terms this one has been made the occasion of not a little
controversy. Some insist that it ought not to be applied to a
Christian since the expression occurs nowhere in the New Testament.
But that is childish: it is not the mere word but the thing itself
which matters. When Peter followed His Master "afar off," warmed
himself at the enemy's fire, and denied Him with oaths, surely he was
in a backslidden state--yet if the reader prefers to substitute some
other adjective we have no objection. Others have argued that it is
impossible for a Christian to backslide, saying that the "flesh" in
him is never reconciled to God and that the "spirit" never departs
from him. But that is mere trifling: it is not a nature but the person
who backslides, as it is the person who acts--believes or sins.
It is not because the word backslide is a controversial one that we
have preferred "decline," but because the former is applied in
Scripture to the unregenerate as well as the regenerate--to professors
as such, and here we are confining our attention to the case of a
child of God whose spirituality diminishes, whose progress is
retarded. There are, of course, degrees in backsliding, for we read of
"the backslider in heart" (Prov. 14:14) as well as those who are such
openly in their ways and walk. Yet to the great majority of the Lord's
people a "backslider" probably connotes one who has wandered a long
way from God, and whom his brethren are obliged to sorrowfully "stand
in doubt of." As we do not propose to restrict ourselves to such
extreme cases, but rather cover a much wider field, we deemed it best
to select a different term and one which seems better suited to the
subject of spiritual growth.
By spiritual decline we mean the waning of vital godliness, the soul's
communion with its Beloved becoming less intimate and regular. If the
Christian's affections cool, he will delight himself less in the Lord
and there will be a languishing of his graces. Hence spiritual decline
consists of a weakening of faith, a cooling of love, a lessening of
zeal, an abatement of that whole-hearted devotedness to Christ which
marks the healthy saint. The perfections of the Redeemer are meditated
upon with less frequency, the quest of personal holiness is pursued
with less ardor, sin is less feared, loathed and resisted. "Thou hast
left thy first love" (Rev. 2:4) describes the case of one who is in a
spiritual decline. When that be the case the soul has lost its keen
relish for the things of God, there is much less pleasure in the
performance of duty, the conscience is no longer tender, and the grace
of repentance is sluggish. Consequently there is a diminishing of
peace and joy in the soul, disquietude and discontent more and more
displacing them.
When the soul loses its relish for the things of God there will be
less diligence in the quest of them. The means of grace though not
totally neglected, are used with more formality and with less delight
and profit. The Scriptures are then read more from a sense of duty
than with a real hunger to feed on them. The throne of grace is
approached more to satisfy conscience than from a deep longing to have
fellowship with its occupant. As the heart is less occupied with
Christ the mind will become increasingly engaged with the things of
this world. As the conscience becomes less tender a spirit of
compromise is yielded to and instead of watchfulness and strictness
there will be carelessness and laxity. As love for Christ cools,
obedience to Him becomes difficult and there is more backwardness to
rood works. As we fail to use the grace already received, corruptions
gain the ascendancy. Instead of being strong in the Lord and in the
power of His might, we find ourselves weak and unable to withstand the
assaults of Satan.
A born-again Christian will never sink into a state of unregeneracy,
though his case may become such that neither himself nor spiritual
onlookers are warranted in regarding him as a regenerate person. Grace
in the Christian's heart will never become extinct, yet he may greatly
decline with respect to the health, strength, and exercise of that
grace, and that from various causes. The Christian may suffer a
suspension of the Divine influences to him. Not totally so, for there
is ever such a working of God as maintains the being of the spiritual
principle of grace (or new nature) in the saint, yet he does not at
all times enjoy the enlivening operations of the blessed Spirit on
that principle, and its activities are then interrupted for a season,
and in consequence, he becomes less conversant with spiritual objects,
his graces languish, his fruitfulness declines, and his inward
comforts abate. The flesh takes full advantage of this and acts with
great violence, and in consequence the Christian is made most
miserable and wretched in himself.
If it be asked, Why does God withdraw the gracious operations of His
Spirit from His people or suspend His comforting influences, which are
so necessary for their walking in Him? Answer may be made both from
the Divine side of things and the human. God may do this in a
sovereign way, without any cause in the manner of their behavior
toward Himself. As He gives five talents to one and only two to
another according as seems good in His sight, so He varies the measure
of grace bestowed on one and another of His people as best pleases
Himself. Should any one be inclined to murmur against this, then let
him pay attention to His silencer: "Is it not lawful for mc to do what
I will with mine own" (Matthew 20:15). God is supreme, independent,
free, and distributes His bounties as He chooses, in nature, in
providence, and in grace. God takes counsel with none, is influenced
by none, but "worketh all things after the counsel of his own will"
(Eph. 1:11). As such He is to be meekly and cheerfully submitted to.
But it is not only from acting according to His own imperial right
that God withdraws from His people the vitalizing and comforting
influences of His Spirit. He does so also that He may give them a
better knowledge of themselves and teach them more fully their entire
dependency upon Himself. By so acting God gives His children to
discover for themselves the strength of their corruptions and the
weakness of their grace. Though saved from the love, guilt, and
dominion of sin, they have not yet been delivered from its power or
presence. Though a holy and spiritual nature has been communicated to
them, yet that nature is hut a creature--weak and dependent--and can
only be sustained by its Author. That new nature has no inherent
strength or power of its own: it only acts as it is acted upon by the
Holy Spirit. "In the Lord have I righteousness and strength" (Isa.
45:21): every believer is convinced of the former, but usually it is
only after many a humiliating experience that he learns his strength
is not in himself but in the Lord.
It is rather in a way of chastisement that, in the great majority of
instances, God withholds from His people the gracious operations of
the Spirit; and that brings us to the human side of things, wherein
our responsibility is involved. Ii the saint becomes lax in his use of
the appointed means of grace--which are so many channels through which
the influences of the Spirit customarily flow--then he will
necessarily be the loser and the fault is entirely his own. Or if the
Christian trifles with temptations and experiences a sad fall, then
the Spirit is grieved and His comforting operations are withheld as a
solemn rebuke. Though God still loves his person; He will let him know
that He hates his sins, and though He will not deal with him as an
incensed Judge, yet He will discipline him as an offended Father; and
it may be long before he is again restored to the freedom and
familiarity that he formerly enjoyed with Him. (See Isa. 59:2; Jer.
5:25; Hag. 1:9, 10.)
Though God draws not His sword against His erring saints, yet He uses
the rod upon them. "If his children forsake my law and walk not in my
judgments, if they break my statutes and keep not my commandments,
then will I visit transgression with the rod and their iniquity with
stripes; nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from
him nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break
nor alter the thing that has gone out of my lips" (Ps. 89:30-34). Then
it is our wisdom to "hear the rod" (Micah 6:9), to humble ourselves
beneath His mighty hand (1 Peter 5:6) and forsake our folly (Ps.
85:8). If we do not duly repent and amend our ways, still heavier
chastisements will be our portion; but "if we confess our sins he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). When the Spirit's influences are
withheld from the Christian, it is always the safest course for him to
conclude he has displeased the Lord and to cry "Show me wherefore thou
contendest with me" (Job 10:2).
Second, its causes. The root cause is failure to mortify indwelling
sin, called "the flesh" in Galatians 5:17, which makes constant
opposition against "the spirit" or the principle of grace in the soul
of believers, A carnal nature is ever present within them, and at no
time is it inactive, whether they perceive it or no, Yea, they are
often unconscious of many of its stirrings, for it works silently,
secretly, subtlety, deceptively, prompting not only to outward acts of
disobedience, but producing unbelief, pride and self-righteousness,
which are most offensive to the holy One. This enemy in the soul
possesses great advantages because its power to rule was unopposed by
us all through our unregeneracy, because of its cursed cunning,
because of the numerous temptations by which it is excited and the
variety of objects upon which it acts. Yet it is our responsibility to
keep our hearts with all diligence, to jealously watch over its
workings, for the principal part of the "fight" to which the Christian
is called consists of continually resisting the uprisings and
solicitations of his evil principle: in other words, to mortify them.
The more carefully the believer observes the many ways in which
indwelling sin assails the soul, the more will he realize his need of
crying to God for help that he may be watchful and faithful in
opposing its lustings. But alas we become slack and inattentive to its
serpentine windings and are tripped up before we are aware of it. This
is stupid folly, and it costs us dearly. By our slothfulness we get a
sore wound in the soul, our graces droop, our conscience is defiled,
our relish for the Word is dulled, and we lag in the performance of
duty. Grace cannot thrive while lust is nourished, for the interests
of the flesh and of the spirit cannot be promoted at the same time.
And if our corruptions be not resisted and denied, they will, they
must, flourish. If the daily work of mortifying the flesh be not
diligently attended to, sin will most certainly become predominant in
its actings in our hearts. If we fail there, we fail everywhere.
True, the lustings of the flesh cannot be rendered inactive, but we
must refuse to provide them with fuel: "make not provision for the
flesh unto the lusts thereof" (Rom. 13:14). Those lusts cannot be
eradicated, but they can (by the Spirit's enablement) be refused.
There is where the responsibility of the Christian comes in. It is his
bounden duty to prevent those lusts occupying his thoughts, engaging
his affections, and prevailing with the will to choose objects which
are agreeable to them. Take covetousness as an example--a lusting
after the empty things of this world. If the mind permits itself to
have anxious thoughts for material riches, and the affections to be
drawn unto them and pleasing images are formed in the imagination, the
lust has prevailed and our conduct will be ordered accordingly. An
earnest pursuit after corrupt things preys upon the vitals of true
spirituality. The preventative for that is to set our affection upon
things above, to make Christ our satisfying portion, and having "food
and raiment . . . therewith be content" (1 Tim. 6:8).
It is very evident then that the Christian should spare no pains in
seeking to ascertain and be sensibly affected by the real causes of
his spiritual decline, for unless he knows from what causes his
spiritual decays proceed, he cannot "remember therefore from whence he
is fallen" nor truly "repent" of his failures or again "do the first
works" (Rev. 2:5); and unless and until he does these very things he
will deteriorate more and more. It is equally clear that if there be
certain appointed means the use of which promotes spiritual growth and
prosperity, then the slighting of those means will inevitably hinder
that growth. As the first of those means is the mortifying of the
flesh it will be found that slackness at that point is the place where
all failure begins. It is sin unmortified and unresisted, yielded to
and allowed, and--what is still worse--unrepented of and unconfessed,
which brings a blight upon the garden of the soul, Sin unmourned and
unforsaken in our affections is more heinous and dangerous than the
actual commission of sin.
Closely connected with the mortifying of sins is the Christian's
devoting of himself entirely to God. Christian progress is largely
determined by continuing as we began--by the measure in which we
steadfastly adhere to the surrender we made of ourselves to Christ at
our conversion and to the vows we took upon us at baptism. If our
conversion was a genuine one we then renounced the world, the flesh
and the devil, and received Christ as our only Lord and Saviour. If
our baptism was a Scriptural one and the believer entered
intelligently into the spiritual import and emblematic purport of that
ordinance, he then professed to have put off the old man, and as he
emerged from the water -- as one symbolically risen with Christ--he
stood pledged to walk in newness of life. As the adult Israelites were
"baptized unto Moses" (1 Cor. 10:1, 2)--accepting him as their
lawgiver and leader, so those who have been "baptized' unto Christ,
have "put on Christ" (Gal. 3:27) having enlisted under His banner,
they now wear His uniform.
The more consistently the believer acts in harmony with the public
profession he made in his baptism, the more real progress will he
make. Since Christ be "the Captain" of his salvation, lie is under
bonds to fight against everything opposed to Him, for "they which live
should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died
for them and rose again (2 Cor. 5:15). Each day the saint should renew
his consecration unto God and live in the realization that "he is not
his own, for he is bought with a price"--no longer free to gratify his
lusts. The more Christ's purchase of him be kept fresh in his mind,
the more resolutely will lie conduct the work of mortification, It is
forgetfulness that we belong to God in Christ which makes us slack in
resisting what He hates. It is such forgetfulness and slackness that
explains the call "remember therefore from whence thou art fallen"
(Rev. 2:5)--i.e., your dedication to God and your baptismal avowal of
identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.
While there be a healthy desire after God and a delighting of
ourselves in Him, an earnest seeking to please Him and the enjoyment
of communion with Him, there is necessarily an averseness for sin and
a zeal against it. While we have a due sense of our obligations to God
and high valuation of His grace to us in Christ, we continue to find
duty pleasant and direct our actions to His glory. But when we become
less occupied with His perfections, precepts, and promises, other
things steal in and little by little our hearts are drawn from Him.
The light of His countenance is no longer enjoyed and darkness begins
to creep over the soul. Love cools and gratitude to Him wanes and then
the work of mortification becomes irksome, and we shelve it. Our lusts
grow more unruly and dominant and the garden of the soul is overrun
with weeds. In such a case we must "repent" and return to "the first
works" (Rev. 2:5)--contritely confess our sinful failures and
re-dedicate ourselves unto God.
Again; if the Christian accords not to the Word of God that honor to
which it is so justly entitled, he is certain to be the loser. If the
Word holds not that place in his affections, thoughts and daily life
which its Author requires, then sad will be the consequences. If the
soul be not nourished by this heavenly bread, if the mind be not
regulated by its instructions, if the walk be not directed by its
precepts, disastrous must be the outcome. We must expect God to hide
His face from us if we seek Him not in those ways wherein He has
promised to meet with and bless us, for such a neglect is both a
violation of His ordinance and a disregard of our own good. I may
spend as much time in reading the Bible today as ever before, but am I
doing so with a definite and solemn treating with God therein? If not,
if my approach be less spiritual, if my motive be less worthy, then a
decline has already begun, and I need to beg God to revive me, quicken
my appetite, and make me more responsive to His injunctions.
Finally; it requires few words here to convince a believer that if
there be a decreasing occupation of his heart with Christ, his fine
gold will soon become dim. If he ceases to grow in a spiritual
knowledge of his Lord and Saviour, if he become lax in desiring and
seeking real communion with Him, if he fails to draw from the fulness
of grace which is available for His people, then a blight will fall
upon all his graces. Faith in Him will weaken, love for Him will
abate, obedience to Him slacken, and He will be "followed" at a
greater distance. His own words on this point are too clear to admit
of mistake: "He that abideth in me and I in him [note the order: we
are always the first to make the breach], the same bringeth forth much
fruit [his graces are healthy and his life abounds in good works], for
severed from Inc [cut off from fellowship] ye can do nothing" (John
15:5). The same things which opposed our first coming to Christ will
seek to hinder our cleaving to Him, and against those enemies we must
watch and pray.
"Faith which worketh by love" (Gal. 5:6). Since it is "with the heart
man believeth" (Rom. 10:10), saving faith and spiritual love cannot be
separated--though they may be distinguished. Faith engages the heart
with Christ, and therefore its affections are drawn out unto Him. Thus
faith is a powerful dynamic in the soul, and acts (to borrow the words
of Thomas Chalmers) as "the impulsive power of a new affection." A
little child may be amusing itself with some filthy or dangerous
object, but present to him a luscious pear or peach and he will
speedily relinquish it. The world absorbs the heart and mind of the
unregenerate because he is of the world and so knows nothing better,
for the Christ of God is a Stranger to him. But the regenerate has a
new nature and by faith becomes occupied with Him who is the Center of
Heaven's glory, and the more the mind be stayed upon Him, the less
appeal will the perishing things of time and sense make upon him. It
is faith in exercise upon its glorious Object which overcometh the
world.
II
We have pointed out the deep importance of ascertaining the causes
from which spiritual decays proceed, in order to bring us to a due
compliance With the injunctions of Revelation 2:5. We cannot turn from
that which is injurious and avail ourselves of the remedy until we are
conscious of and sensibly affected by those things which have robbed
of spiritual health. But let not the young Christian assume a
defeatist attitude and conclude that ere long he too will suffer a
decline. Prevention is better than cure. To he forewarned is to be
forearmed. This aspect of the theme should serve a dual purpose: a
warning against such a calamity and as furnishing instruction for
those whose graces have already begun to languish. Thus far we have
dwelt only on what will be the inevitable consequences if the believer
fails to make a diligent and full use of the chief aids to spiritual
growth; now we proceed to point out other things which are among the
causes of decline.
A slackening in the prayer life will soon lower the level of one's
spiritual health. This is so generally recognized among Christians
that there is the less need for us to say much thereon. Prayer is an
ordinance of Divine appointment, being instituted both for God's glory
and our good. It is an owning of His supremacy and an acknowledgment
of our dependency. On the one hand the Lord requires to be waited on,
to be asked for those things which will minister unto our wellbeing;
and on the other hand, it is by means of prayer that our hearts are
prepared to receive or be denied those things which we desire--for it
is essentially a holy exercise in which our wills are brought into
harmony with the Divine, A considerable part of our religious life
consists in praying, either in public or in private, either orally or
mentally; and our spiritual prosperity ever bears a close proportion
to the degree of fervor and constancy with which this important duty
is attended to. Prayer has been rightly termed "the breath of the new
creature," and if our breathing be impeded then the whole system
suffers--true alike spiritually and naturally.
But prayer is more than a duty: it is also one of the two principal
means of grace, and without it the other (the Word) profits us little
or nothing. Since prayer be the breath of the new creature, we need to
live in its own element--the atmosphere of Heaven. In order thereto a
new and living way has been opened to the throne of grace, whither we
may come with boldness and confidence, and there find help. Help for
what? For everything needed in the Christian life, more particularly,
for enablement to comply with the Divine precepts. That which God
requires from us may be summed up irk one word, obedience, and it is
only through prayer we obtain strength for the performance thereof.
That is partly the meaning of "For the law was given by Moses, but
grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). The law reveals
mans duty, but it conveys no power for the discharge of it. But grace
(as well as truth) comes to us by Jesus Christ as the previous verse
tells us, yet there is no other way of receiving out of His fullness
except by the prayer of faith,
Prayer is even more than a means of grace: it is a holy privilege, an
unspeakable boon, an inestimable favor, and it should be the most
delightful of all spiritual exercises. It is by prayer we have access
to God and converse with Him, whereby He becomes more and more a
living Reality unto the soul. It is then that we draw near to Him and
He draws near to us, and there is a sacred converse the one with the
other. Thereby we commune with and delight ourselves ilk Him, It is
while we are thus engaged that the Spirit graciously fulfills His
office work as the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry "Father!
Father!" We then find He is more ready to hear than we are to speak.
Pleading the merits of Christ we enjoy most blessed fellowship with
Him and obtain fresh foretastes of the everlasting bliss awaiting us
on high. It is to a reconciled Father we come, and as "his dear
children." If we approach in the spirit of the prodigal son, the same
welcome awaits us and the same tokens of love are received by us. It
is then we are made to exclaim "Thou anointest my head with oil, my
cup runneth over" and that we pour out our hearts before Him in praise
and adoration,
Now contemplate a slackening of the prayer life in the light of the
three things pointed out above, and what must be the inevitable
consequences! How can I prosper if I shirk my duty? How can the
blessing of God rest upon me if I largely refuse that which He
requires from me? If prayer also be one of the chief means of grace
and I neglect it, am I not "forsaking my own mercies?" If it be the
only channel through which I obtain fresh supplies of grace from
Christ shall I not necessarily be feeble and sickly? If my strength be
not renewed, how can I successfully resist my spiritual foes? If no
power from on high be received, how shall I he able to tread the path
of obedience? And if prayer be the principal channel of communion and
converse with God, and that holy privilege be lightly esteemed, will
not God soon become less real, my heart grow cold, my faith languish,
and my joy vanish? Yes, a slackening in the prayer life most certainly
entails spiritual decline, with all that accompanies the same.
Sitting under an unedifying ministry. God has appointed and equipped
certain men to act as His shepherds to feed His sheep. He speaks of
them as "pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with
knowledge and understanding" (Jer. 13:15). In the ordinary course of
events it is His method to employ human instrumentality, and therefore
He has provided gifted servants "for the perfecting of the saints"
(Eph. 4:11, 12). Satan knows that, and hence he raises up false
prophets to deceive and destroy. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 warns us that
"such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves
in to the apostles of Christ." Nor should we he surprised at this,
"for Satan himself is transformed as an angel of light. Therefore it
is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the
ministers of righteousness." Those ministers of his have long held
most of the professors' chairs in the seminaries, thousands have
occupied the pulpits of almost every denomination, and the great
majority of those who sat under them were corrupted and fatally
deluded by a specious mixture of truth and lies; and real Christian is
who attended; injuriously affected.
It is because of the presence of these disguised ministers of Satan
that God bids His people "Beloved, I believe not every spirit, but try
the spirits whether they be of God, for many false prophets are gone
out into the [professing] world" (John 4:1). "Try" them by the
unerring standard of Holy Writ: "To the law and to the testimony: if
they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light
in them" (Isa. 8:20). God holds you responsible to "prove all things"
(1 Thess. 5:21) and commends those who have "tried those who say they
are apostles and are not, and hast found them liars" (Rev. 2:2). His
urgent command to each of His children is, "Cease, my son, to hear the
instruction that causeth thee to err from the words of knowledge" (
Prov. 21:27). That is not optional but obligatory, and we disregard it
at our peril. Listening to false doctrine is highly injurious, for it
causes to err from right beliefs and right practices. The ministry we
sit under affects us for good or evil, and therefore our Master
enjoins us "Take heed what ye hear" (Mark 4:24).
It is of far greater moment than young Christians realize that they
heed that which has just been pointed out. The reading matter we
peruse and the religious instruction we imbibe has as real an
influence and effect upon the mind and the soul as that which ye eat
and drink does on the body: if it be corrupt and poisonous its effects
will be identical in each case, Proof of that is found in the history
of the Galatians. To them the apostle said, "Ye did run well: who did
hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?" (5:7), and the answer
was, heretics, Judaisers, who perverted the gospel. And the saint
to-day is hindered ("driven back," margin) if he attends the preaching
of error. Therefore "shun profane and vain babblings, for they will
increase unto more ungodliness and their word will eat as doth a
canker" (2 Tim. 2:16, 17). The teaching of heretics diffuses a noisome
influence, till it eats away the life and power of piety, as a
gangrene spreads through a limb.
But one may sit under what is termed a "sound" ministry and, through
no fault of his own, derive no benefit from the same. There is a "dead
orthodoxy," now widely prevalent, where the truth is preached, yet in
an unctionless manner, and if there be no life in the pulpit there is
not likely to be much in the pew. Unless the message comes fresh from
God, issues warmly and earnestly from the preacher's heart, and be
delivered in the power of the Holy Spirit, it will neither reach the
heart of the hearer nor minister that which will cause him to grow in
grace. There is many a place in Christendom where a living,
refreshing, soul-edifying ministry once obtained, but the Spirit of
God was grieved and quenched, and a visit there is like entering a
morgue: everything is cold, cheerless, lifeless. The officers and
members seem petrified, and to attend such services is to be chilled
and become partaker of that deadening influence. A ministry which does
not lift the soul Godwards, produce joy in the Lord, and stimulate to
grateful obedience, casts the soul down and soon brings it into the
slough of despond.
Only the Day to come will reveal how many a babe in Christ had his
growth arrested through sitting under a ministry which supplied him
not with the sincere milk of the Word. Only that Day will show how
many a young believer, in the warmth and glow of his first love, was
discouraged and dismayed by the coldness and deadness of the place
where he went to worship. No wonder that God so rarely regenerates any
under such a ministry: those places would not prove at all suitable as
nurseries for His little ones. Many a spiritual decline is to be
attributed to this very cause. Then take heed, young Christian, where
you attend. If you cannot find a place where Christ is magnified,
where His presence is felt, where the Word is ministered in the power
of the Spirit, where your soul is actually fed, where you come away as
empty as when you went,--then far better to remain at home and spend
the time on your knees, feeding directly from God's Word, and reading
that which you do find helpful unto your spiritual life.
Companionship with unbelievers. "Enter not into the path of the wicked
and go not in the way of wicked men" (Prov. 4:14). "I have written
unto you not to keep company--with the world" (1 Cor 5: 10, 11). The
word for "company" there means to mingle: we cannot avoid contact with
the unregenerate but we must see to it that our hearts do not become
attracted to them. Indeed the Christian is to have good will toward
all he encounters, seeking their best interests (Gal. 6:10); but he is
to have no pleasure in or complacency toward those who despise his
Master. It is forbidden to walk with the profane in a way of
friendship. "Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers" (2 Cor.
6:14), for familiarity with them will speedily dull the edge of your
spirituality. "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good
manners" (1 Cor. 15:33). We cannot disregard these Divine precepts
with impunity. "Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity
with God?" (James 4:4). "A companion of fools shall be destroyed"
(Prov. 13:20).
But it is not only the openly profane and lawless who are to be
shunned by the saint: he needs especially to avoid empty professors.
By which we mean, those who claim to be Christians but who do not live
the Christian life; those who are "church members" or "in fellowship"
with some assembly, but whose conduct is careless and carnal; those
who attend service on Sunday, but who may be found at the movies or
the dance-hall during the week. The empty professor is far more
dangerous as a close acquaintance than one who makes no profession:
the Christian is less on his guard with the former, and having some
confidence in him is more easily influenced by him. Beware of those
who say one thing but do another, whose talk is pious but whose walk
is worldly. The Word of God is plain and positive on this point:
"Having a form of godliness, but [in action] denying the power
[reality] thereof: from such turn away" (2 Tim. 3:5). If you do not,
they will soon drag you down with themselves into the mire.
O young Christian, your "companions," those with whom you most closely
associate, exert a powerful influence upon you for either good or
evil. Far better that you should tread a lonely path with Christ, than
that you offend Him by cultivating friendship with religious
worldlings. "He that liveth in a mill, the flour will stick upon his
clothes. Man receiveth an insensible taint from the company he
keepeth. He that liveth in a shop of perfumes and is often handling
them carrieth away some of their fragrancy: so by converse with the
godly we are made like them" (A Puritan). "He that walketh with wise
men shall be wise" (Prov. 13:20). In selecting your closest friend,
let not a pleasing personality allure: there are many wolves irk
sheep's clothing. Be most careful in seeing to it that what draws you
to and makes you desire the Christian companionship of another is his
or her love and likeness to Christ, and not his love and likeness to
yourself.
"I am a companion of all that fear thee and of them that keep thy
precepts" (Ps. 119:63) should be the aim and endeavor of the child of
God, though such characters indeed are very scarce these evil days.
They are the only companions worth having, for they alone will
encourage you to press forward along the "narrow way." It is not those
who profess to "believe in the Lord," but those who give evidence they
revere Him; not those who merely profess to "stand for" His precepts,
but who actually perform them, that you need to seek out. So far from
sneering at your "strictness" they will strengthen you therein, give
salutary counsel, be fellow helpers in prayer and piety: the godly
will quicken you to more godliness. Their conversation is on sacred
topics, and that will draw out your affection to things above. If you
are unable to locate any of these characters, then make it your
earnest prayer "Let those that fear thee turn unto me and those that
know thy testimonies" (Ps. 119:79).
An undue absorption with worldly things. "Worldly" is a term that
means very different things in the minds and mouths of different
people. Some Christians complain that their minds are "worldly" when
they simply mean that, for the time being (and often rightly so),
their thoughts are entirely occupied with temporal matters. We do not
propose to enter into a close defining of the term, but would point
out that the performing of those duties which God has assigned us in
the world, or the availing ourselves of its conveniences (such as
trains, the telegraph, the printing press), or even enjoying the
comforts which it provides (food, clothing, housing), are certainly
not "worldly" in any evil sense. That which is injurious to the
spiritual life is, time wasted in worldly pleasures, the heart
absorbed in worldly pursuits, the mind oppressed by worldly cares. It
is the love of the world and its things which is forbidden, and very
close watch needs to be kept on the heart, otherwise it will glide
insensibly into this snare.
The case of Lot supplies a most solemn warning against this evil. He
yielded to a spirit of covetousness and so consulted temporal
advantages that the spiritual welfare of his family was disregarded.
When Abraham invited him to make choice of a portion of Canaan for
himself and his herds, instead of remaining in the vicinity of his
uncle, upon whom the blessing of the Most High rested, he "lifted up
his eyes (acting by sight rather than by faith) and beheld all the
plain of Jordan that it was "veil watered everywhere . . . then Lot
chose him all the plain of Jordan and Lot journeyed east." Thus, he
even went outside the land itself, for we are told "Abraham dwelt in
the land of Canaan and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and
pitched his tent toward Sodom" (Gen. 13:8-10). Nor did that content
him: he became an alderman in Sodom (Gen. 18:1) and discarded the
pilgrim's "tent" for a "house" (v. 3). How disastrous the sequel was
both to himself and his family is well known.
One form of worldliness which has spoiled the life and testimony of
many a Christian is politics. We will not now discuss the question
whether or not the saint ought to take any interest in polities, but
simply point out what should be evident to all with spiritual
discernment, namely, that to take an eager and deep concern in
politics must remove the edge from any spiritual appetite. Clearly,
politics are concerned only with the affairs of this world, and
therefore to become deeply absorbed in them and have the heart engaged
in the pursuit thereof, will inevitably turn attention away from
eternal things. Any worldly matter, no matter how lawful in itself,
which engages our attention inordinately, becomes a snare and saps our
spiritual vitality. We greatly fear that those saints who spent
several hours a day in listening to the speeches of candidates,
reading the newspapers on them, and discussing party politics with
their fellows during the recent election, lost to a considerable
extent their relish for the Bread of Life.
III
Having dwelt at some length on the nature of spiritual decline and
pointed out some of the principal causes thereof, a few words should
be said on its insidiousness. Sin is a spiritual disease (Ps. 103:3)
and, like so many others, it works silently and unsuspected by us, and
before we are aware of it our health is gone. We are not sufficiently
on our guard against "the deceitfulness of sin" (Heb. 3:13): unless we
resist its first workings, it soon obtains an advantage over us. Hence
we are exhorted "Take good heed therefore unto yourselves that ye love
the Lord your God" (Josh. 23:11), for all spiritual decline may be
traced back to a diminution of our love for Him. The love of God is of
heavenly extraction, but being planted in an unfriendly soil, it
requires guarding and watering. We are not only surrounded with
objects which attract our affections and operate as rivals to the
blessed God, but have an inward propensity to depart from Him.
In the early stages of the Christian life love is usually fresh and
fervent. The first believing views of the gospel fill the heart with
amazement and praise to the Lord, and a flow of grateful affection is
the spontaneous outcome. The soul is profoundly moved, wholly absorbed
with God's unspeakable gift, and weaned from all other objects. This
is what God terms "the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine
espousals" (Jer. 2:2). It is then that the one who has found such
peace and joy exclaims, "I love the Lord because he hath heard my
voice, my supplications [for mercy], because he hath inclined his ear
unto me: therefore will I call upon him as long as I live" (Ps. 116:1,
2). At that season the renewed soul can scarcely conceive it possible
to forget Him who has done such great things for it or to lapse back
in any measure to his former loves and lords. But if after twenty
years of cares and temptations have passed over him without producing
this effect, it will indeed be happy. There are some who experience no
decline, but that is far from being the case with all.
There are those who speak of the Christian's departing from his first
love as a matter of course, who regard it as something inevitable. Not
a few elderly religious professors who have themselves become cold and
carnal (if they ever had life in them), will seek to bring young and
happy Christians to this doleful and God's dishonoring state of mind.
With a sarcastic smile they will tell the babe in Christ, though you
are on the mount of enjoyment today, rest assured it will not be long
until you come down. But this is erroneous and utterly misleading. Not
so did the apostles act towards young converts. When Barnabas visited
the young Christians at Antioch, he "saw the grace of God and was
glad," and so far from leading them to expect a state of decline from
their initial fervor, assurance, and joy, he "exhorted them all, that
with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord" (Acts 11:23).
While the great Head of the church, informed the Ephesian saints that
He had it against them "because thou hast left thy first love" (Rev.
2:4).
There is no reason or necessity in the nature of things why there
should be any abatement in the Christian's love, zeal, or comfort.
Those objects and considerations which first gave rise to them have
not lost their force. There has been no change in the grace of God,
the efficacy of Christ's blood, the readiness of the Spirit to guide
us into the truth. Christ is still the "Friend of sinners," able to
save them unto the uttermost that come to God by Him. So far from
there being good or just reason why we should decline in our love, the
very opposite is the ease. Our first views of Christ and His gospel
were most inadequate and defective: if we follow on to know the Lord,
we shall obtain a better acquaintance with Him, a clearer perception
of His perfections, His suitability to our ease, His sufficiency. He
should, therefore, be more highly esteemed by us. Said the apostle
"this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge
and in all judgment" (Phil. 1:9). So far from himself relapsing, as he
neared the end of his course, forgetting the things that were behind,
he reached forth to those that were before.
To decline in our love is quite unnecessary and to be lamented, but to
attempt a vindication of it is highly reprehensible. It would be
tantamount to arguing that we were once too spiritually minded, too
tender in conscience, too devoted to God. That we were unduly occupied
with Christ and made too much of Him: that we overdid our efforts to
please Him. It is also practically to say, we did not find that
satisfaction in Christ which we expected, that we obtained not the
peace and pleasure in treading Wisdom's ways that we looked for, and,
therefore, that we were obliged to seek happiness in returning to our
former pursuits, and thereby we confirmed the sneer of our old
companions at the outset, that our zeal would soon abate and that we
would return again to them. To such renegades God says "O my people,
what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify
against me" (Micah 6:3).
The fact remains, however, that many do decline from their first love,
though they are seldom aware of it until some of its effects appear.
They are like foolish Samson, who had trifled with temptations and
displeased the Lord, and who "awoke out of his sleep and said, I will
go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not
that the Lord was departed from him" (Judges 16:20). Yielding to sin
blinds the judgment, and we are unconscious that the Spirit is grieved
and that the blessing of God is no longer upon us, Our friends may
perceive it and feel concerned because of the same, but we ourselves
are not aware of it. Then it is those solemn words accurately describe
our case: "strangers have devoured his strength, and he knows it not;
yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not" (Hos.
7:9)! "Gray hairs" are a sign of the decay of our constitution and of
approaching decrepitude: so there are some signs which tell of the
spiritual decline of a Christian, but usually he is oblivious to their
presence.
We will turn now and point out some of the symptoms of spiritual
decline. Since sin works so deceitfully and Christians are unconscious
of the beginnings of retrogression, it is important that the signs
thereof should be described. Once again we find that the natural
adumbrates the spiritual, and if due attention is paid thereto, much
that is profitable for the soul may be learned therefrom. Constipation
is either due to self-neglect or a faulty diet, and when sin clogs the
soul it is because we have neglected the work of mortification and
failed to eat "the bitter herbs" (Ex. 12:8). Loss of appetite,
paleness of countenance, dullness of eye, absence of energy, are so
many evidences that all is not well with the body and that we are on
the way to a serious illness unless things soon are righted: and each
of those has its spiritual counterpart. Irritability, inability to
relax, and loss of sleep, are the precursors of a nervous breakdown,
and the spiritual equivalents are a call "return unto thy rest O my
soul" (Ps. 116:7).
In cases of leprosy, real or supposed, the Lord gave orders that the
individual should be carefully examined, his true state ascertained,
and judgment given accordingly. And just so far as a spiritual disease
is more odious and dangerous than a physical one, by so much is it
necessary for us to form a true judgment concerning it. Every spot is
not a leprosy! and every imperfection in a Christian does not indicate
he is in a spiritual decline. Even the apostle Paul groaned over his
inward corruptions, and confessed He had not yet attained nor was he
already perfect, but pressed forward to the mark for the prize of the
high calling. Yet those honest admissions were very far from being
acknowledgments that he was a backslider or that he had given way to
an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. Great care
has to be taken on either side, lest on the one hand we call darkness
light and excuse ourselves, or on the other call light darkness and
needlessly write bitter things against ourselves.
Undoubtedly more are in danger of doing the former than the latter.
Yet there are Christians, and probably not a few, who wrongly
depreciate themselves, draw erroneous conclusions and suppose their
case is worse than it is. For instance, there are those who grieve
because they are no longer conscious of that energetic zeal, of those
fervent and tender affections, which they were sensible of in the day
of their espousals. But a change in their natural constitution, from
an increase of years, will account for that. Their animal spirits have
waned, their natural energy has diminished, their mental faculties are
duller. But though there be less tender and warm feelings, there may
be more stability and depth in them, Many things relating to the
present world, which in our youth would produce tears, will not have
that effect as we mature, though they may lay with greater weight on
our spirits. To confuse the absence of the brightness and excitement
of youth with spiritual decline and coldness is a serious mistake.
On the other hand every departure from God must not be reckoned a mere
imperfection, which is common to all the regenerate. Alas, the
tendency with writer and reader alike is to flatter himself that his
"spot" is only "the spot of God's children" (Deut. 32:5), or such as
the best of Christians are subject to; and therefore to conclude there
is nothing very evil or dangerous about it. Though we may not pretend
or deny that we have any faults, yet are we not ready to regard them
lightly and say of some sin, as Lot said of Zoar "is it not a little
one?" Or to exclaim unto one we have wronged, "What have we done so
much against thee?" But such a self-justifying spirit evidences a most
unhealthy state of heart and is to be steadfastly resisted. The
apostle Paul spoke of a certain condition of soul which he feared he
should find in the Corinthians: that of having sinned and yet not
repented for their deeds, and where that is the case spiritual decay
has reached an alarming stage. Here are some of the symptoms of
spiritual decline.
1. Waning of our love for Christ. If the Lord Jesus is less precious
to our souls than He was formerly, in His person, office, work, grace,
and benefits, whatever we may think of ourselves, we have assuredly
gone back. If we have a lower esteem of the Lover of our souls, if our
delight in Him was decreased, if our meditation upon His perfections
are more infrequent, if we commune less with Him, then grace in us has
certainly suffered a relapse. It is the nature of certain plants to
turn their faces towards the light: so it is of indwelling grace to
strongly incline the heart unto heavenly objects and to take pleasure
therein. But if we neglect the means of grace, are not careful to
avoid sinful pleasures, or suffer ourselves to be weighted down by the
concerns and cares of this life, then will our affections indeed be
dampened and our minds rendered vain and carnal. As it is only by acts
of faith on the glory of Christ that we are changed into His image (2
Cor. 3:18), so a diminishing of such views of Him will cause our
hearts to become chilled and lifeless.
2. Abatement of our zeal for the glory of God. As the principle of
grace in the believer causes him to have assurance of Divine mercy to
him through the Mediator, so it inspires concern for the Divine honor.
As that principle is healthy and vigorous it will cause us to refuse
whatever displeases and dishonors God and His cause, and inspire us to
practice those duties with a peculiar pleasure which are most
conducive to the glory of God, and which give the clearest evidence of
our subjection to the royal scepter of Christ. If the new nature be
duly nourished and kept lively, it will influence us to bring forth
fruit unto the praise of God; but if that new nature be starved or
become sickly, our concern for God's glory will greatly decrease. If
we have become less conscientious than formerly of whether our conduct
become or bring reproach upon the holy Name we bear, then that is a
sure mark of our spiritual decline.
3. Loss of our spiritual appetite. Was there not a time, dear reader,
when you could truly say "Thy words were found and I did eat them, and
thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart" (Jer. 15:16)?
If you cannot honestly affirm that today, then you have retrograded.
You may indeed be a keener "Bible student" than ever before and spend
more time than previously in searching the Scriptures, but that proves
nothing to the point. It is not an intellectual interest but a
spiritual relish for the Bread of life that we are now treating of. Do
we really savor the things that be of God: the precepts as well as the
promises, the portions that search and wound as well as comfort? Do we
not merely wish to understand its prophecies and mysteries, but really
"hunger and thirst after righteousness"? If we prefer ashes to the
heavenly manna, the "husks" which the swine feed on to the fatted
calf--secular literature than sacred--then that is an evident sign of
spiritual decline.
4. Sluggishness or drowsiness of mind. One is in a sad frame when
exercise before God and communion with Him are supplanted by carnal
ease. In spiritual torpor it is much the same as in the natural: our
senses are no longer exercised to discern good and evil, we neither
see nor hear as we ought, nor can we be impressed and affected by
spiritual objects as we should be. While in such a condition spiritual
duties are neglected, or at most performed perfunctorily and
mechanically, so that we are none the better for them. If spiritual
duties be attended to from custom or conscience rather than from love,
they neither honor God nor profit ourselves. Though the outward
exercise be gone through, the spirit of it is lacking, the heart is no
longer in them. Those who read the Bible or say their prayers as a
matter of form or habit perceive no change in themselves: but those
who are accustomed to treat with God in them, and then discover a
disinclination thereto, may know that grace in them has languished. If
we have no delight in them we are in a sad case.
5. Relaxing in our watchfulness against sin. The want of alertness in
guarding against all that is evil, under a quick and tender sense of
its loathsome nature, is a sure sign of spiritual decline, Refusing to
keep our hearts with all diligence, indifference to the working of our
corruptions, trifling with temptations without, are certain evidences
of the decay of personal holiness. When the new nature is healthy and
vigorous, sin is exceedingly sinful to the saint, because he then has
a clear and forcible apprehension of its malignity and contrariety to
God, and that maintains in him a holy indignation against it. While
the mind is engaged in considering the awful price which was paid for
the remission of our sins, a detestation of evil is stirred up in the
heart, and that is attended with strict watchings, for the renewed
soul cannot countenance that which was the procuring cause of his
Savior's death. Such an exercise of grace has been obstructed if sin
now appears less heinous and there is less care in maintaining a watch
against it.
6. Attempting to defend our sins. There are some sins which all know
are indefensible, but there are others which even professing
Christians seek to justify. It is almost surprising to see what
ingenuity people will exercise when seeking to find excuses where sin
is concerned. The cunning of the old serpent which appeared in the
excuses of our first parents seems here to supply the place of wisdom.
Those possessing little perspicuity in general matters are singularly
quick-sighted in discovering every circumstance that appears to make
in their favor or serves to extenuate their fault. Sin, when we have
committed it, loses its sinfulness, and appears a very different thing
from what it did in others. When a sin is committed by us, it is
common to give it another name--covetousness becomes thrift, malignant
contentions fidelity for the truth, fanaticism zeal for God--and
thereby we become reconciled to it and are ready to enter on a
vindication, instead of penitently confessing and forsaking it.
7. Things of the world obtaining control of us. In proportion as the
objects of this scene have power to attract our hearts, to that extent
is faith inoperative and ineffectual. It is the very nature of faith
to occupy us with spiritual, heavenly, and eternal objects, and as
they become real and precious our affections are drawn out to them,
and the baubles of time and sense lose all value to us. When the soul
is communing with God, delighting itself in His ineffable perfections,
such trifles as our dress, the furnishing of our homes, the glittering
show made by the rich of this world, make no appeal to us. When the
Christian is ravished by the excellency of Christ and the inestimable
portion or heritage he has in Him, the pleasures and vanities which
charm the ungodly will not only have no allurement but will pall upon
him. It therefore follows that when a Christian begins to thirst after
the things of time and sense and evinces a fondness for them, his
grace has sadly declined. Those who find satisfaction in anything
pertaining to this life have already forsaken the Fountain of living
waters and hewed them out broken cisterns that hold no water (Jer.
2:13).
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Spiritual Growth by Arthur W. Pink
11. Its Recovery
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I
We shall attempt little more here than seeking to show the necessity
for recovery from a spiritual decline. Nor will that be an easy task:
not because of any inherent difficulty in this aspect of our subject,
but owing to the variety of cases which need to be considered, and
which should be dealt with separately. There are some physical
ailments which if handled promptly call for comparatively mild
treatment, but there are others that demand more drastic means and
remedies. Yet as any doctor will testify, many are careless about what
are deemed trifling disorders and delay so long in attending to the
same that their condition so deteriorates as to become dangerous and
often fatal. In the last chapter we pointed out that every spot was
not leprosy: yet it should be remembered that certain spots which
resembled that disease aroused suspicion, and required that the
patient be examined by the priest, isolated from others, and kept
under his observation until the case could be more definitely
determined--depending upon whether there was a further deterioration
or spreading of the spot (Lev. 13:4-8).
It is much to be doubted if there is any Christian on earth who so
retains his spiritual vitality and vigor that he never stands in need
of a "reviving' of his heart (Isa. 58:15); that there is no time when
he feels it requisite to cry quicken thou me according to thy word"
(Ps. 119:25). Yet it must not be concluded from this statement that
every saint experiences a definite relapse in his spiritual life, and
still less that a life of ups and downs, decays and recoveries,
backslidings and restorations, is the best that can be expected. The
experiences of others is not the Rule which God has given us to walk
by. Crowded dispensaries and hospitals do indeed supply a warning, but
they certainly do not warrant my lapsing into carelessness or
fatalistically assuming I too shall ere long be physically afflicted.
God has made full provision for His people to live a holy, healthy,
and happy life, and if I observe many of them failing to do so, it
should stimulate me to greater watchfulness against the neglect of
God's provision.
After what has been discussed in previous chapters it should scarcely
be necessary to remind the reader that unless the Christian maintains
close and steady communion with God, daily intercourse with and
drawing from Christ's fulness, and regular feeding on the Word, the
pulse of his spiritual life will soon beat more feebly and
irregularly. Unless he often meditates on the love of God, keeps fresh
before his heart the humiliation and sufferings of Christ, and
frequents the throne of grace, his affections will soon cool, his
relish for spiritual things will decrease, and obedience will neither
be so easy nor pleasant. If such a deterioration be ignored or
excused, it will not be long ere his heart glides imperceptibly into
carnality and worldliness: worldly pleasures will begin to attract,
worldly pursuits absorb more of his attention, or worldly cares weight
him down. Then, unless there be a return to God and humbling of the
heart before Him, it will not he long--unless providence
hinder--before he be found in the ways of open transgression.
There are degrees of backsliding. In the case of a real child of God
it always commences in the heart's departure from Him, and where that
be protracted, evidences thereof will soon appear in the daily walk.
Once a Christian becomes a backslider outwardly he has lost his
distinguishing character, for then there is little or nothing to
distinguish him from a religious worldling. Backsliding always
presupposes a profession of faith and adherence unto Christ, though
not necessarily the existence or reality of the thing professed. An
unregenerate professor may be sincere though deluded and he may, from
various considerations, persevere in his profession to the end. But
more frequently, he soon wearies of it, and after the novelty has worn
off or the demands made upon him become more intolerable, he abandons
his profession, and like the sow returns to his wallowing in the mire.
Such is an apostate, and with very rare exceptions--if indeed there be
any at all--his apostasy is total and final.
Up to the beginning of this chapter we have confined ourselves to the
spiritual life of the regenerate, but we have now reached the stage
where faithfulness to souls requires us to enlarge our scope. Under
our last division we dwelt upon spiritual decline: its nature, its
causes, its insidiousness and its symptoms. It is pertinent therefore
to enquire now, What will be the sequel to such a decline? A general
answer cannot be returned, for as the decline varies considerably in
different cases--some being less and some more, acute and extended
than others--the outcome is not always the same. Where the relapse of
a Christian be marked--if not to himself, yet to onlookers--he has
entered the class of "backsliders" and that will cause the spiritual
to stand in doubt of him. It is this consideration which requires us
to enlarge the class to which we now address our remarks, otherwise,
unregenerate professors who have deteriorated in their religious life
would be likely to derive false comfort from that which applies only
to those who have been temporarily despoiled by Satan.
Unless spiritual decline be arrested it will not remain stationary,
but become worse, and the worse it becomes the less are we justified
in regarding it as a "spiritual decline," and the more does Scripture
require us to view it as the exposure of a worthless profession. Hence
it is that any degree of spiritual deterioration is to be regarded not
complacently, but as something serious and if not promptly corrected,
as highly dangerous in its tendency. But Satan will attempt to
persuade the Christian that though his zeal has abated somewhat and
his spiritual affection cooled, there is nothing for him to worry
about; that even if his health has begun to decline, yet, seeing he
has not fallen into any great sin, his condition is not at all
serious. But every decay is dangerous, especially such as the mind is
ready to excuse and plead for a continuance therein. The nature and
deadly tendency of sin is the same in itself, whether it be in an
unregenerate, or a regenerate person, and if it be not resisted and
mortified, repented of and forsaken, the outcome will be the same.
"When lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin, and sin, when it is
finished, bringeth forth death, Do not err, my beloved brethren"
(James 1:15, 16).
Three stages of spiritual decline are solemnly set before us in
Revelation 2 and 3. First, to the Ephesian backslider Christ says, "I
have against thee, because thou hast left thy first love" (2:4). That
is the more striking and searching because there was much here that
the Lord commended: "I know thy works and thy labor and thy patience .
. . and for my name's sake hast labored and hast not fainted." Yet He
adds, "Nevertheless, I have against thee." In this case, things were
still all right in the external life, but there was an inward decay.
Observe well that this Divine indictment "I have against thee because
thou hast left thy first love" is an unmistakably plain intimation
that Christians are held accountable for the state of their love
Godwards. There are some who seem to conclude from those words "the
love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is
given unto us" (Rom. 5:5) that they have no personal responsibility in
connection therewith, and who attribute to the sovereignty of God
their coldness of heart, rather than blaming themselves for the waning
of their affections. But that is highly reprehensible: being an adding
of insult to injury.
It is as much the duty of a saint to maintain a warm and constant
affection to Christ as it is to preserve his faith in regular
exercise, and he is no more warranted in excusing his failure in the
one than in the other. We are expressly bidden, "Keep yourselves in
the love of God" (Jude) and "set your affection on things above" (Col.
3:1), and it is a horrible perversion and abuse of a blessed truth if
I attribute my not doing so unto God's sovereign withholding from me
the inclination. Those words of Christ's "I have against thee" is the
language of censure because of failure, and He certainly had not used
it unless he was to blame. Observe He does not merely say "Thou hast
lost thy first love," as it is so frequently misquoted--man ever tones
down what is unpalatable! No, "thou hast left thy first
love"--something more serious and heinous. One may "lose" a thing
involuntarily, but to leave it is deliberate action! Finally, let us
duly note that our Lord regarded that departure not as an innocent
infirmity, but as a culpable sin, for He says "repent"!
In his faithful sermon on Revelation 2:4 C. H. Spurgeon pointed out
that we ought to feel alarmed if we have left our first rove, and ask
the question, "Was I ever a child of God at all?" going on to say:
"Oh, my God, must I ask myself this question? Yes, I will. Are there
not many of whom it is said, they went out from us because they were
not of us? Are there not some whose goodness is as the morning cloud
and as the early dew--may that not have been my case? I am speaking
for you all. Put the question: may I not have been impressed under a
certain sermon, and may not that impression have been a mere carnal
excitement? May it not have been that I thought I repented, but did
not really repent? May it not have been the case that I got a hope
where, but had not a right to it? and never had the loving faith that
unites me to the Lamb of God? And may it not have been that I only
thought I had love to Christ, and never had it; for if I really had
love to Christ should I be as I now am? See how far I have come down!
may I not keep on going down until my end shall be perdition and the
fire unquenchable? Many have gone from heights of a profession to the
depths of damnation, and may I not be the same? Let me think, if I go
on as I am, it is impossible for me to stop; if I am going downwards,
I may go on doing so. And O my God, If I go on backsliding for another
year--who knows where I may have backslidden to? Perhaps into some
gross sin. Prevent, prevent it by Thy grace! Perhaps I may backslide
totally. If I am a child of God I know I cannot do that; but still may
it not happen that I only thought I was a child of God?"
Searching as is the complaint of Christ to the Ephesian backslider,
His word to the Sardinian is yet more drastic: "I know thy works, that
thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead" (3:1). That does not
signify that He was here addressing an unregenerate person, but rather
one whose conduct belied his name. His life did not correspond with
his profession. He had a reputation for piety, but there was no longer
evidence to justify it, no fruit to warrant it any longer. Not only
had there been deterioration within, but also without. The salt had
lost its savor, the fine gold had become dim, and hence his profession
brought no honor and glory to Christ. He bids him "Be watchful," for
that was the very point at which he had failed. "And strengthen the
things which remain, that are ready to die," which shows the "art
dead" of verse 1 does not mean dead in sins. "For I have not found thy
works perfect before God"--not "complete" or "full." Good works were
not yet totally abandoned, but many of them were lacking. Part of his
duty was listlessly performed, the other part neglected, and even the
former was ready to die."
Thus it will be seen that the case of the Sardinian backslider is much
worse than that of the Ephesian. There is no remaining stationary in
Christianity: if we do not advance, we retrograde; if we are not
fruit-bearing branches of the Vine, we become cumberers of the ground.
Decay of grace is not a thing to be regarded lightly, and treated with
indifference. If it is not attended to and corrected, our condition
will grow worse. If we do not return to our first love--by heeding the
injunctions laid down in Revelation 2:5--then we may expect to become
like the Sardinian backslider: one whose witness for Christ is marred.
Unless our hearts are kept right, our affection to Christ warm, then
the life will soon deteriorate--our works will be deficient both in
quality and quantity, and those around us will perceive it. Ere long a
"name to live" is all we shall have: the profession itself will be
invalid, worthless, "dead."
But worst of all is the Laodicean professor (3:15-20). What makes his
case so fearfully solemn is that we are at a loss where to place him,
how to classify him--whether he is a real Christian who has fearfully
backslidden, or naught but an empty professor. To him Christ says
"thou art neither hot nor cold," neither one thing nor the other, but
rather an unholy mixture. Such are those who vainly attempt to serve
two masters, who are worshippers of God one day, but worshippers of
mammon the other six. To him Christ goes on to say "I would thou wert
cold or hot": that is either an open and avowed enemy or a faithful
and consistent witness for Me. Be one thing or the other: a foe or a
friend, an utter worldling or one who is in spirit and in truth a
"stranger and pilgrim" in this scene. Corrupt Christianity is more
offensive to Christ than is open fidelity. If he who bears his name
does not depart from iniquity, His honor is affected. "Because thou
art lukewarm . . . I will spue thee out of my mouth": in thy present
condition thou art an offense to me, and I can no longer own thee.
It is the figure of an emetic which Christ there uses: the mingling
together of what is hot and cold, thus producing a "lukewarm" draught
which is nauseating to the stomach. And that is exactly what an
"inconsistent Christian" is to the Holy One. He who runs with the hare
and hunts with the hounds, who is one man inside the church and a
totally different one outside; he who seeks to mix godliness with
worldliness "I will spue thee out of my mouth"--instead of confessing
his name before the Father and His holy angels. But observe what
follows: "thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have
need of nothing." Exactly opposite is this estimation of his from
Christ's. No longer "poor in spirit" (Matthew 5:3), he declares
himself to be "rich." No longer coming to the throne of grace as a
beggar to obtain help, he deems himself to be "increased with goods."
No longer sensible of his ignorance, weakness, emptiness, he feels
himself to "have need of nothing." That is what makes his case so
dangerous and desperate: he has no sense of personal need.
"And knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and
blind, and naked." As carnality and worldliness increase, so also does
pride and complacency, and where they dominate spiritual discernment
becomes non-existent, Phariseeism and self-sufficiency are
inseparable. It was to those who prayed, "God, I thank thee, that I am
not as other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers," and who asked
Christ, "are we blind also?" to whom He said, "ye say, We see:
therefore your sin remaineth" (John 15:41). The Pharisee boasted "I
fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess": in his
own esteem and avowal he was "rich and increased with goods, and had
need of nothing," and for that very reason he knew not that He was
"wretched and miserable and poor." That too is another form of the
nauseating mixture which is so abhorrent to Christ: orthodox in
doctrine, but corrupt in practice. One who is loud in claiming to be
sound in the faith but who is tyrannical and bitter toward those who
differ from him, who holds "high doctrine but cannot live in peace
with his brethren, is as offensive to Christ as if he were thoroughly
worldly.
Can such a character as the one who has just been before us be a real
though a backslidden Christian? Frankly, we know not, for we are
unable to say just how far a saint may fall into the mire and foul his
garments before God recovers him, by answering him with "terrible
things in righteousness" (Ps. 65:5). Before He made good that awful
threat and spued out the Laodicean professor, Christ made a final
appeal to him. "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire,
that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be
clothed and the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine
eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." But though we do not feel
capable of deciding whether or not "the root of the matter" really is
in him, two things are plain to us. First, that if I have "left my
first love" it will not be long before my profession will become
"dead," and unless it is revived I shall soon be a Laodicean. Second,
that while any person is in a Laodicean state he has no Scriptural
warrant to regard himself as a Christian, nor should others consider
him as such,
There are many professing Christians who have declined in their
practice of piety to a considerable extent, yet who comfort themselves
with the idea that they will be brought to repentance before they die.
But that is not only an unwarrantable comfort, but is presumptuously
tempting God. As another has pointed out, "Whosoever plunges into the
gulf of backsliding or continues easy in it under the idea of being
recovered by repentance, may find himself mistaken. Both Peter and
Judas went in, but only one of them came out! There is reason to fear
that thousands of professors are now lifting up their eyes in torment,
who in this world reckoned themselves good men, who considered their
sins as pardonable errors, and laid their accounts of being brought to
repentance: but, ere they were aware, the Bridegroom came and they
were not ready to meet him." They of whom it is said, they are "sudden
back by a perpetual backsliding they hold fast deceit, they ref use to
return (Jer. 8:5) are the ones "who draw back unto perdition" (Heb.
10:39). And my reader, if you have left your first love, you have
"departed from the living God," and until you humbly and penitently
return to Him can have no guarantee that you will not be a "perpetual
backslider."
We should carefully distinguish between the sin which indwells us and
our falling into sin. The former is our depraved nature, which God
holds us accountable to make no provision for, to resist its workings
and refuse its solicitations. The latter is, when through lack of
watching against indwelling corruptions, sin breaks forth into open
acts. It is an injurious thing to fall into sin, whether secretly or
openly, and sooner or later the effects will certainly be felt. But to
continue therein, is much more evil and dangerous. God has denounced a
solemn threatening against those who persist in sin: He "woundeth the
head of His enemies, the hairy scalp of such a one as goeth on still
in his trespasses" (Ps. 68:21). For those who have known the way of
righteousness to pursue a course of sin is highly offensive to God. He
has provided a remedy (Prov. 28:13): but if instead of confessing and
forsaking our sins, we sink into hardness of heart, neglect prayer,
shun the company of the faithful, and seek to efface one sin by the
committal of another, we are in imminent danger of being abandoned by
God and are "nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burned" (Heb. 6:8).
Let us return to the point where we almost began and ask again, What
will be the sequel to a decline? It should now be still more evident
that a general answer cannot be returned. Not only does God exercise
His sovereignty here, using His own good pleasure and not acting
uniformly, but differences from the human side of things have also to
be taken into account. Much will depend upon whether it be the
spiritual decline of a real Christian or simply the religious decay of
a mere professor. If the former, the sequel will vary according to
whether the decline be internal only or accompanied or followed by
falling into open sin. So, too, there is a doctrinal departure from
God as well as a practical, as was the case with the Galatians.
However, whatever be the type of case this is certain, the one who
lapses into a state of torpor needs to respond to that call "Now it is
high time to awake out of sleep let us therefore cast off the works of
darkness . . ." (Rom. 13:11, 12).
II
We have sought to make clear the urgent necessity for recovery from a
spiritual decline: we turn now to consider its desirability. Look at
it first from the Godward side. Is it not inexcusable that we should
so evilly requite the eternal Lover of our souls? If He who was rich
for my sake became so poor that He had not where to lay His head, in
order that I (a spiritual pauper) might be made rich, what is due Him
from me? If He died the shameful death of the cross that you might
live, is not your life to be devoted wholly to Him? If you be
Christ's, you are not your own, but "bought with a price" and
therefore called upon to "glorify Him in your body and in your spirit"
(1 Cor. 6:20). If He can be touched with the feeling of our
infirmities, think you that He is moved if we leave our first love and
divide our affections with His rivals? Do you suppose that a
backslidden Christian affords Him any pleasure? Surely you are aware
of the fact that such a case brings no honor to Him. Then let His love
constrain you to return and reform your ways, so that you may again
show forth His praises and give him delight.
Consider your case in view of other Christians. There is a bond
uniting the saints which is closer than any natural tie: "so we, being
many are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another"
(Rom. 12:5), and therefore "those members should have the same care
one for another" (1 Cor. 12:25). So vital and intimate is that
mystical union that if "one member suffer, all the members suffer with
it" (v. 25). If one member of your physical body is affected, there is
a reaction throughout your whole system: so it is in the mystical
Body. The health or sickness of your soul exerts a very real
influence, either for good or for evil, upon your brethren and
sisters. For their sake then, it is most desirable that if in a
spiritual decline you should be restored. If you are not, your example
will be a stumblingblock to them, and if they have much association
with you their zeal will be dampened and their spirits chilled. Surely
it is not a matter of little concern whether you are a help or
hindrance to your fellow-saints. "Whoso shall offend one of these
little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a
millstone were hanged about his neck and he were drowned in the depth
of the sea" (Matthew 18:6).
Contemplate your case in connection with your unsaved relatives and
friends. Do you not know that one of the main obstacles in the way of
many from giving a serious consideration to the gospel, is the
inconsistent lives of so many who profess to believe it? Years ago we
read of one who was concerned about the soul of his son, and on the
eve of his departure for a foreign land, sought to press upon him the
claims and excellency of Christ. He received this reply: "Father, I am
sorry, but I cannot hear what you say for seeing what you do"! Is that
the unuttered sentiment of your child? You may reply, I do not believe
that anything in my conduct can have any influence on the eternal
destiny of any soul. Then you are woefully ignorant. "Wives, be in
subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the Word, they
also may without the Word be won by the conversation [behavior] of the
wives" (1 Peter 3:1). In saving sinners God uses a variety of means,
as in prejudicing sinners Satan employs many agents; is God or Satan
most likely to use you? Most certainly the latter, if you are in a
backslidden state.
Coming lower still, let us appeal to your own interests. What have you
gained by leaving your first love? Have you found the vanities of this
world more pleasing than the feast which the gospel sets before you?
Does association with empty professors and the ungodly supply more
satisfaction to the heart than fellowship with the Father and His Son?
No, the very opposite. Rather have you discovered that in forsaking
the Fountain of living waters, you have betaken yourself to broken
cisterns which hold none. The joy of salvation you once had is
departed: the peace of God which passeth all understanding that
formerly ruled your heart and mind through Christ Jesus, does so no
longer. Today your case resembles that of "the prodigal"--feeding on
husks in the far country, while the rich fare of the Father's House is
no longer partaken of by you. An uneasy conscience, a restless spirit,
a joyless heart is now your portion. Have you not reason to cry "O
that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me:
when his lamp shined on my head . . . as I was in the days of my
youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle" (Job 29:2-4)?
Then whose fault is it that you do not again have that blessed
experience?
Yes, from every viewpoint, it is most desirable that a Christian he
recovered from his spiritual decline. Yet it is also important that he
should not conclude he has been recovered when such is not the ease.
Since a backslidden state is far from being agreeable, it is natural
for one in it to want to be delivered from it. For that very reason it
is much to be feared that many have prematurely grasped at the promise
of forgiveness and said to their souls, Peace, peace, when there was
no peace. As there are many ways by which a convicted sinner seeks
peace for his soul, without finding it, so it is with a backslider. If
he leans unto his own understanding, follows the devices of his own
heart, or avails himself of the remedies advertised by religious
quacks, he will rather be worsened than improved. Unless he complies
with the injunctions laid down in the Word of Truth for such cases and
meets the requirements therein specified, there can be no real
recovery for him. Alas that this is so little realized today, and that
so many who went astray and think they are returned to the Bishop of
their souls are laboring tinder a delusion.
If there is to be a real recovery it is requisite that the right means
be used, and not that which is destructive of what is desired. When
trees grow old or begin to decay it is useful to dig about them and
manure them, for often that will cause them to flourish again and
abound in fruit. But if instead of so doing we removed them out of
their soil and planted them in another, so far from that advantaging
them they would wither and die. Yet there are many professing saints
who suppose that the decay of grace does not arise from themselves and
the evil of their hearts, but rather attribute the same to uncongenial
surroundings, unfavorable circumstances, their present occasion or
station in life, and persuade themselves that as soon as they be freed
from those, they will return to their first love and again delight
themselves in spiritual things. But that is a false notion and
spiritual delusion. Let men's circumstances and stations of life be
what they will, the truth is that all their departures from God
proceed from an evil heart of unbelief, as is clear from Hebrews 3:13.
Do not deceive and flatter yourself then with the idea that what is
needed for a recovery from your spiritual decline is but a removal
into more favorable and congenial circumstances.
As it is from want of watchfulness and because of the allowance of sin
that all decays proceed, so a return unto unsparing mortification of
our lusts, with all the duties that lead thereunto, must be the way of
recovery. Yet at this point, too, we need to be much on our guard lest
we substitute for the denyings of self which God has enjoined, those
pharisaical or papistical inventions which are of no value. Under the
name and pretence of the means and duties of mortification men have
devised and enjoined a number of works, ways, and duties, which God
never appointed or approved, nor will He accept; but will rather ask
"who hath required this at your hand?" (Isa. 1:12). Self-imposed
abstinences and austerities may "have indeed a show of wisdom in will
worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body" (Col. 2:23), but
they will not profit the soul one iota. Unless those who are weighted
down with a sense of guilt conduct themselves by the light of the
Gospel they will think to placate the displeasure of God by betaking
themselves to an unusual course of severities which He has nowhere
commanded. No abstinence from lawful things will deliver us from the
consequences of having indulged in unlawful ones.
Again, the one who is exercised over and distressed by his spiritual
decline is very liable to be wrongly counseled if he turns to his
fellow-Christians for advice and help. It is to be feared that in this
day there are few even among the people of God who are qualified to be
of real assistance to others. In most instances their own spirituality
is at such a low ebb that if they are turned to for relief, they will
only be found to be "physicians of no value" (Job 13:4). And if they
consulted the average preacher or pastor, the result is not likely to
prove much better. Of old Jehovah complained of the unfaithful priests
of Israel "they have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people
slightly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace" (Jer. 6:14).
There are not a few such today. If one who was mourning over having
left his first love asked them the way of return thereto, instead of
probing the conscience to ascertain the root of the "hurt," they would
endeavor to quiet his fears amid soothe him; instead of faithfully
warning him of the seriousness of his case, they would say there was
nothing to he unduly exercised over, that perfection is not attainable
in this life; and instead of naming the means God has appointed, would
tell him to continue attending the services regularly and contributing
liberally to the cause, and all would be well. Many a wound has been
skinned over without being cured.
"When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah saw his wound, then went
Ephraim to the Assyrian and sent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal
you nor cure you of your wound" (Hos. 5:13). The historical reference
is to Israel and Judah when, in great danger from the pressure of
enemies, instead of humbling themselves before God and seeking His
help, they betook themselves unto a neighboring nation and looked to
it for protection; yet to no avail. But it has a spiritual application
to those who are conscious of their spiritual decline, but who turn to
the wrong quarter for deliverance. Backsliders are often aware of
their wretched plight, but perceive not that sin is the cause of it
and God alone can heal their backsliding (Hos. 14:4). When His
chastening rod falls upon them, so far from recognizing that it is His
mighty hand correcting them, that it is His righteous hand dealing
with them, they imagine it is only "circumstances" which are against
them, and turn to the creature to extricate them; but to no good
effect. Since there has been a departure from God there must be a
return to Him, and in that way He has appointed, or there can be no
recovery from the evil consequences of that departure.
We turn now to consider the possibility of recovery. It may appear
strange to some of our readers that we should deem it necessary to
mention such a thing, still more so that we should discuss it in some
detail. If so, surely they forget that since Satan succeeds in
persuading many a convicted sinner that his case is hopeless, that he
has carried his rebellion against God to such lengths as to be beyond
the reach of mercy, driving him into a state of abject despair; it
should not be thought strange that he will employ the same tactics
with a backslidden saint--assuring him that he has sinned against such
favors, privileges, and light, that his case is now hopeless? Those
who have read the history of John Bunyan--and his case is far from
being unique--and learned of his lying so long in the slough of
despond, when the Devil made him believe he had committed the
unpardonable sin, should not be surprised to learn that he is still
plying the same trade and persuading one and another that he has so
far departed from the Lord that his recovery is impossible.
But we do not have to go outside the Scriptures to find saints not
only in a state of despondency and dejection before God, but in actual
despair of again enjoying His favor. Take the case of Job. True, there
were times when he could say "I know that My Redeemer liveth," and
"when he hath tried me I shall come forth as gold." But his assurance
was not always thus: there were also seasons when he exclaimed "mine
hope hath he removed like a tree, he hath also kindled his wrath
against me" (19:10, 11). True, he erred in his judgment, nevertheless
such was how he felt in the dark hour of trial. Take the case of
Asaph: "My sore ran in the night and ceased not: my soul refused to he
comforted. I remembered God, and was troubled." Is not that an apt
description of many a backslider as he calls to mind the omniscience,
the holiness, the justice of God? But did he not find relief by
reminding himself of God's grace and loving-kindness? No, for he went
on to ask "will the Lord cast off forever? and will He be favorable no
more? Is His mercy clean gone forever? Doth His promise fail for
evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath He in anger shut up
His tender mercies?" (Ps. 77:7-10). That he should speak thus was
indeed his infirmity, yet it shows into what despondency a saint may
fall.
Consider the case of Jeremiah. Said he "I am the man that hath seen
affliction by the rod of his wrath. . . . Surely against me is he
turned. He hath set me in dark places. . . . He hath hedged me about,
that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy. Also when I cry
and shout, he shutteth out my prayer. . . . He hath filled me with
bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood. . . . Thou hast
removed my soul far off from peace. And I said, My strength and my
hope is perished from the Lord" (Lam. 3:1-18). Is not that the
language of despair! It was not only that his hope was weak and
wavering, but He felt it had "perished," and that "from before the
Lord" Lower than that one cannot get. He had no expectation of
deliverance; he saw no possibility of being recovered from his
wretched condition. And think you my reader there are no Christians in
such a sad plight today? If so, ask yourself, Why has God placed on
permanent record such groanings of His people when they occupied the
dungeons of despair? The time may come when such language will exactly
suit your case, and if so, you will be very glad to hear that there is
a possibility of deliverance, a door of hope opened in the valley of
Achor.
There can be little room for doubt that the chief reason why so many
professors today see no need for pointing out that it is possible for
a backslidden Christian to be restored, is because of the defective
teaching they sit under. They hold such light views of the sinfulness
of sin, they perceive so faintly the spirituality and strictness of
God's law, they have such a dim conception of His ineffable holiness,
that their consciences are comatosed, and hence blind to their own
state, and unaware of what would be involved in delivering them out of
it. They have had "Once saved, always saved," "My sheep shall never
perish," dinned into their ears so often, they take it for granted
every backslider will be restored as a matter of course--i.e., without
any deep exercises of heart on their part or compliance with the
requirements which God has laid down. Yea, there are extensive circles
in Christendom today where it is taught "having forgiven you all
trespasses" (Col. 2:13) means "every trespass: past, present, and
future," and that so far from the Christian asking God for daily
forgiveness, he should rather thank Him for having already forgiven
him. Of course those who swallow such deadly poison need not be
informed that recovery from a relapse is possible.
But different far is it with one who lives in the fear of the Lord,
whose conscience is tender, who views sin in the light of Divine
holiness. When he is overtaken by a fault, he is cut to the quick, and
should he so far decline as to leave his first love, he will find a
way of recovery by no means easy; and should he continue departing
from God until his case become such that he has a name to live but is
dead, he may abandon hope entirely. When he seeks a return to the
Lord, it will be a case of "out of the depths have I cried unto thee"
(Ps. 130:1)--out of the depths of his heart, out of the depths of
conviction, out of the depths of anguished contrition, out of the
depths of despondency and despair. In his remarkable book on Psalm 130
J. Owen after pointing out that "gracious souls after much communion
with God may be brought into inextricable depths and entanglements on
the count of sin," went on to define those "depths" as "1. Loss of the
wanted sense of the love of God which the soul did formerly enjoy. 2.
Perplexed thoughtfulness about their great and wretched unkindness
towards God. 3. A revived sense of justly deserved wrath. 4.
Oppressing apprehension of temporal judgments."
But the eminent Puritan did not stop there. He went on to say, "There
may be added hereunto, prevailing fears for a season of being utterly
rejected by God, of being found a reprobate at the last day. Jonah
seems to have concluded so: `Then said I, I am cast out of thy sight'
(3:4)--I am lost forever: God will own me no more. And Heman, `I am
counted with them that go down into the pit, free among the dead, like
the slain that He in the grave, when thou rememberest me no more: and
they are cut off from thy hand' (Ps. 88:4, 5). This may reach the
soul, until the sorrows of hell encompass and lay hold upon it: until
it be despaired of comfort, peace, rest; until it be a terror to
itself, and be ready to choose strangling rather than life. This may
befall a gracious soul on the account of sin. But yet because this
fights directly against the life of faith God does not, unless it be
in extraordinary cases, suffer it to lie long in this horrible pit,
wherein there is no water--no refreshment. But this often falls out,
that even the saints themselves are left for a season to a fearful
expectation of judgment and fiery indignation, as to the prevailing
apprehension of their mind."
We can bear testimony that in our extensive reading we have come
across not merely a few isolated and exceptional cases of backslidden
saints who had sunk into such depths of soul trouble, distress, and
horror, but many such; and that in the course of our travels we have
personally met more than one or two who were in such darkness and
anguish of heart that they had no hope, and no efforts of ours could
dispel their gloom. Let that serve as a solemn warning unto those who
at present are enjoying the light of God's countenance: "Let him that
thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" (1 Cor. 10:12)--fall into
a state of unwatchfulness and then into wickedness. Sin is that
"abominable thing" which God hates (Jer. 44:4), whether it be found in
the unregenerate or the regenerate. If we trifle with temptation then
we shall be made to taste what an exceeding bitter thing it is to
depart from the living God. If we enter the paths of unrighteousness
we shall obtain personal proof that "the way of transgressors is
hard." And the higher have been our privileges and attainments, the
more painful will be the effects from a fall.
But thank God the recovery of a backslider is possible, no matter how
heinous or long protracted it was. The cases of David, of Jonah, of
Peter demonstrate that! "No man that is fallen under spiritual decays
has any reason to say, there is no hope, provided he take the right
way of recovery. If every step that is lost in the way to heaven
should be irrecoverable, woe would be unto us: we should all assuredly
perish. If there were no reparation of our breaches, no healing of our
decays, no salvation but for those who are always progressive in
grace; if God should mark all that is done amiss, as the Psalmist
spake, `O Lord who should stand?' Nay, if we had not recoveries every
day, we should go off with a perpetual backsliding. But then, as was
said, it is required that the right means of it be used" (J. Owen).
What are those right means and the very real difficulties which attend
the use of then by those who have openly departed from God?
III
Its difficulty. Though reviving and restoration is needful, desirable,
and possible, yet it is by no means easy. We do not mean that any
problem is presented to God in connection with the recovery of one who
has suffered a spiritual relapse, but that it is far from being a
simple matter for a backslider to comply with His requirements in
order thereto. That difficulty is at least threefold: there is a
difficulty in realizing the sadness of his case, a difficulty in
putting forth a real desire for recovery, and a difficulty in meeting
God's stipulations. Sin has a blinding effect, and the more one falls
under its power the less discernment will he possess. It is only in
God's light that we can see light, and the further we depart from Him
the more we engulf ourselves in darkness. It is only as the bitter
effects of sin began to be tasted that the erring one becomes
conscious of his sorry condition. Others may perceive it, and in
loving faithfulness tell him about it, but in most instances he is
quite unaware of his decline and such warnings have no weight with
him. Of course, the degree of the decay of his grace will determine
the measure in which the "and knowest not" of Revelation 3:17 applies
to him.
But even where there be some realization that all is not well with
himself it by no means follows that there is also a real anxiety to
return to his first love. To some extent the conscience of such an one
is comatosed and, therefore, there is little sensibility of his
condition and still less horror of it. Here, too, the natural
adumbrates the spiritual. Have we not met with or read of those
suffering from certain forms of sickness who lacked a desire to be
healed? Certainly there are not a few such in the religious world. If
the reader dissents from such a statement we ask him, why then did the
great Physician of souls address Himself as He did to the one by the
pool of Bethesda? We are told that that man had suffered from an
infirmity no less than thirty-eight years, yet the Saviour asked him
"Wilt thou be made whole?" (John 5:6)--are you really desirous to be?
That question was neither meaningless nor strange. The wretched are
not always willing to be relieved. Some prefer to He on a couch and be
ministered to by friends than bestir themselves and perform their
duties. Others become lethargic and indifferent and are, as Scripture
designates them, "at ease in Zion"!
It is all too little realized among Christians that backsliding is a
departing from God and a returning to the conditions they were in
before conversion, and the further that departure is, the closer will
become their approximation to the old manner of life. Observe the
particular language used by David in his confession to God. First he
said, "Before I was afflicted, I went astray" (119:67); but later, as
spiritual discernment increased following upon his recovery, and as he
then more clearly perceived what had been involved in his sad lapse,
he declared "I have gone astray like a lost sheep" (v. 176)--the state
of God's elect in the days of their unregeneracy (Isa. 53:6). True,
the case of David was a more extreme form of backsliding than many,
nevertheless it is a solemn warning to all of us of what may befall if
we have left our first love, and return not promptly to it. And how
clearly his experiences serve to illustrate the point we are here
seeking to set before the reader. Ponder carefully what follows the
account of David's grievous fall in 2 Samuel 11 and behold the spirit
of blindness and insensibility which deliberate sinning casts upon a
backslidden saint.
In view of 2 Samuel 12:15 it is clear that almost a whole year,
possibly more, had elapsed between the time of David's fall and the
Lord's sending of Nathan unto him. There is not a hint that David was
broken-hearted before God during those months. The prophet addressed
him in the form of a parable--intimation of his moral distance from
God (Matthew 13:10-13) yet, if David's conscience had been active
before God, he would have easily understood the purport of that
parable. But sin had darkened his judgment, and he recognized not the
application of it unto himself. In such a state of spiritual deadness
was David then in, that Nathan had to interpret his parable and say
"Thou art the man." Verily, he had "gone astray like a lost sheep,"
and at that time the state of his heart differed little from the
unconverted. Later, when his eyes were again opened and he was deeply
convicted of his sins, He perceived that he had lapsed into a
condition perilously close to and scarcely distinguishable from that
of the unregenerate, for He cried "Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me" (Ps. 51:10).
Does the reader now grasp more easily our meaning when we speak of the
difficulty of being recovered from a spiritual relapse: the difficulty
of one in that case becoming sensible of his woeful plight and the
realization that he needs delivering from it? Sin darkens the
understanding and renders the heart hard or insensible. As it is with
the unregenerate sinner, so it is become--to a greater or less extent,
and in extreme cases almost entirely--with the backslider. What is it
that is the distinguishing mark of all who have never been born again?
Not falling into gross and flagrant outward sin, for many of them are
never guilty of that, but "having the understanding darkened, being
alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them,
because of the blindness [margin, "hardness" or "insensibility"] of
their heart." That is the Divine diagnosis of all who are "dead in
trespasses and sins," and we have but to change "alienated from the
life of God" to "severed from communion with God" and that solemn
description accurately depicts the inward state of the backslider,
though until God begins to recover him he will no more recognize his
picture than David did when Nathan drew his.
It is much to be thankful for when a child of God becomes aware that
he is in a spiritual decline, especially if he mourns over it. Such is
rarely the case with an unregenerate professor, and never so on
account of inward decay. A person who has always been weak and sickly
knows not what it is to lack health and strength, for he never had
experience of it; still less does one in the cemetery realize that he
is totally devoid of life. But let one of robust constitution be laid
upon a bed of sickness, and he is very definitely aware of the great
change that has come over him. The reason why so many professing
Christians are not troubled over any spiritual decline is because they
never had any spiritual health, and therefore it would be a waste of
time to treat with such about a recovery. If you should speak of their
departure from God and loss of communion with Him, you would seem to
them as Lot did to his sons-in-law when he expostulated with them--as
one that "mocked" or made sport with them (Gen. 19:14), and would be
laughed at for your pains. Never having experienced any love for
Christ, it would be useless to urge them to return to the same.
It is much to be feared that is why these chapters on spiritual
decline and recovery--so much needed today by many of the saints--will
be almost meaningless, and certainly wearisome, to some of our
readers. The real Christian will not dismiss them lightly, but rather
will seek to faithfully measure himself by them, searching himself
before God and being at some pains to ascertain the condition of his
soul. But those who are content with a mere outward profession, will
see little in them either of importance or interest. Such as perceive
neither evil nor danger in their present condition, supposing that all
is well with them because it is as good as it ever was, are the ones
who most need to examine themselves as to whether the "root of the
matter" was ever in them. And even those who have experienced
something of "the power of godliness" but through carelessness are no
longer making conscience of seeking to please the Lord in all things
as they once did, are asleep in carnal security (which is hardly
distinguishable from being dead in sin) if they be not exercised over
their decline and anxious to be recovered from it.
The vast majority in Christendom today will acknowledge nothing as a
decay in themselves. Rather are they like Ephraim: "Strangers have
devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not," and hence it is added
"they do not return unto the Lord their God, nor seek him for all
this" (Hos. 7:9, 10). How is it with you, dear friend? Have you been
able to maintain spiritual peace and joy in your soul?--for those are
the inseparable fruits of a life of faith and an humble and daily
walking with God. We mean not the fancies and imaginations of them,
but the substance and reality: that peace which passeth all
understanding and which "keeps" or "garrisons" the heart and mind;
that joy which delights itself in the Lord and is "full of glory" (1
Peter 1:8). Does that peace stay your mind on God under trials and
tribulations, or is it found wanting in the hour of testing? Is "the
joy of the Lord your strength" (Neh. 8:10), so that it moves you to
perform the duties of obedience with alacrity and pleasure, or is it
merely a fickle emotion which exerts no steady power for good on your
life? If you once enjoyed such peace and joy, but do so no longer,
then you have suffered a spiritual decline.
Spirituality of mind and the exercise of a tender conscience in the
performance of spiritual duties is another mark of health, for it is
in those things grace is most requisite and operative. They are the
very life of the new man and the animating principle of all spiritual
actions, and without which all our performances are but "dead works."
Our worship of God is but an empty show a horrible mockery, if we draw
nigh to Him with our lips while our hearts are far from Him. But to
keep the mind in a spiritual frame in our approaches to the Lord, to
bless Him with "all that is within us," to keep our grace in vigorous
exercise in all holy duties, is only possible while the health of the
soul be maintained. Slothfulness, formality, weariness of the flesh,
the business and cares of this life, the seductions and opposition of
Satan, all contend against the Christian to frustrate him at that
point; yet the grace of God is sufficient if it be duly sought. If you
constantly "stir up yourself to take hold of God" (Isa. 64:7), if you
habitually "set your face unto the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and
supplication" (Dan. 9:3), that is evidence of spiritual health, but if
the contrary be now your experience, then you have suffered a
spiritual decline.
If you realize that things are not as flourishing with you now, either
inwardly or outwardly, as they were formerly, that is a hopeful sign;
yet it must not be rested in. Suffer not your heart one moment to be
content with your present frame, for if you do there will follow a
more marked deterioration. Satan will tell you there is nothing yet
for you to be worried about, that there will be time enough for that
when you fall into some outward sin. But he lies, Scripture says, "to
him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin"
(James 4:17). You know it is good that you should return unto God and
confess to Him your failures--even though those failures be more of
omission than commission--but if you refuse to, that in itself is
"sin." To be conscious of decline is the first step toward recovery,
yet not sufficient in itself. There must also be a laying of it to
heart, a sensibility of the evil of it, a mourning over it, for "godly
sorrow worketh repentance" (2 Cor. 7:10). Yet neither is that
sufficient: godly sorrow is not repentance itself, but only a means
thereto. Moaning and groaning over our complaints, spiritual or
natural, may relieve our feelings, but they will effect no cure.
Sensible of our decays, exercised at heart over them, we must now
comply with God's requirements for recovery if healing is to be
obtained. And here too we shall experience difficulty. There are those
who persuade themselves that it would be no hard matter to recover
themselves from a state of backsliding, that they could easily do so
if occasion required. But that is an entirely false notion.
There are many who think getting saved is one of the simplest things
imaginable, but they are woefully mistaken. If nothing more were
required from the sinner than an intellectual assent to the gospel no
miracle of grace would be required in order to induce that. But before
a stout-hearted rebel against God will throw down the weapons of his
warfare, before one who is in love with sin can hate it, before one
who lived only to please self will deny self, the exceeding greatness
of God's power must work upon him (Eph. 1:19). And so it is in
restoration. If nothing more were required from the backslider than a
lip acknowledgement of his offenses and a return to external duties,
no great difficulty would be experienced; but to meet the requirements
of God for recovery is a very different matter.
Rightly did John Owen affirm "Recovery from backsliding is the hardest
task in the Christian religion: one which few make either comfortable
or honorable work of." Yea, it is a task entirely beyond capabilities
of any Christian. We cannot recover ourselves, and none but the great
Physician can heal our backslidings. It is the operations of the
Spirit of Christ which is the effectual cause of the revival under
decays of grace. It is not by might nor by power, but by the Spirit of
God that any wanderer is brought back. It is God who makes sensible of
our deadness, and who causes us to make application to Him "wilt thou
not revive us again, that thy people may rejoice in thee" (Ps. 85:6).
And when that request has been granted, each of them will own with
David "He restoreth my soul" (Ps. 23:3). Nevertheless, in this, too,
our responsibility has to be discharged, for at no point does God
treat with us as though we were mere automatons. There are certain
duties He sets before us in this connection, specific requirements
which He makes upon us, and until we definitely and earnestly set
ourselves to the performance of the same, we have no warrant to look
for deliverance.
Though the Holy Spirit alone can effect the much-to-be-desired change
in the withered and barren believer, yet God has appointed certain
means which are subservient to that end, and if we neglect those means
then no wonder we have reason to complain and cry out "My leanness, my
leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt
treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very
treacherously" (Isa. 24:16), and therefore an alteration for the
better cannot reasonably be expected. If we entertain hope of an
improvement in our condition while we neglect the appointed means, our
expectations will certainly issue in a sorrowful disappointment.
Unless we be thoroughly persuaded of that, we shall remain inert.
While we cherish the idea that we can do nothing, and must
fatalistically wait a sovereign reviving from God, we shall go on
waiting. But if we realize what God requires of us, it will serve to
deepen our desires after a reviving and stimulate us unto a compliance
with those things which we must do if He is to grant us showers of
refreshment and a strengthening of those things in us which are ready
to die. There has to be an asking, a seeking, a knocking, if the door
of deliverance is to be opened to us.
It was not an Arminian, but a high Calvinist (John Brine, whose works
received a most favorable review in the Gospel Standard of Oct. 1852)
who wrote to God's people two centuries ago: "Much labour and
diligence are required unto this. It is not complaining of the sickly
condition of our souls which will effect this cure: confession of our
follies, that have brought diseases upon us, though repeated ever so
often, will avail nothing towards the removal of them. If we intend
the recovery of our former health and vigour, we must act as well as
complain and groan. We must keep at a distance from those persons and
those snares which have drawn us into instances of folly, which have
occasioned that disorder which is the matter of our complaint. Without
this we may multiply acknowledgements and expressions of concern for
our past miscarriages to no purpose at all. It is very great folly to
think of regaining our former strength so long as we embrace and daily
with those objects through whose evil influence we are fallen into a
spiritual decline. It is not our bewailing the pernicious effects of
sin that will prevent its baneful influence upon us for time to come,
except we are determined to forsake that to which is owing our
melancholy disorder."
It is not nearly so simple to act on that counsel as many may imagine.
Habits are not easily broken, nor objects relinquished which have
obtained a powerful hold upon our affections. The natural man is
wholly regulated and dominated by "the lust of the flesh, and the lust
of the eyes, and the pride of life," and the only way in which their
prevalence over a Christian is broken is by an unsparing mortification
of those lusts. Just so soon as we become slack in denying self or in
governing our affections and passions, alluring objects draw us to a
dalliance with them, to the blighting of our spirituality, and
recovery is impossible until we abandon such evil charmers. But just
so far as they have obtained a hold upon us will be the difficulty of
breaking from them. Difficult because it will be contrary to all our
natural inclinations and pre-regenerate lives. "If thy right eye
offend thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee: for it is profitable
for thee that one of thy members should perish and not thy whole body
should be cast into hell" (Matthew 5:29). Christ did not teach that
the mortifying of a favorite lust was a simple and painless matter.
As though His followers would be slow to take to heart that
unpalatable injunction, the Lord Jesus went on to say, "And if thy
right hand offend thee, cut it off and cast it from thee: for it is
profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish and not thy
whole body should he east into hell." As the "eye" is our most
precious member, so (especially to a laboring man) the "right hand" is
the most useful and valuable one. By that figurative language Christ
taught us that dearest idol must be renounced, our bosom lust
mortified. No matter how pleasing be the object which would beguile
us, it must be denied. Such a task would prove as hard and painful as
the cutting off of an hand--they had no anesthetics in those days! But
if men are willing to have a gangrened limb amputated to save their
lives, why should we shrink from painful sacrifices unto the saving of
our souls. Heaven and hell are involved by whether grace or our senses
rule our souls: "You must not expect to enjoy the pleasures of earth
and heaven too, and think to pass from Delilah's lap into Abraham's
bosom" (T. Manton). That which is demanded of the Christian is far
from being child's play.
Again, "we must do the first works if we design a revival of our
graces. This calls for humility and diligence, to both which our proud
and slothful hearts are too much disinclined. We must be content to
begin afresh, both to learn and practice, since through carelessness
and sloth we are gone backward in knowledge and practice too. It
sometimes is with the saints as with school boys, who by their
negligence are so far from improvement, that they have almost
forgotten the rudiments of a language or an art they have begun to
learn; in which case it is necessary that they must make a new
beginning: this suits not with pride, but unto it they must submit. So
the Christian sometimes has need of being taught again what are the
first principles of the oracles of God, when for the time he has been
in the school of Christ his improvement ought to be such as would fit
him for giving instruction to others in these plain and easy
principles. But through negligence he has let them slip, and he must
content to pass through the very same lessons of conviction, sorrow,
humiliation and repentance he learned long since of the Holy Spirit:
whatever we think of the matter, a revival cannot be without it"
(Brine). It is that humbling of our pride which makes recovery so
difficult to a backslider.
IV
Now we shall consider its conditionality, or those things on which it
is suspended (a term which will hardly please some of our readers, yet
it is the correct one to use in this connection; but since various
writers have used the term in different ways, it is requisite that we
explain the sense in which we have employed it). When we say there are
certain conditions which an erring saint must fulfill before he can be
restored to fellowship with God, we do not use the term in a
legalistic sense or mean that there is anything meritorious in his
performances. It is not that God strikes a bargain, offering to bestow
certain blessings in return for things done by us, but rather that He
has appointed a certain order, a connection between one thing and
another, and that, for the maintaining of His honor, the holiness of
His government, and the enforcing of our responsibility. In all His
dealings with us God acts in grace, but His grace ever reigns "through
righteousness," and never at the expense of it.
"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and
forsaketh them shall have mercy" (Prov. 28:13). Now there is nothing
meritorious in confessing and forsaking sins, nothing which gives
title to mercy, but God requires them from us, and we have no warrant
to expect mercy without them. That verse expresses the order of things
which God has established, a holy order, so that Divine mercy is
exercised without any connivance at sin, exercised in a way wherein we
take sides with Him in the hatred of our sins. As health of body is
conditioned or suspended upon the eating of suitable food or the
healing of it upon partaking of certain remedies, so it is with the
soul: there is a definite connection between the two things--food and
strength: the one must be received in order to the other. In like
manner forgiveness of sins is promised only to those who repent and
believe. Whether you term repenting and believing "conditions,"
"means," "instruments," or "the way of" amounts to the same thing, for
they simply signify they are what God requires from us before He
bestows forgiveness--requires not as a price at our hands, but by way
of congruity.
Some may ask, But has not God promised, "I will heal their
backslidings" (Hos. 14:4)? To which we reply, Yes, yet that promise is
not an absolute or unconditional one as the context plainly shows. In
the verses preceding God calls upon them to "return" unto Him because
they had fallen by their iniquity. He bids them "Take with you words,
and turn to the Lord; say unto him, Take away all iniquity." Moreover,
they pledge themselves to reformation of conduct: "neither will we say
any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods" (vv. 1-3). Thus it
is unto penitent and confessing souls, who abandon their idols, that
promise is made. God does indeed "heal our backslidings" yet not
without our concurrence, not without the humbling of ourselves before
Him, not without our complying with his holy requirements. God does
indispensably demand certain things of us in order to the enjoyment of
certain blessings. "If we confess our Sins, he is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1
John 1:9). That "if" expresses the condition, or reveals the
connection which God has appointed between our defilement and His
removal of it.
We are therefore going to point out what are the "conditions" of
recovery from a spiritual decline, or what are the "means" of
restoration for a backslider, or what is the "way of" deliverance for
one who is departed from God. Before turning to specific cases
recorded in Scripture, let us again call attention to Proverbs 28:13.
First, "he that covereth his sins shall not prosper." To "cover" our
sins is a refusing to bring them out into the light by an honest
confessing of them unto God; or to hide them from our fellows or
refuse to acknowledge offenses to those we have wronged. While such be
the case, there can be no prosperity of soul, no communion with God or
his people. Second, "but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall
have mercy." To confess means to freely, frankly, and penitently own
them unto God, and to our fellows if our sins have been against them.
To "forsake" our sins is a voluntary and deliberate act: it signifies
to loathe and abandon them in our affections, to repudiate them by our
wills, to refuse to dwell upon them in our minds and imaginations with
any pleasure or satisfaction.
But suppose the believer does not promptly thus confess and forsake
his sins? In such case not only will he "not prosper," not only can
there now be no further spiritual growth, but peace of conscience and
joy of heart will depart from him. The Holy Spirit is "grieved" and He
will withhold His comforts. And suppose that does not bring him to his
senses, then what? Let the ease of David furnish answer: "When I kept
silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For
day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into
the drought of summer" (Ps. 32:3, 4). The "bones" are the strength and
upholders of the bodily frame, and when used figuratively the "waxing
of them old" signifies that vigor and support of the soul is gone, so
that it sinks into anguish and despair. Sin is a pestilential thing
which saps our vitality. Though David was silent as to confession, he
was not so as to sorrow. God's hand smote his conscience and afflicted
his spirit so that he was made to groan under His rod. He had no rest
by day or night: sin haunted him in his dreams and he awoke
unrefreshed. Like one in a drought he was barren and fruitless. Not
until he turned to the Lord in contrite confession was there any
relief for him.
Let us turn now to an experience suffered by Abraham that illustrates
our present subject, though few perhaps have considered it as a case
of spiritual relapse. Following upon his full response to the Lord's
call to enter the land of Canaan, we are told that "the Lord appeared
unto Abram" (Gen. 12:7). So it is now: "He that hath my commandments
and keepeth them, he that it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me
shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself
to him" (John 14:21). It is not to the self-willed and self-pleasing,
but to the obedient one that the Lord draws near in the intimacies of
His love and makes Himself a reality and satisfying portion. The
"manifestation" of Christ to the soul should be a daily experience,
and if it is not, then our hearts ought to be deeply exercised before
him. If there is not the regular "appearing of the Lord," it must be
because we have wandered from the path of obedience,
Next we are told of the patriarch's response to the Lord's "appearing
and the precious promise He then made him: "and there He built an
altar unto the Lord." The altar speaks of worship--the heart's pouring
of itself forth in adoration and praise. That order is unchanging:
occupation of the soul with Christ, beholding (with the eyes of faith)
the King in his beauty, is what alone will bow us before Him in true
worship. Next, "and he removed from thence unto a mountain" (Gen.
12:8). Spiritually speaking the "mountain" is a figure of elevation of
spirit, soaring above the level in which the world lies, the
affections being set upon things above. It tells of a heart detached
from this scene attracted to and absorbed by Him who has passed within
the veil. Is it not written "they that wait upon the Lord shall renew
their strength: they shall mount up with wings as eagles" (Isa.
40:31)? And how may this "mountain" experience be maintained? Is such
a thing possible? We believe it is, and at it we should constantly
aim, not being content with anything that falls short of it. The
answer is revealed in what immediately follows.
"And pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west and Hai on the east.
The "tent" is the symbol of the stranger, of one who has no home or
abiding-place in the scene which cast out of it the Lord of glory. We
never read that Abram built him any "house" in Canaan (as Lot occupied
one in Sodom!); no, he was but a "sojourner" and his tent was the sign
and demonstration of this character. "And there he builded all altar
unto the Lord": from this point onwards two things characterized him,
his "tent" and his "altar"--12:8; 13:3, 4; 13:18. In each of those
passages the "tent" is mentioned first, for we cannot truly and
acceptably worship God on high unless we maintain our character as
sojourners here below. That is why the exhortation is made, "Dearly
beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly
lusts, which war against the soul" (1 Peter 2:11) and so quench the
spirit of worship. Are we conducting ourselves as those who are
"partakers of the heavenly calling" (Heb. 3:1)--do our manners, our
dress, our speech evidence the same to others?
Ah, dear reader, do we not find right there the explanation of why it
is that a "mountain" experience is so little enjoyed and still less
maintained by us! Is it not because we descended to the plains, came
down to the level of empty professors and white-washed worldlings, set
our affection upon things below, and in consequence became "conformed
to this world"? If we really be Christ's, He has "delivered us
[judicially] from this present evil world" (Gal. 1:4) and therefore
our hearts and lives should be separated from it in a practical way.
Our Home is on high and that fact ought to mold every detail of our
lives. Of Abram and his fellow saints it is recorded they "confessed
that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth" (Heb.
11:13)--"confessed' it by their lives as well as lips, and it is added
"wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God" (v. 16). But
alas, too many now are afraid to be considered "peculiar," and to
escape criticism and ostracism compromise, hide their light under a
bushel, come down to the level of the world.
The young Christian might well suppose that one who was in the path of
obedience, who was going on whole-heartedly with God, who was a man of
the "tent" and the "altar" would be quite immune from any fall. So he
will be while he maintains that relationship and attitude: but it is,
alas, very easy for him to relax a little and gradually depart from
it. Not that such a departure is to be expected, or excused on the
ground that since the flesh remains in the believer it is only to be
looked for that it will not be long ere it unmistakably manifests
itself. Not so: "He that saith he abideth in him, ought himself also
so to walk even as He walked" (1 John 2:6). Full provision has been
made by God for him to do so. "Let not sin therefore reign in your
mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof" (Rom. 6:12).
But Abram did suffer a relapse, a serious one, and as it is profitable
for us to observe and take to heart the various steps which preceded
Peter's open denial of Christ, so is it to ponder and turn into
earnest supplication that which befell the patriarch before he "went
down into Egypt."
First, we are told "and Abram journeyed" (v. 9), nor is it said that
he had received any order from God to move his tent from the place
where he was in, communion with Him. That by itself would not be
conclusive, but in the light of what follows it seems to indicate
plainly that a spirit of restlessness had now seized him, and
restlessness, my reader, indicates we are no longer content with our
lot. The solemn thing to observe is that the starting point in the
path of Abram's decline was that he left Bethel, and Bethel means "the
house of God"--the place of fellowship with Him. All that follows is
recorded as a warning of what we may expect if we leave "Bethel."
Abram's leaving Bethel was the root of his failures, and in the sequel
we are shown the bitter fruit which sprang from it. That was the place
which Peter left, for he followed Christ "afar off." That was the
place which the Ephesian backslider forsook: "thou hast left thy first
love." The day we become lax in maintaining communion with God, the
door is opened for many evils to enter the soul.
"And Abram journeyed." The Hebrew is more expressive and emphatic.
Literally it reads "And Abram journeyed, in going and journeying." A
restless spirit possessed him, which was a sure sign that communion
with God was broken. I am bidden to "rest in the Lord" (Ps. 37:6), but
I can only do so as long as I "delight myself also in the Lord" (v.
4). But, second, it is recorded of Abram: "going on still toward the
south" (Gen. 12:9), and southward was Egyptward! Most suggestive and
solemnly accurate is that line in the picture. Turning Egyptward is
ever the logical outcome of leaving Bethel and becoming possessed of a
restless spirit, for in the Old Testament Egypt is the outstanding
symbol of the world. If the believer's heart be right with his
Redeemer he can say "Thou O Christ art all I want, more than all in
thee I find." But if Christ no longer fully absorbs him, then some
other object will be sought. No Christian gets right back into the
world at a single step. Nor did Abram: he "journeyed toward the south"
before he entered Egypt!
Third, "and there was a famine in the land" (v. 10). Highly
significant was that! A trial of his faith, says someone, Not at all:
rather a showing of the red light--God's danger-signal of what lay
ahead. It was a searching call for the patriarch to pause and
"consider his ways." Faith needs no trials when it is in normal and
healthy exercise: it is when it has become encrusted with dross that
the fire is necessary to purge it. There was no famine at Bethel. Of
course not: there is always fulness of provision there. The analogy of
Scripture is quite against a "famine" being sent for the testing of
faith: see Genesis 26:1; Ruth 11; 2 Samuel 22:1, etc.--in each case
the famine was a Divine judgment. Christ is the Bread of Life, and to
wander from Him necessarily brings famine to the soul. It was when the
restless son went into the "far country" that he "began to be in want"
(Luke 15). This famine, then, was a message of providence that God was
displeased with Abram. So we should regard unfavorable providences:
they are a call from God to examine ourselves and try our ways.
"And Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there" (v. 10), and thus it
is with many of his children. Instead of being "exercised" by God's
chastenings (Heb. 12:11), as they should be, they treat them as a
matter of course, as part of the inevitable troubles which man is born
unto; and thus "despise" them (Heb. 12:5) and derive no good from
them. Alas, the average Christian instead of being "exercised" (in
conscience and mind) under God's rod, rather does he ask, How may I
most easily and quickly get from under it? If illness comes upon me,
instead of turning to the Lord and asking "Show me wherefore thou
contendest with me" (Job 10:4), they send for the doctor, which is
seeking relief from Egypt. Abram had left Bethel and one who is out of
communion with God cannot trust Him with his temporal affairs, but
turns instead to all arm of flesh. Observe well the "Woe" which God
has denounced upon those who go down into Egypt--turn to the
world--for help (Isa. 30:1, 2).
We cannot now dwell upon what is recorded in Genesis 12:11-13, though
it is unspeakably tragic. As soon as Abram drew near to Egypt, he
began to be afraid. The dark shadows of that land fell across his soul
before he actually entered it. He was sadly occupied with self. Said
he to his wife, "They will kill me . . . say, I pray thee, that thou
art my sister, that it may be well with me. How true it is that "the
backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways" (Prov. 14:14)!
Fearful of his own safety, Abram asked his wife to repudiate her
marriage to him. Abram was afraid to avow his true relationship. This
is always what follows when a saint goes down into Egypt: he at once
begins to equivocate. When he fellowships with the world he dare not
fly his true colors, but compromises. So far from Abram being made a
blessing to the Egyptians, he became a "great plague" to them (v. 17);
and in the end they "sent him away." What a humiliation!
"And Abram went up out of Egypt: he, and his wife, and all that he
had, and Lot with him, into the south." Did he remain in that
dangerous district? No, for "he went on in his journeys from the
south." Observe that he received no directions so to act. They were
not necessary: his conscience told him what to do! "He went on in his
journeys from the south, even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent
had been at the beginning . . . unto the place of the altar, which he
had made there at the first; and there Abram called on the name of the
Lord" (13:1-4). He again turned his back upon the world: he retraced
his steps; he returned to his pilgrim character and his altar. And
note well, dear reader, it was "there Abram called on the name of the
Lord." It had been a waste of time, a horrible mockery for him to have
done so while he was "down in Egypt." The Holy One will not hearken to
us while we are sullying His name by our carnal walk. It is "holy
hands" (1 Tim. 2:8), or at least penitent ones, which must be "lifted
up if we are to receive spiritual things from Him.
The case of Abram then sets before us in clear and simple language the
way of recovery for a backslider. Those words "unto the place where
his tent had been at the beginning" inculcate the same requirement as
"teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God"
(Heb. 5:12), and "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and
repent, and do the first works" (Rev. 2:5). Our sinful failure must be
judged by us: we must condemn ourselves unsparingly for the same: we
must contritely confess it to God: we must "forsake" it, resolving to
have nothing further to do with those persons or things which
occasioned our lapse. Yet something more than that is included in the
"do the first works": there must be renewed actings of faith on
Christ--typified by Abram's return to "the altar." We must come to the
Saviour as we first came to Him--as sinners, as believing sinners,
trusting in the merits of His sacrifice and the cleansing efficacy of
His blood, We must doubt not His willingness to receive and pardon us.
It is one of the devices of Satan that, after he has succeeded in
drawing a soul away from God and entangled him in the net of his
corruptions, to persuade him that the prayer of faith, in his
circumstances, would be highly presumptuous, and that it is much more
modest for him to stand aloof from God and His people. Now if by
"faith" were meant--as some would seem to understand--a persuading of
ourselves that having trusted in the finished work of Christ all is
well with us forever, that would indeed be presumptuous. But sorrow
for sin and betaking ourselves unto that Fountain which has been
opened for sin and for uncleanness (Zech. 13:1) is never out of
season: coming to Christ in our wretchedness and acting faith upon Him
to heal our loathsome diseases, both becomes us and honors Him. The
greater our sin has been, the greater reason is there that we should
confess it to God and seek forgiveness in the name of the Mediator. If
our case be such that we feel we cannot do so as saints, we certainly
ought to do so as sinners, as David did in Psalm 51--a Psalm which has
been recorded to furnish believers with instruction when they get into
such a plight.
This is the only way in which it is possible to find rest unto our
souls. As there is none other Name given under heaven among men by
which we can be saved, so neither is there any other by which a
backsliding saint can be restored. Whatever be the nature or the
extent of our departure from God, there is ho other way of return to
Him but by the Mediator. Whatever be the wounds sin has inflicted upon
our souls, there is no other remedy for them but the precious blood of
the Lamb. If we have no heart to repent and return to God by Jesus
Christ, then we are yet in our sins, and may expect to reap the fruits
of them. Scripture has no counsel short of that. We have many
encouragements to do so. God is of exceeding great and tender mercy,
and willing to forgive all who return to Him in the name of His Son:
though our sins he as scarlet, the atoning blood of Christ is able to
cleanse them. There is "plenteous redemption" with Him. As Abram,
David, Jonah, and Peter were restored, so may I, so may you be
restored.
____________________________________________________
Contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
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A. W. Pink Header
Spiritual Growth by Arthur W. Pink
12. Its Evidences
____________________________________________________
I
What are the principal marks of spiritual growth? what are the
outstanding characteristics of the Christian's progress? To some of
our readers that may appear a simple question, admitting of a ready
answer. From one standpoint that is so, yet if we are to view it in
its proper perspective, careful consideration is called for ere we
make reply. If we bear in mind the real nature of spiritual growth and
remember it is like that of a tree, downward as well as upward, inward
as well as outward, we shall be preserved from mere generalizations.
If, too, we take into account the three grades under which Christians
are grouped, we shall be careful to distinguish between those things
which, respectively, evidence growth in the "babes," in the "young
men," and in the "fathers" in Christ. That which is suited to and
marks the growth of a babe in Christ applies not to one who has
reached a more advanced form in His school, and that which
characterizes the full-grown Christian is not to be looked for in the
immature one. It follows then that certain distinctions must be drawn
if a definite and detailed answer is to be furnished to our opening
inquiry.
But since we have already written at some length on the three grades
of Christian development and have sought to describe those features
which pertain more distinctively to those in the stage of the "blade,"
the "ear" and "the full corn in the ear," there is no need for us now
to go over the same ground. If it be borne in mind that growth is a
relative thing, we shall see that the same unit of measurement is not
applicable to all cases--as the yardstick is the best means for
gauging the growth of children, but the weighing-scales for
registering that of adults. Then too, if we take into consideration,
as we should, differences of privilege and opportunity, of teaching
and training, of station and circumstances, uniform progress should
not be expected. Some believers have much more to contend against than
others. It is not that we would limit the grace of God, but that we
should recognize and take into account the distinctions which
Scripture itself draws. The relative growth of one who is severely
handicapped may be much greater in reality than that of another who in
more favorable circumstances makes greater progress.
The man who plants a fruit tree in a fertile valley is warranted to
expect a better yield from it than one which is set in the soil of an
exposed hillside. When a young Christian is favored with pious
parents, or brothers and sisters who encourage him both by counsel and
example, how much more may be looked for from him than another who
dwells in the home of the ungodly. An unmarried woman who does not
have to earn her living has much more opportunity for reading,
meditation, prayer and the nurture of her spiritual life, than one who
has the care of a young family. One who is privileged to sit regularly
under an edifying ministry has better opportunity for Christian
progress than another who is denied such a privilege. Again, the man
with two talents cannot produce as much as another with five, yet if
the former gain another two by them he does just as well
proportionately as the one who makes his five into ten. The Lord
Himself takes note of such differences: "For unto whomsoever much is
given, of him shall be much required" (Luke 12:48).
Let us also point out that we are not now going to write on the marks
or signs of spiritual life as such, but rather of the evidences of the
growth of spiritual life--a much harder task. When we endeavor to
examine ourselves for them, it is of great importance that we should
know what to look for. If the Christian expects to find an improvement
in the "old man," he will most certainly be disappointed: if he looks
for a waning of natural pride, a lessening of the workings of
unbelief, a cessation of the risings within him of rebellion against
God, he will look in vain. Yet how many Christians are bitterly
disappointed over this very thing and greatly cast down by the same.
But they ought not to be, for God has nowhere promised to sublimate or
spiritualize the "flesh" nor to eradicate our corruptions in this
life, yet it is the Christian's duty and privilege to so walk in the
spirit that he will not "fulfill the lusts of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16).
Though we should be deeply humbled over our corruptions and mourn for
them, yet our painful awareness of the same should not cause us to
conclude we have made no spiritual growth.
An increasing realization of our native depravity, a growing discovery
of how much there is within us that is opposed to God, with a
corresponding despising of ourselves for the same, is one of the
surest evidences that we are growing in grace. The more the light of
God shines into our hearts, the more are we made aware of the filth
and wickedness which indwell them. The better we became acquainted
with God and learn of His ineffable purity, the more conscious do we
become of our base impurity and bewail the same. That is a growing
downwards or becoming less in our own esteem. And it is that which
makes way for an increasing valuation of the atoning and cleansing
blood of Christ, and a more frequent betaking of ourselves to that
Fountain which has been opened for sin and for uncleanness. Thus, if
Christ is becoming more precious to you, if you perceive with
increasing clearness His suitability for such a vile wretch as you
know yourself to be, and if that perception leads you to cast yourself
more and more upon Him--as a drowning man does to a log--then that is
clear proof you are growing in grace.
Growth is silent and at the time imperceptible to our senses, though
later it is evident. Growth is gradual and full development is not
reached in a day, nor in a year. Time must be allowed before proof can
be obtained. We should not attempt to gauge our growth by our
feelings, but rather by looking into the glass of God's Word and
measuring ourselves by the standard which is there set before us.
There may be real progress even where there is less inward comforts.
Am I denying myself more now than I did formerly? Am I less enthralled
by the attractions of this world than I used to be? Are the details of
my daily life being more strictly regulated by the precepts of Holy
Writ? Am I more resigned to the blessed will of God, assured that He
knows what is best for me? Is my confidence in God growing, so that I
am more and more leaving myself and my affairs in His hands? Those are
some of the tests we should apply to ourselves if we would ascertain
whether or no we be glowing in grace.
1. Consider the work of mortification and seek to ascertain what
proficiency you are making therein. There can be no progress in the
Christian life while that work be unattended to. God does not remove
indwelling sin from His people, but He does require them to make no
provision unto its lusts, to resist its strivings, to deny its
solicitations. His call is "mortify therefore your members which are
upon the earth" (Col. 3:5), "put off concerning the former
conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful
lusts" (Eph. 4:22), "abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the
soul" (1 Peter 2:11), "keep yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:21). That
is the lifelong task God has assigned us, for as long as we remain in
this body the flesh will oppose from within and the world from
without. If we become slack in the performance of this duty, sin and
Satan will gain more and more of an advantage over us. But if we be
faithful and diligent therein our efforts, by the Spirit's enablement,
will not be altogether in vain.
But most of our readers, perhaps all of them, will exclaim, But this
is the very matter in which I meet with most discouragement, and if I
am honest it appears to me that my efforts are utterly in vain.
Despite my utmost endeavors, my lusts still master me and I am
repeatedly brought into captivity by sin. Though such be the case that
does not mean your efforts were useless. God has nowhere promised that
if you do so and so indwelling sin shall become inoperative or that
your lusts shall become weaker and weaker. There is widespread
misunderstanding on this subject. The word "mortify" signifies put to
death, but it must be carefully borne in mind that it is used
figuratively and not literally, for it is a physical term applied to
that which is immaterial. Through no possible process can the
Christian, not with the Spirit's help, render his lusts lifeless. They
may at times appear so to his consciousness, yet it will not be long
ere he is again aware that they are vigorous and active. The holiest
of God's people, in all ages, have borne testimony to the power and
prevalency in their corruptions, and that to their last hour.
It needs then to be carefully defined what is meant by the word
"mortify." Since it does not signify "slay or extinguish indwelling
sin" nor "render lifeless your lusts," what is intended? This: die
unto them in your affections, your intentions, your resolutions, your
efforts. We mortify sin by detesting it: "whosoever hateth his brother
is a murderer" (1 John 3:15) and just so far as we really hate our
corruptions have we morally slain them. The Christian evidences his
hatred of sin by mourning when it has gained an advantage over him. If
it be his sincere intention and honest resolution to subdue every
rising of his native depravity and the commission of every sin, then
in the sight of Him who accepts the will for the deed, he has
"mortified" them. Whenever the believer contritely confesses his sins
to God and "forsakes" them so far as any purpose to repeat them is
concerned, he has "mortified" them. If he truly loathes, grieves over,
and acknowledges his failures to God, then he can say, "that which I
do, I allow not" (Rom. 7:15).
"The Lord seeth not as men seeth: for man looketh on the outward
appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart" (1 Sam. 16:7) needs to
be borne in mind on this subject. "If a man find a betrothed damsel in
the field, and the man force her and lie with her, then the man only
that lay with her shall die" (Deut. 22:25). In the verses which follow
we read "there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death." Not only did
she not consent hereto, but we are told "she cried, and there was none
to save her." Now that has a spiritual application to us. If a
believer is suddenly surprised by a temptation which is to something
forbidden by God and his heart agrees not thereto, but offers a
resistance, which is however unavailing, though he is not guiltless
therein, yet his case is very different from that of the unregenerate
who found the temptation agreeable and responded heartily thereto.
Note how the Spirit has recorded of Joseph of Arimathea that though he
was a member of the Sanhedrin which condemned Christ to death, yet he
"had not consented to the counsel and deed of them" (Luke 23:51)!
"What is sanctification? Sanctification is a work of God's grace,
whereby they whom God hath before the foundation of the world chosen
to be holy, are in time, through the powerful operation of His Spirit
applying the death and resurrection of Christ unto them, renewed in
their whole man after the image of God; having the seeds of repentance
unto life and all other saving graces put into their hearts, and those
graces so stirred up, increased and strengthened, as that they more
and more die unto sin and rise unto newness of life" (Westminster
Catechism). The words we have emphasized have occasioned much grief
and anxiety to many, for measuring themselves by them they concluded
they had never been sanctified. But it should be noted it is not there
said that "sin is more and more dying in them," but that they "more
and more die unto sin," which is a very different thing. Christians
do, as pointed out above, die more and more to sin in their
affections, intentions, and efforts. Yet we fail to find any warrant
in Scripture for saying "the several lusts thereof are more and more
weakened."
Having sought to show what the word "mortify" does not denote in its
application to the Christian's conflict with sin and what it does
signify let us in a few words point out wherein the believer may be
said to be making progress in this essential work. He is progressing
therein when he girds himself more diligently and resolutely to this
task, refusing to allow seeming failure therein to cause him to give
up in despair. He is making progress therein as he learns to make
conscience of things which the world condemns not, being regulated by
God's Word rather than public opinion or leaning to his own
understanding. He is making progress therein when he obtains a clear
insight of spiritual corruptions, so that he is exercised not only
over worldly lusts and gross evils, but over coldness of heart,
unbelief, pride, impatience, self-confidence, and thus he would
cleanse himself from all filthiness of "spirit" as well as "of the
flesh" (2 Cor. 7:1). In short, he is growing in grace if he be
maintaining a stricter and more regular watch over his heart.
2. Consider the work of living unto God and seek to ascertain what
proficiency you are making therein. The measure and constancy of our
yieldedness and devotedness to God is another criterion by which we
may ascertain whether or no we are really growing in grace, for to
lapse into a course of self-pleasing is a sure symptom of backsliding.
Am I increasingly giving up myself to God, employing my faculties and
powers in seeking to please and glorify Him? Am I endeavoring, with
intensified earnestness and diligence, to act in accordance with the
surrender I made of myself to Him at my conversion, and to the
dedication of myself to His service at my baptism? Am I finding deeper
delight therein, or is His service becoming irksome? If the latter,
then that is clear proof that I have deteriorated, for there has been
no change in Him nor in His claims upon me. If love be healthy then my
greatest joy will be in making Him my chief Object and supreme End,
but if I seek to do so only from a sense of obligation and duty, then
my love has cooled.
"Be filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18). Probably that means, in part
at least, Let no compartment of your complex being be reserved or
retained for self, but desire and pray that God may possess you
wholly. Is that the deepest longing and endeavor of your heart? Are
you finding increasing pleasure in the will and ways of the Lord? then
you are following on to know Him. Are you making a more determined and
continuous effort to "Walk worthy of the Lord, unto all pleasing,
being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of
God' (Col. 1:10)? then that evidences you are growing in grace. Are
you less influenced than formerly by how others think and act,
requiring nothing less than a `Thus saith the Lord" for your monitor?
then you are becoming more rooted and grounded in the faith. Are you
more watchful against those things which would break, or at least
chill, your communion with God? then you are going forward in the
Christian life.
To be increasingly devoted to God requires that I be increasingly
occupied and absorbed with Him. To that end I need daily to study the
revelation which He has made of Himself in the Scriptures, and
particularly in Christ. I need also to meditate frequently upon His
wondrous perfections: His amazing grace, unfathomable love, His
ineffable holiness, His unchanging faithfulness, His mighty power, His
infinite longsufferance. If I contemplate Him thus with the eyes of
faith and love, then shall I be able to say "One thing have I desired
of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of
the Lord [the place of nearness and fellowship with him] all the days
of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord" (Ps. 27:4). The one who
can do that must perforce exclaim, "Whom have I in heaven but thee,
and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee" (Ps. 73:25).
That, my reader, is not a mere rhetorical utterance, but the language
of one whose heart has been won by the Lord.
3. Consider the Word of God and seek to measure yourself by the degree
in which you really honor it. What place do the contents of the Sacred
Volume have in your affections, thoughts, and life: a higher one than
formerly, or not? Is that Divine communication more valued by you
today than when you were first converted? Are you more fully assured
of its Divine inspiration, so that Satan himself could not make you
doubt its Authorship? Are you more solemnly impressed by its authority
so that at times you tremble before it? Does the Truth come with
greater weight, so that your heart and conscience is more deeply
impressed by it? Are more of its very words treasured up in your
memory and frequently meditated upon? Are you really feeding on it:
appropriating it to yourself, mixing faith therewith, and being
nourished by it? Are you learning to make it your Shield on which you
catch and quench the fiery darts of the wicked? Are you, like the
Bereans (Acts 17:11), bringing to this infallible Scale and weighing
therein all you read and hear?
Carefully bear in mind the purpose for which the Scriptures were given
to us, the particular benefits they are designed to bestow. They are
"profitable for doctrine," and their doctrine is far more than a
theological treatise addressed to the intellect, or a philosophical
system which furnishes an explanation of man's origin, constitution,
and relation to God. It is "the doctrine which is according to
godliness" (1 Tim. 6:3), every part of which is designed to exalt God
and abase man, according to Him His rightful place over us and our
dependence upon and subjection to Him. It is profitable for "reproof,"
to acquaint us with our innumerable faults and failures and to
admonish us for the same. It is "a critic of the thoughts and intents
of the heart" (Heb. 4:12), probing into our innermost beings and
condemning all within us which is impure. It is profitable for
"correction," to teach us what is right and pleasing unto God; and
such is its potency that the more we are regulated by it the more are
our souls renovated and purified. It is profitable for "instruction in
righteousness," for producing integrity of character and conduct. It
is for the enlightening of our minds, the instructing of our
consciences, the regulating of our wills.
Now my reader, test yourself by those considerations, fairly and
impartially. Are you finding the Scriptures increasingly profitable
for the doctrine which is according to godliness: if so they are
producing in you a deeper and more extensive piety. Are you more and
more opening your heart to their "reproof," not confining yourself to
those portions which comfort, and avoiding those parts which admonish
and condemn you? If so then you are cultivating closer dealings with
God. Are you increasingly desirous of being "corrected" by their
searching and holy teachings? If so then you diligently endeavor to
promptly put right whatever they show is wrong in you. Are they really
instructing you in righteousness, so that your deportment is becoming
in fuller conformity to their standard? If so you are more shunned by
worldlings and less esteemed by empty professors. Do you frequently
examine yourself by God's Word and test your experience by its
teaching? If so, you are becoming more skilled in the Word of
Righteousness (Heb. 5:13) and more pleasing to its Author.
II
4. Consider your occupation with Christ and remember that growth in
grace is commensurate with your growing in the knowledge of Him (2
Peter 3:18). That knowledge is indeed a spiritual one, yet it is
received via the understanding, for what is not apprehended by the
mind cannot profit the heart. Nothing but an increasing familiarity
and closer fellowship with Christ can nourish the soul and promote
spiritual prosperity. There can be no real progress without a better
acquaintance with His person, office, and work. Christianity is more
than a creed, more than a system of ethics, more than a devotional
program. It is a life: a life of faith on Christ, of communion with
Him and conformity to Him (Phil. 1:21). Take Christ out of
Christianity and there is nothing left. There must be constant renewed
acts of faith on Christ, yet our faith is always in proportion to the
spiritual knowledge we have of its object. "That I may know him"
precedes "and the power of his resurrection." Christ revealed to the
heart is the Object of our knowledge (2 Cor. 4:6), and our spiritual
knowledge of Him consists in the concepts and apprehensions of Him
which are formed in our minds. That knowledge is fed, strengthened,
and renewed by our spiritual and believing meditations on Christ and
those being made effectual in the soul by the power of the Spirit.
The Object of our faith is a known Christ, and the better we know Him
the more we shall act faith on Him. The Christian life consists
essentially, in living on Christ: "the life which I now live in the
flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God." The particular acts of
this life of faith are beholding Christ (as He is presented in the
Word), cleaving to Him, making use of Him, drawing from Him, holding
free communion with Him, delighting ourselves in Him. Alas, the great
majority of Christians seek to live on themselves and feed on their
experience. Some are forever occupied with their corruptions and
failures, while others are wholly taken up with their graces and
attainments. But there is nothing of Christ in either the one or the
other, and nothing of faith; rather does self absorb them and a life
of sense predominates. All genuine "experience" is a knowing ourselves
to be what God has described us in His Word and having such an inward
realization thereof as proves to us our dire need of Christ. It
consists too of such a knowledge of Him as that He is exactly suited
to our case and Divinely qualified and perfectly fitted for our every
lack. No matter how "deep" may be your "experience," it is worth
nothing unless it turns you to the great Physician.
How often have we read in the diaries and biographies of saints, or
heard them say, O what blessed enlargement of soul I was favored with,
what liberty in prayer, how my heart was melted before the Lord, what
joy unspeakable possessed me. But if those "mountain-top experiences
be analyzed what do they consist of? what is there of Christ in them?
It is not spiritual views of Him which engages their attention, but
the warmth of their affections, a being carried away with their
comforts. No wonder such ecstasies are so brief and are followed by
deep depression of spirits. Measure your spiritual growth rather by
the extent you are learning to look away from both sinful self and
religious self. Christian progress is to be gauged not by feelings but
by the extent to which you live outside of yourself and live upon
Christ--making fuller use of Him, prizing him more highly, finding all
your springs in Him, making Him your "all" (Col. 3:11). It is a
consciousness of sin and not of our graces, the burden of our
corruptions and not delighting ourselves in our enlargements, which
will move us to look away from self and behold the Lamb.
5. Consider the path of obedience and what progress you are making
therein. That which distinguishes the regenerate in a practical way
from the unregenerate is that the former are "obedient children" (1
Peter 2:14), whereas the latter are entirely dominated by the carnal
mind, which is "enmity against God, and is not subject to the Law of
God, neither indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7). The very first criterion given
in the epistle which is written in order that believers may know they
have eternal life is, "Hereby we know [are Divinely assured] that we
know him [savingly], if we keep his commandments" (1 John 2:3).
Conversion is a forsaking of the path of self-will and self-pleasing
(Isa. 53:6) and a complete surrender of myself to the Lordship of
Christ, and the genuineness thereof is evidenced by my taking His yoke
upon me and submitting to His authority. If we truly submit to His
authority then we shall seek to comply with all He enjoins and not
pick and choose between His precepts. Nothing less than wholehearted
and impartial obedience is required from us (John 15:14). If we do not
sincerely endeavor to obey in all things, then we do not in any, but
merely select what is agreeable to ourselves. Then is there any such
thing as progress in obedience? Yes.
We are improving in obedience when it becomes more extensive. Though
the young convert has fully surrendered himself to the Lord, yet he
devotes himself to some duties with more earnestness and diligence
than he does to others, but as he becomes better acquainted with God's
will, more of his ways are regulated thereby. As spiritual light
increases he discovers that God's commandment is "exceeding broad"
(119: 96), forbidding not only the overt act but all that leads to it,
and inculcating (by necessary implication) the opposite grace and
virtue. Growth in grace appears when my obedience is more spiritual.
One learning to write becomes more painstaking, so that he forms his
letters with greater accuracy: so as one progresses in the school of
Christ he pays more attention to that word "Thou hast commanded us to
keep thy precepts diligently" (119:4). So, too, superior aims and
motives prompt him: his springs are less servile and more evangelical,
his obedience proceeding from love and gratitude. That, in turn,
produces another evidence of growth: obedience becomes easier and
pleasanter, so that he "delights in the law of the Lord." Duty is now
a joy: "O how love I thy law."
6. Consider the privilege of prayer and how far you are improving in
that exercise. Probably not a few will exclaim, Alas, in this respect
I have deteriorated, for I am neither as diligent in it nor as fervent
as I used to be. But it is easy to form a wrong judgment upon the
matter measuring it by quantity instead of quality. Devout Jews and
Papists spend much time on their knees, but that is simply the
religion of the flesh. There is often more of the natural than the
spiritual in the devotional exercises of the young convert, especially
if he be of a warm and ardent temperament. It is easy for enthusiasm
to carry him away when new objects and interests engage him, and for
emotionalism to be mistaken for fervor of spirit. Personally we very
much doubt if the Lord's people experience any true progress in their
prayer life until they make the humbling discovery they know not how
to pray, though they may have attained to considerable proficiency in
framing eloquent and moving petitions as men judge. "We [Christians]
know not what we should pray for as we ought" (Rom. 8:26): did we
realize that in our spiritual childhood? The first mark of growth here
is when we are moved to cry, "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1).
As the Christian grows in grace prayer becomes more of an attitude
than an act, an act of dependence upon and confidence in God. It
becomes an instinct to turn to Him for help, guidance, wisdom,
strength. It consists of an increasing looking to and leaning upon
Him, acknowledging Him in all our ways. Thus prayer becomes more
mental than vocal, more ejaculatory than studied, more frequent than
prolonged. As the Christian progresses his prayers will be more
spiritual: he will be more intent upon the pursuit of holiness than of
knowledge, he will be more concerned about pleasing God than
ascertaining whether his name be written in the Book of Life, more
earnest in seeking those things which will promote the Divine glory
than minister to his comfort. As he learns to know God better his
confidence in Him will be deepened, so that if on the one hand he
knows nothing is too hard for Him, on the other he is assured that His
wisdom will withhold as well as bestow. Again, growth appears when we
are as diligent in praying for the whole household of faith as for
ourselves or immediate family. Our heart has been enlarged when we
make "supplication for all saints" (Eph. 6:18).
7. Consider the Christian warfare and what success you are having
therein. Here again we shall certainly err and draw a wrong conclusion
unless we pay close attention to the language of Holy Writ. That which
we are called to engage in is "the good fight of faith" (1 Tim. 6:12),
but if we seek to gauge our progress therein by the testimony of our
senses a false verdict will inevitably be given. The faith of God's
elect has the Scriptures for its sole ground and Christ as its
immediate Object. Nowhere in Scripture has Christ promised His
redeemed such a victory over their corruptions in this life that they
shall be slain, nor even that they will be so subdued their lusts will
cease vigorously opposing, no not for a season, for there is no
discharge nor furlough in this warfare. Nay, He may permit your
enemies to gain such a temporary advantage that you cry "iniquities
prevail against me" (Ps. 65:3), nevertheless you are to continue
resisting, assured by the Word of promise you shall yet be an
overcomer. Satan's grand aim is to drive you to despair because of the
prevalency of your corruptions, but Christ has prayed for thee that
thy faith fail not, and proof His prayer is being answered is that you
weep over your failures and do not become a total apostate.
The trouble is that we want to mix something with faith--our feelings,
our "experiences," or the fruits of faith. Faith is to look to Christ
and triumph in Him alone. It is to be engaged with Him and His word at
all times no matter what we encounter. If we endeavor to ascertain the
outcome of this fight by the evidence of our senses--what we see and
feel within--instead of judging it by faith, then our present
experience will be that of Peter's "when he saw the wind boisterous"
while walking on the sea toward Christ, or we will conclude "I shall
now perish" (1 Sam. 27:1). Did not Paul find that when he would do
good evil was present within him, yea, that while he delighted in the
law of God after the inward man, he saw another law in his members
warring against the law of his mind and bringing him into captivity,
so that he cried "O wretched man that I am." That was his
"experience," and the evidence of sense. Ah, but he did not, as so
many do, stop there. "Who shall deliver me?" "I thank God through
Jesus Christ" (Rom. 7) he answered. That was the language of faith! Is
it yours? Your success in this fight is to be determined by
whether--despite all failures--you are continuing therein and whether
you confidently look forward to the final issue--that you will triumph
through Christ.
If we received a letter from a native of Greenland's icy mountains
asking us to give him as accurate and vivid a word picture as possible
of an English apple-tree and its fruit, we would not single out for
our description one that had been artificially raised in a hothouse,
nor would we select one which grew in poor and rocky ground on some
desolate hillside; rather would we take one that was to be found in
average soil in a typical orchard. It is quite true the others would
be apple trees and might bear fruit, yet if we confined our word
picture unto the portraying of either of them, the Greenlander would
not obtain a fair concept of the ordinary apple tree. It is equally
unfair and misleading to take the peculiar experiences of any
particular Christian and hold them up as the standard by which all
others should measure themselves. There are many kinds of apples,
differing in size, color and flavor. And though Christians have
certain fundamental things in common, yet no two of them are alike in
all respects. Variety marks all the works of God. Above we have
referred to seven different phases of the Christian life by which we
may test our progress. In what follows we mention some of the
characteristics which pertain more or less--for in germ form they are
found in all--to a state of Christian maturity.
Prudence. There is a well-known adage--though often ignored by
adults--that "we cannot put old heads on young shoulders." That is
true spiritually as well as naturally: we live and learn, though some
learn more readily than others--usually it is because they receive
their instruction from the Scriptures while others are informed only
by painful experience. The Word says "Put not your trust in princes,
nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help" (146:3), and if we
heed that injunction we are spared many a bitter disappointment;
whereas if we take people at their word and count on their help, we
shall frequently find that we leaned upon a broken reed. In many other
ways the young convert's zeal becomes tempered by knowledge and he
conducts himself more prudently. As he becomes more experienced he
learns to act with greater caution and circumspection, and to "walk in
wisdom toward them that are without" (Col. 4:5), as he also discovers
the chilling effects which frothy professors have upon him, so that he
is more particular in selecting his associates. He learns too his own
peculiar weaknesses and in which direction he needs most to watch and
pray against temptations.
Sobriety. This can be attained only in the school of Christ. It is
true that in certain dispositions there is much less to oppose this
virtue, yet its full development can only be under the operations of
Divine grace, as Titus 2:11, 12 plainly shows. We would define
Christian sobriety as the regulation of our appetites and affections
in their pursuit and use of all things--we can be righteous "over
much" (Eccl. 7:16). It is the governing of our inward and outward man
by the rules of moderation and temperance. It is the keeping of our
desires within bounds so that we are preserved from excesses in
practice. It is a frame or temper of the mind which is the opposite of
excitedness. It is a being "temperate in all things" (1 Cor. 9:25).
and that includes our opinions as well as conduct. It is a holy
seriousness, calmness, gravity, balance, which prevents one becoming
an extremist. It is that self-control which keeps us from being unduly
cast down by sorrows or elated by joys. It causes us to hold the
things of this life with a light hand, so that neither the pleasures
nor the cares of the world unduly affect the heart.
Stability. There is a spiritual childishness as well as a natural one,
wherein the young convert acts more from impulse than principle, is
carried away by his fancies, and easily influenced by those around
him. To be "tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of
doctrine" (Eph. 4:14) is one of the characteristics of spiritual
immaturity, and when we waver in faith and are of a doubtful mind then
we halt and falter in our duties. Even that love which is shed abroad
in the hearts of the renewed needs to be controlled and guided, as
appears from that petition of the apostle's "I pray that your love may
abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment" (Phil.
1:9). As the Christian grows in grace he becomes "rooted and built up
in Christ and established in the faith" (Col. 2:7). As he grows in the
knowledge of the Lord it can be said of him "He shall not be afraid of
evil tidings his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord" (Ps. 112:7). He
may be shaken, but will not be shattered by bad news, for having
learned to rely upon God, he knows no change of circumstances can do
more than lightly affect him. No matter what may befall him, he will
remain calm, confident in his Refuge: since his heart be anchored in
God his comforts do not ebb and flow with the creature.
Patience. Here we must distinguish between that natural placidity
which marks some temperaments and that spiritual grace which is
wrought in the Christian by God. We must also remember that spiritual
patience has both a passive and an active side to it. Passively, it is
a quiet and contented resignation under suffering (Luke 21:19), being
the opposite of acting "as a wild bull in a net" (Isa. 51:20). Its
language is "The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink
it?" (John 18:11). Actively, it is a persevering in duty (Heb. 12:1),
being the opposite of "turning back in the day of battle" (Ps. 78:9).
Its language is "be not weary in well doing" (2 Thess. 2:13). Patience
enables the believer to meekly bear whatever the Lord is pleased to
lay upon him. It causes the believer to quietly await God's hour of
relief or deliverance. It prompts the believer to continue performing
his duty in spite of all opposition and discouragement. Now since it
is tribulation (Rom. 5:3) and the trying of our faith (James 1:3)
which "worketh patience," much of it is not to he looked for in the
spiritually inexperienced and immature. we are improving in patience
when mole spiritual considerations prompt us thereto.
Humility. Evangelical humility is a realization of my ignorance,
incompetency and vileness, with an answerable frame of heart. As the
young believer applies himself diligently to the reading of God's Word
and acquires more familiarity with its contents, as lie becomes better
instructed in the faith, he is very apt to be puffed up with his
knowledge. But as he studies the Word more deeply, he perceives how
much there is therein which transcends his understanding, and as he
learns to distinguish between an intellectual information of spiritual
things and an experimental and transforming knowledge of them, he
cries "that which I see not, teach thou me" and "teach me thy
statues." As he grows in grace he makes an increasing discovery of his
ignorance and realizes "he knows nothing yet as he ought to know" (1
Cor. 8:2). As the Spirit enlarges his desires, he thirsts more and
more for holiness, and the more he is conformed to the image of Christ
the more will he groan because of his sensible unlikeness to Him. The
young Christian attempts to perform many duties in his own strength,
but later on discovers that apart from Christ he can do nothing. The
father in Christ is self-emptied and self-abased and marvels
increasingly at the longsufferance of God toward him.
Forbearance. A spirit of bigotry, partisanship and intolerance is a
mark of narrow mindedness and of spiritual immaturity. On first
entering the school of Christ most of us expected to find little
difference between members of the same family, but more extensive
acquaintance with them taught us better, for we found their minds
varied as much as their countenances, their temperaments more than
their local accents of speech, and that amid general agreement there
were wide divergences of opinions and sentiments in many things. While
all God's people are taught of Him, yet they know but "in part" and
the "part" one knows may not be the part which another knows. All the
saints are indwelt by the holy Spirit, yet He does not operate
uniformly in them nor bestow identical gifts (1 Cor. 12:8-11). Thus
opportunity is afforded us to "forbear one another in love" (Eph. 4:2)
and not make a man an offender for a word or despise those who differ
from me. Growth in grace is evidenced by a spirit of clemency and
toleration, granting to others the same right of private judgment and
liberty as I claim for myself. The mature Christian, generally, will
subscribe to that axiom "In essentials unity, in non-essentials
liberty, in all things charity."
Contentment. As a spiritual virtue this is to have our desires limited
by a present enjoyment, or to find a sufficiency in and be satisfied
with my immediate portion. It is the opposite of murmurings,
distracted cares, covetous desires. To murmur is to quarrel with the
dispensations of Providence: to have distracted cares is to distrust
God for the future: to have covetous desires is to be dissatisfied
with what God has assigned me. God knows what is best for our good,
and the more that be realized the more thankful shall we be for the
allotments of His love and wisdom--pleased with what pleases Him.
Contentment is a mark of weanedness from the world and of delighting
ourselves in the Lord. The apostle declared "I have learned in
whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content" (Phil. 4:11), and as
Matthew Henry said, that lesson was learned "not at the feet of
Gamaliel, but of Christ." Nor was it something he acquired there all
in a moment. By nature we are restless, impatient, envious of the
condition of others: but submission to the Divine will and confidence
in God's goodness produces peace of mind and rest of heart. It is the
mature Christian who can say "Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more
than in the time their corn and their wine increased" (Ps. 4:7).
____________________________________________________
Contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
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The Antichrist by Arthur W. Pink
Forward
_________________________________________________
The contents of this book were first given out by the author at Bible
Conferences, and then appeared in their present form in Studies in the
Scriptures. As the subject of them is of such importance to students
of prophecy, and as so little has been published thereon, we have
deemed it advisable to issue them, complete, in book form. So far as
the writer is aware, only two or three comparatively brief booklets
and essays have appeared on this particular theme, though to their
contents we are indebted for a number of helpful suggestions.
Our aim has been to present as comprehensive an outline as our space
would allow. Much of what we have advanced will no doubt be new to the
great majority of our readers. Frequently we have been obliged to
deviate from the interpretations of those who have gone before us.
Nevertheless, we have sought to give clear proof texts for everything
advanced, and we would respectfully urge the reader to examine them
diligently and impartially.
The subject is unspeakably solemn, and before each chapter was
commenced we lifted up our heart to God that we might write with His
fear upon us. To speculate about any of the truths of Holy Writ is the
height of irreverence: better far to humbly acknowledge our ignorance
when God has not made known His mind to us. Only in His light do we
see light. Secret things belong unto the Lord, but the things which
are revealed (in Scripture) belong unto us and to our children.
Therefore, it is our bounden duty, as well as holy privilege, to
search carefully and prayerfully into what God has been pleased to
tell us upon this, as upon all other subjects of inspiration.
Fully conscious are we that we have in no wise exhausted the subject.
As the time of the manifestation of the Man of Sin draws near, God may
be pleased to vouchsafe a fuller and better understanding of those
parts of His Word which make known "the things which must shortly come
to pass". That others may be led to make a more thorough inquiry for
themselves is our earnest hope, and that God may be pleased to use
this work to stimulate to this end is our prayer. May He deign to use
to His glory whatever in this book is in harmony with His Word, and
cause to fall to the ground whatever in it is displeasing to Him.
Arthur W. Pink,
Swengel, Pa. October, 1923.
_________________________________________________
Contents | Forward | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Conclusion
____________________________________________________
About Us
What's New
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Baptist History
Bible Study Courses
Eschatology Heretical Teachings
Theological Studies
TULIP
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Time of Sorrow Links & Resources
For the Cause of
God and Truth
Follow us on Twitter
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The Antichrist by Arthur W. Pink
Introduction
_________________________________________________
Across the varied scenes depicted by prophecy there falls the shadow
of a figure at once commanding and ominous. Under many different names
like the aliases of a criminal, his character and movements are set
before us. It is our intention to write a series of papers concerning
this one who will be the full embodiment of human wickedness and the
final manifestation of satanic blasphemy. Many others have made
reference to this mysterious personage in their general expositions of
prophecy, but so far as our examination of the literature on this
subject has carried us (and we have endeavored to make it as thorough
as possible) there seem to have been very few attempts made to furnish
a complete delineation of this Prince of Darkness. We do not know of
any exhaustive treatment of the subject, and for this reason, and also
because there is no little confusion in the minds of many concerning
the character and career of the coming Man of Sin, these papers are
not submitted to the attention of Bible students.
For upwards of twelve years we have studied diligently and prayerfully
what the Scriptures teach about the Pseudo-Christ. The deeper we have
carried these studies, the more surprised we are at the prominent
place which is given in the Bible to this Son of Perdition. There is
an amazing wealth of detail which, when carefully collected and
arranged, supplies a vivid biography of the one who is shortly to
appear and take the government of the world upon his shoulders. The
very fact that the Holy Spirit has caused so much to be written upon
the subject at once denotes its great importance. The prominence of
the Antichrist in the prophetic Scriptures will at once appear by a
glance at the references that follow.
The very first prophecy of the Bible takes note of him, for in Genesis
3:15 direct reference is made to the Serpent's "Seed". In exodus a
striking type of him is furnished in Pharaoh, the defier of God; the
one who cruelly treated His people; the one who by ordering the
destruction of all the male children, sought to cut off Israel from
being a nation; the one who met with such a drastic end at the hands
of the Lord. In the prophecy of Balaam, the Antichrist is referred to
under the name of "Asshur" (Num. 24:22),--in future chapters evidence
will be given to prove that "Asshur" and the Antichrist are one and
the same person. There are many other remarkable types of the Man of
Sin to be found in the historical books of the Old Testament, but
these we pass by now, as we shall devote a separate chapter to their
consideration.
In the book of Job he is referred to as "the Crooked Serpent" (Job
26:13): with this should be compared Isaiah 27:1 where, as "the
Crooked Serpent", he is connected with the Dragon, though
distinguished from him. In the Psalms we find quite a number of
references to him; as "the Bloody and Deceitful Man" (Ps. 5:6); "the
Wicked (One)" (Ps. 9:17); "the Man of the Earth" (Ps. 10:18); the
"Mighty Man" (Ps. 52:1); "the Adversary" (Ps. 74:10); "the Head over
many countries" (Ps. 110:6); "the Evil Man" and "the Violent Man" (Ps.
140:1), etc., etc. Let the student give special attention to Psalms
10, 52, and 55.
When we turn to the Prophets there the references to this Monster of
Iniquity are so numerous that were we to cite all of them, even
without comment, it would take us quite beyond the proper bounds of
this introductory chapter. Only a few of the more prominent ones can,
therefore, be noticed.
Isaiah mentions him: first as the "Assyrian", "the Rod" of God's anger
(Isa. 10:5); then as "the Wicked" (Isa. 11:4); then as "the King of
Babylon" (Isa. 14:11-20 and cf. 30:31-33); and also as the
"Spoiler"--Destroyer (Isa. 16:4). Jeremiah calls him "the Destroyer of
the Gentiles" (Jer. 4:7); the "Enemy", the "Cruel One" and "the
Wicked" (Jer. 30:14 and 23). Ezekiel refers to him as the "Profane
Wicked Prince of Israel" (Ezek. 21:25), and again under the figure of
the "Prince of Tyre" (Ezek. 28:2-10), and also as "the chief Prince of
Meshech and Tubal" (Ezek. 38:2). Daniel gives a full delineation of
his character and furnished a complete outline of his career. Hosea
speaks of him as "the King of Princes" (Dan. 8:10), and as the
"Merchant" in whose hand are "the balances of deceit" and who "loveth
to oppress" (Dan. 12:7). Joel describes him as the Head of the
Northern Army, who shall be overthrown because he "magnified himself
to do great things" (Joel 2:20). Amos terms him the "Adversary" who
shall break Israel's strength and spoil her palaces (Amos 3:11). Micah
makes mention of him in the fifth chapter of his prophecy (see Micah
5:6). Nahum refers to him under the name of "Belial (Heb.) and tells
of his destruction (Nah. 1:15). Habakkuk speaks of him as "the Proud
Man" who "enlarged his desires as hell, and is as death, and cannot be
satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him
all peoples" (Hab. 2:5). Zechariah describes him as "the Idol
Shepherd" upon whom is pronounced God's "woe", and upon whom descends
His judgment (Zech. 11:17).
Nor is it only in the Old Testament that we meet with this fearful
character. Our Lord Himself spoke of him as the one who should "come
in his own name", and who would be "received" by Israel (John 5:43).
The apostle Paul gives us a full length picture of him in 2
Thessalonians 2, where he is denominated "that Man of Sin, the Son of
Perdition", who coming shall be "after the working of Satan with all
power and signs and lying wonders". The apostle John mentions him by
name, and declares that he will deny both the Father and the Son (1
John 2:22). While in the Apocalypse, the last book in the Bible, all
these lines of prophecy are found to converge in "the Beast" who shall
ultimately be cast, together with the False Prophet, into the lake of
fire, there to be joined a thousand years later by the Devil himself,
to suffer for ever and ever in that fire specially "prepared" by God.
The appearing of the Antichrist is a most appalling and momentous
subject, and in the past, many well-meaning writers have deprived this
impending event of much of its terror and meaning, by confusing some
of the antichrists that have already appeared at various intervals on
the stage of human history, with that mysterious being who will tower
high above all the sons of Belial, being no less than Satan's
counterfeit and opposer of the Christ of God, who is infinitely
exalted above all the sons of God. It promotes the interests of Satan
to keep the world in ignorance of the coming Super-man, and there can
be no doubt that he is the one who is responsible for the general
neglect in the study of this subject, and the author, too, of the
conflicting testimony which is being given out by those who speak and
write concerning it.
There have been three principal schools among the interpreters of the
prophecies pertaining to the Antichrist. The first have applied these
prophecies to persons of the past, to men who have been in their
graves for many centuries. The second have given these prophecies a
present application, finding their fulfillment in the Papacy which
still exists. While the third give them a future application, and look
for their fulfillment in a terrible being who is yet to be manifested.
Now, widely divergent as are these several views, the writer is
assured there is an element of truth in each of them. Many, if not the
great majority of the prophecies--not only those pertaining to the
Antichrist, but to other prominent objects of prediction--have at
least a twofold, and frequently a threefold fulfillment. They have a
local and immediate fulfillment: they have a continual and gradual
fulfillment: and they have a final and exhaustive fulfillment.
In the second chapter of his first epistle the apostle John declares,
"Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that
Antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we
know that it is the last time" (v. 18). In strict harmony with this,
the apostle Paul affirmed that the "mystery of iniquity" was "already"
at work in his day (2 Thess. 2:7). This need not surprise us, for many
centuries before the apostles, the wise man declared, "The thing that
hath been, is that which shall be; and that which is done is that
which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun" (Eccl.
1:9). History works in cycles, but as each cycle is completed we are
carried nearer the goal and consummation of history. There have been,
then, and there exist today, many antichrists, but these are only so
many forecasts and foreshadowings of the one who is yet to appear. But
it is of first importance that we should distinguish clearly between
an antichrist and the Antichrist. As we have said, there have already
been many antichrists, but the appearing of the Antichrist is yet
future.
The first school of interpreters referred to above, have lighted upon
Antiochus Epiphanes as the one who fulfills the prophecies respecting
the Antichrist. As far back as the days of Josephus (see his
"Antiquities") this view found ardent advocates. Appeal was made to
the title he assumed (Epiphanes signifying "Illustrious"); to his
opposition against the worship of Jehovah; to his remarkable military
achievements; to his diplomatic intrigues; to his defiling of the
Temple; to his sacrificing of a pig in the holy of holies; to his
setting up of an image; and to his cruel treatment of the Jews. But
there are many conclusive reasons to prove that Antiochus Epiphanes
could not possibly be the Antichrist, though undoubtedly he was, in
several respects, a striking type of him, inasmuch as he foreshadowed
many of the very things which this coming Monster will do. It is
sufficient to point out that Antiochus Epiphanes had been in his grave
for more than a hundred years when the apostle wrote 2 Thessalonians
2.
Another striking character who has been singled out by those who
believe that the Antichrist has already appeared and finished his
course, is Nero. And here again there are, admittedly, many striking
resemblances between the type and the antitype. In his office of
emperor of the Romans; in his awful impiety; in his consuming egotism,
in his bloodthirsty nature; and in his ferocious and fiendish
persecution of the people of God, we discover some of the very
lineaments which will be characteristic of the Wicked One. But again
it will be found that this man of infamous memory, Nero, did nothing
more than foreshadow that one who shall far exceed him in satanic
malignity. Positive proof that Nero was not the Antichrist is to be
found in the fact that he was in his grave before John wrote the
thirteenth chapter of the Revelation.
The second school of interpreters, to whom reference has been made
above, apply the prophecies concerning the Antichrist to the papal
system, and see in the succession of the popes the facsimile of the
Man of Sin. Attention is called to Rome's hatred of the Gospel of God'
grace; to her mongrel combination of political and ecclesiastical
rule; to her arrogant claims and tyrannical anathemas upon all who
dare to oppose them; to her subtlety, her intrigues, her broken
pledges; and last, but not least, to her unspeakable martyrdom of
those who have withstood her. The pope, we are reminded, has usurped
the place and prerogatives of the Son of God, and his arrogance, his
impiety, his claims to infallibility, his demand for personal worship,
all tally exactly with what is postulated of the Son of Perdition.
Antichristian, Roman Catholicism unquestionably is, yet, even this
monstrous system of evil falls short of that which shall yet be headed
by the Beast. We shall devote a separate chapter to a careful
comparison of the papacy with the prophecies which describe the
character and career of the Antichrist.
The third school of interpreters believe that the prophecies relating
to the Lawless One have not yet received their fulfillment, and cannot
do so until this present Day of Salvation has run its course. The Holy
Spirit of God, whose presence here now prevents the final outworking
of the Mystery of Iniquity, must be removed from these scenes before
Satan can bring forth his Masterpiece of deception and opposition to
God. Many are the scriptures which teach plainly that the
manifestation of the Antichrist is yet future, and these will come
before us in our future studies. For the moment we must continue
urging upon our readers the importance of this subject and the
timeliness of our present inquiry.
The study of Antichrist is not merely one of interest to those who
love the sensational, but it is of vital importance to a right
understanding of dispensational truth. A true conception of the
predictions which regard the Man of Sin is imperatively necessary for
an adequate examination of that vast territory of unfulfilled
prophecy. A single passage of scripture will establish this. If the
reader will turn to the beginning of 2 Thessalonians 2 he will find
that the saints in Thessalonica had been waiting for the coming of
God's Son from heaven, because they had been taught to expect their
gathering together unto Him before God launches His judgments upon the
world, which will distinguish the "Day of the Lord". But their faith
had been shaken and their hope disturbed. Certain ones had erroneously
informed them that "that day" had arrived, and therefore, their
expectation of being caught up to meet the Lord in the air had been
disappointed. It was to relieve the distress of these believers, and
to repudiate the errors of those who had disturbed them, that, moved
by the Holy Spirit, the apostle wrote his second epistle to the
Thessalonian church.
"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and by our gathering together unto Him, That ye be not soon shaken in
mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as
from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you
by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling
away first, and that Man of Sin be revealed, the Son of Perdition; Who
opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is
worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing
himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you
I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he
might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth
already work: only He who now letteth (hindereth) will let, until He
be taken our of the way. And then shall that Wicked One be revealed,
whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall
destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him whose coming is
after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish;
because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be
saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that
they might believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed
not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (2 Thess. 2:1-12).
We have quoted this passage at length to show that the Day of the Lord
cannot come until after the Rapture (v. 1), after the Apostasy (v. 3),
and after the appearing of the Man of Sin (v. 3), whose character and
career here briefly but graphically sketched. The Antichrist is to run
his career of unparalleled wickedness after all Christians have been
removed from these scenes, for it it under him, as their leader, that
all the hosts of ungodliness shall muster to meet their doom by the
summary judgment of God. Has then, the Wicked One been revealed? or
must we still say, as the apostle said in his day, that while the
"mystery of iniquity" is even now working, there is something
"withholding" (restraining), that he should be revealed "in his time"?
The vital importance of the answer which is given to these questions
will further appear when we connect with this description of the
Antichrist given in 2 Thessalonians 2 the other prophecies which
reveal the exact length of time within which his course must be
accomplished. Our reason for saying this is because the majority of
the prophecies yet unfulfilled are to be fulfilled during the time
that the Antichrist is the central figure upon earth. Moreover, the
destruction of the Antichrist and his forces will be the grand finale
in the age-long conflict between the Serpent and the woman's Seed, as
He returns to set up His kingdom.
The dominant view which has been held by Protestants since the time of
the Reformation is that the many predictions relating to the
Antichrist describe, instead, the rise, progress, and doom of the
papacy. This mistake has led to others, and given rise to the scheme
of prophetic interpretation which has prevailed throughout
Christendom. When the predictions concerning the Man of Sin were
allegorized, consistency required that all associated and collateral
predictions should also be allegorized, and especially those which
relate to his doom, and the kingdom which is to be established on the
overthrow of his power. When the period of his predicted course was
made to measure the whole duration of the papal system, it naturally
followed that the predictions of the associated events should be
applied to the history of Europe from the time that the Bishop of Rome
became recognized as the head of the Western Churches.
It was, really, this mistake of Luther and his contemporaries in
applying to Rome the prophecies concerning the Antichrist which is
responsible, we believe, for the whole modern system of
post-millennialism. The Reformers were satisfied that the Papacy had
received its death blow, and though it lingered on, the Protestants of
the sixteenth century were confident it could never recover. Believing
that the doom of the Roman hierarchy was sealed, that the kingdom of
Satan was rocking on its foundations, and that a brief interval would
witness a complete overthrow, they at once seized upon the prophecies
which announced the setting up of the kingdom of Christ as immediately
following the destruction of the Antichrist, and applied them to
Protestantism. It is true that some of them did not seem to fit very
well, but human ingenuity soon found a way to overcome these
difficulties. The obstacle presented by those prophecies that
announced the immediate setting up of Christ's kingdom, following the
overthrow and destruction of Satan's, was surmounted by an appeal to
the analogy furnished in the overthrow of Satan's kingdom--if this was
a tedious process, a gradual thing which required time to complete,
why not so with the other? If the rapidly waning power of the papacy
was sufficient to guarantee its ultimate extermination, why should not
the progress of the Reformation presage the ultimate conquering of the
world for Christ!
If, as it seemed clear to the Reformers, the papacy was the Man of
Sin, and St. Peter's was the "temple" in which he usurped the place
and prerogatives of Christ, then, this premise established, all the
other conclusions connected with their scheme of prophetic
interpretation must logically follow. To establish the premise was the
first thing to be done, and once the theory became a settled
conviction it was no difficult thing to find scriptures which appeared
to confirm their view. The principal difficulty in the way was to
dispose of the predictions which limited the final stage of
Antichrist's career to forty-two months, or twelve hundred sixty days.
This was accomplished by what is known as the "year-day" theory, which
regards each of the 1260 days as "prophetic days", that is, as 1260
years, and thus sufficient room was afforded to allow for the
protracted history of Roman Catholicism.
Without entering into further details, it is evident at once that, if
this allegorical interpretation of the prophecies regarding Antichrist
can be proven erroneous, then the whole post-millennial and
"historical" schemes of interpretation fall to the ground, and
thousands of the voluminous expositions of prophecy which have been
issued during the past three hundred and fifty years are set aside as
ingenious but baseless speculations. This, of itself, is sufficient to
demonstrate the importance of our present inquiry.
Not only is the importance of our subject denoted by the prominent
place given to it in the Word of God, and not only is its value
established by the fact that a correct understanding of the person of
Antichrist is one of the chief keys to the right interpretation of the
many prophecies which yet await their fulfillment, but the timeliness
of this inquiry is discovered by noting that the Holy Spirit has
connected the appearing of the Antichrist with the Apostasy: "Let no
man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except
there come a falling away (the Apostasy) first, and that Man of Sin be
revealed, the Son of Perdition" (2 Thess. 2:3). These two things are
here joined together, and if it can be shown that the Apostasy is
already far advanced, then we may be certain that the manifestation of
the Man of Sin cannot be far distant.
There is little need for us to make a lengthy digression here and give
a selection from the abundance of evidence to hand, which shows that
the Apostasy is already far advanced. The great majority of those whom
we are addressing have already had their eyes opened by God to discern
the Christ-dishonoring conditions which exist on almost every side. It
will be enough to barely mention the gathering of the "tares" into
bundles, which is taking place before our eyes; the rapid spread of
Spiritism, with its "seducing spirits and doctrines of demons", and
the significant and solemn fact that thousands of those who are
ensnared by it are those who have departed from the formal profession
of the faith (1 Tim. 4:1); the "form of godliness" which still exists,
but which alas! in the vast majority of instances "denies its power ";
the alarming development and growth of Roman Catholicism in this land,
and the lethargic indifference to this by most of those who bear the
name of Christ; the denial of every cardinal doctrine of the faith
once delivered to the saints, which is now heard in countless pulpits
of every denomination; the "scoffing" which is invariably met with by
those who teach the imminent return of the Lord Jesus; and the
Laodicean spirit which is now the very atmosphere of Christendom, and
from which few, if any, of the Lord's own people are entirely
free--these, and a dozen others which might be mentioned, are the
proofs which convince us that the time must be very near at hand when
the Divine Hinderer shall be removed, and when Satan shall bring forth
his Son to head the final revolt against God, ere the Lord Jesus
returns to this earth and sets up His kingdom. This then, shows the
need of a prayerful examination of what God has revealed of those
things "which must shortly come to pass". The very fact that the time
when Satan's Masterpiece shall appear is rapidly drawing nearer,
supplies further evidence of the importance and timeliness of our
present inquiry.
The practical value of these preliminary considerations should at once
be apparent. What we have written in connection with this incarnation
of Satan who is shortly to appear, is not the product of a disordered
imagination but the subject of Divine revelation. The warning given
that the appearing of the Antichrist cannot be far distant springs not
from the fears of an alarmist, but is required by the Signs of the
Times which, in the light of Scripture, are fraught with significant
meaning to all whose senses are exercised to discern both good and
evil. The many proofs that the manifestation of the Man of Sin is an
event of the near future are so many calls to God's own children to be
ready for the Return of the Savior, for before the Son of Perdition
can be revealed the Lord Himself must first descend into the air and
catch away from these scenes, unto Himself, His own blood-bought
people. Therefore, it behooves each one of us to make "our calling and
election sure", and to heed that urgent admonition of the Savior "Let
your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves
like unto men that wait for their Lord" (Luke 12:35, 36).
_________________________________________________
Contents | Forward | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Conclusion
____________________________________________________
About Us
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The Antichrist by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 1
The Papacy Not The Antichrist
_________________________________________________
"I am come in My Father's name, and ye receive Me not: if another
shall come in his own name, him ye will receive" (John 5:43). These
words were spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ, and the occasion on which
they were uttered and the connection in which they are found, invest
them with peculiar solemnity. The chapter opens by depicting the
Savior healing the impotent man who lay by the pool of Bethesda. This
occurred on the Sabbath day, and the enemies of Christ made it the
occasion for a vicious attack upon Him: "Therefore did the Jews
persecute Jesus, and sought to slay Him, because He had done these
things on the Sabbath day" (v. 16). In vindicating His performance of
this miracle on the Sabbath, the Lord Jesus began by saying, "My
Father worketh hitherto, and I work" (v. 17). But this only served to
intensify their enmity against Him, for we read, "Therefore the Jews
sought the more to kill Him, because He not only had broken the
Sabbath, but said also that God was His Father, making Himself equal
with God" (v. 18). In response, Christ then made a detailed
declaration of His divine glories. In conclusion He appealed to the
varied witnesses which bore testimony to His Deity:--the Father
Himself (v. 32); John the Baptist (v. 33); His own works (v. 36); and
the Scriptures (v. 39). Then He turned to those who were opposing Him
and said, "And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life. But I
know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in My
Father's name, and ye receive Me not: if another shall come in his own
name, him ye will receive" (vv. 40, 42, 43). And this was immediately
followed by this searching question--"How can ye believe which receive
honor (glory) one of another, and seek not the honor (glory) that
cometh from God only?" (v. 44).
Here is the key to the solemn statement which begins this article.
These Jews received glory from one another; they did not seek it from
God, for they had not the love of God in them. Therefore it was that
the One who had come to them in the Father's name, and who "received
not glory from men" (v. 41) was rejected by them. And just as eve's
rejection of the word of God's truth laid her open to accept the
serpent's lie, so Israel's rejection of the true Messiah, has prepared
them, morally, to receive the false Messiah, for he will come in his
own name, doing his own pleasure, and will "receive glory from men."
Thus will he thoroughly appeal to the corrupt heart of the natural
man. The future appearing of this one who shall "come in his own name"
was announced, then, by the Lord Himself. The Antichrist will be
"received," not only by the Jews, but also by the whole world;
received as their acknowledged Head and Ruler; and all the modern
pleas for and movements to bring about a federation of the churches
and a union of Christendom, together with the present-day efforts to
establish a League of Nations--a great United States of the World--are
but preparing the way for just such a character as is portrayed both
in the Old and New Testaments.
There will be many remarkable correspondences between the true and the
false Christ, but more numerous and more striking will be the
contrasts between the Son of God and the Son of perdition. The Lord
Jesus came down from Heaven, whereas the Antichrist shall ascent from
the bottomless Pit (Rev. 11:7). The Lord Jesus came in His Father's
name, emptied Himself of His glory, lived in absolute dependence upon
God, and refused to receive honor from men; but the Man of Sin will
come in his own name, embodying all the pride of the Devil, opposing
and exalting himself not only against the true God, but against
everything that bears His name, and his deepest craving will be to
receive honor and homage from men.
Now since this parallel, with its pointed contrasts, was drawn by our
Lord Himself in John 5:43, how conclusive is the proof which it
affords that the Antichrist will be a single individual being as
surely as Christ was! In further proof of this 1 John 2:18 may be
cited: "Little children, it is the last hour: and as ye heard that
Antichrist cometh, even now hath there arisen many antichrists;
whereby we know that it is the last hour" (R.V.). Here the Antichrist
is plainly distinguished from the many who prepare his way. The verb
"cometh" here is a remarkable one, for it is the very same that is
used of the Lord Jesus Christ in reference to His first and second
Advents. The Antichrist, therefore, is also "the coming one," or "he
that cometh." This defines his relation to the world,--which has long
been expecting some Conquering Hero--as "the Coming One" defines the
relation of the Christ of God to His Churches, whose Divinely-inspired
hope is the return of the Lord from Heaven.
Nor does this by any means exhaust the proof that the coming
Antichrist will be a single individual being. The expressions used by
the apostle Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2--"that Man of Sin," "The Son of
Perdition," "he that opposeth and exalteth himself," "the Wicked One
whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth," "he whose
coming is after the working of Satan"--all these point as distinctly
to a single individual as did the Messianic predictions of the Old
Testament point to the person of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, in accordance with these texts, and many others which might be
quoted, we find that all the Christian writers of the first six
centuries (that is all who make reference to the subject) regarded the
Antichrist as a real person, a specific individual. We might fill many
pages by giving extracts from their works, but three must suffice. The
first is taken from a very ancient document, entitled "The Teaching of
the Apostles," which probably dates back to the beginning of the
second century: --
"For in the last days the false prophets and the destroyers shall be
multiplied, and the sheep shall be turned into wolves, and love shall
be turned into hate. For when lawlessness increases, they shall hate
and persecute and deliver up one another; and then shall appear the
world-deceiver as Son of God, who shall do signs and wonders, and the
earth shall be delivered into his hands, and he shall do lawless deeds
such as have never yet been done since the beginning of the world.
Then shall the race of men come into the fire of trial, and many shall
be offended and shall perish, but they who have endured in their faith
shall be saved under the very curse itself."
Our second quotation is taken from the writings of Cyril, who was
Bishop of Jerusalem in the fourth century: "This aforementioned
Antichrist comes when the times of the sovereignty of the Romans shall
be fulfilled, and the concluding events of the world draw nigh. Ten
kings of the Romans arise at the same time in different places,
perhaps; but reigning at the same period. But after these, the
antichrist is the eleventh, having, by his magic and evil skill,
violently possessed himself of the Roman power. Three of those who
have reigned before him, he will subdue; the other seven he will hold
in subjection to himself. At first he assumes a character of
gentleness (as if a wise and understanding person), pretending both to
moderation and philanthropy; deceiving, both by lying miracles and
prodigies which come from his magical deceptions, the Jews, as if he
were the expected Messiah. Afterwards he will addict himself to every
kind of evil, cruelty, and excess, so as to surpass all who have been
unjust and impious before him; having a bloody and relentless and
pitiless mind, and full of wily devices against all, and especially
against believers. But having dared such things three years and six
months, he will be destroyed by the second glorious coming from heaven
of the truly begotten Son of God, who is our Lord and Savior, Jesus
the true Messiah; who, having destroyed Antichrist by the Spirit of
His mouth, will deliver him to the fire Gehenna."
Our last quotation is made from the writings of Gregory of Tours, who
wrote at the end of the sixth century A.D.:--"Concerning the end of
the world, I believe what I have learnt from those who have gone
before me. Antichrist will assume circumcision, asserting himself to
be the Christ. He will then place a statue to be worshipped in the
Temple at Jerusalem, as we read that the Lord has said, `Ye shall see
the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place.'"
Our purpose in making these quotations is not because we regard the
voice of antiquity as being in any degree authoritative: far from it;
the only authority for us is "What saith the Scriptures?." Nor have we
presented these views as curious relics of antiquity--though it is
interesting to discover the thoughts which occupied some of the
leading minds of past ages. No: our purpose has been simply to show
that the early Christian writers uniformly held that the Antichrist
would be a real person, a Jew, one who should both simulate and oppose
the true Christ. Such continued to be the generally received doctrine
until what is known as the Dark Ages were far advanced.
It is not until we reach the fourteenth century (so far as the writer
is aware) that we find the first marked deviation from the uniform
belief of the early Christians. It was the Waldenses,--so remarkably
sound in the faith on almost all point of doctrine--who, thoroughly
worn out by centuries of the most relentless and merciless
persecutions, published about the year 1350 a treatise designed to
prove that the system of Popery was the Antichrist. It should however
be said in honor of this people, whose memory is blessed, that in one
of their earliest books entitled "The Noble Lesson," published about
1100 A.D., they taught that the Antichrist was an individual rather
than a system.
Following the new view espoused by the Waldenses it was not long
before the Hussites, the Wycliffites and the Lollards--other companies
of Christians who were fiercely persecuted by Rome--eagerly caught up
the idea, and proclaimed that the Pope was the Man of Sin and the
papacy the Beast. From them it was handed on to the leaders of the
Reformation who soon made an earnest attempt to systematize this new
scheme of eschatology. But rarely has there been a more forcible
example of the tendency of men's belief to be molded by the events and
signs of their own lifetime. In order to adapt the prophecies of the
Antichrist to the Papal hierarchy, or the line of the Popes, they had
to be so wrested that scarcely anything was left of their original
meaning.
"The coming Man of Sin had to be changed into a long succession of
men. The time of his continuance, which God had stated with precision
and clearness as forty-two months (Rev. 13:5), or three years and a
half, being far too short for the line of Popes, had to be lengthened
by an ingenious, but most unwarrantable, process of first resolving it
into days, and then turning these days into years.
"The fact that, in the 13th chapter of the Apocalypse, the first Beast
or secular power, is supreme while the second Beast or ecclesiastical
power is subordinate, had to be ignored; since such an arrangement is
opposed to all the traditions of the Roman system. Also the
circumstances that the second Beast is a prophet and not a priest, had
to be kept in the background; for the Roman church exalts the priest,
and has little care for the prophet. Then, again, the awful words
pronouncing sentence of death upon every one who worshipped the Beast
and his image, and receives his mark in his forehead or in his hand
(Rev. 13), seemed--and no wonder--too terrible to be applied to every
Roman Catholic, and, therefore, had to be explained away or
suppressed" (G. H. Pember).
Nevertheless, by common consent the Reformers applied the prophecies
which treat of the character, career, and doom of the Antichrist, to
Popery, and regarded those of his titles which referred to him as
"that Man of Sin, the Son of Perdition," the "King of Babylon" and
"the Beast," as only so many names for the head of the Roman
hierarchy. But this view, which was upheld by most of the Puritans
too, must be brought to the test of the one infallible standard of
Truth which our gracious God has placed in our hands. We must search
the Scriptures to see whether these things be so or not.
Now we shall hold no brief for the pope, nor have we anything good to
say of that pernicious system of which he is the head. On the
contrary, we have no hesitation in denouncing as rank blasphemy the
blatant assumption of the pope as being the infallible vicar of
Christ. Nor do we hesitate to declare that the Papacy has been marked,
all through its long history, by impious arrogance, awful idolatry,
and unspeakable cruelty. But, nevertheless, there are many scriptures
which prevent us from believing that the Papacy and the Antichrist are
identical. The Son of Perdition will eclipse any monstrosities that
have sprung from the waves of the Tiber. The Bible plainly teaches us
to look for a more terrible personage than any Hildebrand or Leo.
Undoubtedly there are many points of analogy between Antichrist and
the popes, and without doubt the Papal system has foreshadowed to a
remarkable degree the character and career of the coming Man of Sin.
Some of the parallelisms between them were pointed out by us in the
previous chapter, and to these many more might be added. Not only is
it evident that Roman Catholicism is a most striking type and
harbinger of that one yet to come, but the cause of truth requires us
to affirm that the Papacy is an antichrist, doubtless, the most
devilish of them all. Yet, we say again, that Romanism is not the
Antichrist. As it is likely that many of our readers have been
educated in the belief that the pope and the Antichrist are identical,
we shall proceed to produce some of the numerous proofs which go to
show that such is not the case. That the Papacy cannot possibly be the
Antichrist appears from the following considerations: --
1. The term "Antichrist" whether employed in the singular or the
plural, denotes a person or persons, and never a system. We may speak
correctly of an and-Christian system, just as we may refer to a
Christian organization; but it is just as inadmissible and erroneous
to refer to any system or organization as "the Antichrist" or "an
antichrist," as it would be to denominate any Christian system or
organization "the Christ," or "a Christ." Just as truly as the Christ
is the title of a single person the Son of God, so the Antichrist will
be a single person, the son of Satan.
2. The Antichrist will be a lineal descendant of Abraham, a Jew. We
shall not stop to submit the proof for this, as that will be given in
our next chapter; suffice it now to say that none but a full-blooded
Jew could ever expect to palm himself off on the Jewish people as
their long-expected Messiah. Here is an argument that has never been
met by those who believe that the pope is the Man of Sin. So far as we
are aware no Israelite has ever occupied the Papal See--certainly none
has done so since the seventh century.
3. In line with the last argument, we read in Zechariah 11:16,17,
"For, lo, I will raise up a Shepherd in the land which shall not visit
those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young ones, nor heal
that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall
eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces. Woe to the
Idol Shepherd that leaveth the flock! The sword (of Divine judgment)
shall be upon his arm (his power), and upon his right eye
(intelligence): his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye
shall be utterly darkened." "The land" here is, of course, Palestine,
as is ever the case in Scripture with this expression. This could not
possibly apply to the line of the Popes.
4. In 2 Thessalonians 2:4 we learn that the Man of Sin shall sit "in
the Temple of God," and St. Peter's at Rome cannot possibly be called
that. The "Temple" in which the Antichrist shall sit will be the
rebuilt temple of the Jews, and that will be located not in Italy but
in Jerusalem. In later chapters it will be shown that he Mosque of
Omar shall yet be replaced by a Jewish Temple before our Lord returns
to earth.
5. The Antichrist will be received by the Jews. This is clear from the
passage which heads the first paragraph of this chapter. "I am come in
My Father's name, and ye receive me not; if another shall come in his
own name, him ye will receive;" but the Jews have never yet owned
allegiance to any pope.
6. The Antichrist will make a Covenant with the Jews. In Daniel 9:27
we read, "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for a week." The
one referred to here as making this seven-year Covenant is "the Prince
that shall come" of the previous verse, namely, the Antichrist, who
will be the Head of the ten-kingdomed Empire. The nation with whom the
Prince will make this covenant is the people of Daniel, as is clear
from the context--see Daniel 5:24. But we know of no record upon the
scroll of history of any pope having ever made a seven-year Covenant
with the Jews!
7. In Daniel 11:45 we read, "And he shall plant the tabernacles of his
palace between the seas, in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall
come to his end, and none shall help him." The person referred to here
is, again, the Antichrist, as will be seen by going back to Daniel
5:36 where this section of the chapter begins. There we are told, "The
king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and
magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things
against he God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be
accomplished; for that that is determined shall be done." This is more
than sufficient to identify with certainty the one spoken of in the
last verse of Daniel 11. The Antichrist, then, will plant the
tabernacles of his palace "between the seas," that is, between the
Mediterranean and the Red Sea. By no species of ingenuity can this be
made to apply to the pope, for his palace, the Vatican, is located in
the capital city of Italy.
8. The Antichrist cannot be revealed until the mystic Body of Christ
and the Holy Spirit have been removed from the earth. This is made
clear by what we read in 2 Thessalonians 2. In verse three of that
chapter the apostle refers to the revelation of the Man of Sin. In
verse four he describes his awful impiety. In verse five he reminds
the Thessalonians how that he had taught them these things by word of
mouth when he was with them. And then, in verse six he declares "And
now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time."
And again he said, "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work:
only He who now letteth (hindereth) will let until He be taken out of
the way." There are two agencies, then, which are hindering, or
preventing the manifestation of the Antichrist, until "his time" shall
have come. The former agency is covered by the pronoun "what," the
latter by the word "He." The former, we are satisfied, is the mystical
Body of Christ; the latter being the Holy Spirit of God. At the
Rapture both shall be "taken out of the way," and then shall the Man
of Sin be revealed. If, then, the Antichrist cannot appear before the
Rapture of the saints and the taking away of the Holy Spirit, then,
here is proof positive that the Antichrist has not yet appeared.
9. Closely akin to the last argument is the fact that quite a number
of definite scriptures place the appearing of the Antichrist at that
season known as the End-Time. Daniel 7 and 8 make it plain that the
Antichrist will run his career at the very end of this age (we do not
say this "dispensation" for that will end at the Rapture), that is,
during the great Tribulation, the time of "Jacob's trouble." Daniel
7:21-23 declares, "I beheld, and the same horn made war with the
saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came,
and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time
came that the saints possessed the kingdom." Daniel 8:19 places his
course (see Daniel 8:23-25) at "the last end of the indignation," i.e.
of God's wrath against Israel and the Gentiles. Daniel 9 shows that he
will make his seven-years' Covenant with the Jews at the beginning of
the last of the seventy "weeks" which is to bring in "the end" of
Israel's sins and "finish the transgression" (9:24). If the time of
the Antichrist's manifestation is yet future then it necessarily
follows that Rome cannot be the Antichrist.
10. The Antichrist will deny both the Father and the Son: "He is
Antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son" (1 John 2:22). This
scripture does not speak of virtual, but of actual and formal denial.
But Rome has always maintained in her councils and creeds, her symbols
of faith and worship, that there are three persons in the Godhead.
Numerous and grievous have been her departures from the teaching of
Holy Scripture, yet since the time of the Council of Trent (1563 A.D.)
every Roman Catholic has had to confess "I believe in God the
Father...and in the Lord Jesus Christ . . .and in the Holy Ghost, the
Lord and Giver of life, which proceedeth from the Father and the Son."
As a system Romanism is a go-between. The "priest" stands between the
sinner and God; the `confessional' between him and the throne of
grace; `penance' between him and godly sorrow; the `mass' between him
and Christ; and `purgatory' between him and Heaven. The pope
acknowledges both the Father and the Son: he confesses himself to be
both the servant of God and His worshipper; he blesses the people not
in his own name, but in that of the Holy Trinity.
11. The Antichrist is described as the one "who opposeth and exalteth
himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that
he as God sitteth in the Temple of God, showing himself that he is
God" (2 Thess. 2:4). This is what the popes have never done. Not even
Leo ventured to deify himself or supersede God. The popes have made
many false and impious claims for themselves; nevertheless, their
decrees have been sent forth as from the "vicegerent" of God, the
"vicar" of Christ--thus acknowledging a Divine power above himself.
12. In Revelation 13:2,4 we read, "And the beast which I saw was like
unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth
as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his
seat, and great authority...and they worshipped the dragon which gave
power unto the beast." By comparing these verses with Revelation 12:9
we learn that the Dragon is none other than Satan himself. Now by
almost common consent this first beast of Revelation 13 is the
Antichrist. If, then, Romanism be the Antichrist, where, we may ask,
shall we turn to find anything answering to what we read of here in
Revelation 13:4--"And they worshipped the dragon, which gave power
unto the beast."
13. This same 13th chapter of Revelation informs us that the
Antichrist (the first Beast) shall be aided by a second Beast who is
denominated "the False Prophet" (Rev. 19:20). The False Prophet, we
are told "exerciseth all the power of the First Beast before him, and
causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the First
Beast" (Rev. 13:12). If the First Beast be the Papacy, then who is the
False Prophet who "causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to
worship" her?
14. Again; we are told that this False Prophet shall say to them that
dwell on the earth "that they should make an image to the Beast, which
had the wound by a sword and did live" (Rev. 13:14). Further, we are
told, "And he had power to give life unto the image of the Beast, that
the image of the Beast should both speak, and cause that as many as
would not worship the image of the Beast should be killed" (Rev.
13:15). Where do we find anything in Popery which in anywise resembles
this?
15. In Daniel 9:27 we are told that the Antichrist "shall cause the
sacrifice and the oblation to cease." And again in Daniel 8:11 we
read, "Yea, he magnified himself even against the Prince of the host,
and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away." If Romanism is the
Antichrist how can these scriptures be made to square with the oft
repeated "Sacrifice of the Mass"?
16. The dominion of the Antichrist shall be world-wide. The coming Man
of Sin will assert a supremacy which shall be unchallenged and
universal. "And all the world wondered after the Beast" (Rev. 13:3).
"And power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations"
(Rev. 13:7). It hardly needs to be pointed out that half of
Christendom, to say nothing of Heathendom, is outside the pale of
Rome, and is antagonistic to the claims of the Papacy. Again; in
Revelation 13:17 we read "No man might buy or sell, save he that had
the mark, or the name of the Beast, or the number of his name:" and
when, we ask, has any pope exercised such commercial supremacy that
none could buy or sell without his permission?
17. The duration of Antichrist's career, after he comes out in his
true character, will be limited to forty-two months. There are no less
than six scriptures which, with a variety of expression, affirm this
time restriction. In Daniel 7:25 we learn that this one who shall
"think to change times and laws," will have these "given into his hand
until a time, and times, and the dividing of time:" that is, for three
years and a half--cf. Revelation 12:14 with 12:6. And again in
Revelation 13:5 we are told, "And there was given unto him a mouth
speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to
continue forty and two months" (Rev. 13:5). Now it is utterly
impossible to make this harmonize with the protracted history of
Romanism by any honest method of computation.
18. In Revelation 13:7,8 we read, "And it was given unto him to make
war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him
over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon
the face of the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written
in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the
world." Here we are expressly told that the only ones who will not
"worship the Beast," i.e. the Antichrist, are they whose names are
written in the Lamb's book of life. If then the pope is the
Antichrist, all who do not worship him must have their names written
in the Lamb's book of life--an absurdity on the face of it, for this
world be tantamount to saying that all the infidels, atheists, and
unbelievers of the last thousand years who were outside of the pale of
Roman Catholicism are saved.
19. In 2 Thessalonians 2:11,12 we are told, "For this cause God shall
end them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they
all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness." The context here shows that "believing a lie" means
accepting the claims of the Antichrist. Those who believe his claims
will "receive him (John 5:43), and not only so, they will "worship"
him (Rev. 13:8); and 2 Thessalonians 2:12 declares that all who do
this will be damned." If, then, the pope is the Antichrist, then it
necessarily follows that all who have believed his lying claims, that
all who have received him the vicar of Christ, that all who have
worshipped him, will be eternally lost. But the writer would not for a
moment make any such sweeping assertion. He, together with thousands
of others, believes firmly that during the centuries there have been
many Roman Catholics who, despite much ignorance and superstition,
have been among that number that have exercised faith in the blood of
Christ, and that lived and died resting on the finished work of Christ
as the alone ground of their acceptance before God, and who because of
this shall be forever with the Lord.
20. That the Antichrist and the Papacy are totally distinct is
unequivocally established by the teaching of Revelation 17. Here we
learn that there shall be ten kings who will reign "with the Beast"
(v. 12), and act in concert with him (vv. 13,16). Then we are told
"these shall hate the Whore (the papacy), and shall make her desolate
and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire" (v. 16).
Instead of the Antichrist and the Papacy being identical, the former
shall destroy the latter; whereas, the Antichrist shall be destroyed
by Christ Himself, see 2 Thessalonians 2:8.
Perhaps a word of explanation is called for as to why we have entered
into such lengthy details in presenting some of the many proofs that
the Papacy is not the Antichrist. Our chief reason for doing so was
because we expect that many who will read this paper are among the
number who have been brought up in the belief which was commonly
taught by the Reformers and which has prevailed generally since their
day. For those readers who had already been established on this point,
we would ask them to please bear with us for having sought to help
those less fortunate. Our next chapter will be one of more general
interest, for in it we shall discuss the person of the Antichrist--who
he will be, from whence he will spring, and what marks will serve to
identify him.
_________________________________________________
Contents | Forward | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Conclusion
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The Antichrist by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 2
The Person Of The Antichrist
_________________________________________________
In our last chapter we pointed out how that the Antichrist is not a
system of evil, nor an anti-Christian organization, but instead, a
single individual being, a person yet to appear. In support of this we
appealed to the declaration of our Lord recorded in John 5:43; "I am
come in My Father's name, and ye receive Me not: if another shall come
in his own name, him ye will receive." Here the Savior both compares
and contrasts the Man of Sin with Himself. The point of comparison is
that, like the Savior, he shall offer himself to Israel; the contrast
is, that unlike Christ who was rejected by the Jews, the false messiah
shall be "received" by them. If, then, the Antichrist may be compared
and contrasted with the Christ of God, he, too, must be a person, an
individual being.
Again; we called attention to the expression used by the apostle Paul
in 2 Thessalonians 2:--"That Man of Sin," "the Son of Perdition," he
that opposeth and exalteth himself," "the Wicked One whom the Lord
shall consume with the spirit of His mouth," "he whose coming is after
the working of Satan"--all these point as distinctly to a single
individual as did the Messianic predictions of the Old Testament point
to the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. Assured, then, that "the
Antichrist" signifies a specific individual, our next concern is to
turn to the Scriptures and learn what God has been pleased to reveal
concerning this Personification of Evil.
I. The Antichrist Will Be A Jew.
The Antichrist will be a Jew, though his connections, his governmental
position, his sphere of dominion, will by no means confine him to the
Israelitish people. It should, however, be pointed out that there is
no express declaration of Scripture which says in so many words that
this daring Rebel will be "a Jew;" nevertheless, the hints given are
so plain, the conclusions which must be drawn from certain statements
of Holy Writ are so obvious, and the requirements of the case are so
inevitable, that we are forced to believe he must be a Jew. To these
`hints', `conclusions' and `requirements' we now turn.
1. In Ezekiel 21:25-27 we read: "and thou, profane wicked prince of
Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, Thus saith
the Lord God; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall
not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I
will overturn, overturn, overturn it: and it shall be no more until he
comes whose right it is, and I will give it him." The dispensational
place and scope of this passage, is not hard to determine. The
time-mark is given in Ezekiel 5:25: it is "when iniquity shall have an
end." It is the End-Time which is in view, then, the End of the Age,
when "the transgressors are come to the full" (Dan. 8:23 and cf.
11:36--"Till the indignation be accomplished"). At that time Israel
shall have a Prince, a Prince who is crowned (v. 26), and a Prince
whose day is said to be come when iniquity shall have an end." Now, as
to who this Prince is, there is surely no room for doubt. The only
Prince whom Israel will have in that day, is the Son of Perdition,
here termed their Prince because he will be masquerading as Messiah
the Prince (see Daniel 9:25)! Another unmistakable mark of
identification is here given, in that he is expressly denominated
"thou, profane wicked Prince"--assuredly, it is the Man of Sin who is
here in view, that impious one who shall "oppose and exalt himself
above all that is called God." But what should be noted particularly,
is, that this profane and wicked character is here named "Prince of
Israel." He must, therefore, be of the Abrahamic stock, a Jew!
2. In Ezekiel 28:2-10 a remarkable description is given us of the
Antichrist under the figure of "the Prince of Tyrus," just as in
vv.12-19 we have another most striking delineation of Satan under the
figure of "the king of Tyrus." In a later chapter we hope to show
that, beyond a doubt, it is the Antichrist who is in view in the first
section of this chapter. There is only one thing that we would now
point out from this passage: in v.10 it is said of him "Thou shalt die
the deaths of the uncircumcised," which is a very strong hint that he
ought not to die the deaths of the "uncircumcised" because he belonged
to the Circumcision! Should it be said that this verse cannot apply to
the Antichrist because he will be destroyed by Christ Himself at His
coming, the objection is very easily disposed of by a reference to
Revelation 13:14, which tells of the Antichrist being wounded to death
by a sword and rising from the dead--which is prior to his ultimate
destruction at the hands of the Savior.
3. In Daniel 11:36,37 we are told, "And the king shall do according to
his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every
god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and
shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is
determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the God of his
fathers." This passage, it is evident, refers to and describes none
other than the coming Antichrist. But what we wish to call special
attention to is the last sentence quoted--"The God of his fathers."
What are we to understand by this expression? Why, surely, that he is
a Jew, an Israelite, and that his fathers after the flesh were
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob--for such is the invariable meaning of "the
fathers" throughout the Old Testament Scriptures.
4. In Matthew 12:43-45 we have another remarkable scripture which will
be considered briefly, in a later section of this chapter, when we
shall endeavor to show that "The Unclean Spirit" here is none other
than the Son of Perdition, and that the "house' from which he goes out
and into which he returns, is the Nation of Israel. If this can be
established, then we have another proof that he will be a Jew, for
this "house," which is Israel, is here termed by Antichrist "my
house." Just as Solomon was of "the House of David," so Antichrist
shall be of the House of Israel.
5. In John 5:43 we have a further word which helps us to fix the
nationality of this coming One. In speaking of the false messiah, the
Lord Jesus referred to him as follows, "Another shall come in his own
name." In the Greek there are four different words all translated
"Another" in our English versions. One of them is employed but once,
and a second but five times, so these need not detain us now. The
remaining two are used frequently, and with a clear distinction
between them. The first "allos" signifies "another" of the same kind
or genus--see Matthew 10:23; 13:24; 26:71, etc. The second, "heteros,"
means "another" of a totally different kind,--see Mark 16:12; Luke
14:31; Acts 7:18; Romans 7:23. Now the striking thing is that the word
used by our Lord in John 5:43 is "allos," another of the same genus,
not "heteros," another of a different order. Christ, the Son of
Abraham, the Son of David, had presented Himself to Israel, and they
rejected Him; but "another" of the same Abrahamic stock should come to
them, and him they would "receive." If the coming Antichrist were to
be a Gentile, the Lord would have employed the word "heteros;" the
fact that He used "allos" shows that he will be a Jew.
6. The very name "Antichrist" argues strongly his Jewish nationality.
This title "Antichrist" has a double significance. It means that he
will be one who shall be "opposed" to Christ, one who will be His
enemy. But it also purports that he will be a mock Christ, an
imitation Christ, a pro-Christ, a pseudo Christ. It intimates that he
will ape Christ. He will pose as the real Messiah of Israel. In such
case he must be a Jew.
7. This mock Christ will be "received" by Israel. The Jews will be
deceived by Him. They will believe that he is indeed their
long-expected Messiah. They will accept him as such. Proofs of this
will be furnished in a later chapter. But if this pseudo Christ
succeeds in palming himself off on the Jews as their true Messiah he
must be a Jew, for it is unthinkable that they would be deceived by
any Gentile.
Ere passing to the next point, we may add, that it was the common
belief among Christians during the first four centuries A.D., that the
Antichrist would come from the tribe of Daniel Whether this will be
the case or no, we do not know. Genesis 49:17,18 may have ultimate
reference to this Son of Perdition. Certainly Dan is the most
mysterious of all the twelve tribes.
II. The Antichrist Will Be The Son Of Satan.
That Satan will have a son ought not to surprise us. The Devil is a
consummate imitator and much of his success in deceiving men is due to
his marvelous skill in counterfeiting the things of God. Below we give
a list of some of his imitations: --
Do we read of Christ going forth to sow the "good seed" (Matthew
13:24), then we also read of the enemy going forth to sow his
"tares"--an imitation wheat (Matthew 13:25). Do we read of "the
children of God," then we also read of "the children of the wicked
one" (Matthew 13:38). Do we read of God working in His children "both
to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13), then we are also
told that the Prince of the power of the air is "the spirit that now
worketh in the children of disobedience" (Eph. 2:2). Do we read of the
Gospel of God, then we also read that Satan has a gospel--"Another
gospel, which is not another" (Gal. 1:6,7). Did Christ appoint
"apostles," then Satan has his apostles too (2 Cor. 11:13). Are we
told that "the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of
God" (1 Cor. 2:10), then Satan also provides his "deep things" (see
Greek of Revelation 2:24). Are we told that God, by His angel, will
"seal" His servants in their foreheads (Rev. 8:3), so also we read
that Satan, by his angels, will set a mark in the foreheads of his
devotees (Rev. 13:16). Does the Father seek "worshippers" (John 4:23),
so also does Satan (Rev. 13:4). Did Christ quote scripture, so also
did Satan (Matthew 4:6). Is Christ the Light of the world, then Satan
also is transformed as an "angel of light" (2 Cor. 11:14). Is Christ
denominated "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" (Rev. 5:5), then the
Devil is also referred to as "a roaring lion" (1 Pet. 5:6). Do we read
of Christ and "His angels" (Matthew 24:31), then we also read of the
Devil and "his angels" (Matthew 25:41). Did Christ work miracles, so
also will Satan (2 Thess. 2:9). Is Christ seated upon a "Throne," so
also will Satan be (Rev. 2:13, Gk.). Has Christ a Church, then Satan
has his "synagogue" (Rev. 2:9). Has Christ a "bride," then Satan has
his "whore" (Rev. 17:16). Has God His "Vine," so has Satan (Rev.
14:19). Does God have a city, the new Jerusalem, then Satan has a
city, Babylon (Rev. 17:5; 18:2). Is there a "mystery of godliness" (1
Tim. 3:16), so also there is a "mystery of iniquity" (2 Thess. 2:7).
Does God have an only-begotten Son, so we read of "the Son of
Perdition" (2 Thess. 2:3). Is Christ called "the Seed of the woman,"
then the Antichrist will be "the seed of the serpent" (Gen. 3:15). Is
the Son of God also the Son of Man, then the son of Satan will also be
the "Man of Sin" (2 Thess. 2:3).
Is there a Holy Trinity, then there is also an Evil Trinity (Rev.
20:10). In this Trinity of Evil Satan himself is supreme, just as in
the Blessed Trinity the Father is (governmentally) supreme: note that
Satan is several times referred to as a father (John 8:44, etc.). Unto
his son, the Antichrist, Satan gives his authority and power to
represent and act for him (Rev. 13:4) just as God the Son received
"all power in heaven and earth" from His Father, and uses it for His
glory. The Dragon (Satan) and the Beast (Antichrist) are accompanied
by a third, the False Prophet, and just as the third person in the
Holy Trinity, the Spirit, bears witness to the person and work of
Christ and glorifies Him, so shall the third person in the Evil
Trinity bear witness to the person and work of the Antichrist and
glorify him (see Rev. 13:11-14).
Now the Antichrist will be a man, and yet more than man, just as
Christ was Man and yet more than man. The Antichrist will be the
`Superman' of whom the world, even now, is talking, and for whom it is
looking. The Wicked One who is to be revealed shortly, will be a
supernatural character, he will be the Son of Satan. His twofold
nature is plainly declared in 2 Thessalonians 2:3--"That man of Sin,
the Son of Perdition." In proof of these assertions we ask for a
careful attention to what follows.
1. "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy
Seed and her Seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his
heel" (Gen. 3:15). It is to be noted that there is here a double
"enmity" spoken of: God says, "I will put enmity between thee and the
woman," that is, between Satan and Israel, for Israel was the woman
that bore Christ (Rev. 12); "And between thy seed and her seed."
Observe particularly that two "seeds" are here spoken of; "Thy seed"
(the antecedent is plainly the Serpent) and "her seed," the woman's
Seed. The woman's Seed was Christ, the Serpent's seed will be the
Antichrist. The Antichrist then, will be more than a man, he will be
the actual and literal Seed of that old Serpent, the Devil; as Christ
was, according to the flesh, the actual and literal Seed of the woman.
"Thy seed," Satan's seed, refers to aspecific individual, just as "her
seed" refers to a specific Individual.
2. "In that day the Lord with His sore and great and strong sword
shall punish Leviathan the piercing Serpent, even Leviathan that
crooked Serpent; and he shall slay the Dragon that is in the sea (Isa.
27:1). To appreciate the force of this we need to attend to the
context, which is unfortunately broken by the chapter division. In the
closing verses of Isaiah 26 we hear God saying, "Come, My people,
enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide
thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be over
past" (Isa. 26:20). These words are addressed to the elect remnant of
Israel. Their ultimate application will be to those on earth at the
end of this Age, for it is the time of God's "indignation" (cf. Daniel
8:19 and 11:36). It is the time when "the Lord cometh out of His place
to punish the inhabitants of the earth, for their iniquity: the earth
also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain"
(Isa. 26:21)--notice "iniquity," singular number, not "iniquities." It
is their worshipping of Satan's Man which is specifically referred to.
Then, immediately following we read, "In that day the Lord...shall
punish Leviathan the piercing Serpent." The connection, then, makes it
plain that it is just before the Millennium when God shall punish the
Crooked Serpent, the Antichrist. Now the very fact that the Wicked One
is here denominated "the piercing and crooked Serpent" hints strongly
that he will be the son of "that old Serpent, the Devil."
3. In the first two sections of Ezekiel 28 two remarkable characters
are brought before us. The second who is described in vv. 12-19 has
received considerable attention from Bible students of the last two
generations, and since the late Mr. G. H. Pember pointed out that what
is there said of "the king of Tyrus" could be true of no earthly king
or mere human being, and must outline a character that none but Satan
himself (before his fall) could fill this view has been adopted by
most of the leading Bible teachers. But little attention has been paid
to the character described in the first ten verses of this chapter.
Now just as what is said in Ezekiel 28 of "the king of Tyrus" can only
apply fully to Satan himself, so, what is said of "the prince of
Tyrus" manifestly has reference to the Antichrist. The parallelisms
between what is said here and what we find in other scriptures which
describe the Son of Perdition are so numerous and so evident, that we
are obliged to conclude that it is the same person which is here
contemplated. We cannot now attempt anything like a complete
exposition of the whole passage (though we hope to give one later) but
will just call attention to some of the outstanding marks of
identification:
First, the Lord God says to this personage, "Because thine heart is
lifted up, and thou hast said I am a god, I sit in the seat of
God"--cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:4. Second, "Behold thou art wiser than
Daniel"--cf. Daniel 8:23, and 7:8, "Behold, in this horn were eyes
like the eyes of men, and a mouth speaking great things," which
intimates that the Antichrist will be possessed of extraordinary
intelligence. Third, it is said of this character, "With thy wisdom
and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast
gotten gold and silver into thy treasures" 9v. 4- cf. Psalm 52:7;
Daniel 11:38).
Sufficient has been said, we trust, to show that under the figure of
this "prince of Tyrus" we may discern clearly the unmistakable
features of the coming Antichrist. But the particular point we would
make here, is this, that as Satan is termed "the king of Tyre," in the
second section of this chapter the Antichrist is referred to as "the
prince of Tyre." Antichrist, then, is related to Satan as "prince" is
to "king," that is, as son is to the father.
4. In Matthew 12:43 the Antichrist is called "The Unclean Spirit," not
merely an unclean spirit, but "the Unclean Spirit." We cannot now stop
and submit the evidence that it is the Antichrist who is here in view,
for this is another passage which we will consider carefully in a
later chapter. But in the writer's mind there is no doubt whatever
that none other than the Beast is here in view. If this be the case,
then we have further evidence that the coming One will be no mere man
indwelt by Satan, but a fallen angel, an evil spirit, the incarnation
of the Devil.
5. "Ye are of your father the Devil, and the lusts of your father ye
will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the
truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he
speaketh of this own; for he is a liar, and the father of it" (John
8:44). Here is still another proof that the Antichrist will be
superhuman, the offspring of Satan. In the Greek there is the definite
article before the word "lie"--the lie, "the Lie." There is another
passage in the New Testament where "the Lie" is mentioned, namely in 2
Thessalonians 2:11, where again the definite article is found in the
Greek, and there the reference is unmistakable.
A threefold reason may be suggested as to why the Antichrist should be
termed "the Lie." First, because his fraudulent claim to be the real
Christ will be the greatest falsehood palmed off upon humanity.
Second, because he is the direct antithesis of the real Christ, who is
"the Truth" (John 14:6). Third, because he is the son of Satan who is
the arch liar. But to return to John 8:44; "When he (the Devil)
speaketh (concerning) the Lie, he speaketh of his own." His "own"
what? His "own" son--the remainder of the verse makes this very
plain--"for he (the Devil) is a liar and the father of it," i.e. of
"the Lie." The Lie then, is Satan's Son"!
6. "That day shall not come, except there come a falling away (the
Apostasy) first, and that Man of Sin be revealed, the Son of
Perdition" (2 Thess. 2:3). Nothing could be plainer than this. Here
the Antichrist is expressly declared to be superhuman--"the Son of
Perdition." Just as the Christ if the Son of God, so Antichrist will
be the son of Satan. Just as the Christ dwelt all the fullness of the
Godhead bodily, and just as Christ could say "He that hath seen Me,
hath seen the Father," so the Antichrist will be the full and final
embodiment of the Devil. He will not only be the incarnation of the
Devil, but the consummation of his wickedness and power.
7. In Revelation 13:1 (R. V.) we read, "And he (the Dragon--see
context) stood upon the sand of the sea"--symbolic of taking
possession of the Nations: "And I saw a Beast coming up out of the
sea, having ten diadems, and upon his heads names of blasphemy." It is
deeply significant to mark how these things are here linked together
as cause and effect. The coming forth of the Beast (the Antichrist) is
immediately connected with the Dragon! But this is not all. Notice the
description that is here given of him: he has ten horns (fullness of
power) and seven heads (complete wisdom)" and this is exactly how
Satan himself is described in Revelation 12:3--"And behold, a great
red Dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his heads names
of blasphemy"! Does not a linking of these scriptures prove beyond all
doubt that the Antichrist will be an exact replica of Satan himself!
But one other thing, even more startling, remains to be considered,
and that is,
III. The Antichrist Will Be Judas Reincarnated.
1. In Psalm 55 much is said of the Antichrist in his relation to
Israel. Among other things we read there, "The words of his mouth were
smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer
than oil, yet were they drawn swords" (v. 21). The occasion for this
sad plaint is given in the previous verse--"He had put forth his hands
against such as be at peace with him: he hath broken his covenant."
The reference is to Antichrist breaking his seven-year Covenant with
the Jews (see Daniel 9:27; 11:21-24). Now if the entire Psalm be read
through with these things in mind, it will be seen that it sets forth
the sorrows of Israel and the sighings of the godly remnant during the
End-Time. But the remarkable thing is that when we come to vv. 11-14
we find that which has a double application and
fulfillment--"wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile
depart not from her streets. For it was not an enemy that reproached
me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that
did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him:
But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. We
took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in
company." These verses describe not only the base treachery of Judas
toward Christ, but they also announce how he shall yet, when
reincarnated in the Antichrist, betray and desert Israel. The relation
of Antichrist to Israel will be precisely the same as that of Judas to
Christ of old. He will pose as the friend of the Jews, but later he
will come out in his true character. In the Tribulation period, the
Nation of Israel shall taste the bitterness of betrayal and desertion
by one who masqueraded as a "familiar friend." Hence, we have here the
first hint that the Antichrist will be Judas reincarnated.
2. "And your covenant with Death shall be disannulled, and your
agreement with Hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge
shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it" (Isa. 28:18).
The "Covenant" referred to is that seven-year one which is mentioned
in Daniel 9:27. But here the one with whom this Covenant is made is
termed "Death and Hell." This is a title of the Antichrist, as "the
Resurrection and the Life" is of the true Christ. Nor is this verse in
Isaiah 28 the only one where the Son of Perdition is so denominated.
In Revelation 6 a four-fold picture of him is given--the antithesis of
the four-fold portrayal of the Lord Jesus in the Gospels. Here he is
seen as the rider on differently colored horses, which bring before us
four stages in his awful career, and when we come to the last of them
the Holy Spirit exposes his true identity by telling us, "and his name
that sat on him was Death and Hell followed with him" (Rev. 6:8). Now
"Hell" or "Hades" is the place which receives the souls of the dead,
and the fact that this awful name is here applied to Antichrist
intimates that he has come from there.
3. Above, we referred to Matthew 12:41-43 to prove that Antichrist
will be a super-human being, a fallen and unclean spirit; we turn to
it again in order to show that this coming incarnation of Satan has
previously been upon earth. The history of this "Unclean Spirit" is
divided into three stages. First, as having dwelt in "a man;" second,
as having gone out of a man, and walking through dry places, seeking
rest and finding none--this has reference to his present condition
during the interval between his two appearances on earth. Third, he
says, "I will return to my house." This Unclean Spirit, then, who has
already been here, who is now away in a place where rest is not to be
found, is to come back again!
4. In John 17:12 we have a word which, more plainly still, shows that
the Antichrist will be Judas reincarnated, for here he is termed by
Christ "The Son of Perdition." But first, let us consider the teaching
of Scripture concerning Judas Iscariot. Who was he? He was a "man"
(Matthew 26:24). But was he more than a man? Let Scripture make
answer. In John 6:70 we read, "Have not I chosen you twelve, and one
of you is a Devil?" It is hardly necessary to say that in the Greek
there are two different words for "Devil" and "demon." There are many
demons, but only one Devil. Further, in no other passage is the word
"devil" applied to any one but to Satan himself. Judas then was the
Devil incarnate, just as the Lord Jesus was God incarnate. Christ
Himself said so, and we dare not doubt His word.
As we have seen, in John 17:12 Christ termed Judas "the Son of
Perdition," and 2 Thessalonians 2:3 we find that the Antichrist is
similarly designated--"That Man of Sin be revealed, the Son of
Perdition." These are the only two places in all the Bible where his
name occurs, and the fact that Judas was termed by Christ not a "son
of perdition," but "the Son of Perdition," and the fact that the Man
of Sin is so named prove that they are one and the same person. What
other conclusion can a simple and unprejudiced reader of the Bible
come to?
5. In Revelation 11:7 we have the first reference to "the Beast" in
the Apocalypse: "The Beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit."
Here the Antichrist is seen issuing forth from the Abyss. What is the
Abyss? It is the abode of lost spirits, the place of their
incarceration and torment--see Revelation 20:1-3, and Luke 8:31,
"deep" is the "abyss" and cf. Matthew 9:28. The question naturally
arises, How did he get there? and when was he sent there? We answer,
When Judas Iscariot died! The Antichrist will be Judas Iscariot
reincarnated. In proof of this we appeal to Acts 1:25 where we are
told, "that he may take part of this ministry and apostleship from
which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place."
Of no one else in all the Bible is it said that at death he went "to
his own place." Put these two scriptures together: Judas went "to his
own place," the Beast ascends out of the Abyss.
6. In Revelation 17:8 we read, "The Beast that thou sawest was, and is
not; and shall ascend out of the Bottomless Pit, and go into
perdition." This verse is generally understood to refer to the revived
Roman Empire, and while allowing that such an application is
warrantable, yet we are persuaded it is a mistake to limit it to this.
In the Apocalypse, the Roman Empire and its final and satanic Head are
very closely connected, so much so, that at times it is difficult to
distinguish between them. But in Revelation 17 they are
distinguishable.
In Revelation 5:8 we are told that the Beast "shall ascend out of the
Bottomless Pit," and that he shall go into perdition." In Revelation
5:11 we are told, "And the Beast that was, and is not, even he is the
eighth, and is of the seventh, and goeth into perdition." Now nearly
all expositors are agreed that the Beast of Revelation 5:11--the
"eighth" (head, and form of government of the Roman Empire)--is the
Antichrist himself; then why not admit the same of v.8? In both, the
designation is the same--"the Beast;" and in both, we are told he
"goeth into perdition."
We take it, then, that what is predicted of "the Beast" in Revelation
17:8 is true of both the Roman Empire and its last head, the
Antichrist: of the former, in the sense that it is infernal in its
character. Viewing it now as a declaration of the Antichrist, what
does it tell us about him? Four things. First, he "was." Second, he
"is not." Third, he shall "ascend out of the Bottomless Pit." Fourth,
he shall "go into perdition." The various time-marks here concern the
Beast in his relation to the earth. First, he "was," i.e. on the
earth. Second, he "is not," i.e. now on the earth (cf. Genesis 5:24,
"Enoch was not for God took him;" that is, "was not" any longer on
earth). Third, he shall "ascend out of the Bottomless Bit," where he
is now, which agrees with Revelation 11:7. Fourth, he shall "go into
perdition." We learn then from this scripture that at the time the
Apocalypse was written the Beast "was not" then on the earth, but that
he had been on it formerly. Further, we learn that in John's day the
Beast was then in the Bottomless Pit but should yet ascend out of it.
Here then is further evidence that the Antichrist who is yet to appear
has been on earth before.
7. "And the Beast was taken, and with him the False Prophet that
wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had
received the mark of the Beast, and them that worshipped his image.
These both were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with
brimstone." (Rev. 19:20). This gives the last word concerning the
Antichrist. It makes known the terrible fate which awaits him. He,
together with his ally, will be cast alive into the Lake of Fire. This
is very striking, and confirms what has been said above, namely, that
the Antichrist will be one who has already appeared on earth, and has
been in "the Abyss" during the interval which precedes his return to
the earth. And how remarkable Revelation 19:20 corroborates this. The
Antichrist will not be cast, eventually into the Abyss, as Satan will
be at the end of the Millennium (Rev. 20:1-3), but into the Lake of
Fire which is the final abode of the damned. Why is it that he shall
not be cast into the Abyss at the return of Christ? It must be because
he has already been there. Hence, the judgment meted out to him is
final and irrevocable, as will be that of the Devil a thousand years
later, see Revelation 20:10.
Our next chapter will be devoted to an examination and consideration
of the many Names and Titles which are given to the Antichrist in the
Word of God, and we would urge the student to diligently search the
Scriptures for himself to see how many of these he can find--there are
over twenty.
_________________________________________________
Contents | Forward | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Conclusion
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The Antichrist by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 3
The Name And Titles of The Antichrist
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There is a distinct science of nomenclature, a system of names, in the
Word of God. Probably every name in Scripture has either a historic, a
symbolic, or a spiritual significance. The names are inseparably bound
up with the narrative, and it frequently happens that the meaning of a
proper noun is a key to an important passage. Names are not employed
by the Holy Spirit in a loose and careless manner--of course not!--but
with definite design. A variety of names for the same individual are
not given in order to prevent monotonous repetition, but because the
significance of each separate appellation is best fitted to express
what is recorded in any given instance. "Devil" and "Satan" are not
synonyms, nor are they used at haphazard, but with Divine
discrimination. Upon the meaning of names found in Holy Writ rests a
whole scheme of interpretation; even the order in which names occur is
not fortuitous but designed, and constitutes a part of each lesson
taught, or each truth presented.
There is here a wide field opened for study, a field which few have
made serious effort to explore. It is strange that it has been so
neglected, for again and again the Holy Spirit calls attention to the
importance and meaning of names. In the first book of the Bible we
find that children and places were given meaningful names, which
called to remembrance incidents, experiences, characteristics of
interest and importance. Examples are given where names changed to
harmonize with a change in the person, place, experience, or situation
where it occurred. Abram and Sarai will at once occur to mind. For a
place, take Luz, which was changed to Bethel!--"House of God"--because
by reason of a vision he received there it became that to Jacob.
Jacob's name is changed to Israel; and in the New Testament an example
is furnished in Simeon being re-named Peter. In Hebrews 7:1,2 the Holy
Spirit calls attention to the significance of the names Melchizedek
and Salem (Jerusalem). These are sufficient to show the importance of
this line of study.
Names are used in Scripture with marvelous discrimination, and it was
this fact which first demonstrated to the writer, the verbal
inspiration of Scripture. The precision with which names are used in
the Bible is especially noticeable in connection with the Divine
titles. The names Elohim and Jehovah are found on the pages of the Old
Testament several thousand times, but they are never used loosely or
interchangeably. Over three hundred names and titles are given to the
Lord Jesus Christ, and each has its own distinctive significance and
to substitute any other for the one used would destroy the beauty and
perfections of every passage where they are found.
Names are employed to express character; titles are used to denote
relationships. It is only as we make a careful study of the various
and numerous names and titles of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we are in
a position to appreciate His infinite excellencies and the manifold
relationships which He sustains. From an opposite standpoint the same
is equally true of the Antichrist. As we pay careful attention to the
different names and titles which are given to him, we then discover
what a marvelously complete delineation the Holy Spirit has furnished
us with of the person, the character, and career of this monster of
wickedness. It is unfortunate that the great variety of names bestowed
upon him has led some brethren to the conclusion that they must belong
to separate persons, and has caused them to apportion these out to
different individuals; only confusion can result from this. There is
almost as much ground to make the Devil and Satan different persons,
as there is to regard (as some do) the Beast and the Antichrist as
separate entities. That the Devil and Satan are names belonging to the
same person, and that the Beast and the Antichrist is the selfsame
individual, is proven by the fact that identically the same
characteristics under each is found belonging to the one as to the
other. Instead of apportioning these names to different persons, we
must see that they denominate the same individual, only in different
relationships, or as giving us various phases of his character.
An old writer has said the name Devil is most suggestive of his
character. If "d" is taken away, evil is left. If "e" is taken away
vile is left. If "v" is taken away ill is left. And if "i" is taken
away and the next letter be aspirated, it tells of hell. It is equally
true of the Antichrist: his names reveal his character, expose his
vileness, and forecast his career and doom.
The names and titles given to the Antichrist are far more numerous
than is commonly supposed. We propose to give as complete a list as
possible, and offer a few comments on their significations. We shall
not expatiate on them at equal length, for that is not necessary;
instead, we shall say the most on those cognomens which are of the
greater importance, or, which because of their ambiguity call for a
more detailed elucidation.
I. The Antichrist
"Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is
Antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son" (1 John 2:22). This
name introduces to us one of the most solemn and foreboding subjects
in the Word of God. It brings before us one of the persons in the
Trinity of Evil. At every point he is the antithesis of Christ. The
word "Antichrist" has a double significance. Its primary meaning is
one who is opposed to Christ; but its secondary meaning is one who is
instead of Christ. Let not this be thought strange, for it accords
with the two stages in his career. At first he will pose as the true
Christ, masquerading in the livery of religion. But, later, he will
throw off his disguise, stand forth in his true character, and set
himself up as one who is against God and His Christ.
Not only does and-christ denote the antagonist of Christ, but it tells
of one who is instead of Christ. The word signifies another Christ, a
pro-Christ, an alter christus, a pretender to the name of Christ. He
will seem to be and will set himself up as the true Christ. He will be
the Devil's counterfeit. Just as the Devil is an Anti-theos--not only
the adversary of God, but the usurper of the place and prerogatives of
God, demanding worship; so the Son of Perdition will be
anti-christ--not only the antagonist and opponent of Christ, but His
rival: assuming the very position and prerogatives of Christ; passing
himself off as the rightful claimant to all the rights and honors of
the Son of God.
II. The Man of Sin, The Son of Perdition.
"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come,
except there come a falling away first, and that Man of Sin be
revealed, the Son of Perdition" (2 Thess. 2:3). This double
appellation is probably the most awful, the most important, and the
most revealing title given to the Antichrist in all the Bible. It
diagnoses his personality and exposes his awful character. It tells us
he will be possessed of a twofold nature: he will be a man, and yet
more than a man. He will be Satan's parody of the God-Man. He will be
an incarnation of the Devil. The world today is talking of and looking
for the Super-man. This is exactly what the Antichrist will be. He
will be the Serpent's masterpiece.
"That Man of Sin." What a frightful name! The sin of man will
culminate in the Man of Sin. The Christ of God was sinless; the Christ
of Satan will not only be sinful, but the Man of Sin. "Man of Sin"
intimates that he will be the living and active embodiment of every
form and character of evil. "Man of Sin" signifies that he will be sin
itself personified. "Man of Sin" denotes there will be no lengths of
wickedness to which he will not go, no forms of evil to which he will
be a stranger, no depths of corruption that he will not bottom.
"The Son of Perdition." And again we are forced to exclaim, what a
frightful name! Not only a human degenerate, but the offspring of the
Dragon. Not only the worst of human kind, but the incarnation of the
Devil. Not only the most depraved of all sinners, but an emanation
from the Pit itself. "Son of Perdition" denotes that he will be the
culmination and consummation of satanic craft and power. All the evil,
malignity, cunning, and power of the Serpent will be embodied in this
terrible monster.
III. The Lawless One.
"And then shall be revealed the Lawless One, whom the Lord Jesus shall
slay with the breath of His mouth, and bring to nought by the
manifestation of His coming" (2 Thess. 2:8 R. V.). This is another
name of the Antichrist which makes manifest his awful character. Each
of his names exhibits him as the antithesis of the true Christ. The
Lord Jesus was the Righteous One; the Man of Sin will be the Lawless
One. The Lord Jesus was "made under the law" (Gal. 4:4); the
Antichrist will oppose all law, being a law unto himself. When the
Savior entered this world, He came saying, "Lo I come to do Thy will,
O God" (Heb. 10:9); but of the Antichrist it is written "And the king
shall do according to his will" (Dan. 11:36). The Antichrist will set
himself up in direct opposition to all authority, both Divine and
human.
IV. The Beast.
"And when they shall have finished their testimony the Beast that
ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and
shall overcome them, and kill them" (Rev. 11:7). This is another name
which reveals the terrible nature and character of the Antichrist and
which places him in sharp antithesis from the true Christ. "The Beast"
is the title by which he is most frequently designated in the
Revelation: there are at least thirty references to him under this
name in the last book of the Bible. The Greek word signifies a wild
beast. This name "the Beast" contrasts the Antichrist from the true
Christ as "the Lamb;" and it is a significant fact that by far the
great majority of passages where the Lord Jesus is so designated are
also found here in the Apocalypse. The "Lamb" is the Savior of
sinners; the "Beast" is the persecutor and slayer of the saints. The
"Lamb" calls attention to the gentleness of Christ; the "Beast" tells
of the ferocity of the Antichrist. The "Lamb" reveals Christ as the
"harmless" One (Heb. 7:26); the "Beast" manifests the Antichrist as
the cruel and heartless one. Under the Law lambs were ceremonially
clean and used in sacrifice, but beasts were unclean and unfit for
sacrifices.
It is a point of interest to note that there is one other very
striking contrast between the persons in the Holy Trinity, and the
persons in the trinity of evil. At our Lord's baptism the Holy Spirit
descended upon Him in the form of a dove, and the first mention of the
Holy Spirit in Scripture represents Him as "brooding" like a dove over
the waters which covered the pre-Adamic earth (Gen. 1:2). How
remarkable are those symbols--a "Lamb" and a "Dove"! A Dove, not a
hawk or an eagle. The gentle, harmless, cooing "dove." Over against
this the Devil is termed "the Dragon." What a contrast--the Dove and
the Lamb, the Dragon and the Beast!
V. The Bloody and Deceitful Man.
"Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the Lord will abhor the
Bloody and Deceitful Man" (Ps. 5:6). The Psalm from which this verse
is quoted contains a prayer of the godly Jewish remnant, offered
during the Tribulation period. In proof of this assertion observe that
in Revelation 5:2 God is owned and addressed as "King." In Revelation
5:7 intimation is given that the Temple has been rebuild in Jerusalem,
for turning away from it when it has been defiled by "the Abomination
of Desolation," the remnant say, "But as for me I will come into Thy
house in the multitude of Thy mercy: and in Thy fear will I worship
toward Thy Holy Temple." While in Revelation 5:10 we find them praying
for the destruction of their enemies, which is parallel with
Revelation 6:10. It is during that time the faithful remnant will
exclaim, "Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the Lord will
abhor the Bloody and Deceitful Man."
The Bloody and Deceitful Man views the Antichrist in relation to the
Jews. In the earlier stages of his public career he poses as their
friend and benefactor. He recognizes their rights as a separate State
and appears anxious to protect their autonomy. He makes a formal
covenant with them (Dan. 9:27) and their peace and security seem
assured. But a few years later he comes out in his true character. His
fair speeches and professions of friendship are seen to be false. He
breaks his covenant (Ps. 55:20) and turns upon the Jews in fury. Their
benefactor is now their worst enemy. The protector of their interests
now aims to cut them off from being a nation in the earth (Ps. 83:4).
Thus is he rightfully denominated by them "the Bloody and Deceitful
Man."
VI. The Wicked One.
"The Wicked (One) in his pride doth persecute the poor: the Wicked
(One), through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God"
(Ps. 10:2,4). This entire Psalm is about the Wicked One. The opening
verse gives the key to its dispensational scope. It contains the cry
of the Jewish remnant during the Tribulation period, here denominated
"Times of Trouble" (cf. Jeremiah 30:7). So desperate is the situation
of the true Israel, it seems as though Jehovah must have deserted
them--"Why standeth Thou afar off, O Lord? Why hidest Thou Thyself in
times of trouble? (v. 1). Then follows a remarkably full description
of their arch-enemy, the Wicked One. His pride (v. 2), his depravity:
"He abhorreth the Lord" (v. 3 margin); his blasphemy: "All his
thoughts are, There is no God" (v. 4 margin); his grievous ways, (v.
5); his consuming egotism, (v. 6); his deceitfulness, (v. 7); his
treachery, (v. 8); his cruelty, (vv. 9,10); his complacent pride, (v.
11), is each described. Then the Remnant cry, "Arise, O Lord; O God,
lift up Thine hand: forget not the humble. Break Thou the arm of the
Wicked and Evil One" (vv. 12 and 15). The whole Psalm should be
carefully studied.
VII. The Man of the Earth.
"To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the Man of the Earth
may no more oppress" (Ps. 10:18). The "Wicked One" describes his
character; the "Man of the Earth" defines his position. The one speaks
of his awful depths of depravity; the other of his vast dominions. The
sphere of his operations will be no mere local one, He will become
World-emperor. He will be a king of kings and lord of lords, (Rev.
13:7). When the true Christ appeared on earth Satan offered Him "all
the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them" if He would fall down
and worship him. When the false Christ appears, this offer will be
repeated, the conditions will be met, and the tempting gift will be
bestowed (Rev. 13:2). In consequence of this he shall be "the Man of
the Earth;" just as later, Christ shall be "King over all the earth"
(Zech. 14:7).
VIII. The Mighty Man.
"Why boasteth thou thyself in mischief, O Mighty Man" Ps. 52:1). This
is another Psalm which is devoted to a description of this fearful
character. Here again we have mention of his boastfulness (v. 1), his
deceitfulness (v. 2), his depravity (v. 3), his egotism (v. 4), his
riches (v. 7). His doom is also announced (v. 5). This title, the
Mighty Man, refers to his immense wealth and possessions, and the
power which they confer upon their possessor. It also points a
striking contrast: Christ was the Lowly Man, not having where to lay
His head; the Antichrist will be the Mighty Man, of whom it is said,
"Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in
the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his
substance" (Isa. 52:7).
IX. The Enemy.
"Because of the voice of the Enemy, because of the oppression of the
Wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me"
(Ps. 55:3). This is another title used of the Antichrist in connection
with Israel, a title which recurs several times both in the Psalms and
the Prophets. It points a designed contrast from that Friend that
"sticketh closer than a brother." This Enemy of Israel oppresses them
sorely. His duplicity and treachery are here referred to. Concerning
him Israel shall exclaim, "The words of his mouth were smoother than
butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet
were they drawn swords" (Ps. 52:21). Let the student be on the lookout
for passages in the Old Testament which make mention of the Enemy.
X. The Adversary.
"They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have
burned up all the synagogues of God in the land. We see not our signs:
there is no more any profit: neither is there any among us that
knoweth how long. O God, how long shall the Adversary reproach? Shall
the Enemy blaspheme Thy name forever?" (Ps. 74:8-10). This title
occurs in several important passages. In Isaiah 59:19 we read, "So
shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from
the rising of the sun. When the Adversary shall come in like a flood,
the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him."
Lamentations 4:11,12 is another scripture which obviously speaks of
the End-time. "The Lord hath accomplished His fury; He hath poured out
His fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath
devoured the foundations thereof. The kings of the earth, and all the
inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the Adversary
and the Enemy should have entered into the gates of Jerusalem." In
Amos 3:11 we read, "Therefore thus saith the Lord God; an Adversary
there shall be even round about the land; and he shall bring down thy
strength from thee, and thy palaces shall be spoiled." This is a title
which intimates his satanic origin, for the Greek word for Devil means
adversary.
XI. The Head Over Many Countries.
"He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the
dead bodies; he shall wound the Head over many countries" (Ps. 110:6).
The context here shows that it must be the Antichrist which is in
view. The Psalm opens by the Father inviting the Son to sit at His
right hand until His enemies shall be made His footstool. Then follows
the affirmation that Jehovah will display His strength out of
Jerusalem, and make His people Israel willing in the day of His power.
Then, following Jehovah's oath that Christ is a Priest forever after
the order of Melchizedek (which contemplates the exercise of His
millennial and royal priesthood), we read, "The Lord at thy right hand
shall strike through kings in the day of His wrath. He shall judge
among the heathen, He shall fill the places with the dead bodies; He
shall wound the Head over many countries." The "Day of His wrath" is
the closing portion of the Tribulation period, and in the Day of His
wrath. He wounds this Head over many countries. The Head over many
countries refers to the Man of Sin as the Caesar of the last
world-empire, prior to the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom.
XII. The Violent Man.
"Deliver me, O Lord, from the Evil Man: preserve me from the Violent
Man" (Ps. 140:1). This is another Psalm which expresses the plaintive
supplications of the godly remnant in the "time of Jacob's trouble."
Three times over the Antichrist is denominated the Violent Man. In
Psalm 140:1 the remnant pray to be delivered from him. In Psalm 140:4
the petition is repeated. In Psalm 140:11 his doom is foretold. Cry is
made for God to take vengeance upon this bloody persecutor: "Let the
burning coals fall upon them: let them be cast into the fire; into
deep pits, that they rise not up again. Let not an evil speaker be
established in the earth: evil shall hunt the Violent Man to overthrow
him" (Ps. 140:10,11). The Violent Man is a name which fully accords
with his Beast-like character. It tells of his ferocity and rapacity.
XIII. The Assyrian.
"O Assyrian, the rod of Mine anger, and the staff in their hand in
Mine indignation...Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord
hath performed His whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will
punish the fruit of the stout heart of the King of Assyria, and the
glory of his high looks" (Isa. 10:5,12). We cannot here attempt an
exposition of the important passage in which these verses occur--that,
in subsequent chapters, we shall treat in detail of the Antichrist in
the Psalms, and the Antichrist in the Prophets--suffice it now to
point out that it treats of the End-time (see vv. 12,20), and that the
leading characteristics of the Man of Sin can be clearly discerned in
what is here said of the Assyrian. Almost all pre-millennial students
of prophecy are agreed that "the King of Isaiah 30:33 is the
Antichrist, and yet in the two verses which precede, this "King" is
identified with "the Assyrian."
XIV. The King of Babylon.
"Thou shalt take up this proverb against the King of Babylon, and say,
How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!" (Isa. 14:4).
We do not wish to anticipate what we shall discuss at length in our
future studies, enough now to state it is our firm conviction that
Scripture plainly teaches that there will be another Babylon which
will eclipse the importance and glories of the one of the past, and
that Babylon will be one of the headquarters of the Antichrist. He
will have three: Jerusalem will be his religious headquarters, Rome
his political, and Babylon his commercial. For those who desire to
anticipate our future expositions, we recommend them to make a minute
study of Isaiah 10, 11, 13, 14; Jeremiah 49:51; Zechariah 5, and
Revelation 18.
XV. Son of the Morning.
"How art thou fallen from heaven O Lucifer, son of the Morning! How
art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations" (Isa.
14:12). "Lucifer is a Latin word which signifies the "morning star."
"All the ancient versions and all the Rabbins make the word a noun
denoting the bright one, or, more specifically, bright star, or
according to the ancients more specifically still, the Morning Star or
harbinger of daylight" (Dr. J. A. Alexander). This term "Lucifer" has
been commonly regarded as one of the names of Satan, and what is here
said of the Morning Star is viewed as describing his apostasy. Against
this interpretation we have nothing to say, except to remark that we
are satisfied it does not exhaust this remarkable scripture. A
detailed exposition must be reserved for a later chapter. Sufficient
now to point out that however Isaiah 14 may look back to the distant
past when, through pride, Satan fell from his original estate, it most
evidently looks forward to a coming day and gives another picture of
the Antichrist. In this same passage "Lucifer" is termed "the Man that
did make the earth to tremble" (v. 16), and in his blasphemous boast
"I will be like the Most High" (v. 14), we have no difficulty in
identifying him with the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2:3,4. The
force of this particular title "Morning Star" is seen by comparing it
with Revelation 22:16, where we learn that this is one of the titles
of the God-man. The "Morning Star" speaks of Christ coming to usher in
the great Day of rest for the earth. In blasphemous travesty of this
Satan will send forth the mock messiah to usher in a false millennium.
XVI. The Spoiler.
"Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them
from the face of the Spoiler: for the Extortioner is at an end, the
Spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land. And in
mercy shall the throne be established: and He shall sit upon it in
truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment, and
hasting righteousness" (Isa. 16:4,5). It will be observed that the
verse in which the Antichrist is spoken of as the Spoiler comes
immediately before the one where we read of the throne being
established, a reference, of course, to the setting up of the
Messianic Kingdom. These two things synchronize: the destruction of
Antichrist, and the beginning of the real Messiah's reign; hence we
read here "the Spoiler ceaseth." A further reference to the Man of Sin
under this title of the Spoiler is found in Jeremiah 6:26: "O daughter
of My people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes:
make thee mournings, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation: for
the Spoiler shall suddenly come upon thee." This is another title
which views the Antichrist in connection with Israel. After the return
of many of the Jews to Palestine, and after their rights have been
owned by the Powers, and their security and success seem assured;
their enemy, filled with satanic malice, will seek their
extermination. "The Spoiler" contrasts him with the Lord Jesus who is
the great Restorer (see Psalm 69:4).
XVII. The Nail.
"In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall the Nail that is fastened
in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the
burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the Lord hath spoken it"
(Isa. 22:25). The last ten verses of this chapter should be read
carefully. They furnish a striking foreshadowment of the End-time.
Shebna was holding some office over (note "government" in Isaiah
22:21) Israel. Apparently he was a usurper. God announced that he
should be set aside in shame, and the man of His
choice--Eliakim--should take his place. These historical figures merge
into prophetic characters. In Isaiah 22:22 we read that God says, "And
the key of the house of David will lay upon His shoulder, so He shall
open, and none shall shut; and He shall shut, and none shall open." As
we know from Revelation 3:7 this refers to none other than the Lord
Jesus, and of Him it is here said, "And I will fasten Him as a Nail in
a sure place; and He shall be for a glorious throne to His father's
house" (Isa. 22:23). Then, in the closing verse of the chapter we
read, "In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall the Nail that is
fastened in a sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall." Just
as Eliakim foreshadowed Christ, so Shebna pointed forward to the
Antichrist; and just as in Isaiah 22:23 we have a prophecy announcing
the establishment of Messiah's Kingdom, so in Isaiah 22:25 we have
foretold the overthrow of the false messiah's kingdom.
XVIII. The Branch of the Terrible Ones.
"Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry
place; even the heat with the shadow of a cloud; the Branch of the
terrible ones shall be brought low" (Isa. 25:5). The first five verses
of this chapter contemplate the Enemy's stronghold--Babylon--and the
remainder of the chapter pictures the blessedness of the millennial
era. In the fifth verse the Antichrist's overthrow is announced: "The
Branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low." With this should be
compared Isaiah 14:19, where of Lucifer it is said, "Thou art cast out
of thy grave like an abominable Branch." This points another contrast.
The "Branch" is one of the Messianic names: "Behold, I will bring
forth My Servant, the Branch" (Zech. 3:8); "Behold the man whose name
is the Branch" (Zech. 6:12). By placing together Isaiah 4:2 and Isaiah
14:19 the antithesis will be more evident. Of Christ it is said, "The
Branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious." Antichrist is
called "an abominable Branch:" Christ is "the Branch of the Lord;"
Antichrist is "the Branch of the terrible ones."
XIX. The Profane and Wicked Prince of Israel.
"And thou, profane wicked Prince of Israel, whose day is come, when
iniquity shall have an end, thus saith the Lord God; remove the
diadem, and take off the crown; this shall not be the same; exalt him
that is low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn, overturn,
overturn it: and it shall be no more, until He come whose right it is;
and I will give it Him" (Ezek. 21:25-27). The Profane and Wicked
Prince of Israel here can be none other than the Antichrist, for we
are expressly told that his day shall be when iniquity shall have an
end." The reference is, of course, to Israel's "iniquity," and their
iniquity shall end at the appearing of the Messiah (see Daniel 9:24)
when "He shall be a priest upon His throne" (Zech. 6:13). "Here in
Ezekiel we see how the Son of Perdition shall ape the Christ of God,
for he, too, will be a priest-king: "Remove the diadem" refers to the
insignia of his priesthood (in every other place in the O. T. where
this occurs the Hebrew word here translated "diadem" it is rendered
"mitre"--worn only by the high priest of Israel); "take off the crown"
is the symbol of his kingship.
XX. The Little Horn.
"I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another
Little Horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked
up by the roots: and, behold, in this Horn were eyes like the eyes of
man, and a mouth speaking great things" (Dan. 7:8). For a full
description of the Antichrist under this title see Daniel 7:8-11,
21-26; 8:9-12, 23-25. We must reserve our comments on these verses
till a later chapter. "Little Horn" refers to the lowly political
origin of the Antichrist, and describes him as he is before he attains
governmental supremacy.
XXI. The Prince That Shall Come.
"And after three score and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not
for Himself: and the people of the Prince that shall come shall
destroy the city and the sanctuary" (Dan. 9:26). This title connects
the Antichrist with the Roman Empire in its final form, and presents
him as the last of the Caesars.
XXII. The Vile Person.
"And in his estate shall stand up a Vile Person, to whom they shall
not give the honor of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and
obtain the kingdom by flatteries" (Dan. 11:21). This contrasts the
Antichrist from "the Holy One of Israel." His identity is established
by noting what is predicted of him.
XXIII. The Willful King.
"And the King shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt
himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak
marvelous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the
indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be
done" (Dan. 11:36). The Antichrist will not only be the High Priest of
the world's religion, but he will be King supreme at the head of its
government.
XXIV. The Idol Shepherd.
"For, lo, I will raise up a Shepherd in the land, which shall not
visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young ones, nor
heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he
shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces. Woe to
the Idol Shepherd that leaveth the flock! The sword shall be upon his
arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his
right eye shall be utterly darkened" (Zech. 11:16,17). This is in
evident contrast from the Good Shepherd who gave His life for His
sheep. The Idol Shepherd of deluded Israel will prove himself the
monster Desolator, who shall bring upon that people the severest
tribulations ever experiences by that race.
XXV. The Angel of the Bottomless Pit.
"And they had a king over them, which is the Angel of the bottomless
pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek
tongue hath his name Apollyon" (Rev. 9:11). "Abaddon" and "Apollyon"
mean Destroyer. It is the "Spoiler" of Isaiah 16:4 rendered
"Destroyer" in Jeremiah 4:7. That his name is here given in the Hebrew
and the Greek shows that he will be connected with both the Jews and
the Gentiles.
Other names of the Antichrist which the student may look up are, "The
Rod of God's anger" (Isa. 10:12); "The Unclean Spirit" (Matthew
12:43); "The Lie" (2 Thess. 2:11); "A Star" (Rev. 8:10 and 9:1); and
"The Vine of the Earth" (Rev. 14:18).
In our next chapter we shall deal with the genius of the Antichrist,
and point out the many striking comparisons and contrasts between him
and the Christ of God. Let the student see how many points of
resemblance and opposition he can find.
_________________________________________________
Contents | Forward | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Conclusion
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The Antichrist by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 4
The Genius and Character of The Antichrist
_________________________________________________
For six thousand years Satan has had full opportunity afforded him to
study fallen human nature to discover its weakest points and to learn
how best to make men do his bidding. The Devil knows full well how to
dazzle men by the attraction of power, and how to make them quail
before its terrors. He knows how to gratify the craving for knowledge
and how to satisfy the taste for refinement and culture, he can
delight the ear with melodious music and the eye with entrancing
beauty. If he could transport the Savior from the wilderness to a
mountain, in a moment of time, and show Him all the kingdoms of the
world and their glory, he is no novice in the art of presenting
alluring objects before his victims today. He knows how to stimulate
energy and direct inquiry, and how to appease the craving for the
occult. He knows how to exalt men to dizzy heights of worldly
greatness and fame, and how to control that greatness when attained,
so that it may be employed against God and his people.
It is true that up to now Satan's power has been restrained, and his
activities have been checked and often counteracted by the Spirit of
God. The brightest fires of the Devil's kindling can burn but dimly
whilever God sheds around them the power of heavenly light. They
require the full darkness of night in order to shine in the full
strength of their deceiving brightness; and that time is coming. The
Word of God reveals the fact that a day is not far distant when Divine
restraint will be removed; the light of God will be withdrawn; and
then shall "darkness cover the earth and gross darkness the people"
(Isa. 60:2). Not only will that which has hindered the full
development of the Mystery of Iniquity be removed, but God will "send
them strong delusion that they should believe the Lie" (2 Thess.
2:13), and Satan will take advantage of this; he will then make full
use of all the knowledge which he has acquired during the last six
thousand years.
Satan will become incarnate and appear on earth in human form. As we
have shown in previous chapters, the Antichrist will not only be the
Man of Sin, but also "the Son of Perdition," the Seed of the Serpent.
The Antichrist will be the Devil's masterpiece. In him shall dwell all
the fullness of the Devil bodily. He will be the culmination and
consummation of Satan's workings. The world is now talking of and
looking for the Superman; and the Devil is soon to supply him. The
Antichrist will be no ordinary person, but one possessed of
extraordinary talents. He will be endowed with superhuman powers. With
the one exception of the God-man he will be the most remarkable
personage who has ever appeared upon the stage of human history. But
to particularize:
I. He will be an intellectual genius.
He will be possessed of extraordinary intelligence. He will be the
Devil's imitation of that blessed One "in whom are hid all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2:3). This Son of Perdition
will surpass Solomon in wisdom. In Daniel 7:20 he is represented as "A
horn that had eyes." It is a double symbol. The "horn" prefigures
strength; "eyes" speak of intelligence. Again, in Daniel 8:23 he is
referred to as "A King of fierce countenance." who shall "understand
dark sentences." That which baffles others shall be simple to him. The
Hebrew word here translated "dark sentences" is the same as the one
rendered "hard questions" in 1 Kings 10:1, where we read of the Queen
of Sheba coming to Solomon with her "hard questions" in order to test
his wisdom. It is also the word that is used in Samson's riddle in
Judges 14. It indicates that the Antichrist will be master of all the
secrets of occult science. Ezekiel 28:3 declares of him "Beholding,
thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from
thee." This will be one of his most alluring attractions. His master
mind will captivate the educated world. His marvelous store of
knowledge, his acquaintance with the secrets of nature, his superhuman
powers of perception, will stamp him as an intellectual genius of the
first magnitude.
II. He will be an oratorical genius.
In Daniel 7:20 we are told that he has "a mouth that spake very great
things." As a wizard of words he will surpass Demosthenes. Here also
will the Devil imitate that One "who spake as never man spake." The
people were "astonished" at Christ's doctrine (Matthew 7:28), and said
"Whence hath this man this wisdom?" (Matthew 13:54). So will it be
with this daring counterfeiter: he will have a mouth speaking very
great things. He will have a perfect command and flow of language. His
oratory will not only gain attention but command respect. Revelation
13:2 declares that his mouth is "as the mouth of a lion" which is a
symbolic expression telling of the majesty and awe producing effects
of his voice. The voice of the lion excels that of any other beast. So
the Antichrist will out rival orators ancient and modern.
III. He will be a political genius.
He will emerge from obscurity, but by dint of his diplomatic skill he
will win the admiration and compel the cooperation of the political
world. In the early stages of his career he appears as "a little horn"
(or power), but it is not long before he climbs the ladder of fame,
and by means of brilliant statesmanship, ascends its topmost rung.
Like the majority of politicians, he will not scruple to employ
questionable methods; in fact it will be by diplomatic chicanery and
intrigue that he will win his early successes. Daniel 11:21 tells us
that at first they will not give to him the honor of the kingdom, but
"he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries."
Once he gains the ascendancy none will dare to challenge his
authority. Kings will be his pawns and princes his playthings.
IV. He will be a commercial genius.
"And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his
hand" (Dan. 8:25). Under his regime everything will be nationalized,
and none will be able to buy or sell without his permission (Rev.
13:17). All commerce will be under his personal control, and this will
be used for his own aggrandizement. The wealth of the world will be at
his disposal. There are several scriptures which call attention to
this. For example in Psalm 52:7 we read, "Lo, this is the man that
made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches;
and strengthened himself in his substance." Again, in Daniel 11:38 we
are told, "But in his estate shall he honor the god of forces (Satan):
and a god whom his fathers knew not shall be honor with gold, and
silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things." Even plainer
is Daniel 11:43, "But he shall have power over the treasures of gold
and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt." In the last
verse of Daniel 11 mention is made of his "palace." He will be
wealthier than Croesus. Ezekiel. 28:4, 5 speaks of him thus, "With thy
wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and
hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures: By thy great wisdom
and by thy traffic hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is
lifted up because of thy riches." Thus will he be able to wield the
scepter of financial power and outdo Solomon in all his glory.
V. He will be a military genius.
He will be endowed with the most extraordinary powers, so that "he
shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practice, and shall
destroy the mighty and the holy people" (Dan. 8:24). Before his
exploits the fame of Alexander and Napoleon will be forgotten. None
will be able to stand before him. He will go "forth conquering and to
conquer" (Rev. 6:2). He will sweep everything before him so that the
world will exclaim, "Who is like unto the Beast? who is able to make
war with him?" (Rev. 13:4). His military exploits will not be confined
to a corner, but carried out on a vast scale. He is spoken of as the
man who will "shake kingdoms" and "make the earth to tremble" (Isa.
14:16).
VI. He will be a governmental genius.
He will weld together opposing forces. He will unify conflicting
agencies. Under the compelling power of his skill the world Powers
will be united. The dream of a League of Nations will then be
realized. The Orient and the Occident shall no longer be divided. A
marvelous symbolic picture of this is given us in Revelation 13:1,2:
"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a Beast rise up out of
the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten
crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the Beast which
I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a
bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the Dragon gave him
his power, and his seat, and great authority." Here we find the forces
of the Roman, the Grecian, the Medo-Persian, and the Babylonian
empires coalesced. He will be the personal embodiment of the world's
political authority in its final form. So completely will the world be
swayed by the hypnotic spell cast over it by the Beast that the ten
kings of the Roman empire in its ultimate form shall "give their
kingdoms unto him" (Rev. 17:17). He will be the last great Caesar.
VII. He will be a religious genius.
He will proclaim himself God, demanding that Divine honors should be
rendered to him and sitting in the Temple shall show himself forth
that he is God (2 Thess. 2:4). Such wonders will he perform, such
prodigious marvels will he work, the very elect would be deceived by
him did not God directly protect them. The Man of Sin will combine in
himself all the varied genius of the human race, and what is more, he
will be invested with all the wisdom and power of Satan. He will be a
master of science, acquainted with all of nature's forces, compelling
her to give up for him her long held secrets. "In this master-piece of
Satan," says one, "will be concentrated intellectual greatness,
sovereign power and human glory, combined with every species of
iniquity, pride, tyranny, willfulness, deceit, and blasphemy, such as
Antiochus Epiphanes, Mohammed, the whole line of popes, atheists, and
deists of every age of the world have failed to unite in any
individual person."
"All the world wondered after the Beast" (Rev. 13:3). His final
triumph shall be that, wounded by a sword, he shall live again (Rev.
13:3). He shall raise himself from the dead, and so wonder-struck will
men be at this stupendous marvel they will readily pay him Divine
homage, yea, so great will be his dazzling power over men, they will
worship his very image (Rev. 13:14,15).
Having contemplated something of the genius of Satan's prodigy, let us
now consider his character. In doing so we shall view him in the light
of the Character of the Lord Jesus. Christ is the Divine plumb-line
and standard of measurement by which all character must be tested.
In our last chapter we pointed out how that the distinguishing title
of the coming Super-man--the Antichrist--has a double significance,
inasmuch as it points to him as the imitator of Christ and the
opponent of Christ. Hence, in studying his character, we find a series
of comparisons and a series of contrasts drawn between the false
christ and the true Christ; and these we now propose to set before the
reader.
Comparisons between Christ and the Antichrist.
Satan is the master-counterfeiter, and in nothing will this appear
more conspicuously than in his next great move. He is now preparing
the stage for his climactic production, which will issue in a
blasphemous imitation of the Divine incarnation. When the Son of
Perdition appears he will pose as the Christ of God, and so perfect
will be his disguise, the very elect would be deceived, were it not
that God will grant them special illumination. It is this disguise,
this simulation of the true Christ which we shall now examine,
pointing out the various parallelisms which Scripture furnishes:
Christ was the subject of Old Testament prophecy: so also is the
Antichrist; many are the predictions which describe this coming one,
see especially Daniel 11:21-45.
The Lord Jesus was typified by many Old Testament characters such as
Abel, Joseph, Moses, David, etc. So also will the Antichrist be: such
characters as Cain, Pharaoh, Absolom, Saul, etc., foreshadow the Man
of Sin. We shall devote a separate chapter to this most fascinating
and totally neglected branch of our subject.
Christ was revealed only at God's appointed time: such will also be
the case with the Antichrist. Of the one we read, "But when the
fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son" (Gal. 4:4); of the
other it is said, "And now we know what withholdeth that he might be
revealed in his time" (2 Thess. 2:6).
Christ was a Man, a real Man, "the Man Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. 2:5); so
also will the Antichrist be--"that Man of Sin" (2 Thess. 2:3).
But Christ was more than a man; He was the God-Man; so also will the
Antichrist be more than a man: the Super-man.
Christ was, according to the flesh, a Jew (Rom. 1:3); so also will the
Antichrist be--for proofs see chapter three, section one.
Christ will make a covenant with Israel (Heb. 8:8); so also will the
Antichrist (Dan. 9:27).
Christ is our "Great High Priest;" so Antichrist will yet be Israel's
great high priest (Ezek. 21:26).
Christ was and will be the King of the Jews (Matthew 2:1); so also
will the Antichrist be (Dan. 11:36).
Christ will be the King of kings (Rev. 17:14); so also will the
Antichrist be (Rev. 17:12,13).
Christ wrought miracles: of Him it is said "approved of God among you
by miracles and wonders and signs" (Acts 2:22); so also will the
Antichrist, concerning whom it is written, "whose coming is after the
working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders" (2 Thess.
2:9).
Christ's public ministry was limited to three years and a half; so
also will the Antichrist's final ministry be (Rev. 13:5).
Christ is shown to us riding a "white horse" (Rev. 19:11); so also is
the Antichrist (Rev. 6:2).
Christ will return to the earth as Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6,7); so
also will the Antichrist introduce an era of peace (Dan. 11:21); it is
to this that 1 Thessalonians 5:3 directly refers.
Christ is entitled "the Morning Star" (Rev. 22:16); so also is the
Antichrist (Isa. 14:12).
Christ is referred to as Him "which was, and is, and is to come" (Rev.
4:8); the Antichrist is referred to as him that "was, and is not; and
shall ascend out of the bottomless pit" (Rev. 17:8).
Christ died and rose again; so also will the Antichrist (Rev. 13:3).
Christ will be the object of universal worship (Phil. 2:10); so also
will the Antichrist (Rev. 13:4).
The followers of the Lamb will be sealed in their foreheads (Rev. 7:3;
14:1); so also will the followers of the Beast (Rev. 13:16,17).
Christ has been followed by the Holy Spirit who causes men to worship
Him; so the Antichrist will be followed by the Anti-spirit--the False
Prophet--who will cause men to worship the Beast (Rev. 13:12).
There is no need for us to make any comments on these striking
correspondences: they speak for themselves. They show the incredible
lengths to which God will permit Satan to go in mimicking the Lord
Jesus. We turn now to consider:
Contrasts between Christ and the Antichrist.
I. In their respective Designations.
One is called the Christ (Matthew 16:16); the other the Antichrist (1
John 4:3).
One is called the Man of Sorrows (Isa. 53:3); the other the Man of Sin
(2 Thess. 2:3).
One is called the Son of God (John 1:34); the other the Son of
Perdition (2 Thess. 2:3).
One is called the Seed of woman (Gen. 3:15); the other the seed of the
Serpent (Gen. 3:15).
One is called the Lamb (Isa. 53:7); the other the Beast (Rev. 11:7).
One is called the Holy One (Mark 1:24); the other the Wicked One (2
Thess. 2:8).
One is called the Truth (John 14:6); the other the Lie (John 8:44).
One is called the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6); the other the wicked,
profane Prince (Ezek. 21:25).
One is called the glorious Branch (Isa. 4:2); the other the abominable
Branch (Isa. 14:19).
One is called the Mighty Angel (Rev. 10:1); the other is called the
Angel of the Bottomless Pit (Rev. 9:11).
One is called the Good Shepherd (John 10:11); the other is called the
Idol Shepherd (Zech. 11:17).
One has for the number of His name (the gematria of "Jesus") 888; the
other has for the number of his name 666 (Rev. 13:18).
II. In their respective Careers.
Christ came down from heaven (John 3:13); Antichrist comes up out of
the bottomless pit (Rev. 11:7).
Christ came in Another's Name (John 5:43); Antichrist will come in his
own name (John 5:43).
Christ came to do the Father's will (John 6:38); Antichrist will do
his own will (Dan. 11:36).
Christ was energized by the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:14); Antichrist will
be energized by Satan (Rev. 13:4).
Christ submitted Himself to God (John 5:30); Antichrist defies God (2
Thess. 2:4).
Christ humbled Himself (Phil. 2:8); Antichrist exalts himself (Dan.
11:37).
Christ honored the God of His fathers (Luke 4:16); Antichrist refuses
to (Dan. 11:37).
Christ cleansed the temple (John 2:14,16); the Antichrist defiles the
temple (Matthew 24:15).
Christ ministered to the needy (Isa. 53:7); Antichrist robs the poor
(Ps. 10:8,9).
Christ was rejected of men (Isa. 53:7); Antichrist will be accepted by
men (Rev. 13:4).
Christ leadeth the flock (John 10:3); Antichrist leaveth the flock
(Zech. 11:17).
Christ was slain for the people (John 11:51); Antichrist slays the
people (Isa. 14:20).
Christ glorified God on earth (John 17:4), Antichrist blasphemes the
name of God in heaven (Rev. 13:6).
Christ was received up into heaven (Luke 24:51); Antichrist goes down
into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 19:20).
_________________________________________________
Contents | Forward | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Conclusion
____________________________________________________
About Us
What's New
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The Antichrist by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 5
The Career Of The Antichrist
_________________________________________________
We now come to the most interesting and yet the most difficult part of
our subject. When will the Antichrist be manifested? where will he
appear? what will he do? are questions which readily occur to all who
have given any thought to the matter. It is not our purpose to seek to
satisfy the idly curious, still less is it to gratify those who love
the sensational. We are well aware that our present theme is one that
appeals strongly to the curiously inclined, and were it not for the
importance of our inquiry we would leave it alone. But without due
regard to the person and place of the coming Superman, it is
impossible to understand the eschatology of either the Old or New
Testaments.
The chief difficulty is to arrange in chronological sequence the many
passages which treat of the Antichrist. It is by no means easy to
discover the precise order in which the prophecies which deal with the
Man of Sin will receive their fulfillment. There is great need for
much prayerful study along this line. We can only write according to
the light we now have, and our readers must examine for themselves
what we say in the light of the Scriptures. It ill becomes any one to
be dogmatic where the Word itself does not plainly state the exact
time when certain prophecies are to be fulfilled.
In this chapter we are placed somewhat at a disadvantage, because we
shall be obliged to give brief expositions of many scriptures where it
will be impossible for us to pause and furnish proofs or reasons for
each interpretation. For example, it is our firm conviction that the
Assyrian of Isaiah 10, the king of Babylon of Isaiah 14, the Little
Horn of Daniel 7, the Little Horn of Daniel 8, and the first Beast of
Revelation 13, each and all view the Antichrist himself in different
relationships. There are some Bible students who may take issue with
us on these points, and complain because that in this chapter we make
assertions without endeavoring to prove them. We regret this, but
would ask all to bear with us patiently. In the later chapters of this
book we shall devote separate studies to the Antichrist in the Psalms,
in the Prophets, in the Gospels and Epistles, and in the Apocalypse;
when we shall endeavor to examine each passage separately and attempt
to give scriptural proofs for every interpretation adopted.
While it is admittedly difficult, and perhaps impossible, to fit each
prophecy concerning the Antichrist into its proper chronological
place, we are able to determine the relative position of most of them.
The career of the Antichrist is divided into two distinct parts, and
there is a clearly defined dividing line between them. In previous
chapters we have pointed out how that the name "Antichrist" has a
double meaning, signifying one who imitates Christ, and one who is
opposed to Christ. This double meaning to his name corresponds exactly
with the two chief parts in his career. In the first, he poses as the
true Christ, claiming to be indeed the Messiah of Israel. This claim
will be backed up with the most imposing credentials, and all
excepting God's elect will be deceived. He will sit in the Temple (a
rebuilt temple in Jerusalem) showing himself forth to be God, and
Divine honors will be paid him. But at a later stage he will throw off
his mask, and appear in his true character as the opponent of Christ
and the defier of God. Then, instead of befriending the Jews, he will
turn against them and seek to exterminate them from the earth. Thus,
with many of the scriptures which describe the person and career of
the Antichrist it is a comparatively easy matter to decide whether
they belong to the first or to the second stage of his history. But
beyond this it is difficult, with some scriptures at least to go.
We shall now consider, first the time of Antichrist's appearing. It is
hardly necessary for us to enter into a lengthy argument to show that
the Antichrist (as such) has not already appeared. Many antichrists
have already come and gone, and some are in the world even now; the
same is equally true of the many false prophets foretold in Scripture;
but all of these are but the forecasts and foreshadowings of the
Antichrist and the False Prophet, who are yet to be revealed, and who
will receive their final overthrow by the Lord Jesus at His return to
the earth. Before the Antichrist can appear the Holy Spirit must be
"taken out of the way" (2 Thess. 2:7); the old Roman Empire must be
revived and assume its final form--divided under ten kings"--before
the "Little Horn" comes into prominence (Dan. 7:24--he rises "after
them"): Israel must be restored to their land and the Temple be
rebuilt, etc., etc.
At the present time the ultimate development of "the Mystery of
Iniquity" is being hindered. God's people are the salt of the earth,
and their presence here stays the corruption of the "carcass" (Matthew
24:28--The "Carcass" is the antithesis of the "Body" of Christ). The
saints are the light of the world, and while they remain in it is
impossible for darkness to cover the earth and gross darkness the
people (Isa. 60:2). The Spirit of God is here, indwelling believers,
and His holy presence checks the final outworking of Satan's plans.
But when all believers of this dispensation have been "caught up to
meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thess. 4:16), and the Holy Spirit has
departed from the earth, all restraint will be removed, and Satan will
be allowed to bring forth his false christ, who will be "revealed in
his time" (2 Thess. 2:6), and it would seem that even now signs are
not wanting to show that God has already given permission to Satan to
prepare the stage of action for the ghastly consummation of his evil
efforts. There can be no doubt but that the Devil has desired to
reveal the Son of Perdition long before this, so that by means of him
he may reduce the whole world to submission. But the restraining hand
of God, now so soon to be removed, has held him back.
The time, then, when the Antichrist will be revealed is after this
present Dispensation of Grace has run its course; after the Mystical
Body of Christ has been completed; after the whole company of God's
people have been caught up to meet the Lord in the air; after the Holy
Spirit has departed from the world. How soon after we cannot say for
certain. The majority of prophetic students seems to think that the
last great Caesar will come into prominence almost immediately after
the rapture of the saints. Personally, we believe there will be an
interval, long or short, between the two. As there was a period of
thirty years after the birth of the Lord Jesus--a period of
silence--before His public ministry commenced, so there may be a
similar interval between the Rapture and the Revelation of Antichrist.
The Antichrist will enter the arena of public affairs before the
beginning of Daniel's seventieth week, for at the beginning of it he
makes a seven-years covenant with the Jews, then in their land. But at
that point he will be the Dictator of the world's policies, and as he
begins in comparative obscurity (at least from a governmental
standpoint), some time--probably years--must be allowed for his
gradual rise to political supremacy. His meteoric course will not be
terminated until the Lord Himself descends to earth to usher in the
Millennium. Just as the reign of Saul preceded that of David, so shall
that of Antichrist antedate that of the true Christ.
We turn now to consider the place of Antichrist's appearing. So far as
the writer is aware there are only two scriptures which give direct
information upon this point, and they are each found in the prophecy
of Daniel. We refer to the passages which speak of "the Little Horn."
In Daniel 7:7,8 we read, "After this I saw in the night visions, and,
behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly;
and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and break in pieces, and
stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all
the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the
horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn."
This fourth Beast is the last world-empire, prior to the setting up of
the Messianic kingdom. This empire will, at first, be ruled over by
ten kings--the "ten horns" of Daniel 7:7 and defined as ten kings in
Daniel 7:24. After them arises another, the "Little Horn," which
signifies another "king', see Daniel 7:24. He is termed "little"
because at that stage his kingdom is but small compared with that of
the others, and the power he then wields is insignificant when
contrasted from the ten kings. But not for long will he remain weak
and insignificant. Soon the ten kings will themselves own allegiance
to this eleventh--see Revelation 17:12, 13. We reserve for a later
chapter the proofs that this "Little Horn' is the Antichrist, asking
our readers to study carefully the description furnished of him in
Daniel 7:8, 20-27; 8:9-12, 23-25.
Taking it for granted (at the moment) that the Little Horn of Daniel 7
is the Antichrist let us see how what is there said of him helps us to
determine the quarter from which he will arise. In Daniel 7:7 the
"fourth Beast" is described, and in Daniel 7:23 we are told, "the
fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be
diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall
tread it down, and break it in pieces." This Kingdom will be divided
into ten parts, over which will be the ten kings (Dan. 7:24). This
kingdom will be, we believe, the old Roman Empire revived in its final
form, and divided into two great halves--the Eastern and the Western.
This fourth kingdom will include within itself all the territory and
will perpetuate all the dominant characteristics of the other three
which have preceded it, i.e. the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian, and
Grecian. Turning now to Daniel 7:8 we are told, "I considered the
horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn." The
Antichrist, then, will have his rise within the limits of the old
Roman Empire. This narrows considerably our circle of inquiry. The
next question is, Can we determine from which part of the empire he
will arise--the Eastern or the Western? Daniel 8 furnishes light upon
this point.
In Daniel 8:8,9 we read, "Therefore the he-goat waxed very great: and
when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four
notable ones toward the four winds of heaven. And out of one of them
came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the
south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land." Now Daniel
8:21 of this same chapter tells us, "The rough goat is the king
(kingdom) of Grecia," and Daniel 8:22 informs us "and the great horn
that is between his eyes is the first king. Now that being broken,
whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms (or kings) shall stand up
out of the nation." This, of course, refers to the act of Alexander
the Great who divided his kingdom into four parts--Greece, Egypt,
Syria, and the rest of the domains of Turkey--under his four great
generals: Ptolemy, Cassander, Lysimachus, and Seleucus. This, again,
very appreciably narrows our circle of inquiry. Daniel 7 tells us the
Little Horn is to arise in a part of the territory covered by the old
Roman Empire, which Empire gradually included within its domains that
of the preceding empires. Now here in Daniel 8 we learn that the
Little Horn will spring from that part of the revived Roman Empire
which was included in the Grecian Empire. But this is not all that
Daniel 8 tells us. The Grecian Empire is here viewed as disintegrated
into four parts or kingdoms, from which of these parts, then, may we
expect him to issue--Macedonia, Egypt, Syria, or Thrace? This
question, we believe, receives answer in Daniel 8; where we are told,
that the Little Horn "waxed exceeding great toward the south, and
toward the east, and toward the pleasant land." Practically all
students are agreed that "the south" here refers to Egypt, the "east"
to Persia and Greece and "the pleasant land' to Palestine, hence it
would seem that the country from which Antichrist will first be
manifested is Syria. It will be noted that nothing is said in Daniel
8:9 about the Little Horn "waxing great" toward the north, and we
believe the reason for this is because that is the quarter from whence
he shall arise. This is confirmed by the fact that "the king of
Assyria" in Isaiah 10:12 is clearly none other than the Antichrist. We
may say this was the current view of Christian writers on prophecy
through the first ten centuries A.D. The late Mr. W. B. Newton in his
splendid "Aids to the Study of Prophetic Inquiry" has succinctly
summarized the various arguments of the ancients in the following
language:
"In the first place, as Nimrod--the founder of Babel, that is, the
Tower of Babylon--a savage tyrant and cruel oppressor of men, was the
first person who declared open war against God; so it is meet that
there should arise from the selfsame Babylon, the last and most
atrocious persecutor of the saints--the Antichrist. Moreover, seeing
that Nebuchadnezzar and Antiochus Epiphanes--two monsters who bore
down upon the people of God with an overwhelming power of destruction,
and who were the antichrists of the old Testament and remarkable types
of the Antichrist which is to come; seeing, I say, that these monarchs
reigned in Babylon, it is fitting that the true Antichrist of the New
Testament should arise from the same Babylon.
"Besides, no place can be pointed out more meet for the nativity of
Antichrist than Babylon, for it is the City of the Devil--always
diametrically opposed to Jerusalem, which is deemed the City of God;
the former city, that is, Babylon, being the mother and disseminator
of every kind of confusion, idolatry, impiety--a vast sink of every
foul pollution, crime, and iniquity--the first city in the world which
cut itself off from the worship of the true God--which reared the city
of universal vice,--which perpetually (according to the record of Holy
Writ) carries on the mystery of iniquity, and bears imprinted on her
brow the inscription of blasphemy against the name of God. The
consummation, therefore, of impiety, which is to have its
recapitulation in Antichrist, could not break forth from a more
fitting place than Babylon."
Having dwelt at some length on the time and the place of the
Antichrist's appearing, we shall attempt to give now a brief outline
of the leading events in his career. We have seen that the scriptures
which help us to determine the direction from which he will arise,
speak of him under the title of the Little Horn. Now the first thing
this title denotes is that he is a king, king of Assyria. Some, no
doubt, will wonder how a Jew will succeed in obtaining the throne of
Syria. Several answers might be suggested, such, for example, as
heading a successful rebellion--the spectacle of an obscure plebeian
speedily rising to the rank of national Dictator, has been forcibly
exhibited before our own eyes in Russia. But on this point we are not
left to speculation. Daniel 11:21 tells us that the "Vile Person" will
come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. With this
agrees Revelation 6:2, where the Antichrist is seen riding a white
war-horse, and with bow in hand, but with no arrow fitted to it. The
symbol suggests bloodless victories.
As soon as this Jew acquires the crown of Syria he will speedily
enlarge his dominions. As Revelation 6:2 tells us, he will go forth
"conquering and to conquer," and as we are told further in Habakkuk
2:5, "He is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlarged his
desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but
gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people." The
first thing which is predicted of him (as "the Little Horn") is that
"he shall subdue three kings" (Dan. 7:24). As to what kings these may
be, appears to be intimated in Daniel 8:9 where we are told, "And out
of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great
toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land."
He waxes great first toward the south, that is, most probably, by a
victorious expedition into Egypt. Next, he is seen moving toward the
east, reducing, to what extent we are not told, the dominions of
Persia and Greece; finally he turns his face toward the pleasant land,
which is Palestine. Without being dogmatic, we would suggest that the
three kings he subdues are those of Egypt, Persia, and Greece.
Having subdued the three kings by his military prowess a "league" is
made with him (see Daniel 11:23). Probably it is the remaining seven
kings of the revived Roman Empire, plus the three vassals of the
Antichrist who take the place of the kings he had deposed, that enter
into this League with the Little horn, or king of Assyria; but he
shall work deceitfully, and shall become strong with a small people
(Dan. 11:23). So strong does he become that in a short time he rises
to political supremacy, and the whole of the ten kings shall "give
their kingdom unto the Beast." (Rev. 17:17), and he will then be
recognized as the imperial Emperor. Thus as King of kings he will
dictate the policies of Europe and Asia.
"The Little Horn will revive in himself all the personified glory of
Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. And let not this be regarded as
an event incredible. We are to remember that Antichrist will be
Satan's masterpiece; furnished with every auxiliary of influence and
wealth, for wresting the scepter from the hands of Him who won it by
His humiliation of the Cross. Thus it is said he will `resist the God
of gods'. The accumulated and restored honors of each royal successor
are thus to crown the brow of this last and greatest of Gentile
monarchs. And so shall he stand in his unrivalled magnificence till
the Stone shall smite him and his power, and grind all to powder"
(Mrs. G. Needham).
After the Antichrist has acquired the political sovereignty of the
prophetic earth he will then enter upon his religious role, claiming
to be the Christ of God and demanding Divine honors. At first sight it
appears strange, if not incongruous, that a military despot should be
found filling the character of a religious impostor. But history shows
that there is a point at which one character readily merges into the
other. Political ambition, intoxicated by success, finds it an easy
step from self-glorification to self-deification, and the popular
infatuation as easily passes from the abject adulation of the tyrant
to the adoration of the god. Or again; a religious impostor,
encouraged by the ascendancy he has acquired over the minds of men,
grasps the scepter of secular power and becomes the most arbitrary of
despots. Revelation 13:4 makes it plain that the military prowess of
the Antichrist first induces men to render him Divine homage: "And
they worshipped the Dragon which gave power unto the Beast: and they
worshipped the Beast, saying, Who is like unto the Beast? who is able
to make war with him?" But no ordinary honors will suffice him. His
religious ambitions are as insatiable as his political, for he will
"oppose and exalt himself above all that is called God, or that is
worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing
himself that he is God" (2 Thess. 2:4). This claim to be God Himself,
incarnate, will be backed up by imposing credentials, for his coming
will be, "after the working of Satan, with all power and signs and
lying wonders" (2 Thess. 2:9). These miracles will be no mere
pretenses, but prodigies of power.
The Jews, previously returned to Palestine, and with temple in
Jerusalem rebuilt, will receive this Son of Perdition as their
long-promised Messiah" (John 5:43). In imitation of the true Christ
who will, at His return to the earth, "make a new covenant with the
House of Israel and with the House of Judah" (Heb. 8:8, compare
Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 36), the Antichrist will make a covenant with
the Jews (see Daniel 9:27 and 11:22). Under a seven years' treaty, and
in the guise of friendship, he will gain ascendancy in Jerusalem, only
later to throw off the mask and break the covenant.
About seven months after the Antichrist, the "Prince" (i.e. of the
Roman Empire) of Daniel 9:27 has made the Covenant with the Jews he
will begin to "practice" in Jerusalem (Dan. 8:24). This we believe is
the explanation of the two thousand three hundred days of Daniel 8:14
which has puzzled so many of the commentators. This two thousand three
hundred days is the whole period during which the false messiah will
practice in Jerusalem and have power over the "sanctuary:" two
thousand three hundred days is seven years less seven months and ten
days.
There, in Jerusalem, he will pose as the Christ of God, the Prince of
Peace. The world will suppose that the long looked- for Millennium has
arrived. There will be every indication that the eagerly desired
Golden Age has, at last, dawned. The great Powers of Europe and Asia
will have been united under the ten-kingdomed Empire. It will be
expected that the League of Nations guarantees the peace of the earth.
For a season quietness and amity will prevail. None will dare to
oppose the mighty Emperor. But not for long will the hideous
war-spectre hide himself. Soon will the "white horse" of Revelation 6
be found to change his hue. A "red horse" will go forth, and then
"peace shall be taken from the earth" (Rev. 6). At the very time the
world is congratulating itself that all is well, and the slogan of the
hour is "Peace and Safety," then "sudden destruction cometh upon them"
(1 Thess. 5:3).
In the midst of the seven years the Antichrist will throw off his
mask, break his covenant with Israel, and stand forth as the most
daring idolater who has ever trodden this earth. After he has
"practiced" in Jerusalem for two years and five months, he will take
away the daily sacrifice (Dan. 8:11; 9:27) from the Temple, and in its
place rear an image to himself in the holy place, which is the
"abomination of desolation" referred to by Christ (see Matthew 24:15).
This brings us to the great dividing line in his career, to which
reference was made near the beginning of this chapter. It is a point
not only of interest but of considerable importance to ascertain what
it is that causes this startling change of front, from posing as the
true Christ to that of the open defier of God. There are several
scriptures which throw light on this point. Satan will cause the Man
of Sin to crown his daring imitation of the Christ of God by being
slain and rising again from the dead.
Both the Old and the New Testaments refer to the death of the
Antichrist, and attribute it to the sword. In Revelation 13:14 we read
that the false Prophet shall say to them that dwell on the earth that
they should make an image to the Beast, which had the wound by the
sword and did live. In harmony with this we read in Zechariah 11:17,
"Woe to the Idol Shepherd that leaveth the flock! The sword shall be
upon his arm, and upon his right eye." It is to be noted that before
we read that "the sword shall be" upon him, we are told that he
"leaveth the flock," and the previous verse tells us that he was
raised up "in the land," which can only mean that he was ruling in
Palestine. Hence it is clear that he leaves the Land before he
receives his death wound by the sword. In perfect accord with this is
what we read in Isaiah 37:6,7 (in a later chapter we shall treat at
length of the future Babylon, restored; the connection of Antichrist
with it, and the typical and prophetical significance of Isaiah 37 and
38); "Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumor,
and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword
in his own land."
Leaving Palestine, the Antichrist will "return to his own land," that
is, the land of his nativity--Assyria--which confirms what we have
said previously about Assyria being the country where Antichrist will
first be manifested. There, in his own land, he will fall by the
sword. Most probably he will be slain there by his political enemies,
envious of his power and chafing under his haughty autocracy. In death
he will be hated and dishonored, and burial will be refused him. It is
to this that Isaiah 14 (speaking of the King of Babylon, see v.4)
refers: "But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch,
and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a
sword, that go down to the stones of the pit. As a carcass trodden
under feed, thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou
hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people" (vv. 19,20). But his
enemies will suddenly be filled with consternation and then admiration
for to their amazement this one slain by the sword shall rise from the
dead, and his deadly wound will be healed--note how this is implied in
Isaiah 14, for v. 25 shows him once more in the land of the living,
only to meet his final doom at the hands of the Lord Himself. It is to
this amazing resurrection of the Antichrist that Revelation 13:3,4
refers: "And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and
his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the
Beast. And they worshipped the Dragon which gave power unto the Beast:
saying, Who is like unto the Beast? who is able to make war with him?"
Details of his resurrection are supplied in Revelation 9, from which
we gather that just as Christ was raised from the dead by God the
Father, so the Antichrist will be raised from the dead by his father
the Devil, see v. 1 where the fallen "Star," which refers to Satan, is
given the "key to the bottomless pit," and when this is happened there
comes out of it the mysterious "locusts" whose king is the Destroyer
(v. 11), the Antichrist.
A further reference to the resurrection of the Antichrist, his coming
forth from the Bottomless Pit, is found in Revelation 17:8: "The Beast
that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the
Bottomless Pit, and go into Perdition: and they that dwell on the
earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life
from the foundation of the world, when they behold the Beast that was,
and is not, and yet is." It is to be noted that the earth-dwellers
wonder when they behold the Beast that was (alive), and is not (now
alive), and yet is (raised again). The world will then be presented
with the spectacle of a man raised from the dead. All know him, for
his career and amazing progress were eagerly watched; his wonderful
achievements and military campaigns were the subject of daily
interest; his transcendent genius elicited their admiration. They had
witnessed his death. They stood awe-struck, no doubt, at the downfall
of this King of kings. And now he is made alive; his wound of death is
healed; and the whole world wonders, and worships him.
It is about this time, apparently, that the "False Prophet" (Rev.
13:11-16), the third person in the Trinity of Evil will appear on the
scene. From a number of scriptures it is evident that the Antichrist
will not spend all his time in Palestine during the last three and a
half years of his career. It seems that shortly after the middle of
the "week" the Beast will turn his face again toward Babylon, leaving
the False Prophet to act as his vicegerent, compelling all in
Jerusalem to worship the image of the Beast under pain of death (Rev.
13:15). It is to be noted that Habakkuk 2:5 tells us that the
Antichrist is "a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlarged his
desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but
gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people."
The reason for the Antichrist's return to Babylon is not far to seek.
Having thrown off his mask of religious pretension, he now stands
forth as the Defier of God. His first move now will be to blot out
from the earth everything that bears His name. To accomplish this the
Jewish race must be utterly exterminated, and to this end he will put
forth all his power to banish Israel from the earth. He will make war
with the saints (the Jewish saints) and prevail against them (Dan.
7:21; 8:24): this is the going forth of the "red horse" of Revelation
6:4.
Those of the godly remnant who are left will "flee to the mountains"
(Matthew 24:16), and there they will be hunted like partridges. It is
then they will cry, "Keep not Thou silence, O God: hold not Thy peace,
and be not still, O God. For, lo, Thine enemies make a tumult: and
they that hate Thee have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty
counsel against Thy people, and consulted against Thy hidden ones.
They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation;
that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance" (Ps. 83:1-4).
Then, because many of the Jews will be found in that day dwelling in
Babylon (see Jeremiah 50:8; 51:6, 45; Revelation 18:4) the Antichrist
will go thither to wreak his vengeance upon them. But not for long
will he be suffered to continue his blasphemous and bloody course.
Soon will heaven respond to the cries of the faithful remnant of
Israel, and terrible shall be the punishment meted out on their last
enemy. This, however, must be left for consideration in our next
chapter, when we shall treat of the last days and doom of the
Antichrist.
_________________________________________________
Contents | Forward | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Conclusion
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The Antichrist by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 6
The Doom of The Antichrist
_________________________________________________
If there is a measure of difficulty attending the placing and
elucidation of some of the prophecies which depict the various phases
and stages of the Antichrist's career, the cloud lifts as the end is
neared. And this is in full accord with many other things which
pertain to the closing days of the Age. The nearer we come to the
blessed event of our Lord's return to this earth, the more light has
God seemed to cast on those things which immediately precede the
Second Advent. It is as though, at first, God furnishes only a bare
outline, but ultimately He fills in the details for us. It is thus
with the end of the Antichrist. The Holy Spirit has been pleased to
supply us with a most comprehensive and vivid description of the
closing scenes in the career of the Son of Perdition. It is with
mingled feelings that we turn and ponder what has thus been recorded
for our learning.
The awful course which is followed by the Man of Sin cannot but shock
us. The frightful hypocrisy, the shocking duplicity and treachery, the
terrible cruelty, and the amazing impiety of this Monster of
wickedness, make us marvel at the forbearance of God, who endures
"with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction."
But when we come to the final scenes, and behold the Antichrist openly
challenging heaven, publicly defying God, and making a deliberate and
determined effort to prevent the Lord Jesus returning to this earth,
we are well nigh rendered speechless by the unthinkable lengths to
which sin will go. On the other hand, as we learn that all of this is
the ending of that long dismal night which precedes the Day of Christ,
the Millennium, we see that it is but the dark background to bring
into more vivid relief the glories of the God-Man. The destruction of
the Antichrist will be followed at once by the setting up of the
Messianic Kingdom which shall bring peace and blessing to all the
earth. And the contemplation of this cannot but fill us with joy and
thanksgiving.
"The end of the Man of Sin marks an era of sublimest interest to the
believing children of God. It shall be the day of our triumphant
manifestation, and the Jubilee of all creation. The day, Oh,
Hallelujah! when Satan's crown of pride shall be smitten, and his
glory trailed in the dust; when his long-continued and persistent
temptations shall have an end; and his power receive the wounding from
which it shall never recover itself. That blessed, blessed day when He
whose right it is, shall reign, and the kingdom of Israel be no more
overturned and dishonored. The sweet, sweet day, when the mockings,
the scourgings, the bonds, the imprisonments, the afflictions, and the
torments of the great multitude of whom the world was not worthy,
shall cease to annoy forever, and the whole earth be at rest, and
break forth into gladness" (Mrs. E. Needham).
But before that blessed Day arrives, the last hour of the night of
Christ's absence has to run its course, and as the darkest hour
precedes the dawn, so the last hour of this "night" shall be the most
foreboding of all. The period which immediately precedes the return of
Christ to the earth will witness the most awful events ever
chronicled. It was of this period that Daniel spoke when he said,
"There shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a
nation even to that same time" (Dan. 12:1). It was to this same time
that Christ referred when He declared, "For in those days shall be
affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which
God created unto this time, neither shall be. And except that the Lord
had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the
elect's sake, whom He hath chosen, He hath shortened the days" (Mark
13:19,20). This is "the hour of temptation which shall come upon all
the world" (Rev. 3:10). It will be a time of unparalleled wickedness,
and a time of unprecedented suffering. It is the time when God shall
avenge the murder of His Son, when He shall take to task a world that
has so long despised His Word, and trampled His commandments under
foot. The very Antichrist will be one of the instruments of His
vengeance--"the rod of His anger" (Isa. 10:5).
It is because men received not the love of God's truth. He shall send
them strong delusion that they should believe the Devil's lie. It is
because men had "pleasure in "unrighteousness" they shall be deceived
by the Lawless One. It is because Israel refused that blessed One who
came in His Father's name that they shall receive the one who comes in
his own name. This is why the Antichrist will, for a season, be
suffered to prosper, and apparently to defy God with impugnity. But
when God has used him to perform His own pleasure, then shall He empty
upon his kingdom and upon his subjects the vials of His wrath. Just as
God has set the bounds of the sea, saying thus far shalt thou go and
no further, so has He fixed the limits to which He will allow the
Antichrist to go. And when that limit is reached the Son of Perdition
will find himself as helpless to pass beyond what God has decreed as a
worm would be beneath the foot of an elephant. This will be made
evident as we proceed.
At the close of our last chapter we followed the career of the
Antichrist to the point where he turns upon the Jewish people and
seeks to cut them off from being a nation. Fearful will be his
assaults upon them, and bitter will be their wailings. It is at that
time the Remnant will cry, "O God; why hast Thou cast us off forever?
why doth Thine anger smoke against the sheep of Thy pasture? Remember
Thy congregation, which Thou hast purchased of old; the rod of Thine
inheritance, which Thou hast redeemed; this mount Zion, wherein Thou
hast dwelt. Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations; even all
that the Enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary. Thine enemies roar
in the midst of Thy congregations; they set up their ensigns for
signs. A man was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the
thick trees. But now they break down the carved work thereof at once
with axes and hammers. They have cast fire into Thy sanctuary, they
have defiled by casting down the dwelling-place of Thy name to the
ground. They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together; they
have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land. We see not our
signs: there is no more any profit neither is there any among us which
knoweth how long. O God, how long shall the Adversary reproach? Shall
the Enemy blaspheme Thy name forever? Why withdrawest Thou Thy hand,
even Thy right hand? Pluck it out of Thy bosom" (Ps. 74:1-11).
It is at this time that the prophecy of Amos 8 will receive its final
fulfillment: "The Lord hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I
will never forget any of their works. Shall not the land tremble for
this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise
wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as by the
flood of Egypt. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord
God, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken
the earth in the clear day: And I will turn your feasts into mourning,
and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth
upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as
the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine
in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but the
hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea,
and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek
the word of the Lord, and shall not find it. In that day shall the
fair virgins and the young men faint for thirst"
(Amos 8:7-13). How remarkably does Psalm 74 interpret this prophecy of
Amos! The reason why the godly Remnant shall run to and fro to seek
the word of the Lord and shall not find it, and the meaning of the
famine of hearing the words of the Lord is that all the synagogues in
the land shall have been burned up.
But not for long will this frightful persecution continue: "Therefore
thus saith the Lord God of hosts, O My people that dwellest in Zion,
be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and
shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt. For
yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and Mine
anger in their destruction" (Isa. 10:24,25). Once the Antichrist turns
upon Israel his days are numbered, for to touch that nation is to
touch the apple of God's eye (Zech. 2:8). God shall up a scourge for
him" (Isa. 10:26). What this scourge is we learn from Daniel 11;40:
"And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him;
and the king of the north (the Antichrist) shall come against him
(i.e. the king of the south) like a whirlwind with chariots, and with
horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries,
and shall overflow, and pass over" (Dan. 11:40).
The king of the south who pushes it--assails--the Antichrist is the
king of Egypt. The Antichrist, here termed the king of the north, i.e.
Assyria, shall leave Babylon, and marshalling his imperial forces,
which he has ready for immediate action, shall lead them against him
(the king of Egypt) like a whirlwind. The rapidity of his movements
and the immensity of his armies, is intimated by the words, "He shall
enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over." His
progress will be as the rushing of an overwhelming torrent from the
mountains, that spreads over the land, and carries everything before
it. "He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries
shall be overthrown" (Dan. 11:41). His route from Babylon to Egypt
will take him through Palestine, the land which is soon to be the
glory of all lands; and, although we are not told here what he will do
there at that time, his hand will, no doubt, be heavy upon it, as also
upon the many other countries which he will overthrow. But these shall
escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the
children of Ammon" (Dan. 11:41). These three peoples will escape his
fury. The reason for their escape seems to be a double one. In Psalm
83, which describes an event at a little earlier period, we are told,
"they have taken crafty counsel against Thy people, and consulted
against Thy hidden ones. They has said, Come, and let us cut them off
from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in
remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent, they
are confederate against Thee: the tabernacles of Edom and the
Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes; Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek;
the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assur (the Assyrian)
also is joined with them" (Ps. 83:3-8). Thus we see that these three
peoples acted in concert with the Antichrist when a determined effort
was made to utterly exterminate the Jewish people. The Antichrist,
therefore, spares these submissive allies of his when he goes forth to
overthrow the other countries.
So much for the human side as to why "these shall escape out of his
hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon."
But there is a Divine side, too. These peoples are spared at that time
in order that they may be dealt with later by God Himself. Thus did
Jehovah declare of old through Balaam the heathen prophet: "There
shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of
Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the
children of Sheth. And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be
a possession for his enemies" (Num. 24:17,18). This will be right at
the beginning of the Millennium. Israel, too, shall be used by God in
this work of judgment upon their ancient enemies: "But they shall fly
upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall
spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom
and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them" (Isa. 11:14).
"He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land
of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures
of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and
the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps" (Dan. 11:42,43).
The victorious King will then take possession of those countries which
were overthrown by him during his march from Babylon to Egypt. Having
now reached this land which dared to push at him--the land never
completely subjugated by the previous kings of the north referred to
in the earlier part of Daniel 11--its king and subjects must now bow
before his iron scepter. He becomes master of its treasures of gold,
silver, and precious things. The Libyans and Ethiopians, who were the
allies of Egypt, will be compelled to follow in this train. Thus will
he crush this Egyptian rebellion, and demonstrate once more his
military prowess. Yet not for long will he be permitted to defy Heaven
with impugnity.
"But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him:
therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to
make away many" (Dan. 11:44). That these troublous tidings are we
learn from Jeremiah 51. A serious attack will be made upon his
Babylonian headquarters, and during his absence from there, the kings
of Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz--no doubt emboldened by the
insubordination of Egypt--will besiege and capture one end of the
Capital. The time is nigh at hand when God shall utterly destroy that
City of the Devil, and a preliminary warning of this is now given:
"And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea
all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, saith the
Lord. Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith the
Lord, which destroyeth all the earth: and I will stretch out Mine hand
upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a
burnt mountain. And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner,
nor a stone for foundations; but thou shalt be desolate forever, saith
the Lord" (Jer. 51:24-26).
As a beginning to this end, the Lord says, "Set ye up a standard in
the land, blow the trumpet among the nations, prepare the nations
against her, call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni,
and Ashchenaz (all situated in the vicinity of Armenia); appoint a
captain against her; cause the horses to come up as the rough
caterpillars. Prepare against her the nations with the kings of the
Medes, the captains thereof, and all the rulers thereof, and all the
land of his dominion. And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every
purpose of the Lord shall be performed against Babylon, to make the
land of Babylon a desolation without an inhabitant. The mighty man of
Babylon hath forborne to fight, they have remained in their holds:
their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned their
dwelling places; her bars are broken" (Jer. 51:27-30).
It is this ominous news--the tidings which trouble him of Daniel
11:44--which reaches the ears of Babylon's King, then absent in Egypt.
The alarming tidings that part of the city has already been destroyed
arouses him to fierce anger, for we are told, "therefore he shall go
forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many" (Dan.
11:44). As he nears the capital, "one post shall run to meet another,
and one messenger to meet another, to show the King of Babylon that
his city is taken at one end, and that the passages are stopped, and
the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are
affrighted" (Jer. 51:31,32). The end is not far distant: "For thus
saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; the daughter of Babylon is
like a threshing floor, it is time to thresh her: yet a little while,
and the time of her harvest shall come" (Jer. 51:33). God now calls on
the Jews who are found dwelling within that city to leave at once,
lest they be caught in the storm of His fierce anger: "My people, go
ye out of the midst of her, and deliver you every man his soul from
the fierce anger of the Lord" (Jer. 51:45). A graphic description of
Babylon's destruction is found at the end of Jeremiah 51 and also in
Revelation 18.
The fury of the Antichrist at the destruction of Babylon will know no
bounds. Enraged at his loss, and incensed against God, he will now
turn his face toward Palestine, and at the head of his vast forces
will bear down upon the glorious land. Even so, it is God who is
directing him and his blinded dupes--directing him to finish the work
of judgment upon Israel, and directing him to his awful doom. Habakkuk
gives a fearful description of the spirit in which the King of Babylon
and his hosts shall fall upon the dwellers of Palestine:--"For, lo, I
raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall
march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwelling places
that are not theirs. They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment
and their dignity shall proceed of themselves. Their horses also are
swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening
wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen
shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat.
(How this verse anticipates the cruel aerial war-weapons!). They shall
come all for violence: their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and
they shall gather the captivity as the sand. And they shall heap dust,
and take it. Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over, and
offend, imputing this his power unto his god" (Note how this last
verse serves to identify the "Chaldean" with the "King" of Daniel
11:38,39). So terrible will be this onslaught that we are told, "And
it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts
therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein"
(Zech. 13:8).
His course is vividly sketched by Isaiah in the tenth chapter of his
prophecy: "He is come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron; at Mickmash he
hath laid up his carriages: They are gone over the passage: they have
taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramah is afraid; Galim: cause it to be
heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth. Madmena is removed; the inhabitants
of Gebim gather themselves to flee. As yet shall he remain at Nob that
day" (Isa. 10: 28-32). Nob is his camping-ground for that day, and it
is there he will "plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas
in the goodly holy mountain" (Dan. 11:45). Nob must be some elevation
commanding a distant view of Jerusalem from the west. As he stands on
the hill that night and looks at the Holy City, he "shall shake his
hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem"
(Isa. 10:32).
We now come to the closing scene. The following morning the Man of Sin
leads his forces to the famous Armageddon, there awaiting his final
re-inforcements before attacking Jerusalem. It is of this that Joel
speaks: "Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the
mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: Beat
your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears: let
the weak say, I am strong. Assemble yourselves, and come all ye
heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause Thy
mighty ones to come down, O Lord. Let the heathen be wakened, and come
up to the valley of Jehoshaphat; for there will I sit to judge all the
heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe:
come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for
their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of
decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision"
(Joel 3:9-14).
It is to this that Micah refers: "Now also many nations are gathered
against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon
Zion. But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither understand
they His counsel: for He shall gather them as the sheaves into the
floor" (Micah 4:10,11). But it is not in the valley that the battle is
fought, but around Jerusalem, where the Beast and his armies deliver
the final blow of God's judgment on that city ere the Deliverer
appears. It is then that God will say, "O Assyrian, the rod of Mine
anger, and the staff in their hands is Mine indignation. I will send
him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of My wrath
will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and
to tread them down like the mire of the streets. Howbeit he meaneth
not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to
destroy and cut off nations not a few. For he saith, Are not my
princes altogether kings? Is not Calno as Carchemish? Is not Hamath as
Arpad? Is not Samaria as Damascus? As my hand hath found the kingdoms
of the idols, and whose graven images did excel them of Jerusalem and
of Samaria; Shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so
do to Jerusalem and her idols? Wherefore it shall come to pass, that
when the Lord hath performed His whole work upon mount Zion and on
Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the King of
Assyria, and the glory of his high looks" (Isa. 5-12). he Antichrist
is but the Lord's instrument after all. Just as Moses picked up and
held in his hand the rod which became a serpent, so shall this
offspring of the Serpent be wielded by the hand of God to accomplish
His predetermined counsels.
Once again, though, the Beast appears to be successful. Jerusalem
falls before his onslaught as Jehovah had foretold that it should--
"For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the
city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished;
and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of
the people shall not be cut off from the city" (Zech. 14:2).
Intoxicated by their success, it is then that the heathen shall rage
and the people imagine a vain thing: "The kings of the earth set
themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord,
and against His anointed, saying, Let us brake their bands asunder,
and cast away their cords from us" (Ps. 2:2,3).
And then comes the grand finale. The heaven will open and from it will
descend the King of kings and Lord of lords, seated on a white horse,
with His eyes "as a flame of fire" (Rev. 19:11,12). Attending Him will
be the armies of heaven, also seated on white horses (Rev. 19:14). Far
from being appalled at this awe-inspiring spectacle, the Beast and the
kings of the earth and their armies shall gather together to "make war
against Him that sat on the horse, and against His armies" (Rev.
19:19). "Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those
nations, as when He fought in the day of battle" (Zech. 14:3). At last
the Christ of God and the christ of Satan will confront each other.
But the instant the conflict begins, it is ended. The Foe will be
paralyzed, and all resistance cease.
Scripture has solemnly recorded the end of various august evil
personages. Some were overwhelmed by waters; some devoured by flames;
some engulfed in the jaws of the earth; some stricken by a loathsome
disease; some ignominiously slaughtered; some hanged; some eaten up of
dogs; some consumed by worms. But to no sinful dweller on earth, save
the Man of Sin, "the Wicked One," has been appointed the terrible
distinction of being consumed by the brightness of the personal
appearing of the Lord Jesus Himself. Such shall be his unprecedented
doom, an end that shall fittingly climax his ignoble origin, his
amazing career, and his unparalleled wickedness.
"Hitherto proud boastings have issued from the lips of Satan's king;
but now he falls helplessly to the ground blasted by the lightening
which streams from the King of kings; and together with the False
Prophet and in the full sight of his countless armies, he is seized by
the angels of the Lord, to be hurled alive into the lake which burneth
with fire and brimstone" (G. H. Pember).
The overthrow of the Antichrist is described as follows: --"But with
righteousness shall He judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the
meek of the earth: and He shall smite the earth with the rod of His
mouth and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the Wicked" (Isa.
11:14).
"And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his
hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall
destroy many; he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes;
but he shall be broken without hand"--an expression which always
refers to that which is supernatural (Dan. 8:25).
"And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in
the glorious holy mountain; yet shall he come to his end, and none
shall help him" (Dan. 11:45).
"And then shall that Wicked (One) be revealed, whom the Lord shall
consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the
brightness of His coming" (2 Thess. 2:8).
"And the Beast was taken, and with him the False Prophet that wrought
miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the
mark of the Beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were
cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone" (Rev. 19:20).
"For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the King it is prepared; he
hath made it deep and large: the pile: the pile thereof is fire and
much wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth
kindle it" (Isa. 30:33). "And the Devil that deceived them was cast
into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the Beast and the False
Prophet are, and (they) shall be tormented day and night for ever and
ever" (Rev. 20:10).
Frightful, too, shall be the doom meted out to the followers of the
Antichrist. Zechariah 14 tells us, "And this shall be the plague
wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against
Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their
feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their
tongues shall consume away in their mouth. And it shall come to pass
in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them;
and they shall lay hold every one on the hands of his neighbor, and
his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbor" (vv. 12,13).
So, also Revelation 19:21 declares, "And the remnant were slain with
the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of
His mouth; and all the fowls were filled with their flesh."
_________________________________________________
Contents | Forward | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Conclusion
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A. W. Pink Header
The Antichrist by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 7
Antichrist In The Psalms
_________________________________________________
The references to the Man of Sin in the book of Psalms are, for the
most part, more or less incidental ones. With rare exceptions he comes
into view only as he is related to Israel, or as he affects their
fortunes. One cannot appreciate the force of what is there said of him
except as that is examined in the light of its prophetic setting. The
time when the Antichrist will be in full power is during the
Tribulation period, and it is not until we discover, by careful
searching, which of the Psalms describe the Time of JacobƒEUR(TM)s
trouble, that we know where to look for their last great Troubler.
Politically and ecclesiastically the Antichrist may be viewed in a
threefold connection, first, as he is related to the Gentile; second,
as he is related to the apostate Jewish nation; third, as he is
related to the godly Jewish Remnant, who separate themselves from
their unbelieving brethren. More details are furnished us in the
Psalms upon this third relationship than upon the other two, though we
have occasional allusions to AntichristƒEUR(TM)s connections with the
Gentiles and the Jewish nation as a whole.
The second Psalm gives us a brief but vivid picture of that which will
wind up the Tribulation period, and while the Antichrist is not
directly named, yet the light which other scriptures throw upon it
reveals the dreadful personality who heads the rebellion there
described. This second Psalm is prophetic in its character and has,
like most (if not all) prophecy, a double fulfillment.
"Why do the heathens rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The
kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel
together, against the Lord, and against His anointed, saying, Let us
break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us" (Ps.
2:1-3). A part of this passage is found quoted in Acts 4, but it is
striking to note where the quotation ceases. Peter and John had been
arraigned before the religious authorities of Israel, because that in
the name of Jesus Christ they had healed an impotent man. The apostles
boldly and faithfully vindicated themselves, and after being
admonished and threatened were allowed to depart to their own company.
Then it was that they "lifted up their voice to God with one accord,
and said, Lord, Thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and
the sea, and all that in them is: Who by the mouth of Thy servant
David hath said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain
things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered
together against the Lord, and against His Christ" (Acts 4:24-26).
Notice they quoted only the first two verses of Psalm 2, and this they
did not say was now "fulfilled." What they did say was, "For of a
truth against Thy holy child Jesus, whom Thou hast anointed, both
Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of
Israel, were gathered together, for to do whatsoever Thy hand and Thy
counsel determined before to be done" (v. 28). In the apprehension of
Christ and in His trials before the Jewish and Gentilish authorities,
this prophecy through David had received a partial fulfillment, but
its final one is yet future. The time when Psalm 2 is to receive its
complete accomplishment is intimated in the middle sectionƒEUR"it is
just prior to the time when Christ returns to the earth as "King," and
receives the heathen for His inheritance and the uttermost parts of
the earth for His possession; in other words, it is just before the
dawn of the Millennium, namely, the end of the Tribulation period. As
we re-read this second Psalm in the light of Revelation 16:14 and
19:19 we find that it depicts the final act in the blatant and defiant
career of the last great Caesar. it is an act of insane desperation.
The Son of Perdition will gather his forces and make a concerted
effort to prevent the Christ of God entering into His earthly
inheritance. This we believe is evident from the terms of the Psalm
itself. The Psalm opens with an interrogation: "Why do the heathen
(the Gentiles) rage (better, "tumultuously assemble"), and the people
(Israel) imagine (meditate) a vain thing?" The fact that this is put
in the form of a question is to arrest more quickly the
readerƒEUR(TM)s attention, and to emphasize the unthinkable impiety of
what follows. "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers
take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His Anointed."
Notice that this rebellion is staged not only against the Lord but
also against His "Anointed," that is, His Christ. The madness of this
effort (headed by Antichrist) is intimated in Psalm 2:4: "He that
sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in
derision." The futility of this movement is seen in Psalm 2:6: "Yet
have I set My King upon My holy hill of Zion." The "yet" here has the
force of "notwithstanding:" it shows the aim and the object which the
insurrectionists had in view, namely, an attempt to prevent Christ
returning to earth to set up His millennial kingdom. The response of
heaven is noted in Psalm 2:5: "Then shall He speak unto them in His
wrath, and vex them in His sore displeasure." This is enlarged upon in
Revelation 19:20,21. Psalm 2, then, brings us to the end of the
AntichristƒEUR(TM)s history and treats only of the closing events in
his awful career. In the other Psalms where he is in view earlier
incidents are noted and his dealings with the Jews are described.
The next Psalm in which the Antichrist appears is the fifth. This
Psalm sets forth the petitions which the faithful Remnant of Israel
will make to God during the Tribulation period. It would carry us
beyond our present bounds to attempt anything like a complete
exposition of this Psalm in the light of its prophetic application. We
shall do little more than generalize.
The Tribulation period is the time when Satan is given the freest
rein, when lawlessness abounds, and when to the unbelieving heart it
would seem that God had vacated His throne. But the eye of faith
recognizes the fact that Jehovah is still ruling amid the armies of
the heavens and among the inhabitants of the earth. Hence the force of
the Divine title in Psalm 5:2ƒEUR"the remnant address Jehovah as "My
King and my God." The most awful wickedness and rebellion is going on
around them, but they are fully assured that God is quite able to cope
with the situation. "The Wicked shall not stand in Thy sight: Thou
hatest all workers of iniquity. Thou shalt destroy them that speak
leasing: the Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man" (vv. 5,6).
The "Bloody and Deceitful Man" is plainly the Man of Sin. He is
denominated "bloody" by virtue of his military ferocity; he is called
"deceitful" because of his political duplicity. One after another of
his opponents will fall before him: through a sea of blood will he
advance to his imperial throne. Utterly unreliable will be his word,
worthless his promises. A manifest incarnation of that one who is the
father of the Lie will he be. Most completely will he deceive the
Jews. A first, posing as their friend; later, standing as their
arch-enemy. All doubt as to the identity of this Bloody and Deceitful
Man" is removed by what is said of his mouth."
From Psalm 5 we turn to Psalm 7 where we find the godly Jewish Remnant
crying unto the Lord against their persecutors, chief of which is the
Antichrist. This is clear from the first two verses, where the change
from the plural to the singular number is very significantƒEUR""O Lord
my God, in Thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that
persecute me, and deliver me: Lest he tear my soul like a lion,
rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver." The Remnant
plead their innocency before God and call down upon themselves the
EnemyƒEUR(TM)s curse if they have acted unjustlyƒEUR""O Lord my God,
If I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands; if I have
requited him that did evil unto me, or spoiled mine adversary unto
emptiness; Let the Enemy pursue my soul, and overtake it" (vv. 4-6,
Jewish translation). This at once serves to identify the individual of
Psalm 7:2 who would tear their souls like a lion" (not like a
bear)ƒEUR"showing his kinship with that awful one who "goeth about as
a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." Observe, too, the word he
"was at peace," but now "without cause is mine enemy." Clearly it is
the Antichrist that is here in view, and, as manifested in the second
half of DanielƒEUR(TM)s seventieth week, when he shall have thrown off
his mask and stood forth revealed in all his dreadfulness. The twelfth
verse goes on to say, "If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath
bent his bow and made it ready." It is this which causes the Remnant
to cry, "O Lord my God, in Thee do I put my trust: save me from all
them that persecute me, and deliver me" (v. 1). The fourteenth verse
unmistakably identifies this end-time Enemy of Israel, and again
stamps him as a worthy son of the father of the LieƒEUR""Behold, he
travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought
forth falsehood." In the sixteenth verse the Remnant express their
assurance of the certain fate of their Foe: "His mischief shall return
upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his
own pate."
The eighth Psalm is closely connected with the seventh. In the last
verse of the seventh we hear the Remnant saying, "I will praise the
Lord according to His righteousness: and will sing praise to the name
of the Lord most high." This anticipates the time when they shall be
delivered from their awful Enemy, and when the glorious Millennium
shall have dawnedƒEUR""The Lord most high" is His distinctive
millennial title. Psalm 8 follows this with a lovely millennial
picture, when Jehovah will be worshipped because His name is then
"excellent in all the earth." Then shall the Remnant say, "Out of the
mouth of babes and sucklings hast Thou ordained strength because of
Thine enemies, that Thou mightiest still the Enemy and the Avenger"
(v. 2). The Enemy and the Avenger, more literally "the Foe and the
Revenger," are two of the many names of the Antichrist.
Much in the ninth Psalm also anticipates millennial conditions and
celebrates the overthrow of the Man of Sin. Sings the Remnant, "For
Thou hast maintained my right and my cause; Thou satest in the throne
judging right. Thou has rebuked the heathen, Thou hast destroyed the
Wicked" (vv. 4,5). That the Wicked, or Lawless One, is the Antichrist,
is clear from the next verse: "The destructions of the Enemy are come
to a perpetual end: and their cities hast Thou destroyed." We hope to
show in a later chapter that "their cities" which God will destroy are
the cities of Antichrist and the False Prophet, namely, Babylon and
Rome. Again; in verses 15,16 of this Psalm we read, "The heathen are
sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is
their own foot taken. The Lord is known by the judgment which He
executeth: the Wicked is snared in the work of his own hands!" This
refers to the destruction of the Antichrist and his forces at
Armageddon.
In the tenth Psalm we have the fullest description of the Antichrist
found in any of the Psalms. This Psalm is divided into four sections:
first, the Cry of the Remnant (Ps. 10:1); second, the Character of the
Antichrist (Ps. 10:2-11); third, the Cry of the Remnant renewed (Ps.
10:12-15); fourth, the Confidence of the Remnant (Ps. 10:16-18). In
its opening verse we discover its dispensational keyƒEUR"the "Times of
Trouble" (cf. Jeremiah 30:7) being the great Tribulation. Observe now
what is here said of the Wicked One. In Psalm 10:2 we read, "The
Wicked in his pride doth persecute (R. V. "hotly pursue") the poor."
The "poor" (referred to in this Psalm seven timesƒEUR"Psalm 10:2, 8,
9, 9, 10, 14, and "humble" in Psalm 10:17 should be
"poor"ƒEUR"emphasizing the completeness of their poverty) are the
faithful Remnant who have refused to receive the mark of the Beast,
and as the result are suffered to neither buy nor sell (see Revelation
13:17). In vv. 3,4 we are told, "For the Wicked (One) boasteth of his
heartƒEUR(TM)s desire, and curseth, yea, abhorreth the Lord (see
Hebrew). The Wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not
seek after God: all his thoughts areƒEUR"no God." This tells of his
frightful impiety and reveals his satanic origin. In Psalm 10:6 his
consuming egotism is depicted: "He hath said in his heart, I shall not
be moved: for I shall never be in adversity." Then follows a
description of his awful wickedness: "His mouth is full of cursing and
deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity. He sitteth
in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he
murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor."
Notice in this last verse the mention of "the secret places." It was
to them our Lord referred in His Olivet Discourse, when He said,
"Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go
not forth: Behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not." This
whole Psalm will well repay the most minute study.
In the opening verse of the fourteenth Psalm we have what we doubt not
is another reference to the Antichrist, here called "The Fool." He is
the arch-fool, who, in his blatant defiance, says in his heartƒEUR""no
God." The mark of identification is found in the marginal reading of
Psalm 10:4: "All his thoughts areƒEUR""no God." Does not this title
point out another contrast between Christ and the Antichrist: One is
"the wonderful Counselor," the other is "the Fool"!
In the seventeenth Psalm, which contains the confession of the
Remnant, (pleading their innocency before God), reference is again
made to the antichrist. "By the word of GodƒEUR(TM)s lips" will the
believing Jews be "kept from the paths of the Destroyer." This is
another of his titles which points a contrast: Christ is the Savior;
Antichrist the Destroyer. That it is the Antichrist who is here in
view is clear from what follows in vv. 12 and 13, where we read, "Like
as a lion that is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion
lurking in secret places. Arise, O Lord, disappoint him, cast him
down: deliver my soul from the Wicked, by Thy sword." The "Wicked" is
here in the singular number. Note again the reference to the "secret
places," about which we shall have something to say, in our exposition
of Matthew 24, vv. 25, and 26 when we treat of the Antichrist in the
Gospels.
We pass over several Psalms which contain incidental allusions to the
Wicked One and turn now to the thirty-sixth. The wording of the first
verse is somewhat ambiguous, and we believe its force comes out better
by rendering it, with the Sept., Syriac and Vulgate, "the
transgression of the Wicked saith within his heart, that there is no
fear of God before his eyes." He defies Jehovah and fears not Elohim.
"For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be
found to be hateful" (v. 2). Haughty conceit fills him, but in the end
he shall reap as he has sown. "The words of his mouth are iniquity and
deceit; he hath left off to be wise, and to do good" (v. 3). This
refers to his treacherous dealings with the Jews, and takes note of
the two great stages in his career; first, when he poses as
IsraelƒEUR(TM)s friend, later when he comes out in his true character
as their enemy. Verse 4 describes his moral character: "he deviseth
mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good;
he abhorreth not evil."
The thirty-seventh Psalm, which in its ultimate application has to do
with the godly Remnant in the Tribulation period, contains a number of
references to the Antichrist. In the seventh verse the Remnant is
exhorted to "rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him" (i.e. for
His personal appearing) and to "fret not because of him who prospereth
in his way, because of the Man who bringeth wicked devices to
pass"ƒEUR"a manifest allusion to the Man of Sin. In the tenth verse
they are assured, "for yet a little while, and the Wicked shall not
be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not
be." In vv. 12 and 13 we read, "the Wicked plotteth against the just,
and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The Lord shall laugh at Him: for
He seeth that his day is coming." This brings out the satanic malice
of Antichrist against the people of God, and also marks the
LordƒEUR(TM)s contempt for him as He beholds the swiftly approaching
doom of this one who has so daringly defied Him. The end of the Wicked
is noticed in Psalm 37:35. "I have seen the Wicked in great power, and
spreading himself like a green bay tree. Yet he passed away, and, lo,
he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found." The whole
of this wondrous Psalm calls for close study. It throws a flood of
light on the experiences of the Remnant amid the awful trials of the
end of the age.
"I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I
will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the Wicked is before me" (Ps.
39:1). This sets forth the resolutions of the Remnant in view of the
troublesome presence of the Wicked One; while in Psalm 39:8 they are
seen praying that they may not be made the reproach of the Foolish
OneƒEUR""Deliver me from all my transgressions: make me not the
reproach of the Foolish."
The forty-third Psalm opens with the plaintive supplications of the
Remnant in view of the contempt and opposition of the Jewish nation as
a whole, at the head of which will be the false Messiah: "Judge me, O
God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from
the deceitful and unjust Man. For Thou art the God of my strength: why
dost Thou cast me off? Why go I mourning because of the oppression of
the Enemy?" The allusion to the deceit and injustice of the man of Sin
views, of course, his breaking of the covenant.
In the forty-fourth Psalm we are given to hear more of the bitter
lamentations of the Remnant, betrayed as they have been by the one who
posed as their benefactor, and scorned as they are by their fellow
Jews: "Thou makest us a byword among the heathen, a shaking of the
head among the people (Israel). My confusion is continually before me,
and the shame of my face covered me, For the voices of him that
reproacheth and blasphemeth; by reason of the Enemy and Avenger."
The fiftieth Psalm is one of deep interest in this connection. It
announces the response of Jehovah to the cries of His faithful people.
It declares that "God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire
shall devour before Him, and it shall be tempestuous round about Him"
(Ps. 50:3). It promises that He will gather His saints together unto
Him (Ps. 50:5). It contains an expostulation with Israel as a whole
(see Psalm 50:7-14). And then, after bidding His people call upon Him
"in the Day of Trouble" and assuring them He will deliver them, God
addresses their Enemy as follows:ƒEUR""But unto the Wicked God saith,
What hast thou to do to declare My statutes, or that thou shouldest
take My covenant in thy mouth? Seeing thou hatest instruction, and
casteth My words behind thee. When thou sawest a thief, then thou
consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers. Thou
givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit. Thou sittest
and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own
motherƒEUR(TM)s son" (Ps. 50:16-22). First, God rebukes the Antichrist
for his hypocrisy, referring to the time when, at the beginning of his
career, he had (like Satan in tempting the Savior) come declaring
GodƒEUR(TM)s statutes and taking the Divine Covenant in his mouth (Ps.
50:16). Second, He charges him with his treachery when, at the midst
of the seventieth week, he had cast GodƒEUR(TM)s words behind him (Ps.
50:17). Third, He exposes his depravity and shows that he is
altogether destitute of any moral sensibility (Ps. 50:18-20). Fourth,
He reminds him of how he had congratulated himself that he should
continue on his vile course with impugnity and escape the due reward
of his wickedness (Ps. 50:21). Finally, He announces the certainty of
retribution and the fearful doom which awaits him (Ps. 50:22).
The fifty-second continues and amplifies what has just been before us
from the closing verses of the fiftieth Psalm. Here again the
Antichrist is indicted by GodƒEUR"no doubt through the Remnant. "Why
boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? The goodness of God
endureth continually. Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp
razor, working deceitfully. Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying
rather than to speak righteousness. Selah. Thou lovest all devouring
words, O thou deceitful tongue. God shall likewise destroy thee
forever, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out
of the land of the living. Selah. The righteous also shall see, and
fear, and shall laugh at him: Lo, this is the man that made not God
his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and
strengthened himself in his wickedness" (Ps. 52:1-7). The pride, the
enmity, the treachery, the moral corruption, and the vaunting of the
incarnate Son of Perdition are all noticed and charged against him.
The certainty of his doom, and his degradation before those he had
persecuted, is graphically depicted.
The prophetic application of the fifty-fifth Psalm first found its
tragic realization in the treachery of Judas against the Lord Jesus,
but its final accomplishment yet awaits a coming day. In it we may see
a pathetic description of the heart-pangs of the Remnant, mourning
over the duplicity of the mock Messiah. Driven out of Jerusalem, they
bewail the awful wickedness now holding high carnival in the holy
city: "Wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart not
from her streets. For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I
could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify
himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: But it was
thou, a man mine equal (i.e. a Jew), my guide, and mine acquaintance"
(Ps. 55:11-13). Thus will the Jews in a coming day be called upon to
endure the bitter experience of betrayal and desertion by one whom
they regarded as their friend. Concerning their Enemy the Remnant
exclaim, "He hath put forth his hand against such as be at peace with
him: he hath broken his covenant. The words of his mouth were smoother
than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil,
yet were they drawn swords" (Ps. 55:20, 21). The reference is to the
seven-year Treaty which the final Caesar makes with Palestine, and
which after three and one half years is treated as a scrap of paper.
But such treachery will not go unpunished. In the end Antichrist and
his abettors will be summarily dealt with by the Judge of all the
earth: "But Thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of
destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their
days" (Ps. 55:23).
Psalm seventy-one contains another of the RemnantƒEUR(TM)s prayers
during the End-time. "Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the
Wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel Man" (Ps. 71:4).
The reference is, again, to the Man of Sin who has acted unjustly, and
whose fiendish delight it will be to persecute the people of God.
In Psalm seventy-two we find expressed the confidence of the Remnant.
They are there seen anticipating that joyful time when GodƒEUR(TM)s
King shall reign in righteousness. With glad assurance they exclaim:
"He shall judge Thy people with righteousness, and Thy poor with
judgments. The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the
little hills Thy righteousness. He shall judge the poor of the people,
He shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the
Oppressor" (Ps. 72:2-4). Mighty as their Enemy appeared in the eyes of
men, and invincible as he was in his own estimation, when GodƒEUR(TM)s
appointed time comes he shall be broken in pieces as easily as the
chaff is removed by the on-blowing wind.
The seventy-fourth Psalm makes reference to the violence of the
Antichrist against the believing Remnant: "They said in their hearts,
Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all the synagogues
of God in the land. We see not our signs: there is no more any profit:
neither is there any among us that knoweth how long. O God, how long
shall the Adversary reproach? Shall the Enemy blaspheme Thy name
forever?" (Ps. 74:8-10). This contemplates the time when the Man of
Sin and his lieutenants will make a desperate effort to cut off Israel
from the earth and abolish everything which bears the name of God.
Note it does not say "all the synagogues" will be burned up, but the
"synagogues of God," that is, where the true and living God is owned
and worshipped.
The eighty-third Psalm carries us to a point a little nearer the end.
Not only will the synagogues of God be all destroyed, but an attempt
will be made to exterminate those who still worship God in secret.
Listen to the tragic pleadings of this Satan-hunted company, "Keep not
Thou silence, O God: hold not Thy peace, and be not still, O God. For,
lo, Thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate Thee have lifted
up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against Thy people, and
consulted against Thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us
cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no
more in remembrance" (Ps. 83:1-4). As to who is responsible for this
the verses following show. In Psalm 83:5 we read, "For they have
consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against
Thee." Then will be realized manƒEUR(TM)s dream of a League of
Nations. It is remarkable that just ten nations are here namedƒEUR"see
Psalm 83:6-8. "Assur" in Psalm 83:8 is "the Assyrian"ƒEUR"the
Antichrist in his king-of-Babylon character. This verse is one of the
few passages in the Psalms which shows the Antichrist in connection
with the Gentiles. Psalm 110:6 also contains a reference to him as
related to the GentilesƒEUR""He hath stricken the Head over many
countries" (R. V.).
The one hundred and fortieth appears to be the last of the Psalms that
takes note of the Antichrist. There we hear once more the piteous
cries of the Remnant to God: "Deliver me, O Lord, from the Evil Man:
preserve me from the Violent Man: Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of
the Wicked; preserve me from the Violent Man; who hath purposed to
overthrow my goings...Grant not, O Lord, the desires of the Wicked:
further not his wicked device" (Ps. 140:1, 4, 8).
Thus we have glanced at no less than twenty Psalms in which allusion
is made to the Antichrist. This by no means exhausts the list; but
sufficient has been noted to show what a prominent place is there
given to this dreadful monster. Let it not be supposed that we are
denying the present value and application of the Psalms to ourselves.
Nothing is more foreign to our desire. We not only firmly believe that
all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is "profitable for
doctrine," but we readily and gladly unite with the saints of all ages
in turning to this precious portion of GodƒEUR(TM)s Word to provide us
with language suited to express to God the varying emotions of our
hearts. But while allowing fully the experimental and doctrinal value
of the Psalter for us today, it needs to be pointed out that many of
the Psalms have a prophetic significance, and will be used by another
company of believers after the Church which is the body of Christ has
been removed from these scenes of sin and suffering. We would urge
those of our readers who are interested in dispensational truth to
re-study these lyrics of David with a view of discovering how much
they reveal of things to come.
_________________________________________________
Contents | Forward | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Conclusion
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A. W. Pink Header
The Antichrist by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 8
The Antichrist in The Prophets
_________________________________________________
The references to the Antichrist in the Prophets are numerous; nor is
this to be wondered at. It is there, more than anywhere else in
Scripture, that we learn of the future of both Israel and the
Gentiles. It is there we have the fullest information concerning
End-time conditions, and the completest description of the varied
parts which the leading characters shall play in those days. It would
carry us beyond the scope designed for these articles were to examine
every passage in the Prophets which makes mention of the Man of Sin
and the numerous roles he will fill. Yet we do not desire to pass by
any of the more important allusions to him. We shall, therefore, make
a selection, and yet such a selection that we trust a complete outline
at least will be supplied. Certain scriptures, notably those which
view the Antichrist in connection with Babylon, will be waived now,
because they will receive separate consideration in a later chapter.
One other introductory remark needs to be made. We are conscious that
this chapter will probably be somewhat unsatisfactory to a few of our
readers, inasmuch as we shall be obliged to take a good deal for
granted. It is manifest that we cannot here attempt to give a complete
analysis of the passages where the different allusions to the
Antichrist occur, nor should this be necessary. We are writing to
Bible students, therefore we shall ask them to turn to the different
places from which we quote and examine the contexts so as to satisfy
themselves that they treat of End-time conditions. While in most
instances the context will show that we are not reading into the
Scriptures what is not there, yet in a few cases they may fail us.
This is sometimes true with passages which contain prophecies
concerning Christ. It is often the case in the prophets that the Holy
Spirit is treating of something near at hand and then, without any
warning, projects the view into the distant future. But just as the
New Testament enables us to determine which Old Testament passages
speak of Christ, so other scriptures help us to identify the person of
the Antichrist in verses where there is but an indefinite and passing
allusion to him.
I. Antichrist in Isaiah.
A brief notice is taken of the Man of Sin in chapter 16. The opening
verses make it clear that conditions in the Tribulation period are
being described. They intimate how that the persecuted Jews flee to
the land of Moab for refuge--"Hide the outcasts; betray not him that
wandereth," makes this clear. These outcasts are definitely identified
in Isaiah 16:4, where Jehovah terms them "Mine outcasts." The same
verse goes on to tell why they were outcasts, outcasts from Palestine:
"Let Mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them
from the face of the Spoiler: for the Extortioner is at an end, the
Spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the land." Here
the destruction of the Antichrist is noted. A further proof that these
verses describe what immediately precedes the Millennium is found in
the next verse, which conducts us to the beginning of the Millennium
itself: "And in mercy shall the throne be established: and He shall
sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking
judgment, and hasting righteousness." Thus, in the light of other
scriptures, there is little room for doubt that the Spoiler and the
Extortioner refer to none other than the Son of Perdition.
In Isaiah 22:25 we have another incidental reference to the
Antichrist. For our comments on this verse we refer the reader to
chapter 4, section 17.
"In that day the Lord with His sore and great and strong sword shall
punish, Leviathan the piercing Serpent, even Leviathan that crooked
Serpent; and He shall slay the Dragon that is in the sea" (Isa. 27:1).
This chapter is by no means easy to analyze: its structure seems
complex. That its contents point to a yet future date is intimated by
its opening words--compare other verses in Isaiah where "in that day"
occur. As one reads the chapter through it will be found that there is
a peculiar alternation between references to the Tribulation period
and conditions in the Millennium. The closing verse clearly refers to
the end of the Tribulation period. So, also, does the first verse with
which we are now chiefly concerned. Leviathan, the piercing Serpent,
is, we believe, one of the names of the Antichrist, compare chapter 3,
section II, 2. A comparison with a passage in Job confirms this
conclusion. It is generally agreed that "leviathan" in Job 41 refers
to the crocodile, yet the commentators do not appear to have seen in
it anything more than a description of that creature. But surely a
whole chapter of Scripture would scarcely be devoted to describing a
reptile! Personally, we are satisfied that under the figure of that
treacherous and cruel monster we have a remarkable silhouette of the
Prince of darkness. Note the following striking points:
In verses 1 and 2 (of Job 41) the strength of Leviathan is referred
to. In Job 41:3 the question is asked "will he speak soft words unto
thee?:" this is meaningless if only a crocodile is in view; but it is
very pertinent if we have here a symbolic description of Antichrist.
In Job 41:4 the question is put, "Will he make a covenant with Thee?:"
this, too, is pointless if nothing but a reptile is the subject of the
passage; but if it looks to some Monster more dreadful, it serves to
identify. "None is so fierce that dare stir him up" (Job 41:10): how
closely this corresponds with Revelation 13:4--"Who is able to make
war with the Beast?" "His teeth are terrible round about" (Job 41:14):
how aptly this pictures the fierceness and cruelty of the Antichrist!
"His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the
nether millstone" (v. 24): how accurately this portrays the moral
depravity of the Antichrist! "When he raiseth up himself the mighty
are afraid . . . the sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold . . .
the arrow cannot make him flee" (vv.25, 26, 28): how these words
suggest the invincibility of Antichrist so far as human power is
concerned. "Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without
fear. He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children
of pride" (vv.33, 34). Surely these last verses remove all doubt as to
who is really before us here! The whole of Job 41 should be studied
carefully, for we are assured that it contains a remarkable but veiled
amplification of Isaiah 27:1.
In Isaiah 33 there is another reference to the Antichrist. This
chapter, like so many in Isaiah, passes from a notice of Tribulation
conditions to the Millennial state and back again. The opening verse
reads, "Woe to thee that spoileth, and thou wast not spoiled; and
dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee!
When thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou
shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously
with thee." This is evidently a judgment pronounced upon the head of
the false messiah. Two things serve to identify him: he is the great
Spoiler, and the one who shall deal treacherously with Israel. It is
in view of the perfidy and rapacity of their Enemy that the godly
remnant cry, "O Lord, be gracious unto us; we have waited for Thee: be
Thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of
trouble" (Isa. 33:2). A further word concerning the Antichrist is
found in Isaiah 33:8: "The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man
ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he
regardeth no man." The last three statements in this verse make it
certain who is there in view. It is the Antichrist displayed in his
true colors; the one who breaks his covenant with Israel, sacks their
cities, and defies all human government to resist him.
A brief notice must be taken of Isaiah 57:9 ere we turn from Isaiah.
In this chapter we find God arraigning Israel for their horrid
idolatries and wickedness. The opening verse again makes it clear that
it is the Tribulation period which is in view: "The righteous
perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart," etc. Following this we have
the various indictments which God makes against the unfaithful
Jews--"But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the
adulterer and the whore" (Isa. 57:3, etc.). The remainder of the
chapter continues in the same strain. Among the many charges which God
brings against Israel is this: "And thou wentest to the King with
ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy
messengers far off, and didst debase thyself even unto hell" (v. 9).
It is evident that as this chapter is describing the sins of Israel
committed in the End-time that "the King" here must be the false
messiah. Incidentally this verse furnishes one of the many proofs that
the Antichrist will be king over the Jews.
II. Antichrist in Jeremiah.
In the 4th chapter of this prophet there is a vivid description of the
fearful afflictions which shall come upon the inhabitants of
Palestine. Doubtless, what is there said received a tragic fulfillment
in the past. But like most, if not all prophecy, this one will receive
a later and final accomplishment. There are several statements found
in it which indicate that it treats of the End-time. The plainest of
these is found in the closing verse, where we read, "For I have heard
a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her which
bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion." It
is the "birth-pangs" of Matthew 24:8 (see Greek) which is in view. The
sore trials which Israel shall then undergo are tragically depicted:
"Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say,
Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the defensed cities. Set up
the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from
the north, and a great destruction. The Lion is come up from his
thicket, and the Destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone
forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall
be laid waste, without an inhabitant" (vv. 5-7). The Destroyer of the
Gentiles now turns to vent his fiendish malignity upon the holy land.
Destruction is in his heart. Terrible shall be his onslaught: "Behold,
he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind:
his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled"
(v. 13). Fearful will be the devastations his fury shall accomplish:
The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen:
They shall go into thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city
shall be forsaken, and not a man dwell therein" (v. 29).
In Jeremiah 6,27 there is a remarkable statement made concerning the
Antichrist: "O daughter of My people, gird thee with sackcloth, and
wallow thyself in ashes: make thee mourning, as for an only son, most
bitter lamentation: for the Spoiler (Destroyer, as in Jeremiah ) shall
suddenly come upon us." This Spoiler is the Destroyer of the Gentiles.
But it is what follows in the next verse which is so striking: "I have
set thee for a tower and a fortress among My people, that thou mayest
know and try their way." Here we learn that, after all, the Antichrist
is but a tool in the hands of Jehovah. It is He who sets him in the
midst of Israel to "try" them. A parallel statement is found in Isaiah
10:5,6, where the Lord says of the Assyrian "I will send him against a
hypocritical nation." It reminds us very much of what we read
concerning Pharaoh in Romans 9:17. He was "raised up" by God to
accomplish His purpose. Even so shall it be with this one whom Pharaoh
foreshadowed. He shall be an instrument in God's hand to chastise
recreant Israel.
Chapter 15 contains brief allusions to the Antichrist. In v.8 we have
a statement similar to what was before us in the last passage.
Speaking to Israel God says, "I have brought upon them against the
mother of the young men a Spoiler at noonday: I have caused him to
fall upon it suddenly, and terrors upon the city." It is the Lord,
then, (behind Satan) who brings this Spoiler against them. After His
purpose has been accomplished, after the Antichrist has done what
(unknown to himself) God had appointed, we read how that the Lord
assures His people, "I will deliver thee out of the hand of the
Wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the Terrible" (v.
21). Thus will God demonstrate His supremacy over the Son of
Perdition.
Jeremiah 25:38 takes us back a little and notices the awful desolation
which the Antichrist brings upon the land of Israel: "He hath forsaken
his covert, as the lion: for their land is desolate because of the
fierceness of the Oppressor, and because of his fierce anger."
III. Antichrist in Ezekiel.
We shall notice here but two passages in this prophet. First, in
Ezekiel 21:25-27--"and thou, profane wicked Prince of Israel, whose
day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, Thus saith the Lord God;
Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same:
exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn,
overturn, overturn it; and it shall be no more, until He come whose
right it is; and I will give it Him."
So far as we are aware, all pre-millennial students regard this
passage as a description of the Antichrist. It pictures him as Satan's
parody of the Son of Man seated upon "the throne of His glory." It
sets him forth as the priest-king. Just as in the Millennium the Lord
Jesus will "be a Priest upon His throne" (Zech. 6:13), so will the
Antichrist combine in his person the headships of both the civil and
religious realms. He will be what the popes have long aspired to
be--head of the World-State, and head of the World-Church.
"And thou, O deadly wounded Wicked One, the Prince of Israel, whose
day is come, in the time of the iniquity of the end; thus saith the
Lord: remove the mitre, and take off the crown" (R. V.). This is
clearly Israel's last king, ere the King of kings and Lord of lords
returns to the earth. He is here termed "the Prince of Israel" as the
true Christ is denominated "Messiah the Prince" in Daniel 9:25. The
description "O deadly wounded Wicked One" looks forward to Revelation
13:12, where we read, "The first Beast whose deadly wound was healed"!
"Remove the mitre and take off the crown" point to his assumption of
both priestly and kingly honors. The Hebrews word for "mitre" here is
in every other passage used of the head-dress of Israel's high priest!
Finally, the statement that his "day is come...in the time of iniquity
of the end" establishes, beyond a doubt, the identity of this person.
In the opening verses of Ezekiel 28 we have a striking view of the Man
of Sin under the title of "the Prince of Tyre," just as what is said
of "the King of Tyre" in the second half of the chapter is an esoteric
allusion to Satan. First, we are told his "heart is lifted up" (Ezek.
28:2), which is precisely what is said to his father, the Devil, in
Ezekiel 28:17. Second, he makes the boast "I am God" and "I sit in the
seat of God" (Ezek. 28:2), which is parallel with 2 Thessalonians 2:4.
Third, it is here said of him, "Behold, thou art wiser than Daniel;
there is no secret that they can hide from thee" (Ezek. 28:3), which
intimates he will be endowed with superhuman wisdom by that one of
whom this same chapter declares, "Thou sealest up the sum, full of
wisdom" (Ezek. 28:12). Fourth, it is said of him, "By thy wisdom and
by thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten
gold and silver into thy treasures" (Ezek. 28:4). Thus will he be able
to dazzle the worshippers of Mammon by his Croseus-like wealth, and
out-do Solomon in the glory of his kingdom. Finally, his death by the
sword is here noted, see Ezekiel 28:7, 8.
IV. Antichrist in Daniel.
It is here that we find the fullest description of the Man of Sin.
First, he is looked at under the figure of "the little horn." As there
has been some dispute whether this expression really applies to him,
we propose to examine the more carefully what is here said of "the
little horn." Personally, we have long been convinced that this
expression refers to none other than the Antichrist. There are a
number of plain marks which make it comparatively easy to recognize
his person, whenever Scripture brings him before us. For example: his
insolent and blasphemous pride; his exalting himself against and above
God; his impious and cruel warfare against the people of God; his
sudden, terrible, and supernatural end. Let us compare these features
with what is said of "the little horn" in Daniel 7 and 8.
We turn first to Daniel 7. In vv.7 and 8 we read, "After this I saw in
the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible,
and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and
brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it
was diverse from all the beasts which were before it; and it had ten
horns. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them
another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns
plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the
eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things." This refers to the
rise of "the little horn" within the bounds of the Roman Empire, for
that is what is represented by the "fourth beast." The first thing
said of the little horn is that he has eyes like the eyes of man,
which speak of intelligence, and a mouth speaking great things--the
Hebrews word signifies "very great," and the reference is, no doubt,
to his lofty pretensions and his daring blasphemies.
In Daniel 7:21 it is further said of him that he "made war with the
saints, and prevailed against them." This contemplates his persecution
of the godly Jews, and agrees perfectly with Revelation 13:7; "And it
was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them."
In Daniel 7:25 we are told, "He shall speak great words against the
Most High." Surely this serves to identify this "little horn" as the
first beast of Revelation 13: "And there was given unto him a mouth
speaking great things and blasphemies" (Rev. 13:5). If further proof
be needed, it is supplied by the remainder of verse 25: "And shall
wear out the saints of the Most High...and they shall be given into
his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time." A "time"
equals a year (see Daniel 4:23 and Revelation 12:14, and cf. 12:6), so
that a "time and times and the dividing of time" would be three and
one-half years during which the saints are given into his hand. This
corresponds exactly with Revelation 13:5, where of the first Beast,
the Antichrist, it is said, "And power was given unto him to continue
forty and two months"--in a later chapter we shall give a number of
proofs to show that the first Beast of Revelation 13 is the
Antichrist.
In Daniel 8 the Little Horn is before us again, and that it is the
same dread personage as in chapter 7 appears from what is predicted of
him. First, he is referred to as "a king of fierce countance" (Dan.
8:23), which agrees with "whose look was more stout than his fellows"
(Dan. 7:20). Second, it is said of him that he "waxed exceeding great
(first) towards the south, and (second) towards the east, and (third)
toward the pleasant land" (Dan. 8:9), which agrees with "there came up
among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the
first horns plucked up" (Dan. 7:8). Third, it is said that he "shall
destroy the mighty and the holy people" (Dan. 8:24), which agrees with
"and the same horn made war with the saints and prevailed against
them" (Dan. 7:21). There should, then, be no doubt whatever that the
"little horn" of Daniel 7 and the "little horn" of Daniel 8 refer to
one and the same person. Their moral features coincide: both, from an
insignificant beginning, become great in the end: both persecute the
people of God: both are stricken down by direct interposition of God.
We may add that Messrs. B. W. Newton, James Inglis, G. H. Pember, Sir
Robert Anderson, Drs. Tregilles, J. H. Brookes, Haldeman, and a host
of other devout scholars and students, take the same view, namely,
that the "little horn" of Daniel 7 and 8 and the Man of Sin is one and
the same person.
Let us now consider briefly what is revealed concerning the Antichrist
under this title of his, the "little horn." We confine ourselves to
Daniel 8:23-25. First, he is "a king of fierce countenance." This we
believe is a literal description of his facial expression, though we
are satisfied that it also has a moral significance. In Deuteronomy
28:50 we read of "a nation of fierce countenance, which shall not
regard the person of the old nor show favor to the young." In the
light of this scripture it seems clear that when the Antichrist is
denominated the "King of fierce countenance" the reference is not only
to his actual features, but that it also intimates he will be
empowered to face the most perplexing and frightful dangers and the
most appalling scenes of horror without flinching or blanching. It is
significant that the reference in Deuteronomy 28:50 is to the Romans,
while what is said of the Antichrist in Daniel 8:23 relates,
specially, to his connections with Greece. The two dominant
characteristics of these Powers will be combined in the Man of Sin.
There will be concentrated in him the irresistible will of the Romans
and the brilliant intellect of the Greeks.
Second, we are told that he shall be able to "understand dark
sentences." The Hebrews noun for "dark sentences" is used of Samson's
riddle (Judg. 14:12, of the Queen of Sheba's hard questions (1 Kings
10:1), and of the dark sayings of the wise (Prov. 1:6), which are too
profound to be understood by the simple. This characteristic of the
King of fierce countance, that he shall be able to "understand dark
sentences," suggests an attempted rivalry of Christ as the Revealer of
secret things. This is one of the fascinations by which the Antichrist
will dazzle humanity. He will present himself as one in whom are
hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge. He will bewitch the world by
his solutions of the enigmas of life, and most probably by his
revelation of occult powers implanted in men hitherto unsuspected by
most, and of forces and secrets of nature previously undiscovered.
Third, it is said "And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own
power" (Dan. 8:24). This is explained in Revelation 13:2, where we are
told, "And the Dragon gave him his power, and his throne, and great
authority." Just as we read of the Lord Jesus, "The Father that
dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works" (John 14:10), so shall the Son of
Perdition perform his prodigies by power from his father, the Devil.
This is exactly what 2 Thessalonians 2:9 declares, "Whose coming is
after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying
wonders." Thus will men be deceived by the miracles he performs.
Fourth, he will "destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practice,
and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people" (Dan. 8:24). This
has received enlargement in the previous chapter, where we have given
several illustrations from the Psalms of the Antichrist persecuting
Israel.
Fifth, "And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in
his hand" (Dan. 8:25). The Hebrews word for "policy" denotes wisdom
and understanding. It was the word used by David to Solomon, when he
said, "Only the Lord give thee wisdom" (1 Chron. 22:12), as it is also
employed by Huram when writing to Solomon: "Blessed be the Lord God of
Israel, that made heaven and earth, who hath given to David the king a
wise son, endued with prudence" (2 Chron. 2:12). The Hebrews word for
"craft"--"He shall cause craft to prosper"--is the one employed by
Isaac when speaking to Esau concerning Jacob: "Thy brother came with
subtilty" (Gen. 27:35). It has in view the chicanery and treacherous
methods the Antichrist will employ. "By peace shall destroy many" (v.
25) refers to the fact that he will pose as the Prince of peace, and
after gaining men's confidence--particularly that of the Jews--will
take advantage of this to spring his bloody schemes upon them.
Sixth, it is said "He shall also stand up against the Prince of
princes" (Dan. 8:25). This unmistakably identifies him with the Beast
of Revelation 19:19, where we are told, "And I saw the Beast, and the
kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war
against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army."
Seventh, "But he shall be broken without hand" (Dan. 8:25). This
expression means that he shall come to his doom without human
intervention or instrumentality--see Daniel 2:45; 2 Corinthians 5:1,
etc. That the King of fierce countenance shall be broken without hand
refers to his destruction by the Lord Himself--"And He shall smite the
earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall
He slay the Wicked" (Isa. 11:4).
We turn now to Daniel 9:26,27. This forms a part of the celebrated
prophecy of the seventy "weeks" or hebdomads. We cannot now attempt an
exposition of the whole prophecy: sufficient to point out its
principal divisions and examine that part of it which bears on our
present theme.
The prophecy begins with Daniel 9:24 and concerns the seventy
hebdomads, a word signifying "sevens." Each "hebdomad" equals seven
years, so that a period of 490 years in all is here comprehended.
These seventy "sevens" are divided into three portions: First, seven
"sevens" which concerned the re-building of Jerusalem, following the
Babylonian captivity. Second, sixty-two "sevens" unto "Messiah the
Prince," that is, unto the time when He formally presented Himself to
Israel as their King: this receiving its fulfillment in the so-called
"Triumphal Entrance into Jerusalem." Third, the last "seven" which is
severed from the others. It should be carefully noted that we are
expressly told that "after threescore and two weeks (which added to
the preceding seven would make sixty-nine in all up to this point)
shall Messiah be cut off." The reference is to the Cross when Christ
was cut off from Israel and from the land of the living. This occurred
after the sixty-ninth week before the seventieth began.
The sixty-ninth terminated with the formal presentation of Christ to
Israel as their "Prince." This is described by Matthew (the
distinctively Jewish Gospel) in chapter 21. The rejection of their
Prince caused the break between Christ and Israel. It is very striking
to note that (following the rejection) Matthew records three distinct
proofs or evidences of this break. The first is found in Matthew 21:19
in the cursing of the "fig tree," which signified the rejection of the
Nation. The second was His sorrowful announcement from the brow of
Olivet that the time of Israel's visitation was past and her overthrow
now certain (Matthew 23:37 and cf. Luke 19:41-44). This was the
abandonment of the City. The third was His solemn pronouncement
concerning the Temple: "Behold your House is left unto you desolate.
For I say unto you, Ye shall not see Me henceforth, till ye shall say,
Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord" (Matthew 23:38,
39). This was the giving up of the Sanctuary.
The entire Christian dispensation (which began with the crucifixion of
Christ) is passed by unnoticed in this prophecy of the seventy weeks."
It comes in, parenthetically, between the sixty-ninth and the
seventieth. What follows in Daniel 9:26, 27 concerns what will happen
after the Christian dispensation is ended when God again takes up
Israel and accomplishes His purpose concerning them. This purpose will
be accomplished by means of sore judgment which will be God's answer
to Israel's rejection of His Son. But let us examine more closely the
form this judgment will take.
The judgment of God upon the people who were primarily responsible for
the cutting off of their Messiah was to issue in the destruction of
their city and sanctuary (Dan. 9:26). This destruction was to be
brought about by the people of a Prince who should subsequently
appear, and be himself destroyed. The Prince here is the Antichrist,
but the Antichrist connected with and at the head of the Roman Empire
in its final form. Now we know that it in A. D. 70, but that "the
Prince" here does not refer to the one who then headed the Roman
armies is clear from the fact that Daniel 9:27 informs us this Prince
is to play his part in the yet future seventieth week--further proof
is furnished in that Daniel 9:26 carries us to the end (i.e. of
Israel's desolations) which is to be marked by a "flood," and Isaiah
28:14, 15 intimates that this is to be after Israel's covenant with
Antichrist: "Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men,
that rule this people which was in Jerusalem. Because ye have said, We
have made a covenant with Death, and with Hell are we at agreement;
when the overflowing scourge shall pass through it, it shall not come
unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we
hid ourselves." To this God replies, "Your covenant with Death shall
be disannulled, and your agreement with Hell shall not stand; when the
overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down
by it" (v. 18). The "overflowing scourge" is, literally, "the scourge
coming in like a flood."
A few words remain to be said on Daniel 9:27: "And he shall confirm
the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he
shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the
overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until
the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the
desolate." The subject of this verse is the Antichrist, "the Prince
that shall come" of the previous verse. By the time he appears on the
scene large numbers of Jews will have been carried back to their land
(cf. Isaiah 18). With them the Prince makes a covenant, as of old
Jehovah made one with Abraham, and as Christ will yet do with Israel,
see Jeremiah 31. This will be regarded by God with indignation, as a
covenant with Death, and an agreement with Sheol. But while this
covenant is accepted by the majority of the Jews, God will again
reserve to Himself a remnant who will refuse to bow the knee to Baal:
hence the qualification, "He shall confirm the covenant with many,"
not all.
"In the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the
oblation to cease." The returned Jews will rebuild their temple and
there offer sacrifices. But these, so far from being acceptable to
God, will be an offense. There seems a clear reference to this in the
opening verses of Isaiah 66, which describe conditions just before the
Lord's appearing (see Isaiah 66:15). And here the Lord says, "He that
killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as
if he cut off a dog's neck," etc. (v. 3). But three and a half years
before the end, the Prince will issue a decree demanding that the
sacrifices must cease, and the worship of Jehovah be transferred to
himself, for it is at this point he shall "exalt himself above all
that is called God, or that is worshipped" (2 Thess. 2:4). The fact
that we are here told that he causes the sacrifices and the oblation
to cease, at once identifies this Prince of the Romans as the
Antichrist--cf. 8:11. The remaining portion of Daniel 9:27 will be
considered when we come to Matthew 24:15.
We turn now to Daniel 11, which is undoubtedly the most difficult
chapter in the book. It contains a prophecy which is remarkable for
its fullness of details. Much of it has already received a most
striking fulfillment, but like other prophecies, we are fully
satisfied that this one yet awaits its final accomplishment. That
Daniel 11 treats of the Antichrist all pre-millennial students are
agreed, but as to how much of it refers to him there is considerable
difference of opinion. A small minority, from whom we must dissent,
confine the first thirty-five verses to the past. Others make the
division in the middle of the chapter and regard all from Daniel 11:21
onwards as a description of the Man of Sin, and with them the writer
is in hearty accord. A few consider the entire chapter, after Daniel
11:2, as containing a prediction of the Antichrist under the title of
"The King of the North," and while we are not prepared to unreservedly
endorse this, yet it is fully allowed that there is not a little to be
said in its favor.
We shall here confine ourselves to the second half of Daniel 11. Our
present limits of space, however, will permit of nothing more than
brief notes upon it. Commencing at Daniel 11:31 we read, "And in his
estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the
honor of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the
kingdom by flatteries." The history of this "vile person" is here
divided into three parts: first, the means by which he obtains the
kingdom: Daniel 11:21,22; second, the interval which elapses between
the time when he makes a covenant with Israel, the taking away of the
daily sacrifice and the setting up of the abomination of desolation:
Daniel 11:23-31; third, the brief season when he comes out in his true
colors and enters upon his career of open defiance of God, reaching on
to his destruction: Daniel 11:32-45. Thus from Daniel 11:21 to the end
of the chapter we have a continuous history of the Antichrist.
"In his estate shall stand up a vile person . . . he shall come in
peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries." This epithet "the
vile person" is a manifest antitheses from "the Holy One of God." This
twenty-first verse takes notice of the Man of Sin posing as the Prince
of peace. He shall achieve what his antitype, Absalom, tried but
failed to do--"Obtain the kingdom by flatteries."
"And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him,
and shall be broken; yea, also the Prince of the Covenant" (Dan.
11:22). This Vile Person is denominated "the Prince of the Covenant,"
which, at once, identifies him with the Prince of 9:26, 27. Then we
are told in Daniel 11:23 "And after the league made with him he shall
work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a
small people." This "league" or "covenant" is doubtless the
seven-years-treaty confirmed with Israel, which is made at an early
point in the Antichrist's career, and which corresponds with the fact
that at the first he appears as a "little horn," the "small people"
being the Syrians--cf. our remarks on Daniel 8:8, 9 in chapter six.
Daniel 11:25 and 26 describe his victory over the king of Egypt. Then,
in Daniel 11:28 we read, "Then shall he return into his land with
great riches." His land is Assyria. The mention of great riches
corresponds with what we are told of the Antichrist in Psalm 52:7;
Ezekiel 28:4, etc.
"And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the
sanctuary of strength and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and
they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate." This is clear
evidence that these verses are treating of that which takes place
during the seventieth week. The mention of polluting the Sanctuary is
an unmistakable reference to "the abomination of desolation," i.e. the
setting up of an idol to the Antichrist in the Temple. Note the
repeated use of the plural pronoun in this verse; the "they" refer to
the Antichrist and the False Prophet, cf. Revelation 13. It is
significant that in the next verse (Dan. 11:32) there is an allusion
made to the faithful remnant--"The people that do know their God."
"And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt
himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak
marvelous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the
indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be
done" (Dan. 11:36). That "the King" here is the "Vile Person" is not
only indicated by the absence of any break in the prophecy, as also by
the connecting "and" with which the verse opens, but is definitely
established by the fact that in Daniel 11:27 (note context) the Vile
Person is expressly termed a "king"! The contents of this thirty-sixth
verse clearly connects "the king" with the Man of Sin of 2
Thessalonians 2:3,4, and also as definitely identifies him with the
"little horn"--cf. Daniel 7:23 and 8:25. The remaining verses of
Daniel 11 have been before us in previous chapters and need not detain
us now.
V. Antichrist in the Minor Prophets.
Here a wide field of study is opened, but we must content ourselves
with but a few selections and brief comments on them. Hosea makes
several references to the Man of Sin. In Hosea 8:10 he is termed "the
King of princes', as such he is Satan's imitation of the King of
kings. In Hosea 10:15 he is named "the King of Israel," which shows
his connection with the Jews. In Hosea 12:7 he is called a "Merchant"
or Trafficker, and of him it is said, "The balances of deceit are in
his hands: he loveth to oppress," with this should be compared
Revelation 6:5. These words denote his twofold character in connection
with the Jews: first he makes them believe he is the true Christ;
second, he ultimately stands forth as their great Enemy.
Joel alludes to him as the head of the "northern army," i.e. the
Assyrian. And here God declares that He will "drive him into a land
barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea; and his stink
shall come up, and his ill savor shall come up, because he has
magnified to do great things" (Joel 2:20).
Amos speaks of him as "an Adversary" which shall be "even round about
the land; and he shall bring down thy strength from thee, and thy
palaces shall be spoiled" (Amos 3:11). That this is referring to the
End-time is clear from the verses that follow, where we read, "That in
the day that I shall visit the transgressions of Israel upon him,"
etc. (Amos 3:14).
Micah terms him "the Assyrian," and of him it is said, when he "shall
come into our land, and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall
we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men...thus
shall he deliver us from the Assyrian" (Mic. 5:5, 6).
Nahum has this to say of him: "There is one come out of thee, that
imagineth evil against the Lord, a wicked counselor. Thus saith the
Lord; Though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be
cut down, when he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I
will afflict thee no more...for the Wicked shall no more pass through
thee" (Nah. 1:11,12,15). These verses contain another of the many
antitheses between Christ and the Antichrist. The One is the Wonderful
Counselor" (Isa. 9:6); the other, the "Wicked Counselor."
Habakkuk describes him as one whose "soul is lifted up" and "is not
upright in him," and as one who "transgresseth by wine," as "a proud
man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is
as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations,
and heapeth unto him all people" (Hab. 2:4,5).
Zechariah denominates him "the Idol Shepherd that leaveth the flock,"
and then pronounces judgment upon him--"The sword shall be upon his
arm, and upon his right eye" (Zech. 11:17).
_________________________________________________
Contents | Forward | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Conclusion
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The Antichrist by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 9
The Antichrist In The Gospels And Epistles
_________________________________________________
The Old and New Testaments have many things in common--far more than
some teachers of "dispensational" truth seem to be aware of--but there
are also some noticeable contrasts between them. Speaking generally,
the one is principally prophetic; the other mainly didactic. There is
far more said in the former about the future of Israel than there is
in the latter. Much more space in the Old Testament than in the New is
devoted to describing the conditions which shall obtain in the
Tribulation period. And far more was revealed through the prophets
about the Antichrist than was made known through the apostles. It is
in full keeping with this that we find there is one book in the New
Testament which is a noticeable exception, and that is the one which
is peculiarly prophetic in its character and contents, namely, the
Revelation. There, perhaps, more is told us concerning the person and
career of the Man of Sin than in all the rest of the New Testament put
together.
The passages which refer directly to the Antichrist in the four
Gospels are few in number; but in addition to these there are several
indirect references to him, and these call for a more careful
examination because of their apparent obscurity. The writer believes
there may be other passages in the Gospels treating of the Man of Sin
in his varied relations, and which contain an esoteric view of him,
but which the Holy Spirit has not yet been pleased to reveal unto
students of prophecy. Let not the reader then regard this chapter as
in any-wise a complete or exhaustive treatment of the subject, rather
let its brief hints bestir him to make prayerful and patient
examination for himself.
The Antichrist receives an even more scant notice in the Epistles than
he does in the four Gospels. So far as we have been able to discover
he is alluded to only in 2 Thessalonians 2 and in John's Epistles. The
reason for this is not difficult to discover. The Epistles concern
those who are members of the Body of Christ, and by the time the
Antichrist appears upon the stage of human history, they shall be far
above these scenes--with their blessed Lord in the Father's House.
Nevertheless, "all Scripture" is profitable for our instruction and
necessary for our enlightenment. God has been pleased to reveal much
concerning those things which must shortly come to pass, and it may be
that they who now ignore or neglect the study of the prophetical
portions of Scripture will be overtaken by surprise when, in a coming
day, they shall behold with wonder the fulfillment of prophecy; and
possibly this surprise (due to culpable ignorance) is included in what
the apostle refers to when he speaks of not being "ashamed before Him
at His coming" (1 John 2:28). Certainly it is our duty as well as
privilege to examine diligently all that God has been pleased to make
known in His Word.
1. Passing by the typical teaching of Matthew 2, which will come
before us in a later chapter, we turn first to Matthew 12 which is one
of the most important chapters in that book, supplying as it does one
of the principal keys to its dispensational interpretation. In it is
recorded the first great break between the Jews and Christ, which
eventually terminated in their crucifying Him. In Matthew 12:14 we
read, "Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against Him,
how they might destroy Him." This is the first time we read of
anything like this in Matthew's Gospel. Following this we read, "Then
was brought unto Him one possessed with a demon, blind, and dumb; and
He healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw"
(Matthew 12:22). Up to that time this was by far the most remarkable
miracle our Lord had performed. Its effect upon those who witnessed it
was general and deep--"And all the people were amazed, and said, Is
not this the Son of David?" (Matthew 12:23). It must be the
long-promised Messiah who now stood in their midst. But the Pharisees
were blinded by their hatred of Him, and committed the sin for which
there is no forgiveness: "This fellow doth not cast out demons, but by
Beelzebub the prince of the demons" (Matthew 12:24). Then, following
His reply to their awful blasphemy and terming them "a generation of
vipers" (Matthew 12:34), our Lord uttered a prophetic parable which
bears directly on our present theme:
"When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry
places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return
into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth
it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself
seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and
dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.
Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation" (Matthew
12:43-45). The first thing to note concerning this mysterious and
remarkable passage is its setting. This, as we have sought to indicate
above, has to do with Christ's solemn pronouncement on those who had
determined to destroy Him, and who were guilty of the unpardonable
sin. In it He declares the judgment which God shall yet send upon
apostate Israel.
Our next concern is to ascertain the meaning of this parabolic
utterance. The central figure is "The unclean spirit." This unclean
spirit is viewed here in three connections: first, as indwelling a
man; second, as going out of the man; third, as returning to the man
and indwelling him again. In Matthew 12:44 the man is termed by the
unclean spirit "my house." This man unquestionably represents Israel,
for at the close of the parable Christ says, "Even so shall it be also
unto this wicked generation." Who, then, is referred to by "the
unclean spirit"? We believe that it is the Son of Perdition. The
following reasons lead us to this conclusion: First, mark attentively
the use of the definite article: it is not simply an unclean spirit,
but the unclean spirit. Second, note his threefold relation to Israel.
At the time the Savior uttered these words the Son of Perdition was
then present in Israel's midst. But a little later he was no longer
so. When he hanged himself he passed out of these scenes into the next
world; as Acts 1:25 compared with Revelation 11:7 tells us, into the
Pit. His present state in the Abyss is graphically and solemnly
depicted--"He walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth
none" (Matthew 12:43). Then, he says, "I will return into my house
from whence I came out." This, we are satisfied, refers to the
reincarnation of the Son of Perdition, when he appears on earth for
the last time as the Man of Sin. Then, in a special sense, will Israel
be his "house." A third reason why we believe "The Unclean Spirit" is
the Son of Perdition is furnished by Zechariah 13:2--And it shall come
to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will cut off the
names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be
remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit
to pass out of the land." Clearly this verse speaks of the End-time.
What follows is very striking. Zechariah 13:3 and 4 concern the
prophets who shall prophesy falsely. But in Zechariah 13:5 there is a
noticeable change from the plural to the singular number: "But he
shall say, I am no prophet," etc. The only antecedent to this pronoun
is "The Unclean Spirit" of Zechariah 13:2, which here in Zechariah
13:5 is shown to be no mere abstraction but a definite person. And
then in Zechariah 13:6 the question is asked, "What are these wounds
in thine hands?" We believe this intimates that God will even permit
the Man of Sin to imitate the Savior to the extent that he will appear
with wounds in his hands: thus will he be the better able to pose as
the true Christ.
When the Son of Perdition returns to Israel, he finds his house
"empty, swept, and garnished." This depicts the moral and spiritual
state of the Jews at the time the Antichrist is manifested. Though
clean from the horrible idolatries which defiled them of old, and
though adorned with all that temporal prosperity will bring them,
Israel, nevertheless, will be devoid of the Shekinah-glory, and have
no Holy Spirit indwelling them. Next, we are told, "Then goeth he, and
taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and
they enter in and dwell there." We believe that this has a double
meaning. One plus seven equals eight and in Scripture eight signifies
a new beginning. This is in keeping with the re-incarnation of the Son
of Perdition. But we think there is also a reference here to Satan's
blasphemous imitation of what we are told in Revelation 5:6, where we
read of the Lamb having seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of
God." Just as the Christ of God will come back to earth endued with
the Spirit of God in the sevenfold plentitude of His power, so will
the Antichrist present himself to Israel in the sevenfold fullness of
satanic power and uncleanness. Then, indeed, shall Israel's last state
be worse than their first--i.e. when they rejected Christ in the days
of Judas.
2. We turn now to Matthew 24, which contains a lengthy forecast
concerning the end of this Age. Here we find our Lord describing the
conditions which shall obtain during the Tribulation period. Christ
announces with considerable detail those things which are to precede
His own return to the earth. The whole chapter sets forth the Master's
answers to three questions asked by His disciples, namely, as to when
the Temple was to be destroyed, what was to be the sign of His coming,
and of the end of the Age (see v.3). A similar, but by no means
identical prophecy, is to be found in Luke 21. The main difference
between them being that Luke 21 treats of conditions which obtained
prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in A. D. 70--it is not until
Luke 21:25 that the Tribulation period is reached; whereas the whole
of Matthew 24 is yet future.
It is striking to note that our Lord begins His prophecy by saying;
"Take heed that no man deceive you, for many shall come in My name,
saying I am Christ; and shall deceive many" (Matthew 24:4, 5). The
significance of this appears by comparing Matthew 24:11, "And many
false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many." These false
christs and false prophets are to head up in the Antichrist and the
False Prophet, who will be the arch-deceivers. When we reach Matthew
24:15 a clear allusion is made to the Man of Sin: "When ye therefore
shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the
prophet, stand in the holy place, whoso readeth, let him understand."
This reference of Christ to "the abomination of desolation" which is
to "stand in the holy place," looks back to Daniel 12:11: "And from
the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the
abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two
hundred and ninety days." This, in turn, carries us back to Daniel
9:27: "And in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and
the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he
shall make it desolate." With these verses should be compared
Revelation 13:11-15, where we are told that the False Prophet who
shall perform great wonders, will command men that "they should make
an image to the beast." The False Prophet will have "power to give
life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should
both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the beast
should be killed." By linking these scriptures together the following
facts are brought out:
First, an "image" is going to be made to the Antichrist (Rev. 13:15).
Second, this "image" will "stand in the holy place" (Matthew 24:15),
that is, in the re-built Temple at Jerusalem. Third, this "image" will
possess supernatural power, for it shall be able to "speak" (Rev.
13:15). Fourth, this "image" unto the beast shall be an object of
worship, and those who refuse to worship it shall be killed (Rev.
13:14,15). Fifth, this "image" is termed "abomination of desolation."
The term "abomination" is an Old Testament expression connected with
idolatry, and signifies some special idol or false god (see Deut.
7:26; 1 Kings 11:5-7). Sixth, this "abomination" or idol-god will be
set up during the middle of Daniel's seventieth week, or three and one
half years from the end of Antichrist's career. This is clear from
Daniel 12:11 and 9:27. The taking away of "the daily sacrifice" occurs
when the Antichrist throws off his mask and stands forth as the Defier
of heaven. In the re-built Temple of the Jews sacrifices shall once
more be offered by them to God. These their King suffers, while he is
posing as the Christ. But when he drops his religious pretensions and
defies heaven as well as earth, the "sacrifices" will be taken away,
and in their place worship to an image of himself will be substituted.
Seventh, the setting up of this "image" to the Antichrist will, most
probably, be attended with supernatural phenomenon. We gather this
from Daniel 9:27, where we read, "And he shall cause the sacrifice and
the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he
shall make it desolate." Now the word here translated "overspreading"
is never so rendered elsewhere. Seventy times is this word translated
"wing" or "wings." It is the word used of the wings of the cherubim in
Exodus 25:20 and Ezekiel 10:5, etc. And in Psalm 18:10 we read of
Jehovah that "He rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, He did fly upon
the wings of the wind."
One profound Hebrew scholar has rendered the last clause of Daniel
9:27 as follows, "And upon the wing of abominations he shall come
desolating." Remembering that "abomination" has reference to an idol
or false god, the force would then be "upon the wing of a false god
shall he come desolating." Now in view of Psalm 18:10 it is highly
probable that Daniel 9:27 refers to a satanic imitation of the Chariot
of the Cherubim. This is strengthened by 1 Corinthians 10:20--"The
things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not
to God"--which shows the demoniacal nature of the "idols" or
"abominations" worshipped. If this view be correct, then the
Antichrist will be supernaturally borne aloft (in invisible demons),
and apparently descending from on high (in blasphemous mimicry of
Malachi 3:1) will finally persuade the world to worship him as God.
The apostate Jews will, no doubt, believe that their eyes at last
behold the long-awaited sign from heaven, and the return of the Glory
to the Temple. For it is thither the false christ will be borne, and
there his image set up. We believe that the words of 2 Thessalonians
2:4, "He as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that HE
IS GOD" may, most likely, have reference to this same event.
Coming back now to the words of Christ, Matthew 24:15 will, we trust,
be much more intelligible. What our Lord there said was designed
specially for the godly Jewish remnant who will be in Palestine during
the Tribulation period. When the "abomination of desolation" is set up
in the holy place, whoso readeth should "understand." How wondrously
this agrees with other scriptures, and what a value it places upon the
written Word! No supernatural revelation will be granted--these all
ceased when the Cannon of Scripture closed. Then, as now,
"understanding" is made dependent upon the reading of what God has
revealed.
What, then, is it that those godly Jews should "understand"? Why, that
a crisis has been reached. That the Antichrist now stands fully
revealed for the impious impostor that he is. And now that his career
is clearly manifested, let them beware. Let them turn to Revelation
13:14,15, and they will discover that death awaits them should they
tarry any longer in Jerusalem. Therefore, says Christ, "Let them which
be in Judea flee into the mountains: let him that is on the housetop
not come down to take anything out of his house...for then shall be
great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to
this time, no, nor ever shall be" (Matthew 24:16-21). How marvelously
one scripture throws light on another! How clearly does Revelation
13:14,15 explain the need for this hurried flight of the faithful
remnant!
There is one other reference to the Antichrist in this 24th chapter of
Matthew, namely, in verses 23-26: "Then if any man shall say unto you,
Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise
false christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and
wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the
very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall
say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is
in the secret chamber; believe it not." The reference to the "great
signs and wonders" is explained, at least in part, in Revelation 13.
We have already seen that the False Prophet will have power to give
"life" or "breath" unto the image of the Beast, so that the image
shall speak (v. 15). In addition, it is recorded how that "He doeth
great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the
earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth
by those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast"
(vv. 13,14).
We had hoped to be able to say something further on the "secret
chambers" of Matthew 24:26, but in the absence of any clear light from
other scriptures, we refrain from speculations of our own. It seems
plain, however, that the reference is to the occult powers and
activities of the Wicked One, who ever loveth darkness rather than
light.
3. Our next passage will be the first eight verses of Luke 18, where
in a parable the Lord gives us another view of the Antichrist: "And He
spake a parable unto them, that men ought always to pray, and not to
faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God,
neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came
unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for
awhile: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God,
nor regard man; yet because this woman troubleth me, I will avenge
her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said,
Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge His own
elect, which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with
them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when
the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?"
Like many of Christ's parables, this one is plainly prophetic in its
character. It looks forward to a coming day: it treats of conditions
which are to obtain during the Tribulation period. This is easily seen
from the context. Luke 18 opens with the word "and," and the last
eighteen verses of the previous chapter, with which the 18th is thus
connected, treat of those things which are to immediately precede the
establishing of the Messiah's Kingdom--note particularly Luke 18:26.
So, too, the closing words of the parable now before us read, "When
the Son of Man cometh shall He find faith on the earth?"
Having thus pointed out the time when this prophetic parable is to
receive its fulfillment, our next concern is to ascertain the
significance of its terms. The parable revolves around a "widow" and
an "unjust judge." Once we discover who are represented by these,
everything will be simple. Our task ought not to be difficult seeing
that we have already learned the time when these characters are to
appear.
The "widow" in Scripture is ever the figure of desolation, loneliness,
weakness. Dispensationally, Israel is the widow, spiritually dead as
she now is to her Divine Husband. Here in the parable of Luke 18 it is
the new Israel, the "Israel of God," the faithful remnant, which is in
view. To quote one scripture is sufficient to establish this: "Fear
not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for
thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy
youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.
For thy Maker is thine Husband; the Lord of Hosts is His name; and thy
Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall He
be called. For the Lord hath called thee as a widow forsaken and
grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith
thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercy
will I gather thee" (Isa. 54:4-7). These are the words which Christ
will speak to the remnant right at the beginning of the Millennium,
after they have made Isaiah 53 their own repentant confession.
In the chapter on the Antichrist in the Psalms attention was
repeatedly directed to passages which treat of the condition of the
godly Jewish remnant during the Tribulation period. We saw that their
lot is to be a bitter one. Severe will be their testings; terrible
their sufferings. Not the least painful of their experiences will be
the fierce opposition of their unbelieving brethren. Just as the worst
enemies of the Savior were found among His brethren according to the
flesh, and just as the most relentless persecutors of the saints
during this dispensation have been those who professed to be the
followers of Christ, so the most merciless foes of the Jewish remnant
will be the unbelieving portion of their own nation. These, too, are
noticed in our parable:" they are the "adversary" against which the
"widow" appeals to the "Judge"--"Avenge me of mine adversary" is her
plea.
In the light of what has been said above it is easy to discover who is
represented by the one to whom the "widow" appeals--appeals no doubt
some little time before the end of the Tribulation period is reached.
Clearly it is the Antichrist himself, and what is here said of him
establishes this beyond a reasonable doubt. First, he is termed "a
Judge," so that he is viewed as being in the position of authority: we
may add, it is the same word as rendered "Judge" in James 5:9 which
speaks of the Lord Jesus. Second, he is represented as being located
in a certain "city:" whether this is Jerusalem or Babylon, we cannot
say; but we rather think it is the latter. In the third place, it is
said of this Judge that he "feared not God, neither regarded man." We
need not tarry to point out how fully this accords with what is
elsewhere said of the Man of Sin. Godlessness and lawlessness are the
two most prominent elements in his character. In the fourth place, the
Lord specifically terms him "the unjust Judge" (James 5:6). The word
signifies "unrighteousness." This word points an antithesis between
him and the true Christ who shall reign in righteousness. In the fifth
place, his callousness is noted in the words, "and he would not for
awhile" (James 5:4). The Greek verb of James 5:3 signifies that the
widow came to this "Judge" again and again. But in his
hard-heartedness he repeatedly turned a deaf ear to her entreaties.
Such will be the brutal indifference of the Antichrist to the
sufferings of the faithful Jews. In the sixth place, his
untruthfulness and treachery are clearly implied. In 5:5 this unjust
Judge is represented as saying, "Because this widow troubleth me, I
will avenge her," etc.; but that he fails to keep his word is clear
from what we read in the seventh verse--"Shall not God avenge His own
elect?" etc. The Antichrist does not avenge him, but God will.
Finally, his doom is hinted at in the words last quoted. When God
"avenges" the elect remnant the Antichrist will be destroyed together
with those of his followers who had persecuted them.
There is only one difficulty in the way of the above interpretation
and that is the appeal of the Jewish remnant to the Antichrist. Can it
be possible that they should seek help from him! But is there any real
difficulty in this? Let us consult our own experience for answer. How
often, in the hour of trial, do we turn to the arm of flesh for
relief! Even the Apostle Paul appealed to Caesar! But lest this be
thought an invention of ours to meet a pertinent objections against
the interpretation advanced above, note carefully the wording of the
seventh verse: "And shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day
and night unto Him, though He bear long with them?" Do not the words
"bear long with them" intimate that though they had cried unto God day
and night, yet they had also sought help from some one else. Even
clearer is the testimony of Isaiah 10:20--"And it shall come to pass
in that day that the remnant of Israel and such as are escaped of the
house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but
shall upon the Lord"!
4. I am come in My Father's name, and ye receive Me not: if another
shall come in his own name, him ye will receive" (John 5:43). This
scripture has already been before us (see chapter three 15) so it need
not detain us long. It speaks of the Antichrist in connection with
unbelieving Israel. It draws a double contrast between the Son of god
and the Son of Perdition. The Christ of God, in lowly condescension,
came not in His own name, but in that of His Father--in perfect
subjection; but the christ of Satan, in lofty arrogance, shall come in
his own name. This will at once appeal to the corrupt hearts of fallen
men. The very meekness of the Lord Jesus was an offense to the Jews;
but the pride and egotism of the Man of Sin will make him acceptable
to them. By the apostate Nation Christ was not received. As we read in
this same Gospel, "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not"
(John 1:11). But the Antichrist shall be welcomed by them--"him ye
will receive," says the Lord. They will receive him as their
long-expected Messiah. They will receive him as their king. They will
receive him as the promised Deliverer. His yoke will be accepted.
Divine honors will be paid him. But bitterly will they rue it; and
terrible will be God's judgment upon them.
5. "Ye are of your father the Devil, and the lusts of your father ye
will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the
truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh the Lie, he
speaketh of his own (son): for he is a liar, and the father of it"
(John 8:44). The Greek word for "lie" is "pseudos." It occurs in the
New Testament just nine times--the number of judgment. I always has
reference to that which is opposed to the truth. It is a fit
appellation for the Antichrist, who is the son of him who is the
Arch-liar, the Devil. The Christ of God is "The Truth;" the christ of
Satan, "The Lie." That this is one of the many names of the Man of Sin
is clear from 2 Thessalonians 2. There we are told that his coming is
"after the working of Satan will all power and signs and lying wonders
and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish;
because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be
saved." Then we are told, "And for this cause God shall send them
strong delusion that they should believe the Lie (cf. 3:11).
Upon John 8:44 we cannot do better than quote from Sir Robert
Anderson: "To speak a lie is not English. In our language the proper
expression is "to tell a lie." But no one would so render the Greek
words here. It is not the false in the abstract which is in view, but
a concrete instance of it. And thus the connection is clear between
Satan the liar and Satan the murderer. He is not the instigator of all
murders, but of the murder, there and then in question, the murder of
the Christ; he is not the father of lies, but the father of the Lie.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:11 it is again the Lie of John 8:44. God does not
incite men to tell lies or to believe lies. But of those who reject
the truth, it is written, "He shall send them strong delusion that
they should believe the Lie. Because they have rejected the Christ of
God, a judicial blindness shall fall upon them that they should accept
the Christ of humanity, who will be Satan incarnate" (The Silence of
God).
6. "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Thy name: those
that Thou gavest Me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the Son
of Perdition; that the Scripture might be fulfilled" (John 17:5). That
our Lord was referring to the Antichrist is unequivocally established
by 2 Thessalonians 2:3, where the Man of Sin is denominated "the Son
of Perdition." That Judas, here termed the Son of Perdition, was more
than a man is clear from John 6:70 where we read, "Have not I chosen
you twelve, and one of you is a Devil?" In no other passage is the
word "Diabolos" applied to anyone but Satan himself. Just as the Lord
Jesus was God incarnate, so will Judas be the Devil incarnate; and, as
we have shown in chapter three (third main section) Judas will be
re-incarnated in the Antichrist.
Perhaps one other should be said on John 17:12 before we pass from it.
Some have thought that this verse weakens the doctrine of the absolute
security of the saints, but in act it does nothing of the kind. Notice
Christ did not say, "Those that Thou gavest Me I have kept, and none
of them is lost except the Son of Perdition," instead, He said, "None
of them is lost but the Son of Perdition." The word "but" is used
adversatively, not exceptively; that is to say, Judas is here opposed
to those that were given to Christ (for other scriptures with a
similar construction see Matthew 12:4, Acts 27:22, Revelation 21:27).
This interpretation is unequivocally established by John 18:9--"Of
them which Thou gavest Me have I lost none."
7. 2 Thessalonians 2 contains the chief passage in the Epistles
concerning the Antichrist. Here he is denominated "that Man of Sin,
the Son of Perdition" (v. 3). It is solemnly true that all men are
sinners (Rom. 3:23), but the Antichrist will be more than a sinner, he
will be the Man of Sin. As such he will be the direct opposite of
Christ, who was the Holy One of God. Sin in all its terrible satanic
treachery, daring blasphemy, and tremendous appeal to the corrupt
hearts of men, will be consummated in this frightful monster. For
fuller notes on the force of these titles we again refer the reader to
chapter three.
Concerning the Man of Sin it is said, "Who opposeth and exalteth
himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that
he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is
God" (v. 4). Here he reaches the climax of his frightful blasphemy. He
will assume Divine honors, and under pain of death (Rev. 13:15) will
demand the worship of all. In vindication of his impious claims he
will compel men to regard his mandates as transcending all laws and
customs, whether of human or Divine origin (Dan. 7:25). For a season
the Almighty will suffer his satanic impiety, the Hinderer having been
taken out of the way (v. 7). No lightning flash will strike down his
blasted form to the dust. The earth will not open her mouth to swallow
him up alive. The Angel of the Lord, who smote Herod with death for a
much milder blasphemy, will restrain His hand from the hilt of the
sword. For a season Heaven will remain silent while this haughty rebel
is doing according to his will. But at the appointed hour "the Lord
shall consume (him) with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy
with the brightness of His coming" (v. 8).
"Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power
and signs and lying wonders" (v. 9). The Antichrist will be the
culmination and consummation of Satan's craft and genius. He will be
endowed with superhuman energy so that he shall perform miracles which
will be no mere pretenses, but prodigies of power. By means of these
miracles and signs he will deceive the entire world. No doubt he will
mock the miracles of Christ, as of old Jannes and Jambres duplicated
the miracles of Moses. His marvelous deeds will reach their climax in
his own resurrection from the dead.
8. "Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is
antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son" (1 John 2:22). For
our comments on the significance of this name "the Antichrist" we
refer our readers to the fourth chapter. There it will be seen that we
understand this official title to have a double significance,
corresponding to the two main divisions in his career. First, he will
pose as the true Christ; later he will stand forth as the avowed
opponent of Christ. The above verse presents him as the Arch-apostate.
He will, eventually, repudiate the distinguishing truth of Judaism,
namely that "Jesus is the Christ;" as he will also set himself against
that which is vital in Christianity--the revelation of "the Father and
the Son."
9. A brief word upon 1 John 4:3 and we must conclude. "And every
spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is
not of God: and this is that spirit of Antichrist, whereof ye have
heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world."
It is to the last clause we would here direct attention. The spirit of
Antichrist, that which is preparing the way for his appearing, is even
now already "in the world." This statement is parallel with 2
Thessalonians 2:7, "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work:
only He who now letteth (hindereth) will let, until He be taken out of
the way." The Mystery of Iniquity, which concerns the incarnation of
Satan, is the direct antithesis of "the Mystery of Godliness" (1 Tim.
3:16) which has to do with the Divine incarnation. Just as there was a
long preparation by God preceding the advent of His Son, so the Devil
is now paving the way for the advent of the Son of Perdition. The
Mystery of Iniquity "doth already work;" so in 1 John 4:3 of the
spirit of Antichrist we read, "Even now already is it in the world"!
How far advanced the preparations of Satan now are for the bringing
forth of his Masterpiece is becoming increasingly evident to those who
are granted wisdom to discern the signs of the times.
_________________________________________________
Contents | Forward | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Conclusion
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A. W. Pink Header
The Antichrist by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 10
Antichrist In The Apocalypse
_________________________________________________
The scope of the Apocalypse is indicated by its place in the Sacred
Canon. Coming as it does right at the close of the Scriptures, we
should naturally expect to find it outlining the last chapters of the
world's history. Such is indeed the case. The Revelation is mainly
devoted to a description of the judgments which God will yet send upon
the earth. It furnishes by far the most complete description of the
conditions which are to obtain during the Tribulation period. It
treats at greatest length with the character and career of the
Antichrist, who will be the "Rod" in the hands of an angry God to
chastise recreant Israel and apostate Christendom. All of this is, of
course, preparatory to the establishment of Messiah's kingdom, which
will exist during the last of earth's dispensations.
It is impossible to understand the Apocalypse without a thorough
acquaintance with the books that precede it. The more familiar we are
with the first sixty-five books of the Bible, the better prepared are
we for the study of its sixty-sixth. There is little that is really
new in the Revelation. Its varied contents are largely an
amplification of what is to be found in the preceding scriptures. Each
of its figures and symbols are explained if not on its own pages, then
somewhere within the compass of the written Word. For Scripture is
ever self-interpreting. Most of our difficulties with the Revelation
grow out of our ignorance and lack of acquaintance with the earlier
books. Daniel and Zechariah especially should be examined minutely,
for they shed much light upon the various and prophecies of the Patmos
seer.
The Apocalypse not only reveals much concerning the person and work of
the Man of Sin, but it describes his doom, as it also announces the
complete overthrow of the Trinity of Evil. This, no doubt, accounts
for much of the prejudice which obtains against the study and reading
of this book. It is indeed remarkable that this is the only book in
the Bible connected with which there is a distinct promise given to
those who read and hear read its prophecy (Rev. 1:3). And yet how very
rarely it is read from the pulpits of those churches which are reputed
as orthodox! Surely the great Enemy is responsible for this. It seems
that Satan fears and hates above every book in the Bible this one
which tells of his being ultimately cast into the Lake of Fire. But
"we are not ignorant of his devices" (2 Cor. 2:11). Then let him not
keep us from the prayerful and careful perusal of this prophecy which
tells of those things "which must shortly come to pass."
1. We turn first to the sixth chapter of the Revelation, where a
fourfold view is presented of the Son of Perdition. Just as at the
beginning of the New Testament the Holy Spirit has given us a fourfold
delineation of Christ in the Gospels, so at the commencement of His
description of the judgments of God on the earth He has furnished us
with a fourfold picture of Christ's great opponent. We believe that
the contents of the first four of the "seals" describe four aspects of
the Antichrist's character, and also outline four stages in his
career. First, he is seen aping the Christ of God as the Righteous
One. The "white horse" on which he is seated, speaking of
righteousness. Just as we are told in 2 Corinthians 11:14 that "Satan
himself is transformed into an angel of light," and "therefore it is
no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers
of righteousness," so the Antichrist will pose as the friend of law
and order. Second, he is seen mimicking the Christ of God as the
mighty Warrior. Just as the Lord Jesus at His return will make a
footstool of His enemies, and trample in fury all who defy Him (Isa.
63:3), so the Man of Sin shall slay all who dare to oppose him. Third,
he is seen imitating Christ as the Bread of Life, for the third seal
views him as the Food-controller. Fourth, he is seen with his mask
off, depicted as one whose name is Death and Hades, that is, as the
Destroyer of men's bodies and souls.
Let us see how the identity of this Rider of the various colored
horses is established. In Revelation 6:2 we are told, "And I saw, and
behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown
was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer."
Notice first, that he is here viewed as seated upon a "white horse."
This is in imitation of the Christ of God, who, at the time of His
second advent to the earth, will also appear seated upon "a white
horse" (Rev. 19:11). Second, it is said that "a crown was given unto
him." This at once serves to connect him with the first Beast--the
Antichrist--of Revelation 13, for of him it is written, "And they
worshipped the Dragon which gave power unto the Beast" (v. 4). Again;
in Revelation 6:4 we are told, "And there went out another horse that
was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace
from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was
given unto him a great sword." Notice first, the last clause--"There
was given unto him a great sword." This stamps him plainly as the
pseudo christ, for of the true Christ it is written, "Out of His mouth
goeth a sharp sword" (Rev. 19:15). Second, it is said "power was given
to him to take peace from the earth." So, too, of the first Beast of
Revelation 13 we read, "And power was given him over all kindreds, and
tongues, and all nations" (v. 7). In the third seal he is viewed as
the Food-controller, weighing out the necessities of life at famine
prices. This, no doubt, corresponds with what we read of in Revelation
13:17. Finally, in the fourth seal he is named "Death and Hell." This
double title removes all doubt as to who is in view. When God
remonstrates with Israel for having made the seven-years treaty, He
does so in the following language: "And your covenant with Death shall
be disannulled, and your agreement with Hell shall not stand" (Isa.
28:18). Thus the Riders of the four horses of Revelation 6 are not
four different persons, but one person presented in a fourfold way, as
the Lord Jesus is in the four Gospels.
Before we pass from Revelation 6 a few words should be added by way of
amplification of our remarks above, namely, that in the first part of
Revelation 6 we have outlined four stages in the Antichrist's career.
The preparation of the Man Christ Jesus for His public ministry--the
long years spent quietly at Nazareth--are passed over by the four
Evangelists. So here in Revelation 6 the early days of the Man of
Sin--in his "little horn" character--are not noticed. Under the first
seal he is viewed as seated on a white horse, having a bow. The color
of the horse and the fact that no arrow is seen attached to the bow,
suggests bloodless victories, for he goes forth "conquering and to
conquer." This first seal at once conducts us to the time when the
Prince of Darkness poses as the Christ of God and presents himself to
the Jews for their acceptance. He does not come out in his true
satanic character, rather does he simulate the Prince of Peace. The
first seal is parallel with Daniel 11:21,23, where we learn that he
will gain the kingdom by flatteries and political diplomacy. But not
for long will he fill this pacific role. War is in his heart (Ps.
55:21), and nothing short of universal dominion will satisfy his proud
ambitions. As God has plainly warned, at the very time when men shall
be saying, Peace and safety, "then sudden destruction cometh upon
them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape"
(1 Thess. 5:3).
It is to this the second seal brings us. Here the Antichrist is seen
no longer upon a white horse, but upon a red horse. And in perfect
accord with this, it is added, "And power was given to him that sat
thereon to take peace from the earth...and there was given to him a
great sword" (v. 4). Little wonder that he is called "the Destroyer of
the Gentiles" (Jer. 4:7). At the time of his overthrow it will be
exclaimed, "Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did
shake kingdoms; that made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the
cities thereof?" (Isa. 14:17,18). Jeremiah 25:29 throws light upon
this "great sword" which is given to him--"For, lo, I begin to bring
evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly
unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword
upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the Lord of hosts" (read
verses 15 to 33).
In the third seal he is portrayed as the Harbinger of famine
conditions. This is intimated by the change of the color of the horse:
for "black" in connection with famine see Jeremiah 14:1,2 and
Lamentations 5:10. The symbolic significance of the "black" horse is
intensified by the figure of the "pair of balances in his hand"
(compare Hosea 12:7, Amos 8:4-6). What follows describes the wheat
being doled out at famine prices. But it is added, "See thou hurt not
the oil and the wine." This intimates that the famine is by no means
universal: yea, it suggests that side by side with abject suffering
there is abundance and luxury. We therefore regard this third seal as
denoting the Antichrist's persecution of the godly Jews which, from
other scriptures we learn, will be the fiercest during the last three
and one half years of his career. Revelation 13:17 makes it known that
they who will not be suffered to buy or sell are the ones who refuse
to receive his mark. These, of course, are the faithful remnant of the
Jews. But they who do render allegiance to the Beast will not
want--"oil and wine" shall be their portion.
The fourth seal, plainly conducts us to the end of Antichrist's
course. The fact that he is named Death and that we are told Hades
(that which receives the soul) followed with him, makes known the
awful doom which shall overtake this Son of Perdition and all his
blinded followers--see Revelation 19:20,21.
2. The next allusion to the Antichrist is found in Revelation 9:11
where he is given a threefold appellation, namely, King over the
locusts, The Angel of the Abyss, and the Destroyer. A few remarks upon
the context are required if we are to expound, even briefly, the
significance of these three titles. The majority of pre-millennial
commentators are agreed upon the identity of the personage named in
Revelation 9:11, though there is considerable difference of opinion
among them concerning the meaning of the context. We can here only
offer a few remarks on the preceding verses according to our present
light and submit the reasons for our conclusions.
The immediate context takes us back to the opening verse of Revelation
9 where a "star" is seen falling from heaven unto the earth, unto whom
is given the key to the Bottomless Pit. This we believe refers to
Lucifer, or "Day-star" (see Isaiah 14:12 margin). The reference, we
think, is not to his original fall, but to what is described in
Revelation 12:9. The fact that the key of the Abyss is given to him is
in keeping with the fact that during the Tribulation period God allows
him free rein and suffers him to do his worst. The R. V. correctly
renders verses one and two as follows--"And there was given to him the
key of the Pit of the Abyss. And he opened the Pit of the Abyss,"
etc., or, as it may literally be rendered, "the well of the Bottomless
Pit." This expression occurs nowhere else in Scripture. The "well of
the Bottomless Pit" is to be distinguished from the Bottomless Pit
itself, mentioned in Revelation 9:11; 11:7; 17:8, 20:3. What the
distinction is we shall presently suggest.
Out of the well of the Bottomless Pit issued a smoke, so great that
the sun and the air were darkened (v. 2), and out of the smoke came
"locusts upon the earth." We regard these locusts as identical with
the creatures referred to in the prophecy of Joel (Joel 2:1-11). By
noticing what is said of them in Joel 2 and Revelation 9 it is at once
apparent that they are no ordinary locusts. Joel says of them, "A
great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither
shall be any more after it" (Joel 2:2). It is said, "When they fall
upon the sword they shall not be wounded" (Joel 2:8). The fact that
they issue from the Pit also denotes that they are supernatural
beings. In the description furnished in Revelation 9 they seem to be a
kind of infernal cherubim, for "the horse" (v. 7), the "man" (v. 7),
the "lion" (v. 8), and "the scorpion" (v. 19) are combined in them.
Their number is given as two hundred thousand thousand. Who, then, are
these infernal beings? No commentator that we are acquainted with has
attempted an answer. It is therefore with diffidence that we suggest,
without being dogmatic, that they are, most likely, fallen angels now
imprisoned in Tartarus. We give three reason which, in our judgment,
point to this conclusion.
First, we know from 2 Peter 2:4 that the angels which sinned were
"cast down to Tartarus," and in Revelation 9:2,3 we are told there
"arose a smoke out of the Pit...and there came out of the smoke
locusts upon the earth." Now, as pointed out, these infernal locusts
issue from the well of the Pit," an expression occurring nowhere else
in Scripture, and only the locusts are said to come from there. So
also the term Tartarus is found nowhere but in 2 Peter 2:4. It seems
likely, then, that the well of the Pit may be only another name for
Tartarus (with which only fallen angels are connected), just as the
Lake of Fire is only another name for Gehenna. Who else could these
locusts be but the fallen angels? To say we do not know may savor of
humility, but shall the writer be deemed presumptuous because he has
sought to furnish an answer by comparing scripture with scripture?
In the second place, it is surely significant that the "king" of these
"locusts" is termed in Revelation 9:11 "the angel of the Bottomless
Pit"! A title which is nowhere else given to him. Just as Christ, the
Angel of the Covenant (Mal. 3:1--cf Isaiah 63:9, etc.) is, again and
again, termed an angel in the Apocalypse (see Revelation 8:3, 10:1,
etc.), so the Antichrist is here denominated "the Angel of the
Bottomless Pit." And just as we learn from Matthew 25:31 that "the Son
of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him" (cf
Matthew 24:31), so when the Son of Perdition is manifested, all the
unholy angels will be with him!
In the third place, let the language of 2 Peter 2:4 be carefully
examined: "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them
down to Tartarus, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be
reserved unto judgment." It is to the last clause we wish to direct
attention. Let it be compared with the 9th verse of the same
chapter--"The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of
temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be
punished." Wicked human beings are said to be reserved "unto the Day
of Judgment to be punished." But this is not what is said of the
angels that sinned, though, of course, eternal punishment awaits them
as we learn from Matthew 25:41. 2 Peter 2:4 simply says they are
"reserved unto judgment," and we believe this means that God is
holding them in Tartarus until His time comes for Him to use them as
one of His instruments of judgment upon an ungodly world. The time
when God will thus use them is stated in Jude 6--it will be in "the
judgment of the great day" (compare Revelation 6:17 for "the great
day"). Confirmatory of this, observe that in Joel 2:11 the Lord calls
the supernatural locusts "His army," then employed to inflict sore
punishments on apostate Israel. If our interpretation of 2 Peter 2:4
be correct, namely, that it makes no reference to the future
punishment of the fallen angels, this explains why the Lord in Matthew
25:41 when referring to future punishment was careful to mention them
specifically.
Returning now to Revelation 9:11 the Antichrist is here termed the
"King over" the locusts. Let the reader pay careful attention to what
is predicted of these infernal beings in Joel 2 and here in Revelation
9, and let him remember they number no less than two hundred millions,
and then see if it does not throw new light on Revelation 13:4, where
concerning the Antichrist the question is asked, "Who is able to make
war with him?"!! How utterly futile to engage in conflict one who
commands an army of two hundred millions, none of whom are subject to
death! In the second place, he is here termed "the Angel of the
Bottomless Pit," a title peculiarly appropriate as the leader of the
fallen angels; and, as well, a title which denotes the superhuman
nature of the Son of Perdition. In the third place, we are here told
that his name "in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek
tongue hath his name Apollyon." This title serves to establish beyond
a shadow of doubt the identity of this "King" of the infernal locusts,
this Angel of the Bottomless Pit. The Hebrew and the Greek names
signify the same thing in English--the Destroyer. It is the Destroyer
of the Gentiles of Jeremiah 4:7, translated "Spoiler" in Isaiah 16:4
and Jeremiah 6:24. Suitable name is this for the one who is the great
opponent of the Savior. "Destroyer" is close akin to "Death" in
Revelation 6:8. The reason why his name is given here in both Hebrew
and Greek is because he will be connected with and be the destroyer of
both Jews and Gentiles! But why give the Hebrew name first? Because
the order in judgment, as in grace, is "the Jew first"--see Romans 2:9
and 1:16 for each, respectively.
3. "And when they shall have finished their testimony, the Beast that
ascendeth out of the Bottomless Pit shall make war against them, and
shall overcome them, and kill them" (Rev. 11:7). This is the first
time in the Revelation that the Antichrist is seen in his character of
"the Beast." The last scripture which we have examined serves at once
to identify him. He is termed "the Angel of the Bottomless Pit,"
because in a peculiar sense the Abyss is his home. There he has been
during all the centuries of this Christian era. In Acts 1:23 (cf
chapter 3, Section 3) the Pit is called "his own place." Here the
Beast is shown ascending out of the Bottomless Pit. What, then, is the
Abyss? It appears to be the special abode of infernal creatures. As we
have seen, out of its well issue the fallen angels. From it comes the
Beast. And in it Satan himself is incarcerated for the thousand years
(Rev. 20:3). The Abyss is quite distinct from Hades in which the souls
of lost human beings are now being tormented; as it must also be
distinguished from Gehenna or the Lake of Fire in which all the lost
shall suffer for ever and ever.
4. We come now to Revelation 13. A lengthy paper might readily be
devoted to its exposition, but as we have had occasion to refer to its
contents so frequently in earlier chapters, we shall here be as brief
as possible. The contents of this chapter center around two "Beasts."
As to which of them represent the Antichrist there is a difference of
opinion. The majority of those who have written upon the subject
regard the first Beast as the Man of Sin, and with them we are in
hearty accord. We shall devote our next chapter to a setting forth of
some of the many proofs that the first Beast is the Antichrist. Here
we shall take the point for granted.
"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of
the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten
crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy" (v. 1). There is
here, as frequently in Scripture, a double reference. Two objects
quite distinct though intimately connected are in view. We believe
that this Beast which arises from the sea points to the Roman Empire
revived and in its final form, that is, resuscitated and confederated
under the form often kingdoms. In Daniel 7:3 we read, "And four great
beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another." These four
great beasts are interpreted in the verses which follow as four
kingdoms. In Daniel 7:7 we are told this fourth Beast (the Roman
Empire) "had ten horns." So the Beast of Revelation 13:1 also has ten
horns. Each of the successive Beasts or kingdoms of Daniel 7 retained
the territory of the previous one, though enlarging on it. In the
symbolic description there furnished the first Beast is likened unto
"a lion" (v. 4); the second to "a bear" (v. 5); the third to "a
leopard" (v. 6). So also in Revelation 13 the Beast there is "like
unto a leopard," has feet like "a bear," and has the mouth of "a lion"
(v. 2). Thus we learn that the Roman Empire in its final form will
include within its borders the territory controlled by the earlier
Empires and will also perpetuate the dominant characteristics of the
ancient Babylonians, Medo-Persians, and Grecians.
But it is very clear from what follows in Revelation 13 that there is
something more than the Empire here in view. In vv. 3-8 it is a person
that is before us. We are satisfied that this same person is also
described, symbolically, in the opening verses. As is frequently the
case in the prophetic scriptures, the king and his kingdom are here
inseparably united. Revelation 13:1,2 portrays both the Empire and its
last Emperor. One of the proofs for this is found in Daniel 9:26,27,
where (as we have shown in Chapter 9) the Antichrist is denominated
"the prince" of that people who destroyed Jerusalem in A. D. 70. We
shall therefore interpret here according to this principle.
"And I saw . . . a Beast rise up out of the sea." In Scripture, the
troubled "sea" is frequently a figure of restless humanity away from
God. The Antichrist will come upon the scene at a time of
unprecedented social disturbance and governmental upheaval. He will
appear at a crisis in the history of the world. From other prophetic
scriptures we gather that, following the removal of the Church from
this earth, and some time before Daniel's seventieth week begins,
there will be a complete overthrow of law and order, both civil and
political. All Divine restraint being removed, lawlessness will
prevail. We have no doubt that Satan will designedly bring this about.
It will create a situation beyond the diplomatic skill of earth's
statesmen. This will provide the desired opportunity for the coming
Superman, who will be a diplomatic genius. Just as many leaders today
are satisfied that a League of Nations would be the best device for
preserving peace, so in the day to come the Man of Sin will satisfy
the world that this is the only solution to the baffling problems then
confronting the Powers of earth. Thus will the Antichrist resurrect
the old Roman Empire at a time of universal confusion and tumult. He
will himself be the acknowledged head or Emperor, the last of the
Caesars. Hence the double significance of this figure--"a Beast rising
out of the sea." Out of a state of anarchy will come forth this might
Despot, who will speedily arrogate to himself all authority, both
Divine and human; and in the end it will be seen that he embodies a
lawlessness even worse and more fatal than that out of which he
sprang. A Beast indeed will he soon appear to be. Pregnant with
meaning is this title. Having rejected God's "Lamb;" a Beast shall be
the world's ruler. This will be God's reply to the satanic teaching of
Evolution now so popular almost everywhere. The leaders of modern
thought insist on the beastial origin of man, and so a Beast shall yet
lead the majority of his generation to Perdition!
"Having seven heads and ten horns." It is most significant that
identically the same features are attributed to the Dragon in
Revelation 12:3. He, too, is there said to have "seven heads and ten
horns." This clearly implies his satanic origin: he will be a human
replica of the Devil himself. As wrote the late G. H. Pember (from
whom we have borrowed a number of valuable points), the Beast will be
"the effulgence of the Antigod's glory, and the very image of his
substance." We take it that the "seven heads" are symbolic of full
intelligence, and the "ten horns" speak of imperial dominion.
"And the Beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were
as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion" (v. 2).
Like the Beast rising up out of the sea of the previous verse, we
believe the terms of this second verse have a double significance.
First, as intimated above, they denote that the Empire will include
the territory and preserve the dominant features of the earlier
Empires. Second, they supply a figurative description of the Emperor
himself. The Antichrist will combine in his personality the
characteristics of the leopard (beauty and subtlety), of the bear
(strength and cruelty), and of the lion (boldness and ferocity).
"And the Dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority"
(v. 2). This is the Devil's travesty of what God the Father will yet
do to His Son: --"I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like
the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient
of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. And there was given Him
dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and
languages, should serve Him" (Dan. 7:13,14).
"And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his
deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the Beast"
(v. 3). It is clear from a number of scriptures that during the early
part of the second half of Daniel's seventieth week the Antichrist
will be slain by the sword--cf. Isaiah 14:18,19; 37:7; Ezekiel 21:25
R. V.; Zechariah 11:17: see our comments on these in the closing
portion of Chapter 6. It is equally clear that this wound of death
will be healed (Rev. 13:4) and that the Beast shall again live (Rev.
13:14). Satan will be permitted to bring his son from the dead. This
is no wild speculation of ours but a view which has been propounded by
quite a number of devout students. In his "Coming Prince," Sir Robert
Anderson said, "The language of Revelation 13:3,12 suggests that there
will be some impious travesty of the resurrection of our Lord." It is
useless to reason about it: we simply believe the record of Scripture
upon it. The raising of the Beast from the dead will remove whatever
doubt men may have entertained concerning his supernatural character.
"All the world wondered after him" is the statement which immediately
follows the reference to the healing of his wound of death.
"And they worshipped the Dragon which gave power unto the Beast: and
they worshipped the Beast, saying, Who is like unto the Beast? Who is
able to make war with him?" (v. 4). This cry of the world, "Who is
like unto the Beast?" is a travesty of the song of Moses. When
celebrating Jehovah's overthrow of their enemies at the Red Sea,
Israel sang, "Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the Gods! Who is
like Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders!"
(Ex. 15:11). The additional exclamation, "Who is able to make war with
him?" is evoked by the vast army of infernal creatures at his command,
and by his own triumph over death in battle.
"And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and
blasphemies" (v. 5). This the one great distinguishing mark of the
Antichrist--cf. Psalm 52:1-4; Isaiah 14:13,14; Daniel 7:11,20; 11:36;
2 Thessalonians 2:4, etc. But not for long will he be suffered to
continue his God-defying course. Another forty-two months and his
career shall be ended. This number--here designedly used by the Holy
Spirit, rather than three and one half years or twelve hundred and
sixty days--is a very significant one. Its factors are 6 and 7, which
stand for man and completeness. It is man in his fallen condition,
here the Man of Sin, fully manifested. Forty-two stands for
intensified apostasy. Thus Numbers 33 gives the various stopping
places of unbelieving Israel in the wilderness as forty-two in number.
Judges 12:6 tells us that the number of the apostate Ephraimites which
fell before the Gileadites were 42 thousand. See also 2 Kings 2:4 and
10:14.
"And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to
overcome them: and there was given to him authority over every tribe
and people and tongue and nation. And all they that dwell on the earth
shall worship him, every one whose name hath not been written from the
foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that hath been
slain" (vv. 7,8, R. V.). The "saints" here mentioned are the godly
Jewish remnant who will refuse to worship the Beast. Those "overcome"
are they who disobeyed the command of Christ recorded in Matthew
24:16; those who obey will be preserved by God--see Revelation 12:6.
Note how election is seen here: only they whose names were written
from the foundation of the world in the book of life will be preserved
from the unpardonable sin of worshipping the Antichrist--cf. Matthew
24:22,24.
"And I beheld another Beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two
horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon" (v. 11). This brings
before us the second Beast, called in Revelation 19:20 the False
Prophet. He is the third person of the Trinity of Evil. As there is to
be an Antichrist who will both counterfeit and oppose the Christ of
God, so there will be an Anti-spirit who will simulate and oppose the
Spirit of God. Just as the great work of the Holy Spirit is to glorify
Christ, so the one aim of the Anti-spirit will be to magnify the false
christ (see Revelation 13:12). Just as the coming of the Holy Spirit
at Pentecost was visibly attended by "cloven tongues like as of fire"
(Acts 2:3), so we read of the Anti-spirit that "he doeth great
wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in
the sight of men" (v. 13). And just as it is the Holy Spirit who now
quickens dead sinners into newness of life, so of the Anti-spirit we
are told, "He had power to give life unto the image of the Beast" (v.
15).
5. "And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If
any man worship the Beast and his image, and receive his mark in his
forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the
wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His
indignation, and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the
presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb" (Rev.
14:9,10). This looks back to what we read of in the closing verses of
the preceding chapter. "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich
and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in
their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had
the mark, or the name of the Beast, or the number of his name" (Rev.
13:16,17). This "mark" will be the official sign of allegiance to the
Emperor stamped either upon the hand or forehead of his loyal
subjects. It will be the satanic travesty of the "seal" which the
angel will stamp on the foreheads of God's servants (Rev. 7:13). This
"mark" on the persons of the subjects of the Beast will be, we
believe, the name of the Devil, (cf. Revelation 13:4), as the seal on
the foreheads of God's servants is defined in Revelation 14:1 as
"having their Father's name written on their foreheads." Here in
Revelation 14:9-11 we have one of the most solemn warnings in all the
Bible. An angel from heaven will announce the terrible punishment
which shall be visited upon those who honor the Beast. It is set over
against the threats of the Beast and the False Prophet, who will
terrify men by the sentence of physical death for all who defy them.
But here God, by His angel, declares that all who heed the Beast and
his coadjutor will share their awful doom. This no doubt will
strengthen the faith and patience of the saints, and enable them to
endure unto the end.
6. "And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over
fire; and cried with a loud cry, to him that had the sharp sickle,
saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the
vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust
in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and
cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God" (Rev. 14:19,20).
The "Vine of the earth" refers, we believe, to the Man of Sin at the
head of apostate Israel. This appellation points one more contrast. In
John 15, we find the Lord Jesus saying, "I am the true Vine, ye are
the branches." The true Vine, then, consists of the Christ of God and
His people in fellowship with Him. Over against this is "the vine of
the earth," which is the Antichrist and those allied to him,
particularly, renegade Israel. In Deuteronomy 32 there is a reference
to the "Vine of the earth" --"For their rock is not as our Rock, even
our enemies themselves being judges. For their Vine is of the vine of
Sodom, and their clusters are bitter" (Deut. 32:31,32). That this is
speaking of apostate Israel is clear from Deuteronomy 32:28 --"For
they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding
in them." That the passage is speaking of apostate Israel in the days
of the Antichrist appears from Deuteronomy 32:35 --"To me belongeth
vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the
day of their calamity is at hand, and the things which shall come upon
them make haste" (Deut. 32:35).
7. In Revelation 15:2 there is a brief allusion to the Beast, in
connection with the godly Remnant: "And I saw as it were a sea of
glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the
Beast, and over his image, and over his mask, and over the number of
his name, stand on the sea of glass having the harps of God," etc. The
reference is to those who had been slain by the Antichrist because
they had refused to render him any honor or worship. The same company
is seen again in Revelation 20:4.
8. Revelation 16 describes the "vial" judgments which are executed
just before the end of the Tribulation. The Beast is noticed several
times in the chapter. In v.2 we read, "And the first went, and poured
out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous
sore upon the men which had the mark of the Beast, and upon them which
worshipped his image" (v. 2). This is a foretaste of the grievous
torments awaiting the worshippers of the Beast. Again in v.10 we read,
"And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the Beast;
and his kingdom was full of darkness and they gnawed their tongues for
pain." Here the Beast himself receives intimation of the doom awaiting
him. In vv. 13 and 14 we are told, "And I saw three unclean spirits
like frogs come out of the mouth of the Dragon, and out of the mouth
of the Beast, and out of the mouth of the False Prophet. For they are
the sprites of demons, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings
of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of
that great day of God Almighty." Here we behold, in symbolic guise,
each of the persons in the Evil Trinity. The figure of the "frog" is
very suggestive. Frogs are creatures which love the darkness rather
than the light: they wallow in the mire and filth: their croaking is
heard in the dusk of twilight and by night. Thus they are an apt
symbol of the persons in the Trinity of Evil. Their very form suggests
inflation by pride. The reference here in Revelation 16:13,14
indicates the superhuman character of the False Prophet as well as of
the Beast and the Dragon.
9. Revelation 17 calls for a lengthy exposition, so we must defer to a
later chapter the consideration of its details. The central figures in
it are "the great whore" and the Beast. While freely granting that,
historically, the great whore has received its fulfillment in the
Roman Catholic system, and while allowing that it will yet represent
the whole of apostate Christendom, nevertheless, we believe that the
ultimate reference is to apostate Israel. Here in Revelation 17 the
"woman" is first seen sitting upon the scarlet colored Beast--the
Antichrist in his imperial glory (Rev. 17:3); but later we see him
suffering his ten kings to destroy her (Rev. 17:16). This accords
perfectly with the dual relation of Antichrist to Israel: first posing
as their Benefactor (here seen in Revelation 17:3 supporting her),
later standing forth as her great Enemy. The eighth verse (see our
comments on it in Chapter 3, Section III, 6) is one of the scriptures
which show that Antichrist is a re-incarnation of Judas.
10. Revelation 19:19,20 describes the end of Antichrist's career. We
need not enlarge now upon these verses for we have already commented
on them in Chapter 7. The final reference to the Antichrist is in
Revelation 20:10 where we read of the Devil being cast into the Lake
of Fire where the Beast and the False Prophet are, to be, with them,
tormented for ever and ever.
_________________________________________________
Contents | Forward | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Conclusion
____________________________________________________
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The Antichrist by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 11
Antichrist In Revelation 13
_________________________________________________
In the thirteenth chapter of Revelation two Beasts are there
described. The first is the final Head of the last great Empire before
the establishment of the millennial kingdom of our Lord. The second
Beast is denominated, in other passages, "the False Prophet." There is
a difference of opinion as to which of these Beasts represents the
Antichrist. In the Appendix to our book "The Redeemer's Return," where
this subject is discussed and from which we shall here freely
transcribe, we have stated that opinion is about equally divided. But
during the last five years we have made a much wider investigation,
and as the result we have found that the great majority of those who
have written on the subject regard the first Beast as the Antichrist,
and that only a comparative few--nearly all of whom belong to a
particular school--favor the alternative view. However, the writings
of the few have had a wide circulation and have exerted a considerable
influence on students of prophecy, and therefore these papers on the
Antichrist would lack completeness, and probably some of our readers
would be disappointed, if we said nothing on the subject. It is in no
spirit of controversy that we now present our own reasons for
believing it is the first Beast of Revelation 13 who is the
Antichrist.
The book of Revelation makes known the fact that there is a Trinity of
Evil. Each of these three evil persons comes into view in Revelation
13. First, there is "the Beast" (v. 2). Second, there is "the Dragon"
(v. 2). Third, there is "another Beast" (v. 11). The fact that of this
third Beast it is said "He spake as a dragon" (v. 11) at once
intimates his satanic nature and character, for the speech corresponds
to the heart. The demoniacal nature of each of these evil persons
comes out clearly in Revelation 16:13,14, where we read, "And I saw
three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the Dragon,
and out of the mouth of the Beast, and out of the mouth of the False
Prophet. For they are the spirits of demons, working miracles."
Finally, in Revelation 19:19,20 we are told, "And the Beast was taken,
and with him the False Prophet . . . these both were cast alive into
the lake of fire burning with brimstone," and then in Revelation 20:10
we read, "And the Devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of
fire and brimstone, where the Beast and the False Prophet are, and
shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."
The above scriptures clearly establish the fact that there is a
Trinity of Evil. Now it surely needs no argument to prove that these
three evil persons are opposed to and are the antithesis of the three
Persons in the Godhead. The Devil stands opposed to God the
Father--"Ye are of your father, the Devil," John 8:40, etc. The
Antichrist stands opposed to God the Son--his very name shows this.
The remaining evil person stands opposed to God the Spirit. If this be
the case, then our present task is greatly simplified: it is merely a
matter of noting what is separately predicted of the two Beasts in
Revelation 13 so as to ascertain which of them stands opposed to
Christ and which to the Holy Spirit.
Now there are only two arguments of any plausibility which have been
advanced to support the view that it is the second Beast of Revelation
13 which is the Antichrist, but so far as we are aware no one has
endeavored to show that the first Beast represents the third Person in
the Trinity of Evil! Yet he must be so if the second is the
Antichrist! This is unmistakably clear from Revelation 16:13,14 and
19:19,20. The first argument used is drawn from the language of
Revelation 13:11, where of the second Beast it is said, "He had two
horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon." This, we are told,
indicates that it is the Antichrist who is here in view, aping the
Lamb of God. Personally, we are amazed that such an assertion should
have been made in soberness. It is difficult to imagine anything more
wide of the mark, seeing that not only is it not said this beast with
the two horns was "like the lamb" but in this same book "the Lamb" is
pictured with "seven horns" (Rev. 13:6). But if this second Beast, the
False Prophet, be the opponent of God the Spirit, then the two horns
have a pertinent significance, for two is the number of witness, and
just as Christ declared the Spirit of God should "testify (lit., bear
witness) of Me" (John 15:26), so the third person in the Trinity of
Evil bears witness to the first Beast--see Revelation 13:12,14,16. In
the second place, it is said that the first Beast of Revelation 13 is
presented as the political Head, while it is the second who is viewed
as the religious Head. But if this is not a bad mistake, it certainly
needs to be modified. It is the first Beast, not the second, who is
worshipped (Rev. 13:12)! Having thus noticed briefly the two leading
objections which have been brought against the position we are about
to define and defend, we shall now present some of the many arguments
on the other side.
In the first place, to regard the Antichrist as limited to the
religious realm and divorced from the political, seems to us, to leave
out entirely an essential and fundamental element of his character and
career. The Antichrist will claim to be the true Christ, the Christ of
God. Hence, it would seem that he will present himself to the Jews as
their long-expected Messiah--the One foretold by the Old Testament
prophets--and that before apostate Christendom, given over by God to
believe the Lie, he will pose as the returned Christ. Therefore, must
we not predict, as an inevitable corollary, that the pseudo christ,
will usher in a false millennium, and rule over a mock messianic
kingdom? That this conclusion is fully borne out by Scripture we shall
show in a moment.
Why was it (from the human side) that, when out Lord tabernacled among
men, the Jews rejected Him as their Messiah? Was it not because He
failed to fulfill their expectations that he would take the government
upon His shoulder and wield the royal scepter as soon as He presented
Himself to them? Was it not because they looked for Him to restore the
Kingdom to Israel there and then? Is it not therefore reasonable to
suppose that when the Antichrist presents himself to them, that he
will wield great temporal power, and rule over a vast earthly empire?
It would certainly seem so. Happily we are not left to logical
deductions and conclusions. We have a "thus saith the Lord" to rest
upon. In Daniel 11:36--a scripture upon which all are agreed
concerning its application--the Antichrist is expressly termed "The
King" (which) shall do according to his will." Here then is
unequivocal proof that Antichrist will exercise political or
governmental power. He will be a king--"the king"--and if a king he
must be at the head of a kingdom.
In the second place, if the Antichrist is to be a perfect counterfeit
of the true Christ, if he is to ape the millennial Christ as set forth
in Old Testament prophecy--for, of course, he will not mimic the
"suffering" Christ of the first advent--then it necessarily follows
that he will fill the role of king, yea, that he will reign as a King
of kings, as Satan's parody of the Son of man seated upon "the throne
of His glory." That the Antichrist will also be at the head of the
religious world, that he will demand and receive Divine honors, is
equally true. Just as in the Millennium the Lord Jesus will "be a
Priest upon His Throne" (Zech. 6:13), so the Antichrist will combine
in his person the headships of both the political and the religious
realms--see our notes on Ezekiel 21:25,26 in Chapter 9. And just as
the Son of Man will be the Head of the fifth world-empire (Dan. 2:44)
so, the Man of Sin will be the head of the revived fourth world-empire
(Dan. 2:40).
In the third place, to make the Antichrist and "the False Prophet" one
and the same person is to involve us in a difficulty for which there
seems to be no solution. In Revelation 19:20 we read, "And the Beast
was taken, and with him the False Prophet that wrought miracles before
him . . .These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with
brimstone." Now, if the False Prophet be the Antichrist, then who is
"the Beast" that is cast with him into the Lake of Fire? The Beast
here cannot be the Roman Empire (the people in it), for no member of
the human race (as such) is cast into the Lake of Fire until after the
Millennium (see Revelation 20). That "the Beast" is a separate entity,
another individual than the False Prophet is also clear from
Revelation 20:10--"And the Devil that deceived them was cast into the
lake of fire and brimstone, where the Beast and the False Prophet
are." In this last quoted scripture, each of the three persons in the
Trinity of Evil is specifically mentioned, and if "the Beast" is not
the Antichrist, the Son of Perdition, the second person in the Trinity
of Evil, who is he?
In the fourth place, what is predicted of the first Beast in
Revelation 13 comports much better with what is elsewhere revealed
concerning the Antichrist, than what is here said of the second Beast.
In proof of our assertion we submit the following:
Points of resemblance between the first Beast of Revelation 13 and the
Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2: --
1. The first Beast receives his power, seat, and great authority from
the Dragon, Revelation 13:2. Cf.. 2 Thessalonians 2:9--"Him, whose
coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and
lying wonders."
2. :All the world" wonders after the first Beast, Revelation 13:2.
Cf.. 2 Thessalonians 2:11,12--"And for this cause God shall send them
strong delusion, that they should believe the Lie; that they all might
be damned," etc.
3. The first Beast is "worshipped," Revelation 13:4. Cf.. 2
Thessalonians 2:4--"He as God sitteth in the temple of God."
4. The first Beast has a mouth "speaking great things," Revelation
13:5. Cf.. 2 Thessalonians 2:4--"Who...exalteth himself above all that
is called God." Note also that in Revelation 13:5 it is said of the
first Beast, he "has a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies."
Is not this one of the chief characteristic marks of the Antichrist?
5. The first Beast makes war on the saints, Revelation 13:7. cf. 2
Thessalonians 2:4--"Who opposeth...all that is called God," that is,
he will seek to exterminate and obliterate everything on earth which
bears God's name.
From these points of analogy it is evident that the first Beast of
Revelation 13 and the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2 are one and the
same person.
In the fifth place, that the second Beast is not the Man of Sin
appears from the fact that the second Beast causeth the earth to
worship the first Beast (Rev. 13:12), whereas the Man of Sin exalteth
himself (2 Thess. 2:4), and compare Daniel 11:36: "And he exalteth
himself." As already intimated, there are several things which show
plainly that the second Beast is the third person in the Trinity of
Evil, that is, the one who is the satanic parody of the Holy Spirit.
The point now before us supplies further confirmation. There is
nothing in Revelation 13, nor elsewhere, to show that this second
Beast is worshipped, rather does he direct worship away from himself,
to the first Beast. Therefore, he cannot be the pseudo christ, for the
Lord Jesus did, again and again, receive worship (see particularly
Matthew's Gospel), and will be worshipped on His return. But this
second Beast, who directs worship away from himself, accurately
imitates the Holy Spirit in this respect, for nowhere in the New
Testament is the third Person of the Holy Trinity presented as a
distinct Object of worship; instead, He is to "glorify" Christ (John
16:14) by drawing out our hearts unto that blessed One who loved us
and gave Himself for us.
Again; it has been generally recognized by prophetic students that our
Lord referred to the Antichrist when He said, "I am come in My
Father's name, and ye receive Me not: if another shall come in his own
name, him ye will receive" (John 5:43). If the one here mentioned as
coming "in his own name" is the Antichrist, then it is certain that
the second Beast of Revelation 13 cannot be the Antichrist, for he
does not come "in his own name." On the contrary, the second Beast
comes in the name of the first Beast as is clear from Revelation
13:12-15. Just as the Holy Spirit--the third Person in the Holy
Trinity speaks "not of Himself" (John 16:13), but is here to glorify
Christ, so the second Beast--the third person in the Evil Trinity
seeks to glorify the first Beast, the Antichrist. If it should be
objected that the second Beast is represented as working miracles
(Rev. 13:13,14) and, that as the Man of Sin is also said to come
"after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying
wonders" (2 Thess. 2:9), therefore, the second Beast must be the
Antichrist, the answer is, This by no means follows. The power to work
miracles is common to each person in the Trinity of evil. Just as God
the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, each perform
miracles, so does the Dragon, the Beast, and the False Prophet (see
Rev. 16:13,14 for proof). Three things are said in connection with the
second Beast which correspond closely with the work of the Holy
Spirit. First, "he maketh fire come down from heaven" (Rev. 13:13),
cf. Acts 2:1-4. Second, "he had power to give life unto the image of
the Beast" (Rev. 13:15), cf. John 3:6--"born of the Spirit." Third,
"he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond,
to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads" (Rev.
13:16), cf. Ephesians 4:30--"Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God,
whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."
Finally; the second Beast is clearly subordinate to the first Beast.
But would the Jews receive as their Messiah and King one who was
himself the vassal of a Roman? Was not this the very reason why the
Jews of old rejected the Lord Jesus, i.e., because He was subject to
Caesar, and because He refused to deliver the Jews from the Romans!
In the sixth place, as we have seen, in Daniel 11:36 the Antichrist is
termed "the King," and if a king he must posses a kingdom, and can
there be any doubt as to the identity of this kingdom? Will not
Antichrist's kingdom be the very one which Satan offered in vain to
Christ? namely, "all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them"
(Matthew 4:8). That the kingdom of the Antichrist will be much wider
than Palestine appears from Daniel 11:40-42--"And at the time of the
end shall the king of the South push at him (the Antichrist): and the
king of the North (the Antichrist, as King of Babylon) shall come
against him (the King of the South) like a whirlwind, with chariots,
and with horsemen, and with many ships: and he (the Antichrist) shall
enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. He (the
Antichrist) shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his
(the Antichrist's) hand, even Edom and Moab, and the chief of the
children of Ammon. He (the Antichrist) shall stretch forth his hand
upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape." From this
scripture it is also clear that the Antichrist will be at the head of
a great army and therefore must be a political ruler as well as a
religious chief.
In the seventh place, it is generally agreed among those students of
prophecy who belong to the Futurist school, that the rider upon the
four horses in Revelation 6 is the Antichrist. If this be the case,
then we have further proof that the Antichrist and the Head of the
revived Roman Empire is one and the same person. This may be seen by
comparing three scriptures. In Revelation 6:8, of the rider on "the
pale horse," we read, "His name that sat on him was Death and Hell
followed with him." In Isaiah 28:18, those who will be in Jerusalem
during the Tribulation period are addressed by Jehovah as follows:
"And your covenant with Death shall be disannulled, and your agreement
with Hell shall not stand." What "covenant" can this be, except the
one mentioned in Daniel 9:27, where we read of the Roman Prince (the
Head of the revived Roman Empire) confirming the covenant with the
many for seven years? Now reverse the order of these three passages,
and what do we learn? In Daniel 9:27 we learn that the Head of the
Roman Empire makes a covenant with the Jews. In Isaiah 28:18 this
covenant is said to have been made with Death and Hell." While in
Revelation 6:8 the rider on the pale horse (whom it is generally
admitted is the Antichrist) is named "Death and Hell." Hence, from
whatever angle we approach the subject it is seen that the Antichrist
is the Head of the fourth world-kingdom.
_________________________________________________
Contents | Forward | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Conclusion
____________________________________________________
About Us
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The Antichrist by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 12
Types of The Antichrist
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"In the volume of the book it is written of Me" (Heb. 10:7), said the
Lord Jesus. Christ is the key to the Scriptures--"Search the
Scriptures...they are they which testify of Me," are His words; and
the Scriptures to which He had reference were not the four Gospels,
for they were not then written, but the writings of Moses and the
prophets. The Old Testament Scriptures, then, are something more than
a compilation of historical narratives, something more than the record
of a system of social and religious legislation, or a code of ethics.
The Old Testament Scriptures are, fundamentally, a stage on which is
shown forth, in vivid symbolry, stupendous events then future. The
events recorded in the Old Testament were actual occurrences, yet were
they also typical prefigurations. Throughout the Old Testament
dispensations God caused to be shadowed forth things which must yet
come to pass. This is in full accord with a basic law in the economy
of God. Nothing is brought to maturity at once. As it is in the
natural world, so it is in the spiritual: there is first the blade,
then the ear, and then the full corn in the ear. So there is first the
shadow, and then the substance; the type, and then the antitype.
"Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our
learning" (Rom. 15:4). Israel's tabernacle was "a figure for the time
then present" (Heb. 9:8,9), as well as the example and "shadow of
heavenly things" (Heb. 8:5). Concerning the history of Abraham, his
wives and his children, the apostle was inspired to write "which
things are an allegory" (Gal. 4:24). These and other passages which
might be quoted witness plainly to the typical meaning of portions of
the Old Testament. But there are some brethren who will own the
typical significance of these things, who refuse to acknowledge that
anything else in the Old Testament has a typical meaning save those
which are expressly interpreted or mentioned in the New. But surely
this is a mistake. Ought we not to regard those Old Testament types
which are expounded in the New Testament as samples of others which
are not explained? Are there no more prophecies in the Old Testament
than those which in the New Testament are expressly said to be
"fulfilled"? Assuredly there are. Then why not admit the same in
connection with the types? Nothing is said in the New Testament that
the history of Joseph has a profound and wonderful typical
significance, yet who with anointed eyes can fail to see in the
experiences of Jacob's favorite son a remarkable foreshadowing of the
person and work of Christ!
There will probably be few who read this chapter that will dispute
what we have said above. No doubt the majority of our readers have
already been instructed in much of the typology of the Old Testament.
Many of God's servants have written at length upon the Passover, the
brazen serpent, the Tabernacle, etc., as well as upon the many ways in
which such men as Abel, Noah, Isaac, Moses, David, etc. prefigured the
Savior. But strange to say, very little seems to have been written
upon those who adumbrated the Antichrist. So far as we are aware
practically nothing has been given out concerning the many Bible
characters of ill fame, who foreshadowed that coming one, that
occupies such a prominent place in the prophetic scriptures. A wide
field is here opened for study, and we take pleasure in now submitting
to the careful perusal of the reader the results of our own imperfect
researches, hoping that it may lead others to make a more complete
examination of the subject for themselves.
It was well said by one of the Continental Puritans that "When we read
the Scriptures, we are to judge beforehand, that then only do we
understand them, when we discover in them a wisdom unsearchable and
worthy of God" (Witsius). Such is the inexhaustible fullness of the
written Word of God that not only are its words significant of things,
but even the things, which are first signified by the words, also
represent other things, which they were appointed to prefigure long
before they happened. Besides the plain and literal sense of
Scripture, there is also a mystical sense, hidden beneath the surface
and which can only be discovered as we, in dependence on the Holy
Spirit, diligently compare scripture with scripture. In pursuing the
latter we need not only to proceed with due caution, but in "fear and
trembling," lest we devise mysteries of of our own imagination, and
thus pervert to one use what belongs to another. The principle which
will safeguard us is to thoroughly acquaint ourselves with the
antitypes. Let nothing be regarded as a type unless we are sure there
is an exact correspondence with the antitype. This will preserve us
from erroneously supposing that any person who is clearly a type of
either Christ or the Antichrist is so in every detail of his life.
Thus Moses was plainly a type of Christ as our Mediator, and in many
other respects too, but in his failures and in other details of his
personal history he was not a type of Christ. So, too, with those who
foreshadowed the Antichrist: not everything recorded of them
prefigured the character or deeds of the Man of Sin. Should it still
be inquired, How are we to ascertain in which respects the actions of
Old Testament characters were, and were not, typical? the answer, as
given above, is, By comparing the antitype. This will save us from the
wild allegorizing of Origen and others of the "Fathers." We shall now
look at ten Bible characters, each of which strikingly typified the
Antichrist.
1. Cain. It is indeed solemn to discover that the very first man born
into this world prefigured the Man of Sin. He did so in a least seven
respects. First, we may observe that in 1 John 3:12 we are told "Cain
was of that Wicked One, i.e. the Devil. Of none other is this
particular expression used. The Antichrist will also, in a special
sense, be "of that Wicked one," for the Devil is said to be his father
(John 8:44). Second, Cain was a religious hypocrite. This is seen in
the fact that at first he posed as a worshipper of God, but the
emptiness of his pretensions were quickly evidenced; for, when the
Lord refused his offering, Cain was "very wroth" (Gen. 4:5). As such
he clearly prefigured that one who will first claim to be the Christ,
only to stand forth later as His denier (1 John 2:22). Third, by his
primogeniture Cain occupied the position of ruler. Said the Lord to
him, "Unto to thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him,"
that is, over Abel (Gen. 4:7). Such, too, will be the position filled
by the Antichrist--he shall be a Ruler over men. Fourth, in murdering
his brother Abel, Cain foreshadowed the wicked martyrdom of the
Tribulation saints by the Son of Perdition. Fifth, Cain was a liar.
After the murder of Abel, when the Lord asked Cain, "Where is Abel thy
brother?," he answered, "I know not" (Gen. 4:9). In like manner deceit
and falsehood will characterize him who is appropriately named "the
Lie" (2 Thess. 2:11). Sixth, God's judgment descended upon Cain. So
far as we know from the Scripture record, no human eye witnessed the
dastardly murder of Abel, and doubtless Cain deemed himself secure
from any penal consequences. But if so, he reckoned without God. The
Lord announced to him, "Thy brother's blood crieth unto Me from the
ground," and then He declared, "And now art thou cursed from the
earth" (Gen. 4:10). So, too, in his reckless conceit , the Antichrist
will imagine that he can defy God and slay His people with impugnity.
But his blasphemous delusions will be quickly dispelled. Seventh, Cain
was made to exclaim, "My punishment is greater than I can bear" (Gen.
4:13). Such indeed will be the awful portion meted out to the
Antichrist--he shall be "cast alive into the lake of fire burning with
brimstone" (Rev. 19:20).
2. Lamech. And Lamech said unto his wives: Adah and Zillah, hear my
voice; "Ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: For I have slain a
man for wounding me, and a young man for bruising me. If Cain shall be
avenged sevenfold, Truly Lamech seventy and seven fold" (Gen. 4:23,24,
R. V.). The record of this man's life is exceedingly brief, but from
the little that is recorded about him we may discover at least seven
parallelisms between him and the Antichrist. First, the meaning of his
name. Lamech signifies "powerful." This was an appropriate name for
one who foreshadowed the Man of Sin who, as the Head of the United
States of the World, will be powerful governmentally. He will also be
mighty in his person, for we are told that the Dragon shall give power
unto him (Rev. 13:4). Second, in the fact that Lamech was a descendant
of Cain (Gen. 4:17-19), not Seth, we see that he sprang from the evil
line. Third, he was the seventh from fallen Adam, as though to
intimate that the cycle of depravity was completed in him. So the
Antichrist will be not only the culmination of satanic craft and
power, but as well, the climax of human wickedness--the Man of Sin.
Fourth, the first thing predicted of Lamech is his "lawlessness."
"Lamech took unto him two wives" (Gen. 4:19). As such he violated the
marriage law and disobeyed the command of God (Gen. 2:24). Clearly,
then, he foreshadowed the "Lawless One" (2 Thess. 2:8, R.V.). Fifth,
like Cain before him, Lamech was a murderer. His confession is, "I
have slain a man for wounding me, and a young man for bruising me"
(Gen. 4:23). In this, too, he foreshadowed the Man of blood and of
violence. Sixth, he was filled with pride. This comes out in two
details. First, he says to his wives, "Hear my voice; Ye wives of
Lamech, hearken unto my speech" (Gen. 4:23). Second, in his arrogant
self-importance--"If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly LAMECH
seventy and seven fold" (Gen. 4:24). This appears to mean that Lamech
had slain a man for wounding him, and mad with passion, he jeered
ironically at God's dealings with Cain. Seventh, in the fact that the
very next thing recorded after the brief notice of Lamech is the birth
of Seth (the one from whom, according to the flesh, Christ descended)
who set aside the line of Cain--for on his birth Eve exclaimed, "God
hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel whom Cain slew" (Gen.
4:25)-- thus we have a beautiful foreshadowing of the millennial reign
of the Lord Jesus following the overthrow of the Antichrist.
3. Nimrod. This personal type of the Antichrist is deeply interesting
and remarkable full in its details. His exploits are recorded in
Genesis 10 and 11, and it is most significant that his person and
history are there introduced at the point immediately preceding God's
call of Abraham from among the Gentiles and His bringing him into the
promised land. Thus will history repeat itself. Just before God again
gathers Abraham's descendants from out of the lands of the Gentiles
(many, perhaps the majority of whom, will be found dwelling in
Chalden, in Assyria, the "north country" see Isaiah 11:11; Jeremiah
3:18, etc.) there will arise one who will fill out the picture here
typically outlined by Nimrod.
Let us examine the details of this type. First, the meaning of his
name is most suggestive. Nimrod signifies "The Rebel." A fit
designation was this for a man that foreshadowed the Lawless One, who
shall oppose and exalt himself above all that is called God (2 Thess.
2:4), and who shall "stand up against the Prince of princes" (Dan.
8:25). Second, we are told that he was a son of Cush--"And Cush begat
Nimrod" (Gen. 10:8), and Cush was a son of Ham, who was curst by Noah.
Nimrod, then, was not a descendant of Shem, from whom Christ sprang,
nor of Japheth; but he came from Ham. It is remarkable that these men
who typified the Antichrist came from the evil line. Third, we are
told that Nimrod "began to be a mighty one in the earth" (Gen. 10:8).
Four times over is this term "mighty" connected with this one who
prefigured him "whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all
power and signs and lying wonders" (2 Thess. 2:9). But observe that it
is first said, "He began to be mighty," which seems to suggest the
idea that he struggled for the pre-eminence and obtained it by mere
force of will. How this corresponds with the fact that the Man of Sin
first appears as "the little horn" and by force of conquest attains to
the position of King of kings needs only to be pointed out. It is also
significant that the Hebrew word for "mighty" in Genesis 10:9 is
"gibbor" which is translated several times "Chief" and "Chieftain."
Fourth, it is also added, "Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord"
which means that he pushed his designs in brazen defiance of his
Maker. The words "mighty hunter before the Lord" are found twice in
Genesis 10:9. This repetition in so short a narrative is highly
significant. If we compare the expression with a similar one in
Genesis 6:11,--"The earth also (in the days of Noah) was corrupt
before God"--the impression conveyed is that this "Rebel" pursued his
impious designs in open defiance of the Almighty. The contents of
Genesis 11 abundantly confirm this interpretation. In like manner, of
the Antichrist it is written, "And the King shall do according to his
will, and he shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god
(ruler), and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods"
(Dan. 11:36). Fifth, Nimrod was a "Man of Blood." In 1 Chronicles
1:10--"And Cush begat Nimrod; he began to be mighty upon the earth."
The Chaldea paraphrase of this verse says, "Cush begat Nimrod who
began to prevail in wickedness for he slew innocent blood and rebelled
against Jehovah." This, coupled with the expression "a mighty Hunter
before the Lord," suggests that he relentlessly sought out and slew
God's people. As such, he accurately portrayed the bloody and
deceitful Man (Ps. 5:6), the violent Man (Ps. 140:1). Sixth, Nimrod
was a King--"the beginning of his kingdom was Babel" (Gen. 10:10. Thus
he was King of Babylon, which is also one of the many titles of the
Antichrist (Isa. 14:4). In the verses which follow in Genesis 10 we
read, "He went out into Assyria and builded Ninevah, and the city
Rehoboth, and Calah," etc. (Gen. 10:11). From these statements it is
evident that Nimrod's ambition was to establish a world empire.
Seventh, mark his inordinate desire for fame. His consuming desire was
to make for himself a name. Here again the antitype marvelously
corresponds with the type, for the Man of Sin is expressly denominated
"King over all the children of pride" (John 14:34).
What is recorded in Genesis 10 about Nimrod supplies the key to the
first half of Genesis 11 which tells of the building of the Tower of
Babel. Genesis 10:10 informs us that the beginning of Nimrod's kingdom
was Babel. In the language of that day Babel meant "the gate of God,"
but afterwards, because of the judgment which the Lord there
inflicted, it came to mean "Confusion." That at the time Nimrod
founded Babel this word signified "the gate (the figure of official
position) of God," intimates that he not only organized an imperial
government over which he presided as king, but that he also instituted
a new and idolatrous system of worship. If the type be perfect, and we
are fully assured it is so, then, as the Lawless One will yet do,
Nimrod demanded and received Divine honors. In all probability, it was
at this point that idolatry was introduced.
Nimrod is not directly mentioned in Genesis 11, but from the
statements made about him in chap. 10 there cannot be any doubt that
he was the "Chief" and "King" who organized and headed the movement
and rebellion there described: "And they said, Go to, let us build us
a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make
us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole
earth" (Gen. 11:4). Here we behold a most blatant defiance of God, a
deliberate refusal to obey His commands given through Noah--"Be
fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth" (Gen. 9:1). But they
said, "Let us make us a name lest we be scattered upon the face of the
whole earth." As we have seen, Nimrod's ambition was to establish a
world-empire. To accomplish this two things, at least, were necessary.
First, a center, a great headquarters; and second, a motive for the
inspiration and encouragement of his followers. The former was
furnished in the city of Babylon: the latter was to be supplied in the
"let us make us a name." It was inordinate desire for fame. The idea
of the Tower (considered in the light of its setting) seems that of
strength, a stronghold, rather than eminence.
To sum up. In Nimrod and his schemes we behold Satan's initial attempt
to raise up an universal ruler of men. In his inordinate desire for
fame, in the mighty power that he wielded, in his ruthless and brutal
methods, in his blatant defiance of the Creator, in his founding of
the kingdom of Babel, in his assuming to himself Divine honors, in the
fact that the Holy Spirit has placed the record of these things just
before the inspired account of God's bringing Abraham into
Canaan--pointing forward to the re-gathering of Israel in Palestine,
immediately after the overthrows of the Lawless One--and finally, in
the Divine destruction of his kingdom--described in the words, "Let Us
go down and there confound their language" (Gen. 11:7), which so
marvelously pictures the descent of Christ from heaven to vanquish His
impious rival--we cannot fail to see that we have a wonderfully
complete typical picture of the person, the work, and the destruction
of the Antichrist.
4. Chedorlaomer. The history of this man is recorded in Genesis 14
which is a chapter of deep interest to the student of typology. The
chapter opens with the words "And it came to pass in the days" of."
This is an expression which occurs six times (in the Hebrew) and
always marks a time of trouble ending in blessing--cf Ruth 1:11;
Isaiah 7:1; Jeremiah 1:3; Esther 1:1; 2 Samuel 21:1" (Companion
Bible). Such is plainly the case here. The first half of Genesis 14
depicts Tribulation conditions, and this is followed by a scene
foreshadowing millennial glory. The time when Chedorlaomer lived is
the first point in the type. His history is recorded just before the
first mention of Melchizedek, the priest-king, who came forth and
blessed Abraham--an unmistakable foreshadowment of Christ in
millennial glory, blessing Israel. Second, the name of this man is
highly significant. Gesenius, in his lexicon, says of the word `a
handful of sheaves'...perhaps its true etymology should be sought in
the ancient Persian." The latter is doubtless correct, for "Elam," of
which Chedorbaomer was king (Gen. 14:1), is the ancient name for
Persia. Col. Rawlinson searched for his name on the tablets of ancient
Assyria, and there he found that his official title was, "Ravager of
the west"! Thus was he a true type of the coming one who shall wade
through a sea of blood to his coveted position as Emperor of the
world. Third, it is indeed remarkable to find that just as Revelation
13:1 shows us that the empire of which the Antichrist will be the Head
(see our notes on this verse in Chapter 11) includes within it the
territory and perpetuates the characteristics of the earlier empires
(Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome), so dominions: "And it came to
pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar,
Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations." Now "Shinar" is
one of the names of Babylon (see Daniel 1:2); "Elam" is the ancient
name of Persia' "Ellasar" is translated "Hellas" in the Sept., which
is the ancient name of Greece; while "Tidal king of the nations"
evidently stands for Rome, the last of the world empires. Fourth, but
what is even more striking, is the fact that in Genesis 14:5
Chedorlamoer is seen at the head of the kings mentioned in Genesis
14:1. They act as his vassals, and thus bow to the superiority of this
one who was evidently a King of kings. Fifth, Chedorlaomer was a
warrior of renown. He was the Attila, the Napoleon of his day. He
defeated in battle the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and brought them
into subjection and servitude (see Genesis 14:2-4). Later, they
rebelled, and gathering his forces together he went forth, vanquished,
and slew them (Gen. 14:9, 10). Thus did he foreshadow the Destroyer of
the Gentiles (Jer. 4:7). Sixth, in Genesis 14:12 we read, "And they
took Lot, Abraham's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods,
and departed." This prefigured the persecution of Israel by Antichrist
and his subordinates in a coming day. Finally, we learn how that
Abraham and his servants pursued Chedorlaomer and his forces, and that
"Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him" were slain "in the
kings dale" (Gen. 14:17), which strikingly adumbrated the future
overthrow of Antichrist and the kings who shall be with him, in the
dale of Megiddo (see Revelation 19:19).
5. Pharaoh. We have in mind the Pharaoh of the book of Exodus. His
history and character are described at much greater length than the
other personal types of the Antichrist which have been before us, and
therefore more parallelisms are to be found here. We shall aim to be
suggestive rather than exhaustive. First, Pharaoh was king of Egypt
which, in Scripture, is the lasting symbol of the world. In like
manner, the one whom he so strikingly prefigured will be Head of the
world-kingdom. Second, the Pharaoh of Exodus came from Assyria (Isa.
52:4); so also will the Antichrist first rise in that land. Third,
Exodus 1 presents him to our view as the merciless persecutor of the
Hebrews, embittering their lives by hard bondage. Fourth, he is next
seen as the one who sought to cut off Israel from being a nation,
giving orders that all the male children should be slain in infancy.
Fifth, he was the blatant defier of God. When Moses and Aaron appeared
before him and said, "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let My people
go, that they may hold a feast unto Me in the wilderness," his
arrogant reply was, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to
let Israel go?" (Ex. 5:1,2). Sixth, God's two witnesses performed
miracles before Pharaoh (Ex. 7:10); so, too, will God's two witnesses
in the Tribulation period work miracles before the Beast (Rev.
11:6,7). Seventh, Pharaoh had magical resources at his disposal (Ex.
7:11), as the Antichrist will have at his (2 Thess. 2:9). Eighth,
Pharaoh made fair promises to the Hebrews, only to break them (Ex.
8:8,15). In this, too, he foreshadowed the Antichrist in his perfidy
and treachery toward Israel. Ninth, he met with a drastic end at the
hands of God (Ps. 136:15). Tenth, he was overthrown at the time that
Israel started out for the promised land: so Antichrist will be cast
into the Lake of Fire just before Israel enters into everlasting
possession of their promised inheritance. In all of these ten respects
(and in others which the student may search out for himself) Pharaoh
was a striking and accurate type of the Antichrist.
6. Abimelech. First, Abimelech signifies "father of the king." Gideon,
deliverer of Israel, was his father. But his mother was a concubine,
and this name was given to him, no doubt, for the purpose of hiding
the shame of his birth. Looking from the type to the antitype--"Father
of the King"--all attention to the satanic origin of the Antichrist.
Second, Abimelech slew seventy of his own brethren (Judg. 9:5), and
was therefore a bloody persecutor of Israel. Third, Judges 9:6, 22
tell us that he was "king over Israel." Fourth, it is significant to
note that he occupied the throne at the time of Israel's apostasy (see
Judges 8:33, 34). Fifth, it is also most suggestive that we are told
he commenced his career at the stone (Judg. 9:6), or pillar, which
Joshua erected in Ebal (facing Gerizim), the mount where all the
curses of a broken law were announced--Deuteronomy 11:29; 27:4, 12,
13; Joshua 8:30. Sixth, he was a mighty warrior, a violent man (see
Judges 9:40-50, and cf. Psalm 140:1 for the Antichrist as such).
Seventh, he was slain by the sword (Judg. 9:54 and see Zechariah 11:7;
Revelation 13:3 for the antitype).
7. Saul. In at least ten respects Saul foreshadowed the Antichrist.
Almost the first thing told us about Saul is that he was "from his
shoulders and upward higher than any of the people" (1 Sam. 9:2, which
is repeated in 10:23). As such he fitly prefigured the coming
Super-man, who in intelligence, governmental power, and satanic might,
will so tower above all his contemporaries that men shall exclaim,
"Who is like unto the Beast?" (Rev. 13:4). Second, Saul was king of
Israel (1 Sam. 10:24), so also will the Antichrist be. Third, Saul was
a priest-king, blatantly performing the office of the Levite (see 1
Samuel 13:9, and cf. Ezekiel 21:25,26 R. V.). Fourth, the time of his
reign was immediately before that of David, as that of the Antichrist
will immediately precede that of David's Son and Lord. Fifth, he was a
mighty warrior (see 1 Samuel 11:11; 13:1-4; 15:4; 7:8). Sixth, he was
a rebel against God (1 Sam. 15:11). Seventh, he hated David (1 Sam.
18:7,8,11; 26:2, etc.). Eighth, he slew the servants of God (1 Sam.
22:17,18). Ninth, he had intercourse with the powers of evil (1 Sam.
29).] Tenth, he died by the sword (1 Sam. 31:4).
8. Goliath. First, his name means "Soothsayer" which at once connects
him with the powers of evil. Second, he was a giant, and thus, like
Saul, prefigured the Super-man. Third, he was the enemy of Israel.
Fourth, his consuming egotism was displayed in his blatant challenge,
"I defy the armies of Israel" (1 Sam. 17:10). Fifth, the mysterious
number 666 (the number of the Antichrist) is connected with Goliath.
Note the three sixes. (a) He was six cubits high (1 Sam. 17:4). (b)
Six pieces of armor are enumerated--helmet, coat of mail, greaves,
target, staff, and shield (1 Sam. 17:5-7). (c) His spear's head
weighed six hundred shekels of iron (1 Sam. 17:7). Sixth, he was slain
by the sword (see 1 Samuel 17:51). Seventh, he was slain by
David--type of Christ. In each of these respects he foreshadowed the
Antichrist.
9. Absalom. First, the meaning of his name is very significant.
"Absalom" means "father of peace." A careful reading of his history
reveals the fact that, again and again, he posed as a man of peace,
while war was in his heart. So the Antichrist will pose as the
promised Prince of peace, and for a time it will appear that he has
actually ushered in the Millennium. But ere long his violent and
bloody character will be revealed. Second, Absalom was the son of
David, and therefore a Jew. Third, but Absalom was a son of David by
Maacah, the daughter of the Gentile king of Jeshur (2 Sam. 3:3). So,
too, will the Antichrist be a veritable king among men. Fifth, Absalom
was a man of blood (2 Sam. 13,etc.). Sixth, Absalom sought to obtain
the kingdom by flatteries (2 Sam. 15:2-6); cf. Daniel 11:21,23.
Seventh, he cloaked his rebellion by a pretense of religion (read 2
Samuel 15:7,8). Eighth, he was the immediate cause of the faithful
followers of David being driven from Jerusalem into the wilderness (2
Sam. 15:14-16). Ninth, he reared up a pillar unto himself (2 Sam.
18:18), which clearly foreshadowed the image which the Antichrist will
cause to be set up unto himself. Tenth, he met with a violent end (2
Sam. 18:14).
There are quite a number of others who foreshadowed the Antichrist in
one or more of the outstanding features of his character and career.
For instance, there is Balak who, accompanied by Baalam the prophet
sought to curse and destroy Israel--a striking foreshadowing of the
Beast with his ally the False Prophet. There is Adoni-zedek, mentioned
in Joshua 10, and who headed a federation of ten kings; it is
remarkable that his name signifies "lord of righteousness" which is
what the Antichrist will claim to be as he comes forth on the white
horse (Rev. 6). Then there is Adoni-kam, with whom is associated the
mystical number 666--see Ezra 2:13; and how profoundly significant
that his name signifies "the Lord hath risen." We believe that this
mystic number in connection with the Antichrist will apply to him only
after his resurrection--and six the number of man! Sennacherib (2
Kings 18) prefigured the Antichrist in a number of ways: as the king
of Assyria, the blatant defier of God, smitten by the sword, etc.
Haman, four times denominated "the Jews' enemy" (Esther 3:10, etc.),
and termed "the adversary" (Esther 7:6), was another typical
character. Nebuchadnezzar, king of kings, who demanded universal
worship, who set up an image to himself, and decreed that all should
worship it under pain of death, etc., manifestly pointed forward to
the Man of Sin, and so we might continue. Almost every prominent
feature of the Antichrist's person and career was foreshadowed by some
Old Testament character. The subject is intensely interesting, and we
trust that many of our readers will be encouraged to pursue it further
for themselves. In closing this chapter we shall look at one New
Testament type of the Antichrist.
10. Herod. At the beginning of the New Testament there meets us a
typical foreshadowing of the Antichrist. We refer to what is recorded
in Matthew 2. The description there furnished of Herod obviously
contains a prophetic adumbration of his great prototype. Notice,
first, that three times over he is denominated "the king" (vv. 1,3,9),
as such he prefigured the last great king, before the appearing of the
King of kings. Second, observe his hypocrisy. When the "wise men," who
had followed the star which heralded the Savior's birth, were summoned
into Herod's presence, we are told that he said unto them, "Go and
search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found Him,
bring me word again, that I may come and worship Him also" (v. 8).
That nothing could have been further from his mind is plain from his
subsequent acts. But, nevertheless, he first posed as a devout
worshipper. Such is the role that the Antichrist will first fill in
Palestine. Third, next he threw off his religious mask and displayed
his wicked heart: "Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the
wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the
children that were in Bethlehem," etc. (v. 16). Similarly will the
Antichrist act in Jerusalem.l Three and one half years before his end
comes he will discard his religious pretensions and stand forth in his
true character. Fourth, in this edict of slaying the young children in
Bethlehem and the coasts thereof, he was aiming, of course, at Christ
Himself. Thus did he accurately foreshadow that one who will yet
fulfill the terms of Genesis 3:15, where we read of a double
"enmity"--between Satan and the woman (Israel), and between her Seed
(Christ) and the Serpent's "seed" (the Antichrist." In the fifth
place, we may also discover in Herod's destruction of the children, a
forecast of the fiendish assaults which the Antichrist will make upon
the Jews, when he seeks to cut them off from being a nation. In the
sixth place, we may note how the consequence of Herod's cruelty will
reappear in the future--"In Ramah was there a voice heard,
lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her
children, and would not be comforted, because they are not" (Matthew
2:18). This is a quotation from Jeremiah 31:15. But like most, if not
all, prophecies, this will receive another and final fulfillment at
the close of the Tribulation period. Our authority for this is found
in the words which immediately follow in Jeremiah 31: "Thus saith the
Lord, Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for
thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they shall come again
from the land of the Enemy. And there is hope in thine end, saith the
Lord, that thy children shall come again to their own border." Thus it
is clear that "bitter weeping and lamentation" will again be heard in
Ramah just before Christ returns and restores Israel. Seventh, the
accuracy of the typical picture supplied by Matthew 2 may be
discovered in the failure of Herod to destroy the Christ-child. Just
as God foiled Herod, so will He yet bring to nought the wicked designs
of the Antichrist; and just as we read of Christ coming and dwelling
at Nazareth after the death of Herod, so Christ shall again dwell in
that land after the death of the false King. Surely, this remarkable
typical picture of the Antichrist should cause us to search more
diligently for other esoteric allusions to him in the New Testament.
_________________________________________________
Contents | Forward | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Conclusion
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A. W. Pink Header
The Antichrist by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 13
Babylon and the Antichrist
_________________________________________________
We arrive now at a branch of our subject upon which the Lord's people
are in evident need of instruction: they have less light here than on
most prophetic themes. And perhaps we should not be surprised at this.
The very name Babylon means confusion, and widely prevails the
confusion concerning it. Yet here and there God has raised up
individuals who have borne faithful testimony to the teaching of His
Word concerning the past and future of Babylon, and to their witness
the writer acknowledges his indebtedness. In view of the ignorance
which generally obtains we shall proceed the more cautiously. We here
propose to examine carefully the principal scriptures in the Old
Testament bearing upon our present theme.
"Babylon was a mighty city of old; its beginnings were in Shinar in
the days shortly after the flood; it played an important part in the
history of Israel and of Judea; it was the head of the kingdoms of the
earth in the days of Nebuchadnezzar; after its capture by the Medes
and Persians it fell from its high estate, but for some centuries
after Christ it was still a city of importance, and the head of a
district. In the New Testament it is first mentioned by Peter (1 Pet.
5:13), and here in the book that tells of the events that occur in the
Day of the Lord we read of it as a city again dominating the world,
and that at a time when Israelites are again prominent in the story of
the earth. Here, too, Babylon reappears in its ancient dual aspect,
political and social, the first city of earth and also the leader of
the worship and religion of the world powers. The site of old Babylon
is known at the present day; it covers a wide extent of ground, and
parts of it are inhabited, as for instance Hillah, where there are
some five or six thousand people. When the long-talked-of Euphrates
Valley Railway becomes a reality, Babylon will be one of the most
important places on the line" (Col. VanSomeron--"The Great
Unfolding"). This quotation supplies a brief but fairly comprehensive
outline of our subject.
The earliest mention of Babel in scripture is in connection with the
name of him who first after the deluge attained to greatness in the
earth--greatness apart from God. Nimrod was the grandson of Ham, who
called down upon him the curse of his father, Hoah. "The sons of Ham
were Cush...and Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the
earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord, and the beginning of
his kingdom was Babel, in the land of Shinar" (Gen. 10:7-10). Let the
reader turn back to the previous chapter for our comments on Nimrod as
a type of the Antichrist. "Thus mightiness in the earth and
commencement of kingly rule are first mentioned in connection with
one, the seat of whose power was Babylon and the land of Shinar.
Nimrod--Nebuchadnezzar--Antichrist, are, as we shall see, the three
great names connected with that region and with that city" (B.W.
Newton: "Babylon; Its Revival and Final Destruction"--1859).
The first mention of anything in scripture always calls for the most
particular attention, inasmuch as the initial occurrence of any term
or expression in the Word of God invariably defines its meaning and
forecasts its subsequent significance and scope. The passage just
quoted from Genesis 10 is inseparably connected with and is in fact
the key to what is found in Genesis 11. There we learn that the land
of Shinar is mentioned as the place where men first united in
confederate action against God. God had commanded that men should
spread abroad--Genesis 9:1. But they, in blatant defiance, preferred
to centralize. They determined to make for themselves a name, saying,
"Go to, Let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto
heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon
the face of the whole earth" (Gen. 11:4). And this, we are told, was
"In the land of Shinar" (Gen. 11:2). But the Lord interfered, came
down, confounded their speech, and scattered them--"And they left off
to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because
the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth," etc. (Gen.
11:8,9). Thus we see that at the beginning, the land of Shinar and the
city of Babylon were the scene of confederate evil, and of judgment
from the hand of God.
Shinar, then, was the land around Babel. Now, though the building of
the city of Babylon was checked during the days of Nimrod, yet his
kingdom was not overthrown. In Genesis 14:1 we read of "Amraphal king
of Shinar." It would appear from several scriptures that "the land of
Chaldea"--the capital of which was the city of Babylon--is but another
name for "the land of Shinar." In Daniel 5:30 Belshazzar is termed
"the king of the Chaldeans," while in Daniel 7:1 he is called "the
king of Babylon"--cf Isaiah 47:1; Jeremiah 50:8; 51:54; Ezekiel 12:13.
In addition to these passages, Daniel 1:2,3 seems to positively
establish this conclusion, for there we are expressly told that the
Babylon of Nebuchadnezzar's day was situated in "the land of Shinar"!
This serves to confirm the fact that Chaldea or Babylonia was the most
ancient of the early empires. It was from "Ur' of Chaldea (Gen. 11:28)
that Abram was called; and it was "the Chaldeans' who plundered Job
(Job 1:17); and in Joshua 7:21 we read of the "goodly Babylonish
garment" which tempted Achan, among the spoils of Jericho. In striking
accord with this is the statement found in Jeremiah 5:16, where the
Holy Spirit terms the Babylonians as "ancient" as well as a "mighty"
nation. After the days of Joshua, Babylon was not directly referred to
again till the days of Esar-Haddan, of whom it is said, "And the king
of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cutthah, and from Ava,
and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of
Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria,
and dwelt in the cities thereof" (2 Kings 17:24, and cf. Ezra 4:2).
Closely connected with the land of Shinar is Assyria. For a time the
supremacy alternated between Assyria and Babylonia, until in the days
of Nabapolasser, the father of Nebuchadnezzar, Nineveh was conquered
and Assyria became subject to Babylon.
But though Shinar and its capital are referred to in Genesis 10 and
11, and though there are occasional allusions to them in the centuries
that followed, it was not until Israel's apostasy had been fully
manifested that we find Babylon coming into the place of prominence
and dominion. "Until Jerusalem had been sufficiently tried, to see
whether she would prove herself worthy of being God's city, Babylon
was kept in abeyance. The founder of Babylon's greatness was that
great king who was raised up to scourge Jerusalem, and who commenced
the "Times of the Gentiles," by receiving from God that endowment of
power which was taken from Israel, and remains vested in the Gentiles,
till Jerusalem shall be forgiven and cease to be trodden down. It was
Nebuchadnezzar who `walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon.
The king spoke and said, Is not this great Babylon which I have built
for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power and for the
honor of my majesty?' (Dan. 4). The greatness of Babylon dates only
from Nebuchadnezzar" (B.W.N.).
The fifth chapter of Daniel tells how Belshazzar, the successor of
Nebuchadnezzar, was slain by Darius, who took over the kingdom.
Neither the city nor the kingdom was then destroyed, and so far from
it being made desolate and without inhabitant, it remained for long
centuries a city without inhabitant, it remained for long centuries a
city of note. Two hundred years after its capture by Darius, Alexander
the Great, after his conquest over the Persians, selected Babylon as
the intended capital of his vast dominion, and, in fact, died there.
In the first century of the Christian era Babylon still stood, for
Peter refers to a church there! (See 1 Peter 5:13). Several of the
church "Fathers" refer to Babylon, and at the beginning of the sixth
century A.D. the famous Babylonian Talmud was issued by the Academies
of Babylonia. Mr. Newton tells us that "Ivan Hankel in A.D. 917 speaks
of Babylon as a small village. Even in the tenth century, therefore,
it had not wholly disappeared." Slow and almost indiscernible was its
decline and decay. Even in this day there is still a small town,
Hillah, standing on the original site of ancient Babylon. What, then,
of the future?
That there will yet be another Babylon, a Babylon eclipsing the power
and glory of that of Nebuchadnezzar's day, has long been the firm
conviction of the writer. Nor are we by any means alone in this
conviction. A long list of honored names might be given of those who
have arrived, independently, at the conclusion that the Scriptures
plainly teach that Babylon is going to be rebuilt. But there is no
need to buttress our conviction by an appeal to human authority.
Better than the faith of the reader rest on the Word of God, than in
the wisdom of the best of men. Before we set forth some of the many
scripture proofs on which our conviction rests, let us ask, Would it
not be passing strange if Babylon had no place in the End-time?
Scripture tells us that Jerusalem, which has been so long trodden down
by the Gentiles, is to be restored by human agency, and have a
re-built temple (Matthew 24:15). Egypt and Assyria have yet an honored
future before them, as is clear from Isaiah 19:23,24. Moab, Edom, and
Seir are to figure in the coming day, as is intimated in Numbers
24:17,18. Greece awaits her final judgment from God (Zech. 9:13). And
so we might go on. Why, then, should Babylon be exempted from the
general renovation of the East?
But we are not left to logical deductions, the Word of God expressly
affirms that Babylon will play a prominent part at the Time of the
End. The empire over which the Antichrist will reign is described in
the identical symbols which were applied to the four world-kingdoms of
Daniel 7. In Daniel 7:3 Daniel beheld "four great beasts" come up from
the sea, and in Daniel 7:17 we are told "these great beasts, which are
four, are four kings (or kingdoms) which shall arise out of the
earth." These four beasts or kingdoms were the Babylonian, the
Medo-Persian, the Grecian, and the Roman. Daniel 7:4 says "The first
was like a lion." Daniel 7:5 says "The second was like a bear." Daniel
7:6 says the third was "like a leopard." Daniel 7:7 says the fourth
was "dreadful and terrible." Now, in Revelation 13:1, 2, where we have
a symbolical description of the empire which the Antichrist shall
head, we are told that John saw "a Beast rise up out of the sea," and
then it is added, "the Beast...was like unto a leopard, and his feet
were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion." Of
the fourth beast of Daniel 7 we read, "It had ten horns" (Dan. 7:7);
so in Revelation 13:1 the Beast there has "ten horns." Who, then, can
doubt that Revelation 13:1, 2 is given for the express purpose of
teaching us that the four great world-kingdoms of the past--not merely
the fourth but all of the four--are to be revived and restored at the
Time of the End? But as this point is disputed by some, we tarry to
advance further proof.
It is to be noted that the Beast (kingdom) of Revelation 13:1 is said
to have "seven heads." This has puzzled many of the commentators, but
once it is seen that the Beast of Revelation 13:1, 2 is a symbolic
description, first of a composite kingdom, made up of and perpetuating
the features of the four world-empires of old; and second, a symbolic
description of the one who shall head it, all difficulty disappears.
That we have here in Revelation 13:1, 2 a composite kingdom is clear
from the "seven heads." Now note that in Daniel 7 the first, second
and fourth kingdoms are not said to have more than one head, but the
third has four heads" (Dan. 7:6). Thus the beasts of Daniel 7 have,
three of them one head each, and the third four heads, or seven in
all; which tallies perfectly with Revelation 13:1. But even this does
not exhaust the proofs that the four kingdoms of Daniel 7 are to be
restored, and play their final parts immediately before the
Millennium.
If the reader will turn to Daniel 2, which is parallel with Daniel
7--the "image in its four parts (the head, the breast and arms, the
belly and thighs, the legs and feet) corresponding with the four
beasts--it will be found that when we come to Daniel 7:45, which
speaks of Christ (under the figure of "the Stone cut out of the mount
without hands") returning to earth to destroy the forces of evil, and
then set up His kingdom, we discover that the Stone "brake in pieces
the iron (Rome), the brass (Greece), the clay (apostate Israel), the
silver (Medo-Persia), and the gold (Babylon). What we desire the
reader to note particularly is that the Stone strikes not only the
iron, but the brass, clay, silver, and gold; in fact, Daniel 7:35
tells us, expressly, they shall be "broken to pieces together"! If,
then, they are destroyed together, they must all be on the scene at
the time of Christ's return to earth to inaugurate His millennial
reign, and if so, each of them must have been revived and restored!!
As our present inquiry concerns not the renovation of Persia, Greece
and Rome, but only that of Babylon, we shall confine ourselves to the
scriptures which speak of the last mentioned.
1. Isaiah 13 and 14 contain a remarkable bearing directly on the theme
before us. It is termed in the opening verse. "The burden of Babylon."
It tells of the terrible judgment which God shall send on this city.
It speaks of the total and final destruction of it. It declares that
"Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees'
excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah." It
shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation
to generation (Isa. 13:19, 20). Now the one point pertinent to our
present inquiry is, Whether Isaiah 13 describes the doom which befell
the Babylon of Belshazzar's day, or the judgment which shall overtake
the Babylon of the coming day. Upon this point there is, for those who
desire to be subject to God's Word, no room for uncertainty. The sixth
verse expressly declares that this "burden of Babylon" is to receive
its fulfillment in "the Day of the Lord." This, we need hardly add, is
the name for that day which follows the present Day of Salvation (2
Cor. 6:2). If the reader will consult a concordance he will find that
"the Day of the Lord" never refers to a period now past, but always
has reference to one which is yet future! If any doubt remains as to
whether or not Isaiah 13 is speaking of a future day, the contents of
Isaiah 13:10 should forever remove it. There we are told that "the
stars of heaven and the constellation thereof shall not give their
light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon
shall not cause her light to shine." All students of prophecy will see
at a glance that these cosmic phenomena are w hat are to be witnessed
during the Tribulation period--cf. Matthew 24:29. There is not a hint
anywhere either in Scripture or (so far as we are aware) in secular
history, that such disturbances among the heavenly bodies occurred at
the captivity of Babylon by Darius. And it is at that time, in "the
Day of the Lord" when the sun is darkened and the moon shines not,
that Babylon is overthrown (Isa. 13:19). This one scripture is quite
sufficient to establish the futurity of Babylon and its coming
overthrow.
2. The 14th of Isaiah reads right on from 13, completing the "burden
of Babylon" there begun. It supplies further proof that there is to be
another Babylon. The chapter opens with a declaration of Israel's
coming restoration. It declares "the Lord will have mercy on Jacob,
and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land" (Isa.
14:1). It goes on to say, "It shall come to pass in the day that the
Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from
the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve, That thou shalt take
up this taunting speech against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath
the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!" (Isa. 14:3, 4). Should
the quibble be raised that these verses are speaking of the
restoration of Israel to Palestine following the captivity of
Nebuchadnezzar's time, it is easily silenced. The verses that follow
those just quoted make it unmistakably clear that this prophecy yet
awaits its fulfillment. Thus we read in Isaiah 14:7, 8, "The whole
earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing. Yea,
the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying,
Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us." The whole
earth never has been "at rest" since the days of Cain (except it were
during the brief period when the Word tabernacled among men). But it
will be during the Millennium! Notice, too, that following the
overthrow of "the golden city," Israel exclaims, "Since thou art laid
down, (laid low) no feller (no cutter off) is come up against us"!
This establishes, unequivocally, the time of which this prophecy
treats. Long after the days of Belshazzar, the Romans came up against
Israel and cut them off. But none shall do this again when the last
king of Babylon is destroyed!
Above, we have quoted to the end of the 8th verse of Isaiah 14. In the
9th verse the prophet suddenly turns from Babylon to its last king.
Verses 9 to 20 contain a striking portrait of the lofty arrogance and
fearful doom of the Man of Sin. Then, in verse 21, the "burden returns
again to the subjects of the Antichrist: "Prepare slaughter for his
children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor
possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities. For I
will rise up against them, saith the Lord of hosts, and cut off from
Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the Lord. I
will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water:
and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the Lord of
hosts" (Isa. 14:21-23). Finally, the prophet concludes with a parting
word concerning the Antichrist: "The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying,
Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have
purposed, so shall it stand: That I will break the Assyrian in my
land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke
depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.
This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is
the hand that is stretched upon all the nations. For the Lord of hosts
hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? And His hand is stretched
out, and who shall turn it back? (Isa. 14:24-27). Well has it been
said, "These are remarkable and significant words, and certainly we
cannot say they have been fulfilled. Will any one affirm that God's
purpose which He hath purposed upon the whole earth was accomplished
when Babylon was overthrown by the Medes and Persians? Did the hand
that was stretched out over all the nations, then fulfill its ultimate
designs? Was the Assyrian then trodden under foot in The Land, And On
The Mountains Of Israel, and, that at a time when the yoke of bondage
is finally broken from off the neck of Israel? If this were so we
should no longer see Jerusalem trodden down now. "The times of the
Gentiles' would have ended. Israel would be gathered, and Jerusalem be
"a praise in the earth." The concluding words of this prophecy,
therefore, might alone convince us that it yet remains to be
fulfilled" (B.W.N.).
3. We appeal next to the 50th chapter of Jeremiah. The opening verses
contain a prophecy which certainly has not received its complete
fulfillment in the past. It declares, "The words that the Lord spake
against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the
prophet. Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a
standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is
confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded,
her images are broken in pieces. For out of the north there cometh up
a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none
shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man
and beast. In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the
children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah
together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the Lord their
God. They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward,
saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual
covenant which shall not be forgotten" (Jer. 50:1-5). Mark carefully
three things in these verses. First, it is announced that the land of
Babylon shall be made so desolate that neither man nor beast shall
dwell therein. Second, the time for this is defined as being when
Israel and Judah together (and since the days of Rehoboam they have
never been united) shall "seek the Lord." Third, it is when Israel and
Judah shall join themselves to the Lord in "a perpetual covenant"!
Still more explicit is the time-mark in Jeremiah 50:20: "In those
days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall
be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and
they shall not be found."
4. The whole of Jeremiah 51 should be carefully studied in this
connection. Much in it we reserve for consideration in the two
chapters which will follow this. Here we simply call attention to
Jeremiah 51:47-49: "Therefore, behold, the days come, that I will do
judgment upon the graven images of Babylon: and her whole land shall
be confounded, and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her. Then
the heaven and the earth, and all that is therein, shall sing for
Babylon: for the Spoiler shall come upon her from the north, saith the
Lord. As Babylon hath caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at
Babylon shall fall the slain of all the earth." Surely little comment
is needed here. When did the slain "of all the earth" (i.e. of all
nations) fall in the midst of Babylon? And when did heaven and earth
and all that is therein rejoice at her overthrow? "When Babylon passed
into the hands of the Medes there was little occasion for such joy. It
made little difference to the earth whether Babylon was reigned over
by Chaldeans, or by Persians, or Greeks, or Romans. There was little
cause for thanksgiving in such transfer of authority from one proud
hand to another. But if there be a fall of Babylon that is to be
immediately succeeded by the kingdom of Him, of whom it is said, "All
nations shall call Him blessed."..then there is indeed sufficient
reason why heaven and earth, and all that is therein should sing"
(B.W.N.).
5. "Be in pain, and labor to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a
woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and
thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon;
there shalt thou be delivered; there the Lord shall redeem thee from
the hand of thine enemies" (Mic. 4:10). In the light of such
scriptures as Micah 5:3, Matthew 24:8 ("sorrows" literally means
"birth-pangs"), etc., there can be no room for doubt as to the time to
which this prophecy refers. It is at the close of the Great
Tribulation. And at that time a remnant of Israel will be found in
Babylon and they shalt be delivered by the Lord.
6. Both the prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah as will as the
Apocalypse speak of the immediateness of the blow which is to destroy
Babylon. "Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of
Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the
Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and
delicate...therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures,
that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart I am, and none
else besides me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the
loss of children: But these two things shall come to thee in a moment,
in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon
thee in thy perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the
great abundance of thine enchantments" (Isa. 47:1,8,9). "Babylon is
suddenly fallen and destroyed:; howl for her" (Jer. 51:8). "Alas,
alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is
thy judgment come" (Rev. 18:10). There has been nothing in the past
history of Babylon which in any wise corresponds with these
prophecies.
7. Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the Revelation each declare that Babylon
shall be burned with fire. "And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the
beauty of the Chaldees' excellency shall be as when God overthrew
Sodom and Gomorah" (Isa. 13:19). "The mighty men of Babylon have
forborne to fight, they have remained in their holes: their might hath
failed; they become as women: they have burned her dwelling places;
her bars are broken...Thus saith the Lord or hosts; the broad walls of
Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned
with fire" (Jer. 51:30, 58). "And cried when they saw the smoke of her
burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city!" (Rev.
18:18). We know of nothing in either Scripture or secular history
which shows that Babylon was burned in the past.
"But it will be said, perhaps, How can this be? Has not Babylon
already been smitten? Has it not already been swept with the besom of
destruction? Our answer is--Not at the time and with the concomitant
circumstances specified in the passage just quoted. It is true indeed
that the Euphratean countries have been smitten--sorely smitten under
the hand of God. God is wont in His goodness to give premonitory
blows. He is accustomed to warn before He finally destroys. Egypt,
Jerusalem, and many other places, have all experienced premonitory
desolations, and so has Babylon. Its present ruin (which came on it
slowly, and if I may so speak, gently), is a memorial of what God's
righteous vengeance can do, and a warning of what it will more
terribly do, if human pride in contempt of all His admonitions, shall
again attempt to rear its goodly palaces when He has written
desolation. But if it be the habit of God thus graciously to warn, it
is equally the habit of man to say, "The bricks are fallen down, but
we will build with hewn stone; the sycamores are cut down, but we will
change them into cedars'. Unbidden, the hand of man revived what God
had smitten (that is what happened in Chicago and San Francisco!
A.W.P.). Without therefore undervaluing the lesson given by past
visitations of God's judgments--without hiding, but rather seeking to
proclaim the reality and extent of the ruin, His holy hand has
wrought, we have also to testify, that the hand of man uncommissioned
from above will, sooner or later, reconstruct the fabric of its
greatness--its last evil greatness, on the very plains which teem with
the memorials of a ruin entailed by former and yet unrepented of
transgressions. Egypt, Damascus, Palestine, and in a measure,
Jerusalem, are already being revived. And if these and neighboring
countries which have been visited by inflictions similar to those
which have fallen on Babylon, are yet to revive and flourish with an
evil prosperity at the time of the end, why should Babylon be made an
exception?" (B.W.N.).
That the Antichrist will be intimately connected with the land of
Chaldae is clear from a number of scriptures, notably, those which
speak of him as "the Assyrian" and "the king of Babylon." But as this
is a disputed point we are obliged to pause and make proof of it. Let
us turn, then, first to Isaiah 10 and 11 which form one continuous
prophecy. We can not now attempt even an outline of this long and
interesting prediction, but must merely single out one or two
statements from it which bear on the point now before us.
In the fifth verse of Isaiah 10, the Lord addresses the Antichrist as
follows: "O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their
hand is mine indignation." This intimates, as pointed out in a
previous chapter, that the Son of Perdition is but a tool in the hands
of the Almighty, His instrument for threshing Israel. His consuming
egotism and haughtiness come out plainly in the verses that follow
(Isa. 10:7-11). But when God has accomplished His purpose by him, He
"will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and
the glory of his high looks" (Isa. 10:12). How this serves to identify
him with the "little horn" of Daniel 7:20, the Man of Sin of 2
Thessalonians 2:4!--cf further his proud boastings recorded in Isaiah
10:13,14. In 5:23 is another statement which helps us to fix with
certainty the period of which the prophet is speaking, and the central
actors there in view: "For a consummation, and that determined, shall
the Lord, the Lord of hosts, make in the midst of all the earth"
(R.V.). The words "consummation" and "that determined" occur again in
Daniel 9:27--"He (Antichrist) shall make it (the temple) desolate,
even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon
the Desolator." The "King of Assyria" and "the Desolator" are thus
shown to be the same. In Isaiah 10: 24 and 25 we read, "Therefore thus
saith the Lord God of hosts, O My people that dwellest in Zion, be not
afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift
up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt. For et a very
little while, and the indignation shall cease, and Mine anger in their
destruction." Clearly this is parallel with Daniel 11:36: "And the
King shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and
magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things
against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be
accomplished." In the 11th chapter of Isaiah there is a statement even
clearer, a proof conclusive and decisive: "And He shall smite the
earth with the rod of His mouth and with the breath of His lips shall
He slay the wicked" (Isa. 11:4). These very words are applied to the
Man of Sin in 2 Thessalonians 2:8.
In Isaiah 14 we have a scripture which very clearly connects the
Antichrist with Babylon. The opening verses (which really form a
parenthesis) tell of the coming restoration of Israel to Jehovah's
favor, and then in Isaiah 14:4 they are bidden to take up "a taunting
speech (marginal rendering) against the King of Babylon." The taunting
speech begins thus: "How hath the Oppressor ceased! the golden city
ceased! the Lord hath broken the staff of the Wicked" (Isa. 14:4, 5).
As to who is in view here there is surely no room for doubt. He is
Israel's Oppressor in the End-time; he is the Wicked One. In the
verses which follow there are many marks by which he may be positively
identified. In Isaiah 14:6 this "King of Babylon" is said to be "He
who smote the people (i.e. Israel) in wrath with a continual stroke."
In Isaiah 14:12 he is called "Lucifer (Day-star), Son of the morning,"
a title which marks him out as none other than the Son of Perdition.
Whatever backward reference to the fall of Satan there may be in this
verse and the ones that follow, it is clear that they describe the
blasphemous arrogance of the Antichrist. In 5:13 we read, "For thou
hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my
throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the
congregation, in the sides of the north." Then, in Isaiah 14:15 and 16
we are told, "Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of
the Pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and
consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble,
that did shake kingdoms? Clearly it is the Man of Sin that is here in
view.
In Isaiah 30 we have another scripture which links Antichrist with
Babylonia. Beginning at Isaiah 30:27 we read: "Behold, the name of the
Lord cometh from afar, burning with His anger, and the burning thereof
is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a
devouring fire: And his breath, as an over-flowing stream, shall reach
to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of
vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing
them to err. Ye shall have a song, as in the night when a holy
solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a
pipe to come into the mountain of the Lord, to the mighty One of
Israel." Clearly it is the very end of the Tribulation period which is
here in view. The reference is to the return of the Lord to earth in
great power and glory, when He shall overthrow those who are gathered
together against Him, and put an end to the awful career of the
Antichrist. Continuing, we find this passage in Isaiah 30 closes as
follows: "For through the voice of the Lord shall the Assyrian be
beaten down, which, smote with a rod. And in every place where the
grounded staff shall pass, which the Lord shall lay upon him, it shall
be with tabrets and harps: and in battles of shaking will he fight
with it. For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the King it is
prepared; He hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and
much wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth
kindle it"-- cf. "the breath of the Lord" here with Isaiah 11:4. For
further references to Antichrist and Assyria see Isaiah 7:17-20; 8:7,
etc.
The next two chapters will be devoted to a consideration of Babylon in
the New Testament, when Revelation 17 and 18 will come before us. May
the Lord in His grace give us the wisdom we so sorely need, and
preserve the writer and reader from all error.
_________________________________________________
Contents | Forward | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Conclusion
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A. W. Pink Header
The Antichrist by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 14
Babylon and the Antichrist (Continued)
_________________________________________________
In the last chapter we confined ourselves to the Old Testament, in
this and the one that follows we shall treat mainly of Babylon in
Revelation 17 and 18, though, of necessity, we shall examine these in
the light of Old Testament passages. In the previous chapter, we
briefly reviewed the Old Testament evidence which proves there is to
be a re-built Babylon, over which the Antichrist shall reign during
the Time of the End. Now as both the Old and New Testaments have one
and the same Divine Author, it cannot be that the latter should
conflict with the former. "If the Old and New Testaments treat of the
circumstances which are immediately to precede the Advent of the Lord
in glory, the substantive facts of that period must be alike referred
to in both. If the Old Testament declares that Babylon and `the land
of Shinar' is to be the focus of influential wickedness at the time of
the end, it it impossible that the Revelation, when professedly
treating of the same period, should be silent respecting such
wickedness, or respecting the place of its concentration. If the Old
Testament speaks of an individual of surpassing power who will connect
himself with this wickedness, and be the king of Babylon, and glorify
himself as God, it is not to be supposed that the Revelation should
treat of the same period and be silent respecting such an event. If,
therefore, in the Old Testament, the sphere be fixed--the locality
named--the individual defined--it is impossible that the Revelation,
when detailing the events of the same period, should alter the
localities, or change the individuals. There cannot be two sovereign
individuals, nor two sovereign cities in the same sphere at the same
time. If the mention of the "Land of Shinar', and of Assyria," and of
"the king of Babylon," be intended in the Old Testament to render our
thoughts fixed and definite, why should similar terms, applied in the
Revelation to a period avowedly the same, be less definite?" (B.W.
Newton).
Of Revelation 17 and 18 it has been well said, "There is, perhaps, no
section of the Apocalypse more fraught with difficulty than the
predictions concerning Babylon. Enigmatical and inconsistent with each
other as, at first sight, they seem to be, we need to give careful
attention to every particular, and much patient investigation of other
scriptures, if we would penetrate their meaning and possess ourselves
of their secret" (Mr. G.H. Pember, M.A.). In prosecuting our present
study we cannot do better than borrow again from the language of Mr.
Pember, "Nor is the present necessarily brief and imperfect essay
written in any spirit of dogmatic certainty that it solves the
mystery; but only as the conclusion, so far as light has been already
vouchsafed, to one who, having received mercy of the Lord, has been
led to much consideration of this and kindred subjects."
An exposition of the Revelation or any part thereof should be the last
place for dogmatism. Both at the beginning and close of the book the
Holy Spirit expressly states that the Apocalypse is a "prophecy" (Rev.
1:3; 22:19), and prophecy is, admittedly, the most difficult branch of
Scripture study. It is true that during the last century God has been
pleased to give His people not a little light upon the predictive
portions of His Word, nor is the Apocalypse to be excepted. Yet, the
more any one reads the literature on the subject, the more should he
become convinced that dogmatism here is altogether unseemly. During
the last fifteen years the writer has made it a point to read the
Revelation through carefully at least three times a year, and during
this period he has also gone through over thirty commentaries on the
last book of the Bible. A perusal of the varied and conflicting
interpretations advanced have taught him two things. First, the wisdom
of being cautious in adopting any of the prevailing views; second, the
need of patient and direct waiting on God for further light. To these
may be added a third, namely, the possibility, yea, the probability,
that many of the prophecies of the Revelation are to receive a double,
and in some cases, a treble, fulfillment.
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable."
This applies equally to the Prophets as to the Epistles, and it was
just as true five hundred years ago as it is today. That being so, the
right understanding of the final fulfillment of the prophecies in the
Revelation cannot be the only value that book possesses. There must
also be that in it which had a pertinent and timely message for the
people of God of this dispensation in each generation. There must be
that in which strengthened the faith of those saints who read it
during the "Dark Ages," and that which enabled them to detect and keep
clear from the which opposed to God and His Christ. In other words,
its prophecies must have received a gradual and partial fulfillment
all through the centuries of the Christian era, though their final
fulfillment be yet future. Such is the case with Revelation 17 and 18.
Ever since John received the Revelation there has always existed a
system which, in its moral features, has corresponded to the Babylon
of the 17th chapter. There exists such a system today; there will
exist such a system after the Church is raptured to heaven. And there
will also come into existence another and final system which will
exhaust the scope of this prophecy.
The position which the Apocalypse occupies in the Sacred Canon is
surely indicative of the character of its contents. The fact that it
is placed at the close, at once suggests that it treats of that which
concerns the end of things. Moreover, it is taken for granted that the
student of this sixty-sixth book of the Bible is already acquainted
with the previous sixty-five books. Scripture is self-interpreting,
and we may rest assured that whatever appears vague or difficult in
the last book of Scripture is due to our ignorance of the meaning of
the books preceding, and particularly of the Prophets. In the
Apocalypse the various streams of prediction, which may be traced
through the Old Testament Scriptures, are seen emptying themselves in
the sea of historical accomplishment. Or, to change the figure, here
we are given to behold the last act of the great Dispensational Drama,
the earlier acts of which were depleted in the writings of the seers
of Israel. And yet, as previously intimated, these final scenes have
already had a preliminary rehearsal during the course of the Christian
centuries.
It will thus be seen that we are far from sharing the views of those
who limit the prophecies of the Revelation to a single fulfillment. We
believe there is much of truth in both the Historical and Futurist
interpretations. We are in entire accord with the following words from
the pen of our esteemed brother, Mr. F.C. Jennings: "How many of the
controversies that have ruled, alas, amongst the Lord's people, have
been due to a narrow way of limiting the thoughts of God, and seeking
to confine or bend them by our own apprehension of them. How often
two, or more, apparently opposing systems of interpretation may really
both be correct; the breadth, the length, and height, and depth, of
the mind of God, including and going beyond both of them." Let us now
come more directly to our present theme.
The first time that Babylon is mentioned in the Apocalypse is in
Revelation 14:8: "And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is
fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink
of the wine of the wrath of her fornication." Now what is there here
to discountenance the natural conclusion that "Babylon" means Babylon?
Two or three generations ago, students of prophecy received
incalculable help from the simple discovery that when the Holy Spirit
spoke of Judea and Jerusalem in the Old Testament Scriptures He meant
Judea and Jerusalem, and not England and London; and that when He
mentioned Zion He did not refer to the Church. But strange to say,
few, if any of these brethren, have applied the same rule to the
Apocalypse. Here they are guilty of doing the very thing for which
they condemned their forebears in connection with the Old
Testament--they have "spiritualized." They have concluded, or rather,
they have accepted the conclusions of the Reformers, that Babylon
meant Papal Rome, ultimately being refined to signify apostate
Christendom. But what is there in Revelation 14:8 which gives any hint
that "Babylon" there refers to the Papal system? No; we believe that
this scripture means what it says, and that we need not the annals of
secular history to help us to understand it. What then? If to regard
"Jerusalem" as meaning Jerusalem be a test of intelligence in Old
Testament prophecy, shall we be counted a heretic if we understand
"Babylon" to mean Babylon, and not Rome or apostate Christendom?
The next reference to Babylon is in Revelation 16:18,19: "And there
were voices, and thunders, and lightenings; and there was a great
earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty
and earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into
three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon
came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine
of the fierceness of His wrath." The remarks just made above apply
with equal force to this passage too. Surely it is a literal city
which is in view, and which is divided into three parts by a literal
earthquake. If it does not mean this then the simple reader might as
well turn from the Apocalypse in dismay. More than a hint of the
literalness of this great city Babylon is found in the context, were
we read of the river Euphrates (Rev. 16:12). This is sufficient for
the writer: whether or not it is for the reader, we must leave with
him.
We come now to Revelation 17, and as soon as we read its contents we
are at once struck with the noticeable difference there is between it
and the other passages which have just been before us. Here the
language is no longer to be understood literally, but symbolically;
here the terms are not plain and simple, but occult and mysterious.
But God, in His grace, has provided help right to hand. He tells us
that here is "mystery" (v. 5). And what is more, He explains most (if
not all) of the symbols for us--see vv. 9,12,15,18. With these helps
furnished it ought not to be difficult to grasp the general outline.
The central figures in Revelation 17 are "the great whore," the
"scarlet-colored Beast," and the "ten horns." The Beast is evidently
the first Beast of Revelation 13. The "ten horns" are stated to be
"ten kings" (Rev. 17:12). Who, then, is figured by "the great Whore"?
There are a number of statements made concerning "the great
Whore"--"the woman"--"the mother of harlots"--which are of great help
toward supplying an answer to this question. First, it is said that
she "sitteth upon many waters" (Rev. 17:1), and in Revelation 17:15
these are said to signify "peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and
tongues." Second, it is said, "The kings of the earth have committed
fornication" with her (Rev. 17:2). Third, she is supported by "a
scarlet-colored Beast" (Rev. 17:3), and from what is said of this
Beast in Revelation 17:8 it is clear that he is the Antichrist, here
viewed at the head of the last world-empire. Fourth, the woman "was
arrayed in purple and scarlet color and decked with gold and precious
stones" (Rev. 17:4). Fifth, "Upon her forehead was a name
written--Mystery: Babylon the great," etc. (Rev. 17:5). Sixth, the
woman was "drunken with the blood of the saints and with the blood of
the martyrs" (Rev. 17:6). Seventh, in the last verse it is said, "And
the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over
the kings of the earth." These seven points give an analyzed summary
of what is here told us about this "woman."
Now the interpretation which has been most widely accepted is, that
the "Whore" of Revelation 17 pictures the Roman Catholic system.
Appeal is made to the fact that though she poses as a virgin, yet has
she been guilty of the most awful spiritual fornication. Unlike the
blessed One who, in His condescension and humiliation, had "not where
to lay His head," Romanism has coveted silver and gold, and has
displayed herself in meretricious luxury. She has had illicit
intercourse with the blood of saints. Other parallelisms between the
woman of Revelation 17 and the Roman Catholic system may be pointed
out. What, then, shall we say to these things?
The points of correspondence between Revelation 17 and the history of
Romanism are too many and too marked to be set down as mere
co-incidences. Undoubtedly the Papacy has supplied a fulfillment of
the symbolic prophecy found in Revelation 17. And therein has lain its
practical value for God's people all through the dark ages. It
presented to them a warning too plain to be disregarded. It was the
means of keeping the garments of the Waldenses (and many others)
unspotted by her filth. It confirmed the faith of Luther and his
contemporaries, that they were acting according to the revealed will
of God, when they separated themselves from that which was so
manifestly opposed to His truth. But, nevertheless, there are other
features in this prophecy which do not apply to Romanism, and which
compel us to look elsewhere for the complete and final fulfillment. We
single out but two of these.
In Revelation 17:5 Babylon is termed "the Mother of harlots and
abominations of the earth." Is this an accurate description of
Romanism? Were there no "harlot" systems before her? Is the Papacy the
mother of the "abominations of the earth"? Let scripture be allowed to
interpret scripture. In 1 Kings 11:50-7 we read of "Ashtoreth the
goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the
Ammonites...then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the
abomination of Moab, in the hill that was before Jerusalem, and for
Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon"! The Papacy had not
come into existence when John wrote the Revelation, so that she cannot
be held responsible for all the "abominations" which preceded her.
Again; in Revelation 17:2 we read of "the great Whore" that "the kings
of the earth have committed fornication" with her. Is that applicable
in its fullness to Rome? Have the kings of Asia and the kings of
Africa committed fornication with the Papacy? It is true that the
Italian pontiffs have ruled over a wide territory, yet it is also true
that there are many lands which have remained untouched by their
religious influence.
It is evident from these two points alone that we have to go back to
something which long antedates the rise of the Papacy, and to
something which has exerted a far wider influence than has any of the
popes. What, then, is this something? and where shall we look for it?
The answer is not hard to find: the word "Babylon" supplies us with
the needed key. Babylon takes us back not merely to the days of
Nebuchadnezzar, but to the time of Nimrod. It was in the days of the
son of Cush that "Babylon" began. And from the Plain of Shinar has
flown that dark stream whose tributaries have reached to every part of
the earth. It was then, and there, that idolatry began. In his work on
"The Two Babylons" Dr. Hislop has proven conclusively that all the
idolatrous systems of the nations had their origin in what was founded
by that mighty Rebel, the beginning of whose kingdom was Babel (Gen.
10:10). But into this we cannot now enter at length. We refer the
reader back to our comments on Nimrod in chapter 13. Babylon was
founded in rebellion against God. The very name Nimrod gave to his
city, proves him to have been an idolator--the first mentioned in
Scripture--for Bab-El signified "the gate of God"; thus he, like his
and-type, determined to exalt himself above all that is called God (2
Thess. 2:4). This, then, was the source and origin of all idolatry.
Pagan Rome, afterwards Papal Rome, was only one of the polluted
streams from this corrupt source--one of the filthy "daughters" of
this unclean Mother of Harlots. But to return to Revelation 17.
In Revelation 17:5 we read, "And upon her forehead was a name
written--mystery: Babylon the great, the Mother of harlots and
abominations of the earth." We believe that the English translators
have misled many by printing (on their own authority) the word
"mystery" in large capital letters, thus making it appear that this
was a part of "the woman's name. This we are assured is a mistake.
That the "mystery" is connected with the "Woman" herself and not with
her "name" is clear from Revelation 17:7, where the angel says unto
John, "I will tell thee the mystery of the Woman, and of the Beast
which carrieth her."
The word "mystery" is used in the New Testament in two ways. First, as
a secret, unfathomable by man but explained by God: see Matthew 13:11;
Romans 16:25, 26; Ephesians 3:3,6 etc. Second, the word "mystery"
signifies a sign or symbol. Such is its meaning in Ephesians 5:32,
where we are told that a man who is joined to his wife so that the two
become "one flesh" is a "great mystery, (that is, a great sign or
symbol) of Christ and the Church." So, again, in Revelation 1:20 we
read of "the mystery (sign or symbol) of the seven stars," etc.
As we have seen, the term "mystery" has two significations in its New
Testament usage, and we believe it has a double meaning in Revelation
17:5, where it is connected with the "Woman." It signifies both a
symbol and a secret, that is, something not previously revealed. It
should also be noted that, in keeping with this, the name given to the
Woman is a dual one--"Babylon the great," and "the Mother of harlots
and abominations of the earth." Who, then, is symbolized by the Woman
with this dual name? Revelation 17:18 tells us, "And the Woman which
thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the
earth." Now to get the force of this it is essential that we should
bear in mind that, in the Apocalypse, the words "is" and "are" almost
always (in the symbolical sections) signify "represent." Thus, in
Revelation 1:20 "the seven stars are the seven churches" means "the
seven stars represent the seven churches"; and "the seven candlesticks
are the seven churches," signifies, "the seven candlesticks represent
the seven churches." So in Revelation 17:9 "the seven heads are
(represent) seven mountains"; Revelation 17:12 "the ten horns are
(represent) ten kings"; Revelation 17:15 "the waters...are (represent)
peoples," etc. So in Revelation 17:18 "the woman which thou sawest is
that great city" must mean, "the woman represents that great city."
What, then, is signified by the "great city"?
In keeping with what we have just said above, namely, that the term
"mystery" in Revelation 17:5 has a two-fold significance, and that the
woman has a dual name, so we believe "that Great City" has a double
force and application. First, it signifies a literal city, which shall
yet be built in the Land of Shinar, on the banks of the Euphrates.
Proof of this was furnished in our last chapter so that we need not
pause here to submit the evidence. Six times (significant number!) is
"Babylon" referred to in the Apocalypse, and nowhere is there a hint
that the name is not to be understood literally. In the second place,
the "great city" (unnamed) signifies an idolatrous system--"mother of
harlots" a system of idolatry which originated in the Babylon of
Nimrod's day, and a system which is to culminate and terminate in
another Babylon in a day soon to come. This we think is clear and on
the surface. What, then, is the secret here disclosed, which had
hitherto been so closely guarded?
In seeking the answer to our last question it is important to note
that there is another "Woman" in the Revelation, between whom and this
one in chapter 17 there are some striking comparisons and some vivid
contrasts. Let us note a few of them. First, in Revelation 12:1 we
read of "a Woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet,
and upon her head a crown of twelve stars," which symbolically
signifies that she occupies a position of authority and rule (cf. Gen.
37:9); so also the Woman of chapter 17 is pictured as "ruling over the
kings of the earth" (Rev. 17:18). Second, this Woman of Revelation 12
is a mother, for she gives birth to the Man-child who shall rule all
nations (Rev. 17:5); so the Woman of chapter 17 is "the Mother of
harlots." Third, in Revelation 12:3 we read of a great red Dragon
"having seven heads and ten horns," and he persecutes the Woman (Rev.
12:14); but in striking contrast, the Woman of chapter 17 is seen
supported by a scarlet-colored Beast "having seven heads and ten
horns" (Rev. 17:3). Fourth, in Revelation 19:7 the Woman of chapter 12
is termed the Lamb's Wife Revelation 12:7); whereas the Woman of
chapter 17 is the Devil's Whore. Fifth, the Wife of Revelation 19 is
"arrayed in fine linen, clean and white" (Rev. 19:8); but the Whore of
chapter 19 is arrayed in purple and scarlet, and has in her hand a
golden cup "full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication"
(Rev. 19:4). Sixth, the Lamb's Wife is also inseparably connected with
a great city, even the holy Jerusalem (Rev. 21:10); so the Whore of
Revelation 17 is connected with a great city, even Babylon. Seventh,
the chaste Woman shall dwell with the Lamb forever; the Whore shall
suffer endless torment in the Lake of Fire.
Once we learn who is symbolized by the chaste Woman, we are in the
position to identify the corrupt Woman, who is compared and contrasted
with her. As to whom is signified by the former, there is surely
little room for doubt--it is the faithful portion of Israel. She is
the one who gave birth to the Man-child--i.e. Judah, in contrast from
the unfaithful ten tribes, who because of idolatry were, at the time
of the Incarnation, is captivity. So in Revelation 19 and 21 there are
a number of things which show clearly (to any unprejudiced mind) that
the Bride, the Lamb's Wife, is redeemed Israel, and not the Church.
For example, in Revelation 19:6,7, when praise bursts forth because
the marriage of the Lamb is come, a great multitude cry, "Alleluia:
for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and
give honor to Him for the marriage of the Lamb is come." "Alleluia
(which occurs nowhere in the New Testament but in this chapter) is a
peculiarly Hebrew expression, meaning "Praise the Lord." In the second
place, the word for "marriage" (gamos) or "wedding-feast" is the same
as is used in Matthew 22:2, 3, 8, 11, 12, where, surely, it is Israel
that is in view. In the third place, note that we are told "His wife
hath made herself ready" (Rev. 19:7). Contrast this with Ephesians
5:26, where we learn that Christ will make the Church ready--see
Matthew 23:39 for Israel making herself ready. In the fourth place, in
Revelation 19:8 we read, "And to her was granted that she should be
arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, for the fine linen is the
righteousness of saints." The Church will have been arrayed years
before the time contemplated here. In the fifth place, note it is said
that "the marriage of the Lamb is come" (Rev. 19:7), just as He is on
the point of leaving heaven for earth (Rev. 19:11); but the Church
will have been with Him in the Father's house for at least seven years
(probably forty years, or more) when that hour strikes. In the sixth
place, in Revelation 21:9, 10 the Lamb's Wife is inseparably connected
with that great city, the holy Jerusalem, and in the description which
follows we are told that on the twelve gates of the city were written
"the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel" (Rev.
21:12)! Surely that is conclusive evidence that it is not the Church
which is in view. In the seventh place, in Revelation 21:14 we are
told that in the twelve foundations of the City's wall were "the names
of the twelve apostles of the Lamb" (cf. Matthew 19:28!). Is it
thinkable that the name of the apostle Paul would have been omitted if
the Church were there symbolically portrayed?
If, then, the Chaste Woman of Revelation 12, 19, 21, symbolizes
faithful Israel, must not the Corrupt Woman (who is compared and
contrasted with the former) represent faithless Israel? But if so, why
connect her so intimately with Babylon, the great city? It will help
us here to remember that the Chaste Woman of the Apocalypse is also
indissolubly united to a city. In Revelation 21:9 we read that one of
the seven angels said to John, "Come hither, I will show thee the
bride, the Lamb's Wife." And immediately following we read, "And he
carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed
me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from
God." Thus, though separate, the two are intimately connected. The
Bride will dwell in the holy Jerusalem. So here in Revelation 17,
though distinct, the Whore is intimately related to the City, Babylon.
One of the many proofs related to the Harlot of Revelation 17 is
apostate Israel is found in Isaiah 1, where we read, "How is the
faithful city become an harlot"! (Isa. 1:21). In the verses which
follow it will be seen that the Lord of hosts is addressing Israel,
and describing conditions which will prevail in the End-time. After
indicting Israel for her sins, the Lord declares, "I will ease Me of
Mine adversaries, and avenge Me of Mine enemies." Clearly, this has
reference to the Tribulation period. Then the Lord continues, "And I
will turn, Mine hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross,"
etc., and then He adds, "Afterwards thou shalt be called, The city of
righteousness, the faithful city." How clear it is then that God calls
Israel "an harlot" for her unfaithfulness. For further proofs see
Jeremiah 2:20; 3:6,8; Ezekiel 16:15; 20:30; 43:8, 9; Hosea 2:5, etc.
We would next call attention to some of the scriptures which prove
that there will be Israelites dwelling in Babylon and the land of
Assyria at the End-time. In Jeremiah 50:4-7 we read, "In those days,
and in that time, saith the Lord, the children of Israel shall come,
they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall
go, and seek the Lord their God. They shall ask the way to Zion with
their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to
the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten," etc.
Clearly these verses treat of the closing days of the time of "Jacob's
trouble." Immediately following we read, "Remove out of the midst of
Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans" (Jer. 50:8).
Then, in the next verse, a reason is given, showing the urgency of
this call for the faithful Jews in Babylon to come out: "For lo, I
will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great
nations from the north country: and they shall set themselves in array
against her; from thence she shall be taken" (v. 9). Again, in
Jeremiah 51:44, the Lord says, "And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and
I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up:
and the nations shall not flow together any more unto him: yea, the
wall of Babylon shall fall." And then follows the Call for the
faithful Jews to separate themselves from the mass of their apostate
brethren in Babylon--"My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and
deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the Lord."
Isaiah 11:11; 27:13; Micah 4:10, all show that Israel will be
intimately connected with Babylon in the End-time.
It was of incalculable help to students of the past when they
discovered that Israel is the key which unlocks prophecy, and that the
Nations are referred to only as they affect the fortunes of Jacob's
descendants. There were other mighty peoples of old besides the
Egyptians and the Chaldeans, but the holy Spirit has passed them by,
because their history had no bearing on that of the chosen Nation. The
same reason explains why the empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece,
and Rome, do occupy such a prominent notice in the book of
Daniel--they were the enemies into whose hands God delivered His
wayward people. These principles have received wide recognition by
prophetic students, and therefore it is the more strange that so few
have applied them in their study of the final prophetic book. Israel
is the key to the Revelation, and the Nations are only mentioned
therein as they immediately affect Israel's fortunes. The ultimate
design of the Apocalypse is not to take notice of such men as Nero and
Charlemagne and Napoleon, nor such systems as Mohammedanism and the
Papacy. Nor would so much be said about Babylon unless this "great
city" was yet to be the home of apostate Israel. After these
preliminary considerations, which though length were necessary, we are
now prepared to examine a few of the details supplied by Revelation 17
and 18. Nor can we now do more than offer a bare outline, and even
that will require a further chapter on Revelation 18.
"And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and
talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will show thee the
judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: with whom
the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants
of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication"
(Rev. 17:1, 2). The "great whore," in the final accomplishment of this
prophecy, describes apostate Israel in the End-time--i.e. Daniel's
seventieth week. The figure of an unfaithful woman to represent
apostate Israel is a common one in the Scriptures: see Jeremiah 2:20;
3:6; Ezekiel 16:15; 20:30; 43:8,9; Hosea 2:5, etc. She is here termed
"the great whore" for two reasons: first, because (as we shall show
later) she will, at the end, worship Mammon as she never has in the
past; second, because of her idolatrous alliance with the Beast. The
apostle is here shown her "judgment." This is in contrast from what we
have in Revelation 12, where we learn that the chaste "Woman" will be
preserved. That apostate Israel will yet sit "upon many waters"
("peoples," etc., Revelation 17:15), and that the kings of the earth
will commit fornication with her, we reserve for consideration in the
next chapter.
"So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a
woman sit upon a scarlet colored Beast, full of names of blasphemy,
having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple
and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones, and
pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and
filthiness of her fornication" (Rev. 17:3 and 4 ). The Woman seated on
the Beast does not signify that she will rule over him, but intimates
that he will support her. The ultimate reference here is to the
Devil's imitation of the Millennium, when the Jews (even now rapidly
coming into prominence) shall no longer be the tail of the Nations,
but the head. How the Devil will bring this about will appear when we
examine Revelation 18. As the result of the Beast's support (Rev.
17:3), apostate Israel will be lifted to heights of worldly power and
glory (Rev. 17:4).
"And upon her forehead was a name written, mystery: Babylon The Great,
The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth" (Rev. 17:5). In a
re-built Babylon will culminate the various systems of idolatry which
had their source in the first Babylon of Nimrod's day. It is in this
city that the most influential Jews will congregate at the Time of the
End. From there, Jewish financiers will control the governments of
earth. That apostate Israel, in Babylon, should be clothed in "purple
and scarlet" (emblems of royalty and earthly glory) before the Kingdom
of Messiah is set up, was indeed a "mystery" (secret) disclosed by
none of the Prophets, but now made known in the Revelation.
"And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with
the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with
a great wonder" (Rev. 17:6, R.V.) The final reference is, again, to
apostate Israel in the End-time. The most relentless enemies of the
godly Jews will be their own apostate brethren--cf. our notes on Luke
18 in chapter 9. The second half of Luke 18:6, correctly rendered in
the R.V., "And when I saw her I wondered with a great wonder," ought
to show us that it is not Romanism which is here in view. Why should
John, who was himself then suffering from the hatred of Rome (Pagal)
wonder at Rome (Papal) being clothed with governmental power and
glory, and drunken with the blood of saints? But that the kings of the
earth (her worst enemies for three thousand years) should commit
fornication with Israel, and that the apostate portion of the Nation
should be drunken with the blood of their own brethren according to
the flesh, was well calculated to fill him with amazement.
"And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell
thee the mystery of the woman, and of the Beast that carrieth her,
which hath the seven heads and ten horns" (Rev. 17:7).
It should be noted that in the interpretation which follows, far more
is said about "the Beast" than about "the Woman." We believe the chief
reason for this is because the 18th verse tells us the Woman
represents "that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the
earth," and the City receives fuller notice in the chapter that
follows--Revelation 18.
"And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven
mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five
are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he
cometh, he must continue a short space. And the Beast that was, and is
not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into
perdition" (Rev. 17:9-11). Here is the mind which hath wisdom (Rev.
17:9): "This repetition of Revelation 13:18 identifies and connects
these two chapters. The word rendered "mind" in Revelation 17:9 and
`understanding' in Revelation 13:18 is the same. This `wisdom' is, to
understand that, though a "Beast" is seen in the vision, it is not a
wild beast that is meant, but one great final super-human personality;
namely, a man energized by satanic power" (Dr. E.W. Bullinger).
The 9th verse should end with the word "wisdom": what follows belongs
to Revelation 17:10. The R.V., which in this verse follows a number of
reliable translations, renders thus: "The seven heads are seven
mountains, on which the woman sitteth, and they are seven kings." This
at once disposes of the popular interpretation which regards these
seven mountains referring to the seven hills on which the city of Rome
was built. The Holy Spirit expressly tells us that the seven mountains
are (represent) seven kings. Of these seven kings it is said, "five
are fallen, and one is (i.e. the sixth existed when John wrote the
Apocalypse), and the other (the seventh) is yet to come: he must
continue a short space." And then in Revelation 17:11 we read, "And
the Beast that was, and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is of
the seven, and he goeth into perdition." Upon those verses we cannot
do better than give extracts from Mr. Newton's "Thoughts on the
Apocalypse."
"This passage is evidently intended to direct our thoughts to the
various forms of executive government or kingship which have existed,
or shall exist in the prophetic earth, until the hour when the
sovereignty of the world shall become the sovereignty of the Lord and
of His Christ. We might expect to find such a reference in a chapter
which professedly treats of him who is to close the history of human
government by the introduction of a new and marvelous form of power--a
form new as to its mode of administration and development, yet not
unconnected with the past, for it will be constructed upon principles
drawn from the experience of preceding ages, and will have the
foundations of its greatness laid by the primeval efforts of mankind.
He will be the eighth; but he is of (ek) the seven.
"The native energy and intrepidity of him who is said to have been a
mighty hunter before the Lord--an energy essential to men who were
setting in a forlorn and unsubdued earth, surrounded by beasts of the
forest and countless other difficulties and dangers, very naturally
gave the first form to kingship, and hence its parentage may be said
to spring. "The beginning of his kingdom was Babel." The supremacy of
Nimrod was not derived from any previously existing system. He neither
inherited his power from others, nor did he, like Nebuchadnezzar
afterwards, receive it as a gift from God. He earned it for himself,
by the force of his own individual character--but it was without God.
Great progress was made in the kingdom which he founded in the land of
Shinar, in civilization and refinement; for we early read of the godly
Babylonish garment, and of the kill and learning of the Chaldees; but
their domination was repressed and kept, as it were, in abeyance by
the hand of God, until the trial of Israel, His people, had been fully
made, that it might be seen whether they would prove themselves worthy
of supremacy in the earth.
"The form of government in Israel was a theocracy; as was seen in the
reigns of David and Solomon, who were types (imperfect types indeed)
of Him that is to come. The monarch was independent of and
uncontrolled by those whom he governed, but he was dependent upon God,
who dwelt in the temple, ever near to be consulted, and whose law was
given as the final standard of appeal. He stood between God and the
people, not to be their functionary and slave--not to be the
expression of their judgments, and the reflection of their will; but
as set over them by principles which he himself had received from
above. But the possession of power like this, held in companionship
with God, required a holiness that was not found in man in the flesh,
and therefore it was soon forfeited. Divine sanction, however, has
many times since been coveted, and the name of `the Lord's anointed'
assumed. The last great king of the Gentiles, indeed, will do more
than this, for he will take the place of Divinity itself, and sit upon
the mount of the congregation on the sides of the north, saying he is
like the Most High. But all this is unauthorized assumption.
"The third form is developed when the Gentile dynasty was formally
constituted by God in the person of Nebuchadnezzar. He, like the
monarchs of Israel, had absolute sovereignty granted to him--but God
was not with him in it. He and his successors received it as delegated
power to be exercised according to their own pleasure, though in final
responsibility to God. It is not necessary here to pursue the painful
history of the Gentiles. It is sufficient to say, as regards the
history of power, that the Gentile monarchs from the beginning, not
knowing God so as to lean upon Him, and too weak to stand alone;
exposed to the jealousy and hatred of those whom they governed--a
jealousy not infrequently earned by their own evil, found it necessary
to lean upon something inferior to themselves: and thus the character
of power has been deteriorated from age to age, until at last the
monarchy of these latter days has consented not only to own the people
as the basis and source of its power, but has also submitted to be
directed in the exercise of that power by given rules prescribed by
its subjects.
"The native monarchy of Nimrod, the theocracy of Israel, the despotic
authority of Nebuchadnezzar, the aristocratic monarchy of Persia, and
the military monarchy of Alexander and his successors, had all passed
away when John beheld this vision. All these methods had been
tried--none had been found to answer even the purposes of man; and now
another had arisen, the half military, half popular monarchy of the
Caesars,--the iron empire of Rome. `Five have fallen, and one is, and
the other is not yet come; and when he cometh he must continue a
little space."
"That other (though it cannot yet be said to have come so as to
fulfill this verse) (we are rather inclined to believe that the
"seventh" is commercialism, that is, the moneyed-interests in
control--A.W.P.) and, with one brief exception, the last form that is
to be exhibited before the end shall come, and it is under this form
that the system of Babylon is matured. It is obvious that a monarchy,
guided not by the people numerically, but by certain classes of the
people, and those classes determined by the possession of property,
must be the form adapted for the accumulation of wealth, and the
growth of commercial power; for it gives (which pure democracy has
ever failed to do), the best security fro property without unduly
fettering the liberty of individual enterprise."
For lack of space we are obliged to pass over the intervening verses
now, and in closing this chapter we offer a brief word on Revelation
17:18. "And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which
reigneth over the kings of the earth." This verse tells us that the
Whore represents a City. This city is named in Revelation 14:8; 16:19;
17:5; 18:2; 10, 21; and it is surely significant that it is thus named
in the Apocalypse six times--the number of man; whereas the new
Jerusalem is referred to three times (Rev. 3:12; 21:2; 10) the Divine
number. Babylon, must therefore be understood literally, otherwise we
should have the anomaly of a figure representing a figure. But from
the very fact that we are here told the Woman represents the City, we
learn that she is not literal, but figurative. In the next chapter we
shall further review Revelation 17 and offer some comments on
Revelation 18.
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Contents | Forward | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Conclusion
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The Antichrist by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 15
Babylon and the Antichrist (Rev. 18)
_________________________________________________
In our last chapter we sought to show that in Revelation 17 "the great
Whore," and "Babylon the great," though intimately connected, are yet
distinct; the former being the representative of the latter. While
allowing, yea insisting upon it, that many features of the symbolic
prophecy contained in Revelation 17 have had a striking fulfillment
already, still that in which all its varied terms are to find their
complete realization is yet future. We also reminded our readers that
Israel supplies the solution to most of the problems of prophecy, and
this is becoming more and more evident as the last prophetic book in
the Bible is receiving wider and closer study. Fifty years ago the
majority of the commentators "spiritualized" first half of Revelation
7 and made the twelve tribes of Israel, there mentioned, to refer to
the Church. But this has long since been discredited. So, the popular
interpretation of Revelation 12 which had the "woman" there a figure
of the Church has also been abandoned by many. An increasing number of
Bible students are recognizing the fact that "the Lamb's Wife," "the
Bride" of Revelation 19 and 21 also contemplates Israel rather than
the Church. That the Church is the Bride (a statement nowhere affirmed
in Scripture) has been sedulously proclaimed by the Papacy for over a
thousand years, and the tradition has been echoed throughout
Protestantism. But, as we have said, there is a steadily increasing
number who seriously question this, yea, who are bold to repudiate it,
and declare in its stead that the new Israel, saved Israel, will be
"the Bride." As this truth becomes more clearly discerned, we believe
it will also be apparent that the great Whore is not the apostate
church but apostate Israel.
The future of Israel is a wide subject, for numerous are the
scriptures which treat of it. It is, moreover, a subject of profound
interest, the more so because what is now prophetic is so soon to
become historic. The Zionist movement of the last twenty-five years is
something more than the impracticable ideal of a few visionaries; it
is steadily preparing the way for the re-establishment of the Jews in
Palestine. It is true that the Zionists have been frowned upon by many
in Jewry, and that, for a very good reason. God's time is not yet
fully ripe, and He has permitted the mercenary spirit of many of
Jacob's descendants to hold it, temporarily, in check. The millions of
Jews now comfortably settled and prospering in this land, and in the
capitals of the leading European countries, are satisfied with their
present lot. The love of money outweighs sentimental considerations.
Zionism has made no appeal to their avarice. To leave the markets and
marts of New York, London, Paris, and Berlin in order to become
farmers in Palestine is not sufficiently alluring. Mammon is now the
god of the vast majority of the descendants of those who, of old,
worshipped the golden calf.
At present, it is (with few exceptions) only those who are oppressed
in greater Russia, Hungary, etc. who are really anxious to be settled
in Palestine. But soon there will be a change of attitude. Even now
there are faint indications of it. As Palestine becomes more thickly
populated, as the prospects of security from Turkish and Arabian
depredations grow brighter, as the country is developed and the
possibilities of commercial aggrandizement loom on the horizon, the
better class of Jews will be quick to see and seize the golden
opportunity. Few American Jews are anxious to emigrate to Palestine
when there is nothing more than a spade and a hoe at the end of the
journey. But as hospitals, colleges, universities, banking houses are
opened, and all the commercial adjuncts of civilization find a place
in the land of David, then rapidly increasing numbers of David's
descendants will turn their faces thitherward. High finance is the
magnet which will draw the covetous Hebrews.
Once Palestine becomes a thorough Jewish State it is not difficult to
forecast the logical corollary. We quote from the excellent exposition
on Zechariah by Mr. David Baron--his comments on the fifth chapter.
Without any spirit of dogmatism, and without entering at this place
into the question of the identity and significance of the Babylon in
the Revelation--whether mystical or actual--we would express our
conviction that there are scriptures which cannot, according to our
judgment, be satisfactorily explained except on the supposition of a
revival and yet future judgment of literal Babylon, which for a time
will be the center and embodiment of all the elements of our godless
civilization, and which especially will become the chief entrepot of
commerce in the world.
"To this conviction we are led chiefly by the fact that there are
prophecies in the Old Testament concerning the literal Babylon which
have never in the past been exhaustively fulfilled, and that Scripture
usually connects the final overthrow of Babylon with the yet future
restoration and blessing of Israel.
"And it is very striking to the close observer of the signs of the
times how things at the present day are rapidly developing on the very
lines which are forecast in the prophetic scriptures. "The fears and
hopes of the world--political, commercial, and religious, writes one
in a monthly journal which lies before me, are at the present day
being increasingly centered upon the home of the human
race--Mesopotamia . . . As the country from which the father of the
Jewish nation emigrated to the land of promise, it is also occupying
the thoughts and aspirations of the Jews."
"Whatever may be the outcome of the negotiations which have been
carried on recently with the Turkish Government by the Jewish
Territorialists for the establishment of a Jewish autonomous State in
this very region, in which many Zionists and other Jews were ready to
join, there is so much truth in the words of another writer that when
once a considerable number of such a commercial people as the Jews are
re-established in Palestine, `the Euphrates would be to them as
necessary as the Thames to London or the Rhine to Germany. It would be
Israel's great channel of communication with the Indian seas, not to
speak of the commerce which would flow towards the Tigris and the
Euphrates from the central and northern districts of Asia! It would be
strange, therefore, if no city should arise on its banks of which it
might be said that her merchants were the great men of the earth'"
Zechariah 5 is most intimately connected with Revelation 18, and a
grasp of the former is of such importance in studying the latter that
we must here give it a brief consideration. But First let us outline
in the fewest possible words the contents of the first four chapters
of Zechariah. After a brief introduction we learn, first, that God's
eye is ever upon Israel (Zech. 1:7-17). Second, that His eye is also
upon her enemies and desolators (Zech. 1:18-21). Third, assurance is
given of her future blessing (2) and of her cleansing (3). Fourth, we
learn of the blessings which shall follow her restoration (4). Fifth,
we are taken back to behold the punishment of apostate Israel: the
"flying roll" symbolizes the destruction of wicked Jews (Zech. 5:1-4).
Then follows the vision of "the Ephah" in Zechariah 5:5-11--let the
reader please turn to it.
We cannot do more than now call attention to the prominent features in
this vision. First, the prophet sees as "ephah" (or bath) which was
the largest measure for dry goods among the Jews. It would, therefore,
be the natural symbol for Commerce. Next, we note that twice over it
is said that the ephah "goeth forth" (Zech. 5:5,6). As the whole of
the preceding visions concern Jerusalem and her people, this can only
mean that the center of Jewish commerce is to be transferred from
Palestine elsewhere. Next, we are told that there was a "woman"
concealed in the midst of the ephah (Zech. 5:7). We say "concealed,"
for in Zechariah 5:5 and 6 the "woman" is not seen--the leaden cover
(cf. Zechariah 5:8) had to be lifted before she could be beholden. The
writer is satisfied that this hidden woman in the ephah is "the Woman"
which is fully revealed in Revelation 17 and 18. Next, we are told
that "wickedness" (lawlessness) was cast into the ephah, before its
cover was closed again. Then, in what follows, we are shown this
ephah, with the "woman' and "wickedness" shut up therein, being
rapidly conveyed from Palestine to "the land of Shinar" (Zech. 5:11).
The purpose for this is stated to be, "to build a house," i.e. a
settled habitation. Finally, we are assured, "it shall be established,
and set there (in the land of Shinar) upon her own base." This vision
or prophecy contains the germ which is afterwards expanded and
developed in such detail in Revelation 17 and 18, where it is shown
that "the house" which is established for this system of commerce is
"Babylon the great." Let it be remembered that this vision is found in
the midst of a series of prophecies which have to do with, first the
faithful, and then the faithless in Israel, and we have another clear
and independent proof that the Corrupt Woman of the Apocalypse is none
other than apostate Israel!
In his helpful and illuminative work on the Babylon of the future, the
late Mr. Newton devoted a separate chapter to Zechariah 5. His remarks
are so excellent that we cannot forbear from making an extract: "If
human energy is to be permitted again to make the Euphratean regions
the scene of its operation--if prosperity is to be allowed for a brief
moment to re-visit the Land of Babylon, it might be expected that the
Scriptures would somewhere allude, and that definitely, to such an
event. And we find it to be so. The Scripture does speak of an event
yet unaccomplished, of which the scene is to be the Land of Babylon.
The passage to which I refer is at the close of the fifth chapter of
Zechariah.
"That the event predicted in this remarkable passage remains still
unaccomplished, is sufficiently evident from the fact of Zechariah's
having prophesied after Babylon had received that blow under which it
has gradually waned. Zechariah lived after Babylon had passed into the
hands of the Persians, and since that time, it is admitted by all,
that declination--not establishment--has marked its history. From that
hour to the present moment there has been no preparation of an house,
no establishment of anything--much less of an Ephah in the Land of
Shinar. But an Ephah is to be established there, and a house to be
built for it there, and there it is to be set firmly upon its base.
"An Ephah is the emblem of commerce. It is the symbol of the
merchants. In the passage before us the Ephah is described as "going
forth," that is, its sovereign influence is to pervade the nations,
and to imprint on them a character derived from itself, as the
formative power of their institutions. In other words, commerce is for
a season to reign. It will determine the arrangements, and fix the
manners of Israel, and of the prophetic earth. The appearance of every
nation that falls under its control is to be mercantile. He said,
moreover, this is their appearance (or aspect) throughout all the
earth."
The theme is of deep interest, and we are tempted to enter at length
into details. But that is scarcely necessary. Every one who has a
general knowledge of the past, and who is at all in touch with
political conditions in the world today, knows full well the radical
change which the last two or three centuries have witnessed. For a
thousand years the Church (the professing church) controlled the
governments of Europe. Following the Reformation, the aristocracy (the
nobility) held the reins. During the first half of last century
democratic principles obtained more widely. But in the last two or
three generations the governmental machines of this country and of the
leading European lands have been run by the Capitalists. Of late,
Labor has sought to check this, but thus far with little success. In
the light of Zechariah 5 and Revelation 18 present-day conditions are
profoundly significant. It is commerce which is more and more
dominating the policies and destinies of what is known as the
civilized world. "If we turn our eyes abroad upon the world, we shall
find that the one great object before the nations of the earth today
is this image of commerce, drawing them with all the seductive
influence a siren woman might exercise upon the heart of men. The one
great aim on the part of each is to win the favor of this mighty
mistress. The world powers are engaged in a Titanic struggle for
commercial supremacy. To this end mills are build, factories founded,
forests felled, lands sown, harvests reaped, and ships launched.
Because of this struggle for mastery of the world's market the nations
reach out and extend their borders" (Dr. Haldeman). The recent war was
caused by commercial jealousies. The root trouble behind the
"reparation" question, the "Strait's" problem the cancellation or
demanding repayment of United States loans to Europe, each go back to
commercial considerations.
Sixty years ago it was asked, Is not commerce the sovereign influence
of the day? If we were asked to inscribe on the banners of the leading
nations of the earth, an emblem characteristically expressive of their
condition, could we fix on any device more appropriate than an ephah?"
With how much greater pertinency may this be said today! And how this
is preparing the way for and will shortly head up in what is portrayed
in Revelation 18, it is not difficult to see. There we read, "Thy
merchants were the great men of the earth" (Rev. 18:23). This was not
true four hundred years ago: for then the ecclesiastics were "the
great men of the earth." Now was it true one hundred years ago, for
then the nobility were "the great men of the earth." But today. Ah!
Ask the man on the street to name half a dozen of the great men now
alive, and whom would he select? And who are behind and yet one with
the "merchants"? Is it not the financiers? And who are the leading
ones among them? Who are the ones that are more and more controlling
the great banking systems of the world? And, as every well-informed
person knows, the answer is, Jews. How profoundly significant, then,
that the head on the image in Nebuchadnezzar's dream (which symbolized
the Babylon Empire) should be of gold, and that the final Babylon
should be denominated "the golden city" (Isa. 14:4). And how all of
this serves, again, to confirm our interpretation of Revelation 17,
namely, that "the great Whore" with "the golden cup in her hand" (Rev.
17:4) is apostate Israel, whose final home shall be that "great city,"
soon to be built on the banks of the Euphrates. Not yet is it fully
evident that the wealth of the world is rapidly filling Hebrew
coffers--only a glimpse of the "woman" in "the midst of the Ephah" was
obtained before it became established in the Land of Shinar. But it
cannot be long before this will become apparent. At the End-time it
will fully appear that "the woman...is (represents) that great city"
(Rev. 17:18). This explains the words of Revelation 17:5, where we
learn that the words "Babylon the great" are written upon "her
forehead"--it will be obvious then to all! Apostate Israel, then
controlling the wealth of the world, will personify Babylon.
And what part will the Antichrist play in connection with this? What
will be his relation to Babylon and apostate Israel? The Word of God
is not silent on these questions, and to it we now turn for the Divine
answer. As to Antichrist's relation to Babylon, Scripture is very
explicit. He will be "the King of Babylon" (Isa. 14:4); the "King of
Assyria" (Isa. 10:12). As to his relation to apostate Israel, that is
a more intricate matter and will require more detailed consideration.
We shall therefore devote a separate chapter (the next one) to this
interesting branch of our subject. Here we shall deal briefly with
what Revelation 17 and 18 say thereon.
Revelation 17 presents the relation of apostate Israel to the
Antichrist in three aspects. First, she is supported by him. This is
brought before us in Revelation 17:3, where we are shown the corrupt
Woman seated upon the scarlet-colored Beast. This, we believe, is
parallel with Daniel 9:27, which tells us that "the Prince that shall
come" will make a Covenant with Israel. This covenant, league, or
treaty, will insure her protection. It is significant that Daniel 9:27
tells us the covenant is made by the one who is then at the head of
the revived Roman Empire, which corresponds with the fact that
Revelation 17:3 depicts him as a "scarlet colored Beast . . . having
seven heads and ten horns." It is the Antichrist no longer in his
"little horn" character, but as one that has now attained earthly
glory and dominion. As such, he will, for a time, uphold the Jews and
protect their interests.
Second, Revelation 17 depicts apostate Israel as intriguing with "the
kings of the earth." In Revelation 17:2 we read that the kings of the
earth shall commit fornication with her. Note how this, as an item of
importance, is repeated in Revelation 18:3. This, we believe, is what
serves to explain Revelation 17:16 which, in the corrected rendering
of the R.V. reads, "And the ten horns which thou sawest and the Beast,
these shall hate the Harlot, and shall make her desolate and naked,
and shall eat her flesh, and shall burn her utterly with fire." What
it is which causes the Beast to turn against the Harlot and hate and
destroy her is her unfaithfulness to Him. Not content with enjoying
the protection the Beast gives to her, apostate Israel will aspire to
a position of rivalry with the one over the ten horns. That she
succeeds in this we learn from the last verse of the chapter--"And the
woman which thou sawest is (represents) that great city, which
reigneth over the kings of the earth." As to how apostate Israel will
yet reign over the kings of the earth we hope to show in the next
chapter.
Third, Revelation 17 makes it known that apostate Israel will
ultimately be hated by the Beast and his ten horns"( Revelation
17:16). The 12th verse tells us that the ten horns are "ten kings."
This has presented a real difficulty to many. In Revelation 17:16 it
says that the ten horns (kings) and the Beast hate the Whore, and make
her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh (that is, appropriate
to themselves her substance, her riches), and burn her with fire;
whereas in Revelation 18:9 we read, "The kings of the earth who have
committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail
her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her
burning." Yet the solution of this difficulty is very simple. The
difficulty is created by confusing "the kings of the earth" with
the"ten horns," whose kingdoms are within the limits of the old Roman
Empire (see Daniel 7:7). The "kings of the earth" is a much wider
expression, and includes such kingdoms as North and South America,
China and Japan, Germany and Russia, etc., all in fact, outside the
bounds of the old Roman Empire. It is the intriguing of apostate
Israel with "the kings of the earth" which brings down upon her the
hatred of the Beast and his "ten kings."
In closing this chapter we wish to call attention to some of the many
and striking verbal correspondences between Revelation 17 and 18 and
the Old Testament Prophets: --
1. In Revelation 17:1 we are told the great Whore "sitteth upon many
waters." In Jeremiah 51:13 Babylon (see previous verse) is addressed
as follows: "O thou that dwellest upon many waters."
2. In Revelation 17:2 it is said that, "The inhabitants of the earth
have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication."
In Jeremiah 51:7 we read, "Babylon hath been a golden cup in the
Lord's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken
of her wine."
3. In Revelation 17:4 the great Whore has "a golden cup in her hand."
In Jeremiah 51:7 Babylon is termed "a golden cup in the Lord's hand."
4. In Revelation 17:15 we are told, "The waters which thou sawest,
where the Whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and
tongues."
In Jeremiah 51:13 we read, "O thou that dwellest upon many waters,
abundant in treasures."
5. Revelation 17:16 tells us that Babylon shall be burned with
fire--cf. 18:8.
So in Jeremiah 51:58 we read, "The broad walls of Babylon shall be
utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire."
6. In Revelation 17:18 we are told that the woman who represents the
great city "reigneth over the kings of the earth."
In Isaiah 47:5 Babylon is denominated "the lady of kingdoms."
7. Revelation 18:2 tells us that after her fall, Babylon becomes "the
habitation of demons, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of
every unclean and hateful bird."
Isaiah 13:21 says, "But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and
their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell
there, and satyrs shall dance there."
8. Revelation 18:4 records God's call to the faithful Jews--"Come out
of her My people."
In Jeremiah 51:45 God also says, "My people, go ye out of the midst of
her."
9. In Revelation 18:5 it is said, "Her sins have reached unto heaven."
In Jeremiah 51:9 it reads, "For her judgment reacheth unto heaven."
10. In Revelation 18:6 we read, "Reward her as she rewarded you."
In Jeremiah 50:15 it says, "Take vengeance upon her; as she hath done,
do unto her."
11. In Revelation 18:7 we find Babylon saying in her heart, "I sit a
queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow."
In Isaiah 47:8 we also read that Babylon says in her heart, "I am, and
none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know
the loss of children."
12. In Revelation 18:8 we read, "Therefore shall her plagues come in
one day."
Isaiah 47:9 declares, "But these two things shall come to thee in a
moment, in one day."
13. In Revelation 18:21 we read, "And a mighty angel took up a stone
like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with
violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and be found no
more at all."
So in Jeremiah 51:63, 64 we are told, "And it shall be, when thou hast
made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it,
and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates: And thou shalt say, Thus
shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I bring upon
her."
14. In Revelation 18:23 we read, "And the light of the candle shall
shine no more at all in thee, and the voice of the bridegroom and of
the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee."
In Isaiah 24:8,10 it is said of Babylon, "The mirth of tabrets
ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the heart
ceaseth...the City of Confusion is broken down: every house is shut
up, that no man may come in...all joy is darkened, the mirth of the
land is gone."
15. In Revelation 18:24 we read, "And in her was found the blood of
prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth."
In Jeremiah 51:49 we read, "As Babylon hath caused the slain of Israel
to fall, so Babylon shall fall the slain of all the earth."
These parallelisms are so plain they need no comments from us. If the
reader still insists that the Babylon of Revelation 17 and 18 is the
ultimate development of the Papacy as it envelopes apostate
Christendom, it is useless to discuss the subject any farther. But we
believe that the great majority of our readers--who have no traditions
to uphold--will be satisfied that the Babylon of the Apocalypse is the
Babylon of Old Testament prophecy, namely, a literal, re-built city in
"the land of Nimrod" (Mic. 5:6), a city which shall be the production
of covetousness ("which is idolatry"--Colossians 3:5), and a city
which shall yet be the home of apostate Israel.
_________________________________________________
Contents | Forward | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Conclusion
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A. W. Pink Header
The Antichrist by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 16
Israel And The Antichrist
_________________________________________________
It is a ground for thanksgiving that during the last three or four
generations the people of God have given considerable attention to the
prophecies of Scripture which treat of the future of Israel. The old
method of "spiritualizing" these predictions, and making them apply to
the Church of the present dispensation, has been discarded by the
great majority of pre-millennarians. With a steadily increasing number
of Bible students it is now a settled question that Israel, as a
nation, shall be saved (Rom. 11:26), and that the promises of God to
the fathers will be literally fulfilled under the Messianic reign of
the Lord Jesus (Rom. 9:4). Jerusalem, which for so many centuries has
been a by-word in the earth, will then be known as "the city of the
great King" (Matthew 5:35). His throne shall be established there, and
it shall be the gathering point for all nations (Zech. 8:23;
14:16-21). Then shall the despised descendants of Jacob be "the head"
of the nations, and no longer the tail (Deut. 28:13); then shall the
people of Jehovah's ancient choice be the center of His earthly
government; then shall the Fig Tree, so long barren, "blossom and bud,
and fill the face of the world with fruit" (Isa. 27:6). All of this is
common knowledge among those who are in any-wise acquainted with
dispensational truth.
But the same Word of Prophecy which announces the glorious future
awaiting the children of Israel, also contains another chapter in the
history of this peculiar people; a chapter yet unfulfilled, setting
forth a period in their history darker and sadder than any of their
past experiences. Both the Old and New Testaments plainly tell of a
season of suffering for the Jews which will be far more acute than
even their afflictions of old. Daniel 12:1 says, "And there shall be a
time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to
that same time." And in Matthew 24:21,22 we read, "For there shall be
a great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world
to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be
shortened, there should no flesh be saved."
The reasons or causes of this future suffering of Israel are as
follows. First, God has not fully visited upon Israel's children the
sins of their fathers. "When Solomon and her kings had by
transgression lost their blessings, and the glory of the reign of
Solomon had faded away, the supremacy, which was taken from them, was
given to certain Gentile nations, who were successively to arise and
bear rule in the earth, during the whole period of Israel's rejection.
The first of these was the Chaldean Empire under Nebuchadnezzar. The
period termed by our Lord the "Times of the Gentiles," commences with
the capture of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. It is a period coincident
from its beginning to its close, with the treading down of Jerusalem.
`Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles till the Times of the
Gentiles be fulfilled'. Nebuchadnezzar therefore, and the Gentile
empires which have succeeded him, have only received their
pre-eminence in consequence of Jerusalem's sin; and the reason why
they were endowed with that pre-eminence was, that they might chasten
Jerusalem; and when they shall have fulfilled that purpose, they shall
themselves be set aside and be made, because of their own evil, "like
the chaff of the summer threshing-floors'. In this we have another
evidence that the earthly dispensations of God revolve around the Jews
as their center" (B.W.Newton).
A further reason or cause of the future sufferings of Israel lies in
the rejection of their Messiah. First and foremost Christ was "a
Minister of the Circumcision, for the truth of God, to confirm the
promises made unto the fathers" (Rom. 15:8). He was sent "but unto the
lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:24). And in marvelous
grace He tabernacled among them. But He was not wanted. "He came unto
His own, and His own received Him not" (John 1:11). Not only did they
receive Him not, they "despised and rejected Him"; they "hated Him
without a cause." So intense was their enmity against Him that with
one voice they cried, "Away with Him, crucify Him." And not until His
holy blood had been shed, and He had died the death of the accursed,
was their awful malice against Him appeased. And for this they have
yet to answer to God. Vengeance is His, and He will repay. Not yet has
the murder of God's Son been fully avenged. It could not be during
this "Day of Salvation." But the Day of Salvation will soon be over,
and it shall be followed by "the great Day of His Wrath" (Rev. 6:17;
Joel 2:11). Then will God visit the earth with His sore judgments, and
though the Nations shall by no means escape the righteous retribution
due them for their part in the crucifixion of Christ, yet, the ones
who will be punished the most severely will be they who took the lead
in that crime of crimes.
The form which God's judgment will take upon the Jews is to be in full
accord with the unchanging law of recompense--what they have sown,
that shall they also reap. This was expressly affirmed by our Lord
Jesus: "I am come in My Father's name, and ye receive Me not: if
another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive" (John 5:43).
Because they rejected God's Christ, Israel shall receive the
Antichrist. The same thing is stated in 2 Thessalonians 2:7--"For this
cause (i.e. because they received not the love of the Truth, that they
might be saved) God shall send them strong delusion that they should
believe the Lie." The immediate reference here, we believe, is to the
Jews, though the principle enumerated will also have its wider
application to apostate Christendom. The chief reason why God suffers
the Man of Sin to come on the scene and run his awful course, is in
order to inflict punishment upon guilty Israel. This is clearly taught
in Isaiah 10:5, where of the Antichrist God says, "O Assyrian, the rod
(the instrument of chastisement) of Mine anger, and the staff in their
hand is Mine indignation. I will send him against an hypocritical
nation, against the people of My wrath will I give him a charge, to
take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the
mire of the street," and cf. our brief comments on Jeremiah 6:26,27
and 15:8 in chapter 9.
It must be borne in mind that the Jews are to return to Palestine and
there re-assume a national standing whilst yet unconverted. There are
a number of passages which establish this beyond question. For
example, in Ezekiel 22:19-22 we are told, "Therefore thus saith the
Lord God; because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will
gather you into the midst of Jerusalem, as they gather silver, and
brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to
blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in Mine anger
and in My fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you. Yea, I will
gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of My wrath, and ye shall be
melted in the midst thereof." The first six verses of Isaiah 18
describe how the Lord will gather the Jews to Jerusalem, there to be
the prey of "fowls and beasts." The closing chapters of Zechariah lead
to the inevitable conclusion that the Jews return to their land in
unbelief, for if their national conversion takes place in Jerusalem
(Zech. 12:10), they must have returned to it unconverted.
When the Antichrist is manifested, great companies of the Jews will
already be in Palestine, and in a flourishing condition. What, then,
will be his relations with them? It is by no means easy to furnish a
detailed answer to this question, and at best we can reply but
tentatively. Doubtless, there are many particulars respecting this and
all other related subjects, which will not be cleared up until the
prophecies concerning them have been fulfilled. We, today, occupy much
the same position with regard to the predictions concerning the
Antichrist, as the old Testament saints did to the many passages which
foretold the coming of the Christ. Their difficulty was to arrange
those passages in the order they were to be fulfilled, and to
distinguish between those which spoke of Him in humiliation and those
which foretold His coming glory. A similar perplexity confronts us. To
ascertain the sequence of the prophecies relating to the Antichrist is
a real problem. Even when we confine ourselves to those passages which
speak of him in his connections with Israel, we have to distinguish
between those which concern only the godly remnant, and those which
relate to the great apostate mass of the Nation; and, too, we have to
separate between those prophecies which concern the time when
Antichrist is posing as the true Christ, and those which portray him
in the final stage of his career, after he has thrown off his mask of
religious pretension.
It would appear that the first thing revealed in prophecy concerning
the Antichrist's dealings with Israel is the entering into a
"covenant" with them. This is mentioned in Daniel 9:27: "And he shall
confirm the covenant (make a firm covenant, R.V.) with many for one
week" i.e. seven years. The many here can be none other than the mass
of the Jewish people, for they are the principal subjects of the
prophecy. The one who makes this covenant is the "Prince that shall
come" of the previous verse, the Head of the restored Roman Empire.
Thus the relations between this Prince, the Antichrist, and the mass
of the Jews shall, at the first, be relations of apparent friendship
and public alliance. That this covenant is not forced upon Israel, but
rather is entered into voluntarily by them, as seeking Antichrist's
patronage, is clear from Isaiah 28:18, where we find God, in
indignation, addressing them as follows--"And your covenant with death
shall be disannulled, and your agreement with Hell shall not stand;
when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be
trodden down by it." And this, we believe, supplies the key to Daniel
2:43.
Nebuchadnezzar's vision of the great image and the interpretation
given to Daniel, outlines the governmental history of the earth as it
relates to Palestine, further details being supplied in the other
visions found in the book of Daniel. "The earthly dispensations of God
revolve around Jerusalem as their center. The method which it hath
pleased God to adopt in giving the prophetic history of these nations,
is in strict accord with this principle. As soon as they arose into
supremacy and supplanted Jerusalem, prophets were commissioned,
especially Daniel, to delineate their course. We might perhaps, have
expected that their history would have been given minutely and
consecutively from its beginning to its close. But instead of this, it
is only given in its connection with Jerusalem; and as soon as
Jerusalem was finally crushed by the Romans and ceased to retain a
national position, all detailed history of the Gentile Empires is
suspended. many a personage most important in the world's history has
since arisen. Charlemagne has lived, and Napoleon--many a monarch, and
many a conqueror--battles have been fought, kingdoms raised and
kingdoms subverted--yet Scripture passes silently over these things,
however great in the annals of the Gentiles. Because Jerusalem has
nationally ceased to be, 1800 years ago, the detail of Gentile history
was suspended- it is suspended still, nor will it be resumed until
Jerusalem re-assumes a national position. Then the history of the
Gentiles is again minutely given, and the glory and dominion of their
last great King described. He is found to be especially connected with
Jerusalem and the Land...The subject of the book of Daniel as a whole,
is the indignation of God directed through the instrumentality of the
Gentile Empires upon Jerusalem" (B.W. Newton "Aids to Prophetic
Enquiry," first Series).
The method which the Holy Spirit has followed in the book of Daniel is
to give us, a general outline of Gentile dominion over Jerusalem, and
this is found in the vision of the Image in chapter 2; and second, to
fill in this outline, which is given in the last six chapters of that
book. It is with the former we are now more particularly concerned.
Much of the prophetic vision of Daniel 2 has already become history.
The golden head (Babylon), the silver breast and arms (Medo-Persia),
the brazen belly and thighs (Greece), the iron legs (Rome), have
already appeared before men. But the feet of the Image, "part of iron
and part of clay," have to do with a time yet future. The break
between the legs and feet corresponds with the break between the
sixty-ninth and seventieth "weeks" of Daniel 9:24-27. The present
dispensation comes in as a parenthesis during the time that Israel is
outside the Land, dispersed among the Gentiles.
What, then, is represented by the "iron and the clay" toes of the feet
of the Image? If we bear in mind that this portion of the Image
exactly corresponds to the seventieth week, we have an important key
to the interpretation. Daniel 9:26,27 treats of the seventieth
week--the "one week" yet remaining. These verses speak of the Prince
(of the restored Roman Empire) making a seven years' Covenant with the
Jews. Thus the prophecy concerning the seventieth week presents to us
two prominent subjects--the Romans, at whose head is the Antichrist,
and apostate Israel, with whom the Covenant is made. Returning now to
Daniel 2 we find that when interpreting the king's dream about the
Image, the prophet declares that the "iron" is the symbol for the
"fourth kingdom" (v. 40), which was Rome, who succeeded Babylon,
Persia, and Greece; the "feet" with their ten toes forecasting this
Empire in its final form. Thus, we have Divine authority for saying
that the "iron" in the feet of the Image represent the peoples who
shall yet occupy the territory controlled by the old Roman Empire. In
a word, the "iron" symbolizes the Gentiles--specifically those found
in the lands which shall be ruled over by the "ten kings."
Who, then, is symbolized by "the clay"? Here we are obliged to part
company with the commentators, who unanimously take the clay to be the
figure of democracy. So far as we are aware none of them has offered a
single proof text in support of their interpretation, and as the Word
is the only authority, to it we must look. Assured that Scripture is
its own interpreter, we turn to the concordance to find out what the
"clay" signifies elsewhere, when used symbolically. In Isaiah 64,
which records the Cry of the Remnant at the End-time, we find them
saying, "But now, O Lord, Thou art our Father; we are the clay, and
Thou our Potter; and we are all the work of Thy hand." Again, in
Jeremiah 18 the same figure is employed. There the prophet is
commanded to go down to the potter's house, where he beheld him
manufacturing a vessel. The vessel was marred in the hands of the
potter, so he "made it again another vessel." Clearly, this is a
picture of Israel in the past and in the future. The interpretation is
expressly fixed in Jeremiah 18:6: "O house of Israel, cannot I do with
you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the
potter's hand, so are ye in Mine hand, O house of Israel." How clear
it is then that "clay" is God's symbol for Israel.
In its final form, then, the revived Roman Empire--the kingdom of
Antichrist--will be partly Gentilish and partly Jewish. And is not
this what we must expect? Will not that be the character of the
kingdom of that One which the Antichrist will counterfeit? Such
scriptures as Psalm 2:6-8; Isaiah 11:10; 42:6; Revelation 11:15, etc.,
make plain the dual character of the kingdom over which our Lord will
reign during the Millennium. That the Antichrist will be intimately
related to both Jews and the Gentiles we have proven again and again
in the previous chapters--Revelation 9:11 is quite sufficient to
establish the point. Therefore, we should not be surprised to find
that that part of the Image which specifically depicts the kingdom
over which the Man of Sin shall reign, should be composed of both
"iron" and "clay." It would be passing strange were it otherwise. It
is indeed striking to note that the "clay" is mentioned in Daniel 2
just nine times--the number of judgment!
In Daniel 2:43 we read, "And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry
clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they
shall not cleave one to another even as iron is not mixed with
clay"--a verse that has sorely puzzled the expositors. We believe that
the reference is to the coming intimacy between Jews and Gentiles. The
apostate Jews (members of the Corrupt Woman) shall "mingle themselves
with the seed of men"--the Gentiles. This is amplified in Revelation
17, where we read of the great Whore, "with whom the kings of the
earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth
have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication." "But they
shall not cleave one to another" (Dan. 2:43) is explained in
Revelation 17:16--"And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the Beast,
these shall hate the Whore, and shall make her desolate and naked,"
etc.! There is a remarkable verse in Habakkuk 2 which confirms our
remarks above, and connects the Antichrist himself with the "clay."
The passage begins with the third verse, which, from its quotation in
Hebrews 10:37,38 we know, treats of the period immediately preceding
our Lord's return. In Habakkuk 2:4 and 5 we have a description of the
Antichrist, and then in Habakkuk 2:6 we read, "Shall not all these
take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and
say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and
to him that ladeth himself with thick clay." The reference is clearly
to this "proud Man's" fellowship with apostate Israel. We are
satisfied that Habakkuk 2:6-8 is parallel with Isaiah 14:9-12. Isaiah
14 gives us a glimpse of the Antichrist being scoffed at in Hell, by
the "chief ones of the earth" because he, too, was unable to escape
their awful fate. So in Habakkuk 2, after stating that he "gathereth
unto him all nations" (Hab. 2:5) the prophet goes on to say "Shall not
all these take up a taunting proverb against him." The taunt is, that
though he had leagued himself with the mass of Israel (laden himself
with thick clay), yet it will be "the remnant" of this same people
that shall "spoil" him (Hab. 2:8).
Another scripture which shows that in the End-time apostate Israel
will no longer be divided from and hated by the Gentiles is found in
Isaiah 2, where we are told, "They strike hands with the children of
strangers" (Isa. 2:6 R.V.). As the context here is of such deep
interest, and as the whole chapter supplies us with a most vivid
picture of the Jews in Palestine just before the Millennium, we shall
stop to give it a brief consideration. The first five verses present
to us a millennial scene, and then, as is so frequently the case in
the prophecies of Isaiah, we are taken back to be shown something of
the conditions which shall precede the establishing of the Lord's
house in the top of the mountains. This is clear from the twelfth
verse, which defines this period, preceding the Millennium as "the Day
of the Lord." The section, then, which describes the conditions which
are to obtain in Palestine immediately before the Day of the Lord
dawns, begins with Isaiah 2:6. We there quote from Isaiah 2:5 to the
end of Isaiah 2:10:--
"For thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be
filled with customs from the east, and are soothsayers like the
Palestines, and they strike hands with the children of strangers.
Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end
to their treasures; their land also is full of horses, neither is
there any end of their chariots. Their land also is full of idols;
they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers
have made. And the mean man is bowed down, and the great man is
brought low: therefore forgive them not. Enter into the rock, and hide
thee in the dust, from before the terror of the Lord, and from the
glory of His majesty."
This most interesting passage shows us that apostate Israel will be on
terms of intimacy with the Gentiles; that she will be the mistress of
vast wealth; that she will be given up to idolatry. Their moral
condition is described in Isaiah 2:11 to 17--note the repeated
references to "lofty looks," "haughtiness of men," "high and lifted
up," etc.
If Zechariah 5 be read after Isaiah 2:6-9 we have the connecting link
between it and Revelation 17. Isaiah 2 shows us the Jews as the owners
of fabulous wealth, as being in guilty fellowship with "strangers,"
and as universally given to idolatry. Zechariah 5 reveals the
emigration of apostate Israel )the woman in the midst of the Ephah)
and the transference of her wealth to the land of Shinar. Revelation
17 and 18 give the ultimate outcome of this. Here we see apostate
Israel in all her corrupt glory. She is pictured, First, as sitting
upon many waters (Rev. 17:1), which signified "peoples, and
multitudes, and nations and tongues" (Rev. 17:15). These will support
her by contributing to her revenues. The huge bond issues made by the
nations to obtain loans, are rapidly finding their way into Jewish
hands; and doubtless it is the steadily accumulating interest from
these which will soon make them the wealthiest nation of the world.
That which has half bankrupted Europe will soon be used to array the
Woman in purple and scarlet color and gold and precious stones and
pearls (Rev. 17:4).
Second, the Woman is seen sitting upon the Beast (Rev. 17:3), which
means that the Antichrist will use his great governmental power to
insure her protection. How this harmonizes with Daniel 9:27, where we
read of him making a seven-year Covenant with them, needs not to be
pointed out. Then will poor blinded Israel believe that the Millennium
has come. No longer the people of the weary foot and homeless
stranger, but mistress of the greatest city in the world. No longer
poor and needy, but possessor of the wealth of the earth. No longer
the "tail" of the nations, but reigning over them as their financial
Creditor and Dictator. No longer despised by the great and mighty, but
sought after by the kings of the earth. Nothing withheld that the
flesh can desire. The false Prince of Peace their benefactor. Yes,
blinded Israel will verily conclude that at long last the millennial
era has arrived, and such will be the Devil's imitation of that
blessed time which shall be ushered in by the return of God's Son to
this earth.
But not for long shall this satanic spell be enjoyed. Rudely shall it
be broken. For, Third, Revelation 17 shows us the ten horns and the
Beast turning against the Whore, stripping her of her wealth, and
despoiling her of her glory (Rev. 17:6). This, too, corresponds with
Old testament prophecy, for there we read of the Antichrist breaking
his Covenant with Israel! As we are told in Psalm 55:20, "He hath put
forth his hands against such as be at peace with him: he has broken
his covenant," cf Isaiah 33:8. And this very breaking of the Covenant
is but the fulfillment of the Divine counsels. Thousands of years ago,
Jehovah addressed Himself through Isaiah to apostate Israel, saying,
"And your Covenant with Death shall be disannulled, and your agreement
with Hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass
through, then ye shall be trodden down by it."
Concerning Antichrist's relations with the godly Jewish Remnant, that
has already been discussed in previous chapters, as also his final
attack upon Jerusalem and his defeat and overthrow in the Valley of
Armageddon. Apostate Israel, the Beast, and all his Gentile followers
shall be destroyed. The faithful remnant of Israel, and those Gentiles
who befriend them in the hour of their need, shall have their part in
the millennial kingdom of David's Son and Lord (Matthew 25). Thus has
God been pleased to unveil the future and make known to us the things
which "must shortly come to pass." May it be ours to reverently search
the more sure Word of Prophecy with increasing interest, and may an
ever-deepening gratitude fill our hearts and be expressed by our lips,
because all who are now saved by grace through faith shall be with our
blessed Lord in the Father's House, when the Great Tribulation with
all its attendant horrors shall come upon the world.
_________________________________________________
Contents | Forward | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Conclusion
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The Antichrist by Arthur W. Pink
Conclusion
_________________________________________________
In bringing to a close this book on the Antichrist, we are conscious
that "there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed" (John 13:1).
We have sought to present as comprehensive an outline of the subject
as our present light and somewhat limited space would permit. But
little more than an outline has been given. Abundant scope is still
left for the interested reader and student to work out and fill in the
details for himself. This, we trust, is what many will do. The
subject, though solemn, is one full of interest.
No doubt the subject is new, and hence, mysterious to some of our
readers. These we would ask to turn back to the first chapter, and
re-read the whole book. That God will yet permit the Devil to bring
forth his satanic Masterpiece, who shall defy God and persecute His
people, should scarcely be surprising. In each succeeding age there
has been a Cain for every Abel; a Jannes and Jambres for every Moses
and every John the Baptist. It has been so during this dispensation:
the sowing of the Wheat, was followed by the sowing of the Tares. It
will be so in the Tribulation period: not only will there be a
faithful remnant of Israel, but there shall be an unfaithful company
of that people, too. And just before the Christ of God returns to this
earth to set up His kingdom, God will suffer His arch-enemy to bring
forth the false christ, who will establish his kingdom.
And God's hour for this is not far distant. It was when "the iniquity
of the Amorites" was come to the "full" (Gen. 15:16) that God gave
orders for their extermination (Deut. 7:1,2). And Israel's
transgressions (Dan. 8:23) and the transgressions of Christendom (2
Thess. 2:11,12), will only have come to "the full" when those who
rejected the Christ of God, shall have received the christ of Satan.
Then, shall God say to His avenging angel, "Thrust in thy sickle, and
reap: for the time has come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the
earth is ripe" (Rev. 14:15). It is this which makes the subject so
solemn.
What God has been pleased to make known concerning the Antichrist is
not revealed in order to gratify carnal curiosity, but is of great
moment for our daily lives. In the first place, a proper apprehension
of these things should cause us to seriously search our hearts, and to
examine carefully the foundation upon which our hopes are built, to
discover whether or not they rest on the solid Rock Christ Jesus, or
whether they stand upon nothing more stable than the shifting sands of
human feelings, human resolutions, human efforts after
self-improvement. Incalculably serious is the issue at stake, and we
cannot afford to be uncertain about it. A mere "hope I am saved" is
not sufficient. Nothing short of the full assurance of faith ought to
suffice.
Unspeakable solemn is what we read of in 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12: "And
then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with
the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His
coming: even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all
power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of
unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the
love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God
shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe the Lie:
That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had
pleasure in unrighteousness."
There are three points in the above verses by which the writer and the
reader may test himself. First, have I "believed the Truth"? "Thy Word
is the Truth." Have I set to my seal that God is true? Have I applied
the Word of God to myself, and taken it to my own heart? Have I
personally received the Savior that it reveals?
Second, do I have "pleasure in unrighteousness"? There is a vast
difference between doing an act of unrighteousness, and having
"pleasure" therein. Scripture speaks of Moses "choosing rather to
suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasure
of sin for a season" (Heb. 11:25). And again, it speaks of some who
"knowing the judgment of God that they who commit such things are
worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that
do them" (Rom. 1:32). So it is here in the passage before us. They who
"believe not the Truth," have "pleasure in unrighteousness." And here
is one of the vital differences between an unbeliever and a genuine
believer. The latter may be overtaken by a fault, his communion with
Christ may be broken, he may sin grievously, but if he does, he will
have no "pleasure" therein! Instead, he will hate the very
unrighteousness into which he has fallen, and mourn bitterly for
having done that which was so dishonoring to his Savior.
Third, have I "received the love of the Truth"? Do I read God's Word
daily, not simply as a duty, but as a delight; not merely to satisfy
conscience, but because it rejoices my heart; not simply to gratify an
idle curiosity, that I may acquire some knowledge of its contents, but
because I desire above everything else to become better acquainted
with its Author. Can I say with the Psalmist, "I will delight myself
in Thy statutes...Thy commandments are my delights" (Ps. 119:16, 143).
The wicked love the darkness; but God's people love the light!
Here, then, are three tests by which we earnestly entreat every reader
to honestly examine himself, and see whether he be in the faith. Awful
beyond words is the only alternative, for Scripture declares of those
who have "believed not the Truth," who have "pleasure in
unrighteousness," and who have "received not the love of the Truth,"
that "for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they
should believe the Lie: that they all might be damned."
Again; if we diligently search the Scriptures to discover what they
teach concerning the Antichrist--his personality, his career, his
ways, etc.--the more we are informed about him the better shall we be
prepared to detect the many antichrists who are in the world today,
now preparing the way for the appearing and career of the Man of Sin.
There is no reason why we should be ignorant of Satan's devices. There
is no valid excuse if we are deceived by his "false apostles," who
transform themselves into the apostles of Christ (2 Cor. 11:13).
Christians ought not to be misled by the many false prophets who are
gone out into the world (1 John 4:1). Nor will they be, if they study
diligently those things which God has recorded for our enlightenment
and to safeguard us against the subtle deceptions of the great Enemy.
Again; as we give diligent heed to the prophetic Word, as we take its
solemn warnings to heart, the effect must be that we shall separate
ourselves from everything which is anti-Christian. "Be not unequally
yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath
righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with
darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath
he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple
of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God
hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their
God, and they shall be My people. Wherefore come out from among them,
and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing;
and I will receive you" (2 Cor. 6:14-17).
This call is not directed toward Christians separating themselves from
their fellow-Christians. How could it be? Scripture does not
contradict itself. God's Word explicitly says, "Not forsaking the
assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but
exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day
approaching" (Heb. 10:25). But the same Word which tells us not to
forsake the assembling of ourselves together, commands us to have "no
fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness" (Eph. 5:11). God
forbid that His people should be found helping forward the plans of
the Prince of Darkness.
Finally, as we read prayerfully the teaching of Scripture concerning
this Coming One, who shall embark upon the most awful course that has
ever been run on their earth; as we learn of how he will ascend the
Throne of the World, and be the director and dictator of human
affairs; as we discover how he will employ the mighty power, with
which Satan invests him, to openly defy God and everything which bears
His name; and, as we are made aware of the unspeakably dreadful
judgments which God will pour upon the world at that time, and the
fearful doom which shall overtake the Antichrist and all his
followers; our heart will be stirred within us, and we shall not
hesitate to lift up our voices in warning. The world is in complete
ignorance of what awaits it. The nations know not what is in store for
them. Even Israel discern not the dark night which lies before them.
But as God instructs us concerning what He is about to do, it is
positively criminal to remain silent. The voices of all whom God has
been pleased to enlighten ought to be raised in solemn and united
testimony to the things which God has declared "must shortly come to
pass."
_________________________________________________
Contents | Forward | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Conclusion
____________________________________________________
About Us
What's New
Audio Works
Baptist History
Bible Study Courses
Eschatology Heretical Teachings
Theological Studies
TULIP
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Time of Sorrow Links & Resources
For the Cause of
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The Attributes of God
by A.W. Pink
Preface
_________________________________________________________________
"Acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace: thereby good shall
come unto thee" (Job 22:21). "Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise
man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty glory in his might,
let not the rich glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory
in this, that he understandeth, and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord"
(Jer 9:23,24). A spiritual and saving knowledge of God is the greatest
need of every human creature.
The foundation of all true knowledge of God must be a clear mental
apprehension of His perfections as revealed in Holy Scripture. An
unknown God can neither be trusted, served, nor worshipped. In this
booklet an effort has been made to set forth some of the principal
perfections of the Divine character. If the reader is to truly profit
from his perusal of the pages that follow, he needs to definitely and
earnestly beseech God to bless them to him, to apply His Truth to the
conscience and heart, so that his life will be transformed thereby.
Something more than a theoretical knowledge of God is needed by us.
God is only truly known in the soul as we yield ourselves to Him,
submit to His authority, and regulate all the details of our lives by
His holy precepts and commandments. "Then shall we know, if we follow
on (in the path of obedience) to know the Lord" (Hosea 6:3). "If any
man will do His will, he shall know" (John 7:17). "The people that do
know their God shall be strong" (Dan. 11:32).
The Attributes of God
by A.W. Pink
Foreword
_________________________________________________________________
"Acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace: thereby good shall
come unto thee" (Job 22:21). "Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise
man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty glory in his might,
let not the rich glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory
in this, that he understandeth, and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord"
(Jer 9:23,24). A spiritual and saving knowledge of God is the greatest
need of every human creature.
The foundation of all true knowledge of God must be a clear mental
apprehension of His perfections as revealed in Holy Scripture. An
unknown God can neither be trusted, served, nor worshipped. In this
booklet an effort has been made to set forth some of the principal
perfections of the Divine character. If the reader is to truly profit
from his perusal of the pages that follow, he needs to definitely and
earnestly beseech God to bless them to him, to apply His Truth to the
conscience and heart, so that his life will be transformed thereby.
Something more than a theoretical knowledge of God is needed by us.
God is only truly known in the soul as we yield ourselves to Him,
submit to His authority, and regulate all the details of our lives by
His holy precepts and commandments. "Then shall we know, if we follow
on (in the path of obedience) to know the Lord" (Hosea 6:3). "If any
man will do His will, he shall know" (John 7:17). "The people that do
know their God shall be strong" (Dan. 11:32).
Contents | Forword | Preface | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17
____________________________________________________
About Us
What's New
Audio Works
Baptist History
Bible Study Courses
Eschatology Heretical Teachings
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TULIP
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Time of Sorrow Links & Resources
For the Cause of
God and Truth
Follow us on Twitter
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The Attributes of God
by A.W. Pink
1. The Solitariness of God
_________________________________________________________________
The title of this article is perhaps not sufficiently explicit to
indicate its theme. This is partly due to the fact that so few today
are accustomed to meditate upon the personal perfections of God.
Comparatively few of those who occasionally read the Bible are aware
of the awe-inspiring and worship-provoking grandeur of the Divine
character. That God is great in wisdom, wondrous in power, yet full of
mercy, is assumed by many to be almost common knowledge; but, to
entertain anything approaching an adequate conception of His being,
His nature, His attributes, as these are revealed in Holy Scripture,
is something which very, very few people in these degenerate times
have attained unto. God is solitary in His excellency. "Who is like
unto Thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like Thee, glorious in
holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?" (Ex. 15:11).
"In the beginning, God" (Gen. 1:1). There was a time, if "time" is
could be called, when God, in the unity of His nature (though
subsisting equally in three Divine Persons), dwelt all alone. "In the
beginning, God." There was no heaven, where His glory is now
particularly manifested. There was no earth to engage His attention.
There were no angels to hymn His praises; no universe to be upheld by
the word of His power. There was nothing, no one, but God; and that,
not for a day, a year, or an age, but "from everlasting." During a
past eternity, God was alone: self-contained, self-sufficient,
self-satisfied; in need of nothing. Had a universe, had angels, had
human beings been necessary to Him in any way, they also had been
called into existence from all eternity. The creating of them when He
did, added nothing to God essentially. He changes not (Mal. 3:6),
therefore His essential glory can be neither augmented nor diminished.
God was under no constraint, no obligation, no necessity to create.
That He chose to do so was purely a sovereign act on His part, caused
by nothing outside Himself, determined by nothing but His own mere
good pleasure; for He "worketh all things after the counsel of His own
will" (Eph. 1:11). That He did create was simply for His manifestative
glory. Do some of our readers imagine that we have gone beyond what
Scripture warrants? Then our appeal shall be to the Law and the
Testimony: "Stand up and bless the Lord your God forever and ever: and
blessed be Thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and
praise" (Neh. 9:5). God is no gainer even from our worship. He was in
no need of that external glory of His grace which arises from His
redeemed, for He is glorious enough in Himself without that. What was
it moved Him to predestinate His elect to the praise of the glory of
His grace? It was, as Ephesians 1:5 tells us, according to the good
pleasure of His will.
We are well aware that the high ground we are here treading is new and
strange to almost all of our readers; for that reason it is well to
move slowly. Let our appeal again be to the Scriptures. At the end of
Romans 11, where the apostle brings to a close his long argument on
salvation by pure and sovereign grace, he asks, "For who hath known
the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been His counsellor? Or who hath
first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed to him again?" (vv.
34,35). The force of this is, it is impossible to bring the Almighty
under obligations to the creature; God gains nothing from us. If thou
be righteous, what givest thou Him? Or what receiveth He of thine
hand? Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art; and thy righteousness
may profit the son of man (Job 35:7,8), but it certainly cannot affect
God, who is all-blessed in Himself. When ye shall have done all those
things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants
(Luke 17:10)--our obedience has profited God nothing.
Nay, we go further: our Lord Jesus Christ added nothing to God in His
essential being and glory, either by what He did or suffered. True,
blessedly and gloriously true, He manifested the glory of God to us,
but He added nought to God. He Himself expressly declares so, and
there is no appeal from His words: "My goodness extendeth not to Thee"
(Ps. 16:2). The whole of that Psalm is a Psalm of Christ. Christ's
goodness or righteousness reached unto His saints in the earth (Psa.
16:3), but God was high above and beyond it all, God only is the
"Blessed One" (Mark 14:61, Gr.).
It is perfectly true that God is both honored and dishonored by men;
not in His essential being, but in His official character. It is
equally true that God has been "glorified" by creation, by providence,
and by redemption. This we do not and dare not dispute for a moment.
But all of this has to do with His manifestative glory and the
recognition of it by us. Yet had God so pleased He might have
continued alone for all eternity, without making known His glory unto
creatures. Whether He should do so or not was determined solely by His
own will. He was perfectly blessed in Himself before the first
creature was called into being. And what are all the creatures of His
hands unto Him even now? Let Scripture again make answer: "Behold, the
nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust
of the balance: behold, He taketh up the isles as a very little thing.
And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof
sufficient for a burnt offering. All nations before Him are as
nothing; and they are counted to Him less than nothing, and vanity. To
whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto
Him?" (Isa. 40:15-18). That is the God of Scripture; alas, He is still
"the unknown God" (Acts 17:23) to the heedless multitudes. "It is He
that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof
are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and
spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: that bringeth the princes to
nothing; He maketh the judges of the earth as vanity" (Isa. 40:22,23).
How vastly different is the God of Scripture from the god of the
average pulpit!
Nor is the testimony of the New Testament any different from that of
the Old: how could it be, seeing that both have one and the same
Author! There too we read, "Which in His times He shall show, who is
the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords:
Who only bath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can
approach unto; whom no man bath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour
and power everlasting, Amen" (1 Tim. 6:16). Such an One is to be
revered, worshipped, adored. He is solitary in His majesty, unique in
His excellency, peerless in His perfections. He sustains all, but is
Himself independent of all. He gives to all, but is enriched by none.
Such a God cannot be found out by searching; He can be known, only as
He is revealed to the heart by the Holy Spirit through the Word. It is
true that creation demonstrates a Creator, and that, so plainly, men
are "without excuse;" yet, we still have to say with Job, "Lo, these
are parts of His ways: but how little a portion is heard of Him? but
the thunder of His power who can understand?" (26:14). The so-called
argument from design by well-meaning "Apologists" has, we believe,
done much more harm than good, for it has attempted to bring down the
great God to the level of finite comprehension, and thereby has lost
sight of His solitary excellence.
Analogy has been drawn between a savage finding a watch upon the
sands, and from a close examination of it he infers a watch-maker. So
far so good. But attempt to go further: suppose that savage sits down
on the sand and endeavors to form to himself a conception of this
watch-maker, his personal affections and manners; his disposition,
acquirements, and moral character--all that goes to make up a
personality; could he ever think or reason out a real man--the man who
made the watch, so that he could say, "I am acquainted with him?" It
seems trifling to ask such questions, but is the eternal and infinite
God so much more within the grasp of human reason? No, indeed! The God
of Scripture can only be known by those to whom He makes Himself
known.
Nor is God known by the intellect. "God is Spirit" (John 4:24), and
therefore can only be known spiritually. But fallen man is not
spiritual, he is carnal. He is dead to all that is spiritual. Unless
he is born again supernaturally brought from death unto life,
miraculously translated out of darkness into light, he cannot even see
the things of God (John 3:3), still less apprehend them (1 Cor. 2:14).
The Holy Spirit has to shine in our hearts (not intellects) in order
to give us "the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6). And even that spiritual knowledge is but
fragmentary. The regenerated soul has to grow in grace and in the
knowledge of the Lord Jesus (2 Pet. 3.18).
The principal prayer and aim of Christians should be that we "walk
worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good
work and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Col. 1:10).
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The Attributes of God
by A.W. Pink
2. The Decrees of God
_________________________________________________________________
The decree of God is His purpose or determination with respect to
future things. We have used the singular number as Scripture does (Rom
8:28, Eph 3:11), because there was only one act of His infinite mind
about future things. But we speak as if there had been many, because
our minds are only capable of thinking of successive revolutions, as
thoughts and occasions arise, or in reference to the various objects
of His decree, which being many seem to us to require a distinct
purpose for each one. But an infinite understanding does not proceed
by steps, from one stage to another: "Known unto God are all His
works, from the beginning of the world" (Acts 15:18).
The Scriptures make mention of the decrees of God in many passages,
and under a variety of terms. The word "decree" is found in Psalm 2:7,
etc. In Ephesians 3:11 we read of His "eternal purpose." In Acts 2:23
of His "determinate counsel and foreknowledge." In Ephesians 1:9 of
the mystery of His "will." In Romans 8:29 that He also did
predestinate. In Ephesians 1:9 of His "good pleasure." God's decrees
are called His "counsel" to signify they are consummately wise. They
are called God's "will" to show He was under no control, but acted
according to His own pleasure. When a man's will is the rule of his
conduct, it is usually capricious and unreasonable; but wisdom is
always associated with "will" in the Divine proceedings, and
accordingly, God's decrees are said to be "the counsel of His own
will" (Eph. 1:11).
The decrees of God relate to all future things without exception:
whatever is done in time, was foreordained before time began. God's
purpose was concerned with everything, whether great or small, whether
good or evil, although with reference to the latter we must be careful
to state that while God is the Orderer and Controller of sin, He is
not the Author of it in the same way that He is the Author of good.
Sin could not proceed from a holy God by positive and direct creation,
but only by decretive permission and negative action. God's decree is
as comprehensive as His government, extending to all creatures and all
events. It was concerned about our life and death; about our state in
time, and our state in eternity. As God works all things after the
counsel of His own will, we learn from His works what His counsel is
(was), as we judge of an architect's plan by inspecting the building
which was erected under his directions.
God did not merely decree to make man, place him upon the earth, and
then leave him to his own uncontrolled guidance; instead, He fixed all
the circumstances in the lot of individuals, and all the particulars
which will comprise the history of the human race from its
commencement to its close. He did not merely decree that general laws
should be established for the government of the world, but He settled
the application of those laws to all particular cases. Our days are
numbered, and so are the hairs of our heads. We may learn what is the
extent of the Divine decrees from the dispensations of providence, in
which they are executed. The care of Providence reaches to the most
insignificant creatures, and the most minute events--the death of a
sparrow, and the fall of a hair.
Let us now consider some of the properties of the Divine decrees.
First, they are eternal. To suppose any of them to be made in time, is
to suppose that some new occasion has occurred, some unforeseen event
or combination of circumstances has arisen, which has induced the Most
High to form a new resolution. This would argue that the knowledge of
the deity is limited, an that He is growing wiser in the progress of
time--which would be horrible blasphemy. No man who believes that the
Divine understanding is infinite, comprehending the past, the present,
and the future, will ever assent to the erroneous doctrine of temporal
decrees. God is not ignorant of future events which will be executed
by human volitions; He has foretold them in innumerable instances, and
prophecy is but the manifestation of His eternal prescience. Scripture
affirms that believers were chosen in Christ before the world began
(Eph. 1:4), yea, that grace was "given" to them then (2 Tim. 1:9).
Second, the decrees of God are wise. Wisdom is shown in the selection
of the best possible ends and of the fittest means of accomplishing
them. That this character belongs to the decrees of God is evident
from what we know of them. They are disclosed to us by their
execution, and every proof of wisdom in the works of God is a proof of
the wisdom of the plan, in conformity to which they are performed. As
the Psalmist declared, "O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! in wisdom
hast Thou made them all" (Ps. 104:24). It is indeed but a very small
part of them which falls under our observation, yet, we ought to
proceed here as we do in other cases, and judge of the whole by the
specimen, of what is unknown, by what is known. He who perceives the
workings of admirable skill in the parts of a machine which he has an
opportunity to examine, is naturally led to believe that the other
parts are equally admirable. In like manner should we satisfy our
minds as to God's works when doubts obtrude themselves upon us, and
repel the objections which may be suggested by something which we
cannot reconcile to our notions of what is good and wise. When we
reach the bounds of the finite and gaze toward the mysterious realm of
the infinite, let us exclaim. "O the depth of the riches! both of the
wisdom and knowledge of God" (Rom. 11:33).
Third, they are free. "Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or
being His counselor hath taught Him? With whom took He counsel, and
who instructed Him, and taught Him in the path of judgment, and taught
Him knowledge, and showed to Him the way of understanding?" (Isa.
40:13,14). God was alone when He made His decrees, and His
determinations were influenced by no external cause. He was free to
decree or not to decree, and to decree one thing and not another. This
liberty we must ascribe to Him who is supreme, independent, and
sovereign in all His doings.
Fourth, they are absolute and unconditional. The execution of them is
not suspended upon any condition which may, or may not be, performed.
In every instance where God his decreed an end, He has also decreed
every means to that end. The One who decreed the salvation of His
elect also decreed to work faith in them (2 Thess. 2:13). "My counsel
shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure" (Isa. 46:10): but that
could not be, if His counsel depended upon a condition which might not
be performed. But God "worketh all things after the counsel of His own
will" (Eph. 1:11).
Side by side with the immutability and invincibility of God's decrees,
Scripture plainly teaches that man is a responsible creature and
answerable for his actions. And if our thoughts are formed from God's
Word the maintenance of the one will not lead to the denial of the
other. That there is a real difficulty in defining where the one ends
and the other begins, is freely granted. This is ever the case where
there is a conjunction of the Divine and the human. Real prayer is
indited by the Spirit, yet it is also the cry of a human heart. The
Scriptures are the inspired Word of God, yet were they written by men
who were something more than machines in the hand of the Spirit.
Christ is both God and man. He is Omniscient, yet "increased in
wisdom" (Luke 2:52). He was Almighty, yet was "crucified through
weakness" (2 Cor. 13:4). He was the Prince of life, yet He died. High
mysteries are these, yet faith receives them unquestioningly.
It has often been pointed out in the past that every objection made
against the eternal decrees of God applies with equal force against
His eternal foreknowledge:
Whether God has decreed all things that ever come to pass or not,
all that own the being of a God, own that He knows all things
beforehand. Now, it is self-evident that if He knows all things
beforehand, He either doth approve of them or doth not approve of
them; that is, He either is willing they should be, or He is not
willing they should be. But to will that they should be is to
decree them. (Jonathan Edwards).
Finally, attempt to assume and then contemplate the opposite. To deny
the Divine decrees would be to predicate a world and all its concerns
regulated by undesigned chance or blind fate. Then what peace, what
assurance, what comfort would there be for our poor hearts and minds?
What refuge would there be to fly to in the hour of need and trial?
None at all. There would be nothing better than the black darkness and
abject horror of atheism. O my reader, how thankful should we be that
everything is determined by infinite wisdom and goodness! What praise
and gratitude are due unto God for His Divine decrees. It is because
of them that "we know that all things work together for good to them
that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose"
(Rom. 8:28). Well may we exclaim, "For of Him, and through Him, and to
Him, are all things: to whom he glory forever. Amen" (Rom 11:36).
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The Attributes of God
by A.W. Pink
3. The Knowledge of God
_________________________________________________________________
God is omniscient. He knows everything: everything possible,
everything actual; all events, all creatures, God the past, the
present and the future. He is perfectly acquainted with every detail
in the life of every being in heaven, in earth and in hell. "He
knoweth what is in the darkness" (Dan. 2:22). Nothing escapes Hs
notice, nothing can be hidden from Him, nothing is forgotten by Him.
Well may we say with the Psalmist, "Such knowledge is too wonderful
for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it" (Ps. 139:6). His
knowledge is perfect. He never errs, never changes, never overlooks
anything. "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His
sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with
whom we have to do" (Heb. 4:13). Yes, such is the God with whom "we
have to do!"
"Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, Thou understandest my
thoughts afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art
acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue but,
lo, O Lord, Thou knowest it altogether" (Ps. 139:2-4). What a wondrous
Being is the God of Scripture! Each of His glorious attributes should
render Him honorable in our esteem. The apprehension of His
omniscience ought to bow us in adoration before Him. Yet how little do
we meditate upon this Divine perfection! Is it because the very
thought of it fills us with uneasiness?
How solemn is this fact: nothing can be concealed from God! "For I
know the things that come into your mind, every one of them" (Ezek.
11:5). Though He be invisible to us, we are not so to Him. Neither the
darkness of night, the closest curtains, nor the deepest dungeon can
hide any sinner from the eyes of Omniscience. The trees of the garden
were not able to conceal our first parents. No human eye beheld Cain
murder his brother, but his Maker witnessed his crime. Sarah might
laugh derisively in the seclusion of her tent, yet was it heard by
Jehovah. Achan stole a wedge of gold and carefully hid it in the
earth, but God brought it to light. David was at much pains to cover
up his wickedness, but ere long the all-seeing God sent one of His
servants to say to him, "Thou art the man! And to writer and reader is
also said, Be sure your sin will find you out" (Num. 32:23).
Men would strip Deity of His omniscience if they could--what a proof
that "the carnal mind is enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7)! The wicked do
as naturally hate this Divine perfection as much as they are naturally
compelled to acknowledge it. They wish there might be no Witness of
their sins, no Searcher of their hearts, no Judge of their deeds. They
seek to banish such a God from their thoughts: "They consider not in
their hearts that I remember all their wickedness" (Hosea 7:2). How
solemn is Psalm 90:8! Good reason has every Christ-rejecter for
trembling before it: Thou hast set our iniquities before Thee, our
secret sins in the light of Thy countenance.
But to the believer, the fact of God's omniscience is a truth fraught
with much comfort. In times of perplexity he says with Job, "But He
knoweth the way that I take." (23:10). It may be profoundly mysterious
to me, quite incomprehensible to my friends, but "He knoweth!" In
times of weariness and weakness believers assure themselves "He
knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust" (Ps. 103:14). In
times of doubt and suspicion they appeal to this very attribute
saying, "Search me, 0 God, and know my heart: try me, and know my
thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the
way everlasting" (Ps. 139:23,24). In time of sad failure, when our
actions have belied our hearts, when our deeds have repudiated our
devotion, and the searching question comes to us, "Lovest thou Me?;"
we say, as Peter did, "Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest
that I love Thee" (John 21:17).
Here is encouragement to prayer. There is no cause for fearing that
the petitions of the righteous will not be heard, or that their sighs
and tears shall escape the notice of God, since He knows the thoughts
and intents of the heart. There is no danger of the individual saint
being overlooked amidst the multitude of supplicants who daily and
hourly present their various petitions, for an infinite Mind is as
capable as paying the same attention to millions as if only one
individual were seeking its attention. So too the lack of appropriate
language, the inability to give expression to the deepest longing of
the soul, will not jeopardize our prayers, for "It shall come to pass,
that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking,
I will hear" (Isa. 65:24).
"Great is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is infinite"
(Ps. 147:5). God not only knows whatsoever has happened in the past in
every part of His vast domains, and He is not only thoroughly
acquainted with everything that is now transpiring throughout the
entire universe, but He is also perfectly cognizant with every event,
from the least to the greatest, that ever will happen in the ages to
come. God's knowledge of the future is as complete as is His knowledge
of the past and the present, and that, because the future depends
entirely upon Himself. Were it in anywise possible for something to
occur apart from either the direct agency or permission of God, then
that something would be independent of Him, and He would at once cease
to be Supreme.
Now the Divine knowledge of the future is not a mere abstraction, but
something which is inseparably connected with and accompanied by His
purpose. God has Himself designed whatsoever shall yet be, and what He
has designed must be effectuated. As His most sure Word affirms, "He
doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and the inhabitants
of the earth: and none can stay His hand" (Dan. 4:35). And again,
"There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of
the Lord, that shall stand" (Prov. 19:21). The wisdom and power of God
being alike infinite, the accomplishment of whatever He hath purposed
is absolutely guaranteed. It is no more possible for the Divine
counsels to fail in their execution than it would be for the thrice
holy God to lie.
Nothing relating to the future is in anywise uncertain so far as the
actualization of God's counsels are concerned. None of His decrees are
left contingent either on creatures or secondary causes. There is no
future event which is only a mere possibility, that is, something
which may or may not come to pass, "Known unto God are all His works
from the beginning" (Acts 15:18). Whatever God has decreed is
inexorably certain, for He is without variableness, or shadow, of
turning. (James 1:17). Therefore we are told at the very beginning of
that book which unveils to us so much of the future, of "Things which
must shortly come to pass." (Rev. 1:1).
The perfect knowledge of God is exemplified and illustrated in every
prophecy recorded in His Word. In the Old Testament are to be found
scores of predictions concerning the history of Israel, which were
fulfilled to their minutest detail, centuries after they were made. In
them too are scores more foretelling the earthly career of Christ, and
they too were accomplished literally and perfectly. Such prophecies
could only have been given by One who knew the end from the beginning,
and whose knowledge rested upon the unconditional certainty of the
accomplishment of everything foretold. In like manner, both Old and
New Testament contain many other announcements yet future, and they
too "must be fulfilled" (Luke 24:44), must because foretold by Him who
decreed them.
It should, however, be pointed out that neither God's knowledge nor
His cognition of the future, considered simply in themselves, are
causative. Nothing has ever come to pass, or ever will, merely because
God knew it. The cause of all things is the will of God. The man who
really believes the Scriptures knows beforehand that the seasons will
continue to follow each other with unfailing regularity to the end of
earth's history (Gen. 8:22), yet his knowledge is not the cause of
their succession. So God's knowledge does not arise from things
because they are or will be but because He has ordained them to be.
God knew and foretold the crucifixion of His Son many hundreds of
years before He became incarnate, and this, because in the Divine
purpose, He was a Lamb slain from the foundation of the world: hence
we read of His being "delivered by the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2:23).
A word or two by way of application. The infinite knowledge of God
should fill us with amazement. How far exalted above the wisest man is
the Lord! None of us knows what a day may bring forth, but all
futurity is open to His omniscient gaze. The infinite knowledge of God
ought to fill us with holy awe. Nothing we do, say, or even think,
escapes the cognizance of Him with whom we have to do: "The eyes of
the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good" (Prov.
15:3). What a curb this would be unto us, did we but meditate upon it
more frequently! Instead of acting recklessly, we should say with
Hagar, "Thou God seest me" (Gen. 16:13). The apprehension of God's
infinite knowledge should fill the Christian with adoration. The whole
of my life stood open to His view from the beginning. He foresaw my
every fall, my every sin, my every backsliding; yet, nevertheless,
fixed His heart upon me. Oh, how the realization of this should bow me
in wonder and worship before Him!
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____________________________________________________
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The Attributes of God
by A.W. Pink
4. The Foreknowledge of God
_________________________________________________________________
What controversies have been engendered by this subject in the past!
But what truth of Holy Scripture is there which has not been made the
occasion of theological and ecclesiastical battles? The deity of
Christ, His virgin birth, His atoning death, His second advent; the
believer's justification, sanctification, security; the church, its
organization, officers, discipline; baptism, the Lord's supper, and a
score of other precious truths might be mentioned. Yet, the
controversies which have been waged over them did not close the mouths
of God's faithful servants; why, then, should we avoid the vexed
question of God's Foreknowledge, because, forsooth, there are some who
will charge us with fomenting strife? Let others contend if they will,
our duty is to bear witness according to the light vouchsafed us.
There are two things concerning the Foreknowledge of God about which
many are in ignorance: the meaning of the term, its Scriptural scope.
Because this ignorance is so widespread, it is an easy matter for
preachers and teachers to palm off perversions of this subject, even
upon the people of God. There is only one safeguard against error, and
that is to be established in the faith; and for that, there has to be
prayerful and diligent study, and a receiving with meekness the
engrafted Word of God. Only then are we fortified against the attacks
of those who assail us. There are those today who are misusing this
very truth in order to discredit and deny the absolute sovereignty of
God in the salvation of sinners. Just as higher critics are
repudiating the Divine inspiration of the Scriptures; evolutionists,
the work of God in creation; so some pseudo Bible teachers are
perverting His foreknowledge in order to set aside His unconditional
election unto eternal life.
When the solemn and blessed subject of Divine foreordination is
expounded, when God's eternal choice of certain ones to be conformed
to the image of His Son is set forth, the Enemy sends along some man
to argue that election is based upon the foreknowledge of God, and
this "foreknowledge" is interpreted to mean that God foresaw certain
ones would be more pliable than others, that they would respond more
readily to the strivings of the Spirit, and that because God knew they
would believe, He, accordingly, predestinated them unto salvation. But
such a statement is radically wrong. It repudiates the truth of total
depravity, for it argues that there is something good in some men. It
takes away the independency of God, for it makes His decrees rest upon
what He discovers in the creature. It completely turns things upside
down, for in saying God foresaw certain sinners would believe in
Christ, and that because of this, He predestinated them unto
salvation, is the very reverse of the truth. Scripture affirms that
God, in His high sovereignty, singled out certain ones to be
recipients of His distinguishing favors (Acts 13:48), and therefore He
determined to bestow upon them the gift of faith. False theology makes
God's foreknowledge of our believing the cause of His election to
salvation; whereas, God's election is the cause, and our believing in
Christ is the effect.
Ere proceeding further with our discussion of this much misunderstood
theme, let us pause and define our terms. What is meant by
"foreknowledge?" "To know beforehand," is the ready reply of many. But
we must not jump at conclusions, nor must we turn to Webster's
dictionary as the final court of appeal, for it is not a matter of the
etymology of the term employed. What is needed is to find out how the
word is used in Scripture. The Holy Spirit's usage of an expression
always defines its meaning and scope. It is failure to apply this
simple, rule which is responsible for so much confusion and error. So
many people assume they already know the signification of a certain
word used in Scripture, and then they are too dilatory to test their
assumptions by means of a concordance. Let us amplify this point.
Take the word "flesh." Its meaning appears to be so obvious that many
would regard it as a waste of time to look up its various connections
in Scripture. It is hastily assumed that the word is synonymous with
the physical body, and so no inquiry is made. But, in fact, "flesh" in
Scripture frequently includes far more than what is corporeal; all
that is embraced by the term can only be ascertained by a diligent
comparison of every occurrence of it and by a study of each separate
context. Take the word "world." The average reader of the Bible
imagines this word is the equivalent for the human race, and
consequently, many passages where the term is found are wrongly
interpreted. Take the word immortality. Surely it requires no study!
Obviously it has reference to the indestructibility of the soul. Ah,
my reader, it is foolish and wrong to assume anything where the Word
of God is concerned. If the reader will take the trouble to carefully
examine each passage where "mortal" and "immortal" are found, it will
be seen these words are never applied to the soul, but always to the
body.
Now what has just been said on "flesh," the "world," immortality,
applies with equal force to the terms know and "foreknow." Instead of
imagining that these words signify no more than a simple cognition,
the different passages in which they occur require to be carefully
weighed. The word "foreknowledge" is not found in the Old Testament.
But know occurs there frequently. When that term is used in connection
with God, it often signifies to regard with favour, denoting not mere
cognition but an affection for the object in view. "I know thee by
name" (Ex. 33:17). "Ye have been rebellious against the Lord from the
day that I knew you" (Deut. 9:24). "Before I formed thee in the belly
I knew thee" (Jer. 1:5). "They have made princes and I knew it not"
(Hos. 8:4). "You only have I known of all the families of the earth"
(Amos 3:2). In these passages knew signifies either loved or
appointed.
In like manner, the word "know" is frequently used in the New
Testament, in the same sense as in the Old Testament. "Then will I
profess unto them, I never knew you" (Matt. 7:23). "I am the good
shepherd and know My sheep and am known of Mine" (John 10:14). "If any
man love God, the same is known of Him" (1 Cor. 8:3). "The Lord
knoweth them that are His" (2 Tim. 2:19).
Now the word "foreknowledge" as it is used in the New Testament is
less ambiguous than in its simple form "to know." If every passage in
which it occurs is carefully studied, it will be discovered that it is
a moot point whether it ever has reference to the mere perception of
events which are yet to take place. The fact is that "foreknowledge"
is never used in Scripture in connection with events or actions;
instead, it always has reference to persons. It is persons God is said
to "foreknow," not the actions of those persons. In proof of this we
shall now quote each passage where this expression is found.
The first occurrence is in Acts 2:23. There we read, "Him being
delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have
taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain." If careful
attention is paid to the wording of this verse it will be seen that
the apostle was not there speaking of God's foreknowledge of the act
of the crucifixion, but of the Person crucified: "Him (Christ) being
delivered by," etc.
The second occurrence is in Romans 8;29,30. "For whom He did foreknow,
He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image, of His Son,
that He might be the Firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He
did predestinate, them He also called," etc. Weigh well the pronoun
that is used here. It is not what He did foreknow, but whom He did. It
is not the surrendering of their wills nor the believing of their
hearts but the persons themselves, which is here in view.
"God hath not cast away His people which He foreknew" (Rom. 11:2).
Once more the plain reference is to persons, and to persons only.
The last mention is in 1 Peter 1:2: "Elect according to the
foreknowledge of God the Father." Who are elect according to the
foreknowledge of God the Father? The previous verse tells us: the
reference is to the "strangers scattered" i.e. the Diaspora, the
Dispersion, the believing Jews. Thus, here too the reference is to
persons, and not to their foreseen acts.
Now in view of these passages (and there are no more) what scriptural
ground is there for anyone saying God "foreknew" the acts of certain
ones, viz., their "repenting and believing," and that because of those
acts He elected them unto salvation? The answer is, None whatever.
Scripture never speaks of repentance and faith as being foreseen or
foreknown by God. Truly, He did know from all eternity that certain
ones would repent and believe, yet this is not what Scripture refers
to as the object of God's "foreknowledge." The word uniformly refers
to God's foreknowing persons; then let us "hold fast the form of sound
words" (2 Tim. 1:13).
Another thing to which we desire to call particular attention is that
the first two passages quoted above show plainly and teach implicitly
that God's "foreknowledge" is not causative, that instead, something
else lies behind, precedes it, and that something is His own sovereign
decree. Christ was "delivered by the (1) determinate counsel and (2)
foreknowledge of God." (Acts 2:23). His "counsel" or decree was the
ground of His foreknowledge. So again in Romans 8:29. That verse opens
with the word "for," which tells us to look back to what immediately
precedes. What, then, does the previous verse say? This, "all things
work together for good to them. . . .who are the called according to
His purpose." Thus God's foreknowledge is based upon His purpose or
decree (see Ps. 2:7).
God foreknows what will be because He has decreed what shall be. It is
therefore a reversing of the order of Scripture, a putting of the cart
before the horse, to affirm that God elects because He foreknows
people. The truth is, He "foreknows" because He has elected. This
removes the ground or cause of election from outside the creature, and
places it in God's own sovereign will. God purposed in Himself to
elect a certain people, not because of anything good in them or from
them, either actual or foreseen, but solely out of His own mere
pleasure. As to why He chose the ones He did, we do not know, and can
only say, "Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight." The
plain truth of Romans 8:29 is that God, before the foundation of the
world, singled out certain sinners and appointed them unto salvation
(2 Thess. 2:13). This is clear from the concluding words of the verse:
"Predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son," etc. God did
not predestinate those whom He foreknew were "conformed," but, on the
contrary, those whom He "foreknew" (i.e., loved and elected) He
predestinated to be conformed. Their conformity to Christ is not the
cause, but the effect of God's foreknowledge and predestination.
God did not elect any sinner because He foresaw that he would believe,
for the simple but sufficient reason that no sinner ever does believe
until God gives him faith; just as no man sees until God gives him
sight. Sight is God's gift, seeing is the consequence of my using His
gift. So faith is God's gift (Eph. 1:8,9), believing is the
consequence of my using His gift. If it were true that God had elected
certain ones to be saved because in due time they would believe, then
that would make believing a meritorious act, and in that event the
saved sinner would have ground for "boasting," which Scripture
emphatically denies: Ephesians 2:9.
Surely God's Word is plain enough in teaching that believing is not a
meritorious act. It affirms that Christians are a people "who have
believed through grace" (Acts 18:27). If then, they have believed
"through grace," there is absolutely nothing meritorious about
"believing," and if nothing meritorious, it could not be the ground or
cause which moved God to choose them. No; God's choice proceeds not
from anything in us, or anything from us, but solely from His own
sovereign pleasure. Once more, in Romans 11:5, we read of "a remnant
according to the election of grace." There it is, plain enough;
election itself is of grace, and grace is unmerited favour something
for which we had no claim upon God whatsoever.
It thus appears that it is highly important for us to have clear and
scriptural views of the "foreknowledge" of God. Erroneous conceptions
about it lead inevitably to thoughts most dishonoring to Him. The
popular idea of Divine foreknowledge is altogether inadequate. God not
only knew the end from the beginning, but He planned, fixed,
predestinated everything from the beginning. And, as cause stands to
effect, so God's purpose is the ground of His prescience. If then the
reader be a real Christian, he is so because God chose him in Christ
before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4), and chose not because
He foresaw you would believe, but chose simply because it pleased Him
to choose: chose you notwithstanding your natural unbelief. This being
so, all the glory and praise belongs alone to Him. You have no ground
for taking any credit to yourself. You have "believed through grace"
(Acts 18:27), and that, because your very election was "of grace"
(Rom. 11:5).
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The Attributes of God
by A.W. Pink
5. The Supremacy of God
_________________________________________________________________
In one of his letters to Erasmus, Luther said, "Your thoughts of God
are too human." Probably that renowned scholar resented such a rebuke,
the more so, since it proceeded from a miner's son; nevertheless, it
was thoroughly deserved. We too, though having no standing among the
religious leaders of this degenerate age, prefer the same charge
against the majority of the preachers of our day, and against those
who, instead of searching the Scriptures for themselves, lazily accept
the teaching of others. The most dishonoring and degrading conceptions
of the rule and reign of the Almighty are now held almost everywhere.
To countless thousands, even among those professing to be Christians,
the God of the Scriptures is quite unknown.
Of old, God complained to an apostate Israel, Thou thoughtest that I
was altogether as thyself. (Ps. 50:21). Such must now be His
indictment against an apostate Christendom. Men imagine that the Most
High is moved by sentiment, rather than actuated by principle. They
suppose that His omnipotency is such an idle fiction that Satan is
thwarting His designs on every side. They think that if He has formed
any plan or purpose at all, then it must be like theirs, constantly
subject to change. They openly declare that whatever power He
possesses must be restricted, lest He invade the citadel of man's
"free will" and reduce him to a "machine." They lower the all
efficacious Atonement, which has actually redeemed everyone for whom
it was made, to a mere "remedy," which sin-sick souls may use if they
feel disposed to; and they enervate the invincible work of the Holy
Spirit to an "offer" of the Gospel which sinners may accept or reject
as they please.
The "god" of this twentieth century no more resembles the Supreme
Sovereign of Holy Writ than does the dim flickering of a candle the
glory of the midday sun. The "god" who is now talked about in the
average pulpit, spoken of in the ordinary Sunday School, mentioned in
much of the religious literature of the day, and preached in most of
the so-called Bible Conferences is the figment of human imagination,
an invention of maudlin sentimentality. The heathen outside of the
pale of Christendom form "gods" out of wood and stone, while the
millions of heathen inside Christendom manufacture a "god" out of
their own carnal mind. In reality, they are but atheists, for there is
no other possible alternative between an absolutely supreme God, and
no God at all. A "god" whose will is resisted, whose designs are
frustrated, whose purpose is checkmated, possesses no title to Deity,
and so far from being a fit object of worship, merits nought but
contempt.
The supremacy of the true and living God might well be argued from the
infinite distance which separates the mightiest creatures from the
almighty Creator. He is the Potter, they are but the clay in His hands
to be molded into vessels of honor, or to be dashed into pieces (Ps.
2-9) as He pleases. Were all the denizens of heaven and all the
inhabitants of the earth to combine in revolt against Him, it would
occasion Him no uneasiness, and would have less effect upon His
eternal and unassailable Throne than has the spray of Mediterranean's
waves upon the towering rocks of Gibraltar. So puerile and powerless
is the creature to affect the Most High, Scripture itself tells us
that when the Gentile heads unite with apostate Israel to defy Jehovah
and His Christ, "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh" (Ps.
2:4).
The absolute and universal supremacy of God is plainly and positively
affirmed in many scriptures. "Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the
power, and the glory, and the victory and the majesty: for all in the
heaven and all in the earth is Thine; Thine is the Kingdom, O Lord,
and Thou art exalted as Head above all. . . .And Thou reignest over
all" (1 Chron. 29:11, 12)--note reignest now, not "will do so in the
Millennium." "O Lord God of our fathers, art not Thou, God in heaven?
and rulest not Thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in Thine
hand is there not power and might, so that none (not even the Devil
himself) is able to withstand Thee?" (2 Chron. 20:6). Before Him
presidents and popes, kings and emperors, are less than grasshoppers.
"But He is in one mind, and who can turn Him? and what His soul
desireth, even that He doeth" (Job 23:13). Ah, my reader, the God of
Scripture is no make-believe monarch, no mere imaginary sovereign, but
King of kings, and Lord of lords. "I know that Thou canst do
everything, and that no thought of Thine can be hindered" (Job 42:3,
margin), or, as another translator, "no purpose of Thine can be
frustrated." All that He has designed He does. All that He has
decreed, He performs. "But our God is in the heavens: He hath done
whatsoever He hath pleased" (Psa. 115.3); and why has He? Because
"there is no wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel against the Lord"
(Prov 21:30).
God's supremacy over the works of His hands is vividly depicted in
Scripture. Inanimate matter, irrational creatures, all perform their
Maker's bidding. At His pleasure the Red Sea divided and its waters
stood up as walls (Ex. 14); and the earth opened her mouth, and guilty
rebels went down alive into the pit (Num. 14). When He so ordered, the
sun stood still (Josh. 10); and on another occasion went backward ten
degrees on the dial of Ahaz (Isa. 38:8). To exemplify His supremacy,
He made ravens carry food to Elijah (1 Kings 17), iron to swim on top
of the waters (2 Kings 6:5), lions to be tame when Daniel was cast
into their den, fire to burn not when the three Hebrews were flung
into its flames. Thus "Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did He in
heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places" (Psa. 135:6).
God's supremacy is also demonstrated in His perfect rule over the
wills of men. Let the reader ponder carefully Ex. 34:24. Three times
in the year all the males of Israel were required to leave their homes
and go up to Jerusalem. They lived in the midst of hostile people, who
hated them for having appropriated their lands. What, then, was to
hinder the Canaanites from seizing their opportunity, and, during the
absence of the men, slaying the women and children and taking
possession of their farms? If the hand of the Almighty was not upon
the wills even of wicked men, how could He make this promise
beforehand, that none should so much as "desire" their lands? Ah, "The
king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: He
turneth it whithersoever He will" (Prov. 21:1).
But, it may be objected, do we not read again and again in Scripture
how that men defied God, resisted His will, broke His commandments,
disregarded His warnings, and turned a deaf ear to all His
exhortations? Certainly we do. And does this nullify all that we have
said above? If it does, then the Bible plainly contradicts itself. But
that cannot be. What the objector refers to is simply the wickedness
of man against the external word of God, whereas what we have
mentioned above is what God has purposed in Himself. The rule of
conduct He has given us to walk by, is perfectly fulfilled by none of
us; His own eternal "counsels" are accomplished to their minutest
details.
The absolute and universal supremacy of God is affirmed with equal
plainness and positiveness in the New Testament. There we are told
that God "worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (Eph.
1:11)--the Greek for "worketh" means to work effectually. For this
reason we read, "For of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all
things: to whom be glory forever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36). Men may boast
that they are free agents, with a will of their own, and are at
liberty to do as they please, but Scripture says to those who boast
"we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and
sell...Ye ought to say, If the Lord will" (Jas. 4:13,15)!
Here then is a sure resting-place for the heart. Our lives are neither
the product of blind fate nor the result of capricious chance, but
every detail of them was ordained from all eternity. and is now
ordered by the living and reigning God. Not a hair of our heads can be
touched without His permission. "A man's heart deviseth his way: but
the Lord directeth his steps" (Prov. 16:9). What assurance, what
strength, what comfort should this give the real Christian! "My times
are in Thy hand" (Ps. 31:15). Then let me "Rest in the Lord, and wait
patiently for Him" (Ps. 37:7).
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The Attributes of God
by A.W. Pink
6. The Sovereignty Of God
_________________________________________________________________
The sovereignty of God may be defined as the exercise of His
supremacy--(see Web Site on Supremacy). Being infinitely elevated
above the highest creature, He is the Most High, Lord of heaven and
earth. Subject to none, influenced by none, absolutely independent;
God does as He pleases, only as He pleases always as He pleases. None
can thwart Him, none can hinder Him. So His own Word expressly
declares: "My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure"
(Isa. 46:10); "He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven,
and the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand" (Dan.
4:35). Divine sovereignty means that God is God in fact, as well as in
name, that He is on the Throne of the universe, directing all things,
working all things "after the counsel of His own will" (Eph. 1:11).
Rightly did the late Mr. Spurgeon say in his sermon on Matthew 20:15:
There is no attribute more comforting to His children than that of
God's Sovereignty. Under the most adverse circumstances, in the
most severe trials, they believe that Sovereignty has ordained
their afflictions, that Sovereignty overrules them, and that
Sovereignty will sanctify them all. There is nothing for which the
children ought more earnestly to contend than the doctrine of their
Master over all creation--the Kingship of God over all the works of
His own hands--the Throne of God and His right to sit upon that
Throne. On the other hand, there is no doctrine more hated by
worldings, no truth of which they have made such a football, as the
great, stupendous, but yet most certain doctrine of the Sovereignty
of the infinite Jehovah. Men will allow God to be everywhere except
on His throne. They will allow Him to be in His workshop to fashion
worlds and make stars. They will allow Him to be in His almonry to
dispense His alms and bestow His bounties. They will allow Him to
sustain the earth and bear up the pillars thereof, or light the
lamps of heaven, or rule the waves of the ever-moving ocean; but
when God ascends His throne, His creatures then gnash their teeth,
and we proclaim an enthroned God, and His right to do as He wills
with His own, to dispose of His creatures as He thinks well,
without consulting them in the matter; then it is that we are
hissed and execrated, and then it is that men turn a deaf ear to
us, for God on His throne is not the God they love. But it is God
upon the throne that we love to preach. It is God upon His throne
whom we trust.
"Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did He in heaven, and in earth,
in the seas, and all deep places" (Ps. 135:6). Yes, dear reader,
such is the imperial Potentate revealed in Holy Writ. Unrivalled in
majesty, unlimited in power, unaffected by anything outside
Himself. But we are living in a day when even the most "orthodox"
seem afraid to admit the proper Godhood of God. They say that to
press excludes human responsibility; whereas human responsibility
is based upon Divine sovereignty, and is the product of it.
"But our God is in the heavens: He hath done whatsoever He hath
pleased" (Ps. 115:3). He sovereignly chose to place each of His
creatures on that particular footing which seemed good in His sight.
He created angels: some He placed on a conditional footing, others He
gave an immutable standing before Him (1 Tim. 5:21), making Christ
their head (Col. 2:10). Let it not be overlooked that the angels which
sinned (2 Pet. 2:5),. were as much His creatures as the angels that
sinned not. Yet God foresaw they would fall, nevertheless He placed
them on a mutable creature, conditional footing, and suffered them to
fall, though He was not the Author of their sin.
So too, God sovereignly placed Adam in the garden of Eden upon a
conditional footing. Had He so pleased, He could have placed him upon
an unconditional footing; He could have placed him on a footing as
firm as that occupied by the unfallen angels, He could have placed him
upon a footing as sure and as immutable as that which His saints have
in Christ. But, instead, He chose to set him in Eden on the basis of
creature responsibility, so that he stood or fell according as he
measured or failed to measure up to his responsibility obedience to
his Maker. Adam stood accountable to God by the law which his Creator
had given him. Here was responsibility, unimpaired responsibility,
tested out under the most favorable conditions.
Now God did not place Adam upon a footing of conditional, creature
responsibility, because it was right He should so place him. No, it
was right because God did it. God did not even give creatures being
because it was right for Him to do so, i. e., because He was under any
obligations to create; but it was right because He did so. God is
sovereign. His will is supreme. So far from God being under any law of
"right," He is a law unto Himself, so that whatsoever He does is
right. And woe be to the rebel that calls His sovereignty into
question: "Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker. Let the potsherd
strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the thing say to Him
that fashioned it, What makest Thou?" (Isa. 45:9).
Again; the Lord God sovereignly placed Israel upon a conditional
footing. The 19th, 20th and 24th chapters of Exodus afford a clear and
full proof of this. They were placed under a covenant of works. God
gave to them certain laws, and made national blessing for them depend
upon their observance of His statutes. But Israel were stiffnecked and
uncircumcised in heart. They rebelled against Jehovah, forsook His
law, turned unto false gods, apostatized. In consequence, Divine
judgment fell upon them, they were delivered into the hands of their
enemies, dispersed abroad throughout the earth, and remain under the
heavy frown of God's displeasure to this day.
It was God in the exercise of His high sovereignty that placed Satan
and his angels, Adam, Israel, in their respective responsible
positions. But so far from His sovereignty taking away responsibility
from the creature, it was by the exercise thereof that He placed them
on this conditional footing, under such responsibilities as He thought
proper; by virtue of which sovereignty, He is seen to be God over all.
Thus, there is perfect harmony between the sovereignty of God and the
responsibility of the creature. Many have most foolishly said that it
is quite impossible to show where Divine sovereignty ends and creature
accountability begins. Here is where creature responsibility begins:
in the sovereign ordination of the Creator. As to His sovereignty,
there is not and never will be any "end" to it!
Let us give further proofs that the responsibility of the creature is
based upon God's sovereignty. How many things are recorded in
Scripture which were right because God commanded them, and which would
not have been right had He not so commanded! What right had Adam to
"eat" of the trees of the Garden? The permission of his Maker (Gen.
2:16), without such, he had been a thief! What right had Israel to
"borrow" of the Egyptians' jewels and raiment (Ex. 12:35)? None,
unless Jehovah had authorized it (Ex. 3:22). What right had Israel to
slay so many lambs for sacrifice? None, except that God commanded it.
What right had Israel to kill off all the Canaanites? None, save as
Jehovah had bidden them. What right has the husband to require
submission from his wife? None, unless God had appointed it. And so we
might go on. Human responsibility is based upon Divine sovereignty.
One more example of the exercise of God's absolute sovereignty. God
placed His elect upon a different footing from Adam or Israel. He
placed them upon an unconditional footing. In the Everlasting Covenant
Jesus Christ was appointed their Head, took their responsibilities
upon Himself, and wrought out a righteousness for them which is
perfect, indefeasible, eternal. Christ was placed upon a conditional
footing, for He was "made under the law, to redeem them that were
under the law," only with this infinite difference: the others failed,
He did not and could not. And who placed Christ upon that conditional
footing? The Triune God. It was sovereign will that appointed Him,
sovereign love that sent Him, sovereign authority that assigned Him
His work.
Certain conditions were set before the Mediator. He was to be made in
the likeness of sin's flesh; He was to magnify the law and make it
honorable; He was to bear all the sins of all God's people in His own
body on the tree; He was to make full, atonement for them; He was to
endure the outpoured wrath of God; He was to die and be buried. On the
fulfillment of those conditions He was promised a reward: Isaiah
53:10-12. He was to be the Firstborn among many brethren; He was to
have a people who should share His glory. Blessed be His name forever,
He fulfilled those conditions, and because He did so, the Father
stands pledged, on solemn oath, to preserve through time and bless
throughout eternity every one of those for whom His incarnate Son
mediated. Because He took their place, they now share His. His
righteousness is theirs, His standing before God is theirs, His life
is theirs. There is not a single condition for them to meet, not a
single responsibility for them to discharge in order to attain their
eternal bliss. "By one offering He hath perfected forever them that
are set apart" (Heb. 10:14).
Here then is the sovereignty of God openly displayed before all,
displayed in the different ways in which He has dealt with His
creatures. Part of the angels, Adam, Israel, were placed upon a
conditional footing, continuance in blessing being made dependent upon
their obedience and fidelity to God. But in sharp contrast from them,
the "little flock" (Luke 12:32), have been given an unconditional, an
immutable standing in God's covenant, God's counsels, God's Son; their
blessing being made dependent upon what Christ did for them. "The
foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal: The Lord knoweth
them that are His" (2 Tim. 1:19). The foundation on which God's elect
stand is a perfect one: nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken
from it (Eccl. 3:14). Here, then, is the highest and grandest display
of the absolute sovereignty of God. Verily, He has "mercy on whom He
will have mercy, and, whom He will He hardeneth" (Rom. 9:18).
Contents | Forword | Preface | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
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The Attributes of God
by A.W. Pink
7. The Immutability of God
_________________________________________________________________
This is one of the Divine perfections which is not sufficiently
pondered. It is one of the excellencies of the Creator which
distinguishes Him from all His creatures. God is perpetually the same:
subject to no change in His being, attributes, or determinations.
Therefore God is compared to a rock (Deut 32:4, etc.) which remains
immovable, when the entire ocean surrounding it is continually in a
fluctuating state; even so, though all creatures are subject to
change, God is immutable. Because God has no beginning and no ending,
He can know no change. He is everlastingly "the Father of lights, with
whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" (Jas. 1:17).
First, God is immutable in His essence. His nature and being are
infinite, and so, subject to no mutations. There never was a time when
He was not; there never will come a time when He shall cease to be.
God has neither evolved, grown, nor improved. All that He is today, He
has ever been, and ever will be. "I am the Lord, I change not" (Mal.
3:6) is His own unqualified affirmation. He cannot change for the
better, for He is already perfect; and being perfect, He cannot change
for the worse. Altogether unaffected by anything outside Himself,
improvement or deterioration is impossible. He is perpetually the
same. He only can say, "I am that I am" (Ex. 3:14). He is altogether
uninfluenced by the flight of time. There is no wrinkle upon the brow
of eternity. Therefore His power can never diminish nor His glory ever
fade.
Secondly, God is immutable in His attributes. Whatever the attributes
of God were before the universe was called into existence, they are
precisely the same now, and will remain so forever. Necessarily so;
for they are the very perfections, the essential qualities of His
being. Semper idem (always the same) is written across every one of
them. His power is unabated, His wisdom undiminished, His holiness
unsullied. The attributes of God can no more change than Deity can
cease to be. His veracity is immutable, for His Word is "forever
settled in heaven" (Ps. 119:89). His love is eternal: "I have loved
thee with an everlasting love" (Jer. 31:3) and "Having loved His own
which were in the world, He loved them unto the end" (John 13:1). His
mercy ceases not, for it is "everlasting" (Ps. 100:5).
Thirdly, God is immutable in His counsel. His will never varies.
Perhaps some are ready to object that we ought to read the following:
"And it repented the Lord that He had made man" (Gen. 6:6). Our first
reply is, Then do the Scriptures contradict themselves? No, that
cannot be. Numbers 23:19 is plain enough: "God is not a man, that He
should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent." So also in
1 Samuel 15:19, "The strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for
He is not a man, that He should repent." The explanation is very
simple. When speaking of Himself. God frequently accommodates His
language to our limited capacities. He describes Himself as clothed
with bodily members, as eyes, ears, hands, etc. He speaks of Himself
as "waking" (Ps. 78:65), as "rising early" (Jer. 7:13); yet He neither
slumbers nor sleeps. When He institutes a change in His dealings with
men, He describes His course of conduct as "repenting."
Yes, God is immutable in His counsel. "The gifts and calling of God
are without repentance" (Rom. 11:29). It must be so, for "He is in one
mind, and who can turn Him? and what His soul desireth, even that He
doeth" (Job 23:13). Change and decay in all around we see, may He who
changeth not abide with thee. God's purpose never alters. One of two
things causes a man to change his mind and reverse his plans: want of
foresight to anticipate everything, or lack of power to execute them.
But as God is both omniscient and omnipotent there is never any need
for Him to revise His decrees. No. "The counsel of the Lord standeth
forever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations" (Ps. 33:11).
Therefore do we read of "the immutability of His counsel" (Heb. 6:17).
Herein we may perceive the infinite distance which separates the
highest creature from the Creator. Creaturehood and mutability are
correlative terms. If the creature was not mutable by nature, it would
not be a creature; it would be God. By nature we tend to nothing, as
we came from nothing. Nothing stays our annihilation but the will and
sustaining power of God. None can sustain himself a single moment. We
are entirely dependent on the Creator for every breath we draw. We
gladly own with the Psalmist Thou "holdest our soul in life" (Ps.
66:9). The realization of this ought to make us lie down under a sense
of our own nothingness in the presence of Him "in Whom we live and
move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28).
As fallen creatures we are not only mutable, but everything in us is
opposed to God. As such we are "wandering stars" (Jude 13), out of our
proper orbit. The wicked are "like the troubled sea, when it cannot
rest" (Isa. 57:20). Fallen man is inconstant. The words of Jacob
concerning Reuben apply with full force to all of Adam's descendants:
"unstable as water" (Gen. 49:4). Thus it is not only a mark of piety,
but also the part of wisdom to heed that injunction, "cease ye from
man" (Isa. 2:22). No human being is to be depended on. "Put not your
trust in princes, in the son of man, in whom is no help" (Ps. 146:3).
If I disobey God, then I deserve to be deceived and disappointed by my
fellows. People who like you today, may hate you tomorrow. The
multitude who cried "Hosanna to the Son of David," speedily changed to
"Away with Him, Crucify Him."
Herein is solid comfort. Human nature cannot be relied upon; but God
can! However unstable I may be, however fickle my friends may prove,
God changes not. If He varied as we do, if He willed one thing today
and another tomorrow, if He were controlled by caprice, who could
confide in Him? But, all praise to His glorious name, He is ever the
same. His purpose is fixed, His will stable, His word is sure. Here
then is a rock on which we may fix our feet, while the mighty torrent
is sweeping away everything around us. The permanence of God's
character guarantees the fulfillment of His promises: "For the
mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness
shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of My peace be
removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee" (Isa. 54:10).
Herein is encouragement to prayer: "What comfort would it be to pray
to a god that, like the chameleon, changed color every moment? Who
would put up a petition to an earthly prince that was so mutable as to
grant a petition one day, and deny it another?" (S. Charnock, 1670).
Should someone ask, But what is the use of praying to One whose will
is already fixed? We answer, Because He so requires it. What blessings
has God promised without our seeking them? "If we ask anything
according to His will, He heareth us" (1 John 5:14), and He has willed
everything that is for His child's good. To ask for anything contrary
to His will is not prayer, but rank rebellion.
Herein is terror for the wicked. Those who defy Him, break His laws,
have no concern for His glory, but live their lives as though He
existed not, must not suppose that, when at the last they shall cry to
Him for mercy, He will alter His will, revoke His word, and rescind
His awful threatenings. No, He has declared, "Therefore will I also
deal in fury: Mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and
though they cry in Mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear
them" (Ezek. 8:18). God will not deny Himself to gratify their lusts.
God is holy, unchangingly so. Therefore God hates sin, eternally hates
it. Hence the eternality of the punishment of all who die in their
sins.
The Divine immutability, like the cloud which interposed between the
Israelites and the Egyptian army, has a dark as well as a light side.
It insures the execution of His threatenings, as well as the
performance of His promises; and destroys the hope which the guilty
fondly cherish, that He will be all lenity to His frail and erring
creatures, and that they will be much more lightly dealt with than the
declarations of His own Word would lead us to expect. We oppose to
these deceitful and presumptuous speculations the solemn truth, that
God is unchanging in veracity and purpose, in faithfulness and
justice. (J. Dick, 1850).
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The Attributes of God
by A.W. Pink
8. The Holiness of God
_________________________________________________________________
"Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? for Thou only
art holy" (Rev. 15:4). He only is independently, infinitely, immutably
holy. In Scripture He is frequently styled "The Holy One": He is so
because the sum of all moral excellency is found in Him. He is
absolute Purity, unsullied even by the shadow of sin. "God is light,
and in Him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). Holiness is the very
excellency of the Divine nature: the great God is "glorious in
holiness" (Ex. 15:11). Therefore do we read, "Thou art of purer eyes
than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity" (Hab. 1:13). As
God's power is the opposite of the native weakness of the creature, as
His wisdom is in complete contrast from the least defect of
understanding or folly, so His holiness is the very antithesis of all
moral blemish or defilement. Of old God appointed singers in Israel
"that they should praise for the beauty of holiness" (2 Chron. 20:21).
"Power is God's hand or arm, omniscience His eye, mercy His bowels,
eternity His duration, but holiness is His beauty" (S. Charnock). It
is this, supremely, which renders Him lovely to those who are
delivered from sin's dominion.
A chief emphasis is placed upon this perfection of God: God is
oftener styled Holy than almighty, and set forth by this part of
His dignity more than by any other. This is more fixed on as an
epithet to His name than any other. You never find it expressed
`His mighty name' or `His wise name,' but His great name, and most
of all, His holy name. This is the greatest title of honour; in
this latter doth the majesty and venerableness of His name appear
(S. Charnock).
This perfection, as none other, is solemnly celebrated before the
Throne of Heaven, the seraphim crying, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord
of hosts" (Isa. 6:3). God Himself singles out this perfection, "Once
have I sworn by Thy holiness" (Ps. 89:35). God swears by His holiness
because that is a fuller expression of Himself than anything else.
Therefore are we exhorted, "Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of His,
and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness" (Ps. 30:4). "This
may be said to be a transcendental attribute, that, as it were, runs
through the rest, and casts luster upon them. It is an attribute of
attributes" (J. Howe, 1670). Thus we read of "the beauty of the Lord"
(Ps. 27:4), which is none other than "the beauty of holiness" (Ps.
110:3).
As it seems to challenge an excellency above all His other
perfections, so it is the glory of all the rest; as it is the glory
of the Godhead, so it is the glory of every perfection in the
Godhead; as His power is the strength of them, so His holiness is
the beauty of them; as all would be weak without almightiness to
back them, so all would be uncomely without holiness to adorn them.
Should this be sullied, all the rest would lose their honour; as at
the same instant the sun should lose its light, it would lose its
heat, its strength, its generative and quickening virtue. As
sincerity is the luster of every grace in a Christian, so is purity
the splendor of every attribute in the Godhead. His justice is a
holy justice, His wisdom a holy wisdom, His arm of power a "holy
arm" (Ps. 98:1), His truth or promise a "holy promise" (Ps.
105:42). His name, which signifies all His attributes in
conjunction, "is holy," Psalm 103:1 (S. Charnock).
God's holiness is manifested in His works. "The Lord is righteous in
all His ways, and holy in all His works" (Ps. 145:17). Nothing but
that which is excellent can proceed from Him. Holiness is the rule of
all His actions. At the beginning He pronounced all that He made "very
good" (Gen. 1:31), which He could not have done had there been
anything imperfect or unholy in them. Man was made "upright" (Eccl.
7:29), in the image and likeness of his Creator. The angels that fell
were created holy, for we are told that they "kept not their first
habitation" (Jude 6). Of Satan it is written, "Thou wast perfect in
thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found
in thee" (Ezek. 28:15).
God's holiness is manifested in His law. That law forbids sin in all
of its modifications: in its most refined as well as its grossest
forms, the intent of the mind as well as the pollution of the body,
the secret desire as well as the overt act. Therefore do we read, The
law is holy, and "the commandment holy, and just, and good" (Rom.
7:12). Yes, "the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the
eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: the judgments
of the Lord are true and righteous altogether" (Ps. 19:8, 9).
God's holiness is manifested at the Cross. Wondrously and yet most
solemnly does the Atonement display God's infinite holiness and
abhorrence of sin. How hateful must sin be to God for Him to punish it
to its utmost deserts when it was imputed to His Son!
Not all the vials of judgment that have or shall be poured out upon
the wicked world, nor the flaming furnace of a sinner's conscience,
nor the irreversible sentence pronounced against the rebellious
demons, nor the groans of the damned creatures, give such a
demonstration of God's hatred of sin, as the wrath of God let loose
upon His Son. Never did Divine holiness appear more beautiful and
lovely than at the time our Saviour's countenance was most marred
in the midst of His dying groans. This Himself acknowledges in Psa.
22. When God had turned His smiling face from Him, and thrust His
sharp knife into His heart, which forced that terrible cry from
Him, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" He adores this
perfection--"Thou art holy," v. 3 (S. Charnock).
Because God is holy He hates all sin. He loves everything which is in
conformity to His laws, and loathes everything which is contrary to
it. His Word plainly declares, "The froward is an abomination to the
Lord" (Prov. 3:32). And again, "The thoughts of the wicked are an
abomination to the Lord" (Prov. 15:26). It follows, therefore, that He
must necessarily punish sin. Sin can no more exist without demanding
His punishment than without requiring His hatred of it. God has often
forgiven sinners, but He never forgives sin; and the sinner is only
forgiven on the ground of Another having borne his punishment; for
"without shedding of blood is no remission" (Heb. 9:22). Therefore we
are told, "The Lord will, take vengeance on His adversaries, and He
reserveth Wrath for His enemies" (Nahum 1:2). For one sin God banished
our first parents from Eden. For one sin all the posterity of Ham fell
under a curse which remains over them to this day (Gen. 9:21). For one
sin Moses was excluded from Canaan, Elisha's servant smitten with
leprosy, Ananias and Sapphira cut off out of the land of the living.
Herein we find proof for the Divine inspiration of the Scriptures. The
unregenerate do not really believe in the holiness of God. Their
conception of His character is altogether one-sided. They fondly hope
that His mercy will override everything else. "Thou thoughtest that I
was altogether as thyself" (Ps. 50:21) is God's charge against them.
They think only of a "god" patterned after their own evil hearts.
Hence their continuance in a course of mad folly. Such is the holiness
ascribed to the Divine nature and character in Scripture that it
clearly demonstrates their superhuman origin. The character attributed
to the "gods" of the ancients and of modern heathendom are the very
reverse of that immaculate purity which pertains to the true God. An
ineffably holy God, who has the utmost abhorrence of all sin, was
never invented by any of Adam's fallen descendants! The fact is that
nothing makes more manifest the terrible depravity of man's heart and
his enmity against the living God than to have set before him One who
is infinitely and immutably holy. His own idea of sin is practically
limited to what the world calls "crime." Anything short of that, man
palliates as "defects," "mistakes," "infirmities," etc. And even where
sin is owned at all, excuses and extenuations are made for it.
The "god" which the vast majority of professing Christians "love," is
looked upon very much like an indulgent old man, who himself has no
relish for folly, but leniently winks at the "indiscretions" of youth.
But the Word says, "Thou hatest all workers of iniquity "(Ps. 5:5).
And again, "God is angry with the wicked every day" (Ps. 7:11). But
men refuse to believe in this God, and gnash their teeth when His
hatred of sin is faithfully pressed upon their attention. No, sinful
man was no more likely to devise a holy God than to create the Lake of
fire in which he will be tormented for ever and ever.
Because God is holy, acceptance with Him on the ground of creature
doings is utterly impossible. A fallen creature could sooner create a
world than produce that which would meet the approval of infinite
Purity. Can darkness dwell with Light? Can the Immaculate One take
pleasure in "filthy rags" (Isa. 64:6)? The best that sinful man brings
forth is defiled. A corrupt tree cannot bear good fruit. God would
deny Himself, vilify His perfections, were He to account as righteous
and holy that which is not so in itself; and nothing is so which has
the least stain upon it contrary to the nature of God. But blessed be
His name, that which His holiness demanded His grace has provided in
Christ Jesus our Lord. Every poor sinner who has fled to Him for
refuge stands "accepted in the Beloved" (Eph. 1:6). Hallelujah!
Because God is holy the utmost reverence becomes our approaches unto
Him. "God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and
to be had in reverence of all about Him" (Ps. 89:7). Then "Exalt ye
the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool; He is holy" (Ps.
99:5). Yes, "at His footstool," in the lowest posture of humility,
prostrate before Him. When Moses would approach unto the burning bush,
God said, "put off thy shoes from off thy feet" (Ex. 3:5). He is to be
served "with fear" (Ps. 2:11). Of Israel His demand was, "I will be
sanctified in them that come nigh Me, and before all the people I will
be glorified" (Lev. 10:3). The more our hearts are awed by His
ineffable holiness, the more acceptable will be our approaches unto
Him.
Because God is holy we should desire to be conformed to Him. His
command is, "Be ye holy, for I am holy" (1 Pet. 1:16). We are not
bidden to be omnipotent or omniscient as God is, but we are to be
holy, and that "in all manner of deportment" (1 Pet. 1:15).
This is the prime way of honoring God. We do not so glorify God by
elevated admiration, or eloquent expressions, or pompous services
of Him, as when we aspire to a conversing with Him with unstained
spirits, end live to Him in living like Him (S. Charnock).
Then as God alone is the Source and Fount of holiness, let us
earnestly seek holiness from Him; let our daily prayer be that He may
"sanctify us wholly; and our whole spirit and soul and body be
preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1
Thess. 5:23).
Contents | Forword | Preface | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17
____________________________________________________
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The Attributes of God
by A.W. Pink
9. The Power of God
_________________________________________________________________
We cannot have a right conception of God unless we think of Him as
all-powerful, as well as all-wise. He who cannot do what he will and
perform all his pleasure cannot be God. As God hath a will to resolve
what He deems good, so has He power to execute His will.
The power of God is that ability and strength whereby He can bring
to pass whatsoever He pleases, whatsoever His infinite wisdom may
direct, and whatsoever the infinite purity of His will may resolve.
. . . As holiness is the beauty of all God's attributes, so power
is that which gives life and action to all the perfections of the
Divine nature. How vain would be the eternal counsels, if power did
not step in to execute them. Without power His mercy would be but
feeble pity, His promises an empty sound, His threatenings a mere
scarecrow. God's power is like Himself: infinite, eternal,
incomprehensible; it can neither be checked, restrained, nor
frustrated by the creature. (S. Charnock).
"God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this, that power belongeth
unto God" (Ps. 62:11). "God hath spoken once": nothing more is
necessary! Heaven and earth shall pass away, but His word abideth
forever. God hath spoken once: how befitting His Divine majesty! We
poor mortals may speak often and yet fail to be heard. He speaks but
once and the thunder of His power is heard on a thousand hills. "The
Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave His voice;
hailstones and coals of fire. Yea, He sent out His arrows, and
scattered them; and He shot out lightnings, and discomfited them. Then
the channels of waters were seen and the foundations of the world were
discovered at Thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of Thy
nostrils" (Ps. 18:13-15).
"God hath spoken once": behold His unchanging authority. "For who in
the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? who among the sons of the
mighty can be likened unto the Lord?" (Ps. 89:6). "And all the
inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and He doeth
according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants
of the earth: and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What dost
Thou?" (Dan. 4:35). This was openly displayed when God became
incarnate and tabernacled among men. To the leper He said, "I Will, be
thou clean, and immediately his leprosy was cleansed" (Matt. 8:3). To
one who had lain in the grave four days He cried, "Lazarus, come
forth," and the dead came forth. The stormy wind and the angry wave
were hushed at a single word from Him. A legion of demons could not
resist His authoritative command.
"Power belongeth unto God," and to Him alone. Not a creature in the
entire universe has an atom of power save what God delegates. But
God's power is not acquired, nor does it depend upon any recognition
by any other authority. It belongs to Him inherently.
God's power is like Himself, self-existent, self-sustained. The
mightiest of men cannot add so much as a shadow of increased power to
the Omnipotent One. He sits on no buttressed throne and leans on no
assisting arm. His court is not maintained by His courtiers, nor does
it borrow its splendor from His creatures. He is Himself the great
central source and Originator of all power (C. H. Spurgeon).
Not only does all creation bear witness to the great power of God, but
also to His entire independency of all created things. Listen to His
own challenge: "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the
earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures
thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?
Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened or who laid the
cornerstone thereof?" (Job 38:4-6). How completely is the pride of man
laid in the dust!
Power is also used as a name of God, the Son of man sitting at the
right hand of power (Mark 14:62), that is, at the right hand of
God. God and power are so inseparable that they are reciprocated.
As His essence is immense, not to be confined in place; as it is
eternal, not to be measured in time; so it is almighty, not to be
limited in regard of action (S. Charnock).
"Lo, these are parts of His ways:" but how little a portion is heard
of Him? but the thunder of His power who can understand? (Job 26:14).
Who is able to count all the monuments of His power? Even that which
is displayed of His might in the visible creation is utterly beyond
our powers of comprehension, still less are we able to conceive of
omnipotence itself. There is infinitely more power lodged in the
nature of God than is expressed in all His works.
"Parts of His ways" we behold in creation, providence, redemption, but
only a "little part" of His might is seen in them. Remarkably is this
brought out in Habakkuk 3:4: "and there was the hiding of His power."
It is scarcely possible to imagine anything more grandiloquent than
the imagery of this whole chapter, yet nothing in it surpasses the
nobility of this statement. The prophet (in vision) beheld the mighty
God scattering the hills and overturning the mountains, which one
would think afforded an amazing demonstration of His power Nay, says
our verse, that is rather the "hiding" than the displaying of His
power. What is meant? This: so inconceivable, so immense, so
uncontrollable is the power of Deity, that the fearful convulsions
which He works in nature conceal more than they reveal of His infinite
might!
It is very beautiful to link together the following passages: "He
walketh upon the waves of the sea" (Job 9:8), which expresses God's
uncontrollable power. "He walketh in the circuit of Heaven" (Job
22:14), which tells of the immensity of His presence. "He walketh upon
the wings of the wind" (Ps. 104:3), which signifies the amazing
swiftness of His operations. This last expression is very remarkable.
It is not that "He flieth," or "runneth," but that He "walketh" and
that, on the very "wings of the wind"--on the most impetuous of the
elements, tossed into utmost rage, and sweeping along with almost
inconceivable rapidity, yet they are under His feet, beneath His
perfect control!
Let us now consider God's power in creation. "The heavens are Thine,
the earth also is Thine, as for the world and the fulness thereof,
Thou hast founded them. The north and the south Thou hast created
them" (Ps. 89:11, 12). Before man can work be must have both tools and
materials, but God began with nothing, and by His word alone out of
nothing made all things. The intellect cannot grasp it. God "spake and
it was done, He commanded and it stood fast" (Ps. 33:9). Primeval
matter heard His voice. "God said, Let there be. . .and it was so"
(Gen. 1). Well may we exclaim, "Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is Thy
hand, high is Thy right hand" (Ps. 89:13).
Who, that looks upward to the midnight sky; and, with an eye of
reason, beholds its rolling wonders; who can forbear inquiring, Of
what were their mighty orbs formed? Amazing to relate, they were
produced without materials. They sprung from emptiness itself. The
stately fabric of universal nature emerged out of nothing. What
instruments were used by the Supreme Architect to fashion the parts
with such exquisite niceness, and give so beautiful a polish to the
whole? How was it all connected into one finely-proportioned and
nobly finished structure? A bare fiat accomplished all. Let them
be, said God. He added no more; and at once the marvelous edifice
arose, adorned with every beauty, displaying innumerable
perfections, and declaring amidst enraptured seraphs its great
Creator's praise. "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made,
and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth," Psa. 150:1
(James Hervey, 1789).
Consider God's power in preservation. No creature has power to
preserve itself. "Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow
up without water?" (Job 8:11). Both man and beast would perish if
there were not herbs for food, and herbs would wither and die if the
earth were not refreshed with fruitful showers. Therefore is God
called the Preserver of "man and beast" (Ps. 36:6). "He upholdeth all
things by the word of His power" (Heb 1:3). What a marvel of Divine
power is the prenatal life of every human being! That an infant can
live at all, and for so many months, in such cramped and filthy
quarters, and that without breathing, is unaccountable without the
power of God. Truly He "holdeth our soul in life" (Ps. 66:9).
The preservation of the earth from the violence of the sea is another
plain instance of God's might. How is that raging element kept pent
within those limits wherein He first lodged it, continuing its
channel, without overflowing the earth and dashing in pieces the lower
part of the creation? The natural situation of the water is to be
above the earth, because it is lighter, and to be immediately under
the air, because it is heavier. Who restrains the natural quality of
it? certainly man does not, and cannot. It is the flat of its Creator
which alone bridles it: And said, "Hitherto shalt thou come, but no
further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed" (Job 38:11). What a
standing monument of the power of God is the preservation of the
world!
Consider God's power in government. Take His restraining the malice of
Satan. "The devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he
may devour" (1 Pet. 5:8). He is filled with hatred against God, and
with fiendish enmity against men, particularly the saints. He that
envied Adam in paradise, envies us the pleasure of enjoying any of
God's blessings. Could he have his will, he would treat all the same
way he treated Job: he would send fire from heaven on the fruits of
the earth, destroying the cattle, cause a wind to overthrow our
houses, and cover our bodies with boils. But, little as men may
realize it, God bridles him to a large extent, prevents him from
carrying out his evil designs, and confines him within His
ordinations.
So too God restrains the natural corruption of men. He suffers
sufficient outbreakings of sin to show what fearful havoc has been
wrought by man's apostasy from his Maker, but who can conceive the
frightful lengths to which men would go were God to remove His curbing
hand? "Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness their feet are
swift to shed blood" (Rom. 3). This is the nature of every descendant
of Adam. Then what unbridled licentiousness and headstrong folly would
triumph in the world, if the power of God did not interpose to lock
down the floodgates of it! See Psalm 93:3,4.
Consider God's power in judgment. When He smites, none can resist Him:
see Ezekiel 22:14.How terribly this was exemplified at the Flood! God
opened the windows of heaven and broke up the great fountains of the
deep, and (excepting those in the ark) the entire human race, helpless
before the storm of His wrath, was swept away. A shower of fire and
brimstone from heaven, and the cities of the plain were exterminated.
Pharaoh and all his hosts were impotent when God blew upon them at the
Red Sea. What a terrific word is that in Romans 9:22: "What if God,
willing to show wrath, and to make His power known, endured with much
long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction." God is
going to display His mighty power upon the reprobate not merely by
incarcerating them in Gehenna, but by supernaturally preserving their
bodies as well as souls amid the eternal burnings of the Lake of Fire.
Well may all tremble before such a God! To treat with impunity One who
can crush us more easily than we can a moth, is a suicidal policy. To
openly defy Him who is clothed with omnipotence, who can rend us in
pieces or cast into Hell any moment He pleases, is the very height of
insanity. To put it on its lowest ground, it is but the part of wisdom
to heed His command, "Kiss the Son. lest He be angry, and ye perish
from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little" (Ps. 2:12).
Well may the enlightened soul adore such a God! The wondrous and
infinite perfections of such a Being call for fervent worship. If men
of might and renown claim the admiration of the world, how much more
should the power of the Almighty fill us with wonderment and homage.
"Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the who is like Thee, glorious
in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?" (Ex. 15:11).
Well may the saint trust such a God! He is worthy of implicit
confidence. Nothing is too hard for Him. If God were stinted in might
and had a limit to His strength we might well despair. But seeing that
He is clothed with omnipotence, no prayer is too hard for Him to
answer, no need too great for Him to supply, no passion too strong for
Him to subdue; no temptation too powerful for Him to deliver from, no
misery too deep for Him to relieve. "The Lord is the strength of my
life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Ps. 27:1). "Now unto Him that is
able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,
according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the
church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen"
(Eph. 3:20,21).
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The Attributes of God
by A.W. Pink
10. The Faithfulness of God
_________________________________________________________________
Unfaithfulness is one of the most outstanding sins of these evil days.
In the business world, a man's word is, with exceedingly rare
exceptions, no longer his bond. In the social world, marital
infidelity abounds on every hand, the sacred bonds of wedlock being
broken with as little regard as the discarding of an old garment. In
the ecclesiastical realm, thousands who have solemnly covenanted to
preach the truth make no scruple to attack and deny it. Nor can reader
or writer claim complete immunity from this fearful sin: in how many
ways have we been unfaithful to Christ, and to the light and
privileges which God has entrusted to us! How refreshing, then, how
unspeakably blessed, to lift our eyes above this scene of ruin, and
behold One who is faithful, faithful in all things, faithful at all
times."Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful
God" (Deut. 7:9). This quality is essential to His being, without it
He would not be God. For God to be unfaithful would be to act contrary
to His nature, which were impossible: "If we believe not, yet He
abideth faithful; He cannot deny Himself" (2 Tim. 2:13). Faithfulness
is one of the glorious perfections of His being. He is as it were
clothed with it: "O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto
Thee? or to Thy faithfulness round about Thee?" (Ps. 89:8). So too
when God became incarnate it was said, "Righteousness shall be the
girdle of His loins, and faithfulness the girdle of His reins" (Isa.
11:5).What a word is that in Psalm 36:5, Thy mercy, "O Lord, is in the
heavens; and Thy faithfulness unto the clouds." Far above all finite
comprehension is the unchanging faithfulness of God. Everything about
God is great, vast, incomparable. He never forgets, never fails, never
falters, never forfeits His word. To every declaration of promise or
prophecy the Lord has exactly adhered, every engagement of covenant or
threatening He will make good, for "God is not a man, that He should
lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: hath He said, and
shall He not do it? or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?"
(Num. 23:19). Therefore does the believer exclaim, "His compassions
fail not, they are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness" (Lam.
3:22, 23).Scripture abounds in illustrations of God's faithfulness.
More than four thousand years ago He said, "While the earth remaineth,
seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and
day and night shall not cease" (Gen. 8:22). Every year that comes
furnishes a fresh witness to God's fulfillment of this promise. In
Genesis 15 we find that Jehovah declared unto Abraham, "Thy seed shall
be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them. . .
. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again" (vv.
13-16). Centuries ran their weary course. Abraham's descendants
groaned amid the brick-kilns of Egypt. Had God forgotten His promise?
No, indeed. Read Exodus 12:41, "And it came to pass at the end of the
four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass,
that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt."
Through Isaiah the Lord declared, "Behold, a virgin shall conceive,
and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel" (7:14). Again
centuries passed, but "When the fulness of the time was come, God sent
forth His Son, made of a woman" (Gal 4:4).God is true. His Word of
Promise is sure. In all His relations with His people God is faithful.
He may be safely relied upon. No one ever yet really trusted Him in
vain. We find this precious truth expressed almost everywhere in the
Scriptures, for His people need to know that faithfulness is an
essential part of the Divine character. This is the basis of our
confidence in Him. But it is one thing to accept the faithfulness of
God as a Divine truth, it is quite another to act upon it. God has
given us many "exceeding great and precious promises," but are we
really counting on His fulfillment of them? Are we actually expecting
Him to do for us all that He has said? Are we resting with implicit
assurance on these words, "He is faithful that promised" (Heb.
10:23)?There are seasons in the lives of all when it is not easy, no
not even for Christians, to believe that God is faithful. Our faith is
sorely tried, our eyes bedimmed with tears, and we can no longer trace
the outworkings of His love. Our ears are distracted with the noises
of the world, harassed by the atheistic whisperings of Satan, and we
can no longer hear the sweet accents of His still small voice.
Cherished plans have been thwarted, friends on whom we relied have
failed us, a profest brother or sister in Christ has betrayed us. We
are staggered. We sought to be faithful to God, and now a dark cloud
hides Him from us. We find it difficult, yea, impossible, for carnal
reason to harmonize His frowning providence with His gracious
promises. Ah, faltering soul, severely-tried fellow-pilgrim, seek
grace to heed Isaiah 50:10, "Who is among you that feareth the Lord,
that obeyeth the voice of His servant, that walketh in darkness and
hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon
his God."
When you are tempted to doubt the faithfulness of God, cry out, "Get
thee hence, Satan." Though you cannot now harmonize God's mysterious
dealings with the avowals of His love, wait on Him for more light. In
His own good time He will make it plain to you. "What I do thou
knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter" (John 13:7). The
sequel will yet demonstrate that God has neither forsaken nor deceived
His child. "And therefore will the Lord wait that He may be gracious
unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy
upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that
wait for Him" (Isa. 30:18).
"Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace,
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.
Ye fearful saints fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread,
Are rich with mercy, and shall break
In blessing o'er your head."
"Thy testimonies which Thou hast commanded are righteous and very
faithful" (Ps. 119:138). God has not only told us the best, but He has
not withheld the worst. He has faithfully described the ruin which the
Fall has effected. He has faithfully diagnosed the terrible state
which sin has produced. He has faithfully made known his inveterate
hatred of evil, and that He must punish the same. He has faithfully
warned us that He is "a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29). Not only does
His Word abound in illustrations of His fidelity in fulfilling His
promises, but it also records numerous examples of His faithfulness in
making good His threatenings. Every stage of Israel's history
exemplifies that solemn fact. So it was with individuals: Pharaoh,
Korah, Achan and a host of others are so many proofs. And thus it will
be with you, my reader: unless you have fled or do flee to Christ for
refuge, the everlasting burning of the Lake of Fire will be your sure
and certain portion. God is faithful.God is faithful in preserving His
people. "God is faithful, by whom ye are called unto the fellowship of
His Son" (1 Cor. 1:9). In the previous verse promise was made that God
would confirm unto the end His own people. The Apostle's confidence in
the absolute security of believers was founded not on the strength of
their resolutions or ability to persevere, but on the veracity of Him
that cannot lie. Since God has promised to His Son a certain people
for His inheritance, to deliver them from sin and condemnation, and to
make them participants of eternal life in glory, it is certain that He
will not allow any of them to perish.God is faithful in disciplining
His people. He is faithful in what He withholds, no less than in what
He gives. He is faithful in sending sorrow as well as in giving joy.
The faithfulness of god is a truth to be confessed by us not only when
we are at ease, but also when we are smarting under the sharpest
rebuke. Nor must this confession be merely of our mouths, but of our
hearts, too. When God smites us with the rod of chastisement, it is
faithfulness which wields it. To acknowledge this means that we humble
ourselves before Him, own that we fully deserve His correction, and
instead of murmuring, thank Him for it. God never afflicts without
reason. "For this cause many are weak and sickly among you" (1 Cor.
11:30), says Paul, illustrating this principle. When His rod falls
upon us let us say with Daniel, "O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto
Thee, but unto us confusion of faces' (9:7)"I know, O Lord, that Thy
judgments are right, and that Thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me"
(Ps. 119:15). Trouble and affliction are not only consistent with
God's love pledged in the everlasting covenant, but they are parts of
the administration of the same. God is not only faithful
notwithstanding afflictions, but faithful in sending them. "The will I
visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with
stripes: My lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him nor suffer
My faithfulness to fail" (Ps. 89:32, 33). Chastening is not only
reconcilable with God's lovingkindness, but it is the effect and
expression of it. It would much quieten the minds of God's people if
they would remember that His covenant love binds Him to lay on them
seasonable correction. Afflictions are necessary for us: "In their
affliction they will seek Me early" (Hos. 5:15)God is faithful in
glorifying His people. "Faithful is He which calleth you, who also
will do" (1 Thess. 5:24). The immediate reference here is to the
saints being preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ. God treats with us not on the ground of our merits (for we
have none), but for His own great name's sake. God is constant to
Himself and to His own purpose of grace whom He called. . .them He
also glorified (Rom. 8:30). God gives a full demonstration of the
constancy of His everlasting goodness toward His elect by effectually
calling them out of darkness into His marvelous light, and this should
fully assure them of the certain continuance of it. The foundation of
God standeth sure (2 Tim. 2:19). Paul was resting on the faithfulness
of God when he said, I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded
that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against
that day (2 Tim 1:12).The apprehension of this blessed truth will
preserve us from worry. To be full of care, to view our situation with
dark forebodings, to anticipate the morrow with sad anxiety, is to
reflect upon the faithfulness of God. He who has cared for His child
through all the years, will not forsake him in old age. He who has
heard your prayers in the past, will not refuse to supply your need in
the present emergency. Rest on Job 5:19, "He shall deliver thee in six
troubles: yea, in seven there shall be no evil touch thee."The
apprehension of this blessed truth will check our murmurings. The Lord
knows what is best for each of us, and one effect or resting on this
truth will be the silencing of our petulant complainings. God is
greatly honored when, under trial and chastening, we have good
thoughts of Him, vindicate His wisdom and justice, and recognize His
love in His very rebukes.
The apprehension of this blessed truth will beget increasing
confidence in God. "Wherefore let them that suffer according to the
will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well to Him in
well doing, as unto a faithful Creator" (1 Pet. 4:19). When we
trustfully resign ourselves, and all our affairs into God's hands,
fully persuaded of His love and faithfulness, the sooner shall we be
satisfied with his providence and realize that "He doeth all things
well."
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The Attributes of God
by A.W. Pink
11. The Goodness of God
_________________________________________________________________
"The goodness of God endureth continually" (Ps. 52:1) The "goodness"
of God respects the perfection of His nature: "God is light, and in
Him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). There is such an absolute
perfection in God's nature and being that nothing is wanting to it or
defective in it, and nothing can be added to it to make it better.
He is originally good, good of Himself, which nothing else is; for all
creatures are good only by participation and communication from God.
He is essentially good; not only good, but goodness itself: the
creature's good is a superadded quality, in God it is His essence. He
is infinitely good; the creature's good is but a drop, but in God
there is an infinite ocean or gathering together of good. He is
eternally and immutably good, for He cannot be less good than He is;
as there can be no addition made to Him, so no subtraction from Him.
(Thos. Manton).
God is summum bonum, the chiefest good.
The original Saxon meaning of our English word "God" is "The Good."
God is not only the Greatest of all beings, but the Best. All the
goodness there is in any creature has been imparted from the Creator,
but God's goodness is underived, for it is the essence of His eternal
nature. As God is infinite in power from all eternity, before there
was any display thereof, or any act of omnipotency put forth; so He
was eternally good before there was any communication of His bounty,
or any creature to whom it might be imparted or exercised. Thus, the
first manifestation of this Divine perfection was in giving being to
all things. "Thou art good, and doest good" (Ps. 119:68). God has in
Himself an infinite and inexhaustible treasure of all blessedness
enough to fill all things.
All that emanates from God--His decrees, His creation, His laws, His
providences--cannot be otherwise than good: as it is written. "And God
saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good" (Gen.
1:31). Thus, the "goodness" of God is seen, first, in Creation. The
more closely the creature is studied, the more the beneficence of its
Creator becomes apparent. Take the highest of God's earthly creatures,
man. Abundant reason has he to say with the Psalmist, "I will praise
Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are Thy
works, and that my soul knoweth right well" (139:14). Everything about
the structure of our bodies attests the goodness of their Maker. How
suited the bands to perform their allotted work! How good of the Lord
to appoint sleep to refresh the wearied body! How benevolent His
provision to give unto the eyes lids and brows for their protection!
And so we might continue indefinitely.
Nor is the goodness of the Creator confined to man, it is exercised
toward all His creatures. "The eyes of all wait upon Thee; and Thou
givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest Thine hand, and
satisfiest the desire of every living thing" (Ps. 145:15,16). Whole
volumes might be written, yea have been, to amplify this fact. Whether
it be the birds of the air, the beasts of the forest, or the fish in
the sea, abundant provision has been made to supply their every need.
God "giveth food to all flesh, for His mercy endureth forever" (Ps.
136:25). Truly, "The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord" (Ps.
33:5).
The goodness of God is seen in the variety of natural pleasures which
He has provided for His creatures. God might have been pleased to
satisfy our hunger without the food being pleasing to our palates--how
His benevolence appears in the varied flavors which He has given to
meats, vegetables, and fruits! God has not only given us senses, but
also that which gratifies them; and this too reveals His goodness. The
earth might have been as fertile as it is without its surface being so
delightfully variegated. Our physical lives could have been sustained
without beautiful flowers to regale our eyes, and exhale sweet
perfumes. We might have walked the fields without our ears being
saluted by the music of the birds. Whence, then, this loveliness, this
charm, so freely diffused over the face of nature? Verily, "The tender
mercies of the Lord are over all His works" (Ps. 145:9).
The goodness of God is seen in that when man transgressed the law of
His Creator a dispensation of unmixed wrath did not at once commence.
Well might God have deprived His fallen creatures of every blessing,
every comfort, every pleasure. Instead, He ushered in a regime of a
mixed nature, of mercy and judgment. This is very wonderful if it be
duly considered, and the more thoroughly that regime be examined the
more will it appear that "mercy rejoiceth against judgment" (Jas.
2:13). Notwithstanding all the evils which attend our fallen state,
the balance of good greatly preponderates. With comparatively rare
exceptions, men and women experience a far greater number of days of
health, than they do of sickness and pain. There is much more
creature--happiness than creature--misery in the world. Even our
sorrows admit of considerable alleviation, and God has given to the
human mind a pliability which adapts itself to circumstances and makes
the most of them.
Nor can the benevolence of God be justly called into question because
there is suffering and sorrow in the world. If man sins against the
goodness of God, if he despises "the riches of His goodness and
forbearance and longsuffering," and after the hardness and impenitency
of his heart treasurest up unto himself wrath against the day of wrath
(Rom 2:5,5), who is to blame but himself? Would God be "good" if He
punished not those who ill-use His blessings, abuse His benevolence,
and trample His mercies beneath their feet? It will be no reflection
upon God's goodness, but rather the brightest exemplification of it,
when He shall rid the earth of those who have broken His laws, defied
His authority, mocked His messengers, scorned His Son, and persecuted
those for whom He died.
The goodness of God appeared most illustriously when He sent forth His
Son "made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were
under the law, that we might received the adoption of sons" (Gal. 4:4,
5) Then it was that a multitude of the heavenly host praised their
Maker and said, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace,
good-will toward men" (Luke 2:14). Yes, in the Gospel the "grace (Gk.
benevolence or goodness) of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared
to all men" (Titus 2:11). Nor can God's benignity be called into
question because He has not made every sinful creature to be a subject
of His redemptive grace. He did not the fallen angels. Had God left
all to perish it had been no reflection on His goodness. To any who
would challenge this statement we will remind him of our Lord's
sovereign prerogative: "Is it not lawful for Me to do what I will with
Mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?" (Matt. 20:15).
"O that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His
wonderful works to the children of men" (Ps. 107:8). Gratitude is the
return justly required from the objects of His beneficence; yet is it
often withheld from our great Benefactor simply because His goodness
is so constant and so abundant. It is lightly esteemed because it is
exercised toward us in the common course of events. It is not felt
because we daily experience it. "Despisest thou the riches of His
goodness?" (Rom. 2:4). His goodness is "despised" when it is not
improved as a means to lead men to repentance, but, on the contrary,
serves to harden them from the supposition that God entirely overlooks
their sin.
The goodness of God is the life of the believer's trust. It is this
excellency in God which most appeals to our hearts. Because His
goodness endureth forever, we ought never to be discouraged: "The Lord
is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knoweth them that
trust in Him" (Nahum 1:7).
When others behave badly to us, it should only stir us up the more
heartily to give thanks unto the Lord, because He is good; and when we
ourselves are conscious that we are far from being good, we should
only the more reverently bless Him that He is good. We must never
tolerate an instant's unbelief as to the goodness of the Lord;
whatever else may be questioned, this is absolutely certain, that
Jehovah is good; His dispensations may vary, but His nature is always
the same. (C. H. Spurgeon).
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The Attributes of God
by A.W. Pink
12. The Patience of God
_________________________________________________________________
Far less has been written upon this than the other excellencies of the
Divine character. Not a few of those who have expatiated at length
upon the Divine attributes have passed over the patience of God
without any comment. It is not easy to suggest a reason for this, for
surely the longsuffering of God is as much one of the Divine
perfections as His wisdom, power, or holiness, and as much to be
admired and revered by us. True, the actual term will not be found in
a concordance so frequently as the others, but the glory of this grace
itself shines forth on almost every page of Scripture. Certain it is
that we lose much if we do not frequently meditate upon the patience
of God and earnestly pray that our hearts and ways may be more
completely conformed thereto.
Most probably the principal reason why so many writers have failed to
give us anything, separately, upon the patience of God was because of
the difficulty of distinguishing this attribute from the Divine
goodness and mercy, particularly the latter. God's longsuffering is
mentioned in conjunction with His grace and mercy again and again, as
may be seen by consulting Exodus 34:6, Numbers 14:18, Psalm 86:15,
etc. That the patience of God is really a display of His mercy, in
fact is one way in which it is frequently manifested, cannot be
gainsaid; but that they are one and the same excellency, and are not
to be separated, we cannot concede. It may not be easy to discriminate
between them, nevertheless, Scripture fully warrants us, in
predicating some things of the one which we cannot of the other.
Stephen Charnock, the Puritan, defines God's patience, in part, thus:
It is a part of the Divine goodness and mercy, yet differs from
both. God being the greatest goodness, hath the greatest mildness;
mildness is always the companion of true goodness, and the greater
the goodness, the greater the mildness. Who so holy as Christ, and
who so meek? God's slowness to anger is a branch of His mercy: "the
Lord is full of compassion, slow to anger" (Ps. 145:8). It differs
from mercy in the formal consideration of the subject: mercy
respects the creature as miserable, patience respects the creature
as criminal; mercy pities him in his misery, patience bears with
the sin which engendered the misery, and giving birth to more.
Personally we would define the Divine patience as that power of
control which God exercises over Himself, causing Him to bear with
the wicked and forebear so long in punishing them. In Nahum 1:3 we
read, "The Lord is slow to anger and great in power," upon which
Mr. Charnock said,
Men that are great in the world are quick in passion, and are not
so ready to forgive an injury, or bear with an offender, as one of
a meaner rank. It is a want of power over that man's self that
makes him do unbecoming things upon a provocation. A prince that
can bridle his passions is a king over himself as well as over his
subjects. God is slow to anger because great in power. He has no
less power over Himself than over His creatures.
It is at the above point, we think, that God's patience is most
clearly distinguished from His mercy. Though the creature is benefited
thereby, the patience of God chiefly respects Himself, a restraint
placed upon His acts by His will; whereas His mercy terminates wholly
upon the creature. The patience of God is that excellency which causes
Him to sustain great injuries without immediately avenging Himself. He
has a power of patience as well as a power of justice. Thus the Hebrew
word for the Divine longsuffering is rendered "slow to anger" in
Nehemiah 9:17, Psalm 103:8, etc. Not that there are any passions in
the Divine nature, but that God's wisdom and will is pleased to act
with that stateliness and sobriety which becometh His exalted majesty.
In support of our definition above let us point out that it was to
this excellency in the Divine character that Moses appealed, when
Israel sinned so grievously at Kadesh-Barnea, and there provoked
Jehovah so sorely. Unto His servant the Lord said, I will smite them
with the pestilence and disinherit them. Then it was that the typical
mediator pleaded, "I beseech Thee let the power of my Lord be great
according as Thou hast spoken, saying, The Lord is longsuffering,"
etc. (Num. 14:17). Thus, His longsuffering is His "power" of
self-restraint.
Again, in Romans 9:22 we read, "What if God, willing to show His
wrath, and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering
the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction. . . ?" Were God to
immediately break these reprobate vessels into pieces, His power of
self-control would not so eminently appear; by bearing with their
wickedness and forebearing punishment so long, the power of His
patience is gloriously demonstrated. True, the wicked interpret His
longsuffering quite differently--"Because sentence against an evil
work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men
is fully set in them to do evil" (Eccl. 8:11)--but the anointed eye
adores what they abuse.
"The God of patience" (Rom. 15:5) is one of the Divine titles. Deity
is thus denominated, first, because God is both the Author and Object
of the grace of patience in the saint. Secondly, because this is what
He is in Himself: patience is one of His perfections. Thirdly, as a
pattern for us: "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and
beloved, bowels of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness,
longsuffering" (Col. 3:12). And again, "Be ye therefore followers
(emulators) of god, as dear children" (Eph. 5:2). When tempted to be
disgusted at the dullness of another, or to be revenged on one who has
wronged you, call to remembrance God's infinite patience and
longsuffering with yourself.
The patience of God is manifested in His dealings with sinners. How
strikingly was it displayed toward the antediluvians. When mankind was
universally degenerate, and all flesh had corrupted his way, God did
not destroy them till He had forewarned them. He "waited" (1 Pet.
3:20), probably no less than one hundred and twenty years (Gen. 6:3),
during which time Noah was a "preacher of righteousness" (2 Pet. 2:5).
So, later, when the Gentiles not only worshipped and served the
creature more than the Creator, but also committed the vilest
abominations contrary to even the dictates of nature (Rom. 1:19-26),
and hereby filled up the measure of their iniquity; yet, instead of
drawing His sword for the extermination of such rebels, God "suffered
all nations to walk in their own ways," and gave them "rain from
heaven and fruitful seasons"(Acts 14:16, 17).
Marvelously was God's patience exercised and manifested toward Israel.
First, He "suffered their manners" for forty years in the wilderness
(Acts 13:18). Later, when they had entered Canaan, but followed the
evil customs of the nations around them, and turned to idolatry;
though God chastened them sorely, He did not utterly destroy them, but
in their distress, raised up deliverers for them. When their iniquity
was raised to such a height that none but a God of infinite patience,
could have borne them, He, notwithstanding, spared them many years
before He allowed them to be carried down into Babylon. Finally, when
their rebellion against Him reached its climax by crucifying His Son.
He waited forty years ere He sent the Romans against them, and that
only after they had judged themselves "unworthy of eternal life" (Acts
13:46).
How wondrous is God's patience with the world today. On every side
people are sinning with a high hand. The Divine law is trampled under
foot and God Himself openly despised. It is truly amazing that He does
not instantly strike dead those who so brazenly defy Him. Why does He
not suddenly cut off the haughty, infidel and blatant blasphemer, as
He did Ananias and Sapphira? Why does He not cause the earth to open
its mouth and devour the persecutors of his people, so that, like
Dathan and Abiram, they shall go down alive into the Pit? And what of
apostate Christendom, where every possible form of sin is now
tolerated and practiced under cover of the holy name of Christ? Why
does not the righteous wrath of Heaven make an end of such
abominations? Only one answer is possible: because God bears with
"much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction."
And what of the writer and the reader? Let us review our own lives. It
is not long since we followed a multitude to do evil, had no concern
for God's glory, and lived only to gratify self. How patiently He bore
with our vile conduct! And now that grace has snatched us as brands
from the burning, giving us a place in God's family, and begotten us
unto an eternal inheritance in glory; how miserably we requite Him.
How shallow our gratitude, how tardy our obedience, how frequent our
backslidings! One reason why God suffers the flesh to remain in the
believer is that He may exhibit His "longsuffering to usward" (2 Pet.
3:9). Since this Divine attribute is manifested only in this world,
God takes advantage to display it toward His own.
May our meditation upon this Divine excellency soften our hearts, make
our consciences tender, and may we learn in the school of holy
experience the "patience of saints," namely, submission to the Divine
will and continuance in well doing. Let us earnestly seek grace to
emulate this Divine excellency. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your
Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:48): in the immediate
context Christ exhorts us to love our enemies, bless them that curse
us, do good to them that hate us. God bears long with the wicked
notwithstanding the multitude of their sin, and shall we desire to be
revenged because of a single injury?
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The Attributes of God
by A.W. Pink
13. The Grace of God
_________________________________________________________________
Grace is a perfection of the Divine character which is exercised only
toward the elect. Neither in the Old Testament nor in the New is the
grace of God ever mentioned in connection with mankind generally,
still less with the lower orders of His creatures. In this it is
distinguished from mercy, for the mercy of God is "over all His works"
(Ps. 145-9). Grace is the alone source from which flows the goodwill,
love, and salvation of God unto His chosen people. This attribute of
the Divine character was defined by Abraham Booth in his helpful book,
The Reign of Grace thus, "It is the eternal and absolute free favour
of God, manifested in the vouchsafement of spiritual and eternal
blessings to the guilty and the unworthy."
Divine grace is the sovereign and saving favour of God exercised in
the bestowment of blessings upon those who have no merit in them and
for which no compensation is demanded from them. Nay, more; it is the
favour of God shown to those who not only have no positive deserts of
their own, but who are thoroughly ill-deserving and hell-deserving. It
is completely unmerited and unsought, and is altogether unattracted by
anything in or from or by the objects upon which it is bestowed. Grace
can neither be bought, earned, nor won by the creature. If it could
be, it would cease to be grace. When a thing is said to be of grace we
mean that the recipient has no claim upon it, that it was in nowise
due him. It comes to him as pure charity, and, at first, unasked and
undesired.
The fullest exposition of the amazing grace of God is to be found in
the Epistles of the apostle Paul. In his writings "grace" stands in
direct opposition to works and worthiness, all works and worthiness,
of whatever kind or degree. This is abundantly clear from Romans 11:6,
"And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no
more grace. If it be of works, then is it no more grace, otherwise
work is no more work." Grace and works will no more unite than an acid
and an alkali. "By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should
boast" (Eph. 2:8,9). The absolute favour of God can no more consist
with human merit than oil and water will fuse into one: see also
Romans 4:4,5.
There are three principal characteristics of Divine grace. First, it
is eternal. Grace was planned before it was exercised, purposed before
it was imparted: "Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy
calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose
and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began"
(2 Tim. 1:9). Second, it is free, for none did ever purchase it:
"Being justified freely by His grace" (Rom. 3:24). Third, it is
sovereign, because God exercises it toward and bestows it upon whom He
pleases: "Even so might grace reign" (Rom. 5:21). If grace "reigns"
then is it on the throne, and the occupant of the throne is sovereign.
Hence "the throne of grace" (Heb. 4:16).
Just because grace is unmerited favour, it must be exercised in a
sovereign manner. Therefore does the Lord declare, "I will be gracious
to whom I will be gracious" (Ex 33:19). Were God to show grace to all
of Adam's descendants, men would at once conclude that He was
righteously compelled to take them to heaven as a meet compensation
for allowing the human race to fall into sin. But the great God is
under no obligation to any of His creatures, least of all to those who
are rebels against Him.
Eternal life is a gift, therefore it can neither be earned by good
works, nor claimed as a right. Seeing that salvation is a "gift," who
has any right to tell God on whom He ought to bestow it? It is not
that the Giver ever refuses this gift to any who seek it
wholeheartedly, and according to the rules which He has prescribed.
No! He refuses none who come to Him empty-handed and in the way of His
appointing. But if out of a world of impenitent and unbelieving, God
is determined to exercise His sovereign right by choosing a limited
number to be saved, who is wronged? Is God obliged to force His gift
on those who value it not? Is God compelled to save those who are
determined to go their own way?
But nothing more riles the natural man and brings to the surface his
innate and inveterate enmity against God than to press upon him the
eternality, the freeness, and the absolute sovereignty of Divine
grace. That God should have formed His purpose from everlasting
without in anywise consulting the creature, is too abasing for the
unbroken heart. That grace cannot be earned or won by any efforts of
man is too self-emptying for self-righteousness. And that grace
singles out whom it pleases to be its favored objects, arouses hot
protests from haughty rebels. The clay rises up against the Potter and
asks, "Why hast Thou made me thus?" A lawless insurrectionist dares to
call into question the justice of Divine sovereignty.
The distinguishing grace of God is seen in saving that people whom He
has sovereignly singled out to be His high favorites. By
"distinguishing" we mean that grace discriminates, makes differences"
chooses some and passes by others. It was distinguishing grace which
selected Abraham from the midst of his idolatrous neighbors and made
him "the friend of God." It was distinguishing grace which saved
"publicans and sinners," but said of the religious Pharisees, "Let
them alone" (Matt. 15:14). Nowhere does the glory of God's free and
sovereign grace shine more conspicuously than in the unworthiness and
unlikeness of its objects. Beautifully was this illustrated by James
Hervey, (1751):
Where sin has abounded, says the proclamation from the court of
heaven, grace doth much more abound. Manasseh was a monster of
barbarity, for he caused his own children to pass through the fire,
and filled Jerusalem with innocent blood. Manasseh was an adept in
iniquity, for he not only multiplied, and to an extravagant degree,
his own sacrilegious impieties, but he poisoned the principles and
perverted the manners of his subjects, making them do worse than
the most detestable of the heathen idolators: see 2 Chronicles 33.
Yet, through this superabundant grace he is humbled, he is
reformed, and becomes a child of forgiving love, an heir of
immortal glory.
Behold that bitter and bloody persecutor, Saul; when, breathing out
threatenings and bent upon slaughter, he worried the lambs and put
to death the disciples of Jesus. The havoc he had committed, the
inoffensive families he had already ruined, were not sufficient to
assuage his vengeful spirit. They were only a taste, which, instead
of glutting the bloodhound, made him more closely pursue the track,
and more eagerly pant for destruction. He still has a thirst for
violence and murder. So eager and insatiable is his thirst, that be
even breathes out threatening and slaughter (Acts 9:1). His words
are spears and arrows, and his tongue a sharp sword. `Tis as
natural for him to menace the Christians as to breathe the air.
Nay, they bled every hour in the purposes of his rancorous heart.
It is only owing to want of power that every syllable he utters,
every breath he draws, does not deal out deaths, and cause some of
the innocent disciples to fall. Who, upon the principles of human
judgment, would not nave pronounced him a vessel of wrath, destined
to unavoidable damnation? Nay, would not have been ready to
conclude that, if there were heavier chains and a deeper dungeon in
the world of woe, they must surely be reserved for such an
implacable enemy of true godliness? Yet, admire and adore the
inexhaustible treasures of grace--this Saul is admitted into the
goodly fellowship of the prophets, is numbered with the noble arm
of martyrs and makes a distinguished figure among the glorious
company of the apostles.
The Corinthians were flagitious even to a proverb. Some of them
wallowing in such abominable vices, and habituated themselves to
such outrageous acts of injustice, as were a reproach to human
nature. Yet, even these sons of violence and slaves of sensuality
were washed, sanctified, justified (1 Cor. 6:9-11). "Washed," in
the precious blood of a dying Redeemer; "sanctified," by the
powerful operations of the blessed Spirit; "justified," through the
infinitely tender mercies of a gracious God. Those who were once
the burden of the earth, are now the joy of heaven, the delight of
angels.
Now the grace of God is manifested in and by and through the Lord
Jesus Christ. "The law was given by Moses, grace and truth came by
Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). This does not mean that God never
exercised grace toward any before His Son became incarnate--Genesis
6:8, Exodus 33:19, etc., clearly show otherwise. But grace and
truth were fully revealed and perfectly exemplified when the
Redeemer came to this earth, and died for His people upon the
cross. It is through Christ the Mediator alone that the grace of
God flows to His elect. "Much more the grace of God, and the gift
by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ. . .much more they
which receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness,
shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. . .so might grace reign,
through righteousness, unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord"
(Rom. 5:15, 17,21).
The grace of God is proclaimed in the Gospel (Acts 20:24), which is to
the self-righteous Jew a "stumbling block," and to the conceited and
philosophizing Greek "foolishness." And why so? Because there is
nothing whatever in it that is adapted to gratify the pride of man. It
announces that unless we are saved by grace, we cannot be saved at
all. It declares that apart from Christ, the unspeakable Gift of God's
grace, the state of every man is desperate, irremediable, hopeless.
The Gospel addresses men as guilty, condemned, perishing criminals. It
declares that the chastest moralist is in the same terrible plight as
is the most voluptuous profligate; that the zealous professor, with
all his religious performances, is no better off than the most profane
infidel.
The Gospel contemplates every descendant of Adam as a fallen,
polluted, hell-deserving and helpless sinner. The grace which the
Gospel publishes is his only hope. All stand before God convicted as
transgressors of His holy law, as guilty and condemned criminals;
awaiting not sentence, but the execution of sentence already passed on
them (John 3:18; Rom. 3:19). To complain against the partiality of
grace is suicidal. If the sinner insists upon bare justice, then the
Lake of Fire must be his eternal portion. His only hope lies in bowing
to the sentence which Divine justice has passed upon him, owning the
absolute righteousness of it, casting himself on the mercy of God, and
stretching forth empty hands to avail himself of the grace of God now
made known to him in the Gospel.
The third Person in the Godhead is the Communicator of grace,
therefore is He denominated "the Spirit of grace" (Zech. 12:10). God
the Father is the Fountain of all grace, for He purposed in Himself
the everlasting covenant of redemption. God the Son is the only
Channel of grace. The Gospel is the Publisher of grace. The Spirit is
the Bestower. He is the One who applies the Gospel in saving power to
the soul: quickening the elect while spiritually dead, conquering
their rebellious wills, melting their hard hearts, opening their blind
eyes, cleansing them from the leprosy of sin. Thus we may say with the
late G. S. Bishop,
Grace is a provision for men who are so fallen that they cannot lift
the axe of justice, so corrupt that they cannot change their own
natures, so averse to God that they cannot turn to Him, so blind that
they cannot see Him, so deaf that they cannot hear Him, and so dead
that He Himself must open their graves and lift them into
resurrection.
Contents | Forword | Preface | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17
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The Attributes of God
by A.W. Pink
14. The Mercy of God
_________________________________________________________________
"O give thanks unto the Lord: for He is good, for His mercy endureth
forever" (Ps. 136:1). For this perfection of the Divine character God
is greatly to be praised. Three times over in as many verses does the
Psalmist here call upon the saints to give thanks unto the Lord for
this adorable attribute. And surely this is the least that can be
asked for from those who have been such bounteous gainers by it. When
we contemplate the characteristics of this Divine excellency, we
cannot do otherwise than bless God for it. His mercy is "great" (1
Kings 3:6), "plenteous" (Ps. 86:5), "tender" (Luke 1:78), "abundant"
(1 Pet. 1:3); it is "from everlasting to everlasting upon them that
fear Him" (Ps. 103:17). Well may we say with the Psalmist, "I will
sing aloud of Thy mercy" (59:16).
"I will make all My goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the
name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be
gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy" (Ex. 33:19).
Wherein differs the "mercy of God from His grace"? The mercy of God
has its spring in the Divine goodness. The first issue of God's
goodness is His benignity or bounty, by which He gives liberally to
His creatures as creatures; thus has He given being and life to all
things. The second issue of God's goodness is His mercy, which denotes
the ready inclination of God to relieve the misery of fallen
creatures. Thus, "mercy" presupposes sin.
Though it may not be easy at the first consideration to perceive a
real difference between the grace and the mercy of God, it helps us
thereto if we carefully ponder His dealings with the unfallen angels.
He has never exercised mercy toward them, for they have never stood in
any need thereof, not having sinned or come beneath the effects of the
curse. Yet, they certainly are the objects of God's free and sovereign
grace. First, because of His election of them from out of the whole
angelic race (I Tim. 5:21). Second, and in consequence of their
election, because of His preservation of them from apostasy, when
Satan rebelled and dragged down with him one-third of the celestial
hosts (Rev. 12:4). Third, in making Christ their Head (Col. 2:10; 1
Pet. 3:22), whereby they are eternally secured in the holy condition
in which they were created. Fourth, because of the exalted position
which has been assigned them: to live in God's immediate presence
(Dan. 7:10), to serve Him constantly in His heavenly temple, to
receive honorable commissions from Him (Heb. 1:14). This is abundant
grace toward them but "mercy" it is not.
In endeavoring to study the mercy of God as it is set forth in
Scripture, a threefold distinction needs to be made, if the Word of
Truth is to be "rightly divided" thereon. First, there is a general
mercy of God, which is extended not only to all men, believers and
unbelievers alike, but also to the entire creation: "His tender
mercies are over all His works" (Ps. 145:9): "He giveth to all life,
and breath, and all things" (Acts 17:25). God has upon the brute
creation in their needs, and supplies them with suitable provision.
Second, there is a special mercy of God, which is exercised toward the
children of men, helping and succouring them, notwithstanding their
sins. To them also He communicates all the necessities of life: "for
He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth
rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matt. 5:45). Third, there is a
sovereign mercy which is reserved for the heirs of salvation, which is
communicated to them in a covenant way, through the Mediator.
Following out a little further the difference between the second and
third distinctions pointed out above, it is important to note that the
mercies which God bestows on the wicked are solely of a temporal
nature; that is to say, they are confined strictly to this present
life. There will be no mercy extended to them beyond the grave: "It is
a people of no understanding: therefore He that made them will not
have mercy on them, and He that formed them will show them no favour"
(Isa. 27:11). But at this point a difficulty may suggest itself to
some of our readers, namely, Does not Scripture affirm that "His mercy
endureth forever" (Ps. 136:1)? Two things need to be pointed out in
that connection. God can never cease to be merciful, for this is a
quality of the Divine essence (Ps. 116:5); but the exercise of His
mercy is regulated by His sovereign will. This must be so, for there
is nothing outside Himself which obliges Him to act; if there were,
that "something" would be supreme, and God would cease to be God.
It is pure sovereign grace which alone determines the exercise of
Divine mercy. God expressly affirms this fact in Romans 9:15, "For He
saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy." It is
not the wretchedness of the creature which causes Him to show mercy,
for God is not influenced by things outside of Himself as we are. If
God were influenced by the abject misery of leprous sinners, He would
cleanse and save all of them. But He does not. Why? Simply because it
is not His pleasure and purpose so to do. Still less is it the merits
of the creature which causes Him to bestow mercies upon them, for it
is a contradiction in terms to speak of meriting "mercy." "Not by
works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy
He saved us" (Titus 3:5)--the one standing in direct antithesis from
the other. Nor is it the merits of Christ which moves God to bestow
mercies on His elect: that would be putting the effect for the cause.
It is "through" or because of the tender mercy of our God that Christ
was sent here to His people (Luke 1:78). The merits of Christ make it
possible for God to righteously bestow spiritual mercies on His elect,
justice having been fully satisfied by the Surety! No, mercy arises
solely from God's imperial pleasure.
Again; though it be true, blessedly and gloriously true, that God's
mercy "endureth forever," yet we must observe carefully the objects to
whom His "mercy" is shown. Even the casting of the reprobate into the
Lake of Fire is an act of mercy. The punishment of the wicked is to be
contemplated from a threefold viewpoint. From God's side, it is an act
of justice, vindicating His honour. The mercy of God is never shown to
the prejudice of His holiness and righteousness. From their side, it
is an act of equity, when they are made to suffer the due reward of
their iniquities. But from the standpoint of the redeemed, the
punishment of the wicked is an act of unspeakable mercy. How dreadful
would it be if the present order of things when the children of God
are obliged to live in the midst of the children of the Devil, should
continue forever! Heaven would at once cease to be heaven if the ears
of the saints still heard the blasphemous and filthy language of the
reprobate. What a mercy that in the New Jerusalem "there shall in
nowise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither worketh
abomination" (Rev. 21:27)!
Lest the reader might think that in the last paragraph we have been
drawing upon our imagination, let us appeal to Holy Scripture in
support of what has been said. In Psalm 143:12 we find David praying,
"And of Thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that
afflict my soul: for I am Thy servant." Again; in Psalm 136:15 we read
that God "overthrew Pharaoh and his hosts in the Red Sea: for His
mercy endureth forever." It was an act of vengeance upon Pharaoh and
his hosts, but it was an act of "mercy" unto the Israelites. Again, in
Revelation 19:1-3 we read, "I heard a great voice of much people in
heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power,
unto the Lord our God: for true and righteous are His judgments: for
He hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her
fornication, and hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand.
And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up forever and
ever."
From what has just been before us, let us note how vain is the
presumptuous hope of the wicked, who, notwithstanding their continued
defiance of God, nevertheless count upon His being merciful to them.
How many there are who say, I do not believe that God will ever cast
me into Hell; He is too merciful. Such a hope is a viper, which if
cherished in their bosoms will sting them to death. God is a God of
justice as well as mercy, and He has expressly declared that He will
"by no means clear the guilty" (Ex. 34:7). Yea, He has said, "The
wicked shall be turned into hell, all the nations that forget God"
(Ps. 9:17). As well might men reason: I do not believe that if filth
be allowed to accumulate and sewerage become stagnant and people
deprive themselves of fresh air, that a merciful God will let them
fall a prey to a deadly fever. The fact is that those who neglect the
laws of health are carried away by disease, notwithstanding God's
mercy. Equally true is it that those who neglect the laws of spiritual
health shall forever suffer the Second Death.
Unspeakably solemn is it to see so many abusing this Divine
perfection. They continue to despise God's authority, trample upon His
laws continue in sin, and yet presume upon His mercy. But God will not
be unjust to Himself. God shows mercy to the truly penitent, but not
to the impenitent (Luke 13:3). To continue in sin and yet reckon upon
Divine mercy remitting punishment is diabolical. It is saying, "Let us
do evil that good may come," and of all such it is written, whose
"damnation is just" (Rom. 3:8). Presumption shall most certainly be
disappointed; read carefully Deuteronomy 29:18-20. Christ is the
spiritual Mercy-seat, and all who despise and reject His Lordship
shall "perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little"
(Ps. 2:12).
But let our final thought be of God's spiritual mercies unto His own
people. "Thy mercy is great unto the heavens" (Ps. 57:10). The riches
thereof transcend our loftiest thought. "For as the heaven is high
above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him" (Ps.
103:11). None can measure it. The elect are designated "vessels of
mercy" (Rom. 9:23). It is mercy that quickened them when they were
dead in sins (Eph. 2:4,5). It is mercy that saves them (Titus 3:5). It
is His abundant mercy which begat them unto an eternal inheritance (1
Peter 1:3). Time would fail us to tell of His preserving, sustaining,
pardoning, supplying mercy. Unto His own, God is "the Father of
mercies" (2 Cor. 1:3).
"When all Thy mercies, O my God,
My rising soul surveys,
Transported with the view I'm lost,
In wonder, love, and praise."
Contents | Forword | Preface | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17
____________________________________________________
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The Attributes of God
by A.W. Pink
15. The Love of God
_________________________________________________________________
There are three things told us in Scripture concerning the nature of
God. First, "God is spirit" (John 4:24). In the Greek there is no
indefinite article, and to say "God is a spirit" is most
objectionable, for it places Him in a class with others. God is
"spirit" in the highest sense. Because He is "spirit" He is
incorporeal, having no visible substance. Had God a tangible body, He
would not be omnipresent, He would be limited to one place; because He
is spirit He fills heaven and earth. Second, God is light (1 John
1:5), which is the opposite of "darkness." In Scripture "darkness"
stands for sin, evil, death; and "light" for holiness, goodness, life.
God is light, means that He is the sum of all excellency. Third, "God
is love" (1 John 4:8). It is not simply that God "loves," but that He
is Love itself. Love is not merely one of His attributes, but His very
nature.
There are many today who talk about the love of God, who are total
strangers to the God of love. The Divine love is commonly regarded as
a species of amiable weakness, a sort of good-natured indulgence; it
is reduced to a mere sickly sentiment, patterned after human emotion.
Now the truth is that on this, as on everything else, our thoughts
need to be formed and regulated by what is revealed thereon in Holy
Scripture. That there is urgent need for this is apparent not only
from the ignorance which so generally prevails, but also from the low
state of spirituality which is now so sadly evident everywhere among
professing Christians. How little real love there is for God. One
chief reason for this is because our hearts are so little occupied
with His wondrous love for His people. The better we are acquainted
with His love--its character, fulness, blessedness--the more will our
hearts be drawn out in love to Him.
1. The love of God is uninfluenced. By this we mean, there was nothing
whatever in the objects of His love to call it into exercise, nothing
in the creature to attract or prompt it. The love which one creature
has for another is because of something in them; but the love of God
is free, spontaneous, uncaused. The only reason why God loves any is
found in His own sovereign will: "The Lord did not set His love upon
you, nor choose you because ye were more in number than any people;
for ye were the fewest of all people: but because the Lord loved thee"
(Deut. 7:7,8). God has loved His people from everlasting, and
therefore nothing of the creature can be the cause of what is found in
God from eternity. He loves from Himself: "according to His own
purpose" (2 Tim. 1:9).
"We love Him, because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). God did not
love us because we loved Him, but He loved us before we had a particle
of love for Him. Had God loved us in return for ours, then it would
not be spontaneous on His part; but because He loved us when we were
loveless, it is clear that His love was uninfluenced. It is highly
important if God is to be honored and the heart of His child
established, that we should be quite clear upon this precious truth.
God's love for me, and for each of "His own," was entirely unmoved by
anything in them. What was there in me to attract the heart of God?
Absolutely nothing. But, to the contrary, everything to repel Him,
everything calculated to make Him loathe me--sinful, depraved, a mass
of corruption, with "no good thing" in me.
"What was there in me that could merit esteem,
Or give the Creator delight?
`Twas even so, Father, I ever must sing,
Because it seemed good, in Thy sight."
2. It is eternal. This of necessity. God Himself is eternal, and God
is love; therefore, as God Himself had no beginning, His love had
none. Granted that such a concept far transcends the grasp of our
feeble minds, nevertheless, where we cannot comprehend, we can bow in
adoring worship. How clear is the testimony of Jeremiah 31:3, "I have
loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with loving-kindness
have I drawn thee." How blessed to know that the great and holy God
loved His people before heaven and earth were called into existence,
that He had set His heart upon them from all eternity. Clear proof is
this that His love is spontaneous, for He loved them endless ages
before they had any being.
The same precious truth is set forth in Ephesians 1:4,5, "According as
He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we
should be holy and without blame before Him. In love having
predestinated us." What praise should this evoke from each of His
children! How tranquilizing for the heart: since God's love toward me
had no beginning, it can have no ending! Since it be true that "from
everlasting to everlasting" He is God, and since God is "love," then
it is equally true that "from everlasting to everlasting" He loves His
people.
3. It is sovereign. This also is self-evident. God Himself is
sovereign, under obligations to none, a law unto Himself, acting
always according to His own imperial pleasure. Since God be sovereign,
and since He be love, it necessarily follows that His love is
sovereign. Because God is God, He does as He pleases; because God is
love, He loves whom He pleases. Such is His own express affirmation:
"Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated" (Rom. 9:19). There was no
more reason in Jacob why he should be the object of Divine love, than
there was in Esau. They both had the same parents, and were born at
the same time, being twins; yet God loved the one and hated the other!
Why? Because it pleased Him to do so.
The sovereignty of God's love necessarily follows from the fact that
it is uninfluenced by anything in the creature. Thus, to affirm that
the cause of His love lies in God Himself, is only another way of
saying, He loves whom He pleases. For a moment, assume the opposite.
Suppose God's love were regulated by anything else than His will, in
such a case He would love by rule, and loving by rule He would be
under a law of love, and then so far from being free, God would
Himself be ruled by law. "In love having predestinated us unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to"--what?
Some excellency which He foresaw in them? No; what then? "According to
the good pleasure of His will" (Eph. 1:4,5).
4. It is infinite. Everything about God is infinite. His essence fills
heaven and earth. His wisdom is illimitable, for He knows everything
of the past, present and future. His power is unbounded, for there is
nothing too hard for Him. So His love is without limit. There is a
depth to it which none can fathom; there is a height to it which none
can scale; there is a length and breadth to it which defies
measurement, by any creature-standard. Beautifully is this intimated
in Ephesians 2:4: But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love
wherewith He loved us: the word "great" there is parallel with the
"God so loved" of John 3:16. It tells us that the love of God is so
transcendent it cannot be estimated.
No tongue can fully express the infinitude of God's love, or any mind
comprehend it: it "passeth knowledge" Eph. 3:19). The most extensive
ideas that a finite mind can frame about Divine love, are infinitely
below its true nature. The heaven is not so far above the earth as the
goodness of God is beyond the most raised conceptions which we are
able to form of it. It is an ocean which swells higher than all the
mountains of opposition in such as are the objects of it. It is a
fountain from which flows all necessary good to all those who are
interested in it (John Brine, 1743).
5. It is immutable. As with God Himself there is "no variableness,
neither shadow of turning" (James 1:17), so His love knows neither
change or diminution. The worm Jacob supplies a forceful example of
this: "Jacob have I loved," declared Jehovah, and despite all his
unbelief and waywardness, He never ceased to love him. John 13:1
furnishes another beautiful illustration. That very night one of the
apostles would say, "Show us the Father"; another would deny Him with
cursings; all of them would be scandalized by and forsake Him.
Nevertheless "having loved His own which were in the world, He love
them unto the end." The Divine love is subject to no vicissitudes.
Divine love is "strong as death ... many waters cannot quench it"
(Song of Sol. 8:6,7). Nothing can separate from it: Romans 8:35-39.
"His love no end nor measure knows,
No change can turn its course,
Eternally the same it flows
From one eternal source."
6. It is holy. God's love is not regulated by caprice passion, or
sentiment, but by principle. Just as His grace reigns not at the
expense of it, but "through righteousness" (Rom. 5:21), so His love
never conflicts with His holiness. "God is light" (1 John 1:5) is
mentioned before "God is love" (1 John 4:8). God's love is no mere
amiable weakness, or effeminate softness. Scripture declares, "whom
the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He
receiveth" (Heb. 12:6). God will not wink at sin, even in His own
people. His love is pure, unmixed with any maudlin sentimentality.
7. It is gracious. The love and favor of God are inseparable. This is
clearly brought out in Romans 8:32-39. What that love is from which
there can be no "separation," is easily perceived from the design and
scope of the immediate context: it is that goodwill and grace of God
which determined Him to give His Son for sinners. That love was the
impulsive power of Christ's incarnation: "God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son" (John 3:16). Christ died not in order
to make God love us, but because He did love His people, Calvary is
the supreme demonstration of Divine love. Whenever you are tempted to
doubt the love of God, Christian reader, go back to Calvary.
Here then is abundant cause for trust and patience under Divine
affliction. Christ was beloved of the Father, yet He was not exempted
from poverty, disgrace, and persecution. He hungered and thirsted.
Thus, it was not incompatible with God's love for Christ when He
permitted men to spit upon and smite Him. Then let no Christian call
into question God's love when he is brought under painful afflictions
and trials. God did not enrich Christ on earth with temporal
prosperity, for "He had not where to lay His head." But He did give
Him the Spirit "without measure" (John 3:34). Learn then that
spiritual blessings are the principal gifts of Divine love. How
blessed to know that when the world hates us ,God loves us!
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6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17
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The Attributes of God
by A.W. Pink
16. The Wrath of God
_________________________________________________________________
It is sad to find so many professing Christians who appear to regard
the wrath of God as something for which they need to make an apology,
or at least they wish there were no such thing. While some would not
go so far as to openly admit that they consider it a blemish on the
Divine character, yet they are far from regarding it with delight,
they like not to think about it, and they rarely hear it mentioned
without a secret resentment rising up in their hearts against it. Even
with those who are more sober in their judgment, not a few seem to
imagine that there is a severity about the Divine wrath which is too
terrifying to form a theme for profitable contemplation. Others harbor
the delusion that God's wrath is not consistent with His goodness, and
so seek to banish it from their thoughts.
Yes, many there are who turn away from a vision of God's wrath as
though they were called to look upon some blotch in the Divine
character, or some blot upon the Divine government. But what saith the
Scriptures? As we turn to them we find that God has made no attempt to
conceal the fact of His wrath. He is not ashamed to make it known that
vengeance and fury belong unto Him. His own challenge is, "See now
that I, even I, am He, and there is no god with Me: I kill, and I make
alive; I wound, and I heal; neither is there any that can deliver out
of My hand. For I lift up My hand to heaven, and say, I live forever,
If I whet My glittering sword, and Mine hand take hold on judgment; I
will render vengeance to Mine enemies, and will reward them that hate
Me" (Deut. 32:39-41). A study of the concordance will show that there
are more references in Scripture to the anger, fury, and wrath of God,
than there are to His love and tenderness. Because God is holy, He
hates all sin; And because He hates all sin, His anger burns against
the sinner: Psalm 7:11.
Now the wrath of God is as much a Divine perfection as is His
faithfulness, power, or mercy. It must be so, for there is no blemish
whatever, not the slightest defect in the character of God; yet there
would be if "wrath" were absent from Him! Indifference to sin is a
moral blemish, and he who hates it not is a moral leper. How could He
who is the Sum of all excellency look with equal satisfaction upon
virtue and vice, wisdom and folly? How could He who is infinitely holy
disregard sin and refuse to manifest His "severity" (Rom. 9:12) toward
it? How could He who delights only in that which is pure and lovely,
loathe and hate not that which is impure and vile? The very nature of
God makes Hell as real a necessity, as imperatively and eternally
requisite as Heaven is. Not only is there no imperfection in God, but
there is no perfection in Him that is less perfect than another.
The wrath of God is His eternal detestation of all unrighteousness. It
is the displeasure and indignation of Divine equity against evil. It
is the holiness of God stirred into activity against sin. It is the
moving cause of that just sentence which He passes upon evil-doers.
God is angry against sin because it is a rebelling against His
authority, a wrong done to His inviolable sovereignty.
Insurrectionists against God's government shall be made to know that
God is the Lord. They shall be made to feel how great that Majesty is
which they despise, and how dreadful is that threatened wrath which
they so little regarded. Not that God's anger is a malignant and
malicious retaliation, inflicting injury for the sake of it, or in
return for injury received. No; while God will vindicate His dominion
as the Governor of the universe, He will not be vindictive.
That Divine wrath is one of the perfections of God is not only evident
from the considerations presented above, but is also clearly
established by the express declarations of His own Word. "For the
wrath of God is revealed from heaven" (Rom. 1:18). Robert Haldane
comments on this verse as follows:
It was revealed when the sentence of death was first pronounced, the
earth cursed, and man driven out of the earthly paradise; and
afterwards by such examples of punishment as those of the Deluge and
the destruction of the Cities of the Plain by fire from heaven; but
especially by the reign of death throughout the world. It was
proclaimed in the curse of the law on every transgression, and was
intimated in the institution of sacrifice. In the 8th of Romans, the
apostle calls the attention of believers to the fact that the whole
creation has become subject to vanity, and groaneth and travaileth
together in pain. The same creation which declares that there is a
God, and publishes His glory, also proclaims that He is the Enemy of
sin and the Avenger of the crimes of men . . . But above all, the
wrath of God was revealed from heaven when the Son of God came down to
manifest the Divine character, and when that wrath was displayed in
His sufferings and death, in a manner more awful than by all the
tokens God had before given of His displeasure against sin. Besides
this, the future and eternal punishment of the wicked is now declared
in terms more solemn and explicit than formerly. Under the new
dispensation there are two revelations given from heaven, one of
wrath, the other of grace.
Again; that the wrath of God is a Divine perfection is plainly
demonstrated by what we read of in Psalm 95:11, "Unto whom I sware in
My wrath." There are two occasions of God "swearing": in making
promises (Gen. 22:16), and in denouncing threatening (Deut. 1:34). In
the former, He swares in mercy to His children; in the latter, He
swares to terrify the wicked. An oath is for solemn confirmation:
Hebrews 6:16. In Genesis 22:16 God said, "By Myself have I sworn." In
Psalm 89:35 He declares, "Once have I sworn by My holiness." While in
Psalm 95:11 He affirmed, "I swear in My wrath." Thus the great Jehovah
Himself appeals to His "wrath" as a perfection equal to His
"holiness": He swares by the one as much as by the other! Again; as in
Christ "dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9),
and as all the Divine perfections are illustriously displayed by Him
(John 1:18), therefore do we read of "the wrath of the Lamb" (Rev.
6:16).
The wrath of God is a perfection of the Divine character upon which we
need to frequently meditate. First, that our hearts may be duly
impressed by God's detestation of sin. We are ever prone to regard sin
lightly, to gloss over its hideousness, to make excuses for it. But
the more we study and ponder God's abhorrence of sin and His frightful
vengeance upon it, the more likely are we to realize its heinousness.
Second, to beget a true fear in our souls for God: "Let us have grace
whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: for
our God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:28,29). We cannot serve Him
"acceptably" unless there is due "reverence" for His awful Majesty and
"godly fear" of His righteous anger, and these are best promoted by
frequently calling to mind that "our God is a consuming fire." Third,
to draw out our souls in fervent praise for having delivered us from
"the wrath to come" (1 Thess. 1:10).
Our readiness or our reluctancy to meditate upon the wrath of God
becomes a sure test of how our hearts' really stand affected toward
Him. If we do not truly rejoice in God, for what He is in Himself, and
that because of all the perfections which are eternally resident in
Him, then how dwelleth the love of God in us? Each of us needs to be
most prayerfully on his guard against devising an image of God in our
thoughts which is patterned after our own evil inclinations. Of old
the Lord complained, "Thou thoughtest that I was altogether as
thyself" (Ps. 50:21), If we rejoice not "at the remembrance of His
holiness" (Ps. 97:12), if we rejoice not to know that in a soon coming
Day God will make a most glorious display of His wrath, by taking
vengeance on all who now oppose Him, it is proof positive that our
hearts are not in subjection to Him, that we are yet in our sins, on
the way to the everlasting burnings.
"Rejoice, O ye nations (Gentiles) His people, for He will avenge the
blood of His servants, and will render vengeance to His adversaries"
(Deut. 32:43). And again we read, "I heard a great voice of much
people in heaven, saying Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour,
and power, unto the Lord our God; For true and righteous are His
judgments: for He hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the
earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of His servants
at her hand. And again they said Alleluia." (Rev. 19:13). Great will
be the rejoicing of the saints in that day when the Lord shall
vindicate His majesty, exercise His awful dominion, magnify His
justice, and overthrow the proud rebels who have dared to defy Him.
"If thou Lord, shouldest mark (impute) iniquities, O Lord, who shall
stand?" (Ps. 130:3). Well may each of us ask this question, for it is
written, "the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment" (Ps. 1:5). How
sorely was Christ's soul exercised with thoughts of God's marking the
iniquities of His people when they were upon Him! He was "amazed and
very heavy" (Mark 14:33). His awful agony, His bloody sweat, His
strong cries and supplications (Heb. 5:7), His reiterated prayers ("If
it be possible, let this cup pass from Me"), His last dreadful cry,
("My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?") all manifest what
fearful apprehensions He had of what it was for God to "mark
iniquities." Well may poor sinners cry out, "Lord who shall stand"
when the Son of God Himself so trembled beneath the weight of His
wrath? If thou, my reader, hast not "fled for refuge" to Christ, the
only Saviour, "how wilt thou do in the swelling of the Jordan?" (Jer.
12:5)?
When I consider how the goodness of God is abused by the greatest part
of mankind, I cannot but be of his mind that said, The greatest
miracle in the world is God's patience and bounty to an ungrateful
world. If a prince hath an enemy got into one of his towns, he doth
not send them in provision, but lays close siege to the place, and
doth what he can to starve them. But the great God, that could wink
all His enemies into destruction, bears with them, and is at daily
cost to maintain them. Well may He command us to bless them that curse
us, who Himself does good to the evil and unthankful. But think not,
sinners, that you shall escape thus; God's mill goes slow, but grinds
small; the more admirable His patience and bounty now is, the more
dreadful and unsupportable will that fury be which ariseth out of His
abused goodness. Nothing smoother than the sea, yet when stirred into
a tempest, nothing rageth more. Nothing so sweet as the patience and
goodness of God, and nothing so terrible as His wrath when it takes
fire. (Wm Gurnall, 1660).
Then flee, my reader, flee to Christ; "flee from the wrath to come"
(Matt. 3:7) ere it be too late. Do not, we earnestly beseech you,
suppose that this message is intended for somebody else. It is to you!
Do not be contented by thinking you have already fled to Christ. Make
certain! Beg the Lord to search your heart and show you yourself.
A Word to Preachers. Brethren, do we in our oral ministry, preach on
this solemn subject as much as we ought? The Old Testament prophets
frequently told their hearers that their wicked lives provoked the
Holy One of Israel, and that they were treasuring up to themselves
wrath against the day of wrath. And conditions in the world are no
better now than they were then! Nothing is so calculated to arouse the
careless and cause carnal professors to search their hearts, as to
enlarge upon the fact that "God is angry with the wicked every day"
(Ps. 7:11). The forerunner of Christ warned his hearers to "flee from
the wrath to come" (Matt. 3:7). The Saviour bade His auditors "Fear
Him, which after He hath killed, hath power to cast into Hell; yea, I
say unto you. Fear Him" (Luke 12:5). The apostle Paul said, "Knowing
therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men" (2 Cor. 5:11).
Faithfulness demands that we speak as plainly about Hell as about
Heaven.
Contents | Forword | Preface | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17
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The Attributes of God
by A.W. Pink
17. The Contemplation of God
_________________________________________________________________
In the previous chapters we have had in review some of the wondrous
and lovely perfections of the Divine character. From this most feeble
and faulty contemplation of His attributes, it should be evident to us
all that God is, first, an incomprehensible Being, and, lost in wonder
at His infinite greatness, we are constrained to adopt the words of
Zophar, "Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the
Almighty unto perfection? It is high as heaven; what canst thou do?
deeper than hell; what canst thou know? The measure thereof is longer
than the earth, and broader than the sea." (Job 11:7-9). When we turn
our thoughts to God's eternity, His immateriality, His omnipresence,
His almightiness, our minds are overwhelmed.
But the incomprehensibility of the Divine nature is not a reason
why we should desist from reverent inquiry and prayerful strivings
to apprehend what He has so graciously revealed of Himself in His
Word. Because we are unable to acquire perfect knowledge, it would
be folly to say we will therefore make no efforts to attain to any
degree of it. It has been well said that, "Nothing will so enlarge
the intellect, nothing so magnify the whole soul of man, as a
devout, earnest, continued, investigation of the great subject of
the Deity. The most excellent study for expanding the soul is the
science of Christ and Him crucified and the knowledge of the
Godhead in the glorious Trinity." (C. H. Spurgeon). Let us quote a
little further from this prince of preachers.
The proper study of the Christian is the God-head. The highest
science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy, which
can engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, the
nature, the person, the doings, and the existence of the great God
which he calls his Father. There is something exceedingly improving
to the mind in a contemplation of the Divinity. It is a subject so
vast, that all our thoughts are lost in its immensity; so deep,
that our pride is drowned in its infinity. Other subjects we can
comprehend and grapple with; in them we feel a kind of
self-content, and go on our way with the thought, "Behold I am
wise." But when we come to this master science, finding that our
plumb-line cannot sound its depth, amid that our eagle eye cannot
see its height, we turn away with the thought "I am but of
yesterday and know nothing." (Sermon on Mal. 3:6).
Yes, the incomprehensibility of the Divine nature should teach us
humility, caution and reverence. After all our searchings and
meditations we have to say with Job, "Lo, these are parts of His ways:
but how little a portion is heard of Him!" (26:14). When Moses
besought Jehovah for a sight of His glory, He answered him "I will
proclaim the name of the Lord before thee" (Ex. 33:19), and, as
another has said, "the name is the collection of His attributes."
Rightly did the Puritan John Howe declare:
The notion therefore we can hence form of His glory, is only such
as we may have of a large volume by a brief synopsis, or of a
spacious country by a little landscape. He hath here given us a
true report of Himself, but not a full; such as will secure our
apprehensions--being guided thereby--from error, but not from
ignorance. We can apply our minds to contemplate the several
perfections whereby the blessed God discovers to us His being, and
can in our thoughts attribute them all to Him, though we have still
but low and defective conceptions of each one. Yet so far as our
apprehensions can correspond to the discovery that He affords us of
His several excellencies, we have a present view of His glory.
As the difference is indeed great between the knowledge of God which
His saints have in this life and that which they shall have in Heaven,
yet, as the former should not be undervalued because it is imperfect,
so the latter is not to be magnified above its reality. True, the
Scripture declares that we shall see "face to face" and "know" even as
we are known (1 Cor. 13:12), but to infer from this that we shall then
know God as fully as He knows us, is to be misled by the mere sound of
words, and to disregard that restriction of the same which the subject
necessarily requires. There is a vast difference between the saints
being glorified and their being made Divine. In their glorified state,
Christians will still be finite creatures, and therefore, never able
to fully comprehend the infinite God.
The saints in heaven will see God with the eye of the mind, for He
will be always invisible to the bodily eye; and will see Him more
clearly than they could see Him by reason and faith, and more
extensively than all His works and dispensations had hitherto
revealed Him; but their minds will not be so enlarged as to be
capable of contemplating at once, or in detail, the whole
excellence of His nature. To comprehend infinite perfection, they
must become infinite themselves. Even in Heaven, their knowledge
will be partial, but at the same time their happiness will be
complete, because their knowledge will be perfect in this sense,
that it will be adequate to the capacity of the subject, although
it will not exhaust the fulness of the object. We believe that it
will be progressive, and that as their views expand, their
blessedness will increase; but it will never reach a limit beyond
which there is nothing to be discovered; and when ages after ages
have passed away, He will still be the incomprehensible God. (John
Dick, 1840).
Secondly, from a review of the perfections of God, it appears that
He is an all-sufficient Being. He is all-sufficient in Himself and
to Himself. As the First of beings, He could receive nothing from
another, nor be limited by the power of another. Being infinite, He
is possessed of all possible perfection. When the Triune God
existed all alone, He was all to Himself. His understanding, His
love, His energies, found an adequate object in Himself. Had He
stood in need of anything external, He had not been independent,
and therefore would not have been God. He created all things, and
that "for Himself" (Col. 1:16), yet it was not in order to supply a
lack, but that He might communicate life and happiness to angels
and men, and admit them to the vision of His glory. True, He
demands the allegiance and services of His intelligent creatures,
yet He derives no benefit from their offices, all the advantage
redounds to themselves: Job 22:2,3. He makes use of means and
instruments to accomplish His ends, yet not from a deficiency of
power, but often times to more strikingly display His power through
the feebleness of the instruments.
The all-sufficiency of God makes Him to be the Supreme Object which is
ever to be sought unto. True happiness consists only in the enjoyment
of God. His favour is life, and His loving kindness is better than
life. "The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in
Him" (Lam. 3:24). His love, His grace, His glory, are the chief
objects of the saints' desire and the springs of their highest
satisfaction. "There be many that say, Who will show us any good?
Lord, lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance upon us. Thou hast put
gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their
wine increased" (Ps. 4:6,7). Yea, the Christian, when in his right
mind, is able to say, "Although the fig tree shall not blossom,
neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall
fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cutoff
from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will
rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation" (Hab.
3:17,18).
Thirdly, from a review of the perfections of God, it appears that He
is the Supreme Sovereign of the universe. It has been rightly said:
No dominion is so absolute as that which is founded on creation. He
who might not have made any thing, had a right to make all things
according to His own pleasure. In the exercise of His uncontrolled
power, He has made some parts of the creation mere inanimate
matter, of grosser or more refined texture, and distinguished by
different qualities, but all inert and unconscious. He has given
organization to other parts, and made them susceptible of growth
and expansion, but still without life in the proper sense of the
term. To others He has given not only organization, but conscious
existence, organs of sense and self-motive power. To these He has
added in man the gift of reason, and an immortal spirit, by which
he is allied to a higher order of beings who are placed in the
superior regions. Over the world which He has created, He sways the
scepter of omnipotence. "I praised and honored Him that liveth
forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom
is from generation to generation: and all the inhabitants of the
earth are reputed as nothing: and He doeth according to His will in
the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and
none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doeth Thou?"--Daniel
4:34, 35. (John Dick).
A creature, considered as such, has no rights. He can demand
nothing from his Maker; and in whatever manner he may be treated,
has no title to complain. Yet, when thinking of the absolute
dominion of God over all, we ought never to lose sight of His moral
perfections. God is just and good, and ever does that which is
right. Nevertheless, He exercises His sovereignty according to His
own imperial and righteous pleasure. He assigns each creature his
place as seemeth good in His own sight. He orders the varied
circumstances of each according to His own counsels. He moulds each
vessel according to His own uninfluenced determination. He has
mercy on whom He will, and whom He will He hardens. Wherever we
are, His eye is upon us. Whoever we are, our life and everything is
held at His disposal. To the Christian, He is a tender Father; to
the rebellious sinner He will yet be a consuming fire. "Now unto
the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour
and glory for ever and ever. Amen" (1 Tim. 1:17).
Contents | Forword | Preface | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17
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The Beatitudes
by A.W. Pink
Introduction
__________________________________________
Opinion has been much divided concerning the design, scope, and
application of the Sermon on the Mount. Most commentators have seen in
it an exposition of Christian ethics. Men such as the late Count
Tolstoi have regarded it as the setting forth of a "golden rule" for
all men to live by. Others have dwelt upon its dispensational
bearings, insisting that it belongs not to the saints of the present
dispensation but to believers within a future millennium. Two inspired
statements, however, reveal its true scope. In Matthew 5:1, 2, we
learn that Christ was here teaching His disciples. From Matthew 7:28,
29, it is clear that He was also addressing a great multitude of the
people. Thus it is evident that this address of our Lord contains
instruction both for believers and unbelievers alike.
It needs to be borne in mind that this sermon was Christ's first
utterance to the general public, who had been reared in a defective
Judaism. It was possibly His first discourse to the disciples, too.
His design was not only to teach Christian ethics but to expose the
errors of Pharisaism and to awaken the consciences of His legalistic
hearers. In Matthew 5:20 He said, "Except your righteousness shall
exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no
case enter into the Kingdom of heaven." Then, to the end of the
chapter, He expounded the spirituality of the Law so as to arouse His
hearers to see their need of His own perfect righteousness. It was
their ignorance of the spirituality of the Law that was the real
source of Pharisaism, for its leaders claimed to fulfill the Law in
the outward letter. It was therefore our Lord's good purpose to awaken
their consciences by enforcing the Law's true inner import and
requirement.
It is to be noted that this Sermon on the Mount is recorded only in
Matthew's Gospel. The differences between it and the Sermon on the
Plain in Luke 6 are pronounced and numerous. While it is true that
Matthew is by far the most Jewish of the four Gospels, yet we believe
it is a serious mistake to limit its application to godly Jews, either
of the past or the future. The opening verse of the Gospel, where
Christ is presented in a twofold way, should warn us against such a
restriction. There He is presented as Son of David and as Son of
Abraham, "the father of all them that believe" (Rom. 4:11). Therefore,
we are fully assured that this sermon enunciates spiritual principles
that obtain in every age, and on this basis we shall proceed.
Christ's first preaching seems to have been summarized in one short
but crucial sentence, like that of John the Baptist before Him:
"Repent ye: for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:2; 4:17).
It is not appropriate in a brief study such as this to discuss that
most interesting topic, the Kingdom of heaven--what it is and what the
various periods of its development are--but these Beatitudes teach us
much about those who belong to that Kingdom, and upon whom Christ
pronounced its highest forms of benediction.
Christ came once in the flesh, and He is coming yet again. Each advent
has a special object as connected with the Kingdom of heaven. The
first advent of our Lord was for the purpose of establishing an empire
among men and over men, by laying the foundations of that empire
within individual souls. His second coming will be for the purpose of
setting up that empire in glory. It is therefore vitally important
that we understand what the character of the subjects in that Kingdom
is, so that we may know whether we belong to the Kingdom ourselves,
and whether its privileges, immunities, and future rewards are a part
of our present and future inheritance. Thus one may grasp the
importance of a devout and careful study of these Beatitudes. We must
examine them as a whole; we cannot take one alone without losing a
part of the lesson they jointly teach. These Beatitudes form one
portrait. When an artist draws a picture, each line may be graceful
and masterful, but it is the union of the lines that reveals their
mutual relation; it is the combination of the various artistic
delineations and minute touches that gives us the complete portrait.
So here, though each separate aspect has its own peculiar beauty and
grace and shows the hand of a master, it is only when we take all the
lines in combination that we get the full portrait of a true subject
and citizen in the Kingdom of God (Dr. A. T. Pierson paraphrased).
God's great salvation is free, "without money and without price" (Isa.
55:1). This is a most merciful provision of Divine grace, for were God
to offer salvation for sale no poor sinner could secure it, seeing
that he has nothing with which to purchase it. But the vast majority
are insensible of this; yea, all of us are until the Holy Spirit opens
our sin-blinded eyes. It is only those who have passed from death to
life who become conscious of their poverty, take the place of beggars,
are glad to receive Divine charity, and begin to seek the true riches.
Thus "the poor have the Gospel preached to them" (Matthew 11:5),
preached not only to their ears, but to their hearts!
Thus poverty of spirit, a consciousness of one's emptiness and need,
results from the work of the Holy Spirit within the human heart. It
issues from the painful discovery that all my righteousnesses are as
filthy rags (Isa. 64:6). It follows my being awakened to the fact that
my very best performances are unacceptable (yea, an abomination) to
the thrice Holy One. Thus one who is poor in spirit realizes that he
is a hell-deserving sinner.
Poverty of spirit may be viewed as the negative side of faith. It is
that realization of one's utter worthlessness that precedes a laying
hold of Christ by faith, a spiritual eating of His flesh and drinking
of His blood (John 6:48-58). It is the work of the Spirit emptying the
heart of self, that Christ may fill it. It is a sense of need and
destitution. This first Beatitude, then, is foundational, describing a
fundamental trait that is found in every regenerated soul. The one who
is poor in spirit is nothing in his own eyes, and feels that his
proper place is in the dust before God. He may, through false teaching
or worldliness, leave that place, but God knows how to bring him back.
And in His faithfulness and love He will do so, for the place of
humble self-abasement before God is the place of blessing for His
children. How to cultivate this God-honoring spirit is revealed by the
Lord Jesus in Matthew 11:29.
He who is in possession of this poverty of spirit is pronounced
blessed: because he now has a disposition that is the very reverse of
that which was his by nature; because he possesses the first sure
evidence that a Divine work of grace has been wrought within him;
because such a spirit causes him to look outside of himself for true
enrichment; because he is an heir of the Kingdom of heaven.
__________________________________________
Contents |Introduction|First Beatitude|Second Beatitude
Third Beatitude|Fourth Beatitude|Fifth Beatitude| Sixth Beatitude
Seventh Beatitude|Eighth Beatitude|Conclusion
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The Beatitudes
by A.W. Pink
Introduction
__________________________________________
"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven"
Matthew 5:3
It is indeed blessed to mark how this sermon opens. Christ began not
by pronouncing maledictions on the wicked, but by pronouncing
benedictions on His people. How like Him was this, to whom judgment is
a strange work (Isa. 28:21, 22; cf. John 1:17). But how strange is the
next word: "blessed" or "happy" are the poor--"the poor in spirit."
Who, previously, had ever regarded them as the blessed ones of earth?
And who, outside believers, does so today? And how these opening words
strike the keynote of all Christ's subsequent teaching: it is not what
a man does but what he is that is most important.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit." What is poverty of spirit? It is the
opposite of that haughty, self-assertive, and self-sufficient
disposition that the world so much admires and praises. It is the very
reverse of that independent and defiant attitude that refuses to bow
to God, that determines to brave things out, and that says with
Pharaoh, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice?" (Ex. 5:2).
To be poor in spirit is to realize that I have nothing, am nothing,
and can do nothing, and have need of all things. Poverty of spirit is
evident in a person when he is brought into the dust before God to
acknowledge his utter helplessness. It is the first experiential
evidence of a Divine work of grace within the soul, and corresponds to
the initial awakening of the prodigal in the far country when he
"began to be in want" (Luke 15:14).
__________________________________________
Contents |Introduction|First Beatitude|Second Beatitude
Third Beatitude|Fourth Beatitude|Fifth Beatitude| Sixth Beatitude
Seventh Beatitude|Eighth Beatitude|Conclusion
____________________________________________________
About Us
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The Beatitudes
by A.W. Pink
The Second Beatitude
__________________________________________
"Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted"
Matthew 5:4
Mourning is hateful and irksome to poor human nature. From suffering
and sadness our spirits instinctively shrink. By nature we seek the
society of the cheerful and joyous. Our text presents an anomaly to
the unregenerate, yet it is sweet music to the ears of God's elect. If
"blessed," why do they "mourn"? If they "mourn," how can they be
"blessed"? Only the child of God has the key to this paradox. The more
we ponder our text the more we are constrained to exclaim, "Never man
spake like this Man!" "Blessed [happy] are they that mourn is an
aphorism that is at complete variance with the world's logic. Men have
in all places and in all ages regarded the prosperous and gay as the
happy ones, but Christ pronounces happy those who are poor in spirit
and who mourn.
Now it is obvious that it is not every species of mourning that is
here referred to. There is a "sorrow of the world [that] worketh
death" (2 Cor. 7:10). The mourning for which Christ promises comfort
must be restricted to that which is spiritual. The mourning that is
blessed is the result of a realization of God's holiness and goodness
that issues in a sense of the depravity of our natures and the
enormous guilt of our conduct. The mourning for which Christ promises
Divine comfort is a sorrowing over our sins with a godly sorrow.
The eight Beatitudes are arranged in four pairs. Proof of this will be
furnished as we proceed. The first of the series is the blessing that
Christ pronounced upon those who are poor in spirit, which we took as
a description of those who have been awakened to a sense of their own
nothingness and emptiness. Now the transition from such poverty to
mourning is easy to follow. In fact, mourning follows so closely that
it is in reality poverty's companion.
The mourning that is here referred to is manifestly more than that of
bereavement, affliction, or loss. It is mourning for sin.
It is mourning over the felt destitution of our spiritual state, and
over the iniquities that have separated us and God; mourning over the
very morality in which we have boasted, and the self-righteousness in
which we have trusted; sorrow for rebellion against God, and hostility
to His will; and such mourning always goes side by side with conscious
poverty of spirit (Dr. Pierson).
A striking illustration and exemplification of the spirit upon which
the Savior here pronounced His benediction is to be found in Luke
18:9-14. There a vivid contrast is presented to our view. First, we
are shown a self-righteous Pharisee looking up toward God and saying,
"God, I thank Thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners,
unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the
week, I give tithes of all that I possess. This may all have been true
as he looked at it, yet this man went down to his house in a state of
condemnation. His fine garments were rags, his white robes were
filthy, though he knew it not. Then we are shown the publican,
standing afar off, who, in the language of the Psalmist, was so
troubled by his iniquities that he was not able to look up (Ps.
40:12). He dared not so much as lift up his eyes to heaven, but smote
upon his breast. Conscious of the fountain of corruption within, he
cried, "God be merciful to me a sinner." That man went down to his
house justified, because he was poor in spirit and mourned for sin.
Here, then, are the first birthmarks of the children of God. He who
has never come to be poor in spirit and has never known what it is to
really mourn for sin, though he belong to a church or be an
office-bearer in it, has neither seen nor entered the Kingdom of God.
How thankful the Christian reader ought to be that the great God
condescends to dwell in the humble and contrite heart! This is the
wonderful promise made by God even in the Old Testament (by Him in
whose sight the heavens are not clean, who cannot find in any temple
that man has ever built for Him, however magnificent, a proper
dwelling place--see Isa. 57:15 and 66:2)!
"Blessed are they that mourn." Though the primary reference is to that
initial mourning commonly called conviction of sin, it is by no means
to be limited to that. Mourning is ever a characteristic of the normal
Christian state. There is much that the believer has to mourn over.
The plague of his own heart makes him cry, "O wretched man that I am"
(Rom. 7:24). The unbelief that "doth so easily beset us" (Heb. 12:1)
and sins that we commit, which are more in number than the hairs of
our head, are a continual grief to us. The barrenness and
unprofitable-ness of our lives make us sigh and cry. Our propensity to
wander from Christ, our lack of communion with Him, and the
shallowness of our love for Him cause us to hang our harps upon the
willows. But there are many other causes for mourning that assail
Christian hearts: on every hand hypocritical religion that has a form
of godliness while denying the power thereof (2 Tim. 3:5); the awful
dishonor done to the truth of God by the false doctrines taught in
countless pulpits; the divisions among the Lord's people; and strife
between brethren. The combination of these provides occasion for
continual sorrow of heart. The awful wickedness in the world, the
despising of Christ, and untold human sufferings make us groan within
ourselves. The closer the Christian lives to God, the more he will
mourn over all that dishonors Him. This is the common experience of
God's true people (Ps. 119:53; Jer. 13:17; 14:17; Ezek. 9:4).
"They shall be comforted." By these words Christ refers primarily to
the removal of the guilt that burdens the conscience. This is
accomplished by the Spirit's application of the Gospel of God's grace
to one whom He has convicted of his dire need of a Savior. The result
is a sense of free and full forgiveness through the merits of the
atoning blood of Christ. This Divine comfort is "the peace of God,
which passeth all understanding" (Phil. 4:7), filling the heart of the
one who is now assured that he is "accepted in the Beloved" (Eph.
1:6). God wounds before healing, and abases before He exalts. First
there is a revelation of His justice and holiness, then the making
known of His mercy and grace.
The words "they shall be comforted" also receive a constant
fulfillment in the experience of the Christian. Though he mourns his
excuseless failures and confesses them to God, yet he is comforted by
the assurance that the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses him
from all sin (1 John 1:7). Though he groans over the dishonor done to
God on every side, yet is he comforted by the knowledge that the day
is rapidly approaching when Satan shall be cast into hell forever and
when the saints shall reign with the Lord Jesus in "new heavens and a
new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness" (2 Peter 3:13). Though the
chastening hand of the Lord is often laid upon him and though "no
chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous" (Heb.
12:11), nevertheless, he is consoled by the realization that this is
all working out for him "a far more exceeding and eternal weight of
glory" (2 Cor. 4:17). Like the Apostle Paul, the believer who is in
communion with his Lord can say, "As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing"
(2 Cor. 6:10). He may often be called upon to drink of the bitter
waters of Marah, but God has planted nearby a tree to sweeten them.
Yes, mourning Christians are comforted even now by the Divine
Comforter: by the ministrations of His servants, by encouraging words
from fellow Christians, and (when these are not to hand) by the
precious promises of the Word being brought home in power by the
Spirit to their hearts out of the storehouse of their memories.
"They shall be comforted." The best wine is reserved for the last.
"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning" (Ps.
30:5). During the long night of His absence, believers have been
called to fellowship with Him who was the Man of Sorrows. But it is
written, "If... we suffer with Him.., we [shall] be also glorified
together" (Rom. 8:17). What comfort and joy will be ours when shall
dawn the morning without clouds! Then "sorrow and sighing shall flee
away" (Isa. 35:10). Then shall be fulfilled the words of the great
heavenly voice in Revelation 21:3, 4: Behold, the tabernacle of God is
with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people,
and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall
wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for
the former things are passed away.
__________________________________________
Contents |Introduction|First Beatitude|Second Beatitude
Third Beatitude|Fourth Beatitude|Fifth Beatitude| Sixth Beatitude
Seventh Beatitude|Eighth Beatitude|Conclusion
____________________________________________________
About Us
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The Beatitudes
by A.W. Pink
The Third Beatitude
__________________________________________
"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth"
Matthew 5:5
There have been considerable differences of opinion as to the precise
significance of the word meek. Some regard its meaning as patience, a
spirit of resignation; some as unselfishness, a spirit of
self-abnegation; others as gentleness, a spirit of non-retaliation,
bearing afflictions quietly. Doubtless, there is a measure of truth in
each of these definitions. Yet it appears to the writer that they
hardly go deep enough, for they fail to take note of the order of this
third Beatitude. Personally, we would define meekness as humility.
"Blessed are the meek," that is, the humble, the lowly. Let us see if
other passages bear this out.
The first time the word meek occurs in Scripture is in Numbers 12:3.
Here the Spirit of God has pointed out a contrast from that which is
recorded in the previous verses. There we read of Miriam and Aaron
speaking against Moses: "Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses?
Hath He not spoken also by us?" Such language betrayed the pride and
haughtiness of their hearts, their self-seeking and craving for honor.
As the antithesis of this we read, "Now the man Moses was very meek."
This must mean that he was actuated by a spirit the very opposite of
the spirit of his brother and sister.
Moses was humble, lowly, and self-renouncing. This is recorded for our
admiration and instruction in Hebrews 11:24-26. Moses turned his back
on worldly honors and earthly riches, deliberately choosing the life
of a pilgrim rather than that of a courtier. He chose the wilderness
in preference to the palace. The humbleness of Moses is seen again
when Jehovah first appeared to him in Midian and commissioned him to
lead His people out of Egypt. "Who am I," he said, "that I should go
unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out
of Egypt?" (Ex. 3:11). What lowliness these words breathe! Yes, Moses
was very meek.
Other Scripture texts bear out, and seem to necessitate, the
definition suggested above. "The meek will He guide in judgment: and
the meek will He teach His way" (Ps. 25:9). What can this mean but
that the humble and lowly-hearted are the ones whom God promises to
counsel and instruct? "Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and
sitting upon an ass" (Matthew 21:5). Here is meekness or lowliness
incarnate. "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are
spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering
thyself, lest thou also be tempted" (Gal. 6:1). Is it not plain that
this means that a spirit of humility is required in him who would be
used of God in restoring an erring brother? We are to learn of Christ,
who was "meek and lowly in heart." The latter term explains the
former. Note that they are linked together again in Ephesians 4:2,
where the order is "lowliness and meekness." Here the order is
deliberately reversed from that in Matthew 11:29. This shows us that
they are synonymous terms.
Having thus sought to establish that meekness, in the Scriptures,
signified humility and lowliness, let us now note how this is further
borne out by the context and then endeavor to determine the manner in
which such meekness finds expression. It must be steadily kept in mind
that in these Beatitudes our Lord is describing the orderly
development of God's work of grace as it is experientially realized in
the soul. First, there is poverty of spirit: a sense of my
insufficiency and nothingness. Next, there is mourning over my lost
condition and sorrowing over the awfulness of my sins against God.
Following this, in order of spiritual experience, is humbleness of
soul.
The one in whom the Spirit of God has worked, producing a sense of
nothingness and of need, is now brought into the dust before God.
Speaking as one whom God used in the ministry of the Gospel, the
Apostle Paul said, "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but
mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down
imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:4, 5). The weapons that the apostles
used were the searching, condemning, humbling truths of Scripture.
These, as applied effectually by the Spirit, were mighty to the
pulling down of strongholds, that is, the powerful prejudices and
self-righteous defenses within which sinful men took refuge. The
results are the same today: proud imaginations or reasonings--the
enmity of the carnal mind and the opposition of the newly regenerate
mind concerning salvation is now brought into captivity to the
obedience of Christ.
By nature every sinner is Pharisaical, desiring to be justified by the
works of the Law. By nature we all inherit from our first parents the
tendency to manufacture for ourselves a covering to hide our shame. By
nature every member of the human race walks in the way of Cain, who
sought to find acceptance with God on the ground of an offering
produced by his own labors. In a word, we desire to gain a standing
before God on the basis of personal merits; we wish to purchase
salvation by our good deeds; we are anxious to win heaven by our own
doings. God's way of salvation is too humbling to suit the carnal
mind, for it removes all ground for boasting. It is therefore
unacceptable to the proud heart of the unregenerate.
Man wants to have a hand in his salvation. To be told that God will
receive nought from him, that salvation is solely a matter of Divine
mercy, that eternal life is only for those who come empty-handed to
receive it solely as a matter of charity, is offensive to the
self-righteous religionist. But not so to the one who is poor in
spirit and who mourns over his vile and wretched state. The very word
mercy is music to his ears. Eternal life as God's free gift suits his
poverty-stricken condition. Grace--the sovereign favor of God to the
hell-deserving--is just what he feels he must have! Such a one no
longer has any thought of justifying himself in his own eyes; all his
haughty objections against God's benevolence are now silenced. He is
glad to own himself a beggar and bow in the dust before God. Once,
like Naaman, he rebelled against the humbling terms announced by God's
servant; but now, like Naaman at the end, he is glad to dismount from
his chariot of pride and take his place in the dust before the Lord.
It was when Naaman bowed before the humbling word of God's servant
that he was healed of his leprosy. In the same way, when the sinner
owns his worthlessness, Divine favor is shown to him. Such a one
receives the Divine benediction: "Blessed are the meek." Speaking
anticipatively through Isaiah, the Savior said, "The Lord hath
anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek" (Isa. 61:1). And
again it is written, "For the Lord taketh pleasure in His people: He
will beautify the meek with salvation" (Ps. 149:4).
While humility of soul in bowing to God's way of salvation is the
primary application of the third Beatitude, it must not be limited to
that. Meekness is also an intrinsic aspect of the "fruit of the
Spirit" that is wrought in and produced through the Christian (Gal.
5:22, 23). It is that quality of spirit that is found in one who has
been schooled to mildness by discipline and suffering and brought into
sweet resignation to the will of God. When in exercise, it is that
grace in the believer that causes him to bear patiently insults and
injuries, that makes him ready to be instructed and admonished by the
least eminent of saints, that leads him to esteem others more highly
than himself (Phil. 2:3), and that teaches him to ascribe all that is
good in himself to the sovereign grace of God.
On the other hand, true meekness is not weakness. A striking proof of
this is furnished in Acts 16:35-37. The apostles had been wrongfully
beaten and cast into prison. On the next day the magistrates gave
orders for their release, but Paul said to their agents, "Let them
come themselves and fetch us out." God-given meekness can stand up for
God-given rights. When one of the officers smote our Lord, He
answered, "If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if
well, why smitest thou Me?" (John 18:23).
The spirit of meekness was perfectly exemplified only by the Lord
Jesus Christ, who was "meek and lowly in heart." In His people this
blessed spirit fluctuates, oftentimes beclouded by risings up of the
flesh. Of Moses it is said, "They provoked his spirit, so that he
spake unadvisedly with his lips" (Ps. 106:33). Ezekiel says of
himself: "I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand
of the Lord was strong upon me" (Ezek. 3:14). Of Jonah, after his
miraculous deliverance, we read: "It displeased Jonah exceedingly, and
he was very angry (Jonah 4:1). Even the humble Barnabas parted from
Paul in a bitter temper (Acts 15:37-39). What warnings are these! How
much we need to learn of Christ!
"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." Our Lord was
alluding to, and applying, Psalm 37:11. The promise seems to have both
a literal and spiritual meaning: "The meek shall inherit the earth;
and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." The meek are
those who have the greatest enjoyment of the good things of the
present life. Delivered from a greedy and grasping spirit, they are
content with such things as they have. "A little that a righteous man
hath is better than the riches of many wicked" (Ps. 37:16).
Contentment of mind is one of the fruits of meekness of spirit. The
proud and restless do not "inherit the earth," though they may own
many acres of it. The humble Christian has far more enjoyment in a
cottage than the wicked has in a palace. "Better is little with the
fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith" (Prov.
15:16).
"The meek shall inherit the earth." As we have said, this third
Beatitude is an allusion to Psalm 37:11. Most probably the Lord Jesus
was using Old Testament language to express New Covenant truth. The
flesh and blood of John 6:50-58 and the water of John 3:5 have, to the
regenerate, a spiritual meaning; so here with the word earth or land.
Both in Hebrew and in Creek, the principal terms rendered by our
English words earth and land may be translated either literally or
spiritually, depending upon the context.
His words, literally understood, are, "they shall inherit the land,"
i.e., Canaan, "the land of promise." He speaks of the blessings of the
new economy in the language of Old Testament prophecy. Israel
according to the flesh (the external people of God under the former
economy) were a figure of Israel according to the spirit (the
spiritual people of God under the new economy); and Canaan, the
[earthly] inheritance of the former, is the type of that aggregate of
heavenly and spiritual blessings which form the inheritance of the
latter. To "inherit the land" is to enjoy the peculiar blessings of
the people of God under the new economy; it is to become heirs of the
world, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ [Rom. 8:17]. It is to
be "blessed.., with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in
Christ" [Eph. 1:3], to enjoy that true peace and rest of which
Israel's in Canaan was a figure (Dr. John Brown).
No doubt there is also reference to the fact that the meek shall
ultimately inherit the "new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness" (2
Pet. 3:13).
__________________________________________
Contents |Introduction|First Beatitude|Second Beatitude
Third Beatitude|Fourth Beatitude|Fifth Beatitude| Sixth Beatitude
Seventh Beatitude|Eighth Beatitude|Conclusion
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The Beatitudes
by A.W. Pink
The Fourth Beatitude
__________________________________________
"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst
after righteousness. for they shall be filled"
Matthew 5:6
In the first three Beatitudes we are called upon to witness the heart
exercises of one who has been awakened by the Spirit of God. First,
there is a sense of need, a realization of my nothingness and
emptiness. Second, there is a judging of self, a consciousness of my
guilt, and a sorrowing over my lost condition. Third, there is a
cessation of seeking to justify myself before God, an abandonment of
all pretenses to personal merit, and a taking of my place in the dust
before God. Here, in the fourth Beatitude, the eye of the soul is
turned away from self toward God for a very special reason: there is a
longing after a righteousness that I urgently need but know that I do
not possess.
There has been much needless quibbling as to the precise import of the
word righteousness in our present text. The best way to ascertain its
significance is to go back to the Old Testament Scriptures where this
term is used, and then to shine upon these the brighter light
furnished by the New Testament Epistles.
"Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down
righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation,
and let righteousness spring up together; I the Lord have created it"
(Isa. 45:8). The first half of this verse refers, in figurative
language, to the advent of Christ to this earth; the second half to
His resurrection, when He was "raised again for our justification"
(Rom. 4:25). "Hearken unto Me, ye stouthearted, that are far from
righteousness: I bring near My righteousness; it shall not be far off,
and My salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion
for Israel My glory" (Isa. 46:12, 13). "My righteousness is near; My
salvation is gone forth, and Mine arms shall judge the people; the
isles shall wait upon Me, and on Mine arm shall they trust" (Isa.
51:5). "Thus saith the Lord, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for My
salvation is near to come, and My righteousness to be revealed" (Isa.
56:1). "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in
my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath
covered me with the robe of righteousness" (Isa. 61:10a). These
passages make it clear that God's righteousness is synonymous with
God's salvation.
The Scriptures cited above are unfolded in Paul's Epistle to the
Romans, where the Gospel receives its fullest exposition. In Romans
1:16, 17a, Paul says, "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ:
for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth;
to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the
righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith." In Romans 3:22-24
we read, "Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus
Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no
difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in
Christ Jesus." In Romans 5:19, this blessed declaration is made: "For
as by one man's disobedience many were made [legally constituted]
sinners, so by the obedience of One shall many be made [legally
constituted] righteous." In Romans 10:4, we learn that "Christ is the
end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth."
The sinner is destitute of righteousness, for "there is none
righteous, no, not one" (Rom. 3:10). God has, therefore, provided in
Christ a perfect righteousness for each and all of His people. This
righteousness, this satisfying of all the demands of God's holy Law
against us, was worked out by our Substitute and Surety. This
righteousness is now imputed to (that is, legally credited to the
account of) the believing sinner. Just as the sins of God's people
were all transferred to Christ, so His righteousness is placed upon
them (2 Cor. 5:21). These few words are but a brief summary of the
teaching of Scripture on this vital and blessed subject of the perfect
righteousness that God requires of us and that is ours by faith in the
Lord Christ.
"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness."
Hungering and thirsting expresses vehement desire, of which the soul
is acutely conscious. First, the Holy Spirit brings before the heart
the holy requirements of God. He reveals to us His perfect standard,
which He can never lower. He reminds us that except your righteousness
shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall
in no case enter into the Kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20). Second,
the trembling soul, conscious of his own abject poverty and realizing
his utter inability to measure up to God's requirements, sees no help
in himself. This painful discovery causes him to mourn and groan. Have
you done so? Third, the Holy Spirit then creates in the heart a deep
"hunger and thirst" that causes the convicted sinner to look for
relief and to seek a supply outside of himself. The believing eye is
then directed to Christ, who is "THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Jer.
23:6).
Like the previous ones, this fourth Beatitude describes a twofold
experience. It obviously refers to the initial hungering and thirsting
that occurs before a sinner turns to Christ by faith. But it also
refers to the continual longing that is perpetuated in the heart of
every saved sinner until his dying day. Repeated exercises of this
grace are felt at varying intervals. The one who longed to be saved by
Christ, now yearns to be made like Him. Looked at in its widest
aspect, this hungering and thirsting refers to a panting of the
renewed heart after God (Ps. 42:1), a yearning for a closer walk with
Him, and a longing for more perfect conformity to the image of His
Son. It tells of those aspirations of the new nature for Divine
blessing that alone can strengthen, sustain, and satisfy.
Our text presents such a paradox that it is evident that no carnal
mind ever invented it. Can one who has been brought into vital union
with Him who is the Bread of Life and in whom all fullness dwells be
found still hungering and thirsting? Yes, such is the experience of
the renewed heart. Mark carefully the tense of the verb: it is not
"Blessed are they which have hungered and thirsted," but "Blessed are
they which do hunger and thirst." Do you, dear reader? Or are you
content with your attainments and satisfied with your condition?
Hungering and thirsting after righteousness has always been the
experience of God's true saints (Phil. 3:8-14).
"They shall be filled." Like the first part of our text, this also has
a double fulfillment, both initial and continuous. When God creates a
hunger and a thirst in the soul, it is so that He may satisfy them.
When the poor sinner is made to feel his need for Christ, it is to the
end that he may be drawn to Christ and led to embrace Him as his only
righteousness before a holy God. He is delighted to confess Christ as
his new-found righteousness and to glory in Him alone (1 Cor. 1:30,
31). Such a one, whom God now calls a "saint" (1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:1;
Eph. 1:1; Phil. 1:1), is to experience an ongoing filling: not with
wine, wherein is excess, but with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18). He is to be
filled with the peace of God that passeth all understanding (Phil.
4:7). We who are trusting in the righteousness of Christ shall one day
be filled with Divine blessing without any admixture of sorrow; we
shall be filled with praise and thanksgiving to Him who wrought every
work of love and obedience in us (Phil. 2:12, 13) as the visible fruit
of His saving work in and for us. In this world, "He hath filled the
hungry with good things" (Luke 1:53) such as this world can neither
give to nor withhold from those who "seek the Lord (Ps. 34:10). He
bestows such goodness and mercy upon us, who are the sheep of His
pasture, that our cups run over (Ps. 23:5, 6). Yet all that we
presently enjoy is but a mere foretaste of all that our "God hath
prepared for them that love Him" (1 Cor. 2:9). In the eternal state,
we will be filled with perfect holiness, for "we shall be like Him" (1
John 3:2). Then we shall be done with sin forever. Then we shall
"hunger no more, neither thirst any more.
__________________________________________
Contents |Introduction|First Beatitude|Second Beatitude
Third Beatitude|Fourth Beatitude|Fifth Beatitude| Sixth Beatitude
Seventh Beatitude|Eighth Beatitude|Conclusion
____________________________________________________
About Us
What's New
Audio Works
Baptist History
Bible Study Courses
Eschatology Heretical Teachings
Theological Studies
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Time of Sorrow Links & Resources
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Follow us on Twitter
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The Beatitudes
by A.W. Pink
The Fifth Beatitude
__________________________________________
"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy"
Matthew 5:7
In the first four Beatitudes, which have already been considered, a
definite progression of spiritual awakening and transformation has
been noted as one of the thrusts of our Lord's teaching. First, there
is a discovery of the fact that I am nothing, have nothing, and can do
nothing--poverty of spirit. Second, there is conviction of sin, a
consciousness of guilt producing godly sorrow--mourning. Third, there
is a renouncing of self-dependence and a taking of my place in the
dust before God--meekness. Fourth, there follows an intense longing
after Christ and His salvation--hungering and thirsting after
righteousness. But, in a sense, all of this is simply negative, for it
is the believing sinner's perception of what is defective in himself
and a yearning for what is desirable. In the next four Beatitudes we
come to the manifestation of positive good in the believer, the fruits
of a new creation and the blessings of a transformed character. How
this shows us, once more, the importance of noting that order in which
God's truth is presented to us!
"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." How grossly
has this text been perverted by merit-mongers! Those who insist that
the Bible teaches salvation by works appeal to this verse in support
of their pernicious error. But nothing could be less to their purpose.
Our Lord's purpose is not to set forth the foundation upon which the
sinner's hope of mercy from God must rest, but rather it is to
describe the character of His genuine disciples. Mercifulness is a
prominent trait in this character. According to our Lord's teaching,
mercy is an essential feature of that holy character to which God has
inseparably connected the enjoyment of His own sovereign kindness.
Thus, there is nothing whatever in this verse that favors the
erroneous teachings of Roman Catholicism.
The position occupied by this Beatitude in its context is another key
to its interpretation. The first four describe the initial exercises
of heart in one who has been awakened by the Holy Spirit. In the
preceding verse, the soul is seen hungering and thirsting after
Christ, and then filled by Him. Here we are shown the first effects
and evidences of this filling. Having obtained mercy of the Lord, the
saved sinner now exercises mercy. It is not that God requires us to be
merciful in order that we might be entitled to His mercy, for that
would overthrow the whole scheme of Divine grace! But having been the
recipient of His wondrous mercy, I cannot help but now act mercifully
toward others.
What is mercifulness? It is a gracious disposition toward my fellow
creatures and fellow Christians. It is that kindness and benevolence
that feels the miseries of others. It is a spirit that regards with
compassion the sufferings of the afflicted. It is that grace that
causes one to deal leniently with an offender and to scorn the taking
of revenge.
It is the forgiving spirit; it is the non-retaliating spirit; it is
the spirit that gives up all attempt at self-vindication and would not
return an injury for an injury, but rather good in the place of evil
and love in the place of hatred. That is mercifulness. Mercy being
received by the forgiven soul, that soul comes to appreciate the
beauty of mercy, and yearns to exercise toward other offenders similar
grace to that which is exercised towards one's self (Dr. A. T.
Pierson).
The source of this merciful temper is not to be attributed to anything
in our fallen human nature. It is true that there are some who make no
profession of being Christians in whom we often see not a little of
kindliness of disposition, sympathy for the suffering, and a readiness
to forgive those who have wronged them. Admirable as this may be, from
a purely human viewpoint, it falls far below that mercifulness upon
which Christ here pronounced His benediction. The amiability of the
flesh has no spiritual value, for its movements are neither regulated
by the Scriptures nor exercised with any reference to the Divine
authority. The mercifulness of this fifth Beatitude is that
spontaneous outflow of a heart that is captivated by, and in love
with, the mercy of God.
The mercifulness of our text is the product of the new nature
implanted by the Holy Spirit in the child of God. It is called into
exercise when we contemplate the wondrous grace, pity, and
longsuffering of God toward such unworthy wretches as ourselves. The
more I ponder God's sovereign mercy to me, the more I shall think of
the unquenchable fire from which I have been delivered through the
sufferings of the Lord Jesus. The more conscious I am of my
indebtedness to Divine grace, the more mercifully I shall act toward
those who wrong, injure, and hate me.
Mercifulness is one of the attributes of the spiritual nature that one
receives at the new birth. Mercifulness in the child of God is but a
reflection of the abundant mercy that is found in his heavenly Parent.
Mercifulness is one of the natural and necessary consequences of a
merciful Christ indwelling us. It may not always be exercised; it may
at times be stifled or checked by fleshly indulgence. But when the
general tenor of a Christian's character and the main trend of his
life are taken into account, it is clear that mercifulness is an
unmistakable trait of the new man. "The wicked borroweth, and payeth
not again; but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth" (Ps. 37:21).
It was mercy in Abraham, after he had been wronged by his nephew, that
caused him to pursue and secure the deliverance of Lot (Gen. 14:1-16).
It was mercy on the part of Joseph, after his brethren had so
grievously mistreated him, that caused him to freely forgive them
(Gen. 50:15-21). It was mercy in Moses, after Miriam had rebelled
against him and the Lord had smitten her with leprosy, that caused him
to cry, "Heal her now, O God, I beseech Thee" (Num. 12:13). It was
mercy that caused David to spare the life of his enemy Saul when that
wicked king was in his hands (1 Sam. 24:1-22; 26:1-25). In sad and
striking contrast, of Judas it is said that he "remembered not to shew
mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man" (Ps. 109:16).
In Romans 12:8 the Apostle Paul gives vital instruction concerning the
spirit in which mercy is to be exercised: "he that showeth mercy" is
to do so "with cheerfulness." The direct reference here is to the
giving of money for the support of poor brethren, but this loving
principle really applies to all compassion shown to the afflicted.
Mercy is to be exercised cheerfully, to demonstrate that it is not
only done voluntarily but that it is also a pleasure. This spares the
feelings of the one helped, and soothes the sorrows of the sufferer.
It is this quality of cheerfulness that gives most value to the
service rendered. The Greek word is most expressive, denoting joyful
eagerness, a gladsome affability that makes the visitor like a
sunbeam, warming the heart of the afflicted. Since Scripture tells us
that "God loveth a cheerful giver" (2 Cor. 9:7), we may be sure that
the Lord takes note of the spirit in which we respond to His
admonitions.
"For they shall obtain mercy." These words enunciate a principle or
law that God has ordained in His government over our lives here on
earth. It is summarized in that well-known word: "Whatsoever a man
soweth, that shall he also reap" (Gal. 6:Th). The Christian who is
merciful in his dealings with others will receive merciful treatment
at the hands of his fellows; for "with what measure ye meet, it shall
be measured to you again" (Matthew 7:2). Therefore it is written, "He
that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life,
righteousness, and honour" (Prov. 21:21). The one who shows mercy to
others gains personally thereby: "The merciful man doeth good to his
own soul" (Prov. 11:17a). There is an inward satisfaction in the
exercise of benevolence and pity to which the highest gratification of
the selfish man is not to be compared. "He that hath mercy on the
poor, happy is he" (Prov. 14:21b). The exercise of mercy is a source
of satisfaction to God Himself: "He delighteth in mercy" (Micah 7:18).
So must it be to us.
"For they shall obtain mercy." Not only does the merciful Christian
gain by the happiness that accrues to his own soul through the
exercise of this grace, not only will the Lord, in His overruling
providence, make his mercifulness return again to him at the hands of
his fellow men, but the Christian will also obtain mercy from God.
This truth David declared: "With the merciful Thou wilt shew Thyself
merciful" (Ps. 18:25). On the other hand, the Savior admonished His
disciples with these words: "But if ye forgive not men their
trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matthew
6:15).
"For they shall obtain mercy." Like the promises attached to the
previous Beatitudes, this one also looks forward to the future for its
final fulfillment. In 2 Timothy 1:16, 18, we find the Apostle Paul
writing, "The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus. . . . The
Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day."
In Jude 21, the saints are also exhorted to be "looking for the mercy
of our Lord Jesus Christ"--this refers to the ultimate acknowledgement
of us as His own redeemed people at His second coming in glory.
__________________________________________
Contents |Introduction|First Beatitude|Second Beatitude
Third Beatitude|Fourth Beatitude|Fifth Beatitude| Sixth Beatitude
Seventh Beatitude|Eighth Beatitude|Conclusion
____________________________________________________
About Us
What's New
Audio Works
Baptist History
Bible Study Courses
Eschatology Heretical Teachings
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Time of Sorrow Links & Resources
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The Beatitudes
by A.W. Pink
The Sixth Beatitude
__________________________________________
"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God"
Matthew 5:8
This is another of the Beatitudes that has been grossly perverted by
the enemies of the Lord, enemies who have, like their predecessors the
Pharisees, posed as the champions of the truth and boasted of a
sanctity superior to that which the true people of God would dare to
claim. All through this Christian era, also, there have been poor,
deluded souls who have claimed an entire purification of the old man.
Others have insisted that God has so completely renewed them that the
carnal nature has been eradicated, so that they not only commit no
sins but have no sinful desires or thoughts. But the Spirit-inspired
Apostle John declares, "If we say that we have [present tense] no sin,
we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). Of
course, such people appeal to the Scriptures in support of their vain
delusion, applying to experience verses that describe the legal
benefits of the Atonement. The words "and the blood of Jesus Christ
His Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7) do not mean that our
hearts have been washed from every trace of the corrupting defilements
of evil, but primarily teach that the sacrifice of Christ has availed
for the judicial blotting out of sins. When the Apostle Paul,
describing the man who is a new creature in Christ, says that "old
things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Cor.
5:17), he is speaking of the new disposition of the Christian's heart,
which is wholly unlike his inner disposition prior to the Holy
Spirit's work of regeneration.
That purity of heart does not mean sinlessness of life is clear from
the inspired record of the history of God's saints. Noah got drunk;
Abraham equivocated; Moses disobeyed God; Job cursed the day of his
birth; Elijah fled in terror from Jezebel; Peter denied Christ. "Yes,"
perhaps someone will exclaim, "but all these things transpired before
Christianity was established!" True, but it has also been the same
since then. Where shall we go to find a Christian of superior
attainments to those of the Apostle Paul? And what was his experience?
Read Romans 7 and see. When he would do good, evil was present with
him (v. 21). There was a law in his members, warring against the law
of his mind, and bringing him into captivity to the law of sin that
was in his members (v. 23). He did, with the mind, serve the Law of
God; nevertheless, with the flesh he served the law of sin (v. 25).
The truth is that one of the most conclusive evidences that we do
possess a pure heart is the discovery and consciousness of the
remaining impurity that continues to plague our hearts. But let us
come closer to our text.
"Blessed are the pure in heart." In seeking an interpretation to any
part of this Sermon on the Mount, the first thing to bear in mind is
that those whom our Lord was addressing had been reared in Judaism. As
one said who was deeply taught of the Spirit,
I cannot help thinking that our Lord, in using the terms before us,
had a tacit reference to that character of external sanctity or purity
which belonged to the Jewish people, and to that privilege of
intercourse with God which was connected with that character. They
were a people separated from the nations polluted with idolatry; set
apart as holy to Jehovah; and, as a holy people, they were permitted
to draw near to their God, the only living and true God, in the
ordinances of His worship. On the possession of this character, and on
the enjoyment of this privilege, the Jewish people plumed themselves.
A higher character, however, and a higher privilege, belonged to those
who should be the subjects of the Messiah's reign. They should not
only be externally holy, but "pure in heart"; and they should not
merely be allowed to approach towards the holy place, where God's
honour dwelt, but they should "see God," be introduced into the most
intimate intercourse with Him. Thus viewed, as a description of the
spiritual character and privileges of the subjects of the Messiah in
contrast with the external character and privileges of the Jewish
people, the passage before us is full of the most important and
interesting truth (Dr. John Brown).
"Blessed are the pure in heart." Opinion is divided as to whether
these words of Christ refer to the new heart received at regeneration
or to that moral transformation of character that results from a
Divine work of grace having been wrought in the soul. Probably both
aspects of the truth are combined here. In view of the late place that
this Beatitude occupies in the series, it would appear that the purity
of heart upon which our Savior pronounced His blessing is that
internal cleansing that both accompanies and follows the new birth.
Thus, inasmuch as no inward purity exists in the natural man, that
purity attributed by Christ to the godly man must be traced back, as
to its beginnings, to the Spirit's sovereign work of regeneration.
The Psalmist said, "Behold, Thou desirest truth in the inward parts:
and in the hidden part Thou shalt make me to know wisdom" (Ps. 51:6).
This spiritual purity that God demands penetrates far beyond the mere
outward renovations and reformations that comprise such a large part
of the efforts now being put forth in Christendom! Much that we see
around us is a hand religion--seeking salvation by works--or a head
religion that rests satisfied with an orthodox creed. But God "looketh
on the heart" (1 Sam. 16:7), that is, He looks upon the whole inner
being, including the understanding, the affections, and the will. It
is because God looks within that He must give a "new heart" (Ezek.
36:26) to His own people and blessed indeed are they who have received
such, for it is a pure heart that is acceptable to the Giver.
As intimated above, we believe that this sixth Beatitude contemplates
both the new heart received at regeneration and the transformation of
character that follows God's work of grace in the soul. First, there
is a "washing of regeneration" (Titus 3:5), by which we understand a
cleansing of the affections, which are now subsequently set upon
things above, instead of things below. This is closely linked with
that change that follows upon the heels of regeneration, in which all
believers undergo a "purifying [of] their hearts by faith" (Acts
15:9). Accompanying this is the cleaning of the conscience (Heb.
10:22), which refers to the removal of the burden of conscious guilt.
This results in the inward realization that, "being justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom.
5:1).
But the purity of heart commended here by Christ goes further than
this. What is purity? It is freedom from defilement and divided
affections; it is sincerity, genuineness, and singleness of heart. As
a quality of Christian character, we would define it as godly
simplicity. It is the opposite of subtlety and duplicity. Genuine
Christianity lays aside not only malice, but guile and hypocrisy also.
It is not enough to be pure in words and in outward deportment. Purity
of desires, motives, and intents is what should (and does in the main)
characterize the child of God. Here, then, is a most important test
for every professing Christian to apply to himself. Are my affections
set upon things above? Are my motives pure? Why do I assemble with the
Lord's people? Is it to be seen of men, or is it to meet with the Lord
and to enjoy sweet communion with Him and His people?
"For they shall see God." Once more we would point out that the
promises attached to these Beatitudes have both a present and a future
fulfillment. The pure in heart possess spiritual discernment, and with
the eyes of their understanding they obtain clear views of the Divine
character and perceive the excellency of His attributes. When the eye
is single the whole body is full of light.
In the truth, the faith of which purifies the heart, they "see God";
for what is that truth, but a manifestation of the glory of God in the
face of Jesus Christ [2 Cor. 4:6]--an illustrious display of the
combined radiance of Divine holiness and Divine benignity! . . . And
he [who is pure in heart] not only obtains clear and satisfactory
views of the Divine character, but he enjoys intimate and delightful
communion with God. He is brought very near God: God's mind becomes
his mind; God's will becomes his will; and his fellowship is truly
with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
They who are pure in heart "see God" in this way, even in the present
world; and in the future state their knowledge of God will become far
more extensive and their fellowship with Him far more intimate; for
though, when compared with the privileges of a former dispensation,
even now as with open face we behold the glory of the Lord [2 Cor.
3:18], yet, in reference to the privileges of a higher economy, we yet
see but through a glass darkly--we know but in part, we enjoy but in
part. But that which is in part shall be done away, and that which is
perfect shall come. We shall yet see face to face and know even as we
are known (1 Cor. 13:9-12); or to borrow the words of the Psalmist, we
shall behold His face in righteousness, and shall be satisfied when we
awake in His likeness (Ps. 17:15). Then, and not till then, will the
full meaning of these words be understood, that the pure in heart
shall see God (Dr. John Brown).
__________________________________________
Contents |Introduction|First Beatitude|Second Beatitude
Third Beatitude|Fourth Beatitude|Fifth Beatitude| Sixth Beatitude
Seventh Beatitude|Eighth Beatitude|Conclusion
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The Beatitudes
by A.W. Pink
The Seventh Beatitude
__________________________________________
"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of
God"
Matthew 5:9
This seventh Beatitude is the hardest of all to expound. The
difficulty lies in determining the precise significance and scope of
the word peacemakers. The Lord Jesus does not say, "Blessed are the
peace-lovers," or "Blessed are the peace-keepers," but "Blessed are
the peacemakers." Now it is apparent on the surface that what we have
here is something more excellent than that love of concord and
harmony, that hatred of strife and turmoil, that is sometimes found in
the natural man, because the peacemakers that are here in view shall
be called the children of God. Three things must guide us in seeking
the true interpretation: (1) the character of those to whom our Lord
was speaking; (2) the place occupied by our text in the series of
Beatitudes; and (3) its connection with the Beatitude that follows.
The Jews, in general, regarded the Gentile nations with bitter
contempt and hatred, and they expected that, under the Messiah, there
should be an uninterrupted series of warlike attacks made on these
nations, till they were completely destroyed or subjugated to the
chosen people of God [an idea based, no doubt, on what they read in
the Book of Joshua concerning the experiences of their forefathers].
In their estimation, those emphatically deserved the appellation of
"happy" who should be employed under Messiah the Prince to avenge on
the heathen nations all the wrongs these had done to Israel. How
different is the spirit of the new economy! How beautifully does it
accord with the angelic anthem which celebrated the nativity of its
Founder: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will
toward men!" (Dr. John Brown).
This seventh Beatitude has to do more with conduct than character,
though, of necessity, there must first be a peaceable spirit before
there will be active efforts put forth to make peace. Let it be
remembered that in this first section of the Sermon on the Mount, the
Lord Jesus is defining the character of those who are subjects and
citizens in His Kingdom. First, He describes them in terms of the
initial experiences of those in whom a Divine work is wrought. The
first four Beatitudes, as has been previously stated, may be grouped
together as setting forth the negative graces of their hearts.
Christ's subjects are not self-sufficient, but consciously poor in
spirit. They are not self-satisfied, but mourning because of their
spiritual state. They are not self-important, not lowly or meek. They
are not self-righteous, but hungering and thirsting for the
righteousness of Another. In the next three Beatitudes, the Lord names
their positive graces. Having tasted of the mercy of God, they are
merciful in their dealings with others. Having received from the
Spirit a spiritual nature, their eye is single to behold the glory of
God. Having entered into the peace that Christ made by the blood of
His cross, they are now anxious to be used by Him in bringing others
to the enjoyment of such peace.
That which helps us, perhaps as much as anything else, to fix the
meaning of this seventh Beatitude is the link that exists between it
and the one that immediately follows. In our previous chapters, we
have called attention to the fact that the Beatitudes are obviously
grouped together in pairs. Poverty of spirit is always accompanied by
mourning, as is meekness or lowliness by hungering and thirsting after
the righteousness of God. Mercifulness toward men is united to purity
of heart towards God, and peacemaking is coupled with being persecuted
for righteousness' sake. Thus verses 10-12 supply us with the key to
verse 9.
By approaching the seventh Beatitude from each of the three separate
viewpoints mentioned above, we arrive at the same conclusion. First,
let us consider the marked contrast between the tasks that God
assigned to His people under the Old Covenant and New Covenant
respectively. After the giving of the Law, Israel was commanded to
take up the sword and to conquer the land of Canaan, destroying the
enemies of Jehovah. The risen Christ has given different orders to His
Church. Throughout this Gospel dispensation, we are to go into all
nations as heralds of the cross, seeking the reconciliation of those
who by nature are at enmity with our Master. Second, this grace of
peacemaking supplements the six graces mentioned in the previous
verses. Perhaps the fact that this is the seventh Beatitude indicates
that it was our Lord's intent to teach that it is this attribute that
gives completeness or wholeness to Christian character. We must
certainly conclude that it is an unspeakable privilege to be sent
forth as ambassadors of peace. Furthermore, those who fancy themselves
to be Christians, yet have no interest in the salvation of fellow
sinners, are self-deceived. They possess a defective Christianity, and
have no right to expect to share in the blessed inheritance of the
children of God. Third, there is a definite link between this matter
of our being peacemakers and the persecution to which our Master
alludes in verses 10-12. By mentioning these two aspects of Christian
character and experience side by side in His discourse, Christ is
teaching that the opposition encountered by His disciples in the path
of duty is the result of their faithfulness in the service to which
they have been called. Thus we may be certain that the peacemaking of
our text refers primarily to our being instruments in God's hands for
the purpose of reconciling to Him those who are actively engaged in
warfare against Him (cf. John 15:17-27).
We have dealt at some length on the reasons that have led us to
conclude that the peacemakers referred to in our text are those who
beseech sinners to be reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:20), because most of
the commentators are very unsatisfactory in their expositions. They
see in this Beatitude nothing more than a blessing pronounced by
Christ on those who endeavor to promote unity, to heal breaches, and
to restore those who are estranged. While we fully agree that this is
a most blessed exercise, and that the Christian is, by virtue of his
being indwelt by Christ, a lover of peace and concord, yet we do not
believe that this is what our Lord had in mind here.
The believer in Christ knows that there is no peace for the wicked.
Therefore, he earnestly desires that they should acquaint themselves
with God and be at peace (Job 22:21). Believers know that peace with
God is only through our Lord Jesus Christ (Col. 1:19, 20). For this
reason we speak of Him to our fellow men as the Holy Spirit leads us
to do so. Our feet are "shod with the preparation of the Gospel of
peace" (Eph. 6:15); thus we are equipped to testify to others
concerning the grace of God. Of us it is said, "How beautiful are the
feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings
of good things!" (Rom. 10:15). All such are pronounced blessed by our
Lord. They cannot but be blessed. Next to the enjoyment of peace in
our own souls must be our delight in bringing others also (by God's
grace) to enter into this peace. In its wider application, this word
of Christ may also refer to that spirit in His followers that delights
to pour oil upon the troubled waters, that aims to right wrongs, that
seeks to restore kindly relations by dealing with and removing
difficulties and by neutralizing and silencing acrimonies.
"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of
God." The word called here seems to mean "acknowledged as." God shall
own them as His own children.
He is "the God of peace" (Heb. 13:20). His great object, in the
wonderful scheme of redemption, is to "gather together in one all
things in Christ," whether they be things "in heaven," or things "on
earth" (Eph. 1:10). And all those who, under the influence of
Christian truth, are peacemakers show that they are animated with the
same principle of action as God, and as "obedient children" [1 Pet.
1:14] are cooperating with Him in His benevolent design (Dr. John
Brown).
The world may despise them as fanatics, professors of religion may
regard them as narrow-minded sectarians, and their relatives may look
upon them as fools. But the great God owns them as His children even
now, distinguishing them by tokens of His peculiar regard and causing
His Spirit within them to witness to them that they are sons of God.
But in the Day to come, He will publicly avow His relationship to them
in the presence of an assembled universe. However humble their present
situation in life may be, however despised and misrepresented by their
fellow men, they shall yet "shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of
their Father" (Matthew 13:43). Then shall transpire the glorious and
long-awaited "manifestation of the sons of God" (Rom. 8:19).
__________________________________________
Contents |Introduction|First Beatitude|Second Beatitude
Third Beatitude|Fourth Beatitude|Fifth Beatitude| Sixth Beatitude
Seventh Beatitude|Eighth Beatitude|Conclusion
____________________________________________________
About Us
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The Beatitudes
by A.W. Pink
The Eighth Beatitude
__________________________________________
"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for
theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile
you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you
falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is
your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were
before you"
Matthew 5:10-12
The Christian life is full of strange paradoxes that are quite
insoluble to human reason, but that are easily understood by the
spiritual mind. God's saints rejoice with joy unspeakable, yet they
also mourn with a lamentation to which the worldling is an utter
stranger. The believer in Christ has been brought into contact with a
source of vital satisfaction that is capable of meeting every longing,
yet he pants with a yearning like that of a thirsty heart (Ps. 42:1).
He sings and makes melody in his heart to the Lord, yet he groans
deeply and daily. His experience is often painful and perplexing, yet
he would not part with it for all the gold in the world. These
puzzling paradoxes are among the evidences he possesses that he is
indeed blessed of God. Such are the thoughts evoked by our present
text. Who, by mere reasoning, would ever conclude that the reviled,
the persecuted, the defamed, are blessed?
It is a strong proof of human depravity that men's curses and Christ's
blessings should meet on the same persons. Who would have thought that
a man could be persecuted and reviled, and have all manner of evil
said of him, for righteousness' sake? And do wicked men really hate
justice and love those who defraud and wrong their neighbours? No;
they do not dislike righteousness as it respects themselves: it is
only that species of it which respects God and religion that excites
their hatred. If Christians were content with doing justly and loving
mercy, and would cease walking humbly with God [Micah 6:8], they might
go through the world, not only in peace, but with applause; but he
that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution (2 Tim.
3:12). Such a life reproves the ungodliness of men and provokes their
resentment (Andrew Fuller).
Verses 10-12 plainly go together and form the eighth and last
Beatitude of this series. It pronounces a double blessing upon a
double line of conduct. This at once suggests that it is to be looked
at in a twofold way. What we have in verse 10 is to be regarded as an
appendix to the whole series, describing the experience that will
surely be met with by those whose character Christ has described in
the previous verses. The carnal mind is enmity against God (Rom. 8:7),
and the more His children are conformed to His image the more they
will bring down upon themselves the spite of His foes. Being
"persecuted for righteousness' sake" means being opposed because of
right living. Those who perform their Christian duty condemn those who
live to please self, and therefore evoke their hatred. This
persecution assumes various forms, from annoying and taunting to
oppressing and tormenting.
Verses 10-12 contain a supplementary word to the seventh Beatitude.
That which arouses the anger of Satan and most stirs up his children
are the efforts of Christians to be peacemakers. The Lord here
prepares us to expect that loyalty to Him and His Gospel will result
in our own peace being disturbed, introducing us to the prospect of
strife and warfare. Proof of this is found when He says, "For so
persecuted they the prophets which were before you." It is service for
God that calls forth the fiercest opposition. Necessarily so, for we
are living in a world that is hostile to Christ, as His cross has once
and for all demonstrated.
Our Lord mentions, in verse 11, three sorts of suffering that His
disciples should expect to endure in the line of duty. The first is
reviling, that is, verbal abuse or vituperation. The second is
persecution. This word is a proper rendering of a Greek word meaning
"to pursue, which means, in this case, "to harass, trouble, or molest"
(either physically or verbally). It may include the sort of handling
or hunting down to which Saul of Tarsus subjected the Church before he
was apprehended by Christ (Acts 8, 9). Christ sets forth the third
type of suffering as follows: "Blessed are ye, when men. . . shall say
all manner of evil against you falsely. . . ." Thus He describes the
defamation of character to which His saints must he subjected. This
last is doubly painful to sensitive temperaments, finding its
realization in the countless calumnies that the Devil is never weary
of inventing in order to intensify the sufferings of the children of
God. The words "persecuted for righteousness' sake" and "for My sake"
caution us to see to it that we are opposed and hated solely because
we are the followers of the Lord Jesus, and not on account of our own
misconduct or injudicious behavior (see 1 Pet. 2:19-24).
Persecution has ever been the lot of God's people. Cain slew Abel.
"And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his
brother's righteous" (1 John 3:12). Joseph was persecuted by his
brethren, and down in Egypt he was cast into prison for righteousness'
sake (Gen. 37, 39). Moses was reviled again and again (see Ex. 5:21;
14:11; 16:2; 17:2; etc.). Samuel was rejected (1 Sam. 8:5). Elijah was
despised (1 Kings 18:17) and persecuted (1 Kings 19:2). Micaiah was
hated (I Kings 22:8). Nehemiah was oppressed and defamed (Neh. 4). The
Savior Himself, the faithful Witness of God, was put to death by the
people to whom He ministered. Stephen was stoned, Peter and John cast
into prison, James beheaded, while the entire course of the Apostle
Paul's Christian life and ministry was one long series of bitter and
relentless persecutions.
It is true that the persecution of the saints today is in a much
milder form than it assumed in other ages. Nevertheless, it is just as
real. Through the goodness of God we have long been protected from
legal persecution, but the enmity of Satan finds other ways and means
of expressing itself. Let persecuted Christians remember this
comforting truth: "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ,
not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake" (Phil.
1:29). The words of Christ in John 15:19, 20, have never been
repealed:
If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye
are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world,
therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto
you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted
Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they
will keep yours also.
The world's hatred manifests itself in derision, reproach, slander,
and ostracism. May Divine grace enable us to heed this word: "But if,
when ye do well, and suffer for it, yet take it patiently, this is
acceptable with God" (1 Pet. 2:20).
The Lord Jesus here pronounced blessed or happy those who, through
devotion to Him, would be called upon to suffer. They are blessed
because such are given the unspeakable privilege of having fellowship
in the sufferings of the Savior (Phil. 3:10). They are blessed because
such "tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and
experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed" (Rom. 5:3-5). They are
blessed because they shall be fully recompensed in the great Day to
come. Here is rich comfort indeed. Let not the soldier of the cross be
dismayed because the fiery darts of the wicked one are hurled against
him. Rather let him gird on more firmly the Divinely provided armor.
Let not the child of God become discouraged because his efforts to
please Christ make some of those who call themselves Christians speak
evil of him. Let not the Christian imagine that fiery trials are an
evidence of God's disapproval.
"Rejoice, and be exceeding glad." Not only are the afflictions that
faithfulness to Christ involves to be patiently endured, but they are
to be received with joy and gladness. This we should do for three
reasons. (1) These afflictions come upon us for Christ's sake; and
since He suffered so much for our redemption, we ought to rejoice
greatly when we are called upon to suffer a little for Him.(2) These
trials bring us into fellowship with a noble company of martyrs, for
to meet with afflictions associates us with the holy prophets and
apostles. In such company, reproach becomes praise and dishonor turns
to glory. (3) We who suffer persecution for Christ's sake are promised
a great reward in heaven. Verily, we may rejoice, however fierce the
present conflict may be. Having deliberately chosen to suffer with
Christ rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season (Heb.
11:25), we shall also reign with Him, according to His own sure
promise (Rom. 8:17). Remember Peter and John, who "departed from the
presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to
suffer shame for His name" (Acts 5:41). So, too, Paul and Silas, in
the Philippian dungeon and with backs bleeding, "sang praises unto
God" (Acts 16:25). We are told that others "took joyfully the spoiling
of [their] goods," knowing in themselves that they had "in heaven a
better and an enduring substance" (Heb. 10:34). May Divine grace
enable all maligned, misunderstood, and oppressed saints of God to
draw from these precious words of Christ that comfort and strength
that they need.
__________________________________________
Contents |Introduction|First Beatitude|Second Beatitude
Third Beatitude|Fourth Beatitude|Fifth Beatitude| Sixth Beatitude
Seventh Beatitude|Eighth Beatitude|Conclusion
____________________________________________________
About Us
What's New
Audio Works
Baptist History
Bible Study Courses
Eschatology Heretical Teachings
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Time of Sorrow Links & Resources
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The Beatitudes
by A.W. Pink
Conclusion-The Beatitudes and Christ
__________________________________________
Our meditations upon the Beatitudes would not be complete unless they
turned our thoughts to the Person of our blessed Lord. As we have
endeavored to show, they describe the character and conduct of a
Christian. Since Christian character is formed in us by the
experiential process of our being conformed to the image of God's Son,
then we must turn our gaze upon Him who is the perfect pattern. In the
Lord Jesus Christ we find the brightest manifestations and the highest
exemplifications of all the various spiritual graces that are found
(as dim reflections) in His followers. Not one or two but all of these
perfections were displayed by Him, for He is not only lovely, but
"altogether lovely" (Song of Sol. 5:16). May the Holy Spirit, who is
here to glorify Him, take now of the things of Christ and show them
unto us (John 16:14, 15).
First let us consider the words, "Blessed are the poor in spirit." How
marvelous it is to see how the Scriptures speak of Him who was rich
becoming poor for our sakes, that we through His poverty might be rich
(2 Cor. 8:9). Great indeed was the poverty into which He entered. Born
of parents who were poor in this world's goods, He commenced His
earthly life in a manger. During His youth and early manhood, He
toiled at the carpenter's bench. After His public ministry had begun,
He declared that though the foxes had their holes and the birds of the
air their nests, the Son of Man had not where to lay His head (Luke
9:58). If we trace out the Messianic utterances recorded in the Psalms
by the Spirit of prophecy, we shall find that again and again He
confessed to God His poverty of spirit: "I am poor and sorrowful" (Ps.
69:29); "Bow down Thine ear, O Lord, hear Me: for I am poor and needy"
(Ps. 86:1); "For I am poor and needy, and My heart is wounded within
Me" (Ps. 109:22).
Second, let us ponder the words, "Blessed are they that mourn." Christ
was indeed the chief Mourner. Old Testament prophecy contemplated Him
as "a Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with grief" (Isa. 53:3). When
contending with the Pharisees over their slavish observance of the
Sabbath, and while seeking to teach them, by precept and example, a
proper understanding of God's holy institution, He "grieved for the
hardness of their hearts" (Mark 3:5). Behold Him sighing before He
healed the deaf and dumb man (Mark 7:34). Mark Him weeping by the
graveside of Lazarus (John 11:35). Hear His lamentation over the
beloved city: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem... how often would I have
gathered thy children together" (Matthew 23:37). Draw near and
reverently behold Him in the gloom of Gethsemane, pouring out His
petitions to the Father "with strong crying and tears" (Heb. 5:7). Bow
down in awe and wonder as you hear Him crying from the cross, "My God,
My God, Why hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Mark 15:34). Hearken to His
plaintive plea, "Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold,
and see if there be any sorrow like unto My sorrow" (Lam. 1:12).
Third, behold the beauty of Christ in the saying, "Blessed are the
meek." A score of examples might be drawn from the Gospels that
illustrate the lovely lowliness of the incarnate Lord of glory. Mark
it in the men selected by Him to be His ambassadors. He chose not the
wise, the learned, the great, or the noble. At least four of them were
fishermen, and one was in the employment of the Roman government as a
despised tax collector. Witness His lowliness in the company that He
kept. He sought not the rich and renowned, but was "a friend of
publicans and sinners" (Matthew 11:19). See it in the miracles that He
wrought. Again and again He enjoined the healed to go and tell no man
what had been done for them. Behold it in the unobtrusiveness of His
service. Unlike the hypocrites, who sounded a trumpet before them when
they were about to bestow alms on some poor person, He sought not the
limelight, but shunned advertising and disdained popularity. When the
crowds would make Him their idol, He avoided them (Mark 1:45; 7:24).
"When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take Him by
force, to make Him a king, He departed again into a mountain Himself
alone" (John 6:15). When His brethren urged Him, saying, "Shew Thyself
to the world," He declined and went up to the feast in secret (John
7:2-10). When He, in fulfillment of prophecy, presented Himself to
Israel as their King, He entered Jerusalem in a most lowly fashion,
riding upon the foal of an ass (Zech. 9:9; John 12:14).
Fourth, consider how these words are best exemplified in Christ:
"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness."
What a summary this is of the inner life of the man Christ Jesus!
Before the Incarnation, the Holy Spirit announced, "And righteousness
shall be the girdle of His loins" (Isa. 11:5). When Christ entered
this world, He said, "Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God" (Heb. 10:9).
As a boy of twelve He asked, "Wist ye not that I must be about My
Father's business?" (Luke 2:49). At the beginning of His public
ministry He declared, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or
the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill" (Matthew
5:17). To His disciples He declared, "My meat is to do the will of Him
that sent Me, and to finish His work" (John 4:34). Of Him the Holy
Spirit has said, "Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness:
therefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness
above Thy fellows" (Ps. 45:7). Well may He be called "THE LORD OUR
RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Jer. 23:6).
Fifth, note the words, "Blessed are the merciful." In Christ we see
mercy personified. It was mercy to poor lost sinners that caused the
Son of God to exchange the glory of heaven for the shame of earth. It
was wondrous and matchless mercy that took Him to the cross, there to
be made a curse for His people. So, it is "not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy [that] He
saved us" (Titus 3:5). He is, even now, exercising mercy on our behalf
as our "merciful and faithful High Priest" (Heb. 2:17). So also we are
continually to be "looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto
eternal life" (Jude 21). because He will show mercy in the Day of
Judgment to all who believe upon Him (II Tim. 1:18).
Sixth, contemplate the words, "Blessed are the pure in heart." This,
too, was perfectly exemplified in Christ. He was the "Lamb without
blemish and without spot (1 Pet. 1:19). In becoming man, He was
uncontaminated, contracting none of the defilements of sin. His
humanity was, and is, perfectly holy (Luke 1:35). He was "holy,
harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners" (Heb. 7:26). "In Him is no
sin" (1 John 3:5). Therefore, He "did no sin" (1 Pet. 2:22) and "knew
no sin" (2 Cor. 5:21). "He is pure" (1 John 3:3). Because He was
absolutely pure in nature, His motives and actions were always pure.
When He said, "I seek not Mine own glory" (John 8:50), He summed up
the whole of His earthly career.
Seventh, ponder the words, "Blessed are the peacemakers." Supremely
true is this of our blessed Savior. He is the One who "made peace
through the blood of His cross" (Col. 1:20). He was appointed to be a
propitiation (Rom. 3:25), that is, the One who would appease God's
wrath, satisfying every demand of His broken Law, and glorifying His
justice and holiness. He has also made peace between Jews and Gentiles
(Eph. 2:11-18). Even now Christ Jesus is seated in majesty upon the
throne of His father David (Acts 2:29-36), reigning as the "Prince of
Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no
end, upon the throne of David" (Isa. 9:6, 7). When Christ returns to
raise the dead and to judge the world in righteousness, then He shall
purge this war-torn earth of sin and of all the effects of the Fall
(Rom. 8:19-23). We may look confidently to that time when the Lord
Christ shall thus restore peace in the "new heavens and a new earth,
wherein dwelleth righteousness" (2 Pet. 3:13).
Eighth, meditate on these words: "Blessed are they which are
persecuted for righteousness' sake." None was ever persecuted as was
the Righteous One, as may be seen by the symbolic reference to Him in
Revelation 12:4! By the Spirit of prophecy He declared, "I am
afflicted and ready to die from My youth up" (Ps. 88:15). At the
beginning of His ministry, when Jesus was teaching in Nazareth (His
home town), the people "rose up, and thrust Him out of the city, and
led Him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that
they might cast Him down headlong" (Luke 4:29). In the temple
precincts, leaders of the Jews "took up stones to cast at Him" (John
8:59). All through His ministry His steps were dogged by enemies. The
religious leaders charged Him with having a demon (John 8:48). Those
who sat in the gate spoke against Him, and He was the song of the
drunkards (Ps. 69:12). At His trial they plucked off His hair (Isa.
50:6), spat in His face, buffeted Him, and smote Him with the palms of
their hands (Matthew 26:67). After He was scourged by the soldiers and
crowned with thorns, He was led carrying His own cross to Calvary,
where they crucified Him. Even in His dying hours He was not left in
peace, but was persecuted by revilings and scoffings. How unutterably
mild, by comparison, is the persecution that we are called upon to
endure for His sake!
In like manner, each of the promises attached to the Beatitudes finds
its accomplishment in Christ. Poor in spirit He was, and His supremely
is the Kingdom. Mourn He did, yet He will be comforted as He sees of
the travail of His soul (Isa. 53:11). He was meekness personified, yet
He is now seated upon a throne of glory. He hungered and thirsted
after righteousness, yet now He is filled with satisfaction as He
beholds that the righteousness which He worked out has been imputed to
His people. Pure in heart, He sees God as none other sees him (Matthew
11:27). As the Peacemaker, He is acknowledged as the unique Son of God
by all the blood-bought children. As the persecuted One, great is His
reward, for He has been given the name above all others (Phil.
2:9-11). May the Spirit of God occupy us more and more with Him who is
fairer than the children of men (Ps. 45:2).
__________________________________________
Contents |Introduction|First Beatitude|Second Beatitude
Third Beatitude|Fourth Beatitude|Fifth Beatitude| Sixth Beatitude
Seventh Beatitude|Eighth Beatitude|Conclusion
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The Divine Inspiration of the Bible
Introduction
_________________________________________________________________
Christianity is the religion of a Book. Christianity is based upon the
impregnable rock of Holy Scripture. The starting point of all
doctrinal discussion must be the Bible. Upon the foundation of the
Divine inspiration of the Bible stands or falls the entire edifice of
Christian truth.--"If the foundations be destroyed, what can the
righteous do?" (Ps. 11:3). Surrender the dogma of verbal inspiration
and you are left like a rudderless ship on a stormy sea-at the mercy
of every wind that blows. Deny that the Bible is, without any
qualifications, the very Word of God, and you are left without any
ultimate standard of measurement and without any supreme authority. It
is useless to discuss any doctrine taught by the Bible until you are
prepared to acknowledge, unreservedly, that the Bible is the final
court of appeal. Grant that the Bible is a Divine revelation and
communication of God's own mind and will to men, and you have a fixed
starting point from which advance can be made into the domain of
truth. Grant that the Bible is (in its original manuscripts) inerrant
and infallible and you reach the place where study of its contents is
both practicable and profitable.
It is impossible to over-estimate the importance of the doctrine of
the Divine inspiration of Scripture. This is the strategic center of
Christian theology, and must be defended at all costs. It is the point
at which our satanic enemy is constantly hurling his hellish
battalions. Here it was he made his first attack. In Eden he asked,
"Yea, hath God said?" and today he is pursuing the same tactics.
Throughout the ages the Bible has been the central object of his
assaults. Every available weapon in the devil's arsenal has been
employed in his determined and ceaseless efforts to destroy the temple
of God's truth. In the first days of the Christian era the attack of
the enemy was made openly--the bonfire being the chief instrument of
destruction--but, in these "last days" the assault is made in a more
subtle manner and comes from a more unexpected quarter. The Divine
origin of the Scriptures is now disputed in the name of "Scholarship"
and "Science," and that, too, by those who profess to be friends and
champions of the Bible. Much of the learning and theological activity
of the hour, are concentrated in the attempt to discredit and destroy
the authenticity and authority of God's Word, the result being that
thousands of nominal Christians are plunged into a sea of doubt. Many
of those who are paid to stand in our pulpits and defend the Truth of
God are now the very ones who are engaged in sowing the seeds of
unbelief and destroying the faith of those to whom they minister. But
these modern methods will prove no more successful in their efforts to
destroy the Bible than did those employed in the opening centuries of
the Christian era. As well might the birds attempt to demolish the
granite rock of Gibraltar by pecking at it with their beaks--"For
ever, O Lord, Thy Word is settled in heaven" (Ps. 119:89).
Now the Bible does not fear investigation. Instead of fearing it, the
Bible courts and challenges consideration and examination. The more
widely it is known, the more closely it is read, the more carefully it
is studied, the more unreservedly will it be received as the Word of
God. Christians are not a company of enthusiastic fanatics. They are
not lovers of myths. They are not anxious to believe a delusion. They
do not desire their lives to be molded by an empty superstition. They
do not wish to mistake hallucination for inspiration. If they are
wrong, they wish to be set right. If they are deceived, they want to
be disillusioned. If they are mistaken, they desire to be corrected.
The first question which the thoughtful reader of the Bible has to
answer is, What importance and value am I to attach to the contents of
the Scriptures? Were the writers of the Bible so many fanatics moved
by oracular frenzy? Were they merely poetically inspired and
intellectually elevated? or, were they, as they claimed to be, and as
the Scriptures affirm they were, moved by the Holy Spirit to act as
the voice of God to a sinful world? Were the writers of the Bible
inspired by God in a manner no other men were in any other age of the
world? Were they invested and endowed with the power to disclose
mysteries and point men upward and onward to that which otherwise
would have been an impenetrable future? One can readily appreciate the
fact that the answer to these questions is of supreme importance. If
the Bible is not inspired in the strictest sense of the word then it
is worthless, for it claims to be God's Word, and if its claims are
spurious then its statements are unreliable and its contents are
untrustworthy. If, on the other hand, it can be shown to the
satisfaction of every impartial inquirer that the Bible is the Word of
God, inerrant and infallible, then we have a starting point from which
we can advance to the conquest of all truth.
A book that claims to be a Divine revelation--a claim which, as we
shall see, is substantiated by the most convincing credentials--cannot
be rejected or even neglected without grave peril to the soul. True
wisdom cannot refuse to examine it with care and impartiality. If the
claims of the Bible be well founded then the prayerful and diligent
study of the Scriptures becomes of paramount importance: they have a
claim upon our notice and time which nothing else has, and beside them
everything in this world loses its luster and sinks into utter
insignificance. If the Bible be the Word of God then it infinitely
transcends in value all the writings of men, and in exact ratio to its
immeasurable superiority to human productions such is our
responsibility and duty to give it the most reverent and serious
consideration. As a Divine revelation the Bible ought to be studied,
yet, this is the only subject on which human curiosity does not desire
information. Into every other sphere man pushes his investigations,
but the Book of books is neglected, and this, not only by the
ignorant, and illiterate, but by the wise of this world as well. The
cultured dilettante will boast of his acquaintance with the sages of
Greece and Rome, yet, will know little or nothing of Moses and the
prophets, Christ and His Apostles. But the general neglect of the
Bible verifies the Scriptures and affords additional proof of their
authenticity. The contempt with which the Bible is treated
demonstrates that human nature is exactly what God's Word represents
it to be--fallen and depraved--and is unmistakable evidence that the
carnal mind is enmity against God.
If the Bible is the Word of God; if it stands on an infinitely exalted
plane, all alone; if it immeasurable transcends all the greatest
productions of human genius; then, we should naturally expect to find
that it has unique credentials, that there are internal marks which
prove it to be the handiwork of God, that there is conclusive evidence
to show that its Author is superhuman, Divine. That these expectations
are realized we shall now endeavor to show; that there is no reason
whatever for any one to doubt the Divine inspiration of the Scriptures
is the purpose of this book to demonstrate. As we examine the natural
world we find innumerable proofs of the existence of a Personal
Creator, and the same God who has manifested Himself through His works
has also revealed His wisdom and will through His Word. The God of
creation and the God of written revelation are One, and there are
irrefutable arguments to show that the Almighty who made the heavens
and the earth is also the Author of the Bible.
We shall now submit to the critical attention of the reader a few of
the lines of demonstration which argue for the Divine inspiration of
the Bible.
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The Divine Inspiration of the Bible
CHAPTER ONE:
There is a Presumption in Favor of the Bible
_________________________________________________________________
This argument may be simply and tersely stated thus--Man needed a
Divine revelation couched in human language. God had previously given
man a revelation of Himself in His created works--which men please to
term "nature" --but bears unmistakable testimony to the existence of
its Creator, and though sufficient is revealed of God through it to
render all men "without excuse," yet creation does not present a
complete unveiling of God's character. Creation reveals God's wisdom
and power, but it gives us a very imperfect presentation of His mercy
and love. Creation is now under the curse; it is imperfect, because it
has been marred by sin; therefore, an imperfect creation cannot be a
perfect medium for revealing God; and hence, also, the testimony of
creation is contradictory.
In the spring of the year, when nature puts on her loveliest robes and
we see the beautiful foliage of the countryside and listen to the
happy songs of the birds, we have no difficulty in inferring that a
gracious God is ruling over our world. But what of the winter-time,
when the countryside is desolate and the trees are leafless and
forlorn, when a pall of death seems to be resting on everything? When
we stood by the seashore and watched the setting sun crimsoning the
placid waters on a quiet eve, we had no hesitation in ascribing the
picture to the hand of the Divine Artist. But when we stand upon the
same seashore on a stormy night, hear the roaring of the breakers and
the howling wind, see the boats battling with the angry waves and
listen to the heart-rending cries of the seamen as they go down into a
watery grave, then, we are tempted to wonder if, after all, a merciful
God is at the helm. As one walks through the Grand Canyon or stands
before the Niagara Falls, the hand and power of God seem very evident;
but, as one witnesses the desolations of the San Francisco earthquake
or the death-dealing effects of the volcanic eruptions of Mount
Vesuvius, he is again perplexed and puzzled. In a word then, the
testimony of nature is conflicting, and, as we have said, this is due
to the fact that sin has come in and marred God's handiwork. Creation
displays God's natural attributes but it tells us little or nothing of
His moral perfections. Nature knows no forgiveness and shows no mercy,
and if we had no other source of information we should never discover
the fact that God pardons sinners. Man then needs a written revelation
from God.
Our limitations and our ignorance reveal our need. Man is in darkness
concerning God. Blot the Bible out of existence and what should we
know about His character, His moral attributes, His attitude toward
us, or His demands upon us? As we have seen, nature is but an
imperfect medium for revealing God. The ancients had the same nature
before them as we have, but what did they discover of His character?
Unto what knowledge of the one true God did they attain? The
seventeenth chapter of the Acts answers that question. When the
Apostle Paul was in the famous city of Athens, famous for its learning
and philosophical culture, he discovered an altar, on which were
inscribed the words, "To the unknown God". The same condition prevails
today. Visit those lands which have not been illumined by the light of
the Holy Scriptures and it will be found that their peoples know no
more about the character of the living God than did the ancient
Egyptians and Babylonians.
Man is in darkness concerning himself. From whence am I? What am I? Am
I anything more than a reasoning animal? Have I an immortal soul, or,
am I nothing more than a sentient being? What is the purpose of my
existence? Why am I here in this world at all? What is the end and aim
of life? How shall I employ my time and talents? Shall I live only for
today, eat, drink, and be merry? What after death? Do I perish like
the beasts of the field, or is the grave the portal into another
world? If so, whither am I bound? Do these questions appear senseless
and irrelevant? Annihilate the Scriptures, eliminate all the light
they have shed upon these problems, and whither shall we turn for a
solution? If the Bible had never been written how many of these
questions could have been satisfactorily answered? A very striking
testimony to man's need of a Divine revelation was given by the
celebrated but skeptical historian Gibbon. He remarked--"Since,
therefore, the most sublime efforts of philosophy can extend no
farther than feebly to point out the desire, the hope, or, at most,
the probability, of a future state, there is nothing except a Divine
revelation that can ascertain the existence and describe the condition
of the invisible country which is destine to receive the souls of men
after their separation from the body."
Our experiences reveal our need. There are problems to be faced which
our wisdom is incapable of solving; there are obstacles in our path
which we have no means of surmounting; there are enemies to be met
which we are unable to vanquish. We are in dire need of counsel,
strength, and courage. There are trials and tribulations which come to
us, testing the hearts of the bravest and stoutest, and we need
comfort and cheer. There are sorrows and bereavements which crush our
spirits and we need the hope of immortality and resurrection.
Our corporate life reveals our need. What is to govern and regulate
our dealings one with the other? Shall each do that which is right in
his own eyes? That would destroy all law and order. Shall we draw up
some moral code, some ethical standard? But who shall fix it? Opinions
vary. We need some final court of appeal: if we had no Bible, where
should we find it?
Man then needs a Divine revelation; God is able to supply that need;
therefore, is it not reasonable to suppose He will do so? Surely God
will not mock our ignorance and leave us to grope in the dark! If it
is harder to believe that the universe had no creator, than it is to
believe that "in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth;"
if it is a greater tax upon our faith to suppose that Christianity
with all its glorious triumphs is without a Divine Founder, than it is
to believe that it rests upon the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ;
then, does it not also make a greater demand upon human credulity to
imagine that God would leave mankind without an intelligible
communication from Himself, than it does to believe that the Bible is
a revelation from the Creator to His fallen and erring creatures?
If there is a personal God (and none but a "fool" will deny His
existence), and if we are the works of His hands He surely would not
leave us in doubt concerning the great problems which have to do with
our temporal, spiritual, and eternal welfare. If an earthly parent
advises his sons and daughters in their problems and perplexities,
warns them of the perils and pitfalls of life which menace their
well-being; counsels them with regard to their daily welfare and makes
known to them his plans and purposes concerning their future, surely
it is incredible to suppose that our Heavenly Father would do less for
His children!
We are often uncertain as to which is the right course to pursue; we
are frequently in doubt as to the real path of duty; we are constantly
surrounded by the hosts of wickedness which seek to accomplish our
downfall; and, we are daily confronted with experiences which make us
sad and sorrowful. The wisest among us need guidance which our own
wisdom fails to supply; the best of humanity need grace which the
human heart is powerless to bestow; the most refined among the sons of
men need deliverance from temptations which they cannot overcome. Will
God mock us then in our need? Will God leave us alone in the hour of
our weakness? Will God refuse to provide for us a Refuge from our
enemies? Man needs a Counselor, a Comforter, a Deliverer. The very
fact that God has a Father's regard for His children necessitates that
He should give them a written revelation which communicates His mind
and will concerning them and which points them to the One who is
willing and able to supply all their need.
To sum up this argument. Man needs a Divine revelation; God is able to
supply one; is it not, therefore, reasonable to suppose He will do so?
There is then, a presumption in favor of the Bible. Is it not more
reasonable to believe that He whose name and nature is Love shall
provide us with a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, than
to leave us to grope our way amid the darkness of a fallen and ruined
world?
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The Divine Inspiration of the Bible
CHAPTER TWO:
The Perennial Freshness of the Bible Bears Witness to its Divine
Inspirer
_________________________________________________________________
The full force of the present argument will appeal only to those who
are intimately acquainted with the Bible, and the more familiar the
reader is with the Sacred Canon the more heartily will he endorse the
following statements. Just as a knowledge of Latin is necessary in
order to understand the technique of a treatise on pathology or
physiology, or just as a certain amount of culture and academic
learning is an indispensable adjunct to intelligently follow the
arguments and apprehend the illustrations in a dissertation on
philosophy or psychology, so a first-hand acquaintance with the Bible
is necessary to appreciate the fact that its contents never become
commonplace.
One of the first facts which arrests the attention of the student of
God's Word is that, like the widow's oil and meal which nourished
Elijah, the contents of the Bible are never exhausted. Unlike all
other books, the Bible never acquires a sameness, and never diminishes
in its power of response to the needy soul which comes to it. Just as
a fresh supply of manna was given each day to the Israelites in the
wilderness, so the Spirit of God ever breaks anew the Bread of Life to
them who hunger after righteousness; or, just as the loaves and fishes
in the hands of our Lord were more than enough to feed the famished
multitude--a surplus still remaining--so the honey and milk of the
Word are more than sufficient to satisfy the hunger of every human
soul--the supply still remaining undiminished for new generations.
Although one may know, word for word, the entire contents of some
chapter of Scripture, and although he may have taken the time to
ponder thoughtfully every sentence therein, yet, on every subsequent
occasion, provided one comes to it again in the spirit of humble
inquiry, each fresh reading will reveal new gems never seen there
before and new delights will be experienced never met with previously.
The most familiar passages will yield as much refreshment at the
thousandth perusal as they did at the first. The Bible has been
likened to a fountain of living water: the fountain is ever the same,
but the water is always fresh.
Herein the Bible differs from all other books, sacred or secular. What
man has to say can be gathered from his writings at the first reading:
failure to do so indicates that the writer has not succeeded in
expressing himself clearly, or else the reader has failed to apprehend
his meaning. Man is only able to deal with surface things, hence he
cares only about surface appearances; consequently, whatever man has
to say lies upon the surface of his writings, and the capable reader
can exhaust them by a single perusal. Not so with the Bible. Although
the Bible has been studied more microscopically than any other book
(even its very letters have been counted and registered) by many of
the keenest intellects for the past two thousand years, although whole
libraries of works have been written as commentaries upon its
teachings, and although literally millions of sermons have been
preached and printed in the attempt to expound every part of Holy
Writ, yet its contents have not been exhausted, and in this twentieth
century new discoveries are being made in it every day!
The Bible is an inexhaustible mine of wealth: it is the El Dorado of
heavenly treasure. It has veins of ore which never "give out" and
pockets of gold which no pick can empty; yet, like earthly treasures,
the gems of God must be diligently sought if they are to be found.
Potatoes lie near the surface of the ground, but diamonds require much
laborious digging, so also the precious things of the Word are only
revealed to the prayerful, patient and diligent student.
The Bible is like a spring of water which never runs dry. No
matter how many may drink from its life-giving stream, and no matter
how often they may quench their thirst at its refreshing waters, its
flow continues and never fails to satisfy the needs of all who come
and take of its perennial springs. The Bible has a whole continent of
Truth yet to be explored. A learned scholar who died during the
present year of grace had read through the Bible no fewer than five
hundred times! What other book, ancient or modern, Oriental or
Occidental, would repay even a fiftieth reading?
How can we account for this marvelous characteristic of the Bible?
What explanation can we offer for this startling phenomenon? It is
only stating a commonplace axiom when we affirm that what is finite is
fathomable. What the mind of man has produced the mind of man can
exhaust. If human mortals had written the Bible its contents would
have been "mastered" ages ago. In view of the fact that the contents
of the Scriptures cannot be exhausted, that they never acquire
sameness or staleness to the devout student, and that they always
speak with fresh force to the quickened soul that comes to them, is it
not apparent that none other than the infinite mind of God could have
created such a wonderful Book as the Bible?
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The Divine Inspiration of the Bible
CHAPTER THREE:
The Unmistakable Honesty of the Writers of the Bible Attests to its
Heavenly Origin
_________________________________________________________________
The title of this chapter suggests a wide field of study the limits of
which we can now only skirt here and there. To begin with the writers
of the Old Testament.
Had the historical parts of the Old Testament been a forgery, or the
production of uninspired men, their contents would have been very
different to what they are. Each of its Books was written by a
descendant of Abraham, yet nowhere do we find the bravery of the
Israelites extolled and never once are their victories regarded as the
outcome of their courage or military genius; on the contrary, success
is attributed to the presence of Jehovah the God of Israel. To this it
might be replied, Heathen writers have often ascribed the victories of
their peoples to the intervention of their gods. This is true, yet
there is no parallel at all between the two cases. Comparison is
impossible. Heathen writers invariably represent their gods as being
blindly partial to their friends and whenever their favorites failed
to come out victorious their defeat is attributed to the opposition of
other gods or to a blind and unyielding fate. In contradistinction to
this, the defeats of Israel, as much as their victories, are regarded
as coming from Jehovah. Their successes were not due to mere
partiality in God, but are uniformly viewed as connected with a
careful observance of His commands; and, in like manner, their defeats
are portrayed as the outcome of their disobedience and waywardness. If
they transgressed His laws they were defeated and put to shame, even
though their God was the Almighty. But we have digressed somewhat.
That to which we desire to direct attention is the fact that men who
were their own countrymen have chronicled the history of the
Israelites, and therein have faithfully recorded their defeats not to
an inexorable fate, nor to bad generalship and military failures, but
to the sins of the people and their wickedness against God. Such a God
is not the creation of the human mind, and such historians were not
actuated by the common principles of human nature.
Not only have the Jewish historians recounted the military defeats of
their people, but they have also faithfully recorded their many moral
backslidings and spiritual declinations. One of the outstanding truths
of the Old Testament is that the Unity of God, that God is One, that
beside Him there is none else, that all other gods are false gods and
that to pay them homage is to be guilty of the sin of idolatry.
Against the sin of idolatry these Jewish writers cry out repeatedly.
They uniformly declare that it is a sin most abhorrent in the sight of
heaven. Yet, these same Jewish writers record how again and again
their ancestors (contrary to the universal leaning towards ancestral
adoration and worship), and their contemporaries, were guilty of this
great wickedness. Not only so, but they have pointed out how some of
their most famous heroes sinned in this very particular. Aaron and the
golden calf, Solomon and the later kings being notable examples--"Then
did Solomon build a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab,
in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination
of the children of Ammon. And likewise did he for all his strange
wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods" (Kings
11:7,8). Moreover, there is no attempt made to excuse their
wrongdoing; instead, their acts are openly censured and
uncompromisingly condemned. As is well known, human historians are
inclined to conceal or extenuate the faults of their favorites. A
forged history would have clothed friends with every virtue, and would
not have ventured to mar the effect designed to be produced by
uncovering the vices of its most distinguished personages. Here then,
is displayed the uniqueness of Scripture history. Its characters are
painted in the colors of truth and nature. But such characters were
never sketched by a human pencil. Moses and the other writers must
have written by Divine inspiration.
The sin of idolatry, while it is the worst of which Israel was guilty,
is not the only evil recorded against them--their whole history is one
long story of repeated apostasy from Jehovah their God. After they had
been emancipated from the bondage of Egypt and had been miraculously
delivered from their cruel masters at the Red Sea, they commenced
their journey towards the Promised Land. Between them and their goal
lay a march across the wilderness, and here the depravity of their
hearts was fully manifested. In spite of the fact that Jehovah, by
overthrowing their enemies, had plainly demonstrated that He was their
God, yet no sooner was the faith of the Israelites put to the test
than their hearts failed them. First, their stores of food began to
give out and they feared they would perish from hunger. Trying
circumstances had banished the Living God from their thoughts. They
complained of their lot and murmured against Moses. Yet God did not
deal with them after their sins nor reward them according to their
iniquities: in mercy, He gave them bread from heaven and furnished
them a daily supply of manna. But they soon became dissatisfied with
the manna and lusted after the flesh pots of Egypt. Still God dealt
with them in grace.
Shortly after God's intervention in giving the Israelites food to eat,
which ought for ever to have closed their murmuring mouths, they
pitched in Rephidim where "there was no water for the people to drink.
Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water
that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me?
wherefore do ye tempt the Lord? And the people thirsted there for
water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is
this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our
children and our cattle with thirst? And Moses cried unto the Lord,
saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to
stone me." What was God's response? Did His anger consume them? Did He
refuse to bear longer with such a stiff-necked people? No: "The Lord
said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the
elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take
in thine hand, and go. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the
rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come
water out of it, that the people may drink" (Exod. 17).
The above incidents were but sadly typical and illustrative of
Israel's general conduct. When the spies were sent out to view the
Promised Land and returned and reported, ten of them magnified the
difficulties which confronted them and advised the people not to
attempt an occupation of Canaan; and though the remaining two
faithfully reminded the Israelites that the mighty Jehovah could
easily overcome all their difficulties, nevertheless, the nation
listened not but heeded the word of their skeptical advisers. Time
after time they provoked Jehovah, and in consequence the whole of that
generation perished in the wilderness. When the succeeding generation
was grown, under the leadership of Joshua they entered the Promised
Land and by the aid of God overthrew many of their enemies and
occupied much of their territory. But after the death of Joshua we
read, "There arose another generation after them, which knew not the
Lord, nor yet the works which He had done for Israel. And the children
of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord God of their fathers,
which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods,
of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed
themselves unto them, and provoked the Lord to anger. And they forsook
the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth" (Judge. 2:10-13). There is no
need for us to follow further the fluctuating fortunes of Israel: as
is well known, under the period of the judges their history was a
series of returns to the Lord and subsequent departures from Him;
repeated deliverances from the hands of their enemies, and then
returning unfaithfulness on their part, followed by being again
delivered unto their foes. Under the kings it was no better. The very
first of their kings perished through his willful disobedience and
apostasy; the third king, Solomon, violated God's law and married
heathen women who turned his heart unto false gods. Solomon, in turn,
was followed by a number of idolatrous rulers, and the path of Israel
ran farther and farther away from the Lord, until He delivered them
over unto Nebuchadnezzar who captured their beloved Jerusalem,
destroyed their Temple, and carried away the people into captivity.
In the repeated mention which we have in the Old Testament of Israel's
sins, we discover, in light as clear as day, the absolute honesty and
candor of those who recorded Israel's history. No attempt whatever is
made to conceal their folly, their unbelief, and their wickedness;
instead, the corrupt condition of their hearts is made fully manifest,
and this, by writers who belonged to, and were born of the same
nation. In the whole realm of literature there is no parallel. The
record of Israel's history is absolutely unique. The careful reader
would at first conclude that Israel as a nation was more depraved than
any other, yet further reflection will show that the inference is a
false one and that the real fact is that the history of Israel has
been more faithfully transmitted than that of any other nation. We
mean the history of Israel as it is recorded in the Holy Scriptures,
for in striking contrast thereto and in exemplification of all that we
have written above, it is noteworthy that Josephus passes over in
silence whatever appeared unfavorable to his nation!!
Coming now to the New Testament we begin with the character of John
the Baptist and the position that he occupied. John the Baptist is
presented as a most eminent personage. We are told that his birth was
due to the miraculous intervention of God. We learn that he was
"filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb" (Luke
1:15). John the Baptist was himself the subject of Old Testament
prediction. The office that he filled was the most honorable which
ever fell to the lot of any member of Adam's race. He was the
harbinger of the Messiah. He was the one who went before our Lord to
prepare His way. He had the honor of baptizing the blessed Redeemer.
Now where would human wisdom have placed him among the attendants of
the Lord Jesus? What position would it have ascribed to him? Surely he
would have been set forth as the most distinguished among our Lord's
followers; surely, human wisdom would have set him at the right hand
of the Saviour! Yet what do we find? Instead of this, we discover that
he had no familiar discourse with the Saviour; instead, we find he was
treated with apparent neglect; instead, we find him represented as
occupying the position of a doubter who, as the result of his
imprisonment, was constrained to send a message to his Master to
enquire whether or not He were the promised Messiah. Had his character
been the invention of forgery, nothing would have been heard of his
lapse of faith. Indeed, this is so opposed to the dictates of human
wisdom, that many have been shocked at the thought of ascribing doubts
to the eminent forerunner of Christ, and have taxed their ingenuity to
the utmost to force from the obvious meaning of the record some other
and some different signification. But all these ingenuities of human
sophistry are dissipated by the reply which our Lord made on the
occasion of John's inquiry (Matt. 11), a reply which shows very
plainly that the question was asked not for the benefit of his
disciples, but because the Baptist's own heart was harassed with
doubts. Again, we say that no human mind could have invented the
character of John the Baptist, and the faithfulness of his biographers
is another proof that the writers of the Bible were actuated by
something more and something higher than the principles of human
nature.
Another striking illustration of our chapter heading--one which many
writers have pointed out--is the treatment the Son of God received
while He tabernacled among men. For two thousand years Israel's hopes
had all centered in the advent of their Messiah. The height of every
Jewish woman's ambition was that she might be selected of God to have
the honor of being the mother of the promised Seed. For centuries,
every pious Hebrew had looked and longed for the day when He should
appear who was to occupy David's throne and rule and reign in
righteousness. Yet, when He did appear how was the Promised One
received? "He was despised and rejected of men." "He came unto His own
and His own received Him not." Those who were His brethren according
to the flesh "hated" Him "without a cause." The very nation which gave
Him birth and to which He ministered in infinite grace and blessing
demanded that He should be crucified. The startling thing which we
desire to particularly emphasize is, that the narrators of this awful
tragedy are fellow countrymen of those upon whose heads rested the
guilt of its perpetration. It was Jewish writers who recorded the
fearful crime of the Jewish nation against their Messiah! And, we say
again, that in the recording of that crime no attempt whatever is made
to palliate or extenuate their wickedness; instead, it is denounced
and condemned in the most uncompromising terms. Israel is openly
charged with having taken and with "wicked hands" slain the "Lord of
Glory." Such an honest and impartial recital of Israel's crowning sin
can only be explained on the ground that what these men wrote was
inspired of God.
One more illustration must suffice. After our Lord's death and
resurrection, He commissioned His disciples to go forth carrying from
Him a message first to His own nation and later to "every creature."
This message, be it noted, was not a malediction called down upon the
heads of His heartless murderers, but a proclamation of grace. It was
a message of good news, of glad tidings--forgiveness was to be
preached in His name to all men. How then would human wisdom suppose
such a message will be received? It is further to be observed that
those who were thus commissioned to carry the Gospel to the lost, were
vested with power to heal the sick and to cast out demons. Surely such
a beneficent ministry will meet with a universal welcome! Yet,
incredible as it may appear, the Apostles of Christ met with no more
appreciation than did their Master. They, too, were despised and
rejected. They, too, were hated and persecuted. They, too, were ill
treated, imprisoned, and put to a shameful death. And this, not merely
from the hands of the bigoted Jews, but from the cultured Greeks and
from the democratic and freedom loving Romans as well. Though these
Apostles brought blessing, they themselves were cursed; though they
sought to emancipate men from the thraldom of sin and Satan, yet they
were themselves captured and thrown into prison; though they healed
the sick and raised the dead, they suffered martyrdom. Surely it is
apparent to every impartial mind that the New Testament is no mere
human invention; and surely it is evident from the honesty of its
writers in so faithfully portraying the enmity of the carnal mind
against God, that their productions can only be accounted for on the
ground that they spake and wrote "not of themselves," but "as they
were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Pet. 1:21).
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A. W. Pink Header
The Divine Inspiration of the Bible
CHAPTER FOUR:
The Character of its Teachings Evidences the Divine Authorship of the
Bible
_________________________________________________________________
Take its teachings about God Himself. What does the Bible teach us
about God? It declares that He is Eternal: "Before the mountains were
brought forth, or ever Thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even
from everlasting to everlasting, Thou are God" (Ps. 90:2). It reveals
the fact that He is Infinite: "But will God indeed dwell on the earth?
Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee" (1 Kings
8:27). Vast as we know the universe to be, it has its bounds; but we
must go beyond them to conceive of God--"Canst thou by searching find
out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as
high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou
know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than
the sea" (Job 11:7-9). It makes mention of His Sovereignty: "Remember
the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am
God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning,
and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My
counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure" (Isa. 46: 9-10).
It affirms that He is Omnipotent: "Behold I am the Lord, the God of
all flesh: is there anything too hard for Me?" (Jer. 32:27). It
intimates that He is Omniscient: "Great is our Lord, and of great
power: His understanding is infinite" (Ps. 147:5). It teaches that He
is Omnipresent: "Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall
not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the
Lord" (Jer. 23:24). It declares that He is Immutable: "The same
yesterday, and today, and forever" (Heb. 13:8). Yea, that with Him "is
no variableness, neither shadow of turning" (James 1:17). It reveals
that He is "The Judge of all the earth" (Gen. 18:25) and that every
one shall yet have to "give an account of himself to God" (Rom.
14:12). It announces that He is inflexibly just in all His dealings so
that He can by "no means clear the guilty" (Num. 14:18); that all will
be judged "according to their works" (Rev. 20:12), and that they shall
reap whatsoever they have sown (Gal 6:7). It reveals the fact that He
is absolutely holy, dwelling in light inaccessible. So holy that even
the seraphim have to veil their faces in His presence (Isa. 6:2). So
holy that the heavens are not clean in His sight (Job 15:15). So holy
that the best of men when face to face with their Maker, have to cry,
"I abhor myself" (Job 42:6); "Woe is me! For I am undone" (Isa. 6:5).
Such a delineation of Deity is as far beyond man's conception as the
heavens are above the earth. No man, and no number of men, ever
invented such a God as this. Ransack the libraries of the ancient,
examine the musings of the mystics, study the religions of the heathen
and nothing will be found which can for a moment be compared with the
sublime and exalted description of God's character which is furnished
by the Bible.
The teachings of the Bible about man are unique. Unlike all other
books in the world, the Bible condemns man and all his doings. It
never eulogizes his wisdom, nor praises his achievements. On the
contrary, it declares that "every man at his best state is altogether
vanity" (Ps 39:5). Instead of teaching that man is a noble character,
evolving heavenwards, it tells him that all his righteousnesses (his
best works) are as "filthy rags," that he is a lost sinner, incapable
of bettering his condition; that he is deserving only of Hell.
The picture which the Scriptures give of man is deeply humiliating and
entirely different from all which are drawn by human pencils. The Word
of God describes the state of the natural man in the following
language: --"There is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that
understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone
out of the way, they are together become unprofitable. There is none
that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulcher; with
their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their
lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are
swift to shed blood: destruction and misery are in their ways: and the
way of peace have they not known. There is no fear of God before their
eyes" (Rom. 3:10-18).
Instead of making Satan the source of all the black crimes of which we
are guilty, the Bible declares, "For from within, out of the heart of
man proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts,
covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye,
blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within
and defile the man" (Mark 7:21-23). Such a conception of man--so
different from man's own ideas, and so humiliating to his proud
heart--never could have emanated from man himself. "The heart is
deceitful above all things and desperately wicked" (Jer. 17:9) is a
concept that never originated in any human mind.
The teachings of the Bible about the world are unique. In nothing
perhaps are the teachings of Scripture and the writings of man at such
variance as they are at this point. Using the term as meaning the
world-system in contradistinction to the earth, what is the direction
of man's thoughts concerning the same? Man thinks highly of the world,
for he regards it as his world. It is that which his labors have
produced and he looks upon it with satisfaction and pride. He boasts
that "the world is growing better." He declares that the world is
becoming more civilized and more humanized. Man's thoughts upon this
subject have been well summarized by the poet in the familiar
language--"God is in heaven: All's well with the world." But what
saith the Scriptures? Upon this subject, too, we discover that God's
thoughts are very different from ours. The Bible uniformly condemns
the world and speaks of it as a thing of evil. We shall not attempt to
quote every passage which does this, but shall merely single out a few
specimen Scriptures.
"If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you.
If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye
are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world,
therefore the world hateth you" (John 15:18-19). This passage teaches
that the world hates both Christ and His followers. "The wisdom of
this world is foolishness with God" (1 Cor 3:19). Certainly no
uninspired pen wrote these words. "Ye adulterers and adulteresses,
know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?
Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God"
(James 4:4). Here again we learn that the world is an evil thing,
condemned by God, and to be shunned by His children. "Love not the
world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the
world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the
world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride
of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world" (1 John 2:15-16).
Here we have a definition of the world: it is all that is opposed to
the Father--opposed in its principles and philosophy, its maxims and
methods, its aims and ambitions, its trend and its end "And the whole
world lieth in the Evil One" (1 John 5:19, R.V.). Here we learn why it
is that the world hates Christ and His followers; why its wisdom is
foolishness with God; why it is condemned by God and must be shunned
by His children--it is under the dominion of that old serpent, the
devil, whom Scripture specifically denominates "The prince of this
world."
The teachings of the Bible about sin is unique. Man regards sin as a
misfortune and ever seeks to minimize its enormity. In these days, sin
is referred to as ignorance, as a necessary stage in man's
development. By others, sin is looked upon as a mere negation, the
opposite of good; while Mrs. Eddy and her followers went so far as to
deny its existence altogether. But the Bible, unlike every other book,
strips man of all excuse and emphasizes his culpability. In the Bible
sin is never palliated or extenuated, but from first to last the Holy
Scriptures insist upon its enormity and heinousness. The Word of God
declares that "sin is very grievous" (Gen. 18:20) and that our sins
provoke God to anger (1 Kings 16:2). It speaks of the "deceitfulness
of sin" (Heb. 3:13) and insists that sin is "exceedingly sinful" (Rom
7:13). It declares that all sin is sin against God (Ps. 51:4) and
against His Christ (1 Cor. 8:12). It regards our sins as being "as
scarlet" and "red like crimson" (Isa. 1:18). It declares that sin is
more than an act, it is an attitude. It affirms that sin is more than
a non-compliance with God's law--it is rebellion against the One who
gave the law . It teaches that "sin is lawlessness" (1 John 3:4, R.
V.), which means that sin is spiritual anarchy, open defiance against
the Almighty. Moreover, it singles out no particular class; it
condemns all alike. It announces that "all have sinned and come short
of the glory of God," that "there is none righteous, no, not one"
(Rom. 3). Did man ever write such an indictment against himself? What
human mind ever invented such a description of sin as that discovered
in the Bible? Whoever would have imagined that sin was such a vile and
dreadful thing in the sight of God that nothing but the precious blood
of His own beloved Son could make an atonement for it!
The teaching of the Bible about the punishment of sin is unique. A
defective view of sin necessarily leads to an inadequate conception of
what is due sin. Minimize the gravity and enormity of sin and you must
proportionately reduce the sentence which it deserves. Many are crying
out today against the justice of the eternal punishment of sin. They
complain that the penalty does not fit the crime. They argue that it
is unrighteous for a sinner to suffer eternally in consequence of a
short life span of wrong-doing. But even in this world it is not the
length of time which it takes to commit the crime which determines the
severity of the sentence. Many a man has suffered a life term of
imprisonment for a crime which required only a few minutes for its
perpetration. Apart, however, from this consideration, eternal
punishment is just if sin be looked at from God's viewpoint. But this
is just what the majority of men refuse to do. They look at sin and
its deserts solely from the human side. One reason why the Bible was
written was to correct our ideas and views about sin, to teach us what
an unspeakably awful and vile thing it is, to show us sin as God sees
it. For one single sin Adam and Eve were banished from Eden. For one
single sin Canaan and all his posterity were cursed. For a single sin
Korah and his company went down alive into the pit. For one single sin
Moses was debarred from entering the Promised Land. For a single sin
Achan and his family were stoned to death. For a single sin Elisha's
servant was smitten with leprosy. For a single sin Ananias and
Sapphira were cut off out of the land of the living. Why? To teach us
what an infinite evil it is to revolt against the thrice holy God. We
repeat, that did men but see the terribleness of sin--did they but see
that it was sin that put to a shameful death the Lord of Glory--then
they would realize that nothing short of eternal punishment would meet
the demands which justice has upon sinners.
But the great majority of men do not see the meetness or justice of
eternal punishment; on the contrary, they cry out against it. In lands
which were not illumined by the Old Testament Scriptures, where there
existed any belief in a future life, it was held that at death the
wicked either passed through some temporary suffering for remedial and
purifying purposes or else they were annihilated. Even in Christendom,
where the Word of God has held a prominent and public place for
centuries, the great bulk of the people do not believe in eternal
punishment. They argue that God is too merciful and kind to ban one of
His own creatures to endless misery. Yea, not a few of the Lord's own
people are afraid to take the solemn teachings of the Scriptures on
this subject at their face value. It is therefore evident that had the
Bible been written by uninspired men; had it been a mere human
composition, it certainly would not have taught the eternal and
conscious torment of all who die out of Christ. The fact that the
Bible does so teach is conclusive proof that it was written by men who
spake not of themselves, but as they were "moved by the Holy Spirit."
The teachings of God's Word upon eternal punishment are as clear and
explicit as they are solemn and awful. They declare that the doom of
the Christ rejector is a conscious, never-ending, indescribable
torment. The Bible depicts the place of punishment as a realm where
the "worm dieth not" and "the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:48). It
speaks of it as a lake of fire and brimstone (Rev. 20:10), where even
a drop of water is denied the agonized sufferer (Luke 16:24). It
declares that "the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and
ever: and they have no rest day nor night" (Rev. 14:11). It represents
the world of the lost as a scene into which penetrates no light--"the
blackness of darkness for ever" (Jude 1: 13) --a doom alleviated by no
ray of hope. In short, the portion of the lost will be unbearable, yet
it will have to be borne, and borne for ever. What mortal mind
conceived of such a fate? Such a conception is too repugnant and
repulsive to the human heart to have had its birth on the earth.
The teachings of the Bible about Salvation from Sin is unique. Man's
thoughts about salvation, like every other subject which engages his
mind are defective and deficient. Hence the force of the
admonition--"Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man
his thoughts" (Isa. 55:7). In the first place, left to himself, man
fails to realize his need of salvation. In the pride of his heart he
imagines that he is sufficient in himself, and through the darkening
of his understanding by sin he fails to comprehend his ruined and lost
condition. Like the self-righteous Pharisee, he thanks God that he is
not as other men, that he is morally the superior of the savage or the
criminal, and refuses to believe that so far as his standing before
God is concerned there is "no difference." It is not until the Holy
Spirit deals with him that man is constrained to cry, "God be merciful
to me a sinner."
In the second place man is ignorant of the way of salvation. Even when
man has been brought to the place where he recognizes that he is not
prepared to meet God, and that if he died in his present state he
would be eternally lost; even then he has no right conception of the
remedy. Being ignorant of God's righteousness he goes about to
establish his own righteousness. He supposes that he must make some
personal reparation for his past wrong-doings, that he must work for
his salvation, do something to merit the esteem of God, and thus win
heaven as a reward. The highest concept of man's mind is that of
merit. To him salvation is a wage to be earned, a crown to be coveted,
a prize to be won. The proof of this is to be seen in the fact that
even when pardon and life are presented as a free gift, the universal
tendency, at first, is to regard it as being "too good to be true."
Yet, such is the plain teaching of God's Word--"For by grace are ye
saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of
God: not of works; lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:8-9). And
again--"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but
according to His mercy He saved us" (Titus 3:5).
If it is true that man left to himself would never have fully realized
his need of salvation, and would never have discovered that it was by
grace through faith and not of works, how much less would the human
mind have been capable of rising to the level of what God's Word
teaches about the nature of salvation and the glorious and marvelous
destiny of the saved! Who would have thought that the Maker and Ruler
of the universe should lay hold of poor, fallen, depraved men and
women and lifting them out of the miry clay should make them His own
sons and daughters, and should seat them at His own table! Who would
ever have suggested that those who deserve naught but everlasting
shame and contempt, should be made "heirs of God and joint-heirs with
Christ"! Who would have dreamed that beggars should be lifted from the
dunghill of sin and made to sit together with Christ in heavenly
places! Who would have imagined that the corrupted offspring of
disobedient Adam should be exalted to a position higher than that
occupied by the unfallen angels! Who would have dared to affirm that
one day we shall be "made like Christ" and "be for ever with the
Lord"! Such concepts were as far beyond the reach of the highest human
intellect as they were of the rudest savage. "But as it is written,
eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart
of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But
God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth
all things, yea, the deep things of God" (1 Cor. 2:9-10).
Again we ask, what human intellect could have devised a means whereby
God could be just and yet merciful, merciful and yet just? What mortal
mind would ever have dreamed of a free and full salvation, bestowed on
hell-deserving sinners, "without money and without price"! And what
flight of carnal imagination would ever have conceived of the Son of
God Himself being "made sin" for us and dying the Just for the unjust?
The teaching of the Bible concerning the Saviour of sinners is unique.
The description which the Scriptures furnish of the Person, the
Character, and the Work of the Lord Jesus Christ is without anything
that approaches a parallel in the whole realm of literature. It is
easier to suppose that man could create a world than to believe he
invented the character of our adorable Redeemer. Given a piece of
machinery that is delicate, complex, exact in all its movements, and
we know it must be the product of a competent mechanic. Given a work
of art that is beautiful, symmetrical, original, and we know it must
be the product of a master artist. None but an Angelo could have
designed Saint Peter's; none but a Raphael could have painted the
"transfiguration;" none but a Milton could have written a "Paradise
Lost." And, none but the Holy Spirit could have produced the peerless
portrait of the Lord Jesus which we find in the Gospels. In Christ all
excellencies combine. Here is one of the many respects in which He
differs from all other Bible characters. In each of the great heroes
of Scripture some trait stands out with peculiar distinctness--Noah,
faithful testimony; Abraham, faith in God; Isaac, submission to his
father; Joseph, love for his brethren; Moses, unselfishness and
meekness; Joshua, courage and leadership; Job, fortitude and patience;
Daniel, fidelity to God; Paul, zeal in service; John, spiritual
discernment--but in the Lord Jesus every grace is found. Moreover, in
Him all these perfections were properly poised and balanced. He was
meek yet regal; He was gentle yet fearless; He was compassionate yet
just; He was submissive yet authoritative; He was Divine yet human;
add to these, the fact that He was absolutely "without sin" and His
uniqueness becomes apparent. Nowhere in all the writings of antiquity
is there to be found the presentation of such a peerless and wondrous
character.
Not only is the portrayal of Christ's character without any rival, but
the teaching of the Bible concerning His Person and Work is also
utterly incredible on any other basis save that they are part of a
Divine revelation. Who would have dared to imagine the Creator and
Upholder of the universe taking upon Himself the form of a servant and
being made in the likeness of men? Who would have conceived the idea
of the Lord of Glory being born in a manger? Who would have dreamed of
the Object of angelic worship becoming so poor that he had not where
to lay His head? Who would have declared that the One before whom the
seraphim veil their faces should be led as a lamb to the slaughter,
should have suffered His own blessed face to be defiled with the vile
spittle of man, and should permit the creatures of His hand to scourge
and buffet Him? Whoever would have conceived of Emmanuel becoming
obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross!
Here then is an argument which the simplest can grasp. The Scriptures
contain their own evidence that they are Divinely inspired. Every page
of Holy Writ is stamped with Jehovah's autograph. The uniqueness of
its teachings demonstrates the uniqueness of its Source. The teachings
of the Scriptures about God Himself, about man, about the world, about
sin, about eternal punishment, about salvation, about the Lord Jesus
Christ, are proof that the Bible is not the product of any man or any
number of men, but is in truth a revelation from God.
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The Divine Inspiration of the Bible
CHAPTER FIVE:
The Fulfilled Prophecies of the Bible Bespeak the Omniscience of its
Author
_________________________________________________________________
In Isaiah 41:21-23 we have what is probably the most remarkable
challenge to be found in the Bible. "Produce your cause, saith the
Lord; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob. Let
them bring them forth, and show us what shall happen; let them show
the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know
the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come. Show the
things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods."
This Scripture has both a negative and a positive value: negatively it
suggests an infallible criterion by which we may test the claims of
religious impostors; positively, it calls attention to an unanswerable
argument for the truthfulness of God's Word. Jehovah bids the prophets
of false faiths to successfully predict events lying in the far
distant future and their success or failure will show whether or not
they are gods or merely pretenders and deceivers. On the other hand,
the demonstrated fact that God alone grasps the ages and in His Word
declares the end from the beginning, shows that he is God and that
Scriptures are His Inspired Revelation to mankind.
Again and again men have attempted to predict future events but always
with the most disastrous failure, the anticipations of the most
far-seeing and the precautions of the wisest are mocked repeatedly by
the bitter irony of events. Man stands before an impenetrable wall of
darkness, he is unable to foresee the events of even the next hour.
None knows what a day may bring forth. To the finite mind the future
is filled with unknown possibilities. How then can we explain the
hundreds of detailed prophecies in the Scriptures which have been
literally fulfilled to the letter, hundreds of years after they were
uttered? How can we account for the fact that the Bible successfully
foretold hundreds, and in some instances thousands of years
beforehand, the History of the Jews, the Course of the Gentiles, and
the Experiences of the Church? The most conservative of critics, and
the most daring assailants of God's Word are compelled to acknowledge
that all the Books of the Old Testament were written hundreds of years
before the incarnation of our Lord, hence, the actual and accurate
fulfillment of these prophecies can only be explained on the
hypothesis that "Prophecy came not at any time by the will of men: but
holy men of God, spake, moved by the Holy Ghost."
The Inspirer of the Scriptures has told us that "We have also a more
sure word of prophecy; where unto ye do well that ye take heed as unto
a light that shineth in a dark place" (2 Pet. 1:19). In the limited
space at our command we shall appeal to but a few from among the many
fulfilled prophecies of God's Word, and shall limit ourselves to those
which have reference to the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The cumulative force of these will be sufficient, we trust, to
convince any impartial inquirer that none other but the mind of God
could have disclosed the future and unveiled beforehand far distant
events.
"The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy." The Lamb of God is
the one great object and subject of the Prophetic Word. In Genesis
3:15 we have the first word about the Coming of Christ. Speaking to
the serpent, Jehovah said, "And I will put enmity between thee and the
woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head,
and thou shall bruise His heel." Note that the Coming One was to be
the "woman's seed," the Miraculous Character of our Lord's Birth being
thus foretold four thousand years before He was born at Bethlehem!
In Genesis 22:18 we have the second distinct Messianic prophecy. Unto
Abraham, the angel of the Lord declared, "And in thy seed shall all
the nations of the earth be blessed." Not only was the Saviour of
sinners to be human as well as Divine, not only was He to be the
"woman's" seed, but in the above Scripture it was declared that He
should be a descendant of Abraham--an Israelite. How this was
fulfilled we may see by a reference to the first verse in the New
Testament, where we are told (Matt. 1:1) that Jesus Christ was "The
Son of David, the son of Abraham."
But still further was the compass narrowed down, for we have intimated
in the Old Testament Scriptures the very tribe from which the Messiah
was to issue--our Lord was to come of the Tribe of Judah (the "kingly"
tribe). He was to be a descendant of David. Nathan the prophet was
commanded by God to go and say to David, "I will set up thy seed after
thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will stablish His
kingdom. He shall build an house for My name, and I will stablish the
throne of His kingdom for ever" (2 Sam. 7:12-13). And again, in Psalm
132:11 David declares concerning the promised Messiah, "The Lord hath
sworn in truth unto David; (He will not turn from it) Of the fruit of
thy body will I set upon thy throne.
Not only was our Lord's nationality defined hundreds of years before
His incarnation, but the very place of His birth was also given. In
Micah 5:2 we are informed, "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou
be little among the thousands of Judah, but out of thee shall He come
forth unto Me that is to be Ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have
been from of old, from the days of eternity." Christ was to be born in
Bethlehem, and not only in one of the several villages which bore that
name in Palestine, but Bethlehem of Judea was to be the birth-place of
the world's Redeemer; and though Mary was a native of Nazareth (far
distant from Bethlehem) yet through the providence of God, His Word
was literally fulfilled by His Son being born in Bethlehem of Judea.
Further, the very time of Messiah's appearing was given through both
Jacob and Daniel (see Gen. 49:10 and Daniel 9:24-26). Now in order to
appreciate the force of these marvelous, super-natural prophecies, let
the reader seek to foretell the nationality, place and time of the
birth of some one who shall be born in the twenty-fifth century A. D.,
and then he will realize that none but a man inspired and informed by
God Himself could perform such an otherwise impossible feat.
So definite and distinct were the Old Testament prophecies respecting
the Birth of Christ, that the hope of Israel became the Messianic
Hope; all their expectations were centered in the coming of the
Messiah. It is therefore the more remarkable that their sacred
Scriptures should contain another set of prophecies which predicted
that He should be despised by His own nation and rejected by His own
kinsmen. We can only now call attention to one of the prophecies which
declared that the Messiah of Israel should be slighted and scorned by
His brethren according to the flesh.
In Isaiah 53:2-3 we read, "And when we (Israel) shall see Him, there
is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected of
men; a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it
were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not!" We
pause here for a moment to enlarge upon this strange and striking
phenomenon.
For more than fifteen centuries the Coming of the Messiah had been the
one great national Hope of Israel. From the cradle the sons of Abraham
were taught to pray and long for His advent. The eagerness with which
they awaited the appearing of the Star of Jacob is absolutely without
parallel in the history of any other nation. How then can we account
for the fact that when He did come He was despised and rejected? How
can we explain the fact that side by side with the intense longing for
the manifestation of their King, one of their own prophets foretold
that when He did appear men would hide their faces from Him and esteem
Him not? Finally, what explanation have we to offer for the fact that
such things were predicted centuries before He came to this earth and
that they were literally fulfilled to the very letter? As another has
said, "No prediction could have seemed more improbable, and yet none
ever received a sadder and more complete fulfillment."
We pass on now to those predictions which have reference to the death
of our Lord. If it was wonderful that an Israelitish prophet should
foretell the rejection of the Messiah by His own nation, what shall we
say to the fact that the Old Testament Scriptures prophesied in detail
concerning the manner or form of His death? Yet again and again we
find this to be the case! Let us examine a few typical instances.
First, it was intimated that our Lord should be betrayed and sold for
the price of a common slave. In Zechariah 11:12 we read, "So they
weighed for My price thirty pieces of silver." Who was it that was
able to declare, centuries before the event came to pass, the exact
amount that Judas should receive for his dastardly deed? In Isaiah
53:7 we have another line in this marvelous picture which human wisdom
could not possibly have supplied--"He is brought as a lamb to the
slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened
not His mouth." Who could have foreseen this most unusual sight, of a
prisoner standing before his judges with his life at stake, yet
attempting and offering no defense? Yet this is precisely what did
happen in connection with our Lord, for we are told in Mark 15:5, "But
Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marveled." Again; who was
it that knew seven hundred years before the greatest tragedy of human
history was enacted that the Son of God, the King of the Jews, the
gentlest and meekest Man who ever trod our earth, should be scourged
and spat upon? Yet such an experience was foretold: "I gave My back to
the smiters, and My cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid
not My face from shame and spitting" (Isa. 50:6).
Further; the form of capital punishment reserved for Jewish criminals
was "stoning to death," and in David's time the experience of
"crucifixion" was entirely unknown, yet we find in Psalm 22:16 that
Israel's king was inspired to write, "They pierced My hands and My
feet!" Again; what human foresight could have seen that in His
thirst-agonies upon the cross our Lord should be given gall and
vinegar to drink? Yet it was declared a thousand years before the Lord
of Glory was nailed to the tree that, "They gave Me also gall for My
meat; and in My thirst they gave Me vinegar to drink." (Ps. 69:21).
Finally; we ask, how could David foretell, unless he was inspired by
the Holy Spirit, that our Lord should be taunted by His enemies and
challenged to come down from the Cross? Yet in Psalm 22:7-8 we read,
"All they that see Me laugh Me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they
shake the head, saying, He trusted on the Lord that He would deliver
Him: let Him deliver Him, seeing He delighted in Him." Such examples
as the above might be multiplied indefinitely, but sufficient
illustrations have already been given to warrant us in saying that the
fulfilled prophecies of the Bible bespeak the omniscience of its
Author.
Were it necessary, and had we the space at our command, scores of
additional fulfilled prophecies relating to the History of Israel, the
Course of the Gentiles, and the Experiences of the Church--prophecies
just as definite, accurate, and remarkable as those relating to the
Person of the Lord Jesus Christ--could be given, but our present
limits and purpose forbid us so doing.
Having examined a few of the startling prophecies which treat of the
Birth and Death of our Saviour, it now only remains for us to apply in
a word the significance of this argument. Many have read over these
Scriptures before and perhaps have regarded them as being wonderfully
descriptive of the Advent and Passion of Jesus Christ, but how many
have carefully weighed the fact that each of these Scriptures were in
indisputable existence more than five hundred years before our Lord
came to this earth?
Man is unable to accurately predict events which are but twenty-four
hours distant; only the Divine Mind could have foretold the future,
centuries before it came to be. Hence, we affirm with the utmost
confidence, that the hundreds of fulfilled prophecies in the Bible
attest and demonstrate the truth that the Scriptures are the inspired,
infallible, inerrant Word of God.
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The Divine Inspiration of the Bible
CHAPTER SIX:
The Typical Significance of the Scriptures Declare Their Divine
Authorship
_________________________________________________________________
"In the volume of the Book it is written of Me" (Heb. 10:7). Christ is
the Key to the Scriptures. Said He, "Search the Scriptures. . .they
are they which testify of Me." (John 5:39), and the "Scriptures" to
which He had reference, were not the four Gospels for they were not
then written, but the writings of Moses and the prophets. The Old
Testament Scriptures then are something more than a compilation of
historical records, something more than a system of social and
religious legislation, something more than a code of ethics. The Old
Testament Scriptures are fundamentally a stage on which is shown forth
in vivid symbolism and ritualism the whole plan of redemption. The
events recorded in the Old Testament were actual occurrences, yet they
were also typical prefigurations. Throughout the Old Testament
dispensations God caused to be shadowed forth in parabolic
representation the whole work of redemption by means of a constant and
vivid appeal to the senses. This was in full accord with a fundamental
law in the economy of God. Nothing is brought to maturity at once. As
it is in the natural world, so it is in the spiritual: there is first
the blade, then the ear, and then the full corn in the ear. Concerning
the Person and work of the Lord Jesus, God first gave a series of
pictorial representations, later a large number of specific
prophecies, and last of all, when the fullness of time was come, God
sent forth His own Son.
It is failure to discern the typical import of the Old Testament
Scriptures which has caused so great a part of them to be slighted by
so many readers of the Bible. To multitudes of people the Pentateuch
is little more than a compilation of effete and meaningless ceremonial
rites, and if there is nothing in them more excellent than their
outward semblance, then, surely, it is passing strange that they
should find a place in the Word of God. Take Christ out of Old
Testament ritual and you are left with nothing but the dry and empty
shell of a nut. It is therefore a matter of small surprise that those
who see so little of Christ in the Old Testament Scriptures should
undervalue the instruction and edification to be derived from every
part of them, and that they entertain such degrading ideas of their
inspiration. Deny that there is a spiritual meaning in all the laws
and customs of the Israelites and what food for the soul can be
gathered from a study of them? Deny that they are so many typical
representations of Christ and His Sacrifice for sin and you cast
reproach on the name and wisdom of God by suggesting that He
instituted the carnal ordinances, the cumbrous ceremonies, the
propitiations by sacrifice of animals, which are recorded in the
opening Books of the Bible.
The typical import and the spiritual value of the Jewish economy, both
as a whole and in its many parts, is expressly affirmed in the New
Testament. The Apostle Paul, when referring to the narratives and
events recorded in the Old Testament, declares that, "Whatsoever
things were written aforetime were written for our learning" (Rom.
15:4). Later, when making mention of Israel's exodus from Egypt and
their journey through the wilderness, he affirms, "Now these things
were our examples" and "Now all these things happened unto them for
ensamples: (marg. "types") and they are written for our admonition" (1
Cor. 10:6-11). Again; when commenting upon, and while expounding the
spiritual significance of the Tabernacle, he declares that it was "the
example and shadow of heavenly things" (Heb. 8:5). In the next chapter
he declares, "The Tabernacle...was a figure for the time then present"
(Heb. 9:8-9) and in Hebrews 10 he states, "The law" had "a shadow of
good things to come" (10:1). From these declarations it is evident
that God Himself caused the Tabernacle to be erected exactly according
to the pattern which He had showed Moses, for the express purpose that
it should be a type for symbolizing heavenly things. Hence it becomes
our privilege and bounden duty to seek by the help of the Holy Spirit
to ascertain the meaning of the types of the Old Testament.
In addition to the express declarations of the New Testament quoted
above, there are a number of additional passages which also teach the
same thing. John the Baptist hailed our Saviour as "The Lamb of God
which taketh away the sin of the world," that is, as the great
Antitype of the sacrificial lambs of Old Testament ritual. In His
discourse with Nicodemus our Lord alluded to the lifting up of the
Brazen Serpent in the wilderness as a type of His own lifting up on
the Cross. Writing to the Corinthians the Apostle Paul said, "Christ
our Passover is sacrificed for us" (1 Cor. 5:7), thus signifying that
Exodus 12 pointed forward to the Lord Jesus. Writing to the Galatians
the same Apostle makes mention of the history of Abraham, his wives
and his children, and then states "which things are an allegory" (Gal.
4:24). Now there are many brethren who will own the typical
significance of these things, but who refuse to acknowledge that
anything else in the Old Testament has a typical meaning save those
which are expressly interpreted in the New. But this we conceive to be
a mistake and to place a limit upon the scope and value of the Word of
God. Rather let us regard those Old Testament types which are
expounded in the New Testament as samples of others which are not
explained. Are there no more prophecies in the Old Testament than
those which, in the New Testament, are said to be "fulfilled"?
Assuredly. Then let us admit the same concerning the types.
Several volumes would be filled were we to dwell upon everything in
the Old Testament which has a typical meaning and spiritual
application. All we can now attempt is to single out a few
illustrations as samples, leaving our readers to pursue further this
entrancing study for themselves.
The very first chapter of Genesis is rich in its spiritual contents.
Not only does it give us the only reliable and authentic account of
the creation of this world, but it also reveals God's order in the
work of the new creation. In Genesis 1:1 we have the original or
primitive creation--"in the beginning". From the next verse we infer
that some dreadful calamity followed. The handiwork of God was marred,
"the earth became (not "was") without form and void" --a desolate
waste and empty ruin. The earth was submerged. A scene of dreariness
and death is introduced--"and darkness was upon the face of the deep."
Not only was this the history of the earth, but it was also the
history of man. In the beginning he was created by God--created in the
image and likeness of his Maker. But a terrible calamity followed. An
enemy appeared on the scene. The heart of the creature was seduced,
unbelief and disobedience being the consequence. Man fell, and awful
was his fall. God's image was broken: human nature was ruined by sin:
desolation and death took the place of God's likeness and life. In
consequence of his sin, man's mind was blinded and darkness rested
upon the face of his understanding.
Next, we read in Genesis 1, of the work reconstruction. The order
followed is profoundly significant--"The Spirit of God moved upon the
face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was
light" (vs. 3-4). The parallel holds good in regeneration. In the work
of the new birth which is performed within the darkened and
spiritually dead sinner, the Spirit of God is the prime mover,
convicting the soul of its lost and ruined condition and revealing the
need of the appointed Saviour. The instrument that He employs is the
written Word, the Word of God, and in every genuine conversion God
says, "Let there be light," and there is light. "For God, who
commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our
hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the
face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6). The parallel might be followed
much further, but sufficient has been said to show that beneath the
actual history of Genesis 1 may be discerned by the anointed eye the
spiritual history of the believer's new creation, and as such it bears
the stamp of its Divine Author and evidences the fact that the opening
chapter of the Bible is no mere human compilation.
In the coats of skin with which the Lord God clothed our first parents
we have an incident that is full of spiritual instruction and which
could never have been invented by man. To obtain these skins life had
to be taken, blood had to be shed, the innocent (animals) must die in
the place of Adam and Eve who were guilty, so as to provide a covering
for them. Thus, the Gospel truths of redemption by blood-shedding and
salvation through a substitutionary sacrifice, were preached in Eden.
Be it noted that man did not have to provide a covering for himself
any more than the "prodigal son" did, nor were they asked to clothe
themselves any more than was he: in the one case we read, "The Lord
God made coats of skins and clothed them" (Gen. 3:21), and in the
other the command was, "Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him"
(Luke 15:22), and both speak of "the robe of righteousness" (Isa.
61:10) which is furnished in Christ.
In the offerings which Cain and Abel presented to the Lord, and in the
response which they met with, we discover a foreshadowing of New
testament truths. Abel brought of the firstlings of the flock with
their fat. He recognized that he was alienated from God and could not
draw nigh to Him without a suitable offering. He saw that his own life
was forfeited through sin, that justice clamored for his death, and
that his only hope lay in another (a lamb) dying in his stead. By
faith Abel presented his bloody offering to God and it was accepted.
On the other hand, Cain refused to take the place of a lost sinner
before God. He refused to acknowledge that death was his due. He
refused to place his confidence in a sacrificial substitute. He
brought as an offering to God the fruits of the ground--the product of
his own labors and in consequence, his offering was rejected. Thus, at
the commencement of human history we have shown forth the fact that
salvation is by grace through faith and altogether apart from works
(Eph. 2: 8-9).
In the great Deluge and the ark in which Noah and his house found
shelter, we have a typification of great spiritual verities. From them
we learn that God takes cognizance of the doings of His creatures;
that He is holy and sin is abhorrent to Him; that His righteousness
requires Him to punish sin and destroy sinners. Yet, here also we
learn that in judgment God remembers mercy, that He has no pleasure in
the death of the wicked; that His grace provides a refuge if only His
sinful creatures will avail themselves of His provision. Yet only in
one place can deliverance from the Divine wrath be found. In the ark
alone is safety and security. And, in like manner, today, there is
only one Saviour for sinners, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ,
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name
under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Act 4:12).
In the deliverance of Israel from Egypt and their wilderness journey
we see portrayed the history of God's people in the present
dispensation. We, too, were living in a world "without God and without
hope." We, too, were in bondage to the cruel taskmasters of sin and
Satan. We, too, were in imminent danger of falling beneath the sword
of the avenging Angel of Justice. But, for us, too, a way of escape
was provided. For us, too, a Lamb was slain. Unto us, too, was given
the precious promise, "When I see the blood I will pass over you"
(Exod. 12:13). And we, too, were redeemed by Almighty power and were
"delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom
of God's dear Son" (Col. 1:13)
After our exodus from Egypt there lies before us a pilgrim journey
through a barren and hostile wilderness as we journey toward the
Promised Land. We have to pass through a strange country and meet with
enemy forces, that we are unable to overcome in our own strength. For
these tasks our own resources--the things we brought with us out of
Egypt--are altogether inadequate, and thus we, too, are cast upon the
sufficiency of Israel's God. And blessed be His name, ample provision
is made for us and grace is furnished for every need. For us there is
heavenly manna in the exceeding great and precious promises of God.
For us there comes water out of the Smitten Rock in the person of the
Holy Spirit (John 7:38-39) who refreshes our souls by taking of the
things of Christ and showing them unto us and who strengthens us with
might in the inner man. For us too, there is a pillar of cloud and
fire to guide us by day and by night in the Holy Scriptures which are
a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. For us, too, there is
One to counsel and direct us, to intercede for us and help us overcome
our Amalekites in the Captain of our salvation who has said, "Lo, I am
with you alway, even unto the end." And, at the close of our
pilgrimage we shall enter a fairer land than that which flowed with
milk and honey for we have been begotten "to an inheritance
incorruptible and undefiled, and that faded not away, reserved in
heaven" for us.
Let the careful and impartial reader weigh thoroughly what has been
said above, and surely it is evident that the numerous resemblances
between the story of Israel and the spiritual history of God's
children in this dispensation cannot be so many coincidences, and can
only be accounted for on the ground that the writings of Moses were
inspired by the Living God.
The history of Israel in Canaan as the professed people of God
corresponds with the history of the professing church in the New
Testament dispensation. After Moses, the one who led Israel out from
their Egyptian bondage, came Joshua who led Israel in their conquest
of Canaan. So after our Lord left this earth, He sent the Holy Spirit
who through the Apostles caused the Jericho's and Ai's of Paganism to
be overthrown and the greater part of the world to be evangelized. But
after their occupancy of Canaan Israel's history was a sad one, being
characterized by spiritual declination and departure from God. So it
was with the professing church. Very quickly after the death of the
Apostles heresy corrupted the Christian profession, and just as Israel
of old grew tired of a theocracy and demanded a human head and king,
like the nations which surrounded them, so the professing church
became dissatisfied with the New Testament form of church government
and submitted to the domination of a pope. And just as Israel's kings
became more and more corrupt until God would bear with them no longer
and sold His people into captivity, so after the setting up of the
Papal See there followed the long period of the Dark Ages when Europe
was subjected to a spiritual bondage and when the Word of God was
bound in chains. Then, just as God raised up Ezra and Nehemiah to
recover the living oracle and to lead out of their captivity a remnant
of His people, so in the sixteenth century, A. D., God raised up
Luther and honored contemporaries to bring about the great Reformation
of Protestantism. Finally: just as after the days of Ezra and Hehemiah
the Jews in Palestine witnessed a marked spiritual declination,
ultimately lapsing into the ritualism of the Pharisees and the
rationalism of the Sadducees from which God's elect were delivered
only by the appearing of His own Son, so has history repeated itself.
Since Reformation and the last of the Puritans, Christendom has moved
swiftly in the direction of the predicted apostasy, and today we have
reproduced the ancient Phariseeism in the rapid spread of Roman
Catholicism, and the ancient Sadduceeism in the far-reaching effects
of the infidelistic Higher Criticism: and as it was before, so it will
be again--God's elect will be delivered only by the reappearing of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Thus we see how wonderfully and accurately the Old testament history
runs parallel with and anticipated the history of the professing
church in the New Testament dispensation. It has been truly said that
"Coming events cast their shadows before them," and who but He who
knows the end from the beginning and who upholds all things by the
word of His power, could have caused the shadow of the Old Testament
to have taken the shape they did, and thus give a true and
comprehensive parabolic setting forth of that which has taken place
thousands of years later!
But not only do the broad outlines of Old Testament history possess a
typical meaning, everything in the Old Testament Scriptures has a
spiritual value.
Every battle fought by the Israelites, every change in the
administration of their government, every detail in their elaborate
ceremonialism, and every personal biography narrated in the Bible, is
designed for our instruction and edification. The Bible contains
nothing that is superfluous. From beginning to end the Scriptures
testify of Christ. Inanimate objects like the ark, which tells of
security in Christ from the storms of Divine wrath; like the manna,
which speaks of Him as the Bread of Life; like the brazen Serpent
uplifted on the pole, of the Tabernacle, which presents Him as the
meeting place of God and men--all foreshadowed the Redeemer. Living
creatures like the Passover Lamb, the sacrificial bullocks, goats and
rams, all pointed forward in general and in detail to the great
Sacrifice for sins. Institutions like the Passover which prefigured
His death; like the waving of the first-fruits, which forecast His
resurrection; like the fast of Pentecost with its two loaves baken
with leaven, telling of the uniting into one Body of the Jew and the
Gentile; like the Burnt, the Meal and the Peace "sweet savor"
offerings, which proclaimed the excellency of Christ's person in the
esteem of God--all emblemized our blessed Saviour. And, many of the
leading personages of Old Testament biography gave a remarkable
delineation of our Lord's character and earthly ministry.
Abel was a type of Christ. His name signifies vanity and emptiness
which foreshadowed the Lord Jesus who "made Himself of no reputation,"
literally "emptied Himself" (Phil. 2:7), when He assumed the nature of
man who is "like unto vanity" (Ps. 72:9). By calling, Abel, was a
shepherd, and it was in his shepherd character he brought an offering
to God, namely, the firstlings of his flock--speaking of the Good
Shepherd who offered Himself to God. The offering which Abel brought
to God is termed an "excellent" one (Heb. 11:4) and as such it pointed
forward to the precious blood of Christ, the value of which cannot be
estimated in silver and gold. Abel's offering was accepted by God, God
"testifying" His approval of it; and, in like manner, God publicly
witnessed to His acceptance of Christ's sacrifice when He raised Him
from the Dead (Acts 2:32). Abel's offering still speaks to God--"by it
he being dead, yet speaketh;" so, too, Christ's offering "speaks" to
God (Heb. 12:24). Though guilty of no offense, Abel was hated by his
brother and cruelly slain at his hand, foreshadowing the treatment
which the Lord Jesus received at the hands of the Jews--His brethren
according to the flesh.
Isaac was a type of Christ. he was the child of promise. His nativity
was announced by an angel. He was supernaturally begotten. He was born
at an appointed time. He was named by God (Gen. 1: 18-19). He was the
"seed" to whom the promises were made and through whom they were
secured. He became obedient unto death. He carried on his own shoulder
the wood on which he was to be offered. He was securely fastened to
the alter. He was presented as a sacrifice to God. He was offered on
Mount Moriah--the same on which, two thousand years later, Jesus
Christ was offered. And, it was on the "third day" that Abraham
received him back "in a figure" from the dead (Heb. 11:19).
Joseph is a type of Christ. He was Jacob's well-beloved son. He
readily responded to his father's will when asked to go on a mission
to his brethren. While seeking his brethren he became a "wanderer in
the field" (Gen. 37:15) --the "field" figuring the world (see Matt.
13:38). He found his brethren in Dothan which signifies the law--so
the Lord Jesus found His brethren under the bondage of the law. His
brethren mocked and refused to receive him. His brethren took counsel
together against him that they might put him to death. Judah (Judas is
the Greek form of the same word) advised his brethren to sell Joseph
to the Ishmaelites. After he had been rejected by his brethren, Joseph
was taken down into Egypt in order that he might become a Saviour to
the world. While in Egypt, Joseph was tempted, not without any
compromise he put from him the evil solicitation. He was falsely
accused and through no fault of his own was cast into prison. There he
was the interpreter of dreams--the one who threw light on what was
mysterious. In prison he became the savor of life to the butler, and
the savor of death to the baker. After a period of humiliation and
shame, he was exalted to the throne of Egypt. From that throne he
administered bread to a hungering and perishing humanity. Subsequently
Joseph became known to his brethren, and in fulfillment of what he had
previously announced to them, they bowed down before him and owned his
sovereignty.
Moses was a type of Christ. Moses became the adopted son of Pharaoh's
daughter--so that legally he had a mother but no father, thus
typifying our Lord's miraculous birth of a virgin. During infancy his
life was endangered by the evil designs of the ... ruler. Like
Christ's, his early life was spent in Egypt. Later, he renounced the
position of royalty, refusing to be called the son of Pharaoh's
daughter; and he who was rich, for the sake of his people, became
poor. Before he commenced His life's work, a long period was spent in
Midian in obscurity. Here he received a call and commission from God
to go to deliver his brethren out of their terrible bondage. The
credentials of his mission were seen in the miracles which he
performed. Though despised and rejected by the rulers in Egypt, he,
nevertheless, succeeded in delivering his own people. Subsequently, he
became the leader and head of all Israel. In character he was the
meekest man in all the earth. In all God's house he was faithful as a
servant. In the wilderness he sent twelve men to spy out Canaan as our
Lord sent out the twelve Apostles to preach the Gospel. He fasted for
forty days. On the mount he was transfigured so that the skin of his
face shone. He acted as God's prophet to the people, as as the
people's intercessor before God. He was the only man mentioned in the
Old Testament that was prophet, priest and king. He was the giver of a
Law, the builder of a Tabernacle, and the organizer of a Priesthood.
His last act was to "bless the people (Deut. 33:29), as our Lord's
last act was to "bless" His disciples (Luke 24:50).
Samson was a type of Christ--see the Book on Judges. An angel
announced his birth (13:3). From birth he was a Nazarite
(13:5)--separated to God. Before he was born it was promised that he
should be a saviour to Israel (13:5). He was treated unkindly by his
own nation (15:11-13). He was delivered up to the Gentiles by his own
countrymen (15:12). He was mocked and cruelly treated by the Gentiles
(16:19-21, 25) yet he was a mighty deliverer of Israel. His miracles
were performed under the power of the Holy Spirit (14:19). He
accomplished more in his death than he did in his life (16:30). He was
imprisoned in the enemy's stronghold; the gates were barred, and a
watch was set; yet, rising up at midnight, in the early hours of the
morning--"a great while before day"--he burst the bars, broke open the
gate, and issued forth triumphant--a remarkable type of our Lord's
resurrection. He occupied the position of "judge," as our Lord will in
the last great day.
David was a type of Christ. He was born in Bethlehem. He is described
as "of a beautiful countenance and goodly to look upon." His name
means "the beloved." By occupation he was a shepherd. During his
shepherd life he entered into conflict with wild beasts. He slew
Goliath--the opposer of God's people and a type of Satan. From the
obscurity of shepherdhood he was exalted to Israel's throne. He was
anointed as king before he was coronated. He was preeminently a man of
prayer (see the Psalms) and is the only one in Scripture termed "The
man after God's own heart." He was a man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief, suffering chiefly from those of his own household.
Repeated attempts were made upon his life by Israel's ruler. When his
enemy (Saul) was in his power he refused to slay him, instead, he
dealt with him in mercy and grace. He delivered Israel from all their
enemies and vanquished all their foes.
Solomon was a type of Christ. He was Israel's king. His name signifies
"Peaceable," and he foreshadows the millennial reign of the Lord Jesus
when He shall rule as Prince of Peace. He was chosen and ordained of
God before he was crowned. He rode upon another's mule, not as a
warrior, but as the king of peace in lowly guise (1 Kings 1:33).
Gentiles took part in the coronation of Solomon (1 Kings 1:38)
typifying the universal homage which Christ shall receive during the
millennium. The Cherethites and Pelethites were soldiers, so that
Solomon was followed by an army at the time of his coronation (1 Kings
1:33; cp. Rev. 19:11). Solomon began his reign by showing mercy to and
yet demanding righteousness from Adonijah (1 Kings 1:51)--such will be
the leading characteristics of Christ's millennial government. Solomon
was the builder of Israel's Temple (cp. Acts 15:16). At the dedication
of the Temple, Solomon was the one who offered sacrifices unto the
Lord: thus the king fulfilled the office of priest (1 Kings 8:63),
which typifies the Lord Jesus who "shall be a Priest upon His throne"
(Zech. 6:13). Solomon's "fame" went abroad far and wide and "all the
earth sought to Solomon" (1 Kings 10:24). The queen of Sheba,
representing the Gentiles, came up to Jerusalem to pay him homage (1
Kings 10) as all the nations will to Christ during the millennium (see
Zech. 14:16). All Israel's land enjoyed rest and peace. The glory and
magnificence of Solomon's reign has never been equaled before or
since--"And the Lord magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all
Israel, and bestowed upon him such royal majesty as had not been on
any king before him in Israel" (1 Chron. 29:25).
In the above types we have not sought to be exhaustive but suggestive
by singling out only the leading lines in each typical picture. There
are many other Old Testament characters who were types of Christ which
we cannot now consider at length: Adam typified His Headship; Enoch
His Ascension; Noah as the provider of a Refuge; Jacob as the one who
served for a Wife; Aaron as the great High Priest; Joshua as the
Captain of our salvation; Samuel as the Faithful Prophet; Elijah as
the Miracle worker; Jeremiah as the despised and rejected Servant of
God; Daniel as the Faithful Witness for God; Jonah as the One raised
from the dead on the third day.
In closing this chapter let us apply the argument. Of the many typical
persons in the Old Testament who prefigure the Lord Jesus Christ, the
striking, the accurate, and the manifold lights, in which each
exhibits Him is truly remarkable. No two of them represent Him from
exactly the same viewpoint. Each one contributes a line or two to the
picture, but all are needed to give a complete delineation. That an
authentic history should supply a series of personages in different
ages, whose characters, offices, and histories, should exactly
correspond with those of Another who did not appear upon earth until
centuries later, can only be accounted for on the supposition of
Divine appointment. When we consider the utter dissimilarity of these
typical persons to one another; when we note that they had little or
nothing in common with each other; when we remember that each of them
represents some peculiar feature in a composite Anti type; we discover
that we have a literary phenomenon which is truly remarkable. Abel,
Isaac, Joseph, Moses, Samson, David, Solomon (and all the others) are
each deficient when viewed separately; but when looked at in
conjunction they form an harmonious whole, and give us a complete
representation of our Lord's miraculous birth, His peerless character,
His life's mission, His sacrificial death, His triumphant
resurrection, His ascension to heaven, and His millennial reign. Who
could have invented such character? How remarkable that the earliest
history in the world, extending from the creation and reaching to the
last of the prophets--written by various hands through a period of
fifteen centuries--should from start to finish concentrate in a single
point, and that point the person and work of the blessed Redeemer!
Verily, such a Book must have been written by God--no other conclusion
is possible. Beneath the historical we discern the spiritual: behind
the incidental we behold the typical: underneath the human biographies
we see the form of Christ, and in these things we discover on every
page of the Old Testament the "watermark" of heaven.
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The Divine Inspiration of the Bible
CHAPTER SEVEN:
The Wonderful Unity of the Bible Attests its Divine Authorship
_________________________________________________________________
The manner in which the Bible has been produced argues against its
unity. The Bible was penned on two continents, written in three
languages, and its composition and compilation extended through the
slow progress of sixteen centuries. The various parts of the Bible
were written at different times and under the most varying
circumstances. Parts of it were written in tents, deserts, cities,
palaces and dungeons; in times of imminent danger and in seasons of
ecstatic joy. Among its writers were judges, kings, priests, prophets,
patriarchs, prime ministers, herdsmen, scribes, soldiers, physicians
and fishermen. Yet despite these varying circumstances, conditions and
workmen, the Bible is one Book, behind its many parts there is an
unmistakable organic unity. It contains one system of doctrine, one
code of ethics, one plan of salvation and one rule of faith.
Now if forty different men were selected today from such varying
stations and callings of life as to include clerks, rulers,
politicians, judges, clergy, doctors, farm laborers and fishermen, and
each was asked to contribute a chapter for some book on theology or
church government, when their several contributions were collected and
bound together, would there be any unity about them, could that book
truly be said to be one book; or would not their different productions
vary so much in literary value, diction and matter as to be merely a
heterogeneous mass, a miscellaneous collection? Yet we do not find
this to be the case in connection with God's Book. Although the Bible
is a volume of sixty-six Books, written by forty different men,
treating of such a large variety of themes as to cover nearly the
whole range of human inquiry, we find it is one Book, the Book (not
the books), the Bible.
Further; if we were to select specimens of literature from the third,
fifth, tenth, fifteenth and twentieth centuries of the Christian era
and were to bind them together, what unity and harmony should we find
in such a collection? Human writers reflect the spirit of their own
day and generation and the compositions of men living amid widely
differing influences and separated by centuries of time have little or
nothing in common with each other. Yet although the earliest portions
of the Sacred Canon date back to at least the fifteenth century, B.
C., while the writings of John were not completed till the close of
the first century, A. D., nevertheless, we find a perfect harmony
throughout the Scriptures from the first verse in Genesis to the last
verse in Revelation. The great ethical and spiritual lessons presented
in the Bible, by whoever taught, agree.
The more one really studies the Bible the more one is convinced that
behind the many human mouths there is One overruling, controlling
Mind. Imagine forty persons of different nationalities, possessing
various degrees of musical culture visiting the organ of some
cathedral and at long intervals of time, and without any collusion
whatever, striking sixty-six different notes, which when combined
yielded the theme of the grandest oratorio ever heard: would it not
show that behind these forty different men there was one presiding
mind, one great Tone master? As we listen to some great orchestra,
with an immense variety of instruments playing their different parts,
but producing melody and harmony, we realize that at the back of these
many musicians there is the personality and genius of the composer.
And when we enter the halls of the Divine Academy and listen to the
heavenly choirs singing the Song of Redemption, all in perfect accord
and unison, we know that it is God Himself who has written the music
and put this song into their mouths.
We now submit two illustrations which demonstrate the unity of the
Holy Scriptures. Certain grand conceptions run through the entire
Bible like a cord on which are strung so many precious pearls. First
and foremost among them is the Divine Plan of Redemption. Just as the
scarlet thread runs through all the cordage of the British Navy, so a
crimson aura surrounds every page of God's Word.
In the Scriptures the Plan of Redemption is central and fundamental.
In Genesis we have recorded the Creation and Fall of man to show that
he has the capacity for and is in need of redemption. Next we find the
Promise of the Redeemer, for man requires to have before him the hope
and expectation of a Saviour. Then follows an elaborate system of
sacrifices and offerings and these represent pictorially the nature of
redemption and the condition under which salvation is realized. At the
commencement of the New Testament we have the four Gospels and they
set forth the Basis of Redemption, namely, the Incarnation, Life,
Death, Resurrection and Ascension of the Redeemer. Next comes the Book
of the Acts which illustrates again and again the Power of Redemption,
showing that it is adequate to work its great results in the salvation
of both Jew and Gentile. Finally, in the Revelation, we are shown the
ultimate triumphs of redemption, the Goal of Salvation--the redeemed
dwelling with God in perfect union and communion. Thus we see that
though a large number of human media were employed in the writing of
the Bible, yet their productions are not independent of each other,
but are complementary and supplementary parts of one great whole; that
one sublime truth is common to them all, namely, man's need of
redemption and God's provision of a Redeemer. And the only explanation
of this fact is, that "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God."
Secondly; among all the many personalities presented in the Bible, we
find that one stands out above all others, not merely prominent but
preeminent. Just as in the scene unveiled in the fifth chapter of the
Revelation we find the Lamb in the center of the heavenly throngs, so
we find that in the Scriptures also, the Lord Jesus Christ is accorded
the place which alone befits His unique Person. Considered from one
standpoint the Scriptures are really the biography of the Son of God.
In the Old Testament we have the Promise of our Lord's Incarnation and
Mediatorial work. In the Gospels we have the Proclamation of His
Mission and the Proofs of His Messianic claims and authority. In the
Acts we have a demonstration of His saving Power and the execution of
His missionary Program. In the Epistles we find an exposition and
amplification of His Precepts for the education of His People. While
in the Apocalypse we behold the unveiling or Presentation of His
Person and the Preparation of the earth for His Presence. The Bible is
therefore seen to be peculiarly the Book of Jesus Christ. Christ not
only testified to the Scriptures but each section of the Scriptures
testify of Him. Every page of the Holy Book has stamped upon it His
photograph and every chapter bears His autograph. He is its one great
theme, and the only explanation of this fact is that, the Holy Spirit
superintended the work of each and every writer of the Scriptures.
The unity of the Scriptures is further to be seen on the fact that
they are entirely free from any real contradictions. Though different
writers often described the same incidents--as for example the four
evangelists recording the facts relating to our Lord's ministry and
redemptive work--and though there is considerable variety in the
narrations of these, yet there are no real discrepancies. The harmony
existing between them does not appear on the surface, but, often, is
only discovered by protracted study, though it is there nevertheless.
Moreover, there is perfect agreement of doctrine between all the
writers in the Bible. The teaching of the prophets and the teaching of
the Apostles on the great truths of God's righteousness, the demands
of His holiness, the utter ruin of man, the exceeding sinfulness of
sin, and the way of salvation, is entirely harmonious. This might
appear a thing easily effected. But those who are acquainted with
human nature, and have read widely the writings of men, will
acknowledge that nothing but the inspiration of the writers can
explain this fact. Nowhere can we find two uninspired writers, however
similar they may have been in their religious sentiments, who agree in
all points of doctrine. Nay, entire consistency of sentiment is not to
be found even in the writings of the same author at different periods.
In his later years Spurgeon's statement of some doctrines was much
more modified than the utterances of his earlier days. Increasing
knowledge causes men to change their views upon many subjects. But
among the writers of Scripture there is the most perfect harmony,
because they obtained their knowledge of truth and duty not by the
efforts of study, but from inspiration by the Holy Spirit of God.
When therefore we find that in the productions of forty different men
there is perfect accord and concord, unison and unity, harmony in all
their teachings, and the same conceptions pervading all their
writings, the conclusion is irresistible that behind their minds, and
guiding their hands, there was the master-mind of God Himself. Does
not the unity of the Bible illustrate the Divine Inspiration of the
Bible and demonstrate the truth of its own assertion that "God (who)
at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the
fathers by the prophets" (Heb. 1:1)?
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The Divine Inspiration of the Bible
CHAPTER EIGHT:
The Marvelous Influence of the Bible Declares its Super-Human
Character
_________________________________________________________________
The influence of the Bible is world-wide. Its mighty power has
affected every department of human activity. The contents of the
Scriptures have supplied themes for the greatest poets, artists and
musicians which the world has yet produced, and have been the
mightiest factor of all in shaping the moral progress of the race. Let
us consider a few examples of the Bible's influence as displayed in
the various realms of human enterprise.
Take away such sublime oratorios as "Elijah" and "The Messiah," and
you have taken out of the realm of music something which can never be
duplicated; destroy the countless hymns which have drawn their
inspiration from the Scriptures and you have left us little else worth
singing.
Eliminate from the compositions of Tennyson, Wordsworth and Carlisle
every reference to the moral and spiritual truths taught in God's Word
and you have stripped them of their beauty and robbed them of their
fragrance. Take down from off the walls of our best Art Galleries
those pictures which portray scenes and incidents in the history of
Israel and the life of our Lord and you have removed the richest gems
from the crown of human genius. Remove from our statute books every
law which is founded upon the ethical conceptions of the Bible and you
have annihilated the greatest factor in modern civilization. Rob our
libraries of every book which is devoted to the work of elaborating
and disseminating the precepts and concepts of Holy Writ and you have
taken from us that which cannot be valued in dollars and cents.
The Bible has done more for the emancipation and civilization of the
heathen than all the forces which the human arm can wield, put
together. Someone has said, "Draw a line around the nations which have
the Bible and you will then have divided between barbarism and
civilization, between thrift and poverty, between selfishness and
charity, between oppression and freedom, between life and the shadow
of death." Even Darwin had to concede the miraculous element in the
triumphs of the missionaries of the cross.
Here are two or three men who land on a savage island. Its inhabitants
posses no literature and have no written language. They regard the
white man as their enemy and have no desire to be shown "the error of
their ways." They are cannibals by instinct and little better than the
brute beasts in their habits of life. The missionaries who have
entered their midst have no money with which to buy their friendship,
no army to compel their obedience and no merchandise to stir their
avarice. Their only weapon is "the Sword of the Spirit," their only
capital "the unsearchable riches of Christ," their only offer the
invitation of the Gospel. Yet somehow they succeed, and without the
shedding of any blood gain the victory. In a few short years naked
savagery is changed to the garb of civilization, lust is transformed
into purity, cruelty is now kindness, avarice has become
unselfishness, and where before vindictiveness existed there is now to
be seen meekness and the spirit of loving self-sacrifice. And this has
been accomplished by the Bible! This miracle is still being repeated
in every part of the earth! What other book, or library of books,
could work such a result? Is it not evident to all that the Book which
does exert such a unique and unrivaled influence must be vitalized by
the life of God Himself?
This wonderful characteristic, namely the unique influence of the
Bible, is rendered the more remarkable when we take into account the
antiquity of the Scriptures! The last Books which were added to the
Sacred Canon are now more than eighteen hundred years old, yet the
workings of the Bible are as mighty in their effects today as they
were in the first century of the Christian era.
The power of man's books soon wane and disappear. With but few
exceptions the productions of the human intellect enjoy a brief
existence. As a general rule the writings of man within fifty years of
their first public appearance lie untouched on the top shelves of our
libraries. Man's writings are like himself--dying creatures. Man comes
onto the age of this world, plays his part in the drama of life,
influences the audience while he is acting, but is forgotten as soon
as the curtain falls upon his brief career; so it is with his
writings. While they are fresh and new they amuse, interest or
instruct as the wise may be, and then die a natural death. Even the
few exceptions to this rule only exert a very limited influence, their
power is circumscribed; they are unread by the great majority, yea,
are unknown to the biggest portion of our race. But how different with
God's Book! The written Word, like the Living Word, is "The same
yesterday, and today, and for ever," and unlike any other book it has
made its way into all countries and speaks with equal clearness,
directness and force to all men in their mother tongue. The Bible
never becomes antiquated, its vitality never diminishes and its
influence is more irresistible and universal today than it was two
thousands years ago. Such facts as these declare with no uncertain
voice that the Bible is endued with the same Divine life and energy as
its Author, for in no other way can we account for its marvelous
influence through the centuries and its mighty power upon the world.
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The Divine Inspiration of the Bible
CHAPTER NINE:
The Miraculous Power of the Bible Shows
Forth that its Inspirer is the Almighty
_________________________________________________________________
I. The Power of Gods Word to Convict Men of Sin.
In Hebrews 4:12 we have a Scripture which draws attention to this
peculiar characteristic of the Bible--"For the Word of God is quick,
and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to
the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow,
and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." The
writings of men may sometimes stir the emotions, search the
conscience, and influence the human will, but in a manner and degree
possessed by no other book the Bible convicts men of their guilt and
lost estate. The Word of God is the Divine mirror, for in it man reads
the secrets of his own guilty soul and sees the vileness of his own
evil nature. In a way absolutely peculiar to themselves, the
Scriptures discern the thoughts and intents of the heart and reveal to
men the fact that they are lost sinners and in the presence of a Holy
God.
Some thirty years ago there resided in one of the Temples of Thibet a
Buddhist priest who had conversed with no Christian missionary, had
heard nothing about the cross of Christ, and had never seen a copy of
the Word of God. One day while searching for something in the temple,
he came across a transcription of Matthew's Gospel, which years before
had been left there by a native who had received it from some
traveling missionary. His curiosity aroused, the Buddhist priest
commenced to read it, but when he reached the eighth verse in the
fifth chapter he paused and pondered over it: "Blessed are the pure in
heart: for they shall see God." Although he knew nothing about the
righteousness of his Maker, although he was quite ignorant concerning
the demands of God's holiness, yet he was there and then convicted of
his sins, and a work of Divine grace commenced in his soul. Month
after month went by and each day he said to himself, "I shall never
see God, for I am impure in heart." Slowly but surely the work of the
Holy Spirit deepened within him until he saw himself as a lost sinner;
vile, guilty, and undone.
After continuing for more than a year in this miserable condition the
priest one day heard that a "foreign devil" was visiting a town nearby
and selling books which spoke about God. The same night the Buddhist
priest fled from the temple and journeyed to the town where the
missionary was residing. On reaching his destination he sought out the
missionary and at once said to him, "Is it true that only those who
are pure in heart will see God?" "Yes," replied the missionary, "but
the same Book which tells you that, also tells you how you may obtain
a pure heart," and then he talked to him about our Lord's atoning work
and how that "the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all
sin." Quickly the light of God flooded the soul of the Buddhist priest
and he found the peace which "passeth all understanding." Now what
other book in the world outside of the Bible, contains a sentence or
even a chapter which, without the aid of any human commentator, is
capable of convincing and convicting a heathen that he is a lost
sinner? Does not the fact of the miraculous power of the Bible, which
has been illustrated by thousands of fully authenticated cases similar
to the above, declare that the Scriptures are the inspired Word of
God, vested with the same might as their Omnipotent Author?
II. The Power of Gods Word to Deliver Men From Sin.
A single incident which was brought before the notice of the writer
must suffice to illustrate the above mentioned truth.
Some forty years ago a Christian gentleman stood upon the quay of the
Liverpool docks distributing tracts to the sailors. In the course of
his work he handed one to a man who was just embarking on a voyage to
China, and with an oath the sailor took it, crumpled it up and thrust
it into his pocket. Some three weeks after, this sailor was down in
his cabin and needing a "spell" with which to light his pipe felt in
his pocket for the necessary paper and drew out the little tract which
he had received in Liverpool. On recognizing it he uttered a terrible
oath and tore the paper in pieces. One small fragment adhered to his
tarry hand and glancing at it he saw these words, "Prepare to meet thy
God." When relating the incident to the writer he said, "It was at
that moment as though a sword had pierced my heart." "Prepare to meet
thy God" rang again and again in his ears, and with a strickened
conscience he was tormented about his lost condition. Presently he
retired for the night, but sleep he could not. In desperation he got
up and dressed and went above and paced the deck. Hour after hour he
walked up and down, but try as he might he could not dismiss from his
mind the words, "Prepare to meet thy God." For years this man had been
a helpless slave in the grip of strong drink and knowing his weakness
he said: "How can I prepare to meet God, when I am so powerless to
overcome my besetting sin?" Finally, he got down upon his knees and
cried: "O God, have mercy on me, save me from my sins, deliver me from
the power of drink and help me prepare for the meeting with Thee."
More than thirty-five years after, this converted sailor told the
writer that from the night he had read that quotation from God's Word,
had prayed that prayer, and had accepted Christ as his Saviour from
sin, he had never tasted a single drop of intoxicating liquor and had
never once had a desire to craving for strong drink. How marvelous is
the power of God's Word to deliver men from sin! Truly, as Dr. Torrey
has well said, "A Book which will lift men up to God must have come
down from God."
III. The Power of Gods Word Over the Human Affections.
In thousands of instances men and women have been stretched upon the
"rack," torn limb from limb, thrown to the wild beasts, and have been
burned at the stake rather than abandon the Bible and promise never
again to read its sacred pages. For what other book would men and
women suffer and die?
More than two hundred years ago when a copy of the Bible was much more
expensive than it is in these days, a peasant who lived in the County
of Cork, Ireland, heard that a gentleman in his neighborhood had a
copy of the New testament in the Irish language. Accordingly he
visited this man and asked to be allowed to see it, and after looking
at it with great interest begged to be allowed to copy it. Knowing how
poor the peasant was the gentleman asked him where he would get his
paper and ink from? "I will buy them," was the reply. "And where will
you find a place to write?" "If your honor will allow me the use of
your hall, I'll come after my day's work is over and copy a little at
a time in the evenings." The gentleman was so moved at this man's
intense love of the Bible that he gave him the use of his hall and
light and provided him with paper and ink as well. True to his purpose
and promise, the peasant labored night after night until he had
written out a complete copy of the New Testament. Afterwards a printed
copy was given to him, and the written Testament is preserved by the
British and Foreign Bible Society. Again, we ask, what other book in
the world could obtain such a hold upon the affections and win such
love and reverence, and produce such self-sacrificing toil?
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The Divine Inspiration of the Bible
CHAPTER TEN:
The Completeness of the Bible Demonstrates its Divine Perfection
_________________________________________________________________
The antiquity of the Scriptures argues against their completeness. The
compilation of the Bible was completed more than eighteen centuries
ago, while the greater part of the world was yet uncivilized. Since
John added the capstone to the Temple of God's Truth there have been
many wonderful discoveries and inventions, yet there have been no
additions whatever to the moral and spiritual truths contained in the
Bible. Today, we know no more about the origin of life, the nature of
the soul, the problem of suffering or the future destiny of man than
did those who had the Bible eighteen hundred years ago. Through the
centuries of the Christian era, man has succeeded in learning many of
the secrets of nature and has harnessed her forces to his service, but
in the actual revelation of supernatural truth nothing new has been
discovered. Human writers cannot supplement the Divine records for
they are complete, entire, "wanting nothing."
The Bible needs no addendum. There is more than sufficient in God's
Word to meet the temporal and spiritual needs of all mankind. Though
written two thousand years ago, the Bible is still "up-to-date," and
answers every vital question which concerns the soul of man in our
day. The Book of Job was written three thousand years before Columbus
discovered America, yet it is as fresh to the heart of man now as
though it had only been published ten years ago. The majority of the
Psalms were written two thousand five hundred years before President
Wilson was born, yet in our day and generation they are perfectly new
and fresh to the human soul. Such facts as these can only be explained
on the hypothesis that the Eternal God is the Author of the Bible.
The adaptation of the Scriptures is another illustration of their
wonderful completeness. To young or old, feeble or vigorous, ignorant
or cultured, joyful or sorrowful, perplexed or enlightened,
Orientalist or Ocidentalist, saint or sinner, the Bible is a source of
blessing, will minister to every need, and is able to supply every
variety of want. And the Bible is the only Book in the world of which
this can be predicted. The writings of Plato may be a source of
interest and instruction to the philosophic mind, but they are
unsuitable for placing in the hands of a child. Not so with the Bible:
the youngest may profit from a perusal of the Sacred Page. The
writings of Jerome or Twain may please, for an hour, the man of humor,
but they will bring no balm to the sore heart and will speak no words
of comfort and consolation to those passing through the waters of
bereavement. How different with the Scriptures--never has a heavy
heart turned in vain to God's Word for peace! The writings of
Shakespeare, Goethe, and Schiller may be of profit to the Western
mind, but they convey little of value to the Easterner. Not so with
God's Word; it may be translated into any language and will speak with
equal clearness, directness and power to all men in their mother
tongue.
To quote Dr. Burrell: "In every heart, down below all other wants and
aspirations, there is a profound longing to know the way of spiritual
life. The world is crying, "What shall I do to be saved?" Of all books
the Bible is the only one that answers that universal cry. There are
other books which set forth morality with more or less correctness;
but there is none other that suggests a blotting out of the record of
the mislived past or an escape from the penalty of the broken law.
There are other books that have poetry; but there is none that sings
the song of salvation or gives a troubled soul the peace that floweth
like a river. There are other books that have eloquence; but there is
no other that enables us to behold God Himself with outstretched hands
pleading with men to turn and live. There are other books that have
science; but there is none other that can give the soul a definite
assurance of the future life, so that it can say, "I know whom I have
believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have
committed unto Him against that day."
Though other books contain valuable truths, they also have an
admixture of error; other books contain part of the truth, the Bible
alone contains all the truth. Nowhere in the writings of human genius
can a single moral or spiritual truth be found, which is not contained
in substance in the Bible. Examine the writings of the ancients;
ransack the libraries of Egypt, Assyria, Persia, India, Greece, and
Rome; search the contents of the Koran, the Zend-Avesta, or the
Bagavad-Gita; gather together the most exalted spiritual thoughts and
the sublimest moral conceptions contained in them and you will find
that each and all are duplicated in the Bible! Dr. Torrey has said,
"If every book but the Bible were destroyed not a single spiritual
truth would be lost." In the small compass of God's Word there is
stored more wisdom which will endure the test of eternity than the sum
total of thinking done by man since his creation. Of all the books in
the world, the Bible alone can truly be said to be complete, and this
characteristic of the Scriptures is another of the many lines of
demonstration which witnesses to the Divine inspiration of the Bible.
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The Divine Inspiration of the Bible
CHAPTER ELEVEN:
The Indestructibility of the Bible is a Proof that its Author is
Divine
_________________________________________________________________
The survival of the Bible through the ages is very difficult to
explain if it is not in truth the Word of God. Books are like
men--dying creatures. A very small percentage of books survive more
than twenty years, a yet smaller percentage last a hundred years and
only a very insignificant fraction represent those which have lived a
thousand years. Amid the wreck and ruin of ancient literature the Holy
Scriptures stand out like the last survivor of an otherwise extinct
race, and the very fact of the Bible's continued existence is an
indication that like its Author it is indestructible.
When we bear in mind the fact that the Bible has been the special
object of never ending persecution the wonder of the Bible's survival
is changed into a miracle. Not only has the Bible been the most
intensely loved Book in all the world, but it has also been the most
bitterly hated. Not only has the Bible received more veneration and
adoration than any other book, but it has also been the object of more
persecution and opposition. For two thousand years man's hatred of the
Bible has been persistent, determined, relentless and murderous. Every
possible effort has been made to undermine faith in the inspiration
and authority of the Bible and innumerable enterprises have been
undertaken with the determination to consign it to oblivion. Imperial
edicts have been issued to the effect that every known copy of the
Bible should be destroyed, and when this measure failed to exterminate
and annihilate God's Word then commands were given that every person
found with a copy of the Scriptures in his possession should be put to
death. The very fact that the Bible has been so singled out for such
relentless persecution causes us to wonder at such a unique
phenomenon.
Although the Bible is the best Book in the world yet is has produced
more enmity and opposition than has the combined contents of all our
libraries. Why should this be? Clearly because the Scriptures convict
men of their guilt and condemn them for their sins! Political and
ecclesiastical powers have united in the attempt to put the Bible out
of existence, yet their concentrated efforts have utterly failed.
After all the persecution which has assailed the Bible, it is, humanly
speaking, a wonder that there is any Bible left at all. Every engine
of destruction which human philosophy, science, force, and hatred
could bring against a book has been brought against the Bible, yet it
stands unshaken and unharmed today. When we remember that no army has
defended the Bible and no king has ever ordered its enemies to be
extirpated, our wonderment increases. At times nearly all the wise and
great of the earth have been pitted together against the Bible, while
only a few despised ones have honored and revered it. The cities of
the ancients were lighted with bonfires made of Bibles, and for
centuries only those in hiding dare read it. How then, can we account
for the survival of the Bible in the face of such bitter persecution?
The only solution is to be found in the promise of God. "Heaven and
earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away."
The story of the Bible's persecution is an arresting one. During the
first three centuries of the Christian era the Roman Emperors sought
to destroy God's Word. One of them, named Diocletian, believed that he
had succeeded. He had slain so many Christians and destroyed so many
Bibles, that when the lovers of the Bible remained quiet for a season
and kept in hiding, he imagined that he had made an end of the
Scriptures. So elated was he at this achievement, he ordered a medal
to be struck inscribed with the words, "The Christian religion is
destroyed and the worship of the gods restored." One wonders what that
emperor would think if he returned to this earth today and found that
more had been written about the Bible than about any other thousand
books put together, and that the Bible which enshrines the Christian
faith is now translated into more than four hundred languages and is
being sent out to every part of the earth!
Centuries after the persecution by the Roman Emperors, when the Roman
Catholic Church obtained command of the city of Rome, the Pope and his
priests took up the old quarrel against the Bible. The Holy Scriptures
were taken away from the people, copies of the Bible were forbidden to
be purchased and all who were found with a copy of God's Word in their
possession were tortured and killed. For centuries the Roman Catholic
Church bitterly persecuted the Bible and it was not until the time of
the Reformation at the close of the sixteenth century that the Word of
God was again given to the masses in their own tongue.
Even in our day the persecution of the Bible still continues, though
the method of attack is changed. Much of our modern scholarship is
engaged in the work of seeking to destroy faith in the Divine
inspiration and authority of the Bible. In many of our seminaries the
rising generation of the clergy are taught that Genesis is a book of
myths, that much of the teaching of the Pentateuch is immoral, that
the historical records of the Old Testament are unreliable and that
the whole Bible is man's creation rather than God's revelation. And so
the attack on the Bible is being perpetuated.
Now suppose there was a man who had lived upon this earth for eighteen
hundred years, that this man had oftentimes been thrown into the sea
and yet could not be drowned; that he had frequently been cast before
wild beasts who were unable to devour him; that he had many times been
made to drink deadly poisons which never did him any harm; that he had
often been bound in iron chains and locked in prison dungeons, yet he
had always been able to throw off the chains and escape from his
captivity; that he had repeatedly been hanged, till his enemies
thought him dead, yet when his body was cut down he sprang to his feet
and walked away as though nothing had happened; that hundreds of times
he had been burned at the stake, till there seemed to be nothing left
of him, yet as soon as the fires were out he leaped up from the ashes
as well and as vigorous as ever--but we need not expand this idea any
further; such a man would be super-human, a miracle of miracles. Yet
this is exactly how we should regard the Bible! This is practically
the way in which the Bible has been treated. It has been burned,
drowned, chained, put in prison, and torn to pieces, yet never
destroyed!
No other book has provoked such fierce opposition as the Bible, and
its preservation is perhaps the most startling miracle connected with
it. But two thousand five hundred years ago God declared, "The grass
withereth, the flower fadeth, but the Word of our God shall abide for
ever." Just as the three Hebrews passed safely through the fiery
furnace of Nebuchadnezzar unharmed and unscorched, so the Bible has
emerged from the furnace of satanic hatred and assault without even
the smell of fire upon it! Just as an earthly parent treasures and
lays by the letters received from his child, so our Heavenly Father
has protected and preserved the Epistles of love written to His
children.
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The Divine Inspiration of the Bible
CHAPTER TWELVE:
Inward Confirmation of the Veracity of the Scriptures
_________________________________________________________________
We are living in a day when confidence is lacking; when skepticism and
agnosticism are becoming more and more prevalent; and when doubt and
uncertainty are made the badges of culture and wisdom. Everywhere men
are demanding proof. Hypotheses and speculations fail to satisfy: the
heart cannot rest content until it is able to say, "I know." The
demand of the human mind is for definite knowledge and positive
assurance. And God has condescended to meet this need.
One thing which distinguishes Christianity from all human systems is
that it deals with absolute certainties. Christians are people who
know. And well it is that they do. The issues concerning life and
death are so stupendous, the stake involved in the salvation of the
soul is so immense, that we cannot afford to be uncertain here. None
but a fool would attempt to cross a frozen river until he was sure
that the ice was strong enough to bear him. Dare we then face the
river of death with nothing but a vague and uncertain hope to rest
upon? Personal assurance is the crying need of the hour. There can be
no peace and joy until this is attained. A parent who is in suspense
concerning the safety of his child, is in agony of soul. A criminal
who lies in the condemned cell hoping for a reprieve, is in mental
torment until his pardon arrives. And a professed Christian who knows
not whether he shall ultimately land in Heaven or Hell, is a pitiable
object.
But we say again, real Christians are people who know. They know that
their Redeemer liveth (John 19:25). They know that they have passed
from death unto life (1 John 3:14). They know that all things work
together for good (Rom. 8:28). They know that if their earthly house
of this tabernacle were dissolved, they have a building of God, a
house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens (2 Cor. 5:1). They
know that one day they shall see Christ face to face and be made like
Him (1 John 3:2). In the meantime they know whom they have believed,
and are persuaded that He is able to keep that which they have
committed unto Him against that day (2 Tim. 1:12). If it be asked, How
do they know, the answer is, they have proven for themselves the
trustworthiness of God's Word which affirms these things.
The force of this present argument will appeal to none save those who
have an experimental acquaintance with it. In addition to all the
external proofs that we have for the Divine Inspiration of the
Scriptures, the believer has a source of evidence to which no
unbeliever has access. In his own experience the Christian finds a
personal confirmation of the teachings of God's Word. To the man whose
life which, judged by the standards of the world, appears morally
upright, the statement that "the heart is deceitful above all things
and desperately wicked" seems to be the gloomy view of a pessimist, or
a description which has no general application. But the believer has
found that "the entrance of Thy words giveth light" (Ps. 119:30), and
in the light of God's Word and beneath the illuminating power of God's
Spirit who indwells him, he has discovered there is within him a sink
of iniquity. To natural wisdom, which is fond of philosophizing about
the freedom of the human will, the declaration of Christ that "No man
can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me, draw him" (John
6:44) seems a hard saying; but, to the one who has been taught by the
Holy Spirit something of the binding power of sin, such a declaration
has been verified in his own experience. To the one who has done his
best to live up to the light which he had, and has sought to develop
an honest and amiable character, such a statement as, "All our
righteousnesses are as filthy rags," seems unduly harsh and severe;
but to the man who has received "an unction from the Holy One," his
very best works appear to him sordid and sinful; and such they are.
The Apostle's confession that "in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth
no good thing" (Rom. 7:18) which once appeared absurd to him, the
believer now acknowledges to be his own condition. The description of
the Christian which is found in Romans ... is something which none but
a regenerate person can understand. The things there mentioned as
belonging to the same man at the same time, seem foolish to the wise
of this world; but the believer realizes completely the truth of it in
his own life.
The promises of God can be tested: their trustworthiness is capable of
verification. In the Gospel Christ promises to give rest to all those
who are weary and heavy laden that come unto Him. He declares that He
came to seek and to save that which was lost. He affirms that
"whosoever drinketh of the Water that I shall give him shall never
thirst." In short, the Gospel presents the Lord Jesus Christ as a
Saviour. His claim to save can be put to the proof. Yea, it has been,
and that by a multitude of individuals that no man can number. Many of
these are living on earth today. Every individual who has read in the
Scriptures the invitations that are addressed to sinners, and has
personally appropriated them to himself, can say n the words of the
well-known hymn:--
"I came to Jesus as I was.
Weary and worn and sad;
I found in Him a resting place
And He has made me glad."
Should these pages be read by a skeptic who, despite his present
unbelief, has a sincere and earnest desire to know the truth, he, too
may put God's Word to the test and share the experience described
above. It is written, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt
be saved,"--believe, my reader, and thou, too, shalt be saved.
"We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen" (John 3:11).
The Bible testifies to the fact that "all have sinned and come short
of the glory of God," and our own conscience confirms it. The Bible
declares that it is "not by works of righteousness which we have down,
but according to His mercy" God saves us; and the Christian has proven
that he was unable to do anything to win God's esteem: but, having
cried the prayer of the Publican, he has gone down to his house
justified. The Bible teaches that "if any man be in Christ, he is a
new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are
become new;" and the believer has found that the things he once hated
he now loves, and that the things he hitherto counted gain he now
regards as dross. The Bible witnesses to the fact that we "are kept by
the power of God through faith," and the believer has proven that
though the world, the flesh, and the devil are arrayed against him,
yet the grace of God is sufficient for all his need. Ask the
Christian, then, why he believes that the Bible is the Word of God,
and he will tell you, Because it has done for me what it professes to
do (save); because I have tested its promises for myself; because I
find its teachings verified in my own experiences.
To the unregenerate the Bible is practically a sealed Book. Even the
cultured and educated are unable to understand its teachings: parts of
it appear plain and simple, but much of it is dark and mysterious.
This is exactly what the Bible declares--"The natural man receiveth
not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto
him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned"
(1 Cor. 2:14). But to the man of God it is otherwise: "He that
believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself" (1 John
5:10). As the Lord Jesus declared, "If any man will do His will, he
shall know of the doctrine" (John 7:17). While the infidel stumbles in
darkness, even in the midst of light, the believer discovers the
evidence of its truth in himself with the clearness of a sunbeam. "For
God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in
our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6).
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The Divine Inspiration of the Bible
CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
Verbal Inspiration
_________________________________________________________________
Not only does the Bible claim to be a Divine revelation but it also
asserts that its original manuscripts were written "not in the words
which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Spirit teacheth" (1
Cor. 2:13). The Bible nowhere claims to have been written by inspired
men--as a matter of fact some of them were very defective
characters--Balaam for example--but it insists that the words they
uttered and recorded were God's words. Inspiration has not to do with
the minds of the writers (for many of them understood not what they
wrote (1 Pet. 1:10-11), but with the writings themselves. "All
Scripture is given by inspiration of God," and "Scripture" means "the
writings." Faith has to do with God's Word and not with the men who
wrote it--these are all dead long since, but their writings remain.
A writing that is inspired by God self-evidently implies, in the very
expression, that the words are the words of God. To say that the
inspiration of the Scriptures applies to their concepts and not to
their words; to declare that one part of Scripture is written with one
kind or degree of inspiration and another part with another kind or
degree, is not only destitute of any foundation or support in the
Scriptures themselves, but is repudiated by every statement in the
Bible which bears upon the subject now under consideration. To say
that the Bible is not the Word of God but merely contains the Word of
God is the figment of an ill-employed ingenuity and an unholy attempt
to depreciate and invalidate the supreme authority of the Oracles of
God. All the attempts which have been made to explain the rationale of
inspiration have done nothing toward simplifying the subject, rather
have they tended to mystify. It is no easier to conceive how ideas
without words could be imparted, than that Divinely revealed truths
should be communicated by words. Instead of being diminished the
difficulty is increased. It were as logical to talk of a sum without
figures or a tune without notes, as of a Divine revelation and
communication without words. Instead of speculation our duty is to
receive and believe what the Scriptures say of themselves.
What the Bible teaches about its own inspiration is a matter purely of
Divine testimony, and our business is simply to receive the testimony
and not to speculate about or seek to pry into its modus operandi.
Inspiration is as much a matter of Divine revelation as is
justification by faith. Both stand equally on the authority of the
Scriptures themselves, which must be the final court of appeal on this
subject as on every question of revealed truth.
The teaching of the Bible concerning the inspiration of the Scriptures
is clear and simple, and uniform throughout. Its writers were
conscious that their utterances were a message from God in the highest
meaning of the word. "And the Lord said unto him (Moses), Who hath
made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or
the blind? Have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with
thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say" (Exod. 4:11-12). "The
Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and His word was in my tongue" (2 Sam.
23:2). "Then the Lord put forth His hand, and touched my mouth. and
the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put My words in thy mouth" (Jer.
1:9). The above are only a sample of scores of similar passages which
might be sighted.
What is predicted of the Scriptures themselves, demonstrates that they
are entirely and absolutely the Word of God. "The law of the Lord is
perfect, converting the soul" (Ps. 19:7)--this altogether excludes any
place in the Bible for human infirmities and imperfections. "Thy Word
is very pure" (Ps. 119:140), which cannot mean less than that the Holy
Spirit so superintended the composition of the Bible and so "moved"
its writers that all error has been excluded. "Thy Word is true from
the beginning" (Ps. 119:160)--how this anticipated the assaults of the
higher critics on the Book of Genesis, particularly on its opening
chapters!
The teaching of the New Testament agrees with what we have quoted from
the Old. "Take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or
what ye shall say: for the Holy Spirit shall teach you in the same
hour what ye ought to say" (Luke 12:11-12),--the disciples were the
ones who spake, but it was the Holy Spirit who "taught them what to
say." Could any language express more emphatically the most entire
inspiration? and, if the Holy Spirit so controlled their utterances
when in the presence of "magistrates," is it conceivable that He would
do less for them when they were communicating the mind of God to all
future generations on things touching our eternal destiny? Assuredly
not. "But those things, which God before had showed by the mouth of
all His prophets, that Christ should suffer, He hath so fulfilled"
(Acts 3:18). Here the Holy Spirit declares through Peter that it was
God who had revealed by the mouth of all His prophets that Israel's
Messiah must suffer before the glory should appear. "But that I
confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so
worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are
written in the law and in the prophets" (Acts 24:14). These words
clearly evidence the fact that the Apostle Paul had the utmost
confidence in the authenticity of the entire contents of the Old
Testament. "And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words
of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power" (1
Cor. 2:4). Could any man have used such language as this unless he had
been fully conscious that he was speaking the very words of God? "The
prophecy came not at any time by the will of man: but holy men of God
spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Pet. 1:21). Nothing
could possibly be more explicit.
Dr. Gray has strikingly and forcefully stated the necessity of a
verbally inspired Bible in the following language:--"An illustration
the writer has often used will help to make this clear. A stenographer
in a mercantile house was asked by his employer to write as follows:
"Gentlemen: we misunderstood your letter and will not fill your
order."
Imagine the employer's surprise, however, when a little later this was
set before him for his signature:
"Gentlemen: we misunderstood your letter and will not fill your
order."
The mistake was only of a single letter, but it was entirely
subversive of his meaning. And yet the thought was given clearly to
the stenographer, and the words, too, for that matter, Moreover, the
latter was capable and faithful, but he was human, and it is human to
err. Had not his employer controlled his expression, down to the very
letter, the thought intended to be conveyed would have failed of
utterance." So, too, the Holy Spirit had to superintend the writing of
the very letter of Scripture in order to guarantee its accuracy and
inerrancy.
Many proofs might be given to show the Scriptures are verbally
inspired. One line of demonstration appears in the literal and verbal
fulfillment of many of the Old Testament prophecies. For example, God
made known through Zechariah that the price which Judas should receive
for his awful crime was "thirty pieces of silver" (Zech. 11:12). Here
then is a clear case where God communicated to one of the prophets not
merely an abstract concept but a specific communication. And the above
case is only one of many.
Another evidence of verbal inspiration is to be seen in the fact that
words are used in Scripture with the most exact precision and
discrimination. This is particularly noticeable in connection with the
Divine titles. The names Elohim and Jehovah are found on the pages of
the Old Testament several thousand times, but they are never employed
loosely or used alternately. Each of these names has a definite
significance and scope, and were we to substitute the one for the
other the beauty and perfection of a multitude of passages would be
destroyed. To illustrate: the word "God" occurs all through Genesis 1,
but "Lord God" in Genesis 2. Were these two Divine titles reversed
here, a flaw and blemish would be the consequence. "God" is the
creatorial title, whereas "Lord" implies covenant relationship and
shows God's dealings with His own people. Hence, in Genesis 1, "God"
is used, and in Genesis 2, "Lord God" is employed, and all through the
remainder of the Old Testament these two Divine titles are used
discriminatively and in harmony with the meaning of their first
mention. One or two other examples must suffice. "And they went in
unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the
breath of life. And they that went in, went in male and female of all
flesh, as God had commanded him"--"God" because it was the Creator
commanding, with respect to His creatures, as such; but, in the
remainder of the same verse, we read, "and the Lord shut him in" (Gen.
7:16), because God's action here toward Noah was based upon covenant
relationship. When going forth to meet Goliath David said, "This day
will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand (because David was in
covenant relationship with Him); and I will smite thee, and take thine
head from thee; and I will give the carcasses of the host of the
Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts
of the earth; that all the earth (which was not in covenant relation
with Him) may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this
assembly (which were in covenant relationship with Him) shall know
that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear" etc. (1 Sam. 17:46-47).
Once more: "And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw
Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore they
compassed about him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord
helped him; and God moved them (the Syrians) to depart from him" (2
Chron. 18:31). And thus it is all through the Old Testament.
The above line of argument might be extended indefinitely. There are
upwards of fifty Divine titles in the Old Testament which are used
more than once, each of which has a definite signification, each of
which has its meaning hinted at in its first mention, and each of
which is used subsequently in harmony with its original purport. They
are never used loosely or interchangeably. In every place where they
occur there is a reason for each variation. Such titles are the Most
High, the Almighty, the God of Israel, the God of Jacob, the Lord our
Righteousness, etc., etc., are not used haphazardly, but in every case
in harmony with their original meaning and as the best suited to the
context. The same is true in connection with the names of our Lord in
the New Testament. In some passages He is referred to as Christ, in
others as Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus, Lord Jesus Christ. In
every instance there is a reason for each variation, and in every case
the Holy Spirit has seen to it that they are employed with uniform
significance. The same is true of the various names given to the great
adversary. In some places he is termed Satan, in others the devil
etc., etc.; but the different terms are used with unerring precision
throughout. A further illustration is furnished by the father of
Joseph. In his earlier life he was always termed Jacob, later he
received the name of Israel, but after this, sometimes we read of
Jacob and sometimes of Israel. Whatever is predicted of Jacob refers
to the acts of the "old man;" whatever is postulated of Israel were
the fruits of the "new man." When he doubted it was Jacob who doubted,
when he believed God it was Israel who exercised faith. Accordingly,
we read, "And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he
gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost" (Gen.
49:33). But in the next verse but one we are told, "And Joseph
commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the
physicians embalmed Israel (Gen. 50:2)!! Here then we see the
marvelous verbal precision and perfection of Holy Scripture.
The most convincing of all the proofs and arguments for the verbal
inspiration of the Scriptures is the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ
regarded them and treated them as such. He Himself submitted to their
authority. When assaulted by Satan, three times He replied, "It is
written," and it is particularly to be noted that the point of each of
His quotations and the force of each reply lay in a single word--"Man
shall not live by bread alone" etc.; "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord
thy God;" "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt
thou serve." When tempted by the Pharisees, who asked Him, "Is it
lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?" He answered,
"Have ye not read?" etc. (Matt. 19:4-5). To the Sadducees He said, "Ye
do err, not knowing the Scriptures" (Matt. 22:29). On another occasion
He accused the Pharisees of "Making the Word of God of none effect
through their tradition" (Mark 7:13). On another occasion, when
speaking of the Word of God, He declared "The Scripture cannot be
broken" (John 10:35). Sufficient has been adduced to show that the
Lord Jesus regarded the Scriptures as the Word of God in the most
absolute sense. In view of this fact let Christians beware of
detracting in the smallest degree from the perfect and full
inspiration of the Holy Scriptures.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Divine Inspiration of the Bible
CHAPTER FOURTEEN:
Application of the Argument
_________________________________________________________________
What is our attitude towards God's Word? The knowledge that the
Scriptures are inspired by the Holy Spirit involves definite
obligations. Our conception of the authority of the Bible determines
our attitude and measures our responsibility. If the Bible is a Divine
revelation what follows?
I. We Need to Seek God's Forgiveness.
If it were announced upon reliable authority that on a certain date in
the near future an angel from heaven would visit New York and would
deliver a sermon upon the invisible world, the future destiny of man,
or the secret of deliverance from the power of sin, what an audience
he would command! There is no building in that city large enough to
accommodate the crowd which would throng to hear him. If upon the next
day, the newspapers were to give a verbatim report of his discourse,
how eagerly it would be read! And yet, we have between the covers of
the Bible not merely an angelic communication but a Divine revelation.
How great then is our wickedness if we undervalue and despise it! And
yet we do.
We need to confess to God our sin of neglecting His Holy Word. We have
time enough--we take time--to read the writings of fellow sinners, yet
we have little or no time for the Holy Scriptures. The Bible is a
series of Divine love letters, and yet many of God's people have
scarcely broken the seals. God complained of old, "I have written to
him the great things of My law, but they were counted as a strange
thing" (Hos. 8:12). To neglect God's gift is to despise the Giver. To
neglect God's Word is virtually to tell Him that He made a mistake in
being at so much trouble to communicate it. To prefer the writings of
man is to insult the Almighty. To say that human writings are more
interesting is to impugn the wisdom of the Most High and is a terrible
indictment against our own evil hearts. To neglect God's Word is to
sin against its Author, for He has commanded us to read, study, and
search it.
If the Bible is the Word of God then--
II. It is the Final Court of Appeal.
It is not a question of what I think, or of what any one else
thinks--it is, What saith the Scriptures? It is not a matter of what
any church or creed teaches--it is, What teaches the Bible? God has
spoken, and that ends the matter: "Forever, O Lord, Thy Word is
settled in heaven." Therefore, it is for me to bow to His authority,
to submit to His Word, to cease all quibbling and cry, "Speak, Lord,
for Thy servant heareth." Because the Bible is God's Word, it is the
final court of appeal in all things pertaining to doctrine, duty, and
deportment.
This was the position taken by our Lord Himself. When tempted by
Satan, He declined to argue with him, He refused to overwhelm him with
the force of His superior wisdom, He scorned to crush him with a
putting forth of His almighty power--"It is written" was His defense
for each assault. At the beginning of His public ministry, when He
went to Nazareth where most of His thirty years had been lived, He
performed no wonderful miracle but entered the synagogue, read from
the Prophet Isaiah and said, "This day is this Scripture fulfilled in
your ears" (Luke 4:21). In His teaching upon the Rich Man and Lazarus,
He insisted that "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither
will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead" (Luke
16:31)--thus signifying that the authority of the written Word is of
greater weight and worth than the testimony and appeal of miracles.
When vindicating before the Jews His claim of Deity (John 5) He
appealed to the testimony of John the Baptist (vs. 32), to His own
works (vs. 36), to the Father's own witness--at His baptism (vs. 37),
and then--as tho they were the climax--He said-- "Search the
Scriptures. . .they are they which testify of Me" (vs. 39).
This was the position taken by the Apostles. When Peter would justify
the speaking with other tongues, he appealed to the Prophet Joel (Acts
2:16). When seeking to prove to the Jews that Jesus of Nazareth was
their Messiah, and that He had risen again from the dead, he appealed
to the testimony of the Old Testament (Act 2). When Stephen made his
defense before the "counsel" he did little more than review the
teaching of Moses and the prophets. When Saul and Barnabas set out on
their first missionary journey they "preached the Word of God in the
synagogues of the Jews" (Acts 13:5). In his Epistles, the Apostle
continually pauses to ask--"What saith the Scripture?" (Rom. 4:3,
etc.)--if the Scripture gave a clear utterance upon the subject under
discussion that ended the matter: against their testimony there was no
appeal.
If the Bible is the Word of God--then
III. It is the Ultimate Standard for Regulating Conduct.
How can man be just with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a
woman? What must I do to be saved? Where is true and lasting peace and
rest to be found? Such are some of the inquiries made by every honest
and anxious soul. The reply is--Search the Scriptures: Look and see.
How shall I best employ my time and talents? How shall I discover what
is well-pleasing to my Maker? How am I to know what is the path of
duty? And again the answer is--What teaches the Word of God?
No one who possesses a copy of the Bible can legitimately plead
ignorance of God's will. The Scriptures leave us without excuse. A
lamp has been provided for our feet and the pathway of righteousness
is clearly marked out. A chart has been given to the sailors on time's
sea, and it is their own fault if they fail to arrive at the heavenly
port. In the day of judgment the Books will be opened and out of these
Books men will be judge, and one of these Books will be the Bible. In
His written Word God has revealed His mind, expressed His will,
communicated His requirements; and woe to the man or woman who takes
not the necessary time to discover what these are.
If the Bible is the Word of God then--
IV. It is a Sure Foundation for Our Faith.
Man craves for certainty. Speculations and hypotheses are insufficient
where eternal issues are at stake. When I come to lay my head upon my
dying pillow, I want something surer than a "perhaps" to rest it upon.
And thank God I have it. Where? In the Holy Scriptures. I know that my
Redeemer liveth. I know that I have passed from death unto life. I
know that I shall be made like Christ and dwell with Him in glory
throughout the endless ages of eternity. How do I know? Because God's
Word says so, and I want nothing more.
The Bible gives forth no uncertain sound. It speaks with absolute
assurance, dogmatism, and finality. Its promises are certain for they
are promises of Him who cannot lie. Its testimony is reliable for it
is the inerrant Word of the Living God. Its teachings are trustworthy
for they are a communication the the Omniscient. The believer then has
a sure foundation on which to rest, an impregnable rock on which to
build his hopes. For his present peace and for his future prospects he
has a, "Thus saith the Lord," and that is sufficient.
If the Bible is the Word of God then--
V. It has Unique Claims Upon Us.
A unique book deserves and demands unique attention. Like Job, we
ought to be able to say, "I have esteemed the words of His mouth more
than my necessary food." If history teaches us anything at all, it
teaches that those nations which have most honored God's Word have
been most honored by God. And what is true of the nation is equally
true of the family and of the individual. The greatest intellects of
the ages have drawn their inspiration from the Scripture of Truth. The
most eminent statesmen have testified to the value and importance of
Bible study. Benjamin Franklin said: "Young man, my advice to you is
that you cultivate an acquaintance with and firm belief in the Holy
Scriptures, for this is your certain interest." Thomas Jefferson gave
it as his opinion, "I have said and always will say, that the studious
perusal of the Sacred Volume will make better citizens, better
fathers, and better husbands."
When the late Queen Victoria was asked the secret of England's
greatness, she took down a copy of the Scriptures, and pointing to the
Bible she said, "That Book explains the power of Great Britain."
Daniel Webster once affirmed, "If we abide by the principles taught in
the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but, if
we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man
can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our
glory in profound obscurity. The Bible is the Book of all others for
lawyers as well as divines, and I pity the man who cannot find in it a
rich supply of thought and rule of conduct."
When Sir Walter Scott lay dying he summoned to his side his man in
waiting and said, "Read to me out of the Book." Which book? answered
his servant. "There is only one Book," was the dying man's
response--"The Bible!" The Bible is the Book to live by and the Book
to die by. Therefore read it to be wise, believe it to be safe,
practice it to be holy. As another has said: "Know it in the head,
store it in the heart, show it in the life, sow it in the world."
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly
furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
_________________________________________________________________
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The Doctrine of Election
by Arthur W. Pink
1. Introduction
_________________________________________________
Election is a foundational doctrine. In the past, many of the ablest
teachers were accustomed to commence their systematic theology with a
presentation of the attributes of God, and then a contemplation of His
eternal decrees; and it is our studied conviction, after perusing the
writings of many of our moderns, that the method followed by their
predecessors cannot be improved upon. God existed before man, and His
eternal purpose long antedated His works in time. "Known unto God are
all his works from the beginning of the world" (Acts 15:18). The
divine councils went before creation. As a builder draws his plans
before he begins to build, so the great Architect predestinated
everything before a single creature was called into existence. Nor has
God kept this a secret locked in His own bosom; it has pleased Him to
make known in His Word the everlasting counsels of His grace, His
design in the same, and the grand end He has in view.
When a building is in course of construction onlookers are often at a
loss to perceive the reason for many of the details. As yet, they
discern no order or design; everything appears to be in confusion. But
if they could carefully scan the builder's "plan" and visualize the
finished production, much that had puzzled would become clear to them.
It is the same with the outworking of God's eternal purpose. Unless we
are acquainted with His eternal decrees, history remains an insoluble
enigma. God is not working at random: the gospel has been sent forth
on no uncertain mission: the final outcome in the conflict between
good and evil has not been left indeterminate; how many are to be
saved or lost depends not on the will of the creature. Everything was
infallibly determined and immutably fixed by God from the beginning,
and all that happens in time is but the accomplishment of what was
ordained in eternity.
The grand truth of election, then, takes us back to the beginning of
all things. It antedated the entrance of sin into the universe, the
fall of man, the advent of Christ, and the proclamation of the gospel.
A right understanding of it, especially in its relation to the
everlasting covenant, is absolutely essential if we are to be
preserved from fundamental error. If the foundation itself be faulty,
then the building erected on it cannot be sound; and if we err in our
conceptions of this basic truth, then just in proportion as we do so
will our grasp of all other truth be inaccurate. God's dealings with
Jew and Gentile, His object in sending His Son into this world, His
design by the gospel, yea, the whole of His providential dealings,
cannot be seen in their proper perspective till they are viewed in the
light of His eternal election. This will become the more evident as we
proceed.
It is a difficult doctrine, and this in three respects. First, in the
understanding of it. Unless we are privileged to sit under the
ministry of some Spirit-taught servant of God, who presents the truth
to us systematically, great pains and diligence are called for in the
searching of the Scriptures, so that we may collect and tabulate their
scattered statements on this subject. It has not pleased the Holy
Spirit to give us one complete and orderly setting forth of the
doctrine of election, but instead "here a little, there a little"--in
typical history, in psalm and prophecy, in the great prayer of Christ
(John 17), in the epistles of the apostles. Second, in the acceptation
of it. This presents a much greater difficulty, for when the mind
perceives what the Scriptures reveal thereon, the heart is loath to
receive such an humbling and flesh-withering truth. How earnestly we
need to pray for God to subdue our enmity against Him and our
prejudice against His truth. Third, in the proclamation of it. No
novice is competent to present this subject in its scriptural
perspective and proportions.
But notwithstanding, these difficulties should not discourage, still
less deter us, from an honest and serious effort to understand and
heartily receive all that God has been pleased to reveal thereon.
Difficulties are designed to humble us, to exercise us, to make us
feel our need of wisdom from on high. It is not easy to arrive at a
clear and adequate grasp of any of the great doctrines of Holy Writ,
and God never intended it should be so. Truth has to be "bought"
(Prov. 23:23): alas that so few are willing to pay the price--devote
to the prayerful study of the Word the time wasted on newspapers or
idle recreations. These difficulties are not insurmountable, for the
Spirit has been given to God's people to guide them into all truth.
Equally so for the minister of the Word: an humble waiting upon God,
coupled with a diligent effort to be a workman that needeth not to be
ashamed, will in due time fit him to expound this truth to the glory
of God and the blessing of his hearers.
It is an important doctrine, as is evident from various
considerations. Perhaps we can express most impressively the
momentousness of this truth by pointing out that apart from eternal
election there had never been any Jesus Christ, and therefore, no
divine gospel; for if God had never chosen a people unto salvation, He
had never sent His Son; and if He had sent no Saviour, none had ever
been saved. Thus, the gospel itself originated in this vital matter of
election. "But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you,
brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning
chosen you to salvation" (2 Thess. 2:13). And why are we "bound to
give thanks"? Because election is the root of all blessings, the
spring of every mercy that the soul receives. If election be taken
away, everything is taken away, for those who have any spiritual
blessing are they who have all spiritual blessings "according as he
hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world" (Eph. 1:3,
4).
It was well said by Calvin, "We shall never be clearly convinced, as
we ought to be, that our salvation flows from the fountain of God's
free mercy, till we are acquainted with His eternal election, which
illustrates the grace of God by this comparison; that He adopts not
all promiscuously to the hope of salvation, but He gives to some what
He refuses to others. Ignorance of this principle evidently detracts
from the divine glory, and diminishes real humility--If, then, we need
to be recalled to the origin of election, to prove that we obtain
salvation from no other source than the mere good pleasure of God,
then they who desire to extinguish this principle, do all they can to
obscure what ought to be magnificently and loudly celebrated."
It is a blessed doctrine, for election is the spring of all blessings.
This is made unmistakably clear by Ephesians 1:3, 4. First, the Holy
Spirit declares that the saints have been blessed with all spiritual
blessings in the heavenlies in Christ. Then He proceeds to show why
and how they were so blessed: it is according as God hath chosen us in
Christ before the foundation of the world. Election in Christ,
therefore, precedes being blessed with all spiritual blessings, for we
are blessed with them only as being in Him, and we are only in Him as
chosen in Him. We see, then, what a grand and glorious truth this is,
for all our hopes and prospects belong to it. Election, though
distinct and personal, is not, as is sometimes carelessly stated, a
mere abstract choice of persons unto eternal salvation, irrespective
of union with their Covenant-Head, but a choice of them in Christ. It
therefore implies every other blessing, and all other blessings are
given only through it and in accordance with it.
Rightly understood there is nothing so calculated to impart comfort
and courage, strength and security, as a heart-apprehension of this
truth. To be assured that I am one of the high favorites of Heaven
imparts the confidence that God most certainly will supply my every
need and make all things work together for my good. The knowledge that
God has predestinated me unto eternal glory supplies an absolute
guarantee that no efforts of Satan can possibly bring about my
destruction, for if the great God be for me, who can be against me! It
brings great peace to the preacher, for he now discovers that God has
not sent him forth to draw a bow at a venture, but that His Word shall
accomplish that which He pleases, and shall prosper whereto He sends
it (Isa. 55:11). And what encouragement it should afford the awakened
sinner. As he learns that election is solely a matter of divine grace,
hope is kindled in his heart: as he discovers, that election singled
out some of the vilest of the vile to be the monuments of divine
mercy, why should he despair!
It is a distasteful doctrine. One had naturally thought that a truth
so God-honoring, Christ-exalting, and so blessed, had been cordially
espoused by all professing Christians who had had it clearly presented
to them. In view of the fact that the terms "predestinated," "elect,"
and "chosen," occur so frequently in the Word, one would surely
conclude that all who claim to accept the Scriptures as divinely
inspired would receive with implicit faith this grand truth, referring
the act itself--as becometh sinful and ignorant creatures so to do--
unto the sovereign good pleasure of God. But such is far, very far
from being the actual case. No doctrine is so detested by proud human
nature as this one, which make nothing of the creature and everything
of the Creator; yea, at no other point is the enmity of the carnal
mind so blatantly and hotly evident.
We commenced our addresses in Australia by saying, "I am going to
speak tonight on one of the most hated doctrines of the Bible, namely,
that of God's sovereign election." Since then we have encircled this
globe, and come into more or less close contact with thousands of
people belonging to many denominations, and thousands more of
professing Christians attached to none, and today the only change we
would make in that statement is, that while the truth of eternal
punishment is the one most objectionable to non-professors, that of
God's sovereign election is the truth most loathed and reviled by the
majority of those claiming to be believers. Let it be plainly
announced that salvation originated not in the will of man, but in the
will of God (see John 1:13; Rom. 9:16), that were it not so none would
or could be saved--for as the result of the fall man has lost all
desire and will unto that which is good (John 5:40; Rom. 3:11)--and
that even the elect themselves have to be made willing (Ps. 110:3),
and loud will be the cries of indignation raised against such
teaching.
It is at this point the issue is drawn. Merit-mongers will not allow
the supremacy of the divine will and the impotency unto good of the
human will, consequently they who are the most bitter in denouncing
election by the sovereign pleasure of God, are the warmest in crying
up the freewill of fallen man. In the decrees of the council of
Trent--wherein the Papacy definitely defined her position on the
leading points raised by the Reformers, and which Rome has never
rescinded--occurs the following: "If any one should affirm that since
the fall of Adam man's free will is lost, let him be accursed." It was
for their faithful adherence to the truth of election, with all that
it involves, that Bradford and hundreds of others were burned at the
stake by the agents of the pope. Unspeakably sad is it to see so many
professing Protestants agree with the mother of harlots in this
fundamental error.
But whatever aversion men may now have to this blessed truth, they
will be compelled to hear it in the last day, hear it as the voice of
final, unalterable, and eternal decision. When death and hades, the
sea and dry land, shall give up the dead, then shall the Book of
Life--the register in which was recorded from before the foundation of
the world the whole election of grace--be opened in the presence of
angels and demons, in the presence of the saved and of the lost, and
that voice shall sound to the highest arches of Heaven, to the lowest
depths of hell, to the uttermost bound of the universe: "And whosoever
was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of
fire" (Rev. 20:15). Thus, this truth which is hated by the non-elect
above all others, is the one that shall ring in the ears of the lost
as they enter their eternal doom! Ah, my reader, the reason why people
do not receive and duly prize the truth of election, is because they
do not feel their due need of it.
It is a separating doctrine. The preaching of the sovereignty of God,
as exercised by Him in foreordaining the eternal destiny of each of
His creatures, serves as an effectual flail to divide the chaff from
the wheat. "He that is of God heareth God's words" (John 8:47): yes,
no matter how contrary they may be to his ideas. It is one of the
marks of the regenerate that they set to their seal that God is true.
Nor do they pick and choose, as will religious hypocrites: once they
perceive a truth is clearly taught in the Word, even though it be
utterly opposed to their own reason and inclinations, they humbly bow
to it and implicitly receive it, and would do so though not another
person in whole world believed it. But it is far otherwise with the
unregenerate. As the apostle declares, "They are of the world:
therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are
of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth
not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error"
(1 John 4:5, 6).
We know of nothing so devisive between the sheep and the goats as a
faithful exposition of this doctrine. If a servant of God accepts some
new charge, and he wishes to ascertain which of his people desire the
pure milk of the Word, and which prefer the Devil's substitutes, let
him deliver a series of sermons on this subject, and it will quickly
be the means of "taking forth the precious from the vile" (Jer.
15:19). It was thus in the experience of the Divine Preacher: when
Christ announced "no man can come unto me, except it were given unto
him of my Father," we are told, "from that time many of his disciples
went back, and walked no more with him" (John 6:65, 66)! True it is
that by no means all who intellectually receive "Calvinism" as a
philosophy or theology, give evidence (in their daily lives) of
regeneration; yet equally true is it that those who continue to cavil
against and steadfastly refuse any part of the truth, are not entitled
to be regarded as Christians.
It is a neglected doctrine. Though occupying so prominent a place in
the Word of God, it is today but little preached, and still less
understood. Of course, it is not to be expected that the "higher
critics" and their blinded dupes should preach that which makes
nothing of man; but even among those who wish to be looked up to as
"orthodox" and "evangelical," there are scarcely any who give this
grand truth a real place in either their pulpit ministrations or their
writings. In some cases this is due to ignorance: not having been
taught it in the seminary, and certainly not in the "Bible
Institutes," they have never perceived its great importance and value.
But in too many cases it is a desire to be popular with their hearers
which muzzles their mouths. Nevertheless, neither ignorance,
prejudice, nor enmity can do away with the doctrine itself, or lessen
its vital momentousness.
In bringing to a close these introductory remarks, let it be pointed
out that this blessed doctrine needs to be handled reverently. It is
not a subject to be reasoned about and speculated upon, but approached
in a spirit of holy awe and devotion. It is to be handled soberly,
"When thou art in disputation, engaged upon a just quarrel to
vindicate the truth of God from heresy and distortion, look into thy
heart, set a watch on thy lips, beware of wild fire in thy zeal" (E.
Reynolds, 1648). Nevertheless, this truth is to be dealt with
uncompromisingly, and plainly, irrespective of the fear or favor of
man, confidently leaving all "results" in the hand of God. May it be
graciously granted us to write in a manner pleasing to God, and you to
receive whatever is from Himself.
_________________________________________________
Contents | Intro | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
____________________________________________________
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Election
by Arthur W. Pink
2. Its Source
_________________________________________________
Accurately speaking, election is a branch of predestination, the
latter being a more comprehensive term than the former. Predestination
relates to all creatures, things, and events; but election is
restricted to rational beings--angels and humans. As the word
predestinate signifies, God from all eternity sovereignly ordained and
immutably determined the history and destiny of each and all of His
creatures. But in this study we shall confine ourselves to
predestination as it relates to or concerns rational creatures. And
here too a further distinction must be noticed. There cannot be an
election without a rejection, a taking without a passing by, a choice
without a refusal. As Psalm 78 expresses it, "He refused the
tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim; but chose
the tribe of Judah" (vv. 67, 68). Thus predestination includes both
reprobation (the preterition or passing by of the non-elect, and then
the foreordaining of them to condemnation--Jude 4--because of their
sins) and election unto eternal life, the former of which we shall not
now discuss.
The doctrine of election means, then, that God singled out certain
ones in His mind both from among angels (1 Tim. 5:21) and from among
men, and ordained them unto eternal life and blessedness; that before
He created them, He decided their destiny, just as a builder draws his
plans and determines every part of the building before any of the
materials are assembled for the carrying out of his design. Election
may thus be defined: it is that part of the counsel of God whereby He
did from all eternity purpose in Himself to display His grace upon
certain of His creatures. This was made effectual by a definite decree
concerning them. Now in every decree of God three things must be
considered: the beginning, the matter or substance, the end or design.
Let us offer a few remarks upon each.
The beginning of the decree is the will of God. It originates solely
in His own sovereign determination. Whilst determining the estate of
His creatures God's own will is the alone and absolute cause thereof.
As there is nothing above God to rule Him, so there is nothing outside
of Himself which can be in any wise an impulsive cause unto Him; to
say otherwise is to make the will of God no will at all. Herein He is
infinitely exalted above us, for not only are we subject to One above
us, but our wills are being constantly moved and disposed by external
causes. The will of God could have no cause outside of itself, or
otherwise there would be something prior to itself (for a cause ever
precedes the effect) and something more excellent (for the cause is
ever superior to the effect), and thus God would not be the
independent Being which He is.
The matter or substance of a divine decree is God's purpose to
manifest one or more of His attributes or perfections. This is true of
all the divine decrees, but as there is variety in God's attributes so
there is in the things He decrees to bring into existence. The two
principal attributes He exercises upon His rational creatures are His
grace and His justice. In the case of the elect God determined to
exemplify the riches of His amazing grace, but in the case of the
non-elect He saw fit to demonstrate His justice and
severity--withholding His grace from them because it was His good
pleasure so to do. Yet it must not be allowed for a moment that this
latter was a point of cruelty in God, for His nature is not grace
alone, nor justice alone, but both together; and therefore in
determining to display both of them there could not be a point of
injustice.
The end or design of every divine decree is God's own glory, for
nothing less than this could be worthy of Himself. As God swears by
Himself because He can swear by none greater, so because a greater and
grander end cannot be proposed than His own glory, God has set up that
as the supreme end of all His decrees and works. "The Lord hath made
all things for himself" (Prov. 16:4)--for His own glory. As all things
are from Him as the first cause, so all things are to Him (Rom. 11:36)
as the final end. The good of His creatures is but the secondary end;
His own glory is the supreme end, and everything else is subordinate
thereto. In the case of the elect it is God's amazing grace which will
be magnified; in the case of the reprobate His pure justice will be
glorified. What follows in this chapter will largely be an
amplification of these three points.
The source of election, then, is the will of God. It should be
scarcely necessary to point out that by "God" we mean, Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit. Though there are three persons in the Godhead, there
is but one undivided nature common to Them all, and so but one will.
They are one, and They agree in one: "He is in one mind, and who can
turn him?" (Job 23:13). Let it also be pointed out that the will of
God is not a thing apart from God, nor is it to be considered only as
a part of God: the will of God is God Himself willing: it is, if we
may so speak, His very nature in activity, for His will is His very
essence. Nor is God's will subject to any fluctuation or change: when
we affirm that God's will is immutable, we are only saying that God
Himself is, "without variableness or shadow or turning" (James 1:17).
Therefore the will of God is eternal, for since God Himself had no
beginning, and since His will is His very nature, then His will must
be from everlasting.
To proceed one step further. The will of God is absolutely free,
uninfluenced and uncontrolled by anything outside of itself. This
appears from the making of the world--as well as of everything in it.
The world is not eternal, but was made by God, yet whether it should
be or should not be created, was determined by Himself alone. The time
when it was made--whether sooner or later; the size of it--whether
smaller or larger; the duration of it--whether for a season or
forever; the condition of it--whether it should remain "very good" or
be defiled by sin; was all settled by the sovereign decree of the Most
High. Had He so pleased, God could have brought this world into
existence millions of ages earlier than He did. Had He so pleased, He
could have made it and all things in it in a moment of time, instead
of in six days and nights. Had He so pleased, He could have limited
the human family to a few thousands or hundreds, or have made it a
thousand times larger than it is. No other reason can be assigned why
God created it when and as it is than His own imperial will.
God's will was absolutely free in connection with election. In
choosing a people unto eternal life and glory, there was nothing
outside Himself which moved God to form such a purpose. As He
expressly declares, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and
I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion" (Rom.
9:15)--language could not state more definitely the absoluteness of
divine sovereignty in this matter. "Having predestinated us unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good
pleasure of his will" (Eph. 1:5): here again all is resolved into the
mere pleasure of God. He bestows His favors or withholds them as
pleaseth Himself. Nor does He stand in any need of our vindicating His
procedure. The Almighty is not to be brought down to the bar of human
reason: instead of seeking to justify God's high sovereignty, we are
only required to believe it, on the authority of His own Word. "I
thank thee, 0 Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid
these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto
babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight" (Matt.
11:25, 26)--the Lord Jesus was content to rest there, and so must we
be.
Some of the ablest expositors of this profound truth have affirmed
that the love of God is the moving cause of our election, citing "In
love having predestinated us" (Eph. 1:5); yet in so doing, we think
they are chargeable with a slight inaccuracy or departure from the
rule of faith. While fully agreeing that the last two words of
Ephesians 1:4 (as they stand in the A.V.) belong properly to the
beginning of verse 5, yet it should be carefully noted that verse 5 is
not speaking of our original election, but of our being predestinated
unto the adoption of children: the two things are quite distinct,
separate acts on the part of God, the second following upon the first.
There is an order in the divine counsels, as there is in God's works
of creation, and it is as important to heed what is said of the former
as it is to attend unto the divine procedure in the six days work of
Genesis 1.
An object must exist or subsist before it can be loved. Election was
the first act in the mind of God, whereby He chose the persons of the
elect to be holy and without blame (v. 4). Predestination was God's
second act, whereby He ratified by decree the state of those to whom
His election had given a real subsistence before Him. Having chosen
them in His dear Son unto a perfection of holiness and righteousness,
God's love went forth to them, and bestowed upon them the chiefest and
highest blessing His love could confer: to make them His children by
adoption. God is love, and all His love is exercised upon Christ and
those in Him. Having made the elect His own by the sovereign choice of
His will, God's heart was set upon them as His special treasure.
Others have attributed our election to the grace of God, quoting
"There is a remnant according to the election of grace" (Rom. 11:5).
But here again we must distinguish between things that differ, namely,
between the beginning of a divine decree and its matter or substance.
It is true, blessedly true, that the elect are the objects upon which
the grace of God is specially exercised, but that is quite another
thing from saying that their election originated in God's grace. The
order we are here insisting upon is clearly expressed in Ephesians 1.
First, "He [God] hath chosen us in him [Christ] before the foundation
of the world: that we should be holy and without blame [righteous]
before him" (v. 4): that was the initial act in the divine mind.
Second, "in love having predestinated us unto the adoption of children
by Jesus Christ to himself." and that "according to the good pleasure
of his will" (v. 5): that was God enriching those upon whom He had set
His heart. Third, "to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he
hath made us accepted in the beloved" (v. 6): that was both the
subject and design of God's decree--the manifestation and
magnification of His grace.
"The election of grace" (Rom. 11:5), then, is not to be understood as
the genitive of origin, but of object or character, as in "the Rose of
Sharon," "the tree of life," "the children of disobedience." The
election of the church, as of all His acts and works, is to be traced
right back to the uncontrolled and uncontrollable will of God. Nowhere
else in Scripture is the order of the divine counsels so definitely
revealed as in Ephesians 1, and nowhere else is emphasis placed so
strongly upon God's will. He predestinated unto the adoption of
children "according to the good pleasure of his will" (v. 5). He has
made known to us "the mystery of his will" (not "grace") and that
"according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself" (v.
9). And then, as though that was not sufficiently explicit, the
passage closes with "being predestinated according to the purpose of
him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will, that we
should be to the praise of his glory" (vv. 11, 12).
Let us dwell for a moment longer upon that remarkable expression "who
worketh all things after the counsel of his own will"(v. 11). Note
well it is not "the counsel of his own heart," nor even "the counsel
of his own mind," but WILL: not "the will of his own counsel," but
"the counsel of his own will." Herein God differs radically from us.
Our wills are influenced by the thoughts of our minds and moved by the
affections of our hearts; but not so God's. "He doeth according to his
will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth"
(Dan. 4:35). God's will is supreme, determining the exercise of all
His perfections. He is infinite in wisdom, yet His will regulates the
operations of it. He is full of mercy, but His will determines when
and to whom He shows it. He is inflexibly just, yet His will decides
whether or not justice shall be put forth: observe carefully not "Who
can by no means clear the guilty" (as is so generally misquoted), but
"Who will by no means clear the guilty" (Exod. 34:7). God first wills
or determines that a thing shall be, and then His wisdom contrives the
execution of it.
Let us now point out what has been disproved. From all that has been
said above it is clear, first, that our good works are not the thing
which induced God to elect us, for that act passed in the divine mind
in eternity--long before we had any actual existence. See how this
very point is set aside in, "For the children being not yet born,
neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God
according to election might stand, not for works, but of him that
calleth" (Rom. 9:11). Again we read, "For we are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10). Since, then, we
were elected prior to our creation, then good works could not be the
moving cause of it: no, they are the fruits and effects of it.
Second, the holiness of men, whether in principle or in practice, or
both, is not the moving cause of election, for as Ephesians 1:4 so
plainly declares "He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of
the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him"-- not
because we were holy, but so that we might be. That we "should be
holy" was something future, which follows upon it, and is the means to
a further end, namely, our salvation, to which men are chosen. "God
hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation, through
sanctification of the Spirit" (2 Thess. 2:13). Since, then, the
sanctification of God's people was the design of His election, it
could not be the cause of it. "This is the will of God, even your
sanctification" (1 Thess. 4:3): not merely the approving will of God,
as being agreeable to His nature; nor merely His preceptive will, as
required by the Law; but His decretive will, His determinate counsel.
Third, nor is faith the cause of our election. How could it be?
Throughout their unregeneracy all men are in a state of unbelief,
living in this world without God and without hope. And when we had
faith, it was not of ourselves--either of our goodness, power, or
will. No, it was a gift from God (Eph. 2:9), and the operation of the
Spirit (Col. 2:12), flowing from His grace. "As many as were ordained
to eternal life believed" (Acts 13:48), and not "as many as believed,
were ordained to eternal life." Since, then, faith flows from divine
grace, it cannot be the cause of our election. The reason why other
men do not believe, is because they are not of Christ's sheep (John
10:26); the reason why any believe is because God gives them faith,
and therefore it is called "the faith of God's elect" (Titus 1:1).
Fourth, it is not God's foreview of these things in men which moved
Him to choose them. God's foreknowledge of the future is founded upon
the determination of His will concerning it. The divine decree, the
divine foreknowledge, and the divine predestination is the order set
forth in the Scriptures. First, "Who are the called according to his
purpose"; second, "for whom he did foreknow"; third, "he also did
predestinate" (Rom. 8:28, 29). The decree of God as preceding His
foreknowledge is also stated in, "Him, being delivered by the
determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2:23). God
foreknows everything that will be, because He has ordained everything
that shall be; then it is to put the cart before the horse when we
make foreknowledge the cause of God's election.
In conclusion let it be said that the end of God in His decree of
election is the manifestation of His own glory, but before entering
into detail upon this point we will quote several passages which state
the broad fact itself. "But know that the Lord hath set apart him that
is godly for himself" (Ps. 4:3). "Set apart" here signifies chosen or
severed from the rest; "him that is godly" refers to David himself
(Ps. 89:19, 20); "for himself," and not merely for the throne and
kingdom of Israel. "For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and
Israel for his peculiar treasure" (Ps. 135:4). "To give drink to my
people, my chosen. This people have I formed for myself; they shall
show forth my praise" (Isa. 43:20, 21), which is parallel with
Ephesians 1:5, 6. So in the New Testament: when Christ was pleased to
give to Ananias an account of the conversion of His beloved Paul, He
said, "he is a chosen vessel unto me" (Acts 9:15). Again, "I have
reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to
Baal" (Rom. 11:4 ASV), which is explained in the next verse as "a
remnant according to the election of grace."
_________________________________________________
Contents | Intro | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
____________________________________________________
About Us
What's New
Audio Works
Baptist History
Bible Study Courses
Eschatology Heretical Teachings
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Time of Sorrow Links & Resources
For the Cause of
God and Truth
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¸ Copyright 2004-2012 Providence Baptist Ministries
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Election
by Arthur W. Pink
3. Its Grand Original
_________________________________________________
The decrees of God, His eternal purpose, the inscrutable counsels of
His will, are indeed a great deep; yet this we know, that from first
to last they have a definite relation to Christ, for He is the Alpha
and the Omega in all covenant transactions. Beautifully did Spurgeon
express it: "Search for the celestial fountain, from which the divine
streams of grace flow to us, and you will find Jesus Christ the
well-spring in covenant love. If your eyes shall ever see the covenant
roll, if you shall ever be permitted in a future state to see the
whole plan of redemption as it was mapped out in the chambers of
eternity, you shall see the blood-red line of atoning sacrifice
running across the margin of every page, and you shall see that from
the beginning to the end one object was always in view--the glory of
the Son of God." It therefore seems strange that many who see that
election is the foundation of salvation, yet overlook the glorious
Head of election, in whom the elect were chosen and from whom they
receive all blessings.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath
blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ:
according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the
world" (Eph. 1:3, 4). Since we were chosen in Christ, it is evident
that we were chosen out of ourselves; and since we were chosen in
Christ, it necessarily follows that He was chosen before we were. This
is clearly implied in the preceding verse, wherein the Father is
expressly designated "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Now according to the analogy of Scripture (i.e., when He is said to be
"the God" of any one) God was "the God" of Christ first, because He
chose Him to that grace and union. Christ as man was predestinated as
truly as we were, and so has God to be His God by predestination and
free grace. Second, because the Father made a covenant with Him (Isa.
42:6). In view of the covenant made with them, He became known as "the
God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob;" so in view of the covenant He
made with Christ, He became His "God." Third, because God is the
author of all Christ's blessedness (Ps. 45:2, 7).
"According as He [God] hath chosen us in him" means, then, that in
election Christ was made the Head of the elect. "In the womb of
election He, the Head, came out first [adumbrated in every normal
birth, A. W. P.], and then we, the members" (Thos. Goodwin). In all
things Christ must have the "preeminence," and therefore is He "the
Firstborn" in election (Rom. 8:29). In the order of nature Christ was
chosen first, but in the order of time we were elected with Him. We
were not chosen for ourselves apart, but in Christ, which denotes
three things. First, we were chosen in Christ as the members of His
body. Second, we were chosen in Him as the pattern which we should be
conformed unto. Third, we were chosen in Him as the final end, i.e.,
it was for Christ's glory, to be His "fullness" (Eph. 1:23).
"Behold my servant, whom I uphold: mine elect, in whom my soul
delighteth" (Isa. 42:1): that this passage refers to none other than
the Lord Jesus Christ is unmistakably plain from the Spirit's citation
of it in Matthew 12:15-21. Here, then, is the grand original of
election: in its first and highest instance election is spoken of and
applied to the Lord Jesus! It was the will of the eternal three to
elect and predestinate the second person into creature being and
existence, so that as God-man, "the firstborn of every creature" (Col.
1:15), He was the subject of the divine decrees and the immediate and
principal object of the love of the co-essential three. And as the
Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son--considered
as God-man--to have life in Himself (John 5:26), to be a fountain of
life, of grace and glory, unto His beloved Spouse, who received her
being and wellbeing from Jehovah's free grace and everlasting love.
When God determined to create, among all the myriad creatures, both
angelic and human, which rose up in the divine mind, to be brought
into being by Him, the man Christ Jesus was singled out of them, and
appointed to union with the second person in the blessed trinity, and
was accordingly sanctified and set up. This original and highest act
of election was one of pure sovereignty and amazing grace. The
celestial hosts were passed by, and the seed of the woman was
determined upon. Out of the innumerable seeds which were to be created
in Adam, the line of Abraham was selected, then of Isaac, and then of
Jacob. Of the twelve tribes which were to issue from Jacob, that of
Judah was chosen, God elected not an angel to the high union with His
Son, but "one chosen out of the people" (Ps. 89:19). What shall those
say who so much dislike the truth that the heirs of heaven are
elected, when they learn that Jesus Christ Himself is the subject of
eternal election!
"Jehovah is the first cause and the last end of all things. His
essence and existence are of and from Himself. He is Jehovah, the
self-existing essence: the fountain of life, and essential
blessedness--`The King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise
God, who alone hath immortality, dwelling in that light to which no
mortal eye can approach.' And throughout a vast eternity the eternal
three enjoyed boundless and incomprehensible blessedness in the
contemplation of those essential perfections which belong to the
Father, Son, and Spirit, the everlasting Jehovah: who is His own
eternity, and cannot receive any addition to His essential happiness
or glory by any or all of His creatures. He is exalted above all
blessing and praise. The whole creation before Him, and as viewed by
Him, is less than nothing and vanity. If any should curiously inquire,
what was God engaged in before He stretched out the heavens and laid
the foundations of the earth? The answer is: the blessed, co-equal,
and co-essential three, Father, Son, and Spirit, had a mutual in being
and society together, and were essentially blessed in that divine
eternal life, in the mutual interests or propriety they have in each
other, in mutual love and delight--as also in the possession of one
common glory.
But as it is the nature of goodness to be communicative of itself, so
it pleased the eternal trinity to purpose to go forth into creature
acts. The ever blessed three, to whom nothing can be added or
diminished, the spring and fountain of whose essential blessedness
arises from the immense perfections in the infinite nature in which
they exist--in the mutual love they have to each other--and their
mutual converse together--were pleased to delight in creature
fellowship and society. The eternal Father predestinated His
co-essential Son into creature being and existence, and from
everlasting He wore the form and bore the personage of God-man. The
creation of all things is attributed in Scripture to divine
sovereignty: `Thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they
are and were created' (Rev. 4:11). Nothing out of God can move Him: or
be a motive to Him; His will is His rule, His glory His ultimate end.
`For of Him (as the first cause), and through Him (as the preserving
cause), and to Him (as the final cause), are all things' (Rom. 11:36).
God in His actual creation of all, is the end of all. `The Lord hath
made all things for himself' (Prov. 16:4), and the sovereignty of God
naturally ariseth from the relation of all things to Himself as their
Creator, and their natural and inseparable dependence upon Him, in
regard of their being and well-being. He had the being of all things
in His own will and power, and it was at His own pleasure whether He
would impart it or not. `Known unto God are all his works from the
beginning of the world' (Acts 15:18). He comprehends and grasps all
things in His infinite understanding. As He hath an incomprehensible
essence, to which ours is but as the drop in a bucket, so He hath an
incomprehensible knowledge, to which ours is but as a grain of dust.
His primitive decree and view, in the creation of heaven and earth,
angels and men, being His own glory, and that which gave foundation to
it and was the basis to support it, was Jehovah's design to exalt His
Son as God-man, to be the foundation and corner-stone of the whole
creation of God. God had never gone forth into creature acts, had not
the second person condescended by the assumption of our nature to
become a creature. Though this took place after the fall, yet the
decree concerning it was before the fall. Jesus Christ, the fellow of
the Lord of hosts, was the first of all the ways of God" (S. E.
Pierce).
Nowhere does the sovereignty of God shine forth so conspicuously as in
His acts of election and reprobation, which took place in eternity
past, and which nothing in the creature was the cause of. God's act of
choosing His people in Christ was before the foundation of the world,
without the consideration of the fall, nor was it upon the foresight
and footing of works, but was wholly, of grace, and all to the praise
and glory of it. In nothing else is Jehovah's sovereignty so manifest:
indeed the highest instance of it was in predestinating the second
person in the Trinity to be the God-man. That this came under the
decree of God is clear, again, from the words of the apostle: "Who
verily [says he in speaking of Christ] was foreordained before the
foundation of the world" (1 Pet. 1:20) and who is said to be laid "in
Sion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious" (1 Pet. 2:6). This grand
original of election, so little known today, is of such transcendent
importance that we dwell upon it a little longer, to point out some of
the reasons why God was pleased to predestinate the man Christ Jesus
unto personal union with His Son.
Christ was predestinated for higher ends than the saving of His people
from the effects of their fall in Adam. First, He was chosen for God
Himself to delight in, far more so and infinitely above all other
creatures. Being united to the second person, the man Christ Jesus was
exalted to a closer union and communion with God. The Lord of hosts
speaks of Him as "the man that is my fellow" (Zech. 13:7), "mine
elect, in whom my soul delighteth" (Isa. 42:1). Second, Christ was
chosen that God might behold the image of Himself and all His
perfections in a creature, so that His excellences are seen in Christ
as in no other: "Who being the brightness of his glory and the express
image of his person" (Heb. 1:3), which is spoken of the person of
Christ as God-man. Third, by the union of the man Christ Jesus with
the everlasting Son of God, the whole fulness of the Godhead was to
dwell personally in Him, He being "the Image of the invisible God"
(Col. 1:15, 19).
The Man Christ Jesus, then, was chosen unto the highest union and
communion with God Himself. In Him the love and grace of Jehovah shine
forth in their superlative glory. The Son of God gave subsistence and
personality to His human nature, so that the Son of God and His human
nature are not merely one flesh as man and wife (which is the closest
union with us), nor one spirit only (as is the case between Christ and
the Church: 1 Cor. 6:17), but one person, and hence this creature
nature is advanced to a fellowship in the society of the blessed
Trinity, and therefore to Him God communicates Himself without measure
(John 3:34). Descending now to a lower plane, the Man Christ Jesus was
also chosen to be an Head to an elect seed, who were chosen in Him,
given a super-creation subsistence, and blessed in Him with all
spiritual blessings.
If God will love, He must have an object for His love, and the object
must have an existence before Him to exercise His love upon, for He
cannot love a non-entity. It must therefore be that the God-man, and
the elect in Him existed in the divine mind as objects of God's
everlasting love, before all time. In Christ the Church was chosen
from everlasting: the one the Head, the other His body; the one being
the bridegroom, the other His bride: the one being chosen and
appointed for the other. They were chosen together, yet Christ first
in the order of the divine decrees. As, then, Christ and the Church
had existed in the will, thoughts, and purpose of the Father from the
beginning, He could love them and rejoice in them. As the God-man
declares "Thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved
me.. . for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world" (John
17:23, 24).
The Son of God being, before all time, predestinated to be God-man, He
was secretly anointed or set up as such, and His human nature had a
covenant subsistence before God. In consequence of this, He was the
Son of man in heaven before He became the Son of man on earth; He was
the Son of man secretly before God before He became the Son of man
openly and manifestly in this world. Therefore did the Psalmist
exclaim, "Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son
of man whom thou madest strong for Thyself" (80:17); and therefore did
Christ Himself declare, "What and if ye shall see the Son of man
ascend up where he was before?" (John 6:62). "God, out of His eternal
and infinite goodness of love, and purposing Christ to become a
creature, and communicate with His creatures, ordained in His eternal
counsel that person in the Godhead should be united to our nature and
to one particular of His creatures, that so in the person of the
Mediator the true ladder of salvation might be fixed, whereby God
might descend to His creatures and His creatures ascend unto Him" (Sir
Francis Bacon).
"Christ was first elected as Head and Mediator, and as the Cornerstone
to bear up the whole building; for the act of the Father's election in
Christ supposeth Him first chosen to this mediatory work and to be the
Head of the elect part of the world. After this election of Christ,
others were predestinated `to be conformed unto His image' (Rom 8:29)
i.e., to Christ as Mediator, and taking human nature; not to Christ
barely considered as God. This conformity being specially intended in
election, Christ was in the purpose of the Father the first exemplar
and copy of it. One foot of the compass of grace stood in Christ as
the center, while the other walked about the circumference, pointing
one here and another there, to draw a line, as it were, between every
one of those points and Christ. The Father, then, being the prime
cause of the election of some out of the mass of mankind, was the
prime cause of the election of Christ to bring them to the enjoyment
of that to which they were elected. Is it likely that God, in founding
an everlasting kingdom, should consult about the members before He did
about the Head? Christ was registered at the top of the book of
election, and His members after Him. It is called, therefore, `the
book of the Lamb'" (S. Charnock).
That passage of Scripture which enters most fully into what we are
here contemplating is Proverbs 8, at which we will now glance. There
are many passages in that book wherein the "wisdom" spoken of
signifies far more than a moral excellency, and something even more
blessed than the personification of one of the divine attributes. In
not a few passages (1:20, 21, for example) the reference is to Christ,
one of whose titles is "the wisdom of God" (1 Cor. 1:24). It is as
such He is to be regarded here in chapter 8. That it is a person which
is there in view is clear from verse 17, and that it is a divine
person appears from verse 15; yet not a divine person considered
abstractedly, but as the God-man. This is evident from what is there
predicated of Him.
"The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works
of old" (v. 22). The speaker is Christ Himself, the alone Mediator
between the Creator and His creatures. The words "The Lord possessed
me in the beginning of his way" tend to hide what is there affirmed.
There is no prefix in the original Hebrew, nothing there to warrant
the interposed "in," while the word rendered "beginning" signifies the
first or chief. Thus it should be translated "the Lord possessed me:
the beginning (or Chief) of his way, before his works of old." Christ
was the firstborn of all God's thoughts and designs, delighted in by
Him long before the universe was brought into existence.
"I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth
was" (v. 23). "Our Redeemer came forth of the womb of a decree from
eternity, before He came out of the womb of the virgin in time; He was
hid in the will of God before He was made manifest in the flesh of a
Redeemer; He was a lamb slain in decree before He was slain upon the
cross; He was possessed by God in the beginning, or the beginning of
His way, the Head of His works, and set up from everlasting to have
His delights among the sons of men" (Prov. 8:22, 23, 31), (S.
Charnock).
"When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no
fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled,
before the hills was I brought forth" (vv. 24, 25). Christ is here
referring to His being "brought forth" in God's mind, being
predestinated into creature existence before the world was made. The
first of all God's intentions respected the union of the Man Christ
Jesus unto His Son. The Mediator became the foundation of all the
divine counsels: see Ephesians 3:11 and 1:9, 10. As such the triune
Jehovah "possessed" Him as a treasury in which were laid up all His
designs. He was then "set up" or "anointed" (v. 23) in His official
character as Mediator and Head of the Church. As the God-man He had a
virtual influence and was the Executor of all the works and will of
God.
"Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his
delight, rejoicing always before him" (v. 30). It is not the
complacency of the Father in the Son considered absolutely as the
second Person, but His satisfaction and joy in the Mediator as He
viewed Him in the glass of His decrees. It was as incarnate that the
Father said, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased" (Matt.
3:17), and it was with the foreordained God-man, who had a real
subsistence before the divine mind, that He was delighted in by
Jehovah before the world was. In His eternal thoughts and primitive
views, the man that was His fellow became the Object of God's
ineffable love and complacency. It was far more than that Jehovah
simply purposed that the Son should become incarnate; His decree gave
Christ a real subsistence before Him, and as such afforded infinite
satisfaction to His heart.
So little understood is this blessed aspect of our subject, and so
important do we deem it, that some further remarks thereon seem called
for. That Christ is the firstborn or head of the election of grace was
prefigured at the beginning of God's works, in fact the creation of
this world and the formation of the first man were on purpose to make
Christ known. As we are told in Romans 5:14 "which is the figure of
Him that was to come." In his creation, formation, and constitution as
the federal head of our race, Adam was a remarkable type of Christ as
God's Elect. In amplifying this statement it will be necessary to go
over some of the same ground that we covered in Spiritual Union and
Communion, but we trust the reader will bear with us if we here repeat
a number of the things.
There is a certain class of people--despising all doctrine, and
particularly disliking the doctrine of God's absolute sovereignty--who
often exhort us to "preach Christ," but we have long observed that
they never preach Christ in His highest official character, as the
Covenant-Head of God's people, that they never say one word about Him
as God's "Elect, in whom my soul delighteth!" Preaching Christ is a
far more comprehensive task than many suppose, nor can it be done
intelligently by any man until he begins at the beginning and shows
that the man Christ Jesus was eternally predestinated unto union with
the second person of the Godhead. "I have exalted one chosen out of
the people" (Ps. 89:19): that exaltation commenced with the elevation
of Christ's humanity to personal union with the eternal Word-- unique
honor!
The very words "chosen in Christ" necessarily imply that He was chosen
first, as the soil in which we were set. When God chose Christ it was
not as a single or private person, but as a public person, as Head of
His body, we being chosen in Him as the members thereof. Thus,
inasmuch as we were then given a representative subsistence before
God, God could make a covenant with Christ on our behalf. That He did
so enter into an eternal compact with Christ in this character as Head
of the election of grace is clear from, "I have made a covenant with
my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant" (Ps. 89:3)-- adumbrated
in the covenant He made in time with him who was typically "the man
after his own heart," for David was as truly shadowing forth Christ
when God made a covenant with him as Joseph was when he supplied food
to his needy brethren, or as Moses was when he led forth the Hebrews
out of the house of bondage.
Let those, then, who desire to preach Christ, see to it that they give
Him the preeminence in all things--election not excepted! Let them
learn to give unto Jesus of Nazareth His full honor, that which the
Father Himself hath given to Him It is a superlative honor that Christ
is the channel through which all the grace and glory we have, or shall
have, flows to us, and was set up as such from the beginning. As
Romans 8:29 so plainly teaches, it was in connection with election
that God appointed His own beloved Son to be "the firstborn among many
brethren." Christ being appointed as the masterpiece of divine wisdom,
the grand prototype, and we ordained to be so many little copies and
models of Him. Christ is the first and last of all God's thoughts,
counsels, and ways.
The universe is but the theatre and this world the principal stage on
which the Lord God thinks fit to act out some of His deepest designs.
His creating of Adam was a shadow to point to a better Adam, who was
to have an universal headship over all the creatures of God, and whose
glories were to shine forth visibly in and through every part of the
creation. When the world was created and furnished, man was brought
forth. But before his formation we read of that renowned consultation
of the eternal three: "And God said, Let us make man in our image"
(Gen. 1:26). This respected Christ, the God-man, who was from all
eternity the object and subject of all the counsels of the Trinity.
Adam, created and made after God's Image, which consisted of
righteousness and true holiness, was the type, for Christ is par
excellent "the image of the invisible God" (Col. 1:15).
The formation of Adam's body, by God's immediate hand, out of the dust
of the ground, was a figure or shadow of the assumption of human
nature by the Son of God, whose humanity was formed immediately by the
Holy Spirit: as Adam's body was produced from the virgin earth, so
Christ's human nature was produced from the virgin's womb. Again; that
union of soul and body in Adam was a type to express that most
profound and greatest of all mysteries, the hypostatical union of our
nature in the person of Christ: as it is justly expressed in what is
commonly called the Athanasian Creed, "As the reasonable soul and
flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ." Again; as Adam's
person comprised the perfections of all creatures, and was suited to
take in all the comforts and pleasures they could afford and impart,
so the glory of Christ's humanity excels all creatures, even the
angels themselves. The more attentively we consider the person and
position of the first Adam the better may we discern how fully and
fittingly he was a figure of the last Adam.
As Adam, placed in paradise, had all the creatures of the earth
brought before him and was made to have dominion over them all (Gen.
1:28), thus being crowned with mundane glory and honor, so in this too
he accurately foreshadowed Christ, who hath universal empire and
dominion over all worlds, beings, and things, as may be seen from
Psalm 8, which is applied to the Saviour in Hebrews 2:9, where
sovereignty over all creatures is ascribed to Him, the earth and the
heavens, sun, moon and stars magnifying Him. For though He was for a
little while abased beneath the angels in His humiliation, yet now in
His exaltation, He is crowned King of kings and Lord of lords.
Moreover, though the God-man, the "fellow of the Lord of hosts," went
through a season of degradation before His exaltation, nevertheless
His glorification was foreordained before the world began: "I appoint
unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me" (Luke 22:29);
"It is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead"
(Acts 10:42).
That Christ had both a precedency and presidency in election was also
shadowed forth in this primo-primitive type, for we read, "And Adam
gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every
beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found a help meet for
him" (Gen. 2:20). Yet mark the perfect accuracy of the type: when God
created Adam, He created Eve in him (and in blessing Adam-- Gen.
1:28--He blessed all mankind in him); so when God elected Christ, His
people were chosen in Him (Eph. 1:4), and therefore they had a virtual
being and subsistence in Him from all eternity, and consequently He
was styled "the everlasting Father" (Isa. 9:6 and cf. Heb. 2:13); and
consequently in blessing Christ, God blessed all the elect in Him and
together with Him (Eph. 1:3; 2:5).
Though Adam came forth "very good" from the hands of his Maker and was
given dominion over all the creatures of the earth, yet we read "but
for Adam there was not found a help meet for him." Consequently, He
provided a suitable partner for him, which being taken out of his side
was then "builded" (Gen. 2:22 margin), brought to, and welcomed by
him. In like manner, though Christ was the beginning of God's way, set
up from everlasting, and delighted in by the Father (Prov. 8:22, 23,
30), yet God did not think it good for him to be alone, and therefore
He decreed a spouse for Him, who should share His communicable graces,
honors, riches, and glories; a spouse which, in due time, was the
fruit of His pierced side, and brought to Him by the gracious
operations of the Holy Spirit.
When Eve was formed by the Lord God and brought to Adam so as to
effect a marriage union, there was shadowed forth that highest mystery
of grace, of God the Father presenting His elect and giving them to
Christ: "Thine they were, and thou gayest them me" (John 17:6).
Foreviewing them in the glass of the divine decrees, the Mediator
loved and delighted in them (Prov. 8:31), betrothed them unto Himself,
taking the Church as thus presented by God unto Him in a deed of
marriage settlement and covenant contract as the gift of the Father.
As Adam owned the relation between Eve and himself saying, "This is
now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh" (Gen. 2:23), so Christ
became an everlasting husband unto the Church. And as Adam and Eve
were united before the fall, so Christ and the Church were one in the
mind of God prior to any foreviews of sin.
If, then, we are to "preach Christ" in His highest official glory, it
must be plainly shown that He was not ordained in God's eternal
purpose for the Church, but the Church was ordained for Him. Notice
how the Holy Spirit has emphasized this particular point in the type.
"For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the
image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. For the
man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man
created for the woman; but the woman for the man" (1 Cor. 11:7-9). Yet
as Adam was not complete without Eve, so neither is Christ without the
Church: she is His "fullness" or "complement" (Eph. 1:23), yea, she is
His crown of glory and royal diadem (Isa. 62: 3)--the Church may be
said to be necessary for Christ as an empty vessel for Him to supply
with grace and glory. All His delights are in her, and He will be
glorified in her and by her through all eternity, putting His glory
upon her (John 17:22). "Come hither, I will show thee the Bride, the
Lamb's wife. . . descending out of heaven from God, having the glory
of God" (Rev. 2 1:9-11)
In His character as God's "Elect" Christ was shadowed forth by others
than Adam. Indeed it is striking to see what a number of those who
were prominent types of Christ were made the subjects of a real
election of God, by which they were designated to some special office.
Concerning Moses we read "Therefore he said that he would destroy
them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn
away his wrath" (Ps. 106:23). Of Aaron it is said, "No man taketh this
honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron" (Heb.
5:4). Of the priests of Israel it is recorded, "The sons of Levi shall
come near; for them the Lord thy God hath chosen to minister unto him;
and to bless in the name of the Lord" (Deut. 21:5). Regarding David
and the tribe from which he came, it is written, "He refused the
tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim; but chose
the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.... He chose David
also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds" (Ps. 78:67, 68,
70). Each of these cases adumbrated the grand truth that the Man
Christ Jesus was chosen by God to the highest degree of glory and
blessedness of all His creatures.
"And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth,
neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they
which are written in the Lamb's book of life" (Rev. 21:27). This
expression "The Book of Life" is doubtless a figurative one, for the
Holy Spirit delights to represent spiritual, heavenly, and eternal
things--as well as the blessing and benefits of them--under a variety
of images and metaphors, that our minds may the more readily
understand and our hearts feel the reality of them, and thus we be
made more capable of receiving them. Yet this we are to know: the
similitude thus made use of to represent them to our spiritual view
are but shadows, yet what is shadowed forth by them has real being and
substance.
The sun in the firmament is an instituted emblem in the nature of
Christ--He being that to the spiritual world which the former is to
the natural--yet the former is but the shadow, and Christ is the real
substance, hence He is styled "the Sun of righteousness." So when
Christ is compared to the light, He is the "true Light" (John 1:9),
when compared to a vine, He is the "true Vine" (John 15:1), when to
bread, He is "the true Bread," the Bread of life, that Bread of God
which came down from heaven (John 6). Let this principle, then, be
duly kept in mind by us as we come across the many metaphors which are
applied to the Redeemer in the Scriptures. So here in Revelation 21:27
while allowing that "the Book of Life" is a figurative expression, we
are far from granting that there is not in heaven that which is
figured by it, nay, the very reality itself.
This expression "the Book of Life" has its roots in Isaiah 4:3,
wherein God refers to His chosen remnant as "every one that is written
among the living in Jerusalem," and it is this which explains the
meaning of all the later references thereto. God's eternal act of
election is spoken of as writing the names of His chosen ones in the
Book of Life, and the following things are suggested by this figure.
First, the exact knowledge which God has of all the elect, His
particular remembrance of them, His love for and delight in them.
Second, that His eternal election is one of particular persons whose
names are definitely recorded by Him. Third, to show they are
absolutely safe and secure, for God having written their names in the
Book of Life, they shall never be blotted out (Rev. 3:5). When the
seventy returned from their missionary journey, elated because the
very demons were subject to them, Christ said, "But rather rejoice,
because your names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:20 and cf. Phil.
4:3; Heb. 12:23), which shows that God's election to eternal life is
of particular persons--by name--and therefore is sure and immutable.
Let us now particularly observe that this election-register is
designated "the Lamb's Book of Life," and this for at least two
reasons. First, because the Lamb's name heads it, His being the first
one written therein, for He must have the preeminence; after which
follows the enrollment of the particular names of all His people--note
how His name is the first one recorded in the New Testament: Matthew
1:1! Second, because Christ, is the root and His elect are branches,
so that they receive their life from Him as they are in Him and
supported by Him. It is written "When Christ, who is our life, shall
appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory" (Col. 3:4).
Christ is our life because He is the very "Prince of life" (Acts
3:15). Thus, the divine register of election in which are enrolled all
the names of Christ's members, is aptly termed "the Lamb's Book of
Life," for they are entirely dependent upon Him for life.
But it is in connection with the first reason that we would offer a
further remark. It is called the Lamb's Book of Life because His is
the first name in it. This is no arbitrary assertion of ours, but one
that is clearly warranted by the Bible, "Lo, I come (in the volume of
the book it is written of Me)" (Heb. 10:7). The speaker here is the
Lord Jesus and, as is so often the case (such is the fullness of His
words), there is a double reference in it: first to the archives of
God's eternal counsels, the scroll of His decrees; second, to the Holy
Scriptures, which are a partial transcript of them. In keeping with
this twofold reference is the double meaning of the word "volume." In
Psalm 40:7 "volume" is unquestionably the signification of the Hebrew
word there used; but in Hebrews 10:7 the Greek word most certainly
ought to be rendered "head"--kephale occurs seventy-six times in the
New Testament, and it is always rendered "head" except here. Thus,
properly translated, Hebrews 10:7 reads "at the head of the book it is
written of me."
Here, then is the proof of our assertion. The Book of Life--the Divine
register of election--is termed the Lamb's Book of Life" because His
name is the first one written therein, and He who had Himself scanned
that roll said, as He entered this world, "at the head of the book it
is written of me." A further reference to this Book was made by Christ
in "In thy book all my members were written" (Ps. 139:16). The
Psalmist was referring to his natural body, first as formed in the
womb (v. 15), and then as being the subject of the divine decrees (v.
16). But the deeper reference is to Christ, speaking, as the
antitypical David, of the members of His mystical body. "The substance
of the Church, whereof it was to be formed, was under the eyes of God,
as proposed in the decree of election" (John Owen).
Should an exercised reader be asking, How may I now be assured that my
name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life? We answer, very briefly.
First, by God's having taught you to see and brought you to feel your
inward corruption, your personal vileness, your awful guilt, your dire
need of the sacrifice of the Lamb. Second, by causing you to make
Christ of first importance in your thoughts and estimation, perceiving
that He alone can save you. Third, by bringing you to believe in Him,
rest your whole soul upon Him, desiring to be found in Him, not having
your own righteousness, but His. Fourth, by making Him infinitely
precious to you, so that He is all your desire. Fifth, by working in
you a determination to please and glorify Him.
Contents | Intro | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Election
by Arthur W. Pink
4. Its Verity
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Before proceeding further with an orderly opening up of this profound
but precious doctrine, it may be better (especially for the benefit of
those less familiar with the subject) if we now demonstrate its
Scripturalness. We must not take anything for granted, and as numbers
of our readers have never received any systematic instruction upon the
subject--yea, some of them know next to nothing about it--and as
others have heard and read only perversions and caricatures of this
doctrine, it seems essential that we should pause and establish its
verity. In other words, our present object is to furnish proof that
what we are now writing upon is not some theological invention of
Calvin's or any other man's, but is clearly revealed in Holy Writ,
namely, that God, before the foundation of the world, made a
difference between His creatures, singling out certain ones to be the
special objects of His favor.
We shall deal with the subject in a more or less general
way--occupying ourselves with the fact itself; reserving the more
detailed analysis and the drawing of distinctions for later chapters.
Let us begin by asking, Has God an elect people? Now this question
must be propounded to God Himself, for He alone is competent to answer
it. It is, therefore, to His holy Word we have to turn, if we would
learn His answer thereto. But ere doing so, we need to earnestly beg
God to grant us a teachable spirit, that we may humbly receive the
divine testimony. The things of God can no man know, till God Himself
declares them; but when He has declared them, it is not only crass
folly, but wicked presumption, for any one to contend or disbelieve.
The Holy Scriptures are the rule of faith, as well as the rule of
conduct. To the law and the testimony, then, we now turn.
Concerning the nation of Israel we read, "The Lord thy God hath chosen
thee to be a special people unto Himself, above all people that are
upon the face of the earth" (Deut. 7:6); "For the Lord hath chosen
Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure" (Ps. 135:4);
"But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed
of Abraham my friend. Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the
earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee,
thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away" (Isa.
41:8, 9). These testimonies make it unmistakably plain that ancient
Israel were the favored, elect people of God. We do not here take up
the question as to why God chose them, or as to what they were chosen
unto; but notice only the bare fact itself. In Old Testament times God
had an elect nation.
Next, it is to be observed that even in favored Israel God made a
distinction: there was an election within an election; or, in other
words, God had a special people of His own from among the nation
itself. "For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: neither,
because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, in
Isaac shall thy seed by called" (Rom. 9:6-8). "God hath not cast away
his people which he foreknew. . . . I have reserved to myself seven
thousand men who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal: even so
that at this present time also there is a remnant according to the
election of grace. . . .Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh
for; but the election hath obtained it" (Rom. 11:2-7). Thus we see
that even in visible Israel, the nation chosen to outward privileges,
God had an election--a spiritual Israel, the objects of His love.
The same principle of Divine selection appears plainly and
conspicuously in the teaching of the New Testament. There too it is
revealed that God has a peculiar people, the subjects of His special
favor, His own dear children. The Saviour and His apostles describe
this people in various ways, and often designate them by the term of
which we here treat. "For the elect's sake those days shall be
shortened . . . insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive
the very elect ... and they shall gather together His elect from the
four winds" (Matt. 24:22, 24, 31). "Shall not God avenge His own
elect, which cry day and night unto Him?" (Luke 18:7). "Who shall lay
any thing to the charge of God's elect?" (Rom. 8:33). "That the
purpose of God according to election might stand" (Rom. 9:11). "I
endure all things for the elect's sake" (2 Tim. 2:10), "The faith of
God's elect" (Titus 1:1). Many other passages might be quoted, but
these are sufficient to clearly demonstrate that God has an elect
people. God Himself says He has, who will dare say He has not!
The word "elected" in one of its forms, or its synonym "chosen" in one
of its forms, occurs upon the sacred page considerably over one
hundred times. The term, then, belongs to the divine vocabulary. It
must mean something; it must convey some definite idea. What, then, is
its significance? The humble inquirer will not force a construction
upon the word, or seek to read into it his own preconceptions, but
will prayerfully endeavor to ascertain the mind of the Spirit. Nor
should this be difficult, for there is no word in human language which
has a more specific meaning. The concept universally expressed by it
is that one is taken and another left, for if all were taken there
would be no "choice." Moreover, the right of choice always belongs to
him who chooses: the act is his, the motive is his. Therein "choice"
differs from compulsion, the paying of a debt, discharging an
obligation, or responding to the requirements of justice. Choice is a
free and sovereign act.
Let there be no uncertainty about the meaning of our term. God has
made a choice, for election signifies selection and appointment. God
has exercised His own sovereign will and singled out from the mass of
His creatures those upon whom He determined to bestow His special
favors. There cannot be an election without a singling out, and there
cannot be a singling out without a passing by. The doctrine of
election means that from all eternity God made a choice of those who
were to be His special treasure, His dear children, the coheirs of
Christ. The doctrine of election means that before His Son became
incarnate God marked out the ones who should be saved by Him. The
doctrine of election means that God has left nothing to chance: the
accomplishment of His purpose, the success of Christ's undertaking,
the peopling of heaven, is not contingent upon the fickle caprice of
the creature. God's will, and not man's will, fixes destiny.
Let us now call attention to a most remarkable and little known
example of divine election. "I charge thee before God, and the Lord
Jesus Christ, and the elect angels" (1 Tim. 5:21). If then, there are
"elect angels" there must necessarily be non-elect, for there cannot
be the one without the other. God, then, in the past made a selection
among the hosts of heaven, choosing some to be vessels of honor and
others to be vessels of dishonor. Those whom He chose unto His favor,
stood steadfast, remained in subjection to His will. The rest fell
when Satan revolted, for upon his apostasy he dragged down with
himself one third of the angels (Rev. 12:4). Concerning them we read,
"God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell,
and delivered them into chains of darkness" (2 Pet. 2:4). But those of
them who belong to the election of grace are "the holy angels": holy
as the consequence of their election, and not elected because they
were holy, for election antedated their creation. The supreme example
of election is seen in Christ; the next highest in that God made
choice among the celestial hierarchies.
Let us next observe and admire the marvel and singularity of God's
choice among men. He has selected a portion of Adam's race to be the
high favorites of heaven. "Now this is a wonder of wonders, when we
come to consider that the heaven, even the heaven of heavens, is the
Lord's. If God must have a chosen race, why did He not select one from
the majestic order of angels, or from the flashing cherubim and
seraphim who stand around His throne? Why was not Gabriel fixed upon?
Why was he not so constituted that from his loins there might spring a
mighty race of angels, and why were not those chosen of God from
before the foundation of the world? What could there be in man, a
creature lower than the angels, that God should select him rather than
the angelic spirits? Why were not the cherubim and seraphim given to
Christ? Why did He not assume the nature of angels, and take them into
union with Himself? An angelic body might be more in keeping with the
person of Deity than a body of weak and suffering flesh and blood.
There was something congruous if He had said unto the angels, `Ye
shall be My Sons.' But no! though all these were His own; He passes
them by and stoops to man" (C. H. Spurgeon).
Some may suggest that the reason why God made choice of Adam's
descendants in preference to the angels, was that the human race fell
in Adam and thus afforded a more suitable case for God to display His
rich mercy upon. But such a supposition is entirely fallacious, for,
as we have seen, one third of the angels themselves fell from their
high estate, yet so far from God showing them mercy, He "hath reserved
in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great
day" (Jude 6). No Saviour was provided for them, no gospel has ever
been preached to them. How striking and how solemn is this: the fallen
angels passed by; the fallen sons of Adam made the recipients of the
overtures of divine mercy.
Here is a truly marvelous thing. God determined to have a people who
should be His peculiar treasure, nearer and dearer to Himself than any
other creatures; a people who should be conformed to the very image of
His Son. And that people was chosen from the descendants of Adam. Why?
Why not have reserved that supreme honor for the celestial hosts? They
are a higher order of beings; they were created before us. They were
heavenly creatures, yet God passed them by; we are earthly, yet the
Lord set His heart upon us. Again we ask, why? Ah, let those who hate
the truth of God's high sovereignty and contend against the doctrine
of unconditional election, carefully ponder this striking example of
it. Let those who so blatantly insist that it would be unjust for God
to show partiality between man and man, tell us why did He show
partiality between race and race, bestowing favors upon men which He
never has upon angels? Only one answer is possible: because it so
pleased Him.
Election is a divine secret, an act in the will of God in eternity
past. But it does not forever remain such. No, in due time, God is
pleased to make openly manifest His everlasting counsels. This He has
done in varying degrees, since the beginning of human history. In
Genesis 3:15 He made known the fact that there would be two distinct
lines: the woman' s "seed," which denoted Christ and His people, and
the Serpent's "seed," which signified Satan and those who are
conformed to his likeness; God placing an irreconcilable "enmity"
between them. These two "seeds" comprehend the elect and the
non-elect. Abel belonged to the election of grace: evidence of this
being furnished in his "faith" (Heb. 11:4), for only those "ordained
to eternal life" (Acts 13:48) savingly "believe." Cain belonged to the
non-elect: evidence of this is found in the statement "Cain, who was
of that Wicked one" (1 John 3:12). Thus at the beginning of history,
in the two sons of Adam and Eve, God "took" the one into His favor,
and "left" the other to suffer the due reward of his iniquities.
Next, we behold election running in the line of Seth, for it was of
his descendants (and not those of Cain's) we read, "Then began men to
call upon the name of the Lord" (Gen. 4:26). But in the course of time
they too were corrupted, until the entire human race became so evil
that God sent the flood and swept them all away. Yet even then the
principle of divine election was exemplified: not only in Enoch, but
that "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord" (Gen. 6:8). It was the
same after the flood, for a marked discrimination was made between the
sons of Noah: "Blessed be the Lord God of Shem" (Gen. 9:26), which
imports that God had chosen and blessed him. On the other hand,
"Cursed be Canaan: a servant of servants shall he be unto his
brethren" (Gen. 9:25), which is expressive of preterition and all that
is involved in God's rejection. Thus, even of those who emerged from
the ark, God made one to differ from another.
From the sons of Noah sprang the nations which have peopled the world.
"By these [i.e., Noah's three sons] were the nations divided in the
earth after the flood" (Gen. 10:32). From those seventy nations God
chose the one in which the great current of His election would run. In
Genesis 10:25 we read that this dividing of the nations was made in
the time of Eber, the grandson of Shem. Why are we told this? To
intimate that God then began to separate the Jewish nation unto
Himself in Eber, for Eber was their father; hence it is also that at
the beginning of Shem's genealogy we are told, "Shem also (the elected
and blessed of God), the father of all the children of Eber" (10:21).
This is very striking, for Shem had other and older children (whose
line of descendants is also recorded), as Asshur and Elim, the fathers
of the Assyrians and the Persians.
The seemingly dry and uninteresting detail in Genesis 10 to which we
have just alluded, marked a most important step forward in the
outworking of the divine counsels, for it was then that God began to
separate unto Himself the Israelites in Eber, whom He had appointed to
be their father. Till then the Hebrews had lain promiscuously mingled
with the other nations, but now God "divided" them from the rest, as
the other nations were divided from one another. Accordingly, we find
Eber's posterity, even when very few in number, were designated
"Hebrews" as their national denomination ("Israel" being their
religious name) in distinction from those among whom they lived:
"Abraham the Hebrew" (Gen. 14:13), "Joseph the Hebrew" (Gen. 39:14).
Hence, when they became a nation in numbers, and while living in the
midst of the Egyptians, they are again styled "Hebrews" (Exod. 1:15),
while in Numbers 24:24 they are distinctly called "Eber"!
What we have sought to explain above is definitely confirmed by
"Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask
thy father, and he will show thee; thy elders, and they will tell
thee. When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance,
when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people
according to the number of the children of Israel. For the Lord's
portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance" (Deut.
32:7-9). Notice, first, the Lord here bade Israel cast their minds
back to ancient times, the traditions of which had been handed down by
their fathers. Second, the particular event alluded to was when God
"divided" to the nations their inheritance, the reference being to
that famous division of Genesis 10. Third, those nations are spoken of
not "as the sons of Noah" (who was in the elect line), but as "the
sons of Adam"--another plain hint that he headed the line of the
reprobate. Fourth, that when God allotted to the non-elect nations
their earthly portion, even then the eye of grace and favor was upon
the children of Israel. Fifth, "according to the number of the
children of Israel," which was seventy when they first settled in
Egypt (Gen. 46:27)--the exact number of the nations mentioned in
Genesis 10!
The chief link of connection between Eber and the nation of Israel
was, of course, Abraham, and in his case the principle of divine
election shines forth with sunlight clearness. The divine call which
he received marked another important stage in the development of God's
eternal purpose. At the tower of Babel God gave over the nations to
walk in their own evil ways, afterward taking up Abraham to be the
founder of the favored nation. "Thou art the Lord the God, who didst
choose Abraham, and broughtest him forth out of Ur" (Neh. 9:7). It was
not Abraham who chose God, but God who chose Abraham. "The God of
glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia"
(Acts 7:2): this title "the God of glory" is employed here to
emphasize the signal favor which was shown to Abraham, the glory of
His grace in electing him, for there was nothing in him by nature that
lifted him above his fellows and entitled him to the divine notice. It
was unmerited kindness, sovereign mercy, which was shown him.
This is made very evident by what is told us in Joshua 24 of his
condition before Jehovah appeared to him: "Thus saith the God of
Israel, your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time,
even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they
served other gods" (v. 2). Abraham was living in the heathen city of
Ur, and belonged to an idolatrous family! At a later date God pressed
this very fact upon his descendants, reminding them of the lowly and
corrupt state of their original, and giving them to know it was for no
good in him that he had been chosen: "Hearken to me, ye that follow
after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence
ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. Look
unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you; for I called
him alone, and blessed him" (Isa. 51:1, 2). What a flesh-withering
word is that: the great Abraham is here likened (by God) to "the hole
of the pit"--such was his condition when the Lord first appeared unto
him.
But there is more in the above passage. Observe carefully the words "I
called him alone." Remember that this was while he dwelt in Ur, and as
modern excavations have shown, that was a city of vast extent: out of
all its huge number of inhabitants God revealed himself to one only!
The Lord here emphasized that very fact and calls upon us to mark the
singularity of His election by this word "alone." See here, then, the
absolute sovereignty of God, exercising His own imperial will,
choosing whom He pleases. He had mercy upon Abraham simply because He
was pleased to do so, and He left the remainder of his countrymen in
heathen darkness simply because it so seemed good in His sight. There
was nothing more in Abraham than in any of his fellows why God should
have selected him: whatever goodness was found in him later was what
God Himself put there, and therefore it was the consequence and not
the cause of His choice.
Striking as is the case of Abraham's own election, yet God's dealings
with his offspring is equally if not more noteworthy. Therein God
furnished an epitome of what has largely characterized the history of
all His elect, for it is a very rare thing to find a whole family
which (not simply makes a profession, but) gives evidence of enjoying
His special favor. The common rule is that one is taken and other is
left, for those who are given to really believe this precious but
solemn truth, are made to experimentally realize its force in
connection with their own kin. Thus Abraham's own family furnished in
his next and immediate successors, a prototype of the future
experience of the elect. In his family we behold the most striking
instances of both election and preterition, first in his sons, and
then in his grandsons.
That Isaac was a child of pure electing grace (which was the cause and
not the consequence of his faith and holiness), and that as such he
was placed in Abraham's family as a precious gift, while Ishmael was
excluded from that preeminent favor, is quite evident from the history
of Genesis. Before he was born, yea, before he was conceived in the
womb, God declared unto Abraham that Isaac was heir of the same
salvation with him, and had irrevocably estated the covenant of grace
upon him thereby distinguishing him from Ishmael; who, though blessed
with temporal mercies, was not in the covenant of grace, but rather
was under the covenant of works (see Gen. 17:19-21 and compare the
Spirit's comments thereon in Gal. 4:22-26).
Later, while Isaac was yet young, and lay bound as a sacrifice upon
the altar, God ratified the promises of blessing which He had made
before his birth, confirming them with a solemn oath: "By myself have
I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, hast
not withheld thy son, thine only son: that in blessing I will bless
thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the
heaven" (Gen. 22:16, 17). That oath respected the spiritual seed, the
heirs of promise, such as Isaac was, the declared son of promise. To
that the apostle referred when he said, "wherein God; willing more
abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his
counsel, confirmed it by an oath" (Heb. 6:17). And what was His
"immutable counsel" but His eternal decree, His purpose of election?
God's counsels are His decrees within Himself from everlasting (Eph.
1:4, 9,10). And what is a promise with an oath but God's immutable
counsel or election put into promissory form. And who are the "heirs
of promise" but the elect, such as Isaac was.
An objector would argue that the choosing of Isaac in preference to
Ishmael was not an act of pure sovereignty, seeing that the former was
the son of Sarah, while the latter was the child of Hagar, the
Egyptian bondwoman--thus supposing that God's gifts are regulated by
something in the creature. But the next instance precludes even that
sophistry and entirely shuts us up to the uncaused and uninfluenced
will of the Most High. Jacob and Esau were by the same father and
mother, twins. Concerning them we read, "(For the children being not
yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of
God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that
calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As
it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated" (Rom.
9:11-13). Let us bow in awed silence before such a passage.
The nation which sprang from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was God's
chosen and favored people, singled out and separated from all other
nations, to be the recipients of the rich blessings of God. It was
that very fact which added so greatly to the enormity of their sins,
for increased privileges entail increased responsibility, and
increased responsibility not discharged involves increased guilt.
"Hear this word that the Lord hath spoken against you, 0 children of
Israel.... You only have I known of all the families of the earth:
therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities" (Amos 3:1, 2).
From the days of Moses until the time of Christ, a period of fifteen
hundred years, God suffered all the heathen nations to walk in their
own ways, leaving them to the corruptions and darkness of their own
evil hearts. No other nation had God's Word, no other nation had a
divinely appointed priesthood. Israel alone was favored with a written
revelation from heaven.
And why did the Lord choose Israel to be His special favorites? The
Chaldeans were more ancient, the Egyptians were far wiser, the
Canaanites were more numerous; yet they were passed by. What, then,
was the reason why the Lord singled out Israel? Certainly it was not
because of any excellency in them, as the whole of their history
shows. From Moses till Malachi they were a stiff-necked and
hardhearted people, unappreciative of divine favors, unresponsive to
the divine will. It could not have been because of any goodness in
them: it was a clear case of the divine sovereignty: "The Lord thy God
hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people
that are upon the face of the earth. The Lord did not set his love
upon you, nor choose you because ye were more in number than any
people; for ye were the fewest of all people; but because the Lord
loved you, and because He would keep the oath which He had sworn unto
your fathers" (Deut. 7:6-8). The explanation of all God's acts and
works was to be found in Himself--in the sovereignty of His will, and
not anything in the creature.
The same principle of divine selection is as plainly and prominently
revealed in the New Testament as in the Old. It was strikingly
exemplified in connection with the birth of Christ. First, in the
place where He was born. How startlingly the sovereignty of God was
displayed in that momentous event. Jerusalem was not the Savior's
birthplace, nor was it one of the prominent towns of Palestine;
instead, it was in a small village! The Holy Spirit has called
particular attention to this point in one of the leading Messianic
prophecies: "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among
the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me
that is to be ruler in Israel" (Mic. 5:2). How different are God's
thoughts and ways from man's! How He despises what we most esteem, and
honors that which we look down upon. One of the most insignificant of
all places was chosen by God to be the scene of the most stupendous of
all events.
Again; the high sovereignty of God and the principle of His singular
election appeared in those to whom He first communicated these glad
tidings. To whom was it God sent the angels to announce the blessed
fact of the Savior's birth? Suppose Scripture had been silent upon the
point: how differently would we have conceived of the matter. Would we
not have naturally thought that the first ones to be informed of this
glorious event had been the ecclesiastical and religious leaders in
Israel? Surely the angels would deliver the message in the temple. But
no, it was neither to the chief priests nor to the rulers they were
sent, but unto the lowly shepherds keeping watch over their flocks in
the fields. And again we say, how entirely different are God's
thoughts and ways from man's. And what thus took place at the
beginning of this Christian era was indicative of God's way throughout
its entire course (see 1 Cor. 1:26-29).
Let us next observe that this same grand truth was emphasized by
Christ Himself in His public ministry. Look at His first message in
the Nazareth synagogue. "And there was delivered unto him the book of
the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the
place where it was written, the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because
he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor [i.e., the poor
in spirit, and not to wealthy Laodiceans]; he hath sent me to heal the
broken-hearted [not the stout-hearted, but those sorrowing before God
over their sins] , to preach deliverance to the captives [and not to
those who prate about their "free will"] , and recovering of sight to
the blind [not those who think they can see] , and to set at liberty
them that are bruised [not those who deem themselves whole], To preach
the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:17-19).
The immediate sequel is indeed solemn: "And He began to say unto them,
This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bear him
witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his
mouth" (vv. 21, 22). So far so good: they were pleased at His
"gracious words"; yes, but would they tolerate the preaching of
sovereign grace? "But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in
Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years
and six months, when great famine was throughout the land; but unto
none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto
a woman that was a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time
of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman
the Syrian" (vv. 25-27). Here Christ pressed upon them the truth of
God's high sovereignty, and that they could not endure: "And all they
in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with
wrath; and rose up, and thrust Him out of the city" (vv. 28, 29) and
mark it well that it was the respectable worshippers of the synagogue
who thus gave vent to their hatred of this precious truth! Then let
not the servant today be surprised if he meet with the same treatment
as his Master.
His sermon at Nazareth was by no means the only time when the Lord
Jesus proclaimed the doctrine of election. In Matthew 11 we hear Him
saying, "I thank Thee, 0 Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because
thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast
revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in
thy sight" (vv. 25, 26). To the seventy He said, "Notwithstanding, in
this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather
rejoice, because your names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:20). In
John 6 it will be found that Christ, in the hearing of the multitude,
hesitated not to speak openly of a company whom the Father had "given
to him" (vv. 37, 39). To the apostles He said, "Ye have not chosen me,
but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring
forth fruit" (John 15:16): how shocked would the great majority of
church goers be today if they heard the Lord say such words unto His
own! In John 17:9 we find Him saying, "I pray not for the world, but
for them which thou hast given me."
As an interesting and instructive illustration of the emphasis which
the Holy Spirit has placed upon this truth we would call attention to
the fact that in the New Testament God's people are termed "believers"
but twice, "Christians" only three times, whereas the designation
elect, is found fourteen times and saints or separated ones sixty-two
times! We would also point out that various other terms and phrases
are used in the Scriptures to express election: "And the Lord said
unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou
hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name" (Exod. 33:17);
"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest
forth out of the womb I sanctified thee" (Jer. 1:5; cf. Amos 3:2). "I
speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen" (John 13:18; cf.
Matt. 20:16). "As many as were ordained to eternal life believed"
(Acts 13:48). "God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of
them a people for his name" (Acts 15:14). "Church of the firstborn,
which are written in heaven" (Heb. 12:23).
This basic truth of election undergirds the whole scheme of salvation:
that is why we are told "the foundation of God standeth sure, having
this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his" (2 Tim. 2:19). Election
is necessarily and clearly implied by some of the most important terms
used in Scripture concerning various aspects of our salvation, yea,
they are unintelligible without it. For example, every passage which
makes mention of "redemption" presupposes eternal election. How so?
Because "redemption" implies a previous possession: it is Christ
buying back and delivering those who were God's at the beginning.
Again; the words "regeneration" and "renewing" necessarily signify a
previous spiritual life--lost when we fell in Adam (1 Cor. 15:22). So
again the term "reconciliation:" this not only denotes a state of
alienation before the reconciliation, but a condition of harmony and
amity, before the alienation. But enough: the truth of election has
now been abundantly demonstrated from the Scriptures. If these many
and indubitable proofs are not sufficient, it would be a waste of time
to further multiply them.
Let it now be pointed out that this grand truth was definitely held
and owned by our forefathers. First, a brief quotation from the
ancient Creed of the Waldenses (eleventh century)--those renowned
confessors of the Christian Faith in the dark ages, in the midst of
the most terrible persecutions from the Papacy: "That God saves from
corruption and damnation those whom He has chosen from the foundation
of the world, not for any disposition, faith, or holiness that He
foresaw in them, but of His mere mercy in Christ Jesus His Son;
passing by all the rest, according to the irreprehensible reason of
His own free will and justice." Here is one of the Thirty-nine
Articles of the Church of England: "Predestination to life is the
everlasting purpose of God whereby, before the foundations of the
world were laid, He hath constantly decreed by His secret counsel to
us to deliver from curse and condemnation those whom He had chosen in
Christ out of mankind, and to bring by Christ to everlasting salvation
as vessels made to honor."
This is from the Westminster Confession of Faith, subscribed to by all
Presbyterian ministers, "By the decree of God, for the manifestation
of His glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting
life, and others foreordained to everlasting death. These angels and
men, thus predestinated and foreordained, are particularly and
unchangeably designed; and their number is so certain and definite,
that it cannot be either increased or diminished." And here is the
third article from the old Baptist (English) Confession: "By the
decree of God, for the manifestation of His glory, some men and angels
are predestinated or foreordained to eternal life through Jesus
Christ, to the praise of His glorious grace; others being left to act
in their sin to their just condemnation, to the praise of His glorious
justice."
Let it not be thought that we have quoted from these human standards
in order to bolster up our cause. Not so: the present writer, by
divine grace, would believe and teach this grand truth if none before
him had ever held it, and if every one in Christendom now repudiated
it. But what has just been adduced is good evidence that we are here
advancing no heretical novelty, but a doctrine proclaimed in the past
in each section of the orthodox Church upon earth. We have also made
the above quotations for the purpose of showing how far the present
generation of professing Christians have departed from the Faith of
those to whom under God, they owe their present religious liberties.
Just as the modern denials of the divine inspiration and authority of
the Scriptures (by the higher critics), the denial of immediate
creation (by evolutionists), the denial of the deity of Christ (by
Unitarians), so the present denial of God's sovereign election and of
man's spiritual impotency, are equally departures from the Faith of
our forefathers, which was based upon the inerrant Word of God.
The truth of divine election has been most conspicuously exemplified
in the history of Christendom. If it be true that during the last two
thousand years of the Old Testament dispensation the spiritual
blessings of God were largely confined to a single people, it is
equally true that for the last five hundred years one section of the
human race has been more signally favored by heaven than all the other
sections put together. God's dealings with the Anglo-Saxons have been
as singular and sovereign as His dealings with the Hebrews of old.
Here is a fact which cannot be gainsaid, staring us all in the face,
exposing the madness of those who deny this doctrine: for centuries
past the vast majority of God's saints have been gathered out of the
Anglo-Saxons! Thus, the very testimony of modern history unmistakably
rebukes the folly of those who repudiate the teachings of God's Word
on this subject, rendering their unbelief without excuse.
Tell us, ye who murmur against the divine sovereignty, why is it that
the Anglo-Saxon race has been singled out for the enjoyment of far the
greater part of God's spiritual blessings? Were there no other races
equally needy? The Chinese practiced a nobler system of morality and
were far more numerous: why, then, were they left for so long in
gospel darkness? Why was the whole African continent left for many
centuries before the Sun of Righteousness shone there again with
healing in His wings? Why is America today a thousand times more
favored than India, which has thrice the population? To all of these
questions we are compelled to fall back upon the answer of our blessed
Lord: "Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight." And just
as with Israel of old there was an election within an election, so in
Germany, in Great Britain, and in the U.S.A., certain particular
places have been favored with one faithful minister after another,
while other places have been cursed with false prophets. "I caused it
to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city"
(Amos 4:7)--true now in a spiritual way.
Finally, the veracity of election is clearly evidenced by the fierce
opposition of Satan against it. The Devil fights truth, not error. He
vented His hatred against it when Christ proclaimed it (Luke 4:28,
29); he did so when Paul preached it (as Rom. 9:14, 19 more than
hints); he did so when the Waldenses, the Reformers, and the Puritans
heralded it--using the Papists as his tools to torment and murder
thousands of them who confessed it. He still opposes it. Today he does
so in his guise as an angel of light. He pretends to be very jealous
of the honor of God's character, and declares that election makes Him
out to be a monster of injustice. He uses the weapon of ridicule: if
election be true, why preach the gospel? He seeks to intimidate: even
if the doctrine of election be Scriptural, it is not wise to preach
it. Thus, the teaching of Scripture, the testimony of history, and the
opposition of Satan, all witness to the veracity of this doctrine.
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| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Election
by Arthur W. Pink
5. Its Justice
_________________________________________________
Somewhat against our inclinations we have decided to depart again from
the logical method of exposition, and instead of now proceeding with
an orderly unfolding of this doctrine, we pause to deal with the
principal objection which is made against the same. No sooner is the
truth set forth of God's singling out certain of His creatures to be
subjects of His special favors, than a general cry of protest is
heard. No matter how much Scripture is quoted to the point nor how
many plain passages be adduced in illustration and demonstration of
it, the majority of those who profess to be Christians loudly object,
alleging that such teaching slanders the divine character, making God
guilty of gross injustice. It seems, then, that this difficulty should
be met, that reply should be made to such a criticism of the doctrine,
ere we proceed any further with our attempt to give a systematic
setting forth of it.
In such an age as ours, when the principles of democracy, socialism
and communism are so widely and warmly espoused, in a day when human
authority and dominion are being more and more despised, when it is
the common custom to "speak evil of dignities" (Jude 8), it is
scarcely surprising that so many who make no pretension of bowing to
the authority of Holy Writ should rebel against the concept of God's
being partial. But it is unspeakably dreadful to find the great
majority of those who profess to receive the Scriptures as divinely
inspired, gnashing their teeth against its author when informed that
He has sovereignly elected a people to be His peculiar treasure, and
to hear them charging Him with being a hateful tyrant, a monster of
cruelty. Yet such blasphemies only go to show that "the carnal mind is
enmity against God."
It is not because we have any hope of converting such rebels from the
error of their ways that we feel constrained to take up the present
aspect of our subject--though it may please God in His infinite grace
to use these feeble lines to the enlightening and convicting of a few
of them. No, rather is it that some of God's dear people are disturbed
by these ravings of His enemies, and know not how to answer in their
own minds this objection, that if God makes a sovereign selection from
among His creatures and predestinates them to blessings which He
withholds from countless millions of their fellows, then such
partiality makes Him guilty of treating the latter unjustly. And yet
the fact stares them in the face on every hand, both in creation and
providence, that God distributes His mercies most unevenly. There is
no equality in His bestowments either in physical health and strength,
mental capacities, social status, or the comforts of this life. Why,
then, should we be staggered when we learn that His spiritual
blessings are distributed unevenly?
Before proceeding further it should be pointed out that the design of
every false scheme and system of religion is to depict the character
of God in such a way that it is agreeable to the tastes of the carnal
heart, acceptable to depraved human nature. And that can only be done
by a species of misrepresentation: the ignoring of those of His
prerogatives and perfections which are objectionable, and the
disproportionate emphasizing of those of His attributes which appeal
to their selfishness--such as His love, mercy, and long-sufferance.
But let the character of God be faithfully presented as it is actually
portrayed in the Scriptures--in the Old Testament as well as the
New--and nine out of every ten of church-goers will frankly state that
they find it impossible to love Him." The plain fact is, dear reader,
that to the present generation the Most High of Holy Writ is "the
unknown God."
It is just because people today are so ignorant of the divine
character and so lacking in godly fear, that they are quite in the
dark as to the nature and glory of divine justice, presuming to
arraign it. This is an age of blatant irreverence, wherein lumps of
animate clay dare to prescribe what the Almighty ought and ought not
to do. Our forefathers sowed the wind, and today their children are
reaping the whirlwind. The "divine rights of kings" was scoffed at and
tabooed by the sires, and now their offspring repudiate the "divine
rights of the King of kings." Unless the supposed "rights" of the
creature are "respected," then our modems have no respect for the
Creator, and if His high sovereignty and absolute dominion over all be
insisted upon, they hesitate not to vomit forth their condemnation of
Him. And, "evil communications corrupt good manners" (1 Cor. 15:33)!
God's own people are in danger of being infected by the poisonous gas
which now fills the air of the religious world.
Not only is the miasmic atmosphere obtaining in most of the "churches"
a serious menace to the Christian, but there is in each of us a
serious tendency to humanize God: viewing His perfections through our
own intellectual lenses instead of through the glass of Scripture,
interpreting His attributes by human qualities. It was of this very
thing that God complained of old when He said, "Thou thoughtest that I
was altogether such an one as thyself" (Ps. 50:21), which is a solemn
warning for us to take to heart. What we mean is this: when we read of
God's mercy or righteousness we are very apt to think of them
according to the qualities of man's mercy and justice. But this is a
serious mistake. The Almighty is not to be measured by any human
standard: He is so infinitely above us that any comparison is utterly
impossible, and therefore it is the height of madness for any finite
creature to sit in judgment upon the ways of Jehovah.
Again; we need to be much on our guard against the folly of making
invidious distinctions between the divine perfections. For example, it
is quite wrong for us to suppose that God is more glorious in His
grace and mercy than He is in His power and majesty. But this mistake
is often made. How many are more thankful unto God for blessing them
with health than they are for His bestowing the gospel upon them: but
does it therefore follow that God's goodness in giving material things
is greater than His goodness in bestowing spiritual blessings?
Certainly not. Scripture often speaks of God's wisdom and power being
manifested in creation, but where are we told of His grace and mercy
in making the world? Inasmuch as men commonly fail to glorify God for
His wisdom and power, does it thence follow that He is not to be so
much adored for them? Beware of extolling one of the divine
perfections above another.
What is justice? It is treating each person equitably and fairly,
giving to him his due. Divine justice is simply doing that which is
right. But this raises the question, What is due unto the creature?
what is it that God ought to bestow upon him? Ah, my friend, every
sober-minded person will at once object to the introduction of the
word "ought" in such a connection. And rightly so. The Creator is
under no obligation whatever unto the works of His own hands. He alone
has the right to decide whether such and such a creature should exist
at all. He alone has the prerogative to determine the nature, status,
and destiny of that creature; whether it shall be an animal, a man, or
an angel; whether it shall be endowed with a soul and subsist forever,
or be without a soul and endure only for a brief time; whether it
shall be a vessel unto honor and taken into communion with Himself, or
a vessel unto dishonor which is rejected by Him.
As the great Creator possessed perfect freedom to create or not
create, to bring into existence whatever creatures He pleased (and a
visit to the zoo will show He has created some which strike the
beholder as exceedingly queer ones); and therefore He has the
unquestionable right to decree concerning them as He pleases. The
justice of God in election and preterition, then, is grounded upon His
high sovereignty. The dependence of all creatures upon Him is entire.
His proprietorship of all creatures is indisputable. His dominion over
all creatures is absolute. Let these facts be established from
Scripture-- and their complete demonstration therefrom is a very
simple matter-- and where is the creature who can with the slightest
propriety say unto the Lord most high "What doest Thou?" Instead of
the Creator being under any obligation to His creature, it is the
creature who is under binding obligations to the One who gave it
existence and now sustains its very life.
God has the absolute right to do as He pleases with the creatures of
His own hand: "Hath not the potter power over the clay; of the same
lump to make one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor?" (Rom.
9:2 1) is His own assertion. Therefore He may give to one and withhold
from another, bestow five talents on one and only a single talent on
another, without any imputation of injustice. If He may give grace and
glory to whom He will without such a charge, then He may also decree
to do so without any such charge. Are men chargeable with injustice
when they choose their own favorites, friends, companions, and
confidants? Then obviously there is no injustice in God's choosing
whom He will to bestow His special favors upon, to indulge with
communion with Himself now and to dwell with Him for all eternity. Is
a man free to make selection of the woman which he desires for his
wife? and does he in anywise wrong the other women whom he passes by?
Then is the great God less free to make selection of those who
constitute the spouse of His Son? Shame, shame, upon those who would
ascribe less freedom to the Creator than to the creature.
Upon a little reflection it should be evident to all right-minded
people that there is no parity between human and divine justice: human
justice requires that we should give each of our fellows his due,
whereas no creature is due anything from God, not even what He is
pleased to sovereignly give him. In his most reverent discussion of
the nature of God's attributes W. Twisse (moderator of the Westminster
Assembly) pointed out that if human justice be of the same nature with
divine justice then it necessarily follows: first, that which is just
in man is just with God. Second, that it must be after the same manner
just: as human justice consists in subjection and obedience to God's
law, so God Himself must be under obligation to His own Law. Third, as
a man is under obligation to be just, so God is under obligation to be
just, and therefore as Saul sinned and acted unjustly in slaying the
priests, so had God been unjust in doing the like.
Unless the perversity of their hearts blinded their judgment men would
readily perceive that divine justice must necessarily be of quite
another order and character than human, yea, as different from and
superior to it as divine love is from human. All are agreed that a man
acts unjustly, that he sins, if he suffers his brother to transgress
when it lies in his power to keep him from so doing. Then if divine
justice were the same in kind, though superior in degree, it would
necessarily follow that God sins every time He allows one of His
creatures to transgress, for most certainly He has the power to
prevent it; yea, and can exercise that power without destroying the
liberty of the creature: "I also withheld thee from sinning against
Me; therefore suffered I thee not to touch her" (Gen. 20:6). Cease,
then, ye rebels from arraigning the Most High, and attempting to
measure His justice by your petty tape-lines--as well seek to fathom
His wisdom or define His power, as comprehend His inscrutable justice.
"Clouds and darkness are round about him," and this be it noted, is
expressly said in connection with: "righteousness [justice] and
judgment are the habitation of His throne" (Ps. 97:2).
Lest some of our readers demur at our quoting from such a high
Calvinist as Mr. Twisse, we append the following from the milder James
Ussher. "What is the divine justice? It is an essential property of
God, whereby He is infinitely just in himself, of himself, for, from,
and by Himself, and none other: `For the righteous Lord loveth
righteousness' (Ps. 11:7). What is the rule of His justice? Answer:
His own free will, and nothing else: for whatsoever He willeth is
just, and because He willeth it therefore it is just; not because it
is just, therefore He willeth it (Eph. 1:11; Ps. 115:3)." Such men as
these were conscious of their ignorance, and therefore they cried unto
Heaven for instruction, and God was pleased to grant them clear
vision. But the pride-inflated pharisees of our day think they can
already see, and therefore feel no need of Divine illumination:
consequently they remain blind (John 9:40, 41).
So again that justly renowned teacher W. Perkins: "We must not think
that God doeth a thing because it is good and right, but rather is the
thing good and right because God willeth and worketh it. Examples
hereof we have in the Word. God commanded Abimelech to deliver Sarah
to Abraham, or else He would destroy him and all his household (Gen.
20:7). To man's reason that might seem unjust, for why should
Abimelech's servants be punished for their master's fault? So again
Achan sinned, and all the house of Israel were penalized for it (Josh.
7). David numbered the people, and the whole nation was smitten by a
plague (2 Sam. 24). All these to man's reason may seem unequal; yet
being the works of God we must with all reverence judge them most just
and holy." Alas, how little of this humility and reverence is
manifested in the churches today! How ready is the present generation
to criticize and condemn whatever of God's ways and works suit them
not!
So far from the truth are most of those who are now looked up to as
``the champions of orthodoxy,'' that even they are often guilty of
turning things upside down, or putting the cart in front of the horse.
It is commonly assumed by them that God Himself is under law, that He
is under a moral constraint to do what he does, so that He cannot do
otherwise. Others wrap this up in more sophisticated terms, insisting
that it is His own nature which regulates all His actions. But this is
merely an artful subterfuge. Is it by a necessity of His nature or by
the free exercise of His sovereignty that He bestows favor upon His
creatures? Let Scripture answer: "Therefore hath he mercy on whom he
will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth" (Rom. 9:18). Why, my
reader, if God's nature obliged Him to show saving mercy to any, then
by parity of reason it would oblige Him to show mercy to all, and thus
bring every fallen creature to repentance, faith, and obedience. But
enough of this nonsense.
Let us now approach this aspect of our subject from an entirely
different angle. How could there possibly be any injustice in God's
electing those whom He did, when had He not done so all had inevitably
perished, angels and men alike? This is neither an invention nor an
inference of ours, for Scripture itself expressly declares "Except the
Lord of Sabbaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodom" (Rom.
9:29). Not one of God's rational creatures, either celestial or
earthly, had ever been eternally and effectually saved apart from the
grave of divine election. Though both angels and men were created in a
state of perfect holiness, yet they were mutable creatures, liable to
change and fall. Yea, inasmuch as their continuance in holiness was
dependent upon the exercise of their own wills, unless God was pleased
to supernaturally preserve them, their fall was certain.
"Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged
with folly" (Job 4:18). The angels were perfectly holy, yet if God
gave them no other assistance than that with which He had capacitated
them at their creation, then no "trust" or reliance was to be placed
in them, or their standing. If they were holy today, they were liable
to sin tomorrow. If God but sent them on an errand to this world, they
might fall before they returned to Heaven. The "folly" which God
imputes to them in the above passage is their creature mutability: for
them to maintain their holiness unchangeably to eternity, without the
danger of losing the same, was utterly beyond their creature
endowment. Therefore, for them to be immutably preserved is a grace
which issues from another and higher spring than the covenant of works
or creation endowment, namely, that of election grace, super-creation
grace.
It was meet that God should, from the beginning, make manifest the
infinite gulf which divides the creature from the Creator. God alone
is immutable, without variableness or shadow of turning. Fitting was
it, then, that God should withdraw His preserving hand from those whom
He had created upright, so that it might appear that the highest
creature of all (Satan, "the anointed cherub" Ezek. 28:14) was
mutable, and would inevitably fall into sin when left to the exercise
of his own free will. Of God alone can it be predicated that He
"cannot be tempted with evil" (James 1:13). The creature, though holy,
may be tempted to sin, fall, and be irretrievably lost. The fall of
Satan, then, made way for evidencing the more plainly the absolute
necessity of electing grace--the imparting to the creature the image
of God's own immutable holiness.
Because of the mutability of the creature-state God foresaw that if
all His creatures were left to the conduct of their own wills, they
were in a continual hazard of falling. He, therefore, made an election
of grace to remove all hazard from the case of His chosen ones. This
we know from what is revealed of their history. Jude tells us of "the
angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own
habitation" (v. 6), and the remainder of them would, sooner or later,
have done so too, if left to the mutability of their own wills. So
also it proved with Adam and Eve: both of them evidenced the
mutability of their wills by apostatizing. Accordingly, God foreseeing
all of this from the beginning, made a "reserve" (Rom. 11:4--explained
in v. 5 as "election), determining to have a remnant who should be
blessed of Him and who would everlastingly bless Him in return.
Election and preserving grace are never to be severed.
We have thus far pointed out, first that divine justice is of an
entirely different order and character than human justice; second that
divine justice is grounded upon God's sovereign dominion over all the
works of His hands, being the exercise of His own imperial will.
Third, that nothing whatever is due the creature from the Creator, not
even what He is pleased to give, and that so far from God's being
under any obligation to it, it is under lasting obligations to Him.
Fourth, that whatever God wills and works is right and must be
reverently submitted to, yea, adored by us. Fifth, that it is
impossible to charge God with injustice in His electing certain ones
to be the objects of His amazing grace, since that apart from it, all
had eternally perished. Let us now descend to a lower and simpler
level, and contemplate God's election in connection with the human
race fallen in Adam.
If there was no injustice in God's making a choice of some unto
special favor and eternal blessing as He viewed His creatures in the
glass of His purpose to create, then certainly there could be no
injustice in His determining to show them mercy as He foreviewed them
among the mass of Adam's ruined race; for if a sinless creature has no
claim whatever upon its maker, being entirely dependent upon His
charity, then most assuredly a fallen creature is entitled to nothing
good at the hands of its offended judge. And this is the angle from
which we must now view our subject. Fallen man is a criminal, an
outlaw and if bare justice is to be meted out to him, then he must be
left to receive the due reward of his iniquities, and that can mean
nothing less than eternal punishment, for his transgressions have
incurred infinite guilt.
Before enlarging upon what has just been said, it also needs to be
pointed out that if the only hope for a holy creature lies in God's
electing grace, then doubly is this the case with one that is unholy,
totally depraved. If an holy angel was in constant danger, incapable
of maintaining his purity, because of the mutability of his nature and
the fickleness of his will, what shall be said of an unholy creature?
Why, nothing less than this: fallen man has a nature that is confirmed
in evil, and therefore his will no longer has any power to turn unto
that which is spiritual, yea, it is inveterately steeled against God;
hence, his case is utterly and eternally hopeless, unless God, in His
sovereign grace, is pleased to save him from himself
Preachers may prate all they please about man's inherent powers, the
freedom of his will, and his capacity for good, yet it is useless and
madness to ignore the solemn fact of the fall. The difference and
disadvantage between our case and that of unfallen Adam's can scarcely
be conceived. Instead of a perfect holiness possessing and inclining
our minds and wills, as it did his, there is no such vital principle
left in our hearts. Instead, there is a thorough disability unto what
is spiritual and holy, yea, contrary enmity and opposition thereto.
"Men err, not knowing the power of original sin, nor the depth of
corruption that is in their own hearts. The will of man now is the
prime and proper seat of sin: the throne thereof is seated therein"
(Thos. Goodwin). Outward helps and aids are of no account, for nothing
short of a new creation is of any avail.
No matter what instruction fallen men receive, what inducements be
offered them, the Ethiopian cannot change his skin. Neither light,
conviction, nor the general operations of the Holy Spirit, are of any
avail, unless God over and above them impart a new principle of
holiness to the heart. This has been clearly and fully demonstrated
under both Law and Gospel. Read Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 and see
the wondrous and awe-inspiring manifestation of Himself which God
granted unto Israel at Sinai: did that change their hearts and incline
their wills to obey Him? Then read through the four Gospels and behold
the incarnate Son of God dwelling in the midst of men, not as a judge,
but as a benefactor--going about doing good, feeding the hungry,
healing the sick, proclaiming the gospel: did that melt their hearts
and win them to God? No, they hated and crucified Him.
Behold, then, the case of fallen mankind: alienated from the life of
God, dead in trespasses and sins, with no heart, no will for spiritual
things. In themselves their case is desperate, irretrievable,
hopeless. Apart from divine election none would, none could, ever be
saved. Election means that God was pleased to reserve a remnant, so
that the entire race of Adam should not eternally perish. And what
thanks does He receive for this? None at all, save from those who have
their sin-blinded eyes opened to perceive the inexpressible
blessedness of such a fact. Thanks, no; instead, the vast majority
even of those in professing Christendom when they hear of this truth,
ignorant of their own interests and of the ways of God, quarrel at His
election, revile Him for the same, charge Him with gross injustice,
and accuse Him of being a merciless tyrant.
Now the great God stands in no need of any defense from us: in due
time He will effectually close the mouth of every rebel. But we must
address a few more remarks to those believers who are disturbed by
such as insist so loudly that God is guilty of injustice when He
sovereignly elects some. First, then, we ask these slanderers of
Jehovah to make good their charge. The burden of proof falls upon them
to do so. They affirm that an electing God is unjust, then let them
demonstrate how such be the case. They cannot. In order to do so they
must show that lawbreakers merit something good at the hands of the
lawgiver. They must show that the King of kings is morally obliged to
smile upon those who have blasphemed His name, desecrated His
sabbaths, slighted His Word, reviled His servants, and above all,
despised and rejected His Son.
"Is there one man in the whole world who would have the impertinence
to say that he merits anything of his Maker? If so, be it known unto
you that he shall have all he merits; and his reward will be the
flames of hell forever, for that is the utmost that any man ever
merited of God. God is in no debt to man, and at the last great day
every man shall have as much love, as much pity, and as much goodness,
as he deserves. Even the lost in hell shall have all they deserve; ay,
and woe worth the day for them when they shall have the wrath of God,
which will be the summit of their deservings. If God gives to every
man as much as he merits, is He therefore to be accused of injustice
because He gives to some infinitely more than they merit?" (C. H.
Spurgeon). How many who now speak of him eulogistically, and refer to
him as "beloved Spurgeon," would gnash their teeth and execrate him
were they to hear his faithful and plain-spoken preaching.
Second, we would inform these detractors of God that His salvation is
not a matter of justice, but of pure grace, and grace is something
that can be claimed by none. Where is the injustice if any one does as
he wills with his own? If I am free to disburse my charity as I see
fit, shall God be conceded less freedom to bestow His gifts upon whom
He pleases! God is indebted to none, and therefore if He grants His
favors in a sovereign way who can complain. If God passes thee by, He
has not injured thee; but if He enriches thee, then art thou a debtor
to His grace, and then wilt thou cease prating about His justice and
injustice, and wilt gladly join with those who astonishingly exclaim,
"He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according
to our iniquities" (Ps. 103:10). Salvation is God's free gift, and
therefore He bestows it on whom He pleases.
Third, we would ask these haughty creatures, to whom has God ever
refused His mercy when it was sincerely and penitently sought? Does He
not freely proclaim the gospel to every creature? Does not His Word
bid all men to throw down the weapons of their warfare against Him and
come to Christ for pardon? Does He not promise to blot out your
iniquities if you will turn unto Him in the way of His appointing? If
you refuse to do so, if you are so thoroughly in love with sin, so
wedded to your lusts that you are determined to destroy your own soul,
then who is to blame? Most certainly God is not. His gospel promises
are reliable, and anyone is at liberty to prove them for himself. If
he does so, if he renounces sin and puts his trust in Christ, then he
will discover for himself that he is one of God's chosen ones. On the
other hand, if he deliberately spurns the gospel and rejects the
Saviour then his blood is on his own head.
This leads us to ask, fourth, You say it is unjust that some should be
lost while others are saved: but who makes them to be lost that are
lost? Whom has God ever caused to sin?--rather doth He warn and exhort
against it. Whom has the Holy Spirit ever prompted to a wrong
action?--rather doth He uniformly incline against evil. Where do the
Scriptures bolster up any in his wickedness?--rather do they
constantly condemn it in all its forms. Then is God unjust if He
condemns those who wilfully disobey Him? Is He unrighteous if He
punishes those who defiantly disregard His danger-signals and
expostulations? Assuredly not. To each such one God will yet say,
"Thou hast destroyed thyself" (Hos. 13:9). It is the creature who
commits moral suicide. It is the creature who breaks through every
restraint and hurls himself into the precipice of eternal woe. In the
last great day it will appear that God is justified when He speaks,
and clear when He judges (Ps. 51:4).
Election is the taking of one and leaving of another, and implies
freedom on the part of the elector to choose or refuse. Hence the
choosing of one does no injury to the other which is not chosen. If I
select one out of a hundred men to a position of honor and profit, I
do no injury to the ninety and nine not elected. If I take two from a
score of ragged and hungry children, and adopt them as my son and
daughter, feed and clothe, house and educate them, I do them an
immense benefit; but while disbursing my bounty as I choose and making
two happy, I do no injury to the eighteen who are left. True, they
remain ragged, ill-fed, and uneducated, yet they are in no worse
condition for my having shown favor to their late companions--they
only continue precisely in the situation in which they were.
Again; if among ten convicts justly sentenced to death, the king of
England was pleased to choose five to be the recipients of his
sovereign mercy, pardoned and released them, they would owe their very
lives to his royal favor; nevertheless, by extending kindness to them,
no injury is done to the other five: they are left to suffer the
righteous penalty of the law, due to them for their transgressions.
They only suffer what they would have suffered if the king's mercy had
not been extended toward their fellows. Who, then, can fail to see
that it would be a misuse of terms, a grievous slander of the king, to
charge him with injustice, because he was pleased to exercise his
royal prerogative and evidence his favor in this discriminating
manner.
Our Saviour definitely expressed this idea of election when He said,
"Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other
left" (Matt. 24:40). If both had been "left," then both had perished:
hence the "taking" of the one did no injury to his fellow. "Two women
shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other
left" (Matt. 24:41). The taking of the one was a great favor to her,
but the leaving of her companion did her no wrong. Divine election,
then, is a choice to favor from among those who have no claims upon
God. It therefore does no injustice to them that are passed by, for
they only continue as and where they were, and as and where they would
have been if none had been taken from among them. In the exercise of
His electing grace God has mercy upon whom He will have mercy, and in
the bestowment of His favor He does what He wills with His own.
It is not difficult to perceive the ground upon which the false
reasoning of God's detractors rests: behind all the murmurings of
objectors against the Divine justice lies the concept that God is
under obligation to provide salvation for all His fallen creatures.
But such reasoning (?) fails to see that if such a contention were
valid, then no thanks could be returned to God. How could we praise
Him for redeeming those whom He was bound to redeem? If salvation be a
debt which God owes man for allowing him to fall, then salvation
cannot be a matter of mercy. But we must not expect that those whose
eyes are blinded by pride should understand anything of the infinite
demerits of sin, of their own utter unworthiness and vileness; and
therefore it is impossible that they should form any true concept of
Divine grace, and perceive that when grace is exercised it is
necessarily exercised in a sovereign manner.
But after all that has been pointed out above some will be ready to
sneeringly ask, "Does not the Bible declare that God is `no respecter
of persons': how then can He make a selection from among men?" The
calumniators of Divine predestination suppose that either the
Scriptures are inconsistent with themselves, or that in His election
God has regard to merits. Let us first quote from Calvin: "The
Scripture denies that God is a respecter of persons, in a different
sense from that in which they understand it; for by the word person it
signifies not a man, but those things in a man which, being
conspicuous to the eyes, usually conciliate favor, honor, and dignity,
or attract hatred, contempt, and disgrace. Such are riches, power,
nobility, magistracy, country, elegance of form, on the one hand; and
on the other hand, poverty, necessity, ignoble birth, slovenliness,
contempt, and the like. Thus Peter and Paul declare that God is not a
respecter of persons because He makes no difference between the Jew
and Greek, to reject one and receive the other, merely on account of
his nation (Acts 10:34, Rom. 2:11). So James uses the same language
when he asserts that God in His judgment pays no regard to riches
(2:5).
"There will, therefore, be no contradiction in our affirming, that
according to the good pleasures of His will, God chooses whom He will
as His children, irrespective of all merit, while He rejects and
reprobates others. Yet, for the sake of further satisfaction, the
matter may be explained in the following manner. They ask how it
happens, that of two persons distinguished from each other by no
merit, God, in His election, leaves one and takes another. I, on the
other hand, ask them, whether they suppose him that is taken to
possess any thing that can attract the favor of God? If they confess
that he has not, as indeed they must, it will follow, that God looks
not at man, but derives His motive to favor him from His own goodness.
God's election of one man, therefore, while He rejects another,
proceeds not from any respect of man, but solely from His own mercy;
which may freely display and exert itself wherever and whenever it
pleases."
To have "respect of persons" is to regard and treat them differently
on account of some supposed or real difference in them or their
circumstances, which is no warrantable ground or reason for such
preferential regard and treatment. This character of a respecter of
persons belongs rather to one who examines and rewards others
according to their characters and works. Thus, for a judge to justify
and reward one rather than another because he is rich and the other
poor, or because he has given him a bribe, or is a near relative or an
intimate friend, while the character and conduct of the other is more
upright and his cause more just. But such a denomination is
inapplicable to a disburser of charity, who is granting his favors and
bestowing freely undeserved gifts to one rather than to another, doing
so without any consideration of personal merit. The benefactor has a
perfect right to do what he will with his own, and those who are
neglected by him have no valid ground for complaint.
Even if this expression be taken in its more popular acceptation,
nothing so strikingly evidences that God is "no respecter of persons"
than the character of the ones He has chosen. When the angels sinned
and fell God provided no Saviour for them, yet when the human race
sinned and fell a Saviour was provided for many of them. Let the
unfriendly critic carefully weigh this fact: had God been a "respecter
of persons" would He not have selected the angels and passed by men?
The fact that He did the very reverse clears Him of this calumny. Take
again that nation which God chose to be the recipients of earthly and
temporal favors above all others during the last two thousand years of
Old Testament history. What sort of characters were they? Why, an
unappreciative and murmuring, stiffnecked and hardhearted, rebellious
and impenitent people, from the beginning of their history until the
end. Had God been a respecter of persons He surely had never singled
out the Jews for such favor and blessing!
The very character, then, of those whom God chooses refutes this silly
objection. The same is equally apparent in the New Testament. "Hath
not God chosen the poor of this world" (James 2:5): blessed be His
name, that it is so, for had He chosen the wealthy it had fared ill
with many of us, had it not? God did not pick out magnates and
millionaires, financiers and bankers, to be objects of His grace. Nor
are those of royal blood or the peers of the realm, the wise, the
gifted, the influential of this world, for few among them have their
names written in the Lamb's Book of Life. No, it is the despised, the
weak, the base, the non-entities of this world, whom God has chosen (1
Cor. 1:26-29), and this, in order that "no flesh should glory in his
presence." Pharisees passed by and publicans and harlots brought in!
"Jacob have I loved": and what was there in him to love!--and echo
still asks "what?" Had God been "a respecter of persons" He certainly
had never chosen worthless me!
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Election
by Arthur W. Pink
6. Its Nature
_________________________________________________
It has been well said that, "The reason why any one believes in
election is, that he finds it in the Bible. No man could ever imagine
such a doctrine--for it is, in itself, contrary to the thinking and
the wishes of the human heart. Every one, at first, opposes the
doctrine, and it is only after many struggles, under the working of
the Spirit of God, that we are made to receive it. A perfect
acquiescence in this doctrine--an absolute lying still, in adoring
wonder, at the footstool of God's sovereignty, is the last attainment
of the sanctified soul in this life, as it is the beginning of Heaven.
The reason why any one believes in election is just this, and only
this, that God has made it known. Had the Bible been a counterfeit it
never could have contained the doctrine of election, for men are too
averse to such a thought to give it expression, much more to give it
prominence." (G. S. Bishop).
Thus far, in our exposition of this blessed truth, we have shown that
the source of election is the will of God, for nothing exists or can
exist apart from that. Next, we have seen, that the Grand Original of
election is the man Christ Jesus, who was ordained unto union with the
second person in the Godhead. Then, in order to clear the way for a
more detailed examination of this truth as it bears upon us, we
demonstrated the verity and then the justice of it, seeking to remove
from the minds of Christian readers the defiling and disturbing
effects of the principal objection which is made against divine
election by its enemies. And now we shall endeavor to point out the
principal elements which enter into election.
First, it is an act by God. True it is that there comes a day when
each of the elect chooses God for his absolute Lord and supreme Good,
but this is the effect and in no sense the cause of the former. Our
choosing of Him is in time, His choosing of us was before time began;
and certain it is that unless He had first chosen us, we would never
choose Him at all. God, who is a sovereign being, does whatsoever He
pleases both in heaven and in earth, having an absolute right to do as
He will with His own creatures, and therefore did He choose a certain
number of human beings to be His people, His children, His peculiar
treasure. Having done this, it is called "election of God" (1 Thess.
1:4), for He is the efficient cause of it; and the persons chosen are
denominated "His own elect" (Luke 18:7; cf. Rom. 8:33).
This choice of God's is an absolute one, being entirely gratuitous,
depending on nothing whatever outside of Himself. God elected the ones
He did simply because He chose to do so: from no good, merit, or
attraction in the creature, and from no foreseen merit or attraction
to be in the creature. God is absolutely self-sufficient, and
therefore He never goes outside of Himself to find a reason for any
thing that He does. He cannot be swayed by the works of His own hand.
No, He is the One who sways them, as He alone is the One who gave them
existence. "In Him we live, and are moved [Greek], and have our
being." It was, then, simply out of the spontaneous goodness of His
own volition that God singled out from the mass of those He purposed
to create a people who should show forth His praises for all eternity,
to the glory of His sovereign grace forever and ever.
This choice of God's is an unchangeable one. Necessarily so, for it is
not founded upon anything in the creature, or grounded upon anything
outside of Himself. It is before everything, even before His
"foreknowledge." God does not decree because He foreknows, but He
foreknows because He has infallibly and irrevocably fixed
it--otherwise He would merely guess it. But since He foreknows it,
then He does not guess--it is certain; and if certain, then He must
have fixed it. Election being the act of God, it is forever, for
whatever He does in a way of special grace, is irreversible and
unalterable. Men may choose some to be their favorites and friends for
a while, and then change their minds and choose others in their room.
But God does not act such a part: He is of one mind, and none can turn
Him; His purpose according to election stands firm, sure, unalterable
(Rom. 9:11; 2 Tim 2:19).
Second, God's act of election is made in Christ: "according as he hath
chosen us in him" (Eph. 1:4). Election does not find men in Christ,
but puts them there. It gives them a being in Christ and union to Him,
which is the foundation of their manifestative being in Him at
conversion. In the infinite mind of God, He willed to love a company
of Adam's posterity with an immutable love, and out of the love
wherewith He loves them, He chose them in Christ. By this act in His
infinite mind, God gave them being and blessedness in Christ from
everlasting. Though, while all fell in Adam, yet all did not fall
alike. The non-elect fell so as to be damned, they being left to
perish in their sins, because they had no relation to Christ--He was
not related to them as the Mediator of union with God.
The non-elect had their all in Adam, their natural head. But the elect
had all spiritual blessing bestowed upon them in Christ, their
gracious and glorious Head (Eph. 1:3). They could not lose these,
because they were secured for them in Christ. God had chosen them as
His own: He their God, they His people; He their Father, they His
children. He gave them to Christ to be His brethren, His companions,
His bride, His partners in all His communicable grace and glory. On
the foresight of their fall in Adam, and what would be the effects
thereof, the Father proposed to raise them up from the ruins of the
fall, upon the consideration of His Son's undertaking to perform all
righteousness for them, and as their Surety, bear all their sins in
His own body on the tree, making His soul an offering for sin. To
carry all of this unto execution, the beloved Son became incarnate.
It was to this that the Lord Jesus referred in His high priestly
prayer, when He said to the Father "I have manifested thy name unto
the men which thou gayest me out of the world: thine they were, and
thou gavest them me" (John 17:6). He was alluding to the whole
election of grace. They were the objects of the Father's delight: His
jewels, His portion; and in Christ's eyes they were what the Father
beheld them to be. How highly, then, did the Father esteem the
Mediator, or He would never have bestowed His elect on Him and
committed them all to His care and management! And how highly did
Christ value this love-gift of the Father's, or He would not have
undertaken their salvation at such tremendous cost to Himself! Now the
giving of the elect to Christ was a different act, a distinct act from
that of their election. The elect were first the Father's by election,
who singled out the persons; and then He bestowed them upon Christ as
His love-gift: "Thine they were [by election] and thou gavest them
me"--in the same way that grace is said to be given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began (2 Tim. 1:9).
Third, this act of God was irrespective of and anterior to any
foresight of the entrance of sin. We have somewhat anticipated this
branch of our subject, yet as it is one upon which very few today are
clear, and one we deem of considerable importance, we propose to give
it separate consideration. The particular point which we are now to
ponder is, as to whether His people were viewed by God, in His act of
election, as fallen or unfallen; as in the corrupt mass through their
defection in Adam, or in the pure mass of creaturehood, as to be
created. Those who took the former view are known as Sublapsarians;
those who took the latter as Supralapsarians, and in the past this
question was debated considerably between high and low Calvinists.
This writer unhesitatingly (after prolonged study) takes the
Supralapsarian position, though he is well aware that few indeed will
be ready to follow him.
Sin having drawn a veil over the greatest of all the divine mysteries
of grace--that of the divine incarnation alone excepted--renders our
present task the more difficult. It is much easier for us to apprehend
our misery, and our redemption from it--by the incarnation, obedience,
and sacrifice of the Son of God--than it is for us to conceive of the
original glory, excellency, purity, and dignity of the Church of
Christ, as the eternal object of God's thoughts, counsels, and
purpose. Nevertheless, if we adhere closely to the Holy Scriptures, it
is evident (to the writer, at least) that God's people had a
super-creation and spiritual union with Christ before ever they had a
creature and natural union with Adam; that they were blessed with all
spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ (Eph. 1:3), before
they fell in Adam and became subject to all the evils of the curse.
First, we will summarize the reasons given by John Gill in support of
this.
God's decree of election is to be divided into two parts or degrees,
namely, His purpose concerning the end and His purpose concerning the
means. The first part has to do with the purpose of God in Himself, in
which He determined to have an elect people and that for His own
glory. The second part has to do with the actual execution of the
first, by fixing upon the means whereby the end shall be accomplished.
These two parts in the divine decree are neither to be severed nor
confounded, but considered distinctly. God's purpose concerning the
end means that He ordained a certain people to be the recipients of
His special favor, for the glorifying of His sovereign goodness and
grace. His purpose concerning the means signifies that He determined
to create that people, permit them to fall, and to recover them out of
it by Christ's redemption and the Spirit's sanctification. These are
not to be regarded as separate decrees, but as component parts and
degrees of one purpose. There is an order in the divine counsels as
real and definite as Genesis 1 shows there was in connection with
creation.
As the purpose of the end is first in view (in the order of nature)
before the determination of the means, therefore what is first in
intention is last in execution. Now as the glory of God is the last in
execution, it necessarily follows that it was first in intention.
Wherefore men must be considered in the Divine purpose concerning the
end as neither yet created nor fallen, since both their creation and
the permission of sin belong to God's counsel concerning the means. Is
it not obvious that if God first decreed to create men and suffer them
to fall, and then out of the fallen mass chose some to grace and
glory, that He purposed to create men without any end in view? And is
not that charging God with what a wise man would never do, for when
man determines to do a thing he proposes an end (say the building of
an house) and then fixes on ways and means to bring about the end. Can
it be thought for a moment that the Omniscient One should act
otherwise?
The above distinction between the divine purpose concerning the end
and God's appointing of means to secure that end, is clearly borne out
by Scripture. For example, "For it became him, for whom are all
things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory,
to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings"
(Heb. 2:10). Here is first the decree concerning the end: God ordained
His many sons "unto glory"; in His purpose of the means God ordained
that the captain of their salvation should be made perfect "through
sufferings." In like manner was it in connection with Christ Himself.
"The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand" (Ps. 110:1).
God decreed that the Mediator should have this high honor conferred
upon Him, yet in order thereto it was ordained that "He shall drink of
the brook in the way" (v. 7): God, then, decreed that the Redeemer
should drink of the fullness of those pleasures which are at His right
hand for evermore (Ps. 16:11), but before that He must drain the
bitter cup of anguish. So it is with His people: Canaan is their
destined portion, but the wilderness is appointed as that through
which they shall pass on their way thereto.
God's foreordination of His people unto holiness and glory anterior to
His foreview of their fall in Adam, comports far better with the
instances given of Jacob and Esau in Romans 9:11 than does the
sublapsarian view that His decree contemplated them as sinful
creatures. There we read, "(For the children being not yet born,
neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God
according to election might stand, not of works, but of Him that
calleth;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger."
The apostle is showing that the preference was given to Jacob
independent of all ground of merit, because it was made before the
children were born. If it be kept in mind that what God does in time
is only a making manifest of what He secretly decreed in eternity, the
point we are here pressing will be the more conclusive. God's acts
both of election and preterition--choosing and passing by--were
entirely irrespective of any foreseen "good or evil." Note, too, how
this compound expression "the purpose of God according to election"
supports the contention of there being two parts to God's decree.
It should also be pointed out that God's foreordination of His people
unto everlasting bliss before He contemplated them as sinful
creatures, agrees far better than does the sublapsarian idea, with the
unformed clay of the Potter: "Hath not the potter power [the right]
over the clay; of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor and
another unto dishonor?" (Rom. 9:2 1). Upon this Beza (co-pastor with
Calvin of the church at Geneva) remarked that "if the apostle had
considered mankind as corrupted, he would not have said that some
vessels were made unto honor and some unto dishonor, but rather that
seeing all the vessels were fit for dishonor, some were left in that
dishonor, and others translated from dishonor to honor"
But leaving inferences and deductions, let us turn now to something
more express and definite. In Ephesians 1:11 we are told, "Being
predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things
after the counsel of His own will." Now a careful study of what
precedes reveals a clear distinction in the "all things" which God
works "according to the counsel of His own will," or, to state it in
another way, the spiritual blessings which God bestows upon His people
are divided into two distinct classes, according as He contemplated
them first in an unfallen state and then in a fallen. The first and
highest class of blessings are enumerated in verses 4-6 and have to do
with God's decree concerning the end; the second and subordinate class
of blessings are described in verses 7-9 and have to do with God's
decree concerning the means which He has appointed for the
accomplishment of that end.
These two parts in the mystery of God's will towards His people from
everlasting are clearly marked by the change of tense which is used:
the past tense of "he hath chosen us" (v. 4), "having predestinated us
unto the adoption of children" (v. 5) and "hath made us accepted in
the beloved" (v. 6), becomes the present tense in verse 7: in whom we
have redemption through His blood." The benefits spoken of in verses
4-6 are such as in no way depended upon a consideration of the fall,
but follow from our being chosen in Christ, being given upon grounds
higher and distinct from that of His being our Redeemer. God's choice
of us in Christ our Head, that we should be "holy" signifies not that
imperfect holiness which we have in this life, but a perfect and
immutable one such as even the unfallen angels had not by nature; and
our predestination to adoption denotes an immediate communion with God
Himself--blessings which had been ours had sin never entered.
As Thomas Goodwin pointed out in his unrivalled exposition of
Ephesians 1, "The first source of blessings--perfect holiness,
adoption, etc.--were ordained us without consideration of the Fall,
though not before the consideration of the Fall; for all the things
which God decrees are at once in His mind; they were all, both one
another, ordained to our persons. But God in the decrees about these
first sort of blessings viewed us as creatures which He could and
would make so and so glorious. .. . But the second sort of blessings
were ordained us merely upon consideration of the fall, and to our
persons considered as sinners and unbelievers. The first sort were to
the `praise of God's grace,' taking grace for the freeness of love;
whereas the latter sort are to `the praise of the glory of his grace,'
taking grace for free mercy."
The first and higher blessings are to have their full accomplishment
in heaven, being suited to that state into which we shall then be
installed, and as in God's primary intention they are before the other
and are said to have been "before the foundation of the world" (Eph.
1:4), so they are to be realized after this world is ended--the
"adoption" to which we are predestinated (Eph. 1:5) we still await
(Rom. 8:23); whereas the second blessings are bestowed upon us in the
lower world, for it is here and now we receive "forgiveness of sins"
through the blood of Christ. Again; the first blessings are founded
solely upon our relation to the person of Christ, as is evident from
"chosen in Him. .. accepted in the beloved"; but the second sort are
grounded upon His work, redemption issuing from Christ's sacrifice.
Thus the latter blessings are but the removing of those obstacles
which by reason of sin stand in our way of that intended glory.
Again; this distinction of blessings which we receive in Christ as
creatures, and through Christ as sinners, is confirmed by the twofold
office which He sustains toward us. This is clearly expressed in "for
the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the
church, and he is the savior of the body" (Eph. 5:23). Notice
carefully the order of those titles: Christ is first as head and
husband to us, which lays the foundation of that relation to God of
being His adopted children--as by marriage with His Son. Second, He is
our "Saviour," which necessarily respects sin. With Ephesians 5:23
should be compared Colossians 1:18-20, where the same order is set
forth: in verses 18 and 19 we learn of what Christ is absolutely
ordained to and His church with Him, by which He is the founder of
that state we shall enter after the resurrection: and then in verse 20
we see Him as redeemer and reconciler: first the "head" of His Church,
and then its "Saviour!" From this twofold relation of Christ to the
elect arises a double glory which He is ordained unto: the one
intrinsical, due to Him as the Son of God dwelling in human nature and
being therein the head of a glorious Church (see John 17:5); and the
other more extrinsical, as acquired by His work of redemption and
purchased with the agony of His soul (see Phil. 2:8-10)!
We have called attention to the fact that the only reason why any
God-fearing soul believes in the doctrine of election is because he
finds it clearly and prominently revealed in God's Word, and hence it
follows that our only source of information thereon is the Word
itself. Yet, what has just been said is much too general to be of
specific help to the earnest inquirer. In turning to the Scriptures
for light upon the mystery of election, it is most essential that we
should bear in mind that Christ is the key to every part of them: "In
the volume of the Book it is written of me" He declares, and therefore
if we attempt to study this subject apart from Him we are certain to
err. In preceding chapters we have evidenced that Christ is the grand
original of election, and it is from that starting point we must
proceed if we are to make any right advance.
What has just been pointed out holds good not only in the general, but
in the particular: for instance, in connection with that special
branch of our subject which was discussed we will now follow up from
this particular viewpoint. If we go right back to the beginning itself
then it will appear that God was pleased, and so resolved, to go forth
into creature communion, which is to say that He determined to bring
into existence creatures who should enjoy fellowship with Himself. His
own glory was alone the supreme end in this determination, for "the
Lord hath made all things for himself" (Prov. 16:4). We repeat, that
His own glory was the sole and sufficient motive which induced God to
create at all: "Who hath first given to him, and it shall be
recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him and to him,
are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen" (Rom. 11:35, 36).
The principal glory which God designed to Himself in election was the
manifestation of the glory of His grace. This is irrefutably
established by "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children
through [Greek] Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good
pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace" (Eph.
1:5, 6). Grace is one of those illustrious perfections in the divine
character, which is glorious in itself, and had ever remained so
though no creature had been formed; but God has so displayed this
attribute in election that His people will praise and render glory to
it throughout the endless ages yet to be. God showed His holiness in
the giving of the Law, His power in the making of the world, His
justice in casting the wicked into hell, but His grace shines forth
especially in predestination and what His elect are predestinated
unto. So, too, when it is said to God "that he might make known the
riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore
prepared unto glory" (Rom. 9:23), the prime reference is to His grace
as Ephesians 1:7 shows.
The second person in the Trinity was predestinated to be God-man,
being first decreed, for we are "chosen in Him" (Eph. 1:4), which
presupposes Him to be chosen first, as the soil in which we are set.
We are predestinated unto the adoption of children, yet it is "through
Jesus Christ" (Eph. 1:5). So we read "Who verily was foreordained [as
"Christ"--see previous verse] before the foundation of the world" (1
Pet. 1:20); as we shall show later that expression "before the
foundation of the world" is not merely a note of time, but chiefly one
of eminence or preference, that God had Christ in His view before His
intention to create the world for Him and His people. Now we have
shown that Christ was ordained to be God-man for much higher ends than
our salvation, namely, for God's own self to delight in, to behold the
perfect image of Himself in a creature, and by that union to
communicate Himself to that man in a manner and degree not possible to
any mere creature as such.
Together with the Son's being predestinated to be God-man, there falls
unto His glorious person, as His inheritance, to be the sovereign end
of all things else which God should make and the end of whatever His
intelligent creatures He should be pleased to choose unto glory. This
is clear from "For all things are yours . . and ye are Christ's, and
Christ is God's" (1 Cor. 3:21-23), which is spoken of in reference of
endship. As you, the saints, are the end for which all things were
ordained, so Christ is the end of you, and Christ is God's end or
design m acting. We say that Christ is "the sovereign end," and not
the supreme end, for God Himself is above and over all; but Christ is
the sovereign end unto all creation, having joint-authority with God,
under God. So it is declared that "by Him" and "for Him" were all
things created (Col. 1:16), as it is said of God in Romans 11:36. Thus
this sovereign end in creation fell to Him as the inheritance of the
Mediator: "The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into
His hand" (John 3:35).
In the predestination of the Son of man unto union with the Son of
God, and in the constituting of Him through that union to be the
sovereign end of us and of all things, there was conferred upon the
man Christ Jesus thus exalted the highest possible favor, immeasurably
transcending all the grace shown unto the elect any way considered, so
that if the election of us be to the praise of the glory of God's
grace, His much more so. More honor has been conferred upon "that holy
thing" born of the virgin than upon all the members of His mystical
body put together; and it was grace pure and simple, sovereign grace,
which bestowed it. What was there in His humanity, simply considered,
which entitled it to such an exaltation? nor could there be any desert
foreseen which required it, for it must be said of the man Christ
Jesus, as of every other creature, "for who maketh thee to differ from
another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive?" (1 Cor.
4:7).
Let it not be forgotten that in decreeing the Son of man into union
with the second person of the Trinity, with all the honor and glory
involved therein, that God was perfectly free, as in everything else,
to have decreed Him or not decreed Him, as He would; yea, had He
pleased, He could have appointed the arch-angel rather than the seed
of the woman, to that inestimable privilege. It was therefore free
grace in God which made that decree, and by how much loftier was the
dignity conferred upon Christ above His fellows, so much greater was
the grace. The predestination of the man Jesus, then, is the highest
example of grace, and thus God's greatest end in predestination to
manifest His grace (from whence election hath its title to be styled
"the election of grace": Rom 11:5) was accomplished in Him above His
brethren, that He should be to the praise of the glory of God's grace,
far above what we are.
Since in the case of Christ we have both the pattern and example of
election--the grand original--it is quite evident that grace is not to
be limited or understood only of the divine favor toward creatures
that are fallen and are delivered out of ruin and misery. Grace does
not necessarily presuppose sin in the objects it is shown unto, for
the highest instance of all, that of the grace bestowed upon the man
Christ Jesus, was conferred upon One who had no sin and was incapable
of it. Grace is favor shown to the undeserving, for the human nature
in the God-man merited not the distinction conferred upon it. When
extended to fallen creatures, it is favor shown to the ill-deserving
and Hell-deserving, yet this is not implied in the term itself, as may
further be seen in the case of divine grace being extended to the
unfallen angels. Thus, as Christ is the pattern to whom God has
predestinated His people to be conformed, His election of them to
everlasting glory was under His view of them as unfallen and not as
corrupt creatures.
God having thus absolutely chosen the Son of man and therewith endowed
Him with such royalty as to be the sovereign end of all whom He should
create or elect to glory, it therefore follows that those who were
chosen of us men were intended by the very ordination of God in our
choice to be for Christ's glory as the end of our election, as well as
for God's own glory. We were not absolutely ordained--as Christ in His
unique predestination was in the first design of it--but from the
first of ours the intention of God concerning us was that we should be
Christ's and have our glory from Him who is "the Lord of glory" (1
Cor. 2:8). Here, as everywhere, Christ has the preeminence, for the
person of Christ, God-man, was predestinated for the dignity of
Himself, but we for the glory of God and of Christ. Though God the
Father, first and alone, designed who the favored ones should be, yet
that there should be an election of any was for Christ's sake, as well
as His own.
In our election God had His Son in view as God-man, and in His design
of Him as our end, He chose us for His sake, that we might be His
"fellows" or companions (Ps. 45:7), that as He was God's delight (Isa.
42:1), so we might be His delight (Prov. 8:31). Thus we were given to
Christ first, not as sinners to be saved by Him, but as sinless
members to a sinless Head, as a sovereign gift to His person, for His
honor and pleasure, and to be partakers of a supernatural glory with
Him and from Him. "And the glory which thou gayest me [as the God-man]
I have given them" as concurring with Thy election of them and Thy
giving of them to Me to be Mine. Thou hast loved them as Thou hast
loved Me (i.e., with an everlasting love in election), yea, thou
gayest them to me for my glory as their end, and for which chiefly
Thou lovest them (John 17:22, 23).
And what immediately follows in John 17? This, "Father, I will that
they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they
may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for Thou lovedst me
before the foundation of the world" (v. 24). Christ was loved in His
election from everlasting, and out of God's love for Him His people
were given to Him--with what intent? Even to behold, admire, and adore
Him in His person and glory, as being that very thing they were
ordained for, more than for their own glory, for their glory arises
from beholding His (2 Cor. 3:18). And what is this glory which Christ
was ordained unto? The glory of His person first absolutely decreed
Him which is the height of His glory in heaven, where it is we are
ordained to behold it. And observe how He here (John 17:24) reveals
the main motive to God in this: "for thou lovedst me"--Christ's being
chosen first in the intention of God, the members were chosen and
given to Him so that they should redound to His glory.
We being chosen for Christ's glory as our end, and for His sake, as
well as to the glory of God's grace towards us, God did ordain a
double relation of Christ unto us for His glory, additional unto that
absolute glory of His person. First the relation of an "Head," wherein
we were given to Him as members of His body, and as a spouse unto her
husband to be her head. Second, the relation of a "Saviour" and
Redeemer, which is in addition to His headship; and both of these for
the further glory of Christ, and also for the demonstration of God's
grace towards us. These two relations are quite distinct and must not
be confounded. "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as
Christ is the head of the church; and he is the Saviour of the body"
(Eph. 5:23): each of those offices were appointed Him by the good
pleasure of God's will. This same twofold relation of Christ to His
people is set forth again in Colossians 1:18-20: this double official
honor conferred upon Him is further and above the absolute royalties
of His person as the God-man.
Now that twofold relation of Christ to His people has, answerably a
double and distinct aspect and consideration upon us and of us in our
election by God, which was not absolute as Christ's was, but relative
unto His two principal offices. The first concerns our persons without
the consideration of our fall in Adam, whereby we were contemplated in
the pure lump of creatureship as to be created, and in that
consideration God ordained us unto ultimate glory, under relation to
Christ as an "Head": whether as members of His body or as His bride,
or rather both as He is the Head of the Church; of either or both
which our persons were fully capable of before or without any
consideration of our fall. Second, of our persons viewed as fallen, as
corrupt and sinful, and therefore as objects to be saved and redeemed
from the thraldom thereof, under our relation to Him as a "Saviour"
Each of these relations was for the glory of God's grace. First, in
His design to advance us, considered purely as creatures, to an higher
glory by His Christ than was attainable by the law of creation. To
ordain us unto this glory was pure grace, no less so than to redeem us
from sin and misery when fallen; for it was wholly independent of
works or merit, even as Christ's election (which is the pattern of
ours) was apart from the consideration of works of any kind: as He
declared, "my goodness extendeth not to thee" (Ps. 16:2). "Although
the life-work and death-agony of the Son did reflect unparalleled
lustre upon every attribute of God, yet the most blessed and
infinitely happy God stood in no need of the obedience and death of
His Son: it was for our sakes that the work of redemption was
undertaken" (C. H. Spurgeon). It is to this original grace that 2
Timothy 1:9 refers: grace alone moving God to redeem and call us,
apart from works, "according to" that mother grace whereby we were
ordained to glory from the beginning.
In that original grace lay God's grand and ultimate design, for it
will have its accomplishment last of all, and as the perfection of
all. God might immediately, upon our first creation, have taken us up
into that glory. But second, for the further magnifying of Christ and
the ampler demonstration of His grace--to extend it to its utmost
reach: as the word in the Hebrew is "draw out at length thy
lovingkindness" (Ps. 36:10)--He was not pleased to bring us unto the
full possession of our inheritance in beholding the personal glory of
Christ our head; but permissively ordained that we should fall into
sin, and therefore decreed to create us in mutable condition (as the
law of creation required), which made way for the abounding of His
grace (Rom. 5:15). This is confirmed by, "But God, who is rich in
mercy [a term which denotes our ill-desert], for his great love
wherewith he loved us" (Eph. 2:4): first God loved us, viewed as
sinless creatures; and this became the foundation of "mercy" to us
considered as sinners.
It was upon this divine determination that the elect should not
immediately upon their creation enter into the glory unto which they
were ordained, but should first be suffered to fall into sin and
wretchedness and then be delivered out of the same, that Christ had
for His great and further glory the office of Redeemer and Saviour
superadded to His election of Headship. It is our being sinful and
miserable which occupies our present and immediate concern, as that
which we are most solicitous about while left in this world, and
therefore it is that the Scriptures do principally set forth Christ as
Redeemer and Saviour. We say "principally" for as we have seen they
are by no means silent upon the higher glory of His headship; yea,
sufficient is said thereon to draw out our thoughts, affections and
hopes unto the beholding Him in His grandest glory.
In bringing to a close this outline of the divine order of Christ's
election, and of ours, as it is represented in Scripture, let it be
pointed out that we are not to suppose an interval of time between
God's foreordination of Christ as Head and of Him as Saviour, for all
was simultaneous in the mind of God; but the distinction is in the
order of nature, and for our better understanding thereof. Christ
could not be the "Head" without the correlate of His mystical "body,"
as He could not be our "Saviour" except we had fallen. "Behold my
servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth" (Isa.
42:1): Christ was first God's elect and delight and then His
servant--upheld by Him in the work of redeeming. Absolutely and
primarily Christ as God-man was ordained for Himself, for His own
glory; relatively and secondarily, He was chosen for us and our
salvation.
The glory of the person of the God-man, absolutely considered, was the
primo-primitive design of God, that upon which He set His heart; next
unto this was His ordination of Christ to be an Head unto us and we a
body to Him that by our union to Him as our Head, He was the
sufficient and efficient author of such blessings as our becoming
immutably holy, of sonship from His Sonship, and the gracious
acceptance of our persons in Him as the chief Beloved, and heirs of
the same glory with Him--all of which we were capable of in God's
considering us as pure creatures through our union with Christ, and
needed not His death to have purchased them for us, being quite
distinct from the blessing of redemption as Ephesians 1: 7 (following
vv. 3-6) clearly enough shows. As this was the first in God's design,
so it is the last in execution, being greater than all "salvation"
blessings, the crown of all, when we shall be "forever with the Lord."
Descending to a much lower level, let it be pointed out that most
certainly the holy angels could not be regarded in the corrupt mass
when they were chosen, since they never fell; therefore it is most
reasonable to suppose we were regarded by God as in the same pure mass
of creatureship, when He elected us. Thus it was with the human nature
of Christ, which is the object of election, for it never fell in Adam,
nor ever came into a corrupt state, yet it was "chosen out of the
people" (Ps. 89:19), and consequently the people out of which it was
chosen must be considered as yet unfallen. This alone agrees with the
type of Eve (the Church) being given to Adam (Christ) before sin
entered. So God's double ordination of the elect to glory and then to
salvation (in view of the fall) agrees with the double ordination of
the non-elect: preterition as creatures and condemnation as sinners.
N.B. For most of the above we are indebted to Thomas Goodwin. In some
places we have purposely repeated ourselves in this chapter, as much
of the ground gone over is entirely new to most of our readers.
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Contents | Intro | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Election
by Arthur W. Pink
7. Its Design
_________________________________________________
In the last chapter we have sought to go right back to the very
beginning of all things and trace out the order of God's counsels in
connection with His eternal decree in election, so far as they are
revealed in Holy Writ. Now we shall seek to project our thoughts
forward to the future, and contemplate God's grand design, or what it
was He ordained His people unto. Here we shall be on more familiar
ground to many of our readers, yet we must not overlook the fact that
even this phase of our subject will be entirely new to quite a few of
those who will scan these lines, and for their sakes especially it
will behoove us to proceed slowly, taking nothing for granted, but
furnishing clear Scriptural proof for what we advance. That which is
to be before us is inexpressibly blessed, O that it may please God to
so quicken the hearts of both writer and reader that we may actually
rejoice and adore.
1. God's design in our election was that we should be holy: "According
as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that
we should be holy and without blame before him" (Eph. 1:4). There has
been much difference of opinion among the commentators as to whether
this refers to that imperfect holiness of grace which we have in this
world, or to that perfect holiness of glory which will be ours in the
world to come. Personally, we believe that both are included, but that
the latter is chiefly intended; and so we shall expound it. First, of
that perfect holiness is heaven. That this is the prime reference
appears from the amplifying clause "and without blame before him": it
is such a holiness that God Himself can find no flaw in. Now the
imperfect holiness which the saints have personally in this life,
though it be a holiness before God in truth and sincerity, yet it is
not one "without blame": it is not one God can fully delight in.
Second, as God hath ordained us to perfect holiness in the world to
come, so He hath ordained us to an evangelical holiness in this world,
or else we shall never come to heaven: unless we be made pure in heart
here, we shall never see God there. Holiness is the image of God upon
the soul, a likeness to Him which makes us capable of communion with
Him; and therefore the apostle declares that we should "follow
holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). As
reason is the foundation of learning, no man being able to attain it
unless he hath reason, so we cannot reach the glory of Heaven unless
the principle of holiness be divinely communicated to us. Therefore,
as God's first design in our election was that we should be holy
before Him, let us now make this our paramount concern. Here too is
solid comfort for those who find indwelling sin to be their heaviest
burden: though thy holiness be most imperfect in this life, yet is it
the earnest of a perfect holiness in the life to come.
Holiness must needs be the fruit of our being chosen in Christ, for it
is essential to our having a being in Him. It would be a contradiction
in terms to say that God chose a man to be in Christ and did not make
him to be holy. If God ordains a man to be in Christ, then He ordains
him to be a member of Christ, and there must be conformity between
Head and members. The election of grace was given to Christ as His
spouse, and husband and wife must be of the same kind and image. When
Adam was to have a wife she must be the same specie: none of the
beasts was fit to be a partner for him. God brought them all before
him, but among them all "For Adam was not found a help meet for him"
(Gen. 2:20), because they had not the same image and kind. So if God
chooses a man in Christ--the Holy One--he must necessarily be holy,
and this is the reason why our holiness is annexed to our being chosen
in Him (Eph. 1:4).
God, then, has decreed that His people shall be perfectly holy before
Him, that they shall be in His presence forever, there to enjoy Him
everlastingly, and delight themselves in that enjoyment, for as the
Psalmist tells us "in thy presence is fullness of joy." Therein is
revealed to us of what consists the ineffable bliss of our eternal
inheritance: it is perfect holiness, perfect love to God; this is the
essence of celestial glory. If the entire apostolate had spent the
whole of their remaining lifetime in an attempt to depict and describe
what heaven is, they could have done no more than enlarge upon these
words: perfect holiness in God's presence, perfect love to Him,
perfect enjoyment of Him, even as we are beloved by Him. This is
heaven, and this is what God has decreed to bring His people unto.
This is His first design in our election: to bring us into an
unblemished holiness before Him.
2. God's design in our election was that we should be His sons:
"Having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ
unto Himself according to the good pleasure of His will" (Eph. 1:5
ASV.). Holiness is that which fits us for heaven, for an unholy person
could not possibly enjoy heaven: were he to enter it, he would be
altogether out of his native element. Holiness, then, is that which
constitutes the saints meetness for their inheritance in light (Col.
1:12). But adoption is that which gives the right to the glory of
heaven, being bestowed upon them as a dignity or prerogative (John
1:12). As we have pointed out on other occasions, the last two words
of Ephesians 1:4 belong properly to verse 5: "In love having
predestinated us unto the adoption." God's love unto His dear Son was
so great that, having chosen us in Him, His heart went out toward us
as one with Christ, and therefore did He ordain us unto this further
honor and privilege. This agrees perfectly with "Behold, what manner
of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the
sons of God" (1 John 3:1).
God might have made us perfectly holy in Christ and added no further
blessing to it. "Ye have your fruits unto holiness" says the apostle
(Rom. 6:22), and precious fruit that is; but he did not stop
there--"and the end everlasting life:" that is added as a further
fruit and privilege. In like manner, God added adoption to holiness:
as the Psalmist says "the Lord will give grace and glory" (84:11). As
our God, He chose us to holiness, according to that express saying "ye
shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy" (Lev. 19:2). But as He
became our Father in Christ, He predestinated us unto the adoption of
sons. Here, then, is the twofold relation which the Most High sustains
to His people in and through Christ, and there is the consequent
twofold blessing of our persons because of Christ. Observe how
minutely this corresponds with "Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in
the heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1:3).
By adoption we become God's sons in law, as by regeneration we are
made His children in nature. By the new birth we become
(experimentally) members of God's family; by adoption we have the
legal status of sons, with all the high privileges that relationship
involves: "Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his
Son into your hearts" (Gal. 4:6). Adoption makes known the high
prerogatives and blessings which are ours by virtue of union with
Christ, the legal right which we have unto all the blessings we enjoy,
both here and hereafter. As the apostle reminds us, if we are children
then are we "heirs," co-heirs with Christ; yea, heirs of God (Rom.
8:17)--to possess and enjoy God as Christ doth. "Seemeth it to you a
light thing to be a king's son-in-law?" exlaimed David (1 Sam. 18:23),
when it was suggested that he marry Michal: you may haply be the
king's favorite and he may make you great, but to become his
son-in-law is the highest honor of all. This is why we are told
immediately after I John 3:1, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God,
and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when he
shall appear, we shall be like him" (v. 2)--like Him in our
proportion: as He perfectly enjoys God, so shall we.
Let it be duly noted that it is "through Jesus Christ" we are sons and
heirs of God. Christ is our pattern in election, the One to whose
image we are predestinated to be conformed. Christ is God's natural
Son, and we become (by union with Christ) God's legal sons. "That he
might be the firstborn among many brethren" (Rom. 8:29) signifies that
God did set up Christ as the prototype and masterpiece, and made us to
be so many little copies and models of Him. Every dignity we possess,
every blessing we enjoy--save our election when God chose us in
Him--we owe to Christ. He is the virtual cause of our adoption.
Christ, as we have said, is God's natural Son; how, then, do we become
His sons? Thus: God gave us to Christ to be married to Him, and He
betrothed us to Him from everlasting, and so we become sons-in-law
unto God, even as a woman comes to be a man's daughter-in-law by
marrying his son.
We owe our adoption to our relation unto Christ's person, and not to
His atoning work. Our adoption as originally it was in predestination
bestowed upon us, was not founded upon redemption or Christ's
obedience, but on Christ's being God's natural Son. Our justification
is indeed grounded upon Christ's obedience and sufferings: "In whom we
have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins" (Eph.
1:7). But our adoption and becoming sons-in-law to God is through
Christ's being His natural Son, and we His brethren in relation to His
person. "God is faithful by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of
his Son Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Cor. 1:9). That fellowship or
communion involves our participation of His dignities and whatever
else in Him we were capable of; just as a woman acquires a legal title
unto all the possessions of the man she marries. As Christ being God's
natural Son was the foundation of His work possessing infinite worth,
so our adoption is founded on our relation to His person, and then our
justification upon His meritorious work.
We must, however, add this word of caution to what has just been
pointed out: when we fell in Adam we lost all our privileges, and
therefore Christ was fain to purchase them anew; and hence it follows
that adoption, and all other blessings, are the fruits of His merit so
far as their actual bestowment is concerned. Thus the apostle tells us
Christ became incarnate "to redeem them that were under the law, that
we might receive the adoption of sons" (Gal. 4:5)--our sins and
bondage under the law and its curse interposing an obstacle against
God's actual bestowment of adoption. But mark the minute accuracy of
the language used: Christ's redemption is not said to procure adoption
for us, but only that we might receive it. That which procured
adoption was our relation to Christ as God's sons-in-law: this being
God's purpose from everlasting.
Let us duly consider now the greatness of this privilege. Adam was
created holy, and Luke 3:38 tells us he was "the son of God," but
nowhere is it said that he was the son of God by adoption through
Christ. So too in Job 38:7 the angels are called "morning stars" and
"sons of God," yet we are never told they are such by adoption through
Christ. They were "sons" indeed by creation, for God made them; but
not sons-in-law of God by being married unto His Son, which is a grace
and dignity peculiar to believers. Thus we excel the angels by our
special relation to the Son of God's love: Christ nowhere calls the
angels His "brethren," as He doth us! This is borne out by Hebrews
12:22 where, in contrast from the angels mentioned previously, we read
of "the Church of the firstborn," a title denoting superiority (Gen.
49:3): we being related to God's "Firstborn," have higher privilege of
sonship than the angels have.
"A figure may perhaps help us here. A father chooses a bride for his
son, as Abraham chose one of his own kin for Isaac, and gives her a
goodly dowry, besides presenting her with bridal ornaments, such as
Eliezer put upon Rebekah. But on becoming the spouse of his son, she
becomes his daughter, and now his affections flow forth to her, not
only as a suitable bride for his dear son; not only does he admire her
beauty and grace, and is charmed with the sweetness of her
disposition, but he is moved also with fatherly love towards her as
adopted unto himself, and thus occupying a newer and nearer
relationship. Figures are, of course, necessarily imperfect, and as
such must not be pressed too far; but if the one which we have adduced
at all help us to a clearer understanding of the wondrous love of God
in the adoption of us unto Himself, it will not be out of place. We
thus see that predestination to the adoption of children, is a higher,
richer, and greater blessing than being chosen unto holiness, and may
thus be said to follow upon it as an additional and special fruit of
God's love.
"But the love of God, in predestinating the church unto the adoption
of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, has even a deeper root than
viewing her as the bride of His dear Son. It springs out of and is
most closely and intimately connected with the true, real, and eternal
sonship of Jesus. Being chosen in Christ, the elect become the sons of
God. Why? Because He is the true, real, and essential Son of the
Father; and thus, as in union with Him, who is the Son of God by
nature, they become the sons of God by adoption. Were He a Son merely
by office, or by incarnation, this would not be the case, for He would
then only be a Son by adoption Himself. But being the Son of God by
eternal subsistence, He can say, `Behold I and the children which Thou
hast given Me: I Thy Son by nature, they Thy sons by adoption.' We
see, then, that so great, so special was the love of God to His only
begotten Son, that, viewing the Church in union with Him, His heart
embraced Her with the same love as that wherewith He loved Him" (J. C.
Philpot).
3. God's design in our election was that we should be saved: saved
from the fall and its effects, from sin and its attendant
consequences. This particular ordination of God was upon His foreview
of our defection in Adam, who was our natural head and representative;
for as pointed out in previous chapters, God decreed to permit the
fall of His people in order to the greater manifestation of His own
grace and increased glory of the Mediator. Obviously the very term
"salvation" implies sin, and that in turn presupposes the fall. But
this determination of God to suffer His people to fall into sin and
then deliver them from it, was entirely subservient to His prime
design concerning the elect and the ultimate glory to which He
ordained them. The subordination of this third design of God in our
election to those we have already considered appears in "who hath
saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our
works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us
in Christ Jesus before the world began" (2 Tim. 1:9).
If the above Scripture be carefully analyzed it will be seen, first,
that God formed a "purpose" concerning His people and that "grace" was
given them in Christ Jesus "before the world began" either
historically or in the mind of God: the reference being to His
sovereign act in singling them out from the pure mass of creatureship,
giving them being in Christ, and bestowing upon them the grace of
sonship. Second, that God "hath saved us" (the reference being to
believers) and "called us with a holy calling," which refers to what
takes place in time when He brings us forth from our death in sin by
an effectual call unto holiness (cf. Titus 3:5). Third, that this
saving and calling for us was ``not according to our works'' either
actual or foreseen, but "according to His own purpose," i.e., was
based upon His original intention that we should be His sons. Neither
our merits (for we have none), nor our misery, moved God to save us,
but His having given us to Christ from the beginning.
As we have previously pointed out, God assigned unto Christ a double
relation to His people: "Christ is the head of the church: and he is
the savior of the Body" (Eph. 5:23). In the same Epistle He is seen
first as the Head in whom we were originally "blessed with all
spiritual blessings in the heavenly places" (1:3); later, He is
presented as Saviour, as the One who "loved the church and gave
himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it" (5:25, 26). In
speaking of Him as "the Saviour of the Body" it is intimated that He
is the Saviour of none else, which is clearly confirmed by "therefore
I endure all things for the elect's sake, that they may also obtain
the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory" (2 Tim.
2:10): note, not merely, "Salvation" indefinitely, but "the salvation"
decreed by God for His own. Nor does "we trust in the living God, who
is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe" (1 Tim.
4:10) in anywise clash with this: the "living God" has reference to
the Father, and "Saviour" is more correctly rendered "Preserver" in
Baxter's Interlinear.
Now this "salvation" which God has decreed for His elect, viewed as
fallen in Adam, may be summed up under two heads: from the guilt and
penalty of sin, and from its dominion and power, these having to do,
respectively, with the legal and experimental sides. They are
accomplished in time by what Christ did for us, and by what the Spirit
works in us. Of the former it is written, "For God hath not appointed
us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" (1
Thess. 5:9); of the latter we read "God hath from the beginning chosen
you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of
the truth" (1 Thess. 2:13). It is by the latter we obtain evidence and
assurance of the former: "Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of
God. For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power
and in the Holy Ghost" (1 Thess. 1:4, 5). When our salvation from sin
is consummated we shall be delivered from the very presence of it.
4. God's design in our election was that we should be for Christ: "All
things were created by him, and for him," (Col. 1:16). God not only
chose us in Christ and predestinated us unto sonship through Him, but
gave us to Him, so that Christ was likewise the end of God's purpose
in choosing to perfect holiness and adoption. God having a natural
Son, the second person in the Trinity, whom He designed to make
visible in human nature, through an union of it to His Son, did decree
for His greater glory to ordain us unto the adoption of sons to Him
and as brethren unto Him, so that He should not be alone, but rather
"the firstborn among many brethren." As in Zechariah 13:7 the man
Christ Jesus is designated Jehovah's "fellow," so from Psalm 45:7 we
learn that God predestinated others to be for his Son, to be His
companions: "Hath anointed thee above thy fellows.
The subject of the divine decrees is so vast in its range (whether we
look backward or forward) and so comprehensive in its scope (when we
contemplate all that is involved and included in it), that it is far
from being an easy task to present a summarized sketch (which is as
high as this writer aspires) of the same; and when attempt is made to
furnish an orderly outline and deal separately with its most essential
and distinctive features, it is almost impossible to prevent a measure
of overlapping; yet if such repetition renders it easier for the
reader to take in the prime aspects, our object will be accomplished.
Part of what we now wish to contemplate in connection with God's
design in our election was somewhat anticipated--unavoidably so--in
the chapter on the nature of election, when, in showing that God's
original intention was anterior to His foreview of our fall, we
touched upon the positive side of His design.
We have sought to point out the infinite distance between the creature
and the Creator, the high and lofty One, and that because of the
mutability of our first estate by nature there was a necessity of
super creation grace if the condition and standing of either men or
angels was to be immutably fixed, which God was pleased to appoint by
an election of grace. And therefore did God by that election also
ordain those whom He singled out unto a super-creation union with
Himself and communication of Himself, as our highest and ultimate end,
which is far above that relation we had to Him by mere creation; this
being accomplished by and through Christ. "Yet to us there is one God,
the Father, of whom are all things, and we unto Him and one Lord,
Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we through Him" (1 Cor.
8:6, ASV.). Let us note first the discriminating language used in this
verse: there is a pointed difference made here between the "us" and
the "all things," as of a select and special company, which is
repeated in the second half of the verse.
We and all other things are from the Father--"of Him" or by His will
and power, as the originating cause: this is common to "us" and all of
His creatures. But the "we" He speaks of as a severed remnant, set
apart to some higher excellency and dignity, and this special company
is also referred to as "we through Him" (the Lord Jesus) in contrast
from the "through whom are all things." The A.V. gives "one God, the
Father, of whom are all things, and we in (Greek eis) Him," which is
quite warrantable, the reference there being to God's taking us into
Himself out of a special love and by a special union with Himself:
compare "the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father"
(1 Thess. 1:1). But the Greek also imports our being singled out unto
His glory, "for Him": our being in Him is the foundation of our being
for Him
The distinction to which we have just adverted receives further
illustration and confirmation in "One God and Father of all, who is
above all, and through all, and in you all" (Eph. 4:6). Here again we
find the same difference used about the phrases of the all things and
the us. Of the all things God is said to be "above all," whereby we
understand the sublimity and transcendency of the divine nature and
essence as being infinitely superior to that being which all creatures
have by participation from Him. Yet, second, the transcendent One is
also imminent, near to, piercing "through" all creatures. He is
present with all, yet holding a different being from all--as the air
permeates all our dwellings, be they palaces or hovels. But third,
when it comes to the saints, it is "in you all": this is sovereign
grace making them to differ from all the rest. God is so united to
them as to be made one with them, in a special manner and by a special
relationship.
How amazing is that grace which has taken such creatures as we are
into union with One so elevated and ineffable as God is! This is the
very summit of our privilege and happiness. If we compare Isaiah 57:15
with 66:1, 2 we shall see how God Himself has there emphasized both
the sublimity and the transendency of His own person and the marvel
and measure of His grace toward us. In the former God speaks of
Himself as "the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose
name is holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that
is of a contrite and humble spirit"; while in the other He declares
"The heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstood. . .but to this
man will I look even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit."
How this demonstrates the infinite condescension of His favor that
picks up animated dust, indwells us, communicates Himself to us as to
none others: we have a participation of Him such as the angels have
not!
Before proceeding further with our exposition of 1 Corinthians 8:6 so
far as it bears upon our present subject, perhaps we should digress
for a moment and make a brief remark upon the words "But to us there
is but one God, the Father," which has been grossly perverted by those
who deny a trinity of persons in the Godhead. The term "Father" here
(as in Matt. 5:16; James 3:9, etc.) is not used of the first person in
contradistinction to the second and third, but refers to God as God,
to the Divine nature as such. If it could be shown from this verse
that Christ is not God in the most absolute sense (see Titus 2:13),
then by parity of reason it necessarily follows that "one Lord" would
deny the Father is Lord, giving the lie to Revelation 11:15, etc. The
main thought of 1 Corinthians 8:6 becomes quite intelligible when we
perceive that this verse furnishes a perfect antithesis and opposition
to the false devices of the heathen religion mentioned in verse 5.
Among the pagans there were many "gods" or supreme deities and many
"lords" or middle persons and mediators. But Christians have only one
supreme Deity, the Triune God, and only one Mediator, the Lord Jesus
Christ (cf. John 17:3). Christ has a double "Lordship." First a
natural, essential, underived one, belonging to Him considered simply
as the second person of the Trinity. Second (to which 1 Cor. 8:6
refers), a derived, economical and dispensatory Lordship, received by
commission from God, considered as God-man. It was to this allusion
was made previously, wherein it was stated that God decreed the man
Christ Jesus should be taken into union with His Son, and so appointed
Him His "sovereign end." The administration of the universe has been
placed under Him: all power is committed to Him (John 5:22, 27; Acts
2:36; Heb. 1:2). Christ as God-man has equal authority with God (John
5:23), yet under Him, as Corinthians 3:23, "ask of Me" (Ps. 2:8),
Philippians 2:11 shows.
The next thing in I Corinthians 8:6 we would dwell upon is the clause
"and we in Him" (Greek) or as the margin has it "we for Him." Such a
supernatural union with God and communication of God is His ultimate
design towards us in His choosing of us. Hence it is that we so often
read that "for the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto Himself, and Israel for
His peculiar treasure" (Ps. 135:4). "This people have I formed for
myself' (Isa. 43:21). "I have reserved to myself seven thousand men"
(Rom. 11:4). This choosing of us is not merely a setting apart from
all others to be His peculiar treasure (Exod. 19:5), nor only that God
hath separated us for His peculiar worship and service to be holy unto
Himself (Jer. 2:3), nor only that we should show forth His praise
(Isa. 43:21), for even the wicked shall do that (Prov. 16:4; Phil.
2:11); but we are peculiarly for Himself and His glory, wholly in a
way of grace and loving kindness.
All that which grace can do for us in communicating God Himself to us,
and all that He will do for us unto the magnifying of His glory,
arises wholly out of the free favor He shows us. In other words, God
will have no more glory in us and on us, than arises out of what He
bestows in grace upon us, so that our happiness as the effect will
extend as far as His own glory as the end. How wondrous, how grand,
how inexpressibly blessed, that God's glory in us should not be
severed in anything from our good: God has so ordered things that not
only are the two things inseparable, but co-extensive. If, therefore,
God has designed to have a manifestative glory unto the uttermost, He
will show forth unto us grace unto the uttermost. It is not merely
that God bestows gifts, showers blessings, but communicates to us
Himself to the utmost that we as creatures are capacitated for.
This is so far above poor human reason that nothing but faith can
apprehend it, that we are yet to be "filled with all the fullness of
God" (Eph. 3:19). In communicating Himself, God communicates the whole
of Himself, whether of His divine perfections so far as to bless us
therewith, or of all three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for
us to enjoy and have fellowship with. All in God shall as truly serve
to make the elect blessed (according to a creature capacity) as serves
to make Him blessed in His own immense infinity. If we have God
Himself, and the whole of Himself, then are we "heirs of God" (Rom.
8:17), for we are "joint heirs with Christ"; and that God Himself is
Christ's inheritance is proved by His own declaration "the Lord is the
portion of mine inheritance" (Ps. 16:5). More than this we cannot have
or wish: "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be
his God, and he shall be my son" (Rev. 21:7).
In consequence of having chosen us for Himself, God reserves Himself
for us, and all that is in Him. If Romans 11:4 speaks of God's having
"reserved to himself" the elect (see v. 5 and note the "also"), so 1
Peter 1:4 tells that God is "reserved in heaven for us" as is clear
from the fact that God Himself is our "inheritance," and none shall
share in this wondrous inheritance but the destined heirs. And there
He waits, as it were, till such time as we are gathered to Himself.
There He has waited throughout the centuries, suffering the great ones
of each generation to pass by, reserving Himself (as in election He
did design) for His saints--"as if a great prince in a dream or vision
should see the image of a woman yet to be born, and should so fall in
love with his foreview of her that he should reserve himself till she
is born and grown up, and will not think of or entertain any other
love" (T. Goodwin). Christian reader, if God hath such love for thee,
what ought to be thy love to Him! If He hath given Himself wholly to
thee, how entire should be thy dedication unto Him!
When God hath brought us safely through all the trials and troubles of
this lower world to heaven, then will He make it manifest that His
first and ultimate design in electing us was for Himself, and
therefore our first welcome there will be a presenting of us to
Himself: "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to
present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding
joy" (Jude 24), which is here mentioned that we might praise and give
Him glory beforehand. The reference here is (we believe) not to Christ
(that we have in Eph. 5:27; Heb. 2:13), but to the Father Himself, as
"the presence of his glory" intimates, that being what we are
"presented" before. It is the same Person who presents us to Himself
whose glory it is. This is further borne out by "to the only wise God
our Saviour [note the "Father" is distinctly called "our Saviour" in
Titus 3:4] be glory and majesty, dominion and power, now and ever.
Amen" (v. 25), all which attributes are those of God the Father in the
usual current of doxologies.
God will present us to Himself "with exceeding joy." This
"presentation" takes place at the first coming of each individual
saint into heaven, though it will be more formally repeated when the
entire election of grace arrive there. As we on our part--and with
good reason--shall rejoice, so God on His part, too. He is pleased to
present us with great joy to Himself, as making our entrance into
Heaven more His own concern than it is ours. This presenting us to
Himself "before the presence of His glory" is a matter of great joy to
Himself to have us so with Himself: as parents are overjoyed when
children long absent return home to them--compare the joy of the
Father in Luke 15. It is because His purpose is accomplished, His
eternal design realized, His glory secured, that He rejoices. With
this agrees, "He will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his
love: he will joy over thee with singing" (Zeph. 3:17). It was for
Himself God first chose us as His ultimate end, and this is now
perfected.
Another Scripture which teaches that God has chosen His people for
Himself is "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by
Christ to himself" (Eph. 1:5). The Greek word rendered "to Himself"
may as indifferently (with a variation of the aspirate) be rendered
"for Him," so that with equal warrant and propriety we may understand
it, first, as relating to God the Father, He having predestinated us
to Himself as His ultimate end of this adoption; or second, to Jesus
Christ, who is also one end in God thus predestinating us unto
adoption. That the preposition eis often signifies "for" as denoting
the end or final cause, appears from many places: for example, in the
very next verse, "to [or "for"] the praise of the glory of His grace"
as His grand design; so too in Romans 11:36 "to Him" (or "for Him")
are all things." We shall therefore take this expression in its most
comprehensive sense and give it a twofold meaning according to its
context and the analogy of faith.
God's having predestinated us "to Himself" is not to be understood as
referring primarily or alone to adopting us as sons to Himself, but as
denoting distinctly and immediately His having elected and
predestinated us to His own great and glorious self, and for His great
and blessed Son. In other words, the clause we are now considering
points to another and larger end of His predestinating us than simply
our adoption; although that be mentioned as a special end, yet it is
but a lower and subordinate end in comparison with God's
predestinating us to Himself. First, He chose us in Christ unto an
impeccable holiness which would satisfy His own nature; in addition,
He predestinated us unto the honor and glory of adoption; but over and
above all, His grace reached to the utmost extent by predestinating us
to Himself-- the meaning and marvel of which we have already dwelt
upon.
God's having predestinated us "to Himself" denotes a special propriety
in us. The cattle upon a thousand hills are His, and they honor Him in
their kind (Isa. 43:20), but the Church is His peculiar treasure and
medium of glory. The elect are consecrated to Him out of the whole in
a peculiar way: "Israel was holiness unto the Lord, and the first
fruits of his increase" (Jer. 2:3), which denotes His consecrating
them to Himself, as the type in Numbers 18 explains it. Christ made a
great matter of this in God's taking us to be His: "I pray not for the
world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine"
(John 17:9); so too the apostle Paul emphasized the same note in "The
Lord knoweth them that are his" (2 Tim. 2:19). It denotes too a
choosing of us to be holy before Him, as consecrating us unto His
service and worship, which is specially instanced in Romans 11:4,
where the "I have reserved to Myself" is in contrast from the rest
which He left to the worshipping of Baal. But above all, it imports
His taking us into the nearest oneness and communion with and
participation of Himself.
Consider now the phrase in Ephesians 1:5 as meaning "for Him," that
is, for Jesus Christ. The Greek words autos and hautos are used
promiscuously, either for "him" or "himself," so that we are not
straining it at all in rendering "for Him." It is in the prepositions
which are used with reference to Christ in connection with the
Church's relation to Him that His glory is told out: they are in Him,
through Him, for Him. Each of these is employed here in Ephesians 1:4,
5 and in that order: we were chosen in Him as our Head, predestinated
to adoption through Him as the means of our sonship, and appointed for
Him as an end--the honor of Christ as well as the glory of His own
grace was made God's aim in His predestinating of us. The same three
things are attributed to Christ in connection with creation and
providence: see Greek of Colossians 1:16. But it is of God the Father
alone, as the fountain, we read "of Him" (the Originator) (Rom. 11:36;
1 Cor. 8:6; 2 Cor. 5:18).
First God decreed that His own dear Son should be made visibly
glorious in a human nature, through an union with it to His own
person; and then for His greater glory God decreed us to be adopted
sons through Him, as brethren unto Him, for God would not His Son in
humanity should be alone, but have "fellows" or companions to enhance
His glory. First, by His comparison with them, for He is "anointed
above His fellows" (Ps. 45:7), being "the firstborn among many
brethren" (Rom. 8:29). Second, God gave to His Son an unique honor and
matchless glory by ordaining Him to be God-man, and for the enhancing
of the same He ordained that there should be those about Him who might
see His glory and magnify Him for the same (John 17:24). Third, God
ordained us to adoption that Christ might be the means of all the
glory of our sonship, which we have through Him, for He is not only
our pattern in predestination, but the virtual cause of it.
Now in God's councils of election, the consideration of Christ's
assumption of man's nature was not founded upon the supposition or
foresight of the Fall, as our being predestinated for Him as the end
intimates. Surely, this is obvious. Why, to bring Christ into the
world only on account of sin and for the work of redemption were to
subject Him unto us, making our interests the end of His becoming
incarnate! That is indeed to get things upside down, for Christ, as
God-man is the end of us, and of all things else. Moreover, this were
to subordinate the infinite value of His person to the benefits we
receive from His work; whereas redemption is far inferior to the gift
of Himself unto us and we unto Him. It might also be shown that
redemption itself was designed by God first for Christ's own glory
rather than to meet our need.
N. B. We are again indebted to the invaluable writings of Thomas
Goodwin.
_________________________________________________
Contents | Intro | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Election
by Arthur W. Pink
8. Its Manifestation
_________________________________________________
By His electing act God took the Church into a definite and personal
relation to Himself, so that He reckons and regards its members as His
own dear children and people. Consequently, even while they are in a
state of nature, before their regeneration, He views and owns them as
such. This is very blessed and wonderful, though alas it is a truth
which is almost unknown in present-day Christendom. It is now commonly
assumed that we only become the children of God when we are born
again, that we have no relation to Christ until we have embraced Him
with the arms of faith. But with the Scriptures in our hands there is
no excuse for such ignorance, and woe be unto those who deliberately
repudiate their plain testimony: to their divine Author will they yet
have to answer for such wickedness.
It seems strange that the very ones who are foremost in propagating
(unwittingly, we would feign believe) the error alluded to above, are
they who have probably said and written more upon the typical teaching
of the Book of Exodus than any one else. We would ask such, Were not
the Hebrews definitely owned by God as belonging to Him before He sent
Moses to deliver them from the house of bondage, before the blood of
the paschal lamb was shed, yea, while they were utterly idolatrous
(Ezek. 20:5-9)? Verily, for to Moses He declared, "I have surely seen
the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their
cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows" (Exod.
3:7); and of Pharaoh He demanded, "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel,
Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the
wilderness" (5:1). And the Hebrews were a divinely ordained type of
the Israel of God, the spiritual election of grace!
It is quite true that God's elect are "by nature the children of
wrath, even as others" (Eph. 2:3), nevertheless their persons have
been loved by Him with an everlasting love. Consequently, before the
Spirit is sent to quicken them into newness of life, the Lord God
contemplates and speaks of them as His own. As this is now so little
known, we will pause and offer proof from the Word. First, God calls
them His children: "All thy children shall be taught of the Lord"
(Isa. 54:13)--His children before taught by Him; and again, "He should
gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad"
(John 11:52)--His children before "gathered" by Him. Second, He
designates them His people. "Thy people shall be willing in the day of
thy power" (Ps. 110:3)--His people before "made willing," "I am with
thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee, for I have much
people in this city" (Acts 18:10)--before Paul preached the gospel in
that heathen center.
Third, Christ denominates God's elect His sheep before they are
brought into the fold: "And other sheep I have, which are not of this
fold: them also I must bring" (John 10:16)--who were those "other
sheep" but those of His elect among the Gentiles? Fourth, the elect
are spoken of as the tabernacle of David while they are in the ruins
of the fall: "God at the first did visit the Gentiles to take out of
them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the
prophets; as it is written, after this I will return, and will build
again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down" (Acts 15:14-16).
In the apostolic age God began to take out of the Gentiles a people
for His name, and concerning this Amos had prophesied of old: "The
tabernacle of David, that is, the elect of God, once stood in Adam
with the non-elect, and with them they fell; but the Lord will set up
His elect again, not in the first Adam, but in the second Adam, in
whom they shall be for an habitation of God through the Spirit" (James
Wells).
Love in the heart of God was a secret in Himself from everlasting,
being wholly unknown before the world began, except to Christ,
God-man, yet it has been exercised towards the whole election of
grace. Though they were beloved with such a love as contained the
uttermost of God's good will unto them, and to the uttermost of
blessing, grace and glory, yet it was in such a way and manner that
for a season they were altogether unacquainted with the same. Though
the acts of God's will in Christ's Person concerning them and upon
them were such as could never cease, nevertheless they were to be in a
state for a season in the which none of them were to be opened and
made known to them. All was in the incomprehensible mind of Jehovah
from everlasting, and the same it will be to everlasting; but the
revelation and manifestation of the same has been made at different
times and in various degrees.
The various conditions in which God's elect find themselves not only
exhibit the manifold wisdom of God, but illustrate our last remark
above. The elect were to be in a creature state of purity and
holiness; as such they were made naturally in Adam. From that they
fell into a state of sin and misery, sharing the guilt and depravity
of their federal head. They were to be brought therefrom into a
redeemed state by the atoning work of Christ, and given a knowledge of
this through the quickening and sanctifying operations of the Spirit.
After their earthly course is finished they are brought into a sinless
state, while they rest from their labors and await the consummation of
their salvation. In due course they shall be brought into the
resurrection state, and from thence into the state of everlasting
glory and unutterable bliss.
In like manner there are different stages in the unfolding of God's
eternal purpose concerning His people. The principle of divine
election has operated from the beginning of human history. No sooner
did the Fall take place than the Lord announced the line of
distinction which was drawn between the woman's seed and the seed of
the Serpent, first exemplified in the clear-cut case of Cain and Abel
(1 John 3:12). In an earlier chapter we called attention to the
continuous operation of this selective principle, as was seen in the
families of Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and later still more
conspicuously in the separating of Israel from all other nations, as
the people of Jehovah's choice and the objects of His special favor.
But what we would now consider is not so much the operation of God's
eternal purpose of grace, as the manifestation of it.
In all these states through which the elect are ordained to pass the
love of God is exercised and displayed toward them and upon them,
agreeably to the good pleasure of His will. The secret and everlasting
love of God to His chosen and His open disclosure of the same, though
distinct parts, are one and the same love. The first act of God's love
to the persons of those whom He chose in Christ consisted in giving
them being in Christ, well being in Christ from everlasting: that was
the fundamental act of all grace and glory for God then "blessed them
with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1:3).
The love of God in His own heart towards the person of Christ, the
Head of the whole election of grace, cannot be expressed, and His love
towards the persons of the elect in Christ is so great and infinite
that the Scriptures themselves declare "it passeth knowledge." The
open expression and manifestation of this love it is now our design to
ponder.
First, the incarnation and mission of Christ: "In this was manifested
the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only-begotten Son
into the world, that we might live through him" (1 John 4:9). Take
notice of the persons unto whom the love of God was thus manifested,
expressed in the word "us." This is a term made use of by the sacred
writers to include and express the saints of God by. It is a
distinguishing excellency of the apostles that they bring home their
subjects with all their energy to the minds of saints, and then apply
them so that hereby the truth might be felt in all its vast
importance. Let the subject be election, redemption, effectual calling
or glorification, and most generally they use the term "us," as
thereby including themselves and all the believers to whom they wrote.
This serves fitly to evince that all of them are alike interested in
all the blessings and benefits of grace, which opens the way for them
to appropriate and enjoy the good of them in the Scriptures.
To illustrate what has just been pointed out: "Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ: according as he
hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we
should be holy and without blame before him in love: having
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ. . .to
the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted
in the beloved" (Eph. l:3-6). In that passage the repeated "us" shows
the interest which all the saints have in their eternal election in
Christ. With respect to effectual calling the apostle uses the word
``us" in Romans 9:24. So in connection with salvation (note the "us"
in 2 Tim. 1:9) and glorification (see Eph. 2:7; Rom. 8:18). Let it be
carefully observed that whereas this repeated "us" in the Epistles
includes the whole election of grace, yet it excludes all other and
cannot with any truth or propriety be applied to any but the called of
God in Christ Jesus.
We next consider in what this open manifestation of the love of God
consisted, namely, in the incarnation and mission of Christ. In the
infinite mind of Jehovah all His love concerning the persons of the
elect was conceived from everlasting, with the various ways and means
by which the same should be displayed and made known in a time state,
so that the Church might be the more sensibly taken therewith. As it
pleased the Lord, notwithstanding His eternal love to His people in
Christ, to will their fall from a state of creature purity into
depravity, so also their redemption from the same was predetermined.
An everlasting covenant transaction took place between the Father and
the Son, wherein the latter engaged to assume human nature and act as
their Surety and Redeemer. His incarnation, life and death were fixed
upon as the means of their salvation. This became the subject of Old
Testament prophecy: that Christ was to be manifested in the flesh,
with what He was to do and suffer, in order to take away sin and bring
in everlasting righteousness.
That which was revealed in the Scriptures of the prophets concerning
Christ made it fully evident that it was of God that the whole of it
was originally council-transaction in Heaven before time began, the
fruit of consultation between Jehovah and the Branch, of which the
eternal Spirit was witness, He communicating the same to holy men, who
spake as they were moved by Him, for He searcheth all things, even the
deep things of God. In the person of Immanuel, God with us, by His
open incarnation and the salvation He wrought out and most honorably
completed, all the love of the blessed Trinity is reflected most
gloriously. God has shone forth in all the greatness and majesty of
His love upon His Church in Christ, and thus displayed His everlasting
good will unto them. He has so loved them as to give His only begotten
Son. This is clearly set forth in His Word, so that it is
all-sufficient to keep up a lively sense thereof in our minds, as the
Spirit is pleased to maintain a believing knowledge of it in our
hearts.
A brief word upon the end of this manifestation of the love of God as
spoken of in 1 John 4:9: it is "that we might live through him." "It
is through the incarnation and mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ that
we live through Him a life of justification, peace, pardon,
acceptance, and access to God. The elect of God in their fallen state
were all sin, corruption, misery, and death; in these circumstances
God commended His love toward them, in that while they were yet
sinners Christ died for them. He by His death removed their sins from
them. He loved them and washed them from their sins in His own blood,
and brought them nigh unto God, so that herein the Father's
everlasting love of them is most distinctly evidenced" (S. E. Pierce,
to whose lovely sermon on 1 John 4:9 we here gladly acknowledge our
indebtedness).
A most striking parallel with the Scripture we have looked at above is
the statement made by the Lord to His Father in John 17:6: "I have
manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the
world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me." The manifesting of
the name of God, or the secret mystery of His mind and will, could
only be performed by Christ, who had been in the bosom of the Father
from everlasting, who became incarnate in order to make visible Him
who is invisible. It was the office and work of the Messiah to open
the "hidden wisdom" (1 Cor. 2:7), to unlock the holy of holies, to
declare what had been kept secret from the foundation of the world;
and here in John 17 He declares that He had faithfully discharged it.
But mark well how the "us" of 1 John 4:9 is here defined as "the men
which thou gavest me out of the world." Yes, it was to them Christ
manifested God's ineffable name.
In John 17 Christ opened the whole heart of God, making known His
everlasting love as was never revealed before. Therein He expounded
the good will which the Father bore to the elect in Christ Jesus, in a
manner sufficient to fill the spiritual mind with knowledge and
understanding, even such as was calculated to lead to an entire trust
and confidence in the Lord for all the blessings of this life and that
which is to come. And who could give this information but Himself? He
came down from heaven with this express end and design. He was the
great Prophet over the House of God. He had the key of all the
treasury of grace and glory. In Him personally was "hid all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2:3). By the "Name" of God is
meant all that He is in a manifestative and communicative way. It is
His love to the Church, His covenant relation to His people in Christ,
the eternal delight of His heart to them, which Christ has been
pleased to so fully reveal.
It is by the Lord's admitting us into the knowledge of Himself that we
are led to know our election of God. The true apprehension of this is
a ground for joy, therefore did Christ say, "Rejoice, because your
names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:20). As we cannot know that we
are the beloved of God but by believing on His Son, so this is the
fruit of spiritual knowledge. Christ has the key of knowledge and
opens the door of faith, so that we receive Him as revealed in the
Word. It is He, who by His Spirit, is pleased to shed abroad the love
of God in the heart. He gives the Spirit to make a revelation of the
everlasting covenant to our minds, and thereby we are made to know and
feel the love of God to be the fountain and spring of all grace and
everlasting consolation. As Jehovah caused all His goodness to pass
before Moses and showed him His glory (Exod. 33:19), so He admits us
into the knowledge of Himself as "The Lord God merciful and gracious."
Second, by a supernatural call. We have somewhat anticipated this in
the last two paragraphs, but must now consider it more distinctly. A
saint's being called is the first immediate fruit and breaking forth
of God's purpose of electing grace. "The river ran under ground from
eternity and rises and bubbles up therein first, and then runs above
ground to everlasting. It is the initial and grand difference which
God puts between man and man, the first mark which He sets upon His
sheep, whereby He owns them and visibly signifies that they are His"
(T. Goodwin). "Whom He did predestinate, them he also called" (Rom.
8:30). The original benefit was His predestination of us, and the next
blessing is His calling of us. The same order is observed in "Who hath
saved us, and called us. . . according to his own purpose and grace
which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began" (2 Tim.
1:9). The eternal purpose is made evident in time by a divine call.
Another Scripture which presents this same truth are those well-known
words "give diligence to make your calling and election sure" (2 Pet.
1:10). It is not our faith nor our justification which is here
specifically singled out, but our "calling," which we are bidden to
"make sure," for thereby our election will be attested to us, that is,
confirmed to our faith. It is not that election is not sure without
it, for "the foundation of God [His eternal decree] standeth sure" (2
Tim. 2:19) before our calling; but hereby it is certified unto our
faith. Thus the apostles speak one uniform language, and therefore
when writing to believers show that the two terms are co-extensive.
Thus, Paul "unto the church of God which is at Corinth . . . called to
be saints"--saints by calling (1 Cor. 1:2). Peter unto "the church
that is at Babylon, elected together with you" (1 Pet. 5:13). The
terms are equivalent, the apostles acknowledging none other to be true
"calling" but what was the immediate proof of election, being
commensurate to the same persons.
It is indeed blessed to observe--so graciously has the Spirit
condescended to stoop to and help our infirmity--how frequently this
precious truth is iterated in the Word, so that there might be no room
whatever for doubt on the point. "The Lord hath appeared of old unto
me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore
with loving-kindness have I drawn thee" (Jer. 31:3). Two things are
here affirmed, and the intimate and inseparable relation between them
is emphatically stated. First, the everlasting love of God unto His
own; second, the effect and showing forth of the same. It is by the
Spirit's effectual call the elect are brought out of their natural
state of alienation and drawn to God in Christ. That supernatural call
or drawing is here expressly attributed to the Lord's "loving
kindness," and the connection between this and His everlasting love
for them is pointed by the "therefore." Thus, it is by means of God's
reconciling us to Himself that we obtain proof of His everlasting good
will toward us.
The everlasting love and grace of the triune God unto His chosen ones
is made apparent to them in this world by means of the fruit or
immediate effects of the same: that which was secret in the heart of
Jehovah is gradually brought into open manifestation through His own
wondrous works unto the Church. It cannot be expected that the world
of the ungodly should take any interest in these transactions, but to
the regenerate they must be a source of unfailing and ever increasing
delight. As we pointed out earlier, the electing love of God was
evidenced, first, in the incarnation and mission of His own dear Son,
who was ordained to accomplish the redemption of His people that had
fallen in Adam. Second, the eternal purpose of God's grace is revealed
in and through a divine call which the elect receive while here on
earth. We must now consider more definitely what this divine call
really is.
First of all we must distinguish carefully between this call which is
received by the elect and that which comes to all who are under the
sound of the Word: the one is particular, the other general. Whosoever
comes under the sound of the Word, yea, all who have it in their hands
in its written form, are called by God to forsake their sins and seek
His mercy in Christ. This general call comes to the elect and
non-elect alike: but alas, it is refused by all of them. It is
described in such passages as, "Unto you, 0 men, I call; and my voice
is to the sons of man" (Prov. 8:4), "many [are] called, but few
chosen" (Matt. 20:16). Their rejection of the same is depicted thus:
"Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand,
and no man regarded" (Prov. 1:24), "They all with one consent began to
make excuse" (Luke 14:18). But it is with the special and particular
call, of which the elect alone are the subjects, that we are now
concerned.
Second, then, this calling of the elect is an individual and inward
one, falling not upon the outward ear, but penetrating to their very
hearts. It is the Word of God's power, reaching them in their natural
state of spiritual death and quickening them into newness of life. It
is the Good Shepherd seeking and saving His lost sheep and restoring
them to His Father: as it is written, "He calleth His own sheep by
name, and leadeth them out. And when He putteth forth His own sheep,
He goeth before them, and the sheep follow Him; for they know His
voice" (John 10:3, 4). From the legal side of things the salvation of
God's elect became an accomplished fact when Christ died and rose
again, but not until the Spirit of God's Son is sent into their
hearts-- "whereby they cry Abba, Father"--is it made good in their
actual experience. It is by the Spirit alone that we are given a
saving knowledge of the Truth, being led by Him into a right
apprehension thereof: The Spirit so shines upon our understanding that
we are enabled to take in the spiritual knowledge of God and His Son
Jesus Christ.
Third, then, it is an effectual call, being accomplished by the
supernatural operations of the Spirit. It holds equally good of the
new creation as of the old that, "He [God] spake, and it was done; He
commanded, and it stood fast" (Ps. 33:9). It is in such passages as
"Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power" (Ps. 110:3),
this effectual call is referred to--their natural unwillingness to
surrender themselves completely to the Lord's claims is sweetly melted
down by the communication of an overwhelming sense of God's grace and
love to them. Again; "All Thy children shall be taught of the Lord"
(Isa. 54:13), so taught that He "hath given us an understanding, that
we may know Him that is true" (1 John 5:20). Once more, this effectual
call is God's making good the promises of the new covenant: "I will
put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I
will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people" (Heb. 8:10).
Theologians have wisely designated this the "effectual call" so as to
distinguish it from the general and outward one which comes to all who
hear the gospel. This effectual call is not an invitation, but is the
actual bestowment of life and light. It is the immediate fruit of
God's wondrous and infinite love to our persons when we are altogether
unlovely, yea, the subjects of nothing but what renders us repulsive
and hateful (see Ezek. 16:4-8!). It is then that the Holy Spirit is
given to the elect--given to make good in them what Christ wrought out
for them. Let it be clearly recognized and thankfully owned that the
gift of the Spirit to us is as great and grand a gift as the gift of
Christ for us. By the Spirit's inhabiting us we are sanctified and
sealed unto the day of redemption. By the Spirit's indwelling of us we
become the temples of the living God, His dwelling-place on earth.
It is not sufficiently recognized that all covenant mercies are in the
hand of the blessed Holy Spirit, whose office and work it is to bring
home the elect (by effectual calling) to Christ, and to make known and
apply to their souls the salvation which the Lord Jesus has fulfilled
and wrought out for them. He comes from Heaven in consequence of
Christ's atonement and ascension, and proclaims salvation from the
Lord for wretched sinners. He enters their hearts of sin and woe and
makes known the salvation of God. He puts them by believing on the
person and work of Christ into possession of the things that accompany
salvation, and then He becomes a Comforter to them. Such do not pray
for the Spirit to come and regenerate them, for they have already
received Him as a life-giving and sanctifying Spirit. What they must
now do is pray for grace to receive Him as the Spirit of adoption,
that He may witness with their spirit that they are the children of
God.
Now this effectual call is a necessary and proper consequence and
effect of God's eternal election, for none are the recipients of this
supernatural vocation but His chosen ones. Wherever predestination
unto everlasting glory goes before concerning any person, then
effectual calling unto faith and holiness infallibly follows. "God
hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification
of the Spirit and belief of the truth" (2 Thess. 2:13). The elect are
chosen unto salvation by the free and sovereign grace of God; but how
is that salvation actually obtained? How are His favored ones brought
into the personal possession of it? Through sanctification of the
Spirit and belief of the truth, and not otherwise. God's decree of
election is an ordination unto everlasting life and glory, and it is
evident by holiness being effectually wrought in its objects by the
regenerating and sanctifying operations of the Spirit. It is thereby
that the Spirit communicates what Christ purchased for them.
"And that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels
of mercy, which He had afore prepared unto glory, even us, whom He
hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles" (Rom.
9:23, 24). In the verses immediately preceding the apostle had treated
of the unspeakably solemn subject of how God shows His wrath and makes
known His power in connection with the non-elect, but here he takes up
the blessed theme of how God discovers the riches of His glory on the
vessels of mercy. This is by the effectual call which is received
individually by His people. That call is what serves to make manifest
God's everlasting grace toward us: as Romans 8:28 expresses it we are
"the called according to His purpose"; in other words, the Spirit is
given to us in order to the accomplishment of God's decree, or to put
it in another way, through his effectual call the believer may look
upward to the eternal love of God unto him, much as he might through a
chink in his wall peer through to the shining of the sun in the
heavens.
As the love of God the Father is chiefly spoken of under the act of
election and expressed by Him giving His only begotten Son to be our
Head and Mediator, and as the love of God the Son shines forth
brightest in His incarnation, obedience, and laying down His life for
us, so the love of God the Spirit is displayed in His revealing in the
Word the eternal transactions between the Father and the Son and by
enlightening our minds into a true, vital, and spiritual knowledge of
the Father and the Son. It is at effectual calling that the Spirit is
pleased to make an inward revelation and application of the salvation
of Christ to the soul, which is indeed heaven dawning upon us, for by
it dead sinners are quickened, hard hearts softened, stubborn wills
rendered pliable, great sins manifestatively forgiven, and infinite
mercy displayed and magnified. It is then that the Holy Spirit, who is
the Lord and giver of all spiritual life, enables great sinners to
know that God is love.
By His Spirit Christ is pleased to shed abroad the love of God in the
heart, and through the gospel He manifests the knowledge of the
Father's love to us. He gives the Spirit to make a revelation of this
to our minds, and thus we are led to know and feel the love of God to
be the foundation of all grace and of everlasting consolation. As the
knowledge of our personal election (obtained through our effectual
calling) makes it evident to us that we are near and dear to God, so
it follows that we perceive we are dear to Christ. As the Spirit
imparts to us a knowledge of the Father's love unto us in His dear
Son, we are led to search into and study this wondrous subject of
election, and the more we know of it, the more we are astonished at
it. Hereby, under the influences of the Holy Spirit, we are led to
such views of the grace of the Lord Jesus as fills the heart with holy
contentment and delight.
Third, the eternal purpose of God's grace unto us is manifested by a
supernatural change in us. Strictly speaking this is not a distinct
branch of our subject, for the new birth is one and the same as our
effectual calling; nevertheless, for the sake of clarity and to
resolve those doubts which the regenerate are the subjects of, we deem
it well to give the same a separate consideration. When a sincere soul
learns that there is both a general and external call, and a
particular and inward one, he is deeply concerned to ascertain which
of these he has received, or rather, whether he has been favored with
the latter, for it is only the supernatural call of the Spirit which
is effectual unto salvation. It is on this point that many of God's
dear people are so deeply perplexed and exercised: to ascertain and
make sure that they have passed from death unto life and been brought
into a vital union with Christ.
In seeking to clear this point the writer has to guard against
infringing too much upon the next branch of our subject, namely, the
knowledge of our election. At present we are treating of the
manifestation of it, particularly as it is seen in that supernatural
change which is wrought in its subjects at the moment they receive
God's effectual call. We shall therefore content ourselves here with
endeavoring to describe some of the principal features of this
supernatural change. That supernatural change is described in general
terms in, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature" (2 Cor.
5:17). Another passage treating of the same thing is, "According as
His divine power [he] hath given unto us all things that pertain unto
life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us
unto glory and virtue" (2 Pet. 1:3). It will at once appear that this
verse is very much to the point, for it refers specifically to our
effectual call and attributes the same to God's Divine power.
This supernatural change consists, then, in our being made new
creatures in Christ Jesus. That which is brought forth by the Spirit
at the new birth, though but a feeble and tiny spiritual babe, is
nevertheless "a new creature"; a new life has been imparted, new
principles communicated from which new actions proceed. It is then
that "Of His [Christ's] fulness have all we received, and grace for
grace" (John 1:16), that is, every spiritual grace in the Head is
transmitted to His members; every grace from Christ in the Christian
is now complete for parts: "grace for grace" as a child receives limb
for limb from its parents. At our effectual calling divine power gives
to us "all things pertaining to life and godliness": what they
comprise we must now briefly consider.
First, a spiritual understanding. The natural man can neither perceive
nor receive spiritual things in a spiritual way (though he can ponder
them in a natural and intellectual way), because he is devoid of
spiritual discernment (1 Cor. 2:14). But when we are effectually
called God gives us "an understanding that we may know him that is
true." Hence 2 Peter 1:3 declares that the all things pertaining to
life and godliness are given us "through the knowledge of Him that has
called us." The first light which the soul receives when the Spirit
enters his heart is a new view of God, and in that light we begin to
see what sin is, as it is in itself against a holy God, and thus
perceive what holiness is. It is this new and spiritual knowledge of
God Himself which constitutes the very core and essence of the
blessing and work of the new covenant of grace: "They shall not teach
every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the
Lord: for all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest" (Heb.
8:11). This spiritual knowledge of God, then, is the germ and root of
the spiritual change which accompanies the effectual call.
Second, a principle of holiness is wrought in the soul. God chose His
people in Christ that they should be "holy" (Eph. 1:4), and therefore
does He call them "with a holy calling" (2 Tim. 1:9). Thereby we are
made "meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light"
(Col. 1:12). Our title to heaven rests upon what Christ did for us,
but our fitness for heaven consists of the image of Christ being
wrought in us. This principle of holiness is planted in the heart by
the Spirit, and is termed "the new nature" by some writers. It
evidences itself by the mind's pondering again and again that God is a
holy God, whose pure eyes can endure no iniquity, and by the heart's
cleaving to Him under this apprehension of Him. Here, then, is the
test by which we are to examine and measure ourselves: do
I--notwithstanding so much in my heart and life which humbles me and
causes me to mourn as contrary to divine holiness--approve of all
God's commands as holy and good, though opposite to my lusts? And is
it my constant longing for God to make me, increasingly, a partaker of
this holiness?
Third, a love for spiritual objects and things. Not only is a "new
heart" communicated at our effectual calling, but there is such a
divine renewing of our will that it is now enabled to choose what is
spiritually good--a power which the natural man has not in his fallen
condition. It is the turning of the heart unto and longing after holy
objects which carries the will along with it. When the love of God is
shed abroad in our hearts we cannot but love Him and all that He
loves. A true and sincere love to God is the fruit and effect of His
effectual call: the two things are inseparable: "to them that love
God, to them who are the called according to His purpose" (Rom. 8:28).
Alas, our natural lusts still crave that which is unholy,
nevertheless, in the renewed heart there is a principle which delights
in and seeks after that which is pure and holy: "We know that we have
passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren" (1 John
3:14). Do you not find (intermingled with other workings in you) true
strains of love toward God Himself?
Fourth, a spiritual principle of faith. Natural faith suffices for
natural objects, but spiritual and supernatural objects require a
spiritual and supernatural faith. That spiritual faith is "the gift of
God" (Eph. 2:8), wrought in the regenerate by "the operation of God"
(Col. 2:12). This faith is the effect and accompaniment of our
effectual call: "with lovingkindness have I drawn thee" (Jer. 31:3)
signifies, first, that the heart is drawn unto the Lord, so that it
rests on His promises, reposes in His love, and responds to His voice.
"By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he
should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed" (Heb. 11:8): the two
things are inseparable--faith responds to God's call. Therefore do we
read of "the faith of God's elect" (Titus 1:1), which differs
radically from the "faith" of formal religionists and wild
enthusiasts. First, because it is a divine gift and not the working of
a natural principle. Second, because it receives with childlike
simplicity whatever is stated in the Word, quibbling not at
"difficulties" therein. Third, because its possessor realizes that
only God can sustain and maintain that faith in his soul, for it lies
not in the power of the creature to either exercise or increase it.
In conclusion, let us point out that this supernatural change wrought
in the elect at their effectual call, this working in them a spiritual
understanding that they may know God, the imparting to them of a
principle of holiness, of love and of faith, is the foundation of all
the actings of grace which do follow. Every acting of grace, to the
end of the believer's life, evidences this first work of effectual
calling to be sound and saving. At regeneration God endows the soul
with all the principles and seeds of all graces, and the future life
of the Christian and his growth in grace (through the conflict between
the "flesh" and "spirit") is but a calling of them into operation and
manifestation.
We will now treat God's making known in time that purpose of grace
which He formed concerning the Church in eternity past. The
everlasting love of God unto His chosen people is discovered in a
variety of ways and means, chief among them being the inestimable
gifts of His Son for them and of His Spirit to them. Thus, we have so
far dwelt upon, first, the incarnation and mission of Christ as the
principal opening of the Father's heart unto His own, for while the
glorification of the Godhead was His chief design therein, yet
inseparably connected therewith was the blessing of His saints.
Second, God's gracious design is manifested by the communication of
the Spirit unto the elect, whereby they are made the subjects of a
supernatural call. Third, this is made still further evident by the
supernatural change wrought in them by the Spirit's regeneration and
sanctification.
Fourth, by Divine preservation. "But the God of all grace, who hath
called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have
suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you"
(1 Pet. 5:10). This verse sets forth the wondrous and mighty grace of
God dispensed to His elect in effectually calling them, in preserving
them from temptation and sin, in strengthening and enabling them to
persevere unto the end, and--notwithstanding all the opposition of the
flesh, the world, and the devil--bring them at last securely unto
eternal glory; for as Romans 8:30 declares, "Whom He called, them He
also justified, and whom he justified, them he also glorified." Once
again we shall draw freely from the most excellent writings of the
Puritan, Thomas Goodwin, first because his works are now out of print
and unknown to our generation, and second because having personally
received so much help therefrom, we wish to share the same with our
readers.
It is to be duly noted that in the immediate context (1 Pet. 5:8) the
Devil is set forth in all his terribleness: as our "adversary" for
malice, likened unto "a lion" for strength, unto a "roaring lion" for
dread, "walking about seeking" such is his unwearied diligence; "whom
he may devour" if God prevent not. Now observe the blessed and
consolatory contrast: "But God": the Almighty, the self-sufficient and
all sufficient One; "the God of grace": how comforting is the singling
out of this attribute when we have to do with Satan in point of
temptation. If the God of grace be for us, who can be against us? When
Paul was under temptation a messenger (or angel) from Satan being sent
to buffet him, what was it that God did immediately set before him for
relief? This: "My grace is sufficient for thee" (2 Cor. 12:9)--the
grace in God's heart toward him and the grace working in his own
heart, both to assist him effectually.
But there is something yet more precious here in 1 Peter 5:10: "the
God of all grace," which has reference first to the exceeding riches
of grace that are in His nature, then to the benevolent designs which
He has toward His own, and then to His gracious dealings with them.
The grace in His nature is the fountain, the grace of His purpose or
counsels is the wellhead, and the grace in His dispensations or
dealings with us are the streams. God is an all-gracious God in
Himself, even as He is the Almighty, which is an essential attribute.
There is a limitless ocean of grace in Himself to feed all streams in
which His purposes and designs of grace are to issue forth. Our
consolation from hence is, that all the grace which is in the nature
of God is in the promise of His being "the God of all grace" to His
Church, declared to be so engaged as to afford supplies unto them,
yea, to the utmost expenditure of these riches as their needs shall
require.
Nor is God known to be such only by His people in the New Testament
era. David, who was the greatest subject as well as adorer of this
grace that we find in the Old Testament, apprehended and acknowledged
the same. "According to Thine own heart, hast thou done all this
greatness, in making known all these great things" (1 Chron. 17:19).
And mark what immediately follows, "0 Lord, there is none like thee,
neither is there any God beside thee": that is, Thou art the God of
all grace, for it was a point of grace, high grace, David is there
extolling, namely, God's covenant of grace with him in Christ, just
revealed to him. "What can David say more?" (v. 18); such divine favor
is beyond him; just as Paul in Romans 8:3 1, "what shall we then say
to these things?" When God pardons, He does so after the manner of a
great God, full of all grace: He will "abundantly pardon" (Isa. 55:7),
not according to our thoughts saith He (v. 8) but according to His
own.
That to which the old divines referred when they spoke of God's
purposing grace was the ocean thereof in His own nature, from which
flow those beneficent designs which He hath toward His people, designs
which the prophet described as "thoughts of peace" (Jer. 29:11), which
He took up unto them or which He "thinks toward" them. It would be
impossible to speak of all these thoughts, for as David declares,
"Many, 0 Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done,
and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in
order" (Ps. 40:5). We must then summarize them and dwell only on those
particulars which directly serve to the point before us, namely, our
preservation, or God's carrying us safely through all temptations unto
everlasting glory.
First Peter 5:10 manifestly speaks of God's purposing grace, that
grace which was in His heart toward His people before He calls them
from which in fact that call proceeds and which moved Him thereunto,
as it is expressly affirmed in 2 Timothy 1:9. The first act of His
purposing grace was in His choosing of us, His singling out of those
persons whom He designed to be a God of grace unto. Choice of their
persons is therefore styled "the election of grace" (Rom. 11:5), that
being the fundamental act of grace, upon which all others are built.
To be a God of grace unto His Church is to love its members merely
because He chose to love them, for grace is the freeness of love.
Receive us graciously" is the prayer of the Church (Hos. 14:2); "I
will love them freely (v. 4) is the Lord's response. Divine grace and
human merits are as far apart as the poles: as Romans 11:6 shows, the
one mutually excludes the other.
For God to be the God of all grace unto His people is for Him to
resolve to love them, and that forever; to be unchanging in His love
and never to have His heart taken from off them. This is clearly
denoted in the language of 1 Peter 5:10, for He "called us unto His
eternal glory." It is not simply that He hath called us into His grace
or favor, but into glory, and that, "eternal glory": that is, by the
effectual call He estates us into the whole and full right thereof
forever. What can this mean but that God called us out of such grace
and love as He did and doth resolve to be the God of all grace to us
for everlasting, and therefore calls us beyond recall (Rom. 11:29).
This is clearly borne out by what immediately follows: "after that ye
have suffered awhile, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle
you.
This grace thus fixed in the divine will is the most sovereign and
predominating principle in the heart of God, overruling all other
things He willeth, so as to effectually carry on and carry out His
resolution of free grace. Grace, as it is the most resolute, so it is
the most absolute principle in the heart of God; for unto it belongeth
the dominion. What else means "the throne of grace" (Heb. 4:16)? Why
else is grace said to "reign . . . unto eternal life" (Rom. 5:21)? The
same thing appears in the context of 1 Peter 5:10: "Humble yourselves
[or submit to] therefore under the mighty hand of God [that is, to His
sovereign power] that He may exalt you in due time" (v. 6): He "careth
for you" (v. 7); all of which is carried down to "the God of all
grace" in verse 10; which is followed by "To Him be glory and dominion
for ever and ever. Amen" (v. 11), that is, to Him as "the God of all
grace."
But it is as the God of all grace by way of execution or performance
that we must now contemplate Him in His gracious dispensations of all
sorts, which are the effects of the ocean of grace in His nature and
the purpose of grace in His heart. We may turn back for a moment to 1
Peter 5:5: "God giveth grace to the humble," which refers to His
actual bestowment of grace. In like manner, James declares, "He giveth
more grace" (4:6), where he quotes the same passage as Peter's. In
James it is spoken of in reference to subduing His people's lusts,
particularly lusting after envy. Truly this is grace indeed, that when
lust is raging, the grace of God should move Him to give more grace
whereby He subdueth; unto them that humble themselves for their lusts,
He giveth more grace.
It will help us to a better understanding of this divine title "the
God of all grace" if we compare it with "the God of all comfort" in 2
Corinthians 1:3. Now that is spoken of in relation to effects of
comfort: as the Psalmist says "He is good, and doeth good"; so
immediately after He is spoken of as "the God of all comfort" it
follows, "who comforteth us in all our tribulations." He is "the God
of all comfort" in relation unto all sorts of distresses, which the
saints at any time have; in like manner, He is the God of all grace in
respect of its gracious effects. Yet this may be added--for the due
magnifying of free grace--that the two are not commensurate, for the
dispensations of His grace are wider than the dispensations of His
comfort. God often gives grace where He does not bestow comfort, so
that He is the God of all grace to a larger extent than He is of all
comfort.
Now since there is a fullness, an ocean, all dispensatory grace to be
given forth by God, what necessarily follows? This, first, that there
is no temptation that doth or can befall a saint that is under the
dominion of free grace, but God hath a grace prepared to be applied
when His hour arrives. It clearly implies that God hath a grace fitted
and suited as every need and occasion should arise. There is no sore
in the heart but He hath a plaster ready for it, to be laid thereon in
due season. The very word "grace" is a relative to need and
temptation, and so "all grace" must be a relative to all or any needs
whatsoever. If there were any want in the large subjects of free grace
of which they are capable, and God had not a special grace for it, He
were not the God of all grace. But it can never be said that the
misery of His people is more extensive than the scope of God's grace.
As God hath grace for all the manifold needs of His people, so He is
the God of all grace in giving forth help as their occasions require,
for such is the season for grace to be displayed. "Let us therefore
come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and
find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16). So again, "that He
maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel
at all times, as the matter shall require" (1 Kings 8:59), which is to
be viewed as a type of the intercession of the antitypical Solomon,
the Prince of peace. Thus God's favor is manifested unto His people at
all times of need and in all manner of ways. If God were to fail His
people in any one season and help them not in any one need, then He is
not the God of all grace, for it is the chiefest part of being
gracious to relieve in time of greatest need.
The fact that He is the God of all grace in respect to dispensing the
same, demonstrates that He takes not this title upon Himself
potentially, but that He is so actually, it is merely that He has in
Himself sufficient grace to meet all the varied needs of His people,
but also that He really does so. By instances of all sorts, God gives
full proof of the same. In the day to come, He will have the honor of
being not only the God of all grace potentially, but really so in the
performance of it, for it will then be seen that He fully made good
that word, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common
to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted
above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way
to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Cor. 10:13). The
greatest and acutest need of the Christian springs out of his
indwelling sin, yet ample provision is made here, too, for "Where sin
abounded, grace did much more abound" (Rom. 5:20).
This superabounding of divine grace is gloriously displayed when God
effectually calls His people. Let us mention one or two eminent
details in proof. First, God then shows Himself to be the God of all
grace in the pardon He bestows. Consider what an incalculable debt of
sinning we had incurred! From the earliest infancy the carnal mind is
enmity against God: "The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go
astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies" (Ps. 58:3). Every
thought from the first dawning of reason has been only evil
continually. Our sins were more in number than the hairs of our head.
Suppose, Christian reader, thou hadst lived for twenty or thirty years
before God effectually called thee: during all that time thou hadst
done no good--not a single act acceptable to the thrice holy God;
instead, all thy ways were abominable to Him. Nor hadst thou any
concern about God's being so grievously dishonored, nor the
fearfulness of thine estate. And then, lo!--wonder of wonders--by one
act, in a single moment, God blotted out all thy sins: "having
forgiven you all trespasses" (Col. 2:13).
Second, God showed Himself to be the God of all grace in bestowing on
thee a righteousness which met every requirement of His holy Law: a
perfect righteousness, even the righteousness of Christ, which
contained in it all obedience. That infinitely meritorious
righteousness was imputed to thy account wholly and at once: not
piecemeal, abit at a time, but in one entire gift. "For if by one
man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive
abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in
life by one, Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:17). Verily, that was indeed
"abundance of grace." That perfect righteousness of Christ is fully
commensurate with all the designs of grace in God's heart toward thee,
and the whole of this thou receivest at thy calling, so that thou
mayest exclaim, "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be
joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of
salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a
bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth
herself with her jewels" (Isa. 61:10). It was the realization of this
which moved Paul to extol the grace bestowed on him at his first
conversion: "And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant" (1 Tim.
1:14).
Third, God showed Himself to be the God of all grace in sanctifying
thee. This includes first and foremost the bestowment of the Holy
Spirit, who takes up His residence in the heart, so that thy body is
the temple of God, whereby thou art set apart and consecrated to Him.
In consequence of this, mortifying grace was bestowed, so that every
lust then received its death-wound: "They that are Christ's have
crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts" (Gal. 5:24).
Quickening grace was also imparted, whereby the spirit is enabled to
resist the flesh: "According as his divine power hath given unto us
all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge
of him that hath called us to glory and virtue" (2 Pet. 1:3).
Justification and sanctification are inseparably conjoined: as the
former provides an inalienable standing for us, so the latter secures
our state; and thereby is the foundation laid for our glorification.
These inestimable blessings were the pledges and earnests of thy
preservation, for "He which hath begun a good work in you will perform
it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil 1:6). It is in no wise a
question of thy worthiness, but solely a matter of divine grace: "I
know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be
put to it, nor any thing taken from it" (Eccl. 3:14). True, sin is
still left within thee--to further humble thy heart--and thy lusts are
ever active; nevertheless, you may be fully assured with David "The
Lord will perfect that which concerneth me; Thy mercy, 0 Lord,
endureth forever" (Ps. 138:8). True, thou hast a most inadequate
appreciation of such wondrous favor being shown thee, and to thine
unutterable shame thou must confess that your daily conduct is utterly
unworthy thereof; nevertheless, that too serves to bring out the
amazing grace which bears with so ungrateful and vile a creature.
Before looking at some of the obstacles which might be supposed to
stand in the way of the believer being carried safely through all
temptation into eternal glory, we must guard against a possible
misconception. It is not the prerogative of divine grace to save men
who continue how they will in sin, to save out of an absolute
sovereignty because it will save them. No indeed: God saves none
without rule, much less against rule. The very verse which speaks of
Him being the "God of all grace" adds "who hath called us" and as 2
Timothy 1:9 declares, God calls us "with an holy calling . . .
according to his own purpose and grace"; for "without holiness no man
shall see the Lord." The monarchy of grace hath fundamental laws, as
all well-regulated monarchies have. Let the foundation of God be never
so sure that "the Lord knoweth [loveth] them that are his," yet it is
added "Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from
iniquity" (2 Tim. 2:19).
On the other hand, we do unhesitatingly declare the Scriptures teach
that the saving grace of God is an effectual, all-powerful, infallible
principle in the hearts of the regenerate, enabling them to keep those
rules that are set them as essentially requisite to salvation. The one
thing which Arminians suppose stands in the way of this is man's free
will--as if God had made a creature which He was unable to rule. We
are not ashamed to affirm that there is such a supremacy in divine
grace that it engages all in God to its triumphant issue. If on the
one hand grace complies with divine wisdom, justice, and holiness in
setting rules; on the other hand grace draws all other attributes of
God into an engagement for the preserving of us, keeping our otherwise
perverse wills within the compass of those rules, and overcoming all
opposition to the contrary. Hence it is that God makes so absolute a
covenant: "I will not turn away from them, to do them good, ... they
shall not depart from me" (Jer. 32:40).
We now desire to point out the arguments of comfort and support which
may be drawn from this grand truth that the God of all grace will
safely carry His people through all temptations. Having begun as the
God of all grace in justifying them after this manner, and in
sanctifying them at their effectual call, what is there which should
divert and hinder Him from conducting them to eternal glory? Is it the
guilt of sin, incurred by transgressions after calling? or the power
of sin again recovering its strength in them? If neither of these,
then nothing else remains. As both of them, at times, acutely distress
the consciences and minds of Christians, it is advisable for us to
point out that there is nothing in either of them which can even begin
to turn God's heart from off His beloved children. May the Lord
graciously help us to make this quite clear.
If any thing was calculated to provoke God not to continue His grace
unto the Christian it would be the guilt of those sins committed after
his calling. But that shall not be able to so do. If God justified
them at the first from sins mountain high, and thereby became engaged
to continue a God of all grace ever after to them, then surely He will
not fail to pardon their after-sins. Compare matters as they stood in
this respect afore calling with the state thereof after. First, at thy
calling God pardoned a continued course of sinning for many years,
wherein there had been laid up a multitude too great for thee to
number; but a pardoning thy sins after conversion it is at worst but
of backslidings, and those repaired by many sincere repentings coming
between. If then, God pardoned an entire course of sinning, will He
not much more easily continue to pardon backsliding intermingled with
repentings, even though they are sins committed again and again?
"Turn, 0 backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto
you" (Jer. 3:14). Married Israel had been to God afore, but she had
gone a-whoring from Him. At his first conversion God is espoused to
the believer and He did then give up Himself to be a God of all grace
to him. How marvelous is such grace to His unfaithful spouse! "Return,
thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord; and I will not cause mine
anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the Lord" (Jer.
3:12). So merciful is He and He pardons on the lowest terms we could
desire: "Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed
against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers
under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice" (v. 13). The
same is found again in Isaiah 57:17, 18 and Hosea 14:4, where He
promises to heal their backsliding.
Now if the God of all grace picked us up out of the mire when our
hearts were wholly hard and impenitent, broke them, and forgave us all
our years of sinning: then shall He not continue to melt our hearts
when we backslide and recover us? Then, He forgave thee all thy past
sins in one immeasurable lump; now He distributes His pardon, daily as
thou humblest thyself for transgressions. That fountain opened "for
sin and for uncleanness" (Zech. 13:1) is constantly available for us.
Dost thou not confess thy sins, plead the blood of Christ, seek for
mercy at the throne of grace, and beg forgiveness through Christ's
intercession? If so, thou shalt not seek in vain; for though God
pardoneth not because of thy humblings and seekings (as they are thy
doings), yet in this course runs His pardoning grace.
But will not those who have been effectually called, reply: Alas, my
sins since conversion have been greater and grosser than any I
committed before. Answer: first, thou mayest have been very young when
first converted: since then, as you have developed according to the
course of nature, lusts too have grown, and you are more conscious of
them than in early youth. Second, thy circumstances may account for
them, though not excuse them. Some do sin worse after conversion than
before: Job and Jeremiah sinned more grievously in later life than
during their earlier years, for their temptations grew much higher.
Third, consider not only thine awful sins, but thy sincere repentings
too--thy earnest cryings to God against them, which were not
disregarded by Him--demonstrating again that He is "the God of all
grace."
One other thing which might be supposed to obstruct the course of
God's grace begun in us at effectual calling, causing His heart to be
diverted from us, is the power and ragings of sin within the
Christian. But if He did sanctify us at the first as the God of all
grace, then surely that affords a sure ground of confirmation that,
notwithstanding the hazards with which our remaining corruptions might
seem to threaten us, He will assuredly preserve grace in us despite
all the temptations we are subject to. At his sanctification God laid
in the soul of the Christian the seeds of every grace and gracious
disposition that he shall ever possess: is He not well able to nourish
and preserve this garden of His own planting? Listen to His most
precious promise, "I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every
moment; lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day" (Isa. 27:3).
"Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain, The spirit that
dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But He giveth more grace. Wherefore He
saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble"
(James 4:5, 6). This clearly denotes that our fiercest and most
perilous conflicts are with some particular lust or temptation, for so
the apostle's instance here carries it--the lust of envy. But when a
regenerated soul is conscious of this corruption and doth humble
himself under it and for it, bewailing the same before God, this shows
that a contrary grace is working within him opposing the activities of
that lust, resisting that envy (and the pride from which it springs),
and therefore it is that he seeks for humility (the contrary grace to
pride); and the Lord as the God of all grace giveth him "more grace.
But many a poor soul will reply: alas, I greatly fear that my
condition is far worse now than ever it was previously. Answer: take
the very worst condition that you have ever been in since conversion,
and consider the frame of your heart therein, and then compare it with
the best mood you were ever in before conversion. Honestly, dare you
exchange this now for that then? Before conversion you had not the
least iota of holy affection in thee, no aim at the glory of God; but
since conversion thou hast (take the whole course of your Christian
life) had an eye unto God and sought to please Him. True, like David,
you must say, "I have gone astray like [not a sow but] a lost sheep";
yet can you also add with him "seek thy servant; for I do not forget
thy commandments" (Ps. 119:176).
Before thy conversion thou never callest upon God, unless a formality;
but now thou often criest unto Him unfeignedly. Before, you had no
real hatred of sin and no pursuit after holiness; but now thou hast
though falling far short of what thou wouldest be. Thou talkest of
lusts harrying thee with temptations; yes, but once thou hadst the
Devil dwelling within thee, as in his own house, in peace, and taking
thee captive at his will. You complain of coldness in the performance
of spiritual duties; yes, but once thou wast wholly dead. It may be
thy graces are not shining, and yet there are in thee longings after
God, desires to fear His name. There is, then, a living spiritual
creature in thee, which, like the mole underground, is working up
towards the air, heaving up the earth.
A further proof (in 1 Pet. 5:10) that the God of all grace will carry
safely through all suffering and temptations into heaven those whom he
has called, is contained in the words "called us unto His eternal
glory." Though we are not yet in actual possession and full enjoyment
thereof, nevertheless God has already invested us with a full and
indefeasible right thereunto. This "glory" was the firstborn of all
God's thoughts and intentions concerning us, for it was the end or
upshot of His gracious designs with us. Said the Lord Jesus, "Fear
not, little flock: for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you
the kingdom" (Luke 12:32), and He will exclaim in the day to come,
"Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world" (Matt. 25:34), which refers unto
heaven itself, where God reigns as undisputed King.
Now God's heart is so set upon this glory as His first and last end
for His people that, when His electing grace is made known at our
calling, He does then give us a full right thereto. Though He suspends
the giving us the full possession of it for some years, yet He does
not suspend the complete title thereto, for the whole of salvation is
then stated upon them. A beautiful (and designed) type of this is
found in 1 Samuel 16:18. In the open view of his brethren, God sent
Samuel to David while he was yet young, and anointed him king, thereby
investing him unto a sure right to the kingdom of Israel--that
anointing being the earnest and pledge of all the rest. But for many
years David's possession of the kingdom was delayed, and during that
time he suffered much at the hands of Saul; nevertheless, God
miraculously preserved him and brought him safely into it.
But note well that God has not only called us unto His glory, but unto
"His eternal glory," whereby is implied not simply that the glory is
eternal as an adjunct of it, but that our calling and estate thereby
is into the eternity of that glory, as well as unto the glory itself.
This implies two things. First, he that is called of God hath a
spiritual life or glory begun in his soul which is eternal--note how
the image of Christ wrought in the believer in this life is termed
"glory" in 2 Corinthians 3:18. This glory of spiritual life in the
Christian is indestructible; "Whosoever liveth and believeth in me
shall never die" (John 11:25). Second, it imports that when a man is
called, he is put into possession of an eternal right of glory--not a
present right to glory only, but a perpetual right; a present right
that reaches to eternity. We are "made heirs according to the hope of
eternal life" (Titus 3:7).
There is yet one other phrase in 1 Peter 5:10 which remains to be
considered: "by Jesus Christ." There is a security which Jesus Christ
gives, as well as that of the Father's, to confirm the believer's
faith that he shall be strengthened and enabled to persevere. God is
the God of all grace to us by Jesus Christ: all His acts of grace
towards us are in and through Him: He elected us at first and then
loved us only as considered in Jesus Christ. God having thus laid
Christ as Mediator, or rather as the foundation of His grace, it is a
sure ground of its continuance to us. All God's purposes of grace were
made in Christ, and all His promises are established and performed in
and through Him.
There are two persons engaged for the preservation of saints unto
glory: God the Father and Jesus Christ. We have seen what confirmation
to our faith the interests that God the Father hath to us doth afford;
equally full and strong is that supplied by the interest which Jesus
Christ hath to them. The making of our salvation sure and steadfast
against all opposition is directly founded upon Him and committed to
Him. Concerning Jesus Christ God says, "Behold, I lay in Zion for a
foundation of stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure
foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste" (Isa. 28:16), or
as the apostle explains it "shall not be confounded" (1 Pet. 2:6). We
are "the called of Jesus Christ" (Rom. 1:6). We have "eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:23). God "stablisheth us with
you in Christ" (2 Cor. 1:21).
Little space remains for us to consider the security which a due
contemplation of Christ's person, His relation to us, and office for
us, affords to our faith that we shall be divinely strengthened to
persevere unto the end. Only a few details can therefore be mentioned.
First, His redemptive work. This is of such infinite worth that it not
only purchased for us our first calling unto grace (Rom. 5:2), but
together therewith, our continuance in that grace. Christ
meritoriously bought off all our temptations and an ability in Himself
to succor and establish us to the end. "Who gave Himself for our sins,
that He might deliver us from this present evil world" (Gal. 1:4).
"Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity,
and purify us unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works"
(Titus 2:14). While His precious blood retains its infinite value in
the esteem of God, not one of His sheep can perish.
Second, Christ's tender pity. "For in that he himself hath suffered
being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted" (Heb.
2:18). In the previous verse it is declared that He is a merciful High
Priest" to pity us, so that He hath a heart and willingness to help
His people; but in verse 18 it is added that He is able so to do. And
mark, it is not affirmed that He is able in respect of His personal
power, as He is God, but there is a further and acquired ability as He
is man. He was made a frail man, subject to temptations, and the
painful experiences through which He passed in the days of His
humiliation engages His heart to pity us when in distress, and because
of this acquired tenderness, He is able to succor us in temptation.
Third, His intercession. "For if, when we were enemies, we were
reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being
reconciled, we shall be saved by His life" (Rom. 5:10), that is, by
His life for us in heaven. "Wherefore He is able also to save them to
the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make
intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25). If, then, thou hast come unto God
by Him, Christ's intercession effectually secures thine uttermost
salvation. Because He hath taken thee into His heart, He has taken
thee into His prayers. Once Christ takes us into His prayers, He will
never leave us out, but prevail for us, whatever be our case or
whatever we fall into (1 John 2:1)--clear proof of this was furnished
by the case of Peter. A man may be cast out of the prayers of a saint,
as Saul was out of Samuel's; but none was ever cast out of Christ's
prayers whom He once took in. His prayers will prevail to prevent thee
from falling into such sins as God will not forgive.
Fourth, Christ's interest in that glory we are called unto and our
interest in Christ's glory, for they are one. "God is faithful, by
whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our
Lord" (1 Cor. 1:9); that is, to be partakers of the same things (in
our measure) that He is partaker of. "For if we have been planted
together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the
likeness of his resurrection" (Rom. 6:5). The apostle declares that
God "calls you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord
Jesus Christ" (2 Thess. 2:14). It is Christ's own glory--the reward of
that wondrous work by which He so illustriously magnified the
Father--which His people are brought into, for nothing short of this
would satisfy the heart of Christ: "Father, I will that they also,
whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold
my glory" (John 17:24).
Here, then, is how the secret election of God in eternity past is
openly manifested unto His people in this time state: by a
supernatural call, and by miraculously bringing them through a world
which is as hostile to their souls as Babylon's furnace was to the
bodies of the three Hebrews.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Election
by Arthur W. Pink
9. Its Perception
_________________________________________________
Thus far we have dwelt mainly upon the doctrinal side of election; now
we turn more directly to its experimental and practical aspect. The
entire doctrine of Scripture is a perfect and harmonious unit, yet for
our clearer apprehension thereof it may be considered distinctively in
its component parts. Strictly speaking it is inadmissible to talk of
"the doctrines of grace," for there is but one grand and divine
doctrine of grace, though that precious diamond has many facets in it.
We are not warranted by the Language of Holy Writ to employ the
expression the doctrines of election, regeneration, justification, and
sanctification, for in reality they are but parts of one doctrine; yet
it is not easy to find an alternative term. When the plural
"doctrines" is used in the Word of God, it alludes to what is false
and erroneous:" doctrines of men" (Col. 2:22), "doctrines of devils"
(1 Tim. 4:1), "divers and strange doctrines" (Heb. 13:9)--"divers"
because there is not agreement among them.
In contrast from the false and conflicting doctrines of men, the truth
of God is one grand and consistent whole, and it is uniformly spoken
of as "the doctrine" (1 Tim. 4:16), "sound doctrine" (Titus 2:1). Its
distinctive mark is described as "the doctrine which is according to
godliness" (1 Tim. 6:3)--the doctrine which produces and promotes
godliness. Every part of that doctrine is intensely practical and
experimental in all its bearings. It is no mere abstraction addressed
to the intellect, but, when duly apprehended, exerts a spiritual
influence upon the heart and life. Thus it is with that particular
phase of God's doctrine which is now before us. The blessed truth of
election is revealed not for carnal speculation and controversy, but
to yield the lovely fruits of holiness. The choice is God's, but the
salutary effects are in us. True that doctrine must be applied by the
power of the Holy Spirit to the soul before those effects are
produced; for here, as everywhere, we are entirely dependent upon His
gracious operations.
The first effect produced in the soul by the Spirit's application of
the truth of divine election is the promotion of true humility. Pride
and presumption now receive their death wound: self-complacency is
shattered, and the subject of this experience is shaken to his very
foundations. He may for years past have made a Christian profession,
and entertained no serious doubts of the sincerity and genuineness
thereof. He may have had a strong and unshaken assurance that he was
journeying to heaven; and during that time he was utterly ignorant of
the truth of election. But what a change has come over him! Now that
he learns God has made an eternal choice from among the children of
men, he is deeply concerned to ascertain whether or not he is one of
heaven's favorites. Realizing something of the tremendous issues
involved, and painfully conscious of his own utter depravity, he is
filled with fear and trembling. This is most painful and unsettling,
for as yet he knows not that such exercises of soul are a healthy
sign.
It is just because the preaching of election, when accompanied by the
power of the Holy Spirit (and what preaching is more calculated to
have His blessing than that which most magnifies God and abases man!)
produces such an harrowing of heart, that is so distasteful to those
who wish to be "at ease in Zion." Nothing is more calculated to expose
an empty profession, to arouse the slumbering victims of Satan. But
alas, those who have nothing better than a fleshly assurance do not
wish to have their false peace disturbed, and consequently they are
the very ones who are the loudest in their outcries against the
proclamation of discriminating grace. But the howling and snapping of
dogs is no reason why the children of God should be deprived of their
necessary bread. And no matter how unpleasant be the first effects
produced in him by the heart's reception of this truth, it will not be
long before the humbled one will be truly thankful for that which
causes him to dig more deeply and make sure that his hope is founded
on the Rock of ages.
Divine chastisement is a painful thing; nevertheless, to them that are
exercised thereby, it afterwards yieldeth the peaceable fruits of
righteousness (Heb. 12:11). So it is a grievous thing for our
complacency to be rudely shattered, but if the sequel be that we
exchange a false confidence for a Scripturally grounded assurance, we
have indeed cause for fervent praise. To discover that God's purpose
of grace is restricted to an elect people, is alarming to one who has
imagined that He loves all mankind alike. To be made to seriously
wonder if I am one of those whom God chose in Christ before the
foundation of the world, raises a question which it is not easy to
answer satisfactorily; and to be made to diligently inquire into my
actual state, to solemnly examine myself before God, is a task which
no hypocrite will prosecute; yet is it one which the regenerate will
not shrink from, but on the contrary will pursue it with earnest zeal
and fervent prayers to God for help therein.
It is not (as some foolishly suppose) that the one who is now so
seriously concerned about his spiritual condition and eternal destiny
is in such alarm because he doubts God's Word. Far from it: it is just
because he believes God's Word that he doubts himself, doubts the
validity of his Christian profession. It is because he believes the
Scriptures when they declare the Lord's flock is a "very little one"
(Greek, Luke 12:32), he is fearful that he belongs not to it. It is
because he believes God when He says, "There is a generation that are
pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness"
(Prov. 30:12), and that finding so much filth in his own soul, he
trembles lest that be true of him. It is because he believes God when
He says "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked" (Jer. 17:9), that he is deeply exercised lest he be fatally
deluded. Ah, my reader, the more firmly we believe God's Word, the
more cause have we to doubt ourselves.
To obtain assurance that they have received a supernatural call from
God, which has brought them from death unto life, is a matter of
paramount concern to those who really value their souls. Those to whom
God has imparted an honest heart abhor hypocrisy, refuse to take
anything for granted, and greatly fear lest they impose upon
themselves by passing a more favorable verdict than is warranted.
Others may laugh at their concern and mock at their fears, but this
moves them not. Too much is at stake for such a matter to be lightly
and hurriedly dismissed. They know full well that it is one which must
be settled in the presence of God, and if they are deceived, they beg
Him to make them aware of it. It is God who has wounded them, and He
alone can heal; it is God who has disturbed their carnal complacency,
and none but He can bestow real spiritual rest.
Is it possible for a person, in this life, to really ascertain his
eternal election of God? Papists reply dogmatically that no man can
certainly know his own election unless he is certified thereof by some
special, immediate, and personal revelation from God. But this is
manifestly false and erroneous. When the disciples of Christ returned
from their preaching tour and reported to Him the wonders they had
wrought and being elated that even the demons were subject to them, He
bade them "notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are
subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written
in heaven" (Luke 10:20). Is it not perfectly plain in these words of
our Saviour that men may attain unto a sure knowledge of their eternal
election? Surely we cannot, nor do we, rejoice in things which are
unknown or even in things uncertain.
Did not Paul bid the Corinthians "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in
the faith, prove your own selves" (2 Cor. 13:5). Here it is certainly
taken for granted that he who hath faith may know that he hath it, and
therefore may also know his election, for saving faith is an
infallible mark of election: "As many as were ordained to eternal life
believed" (Acts 13:48). Would that more ministers took a page out of
the apostle's book and urged their hearers to real self-examination:
true, it would not increase their present popularity, but it would
probably result in thanksgiving from some of their hearers in a future
day. Did not another of the apostles exhort his readers, "Give
diligence to make your calling and election sure" (2 Pet. 1:10)? But
what force would such an injunction possess if assurance be
unattainable in this life? It would be utterly vain to use diligence
if knowledge of our election is impossible without an extraordinary
revelation from God.
But how may a man come to know his election? Certainly it is not by
ascending up as it were into heaven, there to search into the counsels
of God, and afterwards come down to himself. None of us can obtain
access to the Lamb's book of life: God's decrees are secret.
Nevertheless it is possible for the saints to know they are among that
company whom God has predestinated to be conformed to the image of His
Son. But how? Not by some extraordinary revelation from God, for
Scripture nowhere promises any such thing to exercised souls. Spurgeon
put it bluntly when he said, "We know of some who imagine themselves
to be elect because of the vision they have seen when they were
asleep, or when they were awake--for men have waking dreams; but these
are as much value as cobwebs would be for a garment, they will be of
as much service to them at the day of judgment as a thief's
convictions would be to him if he were in need of a character to
commend him to mercy" (from Sermon on 1 Thess. 1:4-6).
In order to ascertain our election we have to descend into our own
hearts, and then go up from ourselves as it were by Jacob's ladder to
God's eternal purpose. It is by the signs and testimonies described in
the Scriptures, which we are to search for within ourselves, and from
them discover the counsel of God concerning our salvation. In making
this assertion we are not unmindful of the satirical comment which it
is likely to meet with in certain quarters. There is a class of
professing Christians who entertain no doubts whatever about their
salvation, who are fond of saying, as well look to an iceberg for heat
or into a grave to find the tokens of life, as search within ourselves
for proofs of the new birth. But is it not akin to blasphemy to
suggest that God the Spirit can take up His residence in a person and
yet for there to be no definite evidences of His presence.
There are two testifiers to the believer from which he may assuredly
learn the eternal counsels of God respecting his salvation: the
witness of God's Spirit and the witness of his own spirit (Rom. 8:16).
By what means does God's Spirit furnish testimony to a Christian
conscience from the Word, but rather by His application of the
promises of the Gospel in the form of a syllogism: whosoever believeth
in Christ is chosen to everlasting life. That proposition is clearly
set forth in God's Word, and is expressly propounded by His ministers
of the gospel. The Spirit of God accompanies their preaching with
effectual power, so that the hearts of God's elect are opened to
receive the truth, their eyes enlightened to perceive its blessedness,
and their wills moved to renounce all other dependencies and give up
themselves to the mercy of God in Christ.
But the question arises, how may I distinguish between the witness of
the Spirit and Satan's delusive imitation thereof? for as there is a
sure persuasion of God's favor from His Spirit, so there are frauds of
the Devil whereby he. flatters and soothes men in their sins.
Moreover, there is in all men natural presumption which is often
mistaken for faith, in fact there is far more of this mock-faith in
the world than there if of true faith. It is really tragic to find
what multitudes there are in the religious world today who are carried
away by the "strange fire" of wild enthusiasm, supposing that the
exciting of their animal spirits and emotions is sure proof that they
have received the Spirit's "baptism" and thus are certain of heaven.
At the other extreme is a large company who disdain and discredit all
religious feelings and pin their faith to an "I am resting on John
5:24," and boast that they have not had a doubt of their salvation for
many years past.
Now the true witness of the Spirit may be discerned from natural
presumption and Satanic deception by its effects and fruits. First,
the Spirit bestows upon God's elect praying hearts. "Shall not God
avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him" (Luke 18:7).
Notice how right after making that statement the Lord Jesus went on to
give an illustration of the nature of their praying. It is true that
formalists and hypocrites pray, but vastly different is that from the
crying of the sin-conscious, guilt-burdened, distressed people of God,
as appears from the vivid contrast between the Pharisee and publican.
Ah, it is not until we are brought to feel our utter unworthiness and
Hell deservingness, our ruin and wretchedness, our abject poverty and
absolute dependency on God's sovereign bounty, that we begin to "cry"
unto Him and that, "day and night"--to pray experimentally, to pray
perseveringly, to pray with "groanings which cannot be uttered," and
thus, to pray effectually.
Let us look for a moment at a prayer of one of God's people, "Remember
me, 0 Lord, with the favor that thou bearest unto thy people: 0 visit
me with thy salvation" (Ps. 106:4). Now my reader, you are either
earnestly seeking that favor by which the Lord remembers His people,
or you are not. It is only when we are brought to the place where we
are pressed down with a sense of our sinfulness and vileness that we
can say in our souls before God, "0 visit me with thy salvation." But
the Psalmist did not stop there, no more must we: he went on to say,
"That I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the
gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance" (v.
5). God's elect pray for and seek after that which no other men pray
for and seek after: they long to see the good of God's chosen, they
seek to be saved with His salvation, and to dwell in the order of His
everlasting covenant and eternal establishment.
A second effect of the Spirit's witness is a bringing of us to submit
to God's sovereignty. Not only do God's elect pray for something which
no other men pray for, but they do so in a different manner from all
others. They approach the Almighty not as equals, but as beggars; they
make "requests" of Him, and not demands; and they present their
requests in strict subserviency to His own imperial will. How utterly
different are their humble petitions from the arrogance and
dictatorialness of empty professors. They know they have no claims
upon the Lord, that they deserve no mercy at His hands, and therefore
they raise no outcry against His express assertion, "I will have mercy
on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will
have compassion" (Rom. 9:15). That person whose heart is indwelt by
the Spirit of God takes his place in the dust, and says with pious
Eli, "It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good" (1 Sam. 3:18).
We read in Matthew 20:3 of a number of men "standing idle in the
marketplace," which we understand to signify that they were not
actively engaged in the Devil's service, but that they had not yet
entered God's service. Their attitude was indicative of a desire to be
religious. Very well, said the Lord, go and work in My vineyard. But a
little later the Lord of the vineyard displayed His sovereignty, and
they were highly displeased. The Lord gave unto the last even as unto
the first, and they murmured. The Lord answered "I do thee no wrong. .
. .Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own?" (v. 15).
That was what offended them; they would not submit to His sovereignty,
yet He exercised it notwithstanding. "Is thine eye evil, because I am
good?" He asked and still asks to every one who in the pride and
unbelief of his heart rises up against God's discriminating grace. But
not so with God's elect: they bow before His throne and leave
themselves entirely in His hands.
Third, God's elect have imparted to them a filial spirit so that they
have the affections of dutiful children to their heavenly Father. It
inspires them with an awe of His majesty, so that they are conscious
of every evil way. It draws out their hearts in love to God, so that
they crave for the conscious enjoyment of His smiling countenance,
esteeming fellowship with Him high above all other privileges. That
filial spirit produces confidence toward God so that they plead His
promises, count on His mercy, and rely on His goodness. His high
authority is respected and they tremble at His Word. That filial
spirit produces subjection to God, so that they desire to obey Him in
all things, and sincerely endeavor to walk according to His
commandments and precepts. True, they are yet very far from being that
they should be, and what they would be could their earnest longings be
realized; nevertheless, it is their fervent desire to please Him in
all their ways.
"The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the
children of God" (Rom 8:16). The office of a "witness" is to give
testimony or supply evidence for the purpose of adducing proof, either
of innocence or guilt. This may be seen from "which show the work of
the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing
witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing
one another" (Rom. 2:15). Though the heathen had not received a
written revelation from God (as was the case with the Jews),
nevertheless they were His creatures, accountable to Him, subject to
His authority, and will yet be judged by Him. The grounds on which
their responsibility rest are: the revelation which God has made of
Himself in nature which renders them "without excuse" (Rom. 1:19, 20)
and the work of the law written on their hearts, which is rationality
or "the light of nature." Their moral instincts instruct them in the
difference between right and wrong and warn of a future day of
reckoning. While their conscience also "bears witness," supplies
evidence that God is their governor and judge.
Now the Christian has a renewed conscience, and it supplies the proof
that he is a renewed person, and consequently, one of God's elect. "We
trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live
honestly" (Heb. 13:18): the bent of his heart was for God and
obedience to Him. Not only does the Christian sincerely desire to
honor God and be honest with his fellows, but he makes a genuine
endeavor thereunto: "Herein do I exercise myself, to have always a
conscience void of offence toward God and toward men" (Acts 24:16).
And it is the office of a good conscience to witness favorably for us
and unto us. To it the Christian may appeal. Paul did so again and
again, for example, in Romans 9:1 we find him declaring, "I say the
truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in
the Holy Ghost," which means that his conscience testified to his
sincerity in the matter. Thus we see again how Scripture interprets
Scripture: Romans 2:15 and 9:1 define the meaning of "our spirit
bearing witness"--adducing evidence, establishing the verity of a
case.
Romans 8:16 declares that our spirit (supported by the Holy Spirit)
furnishes proof that we are "the children of God," and, as the apostle
goes on to show, if children, "then heirs" (v. 17) and "God's elect"
(v. 33). Now this witness of our spirit is the testimony of our heart
and conscience, purged and sanctified by the blood of Christ. It
testifies in two ways, by inward tokens in itself, and by outward
proofs. As this is so little understood to-day, we must enlarge
thereon. Those inward tokens are certain special graces implanted in
our spirit at the new birth, whereby a person may be certainly assured
of His divine adoption, and therefore of his election to salvation.
Those tokens regard first our sins, and second the mercy of God in
Christ. And for the sake of clarity we will consider the former in
connection with our sins past, present, and to come.
The token or sign in our "spirit" or heart which concerns sins past is
"godly sorrow" (2 Cor. 7:10), which is really a mother grace of many
other gifts and graces of God. The nature of it may the better be
conceived if we compare it with its opposite. Worldly sorrow issues
from sin, and is nothing else but terror of conscience and an
apprehension of the wrath of God for the same; whereas godly sorrow
though it be indeed occasioned by our sins, springs from a grief of
conscience caused by a sense of the goodness and grace of God. Worldly
sorrow is horror only in respect of the punishment, whereas godly
sorrow is grief for sin as sin, which is increased by the realization
that there will be no personal punishment for it, since that was
inflicted upon Christ in my stead. In order that no one may deceive
himself in discerning this "godly sorrow," the Holy Spirit in 2
Corinthians 7:11 has given seven marks by which it may be identified.
The, first is "For behold this selfsame thing ["godly sorrow"] that ye
sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you." The
word for "carefulness" signifies first "haste" and then diligence--the
opposite of negligence and indifference. There is not only mourning
over, but going to work with a will so as to rectify the misconduct.
Second, "yea, what clearing of yourselves": the Greek word signifies
"to apologize," seeking forgiveness: it is the reverse of
self-extenuation. Third, yea, "what indignation," instead of
unconcern: the penitent one is exceedingly angry with himself for
committing such offenses. Fourth, "yea, what fear," lest there be any
repetition of the same: it is an anxiety of mind against a further
lapse. Fifth, "yea what vehement desire": for divine assistance and
strength against any recurrence of it. Sixth, "yea, what zeal," in
performing the holy duties which are the opposite of those sins.
Seventh, "yea what revenge," upon himself, by daily mortifying his
members. When a man finds these fruits in himself, he need not doubt
the "godliness" of his repentance.
The token in our spirit with respect of sins present is the resistance
made by the new nature against the old, or the principle of holiness
against that of evil (see Gal. 5:17). This is proper to the regenerate
as they are dual creatures--children of men and children of God. It is
far more than the checks of conscience which all men, both good and
bad, find in themselves as often as they offend God. No; it is that
striving and fighting of the mind, affections, and will with
themselves, whereby as far as they are renewed and sanctified they
carry the man one way, and as they are still corrupt they carry him
the flat contrary. It is this painful and protracted warfare which the
Christian discovers to be going on within himself, which evidences him
to be a new creature in Christ. If he reviews and recalls the past, he
will find in his experience nothing like this before his regeneration.
Everything in the natural adumbrates spiritual realities, did we but
have eyes to see and understandings to properly interpret them. There
is a disease called ephialtes which causes its victims when they are
half asleep to feel as though some heavy weight was lying across their
chest, bearing them down; and they strive with hands and feet, with
all their might, to remove that weight, but cannot. Such is the case
of the genuine Christian: he is conscious of something within that
drags him down, which clips the wings of faith and hope, which hinders
his affections being set upon things above. It oppresses him and he
wrestles with it, but in vain. It is the "flesh," his inborn
corruptions, indwelling sin, against which all the graces of the new
nature strive and struggle. It is an intolerable burden which disturbs
his rest, and prevents him doing the things which he would.
The token in our spirit which respects sins to come is an earnest care
to prevent them. That this is a mark of God's children appears from
"We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not: but he that is
begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not"
(1 John 5:18). Note carefully the tense of the verb, it is not, "he
doth not sin," but "sinneth not" as a regular practice and constant
course. From that he "keepeth himself." This carefulness consists not
only in the ordering of our outward conduct, but extends to the very
thoughts of the heart. It was to this the apostle referred when he
said "I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection" (1 Cor.
9:27)--not his physical body, but the body of sin within him. The more
we are conscious of evil thoughts and unlawful imaginations, the more
we sit in judgment upon our motives, the less likely is our external
behavior to be displeasing unto God.
We turn now to consider the tokens or signs in the Christian's spirit
with respect to God's mercy, tokens which evidence him to be one of
God's elect. The first one is when a man feels himself to be heavily
burdened and deeply disturbed with the guilt and pollution of his
iniquities, and when he apprehends the heavy displeasure of God in his
conscience for them. This far outweighs any physical ills or temporal
calamities which he may be subject to. Sin is now his greatest burden
of all, making him quite unable to enjoy worldly pleasures or relish
the society of worldly companions. Now it is that he feels his urgent
need of Christ, and pants after Him as the parched hart does for the
refreshing stream. Carnal ambitions and worldly hopes fade into utter
insignificance before this overwhelming yearning for reconciliation
with God through the merits of the Redeemer. "Give me Christ or else I
die is now his agonizing cry.
Now to all such sin-sick, conscience-tormented, Spirit-convicted
souls, Christ has made some exceedingly great and precious promises,
promises which pertain unto none but the quickened elect of God. "If
any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on
me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of
living water" (John 7:37, 38). Is not that exactly suited to the deep
needs of one who feels the flames of hell upon his conscience? He
hungers and thirsts after righteousness, for he knows that he has none
of his own. He thirsts for peace, for he has none night or day. He
thirsts for pardon and cleansing for he sees himself to be a leprous
felon. Then come to Me, says Christ, and I will meet your every need.
"I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of
life freely" (Rev. 2 1:6). And mark what follows his thus coming to
Christ: "Whosoever drinketh of this water that I shall give him shall
never thirst" (John 4:14).
The second token is a new affection which is implanted in the heart by
the Holy Spirit, whereby a man doth so esteem and value and set such a
high price upon the blood and righteousness of Christ that he accounts
the most precious things of this world as but dross and dung in
comparison. This affection was evidenced by Paul (see Phil. 3:7, 8).
Now it is true that almost every professor will say that he values the
person and work of Christ high above all the things of this world,
when the fact is that the vast majority of them are of Esau's mind,
preferring a mess of pottage to Jacob's portion. With very, very few
exceptions those who bear the name of Christians much prefer the flesh
pots of Egypt to the blessings of God in the land of promise. Their
actions, their lives demonstrate it, for where a man's treasure is
there is his heart also.
That no man may deceive himself in connection with this particular
sign of regeneration and election, God has given us two identifying
and corroboratory marks. First, when there is a genuine prizing of and
delighting in Christ above all other objects, there is an unfeigned
love for His members. "We know that we have passed from death unto
life, because we love the brethren" (2 John 3:14): that is, such as
are members of the mystical body of Christ, and because they are so.
Those who are dear to God must be dear to His people. No matter what
differences there may be between them in nationality, social position,
personal temperament, there is a spiritual bond which unites them. If
Christ be dwelling in my heart, then my affections will necessarily be
drawn forth unto all in whom I perceive, however faintly, the
lineaments of His holy image. And just so far as I allow the spirit of
animosity to alienate me from them, will my evidence of election be
overclouded.
The second corroboratory mark of a genuine valuing of Christ is a love
and longing for His coming: whether it be by death, or by His second
advent. Though nature shrinks from physical dissolution, and though
the sin which indwells the Christian renders him uneasy at the thought
of being ushered into the immediate presence of the Holy One of God,
nevertheless, the actings of the new nature carries the soul above
these obstacles. A renewed heart cannot rest satisfied with its
present, fitful, and imperfect communion with his beloved. He yearns
for full and complete fellowship with Him. This was clearly the case
with Paul: "Having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is
far better" (Phil. 1:23). That this was not peculiar to himself, but
something which is common to the entire election of grace, appears
from his word "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at
that day: and not to me only, but unto all them that love His
appearing" (2 Tim. 4:8).
Next we turn to the external token of our adoption. This is
evangelical obedience, whereby the believer sincerely endeavors to
obey God's commands in his daily life. "Hereby we do know that we know
Him, if we keep His commandments" (1 John 2:3). God does not judge
disobedience by the rigor of the Law for then it would be no token of
grace but a means of damnation. Rather does God esteem and consider
that obedience according to the tenor of the new covenant. Concerning
those who fear Him the Lord declares, "I will spare them, as a man
spareth his own son that serveth him" (Mal. 3:17). God regards the
things done not by their effects or absolute doing of them, but by the
affection of the doer. It is at the heart God chiefly looks. And yet,
lest any be deceived on this point, let the following qualifications
be prayerfully pondered.
That external obedience which God requires of His children and which
for Christ's sake He accepts from them is not one which has respect to
only a few of the divine commands, but unto all without exception.
Herod heard the Baptist gladly, and did many things (Mark 6:20), but
he drew the line at complying with the seventh commandment to leave
his brother Philip's wife. Judas forsook the world for Christ, and
became a preacher of the gospel, yet he failed to mortify the lust of
covetousness, and perished. On the contrary David exclaimed, "Then
shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments"
(Ps. 119:6). He that repents of one sin truly repents of all sins, and
he that lives in any one known sin without repentance, actually
repents of no sin at all.
Again, for our external obedience to be acceptable to God, it must
extend itself to the whole course of a Christian's life after
conversion. We are not to judge ourselves (or any one else) by a few
odd actions, but by the general tenor of our lives. As the course of a
man's life is, such is the man himself; though he, because of the sin
which still indwells him, fails in this or that particular action, yet
doth it not prejudice his estate before God, so long as he renews his
repentance for his offenses--not lying down in any one sin. Finally,
it is required that this external obedience proceed from the whole
man: all that is within him is to show forth God praises. At the new
birth all the faculties of the soul are renewed, and henceforth are to
be employed in the service of God, as formerly they had been in the
service of sin.
Let it be said once more that it is most important that the Christian
should be quite clear as to exactly what it is his spirit bears
witness unto. It is not to any improvement in his carnal nature, nor
to sin being less active within him; rather is it to the fact that he
is a child of God, as is evident from his heart going out after Him,
yearning for fellowship with Him, and his sincere endeavor to please
Him. Just as an affectionate and dutiful child has within his own
bosom proof of the peculiar relationship which he stands in to his
father, so the filial inclinations and aspirations of the believer
prove that God is his heavenly Father. True, there is still much in
him which is constantly rising up in opposition to God, nevertheless
there is something else which was not in him by nature.
Let us here anticipate an objection: some say that it is a sin for the
Christian to question his acceptance with God because he is still so
depraved, or to doubt his salvation because he can perceive little or
no holiness within. They say that such doubting is to call God's truth
and faithfulness into question, for He has assured us of His love and
His readiness to save all who believe in His Son. They deny that it is
our duty to examine our hearts and say that we shall never obtain any
assurance by so doing; that we must look to Christ alone, and rest on
His naked Word. But this is a serious mistake. We do rest on His Word
when we search for those evidences which that Word itself describes as
the marks of a child of God. Said the apostle, "For our rejoicing is
this, the testimony of our conscience. . . " (2 Cor. 1:12). "Let us
not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And
hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts
before him" (1 John 3:18, 19).
But notwithstanding the evidences which a Christian has of his divine
sonship, he finds it no easy matter to be assured of his sincerity or
to establish solid comfort in his soul. His moods are fitful, his
frames variable. It is at this very point the blessed Spirit of God
helpeth our infirmities. He adds His witness to the testimony of our
renewed conscience, so that at times the Christian is assured of his
salvation, and can say "my conscience is also bearing me witness in
the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 9:1).
"The sole way of God's appointment whereby we may come to an
apprehension of an interest in election is by the fruits of it in our
own souls. Nor is it lawful for us to inquire into it or after it in
any other way." With those words of the judicious Owen we are in full
accord. For our part, we would not dare to place any reliance of an
everlasting hope upon any dream or vision we had received, or any
voice we had heard. Even if a celestial being appeared before us and
declared that he had seen our name written in the Lamb's book of life,
we should place no credence in it, for we would have no means of
knowing that it might not be the Devil himself "transformed into an
angel of light" (2 Cor. 11:14) come to deceive us. Our election must
be certified to us by the unerring Word of God, and there we have a
sure foundation on which to rest our faith.
The obligation which the gospel puts upon us to believe any thing
respects the order of the things themselves and the order of our
obedience. When it is declared by the gospel that Christ died for
sinners, I am not immediately required to believe that Christ died for
me in particular--that were to invert the divine order of the gospel.
The grand and simple message of the evangel of God's grace is, that
Christ Jesus came into the world to procure a way of salvation for
them who are lost, that He died for the ungodly, that He so perfectly
satisfied the claims of the divine justice that God can righteously
justify every sinner who truly believes in His Son, Jesus Christ (Rom.
3:26). Consequently since I find myself a member of that class, since
I know myself to be a sinner, an ungodly person, lost, then I have
full warrant to believe the good news of the gospel. Thus the gospel
requires from me faith and obedience and I am under an obligation to
render them withal.
Until I believe and obey the gospel I am under no obligation to
believe that Christ died for me in particular; but having done so, I
am warranted to enjoy that assurance. In like manner, I am required to
believe the doctrine of election upon my first hearing of the gospel,
because it is therein clearly declared. But as for my own personal
election I cannot Scripturally believe it, nor am I obligated to
believe it any otherwise, but as God reveals it by its effects. No man
may justly disbelieve in or deny his election until he be in a
condition where it is impossible for the effects of election to be
wrought in him. While he is unholy a man can have no evidence that he
is elected; so he can have none that he is not elected while it is
possible for him to be made holy. Thus, whether men are elected or no,
is not that which God calls any immediately to be conversant about:
faith, obedience, holiness are what are first required from us.
Before proceeding further let it be pointed out that the elect are
usually to be found where the ministers of Christ labor much. Said
Paul, "Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sake, that they
may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal
glory" (2 Tim. 2:10). That illustrates the principle: the apostle knew
that in his evangelical labors he was being employed in executing
God's purpose in carrying the message of salvation to His people. To
that very end was the apostle sustained by divine providence and
directed by the Spirit of th~ Lord. Take a brief specimen of the
method in which he was divinely guided. In his second journey
publishing the glad tidings in heathen lands, Paul had been led
through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and would have preached the
Word in Asia, but was "forbidden of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 16:6)--for
what possible reason? but that God had none of His elect there, or if
any, that the time had not yet arrived for their spiritual
deliverance.
The apostle then essayed to go into Bithynia, but again we are told,
"the Spirit suffered him not" (Acts 16:7). Very striking indeed is
that, though it seems to make little or no impression upon people
today. Next we read, "And they passing by Mysia [how solemn!] came
down to Troas." There the Lord appeared unto him in a vision directing
him to go to Macedonia, and from this he assuredly gathered that He
had called him to preach the gospel there. He thereupon entered that
country and proclaimed the good news, and in consequence, God's elect
in Thessalonica obtained salvation. Later, he came to Corinth, where
he met with much opposition, and with little success. He seems to have
been on the point of departing, when the Lord appeared to him,
strengthened his heart, and assured him "I have much people in this
city" (Acts 18:10). As the result, he remained there eighteen months
and the Corinthian Church was formed.
This grand principle of the Lord's so directing His servants that His
elect are caused to hear His gospel from their lips, receives many
striking illustrations in the Scriptures. The remarkable way in which
Philip was conducted with the word of salvation to the Ethiopian
eunuch, and Peter with the same word to Cornelius and his company, are
cases in point. Another example, perhaps more striking still, is the
way in which the apostles obtained access to the Philippian jailer
with the word of life, who, because of his calling, probably found it
impossible to hear their public preaching. Most blessedly do these
instances exemplify the words of the Saviour who, when referring to
that company which the Father had given Him in Gentile lands, declared
"And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must
bring, and they shall hear my voice" (John 10:16)--hear His voice
through His servants and be quickened by the power of His Spirit.
The Lord Jesus never yet sent His servants to labor where He had not a
people, which being given to Him by the Father, were by Him to be
brought into the fold. And He never will so send them. But where He
has a people, He will there direct His own servants to call that
people to Himself, and they like Paul of old will "endure all things
for the elect's sake, that they may also obtain the salvation which is
in Christ Jesus." Only the day to come will fully reveal how much--by
His upholding grace--they did endure so that the elect might be saved.
The elect, then, are to be found where the faithful ministers of
Christ labor much. Now, my reader, if you are privileged to live in
such a place, then in your own midst you may look for the favored
people of God. The day of golden opportunity is now yours, and it is
your bounden duty to respond and yield to the call made by Christ's
servants.
Let us now pass on to something yet more specific. God not only sends
His servants to those places where His providence has situated some of
His elect, but He clothes His word with power and makes their labors
effective. "Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. For our
gospel came not unto you, in word only, but also in power, and in the
Holy Spirit, and in much assurance" (1 Thess. 1:4, 5). That passage is
very much to the point, and each clause in it calls for our closest
attention. It tells us how the apostle became assured that the
Thessalonian saints were among God's chosen people, and how by parity
of reason, they too might know and rejoice in their election. Those
details have been placed on record for our instruction, and if the
Lord is pleased to grant us a spiritual understanding of them, we
shall be on safe and sure ground. But in order for this, we must
prayerfully ponder these verses word by word.
"Knowing brethren, beloved, your election of God." How did the apostle
know their election of God? Let it be most particularly observed that
this assurance of his was obtained not by any immediate revelation
from Heaven, not by a supernatural vision or angelic message, nor by
the Lord Himself, directly informing him to that effect. No; rather
was it by what he had witnessed in and from them. It was by the
visible fruits of their election that he perceived them to be
"brethren beloved." In other words, he traced back those effects of
grace which had been wrought in them at their conversion, to the
source thereof in God's eternal purpose of mercy. Those tiny rivulets
of grace in their hearts the apostle traced back to the ocean of God's
everlasting love from which they proceeded. Therein, he indicated to
us the course which we must follow, the method we are to pursue in
order to ascertain our predestination to glory.
"For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power."
All who pretend to preach the gospel do not actually do so. To allow
that they did, would be to grant that there are as many different
gospels as there are sects and sentiments in Christendom, all claiming
theirs to be the true gospel, to the exclusion of every other. It is
therefore a matter of the very highest importance that each of us
should know what the gospel of Christ really is, and this must be
learned from the Holy Scriptures, under the guidance of God the
Spirit. There are numerous counterfeits of it in the world today, and
their fraudulency can only be discovered by weighing them in "the
balances of the Sanctuary." Equally necessary and important is it that
we ascertain how the gospel should be received by us if the soul is to
be permanently benefited by it, for according to the apostle there is
a twofold reception thereof.
"For our gospel came not unto you in word only." For the gospel to
come to us in word only" is for God to leave it to its natural
efficacy, or the force of its arguments and persuasion on the human
mind. Multitudes, in many places have heard the gospel, yet continue
in idolatry and in iniquity, notwithstanding the profession which many
of them make. When the gospel comes to us "in word only" it reaches
the intellect and understanding, but makes no real impression on the
conscience and heart. Consequently, it produces only a feigned and
presumptuous faith, a faith which is inferior even to that which the
demons have, for they "believe and tremble" (James 2:19). It is only
when the gospel comes to us "in power and in the Holy Spirit" that it
is received with a true and saving faith. How necessary it is then, to
test ourselves at this point.
There are two extremes into which men fall through lack of the right
receiving of God's Word. The one supposes he is possessed of both will
and power to perform works of righteousness sufficient to commend him
to the favor of God, and so he becomes "zealously affected, but not
well" (Gal. 4:17). He fasts, prays, gives alms, attends church, etc.;
and wherein he thinks he fails or comes short, he calls in the merits
of Christ as a make weight for his deficiency. This is but taking a
piece of new cloth (Christ's Atonement) and patching into his garment
a legal righteousness, hoping thereby to appease a guilty conscience.
He continues his religious performances the year round, but never
attains to a vital and experimental knowledge of the gospel. All his
service is but dead works.
The other extreme is the very reverse of this, but equally dangerous.
Instead of toiling to the point of weariness, these work not at all.
Being conscious more or less, as all natural men are, that they are
sinners, and hearing of free salvation by Jesus Christ, they readily
fall m with it, receiving it in their minds but not in their
consciences. A superficial and presumptuous faith is begotten, and by
a single leap they arrive at a supposed assurance of heaven. But, says
Solomon, "An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning; but
the end thereof shall not be blessed" (Prov. 20:21). These people are
great talkers, boast much of their freedom from the law, but are
themselves the slaves of sin. They are ever learning, yet never able
to come to a knowledge of the truth. They laugh at those who have
doubts and fears, yet they themselves have the most cause of all to
fear.
Now in marked contrast from both of these classes, are they who
receive the gospel not in word only "but in power and in the Holy
Spirit." This is a middle way between these two extremes, and one that
is hidden from all unregenerate, for "the natural man receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him,
neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1
Cor. 2:14). When God begins "the work of faith with power" (2 Thess.
1:11), and leads that soul in this middle way, he can at first neither
see nor understand it. As it was with the father of all who believe,
so it is with all his children: when Abraham was effectually called,
he "went out, not knowing whither he went" (Heb. 11:8). Those born of
the Spirit are led forth by "a way that they know not" (Isa. 42:16),
and until darkness is made light before them and crooked things
straight, they cannot understand the way of the Spirit; but when that
is done, then the highway is "cast up" for them (Isa. 62:10).
The all-important question, then, is, Has the gospel come to me in
word only, or in saving power? If the former, then it has been
received without anguish, trouble, or distress of conscience, for
those are the common marks of divine power working in the sinner's
soul. When God's Word comes to us "in power," it comes as a "two-edged
sword" (Heb. 4:12), having the same effect on the heart as a sword
does when it is thrust into the body. If the wound be deep, the pain
and smart will be very acute. So when the Word of God pierces "even to
the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow
and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" it
produces real anguish and deep distress. Said Job, "The arrows of the
Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit
[explained in the next words] ; the terrors of God do set themselves
in array against me" (6:4). And thus, too, David exclaimed, "Thine
arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore" (Ps. 38:2).
It was thus in the experience of Paul. Before the Spirit applied the
law to his heart, he was alive in his own eyes, though dead in God's;
but when the commandment came home to him in divine power, sin revived
and he died--in his own esteem (Rom. 7:9). The fact is that he, like
every other Pharisee, supposed that the law reached no further than
the external letter, touching which he considered himself blameless.
But when its high demands and searching spirituality was made known to
him he found it reached the very thoughts and intents of the heart,
and discovered to him the awful depths of depravity in him which was
hid before. He found the law was spiritual, but himself carnal, sold
under sin. He found--as very, very few do--that his heart was in the
very state described by Christ in Mark 7:21, 22. He was compelled to
believe what Christ there declared, because he now saw and felt the
same within himself.
The first act of faith brings a man to believe that he is in the very
state Scripture declares him to be; at enmity against God (Rom. 8:7),
a child of wrath (Eph. 2:3), under the curse of a broken law (Gal.
3:10), led captive by the Devil (2 Tim. 2:26). A heavy burden of sin
lies on his conscience (Ps. 38:4), an active fountain of iniquity like
the troubled sea casts up its mire and dirt (Isa. 57:20), which
baffles all the efforts of an arm of flesh, bringing him into terrible
bondage: "our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away" (Isa.
64:6). He finds himself bound hand and foot with the cords of his
sins, and he cries earnestly to God to take pity upon him, and out of
his great mercy loose him. He now needs no set forms of prayer, but
night and day he cries "God be merciful to me a sinner."
And how does the Lord set him at liberty? By the gospel coming to him
"in power and in the Holy Spirit." God exhibits to him in a new light,
the sufferings and death of His Son, by whom His justice was
satisfied, His law magnified, His wrath appeased, and a way of
reconciliation opened between God and sinners. It is the Spirit's
office to work faith in the heart and to apply the atoning blood and
righteousness of Christ to the conscience, by whom the burden of sin
and death is removed, the love of God is made known, peace is imparted
to the soul, and joy to the heart. Thus, the same instrument which
wounded, brings healing. Therefore did the apostle here add, "For our
gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the
Holy Spirit, and in much assurance"--assurance of its divine verity
and authority, of its perfect adaptability and suitability to our
case, of its ineffable blessedness.
"I remember, too, when the truth came home to my heart, and made me
leap for very joy, for it took all my load away; it showed me Christ's
power to save. I had known the truth before, but now I felt it. I went
to Jesus just as I was, I touched the hem of His garment; I was made
whole. I found now that the Word was not a fiction--that it was the
one reality. I had listened scores of times, and he that spake was as
one that played a tune upon an instrument; but now he seemed to be
dealing with me, putting his hand right into my heart. He brought me
first to God's judgment seat, and there I stood and heard the thunders
roll; then he brought me to the mercy seat, and I saw the blood
sprinkled on it, and I went home triumphing because sin was washed
away" (C. H. Spurgeon).
"Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God" (1 Thess. 1:4). How
did the apostle know that those Thessalonians were among God's elect?
The next verses tell us: by the visible fruits thereof which he
perceived in them. Discerning in their lives those effects of grace
which had been wrought in them at their conversion, he traced back the
same unto God's eternal purpose of mercy concerning them. And, my
reader, the way in which Paul knew the Thessalonian believers were
"from the beginning chosen . . . to salvation" (2 Thess. 2:13) must be
the method by which every Christian today is to ascertain his or her
election of God.
"For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and
in the Holy Spirit" (1 Thess. 1:5). Everything turns upon how the
(true) Gospel is received by us: whether it is merely apprehended by
the intellect, or whether it really reaches the conscience and heart
for only then is it received with a saving faith. When God's Word
comes to us "in power," it comes as "a two-edged sword"-- cutting,
wounding, causing pain and deep distress. When the Word comes to us in
power it is not due to any learning or eloquence of the preacher, nor
to any pathos which he may employ. The fact that his hearers' emotions
are deeply stirred so that they are moved to tears, is no proof
whatever that the gospel is come to them in divine efficacy: creature
passions are often stirred by the actings of the stage and thousands
are moved to weep in the theater. Such superficial emotionalism is but
evanescent, having no lasting and spiritual effects. The test is
whether we are broken and bowed before God.
The same thought is expressed again in the next verse, as though this
is the particular detail by which we most need to test ourselves:
"having received the Word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy
Ghost" (v. 6). How that exposes the worthlessness of the light and
frothy "evangelism" (?) of the day! How solemn it is to remember that
Christ described the stony-ground hearer as "he that heareth the Word
and anon with joy receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself"
(Matt. 13:20, 21). Very different was it with those who were converted
on the day of Pentecost, for the first thing recorded of them is, that
they were "pricked in their heart" (Acts 2:37). Travail precedes
birth, and then comes the rejoicing (see John 16:2 1). These are the
questions to be considered--and answered before God: Has the Word
rebuked and condemned me? Has it stripped me of my self-complacency
and self-righteousness? Has it cut down my hopes, and brought me to
lie as a self-condemned felon before the mercy seat?
"People come and hear sermons in this place, and then they go out and
say, `How did you like it?'--as if that signified to anybody. `How did
you like it?' and one says, `Oh, very well,' and another says `Oh, not
at all.' Do you think we live on the breath of your nostrils? Do you
believe that God's servants, if they are really His, care for what you
think of them? Nay, verily; but if you should reply `I enjoyed the
sermon,' they are inclined to say, `Then we must have been unfaithful,
or else you would have been angry; we must surely have slurred over
something, or else the Word would have cut your conscience as with the
jagged edges of a knife. You would have said, `I did not think how I
liked it; I was thinking how I liked myself, and about my own state
before God; that was the matter that exercised me, not whether he
preached well, but whether I stood accepted in Christ, or whether I
was a castaway.' My dear hearers, Are you learning to hear like that?
If you are not, if going to church and to chapel be to you like going
to an oratorio, or like listening to some orator who speaks upon
temporal matters, then you lack the evidence of election; the Word had
not come to your souls with power" (C. H. Spurgeon).
In between the portions quoted above from I Thessalonians 1:5, 6 are
two other details: first, "and in much assurance." When the Word comes
home in converting power to a man's soul, all his doubts concerning
its authenticity and authority are removed, and he needs no human
arguments to convince him that its author is God. All the skepticism
of the rationalists and higher critics would be dispelled like mist
before the rising sun, if the Spirit was pleased to effectually apply
the Word to their hearts. Those who have been made to feel their dire
need of Christ and have perceived His perfect suitability to their
desperate condition, have "much assurance" of what the gospel affirms
of His person and work. Whatever may have been the case with them
formerly, they have no doubt now about His absolute Deity, His virgin
birth, His vicarious death, His pre-eminent dignity, as prophet,
priest, and king. These all-important things are settled for him,
settled forever, and he will declare himself with a positiveness and
dogmatism which will shock the sensibilities of the supercilious.
Again it is said, "ye become followers of us and of the Lord." Here is
another mark of election: those who are chosen by the Lord desire to
be like Him. "Ye became followers of us" does not mean that they said,
`I am of Paul, I am of Silas, I am of Timothy,' but that they imitated
those eminent evangelists so far as they followed the example which
Christ has left us. Ah, that is the test my readers. Are we
Christlike? or do we honestly wish to be so? Then that is a sure
evidence of our election. Do we live by every word of God (Matt.
4:4)?--Christ did. Do we take everything to God in prayer?--Christ
did. Do we pray God to bless those who curse us? It is not that we are
sinless, perfect; but are we, though often "afar off," really
following Christ? If we are, it is not proud boastfulness to
acknowledge it, nor is it self-righteousness to derive comfort
therefrom, providing we also grieve over our many shortcomings and
mourn over our sins.
"With joy of the Holy Spirit." Mark the qualifying language: it is not
carnal mirth, but spiritual gladness. And observe too, that this
concludes the list, for it is ever the Lord's way to reserve the best
wine for the last. Alas, how few professors know anything,
experimentally, about this deep, spiritual joy. The religion of the
vast majority consists of a slavish attendance upon forms that they
delight not in. How many go to some place of worship simply because it
is not respectable to stay away, though they often wish it were. Not
so with the Christian--when he is in his right mind: he goes to
worship the Lord, to hear the voice of his beloved, seeking a fresh
love-token from Him, desiring to bask in the sunshine of His presence.
And when he is favored with a visit from Christ he exclaims with
Jacob, "This is the house of God," a foretaste of heaven.
And now in drawing to a conclusion our remarks upon this fascinating
aspect of the subject, there remains one other verse we must ponder:
"Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling
and election sure" (2 Pet. 1:10). Those words have been fearfully
wrested by errorists. Enemies of the truth have perverted them to
signify that, the divine decree concerning salvation is but
provisional, conditional on the sinner's own efforts. They deny that
any man's predestination to eternal life is absolute and irrevocable,
insisting that it is contingent upon our own personal diligence. In
other words, man himself must decide and determine whether God's
desire for him is to be realized. Not only is such a concept entirely
foreign to the teaching of Holy Writ, but to say that the ratification
and realization of God's eternal purpose is left dependent on
something from the creature, is sheer blasphemy; and were it true,
would not only render our election uncertain, but utterly hopeless.
"Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling
and election sure." These words have also presented a real problem to
not a few of God's people. They have been sorely perplexed to
understand how any diligence on their part could possibly make God's
calling and election sure; and even when that difficulty is cleared
up, they are quite at a loss to know what form their diligence is to
take. Ah, my friends, God has often expressed Himself in the
Scriptures in such a way as to test our faith, humble our hearts, and
drive us to our knees. Perhaps it may afford most help if we
concentrate on the following points. First, the particular people here
addressed. Second, the unusual order of "calling and election. Third,
what is the "diligence" here required. Fourth, in what sense can we
make our calling and election "sure"?
First, the people addressed. If this simple but essential principle
were duly heeded what a mass of erroneous expositions would be
avoided. It is the mis-application of Scripture which is responsible
for so much faulty interpretation. When the children's bread be cast
unto the dogs, the former are robbed and the latter given that which
they cannot digest. To take an exhortation which is addressed to
believers and appropriate it, or rather misappropriate it, to
unbelievers, is an excuseless offense: yet such has often been done
with the verse before us. There is no difficulty whatever in
ascertaining the addressees of this divine injunction. The opening
verse of the epistle tells us that the apostle is here writing to
those who had "obtained like precious faith," so that they were
believers; while in the verse itself they are styled "brethren" and
exhorted as such.
This exhortation, then, is addressed to living saints and not to dead
sinners. To teach that the unregenerate can do anything at all toward
securing their calling and election, is not only colossal ignorance,
but it gives the lie of God's Word. When they are delivering a divine
message, the first duty of God's ministers is to draw very definitely
the line of demarcation between the Church and the world: it is
failure at this point which causes so many children of the Devil to
claim relationship with the people of God. Attention to the context
will almost always make it clear to whom a passage pertains: whether
to the children of men in general or to the children of God in
particular. The simplest and most effectual way of making this plain
to their hearers, is for them to carefully delineate the characters
(the identifying marks) of the one and of the other--note how the
apostle followed this very course in the first four verses of the
epistle.
Second, the unusual order that is found here: "your calling and
election." Though at first sight this presents a difficulty, yet
further study will show it really supplies an important key to the
opening of this exhortation. That which puzzles the thoughtful reader
is, why "calling" comes before "election," for as we have sought so
show at length in previous chapters, effectual calling is the
consequence of election, as it is also the manifestation thereof. As
Romans 8:28 declares believers are "the called according to His
purpose": that is, the calling is in pursuance of God's purpose. So
too in Romans 8:30 it is said, "Whom He did predestinate, them He also
called." Likewise "Who hath saved us and called us with a holy
calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose"
(2 Tim. 1:9). Why, then, are these two things inverted in the passage
we are now considering?
It is to be carefully noted that Romans 8:28, 30 and 2 Timothy 1:9 are
treating of God's acts, whereas 2 Peter 1:10 mentions calling and
election in connection with our diligence. It is only by duly noting
such distinctions that we can hope to arrive at a right understanding
of many of the details of Holy Writ. In Romans 8 the apostle is
propounding doctrine, whereas in 2 Peter 1:10 he is pressing an
exhortation, and there is a marked difference between those things.
When the ways of God are being expounded, they are presented in their
natural or logical order (as in Rom. 8:30), but when Christian
experience is being dealt with, the order in which we apprehend the
truth is the one followed. Thus it is here: we are first to make sure
that we have been the recipients of an effectual call, for that in
turn will furnish proof of our election. The order of God's thoughts
toward us was, election and then calling; but in our experience we
apprehend calling before election.
Third, what is the "diligence" here required? There are multitudes who
fancy they have received an effectual call from God, but it is merely
fancy: instead of prayerfully and diligently devoting themselves to
the duty here enjoined, they give themselves the benefit of the doubt.
Probably many are quite sincere in their supposition, but they are
sincerely mistaken, being led astray by their deceitful hearts. It is
far from being sufficient to adopt the doctrine of election as an
article of our creed. As one tersely put it:
Though God's election is a truth,
Small comfort there I see,
Till I am told by God's own mouth,
That He hath chosen me.
And I have no right or warrant to expect that He will ever do any such
thing, till I have complied with His requirements in the verse now
before us.
That to which I am here exhorted is to first make sure my "calling" of
God. This is to be done by accumulating and strengthening my evidence
that I am His born-again child; and that, in turn, is accomplished by
cultivating the character and conduct of a saint. And how is that to
be achieved? By using the means of grace which God has provided: such
as the daily reading of the Scriptures with spiritual meditation
thereon; by secret and fervent prayer for divine succor and grace; by
cultivating fellowship with God's people, so far as His providence
permits this; by keeping faithful watch over our hearts, disallowing
all that is unholy; by the strict denial of self and mortification of
our members. But we shall receive most help at this point if we attend
unto something yet more specific in the context.
In verses 5-7 we are exhorted, "giving all diligence, add to your
faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance;
and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to
godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness love." Now
verse 10 expresses the same duty, but in different words. There is a
striking parallelism in this chapter, and it is by noting the
repetition (in variation of thought) that we find the chief key to our
verse. In verses 5-7 we have an exhortation, and in verse 8 we are
shown the result of heeding it. In verse 10 we also have a similar
exhortation, and then in verse 11 the result of compliance therewith
is shown. Thus our text is to be interpreted in the light of its
context. What is the "diligence" here required? Of what does it
consist? Verses 5 to 7 tell us. It is by carefully cultivating the
spiritual graces therein mentioned that I may ascertain my calling and
election.
Fourth, in what sense do we make our calling and election "sure"?
First, observe it is not "make secure": they are already secured to
every saint by the immutability of the divine purpose, for "the gifts
and calling of God are without repentance" (Rom. 11:29). It is not the
making of our calling and election sure Godwards, but manwards. Nor is
it something future which is here in view: it is the present enjoyment
to ourselves of our calling and election, and of evidencing the same
to our brethren. By heeding the exhortation of verses 5-7 I am to
prove my calling and election, and demonstrate the same to the Church.
A man may tell me he believes in election and is sure that he has been
called of God, but unless I can see in his character and conduct the
spiritual graces of verses 5-7 then I have to say of him (as Paul did
of the Galatians) "I stand in doubt of you." Here, then, is the
meaning: make steadfast in your own conscience your calling and
election, and make good to others your profession, by walking as a
child of God.
Finally, two consequences of complying with those exhortations are
pointed out. First, "For if ye do these things, ye shall never fall"
(v. 10.) Those who give all diligence to cultivate the spiritual
graces mentioned in verses 5-7 (thereby making their calling and
election sure, both to themselves and to their brethren), shall never
fall from the place of communion with God; shall never fall from the
truth into false doctrine and error; shall never fall into grievous
sins, and so disgrace their Christian profession; shall never fall
into a state of backsliding, so that they lose their relish for
spiritual things; shall never fall under sore discipline from God;
shall never fall into a despondency so as to lose all assurance; shall
never fall into a condition of spiritual uselessness. But, second,
"For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the
everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (v. 11):
experimentally so here; fully and honorably so in the future. This is
the result and reward of "diligence": the Greek word for "ministered"
in verse 11 is the same as "added" in verse 5!
And now to summarize. How may a real believer ascertain that he is one
of God's elect? Why, the very fact he is a genuine Christian evidences
it, for a believing into Christ is the sure consequence of God's
having ordained him to eternal life (Acts. 13:48). But to be more
specific. How may I know my election? First, by the Word of God,
having come in Divine power to the soul, so that my self-complacency
is shattered and my self-righteousness renounced. Second, by the
Spirit's having convicted me to my woeful, guilty, and lost condition.
Third, by having had revealed to me the suitability and sufficiency of
Christ to meet my desperate case, and by a divinely given faith
causing me to lay hold of and rest upon Him as my only hope. Fourth,
by the marks of the new nature within me: a love for God, an appetite
for spiritual things, a longing for holiness, a seeking after
conformity to Christ. Fifth, by the resistance which the new nature
makes to the old, causing me to hate sin and loathe myself for it.
Sixth, by sedulously avoiding everything which is condemned by God's
Word, and by sincerely repenting of and humbly confessing every
transgression thereof. Failure at this point will most surely and
quickly bring a dark cloud over our assurance, causing the Spirit to
withhold His witness. Seventh, by giving all diligence to cultivate
the Christian graces, and using all legitimate means to this end.
Thus, knowledge of election is cumulative.
_________________________________________________
Contents | Intro | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Election
by Arthur W. Pink
10. Its Blessedness
_________________________________________________
First, the doctrine of election magnifies the character of God. It
exemplifies His grace. Election makes known the fact that salvation is
God's free gift, gratuitously bestowed upon whom He pleases. This must
be so, for those who receive it are themselves no different from and
no better than those who receive it not. Election allows some to go to
hell, to show that all deserved to perish. But grace comes in like a
dragnet and draws out from a ruined humanity a little flock, to be
throughout eternity the monument of God's sovereign mercy. It exhibits
His omnipotency. Election makes known the fact that God is all
powerful, ruling and reigning over the earth, and declares that none
can successfully resist His will or thwart His secret purposes.
Election reveals God breaking down the opposition of the human heart,
subduing the enmity of the carnal mind, and with irresistible power
drawing His chosen ones to Christ. Election confesses that "we love
him because he first loved us," and that we believe because He made us
willing in the day of His power (Ps. 110:3).
The doctrine of election ascribes all the glory to God. It disallows
any credit to the creature. It denies that the unregenerate are
capable of predicting a right thought, generating a right affection,
or originating a right volition. It insists that God must work in us
both to will and to do. It declares that repentance and faith are
themselves God's gifts, and not something which the sinner contributes
towards the price of his salvation. His language is, "Not unto us, not
unto us," but "Unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in
his own blood." These paragraphs were written by us almost a quarter
of a century since, and today we neither rescind nor modify them.
"The Lord makes distinctions among guilty men according to the
sovereignty of His grace. `I will no more have mercy upon the house of
Israel: but I will have mercy upon the house of Judah.' Had not Judah
sinned too? Might not the Lord have given up Judah also? Indeed He
might justly have done so, but He delighteth in mercy. Many sin, and
righteously bring upon themselves the punishment due to sin: they
believe not in Christ, and die in their sins. But God has mercy,
according to the greatness of His heart upon many, who could not be
saved upon any other footing but that of undeserved mercy. Claiming
His royal right He says, `I will have mercy on whom I will have
mercy.' The prerogative of mercy is vested in the sovereignty of God:
that prerogative He exercises. He gives where He pleases, and He has a
right to do so, since none have any claim upon Him" (C. H. Spurgeon:
"The Lord's Own Salvation"--Hos. 1:7).
The above makes it sufficiently plain that it is no light thing to
reject this blessed part of eternal truth: nay, it is a most solemn
and serious matter so to do. God's Word is not given us to pick and
choose from--to single out those portions which appeal to us, and to
disdain whatever commends itself not to our reason and sentiments. It
is given to us as a whole, and by it each of us must yet be judged. To
reject the grand truth we are here treating of is the height of
impiety, for to repudiate the election of God is to repudiate the God
of election. It is a refusal to bow before His high sovereignty. It is
the corrupt preacher opposing himself against the holy Creator. It is
presumptuous pride which insists upon being the determiner of its own
destiny. It is the spirit of Lucifer, who said, "I will exalt my
throne above the stars of God . . . I will be like the Most High"
(Isa. 14:13, 14).
Second, the blessedness of this doctrine appears in that it is all
important in the plan of salvation. Consider this first from the
divine side. A Scriptural presentation of this grand truth is
indispensable if the distinctive acts of the triune God in salvation
matters are to be recognized, honored, and owned. Salvation proceeds
not from one divine person only, but equally from the everlasting
three. Jehovah has so ordered things that each one in the Godhead
should be magnified and glorified alike. The Father is as really and
truly the Christian's Saviour as is the Lord Jesus, and so too is the
Holy Spirit--note how the Father is expressly designated "God our
Saviour" in Titus 3:4, as distinct from "Jesus Christ our Saviour" in
verse 5. But this is ignored and lost sight of if this precious
doctrine be omitted. Predestination pertains to the Father,
propitiation to the Son, regeneration to the Spirit. The Father
originated, the Son effectuated our salvation, and by the Spirit it is
consummated. To repudiate the former is to take away the very
foundation.
Consider it now from the human side: election lies at the very base of
a sinner's hope. By nature all are the children of wrath. In practice,
all have gone astray. The whole world has become guilty before God,
all are exposed to wrath, and if left to themselves would be involved
in one common ruin. They are "clay of the same lump," and continuing
under nature's forming hand would be all "vessels to dishonor" (Rom.
9:21). That any are saved is of the grace of God (Rom. 11:4-7). Jesus
Christ, the redeemer of sinners, is Himself the elect one, as
described by the prophet (Isa. 42:1). And all who shall ever be saved
are elected in Him, given to Him of the Father, chosen in Him before
the foundation of the world. It was to accomplish their salvation that
God gave His only begotten Son, and that Jesus Christ assumed our
nature and gave His life a ransom.
It is to call the elect that the Scriptures are given, that ministers
are sent, that the gospel is preached, and the Holy Spirit is here. It
is to accomplish election that men are taught of God, drawn of the
Father, regenerated by the Holy Spirit, made partakers of precious
faith, endued with the spirit of adoption, the spirit of prayer, and
the spirit of holiness. It is in consequence of their election that
men are made obedient to the gospel, are sanctified by the Spirit, and
become holy and without blame before God. Had there been no divine
election, there had been no divine salvation. Nor is this a mere
arbitrary assertion of ours: "Except the Lord of Sabbaoth had left us
a seed, we had been as Sodom, and been made like unto Gomorrah" (Rom.
9:29). Lost sinners cannot save themselves. God was under no
obligation to save them. If He be pleased to save, He saves whom He
will.
Election not only lies at the foundation of a sinner's hope, but also
accompanies every step of the Christian's progress to heaven. It
carries to him the glad tidings of salvation. It opens his heart to
receive the Saviour. It is seen in every act of faith, in every holy
duty, and in every effectual prayer. It calls him. It quickens him in
Christ. It beautifies his soul. It crowns him with righteousness and
life and glory. It contains within it the precious assurance that "He
which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of
Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6). There was nothing in them which moved God
to choose. His people, and He so deals with them as not to permit
anything in or from them as to cause Him to reverse that choice. As
Romans 8:30 so definitely intimates, predestination involves
glorification, and therefore guarantees the supply of the elect's
every need in between the two.
Third, the blessedness of this doctrine appears in its essential
elements. We will single out three or four of the principal of these.
First, the superlative honor of being chosen by God. In all choices
the person choosing puts a value on the chosen. To be selected by a
king unto an office, or to be called to some employment by the state,
how it will dignify a man. Thus it is in spiritual affairs. It was a
special commendation of Titus that he had been "chosen of the
churches" (2 Cor. 8:19). But that the great God, the blessed and only
potentate, should choose such poor, contemptible, worthless, and vile
creatures as we are, passeth knowledge. Ponder 1 Corinthians 1:26-29,
and see how this is there dwelt upon. How it should amaze us. How it
should humble us. Note how this honorable emphasis is put upon the
Lord Jesus: "Behold my servant, whom I have chosen" (Matt. 12:18); so
upon His members too: "The elect's sake, whom he hath chosen" (Mark
13:20).
Again; the consequent excellency of this. They are the elect: the ones
which God hath chosen, and doth not high worth, honor, excellency,
necessarily follow from this? The chosen of God must needs be choice:
the act of God makes them so. Observe the order in 1 Peter 2:6, "chief
cornerstone, elect, precious"--precious because elect. Take the most
eminent of God's saints, and what is their highest title and honor?
This: "For David My servant's sake, whom I chose" (1 Kings 11:34).
"Aaron whom He had chosen" (Ps. 105:26). Paul, "he is a chosen vessel
unto Me" (Acts 9:15). "Ye are a chosen generation, a peculiar people"
(1 Pet. 2:9), that is, elect. That expression is taken from "Ye shall
be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people" (Ex. 19:5). It
imports that which is dear to God: "since thou wast precious in my
sight, thou hast been honorable" (Isa. 43:4).
Again, mark the fulness of such high privilege. "Blessed is the man
whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may
dwell in thy courts" (Ps. 65:4); yea, he is "most blessed forever"
(Ps. 21:6), or as the Hebrew has it (see mar.) "set for blessings,"
that is, set apart or appointed for naught but blessings. As the New
Testament expresses it, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the
heavenly places in Christ: according as he hath chosen us in him"
(Eph. 1:3, 4). Election, then, is the treasury-fountain of all
blessedness. The elect are chosen unto the nearest approach and union
unto God that is possible for creatures, to the highest communion with
Himself. Consider too the time when He chose us. Paul dates it from
"the beginning" (2 Thess. 2:13). God hath loved us ever since He was
God, and while He is God He will continue to do so. God is from
everlasting and He continues to be God to everlasting (Ps. 90:2), and
His love to us is as old: "I have loved thee with an everlasting
love." And His love is like Himself: causeless, changeless, endless.
The blessedness of election appears again in the comparative fewness
of the elect. The paucity of men enjoying any privilege magnifies it
the more, as in the case of the preservation of Noah and his family:
"The ark . . . wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved" (1 Pet.
3:20). What a contrast was that from the whole world "of the ungodly,"
which all perished! The same fact and contrast was emphasized by
Christ in Luke 12. "For all these things do the nations of the world
seek after" (v. 30): that is, the things of time and sense, and God
gives such to them. But in opposition thereto, the Lord says, "Fear
not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you
the kingdom" (v. 32). His design was to show the greater mercy of God
that so few are reserved unto spiritual and eternal favors, while all
others have only material and temporal things as their portion.
How this solemn fact should affect our hearts. Turn your eyes, dear
reader, upon the world today, and look where you will, what do you
behold? Are you not compelled to say of the present generation, in all
nations alike, that God has left them to walk "in their own ways?"
Must we not mournfully conclude of the men and women of this age that
"the whole world lieth in wickedness" (1 John 5:19)? The sparse number
that are of God, are indeed thinly sown, a small handful of gleaning
in comparison with the whole great crop of mankind. And let it not be
forgotten that what appears now before our eyes is but the
actualization of that which was foreordained in eternity. There is no
disappointed and defeated God on the throne of the universe. He has
His way "in the whirlwind and in the storm" (Nab. 1:3).
And again we say how deeply should this startling contrast affect our
hearts. "For a few to be singled forth and saved, when a multitude,
yea, a generality of others are suffered to perish, how doth it
heighten the mercy and grace of salvation to us; for God in His
providence to order many outward means to deliver a few which He
denies to others, who perish: how doth this affect the persons that
are preserved? How much more when it is `so great a salvation'" (T.
Goodwin). This appears from what were types and mere shadows of it in
Old Testament times, as in the case of the one small family of Noah
alone being spared from the universal deluge. So, too, by the example
of Lot, pulled out of Sodom by the hand of angels. And why? "The Lord
being merciful unto him" says Genesis 19:16. Mark what a deep sense of
and valuation upon Lot had of the same: "Behold now thy servant hath
found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which
thou hast showed unto me in saving my life" (Gen. 19:19).
But there is this further to be considered: our being delivered from a
condition of like wretchedness and wrath as pertains to the non elect,
which held not in the cases mentioned above. Noah was "A just man, and
perfect in his generations" (Gen. 6:9), and Lot was "righteous" and
"vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked" (2 Pet. 2:7, 8).
They were not guilty of those awful sins because of which God sent the
flood and fire upon their fellows. But when we were ordained to
salvation, we lay before God in a like condition of corruption and
guilt as all mankind are in. It was only the sovereign decree of a
sovereign God which purposed our being brought out of a state of sin
and wrath into a state of grace and righteousness. How stupendous,
then, was the mercy of God unto us, in making this difference (1 Cor.
4:7) between those in whom there was "no difference" (Rom. 3:22)! 0
what love, what wholehearted obedience, what praise are due unto Him.
Fourth, the blessedness of this doctrine appears in that a true
apprehension thereof is a great promoter of holiness. According to the
divine purpose the elect are destined to a holy calling (2 Tim. 1:9).
In the accomplishment of that purpose, they are actually and
effectually brought to holiness. God separates them from an ungodly
world. He writes upon their hearts His Law and affixes to them His
seal. They are made partakers of the divine nature, being renewed in
the image of Him who created them. They are an habitation of God,
their bodies becoming the temple of the Holy Spirit, and they are led
by Him. A glorious change is thus wrought in them, transforming their
character and conduct. They wash their robes and make them white in
the blood of the Lamb. To them, old things are passed away and all
things are become new: forgetting the things which are behind, they
press forward to the things which are before. They are kings and
priests unto God, and shall yet be adorned with crowns of glory.
There are those who, in their ignorance, say that the doctrine of
election is a licentious one, that a belief of it is calculated to
produce carelessness and a sense of security in sin. Such a charge is
a blasphemous reflection upon the divine author of it. This truth, as
we have shown at length, occupies a prominent place in the Word of
God, and that Word is holy, and the whole of it profitable for
instruction in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16). The apostles one and all
believed and taught this doctrine, and they were promoters of piety
and not encouragers of loose living. It is true that this doctrine,
like every other Scripture, may be perverted by wicked men and put to
an evil use, but so far as militating against the truth, it only
serves to demonstrate the fearful extent of human depravity. We also
grant that unregenerate men may intellectually espouse this doctrine
and then settle down into a fatalistic inertia. But we emphatically
deny that a heart reception thereof will produce any such effect.
That faith, obedience, holiness are the inseparable consequences and
fruits of election is unmistakably clear from the Scriptures (Acts
13:48; Eph. 1:4; 1 Thess. 1:4-7; Titus 1:1), and has been fully set
forth by us in previous chapters. How can it be otherwise? Election
always involves regeneration and sanctification, and when a
regenerated and sanctified soul discovers that he owes his spiritual
renewal solely to the sovereign predestination of God, how can he but
be truly grateful and deeply thankful? And in what other way can he
express his gratitude than in a holy course of fruitful obedience? An
apprehension of the everlasting love of God for him will of necessity
awaken in him a responsive love to God, and wherever that exists there
will be a sincere effort to please Him in all things. The fact is that
a spiritual sense of the distinguishing grace of God is the most
powerful constraining motive unto genuine godliness.
Were we to enter into detail upon the principal elements of holiness
this chapter would be extended indefinitely. A due consideration of
the fact that there was nothing in us which moved God to fix His heart
upon us, and that He foresaw us as ruined and hell-deserving
creatures, will humble our souls as nothing else will. A spiritual
realization that all our concerns are entirely at the disposal of God,
will work in us a submission to His sovereign will as nothing else
can. A believing perception that God set His heart upon us from
everlasting, choosing us to be His peculiar treasure, will work in us
a contempt of the world. The knowledge that fellow-Christians are the
elect and beloved of God will evoke love and kindness unto them. The
assurance that God's eternal purpose is immutable and guarantees the
supply of our every need will impart solid comfort in every trial.
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Contents | Intro | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Election
by Arthur W. Pink
11. Its Opposition
_________________________________________________
Wherever the doctrine of election is Scripturally presented it meets
with fierce opposition and bitter declamation. It has been so
throughout the entire course of this Christian era, and that, among
all races and classes of people. Let the high prerogatives of God be
set forth, let the sovereignty of His grace be proclaimed, let men be
told they are but clay in the hands of the divine potter to be shaped
into vessels of wrath or vessels of mercy as seemeth good in His
sight, and at once there is an uproar and outcries of protest. Let the
preacher insist that the fallen creature has no claim whatever upon
his maker, that he stands before Him as a convicted felon, and is
entitled to naught but everlasting judgment, and let him declare that
all of Adam's progeny are so utterly depraved that their minds are
"enmity against God" and therefore in a state of inveterate
insubordination, that their hearts are so corrupt they have no desire
for spiritual things, their wills so completely under the domination
of evil they cannot turn unto the Lord, and he will he denounced as a
heretic.
But this should neither surprise nor stagger the child of God. As he
becomes more familiar with the Scriptures, he will find that in every
generation the faithful servants of God have been hated and
persecuted, some for proclaiming one part of the truth, some for
another. When the sun shines on a dunghill, an odious stench is the
consequence; when its rays fall upon the stagnant waters of a swamp,
disease germs are multiplied. But is the sun to be blamed? Certainly
not. So when the sword of the Spirit cuts to the root of human pride,
reveals man to be a fallen and foul being, reduces him to an impotent
creature, laying him in the dust as a bankrupt pauper, and declares
him to be entirely dependent upon the discriminating pleasure of a
sovereign God, there is a storm of opposition evoked, and a determined
effort is made to silence such flesh-withering teaching.
The method which is usually followed by those who reject this truth is
one of misrepresentation. The doctrine of election is so grand and
glorious that to bear any opposition at all it must be perverted.
Those who hate it can neither look upon nor speak of it as it really
deserves. Election is treated by them as though it did not include a
designation to faith and holiness, as though it was not a conforming
of them unto the image of Christ; yea, as though the elect of God
might continue to commit all manner of wickedness and yet go to
heaven; and that the non-elect, no matter how virtuous they be, or how
ardently they long for and strive after righteousness, must assuredly
perish. False inferences are drawn, grotesque parodies exhibited, and
unscrupulous tactics are employed to create prejudice.
By such devilish efforts do the enemies of God seek to distort and
destroy this blessed doctrine. They besmirch it with mire, seek to
overwhelm it with things odious, and present it to the indignant gaze
of men as something to be repudiated and abominated. A monster of
iniquity is thus created and christened "Election," and then presented
to the world as something to be cast out as evil. Thereby multitudes
have been cheated out of one of the most precious portions of divine
truth, and thereby some of God's own people have been sorely perplexed
and harassed. That the avowed opponents of Christ should revile a
doctrine taught by Him and His apostles is only to be expected; but
when those who profess to be His friends and followers join in
denouncing this truth, it only serves to demonstrate the cunning of
that old serpent the devil, who is never more pleased than when he can
persuade nominal Christians to do his vile work for him. Then let not
the reader be moved by such opposition.
The vast majority of these opposers have little or no real
understanding of that which they set themselves against. They are
largely ignorant of what the Scriptures teach thereon, and are too
indolent to make any serious study of the subject. Whatever attention
they do pay to it is mostly neutralized by the veil of prejudice which
obstructs their vision. But when such persons examine the doctrine
with sufficient diligence to discover that it leads only to
holiness--holiness in heart and life--then they redouble their efforts
to do away with it. When professing Christians unite with its
detractors, charity obliges us to conclude that it is because of
failure to properly understand the doctrine. They take a one-sided
view of this truth: they view it through distorted lenses: they
contemplate it from the wrong angle. They fail to see that election
originated in everlasting love, that it is the choosing of a company
to eternal salvation, who otherwise would have inevitably perished,
and that it makes that company a willing, obedient, and holy people.
We shall not now attempt to cover the whole range of objections which
have been brought against the doctrine of election, yet our discussion
would be incomplete if we totally ignored them. The workings of
unbelief are always endless in number. The child of God needs to be
occupied with something more profitable. Yet we feel that we should at
least consider briefly the ones which the enemy suppose are the most
forceful and formidable. Not that our object is to try and convince
them of their errors, but rather with the design of seeking to help
fellow-believers who may have been shaken if not stumbled thereby. Our
business is not to refute error, but (under God) to establish our
readers in the truth. Yet in order to do this, it is sometimes needful
to expose the wiles of Satan, show how baseless are the most insidious
of his lies, and seek to remove from the Christian's mind any
injurious effect they may have had upon him.
Before starting on this unwelcome task let it be pointed out that any
lack of ability on our part to refute the calumnies of opponents, is
no proof that their position is impregnable. As the renowned Butler
pointed out long ago in his masterly "Analogy," "If a truth is
established, objections are nothing. The one (i.e., Truth) is founded
upon our knowledge, and the other on our ignorance." Once it is
established that two and two make four, no quibbling or juggling with
figures can disprove it. "We should never suffer what we know to be
disturbed by what we know not" said that master of logic, Paley. Once
we see anything to be clearly taught in Holy Writ, we must not allow
either our own prejudices or the antagonism of others to shake our
confidence in or adherence to it. If we are satisfied that we have a
"thus saith the Lord" to rest upon, it matters nothing if we be unable
to show the sophistry in the arguments brought to bear against it. Be
assured that God is true, even if that involves our accounting every
man a liar.
The bitterest enemies against the doctrine of election are the
Papists: This is exactly what might be expected, for the truth of
election can never be made to square with the dogma of human
merits--the one is diametrically opposed to the other. Every man who
loves himself and seeks salvation by his own works, will loathe
sovereign grace, and seek to load it with contempt. On the other hand,
those who have been effectually humbled by the Holy Spirit and brought
to realize that they are utterly dependent upon the discriminating
mercy of God, will have no hankerings after nor patience with a system
which sets the crown of honor upon the creature. History bears ample
testimony that Rome detests the very name of Calvinism. "From all
sects there may be some hope of obtaining converts to Rome except
Calvinism" said the late "Cardinal" Manning. And he was right, as our
own degenerate age bears full witness, for while no regenerated
Calvinist will ever be fatally deceived by the wiles of the mother of
harlots, yet thousands of "Protestant" (?) Arminians are annually
rushing to her arms.
It is an irrefutable fact that as Calvinism has met with less and less
favor in the leading Protestant bodies, as the sovereignty of God and
His electing love have been more and more crowded out of their
pulpits, that Rome has made increasing progress, until today she must
have, both in England and in the U.S.A., a greater number of followers
than any single evangelical denomination. But what is saddest of all
is that, the vast majority of those now occupying so-called Protestant
pulpits are preaching the very things which further Rome's interests.
Their insistence upon the freedom of fallen man's will-to-good must
fill the Papist leaders with delight--in the Council of Trent she
anathematized all who affirmed the contrary. To what extent the leaven
of Popery has spread may be seen in that "Evangelical Protestants" (?)
who oppose the doctrine of election are now employing the self-same
objections as were used by the Italian doctors four hundred years ago.
But to come now to some of the objections. First, such a doctrine is
utterly unreasonable. When it suits her purpose Rome makes a big
pretense of appealing to human reason, but at other times she demands
that her children close their mental eyes and accept blindly whatever
their unholy "mother" is pleased to palm upon them. Yet Rome is by no
means the only offender at this point: multitudes of those who regard
themselves as Protestants are guilty of the same thing. So too almost
the first response of those who make no religious profession, when
they have this truth presented to their notice, is to exclaim, "Such a
concept does not appeal to me at all. If there is a God, and if He has
anything at all to do with our present lives, I believe He will give
us all an equal chance, balance our good deeds against our bad, and be
merciful unto us. To say that He has favorites among His creatures,
and that He fixed the destiny of every one before his birth, strikes
me as outrageous."
Our first reply to such an objection is that, it is quite beside the
point. The only matter which needs deciding at the outset is, What
saith the Scriptures? If election be clearly taught therein, that
settles the matter for the child of God, settles it once and for all.
Whether he understands it or no, he knows that God cannot lie, and
that His Word is "true from the beginning" (Ps. 119:160). If his
opponent will not allow this, then there is no common ground on which
they can meet, and it is utterly futile to discuss the matter with
him. Under no circumstances must the Christian allow himself to be
drawn away from his stand on the impregnable rock of Holy Writ, and
descend to the treacherous ground of human reason. Only on that high
plane can he successfully withstand the onslaughts of Satan. Reread
Matthew 4 and observe how Christ vanquished the tempter.
The holy Word of God does not come to us craving acceptance at the bar
of human reason. Instead, it demands that human reason surrender
itself to its divine authority and receive unmurmuringly its inerrant
contents. It emphatically and repeatedly warns men that if they
despise its authority and reject its teachings, it is to their certain
eternal undoing. It is by that Word each of us shall be weighed,
measured, judged in the day to come; and therefore it is the part of
human wisdom to bow to and thankfully receive its inspired
declarations. The supreme act of right reason, my reader, is to submit
unreservedly unto divine wisdom, and accept with childlike simplicity
the revelation which God has graciously given us. Any other, any
different attitude thereto, is utterly unreasonable--the derangement
of pride. How thankful we should be that the ancient of days
condescends to instruct us.
Our second reply to the above objection is that, in a written
revelation from heaven we should fully expect to find much that
transcends the grasp of our poor earth-bound minds. What was the use
of God communicating to us only that which we already knew? Nor are
the Scriptures given to us as a field on which reason may be
exercised: what they require are faith and obedience. And faith is not
a blind, unintelligible thing, but confidence in its Author, an
assurance that He is too wise to err, too righteous to be unjust; and
therefore that He is infinitely worthy of our trust and subjection to
His holy will. But just because God's Word is addressed to faith,
there is much in it which is contrary to nature, much that is most
mysterious, much that leaves us wondering. Faith must be tested--to
prove its genuineness. And God delights to honor faith: though His
Word be not written to satisfy curiosity, and though many questions
are not there fully answered, yet the more faith be exercised, the
fuller is the light granted.
God Himself is profoundly mysterious. "Lo, these are parts of His
ways: but how little a portion is heard of Him!" (Job 26:14); "How
unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out" (Rom.
11:33). We must therefore expect to find in the Bible much that
strikes us as strange: things "hard to be understood" (2 Peter 3:16).
The creation of the universe out of nothing, at the mere fiat of the
Almighty, is beyond the grasp of the finite mind. The divine
incarnation transcends human reason: "Great is the mystery of
godliness: God was manifest in the flesh" (2 Tim. 3:16): that Christ
should be conceived and born of a woman who had known no contact with
man, cannot be accounted for by human reason. The resurrection of our
bodies, thousands of years after they had gone to dust, is
inexplicable. Is it not, then, most unreasonable to reject the truth
of election because human reason cannot fathom it!
Second, it is highly unjust. Rebels against the supreme sovereign
hesitate not to charge Him with unrighteousness because He is pleased
to exercise His own rights, and determine the destiny of His
creatures. They argue that all men should be dealt with on the same
footing, that all should be given an equal opportunity of salvation.
They say that if God shows mercy unto one and withholds it from
another, such partiality is grossly unfair. To such an objector we
reply in the language of Holy Writ: "Nay but, O man, who art thou that
repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed
it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the
clay of the same lump, to make one vessel unto honour, and another
unto dishonour?" (Rom. 9:20, 21). And there we leave him.
But some of the Lord's own people are disturbed by this difficulty.
First, then, we would remind them that God is "light" (1 John 1:5), as
well as "love." God is ineffably holy, as well as infinitely gracious.
As the Holy One He abhors all evil, and as the moral governor of His
creatures it becomes Him to eternally manifest His hatred of sin. As
the gracious one He is pleased to bestow favors upon the undeserving,
and to give an everlasting demonstration that He is "the Father of
mercies." Now in election both of these designs are unmistakably
accomplished. In the preterition and condemnation of the non-elect,
God gives full proof of His holiness and justice, by visiting upon
them the due reward of their iniquities. In the foreordination and
salvation of His chosen people, God makes a clear display of the
exceeding riches of His grace.
Suppose that God had willed the destruction of the entire human race:
then what? Had that been unjust? Certainly not. There could be no
injustice whatever in visiting upon criminals the penalty of that law
which they had defiantly broken. But what had then become of God's
mercy? Had naught but inexorable justice been exercised by an offended
God, then every descendant of fallen Adam had inevitably been
consigned to hell. Now on the other hand. Suppose God had decided to
open wide the floodgates of mercy, and carry the whole human race to
heaven: then what? The wages of sin is death--eternal death. But if
every man sinned, and none died, what evidence would there be that
divine justice was anything more than an empty name? If God had saved
all sinners, would not that necessarily inculcate light views of sin?
If all were taken to heaven, should we not conclude that this was due
us as a right?
Because all are guilty, are the hands of divine mercy to be tied? If
not, if mercy may be exercised, then is God obliged to wholly renounce
His justice? If God be pleased to exercise mercy upon some, who have
no claim thereto, cannot He also show Himself to be a just judge by
inflicting upon others the punishment to which they are entitled? What
wrong does a creditor do if he releases one and enforces his demands
on another? Am I unjust because I bestow charity on a beggar, and
decline doing so to his fellow? Then is the great God less free to
impart His gifts where He pleases? Before the above objection can have
any force it must be proved that every creature (because he is a
creature) is entitled to everlasting bliss, and that even though he
falls into sin and becomes a rebel against his maker, God is morally
obliged to save him. To such absurdities is the objector necessarily
reduced.
"If eternal felicity be due to every man without exception, surely
temporal felicity must be their due likewise: if they have a right to
the greater their claim to the less can hardly be doubted. If the
Omnipotent is bound, on penalty of becoming unjust, to do all He can
to make every individual happy in the next life; He must be equally
bound to render every individual happy in this. But are all men happy?
Look around the world and say Yes if you can. Is the Creator therefore
unjust? none but Satan would suggest it: none but his echoes will
affirm it. The Lord is a God of truth, and without iniquity: just and
right is He. . . . Is the constituted order of things mysterious?
impenetrably so. Yet the mysteriousness of God's dispensations
evinces, not the injustice of the sovereign dispenser, but the
shallowness of human comprehension, and the shortness of human sight.
Let us then, by embracing and revering the Scriptural doctrines of
predestination and providence, give God credit for being infinitely
wise, just, and good; though for the present His way is in the deep,
and His footsteps are not known" (A. Toplady, author of "Rock of
Ages").
Finally, let it be pointed out that God never refuses mercy to any one
who humbly seeks it. Sinners are freely invited to forsake their
wicked ways and sue unto the Lord for pardon. The gospel feast is
spread before them; if they refuse to partake thereof, if instead they
loathe and turn away from it with disdain, is not their blood on their
own heads? What sort of "justice" is it which requires God to bring to
heaven those who hate Him? If God has performed a miracle of grace in
you, my reader, and begotten in your heart a love for Him, be
fervently thankful for the same, and disturb not your peace and joy by
asking why He has not done the same for your fellow transgressors.
Third, the gospel offer is meaningless. Those who refuse to receive
the truth of divine election are fond of saying that the idea of God
having eternally chosen one and passed by another of His creatures
would reduce evangelical preaching to a farce. They argue that if God
has foreordained a part of the human race to destruction, it can
contain no bona fide offer of salvation to them. Let it first be
pointed out that this objection does not press upon Calvinism alone,
but applies with the same force to Arminianism. Free-willers deny the
absoluteness of the divine decrees, yet they affirm the divine
presence. Then let us turn the question round upon him: How can God in
good faith bid men to repent and believe the gospel, when He
infallibly foreknows they will never do so? If he supposes the former
objection to be irrefutable, he will find our question is unanswerable
by his own principles.
Whatever difficulty may be presented at this point--and the writer has
no thought of belittling it--one thing is clear: to whomsoever the
gospel comes, God is sincere in bidding its hearers submit to its
requirements, receive its glad tidings, and be saved thereby. Whether
we can or cannot perceive how this is so, matters nothing; but the
integrity of the divine character must be maintained at all costs. The
mere fact that we are unable to discern the consistency and harmony
between two distinct lines of truth, certainly does not warrant our
rejecting either one of them. The doctrine of sovereign election is
clearly revealed in the Scriptures; so too is the genuineness of the
gospel offer to all who receive it: the one must be contended for as
earnestly as the other.
But do we not create our own difficulty by supposing that the
salvation of men is God's sole object, or even His principal design,
in the sending forth of the gospel? But what other ends, it may be
asked, are accomplished thereby? Many. God's first end in the gospel,
as in everything else, is the honor of His own great name and the
glory of His Son. In the gospel the character of God and the
excellency of Christ are more fully revealed than anywhere else. That
a worldwide testimony should be borne thereto is infinitely fitting.
That men should have made known to them the ineffable perfections of
Him with whom they have to do is certainly most desirable. God, then,
is magnified and the matchless worth of His Son proclaimed, even
though not one sinner ever believed and was saved thereby.
Again; the preaching of the gospel is the appointed instrument in the
hands of the Holy Spirit whereby the elect are brought to Christ. God
does not disdain instrumental agencies, but is pleased to employ them:
He who ordained the end, also appointed the means thereto. Just
because God's elect are "scattered abroad" (John 11:52) among all
nations, He has commanded that "Repentance and remission of sins
should be preached in His name among all nations" (Luke 24:47). It is
by hearing the gospel they are called out of the world. By nature
God's elect are the children of wrath "even as others": they are lost
sinners needing a Saviour, and apart from Christ there is no salvation
for them. Therefore the gospel must be preached to and believed in by
them before they can rejoice in the knowledge that their sins are
forgiven. The gospel, then, is God's great winnowing fan, separating
the wheat from the chaff, and gathering the former into His garner.
Moreover, the non-elect gain much from the gospel even though it
effects not their eternal salvation. The world exists for the elect's
sake, yet all share the benefits of it. The sun shines upon the evil
as well as the good; refreshing showers fall upon the lands of the
wicked as truly as on the ground of the righteous. So God causes the
gospel to reach the ears of many of the non-elect, as well as those of
His favored people. Why? Because it is one of His powerful agencies to
hold in check the wickedness of fallen men. Millions who are never
saved by it, are reformed: their lusts are bridled, their outward
course improved, and society is made more suitable for the saints to
live in. Compare the peoples without the gospel and those who have it:
in the case of the latter it will be found that higher morality
obtains even where there is no spirituality.
Finally, it should be pointed out that the gospel is made a real test
of the characters of all who hear it. The Scriptures declare that man
is a fallen, corrupt, and sin-loving creature. They insist that his
mind is enmity against God, that he loves darkness rather than light,
that he will not be subject to God under any circumstances. Yet who
believes such humbling truths? But the response to the gospel by the
non-elect demonstrates the verity of God's Word. Their continued
impenitence, unbelief, and disobedience bears witness to their total
depravity. God instructed Moses to go unto Pharaoh and make request
that Israel should be allowed to worship Jehovah in the wilderness;
yet in the next verse He told him, "I am sure that the king of Egypt
will not let you go, not by a mighty hand" (Ex. 3:18, 19).Then why
send Moses on such an errand? To make manifest the hardness of
Pharaoh's heart, the stubbornness of his will, and the justice of God
in destroying such a wretch.
Fourth, it destroys human responsibility. Arminians contend that to
affirm God has unalterably decreed and fixed the history and destiny
of every man, would be to demolish human accountability, that in such
a case man would be no better than a machine. They insist that man's
will must be free, free equally unto good and evil, or otherwise he
would cease to be a moral agent. They argue that unless a person's
actions are without compulsion, and are in accordance with his own
desires and inclinations, he could not be justly held responsible for
them. From this premise the conclusion is drawn that it is the
creature and not the Creator who chooses and decides his eternal
destiny, for if his acts are self-determined, they cannot be divinely
determined.
Such an objection is really a descent into the dark regions of
philosophy and metaphysics, a specious attempt of the Enemy to lead us
away from the realm of divine revelation. So long as we abide by the
Holy Scriptures, we are safe, but as soon as we resort to reasoning
upon spiritual matters we are certain to err. God has already made
known all that He deems well for us to know in this life, and any
attempt to be wise above that which is written is naught but folly and
impiety. From the Scriptures it is clear as a sunbeam that
man--whether considered as unfallen or fallen--is a responsible being,
that he is made to reap whatsoever he sows, that he will yet have to
render unto God an account of all his deeds and be judged accordingly;
and nothing must be allowed to weaken the impression of these solemn
facts upon our minds.
The same line of reasoning has been employed by those who reject the
verbal inspiration of the Scriptures. It is contended that such a
postulate entirely eliminates the human element from the Bible, that
if we insist (as this writer, for one, most emphatically does) that
not only the thoughts and sentiments but the very language itself is
divine, that every word and syllable of the original manuscripts was
God-breathed then the human penman employed in transmitting the same
were merely automatons. But this we know is false. In like manner,
with as much show of reason might the objector declare that Christ
cannot be both divine and human: that if He be God, He cannot be man,
and that if He be truly man, it follows that He cannot be God. What is
reasoning worth, my reader, upon such matters!
The books of the Bible were written by men, written by them under the
free exercise of their natural faculties, in such a way that the
impress of their personalities is clearly left upon their several
contributions. Nevertheless, they originated nothing: they were "moved
by the Holy Ghost" (2 Peter 1:21), and so completely were they
controlled by Him, that not the slightest shadow of a mistake or error
was made by them, and every thing they wrote was "the words which . .
. the Holy Ghost teacheth" (1 Cor. 2:13). The redeemer is the Son of
man, who was "in all things . . . made like unto His brethren" (Heb.
2:17); yet because His humanity was taken into union with His divine
person everything He did possessed a unique and infinite value. Man is
a moral agent, acting according to the desires and dictates of his
nature: he is at the same time a creature, fully controlled and
determined by his Creator. In each of these cases the divine and human
elements coalesce, but the divine dominates, yet not to the exclusion
of the human.
"Woe unto the world because of offenses! for it must needs be that
offenses come." Then surely, may an objector reply, there can be no
guilt resting on him who introduces that which is inevitable.
Different far was the teaching of Christ: "but woe to that man by whom
the offense cometh" (Matt. 18:7). "When ye shall hear of wars and
rumors of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be"
(Mark 13:7). There is a must-be for these death-dealing scourges, yet
that alters not the criminality of the instigators of them. There is a
needs-be for "heresies" (I Cor. 11:19), yet the heretics themselves
are blamable. Absolute necessity and human responsibility are,
therefore, perfectly compatible, whether we can perceive their
consistency or no.
Fifth, it is objected against the truth of predestination that it
supercedes the use of means and renders all incentives to human
endeavor negatory. It is asserted that if God has elected a man unto
salvation that he will be saved although he remains utterly
unconcerned and continues to take his fill of sin; that if he has not
been elected, then no efforts to obtain eternal life would be of any
use. It is said that for men to be told they have been divinely
ordained either to life or death by an eternal and immutable decree,
they will at once conclude that it makes no difference whatever how
they conduct themselves, since no acts of theirs can to the slightest
decree either impede or promote the foreordination of God. Thus, it is
argued, all motives to diligence are effectually neutralized, that it
is subversive of every exhortation to morality and spirituality.
Really this is the most senseless of all objections. It is not an
objection at all against the Scriptural doctrine of predestination,
but against an entirely different concept, one hatched in the brains
of ignorance, or conceived by malignity in order to bring odium on the
truth. The only sort of predestination to which this objection is
applicable, would be an absolute pre-appointment to an end without any
regard to the means. Stripped of all ambiguity, this objection
presupposes that God secures His purposes without employing any
instrumental agencies. Thus, when the objection is exposed in its
nakedness we see at once what a sorry figure it cuts. Those whom God
has elected to salvation He has chosen to it "through sanctification
of the Spirit and belief of the Truth" (II Thess. 2:13).
The fact is that God decreed to bring His elect to glory in a way of
sanctification, and in no other way than that; and throughout their
entire course. He treats them as rational and accountable creatures,
using suitable means and motives to draw out their hearts unto
Himself. To affirm that if they are elected they will reach heaven
whether sanctified or no, is just as silly as to say Abraham might
have been the father of many nations although he had died in infancy,
or that Hezekiah could have lived his extra fifteen years without food
or sleep. Prior to the taking of Jericho it was divinely revealed to
Joshua that he should be master of that place (6:2): the assurance was
absolute. Did, then, Israel's leader conclude that no action was
needed, that all might sit down and fold their arms? No; he arranged
the procession around its walls in obedience to God's command, and the
event was accomplished accordingly.
We turn now briefly to consider some of the principal Scriptures used
by those who resist the Truth. "Because I have called, and ye refused;
I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at
naught all my counsel, and would none of my reproof" (Prov. 1:24, 25).
"I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people which
walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts" (Isa.
65:2). "How often would I have gathered thy children together . . .
and ye would not" (Matt. 23:37). We are told by Arminians that these
declarations are irreconcilable with Calvinism, that they show plainly
the will of God can be resisted and thwarted by men. But most
certainly a disappointed and defeated God is not the God of Holy Writ.
To draw from these verses the conclusion that the divine decrees fail
of accomplishment is utterly erroneous: they have nothing whatever to
do with God's eternal purpose, but instead, they respect only His
external agencies, whereby He enforces man's responsibility, tests his
character, and makes evident the wickedness of his heart.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son" (John
3:16). From these words it is urged that if God loves the world He
desires the salvation of the whole human race, and that it was for
this end He provided a Saviour for them. Here it is a case of being
misled by the mere sound of a word, instead of ascertaining its real
import. To say that God gave His Son with the design of providing
salvation for all of Adam's children is manifestly absurd, for half of
them had already died before Christ was born, and the vast majority of
them perished in heathen darkness. Where is there the slightest hint
in the Old Testament that God loved the Egyptians, the Canaanites, the
Babylonians? And where else in the New Testament is there any
statement that God loves all mankind? The "world" in John 3:16 (as in
many other places) is a general term, used in contrast from Israel,
who imagined they had a monopoly on redemption. God's love extends far
beyond the bounds of Judaism, embracing His elect scattered among all
nations.
"And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life" (John 5:40).
Strange to say this is one of the verses appealed to by those who will
not have election at any price. They suppose it teaches the free will
unto good of fallen man, and that Christ seriously intended the
salvation of those who despise and reject Him. But what is there in
these words which declares that Christ seriously intended their
salvation? Do they not rather signify that He was here preferring a
solemn charge against them? So far from our Lord's utterance implying
that these men had the power within themselves to come to Him, they
rather declare the perversity and stubbornness of their wills. Instead
of any inclination for the Holy One, they hated Him.
"Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of
the truth . . . who gave Himself a ransom for all" (1 Tim. 2:4, 6). In
order to understand these words they must not be considered
separately, but in connection with their setting. From the context it
is unmistakably evident that the "all men" God wills to be saved and
for whom Christ died are all men without regard to national
distinctions. Timothy's ministry was exercised chiefly among Jewish
converts, many of whom still retained their racial prejudices, so that
they were unwilling to submit to the authority of heathen rulers. This
was why the Pharisees had sought to discredit Christ before all people
when they asked Him whether it was lawful to pay tribute to Caesar.
Paul here tells Timothy that Christians were not only to yield
obedience unto Gentile rulers, but to pray for them as well (vv. 1,
2).
In 1 Timothy 2 Paul struck at the very root of the prejudice which
Timothy was called upon to combat. That law of Moses was now set
aside, the distinction which so long obtained between the lineal
descendants of Abraham and the rest of mankind no longer obtained: God
willed the salvation of Gentiles and Jews alike. Note particularly
these details. First, "There is one God [see Rom. 3:29, 30], and one
mediator between God and [not "the Jews" but] men" (v. 5). Second,
"Who gave himself a ransom for all [indefinitely], to be testified in
due time." (v. 6): when Christ was crucified it was not generally
understood, not even among His disciples, that He gave Himself for
Gentiles and Jews alike; but in "due time" (particularly under Paul's
ministry), it was clearly "testified." Third, "whereunto I am ordained
a preacher and an apostle . . . a teacher of the Gentiles" (v. 7).
Fourth, "I [with apostolic authority] will therefore that men pray
every where" (v. 8): those professing the faith of Christ must drop at
once and forever their Jewish notions and customs--Jerusalem no longer
possessed any peculiar sanctity.
"We see Jesus . . . that he by the grace of God should taste death for
every man" (Heb. 2:9). Have you taken the trouble to ascertain how
that expression is used elsewhere in the New Testament? "And then
shall every man have praise of God" (1 Cor. 4:5). Does that mean all
of Adam's race? How can it, when "depart from me, ye cursed" will be
the portion of many? "The head of every man is Christ" (1 Cor. 11:3):
was He the Head of Judas or Nero? "The manifestation of the Spirit is
given to every man" (1 Cor. 12:7). But some are "sensual, having not
the Spirit" (Jude v. 19 and cf. Rom. 8:9). It is "every one in God's
family that is meant in all of these epistle passages: note how the
"every one" of Hebrews 2:9 are defined as "many sons" (v. 10),
"brethren" (v. 11), "children" (vv. 12-14).
"There shall be false teachers among you who truly shall bring in
damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them" (1 Peter
2:1). This verse is often cited in an attempt to disprove that Christ
died for the elect only, which only serves to show what desperate
shifts our opponents are reduced to. Why the verse makes no reference
unto Christ at all, still less to His death! The Greek word here is
not kurios at all--the one commonly used when referring to the Lord
Jesus; but despotes. The only places where it occurs, when applied to
a divine person, are Luke 22:9; Acts 4:24; 2 Timothy 2:22; Jude 4;
Revelation 6:10, in all of which God the Father is plainly intended,
and in most of them as manifestly distinguished from Christ. "Buying"
here has reference to temporal deliverance, being taken from
Deuteronomy 32:6. Peter was writing to Jews, who boasted loudly they
were a people purchased by the Lord, and therefore he used this
expression to aggravate the impiety of these false teachers among the
Jews.
"Not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to
repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). Here again a false meaning is extracted by
divorcing a snippet from its context. The key to this verse is found
in the word "us-ward": "the Lord is . . . longsuffering to us-ward,"
for He is not willing that "any" of them should perish. And who are
they? Why, the "beloved" of verse 1 (those mentioned at the beginning
of the First Epistle, "elect according to the foreknowledge of God the
Father, through sanctification of the Spirit"), and because He has
purposed that "all" of them should come to repentance," He defers the
second coming of Christ (vv. 3, 4). Christ will not return till the
last of His people are safely in the Ark of Salvation.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Election
by Arthur W. Pink
12. Its Publication
_________________________________________________
During the last two or three generations the pulpit has given less and
less prominence to doctrinal preaching, until today--with very rare
exceptions--it has no place at all. In some quarters the cry from the
pew was, We want living experience and not dry doctrine; in others, We
need practical sermons and not metaphysical dogmas; and yet others,
Give us Christ and not theology. Sad to say, such senseless cries were
generally heeded: "senseless" we say, for there is no other safe way
of testing experience, as there is no foundation for practicals to be
built upon, if they be divorced from Scriptural doctrine; while Christ
cannot be known unless He be preached (1 Cor. 1:23), and He certainly
cannot be "preached" if doctrine is shelved. Various reasons may be
given for the lamentable failure of the pulpit: chief among them being
laziness, desire for popularity, superficial and lop-sided
"evangelism," love of the sensational.
Laziness. It is a far more exacting task, one which calls for much
closer confinement in the study, to prepare a series of sermons on say
the doctrine of justification, than it does to make addresses on
prayer, missions, or personal-work. It demands a far wider
acquaintance with the Scriptures, a more rigid disciplining of the
mind, and a more extensive perusal of the older writers. But this was
too exacting for most of the ministers, and so they chose the line of
least resistance and followed an easier course. It is because of his
proneness to this weakness that the minister is particularly exhorted,
"Give attendance to reading . . . take heed unto thyself, and unto the
doctrine; continue in them" (1 Tim. 4:13, 16); and again, "Study to
show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be
ashamed" (2 Tim. 2:15).
Desire for popularity. It is natural that the preacher should wish to
please his hearers, but it is spiritual for him to desire and aim at
the approbation of God. Nor can any man serve two masters. As the
apostle expressly declared, "For if I yet pleased men, I should not be
the servant of Christ" (Gal. 1:10): solemn words are those. How they
condemn them whose chief aim is to preach to crowded churches. Yet
what grace it requires to swim against the tide of public opinion, and
preach that which is unacceptable to the natural man. But on the other
hand, how fearful will be the doom of those who, from a determination
to curry favor with men, deliberately withheld those portions of the
truth most needed by their hearers. "Ye shall not add unto the word
which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it" (Deut.
4:2). O to be able to say with Paul, "I kept back nothing that was
profitable unto you. . . . I am pure from the blood of all" (Acts
20:20, 26).
A superficial and lop-sided "evangelism." Many of the pulpiteers of
the past fifty years acted as though the first and last object of
their calling was the salvation of souls, everything being made to
bend to that aim. In consequence, the feeding of the sheep, the
maintaining of a Scriptural discipline in the church, and the
inculcation of practical piety, was crowded out; and only too often
all sorts of worldly devices and fleshly methods were employed under
the plea that the end justified the means; and thus the churches were
filled with unregenerate members. In reality, such men defeated their
own aim. The hard heart must be ploughed and harrowed before it can be
receptive to the gospel seed. Doctrinal instruction must be given on
the character of God, the requirements of His law, the nature and
heinousness of sin, if a foundation is to be laid for true evangelism.
It is useless to preach Christ unto souls until they see and feel
their desperate need of Him.
Love of the sensational. In more recent times the current has changed.
A generation arose which was less tolerant even of superficial
evangelism, which demurred at hearing anything which was calculated to
make them the least uneasy in their sins. Of course, such people must
not be driven from the churches: they must be catered to and given
something which would tickle their ears. The stage of public action
afforded abundant material. The World-war and such characters as the
Kaiser, Stalin, and Mussolini were much in the public eye, as Hitler
and Abyssinia have been since. Under the guise of expounding prophecy
the pulpit turned its attention to what was styled "the Signs of the
Times" and the pew was made to believe that the "dictators" were
fulfilling the predictions of Daniel and the Apocalypse. There was
nothing in such preaching (?) that pricked the conscience, yet tens of
thousands were deluded into thinking that the very hearing of such
rubbish made them religious; and thus the churches were enabled to
"carry on."
Ere proceeding further, let it be pointed out that the objections most
commonly made against doctrinal preaching are quite pointless. Take,
first, the clamor for experimental preaching. In certain
quarters--quarters which though very restricted, yet consider
themselves the very champions of orthodoxy and the highest exponents
of vital godliness--the demand is for a detailed tracing out of the
varied experiences of a quickened soul both under the law and under
grace, and any other type of preaching, especially doctrinal, is
frowned upon as supplying nothing but the husk. But as one writer
tersely put it, "Though matters of doctrine are by some considered
merely as the shell of religion, and experience as the kernel, yet let
it be remembered that there is no coming to the kernel but through the
shell; and while the kernel gives value to the shell, yet the shell is
the guardian of the kernel. Destroy that, and you injure this."
Eliminate doctrine and you have nothing left to test experience by,
and mysticism and fanaticism are inevitable.
In other quarters the demand has been for preaching along practical
lines, such people supposing and insisting that doctrinal preaching is
merely theoretical and impracticable. Such a concept betrays woeful
ignorance. "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable [first] for doctrine, [and then] for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16). Study the
epistles of Paul and see how steadily that order is maintained. Romans
1-11 are strictly doctrinal; 12-16 practical exhortations. Take a
concrete example: in 1 Timothy 1:9, 10 the apostle draws up a catalog
of sins against which the denunciations of the law are imminently
directed, and then he added "And if there be any other thing which is
contrary to sound doctrine." What a plain intimation is this that
error in principles fundamental has a most unfavorable influence on
practicals, and that in proportion as the doctrine of God is
disbelieved the authority of God is disowned. It is the doctrine which
supplies motives for obedience to the precepts.
In connection with those who cry, preach Christ and not theology, we
have long observed that they never preach Him as the One with whom God
made a covenant (Ps. 89:3), nor as His "elect" in whom His soul
delighteth (Isa. 42:1). They preach a "Christ" which is the product of
their own imaginations, the creation of sentiment. If we preach the
Christ of Scripture we must set Him forth as the servant of God's
choice (1 Peter 2:4), as the Lamb "foreordained before the foundation
of the world" (1 Peter 1:19, 20), as the One "set for the fall and the
rising again of many in Israel" (Luke 2:34), as "the stone of
stumbling and a rock of offense." Christ is not to be preached as
separate from His members, but as the Head of His mystical
body--Christ and those whom God chose in Him are one, eternally and
immutably one. Then preach not a mutilated Christ. Preach Him
according to the eternal counsels of God.
Now if doctrinal preaching generally be so unpopular, the doctrine of
election is particularly and pre-eminently so. Sermons on
predestination are, with very rare exceptions, hotly resented and
bitterly denounced. "There seems to be an inevitable prejudice in the
human mind against this doctrine, and although most other doctrines
will be received by professing Christians, some with caution, others
with pleasure, yet this one seems to be most frequently disregarded
and discarded. In many of our pulpits it would be reckoned a high sin
and treason to preach a sermon upon election" (C. H. Spurgeon). If
that was the case fifty years ago, much more is it so now. Even in
avowedly orthodox circles the very mention of predestination is like
waving a red rag before a bull. Nothing so quickly makes manifest the
enmity of the carnal mind in the smug religionist and self-righteous
pharisees as does the proclamation of the divine sovereignty and His
discriminating grace; and few indeed are the men now left who dare to
contend valiantly for the truth.
Fearful beyond words are the lengths to which the horror and hatred of
election have carried even avowedly evangelical leaders in their
blasphemous speeches against this blessed truth: we refuse to pollute
these pages by quoting from their ungodly speeches. Some have gone so
far as to say that, even if predestination be revealed in the
Scriptures it is a dangerous doctrine, creating dissent and division,
and therefore it ought not to be preached in the churches; which is
the self-same objection used by the Romanists against giving the Word
of God to the common people in their own mother tongue. If we are to
whittle down the truth so as to preach only that which is acceptable
to the natural man, how much would be left? The preaching of Christ
crucified is to the Jews a stumblingblock and to the Greeks
foolishness (1 Cor. 1:23): is the pulpit to be silent thereon? Shall
the servants of God cease proclaiming the person, office and work of
His beloved Son, merely because He is "a stone of stumbling and a rock
of offense" (1 Peter 2:8) to the reprobate?
Many are the objections brought against this doctrine by those who
desire to discredit it. Some say election should not be preached
because it is so mysterious, and secret things belong unto the Lord.
But it is not a secret, for God has plainly revealed it in His Word;
and if it is not be to preached because of its mysteriousness, then
for the same reason nothing must be said about the unity of the divine
nature subsisting in a trinity of Persons, nor of the virgin-birth,
nor of the resurrection of the dead. According to others, the doctrine
of election cuts the nerve of all missionary enterprise, in fact
stands opposed to all preaching, rendering it entirely negatory. Then
in such a case the preaching of Paul himself was altogether useless,
for it was full of this doctrine: read his epistles and it will be
found that he proclaimed election continually, yet we never read of
him ceasing to preach it because it rendered his labor useless.
Paul taught that "It is God which worketh in you both to will and to
do of his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13), yet we do not find that on this
account he ceased to exhort men to will and endeavor those things
which are pleasing to God, and to work themselves with all their
might. If we are unable to perceive the consistency of the two things,
that is no reason why we should refuse to believe and heed either the
one or the other. Some argue against election because the preaching of
it shakes assurance and fills the minds of men with doubts and fears.
But in our day especially we should be thankful for any truth which
shatters the complacency of empty professors and arouses the
indifferent to examine themselves before God. With as much reason
might it be said that the doctrine of regeneration should not be
promulgated, for is it any easier to make sure that I have been truly
born again than it is to ascertain that I am one of God's elect? It is
not.
Still others insist that election should not be preached because the
ungodly will make an evil use of it, that they will shelter behind it
to excuse their unconcern and procrastination, arguing that if they
are elected to salvation that in the meantime they may live as they
please and take their fill of sin. Such an objection is puerile,
childish in the extreme. But what truth is there that the wicked will
not pervert? Why, they will turn the grace of God into lasciviousness,
and use (or rather misuse) His very goodness, His mercy, His long
sufferance, for continuance in a course of evil doing. Arminians tells
us that to preach the eternal security of the Christian encourages
slothfulness; while at the opposite extreme, hyper-Calvinists object
to the exhorting of the unregenerate unto repentance and faith on the
ground that it inculcates creature ability. Let us not pretend to be
wise above what is written, but preach all the counsel of God and
leave results to Him.
The servant of God must not be intimidated or deterred from professing
and proclaiming the unadulterated truth. His commission today is the
same as Ezekiel's of old: "Be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of
their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost
dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed
at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. And thou shalt
speak my words unto them whether they will hear, or whether they will
forbear: for they are most rebellious" (Ezek. 2:6, 7). He must expect
to encounter opposition, especially from those making the loudest
profession, and fortify himself against it. The announcement of God's
sovereign choice of men has evoked the spirit of malice and
persecution from earliest times. It did so as far back as the days of
Samuel. When the prophet announced to Jesse concerning his seven sons
"neither hath the Lord chosen these" (1 Sam. 16:10), the anger of his
firstborn was kindled against David (1 Sam. 17:28). So too when Christ
Himself stressed the distinguishing grace of God unto the Gentile
widow of Zarephath and Naaman the Syrian, the synagogue worshippers
were "filled with wrath" and sought to kill him (Luke 4:25-29). But
the very hatred this solemn truth arouses is one of the most
convincing proofs of its divine origin.
Election is to be preached and published, first, because it is brought
forward all through the Scriptures. There is not a single book in the
Word of God where election is not either expressly stated, strikingly
illustrated, or clearly implied. Genesis is full of it: the difference
which the Lord made between Nahor and Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac, and
His loving Jacob and hating Esau are cases to the point. In Exodus we
behold the distinction made by God between the Egyptians and the
Hebrews. In Leviticus the atonement and all the sacrifices were for
the people of God, nor were they bidden to go and "offer" them to the
surrounding heathen. In Numbers Jehovah used a Balaam to herald the
fact that Israel were "the people" who "shall dwell alone, and shall
not be numbered among the nations" (23:9); and therefore was he
constrained to cry "How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy
tabernacles, 0 Israel" (24:5). In Deuteronomy it is recorded "The
Lord's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance"
(32:9).
In Joshua we behold the discriminating mercy of the Lord bestowed upon
Rahab the harlot, while the whole of her city was doomed to
destruction. In Judges the sovereignty of God appears in the unlikely
instruments selected, by which He wrought victory for Israel: Deborah,
Gideon, Samson. In Ruth we have Orpah kissing her mother-in-law and
returning to her gods, whereas Ruth cleaves to her and obtained
inheritance in Israel--who made them to differ? In 1 Samuel David is
chosen for the throne, preferred to his older brethren. In 2 Samuel we
learn of the everlasting covenant "ordered in all things, and sure"
(23:5). In 1 Kings Elijah becomes a blessing to a single widow
selected from many; while in 2 Kings Naaman alone, of all the lepers,
was cleansed. In 1 Chronicles it is written "Ye children of Jacob, His
chosen ones" (16:13); while in 2 Chronicles we are made to marvel at
the grace of God bestowing repentance upon Manasseh. And so we might
go on. The Psalms, Prophets, Gospels and Epistles are so full of this
doctrine that he who runs may read.
Second, the doctrine of election is to be prominently preached because
the gospel cannot be Scripturally proclaimed without it. Alas, so deep
is the darkness and so widespread the ignorance which now prevails,
that few indeed perceive that there is any vital connection between
predestination and the evangel of God. Pause, then, for a moment and
seriously ponder these questions: Is the success or failure of the
gospel a matter of chance? or, to put it in another way, are the
fruits of the most stupendous undertaking of all--the atoning work of
Christ--left contingent upon human caprice? Could it be positively
affirmed that the Redeemer shall yet "see of the travail of his soul,
and. .. be satisfied" (Isa. 53:11) if all is left dependent upon the
will of fallen man? Has God so little regard for the death of His son
that He has left it uncertain as to how many shall be saved thereby?
"The gospel of God" (Rom. 1:1) can only be Scripturally presented as
the Triune God is owned and honored therein. The attenuated "gospel"
of our degenerate age confines the attention of its hearers to the
sacrifice of Christ, whereas salvation originated in the heart of God
the Father and is consummated by the operations of God the Spirit. All
the blessings of salvation are communicated according to God's eternal
counsels, and it was for the whole of election of grace (and none
others) that Christ wrought salvation. The very first chapter of the
New Testament announces that Jesus "shall save His people from their
sins:" not "may," but "shall"; not shall offer to or try to, but
actually "save" them. Again; not a single soul had ever benefited from
the death of Christ if the Spirit had not been given to apply its
virtues to the chosen seed. Any man, then, who omits the Father's
election, and the Spirit's sovereign and effectual operations,
preaches not the gospel of God, no matter what be his reputation as a
"soul winner.
We have exposed the senselessness of those objections which are made
against doctrinal preaching in general and the arguments which are
leveled against the proclamation of predestination in particular. Then
we pointed out some of the reasons why this grand truth is to be
published. First, because the Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation,
are full of it. Second, because the gospel cannot be Scripturally
preached without it. The great commission given to the public servants
of Christ, duly called and equipped by Him, reads thus, "preach the
gospel" (Mark 16:15): not parts of it, but the whole of it. The gospel
is not be preached piecemeal, but in its entirety, so that each person
in the Godhead is equally honored. Just as far as the gospel is
mutilated, just so far as any branch of the evangelical system is
suppressed, is the gospel not preached. To begin at Calvary, or even
at Bethlehem, is to begin in the middle: we must go right back to the
eternal counsels of divine grace.
Rightly did a renowned reformer put it, "Election is the golden thread
that runs through the whole Christian system . . . it is the bond
which connects and keeps it together, which, without this, is like a
system of sand ever ready to fall to pieces. It is the cement which
holds the fabric together; nay, it is the very soul that animates the
whole frame. It is so blended and interwoven with the entire scheme of
gospel doctrine that when the former is excluded, the latter bleeds to
death. An ambassador is to deliver the whole message with which he is
charged. He is to omit no part of it, but must declare the mind of the
sovereign he represents, fully and without reserve. He is to say
neither more nor less than the instructions of his court require, else
he comes under displeasure, perhaps loses his head. Let the ministers
of Christ weigh this well" (J. Zanchius, 1562).
Moreover the Gospel is to be preached "to every creature," that is, to
all who frequent the Christian ministry, whether Jew or Gentile, young
or old, rich or poor. All who wait upon the ministrations of God's
servants have a right to hear the gospel fully and clearly, without
any part of it being kept back. Now an important part of the gospel is
the doctrine of election: God's eternal, free, and irreversible choice
of certain persons in Christ to everlasting life. God foreknew that if
the success of the preaching of Christ crucified were left contingent
upon the response made to it by fallen men, there would be a universal
despising of the same. This is clear from, "They all with one consent
began to make excuse" (Luke 14:18). Therefore did God determine that a
remnant of Adam's children should be the eternal monuments of His
mercy, and accordingly He decreed to bestow upon them a saving faith
and repentance. That is good news, indeed: all rendered certain and
immutable by the sovereign will of God.
Christ is the supreme evangelist, and we find this doctrine was on His
lips all through His ministry. "I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven
and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and
prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it
seemed good in thy sight"; "For the elect's sake those days shall be
shortened"; "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matt. 11:25;
24:22; 25:34). "Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the
kingdom of God: but unto them that are without [i.e., the pale of
election] ,all these things are done in parables" (Mark 4:11).
"Rejoice, because your names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:20). "All
that the Father giveth me shall come to me"; "Ye believe not, because
ye are not of my sheep"; "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen
you" (John 6:37; 10:26; 15:16).
The same is true of the greatest of the apostles. Take the first and
chiefest of his epistles, which is expressly devoted to an unfolding
of "the Gospel of God" (Rom. 1:1). In Chapter 8 he describes those who
are "the called according to God's purpose" (v. 28), and in
consequence of which they were "foreknown" and "predestinated to be
conformed to the image of his son" (v. 29). The whole of Chapter 9 is
devoted thereto: there he shows the difference which God made between
Ishmael and Isaac, between Esau and Jacob, the vessels of wrath and
the vessels of mercy. There he tells us that God hath "mercy on whom
he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth" (v. 18). Nor were
these things written to a few persons in some obscure corner, but
addressed to the saints at Rome, "which was, in effect, bringing this
doctrine upon the stage of the whole world, stamping an universal
inprimatur upon it and publishing it to believers at large throughout
the earth" (Zanchius).
The doctrine of election is to be preached, third, because the grace
of God cannot be maintained without it. Things have now come to such a
sorry pass that the remainder of this chapter should really be devoted
to the elucidation and amplification of this important point; but we
must content ourselves with some brief remarks. There are thousands of
Arminian evangelists in Christendom today who deny predestination,
either directly or indirectly, and yet suppose they are magnifying
divine grace. Their idea is that God, out of His great goodness and
love, has provided salvation in Christ for the whole human family, and
that such is what He now desires and seeks. It is the view of these
men that God makes an offer of His saving grace through the gospel
message, makes it to the freewill of all who hear it, and that they
can either accept or refuse it. But that is not "grace" at all.
Divine grace and human worthiness are as far apart as the poles,
standing directly opposed the one to the other. But not so is the
"grace" of the Arminian. If grace is merely something which is offered
to me, something which I must improve if it is to do me any good, then
my acceptance thereof is a meritorious act, and I have ground for
boasting. If some refuse that grace and I receive it, then it must be
(since it is wholly a matter of the freewill of the hearer) because I
have more sense than they have, or because my heart is more tender
than theirs, or because my will is less stubborn; and were the
question put to me "Who maketh thee to differ?" (1 Cor. 4:7), then the
only truthful answer I could make would be to say, I made myself to
differ, and thus place the crown of honor and glory upon my own head.
To this it may be replied by some, We believe that the heart of the
natural man is hard and his will stubborn, but God in His grace sends
the Holy Spirit, and He convicts men of sin and in the day of His
visitation melts their hearts and seeks to woo them unto Christ; yet
they must respond to His "sweet overtures" and co-operate with His
"gracious influence." Here the ground is forsaken that it is wholly a
matter of man's will. Yet here too we have nothing better than a
burlesque of divine grace. Those very men affirm that many of those
who are the subjects of these influences of the Spirit, resist the
same and perish. Thus, those who are saved, owe their salvation (in
the final analysis) to their improving of the Spirit's overtures--they
"cooperate" with Him. In such a case the honors would be divided
between the Spirit's operations and my improvements of the same. But
that is not "grace" at all.
There are still others who seek to blunt the sharp edge of the
Spirit's sword by saying, We believe in the doctrine of
predestination, though not as you Calvinists teach it. A. single word
serves to untie this knot for us--"foreknowledge": Divine election is
based upon divine foreknowledge. God foresaw who would repent of their
sins and accept Christ as their Saviour, and accordingly he chose them
unto salvation. Here again human merits are dragged in. Grace is not
free, hut tied by the "decision" of the creature. Such a carnal
concept as this reverses the order of Scripture, which teaches that
the divine foreknowledge is based upon the divine purpose--God
foreknows what will be because He has decreed what shall be. Note
carefully the order in Acts 2:23 and Romans 8:28 (last clause) and 29.
Nowhere does Holy Writ speak of God foreseeing or foreknowing our
repentance and faith: it is always foreknowledge of persons and never
of acts--"whom He did foreknow" and not "what He did foreknow."
But does not Scripture say "whosoever will may come?" It does, and the
all-important question is, where does the willingness come from in the
case of those who respond to such an invitation? Men in their natural
condition are unwilling: as Christ declared "ye will not come to me
that ye might have life" (John 5:40). What, then, is the answer? This,
"Thy people [says the Father to the Son--see context] shall be willing
[to come] in the day of thy power" (Ps. 110:3). It is divine power,
that and nothing else, which makes the unwilling willing, which
overcomes all their enmity and obstinacy, which impels or "draws" them
to the feet of the Lord Jesus. The grace of God, my readers, is far
more than a lovely concept to sing about: it is an almighty power, an
invincible dynamic, a principle victorious over all resistance. "My
grace [says God] is sufficient for thee" (2 Cor. 12:9); it asks for no
assistance from us. "By the grace of God [and not by my] co-operation,
I am what I am" (1 Cor. 15:10), said the apostle.
Divine grace has done far more than make possible the salvation of
sinners: it makes certain the salvation of God's chosen ones. It not
only provides salvation for them, it brings salvation to them; and it
does so in such a way that its honors are not shared by the creature.
The doctrine of predestination batters down this dagon-idol of
"freewill" and human merits, for it tells us that if we have indeed
willed and desired to lay hold of Christ and salvation by Him, then
that very will and desire are the effect of God's eternal purpose and
the result of the efficacious workings of His grace, for it is God who
worketh in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure; and
therefore do we glory only in the Lord and ascribe all the praise unto
Him. This writer sought not the Lord, but hated, opposed, and
endeavored to banish Him from his thoughts; but the Lord sought him,
smote him to the ground (like Saul of Tarsus), subdued his vile
rebellion, and made him willing in the day of His power. That is Grace
indeed--sovereign, amazing, triumphant grace.
Fourth, the doctrine of election is to be published because it abases
man. Arminians imagine that they do so by declaring the total
depravity of the human family, yet in their very next breath they
contradict themselves by insisting on their ability to perform
spiritual acts. The fact is that "total depravity" is merely a
theological expression on their lips which they repeat like parrots
for they understand not nor believe the terrible import of that term.
The fall has radically affected, corrupted, every part and faculty of
our being, and therefore if man be totally depraved it necessarily
follows that unto sin our wills are completely enslaved. As man's
apostasy from God resulted in the darkening of his understanding, the
defiling of his affections, the hardening of his heart, so it brought
his will into complete bondage to Satan. He can no more free himself
than can a worm under the foot of an elephant.
One of the marks of God's people is that they have "no confidence in
the flesh" (Phil. 3:3), and nothing is so well calculated to bring
them into that state as the truth of election. Shut out divine
predestination and you must bring in the doings of the creature, and
that makes salvation contingent, and thus it is neither of grace alone
nor of works alone, but a nauseating mixture. The man who thinks he
can be saved without election must have some confidence in the flesh,
no matter how strongly he may deny it. Just so long as we are
persuaded that it lies in the power of our own wills to contribute
anything, be it never so little, unto our salvation, we remain in
carnal confidence, and therefore are not truly humbled before God. It
is not until we are brought to the place of self-despair--abandoning
all hope in our own abilities--that we truly look outside of ourselves
for deliverance.
When the truth of election is divinely applied to our hearts we are
brought to realize that salvation turns solely on the will of a
sovereign God, that "it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that
runneth, but of God that showeth mercy" (Rom. 9:16). When we are
granted a feeling sense of those words of Christ's "without me ye can
do nothing" (John 15:5), then our pride receives its death-wound. So
long as we entertain the mad idea that we can lend a helping hand in
the business of our salvation, there is no hope for us; but when we
perceive that we are clay in the hands of the divine potter to be
molded into vessels of honor or dishonor as pleaseth Him, then we
shall renounce our own strength, despair of any self-assistance, and
pray and submissively wait for the mighty operations of God; nor shall
we pray and wait in vain.
Fifth, election is to be preached because it is a divinely appointed
means of faith. One of the first effects produced in serious-minded
hearers is to stir them unto earnestly inquiring, Am I one of the
elect, and to diligently examine themselves before God. In many
instances this leads to the painful discovery that their profession is
an empty one, resting on nothing better than some "decision" made by
them years before under emotional stress. Nothing is more calculated
to reveal a sham conversion than a Scriptural setting forth of the
birth-marks of God's elect. Those who are predestinated unto salvation
are made the subjects of a miraculous work of grace in their hearts,
and that is a vastly different thing from a creature-act of "deciding
for Christ" or becoming a member of some church. Far more than a
natural faith is required to unite the soul unto a supernatural
Christ.
The preaching of election acts as a flail in separating the wheat from
the chaff. "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God"
(Rom. 10:17), and how can "the faith of God's elect" (Titus 1:1) be
begotten and strengthened if the truth of election be suppressed?
Divine foreordination does not set aside the use of means, but ensures
the continuation and efficacy of them. God has pledged Himself to
honor those who honor Him, and that preaching which brings most glory
unto the Lord is what He most blesses. That is not always apparent
now, but it will be made fully manifest in the Day to come, when it
will be seen that much which Christendom regarded as gold, silver,
precious stones, was naught but wood, hay, and stubble. Salvation and
the knowledge of the truth are inseparably connected (1 Tim. 2:4), but
how can men arrive at a saving knowledge of the truth, if the most
vital and basic part of it be withheld from them?
Sixth, election is to be preached because it incites to holiness. What
can possibly be a more powerful incentive to piety than a heart which
is overwhelmed by a sense of the sovereign and amazing grace of God!
The realization that He set His heart upon me from all eternity, that
He singled me out from many when I had no more claim upon His notice
that they had, that He chose me to be an object of His distinguishing
favor, giving me unto Christ, inscribing my name in the Book of life,
and at His appointed time bringing me from death unto life and giving
me vital union with His dear Son; this indeed will fill me with
gratitude and cause me to seek to honor and please Him. God's electing
love for us begets in us an endless love for Him. No motives so sweet
or so potent as the love of God constraining us.
Seventh, election is to be preached because it promotes the spirit of
praise. Said the apostle, "We are bound to give thanks always to God
for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the
beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit
and belief of the truth" (2 Thess. 2:13). How can it be otherwise?
Gratitude must find vent in adoration. A sense of God's electing grace
and everlasting love makes us bless Him as nothing else does. Christ
Himself returned special thanks unto the Father for His discriminating
mercy (Matt. 11:25). The gratitude of the Christian flows forth
because of the regenerating and sanctifying operations of the Spirit;
it is stirred afresh by the redemptive and intercessory work of
Christ; but it must rise still higher and contemplate the first
cause--the sovereign grace of the Father--which planned the whole of
our salvation. As then election is the great matter of thanksgiving
unto God, it must be freely preached to His people.
The value of this blessed doctrine appears in its suitability and
sufficiency to stabilize and settle true Christians in the certainty
of their salvation. When regenerated souls are enabled to believe that
the glorification of the elect is so infallibly fixed in God's eternal
purpose that it is impossible for any of them to perish, and when they
are enabled to Scripturally perceive that they themselves belong to
the people of God's choice, how its strengthens and confirms their
faith. Nor is such a confidence presumptuous--though any other most
certainly is so--for every genuinely converted person has the right to
regard himself as belonging to that favored company, since the Holy
Spirit quickens none but those who were predestinated by the Father
and redeemed by the Son. This is a hope "which maketh not ashamed,"
for it cannot issue in disappointment when entertained by those in
whose hearts the love of God is shed abroad by the Spirit (Rom. 5:5).
The holy assurance which issues from a believing apprehension of this
grand truth is forcibly set forth by the apostle in the closing verses
of Romans 8. There he assures us, "Whom He did predestinate, them he
also called: and whom He called them He also justified: and whom he
justified, them he also glorified" (v. 30). Such a beginning
guarantees such an end: a salvation which originated in a past
eternity must be consummated in a future eternity. From such grand
premises Paul drew the blessed conclusion "If God be for us, who can
be against us?" (v. 31). And again, "Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect?" (v. 33). And yet again, "Who shall separate us
from the love of Christ?" (v. 35). If such precious streams issue from
this fountain, then how great is the madness and how heinous the sin
of those who desire to see it choked. The everlasting security of
Christ's sheep cannot be presented in its full force until we base it
upon the divine decree.
How apt the trembling believer is to doubt his final perseverance, for
sheep (both natural and spiritual) are timid and self-distrustful
creatures. Not so the wild and wayward goats: true to their type, they
are full of carnal confidence and fleshly boasting. But the believer
has such a sense of his own weakness, such a sight of his sinfulness,
such a realization of his fickleness and stability, that he literally
works out his own salvation in fear and trembling." Moreover, as he
sees so many who did run well doing so no longer, so many who made
such a fair and promising profession end by making shipwreck of the
faith, the very sight of their apostasy causes him to seriously
question his own state and latter end. It is to stabilize their hearts
that God has revealed in His Word that those who are enabled to see in
themselves the marks of election may rejoice in the certainty of their
everlasting blessedness.
Let us also point out what a stabilizing effect the apprehension of
this grand truth has upon the true servant of God. How much there is
to dishearten him: the fewness of those who attend his ministry, and
opposition made to those portions of the truth which most exalt God
and abase man, the scarcity of any visible fruits attending his
labors, the charge preferred by some of his officers or closest
friends that if he continues along such lines he will have no one at
all left to preach to, the whisperings of Satan that God Himself is
frowning on such efforts, that he is a rank failure and had better
quit; these and other considerations have a powerful tendency to fill
him with dismay or tempt him to trim his sails and float along the
tide of popular sentiment. We know whereof we write, for we have
personally trod this thorny path.
Ah, but God has graciously provided an antidote for Satan's poison,
and an effectual cordial to revive the drooping spirits of His sorely
tried servants. What is this? The knowledge that their Master has not
sent them forth to draw a bow at a venture, but rather to be
instruments in His hand of accomplishing His eternal decree. Though He
has commissioned them to preach the gospel unto all who attend their
ministry, yet He has also made it plain in His Word that it is not His
purpose that all or even that many should be saved thereby. He has
made it known that His flock is (Greek) a "very little" one (Luke
12:32), that there is only "a remnant according to the election of
grace" (Rom. 11:5), that the "many" would be found on the broad road
that leadeth to destruction and that only a "few" would walk that
narrow way that leadeth unto life.
It is for the calling out from the world of this chosen remnant and
for the feeding and establishing of them that God chiefly employs His
servants. It is the due apprehension and personal belief of this which
tranquilizes and stabilizes the minister's heart as nothing else will.
As he rests upon the sovereignty of God, the efficacy of His decrees,
the absolute certainty that God's counsels shall be fully realized,
then he is assured that whatever God has sent him forth to do must be
accomplished, that neither man nor devil can prevent it. Appalled by
the ruin all around him, humiliated by his own sad failures, yet he
perceives that the outworking of the divine plan is infallibly
ensured. Those whom the Father ordained will believe (Acts 13:48),
those for whom the Son died must be saved (John 10:16), those whom the
Spirit quickens shall be effectually preserved (Phil. 1:6).
When the minister receives a message to deliver in the name of his
Master, he may rest with unshaken confidence on the promise, "So shall
My Word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto
me void, but it [not "may"] shall accomplish that which I please, and
it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it" (Isa. 55:11). It may
not accomplish what the preacher wishes nor prosper to the extent
which the saints desire, but no power on earth or in hell can prevent
the fulfillment of God's will. If God has marked out a certain person
to be brought into a saving knowledge of the truth under a particular
sermon, then no matter how buried in sin that soul may be nor how
hardly he may kick against the pricks of conscience, he shall (like
Paul of old) be made to cry "Lord, what wouldest thou have me to do?"
Here, then, is a sure resting place for the minister's heart. This was
where Christ found consolation, for when the nation at large despised
and rejected Him, He consoled Himself with the fact that "All that the
Father giveth me shall come to me" (John 6:3 7).
The value of this doctrine appears again in that it provides real
encouragement to praying souls. Nothing so promotes the spirit of holy
boldness at the throne of grace as the realization that God is our God
and that we are the people of His choice. They are His peculiar
treasure, the very apple of His eye, and they above all people have
His ear. "Shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night
unto him?" (Luke 18:7). Assuredly He shall do so, for they are the
only ones who supplicate Him in meekness, presenting their requests in
subjection to His sovereign pleasure. O my readers, when we are on our
knees, how this fact that God set His heart upon us from everlasting
must inspire fervency and faith. Since God chose to love us, can He
refuse to hear us? Then let us take courage from our predestination to
make more earnest supplication.
"But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself:
the Lord will hear when I call unto him" (Ps. 4:3). "`But know.' Fools
will not learn, and therefore they must again and again be told the
same thing, especially when it is such a bitter truth which is to be
taught them, viz:--the fact that the godly are the chosen of God, and
are, by distinguishing grace, set apart and separated from other men.
Election is a doctrine which unrenewed man cannot endure, but
nevertheless it is a glorious and well-attested truth, and one which
should comfort the tempted believer. Election is the guarantee of
complete salvation, and an argument for success at the throne of
grace. He who chose us for Himself will surely hear our prayers. The
Lord's elect shall not be condemned nor shall their cry be unheard.
David was king by divine decree, and we are the Lord's people in the
same manner; let us tell our enemies to their faces that they fight
against God and destiny, when they strive to overthrow our souls" (C.
H. Spurgeon).
Not only does a knowledge of the truth of election afford
encouragement to praying souls, but it supplies important instruction
and guidance therein. Our petitions ought ever to be framed in harmony
with divine truth. If we believe in the doctrine of predestination we
should pray accordingly. The language we use should be in agreement
with the fact that we believe there are a company of persons chosen in
Christ before the foundation of the world, and that it was for them,
and them alone, He suffered and died. If we believe in particular
redemption (rather than in a universal atonement) we should beg the
Lord Jesus to have respect unto such as He has purchased by His soul's
travail. This will be a means of keeping up right apprehensions in our
own minds, as it will also be setting a proper example in this matter
before others.
In the present day there are many deplorable expressions made use of
in prayer, which are utterly unjustifiable, yea, which are altogether
opposed to the will or Word of the Lord. How often the modern pulpit
asks for the salvation of all present, and the head of the household
requests that not one in the family miss eternal glory. To what
purpose is this? Are we going to direct the Lord, who He shall save?
Let us not be misunderstood: we are not against the preacher praying
for his congregation, nor the parent for his family; that which we are
opposed to is that praying which is in direct opposition unto the
truth of the gospel. Prayer must be subordinated to the divine
decrees, otherwise we are guilty of rebellion. When praying for the
salvation of others, it should always be with the proviso "If they be
thine elect" or "if it be thy sovereign will," or with some similar
qualification.
The Lord Jesus has left us a perfect example in this, as in everything
else. In His great high priestly prayer, recorded in John 17, we find
Him saying, "I pray not for the world, but for them which Thou hast
given Me; for they are Thine" (v. 9). Our Lord knew the whole of His
Father's good will and pleasure towards the elect. He knew that the
act of election was a sovereign and irreversible act in His mind. He
knew that He Himself could not add one to the number of the chosen. He
knew that He was sent from the Father to live and die for them, and
them only. And in perfect agreement with this He declared, "I pray for
them: I pray not for the world." If, then, Christ left out the world,
if He prayed not for the non-elect, neither should we. We must learn
of Him and follow His steps, and instead of resenting, be well pleased
with the whole good pleasure of God's sovereign will.
To be submissive unto the divine will is the hardest lesson of all to
learn. By nature we are self-willed and anything which crosses us is
resented. The upsetting of our plans, the dashing of our cherished
hopes, the smashing of our idols, stirs up the enmity of the flesh. A
miracle of grace is required in order to bring us into acquiescence to
God's dealing with us, so that we say from the heart "It is the Lord:
let Him do what seemeth Him good" (1 Sam. 3:18). And in bringing this
miracle to pass, God uses means. He impresses on our hearts, an
effectual sense of His sovereignty, so that we are brought to realize
that He has the unqualified right to do as He pleases with His
creatures. And no other truth has such a powerful tendency to teach us
this vital lesson as has the doctrine of election. A saving knowledge
of the fact that God chose us unto salvation begets within us a
readiness for Him to order all our affairs, till we cry "not my will,
but thine be done."
Now in view of all these considerations, we ask the reader, ought not
the doctrine of election to be plainly and freely proclaimed? If God's
Word be full of it, if the gospel cannot be Scripturally preached
without it, if the grace of God cannot be maintained when it is
suppressed, if the proclamation of it abases man into the dust, if it
be a divinely appointed means of faith, if it be a powerful incentive
unto the promotion of holiness, if it stirs in the soul the spirit of
praise, if it establishes the Christian in the certainty of his
security, if it be such a source of stability to the servant of God,
if it supplies encouragement to praying souls and affords valuable
instruction therein, if it work in us a sweet submission to the divine
will; then shall we refuse to give unto God's children this valuable
bread merely because dogs snap at it or withhold from the sheep this
vital ingredient of their food simply because the goats cannot digest
it?
And now, in conclusion, a few words on how this doctrine should he
published. First, it ought to be presented basically. This is not an
incidental or secondary truth, but one of fundamental importance and
therefore it is not to be crowded into a corner, nor spoken of with
bated breath. Predestination lies at the very foundation of the entire
scheme of divine grace. This is clear from Romans 8:30, where it is
mentioned before effectual calling, justification, and glorification.
It is clear again from the order followed in Ephesians 1, where
election (v. 4) precedes adoption, our acceptance in the Beloved, and
our having redemption through His blood (vv. 5-7). The minister must,
therefore, make it clear to his hearers that God first chose a people
to be His peculiar treasure, then sent His Son to redeem them from the
curse of the broken law, and now gives the Spirit to quicken them and
bring them to everlasting glory.
Second, it ought to be preached fearlessly. God's servants must not be
intimidated by the frowns of men nor deterred from performing their
duty by any form of opposition. The minister of the gospel is called
upon to "endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ" (2 Tim.
2:3), and soldiers who fear the foe or take to flight are of no
service to their king. The same holds good of those who are officers
of the King of kings. How fearless was the apostle Paul! How valiant
for the truth were Luther and Calvin, and the thousands of those who
were burned at the stake because of their adherence to this doctrine.
Then let not those whom Christ has called to preach the gospel conceal
this truth because of the fear of man, for the Master has plainly
warned them "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my
words in this evil and adulterous generation; of him also shall the
Son of man be ashamed" (Mark 8:38).
Third, it is to be preached humbly. Fearlessness does not require us
to be bombastic. The holy Word of God must ever be handled with
reverence and sobriety. When the minister stands before his people
they ought to feel by his demeanor that he has come to them from the
audience-chamber of the Most High, that the awe of Jehovah rests upon
his soul. To preach upon the sovereignty of God, His eternal counsels,
His choosing of some and passing by of others, is far too solemn a
matter to be delivered in the energy of the flesh. There is a happy
medium between a cringing, apologetic attitude, and adopting the style
of a political tirader. Earnestness must not degenerate into
vulgarity. It is "in meekness" we are to instruct those who oppose
themselves "if God peradventure will give them repentance to the
acknowledging of the truth" (2 Tim. 2:25).
Fourth, it is to be preached proportionately. Though the foundation be
of first importance it is of little value unless a superstructure be
erected upon it. The publication of election is to make way for the
other cardinal truths of the gospel. If any doctrine be preached
exclusively it is distorted. There is a balance to be preserved in our
presentation of the truth; while no part of it is to be suppressed, no
part of it is to be made unduly prominent. It is a great mistake to
harp on one string only. Man's responsibility must be enforced as well
as God's sovereignty insisted upon. If on the one hand the minister
must not be intimidated by Arminians, on the other he must not be
brow-beaten by hyper-Calvinists, who object to the calling upon the
unconverted to repent and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15).
Fifth, it is to be preached experimentally. This is how the apostles
dealt with it, as is clear from "give diligence to make your calling
and election sure" (2 Peter 1:10). But how can this be done unless we
are taught the doctrine of election, instructed in the nature and use
of it? The truth of election can be small comfort to any man until he
has a well-grounded assurance that he is one of God's chosen people;
and that is possible only by ascertaining that he possesses (in some
measure) the Scriptural marks of Christ's sheep. As we have already
dealt with this aspect of our subject at some length, we will say no
more. May it please the Lord to use these words unto His own glory and
the blessing of His dear saints.
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Contents | Intro | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
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The Doctrine of Justification
by Arthur W. Pink
1. Introduction
_________________________________________________
Our first thought was to devote an introductory chapter unto a setting
forth the principle errors which have been entertained upon this
subject by different men and parties, but after more deliberation we
decided this would be for little or no profit to the majority of our
readers. While there are times, no doubt, when it becomes the
distasteful duty of God's servants to expose that which is calculated
to deceive and injure His people, yet, as a general rule, the most
effective way of getting rid of darkness is to let in the light. We
desire, then, to pen these articles in the spirit of the godly John
Owen, who, in the introduction to his ponderous treatise on this theme
said, "More weight is to be put on the steady guidance of the mind and
conscience of one believer, really exercised about the foundation of
his peace and acceptance with God, than on the confutation of ten
wrangling disputers. . .To declare and vindicate the truth unto the
instruction and edification of such as love it in sincerity, to
extricate their minds from those difficulties in this particular
instance, which some endeavor to cast on all Gospel mysteries, to
direct the consciences of them that inquire after abiding peace with
God, and to establish the minds of them that do believe, are the
things I have aimed at."
There was a time, not so long ago, when the blessed truth of
Justification was one of the best known doctrines of the Christian
faith, when it was regularly expounded by the preachers, and when the
rank and file of church-goers were familiar with its leading aspects.
But now, alas, a generation has arisen which is well-nigh totally
ignorant of this precious theme, for with very rare exceptions it is
no longer given a place in the pulpit, nor is scarcely anything
written thereon in the religious magazines of our day; and, in
consequence, comparatively few understand what the term itself
connotes, still less are they clear as to the ground on which God
justifies the ungodly. This places the writer at a considerable
disadvantage, for while he wishes to avoid a superficial treatment of
so vital a subject, yet to go into it deeply, and enter into detail,
will make a heavy tax upon the mentality and patience of the average
person. Nevertheless, we respectfully urge each Christian to make a
real effort to gird up the loins of his mind and seek to prayerfully
master these chapters.
That which will make it harder to follow us through the present series
is the fact that we are here treating of the doctrinal side of truth,
rather than the practical; the judicial, rather than the experimental.
Not that doctrine is impracticable; no indeed; far, far from it. "All
Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable (first)
for doctrine, (and then) for reproof, for correction, for instruction
in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16). Doctrinal instruction was ever the
foundation from which the Apostles issued precepts to regulate the
walk. Not until the 6th chapter will any exhortation be found in the
Roman Epistle: the first five are devoted entirely to doctrinal
exposition. So again in the Epistle to the Ephesians: not until 4:1 is
the first exhortation given. First the saints are reminded of the
exceeding riches of God's grace, that the love of Christ may constrain
them; and then they are urged to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith
they are called.
While it be true that a real mental effort (as well as a prayerful
heart) is required in order to grasp intelligently some of the finer
distinctions which are essential to a proper apprehension of this
doctrine, yet, let it be pointed out that the truth of justification
is far from being a mere piece of abstract speculation. No, it is a
statement of Divinely revealed fact; it is a statement of fact in
which every member of our race ought to be deeply interested in. Each
one of us has forfeited the favor of God, and each one of us needs to
be restored to His favor. If we are not restored, then the outcome
must inevitably be our utter ruin and hopeless perdition. How fallen
creatures, how guilty rebels, how lost sinners, are restored to the
favor of God, and given a standing before Him inestimably superior to
that occupied by the holy angels, will (D. V.) engage our attention as
we proceed with our subject.
As said Abram Booth in his splendid work "The Reign of Grace" (written
in 1768), "Far from being a merely speculative point, it spreads its
influence through the whole body of divinity (theology), runs through
all Christian experience, and operates in every part of practical
godliness. Such is its grand importance, that a mistake about it has a
malignant efficacy, and is attended with a long train of dangerous
consequences. Nor can this appear strange, when it is considered that
this doctrine of justification is no other than the way of a sinner's
acceptance with God. Being of such peculiar moment, it is inseparably
connected with many other evangelical truths, the harmony and beauty
of which we cannot behold, while this is misunderstood. Till this
appears in its glory, they will be involved in darkness. It is, if
anything may be so called, a fundamental article; and certainly
requires our most serious consideration" (from his chapter on
"Justification").
The great importance of the doctrine of justification was sublimely
expressed by the Dutch Puritan, Witsius, when he said, "It tends much
to display the glory of God, whose most exalted perfections shine
forth with an eminent lustre in this matter. It sets forth the
infinite goodness of God, by which He was inclined to procure
salvation freely for lost and miserable man, `to the praise of the
glory of His grace' (Eph. 1:6). It displays also the strictest
justice, by which He would not forgive even the smallest offense, but
on condition of the sufficient engagement, or full satisfaction of the
Mediator, `that He might be just, and the Justifier of him which
believeth in Jesus' (Rom 3:26). It shows further the unsearchable
wisdom of the Deity, which found out a way for the exercise of the
most gracious act of mercy, without injury to His strictest justice
and infallible truth, which threatened death to the sinner: justice
demanded that the soul that sinned should die (Rom. 1:32). Truth had
pronounced the curses for not obeying the Lord (Deut. 28:15-68).
Goodness, in the meantime, was inclined to adjudge life to some
sinners, but by no other way than what became the majesty of the most
holy God. Here wisdom interposed, saying, `I, even I, am He that
blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not
remember thy sins' (Isa. 43:25). Nor shall you, His justice and His
truth have any cause of complaint because full satisfaction shall be
made to you by a mediator. Hence the incredible philanthropy of the
Lord Jesus shineth forth, who, though Lord of all, was made subject to
the law, not to the obedience of it only, but also to the curse: `hath
made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21).
Ought not the pious soul, who is deeply engaged in the devout
meditation of these things, to break out into the praises of a
justifying God, and sing with the church, "Who is a God like unto
Thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression"
(Micah 7:18). O the purity of that holiness which chose rather to
punish the sins of the elect in His only begotten Son, than suffer
them to go unpunished! O the abyss of His love to the world, for which
He spared not His dearest Son, in order to spare sinners! O the depth
of the riches of unsearchable wisdom, by which He exercises mercy
towards the penitent guilty, without any stain to the honor of the
most impartial Judge! O the treasures of love in Christ, whereby He
became a curse for us, in order to deliver us therefrom! How becoming
the justified soul, who is ready to dissolve in the sense of this
love, with full exultation to sing a new song, a song of mutual return
of love to a justifying God.
So important did the Apostle Paul, under the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, deem this doctrine, that the very first of his epistles in the
New Testament is devoted to a full exposition thereof. The pivot on
which turns the entire contents of the Epistle to the Romans is that
notable expression "the righteousness of God"--than which is none of
greater moment to be found in all the pages of Holy Writ, and which it
behooves every Christian to make the utmost endeavor to clearly
understand. It is an abstract expression denoting the satisfaction of
Christ in its relation to the Divine Law. It is a descriptive name for
the material cause of the sinner's acceptance before God. "The
righteousness of God" is a phrase referring to the finished work of
the Mediator as approved by the Divine tribunal, being the meritorious
cause of our acceptance before the throne of the Most High.
In the succeeding chapters (D. V.) we shall examine in more detail
this vital expression "the righteousness of God," which connotes that
perfect satisfaction which the Redeemer offered to Divine justice on
the behalf of and in the stead of that people which had been given to
Him. Suffice it now to say that that "righteousness" by which the
believing sinner is justified is called "the righteousness of God"
(Rom. 1:17; 3:21) because He is the appointer, approver, and imputer
of it. It is called "the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus
Christ" (2 Pet. 1:1) because He wrought it out and presented it unto
God. It is called "the righteousness of faith" (Rom. 4:13) because
faith is the apprehender and receiver of it. It is called "man's
righteousness" (Job 33:26) because it was paid for him and imputed to
him. All these varied expressions refer to so many aspects of that one
perfect obedience unto death which the Saviour performed for His
people.
Yes, so vital did the Apostle Paul, under the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, esteem this doctrine of Justification, that he shows at length
how the denial and perversion of it by the Jews was the chief reason
of their being rejected by God: see the closing verses of Romans 9 and
the beginning of chapter 10. Again; throughout the whole Epistle to
the Galatians we find the Apostle engaged in most strenuously
defending and zealously disputing with those who had assailed this
basic truth. Therein he speaks of the contrary doctrine as ruinous and
fatal to the souls of men, as subversive of the cross of Christ, and
calls it another gospel, solemnly declaring "though we, or an angel
from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you... let him be accursed"
(Gal. 1:8). Alas, that under the latitudinal liberty and false
"charity" of our day, there is now so little holy abhorrence of that
preaching which repudiates the vicarious obedience of Christ which is
imputed to the believer.
Under God, the preaching of this grand truth brought about the
greatest revival which the Cause of Christ has enjoyed since the days
of the Apostles. "This was the great fundamental distinguishing
doctrine of the Reformation, and was regarded by all the Reformers as
of primary and paramount importance. The leading charge which they
adduced against the Church of Rome was that she had corrupted and
perverted the doctrine of Scripture upon this subject in a way that
was dangerous to the souls of men; and it was mainly by the
exposition, enforcement, and application of the true doctrine of God's
Word in regard to it, that they assailed and overturned the leading
doctrines and practices of the Papal system. There is no subject which
possesses more of intrinsic importance than attaches to this one, and
there is none with respect to which the Reformers were more thoroughly
harmonious in their sentiments" (W. Cunningham).
This blessed doctrine supplies the grand Divine cordial to revive one
whose soul is cast down and whose conscience is distressed by a felt
sense of sin and guilt, and longs to know the way and means whereby he
may obtain acceptance with God and the title unto the Heavenly
inheritance. To one who is deeply convinced that he has been a
life-long rebel against God, a constant transgressor of His Holy Law,
and who realizes he is justly under His condemnation and wrath, no
inquiry can be of such deep interest and pressing moment as that which
relates to the means of restoring him to the Divine favour, remitting
his sins, and fitting him to stand unabashed in the Divine presence:
till this vital point has been cleared to the satisfaction of his
heart, all other information concerning religion will be quite
unavailing.
"Demonstrations of the existence of God will only serve to confirm and
more deeply impress upon his mind the awful truth which he already
believes, that there is a righteous Judge, before whom he must appear,
and by whose sentence his final doom will be fixed. To explain the
moral law to him, and inculcate the obligations to obey it, will be to
act the part of a public accuser, when he quotes the statutes of the
land in order to show that the charges which he has brought against
the criminal at the bar are well founded, and, consequently, that he
is worthy of punishment. The stronger the arguments are by which you
evince the immortality of the soul, the more clearly do you prove that
his punishment will not be temporary, and that there is another state
of existence, in which he will be fully recompensed according to his
desert" (J. Dick).
When God Himself becomes a living reality unto the soul, when His
awful majesty, ineffable holiness, inflexible justice, and sovereign
authority, are really perceived, even though most inadequately,
indifference to His claims now gives place to a serious concern. When
there is a due sense of the greatness of our apostasy from God, of the
depravity of our nature, of the power and vileness of sin, of the
spirituality and strictness of the law, and of the everlasting
burnings awaiting God's enemies, the awakened soul cries out,
"Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the
high God? shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves of
a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with
ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my
transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" (Micah
6:6, 7). Then it is that the poor soul cries out, "How then can man be
justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?"
(Job 25:4). And it is in the blessed doctrine which is now to be
before us that we are taught the method whereby a sinner may obtain
peace with his Maker and rise to the possession of eternal life.
Again; this doctrine is of inestimable value unto the conscientious
Christian who daily groans under a sense of his inward corruptions and
innumerable failures to measure up to the standard which God has set
before him. The Devil, who is "the accuser of our brethren" (Rev.
12:10), frequently charges the believer with hypocrisy before God,
disquiets his conscience, and seeks to persuade him that his faith and
piety are nought but a mask and outward show, by which he has not only
imposed upon others, but also on himself. But, thank God, Satan may be
overcome by "the blood of the Lamb" (Rev. 12:11): by looking away from
incurably depraved self, and viewing the Surety, who has fully
answered for the Christian's every failure, perfectly atoned for his
every sin, and brought in an "everlasting righteousness" (Dan. 9:24),
which is placed to his account in the high court of Heaven. And thus,
though groaning under his infirmities, the believer may possess a
victorious confidence which rises above every fear.
This it was which brought peace and joy to the heart of the Apostle
Paul: for while in one breath he cried, "O wretched man that I am! who
shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Rom. 7:24), in the
next he declared, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them
which are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1). To which he added, "Who shall
lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is
risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh
intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?"
(vv. 33-35). May it please the God of all grace to so direct our pen
and bless what we write unto the readers, that not a few who are now
found in the gloomy dungeons of Doubting Castle, may be brought out
into the glorious light and liberty of the full assurance of faith.
_________________________________________________
Contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
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The Doctrine of Justification
by Arthur W. Pink
2. Its Meaning
_________________________________________________
Deliverance from the condemning sentence of the Divine Law is the
fundamental blessing in Divine salvation: so long as we continue under
the curse, we can neither be holy nor happy. But as to the precise
nature of that deliverance, as to exactly what it consists of, as to
the ground on which it is obtained, and as to the means whereby it is
secured, much confusion now obtains. Most of the errors which have
been prevalent on this subject arose from the lack of a clear view of
the thing itself, and until we really understand what justification
is, we are in no position to either affirm or deny anything concerning
it. We therefore deem it requisite to devote a whole chapter unto a
careful defining and explaining this word "justification," endeavoring
to show both what it signifies, and what it does not connote.
Between Protestants and Romanists there is a wide difference of
opinion as to the meaning of the term "justify": they affirming that
to justify is to make inherently righteous and holy; we insisting that
to justify signifies only to formally pronounce just or legally
declare righteous. Popery includes under justification the renovation
of man's moral nature or deliverance from depravity, thereby
confounding justification with regeneration and sanctification. On the
other hand, all representative Protestants have shown that
justification refers not to a change of moral character, but to a
change of legal status; though allowing, yea, insisting, that a
radical change of character invariably accompanies it. It is a legal
change from a state of guilt and condemnation to a state of
forgiveness and acceptance; and this change is owing solely to a
gratuitous act of God, founded upon the righteousness of Christ (they
having none of their own) being imputed to His people.
"We simply explain justification to be an acceptance by which God
receives us into His favour and esteems us as righteous persons; and
we say that it consists in the remission of sins and the imputation of
the righteousness of Christ. . . Justification, therefore, is no other
than an acquittal from guilt of him who was accused, as though his
innocence has been proved. Since God, therefore, justifies us through
the mediation of Christ, He acquits us, not by an admission of our
personal innocence, but by an imputation of righteousness; so that we,
who are unrighteous in ourselves, are considered as righteous in
Christ" (John Calvin, 1559).
"What is justification? Answer: Justification is an act of God's free
grace unto sinners, in which He pardoneth all their sins, accepteth
and accounteth their persons righteous in His sight; not for any thing
wrought in them, or done by them, but only for the perfect obedience
and full satisfaction of Christ, by God imputed to them, and received
by faith alone" (Westminster Catechism, 1643).
"We thus define the Gospel justification of a sinner: It is a
judicial, but gracious act of God, whereby the elect and believing
sinner is absolved from the guilt of his sins, and hath a right to
eternal life adjudged to him, on account of the obedience of Christ,
received by faith" (H. Witsius, 1693).
"A person is said to be justified when he is approved of God as free
from the guilt of sin and its deserved punishment; and as having that
righteousness belonging to him that entitles to the reward of life"
(Jonathan Edwards, 1750).
Justification, then, refers not to any subjective change wrought in a
person's disposition, but is solely an objective change in his
standing in relation to the law. That to justify cannot possibly
signify to make a person inherently righteous or good is most clearly
to be seen from the usage of the term itself in Scripture. For
example, in Proverbs 17:15 we read, "He that justifieth the wicked,
and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the
LORD": now obviously he who shall make a "wicked" person just is far
from being an "abomination to the LORD," but he who knowingly
pronounces a wicked person to be righteous is obnoxious to Him. Again;
in Luke 7:29 we read, "And all the people that heard Him, and the
publicans, justified God": how impossible it is to make the words
"justified God" signify any moral transformation in His character; but
understand those words to mean that they declared Him to be righteous,
and all ambiguity is removed. Once more, in 1 Timothy 3:16 we are told
that the incarnate Son was "justified in (or "by") the Spirit": that
is to say, He was publicly vindicated at His resurrection, exonerated
from the blasphemous charges which the Jews had laid against Him.
Justification has to do solely with the legal side of salvation. It is
a judicial term, a word of the law courts. It is the sentence of a
judge upon a person who has been brought before him for judgment. It
is that gracious act of God as Judge, in the high court of Heaven, by
which He pronounces an elect and believing sinner to be freed from the
penalty of the law, and fully restored unto the Divine favour. It is
the declaration of God that the party arraigned is fully conformed to
the law; justice exonerates him because justice has been satisfied.
Thus, justification is that change of status whereby one, who being
guilty before God, and therefore under the condemning sentence of His
Law, and deserving of nought but an eternal banishment from His
presence, is received into His favour and given a right unto all the
blessings which Christ has, by His perfect satisfaction, purchased for
His people.
In substantiation of the above definition, the meaning of the term
"justify" may be determined, First, by its usage in Scripture. "And
Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or
how shall we clear (this Hebrew word "tsadag" always signifies
"justify") ourselves?" (Gen. 44:16). Here we have an affair which was
entirely a judicial one. Judah and his brethren were arraigned before
the governor of Egypt, and they were concerned as to how they might
procure a sentence in their favour. "If there be a controversy between
men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them; then
they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked" (Deut.
25:1). Here again we see plainly that the term is a forensic one, used
in connection with the proceedings of law-courts, implying a process
of investigation and judgment. God here laid down a rule to govern the
judges in Israel: they must not "justify" or pass a sentence in favour
of the wicked: compare 1 Kings 8:31, 32.
"If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am
perfect, it shall also prove me perverse" (Job 9:20): the first member
of this sentence is explained in the second--"justify" there cannot
signify to make holy, but to pronounce a sentence in my own favour.
"Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu . . . against Job . . . because
he justified himself rather than God" (Job 32:2), which obviously
means, because he vindicated himself rather than God. "That Thou
mightest be justified when Thou speakest, and be clear when Thou
judgest" (Ps. 51:4), which signifies that God, acting in His judicial
office, might be pronounced righteous in passing sentence. "But wisdom
is justified of her children" (Matt. 11:19), which means that they who
are truly regenerated by God have accounted the wisdom of God (which
the scribes and Pharisees reckoned foolishness) to be, as it really
is, consummate wisdom: they cleared it of the calumny of folly.
Second, The precise force of the term "to justify" may be ascertained
by noting that it is the antithesis of "to condemn." Now to condemn is
not a process by which a good man is made bad, but is the sentence of
a judge upon one because he is a transgressor of the law. "He that
justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both
are abomination to the LORD" (Prov. 17:15 and cf. Deut. 25:1). "For by
thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be
condemned" (Matt. 12:37). "It is God that justifieth. Who is he that
condemneth?" (Rom. 8:33, 34). Now it is undeniable that "condemnation"
is the passing of a sentence against a person by which the punishment
prescribed by the law is awarded to him and ordered to be inflicted
upon him; therefore justification is the passing of a sentence in
favour of a person, by which the reward prescribed by the law is
ordered to be given to him.
Third, That justification is not an experimental change from sin to
holiness, but a judicial change from guilt to no-condemnation may be
evidenced by the equivalent terms used for it. For example, in Romans
4:6 we read, "Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the
man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works": so that
legal "righteousness" is not a habit infused into the heart, but a
gift transferred to our account. In Romans 5:9, 10 to be "justified by
Christ's blood" is the same as being "reconciled by His death," and
reconciliation is not a transformation of character, but the effecting
of peace by the removal of all that causes offense.
Fourth, From the fact that the judicial side of our salvation is
propounded in Scripture under the figures of a forensic trial and
sentence. "(1) A judgment is supposed in it, concerning which the
Psalmist prays that it may not proceed on the terms of the law: Psalm
143:2. (2) The Judge is God Himself: Isaiah 50:7, 8. (3) The tribunal
whereon God sits in judgment is the Throne of Grace: Hebrews 4:16. (4)
A guilty person. This is the sinner, who is so guilty of sin as to be
obnoxious to the judgment of God: Romans 3:18. (5) Accusers are ready
to propose and promote the charge against the guilty person; these are
the law (John 5:45), conscience (Rom. 2:15), and Satan: Zechariah 3:2,
Revelation 12:10. (6) The charge is admitted and drawn up in a
`handwriting' in form of law, and is laid before the tribunal of the
Judge, in bar to the deliverance of the offender: Colossians 2:14. (7)
A plea is prepared in the Gospel for the guilty person: this is grace,
through the blood of Christ, the ransom paid, the eternal
righteousness brought in by the Surety of the covenant: Romans 3:23,
25, Daniel 9:24. (8) Hereunto alone the sinner betakes himself,
renouncing all other apologies or defensatives whatever: Psalm 130:2,
3; Luke 18:13. (9) To make this plea effectual we have an Advocate
with the Father, and He pleads His own propitiation for us: 1 John
2:1, 2. (10) The sentence hereon is absolution, on account of the
sacrifice and righteousness of Christ; with acceptation into favour,
as persons approved of God: Romans 8:33, 34; 2 Corinthians 5:21" (John
Owen).
From what has been before us, we may perceive what justification is
not. First, it differs from regeneration. "Whom He called, them He
also justified" (Rom. 8:30). Though inseparably connected, effectual
calling or the new birth and justification are quite distinct. The one
is never apart from the other, yet they must not be confounded. In the
order of nature regeneration precedes justification, though it is in
no sense the cause or ground of it: none is justified till he
believes, and none believe till quickened. Regeneration is the act of
the Father (James 1:18), justification is the sentence of the Judge.
The one gives me a place in God's family, the other secures me a
standing before His throne. The one is internal, being the impartation
of Divine life to my soul: the other is external, being the imputation
of Christ's obedience to my account. By the one I am drawn to return
in penitence to the Father's house, by the other I am given the "best
robe" which fits me for His presence.
Second, it differs from sanctification. Sanctification is moral or
experimental, justification is legal or judicial. Sanctification
results from the operation of the Spirit in me, justification is based
upon what Christ has done for me. The one is gradual and progressive,
the other is instantaneous and immutable. The one admits of degrees,
and is never perfect in this life; the other is complete and admits of
no addition. The one concerns my state, the other has to do with my
standing before God. Sanctification produces a moral transformation of
character, justification is a change of legal status: it is a change
from guilt and condemnation to forgiveness and acceptance, and this
solely by a gratuitous act of God, founded upon the imputation of
Christ's righteousness, through the instrument of faith alone. Though
justification is quite separate from sanctification, yet
sanctification ever accompanies it.
Third, it differs from forgiveness. In some things they agree. It is
only God who can forgive sins (Mark 2:7) and He alone can justify
(Rom. 3:30). His free grace is the sole moving cause in the one (Eph.
1:7) and of the other (Rom. 3:24). The blood of Christ is the
procuring cause of each alike: Matthew 26:28, Romans 5:9. The objects
are the same: the persons that are pardoned are justified, and the
same that are justified are pardoned; to whom God imputes the
righteousness of Christ for their justification to them He gives the
remission of sins; and to whom He does not impute sin, but forgives
it, to them He imputes righteousness without works (Romans 4:6-8).
Both are received by faith (Acts 26:18, Rom. 5:1). But though they
agree in these things, in others they differ.
God is said to be "justified" (Rom. 3:4), but it would be blasphemy to
speak of Him being "pardoned"--this at once shows the two things are
diverse. A criminal may be pardoned, but only a righteous person can
truly be justified. Forgiveness deals only with a man's acts,
justification with the man himself. Forgiveness respects the claims of
mercy, justification those of justice. Pardon only remits the curse
due unto sin; in addition justification confers a title to Heaven.
Justification applies to the believer with respect to the claims of
the law, pardon with respect to the Author of the law. The law does
not pardon, for it knows no relaxation; but God pardons the
transgressions of the law in His people by providing a satisfaction to
the law adequate to their transgressions. The blood of Christ was
sufficient to procure pardon (Eph. 1:7), but His righteousness is
needed for justification (Rom. 5:19). Pardon takes away the filthy
garments, but justification provides a change of raiment (Zech. 3:4).
Pardon frees from death (2 Sam. 12:13), but righteousness imputed is
called "justification of life" (Rom. 5:18). The one views the believer
as completely sinful, the other as completely righteous. Pardon is the
remission of punishment, justification is the declaration that no
ground for the infliction of punishment exists. Forgiveness may be
repeated unto seventy times seven, justification is once for all.
From what has been said in the last paragraph we may see what a
serious mistake it is to limit justification to the mere forgiveness
of sins. Just as "condemnation" is not the execution of punishment,
but rather the formal declaration that the accused is guilty and
worthy of punishment; so "justification" is not merely the remission
of punishment but the judicial announcement that punishment cannot be
justly inflicted--the accused being fully conformed to all the
positive requirements of the law in consequence of Christ's perfect
obedience being legally reckoned to his account. The justification of
a believer is no other than his being admitted to participate in the
reward merited by his Surety. Justification is nothing more or less
than the righteousness of Christ being imputed to us: the negative
blessing issuing therefrom is the remission of sins; the positive, a
title to the heavenly inheritance.
Beautifully has it been pointed out that "We cannot separate from
Immanuel His own essential excellency. We may see Him bruised and
given like beaten incense to the fire, but was incense ever burned
without fragrance, and only fragrance being the result? The name of
Christ not only cancels sin, it supplies in the place of that which it
has canceled, its own everlasting excellency. We cannot have its
nullifying power only; the other is the sure concomitant. So was it
with every typical sacrifice of the Law. It was stricken: but as being
spotless it was burned on the altar for a sweet-smelling savor. The
savor ascended as a memorial before God: it was accepted for, and its
value was attributed or imputed to him who had brought the vicarious
victim. If therefore, we reject the imputation of righteousness, we
reject sacrifice as revealed in Scripture; for Scripture knows of no
sacrifice whose efficacy is so exhausted in the removal of guilt as to
leave nothing to be presented in acceptableness before God" (B. W.
Newton).
"What is placing our righteousness in the obedience of Christ, but
asserting that we are accounted righteous only because His obedience
is accepted for us as if it were our own? Wherefore Ambrose appears to
me to have very beautifully exemplified this righteousness in the
benediction of Jacob: that as he, who had on his own account no claim
to the privileges of primogeniture, being concealed in his brother's
habit, and invested with his garment, which diffused a most excellent
odor, insinuated himself into the favour of his father, that he might
receive the benediction to his own advantage, under the character of
another; so we shelter ourselves under the precious purity of Christ"
(John Calvin).
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The Doctrine of Justification
by Arthur W. Pink
3. Its Problem
_________________________________________________
In this and the following chapter our aim will be fourfold. First, to
demonstrate the impossibility of any sinner obtaining acceptance and
favour with God on the ground of his own performances. Second, to show
that the saving of a sinner presented a problem which nought but
omniscience could solve, but that the consummate wisdom of God has
devised a way whereby He can pronounce righteous a guilty transgressor
of His Law without impeaching His veracity, sullying His holiness, or
ignoring the claims of justice; yea, in such a way that all His
perfections have been displayed and magnified, and the Son of His love
glorified. Third, point out the sole ground on which an awakened
conscience can find solid and stable peace. Fourth, seek to give God's
children a clearer understanding of the exceeding riches of Divine
grace, that their hearts may be drawn out in fervent praise unto the
Author of "so great salvation."
But let it be pointed out at the onset that, any reader who has never
seen himself under the white light of God's holiness, and who has
never felt His Word cutting him to the very quick, will be unable to
fully enter into the force of what we are about to write. Yea, in all
probability, he who is unregenerate is likely to take decided
exception unto much of what will be said, denying that any such
difficulty exists in the matter of a merciful God pardoning one of His
offending creatures. Or, if he does not dissent to that extent, yet he
will most likely consider that we have grossly exaggerated the various
elements in the case we are about to present, that we have pictured
the sinner's condition in far darker hues than was warranted. This
must be so, for he has no experimental acquaintance with God, nor is
he conscious of the fearful plague of his own heart.
The natural man cannot endure the thought of being thoroughly searched
by God. The last thing he desires is to pass beneath the all-seeing
eye of his Maker and Judge, so that his every thought and desire, his
most secret imagination and motive, stands exposed before Him. It is
indeed a most solemn experience when we are made to feel with the
Psalmist, "O LORD, Thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest
my downsitting and mine uprising, Thou understandest my thought afar
off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted
with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O
LORD, Thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and
before, and laid Thine hand upon me" (Ps. 139:1-5).
Yes, dear reader, the very last thing which the natural man desires is
to be searched, through and through by God, and have his real
character exposed to view. But when God undertakes to do this very
thing--which He either will do in grace in this life, or in judgment
in the Day to come--there is no escape for us. Then it is we may well
exclaim, "Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee
from Thy presence? If I ascend up into Heaven, Thou art there: if I
make my bed in Hell, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of
the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there
shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me. If I say,
Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light
about me" (Ps. 139:7-11). Then it is we shall be assured, "Yea, the
darkness hideth not from Thee; but the night shineth as the day: the
darkness and the light are both alike to Thee" (v. 12).
Then it is that the soul is awakened to a realization of who it is
with whom it has to do. Then it is that he now perceives something of
the high claims of God upon him, the just requirements of His Law, the
demands of His holiness. Then it is that he realizes how completely he
has failed to consider those claims, how fearfully he has disregarded
that law, how miserably he falls short of meeting those demands. Now
it is that he perceives he has been "a transgressor from the womb"
(Isa. 48:8), that so far from having lived to glorify His Maker, he
has done nought but follow the course of this world and fulfill the
lust of the flesh. Now it is he realizes that there is "no soundness"
in him but, from the sole of the foot even unto the head, "wounds, and
bruises, and putrifying sores" (Isa. 1:6). Now it is he is made to see
that all his righteousness are as "filthy rags" (Isa. 64:6).
"It is easy for any one in the cloisters of the schools to indulge
himself in idle speculations of the merit of works to justify men; but
when he comes into the presence of God, he must bid farewell to these
amusements, for there the business is transacted with seriousness, and
no ludicrous logomachy (dispute about words) practiced. To this point,
then, must our attention be directed, if we wish to make any useful
inquiry concerning true righteousness; how we can answer the celestial
Judge, when He shall call us to an account. Let us place that Judge
before our eyes, not according to the spontaneous imaginations of our
minds, but according to the descriptions given of Him in the
Scripture; which represents Him as one whose refulgence eclipses the
stars, whose power melts the mountains, whose anger shakes the earth,
whose wisdom takes the subtle in their own craftiness, whose purity
makes all things appear polluted, whose righteousness even the angels
are unable to bear, who acquits not the guilty, whose vengeance, when
it is once kindled, penetrates even to the abyss of Hell" (John
Calvin).
Ah, my reader, tremendous indeed are the effects produced in the soul
when one is really brought into the presence of God, and is granted a
sight of His awesome majesty. While we measure ourselves by our fellow
men, it is easy to reach the conclusion that there is not much wrong
with us; but when we approach the dread tribunal of ineffable
holiness, we form an entirely different estimate of our character and
conduct. While we are occupied with earthly objects we may pride
ourselves in the strength of our faculty, but fix the gaze steadily on
the midday sun and under its dazzling brilliance the weakness of the
eye will at once become apparent. In like manner, while I compare
myself with other sinners I can but form a wrong estimate of myself,
but if I gauge my life by the plummet of God's Law, and do so in the
light of His holiness, I must "Abhor myself, and repent in dust and
ashes" (Job 42:6).
But not only has sin corrupted man's being, it has changed his
relation to God: it has "alienated" him (Eph. 4:18), and brought him
under His righteous condemnation. Man has broken God's Law in thought
and word and deed, not once, but times without number. By the Divine
tribunal he is pronounced an incorrigible transgressor, a guilty
rebel. He is under the curse of his Maker. The law demands that its
punishment shall be inflicted upon him; justice clamours for
satisfaction. The sinner's case is deplorable, then, to the last
degree. When this is painfully felt by the convicted conscience, its
agonized possessor cries out, "How then can man be justified with God?
or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?" (Job 25:4). How
indeed! Let us now consider the various elements which enter into this
problem.
The requirements of God's Law. "Every question therefore, respecting
justification necessarily brings before us the judicial courts of God.
The principles of those courts must be determined by God alone. Even
to earthly governors we concede the right of establishing their own
laws, and appointing the mode of their enforcement. Shall we then
accord this title to man, and withhold it from the all-wise and
almighty God? Surely no presumption can be greater than for the
creature to sit in judgment on the Creator, and pretend to determine
what should, or should not be, the methods of His government. It must
be our place reverently to listen to His own exposition of the
principles of His own courts, and humbly to thank Him for His goodness
in condescending to explain to us what those principles are. As
sinners, we can have no claim on God. We do have claim to a revelation
that should acquaint us with His ways.
"The judicial principles of the government of God, are, as might be
expected, based upon the absolute perfectness of His own holiness.
This was fully shown both in the prohibitory and in the mandatory
commandments of the law as given at Sinai. That law prohibited not
only wrong deeds and wrong counsels of heart, but it went deeper
still. It prohibited even wrong desires and wrong tendencies, saying,
`thou shalt not be concupiscent'--that is, thou shalt not have, even
momentarily, one desire or tendency that is contrary to the
perfectness of God. And then as to its positive requirements, it
demanded the perfect, unreserved, perpetual surrender of soul and
body, with all its powers, to God and to His service. Not only was it
required, that love to Him--love perfect and unremitted--should dwell
as a living principle in the heart, but also that it should be
developed in action, and that unvaryingly. The mode also of the
development throughout, was required to be as perfect as the principle
from which the development sprang.
"If any among the children of men be able to substantiate a claim to
perfectness such as this, the Courts of God are ready to recognize it.
The God of Truth will recognize a truthful claim wherever it is found.
But if we are unable to present any such claim--if corruption be found
in us and in our ways--if in any thing we have fallen short of God's
glory, then it is obvious that however willing the Courts of God may
be to recognize perfectness wherever it exists, such willingness can
afford no ground of hope to those, who, instead of having perfectness,
have sins and short-comings unnumbered" (B. W. Newton).
The indictment preferred against us. "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O
earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up
children, and they have rebelled against me. The ox knoweth his owner,
and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, My people
doth not consider. Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a
seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken
the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they
are gone away backward" (Isa. 1:2-4). The eternal God justly charges
us with having broken all His commandments--some in act, some in word,
all of them in thought and imagination.
The enormity of this charge is heightened by the fact that against
light and knowledge we chose the evil and forsook the good: that again
and again we deliberately turned aside from God's righteous Law, and
went astray like lost sheep, following the evil desires and devices of
our own hearts. Above, we find God complaining that inasmuch as we are
his creatures, we ought to have obeyed Him, that inasmuch as we owe
our very lives to His daily care we ought to have rendered Him fealty
instead of disobedience, and have been His loyal subjects instead of
turning traitors to His throne. No exaggeration of sin is brought
against us, but a statement of fact is declared which it is impossible
for us to gainsay. We are ungrateful, unruly, ungodly creatures. Who
would keep a horse that refused to work? Who would retain a dog which
barked and flew at us? Yet we have broken God's sabbaths, despised His
reproofs, abused His mercies.
The sentence of the law. This is clearly announced in the Divine
oracles, "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which
are written in the book of the law to do them" (Gal. 3:10). Whoever
violates a single precept of the Divine Law exposes himself to the
displeasure of God, and to punishment as the expression of that
displeasure. No allowance is made for ignorance, no distinction is
made between persons, no relaxation of its strictness is permissible:
"The soul that sinneth it shall die" is its inexorable pronouncement.
No exception is made whether the transgressor be young or old, rich or
poor, Jew or Gentile: "the wages of sin is death"; for "the wrath of
God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men" (Rom. 1:18).
The Judge Himself is inflexibly just. In the high court of Divine
justice God takes the law in its strictest and sternest aspect, and
judges rigidly according to the letter. "But we are sure that the
judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such
things. . .Who will render to every man according to his deeds" (Rom.
2:2, 6). God is inexorably righteous, and will not show any partiality
either to the law or to its transgressor. The Most High has determined
that His Holy Law shall be faithfully upheld and its sanctions
strictly enforced.
What would this country be like if all its judges ceased to uphold and
enforce the laws of the land? What conditions would prevail were
sentimental mercy to reign at the expense of righteousness? Now God is
the Judge of all the earth and the moral Ruler of the universe. Holy
Writ declares that "justice and judgment," and not pity and clemency,
are the "habitation" of His "throne" (Ps. 89:14). God's attributes do
not conflict with each other. His mercy does not override His justice,
nor is His grace ever shown at the expense of righteousness. Each of
His perfections is given free course. For God to give a sinner
entrance into Heaven simply because He loved him, would be like a
judge sheltering an escaped convict in his own home merely because he
pitied him. Scripture emphatically declares that God, "will by no
means clear the guilty" (Ex. 34:7).
The sinner is unquestionably guilty. It is not merely that he has
infirmities or that he is not as good as he ought to be: he has set at
nought God's authority, violated His commandments, trodden His Laws
under foot. And this is true not only of a certain class of offenders,
but "all the world" is "guilty before God" (Rom. 3:19). "There is none
righteous, no, not one: They are all gone out of the way, they are
together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not
one" (Rom. 3:10, 12). It is impossible for any man to clear himself
from this fearful charge. He can neither show that the crimes of which
he is accused have not been committed, nor that having been committed,
he had a right to do them. He can neither disprove the charges which
the law preferred against him, nor justify himself in the perpetration
of them.
Here then is how the case stands. The law demands personal, perfect,
and perpetual conformity to its precepts, in heart and act, in motive
and performance. God charges each one of us with having failed to meet
those just demands, and declares we have violated His commandments in
thought and word and deed. The law therefore pronounces upon us a
sentence of condemnation, curses us, and demands the infliction of its
penalty, which is death. The One before whose tribunal we stand is
omniscient, and cannot be deceived or imposed upon; He is inflexibly
just, and swayed by no sentimental considerations. We, the accused,
are guilty, unable to refute the accusations of the law, unable to
vindicate our sinful conduct, unable to offer any satisfaction or
atonement for our crimes. Truly, our case is desperate to the last
degree.
Here, then, is the problem. How can God justify the willful
transgressor of His Law without justifying his sins? How can God
deliver him from the penalty of His broken Law without compromising
His holiness and going back upon His word that He will "by no means
clear the guilty"? How can life be granted the guilty culprit without
repealing the sentence "the soul that sinneth it shall die"? How can
mercy be shown to the sinner without justice being flouted? It is a
problem which must forever have baffled every finite intelligence.
Yet, blessed be His name, God has, in His consummate wisdom, devised a
way whereby the "chief of sinners" may be dealt with by Him as though
he were perfectly innocent; nay more, He pronounces him righteous, up
to the required standard of the law, and entitled to the reward of
eternal life. How this can be will be taken up in the next chapter.
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The Doctrine of Justification
by Arthur W. Pink
4. Its Basis
_________________________________________________
In our last chapter we contemplated the problem which is presented in
the justifying or pronouncing righteous one who is a flagrant violator
of the Law of God. Some may have been surprised at the introduction of
such a term as "problem": as there are many in the ranks of the
ungodly who feel that the world owes them a living, so there are not a
few Pharisees in Christendom who suppose it is due them that at death
their Creator should take them to Heaven. But different far is it with
one who has been enlightened and convicted by the Holy Spirit, so that
he sees himself to be a filthy wretch, a vile rebel against God. Such
an one will ask, seeing that the word of God so plainly declares
"there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither
whatsoever worketh abomination" (Rev. 21:27), how is it possible that
I can ever gain admission into the heavenly Jerusalem? How can it be
that one so completely devoid of righteousness as I am, and so filled
with unrighteousness, should ever be pronounced just by a holy God?
Various attempts have been made by unbelieving minds to solve this
problem. Some have reasoned that if they now turn over a new leaf,
thoroughly reform their lives and henceforth walk in obedience to
God's Law, they shall be approved before the Divine Tribunal. This
scheme, reduced to simple terms, is salvation by our own works. But
such a scheme is utterly untenable, and salvation by such means is
absolutely impossible. The works of a reformed sinner cannot be the
meritorious or efficacious cause of his salvation, and that for the
following reasons. First, no provision is made for his previous
failures. Suppose that henceforth I never again transgress God's Law,
what is to atone for my past sins? Second, a fallen and sinful
creature cannot produce that which is perfect, and nothing short of
perfection is acceptable to God. Third, were it possible for us to be
saved by our own works, then the sufferings and death of Christ were
needless. Fourth, salvation by our own merits would entirely eclipse
the glory of Divine grace.
Others suppose this problem may be solved by an appeal to the bare
mercy of God. But mercy is not an attribute that overshadows all the
other Divine perfections: justice, truth, and holiness are also
operative in the salvation of God's elect. The law is not set aside,
but honored and magnified. The truth of God in His solemn threats is
not sullied, but faithfully carried out. The Divine righteousness is
not flouted, but vindicated. One of God's perfections is not exercised
to the injury of any of the others, but all of them shine forth with
equal clearness in the plan which Divine wisdom devised. Mercy at the
expense of justice over-ridden would not suit the Divine government,
and justice enforced to the exclusion of mercy would not befit the
Divine character. The problem which no finite intelligence could solve
was how both might be exercised in the sinner's salvation.
A striking example of mercy helpless before the claims of the law
occurs in Daniel 6. There we find that Darius, the king of Babylon,
was induced by his nobles to sign a decree that any subject within his
kingdom who should pray, or "ask a petition of any God or man for
thirty days" save the king himself, should be cast into the den of
lions. Daniel knowing this, nevertheless, continued to pray before God
as hitherto. Whereupon the nobles acquainted Darius with his violation
of the royal edict, which "according to the law of the Medes and
Persians altereth not," and demanded his punishment. Now Daniel stood
high in the king's favour, and he greatly desired to show clemency
unto him, so he "set his heart on Daniel to deliver him, and he
labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him." But he found
no way out of the difficulty: the law must be honored, so Daniel was
cast into the lion's den.
An equally striking example of law helpless in the presence of mercy
is found in John 8. There we read of a woman taken in the act of
adultery. The scribes and Pharisees apprehended her and set her before
Christ, charging her with the crime, and reminding the Saviour that
"Moses in the law commanded us that such should be stoned." She was
unquestionably guilty, and her accusers were determined that the
penalty of the law should be inflicted upon her. The Lord turned to
them and said, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a
stone at her"; and they, being convicted by their own conscience, went
out one by one, leaving the adulteress alone with Christ. Turning to
her, He asked, "Woman, where are thine accusers, hath no man condemned
thee?" She replied, "No man, Lord," and He answered, "Neither do I
condemn thee, go, and sin no more."
The two adverse principles are seen operating in conjunction in Luke
15. The "Father" could not have the (prodigal) son at His table clad
in the rags of the far country, but He could go out and meet him in
those rags: He could fall on his neck and kiss him in those rags--it
was blessedly characteristic of His grace so to do; but to seat him at
His table in garments suited to the swine-troughs would not be
fitting. But the grace which brought the Father out to the prodigal
"reigned" through that righteousness which brought the prodigal in to
the Father's house. It had not been "grace" had the Father waited till
the prodigal decked himself out in suitable garments of his own
providing; nor would it have been "righteousness" to bring him to His
table in his rags. Both grace and righteousness shone forth in their
respective beauty when the Father said "bring forth the best robe, and
put it on him."
It is through Christ and His atonement that the justice and mercy of
God, His righteousness and grace, meet in the justifying of a
believing sinner. In Christ is found the solution to every problem
which sin has raised. In the Cross of Christ every attribute of God
shines forth in its meridian splendor. In the satisfaction which the
Redeemer offered unto God every claim of the law, whether preceptive
or penal, has been fully met. God has been infinitely more honored by
the obedience of the last Adam than He was dishonored by the
disobedience of the first Adam. The justice of God was infinitely more
magnified when its awful sword smote the beloved Son, than had every
member of the human race burned for ever and ever in the lake of fire.
There is infinitely more efficacy in the blood of Christ to cleanse,
than there is in sin to befoul. There is infinitely more merit in
Christ's one perfect righteousness than there is demerit in the
combined unrighteousness of all the ungodly. Well may we exclaim, "But
God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ" (Gal. 6:14).
But while many are agreed that the atoning death of Christ is the
meritorious cause of His peoples' salvation, there are now few indeed
who can give any clear Scriptural explanation of the way and manner by
which the work of Christ secures the justification of all who believe.
Hence the need for a clear and full statement thereon. Hazy ideas at
this point are both dishonoring to God and unsettling to our peace. It
is of first importance that the Christian should obtain a clear
understanding of the ground on which God pardons his sins and grants
him a title to the heavenly inheritance. Perhaps this may best be set
forth under three words: substitution, identification, imputation. As
their Surety and Sponsor, Christ entered the place occupied by His
people under the law, so identifying Himself with them as to be their
Head and Representative, and as such He assumed and discharged all
their legal obligations: their liabilities being transferred to Him,
His merits being transferred to them.
The Lord Jesus has wrought out for His people a perfect righteousness
by obeying the law in thought and word and deed, and this
righteousness is imputed to them, reckoned to their account. The Lord
Jesus has suffered the penalty of the law in their stead, and through
His atoning death they are cleansed from all guilt. As creatures they
were under obligations to obey Gods' Law; as criminals (transgressors)
they were under the death-sentence of the law. Therefore, to fully
meet our liabilities and discharge our debts it was necessary that our
Substitute should both obey and die. The shedding of Christ's blood
blotted out our sins, but it did not, of itself, provide the "best
robe" for us. To silence the accusations of the law against us so that
there is now "no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus" is
simply a negative blessing: something more was required, namely, a
positive righteousness, the keeping of the law, so that we might be
entitled to its blessing and reward.
In Old Testament times the name under which the Messiah and Mediator
was foretold is, "THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Jer. 23:6). It was
plainly predicted by Daniel that He should come here to "finish the
transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation
for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness" (9:24).
Isaiah announced "Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I
righteousness and strength: even to Him shall men come; and all that
are incensed against Him shall be ashamed. In the LORD shall all the
seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory" (45:24, 25). And again,
he represents each of the redeemed exclaiming, "I will greatly rejoice
in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me
with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of
righteousness" (61:10).
In Romans 4:6-8 we read, "David also describeth the blessedness of the
man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying,
Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are
covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin."
Here we are shown the inseparability of the two things: God imputing
"righteousness" and God not imputing "sins." The two are never
divided: unto whom God imputes not sin He imputes righteousness; and
unto whom He imputes righteousness, He imputes not sin. But the
particular point which we are most anxious for the reader to grasp is,
Whose "righteousness" is it that God imputes or reckons to the account
of the one who believes? The answer is, that righteousness which was
wrought out by our Surety, that obedience to the law which was
vicariously rendered by our Sponsor, even "the righteousness of God
and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 1:1). This righteousness is not
only "unto all" but also "upon all them that believe" (Rom. 3:22). It
is called "the righteousness of God" because it was the righteousness
of the God-man Mediator, just as in Acts 20:28 His blood is call the
blood of God.
The "righteousness of God" which is mentioned so frequently in the
Roman epistle refers not to the essential righteousness of the Divine
character, for that cannot possibly be imputed or legally transferred
to any creature. When we are told in 10:3 that the Jews were "ignorant
of God's righteousness" it most certainly does not mean they were in
the dark concerning the Divine rectitude or that they knew nothing
about God's justice; but it signifies that they were unenlightened as
to the righteousness which the God-man Mediator had vicariously
wrought out for His people. This is abundantly clear from the
remainder of that verse: "and going about to establish their own
righteousness"--not their own rectitude or justice, but performing
works by which they hoped to merit acceptance with God. So tightly did
they cling to this delusion, they, "submitted not themselves unto the
righteousness of God": that is, they refused to turn from their
self-righteousness and put their trust in the obedience and sufferings
of the incarnate Son of God.
"I would explain what we mean by the imputation of Christ's
righteousness. Sometimes the expression is taken by our divines in a
larger sense, for the imputation of all that Christ did and suffered
for our redemption whereby we are free from guilt, and stand righteous
in the sight of God; and so implies the imputation both of Christ's
satisfaction and obedience. But here I intend it in a stricter sense,
for the imputation of that righteousness or moral goodness that
consists in the obedience of Christ. And by that obedience being
imputed to us, is meant no other than this, that that righteousness of
Christ is accepted for us, and admitted instead of that perfect
inherent righteousness that ought to be in ourselves: Christ's perfect
obedience shall be reckoned to our account, so that we shall have the
benefit of it, as though we had performed it ourselves: and so we
suppose, that a title to eternal life is given us as the reward of
this righteousness" (Jonathan Edwards).
The one passage which casts the clearest light upon that aspect of
justification which we are now considering is 2 Corinthians 5:21, "For
He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be
made the righteousness of God in Him." Here we have the counter
imputations: of our sins to Christ, of His righteousness to us. As the
teaching of this verse is of such vital moment let us endeavor to
consider its terms the more closely. How was Christ "made sin for us"?
By God imputing to Him our disobedience, or our transgressions of the
law; in like manner, we are made "the righteousness of God in Him" (in
Christ, not in ourselves) by God imputing to us Christ's obedience,
His fulfilling the precepts of the law for us.
As Christ "knew no sin" by inward defilement or personal commission,
so we "knew" or had no righteousness of our own by inward conformity
to the law, or by personal obedience to it. As Christ was "made sin"
by having our sins placed to His account or charged upon Him in a
judicial way, and as it was not by any criminal conduct of His own
that He was "made sin," so it is not by any pious activities of our
own that we become "righteous": Christ was not "made sin" by the
infusion of depravity, nor are we "made righteous" by the infusion of
holiness. Though personally holy, our Sponsor did, by entering our
law-place, render Himself officially liable to the wrath of God; and
so though personally unholy, we are, by virtue of our legal
identification with Christ, entitled to the favor of God. As the
consequence of Christ's being "made sin for us" was, that "the LORD
laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53:6), so the consequence of
Christ's obedience being reckoned to our account is that God lays
righteousness "upon all them that believe" (Rom. 3:22). As our sins
were the judicial ground of the sufferings of Christ, by which
sufferings He satisfied Justice; so Christ's righteousness is the
judicial ground of our acceptance with God, by which our pardon is an
act of Justice.
Notice carefully that in 2 Corinthians 5:21 it is God who "made" or
legally constituted Christ to be "sin for us," though as Hebrews 10:7
shows, the Son gladly acquiesced therein. "He was made sin by
imputation: the sins of all His people were transferred unto Him, laid
upon Him, and placed to His account and having them upon Him He was
treated by the justice of God as if He had been not only a sinner, but
a mass of sin: for to be made sin is a stronger expression than to be
made a sinner" (John Gill). "That we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him" signifies to be legally constituted righteous before
God--justified. "It is a righteousness `in Him,' in Christ, and not in
ourselves, and therefore must mean the righteousness of Christ: so
called, because it is wrought by Christ, who is God over all, the true
God, and eternal life" (Ibid.).
The same counter-exchange which has been before us in 2 Corinthians
5:21 is found again in Galatians 3:13, 14, "Christ hath redeemed us
from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is
written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing
of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ." As the
Surety of His people, Christ was "made under the law" (Gal. 4:4),
stood in their law-place and stead, and having all their sins imputed
to Him, and the law finding them all upon Him, condemned Him for them;
and so the justice of God delivered Him up to the accursed death of
the cross. The purpose, as well as the consequence, of this was "That
the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles": the "blessing of
Abraham" (as Rom. 4 shows) was justification by faith through the
righteousness of Christ.
"Upon a Life I did not live,
Upon a Death I did not die;
Another's death, Another's life
I'd rest my soul eternally."
_________________________________________________
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Justification
by Arthur W. Pink
5. Its Nature
_________________________________________________
Justification, strictly speaking, consists in God's imputing to His
elect the righteousness of Christ, that alone being the meritorious
cause or formal ground on which He pronounces them righteous: the
righteousness of Christ is that to which God has respect when He
pardons and accepts the sinner. By the nature of justification we have
reference to the constituent elements of the same, which are enjoyed
by the believer. These are, the non-imputation of guilt or the
remission of sins, and second, of the investing of the believer with a
legal title to Heaven. The alone ground on which God forgives any
man's sins, and admits him into His judicial favour, is the vicarious
work of his Surety--that perfect satisfaction which Christ offered to
the law on his behalf. It is of great importance to be clear on the
fact that Christ was "made under the law" not only that He might
redeem His people "from the curse of the law" (Gal. 3:13), but also
that they might "receive the adoption of sons" (Gal. 4:4, 5), that is,
be invested with the privileges of sons.
This grand doctrine of Justification was proclaimed in its purity and
clarity by the Reformers--Luther, Calvin, Zanchius, Peter Martyr,
etc.; but it began to be corrupted in the seventeenth century by men
who had only a very superficial knowledge of it, who taught that
justification consisted merely in the removal of guilt or forgiveness
of sins, excluding the positive admittance of man into God's judicial
favour: in other words, they restricted justification unto deliverance
from Hell, failing to declare that it also conveys a title unto
Heaven. This error was perpetuated by John Wesley, and then by the
Plymouth Brethren, who, denying that the righteousness of Christ is
imputed to the believer, seek to find their title to eternal life in a
union with Christ in His resurrection. Few today are clear upon the
twofold content of Justification, because few today understand the
nature of that righteousness which is imputed to all who believe.
To show that we have not misrepresented the standard teachings of the
Plymouth Brethren on this subject, we quote from Mr. W. Kelly's "Notes
on Romans." In his "Introduction" he states, "There is nothing to
hinder our understanding `the righteousness of God' in its usual sense
of an attribute or quality of God" (p. 35). But how could an
"attribute" or "quality" of God be "upon all them that believe" (Rom.
3:22)? Mr. Kelly will not at all allow that the "righteousness of God"
and "the righteousness of Christ" are one and the same, and hence,
when he comes to Romans 4 (where so much is said about "righteousness"
being imputed to the believer) he evacuates the whole of its blessed
teaching by trying to make out that this is nothing more than our own
faith, saying of Abraham, "his faith in God's word as that which he
exercised, and which was accounted as righteousness" (p. 47).
The "righteousness of Christ" which is imputed to the believer
consists of that perfect obedience which He rendered unto the precepts
of God's Law and that death which He died under the penalty of the
law. It has been rightly said that, "There is the very same need of
Christ's obeying the law in our stead, in order to the reward, as of
His suffering the penalty of the law in our stead in order to our
escaping the penalty; and the same reason why one should be accepted
on our account as the other... To suppose that all Christ does in
order to make atonement for us by suffering is to make Him our Saviour
but in part. It is to rob Him of half His glory as a Saviour. For if
so, all that He does is to deliver us from Hell; He does not purchase
Heaven for us" (Jonathan Edwards). Should any one object to the idea
of Christ "purchasing" Heaven for His people, he may at once be
referred to Ephesians 1:14, where Heaven is expressly designated "the
purchased possession."
The imputation to the believer's account of that perfect obedience
which his Surety rendered unto the law for him is plainly taught in
Romans 5:18, 19, "Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came
upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the
free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one
man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one
shall many be made righteous." Here the "offence" or "disobedience" of
the first Adam is set over against the "righteousness" or "obedience"
of the last Adam, and inasmuch as the disobedience of the former was
an actual transgression of the law, therefore the obedience of the
latter must be His active obedience unto the law; otherwise the force
of the Apostle's antithesis would fail entirely. As this vital point
(the chief glory of the Gospel) is now so little understood, and in
some quarters disputed, we must enter into some detail.
The one who was justified upon his believing sustained a twofold
relation unto God: first, he was a responsible creature, born under
the law; second, he was a criminal, having transgressed that
law--though his criminality has not canceled his obligation to obey
the law any more than a man who recklessly squanders his money is no
longer due to pay his debts. Consequently, justification consists of
two parts, namely, an acquittal from guilt, or the condemnation of the
law (deliverance from Hell), and the receiving him into God's favour,
on the sentence of the law's approval (a legal title to Heaven). And
therefore, the ground upon which God pronounces him just is also a
double one, as the one complete satisfaction of Christ is viewed in
its two distinct parts: namely, His vicarious obedience unto the
precepts of the law, and His substitutionary death under the penalty
of the law, the merits of both being equally imputed or reckoned to
the account of him who believes.
Against this it has been objected, "The law requires no man to obey
and die too." To which we reply in the language of J. Hervey (1750),
"But did it not require a transgressor to obey and die? If not, then
transgression robs the law of its right, and vacates all obligation to
obedience. Did it not require the Surety for sinful men to obey and
die? If the surety dies only, He only delivers from penalty. But this
affords no claim to life, no title to a reward--unless you can produce
some such edict from the Court of Heaven. Suffer this, and thou shalt
live.' I find it written `In keeping Thy commandments there is great
reward' (Ps. 19:11), but nowhere do I read, `In undergoing Thy curse,
there is the same reward.' Whereas, when we join the active and
passive obedience of our Lord--the peace-speaking Blood with the
Life-giving righteousness--both made infinitely meritorious and
infinitely efficacious by the Divine glory of His person, how full
does our justification appear! How firm does it stand!"
It is not sufficient that the believer stand before God with no sins
upon him--that is merely negative. The holiness of God requires a
positive righteousness to our account--that His Law be perfectly kept.
But we are unable to keep it, therefore our Sponsor fulfilled it for
us. By the blood-shedding of our blessed Substitute the gates of Hell
have been forever shut against all those for whom He died. By the
perfect obedience of our blessed Surety the gates of Heaven are opened
wide unto all who believe. My title for standing before God, not only
without fear, but in the conscious sunshine of His full favour, is
because Christ has been made "righteousness" unto me (1 Cor. 1:30).
Christ not only paid all my debts, but fully discharged all my
responsibilities. The law-Giver is my law-Fulfiller. Every holy
aspiration of Christ, every godly thought, every gracious word, every
righteous act of the Lord Jesus, from Bethlehem to Calvary, unite in
forming that "best robe" in which the seed royal stand arrayed before
God.
Yet sad to say, even so widely-read and generally-respected a writer
as the late Sir Rob. Anderson, said in his book, "The Gospel and Its
Ministry" (Chapter on Justification by Blood), "Vicarious obedience is
an idea wholly beyond reason; how could a God of righteousness and
truth reckon a man who has broken law to have kept law, because some
one else has kept it? The thief is not declared to be honest because
his neighbor or his kinsman is a good citizen." What a pitiable
dragging down to the bar of sin-polluted human reason, and a measuring
by worldly relations, of that Divine transaction wherein the "manifold
wisdom of God" was exercised! What is impossible with men is possible
with God. Did Sir Robert never read that Old Testament prediction
wherein the Most High God declared, "Therefore, behold, I will proceed
to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a
wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the
understanding of their prudent men shall be hid" (Isa. 29:14)?
It is pointed out that, "In the human realm, both innocence and
righteousness are transferable in their effects, but that in
themselves they are untransferable." From this it is argued that
neither sin nor righteousness are in themselves capable of being
transferred, and that though God treated Christ as if He were the
sinner, and deals with the believer as though he were righteous,
nevertheless, we must not suppose that either is actually the case;
still less ought we to affirm that Christ deserved to suffer the
curse, or that His people are entitled to be taken to Heaven. Such is
a fair sample of the theological ignorance of these degenerate times,
such is a representative example of how Divine things are being
measured by human standards; by such sophistries is the fundamental
truth of imputation now being repudiated.
Rightly did W. Rushton, in his "Particular Redemption," affirm, "In
the great affair of our salvation, our God stands single and alone. In
this most glorious work, there is such a display of justice, mercy,
wisdom and power, as never entered into the heart of man to conceive,
and consequently, can have no parallel in the actions of mortals. `Who
hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time?
have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside Me; a just God
and a Saviour; there is none beside Me': Isaiah 45:21." No, in the
very nature of the case no analogy whatever is to be found in any
human transactions with God's transferring our sins to Christ or
Christ's obedience to us, for the simple but sufficient reason that no
such union exists between worldlings as obtains between Christ and His
people. But let us further amplify this counter-imputation.
The afflictions which the Lord Jesus experienced were not only
sufferings at the hands of men, but also enduring punishment at the
hand of God: "it pleased the LORD to bruise Him" (Isa. 53:10); "Awake,
O sword, against My Shepherd, and against the man that is My Fellow,
saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd" (Zech. 13:7) was His
edict. But lawful "punishment" presupposes criminality; a righteous
God had never inflicted the curse of the law upon Christ unless He had
deserved it. That is strong language we are well aware, yet not
stronger than what Holy Writ fully warrants, and things need to be
stated forcibly and plainly today if an apathetic people is to be
aroused. It was because God had transferred to their Substitute all
the sins of His people that, officially, Christ deserved to be paid
sin's wages.
The translation of our sins to Christ was clearly typed out under the
Law: "And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live
goat, (expressing identification with the substitute), and confess
over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their
transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the
goat (denoting transference), and shall send him away by the hand of a
fit man into the wilderness: And the goat shall bear upon him all
their iniquities unto a land not inhabited" (Lev. 16:21, 22). So too
it was expressly announced by the Prophets: "The LORD hath laid on Him
the iniquity of us all... He shall bear their iniquities" (Isa. 53:6,
11). In that great Messianic Psalm, the 69th, we hear the Surety
saying, "O God, Thou knowest My foolishness; and My sins are not hid
from Thee" (v. 5) --how could the spotless Redeemer speak thus, unless
the sins of His people had been laid upon Him?
When God imputed sin to Christ as the sinner's Surety, He charged Him
with the same, and dealt with Him accordingly. Christ could not have
suffered in the stead of the guilty unless their guilt had been first
transferred to Him. The sufferings of Christ were penal. God by act of
transcendent grace (to us) laid the iniquities of all that are saved
upon Christ, and in consequence, Divine justice finding sin upon Him,
punished Him. He who will by no means clear the guilty must strike
through sin and smite its bearer, no matter whether it be the sinner
himself or One who vicariously takes his place. But as G. S. Bishop
well said, "When justice once strikes the Son of God, justice exhausts
itself. Sin is amerced in an Infinite Object." The atonement of Christ
was contrary to our processes of law because it rose above their
finite limitations!
Now as the sins of him who believes were, by God, transferred and
imputed to Christ so that God regarded and treated Him
accordingly--visiting upon Him the curse of the law, which is death;
even so the obedience or righteousness of Christ is, by God,
transferred and imputed to the believer so that God now regards and
deals with him accordingly--bestowing upon him the blessing of the
law, which is life. And any denial of that fact, no matter by
whomsoever made, is a repudiation of the cardinal principle of the
Gospel. "The moment the believing sinner accepts Christ as his
Substitute, he finds himself not only freed from his sins, but
rewarded: he gets all Heaven because of the glory and merits of Christ
(Rom. 5:17). The atonement, then, which we preach is one of absolute
exchange (1 Pet. 3:18). It is that Christ took our place literally, in
order that we might take His place literally--that God regarded and
treated Christ as the Sinner, and that He regards and treats the
believing sinner as Christ.
"It is not enough for a man to be pardoned. He, of course, is then
innocent--washed from his sin--put back again, like Adam in Eden, just
where he was. But that is not enough. It was required of Adam in Eden
that he should actually keep the command. It was not enough that he
did not break it, or that he is regarded, through the Blood, as though
he did not break it. He must keep it: he must continue in all things
that are written in the book of the law to do them. How is this
necessity supplied? Man must have a righteousness, or God cannot
accept him. Man must have a perfect obedience, or else God cannot
reward him" (G. S. Bishop). That necessary and perfect obedience is to
be found alone in that perfect life, lived by Christ in obedience to
the law, before He went to the cross, which is reckoned to the
believer's account.
It is not that God treats as righteous one who is not actually so
(that would be a fiction), but that He actually constitutes the
believer so, not by infusing a holy nature in his heart, but by
reckoning the obedience of Christ to his account. Christ's obedience
is legally transferred to him so that he is now rightly and justly
regarded as righteous by the Divine Law. It is very far more than a
naked pronouncement of righteousness upon one who is without any
sufficient foundation for the judgment of God to declare him
righteous. No, it is a positive and judicial act of God "whereby, on
the consideration of the mediation of Christ, He makes an effectual
grant and donation of a true, real, perfect righteousness, even that
of Christ Himself unto all that do believe, and accounting it as
theirs, on His own gracious act, both absolves them from sin, and
granteth them right and title unto eternal life" (John Owen).
It now remains for us to point out the ground on which God acts in
this counter-imputation of sin to Christ and righteousness to His
people. That ground was the everlasting covenant. The objection that
it is unjust the innocent should suffer in order that the guilty may
escape loses all its force once the covenant-headship and
responsibility of Christ is seen, and the covenant-oneness with Him of
those whose sins He bore. There could have been no such thing as a
vicarious sacrifice unless there had been some union between Christ
and those for whom He died, and that relation of union must have
subsisted before He died, yea, before our sins were imputed to Him.
Christ undertook to make full satisfaction to the law for His people
because He sustained to them the relation of a surety. But what
justified His acting as their surety? He stood as their Surety because
He was their substitute: He acted on their behalf, because He stood in
their room. But what justified the substitution?
No satisfactory answer can be given to the last question until the
grand doctrine of everlasting covenant-oneness comes into view: that
is the great underlying relation. The federal oneness between the
Redeemer and the redeemed, the choosing of them in Christ before the
foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4), by which a legal union was
established between Him and them, is that which alone accounts for and
justifies all else. "For both He that sanctifieth and they who are
sanctified are all of one: for which cause He is not ashamed to call
them brethren" (Heb. 2:11). As the Covenant-Head of His people, Christ
was so related to them that their responsibilities necessarily became
His, and we are so related to Him that His merits necessarily become
ours. Thus, as we said in an earlier chapter, three words give us the
key to and sum up the whole transaction: substitution, identification,
imputation--all of which rest upon covenant-oneness. Christ was
substituted for us, because He is one with us--identified with us, and
we with Him. Thus God dealt with us as occupying Christ's place of
worthiness and acceptance. May the Holy Spirit grant both writer and
reader such an heart-apprehension of this wondrous and blessed truth,
that overflowing gratitude may move us unto fuller devotedness unto
Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.
_________________________________________________
Contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
____________________________________________________
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Justification
by Arthur W. Pink
6. Its Source
_________________________________________________
Let us here review, briefly, the ground which we have already covered.
We have seen, first, that "to justify" means to pronounce righteous.
It is not a Divine work, but a Divine verdict, the sentence of the
Supreme Court, declaring that the one justified stands perfectly
conformed to all the requirements of the law. Justification assures
the believer that the Judge of all the earth is for him, and not
against him: that justice itself is on his side. Second, we dwelt upon
the great and seemingly insoluable problem which is thereby involved:
how a God of truth can pronounce righteous one who is completely
devoid of righteousness, how He can receive into His judicial favour
one who is a guilty criminal, how He can exercise mercy without
insulting justice, how He can be gracious and yet enforce the high
demands of His Law. Third, we have shown that the solution to this
problem is found in the perfect satisfaction which the incarnate Son
rendered unto Divine Law, and that on the basis of that satisfaction
God can truthfully and righteously pronounce just all who truly
believe the Gospel.
In our last article we pointed out that the satisfaction which Christ
made to the Divine Law consists of two distinct parts, answering to
the twofold need of him who is to be justified. First, as a
responsible creature I am under binding obligations to keep the
law--to love God with all my heart and my neighbor as myself. Second,
as a criminal I am under the condemnation and curse of that law which
I have constantly transgressed in thought and word and deed.
Therefore, if another was to act as my surety and make reparation for
me, he must perfectly obey all the precepts of the law, and then
endure the awful penalty of the law. That is exactly what was
undertaken and accomplished by the Lord Jesus in His virtuous life and
vicarious death. By Him every demand of the law was fulfilled; by Him
every obligation of the believer was fully met.
It has been objected by some that the obedience of Christ could not be
imputed to the account of others, for being "made under the law" (Gal.
4:4) as man, He owed submission to the law on His own account. This is
a serious mistake, arising out of a failure to recognize the absolute
uniqueness of the Man Christ Jesus. Unlike us, He was never placed
under the Adamic Covenant, and therefore He owed nothing to the law.
Moreover, the manhood of Christ never had a separate existence: in the
virgin's womb the eternal Son took the seed of Mary into union with
His Deity, so that whereas the first man was of the earth, earthy,
"the second Man is the Lord from Heaven" (1 Cor. 15:47), and as such
He was infinitely superior to the law, owing nothing to it, being
personally possessed of all the excellencies of Deity. Even while He
walked this earth "in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead
bodily."
It was entirely for His peoples' sake that the God-man Mediator was
"made under the law." It was in order to work out for them a perfect
righteousness, which should be placed to their account, that He took
upon Himself the form of a servant and became "obedient unto death."
What has been said above supplies the answer to another foolish
objection which has been made against this blessed truth, namely, that
if the obedience of the Man Christ Jesus were transferable it would be
available only for one other man, seeing that every human being is
required to obey the law, and that if vicarious obedience be
acceptable to God then there would have to be as many separate
sureties as there are believers who are saved. That would be true if
the "surety" were merely human, but inasmuch as the Surety provided by
God is the God-man Mediator, His righteousness is of infinite value,
for the law was more "honoured and magnified" by the obedience of "the
Lord from Heaven" than had every member of the human race perfectly
kept it. The righteousness of the God-man Mediator is of infinite
value, and therefore available for as many as God is pleased to impute
it unto.
The value or merit of an action increases in proportion to the dignity
of the person who performs it, and He who obeyed in the room and stead
of the believer was not only a holy man, but the Son of the living
God. Moreover, let it be steadily borne in mind that the obedience
which Christ rendered to the law was entirely voluntary. Prior to His
incarnation, He was under no obligation to the law, for He had Himself
(being God) formulated that law. His being made of a woman and made
under the law was entirely a free act on His own part. We come into
being and are placed under the law without our consent; but the Lord
from Heaven existed before His incarnation, and assumed our nature by
His spontaneous act: "Lo, I come... I delight to do Thy will" (Ps.
40:7, 8). No other person could use such language, for it clearly
denotes a liberty to act or not to act, which no mere creature
possesses. Placing Himself under the law and rendering obedience to it
was founded solely on His own voluntary deed. His obedience was
therefore a "free will offering," and therefore as He did not owe
obedience to the law by any prior obligation, not being at all
necessary for Himself, it is available for imputation to others, that
they should be rewarded for it.
If, then, the reader has been able to follow us closely in the above
observations, it should be clear to him that when Scripture speaks of
God "justifying the ungodly" the meaning is that the believing sinner
is brought into an entirely new relation to the law; that in
consequence of Christ's righteousness being made over to him, he is
now absolved from all liability to punishment, and is given a title to
all the reward merited by Christ's obedience. Blessed, blessed truth
for comforting the conscientious Christian who daily groans under a
sense of his sad failures and who mourns because of his lack of
practical conformity to the image of Christ. Satan is ever ready to
harass such an one and tell him his profession is vain. But it is the
believer's privilege to overcome him by "the blood of the Lamb" (Rev.
12:11)--to remind himself anew that Another has atoned for all his
sins, and that despite his innumerable shortcomings he still stands
"accepted in the Beloved" (Eph. 1:6). If I am truly resting on the
finished work of Christ for me, the Devil cannot successfully lay
anything to my charge before God, though if I am walking carelessly He
will suffer him to charge my conscience with unrepented and
unconfessed sins.
In our last chapter, under the nature of justification, we saw that
the constituent elements of this Divine blessing are two in number,
the one being negative in its character, the other positive. The
negative blessing is the cancellation of guilt, or the remission of
sins--the entire record of the believer's transgressions of the law,
filed upon the Divine docket, having been blotted out by the precious
blood of Christ. The positive blessing is the bestowal upon the
believer of an inalienable title to the reward which the obedience of
Christ merited for him--that reward is life, the judicial favour of
God, Heaven itself. The unchanging sentence of the law is "the man
which doeth those things shall live by them" (Rom. 10:5). As we read
in Romans 7:10, "the commandment, which was ordained to life." It is
just as true that obedience to the law secured life, as disobedience
insured death. When the young ruler asked Christ "what good thing
shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" He answered, "If thou wilt
enter into life, keep the commandments" (Matt. 19:16, 17).
It was because His people had failed to "keep the commandments" that
the God-man Mediator was "made under the law," and obeyed it for them.
And therefore its reward of "life" is due unto those whose Surety He
was; yea, due unto Christ Himself to bestow upon them. Therefore did
the Surety, when declaring "I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have
finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do" (John 17:4), remind the
Father, "that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast
given Him" (v. 2). But more, on the footing of justice, Christ demands
that His people be taken to Heaven, saying, "Father, I will that they
also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am" (John 17:24)--He
claims eternal life for His people on the ground of His finished work,
as the reward of His obedience.
"Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to
condemnation; even so by the righteousness of One the free gift came
upon all men unto justification of life" (Rom. 5:18). The offence of
the first Adam brought down the curse of the broken law upon the whole
human race; but the satisfaction of the last Adam secured the blessing
of the fulfilled law upon all those whom He represented. Judgment unto
condemnation is a law term intending eternal death, the wages of sin;
the "free gift" affirms that a gratuitous justification is bestowed
upon all its recipients--"justification of life" being the issue of
the gift, parallel with "shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ" (v.
17). The sentence of justification adjudges and entitles its object
unto eternal life.
Having now considered the two great blessings which come to the
believer at his justification--deliverance from the curse of the law
(death) and a title to the blessing of the law (life)--let us now seek
to take a view of the originating source from which they proceed. This
is the free, pure sovereign grace of God: as it is written "Being
justified freely by His grace" (Rom. 3:24). What is grace? It is God's
unmerited and uninfluenced favour, shown unto the undeserving and
hell-deserving: neither human worthiness, works or willingness,
attracting it, nor the lack of them repelling or obstructing it. What
could there be in me to win the favourable regard of Him who is of too
pure eyes to behold evil, and move Him to justify me? Nothing
whatever; nay, there was everything in me calculated to make Him abhor
and destroy me--my very self-righteous efforts to earn a place in
Heaven deserving only a lower place in Hell. If, then, I am ever to be
"justified" by God it must be by pure grace, and that alone.
Grace is the very essence of the Gospel--the only hope for fallen men,
the sole comfort of saints passing through much tribulation on their
way to the kingdom of God. The Gospel is the announcement that God is
prepared to deal with guilty rebels on the ground of free favour, of
pure benignity; that God will blot out sin, cover the believing sinner
with a robe of spotless righteousness, and receive him as an accepted
son: not on account of anything he has done or ever will do, but of
sovereign mercy, acting independently of the sinner's own character
and deservings of eternal punishment. Justification is perfectly
gratuitous so far as we are concerned, nothing being required of us in
order to it, either in the way of price and satisfaction or
preparation and meetness. We have not the slightest degree of merit to
offer as the ground of our acceptance, and therefore if God ever does
accept us it must be out of unmingled grace.
It is as "the God of all grace" (1 Pet. 5:10) that Jehovah justifies
the ungodly. It is as "the God of all grace" He seeks, finds, and
saves His people: asking them for nothing, giving them everything.
Strikingly is this brought out in that word "being justified freely by
His grace" (Rom. 3:24), the design of that adverb being to exclude all
consideration of anything in us or from us which should be the cause
or condition of our justification. That same Greek adverb is
translated "without a cause" in John 15:25--"they hated Me without a
cause." The world's hatred of Christ was "without a cause" so far as
He was concerned: there was nothing whatever in Him which, to the
slightest degree, deserved their enmity against Him: there was nothing
in Him unjust, perverse, or evil; instead, there was everything in Him
which was pure, holy, lovely. In like manner, there is nothing
whatever in us to call forth the approbation of God: by nature there
is "no good thing" in us; but instead, everything that is evil, vile,
loathsome.
"Being justified without a cause by His Grace." How this tells out the
very heart of God! While there was no motive to move Him, outside of
Himself, there was one inside Himself; while there was nothing in us
to impel God to justify us, His own grace moved Him, so that He
devised a way whereby His wondrous love could have vent and flow forth
to the chief of sinners, the vilest of rebels. As it is written, "I,
even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake,
and will not remember thy sins" (Isa. 43:25). Wondrous, matchless
grace! We cannot for a moment look outside the grace of God for any
motive or reason why He should ever have noticed us, still less had
respect unto such ungodly wretches.
The first moving cause, then, that inclined God to show mercy to His
people in their undone and lost condition, was His own wondrous
grace--unsought, uninfluenced, unmerited by us. He might justly have
left us all obnoxious to the curse of His Law, without providing any
Surety for us, as He did the fallen angels; but such was His grace
toward us that "He spared not His own Son." "Not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved
us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That
being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the
hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:5-7). It was His own sovereign favour
and good will which actuated God to form this wondrous scheme and
method of justification.
Against what has been said above, it has been objected by Socinians
and their echoists that this cannot be: if the believing sinner is
justified upon the grounds of a full satisfaction having been made to
God for him by a surety, then his discharge from condemnation and his
reception into God's judicial favour must be an act of pure justice,
and therefore could not be by grace. Or, if it be purely an act of
divine grace, then no surety can have obeyed the law in the believer's
stead. But this is to confound two distinct things: the relation of
God to Christ the Surety, and the relation of God to me the sinner. It
was grace which transferred my sins to Christ; it was justice which
smote Christ on account of those sins. It was grace which appointed me
unto everlasting bliss; it is justice to Christ which requires I shall
enjoy that which He purchased for me.
Toward the sinner justification is an act of free unmerited favour;
but toward Christ, as a sinner's Surety, it is an act of justice that
eternal life should be bestowed upon those for whom His meritorious
satisfaction was made. First, it was pure grace that God was willing
to accept satisfaction from the hands of a surety. He might have
exacted the debt from us in our own persons, and then our condition
had been equally miserable as that of the fallen angels, for whom no
mediator was provided. Second, it was wondrous grace that God Himself
provided a Surety for us, which we could not have done. The only
creatures who are capable of performing perfect obedience are the holy
angels, yet none of them could have assumed and met our obligations,
for they are not akin to us, possessing not human nature, and
therefore incapable of dying. Even had an angel became incarnate, his
obedience to the law could not have availed for the whole of God's
elect, for it would not have possessed infinite value.
None but a Divine person taking human nature into union with Himself
could present unto God a satisfaction adequate for the redemption of
His people. And it was impossible for men to have found out that
Mediator and Surety: it must have its first rise in God, and not from
us: it was He that "found" a ransom (Job 33:24) and laid help upon One
that is "mighty" (Ps. 89:19). In the last place, it was amazing grace
that the Son was willing to perform such a work for us, without whose
consent the justice of God could not have exacted the debt from Him.
And His grace is the most eminent in that He knew beforehand all the
unspeakable humiliation and unparalleled suffering which He would
encounter in the discharge of this work, yet that did not deter Him;
nor was He unapprised of the character of those for whom He did
it--the guilty, the ungodly, the hell-deserving; yet He shrank not
back.
"O to grace how great a debtor,
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy grace, Lord, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee."
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Justification
by Arthur W. Pink
7. Its Objects
_________________________________________________
We have now reached a point in our discussion of this mighty theme
where it is timely for us to ask the question, Who are the ones that
God justifies? The answer to that question will necessarily vary
according to the mental position we occupy. From the standpoint of
God's eternal decrees the reply must be, God's elect: Romans 8:33.
From the standpoint of the effects produced by quickening operations
of the Holy Spirit the reply must be, those who believe: Acts 13:39.
But from the standpoint of what they are, considered in themselves,
the reply must be, the ungodly (Rom. 4:5). The persons are the same,
yet contemplated in three different relations. But here a difficulty
presents itself: If faith be essential in order to justification, and
if a fallen sinner must be quickened by the Holy Spirit before he can
believe, then with what propriety can a regenerated person, with the
spiritual grace of faith already in his heart, be described as
"ungodly"?
The difficulty pointed out above is self-created. It issues from
confounding things which differ radically. It is the result of
bringing in the experimental state of the person justified, when
justification has to do only with his judicial status. We would
emphasize once more the vital importance of keeping quite distinct in
our minds the objective and subjective aspects of truth, the legal and
the experimental: unless this be steadily done, nought but confusion
and mistakes can mark our thinking. When contemplating what he is in
himself, considered alone, even the Christian mournfully cries "O
wretched man that I am"; but when he views himself in Christ, as
justified from all things, he triumphantly exclaims, "who shall lay
anything to my charge!"
Above, we have pointed out that from the viewpoint of God's eternal
decrees the question "Who are the ones whom God justifies?" must be
"the elect." And this brings us to a point on which some eminent
Calvinists have erred, or at least, have expressed themselves
faultily. Some of the older theologians, when expounding this
doctrine, contended for the eternal justification of the elect,
affirming that God pronounced them righteous before the foundation of
the world, and that their justification was then actual and complete,
remaining so throughout their history in time, even during the days of
their unregeneracy and unbelief; and that the only difference their
faith made was in making manifest God's eternal justification in their
consciences. This is a serious mistake, resulting (again) from failure
to distinguish between things which differ.
As an immanent act of God's mind, in which all things (which are to us
past, present, and future) were cognized by Him, the elect might be
said to be justified from all eternity. And, as an immutable act of
God's will, which cannot be frustrated, the same may be predicated
again. But as an actual, formal, historical sentence, pronounced by
God upon us, not so. We must distinguish between God's looking upon
the elect in the purpose of his grace, and the objects of
justification lying under the sentence of the law: in the former, He
loved His people with an everlasting love (Jer. 31:3); in the latter,
we were "by nature the children of wrath, even as others" (Eph. 2:3).
Until they believe, every descendant of Adam is "condemned already"
(John 3:18), and to be under God' condemnation is the very opposite of
being justified.
In his ponderous treatise on justification, the Puritan Thomas Goodwin
made clear some vital distinctions, which if carefully observed will
preserve us from error on this point. "1. In the everlasting covenant.
We may say of all spiritual blessings in Christ, what is said of
Christ Himself, that their `goings forth are from everlasting.'
Justified then we were when first elected, though not in our own
persons, yet in our Head (Eph. 1:3). 2. There is a farther act of
justifying us, which passed from God towards us in Christ, upon His
payment and performance at His resurrection (Rom. 4:25, 1 Tim. 3:16).
3. But these two acts of justification are wholly out of us, immanent
acts in God, and though they concern us and are towards us, yet not
acts of God upon us, they being performed towards us not as actually
existing in ourselves, but only as existing in our Head, who
covenanted for us and represented us: so as though by those acts we
are estated into a right and title to justification, yet the benefit
and possession of that estate we have not without a farther act being
passed upon us."
Before regeneration we are justified by existing in our Head only, as
a feoffee (one who is given a grant), held in trust for us, as
children under age. In addition to which, we "are to be in our own
persons, though still through Christ, possessed of it, and to have all
the deeds and evidences of it committed to the custody and
apprehension of our faith. We are in our own persons made true owners
and enjoyers of it, which is immediately done at that instant when we
first believe; which act (of God) is the completion and accomplishment
of the former two, and is that grand and famous justification by faith
which the Scripture so much inculcates--note the `now' in Romans 5:9,
11; 8:11... God doth judge and pronounce His elect ungodly and
unjustified till they believe" (Ibid.)
God's elect enter this world in precisely the same condition and
circumstances as do the non-elect. They are "by nature the children of
wrath, even as others" (Eph. 2:3), that is, they are under the
condemnation of their original sin in Adam (Rom. 5:12, 18, 19) and
they are under the curse of God's Law because of their own constant
transgressions of it (Gal. 3:10). The sword of divine justice is
suspended over their heads, and the Scriptures denounce them as rebels
against the Most High. As yet, there is nothing whatever to
distinguish them from those who are "fitted to destruction." Their
state is woeful to the last degree, their situation perilous beyond
words; and when the Holy Spirit awakens them from the sleep of death,
the first message which falls upon their ears is, "Flee from the wrath
to come." But how and whither, they, as yet, know not. Then it is they
are ready for the message of the Gospel.
Let us turn now to the more immediate answer to our opening inquiry,
Who are the ones that God justifies? A definite reply is given in
Romans 4:5: "Him that justifieth the"--whom? the holy, the faithful,
the fruitful? no, the very reverse: "Him that justifieth the ungodly."
What a strong, bold, and startling word is this! It becomes yet more
emphatic when we observe what precedes: "But to him that worketh not,
but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly." The subjects of
justification, then, are viewed in themselves, apart from Christ, as
not only destitute of a perfect righteousness, but as having no
acceptable works to their account. They are denominated, and
considered as ungodly when the sentence of justification is pronounced
upon them. The mere sinner is the subject on which grace is magnified,
toward which grace reigns in justification!
"To say, he who worketh not is justified through believing, is to say
that his works, whatever they be, have no influence in his
justification, nor hath God, in justifying him, any respect unto them.
Wherefore he alone who worketh not, is the subject of justification,
the person to be justified. That is, God considereth no man's works,
no man's duties of obedience, in his justification; seeing we are
justified freely by His grace" (John Owen). Those whom God, in His
transcendent mercy, justifies, are not the obedient, but the
disobedient; not those who have been loyal and loving subjects of His
righteous government, but they who have stoutly defied Him and
trampled His laws beneath their feet. Those whom God justifies are
lost sinners, lying in a state of defection from Him, under a loss of
original righteousness (in Adam) and by their own transgressions
brought in guilty before His tribunal (Rom. 3:19). They are those who
by character and conduct have no claim upon divine blessing, and
deserve nought but unsparing judgment at God's hand.
"Him that justifieth the ungodly." It is deplorable to see how many
able commentators have weakened the force of this by affirming that,
while the subject of justification is "ungodly" up to the time of his
justification, he is not so at the moment of justification itself.
They argue that, inasmuch as the subject of justification is a
believer at the moment of his justification and that believing
presupposes regeneration--a work of divine grace wrought in the
heart--he could not be designated "ungodly." This seeming difficulty
is at once removed by calling to mind that justification is entirely a
law matter and not an experimental thing at all. In the sight of God's
law every one whom God justifies is "ungodly" until Christ's
righteousness is made over to him. The awful sentence "ungodly" rests
as truly upon the purest virgin as much as it does upon the foulest
prostitute until God imputes Christ's obedience to her.
"Him that justifieth the ungodly." These words cannot mean less than
that God, in the act of justification, has no regard whatever to any
thing good resting to the credit of the person He justifies. They
declare, emphatically, that immediately prior to that divine act, God
beholds the subject only as unrighteous, ungodly, wicked, so that no
good, either in or by the person justified, can possibly be the ground
on which or the reason for which He justifies him. This is further
evident from the words "to him that worketh not": that this includes
not only works which the ceremonial law required, but all works of
morality and godliness, appear from the fact that the same person who
is said to "work not" is designated "ungodly." Finally, seeing that
the faith which belongs to justification is here said to be "counted
for [or "unto"] righteousness," it is clear that the person to whom
"righteousness" is imputed, is destitute of righteousness in himself.
A parallel passage to the one which has just been before us is found
in Isaiah 43. There we hear God saying, "I, even I, am He that
blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not
remember thy sins" (v. 25). And to whom does God say this? To those
who had sincerely endeavoured to please Him? To those who, though they
had occasionally been overtaken in a fault, had, in the main, served
Him faithfully? No, indeed; very far from it. Instead, in the
immediate context we find Him saying to them, "But thou hast not
called upon Me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of Me, O Israel.
Thou hast bought Me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled
Me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made Me to serve with
thy sins, thou hast wearied Me with thine iniquities" (vv. 22, 24).
They were, then, thoroughly "ungodly"; yet to them the Lord declared,
"I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions"--why? Because
of something good in them or from them? No, "for Mine own sake"!
Further confirmation of what has been before us in Romans 4:5 is found
in both what immediately precedes and what follows. In verses 1-3 the
case of Abraham is considered, and the proof given that he was not
"justified by works," but on the ground of righteousness being imputed
to him on his believing. "Now if a person of such victorious faith,
exalted piety, and amazing obedience as his was, did not obtain
acceptance with God on account of his own duties, but by an imputed
righteousness; who shall pretend to an interest in the heavenly
blessing, in virtue of his own sincere endeavors, or pious
performances?--performances not fit to be named, in comparison with
those that adorned the conduct and character of Jehovah's friend" (A.
Booth).
Having shown that the father of all believers was regarded by the Lord
as an "ungodly" person, having no good works to his credit at the
moment of his justification, the Apostle next cited David's
description of the truly blessed man. "And how does the royal Psalmist
describe him? To what does he attribute his acceptance with God? To an
inherent, or to an imputed righteousness? Does he represent him as
attaining the happy state, and as enjoying the precious privilege, in
consequence of performing sincere obedience, and of keeping the law to
the best of his power? No such thing. His words are, `Blessed are they
whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is
the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin' (vv. 7-9). The blessed
man is here described as one who is, in himself, a polluted creature,
and a guilty criminal. As one who, before grace made the difference,
was on a level with the rest of mankind; equally unworthy, and equally
wretched: and the sacred penman informs us that all his blessedness
arises from an imputed righteousness" (A. Booth).
"Him that justifieth the ungodly." Here is the very heart of the
Gospel. Many have argued that God can only pronounce just, and treat
as such, those who are inherently righteous; but if this was so, what
good news would there be for sinful men? Enemies of the Truth insist
that for God to pronounce just those whom His law condemns would be a
judicial fiction. But Romans 4:5 makes known a divine miracle:
something only God could have achieved. The miracle announced by the
Gospel is that God comes to the ungodly with a mercy that is
righteous, and in spite of all their depravity and rebellion, enables
them through faith (on the ground of Christ's righteousness) to enter
into a new and blessed relation with Himself.
The Scriptures speak of mercy, but it is not mercy coming in to make
up the deficiencies and forgive the slips of the virtuous, but mercy
extended through Christ to the chief of sinners. The Gospel which
proclaims mercy through the atonement of the Lord Jesus is
distinguished from every religious system of man, by holding out
salvation to the guiltiest of the human race, through faith in the
blood of the Redeemer. God's Son came into this world not only to save
sinners, but even the chief of sinners, the worst of His enemies.
Mercy is extended freely to the most violent and determined rebel.
Here, and here only, is a refuge for the guilty. Is the trembling
reader conscious that he is a great sinner, then that is the very
reason why you should come to Christ: the greater your sins, the
greater your need of the Saviour.
There are some who appear to think that Christ is a Physician who can
cure only such patients as are not dangerously ill, that there are
some cases so desperate as to be incurable, beyond His skill. What an
affront to His power, what a denial of His sufficiency! Where can a
more extreme case be found than that of the thief on the cross? He was
at the very point of death, on the very brink of Hell! A guilty
criminal, an incorrigible outlaw, justly condemned even by men. He had
reviled the Saviour suffering by his side. Yet, at the end, he turned
to Him and said, "Lord remember me." Was his plea refused? Did the
Physician of souls regard his as a hopeless case? No, blessed be His
name, He at once responded "Today shalt thou be with Me in Paradise."
Only unbelief shuts the vilest out of Heaven.
"Him that justifieth the ungodly." And how can the thrice holy God
righteously do such a thing? Because "Christ died for the Ungodly"
(Rom. 5:6). God's righteous grace comes to us through the
law-honouring, justice-satisfying, sin-atoning Work of the Lord Jesus!
Here, then, is the very essence of the Gospel: the proclamation of
God's amazing grace, the declaration of divine bounty, altogether
irrespective of human worth or merit. In the great Satisfaction of His
Son, God has "brought near HIS righteousness" (Isa. 46:13). "We do not
need to go up to Heaven for it; that would imply Christ had never come
down. Nor do we need to go down to the depths of the earth for it;
that would say Christ had never been buried and had never risen. It is
near. We do not need to exert ourselves to bring it near, nor do
anything to attract it towards us. It is near... The office of faith
is not to work, but to cease working; not to do anything, but to own
that all is done" (A. Bonar).
Faith is the one link between the sinner and the Saviour. Not faith as
a work, which must be properly performed to qualify us for pardon. Not
faith as a religious duty, which must be gone through according to
certain rules in order to induce Christ to give us the benefits of His
finished work. No, but faith simply extended as an empty hand, to
receive everything from Christ for nothing. Reader, you may be the
very "chief of sinners," yet is your case not hopeless. You may have
sinned against much light, great privileges, exceptional
opportunities; you may have broken every one of the Ten Commandments
in thought, word and deed; your body may be filled with disease from
wickedness, your head white with the winter of old age; you may
already have one foot in Hell; and yet even now, if you but take your
place alongside of the dying thief, and trust in the divine efficacy
of the precious blood of the Lamb, you shall be plucked as a brand
from the burning. God "justifieth the ungodly." Hallelujah! If He did
not, the writer had been in Hell long ago.
_________________________________________________
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Justification
by Arthur W. Pink
8. Its Instrument
_________________________________________________
"Being justified freely by his grace" (Rom. 3:24); "being now
justified by His blood" (Rom. 5:9); "being now justified by faith"
(Rom. 5:1). A full exposition of the doctrine of justification
requires that each of these propositions should be interpreted in
their Scriptural sense, and that they be combined together in their
true relations as to form one harmonious whole. Unless these three
propositions be carefully distinguished there is sure to be confusion;
unless all the three are steadily borne in mind we are sure to land in
error. Each must be given its due weight, yet none must be understood
in such a way as to make its force annul that of the others. Nor is
this by any means a simple task, in fact none but a real teacher (that
is, a spiritual theologian) who has devoted a lifetime to the
undivided study of Scriptures is qualified for it.
"The righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ" (Rom.
3:22); "A man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law"
(Rom. 3:28); "even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be
justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law"
(Gal. 2:16). What is the precise place and influence which faith has
in the important affairs of justification? What is the exact nature or
character of justifying faith? In what particular sense are we to
understand this proposition that we are "justified by faith"? and what
is the connection between that proposition and the postulates that we
are "justified by grace" and "justified by His blood"? These are
matters which call for the utmost care. The nature of justifying faith
requires to be closely defined so that its particular agency is
correctly viewed, for it is easy to make a mistake here to the
prejudice of Christ's honour and glory, which must not be given to
another--no, not to faith itself.
Many would-be teachers have erred at this point, for the common
tendency of human nature is to arrogate to itself the glory which
belongs alone to God. While there have been those who rejected the
unscriptural notion that we can be justified before God by our own
works, yet not a few of these very men virtually make a savior of
their own faith. Not only have some spoken of faith as though it were
a contribution which God requires the sinner to make toward his own
salvation--the last mite which was necessary to make up the price of
his redemption; but others (who sneered at theologians and boasted of
their superior understanding of the things of God) have insisted that
faith itself is what constitutes us righteous before God, He regarding
faith as righteousness.
A deplorable example of what we have just mentioned is to be found in
the comments made upon Romans 4 by Mr. J. N. Darby, the father of the
Plymouth Brethren: "This was Abraham's faith. He believed the promise
that he should be the father of many nations, because God had spoken,
counting on the power of God, thus glorifying Him, without calling in
question anything that He had said by looking at circumstances;
therefore this also was counted to him for righteousness. He glorified
God according to what God was. Now this was not written for his sake
alone: the same faith shall be imputed to us also for righteousness"
("Synopsis" vol. 4, p. 133--italics ours). The Christ-dishonoring
error contained in those statements will be exposed later on in this
chapter.
"How doth faith justify a sinner in the sight of God? Answer: Faith
justifies a sinner in the sight of God, not because of those other
graces which do always accompany it, nor of good works that are the
fruits of it, nor as if the grace of faith, or any act thereof, were
imputed to him for justification; but only as it is an instrument by
which he receiveth and applieth Christ and His righteousness"
(Westminster Confession of Faith). Though this definition was framed
upwards of two hundred and fifty years ago, it is far superior to
almost anything found in current literature on the subject. It is more
accurate to speak of faith as the "instrument" rather than as the
condition, for a "condition" is generally used to signify that for the
sake whereof a benefit is conferred. Faith is neither the ground nor
the substance of our justification, but simply the hand which receives
the divine gift proffered to us in the Gospel.
What is the precise place and influence which faith has in the
important affair of justification? Romanist answer, It justifies us
formally, not relatively: that is, upon the account of its own
intrinsic value. They point out that faith is never alone, but
"worketh by love" (Gal. 5:6), and therefore its own excellency merits
acceptance at God's hand. But the faith of the best is weak and
deficient (Luke 17:5), and so could never satisfy the law, which
requires a flawless perfection. If righteousness was given as a reward
for faith, its possessor would have cause for boasting, expressly
contrary to the Apostle in Romans 3:26, 27. Moreover, such a method of
justification would entirely frustrate the life and death of Christ,
making His great sacrifice unnecessary. It is not faith as a spiritual
grace which justifies us, but as an instrument--the hand which lays
hold of Christ.
In connection with justification, faith is not to be considered as a
virtuous exercise of the heart, nor as a principle of holy obedience:
"Because faith, as concerned in our justification, does not regard
Christ as King, enacting laws, requiring obedience, and subduing
depravity; but as a Substitute, answering the requirements of the
divine Law, and as a Priest expiating sin by His own death on the
cross. Hence, in justification we read of `precious faith... through
the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ' (2 Pet. 1:1)
and of `faith in His blood' (Rom. 3:25), and believers are described
as `receiving the atonement' and `receiving the gift of righteousness'
(Rom. 5:11, 17). Therefore it is evident that faith is represented as
having an immediate regard to the vicarious work of Christ, and that
it is considered not under the notion of exercising virtue or of
performing a duty, but of receiving a free gift" (A. Booth).
What is the relation of faith to justification? The Arminian answer to
the question, refined somewhat by the Plymouth Brethren, is, that the
act of believing is imputed to us for righteousness. One error leads
to another. Mr. Darby denied that Gentiles were ever under the law,
hence he denied also that Christ obeyed the law in His people's stead,
and therefore as Christ's vicarious obedience is not reckoned to their
account, he had to seek elsewhere for their righteousness. This he
claimed to find in the Christian's own faith, insisting that their act
of believing is imputed to them "for righteousness." To give his
theory respectability, he clothed it in the language of several
expressions found in Romans 4, though he knew quite well that the
Greek afforded no foundation whatever for that which he built upon it.
In Romans 4 we read "his faith is counted for righteousness" (v. 5),
"faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness" (v. 9), "it was
imputed to him for righteousness" (v. 22). Now in each of these verses
the Greek preposition is "eis" which never means "in the stead of,"
but always signifies "towards, in order to, with a view to": it has
the uniform force of "unto." Its exact meaning and force is
unequivocally plain in Romans 10:10, "with the heart man believeth
unto ["eis"] righteousness": that is, the believing heart reaches out
toward and lays hold of Christ Himself. "This passage (Rom. 10:10) may
help us to understand what justification by faith is, for it shows
that righteousness there comes to us when we embrace God's goodness
offered to us in the Gospel. We are then, for this reason, made just:
because we believe that God is propitious to us through Christ" (J.
Calvin).
The Holy Spirit has used the Greek prepositions with unerring
precision. Never do we find Him employing "eis" in connection with
Christ's satisfaction and sacrifice in our room and stead, but only
"anti" or "huper," which means in lieu of. On the other hand, "anti"
and "huper" are never used in connection with our believing, for faith
is not accepted by God in lieu of perfect obedience. Faith must either
be the ground of our acceptance with God, or the means or instrument
of our becoming interested in the true meritorious ground, namely, the
righteousness of Christ; it cannot stand in both relations to our
justification. "God justifieth, not by imputing faith itself, the act
of believing, but by imputing the obedience and satisfaction of
Christ" (Westminster Catechism).
That faith itself cannot be the substance or ground of our
justification is clear from many considerations. The "righteousness of
God (i.e., the satisfaction which Christ rendered to the law) is
revealed to faith" (Rom. 1:17) and so cannot be faith itself. Romans
10:10 declares "with the heart man believeth unto righteousness" so
that righteousness must be a distinct thing from believing. In
Jeremiah 23:6 we read "The LORD our righteousness," so faith cannot be
our righteousness. Let not Christ be dethroned in order to exalt
faith: set not the servant above the master. "We acknowledge no
righteousness but what the obedience and satisfaction of Christ yields
us: His blood, not our faith; His satisfaction, not our believing it,
is the matter of justification before God" (J. Flavel). What
alterations are there in our faith! what minglings of unbelief at all
times! Is this a foundation to build our justification and hope upon?
Perhaps some will say, Are not the words of Scripture expressly on Mr.
Darby's side? Does not Romans 4:5 affirm "faith is counted for
righteousness"? We answer, Is the sense of Scripture on his side?
Suppose I should undertake to prove that David was cleansed from guilt
by the "hyssop" which grows on the wall: that would sound ridiculous.
Yes; nevertheless, I should have the express words of Scripture to
support me: "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean" (Ps. 51:7).
Yet clear as those words read, they would not afford me the least
countenance imaginable from the sense and spirit of God's Word. Has
the hyssop--a worthless shrub--any kind of fitness to stand in the
stead of the sacrificial blood, and make an atonement for sin? No more
fitness has faith to stand in the stead of Christ's perfect obedience,
to act as our justifying righteousness, or procure our acceptance with
God!!
An apology is really due many of our readers, for wasting their time
with such puerilities, but we ask them to kindly bear with us. We hope
it may please God to use this article to expose one of Darby's many
grievous errors. For "grievous" this error most certainly is. His
teaching that the Christian's faith, instead of the vicarious
obedience of Christ, is reckoned for righteousness (Mr. W. Kelly, his
chief lieutenant, wrote "his [Abraham's] faith in God's word as that
which he exercised and which was accounted as righteousness"--see
article 5) makes God guilty of a downright lie, for it represents Him
as giving to faith a fictitious value--the believer has no
righteousness, so God regards his poor faith as "righteousness."
"And he believed in the Lord; and He counted it to him for
righteousness" (Gen. 15:6). The one point to be decided here is: was
it Abraham's faith itself which was in God's account taken for
righteousness (horrible idea!), or, was it the righteousness of God in
Christ which Abraham's faith prospectively laid hold of? The comments
of the Apostle in Romans 4:18-22 settle the point decisively. In these
verses Paul emphasizes the natural impossibilities which stood in the
way of God's promise of a numerous offspring to Abraham being
fulfilled (the genital deadness both of his own body and Sarah's), and
on the implicit confidence he had (notwithstanding the difficulties)
in the power and faithfulness of God that He would perform what He
promised. Hence, when the Apostle adds, "Therefore it was imputed to
him for righteousness" (v. 22), that "therefore" can only mean:
Because through faith he completely lost sight of nature and self, and
realized with undoubting assurance the sufficiency of the divine arm,
and the certainty of its working.
Abraham's faith, dear reader, was nothing more and nothing else than
the renunciation of all virtue and strength in himself, and a hanging
in childlike trust upon God for what He was able and willing to do.
Far, very far, indeed, was his faith from being a mere substitute for
a "righteousness" which he lacked. Far, very far was God from
accepting his faith in lieu of a perfect obedience to His Law. Rather
was Abraham's faith the acting of a soul which found its life, its
hope, its all in the Lord Himself. And that is what justifying faith
is: it is "simply the instrument by which Christ and His righteousness
are received in order to justification. It is emptiness filled with
Christ's fullness; impotency lying down upon Christ's strength" (J. L.
Girardeau).
"The best obedience of my hands
Dares not appear before Thy throne;
But faith can answer Thy demands,
By pleading what my Lord has done."
What is the relation of faith to justification? Antinomians and
hyper-Calvinists answer, Merely that of comfort or assurance. Their
theory is that the elect were actually justified by God before the
foundation of the world, and all that faith does now is to make this
manifest in their conscience. This error was advocated by such men as
W. Gadsby, J. Irons, James Wells, J.C. Philpot. That it originated not
with these men is clear from the fact that the Puritans refuted it in
their day. "By faith alone we obtain and receive the forgiveness of
sins; for notwithstanding any antecedent act of God concerning us in
and for Christ, we do not actually receive a complete soul-freeing
discharge until we believe" (J. Owen). "It is vain to say I am
justified only in respect to the court of mine own conscience. The
faith that Paul and the other Apostles were justified by, was their
believing on Christ that they might be justified (Gal. 2:15, 16), and
not a believing they were justified already; and therefore it was not
an act of assurance" (T. Goodwin, vol. 8).
How are we justified by faith? Having given a threefold negative
answer: not by faith as a joint cause with works (Romanists), not by
faith as an act of grace in us (Arminians), not by faith as it
receives the Spirit's witness (Antinomians); we now turn to the
positive answer. Faith justifies only as an instrument which God has
appointed to the apprehension and application of Christ's
righteousness. When we say that faith is the "instrument" of our
justification, let it be clearly understood that we do not mean faith
is the instrument wherewith God justifies, but the instrument whereby
we receive Christ. Christ has merited righteousness for us, and faith
in Christ is that which renders it meet in God's sight the purchased
blessing be assigned. Faith unites to Christ, and being united to Him
we are possessed of all that is in Christ, so far as is consistent
with our capacity of receiving and God's appointment in giving. Having
been made one with Christ in spirit, God now considers us as one with
Him in law.
We are justified by faith, and not for faith; not because of what
faith is, but because of what it receives. "It hath no efficacy of
itself, but as it is the band of our union with Christ. The whole
virtue of cleansing proceeds from Christ the object. We receive the
water with our hands, but the cleansing virtue is not in our hands,
but in the water, yet the water cannot cleanse us without our
receiving it; our receiving it unites the water to us, and is a means
whereby we are cleansed. And therefore is it observed that our
justification by faith is always expressed in the passive, not in the
active: we are justified by faith, not that faith justifies us. The
efficacy is in Christ's blood; the reception of it is in our faith"
(S. Charnock).
Scripture knows no such thing as a justified unbeliever. There is
nothing meritorious about believing, yet it is necessary in order to
justification. It is not only the righteousness of Christ as imputed
which justifies, but also as received (Rom. 5:11, 17). The
righteousness of Christ is not mine until I accept it as the Father's
gift. "The believing sinner is `justified by faith' only
instrumentally, as he `lives by eating' only instrumentally. Eating is
the particular act by which he receives and appropriates food.
Strictly speaking, he lives by bread alone, not by eating, or the act
of masticating. And, strictly speaking, the sinner is justified by
Christ's sacrifice alone, not by his act of believing in it" (W.
Shedd). In the application of justification faith is not a builder,
but a beholder; not an agent, but an instrument; it has nothing to do,
but all to believe; nothing to give, but all to receive.
God has not selected faith to be the instrument of justification
because there is some peculiar virtue in faith, but rather because
there is no merit in it: faith is self-emptying--"Therefore it is of
faith that it might be by grace" (Rom. 4:16). A gift is seen to be a
gift when nothing is required or accepted of the recipient, but simply
that he receive it. Whatever other properties faith may possess, it is
simply as receiving Christ that it justifies. Were we said to be
justified by repentance, by love, or by any other spiritual grace, it
would convey the idea of something good in us being the consideration
on which the blessing was bestowed; but justification by faith
(correctly understood) conveys no such idea.
"Faith justifies in no other way than as it introduces us into a
participation of the righteousness of Christ" (J. Calvin). Justifying
faith is a looking away from self, a renouncing of my own
righteousness, a laying hold of Christ. Justifying faith consists,
first, of a knowledge and belief of the truth revealed in Scripture
thereon; second, in an abandonment of all pretense, claim or
confidence in our own righteousness; third, in a trust in and reliance
upon the righteousness of Christ, laying hold of the blessing which He
purchased for us. It is the heart's approval and approbation of the
method of justification proposed in the Gospel: by Christ alone,
proceeding from the pure grace of God, and excluding all human merits.
"In the Lord have I righteousness and strength" (Isa. 45:24).
None will experimentally appreciate the righteousness of Christ until
they have been experimentally stripped by the Spirit. Not until the
Lord puts us in the fire and burns off our filthy rags, and makes us
stand naked before Him, trembling from head to foot as we view the
sword of His justice suspended over our heads, will any truly value
"the best robe." Not until the condemning sentence of the law has been
applied by the Spirit to the conscience does the guilty soul cry,
"Lost, lost!" (Rom. 7:9, 10). Not until there is a personal
apprehension of the requirements of God's Law, a feeling sense of our
total inability to perform its righteous demands, and an honest
realization that God would be just in banishing us from His presence
forever, is the necessity for a precious Christ perceived by the soul.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Justification
by Arthur W. Pink
9. Its Evidence
_________________________________________________
In Romans 3:28 the Apostle Paul declared "that a man is justified by
faith without the deeds of the law," and then produces the case of
Abraham to prove his assertion. But the Apostle James, from the case
of the same Abraham, draws quite another conclusion, saying, "Ye see
then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only"
(James 2:24). This is one of the "contradictions in the Bible" to
which infidels appeal in support of their unbelief. But the Christian,
however difficult he finds it to harmonize passages apparently
opposite, knows there cannot be any contradiction in the Word of God.
Faith has unshaken confidence in the inerrancy of Holy Writ. Faith is
humble too and prays, "That which I see not teach Thou me" (Job.
34:32). Nor is faith lazy; it prompts its possessor unto a reverent
examination and diligent investigation of that which puzzles and
perplexes, seeking to discover the subject of each separate book, the
scope of each writer, the connections of each passage.
Now the design of the Apostle Paul in Romans 3:28 may be clearly
perceived from its context. He is treating of the great matter of a
sinner's justification before God: he shows that it cannot be by works
of the law, because by the law all men are condemned, and also because
if men were justified on the ground of their own doings, then boasting
could not be excluded. Positively he affirms that justification is by
grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. His reasoning
will appear the more conclusive if the whole passage (Rom. 3:19-28) be
read attentively. Because the Jews had a high regard of Abraham, the
Apostle proceeded to show in the 4th chapter of Romans that Abraham
was justified in that very way--apart from any works of his own, by
faith alone. By such a method of justification the pride of the
creature is strained, and the grace of God is magnified.
Now the scope of the Apostle James is very different: his Epistle was
written to counteract quite another error. Fallen men are creatures of
extremes: no sooner are they driven out of the false refuge of
trusting to their own righteousness, than they fly to the opposite and
no less dangerous error of supposing that, since they cannot be
justified by their own works, that there is no necessity whatever for
good works, and no danger from ungodly living and unholy practice. It
is very clear from the New Testament itself that very soon after the
Gospel was freely proclaimed, there arose many who turned the grace of
God into "lasciviousness": that this was not only quickly espoused in
theory, but soon had free course in practice. It was therefore the
chief design of the Apostle James to show the great wickedness and
awful danger of unholy practice and to assert the imperative necessity
of good works.
The Apostle James devoted much of his Epistle to the exposing of any
empty profession. In his second chapter, particularly, he addresses
himself unto those who rested in a notion which they called "faith,"
accounting an intellectual assent to the truth of the Gospel
sufficient for their salvation, though it had no spiritual influence
upon their hearts, tempers, or conduct. The Apostle shows their hope
was a vain one, and that their "faith" was not a whit superior to that
possessed by the demons. From the example of Abraham he proves that
justifying faith is a very different thing from the "faith" of empty
professors, because it enabled him to perform the hardest and most
painful act of obedience, even the offering up of his only son upon
the altar; which act took place many years after he had been justified
by God, and which act manifested the reality and nature of his faith.
From what has been said above, it should be very evident that the
"justification" of which Paul treats is entirely different from the
"justification" with which James deals. The doctrine of the former is
that nothing renders any sinner acceptable to God but faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ; the doctrine of the latter is that such a faith is
not solitary, but accompanied with every good work, and that where
good works are absent, justifying faith cannot exist. James is
insistent that it is not enough to say I have justifying faith, I must
give proof of the same by exhibiting those fruits which love toward
God and love toward men necessarily produce. Paul writes of our
justification before God, James of our justification before men. Paul
treats of the justification of persons; James, of the justification of
our profession. The one is by faith alone; the other is by a faith
which worketh by love and produces obedience.
Now it is of first importance that the above-mentioned distinctions
should be clearly grasped. When Christian theologians affirm that the
sinner is justified by faith alone, they do not mean that faith exists
alone in the person justified, for justifying faith is always
accompanied by all the other graces which the Spirit imparts at our
regeneration; nor do they mean that nothing else is required in order
to our receiving forgiveness from God, for He requires repentance and
conversion as well as faith (Acts 3:19). No, rather do they mean that
there is nothing else in sinners themselves to which their
justification is in Scripture ascribed: nothing else is required of
them or exists in them which stands in the same relation to
justification as their faith does, or which exerts any casual
influence or any efficacy of instrumentality in producing the result
of their being justified (Condensed from Cunningham).
On the other hand, that faith which justifies is not an idle and
inoperative principle, but one that purifies the heart (Acts 15:9) and
works by love (Gal. 5:6). It is faith which can easily be
distinguished from that mental faith of the empty professor. It is
this which the Apostle James insists so emphatically upon. The subject
of this Epistle is not salvation by grace and justification by faith,
but the testing of those who claim to have faith. His design is not to
show the ground on which sinners are accepted before God, but to make
known that which evidences a sinner's having been justified. He
insists that the tree is known by its fruits, that a righteous person
is one who walks in the paths of righteousness. He declares that the
man who is not a doer of the Word, but a "hearer only," is
self-deceived, deluded. When God justifies a man, He sanctifies him
too: the two blessings are inseparable, never found apart.
Unless the subject and scope of James' Epistle be clearly seen, the
apprehension of many of its statements can only issue in
God-dishonoring, grace-repudiating, soul-destroying error. To this
portion of the Word of God, more than any other, have legalists
appealed in their opposition to the grand truth of justification by
grace, through faith, without works. To the declarations of this
Epistle have they turned to find support for their Christ-insulting,
man-exalting, Gospel-repudiating error of justification by human
works. Merit-mongers of all descriptions cite James 2 for the purpose
of setting aside all that is taught elsewhere in Scripture on the
subject of justification. Romanists, and their half-brothers the
Arminians, quote "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified,
and not by faith only" (v. 24), and suppose that ends all argument.
We propose now to take up James 2:14-26 and offer a few comments
thereon. "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath
faith, and have not works? can faith save him?" (v. 14). Observe
carefully that the Apostle does not here ask, "What doth it profit a
man though he hath faith and have not works?"--such a supposition is
nowhere countenanced by the Word of God: it were to suppose the
impossibility for wherever real faith exists, good works necessarily
follow. No, instead he asks, "What doth it profit, my brethren, though
a man (not "one of you"!) say he hath faith"? Professing to be a
Christian when a man is not one, may secure a standing among men,
improve his moral and social prestige, obtain membership in a
"church," and promote his commercial interests; but can it save his
soul?
It is not that those empty professors who call themselves Christians
are all (though many probably are) conscious hypocrites, rather are
they deceived souls, and the tragic thing is that in most places there
is nothing in the preaching which is at all calculated to un-deceive
them; instead, there is only that which bolsters them up in their
delusion. There is a large class in Christendom today who are
satisfied with a bare profession. They have heard expounded some of
the fundamentals of the Christian faith, and have given an
intellectual assent thereto, and they mistake that for a saving
knowledge of the Truth. Their minds are instructed, but their hearts
are not reached, nor their lives transformed. They are still worldly
in their affections and ways. There is no real subjection to God, no
holiness of walk, no fruit to Christ's glory. Their "faith" is of no
value at all; their profession is vain.
"What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and
have not works? Can faith save him?" By noting the emphasis upon the
word "say," we perceive at once that James is arguing against those
who substituted a theoretical belief of the Gospel for the whole of
evangelical religion, and who replied to all exhortations and reproofs
by saying, "We are not justified by our works, but by faith alone." He
therefore begins by asking what profit is there in professing to be a
believer, when a man is devoid of true piety? The answer is, none
whatever. To merely say I have faith when I am unable to appeal to any
good works and spiritual fruits as the evidence of it, profits neither
the speaker nor those who listen to his empty talk. Ability to prate
in an orthodox manner about the doctrines of Christianity is a vastly
different thing from justifying faith.
"If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one
of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled;
notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the
body; what doth it profit?" (vv. 15, 16). Here the Apostle shows by an
opposite illustration the utter worthlessness of fair talking which is
unaccompanied by practical deeds: notice the "say unto them, depart in
peace" etc. What is the use and value of feigning to be charitable
when the works of charity are withheld? None whatever: empty bellies
are not filled by benevolent words, nor are naked backs clothed by
good wishes. Nor is the soul saved by a bare profession of the Gospel.
"Faith worketh by love" (Gal. 5:6). The first "fruit of the spirit,"
that is of the new nature in the regenerated soul, is "love" (Gal.
5:22). When faith has truly been wrought in the heart by the Holy
Spirit, that faith is manifested in love--love toward God, love toward
His commandments (John 14:23), love toward the brethren, love toward
our fellow-creatures. Therefore in testing the "faith" of the empty
professor, the Apostle at once puts to the proof his love. In showing
the pretense of his love, he proves the worthlessness of his "faith."
"But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need,
and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the
love of God in him?" (1 John 3:17)! Genuine love is operative; so is
genuine faith.
"Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone" (James
2:17). Here the Apostle applies the illustration he has employed to
the case before him, proving the worthlessness of a lifeless and
inoperative "faith." Even our fellow-men would promptly denounce as
valueless a "love" which was gushing in words but lacking in works.
Unregenerate people are not deceived by those who talk benignly to the
indigent, but who refuse to minister unto their needs. And think you,
my reader, that the omniscient God is to be imposed upon by an empty
profession? Has He not said, "Why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, and do not
the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46).
That "faith" which is only of the lips and is not confirmed by
evidence in the life, is useless. No matter how clear and sound may be
my head-knowledge of the Truth, no matter how good a talker upon
divine things I am, if my walk is not controlled by the precepts of
God, then I am but "sounding brass and a tinkling symbol." "Faith, if
it hath not works, is dead, being alone." It is not a living and
fruitful faith, like the faith of God's elect, but a thing which is
utterly worthless--"dead." It is "alone," that is, divorced from love
to God and men and every holy affection. How could our holy Lord
approve of such a "faith"! As works without faith are "dead" (Heb.
9:14), so a "faith" which is without "works" is a dead one.
"Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy
faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works"
(Jam. 2:18). Here the true Christian challenges the empty professor:
You claim to be a believer, but disgrace the name of Christ by your
worldly walk, so do not expect the real saints to regard you as a
brother till you display your faith in the good works of a holy life.
The emphatic word in this verse is "show"--proof is demanded:
demonstrate your faith to be genuine. Actions speak louder than words:
unless our profession can endure that test it is worthless. Only true
holiness of heart and life vindicates a profession of being justified
by faith.
"Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils
also believe, and tremble" (v. 19). Here the Apostle anticipates an
objection: I do actually believe in the Lord! Very well, so also do
the demons, but what is the fruit of their "believing"? Does it
influence their hearts and lives, does it transform their conduct
Godward and manward? It does not. Then what is their "believing"
worth! "But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is
dead?" (v. 20): "vain" signifies "empty," exposing the hollowness of
one who claims to be justified by faith yet lacks the evidence of an
obedient walk.
"Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered
Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his
works, and by works was faith made perfect?" (vv. 21, 22). The faith
which reposes on Christ is not an idle, but an active and fruitful
principle. Abraham had been justified many years before (Gen. 15:6);
the offering up of Isaac (Gen. 22) was the open attestation of his
faith and the manifestation of the sincerity of his profession. "By
works was faith made perfect" means, in actual obedience it reaches
its designed end, the purpose for which it was given is realized.
"Made perfect" also signifies revealed or made known (see 2 Cor.
10:9).
"And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God,
and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the
Friend of God" (Jam. 2:23). The "Scripture" here is God's testimony to
Abraham in Genesis 15:6: that testimony was "fulfilled" or verified
when Abraham gave the supreme demonstration of his obedience to God.
Our being informed here that Abraham was "called the friend of God" is
in beautiful accord with the tenor of the whole of this passage, as is
clear from a comparison with John 15:14: "Ye are my friends, if ye do
whatsoever I command you."
"Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith
only" (Jam. 2:24). In the "ye see then" the Apostle draws his
"conclusion" from the foregoing. It is by "works," by acts of implicit
obedience to the divine command, such as Abraham exercised--and not by
a mere "faith" of the brain and the lips--that we justify our
profession of being believers, that we prove our right to be regarded
as Christians.
"Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she
had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?" (v.
25). Why bring in the case of Rahab? Was not the example of Abraham
conclusive and sufficient? First, because "two witnesses" are required
for the truth to be "established"--cf. Romans 4:3, 6. Second, because,
it might be objected Abraham's case was so exceptional that it could
be no criterion to measure others by. Very well: Rahab was a poor
Gentile, a heathen, a harlot; yet she too was justified by faith (Heb.
11:31), and later demonstrated her faith by "works"--receiving the
spies at the imminent risk of her own life.
"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is
dead also" (Jam. 2:26). Here is the summing up: a breathless carcass
and a worthless faith are alike useless as unto all the ends of
natural and spiritual life. Thus the Apostle has conclusively shown
the worthlessness of the garb of orthodoxy when worn by lifeless
professors. He has fully exposed the error of those who rest in a bare
profession of the Gospel--as if that could save them, when the temper
of their minds and the tenor of their lives was diametrically opposed
to the holy religion they professed. A holy heart and an obedient walk
are the scriptural evidence of our having been justified by God.
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The Doctrine of Justification
by Arthur W. Pink
10. Its Results
_________________________________________________
The justification of the believer is absolute, complete, final. "It is
God that justifieth" (Rom. 8:33), and "I know that, whatsoever God
doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing
taken from it" (Eccl. 3:14). So absolute and inexorable is this
blessed fact that, in Romans 8:30 we are told, "Whom He justified,
them He also glorified": notice it is not simply a promise that God
"will glorify," but so sure and certain is that blissful event, the
past tense is used. "Them He also glorified" is speaking from the
standpoint of the eternal and unalterable purpose of God, concerning
which there is no conditionality or contingency whatsoever. To be
"glorified" is to be perfectly conformed to the lovely image of
Christ, when we shall see Him as He is and be made like Him (1 John
3:2). Because God has determined this, He speaks of it as already
accomplished, for He "calleth those things which be not as though they
were" (Rom. 4:17).
So far as the believer is concerned, the penal side of the sin
question has been settled once and for all. His case has been tried in
the supreme court, and God has justified him: in consequence thereof
the Divine decision is "There is therefore now no condemnation to them
which are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1). Once those very persons were
under condemnation--"condemned already" (John 3:18); but now that
their faith has united them to Christ there is no condemnation. The
debt of their sin has been paid by their great Surety; the record
thereof has been "blotted out" by His cleansing blood. "It is God that
justifieth. Who is he that condemneth" (Rom. 8:33, 34). Who will
reverse His decision! Where is that superior tribunal to which this
cause can be carried? Eternal justice has pronounced her fiat;
immutable judgment has recorded her sentence.
It is utterly and absolutely impossible that the sentence of the
Divine Judge should ever be revoked or reversed. His sentence of
justification results from and rests upon a complete satisfaction
having been offered to His Law, and that in the fulfillment of a
covenant engagement. Thus is effectually precluded the recall of the
verdict. The Father stipulated to release His elect from the curse of
the law provided the Son would meet the claims of justice against
them. The Son freely complied with His Father's will: "Lo, I come." He
was now made under the law, fulfilled the law, and suffered the full
penalty of the law; therefore shall He see of the travail of His soul
and be satisfied. Sooner shall the lightenings of omnipotence shiver
the Rock of Ages than those sheltering in Him again be brought under
condemnation.
How very, very far from the glorious truth of the Gospel is the mere
conditional pardon which Arminians represent God as bestowing upon
those who come to Christ--a pardon which may be rescinded, yea, which
will be canceled, unless they "do their part" and perform certain
stipulations! What a horrible and blasphemous travesty of the Truth is
that!--an error which must be steadfastly resisted no matter who holds
it: better far to hurt the feelings of a million of our
fellow-creatures than to displease their august Creator. On no such
precarious basis as our fulfilling certain conditions has God
suspended the justification of His people. Not only is there "now no
condemnation" resting upon the believer, but there never again shall
me, for "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin"
(Rom. 4:8).
The dread sentence of the law, "Thou shalt surely die," cannot in
justice be executed upon the sinner's Surety and also upon himself.
Hence by a necessity existing in the very nature of moral government,
it must follow that the believing sinner be freed from all
condemnation, that is, so cleared of the same that he is raised above
all liability to punishment. So declared our blessed Saviour Himself,
in words too plain and emphatic to admit of any misunderstanding:
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and
believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not
come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life" (John
5:24). He, the habitation of whose throne is "justice and judgment,"
has sealed up this declaration forever, by affirming "I will never
leave thee nor forsake thee." Sooner shall the sword of justice cleave
the helmet of the Almighty than any Divinely pardoned soul perish.
But not only are the sins of all who truly come to Christ eternally
remitted, but the very righteousness of the Redeemer passes over to
them, is placed upon them, so that a perfect obedience to the law is
imputed to their account. It is theirs, not by promise, but by gift
(Rom. 5:17), by actual bestowment. It is not simply that God treats
them as if they were righteous, they are righteous and so pronounced
by Him. And therefore may each believing soul exclaim, "I will greatly
rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath
clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the
robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments,
and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels" (Isa. 61:10). O that
each Christian reader may be enabled to clearly and strongly grasp
hold of this glorious fact: that he is now truly righteous in the
sight of God, is in actual possession of an obedience which answers
every demand of the law.
This unspeakable blessing is bestowed not only by the amazing grace of
God, but it is actually required by His inexorable justice. This too
was stipulated and agreed upon in the covenant into which the Father
entered with the Son. That is why the Redeemer lived here on earth for
upwards of thirty years before He went to the cross to suffer the
penalty of our sins: He assumed and discharged our responsibilities;
as a child, as a youth, as a man, He rendered unto God that perfect
obedience which we owed Him. He "fulfilled all righteousness" (Matt.
3:15) for His people, and just as He who knew no sin was made sin for
them, so they are now made "the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor.
5:21). And therefore does Jehovah declare, "For the mountains shall
depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart
from thee, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed, saith
the LORD that hath mercy on thee" (Isa. 54:10).
By actually believing with a justifying faith the sinner doth receive
Christ Himself, is joined to Him, and becomes immediately an heir of
God and joint-heir with Christ. This gives him a right unto and an
interest in the benefits of His mediation. By faith in Christ he
received not only the forgiveness of sins, but an inheritance among
all them that are sanctified (Acts 26:18), the Holy Spirit (given to
him) being "the earnest of our inheritance" (Eph. 1:13, 14). The
believing sinner may now say "in the LORD have I righteousness" (Isa.
45:24). He is "complete in Him" (Col. 2:10), for by "one offering" the
Saviour hath "perfected for ever them that are sanctified" (Heb.
10:14). The believer has been "accepted in the Beloved" (Eph. 1:6),
and stands before the throne of God arrayed in a garment more
excellent than that which is worn by the holy angels.
How infinitely does the glorious Gospel of God transcend the
impoverished thoughts and schemes of men! How immeasurably superior is
that "everlasting righteousness" which Christ has brought in (Dan.
9:24) from that miserable thing which multitudes are seeking to
produce by their own efforts. Greater far is the difference between
the shining light of the midday sun and the blackness of the darkest
night, than between that "best robe" (Luke 15:22) which Christ has
wrought out for each of His people and that wretched covering which
zealous religionists are attempting to weave out of the filthy rags of
their own righteousness. Equally great is the difference between the
truth of God concerning the present and immutable standing of His
saints in all the acceptability of Christ, and the horrible perversion
of Arminians who make acceptance with God contingent upon the
believer's faithfulness and perseverance, who suppose that Heaven can
be purchased by the creature's deeds and doings.
It is not that the justified soul is now left to himself, so that he
is certain of getting to Heaven no matter how he conducts himself--the
fatal error of Antinomians. No Indeed. God also imparts to him the
blessed Holy Spirit, who works within him the desire to serve, please,
and glorify the One who has been so gracious to Him. "The love of
Christ constraineth us... that they which live should not henceforth
live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose
again" (2 Cor. 5:14, 15). They now "delight in the law of God after
the inward man" (Rom. 7:22), and though the flesh, the world, and the
Devil oppose every step of the way, occasioning many a sad fall--which
is repented of, confessed, and forsaken--nevertheless the Spirit
renews them day by day (2 Cor. 4:16) and leads them in the paths of
righteousness for Christ's name's sake.
In the last paragraph will be found the answer to those who object
that the preaching of justification by the imputed righteousness of
Christ, apprehended by faith alone, will encourage carelessness and
foster licentiousness. Those whom God justifies are not left in their
natural condition, under the dominion of sin, but are quickened,
indwelt, and guided by the Holy Spirit. As Christ cannot be divided,
and so is received as Lord to rule us as well as Saviour to redeem us,
so those whom God justifies He also sanctifies. We do not affirm that
all who receive this blessed truth into their heads have their lives
transformed thereby--no indeed; but we do insist that where it is
applied in power to the heart there always follows a walk to the glory
of God, the fruits of righteousness being brought forth to the praise
of His name. Each truly justified soul will say:
"Let worldly minds the world pursue,
It has no charms for me;
I once admired its trifles too,
But grace has set me free."
It is therefore the bounden duty of those who profess to have been
justified by God to diligently and impartially examine themselves, to
ascertain whether or not they have in them those spiritual graces
which always accompany justification. It is by our sanctification, and
that alone, that we may discover our justification. Would you know
whether Christ fulfilled the law for you, that His obedience has been
imputed to your account? Then search your heart and life and see
whether a spirit of obedience to Him is daily working in you. The
righteousness of the law is fulfilled only in those who "walk not
after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (Rom. 8:4). God never designed
that the obedience of His Son should be imputed to those who live a
life of worldliness, self-pleasing, and gratifying the lusts of the
flesh. Far from it: "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:
old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Cor.
5:17).
Summarizing now the blessed results of justification.
The sins of the believer are forgiven. "Through this Man is preached
unto you the forgiveness of sins. And by Him all that believe are
justified from all things" (Acts 13:38, 39). All the sins of the
believer, past, present, and to come, were laid upon Christ and atoned
for by Him. Although sins cannot be actually pardoned before they are
actually committed yet their obligation to the curse of the law were
virtually remitted at the Cross, antecedently to their actual
commission. The sins of Christians involve only the governmental
dealings of God in this life, and these are remitted upon a sincere
repentance and confession.
An inalienable title unto everlasting glory is bestowed. Christ
purchased for His people the reward of blessing of the law, which is
eternal life. Therefore does the Holy Spirit assure the Christian that
he has been begotten "to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled,
and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you" (1 Peter 1:4).
Not only is that inheritance reserved for all the justified, but they
are all preserved unto it, as the very next verse declares, "who are
kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be
revealed in the last time" (v. 5)--"kept" from committing the
unpardonable sin, from apostatising from the truth, from being fatally
deceived by the Devil; so "kept" that the power of God prevents
anything separating them from His love in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:35-38).
Reconciliation unto God Himself. "Therefore being justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ... we were
reconciled to God by the death of His Son" (Rom. 5:1, 10). Until men
are justified they are at war with God, and He is against them, being
"angry with the wicked every day" (Ps. 7:11). Dreadful beyond words is
the condition of those who are under condemnation: their minds are
enmity against God (Rom. 8:7), all their ways are opposed to Him (Col.
1:21). But at conversion the sinner throws down the weapons of his
rebellion and surrenders to the righteous claims of Christ, and by Him
he is reconciled to God. Reconciliation is to make an end of strife,
to bring together those at variance, to change enemies into friends.
Between God and the justified there is peace--effected by the blood of
Christ.
An unalterable standing in the favour of God. "Therefore being
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein
we stand" (Rom. 5:1, 2). Mark the word "also": not only has Christ
turned away the wrath of God from us, but in addition He has secured
the benevolence of God toward us. Previous to justification our
standing was one of unutterable disgrace, but now, through Christ, it
is in one of unclouded grace. God now has naught but good-will toward
us. God has not only ceased to be offended at us, but is well-pleased
with us; not only will He never afflict punishment upon us, but He
will never cease to shower His blessings upon us. The throne to which
we have free access is not one of judgment, but of pure and unchanging
grace.
Owned by God Himself before an assembled universe. "But I say unto
you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give
account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be
justified" (Matt. 12:36, 37): yes, justified publicly by the Judge
Himself! "These shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the
righteous into life eternal" (Matt. 25:46). Here will be the final
justification of the Christian, this sentence being declaratory unto
the glory of God and the everlasting blessedness of those who have
believed.
Let it be said in conclusion that the justification of the Christian
is complete the moment he truly believes in Christ, and hence there
are no degrees in justification. The Apostle Paul was as truly a
justified man at the hour of his conversion as he was at the close of
his life. The feeblest babe in Christ is just as completely justified
as is the most mature saint. Let theologians note the following
distinctions. Christians were decretively justified from all eternity:
efficaciously so when Christ rose again from the dead; actually so
when they believed; sensibly so when the Spirit bestows joyous
assurance; manifestly so when they tread the path of obedience;
finally so at the Day of Judgment, when God shall sententiously, and
in the presence of all created things, pronounce them so.
_________________________________________________
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The Doctrine of Man's Impotence
by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 1-Introduction
_________________________________________________
The title of this second section of our book (Part II from Gleanings
from the Scriptures; Man's Total Depravity) may occasion a raising of
the eyebrows. That we should designate the spiritual helplessness of
fallen man a "doctrine" is likely to cause surprise, for it is
certainly not so regarded in most circles today. Yet this is hardly to
be wondered at. Didactic preaching has fallen into such general disuse
that more than one important doctrine is no longer heard from the
pulpits. If on the one hand there is a deplorable lack of a clear and
definite portrayal of the character of God, on the other there is also
a woeful absence of any lucid and comprehensive presentation of the
teaching of Scripture concerning the nature and condition of man. Such
failure at either point leads to the most disastrous consequences. A
study of this neglected subject is therefore timely and urgent.
Timely and Urgent Study
It is of the utmost importance that people should clearly understand
and be made thoroughly aware of their spiritual impotence, for thus
alone is a foundation laid for bringing them to see and feel their
imperative need of divine grace for salvation. So long as sinners
think they have it in their own power to deliver themselves from their
death in trespasses and sins, they will never come to Christ that they
might have life, for "the whole need not a physician, but they that
are sick." So long as people imagine they labor under no insuperable
inability to comply with the call of the gospel, they never will be
conscious of their entire dependence on Him alone who is able to work
in them "all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith
with power" (2 Thess. 1:11). So long as the creature is puffed up with
a sense of his own ability to respond to God's requirements, he will
never become a suppliant at the footstool of divine mercy.
A careful perusal of what the Word of God has to say on this subject
leaves us in no doubt about the awful state of spiritual serfdom into
which the fall has brought man. The depravity, blindness and deafness
of all mankind in things of a spiritual nature are continually
inculcated and emphatically insisted on throughout the Scriptures. Not
only is the total inability of the natural man to obtain salvation by
deeds of the law frequently asserted, but his utter helplessness in
himself to comply with the terms of the gospel is also strongly
affirmed--not indirectly and occasionally, but expressly and
continually. Both in the Old Testament and in the New, in the
declarations of the prophets, of the Lord Christ, and of His apostles,
the bondage of the natural man to Satan is often depicted, and his
complete impotence to turn to God for deliverance is solemnly and
unequivocally set forth. Ignorance or misconception on the matter is
therefore inexcusable.
Nevertheless the fact remains that this is a doctrine which is little
understood and rarely insisted upon. Notwithstanding the clear and
uniform testimony of the Scriptures, the actual conditions of men,
their alienation from God, their sinful inability to return to Him,
are but feebly apprehended and seldom heard even in orthodox quarters.
The fact is that the whole trend of modern thought is in the very
opposite direction. For the past century, and increasingly so during
the last few decades, the greatness of man--his dignity, his
development and his achievements--has been the predominant theme of
pulpit and press. The antiscriptural theory of evolution is a blank
detail of the fall and its dire consequences, and even where the
Darwinian hypothesis has not been accepted, its pernicious influences
have been more or less experienced.
The evil effects from the promulgation of the evolutionary lie are far
more widespread than most Christians realize. Such a philosophy (if it
is entitled to be called that) has induced multitudes of people to
suppose that their state is far different from, and vastly superior
to, the fearful diagnosis given in Holy Writ. Even among those who
have not accepted without considerable reservation the idea that man
is slowly but surely progressing, the great majority have been
encouraged to believe that their case is far better than it actually
is. Consequently, when a servant of God boldly affirms that all the
descendants of Adam are so completely enslaved by sin that they are
utterly unable to take one step toward Christ for deliverance, he is
looked upon as a doleful pessimist or a crazy fanatic. To speak of the
spiritual impotence of the natural man is, in our day, to talk in an
unknown tongue.
Not only does the appalling ignorance of our generation cause the
servant of God to labor under a heavy handicap when seeking to present
the scriptural account of man's total inability for good; he is also
placed at a serious disadvantage by virtue of the marked
distastefulness of this truth. The subject of his moral impotence is
far from being a pleasing one to the natural man. He wants to be told
that all he needs to do is exert himself, that salvation lies within
the power of his will, that he is the determiner of his own destiny.
Pride, with its strong dislike of being a debtor to the sovereign
grace of God, rises up against it. Self-esteem, with its rabid
repugnance of anything which lays the creature in the dust, hotly
resents what is so humiliating. Consequently, this truth is either
openly rejected or, if seemingly received, is turned to a wrong use.
Moreover, when it is insisted on that man's bondage to sin is both
voluntary and culpable, that the guilt for his inability to turn to
God or to do anything pleasing in His sight lies at his own door, that
his spiritual impotence consists in nothing but the depravity of his
own heart and his inveterate enmity against God, then the hatefulness
of this doctrine is speedily demonstrated. While men are allowed to
think that their spiritual helplessness is involuntary rather than
willful, innocent rather than criminal, something to be pitied rather
than blamed, they may receive this truth with a measure of toleration;
but let them be told that they themselves have forged the shackles
which hold them in captivity to sin, that God counts them responsible
for the corruption of their hearts, and that their incapability of
being holy constitutes the very essence of their guilt, and loud will
be their outcries against such a flesh-withering truth.
However repellent this truth may be, it must not be withheld from men.
The minister of Christ is not sent forth to please or entertain his
congregation, but to declare the counsel of God, and not merely those
parts of it which may meet with their approval and acceptance, but
"all the counsel of God" (Acts 20:27). If he deliberately omits that
which raises their ire, he betrays his trust. Once he starts whittling
down his divinely given commission there will be no end to the
process, for one class will murmur against this portion of the truth
and another against that. The servant of God has nothing to do with
the response which is made to his preaching; his business is to
deliver the Word of God in its unadulterated purity and leave the
results to the One who has called him. And he may be assured at the
outset that unless many in his congregation are seriously disturbed by
his message, he has failed to deliver it in its clarity.
A Resented Doctrine
No matter how hotly this doctrine of man's spiritual impotence is
resented by both the profane and the religious world, it must not be
withheld through cowardice. Christ, our supreme Exemplar, announced
this truth emphatically and constantly. To the Pharisees He said, "O
generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For
out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" (Matt. 12:34).
Men's hearts are so vile, it is utterly impossible that anything holy
should issue from them. They can no more change their nature by an
effort of will than a leper might heal himself by his own volition.
Christ further said, "How can ye believe, which receive honour one of
another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?" (John
5:44). It is a moral impossibility--pride and humility are opposites.
Those who seek to please self and those who sincerely aim at the
approbation of God belong to two entirely different stocks.
On another occasion the Lord Christ asked, "Why do ye not understand
my speech?" to which He Himself answered, "Even because ye cannot hear
my word" (John 8:43). There is no mistaking His meaning here and no
evading the force of His solemn utterance. The message of Christ was
hateful to their worldly and wicked hearts and could no more be
acceptable to them than would wholesome food to birds accustomed to
feed on carrion. Man cannot act contrary to his nature; one might as
well expect fire to burn downward or water flow upward. "Ye are of
your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do" (John
8:44) said the Saviour to the Jews. And what was their response? "Say
we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?" (v. 48).
Sufficient for the servant to be as his Master.
Now if such is the case with the natural man that he can no more break
the bonds which hold him in captivity to Satan than he could restore
the dead to life, ought he not to be faithfully informed of his
wretched condition? If he is so helpless and hopeless in himself that
he cannot turn from sin to holiness, that he cannot please God, that
he cannot take one step toward Christ for salvation, is it not a
kindness to acquaint him with his spiritual impotence, to shatter his
dreams of self-sufficiency, to expose the delusion that he is lord of
himself? In fact, is it not positively cruel to leave him alone in his
complacency and make no effort to bring him face to face with the
desperateness of his depravity? Surely anyone with a vestige of
charity in his heart will have no difficulty in answering such
questions.
It is far from a pleasant task for a physician to tell an unsuspecting
patient that his or her heart is organically diseased or to announce
to a young person engaging in strenuous activities that his lungs are
in such a condition he is totally unfit for violent exertions;
nevertheless it is the physician's duty to break such news. Now if
this principle holds good in connection with our mortal bodies, how
much more so with regard to our never dying spirits. True, there are
some doctors who persuade themselves that there are times when it is
expedient for them to withhold such information from their patients,
but a true physician of souls is never justified in concealing the
more distasteful aspect of the truth from those who are under his
care. If he is to be free from their blood, he must unsparingly expose
the plague of their hearts.
The fact of fallen man's moral inability is indissolubly bound up with
the doctrine of his total depravity, and any denial of the one is a
repudiation of the other, as any attempt to modify the former is to
vitiate the latter. In like manner, the fact of the natural man's
impotence to deliver himself from the bondage of sin is inseparably
connected with the truth of regeneration; for unless we are without
strength in ourselves, what need is there for God to work a miracle of
grace in us? It is, then, the reality of the sinner's helplessness
which provides the dark background necessary for the gospel, and just
in proportion as we are made aware of our helplessness shall we really
value the mercy proffered us in the gospel. On the other hand, while
we cherish the delusion that we have power to turn to God at any time,
just so long we shall continue procrastinating and thereby despise the
gracious overtures of the gospel.
William Shedd stated:
A sense of danger excites; a sense of security puts to sleep. A
company of gamblers in the sixth story are told that the building
is on fire. One of them answers, "We have the key to the fire
escape," and all continue the game. Suddenly one exclaims, "The key
is lost"; all immediately spring to their feet and endeavour to
escape.
Just so long as the sinner believes--because of his erroneous notion
of the freedom of his will--that he has the power to repent and
believe at any moment, he will defer faith and repentance; he will not
so much as beg God to work these graces in him.
The first office of the preacher is to stain the pride of all human
glory, to bring down the high looks of man, to make him aware of his
sinful perversity, to make him feel that he is unworthy of the least
of all God's mercies. His business is to strip him of the rags of his
self-righteousness and to shatter his self-sufficiency; to make him
conscious of his utter dependence on the mere grace of God. Only he
who finds himself absolutely helpless will surrender himself to
sovereign grace. Only he who feels himself already sinking under the
billows of a justly deserved condemnation will cry out, "Lord, save
me, I perish." Only he who has been brought to despair will place the
crown of glory on the only head entitled to wear it. Though God alone
can make a man conscious of his impotence, He is pleased to use the
means of the truth--faithfully dispensed, effectually applied by the
Spirit--in doing so.
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The Doctrine of Man's Impotence
by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 2-Reality
_________________________________________________
The spiritual impotence of the natural man is no mere product of
theological dyspepsia, nor is it a dismal dogma invented during the
Dark Ages. It is a solemn fact affirmed by Holy Writ, manifested
throughout human history, confirmed in the conscious experience of
every genuinely convicted soul. The moral powerlessness of the sinner
is not proclaimed in the pulpit today, nor is it believed in by
professing Christians generally. When it is insisted that man is so
completely the bondslave of sin that he cannot move toward God, the
vast majority will regard the statement as utterly unreasonable and
reject it with scorn. To tell those who consider themselves to be hale
and hearty that they are without strength strikes them as a
preposterous assumption unworthy of serious consideration.
Objections of Unbelief
When a servant of God does press this unwelcome truth on his hearers,
the fertile mind of unbelief promptly replies with one objection after
another. If we are totally devoid of spiritual ability, then assuredly
we must be aware of the fact. But that is far from being the case. The
skeptic says we are very much aware of our power to do that which is
pleasing in God's sight; even though we do not perform it, we could if
we would. He also contends that were we so completely the captives of
Satan as is declared, we should not be free agents at all. Such a
concept as that we will not allow for a moment. Another point of the
skeptic is that if man has no power to do that which God requires,
then obviously he is not a responsible creature, for he cannot justly
be held accountable to do that which is beyond his powers to achieve.
We must establish the fact of man's spiritual impotence and show that
it is a solemn reality; for until we do this, it is useless to discuss
the nature of that impotence, its seat, its extent or its cause. And
it is to the inspired Word of God alone that we shall make our appeal;
for if the Scriptures of truth plainly teach this doctrine, then we
are on sure ground and may not reject its testimony even though no one
else on earth believed it. If the divine oracles affirm it, then none
of the objections brought against it by the carnal mind can have any
weight with us, though in due course we shall endeavor to show that
these objections are as pointless as they are groundless.
In approaching more definitely the task now before us it should be
pointed out that, strictly speaking, it is the subject of human
depravity which we are going to write on; yet to have so designated
this section would be rather misleading as we are going to confine
ourselves to only one aspect of it. The spiritual impotence of the
natural man forms a distinct and separate branch of his depravity. The
state of evil into which the fall has plunged us is far more dreadful
and its dire consequences far more wide-reaching than is commonly
supposed. The common idea is that though man has fallen he is not so
badly damaged but that he may recover himself, providing he properly
exercises his remaining strength or with due attention improves the
help proffered him. But his case is vastly more serious than that.
A. A. Hodge said:
The three main elements involved in the consequences entailed by
the sin of Adam upon his posterity are these: First, the guilt, or
just penal responsibility of Adam's first sin or apostatizing act,
which is imputed or judicially charged upon his descendants,
whereby every child is born into the world in a state of antenatal
forfeiture or condemnation. Second, the entire depravity of our
nature, involving a sinful innate disposition inevitably leading to
actual transgression. Third, the entire inability of the soul to
change its own nature, or to do any thing spiritually good in
obedience to the Divine Law.
God's Word on the Subject
Let us consider some of the solemn declarations of our Lord on the
third of these dire consequences of the fall. "Verily, verily, I say
unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God" (John 3:3). Until a man is born again he remains in his natural,
fallen and depraved state and so long as that is the case it is
utterly impossible for him to discern or perceive divine things. Sin
has both darkened his understanding and destroyed his spiritual
vision. "The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what
they stumble" (Prov. 4:19). Though divine instruction is supplied
them, though God has given them His Word in which the way to heaven is
plainly marked out, still they are incapable of profiting from it.
Moses represented them as groping at noonday (Deut. 28:29), and Job
declares, "They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the
noonday as in the night" (5:14). Jeremiah depicts them as walking in
"slippery ways in the darkness" (23:12).
Now this darkness which envelops the natural man is a moral one,
having its seat in the soul. Our Saviour declared, "The light of the
body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body
shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall
be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be
darkness, how great is that darkness!" (Matt. 6:22-23). The heart is
the same to the soul as the eye is to the body. As a sound eye lets in
natural light, so a good heart lets in spiritual light; and as a blind
eye shuts out natural light, so an evil heart shuts out spiritual
light. Accordingly we find the apostle expressly ascribing the
darkness of the understanding to the blindness of the heart. He
represents all men as "having the understanding darkened, being
alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them,
because of the blindness of their heart" (Eph. 4:18).
While sinners remain under the entire dominion of a wicked heart they
are altogether blind to the spiritual excellence of the character, the
works and the ways of God. "Hear now this, O foolish people, and
without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears,
and hear not" (Jer. 5:21). The natural man is blind. This awful fact
was affirmed again and again by our Lord as He addressed hypocritical
scribes thus: "blind leaders of the blind," "ye blind guides," "thou
blind Pharisee" (Matt. 15:14; 23:24, 26). Paul said: "The god of this
world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not" (2 Cor. 4:4).
There is in the unregenerate mind an incompetence, an incapacity, an
inability to understand the things of the Spirit; and Christ's
repeated miracle in restoring sight to the naturally blind was
designed to teach us our imperative need of the same divine power
recovering spiritual vision to our souls.
A question has been raised as to whether this blindness of the natural
man is partial or total, whether it is simply a defect of vision or
whether he has no vision at all. The nature of his disease may best be
defined as spiritual myopia or shortsightedness. He is able to see
clearly objects which are nearby, but distant ones lie wholly beyond
the range of his vision. In other words, the mind's eye of the sinner
is capable of perceiving natural things, but he has no ability to see
spiritual things. Holy Writ states that the one who "lacketh these
things," namely, the graces of faith, virtue, knowledge, and so forth,
mentioned in 2 Peter 1:5-7, is "blind, and cannot see afar off" (v.
9). The Book therefore urges him to receive "eyesalve" from Christ,
that he may see (Rev. 3:18).
For this very purpose the Son of God came into the world: to give
"deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind"
(Luke 4:18). Concerning those who are the subjects of this miracle of
grace it is said, "Ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in
the Lord" (Eph. 5:8). This is the fulfillment of our Lord's promise:
"I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in
darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12). God is light,
therefore those who are alienated from Him are in complete spiritual
darkness. They do not see the frightful danger to which they are
exposed. Though they are led captive by Satan from day to day and year
to year, they are totally unaware of his malignant influence over
them. They are blind to the nature and tendency of their religious
performances, failing to perceive that no matter how earnestly they
engage in them, they cannot be acceptable to God while their minds are
at enmity against Him. They are blind to the way and means of
recovery.
The awful thing is that the natural man is quite blind to the
blindness of his heart which is insensibly leading him to "the
blackness of darkness for ever" (Jude 13). That is why the vast
majority live so securely and peacefully. It has always appeared
strange to the godly why the ungodly can be so unconcerned while under
sentence of death, and conduct themselves so frivolously and gaily
while exposed to the wrath to come. John was surprised to see the
wicked spending their days in carnality and feasting. David was
grieved at the prosperity of the wicked and could not account for
their not being in trouble as other men. Amos was astonished to behold
the sinners in Zion living at ease, putting the evil day far from
them, lying on beds of ivory. Nothing but their spiritual blindness
can explain the conduct of the vast majority of mankind, crying peace
and safety when exposed to impending destruction.
Man's Opposition
Since all sinners are involved in such spiritual darkness as makes
them unaware of their present condition and condemnation, it is not
surprising that they are so displeased when their fearful danger is
plainly pointed out. Such faithful warning tends to disturb their
present peace and comfort and to destroy their future hopes and
prospects of happiness. If they were once made to truly realize the
imminent danger of the damnation of hell, their ease, security and joy
would be completely dispelled. They cannot bear, therefore, to hear
the plain truth respecting their wretchedness and guilt. Sinners could
not bear to hear the plain teachings of the prophets or Christ on this
account; this explains their bitter complaints and fierce opposition.
They regard as enemies those who try to befriend them. They stop their
ears and run from them.
That the natural man--even the most zealous religionist--has no
perception of this spiritual blindness, and that he is highly
displeased when charged with it, is evident: "Jesus said, For judgment
I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that
they which see might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which
were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?
And Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but
now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth" (John 9:39-41).
God's Son became incarnate for the purpose of bringing to light the
hidden things of darkness. He came to expose things, that those made
conscious of their blindness might receive sight, but that they who
had spiritual sight in their own estimation should be "made
blind"--judicially abandoned to the pride of their evil hearts. The
infatuated Pharisees had no desire for such an experience. Denying
their blindness, they were left in their sin.
"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). He cannot see the things of
God because by nature he is enveloped in total spiritual darkness;
even though external light shine on him, he has no eyes with which to
see. "The light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it
not" (John 1:5). When the Lord of life and light appeared among them,
men had no eyes to see His beauty, but despised and rejected Him. And
so it is still; every verse in Scripture which treats of the Spirit's
illumination confirms this solemn fact. "For God, who commanded the
light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6). This giving of light and knowledge is by divine
power, being analogous to that power by which the light at the first
creation was provided. As far as spiritual, saving knowledge of the
truth is concerned, the mind of fallen man is like the chaos before
God said "Let there be light." "Darkness was upon the face of the
deep," and in that state it is impossible for men to understand the
things of the Spirit.
Not only is the understanding of the natural man completely under the
dominion of darkness, but his will is paralyzed against good; and if
that is so, the sinner is indeed impotent. This fact was made clear by
Christ when He affirmed, "No man can come to me, except the Father
which hath sent me draw him" (John 6:44). And why is it that the
sinner cannot come to Christ by his own unaided powers? Because he has
no inclination to do so and, therefore, no volition in that direction.
The Greek might be rendered "Ye will not come to me." There is not the
slightest desire in the unregenerate heart to do so.
The will of fallen man is depraved, being completely in bondage to
sin. There is not merely a negative lack of inclination, but there is
a positive disinclination. The unwillingness consists of aversion:
"The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the
law of God, neither indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7). And not only is there
an aversion against God, there is a hatred of Him. Christ said to His
disciples, "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it
hated you" (John 15:18). This hatred is inveterate obstinacy: "The
Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a
stiffnecked people" (Exodus 32:9). "All day long I have stretched
forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people" (Rom. 10:21).
Man is incorrigible and in himself his case is hopeless. "Thy people
shall be willing in the day of thy power" (Ps. 110:3) because they
have no power whatever of their own to effect such willingness.
Since we have demonstrated from the Scriptures of truth that the
natural man is utterly unable to discern spiritual things, much less
to choose them, there is little need for us to labor the point that he
is quite incompetent to perform any spiritual act. Nor is this only a
logical inference drawn by theologians; it is expressly affirmed in
the Word: "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God" (Rom.
8:8). There is no denying the meaning of that terrible indictment, as
there is no likelihood of its originating with man himself. Jeremiah
said, "O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not
in man that walketh to direct his steps" (10:23). All power to direct
our steps in the paths of righteousness was lost by us at the fall,
and therefore we are entirely dependent on God to work in us "both to
will and to do of his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13).
Little as this solemn truth of man's moral impotence is known today
and widely as it is denied by modern thought and teaching, there was a
time when it was generally contended for. In the Thirty-nine Articles
of the Church of England (to which all her ministers must still
solemnly and formally subscribe) the Tenth reads thus:
The condition of man after the fall of Adam is such, that he cannot
turn and prepare himself, by his own natural strength and good works
to faith and calling upon God. Wherefore we have no power to do good
works pleasant and acceptable to God.
In the Westminster Confession of Faith chapter 6 begins thus:
Our first parents being seduced by the subtilty and temptation of
Satan, sinned in eating the forbidden fruit. This their sin God was
pleased, according to His wise and holy counsel, to permit, having
purposed to order it to His own glory. By this sin they fell from
their original righteousness and communion with God, and so became
dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul
and body. They being the root of all mankind, the guilt of this sin
was imputed, and the same death in sin and corrupted nature conveyed
to all their posterity, descending from them by ordinary generation.
From this original corruption, whereby we are utterly indisposed,
disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all
evil, do proceed all actual transgressions.
_________________________________________________
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The Doctrine of Man's Impotence
by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 3-Nature
_________________________________________________
The doctrine we are now considering is a most solemn and forbidding
one. Certainly it is one which could never have been invented by man,
for it is far too humbling and distasteful. It is one which is most
offensive to human pride, and at complete variance with the modem idea
of the progress of the human race. Nevertheless, if we accept the
Scriptures as a divine revelation, we have no choice but to
uncomplainingly receive this truth. The ruined and helpless state of
the sinner is fully attested by the Bible. There fallen man is
represented as so utterly carnal and sold under sin as to be not only
"without strength" (Rom. 5:6) but lacking the least inclination to
move toward God. Very dark indeed is this side of the truth, but its
supplement is the glory of God in rich grace, for it furnishes a real
but necessary background to the blessed contents of the gospel.
Clear Teaching of Scripture
The Scriptures plainly teach that man is a fallen being, that he is
lost (Luke 19:10), that he cannot recover himself from his ruin, that
despite the fact of an all-sufficient Saviour presented to him, he
cannot come to Him until he is moved upon by the Spirit of God. Thus
it is quite evident that if a sinner is saved, he owes his salvation
entirely to the free grace and effectual power of God, and not to any
good in or from or by himself. "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but
thy name give glory, for thy mercy" (Ps. 115:1) is the unqualified
acknowledgment of all the redeemed. Scripture speaks in no uncertain
language on this point. If one man differs from another on this
all-important matter of being saved, then it is God who has made him
to differ (1 Cor. 4:7) and not himself.
Nor is the sinner's salvation to be in any way attributed to either
pliability of heart or diligence in the use of means. "So then it is
not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that
sheweth mercy." "Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy"
(Rom. 9:16, 18). The context of John 6:44 indicates that our Lord was
thus accounting for the enmity of the murmuring Jews: "No man can come
to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him." By those words
Christ intimated that, considering what fallen human nature is, the
conduct of His enemies is not to be wondered at; that they acted in no
other way than will all other men when left to themselves; that His
own disciples would never have obeyed and followed Him had not a
gracious divine influence been exercised on them.
Man's Strong Objection
But as soon as this flesh-withering truth is pressed upon the
unregenerate, they raise an outcry and voice their objections against
it. If the spiritual condition of fallen man is one of complete
helplessness, then how can the gospel ask him to turn from his sins
and flee to Christ for refuge? If the natural man is unable to repent
and believe the gospel, then how can he be justly punished for his
impenitence and unbelief? On what ground can man be blamed for not
doing what is morally impossible? Notwithstanding these difficulties
the point of doctrine which we shall insist upon is that no one is
able to comply with the terms of the gospel until he is made the
subject of the special and effectual grace of God, that is, until he
is divinely quickened, made willing, so that he actually does comply
with its terms.
Nevertheless, we shall endeavor to show that sinners are not unjustly
condemned for their depravity, but that their inability is
blameworthy. Great care needs to be taken in stating this doctrine
accurately. Otherwise men will be encouraged to put it to wrong use,
making it a comfortable resting place for their corrupt hearts. By a
misrepresentation of this doctrine more than one preacher has
"strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from
his wicked way" (Ezek. 13:22). The truth of man's spiritual impotence
has been so distorted that many sinners have been made to feel that
they are to be pitied, that they are sincere in desiring a new heart--
which has not yet been granted them. Many, while excusing their
helplessness, suppose this to be consistent with a genuine longing to
be renewed. It is the duty of the minister to make his hearers realize
they are under no inability except the excuseless corruption of their
own hearts.
Need for Understanding the Doctrine
There is a real need for us to look closely at the precise nature of
man's spiritual inability, as to why he cannot come to Christ unless
he be divinely drawn. But first let us notice some of the tenets of
others on this point. These fall into two main classes, Pelagians and
Semi-Pelagians--Pelagius being the principal opponent of the godly
Augustine in the fifth century.
A. A. Hodge in his Outlines of Theology has succinctly summarized the
Pelagian dogmas on the subject of man's ability to fulfill the law of
God. Here is the essence of his four points: (1) Moral character can
be predicated only of volitions. (2) Ability is always the measure of
responsibility. (3) Hence every man has always plenary power to do all
that it is his duty to do. (4) Hence the human will alone, to the
exclusion of the interference of any internal influence from God, must
decide human character and destiny. The only divine influence needed
by man or consistent with his character as a self-determining agent is
an external, providential and educational one.
Semi-Pelagians believe thus: (1) Man's nature has been so far weakened
by the fall that it cannot act right in spiritual matters without
divine assistance. (2) This weakened moral state which infants inherit
from their parents is the cause of sin, but not itself sin in the
sense of deserving the wrath of God. (3) Man must strive to do his
whole duty, when God meets him with cooperative grace and makes his
efforts successful. (4) Man is not responsible for the sins he commits
until after he has enjoyed and abused the influences of grace.
Arminians are Semi-Pelagians, many of them going the whole length of
the error in affirming the freedom of fallen man's will toward good.
But their practical contention may fairly be stated thus: Man has
certainly suffered considerably from the fall, so much so that sinners
are unable to do much, if anything, toward their salvation merely of
themselves. Nevertheless sinners are able, by the help of common grace
(supposed to be extended by the Spirit to all who hear the gospel) to
do those things which are regarded as fulfilling the preliminary
conditions of salvation (such as acknowledging their sins and calling
on God for help to forsake them and turn to Christ). And if sinners
will thus pray, use the means of grace, and put forth what power they
do have, then assuredly God will meet them halfway and renew their
hearts and pardon their iniquities.
We object to this belief. First, far from the Scriptures representing
man as being partially disabled by the fall, they declare him to be
completely ruined--not merely weakened, but "without strength" (Rom.
5:6). Second, to affirm that the natural man has any aspiration toward
God is to deny that he is totally depraved, that "every imagination of
the thoughts of his heart . . .[is] only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5;
cf. 8:21), that "there is none that seeketh after God" (Rom. 3:11).
Third, if it were true that God could not justly condemn sinners for
their inability to comply with the terms of the gospel, and that in
order to give every man a "fair chance" to be saved He extends to all
the common help of His Spirit, that would not be "grace" but a debt
which He owed to His creatures. Fourth, if such a God-insulting
principle were granted, the conclusion would inevitably follow that
those who improved this "common grace" could lawfully boast that they
made themselves to differ from those who did not improve it.
But enough of these shifts and subterfuges of the carnal mind. Let us
now turn to God's own Word and see what it teaches us concerning the
nature of man's spiritual impotence. First, it represents it as being
a penal one, a judicial sentence from the righteous Judge of all the
earth. Unless this is clearly grasped at the outset we are left
without any adequate explanation of this dark mystery. God did not
create man as he now is. God made man holy and upright, and by man's
own apostasy he became corrupt and wicked. The Creator originally
endowed man with certain powers, placed him on probation, and
prescribed a rule of conduct for him. Had our first parents preserved
their integrity, had they remained in loving and loyal subjection to
their Maker and Ruler, all would have been well, not only for
themselves but also for their posterity. But they were not willing to
remain in the place of subjection. They took the reins into their own
hands, rebelling against their Governor. And the outcome was dreadful.
The sin of man was extreme and aggravated. It was committed contrary
to knowledge and, through the beneficence of the One against whom it
was directed, in the face of great advantages. It was committed
against divine warning, and against an explicit declaration of the
consequence of man's transgression. In Adam's fearful offense there
were unbelief, presumption, ingratitude, rebellion against his
righteous and gracious Maker. Let the dreadfulness of this first human
sin be carefully weighed before we are tempted to murmur against the
dire consequences which accompanied it. Those dire consequences may
all be summed up in the fearful word "death," for "the wages of sin is
death." The full import of that statement can best be ascertained by
considering all the evil effects which have since come to man. A just,
holy, sin-hating God caused the punishment to fit the crime.
Probation of Human Race in Adam
When God placed Adam on probation it pleased Him to place the whole
human race on probation, for Adam's posterity were not only in him
seminally as their natural head, but they were also in him legally and
morally as their legal and moral head. In other words, by divine
constitution and covenant Adam stood and acted as the federal
representative of the whole human race. Consequently, when he sinned,
we sinned; when he fell, we fell. God justly imputed Adam's
transgression to all his descendants, whose agent he was: "By the
offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation" (Rom.
5:18). By his sin Adam became not only guilty but corrupt, and that
defilement of nature is transmitted to all his children. Thomas Boston
said, "Adam's sin corrupted man's nature and leavened the whole lump
of mankind. We putrefied in Adam as our root. The root was poisoned,
and so the branches were envenomed."
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by
sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all sinned" (Rom.
5:12). We repeat that Adam was not only the father but the federal
representative of his posterity. Consequently justice required that
they should be dealt with as sharing in his guilt, that therefore the
same punishment should be inflicted on them, which is exactly what the
vitally important passage in Romans 5:12-21 affirms. "By one man
[acting on behalf of the many], sin entered [as a foreign element, as
a hostile factor] into the world [the whole system over which Adam had
been placed as the vicegerent of God: blasting the fair face of
nature, bringing a curse upon the earth, ruining all humanity], and
death by sin [as its appointed wages]; and so death [as the sentence
of the righteous Judge] passed upon all men [because all men were
seminally and federally in Adam]."
It needs to be carefully borne in mind that in connection with the
penal infliction which came upon man at the fall, he lost no moral or
spiritual faculty, but rather the power to use them right. In
Scripture "death" (as the wages of sin) does not signify annihilation
but separation. As physical death is the separation of the soul from
the body, so spiritual death is the separation of the soul from its
Maker. Ephesians 4:18 expresses it as "being alienated from the life
of God." Thus, when the father said of the prodigal, "This my son was
dead" (Luke 15), he meant that his son had been absent from him--away
in the "far country." Hence when, as the Substitute of His people,
Christ was receiving in their stead the wages due them, He cried, "My
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" This is why the lake of fire
is called "the second death"--because those cast there are "punished
with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord" (2 Thess.
1:9).
We have said that all of Adam's posterity shared in the guilt of the
great transgression committed by their federal head, and that
therefore the same punishment is inflicted on them as on him. That
punishment consisted (so far as its present character is concerned) in
his coming under the curse and wrath of God, the corrupting of his
nature, and the mortalizing of his body. Clear proof of this is found
in that inspired statement "And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years,
and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image" (Gen. 5:3),
which is in direct antithesis to his being created "in the image of
God" (Gen. 1:27). That Adam's first son was morally depraved was
clearly evidenced by his conduct; and that his second son was also
depraved was fully acknowledged by the sacrifice which he brought to
God.
As a result of the fall man is born into this world so totally
depraved in his moral nature as to be entirely unable to do anything
spiritually good; furthermore, he is not in the slightest degree
disposed to do good. Even under the exciting and persuasive influences
of divine grace, the will of man is completely unfit to act right in
cooperation with grace until the will itself is by the power of God
radically and permanently renewed. The tree itself must be made good
before there is the least prospect of any good fruit being borne by
it. Even after a man is regenerated, the renewed will always continues
dependent on divine grace to energize, direct and enable it for the
performance of anything acceptable to God, as the language of Christ
clearly shows: "Without me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5).
But let it be clearly understood that though man has by the fall lost
all power to do anything pleasing to God, yet his Maker has not lost
His authority over him nor forfeited His right to require that which
is due Him. As creatures we were bound to serve God and do whatever He
commanded; and the fact that we have, by our own folly and sin, thrown
away the strength given to us cannot and does not cancel our
obligations. Has the creditor no right to demand payment for what is
owed him because the debtor has squandered his substance and is unable
to pay him? If God can require of us no more than we are now able to
give Him, then the more we enslave ourselves by evil habits and still
further incapacitate ourselves the less our liabilities; then the
deeper we plunge into sin the less wicked we would become. This is a
manifest absurdity.
Even though by Adam's fall we have become depraved and spiritually
helpless creatures, yet the terrible fact that we are enemies to the
infinitely glorious God, our Maker, makes us infinitely to blame and
without the vestige of a legitimate excuse. Surely it is perfectly
obvious that nothing can make it right for a creature to voluntarily
rise up at enmity against One who is the sum of all excellence,
infinitely worthy of our love, homage and obedience. Thus, for
man--whatever the origin of his depravity--to be a rebel against the
Governor of this world is infinitely evil and culpable. It is utterly
vain for us to seek shelter behind Adam's offense while every sin we
commit is voluntary and not compulsory--the free, spontaneous
inclination of our hearts. This being the case, every mouth will be
stopped, and all the world stand guilty before God (Rom. 3:19).
To this it may be objected that the writer of Romans argued that he
was not personally and properly to blame for the corruptions of his
heart: "It is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me"
(7:17, 20). But there is no justification for perverting the language
in that passage. If the scope of the words is noted, such a misuse of
them is at once ruled out. The writer was showing that divine grace
and not indwelling sin was the governing principle within him--as he
had affirmed previously: "Sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye
are not under the law, but under grace" (6:14). Far from insinuating
that he did not feel wholly blamable for his remaining corruption, he
declared, "I am carnal, sold under sin" (7:14), and cried as a
brokenhearted penitent, "O wretched man that I am!" (v. 24). It is
perfectly obvious that he could not have mourned for his remaining
corruption as being sinful if he had not felt he was to blame for
them.
Man's spiritual impotence is not only penal but moral, by which we
mean that he is now unable to meet the requirements of the moral law.
We employ this term "moral," first of all, in contrast with "natural,"
for the spiritual helplessness of fallen man is unnatural, inasmuch as
it does not pertain to the nature of man as created by God. Man (in
Adam) was endowed with full ability to do whatever was required of
him, but he lost that ability by the fall. We employ this term
"moral," in the second place, because it accurately defines the
character of fallen man's malady. His inability is purely moral,
because while he still possesses all moral as well as intellectual
faculties requisite for right action, yet the moral state of his
faculties is such as to render right action impossible. A. A. Hodge
said, "Its essence is in the inability of the soul to know, love, or
choose spiritual good; and its ground exists in that moral corruption
of soul whereby it is blind, insensible, and totally averse to all
that is spiritually good."
The affirmation that fallen man is morally impotent presents a serious
difficulty for many. They suppose that to assert his inability to will
or do anything spiritually good is utterly incompatible with human
responsibility or the sinner's guilt. These difficulties are later
considered at length. But it is necessary for us to allude to these
difficulties at the present stage because the effort to show the
reconcilability of fallen man's inability with his responsibility has
led not a few defenders of the former truth to make predications which
were unwarrantable and untrue. They have felt that there is, there
must be, some sense or respect in which even fallen man may be said to
be able to will and do what is required of him; and they have labored
to show in what sense this ability exists, while at the same time man
is, in another sense, unable.
Many Calvinists have supposed that in order to avoid the awful error
of Antinomian fatalism it was necessary to ascribe some kind of
ability to fallen man, and therefore they have resorted to the
distinction between natural and moral inability. They have affirmed
that though man is now morally unable to do what God requires, yet he
has a natural ability to do it, and therefore is responsible for not
doing it. In the past we ourselves have made use of this distinction,
and we still believe it to be a real and important one, though we are
now satisfied that it is expressed faultily. There is a radical
difference between a person being in possession of natural or moral
faculties, and his possessing or not possessing the power to use those
faculties right. And in the accurate stating of these considerations
lies the difference between the preservation of the doctrine of man's
depravity and moral impotence, and the repudiation or at least the
whittling down of it.
At this very point many have burdened their writings with a
metaphysical discussion of the human will, a discussion so abstruse
that comparatively few of their readers possessed the necessary
education or mentality to intelligently follow it. We do not propose
to discuss such questions as Is the will of fallen man free? If so, in
what sense? To introduce such an inquiry here would divert attention
too much from the more important query, Can man by any efforts of his
own recover himself from the effects of the fall? Suffice it, then, to
insist that the sinner's unwillingness to come to Christ is far more
than a mere negation or a not putting forth of such a volition. It is
a positive thing, an active aversion to Him, a terrible and inveterate
enmity against Him.
Impossibility of Moral Obedience
The term "ability," or "power," is not easy to define, for it is a
relative term, having reference to something to be done or resisted.
Thus when we meet with the word, the mind at once asks, Power to do
what? Ability to resist what? The particular kind of ability necessary
is determined by the particular kind of action to be performed. If it
is the lifting of a heavy weight, physical ability is needed; if the
working out of a sum in arithmetic, mental power; if the choosing
between good and evil, moral power. Man has sufficient physical and
intellectual ability to keep many of the precepts of the moral law,
yet no possible expenditure of such power could produce moral
obedience. It may be that Gabriel has less natural and intellectual
power than Satan. Suppose it is so, then what? The conclusion is
simply that no amount of ability can go beyond its own kind. Love to
God can never proceed from the powers possessed by Satan.
Let us now consider what the Scriptures teach concerning the bodily,
mental and moral abilities of fallen man. First, they teach that his
bodily faculties are in a ruined state, that his physical powers are
enfeebled, and this as a result of sin. "By one man sin entered into
the world, and death by sin" (Rom. 5:12). None of our readers is
likely to deny that this includes physical death. Now death
necessarily implies a failure of the powers of the body. Sickness,
feebleness, the wasting of the physical energies and tissues are
included. And all of these originate in sin as their moral cause, and
are the penal results of it. Every aching joint, every quivering
nerve, every pang of pain we experience, is a reminder and mark of
God's displeasure on the original misuse of our bodily powers in the
garden of Eden.
Second, man's intellectual powers have suffered by the fall. "Having
the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God
through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of
their heart" (Eph. 4:18). A very definite display of this ignorance
was made by our first parents after their apostasy. Their sin
consisted in allowing their affections to wander after a forbidden
object, seeking their happiness not in the delightful communion of God
but in the suggestion presented to them by the tempter. Like their
descendants ever since, they loved and served the creature more than
the Creator. Their conduct in hiding from God showed an alienation of
affections. Had their delight been in the Lord as their chief good,
then desire for concealment could not have possessed their minds. That
foolish attempt to hide themselves from the searching eye of God
betrayed their ignorance as well as their conscious guilt. Had not
their foolish hearts been darkened, such an attempt would not have
been made. "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools" (Rom.
1:22).
This mental darkness, this ignorance of mind, is insuperable to man
unaided by supernatural grace. Fallen man never would, never could,
dispel this darkness, overcome this ignorance. He labors under mental
paucity to such a degree as to make it impossible for him to attain to
the true knowledge of God and to understand the things of the Spirit.
He has an understanding by which he may know natural things: he can
reason, investigate truth, and learn much of God's wisdom as it is
displayed in the works of creation. He is capable of knowing the moral
truths of God's Word as mere abstract propositions; but a true,
spiritual, saving apprehension of them is utterly beyond his unaided
powers. There is a positive defect and inability in his mind. "The
natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they
are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14).
The Natural Man
By the "natural man" is unquestionably meant the unrenewed man, the
man in whom the miracle of regeneration and illumination has not been
effected. The context makes this clear: "Now we [Christians] have
received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God"
(v. 12). And for what end had the Spirit been given to them? That they
might be delivered from their chains of ignorance, that their
inability of mind might be removed so that they "might know the things
that are freely given to us of God." "Which things [of the Spirit]
also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which
the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual"
(v. 13). Here is a contrast between man's wisdom and its teachings,
and the Spirit's wisdom and His teachings. That the natural man" of
verse 14 is unregenerate is further seen from contrasting him with the
"spiritual" man in verse 15.
A divine explanation is here given as to why the natural man does not
receive the things of the Spirit of God. It is a most cogent and
solemn one: "For they are foolishness unto him." That is, he rejects
them because they are absurd to his apprehension. It is contrary to
the very nature of the human mind to receive as truth that which it
thinks is preposterous. And why do the things of the Spirit of God
appear as foolishness to the natural man? Are they not in themselves
the consummation of wisdom? Wisdom is not folly; no, yet it may appear
as such and be so treated, even by minds which in other matters are of
quick and accurate perception. The wisdom of the higher mathematician
is foolishness to the illiterate. Why? Because he cannot understand
it; he does not have the power of mind to comprehend the mighty
thoughts of a Newton.
Why are the things of the Spirit of God beyond the comprehension of
the natural man? Do not many of the unregenerate possess vigorous and
clear-thinking minds? Can they not reason accurately when they have
perceived clearly? Have not some of the unconverted given the most
illustrious displays of the powers of the human intellect? Why, then,
cannot they know the things of the Spirit? This too is answered by 1
Corinthians 2:14. Those things require a peculiar power of
discernment, which the unrenewed have not: "They are spiritually
discerned." And the natural man is not spiritual. Until the natural
man is taught of God--until the eyes of his understanding are
enlightened (Eph. 1:18)--he will never see any beauty in the Christ of
God or any wisdom in the Spirit of God.
If further proof of the mental inability of the natural man is needed,
it is furnished in those passages which speak of the Spirit's
illumination. "God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness,
hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the
glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6). Hence, "the
spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him" is said to be
the gift of the Father (Eph. 1:17). Previous to that gift, "ye were
sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord" (Eph. 5:8). "But
the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye
need not that any man teach you" (1 John 2:27). From these passages it
is evident (1) that the mind of man is in a state of spiritual
darkness; (2) that it continues, and will continue so, until the
Spirit of God gives it light or knowledge; (3) that this giving of
light or knowledge is by divine power, a miracle of grace, as truly a
miracle as when at the beginning the Lord said, "Let there be light."
Some have objected that man possesses the organ of vision, and
therefore he has the ability to see, although he does not have the
light. Simply remove the obstructing shutters and the prisoner in his
dungeon will see. But let us not be deceived by such sophistry. It is
not true that man having a sound eye has the ability to see. It is
often contrary to facts, both naturally and spiritually. Without light
he cannot see, he has not the ability to do so. Indeed, those with
sound eyes and light cannot see all things, even things which are
perceptible to others; myopia, or near-sightedness, hinders. A man who
may be able to see with the mind's eye a simple proposition cannot see
the force of a profound argument.
Third, the moral powers of man's soul are paralyzed by the fall.
Darkness on the understanding, ignorance in the mind, corruption of
the affections, must of necessity radically affect motives and choice.
To insist that either the mind or the will has a power to act contrary
to motive is a manifest absurdity, for in that case it would not be a
moral act at all. The very essence of morality is a capacity to be
influenced by considerations of right and wrong. Were a rational mind
to act without any motive--a contradiction in terms--it certainly
would not be a moral act. Motives are simply the mind's view of
things, influencing to action; and since the understanding has been
blinded by sin and the affections so corrupted, it is obvious that
until man is renewed he will reject the good and choose the evil.
Man's Bias Toward Evil
As we have already pointed out, man is unwilling to choose the good
because he is disinclined to it, and he chooses evil because his heart
is biased toward it. Men love darkness rather than light. Surely no
proof of such assertions is needed; all history too sadly testifies to
their verity. It is a waste of breath to ask for evidence that man is
inclined to evil as the sparks fly upward. Common observation and our
own personal consciousness alike bear witness to this lamentable fact.
It is equally plain that it is the derangement of the mind by sin
which affects the moral power of perceiving right and wrong enfeebling
or destroying the force of moral motives.
An unregenerate and a regenerate man may contemplate the same subject
matter, view the same objects; but how different their moral
perceptions! Therefore their motives and actions will be quite
different. The things seen by their minds being different, diverse
effects are necessarily produced on them. The one sees a "root out of
a dry ground" in which there is "no form nor comeliness," whereas the
other sees One who is "altogether lovely." In consequence, our Lord is
despised and rejected by the former, whereas He is loved and embraced
by the latter. While such are the views (perceptions) of the two
individuals, respectively, such must be their choice and conduct. It
is impossible to be otherwise. Their moral perception must be changed
before it is possible for their volitions to be altered.
Such is the ruined condition of the fallen creature. No human power is
able to effect any alteration in the moral perceptions of sinful men.
"Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Then may
ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil" (Jer. 13:23). Nothing
short of the sinner, mentally and morally blind to divine light. Here,
then, lies the moral inability of the natural man: it consists in the
lack of adequate powers of moral perception. His moral sense is
prostrated, his mind unable to properly discern between good and evil,
truth and falsehood, God and Mammon, Christ and Belial. Not that he
can perceive no difference, but that he cannot appreciate in any
tolerable degree the excellence of truth or the glory of its Author.
He cannot discern the real baseness of falsehood or the degradation of
vice.
It is a great mistake to suppose that fallen man possesses adequate
faculties for such moral perception, and lacks only the necessary
moral light. The very opposite is the actual case. Moral light shines
all around him, but his powers of vision are gone. He walks in
darkness while the midday splendors of the sun of righteousness shine
all around him. Fables are regarded as truth, but the truth itself is
rejected. Shadows are chased, but the substance is ignored. The gospel
is "hid to them that are lost" (2 Cor. 4:3). When the Lord is
presented to sinners, they "see in him no beauty that they should
desire him." So blind is the natural man that he gropes in the noonday
and stumbles over the rock of ages. And unless a sovereign God is
pleased to have mercy on him, his moral blindness continues until he
passes out into the ``blackness of darkness for ever."
The deprivation of our nature consists not in the absence of
intelligence, but in the ability to use our reason in a wise and fit
manner. That which man lost at the fall was not a faculty but a
principle. He still retains everything which is requisite to
constitute him a rational, moral and responsible being; but he threw
away that uprightness which secured the approbation of God. He lost
the principle of holiness and, with it, all power to keep the moral
law. Nor is this all; a foreign element--an element diametrically
opposed to God--entered into man, corrupting his whole being. The
principle of holiness was supplanted by the principle of sin, and this
has rendered man utterly unable to act in a spiritual manner. True, he
may mechanically or imitatively perform spiritual acts (such as
praying), yet he cannot perform them in a spiritual manner--from
spiritual motives and for spiritual ends. He has no moral ability to
do so. True, he can do many things, but none rightly--in a way
pleasing to God.
Spiritual good is holiness, and holiness consists in supreme love of
God and equal love of men. Fallen man, alone and of himself, is
utterly unable to love God with all his soul and strength, and his
neighbor as himself. This principle of holy love is completely absent
from his heart, nor can he by any effort beget such an affection
within himself. He is utterly unable to originate within his will any
inclination or disposition that is spiritually good; he has not the
moral power to do so. Moral power is nothing more nor less than a holy
nature with holy dispositions; it is the perception of the beauty of
God and the response of the heart to the excellence and glory of God,
with the consequent subjection of the will to His royal law of
liberty. J. Thornwell said, "Spiritual perceptions, spiritual delight,
spiritual choice, these and these alone, constitute ability to good."
In our efforts to carefully define and describe the precise character
of fallen man's inability to do anything which is pleasing to God, we
have shown, first, that the impotence under which he now labors is a
penal one, judicially inflicted upon him by the righteous Judge of all
the earth, because of his misuse of the faculties with which he was
originally endowed in Adam. Second, we noted that his spiritual
helplessness is a moral one, having its seat in the soul or moral
nature. The principle of holiness was lost by man when he apostatized
from his Maker and Governor, and the principle of sin entered his
soul, corrupting the whole of his being, so that he is no longer
capable of rendering any spiritual obedience to the moral law; that
is, he is incapable of obeying it from spiritual motives and with
spiritual designs.
We pass on now to show, third, that fallen man's inability is
voluntary. Some of our readers who have had no difficulty in following
us through the first two sections are likely to demur here. We refer
to hyper-Calvinists who have such a one-sided conception of man's
spiritual helplessness that they have lapsed into serious error. They
look upon the condition and case of the sinner much as they do those
people who have suffered a stroke which has paralyzed their limbs: as
a calamity and not the result of a crime, as something which
necessitates a state of inertia and inactivity, as something which
annuls their responsibility. They fail to see that the moral impotence
of the natural man is deliberate and therefore highly culpable.
Before appealing to the Scriptures for proofs of this third point, we
must explain the sense in which we use our term. In affirming that the
moral and sinful inability of fallen man is a voluntary one, we mean
that he acts freely and spontaneously, unforced either from within or
without. This is an essential element of an accountable being,
everywhere recognized and acknowledged among men. Human law (much less
divine) does not hold a person to be guilty if he has been compelled
by others to do wrong against his own will and protests. In all moral
action the human will is self-inclined, acting freely according to the
dictates of the mind, which are in turn regulated by the inclination
of the heart. Though the mind be darkened and the heart corrupted,
nevertheless the will acts freely and the individual remains a
voluntary agent.
Some of the best theologians have drawn a distinction between the
liberty and ability of the sinner's will, affirming the former but
denying the latter. We believe this distinction to be accurate and
helpful. Unless a person is free to exercise volitions as he pleases,
he cannot be an accountable being. Nevertheless, fallen man cannot, by
any exercise of will, change his nature or make any choice contrary to
the governing tendencies of indwelling sin. He totally lacks any
disposition to meet the requirements of the moral law, and therefore
he cannot make himself willing to do so. The affections of the heart
and the perceptions of the mind regulate our volitions, and the will
has no inherent power to change our affections; we cannot by any
resolution, however strong or prolonged, make ourselves love what we
hate or hate what we love.
Because the sinner acts without any external compulsion, according to
his own inclinations, his mind is free to consider and weigh the
various motives which come before it, making its own preferences or
choices. By motives we mean those reasons or inducements which are
presented to the mind tending to lead to choice and action. The power
or force of these inducements lies not in themselves (abstractedly
considered), but in the state of the person who is the subject of
them; consequently that which would be a powerful motive in the view
of one mind would have no weight at all in the view of another. For
example, the offer of a bribe would be a sufficient motive to induce
one judge to decide a case contrary to law and against the evidence;
whereas to another such an offer, far from being a motive to such an
evil course, would be highly repulsive.
Let this be clearly grasped by the reader: Those external inducements
which are presented to the mind affect a person according to the state
of his or her heart. The temptation presented by Potiphar's wife,
which was firmly refused by Joseph, would have been a motive of
sufficient power to ruin many a youth of less purity of heart.
External motives can have no influence over the choice and conduct of
men except as they make an appeal to desires already existing in the
mind. Throw a lighted match into a barrel of gunpowder and there is at
once an explosion; but throw that match into a barrel of water and no
harm is done. "The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in
me" (John 14:30) said the holy One of God. None among the children of
men can make such a claim.
Freedom of Human Will
All the affections of the human heart are, in their very nature, free.
The idea of compelling a man to love or hate any object is manifestly
absurd. The same holds good of all his faculties. Conscience may be
enlightened and made more sensitive, or it may be resisted and
hardened; but no man can be compelled to act contrary to its dictates
without depriving him of his freedom, and at the same time of his
responsibility. So of his will or volition: two or more alternatives
confront a man, conflicting motives are presented to his mind, and his
will is quite free in making a preference or choice between them.
Nevertheless, it is the very nature of his will to choose that which
is preferable, that which is most agreeable to his heart.
Consequently, though the will acts freely, it is biased by the
corruptions of the heart and therefore is unable to choose spiritual
good. The heart must be changed before the will chooses God.
Against our assertion that the spiritual impotence of fallen man is a
voluntary one, it may be objected that the sinner is so strongly
tempted, so powerfully influenced by Satan and so thoroughly under his
control that (in many instances, at least) he cannot help himself,
being irresistibly drawn into sinning. That there is some force in
this objection is readily granted, but we can by no means allow the
length to which it is carried. However subtle the craft, however
influential the sophistry, however great the power of the devil, these
must not be used to repudiate our personal responsibility and
criminality in sinning, nor must we construe ourselves into being his
innocent dupes or unwilling victims. Never does Scripture so represent
the matter; rather, we are told "Resist the devil, and he will flee
from you" (Jam. 4:7). And if we seek grace to meet the conditions
(specified in 1 Pet. 5:8-9), God will assuredly make good His promise.
Satan's power is not physical but moral. He has intimate access to the
faculties of our souls, and though he cannot (like the Holy Spirit)
work at their roots so as to change and transform their tendencies, he
can ply them with representations and delusions which effectually
incline them to will and do according to his good pleasure. He can
cheat the understanding with appearances of truth, fascinate the fancy
with pictures of beauty, and mock the heart with semblances of good.
By a secret suggestion he can give an impulse to our thoughts and turn
them into channels which serve the purposes of his malignity. But in
all of this he does no violence to the laws of our nature. He disturbs
neither the spontaneity of the understanding nor the freedom of the
will. He cannot make us do a thing without our own consent, thus in
consenting to his evil suggestions lies our guilt.
That sinners act freely and voluntarily in all their wrongdoing is
taught throughout the Scriptures. Take, first of all, the horrible
state of the heathen, a dark picture of whom is painted for us in
Romans 1. There we see the consummation of human depravity. Heathenism
is the full development of the principle of sin in its workings upon
the intellectual, moral and religious nature of man. In Romans 1 we
are shown that the dreadful condition in which the heathen now lie
(and missionaries bear clear witness that what comes before their
notice accurately corresponds to what is here stated) is the
consequence of their own voluntary choice. "When they knew God, they
glorified him not as God" (v. 21). They "changed the glory of the
uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man" (v. 23).
They "changed the truth of God into a lie" (v. 25). They "did not like
to retain God in their knowledge" (v. 28).
Nor was it any different with the favored people of Israel. So averse
were they to God and His ways that they hated, persecuted and killed
those messengers whom He sent to reclaim them from their wickedness.
"They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his law"
(Ps. 78:10). They said, "I have loved strangers, and after them will 1
go" (Jer. 2:25). "Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see,
and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein,
and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk
therein. Also I set watchmen over you saying, Hearken to the sound of
the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken" (Jer. 6:16-17). The
Lord called to them, but they "refused." He stretched forth His hand,
but "no man regarded." They set at nought all His counsel, and would
heed none of His reproofs (Prov. 1:24-25). "The Lord God of their
fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and
sending.
But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and
misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against his
people, till there was no remedy" (2 Chron. 36:15-16). God's blessed
Son did not receive any better treatment at their hands. Though He
appeared before them in "the form of a servant," He did not appeal to
their proud hearts. Though He was "full of grace and truth," they
despised and rejected Him. Though He sought only their good, they
returned Him nought but evil. Though He proclaimed glad tidings for
them, they refused to listen. Though He worked the most wonderful
miracles before them, yet they would not believe Him. "He came unto
his own, and his own received him not" (John 1:11). Their retort was
"We will not have this man to reign over us" (Luke 19:14). It was a
voluntary and deliberate refusal of Him. It is this very voluntariness
of their sin which shall be charged against them in the day of
judgment, for then shall He give order thus: "But those mine enemies,
which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay
them before me" (Luke 19:27).
And from whence did such wicked treatment of the Son of God proceed?
From the vile corruptions of their own hearts. "They hated me without
a cause" (John 15:25) declared the incarnate Son of God. There was
absolutely nothing whatever either in His character or conduct which
merited their wicked contempt and enmity. Did anyone force them to be
of such an abominable disposition? Surely not; they were hearty in it.
Were they of such bad temper against their wills? No indeed. They were
voluntary in their wicked hatred of Christ. They loved darkness. They
were infatuated by their corruptions and delighted in gratifying them.
They were highly pleased with false prophets, because they preached in
their favor, flattering them and gratifying their evil hearts. But
they hated whatever was disagreeable to their evil ways.
Mistreatment of Christ's Followers
It was the same with those who heard the ambassadors of Christ, except
for those in whom the sovereign God wrought a miracle of grace. Jews
and Gentiles alike willfully opposed and rejected the gospel. In some
cases their hatred of the truth was less openly manifested than in
others; nevertheless, it was just as real. And the disrelish of and
opposition to the gospel was entirely voluntary on the part of its
enemies. Did not the Jewish leaders act freely when they threw Peter
and John into prison? Did not the murderers of Stephen act freely when
they "stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord" (Acts
7:57)? Did not the Philippians act freely when they "rose up together"
against Paul and Silas, beat them, and cast them into prison?
The same thing obtains everywhere today. If the gospel of Christ is
preached in its purity and all its glory, it does not gain the regard
of the masses who hear it. Instead, as soon as the sermon is over,
like the generality of the Jews in our Lord's day, they make light of
it and go their ways, "one to his farm, another to his merchandise"
(Matt. 22:5). They are too indifferent to seek after obtaining even a
doctrinal knowledge of the truth. There are many who regard this
dullness of the unsaved as mere indifference, but it is actually
something far worse: it is dislike of the heart for God, deliberate
opposition to Him. "They are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her
ear; which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never
so wisely" (Ps. 58:4-5). As Paul declared in his day, "The heart of
this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and
their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and
hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be
converted" (Acts 28:27).
"They say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of
thy ways" (Job 21:14). Such is the desperately wicked state of man's
heart, diametrically opposite to the divine excellences. Yet when this
solemn truth is pressed on the unregenerate, many of them will
strongly object, denying that there is any such contrariety in their
hearts, saying, "I have never hated God, but have always loved Him."
Thus they flatter themselves and seek to make themselves out to be far
different from what they are. Nor are they wittingly lying when they
make such a claim; rather, they are utterly misled by their deceitful
hearts. The scribes and Pharisees truly thought that they loved God
and that, had they lived in the days of their forefathers, they would
not have put the prophets to death (Matt. 23:29-30). They were
altogether insensible to their fearful and inveterate enmity against
God; nevertheless it was there, and it later unmistakably displayed
itself when they hounded the Son of God to death.
Why was it that the scribes and Pharisees were quite unconscious of
the opposition of their hearts to the divine nature? It was because
they had erroneous notions of the divine Being and loved only that
false image which they had framed in their own imaginations; therefore
they had false conceptions of the prophets which their fathers hated
and murdered, and hence supposed they would have loved them. But when
God was manifested in Christ, they hated Him with bitter hatred. In
like manner there are multitudes of sinners today, millions in
Christendom who persuade themselves that they truly love God, when in
reality they hate Him; and the hardest of all tasks confronting the
ministers of Christ is to shatter this cherished delusion and bring
their unsaved hearers face to face with the horrible reality of their
unspeakably vile condition.
Loudly as our deluded fellow creatures may boast of their love of the
divine nature, as soon as they pass out of time into eternity and
discover what God is, their spurious love immediately vanishes and
their enmity bursts forth in full force. Sinners today do not perceive
their contrariety to the divine nature because they are utterly
ignorant of the true God. It must be so, for a sinful nature and a
holy nature are diametrically opposite. Christendom has invented a
false "God," a "God" without any sovereign choice, a "God" who loves
all mankind, a "God" whose justice is swallowed up in His mercy. Were
they acquainted with the God of Holy Writ--who "hatest all workers of
iniquity" (Ps. 5:5), who will one day appear "in flaming fire taking
vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of
our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting
destruction from the presence of the Lord" (2 Thess. 1:8-9)--they, if
they honestly examined their hearts, would be conscious of the hatred
they bear Him.
Guilt of Natural Man
The spiritual inability of the natural man is a criminal one. This
follows inevitably from the fact that his impotence is a moral and
voluntary one. It is highly important that we should be brought to
see, feel and own that our spiritual helplessness is culpable, for
until we do so we shall never truly justify God nor condemn ourselves.
To realize oneself to be equally "without strength" and "without
excuse" is deeply humiliating, and fallen man will strive with all his
might to stifle such a conviction and deny the truth of it. Yet until
we place the blame of our sinfulness where it really belongs, we shall
not, we cannot, either vindicate the righteousness of the divine law
or appreciate the marvelous grace made known in the gospel. To condemn
ourselves as God condemns us is the one prerequisite to establish our
title to salvation in Christ.
John Newton wrote:
We cannot ascribe too much to the grace of God; but we should be
careful that, under a semblance of exalting His grace, we do not
furnish the slothful and unfaithful (Matt. 25: 16) with excuses for
their willfulness and wickedness. God is gracious; but let man be
justly responsible for his own evil and not presume to state his case
so as would, by just consequence, represent the holy God as being the
cause of the sin which He hates and forbids.
That was indeed a timely word. Unfortunately, some who claim to be
great admirers of Newton's works have sadly failed to uphold the
responsibility of the sinner, and have so expressed his spiritual
inability as to furnish him with much excuse for his sloth and
infidelity. Only by insisting on the criminality of fallen man's
impotence can such a deplorable snare be avoided. Inexorably as man's
criminality attaches to his free agency in the committing of sin, yet
the sinner will strive with might and main to avoid such a conclusion
and seek to throw the blame on someone else. He will haughtily ask,
"Would any right-minded person blame a man whose arms had been broken
because he could no longer perform manual labor, or condemn a blind
man because he did not read? Then why should I be held guilty for not
performing spiritual duties which are altogether beyond my powers?"
To this difficulty several replies may be made: (1) There is no
analogy in the cases advanced. Broken arms and sightless eyes are
incompetent members; but the intellectual and moral faculties have not
been destroyed, and it is because of misuse of these that the sinner
is justly held culpable. (2) Not only does he fail to use his moral
faculties in the performing of spiritual good, but he employs them in
the doing of moral evil; and the excuse that he cannot help himself is
an idle one.
Apply that principle to the commercial transactions of society, and
what would be the result? A man contracts a debt within the compass of
his present financial ability to meet. He then perversely and wickedly
squanders his money and gambles away his property, so that he is no
longer able to pay what he owes. Is he therefore not bound to pay? Has
his reckless prodigality freed him from all moral obligation to
discharge his debts? Must justice break her scales and no more hold an
equal balance because he chooses to be a villain? No indeed;
unregenerate men would not allow such reasoning.
To this it may be objected, "I did not bring this depravity upon
myself, but was born with it. If my heart is altogether evil and I did
not make it so, if such a heart was given me without my choice and
consent, then how can I be to blame for its inevitable issues and
actions?" Such a question betrays the fact that a wicked heart is
regarded as a calamity which man did not choose, but which must be
endured. It is contemplated as a thing not at all faulty in its own
nature; if there is any blame attaching to it, it must be for
something previous to it and of quite another kind. A person born
diseased is not personally to blame, but if the disease is the result
of his own indiscretion it is a just retribution. But to reason thus
about sin is utterly erroneous, as if it were no sin to be a sinner or
to commit sin when one has an inclination to do so, but to bring a
sinful predisposition upon oneself would be a wicked thing.
Stripped of all disguise and ambiguity, the above objection amounts to
this: Adam was in reality the only sinner; and we, his miserable
offspring, being by nature depraved, are under a necessity of sinning,
therefore cannot be to blame for it. The fact that sin itself is
sinful is lost sight of. Scripture traces all our evil acts back to a
sinful heart, and teaches that this is a blamable thing in itself. A
depraved heart is a moral thing, being something quite different from
a weak head, a bad memory or a frail constitution. A man is not to
blame for these infirmities, providing he has not brought them upon
himself. To say that I cannot help hating God and opposing my
neighbor, and that therefore I am not to blame for doing so, certainly
makes me out to be a vile and insensible scoundrel.
In order for a fallen creature to be blameworthy for his evil
tendencies, it is not necessary that he should first be virtuous or
free from moral corruption. If a person now finds that he is a sinner,
and that from the heart he approves and chooses rebellion against God
and His law, he is not the less a sinner because he has been of the
same disposition for many years and has always sinned from his birth.
His having sinned from the beginning, and having done nothing else,
cannot be a legitimate excuse for sinning now. Nor is man's guilt the
less because sin is so deeply and so thoroughly fixed in his heart.
The stronger the enmity against God, the greater its heinousness.
Disinclination Godward is the very essence of depravity. When we
rightly define the nature of man's inability to do good--namely, a
moral and a voluntary inability (not the absence of faculties, but the
misuse of them) --then this excuse of blamelessness is at once
exposed.
But the carnal mind will still object. We are natively no other way
than God has made us; therefore if we are born sinful and God has
created us thus, then He, not ourselves, is the Author of sin. To such
awful lengths is the enmity of the carnal mind capable of going:
shifting the onus from his own guilty shoulders and throwing the blame
upon the thrice holy God. But this objection was earlier obviated. God
made man upright, but he apostatized. Man ruined himself. God endowed
each of us with rationality, with a conscience, with a will to refuse
the evil and choose the good. It is by the free exercise of our
faculties that we sin, and we have no more justification for
transferring the guilt from ourselves to someone else than Adam had to
blame Eve or Eve the serpent.
But is it consistent with the divine perfections to bring mankind into
the world under such handicapped and wretched circumstances? "Nay but,
O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed
say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?" (Rom. 9:20).
It is blasphemous to say that it is not consistent with the divine
perfections for God to do what in fact He does. It is a matter of fact
that we are born into the world destitute of the moral image of God,
ignorant of Him, insensible of His infinite glory. It is a plain
matter of fact that in consequence of this deprivation we are disposed
to love ourselves supremely, live to ourselves ultimately, and wholly
delight in what is not of God. And it is clearly evident that this
tendency is in direct contrariety to God's holy law and is exceedingly
sinful. Whether or not we can see the justice and wisdom of this
divine providence, we must remember that God is "holy in all his ways,
and righteous in all his works."
But how can the sinner possibly be to blame for his evil inclination
when it was Adam who corrupted human nature? The sinner is an enemy to
the infinitely glorious God, and that voluntarily; therefore he is
infinitely to blame and without excuse, for nothing can make it right
for a creature to be deliberately hostile to his Creator. Nothing can
possibly extenuate such a crime. Such hostility is in its own nature
infinitely wrong, and therefore the sinner stands guilty before God.
The very fact that in the day of judgment every mouth will be stopped
(Rom. 3:19) shows there is no validity or force to this objection. It
is for the acting out of his nature-instead of its mortifying--that
the sinner is held accountable. The fact that we are born traitors to
God cannot cancel our obligation to give Him allegiance. No man can
escape from the righteous requirements of law by a voluntary
opposition to it.
The fact that man's sinful nature is the direct consequence of Adam's
transgression does not in the slightest degree make it any less his
own sin or render him any less blameworthy. This is clear not only
from the justice of the principle of representation (Adam's acting as
our federal head), but also from the fact that each of us approves of
Adam's transgression by emulating his example, joining ourselves with
him in rebellion against God. That we go on to break the covenant of
works and disobey the divine law demonstrates that we are righteously
condemned with Adam. Because each descendant of Adam voluntarily
prolongs and perpetuates in himself the evil inclination originated by
his first parents, he is doubly guilty. If not, why do we not
repudiate Adam and refuse to sin--stand out in opposition to him, and
be holy? If we resent our being corrupted through Adam, why not break
the involvement of sin?
But let us turn from these objections to the positive side of our
subject. The Scriptures uniformly teach that fallen man's moral and
voluntary inability is a criminal one, that God justly holds him
guilty both for his depraved state and for all his sinful actions. So
plain is this, so abundantly evidenced, that there is little need for
us to labor the point. The first three chapters of Romans are
expressly devoted to this solemn theme. There it is declared, "The
wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness" (1:18).
The reason for this is given in verses 19-20, ending with the
inexorable sentence "They are without excuse." Chapter 2 opens with
"Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man," and in 3:19 the apostle shows
that the ruling of the divine law is such that, in the day to come,
"every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty
before God."
The criminality of the sinner's depravity and moral impotence is
clearly brought out in Matthew 25:14-30. The general design of that
parable is easily perceived. The "lord" of the servants signifies the
Creator as the Owner and Governor of this world. The "servants"
represent mankind in general. The different "talents" depict the
faculties and powers with which God has endowed us, the privileges and
advantages by which He distinguishes one person from another. The two
servants who faithfully improved their talents picture the righteous
who serve God with fidelity. The slothful and unfaithful servant
portrays the sinner, who entirely neglects the service of God and
blames Him rather than himself for his negligence. His grievance in
verses 24-25 expresses the feelings of every impenitent sinner, who
complains that God requires from him (holiness) what He has not given
to him (a holy heart). This servant's condemnation was on the ground
that he did not improve what he did have (v. 27)--his rational
faculties and moral powers. "Cast ye the unprofitable servant into
outer darkness" (v. 30) shows the justice of his condemnation.
Excuses of Natural Man
The excuse that we cannot help being so perverse is further ruled out
of court by Christ's declarations to the scribes and Pharisees. They
had no heart either for Christ or His doctrine. He told them plainly,
"Why do ye not understand my speech? Even because ye cannot hear my
word" (John 8:43). But their inability was no excuse for them in His
accounting, for He affirmed that all their impotence rose from their
evil hearts, their lack of a holy makeup: "Ye are of your father the
devil, and the lusts of your father ye will [desire to] do" (v. 44).
Though they had no more power to help themselves than we have, and
were no more able to transform their hearts than we are, nevertheless
our Lord judged them to be wholly to blame and altogether inexcusable,
saying of them, "If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not
had sin: but now they have . . . [no excuse] for their sin (John
15:22).
Let it be specifically pointed out that when Scripture affirms the
inability of a man to do good, it never does so by way of excuse.
Thus, when Jehovah asked Israel, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin,
or the leopard his spots? Then may ye also do good, that are
accustomed to do evil" (Jer. 13:23), it was not for the purpose of
mitigating their guilt, but with the object of showing how it
aggravated their obstinacy of heart and to evince that no external
means could effect their recovery. Just as likely was an Ethiopian to
be moved by exhortation to change the color of his skin as were rebels
against God to be moved by appeals to renounce their iniquities.
"Because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Which of you
convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe
me? He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not,
because ye are not of God" (John 8:45-47). Those cutting
interrogations of our Lord proceeded on the supposition that His
listeners could have received the teaching of Christ if it had been
agreeable to their corrupt nature; it being otherwise, they could not
understand or receive it. In like manner, when He affirmed, "No man
can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him," Christ
did not intimate that any natural man honestly desired to come to Him,
but was deterred from doing so against his will; rather, He meant that
man is incapable of freely doing that which is inconsistent with his
corruptions. They were averse to come to the holy Redeemer because
they were in love with sin.
The excuse that I cannot help doing wrong is worthless. To plead my
inability to do good simply because I lack the heart to do it would be
laughed out of court even among men. Does anyone suppose that only the
lack of a will to earn his living excuses a man from doing so, just as
bodily infirmity does? Does anyone imagine that the covetous miser,
who has no heart to give a penny to the poor, is for that reason
excused from deeds of charity as one who has nothing to give? A man's
heart being fully set to do evil does not render his wicked actions
the less evil. If it did, it would necessarily follow that the worse
any sinner grows, the less he is to blame. Nothing could be more
absurd.
Let us show yet further the utter worthlessness of those evasions by
which the sinner seeks to deny the criminality of his moral impotence.
Men never resort to such silly reasonings when they are wronged by
others. When treated with disrespect and animosity by their
associates, they never offer the excuses for them behind which they
seek to hide their own sins. If someone deliberately robbed me, would
I say, "Poor fellow, he could not help himself; Adam is to blame"? If
someone wickedly slandered me, would I say, "This person is to be
pitied, for he was born into the world with this evil disposition"? If
someone whom I had always treated honorably and generously returned my
kindness by doing all he could to injure me, and then said, "I could
not help hating you," far from accepting that as a valid extenuation,
I would rightly consider that his enmity made him all the more to
blame.
When a sinner is truly awakened, humbled and broken before God, he
realizes that he deserves to be damned for his vile rebellion against
God, and freely acknowledges that he is what he is voluntarily and not
by compulsion. He realizes that he has had no love for God, nor any
desire to love Him. He admits that he is an enemy to Him in his very
heart, and voluntarily so; that all his fair pretenses, promises,
prayers and religious performances were mere hypocrisy, arising only
from self-love, guilty fears and mercenary hopes. He feels himself to
be without excuse and owns that eternal judgment is His just due. When
truly convicted of sin by the Holy Spirit, the sinner is driven out of
all his false refuges and owns that his inability is a criminal one,
that he is guilty.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Man's Impotence
by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 4-Root
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As no heart can sufficiently conceive, so no voice or pen can
adequately portray the awful state of wretchedness and woe into which
sin has cast guilty man. It has separated him from God and so has
severed him from the only Source of holiness and true happiness. It
has ruined him in spirit and soul and body. By the fall man not only
plunged himself into a state of infinite guilt from which there is no
deliverance unless sovereign grace unites him with the Mediator; by
his apostasy man also lost his holiness and is wholly corrupt and
under the dominion of dispositions or lusts which are directly
contrary to God and His law (Rom. 8:7). The fall has brought man into
love of sin and hatred of God. The corruption of man's being is so
great and so entire that he will never truly repent or even have any
right responses toward God and His law unless and until he is
supernaturally renewed by the Holy Spirit.
Corruption of Human Nature
If any reader is inclined to think we have painted too dark a picture
or have exaggerated the case of the fallen creature, we ask him to
carefully ponder the second half of Romans 7 and note how human nature
is there represented as so totally depraved as to be utterly unable
not merely to keep God's law perfectly, but to do anything agreeable
with it. "The law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For I
know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to
will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find
not. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of
my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in
my members" (vv. 14, 18, 23). How completely at variance is that
language from the sentiments which prevail in Christendom today. Paul,
that most eminent Christian, nothing behind the chief apostles, when
he considered what he was in himself, confessed that he was "sold
under sin."
The apostle's phrase "in my flesh," as may be seen by tracing it
through the New Testament, means "in me by nature." He was saying,
"There is nothing in me naturally good." But before proceeding further
let us seek to carefully define what is signified by the term "the
natural man," or "man by nature." It does not mean the human nature
itself, or man as a tripartite being of spirit and soul and body, for
then we should include the Lord Jesus Christ, who truly and really
assumed human nature, becoming the Son of Man. No, this term connotes
not man as created, but man as corrupted. God did not in creation
plant in us a principle of contrariety to Himself, for He fashioned
man after His own image and likeness. He made him upright, holy. It
was our defection from Him which plunged us into such immeasurable
wretchedness and woe, which polluted and defiled all the springs of
our being and corrupted all our faculties.
As a result of the fall man is the inveterate enemy of God, not only
because of what he does, but because of what he now is in himself.
Stephen Charnock said:
What kind of enmity this is. First, I understand it of nature, not of
actions only. Every action of a natural man is an enemy's action, but
not an action of enmity. A toad doth not envenom every spire of grass
it crawls upon nor poison every thing it toucheth, but its nature is
poisonous. Certainly every man's nature is worse than his actions: as
waters are purest at the fountain, and poison most pernicious in the
mass, so is enmity in the heart. And as waters partake of the mineral
vein they run through, so the actions of a wicked man are tinctured
with the enmity they spring from, but the mass and strength of this is
lodged in his nature. There is in all our natures such a diabolical
contrariety to God, that if God should leave a man to the current of
his own heart, it would overflow in all kinds of wickedness.
It is quite true that their deep enmity against God is less openly
displayed by some than others, but this is not because they are any
better in themselves than those who cast off all pretenses of decency.
Their moderation in wickedness is to be attributed to the greater
restraints which God places upon them either by the secret workings of
His Spirit upon their hopes and fears or by His external
providences--such as education, religious instruction, the subduing
influence of the pious. But none is born into this world with the
slightest spark of love to God in him. "The wicked are estranged from
the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. Their
poison is like the poison of a serpent" (Ps. 58:3-4). The poison of a
serpent is radically the same in all of its species.
"That which is born of the flesh is flesh" (John 3:6). These words
make it clear that inherent corruption is imparted to us by birth.
This is evident from the remainder of the verse: "and that which is
born of the Spirit is spirit." The "spirit" which is begotten differs
from the Spirit who is the Begetter, and signifies that new creation
of holiness which is effected and inbred in the soul and therefore is
called "the seed of God" (1 John 3:9). As the spirit here
unquestionably denotes the new nature or principle of holiness, so the
flesh in John 3:6 stands for the old nature or principle of sin. This
is further established by Galatians 5:17: "For the flesh lusteth
against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are
contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye
would." Flesh and spirit are there put as two inherent qualities
conveyed by two several births, and so are in that respect opposed.
That the flesh refers to our very nature as corrupt is seen from the
fact that it has works or fruits. The flesh is a principle from which
operations issue, as buds from a root.
The scope of Christ in John 3 shows that flesh has reference to the
corruption of our nature. His evident design in those verses was to
show what imperative need there is for fallen man to be regenerated.
Now regeneration is nothing else but a working of new spiritual
dispositions in the whole man, called there "spirit," without which it
is impossible that he should enter the kingdom of God. Christ said,
"That which is born of the flesh is flesh" (v. 6), by which statement
He made it the direct opposite of the spirit of holiness which is
wrought in the soul by the Holy Spirit. Had we derived only guilt from
Adam we would need only justification; but since we also derived
corruption of nature we need regeneration too.
There is, then, in every man born into this world a mass of corruption
which inheres in and clings to him and which is the principle and
spring of all his activities. This may justly be termed his nature,
for it is the predominant quality which is in all and which directs
all that issues from him. Let us now proceed to the proof of this
compound assertion. First, it is a mass of corruption, for that which
our Lord called flesh in John 3:6 is called "the old man, which is
corrupt" by His apostle in Ephesians 4:22. Observe carefully what is
clearly implied by this term, and see again how perfectly one part of
Scripture harmonizes with another. Corruption necessarily denotes
something which was previously good, and so it is with man. God made
him righteous; now he is defiled. Instead of having a holy soul, it is
depraved; instead of an immortal body, it has within it even now the
seeds of putrefaction.
Second, we have said that this corruption cleaves to man's very
nature. It is expressly said to be within him: "Now then it is no more
I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that
is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing" (Rom. 7:17-18). Man, then,
has not only acts of sin which are transient, which come from him and
go away, but he has a root and spring of sin dwelling with him,
residing in him, not only adjacent to but actually inhabiting him. Not
simply our ways and works are corrupt; "the heart is deceitful above
all things, and desperately wicked" (Jer. 17:9). Nor is this something
which we acquire through association with the wicked; rather it is
that which we bring with us into the world: "Foolishness is bound in
the heart of a child" (Prov. 22:15).
Third, we have stated that this indwelling corruption is the
predominant principle of all the actions of unregenerate man, that
from which all proceeds. Surely this is clear from "Now the works of
the flesh are manifest, which are these: adultery, fornication,
uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance,
emulations, wrath, strife" (Gal. 5:19-21). The flesh is here said to
have works or fruits, and this quality of fruit-bearing exists in
man's nature. Note that hatred and wrath are not deeds of the body,
but dispositions of the soul and affections of the heart; thus the
flesh cannot be restricted to our physical structure. This evil
principle or corruption is divinely labeled a root: "Lest there should
be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood" (Deut. 29:18; cf.
Heb. 12:13). It is a root which brings forth "gall and wormwood," that
is, the bitter fruits of sin; in fact, it is said to "bring forth
fruit unto death" (Rom. 7:5).
Fourth, we have affirmed that there is a mass of this corruption which
thoroughly affects and defiles man's being. This is confirmed by the
fact that in Colossians 2:11 it is called a body, which has many
members: "In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made
without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the
circumcision of Christ." This body of the sins of the flesh is of
abounding dimensions, a body which has internal and external
manifestations, gross and more secret lusts. Among these are atheism
and contempt or hatred of God, which is not fully perceived by man
until the Holy Spirit pierces him to the dividing asunder of soul and
spirit. That this corruption lies in the very nature of man appears
from the psalmist's statement "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and
in sin did my mother conceive me" (51:5). David was there confessing
the spring from which his great act of sin sprang. In essence he said,
"I have not only committed the awful act of adultery, but there is sin
even in my inward parts, defiling me from the moment I was conceived"
(cf. v. 6).
Finally, we have declared that this corruption may in a very real
sense be termed the nature of man. Once more we appeal to John 3:6 in
proof, for there it is predicated in the abstract, which implies more
than a simple quality, even that which explains the very definition
and nature of man. The Lord Jesus did not say merely, "That which is
born of the flesh is fleshly"; He said it "is flesh." In that
statement Christ framed a new definition of man, beyond any the
philosophers have framed. Philosophers define man as a rational
animal; the Son of God announces him to be flesh, that is, sin and
corruption contrary to grace and holiness, this being his very nature
as a fallen creature in the sight of God. The very fact that this
definition of man's nature is, as it were, in the abstract argues that
it is a thing inherent in us. But let us enlarge a little on this
point.
Definitions are taken from things brought out in nature, and none but
essential properties are ingredients in definitions. Definitions are
taken from the most predominant qualities. Sinful corruption is a more
predominant principle in man's nature than is reason itself, for it
not only guides reason, but it resides in every part and faculty of
man, while reason does not. This corruption is so inbred and
predominant and so diffused through the whole man that there is mutual
expression between man and it. In John 3:6 the whole of man's nature
is designated flesh; in Ephesians 4:22 this corruption is called man:
"Put off . . . the old man, which is corrupt." Obviously we cannot put
off our essential substance or discard our very selves, only that
which is sinful and foul. It is called the old man because it is
inherited from Adam, and because it is contrasted with our new nature.
Bondage of Corruption
Man's nature, then, which has become corrupt and termed flesh, is a
bundle of foolishness and vileness, and it is this which renders him
totally impotent to all that is good. Thus Scripture speaks of "the
bondage of corruption" (Rom. 8:21) and declares men to be "the
servants [Greek, `slaves'] of corruption" (2 Pet. 2:19). Reluctant as
any are to acknowledge this humbling truth, the solemn fact that the
very nature of man is corrupt and that it defiles everything which
issues from him is clearly and abundantly demonstrated. First, the
human creature sins from earliest years. The first acts which evidence
reason have sin also mingled with them. Take any child and observe him
closely, and it will be found that the first dawnings of reason are
corrupt. Children express reason selfishly--as in rebellion when
thwarted, in readiness to please themselves, in doing harm to others,
in excusing themselves by lying, in pride of apparel.
John Bunyan said:
To speak my mind freely: I do confess it is my opinion that
children come polluted with sin into the world, and that oftentimes
the sins of their youth--especially while they are very young--are
rather by virtue of indwelling sin than by examples that are set
before them by others: not but what they learn to sin by example
too, but example is not the root but rather the temptation to
wickedness.
How can we believe otherwise when our Lord has expressly affirmed,
"For from within, out of the heart of .men [and not from association
with degenerates], proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications,
murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an
evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these things come from
within, and defile the man" (Mark 7:21-23). It is true that evil
habits may be acquired through contact with evildoers, but they are
the occasion and not the radical cause of the habits.
This pollution of our very nature, this indwelling corruption, holds
men in complete bondage, making them utterly impotent to do that which
is good. In further proof of this, let us turn again to Romans 7. In
his explanation of why he was unable to perform that obedience which
God required, the apostle said, "I find then a law, that, when I would
do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God
after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring
against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law
of sin which is in my members" (vv. 21-23). Indwelling sin is here
called a law. Literally, a law is a moral rule which directs and
commands, which is enforced with rewards and penalties, which impels
its subjects to do the things ordered and to avoid the things
forbidden. Figuratively, law is an inward principle that moves and
inclines constantly to action. As the law of gravity draws all objects
to their center, so sin is an effectual principle and power inclining
to actions according to its own evil nature.
When the apostle says, "I see another law in my members" (that is, in
addition to the principle of grace and holiness communicated at the
new birth), he refers to the presence and being of indwelling sin;
when he adds "bringing me into captivity" he signifies its power and
efficacy. Indwelling sin is a law even in believers, though not to
them. Paul said, "I find, then. . . a law of sin." It was a discovery
which he had made as a regenerate man. From painful experience he
found there was that in him which hindered his communion with God,
which thwarted his deepest longings to live a sinless life. The
operations of divine grace preserve in believers a constant and
ordinarily prevailing will to do good, notwithstanding the power and
efficacy of indwelling sin to the contrary. But the will in
unbelievers is completely under the power of sin--their will of
sinning is never taken away. Education, religion and convictions of
conscience may restrain unbelievers, but they have no spiritual
inclinations of will to do that which is pleasing to God.
That the very nature of man is corrupt, that it defiles everything
which issues from him, is apparent not only by his sinning from
earliest youth. Second, it is apparent by his sinning constantly. Not
only is his first act sinful; all his subsequent actions are such.
"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and
that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil
continually" (Gen. 6:5)--nor has man improved the slightest since
then. Not that everything done by the natural man is in its own nature
sinful; but as the acts are those of a sinner, they cannot be anything
else than sinful. The act itself may be the performance of duty; yet
if there is no respect for the commandment of God, it is sinful. To
provide food and raiment is a duty, but if this duty is done from no
spiritual motive (out of subjection to God's authority or the desire
to please Him) or end (that God may be glorified), it is sinful. "The
plowing of the wicked is sin" (Prov. 21:4); plowing is a duty in
itself; nevertheless it is sinful as being the action of a sinner.
Third, it is not thus with a few, but with every member of Adam's
fallen race. This further demonstrates that all evil proceeds from the
very nature of man. "All flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth"
(Gen. 6:12). "There is none righteous, no, not one. . . . They are all
gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is
none that doeth good" (Rom. 3:10-12). All members of the human race
sin thus of their own accord. "A child left to himself bringeth his
mother to shame" (Prov. 29:15). A child does not have to be taught to
sin; he has only to be left to himself, and he will soon bring his
parents to shame. Things which are not natural have to be taught us
and diligently practiced before we learn them. Throw a child into the
water, and it is helpless; throw an animal in, and it will at once
begin to swim, for its nature teaches it to do so. "Train up a child
in the way he should go" (Prov. 22:6). Much diligence and patience are
required in those who would thus train the child; but no instructors
are needed to inform him of the way in which he should not go. His
depraved nature urges him into forbidden paths; indeed, it makes him
delight in them.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Man's Impotence
by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 5-Extent
_________________________________________________
When seeking to uphold some other great truths of Scripture by means
of contemplating separately their component parts, we reminded the
reader how very difficult it was to avoid some overlapping. The same
thing needs to be pointed out here in connection with the subject we
are now considering. A river has many tributaries and a surveyor must
necessarily trace out each one separately, yet he does so with the
knowledge that they all run out of or into the same main stream. A
tree has many boughs which, though distinct members of it, often
interweave. So it is with our present theme, and as we endeavor to
trace its various branches there is of necessity a certain measure of
repetition. Though in one way this is to be regretted, being apt to
weary the impatient, yet it has its advantages, for it better fixes in
our minds some of the principal features.
We began by showing the solemn reality of man's spiritual impotence,
furnishing clear proofs from Holy Writ. Next, we endeavored to
delineate in detail the precise nature of man's inability: that it is
penal, moral, voluntary and criminal. Then we considered the root of
the awful malady, evidencing that it lies in the corruption of our
very nature. We now examine the extent of the spiritual paralysis
which has attacked fallen man's being. Let us state it concisely
before elaborating and offering confirmation. The spiritual impotence
of the natural man is total and entire, irreparable and irremediable
as far as all human efforts are concerned. Fallen man is utterly
indisposed and disabled, thoroughly opposed to God and His law, wholly
inclined to evil. Sooner would thistles yield grapes than fallen man
originate a spiritual volition.
Reign of Sin in Unregenerate
We have supplied a number of proofs that man's nature is now
thoroughly corrupt. This is seen in the fact that he is sinful from
his earliest years; the first dawnings of reason in a child are fouled
by sin. It appears too in that men sin continually. As Jeremiah 13:23
expresses it, they are "accustomed to do evil." It is also evidenced
by the universal prevalence of this disease; not only some, nor even
the great majority, but all without exception are depraved. It is
demonstrated by their freedom in this state. All sin continually of
their own accord. A child has only to be left to himself and he will
quickly put his mother to shame. Moreover, men cannot be restrained
from their sin. Neither education nor religious instruction, neither
expostulation nor threatening (human or divine) will deter them; that
which is bred in the bone comes out in the flesh. Corruption can
neither be eradicated nor moderated. The tongue is a little member,
yet God Himself declares it is one which no man can tame (Jam. 3:8).
"The law of sin which is in my members" (Rom. 7:23). The first thing
which attends every law as such is its rule or sway: "The law hath
dominion over [literally `lords it over'] a man as long as he liveth"
(Rom. 7:1). The giving of law is the act of a superior, and in its
very nature it exacts obedience by way of dominion. The law of sin
possesses no moral authority over its subjects, but because it exerts
a powerful and effectual dominion over its slaves it is rightly termed
a law. Though it has no rightful government over men, yet it has the
equivalent, for it dominates as a king: "Sin hath reigned unto death"
(Rom. 5:21). Because believers have been delivered from the complete
dominion of this evil monarch, they are exhorted, "Let not sin
therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the
lusts thereof" (Rom. 6:12). Here we learn the precise case with the
unregenerate: Sin reigns undisputedly within them, and they yield
ready and full obedience to it.
The second thing which attends all law as such is its sanctions, which
have efficacy to move those who are under the law to do the things it
requires. In other words, a law has rewards and penalties accompanying
it, and these serve as inducements to obedience even though the things
commanded are unpleasant. Speaking generally, all laws owe their
efficacy to the rewards and punishments annexed to them. Nor is the
"law of sin"--indwelling corruption--any exception. The pleasures and
profits which sin promises its subjects are rewards which the vast
majority of men lose their souls to obtain. A striking biblical
illustration of this is the occasion when the law of sin contended
against the law of grace in Moses, who chose "rather to suffer
affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin
for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the
treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the
reward" (Heb. 11:25-26).
In the above example we see the conflict in the mind of Moses between
the law of sin and the law of grace. The motive on the part of the law
of sin, by which it sought to influence him and with which it prevails
over the majority, was the temporary reward which it set before him,
namely, the present enjoyment of the pleasures of sin. By that it
contended with the eternal reward annexed to the law of grace, called
here "the recompense of the reward." By this wretched reward the law
of sin keeps the whole world in obedience to its commands. Scripture,
observation and personal experience teach us how powerful and potent
this influence is. This was what induced our first parents to taste
the forbidden fruit, Esau to sell his birthright, Balaam to hire
himself to Balak, Judas to betray the Saviour. This is what now moves
the vast majority of our fellowmen to prefer Mammon to God, Belial to
Christ, the things of time and sense to spiritual and eternal
realities.
The law of sin also has penalties with which it threatens any who are
urged to cast off its yoke. These are the sneers, the ostracism, the
persecutions of their peers. The law of sin announces to its votaries
that nothing but unhappiness and suffering is the portion of those who
would be in subjection to God, that His service is oppressive and
joyless. It represents the yoke of Christ as a grievous burden, His
gospel as quite unsuited to those who are young and healthy, the
Christian life as a gloomy and miserable thing. Whatever troubles and
tribulations come on the people of God because of their fidelity to
Him, whatever hardships and self-denial the duties of mortification
require, are represented by the law of sin as so many penalties
following the neglect of its commands. By these it prevails over the
"fearful, and unbelieving," who have no share in the life eternal
(Rev. 21:8). It is hard to say where its greater strength lies: in its
pretended rewards or in its pretended punishments.
The power and effect of this law of sin appears from its very nature.
It is not an outward, inoperative, directing law, but an inbred,
working, effectual law. A law which is proposed to us cannot be
compared for efficacy with a law bred in us. God wrote the moral law
on tables of stone, and now it is found in the Scriptures. But what is
its efficacy? As it is external to men and proposed to them, does it
enable them to perform the things which it requires? No indeed. The
moral law is rendered "weak through the flesh" (Rom. 8:3). Indwelling
corruption makes it impossible for man to meet its demands. And how
does God deliver from this awful bondage? In this present life by
making His law internal for His elect, for at their regeneration He
makes good that promise "I will put my law in their inward parts, and
write it in their hearts" (Jer. 31:33). Thus His law becomes an
internal, living, operative and effectual principle within them.
Now the law of sin is an indwelling law. It is "sin that dwelleth in
me"; it is "in my members." It is so deep in man that in one sense it
is said to be the man himself: "I know that in me (that is, in my
flesh,) there dwelleth no good thing" (Rom. 7:18; cf. vv. 20, 23).
From this reasoning we may perceive the full dominion it has over the
natural man. It always abides in the soul, and is never absent. It
"dwelleth," has its constant residence, in us. It does not come upon
the soul only at certain times; if that were so, much might be
accomplished during its absence, and the soul might fortify itself
against it. No, it never leaves. Wherever we are, whatever we are
engaged in, this law of sin is present. Whether we are alone or in
company, by night or by day, it is our constant companion. A ruthless
enemy indwells our soul. How little this is considered by men! 0 the
woeful security of the unregenerate: a fire is in their bones, fast
consuming them. The watchfulness of most professing Christians
corresponds little to the danger of their state.
Being an indwelling law, sin applies itself to its work with great
facility and ease. It needs not force open any door nor use any stress
whatever. The soul cannot apply itself to any duty except by those
very faculties in which this law has its residence. Let the mind or
understanding be directed to anything, and there are ignorance,
darkness, madness to contend with. As for the will, in it are
spiritual deadness, mulish stubbornness, devilish obstinacy. Shall the
affections of the heart be set on divine objects? How can they be,
when they are wholly inclined toward the world and present things and
are prone to every vanity and defilement? Water never rises above its
own level. How easy it is, then, for indwelling sin to inject itself
into all we do, hindering whatever is good and furthering whatever is
evil. Does conscience seek to assert itself? Then our corruptions soon
teach us to turn a deaf ear to its voice.
The Scripture everywhere declares the seat of this law of sin to be
the heart. "Out of the heart are the issues of life" (Prov. 4:23). It
is there that indwelling corruption keeps its special residence; it is
there this evil monarch holds court. It has invaded and possessed the
throne of God within us. "The heart of the sons of men is full of
evil, and madness is in their heart while they live" (Eccles. 9:3).
Here is the source of all the madness which appears in men s lives.
"All these evil things [mentioned in vv. 21-22] come from within, and
defile the man" (Mark 7:23). There are many outward temptations and
provocations which befall man, which excite and stir him up to many
evils; yet they merely open the vessel and let out what is stored
within it. "An evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth
forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth
speaketh" (Luke 6:45). This "evil treasure" or store is the principle
of all moral action on the part of the natural man. Temptations and
occasions put nothing into men; they only draw out what was in them
before. The root or spring of all wickedness lies in the center of our
corrupt being.
Enmity of Carnal Mind Against God
Let us next consider the outstanding property of indwelling sin. "The
carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of
God, neither indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7). That which is here called the
carnal mind is the same as the law of sin. It is to be solemnly noted
that the carnal mind is not only an enemy, for as such there would be
a possibility of some reconciliation with God; it is enmity itself,
thus not disposed to accept any terms of peace. Enemies may be
reconciled, but enmity cannot. The only way to reconcile enemies is to
destroy their enmity. So the apostle tells us, "When we were enemies,
we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son" (Rom. 5:10); that
is, a supernatural work has been accomplished in the elect on the
ground of the merits of Christ's sacrifice, which results in the
reconciliation of those who were enemies. But when the apostle came to
speak of enmity there was no other way but for it to be destroyed:
"Having abolished in his flesh the enmity" (Eph. 2:15).
Let it also be duly considered that the apostle used a noun and not an
adjective: "The carnal mind is enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7). He did
not say that it merely is opposed to God, but that it is positive
opposition itself. It is not black but blackness; it is not an enemy
but enmity; it is not corrupt but corruption itself; not rebellious
but rebellion. As C. H. Spurgeon so succinctly expressed it, "The
heart, though it be deceitful, is positively deceitful: it is evil in
the concrete, sin in the essence: it is the distillation, the
quintessence of all things that are vile; it is not envious against
God, it is enmity itself--not at enmity, it is actual enmity." This is
unspeakably dreadful. To the same effect are those fearful words of
the psalmist: "Their inward part is very wickedness" (5:9). Beyond
that human language cannot go.
This carnal mind is in every fallen creature, not even excluding the
newborn infant. Many who have had the best of parents have turned out
the worst of sons and daughters. This carnal mind is in each of us
every moment of our lives. It is there just as truly when we are
unconscious of its presence as when we are aware of the rising of
opposition in us to God. The wolf may sleep, but it is a wolf still.
The snake may rest among the flowers, and a boy may stroke its back,
but it is a snake still. The sea is the house of storms even when it
is placid as a lake. And the heart, when we do not see its seethings,
when it does not spew out the hot lava of its corruption, is still the
same dread volcano.
The extent of this fearful enmity appears in the fact that the whole
of the carnal mind is opposed to God: every part, every power, every
passion of it. Every faculty of man's being has been affected by the
fall. Take the memory. Is it not a solemn fact that we retain evil
things far more easily than those which are good? We can recollect a
foolish song much more readily than we can a passage of Scripture. We
grasp with an iron hand things which concern our temporal interests,
but hold with feeble fingers those which respect our eternal welfare.
Take the imagination. Why is it that when a man is given that which
intoxicates him, or when he is drugged with opium, his imagination
soars as on eagles' wings? Why does not the imagination work thus when
the body is in a normal condition? Simply because it is depraved; and
unless our body enters a sordid environment the fancy will not hold
high carnival. Take the judgment. How vain--often mad--are its
reasonings even in the wisest of men.
This fearful enmity is irremediable. "It is not subject to the law of
God, neither indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7). Even though divine grace
intervenes and subdues its force, yet it does not effect the slightest
change in its nature. It may not be so powerful and effectual in
operation as when it had more life and freedom, yet it is enmity
still. As every drop of poison is poison and will infect, as every
spark of fire is fire and will burn, so is every part and degree of
the law of sin enmity--it will poison, it will burn. The Apostle Paul
can surely be regarded as having made as much progress in the subduing
of this enmity as any man on earth, yet he exclaimed, "O wretched man
that I am!" (Rom. 7:24) and cried for deliverance from this
irreconcilable enmity. Mortification abates its awful force, but it
does not effect any reformation in it. Whatever effect divine grace
may work upon it, no change is made in it; it is enmity still.
Not only is this awful enmity inbred in every one of Adam's fallen
race, not only has it captured and dominated every faculty of our
beings, not only is it present within us every moment of our lives,
not only is it incapable of reconciliation. Most frightful of all,
this indwelling sin is "enmity against God." In other passages it is
exhibited as our own enemy: "Abstain from fleshly lusts, which war
against the soul" (1 Pet. 2:11): those indwelling corruptions are
constantly seeking to destroy us. This deadly poison of sin, this
ruinous law of indwelling evil, consistently opposes the new nature or
law of grace and holiness in the believer: "The flesh lusteth against
the Spirit" (Gal. 5:17); that is, the principle of sin fights against
and seeks to vanquish the principle of spirituality. It is dreadful to
relate that its proper formal object is God Himself. It is "enmity
against God."
This frightful enmity has, as it were, received from Satan the same
command which the Assyrians had from their monarch: "Fight neither
with small nor great, save only with the king" (1 Kings 22:31). Sin
sets itself not against men but against the King of heaven. This
appears in the judgments which men form of God. What is the natural
man's estimate of the Creator and Ruler of this world? For answer let
us turn to the regions of heathendom. Consider the horrible
superstitions, the disgusting rites, the hideous symbols of Deity, the
cruel penances and gross immoralities which everywhere prevail in
lands without the gospel. Consider the appalling abominations which
for so long passed, and which in numerous instances still pass, under
the sacred name of divine worship. These are not merely the products
of ignorance of God; they are the immediate fruits of positive enmity
against Him.
But we need not go so far afield as heathendom. The same terrible
feature confronts us in so-called Christendom. Witness the
multitudinous and horrible errors which prevail on every side in the
religious realm today, the degrading and insulting views of the Most
High held by the great majority of church members. And what of the
vast multitudes who make no profession at all? Some think of and act
toward the great Jehovah as One who is to be little regarded and
respected. They consider Him as One entitled to very little esteem,
scarcely worthy of any notice at all. "Therefore they say unto God,
Depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. What is
the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit should we
have, if we pray unto him?" (Job 21:14-15). Such is the language of
their hearts and lives, if not of their lips. Countless others flatly
deny the existence of God.
The most solemn and dreadful aspect of the subject we are here
contemplating is that the outstanding property of the "flesh" or
indwelling sin consists of enmity against God Himself, such enmity
that "is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be" (Rom.
8:7). This frightful and implacable enmity is entire and universal,
being opposed to all of God. If there were anything of God--His
nature, His character or His works--that indwelling corruption was not
enmity against, then the soul might have a retreat within itself where
it could shelter and apply itself to that which is of God.
Unfortunately, such is the enmity of fallen man that it hates all that
is of God, everything wherein or whereby we have to do with Him.
Sin is enmity against God, and therefore against all of God. It is
enmity against His law and against His gospel alike, against every
duty to Him, against any communion with Him. It is not only against
His sovereignty, His holiness, His power, His grace, that sin rears
its horrible head; it abhors everything of or pertaining to God. His
commandments and His threatenings, His promises and His warnings, are
equally disliked. His providences are reviled and His dealings with
the world blasphemed. And the nearer anything approaches to God, the
greater is man's enmity against it. The more of spirituality and
holiness manifested in anything, the more the flesh rises up against
it. That which is most of God meets with most opposition. "Ye have set
at naught all my counsel and would none of my reproof" (Prov. 1:25) is
the divine indictment. The wicked heart of man is opposed to not
merely some parts of God's counsel but the whole of it.
Not only is this fearful enmity opposed to everything of God, but it
is all-inclusive in the soul. Had indwelling sin been content with
partial dominion, had it subjugated only a part of the soul, it might
have been more easily and successfully opposed. But this enmity
against God has invaded and captured the entire territory of man's
being; it has not left a single faculty of the soul free from its
tyrannical yoke; it has not exempted a single member from its cruel
bondage. When the Spirit of God comes with His gracious power to
conquer the soul, He finds nothing whatever in the sinner's soul which
is in sympathy with His operations, nothing that will cooperate with
Him. All within us alike opposes and strives against His working.
There is not the faintest desire for deliverance within the
unregenerate: "The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint"
(Isa. 1:5). Even when grace has made its entrance, sin still dwells in
all its coasts.
Distasteful and humiliating as this truth may be, we must dwell
further on it and amplify what has been merely affirmed. We showed how
this fearful enmity is evidenced by the judgments or concepts which
men form of God. Sin has so perverted the human mind that distorted
views and horrible ideas are entertained of the Deity. Nor is this
all. Sin has so inflated the creature that he considers himself
competent to comprehend the incomprehensible. Filled with pride, he
refuses to acknowledge his limitations and dependence; and in his
flight after things which are far beyond his reach, he indulges in the
most impious speculations. When he cannot stretch himself to the
infinite dimensions of truth, he deliberately contracts the truth to
his own little measure. This is what the apostle meant by fallen man's
"vanity of mind."
The natural man's enmity against God appears in his affections. As the
superlatively excellent One, God has paramount claims on man's heart.
He should be the supreme object of his delight. But is He? Far from
it. The smallest trifles are held in greater esteem than is God, the
fountain of all true joy. The unregenerate see in Him no beauty that
they should desire Him. When they hear of His sublime attributes they
dislike them. When they hear His Word quoted it is repugnant to them.
When invited to draw near to His throne of grace they have no
inclination to do so. They have no desire for fellowship with God;
they would rather think and talk about anything other than the Lord
and His government. They secretly hate His people, and will only
tolerate their presence so long as they conform to their wishes. The
pleasures and baubles of this world entirely fill their hearts.
Corrupted nature can never give birth to a single affection which is
really spiritual.
The natural man's enmity appears in his will. Inevitably so, for God's
will directly crosses His. God is infinitely holy; man is thoroughly
evil; therefore God commands the things which man hates and forbids
the things man likes. Hence man despises His authority, refuses His
yoke, rebels against His government and goes his own way. Men have no
concern for God's glory and no respect for His will. They will not
listen to His reproofs nor be checked in their defiant course by His
most solemn threatenings. They are as intractable as a wild ass' colt.
They are like a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke. They prate of the
freedom of their wills, but their wills are active against God and
never toward Him. They are determined to have their own way no matter
what the cost. When Christ is presented to them they will not come to
Him that they might have life. Sooner will water flow uphill of its
own accord than the will of man incline itself to God.
The enmity of the natural man against God appears in his conscience.
Because he is anxious to be at peace with himself in the reflections
which he makes upon his own life and character, it is obvious that his
conscience must be a perpetual source of false representations of God.
When guilt rankles in his breast, man will blaspheme the justice of
his Judge. And self-love prompts him to denounce the punishment of
himself as remorseless cruelty. A guilty conscience, unwilling to
relinquish its iniquities and yet desirous of being delivered from
fears of punishment, prompts men to represent Deity as subject to the
weaknesses and follies of humanity. God is to be flattered and bribed
with external marks of submission and esteem, or else insulted when
the worshiper regards Him as cruel. Conscience fills the mind with
prejudices against the nature and character of God, just as a human
insult fills our heart with prejudice against the one who mortifies
our self-respect. Conscience cannot judge rightly of one whom it hates
and dreads.
The enmity of the natural man against God evidences itself in his
practice. This dreadful hatred of God is not a passive thing, but an
active principle. Sinners are involved in actual warfare against their
Maker. They have enlisted under the banner of Satan and they
deliberately oppose and defy the Lord. They scoff at His Word,
disregard His precepts, flout His providences, resist His Spirit, and
turn a deaf ear to the pleas of His servants. Their hearts are fully
set to do wickedness. "Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their
tongues they have used deceit: the poison of asps is under their lips:
Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to
shed blood: destruction and misery are in their ways: and the way of
peace have they not known: there is no fear of God before their eyes"
(Rom. 3:13-18). There is in every sinner a deeply rooted aversion for
God, a seed of malice. While God leaves sinners alone, their malice
may not be clearly revealed; but let them feel a little of His wrath
upon them, and their hatred is swiftly manifest.
The sinner's enmity against God is unmixed with any love at all. The
natural man is utterly devoid of the principle of love for God. As
Jonathan Edwards solemnly expressed it, "The heart of the sinner is as
devoid of love for God as a corpse is of vital heat." As the Lord
Jesus expressly declared, "I know you, that ye have not the love of
God in you" (John 5:42). And remember, that fearful indictment was
made by One who could infallibly read the human heart. Moreover that
indictment was passed on not the openly vicious and profane but on the
strictest religionists of His day. Reader, you may have a mild temper,
an amiable disposition, a reputation for kindness and generosity; but
if you have never been born again you have no more real love in your
heart for God than Judas had for the Saviour. What a frightful
character--the unmitigated enemy of God!
The power of man's enmity against God is so great that nothing finite
can break it. The sinner cannot break it himself. Should an
unregenerate person read this and be horrified at the hideous picture
which it presents of himself, and should he earnestly resolve to cease
his vile enmity against God, he cannot do so. He can no more change
his nature than the Ethiopian can change the color of his skin. No
preacher can persuade him to throw down the weapons of his rebellion
and become a friend of God. One may set before him the excellence of
the divine character and plead with him to be reconciled to God, but
his heart will remain as steeled against Him as ever. Even though God
Himself works miracles in the sight of sinners, no change is effected
in their hearts. Pharaoh's enmity was not overcome by the most
astonishing displays of divine power, nor was that of the religionists
of Palestine in Christ's day.
Indwelling sin may be likened to a powerful and swiftly flowing river.
So long as its tributaries are open and waters are continually
supplied to its streams, though a dam is set up, its waters rise and
swell until it bears down on all and overflows the banks about it.
Thus it is with the enmity of the carnal mind against God. While its
springs and fountains remain open, it is utterly vain for man to set
up a dam of his convictions and resolutions, promises and penances,
vows and self-efforts. They may check it for a while, but it will rise
up and rage until sooner or later it breaks down all those convictions
and resolutions or makes itself an underground passage by some secret
lust which will give full vent to it. The springs of that enmity must
be subdued by regenerating grace, the streams abated by holiness, or
the soul will be drowned and destroyed. Even after regeneration,
indwelling sin gives the soul no rest, but constantly wages war upon
it.
The Christian is, in fact, the only one who is conscious of the awful
power and ragings of this principle of enmity. How often he is made
aware that when he would do good, evil is present with him, opposing
every effort he makes Godward. How often, when his soul is doing quite
another thing, engaged in a totally different design, sin starts
something in his heart or imagination which carries it away to that
which is evil. Yes, the soul may be seriously engaged in the
mortification of sin, when indwelling corruption will by some means or
other lead the soul into trifling with the very sin which it is
endeavoring to conquer. Such surprisals as these are proofs of the
habitual propensity to evil of that principle of enmity against God
from which they proceed. The ever abiding presence and continual
operation of this principle prevent much communion with God, disturb
holy meditations and defile the conscience.
But let us return to our consideration of the enmity of the
unregenerate. This enmity in the heart of the sinner is so great that
he is God's mortal enemy. Now a man may feel unfriendly toward
another, or he may cherish ill will against him, yet not be his mortal
enemy. That is, his enmity against the one he hates is not so great
that nothing will satisfy him but his death. But it is far otherwise
with sinners and God. They are His mortal enemies. True, it does not
lie in their power to kill Him, yet the desire is there in the heart.
There is a principle of enmity within fallen man which would rejoice
if Deity could be annihilated. "The fool hath said in his heart, There
is no God" (Ps. 14:1). In the Bible the words "there is" are in
italics--supplied by the translators for clarity. But the original has
it, "The fool hath said in his heart, No God." It is not the denial of
God's existence, but the affirmation that he desires no contact with
Him: "I desire no God; I would that He did not exist."
Here is the frightful climax: The carnal mind is enmity with the very
being of God. Sin is destructive of all being. Man is suicidal--he has
destroyed himself. He is homicidal--his evil influence destroys his
fellowmen. He is guilty of Deicide(the act of killing a divine
being)--he wishes he could annihilate the very being of God. But the
sinner does not regard himself as being so vile. He does not consider
himself to be the implacable and inveterate enemy of God. He has a far
better opinion of himself than that. Consequently, if he hears or
reads anything like this, he is filled with objections: "I do not
believe I am such a dreadful creature as to hate God. I do not feel
such enmity in my heart. I am not conscious that I harbor any ill will
against Him. Who should know better than myself? If I hate a fellowman
I am aware of it; how could I be totally unconscious of it if there is
in my soul such enmity against God?"
Several answers may be given to these questions. First, if the
objector would seriously examine his heart and contemplate himself,
unless he were strangely blinded, he would certainly discover in
himself those very elements in which enmity essentially consists. He
loves and respects his friends, he is fond of their company, he is
anxious to please them and promote their good. Is this his attitude
toward God? If he is honest with himself, he knows it is not. He has
no respect for His authority, no concern for His glory, no desire for
fellowship with Him. He gives God none of his time, despises His Word,
breaks His commandments, rejects His Son. He has been opposed to God
all his life. These things are the very essence of enmity.
Second, the sinner's ignorance and unconsciousness of his enmity
against God are due to the false conceptions which he entertains of
His nature and character. If he were better acquainted with the God of
Holy Writ, he would be more aware of his hatred of Him. But the God he
believes in is merely a creation of his own fancy. The true God is
ineffably holy, inflexibly just. His wrath burns against sin and He
will by no means clear the guilty. If mankind likes the true God, why
is it that they have set up so many false gods? If they admire the
truth, why have they invented so many false systems of religion? The
contrariety between the carnal mind and God is the contrariety between
sin and holiness. The divine law requires man to love God supremely;
instead, he loves himself supremely. It requires him to delight in God
superlatively; instead, he wholly delights in all that is not of God.
It requires him to love his neighbor as himself; instead, his heart is
inordinately selfish.
Third, we have said that the enmity of the natural man against God is
a mortal one. This the sinner will not admit. But indubitable proof of
the assertion is found in man's treatment of God when, in the person
of His Son, He became incarnate. When God brought Himself as near to
man as Infinity could approach, man saw in Him "no beauty" that he
should desire Him; rather was He despised and rejected by him. Not
only did man dislike Him (Isa. 53:2-3), but he hated Him "without a
cause" (John 15:25). So bitter and relentless was that hatred that man
exclaimed, "This is the heir: come, let us kill him" (Luke 20:14). And
what form of death did man select for Him? The most painful and
shameful his malignity could devise. And the Son of God is still
despised and rejected. Remember His words "He that hateth me hateth my
Father also" (John 15:23). Our proof is complete.
What bearing on our subject has this lengthy discourse on man's
enmity? Why take up the total depravity of fallen man when we are
supposed to be considering his spiritual impotence? We have not
wandered from our theme at all. Instead, while dealing with the root
and extent of man's impotence, we have followed strictly the order of
Scripture. What is the very next word of the apostle's after Romans
8:7? This: "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God" (v.
8). It is just because man is corrupt at the very center of his being,
because indwelling sin is a law over him, because his mind (the
noblest part of his being) is enmity against God, that he is
completely incapable of doing anything to meet with the divine
approbation.
Here is inevitable inference, the inescapable conclusion: "So
then"--because fallen man's mind is enmity with God and incapable of
subordination to His law--"they that are in the flesh cannot please
God" (Rom. 8:8). To be "in the flesh" is not necessarily to live
immorally, for there is the religiousness as well as the
irreligiousness of the flesh. So great, so entire, so irremediable is
this impotence of fallen man that he is unable to effect any change in
his nature, acquire any strength by his own efforts, prepare himself
to receive divine grace, until the Spirit renews him and works in him
both to will and to do of God's good pleasure. He is unable to discern
spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14), incapable of believing (John 8:47),
powerless to obey (Rom. 8:7). He cannot think a good thought of
himself (2 Cor. 3:5), he cannot speak a good word; indeed, without
Christ he "can do nothing" (John 15:5). Thus, the sinner is "without
strength," wholly impotent and unable to turn himself to God.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Man's Impotence
by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 6-Problem
_________________________________________________
We have now arrived at the most difficult part of our subject, and
much wisdom from above is needed if we are to be preserved from error.
It has been well said that truth is like a narrow path running between
two precipices. The figure is an apt one, for fatal consequences await
those who depart from the teaching of God's Word, no matter which
direction that departure may take. It is so with the doctrine of man's
impotence. It matters little whether the total bondage of the fallen
creature and his utter inability to perform that which is good in the
sight of God are repudiated and the freedom of the natural man is
insisted on, or whether his complete spiritual impotence is affirmed
and at the same time his responsibility to perform that which is
pleasing to God is denied. In either case the effect is equally
disastrous. In the former, the sinner is given a false confidence; in
the latter, he is reduced to fatalistic inertia. In either case the
real state of man is grossly misrepresented.
Man's Inability and God's Demands
The careful reader must have felt the force of the difficulties which
we shall now examine. May God's Spirit enable us to throw some light
on them. If the carnal mind is such fearful enmity against God that it
is not subject to His law, "neither indeed can be," then why does He
continue to press its demands on us and insist that we meet its
requirements under pain of eternal death? If the fall has left man
morally helpless and reduced him to the point where he is "without
strength," then with what propriety can he be called on to obey the
divine precepts? If man is so thoroughly depraved that he is the slave
of sin, wherein lies his accountability to live for the glory of God?
If man is born under "the bondage of corruption," how can he possibly
be "without excuse" in connection with the sins he commits?
In seeking to answer these and similar questions we must of necessity
confine ourselves to what is clearly revealed on them in Holy Writ. We
say "of necessity," for unless we forsake our own thoughts (Isa. 55:7)
and completely submit our minds to God's, we are certain to err. In
theory this is granted by most professing Christians, yet in practice
it is too often set aside. In general it is conceded, but in
particular it is ignored. A highly trained intellect may draw what
appear to be incontestable conclusions from a scriptural premise; yet,
though logic cannot refute them, the practices of Christ and His
apostles prove them to be false. On the one hand we may take the fact
that the Lord has given orders for His gospel to be preached to every
creature. Then must we not infer that the sinner has it in his own
power to either accept or reject that gospel? Such an inference
certainly appears reasonable, yet it is erroneous. On the other hand
take the fact that the sinner is spiritually impotent. Then is it not
a mockery to ask him to come to Christ? Such an inference certainly
appears reasonable; yet it is false.
It is at this very point that most of Christendom has been deluged
with a flood of errors. Most of the leading denominations began by
taking the Word of God as the foundation and substance of their creed.
But almost at once that foundation was turned into a platform on which
the proud intellect of man was exercised, and in a very short time
human reason--logical and plausible--supplanted divine revelation. Men
attempted to work out theological systems and articles of faith that
were thoroughly "consistent," theories which--unlike the workings of
both nature and providence--contained in them no seeming
"contradictions" or "absurdities," but which commended themselves to
their fellowmen. But this was nothing less than a presumptuous attempt
to compress the truth of God into man-made molds, to reduce that which
issued from the Infinite to terms comprehensible to finite minds. It
is another sad example of that egotism which refuses to receive what
it cannot understand.
Biblical Harmony
It is true that there is perfect harmony in all parts of divine truth.
How can it be otherwise, since God is its Author? Yet men are so blind
that they cannot perceive this perfect harmony. Some cannot discern
the consistency between the infinite love and grace of God and His
requiring His own Son to pay such a costly satisfaction to His broken
law. Some cannot see the consistency between the everlasting mercy of
God and the eternal punishment of the wicked, insisting that if the
former be true the latter is impossible. Some cannot see the congruity
of Christ satisfying every requirement of God on behalf of His people
and the imperative necessity of holiness and obedience in them if they
are to benefit thereby; or between their divine preservation and the
certainty of destruction were they to finally apostatize. Some cannot
see the accord between the divine foreordination of our actions and
our freedom in them. Some cannot see the agreement between efficacious
grace in the conversion of sinners and the need for the exercise of
their faculties by way of duty. Some cannot see the concurrence of the
total depravity or spiritual impotence of man and his responsibility
to be completely subject to God's will.
As a sample of what we have referred to in the last two paragraphs,
note the following quotation:
We deny duty-faith, and duty-repentance--these terms signifying
that it is every man's duty to spiritually and savingly repent and
believe (Gen. 6:5; 8:21; Matt. 15:19; Jer. 17:9; John 6:44, 65). We
deny also that there is any capability in man by nature to any
spiritual good whatever. So that we reject the doctrine that men in
a state of nature should be exhorted to believe in or turn to God
(John 12:39, 40; Eph. 2:8; Rom. 8:7, 8; 1 Cor. 4:7). We believe
that it would be unsafe, from the brief records we have of the way
in which the apostles, under the immediate direction of the Lord,
addressed their hearers in certain special cases and circumstances,
to derive absolute and universal rules for ministerial addresses in
the present day under widely-different circumstances. And we
further believe that an assumption that others have been inspired
as the apostles were has led to the grossest errors amongst both
Romanists and professed Protestants. Therefore, that for ministers
in the present day to address unconverted persons, or
indiscriminately all in a mixed congregation, calling upon them to
savingly repent, believe, and receive Christ, or perform any other
acts dependent upon the new creative power of the Holy Ghost, is,
on the one hand, to imply creature power and on the other, to deny
the doctrine of special redemption.
It may come as a surprise to many of our readers to learn that the
above is a verbatim quotation from the Articles of Faith of a Baptist
group in England with a considerable membership, which will permit no
man to enter their pulpits who does not solemnly subscribe to and sign
his name to the same. Yet this is the case. These Articles of Faith
accurately express the belief of the great majority of certain Baptist
groups in the United States on this subject. In consequence, the
gospel of Christ is deliberately withheld from the unsaved, and no
appeals are addressed to them to accept the gospel offer and receive
Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour. Need we wonder that fewer
and fewer in their midst are testifying to a divine work of grace in
their hearts, and that many of their churches have ceased to be.
It is a good thing that many of the Lord's people are sounder of heart
than the creeds held in their heads, yet that does not excuse them for
subscribing to what is definitely unscriptural. It is far from a
pleasant task to expose the fallacy of these Articles of Faith, for we
have some friends who are committed to them; yet we would fail in our
duty to them if we made no effort to convince them of their errors.
Let us briefly examine these Articles. First, they deny that it is the
duty of every man who hears the gospel to spiritually and savingly
repent and believe, notwithstanding the fact that practically all the
true servants of Christ in every generation (including the Reformers
and nine-tenths of the Puritans) have preached that duty. It is the
plain teaching of Holy Writ. We will not quote from the writings of
those used of the Spirit in the past, but confine ourselves to God's
Word.
God Himself "now commandeth all men everywhere to repent" (Acts
17:30). What could possibly be plainer than that? There is no room for
any quibbling, misunderstanding or evasion. It means just what it
says, and says just what it means. The framers of those Articles,
then, are taking direct issue with the Most High. It is because of his
"hardness and impenitence of heart" that the sinner treasures up to
himself "wrath against the day of wrath" (Rom. 2:5). "He that
believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is
condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the
only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is
come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because
their deeds were evil" (John 3:18-19). Here too it is impossible to
fairly evade the force of our Lord's language. He taught that it is
the duty of all who hear the gospel to savingly believe on Him, and
declared that rejecters are condemned because they do not believe.
When He returns it will be "in flaming fire taking vengeance on them
that know not God, and that obey not the gospel" (2 Thess. 1:8).
Next, note that the framers of these Articles follow their denial by
referring to six verses of Scripture, the first four of which deal
with the desperate wickedness of the natural man's heart and the last
two with his complete inability to turn to Christ until divinely
enabled. These passages are manifestly alluded to in support of the
contention made. Each reader must decide their pertinence for himself.
The only relevance they can possess is on the supposition that they
establish a premise which requires us to draw the conclusion so
dogmatically expressed. We are asked to believe that since fallen man
is totally depraved we must necessarily infer that he is not a fit
subject to be exhorted to perform spiritual acts. Thus, when analyzed,
this Article is seen to consist of nothing more than an expression of
human reasoning.
Not only does the substance of this Article of Faith consist of
nothing more substantial and reliable than a mental inference, but
when weighed in the balances of the sanctuary it is found to clash
with the Scriptures, that is, with the practice of God's own servants
recorded in them. For example, we do not find the psalmist
accommodating his exhortations to the sinful inability of the natural
man. Far from it. David called on the ungodly thus: "Be wise now
therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve
the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he
be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a
little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him" (Ps.
2:10-12). David did not withhold these warnings because the people
were such rebels that they would not and could not give their hearts'
allegiance to the King of kings. He uncompromisingly and bluntly
commanded them to do so whether they could or not.
It was the same with the prophets. If ever a man addressed an
unregenerate congregation it was when Elijah the Tishbite spoke to the
idolatrous Israelites: "Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How
long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him: but
if Baal, then follow him" (1 Kings 18:21). That exhortation was not
restricted to the remnant of renewed souls, but was addressed to the
nation indiscriminately. It was a plain call for them to perform a
spiritual duty, for them to exercise their will and choose between God
and the devil. In like manner Isaiah called on the debased generation
of his day: "Wash ye, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings
from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well" (1:16-17).
One prophet went so far as to say to his hearers, "Make you a new
heart and a new spirit" (Ezek. 18:31), yet he was in perfect accord
with his fellow prophet Jeremiah who taught the helplessness of man in
those memorable questions "Can the Ethiopian change his skin? Or the
leopard his spots?" These men, then, did not decide they must preach
only that which lay in the power of their hearers to comply with.
The words "We deny also that there is any capability in man by nature
to any spiritual good whatever" will strike the vast majority of God's
people as far too sweeping. They will readily agree that fallen man
possesses no power at all to perform any spiritual acts; yet they will
insist that nothing prevents the spiritual obedience of any sinner
except his own unwillingness. Man by nature--that is, as he originally
left the hands of his Creator--was endowed with full capability to
meet his Maker's requirements. The fall did not rob him of a single
faculty, and it is his retention of all his faculties which
constitutes him still a responsible creature. Of the last four
passages referred to in the Article (John 12:39, 40, etc.) two of them
relate to the spiritual impotence of fallen man and the other two to
divine enablement imparted to those who are saved.
With regard to the other Articles affirming that it "would be unsafe"
for us now to derive rules for ministerial address from the way in
which the apostles spoke to their hearers, this is their summary
method of disposing of all those passages in the Old and New
Testaments alike which are directly opposed to their theory. Since the
Lord Jesus Himself did not hesitate to say to the people, "Repent ye,
and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15), surely His servants today need
not have the slightest hesitation in following His example. If
ministers of the Word are not to find their guidance and rules from
the practice of their Master and His apostles, then where shall they
look for them? Must each one be a rule unto himself? Or must they
necessarily place themselves under the domination of self-made popes?
These very men who are such sticklers for "consistency" are not
consistent with themselves, for when it comes to matters of church
polity they take the practice of the apostles for their guidance! Lack
of space prevents further comment on this.
To human reason there appears to be a definite conflict between two
distinct lines of divine truth. On the one hand, Scripture plainly
affirms that fallen man is totally depraved, enslaved by sin, entirely
destitute of spiritual strength, so that he is unable of himself to
either truly repent or savingly believe in Christ. On the other hand,
Scripture uniformly addresses fallen man as a being who is accountable
to God, responsible to forsake his wickedness and serve and glorify
his Maker. He is called on to lay down the weapons of his warfare and
be reconciled to God. The Ruler of heaven and earth has not lowered
the standard of holiness under which He placed man. He declares that
notwithstanding man's ruined condition, he is "without excuse" for all
his iniquities. The gospel depicts man in a lost state, "dead in
trespasses and sins"; nevertheless it exhorts all who come under its
sound to accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
Such in brief is the problem presented by the doctrine we are here
considering. The unregenerate are morally impotent, yet are they fully
accountable beings. They are sold under sin, yet are they justly
required to be holy as God is holy. They are unable to comply with the
righteous requirements of their Sovereign, yet they are exhorted to do
so under pain of eternal death. What, then, should be our attitude to
this problem? First, we should carefully test it and thoroughly
satisfy ourselves that both of these facts are plainly set forth in
Holy Writ. Second, having done so, we must accept them both at their
face value, assured that however contrary they may seem to us, yet
there is perfect harmony between all parts of God's Word. Third, we
must hold firmly to both these lines of truth, steadfastly refusing to
relinquish either of them at the dictates of any theological party or
denominational leader. Fourth, we should humbly wait on God for fuller
light on the subject.
But such a course is just what the proud heart of man is disinclined
to follow. Instead, he desires to reduce everything to a simple,
consistent and coherent system, one which falls within the compass of
his finite understanding. Notwithstanding the fact that he is
surrounded by mystery on every side in the natural realm,
notwithstanding the fact that so very much of God's providential
dealings both with the world in general and with himself in particular
are "past finding out," he is determined to philosophize and
manipulate God's truth until it is compressed into a series of logical
propositions which appear reasonable to him. He is like the disciples
whom our Lord called "fools" because they were "slow of heart to
believe all that the prophets have spoken" (Luke 24:25). Those
disciples were guilty of picking and choosing, believing what appealed
to their inclination and rejecting that which was distasteful and
which appeared to them to clash with what they had been taught.
Antinomian-Pelagian Debate
The testimony of the prophets did not seem to the disciples to be
harmonious; one part appeared to conflict with another. In fact, there
were two distinct lines of Messianic prediction which looked as though
they flatly contradicted each other. The one spoke of a suffering,
humiliated and crucified Messiah; the other of an all-powerful,
glorious and triumphant Messiah. And because the disciples could not
see how both could be true, they held to the one and rejected the
other. Precisely the same capricious course has been followed by
theologians in Christendom. Conflicting schools or parties among them
have, as it were, divided the truth among themselves, one party
retaining this portion and jettisoning that, and another party
rejecting this and maintaining that. They have ranged themselves into
opposing groups, each holding some facets of the truth, each rejecting
what the opponents contend for. Party spirit has been as rife and as
ruinous in the religious world as in the political.
On the one side Arminians have maintained that men are responsible
creatures, that the claims of God are to be pressed upon them, that
they must be called on to discharge their duty, that they are fit
subjects for exhortation. Yet while steadfastly adhering to this side
of the truth, they have been guilty of repudiating other aspects which
are equally necessary and important. They have denied--in effect if
not in words--the total depravity of man, his complete spiritual
helplessness, the bondage of his will under sin, and his utter
inability to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the work of his
salvation. On the other side Antinomians, while affirming all that the
Arminians deny, are themselves guilty of repudiating what their
opponents contend for, insisting that since the unregenerate have no
power to perform spiritual acts it is useless and absurd to call on
them to do so. Thus they aver that gospel offers should not be made
unto the unregenerate.
These Antinomians consider themselves to be towers of orthodoxy,
valiant defenders of the truth, sounder in the faith than any other
section of Christendom. Many of them wish to be regarded as strict
Calvinists; but whatever else they may be, they certainly are not
that, for Calvin himself taught and practiced directly the contrary.
In his work The Eternal Predestination of God the great Reformer
wrote:
It is quite manifest that all men without difference or distinction
are outwardly called or invited to repentance and faith; . . . the
mercy of God is offered to those who believe and to those who
believe not, so that those who are not Divinely taught within are
only rendered inexcusable, not saved.
In his Secret Providence of God he asked:
And what if God invites the whole mass of mankind to come unto Him,
and yet knowingly and of His own will denies His Spirit to the
greater part, "drawing" a few only unto obedience unto Himself by
His Spirit's secret inspiration and operation--is the adorable God
to be charged, on that account, with inconsistency?
In the same work Calvin stated:
Nor is there any want of harmony or oneness of truth when the same
Saviour, who invites all men unto Him without exception by His
external voice, yet declares that "A man can receive nothing except
it be given him from above:" John 19:11.
Many regarding themselves as Calvinists have departed far from the
teaching and practice of that eminent servant of God.
There is no difference in principle between the unregenerate being
called on to obey the gospel and accept its gracious overtures, and
the whole heathen world being required to respond to the call of God
through nature before His Son became incarnate. In his address to the
Athenians the apostle declared on Mars Hill, "God that made the world
and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth,
dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with
men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all
life, and breath, and all things; and hath made of one blood all
nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath
determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their
habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel
after him, and find him" (Acts 17:24-27). The force of that statement
is this: Seeing God is the Creator, the Governor of all, He cannot be
supposed to inhabit temples made by men, nor can He be worshiped with
the products of their hands; and seeing that He is the universal
Benefactor and Source of life and all things to His creatures, He is
on that account required to be adored and obeyed; and since He is
sovereign Lord appointing the different ages of the world and
allotting to the nations their territories, His favor is to be sought
after and His will submitted to.
The voice of nature is clear and loud. It testifies to the being of
God and tells of His wisdom, goodness and power. It addresses all
alike, bidding men to believe in God, turn to Him and serve Him. "The
heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his
handywork" (Ps. 19:1). These are the preachers of nature to all
nations alike. They are not silent, but vocal, speaking to those in
every land: "Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night
sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice
is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their
words to the end of the world" (vv. 2-4). In view of these and similar
phenomena the apostle declares, "That which may be known of God is
manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible
things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being
understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and
Godhead; so that they are without excuse" (Rom. 1:19-20).
Now why do not Antinomians object to nature addressing men
indiscriminately? Why do not these hyper-Calvinists protest against
what we may designate the theology of the sun and the moon? Why do
they not exclaim that there is no proper basis for such a call as
nature makes? This view not only mocks the unregenerate, but belittles
God, seeing that it is certain to prove fruitless, for He has not
purposed that either savage or sage should respond to nature's call.
But with the sober and the spiritual this branch of the divine
government needs no apology. It is in all respects worthy of Him who
is wonderful in counsel and excellent in working. Those groups of
mankind who do not have the sacred Scriptures are as truly rational
and accountable beings as those who are reared with God's written
Word. Their having lost the power to read God's character in His
works, as well as the inclination to seek after and find Him, does not
in the least divest the Lord of His right to require of them both that
inclination and power, and to deal with them by various methods of
providence according to their several advantages.
It is altogether reasonable that intelligent creatures who, by falling
into apostasy, have become blind to God's excellences and enemies to
Him in their minds, should yet be commanded to yield Him the homage
which is His due and should be urged and exhorted by a thousand
tongues, speaking from every quarter of the heaven and the earth, to
turn to Him as their supreme good, although it is absolutely certain
that without gifts they do not possess, without a supernatural work of
grace being wrought in their hearts, not one of them will ever incline
his ear. Who does not perceive that this is an unimpeachable
arrangement of things, in every respect worthy of the character of Him
who is "righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works" (Ps.
145:17)? The light of nature leaves all men without excuse, and God
has a perfect right to require them to seek Him without vouchsafing
the power of doing so, which power He is under no obligation to grant.
Exactly analogous to this is the case of those who come under the
sound of the gospel, yet without being chosen to salvation or
redemption by the precious blood of the Lamb. The love of God in
Christ to sinners is proclaimed to them, and they are exhorted and
entreated by all sorts of arguments to believe in Christ and be saved.
Let it be clearly pointed out that no obstacle lies in the way of the
reprobates' believing but what exists in their own evil hearts. Their
minds are free to think and their wills to act. They do just as they
please, unforced by anyone. They choose and refuse as seems good to
themselves. The secret purpose of God in not appointing them to
everlasting life or in withholding from them the renewing operations
of His Spirit has no causal influence on the decision to which they
come. Their advantages are vastly superior to the opportunities of
those who enjoy only the light of nature.
The manifestation of the divine character granted to those living in
Christendom is incomparably brighter and more impressive than that
given to those born in heathendom, and consequently their
responsibility is proportionately greater. Much more is given the
former, and, on the ground of equity, much more will certainly be
required of them (Luke 12:48). What, then, shall we say of the conduct
of the Most High in His dealings with such persons? Shall we
presumptuously question His sincerity in exhorting them by His Word or
His sincerity in urging them by the general operations of His Spirit
(Gen. 6:3; Acts 7:51)? With equal propriety we might question the
sincerity of nature, when it bears witness to God's power in the
shaking of the earth and the kindling of the volcano; or we might
doubt God's goodness in clothing the valleys with corn and filling the
pastures with flocks, leaving Himself "not . . . without witness"
(Acts 14:17), in order that men "should seek the Lord, if haply they
might feel after him, and find him" (Acts 17:27).
We by no means affirm that what we have pointed out entirely removes
the difficulty felt by those who do not perceive the justice in
exhorting sinners to perform acts altogether beyond their power. But
we do insist that, in the light of God's method of dealing with the
vast majority of men in the past, withholding the gospel effectually
blunts its point. Ministers err grievously if they allow their hands
to be tied or their mouths muzzled, thus disobeying Christ. The only
difference between those living under the gospel and those who have
only the light of nature seems to be that the grace of the one
allotment is far greater than that of the other, that the
responsibility is higher in proportion, and that the condemnation
which results from disobedience must therefore be more severe in the
one case than in the other in the great day of accounts. To those
divinely called to preach the gospel the course is clear. They are to
go forth in obedience to their commission, appealing to "every
creature," urging their hearers to be reconciled to God.
Speaking for himself, the writer (who for more than twenty years was
active in oral ministry) never found any other consideration to deter
him from sounding forth the universal call of the gospel. He knew
there might well be some in his congregation who had sinned that sin
for which there is no forgiveness (Matt. 12:31-32), others who had
probably sinned away their day of grace, having quenched the Spirit (1
Thess. 5:19) till it was no longer possible to renew them again to
repentance (Luke 13:24-25; 19:48). Yet since this was mercifully
concealed from him, he sought to cry aloud and spare not. He knew that
the gospel was to be the savor of death unto death to some, and that
God sometimes sends His servants forth with a commission similar to
that of Isaiah's (6:9-10). Still that furnished no more reason why he
should be silent than that the sun and moon should cease proclaiming
their Creator's glory merely because the world is blind and deaf.
In this same connection it is pertinent to consider the striking and
solemn case of Pharaoh. It indeed presents an awe--inspiring
spectacle, yet that must not hinder us from looking at it and
ascertaining what light it throws on the character and ways of the
Most High. It is the case not merely of an isolated individual, but of
a fearfully numerous class--the vessels of wrath fitted to
destruction. It is true that Pharaoh was not called on to believe and
be saved, he was not exhorted to yield himself to the constraining
love of God as manifested in the gift of His Son; but he was required
to submit himself to the authority of God and to accede to His
revealed will. He was ordered to let Jehovah's people go that they
might serve Him in the wilderness, and he was required to comply with
the divine command not sullenly or reluctantly, not as a matter of
necessity, but with his whole heart.
A Promise for Every Command of God
Let it not be overlooked that every divine command virtually implies a
promise, for our duty and our welfare are in every instance
inseparably joined (Deut. 10:12-13). If God is truly obeyed He will be
truly glorified, and if He is truly glorified He will be truly
enjoyed. Had the king of Egypt obeyed, certainly his fate would have
been different. He would have been regarded not with disapproval but
with favor; he would have been the object not of punishment but rather
of reward. Nevertheless, it was not intended that he should obey. The
Most High had decreed otherwise. Before Moses entered the presence of
Pharaoh and made known Jehovah's command, the Lord informed His
servant, "I will harden his heart that he shall not let the people go"
(Ex. 4:21). This is unspeakably awful, yet it need not surprise us.
The same sun whose rays melt the wax hardens the clay--an example in
the visible realm of what takes place in the hearts of the renewed and
of the unregenerate.
Not only was it God's intention to harden Pharaoh's heart so that he
should not obey His command, but He plainly declared, "In very deed
for this cause have I raised thee up; for to show in thee my power;
and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth" (Ex. 9:16).
The connection in which that solemn verse is quoted in Romans 9:17
makes it unmistakably plain that God ordained that this haughty
monarch should be an everlasting monument to His severity. Here we
witness the Ruler of this world dealing with men--for Pharaoh was
representative of a large class--dealing with them about what concerns
their highest interests, their happiness or their woe throughout
eternity, not intending their happiness, not determining to confer the
grace which would enable them to comply with His will, yet issuing
commands to them, denouncing their threatenings, working signs and
wonders before them, enduring them with much long-suffering while they
add sin to sin and ripen for destruction. Yet let it be remembered
that there was nothing which hindered Pharaoh from obeying except his
own depravity. Whatever objection may be brought against the Word
calling on the non-elect to repent and believe may with equal
propriety be brought against the whole procedure of God with Pharaoh.
In their Articles of Faith the hyper-Calvinists declare, "We deny
duty-faith and duty-repentance--these terms signifying that it is
every man's duty to spiritually and savingly repent and believe."
Those who belong to this school of theology insist that it would be
just as sensible to visit our cemeteries and call on the occupants of
the graves to come forth as to exhort those who are dead in trespasses
and sins to throw down the weapons of their warfare and be reconciled
to God. Such reasoning is unsound, for there is a vast and vital
difference between a spiritually dead soul and a lifeless body. The
soul of Adam became the subject of penal and spiritual death;
nevertheless it retained all its natural powers. Adam did not lose all
knowledge nor become incapable of volition; nor did the operations of
conscience cease within him. He was still a rational being, a moral
agent, a responsible creature, though he could no longer think or
will, love or hate, in conformity to the law of righteousness.
It is far otherwise with physical dissolution. When the body dies it
becomes as inactive, unintelligent and unfeeling as a piece of
unorganized matter. A lifeless body has no responsibility, but a
spiritually dead soul is accountable to God. A corpse in the cemetery
will not "despise and reject" Christ (Isa. 53:3), will not "resist the
Holy Ghost" (Acts 7:51), will not disobey the gospel (2 Thess. 1:8);
but the sinner can and does do these very things, and is justly
condemned for them. Are we, then, suggesting that fallen man is not
"dead in trespasses and sins"? No indeed, but we do insist that those
solemn words be rightly interpreted and that no false conclusions be
drawn from them. Because the soul has been deranged by sin, because
all its operations are unholy, it is correctly said to be in a state
of spiritual death, for it no more fulfills the purpose of its being
than does a dead body.
The fall of man, with its resultant spiritual death, did not dissolve
our relation to God as the Creator, nor did it exempt us from His
authority. But it forfeited His favor and suspended that communion
with Him by which alone could be preserved that moral excellence with
which the soul was originally endowed. Instead of attempting to draw
analogies between spiritual and physical death and deriving inferences
from them, we must stick very closely to the Scriptures and regulate
all our thoughts by them. God's Word says, "You hath he quickened, who
were dead in trespasses and sins: wherein in times past ye walked"
(Eph. 2:1-2). Thus the spiritual death of the sinner is a state of
active opposition against God--a state for which he is responsible,
the guilt and enormity of which the preacher should constantly press
upon him. Why do we speak of active opposition against God as being
dead in sins? Because in Scripture "death" does not mean cessation of
being, but a condition of separation and alienation from God (Eph.
4:18).
The solemn and humbling fact that fallen man is fully incapable of
anything spiritually good or of turning to God is clearly revealed and
insisted on in His Word (John 6:44; 2 Cor. 3:5, etc.), yet the
majority of professing Christians have rejected that fact. It is
important to note that the grounds and reasons for which it has been
opposed by some are not scriptural. They do not allege that there is
any specific statement of Holy Writ which directly contradicts it.
They do not affirm that any passage can be produced from the Word
which expressly tells us that fallen man has the power of will to do
anything spiritually good, or that he is able by his own strength to
turn to God, or even prepare himself to do so. Instead, they are
obliged to fall back on a process of reasoning, making inferences and
deductions from certain general principles which the Scriptures
sanction. It is at once apparent that there is a vast difference in
point of certainty between these two things.
Principle of Exhortation in Scripture
The principal objection made against the doctrine of fallen man's
inability is drawn from the supposed inconsistency between it and the
principle of exhortation which runs all through Scripture. It is
pointed out that commands and exhortations are addressed to the
descendants of Adam, that they are manifestly responsible to comply
with them, that they incur guilt by failure to obey. Then the
conclusion is drawn that, therefore, these commandments would never
have been given, that such responsibility could not belong to man, and
such guilt could not be incurred, unless they were able to will and to
do the things commanded. Thus their whole argument rests not on
anything actually stated in Scripture, but on certain notions
respecting the reasons why God issued these commands and exhortations,
and respecting the ground upon which moral responsibility rests.
In like manner we find the hyper-Calvinists pursuing an identical
course in their rejection of the exhortation principle. Though at the
opposite pole in doctrine--for they contend for the spiritual
impotence of fallen man--yet they concur with others in resorting to a
process of reasoning. They cannot produce a single passage from God's
Word which declares that the unregenerate must not be urged to perform
spiritual duties. They cannot point to any occasion on which the
Saviour Himself warned His apostles against such a procedure, not even
when He commissioned them to go and preach His gospel. They cannot
even discover a word from Paul cautioning either Timothy or Titus to
be extremely careful when addressing the unsaved lest they leave their
hearers with the impression that their case was far from being
desperate.
Not only are the hyper-Calvinists unable to produce one verse of
Scripture containing such prohibitions or warnings as we have
mentioned above, but they are faced with scores of passages both in
the Old and the New Testaments which show unmistakably that the
servants of God in biblical times followed the very opposite course to
that advocated by these twentieth century theorists. Neither the
prophets, the Saviour, nor His apostles shaped their policy by the
state of their hearers. They did not accommodate their message
according to the spiritual impotence of sinners, but plainly enforced
the just requirements of a holy God. How, then, do these men dispose
of all those passages which speak directly against their theories? By
what is called (in some law courts) a process of "special pleading."
We quote again from their Articles of Faith:
We believe that it would be unsafe, from the brief records we have
of the way in which the apostles, under the immediate direction of
the Lord, addressed their hearers in certain special cases and
circumstances, to derive absolute and universal rules for
ministerial addresses in the present day under widely-different
circumstances.
Thus they naively attempt to neutralize and set aside the practice of
our Lord and of His apostles. It is very much like the course followed
by the Pharisees, who drew up their own rules and regulations, binding
them upon the people, against whom Christ preferred the solemn charge
of "making the word of God of none effect through your tradition"
(Mark 7:13). The statement "We believe it would be unsafe" is lighter
than chaff when weighed against the authority of Holy Writ. If God's
servants today are not to be regulated by the recorded examples of
their Master and His apostles, where shall they turn for guidance?
And why do the framers of these Articles of Faith consider it "unsafe"
to follow the precedents furnished by the Gospels and the Acts? Their
next Article supplies the answer:
Therefore, that for ministers in the present day to address
unconverted persons, or indiscriminately all in a mixed
congregation, calling upon them to savingly repent, believe, and
receive Christ, or perform any other acts dependent upon the
new-creative power of the Holy Ghost, is, on the one hand, to imply
creature power, and, on the other, to deny the doctrine of special
redemption.
Here they come out into the open and show their true colors, as mere
rationalizers. They object to indiscriminate exhortations because they
cannot see the consistency of such a policy with other doctrines. Just
as extreme Arminians reject the truth of fallen man's moral impotence
because they are unable to reconcile it with the exhortation
principle, so Antinomians throw overboard human responsibility because
they consider it out of harmony with the spiritual helplessness of the
sinner.
Witness the consistency of man. As God Himself tells us, "Verily,
every man at his best estate is altogether vanity" (Ps. 39:5). No
wonder, then, that He bids us "Cease ye from man, whose breath is in
his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?" (Isa. 2:22). Yes,
"Cease ye from man"--religious man as much as irreligious man; cease
placing any confidence in or dependence on him, especially in
connection with spiritual and divine matters, for we cannot afford to
be misdirected in these. Then what should the bewildered reader do? He
must weigh everything he hears or reads in the balances of the Lord,
testing it diligently by Holy Writ: "Prove all things; hold fast that
which is good" (1 Thess. 5:21). And what is the servant of Christ to
do? He must execute the commission his Master has given him, declare
all the counsel of God (not mangled bits of it), and leave the Lord to
harmonize what may seem contradictory to him--just as Abraham
proceeded to obediently sacrifice Isaac, even though he was quite
incapable of harmonizing God's command with His promise "In Isaac
shall thy seed be called" (Gen. 21:12).
It will be no surprise to most of our readers that those ministers who
are restricted from calling on the unsaved to repent and believe the
gospel are also very slack in exhorting professing Christians. The
divine commandments are almost entirely absent from their ministry.
They preach a lot on doctrine, often on experience, but life conduct
receives the scantiest notice. It is not too much to say that they
seem to be afraid of the very word "duty." They preach soundly and
beneficially on the obedience which Christ gave to God on behalf of
His people, but they say next to nothing of that obedience which the
Lord requires from those He has redeemed. They give many comforting
addresses from God's promises, but they are woefully remiss in
delivering searching messages on His precepts. If anyone thinks this
charge is unfair, let him pick up a volume of sermons by any of these
men and see if he can find a single sermon on one of the precepts.
As an example of what we have just mentioned we quote at some length
from a series of "Meditations on the Preceptive part of the Word of
God" by J. C. Philpot. Note that these were not the casual and
careless utterances of the pulpit, but the deliberate and studied
products of his pen. In his first article on the precepts of the Word
of God, Mr. Philpot said:
It is a branch of Divine revelation which, without wishing to speak
harshly or censoriously, has in our judgment been sadly perverted
by many on the one hand, and we must say almost as sadly neglected,
if not altogether ignored and passed by, by many on the other. . .
. It is almost become a tradition in some churches professing the
doctrines of grace to disregard the precepts and pass them by in a
kind of general silence.
This declaration was sadly true, for the charge preferred
characterized the greater part of his own ministry and applied to the
preachers in his own denomination. That Mr. Philpot was fully aware of
this sad state of affairs is clear from the following:
Consider this point, ye ministers, who Lord's day after Lord's day
preach nothing but doctrine, doctrine, doctrine; and ask yourselves
whether the same Holy Spirit who revealed the first three chapters
of the epistle to the Ephesians did not also reveal the last three?
Is not the whole epistle equally inspired, a part of that Scripture
of which we read, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and
is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect,
thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim. 3:16, 17)? How,
then, can you be "a man of God perfect" (that is, complete as a
minister) and "thoroughly furnished unto all good works," if you
willfully neglect any part of that Scripture which God has given to
be profitable to you, and to others by you? . . . Can it be right,
can it be safe, can it be Scriptural, to treat all this fulness and
weight of precept with no more attention than an obsolete Act of
Parliament?
To the same effect, he declared:
To despise, then, the precept, to call it legal and burdensome, is to
despise not man, but God, who hath given unto us His Holy Spirit in
the inspired Scriptures for our faith and obedience. . . . Nothing
more detects hypocrites, purges out loose professors, and fans away
that chaff and dust which now so thickly covers our barn floors than
an experimental handling of the precept. A dry doctrinal ministry
disturbs no consciences. The loosest professors may sit under it, nay,
be highly delighted with it, for it gives them a hope, if not a dead
confidence, that salvation being wholly of grace they shall be saved
whatever be their walk of life. But the experimental handling of the
precept cuts down all this and exposes their hypocrisy and deception.
In developing his theme Mr. Philpot rightly began by discussing its
importance, and this at considerable length. First, he called
attention to its "bulk," or the large place given to precepts in the
Word:
The amount of precept in the epistles, measured only by the test of
quantity would surprise a person whose attention had not been
directed to that point, if he would but carefully examine it. But
it is sad to see how little the Scriptures are read amongst us with
that intelligent attention, that careful and prayerful
studiousness, that earnest desire to understand, believe, and
experimentally realize their Divine meaning, which they demand and
deserve, and which the Word of God compares to seeking as for
silver, and searching "as for hid treasure" (Prov. 2:4).
How much less are the Scriptures read today than they were in Mr.
Philpot's time!
Next, he pointed out the following:
Were there no precepts in the New Testament we should be without an
inspired rule of life, without an authoritative guide for our walk
and conduct before the Church and the world. . . . But mark what
would be the consequence if the preceptive part of the New
Testament were taken out of its pages as so much useless matter. It
would be like going on board of a ship bound on a long and perilous
voyage, and taking out of her just before she sailed, all her
charts, her compass, her sextants, her sounding line, her
chronometer; in a word, all the instruments of navigation needful
for her safely crossing the sea, or even leaving her port.
He disposed of the quibble that if there were no precepts, the church
would still have the Holy Ghost to guide her by saying, "If God has
mercifully and graciously given us rules and directions whereby to
walk, let us thankfully accept them, not question and cavil how far we
could have done without them."
Under his third reason for showing the importance of the precepts are
some weighty remarks from which we select the following:
Without a special revelation of the precepts in the word of truth
we should not know what was the will of God as regards all
spiritual and practical obedience, so, without it as our guide and
rule, we should not be able to live to His glory. . . . Be it,
then, observed, and ever borne in mind that, as the glory of God is
the end of all our obedience, it must be an obedience according to
His own prescribed rule and pattern. In this point lies all the
distinction between the obedience of a Christian to the glory of
God and the self-imposed obedience of a Pharisee to the glory of
self. . . . Thus we see that if there were no precepts as our
guiding rule, we could not live to the glory of God, or yield to
Him an acceptable obedience; and for this simple reason, that we
should not know how to do so. We might wish to do so; we might
attempt to do so; but we should and must fail.
This section on the importance of the precepts was denied by pointing
out: "On its fulfillment turns the main test of distinction between
the believer and the unbeliever, between the manifested vessel of
mercy and the vessel of wrath fitted to destruction." At the close of
this division he said, "Take one more test from the Lord's own lips.
Read the solemn conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount--that grand code
of Christian precepts."
After quoting Matthew 7:24-27 Mr. Philpot asks:
What is the Lord's own test of distinction between the wise man who
builds on the rock, and the foolish man who builds on the sand? The
rock, of course, is Christ, as the sand is self. But the test, the
mark, the evidence, the proof of the two builders and the two
buildings is the hearing of Christ's sayings and doing them, or the
hearing of Christ's sayings and doing them not. We may twist and
wriggle under such a text, and try all manner of explanations to
parry off its keen, cutting edge; we may fly to arguments and
deductions drawn from the doctrine of grace to shelter ourselves
from its heavy stroke, and seek to prove that the Lord was there
preaching the law and not the gospel, and that as we are saved by
Christ's blood and righteousness, and not by our own obedience or
our good works, either before or after calling, all such tests and
all such texts are inapplicable to our state as believers. But
after all our questionings and cavillings, our nice and subtle
arguments, to quiet conscience and patch up a false peace, there
the word of the Lord stands.
It is disastrous that such cogent arguments have carried little weight
and that the precepts are still sadly neglected by many of the Lord's
servants.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Man's Impotence
by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 7-Complement
_________________________________________________
Let us begin by defining our term. The "complement" of a thing is that
which gives it completeness. In contemplating the natural condition of
Adam's children we obtain a one-sided and misleading view if we
confine our attention to their spiritual helplessness. That they are
morally impotent, that they are totally depraved, that they are
thoroughly under the bondage of sin, has been amply demonstrated. But
that does not supply us with a complete diagnosis of their present
state before God. Though fallen man is a wrecked and ruined creature,
nevertheless he is still accountable to his Maker and Ruler. Though
sin has darkened his understanding and blinded his judgment, he is
still a rational being. Though his very nature is corrupt at its root,
this does not exempt him from loving God with all his heart. Though he
is "without strength," yet he is not "without excuse." And why not?
Because side by side with fallen man's inability is his moral
responsibility.
Moral Responsibility of Man
It is at this very point that the people of God, and especially His
ministers, need to be much on their guard. If they appropriate one of
the essential parts of the doctrine of Scripture but fail to lay hold
of the equally essential supplementary part, then they will
necessarily obtain a distorted view of the doctrine. "The word of God
is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword" (Heb.
4:12). The word emphasized in the above quotation is of paramount
importance, though its significance seems to be discerned by few
today. Truth is twofold. Every aspect of truth presented in the Word
is balanced by a counterpart aspect; every element of doctrine has its
corresponding obligation. These two sides of the truth do not cross
each other, but run parallel. They are not contradictory but
complementary. The one aspect is just as essential as the other, and
both must be retained if we are to be preserved from dangerous error.
It is only as we hold firmly to "all the counsel of God" that we are
delivered from the fatal pitfalls of false theology.
God Himself has illustrated this duality of truth by communicating the
same concept to us in the form of the two Testaments, the Old and the
New, the contents of which, broadly speaking, exemplify those two
summaries of His nature and character: "God is light" (1 John 1:5);
"God is love" (1 John 4:8). This same fundamental feature is seen
again in the two principal communications which God has made, namely,
His law and His gospel. That which characterizes the divine revelation
in its broad outlines also holds equally good in connection with its
details. Promises are balanced by precepts, the gifts of grace with
the requirements of righteousness, the bestowments of abounding mercy
with the exactions of inflexible justice. Correspondingly, the duties
placed upon us answer to this twofold revelation of the divine
character and will; as light and the Giver of the law, God requires
the sinner to repent and the saint to fear Him; as love and the Giver
of the gospel, the one is called upon to believe and the other to
rejoice.
The doctrine of man's accountability and responsibility to God is set
forth so plainly, so fully and so constantly throughout the Scriptures
that he who runs may read it, and only those who deliberately close
their eyes to it can fail to perceive its verity and force. The entire
volume of God's Word testifies to the fact that He requires from man
right affections and right actions, and that He judges and treats him
according to these. "So then every one of us shall give account of
himself to God" (Rom. 14:12) that the rights of God may be enforced
upon moral agents. In the day of the revelation of His righteous
judgment, God "will render to every man according to his deeds" (Rom.
2:5-6). Then will be fulfilled that word of Christ's "He that
rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him:
the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day"
(John 12:48). Men are responsible to employ in God's service the
faculties He has given them (Matt. 25:14-30; Luke 12:48). They are
responsible to improve the opportunities God has afforded them (Matt.
11:20-24; Luke 19:41-42).
Thus it is clear that--in keeping with the Word of God as a whole and
with all His ways both in creation and providence--the doctrine of
man's inability has a complementary and balancing doctrine, namely,
his responsibility; and it is only by maintaining both in their due
proportions that we shall be preserved from distorting the truth. But
man is a creature of extremes, and his tendency to lopsidedness is
tragically evidenced all through Christendom. The religious world is
divided into opposing parties which contend for bits of the truth and
reject others. Where can be found a denomination which preserves a due
balance in its proclamation of God's law and God's gospel? In the
presentation of God as light and God as love? In an equal emphasis on
His precepts and His promises? And where shall we find a group of
churches, or even a single church, which is preserving a due
proportion in its preaching on man's inability and man's
responsibility?
On every side today men in the pulpits pit one part of the truth
against another, overstressing one doctrine and omitting its
complement, setting those things against each other which God has
joined together, confounding what He has separated. So important is it
that God's servants should preserve the balance of truth, so
disastrous are the consequences of a one-sided ministry, that we feel
impressed to point out some of the more essential balancing doctrines
which must be preserved if God is to be duly honored and His people
rightly edified. We shall later resume the subject of human
responsibility in order to throw light on the problem raised by the
doctrine of man's impotence.
Means of Salvation
First, let us consider the causes and the means of salvation. There
are no less than seven things which do concur in this great work, for
all of them are said, in one passage or another, to "save" us.
Salvation is ascribed to the love of God, to the atonement of Christ,
to the mighty operations of the Spirit, to the instrumentality of the
Word, to the labors of the preacher, to the conversion of a sinner, to
the ordinances, or sacraments. The view of salvation entertained today
by the majority of professing Christians is so superficial, so
cramped, so inadequate. Indeed, so great is the ignorance which now
prevails that we had better furnish proof texts for each of these
seven concurring causes lest we be charged with error on so vital a
subject.
Salvation is ascribed to God the Father "Who hath saved us, and called
us with an holy calling" (2 Tim. 1:9)--because of His electing love in
Christ. To the Lord Jesus: "He shall save his people from their sins"
(Matt. 1:21)-- because of His merits and satisfaction. To the Holy
Spirit: "He hath saved us, by the renewing of the Holy Spirit" (Titus
3:5)--because of His almighty efficacy and operations. To the
instrumentality of the Word, "the engrafted word, which is able to
save your souls" (Jam. 1:21) --because it discovers to us the grace
whereby we may be saved. To the labors of the preacher: "In doing this
thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee" (1 Tim.
4:16)--because of their subordination to God's work. To the conversion
of a sinner in which repentance and faith are exercised by us: "Save
yourselves from this untoward generation"--by the repentance spoken of
in verse 38 (Acts 2:40); "By grace are ye saved through faith" (Eph.
2:8). To the ordinances, or sacraments: "Baptism doth also now save
us" (1 Peter 3:21)-- because it seals the grace of God to the
believing heart.
Now these seven things must be considered in their order and kept in
their place, otherwise incalculable harm will be done. For instance,
if we elevate a subsidiary cause above a primary one, all sense of
real proportion is lost. The love and wisdom of God comprise the prime
cause, the first mover of all the rest of the causes which contribute
to our salvation. Next are the merit and satisfaction of Christ, which
are the result of the eternal wisdom and love of God and also the
foundation of all that follows. The omnipotent operations of the Holy
Spirit work in the elect those things which are necessary for their
participation in and application of the benefits purposed by God and
purchased by Christ. The Word is the chief means employed in
conversion, for faith comes by hearing (Rom. 10:17). As the result of
the Spirit's operations and His application of the Word, we are
brought to repent and believe. In this it is the Spirit's general
custom to employ the ministers of Christ as His subordinate agents.
Baptism and the Lord's Supper are to confirm repentance and faith in
us.
Not only must these seven concurring causes of salvation be considered
in their proper order and kept in their due place, but they must not
be confounded with one another so that we attribute to a later one
what belongs to a primary one. We must not attribute to the ordinances
that which belongs to the Word; the Word is appointed for conversion,
the ordinances for confirmation. A legal contract is first offered and
then sealed (ratified) when the parties are agreed: "Then they that
[1] gladly received his word were [2] baptized" (Acts 2:41). Nor must
we ascribe to the ordinances that which belongs to conversion. Many
depend on their outward hearing of the Word as ground for partaking of
the Lord's Supper: "We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou
hast taught in our streets" (Luke 13:26). But sound conversion, not
frequenting the means of grace, is our title to pardon and life: "Be
ye doers of the word, and not hearers only" (Jam. 1:22).
Again, we must not ascribe to conversion what belongs to the Spirit.
Our repentance and faith are indispensable for the enjoyment of the
privileges of Christianity, yet these graces do not spring from mere
nature but are wrought in us by the Holy Spirit. Nor must we ascribe
to the Spirit that honor which belongs to Christ, as if our conversion
were meritorious, or that the repentance and faith worked in us
deserved the benefits we have come to possess. No, that honor pertains
to the Lamb alone, who merited and purchased all for us. Neither must
we ascribe to Christ that which belongs to the Father, for the
Mediator came not to take us away from God, but to bring us to Him:
"Thou . . . hast redeemed us to God" (Rev. 5:9). Thus all things
pertaining to our salvation must be ranged in their proper place, and
we must consider what is peculiar to the love of God, the merit of
Christ, the operations of the Spirit, the instrumentality of the Word,
the labors of the preacher, the conversion of a sinner, the
ordinances.
Unless we observe the true order of these causes and rightly predicate
what pertains to each, we fall into disastrous mistakes and fatal
errors. If we ascribe all to the mercy of God so as to shut out the
merit of Christ, we exclude God's great design in the cross--to
demonstrate His righteousness (Rom. 3:24-26). On the other hand, if we
proclaim the atonement of Christ in a manner that lessens esteem of
God's love, we are apt to form the false idea that He is all wrath and
needed blood to appease Him; whereas Christ came to demonstrate His
goodness (2 Cor. 5:19). If we ascribe to the merits of Christ that
which is proper to the work of the Spirit, we confound things that are
to be distinguished, as if Christ's blood could take us to heaven
without a new nature being wrought in us. If we ascribe our conversion
to the exercise of our own strength, we wrong the Holy Spirit. If,
upon pretended conversion, we neglect the means and produce no good
works, we err fatally.
Not only must these seven things not be confounded, but they must not
be separated from one another. We cannot rest on the grace of God
without the atonement and merits of Christ, for God does not exercise
His mercy to the detriment of His justice. Nor can we rightly take
comfort in the sacrifice of Christ without regeneration and true
conversion wrought in us by the Spirit, for we must be vitally united
to Christ before we can receive His benefits. Nor must we expect the
operations of the Spirit without the instrumentality of the Word, for
of the church it is said that Christ (by the Spirit) would "sanctify
and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word" (Eph. 5:26). Nor
must we conclude that we are regenerated by the Spirit without
repentance and faith, for these graces are evidences of the new birth.
Nor must the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper be slighted;
otherwise we dislocate the method by which God dispenses His grace.
Second, Christ must not be divided, either in His natures or His
offices. There may be an abuse of the orthodox assertion of His deity,
for if we reflect exclusively on that and neglect His great
condescension in becoming flesh, we miss the chief intent of His
incarnation--to bring God near to us in our nature. On the other hand,
if we altogether consider Christ's humanity and overlook His Godhead,
we are in danger of denying His super-eminent dignity, power and
merit. Man is always disturbing the harmony of the gospel and setting
one part against another. Unitarians deny that Christ is God and so
impeach His atonement, pressing only His doctrine and example. Carnal
men reflect only on Christ's redemption as the means of our atonement
with God, and so overlook the necessary doctrine of His example, of
Christ's appearing in order to be a pattern of obedience in our
nature--so often pressed in Scripture (John 13:15; 1 Pet. 2:21; 1 John
2:6). Let us not put asunder what God has joined together.
So with Christ's offices. His general office is but one, to be
Mediator, or Redeemer, but the functions which belong to it are three:
prophetic, priestly and royal, one of which concerns His mediation
with God, the other His dealings with us. We are to reflect on Him in
both parts: "Consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession,
Christ Jesus" (Heb. 3:1). The work of an apostle has to do with men,
that of a high priest with God. But some are so occupied with Christ's
mediation with God that they give little thought to His dealings with
men; others so consider His relation to men that they overlook His
mediation with God. Regarding His very priesthood, some are so
concerned with His sacrifice that they ignore His continual
intercession and thus fail to appreciate what a comfort it is to
present our requests by such a worthy hand to God; yet both are acts
of the same office.
Great harm has been done by so preaching the sacrifice and
intercession of Christ that His doctrine and government have been made
light of. This is one of the most serious defects today in a
considerable section of Christendom which prides itself on its
orthodoxy. They look so much to the Saviour that they have scarcely
any eyes for the Teacher and Master. The whole religion of many
professing Christians consists in depending on Christ's merits and
trusting in His blood, without any real concern for His laws, by
believing and obeying of which we are interested in the fruits of His
righteousness and sacrifice. But the Word of God sets before us an
entirely different sort of religion and does not make one office of
the Redeemer disturb another. None find true rest for their souls
until they take Christ's yoke upon them. He is the Saviour of none
unless He is first their Lord.
The Scriptures of truth set forth Christ under such terms as not only
intimate privilege to us, but speak of duty and obedience as well.
"God hath made that same Jesus . . . both Lord and Christ" (Acts
2:36). He is Lord, or supreme Governor, as well as Christ the anointed
Saviour; not only a Saviour to redeem and bless, but a Lord to rule
and command. "Him hath God exalted . . . to be a Prince and a Saviour,
for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins" (Acts
5:31). Here again the compound terms occur because of His double
work--to require and to give. Christ is such a Prince that He is also
a Saviour, and such a Saviour that He is also a Prince; and as such He
must be apprehended by our souls. Woe be to those who divide what God
has joined. Also, "Christ is the head of the church: and he is the
saviour of the body" (Eph. 5:23). On the one side, as Christ saves His
people from their sins, so He also governs them; on the other side,
His dominion over the church is exercised in bringing about its
salvation.
The carnal segment of the religious world snatches greedily at
comforts but has no heart for duties; it is all for privileges but
wants nothing of obligations. This libertine spirit is very natural to
all of us: "Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their
cords from us" (Ps. 2:3). It was thus with men when Christ was in
their midst: "We will not have this man to reign over us" (Luke
19:14). Had He presented Himself to them simply as Redeemer He would
have been welcome, but they had no desire for a Sovereign over them.
Christ is wanted for His benefits, such as pardon, eternal life and
everlasting glory; but the unregenerate cannot endure His strict
doctrine and righteous laws--submission to His scepter is foreign to
their nature.
On the other hand there are some who so extol the mediation of Christ
with men that they ignore His mediation with God. Some are so absorbed
with the letter of His doctrine that they overlook the necessity of
the Holy Spirit to interpret it for them and apply it to their hearts.
Men are such extremists that they cannot magnify one thing without
deprecating another. They rejoice in the Spirit's communicating the
Scriptures, but they deprecate His equally important work of opening
hearts to receive them (Acts 16:14). Others so urge Christ as Lawgiver
that they neglect Him as the fountain of grace. They are all for His
doctrine and example, but despise His atonement and continued
intercession. It is this taking of the gospel piecemeal instead of
whole which has wrought such damage and corrupted the truth. Oh, for
heavenly wisdom and grace to preserve the balance and to preach a full
gospel.
We have pointed out that side by side with the fact of fallen man's
spiritual impotence must be considered the complementary truth of his
moral responsibility. We have sought to show the vital importance of
holding fast to both and presenting them in their due proportions,
thereby preserving the balance between them. In order to make this the
more obvious and impressive, and at the same time to demonstrate the
disastrous consequences of failing to do this, we have enlarged on the
general principle of maintaining the gospel in its fullness instead of
taking it piecemeal. We have endeavored to enforce the necessity for
adhering to what God has joined together and of not confounding what
He has separated, illustrating the point by a presentation of the
seven concurring causes of salvation and of the natures and offices of
Christ. We now resume that line of thought.
Third, the order of the covenant must not be disturbed. Said David of
the Lord, "He hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in
all things, and sure" (2 Sam. 23:5). Certain writers have expressed
themselves quite freely on the everlastingness of this covenant, and
also on its sureness; but they have said very little on the ordering
of it, and still less on the necessity of our abiding by its
arrangements. No one will have any part in this covenant unless he is
prepared to take the whole compact. Within the contract God has so
arranged things that they may not and do not hinder one another. This
order of the covenant appears chiefly in the right statement of
privileges and conditions, means and ends, duties and comforts.
1. Privileges and conditions. "Through this man is preached unto you
the forgiveness of sins: and by him all that believe are justified
from all things" (Acts 13:38-39). Do not those words state a condition
which excludes the infidel and includes the penitent believer? "If I
wash thee not, thou hast no part with me," declared the holy Saviour
(John 13:8). Unless we are cleansed by Him we can have no part with
Him in His benefits. "He became the author of the eternal salvation
unto all them that obey him" (Heb. 5:9). Christ would act contrary to
His divine commission, contrary to the covenant agreed upon by Him,
were He to dispense His grace upon any other terms. Some men trust in
their own external and imperfect righteousness, as if that were the
only plea to make before God; whereas others look at nothing in
themselves--either as conditions, evidence or means-and think their
only plea is Christ's merits.
But neither those who trust in their own works nor those who think
that no consideration is to be had for repentance, faith and new
obedience adhere to the covenant of grace. Those who preach such a
course offer men a covenant of their own modeling, not the covenant of
God which is the sole charter and sure ground of the Christian's hope.
The blood of Christ accomplishes its work, but repentance and faith
must also do theirs. True, they have not the least degree of that
honor which belongs to the love of God, the sacrifice of Christ or the
operations of the Spirit; nevertheless repentance, faith and new
obedience must be kept in view in their place. Is it not self-evident
that none of the privileges of the covenant belong to the impenitent
and unbelieving? It is the Father's work to love us, Christ's to
redeem, and the Spirit's to regenerate; but we must accept the grace
offered--that is, repent, believe and live in obedience to God.
2. Means and ends. There is a right order of means and ends, that by
the former we may come to the latter. The greater end of Christianity
is our coming to God, and the prime and general means are the office
and work of Christ: "For Christ hath also once suffered for sins, the
just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God" (1 Pet. 3:18). The
subordinate means are the fruits of Christ's grace in sanctifying us
and enabling us to overcome temptations--more expressly by patient
suffering and active obedience. By patient suffering: "If so be that
we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together" (Rom.
8:17). "Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God
commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a
faithful Creator" (1 Pet. 4:19). By obedience: "Know ye not, that to
whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom
ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto
righteousness?" (Rom. 6:16). "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth
not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him" (1 John
2:4).
Now the great difficulty in connection with our salvation (1 Pet.
4:18) lies not in a respect to the end but the means. There is some
difficulty about the end, namely, to convince men of an unseen bliss
and glory; but there is far more about the means. There is not only
greater difficulty in convincing their minds, but in gaining their
hearts and bringing them to submit to that patient, holy, self-denying
course whereby they may obtain eternal life. Men wish the end, but
refuse the means. Like Balaam (Num. 23:10) they want to die the death
of the righteous, but are unwilling to live the life of the righteous.
When the Israelites despised the land of Canaan (Ps. 106:24-25) it was
because of the difficulty of getting to it. They were assured that
Canaan was a land flowing with milk and honey, but when they learned
there were giants to be overcome first, walled towns to be scaled and
numerous inhabitants to be vanquished, they demurred. Heaven is a
glorious place, but it can only be reached by the way of denying self;
and this few are willing to do. But the covenant expressly urges this
upon us (Matt. 16:24; Luke 14:26).
3. Duties and comforts. Also there is a right order of duties and
comforts. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am
meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls"
(Matt. 11:28-29). Observe carefully how commands and comforts,
precepts and promises are here interwoven, and let us not separate
what God has joined together. We must diligently attend to both in our
desires and practices alike. We must not pick and choose what suits us
best and pass by the rest, but earnestly seek after God and diligently
use all His appointed means that He may "fulfil all the good pleasure
of his goodness, and the work of faith with power" (2 Thess. 1:11).
But of how many must God say, as He did of old, "Ephraim is as a
heifer that is taught and loveth to tread out the corn, but will not
break the clods" (Hosea 10:11, an ancient translation). People desire
privileges but neglect duties; they are all for wages but reluctant to
work for them.
So it is even in the performance of duties: some are welcomed and
done, others are disliked and shirked. But every duty must be observed
in its place and season, and one must never be set against another. In
resisting sin some avoid sensuality but yield to worldliness, deny
fleshly lusts but fall into deadly errors. So with graces: Christians
look so much to one that they forget the others. We are told to take
unto ourselves "the whole armour of God" (Eph. 6:11), not simply a
breastplate without a helmet. We must not play up knowledge so as to
neglect practice, nor fervor of devotion so as to mislead us into
ignorance and blind superstition. Some set their whole hearts to mourn
for sin and think little of striving after a sense of their Saviour's
love; others prattle of free grace but are not watchful against sin
nor diligent in being fruitful.
Lest some imagine that we have departed from the landmarks of our
fathers and have inculcated a spirit of legality, we propose to supply
a number of quotations from the writings of some of the most eminent
of God's servants in the past, men who in their day lifted up their
voices in protest against the lopsided ministry which we are decrying,
and who stressed the vital importance of preserving the balance of
truth and of according to each segment its due place and emphasis. For
the evil we are resisting is no new thing, but one that has wrought
much havoc in every generation. The pendulum has ever swung from one
extreme to the other, and few have been the men who preserved the
happy mean or who faithfully declared all the counsel of God.
We begin with a portion of Bishop J. C. Ryle's Estimate of Manton, the
Puritan:
Manton held strongly the need of preventing and calling grace; but
that did not hinder him from inviting all men to repent, believe,
and be saved. Manton held strongly that faith alone lays hold on
Christ and appropriates justification; but that did not prevent him
urging upon all the absolute necessity of repentance and turning
from sin. Manton held strongly to the perseverance of God's elect;
but that did not hinder him from teaching that holiness is the
grand distinguishing mark of God's people, and that he who talks of
"never perishing" while he continues in willful sin, is a hypocrite
and a self-deceiver. In all this I frankly confess I see much to
admire. I admire the Scriptural wisdom of a man who, in a day of
hard and fast systems, could dare to be apparently inconsistent in
order to "declare all the counsel of God." I firmly believe that
this is the test of theology which does good in the church of
Christ. The man who is not tied hand and foot by systems, and does
not pretend to reconcile what our imperfect eyesight cannot
reconcile in this dispensation, he is the man whom God will bless.
If Manton were on earth today we do not know where he would be able to
obtain a hearing. One class would denounce him as a Calvinist, while
another would shun him as an Arminian. One would accuse him of turning
the grace of God into lasciviousness, while another would charge him
with gross legality. All would say he was not consistent with himself,
that one of his sermons contradicted another; that he was a "yea and
nay preacher," one day building up and the next day tearing down what
he had previously erected. So long as he confined himself to what
their Articles of Faith expressed, Calvinists would allow him to
address them; but as soon as he began to press duties upon them and
exhort to performance of those duties, he would be banished from their
pulpits. Arminians would tolerate him just so long as he kept to the
human responsibility side of the truth, but the moment he mentioned
unconditional election or particular redemption they would close their
doors against him.
That prince of theologians, John Owen, in his work "The Causes, Ways,
and Means of Understanding the Mind of God," after fully establishing
"the necessity of an especial work of the Holy Spirit in the
illumination of our minds to make us understand the mind of God as
revealed in the Scriptures," and before treating of the means which
must be used and the diligent labors put forth by us, began his fourth
chapter by anticipating and disposing of an objection. A certain class
of extremists (termed enthusiasts in those days) argued that, if our
understanding of the Scriptures was dependent upon the illuminating
operations of the Holy Spirit, then there was no need for earnest
effort and laborious study on our part. After affirming that the
gracious operations of the Spirit "do render all our use of proper
means for the right interpretation of the Scripture, in a way of duty,
indispensably necessary," Mr. Owen went on to point out:
But thus it hath fallen out in other things. Those who have declared
any thing either of doctrine or of the power of the grace of the
Gospel, have been traduced as opposing the principles of morality and
reason, whereas on their grounds alone, their true value can be
discovered and their proper use directed. So the apostle preaching
faith in Christ with righteousness and justification thereby, was
accused to have made void the law, whereas without his doctrine the
law would have been void, or of no use to the souls of men. So he
pleads "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea,
we establish the law" (Rom. 3:31). So to this day, justification by
the imputation of the righteousness of Christ and the necessity of our
own obedience, the efficacy of Divine grace in conversion and the
liberty of our wills, the stability of God's promises and our diligent
use of means, are supposed inconsistent.
It will be seen from the closing sentences of the above quotation that
there were some in the days of the Puritans who made a god of
consistency, or rather of what they considered to be consistent, and
that they pitted parts of the truth against their own favorite
doctrines, rejecting anything which they considered to be inharmonious
or incongruous. But Owen refused to accede to them and preferred to be
regarded as inconsistent with himself rather than withhold those
aspects of the gospel which he well knew were equally glorifying to
God and profitable for His people. It is striking to note that the
particular things singled out by him for mention are the very ones
objected to by the hyper-Calvinists today, which shows how far astray
they are from what Owen taught. We continue to quote from him:
So it is here also. The necessity of the communication of spiritual
light unto our minds to enable us to understand the Scriptures, and
the exercise of our own reason in the use of external means, are
looked on as irreconcilable. But as the apostle saith, "Do we make
void the law by faith? yea, we establish it;" though he did it not in
that place, nor unto those ends that the Jews would have had and used
it. So we may say, do we by asserting the righteousness of Christ make
void our own obedience, by the efficacy of grace destroy the liberty
of our wills, by the necessity of spiritual illumination take away the
use of reason? yea, we establish them. We do it not, it may be, in
such a way or in such a manner as some would fancy and which would
render them all on our part really useless, but in a clear consistency
with and proper subserviency unto the work of God's Spirit and grace.
"The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ
abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted
up?" (John 12:34). In his comments upon this verse, that grand old
commentator Matthew Henry said:
They alleged those scriptures of the O.T. which speak of the
perpetuity of the Messiah, that He should be so far from being cut off
in the midst of His days, that He should be a "Priest forever" (Psa.
110:4) and a King "forever" (Psa. 89:29, etc.). That He should have
length of days forever and ever, and His years "as many generations"
(Psa. 61:6); from all this they inferred the Messiah should not die.
Thus great knowledge in the letter of the Scripture, if the heart be
unsanctified, is capable of being abused to serve the cause of
infidelity and to fight Christianity with its own weapons. Their
perverseness will appear if we consider that when they vouched the
Scripture to prove that the Messiah "abideth forever," they took no
notice of those texts which speak of the Messiah's death and
sufferings: they had heard out of the law that He "abideth forever,"
but had they never heard out of the law that Messiah "shall be cut
off" (Dan. 9:26), that He shall "pour out His soul unto death" (Isa.
53:12), and particularly that His "hands and feet" should be pierced?
Why then do they make so strange of His being "lifted up?"
The folly of these skeptical Jews was not one whit greater than that
of rationalistic Calvinists. The one group refused to believe one part
of Messianic prophecy because they were unable to harmonize it with
another; the latter reject the truth of human responsibility because
they cannot perceive its consistency with the doctrine of fallen man's
spiritual impotence. Aptly did Matthew Henry follow up the above
remarks by immediately adding:
We often run into great mistakes, and then defend them with Scripture
arguments, by putting those things asunder which God in His Word has
put together, and opposing one truth under the pretence of supporting
another. We have heard out of the Gospel that which exalts free grace,
we have heard also that which enjoins duty, and we must cordially
embrace both, and not separate them, or set them at variance.
Divine grace is not bestowed with the object of freeing men from their
obligations but rather with that of supplying them with a powerful
motive for more readily and gratefully discharging those obligations.
To make God's favor a ground of exemption from the performance of duty
comes perilously near to turning His grace into lasciviousness.
In his "Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices," Thomas Brooks
wrote:
The fourth device Satan hath to keep souls off from holy exercises, is
by working them to make false inferences on those blessed and glorious
things that Christ hath done. As that Jesus Christ hath done all for
us, therefore there is nothing for us to do but to joy and rejoice. He
hath perfectly justified us, fulfilled the law, satisfied Divine
justice, pacified His Father's wrath, and is gone to Heaven to prepare
a place for us, and in the meantime to intercede for us; and therefore
away with praying, mourning, hearing, etc. Ah! what a world of
professors hath Satan drawn in these days from religious services by
working them to make such sad, wild and strange inferences from the
excellent things the Lord Jesus hath done for His beloved ones.
The Puritan named one remedy for this:
To dwell as much on those scriptures that show you the duties and
services that Christ requires of you, as upon those scriptures that
declare to you the precious and glorious things Christ hath done for
you. It is a sad and dangerous thing to have two eyes to behold our
dignity and privileges, and not one to see our duties and services. I
should look with one eye upon the choice things Christ hath done for
me to raise up my heart to love Christ with the purest love and to joy
in Him with the strongest joy, and to lift up Christ above all who
hath made Himself to be my all; and I should look with the other eye
upon those services and duties that the scriptures require of those
for whom Christ hath done such blessed things, as 1 Cor. 6:19, 20;
15:58; Gal. 6:9; 1 Thess. 5:16, 17; Phil. 2:12; Heb. 10:24, 25. Now a
soul that would not be drawn away by this device of Satan must not
look with a squint eye upon these blessed scriptures, and many more of
like import, but he must dwell upon them, make them to be his chiefest
and choicest companions, and this will be a happy means to keep him
close to Christ.
Our principal design in writing further on the fact that man's
spiritual impotence is his moral responsibility is to make plainly
manifest the tremendous importance of preserving the balance of truth,
which is mainly a matter of setting forth each element of it in its
scriptural proportions. Almost all theological and religious error
consists of truth perverted, truth wrongly divided, truth misapplied,
truth overemphasized, truth viewed in a wrong perspective. The fairest
face on earth, possessed of the most comely features, would soon
become ugly and unsightly if one feature continued growing while the
others remained undeveloped. Physical beauty is mainly a thing of due
proportion. And thus it is with the Word of God: Its beauty and
blessedness are best perceived when it is presented in its true
proportions. Here is where so many have failed in the past; some
favorite doctrine has been concentrated on, and others of equal
importance neglected.
Need for Balanced Teaching
It is freely granted that in these degenerate days the servant of God
is often called upon to give special emphasis to those verities of
Holy Writ which are now so generally ignored and denied. Yet even here
much wisdom is needed lest our zeal run away with us. The requirements
of that phrase meat in due season" must ever be borne in mind. When
working among Arminians we should not altogether omit the human
responsibility side of the truth, yet the main emphasis ought to be
placed on the divine sovereignty and its corollaries, which are so
sadly perverted, if not blankly denied, by free-willers. Contrariwise,
when ministering to Calvinists our chief aim should be to bring before
them not those things they most like to hear, but those which they
most need--those aspects of truth they are least familiar with. Only
thus can we be of the greatest service to either group.
To illustrate what we have just said, take the subject of prayer. In
preaching on it to Arminians, it would be well to define very clearly
what this holy exercise is not designed to accomplish and what is its
spiritual aim, showing that our prayers are not intended for the
overcoming of any reluctance in God to grant the mercies we need,
still less our supplications meant to effect any change in the divine
purpose. "The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of
his heart to all generations" (Ps. 33:11). Rather the purpose of
prayer is the subjecting of ourselves to God in asking for those
things which are according to His will. In preaching to Calvinists we
should warn against that fatalistic attitude which assumes that it
will make no difference to the event whether we petition God or not,
reminding them that "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man
availeth much" (Jam.5:16). Some Arminians need rebuking for
irreverence and unholy familiarity in addressing the Most High, while
some Calvinists should be encouraged to approach the throne of grace
with holy boldness, with the liberty of children petitioning their
father.
The same course needs to be followed when expounding the great subject
of salvation. Discrimination must be used as to which aspects most
need to be set before any particular congregation. The manner in which
this most blessed theme should be presented calls for much
understanding, not only of the subject itself but also of the truth.
Some doctrines are more difficult to apprehend than others (2 Peter
3:16), and they need to be approached gradually and given out "here a
little, there a little." We are well aware that in offering such
counsel we lay ourselves open to the charge of acting craftily; in
reality we are simply advocating the very policy pursued by Christ and
His apostles. Of the Saviour it is recorded that "with many such
parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it"
(Mark 4:33); and addressing His apostles He said, "I have yet many
things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now" (John 16:12; cf.
1 Cor. 3:1-2; 9:19-22).
What we have advocated above is simply adopting our presentation of
the truth according to the state of our congregation. There is a vast
difference between presenting the way of salvation to the unconverted
and expounding the doctrine of salvation to those who are converted,
though too many preachers make little distinction here. Great care
needs to be exercised when preaching from one of the Epistles to a
general congregation, lest on the one hand the children's bread be
cast to the dogs or, on the other, seekers after the Lord be stumbled.
While it is true that, in the absolute sense, no sinner can save
himself or even contribute anything toward his salvation by any
physical or mental act of his own, yet he must be constantly reminded
that the gospel sets before him an external Saviour (rather than One
who is working secretly and invincibly in him) whom he is responsible
to promptly receive on the terms by which He is offered, to him.
It is most important that pulpit and pew alike should have a right
conception of the relation of faith to salvation--a full-orbed
conception and not a restricted and one-sided view. Believing is not
only an evidence of salvation and a mark of regeneration, but it is
also necessary in order to obtain salvation. True, the sinner is not
saved for his faith; yet it is equally true that he cannot be saved
without it. That believing is in one sense a saving act is clearly
affirmed: "But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of
them that believe to the saving of the soul" (Heb. 10:39). Take the
case of Cornelius. It is plain from Acts 10:2, 4 that a work of grace
had been wrought in his heart before Peter was sent to him; yet Acts
11:14 makes it equally clear that it was necessary for the apostles to
go and speak words "whereby he and his house should be saved." One of
those "words" was "To him give all the prophets witness, that through
his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins"
(10:43). Let it not be objected that we are hereby making a savior of
faith, for Christ did not hesitate to say "Thy faith hath saved thee"
(Luke 7:50).
As an example of how well Calvin himself preserved the balance of
truth we quote the following from his Institutes:
Yet at the same time a pious man will not overlook inferior causes.
Nor, because he accounts those from whom he has received any benefit,
the ministers of the Divine goodness, will he therefore cast them by
unnoticed, as though they deserved no thanks for their kindness; but
will feel and readily acknowledge his obligation to them, and study to
return it as ability and opportunity may permit. Finally, he will
reverence and praise God as the principal Author of benefits received,
will honour men as His ministers; and will understand, what, indeed,
is the fact, that the will of God has laid him under obligations to
those persons by whose means the Lord has been pleased to communicate
His benefits.
While ascribing supreme honor and glory to the Author of every
blessing, we must not despise the instruments He may design to employ
in the imparting of them.
The great Reformer went on:
If He suffer any loss either through negligence or through imprudence,
he will conclude that it happened according to the Divine will, but
will also impute the blame of it to himself. If any one be removed by
disease, whom, while it was his duty to take care of him, he has
treated with neglect,--though he cannot be ignorant that that person
had reached those limits which it was impossible for him to pass, yet
he will not make this a plea to extenuate his guilt; but, because he
has not faithfully performed his duty towards him, will consider him
as having perished through his criminal negligence. Much less, when
fraud and preconceived malice appear in the perpetration either of
murder or of theft, will he excuse those enormities under the pretext
of the Divine Providence: in the same crime he will distinctly
contemplate the righteousness of God and the iniquity of man, as they
respectively discover themselves.
How far was Calvin from the squint-eyed vision of many who claim to be
his admirers! Writing on "the conducting of prayer in a right and
proper manner," he stated:
The fourth and last rule is, That thus prostrate with true humility,
we should nevertheless be animated to pray by the certain hope of
obtaining our requests. It is indeed an apparent contradiction to
connect a certain confidence of God's favour with a sense of His
righteous vengeance, though these two things are perfectly consistent
if persons oppressed by their own guilt be encouraged solely by the
Divine goodness. For as we have before stated that repentance and
faith, of which one terrifies and the other exhilarates, are
inseparably connected, so their union is necessary in prayer. And this
agreement is briefly expressed by David: "I will come into Thy house
in the multitude of Thy mercy: and in Thy fear will I worship toward
Thy holy temple" (Psa. 5:7). Under the goodness of God he comprehends
faith, though not to the exclusion of fear, for His majesty not only
commands our reverence, but our own unworthiness makes us forget all
pride and security and fills us with fear. I do not mean a confidence
which delivers the mind from all sense of anxiety, and soothes it into
pleasant and perfect tranquility, for such a placid satisfaction
belongs to those whose prosperity is equal to their wishes, who are
affected by no care, corroded by no anxiety and alarmed by no fear.
And the saints have an excellent stimulus to calling upon God when
their needs and perplexities harass and disquiet them and they are
almost despairing in themselves, till faith opportunity relieves them;
because amid such troubles the goodness of God is so glorious in their
view, that though they groan under the pressure of present calamities
and are likewise tormented with the fear of greater in future, yet a
reliance on it alleviates the difficulty of bearing them and
encourages a hope of deliverance.
Here we have brought together two radically different exercises of the
mind, which are totally diverse in their springs, their nature and
their tendency--fear and confidence, perturbation and tranquillity:
two spiritual graces which some imagine neutralize each
other--humility and assurance. A sight of God's ineffable holiness
fills a renewed heart with awe; and when it is coupled with a sense of
His high majesty and inflexible righteousness, the soul--conscious of
its excuseless sins, its defilement and its guilt--is made to fear and
tremble, feeling utterly unfit and unworthy to address the Most High.
Yes, but if the humbled saint is able to also contemplate the goodness
of God, view Him as the Father of mercies and consider some of His
exceeding great and precious promises which are exactly suited to his
dire needs, he is encouraged to hope. And while his humility does not
then degenerate into presumption, yet is he constrained to come boldly
to the throne of grace and present his petitions.
Calvin spoke clearly on this point:
The prayers of a pious man, therefore, must proceed from both these
dispositions, and must also contain and discover them both: though he
must groan under present evils and is anxiously afraid of new ones,
yet at the same time he must resort for refuge to God, not doubting
His readiness to extend the assistance of His hand. For God is highly
displeased by our distrust, if we supplicate Him for blessings which
we have no expectation of receiving. There is nothing, therefore, more
suitable to the nature of prayers, than that they be conformed to this
rule:--not to rush forward with temerity, but to follow the steps of
faith. "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to
all men liberally, and upbraideth not. But let him ask in faith,
nothing wavering" (Jam. 1:5, 6). Where, by opposing "faith" to
"wavering" he very aptly expresses its nature. And equally worthy of
attention is what he adds, that they avail nothing who call upon God
in unbelief and doubt, and are uncertain in their minds whether they
shall be heard or not.
The charge preferred by God against Israel's priests of old--"Ye have
not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law" (Mal.
2:9)--applies to many preachers today. Some have gone to such extremes
that they have denied there is any such thing as God chastising His
own dear children. They argue that since "he hath not beheld iniquity
in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel" (Num. 23:21),
and since He has declared of His bride, "Thou art all fair, my love;
there is no spot in thee" (Song of Sol. 4:7), there remains no
occasion for the rod. It is this dwelling on favorite portions of
truth to the exclusion of others which has led many into grievous
errors. The non-imputation of sin to believers and the chastising of
sin in believers are both plainly taught in the Scriptures (e.g., 2
Sam. 12:13-14 where both facts are mentioned side by side). Whether or
not they can be reconciled to mere human reason, both must be firmly
held by us.
As Matthew Henry tersely expressed it, "In the doctrine of Christ
there are paradoxes which to men of corrupt mind are stumblingstones."
It is the twofoldness of truth which has (in part) furnished occasion
for infidels to declare that the Bible is full of contradictions;
being blind spiritually, they are unable to perceive the perfect
harmony of the whole. To what a sorry pass have things come, then,
when some who wish to be regarded as the very champions of orthodoxy
make the same charge against those who contend for the entire faith
once delivered to the saints. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing
but the truth, is the standard which must be applied to the pulpit as
well as the lawcourt. One element of truth must not be pressed to such
an extreme that another is denied; each must be given its due and
distinctive place.
It is a favorite device of Satan's to drive us from one extreme to
another. This may be seen by observing the order of the temptations
which he set before the Saviour. First he sought to overthrow Christ's
faith, to bring Him to doubt the Word of God and His goodness to Him.
He said something like this: "God has proclaimed from heaven that Thou
art His beloved Son, yet He is allowing Thee to starve to death here
in the wilderness," as is clear from his "If thou be the Son of God,
command that these stones be made bread." Failing to prevail by such
an assault, Satan then took a contrary course in his next attack,
seeking to bring the Lord Jesus to act presumptuously: "If thou be the
Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his
angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee
up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone." The force of
this was: "Since Thou art so fully assured of the Father's loving
care, demonstrate Thy confidence in His protection; since Thy faith in
His Word is so unshakable, count upon His promise that no harm shall
befall Thee even though Thou castest Thyself from the pinnacle of the
temple."
The above has been recorded for our learning, for it shows us the
guile of the devil and the cunning tactics which he employs,
especially that of swinging from one extreme to another. Let it be
borne in mind that as he dealt there with Christ the Head, so Satan
continues to act with all Christ's members. If he cannot bring them to
one extreme, he will endeavor to drive them to another. If he cannot
bring a man to covetousness and miserliness, he will attempt to drive
him to prodigality and thriftlessness. If a man is of the sober and
somber type, let him beware lest the devil, in condemning him for
this, lead him into levity and irreverence. The devil cannot endure
one who turns neither to the right hand nor to the left; nevertheless,
we must seek to keep the golden mean, neither doubting on the one hand
nor presuming on the other, giving way neither to despair nor to
recklessness.
Let us not forget that truth itself may be misused (2 Pet. 3:16), and
the very grace of God may be turned into lasciviousness (Jude 4).
Solemn warnings are these. "Commit thy way unto the Loan; trust also
in him; and he shall bring it to pass" (Ps. 37:5). That is a blessed
promise, yet I altogether pervert it if I use it to the neglect of
duty and sit down and do nothing. "Stand fast therefore in the liberty
wherewith Christ hath made us free" (Gal. 5:1). That is an important
precept, yet I put it to wrong use if I so stand up for my own rights
that I exercise no love for my brothers in Christ. "Who are kept by
the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in
the last time" (1 Pet. 1:5). That too is a blessed promise, yet it
does not exempt me from using all proper means for my preservation.
The Christian farmer knows that unless God is pleased to bless his
labors he will reap no harvest, but that does not hinder him from
plowing and harrowing.
Let us close these remarks by a helpful quotation from one who showed
the perfect consistency between Romans 8:38-39 and 1 Corinthians 9:27:
"But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by
any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a
castaway."
Charles Hodge stated:
The reckless and listless Corinthians thought they could safely
indulge themselves to the very verge of sin; while this devoted
apostle considered himself as engaged in a life-struggle for his
salvation. The same apostle, however, who evidently acted on the
principle that the righteous scarcely are saved and that the kingdom
of heaven suffereth violence, at other times breaks out in the most
joyous assurance of salvation, and says that he was persuaded that
nothing in heaven, earth or hell could ever separate him from the love
of God. The one state of mind is the necessary condition of the other.
It is only those who are conscious of this constant and deadly
struggle with sin, to whom this assurance is given. In the very same
breath Paul says, "O wretched man that I am" and "thanks be to God who
giveth us the victory" (Rom. 7: 24, 25). It is the indolent and
self-empty professor who is filled with a carnal confidence.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Man's Impotence
by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 8-Elucidation
_________________________________________________
Had we followed a strictly logical order, this branch of our subject
would have immediately followed our discussion of the problem which is
raised by this doctrine. But we considered it better to first build a
broader foundation for our present remarks by considering its
"complement." We showed (1) that there is a twofoldness of truth which
characterizes the whole of divine revelation; (2) that parallel with
the fact of man's spiritual impotence runs his full responsibility;
(3) that the acid test of sound theology consists in preserving the
balance of truth or presenting its component parts in their proper
perspective; (4) that the servant of God must always strive to set
forth each aspect of the gospel in its fair proportions, being
impervious to the charge of inconsistency which is sure to be hurled
at him by extremists.
God's Requirements Versus Man's Impotence
Let us now restate the problem to which this and the following
chapters endeavor to present a solution. How can fallen man be held
responsible to glorify God when he is incapable of doing so? How can
it conform with the mercy of God for Him to require the debt of
obedience when we are unable to pay it? How can it consist with the
justice of God to punish with eternal suffering for the neglect of
what lies altogether beyond the sinner's power? If fallen man be bound
fast with the cords of sin, with what propriety can God demand of him
the performance of a perfect holiness? Since the sinner is the slave
of sin, how can he be a free agent? Can he really be held accountable
for not doing what it is impossible for him to do? If the fall has not
annulled human responsibility, must it not to a considerable extent
have modified it?
It is not for the benefit of the carping critic or the objecting
infidel that we take up such questions as these, but with the desire
to help our fellow Christians. Though such problems do not to the
least degree shake their confidence in the character of the Lord or
the integrity of His Word, some believers are at a loss to see how His
ways can be equal. On the one hand Scripture declares, "The carnal
mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God,
neither indeed can be." Therefore it is incapable of doing anything
else but sin: "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God"
(Rom. 8:7-8). Yet on the other we are informed that "the wrath of God
is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of
men" (Rom. 1:18) and that "every transgression and disobedience" shall
receive "a just recompense of reward" (Heb. 2:2). Nor is any
deliverance from God's wrath obtainable through the gospel except on
such conditions as no natural man can comply with; nevertheless,
noncompliance with those conditions brings additional condemnation.
To those who give serious thought to this subject it almost seems to
make out the Most High to be what the slothful servant said: "Reaping
where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strewed"
(Matt. 25:24). That this is far from being the case every regenerate
heart is fully assured, yet the removal of this God-dishonoring
suspicion is earnestly desired by those who are perplexed by it. These
points have engaged our mind for many years, and it is our desire to
pass on to other members of the household of faith what has been a
help to us. How fallen man can be morally impotent yet morally
responsible is the matter we shall try to elucidate.
In seeking the solution to our problem we shall first aim to cast upon
it the light furnished by the relationship which exists between the
Creator and the creature, between God and fallen man. When facing the
difficulties raised by the truth of the moral impotence of fallen man,
it is of vast importance that we clearly recognize and tenaciously
hold the fact that God has not forfeited His right over the creature
even though the creature has lost his power to meet God's
requirements. At this point, especially, much of the difficulty is
removed. Further light is thrown upon the nature of human
responsibility when we obtain a right view of man's moral agency. By
far the greater part of the difficulty vanishes when we correctly
define and state the nature of man's impotence: what it is not, and
what it does consist of. Finally, it will be found that man's own
conscience and consciousness bear witness to the fact of his
accountability.
In seeking to show the relationship which exists between the Creator
and the creature, between God and the fallen man, let us inquire, What
is the foundation of moral obligation? What is the rule of human duty?
It should be evident to any anointed eye that there can be only one
answer to these questions: The will of God, the will of God as
revealed to us. God is our Maker and as such He has the right to
unlimited control over the creatures of His hands. That right of God
is absolute, uncontrolled and without any limitation. It is the right
of the potter over the clay. Moreover, the creature is entirely
dependent upon the Creator: "In him we live, and move, and have our
being" (Acts 17:28). He that "formeth the spirit of man within him"
sustains that spirit and the body which it inhabits. In reference to
our bodies we have no self-sustaining power; let God's hand be
withdrawn, and we return to the dust. The soul of man is equally
dependent upon the sustaining power of God.
Man's Obligation
Because God is who He is and because man is the work of His hands, the
will of God must be the foundation of moral obligation. "All things
were created by him, and for him" (Col. 1:16). "Thou hast created all
things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created" (Rev. 4:11).
But God is not only our Creator. He is also our Ruler and Governor,
and His rights over us are made known by His will, by His expressed
will. Man is bound to do what God commands and to abstain from what He
forbids, simply because He commands and forbids. Beyond that there is
no reason. Direct reference to the divine will is essential to any
moral virtue. When an action is done regardless of God's will, no
honor is shown Him and no virtue pertains to it. Such is the clear and
definite teaching of Holy Writ; it knows no foundation of right or
wrong, no obligation, except the will of the Most High.
It therefore follows that the will of God revealed is the rule of
duty. It is self-evident that the will of God cannot direct and govern
us except as it is made known to us, and in His Word it is made known.
God's own rule of action is His will, for there can be no higher or
holier rule. "He doeth according to his will in the army of heaven,
and among the inhabitants of the earth" (Dan. 4:35); "He saith to
Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have
compassion on whom I will have compassion" (Rom. 9:15). To the will of
God our blessed Redeemer uniformly referred as both the obligation and
rule of His own action. "I delight to do thy will, o my God: yea, thy
law is within my heart" (Ps. 40:8); "I seek not mine own will, but the
will of the Father which hath sent me" (John 5:30). Even when the
desire of His sinless humanity was for an escape from the awful cup,
His holy soul felt the binding obligation of the divine will: "Not as
I will, but as thou wilt." Does not that settle the question once for
all? If the incarnate Son looked no higher, no lower, no farther, why
should we? Compliance with the will of God because it is the will of
God is the perfection of moral virtue.
It is a striking fact that whenever the heart of man is pierced by the
arrows of the Almighty and his soul is bowed down before the Majesty
of heaven, whenever he begins to feel the awful burden of his guilt
and his conscience is agitated over his fearful accountabilities and
how they are to be met, his inquiry always is "Lord, what wilt Thou
have me to do?" Everyone who has been taught of God knows this to be
true. There is therefore a revealed testimony in every renewed heart
to the righteousness of God's rule and the reality of its obligation.
This is the basic principle of Christian fidelity and fortitude. Under
its influence the regenerate soul has only one inquiry in reference to
any proposed enterprise: Is it the will of God? Satisfied with this,
his heart tells him it must be done. Difficulties, hardships, dangers,
death present no obstacle; onward he presses in the path marked out
for him by the will of his Father. Obedience to that is his only
responsibility.
The whole question of man's responsibility is resolved thus: Has God
revealed, has God commanded? It must be grounded on the simple
authority of the Most High. God neither reveals what is untrue nor
commands what is unjust; therefore the first principle of our moral
duty is to know, acknowledge and perform the divine will as the
ultimate fact in the government of God over us. This question must be
resolved altogether irrespective of the state into which the fall has
brought man; otherwise God must cease to be God and the creature must
sit in judgment on his Creator. But men in the enmity of their carnal
mind and the pride of their heart dare to sit in judgment upon the
rule God has given them, measuring it by how far they consider it
suitable to their condition, how far it complies with their ability,
how far it commends itself to their reason--which is the very essence
of unbelief and rebellion, the opposite of faith and obedience.
Responsibility rests not upon anything in the creature, but on the
authority of God who has made known His will to us. Responsibility is
our obligation to respond to God's will.
We turn next to consider the moral agency of man. Since God supplied
all other creatures with faculties suited to them and abilities to
fill their several purposes and to attain their different ends (as
fish to swim in water, and birds to fly in the air), so He was no less
gracious to man. He who did not deny capacity to His lower creatures
did not withhold it from the noblest of His earthly works. How could
God have pronounced him "very good" (Gen. 1:31) if he lacked the
natural capacity to fulfill the end of his creation? As he was to be
subject to moral government, man was endowed with moral agency. Man
then has been fitted to serve his Maker, because he has been invested
with faculties suited to the substance of the divine commands;
therefore it is our certain duty to obey whatever laws God gives us.
In amplifying what has just been said, we must consider the question
What is the essence of moral agency? The answer is rational
intelligence. If man was incapable of comparing ideas, of marking
their agreement or difference to draw conclusions and infer results of
conduct, he would not be a moral agent. That is to say, he would not
be under a law or revealed will and liable to punishment for its
violation or reward for its obedience. We do not treat infants or
idiots as subjects of moral government, nor do we regard brute beasts
as responsible moral agents. The unhappy maniac is pitied, not blamed.
But something more than a capacity to reason is included in the idea
of moral agency; there are processes of reason, such as a mathematical
demonstration, which contain no moral character.
Man's Power of Choice
To will is an act of the mind directing its thoughts to the production
of an action and thereby exerting its power to produce it. The faculty
of the will is that power or principle of the mind by which it is
capable of choosing. An act of the will is simply a choice. When the
herdsmen of Abraham and his nephew quarreled, the patriarch proposed a
separation and graciously offered the young man his choice of the
whole land. "Then Lot chose him all the plain of Sodom." What does
that choice signify? He took a view of the different localities,
observed their relative features, balanced in his mind their
respective advantages and disadvantages; and that which pleased him
best offered the most powerful motive or incentive, and so was his
choice. Such power of choice is necessary to constitute moral agency.
Anyone who is physically forced to perform an act contrary to his
desires, be it good or bad, is not accountable for it.
Conscience is a moral sense which discerns between moral good and
evil, perceiving the difference between worthiness and blamableness,
reward and punishment. A moral agent is one who has a capacity for
being influenced in his actions by moral inducements or motives
exhibited to the understanding or reason, so as to engage to a conduct
agreeable to the moral faculties. That such a faculty exists within us
is witnessed to by the consciousness of men the world over. There is
an inward monitor from whose authority there is no escape, ever
accusing or excusing. When its authority is defied, sooner or later
conscience smites the transgressor with deep remorse and causes him to
shrink from the anticipation of a reckoning to come. In a healthy
state man recognizes the claims made by his moral faculty to supreme
dominion over him. Thus the Creator has placed within our own beings
His vice-regent, ever testifying to our responsibility to render
obedience to Him.
Man's responsibility does not rest on anything within himself, but is
based solely upon God's rights over him--His right to command, His
right to be obeyed. The faculties of intelligence, volition and
conscience merely qualify man to discharge his responsibility. In
addition to these faculties of his soul, man has also been given
strength or power to meet the requirements of his Maker. God
originally made him "upright" (Eccles. 7:29) and placed within him
holy tendencies which perceived the glory of God, a heart which
responded to His excellence. Man was made in the image of God, after
His likeness (Gen. 1:27); in other words, he was "created in
righteousness and true holiness" (Eph. 4:24). Man's understanding was
spiritually enlightened, his will rightly inclined; therefore he was
capacitated to love the Lord his God with all his faculties and to
render Him sinless obedience. Thus was he fitted to discharge his
responsibility.
How was it possible for such a creature--so richly endowed by his
Creator, so "very good" in his being, so capacitated to love and serve
his Maker--to fall? It was possible because he was not constituted
immutable, that is, incapable of any change. Creaturehood and
mutability (liability to change) are correlated terms. Having been
given everything necessary to constitute him a moral agent, everything
which fitted him to meet the divine requirements, man was made the
subject of moral government. A rule of action was set before him, a
rule which was vested with sanctions: reward for obedience, punishment
for disobedience. Man then was put on probation under a covenant of
works. He was duly tried, his fealty to God being tested by Satan. Man
deliberately cast off his allegiance to God, rejected His authority,
preferred the creature to his Creator and thereby fell from his
original estate.
It needs to be pointed out--for in some circles of professing
Christians it is quite unknown--that when God placed Adam under the
covenant of works and put him on probation, he acted not simply as a
private individual but as a public person, as the federal head, as the
legal representative and father of all his posterity. Such was the
constitution which it pleased the Lord to appoint to the human race at
the beginning of its history; and whether we can or cannot perceive
the propriety and righteousness of such an arrangement, no spiritual
mind will doubt its wisdom or justice once he is satisfied it is
definitely revealed in Holy Writ. Had Adam survived his testing and
remained loyal to his Ruler, the whole of his posterity would have
shared his reward. Instead, he rebelled and sinned; in consequence,
"by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; . .
. by one man's disobedience many were made sinners" (Rom. 5:18-19);
"in Adam all die" (1 Cor. 15:22).
As the result of our federal head's transgression, we are born into
this world depraved creatures, unable to render acceptable obedience
to the divine law. But the fall has neither changed man's relationship
to God nor canceled his responsibility. He is still a subject of the
divine government, still a moral agent, still accountable for his
actions, still required to love and serve the Lord his God. God has
not lost His right to enforce His just demands, though man has lost
his power to meet them; depravity does not annul obligation. A human
creditor may without the slightest injustice sue a prodigal debtor who
has squandered his substance in riotous living. How much more so the
divine Creditor! The entrance of sin has neither weakened God's right
to demand subjection from His creatures nor invalidated their
obligation to discharge their duty.
In seeking to supply solution to the problem of how one who is morally
impotent can be justly held to be fully accountable to God, before we
endeavor to point out more clearly the exact nature of that impotence
(what it does not and what it does consist of), we feel it necessary
to further amplify the fact that we must first throw upon this problem
the light which is furnished by the relationship which exists between
the Creator and the creature, between God and fallen man. Unless we
follow this order we are certain to go wrong. It is only in God's
light we can ever "see light." God inhabits eternity; man is but a
thing of time. Since God is both before and above man, we must start
with God in our thoughts and descend to man, and not start with the
present condition of fallen man and then seek to think backward to
God.
Rights of God over Man
That upon which we must first concentrate is not the rights of man but
the rights of God, the rights of God over man. The relation in which
the Creator stands to His creatures makes them, in the strictest
sense, His property. The Almighty has an absolute right to appropriate
and control the products of His own omnipotence and will. Observe how
the psalmist ascribes the supremacy of God to the dependence of all
things upon Him for their original existence. "For the Lord is a great
God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places
of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his,
and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us
worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. For he
is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his
hand" (Ps. 95:3-7).
Since creation itself gives the Most High an absolute right to the
disposal of His creatures, His constant preservation of them
continually augments His title. To keep in being calls for the
exercise of power no less than to create out of nothing. To God as
Creator we owe our original existence; to God as Preserver we are
indebted for our continued existence. Upon this sure foundation of
creation and preservation God possesses an unquestionable and
inalienable propriety in all His creatures, and consequently they are
under a corresponding obligation to acknowledge His dominion. Their
dependence upon Him for past, present and continued existence makes it
a matter of imperative duty to submit to His authority. From the fact
that we are His property it follows that His will is our law. "Shall
the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me
thus?" (Rom. 9:20). God's right to govern us is the necessary
consequence of the mutual relations existing between Creator and
creatures.
The dominion of God was not adjusted with reference to man, but man
was constituted with reference to it. That is to say, it pleased the
Lord to appoint and institute a system of moral government, and
accordingly He constituted man a moral agent, fitted to His
requirements. Man was endowed with understanding, conscience,
affections and will, capable of bearing the image of his Maker's
holiness, of appreciating the distinctions between right and wrong, of
feeling the supremacy of moral law. To such beings God sustains the
relation of Ruler, for a moral creature is necessarily the subject of
obligation. It must seek the law of its being beyond itself; the
ultimate standard of its conduct must be found in a superior will to
which it is responsible. To all created intelligences the authority of
their Creator is absolute, complete and final. Thus the will of God,
now expressed, is to them the sole standard of moral obligation. To
deny this would be to make the creature independent.
The essential elements which constitute all true government were
present when God placed man in Eden: there was competent authority, a
rule of action proclaimed, and a suitable sanction to enforce that
rule. As we have pointed out, the relationship obtaining between God
and His creatures is such as to invest Him with an absolute right to
exact obedience from them. As dependence is the very condition of his
being, man possesses no authority to move, to exert a single faculty
or to lose a single quality without evoking the divine displeasure. So
absolutely is the creature the property of its Maker that it has no
right to think its own thoughts or indulge its own inclinations. Moral
agents must act, but their actions must be determined and regulated by
the will of their Maker. "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying,
Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat" (Gen. 2:16);
without the grant, it would have been an act of theft for Adam to
partake of any of them!
J. H. Thornwell stated:
A creature has no more right to act than it has power to be,
without the consent of the Almighty. Dependence, absolute,
complete, inalienable is the law of its existence. Whatever it
performs must be in the way of obedience; there can be no obedience
without an indication of the will of a ruler, and no such
indication without a government. It is, therefore, undeniably
necessary that to justify a creature in acting at all there must be
some expression, more or less distinct, direct or indirect of the
will of its Creator. As, then, the Almighty, from the very
necessity of the case, must will to establish some rule, we are
prepared to inquire what kind of government He was pleased to
institute.
As we mentioned previously, it was a moral government, of moral
creatures, who were placed under revealed law. It was law to which was
attached penal sanction, and this in the very nature of the case. In
order to enforce His authority as Ruler, in order to make manifest the
estimate He places upon His law, God determined that disobedience to
that law must be visited with summary punishment. How else could God's
hatred of sin be known? Since the moral conduct of a creature is to be
regulated with a specific reference to God's authority, unless He
allowed it to be a god--uncontrolled, independent--there must be a
recognition of His right to command. The actions of a moral creature
must proceed from a sense of obligation corresponding to the rights of
the Ruler. But there could be no such sense of obligation unless the
law was enforced by a penal sanction; for without such, the obedience
of the creature would be merely the result of persuasion rather than
authority.
Precept without penalty is simply advice, or at most a request; and
rewards without punishment are nothing but inducements. Had Adam and
Eve been placed under such principles, the result would evidently have
been but a system of persuasion and not of authoritative rule (which
is precisely what most human government, in the home, the church and
the state, has now degenerated into). In such a case their obedience
would have been nothing more than pleasing themselves, following the
impulse of their own desires, and not submitting to the rightful
demands of their Creator; they would have been acting out their own
wills and not the will of the Most High. It should be quite plain to
the reader that such an (inconceivable) arrangement would have vested
the creature with absolute sovereignty, making it a law unto itself,
entirely independent of its Maker. The essence of all morality is
compliance with the will of God, not because it commends itself to our
reason or is agreeable to our disposition, but simply because it is
His will.
In order that the will of God may be felt as law and may produce in
the creature a corresponding sense of obligation, it must be enforced
by a penal sanction. Declared penalty for disobedience upholds the
authority of the Creator and keeps prominently in view the
responsibility of the creature. It makes clear the just supremacy of
the One and the due subordination of the other. The moral sense in
man, even in fallen man, bears witness to the rightness of this basic
fact. Conscience is a prospective principle; its decisions are by no
means final, but are only the prelude of a higher sentence to be
pronounced in a higher court. Conscience derives its power from
anticipations of the future. It brings before its possessor the dread
tribunal of eternal justice and almighty power; it summons us into the
awful presence of a right-loving and sin-hating God. It testifies to
an ultimate reward for right doing and an ultimate punishment for
wrongdoing.
We again quote Thornwell:
When a man of principle braves calumny, reproach and persecution, when
he stands unshaken in the discharge of duty and public opposition and
private treachery, when no machinations of malice or seductions of
flattery can cause him to bend from the path of integrity,--that must
be a powerful support through which he can bid defiance to the "storms
of fate." He must feel that a strong arm is underneath him; and though
the eye of sense can perceive nothing in his circumstances but terror,
confusion, and dismay, he sees his mountain surrounded by "chariots of
fire and horses of fire," which sustain his soul in unbroken
tranquility. In the approbation of his conscience there is lifted up
the light of the Divine countenance upon him, and he feels the
strongest assurance that all things shall work together for his
ultimate good. Conscience anticipates the rewards of the just, and in
the conviction which it inspires of Divine protection lays the
foundation of heroic fortitude.
When, on the contrary, the remembrance of some fatal crime rankles in
the breast, the sinner's dreams are disturbed by invisible ministers
of vengeance and the fall of a leaf can strike him with horror; in
every shadow he sees a ghost: in every tread he hears an avenger of
blood; and in every sound the trump of doom. What is it that invests
his conscience with such terrible power to torment? Is there nothing
here but the natural operation of a simple and original instinct? Who
does not see that the alarm and agitation and fearful forebodings of
the sinner arise from the terrors of an offended Judge and insulted
Lawgiver. An approving conscience is the consciousness of right, of
having done what has been commanded, and of being now entitled to the
favour of the Judge. Remorse is the sense of ill-desert. The criminal
does not feel that his present pangs are his punishment; it is the
future, the unknown and portentous future, that fills him with
consternation. He deserves ill, and the dread of receiving it makes
him tremble.
Let there be no uncertainty on this point. Were it possible to remove
the penalty from the divine law, we should be wresting the scepter
from the hands of Deity, divesting Him of power to enforce His just
demands, denuding Him of the essential dignity of His character,
reducing Him to a mere suppliant at the feet of His creatures. Modern
theology (if it deserves to be called theology) presents to men a
parody of God, who commands the respect of none, who is disrobed of
His august and glorious majesty, who, far from doing His will in the
army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, is pictured as
a kindly petitioner seeking favors at the hands of worms of the dust.
Such a "god" has no powerful voice which shakes the earth and makes
guilty rebels quail, but only offers entreaties which may be despised
with impunity. Unless God is able to enforce His will He ceases to be
God. If He speaks with authority, resistless power stands ready to
support His command.
"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the
garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil thou shalt not eat of it" (Gen. 2:16-17). There was the
original command given to man at the dawn of human history. It surely
was uttered in a tone which carried the conviction that it must be
obeyed. "For in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely
die." There was the penal sanction enforcing the authority of the
Lawgiver, the plainly announced penalty for transgression. Man was not
left in ignorance or uncertainty of what would follow the forbidden
act. The loss of God's favor, the incurring of His sore displeasure,
certain and inescapable destruction would be the portion of the
disobedient. And that awful threat was no isolated and exceptional
one, but the enunciation of an abiding principle which God has
constantly pressed upon men all through His Word: "The soul that
sinneth, it shall die"; "The wages of sin is death." Even when the
Saviour commissioned His servants to go forth and preach the gospel to
every creature, He expressly told them to make known that "he that
believeth not shall be damned." Such a God is not to be trifled with!
Let us digress for a moment. In view of what has been said above, the
discerning reader will hardly need for us to point out to him the
unspeakable solemnity, the immeasurable awfulness, the consummate
folly of the course followed in the vast majority of the pulpits for
many years. Even where the requirements of the moral law have been
insisted on, its fearful penal sanction scarcely ever has been
pressed. It has either been flatly denied that God will consign to
everlasting woe all who have trampled on His commandments and died
impenitent of their rebellion, or else a guilty silence has been
maintained and in its stead a one-sided portrayal of the divine
character presented, all the emphasis being placed on His love and
mercy. Disastrous indeed must be the consequence of such a course, and
disastrous indeed has it proved. An insulted Deity is now allowing us
to reap what we have sown.
Problem of Lawlessness
A law which is not enforced by penalties will not be obeyed. True
alike of God's law or man's, God's law will exert very little
restraining influence upon the unregenerate if fear of the wrath to
come is not definitely before their minds; and the multitude will have
little respect for the statutes of the realm once they cease to regard
the magistrate with "terror" (Rom. 13:2-4). For generations past there
has been scarcely anything from the pulpit to inspire fear of God, and
now there is practically no fear of magistracy left. Respect for the
divine authority has not been faithfully proclaimed and enforced, and
now there is only a mere pretense of respect for human authority. The
terrible penalty for disobeying God's law--endless suffering in the
lake of fire--has not been plainly and frequently held before those in
the pew, and now we are witnessing a miserable parody, a mere formal
pretense of enforcing the prescribed penalties for violations of human
laws.
During the course of the last century, churchgoers grew less and less
afraid of the consequences of breaking God's precepts; now the masses,
even children, are less and less afraid of transgressing the laws of
our country. Witness not merely the leniency but the utter laxity of
most of our magistrates in dismissing offenders either with a warning
or a trifling fine; witness the many murderers sentenced to death
"with strong recommendation for mercy" and the increasing number of
those whose capital punishment is remitted; witness the pathetic
spectacle of governments afraid to act firmly, making "appeals" and
"requests," instead of using their authority. And what we are now
seeing in the civil realm is the inevitable repercussion of what took
place in the religious. We sowed the wind; a righteous God is now
allowing us to reap the whirlwind. Nor can there be any hope of a
return to law and order, either between the nations or in our civil
life, until the law of God is again given its proper place in our
homes and churches, until the authority of the Lawgiver is respected,
until the penalty for breaking His law is proclaimed.
Returning to our more immediate discussion, it should be pointed out
that the fall did not to the slightest degree cancel man's
responsibility. How could it? Man is just as much under the authority
of God now as he was in Eden. He is still as truly the subject of
divine command as he ever was, and therefore as much responsible to
render perfect and ceaseless obedience to the divine law. The
responsibility of man, be he unfallen or fallen, is that of a subject
to his sovereign. They who imagine that man's own willful sin has
canceled his obligation show how completely darkened is their
judgment. Since God continues to be man's rightful Lord and man is His
lawful subject, since He still possesses the right to command and we
are still under obligation to obey, it should not be thought strange
that God deals with man according to this relationship, and actually
requires obedience to His law though man is no longer able to give it.
No, the fall of man most certainly has neither annulled nor impaired
man's responsibility. Why should it? It was not God who took from man
his spiritual strength and deprived him of his ability. Man was
originally endowed with power to meet the righteous requirements of
his Maker; it was by his own madness and wickedness that he threw away
that power. Does a human monarch forfeit his right to demand
allegiance from his subjects as soon as they turn rebels? Certainly
not. It is his prerogative to demand that they throw down the weapons
of their warfare and return to their original loyalty. Has then the
King of kings no such right to require that lawless rebels become
loyal subjects? We repeat, it was not God who stripped man of original
righteousness, for he had lost it before God passed sentence upon him,
as his "I was naked" (Gen. 3:10) acknowledged. If inability canceled
man's obligation, there would be no sin in the world, and consequently
no judgment here or hereafter. For God to allow that fallen creatures
be absolved from loving Him with all their hearts would be to abrogate
His government.
God's sovereignty and man's responsibility are never confounded in the
Scriptures but, from the two trees in the midst of Eden's garden (the
"tree of life" and "the tree of knowledge of good and evil" [Gen.
2:9]) onward, are placed in juxtaposition. Human responsibility is the
necessary corollary of divine sovereignty. Since God is the Creator,
since He is sovereign Ruler over all, and since man is simply a
creature and a subject, there is no escape from his accountability to
his Maker. For what is man responsible? Man is obligated to answer to
the relationship which exists between him and his Creator. He occupies
the place of creaturehood, subordination, complete dependence;
therefore he must acknowledge God's dominion, submit to His authority,
and love Him with all his heart and strength. The discharge of human
responsibility is simply to recognize God's rights and act
accordingly, rendering His unquestionable due.
Man's Accountability to God
Responsibility is entirely a matter of relationship and the discharge
of those obligations which that relationship entails. When a man takes
a wife he enters into a new relationship and incurs new obligations,
and his marital responsibility lies in the fulfillment of those
obligations. If a child is given to him a further relationship is
involved with added obligations (to both his wife and child), and his
parental responsibility consists of the faithful meeting of those
obligations. Once it is known who God is and what is man's
relationship to Him, the question of his responsibility is settled
once for all. God is our Owner and Governor, possessed of absolute
authority over us, and this must be acknowledged by us in deed as well
as word. Thus we are responsible to be in complete subjection to the
will of our Maker and Lord, to employ in His service the faculties He
has given us, to use the means He has appointed, and to improve the
opportunities and advantages He had provided us. Our whole duty is to
glorify God.
From the above definition it should be crystal clear that the fall did
not and could not to the slightest degree cancel or impair human
responsibility. The fall has not altered the fundamental relationship
subsisting between Creator and creature. God is the Owner of sinful
man as truly and as fully as He was of sinless man. God is still our
Sovereign and we are still His subjects. God's absolute dominion over
us pertains as strictly now as it did in Eden. Though man has lost his
power to obey, God has not lost His right to demand. To argue that
inability cancels responsibility is the height of absurdity. Because
an intoxicated employee is incapable of performing his duties, is his
master deprived of the right to demand their accomplishment? Man
cannot blame God for the wretched condition in which he now finds
himself. The entire onus rests on the creature, for his moral
impotence is the immediate effect of his own wrongdoing.
God's right to command and man's obligation to give perfect and
perpetual obedience remain unshaken. God gave man his "substance"
(Luke 15), but he spent it in riotous living; nevertheless God may
justly challenge His own. If an earthly master gives a servant money
and sends him to purchase supplies, may he not lawfully demand those
supplies even if that servant spends the money in debauchery and
gambling? God supplied Adam with a suitable stock, but he trifled it
away. Surely then God is not to suffer because of the creature's
folly; He should not be deprived of His right because of man's crime.
The fact that man is a spiritual embezzler cannot destroy God's
authority to require what the creature cannot be excused from. A
debtor who cannot pay the debts which he has incurred remains under
the obligation of paying. God not only possesses the right to demand
from man the debt of obedience; from Genesis 3 to the last chapter of
the New Testament He exercises and enforces that right and will yet
make it publicly manifest before the assembled universe.
Though it be true that man himself is entirely to blame for the
wretched spiritual condition in which he now finds himself, that the
guilt of his depravity and powerlessness lies at his own door, yet we
must not lose sight of the fact that his very impotence is a penal
infliction, a divine judgment upon his original rebellion. Moral
inability is the necessary effect of disobedience, for sin is
essentially destructive, being opposed to all that is holy. God has so
ordered it that the effects which sin has produced in man furnish a
powerful witness to and an unmistakable demonstration of the exceeding
sinfulness of sin and the dreadfulness of the malady which it
produces. Sin not only defiles but enervates. It not only makes man
obnoxious in the pure eyes of his Maker, but it saps man of his
original strength to use his faculties right; and the more he now
indulges in sin the more he increases his inability to walk uprightly.
Further light is cast on the problem of fallen man's responsibility by
obtaining a right view of the precise nature of his inability. Let us
begin by pointing out what it does not consist of. First, the moral
inability of fallen man does not lie in the absence of any of those
faculties which are necessary to constitute him a moral agent. By his
transgression man lost both his spiritual purity and power, but he
lost none of his original faculties. Fallen man possesses every
faculty with which unfallen man was endowed. He is still a rational
creature. He has an understanding to think with, affections capable of
being exercised, a conscience to discern between right and wrong, a
will to make choice with. Because man is in possession of such
capacities he has faculties suited to the substance of the divine
commands. Because he is a moral agent he is under moral government,
and must yet render an account to the supreme Governor.
At this point notice must be taken of an error which obtains in the
minds of some, tending to obscure and undermine the truth of fallen
man s unimpaired responsibility. God declared that in the day Adam ate
of the forbidden fruit he should "surely die," which has been wrongly
understood to mean that his spirit would be extinguished and that,
consequently, while the natural man possesses a soul he has no spirit,
and cannot have one until he is born again. This is quite wrong. In
Scripture "death" signifies separation and never annihilation. At
physical death the soul is not exterminated but separated from the
body. The spiritual death of Adam was not the extinction of any part
of his being, but the severance of his fellowship with a holy God. In
consequence Adam's descendants are born into this world "dead in
trespasses and sins," which is defined as "being alienated from the
life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the
blindness of their heart" (Eph. 4:18).
When the prodigal's father said, "This my son was dead, and is alive
again" (Luke 15:24), he most certainly did not mean that the son had
ceased to exist, but simply that the prodigal had been "in the far
country" and had now returned. The lake of fire into which the wicked
are cast is termed the second death (Rev. 20:14) because they are
"punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord,
and from the glory of his power" (2 Thess. 1:9). That the natural man
is possessed of a spirit is clear from "the Lord which . . . formeth
the spirit of man within him" (Zech. 12:1); "What man knoweth the
things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?" (1 Cor.
2:11); "The spirit shall return unto God who gave it" (Eccles. 12:7).
It is a serious mistake to say that when Adam died in Eden any portion
of his tripartite nature ceased to exist. Fallen man, we repeat,
possesses all the faculties which unfallen man had.
When the Scriptures affirm "They that are in the flesh cannot please
God" (Rom. 8:8) it is not because these lack the necessary faculties.
That "cannot" must be understood in a way which comports fully with
fallen man's responsibility, otherwise we should be guilty of making
one verse contradict another. The "cannot" of Romans 8:8 (and similar
passages) is in no way analogous to the "cannot walk" of a man who has
lost his legs, or the "cannot see" of one who is deprived of his eyes.
In such cases the individuals "cannot" because they do not have the
requisite faculties or organs. A person who was devoid of such members
at his birth could not possibly be held accountable for the
non-exercise of them. But the moral impotence of the sinner is far
otherwise. He does possess moral faculties, and the reason he fails to
use them for the glory of God is solely because of his hatred of Him,
because of the corruption of his nature, the enmity of his mind, the
perversity of his will; and for these he is responsible.
For a man to be so enslaved by strong drink that he cannot help
getting inebriated, far from excusing him, adds to his condemnation.
For a man to give way to speaking what is untrue, forming the habit of
telling falsehoods until he becomes such a confirmed liar that he is
incapable of uttering the truth, only evidences the awful depths of
his depravity. But ponder carefully the nature of his incapability. It
is not because he has lost any faculty, for he still possesses the
organs of speech, but because he has sunk so low that he can no longer
use those organs to good purpose. Thus it is with the natural man and
his incapability of pleasing his Maker. Man is endowed with moral
faculties but he perverts them, puts them to wrong use. He has the
same heart for loving God as for hating Him, the same members for
serving Him as for disobeying Him.
Stephen Charnock said:
It is strange if God should invite the trees or beasts to repent,
because they have no foundation in their nature to entertain
commandments and invitations to obedience and repentance; for trees
have no sense and beasts have no reason to discern the difference
between good and evil. But God addresseth Himself to men that have
senses open to objects, understanding to know, wills to move,
affections to embrace objects. These understandings are open to
anything but that which God doth command, their wills can will
anything but that which God doth propose. The commandment is
proportioned to their rational faculty and the faculty is proportioned
to the excellency of the command.
We have affections, as love and desire. In the commands of loving God
and loving our neighbour there is only a change of the object of our
affections required; the faculties are not weakly but by viciousness
of nature, which is of our own introduction. It is strange, therefore,
that we should excuse ourselves and pretend we are not to be blamed
because God's command is impossible to be observed, when the defect
lies not in the want of a rational foundation, but in our own giving
up ourselves to the flesh and the love of it, and in willful refusal
of applying our faculties to their proper objects, when we can employ
those faculties with all vehemence about those things which have no
commerce with the Gospel.
This is a suitable place for us to mention and correct a mistake which
occurs in some of our earlier writings. Lacking the light which God
has now vouchsafed us, we then taught (1) that fallen man still
possessed a natural ability to render to God the obedience which He
requires, though he lacks the necessary moral ability; and (2) that
because man is possessed of such natural ability he is a responsible
creature. The first mistake was really more a matter of terms than
anything else, for all that we meant to signify by "natural ability"
was the possession of faculties which capacitated man to act as a
moral agent; nevertheless, as wrong terms conduce to wrong ideas we
must correct them. The second was an error in doctrine, due to our
ignorance. In this present work we have shown that the basis of human
responsibility consists not in anything in man, but rather in his
relationship to God, and that the faculties which make him a moral
agent merely equip him to discharge his responsibility.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Man's Impotence
by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 9-Affirmation
_________________________________________________
Many able writers, in their efforts to solve the problem presented by
the moral impotence and yet the moral responsibility of fallen man,
have stressed the distinction between natural and moral ability and
inability. They have not seen how a man could be held accountable for
his actions unless he was, in some sense, capable of performing his
duty. That capability they have ascribed to his being in possession of
all the faculties requisite for the performance of obedience to the
divine law. But it is now clear to us that these men employed the
wrong term when they designated this possession of faculties a
"natural ability," for the simple but sufficient reason that fallen
man has lost the power or strength to use those faculties right; it is
surely a misuse of terms to predicate "ability" in one who is without
strength. To affirm that the natural man possesses ability of any sort
is really a denial of his total depravity.
In the second place, it should be pointed out that the moral inability
of the natural man is not brought about by any external compulsion. It
is an utterly erroneous idea to suppose that the natural man possesses
or may possess a genuine desire and determination to do that which is
pleasing to God and to abstain from what is displeasing to Him, but
that a power outside himself thwarts him and obliges him to act
contrary to his inclinations. Were such the case, man would be neither
a moral agent nor a responsible creature. If some physical law
operated upon man (like, that which regulates the planets), if some
external violence (like the wind) carried men forward where they did
not desire to go, they would be exempted from guilt. Those who are
compelled to do what they are decidedly averse to cannot be justly
held accountable for such actions.
Influence of Motives on the Will
One of the essential elements of moral agency is that the agent acts
without external compulsion, in accord with his own desires. The mind
must be capable of considering the motives to action which are placed
before it and of choosing its own course--by "motives" we mean those
reasons or inducements which influence to choice and action. Thus that
which would be a powerful motive in the view of one mind would be no
motive at all in the view of another. The offer of a bribe would be
sufficient inducement to move one judge to decide a case contrary to
evidence and law; to another such an offer, far from being a motive
for wrongdoing, would be highly repellent. The temptation presented by
Potiphar's wife, which was firmly resisted by Joseph, would have been
an inducement sufficiently powerful to ruin many a youth of less
purity of heart.
It should be quite evident that no external motive (inducement or
consideration) can have any influence over our choices and actions
except so far as they make an appeal to inclinations already existing
within us. The affections of the heart act freely and spontaneously:
in the very nature of the case we cannot be compelled either to love
or to hate any object. Neither an infant nor an idiot is capable of
weighing motives or of discerning moral values; therefore they are not
accountable creatures, amenable to law. But because man, though fallen
and under the dominion of sin, is still a rational being, possessed of
the power to ponder the motives set before his mind and to decide good
and evil, he is fully accountable, for he freely chooses that which,
on the whole, he most prefers. Moral agency can only be destroyed by a
force from without obliging man to act contrary to his nature and
inclinations.
There is nothing outside of man which imposes on him any necessity of
sinning or which prevents his turning from sin to holiness. There is
no force brought to bear immediately on man's power of volition, or
even on the connection between his volitions and his actions, which
obliges him to follow the course he does. No, what man does ordinarily
he does voluntarily or spontaneously in the uncontrolled exercise of
his own faculties. No compulsion whatever is imposed on him. He does
evil, nothing but evil, simply because he chooses to do so; the only
immediate and direct cause of his doing evil is that he so wills it.
Therefore since man is a responsible creature who, without any
external power forcing him to act contrary to his desires, freely
rejects the good and chooses the evil, he must be held accountable for
his criminal conduct.
What has been pointed out considerably relieves the difficulty
presented by the impotence of fallen man to meet the just requirements
of God. If the reader will carefully ponder the case it should be
apparent to him that the problem of human inability and accountability
is by no means so formidable as it appears at first sight. The case of
the fallen creature is vastly altered once it is clear what his
impotence does not consist of. It makes a tremendous difference that
his inability to obey his Maker does not lie in the absence of those
faculties by which obedience is performed. So too the complexion of
the case is radically changed when we perceive that man is not the
victim of a hostile power outside himself which forces him to act
contrary to his own desires and inclinations.
Grounds for Man's Blame
It will thus be evident that far from fallen man being an object of
pity because of his moral impotence, he is justly to be blamed for the
course which he pursues. We do not condemn a legless man because he is
unable to walk, but rightly commiserate with him. We do not censure a
sightless man for not admiring the beauties of nature; rather our
compassion goes out to him. But how different is the case of the
natural man in connection with his firm obligations to serve and
glorify his rightful Lord! He is in possession of all the requisite
faculties, but he voluntarily misuses them, deliberately following a
course of madness and wickedness; for that he is most certainly
culpable. His guiltiness will appear yet more plainly in what follows,
when we understand what his moral impotence does consist of, when we
consider the several elements which comprise it.
A further word needs to be added on the error of affirming that fallen
man possesses a natural "ability" to obey God. Most of the writers who
affirm this (Calvinists) take the ground that all the natural man
lacks in order to perform that which is pleasing to God is a
willingness to do so; that since his mental and moral endowments are
admirably suited to the substance of the divine commandments, and
since he is still possessed of every faculty which is required for the
discharge of his duty, he could obey God if he would. But this is far
from being the case. The condition of fallen man is much worse than
that. He not only will not, but he cannot please God. Such is the
emphatic and unequivocal teaching of Holy Writ, and it must be held
fast by us at all costs, no matter what difficulties it may seem to
involve. Yet we are fully convinced that this cannot, does not in the
least, annul man's responsibility or make him any less blameworthy
than was sinless Adam in committing his first offense.
"Unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even
their mind and conscience is defiled" (Titus 1:15). In the
unregenerate the mind and conscience are under an inherent and
universal incapacity to form a right judgment or come to a right
decision in regard to things pertaining to God, and as pertaining to
Him. It is not merely that they are in the condition of one with a
thick veil before his eyes, while the eyes themselves are sound and
whole; rather they are like one whose eyes are diseased--weakened,
decayed in their very internal organism. A diseased physical eye may
be incapable of giving safe direction. But the eyes of fallen man's
heart and understanding are so seriously affected that they cannot
receive or even tolerate any spiritual light at all, until the great
Physician heals them.
The solemn and terrible fact is that the brighter and more glorious is
the divine light shed on the unregenerate, the more offensive and
unbearable it is to them. The eyes of our understanding are radically
diseased, and it is the understanding--under false views and erroneous
estimates of things-- which misleads the affections and the will. How,
then, can we with the slightest propriety affirm that man still
possesses a "natural ability" to receive God's truth to the saving of
his soul? In man as created there was a perfect adaptation of
faculties and a capability of receiving the divine testimony. But in
fallen man, though there is a suitableness in the essential nature of
his faculties to receive the testimony of God--so that his case is far
superior to that of the brute beast--yet his ability to use those
faculties and actually to receive God's testimony for suitable ends is
completely deranged and destroyed.
Disorganization of Man's Being
The entrance of sin into man has done far more than upset his poise
and disorder his affections. It has corrupted and disorganized his
whole being. His intellectual faculties are so impaired and debased
that his understanding is quite incapable of discerning spiritual
things in a spiritual manner. His heart (including the will), which is
the practical principle of operation, is "desperately wicked" and in a
state of "blindness" (Eph. 4:18). The mind of fallen man is not only
negatively ignorant, but positively opposed to light and convictions.
To say that the natural man could please God if he would is false. His
impotence is insurmountable, for he lacks the nature or disposition to
will good. Therefore many men have greatly erred in supposing that the
faculties of man are as capable now of receiving the testimony of God
as they were before the fall.
Unwillingness is not all that the Scriptures predicate of fallen man.
They declare sin has so corrupted his being that he is completely
incapable of holy perceptions; it has utterly disabled him to perform
spiritual acts. Moses told the people of Israel, "Ye have seen all
that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh,
and unto all his servants, and unto all his land; the great
temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great
miracles: yet the Lord hath not given you a heart to perceive, and
eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day" (Deut. 29:2-4). The
faculties were there, but the people had not obtained power from God
to perceive. Earlier Moses had said, "And the Lord heard the voice of
your words, when ye spake unto me; and the Lord said unto me, I have
heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken
unto thee: they have well said all that they have spoken. O that there
were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my
commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their
children for ever" (Deut. 5:28-29). The faculties were there, but they
lacked the spiritual power to use them. The unregenerate man is
utterly disabled by indwelling sin in all the faculties of his spirit
and soul and body from thinking, feeling or doing any spiritual good
toward God.
Yet these facts do not to the slightest degree destroy or even lessen
man s responsibility to glorify his Maker. This will more fully appear
as we now consider what man's inability actually consists of. First,
it is a voluntary inability. It was so originally. Adam acted freely
when he ate of the forbidden fruit, and in consequence he lost his
native holiness and became in bondage to evil. Nor can his descendants
justly murmur at their inheriting the depravity of their first parents
and being made answerable for their inability to will or to do good,
as part of the forfeiture penalty due the first transgression; their
moral impotence consists of their own voluntary continuation of Adam's
offense. The entire history of sin lies in inclination and
self-determination. It must not be supposed for a moment that after
the first sin of Adam all self-determination ceased.
W. G. Shedd stated:
Original sin, as corruption of nature in each individual, is only
the continuation of the first inclining away from God. The
self-determination of the human will from God the creature, as an
ultimate end, did not stop short with the act in Eden, but goes
right onward to every individual of Adam's posterity, until
regeneration reverses it. As progressive sanctification is the
continuation of that holy self-determination of the human will
which begins in its regeneration by the Holy Spirit, so the
progressive depravation of the natural man is the continuation of
that sinful self-determination of the human will which began in
Adam's transgression.
The very origin and nature of man's inability for good demonstrates
that it cannot annul his responsibility; it was self-induced and is
now self -perpetuated. Far from human depravity being a calamity for
which we are to be pitied, it is a crime for which we are rightly to
be blamed. Far from sin being a weakness or innocent infirmity rising
from some defect of creation, it is a hostile power, a vicious enmity
against God. The endowments of the creature placed him under lasting
obligation to his Creator, and that obligation cannot be canceled by
any subsequent action of the creature. If man has deliberately
destroyed his power, he has not destroyed his obligation. God does no
man wrong in requiring from him what he cannot now perform, for by his
own deliberate act of disobedience man deprived himself and his
posterity of that power; and his posterity consent to Adam's act of
disobedience by deliberately choosing and following a similar course
of wickedness.
But how can man be said to act voluntarily when he is impelled to do
evil by his own lusts? Because he freely chooses the evil. This calls
for a closer definition of freedom or voluntariness of action. A free
agent is one who is at liberty to act according to his own choice,
without compulsion or restraint. Has not fallen man this liberty? Does
he, in any instance, break God's law by compulsion, against his
inclinations? If it were true that the effect of human depravity is to
destroy free agency and accountability, it would necessarily follow
that the more depraved or vicious a man becomes the less capable he is
of sinning, and that the most depraved of all commit the least sin of
any. This is too absurd to need refutation.
Though on the one hand it is a fact that fallen man is the slave of
sin and the captive of the devil, yet on the other it is equally true
that he is still a voluntary and accountable agent. Man has not lost
the essential power of choice, or he would cease to be man. Though in
one sense he is impelled hellward by the downward trend of his
depravity, yet he elects to sin, consenting to it. Though the
rectitude of our will is lost, nevertheless we still act
spontaneously. "The soul of the wicked desireth evil" (Prov. 21:10),
and for that he is to be blamed. If a man picked your pocket and, when
arrested, said, "I could not help myself; I have a thieving
disposition, and I am obliged to act according to my nature," his
judge would reply, "All the more reason why you should be in prison."
Because fallen man possesses the power of choice and is a rational
creature, he is obligated to make a wise and good choice. The fault
lies entirely at his own door that he does not do so, for he
deliberately chooses the evil. "They have chosen their own ways, and
their soul delighteth in their abominations. I also will choose their
delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I
called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did
evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not" (Isa.
66:3-4). The bondage of the will to sinful inclinations neither
destroys voluntariness nor responsibility, for the enslaved will is
still a self-determining faculty and, therefore, under inescapable
obligations to choose what man knows to be right. That very bondage is
culpable, for it proceeds from self and not from God. Though man is
the slave of sin it is a voluntary servitude, and therefore it is
inexcusable.
The will is biased by the disposition of the heart: as the heart is,
so the will acts. A holy will has a holy bias and therefore is under a
moral necessity of exerting holy volitions: "A good tree cannot bring
forth evil fruit." But a sinful will has a sinful bias because it has
an evil disposition and therefore is under a moral necessity of
exerting sinful volitions. But let it be pointed out once more that
the evil disposition of man's will is not the effect of some original
defect in the creature, for God made man "upright." No, his sinful
disposition is the abiding self-determination of the human will. Its
origin is due to the misuse Adam made of his freedom, and its
continuation results from the unceasing self-determination of every
one of his posterity. Each man perpetuates and prolongs the evil
started by his first parents.
Because man must act according to the state of his heart, does this
destroy his freedom? Certainly not, for acting according to his heart
simply means doing as he pleases. And doing as we please is the very
thing in which all free agency consists. The pulse can beat and the
limbs can act in bodily disorders, whether we will or no. We would,
with good reason, consider ourselves unfairly dealt with if we were
blamed for such actions; nor does God hold us accountable for them. A
good man's pulse may beat as irregularly in sickness as the worst
villain's in the world; his hands may strike convulsively those who
seek to hold him still. For such actions as these we are not
accountable because they have no moral value. No evil inclination of
ours nor the lack of a good one is necessary in order to do them; they
are independent of us.
If all our actions were involuntary and out of our power, in no way
necessarily connected with our disposition, our temper of mind, our
choice, then we should not be accountable creatures or the subjects of
moral government. If a good tree could bring forth evil fruit and a
corrupt tree good fruit, if a good man out of the good treasure of his
heart could bring forth evil things, and an evil man out of his evil
treasure good things, the tree could never be known by its fruit. In
such a case, all moral distinctions would be at an end and moral
government would cease to be, for men could no longer be dealt with
according to their works--rewarded for the good and punished for the
evil. The only man who is justly held accountable, rewardable or
punishable is one whose actions are properly his own, dictated by
himself and impossible without his consent.
Here, then, is the answer to the objection that if fallen man is
obliged to act according to the evil bias of his heart, he cannot
rightly be termed a free agent. Necessity and choice are incompatible.
Any inability to act otherwise than agreeably to our own minds would
be an inability to act other than as free agents. But that necessity
which arises from, or rather consists in, the temper and choice of the
agent himself is the very opposite of acting against his nature and
freedom. The sinner acts freely because he consents, even when
irresistibly influenced by his evil lusts. Of Christ we read, "The
spirit driveth him into the wilderness" (Mark 1:12), which indicates a
forcible motion and powerful influence; yet of this same action we are
also told, "Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness"
(Matt. 4:1), which plainly signifies His freedom of action. So too the
Christian is both drawn and taught of God (John 6:44-45). Liberty of
will and the victorious efficacy of divine grace are united together.
Second, fallen man's inability is moral, not physical or
constitutional. Unless this is clearly perceived we shall be inclined
to turn our impotence into an excuse or ground of self-extenuation.
Man will be ready to say, "Even though I possess the requisite
faculties for the discharge of my duty, if I am powerless I cannot be
blamed for not doing it." A person who is paralyzed possesses all the
members of his body, but he lacks the physical power to use them; and
no one condemns him for his helplessness. It needs to be made plain
that when the sinner is said to be morally and spiritually "without
strength," his case is entirely different from that of one who is
paralyzed physically. The normal or ordinary natural man is not
without either mental or physical strength to use his talents. What he
lacks is a good heart, a disposition to love and serve God, a desire
to please Him; and for that lack he is justly blamable.
The mental and moral faculties with which man is endowed, despite
their impaired condition, place him under moral obligation to love and
serve his Creator. The illustrious character and perfections of God
make it unmistakably clear that He is infinitely worthy of being loved
and served; therefore we are bound to love Him, which is what a good
heart essentially does. There is no way of evading the plain teaching
of Christ on this subject in the parable of the talents: "Thou
oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at
my coming I should have received mine own with usury" (Matt. 25:27).
In the light of the immediate context, this clearly means that man
ought to have had a heart to invest to the best advantage (use right)
the talents which were committed to him.
The inability of the natural man to meet the holy and just
requirements of God consists in the opposition of his heart to Him
because of the presence and prevalence of a vicious and corrupt
disposition. Men know that God does not desire from them a selfish and
wicked heart, and they also know that He has the right to require from
them a good and obedient heart. To deny that God has the right to
require a holy and good heart from fallen man would be tantamount to
saying He had no right to require anything from them; then it would
follow that they were incapable of sinning against Him. For if God had
no right to require anything from man, he would not be guilty of
disobedience against Him. If God has no right to require a good heart
from man, then He has no right to require him to do anything which he
is unwilling to do, which would render him completely innocent.
A child has no right to complain against a parent for requiring him to
do that which he has faculties to perform, but for which he has no
heart. A servant has no right to murmur against a master for
reasonably requiring him to do that which his endowments fit him to
perform, but for which he is unwilling. A subject has no right to find
fault with a ruler for requiring him to perform that which the good of
his country demands, and which he is capacitated to render, merely
because he lacks the disposition to do it. All human authority
presupposes a right to require that of men which they are qualified to
perform, even though they may have no heart for it. How much less
reason, then, have those who are the subjects of divine authority to
complain of being required to do that which their faculties fit them
for but which their hearts hate. God has the same supreme right to
command cordial and universal obedience from Adam's posterity as He
has from the holy angels in heaven.
For the sake of those who desire additional insight on the relation of
man's inability to his responsibility, we feel we must further
consider this difficult but important (perhaps to some, abstruse and
dry) aspect of our subject. Light on it has come to us "here a little,
there a little"; but it is our duty to share with others the measure
of understanding vouchsafed us. We have sought to show that the
problem we are wrestling with appears much less formidable when once
the precise nature of man's impotence is properly defined. It is due
neither to the absence of requisite faculties for the performance of
duty nor to any force from without which compels him to act contrary
to his nature and inclinations. Instead, his bondage to sin is
voluntary; he freely chooses the evil. Second, it is a moral
inability, and not physical or constitutional.
In saying that the spiritual impotence of fallen man is a moral one,
we mean that it consists of an evil heart, of enmity against God. The
man has no affection for his Maker, no will to please Him, but instead
an inveterate desire and determination to please himself and have his
own way, at all costs. It is therefore a complete misrepresentation of
the facts to picture fallen man as a being who wishes to serve God but
who is prevented from doing so by his depraved nature; to infer that
he genuinely endeavors to keep His law but is hindered by indwelling
sin. The fact is that he always acts from his evil heart and not
against it. Man is not well disposed toward his Creator, but ill
disposed. No matter what change occurs in his circumstances, be it
from poverty to wealth, sickness to health, or vice versa, man remains
a rebel--perverse, stubborn, wicked--with no desire to be any better,
hating the light and loving the darkness.
It therefore follows that man's voluntary and moral inability to serve
and glorify God is, third, a criminal one. As we have pointed out, a
wicked heart is a thing of an entirely different order from weak
eyesight, a bad memory or paralyzed limbs. No man is to blame for
physical infirmities, providing they have not been self-induced by
sinful conduct. But a wicked heart is a moral evil, indeed the sum of
all evil, for it hates God and is opposed to our neighbors, instead of
loving them as we are required. To say that a sinner cannot change or
improve his heart is only to say he cannot help being a most vile and
inexcusable wretch. To be unalterably in love with sin, far from
rendering it less sinful, makes it more so. Surely it is self-evident
that the more wicked a man's heart is, the more evil and blameworthy
he is. The only other possible alternative would be to affirm that sin
itself is not sinful.
It is because the natural man loves sin and hates God that he has no
inclination and will to keep His law. But far from excusing him, that
constitutes the very essence of his guilt. We are told that Joseph's
brothers "hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him" (Gen.
37:4). Why was it that they were unable to speak peaceably to him? Not
because they lacked vocal organs, but because they hated him so much.
Was such inability excusable? No, in that consisted the greatness of
their guilt. An apostle makes mention of men "having eyes full of
adultery, and that cannot cease from sin" (2 Pet. 2:14). But was not
their impotence culpable? Surely it was; the reason they could not
cease from sin was that their eyes were "full of adultery." Far from
such an inability being an innocent one, it constituted the enormity
of their crime; far from excusing them, it made their sin greater. Men
must indeed be blind when they fail to see it is their moral
impotence, their voluntary slavery to sin, which makes them obnoxious
in the sight of the holy One.
A man's heart being fully set in him to do evil does not render his
sinful actions the less criminal, but the more so. Consider the
opposite: Does the strength of a virtuous disposition render a good
action less or more praiseworthy? God is no less glorious because He
is so infinitely and unchangeably holy in His nature that He "cannot
be tempted with evil" (Jam. 1:13) nor act otherwise than in the most
righteous and perfect manner. Holiness constitutes the very excellence
of the divine character. Is Satan any less sinful and criminal because
he is of such a devilish disposition, so full of unreasonable malice
against God and men, as to be incapable of anything but the most
horrible wickedness? So of humanity. No one supposes that the want of
a will to work excuses a man from work, as physical incapacity does.
No one imagines that the covetous miser, with his useless hoard of
gold, with no heart to give a penny to the poor, is for that reason
excused from deeds of charity as though he had nothing to give.
God's Just Rights
How justly, then, may God still enforce His rights and demand loyal
allegiance from men. God will not relinquish His claims because the
creature has sinned nor lower His requirements because he has ruined
himself. Were God to command that which we ardently desired and truly
endeavored to do, but for which we lacked the requisite faculties, we
should not be to blame. But when He commands us to love Him with all
our hearts and we refuse to do so, we are most certainly to blame,
notwithstanding our moral impotence, because we still possess the
necessary faculties for the exercise of such love. This is precisely
what sin consists of: the want of affection for God with its suitable
expression in obedient acts, the presence of an inveterate enmity
against Him with its works of disobedience. Were God to grant rebels
against His government the license to freely indulge their evil
proclivities, that would be to abandon the platform of His holiness
and to condone if not endorse their wickedness.
William Cunningham said:
There is no difficulty in seeing the reasons why God might address
such commands to fallen and depraved men. The moral law is a
transcript of God's moral perfections, and must ever continue
unchangeable. It must always be binding, in all its extent, upon
all rational and responsible creatures, from the very condition of
their existence, from their necessary relation to God. It
constitutes the only accurate representation of the duty
universally and at all times incumbent upon rational beings,--the
duty which God must of necessity impose upon and require of them.
Man was able to obey this law, to discharge this whole duty, in the
condition in which he was created. If he is now in a different
condition--one in which he is no longer able to discharge this
duty--this does not remove or invalidate his obligation to perform
it; it does not affect the reasonableness and propriety of God, on
the ground of His own perfections, and of the relation in which He
stands to His creatures, proclaiming and imposing this
obligation--requiring of men to do what is still as much as ever
incumbent upon them.
It has generally been lost sight of that the moral law is not only the
rule of our works but also of our strength. Inasmuch as well-being is
the ground of well doing--the tree must be good before the fruit can
be--we are obliged to conclude that the law is the rule of our nature
as truly as it is of our deeds. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with
all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might" (Deut.
6:5). That was said not only to unfallen Adam but also to his fallen
descendants. The Saviour repeated it: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy
strength" (Luke 10:27). The law not only requires us to love, but to
have minds equipped with all strength to love God, so that there may
be life and vigor in our love and obedience to Him. The law requires
no more love than it does strength; if it did not require strength to
love, it would require no love either. Thus it is plain that God not
only enforces His rightful demands upon fallen man, but also has not
abated one iota of His requirements because of the fall.
If the divine law said nothing more to the natural man today than
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with what strength thou now
hast"--rather than with the strength He requires him to have and which
He first gave to him, so that both strength and faculty, love and its
manifestation, came under the command--it would amount to "Thou
needest not love the Lord thy God at all, for thou art now without
strength and therefore incapable of loving and serving Him, and art
not to be blamed for having none." But as we have shown, man is
culpable for his impotence. The only reason why he does not love God
is because his heart holds enmity against Him. Did a murderer ever
plead at the bar of justice that he hated his victim so intensely that
he could not go near him without killing him? If such were his
acknowledgment, it would only aggravate his crime; he would stand
condemned by his own word. Hell, then, must be the only final place
for inalienable rebels against God.
We should also call attention to the propriety of the divine law being
pressed upon fallen man, in all the length and breadth of its
requirements, both as a means of knowledge and a means of conviction,
even though no longer available as a standard which he is able to
measure up to. In spite of man's inability to obey it, the law serves
to inform him of the holy character of God, the relation in which he
stands to Him, and the duty which He still requires of him. Also it
serves as an essential means of convicting men of their depravity.
Since they are sinners, it is most important that they should be made
aware of the fact. If their duty is made clear, if they are told to do
that which is incumbent upon them, they are more likely to perceive
how far short they come. If they are stirred up to compliance with
God's requirements, to a discharge of their obligations, they will
discover their moral helplessness in a way more forcible than any
sermons can convey.
In the next place let us point out that fallen man is responsible to
use means both for the avoidance of sin and the performance of
holiness. Though the unregenerate are destitute of spiritual life,
they are not therefore mere machines. The natural man has a rational
faculty and a moral sense which distinguish between right and wrong,
and he is called upon to exert those faculties. Far from being under
an inevitable necessity of living in known and gross sins, it is only
because of deliberate perversity that any do so. The most profane
swearer is able to refrain from his oaths when in the presence of
someone whom he fears and to whom he knows it would be displeasing.
Let a drunkard see poison put into his liquor, and it would stand by
him untasted from morning until night. Criminals are deterred from
many offenses by the sight of a policeman, though they have no fear of
God in their hearts. Thus self-control is not utterly outside man's
power.
"Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil
men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away" (Prov.
4:14-15). Is not the natural man capable of heeding such warnings? It
is the duty of the sinner to shun everything which has a tendency to
lead to wrongdoing, to turn his back on every approach to evil and
every custom which leads to wickedness. If we deliberately play with
fire and are burned, the blame rests wholly on ourselves. There is
still in the nature of fallen man some power to resist temptation, and
the more it is asserted the stronger it becomes; otherwise there would
be no more sin in yielding to an evil solicitation than there is sin
in a tree being blown down by a hurricane. Moreover, God does not deny
grace to those who humbly and earnestly seek it from Him in His
appointed ways. When men are influenced to passion, to allurements, to
vice, they are blamable and must justly give account to God.
No rational creature acts without some motive. The planets move as
they are driven, and if a counter-influence supervenes, they have no
choice but to leave their course and follow it. But man has a power of
resistance which they do not have, and he may strengthen by indulgence
or weaken by resistance the motives which induce him to commit wrong.
How often we hear of athletes voluntarily submitting to the most
rigorous discipline and self-denial; does not that evince that the
natural man has power to refrain from self-indulgence when he is
pleased to use it. Highly paid vocalists, abstaining from all forms of
intemperance in order to keep themselves physically fit, illustrate
the same principle. Abimelech, a heathen king, took Sarah for himself;
but when God warned him that she was another man's wife, he did not
touch her. Observe carefully what the Lord said to him: "I know that
thou didst this in the integrity of thine heart; for I also withheld
thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch
her" (Gen. 20:6). Abimelech had a natural "integrity" which God
acknowledged to be in him, though He also affirmed His own power in
restraining him. If men would nourish their integrity, God would
concur with them to preserve them from many sins.
Not only is man responsible to use means for the avoidance of evil,
but he is under binding obligation to employ the appointed means for
the furtherance of good. It is true that the efficacy of means lies in
the sovereign power of God and not in the industry of man;
nevertheless He has established a definite connection between the
means and the end desired. God has appointed that bodily life shall be
sustained by bodily food, and if a man deliberately starves himself to
death he is guilty of self-destruction. Men still have power to
utilize the outward means, the principal ones of which are hearing the
Word and practicing prayer. They have the same feet to take them to
church as conduct them to the theater, the same ability to pray to God
as the heathen have to cry to idols. Slothfulness will be reproved in
the day of judgment (Matt. 25:26). The sinner's plea that he had no
heart for these duties will mean nothing. He will have to answer for
his contempt of God.
Because he is a rational creature, man has the power to exercise
consideration. He does so about many things; why not about his soul?
God Himself testifies to this power even in a sinful nation. To His
prophet He said, "Thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in
their sight: it may be they will consider, though they be a rebellious
house" (Ezek. 12:3). Christ condemned men for their failure at this
very point: "Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of
the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time? Yea, and
why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?" (Luke 12:56-57).
If men have the ability to take an inventory of their business, why
not of their eternal concerns'? Refusal to do so is criminal
negligence. "All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto
the Lord" (Ps. 22:27). The natural man possesses the faculty of memory
and is obligated to put it to the best use. "Let us search and try our
ways, and turn again to the Lord" (Lam. 3:40). Failure to do so is
willful negligence.
Man has not only physical organs but affections, or passions. If Esau
could weep for the loss of his blessing, why not for his sins? Observe
the charge which God brought against Ephraim: "They will not frame
their doings to turn unto their God" (Hosea 5:4). They would entertain
no thoughts nor perform any actions that had the least prospect toward
reformation. The unregenerate are capable of considering their ways.
They know they shall not continue in this life forever, and most of
them are persuaded in their conscience that after death there is an
appointed judgment. True, the sinner cannot save himself, but he can
obstruct his own mercies. Not only do men refuse to employ the means
which God has appointed but they scorn His help by fighting against
illumination and conviction. Remember Joseph's brothers: "We are
verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of
his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear" (Gen. 42:21).
"Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost" (Acts 7:51).
Summary of Man's Liability to God
How can the natural man be held responsible to glorify God when he is
incapable of doing so? Let us summarize our answers. First, sin has
not produced any change in the essential relation between the creature
and the Creator; nothing can alter God's right to command and to be
obeyed. Second, sin has not taken away the moral agency of man,
consequently he is as much a subject of God's moral government as he
ever was. Third, since man still possesses faculties which are suited
to the substance of God's commands, he is under binding obligations to
serve his Maker. Fourth, the moral inability of man is not brought
about by any external compulsion, for nothing outside of man can
impose upon him any necessity of sinning; because all sin issues out
of his own heart, he must be held accountable for it. Fifth, man's
servitude to sin was self-induced and is self-perpetuated, and since
he freely chooses to do evil he is inexcusable. Sixth, man's inability
is moral and not constitutional, consisting of enmity against and
opposition to God; therefore it is punishable. Seventh, because man
refuses to use those means which are suited to lead to his recovery
and scorns the help which is proffered him, he deliberately destroys
himself.
It should be pointed out that, in spite of all the excuses offered by
the sinner in defense of his moral impotence, in spite of the outcries
he makes against the justice of being required to render to God that
which lies altogether beyond his power, the sentence of his
condemnation is articulated within his own being. Man's very
consciousness testifies to his responsibility, and his conscience
witnesses to the criminality of his wrongdoing. The common language of
man under the lashings of conscience is "I might have done otherwise;
O what a fool I have been! I was faithfully warned by those who sought
my good, but I was self-willed. I had convictions against wrongdoing,
but I stifled them. My present wretchedness is the result of my own
madness. No one is to blame but myself." The very fact that men
universally blame themselves for their folly establishes their
accountability and evinces their guilt.
If we are to attain anything approaching completeness of this aspect
of our subject it is necessary to consider the particular and special
case of the Christian's inability. This is a real yet distinct branch
of our theme, though all the writers we have consulted appear to have
studiously avoided it. This is in some respects admittedly the most
difficult part of our problem, yet that is no reason why it should be
evaded. If Holy Writ has nothing to say on the subject, then we must
be silent too; but if it makes pronouncement, it is our duty to
believe and try to understand what that pronouncement signifies. As we
have seen, the Word of God plainly and positively affirms the moral
impotence of the natural man to do good, yet at the same time teaches
throughout that his depravity does not supply the slightest
extenuation for his transgression against the divine law. But the
question we now desire to look squarely in the face is How is it with
the one who has been born again? Wherein does his case and condition
differ from what it was previously, both with respect to his ability
to do those things which are pleasing to God and with respect to the
extent of his responsibility?
Are we justified in employing the expression "the Christian's
spiritual impotence?" Is it not a contradiction in terms? Scripture
does warrant the use of it. "Without me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5)
connotes that the believer has no power of his own to bring forth any
fruit to the glory of God. "For to will is present with me; but how to
perform that which is good I find not" (Rom. 7:18). Such an
acknowledgment from the most eminent of the apostles makes it plain
that no saint has strength of his own to meet the divine requirements.
"Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of
ourselves" (2 Cor. 3:5). If insufficient of ourselves to even think a
good thought, how much less can we perform a good deed. "For the flesh
lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and
these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the
things that ye would" (Gal. 5:17). That "cannot" clearly authorizes us
to speak of the Christian's inability. Every prayer for divine succor
and strength is a tacit confirmation of the same truth.
Then if such be the case of the Christian, is he in this regard any
better off than the non-Christian? Does not this evacuate regeneration
of its miraculous and most blessed element? We must indeed be careful
not to disparage the gracious work of the Spirit in the new birth,
nevertheless we must not lose sight of the fact that regeneration is
only the beginning of His good work in the elect (Phil. 1:6), the best
of whom are but imperfectly sanctified in this life (Phil. 3:12). That
there is a real, radical difference between the unregenerate and the
regenerate is gloriously true. The former are dead in trespasses and
sins; the latter have passed from death to life. The former are the
subjects and slaves of the devil; the latter have been delivered from
the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God's dear
Son (Col. 1:13). The former are completely and helplessly under the
dominion of sin; the latter have been made free from sin's dominion
and have become the servants of righteousness (Rom. 6:14, 18). The
former despise and reject Christ; the latter love and desire to serve
Him.
In seeking to grapple with the problem of the Christian's spiritual
inability and the nature and extent of his responsibility, there are
two dangers to be avoided, two extremes to guard against: (1)
practically reducing the Christian to the level of the unregenerate,
which is virtually a denial of the reality and blessedness of
regeneration; (2) making out the Christian to be very nearly
independent and self-sufficient. We must aim at preserving the balance
between "Without me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5) and "I can do all
things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Phil. 4:13). What we
are now discussing is part of the Christian paradox, for the believer
is often a mystery to himself and a puzzle to others because of the
strange and perplexing contrarieties meeting in him. He is the Lord's
free man, yet declares, "I am carnal, sold under sin" (Rom. 7:14). He
rejoices in the law of the Lord, yet cries, "O wretched man that I
am!" (Rom. 7:24). He acknowledges to the Lord "I believe," yet in the
same breath prays, "Help Thou my unbelief." He declares, "When I am
weak then am I strong." One moment he is praising his Saviour and the
next groaning before Him.
Wherein does the regenerate differ from the unregenerate? First, the
regenerate has been given an understanding that he may know Him who is
true (1 John 5:20). His mind has been supernaturally illumined; the
spiritual light which shines in his heart (2 Cor. 4:6) capacitates him
to discern spiritual things in a spiritual and transforming manner (2
Cor. 3:18); nevertheless its development may be hindered by neglect
and sloth. Second, the regenerate has a liberated will, so that he is
capacitated to consent to and embrace spiritual things. His will has
been freed from that total bondage and dominion of sin under which he
lay by nature; nevertheless he is still dependent upon God's working
in him both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Third, his
affections are changed so that he is capacitated to relish and delight
in the things of God; therefore he exclaims, "O how love I Thy law."
Before, he saw no beauty in Christ, but now He is "altogether lovely."
Sin which was formerly a spring of pleasure is now a fountain of
sorrow. Fourth, his conscience is renewed, so that it reproves him for
sins of which he was not previously aware and discloses corruptions
which he never suspected.
But if on the one hand there is a radical difference between the
regenerate and the unregenerate, it is equally true that there is a
vast difference between the Christian in this life and the Christian
in the life to come. While we must be careful not to belittle the
Spirit's work in regeneration, we must be equally on our guard lest we
lose sight of the believer's entire dependence on God. Although a new
nature is imparted at regeneration, the believer is still a creature
(2 Cor. 5:17); the new nature is not to be looked to, rested in or
made an idol. Though the believer has had the principle of grace
communicated to him, yet he has no store of grace within himself from
which he may now draw. He is but a "babe" (1 Pet. 2:2), completely
dependent on Another for everything. The new nature does not of itself
empower or enable the soul for a life of obedience and the performance
of duty; it simply fits and makes it compatible to these. The
principle of spiritual life requires its Bestower to call it into
operation. The believer is, in that respect, like a becalmed
ship--waiting for a heavenly breeze to set it in motion.
Yet in another sense the believer resembles the crew of the ship
rather than the vessel itself, and in this he differs from those who
are unrenewed. Before regeneration we are wholly passive, incapable of
any cooperation; but after regeneration we have a renewed mind to
judge aright and a will to choose the things of God when moved by Him;
nevertheless we are dependent on His moving us. We are daily dependent
on God's strengthening, exciting and directing the new nature, so that
we need to pray "Incline my heart unto thy testimonies . . . and
quicken thou me in thy way" (Ps. 119:36-37). The new birth is a vastly
different thing from the winding of a clock so that it will run of
itself; rather the strongest believer is like a glass without a base,
which cannot stand one moment longer than it is held. The believer has
to wait upon the Lord for his strength to be renewed (Isa. 40:31). The
Christian's strength is sustained solely by the constant operations
and communications of the Holy Spirit, and he lives spiritually only
as he clings close to Christ and draws virtue from Him.
There is a suitableness or answerableness between the new nature and
the requirements of God so that His commands "are not grievous" to it
(1 John 5:3), so that Wisdom's ways are found to be "pleasant" and all
her paths "peace" (Prov. 3:17). Nevertheless the believer stands in
constant need of the help of the Spirit, working in him both to will
and to do, granting fresh supplies of grace to enable him to perform
his spiritual desires. A simple delight in the divine law is not of
itself sufficient to produce obedience. We have to pray, "Make me to
go in the path of thy commandments" (Ps. 119:35). Regeneration conveys
to us an inclination and tendency for that which is good, thereby
fitting us for the Master's use; nevertheless we have to look outside
ourselves for enabling grace: "Be strong in the grace that is in
Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 2:1). Thereby God removes all ground for
boasting. He would have all the glory given to His grace: "By the
grace of God I am what lam" (1 Cor. 15:10).
If enough rain fell in one day to suffice for several years we would
not so clearly discern the mercies of God in His providence nor be
kept looking to Him for continued supplies. So it is in connection
with our spiritual lives: we are daily made to feel that "our
sufficiency is of God." The believer is entirely dependent on God for
the exercise of his faith and for the right use of his knowledge. Said
the apostle: "I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me" (Gal. 2:20),
which gives the true emphasis and places the glory where it belongs.
But he at once added, "And the life which I now live in the flesh I
live by the faith of the Son of God [by the faith of which He is its
Object], who loved me, and gave himself for me." That preserves the
true balance. Though it was Christ who lived in and empowered him, yet
he was not passive and idle. He put forth acts of faith in Him and
thereby drew virtue from Him; thus he could do all things through
Christ strengthening him.
Responsibility of the Christian
It is at that very point the responsibility of the Christian appears.
As a creature his responsibility is the same as pertains to the
unregenerate, but as a new creature in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 5:17) he
has incurred increased obligations: "Unto whomsoever much is given, of
him shall be much required" (Luke 12:48). The Christian is responsible
to walk in newness of life, to bring forth fruit for God as one who is
alive from the dead, to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the
Lord, to use his spiritual endowments and to improve or employ his
talents. The call comes to him "Stir up the gift of God, which is in
thee" (2 Tim. 1:6). Isaiah the prophet complained of God's people,
"There is none that stirreth up himself to lay hold of thee" (64:7),
which condemns slothfulness and spiritual lethargy. The Christian is
responsible to use all the means of grace which God has provided for
his wellbeing, looking to Him for His blessing upon them. When the
Scripture says, "The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities" (Rom. 8:26),
the Greek verb is "helpeth together"--He cooperates with our diligence
not our idleness.
The Christian has received spiritual life, and all life is a power to
act by. Inasmuch as that spiritual life is a principle of grace
animating all the faculties of the soul, he is capacitated to use all
means of grace which God has provided for his growth and to avoid
everything which would hinder or retard his growth. He is required to
keep the heart with all diligence (Prov. 4:23), for if the fountain is
kept clean, the springs which issue from it will be pure. He is
required to "make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts
thereof" (Rom. 13:14), not allowing his mind and affections to fix
themselves on sinful or unlawful objects. He is required to deny
himself, take up his cross and follow the example which Christ has
left him. He is commanded to "love not the world, neither the things
that are in the world" (1 John 2:15), and therefore he must conduct
himself as a stranger and pilgrim in this scene of action, abstaining
from fleshly lusts which war against the soul (1 Pet. 2:11) if he
would not lose the heavenly inheritance (1 Cor. 9:27). And for the
performance of these difficult duties he must diligently and earnestly
seek supplies of grace counting on God to bless the means to him.
No small part of the Christian's burden and grief is the inward
opposition he meets, thwarting his aspirations and bringing him into
captivity to that which he hates. The believer's "life" is a hidden
one (Col. 3:3), and so also is his conflict. He longs to love and
serve God with all his heart and to be holy in every detail of his
life, but the flesh resists the spirit. Worldliness, unbelief,
coldness, slothfulness exert their power. The believer struggles
against their influence and groans under their bondage. He desires to
be clothed with humility, but pride is constantly breaking forth in
some form or other. He finds that he cannot attain to that which he
desires and approves. He discovers a wide disparity between what he
knows and does, between what he believes and practices, between his
aims and realizations. Truly he is "an unprofitable servant." He is so
often defeated in the conflict that he is frequently faint and weary
in the use of means and in performance of duty; he may question the
genuineness of his profession and be tempted to give up the fight.
In seeking to help distressed saints concerning this acute problem,
the servant of God needs to be very careful lest he foster a false
peace in those who have a historical faith in the gospel but are total
strangers to its saving power. God's servant must be especially
watchful not to bolster the false hopes of those who delight in the
mercy of God but hate His holiness, who misappropriate the doctrine of
His grace and make it subservient to their lusts. He must therefore
call upon his hearers to honestly and diligently examine themselves
before God, that they may discover whence the inward oppositions arise
and what are their reactions to them. They must determine whether
these inconsistencies spring from an unwillingness to wear the yoke of
Christ, their whole hearts accompanying and consenting to such
resistances to God's righteous requirements, or whether these
oppositions to God's laws have their rise in corruptions which they
sincerely endeavor to oppose, which they hate, which they mourn over,
which they confess to God and long to be released from.
When describing the conflict in himself between the flesh and the
spirit-- between indwelling sin and the principle of grace he had
received at the new birth--the Apostle Paul declared, "For that which
I do [which is contrary to the holy requirements of God] I allow not
[I do not approve of it; it is foreign to my real inclinations and
purpose of heart]: but what I hate, that do I" (Rom. 7:15). Paul
detested and yearned to be delivered from the evil which rose up
within him. Far from affording him any satisfaction, it was his great
burden and grief. And thus it is with every truly regenerated soul
when he is in his right mind. He may be, yes is, frequently overcome
by his carnal and worldly lusts; but instead of being pleased at such
experience and contentedly lying down in his sins, as a sow delights
to wallow in the mire, he cries in distress, confesses such failures
as grievous sins, and prays to be cleansed from them.
"If I were truly regenerate, how could sin rage so fiercely within and
so often obtain the mastery over me?" This question deeply exercises
many of God's people. Yet the Scripture declares, "A just man falleth
seven times" (Prov. 24:16); but it at once adds "and riseth up again."
Did not David lament, "Iniquities prevail against me" (Ps. 65:3)? Yet
if you are striving to mortify your lusts, looking daily to the blood
of Christ to pardon, and begging the Spirit to more perfectly sanctify
you, you may add with the psalmist, "As for our transgressions, thou
shalt purge them away." Indeed, did not the highly favored apostle
declare, "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold
[not `unto' but] under sin" (Rom. 7:14). There is a vast difference
between Paul and Ahab, of whom we read that he "did sell himself to
work wickedness in the sight of the Lord" (I Kings 21:25). It is the
difference between one who is taken captive in war, becoming a slave
unwillingly and longing for deliverance, and one who voluntarily
abandons himself to a course of open defiance of the Almighty and who
so loves evil that he would refuse release.
We must distinguish between sin's dominion over the unregenerate and
sin s tyranny and usurpation over the regenerate. Dominion follows
upon right of conquest or subjection. Sin's great design in all of us
is to obtain undisputed dominion; it has it in unbelievers and
contends for it in believers. But every evidence the Christian has
that he is under the rule of grace is that much evidence he is not
under the dominion of sin. "For I delight in the law of God after the
inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the
law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which
is in my members" (Rom. 7:22-23). That does not mean that sin always
triumphs in the act, but that it is a hostile power which the renewed
soul cannot evict. It wars against us in spite of all we can do. The
general makeup of believers is that, notwithstanding sin being a "law"
(governing force) not "to" but "in" them, they "would [desire and
resolve to] do good," but "evil is present" with them. Their habitual
inclination is to good, and they are brought into captivity against
their will. It is the "flesh" which prevents the full realization of
their holy aspirations in this life.
But if the Son has "made us free" (John 8:36), how can Christians be
in bondage? The answer is that Christ has already freed them from the
guilt and penalty, love and dominion of sin, but not yet from its
presence. As the believer hungers and thirsts after righteousness,
pants for communion with the living God, and yearns to be perfectly
conformed to the image of Christ, he is "free from sin"; but as such
longings are more or less thwarted by indwelling corruptions, he is
still "sold under sin." Then let prevailing lusts humble you, cause
you to be more watchful and to look more diligently to Christ for
deliverance; then those very exercises will evidence a principle of
grace in you which desires and seeks after the destruction of inborn
sin. Those who have hearts set on pleasing God are earnest in seeking
enabling grace from Him, yet they must remember He works in them both
to will and to do of His good pleasure, maintaining His sovereignty in
this as in everything else. Bear in mind that it is allowed sin which
paralyzes the new nature.
Thus God has not yet uprooted sin from the soul of the believer, but
allows him to groan under its uprisings, that his pride may be stained
and his heart made to constantly feel he is not worthy of the least of
God's mercies. To produce in him that feeling of dependence on divine
power and grace. To exalt the infinite condescension and patience of
God in the apprehension of the humbled saint. To place the crown of
glory on the only head worthy to wear it: "Not unto us, O Lord, not
unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy
truth's sake" (Ps. 115:1).
_________________________________________________
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Man's Impotence
by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 10-Opposition
_________________________________________________
In bringing this study to a close it seems desirable that we should
consider the opposition made against this truth before giving an
exposition of it. This subject of the moral inability of fallen man
for good is peculiarly repugnant to his pride, and therefore it is not
surprising that his outcry against it is so loud and prolonged. The
exposure of human depravity, the disclosure of the fearful ruin which
sin has wrought in our constitution, cannot be a pleasant thing to
contemplate and still less to acknowledge as a fact. To heartily own
that by nature I am devoid of love for God, that I am full of
inveterate enmity against Him, is diametrically opposed to my whole
makeup. It is only natural to form a high estimate of ourselves and to
entertain exalted views of both our capabilities and our good
intentions. To be assured on divine authority that our hearts are
incurably wicked, that we love darkness rather than light, that we
hate alike the law and the gospel, is revolting to our whole being.
Every possible effort is put forth by the carnal mind to repudiate
such a flesh-withering and humiliating description of human nature. If
it cannot be refuted by an appeal to facts, then it must be held up to
ridicule.
Man's Refusal to Accept the Doctrine
Such opposition to the truth should neither surprise nor discourage
us, for it has been plainly announced to us: "The natural man
receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him" (1 Cor. 2:14). The very fact that they are
foolishness to him should lead us to expect he will laugh at and scorn
them. Nor must we be alarmed when we find this mocking of the truth is
far from being confined to avowed infidels and open enemies of God;
this same antagonism appears in the great majority of religious
persons and those who pose as the champions of Christianity. Passing
through a seminary and putting on the ministerial garb does not
transform the unregenerate into regenerate men. When our Lord
announced, "The truth shall make you free," it was the religious
leaders of the Jews who declared they were never in bondage; and when
He affirmed, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your
father ye will do," they replied, "Say we not well that thou art a
Samaritan, and hast a devil?" (John 8).
Principal Objections
It is just because the fiercest opposition to this truth comes from
those inside Christendom, not from those outside, that we consider it
wise to face the principal objections. We do so to place the Lord's
people on their guard and to let them see there is no weight in such
criticism. We would not waste time in seeking to close the mouths of
those whom God Himself will deal with in due time, but we desire to
expose their sophistries so that those with spiritual discernment may
perceive that their faith rests on a foundation which no outbursts of
unbelief can shake. Every objection against the doctrine of man's
spiritual impotence has been overthrown by God's servants in the past,
yet each fresh generation repeats the arrogance of its forebears. We
have already refuted most of these objections in the course of this
study, yet by now assembling them together and showing their
pointlessness we may render a service which will not be entirely
useless.
1. If fallen man is unable to keep God's law, he cannot be obligated
to keep it. Impotence obviously cancels responsibility. A child three
or four years of age ought not to be whipped because it does not read
and write. A legless man should not be sent to prison because he does
not walk. Surely a just and holy God does not require sinful creatures
to render perfect obedience to a divine and spiritual law.
How is this objection to be met? First, by pointing out that it is not
based upon Holy Writ but is merely human reasoning. Scripture affirms
again and again that fallen man is spiritually impotent, "without
strength," and that he "cannot please God"; from that nothing must
move us. Scripture nowhere states that spiritual helplessness releases
man from God's claims upon him; therefore no human reasoning to the
contrary, however plausible or pleasing, is entitled to any
consideration from those who tremble at God's Word. Scripture reveals
that God does hold fallen man responsible to keep His law, for He gave
it to Israel at Sinai and pronounced His curse upon all transgressors
of it.
What has been pointed out should be sufficient for any simple soul who
fears the Lord. But lest it be thought that this is all which can be
said by way of refutation, lest it be supposed that this objection is
so forceful that it cannot be met in a more direct rebuttal, we add
the following: To declare that man cannot be obligated to keep the law
if he is unable to do so demands an inquiry into both the nature and
the cause of his inability. Once that investigation is entered into,
the sophistry of the objection will quickly appear. Wherein lies man's
inability to keep God's law? Is it the absence of the requisite
faculties or his unwillingness to use aright the faculties with which
he is endowed? Were fallen man devoid of reason, conscience, will,
there would be some force in this objection; but since he is possessed
of all those faculties which constitute a moral being, it is quite
inane and invalid. There is no analogy whatever between the sinner's
inability to travel the highway of holiness and the inability of a
legless man to walk.
The worthlessness of this objection is made evident not only when we
examine the nature of man's spiritual impotence; it equally appears
void when we diagnose its cause. Why is fallen man unable to keep
God's law? Is it because he is worked upon by some almighty being who
prevents him from rendering obedience? Were fallen man truly desirous
of serving and pleasing God, were it a case of his ardently longing to
do so but being thwarted because another more powerful than himself
hindered him, there would be some force to this objection. But God,
far from placing any obstacle in our way, sets before us every
conceivable inducement to comply with His precepts. If it be argued
that the devil is more powerful than man and that he is continually
seeking to turn him from the path of rectitude, the answer is that
Satan can do nothing without our own consent. All he can do is to
tempt to wrongdoing; it is man's own will which either yields or
refuses.
In reply to what has last been pointed out, someone may say, "But
fallen man has no sufficient power of his own with which to
successfully resist Satan's evil solicitations." Suppose that be so,
then what? Does that oblige us to take sides with the enemies of the
truth and affirm that therefore man is to be excused for his sinful
deeds, that he is not obligated to render perfect obedience to the law
merely because he does not have the power to cope with his adversary?
Not at all. Once more we must inquire as to the cause. Why is it that
man cannot put the devil to flight? Is it because he was originally
vested with less moral strength than his foe possesses? No indeed, for
he was made in the image and likeness of God. Man's present inability
has been brought about by an act of his own and not by any stinginess
or oversight of his Creator. "Thou hast destroyed thyself" (Hosea
13:9) is the divine verdict. Though man is unable to recover what he
lost, he has none but himself to blame for his willful and wicked
destruction of his original strength.
It is at this very point man twists and wriggles most, seeking to get
from under the onus which righteously rests on him. When Adam offended
against the divine law he sought to throw the blame upon his wife, and
she in turn upon the devil; ever since then the great majority have
attempted to cast it on God Himself, on the pretext that He is the One
who gave them being and sent them into the world in their present
handicapped condition. It must be kept steadily in mind that original
ability destroyed by self-determination does not and cannot destroy
the original obligation any more than weakened moral strength by
self-indulgence and the formation of evil habits destroys or
diminishes obligation. To say otherwise would be to declare that the
result of sin excuses sin itself, which is a manifest absurdity. Man's
wrongdoing certainly does not annul God's rights. God is no Egyptian
taskmaster .requiring men to make bricks without straw. He endowed man
with everything requisite for the discharge of his duty, and though
man has squandered his substance in riotous living, that does not free
him from God's just claims upon him.
The drunkard is certainly less able to obey the law of temperance than
the sober man is, yet that law has precisely the same claims upon the
former as it has upon the latter. In commercial life the loss of
ability to pay does not release from obligation; the loss of property
does not free man from his indebtedness. A man is as much a debtor to
his creditors after his bankruptcy as he was previously. It is a legal
maxim that bankruptcy does not invalidate contracts. Someone may point
out that an insolvent debtor cannot be sued in the courts.
Nevertheless, even if human law declares it equitable to free an
insolvent debtor, the law of God does not. And that verdict is
righteous, for the sinner's inability to give God His due is
voluntary--he does not wish to pay because he hates Him. Thus both the
nature and the cause of man's inability demonstrate that he is
"without excuse."
2. When inquiry is made as to the cause of man's spiritual impotence
and when it has been shown that this lies not in the Creator but in
man's own original rebellion, the objector, far from being silenced,
will demur against his being penalized for what his first parents did.
He may ask, "Is it just that I should be sent into this world in a
state of spiritual helplessness because of their offense? I did not
make myself; if I was created with a corrupt nature, why should I be
held to blame for its inevitable fruits?" First, let it be pointed out
that it is not essential in order for a fallen creature to be blamable
for his evil dispositions and acts that he must first be inherently
holy. A person who is depraved, who from his heart hates God and
despises His law, is nonetheless a sinner because he has been depraved
from his birth. His having sinned from the beginning and throughout
his existence is surely no valid excuse for his sinning now. Nor is
his guilt any the less because his depravity is so deeply rooted in
his nature. The stronger his enmity against God the greater its
heinousness.
But how can man be condemned for his evil heart when Adam corrupted
human nature? Fallen man is voluntarily an enemy to the infinitely
glorious God and nothing can extenuate such vile hostility. The very
fact that in the day of judgment "every mouth will be stopped" (Rom.
3:19) demonstrates there can be no force in this objection. It is the
free and self-determined acting out of his nature for which the sinner
will be held accountable. The fact that we are born traitors to God
cannot cancel our obligation to give Him allegiance. None can escape
the righteous requirements of the law by deliberate opposition to it.
That man's nature is the direct consequence of Adam's transgression
does not to the slightest degree mitigate his own sins. Is it not a
solemn fact that each of us has approved Adam's transgression by
following his example and joining with him in rebellion against God?
That we go on to break the divine law demonstrates that we are justly
condemned with Adam. If we resent our being corrupted through Adam,
why not repudiate him and refuse to sin, stand out in opposition to
him and be holy?
Yet still the carnal mind will ask, "Since I lost all power to love
and serve God even before I was born, how can I be held accountable to
do what I cannot? Wherein is the justice in requiring from me what it
is impossible to render?" Exactly what was it that man lost by the
fall? It was a heart that loved God. And it is the possessing of a
heart which has no love for God that is the very essence of human
depravity. It is this in which the vileness of fallen man consists: no
heart for God. But does a loveless heart for God excuse fallen man? No
indeed, for that is the very core of his wickedness and guilt. Men
never complain of their lack of power for loving the world. And why
are they so thoroughly in love with the world? Is it because the world
is more excellent and glorious than God is? Certainly not. It is only
because fallen man has a heart which naturally loves the world, but he
has no heart with which to love God. The world suits and delights him,
but God does not; rather, His very perfections repel him.
Now let us put it plainly and honestly: Can our being devoid of any
true love for God free us from our obligation to love Him? Can it to
the slightest degree lessen our blame for not loving Him? Is He not
infinitely worthy of our affections, our homage, our allegiance? None
would argue in any other connection as does the objector here. If a
king rules wisely and well, is he not entitled to the honor and
loyalty of his subjects? If an employer is merciful and considerate,
has he not the right to expect his employees to further his interests
and carry out his orders? If I am a kind and dutiful parent, shall I
not require the esteem and obedience of my children? If my servant or
child has no heart to give what is due, shall I not justly consider
him blamable and deserving of punishment? Or shall we reason so
insanely that the worse man grows the less he is to blame? "A son
honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father,
where is mine honour? And if I be a master, where is my fear? saith
the Lord of hosts" (Mal. 1:6).
3. It is objected that if the sinner is so enslaved by sin that he is
impotent to do good, his free agency is denied and he is reduced to a
mere machine. This is more a metaphysical question than a practical
one, being largely a matter of terms. There is a real sense in which
the natural man is in bondage; nevertheless within certain limits he
is a free agent, for he acts according to his own inclinations without
compulsion. There is much confusion on this subject. Freedom of will
is not freedom from action; inaction of the will is no more possible
than is inaction of the understanding. Nor is freedom of will a
freedom from the internal consequences of voluntary action; the
formation of a habit is voluntary, but when formed it cannot be
eradicated by volition. Nor is freedom of will a freedom from the
restraint and regulation of law; the glorified saints will be
completely delivered from sin yet regulated by the divine will. Nor is
freedom of will a freedom from bias; Christ acted freely, yet being
the holy One He could not sin. The unregenerate act freely, that is,
spontaneously, agreeably to their desires; yet being depraved, they
can neither will nor do anything which is spiritual.
4. If man is spiritually impotent, all exhortations to the performance
of spiritual duties are needless and useless. This objection assumes
that God would not address His commands to men unless they were able
to obey them. This idea is most presumptuous, for in it man pretends
to be capable of judging the reasons which regulate the divine
procedure. Has God no right to press His claims because man has
wickedly squandered his power to meet them? The divine commands cover
not what we can do, but what we should do; not what we are able to do,
but what we ought to do. The divine law is set before us, in all the
length and breadth of its holy requirements, as a means of knowledge,
revealing to us God's character, the relation in which we stand to
Him, and the duty which He justly requires of us. It is also a means
of conviction, both of our sin and inability. If men are sinners it is
important that they should be made aware of the fact--by setting
before them a perfect standard that they may see how far short they
come of it. If men are unable to discharge the duties incumbent upon
them, it is necessary that they should be made aware of their woeful
condition--that they should be made to realize their need of
salvation.
5. To teach men they are spiritually impotent is to cut the nerve of
all religious endeavor. If man is helpless, what is the use of urging
him to strive? Necessity is a sufficient reason to act without further
encouragement. A man in the water who is ready to drown will try to
save his life, even though he cannot swim and some on the banks tell
him it is impossible. Again we would press the divine side. There is a
necessity on us whenever there is a command from God. If He requires,
it behooves man to use the means and leave the issue with Him. Again,
spiritual inability is no excuse for negligence and inertia, because
God does not refuse strength to perform His bidding if it is humbly,
contritely and trustfully sought. When did He ever deny grace to the
sinner who waited upon Him in earnest supplication and in consistent
use of the means for procuring it? Is not His Word full of promises to
seeking souls? If a man has hands and food is set before him, is it
not an idle excuse for him to say he cannot eat because he is not
moved from above?
6. If the sinner is spiritually powerless, it is only mocking him to
tell him to repent of his sins and believe the gospel. To call on the
unregenerate to savingly receive Christ as his Lord and Saviour is far
from mocking him. Did the Son of God mock the rich young ruler when He
told him to sell all that he had and follow Him and then he should
have treasure in heaven? Certainly not. Had the ruler no power to sell
his possessions? Was it not rather lack of inclination, and for such
lack was he not justly blamable? Such a demand served to expose the
state of his heart. He loved money more than Christ, earthly things
above heavenly. The exhortations, warnings and promises set down in
the Word are to be pressed on the ungodly so as to make them more
inexcusable, so that they may not say in the day to come that, had
they been invited to receive such good things, they would have
embraced them; that, had they been admonished for their sins, they
would have forsaken them. Their own conscience will convict them, and
they will know a prophet of God spoke to them.
7. Finally, it is objected that the doctrine of man's spiritual
impotence stifles all hope. To tell a man his condition is
irremediable, that he can do nothing whatever to better himself, will
drive him to despair. This is precisely what is desired. One principal
end which must be kept before the preacher is to shatter the
self-sufficiency of his hearer. His business is to undermine the
spirit of self-righteousness, to break down self-satisfaction, to
sweep away those refuges of lies in which men shelter, to convince
them of the utter futility of seeking to win heaven by their own
endeavors. His business is to bring before them the exalted claims of
God's law and to show how far short we come of it, to expose the
wickedness of the human heart, to reveal the ruin which sin has
wrought, to bring the sinner face to face with the thrice holy God and
to make him realize he is utterly unfit to stand before Him. In a
word, the business of God's servant is to make his hearer conscious
that unless a miracle of grace is performed in him he is lost forever.
Not until the sinner feels that he is helpless and hopeless in himself
is he prepared to look outside of himself. Despair opens the door of
hope! "Thou hast destroyed thyself, but in me is thine help" (Hosea
13:9).
_________________________________________________
Contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11
____________________________________________________
About Us
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Man's Impotence
by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 11-Exposition
(Intended chiefly for preachers)
_________________________________________________
THE PRECEDING CHAPTERS should have made it clear that the subject of
the sinner's moral impotence is far more than an academic one, more
than a flight into theological metaphysics. Rather is it a truth of
divine revelation--a unique one--for it will not be found enunciated
in any of the leading religions of antiquity, like Zoroastrianism,
Buddhism or Confucianism. Nor do we remember finding any trace of it
in the poets and philosophers of early Greece. It is truth which is
made prominent in the Scriptures, and therefore must be given a place
in the pulpit if it is to declare "all the counsel of God." It is
closely bound up with the law and the gospel, the great end of the
former being to demonstrate its reality, of the latter to make known
the remedy. It is one of the chief battering rams which the Spirit
directs against the insensate pride of the human heart, for belief in
his own capabilities is the foundation on which man's
self-righteousness rests. It is the one doctrine which above all
others reveals the catastrophic effects of the fall and shuts up the
sinner to the sovereign mercy of God as his only hope.
Generalization Not Sufficient
It is not sufficient for the preacher to generalize and speak of "the
ruin which sin has wrought" and affirm that man is "totally depraved";
such expressions convey no adequate concept to the modern mind. It is
necessary that he should particularize and show from Holy Writ that
"they that are in the flesh cannot please God." His task is to paint
fallen human nature in its true colors and not deceive by flattery.
The state of the natural man is far, far worse than he has any
consciousness of. Though he knows he is not perfect, though in serious
moments he is aware that all is not well with him, yet he has no
realization whatever that his condition is desperate and irremediable
so far as all self-help is concerned. A great many people regard
religion as a medicine for the soul, and suppose that if it is taken
regularly it will ensure their salvation; that if they do this and
that and avoid the other, all will be well in the end. They are
totally oblivious to the fact that they are "without strength" and can
no more perform spiritual duties than the Ethiopian can change his
skin or the leopard his spots.
It is a matter of first importance that the moral inability of fallen
man should be understood by all. It concerns both young and old,
illiterate and educated; therefore each should have right views on the
issue. It is most essential that the unsaved should be made aware not
only that they are unable to do what God requires of them, but also
why they are unable. They should be told the fact that it is
impossible for them to "fulfill all righteousness," but also the cause
of this impossibility. Their - self-sufficiency cannot be undermined
while they believe they have it in their own power to perform God's
commands and to comply with the terms of His gospel. Nevertheless they
must not be left with the impression that their impotence is a
calamity for which they are not to blame, a deprivation for which they
are to be pitied; for they are endowed with faculties suited to
respond to law and gospel alike. A mistake concerning either of these
truths--man's impotence and man's responsibility--is likely to have a
fatal consequence.
On the other hand, as long as men imagine they have it in their own
power to perform their whole duty or do all that God requires of them
in order for them to obtain pardon and eternal life, they feel at ease
and are apt to neglect to diligently apply themselves to the
performance of that duty. They are not at all likely to pray in
earnest or to watch against sin with any anxiety. They neither see the
need of God's working in them "both to will and to do of his good
pleasure" nor the necessity of their "working out their own salvation
with fear and trembling." To wak9 men out of this dream of
self-sufficiency the Saviour has given such alarming declarations as
these: "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God"
(John 3:3); "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent
me draw him" (John 6:44). And to cut off effectually from the
unregenerate all hope of obtaining mercy on the ground of the supposed
acceptableness of anything they have done or can do until created in
Christ Jesus unto good works, His apostle declared, "They that are in
the flesh cannot please God" (Rom. 8:8).
On the other hand, should the unregenerate be allowed to suppose they
are devoid of those faculties which are necessary for knowing God's
will and doing those things which are pleasing in His sight, such a
delusion is likely to prove equally fatal to them. For in that case
how could they ever be convinced of either sin or righteousness: of
sin in themselves and of righteousness in God? How could they ever
perceive that the ways of the Lord are just and their own unjust? If
in fact the natural man had no kind of capacity any more than has the
horse or mule to love and serve God, to repent and believe the gospel,
then the pressing of such duties upon him would be most unreasonable,
nor could their noncompliance be at all criminal. Accordingly we find
that after our Lord informed Nicodemus of the necessity of man's being
born again before he could "see" or believe to the saving of his soul,
He declared that he was "condemned already" for not believing (John
3:18). Then He cleared up the whole matter by saying, "This is the
condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved
darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every
one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light,
lest his deeds should be reproved" (vv. 19-20).
Clear Distinctions Necessary
From these and similar verses well-instructed scholars of the Word of
God have been led to draw a sharp distinction between the absence of
natural faculties and the lack of moral ability, the latter being the
essence of moral depravity. The absence of natural faculties clears
one from blame, for one who is physically blind is not blameworthy
because he cannot see, nor is an idiot to be condemned because he is
devoid of rationality. Moral inability is of a totally different
species, for it proceeds from an evil heart, consisting of a culpable
failure to use in the right way those talents with which God has
endowed us. The unregenerate man who refuses to obtain any knowledge
of God through reading His Word is justly chargeable with such
neglect; but the saint is not guilty because he fails to arrive at a
perfect knowledge of God, for such an attainment lies beyond the reach
of his faculties.
Some may object to what has just been pointed out and say that this is
a distinction of no consequence; inability is inability; what a man
cannot do he cannot do; whether it be owing to a lack of faculties or
the absence of a good heart, it comes to the same thing. All this is
true so far as the end is concerned, but not so far as the
criminality. If an evil disposition were a valid excuse, then all the
evil in the world would be excusable. Because sin cannot be holiness,
is it the less evil? Because the sinner cannot, at the same time, be a
saint, is he no more a sinner? Because an evil-minded man cannot get
rid of his evil mind while he has no inclination to do so, is he only
to be pitied like one who labors under a misconception? True also,
this distinction affords no relief to one who is dead in sin, nor does
it inform him how he can by his own effort become alive to God;
nevertheless, it adds to his condemnation and makes him aware of his
awful state.
For vindicating the justice of God, for magnifying His grace, for
laying low the haughtiness of man, moral inability is a distinction of
vital consequence, however hateful it may be to the ungodly. Unless
the line is drawn between excusing a wicked heart and pitying a
palsied hand, between moral depravity and the lack of moral faculties,
the whole Word of God and all His ways with man must appear invalid,
shrouded in midnight darkness. Deny this distinction, and God's
requiring perfect obedience from such imperfect creatures must seem
altogether unreasonable, His condemning to everlasting misery every
one who does evil (when doing evil is what no man can avoid)
excessively harsh. But let men be made aware of the horrible plague of
their hearts, let the distinct difference between the absence of moral
faculties and the sinful misuse of them be seen and felt, and every
mouth will be stopped and all the world become guilty before God.
Though at first it may seem to the preacher that the proclamation of
human impotence defeats his ends and works against the highest
interest of his hearers, yet if God is pleased to bless his fidelity
to the truth (and faith may always count upon such blessing), it will
do the hearer good in his latter end, for it will drive him out from
the hiding place of falsehood, it will bring him to realize his need
of fleeing for refuge to the glorious hope set before him in the
gospel. By pulling down strongholds, casting down imaginations and
every high thing that exalts itself against God, the way is paved for
bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. To
see oneself "without strength" and at the same time "without excuse"
is indeed humiliating, yet this must be seen by the sinner--before
either the justice of the divine law or one's utter helplessness and
conviction of guilt--as the chief prerequisite for embracing Christ as
one's all-sufficient Saviour.
It will thus be seen that there are two chief dangers concerning which
the preacher must be on his guard while endeavoring to expound this
doctrine. First, while pressing the utter inability of the natural man
to meet the just claims of God or even so much as perform a single
spiritual duty, he must not overthrow or even weaken the equally
evident fact of man's moral responsibility. Second, in his zeal to
leave unimpaired the moral agency and personal accountability of the
sinner, he must not repudiate his total depravity and death in
trespasses and sins. This is no easy task, and here as everywhere the
minister is made to feel his need of seeking wisdom from above. Yet
let it be pointed out that prayer is not designed as a substitute for
hard work and study, but rather as a preparative for the same.
Difficulties are not to be shunned, but overcome by diligent effort;
but diligent effort can only be rightly directed and effectually
employed as divine grace enables, and that grace is to be expectantly
sought.
Probably it is best to begin by considering the fact of man's
impotence. At first this may be presented in general terms and in its
broad outlines by showing that the thrice holy God can require nothing
less than holiness from His creatures, that He can by no means
tolerate any sin in them. The standard which God has set before men is
the moral law which demands perfect and perpetual obedience; being
spiritual it enjoins holiness of character as well as conduct, purity
of heart as well as acts. Such a standard fallen man cannot reach,
such demands he cannot meet, as is demonstrated from the entire
history of the Jews under that law.
Next it should be pointed out that the Lord Jesus did not lower that
standard or modify God's commands, but uniformly and insistently
upheld the one and pressed the other, as is unmistakably clear in
Matthew 5:17-48; nevertheless He repeatedly affirmed the moral
impotence of fallen man (John 5:44; 6:44; 8:43). This same twofold
teaching is repeated by the apostles, especially in the epistles to
the Romans and Corinthians.
From the general we may descend to the particular and show the extent
of man's impotence and depravity. Sin has so ruined the whole of his
being that the understanding is darkened, the heart corrupted, the
will perverted, each detail being proved and illustrated from
Scripture. Then in summing up this solemn aspect, appeal may be made
to that word of Christ's where He declared not merely that there were
many things (or even some things) man could not do without His
enablement, but that without Him man could do nothing" (John
15:5)--nothing good, nothing acceptable to God. If man could prepare
himself to turn to God, or turn of himself after the Holy Spirit has
prepared him, he could do much. But since it is God who works in us
"both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13), He is the
One who first implants the desire and then gives the power to fulfill
it. Not only must the understanding be so enlightened as to discern
the good from the evil, but the heart has to be changed so as to
prefer the good before the evil.
Next it is well to show clearly the nature of man's inability: what it
does not consist of (the lack of faculties suited to the performance
of duty) and what it does consist of. Care needs to be taken and
arguments given to show that man's inability is moral rather than
physical, voluntary rather than compulsory, criminal rather than
innocent. After this has been done at some length, confirmation may be
obtained by an appeal to the hearer's own experience. If honest he
must acknowledge that his own consciousness testifies to the fact that
he sins willingly and therefore willfully, and that his conscience
registers condemnation upon him. The very facts that we sin freely and
that conscience accuses us show we ought to have avoided it. Whatever
line a man takes in attempting to justify his own wrongdoing, he
promptly forsakes it whenever his fellowmen wrong him. He never argues
that they were unable to do otherwise, nor does he excuse them on the
ground of their inheriting a corrupt nature from Adam! Moreover, in
the hour of remorse, the man who has squandered his substance and
wrecked his health does not even excuse himself, but freely owns "What
a fool I have been! There is no one to blame but myself."
The impotence of the natural man to choose God for his portion is
greater than that of an ape to reason like an Isaac Newton, yet there
is this vital difference between the two: the inability of the former
is a criminal one, that of the latter is not so because of its native
and original incapacity. Man's moral inability lies not in the lack of
capacity but in lack of desire. One incurs no guilt when there is a
willingness of mind and a desire of heart to do the thing commanded
but no capacity to carry it out. But where there is capacity
(competent faculties) but unwillingness, there is guilt--wherever
disaffection for God exists so does sin. Man's moral inability
consists of an inveterate aversion for God, and it is this corruption
of heart which alone has influence to prevent the proper use of the
faculties with which he is endowed, and issues in acts of sin and
rebellion against God. Even the bare knowledge of duty in all cases
renders moral agents under obligation to do it: "To him that knoweth
to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin" (Jam. 4:17).
It is very necessary that the preacher should be perfectly clear in
his own mind that the moral impotence of the natural man is not of
such a nature as to exempt him from God's claims or excuse him from
the discharge of his duties. Some have drawn the erroneous conclusion
that it is incongruous to call upon the unregenerate to perform
spiritual duties. They say that only exhortations suited to the state
of the unregenerate, such as the performance of civil righteousness,
should be addressed to them. The truth is that a perfect heart and a
perfect life are as much required as if men were not fallen creatures,
and required of the greatest sinner as much as of the best saint. The
righteous demands of the Most High must not be whittled down because
of human depravity. David did not trim his exhortations to meet the
inability of man: "Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from
the way" (Ps. 2:12). Isaiah did not keep back the command "Wash you,
make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine
eyes" (1:16) though he knew the people were so corrupt they would not
and could not comply.
Urgent Invitation Obligatory
Nor should the preacher have the slightest hesitation in urging the
unregenerate to use the means of grace and in declaring it is men's
certain duty to employ them. The divine ordinances of hearing and
reading the Word, of praying and conversing with God's people, are
thereby made a real test of men's hearts--as to whether they really
desire salvation or despise it. Though God does renew men by His
Spirit, yet He appoints the means by which sinners are to be
subservient to such a work of grace. If they scorn and neglect the
means, the blame is in themselves and not in God. If we are not
willing to seek salvation, it proves we have no desire to find it;
then in the day to come we shall be reproved as wicked and slothful
servants (Matt. 25:26). The plea that man has no power will then mean
nothing, for then the fact that his lack of power consists only in a
lack of heart will appear with sunlight clearness, and he will be
justly condemned for contempt of God's Word; his blood will be upon
his own head for disregarding the warnings of God's servants.
Yet so perverse is fallen human nature that men will argue, "What is
the good of using the means when it does not lie in our power to give
effect to them?" Even if there were no hope of success, God's command
for us to use the means is sufficient to demand our compliance:
"Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing:
nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net" (Luke 5:5). I cannot
infallibly promise a farmer who plows and sows that he will have a
good crop, yet I may assure him that it is God's general way to bless
the prudent and diligent. I cannot say to everyone who desires
posterity, "Marry and you shall have children." But I may point out
that if people refuse the ordinance of marriage they will never have
any lawful children. The preacher needs to point out the grave peril
incurred by those who spurn the help God proffers. Felix "trembled"
(Acts 24:25), but he failed to act on his convictions. Unless the Lord
is sought while He is "near" us (Isa. 55:6), He may finally abandon
us. Every resistance to the impressions of the Spirit leaves the heart
harder than it was before.
After all that has been said it is scarcely necessary for us to press
upon the preacher the tremendous importance of this doctrine. It
displays as no other the perfect consistency of divine justice and
grace. It reveals to the believer that his infirmities and
imperfections are not the comforting cover-up of guilt that he would
like to think they are. All moral infirmity, all lack of perfect
holiness, is entirely his own fault, for which he should be deeply
humbled. It shows sinners that their perdition is really altogether of
themselves, for they are unwilling to be made clean. The kindest thing
we can do for them is to shatter their self-righteous hopes, to make
them realize both their utter helplessness and their entire
inexcusableness. The high demands of God are to be pressed upon them
with the design of bringing them to cry to Him to graciously work in
them that which He requires. Genuine conviction of sin consists in a
thorough realization of responsibility and guilt, of our inability and
dependence upon divine grace. Nothing is so well calculated to produce
that conviction, under the Spirit's blessing, as the faithful
preaching of this unpalatable truth.
Contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Introduction
_________________________________________________________________
Three considerations have influenced us in the selection of this
theme. First, a desire to preserve the balance of Truth. In order to
do this it is desirable that there should be an alternation between
and a proportionate emphasis upon both the objective and the
subjective sides of the Truth. After we had completed our exposition
of the doctrine of Justification we followed the same with a series on
the doctrine of Sanctification: the former treats entirely of the
righteousness which Christ has wrought or procured for His people,
being something wholly outside of themselves and independent of their
own efforts; whereas the latter speaks not only of the perfect purity
which the believer has in Christ, but also of the holiness which the
Spirit actually communicates to the soul and which is influential on
his conduct. Then we took up the doctrine of Predestination which is
concerned entirely with the sovereignty of God, and therefore we
followed that with a series of man's Impotency and the Saint's
Perseverance, where the principal emphasis was upon human
responsibility. It will be well for us now to turn our attention back
again to the Divine operations and the wondrous
Second, because of a felt need of again bringing conspicuously before
our readers "the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." It is His
sacrificial work which is prominent, yea, dominant in the reconciling
of God to His people. It was by the shedding of Christ's precious
blood that God was placated and His wrath averted. It was by Christ's
being chastised that peace has been made for us. And it is by the
preaching of the Cross that our awful enmity against God is slain and
that we are moved to abandon our vile warfare against Him. As it is
upwards of twelve years since we completed the rather lengthy series
of articles we wrote upon the Atonement, under the title "The
Satisfaction of Christ," it seems high time that we once more
contemplated the greatest marvel and miracle of all history, namely,
the Lamb of God being slain for the redemption of sinners. The
doctrine of reconciliation has much to do with what took place at
Calvary, yea apart from that no reconciliation with God had been
possible. It is therefore a subject which should warm the hearts of
the saints and bow them in adoration
Third, because it treats of an aspect of the Gospel which receives
scant attention in the modern pulpit. Nor has it ever, so far as we
have been able to ascertain, been made very prominent. This doctrine
has failed to command the notice which it merits even from God's own
servants and people. Far less appears to have been preached on it than
on either justification or sanctification. For one book written on
this subject probably fifty have been published on either of the
others. Why this should be is not easy to explain: it is not because
it is more obscure or intricate. In our judgment, much to the
contrary. Certainly it is of equal importance and value, for it treats
of an aspect of our relationship and recovery to God as essential as
either of the others. Our need of justification lies in our failure to
keep the Law of God; of sanctification, because we are defiled and
polluted by sin, and therefore unfit for the presence of the, Holy
One; our reconciliation, because we are alienated from God, rebels
against Him, with no heart for fellowship with Him. Though the terms
justify and sanctify occur more frequently in the New Testament than
does "reconcile," yet the correlative "God of peace" and other
expressions must also be duly
Not only has this doctrine been more or less neglected, but it has
been seriously perverted by some and considerably misunderstood by
many others. Both Socinians (who repudiate the Tri-unity of the
Godhead and the Atonement of Christ) and Arminians deny the
twofoldness of reconciliation, declaring it to be only on one side.
They insist that it is man who is alienated from God, and so in need
of reconciliation, that God never entertained enmity toward His fallen
creatures, but has ever sought their recovery. They argue that since
it was man who made the breach by departing from his Maker, he is the
one who needs to be reconciled and restored to Him. They refuse to
allow that sin has produced any change in God's relationship or
attitude unto the guilty, yea, so far from doing so that His own love
moved Him to take the initiative and provide a Saviour for rebels, and
that He now beseeches them to throw down the weapons of their
opposition, assuring them of a Father's welcome
Such is the view of the Plymouth Brethren. In his work "The Ministry
of Reconciliation" C. H. Macintosh (one of the most influential of
their early men) declares: "We often hear it said that `the death of
Christ was necessary in order to reconcile God to man.' This is a
pious mistake, arising from inattention to the language of the Holy
Spirit and indeed to the plain meaning of the word `reconcile.'God
never changed, never stepped out of His normal and true position. He
abides faithful. There was, and could be, no derangement, no
confusion, no alienation, so far as He was concerned; and therefore
there could be no need of reconciling Him to us. In fact it was
exactly the contrary. Man had gone astray; he was the enemy, and
needed to be reconciled...Wherefore, then, as might be expected,
Scripture never speaks of reconciling God to man. There is no such
expression to be found within the covers of the New Testament." This
is something he calls a "point of immense importance," and
consequently all who have succeeded him in that strange system have
echoed his teaching: how far it is removed from the
Some hyper-Calvinists are also much confused on this doctrine. Through
failing to see that God's being reconciled to sinners who believe
concerns His official relationship and not His essential character,
they have demurred at the expression "a reconciled God,"supposing it
connotes some charge within Himself. They argue that since God has
loved His elect with an everlasting love (Jer. 31:3) and that since He
changes not (Mal. 3:6), it is wrong for us to suppose that
reconciliation to anything more on our side only. They insist that to
speak of God's being reconciled unto us implies an alteration either
in His affections or purpose, and that neither of these can stand with
His immutability. To speak of God's first loving His people, then
hating then, and then again loving them, appears to them as imputing
fickleness to Him. So it would be if these predictions of God were
made of Him considered in the same character and relationship. But
they are not. As their Father God has loved His people with an
unalterable love, but as the Moral Governor of this world and the
Judge of all the earth He has a
The following question was submitted to Mr. J. C. Philpot:--"What is
meant by `a reconciled God,' an expression which some of the Lord's
children, even great and good men, have made use of? I believe that
the Lord Jehovah from all eternity foresaw the fall, and provided
means to save those whom He had chosen in Christ, consistent with all
His attributes, holiness, justice, etc. Now, as love was the moving
cause, how can the word `reconcile' be correctly used in respect of
God? Does it not imply a change? If it does, how can it be correctly
used in reference to God?" His answer to this appears in the March
1856 issue of "The Gospel Standard," and though it will make a rather
lengthy quotation, yet we might be
"We do not consider the expression `A reconciled God'strictly correct.
The language of the New Testament is not that God is reconciled to us,
but that we are reconciled to God. `And all things are of God, who has
reconciled us unto Himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the
ministry of reconciliation-- that God was in Christ reconciling the
world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them; and that He
has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now we are ambassadors
for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us. We beg you in
Christ's stead, be reconciled to God.'(2 Cor. 5:18-20). And again
`And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, it pleased the
Father to reconcile all things by Him unto Himself--by Him, whether
things in earth or things in Heaven. And you, who were once alienated
and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in
the body of His flesh through death to present you holy and
unblameable and unreprovable in His sight,'(Col. 1:20-22). See
"The very nature of God, His very being and essence, is to be
unchanging and unchangeable, as James beautifully speaks: `With Him
there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.'But
reconciliation on God's part to us, would seem to imply a change of
mind, an alteration of purpose in Him, and is therefore, so far,
inconsistent and incompatible with the unchangeableness of the Divine
character. It is also, strictly speaking, inconsistent, as our
correspondent observes, with the eternal love of God, and seems to
represent the atonement as influencing His mind, and turning it from
wrath to love, and from displeasure to mercy and grace. Now, the
Scripture represents the gift of Christ, and consequently the
sufferings and blood-shedding for which and unto which He was given,
not, as the procuring cause, but as the gracious effect of the love of
God. `Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and
sent His Son to be a propitiation for our sins'(1 John 4:10). See also
John
"But though the Scripture speaks of reconciliation, not of God to man,
but of man to God, and that through the blood of the cross alone (Col.
1:20); yet it holds forth, in the plainest, strongest language, a real
and effective `sacrifice,' `atonement,'and `propitiation,'offered to
God by the Lord Jesus; all which terms express or imply an actual
satisfaction rendered to God for sin, and such a satisfaction, as that
without it there could be no pardon. It is especially needful to bear
this in mind, because the Socinians and other heretics who deny or
explain away the atonement, insist much on this point, that the
Scripture does not speak of a reconciled God. Therefore, though we do
not believe that the atonement produced a change in the mind of God,
so as to turn Him from hatred to love, for He loved the elect with an
everlasting love, (Jer. 31:3), or that it was a price paid to procure
His favor, still, there was a sacrifice offered, a propitiation made,
whereby, and whereby alone, sin was pardoned, blotted
"By steadily bearing these two things in mind, we shall be the better
prepared to understand in what reconciliation through the blood of the
cross consists. Against the persons of the elect there was, in the
mind of God, no vindictive wrath, no penal anger (Isa. 27:4); but
there was a displeasure against their sins, and so far with them for
their sins. So God was angry with Moses (Deut. 1:37), with Aaron
(Deut. 9:20), with David (2 Sam. 11:27; 1 Chron. 21:7), with Solomon
(1 Kings 11:9) for their personal sins, though all of them were in the
covenant of grace, and loved by Him with an everlasting love. Thus the
Scriptures speak of the anger and wrath of God, and of that wrath
being turned away and pacified (Isa. 12:1; Ezek. 16:63),
"Again, sin is a violation of the justice of God, a breaking of His
holy Law, an offence against His intrinsic purity and holiness, which
He cannot pass by. Adequate satisfaction must, therefore, be made to
His offended justice, or pardon cannot be granted. Now, here we see
the necessity and nature of the sufferings and obedience,
blood-shedding and death of the Lord Jesus, as also why reconciliation
was needed, and what reconciliation effected. By the active and
passive obedience of the Son of God in the flesh, by His meritorious
life and death, by His offering Himself as a sacrifice for sin, a full
and complete satisfaction was rendered to the violating justice of
God, the Law was perfectly obeyed and everlasting righteousness
brought in. Satisfaction being rendered to His infinite justice, now
God can be just and yet the Justifier of him which believes in
Jesus.'Now the jarring perfections of mercy and justice are harmonized
and reconciled, so that mercy and truth meet together, righteousness
and peace kiss each other. Now God can not only be gracious, but
`faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.'There is, then, no such reconciliation of God as to
make Him love those whom He did not love before, for He loved the
elect from all eternity in Christ, their covenant--head. But a breach
being made by the fall, and sin having, as it were, burst in to make a
separation between God and them (Isa. 59:2), that love could not flow
forth till satisfaction was made for sin, and that barrier removed,
which it was in one day (Zech. 3:9). And not only so, but the persons
of the elect were defiled with sin (Ezek. 16:5,6), and therefore
needed washing, which they were in the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 1:5,
etc.). In this way not only was the reconciliation of the Church
effected, but she, the bride and spouse of Christ, was brought near
unto God, from whom sin had
"But reconciliation has a further aspect. It comprehends our
reconciliation to God not merely as a thing already effected by the
blood-shedding of God's dear Son, but as a present experience in the
soul. The apostle says `By whom we have now received the
atonement'(Rom. 5:11);and again, `we pray you, in Christ's stead, be
reconciled to God'(2 Cor. 5:20), that is, by receiving into your
hearts the reconciliation already made by His blood. It is with
reference to this experience that much is spoken in the Scriptures
which has led to the idea of `a reconciled God. ` Thus the Church
complains of God's being angry with her (Isa. 12:1), of being
`consumed by His anger and troubled by His wrath' (Ps.90:7), of His
`shutting up in anger His tender mercies'(Ps. 77:9), and again of His
`turning away from the fierceness of His anger and causing it to
cease'(Ps. 85:3, 4), of His `not keeping anger forever' (Ps. 103:9),
of His being pacified (Ezek. 16:63) of His `anger being turned
away'(Ps. 78:38; Hos. 14:4). All these expressions are the utterance
of the Church's experience. When God's anger is sensibly felt in the
conscience He is viewed as angry, and His wrathful displeasure is
dreaded and deprecated; when He manifests mercy this anger is felt to
be removed, to be turned away; and it is now as
"Putting all these things together we seem to arrive at the following
conclusions: (1) That it is not God who is reconciled to the Church,
but that it is the Church which is reconciled to God. (2) That this
reconciliation was effected by the incarnation, obedience, sacrifice
and death of the Lord Jesus. (3) That till this reconciliation be made
experimentally known the awakened conscience feels the anger of God on
account of sin. (4) That when the atonement is received and the blood
of Christ sprinkled on the conscience, then the soul "
What satisfaction this reply gave to the original inquirer, or how
lucid it appears to our readers (even after a second or third
perusal), we know not, but to us it seems a strange medley, lacking in
perspicuity and betraying confusion of thought in the mind of its
composer. First, Mr. Philpot considered that the language of the New
Testament does not warrant the expression "A reconciled God." Second,
he felt that to affirm a reconciliation on God's part to us would
imply an alteration of purpose in Him and as though the Atonement
changed His mind "From displeasure to mercy and grace."Then he
evidently feared he was coming very close to the ground occupied by
the Socinians; so, third, he allowed that the work of Christ was both
a "sacrifice" and a "propitiation." But "a propitiation"is the very
thing which is needed to conciliate one who is offended! To aver there
was "rendered to God for sin an actual satisfaction, and such a
satisfaction as that without which there could be no pardon,"is only
another way of saying that God was
In his next paragraph he virtually or in effect contradicts what he
had advanced in the previous one, for he expressly declares "Against
the persons of the elect there was in the mind of God no vindictive
wrath, no penal anger." Then wherein lay the need of a "propitiation?"
"Penal" means "relating to punishment. "if there was no judicial anger
on God's part as Governor and Judge and if His elect were not exposed
to the punishment of the Law because of their sins, then why the
sacrifice of Christ for them? Clearly Mr. P. felt the shoe pinching
him there, for in his next paragraph he brings in the violation of the
justice of God and the "satisfaction" this required. Yet toward the
end he wavers again by saying "sin having, as it were, burst in to
make a separation between God and them." Why such hesitating
qualification? Sin did cause a breach on both sides, and the one Party
needed to be "propitiated,"and the other "converted" before the breach
could be healed. Our purpose in quoting form C.H. Machintosh and J.C.
Philpot (whose writings served to mould the views of many thousands)
is to demonstrate the need for a Scriptural exposition of
We are glad to say that in his last years Mr. Philpot was granted a
clearer grasp of the truth, as appears from his helpful exposition of
Ephesians 2.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 1
Its Distinctions
_________________________________________________________________
Before taking up our subject in a positive and constructive manner it
seems advisable that we should endeavor to remove a misapprehension
under which a number of our readers are laboring, and which requires
to be cleared up before they will be in a fit condition to weigh
without bias and thus be enabled to receive what we hope to present in
later articles. It is for their special benefit this one is composed,
and we trust that other friends will kindly bear with us if they find
it rather wearisome to follow a labored discussion of that which
presents no difficulty to them. To enter into a consideration of this
particular point at such an early stage in the series will oblige us
to somewhat infringe upon other aspects of our subject which will be
taken up later, but, this appears necessary if we are to "clear the
decks for action," or to change the figure, if we are to rid the
ground of
That which presents a difficulty to those who have been brought up in
some Calvinistic circles is, how can God be said to be reconciled to
His elect, seeing that He has loved them with an everlasting and
unchanging love? Much of our opening article was devoted to a
particular answer to such an inquiry, but as we deem that answer far
from being a satisfactory one, we shall here confine ourselves to its
elucidation. To us it appears that the explanation furnished by Mr.
Philpot was confused and faulty, and that is was so through failure to
distinguish between things that differ--therefore the title we have
accorded this article. If we are to avoid becoming hopelessly muddled
on this point, we must discriminate sharply between what the elect are
as viewed only in the eternal purpose of God, and what they are in
themselves by nature. And further, we must carefully differentiate
between God considered as their Father and God considered as the Moral
Governor and
That it may appear we do not advance anything in the remainder of this
article which clashes with or deviates from the teaching of sound
theologians in the past, we will make brief quotations from four .of
the best-known Puritans. "We are actually justified, pardoned and
reconciled when we repent and believe. Whatever thoughts and purposes
of grace God may have towards us from eternity, we are under the
fruits of sin till we become penitent believers" (T. Manton). In his
treatise on "The Work of the Holy Spirit in our Salvation"Thos.
Goodwin points out: "There are two different states or conditions
which the elect of God, who are saved, pass through, between which
regeneration is the passage. The one is their first state in which
they are born: a state of bondage to sin, and obnoxious to instant
damnation while they remain in it.. .The other of "
"God does hate His elect in some sense before their actual
reconciliation. God was placable before Christ, appeased By Christ.
But until there be such conditions which God has appointed in the
creature, he has no interest in this reconciliation of God, and
whatever person he be in whom the condition is not found, he remains
under the wrath of God, and therefore in some sense under God's
hatred" (Stephen Charnock, vol. 3, p. 345). When writing on "The
Satisfaction of Christ"John Owen said: "This then is what we ascribe
to the death of Christ, when we say that as a sacrifice we were
reconciled to God or that He made reconciliation for us. Having made
God our Enemy by sin, Christ by His death turned away His anger,
appeased His wrath, and brought us into favor again with God." How far
Mr. Philpot digressed from the teaching of these men we must leave his
friends to judge for themselves. But we appeal now to an infinitely
higher
Nothing is more plainly taught in Scripture than that all men without
exception are before actual regeneration in a like state and
condition, and occupy the same standing or status before the Divine
Law. Whatever distinguishing design God has purposed in Himself to
afterward effect as a change in His own elect by the operations of His
free grace, until those operations take place they are in precisely
the-same case as the non-elect. "We have before proved both Jews and
Gentiles that they are all under sin"--guilty, beneath sentence of
condemnation. "There is none righteous, no not one"--not one who has
met the requirements of the Divine Law. "That every mouth may be
stopped and all the world may become guilty before God"-- that is,
obnoxious to the Divine Judgment. "There is no difference for all have
sinned and come short of the glory of God"(Rom. 3:9, 10, 19, 22, 23).
The condition and position of every one relative to the Law is one and
the same before his regeneration and justification, and the decree of
God concerning any difference that is yet to be made in some in nowise
modifies that solemn fact. This is one chief reason why the Gospel is
to be preached to every
The Scriptures are equally explicit in describing the effects and
consequences of lying under God's wrath. Before conversion the elect
equally with the non--elect are in a state of alienation from God
(Eph. 4:18), and therefore none of their services or performances can
be acceptable to Him. He will receive naught at their hands: "he who
turns away his ear from hearing the Law (an in the case with every
unregenerate soul), even his prayer is a hateful thing"(Prov. 28:9).
They are all under the power of the Devil (Col. 1:13), who rules at
his pleasure in the children of disobedience (Eph. 2:2). They are
"without Christ. . . having no hope, and without God in the
world"(Eph. 2:12). They are under the curse or condemning power of the
Law (Gal. 3:13). They are "children in whom is no faith"(Deut. 32:20)
and therefore utterly unable to do a single thing which can meet with
God's approval, for "without faith it is impossible to please
God"(Heb. 11:6). They are "ready to perish"(Deut. 26:5).
"He who does not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God
abides upon him" (John 3:36). What could be plainer than that? Is not
an elect soul an unbeliever until the moment God is pleased to give
faith unto him? Assuredly: then equally sure is it that he is also
under the wrath of God so long as he remains an unbeliever. Not only
so, but the Word of God solemnly declares that the elect are "by
nature the children of wrath even as others"(Eph. 2:3), and no Papish
priest can make them otherwise by sprinkling a few drops of "holy
water" upon them. But "children of wrath"they could not be had they
come into this world in a justified and reconciled state. No person
can be in two contrary states at the same time, obnoxious to wrath,
and yet God at peace with him, under the guilt of sin and yet
justified. Wrath is upon them from the womb (because of their sinning
in Adam), and that wrath remains Oft them so long as they continue
unbelievers. Though they were (in God's purpose) in Christ from
eternity, that did not prevent them being in Adam in time and
There is an appointed hour in their earthly history when the- elect
pass from under the penal wrath of God and are justified by Him and
reconciled to Him. Justification is an act of God, an act in time, an
external act. It is an act of God in a way of judicial process--His
declaration as supreme Judge. It is opposed to condemnation, the
granting a full discharge therefrom (Rom. 8:33-35). It is not an
internal decision in God, which always remains in Him, and effects
change in the status of the person justified; but is a temporal act of
His power which makes a relative change in the person's standing
before Him. It is upon the person's believing in Christ that God
justifies him and that he passes from a state of guilt and alienation
to one of righteousness and reconciliation: he that believes on Him is
not condemned (that is, he is justified), but he that believes not is
condemned already (John 3:18). "He who believes on Him that sent Me
but has everlasting life (by regeneration), and shall not come into
condemnation, but is passed from death unto life"--that is, the life
of justification (John
If persons are justified in a proper sense by faith, then they are not
justified from eternity, for we believe in time, not eternity. That we
are justified by faith, is the doctrine of the Gospel, as is apparent
from the whole current of God's Word. To cite but one verse: "Knowing
that a man is not justified by the works of the Law, but by faith of
Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ,"(Gal. 2:16). That
the apostle is there speaking of being justified in the sight of God,
and not merely in the court of conscience, is beyond all doubt to any
that will duly and fairly consider the scope of the Holy Spirit in
that passage. Being justified by faith in Jesus Christ is there placed
in opposition to being "justified by the works of the Law"which shows
that something more fundamental than our own assurance is in view. "By
the deeds of the Law shall no flesh be justified in His sight"(Rom.
3:19) makes it clear that none can obtain sentence of acquittal in the
court of Divine adjudication by their own deeds. It is before God and
not in the 's consciousness that justification takes place.
"And the Scripture foreseeing that God would justify the heathen
through faith, preached before the Gospel unto Abraham, saying, In you
shall all nations be blessed" (Gal. 3:8). It is to be noted that there
are two words here which lie directly against justification before
believing: that God would justify the heathen--which must needs
respect time to come; and "shall all nations be blessed"or
justified--a "shall be" cannot be put for a thing already done. To
this agrees "in the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified"
(Isa.45:25): by union with Christ through faith shall they be
pronounced righteous. Again; "For as by one man's disobedience many
were made sinners, so by the obedience of One shall many be made
righteous" (Rom. 5:19). Upon which the Puritan Win. Bridge said, "It
is remarkable. that when the Holy Spirit speaks of Adam's sin
condemning his posterity, He speaks of it as already past; but when He
speaks of Christ's righteousness for the justification of sinners He
changes to the future tense--as if He purposely designed to prevent
our thoughts running after "
What has been said above about the justification of God's elect upon
their believing, holds equally good concerning His reconciliation to
them when they throw down the weapons of their warfare against Him.
Not only was their reconciliation decreed from everlasting but peace
was actually made by Christ when He shed His blood (Col. 1:20);
nevertheless, reconciliation itself is not effected until the Holy
Spirit has so wrought within them as to bring about their conversion.
This is conclusively established by the following passages: "For if,
when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His
Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And
not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by
whom we have now received the reconciliation"(Rom. 5:10, 11)-- that
"now" would be meaningless if we were reconciled only in the eternal
decree of God: what God decreed for us is here received by us! So
again, "And you that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind
by wicked works, yet NOW has He reconciled"(Col. 1:21).
It would obviate considerable misunderstanding if it were clearly
perceived that the everlasting love of God toward His elect is mainly
an act of His will, the exercise of His good pleasure, the purpose of
His grace, whereby He determined to do certain things for them and
instate them in glory in His own good time and way. But that purpose
effects nothing for them nor puts anything into them--for these there
must be external acts of God's power making good His purpose. From all
eternity God determined to make this earth, yet six thousand years ago
it did not exist! He had ordained a final Day of Judgment but it has
not yet arrived. God has purposed that in and through Christ He will
justify and save certain persons, but they are not thereby justified
because God has purposed it. It is true they will be in due time, but
not before they have been enabled to believingly appropriate the
atoning work of Christ in their behalf. We must therefore draw a line
between the absolute certainty of the fruition of anything God has
eternally purposed, and its actual accomplishment or bringing it to
pass in His
What has been pointed out in the last paragraph should make it easier
for the reader to grasp that God's eternal love unto His own (which is
an imminent act of His will or good pleasure, entirely within Himself)
does not exempt them from coming beneath His anger (which is not any
passion in God, but the outward visitation of His displeasure--
because of sin; nor does it prevent their lying beneath the
dispensations of His judicial wrath, until by some interpositions of
His grace in time, when He actually changes their personal state (by
regeneration) and legal status (by justification), freeing them from
condemnation and instating them into His favor. In other words, much
may occur in the interval between God's eternal purpose and the actual
working out of the same--though nothing which can in anywise
jeopardize His
But it is objected by hyper-Calvinists, If the elect were not
justified in Christ from all eternity then when God pronounces them
just there is an alteration in His will and love toward them. Not so,
God is no more mutable because He justifies His people in time, than
He is because He regenerates them in time. God is no more chargeable
with change of purpose when He produces a change in a person's
standing upon his believing, than He is when He produces a change in a
person's condition by the miracle of the new birth. All the change is
in the creature. Though God absolutely decrees, and that from
everlasting, to regenerate, to justify and to reconcile all His
chosen, with the alteration of His governmental attitude toward them
which that involves, yet this argues not the least shadow of change in
God Himself when at the predestinated hour that great change is
effected. Do but distinguish between the grace decreeing and the power
of God executing, and all is plain. "Whom He did predestinate, them He
also called, and whom He called, them He also justified"(Rom. --the
calling and justifying are the fruits of His electing love.
But again it is objected, the elect are designated "sheep"before they
believe (John 10:16), and in God's esteem they are then in a justified
state. Answer: they are called "sheep"according to the immutability of
the Divine decree, which cannot be frustrated, and on that account God
calls "things which are not as though they were" (Rom. 4:17),
nevertheless, that verse affirms they "are not" that is, they have no
actual existence. They are "sheep" in the purpose of God, but not so
as touching the accomplishment of the same until they are regenerated.
Paul was a sheep in the decree of God even when he was wolf-like in
preying upon the flock of Christ. Surely none will say he was actually
a sheep while he was "breathing out threatenings and slaughter against
the disciples of the Lord"(Acts 9:1). From the decree of God we may
safely conclude the certainty of its accomplishment; but to argue that
a thing is actually accomplished because
The love of God's purpose and good pleasure has not the least
inconsistency with those hindrances to the peace and friendship of God
which sin has interposed, for though the holiness of His Law, the
righteousness of His government and the veracity of His Word, stood in
the way of His taking a sinner into friendship and fellowship with
Himself, until full satisfaction has been made to His broken Law and
insulted Majesty; nevertheless His love determined and His wisdom
devised a way where His sovereign good will should recover His people,
and that, without sullying the Divine character to the slightest
degree, yea, in magnifying those attributes which sin had affronted.
God's love has proven efficacious by the means He devised "that His
banished one may not be cast out from Him"(2
From all that has been pointed out above it should be quite evident
that this doctrine of reconciliation does not teach that God loved and
hated His elect at the same time and in the same respect. He loved
them in respect of the free purpose of His sovereign will; but His
wrath was upon them in respect of His violated Law and provoked
justice by their sin. But His love gave Christ to satisfy for their
sins and to redeem them from the curse of the Law, and in due time He
sends His Spirit to regenerate them, which lays the foundation
The following
1. Between God's looking upon His elect in the purpose of His grace
and as under the sentence of His Law: though the elect are born
under the dispensation of His wrath, yet it is not executed upon
them personally.
2. Between there being no change in God and a change in His outward
dealings with us.
3. Between God's purpose concerning His elect in eternity and the
accomplishment of that purpose in a time state.
4. Between God's viewing the elect in Christ their Covenant--Head and
as the depraved descendents of fallen Adam. In the one cause, as
"His dear children" in the other; as being "by nature the children
of wrath."
5. Between God's unchanging love for us as our Father, and His
official displeasure as our moral Governor and Judge. This
distinction is illustrated in the case of Christ. He was the
Beloved of the Father and never ceased to be so, yet Divine wrath
was visited upon Him at the cross. He was dealt with not as the
Son (as such) but as the Surety of His guilty people, by the
Father, not as such, but as the supreme Judge.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 2
Its Need
_________________________________________________________________
The word reconciliation means to unite two parties who are estranged.
It denotes that one has given offence and the other has taken umbrage
or is displeased by it, in consequence of which there is a breach
between them. Instead of friendship there is a state of hostility
existing, instead of amity there is enmity, which results in
separation and alienation between them. This it is which makes
manifest the need for peace to be made between the estranged parties,
that the wrong may be righted, the cause of the displeasure be
removed, the ill-feeling cease, the breach be healed and
reconciliation accomplished. The parties at variance are man and God.
Man has grievously offended the Most High. He has cast off allegiance
to Him, revolted from Him, despised His authority, trampled upon His
commandments. The enormity of such an offence it is impossible for us
to fully conceive. The heinousness of it can only be measured by the
exalted dignity of the One against whom it is committed. It has been
committed against the Almighty against One who is infinite in majesty,
infinite in excellency, infinite in His sovereign rights over the
creature of His own hands; and
The original offence was committed by Adam in Eden, but that fearful
transgression can only be rightly understood as we recognize that Adam
acted there not as a private individual but as a public person. He was
Divinely constituted to be not only the father but also the federal
head of the human race. He stood as the legal representative of all
mankind, so that in the sight of the Divine Law what he did they did,
the one transacting on the behalf of the many. The whole human race
was placed on probation in the person of the first man. His trial was
their trial. While he stood they stood. While he retained the
approbation of God and remained in fellowship with Him, they did the
same. Had he survived the trial, had he fitly discharged his
responsibility, had he continued in obedience to God, his obedience
had been reckoned to their account, and they had entered into the
reward which had been bestowed upon him. Contrariwise, if he failed
and fell, they failed and fell in him. If he disobeyed God his
disobedience is imputed unto all those whom he represented and the
just but fearful curse pronounced upon him falls likewise on all for
What has just been pointed out by us above, was amplified at some
length in our articles on the Adamic Covenant, which appeared in this
magazine some ten years ago, but as many of our present readers have
never seen them it will be necessary for us now to give a brief
summary of what was then said. The legal relation between Adam and his
posterity may be illustrated thus. God did not deal with mankind as
with a field of corn, where each stalk stands upon its own individual
root; but He dealt with it as a tree, all the branches of which have
one common root and trunk. If you strike with an axe at the root of a
tree, the whole tree falls--not only the trunk, but also the branches
and even the twigs on the branches. All wither and die. So it was with
Adam in Eden. God permitted Satan to lay the axe at the root of
humanity and when he fell all his posterity fell with him. At one
fatal stroke Adam was severed from communion with his Maker, and as
the consequence "death passed upon all men."This is not a theory of
human speculation but
That Adam was the federal head of the human race, that he did act and
transact in a representative character, and that the judicial
consequences of his act was imputed to all those for whom he stood, is
clearly taught in Romans 5. "Wherefore as by one man sin entered into
the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, in whom
all sinned"(v. 12). "Through the offence of one many be dead"(v.
15)."The judgment was by one to condemnation . . . By one man's
offence death reigned . . . By the offence of one judgment came upon
all men to condemnation . . . By one man `s offence many were made
sinners" (vv. 16, 17, 18, 19). Such repetition and emphasis intimates
the basic importance of the truth here revealed and also hints at our
slowness or rather reluctance to receive the same. The meaning of
these declarations is too plain for any unprejudiced mind to
misunderstand. It pleased God to deal with the human race as
represented in and by Adam. "In Adam all die"(1 Cor. 15:22). There is
the plainly-revealed fact, and they who deny it make
Here, then, we learn what is the formal ground of man's judicial
condemnation before God. The popular idea of what it is which renders
man a sinner in the sight of Heaven is altogether inadequate and
erroneous. The prevailing conception is that a sinner is one who
commits and practices sin. It is true that this is the character of
the sinner, but it certainly is not that which primarily constitutes
him such before the Divine Law. The truth is that every member of our
race enters into this world a guilty sinner, alienated from God,
before ever he commits a single transgression. It is not only that he
possesses a depraved nature but that he is directly "under
condemnation"the curse of the broken Law resting upon him, and from
God he is "estranged from the womb"(Ps. 58:3). We are legally
constituted sinners neither by what we are nor by what we are doing,
but by the disobedience of our federal head, Adam. Adam acted not for
himself alone, but for all who were to spring from him, so that his
act, was forensically,
Here also is the only key which satisfactorily opens to us the meaning
of human history and explains the universal prevalence of sin. The
human race is suffering for the sin of Adam, or it is suffering for
nothing at all. There is no escape from that alternative. This earth
is the scene of a grim and awful tragedy. In it we behold misery and
wretchedness, strife and hatred, pain and poverty, disease and death
on every side. None escape the fearful entail. That "man is born unto
trouble as the sparks fly upward"is an indisputable fact. But what is
the explanation of it? Every effect must have a previous cause. If we
are not being punished for Adam's sin, then, coming into this world we
are "children of wrath"(Eph. 2:3), beneath the Divine judgment,
corrupt and defiled, on the broad road which leads to destruction, for
nothing at all! Who would contend that this was better, more
satisfactory, more illuminative, than the Scriptural explanation of
our ruin? Genesis 3 alone explains why human history is written in the
ink of
The objection that such an arrangement is unjust is invalid. The
principle of representation is a fundamental one in human society. The
father is the legal head of his children during their minority. What
he does binds the family. A business house is held responsible for the
transactions of its agents. Every popular election illustrates the
fact that a constituency will act through its representative and be
bound by his acts. The heads of a state are vested with such authority
that the treaties they make are binding upon the whole nation. This
principle is so basic it cannot be set aside. Human affairs could not
continue nor society exist without it. This is the method by which God
has acted all through. The sins of the fathers are visited upon the
children. The posterity of Canaan were cursed for the single
transgression of their parent (Gen. 9), the whole of his family stoned
for Achan's sin (Joshua 7). Israel's high priest acted on behalf of
the whole nation. One
Finally, let it be pointed out that the sinner's salvation is made to
depend upon this very same method. Beware, then, my reader, of
quarrelling with the justice of this principle of representation--the
one standing for the many. On this principle we were wrecked, and by
this principle only can we be rescued. If on the one hand, the
disobedience of the first Adam was the judicial ground of our
condemnation, on the other hand the obedience of the last Adam is the
legal basis on which God justifies sinners. The substitution of Christ
in the place of His people, the imputation of their sins to Him and of
His righteousness to them, is the central fact of the Gospel. But the
principle of being saved by what Another has done is only possible on
the ground that we were lost through what another did. The two stand
or fall together. If there had been no Covenant of Works there would
have been no Covenant of Grace. If there had been no death in Adam
there had been no life in Christ. The Christian knows that such an
arrangement is just because it is part of the revealed ways of Him who
is
Here, then, is the Divinely-revealed fact: "by the offence of one
judgment came upon all men to condemnation"(Rom. 5:19). Here is cause
of humiliation which few think about. We are members of an accursed
race, the fallen children of a fallen parent, and as such we enter
this world "alienated from the life of God"(Eph. 4:18), exposed to His
judicial displeasure. In the day that Adam fell the frown of the Most
High came upon His children. The holy nature of God abhorred the
apostate race. The curse of His broken Law descended upon all of
Adam's posterity. It is only thus we can account for the universality
of human depravity and suffering. The corruption of human nature which
we inherit from our first parents is a great evil, for it is the
source of all our personal sins. For God to allow this transmission of
depravity is to inflict a punishment. But how can God punish all,
unless all were guilty? The fact that all do share in this common
punishment is proof that all sinned in Adam. Our depravity and misery
are not, as such, the infliction of
If we now repeat some of the statements made above it is that the
reader may not form a wrong conception or draw a false conclusion. We
are very far from teaching here that the human race is suffering for
an offence in which they had no part, that innocent creatures are
being condemned for the action of another which could not fairly be
laid to their account. Let it be clearly understood that God punishes
none for Adam's sin (if considering him as a private person), but only
for his own sin in Adam. The whole human race had a federal standing
in Adam. Not only was each of us seminally in his loins when God
created him, but each of us was legally represented by him when God
made with him the Covenant of Works. Adam acted and transacted in that
Covenant as a public person, not simply as a private individual, but
as the surety and sponsor of his race. The very fact that we continue
breaking the Covenant of Works and disobeying the Law of God
demonstrates our oneness with Adam under the Covenant. Our complicity
with Adam in his rebellion is
It is nothing short of downright hypocrisy for us to murmur against
the justice of this arrangement of constitution while we follow in the
steps of Adam. If we have nothing to do with him and are not in
bondage through him, why do we not repudiate him--refuse to sin, break
the chain, stand out in opposition to him, and be holy? This brings us
to the second chief count in the fearful indictment against us. We
take sides with Adam. We perpetuate his evil course. We make him are
exemplar. The life of the unregenerate is one unbroken curse of
rebellion against God. There is no genuine submission to Him, no
concern for His glory, no disinterested love for Him. Self-will is our
governing principle and self-pleasing our goal. Whatever religious
deference may apparently be shown God, it is rendered out of
self-interest--either to curry favor with Him, or to appease His
anger. The things of time and sense are preferred before Him, the lies
of Satan are heeded rather than the Word of Truth, and instead of
humbling ourselves before Him because of our original offence in
However unpalatable it may be to proud flesh and blood the fact is
that the natural man is engaged in a warfare against God. He hates the
things God loves, and loves the things He hates. He scorns the things
God enjoins and pursues the things He has forbidden. He is a rebel
against the Divine government, refusing to be in subjection to the
Divine will. The moment his own will is crossed by the dispensations
of Providence he murmurs. He is unthankful for the mercies of which he
is the daily recipient, and less mindful of the Hand that so freely
ministers to him than the horse or the mule to the one who feeds him.
He continually growls at his lot, constantly grumbles at the weather,
and is a stranger to contentment. In short "the carnal mind is enmity
against God and is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can
be"(Rom. 8:7). "The natural man does not receive the things of the
Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him"(1 Cor.
2:14)--contrary to his corrupted mind, at variance with his vitiated
desires. "There is none that seeks after God"(Rom. 3:11).
There is then a breach--a real, a broad, a fearful breach--between God
and man. In the very nature of the cause it cannot be otherwise. That
breach has been made by sin. God is holy, so holy that He is "of purer
eyes than to behold evil and can not look on iniquity"(Hab. 1:13). Sin
has given infinite offence unto God, for it is that "abominable
thing"which He hates (Jer. 44:4). Sin is a species of spiritual
anarchy, a defiance of the triune Jehovah. It is a saying in actions
"Let us break Their bands, and cast away Their cords from us"(Ps.
2:3)--let us disregard the Divine laws and be lords of ourselves. Not
only is sin highly obnoxious to the infinitely-pure nature of God, but
it is flagrant affront to His government, being rebellion against it,
and therefore as the moral Rector of the universe He declares His
displeasure against the same "For the wrath of God is revealed from
heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men"(Rom.
1:18)--an open display of which was made of old when the flood swept
the earth clean
Here then is the black background which discovers to us the need for
reconciliation. "your iniquities have separated between you and your
God, and your sins have hid His face from you"(Isa. 59:2). He is
displeased with us and His justice cries out for our destruction.
"They rebelled and vexed His Holy Spirit; therefore He was turned to
be their Enemy"(Isa. 63:10). Unspeakably solemn is that, the terrible
import of which is utterly beyond our powers to conceive. That the
great I am, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe has become man's
"Enemy"so that His anger burns against him. This was evidenced at the
beginning, for right after God had arraigned the guilty culprits in
Eden, we are told that "He drove out the man. And He placed cherubims
at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned
every way--to keep the way of the tree of life" (Gen. 3:24). Man was
now cut off from access to the One whom he had so grievously offended
and turned to be his Enemy. And man is also at enmity
How little is it realized that there is an immeasurable gulf between
God and sinner. And little wonder that so few have even the vaguest
idea of the same. All human religion is an attempt to gloss over this
fearful fact. And with exceedingly rare exceptions the religion of
present-day Christendom is but a studied effort to hide the awful
truth that man has forfeited the favor of God and is barred from His
holy presence, yea that "the Lord is far from the wicked"(Prov.
15:29). The religion of the day proceeds on the assumption that God is
favorably disposed even unto those who spend most of their time
trampling His commandments beneath their feet. That providing they
will assume an outwardly devout demeanor, they have but to petition
Him and their supplications are acceptable unto Him. Priests and
parsons who encourage such a delusion are but throwing dust in the
eyes of the people: "the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination
unto the Lord" (Prov. 15:8).
The religion of our day deliberately ignores the fact of sin, with its
terrible implications and consequences. It leaves out of sight that
sin has radically changed the original relationship which existed
between God and His creatures. It conceals the truth that man is
outlawed by God and is "far off" (Eph. 2:11) from Him. It tacitly
denies that "they that are in the flesh cannot please God"(Rom. 8:8),
that He "hears not sinners"(John 9:3 1). Yea it insists that they can
please Him with their hypocritical piety and sanctimonious playacting.
But the Holy One cannot be deceived by their pretences nor bribed by
their offerings. Nor can they so much as draw nigh unto Him while they
despise and reject the One who is the only Way of approach to Him.
Make no mistake upon this point, my reader. Until that awful breach
which sin has made be healed, you can have no fellowship with God;
until He be reconciled to you and you to Him, He will accept nothing
at your hands not can you obtain audience with Him. Unless
reconciliation is effected you will be "punished with everlasting
destruction from the presence of the Lord"(2Thess.
The need for reconciliation is unmistakable. A fearful breach exists,
brought about by the entrance of sin, and continued by the
perpetuation of man to God. Not only had man now forfeited His favor
but he had incurred His wrath. God could no longer view him with
approbation, but instead regarded him with detestation; while man
ceased to be a loyal and loving subject, becoming a rebellious outlaw.
And "what fellowship has righteousness with ?"
"And what communion has light with darkness?"None. They are opposite,
the one antagonistic to the other. That breach between God and man,
between righteousness and unrighteousness, will be demonstrated in the
distance between Heaven and Hell. Therefore did Christ represent
Abraham as saying to Dives in the place of torment, "between us and
you there is a great gulf fixed, so that they which would pass from
here to you cannot; neither can they pass to us"(Luke 16:26). It is
only by God's reconciliation to us and of our reconciliation to God
the fearful breach can be healed. How that is effected we hope to show
in future articles.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 3
Its Need-Continued
_________________________________________________________________
In our last we dwelt chiefly upon the fearful breach which the
entrance of sin made between the thrice Holy One and His fallen and
rebellious creatures. In this we must point out some of the
consequences and evidences of that breach, thereby showing in more
detail the urgency of the sinner's case. By his act of disobedience in
Eden man invaded God's right of sovereignty, spurning as he did His
authority, throwing off the yoke of submission, determining to be his
own lord. The outcome of such revolt we are not left to guess at. It
is plainly made known in the Scriptures. By his fearful offence man
lost the favor and friendship of God and incurred His holy displeasure
and righteous indignation. The Creator became the punishing Judge. Our
first parents were promptly arraigned and sentence was passed upon the
guilty culprits. Man had fallen into sin and the Divine wrath now fell
upon him. God drove man out of Paradise and unsheathed the flaming
sword (Gen. 3:24), thereby making it manifest that Heaven and earth
were at variance. As the result of the fall sin became man's delight
and henceforth he was an enemy to all holiness and consequently of the
Holy One.
1. Fallen man became separated from God. It is easy to write or read
those words, but who is competent to fathom their fearful import!
Separated from God, the Fountain and Giver of all blessedness! Cast
out of His favor. Severed from communion with Him. Cut off from the
enjoyment of Him. Devoid of His life, of His holiness, of His love.
Such is the terrible and inevitable consequence of sin. Sin snapped
the golden cord which had united man to his Maker. Sin broke the happy
relationship which originally existed between man and his rightful
Lord. Sin made a breach between its committer and the Holy One. Not
only did sin conduct man to a guilty distance from God, but sin
necessarily placed God at a holy distance from man. God will not
suffer those who are hostile to Him and offensive to His absolute
purity to dwell in His presence. Therefore do we read that "God spared
not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to Hell, and delivered
them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment"(2 Pet.
2:4). They were banished from Heaven, excluded from the company of the
Most High, imprisoned in the place of unutterable woe.
God had plainly made known unto our federal head the penalty of his
disobedience: "But you shall not eat of the tree of knowledge of good
and evil--for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely
die"(Gen. 2:17). Thus at the very beginning of human history the
Lawgiver announced that "the wages of sin is death"--death spiritual,
death judicial, death eternal if pardon was not obtained. And death is
not annihilation but separation. Physical death is the separation of
the soul from the body, expulsion from this earth. So spiritual death
is the separation of the soul from God, expulsion from His favor. In
that tragic yet hope-inspiring parable of the prodigal son our Lord
represented the sinner as being in "the far country"a "great way
off"from the Father's house (Luke 15:13,20), and when he returned in
penitence the Father said, "this My son was dead (separated from Me)
and is alive again (restored to Me); he was lost and is found."When
Christ as the Substitute and Surety of His people bore their sins in
His own body on the Tree (1 Pet. 2:24) He received the wages of sin,
crying to God "why have You forsaken Me!"
But the death inflicted upon Adam and all whom he represented was also
judicial. Fallen man is a malefactor, dead in Law, lying under its
sentence, a criminal in chains of guilt, held fast in fetters until
the day of execution, unless he obtains a pardon from God. If no
pardon is obtained, then he shall be cast into "the lake which burns
with fire and brimstone,"and that is expressly denominated "the second
death"(Rev. 21:8), because it is a being "punished with everlasting
destruction from the presence of the Lord"(2 Thess. 1:9). Man then,
every man while unregenerate, is living "without God in the world"
"far off"from Him (Eph. 2:12,13). Being "dead in trespasses and sins"
he is cut off from God, having no access to Him. He is a castaway from
the Divine presence. God will have no commerce with him, nor receive
any offering at his hands. He is outside the kingdom of God, and
cannot enter it save by the new birth (John 3:5). He is born into the
world alienated from the life of God (Eph. 4:18). When the Lord came
down upon Sinai Israel was not suffered to draw near Him (Ex. 19). Sin
had imposed an effectual barrier.
2. Fallen man became an object of abhorrence to God. Once more we use
language the meaning of which no mortal is capable of fully entering
into. It is not that we have employed terms which the case does not
warrant, for we have but paraphrased the words of Holy Writ. Nor can
it be otherwise if God is what Scripture affirms and if man has become
what he is represented to be. God is light (1 John 1:5) and man is
darkness (Eph. 5:8).God is holy, man totally depraved. God is our
rightful Lord and King, man is an insurrectionist, a defiant rebel.
God is immaculately pure, man a loathsome leper. If man saw himself as
he appears to the Divine eye or even as he is portrayed by the Divine
pencil, it would be evident that he must be an object of repugnance
unto Him who sits enthroned on high. "From the sole of the foot even
unto the head there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises, and
putrefying sores. They have not been closed, neither bound up, neither
soothed with oil"(Isa. 1:6). What a repulsive object! Yet that is
precisely what you and I (by nature) look like in the eyes of God.
"You hate all workers of iniquity"(Ps. 5:5).In this Psalm God's
alienation from and detestation of the wicked is set forth in six
steps. First: He has no delight in them. "You are not a God that has
pleasure in wickedness"(v. 4). Second: they cannot reside in His
presence "neither shall evil dwell with You"(v. 4). Third: they have
no status before Him. "The foolish shall not stand in Your sight"(v.
5). Fifth: He will pour upon them the fury of His indignation. "You
shall destroy them that speak leasing" or "lies" (v.6). Sixth: they
will for all eternity be abhorred by Him. "The Lord will abhor the
bloody and deceitful man"(v. 6). None would be shocked at such
frightful declarations as these if he had anything like an adequate
conception of the exceeding sinfulness of sin and of the infinite
holiness of God. Though they are scarce ever heard from any pulpit
today, whether we believe them or not, they are the words of Him who
cannot lie and throughout eternity their verity will be borne amply
witness to. "You hate all workers of iniquity."Not merely their evil
works, but the workers themselves; not some of the most notorious of
the workers but all of them. My reader, if you are out of Christ,
still unregenerate, whether you are British, American, or Australian,
you are an object of God's hatred. Rightly did C. H. Spurgeon point
out from these words, "It is not a little dislike, but thorough hatred
which God bears to workers of iniquity. To be hated of God is an awful
thing. O let us be very faithful in warning the wicked around us, for
it will be a terrible thing for them to fall into the hands of an
angry God. . .How forcible is the word `abhor' (in the next verse).
Does it not show us how powerful and deep-seated is the hatred of the
Lord against the workers of iniquity!" It is the very nature of
righteousness to hate unrighteousness. Those who are so corrupt and
abominable must be loathed by One who is ineffably holy. It is the
very perfection of the Divine character to hate the totally depraved.
3. Fallen man came under the condemnation and curse of the Divine Law.
"It is written, Cursed is everyone that continues not in all things
which are written in the Book of the Law to do them"(Gal. 3:10). Those
words are a quotation from Deuteronomy 17:26--a verse which contains
the conclusion of the maledictions pronounced upon the disobedient of
the context, being really the sum and substance of them all. It is the
solemn declaration that those who have despised God's authority and
trampled His commandments beneath their feet are exposed to the Divine
displeasure and to condign punishment as the expression of that
displeasure. The "curse of the Law"is that sentence and penalty which
is due unto sin. Sin and the curse are inseparable. Wherever the one
is, the other must be. Therefore the unrestricted "every one," and
that not only for multiplied transgressions but for a single offence.
The Divine Law is perfect, and demands perfect and perpetual
conformity to it. A single transgression brings down upon its
perpetrator the Divine curse, as was evidenced in Eden, and in
consequence of our representative participation therein, all of us
entered this world under the maledictions of God's Law.
"Cursed is every one." Those solemn words, so little known, so faintly
apprehended even by those who are acquainted with them, reveal the
fearful situation of every soul out of Christ. They are under sentence
of execution. Their position is identical with the convicted murderer
in the condemned cell, awaiting the dread summons of vindictive
justice. If you are unregenerate, my reader, at this very moment you
are under sentence of death: "condemned already."Since the curse of
the Law falls upon men for a single sin, then what must be the
punishment that will be meted out upon those with multiplied
transgressions to their account! "The curse of the Lord is in the
house of the wicked" (Prov. 3:33). That unspeakable malediction rests
upon all that he has and all that he does. "You shall be cursed in the
city and you shall be cursed in the field. You shall be cursed in your
basket and your store," (Deut. 28:17). Nay, God has said "I will curse
your blessings; yea, I have cursed them already"(Mal. 2:2). To those
out of Christ He will yet say. "Depart from Me you cursed into
everlasting fire"(Matthew 25:41).
4. Fallen man came under the wrath of God. This follows inevitably
from what has already been pointed out. Since a rebel against the
Divine government is necessarily an object of abhorrence unto his holy
Lord, since he has come beneath the curse and condemnation of the
Divine Law, justice cries aloud for vengeance. The Maker of heaven and
earth is no indifferent Spectator of the conduct of His creatures. He
was not of Adam's. The father and head of the race was summoned before
His judgment bar, fairly tried, justly condemned, and made to
experience the beginnings of God's wrath, for the full measure thereof
is reserved for the transgressor in the next life. As the consequence
of their sin and fall in the person of their representative all of
Adam's posterity are "by nature the children of wrath"(Eph. 2:3). Not
only defiled and corrupt, but the objects of God's judicial
indignation. "The children of wrath." Those words should be to the
ungodly reader as the handwriting on Belshazzar's wall (Dan. 5:5, 6).
They should blanch his countenance, trouble his thoughts, and make his
knees smite together.
This fearful expression "the children of wrath"is more forceful than
many conclude. In the previous verse we read of "children of
disobedience," which means more than disobedient children, for such
may the regenerate be. It means such as are addicted to disobedience,
who make a trade of it. So "children of wrath" signifies more than to
be liable to wrath. It connotes the objects of God's wrath, wholly
devoted thereto, born to it as their portion and heritage--the
corruptions of their nature being its fuel. When the angels sinned the
wrath of God was visited upon them (2 Pet. 2:4), thereby evidencing
that no natural excellence in the creature can exempt it from the
judgment of God. Further demonstrations of His wrath were given when
the flood was sent to drown the antediluvian world, when fire and
brimstone destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, and when Pharaoh and his hosts
were overwhelmed at the Red Sea. And the execution of God's wrath upon
you, my unsaved reader, is hourly drawn nearer. Ignorance cannot
shield you from it. Outward privileges will not save you from it. Nor
will a mere profession of religion. The only way of deliverance is for
you to "flee from the wrath to come"by betaking yourself to Christ for
refuge.
"God is angry with the wicked every day"(Ps. 7:11), on which Spurgeon
remarks, "He not only detests sin, but is angry with those who
continue to indulge in it. We have no insensible and stolid God to
deal with. He can be angry, nay, He is angry today and every day with
you, you ungodly and impenitent sinners. The best day that ever dawned
on a sinner brings a curse with it. Sinners may have many feast days,
but not safe days. From the beginning of the year even to its ending,
there is not an hour in which God's oven is not hot and burning in
readiness for the wicked, who shall be as stubble." And on the words
of the verse which immediately follows--"If He turn not, He will whet
His sword" --that faithful preacher declared: "What blows are those
which will be dealt by that long uplifted arm! God's sword has been
sharpening upon the revolving stone of our daily wickedness, and if we
will not repent, it will speedily cut us to pieces. Turn or burn is
the sinner's alternative."
Fallen man is the subject and slave of Satan, under a more terrible
bondage than ever the Hebrews were to Pharaoh, for it is a bondage of
the soul. Yet this is justly inflicted. At the beginning our first
parents preferred Satan's lie to God's truth, and therefore did He
allow Satan to obtain dominion over them. Yet with each of his
descendants it is a willing bondage therein. As the Jews desired
Barabbas rather then Christ, so we entered this world with a nature
that is in harmony with Satan's. Yes, without a single exception,
every member of our race is born so depraved that he voluntarily
serves and obeys the arch enemy of God. There are but two spiritual
kingdoms in this world: that of Christ's (Col. 1:13) and that of
Satan's (Matthew 12:26), and every human being is a subject of the one
or the other. Those who have not come to Christ and surrendered to His
sceptre are ruled by Satan and are fighting under his banner against
God. Therefore when Paul was sent forth to preach the Gospel it was in
order to open the eyes of men "to turn them from darkness to light and
from the power of Satan unto God" (Acts 26:18).
The Devil is the sinner's master, as he was the Christian's before
Divine grace regenerated him. "And He has made you alive who were dead
in trespasses and sins--in which you once walked according to the
course of this world, according to the Prince of the power of the air,
the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience"(Eph. 2:1,
2). He not only tempts from without but dominates them from within. As
God works in His people "both to will and to do of His good
pleasure"(Phil 2:13) so the devil operates in the hearts of his
subjects to perform his fiendish pleasure. He "put into the heart"of
Judas to betray Christ (John 13:2). He made Pilate and Herod condemn
Him to death, for it was "their hour and the power of darkness"(Luke
22:53). He "filled the heart"of Ananias to lie to the Holy Spirit
(Acts 5:3). Yet each of them acted freely and according to the
inclinations of his own evil nature. Satan's subjects render him a
voluntary and cordial obedience. "You are of your father the Devil,
and the lusts of your father you will do" (John 8:44).
6. Fallen man is under the reigning power of sin. This abominable
thing which God hates has entered the human constitution like a deadly
poison that has completely corrupted our whole being. Sin has full
dominion and undisputed sway over the human soul. The mind makes no
opposition to it, for it is sin's servant (John 8:34) and not captive.
It exerts a determining power on the will. Sin so reigns in the heart
of the unregenerate that it directs their affections and controls all
the motives and springs of their actions, causing them to walk after
their own evil imaginations and devisings. As the air is the native
element of the birds, so sin is the natural element of fallen man.
"Abominable and filthy is man, who drinks in iniquity like water"(Job
15:16). Like a parched traveler in the desert who craves water, seeks
after it, and greedily swallows it when found, so is iniquity unto the
sinner.
The course of the natural man is described as "serving divers lusts
and pleasures"(Titus 3:3), as "bringing forth evil fruits"(Matthew
7:17), as yielding his members "servants to uncleanness and to
iniquity"(Rom. 6:19). The service rendered by the unregenerate to sin
is a whole-hearted one, voluntary, and cordial. Man is in love with
sin, preferring darkness to light, this world to Heaven. His lusts are
his idols. Therefore does he persist in sin despite all pleadings,
warnings, threatenings, chastisements. While he is unregenerate he
does nothing but sin in thought and word and deed. Solemn it is to
think that every one is in continual remembrance with God, set in the
light of His countenance, recorded in that book which will be opened
in the day of judgment. Not one of them is pardoned, or can be, while
he is out of Christ. So much guilt lies upon his soul as is sufficient
to sink it into the lowest Hell, and will do so unless blotted out by
atoning blood.
7. Fallen man hates God. "The carnal mind is enmity against God, and
is not subject to the Law of God"--and so inveterate is that "enmity"
it is at once added--"neither indeed can be"(Rom. 8:7). We may not
believe it, or be conscious of it, but there is the Divinely-revealed
fact. God is an Object of aversion unto the natural man. The language
of the hearts of sinners unto the Almighty is, "Depart from us; we
desire not the knowledge of your ways,"(Job 21:14). They do not hate
Him as their Provider and Preserver, but as a Being who is infinitely
holy and who therefore hates sin and is "angry with the wicked every
day."They detest Him as a sovereign Being, who dispenses His favors
according to His absolute pleasure. They abominate Him as the Moral
Governor of the world, demanding obedience to His Law, and pronouncing
cursed all who break it. They abhor Him as the Judge, who shall yet
cast all His enemies into the Lake of Fire. Proof of this was
furnished when God became incarnate and was manifested unto men. They
crucified Him.
"Can two walk together except they be agreed?"(Amos 3:3). Obviously
not; then how much less could rebels dwell together with a holy God
for all eternity! For that reconciliation must be effected. But how is
peace possible? How are alienated sinners to be restored to friendship
with God without Him denying His own perfections? Some grand provision
must be made whereby the wrath of God is appeased, whereby His Law is
magnified, His honor vindicated, His justice satisfied. Some wondrous
redemption is imperative if sinners are to be delivered from that
dreadful state of enmity, darkness, and slavery into which the Fall
conducted them. Some marvel of wisdom and miracle of grace is
necessary if those so far off are to be made nigh, if the unholy are
to be made holy, if those dead in sin are to be quickened into newness
of life. Some unique Mediator is indispensable if the breach between
an offended God and offended creatures is to be healed. A Mediator who
is capable of conserving the interests and promoting the glory of God,
and who also can win the hearts of those in revolt. The needs be for
reconciliation is crystal clear; the effectuation of it is the grand
subject of the Gospel, the wonder of angels, and will be the theme of
the song of the redeemed throughout the unending ages of the future.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 4
Its Need-Continued
_________________________________________________________________
This doctrine of Reconciliation presents to our view that which is
both indescribably horrible and also that which is inexpressibly
blessed. The dark background of it is formed by the fearful calamity
of Eden, when the entrance of sin into the world involved the
ruination of our race and its alienation from God. The sin of Adam
(and of ours in him) was a revolt against God's authority, a contempt
of His government, a declaration of war against Him. Man is a rebel,
an outlaw, an enemy of God, cut off from access to Him. This has
already been before us in previous articles. Now we turn to
contemplate the blessed contrast wherein God determined to deliver a
part of Adam's descendants from the effects of the fall, and this in
such a way that His absolute sovereignty, His free grace, His
inexorable justice, unsearchable wisdom, ineffable holiness,
all-mighty power, infinite goodness and rich mercy, might be equally
honored. This is actually accomplished in the saving
The Author of reconciliation is God. Most distinctly, it is God the
Father, for there is an order of the Divine Persons in this work, as
in all others. "But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom
are all things, and we by Him"(1 Cor. 8:5). "God who created all
things by Jesus Christ" (Eph. 3:9). As that was the order of Their
operation in connection with the old creation, so it is with regard to
the new creation--the Father has effected reconciliation by the death
of His Son (Rom. 5:10). Distinct offices are ascribed to each of the
Eternal Three. The Father is the Deviser, the Son transacts the part
of Mediator, being the One by whom the work of reconciliation is
performed; the Holy Spirit is the Recorder of the Father's plan and of
the satisfaction offered by the Son and of the peace He has made, and
is also the One who sheds abroad Their
The order pointed out above is still more observable in connection
with our approach to God. It is through Christ and by the Holy Spirit
that we have access unto the Father (Eph. 2:18). All the spiritual
blessings we have in Christ are expressly attributed unto the Father
(Eph. 1:3), by no means the least of which is reconciliation. Our
election is ascribed particularly unto the Father (Eph. 1:3, 4) and so
is our regeneration (James 1:17, 18). It is the Father who has made us
meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, having
delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the
kingdom of His dear Son (Col. 1:13). In accord with this Divine order
we find the opening salutation in the Epistles is "grace unto you and
peace from God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ."Therefore the
Father is due the same honor and love from us for the sending of His
Son, as the Son is for His willingness in being sent. Scripture
represents the Father as the One directly wronged by sin, for we are
told that Jesus "an Advocate with the Father"(1John 2:1).
1. His will. When accountable creatures rebel against their Maker and
King, they cut themselves off from all right to claim any blessing or
benefit at His hands, for they deserve nothing from Him but wrath and
punishment. If they are recovered from the ruin which they have
brought upon themselves and are made partakers of Divine salvation, it
is solely from the good pleasure of His will, and must be in a way
that does not injure any of His perfections; but if they are left to
suffer the direful consequences of their apostasy, God is in nowise
unjust, for He inflicts no more upon them than they deserve. When a
large company of the angels and their chiefs, under Satan's lead,
conspiring against the Most High, proudly aspiring to a higher
position than had been allotted them, God promptly cast them down from
their exalted state, banished them from His presence, and doomed them
to suffer everlasting woe (2 Pet. 2:4). He had not a thought of mercy
toward those
In view of that unspeakably solemn example, it ought to be
unmistakably clear to each of us that God might, without the slightest
stain upon His own honor, without any unbecoming severity, have left
the whole of Adam's guilty race to suffer eternal destruction, for
certainly they had no more claim upon His favor than had the fallen
angels. That He did not immediately consign the entire family of
fallen mankind to irremediable woe, was due alone to His imperial
will. That He was pleased to appoint a remnant of them to obtain
salvation and eternal glory, is to be attributed solely to His
sovereign and amazing grace. That such a concept is no invention of
harsh theologians, but is plainly taught by the Word of God, is clear
from His own declarations. "Having predestinated us unto the adoption
of children by Jesus Christ to Himself according to the good pleasure
of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace"(Eph. 1:5, 6).
"Who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to
our works, but according to His own purpose and grace" (2 Tim. 1:9).
"Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His
good pleasure, which He has purposed in Himself"(Eph. 1:9). The
mystery refers to the everlasting covenant in which God arranged and
provided for the recovery and salvation of His people who fell in
Adam. In proof of which assertion we cite 1 Corinthians 2:7: "But we
speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which
God ordained before the world unto our glory" amplified in verses 9
and 10. Now that which is germane to our present design is, that God
"purposed in Himself"or resolved to reconcile some of the sons of men
to Himself, even though they had become guilty rebels against Him, and
this purpose He purposed "before the world began"(2 Tim. 1:9). One
portion or aspect of that purpose is expressly stated in what
immediately follows. "That in the dispensation of the fulness of times
He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are
in heaven, and which are on earth, even in Him" (Eph. 1:10). Sin
alienates and separates, but the putting away of sin by Christ healed
the breach between God and man, between believing Jews and Gentiles,
and between them and the holy angels. Now "The whole family in heaven
and in earth"(Eph. 3:15) is one --see
The restoration and reconciliation of His guilty and alienated people
is attributed to God's "good pleasure"whereof no reason is given save
that He purposed it in Himself which means that the idea was suggested
by none other and that no external motive influenced Him. There was no
necessity put upon Him for this resolution. Without the least dishonor
to Himself He might have destroyed the entire apostate race, yea, and
have been glorified in their destruction. He who was able out of
stones "to raise up children unto Abraham"(Matthew 3:9), could have
consigned Adam and Eve to eternal woe before they produced any
children, and have made a pair from the dust of the ground. There was
nothing whatever in the creature that moved God to show mercy unto
him. But there is another concept conveyed by this expression, namely,
the certainty and powerful efficacy of what He has decided upon. God
cannot possibly be disappointed in the accomplishment of His purpose,
for none can overthrow it; nor will He ever alter it. "My counsel
shall stand and I will do all My pleasure" (Isa. 46:10); "I am the
Lord. I change not"(Mal.
Here is sure and solid comfort for the spiritually awakened sinner.
The simple fact that God is merciful in His nature is not sufficient.
Satan knows that, but such knowledge affords him no peace! But the
Divine assurance "I will show mercy"(Ex. 33:19) opens a real door of
hope. Suppose that Christ had died and there had been no Gospel
revelation and proclamation of the Divine purpose of His death. The
mere knowledge of His crucifixion avails me nothing unless I am
assured that it was the will of God to accept Christ's death in lieu
of the death of believing sinners: "by which will we are sanctified
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Heb.
10:10). The will of God is not only the foundation of the mystery or
plan of redemption, but it is also its blessedness. This is the very
pith and preciousness of the Gospel. That it is the revealed will of
God to save and accept every sinner who puts his or her trust in the
atoning blood of Christ. "Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might
deliver us from (the corruption and doom) of this present evil world,
according to the will of God and our Father" (Gal. 1:4).
2. His love. A few may be surprised that we should distinguish between
the will and love of God, but probably a far greater number will
wonder why any explanation should be required from us for so doing.
Yet John Owen in his "Arguments against Universal Redemption"(chap. 8,
para. 5) said, "The eternal love of God towards His elect is nothing
by His purpose, good pleasure a pure act of His will, whereby He
determines to do such and such things for them in His own time and
way." And again, in his "Vindiciae Evangelicae"(chap. 29), after
referring to John 3:16 and other passages: "Now the love of God is an
eternal free act of His will, His purpose." Such a cold and bare
definition may suit philosophers, and metaphysicians, but it will
scarcely appeal to the hearts of the regenerate. When Scripture
affirms that Christ is the "Son of His love"(Col. 1:13) we are surely
to understand something more than that the Son is merely the Object on
which the Divine will is set. Rather do we believe, with many others,
that the Son is the Darling of the Father's heart. How, too, are we to
understand the Savior's representation of the Father in His welcome of
the returning prodigal. He "ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him"
(Luke 15:20). While we are far from believing that God's unfathomable
love in anywise resembles ours, as an emotion or passion, subject to
fluctuation, yet we refuse to regard it as a mere principle. When the
voice of the Father audibly declared "this is My beloved Son in whom I
am well pleased," He gave expression to the language of deep and warm
affection. When the Lord Jesus affirmed "The only begotten Son which
is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him" (John 1:18), we
grant that He employed an anthropomorphism (ascribing to God what
pertains properly to man), nevertheless we cannot allow that it was a
mere figure of speech devoid of real meaning. "God is love"(1 John
4:8), and no refinements of the most eminent theologians must be
suffered to rob us of the blessedness and preciousness of that
fundamental truth. All things issue from the will of God (Eph. 1:11),
but Scripture nowhere tells us that all things proceed from God's
love. The non-elect are the subjects of His will, but they are not the
objects of His love. Thus there is a clear
We greatly prefer the statement of Thos. Goodwin. Near the beginning
of his massive work on "Christ the Mediator,"he shows what was done by
God the Father from all eternity in connection with our salvation.
First, He points out His eternal purpose and grace, and then inquires
"If you would further know, What should be the reason of this strange
affection in our God (that is, exercised unto those who had rebelled
against Him): why the Scripture gives it. Our God being love, even
love itself."Love is an essential perfection in God's very nature, and
as it has pleased Him to exercise the same unto His elect. It is an
act of His will, yet not of His will absolutely considered but of "the
good pleasure of His will" toward them. All the acts of God unto His
people in Christ; all the blessings which He has bestowed upon them in
Christ, all His thoughts concerning them, all the operations of His
grace in them, and the workings of His providence for them, all the
manifestations of His kindness and mercy unto them, proceed from His
love for them. Love is the fountain from which flows every
The wondrous love of God for His people can only be known by its
blessed manifestations toward them. As the effects which it produces
discovers to us the nature of the cause which produces them, so the
love which God bears unto His elect is revealed by His acts unto them
and bestowments upon them. God's love for us does not commence when we
first respond to His gracious overtures unto us through the Gospel,
nor even when He capacitates us to respond by first quickening us into
newness of life, for His very calling of us out of darkness into His
own marvelous light proceeds from His love for us. Nor did God's love
for the Church begin when Christ died for her and put away her sins,
for it was because God so loved her that He gave up His beloved Son to
die in her room and stead. "I have loved you with an everlasting
love"(Jer. 31:2) is God's own ringing declaration. Therefore it was in
love that He "predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus
Christ unto Himself"(Eph. 1:4, 5), which is the foundation of all our
blessings. Nor did our fall in Adam 's love unto His elect.
Though our sin in Eden did not quench God's love for His people nor
even chill it to the slightest degree, yet that horrible disobedience
of theirs raised such formidable obstacles from the holiness of His
nature and the righteousness of His government, yea opposed such a
barrier against us as appeared to all finite intelligences, an
insuperable one to prevent the exercise of God's compassion unto His
guilty and corrupted people. In a word, the Law of God with its
inexorable demand for satisfaction, seemed to effectually prevent the
operation and manifestation of His love toward its transgressors.
Consider carefully an example on the human plane. Darius was induced
to sign a decree, that if any person asked a petition during the next
thirty days from any save himself, he should forfeit his life (Dan.
6). Daniel himself defied that decree, making supplication of his God
as before. His watchful enemies promptly reported this to the king and
demanded that Daniel should be cast into the den of lions. Darius was
displeased with himself "and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him,
and labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him"(v. 14). But
in vain. The honor of his law barred the outflow of his love; justice
triumphed over
Consider still another case. Absalom committed a grievous offence
against his father, for he sought to rob him of his sceptre and wrest
the kingdom from his hands, and furthermore, murdered another of his
sons. His attempt to gain the kingdom failed, and he fled the country,
and remained an exile for three years. David mourned for his son every
day and "longed to go forth unto him" (2 Sam. 13:39), but the honor of
his throne clearly prohibited such an action. When Joab perceived
"that the king's heart was toward Absalom"(14:1) and that he knew not
how to make an advance toward him without disgracing his character and
government he decided to further his own plans. Accordingly the
unscrupulous Joab resorted to guile and employed a woman to speak to
David, pleading that Absalom's crime might be pardoned, his attainder
reversed, and be released from banishment. Strangely enough she
reminded the king that God "doth devise means whereby His banished be
not expelled from Him"(v. 14). But such a task of restoring his son
without sullying his own honor was quite beyond David. The best he
could devise was "Let him turn to his own house; and let him not see
my face"(v. 24).
3. His wisdom. Where the wit of Darius completely failed before the
requirements of human law, the wisdom of God gloriously triumphed over
the obstacles interposed by the Divine Law. Where the wit of David
could contrive nothing better than a wretched compromise, for which he
later paid dearly, the omniscience of Deity found a way whereby His
banished sons are restored and which redounds unto His everlasting
honor. In pursuance of His gracious design to recover and reconcile
His elect from their fall and alienation, the love of God set His
consummate wisdom to work in contriving the fittest means for
accomplishing the same. Therefore it is that we read in connection
with God's grand purpose concerning our salvation that He "works all
things after the counsel of His own will"(Eph. 1:11). "He works all by
counsel to effect and bring to pass what His will is pitched upon, and
the stronger His will is in a thing, the deeper are His counsels as to
it" (Thos. Goodwin).
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The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 5
Its Need-Concluded
_________________________________________________________________
In our last we were only able to barely mention that the wisdom of God
was engaged in the salvation of His people. Before we attempt to
illustrate this particular aspect let us point out that it was in His
character of Judge that the Father then acted. It is most important
that this should be recognized, yea, essential if we are to view our
subject from the correct angle, for reconciliation was entirely a
judicial procedure. In Hebrews 12:23 God the Father is expressly
spoken of as "the Judge of all,"which is an official title. He it was
who passed sentence upon sinning Adam and all whom he represented as a
federal head. None but "the Judge of all,"could have "made Christ to
be sin" for His people, or them to be "the righteousness of God in
Him"(2 Cor. 5:21). "It is God that justifies"(Rom. 8:33). That is, it
is the Father as the Judge who actually and formally pronounces
righteous in His sight the sinner who believes on Christ. It is on
this two-fold ground that the apostle there argues the irreversibility
of our justification: that the sentence of justification is pronounced
by the Supreme Judge, and that, on the basis of the full satisfaction
which has
We closed our last by calling attention to the fact that the
determination of the Father to recover His lapsed people is described
as the purpose of Him who works all things after the counsel of His
own will which signifies there was an exercise of His infinite
understanding in devising how that resolve should be made good to His
own glory. To speak after the manner of men, the Father consulted with
Himself, called His omniscience into play, and drew up a plan in which
His "manifold wisdom"(Eph. 3:10) is exemplified. That many sided plan
is termed the mystery because it has to do with the deep things of God
(1 Cor. 2:7, 10). "There is variety in the mystery and mystery in
every part of the variety. It was not one single act, but a variety of
counsels met in it: a conjunction of excellent ends and means"
(Charnock). What those excellent ends and means were we shall now try
to set forth, yet knowing full well that our utmost efforts can convey
only a most inadequate and fragmentary idea of what will be our
wonderment and admiration for all eternity. God's consummate and
manifold
1. In Love's triumph over the Law. We begin here because it the better
links up with the closing paragraph of our last and the opening one of
this. Continuing that line of thought, be it said, the solution to the
problems raised by sin and the harmonization of Love and Law is termed
a "mystery"because it transcends human reason and can only be known by
Divine revelation. it is called "the hidden wisdom"of God because it
remained an impenetrable secret until He was pleased to disclose it.
No discovery of it was made in creation. Though "the heavens declare
the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork" yet they gave
no indication it is His will to show mercy unto rebels: rather does
the universe exhibit an inexorable reign of law. If a devoted mother
gives her child medicine from the wrong bottle, the result would be
the same as if an enemy poured poison down its throat. Break one of
Nature's laws, even in ignorance, and no matter how deep our regret,
there is no escaping the penalty. Divine Love has triumphed over the
Law not by trampling upon it, but by fully meeting its demands and
rendering it honorable. Divine wisdom contrived a way in which there
was no compromise between Love and Law, but
The way in which God has dealt with what to human wit appears
insolvable, both manifests His perfect wisdom and greatly redounds to
His glory. He has dealt with the problem raised by sin by taking it
into the court of His Law and settling it on a righteous basis. The
needs-be for that is evident. Sin is far too great an evil for man to
meddle with and every attempt he assays in that direction only makes
bad matters worse--as appears in both the social and international
spheres. Still more is this the case when man attempts to treat with
God. His very efforts to remove sin do but aggravate it, and any
attempt to approach God in spite of it only serves to increase his
guilt. None but God is capable of dealing with sin, either as a crime
or as pollution, as that which is a dishonor to Him or as it is a
barrier to our access to Him. Moreover as sin is too great an evil for
us to deal with, so righteousness is too high for the fallen creature
to reach unto, yea too high for holy creatures to bring down to us.
Only God Himself can bring near
Yes, God has dealt with the momentous issue raised by sin by taking it
into the court of His Law. For fallen man to have taken it there would
have inevitably meant the losing of his case, for he is a transgressor
of the Divine statute and a moral bankrupt utterly unable to make any
reparation for his offence. But His consummate wisdom enabled the
Judge of all to deal with it in such a manner that the honor of His
Law has been maintained unimpeached, and yet the case has been settled
on a basis equally favorable to God and the sinner! Settled in such a
way that the wondrous love of God is free to flow forth unto His
elect, children of disobedience though they be in themselves, without
ignoring or condoning their disobedience, and so that His love remains
a holy love. It is on that judicial settlement that an all sufficient
and final answer has been furnished to man's anguished and age-long
questions, "How then can man be justified before God? Or how can he be
clean that is born of a woman?"(Job 25:4). "Wherewith shall I come
before the Lord?"(Micah 6:6).
2. In exercising two Contrary principles in Redemption. This is an
achievement worthy of Omniscience. God is love, nevertheless, He is
"light"(1 John 1:5) as well. Not only is He full of kindness and
benevolence, but He is immaculately pure and holy. God is abundant in
mercy, but He is also just and "will by no means clear the
guilty."Here then are two of the Divine perfections moving in opposite
directions. How can such contraries be reconciled? Love goes out unto
the prodigal, but Light cannot look upon iniquity (Hab. 1:13). Mercy
would fain spare the offender, but justice demands his punishment.
Grace is ready to bestow a gratuitous salvation, but righteousness
insists that the defaulter cannot be released until he has "paid the
uttermost farthing"(Matthew 5:26). Shall then the tenderness of the
Father yield to the severity of the Judge? Or shall the rights of the
Judge give place to the desires of the Father? Each must be satisfied.
But how? Admire and adore that wondrous wisdom which devised a means
whereby "Mercy and Truth have met together, Righteousness and Peace
have kissed each other"
It is said God loves the sinner, but hates his sin. Yet that provides
no solution to the problem. For the question still returns, Will God
sink His love to the sinner in His hatred of his sin or allow His love
for the sinner to override His hatred for sin? God has sworn "The soul
that sins it shall die" (Ezek. 18:4). But He has also sworn "I have no
pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his
way and live" (Ezek. 33:11). The oath of justice and the oath of pity
appear irreconcilable. Must then one yield to the other? No, both must
stand. But how? In redemption God has manifested two opposite
perfections at the same time, and in one action, in which there is
shown supreme hatred of sin and superlative love of the sinner.
Justice and mercy are alike maintained its ground without compromise,
yea, has issued from the conflict honorable and glorious. Divine
wisdom contrived a plan whereby God has punished transgression without
scourging the transgressors, and has repaired the ruin
3. In appointing a suitable Mediator. Clearly this was the first step
necessary in order to a solution of the intricate problems to which we
have alluded. The fall of man placed him at an immeasurable distance
from God--"your iniquities have separated between you and your
God"(Isa. 55:2). Not only so but the fall produced an infinite moral
difference, man becoming polluted and a hater of God, God Himself
ineffably holy and at legal enmity with man. Such a breach appeared
unbridgeable, for on the one hand it became not the glory of His
nature nor the honor of His government for God to make any direct
advance towards rebellious subjects; and on the other hand, man had no
desire to be restored to His image of favor, and even if he had, was
barred from any, access to Him. Thus all intercourse between God and
men was at an end, an impasse was created, an utterly hopeless
situation seemed to exist. "Our God is a consuming fire"and who was
there that could interpose himself between Him and us? But Divine
wisdom provided a means and remedy, decreeing there should be a
Mediator who would bridge the distance and heal the difference between
them, affecting a mutual
But where was such an one to be found? One capable of laying his hand
upon both (Job 9:33). He must be entirely clear of any participation
in the offence. He must, on account of his personal excellence, stand
high in the esteem of the injured One. He must be a person of exalted
dignity if the weight of his mediation was to bear any proportion to
the magnitude of the crime and the value of the favor he would confer.
He must be able to fully maintain the interests and subserve the honor
of God. He must also possess a tender compassion towards the wretched
offenders or he would not cordially interest himself on their behalf.
And to give greater fitness to such a procedure it would be eminently
proper that he should be intimately related to each of the parties.
But where was one with so many and so necessary qualifications to be
found? There was no creature worthy of so high office and so honorable
an undertaking, no, not "in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the
earth"(Rev. 5:3). None but Omniscience had ever thought of appointing
God's own beloved and co-equal Son to take upon Him
4. In the union of such diverse natures in the person of Christ. It
was necessary that the Mediator should be a Divine person in order
that He might be independent and not the mere creature of either
party; in order that He might reveal the Father (John 1:18; 14:9), in
order to render unto the Law an obedience He did not owe for Himself
(as all creatures do) and be one of infinite value. And in order that
He might be capacitated to administer the realms of providence and
grace, which are committed to Him as Mediatorial Prince (Matthew
28:18; John 17:2). None other than God can forgive sins, impart
eternal life, restore the fallen creature to true liberty, or bestow
.the Holy Spirit. Yet it was equally necessary that the Mediator
should be Man. In order that He might truly represent men as "the last
Adam,"in order that He might be "made under the law"to obey it, in
order that He could suffer its death-penalty, and in order that, in
His glorified humanity, He might be Head of the Church. He was to be
"The Apostle and High Priest"(Heb. 3:1). God's Apostle unto us, our
"High Priest"with God, for He must both 's wrath and remove our
enmity.
But how furnish the Son for His office? How become partaker of human
nature without contracting its corruption? How unite Godhood and
manhood, the Infinite with the finite, Immortality with mortality,
Almightiness with weakness? How produce such a union that the two
natures were perfectly wedded in one Person and yet preserve their
distinctness, conjoined yet not confounded? So that the Deity was not
changed into flesh nor flesh transformed into God? Before the Word's
becoming flesh, must we not exclaim "O the depth of the riches both of
the wisdom and knowledge of God"(Rom. 11:33)! By that unique and
wondrous union Christ was fitted to be "the Mediator of a better
covenant"(Heb. 8:6). There was nothing that belonged to Deity which He
did not possess, and nothing that pertained to humanity but He was
clothed with (Heb. 2:17). He had the nature of Him that was offended
by sin, and of him that offended. "As sin was our invention (Eccl.
7:29) so Christ alone is God's and therefore is He called `The Wisdom
of God'(1 Cor. 1:24), which is not spoken of Him essentially as Second
Person, but as Mediator, because in Him God's wisdom "(Thos. Goodwin).
5. In constituting Christ the federal Head of His people. "When God in
wisdom had found a suitable Person, yet since thus must be His only
Son, here was a greater difficulty to be overcome: how to give Him for
us" (Thos. Goodwin). To satisfy both the requirements of His justice
and the abundance of His mercy, God determined that a full
satisfaction should be made unto His Law, and such a satisfaction that
it was thereby more honored than if it had never been broken, or the
whole race damned. In order thereto, He appointed that Christ should
serve as the Surety and Substitute of His people. He must stand as
their Representative and both fulfill all righteousness for them and
endure the curse in their stead, so that they might be legally
reckoned to have obeyed and suffered in Him. By transferring their
guilt to the Surety, God both punishes sin and pardons the sinner. In
the same stupendous Sacrifice God has upheld the claims of His Law and
lavished His kindness on His people. "The depths of God's love are
seen here, as of His wisdom before, in not sparing His own Son, but
exposing Him to all the rigors of "(Thos. Goodwin).
Christ then was made the "Surety of a better covenant"(Heb. 7:22).
There could be no thought of reconciliation between a holy God and
polluted rebels until sin had been put away and everlasting
righteousness brought in, and as our Surety the Lord Jesus
accomplished both. But O my reader, marvel at and stand in awe before
what that involved. It involved that He who was in the form of God
should take upon Him the form of a Servant. That the Lord of angels
should be laid in a manger. That the Maker of the universe should not
have anywhere to lay His head. That He should be constantly engaged in
doing good and injuring none, yet be cast out by the world and
deserted by His own followers. That the Lord of glory should be
condemned as a malefactor, His own holy face fouled by the vile
spittle of men and His back scourged by them. That the King of kings
should be nailed hand and foot to a convict's gibbet. That the Beloved
of the Father should be smitten and forsaken for Him. Such contrasts
transcend the wit of man and could never have been invented by him.
Must we not exclaim "O Lord, how great are Your works! Your thoughts
are very deep"(Ps. 92:5).
6. In overruling sin to our gain. What a marvel of Divine wisdom is
this: that God has not only removed the reproach which the entrance of
sin brought upon His government, but that He made sin to be the foil
for the greatest and grandest display of His perfections, and that He
has not only devised a plan whereby His people are completely
recovered from all the direful consequences and effects of the fall,
but that they obtain a vastly superior inheritance than was the
portion of unfallen Adam. God would have His people not only saved
from Hell, but also brought into Heaven, yet in such a way as should
be to the most honor of Himself and of His Son. The apostle speaks of
"the salvation which is in Christ with eternal glory"(2 Tim. 2:10).
Not only salvation, but a glorious one: one that is to the glory of
Him who contrived it, of Him who purchased it, of Him who applies it,
and of them who enjoy it. What a truly amazing thing is this that
shame should be the path to glory, that fallen sinners are enriched by
the Redeemer's poverty, that those groveling in the mire of sin should
be advanced to the 's making Himself "of no reputation."
What honor it brings to God's wisdom not only to restore fallen men,
but to make the fall issue in their superior excellence. If they had
only been restored to their forfeited estate and the enjoyment of that
happiness which they had lost, it had been a remarkable triumph of
grace, but to make them "joint-heirs with Christ"(Rom. 8:17) and
partakers of His glory (John 17:24) leaves us lost in amazement. It is
a mystery of nature that the corruption of one thing is made to
minister to the generation of another (as the bones of animals
fertilize vegetation), but it is a grander mystery of grace that our
fall in Adam should occasion a nobler restitution. Innocence was not
our last end. A superior felicity awaits us on High. Human nature is
raised to a far higher degree of honor than had man retained his
innocency, for through redemption and regeneration the elect are
vitally united to the God-man Mediator and made members of His Body.
The devil's empire is overthrown by
7. In winning rebels unto Himself. Having contemplated something of
the wisdom and love of the Father, the willingness and work of the
Son, here we are to behold (more distinctively) the power and grace of
the Holy Spirit. When He first draws near to the elect in their
unregenerate state He finds them in a most deplorable condition. Their
understandings are darkened by sin, their hearts are filled with
enmity toward God, their wills are steeled against Him. Not only have
they no regard for His glory, but they are without any desire for His
so-great salvation, yea positively and strongly averse to it. Here too
are obstacles which need removing, obstacles so formidable that
nothing short of omniscience and omnipotence could overcome the same.
How shall captives be delivered who are thoroughly satisfied with
their prison? How shall slaves be freed who are in love with their
bonds? Particularly, how shall that be effected while treating them as
rational and responsible beings, without offering violence to their
wills and reducing them to mere
Some may regard the above as a very exaggerated statement of the case,
supposing that a complete solution is found by presenting the Gospel
to them. But Scripture teaches, and experience and observation
verifies it, that the natural man has no eyes capable of beholding the
beauty of the Gospel, and that his heart is so desperately wicked he
will not receive the Saviour that it offers him. How then are such
creatures to be saved from themselves? How shall those who detest
holiness be brought to desire it? The dead in sins made to walk in
newness of life? That such a miracle is performed we know, but how it
is wrought we know not. Christ Himself declares it is a mystery as
inscrutable to man as the workings of the wind (John 3:8). All we know
is that life, light, love and supernaturally communicated, by which
the unwilling are made willing. Not by compelling them to do what they
abhor, but by sweetly overcoming their aversion. "With lovingkindness
have I drawn you" (Jer. 31:3).
8. In making our holiness and happiness conserve each other. This is
yet another of the marvels of God's wisdom: that He has contrived that
the same Gospel which secures our everlasting felicity shall also
promote our present purity. The sanctity of God Is not comprised by
His clemency to sinners, for the Redeemer is Himself both the
principle and pattern of holiness unto all who are saved by Him.
Moreover, the same grace to send His Son to die for us gives the Holy
Spirit to renew us according to the Divine image and thereby make us
meet for communion with Him. What a wonder of Divine wisdom to so
highly exalt those who are so utterly unworthy in themselves and yet
at the same time effectually humble that they cry "Not unto us, O
Lord, not unto us, but unto Your name give glory, for Your mercy and
for Your truth's sake"(Ps. 115:1). God's lovingkindness unto His
people neither loosens the bonds of duty nor breaks that relation in
which they stand to Him as their sovereign Lord and Governor. The
Gospel does not permit its beneficiaries to return hatred for love nor
contempt for benefit, but lays them under deeper obligations of
gratitude to obedience. Those chosen to salvation are also
"predestinated to be conformed unto the image of God's Son." The law
of faith requires us to submit to Christ's sceptre as well as depend
upon His sacrifice.
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The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 6
Its Arrangement
_________________________________________________________________
In our last we dwelt upon God's decision to redeem and reconcile
fallen rebels. His love originating, His will determining, and His
wisdom planning the outworking of the same. In illustrating how the
Divine wisdom found a solution to all the formidable problems which
stood in the way, we unavoidably anticipated somewhat the ground which
we hoped to cover in future articles. That Divine decision and scheme
was "eternally purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Eph.3:11.), for
God's purpose to reconcile and His provision for the same are
inseparable. That purpose respected not simply the exercise of mercy
unto His lapsed people, but also the exercise of it in such a way that
His Law was honored. Yet it must not be supposed that God was under
any moral necessity of saving His people, or that redemption was an
expedient to deliver the Divine character from reproach on account of
the strictness of the Law in condemning all transgressors--no
atonement was provided for the fallen angels! Rather has redemption
vindicated the Law, and that in such a way that no transgressor is
exempted from suffering its curse, either in
Reconciliation has been procured by the incarnate Son, the Lord Jesus
Christ, for He is the grand and all-sufficient Provision of God for
the accomplishing of His purpose. But it was effected by the Lord
Jesus in fulfillment of a Covenant agreement. Unless that be clearly
perceived we are without the principal key to the understanding of
this stupendous undertaking. There was a time when Christians
generally were well instructed in Covenant truth, but alas, a
generation has grown up the great majority of which have heard nothing
or next to nothing on it. It will therefore be necessary for us to
proceed slowly in connection with this fundamental aspect of our
subject and enter into considerable detail, for we do not ask the
reader to receive ought from our pen until clearly convinced it is in
full accord with and has the definite backing of God's Word. A few of
our readers are more or less familiar with what we shall advance, yet
it will do them no harm to have brought before them again the
foundation on which faith should rest and to ponder the proofs which
we now bring forward. The great majority of our readers know that "it
is the blood (and that alone, plus nothing from us) that makes an
atonement for the soul"(Lev. 17:11), but we wonder how many of them
have pondered and grasped the purport of that blessed and remarkable
statement "The God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord
Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of
everlasting covenant" (Heb.13:20). That implies, first, that there was
a covenant-agreement between God and our Lord Jesus; second, that it
was a covenant made with Him as the Head of His people--"that great
Shepherd of the sheep;"third, that Christ performed the condition of
the covenant; fourth, that it was as the propitiated and reconciled
One that God here acted; fifth, that it was in fulfillment of covenant
purpose that He raised Christ; sixth, that Christ's blood was the
meritorious ground on which He (and all the saints in Him) was
delivered from the prison of the grave; seventh, that hereby the
Church has Divine assurance of its complete redemption and salvation.
We cannot dwell upon these points but would request a careful weighing
of them as
Three things are necessary in order to a "covenant" the parties, the
terms, the agreement. A "covenant"is a solemn pact or contract in
which there are certain "articles"or conditions to be performed, in
return for which performance an agreed award is promised and assured.
It is a mutual agreement in which one party guarantees a stipulated
return for the other's fulfillment of the work he had pledged himself
to undertake. It is an agreement entered into voluntarily by both
parties (see Matthew 26:15). The two parties in "the everlasting
covenant"were the Father and the Son--the Holy Spirit concurring
therein, being the Witness, and agreeing to co-operate in the same. In
Scripture the Father is represented as taking the initiative in this
matter, proposing to His Son the terms of the covenant. The Father
proposed a federal transaction in which the Son should take upon Him
the Mediatorial office and serve as the Head of His people, thereby
assuming and discharging their liabilities and bringing in an
everlasting righteousness for them. The Son is represented as
It needs to be pointed out and emphatically insisted upon that the Son
was not so circumstanced antecedently to His susception of the
Mediatorial office that He could not have avoided the humiliation and
sufferings which He endured. We shall explain later the precise
meaning of His words "My Father is greater than I"(John 14:28),
"neither came I of Myself but He sent Me" (John 8:42), "this
commandment (to lay down His life) have I received of My Father"(John
10:18); sufficient now to point out they have no reference whatever to
His condition and position prior to the Covenant, for He then enjoyed
absolute equality with the Father in every way. The Son might have
resigned the whole human race to the dire consequences of their
apostasy and have remained Himself everlastingly blessed and glorious.
It was by His own voluntary consent that He entered into covenant
engagement with the Father. In that free consent lay the excellency of
it. It was His willing obedience and personal merits which gave
infinite value to His oblation. Behind that willingness lay His
On the other hand it is equally true that though the Son had pitied,
yea to loved the elect (fore viewed as fallen) that He was willing to
become their Surety and Substitute, yet He could not have redeemed
them without the Father's acceptance of His sacrifice. The Father too
must consent to such an undertaking. Thus, there must be a mutual
agreement between Them. The relation which Christ assumed to His
people and the work He did for them presupposed the Father's
willingness to it. Before passing on it must also be pointed out that
in consenting to become Mediator and Servant, and as such in
subjection to the Father, the Son did not surrender any of His
perfections not relinquish any of His Divine rights, but He agreed to
assume an inferior office and for a season to be subordinate to the
Father's will. This was for the glory of the whole Godhead and the
salvation of His people. After He became incarnate He was still in
possession of His essential glory, though He was pleased to veil it in
large measure from men and make Himself of "no reputation"
Before adducing proof-texts of the covenant made between the Father
and the Son, let us call attention to a number of passages which
clearly imply it and which otherwise are not fully intelligible. Take
Christ's very first recorded utterance after He became incarnate: "Do
you not know that I must be about My Father's business"(Luke 2:49).
Did not that intimate He had entered this world with a clearly defined
and Divinely designed task before Him? "I came clown from heaven not
to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me"(John 6:38) is
even more explicit. Such subordination of one Divine person to another
argues a mutual agreement between Them, and that, for some unique end.
"Say you of Him whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the
World; You blaspheme, because I said, I am the Son of God?" (John
10:36). Observe carefully the order of the two verbs: Christ was
"sanctified"by the Father--that is, set apart and consecrated to His
mediatorial office--before He was "sent" into the world! "Other sheep
I have . . . them also I must bring" (John 10:16)--why "must"unless He
was under
That Christ went to the cross in fulfillment of a covenant-agreement
may be gathered from His own words: "truly the Son of man goes as it
was determined"(Luke 22:22), with which should be linked "Of a truth
against Your holy child Jesus, whom You have anointed, both Herod and
Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were
gathered together, for to do whatsoever Your hand and Your counsel
determined before to be done" (Acts 4:27, 28). When you stand before
the cross and gaze by faith upon its august Sufferer recognize that He
was there fulfilling the compact into which He entered with the Father
before the world was. His blood shedding was necessary--"ought not
Christ to have suffered these things!" (Luke 24:26). He asked--because
of the relation He sustained to His people as their Surety. He was
pledged to secure their salvation in such a way as glorified God and
magnified His Law, for that had been Divinely "determined" and
mutually agreed upon in the everlasting Covenant. Had not Christ died
there had been no atonement, no reconciliation to God; equally true is
Every passage where Christ own the Father as His God witnesses to the
same truth. When Jehovah established His covenant with Abraham He
promised "I will. . .be a God unto You and to your seed" (Gen. 17:8),
and therefore when He "remembered His covenant with Abraham, with
Isaac and with Jacob"(Ex. 2:25) and revealed Himself to Moses at the
burning bush preparatory to delivering His people from Egypt, He
declared Himself to be "The Lord God of your fathers: the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob: this is My name
forever and this is My memorial to all generations"(Ex. 3:15). This is
My covenant title and the guarantee of My covenant faithfulness. So
too the grand promise of the new covenant is "I . . .will be their
God" (Jer. 31:33 and Heb. 8:10). If then the Father had entered into
covenant with His Son we should expect to find Him owning Him as His
God during the days of His flesh. And this is exactly what we do find.
"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me"was not only a cry of agony,
but an acknowledgement of covenant relationship. "I ascend to My
Father and your Father, and to My God and your God"(John 20:17). So
also after His ascension. He declared, "Him that overcomes will I make
a pillar in the Temple of My God. . .and I will write upon Him the
Name of My God, and the name of the city of My God" (Rev. 3:12).
Turning to the Epistles we find many passages which presuppose the
Father's covenant with Christ before creation on behalf of His people.
"Who has saved us. . .according to His own purpose and grace which was
given us in Christ Jesus before the world began"(2 Tim. 1:9). Even at
that time, if time it may be called, there was a federal relationship
subsisting between Christ and the Church, though it was not made fully
manifest until He became incarnate. That subsisting relationship
formed the basis of the whole economy of Divine grace toward them
after the fall, as it was the ground on which God pardoned the O. T.
saints and bestowed spiritual blessings upon them. "In hope of eternal
life which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world was"(Titus
1:2). Does not that "promised" imply an agreement that God made
promise to Christ as the Covenant Head and to His people in Him?
Christ was faithful to Him that appointed Him (Heb. 3:2). As
"obedience"implies a precept, so "faithfulness"connotes a trust, and a
trust wherein one has engaged himself to perform that trust according
to directions given
Passing now from indirect allusions to what is more specific, we begin
with Psalm 89:3. "I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn
unto David My Servant."The immediate allusion is to the historical
David, but the spiritual reference is to David's Son and Lord. This is
clear from many considerations. First, the striking and lofty manner
in which this Psalm opens intimates that its leading theme must be one
of great weight and value. "I will sing of the mercies of the Lord
forever, with my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all
generations. For I have said, Mercy shall be built up forever, Your
faithfulness shall You establish in the very heavens"(vv. 1, 2). Such
language denotes that no ordinary or common "mercies"are in view, but
those which when apprehended fill the hearts of the redeemed with holy
songs and cause them to magnify the fidelity of Jehovah as nothing
else does. Thus, such an introduction should prepare us to expect
Divine revelation of
Second, "I have made a covenant with My Chosen" (same word as My Elect
in Isa. 42:1). I have sworn unto David (which means Beloved) My
Servant. In the following passages it may be seen that Christ is
expressly referred to as "David"by the prophets (Jer. 30:9; Ezek.
34:23; 37:24; Hosea 3:5) and let it be duly borne in mind that all
those predictions were made long after the historical David had passed
away from this scene. "You spake in vision to Your Holy One and said:
I have laid help upon One that is mighty, I have exalted One chosen
out of the people (Deut. 18:15), 1 have found David My Servant, with
My holy oil have I anointed Him" (vv. 19, 20). Who can doubt that a
greater than the son of Jesse is here before us? But more: God goes on
to say "I will make Him My Firstborn higher than the kings of the
earth.. .My covenant shall stand fast with Him"(vv. 27, 28)--does not
that establish beyond a doubt the identity of the One with whom
Jehovah made the covenant! Such
Third, the covenant promises here made establish the same fact. "His
seed will I make to endure forever and His throne as the days of
heaven"(v. 29)--the throne of the historical David perished over two
thousand years ago! That this promise was to be fulfilled in Christ is
clear from Luke 1:31-33, where it was said to Mary. You "shall call
His name Jesus. He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the
Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father
David, and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever and of His
kingdom there shall be no end." Another proof that it is not the
typical David who is viewed in this Psalm appears in "If His children
forsake My Law . . . then will I visit their transgression with the
rod"(vv. 30-32). Had it been the successor of Saul who was the subject
of this Psalm it had said "If he shall break My Law. . .! will visit
his transgression with the rod" --as he was sorely chastised for so
grievously wronging Uriah. No, it is Christ and His spiritual children
who are referred to, and it is because of 's covenant with Him that He
casts then not off. (See vv. 33-36).
Fourth, in Acts 13:34 Paul proved the resurrection of Christ thus: "As
concerning that He raised Him from the dead to return no more to
corruption, He said on this wise: I will give you the sure mercies of
David."But in what did that quotation from Isaiah 55:3 provide proof?
By the resurrection of Christ the "sure mercies of David"are confirmed
unto His children. If they are in possession of them, then Christ must
have risen! That word of Paul's looks back beyond Isaiah 55 to Psalm
89, which, as we have seen, begins thus: "I will sing of the mercies
of the Lord forever." The principal mercies are "I have made a
covenant with My chosen . . . Your seed will I establish forever, and
build up Your throne for all generations"(vv. 3, 4). Here then are
"the sure mercies of David:" that God has covenanted to raise up
Christ and set Him at His own right hand from where, on His
mediatorial throne, He communicates those mercies to His seed. All
doubt on this point is removed by Peter's avowal that through David
God had sworn that "Of the fruit of his loins . . . He would raise up
Christ to sit on His throne"(Acts 2:30 and see v. 33).
On Psalm 89:3, 4 the immortal Toplady said, "Do you suppose that this
was spoken to David in his own person only? No, indeed; but to David
as the type, figure, and forerunner of Jesus Christ. `I have sworn
unto David My Servant' unto the Messiah, who was typified by David,
unto My co-equal Son, who stipulated to take upon Himself `the form of
a servant.'`Your seed' all those that I have given unto you in the
decree of election; all those whom you shall live and die to redeem.
Those `will I establish forever,'so as to render their salvation
irreversible and inadmissible. `And build up Your Throne:'Your
mediatorial throne, as King of saints and covenant Head of the elect.
`To all generations:'there shall always be a succession of favored
sinners to be called and sanctified, in consequence of Your federal
obedience unto death, and every period of time shall recompense Your
covenant sufferings with an increasing revenue of converted souls,
until as many as were ordained to eternal life shall be gathered in"
(Author of that precious hymn "Rock of Ages").
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The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 7
Its Arrangement-Continued
_________________________________________________________________
A solemn covenant was entered into between the Father and the Son
before ever the world was. A compact was made in which the Father
assigned the Son to be the Head and Saviour of His elect, and in which
the Son consented to act as the Surety and Sponsor of His people.
There was a mutual agreement between Them, of which the Holy Spirit
was both the Witness and Recorder. It was in there that the Son was
appointed unto the Mediatorial office, when He was "set up"(or
anointed as the Hebrew signifies), when He was "brought forth" from
the eternal decree (Prov. 8:23,24) and given a covenant subsistence as
the God-man. It was then that Christ as a lamb without blemish and
without spot "verily was foreordained before the foundation of the
world"(1 Pet. 1:18, 19). It was then that every thing was arranged
between the Father and, the Son, concerning the redemption of the
Church. It is this which throws such a flood of light upon many
passages in the N.T. which otherwise are shrouded in mystery.
As the One more especially offended (1 John 2:1) the Father is
represented as taking the initiative in this matter: "I have made a
covenant with My Chosen" (Ps. 89:3), yet the very fact that it was a
"covenant" necessarily implied the willing concurrence of the Son in
it. Before the covenant was settled there was a conference between
Them. As there was a conferring together of the Divine Persons
concerning our creation (Gen. 1:26), so there was a consultation
together over our reconciliation, as to how peace could be righteously
made between God and His enemies and as to how their enmity against
Him might be slain; and thus we are told "the counsel of peace shall
be between Them both"(Zech. 6:13). The terms which the Father proposed
unto the Son may be gathered from the office He assumed and the work
He performed, for the relation into which He entered and the task He
discharged were but the actual fulfilling of the conditions of the
covenant. The Son's acceptance of those terms, His willingness in
entering office and discharging its duties, is clearly revealed in
both Testaments.
This covenant was made by the Father with Christ on behalf of His
people: "Your seed will I establish forever"follows immediately after
Psalm 89:3. So again "My covenant shall stand fast With Him: His seed
also will I make to endure forever"(vv. 28,29). In the next verses His
seed are termed "His children" andshould they be unruly God says "I
will visit their transgression with the rod, nevertheless My
lovingkindness will I not take from Him"-- showing their covenant
oneness with Him. The elect were committed to Christ as a charge or
trust so that He is held accountable for their eternal felicity: "Of
them which You gave Me have I lost none"(John 18:9). Since the
covenant was made with Christ as the Head of the elect it was
virtually made with them in Him, they having a representative
concurrence therein.
The terms of the covenant may be summed up thus. First, it was
required that Christ should take upon Him the form of a Servant, be
made in the likeness of men, and act as the Surety of His people.
Second, it was required of Him that He should render a full and
perfect obedience to the Law and thereby provide the meritorious means
of their justification. Third, it was required of Him that He should
make full satisfaction for their sins, by serving as their Substitute
and having visited upon Him the entire curse of the Law. In
consideration of His acceptance of those terms the Father promised Him
adequate supports; and on fulfillment of the task prescribed,
specified rewards were promised Him. Let us briefly amplify these
points. Little needs to be said on the first, for it should be clear
to the reader that in order for the Son to render obedience to the Law
He must become a subject of it and be under its authority. Equally
evident is it that to be the Substitute of His people and suffer the
penalty of their sins. He must become partaker of their nature--yet
without sharing its defilement.
It was required from our Surety that He should comply in every respect
with the precepts of the Divine Law. Such obedience was required of
man originally under the Adamic covenant, and since the nature of God
and His relation to the creature changes not, that requirement holds
good forever. If then a Surety engages to discharge all the
obligations of God's elect then He must necessarily meet that
requirement on their behalf, which is only another way of saying that
He would thereby provide or bring in an everlasting righteousness for
them. "There was no possibility that man could obtain happiness unless
this obedience was performed by him, or by another whom the Law should
admit to act in his name. `If you will enter into life, keep the
commandments' (Matthew 19:17) is the answer which the Law returns to
the sinner who asks what he shall do to inherit eternal life. It is
evident the same obedience was required from our Saviour when acting
as our federal Head" (J. Dick).
The Father required from our Surety full satisfaction for the sins of
His people. Since they had broken the Divine Law its penalty must be
inflicted, either on them or on One who was prepared to suffer in
their room. But before the penalty could be inflicted the guilt of the
transgressors must be transferred to Him. That is to say, their sins
must be judicially imputed to Him. To that arrangement the Holy One
willingly consented, so that He who "knew no sin" was legally "made
sin"for His people. God laid on Him the iniquities of them all, and
therefore the sword of Divine justice smote Him and exacted
satisfaction. Without the shedding of blood there was no remission of
sins. The blotting out of transgressions, procuring for us the favor
of God, the purchase of the heavenly inheritance, required the death
of Christ.
The Son's free acceptance of those terms is revealed in Psalm 40. All
the best of the commentators from Calvin to Spurgeon have expounded
this Psalm throughout of Christ as the Head of His Church. Its opening
verses contain His personal thanksgiving for deliverance from death
and the grave, but in His new song He makes mention of "our God"(v.
3)--His people sharing His glorious triumph. In verse 5 Christ owns
Jehovah as "My God"and speaks of His thoughts to "Usward," that is, to
the elect as one with Himself. But it is in verses 6-10 we have that
which is most germane to our present subject--a passage quoted in
Hebrews 10, and which looks back to the far distant past. The force of
"sacrifice and offering You did not desire"(v. 6) is given us in "it
is not possible that the blood of bulls, and goats should take away
sins"(Heb. 10:4). "My ears have You digged"speaks in the type of
Exodus 21:5, 6 and tells of our Lord's readiness to serve and His love
to His Father and His children. "A body have You prepared Me"(Heb.
10:5) announces the Son's coming into this world equipped for His
arduous undertaking.
"Then said I:" when alternatives had been discussed and it was agreed
that animal sacrifices were altogether inadequate for satisfying
Divine justice. "Lo, I come"willingly of My own volition--from the
ivory palaces to the abodes of misery. Those words signified His
cheerful acceptance of the terms of the covenant. "In the volume of
the book it is written of Me:"thus it was recorded at the very
beginning of the Divine decrees--of which the Scriptures are a
faithful transcript--that I should make My advent to earth. Thus it
was registered by the Holy Spirit who witnessed My solemn engagement
with the Father so to do. Thus it was formally and officially
inscribed that in the fullness of time I should become incarnate and
accomplish a purpose which lay beyond the capacity of all the holy
angels. "I delight to do You will, O My God" tells us first of the
object for which He came--to make good the Father's counsels; second,
His freeness and joy in it; third, the character in which He acted--as
covenant Head: "My God."
"I delight to do Your will, O My God."Here consists the very essence
of obedience: the soul's cheerful and loving devotion to God. Christ's
obedience, which is the righteousness of His people, was pre-eminent
in this quality. Not withstanding unparalleled sorrows and measureless
griefs our Lord found delight on His work. "Who for the joy that was
set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame"(Heb. 12:2).
"Yea, Your Law is within My heart"He declared. No mere outward and
formal subjection to the Divine will was His. That Law which is "holy,
just and good"(Rom. 7:12) was enshrined in His affections. "O how love
I Your Law"(Ps. 119:97) He averred. The Law did not have to be written
on His heart, as it has on ours (Heb. 8:10), for it was one with the
holiness of His nature. Then what a horrible crime for any to speak
disparagingly of or want to be delivered from that Law which Christ
loved!
The two things--the Father's proposing the terms of the covenant and
the Son's free acceptance of them--are brought together in a striking
yet rarely considered passage. "And their Noble (the Hebrew is in the
singular number) shall be of themselves and their Governor shall
proceed from the midst of them, and I will cause Him to draw near, and
He shall approach Me: for Who is this that engaged His heart to
approach Me, says the Lord"(Jer. 30:21). That is one of the great
Messianic prophecies, and it is closely parallel with Psalm 89:19, 20,
27. In it we see the Father taking the initiative, and equally so the
Son's cheerful compliance. The Son is to become incarnate, for He was
to "proceed from the midst of"the people of Israel. He was to be their
"Governor,"and in order thereto is seen "approaching" the Father, or
voluntarily presenting Himself to serve in that capacity. His free
consent and heartiness so to act appears in His "that engaged His
heart to approach Me."
We cannot now enter into the connections of the above verse, but if
the reader compares verse 9 of the same chapter and ponders what
follows, he will rind confirmation of our interpretation. There the
Father announced, "They shall serve the Lord their God and David their
King, whom I will raise up (not from the grave, but exalt to office,
as in Deut. 18:15; Luke 1:69 etc.) unto them."That can be meant of
none other than Christ, the antitypical David, for "serve"includes
rendering Divine homage (Matthew 4:10), and worship will never be
performed to the resurrected son of Jesse. Now it is the antitypical
David, the Father's "Beloved,"who is the King and Governor of the
spiritual Israel and to whom Divine honors are paid. And He is the One
who before earth's foundation was laid "engaged His heart," or as the
Heb. signifies "became a Surety in His heart" (for so the word is
rendered in Gen. 44:32, Prov. 6:1 etc.,) and that is the ground of the
covenant which follows: "and you shall be My people and I will be your
God"(v. 22).
Before looking at some of the assurances made by the Father of
adequate assistance to His incarnate Son in the discharge of His
covenant engagements, we must consider closely the office in which He
served. In previous articles we pointed out the needs be for a
Mediator if God and His people were to be reconciled in a way that
honored His Law, as we also intimated His consummate wisdom in such an
arrangement, and showed the perfect fitness of Christ for such an
office. As the Mediator He was to serve as our Surety and also fulfill
the functions of Prophet, Priest and King. As the Mediator He was "set
up" or "anointed"from the beginning (Prov. 8:23): that is, was given a
covenant subsistence as such before God, in which He acted all through
the O.T. era. The prophets (equally with the apostles) were His
ministers, and therefore the Spirit who spoke in them is termed "the
Spirit of Christ"(1 Pet. 1:11). In Zechariah 1:11, 12 and 3:2 we find
Him interceding: and in anticipation of the incarnation He appeared as
"Man" (Josh 5:13, 14; Dan. 12:6, 7).
Christ is Mediator in respect of His person as well as office. Only
thus could He be the Representative of God unto us, the Image of the
invisible God, the One in whom He is seen (John 14:9), the light of
whose glory shines in His face (2 Cor. 4:6). It must be ever
remembered that it was a Divine person who became flesh, and it is
equally necessary to insist that the whole of His mediatory work is
inseparably founded on the exercise of both of His natures. It is
quite unwarrantable to predict certain things of His Divine nature and
others of His human, for though not confounded there is perfect
oneness between them. It was the God-man who was tempted, suffered and
died-- "the Lord's death"(1 Cor. 11:26). This is indeed a subject
beyond human comprehension, nevertheless, thought "great is the
mystery of godliness"yet it is "without controversy"(1 Tim. 3:16) unto
all those who bow to the all-sufficient authority of Divine revelation
and receive the same as "little children."
As the Mediator Christ became the Father's "Servant"(Isa. 42:1; Phil.
2:7). Yet in so doing He ceased not to be a Divine person, but rather
the God-man in whom "dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily"
(Col. 2:9). As our Surety Christ became subordinate to the Father's
will, nevertheless He still retained all His Divine perfections and
prerogatives. When the Holy Spirit announced that unto a Child should
be born and a Son given, He was careful to declare that such an One
was none other than "the mighty God"(Isa. 9:6). When the Father
brought His Firstbegotten into the world He gave orders "Let all the
angels of God worship Him"(Heb. 1:6). Yet as our Surety and the
Father's Servant He was sent into the world, received commandment from
His Father and became obedient unto death. Retaining as He did His
Divine perfections He could rightly say "I and My Father are one"(John
10:30), co-equal and co-glorious; yet as the Servant "My Father is
greater than I"(John 4:28)--not essentially so but officially, not by
nature but by virtue of the place which He had taken. This distinction
throws a flood of light upon many passages.
To be Himself "the true God"( John 5:20) and yet subject to
God--owning Him as "My God;"to be the Law-Giver and yet "under the
Law"(Gal. 4:4), to be one with the Father and yet inferior to Him, to
be "The Lord of glory"(1 Cor. 2:8) and yet "made both Lord and
Christ"(Acts 2:36), are, according to all human reason and logic,
inconsistent properties: nevertheless Scripture itself expressly
predicates these very things of one and the same Person--yet looked at
in different relationships! In the days of His flesh Christ was "over
all, God blessed forever"(Rom. 9:6), yet as our Surety "the Head of
Christ is God"(1 Cor. 11:3). While walking this earth as the Man of
sorrows the disciples beheld His glory "as of the Only-begotten of the
Father"(John 1:4), yet as our Substitute He was "crucified through
weakness"(2 Cor. 3:4). As God manifest in flesh He both laid down His
life and took it again (John 10:18). but as our Shepherd God "brought
again from the dead our Lord Jesus"(Heb. 3:20). There is perfect
harmony amid wondrous variety.
Christ's entrance into covenant engagement was entirely voluntary on
His part: there existed no prior obligation, nor was there any
authority by which He could be compelled to it. As the Father's
"Fellow"He was subject to no law and acknowledged no superior, supreme
dominion was Him, and He "thought it not robbery to be equal with
God"(Phil. 2:6). But having freely entered into the covenant and
agreed to fulfill its terms, the Son became officially subordinate to
the Father, and as our Surety He "sent Him into the world"(John 13:7),
and as our Surety he was "anointed"with the Holy Spirit and with power
(Acts 10:38), was "delivered up for us all" (Rom. 8:32), was raised
from the dead (Acts 2:24), was "given all power"(Matthew 28:18), was
elevated to the right hand of the Majesty on high (Heb. 1:3), was
exalted "to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to
Israel and forgiveness of sins" (Acts 5:31), and was "ordained of God
to be the Judge of quick and dead"(Acts10:42). Thus, the very passage
over which "Unitarians"have stumbled and broken their necks speak of
Christ not in His essential Person but in His mediatorial office: the
former giving value to the latter, the latter endearing the former to
our hearts.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 8
Its Arrangement-Continued
_________________________________________________________________
Upon the Son's cheerful acceptance of the terms proposed to Him
concerning the federal undertaking He was to engage in, the Father in
turn bound Himself to do certain things for and unto the Son. This it
was which constituted the very essence of that compact which was made
by Them, for a covenant is an agreement between two parties who come
under mutual engagements. Something is to be done by one party, in
consequence of which the other party binds himself to do another thing
in return. As there must be two parties to a covenant, so there must
be two parts in a covenant--a condition and a promise. It is the
performing of the condition or terms of the covenant--the work or
service specified--which gives the first party the right to the
promised reward. Having already shown what Christ consented to do, we
turn now to consider what the Father promised to bestow. First, He
agreed to make all needful preparations for the incarnation of His
Son. Second, to give Him all requisite assistance in the performing of
His work. Third, to bestow upon Him a meet reward.
The promise to make all needful preparation for the incarnation of His
Son comprehended the whole of the Father's providences or governance
of this world from the creation of man until Christ began His public
ministry: "My Father works until this time, and (now) I work"(John
5:17). The Father's "work"included the ordering of human history, and
particularly His dealings with Abraham and his descendants and the
separation of Israel from the rest of the nations, for it was from
Israel that Christ, according to the flesh, would issue. The Father's
"work"included the giving of a written revelation, in which the
covenant was made known and the advent of His Son promised, so that an
expectation of His appearing was created and a foundation was laid for
His mission. The Father's "work"also involved the "preparation of a
body" for His Son, which was accomplished by the miracle of the virgin
birth. When "the fullness of time was come--when all the necessary
preparations were completed--God sent forth His Son, made of a woman"
(Gal. 4:4).
The Father promised to give His Son all requisite help for the
performing of His work. First, in order for the discharge of His
mediatorial office there was that which fitted Him to it. "There shall
come forth a Rod out of the stem of Jesse and a Branch shall grow of
his roots. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him: the spirit
of wisdom and understanding and spirit of counsel and might, the
spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord" (Isa. 11:1, 2). Upon
which the Puritan Charnock said, "All the gifts of the Spirit should
reside in Him as in a proper habitation, perpetually. The human nature
being a creature could not beautify and enrich itself with needful
gifts. This promise of the Spirit was therefore necessary. His
humanity could not else have performed the work it was designed for.
So that the habitual holiness residing in the humanity of Christ was a
fruit of this eternal covenant. Though the Divine nature of Christ, by
virtue of its union, might sanctify the human nature, yet the Spirit
was promised Him because it is His proper office to confer those gifts
which are necessary for any undertaking in the world; and the personal
operations of the Trinity do not interfere. It might also be because
every person in the Trinity should plainly have a distinct hand in our
redemption."
The Father, then, furnished and equipped Christ for His arduous work
by a plentiful effusion of the graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Thus He declared "Behold My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect in whom My
soul delights: I have put My Spirit upon Him"(Isa. 42:1,2). Those
promises were fulfilled at His baptism, when the Spirit descended upon
Him (Matthew 3:16), for it was then that "God anointed Jesus of
Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power"(Acts 10:38). This was
freely owned by the Saviour Himself, for in the synagogue He read "The
Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach
the Gospel to the poor, He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to
preach deliverance to the captive, and recovering of sight to the
blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised"and then declared "This
day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears" (Luke 4:18,21). So too
we find Him acknowledging "I cast out demons by the Spirit of
God"(Matthew 12:27).
Second, the Father promised to invest His Son with a threefold office.
In order to the saving of His people it was most requisite that
whatever Christ did He should act by the authority of the Father, by a
commission under the broad seal of Heaven. Accordingly He said "I will
raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren"(Deut. 18:15,18 and
see Acts 3:22). Christ did not run without being sent. It was God who
"anointed Him to preach." Again, "Christ glorified not Himself to be
made an High Priest (He did not intrude Himself into that office), but
He that said unto Him, You are My Son"(Heb. 5:5); Christ was "made a
High Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek"(Heb. 6:20). So
also God the Father invested Him with the royal office: "yet have I
set My King upon My holy hill of Zion" (Ps. 2:6). "I will raise unto
David a righteous Branch and a King shall reign and prosper" (Jer.
23:5), for the "the Father loves the Son and has given all things into
His hand"(John 3:35); and therefore has He made Him "higher than the
kings of the earth"(Ps. 89:27).
Third, the Father promised Christ strength, support and protection to
execute the great work of redemption. His undertaking would be
attended with such difficulties that creature power, though unimpaired
by sin, would have been quite inadequate for it. It was to be
performed in human nature, and that had failed in a much easier task,
even when possessed of untainted innocence. Therefore did the Father
assure Him of help and succor, to carry Him through all the obstacles
and dangers, trials and opposition He would meet with. "Behold My
Servant whom I uphold.. . .I the Lord have called You in righteousness
and will hold Your hand and keep You, and give You for a covenant of
the people, for a light to the Gentiles" (Isa. 42:1,6). "The work of
redemption was so high and so hard that it would have broken the
hearts and the backs of all the glorious angels and mighty men on
earth had they entered on it; therefore the Father engaged Himself to
stand close to Jesus Christ and mightily assist and strengthen Him in
all His mediatorial administrations" (Thos. Brooks, Puritan).
Christ is said to be "The Son of man whom You made strong for
Yourself"(Ps. 80:17), for He had sworn "My arm also shall strengthen
Him" (Ps. 89:21). It is blessed to see how that the Redeemer, in the
days of His flesh, acknowledged these promises. "I was cast upon You
from the womb, You are My God from My mother's belly"! (Ps. 22:10).
"Listen O isles unto Me, and hearken your people from afar: The Lord
has called Me from the womb, from the bowels of My Mother (see Matthew
1:21, 22) has He made mention of My name. And He has made My mouth
like a sharp sword, in the shadow of His hand has He hid Me"(Isa.
49:1,2). "The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned . . .
the Lord God will help Me . . . and I know that I shall not be
ashamed"(Isa. 59:4-7). In unshaken confidence, when His enemies were
conspiring against Him and His friends were on the point of forsaking
Him, He declared "yet I am not alone, because the Father is with
Me"(John 16:32).
Those promises of the Father were the support of His soul in the hour
of His supreme crisis. His heart laid hold of them, acted faith on
them, and received comfort and strength therefrom. "Preserve Me, O
God, for in You do I put My trust"(Ps. 16:1), was His petition and
plea. "I gave My back to the smiters and My cheeks to those that
plucked off the hair. I hid not My face from shame and spitting, for
the Lord God will help Me therefore shall I not be confounded, and
therefore I set My face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be
ashamed" (Isa. 50:6,7). When He was denounced by the Jews and
condemned by Pilate, He consoled Himself with the assurance "He is
near that justifies Me"(Isa. 50:8). "I have set the Lord always before
Me: because He is at My right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore My
heart is glad and My glory rejoices; My flesh also shall rest in hope,
for You will not leave My soul in Sheol, neither will You suffer Your
holy One to see corruption. You will show Me the path of life"(Ps.
16:8-11). In the prospect of death, He rejoiced in the sure knowledge
of resurrection.
Fourth, the Father promised Him a glorious reward. First, a glory for
Himself personally, as the God-man Mediator. As He was to endure the
cross, so He was also to receive the crown. The enduring of the cross
was a covenant engagement on His part, and the bestowing of the crown
was a covenant engagement on the Father's part. That was plainly borne
witness to by His prophets, for the Spirit in them "testified
beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory which should
follow."(1 Pet. 1:11). That glory consisted in His being fully
invested with His priestly and royal offices. As it was with the type,
so with the Antitype. David was anointed incipiently and privately
before he slew Goliath (1 Sam. 16:13), but formally and publicly after
his victories (2 Sam. 5:13). The antitypical David was indeed
"anointed with the Holy Spirit"at the Jordan, but not until after He
had triumphed over sin, Satan and the grave, did God anoint Him "with
the oil of gladness above His fellows"(Heb. 1:9) and publicly make Him
to be "both Lord and Christ"(Acts 2:36).
"The solemn inauguration into all His offices was after His making
reconciliation: making an end of sin, bringing in everlasting
righteousness, and thereby shutting up all prophecy and vision,
because all the prophecies tended to Him and were accomplished in Him;
and then as manifesting Himself the most holy, He was to be
anointed--that is, fully invested in all the offices of Prophet,
Priest and King (Dan. 9:24). The compact ran thus: Do this, suffer
death for the vindication of the honor of My Law, and You shall be a
Priest and King forever. He could not, therefore, be solemnly
installed till He had performed the condition on His part (for the
promise was made to Him considered as Mediator or God-man); then it
was that He was advanced, for the ground of His exaltation is pitched
wholly upon His sufferings. Therefore God has given Him a glory as a
just debt due to the price paid, the sufferings undergone, and the
obedience yielded to the mediatory Law" (S. Charnock). Therefore it is
that the general assembly of Heaven say with a loud voice "Worthy is
the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and
strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing"(Rev. 5:12).
Subsidiary to that glorious investiture was the Father's promise to
raise Christ from the dead. "He asked life of You, and You gave it
Him, even length of days forever and ever"(Ps. 21:5).Beautifully does
that link up with Ps. 102:23-27 --quoted by the apostle in Heb. 1:12
as the words of the Father to the Son. In Psalm 102:23, 24 we hear the
incarnate Son saying, "He shortened My days: I said, 0 My God, take Me
not away in the midst of My days," to which the Father made answer,
"Your years are throughout all generations . . . Your years shall have
no end"(v. 27). So again, He received assurance "He shall prolong His
days!" (Isa. 53:10). The Father made promise that the One who had been
bruised by Him and whose soul He had made "an offering for sin"should
have a glorious deliverance and should reign in life. It was in
fulfillment of such promises as these that "The God of peace (the
reconciled One) brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great
Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant"
(Heb. 13:20).
In like manner subsidiary to Christ's glorious investiture of His full
priestly and kingly offices was His ascension, for though He was born
King and acted as Priest at the cross when He "offered Himself to
God"and "made intercession for the transgressors,"yet not until He had
completely performed His part of the covenant could He enter into His
rightful reward. Accordingly we find promise of ascension made unto
Him. It was clearly implied in "I will make Him My Firstborn, higher
than the kings of the earth" (Ps.89:27). It was revealed in "Who shall
ascend into the Hill of the Lord? Who shall stand in His Holy
Place?"answered by "Lift up your heads 0 you gates and be lifted up
you everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in"(Ps.
24:3,7). It was plainly announced in "You have ascended on high, You
have led captivity captive"(Ps. 68:18). It was such promises as these
the Saviour had in mind when He said "Ought not Christ to have
suffered and to enter into His glory"(Luke24:26).
"Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently. He shall be exalted and
extolled, and by very high"(Isa. 52:13). The 53rd of Isaiah--that
wondrous chapter in which we have so solemnly, so strikingly, and so
evangelically depicted, the vicarious sufferings of Christ--closes
with that blessed promise of the Father: "Therefore will I divide Him
a portion with the great and He shall divide the spoil with the
strong, because He has poured out His soul unto death"(v. 12). The
similitude used there is taken from the honoring of military
conquerors who, having in fight defeated and routed their enemies,
gained a great victory and in consequence are suitably rewarded by
their princes, being exalted by them and given a share of the spoils
or fruits of war. It was as though God the Father said: This My
incarnate and successful Son shall receive such honor, glory, renown
and riches after His toils and conflicts as are meet for His triumphs.
He shall have a glorious recompense for all His humiliation and
sufferings at the hands of men, for His opposition from Satan, and for
His enduring of My wrath. For nothing less is due Him. The fulfillment
of Isaiah 53:12 is seen in Ephesians 4:8, Colossians 2:15, etc. "The
obedience of Christ bears to these blessings not only the relation of
antecedent to consequent, but of merit to reward, so that His
obedience is the cause: and the condition being fulfilled by virtue of
obedience, He has a right to the reward" (H. Witsius--the Dutch
Puritan). That is the precise force of the "Wherefore"in the above
verse, as it is also in "You love righteousness and hate wickedness,
therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness
above Your fellows"(Ps. 45:7).It was not only that justice required
it, but the covenant fidelity of the Father was involved therein.
Therefore His assurance "My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with
Him, and in My name shall His horn be exalted"(Ps. 89:24). Thus also
the N. T., Christ "became obedient unto death, even the death of the
cross, wherefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him a name
which is above every name"(Phil. 2:8,9). It was Christ's meriting the
reward for Himself which was the ground of His meriting life and glory
for us.
"Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has
made that same Jesus, whom you have crucified, both Lord and
Christ"(Acts 2:36). That was the whole burden or theme of Peter's
Pentecostal sermon, the grand truth proclaimed therein and enforced by
Scripture: that He whom the Jews had vilified God had glorified.
Having faithfully fulfilled the terms of the everlasting covenant, the
Saviour was elevated to dominion and empire over the world. God's
exaltation of Him in His human nature to His own right hand (v. 33)
was a full confirmation and demonstration of what He had acquired by
His death. He made Him "both Lord and Christ," seating "Messiah the
Prince"(Dan. 9:25) upon the throne of the universe. This is an
economical Lordship, a dispensation committed to Him as God-man by the
Father-- just as He has "given Him authority to execute judgment also"
(John 5:27). The One whom His enemies crowned with thorns God has
"crowned with glory and honor"(Heb. 2:9). He must be received by us as
"Lord"before we can have Him for our "Christ." He must have the throne
of our hearts if we are to receive His benefits.
It was promised Christ that "He should have dominion from sea to sea
and from river unto the ends of the earth.. . yea all kings shall fall
down before Him, all nations shall serve Him. For He shall deliver the
needy when he cries, the poor also, and him that has no helper"(Ps.
72:8, 11, 12). All of this in consequence of, "The Lord (the Father)
said unto My Lord, Sit You at My right hand, until I make Your enemies
Your footstool . . . The Lord has sworn and will not repent, You are a
Priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek"(Ps. 110:1, 4); that
is, a royal Priest--"He shall be a Priest upon His throne"(Zech.
6:13). A regal inheritance was assured Him. Not only has He acquired
the mundane inheritance forfeited by the first Adam, but as the risen
Redeemer declared, "all power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth"
(Matthew 28:18), for the Father "has appointed (Him) Heir of all
things," so that now He is "upholding all things by the word of His
power"(Heb. 1:2,3), wielding the sceptre or universal dominion. The
"government"is upon "His shoulder"(Isa. 9:6).
It was promised that a blessed harvest should crown His undertaking,
that He should reap the fruit of His sufferings. "The pleasure of the
Lord shall prosper in His hand"(Isa. 53:10). What that signifies is
intimated in such passages as the following: "I will preserve You and
give You for a covenant of the people to establish the earth, to cause
to inherit the desolate heritages, that You may say to the prisoners,
Go forth"(Isa. 49:8,9). "Behold You shall call a nation that You know
not and nations that know not You shall turn unto You, because of the
Lord Your God, and the Holy One of Israel, for He has glorified
You"(Isa. 55:5). The Gentiles shall come to Your light and kings to
the brightness of Your rising (Isa. 60:3). To the One who came forth
from Bethlehem it was promised "He shall be great unto the ends of the
earth"(Micah 5:2, 4). How fully these promises have yet been fulfilled
or how much longer human history must yet continue we do not profess
to know, but even now "angels and authorities and powers"are "subject
unto Him" (1 Pet. 3:22).
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 9
Its Arrangement-Concluded
_________________________________________________________________
Consider now Christ's relation to the covenant. 1. He is the very
substance of it. "I will give Him for a covenant of the people"(Isa.
49:8): as He is our "propitiation"(1 John 2:1) and "peace" (Eph. 2:14)
so He is our covenant. 2. He is the Witness of the covenant (Isa.
55:3,4) for He saw, heard and testified it all, and therefore is He
termed "the faithful and true Witness"(Rev. 3:14). 3. He is "the
Prince of the covenant"(Dan. 11:22), called "Messiah The Prince"(Dan.
9:25), because He is given the royal right to administer it. 4. He is
"the Messenger of the Covenant"(Dan. 9:25),because He is given the
royal right to administer it. 4. He is "the Messenger of the
covenant"(Mal. 3:1), acting as God's "Apostle" to us (Heb. 3:1) and
our Representative before God. 5. He is the "Surety of the covenant"
--"testament"is the same Greek word (Heb. 7:26)--because He engaged
Himself to discharge the obligations of His people, its coventees. 6.
He is "the Mediator of the covenant"(Heb. 8:6) because He stands
between and serves both parties--God and His people. 7. He is the
Testator of the covenant (Heb. 9:16, 17) because He has sealed it with
His blood.
Consider its various and descriptive designations. 1. It is an
"everlasting covenant" (Heb. 13:20) because it was entered into before
all worlds and because its blessings shall be administered and enjoyed
in perpetuity. 2. It is a "covenant of salt"(Num. 18:19; 2 Chron.
13:5)because it is incorruptible, inviolable, perpetual; because its
provisions season us and makes all our services savory to God. 3. It
is a "covenant of peace"(Isa. 54:10) for therein Christ engaged to
pacify the Divine Judge, remove the enmity of His people, and effect a
mutual reconciliation. 4. It is a "new covenant"(Jer. 31:31) for it
secures for His people a new standing before God, makes them new
creatures in Christ and puts a new song m their mouths. 5. It is a
"covenant of life"(Mal. 2:5) for by its terms life is promised,
restored and given more abundantly 6. It is a "holy covenant"(Luke
1:72) manifesting the ineffable purity of God in all its arrangements.
7. It is a covenant "of promise" (Eph. 2:12) both to Christ and His
seed.
In view of what has just been pointed out well may we adopt the
language of O. Winslow and say, "This covenant must be rich in its
provisions of mercy, seeing it is made by Jehovah Himself, the
Fountain of all holiness, goodness, mercy and truth whose very essence
is `Love.'It must be glorious, because the second Person in the
blessed Trinity became its Surety. It must be stable, because it is
eternal. It must meet all the circumstances of a necessitous Church,
because it is `ordered in all things.'` It must be sure, seeing its
administration is in the hands of an infinitely glorious Mediator, who
died to secure it, rose again to confirm it, and ever lives to
dispense its blessings as the circumstances of the saints require." To
which might be added, it must be inviolable, since the eternal God is
its Author, and the precious blood of Christ has sealed it. And
therefore it should be "all my salvation and all my desire"(2 Sam.
23:5), for what more could I ask or wish!
Returning now to the covenant promises which the Father made unto the
Mediator. In addition to those considered in our last, Christ was
assured of a "seed." "When You shall make His soul an offering for
sin, He shall see His seed"(Isa. 53:10).In the previous verses we are
shown what was required from Christ in the discharge of His covenant
engagements; here we have revealed the reward which the Father
bestowed upon Him because of His fidelity. In the last three verses of
this wonderful chapter we also behold the prophet replying to the
Jews, who regarded the cross as a "stumblingblock,"being scandalized
at the idea of their Messiah suffering such an ignominious death. But
it is here pointed out that Christ's crucifixion is not to be
accounted an infamy to Him because it was the very means, ordained by
God, whereby He propagated unto Himself a spiritual seed. He had
Himself pointed out, "except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and
die, it abides alone; but if it die, it brings forth much fruit"(John
12:24).
Observe well that in Isaiah 53:10 it was promised Him "He shall see
His seed" which, coming immediately after "when You shall make His
soul an offering for sin," clearly implied His resurrection;
accordingly this is more explicitly stated in what at once follows:
"He shall prolong His days."The figure is used again in the next
verse. "He shall see of the travail of His soul and be satisfied." "A
woman when she is in travail has sorrow because her hour is come. But
as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembers no more her
travail, for joy that a man is born into the world" (John 16:21),
considering her sufferings to be more than recompensed by the happy
issue of them. So the Redeemer deems Himself richly rewarded for all
His pains by the children which are His as the result of His dying
travail. He is "satisfied"and "rejoices" (Luke 15:7) as each one of
them is brought forth.
"This seed" which was promised Christ occupies a prominent place in
the great Covenant Psalm--the 89th. There we hear the Father saying,
"I have made a covenant with My Chosen, I have sworn unto David My
Servant, Your seed will I establish forever"(vv. 3, 4). And again, "I
will make Him My Firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. My
mercy will I keep for Him for evermore and My covenant shall stand
fast with Him. His seed will I make to endure forever"(vv. 27-29). In
the verses that follow His "seed"are termed "His children,"and
assurance is given that though they be wayward and the rod be visited
upon their transgressions, yet God's covenant faithfulness shall be
seen in their preservation (vv. 31-36). In the Cross Psalm it was
declared "A seed shall serve Him, it shall be accounted to the Lord
for a generation"(22:30). It was to be a perpetual seed. "His name
shall be continued as long as the sun"(Ps. 72:17).
Christ then was assured by the Father from the beginning of the
success of His undertaking and promised a seed which should bear His
image, serve Him, and show forth His praises. "I will bring Your seed
from the east and gather You from the west. I will say to the north to
give up, and to the south keep not back; bring My sons from far and My
daughters from the ends of the earth" (Isa. 43:5,6). Though they are
born into this world in a state of unregeneracy, God promised they
should be born again and savingly drawn to embrace Christ as their
Lord and Savior. "Your people (said the Father to the Mediator--see v.
1) shall be willing in the day of Your power, in the beauties of
holiness from the womb of the morning You have the dew of Your youth"
(Ps. 110:3). Yet again, Christ is represented as saying "Behold I and
the children whom the Lord has given Me"(quoted by the apostle of
Christ in Heb. 2:13) are for signs and for wonders in Israel, for the
Lord of hosts which dwells in mount Zion (Isa. 8:18). As there are two
parts of the covenant so the elect were given to Christ in a twofold
manner. As He was to fulfill the terms of the covenant they were
entrusted to Him as a charge, but in fulfillment of it the Father
promised to Christ to bestow them upon Him as a reward. The elect are
to be regarded, first, as those who were beloved of the Father before
time began. They are designated "God's own elect" (Greek of Luke
18:9), which signifies both His delight with and singular propriety in
them. He chose them before all others: He preferred them above all
others, and set His heart upon them. As such the Father gave them to
Christ as God-man Mediator--"set up"in the Divine councils and
therefore having a real subsistence--as a choice expression of His
love for Him. Second, they are to be regarded as God fore-viewed them
under their defection in Adam, and as such God gave them as a charge
to Christ to be raised up from all the ruins of the fall, and also as
a reward for His work on their behalf. The twofoldness of Truth needs
ever to be borne in mind.
Viewed as fallen the elect were given to Christ as a charge for whose
salvation He was held responsible. They were committed to Him as
"prisoners"(Isa. 49:9), whose lawful discharge He must obtain. They
were committed to Him as desperate patients, whom He must bind up and
heal (Isa. 61:1). They were committed to Him as straying and lost
sheep (Isa. 53:6), whom He must seek out and bring into the fold (John
10:16). God placed His elect in the hands of the Mediator and made
them His care. How graciously and tenderly He discharged His trust
appears in that touching word "He shall feed His flock like a
Shepherd, He shall gather the lambs with His arm and carry them in His
bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young"(Isa.
40:10,11). It appears again in that wonderful word "And when He has
found it, He lays it on His shoulders rejoicing"(Luke 15:5). Finally,
it was evidenced at the moment of His arrest. "If therefore you seek
Me, let those go their way, that the saying might be fulfilled which
He spoke, Of them which You gave Me have I lost none"(John 18:8, 9).
On the fulfillment of His covenant engagement that people were given
to Christ as His reward, as the fruit of His travail, as the trophies
of His glorious victory over sin, Satan and death, as His crown of
rejoicing in the day when all the inhabitants of the universe shall be
assembled together, as His beloved and glorious Bride when the
marriage of the Lamb is come. In contemplation of this God made
certain promises to the Surety concerning them. He promised to bestow
upon them the gift of eternal life. "Paul a servant of God and an
apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and the
acknowledging of the Truth which is after godliness, in hope of
eternal life which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world
began"(Titus 1:1 ,2). As the elect then had no actual existence, that
promise must have been made in their name to the Surety. That
particular promise virtually included all the benefits which Christ
procured for His people, for as "eternal death" contains the essence
of all evils, so "eternal life" contains the essence of all blessings.
"The Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore"(Ps. 133:3).
"This is the promise that He has promised us, even eternal life"(1
John 2:25)--how perfect is the harmony between the Two Testaments! If
we break up that promise into its component parts we may say that,
first, God promised to regenerate His people or bestow upon them a
spiritual nature which delights in His Law: "I will put My laws into
their minds, and write them upon their hearts" (Heb. 8:10). Second, He
promised to justify them, the negative part of which is to remit their
transgressions. "For I will be merciful to their righteousness and
their sins and iniquities will I remember no more" (Heb. 8:12). Third,
He promised to sanctify them. "I will sprinkle clean water upon you
and you shall be clean. From all your filthiness and from all your
idols will I cleanse you"(Ezek. 36:25). Fourth, He promised to
preserve them. "I will not turn away from them to do them good, but I
will put My fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from
Me"(Jer. 32:40). Fifth, He promised to glorify them. "They shall
obtain joy and gladness and sorrow and sighing shall flee away"(Isa.
35:10).
Finally, God made promise of the Holy Spirit to Christ. What we are
now to contemplate is admittedly one of the deep things of God and
therefore requires to be handled with prayerful concern and godly
caution. But if on the one hand we are certain to err should we
deviate one iota from the Scriptures, on the other hand it is to the
glory of God and His Christ and to the needful instruction of our
souls that faith humbly receives all that is revealed to us in Holy
Writ. Now Scripture teaches not only that the Spirit of the Lord
rested upon Christ (Isa. 11:1, 2) during the days of His earthly
ministry, that God put His Spirit upon Him to furnish Him for His
great work (Isa. 42:10), that He was anointed with the Spirit in order
to preach the Gospel (Isa. 61:1) and work miracles (Acts 10:38;
Matthew 12:28), but the oracles of Truth make it very clear after
Christ received the Spirit in another manner and for a different
purpose after His ascension to heaven, namely, that to the God-man
Mediator has been given the administration of the Spirit's activities
and operations; and this both in the sphere of grace Churchward, and
in the sphere of providence worldward.
In John 7:39 we read that "the Holy Spirit was not yet (given) because
Jesus was not yet glorified,"but He was both promised to Christ (Ps.
45:7) and by Christ. Let us seek to attentively consider some of His
statements concerning the Holy Spirit's relation upon Himself. "But
the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My
name"(John 14:26), the force of which is intimated in "whatsoever you
shall ask the Father in My name He will give it you" (John 16:23).
Again, "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from
the Father"(John 15:26) -- which is parallel with Christ's being
"sent" by Him (John 3:17). And again, "It is expedient for you that I
go away, for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you;
but if I depart, I will send Him unto you"(John 16:7). Such repetition
argues both the importance of this truth and our slowness to receive
it.
To the writer three things are clear concerning the above passages.
First, each was spoken by the God-man Mediator, for they were the
utterances of the Word made flesh. Second, from John 8:39 and 16:7 it
is apparent that the advent of the Spirit was dependent upon the
ascension of Christ, Third, from His repeated "whom I will send unto
you"we learn that in this present era the activities of the Spirit are
regulated by the will of the Lord Christ. That the Spirit is at the
economical disposal of the Redeemer was evidenced after His
resurrection and before His ascension, for to the apostles He said,
"Peace be unto you. As My Father has sent Me, even so send I you," and
then we are told "when He had said this He breathed on them and said
unto them, Receive the Holy Spirit" (John 20:22; Gen. 2:7). And as He
was on the point of leaving them the Savior said "Behold, I send the
promise of My Father upon you" (Luke 24:49), which was duly
accomplished ten days later.
In Acts 2, when Peter explained the supernatural phenomena of the day
of Pentecost he said, "This Jesus has God raised up, of which we all
are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and
having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has
shed forth this which you now see and hear"(vv. 32,33)--the glorified
Savior has poured forth this effusion of the Spirit's gifts. On which
the Puritan Thos. Goodwin, after quoting Psalm 45:7 and explaining it
by Acts 2:36 and said on verse 33 "which receiving is not to be only
understood of His bare and single receiving the promise of the Holy
Spirit for us, by having power given Him to shed Him down upon them,
as God has promised, though this is a true meaning of it; but further,
that He had received Him first as poured forth on Himself, and so shed
Him forth on them, according to that rule that whatever God does unto
us by Christ, He first does it unto Christ" (Vol. 4, pg. 121). It was
the Savior's outpouring of the Spirit's gifts which demonstrated He
had been "made both Lord and Christ"(v. 36).
From the passages quoted above it seems plain that upon the completion
of His covenant work the Father bestowed the Spirit on Christ to
administer from His mediatorial throne. In full. accord with that we
hear the Lord Jesus saying from heaven, "These things says He that has
the seven Spirits of God" (Rev. 3:1), that is, has to administer the
Holy Spirit in the plenitude of His power and the diversity of His
manifestations--compare the seven-branched candlestick in Exodus
25:30, 31 and the sevenfold gift of the Holy Spirit to Christ in the
days of His flesh (Isa. 11:1, 2). On the words "He that has the seven
Spirits of God"(Rev. 3:1) Thos. Scott says, "that is, the Divine
Savior, through whom the Holy Spirit, in the variety and abundance of
His precious gifts and graces was communicated to all the churches."
So again, in Revelation 5:6 we read "I beheld and in the midst . . .
stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes,
which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth"
(Compare Matthew 28:18). Here it is Christ exercising His governmental
power and administering the Spirit toward the world--as in 3:1 it was
toward the Church. Thus, if on the one hand none other ever suffered
such ignominy as did the Mediator, on the other hand none other ever
has received or ever will such marks of honor as He has.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 10
Its Effectuation
_________________________________________________________________
To refresh your memories we will here epitomize what has been
presented in previous chapters. First, we pointed out the distinctions
which require to be recognized if confusion is to be avoided. (1) That
in connection with reconciliation God acts both as a loving Father and
as an inflexible Judge. (2) That His elect are viewed both in the
purpose of His grace and under the condemnation of His Law. (3) That
they are viewed by Him both in Christ as their covenant-Head and as
the depraved descendents of fallen Adam: in the one case as "His dear
children,"and in the other as being "by nature the children of
wrath"(4) That though there is no change in God yet there is in His
attitude unto and His dealings with them. (5) That God's purpose
concerning His elect in eternity and the actual accomplishment of that
purpose in a time-state must not be confused. Failure to observe these
distinctions has caused many to
Next, we demonstrated the need for reconciliation. Therein we dwelt
upon the fearful breach which the entrance of sin made between God and
man, the creature casting off all allegiance to his Maker, revolting
from his rightful Lord, despising His authority, trampling under foot
His commandments. We showed that while the original offence was
committed by Adam, yet he was acting as the federal bead of his race,
and therefore that the guilt and consequences of his transgression are
justly imputed to all his descendants. Moreover, they take sides with
him by perpetuating his evil course. The life of the unregenerate is
one unbroken course of rebellion against God. The consequences of that
breach are that fallen man is separated from God, he is an object of
abhorrence to God, he is under the wrath of God, he is in bondage to
Satan and so under the reigning power of sin that he hates God.
Obviously such an one is in urgent need of being restored to His favor
and having his vile
Then, we saw that the Author of reconciliation is God, and more
particularly, God the Father. In the development of which we pointed
out that the recovery of His fallen elect proceeds from the good
pleasure of His will or "the eternal purpose which He purposed in
Himself"That gracious design was suggested by none other, and no
external motive influenced Him. No necessity was put upon Him to form
such a resolution: it was simply His own sovereign design--"I will
show mercy"Yet it was His own nature which prompted His decision: it
originated in the everlasting love which God bore to His elect--a love
so great that even their awful sins could not quench nor produce any
change in it. Nevertheless, since the Divine holiness was infinitely
antagonized by sin, Divine justice required that full satisfaction
should be made for the dishonor it had wrought. Naught but Divine
wisdom could find a way in which Love and Law were perfectly
harmonized and solve the problem of how mercy and justice might alike
maintain its ground without the slightest compromise, yea, issue from
Under the last division of our subject we turned our attention to the
Divine arrangement for the accomplishment of reconciliation, namely,
"The Everlasting Covenant," in which is displayed the Divine
perfections in their blessed unity. In that covenant God gave His
elect to Christ as a trust or charge, holding Him responsible for
their everlasting felicity. In that covenant all the details of the
wondrous plan of redemption were drawn up and settled. In that
covenant the Father made known unto the Son the terms which He must
fulfil and the task He must perform in order to the saving of "that
which was lost;"while the Son voluntarily concurred therein and gladly
consented to carry out its stipulations. In that covenant we have
revealed the office which Christ was to assume and the nature of the
work He was to do, namely, to serve as the Substitute and Surety of
His people in the full discharge of all their obligations unto the
Divine Law. In that covenant the Father gave assurance of rendering
adequate assistance to the Mediator in the performing of His
engagement and the guarantee of the
We are now to see how the eternal purpose of God was effected, how the
mutual engagements of the everlasting covenant were fulfilled. "When
the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a
woman, made under the Law, to redeem them that were under the Law,
that we might receive the adoption (or "status") of sons" (Gal.
4:4,5).The "fullness of time" means more than that the ordained hour
had arrived: it signifies when all the preliminary operations of
Divine providence had been completed, when the stage was thoroughly
prepared for this unparalleled event, when the world's need had been
fully demonstrated. The advent of God's Son to this earth was no
isolated event, but the climax of a lengthy preparation. That He was
now "made of a woman"was the fulfillment of the Divine announcement in
Gen. 3:14 and Isa. 7:14. That He was "made under the Law"which His
people had broken is what supplies the key to that which is otherwise
an inexplicable mystery, in fact, throws a flood of light upon the
experiences through which He passed from Bethlehem
The very circumstances of Christ's birth at once made unmistakably
manifest that God had sent forth none other than His own Son and
clearly intimated the unique mission upon which the Beloved of the
Father had then entered. Nothing less than a supernatural birth
befitted so august a Person, and such was accomplished by the
miraculous conception of His virgin mother, by means of which a "holy"
humanity became His (Luke 1:35)--a real human spirit, and soul and
body, yet without the slightest taint of our corruption. The amazing
event of the Incarnation and the Divine dignity of the One who had
become flesh was signalized by the appearing again of "the
Shekinah"(which had left Israel in the days of Ezekiel--10:4,18;
11:23), for "the glory of the Lord (namely, the Shekinah) shone round
about" the shepherds on Bethlehem's plains, so that they were "sore
afraid;"and an angel announced to them that the One just born was none
other than "Christ the Lord;"while suddenly there was with the angel a
multitude of the "heavenly host" praising God and saying "glory to God
in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men"(Luke
But, if what we have just alluded to were clear proofs that God had
indeed "sent forth His Son, made of a woman,"there were other
attendant circumstances which no less plainly intimated (to an
anointed eye) that His Son was also "made under the Law,"and that, as
the Surety of His people, as the One who had entered their Law-place,
He must receive what is due them. This has not been sufficiently
recognized. In that same second of Luke we read that Mary "brought
forth her firstborn son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid
Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn"(v. 7).
The force of that is better perceived if it be linked with "so He
drove out the man"(Gen. 3:24) from Eden, for he had become an outcast
from his Maker. Do we not behold then in His exclusion from the inn
and birth in a cattle shed a definite shadowing forth of the fact that
Christ had vicariously entered the place of His outcast people! In the
circumcising of Him on the eight day (v. 21) there was an evident
prefigurement that He had been made "in the likeness of sinful flesh"
(Rom. 8:3). That was unspeakably solemn, but amazingly wonderful.
A little later it was made evident that the One cradled in the manger
was more than human. The wise men saw "His star in the east"and came
to Jerusalem inquiring "Where is He that is born King of the Jews?"
That extraordinary star "went before them until it came and stood over
where the young Child was."Entering the house where He abode, they
"fell down and worshipped Him"(Matthew 2:11), presenting gifts of
gold, frankincense, and myrrh -- thus were Divine honors paid Him. Yet
immediately after a determined effort was made by Herod to slay Him,
as though to show us from the beginning that His life was forfeit and
that a death by violence awaited Him! But His hour had not then
arrived and Joseph was warned to flee with Him. His sojourn in Egypt
was not without significance, for it intimated that as the Surety of
His people He had taken His place alongside of them in the typical
house of
What we sought to point out unmistakably opens up to us the deeper
meaning of much that is recorded in the Gospels, supplying the key to
the strange mingling of the lights and shadows in the earthly career
of our Lord. That key lies in the distinction which must ever be drawn
between the adorable Person and the awful place which He took, between
the Son of God incarnate and the office He was discharging. Though His
essential glory was veiled by flesh, yet that glory frequently broke
forth in splendor. Or to put it in another way: God had suffered His
Beloved to "make Himself of no reputation" in this world, yet He was
so jealous of His honor that again and again He afforded proof that
the despised One was Immanuel. Thus if Christ--to the amazement of His
forerunner--submitted to the ordinance of baptism, yet at that very
time the heavens were "opened unto Him,"and the Spirit descended like
as a dove upon Him and the voice of the Father was "This is My beloved
Son in whom Jam well pleased."
Yes, the key to the deeper meaning of much in the Gospels is found in
keeping before us the distinction between the Person and the place He
took. He was the Holy One, but He took the place of His sinful people.
As the Holy One ineffable joy, unclouded blessedness, the love and
homage of all creatures was His legitimate due. Treading the path of
obedience, the smile of God and the ordering of His providences
accordingly was what He was justly entitled to. Wisdom's ways are
"ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace,"and Christ ever
trod Wisdom's ways without any deviation--why then did He encounter so
much unpleasantness and opposition? "When a man's ways please the
Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him"(Prov. 16:7),
and Christ always pleased Him (John 8:29); yet the Father was far from
making His enemies at peace with Him. Why? Ignore the office which
Christ had taken (and was discharging from Bethlehem onwards!) and we
are left without any
"The foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of
man has no where to lay His head"(Matthew 8:20). The real force of
that pathetic statement can best be perceived by grasping the meaning
of the particular title which the Savior here employed. It has its
roots in the following O. T. passages: "The stars are not pure in His
sight. How much less man that is a worm, and the son of man which is a
worm!" (Job 25:5,6); "What is man that You are mindful of him, and the
son of man that You visit him"(Ps. 8:4; and cf. 146:3), from which it
will be seen that it is a term of abasement and ignominy, expressive
of lowly condition. In its application to Christ it connotes not only
His true humanity, but also the humiliation and shame into which He
descended. It is descriptive of His person, but more especially of His
office; in other words, it points to Him as "the Second Man," the
"last Adam,"and as such, entering our lot, sharing our misery, serving
as our Surety. Christ appropriated this title unto Himself as marking
His condescending grace and as displaying the
A certain scribe had offered to follow Jesus wherever He went, and
"the Son of man has no where to lay His head"was His response. It was
not only a word bidding him count the cost, but an announcement that
His path led to the place where none could accompany Him. It was more
than a declaration that He who was rich for our sakes became poor in
order to reinstate us: it was an intimation that He had voluntarily
subjected Himself to the consequences of sin, that He would therefore
be treated as a sinner both by God and by men, that He had entered the
place of His disinherited people (driven out: Gen. 3:24) and therefore
that He had no claim to ought in this world. "The Son of man came not
to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom
for many"(Matthew 20:28). Thus it is clear that this "Son of man"title
contemplates Christ as the humbled One. Confirmatory of this it is the
fact that He is never referred to by it after His resurrection, though
as "the Son of man"He appropriately receives His reward (Dan. 7:13;
Justice demands that each one shall receive his due. Now the Lord
Jesus was "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners:" then to
what was He lawfully entitled at the hands of a righteous God? Does
not the Judge of all the earth do right! then how shall He order His
governmental dealings toward the One who eminently honored and
glorified Him? Must He not show Himself strong on His behalf? Must He
not shower upon Him the ceaseless tokens of His favor? Must He not
turn the hearts of all men unto Him in loving homage? Certainly--but
for one thing! Though personally holy, yet officially the guilt of His
people rested upon Him. In view of Psalm 37:25 how can we possibly
account for the righteous One Himself being forsaken by God in the
hour of His acutest extremity? Only one answer is possible, and
"Bearing the shame and scoffing rude
In my place condemned He stood."
Blessed be God if the reader can, by sovereign grace, respond with us
"Sealed my pardon with His blood,
"
If we shut our eyes to the solemn fact that the Son of God entered
this world charged with the guilt of His people, then are we
confronted with the supreme anomaly, the most flagrant injustice of
all history. For on the one hand, we have the Personification of all
virtue and moral excellency; and on the other, God suffering Him to be
traduced as One possessed of a "demon" (John 10:20). On the one hand
we have the supreme Benefactor of mankind ever going about and doing
good, and yet God so ordering His lot that He "had no where to lay His
head."On the one hand we have Him preaching glad tidings to the poor
and binding up the broken hearted, and on the other hand God allowing
Him to be so dealt with by those whom He befriended that He cried
"reproach has broken My heart"(Ps. 69:20). On the one hand we have Him
manifested as Love incarnate, yet on the other, God permitting His
enemies to vent their bitterest hatred upon Him. In the case of all
others we discern the principle of sowing and reaping, of the
connection between conduct and the consequences which it righteously
entails; but in the case of our Lord there was not, so far as He
personally acted and was treated. Yet bring into account the relation
which He sustained to His guilty people and the anomaly and seeming
injustice
Perhaps some readers are inclined to say: I can see why it was
necessary for Christ as our Substitute to endure the wrath of God, but
I am rather at a loss to understand why He should have to suffer such
cruel treatment at the hands of men; true, their vile conduct against
the Lord of glory demonstrated as nothing else has the fearful
depravity of human nature, but why did the Father, under His righteous
government of the world, permit His Son to be so unjustly dealt with
by Jews and Gentiles alike? Though it was ordained that He should be
crucified and slain by wicked hands (Acts 2:23), yet wherein lay the
necessity for Him to be so mistreated by His own creatures? and that
not only during "the Passion week"but throughout the whole course of
His ministry? In the light of what we have sought to point out, there
should surely be no difficulty at this point: it is only a matter of
giving a wider application to that basic and illuminating
As the Surety of His people Christ entered this world charged with all
their guilt, and therefore He had to suffer not only for their sins
against God but also against their fellows. We have broken both tables
of the Law, and therefore the Redeemer must endure the penalty of
both. See then in the treatment meted out to Him by men, what we
deserve because of our woeful failure to love our neighbor as
ourselves. As our Substitute a life of reproach among men was His due.
Therefore "He came unto His own and His own received Him not," but
instead, despised and rejected Him. Therefore was He, throughout His
course, "a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief"subjected to
contempt, constantly persecuted by His enemies. The very next verse in
Isaiah 53 explains why He was the Man of sorrows: "surely He has borne
our griefs and carried our sorrows."Therefore was the sin-Bearer
deserted by all His apostles (Matthew 26:56) as well as forsaken
It is indeed in the closing scenes of "the days of His flesh"that we
may perceive most clearly Christ occupying the place of His people and
receiving both from man and God that which was due unto us. As we view
Him before Caiaphas and Herod we must not be occupied only with the
human side of things, but look higher and see Divine justice directing
all. The Romans were renowned for their respect of law, their equity
of dealings, and their mild treatment of those they conquered. Then
how shall we account for the conduct of Pilate and his soldiers? and
especially, why did God require His Son to be mocked with a trial that
appears worse than a farce. Because though personally innocent, He was
officially guilty.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 11
Its Effectuation-Continued
_________________________________________________________________
That which is here to engage our attention is the work performed by
the Mediator in order to heal the breach between a righteous God and
His sinful people and thus effect a mutual reconciliation. This will
bring before us the most wonderful, awe-inspiring and glorious events
in all the ways and works of God. It will conduct us to ground which
is ineffably holy, and on which it becomes to tread with the utmost
reverence and circumspection. The work of Christ is absolutely unique,
being without precedent or parallel. Nothing whatever can be known
about it save that which is revealed on it in Holy Writ. Neither
philosophy, science, nor metaphysics can afford us the slightest
assistance in the understanding of it. Carnal reasoning concerning it
is utterly worthless and highly presumptuous. The great mystery of
godliness is made known unto faith. Yet the utmost diligence and
earnest prayer for the Holy Spirit's aid are called for in our
searching of the Scriptures and in carefully weighing all they make
known on the Death Divine, that faith may lack no part of the
foundation on which it is to rest and none of the
In our last we sought to present more or less a general survey of the
ground we hope to cover under this particular aspect of our subject.
Now we must proceed to more detail. This will require us to examine
closely what the Incarnate Son did in order to "make peace"between an
offended God and His lawbreaking people, which was the relation.
Christ bore to them, the character in which He acted in that
stupendous undertaking, and what was the office He discharged. It is
all important at the outset to recognize that the Person we are to be
occupied with was none other than Jehovah's "Fellow" (Zech. 13:7),
co-essential and co-equal with the Father and the Spirit. Though God
the Son took upon Him human nature and became the Son of man, yet in
so doing He did not cease to be a Divine Person. It was the
theanthropic (Divine-human) constitution of His person which qualified
Him for His mediation, for as the God-man nothing could be too
difficult for Him to effect or too great for Him to accomplish. The
dignity of His person gave
The wrong done by sin unto God was so incalculably enormous and His
hatred of the same is so great that only a perfect and infinitely
meritorious satisfaction could appease Him, and obviously such a
satisfaction could be rendered by none but a person of infinite
dignity and worth. Our sins are committed against the infinite Majesty
of Heaven and therefore are they infinitely culpable, and unless an
atonement of infinite value is made for us, our sins must entail
infinite suffering--therefore the punishment of the wicked is
necessarily eternal. Sin, so far as it could do so, struck at the very
throne of God. It was an act of high treason, a disowning of His
authority, an attempt on the part of the creature to overthrow the
Divine government. Sin has made such a breach in the order of things
appointed by God that no mere creature could possibly repair it--least
of all man, for he is the culprit, guilty and defiled. If then .the
breach is to be healed, God must "lay help upon One that is
mighty"(Ps. 89:19).
Writing on "The heinousness of human guilt" Jas. Hervey said, "Ten
thousand volumes, written on purpose to display the aggravations of my
various acts of disobedience, could not so effectually convince me of
their inconceivable enormity as the consideration of that all-glorious
Person, who, to make an atonement for them, spilt the last drop of His
blood. I have sinned, may every child of Adam say; and what shall I do
unto you, O You Observer of men? Shall I give my firstborn for my
transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? Vain
commutation, and such as would be rejected by the blessed God with the
utmost abhorrence. Will all the potentates, that sway the sceptre in a
thousand kingdoms, devote their royal and honored lives to rescue an
obnoxious creature, from the stroke of vengeance? Alas, it must cost
more, incomparably more, to expiate the malignity of sin and save a
guilty wrath from Hell. Will all the principalities of Heaven be
content to assume my nature and resign themselves to death for my
pardon? Even this would be too mean a satisfaction for inexorable
Justice, too 's injured honor.
"So flagrant is human guilt that nothing but a victim of infinite
dignity could constitute an adequate propitiation. He who said `Let
there be light, and there was light,'let there be a firmament, and
immediately the blue curtains floated in the sky; He must take flesh,
He must feel the fierce torments of crucifixion and pour out His soul
in agonies, if ever such transgressors are pardoned." There could be
no satisfaction for the sinner without atonement, for God has declared
He "will by no means clear the guilty"(Ex. 34:7). Equally evident is
it that no atonement can be made by the violator of God's Law, for he
can neither provide reparation for past offences--being a moral
bankrupt, devoid of any merit; nor render perfect obedience in the
present--being a depraved creature. God's Law requires righteousness
of character before it will receive righteousness of conduct, and
therefore a fallen creature is utterly disqualified to render
acceptable obedience. The Law will not compound with our sinfulness by
modifying its holy requirements. "Pay that which you owe"is its
unchanging demand.
After what has been pointed out it should be quite clear that first,
in order to save His people from their sins the incarnate Son of God
must serve as their Substitute, acting in their stead and rendering
satisfaction to the Law for them. By substitution is meant the
transference of obligation from those who incurred it to One who
willingly shouldered the same in their stead. The substitutionary
death of Christ means far more than that He died for the benefit of
all who savingly believe in Him. It signifies that He entered their
Law-place and received what was due them and that through His
sacrificial death He so expiated their sins that nothing can be laid
to their .charge, that they stand "unblameable and unreproveable" in
God's sight (Col. 1:22). "He was wounded for our transgressions, He
was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon
Him, and with His stripes we are healed"(Isa. 53:4). "For Christ also
has suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us
to God"(1 Pet. 3:18).
Though there is no parallel to the greatest transaction in all
history, though there is no analogy to the relations sustained to God
and to His people in any of the relations of mere creatures to one
another, yet God has graciously adapted a series of types, historical
and ceremonial, to the illustration of His grand plan of redemption
and to adumbrate various aspects of the office and work of Christ, and
in them the wisdom of God is signally displayed. Of the first person
to whom the Holy Spirit ascribes faith it is recorded that, "Abel
offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. by which he
obtained witness that he was righteous"(Heb. 11:4). Cain brought of
the fruit of the ground (the product of his own toil) an offering unto
the Lord, but unto it He "had not respect. "But Abel brought "of the
firstborn of his flock and the fat of it"--showing it had been slain.
Realizing that death was his due, but that God graciously accepted a
substitute in his place, he put a bleeding lamb between his
The same elementary yet fundamental truth was taught the Hebrews on
that most memorable night in their history. Jehovah had declared,
"about midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt, and all the
firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die"(Ex. 11:4, 5). Sufficient
attention had not been paid to the words "all, in."There were to be no
exceptions: the firstborn sons of Israel equally with the Egyptians
were to be slain. But though no exception was made, a difference was
drawn: a substitute was provided for the former, though not for the
latter. The Israelites were bidden to take a male lamb, without
blemish, to slay it, and sprinkle its blood on the posts of their
doors, and the Lord promised, "when I see the blood, I will pass over
you"(Ex. 12). The angel of death entered not their houses, for
judgment had already been executed there, the Lamb being slain as the
substitute. In the light of that we are to understand "Christ our
Passover is sacrificed for us."
But it was in the wilderness, after the Levitical priesthood was
appointed and the tabernacle had been erected, that the Lord taught
His people more fully the grand truth of pardon and cleansing,
acceptance and blessing, through a substitute. A wide field of study
is here opened to us, but we can only now briefly mention its
outstanding lessons. First, in the unblemished animal required for
sacrifice, God showed His people the perfections of the substitute in
the room of their imperfections. Second, in their being required to
bring such an offering, the claims of God were enforced. Third, in the
words "he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering, and
it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him"(Lev. 1:4)
there was an identifying of the offerer with his offering. Fourth, on
the great day of atonement, Aaron was required to "lay both his hands
upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the
iniquities of the children of Israel and all their transgressions in
all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat"(Lev.
Fifth, an Israelite was not only required to furnish the offering, but
"he will kill the bull before the Lord"(Lev. 1:5) was the order: in
this way he acknowledged that death was his own due and proof was
furnished of God's displeasure against sin. Sixth, "and there came
fire out from before the Lord and consumed upon the altar the burnt
offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and
fell on their faces" (Lev. 9:24 and compare 1 Kings 18:38; 2 Chron.
7:1). In that fire we see the holy wrath of the Judge consuming the
victim in the sinner's room. Seventh, "And a man that is clean will
gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in
a clean place, and it will be kept for the congregation of the
children of Israel for a water of separation. It is a purification for
sin"(Num. 19:9). "In the ashes we have the proof that the wrath had
spent itself, that the penalty was paid, that the work was done. `It
is finished' was the voice of the ashes" (H. Bonar). Thus was God's
mercy
The main thing to grasp m connection with the sacrifices to which we
have all too briefly alluded is, that they were not eucharistic but
expiatory - not tokens of thanksgiving, but vicarious oblations. The
animal or bird was put in the place of the one who brought it and is
termed an "offering unto the Lord for his sin"and it would "make an
atonement for him concerning his sin"(Lev. 5:6). It was then, a
substitutionary sacrifice, slain in the stead of the offerer, to
signify what he deserved and by which he was personally saved from
undergoing the penalty. It was literally and specifically a life for a
life, a life devoted to God in sacrifice. "For the life of the flesh
is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an
atonement (a propitiation or appeasement) for your souls. It is the
blood that makes an atonement for the soul"(Lev. 17:11). Therefore did
God enjoin upon His people "No soul of you will eat blood"(v.
Should it be asked, Why did God appoint the slaying of animals, the
bringing of so many costly offerings to His altar, which were so
frequently repeated? The answer is simple and conclusive, though it
may be stated in a variety of ways. It was to signify that, in the
purpose of God, the antitypical Lamb was slain from the foundation of
the world. It was to inform His people that they must look outside
themselves for salvation. It was thus to keep before them a continual
reminder of His righteousness and what sin called for at His hands. It
was to educate men for "the good things to come" by shadowing forth
the great sacrifice. It was to furnish the N. T. saints with an
infallible dictionary, for if we would understand the language which
Christ and His apostles used in connection with the Sacrifice of
Calvary we must needs define the terms employed of the grand Antitype
by the meaning they obviously bear in the types--as 1 Corinthians 5-7
is to be
It is the light of the Levitical offerings we should read "the Gospel
of Isaiah 53" and regard the N. T. references to the atoning sacrifice
of our Savior. Who can fail to see that the words "The Lord has laid
on Him the iniquities of us all"(Isa. 53:6) look back to "Aaron shall
lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over him
all the iniquities of the children of Israel. ..and the goat shall
bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited"(Lev.
16:21,22), and that "who His own self bear our sins in His own body on
the tree"(1 Pet. 2:24) is an echo of the same language. When we read
that "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures"(1 Cor.
15:3) are we not to regard the reference as being both' the types and
the prophecies of the O. T. When we are told that "while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8) can it signify anything else
than, that as a sacrificial offering was slain in the stead of the
offerer, so Christ endured the
It needs to be insisted upon that the death of Christ was something
more than an unparalleled act of benevolence, enduring crucifixion for
the good of others. It was a penal death, in which He vicariously
endured the penalty of the Law in the stead of others. The suffering
of martyrs for the good of their cause, of patriots for their country,
of philanthropists for mankind, are not "vicarious" for they are not
substitutionary. Vicarious suffering is suffering endured in the place
of others. Christ's sufferings were vicarious in precisely the same
way that the death of animals in the O. T. sacrifices was in lieu of
the death of the transgressors offering them. While in many passages
of the N. T. the Holy Spirit has used the Greek "huper" which is
rendered "for"yet in Mark 10:45 He has employed the decisive "anti."He
gave his life a ransom for (anti--in the stead of), many. In Matthew
2:22 "anti" is rightly rendered "in the room of."Compare anti is
rendered "For."
But does not the substitutionary sufferings of Christ raise a
difficulty even in the minds of the reverent. Let us face it squarely
and state it frankly. Was it altogether just that an innocent person
should suffer in the stead of the guilty? At the back of many minds
there lurks the suspicion that, though it was amazing grace and
surpassing love which gave the Lord of glory to die for poor sinners,
yet was it not, strictly speaking, a breach of equity? Was it right
that One who perfectly honored God and illustriously magnified His Law
by a flawless and perpetual obedience, should have to suffer its
penalty and endure its awful curse? To answer, It had to be. There was
no other way of saving Os, supplies no direct answer to the question.
It is merely arguing on the Jesuitical basis that "the end justifies
the means." Far better to remain silent in token of our ignorance than
thus to sully the character of God. But such a suspicion is groundless
and such ignorance
To say that sin must be punished that the penalty of the broken law
could not he revoked, is but to repeat what Scripture clearly affirms.
But to draw the conclusion that therefore an innocent Substitute had
to be penalized in the Stead of the guilty is to impeach the Divine
justice. Every regenerated person must feel that it had been
infinitely better for the whole of Adam's race to have suffered
eternally in Hell, rather than that God should act unrighteously in
delivering His people from there. Such a thing could not be, for God
"cannot deny Himself"that is act contrary to His own perfections. "The
Lord is righteous in all His ways and holy in all His works" (Ps.
145:17), and most certainly the greatest and grandest of His works,
that which supremely manifested and promoted His glory, is no
exception to that rule. He has declared Himself to be "a just God and
a Saviour" (Isa. 45:21) and never was His justice more gloriously
displayed than at
Of old the question was asked, "Who ever perished being innocent?"
(Job 4:7) and surely we may unhesitatingly reply, No one ever did
under the righteous government of God. He who "will by no means clear
the guilty"(Ex. 34:7) will by no means afflict the innocent. Startling
as it must sound, it was not the innocent whom the sword of Divine
justice smote at Calvary. And this brings us to say, second, in order
to be our Savior Christ had to act as the Substitute of His people,
and in order to be their Substitute He first assumed the office of
Surety. As their Surety, as their legal Representative, Christ took
upon Him their legal obligations--as the husband assumes the debts of
the woman he marries. The guilt of His people's sins were charged to
Christ's account, and therefore justice legally and righteously
exacted payment from him. Though personally innocent, Christ was
officially guilty when He suffered "the Just for the unjust." Much
remains yet to be said but here we must stop.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 12
Its Effectuation-Continued
_________________________________________________________________
In our last we showed, first, that in order to satisfy the
requirements of Divine justice the incarnate Son was "made under the
Law"and that the work He did and the sufferings He endured in order to
heal the break between an offended God and His offending people was
performed and undergone by Him while acting as their Substitute. Then,
second, in the concluding paragraphs we briefly pointed out that in
order to be the Substitute of His people Christ had taken upon Him the
office of Suretyship. It is of great importance that we should be
quite clear upon the latter, for much harm has been done by novices
who have grievously misrepresented the Atonement by their crude and
carnal conceptions, and the cause of Truth has been much injured by
their unwarrantable attempts to illustrate the central fact of the
Gospel from supposed analogies in human relations. It cannot be
insisted upon too emphatically that the plan of redemption, the office
sustained by Christ, and the satisfaction which He rendered to the
claims of justice against us, have no parallel in the relations of men
to one another.
But how often has a popular preacher pictured a criminal, in whose
character was no relieving feature, condemned to death for his
aggravated crimes. While lying in the condemned cell, or perhaps as he
stands upon the scaffold itself, the reigning monarch is supposed to
send his or her own son and heir to die in the villain's stead, and
then turn him loose on society. Such a monstrous supposition has
frequently been offered as an illustration of the amazing fact that
"God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting
life."Not only is that imaginary illustration a gross
misrepresentation of the Truth, but it is utterly revolting to serious
minds and those who love righteousness. It is, too, a horrible
degrading of the Gospel and a denial of the uniqueness of the
Atonement. The Atonement carries us far above the sphere of the
highest relations of created beings into the august counsels of the
eternal and incomprehensible God, and it is nothing but a species of
impiety for us to bring our petty line to measure counsels in which
the "manifold wisdom" of Omniscience is contained.
Here as everywhere in connection with the things of God, spiritual
things must be compared "with spiritual things"(1 Cor. 2:13) and not
with carnal. One part of the Truth must be interpreted by--not drawing
upon our imagination, but--by another part of the Truth. It is only in
the light of the Word itself--our hearts being opened to receive the
same--that we can see light. It is only as "we speak, not in the words
which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches"that we
can accurately express the grand mysteries of our Faith. Now the term
"Surety" is one of the words the Holy Spirit has used of Christ
Himself to enable us to understand the better the relation He
sustained toward those on whose behalf He transacted and the special
office He discharged for their sakes. Now a "surety" is one who is
legally obligated to answer for another. A "surety"is one who
undertakes for another or for others and who thereby makes himself
responsible to render what is due from them or to suffer what is due
to them.
"I have done judgment and justice. Leave me not to my oppressors. Be
Surety for your servant for good. Let not the proud oppress me." (Psa.
119:121, 122) In like manner we find the godly Hezekiah praying, "O
Lord, I am oppressed. Be Surety for me." Isaiah 38:14--the Hebrew
rendered "undertake for me" is the same as translated "be Surety for
me"in Psalm 119:122. Thus, in each instance believers made a request
that the Lord would not barely bestow some favor on or confer some
privilege on them, but do so under the particular character of a
"Surety."By addressing themselves unto their Deliverer under that
character it is clear they had knowledge that He had agreed to act in
this office for His people. Since the O. T. saints, equally with the
N. T. ones, were to benefit from the mediatorial work of the incarnate
Son, they were not left in ignorance of the grand truth that He was
appointed by the Father, and by His own consent, to serve as the
Surety of His people.
On Psalm 119:122, John Gill pointed out, "What David prays to God to
be for him, that Christ is for all His people. He drew near to God,
struck hands with Him, gave His word and bond to pay the debts of His
people. He put Himself in their law-place and stead and became
responsible to Law and Justice for them. He engaged Himself to make
satisfaction for their sins and bring in everlasting righteousness for
their justification, and to preserve and keep them and bring them safe
to eternal glory and happiness, and thus was being a `Surety for
good'for them." It is worthy of special notice that this particular
verse wherein the Lord is besought to act as "Surety" is the only one
in the 176 of this Psalm wherein the Word of God is not mentioned
under the name of "Law""Commandments," "statutes,""judgments"etc.,
thereby intimating that Christ as the Surety of His people met all
their obligations and thereby fulfilled the Law in their stead.
In the O.T. is found a most striking and blessed type of N. T.
teaching on this subject, and, as we might expect, it is found in
connection with its initial occurrence. It is an almost if not an
entirely unvarying rule that the first mention of anything in
Scripture more or less defines its meaning and scope--from the way in
which it is employed and the connections in which it is found--and
forecasts it's subsequent significance. Such is the case here. When
seeking to persuade Jacob to allow his beloved Benjamin to accompany
his brethren on their journey into Egypt, Judah said, "Send the lad
with me. .. I will be surety for him, of my hand shall you require
him. If I bring him not unto you, then let me bear the blame
forever."(Gen. 43:8,9). That was no idle boast on the part of Jacob's
son, as the sequel shows, for he remained true to his promise, though
God intervened and spared him from actually fulfilling his trust.
The reader will remember how that Joseph's cup was found in Benjamin's
sack while they were returning home with the sorely-needed grain and
how the whole company went back to Egypt and were brought before its
governor. Joseph said, "The man in whose hand the cup is found, he
shall be my servant, and as for you, get you up in peace unto your
father."Whereupon Judah interposed and after explaining the situation
in a most touching way, declared, "Thy servant became surety for the
lad to my father saying, if I bring him not unto you, then I shall
bear the blame of my father forever. Now therefore, I pray you, let
your servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord, and let
the lad go up with his brethren."(Gen. 44:17, 18, 32, 33). Equally
beautiful is the sequel and equally striking in completing the type:
"Then Joseph could not refrain himself . . . he kissed all his
brethren and wept upon them, and after that his brethren talked with
him" (Gen. 45:1, 15).
It seems strange that no writer--of the many we are acquainted
with--has made any attempt to "develop"this blessed evangelical
picture and bring out the wondrous details of the type. First, observe
the occasion of this incident. It was a matter of life and death, when
Jacob and his household were faced with the prospect of starvation,
that this proposal was made (Gen. 43:1-8). In like manner, unless
Christ has interposed as the Surety of His people they had received
the wages of sin. Second, it was not Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, but
Judah who offered to act as "bondman" for Benjamin. Surely it is not
without Divine design that in the only chapter in the N. T. where
Christ is specifically designated "Surety" we are therein reminded
that "our Lord sprang out of Judah" (Heb. 7:14,22). Third, it is to be
particularly noted that this office was not compulsorily thrust upon
Judah, but that he freely and voluntarily assumed it, as did the
antitypical Surety.
Fourth, let it also be duly observed that it was not for one unrelated
to him but for his own brother that Judah proposed to serve--with
which should be linked "he that is surety for a stranger shall smart
for it" (Prov. 11:15). Fifth, it was in order to satisfy his father
that Judah proposed to act. This at once refutes the error of the
Socinians on Hebrews 7:22. Christ was not God's Surety unto us, rather
did He serve as the Surety of His people to satisfy the justice of His
Father. This is made very clear in the type: "your servant became
surety for the lad unto my father." Sixth, the nature of suretyship is
here clearly defined, namely, serving as a bondman in the room of
another, discharging his obligations, "let your servant abide instead
of the lad a bondman to my lord"(Gen. 44:33). Seventh, the result of
this typical suretyship was that reconciliation was effected between
Joseph and his estranged brethren. So the antitypical Surety secured
reconciliation between an estranged God and his alienated people.
How very much better, then, is it to take our illustrations of any
aspect of Divine Truth from the Word itself, rather than draw upon our
imagination or stoop to human history for incidents which supply no
analogy! They must indeed be devoid of spiritual vision who fail to
see in what has been brought out above a truly remarkable
foreshadowment of the Suretyship of Christ. If any regard as `far
fetched' the seven details to which we have called attention, they are
to be pitied. It is true that at the last moment God intervened on
Judah's behalf, as He did on Isaac's when his father had bound him to
the altar and took a knife to slay him--God accepting the will for the
deed. Yet just as surely as Abraham "received Isaac in a figure"from
the dead (Heb. 11:19), so did Judah in a "figure"and literally so in
intention, serve as surety for Benjamin. That God interposed both in
Abraham's and Judah's case, exempting them from finalizing their
intentions, only serves to emphasize the contrast that He "spared not
His own Son" (Rom. 8:32).
That which is most relevant to our present subject is the result
obtained by Judah's suretyship, namely, healing the breach which had
for so long obtained between Joseph and his brethren--the type turning
from Judah's relation to his father and the bringing in of Joseph and
its effect upon him, being parallel to the type in Genesis 22 turning
from Isaac, the willing victim on the altar, to the "ram"caught in the
thicket and being slain in his stead. For many years Joseph had been
separated from his brethren and they alienated in spirit from him.
When they came into his presence the first time, he "made himself
strange"to them and "spake roughly to them"(Gen. 42:7)--as God did to
us through His Law prior to our conversion. Though the heart of Joseph
yearned toward them, he made not himself known to them. It was not
until Judah stepped forward as the surety of Benjamin that everything
was changed. "Then Joseph could not refrain himself"(45:1) and
reconciliation was at once effected!
Now it is in the light of all that has been before us above that we
are to interpret that blessed declaration "By so much (as the
Melchizedek priesthood excelled the Levitical) was Jesus made a Surety
of a better testament or covenant" (Heb. 7:22)--the contrast being not
between an inferior "surety" and Christ, but the more excellent
covenant. Christ is the Surety provided by the Everlasting Covenant,
which was administered under the O. T. era (the "old covenant")
beneath shadows and figures, but now (in this N. T. era) under the
"new covenant" His Suretyship is fully revealed in its actual and
historical fulfillment. The typical case of Judah exhibits every
essential feature of the Suretyship of Christ and the more clearly it
is fixed in our minds the better shall we be able to understand the
Antitype. As the Surety of His people Christ undertook to yield that
obedience to the Law which they owed and to make reparation to Divine
justice for their sins--to discharge their whole debt both of
obedience and suffering.
"God did not mince the matter and say, Son, if you will take flesh and
die by the hands of wicked men, I will pardon all you die for, for
your sake, and you will have an easy task of it. It shall be only
enduring the corporeal pains of death, which thousands have undergone
in a more terrible manner. But God says this, `If you will be their
Saviour, you must be their Surety. You must pay all the debt of doing
the Law and suffering for the breach of the Law. You must bear all
their sins. You must suffer all their direful pains of body and soul,
all the terrors and horrors due to them for sin from the wrath of God.
I will make their sins fall on you with all the weight which would
press all the elect into the vengeance of Hell-fire forever,'Those are
the terms. Hard enough indeed, but if sinners be saved by My free
grace in giving you for them, My righteousness and holiness must be
satisfied and glorified. Do you have such a love to My glory and to
their poor souls as to undergo all that for them? Yes, said our
blessed Lord. I am content, Lo, I come to do your will, O God" (S.
Crisp 1691).
Third, we have seen that in order to be our Saviour Christ had to be
our Substitute. We have shown that to legally act as our Substitute He
had to take upon Him the office of Surety. We now push our inquiry
still further back, and ask, What was it that justified the Holy One
serving as our Surety and the government of a righteous God taking
vengeance upon Him for our sins? Not until we obtain the Scriptural
answer to this question do we arrive at bedrock and find a sure
foundation for faith to rest upon--such a foundation as none of the
sophistical reasonings of the carnal mind can shake, and against which
the objections of skepticism are shattered into nothing, like the
spray of the sea as its proud waves spend themselves upon the granite
cliff. Nor do we have far to seek if we attend closely to Hebrews 7:22
federal relationship or covenant oneness is what makes manifest the
righteousness of the Great Transaction. There is reciprocal
identification between the covenant-Head and the Covenantees. Christ
transacted for His people because He was one with them.
That Christ acted as the covenant-Head or federal Representative of
His people is clear from 1 Corinthians 15:45 and 47, where He is
designated "The last Adam" and "the second Man,"the one expression
explaining the other. Christ was not "the second man"in order of time
and number, for such was Cain, but He was in the sense that He
sustained the same relation to His people as the first man did to the
whole of his posterity. As the margin of Hosea 6:7 shows, God made a
"covenant" with the first Adam, in which he acted and transacted for
all his natural seed as their legal head and representative, and
therein was "the figure of Him that was to come"(Rom. 5:14), for
Christ acted and transacted for all His spiritual seed as their legal
Head and Representative. Thus in that sense there have been but two
men who have sustained this special relation to others before the
Divine Law: that each served as a public person, and that thereby a
foundation was laid for the judicial consequences of the acts of each
to be righteously charged to the account of all for whom each stood.
It has been well said that "The Atonement is founded upon the unity of
Christ and His people, with whom He took part in flesh and blood"
(Jas. Haldane). It is indeed true that all mankind are partakers of
flesh and blood, but Christ "took part"only with the children whom God
had given Him. This is brought out very clearly in the language of
Heb. 2. "For both He that sanctifies and they who are sanctified are
all of one, for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren"
(v. 11). And again, "Behold I and the children which God has given Me.
For as much as the children are partakers of flesh He also Himself
likewise took part of the same.. . He took on Him the seed of
Abraham"--not of Adam. "Therefore in all things it behoved Him to be
made like unto His brethren" (vv. 13, 14, 15, 17). It was that unity
between the Sanctifier and the sanctified which laid the foundation
for Christ to "make reconciliation"(or rather) "propitiation for the
sins of the people" (v. 17).
Under human governments there may be expedients by which the innocent
are penalized in order that the guilty may escape, but such a device
and arrangement is impossible under the righteous government of God.
"Such is the perfection of the Divine government that under it no
innocent person every suffered and no guilty person ever escaped"
(Jas. Haldane 1847). It was not that a stranger, unrelated to the
elect, had imposed upon Him their obligations, but that the Head of
the body of which they are members--and the unity of the head and the
members of our physical body (when any member suffers it is registered
in the brain, and when the head is severed all the members at once
die) is no closer than of Christ and His people (see Eph. 5:32). Just
as every member of the human race has been made responsible for the
original offence of the first Adam, so Christ is made responsible for
the offences of His people and suffered accordingly. Furthermore, they
themselves (legally considered) suffered in Him and with Him.
"Were it not for the unity of Christ and His people, justice, instead
of being magnified, would have been violated in His substitution.
However great the dignity of the sufferer, however deep his voluntary
humiliation, it would have been no atonement for us. In order to purge
our sins, in order to ransom His Church, Christ must so entirely unite
Himself with His people, that their sins should become His sins, that
His sufferings should be their sufferings, and His death their death"
("The Atonement" by Jas. Haldane). And this is indeed what took place.
Christ not only bore our sins in His own body on the tree, but each
believer can say, "I am crucified with Christ"(Gal. 2:20). Christ not
only suffered for us, but we suffered in Him, for we were legally one
with Him. He was substituted for us, because He was and is one with us
and we are one with Him.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 13
Its Effectuation-Concluded
_________________________________________________________________
In seeking to show what Christ did in order to effect reconciliation
between God and His people two methods of presentation were open to
us--each warranted by the analogy of Scripture. To begin with the work
of Christ as it is usually apprehended by us, working back to its
ordination by God; or to start with the Divine appointment and trace
out the progressive accomplishment of the same on the plane of human
history. In the last three articles we followed the former plan. Now,
to aid the reader still further, we will reverse the process. Under
our fifth main division we saw how that a Covenant was entered into
between the Father and the Son, in which everything necessary for the
redemption of His elect was mutually agreed upon and settled; here we
are to contemplate what was actually done in fulfillment of that
covenant engagement.
First, having agreed to become the Mediator or Daysman between God and
His people, the Beloved of the Father became incarnate. Oneness of
nature was indispensable, for there must be a conjunction effected
between the Redeemer and the redeemed if He was to be identified with
those on whose behalf He acted. Accordingly, "He took not on Him the
nature of angels, but He took on Him the seed of Abraham"(Heb. 2:16)
that He might have a right of property in us as Man as well as God. In
Galatians 4:4, 5 we are told that the Son became incarnate "to redeem
them that were under the Law."By the law of Israel the right of
redemption belonged to him that was next of blood (Lev. 25:25; Ruth
2:20). It was by being made like His brethren that Christ acquired the
human and legal title to pay the ransom-price for His Church.
The obedience of man to the Divine Law is that to which "life"is
promised (Matthew 19:17; Rom. 7:10). An angel's obeying in our stead
would not have been the establishment of the original law, nor could
life for men be claimed as the reward of angelic obedience. By man
came death, and consequently, by man must come the resurrection from
the dead (1 Cor. 15:21,22). It was essential that the Son of God
should become incarnate and be in full possession of our humanity that
He might obey the Law and bring in everlasting righteousness for His
people. It was His becoming flesh which laid the foundation for the
imputation of our liabilities unto Christ and His merits, obedience,
and sufferings unto us.
Second, in becoming incarnate the Son of God "took upon Him (voluntary
action!) the form of a servant"(Phil. 2:7)--God's Servant, but on our
behalf. That service consisted of His entering into the office of
Surety. "Suretyship is a relation constituted by covenant engagement,
by which parties become legally one so that they can be dealt with as
such in law" (J. Armour). Or to state it in other words, a surety is
one who gives security for another that he will perform something
which the other is bound to do, so that in case of the failure of the
first party he will perform it for him. It was His natural union with
His people that made possible and proper Christ's federal oneness with
them. Thus, Christ as "the Surety of the covenant"came under
obligation to perform the condition of the covenant in lieu of and
behalf of His elect.
It must be carefully borne in mind that the Covenant was made with the
covenantees (the saints) in the person of their Head. Thus when Christ
came forth as the Surety of the covenant He appeared as the
Representative of His people, assuming their liabilities and
discharging their responsibilities, making satisfaction for their sins
and bringing in an everlasting righteousness, and that in such a way
that the Law was "magnified and made honorable"(Isa. 42:21) and that
He (and His people in Him) became entitled to the award of the Law. We
shall devote a disproportionate space to this essential point.
Third, in becoming our Surety Christ engaged to do all that was
necessary m order to restore His people unto the favor of God and to
secure for them the right of everlasting felicity. The first of those
engagements or terms was His meeting the original and righteous
demands which God made of them and in Adam under the Covenant of
Works, namely, to render in their place perfect and perpetual
obedience to the Divine Law. The second of those terms was that He
should endure the penalty of the Law which they had broken, and this
He did when He was "made a curse"for them and suffered the wrath of
God on their behalf. From the first Adam the law demanded nothing but
full conformity to its precept, but from the last Adam it necessarily
demanded not only holy obedience but also penal suffering, that He
might atone for our sins and blot out our iniquities.
It has been rightly pointed out that "In the original institute the
whole substance of moral obedience was summed up in the single
precept, relative to the fruit forbidden. As the Law is a unity, and
he who offends in one point is guilty of all; so when the spirit of
obedience is tested in a single point only, and confined to that
point, a failure here, brings upon man the guilt of the whole--he is
liable to the whole penalty. Now this was the sum total of the Law, as
a covenant given to Adam, that he should obey, and as the reward of
obedience should receive life. This glorious reward was held up as the
motive prompting to choice on the side of law and right. The law was
ordained unto life (Rom. 7:10). This is its object, and to this it was
adapted. But it failed in the hands of the first Adam, and the last
Adam comes in to make it good, to establish its principle and secure
its object" (G. Junkin, on "Justification").
When Christ appeared as the Surety of His people it was with the
affirmation "Lo, I come, to do Your will, O God" (Heb. 10:7). Note
well the word to "do"God's will (before He suffered His wrath for our
sins)--to "do"what the first Adam failed to perform. The fundamental
nature of God's government must needs have been changed had He granted
to men "life" on any other terms than what He had presented under the
Covenant of Works, and to which man agreed. The Gospel contains no
substitute for the Law, but reveals that remedial scheme by which is
confirmed and made good the principles of righteousness originally
laid down by God to Adam. "Do we then make void the Law through faith
(in the gospel)? God forbid. Yea,(is the triumphant answer) we
establish the Law" (Rom. 3:31).
The unchanging terms of the Covenant of Works is "This do (obey the
Law) and you shall live"(Luke 10:28). And since I have broken the Law
and am incapable of keeping it, then "life"--the reward of the
Law--could never be mine unless the Surety had "this" done on my
behalf. Therefore was He "made under the Law" for His appointed and
agreed-upon task was not only to "make an end of sins"but also to
"bring in everlasting righteousness"(Dan. 9:24), that is, a justifying
righteousness for the whole election of grace. The Lord Jesus freely
consented to pay His people's debts, both in making satisfaction to
the Law which they had broken and in rendering perfect obedience in
their stead. That "righteousness"Christ was working out for us from
the moment of His birth until upon the cross He cried "It is
finished."
In executing the great work of our redemption and reconciliation the
incarnate Son paid homage to the Divine Law. He was not only "made
under"it, but as He declared "Your Law is within My heart"(Ps.
40:8)--enshrined in His affections, and His whole life was one of
complete subjection to it. Christ as the Sin-bearer and Sin-expiator
only gives one side of His work. The other is His holy obedience--the
two together furnishing us a complete view of the satisfaction which
He rendered to God. Christ's obedience was equally the work of the One
for the many, the Head for His body, and equally essential as His
death. His first recorded utterance "Do you not wish that I must be
about My Father's business!"(Luke 2:49) shows clearly that He had
entered this world on a special errand, that He was engaged in a
specific work unto the Father, that He owed obedience to Him--as the
"must" plainly intimates.
His first utterance on emerging from His private life struck the same
note. When presenting Himself for baptism John demurred, for to comply
made Christ appear to be a sinner, for it was "the baptism of
repentance for the remission of sins" (Luke 3:3). But it was not as a
private person Christ presented Himself, but as "the Lamb of God which
takes (or "bears"), away the sin of the world"(John 1:29-31). To His
forerunner's objection the Saviour replied, "Suffer it to be so now,
for thus it becomes us to fulfill all righteousness"(Matthew 3:15).
The "now"is emphatic in the Greek. Now that I have "made Myself of no
reputation,"now that I am discharging My suretyship. It "became" Him
to fulfill His engagement. As the One obeying for the many ("us!") it
was requisite that He "fulfill the righteousness"--submit to God's
positive, institutions or ordinances as well as the moral Law.
In His first public address Christ declared "Think not that I am come
to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to
fulfill" (Matthew 5:17). Those words supply us with a clear-cut
definition of His mission and the character of the work in which He
was engaged. In what way did He "fulfill"the Prophets? Why, by doing
those things which they had foretold--such as preaching good tidings
(Isa. 61:1) and healing the sick (Isa. 35:4-6)--and by suffering the
indignities and pains which they had announced. In precisely the same
way He "fulfilled" the Law, namely, by rendering the obedience which
its precepts required, and by enduring the punishment which its
penalty demanded. The grand end of the incarnation was that Christ
should provide for His people a righteousness which excelled that of
the scribes and pharisees (Matthew 5:20).
"To satisfy both the requirements of His justice and the abundance of
His mercy, God determined that a full satisfaction should be made unto
His Law, and such a satisfaction that it was in that way more honored
than if it had never been broken, or the whole race damned. In order
to do this He appointed that Christ should serve as the Substitute and
Surety of His people. He must stand as their Representative and
fulfill all righteousness for them and endure the curse in their
stead, so that they might be legally reckoned to have obeyed and
suffered in Him" (Thos. Goodwin, Puritan). Accordingly we find Christ
saying "My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me and to finish
His work"(John 4:34). The single principle that guided His holy life
was obedience to God. In this way He not only left us an example to
follow, but was working out for us a righteousness to be imputed to
our account and by which we are justified and entitled to the reward
of the Law. Calvary was not the beginning but the end of His life of
perfect obedience--as the "unto death" of Philippians 2:8 testifies.
Fourth, God transferred the sins of His people and placed them upon
their Surety the moment He assumed the office. "The Lord has laid on
Him the iniquities of us all"(Isa. 53:6). Not experimentally, but
legally; not the corruption of them, but the guilt; not that He was
defiled by them, but that He became subject to their penalty. The sins
of His people were charged to the account of the Holy One. So truly
was this the case that He acknowledged the actuality of it crying,
"For innumerable evils have compassed Me about. My iniquities have
taken hold upon Me" (Ps. 40:12); and again, "O God, You know My
foolishness, and My sins are not hid from You"(Ps. 69:5). That was the
language of the Surety, as the context clearly shows.
Fifth, because Christ entered this world charged with the guilt of His
people, Divine justice dealt with Him accordingly--as was shown under
the first article on Christ effectuating reconciliation as our
Substitute. Because Christ had shouldered the awful burden of His
people's sins, He must be paid sin's wages. Because the Just had so
united Himself to the unjust, He must suffer "the due reward of their
iniquities."He must, accordingly, be wounded for our transgressions
and bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace must be
upon Him, if by our His stripes we are to be healed (Isa. 53:4,5). It
was fore-announced "He shall bear their iniquities"(v. 11) and
iniquities and guilt are inseparable, and since guilt signifies
liability to punishment, Christ must be penalized in our stead. O that
this article may be so blest to some reader that he may, for the first
time, be able to truly say: "Upon a life I did not live, upon a death
I did not die--Another's life, Another's death, I rest my soul
eternally."
Sixth, because Christ was "made sin"for His people (2 Cor. 5:21) He
was "made a curse"for them (Gal. 3:13)-- that curse consisted of the
avenging wrath of God. The Sinbearer was "numbered with the
transgressors"(Isa. 53:12). The august dignity of Christ's person did
not avail to any abatement of the Divine curse. God "spared not His
own Son"(Rom. 8:32). So far from sparing Him, the Judge of all the
earth, the moral Governor of this world, the Administrator of law
cried, "Awake 0 sword, against My Shepherd, and against the Man that
is My Fellow, says the Lord of hosts. Smite the Shepherd"(Zech. 13:7).
Though He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth,
yet it "pleased Jehovah to bruise Him. He has put Him to grief"(Isa.
53:9,10). The wages of sin is death, and as physical death consists of
the severance of the soul from the body so spiritual death is the
separation of the soul from God, and on the cross Christ was forsaken
by God.
We must therefore look higher than the "band of men and officers"as
the servants of the chief priests and pharisees sent to apprehend
Christ in the Garden, and see in them the agents of Divine justice,
though they knew not what they did. We must needs direct our eyes
above the Roman soldiers as they "plaited a crown of thorns and placed
it on Christ's head" and see in them the executives of the Divine Law,
branding our Surety with the marks of the curse (see Gen. 3:17, 18).
We are required to exercise the vision of faith and behold in
Caiaphas, Herod and Pilate doing "whatsoever God's hand and counsel
determined before to be done"(Acts 4:28) in order that the terms of
the Everlasting Covenant should be carried out, the requirements of
righteousness satisfied, the holy wrath of God appeased, and the sins
of His people forever removed from before Him, "as far as the east is
from the west."
Seventh, because Christ rendered full satisfaction to Divine justice,
He redeemed His people unto Himself, and they are not only absolved
from all guilt but are reconciled to God. Not only are they no longer
under the frown of the Divine Judge, but His smile rests upon them.
Not only are they freed from His displeasure, but they are restored to
His favor. Not only do they stand "unblameable and unreproveable in
God's sight,"but they have an inalienable title to everlasting
felicity. There cannot be a substitution without a dual imputation. If
the debt of the debtor is charged to the surety, then upon his
discharge of the same the payment of the surety must be credited to
the debtor. Accordingly we are told, "For He has made Him (legally) to
be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made (legally) the
righteousness of God in Him"(2 Cor. 5:21)--there is the
counter-imputation. Christ's righteousness is reckoned to the account
of His people.
"As by one man's disobedience many were made sinners (legally
constituted so, and then as the consequence, experimentally became
such) so by the obedience of One shall many be made (legally
constituted so, and then as the consequence, experimentally become
such) righteous"(Rom. 5:19). Christ took our place that we might take
His. Christ removed our sins that we might be clothed with His merits.
Because Christ kept the Law for us, we are entitled to "reign in
life"(Rom. 5:17). "The Forerunner is for us entered into Heaven"(Heb.
6:20). Observe well how Christ demanded this as His legal right.
"Father, I will that they also whom You have given Me, be with Me
where I am" (John 17:24). I have fully discharged their obligations, I
have wrought out for them an everlasting righteousness, now give them
that which, for My sake, they are justly entitled to.
"The moment the believing sinner accepts Christ as his Substitute, he
finds himself not only cleared from his guilt, but rewarded--he gets
all heaven because of the glory and merits of Christ. The Atonement we
preach is one of absolute exchange. It is that Christ took our place
literally, in order that we might take His place literally--that God
regarded and treated Christ as the sinner, and that He regards and
treats the believing sinner, as Christ. From the moment we believe,
God looks upon us as if we were Christ. He takes it as if Christ's
atonement had been our atonement, and as if Christ's life had been our
life; and He beholds, accepts, blesses, and rewards on the ground that
all Christ was and did is ours" (G. S. Bishop "Doctrines of Grace").
What a glorious Gospel! Then proclaim it freely and boldly ministers
of Christ.
From all that has been pointed out it should, we think, be more or
less clear to the simplest reader that the breach between God and His
sinning people has been righteously healed. That is to say,
reconciliation has been effected in a way both gracious and legal. To
have brought this suit into the court of Divine Law had availed
nothing unless provision had been made for so ordering its process and
judgment that the sinner might be honorably accepted and that God
might be both "just and the Justifier of him which believes in
Jesus"(Rom. 3:26). The Law must be on the sinner's side. His absolver
and not his condemner, his justifier and not his accuser. That
provision has been made by means of the Surety-Substitute, by the
transference of total indebtedness from those who incurred it to One
to incurred it not and fully discharged the same.
It is by the principle and on the ground of Suretyship hind
Substitution that God's justice is displayed in all His transactions
with the believing sinner. It is this which is the climacteric in the
rood news proclaimed by the heralds of Christ. The grand Evangel not
only exhibits the knowledge-surpassing love of God, but as the apostle
declares "therein is the righteousness of God revealed."Grace indeed
reigns, but it does so "through righteousness"(Rom. 1:17; 5:21).
"Christ bears the sins of many because in His covenanted
identification with those `many' their sins are sinlessly and truly
His. And unto the many sons and daughters of the covenant, the Father
imputes the righteousness of the Son, because, in their covenant
oneness with the Son, His righteousness is undeservedly but truly
their own righteousness. And all throughout `the judgment of God is
according to truth'and equity" (H. Martin, on "The Atonement"). Thus
we behold once more that, at the cross, Mercy and Truth met together,
Righteousness and Peace have kissed each other (Ps. 85:10). It is not
a peace at any price, a peace wherein justice is sacrificed and the
law is flouted, but it righteous peace, one that glorifies all the
Divine perfections. Such is the wondrous and blessed message of the
Gospel.
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The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 14
Its Meaning
_________________________________________________________________
It may seem strange to some that we have deferred until now a
consideration of the meaning of "reconciliation,"and to the critical
reader it must appear as a real defect. Ordinarily a writer should
define the terms which he uses at the beginning of his treatise, but
in this case we wish to do very much more than furnish a mere
definition of the word itself. Under the present division of our
subject we desire to consider. more closely and definitely the thing
itself. We have dwelt upon the need of reconciliation, its Author, its
arrangement, and its effectuation, now we must describe more
particularly what reconciliation actually is, as it concerns both God
and His people. The previous chapters have been paving the way for
this, and in measure furnishing materials for the same, and after what
has already been presented the reader should be able to follow more
easily our present discussion than if we had introduced it at an
earlier stage, as it also relieves the writer from taking anything for
granted. It is on the
It is also because that what we are to be engaged with concerns the
more controversial aspect of our theme, that we sought to first make
clear and establish from Scripture what must be regarded as the
essential elements which into the equation. In seeking to ascertain
more precisely the nature and character of reconciliation we must
carefully distinguish between cause and effect, between the means and
end. Many are confused at this point, supposing that "atonement"and
"reconciliation" are one and the same--the sound of the English word
"at-one-ment" leading them to miss its true sense. Unfortunately this
confusion is fostered by the only verse in the Authorized Version of
the N. T. where it occurs: "by whom (namely, Jesus Christ) we have
received the atonement"(Rom 5:11)--unhappily few avail themselves of
the marginal alternative (generally the better rendition) where it is
rightly given as "reconciliation."To speak of our "receiving"the
Atonement does not make sense, for it was God and not ourselves who
required an atonement or satisfaction, but it is correct to say that
believers "receive" the reconciliation
To "atone" is to placate or appease, to make reparation for injury or
amends for wrong done another. "Atonement"simply signifies that a
satisfaction has been made, that the demands of the Divine Law have
been met, that justice has been honored, that God has been
propitiated. The literal force of the Heb. "kaphar"(generally rendered
atonement in the O. T.) is a "covering,"and thus its appropriateness
for this usage is clear--the sacrificial blood covered what was an
affront to the offended eye of God by means of an adequate
compensation. The term is applied to the "mercy-seat" which was the
lid or cover of the ark of the covenant--and therefore a
Divinely-appointed symbol closely connected with the presentation of
sacrifices on the day of expiation. Thus there can be no objection to
rendering "Christ Jesus: whom God has set forth a mercy-seat through
faith in His blood"(Rom. 3:25) so long as its purport be "blood"be
duly emphasized.
The principal idea, then, expressed by the word "kaphar"--"atonement"
is that of averting vengeance by means of a placating offering. It is
rendered "appease"in Genesis 32:20. When Jacob was about to make the
dreaded meeting with Esau, he sent his servants with droves of animals
before him, saying, "I will appease ("kaphar") him with this present
that goes before me!"In Numbers 16:31 it is written, "He shall take no
satisfaction (no "kaphar") for the life of a murderer which is guilty
of death. But he shall surely be put to death,"which again helps us to
ascertain the force of this most-important Hebrew word, the word
"satisfaction" meaning, of course, a legal compensation--none such
being allowed in case of murder. Vengeance must take its course.
"Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer and put fire in it from off the
altar and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation and
make an atonement for them, for there is wrath gone out from the Lord,
the plague is begun"(Num. 16:46)--here we see that "atonement" was
plainly the means for propitiating Jehovah, for turning away His
Now such was the Atonement made unto God by the Lord Jesus Christ. His
sacrifice was offered for the satisfying of Divine justice, for the
averting of Divine wrath from His people. God sent His Son to be "the
propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10). The judicial displeasure of
God was turned away from His Church by means of the substitutionary
interposition of the Lamb, who was slain in their stead. The righteous
vengeance of God was appeased by the Surety, pouring out His soul unto
death. Certain effects or results followed from that. The sins of
God's elect were blotted out, they were redeemed from the curse of the
Law, God was reconciled to them. The Atonement was the cause, the
means, the root; reconciliation was the effect, the end, the fruit.
Thus the two things are clearly distinguished and should never be
confounded. The very fact that the N. T. employs two entirely
different words ("hilasmos"1 John 2:2; 4:10 and "katallage" Rom. 5:11)
shows plainly they are not the same--the latter resulting
It is a pity that the honorable translators of the A. V. did not
always preserve that important distinction. Another verse which has
served to cloud the judgment of English readers is Hebrews 2:17, where
we are told the Son became incarnate that "He might be merciful and
faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make
reconciliation for the sins of the people," which is correctly
rendered (as Owen and others of the Puritans long ago insisted that it
should be) in the R.V. that is, "make propitiation for the sins of the
people."Because Christ made propitiation for their sins, the wrath of
God was turned away from them and reconciliation was the outcome:
"having made peace through the blood of His cross"(Col. 1:20) sums it
up, and shows both the end and the means by which it was accomplished.
That our English word "at-one" signifies to reconcile and not to
"propitiate"is evident from Acts 7:26--"Moses would have set them at
one again" that is, restore them to amity--the Greek word being
rendered "peace" elsewhere.
But at this point we need to be careful in guarding against a
misconception and the drawing of a wrong conclusion. While the
atonement of Christ was an appeasement, it must not be regarded as an
inducement. That is, as a price which the Redeemer had to pay in order
to incline God to love His people. Yet it is right here that the
enemies of the Gospel have made their main attack upon that aspect of
it which we are now considering. They have accused those who maintain
the Scriptural doctrine of propitiation in order to reconciliation as
denying the Divine benevolence, as arguing that Christ shed His
precious blood in order to induce God to love sinners, that those who
insist God required an appeasing sacrifice before He would be gracious
unto transgressors, are guilty of grievously misrepresenting the
Divine character. But Socinians are the ones who wretchedly pervert
the teachings of sound theologians when they charge them with
portraying the cross of Christ as the means of changing God
Socinians grievously wrest the Truth when they argue that those who
proclaim the propitiatory character of Christ's death teach that His
death wrought a change in God, that He produced a different feeling
within Him with regard to sinners. So far from that, the very men who
have most faithfully and fearlessly magnified the ineffable holiness
of God in its antagonism against sin and His inexorable justice in
punishing it, have been the ones who also made it crystal clear that
love to sinners, a determination to save His people from the curse of
the Law, existed eternally in the Divine mind, that it was the love of
God for His Church, His compassion for its members, which moved Him to
devise and execute the plan of salvation and to send His beloved to
save them by making an atonement for their sins. Christ the Atoner was
provided and given by the Father for His people! It was at His own
tremendous cost -- by not sparing His Son, but delivering Him up for
them all--that the Father supplied that very compensation which His
holiness and justice
We must not for a moment suppose that the atonement was in order to
change the good-will of the Father toward those on whose behalf it was
offered. No, He gave His elect--the objects of His everlasting and
unchanging love-- to the Son, and He gave the Son of His love to and
for them. All that we owe unto Christ we owe unto God who gave Him.
"Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable Gift"Nevertheless, the
atonement was essentially necessary in order that God's love might
flow to them in an honorable channel; that, so far from the glory of
God being tarnished by their salvation, so far from His evidencing the
slightest complicity in their sin, every Divine attribute might be
placed in a more conspicuous view. So that in clothing His Church with
the everlasting righteousness of His Son and adorning them with all
the beauties of holiness, unto the enjoyment of an exceeding, even
eternal weight of glory, God might appear "glorious in holiness,
fearful in praises, doing wonders"(Ex. 15:11)--let it be noted that
verse is taken from Israel's song of redemption (v. 13) after the
destruction of their
Nowhere does the love of God shine so illustriously as at the Cross.
To die for a friend is the highest instance of love among mankind--an
instance but rarely found. But God commends His love to men in that
while they were sinners, Christ died for them--died for those who were
"alienated and enemies in their mind by wicked works"(Col. 1:21). This
is the most amazing feature of it. It may then be reasonably inferred
that God loves whatever is lovely; but it may with equal certainty be
inferred that whatever is not amiable displeases Him. Human reason,
then, could never have discovered a way in which sinners should be the
proper objects of Divine love. But the Scriptures reveal how God's
wisdom found a way by which He has made the loathsome objects worthy
of His love! In the atoning death of Christ all their pollutions are
washed away, and in His perfect righteousness they stand graced before
God with all the merits of their Surety--more worthy
So far from teaching that the atonement of Christ was the procuring
cause of God's love unto His people, we emphatically insist that God's
love for them was the moving cause of giving Christ to suffer and die
for them, that their sins might be atoned for. It is not that there
was insufficient love in God to save sinners without the death of His
Son, but that He determined to save them in such a way as gloriously
exhibited His righteousness too. The love of God wrought in a way of
holiness and justice. He did not choose to receive sinners into His
favor without giving public expression to His detestation of their
iniquities, but, as the entire universe will yet learn, cried, "Awake
O sword against My Shepherd and against the Man that is My Fellow says
the Lord of hosts, smite the Shepherd"(Zech. 13:7), so that "He might
be just and the Justifier of him that believes in Jesus"(Rom. 3:26).
God's love triumphed at the cross, yet not at the expense of Law! Let
the reader judge, then, whether the Socinian or the Calvinist
furnishes the most Scriptural and
The main objection made by those who formally reject the Atonement is,
that it is inconsistent with the love of God. God needed nothing, they
say, but His own goodness to incline Him to show mercy unto sinners,
or if He did, it could not be of grace, since a price was paid to
obtain it. But in the light of what has been pointed out above it
should be quite evident that such an objection is utterly pointless,
confusing the moving cause of mercy unto sinners with the manner of
showing it. The sacrifice of Christ was not the cause but the effect
of God's love. The love of God was amply sufficient to have pardoned
the vilest sinner without any atonement, had God deemed it consistent
with the holiness of his character and the righteousness of His
government. David was not wanting in love for his son Absalom, for
"his soul longed to go forth unto him," but he felt for his own honor
as the head of the family and the nation, which, had he admitted him
immediately to his presence, would have been compromised and the crime
of murder connived at. Therefore, for a time he kept him at a
distance, and
As Winslow so sublimely
"It is a self-evident truth that, as God only knows, so He only can
reveal His love. It is a hidden love, veiled deep within the
recesses of His infinitude, yea, it seems to comprise His very
essence, for `God is love.'Not merely loving and lovely, but love
itself, essential love. Who, then, can reveal it but Himself? `In
this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God
sent His only-begotten Son into the world that we might live
through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He
loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins' (1
John 4:9,10). But behold God's love! See how He has inscribed this
glorious perfection of His nature in letters of blood drawn from
the heart of Jesus. His love was so great that nothing short of the
death of His beloved Son could give an adequate expression of its
immensity.
`God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting
life'(John 3:16). Here was the great miracle of love. Here was its
most stupendous acknowledgment --here its most brilliant
victory--and here its most costly and precious offering. `Herein is
love.'as though the apostle would say `and nowhere but here.'That
God should punish the (intrinsically) Innocent for the guilty--that
He should exact His co-equal Son to cancel the guilt of
rebels--that He should lay an infinite weight of wrath on His soul,
in order to lay an infinite value of love on ours--that He should
sacrifice His life of priceless value for ours, worthless,
forfeited and doomed--that the Lord of glory should become the Man
of sorrows--the Lord of life should die and the Heir of all things
be as `He that serves.'O the depths of love unfathomable! O the
height of love unsearchable! O the length and breadth of love
unmeasureable! O the love of God which passes knowledge!"
"Great is the mystery of godliness"is the Spirit's own express
declaration. Therefore the finite mind, especially in its present
condition (impaired by sin and clouded by prejudice) must expect to
encounter features that are beyond its comprehension. Nevertheless, it
is both our privilege and duty to receive all that Holy Writ reveals
on it and beg God for a spiritual understanding of the same, and
refuse to reject any aspect of the Truth, because, we no doubt, are
unable to perceive its harmony with some other aspect. The Scriptures
plainly teach that the Atonement of Christ was an appeasement of the
wrath of God against His people, yet they are equally clear in making
known that the Atonement was not made as an inducement of the love of
God unto His people. The Saviour did not shed His blood in order to
procure God's love for His Church, rather, was God's gift of the
Redeemer the supreme expression of His love for it. The Atonement
appeased the wrath of God in His official character as the Judge of
all; the love of God is His good-will unto the elect as the covenant
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 15
Its Meaning-Continued
_________________________________________________________________
In our last chapter we pointed out the needs-be for and the importance
of making a clear distinction between the Atonement and
reconciliation, that the sacrifice of Christ was the cause and the
means of which reconciliation was the effect and end. Some
theologians, and good ones too, have demurred against terming the
offering of Christ a "means,"insisting that it was the procuring cause
of our salvation. The fact is, it was both a means and a cause
according as we view it in different relations. It was the meritorious
cause of re-instating us in the favor of God and of procuring for us
the Holy Spirit; the means by which God's mercy is exercised in a way
of justice. "Being justified freely by His grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus"(Rom. 3:24). It may be regarded as
a mean or medium in respect of the originating cause: thus grace is
presented as the source from which it sprang, the redemptive work of
Christ the channel by which it flows. In Hebrews 9:15 Christ's death
is expressly termed the "means."Some may be inclined to chafe at the
"distinctions"we frequently call attention to, considering we are too
prone to confuse the minds of the simple by introducing "theological
niceties."But did not the apostle pray that the Philippian saints
might be moved by God to "try things that differ." We rather fear that
such disrelish of these distinctions is a sign of mental slovenliness
and spiritual slothfulness. Is it of no significance, or of no
importance to us, to take notice of the fact that while the Scriptures
speak of "the wrath of the Lamb"and of the "wrath of God" being upon
both the non-elect and elect in a state of nature, they never once
make reference to "the wrath of the Father!"If any of our readers
sneer or shrug their shoulders at that as a mere "splitting of
hairs,"we are very sorry for them. God's Word is made up of words, and
it behooves us to weigh every one of them attentively. If we do not,
we shall obtain little more than a blurred impression rather than
The work of Christ was indeed one and indivisible, nevertheless, it is
capable of and requires to be viewed from various angles. For that
reason, among others, the typical altar was not round but
"foursquare"(Ex. 27:1). The nature of Christ's work was fourfold in
its character: being a federal work--as the Representative of His
people, a vicarious work--as their Surety and Substitute, a penal
work--as He took their Law-place, a sacrificial work--offering Himself
unto God on their behalf. The work of Christ accomplished four chief
things. It propitiated God Himself, it expiated the sins of His
people, it reinstated them in the Divine favor, and it estated them an
everlasting inheritance of glory. There is also a fourfold consequence
of Christ's work so far as His people are concerned. The guilt of
their transgressions is cancelled so that they receive remission of
sins; they are delivered from all bondage -- redeemed, they are made
legally and experimentally righteous; all enmity between God and
--they are reconciled.
In our last we also exposed the sophistry of the Socinian contention
that if the propitiatory character of Christ's sacrifice be insisted
upon, then we repudiate the uncaused love and free grace of God. We
sought to show that while the shedding of Christ's blood was an
appeasement of the Divine wrath against God's people, it was not an
inducement of His love unto them. Thus, in the latter half of our
foregoing chapter we dealt more with the negative side in showing what
the oblation of Christ was not designed to accomplish, namely, to
procure God's good will unto sinners. Now we must tarn to the positive
side and point out what the Atonement was designed to effect. We need
to be constantly on our guard against exalting the wondrous love of
God to the deprecation of His ineffable holiness. If on the one hand
it is blessed to continually bear in mind that never has there been
such love as the love of God--so pure, so intense, so satisfying; it
is equally necessary not to forget there has never been a law like
unto the Law of God--so spiritual,
Divine love unto sinners originated reconciliation, but the Divine Law
required that love to flow in a righteous channel. The method which it
has pleased God to employ is one in which there is no compromise
between love and law, but rather one where each has found full
expression. At the cross we see the exceeding sinfulness of sin, the
spotless purity of the Law, the unbending character of God's
government, and the righteous outflow of His mercy unto Hell-deserving
transgressors. The same conjunction of Divine light and love appears
in connection with our receiving blessings in response to Christ's
intercession, as is clear from His words, "I say not unto you that!
will pray the Father for you, for the Father Himself loves you" (John
16:26, 27)--which was to assure us that we not only have the benefit
of Christ's prayers but the Father Himself so loves us that that alone
is sufficient to obtain anything at His hands. Think not that the
Father is hard to be exhorted and that blessings have to be wrung from
Him by My supplications. No, they issue from His love, but in an
honorable way,
But in our day it is necessary to consider reconciliation more from
the standpoint of God's holiness and justice, for during the last two
or three generations there has been an entirely disproportionate
emphasis on His love. While it is true that at the cross we behold the
highest expression of God's love to sinners, yet it is equally true
that there we also witness the supreme manifestation of God's hatred
of sin, and the one should never be allowed to crowd out or obscure
the other. The apostle hesitated not to affirm that God "set forth
(His Son) to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare
(or demonstrate) His righteousness" (Rom. 3:25)--observe well how
those words "to declare His righteousness"are repeated in the very
next verse. If the question is asked, Why did God give His Son to die
for sinners rather than have them to perish in their sins? the answer
is, Because He loved them. But the answer to: Why did He give His Son
to be a propitiation for sinners rather than save them without one? is
Because He loved righteousness and
To any who have followed us closely through these chapters up to the
present point it should be quite clear, we think, that they err
gravely who contend that reconciliation is entirely one-sided, that it
is sinners who need to be reconciled to God, that in nowise did God
require reconciling to His people, seeing that He changes not, that He
loves them with an everlasting love, and that it was entirely His
good-will and benevolence which provided the Atonement for them. Yet
since it is at this very point that so many have departed from the
Truth, we must labor it and enter into more detail. It is sin which
has caused the breach between the Holy One and His fallen creatures,
and since He was the One wronged and injured by sin, surely it is
self-evident that reparation must be made unto Him for that offence
and outrage. Why, every passage in which "propitiation"occurs is proof
that God needed to be reconciled to sinners, that His wrath must be
It is of first importance to recognize that
"reconciliation"necessarily implies alienation, and that both
reconciliation and alienation connote a relationship between God and
us. Alienation signifies that a state of enmity and hostility exists
between two parties, reconciliation that the cause and ground of the
alienation has been removed, so that amity now obtains between them.
It is therefore essential that we define carefully and accurately the
changed relationship between God and His people which was brought
about by the entrance of sin. Though the everlasting objects of God's
eternal favor have been chosen in Christ from all eternity and blest
with all spiritual blessings in Him, nevertheless the elect (in Adam)
apostatized from God, and in consequence of the Fall fell under the
curse of His Law. Considered as the Judge of all, God became
antagonistic to them; considered as fallen creatures (what they were
in themselves) they were by nature enmity against Him. The entrance of
sin into this world brought the Church into a condition of guilt
before the Holy One, yet because of the Lamb being slain in the
purpose of God, the Father's love never ceased unto His people,
without
There could be no thought of reconciliation between a holy God and a
polluted rebel until full satisfaction had been made to His broken
Law. Sin raised a barrier between God and us which we could in no wise
surmount. "Your iniquities have separated between you and your God,
and your sins have hid His face from you"(Isa. 59:2).Sin resulted in
alienation between God and man. This was made unmistakably plain right
after the Fall, in Eden itself, for we are told, "God drove out the
man: and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubim, and a
flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of
life" (Gen. 3:24). Let it be carefully remembered that God was not
there dealing with Adam simply as a private person, but as the federal
head of the race, as the legal representative of all his
posterity--both of the elect and the non-elect. The "flaming sword"was
emblematic of the vindictive justice of God. The natural man as such
was excluded from Paradise and effectually barred from the tree of
life. That it turned "every way"precluded any avenue of approach. The
reconciliation must be mutual because the alienation was mutual.
Christ had to remove God's wrath from us, as well as our sins from
before God. If God were not reconciled to us, it would avail us
nothing to lay aside our enmity against Him. The fact that the flaming
sword "turned every way"to bar man's access to the tree of life
signified that by no effort of his could the sinner repair the damage
which his capital offence had wrought, and declared in the language of
the N.T. that "they that are in the flesh cannot please God"(Rom.
8:8). By nature we are "the children of wrath"(Eph. 2:3), and by
practice "alienated and enemies in our mind by wicked works"(Col.
1:21), and unless peace be made and reconciliation effected we should
neither have any encouragement to go to Him for mercy nor any hope for
acceptance with Him. The throwing down of the weapons of our rebellion
would avail nothing while we were obnoxious to the curse of the Divine
Law. How then shall we be delivered from the wrath to come is thus the
all-important question, for His wrath is "revealed from heaven against
all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men"(Rom.
The fallen sons of men have not only removed themselves to a guilty
distance from God, but He has judicially and morally removed Himself
from them. "The Lord is far from the wicked"(Prov. 15:29). And men
have wickedly departed from Him, God has righteously withdrawn from
them, and thus the distance is mutual, and ever increasing. While Adam
remained obedient, his Creator admitted him to near communion with
Him, as is intimated by His "walking in the garden in the cool of the
day,"but when he transgressed the commandment, He withdrew His favor
and thrust him out of Paradise. Had no Atonement been provided there
had never again been any communion with God--any more than there is
between Him and the fallen angels. This awful state of distance from
God is still the condition of all the unregenerate--elect or
non-elect, the interposition of Christ availing them not while they
continue rejecting Him, as is made unmistakably plain by "he that
believes not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides
on him"(John 3:36).
While they remain in a state of nature the elect, equally with the
non-elect lie under the guilt of sin and the condemnation of the Law,
and are therefore obnoxious to God--considered as the moral Governor
and Judge of all. "God hates sinners as they hate Him, for we are
children of wrath from the womb, and that wrath abides on us till we
enter into God's peace; and the more wicked we are, the more we
increase His wrath. `He is angry with the wicked every day'(Ps. 7:11);
they are under His curse. Whatever be the secret purposes of His
grace, yet so they are by the sentence of His Law, and according to
that we must judge of our condition" (Manton vol. 13, p. 257). So too,
J. Owen: "Reconciliation is the renewing of friendship between parties
before at variance: both parties being properly said to be reconciled,
even both he that offended and he that was offended. God and man were
set at distance, at enmity, and variance by sin, man was the party
offending, God offended, and the alienation was mutual on every side"
("The Death of Death" chap. 6, 2nd para.).
But how may God be said to love or hate believers before their
reconciliation since He is the Author of it? Let us give a
condensation of Charnock's reply. "First, God loves them with a love
of purpose or election, but till grace be wrought in them not with a
love of acceptation. We are within the love of His purpose as we are
designed to be the servants of Christ, but not within the love of His
acceptance till we are actually His servants--`He that in these things
serves Christ is acceptable to God'(Rom. 14:18). They are alienated
from God while in a state of nature and not accepted by God till in a
state of grace. There is in God a love of good-will and a love of
delight. The love of good-will is the root, the love of delight is
love in the flower. The love of good-will looks upon us as afar off,
the love of delight is itself in us, draws near to us. By peace with
God we have access to Him, by His love of delight He has access to us.
God wills well to them
"Second, God does hate His elect in some sense before their actual
reconciliation. (A) Not their persons, though He takes no pleasure in
them, neither their persons nor services. (B) But He hates their sins.
Sin is always odious to God, let the person be what it will. God never
hated, nor ever could, the person of Christ, yet He hated and
testified in the highest measure His hatred of those iniquities He
stood charged with as our Surety. He hates the sins of believers,
though pardoned and mortified. (C) God hates their state. The elect
before conversion are in a state of enmity, of darkness, of slavery,
and that state is odious to God, and makes them incapable while in
that state to `inherit the kingdom of God'(1 Cor. 6:9-1 1). The state
of the elect before actual reconciliation is odious because it is a
state of alienation from God. Whatever grows up from the root of the
old Adam cannot be delightful to Him. (D) God hates them as to
withholding the "
In Eph. 2 the apostle informs us how this mutual alienation is
removed, namely, by Christ "Having abolished in His flesh the enmity,
even the law of commandments contained in ordinances, for to make in
Himself of twain one new man, so making peace, and that He might
reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the
enmity by that means" (vv. 15, 16). As Owen pointed out, "It is
evident the reconciliation here mentioned consists in slaying the
enmity so making peace. Now what is the enmity intended? Not that in
our hearts to God, but the legal enmity that lay against us on the
part of God." This passage will come before us again when we consider
the scope of reconciliation, suffice it now to point out while verses
14, and 15 refer to that which was effected between believing Jews and
Gentiles, verse 16 has in view that which relates to God Himself, and
as Owen well pointed out this enmity of God against Jews and Gentiles
alike was a legal one, that which the Divine
"And having made peace through the blood of His cross to reconcile all
things unto Himself., and you, that were sometime alienated and
enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now has He reconciled in the
body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable
and unreproveable in His sight"(Col. 1:20-22). Since "peace" was made,
there must have been enmity or hostility, and since the peace was made
"through the blood of His cross"then the shedding of it was in order
to the placating of God, by offering a satisfaction to His outraged
Law. Thus, when theologians use the expression "a reconciled God"they
signify that a change in His relationship and attitude toward us has
been effected, from one of wrath to favor. It is the removal of that
estrangement which was produced by our offence. In consequence of His
atonement Christ has pacified God toward all who believe and brought
them to God. Our reconciliation unto God is the same thing as our
conversion, when we surrendered to His just claims upon us, and in
heart desired and purposed to forsake all that is opposed to Him.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 16
Its Meaning-Continued
_________________________________________________________________
In our last chapter we pointed out that reconciliation is an attitude
or relation, and dwelt upon the fact that it is a mutual affair. This
is so obvious that it should need no arguing, yet since so many have
denied that God required to be reconciled unto sinners, we must
perforce dwell upon it. Where one has wronged another and a break
ensues between then, then just as surely as "it takes two to make a
quarrel"so it takes two for a friendship to be restored again. If the
one who committed the injury confesses his fault and the other refuses
to accept his apology and forgive him, there is no reconciliation
effected between them; equally so if the injured party be willing to
overlook the fault, desiring peace at any price, yet if the wrong-doer
continues to bear enmity against the other, the breach still remains.
There must be a mutual good-will before a state of amity prevails.
We dwelt upon the fact that the entrance of sin brought about a
changed relationship between God and man. Since Adam stood as the
federal head of the race and transacted as the legal representative of
all his posterity, when he fell, the whole of mankind apostatized from
God. In consequence of the fall, all mankind came under the curse of
the Law, and therefore the elect equally with the non-elect are "by
nature the children of wrath, even as others"(Eph. 2:3). Loved by God
with regard to His eternal good-will, but born under His wrath in
regard of His Law and its administration--let those words be carefully
pondered. "Accepted in the Beloved"(Eph. 1:6) from all eternity, yet
entering this time-state under Divine condemnation. Holy and without
blame in Christ by election, yet guilty and depraved in ourselves by
sin. We must distinguish, as Scripture does, between how God viewed
His people in Christ in the glass of His decrees, and how He regards
them as in Adam, participating in the consequences of his
transgression and continuing in sin by their own course
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ
Jesus" (Rom. 8:1) clearly implies that before they came to be "in
Christ Jesus"the elect were under condemnation. As Romans 5:18
declares "by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to
condemnation." If it is asked, But were not the elect "in Christ"from
all eternity? The Answer is, In one sense yes, in another sense no.
"In Christ"always has reference to union with Him. The elect were
mystically united to Christ, being "chosen in Him before the
foundation of the world" (Eph. 1:4), yet until that decree is
actualized, they are "without Christ"(Eph. 2:13). At regeneration the
elect are vitally united to Christ: "he that is joined to the Lord is
one spirit" (1 Cor. 6:19 and 2 Cor. 5:17). Therefore Paul speaks of
those who "were in Christ before me"(Rom. 16:7). Having been brought
from death unto life, the elect embrace the Gospel offer and become
fiducially united to Christ ("fiducial"is from the Latin "fido"to
trust) for they then savingly "believe in Him"(John 3:15). "But He
that believes is not condemned already"(John 3:18). The members of
Christ's body the Church, are in a state of guilt and condemnation
until they personally exercise faith in the atoning blood of Christ.
We have labored
It was the entrance of sin which caused the breach between God and us,
but in this connection particularly it is important to remember what
sin essentially consists of. While in some passages sin is regarded as
a "debt"and God in connection with it as the Creditor, in other places
as an "offence" and God in connection with it as the injured Party,
and in still other verses as a "disease"and God in connection with it
as the great Physician, yet none of those terms bring before us the
primary element in and basic character of sin. The fundamental idea of
sin is that it is "a transgression of God's Law"(1 John 3:4) the Rule
which He has commanded us to observe, and this should therefore be the
leading aspect in which it is contemplated when we consider how God
deals with it. Proof of that is found in connection with the origin of
human sin, in Genesis 2 and 3. God gave man a commandment which he
transgressed: "by one man's disobedience many were made sinners"(Rom.
Now as the essential idea of sin is not that it is merely a debt or
injury, but a violation of our Rule of conduct, then it follows that
the particular character in which God ought to be contemplating when
we consider Him dealing with sin is not that of a Creditor or injured
Party, who may remit the debt or forgive the injury as He pleases, but
in His office as supreme Lord. Sin as transgression of the Divine Law
has for its necessary corollary God as the Judge. Since He has
promulgated a Divine Law which prohibits sin under pain of death, He
is bound by His veracity to maintain the honor of His Law and
establish His government by strict justice, and thus He cannot pardon
sin unless adequate provision is made for accomplishing those objects.
As the Judge of all the earth and Rector of the universe, His own
perfections require Him to insist that if the penalty of the Law is
remitted it must be by another suffering it vicariously, in that way
meeting the claims of His
There could be no reconciliation between an offended God and His
apostate people until the breach between them had been healed, until
His righteous wrath as the Governor of this world had been appeased,
and until they also throw down the weapons of their warfare against
Him. As the Judge of all, His honor required that His Law should
receive full satisfaction, and since His fallen people were unable to
make reparation, He graciously provided a Surety for them, who
magnified His Law by rendering to it a perfect obedience and by dying
in their stead, and thus enduring for them its unmitigated curse. In
this way God's legal "enmity"or wrath was appeased and the sins of His
people were blotted out, so God was propitiated and their guilt
expiated. Though His atoning sacrifice Christ removed every legal
obstacle which stood in the way of God's being merciful unto
transgressors and receiving them into His favor, and by His merits
Christ procured the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:33) who, by His effectual
operations in the elect, slays their enmity against God, and brings
them into loving and loyal subjection to Him, and thus (at their
conversion) they are reconciled to
Socinians have objected that it was neither necessary nor just that
Christ should both obey the Law in His people's stead and yet suffer
punishment on the account of their transgressions, seeing that
obedience is all that the Law requires. Such a demur would be valid
had Christ been acting as the Surety of an innocent people who were
under probation, but since He entered the Law-place of transgressors
the objection is entirely without point. Obedience is not all that the
Law requires of guilty creatures, for they are not only obliged to be
obedient for the future, but to make satisfaction for the last. the
covenant which the Lord God made with Adam had two branches: obey and
live ["the commandment which was ordained to life"(Rom. 7:10)]: sin
and die (Gen. 2:17). And therefore since Christ was "made under the
law"(Gal. 4:4)--which, in the final analysis, signified "under the
Covenant of Works"--and since He was acting and transacting as "the
last Adam"and "the Second Man"(1 Cor. 15:45, 47) it devolved upon Him
to meet the requirements of both branches of the Covenant. As we
discussed that at
Since the will of God changes not and the requirements of His
government remain the same forever, then if a Surety engaged Himself
to discharge all the obligations of God's elect, He must necessarily
meet all those requirements on their behalf. The Son therefore became
incarnate and subjected Himself unto the full demands of the Law and
was dealt with according to its high spirituality and rigorous
justice. First He honored the preceptive part of the Covenant by
rendering a perfect obedience to every detail. But that of itself
would make no satisfaction for His people's transgressions nor afford
ally expression of the Divine displeasure against sin; and therefore
after a life spent in unremittingly doing the will of God, must also
needs lay down His life. "Such a high Priest became us, who is holy,
harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners"(Heb. 7:24). His
compliance with the precepts was preparatory to His enduring the
penalty of the Law, when He stood at the bar of Cod in the room of the
guilty, and before God as the offended Lawgiver and angry Judge,
executing upon Him what
Some are likely to still have a difficulty at this point. How could
Christ be the gift of God's love if that Gift had for its first end
the removing of His judicial "enmity" and the placating of His wrath?
But such a difficulty arises from failure to distinguish between
things that differ: between God in His essential and in His official
character, between the elect as He views them in Christ and as He sees
them as the fallen descendents of Adam. To affirm that God both loved
and hated them at the same time and in the same respect, would indeed
be a palpable contradiction; but this we do not. God loved His people
in respect of His eternal purpose, but He was angry against them with
respect to His violated Law and provoked justice by sin. There is no
inconsistency whatever between God's loving the saints with a love of
good-will and the hindrances to the outflow and the effects of it
which their sins and His holiness interposed in the way of peace and
friendship. Though the holiness of God's nature, the righteousness of
His government, and the veracity of His Word, placed barriers in the
way of His taking sinners into communion with Himself without full
satisfaction being made to His Law, yet they did not hinder His love
from providing the means to remove
"I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore with
lovingkindness have I drawn you"(Jer. 31:3); "I will call them My
people, which were not My people; and her, Beloved, which was not
beloved"(Rom. 9:25).It should be quite evident to every candid reader
that if we are to avoid a contradiction in those two passages we must
make a distinction in the interpretation of them, that in them the
love of God is viewed in entirely different aspects. In other words,
we must ascertain the precise meaning of the terms used. The former
speaks of His paternal love or good-will towards them, the latter of
His judicial favor or love of acceptance; the one concerns His eternal
counsels, the other relates to His dealings with us in a time-state.
The former is His love of philanthropy or benevolence, the latter of
His love of approbation. The one has to do with His loving us in
Christ, the other with His loving us for our own sakes--because of
what the Holy Spirit wrought in us at regeneration and conversion. The
one concerns our predestination, the other our reconciliation. That
distinction reveals the confusion in the piece from "The
Introduction"of this series.
The same distinction has to be observed again when we contemplate
God's dual attitude toward Christ, the Son of His love, whom He both
loved and poured out His wrath upon -- yes, and at the same time,
though in entirely different relations. When the Father declared,
"This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased"(Matthew 3:17), He
was expressing Himself paternally, as well as testifying to His
approbation of both Christ's person and work. But when we are told
that "It pleased the Lord to bruise Him"(Isa. 53:10) and cried "Awake,
O sword, against My Shepherd and against the Man that is My Fellow,
says the Lord of Hosts"(Zech. 13:7), it was as the Law-administrator
or Judge He was acting. Never was God more "well pleased"with His
beloved Son than when He hung upon the cross in obedience to Him (Phil
2:10), yet He withdrew from Him every effect or manifestation of His
love during those three hours of awful darkness, yea, poured out His
wrath upon Him as our sin-bearer, so that He exclaimed "Your wrath
lies hard upon Me and You have afflicted Me with all Your waves"
(Ps.88:7).
The very men who object to God's loving and yet being antagonistic to
the same person at one and the same time, perceive no antagonism
between those things when they are adumbrated before their eyes and
illustrated in their own experience on this lower plane. Love and
anger are perfectly consistent at the same moment and may in different
respects be terminated on the same subject. A father should feel a
double affection or emotion toward a rebellious son. He loves him as
his offspring, but is angry with him as disobedient. Have we not read
of a judge who was called upon to pass sentence on his own child? Or
of a military officer who was required to court-martial his son for
insubordination in the ranks? Why then should we have difficulty in
perceiving that, while in their lapsed state, God loved His people
with a love of good-will, yet loathed and was angry with them as
rebels against His government. As the injured Father He laid aside His
anger, but as the Preserver of Justice He demanded full satisfaction
from them or their
Equally pointless is another objection made by Socinians and
Arminians, namely, that such a doctrine as we are propounding
represents God as changeable, as a fickle Being--first angry and then
pacified. But precisely the same objection might be well brought
against repentance! If it be granted that sin is displeasing to God,
then obviously He is no longer displeased when the sinner repents and
He forgives him! "The atonement did not make God hate sin less than He
did before, or excite feelings of compassion towards us which did not
formerly exist. He loved us before He gave His Son; and sin still is,
and ever will be, the object of His utmost aversion. The effect of the
atonement was a change of dispensation, which is consistent with
immutability of nature" (J. Dick). The fact is that God demanded an
atonement because He does not change, and would not rescind or modify
His Law, revoke His threatening, nor lay aside His abhorrence of sin.
They who represent God as being mutable are the very ones who assert
that He pardons sin without satisfaction to His justice. The precise
nature of "reconciliation" can be ascertained clearly from the
Levitical offerings. Unless those O. T. types were misleading, then
they definitely exhibited the fact that the sacrifice of Christ
pacified God, made peace and procuring His favor.. Personally we
unhesitatingly adopt the words of Principal Cunningham when he said,
"The whole institution of Levitical sacrifices and the place which
they occupied is the Mosaic economy, were regulated and determined by
a regard to the one sacrifice of Christ." Those sacrifices set forth
the principles on which the effects of the Redeemer's work depended,
and provide the surest and best materials for interpreting and
illustrating the character and bearing of the Atonement. Those typical
sacrifices demonstrated beyond any doubt that the sacrifice of Christ
was vicarious and expiatory, that it was presented and accepted in the
room and stead of others, that it propitiated God and averted His
wrath, and therefore that it procured the exemption of His people from
the penal consequences of their
Earlier we quoted Numbers 16:46 in proof that "an atonement"is made in
order to turn away the "wrath of the Lord;"let us now allude to
further examples. "And David built there an altar unto the Lord and
offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord was entreated
for the land and the plague was stayed from Israel" (2 Sam.
24:25)--the occasion being when "the anger of the Lord was kindled
against Israel"because David had numbered the people (v. 1). The same
incident is mentioned again in 1 Chronicles 21, where we are told that
"God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it"(v. 15), which was in
addition to the "pestilence" or "plague"which slew seventy thousand
Israelites mentioned in 2 Samuel 24. Then, after David had built an
altar there unto the Lord and had offered appropriate sacrifices and
"called upon the Lord,"and He had "answered him from heaven by fire
upon the altar"(in token of His acceptance of the same), we read that
"the Lord commanded the angel, and he put up His sword again into the
sheath"(vv. 26, 27). What anointed eye can fail to see in that
incident a vivid anticipation and adumbration of what occurred at
Calvary. There is a striking case of alienated friends being
reconciled by means of sacrifice recorded in Job 42. "The Lord said to
Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against you and against your
two friends, for you have not spoke of Me the thing that is right, as
My servant Job has. Therefore take unto you now seven bulls and seven
rams and go to My servant Job and offer up for yourselves a burnt
offering, and My servant Job shall pray for you, for him will I
accept, lest I deal with you after your folly"(vv. 7, 8). Upon which
Owen pointed out:
"The offenders are Eliphaz and his two friends, the offence is their
folly in not speaking aright of God. The issue of the breach is, that
the wrath or anger of God was towards them; reconciliation is the
turning away of that wrath; the means by which this was done,
appointed by God, is the sacrifice of Job for atonement. This then is
that which we ascribe to the death of Christ when we say that as a
sacrifice we were reconciled to God. Having made God our Enemy by sin,
Christ by His sacrifice appeased His wrath and brought us into favor "
The more closely that example in Job 42:7, 8 is examined the more
clearly should we perceive the meaning and significance of the
antitype. There was a declaration of God's anger against those three
men, yet also a revelation of His love to them, by directing them to
the means by which His anger might be put away an6 they restored to
His favor. Clearly, He had good-will unto them before He directed them
what to do, yet He was not then reconciled to them--otherwise there
was no need of an atonement for appeasing Him. There was a cloud upon
God's face, yet the sun of mercy peeped out through that cloud: as He
acquaints them with His anger, so He also shows them the way to pacify
it. Though His wrath was truly kindled, yet He was ready for it to be
quenched by the means of His prescribing. God could not find
complacency in them till He was reconciled to them. In acting on their
behalf, Job was a type of Christ, whose propitiatory sacrifice God
both appointed and accepted.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 17
Its Meaning-Concluded
_________________________________________________________________
A beautiful type of what we have contended for in these articles is
found in Genesis 8. In the preceding chapter we behold the fearful
judgment of God under the antediluvian world because of its
wickedness--solemn figure of what our Sinbearer endured for us as He
was "made a curse,"when He cried "deep calls unto deep at the noise of
Your waterspouts. All Your waves and billows are gone over Me"(Ps.
42:7). After the storm of wrath had done its awful work, Noah (who
represented the company of God's elect in the place of safety,
exempted from the Divine vengeance) opened the window of the ark and
"sent forth a dove." Later, he sent her forth again, and "the dove
came unto him in the evening, and lo, in her mouth was an olive
leaf"--"the emblem of peace"(v. 11). Christ was the Pacifier of God
and He is "our Peace"(Eph. 2:14). He is the former, because He is "to
make reconciliation for iniquity"(Dan. 9:24). He is the latter,
because He has satisfied every claim of God upon us. Therefore He
designated "shiloh"(Gen. 49:10)--an appellation which signifies "the
Peacemaker"--and "the Prince of peace"(Isa. 9:6).
Reconciliation was one of the effects which resulted from the
atonement which Christ made unto God, and in our last we pointed out
that the simplest and surest way of ascertaining the significance of
the antitype is to attend closely to the types. Now the Levitical
offerings were not designed to produce any change within the offerer,
but were presented for the express purpose of placating and
propitiating God Himself. The Israelites did not offer them with the
object of turning away their own enmity from Jehovah, but rather to
turn away His anger from them, and since the sacrifices which they
presented were emblems of the one great Sacrifice of Christ, it
necessarily follows that the chief end of His oblation was to divert
God's wrath from those on whose behalf it was made. The great
fact--the terrible thing--brought out by this doctrine is, that God is
the offended Party; while the central fact--the grand
thing--proclaimed by it is, that Christ is the all-sufficient Pacifier
of God.
We are afraid that some of our friends will feel that we have drawn
out these articles on the meaning of Reconciliation to a rather
wearisome length, and for their sakes we regret that it was necessary
for us to do so. But while they may not have been troubled by the
errors we have refuted or the objections answered, yet a considerable
number of our readers have been much bewildered by them, and therefore
as a servant of God it was part of our duty to "prepare a way, take up
the stumbling-block out of the way of My people" (Isa. 57:14). At the
beginning of our first article on this branch of the subject we stated
that we proposed to do much more than barely furnish a definition of
the word reconciliation. Having sought to make good that promise, we
must now look more closely at the term itself and ponder carefully how
it is used in Scripture.
Reconciliation presupposes alienation and therefore it results from
the removal of hindrance to concord, and is the act of uniting parties
which have been at variance. It is the putting an end to strife and
changing enemies into friends. Sin has placed God and man apart from
one another--all harmony between them being disrupted. Therefore
satisfaction must be made for sin before peace can be restored.
Consequently, to be "reconciled to God by the death of His Son" is to
be restored to His favor. It is the reconciliation of the King to His
rebellious subjects, of the Judge to offenders against Himself. To
reconcile is to bring to agreement, to unite those who were divided,
to restore to unity and amity. Reconciliation is a relation, a mutual
one. On God's part it denotes a change from wrath to favor; on ours,
from one of contempt and opposition to loyal and loving obedience. It
is therefore a change from hostility to tranquility, from strife to
fellowship.
The "peace" which Christ procured for His people was effected through
chastisement. "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was
bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon
Him, and with His stripes we are healed"(Isa. 53:5).There are three
things here. First, the history of Christ's sufferings: set out by
wounds, bruises, chastisements and stripes--the expressions being
multiplied to impress our hearts more deeply. The cause of those
sufferings: our transgressions and iniquities--the difference between
sins of commission and omission. The fruits or benefits of them: peace
and healing--a summary of the objective and subjective results of
them. The punishment due our sins was borne by Christ that we might
have "peace with God." "He, by submitting to those chastisements, slew
the enmity and settled an amity between God and man; He made peace by
the blood of His cross. Whereas by sin we were become odious to God's
holiness and obnoxious to His justice, through Christ God is
reconciled to us, and not only forgives our sins and saves us from
ruin, but takes us into friendship and fellowship with Himself" (Matt.
Henry).
"The chastisement of our peace was upon Him"is explained by "therefore
being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ"(Rom. 5:1), where the reference is not to a state of heart, but
to a relation with God. "Peace with God" does not have reference to
anything that is subjective, but only to what is objective: not to an
inward peace of conscience (though that follows if repentance and
faith are in exercise), nor to that "peace of God which passes all
understanding"which keeps our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus
(Phil. 4:7), but to "peace with God"--in other words, to
reconciliation. It means we are no longer the objects of His
displeasure, and have no more reason to dread the Divine vengeance. It
is that blessed relation which results from the expiation of our sins:
because Christ endured the penalty of them, we are no longer God's
enemies in the objective sense, but the subjects of His favor. Every
one that is "justified" does not enjoy peace of conscience (though he
should); but every justified person has "peace with God"(whether he
knows it or not) for His quarrel against him is ended, Christ having
made God (judicially) his Friend.
There is an interesting passage in 1 Samuel 29 which makes quite clear
the meaning of this controverted word and shows it signifies the very
opposite of what the Socinians understand by it. While a fugitive from
Saul, David and a company of his devoted followers found refuge in
Gath of Philistia, where Achish its "king" ("lord"or "chief") showing'
kindness to him (1 Sam. 27:2,3). While he was there, the Philistines
planned a concerted attack upon Israel, and Achish proposed that David
and his men should accompany him (28:1,2), to which he acceded. But
when the other lords of the Philistines discovered the presence of
David and his men among the forces of Achish they were angry, for they
feared he would not be loyal to their cause, saying "Let him not go
down to battle with us, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us,
for wherewith shall he reconcile himself unto his master? Shall it not
be with the heads of these men?"(29:4). "Reconcile" there means not,
How shall he remove his own anger against Saul, but Saul's against
him. How shall he restore himself again to his master's favor.
The great thing to be clear upon in connection with reconciliation is,
that it is objective in its significance and action. In other words,
it terminates upon the object and not upon the subject. The offender
does not reconcile himself, but the person whom he has wronged, and
that, by making suitable amends or reparation. Socinians and Arminians
have sought to make capital out of the fact that in the Scriptures it
is never said in so many words that "God is reconciled to us,"but that
they uniformly speak of "our being reconciled to Him." The explanation
of that is very simple. God is the Party offended, we the parties
offending, and it is always the offending party who is said to be the
one reconciled and not the offended. Another clear proof is found in
Matthew 5:23 and 24, "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar
and there remember that your brother has aught against you, Leave
there your gift before the altar and go your way, first be reconciled
to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."
There we have a brother offended, a grievance against one who has
injured him. Aware of that, the duty of the wrong-doer is clear, he
must do all in his power to right the wrong, remove the ground of
grievance and secure amity between them, for until that is done a holy
God will not receive his worship. "Be reconciled to your brother"does
not refer to any state of mind or feeling in the emotions of the
wrong-doer, but signifies, makes reparation to him, pacify him. The
offender is not bidden to lay aside his own enmity, though that is
understood, but is to go to the aggrieved one and seek to turn away
his wrath from him, by means of an humble and frank confession of his
sin, in that way gaining an entrance again into his good-will and
favor. Nothing could be plainer. "Be reconciled to your brother"means,
put right what is wrong, conciliate him and thus heal the breach
between you which is hindering your communion with God.
Before going further we want the reader to be thoroughly clear upon
what has been said. At first sight "with which he shall reconcile
himself unto his master?" (1 Sam. 29:4) seems to mean David's laying
aside his own ill-will and healing a breach he had made. Yet the very
opposite is Its actual sense. It was Saul who hated him! The
Philistines feared that David and his men would slay them and take
their heads to Saul and thus cause him to look favorably again on
David. So too a careless reader of Matthew 5:24 would conclude "be
reconciled to your brother"signifies that the one addressed was the
offended party, who needed to change his own feelings toward the
other. But again, the very opposite is the case. It. was the brother
who had something against him, because of a wrong he had done him, and
thus the one addressed is the offender and so "be reconciled to your
brother"means, go and confess your fault and appease him. The sense of
the words is the reverse of their sound.
Matthew 5:24 contains the initial occurrence of our term, and in
accordance with the law of first mention intimates how the word is
used throughout the N. T. It definitely establishes the fact that to
be reconciled to another connotes the pacifying of the offended party
so that a state of concord is the result, and it has precisely the
same force Whenever it is used in connection with God. We are
reconciled to Him as we are to an injured brother--reparation having
been made to Him, we are restored to His favor. This is plain, again,
from the next occurrence of the word in Romans 5:10.There the whole
context makes it plain that God is the offended one, that the cause of
His indignation against us was our sins, that Christ offered a
sufficient satisfaction unto Him, thereby removing His wrath and
conciliating Him unto us. Christ's sacrifice averted God's displeasure
as our Governor and Judge. His relation and judicial attitude toward
us was changed by a great historical transaction. "For if, when we
were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much
more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."
Here then is the issue. Do those words "reconciled to God by the death
of His Son" signify that Christ pacified God so that He has laid aside
His judicial wrath against His people, or, that Christ moves us to lay
aside our enmity and hostility against God? We contend that it means
the former, that, in the language of Wm. Shedd, "Here the
reconciliation is described from the side of the offending party--man
is said to be reconciled. Yet this does not mean the subjective
reconciliation of the sinner toward God, but the objective
reconciliation of God towards the sinner. For the preceding verse
speaks of God as a Being from whose wrath the believer is saved by the
death of Christ. This shows that the reconciliation effected by
Christ's atoning death is that of the Divine anger against sin." The
reconciliation which is here mentioned is prior to conversion and
therefore quite distinct from conversion (which is when we lay aside
our enmity), for occurred when Christ laid down His life for us and
not when the Holy Spirit quickened us.
We submit that, from the following considerations, "reconciled to God
by the death of His Son"refers to God's reconciliation to His people.
First, from the relation which that clause bears to "while we were yet
sinners Christ died for us"(v. 8). The one being parallel with the
other. Why did Christ die for sinners? Was it not in order to deliver
them from the curse of God and to secure everlasting felicity for
them! Second, from the fact that the same expression is described as
"being justified by His blood"(v. 9), for in the previous verse the
apostle speaks of Christ's dying for sinners or rebels against God.
The consequence of His death is that believers are "justified by His
blood"and, as every Scripturally-enlightened person knows, to be
"justified"is to be received into God's favor (being His acceptance of
us, and not ours of Him), which is precisely what "reconciliation"is.
Third, from the fact that the "when we were enemies"refers to the
relation we stood in to God--the objects of His displeasure. "Sinners
. . . justified by His blood"and "enemies . .. reconciled to God by
Christ's death" correspond exactly the one to the other.
Fourth, from the obvious sense of the verse the apostle is arguing (as
his "if" and "much more"shows) from the less to the greater. If when
we had no love for God, Christ's sacrifice procured His favor, much
more, now that we are converted, will His mediation on high deliver us
from our sins as Christians. Fifth, from the reconciliation being
ascribed to Christ's death, which was definitely and solely Godward.
Had it been the removing of our enmity and turning us to love God, it
had been attributed to Christ's Spirit. Sixth, from the obvious
meaning of the term: as we have shown from 1 Samuel 29:4 and Matthew
5:23,24, it is the injured party who is the one needing to be
reconciled to the offender. Seventh, from the fact that our
reconciliation is something which is tendered to us. "we have now
received the reconciliation" (v. 11): we received the reconciliation
effected by Christ and then presented for our acceptance in the
Gospel. It would be the height of absurdity to say that we
"received"the laying down of the weapons of our warfare against God.
"All things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus
Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. To wit, that
God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing
their trespasses unto them"(2 Cor. 5:18,19). That His reconciling of
"us" "the world"unto Himself refers to God's placation unto and favor
toward us is clear. First, because it was effected by "Jesus
Christ"and therefore signifies the removing of God's anger. Second,
because had it meant His work of grace within us, subduing our enmity,
it had said "God is in Christ" or more precisely "God by His Spirit is
reconciling the world unto Himself."Third, because "God was in Christ
reconciling the world unto Himself"means, God appointed and anointed
Christ to procure His reconciliation. He was in Christ as the
Surety--God out of Christ is "a consuming fire"to the wicked. Fourth,
because the term is here formally defined as "not imputing their
trespasses unto them,"which is God's act and not the creature's--"not
imputing"etc. means, not dealing with us as justice required for our
sins, on account of Christ's atonement. Fifth, because the
"ministry"and "word of reconciliation"was committed to the
apostles--that is, the Atonement was the grand theme of their
preaching (1 Cor. 2:2). Sixth, because on that ground sinners are
exhorted to be "reconciled to God"(v. 20). Since God has changed His
attitude unto you, change yours toward Him. Seventh, because our sins
were imputed to Christ, and since He atoned for them His righteousness
is imputed to us (v. 21).
"And that He (Christ Jesus) might be reconciled both unto God in one
body by the cross, having slain the enmity by it, and came and
preached peace to you" (Eph. 2:16,1 7). As these verses and their
context will come before us again we will confine ourselves now to
that which concerns our present purpose. The "both"refers to Jews and
Gentiles "in one body"signifies the Saviour's humanity--compare "in
the body of His flesh"(Col. 1:22). "By the cross" speaks of a definite
historical action in the past, and not a protracted process throughout
the whole Gospel era. "Having slain the enmity by it" signifies not
that between Jew and Gentile (which is mentioned in the former verse),
but of God's judicial disapprobation against both. This is confirmed
in the next verse, where the "preached peace"means preached the peace
made with God, as the "access"in v. 18 clearly indicates. Having
effected peace, Christ, after His resurrection, ministerially (2 Cor.
5:18-20) announced it.
"And having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to
reconcile all things unto Himself"(Col. 1:20). This passage we also
hope to enter into more fully in a later chapter, suffice it now to
point out that: since peace was "made"there must previously have been
hostility, and since that peace was made through "the blood of His
cross," then the shedding of it was the placating of God, by offering
a satisfaction to His violated Law. In Scripture man is never
represented as making reconciliation Godward. It is what he
experiences or embraces, and not what he makes. It should also be
pointed out that never is reconciliation ascribed to the risen Christ,
any more than that we are "justified in a risen Christ."It is His
blood that justifies (Rom. 5:9),which brings redemption (Eph. 1:7), by
which we are brought nigh (Eph. 2:13), which sanctifies (Heb. 13:12),
which gives us the right of approach to God (Heb. 10:19).
We have been contending for a great truth and not merely for a word or
syllable. When Socinians object that Scripture nowhere says in so many
words that "God is reconciled to us," they are guilty of mere
trifling, for equivalent expressions most certainly do occur. If it be
admitted that sin is displeasing to God and that His vengeance is
proclaimed against the sinner, it must also be admitted that if God's
anger has been turned away from sinners by a propitiatory sacrifice,
then He must have been reconciled to them. "He who once threatened to
punish another but has since pardoned him and now treats him with
kindness, has certainly been reconciled to him" (J. Dick). The
emphasis is thrown upon our reconciliation to God because we were
first in the breach. We fell out with God, before He fell out with us;
and because the averseness is on our side. The Gospel makes known His
willingness to receive us (because of Christ's sacrifice) if we are
prepared to cease our fighting against Him.
If it be asked, Was God reconciled to all the elect and they to Him
the moment Christ cried "it is finished,"the answer is both yes and
no. We must distinguish between (1) reconciliation in the eternal
purpose of God (2) as it was effected by Christ (3) as it is offered
to us in the Gospel (4) as it actually becomes ours when we believe.
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The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 18
Its Scope
_________________________________________________________________
Who are the ones from whom the wrath of God has been turned away and
to whom He is reconciled? Who are they whose enmity against God has
been slam and are actually reconciled to Him? Though those questions
are quite distinct, yet are they intimately allied the one to the
other; though they relate to separate transactions, yet really they
are but parts of one whole. Those inquiries signify much the same as
though we asked, On whose behalf did Christ satisfy God? Who are the
ones who must eventually partake of the saving benefits of His
mediation? Theologians have been by no means agreed in the answers
they have returned, for those questions necessarily raise the
fundamental issues which have divided Christendom into Calvinists and
Arminians. That issue may be more clearly drawn if we make our
question yet more definite and specific. For whom did Christ act as
Surety and Substitute? For all the human race, or for the Church only?
What was the scope of the Everlasting Covenant? Did it embrace the
whole of Adam's posterity or did it respect only a chosen remnant of
them? Who are the ones who will eternally benefit from the great
Propitiation? Probably most of our readers would reply, all who truly
exercise faith in the blood of Christ. Nor would their answer be
incorrect, though it would be more satisfactory to frame it from the
Divine side of things rather than from the human side. As it is made
from the latter, we have to push the inquiry further back and ask, Who
are the ones who savingly trust in the blood of Christ? Not all who
hear the Gospel, for even the majority of them turn a deaf ear unto
it, so that its preachers have to exclaim "who has believed our
report?"(Isa. 53:1). Perhaps the reader will return answer to this
last inquiry, Those who are willing to receive Christ as their Lord
and Saviour. Correct: but who are they? By nature none are willing to
do that. "No man can come to Me except the Father which has sent Me
draw him"(John 6:44) that is overcome his reluctance. "Your people
shall be willing in the day of Your power"(Ps. 110:3) gives the
Scriptural answer. From the Divine side, the reply to our opening
question is, Those on whose behalf the great --God's people.
If there were no explicit statements in Scripture there are many
implicit ones in it from which we may determine with certainty the
precise scope of reconciliation. The ordination, impetration,
(accomplishment) and application (bestowal of the benefits) of
Christ's work must of necessity be coextensive. We say "of
necessity"for otherwise we should be affirming that the ways of God
were "unequal"--inconsistent, inharmonious. What God the Father
purposed that God the Son effected, and what He effected God the
Spirit applies and bestows. The only other possible alternative is to
predicate a defeated Father, a disappointed Christ, and a disgraced
Holy Spirit--which is the kind of "God"the Arminians believe in. But
there are clear and decisive statements in Scripture which reveal to
us the extent of the Father's purpose and the scope of the Son's
purchase.. Says the Father concerning His Son, "for the transgression
of My people was He stricken"(Isa. 53:8). "You shall call His name
Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins"(Matthew 1:21).
Said the Son "the good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep" (John
10:11)--and not the
The idea of a mere conditional "provision"for the reconciliation of
all mankind is a theory which sets aside the absolute purpose of God
respecting the work of Christ. That theory renders of no account the
promises of God concerning the death of His Son, for by pleading that
it made the salvation of all men possible, in actuality it denies that
it made the salvation of any man certain. God the Father promised His
Son a definite reward upon the successful accomplishment of His work.
"He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of
the Lord shall prosper in His hands. He shall see of the travail of
His soul, and shall be satisfied"(Isa. 53:10,11). How could He be
satisfied if any of those for whom He was their sin-offering were
finally lost? "By the blood of Your covenant I have sent forth Your
prisoners out of the pit in which is no water" (Zech. 9:11). But what
security could there be for the fulfillment of those promises if no
infallible provision was made for the regeneration of those persons,
and instead, everything was left contingent
Consider the special character in which Christ died. "Now the God of
peace that brought again from the dead that great Shepherd of the
sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant make you perfect
in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well
pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ"(Heb. 13:20, 21). In
serving as the Shepherd Christ died for the sheep and not for the
goats. Said He "I am the good Shepherd, the good Shepherd gives His
life for the sheep" (John 10:11), and mark it well, they are
represented as being His "sheep" before they believe. "And other sheep
I have (as the Father's gift and charge), which are not of this
(Jewish) fold. Them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice
(when the Spirit quickens them) and they shall be one fold, one
Shepherd" (John 10:16). But all men pertain not to the "sheep" of
Christ: said He to those who rejected Him "you believe not, because
you are not of My sheep" (John 10:26). The "sheep" are the elect,
God's chosen people. Christ Himself declared that His "flock"is a
little one (Luke 12:32), and therefore
Christ laid down His life as a Husband. "Your Maker is your Husband,
The Lord of hosts is His name, and your Redeemer the Holy One of
Israel, The God of the whole earth shall He be called"(Isa. 54:5).
Note this comes right after Isaiah 53! Equally clear is the teaching
of the N. T.: "Husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the
Church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it
with the washing of water by the Word, that He might present it to
Himself a glorious Church"(Eph. 5:25-27). As the Husband He died for
His Wife (Rev. 19:7). It was His love which caused Him to do so, and
it was a discriminating love--set upon a definite object. And again we
say, note this well, that the Church for whom Christ gave Himself is
not here viewed as a regenerated and believing company, but as one
whose members needed to be "sanctified and cleansed."He died not for
believers as such, but "while we were yet enemies"(Rom. 5:10).Nor can
Christ be foiled of His design, for He will yet present the Church to
Himself "a glorious Church"and not a mutilated one--as it would be if
any of its members were finally
Christ served as a Surety. He is expressly denominated the "Surety"of
a better covenant (Heb. 7:22), and unless we are prepared to believe
that Christ is defeated in His undertaking, then we cannot extend the
persons for whom He was Sponsor beyond those who are finally saved. To
speak of a "surety" failing is surely a contradiction in terms. If he
does not, with certainty, prevent loss how can he be a "surety!"To
remove any doubt on this point Scripture declares "He shall not fail"
(Isa. 42:4). He shall yet triumphantly exclaim, "Behold land the
children which God has given Me"(Heb. 2:13). Christ's suretyship was
no fictitious one, but real. Under that office He engaged Himself to
make satisfaction for certain people, and by His engagement to cancel
all their debt and fulfill all righteousness in their stead, and since
He has perfectly performed this, as much and as truly as though those
for whom He acted had themselves endured all the punishment due their
sins and had rendered to the Law all the obedience it required, the
consequence is clear and inescapable. Those for whom He engaged and
satisfied are they who are actually saved from their sins and
pronounced righteous by God, and
The very nature of Christ's satisfaction determines to a demonstration
those who are the beneficiaries of it. It was a federal work. There
was both a covenant and legal oneness between Christ and those for
whom He transacted. The Saviour stood as the Bondsman of a particular
people, and if a single one of those whose obligations He assumed
received not a full discharge, then Divine justice would be reduced to
a farce. It was a substitutionary work. Christ acted not only on the
behalf of, but in the stead of, those who had been given to Him by the
Father; therefore all those whose sins He bore must of necessity have
their sins remitted--God cannot punish twice. First the Substitute and
then the subject. It was a legal work. Every requirement of the Divine
law, both preceptive and punitive was fulfilled by Christ. Therefore
all for whom He acted must receive the reward of His obedience, which
is everlasting life. It was a priestly work: He presented Himself as
an offering to God, and since God accepted His sacrifice its efficacy
and
The intercession of Christ defines the scope of His atoning sacrifice.
The death and intercession of Christ are co-extensive. Define the
extent of the one and you determine the extent of the other. That must
be so, for the latter is based upon the former and is expressive of
its grand design. Scripture is too plain on this point to allow of any
uncertainty or mistake. "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's
elect? It is God that justifies. Who is he that condemns? It is Christ
that dies, yea rather that is risen again, who is even at the right
hand of God, who also makes intercession for us"(Rom. 8:33,34).
"Wherefore He is able also to save those to the uttermost that come
unto God by Him, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for
them"(Heb. 7:25). To make assurance doubly sure on this important
matter our great High Priest has expressly declared "I pray not for
the world" (John 17:9). Thus there must be a "world"for whom He did
not die. For whom did He say He prays? "But for them which You have
given Me, for they are Yours."
There are those who suppose that the doctrine of particular redemption
detracts from the goodness and grace of God and from the merits of
Christ, and therefore conclude it cannot be true. But this mistake
becomes manifest if we examine the alternative view. Surely it is not
honoring the goodness and grace of God to affirm that the whole human
race has nothing but a bare possibility of salvation, yea, a great
probability of perishing, notwithstanding all that He has done to save
them. Yet that is exactly what is involved in the Arminian scheme,
which avers that Christ died to make the salvation of all men
possible. That love and grace must indeed be greater which infallibly
secures the salvation of some, even though a minority, than that which
only provides a mere contingency for all. To us it seems to indicate
coldness and indifference for God to leave it a second time to the
mutable will of man to secure his salvation, when man's will at its
best estate ruined Adam and
If infinite love and goodness was shown to all men in giving Christ to
die for them, would it not also give the Holy Spirit to all of them to
effectually apply salvation--to subdue their lusts, overcome their
enmity, make them willing to comply with the terms of the Gospel and
fix their adherence to it? The Scriptures set forth the love and
kindness of God as one which makes not merely a bare offer of
salvation to sinners, but as actually saving "by the washing of
regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit"(Titus 3:4,5). The Word
of Truth declares that the "God who is rich in mercy, for His great
love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, has
quickened us together with Christ. By grace you are saved"(Eph.
2:4,5). How would God's love and mercy toward men appear if He gave
Christ for all only to make it possible that they might be saved, and
then left by far the greater part of them ignorant of even the
knowledge of salvation, and a large number of those who are acquainted
with it, not made willing to embrace it in a day of
But over against all that has been set forth in the above paragraphs
some will quote "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto
Himself"(2 Cor. 5:19), and suppose that by so doing they have
completely overthrown the whole of what has been brought out. But
surely the candid reader can perceive for himself that what has been
presented in the whole of the foregoing is not the theories of
Calvinistic theologians, nor the subtle reasoning of metaphysicians,
but rather the plain and simple teaching of Holy Writ itself. Thus,
whatever 2 Corinthians 5:19 does or does not mean, it cannot annul all
the other passages which have been appealed to. God's Word does not
contradict itself, and it is positively sinful for any of us to pit
those verses we like against those we dislike. If we humbly look to
God for wisdom and patiently search His Word, it should be found that
2 Corinthians 5:19 can be interpreted in perfect harmony with all
other Scripture, and that, without any wresting or straining, namely,
by the same
Like every other portion of the Word 2 Corinthians 5:29 needs
interpreting, by which is meant, its terms explained. Perhaps some
demur and say, No explanation is necessary. The verse says what it
means and means what it says. We fully agree that it means what it
says, but are we sure that we understand what it means? The meaning of
a verse is not obtainable from the sound of its words, but rather from
the sense of them, and that can only be ascertained from the way in
which they are used and by comparing other passages where the same
subject is in view. If we take general and indefinite terms and
understand them in an unlimited sense, then we soon land ourselves in
the grossest absurdities. For instance, when the apostle said, "I am
made all things to all men that I might by all means save some"(1 Cor.
9:22), he surely did not include duplicity, unfaithfulness, or the use
of carnal means. When we are exhorting "in every thing give thanks" (1
Thess. 5:18) we must exclude a course of sinning, for God condemns
Now just as all things and all means in 1 Corinthians 9:22 are general
expressions, which other passages (and considerations), require us to
qualify, so the term "world" in 2 Corinthians 5:19 is an indefinite
one, and its scope is to be determined by the tenor of the passage in
which it occurs and its meaning understood in a way harmonious with
the teaching of Holy Writ. Any one who has taken the trouble to make a
concordant study of the word "world" will have discovered that it is a
most ambiguous term, that it has widely different significations in
Scripture, and therefore no definition of its extent can be framed
from the bare mention of the term itself. Sometimes the "world"has
reference to the material world, and sometimes to its inhabitant; it
is used in both these senses in John 1:10. In some cases it refers to
only a very small part of its inhabitant, as in "show Yourself to the
world"(John 17:4) and "the world is gone after Him"(John 12:19), where
the references are to only a portion of Judea, and cannot signify "all
mankind." Other passages will be noticed in the article which
immediately follows, where further proof is given that the term
"world"is far from being used with one uniform significance, and that
it rarely means the whole human race.
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The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 19
Its Scope-Continued
_________________________________________________________________
Some times the "world" signifies the Gentiles in general, in contrast
from the Jews in particular, as in "If the fall of them (unbelieving
Israel) be the riches of the world,"which is explained in the next
clause--"and the diminishing of them (Jews) the riches of the
Gentiles," and "if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the
world" (Rom. 11:12,15). In other places the "world" refers to the
non-elect, as in "the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive,
because it sees Him not, neither knows Him"(John 14:17), and "I pray
not for the world."In Luke 2:1 it is the profane world that is in
view: "there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that the world
should be taxed"--yet even that included only those parts of the earth
which were subject to the Romans: whereas in John 15:18-25 it is the
professing world--it was the religious sections of Judaism Christ
alluded to when He said "if the world hate you, you know that it hated
Me before it hated you."
In Romans 4:13 the "world"signifies the Church, for when Abram is
there said to be "the heir of the world"it manifestly expresses the
same idea as when he is termed "the father of all them that
believe"and "the father of many nations"(Rom. 4:11,18). When Christ
said of Himself "the Bread of God is He which comes down from heaven
and gives (not merely offers) life unto the world"(John 6:33). He must
have meant His Church, for all who are not members of it remain dead
in sins until the end of their careers. We have just as much right to
cite the words "the world knew Him not"(John 1:10) as a proof that not
a single member of Adam's race knew Christ--when aged Simeon did (Luke
1:28-30)--as we have to argue that "Behold the Lamb of God, which
takes away the sin of the world"(John 1:29) means the sin of all
mankind. When it is said "the whole world lies in the Wicked one"(1
John 5:19) it cannot mean every one alive on earth, for all the saints
are excluded; and "all the world wondered after the Beast"(Rev. 13:4)
excepts the faithful remnant!
It should be quite clear to any candid and careful reader that, taken
by itself, the word "world"in 2 Corinthians 5:19 supplies no proof and
furnishes nothing decisive in enabling us to determine the scope or
extent of reconciliation, for that term is an indefinite and general
one: more so than usual here, for in the Greek there is no definite
article--literally "reconciling world unto Himself." It should also be
obvious that this verse calls for a careful and detailed exposition:
pointing out its relation to what precedes and its connection with
what follows, seeking also to define each separate expression in it.
To the best of our ability we will now set ourselves to this task, and
in so doing seek to show that everything in it and the setting in
which it is found obliges us to regard the "world" reconciled to God
as connoting His Church, and not the entire human family.
Under our next main division when we shall deal with our reception of
the Reconciliation, or our response to the Gospel call "Be reconciled
to God"(2 Cor. 5:20), we hope to enter more fully into the scope of
the whole context (from v. 11 onwards): suffice it now to begin at
verse 17. Nor shall we even attempt an exposition of that much
misunderstood verse, rather will we limit ourselves to its central
truth, namely, that of regeneration. "Therefore if any man is in
Christ he is a new creature"--literally "a new creation"(v. 17). That
is, if anyone is favored to be "in Christ,"first, by federal
constitution or legal representation, then it will sooner or later
follow that he is "in Christ,"second, by vital union or regeneration.
Whatever is meant by "old things are passed away; behold, all things
are become new" no explanation of those words can possibly be right if
it clashes with Romans 7:21-25 and Galatians 5:17, for Scripture is
perfectly harmonious. "And all things are of God who has reconciled us
to Himself by Jesus Christ."When expounding the "all things are of
God"Chas. Hodge rightly pointed out that, "this is not spoken of the
universe as proceeding from God as its Author, nor does it refer to
the providential agency of God by which all events are controlled. The
meaning is: `but all is of God,'that is the entire change of which he
had been speaking. The new creation experienced by those in Christ is
`out of God'(Greek), proceeding from Him as its efficient cause. It is
His work." Proof that it is His work and that "God" here refers to the
Father in His official character, appears in what immediately follows:
"who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ." But that last
clause does something more than supply evidence that the glorious work
of regeneration issues from the Father as its originating source. It
also explains to us the meritorious cause by which the new creation is
brought into existence--regeneration is the effect of reconciliation.
The connection then between verses 17 and 18 is plain. Having spoken
of the new creation in the former, the apostle proceeded to point out
the legal foundation on which that new creation rests, namely, God's
having been pacified by the work of His Son and that work having
purchased rich blessings for His people. It is not simply as our
Maker, but as a reconciled God, that He quickens His people into
newness of life. On verses 17 and 18 the eminent Puritan, Stephen
Charnock declared, "God is first the God of peace before He is the God
of sanctification: `and the very God of peace sanctify you wholly'(1
Thess. 5:23). The destruction of the enmity of our nature (against
Him) was founded upon the removing of enmity in God (against us).
There had been no sanctification of our natures had there not been a
reconciliation of our persons." Thus, there had been no regenerating
of us by God until He had been reconciled to us. "All the powerful
effects and operations of the Gospel in the hearts of men are from God
as reconciled by Christ, not from God as Creator" (Charnock).
What has just been before us in the immediate context of 2 Corinthians
5:19 provides a clear index to the scope of reconciliation, being of
equal extent with the new creation! It may be stated either way: the
ones whom God regenerates are those to whom He has been reconciled;
all to whom He was reconciled, in due course He makes new creatures.
If the one is universal, the other is; if the one is limited, the
other must be. "And has given us the ministry of reconciliation"(v.
18). The "us"refers first to the apostles, and second to all whom God
has specially called and qualified to-act as His heralds. "The
ministry of reconciliation" is but another name for the proclamation
of the Gospel, except that it is more specific, having in view that
particular aspect of the Gospel which is concerned with the doctrine
of reconciliation. Exactly what that consists of in its essential
elements is stated in verses 19-21. First, "To wit (or `namely') that
God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself" (v. 19).
The relation of verse 19 to verse 18 is also quite clear. In the
former the apostle said "All things are of God, who has reconciled us
to Himself by Jesus Christ," which signifies (as shown in an earlier
article) has turned away His wrath from His fallen people and received
them into His favor by virtue of the mediation of His Son. But here he
informs us, that transaction was not one which began of late to be
done by Him, but rather had engaged His mind and will in His eternal
counsels. "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself." As
the Church was in Christ from everlasting, as her Surety and Head, so
God was in Him from everlasting as His ambassador, making peace for
those who had revolted against Him. The reference is not to a present
process by which God is little by little winning the world back into
allegiance with Himself, but to something actually accomplished. God
is already propitiated. "God in Christ" signifies the covenant-God of
His people, for out of Christ "our God is a consuming fire"(Heb.
12:29). "God was in Christ"speaks then in the language of the
"everlasting covenant,"and that embraced none but the elect.
Definite light is thrown upon what "world" it was unto which God is
reconciled by ascertaining the force of that clause "God was in Christ
reconciling"it. In His ancient designs He formed the purpose of
reconciliation in, by and through the Mediator. The identical idea is
conveyed whether it be said we are "in Christ" or God was "in Christ
acting toward us,"namely that He designed to show favor unto us as a
covenant God. God never was and never will be "in Christ" toward any
other persons but His Church. Redemption was not the work of the Son
only. The Father appointed the Mediator, receiving the stipulated
price from Him, and imputes the full value of it to His believing
people. The Saviour distinctly affirmed "the Father is in Me"(John
10:38). As the elect were in Christ mystically, federally, legally,
the Father was in Him authoritatively and efficiently as His
Plenipotentiary. Yet the ultimate reference is to God's being in
Christ imminently by His eternal decree.
"God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing
their trespasses unto them."It is in that last clause we have the most
decisive proof of all that the "world"there cannot possibly signify
mankind in general, for most certainly God does impute their
trespasses unto all who are without Christ. The great problem which
confronted the Divine government was how sin could be remitted without
righteousness being compromised, but since God has received full
satisfaction to His broken law, He has laid aside His official wrath
and justice can no longer clamor for punishment. The pardon of sin is
one of the main branches and fruits of reconciliation. Not to impute
sin is to forgive it. "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven
whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputes
not iniquity" (Ps. 32:1,2). Here then is the "world"to which God is
reconciled--the pardoned, the justified, the elect (Rom. 8:33).
Not only do the verses preceding, not only do all the terms used in 2
Corinthians 5:19 oblige us to understand the "world"there as an
indefinite term, including all "the children of God that were
scattered abroad" (John 11:52), but the closing words of the passage
compel us to take the same view. "For He has made Him to be sin for us
who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in
Him"(v. 21). Here we learn why God does not impute their trespasses
unto His believing people. It is because they were transferred and
imputed to their Surety, and accordingly vengeance was executed upon
Him. Here too we learn that not only is there no charge laid to the
account of God's elect, but that, positively, they are constituted the
righteousness of God in Christ--all the merits of His obedience being
charged to them. Thus the "reconciled us"of verse 18, the "their"of
verse 19, and the "us"and "we" of verse 21 all refer to the same
company, and that company is one and the same as "world" in verse 19.
If it is inquired, since it is the Church, the mystical body of
Christ, that is in view in 2 Corinthians 5:19, why did the Holy Spirit
designate her by the term "world?" First, to show it was not the
fallen angels. No Mediator nor Reconciler was provided for them.
Second, to show that the love of God in Christ was not restricted unto
the Jews (as they supposed) but included also a people to be "taken
out of the Gentiles for His name"(Acts 15:14). Third, to represent the
freeness of God's grace. "The whole world lies in the Wicked one" (1
John 5:19). "In themselves God's elect differ nothing from the rest of
the world till grace prevent them. They were as bad as any in the
world, of the same race as cursed mankind."Fourth, "to awaken all that
are concerned to look after their privilege, which is come to all
nations. The offer is made indifferently to all sorts of persons where
the Gospel comes, and this grace is effectually applied to all the
elect of all nations" (T. Manton).
None should be stumbled by a particular redemption which pertains only
to the Church of God being expressed in such extended terms as "the
world" and "all men"in the N. T. The employment of such language is
fully accounted for by the change of dispensation, from the local
religion of Judaism to the international reach of Christianity. The
Mosaic economy was entirely exclusive, whereas that of the Gospel is
inclusive. In anticipation of that, we should note the indefinite
language used by the Prophets when predicting the blessings of
Messiah, as extending beyond Judea and bestowing indiscriminately.
"The Desire of all nations shall come" (Hag. 2:8). "All kings shall
fall down before Him and all nations shall serve Him"(Ps. 72:1). "O
You that hear prayer, unto You shall all flesh come"(Ps. 65:2). "I
will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh" (Joel 2:25)--interpreted by
Peter as accomplished on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:16)! Such
language was as universal as any employed by Christ and His apostles,
yet it certainly did not signify that every individual the earth over
would become a subject of Christ's kingdom and a partaker of His
saving benefits.
There are other general terms used in the N. T. besides "world"which
cannot be taken in an unlimited sense. For example "every man." We
read of one to whom the Lord gave sight that he "saw every man
clearly"(Mark 8:28). The kingdom of God was preached "and every man
presses into it"(Luke 16:16). The early Christians sold their
possessions and goods "and parted them to all, as every man had
need"(Acts 2:45). "God has dealt to every man the measure of
faith"(Rom. 12:3 but see 2 Thess. 3:2). "Then shall every man have
praise of God" (1 Cor. 4:5). Other passages could be quoted where
"every man" cannot be understood without qualification. "The Gentiles"
is another general expression which is restricted by what is
predicated of them in each case. For instance "on the Gentiles also
was poured out the gift of the Holy Spirit"(Acts. 10:45). And again
"God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life "(Acts 11:18).
"Declaring the conversion of the Gentiles" (Acts 15:3). "The salvation
of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and they will hear it"(Acts 28:28).
Let those who say of John 3:16 or 2 Cor. 5:19 "we keep by the plain
declaration of the passage,"apply the same principle to the verses
quoted in this paragraph!
"And having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to
reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, whether they are things in
earth or things in heaven"(Col. 1:20). These words bring before us
another aspect of our theme, and one which has been generally
overlooked by writers on this subject. By means of His mediatory work
Christ has not only effected a reconciliation between God and the
whole election of grace, but He has also closed the breach which
existed between the celestial hosts and the Church. At the creation of
the world the holy angels sang together and even shouted for joy (Job
38:7), "because though it was not made for them, but for the children
of men, and though it would increase their work and service, yet they
knew that the eternal Wisdom and Word whom they were to worship (Heb.
1:6), would `rejoice in the habitable parts of the earth'and that a
large part of `His delight would be with the sons of men'"(Prov. 8:31)
[Matt. Henry]. Likewise, when the grand foundation of the new creation
was laid, we read of "the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward
men"(Luke 2:13,14).
When God made the earth and placed man in it the angels rejoiced in
the work of their Creator's hands, and so far from being jealous at
the appearing of a further order of beings, they took delight in them.
But upon man's revolt from his Maker and Lord, they would be filled
with disgust and holy indignation. The sin of Adam (and of the race in
him) not only alienated man from God, but also from the holy ones on
high. No sooner did our first parents fall from their original state,
followed by their expulsion from Paradise, than God employed the holy
angels as the executors of His vengeance against them: represented by
the cherubim with the flaming sword [for He "makes His angels spirits
and His ministers a flame of fire"(Heb. 1:7)] to keep them out of Eden
and from the tree of life (Gen. 3:24). Yet now they are "all
ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be
heirs of salvation"(Heb. 1:14). And, my reader, it is the blood of the
cross which has brought about that blessed change. The atonement of
Christ has made the celestial hosts the friends and helpers of His
people.
It was not that "the things in heaven"were alienated from God, but
that Adam's fall introduced disruption into the universe, so that the
inhabitants of heaven were alienated from those on earth; but Christ
has restored perfect concord again. His sacrifice has repaired the
breach between the elect and the holy angels; He has restored the
broken harmony of the universe. As one has well pointed out, "If Paul
could address the Corinthians concerning one of their excluded
members, who had been brought to repentance, `To whom you forgive
anything, I also'(2 Cor. 2:10), much more would the friends of
righteousness (the angels) say in their addresses to the great
Supreme, concerning an excluded member from the moral system, `to whom
You forgive anything, we also.'" For this reason we find "there is joy
in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that
repents"(Luke 15:10), for another has been joined to their company as
worshippers of the Most High.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 20
Its Scope-Continued
_________________________________________________________________
"And having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to
reconcile all things unto Himself, whether things in earth or things
in heaven" (Col. 1:20). In the final paragraphs of our last we touched
upon this aspect of our subject, pointing out that the mediatory work
of Christ not only effected a reconciliation between God and the whole
election of grace, but also closed the breach which existed between
the celestial hosts and the Church. But our remarks on it were all too
brief for a subject so blessed, so important, so honoring to Christ,
yet so little understood. The relation which exists between the holy
angels and the Church which is the mystical body of Christ has not
received the attention that it deserves, and failure to perceive that
the basis of this fellowship lies in the person and work of Christ
obscures one of the distinctive honors which God has placed upon His
beloved Son and loses sight of one of His mediatorial glories. "On His
head are many crowns"(Rev. 19:12), and that which is now engaging our
attention is by no means the least of them.
According to the principle of "the process of doctrine"or the orderly
unfolding of the Truth (first the blade, then the ear, etc.), in the
earlier epistles of Paul (Thess., Rom., Cor., Gal.,) we see more the
individual effects and blessings of Redemption. The truth of
justification, so prominent in it, brings each person face to face
with his own sin and salvation. In that supreme crisis of the soul,
the crisis of spiritual life and death, there is consciousness of but
two existences--God and self. But when we come to the prison epistles
(Eph., Phil., Col., etc.), it is no longer the individual as such
which is prominent, but rather as he is part of a greater whole--a
member of the body of Christ. True, in the earlier epistles the Church
is recognized, as in later epistles the individual believer is never
for a moment ignored. But the proportion of the two aspects is
changed--what is prominent in the first becomes secondary in the
other. This is the natural order in the development of Truth. The
Christian unity is directly the unity of each soul with Christ, the
Head, and indirectly the unity of the various members in the one Body.
When the Gospel of salvation speaks it must speak to the individual,
but when the Saviour has been found by each soul as the Christ "who
lives in me"(Gal. 2:20), then the question arises, What is my relation
to other believers? The answer to which is, fellow-members of the
Church, fellow-members of the family of God. Accordingly, when taking
up the doctrine of reconciliation, the apostles first placed the
emphasis upon "be reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:20), though even there
he indicated the basis on which the call is made. But it was reserved
for his later epistles to bring out the reconciliation or unity which
Christ has effected between believing Jews and Gentiles--which he
shows at some length in Ephesians 2; while in Colossians he goes still
further and presents Christ as the Head of all created beings and the
new relation which He has established between the Church and the
celestial hosts. It is much to their loss that so many Christians
advance no further than the epistle to the Romans in their
apprehension of the Truth; I must beware of being so wrapped up in
what Christ has done for me, that I fail to glory in the wider results
of His work.
There was a particular reason why this reference to the larger scope
of reconciliation was made in the epistle to the Colossians (rather
than in Eph. or Phil.) for as the Judaisers were corrupting the
Galatians, so the Gnostics were seeking to seduce the saints at
Colosse. The word Gnostic means "one who knows" (the opposite of
agnostic) and that which characterized this sect (which to a
considerable extent exerted a powerful and pernicious influence upon
early Christianity) was an Orientalized form of Grecian philosophy--a
modern though more Buddhistic species of which is "Theosophy."
Gnosticism was an attempt of carnal reason to show the relation
between the Infinite and the finite, the Absolute and the phenomenal,
the "first Cause"and the universe. They argued that the gulf could
only be bridged by a series of creatures rising in the scale of being,
the highest of them being semi-personal emanations, of which Christ
was the first (yet only a creature), and then many orders of angels
which intervened between God and men.
Therefore it was that in the Colossian epistles the apostle insisted
that by Christ "were all things created that are in heaven and that
are in earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions, or
principalities or powers, all things were created by Him and for Him.
And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist"(1:16, 17),
and that he bids the saints there "beware lest any man spoil you
through philosophy and vain deceit"(2:8). Here too he insisted that
"in Christ dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily,"and again
warned them "that no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary
humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which
he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind"(2:9, 18).
Having stated in 1:16 that the angels were created by Christ, he then
went on to show how they were also the gainers by the blood of His
cross, for that blood had "made peace"not only with God, but it had
also restored to amicable relationship the two great branches of His
family--the angelic hosts and the Church.
There was originally a union between the holy angels and unfallen men,
for they existed as fellow-citizens in the kingdom of God, but upon
Adam's apostasy that union was broken. Sin is rebellion, and the holy
angels could have no fellowship with rebels against their God. "Things
in earth"and "things in heaven"became at variance through sin. When
men became the enemies of God, they became at the same time the
enemies of all His faithful subjects. Take this analogy on a lower
plane. Suppose that one country in England should cast off allegiance
to King George and disown his government at Westminster, then all
lawful communion between the inhabitants of that country and the loyal
subjects of the crown in all other parts of the country would be at an
end. A line of moral and patriotic separation would at once be drawn
between the two companies, and all friendly intercourse would be
forbidden. Nor would it less accord with their inclination than the
duty of all the friends of the throne to withdraw their communion and
connection from those who were in revolt against the supreme authority
and the general good.
But now suppose one possessing the necessary dignity and
qualifications, say a member of the royal house, should voluntarily
undertake to make adequate reparation unto his majesty for the injury
done him by the rebellious country, and that he was pleased to
acknowledge that reparation as a full satisfaction to his honor. And
suppose that his plenipotentiary succeeded in removing all enmity
against their king from the members of that county, so that they
sincerely repented of their insubordination and threw down the weapons
of their hostility against the throne and government; as soon as it
became generally known that company had been restored to reality,
would not the remainder of the country rejoice and all the loyal
subjects of the crown be ready to resume fellowship with them again?
That is as close a parallel as we can think of. Having made peace
between God and the Church by the blood of His cross, Christ has also
united the Church unto all who love God throughout the whole extent of
creation. Things or creatures on earth have been reconciled to things
or creatures in heaven.
The redemptive work of Christ has done something more than "gather
together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad"by the
fall (John 11:52). It has also united a disrupted universe. As we are
informed in Ephesians 1:9, 10 it was God's eternal purpose "that in
the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in
one (kingdom and family) all things in Christ, both which are in
heaven and which are on earth, in Him."It was unto the accomplishment
of this end that God was working all through the preceding
dispensations. He had ordained that unto the last Adam should pertain
the honor and glory of repairing the great breach made by the first
Adam's sin. Christ could say "I restored that which I took not away"
(Ps. 69:4). He restored honor to God in the scene where He had been so
grievously dishonored, He restored glory to the Law in the very place
where it had been trampled underfoot. He brought blessing to the
fallen Church by restoring it to the judicial favor of the Judge of
all, He restored harmony to the broken universe by reconciling the two
most important sections or members of it.
Ephesians 1:9 and 10 makes known to us the entire range of God's
eternal purpose of grace. It was to gather together in Christ not only
the elect from the sons of men on earth, but also the elect from among
the angels in heaven, uniting all into one harmonious whole, and this
with the grand design of making more manifest the glory of the God-man
Mediator. Under His eternal foreview of the entrance of sin, God
purposed the reunion of the two great portions of the moral universe,
bringing them into one holy and happy commonwealth under Christ as
their glorious Sovereign. If it is asked, Why are the persons of
angels and men referred to as "things?"The answer is, This is the
Scriptural form of expressing them. As when the apostle said "all
things are yours whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas" (1 Cor. 3:21,22),
or, "the Scripture shuts up all things under sin"(Gal. 3:22) which is
explained by "God has shut them all up in unbelief"(Rom. 11:32). As
the "all men"of 2 Timothy 2:1, 2 signifies men of all stations, so the
"all things in heaven"of Ephesians 1:10 means angels of all
ranks--"thrones or dominions, or principalities or powers," etc. (Col.
1:16).
The word for "dispensation" (oikonomia) contains no time element and
has no reference to an age or era. Literally it means "the arrangement
of a house"(Young's Concordance), or as we should say today, the
administration or management of a household. Its force may be clearly
ascertained from its first occurrence in the N. T.: "give an account
of your stewardship"(Luke 16:2), that is of your administration of my
household--the same Greek word is again translated "stewardship"in the
next two verses. Thus the "Dispensationalists"have no warrant whatever
for their arbitrary partitioning of the Scriptures. When Paul said "a
dispensation of the Gospel is committed unto me" (1 Cor. 9:17),
obviously he is to be understood as meaning, an administration or
dispensing of the Gospel is entrusted to me in my apostolic labors.
The "fulness of times"signifies the termination of the times or
"seasons,"namely, this final Christian season, which is the
culmination and termination of all preceding ones--as Hebrews 1:1, 2;
1 John 2:18 make evident.
The "gathering together of one"is a single (compound) word in the
Greek occurring nowhere else in the N.T. except Romans 13:8, where it
is rendered "briefly comprehended."There, after quoting several of the
Commandments--"You shall not commit adultery, you shall not
steal,"etc., --the apostle added and if any other commandment, it is
briefly comprehended in this saying namely, "you shall love your
neighbor as yourself,"that is, all these precepts of the second table
are summed up in that single injunction. It is an arithmetical term,
where many items are added together in one total sum. It is also a
rhetorical term, to recapitulate, as an orator does at the close of
his discourse. Thus it contains (in its prefix) the idea of
repetition, as "gathering together" implies an original unity and then
a scattering, before the unity is restored. In Christ God has
re-gathered and re-established in a new condition of stability and
blessedness the previously disrupted elements, forming them into one
kingdom, under one Head, having restored to harmony and mutual love
the alienated portions of His empire.
Christ is not only "the Head of the Church"(Eph. 4:23), but He is also
"the Head of all principality and power"(Col. 2:10), "angels and
authorities and powers being made subject unto Him"(1 Pet. 3:22). Thus
He is "the Head over all" (Eph. 1:22). Christ is the gathering Center
of all holy creatures, they being united into one great commonwealth
under His sovereignty. Elect angels and elect men make up one
household. This is clearly brought out in, "I bow my knees unto the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven
and earth is named"(Eph.3:14, 15). Since Christ is the Head of all
(Eph. 1:22), the whole family receive its name from Him. They all own
Him, and He owns them all. So too, together they make up one City, the
new Jerusalem, of which Christ is the Governor and King. "You are come
unto Zion and unto the City of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem"(Heb. 12:22). There is the general description, but who are
the inhabitants? The same verse goes on to tell us "and to an
innumerable company of angels, to the General Assembly and Church of
the Firstborn"they all make up one united company of worshippers, for
the angels worship Christ as the redeemed do.
As Goodwin showed at length in his masterly exposition of Ephesians
1:10, this honor was due Christ. First, as the God-man and "Heir of
all things"(Heb. 1:2) it was right that He should be the Head over the
highest of God's creatures--of the celestial hosts as well as the
Church. Second, this unity of the holy angels with the redeemed into
one family and commonwealth is greatly to the honor and splendor of
the Church. Third, angels and men are capable of being thus knit
together under one Head, for they each have an understanding,
affection, will and spiritual nature, and therefore are suited to the
same happiness, dwelling together in the same place. As Matthew 22:30
tells us "In the resurrection they...are as the angels of God in
heaven!"Fourth, by this arrangement there is constituted a complete
parallel in opposition to Satan, who is the head both of wicked men
and demons. The Devil is the head of the evil angels (Rev. 12:7),
called "the Prince of the Demons"(Matthew 12:24), and he is the head
of the wicked (1 John. 5:19) and termed "the Prince of this
world"(John 12:31). Answerably to this, God has made Christ the Head
of the Church and of angels.
"You are come unto . . . an innumerable company of angels"(Heb.
12:22). We are come to them as our fellow-citizens, in consequence of
our faith in Christ. Our access to them is spiritual. We come to them
now, while we are on earth and they in heaven. But we come to them not
with our prayers, which is the doting superstition of Rome, and
utterly destructive of the communion here asserted. For although there
is a difference and distinction between their persons and ours as to
dignity and power, yet as to this fellowship we are equal in it with
them; as one of them expressly declared to the apostle John "I am your
fellow-servant and of your brethren that have the testimony of
Jesus"(Rev. 19:10). Upon which John Owen Said "nothing could be more
groundless than that fellow-servants should worship one another"--nor
absurd. We have access to all of them, not simply to this or that
tutelar [guardian] angel, but to the whole company of them. We are
come to them by virtue of the recapitulation of them and us in Christ,
they and we being members of the same heavenly family and associated
together in a common worship.
"What was the reason that the tabernacle was so full of
`cherubim?'Read Exodus 25:19 and observe there were two of them over
the mercy-seat in the holy of holies. Read. Exodus 26:1 and mark how
all the curtains of the tabernacle had cherubim wrought on them.
Cherubim are angels (1 Pet. 1:12). Go from there to the temple of
Solomon. There you have the cherubim again--on the mercy-seat, all the
walls of the house, and its very doors (1 Kings 6:23, 29, 32). All
this indicated that angels still fill the temple as well as men.
Little do we think it, but the angels, as well as human beings, fill
our churches and are present in our assemblies. Therefore are the
women bidden to be modest and have their heads covered--the sign of
their subordination--not only because of men, but because of the
angels (1 Cor. 11:10), for surely that is the meaning of it. Because
we are to be with them hereafter and to worship God together,
therefore they come down and are present at the worship of God here
with us" (T. Goodwin--slightly changed).
In Revelation 5, under the representative emblem of the "twenty-four
elders,"we behold the Church worshipping, singing a new song: "You are
worthy to take the book and to open the seals of it, for You were
slain and have redeemed us to God by Your blood, out of every kindred
and tongue and people and nation, and have made us unto our God kings
and priests, and we shall reign on the earth." Immediately after which
the apostle tells us "And I behold, and I heard the voice of many
angels, round the throne and the living creatures and the elders . . .
saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive
power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and
blessing" (vv. 9-12). The ascription of praise from the angels is
mingled with the praise of the Church so as to comprise one entire
worship. Thus the "gather together in one"of Ephesians 1:10 also
included one great Choir or company of worshippers.
The holy angels are the adversaries of the wicked, for since such are
the enemies of God they are their enemies too. Thus we read of the
angel of the Lord standing in the way of perverse Balaam as "an
adversary against him"(Num. 22:22). They were sent to destroy wicked
Sodom (Gen. 19:1,13). One of them smote the camp of the Assyrians and
slew nearly two hundred thousand of them in a night (2 Kings 19:35).
Another slew the blasphemous Herod (Acts 12:23) in N.T. times. Observe
how prominently they figure in the Apocalypse as the agents of God's
judgments and the executioners of His vengeance. See Revelation
8:7-13; 15:1; 16:1-12. So also at the day of judgment "The Son of man
shall send forth His angels and they shall gather out of His kingdom
all things that offend and them which do iniquity, and shall cast them
into a furnace of fire"(Matthew 13:41, 42).
How blessed the contrast to behold the ministrations of the angels
unto the saints! "He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep
you in all your ways" (Ps. 91:11)--a promise not only to Christ
personally, but also to all the members of His mystical body. When the
beggar died, his soul was "carried by angels into Abraham's
bosom"(Luke 16:22). An angel delivered Peter from prison (Acts
12:7-10). In the Day to come Christ "shall send His angels with a
great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect
from the four winds"(Matthew 24:31). In an earlier paragraph we called
attention to the cherubim with the flaming sword barring our first
parents from the tree of life (Gen. 3:24). But, in consequence of
Colossians 1:20 and Ephesians 1:10, they now stand at the entrance of
Paradise to admit the redeemed into it! The holy Jerusalem has "twelve
gates, and at the gates twelve angels" (Rev. 21:12) and in that city
is "the tree of life." (22:2).
"Behold, a ladder set up on earth and the top of it reached to heaven.
And, behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it" (Gen.
28:12). "Hereafter shall you see (with the eyes of faith--enlightened
from the Scriptures) the heaven open, and the angels of God ascending
and descending upon the Son of man"(John 1:51). Here we are shown
plainly the grand Medium for uniting heaven and earth, the Foundation
on which rests the intercourse between the angels and the redeemed.
"The Son of man"views Christ as the last Adam, and is the Mediator's
title of humiliation, while bearing sin. It is brought in here to
emphasize the fact that it is His atonement, "the blood of His
cross"(Col. 1:20) which is the meritorious ground of the restoration
of the long-forfeited fellowship between the two branches of the one
family in Christ. "If the partition wall between Jews and Gentiles is
removed by the cross, and the enmity slain by it, the same thing holds
true in reference to angels and men" (Geo. Smeaton).
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The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 21
Its Scope-Concluded
_________________________________________________________________
It is not sufficiently realized that sin is the one great divisive,
disrupting and destructive agency at work in every part and stratum of
our world. It was sin that separated man from God, which produced a
breach between him and the holy angels, and which operates to the
alienating of one man from another. Among the many and dreadful
effects of the Fall (which was itself an expression of enmity against
God) is the enmity between man and man which has issued from it. That
abominable thing which caused Adam to be driven out of Eden swiftly
exhibited itself in the murderous hatred of Cain for Abel. Sin has not
bred a quarrel with God, but between man and man, between brother and
brother, between nation and nation. Not only do the unregenerate hate
the regenerate, but they "live in malice and envy, hateful and hating
one another"(Titus 3:3). The whole of human history is little more
than a sad record of man's enmity against man--modified (though not
eradicated) only where the Gospel has taken root.
As one has truly said, "There is in every man, if his nature were let
out to the full, that in him which is `against every man'as was said
of Ishmael." Self-love is the greatest monopolist and dictator in this
world, "for men shall be lovers of their own selves."What immediately
follows? "Covetous ... disobedient to parents . . . without natural
affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce,
despisers of them that are good"(2 Tim. 3:2,3). Self-love is the
regulating principle in every natural man. Self-love breaks all bonds
and overrides all other considerations. And self-love is but another
name for sin, for so far from seeking God's glory or the good of my
fellows, it selfishly considers only my own interests. Since each
nation is but an aggregate of individual sinners, self-interests
regulate it, and therefore the nations are kept in a state of
continual suspicion, jealousy and enmity one against another.
Now since Christ is the Saviour, and the only Saviour from sin, to Him
was appointed the honor of healing the breaches made by sin. We have
already seen how He reconciled God unto the Church and the Church unto
Him, as we also dwelt at some length on His reconciliation of the
Church to the celestial hosts, forming them into one holy and
harmonious company. We are now to consider how He brought into the
Church, welding them into one Body, two diverse peoples who had for
many centuries been widely separated, and bitterly hostile to each
other. That was indeed a miracle of grace, constituting as it does one
of the greatest and grandest triumphs of the Atonement. We refer of
course to the making of the Gentiles "fellow-heirs and of same Body
and partakers of God's promise in Christ by the Gospel"(Eph. 3:6) with
Jews. To appreciate that marvel let us carefully behold the awful and
age-long alienation that existed between them.
We begin by contemplating that of the Jews against the Gentiles, for
the quarrel originated with them. This is clearly intimated by
"Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is
called the Circumcision"(Eph. 2:12), for the word "called" there
signified "dubbed." It was the Jews who first began using nick-names!
Out of their carnal pride, they misused the privilege bestowed upon
them by God as His peculiar people, to scorn the poor Gentiles, and
this almost from the beginning. The sons of Jacob said, "To give our
sister to one that is uncircumcised, that were a reproach to us"(Gen.
34:14), and afterwards the whole race of Jews, good and bad, used the
term "uncircumcised"as a stigma. As by Samson (Judges 15:18), by
Jonathan (1 Sam. 14:6), David (17:26, 36), Saul (31:4). Yea, they
regarded it as worse than death itself to "die by the hands of the
uncircumcised"or have "the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph"(2
Sam. 1:20). When they would accurse to the most degraded death, it
was, Let him die the death of the uncircumcised.
This enmity of the Jews was expressed in their attitude toward and
dealings with the Gentiles. Not only was there no communion between
them in sacred things, but they deemed it an abomination to have any
social intercourse with the Gentiles. In the latter they erred
grievously, through perverting a particular precept, given upon a
special ground, and making it of general application. Concerning the
Ammonites and Moabites the Lord had said "You shall not seek their
peace nor prosperity all your days forever"(Deut. 23:6), but as though
foreseeing that the evil spirit in them would develop into a hatred of
all nations and to prevent a wrong use of that precept, in the very
next verse God bade them, "You shall not abhor an Edmonite, for he is
your brother; you shall not abhor an Egyptian, because you were a
stranger in his land"(v. 7). Yet the Jews ever carried themselves
toward the Gentiles as though they were the scum of the earth.
It was for this reason that when our Saviour asked water from the
woman at the well, she was astonished and said, "How is it that you,
being a Jew, ask drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria, for the
Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans" (John 4:9). Yea, so intense
was their animosity against the Gentiles, that the Jews would have'
killed Paul for no other crime than this that he "brought Greeks also
into the temple and has defiled this holy place"(Acts 21:28,31).
Malice could not rise higher in any people against another than it did
in the Jews for the Gentiles. They carried it so far that the apostle
tells us "they please not God and are contrary to all men, forbidding
us to preach to the Gentiles that they might be saved"(1 Thess. 2:15,
16). What hope was there of such enmity being removed, and of peace,
love and concord displacing it?
How strong the Jewish prejudice was, how powerful the working of his
enmity against the Gentiles, appears in him even after his conversion.
This is forcibly illustrated in Acts 10, where we find God giving
Peter a special vision in order to overcome his disinclination to
carry the Gospel to those outside the pale of Judaism. When he arrived
at the house of Cornelius he frankly admitted, "You know how that it
is unlawful for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come into one
of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any man
common or unclean"(v. 28). When this good news reached Jerusalem that
"the Gentiles had also received the Word of God"and Peter returned to
the brethren there, we are told that, so far from rejoicing over these
new trophies of Divine grace, "they that were of the circumcision
contended with him, saying, you went into men uncircumcised and did
eat with them"(11:1-3).
Naturally the Gentiles resented their being held in such contempt by
the Jews and were not slow to retaliate, though it must be confessed
they were the more moderate of the two. And this was a righteous
judgment upon them from God: "I will deliver them to be removed into
all the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt: to be a reproach, and a
proverb, and a taunt, and a curse in all places where I shall drive
them"(Jer. 24:9). In the days of Ahasuerus, who ruled over one hundred
and twenty-seven provinces, amongst which the Jews were scattered and
in which they had enemies in all, it was only by special letters of
appeal from the king that the Gentiles were restraining from falling
on them (Esther 8:9). They were accused of being "hurtful unto kings
and provinces, and that they have moved sedition within the same of
old time"(Ezra 4:15). When the apostles were arrested in Philippi the
charge preferred against them was "these men, being Jews, do
exceedingly trouble our city"(Acts. 16:20).
But more. God Himself has made a distinction and difference between
them, having dealt with and favored Israel as no other nation upon
earth (Amos 3:2). He had assigned them their own special land, giving
them a particular code of laws--moral, civil and religion--and set up
His own exclusive worship in their midst. He had made of them a
peculiar polity, having great privileges exclusive to itself, such as
no other people ever enjoyed. From all of that the Gentiles were
Divinely barred. As the apostle declares, they were "without Christ,
being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the
covenants of promise having no hope, and without God in the
world"(Eph. 2:12). Those consequences followed from their being
"without Christ,"for He is both the substance and end of the covenants
of Israel and the Revealer of God, and so of spiritual life. But in
Christ all fleshly distinctions disappear, and through His mediation
the Gentiles have been made partakers of Israel's "spiritual
things"(Rom. 15:27). This is shown at length in Ephesians 2:14-22,
unto which we now turn.
In approaching that passage it needs to be borne in mind that, the
Spirit's principal design in it, as in all His ministrations, is to
exalt Christ in our esteem. The incarnate Son glorified the Father on
earth as He was never glorified here before or since, and therefore He
was entitled to ask "Father, glorify Your Son"(John 17:1). That
request received answer not only in His exaltation on High, not only
in a redeemed people being quickened and united to Him to show forth
His praises, but also in the further revelation made of Him in the N.
T. An illustration of that is now to be before us. The Spirit's object
in it is to give us an eminent instance of the efficacy of Christ's
mediation by bringing to pass that which the united efforts of all men
could never have accomplished, namely, the slaying of an age-long and
inveterate enmity which existed between the two great branches of the
human family, from each of which God takes a remnant to exemplify His
sovereign grace. Ephesians 2 shows us how Christ abolished that which
was the means or occasion of alienation between them.
"For He is our peace"(v. 14) objectively, what He is in Himself: as He
is "our righteousness"(Jer. 23:6), "our life" (Col. 3:3), "our hope"(1
Tim. 1:1)--though there is that which is correspondent to each wrought
in us. He is "our peace"because He is Himself "the Prince of peace"
and because He is the great and glorious Peacemaker. Christ is at once
the Author, the Substance, and Center of peace. In what follows the
apostle supplies proofs or exemplifications. Christ is our peace
between ourselves mutually, and He is our peace between God and us.
The key to a right understanding of what follows lies in bearing in
mind that duality. As verses 11-13 exhibit a dual alienation--of
Gentiles from Jews, of both from God, so verses 14-17 treat of a
double reconciliation opposite to it. And accordingly in verses 18-22
we are shown the grand twofold privilege which results from it: access
into the favor of God (v. 18), the introduction of a new and united
worship of Himself (vv. 19-22).
"For He is our peace: who has made both one and has broken down the
middle wall of partition"(v. 14). He who is not only the Giver of
Peace, but the Peace itself, has united together believing Jews and
Gentiles. Those who previously were alienated, are reconciled by Him,
because He has broken down that which divided and separated them. Of
old God had "fenced" His vineyard (Isa. 5:1,2; Ps. 80:8; Matthew
21:33-43), or as the margin reads it "made a wall about it"which had
barred the Gentiles from an entrance into Israel's spiritual things.
The "middle wall of partition" is an expression which connotes the
separating cause which existed between Jew and Gentile, but which was
demolished by Christ when He had--as the Representative and Surety of
each alike--"made both one"in Himself. As Christ's death rent the veil
of the temple -- the innermost barrier to God -- so it destroyed the
middle wall of partition.
"Having abolished in His flesh the enmity--the law of commandments
contained in ordinances"(v. 15). This tells us how Christ broke down
that which divided. The middle wall of partition is now designated
"the enmity," and that in turn, is described as "the law of
commandments, etc."Here, too, there is a double reference: first to
the ceremonial law of Moses which excluded Gentiles from the Jews.
Second to the Covenant of works which excluded both from God. "In His
flesh"is the same as "by His blood" (v. 13) and "by the cross"(v. 16).
By His sacrificial and atoning death the Law--both as a ceremonial
system and as a rule of justification--was annulled. In the parallel
passage (Col. 2:14) the word ordinances is connected with "the
handwriting that was against us,"that is, to a legal bond of
indictment, which Christ took out of the way "nailing it to His
cross."
"For to make in Himself of twain one new man, so making peace"(v. 15).
In 2:10 the believer is declared to be "the workmanship of God," but
there the glory of the creation is directly attributed to Christ, who
is its Head and Life. The "twain"or "two" were the Jews and Gentiles,
who were separate and hostile bodies, alike the children of wrath and
dead in trespasses and sins. They are created anew so as to become
"one new man"(collectively) and this by virtue of their federal union
with Christ--therefore the "in Himself""So making peace."the present
participle is used because the operation is a continuous one the work
is done, but the fruit of it is progressive. The long feud in the
human family is healed. In Christ "there is neither Jew nor Greek"
(Gal. 3:28)--both disappearing when the "enmity"that sundered them was
abolished. There is now one fold, one Shepherd.
"And that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross,
having slain the enmity in this way"(v. 16). Here the "enmity" which
Christ slew is the barrier which existed between God and men--created
by sin; and not the enmity in our hearts against God, for it was slain
by Christ's death and not by the working of His Spirit. To "reconcile"
is to effect peace and unity between parties at variance. Christ
reconciled both Jews and Gentiles unto God by propitiating Him, by
satisfying the demands of His Law, in this way making it possible for
Him to be just and yet the Justifier of the ungodly. There is no room
for any uncertainty here. It was "by the cross" that Christ effected
the reconciliation. The proximate design of a sacrifice is to appease
God, and not to convert those for whom the offering is made. "Having
slain the enmity" both amplifies and explains "by the cross." Christ's
death removed God's wrath or judicial enmity from sinners.
And came and preached to you that were afar off (the Gentiles) and to
them that were (in outward privileges) near (v. 17). As the "enmity"of
verse 16 is the legal enmity of God, so the "peace"here is that "peace
with God"(Rom. 5:1) into which Christ has brought all His redeemed.
His "preaching" of it is after the cross, and therefore through His
apostles (see 2 Cor. 5:20). It is the proclamation to those who
savingly believe the Gospel that since the Law has been satisfied God
is no longer hostile to us. Proof of that is "For through Him we both
have access by one Spirit unto the Father" (v.18)--which had been
impossible unless His wrath had been removed or His enmity slain.
Christ has done something very much more than simply "open a way to
God"He has actually brought us to God (1 Pet. 3:18), inducted us into
His grace or favor (Rom. 5:2). As God determined to magnify the
exceeding riches of His grace by permitting the most heinous sins in
the lives of some of those whom He chose unto salvation for the glory
of His Son He suffered the strongest and bitterest animosity to
possess the hearts of Jews and Gentiles, that the efficacy of His
mediation might be displayed in constituting them one new man in
Himself--blessedly exemplified when those, who formerly would not eat
with one another, sit down together to partake of the Lord's Supper!
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The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 22
Its Reception
_________________________________________________________________
This brings us to the manward side of the subject, and that will
present more or less a difficulty unto some of our readers; not
because of its abstruseness, but in seeking to ascertain its
consistency and harmony with some other aspects presented previously.
It concerns the ever-recurring problem of adjusting in our minds the
conjunction of the Divine and human elements. Because that conjunction
cannot always be stated with mathematical exactitude or in language
fully intelligible to the average mind, the great majority are
inclined to cut the knot and reject either the one or the other of
those elements or factors. But if both be clearly set forth in the
Word, whether or not we can perceive the precise relation between them
or the definite point at which they meet, it is our bounden duty to
believe and hold fast to both. If on the one hand Scripture teaches
that Christ has effected reconciliation with God, Scripture just as
plainly calls upon us to "be reconciled to Him." And it speaks of our
"receiving the reconciliation." It is this latter aspect we must now
be occupied with: what God requires from the sinner if he is to enter
into the good of what Christ did for
There ought to be no need to labor this point at any length, and there
had been none had not certain men--true servants of God we doubt not,
who were thoroughly sound on almost every other part of that Faith
once delivered to the saints, and whose ministry has deservedly been
held in high esteem by the generations who succeeded them--departed
from the Truth thereon and influenced many since their day to
perpetuate a serious error. As we have previously pointed out, mutual
alienation requires mutual reconciliation. The reconciliation of God
to us and of us to God must answer the one to the other, for unless
each party lay aside his enmity no real amity is possible. If peace
were on one side only and hostility on the other, there would still be
a breach. God must be propitiated; we must be converted: the one is as
requisite as the other. As we have already shown at length how Christ
reconciled God unto us, we must now enter into some detail of how we
may be reconciled to God. That we are not about to depart from "the
old paths"(Jer.
"Although God the Father has transacted all these things from eternity
and Jesus Christ has long since performed all that which might pacify
and reconcile His Father and procure our atonement with His Father,
yet it was withal agreed mutually then by Them that not a man, no, not
any elect man, should have benefit by either, until they came to be
reconciled . . . He that will be reconciled to God must part with and
forsake all other friends and lovers, renounce and break off all
interests and correspondence with them, and choose God for his sole
Friend and Portion -- he must choose God forever, to cleave to Him
with full purpose of heart" (T. Goodwin vol. 6, pp. 122, 129). "We are
actually justified, pardoned, and reconciled when we repent and
believe. Whatever thoughts and purposes of grace God in Christ may
have towards us from all eternity, yet we are under the fruits of sin
till we become penitent believers ... That these are conditions which
alone make us capable "(T. Manton, vol. 12, 266).
"This reconciliation, purchased by the blood of Christ, is offered
unto men by the Gospel upon certain articles and conditions, upon the
performance whereof it actually becomes theirs, and without which,
notwithstanding all that Christ has done and suffered, the breach
still continues between them and God. And let no man think this a
derogation from the freeness and riches of grace, for those things
serve singularly to illustrate and commend the grace of God to
sinners. As He consulted His own glory in the terms on which He offers
us our peace, so it is His grace which brings our souls to these terms
of reconciliation. And surely He has not suspended the mercy of our
reconciliation upon unreasonable or impossible conditions. He has not
said, If you will do as much for Me as you have done against Me I will
be at peace with you; but the two grand articles of peace with God are
repentance and "(J. Flavel vol. 1, p. 476).
"To make perfect reconciliation (which Christ is said in many places
to do) it is required, first, that the wrath of God be turned away,
His anger removed and all the effects of enmity on His part toward us.
Secondly, that we be turned away from our opposition to Him and
brought into voluntary obedience. Until both these be effected
reconciliation is not perfected" (J. Owen, "The Death of Death."bk. 3,
chap. 6, para. 1 on "Reconciliation") "A mediator must be accepted by
both parties that are at variance, and they must stand to what the
mediator does. As where two princes are at difference and a third
interposes to make an agreement between them, they must both consent
to accept of that prince for mediator and both put their concerns in
his hand: he can be no mediator for him that does not accept of him in
that relation . . . God has declared Himself fully contented and has
complied with all the conditions of the first agreement (the
everlasting covenant); it only remains now that man will accept of Him
for those purposes for which God did constitute Him and comply with
those conditions which God has settled. This is necessary: God saves
no man against his "(S. Charnock, vol. 3, p. 164).
Those excerpts supply a clear if brief idea of what was the almost
uniform teaching of the Puritans on this subject. Probably they will
come as a real surprise unto a considerable number of our readers who
are wont to regard those men as the champions of orthodoxy and as the
best-instructed scribes of the Gospel since the days of the apostles.
If so, it is because they have imbibed subversive teaching which came
from other men that followed the Puritans in the eighteenth century,
men who though they upheld the banner of Truth, previously erected,
yet in other things departed from the foundations laid down by their
better-balanced predecessors. Though we highly respect these men too
and freely acknowledge our indebtedness to many good things in their
writings, yet we dare not and cannot follow them in those things
wherein they relied more on logical reasoning than on the teaching of
Holy Writ. And for the sake of those who have been misled by the
errors of men who otherwise taught the Truth, it devolves upon us to
at least make an attempt "the good way"(Jer.6:16).
"Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech by
us: we pray in Christ's stead, be reconciled to God"(2 Cor. 5:20).That
is the ringing call of the Gospel as it is addressed unto the unsaved.
"Be reconciled to God:"cease your hostility against Him, throw down
the weapons of your rebellion, turn from your wicked ways, abandon
your idols, repent of your sins, sue for mercy in the name of Christ,
receive forgiveness through His blood. But in certain more or less
influential circles that is flatly rejected. It is blankly denied that
the Gospel called upon the unsaved to be reconciled to God, or that He
requires anything from sinners in order to the forgiveness of their
sins. Nay it is argued that such an assertion as ours repudiates the
free grace of God and denies the finished work of Christ, by
inculcating salvation by works and making man in part his own Saviour.
If that were so, then it would necessarily follow that the most
eminent and godly of the Puritans (quoted above) were guilty of those
very crimes! But we deny that
"Be reconciled to God"is both the demand of Divine holiness and the
enforcement of human responsibility. But because that Gospel call
clashed with the views of certain men, they attempted to explain away
its real force, insisting that those words are addressed to saints and
not to the unconverted. A certain air of plausibility is given to that
view by an appeal to the fact that this verse is found in a church
epistle, but if due attention be paid to its setting, and the scope of
the apostle in the whole passage be rightly ascertained, then the
seeming "plausibility" disappears and the untenability of such an
interpretation is at once exposed. But in order to discover and
exhibit the scope or design of the apostle here, careful attention has
to be paid to the context and considerable ground must be covered by
the expositor to make the same clear. We fear this may prove rather
tedious to some of our friends, yet beg them to bear with us for the
sake of others who need and for those who earnestly
Let us give first, in few and simple words, what we are convinced is
the force of 2 Corinthians 5:20 and then state why we so understand
it, setting forth the grounds on which our conviction rests. When the
apostle wrote those words "Be reconciled to God" he was not exhorting
saved or unsaved: rather was he giving a brief account of the
evangelical message which he had been called to deliver to the latter.
In the light of the immediate context we can come to no other
conclusion. In the second half of v. 18 the apostle expressly declares
that there had been given to him and his fellow-evangelists "the
ministry of reconciliation," and then in verses 19-21 (and 6:1, 2) he
tells us--as the opening "to wit"unequivocally shows--what that
"ministry of reconciliation"consistedof, what were its principal
elements and contents. Before proceeding further, let the reader
carefully ponder verses 18-21 for himself, and see if he does not
concur. If the meaning of verse 20 is still not clear to him, let him
read again from verse 18 and omit the repeated "you"in verse 20, and
all should be plain. But we will attempt a more thorough analysis of
the
As we pointed out in the opening paragraphs of the chapters on "the
Prayers of the Apostles,"certain false teachers were very active
against Paul at Corinth, seeking to undermine his apostolic authority
and destroy his influence and usefulness. It is that which accounts
for what he says in 1 Corinthians 4:1; 9:1-5; 15:9-11, and 2
Corinthians 5:1,2; 10:2; 11:5, 12-16. It is that which explains why he
was forced (by his adversaries) to vindicate his apostleship and point
out that in authority, knowledge and effective grace, none excelled
him: see 11:22-23 for his credentials. It seems quite evident from a
close reading of those two epistles that his enemies had succeeded so
far as to shake confidence in himself of some of his own converts
there, and thus his appeals in 1 Corinthians 5:14-16; 2 Corinthians
3:14, 13:3 etc. From those passages it will be seen that Paul was on
the defensive and obliged to justify himself and do what his modesty
and humility detested--say much about himself and appear to resort
unto boasting and self-laudation (2 Cor. 11:16-18). In the light of
those references the apostle's scope in the epistle should be more
easily
Throughout the third chapter he gives an account of how he had
discharged the commission which he had received from his Master,
acknowledging, tacitly, that he was no Judaiser (as were his
opponents), but rather an able minister of the new testament or
covenant (v. 6). In the fourth he continues the same subject, and
makes mention of some of the trials which a faithful discharge of his
commission had entailed (vv. 1, 8-14). Then, as was so often the case,
his heart and mind (so to speak) ran away with him and he digressed to
describe the rich compensation which God had provided for His servants
and people in general--their afflictions being abundantly
counterbalanced and recompensed by the glory awaiting them, which he
continues to 5:10. But in 5:11 he returns to the subject of his own
ministerial labors, making known the springs from which they issued.
Having alluded to "the judgment-seat of Christ," he declared "knowing
therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men." Nothing is more
calculated to stir the soul of Christ's minister and make him earnest
and faithful in dealing with his fellows than the solemn realization
that naught but the "everlasting burnings"await all who die out of
Christ. It is that which makes him cry to his hearers "flee from the
wrath to come."
(1) "Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord (2) we persuade men:"
the one was the cause, the other the effect. The "terror of the Lord"
was not something of which the apostle stood in any doubt of, but a
thing he knew--of which he was fully assured. And therefore he
"persuaded men"at large, reasoning with, pleading with, urging them to
flee for refuge and personally lay hold of the hope which he set
before them in the Gospel. An illustration that this was the course
which he followed, is supplied us in Acts 24:25, where we are told
that, even when before one of his judges, "he reasoned of
righteousness, temperance and judgment to come,"so that "Felix
trembled." Alas, how little of such zeal and fidelity is there today
on the part of those who profess to be the servants of God; how little
is there in their preaching which makes the hearer "tremble!"How
little does the twentieth-century evangelist resemble those of the
first. If the reader of this paragraph is a preacher, let him honestly
measure himself by this verse and ask, Is the awful truth of the
eternal punishment of the wicked in the Lake of Fire impelling me to
so preach that in the day to come I shall be "pure from the blood of
all,"or am I deliberately withholding what I know would be unpalatable
unto my
"But we are made manifest unto God"(v. 11). That was a solemn appeal
by the apostle unto the Searcher of hearts of his sincerity and
fidelity. And then he added, "and I trust also are made manifest in
your consciences"(5:11): I cherish the hope that such zeal and honest
dealing with souls will make it evident, to your conscience at least,
that I am indeed and in truth an accredited servant of God. Can the
reader, if he be a preacher, make the same appeal both to the
Omniscient One and the conscience of his auditors? "For we commend not
ourselves unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf that
you may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance and not
in heart"(v. 12). It was not that the apostle would seek to ingratiate
himself in the esteem of these unstable Corinthians, but that he
reminded them of what they had already witnessed and experienced when
he labored among them, and that, in order that they could effectually
close the mouths of his detractors, who sought to take advantage of
his absence by destroying the confidence of
"For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be
sober, it is for your cause"(v. 13). Here he replies to one of the
charges which his adversaries had brought against him--that he was a
wild fanatic. Says the apostle, even if I am mad, it is for God's
glory that I have been so zealous; and if I had restrained myself
within the bounds of sobriety, it was for your sakes. Whether he
succeeded the limits of discretion as his enemies asserted, or whether
he conducted himself decorously as men judged, it was not for himself:
he had in mind only the glory of God and the good of His Church. "For
the love of Christ constrains me"(v. 14): that was the second dynamic
or motive-power of his ministry. That was what caused him to set aside
all considerations of ease or self-aggrandizement and made him willing
to be counted "the filth of the world, the offscouring of all
things"(1 Cor. 4:13). Here again we see a blessed balance: the "terror
of the Lord"and "the love of Christ"inspiring him in all his
ministerial labors. The love of Christ for sinners for himself: the
love of Christ filling his heart and engendering a love for sinners,
made him willing to "spend and be spent"in labors "more abundant," and
to get little more than misunderstanding and misrepresentation,
jealousy, and
Cannot the impartial reader see for himself the drift, the scope, the
line of things of Paul in this passage? Having mentioned "the love of
Christ"as constraining him to diligence in the ministry of the Gospel,
he went on to enlarge upon the nature of that love: it was the One
dying for the all (v. 14), and then to the end of verse 17 he
describes some of the consequences and fruits of that love, upon which
we must not now enlarge, as originally intended. The final fruits of
Christ's love here enumerated are, that God "has reconciled us unto
Himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of
reconciliation"(v. 18). What that "ministry"consisted of he tells us
in verses 19-21. It "consists of two parts. 1. A reconciliation
wrought on God's part toward us, in the effecting of which Christ was
concurrent with Him (v. 19). 2. A reconciliation on our parts,
enforced from what God and Christ had done (v. 21), and this is
equally necessary unto man's salvation as that reconciliation on God's
part and Christ's part" (T. Goodwin vol. 6, p. 117). "The end of the
ministry is to reconcile us to God, to prevail with us to lay down our
enmity against Him and opposition to Him" (Owen
"Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech by
us, we pray in Christ's stead, be reconciled to God" (v. 20). We trust
it is now clear that in those words the apostle was "evidently giving
an account of his commission and general ministry" (T. Scott). That he
should here do so is quite in accord with what he had done in the
previous epistle: see 1 Corinthians 2:2 and 15:1-3. Thus in this
instance we believe that that most able expositor J. Gill erred in his
interpretation of this verse--following as he did James Hussey rather
than the earlier Puritans. So far from exhorting the saints unto
"submission to providence and obedience to the discipline and
ordinances of God," the apostle was stating how he exhorted the
unsaved when preaching the Gospel to them. Had Gill's interpretation
been valid, the twice stated "you"had been in the text! If any
supplement be needed, it should be "men.""Be reconciled to. God"is the
imperative demand of the Gospel to all who hear it being parallel with
"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts,
and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him"
(Isa. 55:7).
The apostle continues the same subject in chapter 6. "In this chapter
(verses 1-10) the apostle gives an account of his general errand to
all whom he preached to, with several arguments and methods he used"
(M. Henry). It should be carefully noted that- not until 6:11 did the
apostle directly address himself to the Corinthians! Now if Paul had
been addressing the saints in 5:20, then in the opening verses of
chapter 6 he must have been addressing their ministers, which is how
Mr. Gill understood him. But in such case he would not have said
"approving ourselves as the ministers of God" (v. 4) but
"yourselves!"Thus it is manifest he was still vindicating himself and
his fellow-apostles against the Judaisers. Not only were all who heard
him preach the Gospel exhorted "be reconciled to God,"but to "receive
not the grace of God in vain," urging them not to procrastinate with
the overtures of Divine mercy, but to recognize and realize that "now
is the accepted time"(vv. 1, 2). Having been favored with the
On 2 Corinthians 6:1 Owen said, "The grace of God may be considered
two ways. 1. Objectively for the revelation or doctrine of grace, as
in Titus 2:11, 12. So we are said to `receive' when we believe and
profess it, in opposition unto those by whom it is rejected. And this
is the same with receiving the Word preached, so often mentioned in
the Scriptures: Acts 2:41, James 1:21, which is by faith to give it
entertainment in our hearts, which is the meaning of the word in this
place." The "we"of 6:1 is the "we are ambassadors"of 5:20, and the
"you receive not the grace of God in vain"(His gracious overture in
the Gospel) are the same "you"as "be you reconciled to God."The
meaning of "giving no offence in any thing that the ministry be not
blamed, but in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of
God"(6:2, 4) is, that the apostles comported themselves in such a
manner that there was nothing in their conduct which would hinder
their Gospel preaching.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 23
Its Reception-Continued
_________________________________________________________________
In our last we sought to show that the words "be reconciled to God"(2
Cor. 5:20) are not an exhortation unto saints to acquiesce in the
Divine providences or to render submission to His discipline and
ordinances, but instead, that they form part of an account which the
apostle was giving of his evangelical commission, of what his message
was to men at large, and therefore those words express the call which
the Gospel makes to the unsaved. Before turning from that verse let us
point out that there is an expression in it which supplies an
incidental yet very real and strong confirmation of what has been
frequently insisted upon in this series. Again and again we have
pointed out that in connection with reconciliation God is viewed
specifically in His official and governmental (rather than in His
essential or paternal) character, as Rector or Judge. In full accord
with this His servants are here referred to as "ambassadors for
Christ, as though God did beseech"--in no other connection are
ministers
After all that was pointed out under our fourth main division (its
Arrangement), when we dwelt at length on the glorious provision of the
Everlasting Covenant, and all that was brought forward under our fifth
division (its Effectuation), when we showed how Christ carried out all
He had engaged Himself to do under that Covenant and the reward He
earned--a "seed" for the travail of His soul; it might be thought that
the elect were absolved and reconciled to God the moment the Saviour
triumphantly cried "It is finished."But not so. As Charnock pointed
out, "We must distinguish between reconciliation designed by God,
obtained by Christ, offered by the Gospel, and received by the soul."
It is through failing to recognize and bear in mind those very real
and necessary distinctions that we confuse ourselves, confounding what
should be kept separate. It was their failure to distinguish between
totally different aspects of the Truth which led some Arminians into
teaching the gross error that the entire human
For the purpose of simplification the fourfold distinction drawn by
Charnock may be reduced unto a twofold one. A reconciliation which, in
the language of lawyers, is de jure and one which is de facto, or in
theological terms, the impetration or purchase of reconciliation by
Christ and the application of it to us or our actual receiving of the
same. This will be more intelligible to the average reader if we
remind him of the difference between having a legal right to a thing
and a right in it. Such is the case with a minor with reference to an
inheritance. If but ten years old when his father died and willed an
estate to him, as soon as the will was proved, he had a legal right to
the estate--none else could claim it; but not until he was twenty-one
could he enter into possession and enjoyment of it. The Holy Spirit
uses that very figure in Gal. 4:1-7 when treating of dispensational
It is by observing this fundamental distinction that we obviate a
difficulty which a first reading of 2 Corinthians 5 might occasion.
There we read "God has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ"(v.
18), and then the call is made "be reconciled"(v. 20). But there is
nothing whatever inconsistent between those two statements, or
anything in them which should puzzle us. Paul was not there essaying a
systematic exposition of the doctrine of reconciliation, but instead,
was giving an account of his evangelical ministry or message in
connection with it. As was shown in our last--by the quotation from T.
Goodwin--that "ministry" consists of two parts: a reconciliation
wrought on God's part and a reconciliation on our part toward God. The
latter being equally necessary as the former. It is necessary because
since the alienation exists on each side, both parties must set aside
their enmity before amity is possible. It is necessary in order to the
enforcement of human responsibility. It is necessary for us to be
reconciled to God because that is what He requires of
While a great deal has been written to show that in the transactions
between the Father and the Mediator God determined to take full
satisfaction unto His justice, and therefore ordained that His Son
should be offered a sacrifice, much less has been written to
demonstrate that the holiness of God required we must cease our revolt
against Him before He can be reconciled to us or receive us into His
favor. Yet the one is as true, as important, as necessary, as
essential as the other. God is as jealous in the vindication and
glorifying of one of His attributes as He is of another, and therefore
if on the one hand we read that Christ is set forth "a propitiation
through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness"and "that He
might be just and the Justifier of him that believes in Jesus"(Rom.
3:25, 26); on the other hand, we are told that He "has saved us and
called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to His own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ
Jesus before the world began"(2 Tim. 1:9), addressing us thus: "as He
which has called you is holy, so be holy in all manner of behavior."
In the wondrous and perfect salvation which God planned and provided
for His people, infinite wisdom saw to it that each of His perfections
should be owned and magnified, and if our presentation of the Gospel
fails to exhibit that grand fact it is defective and partial. It is
"to the praise of the glory of His grace in which He has made us
accepted in the Beloved"(Eph. 1:6). It is "according to His mercy He
saved us" (Titus 3:5). In order that the claims of His righteousness
might be met He "spared not His own Son,"abating not the least whit
that justice demanded. Likewise He is resolved that "without holiness
no man shall see the Lord"(Heb. 12:14). If He would not that the cup
of death pass from Christ at His so earnest entreaty, most certain it
is that He will not recede one iota from the requirements of His
holiness in receiving us into His friendship, and therefore His
inexorable demand is, "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the
unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and He
will have mercy upon him, and to our God for He will abundantly
pardon" (Isa. 55:7). For God to pardon those who persisted in their
wicked ways
If there be a revolt in a kingdom, two things are required before
peace can be restored and amity again prevail. The king must be
willing to exercise clemency on a righteous basis and his subjects
must cease their rebellion and become obedient to his sceptre. Orderly
government would be reduced to a farce if a pardon was offered unto
those who continued to oppose the throne. Now the King of kings has
announced His willingness and readiness to pardon any rebel among men,
but only on the condition that he first throw down the weapons of his
warfare against Him. The carnal mind is enmity against God, and
obviously
By nature and practice we are "alienated and enemies in our minds by
wicked works" (Col. 1:21), and clearly those works must be confessed
and repented of, hated and abandoned, before there can be peace
between us and the thrice Holy One. God does not save us in our sins,
but "from our sins" (Matthew 1:21). "But if while we seek to be
justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore
Christ the Minister of sin? God forbid" (Gal.2:17).
In his chapter on what God requires from us in order to our
reconciliation with God, T. Goodwin pointed out that "1. For the
preparing us to be reconciled it is necessary that we be convinced
that we are enemies to God, and that He accounts us such; and that so
long as we remain in that estate, He is also an enemy to us, and can
be no other. This what God in Christ has done gives demonstration of.
He would not save us upon Christ's bare entreaty, but He would have
satisfaction, and have Christ feel what it was to stand in the room of
sinners. Yea, one end why God saved us by way of satisfaction to His
justice, was that sinners pardoned might, in what Christ suffered, see
and thoroughly apprehend what sin had deserved. And is it not then
requisite that they should at least lay to heart and be sensible of
their own treason and rebellions, and that God and they are at odds?
Traitors must be convicted and condemned before they are capable of a
legal pardon, as sentence must be pronounced before a legal appeal can
be made. It is so in man's courts, and it is so in God's proceedings
also. Neither indeed will men be brought so to sue out for His favor
and prize His love till then, for it was never heard any man did
heartily sue to one for pardon and
2. It is necessary also that men apprehend the danger of going on in
this estate; for though one should know another and himself to be
enemies, if he thought his enemy were either careless or weak, he
would slight reconciliation with him, and though sought unto would not
seek it. He who is mentioned in Luke 14:31,32 was to sit down and
consider if he were able to go out and meet his enemy, else he would
never have sought conditions of peace. So the soul, until it
apprehends and considers (finding God and itself enemies) what a sore
enemy He is and what a fearful thing it is to fall into His hands,
will not till
3. If one apprehended God implacable, not inclined to peace, or hard
to be entreated, he would never come at Him either. Thus David, when
Saul and he were at odds, suborned Jonathan secretly to observe what
mind Saul bare towards him, and
4. The soul comes to be persuaded better things of God and things that
accompany reconciliation, and conceives hope that reconciliation is to
be had, and had for it. And therefore in all whom God means to
reconcile to Himself, after He has humbled them He fixes a secret
persuasion on their hearts that He is ready to be reconciled to them,
if they will be reconciled to Him. God gives them a secret hint of His
intended good will to them. He reveals what a gracious God He is, and
how freely He pardons. . .the same God who from everlasting spake unto
His Son and wooed Him for us, does speak likewise secretly (inwardly)
to a man's heart to allure and woo him to come into him" (T. Goodwin).
In this way overcoming his reluctance, quieting his fears, and making
him willing in the day of His power. As He employs the Law to impart a
knowledge of sin, to convict is of our high-handed rebellion against
the Most High, so He uses the Gospel to make known the wondrous
provision He has
If it be asked, Since Christ has satisfied every requirement of God
why are repentance and faith necessary from us? What has been said
above should furnish a sufficient and satisfactory answer. It is
because God is pleased to exercise pardoning mercy in such a way as is
suited to all His perfections. It would be contrary to His wisdom to
dispense the precious benefits of Christ's atonement to impenitent
rebels. It would be contrary unto His governmental honor for Him to
cast pearls before swine, to be trampled beneath their feet. It would
be contrary unto His holiness for Him to bestow pardon upon one whom
He knows would abuse such a favor--as though He granted a dispensatory
power for him to sin with impunity. As it is no reflection upon the
sufficiency of Christ's satisfaction that believers are called to
suffer afflictions and death--for they are not penal inflictions for
the satisfying of His justice, but are sent for the exercising of
their graces (1 Pet. 1:7); so it in no way derogates from the
perfections of Christ's satisfaction that sinners be required to
repent and believe, for there is
Goodwin then went on to point out, the sinner "must be set a-work to
seek, as a condemned man, God and His favor in Christ, and peace and
reconciliation through Him. He should pray to Him and He will be
gracious ... God is the party superior, and it is fit the inferior
should seek to the superior. He also is the person wronged, and though
He be willing and desirous to be reconciled, yet He will have His
favor prized. David longed to be reconciled to Absalom, yet he would
be sought unto, for he would have his favor prized to the utmost and
not cast away. Yea, and because the favor of God is better than life.
He will be sought to with more earnestness and constancy that a man
seeks for his life, `you shall seek Me and find when you shall search
for me with all your heart'(Jer. 29:13). `If God has bidden us seek
peace with men, yea, and to ensue it'(Ps. 34:14; 1 Pet. 3:11), that
is, though it fly away and though He seems to reject us, yet to press
upon Him--as David says my soul follows hard after you (Ps. 63:8). He
will be sought unto with confession of and mourning for offending Him,
for being in bitterness and mourning is joined with supplication for
grace (Zech. 12:10). This is necessary to reconciliation because an
acknowledgement is to be made (Jer. 3:13). God would be sought humbly
unto by us, as those that are traitors and rebels. God will have men
know when He pardons, that he knows what He pardons, and therefore
will have them acknowledge what they deserve: `that every mouth may be
stopped and become guilty'(Rom. 3:19). If a man will become wise he
must become a fool (1 Cor. 3:18); so a man that will become a friend
to God must turn enemy against himself and judge himself worthy of
destruction (Ezek. 36:31 ). . .Where mourning for offending God is
wanting, there is no sign of any good will yet wrought in the heart to
God nor love to Him, without which God will never accept of a
man...God will not pardon till He sees hope of amendment. Now until a
man confesses his sin, and that with bitterness, it is an evidence he
loves it (Job 20:12-14). While he hides it, spares it, and forsakes it
not, it is sweet in his mouth. A man will never leave sin till
He must renounce all other friendships. The nature of reconciliation
requires this, for friendship with anything else is enmity with God.
`Yea adulterers and, adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of
the world is enmity with God?'(James 4:4). As God will not have us
serve other masters. so neither other friends. `Whosoever does not
forsake father and mother, etc., is unworthy of Me'says Christ (Luke
14:26). A friendship not only with proclaimed enemies--pen sins--but
with all the things which the world has, is enmity with God. A
believer may have a lordship over them, but not friendship with them.
He may use them as strangers and servants, but not as friends, so as
they have his heart. Friendship is entered into by choice--kindred is
not so. So Jonathan chose David to be his friend (1 Sam. 20:30). As
God did choose you, so also must you choose Him. As God chose you
`freely'(Hos. 14:4), out of good will, so must you choose Him freely.
As He chose you forever, never to cast you off, so you are to choose
Him forever. As nothing can separate
Let your heart resign up itself and all that it has and devote it all
unto God forever, to be commanded and used by Him. Thus did God for us
-- if He spared not His own Son, but with Him also freely gives us all
things, let all you have be God's, giving up yourselves first unto the
Lord (2 Cor. 8:5). Let God have all your understanding, will,
affections, and whatever else. And let all be His, to command in any
thing as He pleases, and study how to set all a work for Him. Likeness
of disposition is the only sure and lasting foundation of friendship,
being the soul of it, for it is impossible two should long be friends
unless they be one in their minds and affections, liking and loving
the same things. `Can two walk together except they be agreed' (Amos
3:3). Accordingly, a man that is thus reconciled must endeavor to walk
and behave himself as a friend. The nature of reconciliation requires
it. `A man that has friends must show himself friendly'(Prov. 18:24).
Therefore Christ said, `You are My friends, if you do whatsoever I
command you'(John 15:14). Watch over yourselves in all your ways and
be fearful to displease Him and His goodness (Hos.
God designed to set forth His love so as to attain the ends of loving.
It is not to give forth peace only, but to manifest good will and
kindness, as Luke 2:14 shows. Yea, the ground of His showing mercy is
His love (Eph. 2:4). And although on our part our love and friendship
to God is not the ground of His, yet it is the end or aim of His.
Though He did not love us because we loved Him first, yet He loved us
that we might love Him in return. Therefore in those He saves, if
there were not wrought an inward principle of love and friendship, and
good will mutual again to Him, that might answer His love to us, His
love would not have its end, and would be finally cast away. For so we
reckon love to be given away in loss when it is not answered in its
kind, that is, with a true love in response. God would have His love
valued and esteemed by those He saves, for love is the dearest thing
that anyone has to bestow, because whoever has a man's love has all he
has--for it commands all. If God's love be esteemed by us it will work
holiness in us" (T.
We have quoted at such length from that excellent Puritan because
while T. Goodwin was a high Calvinist (a supralapsarian) and magnified
the free and sovereign grace of God as few have done, yet he was also
an able evangelist, a faithful shepherd of souls. And though he was a
strict particular-redemptionist, yet he also enforced human
responsibility. And while he taught clearly the total depravity and
utter ruin of fallen man, yet he also shunned not to state plainly and
emphatically what God required from the unsaved. We could easily
reproduce the same, in substance, from Owen, Manton, Bunyan, and
others of the seventeenth century. How far some in the eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries departed from their teaching we leave the reader
to determine, as he may also decide how solemn and serious--or how
unimportant--such departure was. Whether the unsaved in many a
so-called "place of truth"have been lulled to sleep by a fatalistic
presentation of the doctrine of election and by harping so much on the
creature's inability to meet God's requirements, or whether they have
Should the reader say, I mentally assent to most of what Goodwin
wrote, but I find myself totally unable to comply with his directions,
we ask, cannot you see that such a statement greatly aggravates your
wickedness? Suppose I have grievously wronged and offended a dear
friend of yours, and you came to me saying you deplored the breach
between us, that your friend was willing to be friends again if I
would put matters right and beg forgiveness. Suppose you pleaded with
me to do the proper thing, and the only reply I made you was, I am
unable to. What would you think? Would you not justly conclude that
all I lacked was a willing heart? That the reason I would not seek
unto the one I had injured was either because I hated him or because I
was too proud to humble myself before him? You would judge rightly! So
it is with the sinner and God. If we analyze his "cannot"it is because
he is so wedded to his idols, so in love with sin, he will not forsake
them. And anything in our preaching which comforts him in his "will
not" is contrary to Truth.
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The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 24
Its Reception-Continued
_________________________________________________________________
On this occasion we propose to treat of the present aspect of our
subject in connection with the Covenant. There is a pressing need for
this today, for while on the one hand most professing Christians are
woefully ignorant about the Covenant, some others have been very
faultily instructed in them. As on almost every other doctrinal and
practical subject, the Puritans were much sounder than many of the
outstanding Calvinists of the nineteenth century, for the sermons of
the latter were sadly lacking in perspective. Those of men like Joseph
Irons, and James Wells, were thoroughly lop-sided. While they rightly
emphasized Divine sovereignty, they remissibly ignored human
responsibility; while they had much to say about God's grace, they had
little to say about the demands of His holiness: while magnifying the
finished work of Christ, they were silent upon what God required from
sinners before the benefits of it were applied to them. They were very
fond of quoting "He has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordering
in all things and sure" (2 Sam. 23:5),but they scarcely ever cited,
and never expounded, "Incline your ear and come unto Ale: hear and
your soul shall live: and I will make an everlasting covenant with
you"(Isa. 55:3).
A covenant is a compact between two parties in which there is mutual
stipulation and restipulation, the one promising certain benefits in
return for the fulfilling of certain conditions by the other. Thus it
was in the covenant or agreement entered into between Isaac and
Abimelech (Gen. 26:28, 29) and between Jonathan and David (1 Sam.
20:16,1 7). God entered into covenant with Christ as the Head of the
elect, and to that covenant He attached the demand of repentance,
faith, and obedience from them.
Let us first consider the passage we quoted above from Isaiah 55and
which is so much ignored by many Calvinists. That chapter opens with a
most blessed Gospel invitation, though there are one or two things in
it which have been both misunderstood and disregarded. "Ho everyone
that thirsts, come you to the waters"has been restricted unto a
spiritual thirst, as though the invitation is made only unto souls
Divinely quickened. That is an unwarrantable limitation. The Gospel
call goes forth freely to all classes and conditions of men,
addressing them simply as sinners--guilty, lost, needy sinners. Since
they are sinners, they have no satisfying portion, yet they have a
thirst for something more contenting, and therefore their quest for
happiness. But since they are blinded by sin they know not what that
satisfying portion consists of or where true happiness is found. They
seek it, but seek it wrongly and in vain. Therefore the question is
asked them, "wherefore do you spend your money for that which is not
bread? And your labor for that which satisfies not."In this way is the
Gospel called enforced.
"Come to the waters"which can quench your thirst and satisfy your
heart. "And he that has no money, come you, buy and eat." The Inviter
is a generous Benefactor who makes no charge for His benefits and bars
not the poorest from a welcome to them. Nevertheless, those who would
partake of them must "buy."That does not mean they must give something
for those benefits and purchase them. But it does signify they must
part with something, or otherwise the word "buy" would have no force.
There are two things which the sinner must part with if he would be a
participant of the Gospel feast: he must abandon his idols, and he
must renounce his own goodness or righteousness. That which his idols,
and he must renounce his own goodness or righteousness. That which
Christ requires from the sinner is that he come to Him empty handed.
If on the one hand that means he must bring no price with him, nothing
seeking to merit his acceptance; on the other hand, it also means he
must drop the world, and no longer cherish and cling to those objects
or pleasures in which until this time he has sought to delight
himself.
"Come you, buy and eat, yea, come, buy wine and milk, without money
and without price." Three times over in that first verse is the word
"come"used. It is the response which is required to the invitation
made. It is a word calling for action, for voluntary action. It is a
word too of clear yet necessary implication. One cannot come to a
place without leaving another! The prodigal son had to quit the "far
country"in order to turn unto the Father's house. The sinner must (in
his affections and resolutions) turn his back upon the world if he
would embrace Christ. Twice is the word "buy" found in it, to
emphasize the fact that it is a definite and personal transaction
which is here in view, and as we have already pointed out, to denote
that something must be relinquished or parted with--whatever stand in
opposition to Christ as seeking to hold the sinner's heart. While the
"no money," "without money and with out price" stresses the truth that
eternal life is not to be obtained by the works of the Law, but is a
free gift, that we bring nothing with us to commend ourselves to God's
favorable regard, but come simply as poverty-stricken beggars.
"Hearken diligently unto Ale, and eat that which is good, and let your
soul delight itself in fatness"(v. 2). Listen to the voice of Wisdom
which pleads with you to waste no more of your money on that which
ministers not to your spiritual and eternal needs and your efforts
after what has no power to afford you real and lasting satisfaction.
Appropriate unto yourselves the riches of Divine grace as they are
spread before you in the Gospel, and let your soul delight itself in
that which will bring no disappointment with it or regrets afterward.
"Incline your ear, and come unto Me."Too long have you hearkened to
the sirens of your lusts and to the false promises of this world. Too
long have you been deaf to My counsels and precepts, to My
expostulations and warnings. Incline your ear "as you do to that which
you find yourselves concerned in, and pleased with. Bow the ear, and
let the proud heart stoop to the humbling methods of the Gospel; bend
the ear this way you may hear with attention" (Matt. Henry). "Hear,"
that is, heed, respond, obey, comply with My demands. "Hear, and your
soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you."
(v. 3).
Here, then, we learn plainly and definitely who are the characters
with whom God proposes to make an everlasting covenant, and the terms
with which they must comply if He is to do so. They are those who have
freely sampled the lying vanities of this world and, like the poor
prodigal, have found them to be naught but "husks." They are those who
hitherto had closed their ears against Him, refusing to meet His
requirements and steeling themselves against His admonitions. "Incline
your ear"signifies. cease your rebellious attitude, submit yourselves
to My righteous demand. They are those who are separated and alienated
from the Holy One, at a guilty distance from Him--away in "the far
country.""Come unto Me" means, throw down the weapons of your warfare
and cast yourselves upon My mercy. They are those who are unquickened,
destitute of spiritual life, as the "hear, and your souls shall
live"clearly shows. Comply with those terms, says God, and I will make
an everlasting covenant with you. It is human responsibility which is
there being enforced. It is but another way of saying to sinners "Be
reconciled to God."
As we pointed out in a former chapter, this enforcing of man's
responsibility is most meet for the honor of God, and as the honor of
the Father lies nearer to the heart of Christ than anything else, He
will not dispense the benefits of His atonement except in that way
which is most becoming to God's perfections. There is a complete
accord between Christ's impetration of God's favor and the application
of it. That is, between Christ's purchase of it and our actual
entrance into the same. As the justice of God deemed it meet that His
wrath should be appeased and His law vindicated by the satisfaction
made by His Son, so His wisdom determined and His holiness ordered it
that the sinner must be converted before pardon be bestowed upon him
(Acts 3:19). We must be on our guard here, as everywhere, against
extolling one of God's attributes above another. True, the Covenant is
entirely of grace--pure, free, sovereign grace--nevertheless, here too
grace reigns "through righteousness"(Rom. 5:21) and not at the expense
of it. Christ died not to render any sinner secure in his carnality.
God will not disgrace his grace by entering into covenant with those
who are impenitent and openly defying Him. To do so would make Him the
Condoner of sin, instead of the implacable Hater of it. It is not that
the sinner must do something in order to earn the grand blessings of
the covenant, or that he must add his quota to the redemptive work of
Christ. No, no he contributes not a mite to the procuring of them.
That price, and infinitely costly it was, was fully paid by the Lord
Jesus Himself. But though God requires naught from us by way of
purchasing or meriting those blessings, He does in the matter of
receiving them. "The honor of God would fall to the ground if we
should be pardoned without our submission, without confession of past
sin, or resolution of future obedience. For till then we neither know
our true misery, nor are we willing to come out of it; for they that
securely continue in their sins, despise both the curse of the Law and
the grace of the Gospel" (Manton).
"And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, the sure mercies of
David" (v. 3). It is of course the Messiah, the spiritual or
antitypical David of whom God there speaks--(as He is also called
"David"in Psalm 89:3, Jeremiah 30:9, Ezekiel 34:23, 24; 37:24, Hosea
3:5). If proof is needed that it is the Lord Jesus who is in view,
Acts 13:34-37 supplies it. "The sure mercies of David"are the special
and distinguishing favors which are reserved for and in due time
bestowed upon God's elect. They are the grand privileges and benefits
of the Covenant which God pledged Himself to impart unto Christ and
His seed upon the completion of His engagement. They are "sure"because
the promises of One who cannot lie, and because they are now dispensed
by the victorious and risen Redeemer. They are revealed in the Gospel
and presented for the acceptance of faith. "Behold I have given Him
(the spiritual David) a Witness to the people, a Leader and Commander
to the people"(Isa. 55:4). That tells us those "sure mercies"are
dispensed in a way of righteousness and holiness. The Gospel presents
Christ to us not only as a Redeemer, but a Teacher and Ruler. We are
required to surrender to Him as our absolute Lord and voluntarily take
His yoke upon us before He becomes our Saviour and imparts rest unto
our souls.
"For thus says the Lord, unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths and
choose the things that please Me, and take hold of My covenant; even
unto them will I give in My house and within My walls a place and a
name better than of sons and daughters. I will give them an
everlasting name that shall not be cut off Also the sons of the
stranger that join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to love
the name of the Lord, to be His servants, every, one that keeps the
sabbath from polluting it and takes hold of My covenant"(Isa. 56:4-6).
Here we have spiritual and eternal blessings presented under the
imagery of the Mosaic economy. It was an O. T. prophecy announcing the
distinctive favors of the N. T. dispensation. Under the Mosaic law
"eunuchs" were barred from entering the congregation of the Lord, and
the "stranger" or Gentile was barred by the middle wall of partition;
but under the Gospel era these restrictions would no longer abstain,
for the grace of God should flow forth unto all without distinction.
That which we would specially observe is the clause placed in italics,
which sets forth the human side of things.
Let us notice carefully what is here predicated of those who "take
hold of"God's covenant. They "keep the Sabbath from polluting it,"
that is, they have a concern for God's honor and a respect for His
Law, and therefore keep holy that day which He has set apart unto
Himself, requiring us to act as per the instructions of Isaiah 58:13.
They "choose the things that please"the Holy One. They are not
self-pleasers, or gratifiers of the flesh, but earnestly endeavor to
abstain from whatever God has prohibited and to perform whatever He
has enjoined; and this not by constraint or fear, but freely and
cheerfully. They "join themselves to the Lord."They seek unto and
cleave to Him. they do so in order "to serve Him and to love His name,
to be servants.""Serve"Him means to be subject unto Him, to take their
orders from Him, to promote His interests. They are resolved to "love
His name."Their service is that of friends and not slaves, their faith
is one which works by love and their obedience prompted by gratitude.
Unless our service proceeds from love it is valueless. They had given
Him their hearts, and therefore their faculties, talents, time and
strength are dedicated and devoted unto Him. Such are the ones who
"take hold of His covenant."
"In every covenant there is something given and something required. To
take hold of God's covenant is to lay claim to the privileges and
benefits promised and offered in it. Now this cannot be done unless we
choose the things that please Him. That is, voluntarily and
deliberately, not by chance but by choice, enter into a course of
obedience wherein we must be pleasing or acceptable to Him: this is
the fixed determination of our hearts" (Manton). And we never enter
upon that course of obedience and do the things which are pleasing
unto God until we have first chosen Him as our absolute Lord, our
Supreme End, our highest Good and our everlasting Portion. Negatively,
they can be "no taking hold of the covenant"until we cease all
opposition to God. Positively, it is to embrace the Gospel offer and
to comply with its terms. The covenant of grace is proffered to us in
the Gospel and to take hold of the former is to heartily consent unto
the latter and meet its requirements, giving ourselves to the Lord (2
Cor. 8:5)--freely, unreservedly, for time and eternity. Consent there
must be, for none can enjoy the privileges of a charter which they
never accepted and agreed to.
What has just been before us in Isaiah 56 is virtually parallel with
27:4 and 5. "Fury is not in Me (unless I am provoked by the rebellion
of My creatures. In such case): Who would set the briers and thorns
against me in battle? I would go through them, and I would bum them
together." Such opposition against the Almighty is utterly futile. If
they stir up His wrath, naught but the Lake of fire can be their
portion, unless they avail themselves of His amnesty, throw down the
weapons of their warfare against Him and be reconciled to Him, which
is what is signified by "Or (as the only alternative to burning) let
him take hold of My strength." Let him grasp My arm which is uplifted
to smite and crush him. And how shall that be done? Thus, "that he may
make peace with Me." That he may cease this sinful fighting against
Me; "and He shall make peace with Me." God is ready and willing--on
the ground of Christ's satisfaction--to lay aside His vengeance and be
reconciled, if the sinner is willing to lay aside his awful enmity and
become friends.
"This (Isa. 27:4, 5) may very well be construed as a summary of the
doctrine of the Gospel, with which the church is to be watered every
moment. Here is a quarrel supposed between God and man: for here is a
battle fought and peace to be made. It is an old quarrel, ever since
sin first entered. It is on God's part a righteous quarrel but on
man's part most unrighteous. Here is a gracious invitation given us to
make up this quarrel. Let him that is desirous to be at peace with god
take hold on God's strength, on His strong arm, which is lifted up
against the sinner to strike him dead; let him by supplication keep
back the stroke. Pardoning mercy is called the power of the Lord; let
him take hold of that. Christ crucified is the power of God, let him
by a lively faith take hold on Him, as a sinking man catches hold of a
plank that is within his reach, or as the malefactor took hold on the
horns of the altar...it is vain to think of contesting with Him. It is
like setting briers and thorns before a consuming fire. We are not an
equal match for Omnipotence. This is the only way, and it is a sure
way to reconciliation. Let him take this way to make peace with Me,
and he shall make peace" (From. M. Henry).
"In those days and in that time, says the Lord, the children of Israel
shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and
weeping. They shall go, and seek the Lord their God. They shall ask
the way to Zion with their faces toward it, saying, Come, and let us
join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be
forgotten"(Jer. 50:4, 5). The historical reference is to the liberty
which Cyrus gave to the Hebrews to return unto their own land,
consequent upon his overthrow of Belshazzar. Unacquainted with the
road, the exiled Jews on leaving Babylon for Palestine, made inquiry
about it. Their case supplied a type or adumbration of the spiritual
experiences of God's people. "In those days"is an O. T. expression
which pointed forward to this Christian era. It was therefore one of
many evangelical prophecies couched in the language of an historical
event. Whatever fulfillment that prophecy may or may not yet have for
the Jewish people (and on that matter we refrain from any dogmatic
statement) its present application is to sinners who have been
awakened and convicted by the Spirit so that they are concerned about
their spiritual and eternal interests.
Like those in the historical type, these seekers are issuing forth
from a lifelong bondage--in sin. Convicted of their guilt and resolved
to reform their ways, they are represented as "going and weeping"and
determining to "seek the Lord their God,"which in N. T. language would
be "repenting"and being "converted." As Matthew Henry says "This
represents the return of poor sinners to God. Heaven is the Zion they
aim at as their end. On this they have set their hearts, toward this
they have set their faces, and therefore they ask the way to it. They
do not ask the way to heaven and set their faces to the world, nor set
their faces toward heaven and go on at a venture without asking the
way. In all true converts there are both a sincere desire to attain
the end and a constant care to keep in the way." Their desire and
design was to "join themselves to the Lord in a perpetual
covenant."That was something they must do, and it is to that
particular expression we would ask careful attention, for it has been
totally ignored by hyper-Calvinists, who say nothing at all upon the
human-responsibility side of the subject--what we must do before the
benefits of the Covenant are actually made over to us.
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The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 25
Its Reception-Concluded
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There is a zeal which is not according to knowledge (Rom. 10:2), and
the ecclesiastical history of the last three centuries supplies many
sad examples of same. In opposing the Papist fiction of human merits,
some went too far in the opposite direction and failed to enforce the
necessity of good works. In protesting against a general or indefinite
atonement and in contending for particular redemption, not a few
hyper-Calvinists repudiated the free offer of the Gospel. Many handled
the total depravity and spiritual inability of the natural man in such
a manner that his responsibility was completely undermined. In their
ardor to magnify the sovereign grace of God, men often lost sight of
the moral requirements of His righteousness. There has been a
lamentable lack of balance in presenting the inseparable truths of
justification and sanctification, and the privileges and duties of
believers. The perseverance of the saints in faith and holiness has
not received nearly so much emphasis among Calvinists as has the
Divine preservation of them, nor have they said one-tenth as much on
repentance as on faith. The same grievous defect appears in many of
the sermons preached on the Covenant. The Puritans were thoroughly
sound and symmetrical on it, but some who followed them, though
"Gather My saints together unto Me: Those who have made a covenant
with Me by sacrifice"(Ps. 50:5).This is still another verse which has
been greatly if not totally neglected by those against whose
partiality we complain. It also deals with the human side of things.
There is a human side in connection with the Covenant. It is just as
true that men must enter into covenant with God, as it is that He
deigns to enter into covenant with them. In this verse we learn that
one of the distinguishing marks of God's saints is that they have made
a covenant with Him: That speaks of human action and not of Divine
operations. The saints make a covenant with God "by sacrifice,"for no
valid paction [agreement, compact, bargain] can be entered into with
Him apart from the intervention of a sacrifice. At the beginning of
their national history Israel entered into a solemn covenant with
Jehovah, and they did so by sacrifice. A graphic account of the same
is furnished in Exodus 24. There is much there of outstanding interest
and importance which we cannot now dwell upon; only a bare notice of
the salient features will here be in
After Moses had received the ten commandments from the Lord, he
returned and "told the people all the words of the Lord"(v. 3)--that
obedience which He required from them. Their response was prompt and
proper: "all the people answered with one voice and said, All the
words which the Lord has said will we do."Moses then gave orders for
oxen to be sacrificed unto the Lord: half of the blood he sprinkled on
the altar, half he put into basins. Having written the words of the
Lord in what is specifically called "the book of the covenant" he then
read it unto the whole of the congregation, and they again vowed to be
obedient (v. 7).Next Moses "took the blood and sprinkled it on the
people and said, Behold the blood of the covenant." Thus was the
covenant formally ratified: God binding Himself to the fulfilling of
His promises and they binding themselves to His precepts, that they
might avoid the penalty threatened and obtain the blessings promised.
To that transaction the apostle refers in Hebrews 9:19,
20--"testament" should be "covenant."those slain oxen prefigured the
sacrifice of Christ and the benefits accruing from there. The
congregation represented "the Israel of God"(Gal. 6:16), and their
compact with the Lord adumbrated the full surrender which believers
make of themselves unto God when they respond to the call of the
Christians also make a covenant with God, and they do so "by
sacrifice."Christ's death was a real and true sacrifice: see Eph. 5:2.
In all the sacrifices there was a shedding of blood without which
there was no remission of sins, and as their antitype Christ's blood
was poured out. Christ's death was a mediatory sacrifice, a
propitiatory sacrifice, an accepted sacrifice,, and therefore an
effectual one. It has all the virtues of a sacrifice. As the Rector
and Judge of the universe God was pacified, as the party offended, by
Christ's oblation. Christ made His soul an offering for sin and God
accepted the same as a full satisfaction to His justice. So too His
blood expiates the offences of His people: "when He had by Himself
purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high."
When rightly appropriated His blood removes both the guilt and
pollution of sin. So too it is adequate for the sinner himself, the
offending party. When he avails himself of the preferred remedy and
trusts in Christ's atonement, he is reconciled to God. No other
sacrifice is needed by God nor
By His sacrifice Christ made and confirmed the new covenant. By virtue
of His oblation Christ is authorized to offer the terms and dispense
the benefits of it. "Now tile God of peace, that brought again from
the dead the Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the
blood of the everlasting covenant"(Heb. 13:20). Observe carefully the
"blood of the everlasting covenant" has a double reference there.
First, to God, as "The God of peace,"that is, to God as pacified--His
wrath appeased and His justice satisfied by a full recompense being
made for our offences. Second, to Christ Himself: having satisfied to
the uttermost farthing, God brought Him back from the dead and
invested Him with His office of "the great Shepherd of the sheep."
That is, as the One who had the right to rescue His strayed sheep out
of the power of the roaring lion, and bring them into the fold to
enjoy the privileges of the flock. And by Christ's sacrifice the
benefits of the covenant are ratified and conveyed to us. That is
evident from His own words at the institution of the Lord's supper:
"this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many, for the
remission of sins"(Matthew 26:28)--the principal blessing. It is by
the blood of the covenant we are pardoned, sanctified and perfected
As Manton showed, our manner of entering into covenant with God is by
the same moral acts as which Israel of old were conversant about the
sacrifices and what they imported. Those sacrifices represented the
defilement they had contracted by sin: by the killing of the beast,
they owned that they deserved to die themselves. The oblations they
brought to the tabernacle or temple were public testimonies of their
guilt and pollution, an acknowledgement that their life was forfeit to
God. As the apostle informs us "in those sacrifices there is a
remembrance again made of sins"(Heb. 10:3); they kept before their
offerers what they were as violators of the Law. Now the same
obligation lies upon us if we would make a covenant with God by virtue
of the great sacrifice of Christ. There must be the recognition that
the curse of the law binds us over to eternal wrath and a subscription
to that solemn fact by our conscience. There must be an
acknowledgement of our guilt and pollution, and that, with broken
heartedness. Unless we be deeply
The sacrifices appointed by God in the OT. era told forth His abundant
mercy: that God had no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather
that he turn from his wickedness and live. And in order that His mercy
might be on a righteous basis, His love provided that which His
justice demanded. That has been lost sight of by the
dispensationalists, who erroneously represent the Mosaic economy as a
stern regime of unrelieved justice. But it should ever be remembered
that side by side with the moral law was the ceremonial, with its
oblations and ablutions, where forgiveness and cleansing were
obtainable for those who availed themselves of it. All through the
O.T. era "mercy rejoiced against judgment" (Ex. 34:6, 7; Ps. 103:8;
Isa. 1:18). That "The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to
anger, and of great mercy"was shown and believed in David's time (Ps.
145:8), for those blessed attributes were clearly revealed in the
sacrifices--types as they were of Christ. So today the sinner who
would enter into covenant with God should realize that He is merciful
and in Christ has made full provision for his deep need. This is to
Those O.T. sacrifices were also so many obligations unto duty, for
they instructed the offerer of that worship and obedience which he
owed unto God. Since God required propitiation for sin, they were
shown the need for conforming to His law, and whereas His mercy made
provision for their past failure, gratitude should prompt them unto
future subjection. Moreover, by offering a ram or an ox unto the Lord
the one who brought it did in effect devote himself, with all his
strength, unto Him. In this way the offerer was taught to yield
himself unto His service. And so unto those who would make or renew a
covenant with God, the N.T. word is "I beseech you, therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service"(Rom. 12:1). That, as we showed at some length in a recent
article, supplies an interpretation of the rites of the Law and of the
"reasonable" part of the O. T. order of things. Thus, he who would
make a covenant with God is required to give up himself wholly unto
God with a sincere and firm resolution unto a new life of obedience to
Him. If there is any reservation the covenant is marred in the making
of it: "Their heart was not right with Him, neither were they
steadfast in His covenant"(Ps. 78:37).
As the Puritan Win. Gurnall so faithfully remarked upon Psalm 50:5,"We
are not Christians till we have subscribed this covenant, and that
without any reservation. When we take upon us the profession of
Christ's name, we enlist ourselves in His muster-roll and by it do
promise that we will live and die with Him in opposition to all His
enemies. He will not entertain us till we resign up ourselves freely
to His disposal, that there may be no disputing with His commands
afterwards, but as one under authority, go and come at His word." So
too Manton: "You have no benefit by the covenant till you personally
enter into the bond of it. It is true, God being pacified by Christ,
offers pardon and acceptance on the condition of the covenant, but we
do not actually partake of the benefits till we perform those
conditions. Though the price is paid by Christ, accepted by the
Father, yet we have not an actual interest, through our own default,
for not accepting God's covenant. What shall we do? Bless God for His
grace. Own Christ as the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world, and
the Fountain of our "
Not only are we required to take hold of God's covenant (Isa. 56:4,6),
to make a covenant with God by sacrifice (Ps. 50:5), and to "join
ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant"(Jer. 50:5), but we are
enjoined "Take heed unto yourselves lest you forget the covenant of
the Lord your God"(Deut. 4:23) and "Be mindful always of His
covenant"(1 Chron. 16:15). We are required to abide faithfully by the
promises we made and the agreement we entered into when we chose Him
to be our God and gave up ourselves unreservedly unto Him, for the
promises of the covenant are made only unto such: "All tile paths of
the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep His covenant and His
testimonies"(Ps. 25:10). Of old the Lord complained, "His people have
transgressed My covenant"(Judges 2:20). "Israel and Judah have broken
My covenant"(Jer. 11:10). They themselves acknowledged "the children
of Israel have forsaken Your covenant"(1 Kings 19:10). "They kept not
tile covenant of God"(Ps. 78:10). So it is with the Christian when he
departs from the Lord and enters upon a course of self-pleasing.
Therefore, in order for a backslider to be restored, he must needs
renew his covenant with God, for the recovery of such an one is a new
"conversion" (Luke 22:32). And so he is required to "do the first
works"
Now cannot certain of our readers see for themselves how unfair and
unfaithful it is for preachers and writers to make so much of and
quote so frequently such verses as 2 Samuel 23:5, Jeremiah 31:33,34;
32:40,41, and utterly ignore Isaiah 56:4-6, Jeremiah 50:5, Psalm 50:5
and those cited in the preceding paragraph. Cannot they perceive it is
handling God's word deceitfully, and utterly misleading unto souls to
be constantly comforting them with the "I wills"of God, yet remaining
silent upon the "Be you," "you shalls" and failing to press such
exhortations? Cannot they see how dishonest it is to treat only of
that covenant which God enters into with the elect before time began
in the person of their Head, and say nothing of the covenant which we
must make with God during this time-state? We ourselves should be
guilty of the very partiality against which we inveigh were we to
publish in booklet form the last four of our articles on
Reconciliation in the 1944 volume and the first four in 1945 entitling
them "The Covenant of Grace."if we failed to add to them what has been
adduced in this chapter and the three preceding it, in which we have
set before the reader the human side of things--what
God has appointed a "due order"or connection--a moral and righteous
one--between the blessings purchased by Christ and the actual
conveyance of them unto us, in which our responsibility is enforced.
To quote from yet another of the able and godly Puritans: "Holiness is
God's signature upon all heavenly doctrines, which distinguishes them
from all carnal inventions. They have a direct tendency to promote His
glory and the real benefit of the rational creature. Thus the way of
salvation by Christ is most fit to reconcile God to man by securing
His honor, and to reconcile man to God by encouraging his hope. . .The
grace of the Gospel is so far from indulging sin that it gives the
most deadly wound to it, especially since the tenor of the new
covenant is that the condemned creature, in order to receive pardon
and the benefits that are purchased, must receive the Benefactor with
the most entire consent for his Prince and Saviour. Thus the Divine
wisdom has so ordered the way of salvation that, as mercy and justice
in God, so holiness and comfort may be perfectly united in the
reasonable creature" (Win. Bates, "The Harmony of the Divine
Attributes" 1660). The death of Christ is not only the surest ground
of comfort, but
We are advocating no new or strange doctrine when we insist that the
Everlasting Covenant and the Gospel requires from us repentance and
faith, full surrender unto God and the steadfast performance of
obedience unto the end of our lives. "The obligation on us unto
holiness is equal as unto what it was under the Law, though a relief
is provided where unavoidably we come short of it. There is,
therefore, nothing more certain than that there is no relaxation given
us as unto any duty of holiness by the Gospel, nor any indulgence unto
the least sin. But yet upon the supposition of the acceptance of
sincerity, and a perfection of parts instead of degrees, with mercy
provided for our failings and sins, there is an argument to be taken
from the command unto indispensable necessity of holiness, including
in it the highest encouragement to endeavor after it. For together
with the command there is also grace administered, enabling us unto
the obedience which God will accept. Nothing therefore can avoid or
evacuate the power of this command and argument from it but a stubborn
contempt of God arising from the love of "(J. Owen).
Probably there is another class of our readers who have never heard
anything on the subject, as well as those who are acquainted only with
the Divine side of it, who are ready to exclaim, If it is an
imperative condition of salvation that man enters into a definite
covenant with God, then that cuts me off entirely, for I have never
made one with Him! Alas, it is sadly true that, through the laziness
or unfaithfulness of the preachers they have sat under, many of the
Lord's people know nothing, or next to nothing, about the Covenant of
Grace. On the other hand, it is blessedly true that, in the mercy of
God, though all unconscious to themselves, they had been led to comply
with the terms of the Covenant. Though they knew not that they were
truly (though not formally) entering into Covenant with God when they
repented, believed the Gospel and received Christ Jesus as their Lord
and Saviour, yet such was the case. Each one who has really responded
to the call in Isaiah 55:3with him God has "made an everlasting
covenant"-- Nevertheless his ignorance of that fact does not excuse
the Christian's failure to have
Let us now seek to remove one or two difficulties which may have been
raised in the minds of our friends. When we affirm that God's
ministers are to make a free offer of the Gospel to every creature and
that they are to call upon all who hear it "be reconciled to God,"that
does not imply that the results of Christ's death are rendered
uncertain, that the success of His redemptive work is suspended on the
caprice of man's will. Not at all. It has been far too little
recognized that God has more than one design in sending forth the
Gospel. First, it is for the glory of Christ--a worldwide proclamation
of His excellencies. God intends that a universal testimony shall be
borne to the person and work of the One who so superlatively honored
Him. Second, the preaching of the Gospel is made a further test of
corrupt nature, demonstrating that men love darkness rather than
light. Third, God uses the Gospel as a remedial agency in curbing the
wickedness of the world, for many are reformed by it who are never
savingly transformed in this way, making this scene a safer place for
His people to pass through. It is also the means by which He calls out
His elect: the sieve in which the
But if Christ be the Head and Representative of His people, and as
their Surety fulfilled every requirement of the Law, in their stead
and earned its reward, must not every one of them be made partakers of
that reward? Most assuredly, yet still in the order or way God has
appointed. We must have the requisite qualification to make us meet
for that reward. "This qualification is faith. As grace in God
qualified God (if I may use the expression) for effecting
reconciliation, so faith in us qualifies us for applying and enjoying
it. Though Christ be the Purchaser, yet faith is the means of
instating us in it. `Being justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ.'Not a man has peace with God till
justified by faith. This inestimable favor is not conferred but upon
men of good will, that value and consent to it. We must lay our hands
upon the head of the sacrifice and own Him for ours. This is the bond
which unites us to Christ the Purchaser, and by Him to God as the
Author of reconciliation. It gives us a right to this peace, and at
the last the comfort of it" (S.
But does not God's requirement of faith from us leave the outcome of
Christ's redemption uncertain? In no wise. Why not? Because Christ by
His merits procured the Holy Spirit to work in His people what God
requires from them to meet the terms of His covenant and to fulfill
the conditions of the Gospel. "The purchase was made by Christ alone
upon the cross, without any qualification in us; the application is
not wrought without something in us concurring with it, though that
also is wrought by the grace of God. God has ordained peace for us.
There is a work to be wrought within us for the enjoyment of that
peace: `Lord, You will ordain peace for us, for You also have wrought
all our works in us'(Isa. 26:12). The one is the act of God in Christ,
the other is the act of God by the Spirit. Though the fire burn, if I
would be warmed I must not run from it, but approach it" (Charnock).
It is that work of Christ's Spirit within the elect which capacitates
and causes them to abandon their idols, put forth faith,
That was admirably set forth in the Westminster Confession of
Faith--the joint and studied production of many of the ablest of the
Puritans. "Man by his fall having made himself incapable of life by
the first covenant, the Lord was pleased to make a second, commonly
called the Covenant of Grace: by which He freely offered unto sinners
life and salvation by Jesus Christ, requiring of them faith in Him
that they might be saved, and promising to give unto all those who are
ordained unto life His Holy Spirit, to make them willing and able to
believe."The grand change in our legal relation to God, secured by
Christ's satisfaction, is infallibly followed by the great change in
our experimental relation to God, as that is wrought in us by the
Spirit's work of regeneration and sanctification, the one being the
fruit of the other--the reward assured the Surety on behalf of those
He represented. Our reconciliation to God (through the renewing of the
Spirit) is the sure consequence of His reconciliation to us, and a
faith which works by love, which goes out in acts of holy obedience,
is the evidence of our new birth and of our having
"We joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now
received the reconciliation"(Rom. 5:11). It is through Him, by the
working of His Spirit, that we have, by faith, been enabled to
"receive the reconciliation" which the Mediator wrought out for us.
From the Divine side of things the evangelist goes forth on no
uncertain errand, for the invincible operations of the Spirit God
makes the Gospel effectual unto each hearer chosen unto salvation. Yet
from the human side of things the evangelist is required to enforce
the responsibility of his hearers, calling on them to "be reconciled
to God," to repent and believe the Gospel, to make a covenant with
God, and so far from assuring them that God will work in their hearts
what He requires of them (which would encourage them to remain in a
state of inertia), he is to enforce God's righteous demands, press
upon them the claims of Christ, and bid them flee for refuge to the
hope set before them.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 26
Its Need Revisited
_________________________________________________________________
In the previous chapters we have shown at some length the need for and
the nature of reconciliation being effected between God and those who
have broken His Law. We have dwelt upon the amazing fact that, though
He was the One wronged, yet God took the initiative and is the Author
of recovering the rebellious unto Himself. We have seen how that
project engaged His eternal counsels in the Everlasting Covenant, and
that therein His wisdom found a way by which His love might flow forth
unto the guilty without any sullying of His holiness of flouting of
His justice, and how that the Son fully concurred in the Father's
counsels and voluntarily performed the stupendous work in order to
their accomplishment. We have already considered that which God
requires from sinners if they are to become actual participants of the
good of Christ's mediation and personally "receive the
reconciliation"(Rom. 5:11). We are therefore now ready to contemplate
the "results" of fruits of that reconciliation--the consequences which
follow from the new relation to God and His Law which the sinner
enters into upon his repentance and saving acceptance of the Gospel.
Causes and their effects need ever to be distinguished if we are to
obtain something more than a vague and general idea of the things with
which they are concerned. It is by confounding principles and their
products that so many are confused. As we have shown in previous
chapters, reconciliation is one of the principal results which issue
from the sacrifice of Christ. Strictly speaking it has a fourfold
cause. The will of the Father, or His eternal counsels, was its
originating cause. The mediation of the incarnate Son is its
meritorious and procuring cause. The work of the Spirit in the souls
of the elect is the efficient cause, for it is by His gracious and
invincible operations they are capacitated to do that which God
requires of them before they become actual partakers of the benefits
of Christ's mediation. The repentance and faith of the awakened and
convicted sinner is the instrumental cause by which he is reconciled
to God. We say that reconciliation is one of the principal results
from Christ's sacrifice--redemption, remission, sanctification are
others, and they are so intimately related that it is not easy to
prevent an overlapping of them in our thoughts. But in what follows we
shall treat, mainly, not of the effect of Christ's redemptive work,
but rather the results of reconciliation itself.
Perhaps the most comprehensive of any single statement in Holy Writ
concerning the outcome of reconciliation is found in that brief but
pregnant word "Christ has also once suffered, the Just for the unjust,
that He might bring us to God"(1 Pet. 3:18). "Bring us to God" is a
general expression for the whole benefit which ensues from
reconciliation, including the removal of all obstacles and impediments
and the bestowment of all requisites and blessings. Formerly there was
a legal hostility and moral dissimilarity between God and us, with the
want of intercourse and fellowship, but now those who were once "far
off" are "made nigh"(Eph. 2:13). In consequence of what Christ did and
suffered, His people have been enstated into life, brought into the
favor of God, become par-takers of the nature of God, have restored to
them the image of God, are given access to God, are favored to have
communion with Him and will yet enjoy the eternal and ineffable vision
of Him. Let that serve as our outline.
1. The initial consequence of our reconciliation to God by Christ is
that we have life: a life in Law. That is an aspect of our subject
which, fundamental though it be, has received scarcely any attention
from theologians and Bible teachers. It is one which is familiar to
few of God's people, and therefore calls for both explanation and
elaboration. By our sin and fall in Adam we died legally, our
life-in-law was lost, for we came under its curse. The Divine Judge
had threatened our federal head "In the day you eat of it, you shall
surely die,"and "in Adam all die" (1 Cor. 15:22). The case of each
descendant of his upon entering this world is like that of a murderer
in the condemned cell--awaiting the hour of execution unless he be
reprieved. We are by nature "the children of wrath"(Eph. 2:3) and
until we savingly believe in the Son "the wrath of God abides on
us"(John 3:36). We have no life in Law, no title to its award, but are
transgressors, and as such under its death sentence--"condemned
already"(John 3:18).
The consequence of Adam's dying legally was that he also died
spiritually: that is, his soul became vitiated and depraved. He lost
the moral image of God and the capacity to enjoy Him or please Him.
Legal death and spiritual death are quite distinct (John 5:24), the
latter being entailed by the former. "By one man sin entered into the
world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men"(Rom.
5:12)--not simply "entered into" all men, but "passed upon" them as a
judicial sentence. "By the offence of one judgment came upon all men
to condemnation"(Rom. 5:18). The guilt of the federal head was imputed
unto all he represented--evidenced by so many dying in infancy, for
since even physical death is part of the wages of sin and infants
having not personally committed any, they must be suffering the
consequences of the sin of another. But Adam died spiritually as well
as legally, and his depravity is imparted to all his descendants, so
that they enter this world both legally and spiritually "alienated
from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them, because
of the blindness of their heart" (Eph.4:18).
Now it is only by Christ, "the last Adam," that We can regain life
either legally or spiritually. That they obtain spiritual life from
Christ, is well understood by the saints, but His having secured for
them a life in Law, most of them are quite ignorant about. Yet Rom. 5
is very emphatic on the point: "For if by one man offence death
reigned by one (i.e. a single transgression), much more they which
receive abundance of grace (to meet not only the original but their
own innumerable transgressions) and of the gift of righteousness (i.e.
the imputed obedience of Christ) shall reign in life by One, Jesus
Christ. Therefore as by the one offence judgment came on all men to
condemnation, even so by the righteousness of One the free gift came
upon all men to justification of life"(Rom. 5:17, 18)--note well that
last clause: not "the free gift entered into all men tin to
regeneration of life."Justification is entirely a legal matter and
concerns our status before the Lawgiver. As God's elect lost their
life in law through the disobedience of their first federal head, so
the obedience of their last Federal Head has secured for them a life
in law.
Christ is the fountain of life unto all His spiritual seed, and that,
not as the second Person in the Trinity, but as the God-man Mediator.
"For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell"(Col.
1:19), which has reference to Christ officially and not essentially.
Failure to grasp that truth has resulted in some verses of Scripture
being grievously misunderstood and misinterpreted, to the dishonoring
of our blessed Lord. For instance, when He declared "For as the Father
has life in Himself, so has He given to the Son to have life in
Himself" (John 5:26) He was there speaking of Himself as incarnate. As
God the Son, co-essential and co-glorious with the Father, He always
had "life in Himself"--"in Him was life"(John 1:4) which refers to His
essential person before He became incarnate. But as God-man Mediator
the Father gave Him "to have life in Himself:" He gave Him a
mediatorial life and fulness for His people. "As You have given Him
power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as
You have given Him" (John 17:2) presents the same aspect of
Truth--Christ was there speaking as the Mediator, as is evident from
His high priestly prayer which immediately follows.
"As the living Father has sent Me and I live by the Father, so he that
eats Me even he shall live by Me." (John 6:57). That title "the living
Father"respects Him in connection with the economy of redemption and
expresses His supremacy over the office of His Son, as the One who
covenanted and sent Him forth on His grand mission. In His Godhead the
Son has life -- has it essentially, originally, independently in
Himself, as a Person co-eternal with the Father. But as Mediator, the
life which Christ lived and lives to God, and which in the discharge
of His mediatorial office He bestows on His people, is derived from
and is dependent upon the will of the Father, for in office the Son is
lower than and inferior to the Father--in that respect, and in that
only, "My Father is greater than I"(John 14:28), He declared. In
affirming that "I live by the Father"(John 6:57), Christ signified
that His mediatorial life was sustained by the Father. Let it be
clearly understood that in John 6:57 the Lord Jesus was speaking of
Himself officially, mediatorially, and not essentially as God the Son.
"I live by the Father."The Father prepared a body for Him (Heb. 10:5)
and all the days of His flesh was upholding Him by the right hand of
His righteousness. Christ definitely acknowledged this again and
again, by the Spirit of prophecy and by His ministerial utterances:
"Thou maintainest My lot . . . I have set the Lord always before Me.
Because He is at My right hand, I shall not be moved"(Ps. 16:5,8). "I
gave My back to the smiters and My cheeks to them that plucked off the
hair. I hid not My face from shame and spitting. For the Lord God will
help Me; therefore I shall not be confounded" (Isa. 50:5,6). "I came
down from Heaven not to do My own will, but the will of Him that sent
Me" (John 6.'38)."Believest thou not that I am in the Father and the
Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I speak not of Myself, but
the Father that dwells in Me, He does the works" . . . "as the Father
gave Me commandment, even so I do"(John 14: 10,31). In all these
passages He spoke as the dependent One, the Mediator.
By purchase Christ ratified His title to the mediatorial life--"Now
the God of peace (the propitiated and reconciled One) that brought
again from the dead (not "the," but "our") Lord Jesus, that great
Shepherd of the sheep," nor as the God-man considered as a private
person, that God raised Him--but as the God-man Mediator and Surety of
His people--by His own essential power Christ emerged from the tomb
(John 2:19; 10:17). By the right of conquest Christ secured the
mediatorial life, being made a royal priest "after the power of an
endless life"--"He asked life of You (cf. Ps. 2:8)! Thou gayest it
Him, even length of days forever and ever" (Heb. 7:16; Ps. 21:5). He
has an official right and title to life because He had "magnified the
Law and made it honorable"(Isa.42:21)--magnified it by rendering to it
a personal, perfect and perpetual obedience in thought, word and deed,
and that as the God-man Mediator, "For Moses described the
righteousness which is of the Law, that the man who does these things
shall live by them."
It has not been sufficiently recognized that the converse of "the
wages of sin is death"is "the award of obedience is lift!" The first
man violated the Law and therefore suffered its penalty; but the last
man fulfilled the Law and therefore obtained a right to its reward.
Christ found the Commandment "unto lift"(Rom. 7:10), and it was for
that life (the reward of the Law) He "asked" (Ps. 21:5) and which He
received (Heb. 6:16) after He had vanquished death. Christ "reigns in
life"(Rom. 5:17, in "justification of life"(Rom. 5:18 and cf. Isa.
50:8, 1 Tim. 3:16). Christ now "lives unto God"(Rom. 6:10) and He does
so as the last Adam, as our Representative. Christ's life in law is
also that of His people: "Christ our life"(Col. 3:4). Christ is the
sole fountain of life, the source from which our life--both legal and
spiritual--flows. It is for this reason that the scroll on which are
the names of God's elect is inscribed is called "the Lamb's book of
life"(Rev. 21:27), it is the Mediator's book for "the Lamb"is always
expressive of Christ as the Priest and sacrifice of His people, and it
is His mediatorial life which He shares with us.
The antithesis of sin is righteousness, for as sin is the
transgression of the Law (1 John 3:4) so righteousness is rightness or
measuring up to the standard of right, and therefore consists of
fulfilling the Law. And since the God-man Mediator perfectly obeyed
it, we are told that "He is the end of the Law for righteousness to
everyone that believes"(Rom. 10:4). Now just as sin and death cannot
be separated, so righteousness and life are indivisible. A further
appeal to Romans 5 establishes that: "they which receive abundance of
grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by One,
Jesus Christ.. . by the righteousness of One the free gift came upon
all men into justification of lift as sin has reigned unto death, even
so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by ("in")
Jesus Christ our Lord"(vv. 17, 18, 21)--in each case it is a premial
(?) life or one of reward from the Law. "Christ our life"(Col. 3:4):
apart from Him we have no standing before the Law, no title to its
award; but being federally and judicially one with Him, then that
which was due Him in return for His perfect fulfillment of the Law's
requirements is due those He represented.
Far too little attention has been paid to the first member in the
antithesis presented in Deut. 28, namely, "that these blessings shall
come on you and overtake you if you shall listen diligently to the
voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be... blessed shall
be... blessed shall be... blessed shall you be when you come in and
blessed shall you be when you go out"(verses 2-6); which is set over
against "But. .. if you will not hearken unto the voice of the Lord
your God to observe to do all His commandments. . . that all these
curses shall come upon you and overtake you" etc. (v. 5 etc.). Just as
surely as the Law pronounces a curse on those who break it, so the Law
pronounces a blessing on those who keep it. The curse is death, and
the blessing life, and that blessing the God-man Mediator obtained as
the Surety of His people. As Christ is, objectively and by imputation,
"our righteousness,"so He is objectively and by imputation "our
life."By Christ those who are reconciled to God have life in law, and
that is the foundation of all the other results or consequences of
their restoration to His judicial favor.
2. Pardon from God. "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto
Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them"(2 Cor. 5:19). The
trespasses of God's penitent and believing people are not charged
against them, because His wisdom discovered a way by which He might be
fully recompensed for the wrong which our sins did unto His majesty --
by imputing them to our Substitute and exacting vengeance upon Him for
the same. Our iniquities were laid upon Him and because of them He
suffered "the Just for the unjust." That which was the ground of
reconciliation was likewise the ground of the pardon of our
iniquities: "In whom we have redemption through His blood the
forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace"(Eph. 1:7).
Remission was the ransom-price which Christ paid' unto God's justice,
and therefore a principal part of our reconciliation is the remission
of our sins. Remission of sins means that the guilt damnation of them
is cancelled, and therefore that we are released from the penalty and
punishment of them, and that, because the punishment was borne by
Christ and God's wrath appeased.
Now observe how inseparably connected is the pardon of the believer's
sins with his possessing a life in law before God. As we have shown
above, obedience to the Law (in the person of our Surety) is
righteousness, and where there is righteousness the Law bestows
blessing, as surely as it pronounces a curse on all unrighteousness.
Now what does the blessing of the Law consist of? Negatively, that it
has naught against us, and where that is the case none can truly "lay
anything to our charge." Positively, that it pronounces us righteous,
and as such, entitled to its award and blessing. Therefore we are told
"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputes not iniquity" (Ps.
32:1,2). Yet we need to be on our guard against drawing a false
inference from this. As Christians we still transgress and therefore
need to beg for daily forgiveness -- as well as for daily bread, as
Matt. 6:12 plainly shows. As Christ is required to ask and sue out the
fruits of His mediation (Ps. 2:7), so we are enjoined to humbly sue
out our right of forgiveness--Jeremiah 3:12; 1 John 1:9.
3. Peace with God. "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace
with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1). This verse has
been commonly misunderstood, through supposing the "peace"there
mentioned to be that which is subjective rather than objective. The
verse is not speaking about that peace of conscience when assured of
Divine forgiveness, when the burden of our sin is removed and left at
the foot of the cross, nor to that "peace of God which passes all
understanding," that keeps the hearts and minds of God's children when
they are anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and
supplication make known their requests unto God (Phil. 4:6,7); but to
"peace with God." It is not a state of mind, but a relation to the
Lawgiver which is in view. It is not tranquility of heart, but that
relation which arises from the expiation of sin and consequent
justification. "Peace with God" means that He no longer regards us as
His enemies in the objective sense of the term, but are now the
objects of His favor. It is that state of things which ensues from the
cessation of hostilities. It means that the sword of Divine justice,
which smote our Shepherd (Zech. 13:7), is now forever sheathed.
"Peace with God" means that we are no longer the objects of His
displeasure, and therefore that we no more have any cause to dread the
Divine vengeance. If due attention is paid to the first clause of Rom.
5:1 there should be no difficulty in understanding the second: the
illative "therefore" pointing the connection. In the previous chapters
the apostle had proved that all have sinned and come short of the
glory of God, that they are guilty and under the condemnation of the
Law. They are therefore viewed by Him as "enemies"and as such they are
"without strength"or ability to help themselves. In blessed contrast
therefrom in 5:1-11 the apostle described at length the glorious
status and state of those who are justified by faith. Justification
imports the forgiveness of sins (Rom. 4:5-7) and that imports "peace
with God," that He is reconciled to us, that He no longer frowns but
smiles upon us. To "peace with God"is added "through our Lord Jesus
Christ"not "by the operation of the Holy Spirit"as had been the case
if peace of conscience had been in view. As Christ is "our life"(Col.
3:4) objectively and legally, so He is "our peace"(Eph. 2:14)
objectively and legally.
Just as spiritual life wrought in our souls through regeneration is
the consequence of the legal life which we have in Christ, so inward
peace or the purging of our consciences from dead works follows from
the peace which Christ made (Col. 1:20) by the blood of His cross,
though the measure of our inward peace is largely determined by the
daily exercise of our faith (Rom. 15:13). Here again we may perceive
how, intimately one result is linked with another. The antitypical
Melchizedek is first "King of righteousness" "and then "King of
peace"(Heb. 7:2). "The work of righteousness shall be peace."That is,
the mediatorial work of Christ shall produce "peace with God," "and
the effect of righteousness (as it is apprehended by faith), quietness
and assurance forever"(Isa. 32:17). "We have peace with God"because
"the chastisement of our peace"(Heb. peaces) "was upon Him"(Isa.
53:5). Peace here and hereafter, objectively and subjectively, with
God and in the conscience the whole corrective or punishment which
produced them was laid upon Christ. "By submitting to those
chastisements Christ slew the enmity and settled the amity between God
and man...and God not only saves us from ruin, but takes us into
friendship. Christ was in pain, that we might be at ease" (Matt.
Henry).
4. Brought into cod's favor. By nature, and by practice Christians
were "the children of wrath, even as others"(Eph. 2:3), being under
the curse of the Law--all the threatenings of God in full force
against them. But condemnation, awful as it is, is not damnation--the
sentence is not yet executed, and until it is, it is not irrevocable.
But once the sinner savingly believes in Christ he stands in a new
relation to God as Lawgiver and Judge. He is no longer under the
condemning power of the Law, but is "under grace." As the manslayer on
having entered the city of refuge was, by a special constitution of
mercy, secure from the avenger of blood (Num. 35:12), so the sinner
who has "fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us"in the
Gospel (Heb. 6:18), is, by the gracious constitution of God, forever
secured from the curse. All the threatenings which until this time
belonged to him, no longer stand against him, but are reckoned by the
Judge of all as having been executed on his Substitute, who was made a
curse for His people. But more: the favor of God, Divine blessing, is
now his status and portion.
When Christ reconciled the Church unto God He did more than put away
her sins and avert the judicial wrath of God. He reinstated her in
God's favor and opened the way for the full manifestation of His love
unto her. The two things are clearly distinguished in Colossians 1:20.
"Having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile
all things unto Himself." As we have so often pointed out in these
articles, "reconciliation" consists of two things: the removal of
enmity, and the restoring of amity--the two parts of Christ's
mediatorial work, respectively, effecting them. His bloodshedding or
enduring the curse of the Law removed the enmity or "making peace,"His
obedience to the Law or bringing in "an everlasting
righteousness"procuring the reward and entitling unto the Divine
blessing. The shedding of Christ's atoning blood obtained for His
people the remission or pardon of their sins. His meritorious
obedience secured for them the justification of their persons in the
high court of Heaven, or their admittance into God's judicial favor.
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ; by whom also we have access by faith into this
grace wherein we stand"(Rom. 5:1, 2). As we pointed out in the last,
"peace with God"refers not to a subjective experience but to an
objective fact, that it signifies not tranquility of soul but a
relation to the Lawgiver. Hostilities between the Divine Judge and His
believing people have ceased. His sword of justice is sheathed, and
therefore they no longer have cause to dread His vengeance. But that
is more or less a negative thing: there is something else, something
positive, something more blessed. That additional benefit is
introduced in Romans 5:2 by the word "also." Suppose that one of the
nobles of the land who stood high at court and enjoyed special
privileges from his sovereign, should commit some grave offence
against the throne, in fact turn traitor. We can imagine that, in his
clemency the king might pardon the offender upon the acknowledgement
of his crime and his suing for mercy, but we can scarcely conceive of
the monarch restoring his subject to the intimacy and privileges he
formerly enjoyed. Yet that is what Christ has done--restored apostate
traitors to the full favor of God.
"By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we
stand."Christ has not only brought us into a legal state in which we
are secure from God's wrath, but into one of intimate friendship with
Him. It is indeed a great mercy that God has ceased to be offended
with us, that He will never inflict any penal punishment upon us; but
it is a far greater and grander blessing that He should regard us with
pleasure and pour blessings upon us. "By whom also we have
access"implies that by nature we did not, and that by our efforts we
could not. Previous to conversion our standing was in disgrace, but
now we are "accepted in the Beloved," (Eph. 1:6), or as it might more
literally be rendered "graced in the Beloved."Christ has reinstated
His people in the good will and perfect acceptance of God: "this is
the true grace of God wherein you stand"(1 Pet. 5:12). We stand in the
full favor of God, with not a single cloud between us. By the
mediatorial work of Christ the believer has full right of approach to
the Divine mercyseat, to gaze upon the face of a reconciled God, to
dwell in His glorious presence for evermore. For this is no transient
blessing which the obedience and bloodshedding of Christ has procured
for His people, but a permanent and unalienable one. It is not only
that they are admitted into God's favor, but it is "this grace wherein
we stand"-- in which you are eternally settled and established. It is
not only that God will never again be at judicial enmity against them,
but that He is forever their Friend. The blessings which Christ has
obtained for His redeemed are not contingent or evanescent ones, for
they are dependent upon nothing whatever in or from them, but are the
unforfeitable procurements of His infinitely-meritorious
righteousness. And therefore has the Father made a covenant-promise to
His Son concerning those He transacted for, "I will not turn away from
them to do them good"(Jer. 32:40). We have been received into the most
cordial good will and everlasting favor of the Father.
5. Given access to God. The very first message from Heaven after the
advent of the Prince of peace revealed the purpose for which the Son
had become incarnate and made known what He would accomplish from His
mission. "There was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, good will toward men"(Luke 2:13,14). That brief word contained
a broad outline of the whole subject of reconciliation. First, it
declared that the glory of God was its grand design, for that ever
takes precedence of all other considerations. Second, it proclaimed
that the issue of it would be peace on earth--not "in the earth,"but a
revolted province restored to fealty. Third, it announced, as the
"and" connecting the first and second clauses shows, that God's glory
and the good of His people go and in hand. Though He would show
Himself a Friend to them, yet He would conserve His own interests and
maintain His own honor. Fourth, it published the grand outcome: "good
will toward men"--they brought into God's favor. The final clause may
also be rendered "good will among men"--Jew and Gentile made one!
Now no sooner had the Peacemaker exemplified God's holiness, magnified
His law, and pacified His wrath, in this way glorifying Him to the
superlative degree, than we are told "Behold, the veil of the temple
was rent in twain from the top to the bottom"(Matthew 27:5 1). That
was a parable in action, and one possessed of profound spiritual
significance. There were several other remarkable phenomena which
immediately followed the death of Christ, but the Holy Spirit has
placed first the rending of the temple veil. He calls our attention to
that miraculous happening with the word "Behold"--bidding us pause and
consider this marvel, be awed by it, amazed over it. That "veil"was a
magnificent curtain hung between the holy place and the holy of
holies, separating the one from the other, barring an entrance into
the innermost chamber and shutting out from view its holy furniture
from the sight of those in the second compartment. It was rent asunder
at the moment Christ expired. Immediately the soul and spirit were
separated from Christ's body, an invisible hand separated the veil.
Amazing synchronization was that! Christ was the true Tabernacle or
Temple (John 1:14), and therefore when His flesh was rent (Heb.
10:20), there was an answering rending of the structure which typed
forth His flesh. Well may we reverently inquire, What was signified by
that? First, though subordinately, it signified a revelation of the
O.T. mysteries. The veil of the temple was for concealment. `Out of
all the congregation of Israel only one man was ever permitted to
enter the holy of holies, and he but once a year, and then in a cloud
of incense--symbolizing the darkness of that dispensation. But now, by
the death of Christ, all is laid open: the shadows give place to the
substance, the mysteries are unveiled. Second, and dispensationally,
the uniting of Jew and Gentile by the removal of the partition
wall--the ceremonial law (Eph. 2:14, 15)--which had separated them.
But third, and chiefly, that a new and living way had been opened unto
God: the rending of the veil opened the door into the holiest, where
He abode between the cherubim. The rending of the veil signified and
announced free access unto God.
First, for Christ Himself. During the three hours of darkness the
Redeemer was cut off from God. But when the veil was rent there was an
anticipation of what is recorded in Hebrews 9:11,12. Though Christ did
not officially enter Heaven till forty days after his resurrection,
yet He acquired the right to enter immediately (as our Surety) when He
cried "It is finished," and had a virtual admission. Therein we may
perceive the conformity between the Head and the members of His Body:
the moment a sinner savingly believes in Christ he has a title to
enter heaven, yet he has to wait his appointed time ere he does so in
the fullest sense. Second, for the redeemed. Christ has procured an
entrance for them in spirit and by faith even now: "Having therefore,
brethren boldness to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Christ, by
a new and living way, which He has consecrated for us, through the
veil, that is say His flesh"(Heb.10:19, 20). We have a free access to
the throne of grace. "Through Christ we both (believing Jews and
Gentiles) have access by one Spirit unto the Father"(Eph. 2:18).
It was sin which estranged us from the Holy One. Upon his first
transgression Adam was driven out of paradise. The whole congregation
of Israel at Sinai were commanded to keep their distance. The unclean
in Israel were debarred from the camp and tabernacle. By so many
different emblems did the Lord signify that sin had obstructed our
access to Him. "But now in Christ Jesus, you who sometime were far off
are made nigh by the blood of Christ"(Eph. 2:13), because His blood
put away our sins. The efficacy of His sacrifice and the virtue of His
meritorious obedience conferred upon His believing people the right to
draw near unto God. All legal distance is removed: reconciliation has
been effected: access to God is their consequent privilege and right.
What a wonder of wonders is this! that one who is by nature a depraved
creature may by grace, and through the Mediator, not only approach
unto God without servile fear, but may have blessed fellowship with
Him. To come into His very presence as a consciously accepted
worshipper is the distinguishing blessing of Christianity in contrast
from Judaism, Romanism and all false religions..
6. Endowed with the sanctifying gifts of the Spirit. "For through Him
we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father."The mighty work of
the Spirit in us is as indispensable as the meritorious work of Christ
for us in order to appear before God as acceptable worshippers. As it
is by the obedience and sufferings of Christ we have the title of
access to God, so it is by the regenerating and sanctifying operations
of the Spirit we have personal meetness for the same. That was typed
out of old under the Mosaic economy. Those who drew near unto Jehovah
in the services of His house were required to have not only the
consecrating blood applied to their persons, but to be sprinkled with
the anointing oil (Lev. 8:24, 30). Three things are required if we are
to worship God right. There must be knowledge in the understanding
that we may be informed of what God approves and accepts, grace in the
heart so that our communion with Him may be a real and spiritual one
and not merely a bodily and formal one, strength in the soul for the
exercise of faith, love, reverence and delight. By the Spirit alone
are those three essentials imparted.
Now it is from a reconciled God, in virtue of Christ's meritorious
work, that we receive the sanctifying Spirit. This is evident from the
particular character in which the apostle addressed Deity in the
following prayers: "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly"(1
Thess. 5:23); "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead
our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of
the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do
His will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in His sight"(Heb.
13:20,21). The "God of peace" is the pacified and reconciled God, and
the blessings which the apostle requested are bestowed or wrought in
us by the Spirit. Christ prayed that His redeemed might be loved as He
was loved of the Father (John 17)--not in degree, but in kind; and the
sanctifying graces of the Spirit are the tokens and evidences of His
love, the manifestations of His heart toward His people. Or, as Manton
so beautifully expressed it, they are "the jewels of the covenant,
with which the Spouse of Christ is decked."
Even the regenerate, harassed as they are by indwelling sin and
hindered by their infirmities, can no more spiritually approach unto
the Father without the gracious operations of the Spirit than they
could without the mediation of Christ. The One supplies the
experimental enablement, as the Other has the legal right. The
Spirit's operations within us are imperative if our leaden hearts are
to be raised above the things of time and sense, if our affections are
to flow forth unto their rightful Object, if faith is to be duly acted
upon Him, if a sense of His presence is to be felt in our souls. He
alone can empower us experimentally to have real fellowship with God,
so that He is glorified and we edified. How shall we ask for those
things which are according to the Divine will unless the Spirit
prompts us (Rom. 8:26)? How shall we "sing with grace in our hearts to
the Lord" (Col. 3:16) without the Spirit's quickenings? How shall we
bring forth fruit to the glory of God without the Spirit energizing
us? And our enduement with the Spirit is one of the bestowments--the
chief of them--of a reconciled God.
7. God's acceptance of our services. Those "services"may be broadly
and briefly summed up as our obedience and worship. But says the
self-emptied Christian, What can a poor, sinful creature like me
possibly offer unto God which would be acceptable unto Him? The proud
religionist may boast of his performances and plume his fine feathers,
but not so one whose eyes have been anointed by the Spirit so that he
sees himself in God's light. The one who is really "poor in
spirit,"realizes not only that his very righteousnesses as a natural
man are as "filthy rags,"but that his most spiritual works as a
regenerate man are defective and defiled. How then shall such services
be received by the Holy One? Some may experience a difficulty at this
point and ask, Since the spiritual works of a Christian are wrought by
the Holy Spirit, how can they be defiled? Answer: they are wrought by
His agency and yet are performed by us. The purest water is fouled
when it passes through a soiled pipe. The most brilliant lamp is
blurred if it shines through a smoky chimney. Thus it is with what the
Spirit produces through us.
But since our obedience and worship are to faulty and polluted, how
can God accept them? Turn back to the first worshipper on this
sin-cursed earth: "Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and of
the fat of them. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his
offering"(Gen. 4:4). It was by faith Abel offered that "excellent
sacrifice"(Heb. 11:4) which so blessedly foreshadowed the Lamb of God,
and "the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering."The
worshipper himself was first accepted and then his worship! Thus it
has been. ever since. The person is first taken into God's favor, and
then his services are acknowledged as well-pleasing unto Him. Yet that
does not furnish a complete answer to the question. Other types have
to be taken note of if we are to obtain a complete picture. On the
forehead of Israel's high priest was a plate of pure gold bearing the
inscription "Holiness to the Lord."He wore it that he might "bear the
iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel shall hallow
in all their holy gifts, and it shall be always upon his forehead,
that they may be accepted before the Lord"(Ex. 28:36-38). Christ bore
the defects of our "holy things "and because of His holiness God
accepts from us whatever is sincere.
"The sinful failings of our best actions are hid and covered: they are
not examined by a severe Judge, but accepted by a loving Father"
(Manton). That is true, but it fails to show how the Father is
righteously able to act so graciously. It is not because there has
been any relating of His holiness or lowering of His standard, but
because our Surety made full satisfaction to God's holiness for the
sinful failings of their best actions. But even that is not all, for
it is largely negative: our sincere obedience and reverent worship is
accepted by the Father because the same ascends to God perfumed with
the merits of Christ. In Revelation 8:3 He is seen as the Angel of the
Covenant, "And there was given unto Him much incense that He should
add it to the prayers of all saints!"Thus it is "by Him" that we offer
the sacrifice of praise to God (Heb. 13:15). As those made "priests
unto God"(Rev. 1:6) we are to "offer up spiritual sacrifices,"and they
are "acceptable to God by Jesus Christ"(1 Pet. 2:5), and they are
acceptable because He has effected a perfect reconciliation between
God and the Church.
8. Our eternal security. In view of all that has been brought out
under the previous heads, there is little need for us to enlarge upon
this one. So perfect was the sacrifice which Christ offered to God on
behalf of His Church that there is a perpetuity annexed to it: "by one
offering He has perfected forever them that are sanctified"(Heb.
10:14). Its efficacy is of everlasting force and its merits are
imputed to the believer without cessation. Christ made an end of sins,
effected reconciliation for iniquity and brought in an everlasting
righteousness (Dan. 9:24). That righteousness is imputed to His people
and placed upon them as a robe (Isa. 61:10), and such is its virtue
and vitality that it never wears out. But more: the risen Christ now
serves continually as the Advocate of His people, pleading His
sacrifice on their behalf, and suing out the benefits of it. "If when
we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son,
much more being reconciled we shall be saved by His life"(Rom. 5:10).
If while we were the objects of the Divine displeasure Christ restored
us to God's favor, much more now that we are God's friends will He
obtain pardon for our daily transgressions and secure our final
salvation. The life of our risen Saviour is the security of His
people: "because I live, you shall live also" (John 14:19).
"Christ is not only the Mediator of reconciliation to make our peace,
but the Mediator of intercession to preserve it. He only took away our
sins by His death; He only can preserve our reconciliation by His
life. As He suffered effectively by the strength of His Deity to make
our peace, so He intercedes in the strength of His merit to preserve
peace. He did not only take away, but `abolished and slew the enmity'
(Eph. 2:15,16). He slew it to make it incapable of living again, and
if any sin stands up to provoke justice, He sits as an Advocate to
answer the process (1 John 2:2). As God was in Christ reconciling the
world, so He is in Christ giving out the fruits of that
reconciliation, not imputing our trespasses unto us. Our constant
access to God is by Christ. He sits in Heaven to lead us by the hand
unto the Father, as a prince in favor brings a man into the presence
of a gracious king" (Charnock). The sum of this, and the grand and
infallible conclusion to which it all leads is, that nothing "shall be
able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus"
(Rom.8:39).
9. God for us--loving, providing for, protecting, blessing us. If we
have been brought into His favor, and if He is the Ruler of the
universe, then what will necessarily follow? This: that He will make
"all things work together for our good"(Rom. 8:28). Nay more: "All
things are yours: whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas or the world, or
life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
and you are Christ's and Christ is God's"(1 Cor. 3:21-23). "Christ is
God's"is a relation based upon the Mediatorial office. To Him, as the
rightful Heir, God has given "all things"(Heb. 1:2), and by virtue of
our relation to Christ, all things are ours--relatively, and subject
to God's government for our good.
10. The beatific vision. On the resurrection morning, the body of the
believer will be "fashioned like unto Christ's glorious body"(Phil.
3:21), then in spirit, soul and body, we shall be "like Him"(1 John
3:2), fully and eternally "conformed to the image of God's Son"(Rom.
8:29). Then will His prayer receive answer, "Father, I will that they
also whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, that they may
behold My glory"(John 17:24).
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 27
Its Need Revisited-Continued
_________________________________________________________________
Up to this point we have dealt, almost entirely, with the expository
side of our subject. Now we turn to what is more the experimental
aspect of it. Some of our readers will consider this the most
important and vital part, while to others it will make no appeal,
being in their judgment better omitted. Those who read principally for
intellectual information must appreciate that which supplies new light
on things, explains to them what is obscure, or opens to them a
difficult passage of Scripture, and often look with disfavor on that
which calls upon them to diligently inquire what use they are making
of the light they have received, to what practical ends are they
turning their new knowledge. Yet this should be the principal concern
of each of us. The interpretation of a passage of Scripture is but a
means to an end. The personal appropriation and application of it to
my own heart and life is the great desideratum. The value of a book,
or of an article, lies chiefly in this: does it help to deliver its
reader from the evil powers of this world
Though the other aspects of this grand truth which have been before us
may both interest and instruct the mind, yet they will afford little
real comfort and lasting peace to the heart until I am personally
satisfied that I am reconciled to God, and He is reconciled to me. It
deeply concerns each one of us to ascertain whether the wrath of God
or the smile of God is upon him, whether the Law curses him or
pronounces him righteous. It is a matter of utmost moment for us to
determine whether we are the serfs of Satan or the friends of Christ,
whether we are in a state of nature or of grace. We are plainly warned
in Scripture that "There is a generation that are pure in their own
eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness" (Prov. 30:12), and
if I really value my eternal interests then I shall seriously and
solemnly inquire, am I one of that deluded company? Am I numbered
among those who sincerely believe that they have been cleansed from
their sins by the blood of Christ, but are sincerely mistaken? More
than a mere inquiry needs to be made: there should be an earnest and
definite investigation. "Examine yourselves whether you are in the
faith, prove your own selves"(2 Cor. 13:5), yet that is the very task
which the great majority of professing Christians refuse to undertake,
and if it is pressed upon them, they see no need for engaging in it,
firmly assured that all is well with them spiritually. It is natural
for us to think well of ourselves, yet just to the extent that we are
influenced by self-esteem will our judgment be prevented from forming
a true estimate of ourselves. And while self-love and self-flattery
rule our hearts, we shall decline this essential duty of
self-examination. Pride produces presumption, so that its infatuated
victims are secure in their conceit that they are heirs of Heaven,
when in fact they have neither title nor meetness to it. Those thus
bewitched cannot be induced to prosecute a course of self-examination,
nor will they tolerate a searching and probing ministry,
What madness has seized those who treat lightly what should become of
their souls in eternity! And those who are unwilling for their
profession to be thoroughly tested, are as truly numbered in that
class as those who make no religious profession. Do you say, There is
no need for my profession to be tested for it is a valid one, seeing
that for years past I have been resting on the finished work of
Christ. But my reader, God Himself bids those claiming to be His
people "give diligence to make your calling and election sure"(2 Pet.
1:10), and He has given no needless exhortations. O pit not your vain
confidence against infinite wisdom. Bare your heart to the Sword of
the Spirit: shrink not from a faithful and discriminating ministry.
Know you not that Satan employs a variety of tactics seeking to keep a
firm hold upon his captives? And one of them is to prevent his deluded
victims engaging in this very investigation--lest they should discover
that, after all, their hope
"For every one that does evil hates the Light, neither comes to the
Light, lest his deeds should be discovered"(John 3:20). Does not that
place those who refuse to examine themselves whether they are in the
faith and decline to be "weighed in the balances of the Sanctuary?" It
certainly does. It ranks them among evil-doers. Despite all their
religious pretensions, the solemn fact is that they "hate the Light"
which exposes an empty profession, and therefore they "come not to the
Light"to be tested by it. And why is this? Because they lack an honest
heart, which desires to know the truth about themselves, no matter how
unpalatable it is. Therefore it is that they find most distasteful and
discomforting those sermons or articles which point out the
differences between hypocrites and the sincere, and which show how
closely the former may, in many ways, resemble the latter. Even if
they began the work of self-examination it would prove so obnoxious as
soon to be abandoned, and being under the power of a "heart that is
deceitful above all things"would give themselves the benefit of the
But different far is it with those in whom a work of grace has been
wrought. They have been made to realize something of the deceitfulness
of sin and the awful solemnity of eternity, and therefore refuse to
give themselves the benefit of any doubt, being determined at all
costs to find out where they stand before God. Of each of them Christ
declares "But he that does truth (is genuine and sincere) comes to the
Light, that his (profession and) deeds may be made manifest, that they
are wrought in (by) God" (John 3:21). He longs to know whether he is
in a state of nature or of grace, and if his assurance of the latter
is based on a conjectural persuasion or well-authenticated evidence,
whether his faith in Christ is a natural one or "the faith of God's
elect"(Titus 1:1), whether his repentance is "the sorrow of the world"
which "works death,"or that "godly sorrow"which "works repentance to
salvation not to be repented of"(2 Cor. 7:10). There is hope for a man
who is deeply exercised over such matters; but there is none for those
who are
Readiness to be searched and probed by the Word of God, willingness to
go to much pains to learn whether I am treading the Narrow Way which
leads unto Life, or whether I am on the clean side of that broad road
which terminates in destruction, is a good sign. As there is nothing
that a hypocrite dreads more than to have his rottenness exposed, so
there is nothing which an honest heart more longs to know than the
real truth about his state before God. The earnest prayer of such an
one is, "Examine me, O Lord, and prove me, try my reins and my
heart"(Ps. 26:2). But alas, those who are filled with a carnal
confidence feel no need of begging the Lord to "prove"them, for they
are quite sure that all is well with them. Many, so completely
deceived are they by Satan, they imagine it would be an act of
unbelief to do so. Poor souls, they "call evil good, and good evil,"
and "put darkness for light, and light for darkness"(Isa.
"Examine me, O Lord, and prove me." Is that the cry of your soul, my
reader? If it is not, then there is strong reason to fear you are yet
fatally enthralled by Satan. One of the surest marks of regeneration
is that such a soul cries frequently, "Search me, O God, and know my
heart: try me, and know my thought: and see if there is any wicked way
in me, and lead me in the way everlasting"(Ps. 139:23,24). Yet it
should be pointed out that this must not be made a shelving of our
responsibility, a substitute for the performance of our own duty. God
has bidden us, "Examine yourselves whether you are in the faith,"and
every possible effort must be made by us to do so, taking nothing for
granted, but resolutely and impartially scrutinizing our hearts,
measuring ourselves by the Word, ascertaining whether or not we have
the marks and evidences of regeneration. Like the Spouse we should
say, "Let us get up early.. . let us see if the vine flourish"
"Examine yourselves whether you are in the faith" clearly implies that
a knowledge of our spiritual state is possible. As the natural man
perceives his own thoughts, knows what views and motives regulate him,
and is acquainted with his own designs and aims, so may the spiritual
man. "Reflection and knowledge of self is a prerogative of a rational
creature. We know that we have souls by the operations of them. We may
know that we have grace by the effects of it, if we are diligent. As
we may know by the beams of the sun that the sun is visible, if we
shut not our eyes" (Charnock). Grace discovers itself in its
affections and actions, in its operations and influence on the heart
and life. If we observe closely the springs of our actions and
"commune with our own heart" (Ps. 4:4), we shall have little
difficulty in becoming acquainted with the state of our souls. "For
what man knows the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in
him"(1Cor. 2:11).
In His parable of the Sower and the Seed our Lord likened those who
hear the Word unto different kinds of soil which received the Seed,
and the various results or yields from them. His obvious design was to
supply us with criteria by which we may measure ourselves. If, then, I
would properly examine myself, I must ascertain if I am no better than
the wayside hearer, who heard the Word and "understood it not;"or the
shallow-soil hearer, who received the Word with an evanescent "joy"and
yet had "no root in himself"and soon fell away; or the thorny-ground
hearer, who suffered the "care of this world and the deceitfulness of
riches"to choke the Word and render him unfruitful. Or, if by grace
lam a good-ground hearer, of whom it is said--not simply that he
"believes the Gospel,"but--"which in an honest and good heart, having
heard the Word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience"(Luke
8:15). That is
Unless a man knows himself to be a child of God he cannot rationally
or lawfully take comfort from the promises which are addressed unto
the saints. It is madness and presumption for me to flatter myself
that God has declared He will do this and that for me, unless I am
reliably assured that I am one of those to whom such declarations are
made. It is the height of folly for me to believe that all things are
working together for my good, unless I really love God (Rom. 8:28). On
the other hand, if I am regenerate and decline to take comfort from
the promises, I forsake my own mercies and allow Satan to deprive me
of my legitimate portion. That it is not God's will for His people to
remain in uncertainty is unmistakably clear from 1 John 5:13. He moved
one of His apostles to write a whole Epistle for the express purpose
that they might know they had eternal life, and that they may believe
on the name of the Son
Realizing full well that this is the most momentous investigation that
any mortal can ever undertake, that sincere souls--conscious of how
much is involved--will proceed carefully and cautiously, and making
full allowance that an honest heart will be fearful of being deceived
in the matter, yet we have never been able to understand why a
regenerate soul should find it so difficult to determine whether he is
in a state of nature or of grace. We are very much afraid that not a
few of God's dear people have been hindered by the teaching they sat
under and the general custom which prevailed in the circle where they
were. It is indeed deplorable that many Protestants have echoed the
dogma of Popery that it is presumptuous for any Christian to aver he
knows that he has been made a new creature in Christ Jesus. The N. T.
contains not a word in support, but much to the contrary. For a saint
to doubt his acceptance by God is not a mark of humility but the fruit
of
We have been dealing with the Christian's assurance of his state
before God in a more or less general way, let us now be specific and
ask, How is an exercised soul to ascertain whether he has really been
restored to the favor and friendship of God? By what criteria or rules
is he to test himself in order to discover whether God is at peace
with him? By what evidence may he be rationally assured that he is
reconciled to the moral Ruler and Judge of this world? Surely that
should not be difficult to determine. Is it possible for a truly
converted person, who has passed through a radical change in his heart
and life, in his thoughts, affections, and actions, to yet know
nothing about it? Surely a person cannot be awakened out of a state of
security in sin, to realize what a vile, unclean rebel he is, and to
mourn over the same, and yet perceive nothing about it. For one to
radically change his selfish and worldly pursuits, to lose relish for
his idols, and to live a life of communion with God, and yet be
uncertain such is his case, is impossible. Grace is as evident in its
own nature as corruption is, and its operations and fruits are as
manifest and unmistakable as are those of sin. Not only so in
ourselves, but in our fellow-saints too. In a time like the present it
is particularly easy to recognize those who are truly reconciled to
God. The few friends of Christ stand out conspicuously among the vast
multitude of His enemies. In a day when lawlessness abounds and every
man does "that which is right in his own eyes"(Judges 21:25), those
whose lives are ordered by God's Word cannot be mistaken. They "shine
as lights in the world, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation"
(Phil. 2:15). Noah "walked with God"(Gen. 6:9) though he lived in the
midst of the reprobate antediluvians. Elijah was jealous for the glory
of God and faithful in maintaining His cause, though his lot was to
dwell amid a people who had forsaken God's covenant, thrown
It may be easier--we are by no means sure it is so--for one to serve
God faithfully in a season of revival than in one of declension, and
to journey Heavenwards in the company of a goodly number than to stand
alone; but it is more difficult to identify the saints. As the fire
evidences the pure gold, so a day either of bitter persecution or of
wide-spread apostasy, enables us to discern who are out and out for
the Lord, and those who have nothing more than a thin veneer of
religion. When many of Christ's nominal disciples went back and walked
no more with Him, He turned to the apostles and asked, "Will you also
go away?"Whereupon Simon Peter acting as their spokesman said, "To
whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:68).
"They have made void Your Law, therefore I love Your commandments
above gold"(119:127).
But returning to the individual who would ascertain whether or not he
is reconciled to God. That problem may be reduced to a simple issue.
You are either an enemy of God or the friend of God, plainly
manifesting the one or the other in your conduct. It should not be
difficult for you to determine in which class you are. "And you that
were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet
now has He reconciled"(Col. 1:21). The implication is inescapable. If
you have been reconciled to God then you are no longer fighting
against Him, and though as yet you are very far from being perfect, or
all that you should be, nevertheless, no longer is your mind enmity
against Him--ever engaged in wicked works. Nay, if reconciled, the
very opposite is the case: you yearn for closer fellowship with Him,
you love His Word, honestly endeavor to be regulated by it in all
things, and in
Yes, the issue is a very simple one: to be reconciled to God is for
there to be mutual peace between Him and you, and peace is the
opposite of war, as love is of hatred. It therefore follows that no
soul who is at peace with sin can possibly be at peace with God, for
sin is the open enemy of the Holy One. The question to be decided then
is, Have I thrown down the weapons of my warfare against the Most
High? Have I enlisted under the banner of a new Captain? If I am
honestly and resolutely fighting against sin, then I must be
reconciled to God: said Christ to His disciples, "he that is not
against us is on our part"(Mark 9:30). There is no third condition:
you are either for or against God, His friend or His foe. God's
enemies are opposed to Him, leagued with all that is hostile to Him,
doing what He forbids and flouting what He enjoins. If then I desire
to please Him, am on the side of His friends, hating what He hates and
loving what He loves, must I not be one with Him!
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 28
Its Need Revisited-Continued
_________________________________________________________________
We commence this portion at the point where we left off in our last.
Those who are at peace with sin are at enmity with God; but those who
are reconciled to God are antagonistic to sin. It cannot be otherwise.
Satan and God, sin and holiness, are diametrically and irreconcilably
opposed. As the "sceptre of righteousness"(Heb. 1:8) holds sway over
the kingdom of God and of Christ, iniquity is the dominant power in
the empire of Satan, "he that commits sin is of the Devil"(1 John
3:8). It therefore follows that all real Christians are opposed to
Satan as the common enemy, and evince the same by fighting against
sin. Satan's principal work lies in drawing men to sin, and therefore
are the saints bidden "resist the Devil and he will flee from
you"(Jas. 4:7); and again, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your
adversary the Devil, as a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom he
may devour"(1 Pet. 5:8). To resist the Devil is to refuse his
temptations to fight against sin; contrariwise, to trifle with
The forwarding of sin is the Devil's main instrument to lead his
subjects into more and more of a revolt against their Maker, and the
more any yield to his solicitations, the more do they perform his
work. To sin is "to give place to the Devil"(Eph 4:27), and to depart
from Christ is to "turn aside after Satan"(1 Tim. 5:15). Whenever we
knowingly sin we join with Satan in his battle against God. We take
sides with him and strengthen his cause. How that awful consideration
should restrain us and make us tread warily! How it should humble us
before God when we have yielded to temptation and thus aided His
arch-enemy! Again; the love of God and the love of the world cannot
possibly stand together: "Know you not that the friendship of the
world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the
world is the enemy of God"(Jas. 4:4). Thus the lines are plainly
drawn: if I am a friend of the world, the abettor of Satan, the
servant of sin, I cannot possibly be at peace with God. But if I am
reconciled to God, then I am in avowed and open antagonism
While any soul is at peace with sin, he is certainly not at peace with
God, for He is ineffably holy and hates all sin. It was sin which
caused the breach between Him and us: "they rebelled and vexed His
Holy Spirit, therefore He was turned to be their Enemy and He fought
against them"(Isa. 63:10). Since sin is the inveterate enemy of God
and man it must be fought, or it will destroy us. Therefore His call
is "be reconciled to God." When a soul really responds to that call he
ceases his opposition to God and enlists under the banner of Christ.
Christ becomes his "Captain" (Heb. 2:10) and he engages to fight
against all His enemies. He severs his old allegiance with the world,
the flesh and the devil, and binds himself by a solemn bond to live
unto God and be the Lord's forevermore. From this time forward can be
no truce between corruptions and grace, carnal reasonings and the
teaching of Holy Writ. "Neither yield your members as weapons of
unrighteousness unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God"(Rom. 6:13).
"You have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin"(Heb.
12:4). The leading thought of the context is, the need for faithful
perseverance in a time of persecution and suffering. In the urging of
this the apostle set before them (and us) the grand example of Jesus
Christ, and how we should improve the same. Then he points out that,
severe as had been the trials experienced, yet not so fearful as might
yet be encountered. They had indeed suffered considerably (10:32, 33),
but so far God had restrained their enemies from going to extreme
lengths. The afflictions already undergone did not discharge them from
their warfare. Rather must they continue in this to the point of being
prepared to lay down their lives. That warfare consisted of "striving
against sin"--sin in themselves, which inclined them to take the line
of least resistance; sin in
In Hebrews 12:4 the apostle continues to use the figure of the Public
Games which he had employed in v. 1, only there he refers to the
"race," while here he alludes to the mortal conflict or combat between
gladiators, in which one contended for his life against another who
had entered the lists against him. In like manner, the Christian has
to contend with a mortal adversary, namely, sin, both external and
internal. He is called upon to wrestle not with flesh and blood, but
against the powers of darkness (Eph. 6:12), and therefore is he
exhorted to take unto him "the whole armor of God."So too he is to
strive against his own indwelling corruptions: "abstain from fleshly
lusts which war against the soul"(1 Pet. 2:11). Those lusts are
violent and powerful, ever seeking to dominate and regulate the soul,
antagonizing the principle of grace, endeavoring to overcome our faith
and prevent our obedience to God. Sin is a deadly enemy which will
slay us unless we daily strive against it with determination of mind
and resolute effort. Here then is one of the principal features which
distinguishes the children of God from the children of the Devil. Here
is an essential part of the evidence which clearly makes manifest
those in whom a miracle of grace has been wrought. Here is the proof
that I am reconciled to God. By nature sin is my element and I take to
it as ducks do to the water and swine to the mire. By nature I delight
in sin: do I not love myself? And in loving myself I am delighting in
sin, for sin is part and parcel of my being. I was shapen in iniquity
and conceived in sin (Ps. 51:5). If then I now hate my natural self,
loathe sin, vigorously resist it, I must be a new creature in Christ
Jesus, at peace with God. If I compare myself with what I was in my
unregenerate days, is it not obvious that a radical change has taken
place! Did I then abhor myself? No indeed, far from it. I was pleased
with myself. Did I then look upon iniquity as that "abominable thing"
which the Holy One hates and takes sides with Him against it? Alas, I
The natural man may indeed seek to overcome some grosser lust, the
yielding to which humiliates his pride. He may seriously endeavor to
conquer an unruly temper, that he may not be put to shame before his
fellows. But that is a very different matter. One who is truly
reconciled to God has voluntarily entered into a covenant to fight
against sin as sin, and not merely this or that particular form and
outbreaking of it. He is daily engaged in contending with his
indwelling corruptions, resisting the Devil, refusing the allurements
of the world, mortifying his members which are upon the earth. Here
then is the matter reduced to its simplest possible terms, here is the
plain but sufficient rule by which you may test the validity of your
profession. You know whether or not you really are fighting against
sin. We do not say fighting against it as faithfully, diligently,
zealously as you ought to be. Nor do we say meeting with that success
which you could wish. It is the fact itself we would have you
consider: if you are really warring against
Probably the reader says, Tell us more explicitly what you mean by
fighting against sin. Very well. Fighting against sin implies that you
hate it, for you do not war against anything you love. Likewise it
signifies you earnestly desire to avoid it, keep away from it, have no
commerce with it. To countenance sin is rebellion against God; to
condemn and oppose sin is conformity to Him. If I hate sin and am
engaged in a warfare against it, I shall not trifle with temptation
but watch jealously for and seek to suppress the first motions of sin
in my heart. When my corruptions clamor for satisfaction I shall
earnestly endeavor to deny them. When the apostle averred, "I keep
under my body and bring it into subjection"(1 Cor. 9:27), he was
describing one aspect of his fight against sin. When another of the
apostles enjoined, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols"(1
John 5:21), he was calling them unto a further part of the same
conflict. It was an affectionate appeal for them to avoid, resist, and
renounce will worship and whatever could captivate our
This fighting against sin is from evangelical motives. Here too the
line is clearly drawn between the regenerate and the unregenerate.
Whatever resistance the latter make against sin it is from carnal or
legal considerations. That which deters the natural man from the
outward commission of evil is either pride or self-respect, because he
would retain the good opinion of his fellows, or the fear of
consequences. But different far is it with the spiritual man: he would
hate and resist sin even if assured there is no Hell awaiting
evil-doers hereafter! It is love of God, a desire to please Him, a
concern for His glory, a horror of doing that which would sully his
profession, bring shame upon the cause of Christ, or stumble any of
His little ones. Therefore it is that when Satan gets the better of
him and he is overtaken in a fault, he mourns before God. If we are
reconciled to God we love Him, and repentance is the first expression
of that love--the sorrowing part of it. Those fighting against sin do
not "allow" or excuse their failures, but grieve over, confess them,
and seek to prevent a repetition of the same. Let us repeat, it is not
the measure of our success in this warfare, but the genuineness of our
sincerity in it, which is the criterion by which we are to measure
ourselves. As one of the old worthies said, "This is the seal which
assures us the patent is the authentic grant of the Prince of peace."
Or as John Owen put it, "Mortification of sin is the soul's opposition
to self, wherein sincerity is most evident." To which we may add, none
of our exercises and efforts have any sincerity in them--neither
reading, hearing, praying nor worship--unless we are genuinely
endeavoring to earnestly and vigorously resist sin. Sin is ever
assailing the soul, contending for rule and sovereignty over it. But
if a principle of grace is in my heart, then it will constantly
challenge sin's right to usurp authority and oppose its assaults. "The
subduing of our souls to God, the forming of us to a resemblance unto
Him, is a more certain sign that we belong to Him, than if we had with
Isaiah seen in vision His glory with all His train of angels "(S.
Charnock).
Granted, says the exercised soul, but there is so much in me that is
not yet subdued to God, yea which is contrary to Him, and this it is
which makes me seriously doubt my reconciliation. I fear that I should
be uttering an idle boast and thinking of myself more highly than I
ought to, if I declared myself to be engaged in seriously fighting
against sin. Dear reader, hypocrites are never troubled over the
deceitfulness of their hearts, nor are they concerned at all of being
presumptuous, and if you really are exercised over such things, then
must you not belong to a totally different class! Vain and empty
professors are not exercised about their sincerity, but instead are
filled with a self-confidence and sense of security which no
expostulations or warnings of man can shake. They are total strangers
to the jealous fears and holy exercises of soul which engage those
with humble hearts. "They had rather go to hell on a feather bed than
to Heaven in a fiery chariot" as one quaintly but solemnly expressed
it.
Am I reconciled to God, at peace with Him? Yes, if I am daily and
sincerely engaged in fighting against sin. But, says the reader, if I
am engaged in such a fight, mine is a losing one, for the more I
endeavor to resist my corruptions, the more fiercely do they oppose me
and thwart my efforts. Yea, so often do my lusts master me, I can only
conclude that I am still at war against God. Not so, if you take sides
against your lusts and grieve over their prevalence. As it is not the
fighting of a number of individuals belonging to two different
countries which causes one of those states to declare war against
another, but rather its consenting to and maintaining them in their
hostility; so it is not the rising up of our lusts against our graces
which constitutes an act of war against God, but only when we approve
of them, consent to and defend their presumptuous enmity. While we
take up and maintain a constant fight against God's enemies--no matter
how often we may be worsted in the conflict--hating and disavowing
their outrageous uprisings, the peace
In the chapters on our reception of that peace which Christ effected
Godwards on behalf of His people, we showed at some length what God
requires from the sinner if he is to become a personal partaker of
that peace, and every exercised reader should go carefully over those
articles again with one particular design before him--to discover
whether he or she has met those requirements. From the lengthy
quotation from Goodwin (Feb. issue), it was shown that in preparing us
to be reconciled to God it is necessary that we be convinced we are
His enemies, and that He accounts us such. Thus, if the reader has
never been painfully convicted of his revolt against the Most High, he
is in no condition to seek reconciliation unto Him. If I have been
made aware that I am a lifelong rebel against Heaven, that all my days
have been spent in fighting against God, then I shall be sensible and
deeply affected by such a realization. I shall mourn over my
wickedness. I shall "remember my ways and be ashamed." I shall be
"confounded"and
If the Holy Spirit has awakened me from the sleep of self-security,
opened my eyes to see my true character in the sight of God, filled me
with horror and contrition over my dreadful enmity against Him, then I
shall readily respond to that peremptory call, "Let the wicked forsake
his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts,"and cease my hostility
against the Lord. At first it will appear to me that I have sinned
beyond the hope of forgiveness, that it is impossible God should ever
be reconciled to such a rebel as I now know myself to be, that nought
but the everlasting burnings can be the portion of such a wretch. But
later, the same gracious Spirit who revealed to me my horrible plight,
acquaints me that God has "thoughts of peace"(Jer. 29:11) toward those
who throw down the weapons of their warfare against Him. But that
seems too good to be true, and for a season the stricken soul finds
itself unable to credit the same. To him it appears that a holy God
can do nothing but abhor him, that a righteous God must surely exact
vengeance upon him, that his doom is
When God begins a work of grace in a soul He does not cease when it is
but half finished. If He wounds it is that He may heal; if at first He
drives to despair, later He awakens hope. When the Law has performed
its office--of stripping us of our self-righteousness--then we are
prepared to listen to the message of the Gospel, which tells of the
garments of salvation provided for bankrupts. The glorious evangel of
Divine grace announces that God is not implacable but inclinable unto
peace, that His wisdom had found a way whereby the requirements of His
holiness and the demands of His justice are fully met so that He can
without sullying His honor, yea to the everlasting glory of His
matchless name, show mercy to the very chief of sinners. As the soul
begins to give credence to that good news, he is persuaded better
things of God than his fears allowed, hope is born within him that
even his case is not beyond remedy, and the sweet music is borne to
his ears, "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his
thoughts, and let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy upon
him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon" (Isa. 55:7).
But it is in Christ, and Christ alone, that the thrice Holy God meets
the sinner in pardoning mercy. Christ is the One who met His claims
and endured His wrath on the behalf of all who put their trust in Him.
Christ is the alone Mediator whereby transgressors can approach unto a
reconciled God. It is the Lord Jesus who is "set forth a propitiation
through faith in His blood" (Rom. 3:25). And therefore "He is able to
save them to the uttermost which come unto God by Him"(Heb. 7:25). It
is in and through Christ that sinners may enter into covenant with God
and by whom He enters into covenant with them, for Christ is "the
Surety" (Heb. 7:22) and "the Mediator"(Heb. 8:6) of the covenant.
Christ is the One who came "to seek and to save that which was
lost"(Luke 19:10), and who declares "him that comes to Me I will in
nowise cast out"(John 6:37). Have you gone unto Him as a
desperately-ill person seeks a physician, or as a drowning man
clutches to a life-buoy? You either have, or you have not; and it
should not be difficult for you to determine. But am I come to Christ
in the right way? Answer, the only right way is to come as a lost
sinner,
Have you, then, complied with the terms expressed in Isaiah 55:1-3,
for it is with those doing so that God makes an everlasting covenant.
That is but another way of asking, Have you really embraced the Gospel
offer, which is made freely to all who hear it? Have you seriously,
thoughtfully, broken-heartedly received Christ as your own personal
Lord and Saviour? Have you exercised faith in His mediatorial
sacrifice? Your faith may indeed have been so weak that you touched
but the hem of His garment, yet if it was His garment, that was
sufficient. The saving virtue lies not in our faith but in Christ,
faith being simply the empty and leprous hand which lays hold of the
great Physician. Every penitent believer may be infallibly assured on
the Word of Him that cannot lie that his sins were all transferred to
his blessed Surety and forever put away by Him; and that he is now
made the righteousness of
But the honest soul who would "make assurance doubly sure"should go
further, and test himself by Psalm 50:5, Isaiah 56:4-6; Jeremiah
50:4,5. There we have described the character of those making a
covenant with God and who "take hold of His covenant,"and it is our
wisdom and duty to seriously compare ourselves with those characters
and ascertain whether we possess their marks. Have I surrendered to
God as my absolute Lord and chosen Him to be my all-sufficient
Portion? Have I renounced and relinquished the things which He hates
and "chosen the things that please"Him? Have I given myself up to Him
wholly to love and serve Him, and that not for a brief season only,
but forever? Am I now manifesting the sincerity of my surrender by
being concerned for His honor and having respect to His Law? Have the
resolutions I formed at my conversion been translated into actual
practice?--not perfectly so, but by genuine effort nevertheless. If
so, then I have good reason to believe that I have savingly complied
with His call "be reconciled to God."
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The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 29
Its Need Revisited-Continued
_________________________________________________________________
Another criterion by which each of us should carefully measure himself
is, Am I now a friend of God? That is a most pertinent and necessary
inquiry, for, as was shown under a considerable variety of expressions
when defining the meaning of reconciliation, that term signifies the
bringing together of two persons who have previously been alienated,
the changing of a state of enmity and hostility unto one of amity and
friendship. By nature and by practice I was the enemy of God, hating
and opposing Him; but if a work of grace has been wrought in my soul
then I am now the friend of God, loving and serving Him. As this is a
matter of deepest importance, both practically and experimentally, we
propose to canvass it in some detail, endeavoring to do so along lines
so clear and simple that no exercised soul should have any uncertainty
in determining to which class he belongs.
"Abraham believed God and it was imputed unto him for righteousness,
and he was called the friend of God"(Jas. 2:23). It seems passing
strange that scarcely any of the commentators perceived the force of
that last clause, interpreting it quite out of harmony with its
setting. Most of them see in God's styling Abraham His "friend"an
amazing instance of His sovereign grace and condescension, while a few
regard the expression in the light of the extraordinary and intimate
communion which the patriarch was permitted to enjoy with Jehovah. But
what is there in the context which paves the way for any such climax?
It was in no-wise the design of the Holy Spirit in this epistle to
portray the wondrous riches of Divine grace, nor to describe the
inestimable privileges they confer upon their recipients; rather was
it to expose a worthless profession and supply marks of a valid one.
James was not moved to refute the legality of Judaism, which insisted
that we must do certain things in order to our acceptance by God, but
was repelling Antinomianism, showing the worthlessness of a faith
which bore no fruit.
In the days of the apostles, as in all succeeding generations, there
were those bearing the name of Christians who supposed that a mere
intellectual belief of the Gospel was sufficient to secure a passport
for Heaven. There is not a little in the N.T. which was expressly
written to refute that error, by an insistence upon holiness of heart
and strictness of life being necessary in order to evince a saving
faith in Christ. The principal design of James was to show that when
God justifies or reconciles a sinner to Himself, He also works in that
person a disposition which is friendly toward Him, a spirit and
attitude which reciprocates His own benignity. In a genuine conversion
an enemy is transformed into a friend to God, so that he loves Him,
delights in Him, and serves Him. No one has any right to regard
himself as a friend of God unless he has the character of one and
conducts himself accordingly. If I am the friend of God then I shall
be jealous of His honor, respect His will, value His interests, and
devote myself to promoting the same; in a word, I shall "show my self
friendly."
The apostle's scope is clear enough both from what immediately
precedes and follows. In verse 20 he says, "But will you know, O vain
man, that faith without works is dead,"and in verse 24, "You see then
how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only." A bare
mental assent to the Gospel is worthless, for it effects no change in
the heart and walk of the one exercising it. Fair words on the lips
are downright hypocrisy unless they are borne out in our daily
conduct. A faith in Christ which conforms not to His image is not the
faith of God's elect. Saving faith produces good works. In verses 8 to
14 the apostle had insisted that the Gospel requires a sincere respect
unto all the Divine commandments, while in verses 15-25he shows what a
real faith in them brings forth. This he illustrates first by the
illustrious case of Abraham. It is to be duly noted that reference is
not here made to the initial act of his faith when the Lord first
appeared unto the patriarch in Ur of Chaldea, but rather to that
memorable incident on mount Moriah recorded in Genesis 22.
Faith is not a passive thing but an active principle, operating
powerfully within its possessor. "Faith works by love"(Gal. 5:6). Let
those words be carefully pondered. "Faith works:"it is the very nature
of it to do so, for it is a new, living and powerful energy, imparted
to the soul at regeneration. "Faith works by love:"not by fear or
compulsion, but freely and gladly. Such was the faith of Abraham: his
faith "wrought with his works"(Jas. 2:22), and it wrought by love, for
it was love to God which moved the patriarch, in obedience to His
behest, to lay his dear Isaac upon the altar; and in this way he
attested his friendship to God. "Friendship is the strength of love,
and the highest improvement of it. `Your friend'says Moses, `who is as
your own soul'(Deut. 13:6). Friendship is common to and included in
all relations of love. A brother is (or ought to be) a friend; it is
but friendship natural. Husband and wife are friends: that knot is
friendship conjugal. In Song of Solomon 5 we have an instance of both:
Christ called His church Sister, and then Spouse; and not contented
with both, though put together, He added another compellation as the
top of all, `O My friends'(v. 11)."
In its first working faith comes to God as an empty-handed beggar to
receive from Him, yet if it is a sincere and spiritual faith it will
necessarily form the soul of its possessor unto a correspondent and
answerable frame of heart unto God; thus if I come to Him for pardon
and peace, and receive the same, the reflex or consequence will be the
exercise of a filial and friendly spirit in me toward God. Faith is
made the grateful recipient of all from God, yet on that very account
it becomes the worker of love in the soul. In James 2:21-23 the
apostle shows what a powerful working thing faith is: it molded
Abraham's heart into friendship with God. A friend is best known or
most clearly manifested in a time of trial. Thus it was in Genesis 22:
the Lord there put Abraham to the proof, bidding him, "Take now your
son, your only Isaac, whom you love . . . and offer him there for a
burnt offering."And God so approved of his ready response as to own
him as His "friend"from this time forward: see 2 Chronicles 20:7,
Isaiah 41:8. And since He only calls things as they actually are,
Abraham had truly conducted himself as such.
Let it next be pointed out that Abraham's case is not to be regarded
as an exceptional or extraordinary one, but rather as a representative
and typical one. As Romans 4:11 and 16 plainly teaches, Abraham is a
pattern and father unto all believers. Those who are his spiritual
children (Rom. 9:7,8) and seed (Gal. 3:7,29), "walk in the steps of
that faith of our father Abraham" (Rom. 4:12) and "do the works of
Abraham"(John 8:39), and they too are owned by the Lord as His
"friends" (John 15:14). Observe that in both 2 Chronicles 20:7 and
Isaiah 41:8 it is "the seed of Abraham Your friend,"while in James
2:21 Abraham is expressly presented in that passage as "our father."
Thus, this blessed appellation pertains to all his spiritual seed. For
one to be owned by God as His "friend"imports that person has a
friendly disposition of heart and deportment of life toward Him, as
one friend bears unto another. Wherever a saving faith exists it
frames the heart of its possessor into a friend-like temper and brings
forth a friend-like carriage in our life.
"He was called the friend of God."While that indeed is a title of
unspeakable dignity and honor, yet--though scarcely any appear to have
perceived it--it is also (and chiefly) expressive of the inward
disposition of a saint toward God, describing his love for Him and his
bearing toward Him. By our carriage and conduct we exemplify and
ratify that character. The faith which justifies a sinner before God
is one that works by love and is expressed in an obedient walk,
earnestly endeavoring to please God in all things, and therefore the
character and carriage of a Christian is appropriately expressed under
the notion of friendship. In a truly marvelous way had God befriended
Abraham, and the patriarch manifested his appreciation by conducting
himself suitably to it. It is the law of friendship to answer it again
with friendship: "A man that has friends must show himself friendly,
and there is a Friend that sticks closer than a brother"(Prov. 18:24),
and to Him we must show ourselves supremely friendly, doing nothing to
displease or dishonor Him, but exercising subjection to Him,
delighting in Him, and promoting His interests.
We will pass now from the general to the particular and consider some
of the more obvious characteristics and marks of friendship, together
with the duties and offices to be performed as are proper and suited
to such a relationship--friendship too combines both privilege and
duty, and we should be dishonest if we confined our remarks to one of
them only, First of all then, between two friends there necessarily
exists a close bond of union, a oneness of nature or at least
similarity of disposition, so that they share in common the same likes
and dislikes--not perhaps in every detail, but generally and
essentially so. There can be no congeniality where there is no
singleness and harmony of nature. It is the gift and dwelling of the
Holy Spirit within the Christian which is the bond of union, and which
capacitates him to hate what God hates and love what He loves. It is
that oneness of nature and disposition which causes two persons to
have a mutual regard and affection, and to look favorably on one
another, in which the very essence of friendship consists. From all
eternity God set His heart upon him, and now the reconciled one has
given his heart to Him.
One has a very high regard for an intimate and proved friend. That God
greatly values and esteems those whom He reconciles to Himself is
clear both from His declarations concerning them and what He has done
for them. He prizes them above the world and orders all things in its
governance for the furthering of their good. "For lam the Lord your
God, the Holy One in Israel, your Saviour. I gave Egypt for your
ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for you. Since you were precious in My
sight, you have been honorable, and I have loved you"(Isa. 43:3,4).
What a wondrous and blessed testimony is that! "He delivered me
because He delighted in me"(2 Sam. 22:20). "How fair and how pleasant
you are, O love for delights" (Song of Sol. 7:6) is His language
respecting His Spouse, and She in return declares, "I sat down under
His shadow with great delight, and His fruit was sweet to my
taste"(2:3). So highly does the saint prize God in Christ that he
avers, "Whom have I in heaven but You, and there is none upon earth
that I desire besides You" (Ps. 73:25).
Since real and warm friends highly value and delight in one another it
is their chief pleasure to share each other's company, being happiest
when together. Thus it is between the reconciled soul and his heavenly
Friend: "truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son
Jesus Christ"(1 John 1:3). In nothing can the Christian more fitly
evince his friendship with God than by a diligent endeavor to maintain
a constant and intimate communion with Him. In addition to the regular
tribute of his daily worship, if the soul of the believer is in a
healthy condition, he will take occasion to frequently come into God's
presence on purpose to. have communion with Him. Friendship is best
maintained by visits, and the more free and less occasioned by urgent
business, the more are they appreciated. David, owned as "a man after
God's own heart"--the equivalent of Abraham's being called His
"friend"--said, "O God, You are my God, early will I seek You . . . To
see Your power and Your glory, so as I have seen You in the sanctuary.
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise
You.. . My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my
mouth shall praise You with joyful lips"(Ps. 63:1-5). That was the
language of pure friendship.
Intimate converse and close communications characterize the dealings
of one warm friend to another. Things which I would not discuss with a
stranger, personal matters I would be silent upon to a mere
acquaintance, I freely open to one I delight in. It is thus between
God and the reconciled soul. It is so on His part: "The secret of the
Lord is with them that fear Him, and He will show them His
covenant"(Ps. 25:14). "The Lord spoke to Moses face to face (without
restraint or reserve) as a man speaks unto his friend"(Ex. 33:11).
Thus Scripture makes this freedom of communication one of the marks of
spiritual friendship. So too we find the Lord Jesus saying to His
beloved apostles, "Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant
knows not what his lord does: but I have called you friends; for all
things that I have heard of My Father, I have made known unto you"
(John 15:15). Do you, my reader, know anything of this experience? Are
you in such close touch with Him as to make this (morally) possible?
It is through His Word God now speaks to us: do you know what it is
for your heart to "burn"while He talks with you by the way and
"opens"to you the Scriptures (Luke 24:32)?
Yet this intimate conversation is not one-sided, but is reciprocal:
the reconciled one finds liberty in opening his heart unto his
heavenly Friend, as he does to none other. This is his holy privilege:
"trust in Him at all times, you people, pour out your heart before
Him"(Ps. 62:8). How do you treat your best earthly friend? When you
have not seen him for a season, how warmly you welcome him, how freely
you express your pleasure at meeting him again, what utterances of
good will and delight do you make! Equally free should the saint be
with his Lord. He should pour out his heart with joy and gladness. He
should unrestrainedly avow his delight in the Lord. He should bring
with him a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of his lips, giving
thanks (Heb. 13:15). Such will not only be acceptable unto Him, but it
will give Him pleasure: it is on these occasions that He says, "Your
lips, O My Spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under
your tongue" (Song of Sol. 4:11)--such communications are sweet unto
Me.
But there are times when one is so sorely troubled and weighed down
that his expressions of delight and joy toward a loving friend will be
restrained. True, yet that only affords occasion for another attribute
of friendship to be exercised, namely, to freely unburden his heart
unto him. Thus it is with the reconciled soul and God: he will speak
to Him more freely and make mention of things which he would not to
his nearest and dearest earthly friend. This is the Christian's
privilege: to ease his heart before God. Said the Psalmist, "I poured
out my complaint before Him, I showed before Him my trouble"(Ps.
142:2), and He deems Himself honored by such confidences. The more
communion there is between God and us over our distresses, the more
will He discover our secret faults, and the more will we disclose
again to Him. The one is a sure consequence of the other. After
speaking of our fellowship with God in 1 John 1:3, it is added, "If we
confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." One
great part of our friendship with God is the taking of Him fully into
our confidence, as on His part it is to pardon us.
Having confidence in a friend we freely seek his help and advice. When
describing a close friend David said, "we took sweet counsel
together"(Ps. 55:14). And that is how we ought to treat our heavenly
Friend, making use of Him, counting upon His favor and help in all our
concerns. That is both our privilege and duty: "in all your ways
acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths"(Prov. 3:6)--seek His
counsel, give yourself up to His guidance. That little (and large)
word "all" includes small things as well as great! In this the
friendship of God excels that of others. We are loath to trouble an
earthly friend about trifles, but we may spread the smallest matter
before Him who has numbered the very hairs of our head. In this we
honor Him, for it is an acknowledgement on our part that He rules all
things, even the very least.
One is very careful in seeking to avoid giving any offence unto a dear
friend and doing all in our power to please him. Apply that Godwards
and it has reference to our obedience. Therefore do we find Christ
saying, "You are My friends if you do whatsoever I command you"(John
15:14). That "if"is addressed to responsibility and is the testing of
our profession. It is by obedience we evidence and approve ourselves
to be His friends. Obedience goes much further than resisting sin and
abstaining from wicked works: "cease to do evil, learn to do
well"(Isa. 1:17). It is not sufficient to forbear the commission of
sin if we perform not our duty. The fig tree was cursed not because it
bore evil fruit, but because it was barren. There are many who, like
the Pharisees, pride themselves on negations: I am not profane,
immoral, irreligious. But that gives them no title to regard
themselves as friends of Christ. Are they actually doing the things He
has enjoined--this is the crucial test and characteristic mark of the
reconciled.
Observe it is not "you shall be"but "you are My friends if you do."It
is the doers of His Word whom the Lord owns as His friends: they who
are as diligent in practicing His precepts as in shunning what He
hates. And their obedience is not that of mercenary legalists nor the
forced work of slaves, but is the voluntary and joyful response of
loving and grateful hearts. An action may have the appearance of
friendship when there is nothing of good will behind it. But none can
impose upon the Lord--He knows when there is inward conformity to His
will as well as outward compliance, when a person's "good works"are
those of the formalist or of a loving heart. If they are the latter,
we shall not pick and choose between His precepts, but "do whatsoever
He commands?""whatever your soul desires, I will even do it for you"(1
Sam. 20:4) said Jonathan to his friend. That is indeed the longing and
aim of every reconciled soul but his infirmities and distempers often
cause him to go halting.
Another characteristic or mark of friendship is confidence: "My own
familiar friend in whom I trusted"(Ps. 41:3) said David. Nothing more
readily undermines friendship than the harboring of suspicions. It is
because we have proved the staunchness and affection of another that
we count him our friend, and rely upon him. Thus it is with a
reconciled soul and God. He has `shown Himself to be graciously
disposed unto me, giving me innumerable proofs of His lovingkindness
and faithfulness, and that draws out my heart in confidence toward
Him. The more I trust in Him and look to Him for help, the more is He
pleased and honored by me, and the more do I show myself to be His
friend. "Cast your burden upon the Lord"is His blessed invitation, for
He desires not His child should be weighted down by it. "Casting all
your care upon Him, for He cares for you" (1 Pet. 5:7). God would have
His people act toward Him with holy familiarity, confiding in Him at
all time, counting upon His goodness, reposing themselves in His love,
making known their requests with thanksgiving, expecting Him to supply
all their need. That is both our privilege and duty if we sustain to
God the relationship of friends.
Where there is full confidence in a tried and trusted friend we place
a favorable construction upon even those actions of his which may
puzzle and perplex us. We refuse to impute evil to or harbor
suspicions against him. Any fancied slight he has given, any apparent
unconcern or unkindness he has shown, anything in his letters which we
do not understand, we leave until we again see him face to face,
quietly assured that a satisfactory explanation will be forthcoming
from him. Thus it is with the saint and his heavenly friend. Some of
His dealings sorely try and exercise him, yet he doubts not that He is
too wise to err and too loving to be unkind. Some of His dispensations
are exceedingly trying to flesh and blood, but a believing soul will
"Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust Him for His grace,"
realizing that "behind a frowning providence, He hides a smiling
face."Thus it was with Job, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust
Him."Love "thinks no evil"but favorably interprets the most mysterious
of God's ways, knowing that He is making all things work together for
our good.
There is no real reason why any one of ordinary intelligence should
remain in doubt as to his spiritual state. If you faithfully examine
yourself and honestly measure yourself by the different criteria we
have mentioned in these articles, you should have no difficulty in
determining whether you be still alienated from God or reconciled to
Him. If you are at peace with Him then you are making common cause
with Him, warring against His foes--the Devil, sin, the world. If you
are reconciled to God, then you are His friend, evidencing the same by
a friend-like disposition and deportment, conducting yourself toward
Him, treating Him, as one friend with another. The Lord so add His
gracious blessing that in His light each of us may see light.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 30
Its Need Revisited-Continued
_________________________________________________________________
This is an aspect of our subject which will by no means appeal to the
empty professor, nor, we may add, to the backslider. The Antinomian is
all for hearing about the free grace of God and His unforfeitable
gifts, and if the preacher should point out that favors and privileges
entail obligations, he is condemned by them for his legality; but if
he is to receive his Master's "well done," he will not have the united
approbation of a large congregation. It betrays a most unhealthy state
of soul when we wish to hear only of what Christ did and procured for
sinners, and little or nothing of what He requires from the
beneficiaries of the same. God has inseparably joined together
privilege and duty, relationship and obligation, and we are lacking an
honest heart if we eagerly seize His promises and despise His
precepts. It betrays a sad condition of soul if we are not anxious to
ascertain "What does the Lord require of you"(Micah 6:8).
It is our firm conviction that one of the main causes for such a vast
number of empty professors and backslidden believers in Christendom
today was the disproportionate and unfaithful preaching of most of the
prominent orthodox pulpits during the past century. Instead of giving
a conspicuous place to what which tested profession, both doctrinally
and practically, nominal saints were lulled into a false sense of
security. Instead of insisting that conversion is but the beginning of
the Christian life, an enlisting under the banner of Christ to "fight
the good fight of faith," in which the Devil is to be steadfastly
resisted and a ceaseless warfare waged against indwelling sin, the
siren song of "Once saved, always saved"was dinned into the ears of
those whose walk was thoroughly carnal and worldly. Instead of a
searching and probing ministry the pulpit cried "Peace, peace" unto
those still at enmity with God.
Those who were flattered as being "the stalwarts of the Faith" were
often most partial in which aspects of the Faith they concentrated
upon. Those whose proud boast it was that they "shunned not to declare
all the counsel of God,"were for the most part men who repudiated
human responsibility and detested the word "duty."It is handling the
Word of God deceitfully to emphasize the expression "ordained to
eternal life"and to ignore "good works which God has before ordained
that we should walk in them"(Eph. 2:10). It is withholding that which
is profitable unto souls (Acts 20:20) to leave them in ignorance that
Christ is "the Author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey
Him"(Heb. 5:9). It is highly dishonoring to God when we pretend to
magnify "the riches of His grace" if we fail to insist that His grace
effectually teaches its recipients to be "denying ungodliness and
worldly lusts,(that) we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in
this present world"(Titus2:11,12).
Having dwelt upon the privilege-side of our theme in previous articles
of this series, we should be woefully lacking in proportion and
completeness if we now failed to consider the duty-side of it. It
behooves us to point out God's full rights and just claims upon us, as
well as His rich favors and unmerited mercies unto us. It becomes the
reader to whole-heartedly welcome our efforts to execute this part of
our task. The language of a reconciled soul is, and must be, "What
shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits?"How shall I express
my gratitude unto that blessed One who has shown me such unspeakable
mercy? If the wrath of God is removed from me and I am now taken into
His unclouded and everlasting favor, how shall I now most fitly
comport myself? Since such measureless love has been so freely
lavished upon me, how can I best show forth my gratitude? That is the
question we shall now endeavor to answer.
1. By fervent praise unto God. O what thanksgiving is due unto Him for
His matchless grace! As it was the supreme demonstration of His love
in sending forth His Son to make peace, that should be the principal
spring of our thanksgiving. When God bids His people," Behold My
Servant whom I uphold, My Elect in whom My soul delights,"whom He gave
"for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles. to open
the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison and them
that sit in darkness out of the prison-house;" the use which He
enjoins them to make of the same is, "Sing unto the Lord a new
song"(Isa. 42:1-10). The initial response of one who realizes that his
trespasses are no longer imputed to him, but instead that the perfect
righteousness of Christ is reckoned to his account, must be "Bless the
Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name" (Ps.
103:1). So too it should be his daily--as it will be his
eternal--response.
"God might have destroyed us with less cost than He has reconciled us;
for our destruction there was no need of His counsel, nor fitting out
and sending His Son, nor opening His treasures; a word would have done
it, whereas our reconciliation stood Him at much charge. It was
performed at the expense of His grace and Spirit to furnish His Son to
be a sacrifice for our atonement. An inexpressible wonder that the
Father should prepare His Son a mortal body that our souls might be
prepared for immortal glory" (S. Charnock). The apostle could not
consider the will of our Father in this work without interrupting his
discourse with a doxology: "to whom the glory be forever and ever.
Amen"(Gal. 1:4,5);and such should be our response. As the angels
rejoiced in the manifestation of the wisdom and power of God in the
incarnation of His dear Son, much more should we rejoice at the
triumphant outcome of His mission and of our personal interest in the
same, joining with them in their "Glory to God in the highest."
Who is it, my reader, who makes you to differ from others? Is it not
God? Then ascribe glory to Him. If He has made you to differ from
others in the exercise of His sovereign mercy, do you differ from them
in the sounding forth of His praises. When David considered the works
of God's hand in the stellar heavens, he exclaimed "What is man that
You are mindful of him," and if we consider what sovereign favor has
wrought for and in the regenerate, well may we be overwhelmed with
wonder. Pardon of but one sin would make us forever debtors to God,
for every sin is a hatred of Him and renders us obnoxious to eternal
torments. What then is due unto Him from those whom He has pardoned
sins more in number than the hairs of their heads! O the marvel of it,
that the one who is by nature a child of wrath should be made an heir
of Heaven; that one so vile should be taken into the bosom of the
Father! Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.
2. By care to please God. Since He went to so much trouble and cost in
restoring us, how our thoughts and affections should unitedly engage
in earnestly endeavoring to please Him. The Decalogue is prefaced with
"I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt,
out of the house of bondage," as an incentive and inducement for
Israel to render cheerful obedience unto Him. "I am the Lord your God
who in Christ has delivered you from eternal death and brought you
into My everlasting favor"is the tenor of the Gospel--a far weightier
motive for the Christian to place himself unreservedly at God's
disposal. This it is which will demonstrate the worth and genuineness
of our praise: whether it is merely an emotional spasm or the
overflowing gratitude of a heart which has been won by Him. If our
expressions of thanksgiving and worship are sincere, then the homage
of our lips will be borne out by the honoring of God in our daily
lives. Whenever I am tempted to gratify the flesh, my reply should be
"How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God"(Gen.
39:9); or "Is this your kindness to your Friend!"(1 Sam. 16:17). Shall
I so evilly requite the One who has been gracious unto me?
The service which God requires from us is that of love, and not of
compulsion. We must indeed keep our eyes on the Rule so that our
actions may be conformed to its requirements, otherwise God will ask,
"Who has required this at your hand?"(Isa. 1:12). But there must be
something more: the Lord looks on the heart as well as the outward
performances. Duties are not distinguished by their external garb, but
by the spirit prompting them. A box of ointment with an affectionate
regard for the Lord, nay a cup of cold water, is valued and
registered. The smallest act of service unto God which issues from
gratitude is prized by Him more highly than all the imposing works of
men without it. It is at this very point that the saints differ
radically from all others. Whatever are the religious performances of
the legalist, the formalists, or the hypocrite, they proceed from some
form of self-esteem. But that of the believer is wrought by gratitude.
It is the love of Christ which constrains him, which moves him to take
His yoke upon him, which so motivates him that his chief concern is to
keep His commandments and show forth His praises.
If there is good will in the heart toward God it will be evidenced by
choosing and doing the things which are pleasing unto Him. There will
be a readiness of heart unto obedience, for love prepares and
predisposes the heart unto what He requires from us. Good will in the
heart toward God expresses itself in the actual performing of what He
has enjoined, for the language of gratitude is "His commandments are
not grievous"(1 John 5:3).When love to Rachel set Jacob a work it was
not unpleasant to him, and though it took him seven years, he deemed
it not long. So far from a reconciled soul feeling that God is a hard
Master imposing a severe task upon him, he is thankful to have the
opportunity to manifest his appreciation. When David made such costly
preparations for the house of God, he asked "But who am I?"(1 Chron.
29:14), considering it a marvel of condescension that the great God
should accept anything at his hands. So far from begrudging any
self-sacrifice love will mourn that what has been done is so little
and so imperfect, realizing that nothing can be too much or too good
for the Lord--and not only too small to answer God's love, but to
adequately express his own.
3. By trusting in God. Since He is reconciled to me and I to Him then
it is both my privilege and duty to look to Him for the supply of
every need and confidently expect the same. The Christian should
habitually view Him as "the God of peace" and under that title and
relationship implore Him for daily supplies of grace, for it is as
such that He works in us "that which is well pleasing in His
sight"(Heb. 13:20,21). God has promised to be "as the dew" unto His
people under the Gospel (Hos. 14:5), and as the dew descends from a
clear sky so does grace from the One who has blotted out our
iniquities. We should look then continually for spiritual strength
from God in Christ. All our approaches to Him should be begun and
attended with a sense that we have been taken into His favor. In all
His communications to His people God acts as reconciled to them, and
so should we eye Him whenever we come to the throne of grace. As there
is not one mercy God shows us but springs from this relationship, so
every duty we offer to Him and petition we make of Him should rise
from a sense of the same. This should cause us to believe with a holy
boldness.
Here is a cordial for us in our sorest problems and trials. What can
the greatest difficulty or acutest strait signify when God remains
reconciled to the soul in Christ! Providence is ordered by our best
Friend. This is the grand stay which Christ has furnished His
disciples: "that in Me you might have peace; in the world you shall
have tribulation"(John 16:33). Is not that a sufficient defence
against all the roaring of men and the rage of Satan? Though the world
frowns, God in Christ smiles upon you. It was a sense of their
reconciliation to God which turned prisons into palaces and dungeons
into chambers of praise for those who were persecuted by the ungodly.
Here is a shield against fear, security against danger, a treasure
against poverty. Under the sharpest affliction the believer may
distinguish between God as a loving Father and avenging Judge. Carnal
reason and sense will indeed dispute against faith, and while they are
listened unto, faith will stagger; but if the heart turns to and is
engaged with a reconciled God it will discern under the severest
chastisement the rod of mercy, wielded by a love maintaining our best
interests.
There should be an expecting of temporal mercies. If God was in Christ
reconciling us to Himself, then most assuredly He will be in Christ
giving forth all suited benefits. It is entirely inconsistent with His
amity to withhold anything really needed by us, for in that case) as
one pointed out, it would not then be a "much more"as Christ argued,
but a much less: "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts
unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven
give good things to them that ask Him!"(Matthew 7:11). Yet it is to be
borne in mind that it is only "good things" which He has promised to
give, and that He alone is the proper judge as to what is "good." If
God feeds the ravens, certainly He will not permit His friends to
starve. If He spared not His only Son, He will not begrudge mere food
and clothing. Our covenant God will deny His children nothing which is
for their welfare. If we lived in the realization of that, how
contented we would be in every situation!
4. By cherishing God's peace. "The remission of sins past gives not a
permission for sins to come, but should be a bridle and a restraint"
(Manton). "There is forgiveness with You that You may be
feared"(130:4). The end of Christ's death cannot be separated: He is
no Atoner for those He is not a Refiner, for He gave Himself to
"purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works"(Titus
2:4). As there was a double enmity in us--one rooted in our nature and
another declared by wicked works, so there must be a change both in
our state and an alteration of our actions. God and sin are
irreconcilable enemies, so that where there is peace with one, there
must be war with another. Fire and water would sooner agree than a
peace with God and a peace with sin. "There is no peace, says my God
to the wicked." We should be very tender of God's peace, that no
breach fall out between us: "If I have done iniquity, I will do no
more"(Job 34:32) must be our sincere desire and resolution, otherwise
we are but hypocrites.
Peace was broken by the sin of the first Adam, and though it was
restored by the last Adam, yet our obedience is necessary if we are to
enjoy the fruits of it: "Great peace have they which love Your
Law"(119:165). Then let us beware of relaxing in our watchfulness or
of becoming self-confident in our ability to face temptations. "He
will speak peace unto His people and to His saints, but let them not
turn again to folly"(Ps. 85:8). "When we sought for pardon, sin was
the great burden which lay upon our consciences, the wound which
pained us at heart, the disease our souls were sick of; and shall that
which we complained of as a burden become our delight? shall we tear
open our wounds which are in a fair way of being healed, and run into
bonds and chains again after we are freed from them?" (Manton). That
were indeed crass folly, madness. Backsliders forsake their peace: as
it is said of them, "they have forgotten their resting place"(Jer.
50:6). Peace can only be recovered as we repent of our sins and renew
our covenant with God.
5. By using our access to God. The most blessed result or consequence
of reconciliation is that believers have the right to approach unto
God, and therefore it is their privilege to freely avail themselves of
the same. "Having therefore, brethren, liberty to enter into the
Holiest by the blood of Jesus.. .let us draw near with a true heart in
full assurance of faith"(Heb. 10:19,22), that is, with a firm belief
in the efficacy of Christ's sacrifice and a firm reliance upon the
same. As God was in Christ reconciling, so He is in Him receiving our
praises and petitions. As Christ made satisfaction for us by His
death, so He provides the acceptance of our sacrifices and services by
His merits. Though justification is a transcendent mercy, yet it would
not complete our happiness unless we could commune with God. Peace was
not the thing God ultimately aimed at--it was but the medium. He would
be our Friend, that there might be sweet intercourse between Him and
His people. This is an inestimable privilege of which we should make
constant use.
But those who would enjoy communion with the Lord must needs be
careful to avoid everything which would separate from Him. He is a
jealous God and will brook no rivals. If our fellowship with the Holy
One is to be intimate and constant, then we must keep a close guard
against grieving the Spirit. We must beware of cooling affections,
slackening in the use of means and fighting against sin, slipping back
into our old ways. If we neglect those duties there can be no real,
acceptable or satisfying drawing nigh unto God. Christ has indeed
opened a new and living way for His people into God's presence, and
has provided them with both the right and title so to do; nevertheless
there are certain moral qualifications required of them if they are to
really draw nigh unto the Holy One--certainly those who simply offer
cold and formal prayers do not do so.
There are many of God's own children who are cut off from conscious
access to Him, for their sins have caused a breach (Isa. 59:1,2):"with
the pure You will show Yourself pure; and with the forward You will
show Yourself forward"(Ps. 18:26). Loose walking severs our communion
with God, and then He acts distantly toward us: "How long will You
hide Your face from me?" (Ps.13:1) has been the sorrowful lament of
many a wayward saint. Our folly must be repented of and humbly
confessed before there can be restoration unto fellowship with God. If
we would draw near unto Him it must be with "our hearts sprinkled from
an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water"(Heb. 10:22)
that is, our internal and external man cleansed from defilement, our
members kept from evil and used for God. "Universal sanctification
upon our whole persons and the mortification in an especial manner of
outward sins are required of us in our drawing near to God" (J. Owen).
6. By rejoicing in God. How great should and may be the joy of
believing souls! To be instated in the favor of God, to have the
Almighty for our Friend, to have the light of His countenance shining
upon us. The knowledge of that in the understanding is tidings of
great joy, the sense of it in our hearts is "joy unspeakable and full
of glory."Reconciliation and the realization of it are two distinct
things. The one may be a fact, yet through unbelief or carelessness I
may lack the assurance of it. But what comfort and happiness is his
who has the assurance that he is at peace with God and the testimony
that his conscience is sprinkled with the blood of the Lamb! Then,
even though the fig tree blossom not, the fields yield no meat, and
there are no herds in the stalls, "yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I
will joy in the God of my salvation"(Hab. 3:18). "As sorrowful"over
our sins, yet "always rejoicing"in the Lord (2 Cor. 6:10) is our
bounden duty.
7. By devotedness to God. "You are not your own, for you are bought
with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit"(1
Cor 6:19,20). That summaries the responsibilities of the reconciled.
To conduct ourselves as those who are not only the creatures, the
children, but the purchased property of God, in whom He has the sole
right. Since He spared not His own Son for us, we should withhold
nothing from Him, but present ourselves unreservedly to Him as "a
living sacrifice," which is indeed "our reasonable service."We must
spare no lust, nor indulge anything which is hateful to Christ, but
denying self, take up our cross, and follow Him. Let us earnestly seek
grace for the discharge of these duties.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 31
Its Need Revisited-Concluded
_________________________________________________________________
It might be thought that we had pretty well covered this aspect in the
preceding section. Not so; there is another important phase of it
which needs to be considered. Sin has not only alienated man from God,
but man from man as well. Where there is no love to God there is no
genuine love to our fellow-men. By nature we are totally depraved, and
as such possessed of a radically selfish, evil, malicious disposition.
"The poison of asps is under their lips, whose mouth is full of
cursing and bitterness; their feet are swift to shed blood,
destruction and misery are in their ways"(Rom. 3:13-17). The record of
human history consists largely of a solemn demonstration of that fact.
Envies and enmities have marked the relationships of one nation to
another, one party against another, one individual against another.
Frictions and feuds have been the inevitable outcome of a covetous and
ferocious spirit among men, were they black or white, red or yellow.
It is only the restraining hand of God which holds men within bounds
and prevents the social sphere from becoming worse than the jungle.
Every once in a while that restraining Hand is largely withdrawn and
then, despite all our vaunted progress, human nature is seen in its
naked savagery. The truth is that men today are neither better nor
worse than they were at the beginning of this Christian era. Speaking
of God's own people during their unregeneracy, the apostle described
them as "serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and
envy, hateful and hating one another" (Titus 3:3). Such are men the
world over, though they will not own up to it, nor can they be
expected to. Since the natural man is ignorant of his inherent and
inveterate enmity against God, it not to be supposed that he is aware
of harboring such a spirit against his neighbors. But if all the
police were removed from this so-called civilized country, how long
would it be before "hateful and hating one another"was plainly and
generally manifested!
Fallen man not only requires to be reconciled to God but to his
fellows, and where the one takes place the other necessarily follows.
Reconciliation, as was shown, is one of the fruits of regeneration;
for at the new birth a new principle is imparted to its subject, so
that his enmity is displaced by amity. "Everyone that loves Him that
begat, loves him also that is begotten of Him" (1 John 5:1). The
reconciliation of a soul to God entails his reconciliation to all
saints. Since God has been reconciled to the entire Church (considered
as fallen) and its two main constituents (believing Jews and Gentiles)
are made one, it follows that each Christian is, fundamentally,
harmoniously united to all others. We say "fundamentally," for the
work of Christ has federally and legally united them. But that is not
all. He procured the Spirit for His Church and He--by the work of
regeneration--makes them vitally one in a new creation. "For by one
Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Gentiles,
bond or free, and have all been made to drink into one spirit" (I Cor.
12:13).
As the Christian's reconciliation to God entails certain clearly
marked responsibilities, so also does his reconciliation to all
fellow-believers, and these are what we shall now be occupied with.
Let us begin with that basic and comprehensive duty, "Endeavoring to
keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace"(Eph. 4:3).
Concerning that simple precept there has been much confusion, both as
to its meaning and requirement, with almost endless controversy about
church union and divisions. Man, with his usual perversity, has
changed that exhortation to "Zealously attempt to make and enforce a
human unity,"anathematizing all who will not subscribe and conform
unto the same. Romanists have made the greatest outcry about church
unity, vehemently contending that it is indispensably necessary that
all Christians should submit to the papal authority, and that there is
no salvation for anyone dying outside their communion. Thus, a visible
and carnal union with an Italian pontiff is preferred to an invisible,
spiritual and saving union with the Christ of God.
We do not propose to cover now the various efforts and devices of men
since the Reformation to bring into existence organizations for unity
and uniformity among professing Christians, both in creed and form of
worship, such as State Churches "by law established,"denominations
which have laid claim to being the "true Church"or "churches of
Christ,"nor the high pretensions of those who rather more than a
century ago denounced all sects and systems and alleged that they
alone met on "the ground of Christ's Body" and "expressed" the unity
of the Spirit, only to split up in a very short time into numerous
factions and conflicting "fellowships."No, our object here is not to
be controversial but constructive, to give a brief exposition of
Ephesians 4:1-6, and then point out the practical application and
bearing of the same. We cannot intelligently "keep the unity of the
Spirit"until we rightly understand what that "unity" is;may He
graciously be our Guide.
"I therefore the .prisoner of the Lord beseech you that you walk
worthy of the vocation with which you are called.. . endeavoring to
keep" etc. (Eph. 4:1-3). That exhortation holds the same place in this
epistle as 12:1 does in that of the Romans, being placed at the
forefront of the hortatory section, and we at once observe the verbal
resemblances between them in the "therefore"by which it is supported,
and the "I beseech you"the earnestness with which the call is made.
Standing as it does at the beginning of the practical division of the
epistle, taking precedence of all its other precepts, we have
emphasized its deep importance. It was written by the apostle during
his incarceration at Rome, but it is blessed to mark that He looked
above Caesar, regarding himself as "the prisoner of the Lord."
Therefore we find his heart was occupied not with his own danger or
discomfort, but with the glory of Christ and the interests of His
redeemed. He asked not the saints to "get up a petition"for his
release, nor even to pray for it, but was concerned that they should
conduct themselves in a way which would bring glory to his Master.
The "I therefore beseech you that you walk worthy.. . endeavouring to
keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace"requires that we
carefully consult what precedes, for it is the contents of Ephesians
1-3 which explains the force of 4:1-3. First, it should be pointed out
that the Greek word rendered "bond"is not the simple "desmos"but
rather the compound "sun-desmos"--joining--bond. This at once links up
with and is based upon the "fellow-citizens" of 2:19, the "being fitly
framed together"and "builded together"(2:21,22), and the
"fellow-heirs, and a joint-body, and joint partakers of His
promise"(3:6 --Greek), where in each case, the reference is to the
union of believing Jews and Gentiles in the mystical Body of Christ.
It is therefore an affectionate plea that those who in their
unregenerate days had been bitterly hostile against each other, should
now walk together in love and harmony. The same Greek word occurs in
the parallel passage in Col. 3: "above all things put on charity,
which is the joint bond of perfectness"(v. 14), which throws clear
light on the verse we are now considering.
"I therefore. . . beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation
wherewith you are called,"which is unto sonship--holiness and glory,
conformity to the image of Christ. The inestimable privileges
conferred upon those who are effectually called by God out of darkness
into His marvelous light, obligates its favored recipients to order
their lives accordingly. It requires from them a distinctive spirit, a
particular disposition and temper, which is to be exercised and
manifested in their dealings with fellow-saints. They are to conduct
themselves with humility and gentleness, not with self-assertiveness
and self-exaltation. They are required to seek the good and promote
the interests of their brethren and sisters in Christ, and continually
endeavor to preserve amity and concord among them, "to bear with one
another in love as to those light occasions of offence or displeasure
which could not be wholly avoided even among believers in this present
imperfect state" (T. Scott).
For the Christian to walk worthily of his vocation is for him to live
and act congruously, suitably for it. Here it has particular reference
to the spirit and manner in which he is to practically conduct himself
toward his fellow-saints, namely, by endeavoring to keep the unity of
the Spirit in the bond of peace. That word "endeavoring" means far
more than a half-hearted effort which ceases as soon as opposition is
encountered. It signifies "give diligence,"laboring earnestly, doing
our utmost in performing this task. The nature of this duty is
intimated with considerable definiteness by the particular graces
which are here specified as needing to be exercised. Had that "unity"
consisted of uniformity of belief--as many have supposed, then the
saints had been exhorted unto the acquirement of "knowledge" and the
exercise of "faith." Or had that unity been an ecclesiastical one
which is to be framed or "expressed" on earth, then the call would be
to the exercise of "faithfulness" and "firmness,"in uncompromisingly
resisting all innovations. But instead, it is "with all lowliness and
meekness, forbearing one another in love."
Thus whatever is our angle of approach in seeking to define this
controversial expression, whether it is from the contents of the
previous chapters, the parallel passage in Colossians 3:14, or the
congruity of the preceding verse, it should be clear that the "unity
of the Spirit"which we are to diligently assay to keep "in the bond of
peace" has no reference to the formation of an external and visible
unification of all professing Christians, in which all differences in
judgment and belief are to be dropped and where all worship is to
conform to a common standard. The union of Christendom which so many
enthusiasts have advocated would, in reality, consist of a unity in
which principle gave way to policy, contending earnestly for the Faith
once delivered to the saints would be displaced by the uttering of
mere generalities and moral platitudes, and the masculine virtues
degenerating into an effeminate affection of universal charity. Sheep
and goats will never make amicable companions, still less so sheep and
wolves. Variety and not uniformity marks all the works of God, whether
it is in creation, providence or grace.
The unity of the Spirit is not an ecclesiastical one here on earth,
nor is it one which God will make in Heaven by and by. Nor is it the
unity of the mystical Body, for that can no more be broken than could
a bone in the literal body of Christ (John 18:36). The very fact that
it is "the unity of the Spirit" precludes any visible ecclesiastical
unity. It is a fact subsisting to faith, without any evidence of it to
sight. It is therefore a Divine, spiritual and present unity which is
quite imperceptible to the senses. It is that unity of which the
Spirit is the Author. It is the new creation of which He makes God's
elect members by regeneration. Every soul indwelt by the Spirit is a
part of that unity, and none others are. By being made members of the
new creation we are brought into "the joint-bond of peace."Each soul
indwelt by the Spirit is inducted into a company where enmity has been
slain, in which the members are united as the fruit of Christ's
sacrifice, and they are here enjoined to act in full harmony with this
new relationship.
By virtue of his having the Spirit each Christian is in spirit united
with all other regenerated souls, and he is to give diligence in
practically observing that fact in all his converse and dealings with
them. He is to earnestly avoid falling out with a brother or sister in
Christ, being most careful to eschew everything having a tendency to
cause a breach between them. He is to love all in whom he can discern
any of the features of Christ, whether or not they belong to his own
"church"or "assembly."He is to exercise good will unto all who are
members the Household of Faith. He should be slow to take offence, and
having himself received mercy, should ever be merciful unto others.
God's reconciliation should be our rule in dealing with our brethren:
"If God so loved us, we ought also to love one another"(1 John 4:11),
and since His heart embraces the whole of His family, ours should do
no less. If He is longsuffering to usward, we should be longsuffering
to themward. "Be you therefore imitators of God as dear children"(Eph.
5:1).
Now the only possible way in which the reconciled soul can discharge
this essential and blessed part of his responsibility is by exercising
those graces enjoined in verse 2. After beseeching the saints to walk
worthy of their vocation, Paul described the necessary qualifications
for so doing, namely, "with all lowliness and meekness, forbearing one
another in love." Lowliness of mind or humility is to have a mean
estimate of myself, based upon the consciousness of my sinfulness and
weakness. Let it be most attentively noted that the exercise of this
grace comes first, and that it is not only "with lowliness,"but "with
all lowliness."Nothing so hinders our keeping the unity of the Spirit
in the bond of peace as personal pride. Next comes "meekness," which
signifies tractability, gentleness, mildness; an unresisting and
uncomplaining temper. It is that lamb-like disposition which enables
one to bear injury from others without bitterness and retaliating in a
spirit of revenge. "Forbearing one another in love:"suppressing anger
and ill feelings, patiently enduring the failings, foibles, and faults
of my brethren, as they do (or should) mine.
Those grace of humility, meekness and longsuffering are to be
manifested in keeping--recognizing and cherishing--that spiritual and
invisible unity which there is between the children of God, loving all
in whom they perceive His image doing everything in their power to
further one another's interests and to promote harmony and concord.
For the glory of God, the honor of Christ, and the good of His people,
each believer is under bonds to exercise and manifest a spirit of good
will unto his brethren; that is to override all natural peculiarities,
all selfish interests, all party concerns. That does not mean a peace
at any price, wherein we connive at error or condone the sins of an
erring saint, making no effort to recover him. No indeed, the wisdom
which is from above is "first pure, and then peaceable" (Jas. 3:17).
If we perceive a professing Christian walking contrary to the Truth,
we are to have no intimate fellowship with him, "yet count him not as
an enemy, but admonish him as a brother" (2 Thess. 3:15); if he is
suddenly overtaken in a fault we should, in the spirit of meekness,
seek to restore him (Gal. 6:1).
Rightly did Matt. Henry point out that "The seat of Christian unity is
in the heart or spirit; it does not lie in one set of thoughts and
form or mode of worship, but in one heart or soul." In other words it
lies in the exercise of a gracious and peaceable disposition. As that
writer so aptly pointed out, "Love is the law of Christ's kingdom, the
lesson of His school, and the livery of His family." If Christ is the
Prince of Peace, then surely His disciples ought to be the children of
peace, ever striving to maintain amity and harmony. The root cause of
strife and dissension lies not in anything external, but within
ourselves: "From where come wars and fightings among you? Come they
not here even of your lusts that war in your members?"(Jas. 4:1). We
should not rudely obtrude our ideas upon others, but rather wait until
we are asked to state our views, and then do so with meekness and
reverence (1 Pet. 3:15). The cultivation of an amiable disposition and
peaceable temper is the best cement for binding saints together. In
verses 4-6 the apostle mentions several motives to prompt unto a
compliance with the duty expressed in Ephesians 4:1,3. "There is one
Body, and one Sprit, even as you are called in one hope of your
calling."What better grounds could believers have to love and act
peaceably toward each other! They are fellow-members of the mystical
body of Christ, they are indwelt by the same blessed Spirit, they are
begotten unto the same glorious and eternal inheritance. Do they look
forward to the time when they shall join "the spirits of just men made
perfect"?Then let them anticipate that time and act now agreeably
toward those they hope to dwell together with forever. "One Lord, one
faith, one baptism." There may be different apprehensions of that
Faith, different degrees of conformity to that Lord, different
understandings of "baptism," but that must not alienate the heart of
one Christian from another. "One God, and Father of all," whose family
all the reconciled belong to; and should not the members of that
family cherish one another! Let that sevenfold consideration animate
each of us to live in peace and brotherly affection with our
fellow-saints.
The unity of the Spirit differs from the oneness of the Body, in that
while we may either keep or break the former, we can do neither the
one nor the other with the latter. The responsibility of those
reconciled to each other is, negatively, to avoid anything which would
mar that unity; and positively, to engage in everything that would
further it. Pride, self-will, envy, bigotry, fleshly zeal about
comparative trifles, are the causes of most of the frictions and
fractions among believers. "Only by pride comes contention." (Prov.
13:19). That is the most fertile root of all--offence is taken because
I do not receive that notice to which I deem myself entitled, or I am
hurt because I cannot have my own way in everything. "A whisperer
separates chief friends"(Nov. 16:28): but he can only do so by one
giving ear to his malicious tales! An acquaintance of ours used to say
unto those who come to her with evil reports of others, "Please take
your garbage elsewhere: I decline to receive it."
"Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember
that your brother has anything against you; leave there your gift
before the altar and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother,
and then come and offer your gift"(Matthew 5:23,24). How emphatically
that makes manifest the importance which God attaches to our keeping
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace! When that unity has been
broken, He desires not our gifts. If you have done a brother an injury
and he has just cause of complaint, peace has been disrupted, and the
Holy One requires you to right that wrong before He will receive your
worship. "If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me"
(Ps. 66:18). God is as much the Father of the offended one as He is of
you, and He will receive nothing at your hand until you remove that
stumblingstone from before your brother. No worship or service can
possibly be acceptable to God while I cherish a malicious spirit
toward any of His children.
When a minister of the Church of England gives notice of an
approaching "Holy Communion" he is required to read unto those
expecting to participate from an exhortation containing these words:
"And if you shall perceive your offences to be such as are not only
against God, but also against your neighbor, then you shall reconciled
yourself unto them; being ready to make restitution and satisfaction,
according to the uttermost of your power, for all injuries and wrongs
done by you to any other; and being likewise ready to forgive others
that have offended you, as you would have forgiveness of your offence
at God's hand. For otherwise the receiving of the Holy Communion does
nothing else than increase your damnation." Alas that there is so
little of such plain and faithful warning in most sections of
Christendom today, and that Christ is so often insulted by His
"Supper" being celebrated in places where bitter feelings are
cherished and breaches exist between the celebrants.
The following precepts are so many illustrations of Ephesians 4:3 and
so many branches of the responsibility saintwards of each reconciled
soul. "Have peace one with another"(Mark 9:50). "You ought also to
wash one another's feet. . . love one another"(John 13:14,34). "Be
kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love, in honor
preferring one another" (Rom.12:10). "Admonish one another"(Rom.
15:14). "By love serve one another...bear one another's burdens"(Gal.
5:13; 6:2). "Be kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one
another as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you" (Eph. 4:32). "In
lowliness of mind let each one esteem other better than
themselves"(Phil. 2:3). "Comfort yourselves together and edify one
another"(1Thess. 5:11). "Exhort one another. . . consider one another
to provoke unto love and good works"(Heb. 3:13; 10:24). "Speak not
evil one of another"(Jas. 4:11). "Use hospitality one to another. . .
all of you be subject one to another" (1 Pet. 4:8; 5:5).
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The Doctrine of Reconciliation
by A. W. Pink
Conclusion
_________________________________________________________________
In the course of our explanation of this doctrine we have sought to
make a comprehensive view of it as a whole and then to examine in
detail its essential components. Truth is a unit, one harmonious
whole, but with our very limited powers of comprehension we are
incapable of receiving it as such: rather do we take it in "here a
little, there a little."That is according as God has constituted us.
When endeavoring to master a subject or problem which is presented to
the mind, we are obliged to consider singly its several elements and
branches. When partaking of material food we do not attempt to swallow
it whole, but first break it into fragments and then masticate them.
It is thus with the spiritual ailment which God has provided for the
soul. Unless we carefully collate all that the Spirit has revealed on
the subject, duly ponder each aspect and view it in its true
perspective,
Though Truth is a unit, it has two sides to it. It had in the
communicating of it: it is a Divine revelation, yet it passed through
the minds of holy men and is couched in their language. It is thus
with its contents, as a whole and all its parts. There is both a
Divine and a human side to it, issuing from God, addressed to men:
revealing His heart and will, enforcing our responsibility. That
necessarily presents a problem to the finite mind, the more so since
our mind is impaired by the ravages of sin. As man is constructed, he
is unable to take in both sides of the Truth at a single glance, being
obliged to view each separately. Unless he does so, a distorted vision
will inevitably ensue, for while contemplating but one half he will
imagine that he is actually viewing the whole. Now those two sides of
the Truth are not contradictory, but complementary. Since God is God,
He must maintain His sovereign rights and enforce His authority; and
since He has constituted man a moral agent, He deals with him
accordingly--having absolute control over
This twofoldness of truth is exhibited in every doctrine contained in
Holy Writ, in every aspect of the Faith, in every branch of the
Evangelical system, and it is in the maintaining of a due proportion
and balance between them that the competency and helpfulness of any
expositor chiefly appears, as it is also the hardest part of his task.
Most conspicuously is this the case with the doctrine we have been
treated of, for not only is reconciliation itself a mutual affair, but
Scripture presents reconciliation as being both an accomplished thing
and also as something now being effected--according as it is viewed
from the standpoint of what Christ wrought at the cross, or from what
is required of the sinner in order for him to personally enter into
the good of what the Redeemer there procured. It is specially for the
benefit of the young preacher--scores of which will read them--that
these closing paragraphs are penned, for unless he is quite clear upon
this distinction, his trumpet
When was God really reconciled to the Christian? At the cross or when
he savingly believed the Gospel? That question has been discussed
earlier, yet we believe that some will welcome a further elucidation.
On this subject, as so many, the Puritans are much to be preferred to
the best writers of the nineteenth century. "God is never actually
reconciled to us, nor we to Him, till He gives us the regenerated
Spirit" (T. Manton). "For the preparing us to be reconciled it is
necessary that we are convinced that we are enemies to God, and that
He accounts us such, and that so long as we remain in that state He is
also an enemy to us" (T. Goodwin). "There is a double reconciliation
here (2 Cor. 5:18,19). First, fundamental, at the death of Christ,
whereby it was obtained, This is the ground of God's laying aside His
anger. Second, actual or particular, when it is complied with by
faith. This regards the application of it, when God does actually lay
aside His enmity, and imputes sin no more to the "(S. Charnock).
Elsewhere Charnock says, "He acts toward the world as a reconciling
God towards believers as reconciled. He is reconcilable as long as He
is inviting and keeps men alive in a state of probation." The Puritans
drew a plain and broad line of demarcation between the impetration [to
obtain by request] or purchase of salvation, and the actual
application or bestowing of the same. "By impetration we mean the
purchase of all good things made by Christ for us with and of the
Father; and by application, the actual enjoyment of those good things
upon our believing; as if a man paid a price for the redeeming of
captives, the paying a price supplies the room of the impetration of
which we speak, and the freeing of the captives is the application of
it" (J. Owen). Christ merited and obtained the reconciliation of both
sides, yet God is not reconciled to us nor are we to Him until we
repent and believe. So it is in justification: Christ wrought out a
perfect and everlasting righteousness for all His people, yet God does
not impute that righteousness to any of them until they savingly
believe the
While most of the best theologians of the last century recognized the
necessary distinction between the impetration and the application of
reconciliation, yet often they failed to frame their postulates
consistently therewith. For instance, one of the most eminent of them,
and for whose works we have a high regard, stated, "On the ground of
God's reconciliation to us, we are exhorted to be reconciled to Him,
and the great motive or encouragement is His previous reconciliation."
That such language was not simply a slip of the pen (to which all are
liable) is clear from what follows in his next paragraph. "`The
chastisement of our peace,'by which peace was procured, `was upon Him,
and with His stripes we are healed.' God was reconciled when that was
done, and made justice cease to demand our punishment." It is because
such teaching has been so widely received and has led to serious
mischief in the evangelical ministry, that
To affirm that God is reconciled to sinners, or if you prefer it, to
His elect, before they are reconciled to Him, is an unintentional but
tacit repudiation of John 3:36: "He that believes not the Son shall
not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." Note it is not "the
wrath of God shall come upon him," but it is on him now and remains so
as long as he is an unbeliever. In these respects there is no
difference whatever between the elect and the non-elect. All are "by
nature the children of wrath,"under the Covenant of Works, and
therefore under the curse and condemnation of the Law. The work of
Christ has not changed the attitude of a holy God toward a single soul
who continues in love with sin and a rebel against Him. "He is angry
with the wicked every day"(Ps. 7:11), and "the wrath of God is
revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of
men"(Rom. 1:18). It is not until the sinner repents and savingly
believes the Gospel that he passes from one state to another and the
frown of God is displaced by His smile (John 3:18; 5:24). Of the elect
(1 Pet. 2:10) it is that "which had not obtained mercy, but now have
obtained mercy"(2:10).
This is another declaration from a nineteenth century theologian of
high repute, and to whose works we are personally indebted not a
little: "God is reconciled: He is no longer angry with the sinner, for
he is no longer a sinner in the eye of God and His justice." Had he
said, "the penitent and believing sinner," that would be blessedly
true: instead he was discussing what Christ's work had accomplished
Godwards. In the same paragraph he averred, "All the chosen people are
redeemed," which is another statement badly in need of qualification
and explanation. Christ indeed "gave Himself a ransom for all"--His
people (1 Tim. 2:6), and He did so "that He might redeem us from all
iniquity"(Titus 2:14), but none then unborn were actually
"redeemed."The correct way to state it is this: redemption was
purchased for all the chosen people by Christ, and "in due time"(1
Tim. 2:6) they are made partakers of that redemption by the effectual
operation of the Holy Spirit. Believers alone are actually redeemed or
emancipated, and it is of them such passages as
It is only by attending closely to the exact wording of Scripture and
refusing to go one iota beyond its statements, that we are preserved
from confusion and error. Christ was made sin for us "that we might be
made the righteousness of God in Him"(2 Cor. 5:21).It is not said that
"Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to all His people,"but
"to everyone that believes"(Rom. 10:4). "Though He was rich, yet for
our sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might be
rich"(2 Cor. 8:9). He was "made a curse for us...that the blessing of
Abraham might come to the Gentiles"(Gal. 3:13,14). Christ "suffered
for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God"(1
Pet. 3:18). But we are not actually made rich or partakers of the
blessing of Abraham, nor brought to God, until we repent and believe.
As we must distinguish between the impetration and the application of
the atonement, so also must we between the grace of God decreeing and
the execution of the decree of His grace. The "all spiritual
blessings"of Eph. 1:3 include regeneration, yet
"We were reconciled to God by the death of His Son" (Rom. 5:10)
impetratively, for God has accepted Christ's ransom, yet He does not
apply it till faith is exercised by us. Reconciliation, redemption and
justification are alike the results of Christ's satisfaction, the
blessings which He purchased for His people, but they are only
bestowed upon them when they are personally reconciled to God. "God
the Father justifies, through the Son, by the Spirit, who works faith
to receive the same. But until those things meet together our persons
are not properly justified, notwithstanding Christ has wrought out a
complete righteousness" (W. Bridge, 1670), nor is God reconciled to us
till the Spirit has wrought faith in our hearts. In the light of
Romans 3:25 and 26 are we not fully warranted in saying that, Christ
is set forth a propitiation through faith in His blood that God might
be holy, and yet the Reconciler of him who ceases to defy His
authority and sues for mercy
Though the governmental requirements of God demand that the sinner end
his revolt before He will be reconciled to him, that by no means
implies any doubt of Christ's satisfaction securing its designed
effects. The atonement has done very much more than remove legal
obstacles which previously stood in the way of friendship between God
and men or opened the door for Him to bestow peace and pardon upon all
who would accept them, as the Arminian speaks; it has absolutely
guaranteed the salvation of all for whom it was made. So far from the
word "might"in the passages quoted, above denoting uncertainty, it is
expressive of design and intimates the sure consequence that follows
from Christ's sacrifice. As the Westminster Confession of Faith so
well puts it, "To all those for whom Christ purchased redemption, He
does certainly and effectually apply and communicate the same," where
the word "redemption" is used--as it often is in Scripture--as
including all the blessings which it 's death to procure.
That there is a human side to the Evangelical system by no means
introduces an element of uncertainty into it or jeopardizes its
success. "God is in one mind and who can turn Him? And what His soul
desires, even that He does"(Job 13:13). The Arminian comes short of
the full truth when he says, "All was done on Christ's part which was
necessary to make possible the reconciliation and pardon of sinners,
and it is now left with them whether they will receive or reject the
Gospel offer," and that "since God has constituted man a moral agent,
He requires his voluntary cooperation." Christ's sacrifice has made
certain the reconciliation and redemption of all for whom it was
offered, for it ensured that He would "see the travail of His soul and
be satisfied." Christ's impetration secured an infallible provision
for the effectual application, namely, the gift of the Holy Spirit,
who by His invincible operations should regenerate each of Christ's
"seed" and work saving repentance and faith in them. Though eternal
life, repentance and faith are the "gifts"of God, they are also the
fruits of Christ's atonement, and are conferred upon all in
Instead of merely opening a door of salvation for the whole of Adam's
posterity to enter if they feel disposed to, the atoning work of
Christ has effectually secured the actual salvation, of all the people
of God, for by the wisdom of the Divine counsels and the power of the
Spirit they are brought to gladly concur with God's will, and put
their trust in the blood of the Lamb. Nevertheless, God still enforces
the righteous requirements of His government and treats with men
according to their responsibility, sending forth His ambassadors to
charge them with their wickedness, bidding them to be reconciled to
God, and assuring them of His gracious acceptance upon their ceasing
to fight against Him. Before the sinner can enjoy the benefits of
Christ's death he must consent to return to the duty of the Law and
live in obedience to God, for He will not pardon him while he
continues to live in rebellion against Him. The Gospel calls upon men
to repent of their sins, forsake their idols, and enter into solemn
covenant with God, yielding
The work of the evangelist is clearly defined: the O. T. precedes the
New, the ministry of John the Baptist went before that of Christ, the
substance of Romans 1-3 is to be preached before the truth of Romans 4
and 5 is proclaimed. His first duty is to preach the Moral Law, for
"by the Law is the knowledge of sin"(Rom. 3:20): its requirements, its
strictness, its spirituality, its curse, that his hearers may be
brought to realize their guilty and lost condition. Coupled with this
preaching of the Law must be a presentation of the character of the
Lawgiver and His claims upon the creatures of His hand: that He is
sovereign Lord, demanding unqualified submission to His will; that He
is ineffably holy, hating all sin and iniquity; that He is inflexibly
just and "will by no means clear the guilty," and will yet judge every
man according to his works. Conviction of sin, by the application of
the Law to the conscience, is the first step in the progress by which
men are led to take hold of God's covenant. Peace with God, which the
covenant established, will be sought and prized by none except those
who are conscious of their guilt and dread the
The second duty of the evangelist is to preach the Gospel, and that,
in such a manner, that he neither contradicts nor weakens what is
pointed out in the preceding paragraph--though complementing it. He is
to show that the principal design of God in sending His Son here was
to magnify the' Law, to manifest His detestation of sin, to exhibit
His justice; all of which was solemnly seen at the cross. He is then
to open the wondrous grace of God in giving His Son to execute His
mission and perform His work, not only for the glory of God but the
good of sinners. He is to show the amazing thing is that God takes the
initiative, that in Christ He makes the advances, that by Christ
provision is made for the healing of the breach, and that He sends
forth His servants to make overtures of peace, bidding sinners "be
reconciled to Him"--to be converted, to repent of their sins, abandon
their wicked ways, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and walk
according to His
It is the duty of the evangelist to show that though Christ is read to
be the Friend of sinners, yet He will not be the Minister of sin, but
rather maintains the honor and interests of the Father at every point.
His call is, "Come unto Me, all you that labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest." That is, Come unto Me, all you that have in
vain sought satisfaction in gratifying self and partaking of the
pleasures of sin, and are now weighed down with burdened consciences
and a sense of the deserved wrath of God. "Take My yoke upon you. . .
and you shall find rest unto your souls."That is, Own My sceptre,
surrender to My lordship, walk in obedience to My commandments, and
rest of soul shall be your portion. The One who made satisfaction to
God tells us the benefits of it are received only through our
believing (John 3:16), and that is an act which principally respects
the will. The believe is to "receive" Christ (John 1:12) as He is
offered in the Gospel: to receive a whole
The work of the pastor or teacher is to further instruct those who
have responded to the message of the evangelist. He is to show that as
God out of Christ was an offended and threatening God, God in Christ
is an appeased and promising God. He is to make it clear that the
reason why those who responded to the call and appeal of the
evangelist was not because they were in themselves wiser or better
than those who reject it, but that it was God who made them to differ
(1 Cor. 4:7). That God did so first, by choosing them in Christ before
the foundation of the world; second, by giving them as sheep to the
good Shepherd for Him to save; third, by causing the Holy Spirit to
bring them from death unto life, illumine their understandings,
convict them of their lost estate, and make them willing to receive
Christ. Thus they have no cause for boasting, but every reason to
ascribe all the glory unto the
Should the young preacher say, I am not yet quite clear in my mind,
especially does the doctrine of election puzzle me as to exactly how I
should address the unsaved. Neither election nor particular redemption
should in anywise cramp your style. Your commission is to preach the
Gospel to "every creature"you can reach, and the Gospel is that
"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"(1 Tim. 1:15), and
therefore you are warranted in telling your hearers that there is a
Savior for every sinner out of Hell who feels his need of Him and is
willing to comply with His terms. Your first business is to show him
his need of Christ and count upon the Spirit's making your efforts
effectual, assured that God's Word shall not return unto Him void,
whether or not you are permitted to see its fruits. But if you are
granted the privilege of seeing some comply with Christ's terms, then
you may know that they are members of that Church which Christ loved
and gave Himself for, and that the Spirit
The evangelist's message is that there is salvation in Christ for all
who receive Him as He is offered in the Gospel and put their trust in
Him. Though Christ purchased reconciliation and justification for all
His people, yet they do not receive the same until they repent and
believe. God is willing to be on terms of amity with the sinner, yet
He will not be so until the sinner submit to those terms. Christ has
perfectly made peace with God, so that no other ransom or sacrifice is
required, yet none are admitted into it until they make their peace
with God. God has appointed a connection-- a moral and holy
one--between the blessings purchased by Christ and the actual
conveyance of them to His people. Though Christ died in order to
procure Heaven for them by His merits, He also died to procure for
them the regenerating operations of His Spirit to prepare them for
Heaven. The test or evidence of our compliance with God's terms is a
life of voluntary obedience: "as many as walk according to this rule,
peace be on them and mercy"(Gal. 6:16)--"mercy" toward their defects.
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THE DOCTRINE OF REVELATION
Introduction
_________________________________________________________________
During the past 15 years we have devoted nearly a quarter of each
issue of Studies in the Scriptures to an expository unfolding of some
portion of doctrinal truth, and were it possible to relive those years
we should not alter that plan. Two Timothy 3:16, 17, mentions some of
the principal uses and values which the sacred Scriptures possess for
us, and the first mentioned is that they are "profitable for
doctrine." There is an inseparable connection between doctrine and
deportment: our convictions mold our characters--what we believe
largely determines how we act--"as he thinketh in his heart, so is he"
(Prov. 23:7). To be soundly indoctrinated and to be well-grounded in
the Truth is one and the same thing, and nothing but the Truth
operating in the soul will preserve us from error, either theoretical
or practical. Of the primitive Christians it is said, "They continued
steadfastly [1] in the Apostles' doctrine, and [2] fellowship, and [3]
in breaking of bread, and [4] in prayers" (Acts 2:42), which at once
indicates that they esteemed soundness in the Faith as of first
importance, and were of a radically different spirit from those who
are so indifferent to the fundamentals of Christianity, insinuating,
if not openly saying, "It matters little what a man believes if his
life is good."
The relation between sound doctrine and godly deportment is like unto
that between the bones and flesh of the body, or between the tree and
the fruit which it bears: the latter cannot exist without the former.
The first Epistle of the New Testament exemplifies our remark:
three-fourths of it is occupied with a laying down of the essentials
of Christianity, ere the Apostle shows what is requisite for the
adornment of the Christian character. The history of Christendom
during the last four centuries strikingly illustrates our contention.
Examine the writings of the Reformers, and what do you find? Why, that
exposition of doctrine held the foremost place in their ministry: that
was the light which God used to deliver so great a part of Europe from
the popish ignorance and superstition which characterized "the dark
ages"! The moral tendency upon the masses and the spiritual blessings
communicated to God's people by doctrinal preaching appears in the
time of the Puritans. Since that day, in proportion as the churches
have departed from their doctrinal fidelity and zeal, has close
walking with God, purity and uprightness before men, and morality in
the masses declined.
Each of our previous doctrinal discussions has taken one thing for
granted, namely, that the Scriptures (to which we constantly appealed)
are the inspired Word of God. Until recently the majority of our
readers were residents of the U.S.A., and since there was available a
book which we had had published there on that basic and vital subject,
there was the less need for us to write thereon in these pages.
Moreover, we were fully justified in taking a belief of that truth for
granted, for the inerrancy and Divine authority of Holy Writ is a
settled axiom with all true Christians, seeing that it constitutes the
foundation of all their faith and the ground of all their hope. But
since our book on the Divine Inspiration of the Scriptures is not at
present obtainable by our British and Australian readers (for we
decline to handle it while the disparity between the pound and the
dollar persists), and since the tides of skepticism and infidelity
continue to advance and constitute such a solemn menace unto the
young, we feel moved to make an effort to show how strong and how sure
are the foundations on which the faith of the Christian rests.
What we propose doing in this book, namely, to make a serious attempt
to assist some of those who have inhaled the poisonous fumes of
infidelity and been left in a state of mental indecision concerning
sacred things, is something quite different from the course we usually
follow in our magazine, Studies in the Scriptures. In view of the
bewilderment and uncertainty of many, and the shaken faith of others,
it appears our duty to do so, and we trust our friends will make a
point of reading this unto those of their children likely to need it,
and that preachers will feel free to use portions in preparing special
sermons or addresses for the young. Our principal object will be to
set forth some of the numerous indications that the Bible is something
far superior to any human production, but before doing that we must
seek to establish the existence of its Divine Author. The later
chapters will be designed chiefly for preachers or older students of
the Word, presenting as they will, some of the rules which require to
be heeded if the Scriptures are to be properly interpreted; and though
their scope will go beyond the general title of "Divine revelation,"
yet they will complement and complete the earlier ones.
Under our present title, then, we purpose to treat (DV.) of that
revelation which God has given or that discovery which He makes of
Himself unto the sons of men. If we were writing a comprehensive and
systematic treatise on the whole subject, we should devote a
proportionate space unto the manifestations which God has made of
Himself First, in creation, or the external world; second, in the
moral nature--particularly the conscience--of man; third, in the
controlling and shaping of human history by Providence. Fourth, in His
incarnate Son; fifth, in the sacred Scriptures; sixth, in the saving
revelation which He makes of Himself unto the souls of His regenerate
people, and finally, in the beatific vision, when we shall "know as we
are known." But, instead, we shall deal more briefly with the first
four, and concentrate chiefly upon the Scriptures, presenting some of
the evidences of their Divine Authorship, then pointing out some of
the principles which govern their right interpretation, and then the
application which is to be made of their contents. This is a
considerable task to essay, rendered the more difficult because we
desire to hold the interest of, and (under God) make this book
profitable unto a considerable variety of readers--young and old,
believers and unbelievers.
The present generation has, for the most part, been reared not only in
an atmosphere of negative unbelief but of hostile unbelief. They live
in a world where materialism and skepticism are rampant and dominant.
In the great majority of homes the Sunday newspaper is the only thing
read on the Lord's Day. Doubt as to moral and spiritual truth is
distilled through a score of channels. Our seats of learning are
hotbeds of agnosticism. Our literature, with rare exceptions, makes
light of God, and jokes about sacred things. The newspapers, the radio
broadcasts, public utterances and private conversations, are steadily
but surely removing the foundations of righteousness and destroying
what little faith in spiritual things still remain. The vast majority
in the English-speaking world are totally ignorant of the contents of
the Bible, know not that it is a Divine revelation, yea, question
whether there be any God at all. Yet modern skepticism is rarely
candid, but is rather a refuge in which multitudes are sheltering from
an accusing conscience. With such we are not here concerned, for where
a prejudiced mind and a caviling spirit obtain, argument is useless;
and we can but leave them unto the sovereign mercy of the Lord.
Even those brought up in Christian homes are being corrupted by the
paganism of modern education, are bewildered by the conflicting
teachings they receive from parents and the school, and are harassed
by doubts. Some of them are honestly seeking a resolving of their
doubts, and it has become a pressing duty devolving upon the servant
of God to recognize the mental conflict taking place in the minds of
his youthful hearers, and to seek to meet their more immediate need by
presenting some of the "Christian evidences." It is therefore our
desire and will be our endeavour in the earlier chapters to be of some
help unto those who may have become entangled in Satan's snares, who
have been seriously disturbed by the infidelity of this age, but are
willing to carefully examine some of the "strong reasons" by which it
is rational to believe in the existence of a living and personal God
and to receive the Scriptures as an authoritative and inerrent
revelation from Him--and that it is not only the most horrible impiety
but the height of irrationality to doubt the one or call into question
the other.
There are some likely to deem our present procedure as being needless
if not actually wrong, considering that the existence of God and the
authority of His Word are matters to be reverently believed and not
argued. Though we respect their conviction, we do not share the same.
We fully agree that a rational discussion cannot produce anything but
a rational faith, but even that should not be despised. Something has
been accomplished if we can take away a stumbling block from the path
of inquirers: the removal of weeds is necessary to prepare the garden
for the seed. Though no external evidence, however weighty, can
savingly convert the soul, it can carry conviction to the reason and
conscience. Such arguments as we propose to submit are sufficient in
themselves to beget in the mind a sober, intelligent, and firm
judgment that there is a God and that the Bible is His inspired Word.
It is much to be thankful for if we can bring the serious minded to
respect and read the Scriptures, waiting for a spiritual confirmation.
Intellectual persuasion and motives of credibility are not the ground
on which a spiritual faith rests, yet they often prove (under the
Divine blessing) a paving of the way thereunto.
Nor is an appeal unto external evidences of the Truth, which address
themselves to and are apprehended by the reasoning faculty of our
minds, without value to the child of God. They are confirmatory of his
faith, support it against the oppositions and objections of others,
and relieve the mind under temptations to doubt. In such a day as
this, the young Christian especially needs all the help he can obtain
in order to withstand the assaults of the Enemy. Even older ones are
prone to give way to doubting, and cannot be too strongly established
in the fundamentals of the Faith. Moreover, such a course serves to
exhibit the excellence of our profession and the impregnable rock on
which it is founded. It enables us to perceive what good grounds and
satisfactory confirmation we have for the Faith which we avow. Wisdom
is justified of her children (Matt. 11:19), and it behooves them to be
equipped to justify their profession, if for no other reason than to
close the mouths of gainsayers. A Christian should be capable of
knowing and giving expression to the distinct and special reasons why
he believes in God and reveres His Word--that he has something more
substantial and valuable than human "tradition" to appeal unto.
Before entering upon our immediate task it should be acknowledged that
it is not possible to prove the existence of God by mathematical
demonstration, for if such proof were procurable there would be no
room left for the exercise of faith. Yet, on the other hand, it must
be pointed out that it is equally impossible to demonstrate the
non-existence of the Creator. But though we cannot prove to a
demonstration that God is, yet we can adduce evidence so clear and
weighty as must impel, if not compel us to accept His existence as a
fact. Those evidences, when carefully pondered, separately and
together, afford the strongest possible ground for believing in the
Divine Maker of Heaven and earth: the probability actually amounting
to the height of moral certainty. There are certain great facts of
Nature which call for an explanation, such as the existence of matter,
the existence of motion, and the existence of life. The heathen had
sufficient perspicuity to realize "Ex nihilo nihil"--from nothing,
nothing comes; and if we reject the truth that "the worlds were framed
by the Word of God" (Heb. 11:3), then we are left in complete
darkness, without any hope of obtaining any satisfactory explanation
of either the noumenon or phenomenon of existence.
Most careful consideration ought to be given unto the alternative
offered by unbelief. The great enigma which has confronted the human
race throughout the centuries, and challenged its sages to supply a
solution, is the problem of the universe: how it came to be; and
within that macrocosm, the microcosm man--his origin, his
intelligence, his destiny. Every explanation that has been advanced,
save only the one provided by the Bible, fails to carry conviction to
the mind, much less meets the longings of the heart. But the Bible
supplies a solution for those problems which has satisfied the reason
and conscience of millions of people, yea, which has brought peace and
joy to a countless number of souls. Skeptics have indeed rejected its
explanation, but what have they offered in its place? Nothing but
agnostic doubts and metaphysical vagaries so abstruse that none can
understand them, or speculations so incredible and absurd that only
those who prefer darkness to light will pay any heed unto them. Ponder
well the immeasurable difference there is between Christianity and
Infidelity, and despise not the former until you are quite sure the
latter has something more solid and valuable to give you in its stead.
There is ample evidence both in the material and moral realm on which
to base a rational and intelligent belief in the existence of God.
Anyone who seriously examines that evidence and then turns and
carefully considers what Infidelity has to offer as an alternative
should have no difficulty at all in perceiving which is the more
convincing, adequate, and satisfying. As the author of The Gordian
Knot rightly pointed out, "Skepticism is a restless sea on which
anyone who sails is tossed up and down and driven to and fro in
endless uncertainty. There is no solid ground on which to stand until
something true is found and believed." That is the alternative, the
only one, for those who credit not the Scriptures. The Infidel would
take from you the Bible, but what does he offer in its place but
sneers and doubts! He scouts the idea of a personal Creator, but what
explanation can he supply you of creation? He despises the Lord Jesus
Christ, but to what other redeemer does he point as being able to save
you from your sins, and induct you into an inheritance that is
incorruptible and undefiled, that fades not away, but will endure for
all eternity in Heaven?
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A. W. Pink Header
THE DOCTRINE OF REVELATION
Chapter 1
THE EXISTENCE OF GOD AS Manifest in Creation
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The Bible opens with the words, "In the beginning God." He was in the
beginning because Himself without beginning: the uncaused,
self-existent and self-sufficient One--"from everlasting to
everlasting, Thou art God" (Ps. 90:2). But the youthful, yet
intelligent inquirer, will ask, And do you comprehend that? We
candidly answer, Certainly not, for how could one who is finite
comprehend the Infinite, a creature of time fully understand the
Eternal One? Nevertheless, we believe it, being logically and
rationally obliged to do so. There must of necessity be a First Cause,
and if a first Cause, that Cause is obviously uncaused and
self-existent. If that First Cause be the Originator of all other
causes and effects, then it follows that Cause is not only
self-existent but self-sufficient, or, in other words, all-mighty.
Since we may ascertain something--often much--of the nature of a cause
from the effects it produces, then from the effects perceptible to us
in the visible universe, it is clearly evident that the First Cause
must be endowed with life, with intelligence, with will, in a word,
with Personality, and one infinitely superior to ours--which First
Cause we recognize and own as God.
Though the opening words of the Bible take the existence of God for
granted, yet what immediately follows supplies more than a hint where
we may find irrefutable evidence that He is: "In the beginning God
created the Heaven and the earth." It has been truly said, "We need no
other argument to prove that God made the world than the world
itself--it carrieth in it and upon it the infallible tokens of its
original" (John Owen). That is true if we consider it simply in the
mass: how came it to be? Three theories have been put forward to
account for the existence of matter by those who believe not in its
creation. First, that matter is eternal. But that solves no
difficulty, in fact it involves one much more perplexing than any
which Genesis 1:1 can give rise to. In itself matter is both inert and
unintelligent: whence then its motion and marks of design? Second, by
spontaneous generation. But not only is there no proof to support such
a view, it is too self-evidently inadequate to merit discussion.
Third, by evolution: concerning which we will now only point out--push
that hypothesis backward, stage by stage, till you come to the first
molecule or protoplasm, and to the question, How did it originate? No
answer is forthcoming. Something could not evolve from nothing!
Though the universe could not evolve from nothing, it could be created
by an eternal and all-mighty Creator! Assuming the existence of God,
our difficulty is at once resolved. But with the universe spread
before our eyes we do not have to assume God's existence. "Because the
things which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath
showed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation
of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are
made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without
excuse" (Rom. 1:19, 20). God may be rationally inferred by reasoning
back from effect to cause. Intelligent arrangement, wise contrivement,
marks of design argue an intelligent Designer. There are such palpable
and innumerable impressions of Divine wisdom, power and goodness in
the works of God that unprejudiced reason must necessarily conclude a
Creator of whose perfections those impressions are the faint
adumbrations. So true is this that atheists and all idolaters are left
without any excuse. Thus it is apparent that the doubts of Infidels
are either affected or arise from the determination to rid themselves
of the idea of accountableness. "The fool hath said in his heart there
is no God." (Ps. 14:1): it is moral depravity and not mental weakness
which prompts such a desire.
"The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth His
handiwork" (Ps. 19:1). The universe proclaims God both by its very
existence and its wondrous composition. From whence proceeded this
vast system, with its exquisite order, its perfect balance, and its
enduring strength? Every effect must have an adequate cause. If the
heavens do not declare the existence of God and scintillate with the
reflections of His glory, let the Infidel tell us what they do
bespeak. If the celestial bodies be nothing more than a fortuitous
mass of atoms, flung together by unreasoning law or blind chance, then
what has preserved them throughout the ages? What regulates their
movements with more than clock-like precision? What invested the sun
with light and actinic power? To put it on the lowest level--can
skepticism furnish any answer to those questions which satisfies
reason or appears adequate to common sense? If the thoughtful beholder
of the stellar heavens perceives no evidence of a Divine Creator, then
are we not obliged to sorrowfully exclaim, "None so blind as those who
will not see"! It is true that a recognition of the Creator in His
creation is no evidence of regeneration, for many who never open the
Bible are convinced of the reality of His existence, yet such mental
perception is much to be preferred to the stupidity of atheism or the
darkness of agnosticism.
We pointed out that the origin of three essential things in Nature
call for explanation from the attentive observer: matter, motion and
life. Having considered the alternative solutions for the first, let
us now contemplate the others. Concerning them we cannot do better
than present to the reader a summary of what we deem a singularly able
and convincing discussion by John Armour in his unique work (out of
print), Atonement and Law.
As we contemplate the wondrous movement of bodies in the solar system,
measuring time for us with absolute exactness, and as we rise to the
conception of the harmonious motion of all bodies in space, measuring
duration for all created beings, we cannot but be actuated with an
intense desire to know the cause of this wondrous motion. But the
question, what is the cause of the motion of the heavenly bodies in
space? naturally resolves itself into the more general question: what
is the cause of all motion? The ready, the only answer is force. But
this raises the real question: what is the origin of force? Every
investigation of that subject leads to the profound conviction that
all force is traceable to life.
In the entire vegetable kingdom we have perpetual demonstration of the
intimate and necessary relations of motion, force and life. Even the
least instructed, who have no conception of the real activity or of
the observable motion in all growing plants, cannot but know that the
mighty forests are built up by vital force operating tirelessly
century after century. Even they cannot but know that the whole world
is covered over with the countless, varied and marvellous products and
proofs of the mysterious, universally recognized, but invisible vital
power. Only those who have patiently and perseveringly gazed into that
limitless world into which the microscope is the only door, and have
witnessed the amazing activity of vital force in plant life, can have
any idea of the manner in which the entire vegetable kingdom testifies
of the intimate relations of motion, force and life.
Let anyone spend but a few hours in watching the rapid and incessant
motion in a small leaf (such as that of the Anacharis Alsinastrum)
under one of the best microscopes art has been able to furnish, the
field being less than ten thousandths part of an inch--in that small
field can be distinctly seen twelve rows of cells with an average of
five cells in each row. The current can be seen flowing rapidly along
appropriate channels, like rivers with broken ice on the surface,
while in each of the sixty oblong cells the fluids are seen
circulating like eddies or whirlpools in a rushing stream. But for the
perfection which microscopic art has attained, this amazing activity
would never have been suspected or credited. Witnessing this activity
in the ten-thousandth part of an inch on the surface of a small leaf,
what would be the impression upon the mind could we look upon a single
tree, discerning the activity of vital force in every part of it with
the same degree of clearness? While we cannot do this, imagination can
transfer what we have seen in the leaf under the microscope to all the
leaves of the forest, to all vegetation on the globe, for in every
cell of every living plant there is substantially the same vital
activity.
Whether we look upon forest or field, the eye of the mind should
discern not merely motionless forms of life, but everywhere intensely
active vital power Were we capable of seeing the real activity of the
vital force in the living tree, it would be to us scarcely less
wonderful than the "great sight" which Moses turned aside to see; nor
could it fail to produce in us a sense of the Divine presence not
unlike that which he experienced. This vital action, which man and all
created intelligences must ever strive to behold, and may ever more
and more clearly discover, God Himself alone sees as it is.
The same line of remark might be followed out at length in regard to
force and motion in every department of the animal kingdom. Here also
the life is the force, and force that never ceases to produce
activity. In the ova vitalized, and from that instant, on and on
through all vicissitudes, motion is demonstrably uninterrupted till
death, or rather the cessation of motion is death. The only absolute
test of life is vital action. When this has ceased it is proof that
vital force has ceased-- that vitality is extinct. Nor is there the
slightest ground to believe that this vital action, having ceased for
an instant, can start again of itself. Vital activity can no more
begin in plant or animal organism in which it has once ceased than in
matter in which it never existed. The animal kingdom, then, is a
witness, and in all its extent, with myriad voices in perfect unison,
it declares, "All motion is from vital force." The testimony of these
two kingdoms is both positive and negative. Their witness agrees: "In
us all motion is from vital force." "With us all motion ceases when
vital force ceases."
When we come, however, to man, and consider the motion traceable to
him, we have to deal with a very different problem, and unless we give
special attention we shall probably leave out of the estimate the
vastly greater part of the evidence in this case. For man, unlike all
other living beings on earth, or at least infinitely beyond other
beings on earth, has the power to produce motion, not merely by force
of muscle without skill, but he has the power to originate and sustain
motion on a grand scale by means of the vital force of brain as well.
The savage who should cast a stone a little way into the sea by
strength of arm, or from a sling, or shoot an arrow from his bow, or
propel his little boat a few miles from the shore in a calm sea, would
give proof of the extent of his power. Clearly, in each case, from
that of the stone which could be hurled but a few yards to that of the
vessel which might be propelled perhaps as many miles, the motion
would be wholly attributable to vital force of muscle and brain, or to
skill and strength.
The civilized man who constructs and launches the ocean steamer that
plows its furrow through the sea, in calm and storm, for thousands of
miles gives proof of his power to produce motion by skill and
strength. The ocean steamer that circumnavigates the globe, displacing
the water and defying the storm, is, as one might truthfully say,
hurled around the world; and its motion, in that entire revolution, is
as clearly traceable to vital force of hand and brain in the civilized
man, as is that of the stone from the hand, or the arrow from the bow,
of the savage. Let an honest inquirer light upon the ocean steamer at
any stage of its long journey. Let him search the vessel from keel to
top-mast. Finding no life in hull or rigging, no life in coal or fire,
no life in water or steam, no life in engine or propeller, shall he
say, "This vessel does not owe its force and motion to life at all."
If he so determine, he is not a philosopher but a fool. For every part
of the vessel, from keel to top-mast, is eloquent in its testimony to
the vital force of combined skill and strength of man in its
construction. And this we may recognize with all the confidence with
which, on approaching an eight-day clock in the middle of the week, we
recognize its onward movement as the vital force of the constructor of
the clock, combined with the vital force of the person who wound it
up--for not only is the vital force of the hand that wound the clock
as truly the cause of its continued motion as though that hand had
never for an instant been withdrawn, but the vital force of the
contriver and the actual constructor, though he may have passed away
centuries ago, is as clearly prolonged as would be the vital force of
the hand that wound the clock, though the very next hour it were cold
and motionless in death.
I have ventured to dwell longer on this illustration because of the
argument it furnishes in favour of the recognition of vital force as
the cause of other and infinitely grander movements.
We come now to a stage in our investigations in which, unless we
exercise the utmost vigilance, we shall utterly fail to interpret the
transcendent scene where there is an aggregate of motion in comparison
with which all we have hitherto considered is but as the small dust of
the balance. As to rapidity, the swiftest we have as yet contemplated
is as that of the snail; as to vastness of orbit, even that of the
ocean steamer around the globe is but as the "finger ring of a little
girl"--as we contemplate motion on a scale so grand, motion of bodies
so vast and so numerous, motion in orbits a scarcely perceptible arc
of which has been traversed since man appeared on earth, motion which
highest created intelligences must regard with never-ending wonder and
admiration--shall we begin to detach, in our conception, motion from
force, or force from that which lives? If we do, how can we any longer
pretend that we are consistent, scientific or philosophical? All
motion hitherto considered has been traceable to that which lives. Why
at this stage begin to question whether that which moves is moved by
force or whether force proceeds from life? Motion on a small scale we
have found is from vital force. All the motion that man has ever been
able to trace to its source he has found to proceed from life. There
is not a shred of trustworthy evidence that any visible thing on earth
has the power to originate motion. And the invisible power that causes
all the motion we can at all trace to its source is always vital
power.
We have traced force and motion from that in the smallest seed in
plant life and that of the ova in animal life, and have found force
and motion ever proceed from that which lives. Why, then, when we
stand in the presence of the most wondrous motion--motion that speaks
of force beyond all conception--do we, all at once, lapse from the
conviction that motion must proceed from force and that force must
proceed from life? Doubt comes in where evidence is most abundant. A
stone seen moving through the air we believe was hurled by some lad,
though we see him not. A cannon ball crossing the bay we do not doubt
was sent by persons having skill and power. An ocean steamer driven
around the world we know owes its force and motion to skill and power
of living beings. When we see mighty orbs moving in space, why do we
raise any question regarding the origin of motion and force? The only
shadow of reason that can be imagined is that we cannot readily
conceive of a Being infinite, ever-present, and all-mighty, the Source
of all motion, all force producing all motion in the universe. In a
vastly higher sense than that in which the motion of the steamship in
mid-ocean is to be attributed to man, all motion in the universe,
including that produced in and by vital organisms in this world and in
all worlds, is to be attributed to the Infinite, the Ever-living, the
Almighty. In the presence of the moving universe may we not exclaim:
"Power belongs unto God"?
Why should we hesitate to accept the conclusions thus reached? The
data furnished to all men leave them without excuse. The soundness of
the reasoning by which I have undertaken to prove that motion, mere
motion, as recognized everywhere in the universe, since it assures us
of the universality of law, is to us direct proof of the existence of
the Ever-living, Ever-present Lawgiver is confidently submitted to the
judgment of candid and competent reasoners.
The great timepiece of the universe in its surpassing grandeur and
glory may continue to move with absolute exactness and utmost harmony
from age to age and century to century. The multitudes of mankind may
continue to look upon it mainly to see what time of day it is, as
indicated upon the broad dial-plate that meets their gaze, and never
reflect that this grand time-measurer, like every poor imitation of it
man has ever constructed, measures time by means of motion, and motion
sustained by force, this force in its turn necessarily from the
living, traceable to the living. Yet there may be those who shall find
time, even in this busy age, to look with prolonged and steadfast
gaze, with awakened and quickened powers, and with intense interest
upon the ever-present and never-exhausted wonders of that aggregate of
motion before which all effort towards estimate is perfectly
powerless. And when favorably situated therefor, the truly evidential
nature of God's glorious work may flash out even as the noonday
itself, so that, before this one surpassing demonstration of the power
and presence of God, all doubts shall be driven away. Even as night
itself is chased around our globe by the glorious king of day; so that
thenceforward, even to life's close, they shall live in the noonday
splendor of unquestioning faith--faith, not vision, for God gives
everywhere and in all things not merely proof that He is, but that He
is and must be forever more the Invisible.
But though invisible, God is neither the Incredible nor the
Unknowable, for He has set before all men "the invisible things of
Him" and these "are clearly seen, being understood by the things that
are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without
excuse." Among the visible things of Him which are clearly seen, that
is, clearly and fully recognized by all men--motion, force and
life--have place; for by these are made known the universality of law,
the presence, power and glory of the Ever-living, Ever-present
Lawgiver.
Not only does the existence of matter, of motion, and of life, testify
that God is, but the magnitude and magnificence of creation announce
the same grand truth: the work reveals the Workman. "The massive dome
of St. Peter's, rising 400 feet, and ablaze with the masterpieces of
Italian art, declares an architect and artist--someone who planned,
built, decorated it. This is a thought in stone and tells of a
thinker. It did not grow of itself, or come to be by some mysterious
"evolution" or "development." Atoms never could arrange themselves in
such harmonious relations, or fall accidentally into such marvelous
combination. Blind chance never built that cathedral in Rome. There
must have been a controlling intelligence--an intelligent control. Yet
some would have us believe that the vaster Dome of Heaven with its
millions of starry lamps, surmounting a grander Temple of Creation,
had neither Architect to plan nor Builder to construct! The author of
the Epistle to the Hebrews indulged in no mere poetic rhapsody when he
wrote, "Every house is builded by someone: but He who built all things
is God."
"The thoughtful observer must feel that in the heavens there is not
only a testimony to a Creator, but a partial revelation of His
character and attributes. Such a work and workmanship not only reveal
a Workman, but hint what sort of workman He is. For example, as no
bounds have ever been found in the universe, it is natural to infer an
infinite Creator. The vast periods discovered by astronomy suggest His
eternity. The forces of the universe, displaying stupendous power,
bespeak His omnipotence. Waste, everywhere going on and needing
perpetual resupply, demands omnipresence. The exact proportion and
wise adaptation of every part to each other, and of all to the great
whole, tell of omniscience, which includes both infinite knowledge and
wisdom. The Being who survives and guides all the changes of this
universe must Himself be immutable; and He who lavishes upon His work
such wealth of splendour and variety of beauty must be both infinitely
rich in resources and versatile in invention. So also the universal
harmony by which the whole mechanism is regulated, indicates a
character of infinite perfection in harmony with itself. Thus, seen
from no higher point of view than the scientific and philosophical,
the dome of the sky bears, wrought on its expanse, in starry mosaics,
`There is a God'" (The Gordian Knot).
Descending from the heavens to the planet on which we reside, here,
too, we are confronted with phenomena, both in the general and the
particular, both in nature and number, for which no explanation is
adequate save that of an all-mighty, benevolent, and infinitely wise
Creator. Upon the surface of this earth are incalculable hosts of
creatures, varying in size from gnats to elephants, each requiring its
regular food, the total amount of which for a single day defies human
computation if not the imagination. Those creatures are not set down
in a dwelling-place where the table is bare, but where there is
abundance for them all; nor are they furnished merely with a few
necessities, but, instead, with a great variety of luxuries and
dainties. From whence proceed such ample and unfailing supplies? From
Nature, says the materialist. And what or whom endowed Nature to bear
so prolifically and ceaselessly? To which no intelligent reply is
forthcoming. Only one answer satisfactorily meets the case: from the
living God! "He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle and herb for
the service of men: the earth is full of Thy riches. These all wait
upon Thee, that Thou mayest give them meat in season. Thou openest Thy
hand, they are filled with good" (Ps. 104:14).
The continuous fertility of the earth after 6,000 years of incessant
productiveness can only be satisfactorily explained by attributing the
same unto the riches and bounty of its Maker. That one generation of
creatures is succeeded by another, in endless procession, on its
surface, to find such an illimitable store of food available for them,
is nothing but a stupendous miracle, the marvel of which is lost upon
us either through our thoughtlessness or because of its unfailing and
regular repetition. The constant supplies which God causes the earth
to yield for such myriads of beings is just as remarkable as the
original production of the place in which they were to live, for the
annual re-fertilization of the earth is actually a continuous
creation. To quote again from Psalm 104: as the reverent beholder
contemplates the revived countenance of Nature in the springtime, he
cannot but turn his eyes unto the living God and exclaim, "Thou
renewest the face of the earth" (v. 30). Beholding as he does the
barren fields, the leafless trees, the frozen ground, and often the
sunless skies, during the dreary months of winter, and seeing
everything covered in white, it appears that the earth has grown old
and died, that a pall of snow has fallen to hide its forbidding
features. And what could man do, what could all the scientists in the
world do, if winter should be prolonged month after month, and year
after year? Nothing, but slowly yet surely die of starvation.
But the Creator has declared, "While the earth remaineth, seed-time
and harvest shall not cease" (Gen. 8:22), and therefore He makes good
that promise each year, by causing winter to give place to spring and
"renewing the face of the earth." The world is as full of creatures
today as though none had ever died, for as soon as one generation
passes from it, it is at once replaced by another, coming to a larder
already well filled for it. And again we insist, that was made
possible and actual only by God's having "renewed the face of the
earth." And what a marvelous thing that is, yea, a series of marvels.
That such a variety of food, so perfectly adapted to the greatly
varying digestive organs of insects, animals and men, so replete with
nourishment, so attractive in appearance, should be produced by soil,
than which nothing is more insipid, sordid, and despicable. What a
pleasing variety of fruits the trees bear: how beautifully colored,
elegantly shaped and admirably flavored! Shall we be struck most with
agreeable astonishment at the Cause of such effects or at the manner
of bringing them into existence?
"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His
handiwork" (Ps. 19:1). The stellar heavens proclaim the attributes of
their Maker, bespeaking not only His existence but His
excellence--while the atmospheric heavens exhibit His unique skill,
revealing to us both their Author and His wondrous wisdom. Upon the
former many have discussed, but the latter has received very much less
notice. The "firmament" signifies "the expanse" and, as distinct from
the sphere of the more distant planets, refers to the atmosphere
surrounding the earth--the air in which the clouds are seen. The
Hebrew verb rendered "showeth" means to "place before" for our
thoughtful inspection, as challenging our most serious and reverent
contemplation. Though the atmosphere be not an object of our sight,
and for that reason is little regarded, it is a most remarkable
contrivance or apparatus, a source of many advantages to us, and one
which richly repays those who carefully consider it and take pleasure
in "seeking out" the works of the Lord (Ps. 111:2).
The atmospheric pressure upon a person of ordinary stature is equal to
the weight of 14 tons, and it scarcely needs to be pointed out that
the falling upon him of a very much lighter object would break every
bone in his body and drive all breath out of his lungs. Why then is it
that we suffer no inconvenience from it, nay, thrive therein and enjoy
it? Here is a phenomenon which, if thus viewed, is not unlike that
which so awed Moses of old when he beheld the miracle of the burning
bush--the combustible substance all aflame and yet not consumed. And
by what means are we preserved from that which, considered abstractly,
is such a deadly menace? The Creator's having so devised that the air
permeates the whole of our body, and by its peculiar nature pressing
equally in all directions, all harm and discomfort is prevented--"the
heads of the thigh and arm bones are kept in their sockets by
atmospheric pressure" (International Encyclopedia).
The air, commissioned by its benign Author, performs many offices for
the good of mankind. While it covers us without any conscious weight,
the air reflects, and thereby increases the life-giving heat of the
sun. The air does this for us much as our garments supply additional
heat to our bodies. If the reader has, like the writer, climbed a
mountain and reached a point 13,000 feet above sea level, then he has
proved for himself how considerably the solar warmth is diminished as
the quality of the air becomes more attenuated. At its base the climb
was comfortably warm, but had we remained a night on its summit, death
by freezing would have been the outcome. What reason have we, then, to
bless the Disposer of all things for placing us at a level where we
suffer no ill or inconvenience from the atmosphere, for the combined
wisdom of men could no more moderate it than regulate the actions of
the ocean!
The air co-operates with our lungs, thereby ventilating the blood and
refining the fluids of the body, stimulating the animal secretions,
and regulating our natural warmth. We could live for months without
the light of the sun or the glimmering of a star, but if deprived of
air for a very few minutes we quickly faint and die. Not to us alone
does this "universal nurse" (as Hervey eloquently styled her)
minister: it is this gaseous element enveloping the earth which both
sustains and feeds all vegetable life. Again--the air conveys to our
nostrils those minute particles (effluvia) which are emitted by
odiferous bodies, so that we are both refreshed by the sweet fragrance
of flowers and warned by offensive smells to withdraw from a dangerous
situation or beware of injurious food. So, by the undulating motions
of the air, all the diversities of sound are conducted to the ear, for
if you were placed in a room from which all air had been withdrawn and
a full orchestra (wearing artificial respirators) played at
fortissimo, not a sound would you hear.
Not only does the air waft to our senses all the charming modulations
of music and the elevating influences of refined and edifying
conversation, but it also acts as a seasonable and faithful monitor.
For example, should I be walking along the road, my eyes looking off
unto some object, or my mind so absorbed that I am completely off my
guard, and a vehicle be bearing down upon me from behind, though my
eyes perceive not my danger, yet my ear takes alarm and informs me of
my peril, even while it be some distance away, and with kindly if
clamorous importunity bids me act for my safety. Let us then inquire,
what is it that has endowed the atmosphere with such varied and
beneficent adaptations, so that it diffuses vitality and health,
retains and modifies solar heat, transmits odours and conveys sound?
Must we not rather ask "Whom?" and answer, "This also cometh from the
LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel and excellent in working"
(Isa. 28:29).
"Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still and consider the wondrous works
of God. Dost thou know when God disposed them [i.e., the winds and
clouds, the thunder and lightning, the frost and rain], and caused the
light of His cloud to shine? Dost thou know the balancing of the
clouds, the wondrous works of Him who is perfect in knowledge" (Job
37:14-16). The same queries are addressed unto each of us, and call
for calm and quiet reflection. "Stand still and consider the wondrous
works of God" which appear in the firmament. That is, cease for an
hour from your feverish activities and devote yourself, as a rational
creature, unto serious reflection, and compose yourself for thoughtful
contemplation. "Consider" what is brought forth in, by, and from the
atmosphere, and then be filled with reverent wonder and awe. Ponder
well the fact that water is much denser and far heavier than air, and
yet it rises into it, makes a way through it, and takes up a position
in its uppermost regions! One would just as soon expect the rivers to
run backward to their source; yet Divine wisdom has contrived a way to
render it not only practicable but a matter of continual occurrence.
There in the firmament we behold an endless succession of clouds fed
by evaporation from the ocean, drawn thither by the action of the sun.
The clouds are themselves a miniature ocean, suspended in the air with
a skill which as far transcends that of the wisest man as his
knowledge does that of an infant in arms. It is because so very few
"stand still and consider" the amazing fact of millions of tons of
water being suspended over their heads and sustained there in the
thinnest parts of the atmosphere, that such a prodigy is lost upon
them. The writer recalls the impressions made upon him over 30 years
ago as he was driven around the Roosevelt Dam in Arizona and inspected
that great engineering feat: probably some of our readers have
experienced similar ones as they have beheld some huge reservoir of
human contrivance. But what are they in comparison with the
immeasurably vaster quantities of water which, without any conduits of
stone or barriers of cement, are suspended in the clouds, and kept
there in a buoyant state!
The clouds, as another pointed out, "travel in detached parties, and
in the quality of itinerant cisterns round all the terrestrial globe.
They fructify by proper communications of moisture the spacious
pastures of the wealthy and gladden with no less liberal showers the
cottager's little garden. Nay, so condescending is the benignity of
the great Proprietor that they satisfy the desolate and waste ground,
and cause, even in the most uncultivated wilds, the bud of the tender
herb to spring forth, so that the natives of the lonely desert, those
savage herds which know no master's stall, may nevertheless experience
the care and rejoice in the bounty of an all-supporting Parent" (James
Hervey). But what most fills us with wonderment is that these
celestial reservoirs, so incalculably greater than any of human
construction, should be suspended in the air. This it was which so
evoked the admiration of both Job and Eliphaz: "He [said the former]
bindeth up the waters in His thick clouds, and the cloud is not rent
under them" (Job 26:8) notwithstanding their prodigious weight.
One of the things attributed to God in Holy Writ is that He has fixed
"the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it;
and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet they cannot prevail;
though they roar, yet can they not pass over it" (Jer. 5:22). If it be
not its Maker whose mandate had determined the bounds of the sea, who
has fixed its limits? Certainly not man, for he who cannot control
himself is scarcely competent to issue effective orders to the ocean.
That was made fully evident in the days of Noah, when for the first
and last time God gave the waters their full freedom, and dire was the
consequence, for the whole human race was helpless before them.
Without that Divine decree the impetuous sea would again overflow the
earth, for such is its natural propensity. But by the mere fiat of His
lips God immutably controls this turbulent element. On some coasts
high cliffs of rock serve as impregnable ramparts against the raging
main, but in others--to evince God is confined to no expedients, but
orders all things according to the counsel of His own will--He bids a
frail bank of earth curb the fury of its angry waves.
But wonderful as it is that, by the Divine ordinance, a narrow belt of
contemptible sand should confine the sea to its appointed limits, yet
to us it seems even more remarkable that such immense volumes of water
are held in the air within the compass of the clouds. Writing thereon,
one of the ablest of the Puritans pointed out: "There are three things
very wonderful in that detention of the waters. First, that the
waters, which are a fluid body and love to be continually flowing and
diffusing themselves, should yet be stopped and stayed together by a
cloud, which is a thinner and so a more fluid body than the water. It
is no great matter to see water kept in conduits of stone or in
vessels of brass, because these are firm and solid bodies, such as the
water cannot penetrate nor force its way through; but in the judgment
of Nature, how improbable is it that a thin cloud should bear such a
weight and power of waters, and yet not rend nor break under them!
This is one of the miracles in Nature, which is therefore not wondered
at because it is so common, and which because it is constant is not
inquired into.
"Second, as it is a wonder that the cloud is not rent under the weight
of water, so that the cloud is rent at the special order and command
of God. At His word it is that the clouds are locked up, and by His
word they are opened. As in spiritual things so in natural: `He
openeth, and no man shutteth; He shutteth, and no man openeth.' Third,
this also is wonderful that when at the word of God the cloud rents,
yet the waters do not gush out like a violent flood all at once, which
would quickly drown the earth, but descend in moderate showers, as
water through a colander, drop by drop. God carrieth the clouds up and
down the world, as the gardener does his watering-can, and bids them
distil upon this or that place as Himself directeth. The clouds are
compared to `bottles' in Job 38:37, and those God stops or unstops,
usually as our need requires, and sometimes as our sin deserves. `I
have withholden the rain from you' (Amos 4:7), and He can withhold it
till the heavens above us shall be as brass and the earth under us as
iron. `I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it'
(Isa. 5:6)" (Joseph Caryl, 1643).
There were still other features of the handiwork of God in the
firmament which Job was enjoined to stand still and consider, namely,
that God "caused the light of His cloud to shine," and "the balancing
of the clouds," which are denominated "the wondrous works of Him which
is perfect in knowledge" (37:15, 16). Upon the expanse of ether
overhead we behold scenes infinitely more exquisite than any which a
Turner or a Raphael could produce: sights so delicately colored, so
subtle in texture, so vast in extent, they could do no justice unto in
their attempts to reproduce. What artist's brush can begin to portray
the splendors of the eastern sky as the monarch of the day emerges
from his rest, or the entrancing magnificence of the western horizon
as he retires to slumber? The Hebrew verb for "shine" in Job 37:15,
means to shine in an illustrious manner, as in Deuteronomy 33:2 (and
cf. Ps. 50:1), and "the light of the cloud" refers to the light of the
sun's reflection from or upon a watery cloud, producing that wonderful
phenomenon the rainbow, which is so conspicuous and beautiful, so
desirable and attractive, so mysterious and marvelous.
"Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds?" (Job 37:16). Can you
explain how such prodigious volumes of water are suspended over your
head and held there in the thinnest parts of the atmosphere? Can you
tell what it is which causes those ponderous lakes to hang so evenly
and hover like the lightest down? What poises those thick and heavy
vapours in coverings so much lighter and thinner than themselves, and
prevents their rushing down more impetuously than a mountain torrent?
Must we not again employ the personal pronoun, and answer, "HE bindeth
up the waters in His thick clouds, and the cloud is not rent under
them" (26:8). Who puts the clouds, as it were, into scales, and so
orders their weight that one does not overpower another, but rather
hang evenly? This is another of the wondrous works of God, who makes
the clouds smaller or larger, higher or lower, according to the
service He has appointed and the use He makes of them: nothing but the
Divine wisdom and power can satisfactorily account for such a prodigy.
Yes, "He bindeth up the waters in His thick cloud." Those masses of
water do not remain stationary in the firmament by themselves, nor
could they, for, being so much heavier than the air, they would
naturally fall of their own weight and power at once in disorder and
ruin to the land beneath. It is God who makes them behave and perform
His bidding. By some secret power of His own, God fetters them so that
they cannot move until He permits. And though these waters be of such
mighty bulk and weight, they do not rend the fleecy filament which
contain them. "The thick cloud is not rent under them": the same
Hebrew word is rendered "divided" in Psalm 78:13 where the reference
is to the Almighty cleaving a way for His people through the Red Sea.
There is a natural tendency and power in those waters to rend the
clouds, but until God bids them, they are held in place, delicately
poised, mysteriously but perfectly balanced.
"Which doeth great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without
number. Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the
fields" (Job 5:9, 10). Observe the tense of the verb in the first
sentence: it is not only that God "has done" or that He "will do"
great things, though both be true, but that He now "doeth" as a
present and continued act, for us to take notice of today. Among those
stupendous and inscrutable wonders is His sending of the rain, which,
though an almost daily provision, is something which men can neither
manufacture nor regulate. We do not have far to go in order to inquire
or actually see these "marvelous things": they are near to hand, of
frequent occurrence, and, if closely looked into, every shower of rain
discovers the wisdom, power and goodness of God. Nature works not
without the God of nature, and its common blessings are not dispensed
without a special providence. The course of nature only moves as it is
turned by the hand of its Maker and directed by His counsels. The
heaviest clouds distil no water until they receive commission from God
to dissolve.
"For He maketh small the drops of water: they pour down rain according
to the vapor thereof, which the clouds do drop and distil upon man
abundantly" (Job 36:27, 28). "Rain is the moisture of the earth drawn
up by the heat of the sun into the middle region of the air, which
being there condensed into clouds, is afterward, at the will of God,
dissolved and dropped down again in showers" (Joseph Caryl). Though an
ordinary and common work of God, yet it is a very admirable one. The
Psalmist tells us God "prepareth rain for the earth" (147:8). He does
so by the method just described, and then by "making small" its drops,
for unless He did the latter, it would pour down in a flood. That,
too, is a work of His power and mercy, for the earth could not absorb
solid volumes of water at once.
"Also can any understand the spreadings of the clouds?" (Job 36:29).
Fully so? No, as the diverse and inadequate theorizings of men go to
show. It is almost amusing to examine the various answers returned by
philosophers and scientists to the question. What holds the clouds in
position? The heat of the sun, say some. But if that were the case
rain would fall during the night only, whereas the fact is that as
many clouds break and empty themselves in the daytime as during the
hours of darkness. By the winds, which keep them in perpetual motion,
say others. But how can that be, for sometimes the clouds unburden
themselves when a hurricane is blowing, and at others in a dead calm.
By their sponginess, which permits their being permeated by the air,
thus holding them in place, say others. Then why do light and heavy
clouds alike move and evaporate? We are logically forced to rise
higher, to the will and power of God It is also of His mercy that the
clouds serve as a cool canopy over our heads and break the fierce heat
and glare of the sun.
Let us pause here and make practical application of what has been
before us. These wonders of nature, so little considered by the
majority of our fellows, should speak loudly to our hearts. They
should awe us, humble us, bow us in wonderment before the Author of
such works. But it is more especially the children of God we now have
in mind, and particularly those who are in straits and trouble, whose
way is hedged up, whose outlook appears dark and foreboding. As we
have contemplated such marvels of Divine wisdom and power, should not
our faith be strengthened, so that we look upward with renewed
confidence unto our heavenly Father? Must we not, in view of such
prodigies, join with the Prophet in exclaiming, "There is nothing too
hard for Thee" (Jer. 32:17)? Cannot He who has commissioned the very
atmosphere to perform so many useful and benevolent offices for our
good, relieve our temporal distress? Cannot He who sustains such
mighty volumes of water over our head, also support and succour us?
Cannot He who paints the glorious sunrise shine into our soul and
dissipate its gloom? Consider the rainbow, not only as a mystery and
marvel of nature, but also as a sacramental sign, as a token of God's
covenant faithfulness.
That is the use
we should make of "the wondrous works of Him who is perfect in
knowledge." That is how we should "consider" them, and the conclusion
we should draw from them. There is no limit to the power of that One
who, in the beginning, made Heaven and earth, and who throughout the
centuries has preserved them. When we are confronted with difficulties
which seem insurmountable, we should look above, around, below--and
beholding the marvelous handiwork of God commit ourselves and our case
into His hands with full assurance. When Hezekiah was confronted with
the formidable hosts of Sennacherib he sought refuge in the Divine
omnipotence, spreading that king's haughty letter before the Lord and
appealing to Him as, "Thou hast made Heaven and earth" (2 Kings
19:15), and therefore can vanquish for us our enemies. So, too, the
Apostles, when forbidden by the authorities to preach the Gospel,
appealed to God as the One who "made Heaven and earth, and the sea,
and all that in them is" (Acts 4:24). Rest, then, in this blessed and
stimulating truth, that "nothing is too hard" for Him who has loved
you with an everlasting love!
"The sea is His and He made it" (Ps. 95:5). The ocean and its
inhabitants present to our consideration as many, as varied, and as
unmistakable, evidences of the handiwork of God as do the stellar and
atmospheric heavens. If we give serious thought to the subject, it
must fill us with astonishment that it is possible for any creatures
to live in such a suffocating element as the sea, and that in waters
so salty they should be preserved in their freshness; and still more
so that they should find themselves provided with abundant food and be
able to propagate their species from one generation to another. If we
were immersed in that element for a few minutes only, we should
inevitably perish. Were it not for our actual observation and
experience, and had we but read or heard that the briny deep was
peopled with innumerable denizens, we should have deemed it an
invention of the imagination, as something utterly impracticable and
impossible. Yet by the wisdom and power of God not only are myriads of
fishes sustained there, but the greatest of all living creatures--the
whale--is found there. In number countless, in bulk matchless, yet
having their being and health in an element in which we could not
breathe!
As it is with us in the surrounding air, so it is with the fish in
their liquid element: the principle of the equal transmission of
pressure enables their frail structures to bear a much greater
pressure and weight than their own without being crushed--the air and
the fluids within them pressing outward with a force as great as the
surrounding water presses inward! Moreover, "They are clothed and
accoutered in exact conformity to their clime. Not in swelling wool or
buoyant feathers, nor in flowing robe or full-trimmed suit, but with
as much compactness and with as little superfluity as possible. They
are clad, or rather sheathed, in scales, which adhere closely to their
bodies, and are always laid in a kind of natural oil--which apparel
nothing can be more light, and at the same time so solid, and nothing
so smooth. It hinders the fluid from penetrating their flesh, it
prevents the cold from coagulating their blood, and enables them to
make their way through the waters with the greatest possible facility.
If in their rapid progress they strike against any hard substance,
this their scaly doublet breaks the force of it and secures them from
harm" (James Hervey).
Being slender and tapering, the shape of fishes fits them to cleave
the waters and to move with the utmost ease through so resisting a
medium. Their tails, as is well known, are extremely flexible,
consisting largely of powerful muscles, and act with uncommon agility.
By its alternate impulsion, the tail produces a progressive motion,
and by repeated strokes propels the whole body forward. Still more
remarkable is that wonderful apparatus or contrivance, the
air-bladder, with which they are furnished, for it enables them to
increase or diminish their specific gravity, to sink like lead or
float like a cork, to rise to whatever height or sink to whatever
depths they please. As these creatures probably have no occasion for
the sense of hearing, for the impressions of sound have very little if
any existence in their sphere of life, to have provided them with ears
would have been an encumbrance rather than a benefit. Is that
noticeable and benignant distinction to be ascribed to blind chance?
Is it merely an accident that fishes, that need them not, are devoid
of ears which are found in all the animals and birds? The cold logic
of reason forbids such a conclusion.
A spiritually minded naturalist has pointed out that almost all flat
fish, such as soles and flounders, are white on their underside but
tinctured with darkish brown on the upper, so that to their enemies
they resemble the color of mud and are therefore more easily
concealed. What is still more remarkable, Providence, which has given
to other fishes an eye on either side of the head, has placed both
eyes on the same side in their species, which is exactly suited unto
the peculiarity of their condition. Swimming as they do but little,
and always with their white side downward, an eye on the lower part of
their bodies would be of little benefit, whereas on the higher they
have need of the quickest sight for their preservation. Admirable
arrangement is that! Where nothing is to be feared, the usual guard is
withdrawn; where danger threatens their guard is not only placed, but
doubled! Now we confidently submit that such remarkable adaptations as
all of these argue design, and that, in turn, a designer, and a
Designer, too, who is endowed with more than human wisdom, power and
benignity.
"One circumstance relating to the natives of the deep is very
peculiar, and no less astonishing. As they neither sow nor reap, have
neither the produce of the hedges nor the gleanings of the field, they
are obliged to plunder and devour one another for necessary
subsistence. They are a kind of licensed bandit that make violence and
murder their professed trade. By this means prodigious devastation
ensues, and without proper, without very extraordinary recruits, the
whole race would continually dwindle and at length become totally
extinct. Were they to bring forth, like the most prolific of our
terrestrial animals, a dozen only or a score, at each birth, the
increase would be unspeakably too small for consumption. The weaker
species would be destroyed by the stronger, and in time the stronger
must perish, even by their successful endeavors to maintain
themselves. Therefore to supply millions of assassins with their prey
and millions of tables with their food, yet not to depopulate the
watery realms, the issue produced by every breeder is almost
incredible. They spawn not by scores or hundreds, but by thousands and
tens of thousands. A single mother is pregnant with a nation. By which
amazing but most needful expedient, a periodical reparation is made
proportional to the immense havoc" (James Hervey).
"Speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; and the fishes of the
sea shall declare unto thee" (Job 12:8). Mute though the fishes be,
yet they are full of instruction for the thoughtful inquirer. Study
them intelligently and your mind shall be improved and your knowledge
increased. And what is it that the dumb fishes declare unto us? Surely
this: that there is a living God, who is "wonderful in counsel and
excellent in working" (Isa. 28:29); that the creature is entirely
dependent on the Creator, who fails not to supply all its needs; that
ready obedience to the Divine will becomes the creature, and is
rendered by all save rebellious man. In exemplification of that last
fact, let us call attention to that amazing phenomenon of countless
multitudes of finny visitors crowding upon our shores at the appointed
season of the year, and in an orderly succession of one species after
another. What is equally remarkable, though less known, is the fact
that as they approach, the larger and fiercer ones--who would endanger
the lives of the fishermen and drive away the ones which provide us
with food-are restrained by an invisible Hand and impelled to retire
into the depths of the ocean. As the wild beasts of the earth are
directed by the same overruling Power to hide themselves in their
dens, so the monsters of the deep are laid under a providential
interdiction!
If we survey with any degree of attention the innumerable objects
which the inhabitants of this earth present to our view, we cannot but
perceive unmistakable marks of design, clear evidences of means suited
to accomplish specific ends, and these also necessarily presuppose a
Being who had those ends in view and devised the fitness of those
means. Order and harmony in the combined operation of many separate
forces and elements point to a superintending Mind. Wise contrivances
and logical arrangements involve forethought and planning. Suitable
accommodations and the appropriate and accurate fitting of one joint
to another unquestionably evinces intelligence. The mutual adjustment
of one member to another, especially when their functions and
properties are correlated, can no more be fortuitous than particles of
matter could arrange themselves into the wheels of a watch. The
particular suitability of each organ of the body for its appointed
office comes not by accident. Benevolent provision and the unfailing
operation of law, logically imply a provider and a lawgiver. The
fitting together of parts and the adoption of means to the
accomplishment of a definite purpose can only be accounted for by
reference to a designing Will. Thus, the argument from design may be
fairly extended so as to include the whole range of creation and the
testimony it bears in all its parts to the existence of the Creator.
Forcibly did Professor John Dick argue, "If we lighted upon a book
containing a well-digested narrative of facts, or a train of accurate
reasoning, we should never think of calling it a work of chance, but
would immediately pronounce it to be the production of a cultivated
mind. If we saw in a wilderness a building well proportioned and
commodiously arranged and furnished with taste, we should conclude
without hesitation and without the slightest suspicion of mistake that
human will and human labour had been employed in planning and erecting
it. In cases of this kind, an atheist would reason precisely as other
men do. Why then does he not draw the same inference from the proofs
of design which are discovered in the works of creation? While the
premises are the same, why is the conclusion different? Upon what
pretext of reason does he deny that a work, in all the parts of which
wisdom appears, is the production of an intelligent author? And
attribute the universe to chance, to nature, to necessity, to
anything, although it should be a word without meaning, rather than to
God?"
"He that planted the ear, shall He not hear? and He that formed the
eye, shall He not see?" (Ps. 94:9). The manifest ability of the ear to
receive and register sounds, and of the eye for vision, argues an
intelligent Designer of them. The Infidel will not allow that
conclusion, but what alternative explanation does he offer?
This--there may be adaptation without design, as there may be sequence
without causation. Certain things, he tells us, are adapted to certain
uses, but not made for certain uses: the eye is capable of vision, but
had no designing author. When he is asked, How is this striking
adaptation to be accounted for apart from design, he answers, Either
by the operation of law, or by chance. But the former explanation is
really the acknowledgment of a designer, or it is mere tautology, for
that law itself must be accounted for, as much as the phenomena which
come under it. The explanation of "chance" is refuted by the
mathematical doctrine of probability. The chance of matter acting in a
certain way is not one in a million, and in a combination of ways, not
one in a trillion. According to that theory, natural adaptation would
be more infrequent than a miracle, whereas the fact is that adaptation
to an end is one of the most common features of nature, occurring in
innumerable instances.
When the Psalmist said, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made" (Ps.
139:14), he gave expression to a sentiment which every thoughtful
person must readily endorse. Whether that statement be taken in its
widest latitude as contemplating man as a composite
creature--considering him as a material, rational and moral being-- or
whether it be restricted to his physical frame, yet it will be
heartily confirmed by all who are qualified to express an opinion
thereon. Regarding it in its narrower scope, the composition and
construction of the human body is a thing of amazing workmanship. To
what extent David was acquainted with the science of anatomy we know
not, but in view of the pyramids and the Egyptians' skill in embalming
the body (and "Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians"--
Acts 7:22--and doubtless passed on much of the same unto his
descendants) and the repeated statement of Holy Writ that "there is
nothing new under the sun," we certainly do not believe the ancients
were nearly so ignorant as many of our inflated moderns wish to think.
But be that as it may, the outward structure of the body, the ordering
of its joints and muscles for the service of its tenant, the
proportion of all its parts, the symmetry and beauty of the whole
cannot but strike with wonderment the attentive student of the human
frame.
This living temple has aptly been termed "the masterpiece of
creation." Its sinews and muscles, veins and blood, glands and bones,
all so perfectly fitted for their several functions, are a production
which for wisdom and design, the adaptation of means to ends, not only
far surpasses the most skilful and complicated piece of machinery ever
produced by human art, but altogether excels whatever the human
imagination could conceive. That the nutritive power of the body
should be working perpetually and without intermission replacing waste
tissue; that there should be a constant flowing of the blood and
beating of the pulses, that the lungs and arteries (comprised of such
frail and delicate substances) should move without cessation for 70 or
90 years--for 900 years before the Flood!--presents a combined marvel
which should fill us with astonishment and awe, for they are so many
miracles of omniscience and omnipotence. But turning to the more
obvious and commonplace, the human hand and eye, let us conclude this
chapter with a rather longer quotation than usual from The Gordian
Knot, for it calls attention to features which, though equally
remarkable, the most untrained are able to appreciate.
"The human hand was obviously meant to be the servant of the entire
body. It is put at the extremity of the arm, and the arm is about half
the length of the body, and, as the body can bend almost double, the
hand can reach any part of it. The hand is at the end of an arm having
three joints, one at the shoulder, one at the elbow, one at the wrist,
and each joint made on a different pattern so as to secure together
every conceivable motion--up and down, sidewise, backward and forward,
and rotary. The hand is made with four fingers and an opposing thumb,
which secures a double leverage, without which no implement or
instrument could be securely grasped, held, or wielded, and so
strangely are the fingers molded of unequal lengths that they exactly
touch tips over a spherical surface, such as a ball or the round
handle of a tool.
"There are two hands--opposite and apposite to each other in position
and construction, so that they exactly fit each other and work
together without interference, making possible by joint action what
neither could accomplish alone. Montaigne, referring to one only of
the hand's many capacities--a gesture--says: `With the hand we demand,
promise, call, dismiss, entreat, deny, encourage, accuse, acquit,
defy, flatter, and indicate silence; and with a variety and
multiplication that almost keeps pace with the tongue.' The hand is so
strikingly capable of being used to express conceptions and execute
designs that it has been called `the intellectual member.'
"The human eye is perfect in structure and equally perfect in
adaptation. It is placed in the head like a window just under the
dome, to enable us to see farthest; placed in front, because we
habitually move forward; shielded in a socket of bone for protection
to its delicate structure, yet protected from that socket by a soft
cushion; provided with six sets of muscles to turn it in every
direction; with lids and lashes to moisten, shut it in, protect it and
soothe it; with tear ducts to conduct away excess of moisture; and
having that exact shape--the only one of all that might have been
given--to secure distinct vision by refracting all rays of light to a
single surface, which is known in science as the ellipsoid of
revolution.
"`By a wonderful arrangement of iris and pupil it at once adapts
itself to near and far objects of vision and to mild or intense rays
of light, and, most wonderful of all, the human eye is provided in
some inscrutable manner with the means of expressing the mind itself,
so that one may look into its crystal depths and see intellectuality,
scorn, and wrath, and love, and almost every spiritual state and
action' (Dr. E. F. Burr).
"The eye of man has taught us the whole science of optics. It is a
camera obscura, with a convex lens in front, an adjustable circular
blind behind it; a lining of black to prevent double and confusing
reflections; fluids, aqueous and vitreous, to distend it; a retina or
expansion of the optic nerve to receive the images of external
objects; with minute provision for motion in every direction; and,
most wonderful of all, perhaps, perfect provision against the
spherical and chromatic aberration which would produce images and
impressions ill defined and false colored. Yet the microscope shows
these lenses themselves to be made up of separate folds, in number
countless, the folds themselves composed of fibers equally countless,
and toothed so as to interlock. And with all this, perfect
transparency is preserved!
"It is in the minutiae of creation, perhaps, that the most surprising
marvels, mysteries and miracles of creative workmanship are often
found. It is here also that the works of God so singularly differ from
the works of man. However elaborate man's work it does not bear minute
microscopic investigation. For instance, the finest cambric needle
becomes coarse, rough and blunt under the magnifying lens, whereas it
is only when looked at with the highest power of the microscopic eye
that Nature's handiwork really begins to reveal its exquisite and
indescribable perfection. Where the perfection of man's work ends, the
perfection of God's work only begins.
"The proofs of this perfection in minutiae are lavishly abundant. When
a piece of chalk is drawn over a blackboard, in the white mark on the
board, or the powder that falls on the floor, are millions of tiny
white shells, once the home of life. The dust from the moth's wing is
made up of scales or feathers, each as perfect as the ostrich plume.
The pores of the human skin are so closely crowded together that
75,000 of them might be covered by a grain of sand. The insect's organ
of vision is a little world of wonders in itself. In the eye of a
butterfly 34,000 lenses have been found, each perfect as a means of
vision. The minute cells in which all life, vegetable and animal,
reside present as true an evidence of the mysterious perfection of
individual workmanship and mutual adaptation as the constellations
that adorn the sky, and equally with them declare the glory of God!
How it speaks of a Creator who can lavish beauty even on the stones,
and who carries the perfection of His work into the realm of the least
as well as the greatest!"
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THE DOCTRINE OF REVELATION
Chapter 2
THE EXISTENCE OF GOD AS REVEALED IN MAN
_________________________________________________________________
Creation makes manifest the Creator, and having considered some of the
mighty products of Omnipotence therein, we turn now to that which
comes closer home unto each of us. We are not obliged to go far afield
and turn our attention to objects in the heavens or the depths of the
ocean in order to find evidences of God's existence--we may discover
them in ourselves. Man himself exhibits a Divine Maker, yea, he is the
chief of His mundane works. Accordingly we find that Genesis I, after
giving a brief but vivid account of how the heavens and earth were
called into existence by a Divine fiat and both of them furnished for
the benefit of the human race, God made man last--as though to
indicate he is the climax of His works. In each other instance we are
told "God said," "God called," "God created," etc., but in our case
there is a marked difference: "And God said, Let Us make man in Our
image, after Our likeness" (1:26), as if to signify (speaking after
the manner of men) there was a special conference of the Divine
Trinity in connection with the formation of that creature who should
be made in the Divine image. All the works of God bear the impress of
His wisdom, but man alone has stamped upon him the Divine likeness.
The fact that man was made by the Triune God and "in Their image"
plainly indicates that he was constituted a tripartite being,
consisting of spirit and soul and body--the first being capable of
God-consciousness, the second of self-consciousness, and the third of
sense-consciousness. The dual expression, "in Our image, after Our
likeness," imports a twofold resemblance between God and man in his
original condition: the former referring to the holiness of his
nature, the latter to the character of his soul--which competent
theologians have rightly distinguished as "the moral image" and the
"natural image" of God in man. That is a real and necessary
distinction, and unless it be observed we inevitably fall into error
when contemplating the effects of man's defection from God. To the
question, Did man lose the image of God by the Fall? the orthodox
rightly answer in the affirmative; yet many of them are quite at a
loss to understand such verses as Genesis 9:6 and James 3:9, which
teach that fallen man retains the image of God. It was the moral image
which was destroyed when he apostatized, and which is restored to him
again at regeneration (Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10). Fallen man is made in
the image of his fallen parent, as Genesis 5:3, and Psalm 51:5
solemnly attest. But fallen man still has plainly stamped upon him the
natural image of God, evidencing his Divine origin. What that "natural
image" consists in we will now consider.
We have called attention to some of the wonders observable in the
human body, and if God bestowed such exquisite workmanship upon the
casket, what must be the nature of the gem within it! That "gem" is
the spirit and soul of man, which was made in the natural image of
God--we shall not here distinguish between them, but treat of them
together under the generic term "soul." If the human body bears upon
it the impress of the Divine hand, much more so does the soul with its
truly remarkable faculties and capabilities. The soul is endowed with
understanding, will, moral perception, memory, imagination,
affections. Man is comprised and possessed of something more than
matter, being essentially a spiritual and rational being, capable of
communion with his Maker. There was given unto man a nature nobler
than of any other creature on earth. Man is an intelligent being,
capable of thinking and reasoning, which as much excels the instinct
of animals as the finished product of the artist's brush does the
involuntary raising of his hand to protect his face, or the shutting
of his eye without thought when wind blows dust into it. From whence,
then, has man derived his intelligence?
The soul is certainly something distinct from the body. Our very
consciousness informs us that we possess an understanding, yea, an
intelligent entity which, though we cannot see, yet is known by its
operations of thinking, reasoning, remembering. But matter possesses
no such properties as those, no, not in any combination of its
elements. If matter could think, then it would still be able to do so
after the soul was absent from the body. Again--if matter had the
power of thought, then it would be able to think only of those things
which are tangible and material, for no cause can ever produce effects
superior to itself. Intelligence can no more issue from
non-intelligence than the animate from the non-animate. A stone cannot
think, nor a log of wood understand a syllogism. But the human soul is
not only capable of thinking, it can also commune with itself, rejoice
in itself. Nor is its ability to rationalize restricted to itself: it
is so constituted that it can apprehend and discourse of things
superior to itself. So far from being tied down to the material realm,
it can soar into the heavens, cognize the angels, and commune with the
Father of spirits.
Consider the vastness of the soul's capacity! What cannot it
encompass? It can form a concept of the whole world, and visualize
scenes thousands of miles away. As one has pointed out, "it is suited
to all objects, as the eye to all colors or the ear to all sounds."
How capacious is the memory to retain so much, and such variety!
Consider the quickness of the soul's motions: nothing is so swift in
the whole course of nature. Thought is far more rapid in its action
than the light-waves of ether: in a single moment fancy may visit the
Antipodes. With equal facility and agility it can transport itself
into the far away past or the distant future. As the desires of the
soul are not bounded by material objects, so neither are its motions
restrained by them. Consider also its power of volition. The will is
the servant of the soul, carrying out its behests, yet it knows not
how its commissions are received. Now matter has no power of choice,
and what it is devoid of it certainly cannot convey. As man's
intelligence must have its source in the supreme Mind, so his power of
volition must proceed from the supreme Will.
The nature of man also bears witness to the existence of God in the
operations and reflections of his conscience. If the external marvels
of creation exhibit the wisdom and power of the Creator, this
mysterious faculty of the soul as clearly exemplifies His holiness and
justice. Whatever be its nature or howsoever we define it, its
forceful presence within presents us with a unique phenomenon. This
moral sense in man challenges investigation and demands an
explanation--an investigation which the Infidel is most reluctant to
seriously make, and for which he is quite unable to furnish
satisfactory explanation. "Conscience is a court always in session and
imperative in its summons. No man can evade it or silence its
accusations. It is a complete assize. It has a judge on its bench, and
that judge will not be bribed into a lax decision. It has its witness
stand, and can bring witnesses from the whole territory of the past
life. It has its jury, ready to give a verdict, "guilty" or "not
guilty," in strict accordance with the evidence, and it has its
sheriff, Remorse, with his whip of scorpions, ready to lash the
convicted soul. The nearest thing in the world to the bar of God is
the court of conscience. And though it be for a time drugged into a
partial apathy or intoxicated with worldly pleasure, the time comes
when in all the majesty of its imperial authority this court calls to
its bar every transgressor and holds him to a strict account" (A. T.
Pierson).
Conscience is that which conveys to the soul a realization of right
and wrong. It is that inward faculty which passes judgment upon the
lawfulness or unlawfulness of our desires and deeds. It is an ethical
instinct, a faculty of moral sensibility, which both informs and
impresses its possessor, being that which, basically, constitutes us
responsible creatures. It is an inward faculty which is not only of a
vastly superior order, but is far keener in perception than any of the
bodily senses: it both sees, hears and feels. Its office is twofold:
to warn us against sin and to prompt us unto the performance of duty--
and this it does according to the light shining into it--from natural
reason and Divine revelation. Though the heathen be without the Bible,
yet their conscience passes judgment on natural duties and unnatural
sins. Hence, the more spiritual light a person has, the greater his
responsibility, and it is according to that principle and on that
basis he will be dealt with at the grand Assize. "That servant which
knew his lord's will and prepared not, neither did according to his
will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did
commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For unto
whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required" (Luke
12:47-48). Punishment will be proportioned to light received and
privileges enjoyed.
To this moral sensibility of man as the basis of his accountability,
the Apostle refers in Romans 2: "For when the Gentiles [heathen] which
have not the Law, do by nature the things contained in the Law, these,
having not the Law, are a law unto themselves" (v. 14). The "nature"
of anything is the peculiarity of its being, that in virtue of which
it is what it is: it is that which belongs to its original
constitution, in contradistinction from all that is taught or
acquired. This ethical sense is an original part of his being, and is
not the product of education--a power of discrimination by which he
distinguishes between right and wrong is created in man. The natural
light of reason enables the uncivilized to distinguish between virtue
and vice. All, save infants and idiots, recognize the eternal
difference between good and evil: they instinctively, or rather
intuitively, feel this or that course is commendable or censurable.
They have a sense of duty: the natural light of reason conveys the
same. Even the most benighted and degraded give evidence that they are
not without a sense of obligation: however primitive and savage be
their mode of life, yet the very fact that they frame some form of law
and order for the community, proves beyond any doubt they have a
definite notion of justice and rectitude.
The very nature of the heathen, their sense of right and wrong, leads
to the performing of moral actions. In confirmation thereof, the
Apostle went on to say, "which show the work of the Law written in
their heart, their conscience also bearing witness [to the existence
of God and their accountability to Him], and their thoughts the
meanwhile [or "between themselves," margin] accusing or excusing [the
conduct of themselves and of] one another" (Rom. 2:15). The "work of
the Law" is not to be understood as a power of righteousness operating
within them, still less as their actual doing of what the Law
requires; but rather the function or design of the Law, which is to
direct action. The natural light of reason informs them of the
distinction between right and wrong. "Their conscience also bearing
witness," that is, in addition to the dictates of reason, for they are
by no means the same thing. Knowledge of duty and the actions of
conscience are quite distinct: the one reveals what is right, the
other approves of it, and condemns the contrary. They have sufficient
light to judge between what is honest and dishonest, and their moral
sense makes this distinction before commission of sin, in the
commission, and afterward--as clearly appears in their acquitting or
condemning one another.
Those who have given Romans 2:14 any serious thought must have been
puzzled if not stumbled by the statement that those in Heathendom, "do
by nature the things contained in the Law," since they neither love
the Lord God with all their hearts nor their neighbors as
themselves--the sum of what it requires. The American Revised Version
is much to be preferred: "Do by nature the things of the Law," which
describes not the yielding of obedience to the Law, but the performing
of its functions. The proper business of the Law is to say, This is
right, that is wrong; you will be rewarded for the one, and punished
for the other. To command, to forbid, to promise, to threaten--these
are "the things of the Law," the "work" of it (v. 15). The Apostle's
assertion is this--an assertion exactly accordant with truth, and
directly bearing on his argument: "The Gentiles who have no written
Divine Law, perform by nature from their very constitution, to
themselves and each other, the functions of such a law. They make a
distinction between right and wrong, just as they do between truth and
falsehood. They cannot help doing so. They often go wrong by mistaking
what is right and what is wrong, as they often go wrong by mistaking
what is true and what is false. But they approve themselves and one
another when doing what they think right; they disapprove themselves
and one another when they do what they think to be wrong; so that,
though they have no written law, they act the part of a law to
themselves. This capacity, this necessity of their nature,
distinguishes them from brutes, and makes them the subjects of Divine
moral government. In this way they show `that the work of the
law'--the work which the Law does--is `written in their hearts,' woven
in their constitution, by the actings of the power we call conscience.
It is just, then, that they should be punished for doing what they
know to be wrong, or might have known to be wrong" (Professor Brown).
Man is the only earthly creature endowed with conscience. The beasts
have consciousness and a limited power to acquire knowledge, but that
is something very different. Certain animals can be made to obey their
masters. With the aid of a stick, even a cow may be taught to refrain
from plucking the green leaves over the garden fence, which her mouth
craves--the memory of the beatings she has received for disobedience
incline her to forgo her inclinations. Much more intelligent is a
domesticated dog: he can be trained to understand that certain actions
will meet with reward, while others will receive punishment. But
memory is a very different thing from that ethical monitor within the
human breast, which weighs whatever is presented to the mind and
passes judgment either for or against all our actions, secretly
acquainting the soul with the right and wrong of things. Wherever we
go, this sentinel accompanies us: whatever we think or do, it records
a verdict. Much of our peace of mind is the fruit of a non-accusing
conscience, while not a little of our disquietude is occasioned by the
charges of wrong-doing which conscience brings against us.
Conscience is an integral part of that light which "lightens every man
which comes into the world." Forceful testimony is borne to its
potency by the rites of the heathen and their self-imposed penances,
which are so many attempts to appease the ones they feel they have
offended. There is in every man that which reproves him for his sins,
yea, for those to which none other is privy, and therefore the wicked
flee when no man pursues (Prov. 28:1). At times the stoutest are made
to quail. The most hardened have their seasons of alarm. The specter
of past sins haunts them in the night watches. Boast loudly as they
may that they fear nothing, yet "there were they in great fear where
no fear was" (Ps. 53:5)--an inward horror where there was no outward
occasion for uneasiness. When there is no reason for fright, the
wicked are suddenly seized with panic and made to tremble like an
aspen leaf, so that they are afraid of their own shadows.
The fearful reality of conscience is plainly manifested by the fact
that men who are naturally inclined to evil nevertheless disapprove of
that which is evil, and approve of the very good which they practice
not. Even though they do not so audibly, the vicious secretly admire
the pure, and while some be sunk so low they will scarcely acknowledge
it to themselves, nevertheless they wish they could be like the
morally upright. The most blameworthy will condemn certain forms of
evil in others, thus evincing they distinguish between good and evil.
Whence does that arise? By what rule do they measure moral actions,
but by an innate principle? But how comes man to possess that
principle? It is not an attribute of reason, for at times reason will
inform its possessor that a certain course of conduct would result in
gain to him, but conscience moves him to act in a way which he knows
will issue in temporal loss. Nor is it a product of the will, for
conscience often acts in opposition to the will, and no effort of the
will can still it. It is a separate faculty which, in various degrees
of enlightenment and sensitiveness, is found in civilized and
uncivilized.
Now even common sense tells us that someone other than ourselves
originated this faculty. No law can be without a lawgiver. From
whence, then, this law? Not from man, for he would annihilate it if he
could. It must have been imparted by some higher Hand, which Hand
alone can maintain it against all the violence of its owner, who, were
it not for this restraining monitor, would quickly reduce the world to
a charnel house. If, then, we reason rationally, we are forced to
argue thus: I find myself naturally obliged to do this and shun that,
therefore there must be a Superior who obliges me. If there were no
Superior, I should myself be the sole judge of good and evil, yea, I
should be regulated only by expediency and recognize no moral
distinctions. Were I the lord of that principle or law which commands
me, I should find no conflict within myself between reason and
appetite. The indubitable fact is that conscience has an authority for
man that cannot be accounted for except by its being the voice of God
within him. If conscience were entirely isolated from God, and were
independent of Him, it could not make the solemn, and sometimes the
terrible impressions it does. No man would be afraid of himself if
self were not connected with a higher Being than himself.
As God has not left Himself without witness among the lower creatures
(Acts 14:17), neither has He left Himself without witness within man's
own breast. There is not a rational member of the human race who has
not at some time more or less smarted under the lashings of
conscience. The hearts of princes, in the midst of their pleasures,
have been stricken with anguish while their favorites were flattering
them. Those inward torments are not ignorant frights experienced only
by children, which reason throws off later on, for the stronger reason
grows, the sharper the stings of conscience, and not the least so in
maturity and old age. It often operates when wickedness is most
secret. Numerous cases are on record of an overwhelming terror
overtaking wrongdoers when their crimes were known to none, and they
have condemned themselves and given themselves up to justice. Could
that self-accuser originate from man's own self? He who loves himself
would, were it possible, destroy that which disturbs him. Certainly
conscience has received no authority from its possessor to lash
himself, to spoil the pleasures of sin, to make him "like the troubled
sea, which cannot rest."
The very fact there is that in man which condemns him for sins
committed in secret, argues there is a God, and that he is accountable
unto Him. He has an instinctive dread of a Divine Judge who will yet
arraign him. "They know the judgment of God" (Rom. 1:32) by an inward
witness. It is a just provision of the Lord that those who will not
reverently fear Him, have a tormenting fear of the future. Why is it
that, despite all their efforts to escape from the conclusion that God
is, they dread a retribution beyond death?--often demonstrated by the
most callous wretches in their last hours by asking for a chaplain or
"priest." If there be no God, why do men strive to silence conscience
and dispel its terrors? And why are their efforts so unavailing? Since
they cannot still its accusations, some Higher Power must maintain it
within the soul. That the most enlightened nations recognize men have
no right to force the conscience, is a tacit acknowledgment it is
above human jurisdiction, answerable only to its Author. Conscience is
the vicegerent of God in the soul, and will torment the damned for all
eternity.
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THE DOCTRINE OF REVELATION
Chapter 3
THE EXISTENCE OF GOD AS SEEN IN HUMAN HISTORY
_________________________________________________________________
Since God is the Creator of all things, He is their perpetual
Preserver and Regulator. And since man is the chief of His earthly
creatures, it is unthinkable that God has left him entirely to
himself. The same all-mighty Being who created every part of it,
directs the vast machinery of the universe and controls equally all
the hearts and actions of men. But the same unbelief which seeks to
banish God from the realm of creation, denies that He has any real
place or part in the moral government of the world. The one, it is
said, is regulated by the (impersonal) "laws of Nature," while man,
endowed with "free will," must not be interfered with, but left to
work out his own destiny, both individually and collectively
considered. We have shown how utterly irrational is such a view as it
pertains to the material sphere, and it is no more difficult to
demonstrate how thoroughly untenable it is as applied to the moral
realm. The palpable facts of observation refute it. The affairs of
every individual, the history of each nation, the general course of
human events--all bear evidence of a higher Power super-intending the
same.
In reading history most people are contented with a bare knowledge of
its salient facts, without attempting to trace their causes or
ascertain the connection of events. For the most part they look no
farther than the motives, designs and tendencies of human nature. They
perceive not that there is a philosophy of history. They rise not to
the realization that the living God has absolute sway over this scene,
that amid all the confusion of human wills and interests, all the
malice and wickedness of Satan and his agents, the Lord God omnipotent
reigns--not only in Heaven but over this earth--shaping all its
affairs, directing all things to the outworking of His eternal
purpose. Because the reading of human history is done so
superficially, and few have more than a general acquaintance with its
character, our present line of argument may not be so patent or so
potent to some. Nevertheless, it should be more or less obvious unto
any person of ordinary intelligence that in the course of the
centuries there are clear marks of an over-ruling and presiding Power
above the human.
Since there can be no effect without a previous cause, no law without
a law-giver, neither do events come to pass fortuitously. Any
thoughtful student of history is obliged to conclude that its records
are something more than a series of disconnected and purposeless
incidents: rather do they evince the working out of a plan. True, its
wheels often appear to move slowly, and not infrequently at
cross-purposes, nevertheless, the sequel shows they work surely. It is
in the combination of events leading up to some grand end that the
workings of Divine Providence most clearly appear. As we perceive the
wisdom of the Creator in so admirably fitting each member of the human
body to perform its designed functions, so we may discern the hand of
the moral Ruler of this world in the adapting of appropriate means to
the accomplishment of His ends, in the suitability of the instruments
He has selected thereunto, in making each separate human actor play
his part, each individual contribute his quota in producing the
desired effect. As in the mechanism of a watch, each pivot is in
place, each wheel in motion, so that the main-spring guides its index,
so in the complicated machinery of history every single circumstance
pays its mite toward the furthering of some grand object.
Proofs of a presiding Providence are to be found in the life of each
individual. Where is the man who has not passed through experiences
which made him feel in his heart there must be a God who watches over
him? In the unexpected and remarkable turns in the course of his
affairs, in the sudden thoughts and unaccountable decisions which lead
to most important results, in his narrow escapes from grave danger, he
has evidence of a higher power at work. Even the most giddy and
thoughtless are, at times, forced to take notice of this. That we are
under a Moral Government which dispenses rewards and punishments in a
natural way is also plain to our sense and proved by personal
experience. Vicious actions speedily meet with retribution, by
involving their perpetrator in disgrace, by often reducing him to
poverty, subjecting him to bodily disease and mental suffering, and
brining about an untimely death. On the other hand, we find that
virtuous actions not only result in inward peace and satisfaction, but
lead to respect, health and happiness.
If there be no living God presiding over this scene, how can we
possibly account for the almost exact ratio between the two sexes?
Each year there are born into this world millions of males and of
females, and yet the balance between them is perfectly preserved.
Their parents had no say in the matter, nor did medical science
regulate it! The only rational explanation is that the sex of each
child is determined by the Creator. Again--if there be no personal
Creator fashioning human countenances, how are we to explain their
unvarying variation? The features of the human countenance are but few
in number, yet so much does their appearance differ, both singly and
in their combination, that out of countless millions no two people
look exactly alike! Suppose the opposite. If a likeness were common,
what incalculable inconvenience and confusion would ensue. If only 100
men in a single large city had the same build and countenance,
impersonation would be practiced without fear of detection, and
criminals could not be identified. Such endless dissimilarities among
those descended from common parents must have the Almighty for their
Author.
That the One from above regulates all human affairs is demonstrated on
every side of us, look where we may. In the instances alluded to
above, the individual is entirely passive, for it is by no decision of
his that he is born male or female, black or white, a giant or a
dwarf. But consider something yet more striking, namely, that even our
voluntary actions are secretly directed from on high. Each year
hundreds of thousands of both young men and women choose their
ordinary vocations or careers: what is it which moves them to make a
proportionate selection from such a variety of alternatives? Is it
nothing but blind chance that each generation is supplied with
sufficient physicians and dentists, lawyers and school teachers,
mechanics and manual laborers? Many of our youth emigrate: what
hinders all from doing so? Some prefer a life on the land, others on
the sea-- why? Take something still more commonplace: today I have
written and mailed seven letters--suppose every adult in Great Britain
did the same! The complicated machinery of modern life would speedily
break down and utter chaos would obtain were not an omniscient and
omnipresent Being regulating it.
It may be objected that the machinery of our complex social life does
not always run smoothly--that there are strikes and lock-outs which
result in much inconvenience, that at times the railroads are blocked
with traffic, that hotels are overcrowded, and so on. Granted, yet
such occurrences are the exception rather than the rule. But we may
draw an argument of Divine Providence from the very commotions and
confusions which do obtain in the world. Seeing it does occasionally
pass through disturbances, is it not evident that there must be a
mighty Power balancing these commotions, yea curbing them, so that
they do not speedily issue in the total ruin of the world? The same
One who has put the fear of man into wild beasts and a natural
instinct for them to avoid human habitations, preferring to resort
unto the jungles and deserts, to prowl for their prey in the night,
and in the morning return to their caves and dens, sufficiently places
His restraining hand upon the baser passions of men as to ensure that
degree of law and order which makes life possible amid fallen and
depraved creatures. Were that restraining Hand altogether removed, any
guarantee of safety and security would be non est.
God is no idle Spectator of the affairs of this earth, but is the
immediate Regulator of all its events, and that, not only in a general
way, but in all particulars, from the least to the greatest. If, on
the one hand, not a sparrow falls to the ground without the Divine
will (Matt. 10:29), certain it is that on the other no throne can be
overturned without His ordering. "For of Him, and through Him, and to
Him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36). God
is not only "King of saints," but He is "King of nations" (Jer. 10:7)
as well. God reigns as truly over His foes as He does over His
friends, and works through Satan and his demons as truly as by His
holy angels. "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, and He
turneth it whithersoever He will" (Prov. 21:1). God presides over the
deliberations of parliaments and influences the decisions of cabinets.
Human governments act only as they are moved by a secret power from
Heaven. Jehovah rules in the councils of the ungodly equally as in the
prayerful counsels of a church assembly. The designs, decisions and
actions of all men are directed by Him unto those ends which He has
appointed, yet that in nowise annuls their moral agency or lessens
their own guilt in sinning.
The government of this world is as much a work of God as was the
creation of it, and while there be some things as inscrutable about
the one as the other, yet each alike bears unmistakably upon it the
Divine impress. There are riddles in each which the wisest cannot
solve, but there are also wonders in each before which all should be
awed. Broadly speaking, the moral government of God consists of two
things: in directing the creatures' actions, in apportioning rewards
and punishments according to the actions of rational creatures. No
evil comes to pass without His permission, no good without His
concurrence; no good or evil without His over-ruling--ordering it to
His own ends. "The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the
evil and the good" (Prov. 15:3), and in His balances everything is
weighed. The distributions of Divine mercy and of vengeance are, to
some extent, apportioned in this life, but more particularly and fully
will they be made manifest in the Day to come. God rules in such a way
that His hand should be neither too evident nor too secret, and by
adopting this middle course, room is left for the exercise of faith,
while the unbelief of Infidels rendered without excuse.
Nothing happens simply because it must, that is, of inexorable
necessity. Fate is blind, but Providence has eyes--all is directed by
wisdom and according to design. The history of each nation is the
outworking of the Divine plan and purpose concerning it. Yet it is
equally true that the history of each nation is determined by its own
attitude toward God and His Law. In the experience of each one it is
made to appear that "Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a
reproach to any people" (Prov. 34:3). Thus the Word of God and the
Providence of God are complementary: the former sheds light on the
latter, while the latter illustrates and exemplifies the former.
Therefore in His government of this world, God displays His manifold
perfections: His wisdom and goodness, His mercy and justice, His
faithfulness and patience. The rise, progress and triumphs of each
nation, as also its decline, fall and ignominy, are according to both
the sovereign will and the perfect righteousness of the Lord. He rules
"in the midst of His enemies" (Ps. 110:2), yet His rule is neither
capricious nor arbitrary, but a wise and just one. The prosperity of
nations generally tends to the increase of vice through affording
fuller opportunity to indulge its lusts; and in such cases sore
calamities are necessary for the checking of their wickedness, or,
when it has come to the full, to destroy them as the Egyptian and
Babylonian empires were.
The history of Israel affords the most striking example of what has
been pointed out above. So long as they honored God and walked in
obedience to His Law, so long they prospered and flourished--witness
their history in the days of Joshua and David. But when they
worshipped the idols of the heathen and became unrighteous in their
conduct man with man, sore chastisements and heavy judgments were
their portion, as in the times of the judges and of the Babylonian
captivity. Observe, too, the futile attempts made by the most powerful
of their enemies to secure their extirpation: the efforts of Pharaoh,
of Haman, of Sennacherib to overthrow the purpose of Jehovah
concerning His people resulted only in their own destruction. Note how
an exact retribution--"poetic justice," worldlings would call
it--overtook Jezebel: "In the place where dogs licked the blood of
Naboth" (1 Kings 21:19), who was murdered at the orders of that wicked
queen, there was her corpse consumed by dogs (2 Kings 9:36). On the
other hand, behold how God blessed those who showed kindness to His
people: as Rahab and the whole of her family being delivered when
Jericho was destroyed because she had sheltered the two Israeli spies;
and the Shunnamite woman supernaturally provided for throughout the
sore famine for her befriending of the Prophet Elijah. What
incredulity regards as "coincidences" right reason views as wondrous
providences.
The book of Esther furnishes a most vivid illustration and
demonstration of the invisible yet palpable working of God in human
affairs. In it we are shown the Jews brought to the very brink of
ruin, and then delivered without any miracle being wrought on their
behalf. The very means employed by their enemies for their destruction
were, by the secret operations of God, made the means of their
deliverance and glory. Writing thereon, Carson rightly said: "The hand
of God in His ordinary Providence linked together a course of events
as simple and as natural as the mind can conceive, yet as surprising
as the boldest fictions of romance." The series of events opened with
the king of Persia giving a banquet. Heated with wine, that monarch
gave orders for his royal consort to appear before the assembled
revelers. Though such a request was indecorous and distasteful to the
queen, yet it is remarkable she dared to disobey her despotic husband.
Whether a sense of decency or personal pride actuated her, we know
not--but in voluntarily acting according to her own feelings, she
ignorantly fulfilled the will of Him whom she knew not. That the king
should subject her to a temporary disgrace for her refusal to heed his
behest might be expected, but that he should give up forever one whom
he so much admired is surprising.
How extraordinary it was that the deposing of Vashti made way for the
elevating of a poor Jewess to the rank of queen of the Persian empire!
Was it nothing but a "happy coincidence" that she should be more
beautiful than all the virgins of over a 100 provinces? Was it only a
piece of "good luck" that the king's chamberlain was pleased with her
from the first moment of her arrival, and that he did all in his power
to advance her interests? Was it simply "fortunate" for her that she
instantly met with favour when the king set eyes upon her? Was it only
by blind chance that the conspiracy of two of the king's servants was
thwarted and that Mordecai and all his people were saved from
disaster? Haman was sure of victory, having obtained the king's decree
to execute his bloody designs. Why was it, then, that the king was
sleepless one night, and why should he arise and, to pass the time
away, scan the court records? Why did his eye happen to alight on the
reported discovery of the plot on his own life? Why had Mordecai been
the one to uncover the scheme and his name entered into the report?
Why was the king now--at this critical juncture in Israel's
affairs--so anxious to ascertain whether Mordecai had been suitably
rewarded? Cold logic is not sufficiently credulous to regard these
things, and the grand sequel to them all, as so many fortuitous
events.
The book of Esther plainly evinces that the most trifling affairs are
ordered by the Lord to subserve His own glory and effect the good of
His own people. Though He works behind the scenes, He works none the
less. He does indeed govern the inanimate world by general laws of His
own appointing, yet He directs their operations-or suspends them when
He pleases--so as to accomplish what He has decreed. He has also
established general moral laws in the government of mankind, yet He is
not tied by them: sometimes He uses means, at others He uses none. As
the sun and rain minister to the nourishment and comfort of the
righteous and wicked alike, not from the necessity of general laws but
from the immediate Providence of Him who has ordained all things, so
the free determinations of men are so controlled from on high that
they effect the eternal designs of God. So, too, the Book of Esther
reveals that it is in the combination of incidents the working of
Providence most plainly appears. There is a wonderful series of
linking events which lead to the accomplishment of God's glorious
purpose: the actions of each person are links in the chain to bring
about some appointed result--if one link were removed the whole chain
would be broken. All lines converge on and meet in one center: all
things concur to bring about the decreed event.
If the record of any Gentile nation were fully chronicled, and had we
sufficient discernment and perspicuity, we should perceive as definite
a connection between one event--which now appears to us isolated--and
another, and the hand of God controlling them as in the history of
Israel. But even a fragmentary knowledge of general history should be
sufficient to reveal to any man the directing hand of God in it and
the testimony it bears to the truth of the Bible. It abounds in
illustrations that, "The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to
the strong" (Eccl. 9:11). The most numerous and powerful armies are no
guaranty of success, as has frequently been demonstrated. Providence
disposes the event: without any miraculous interference the best
trained and equipped forces have been defeated by much weaker ones.
The discovery of America by Columbus, in time for that land to afford
an asylum for persecuted Protestants, the invention of printing just
before the Reformation, the destruction of the "Invincible Armada" of
Spain, are more than "coincidences." Why has England always had a man
of outstanding proportions--genius, valor, dynamism, dogged
determination--at each critical juncture of her history? Cromwell,
Drake, Nelson, Wellington, Churchill--all were the special gifts of
God to a people under His peculiar favour.
A real, if mysterious, Providence is obviously at work, controlling
the gradual growth of each empire and of the combination of nations:
as in the federation of the ten kings of Revelation 17:16, 17--the
Divine plan is brought to fruition by those whose intention it is to
accomplish their own purpose. "For God hath put it in their hearts to
fulfil His will," though that in nowise lessens their sin: none but
the hand of the Almighty can bring good out of evil and make the wrath
of His enemies to praise Him. The more their chronicles be studied,
the stronger should be our conviction that only the action and
interposition of God can account for many of the outstanding events in
human history. The rise and careers of individual tyrants also
illustrates the same principle. How often have the workings of
Providence verified the Word that "the triumphing of the wicked is
short" (Job 20:5). At longest it is but brief because limited by the
span of this life, whereas their sufferings will be eternal. But often
God blows upon the plans of ambitious oppressors, crosses their
imperious wills, and brings them to a speedy ruin in this world: He
did so with Napoleon, the Kaiser, Mussolini and Hitler! He raised them
on high that He might cast them down by a more terrible fall.
We have called attention to the revelation which God has made of
Himself in human history, that is, to the cumulative evidence which
the affairs of individuals and of nations furnish that a Divine Person
has full control over those affairs, and orders and directs them all
unto the accomplishment of His own eternal purpose. The Ruler of this
world makes use of the opinions and motives, the resolves and actions
of men, yea, overruling their very crimes to further His design and
promote His own glory. Every occurrence upon the stage of human events
is not only to be traced back to the Divine counsels, but should be
viewed as the outworking of a part of His vast plan. We should behold
God in all the intrigues of courts and governments, in all the
caprices of monarchs, in all the changes of kingdoms and empires; yea,
in all the persecutions of the righteous, as really and as truly as in
the progress of the Gospel: though in the former it is more the secret
workings of His justice, as it is the more open manifestations of His
grace in the latter. "The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole
disposing thereof is of the LORD" (Prov. 16:33) whether or not we
perceive it.
The One who rules the planets is equally master of every human despot.
We supplied proof of that in connection with Ahasuerus. Consider now
another example. As a judgment upon their long-continued sinfulness,
God delivered the Jews into the hands of an invading power, and
suffered the flower of their nation to be carried captive into
Babylon. Yet His judgment was tempered with mercy, for He assured His
covenant, though wayward people, that after 70 years they should
return to Palestine. That promise was definite and sure: but how was
it to receive its fulfillment? They were utterly incapable of
delivering themselves from the midst of the mightiest empire on earth,
and there was no friendly and powerful nation demanding their
emancipation. How, then, was the Lord's Word to be made good? God had
indeed delivered their forefathers from Egypt by a series of great
marvels, but from Babylon He freed them without a single miracle. The
manner in which He did so supplies a striking example of His
providential workings and an illustrious illustration of how He shapes
the history of nations.
"Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the
LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up
the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation
throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus
saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of Heaven hath given me all
the kingdoms of the earth; and He hath charged me to build Him a house
at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all His
people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is
in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel (He is the
God), which is in Jerusalem. And whosoever remaineth in any place
where he sojourneth let the men of his place help him with silver, and
with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill
offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem" (Ezra 1:1-4).
This is the famous Cyrus whose name occupies a prominent place upon
the scroll of secular history. He was the ordained conqueror of
Babylon, and when the empire of Nebuchadnezzar and Darius fell before
his sword, instead of keeping the Jews in bondage, he decreed their
liberation. But why should he do so? Was he a worshipper of Jehovah
and a lover of His people? Far from it: he was a heathen idolater! The
prophecy of Jeremiah had evidently been read by him, though it
effected not his conversion, for he continued a devotee of his own
gods. But God so impressed his mind by that prophecy, and secretly
wrought in him a desire and determination to free the Jews that he
made an authoritative proclamation to that effect. God gave His people
favour in the eyes of the Persian king, and wrought in him both to
will and to do of His good pleasure; yet in the forming and carrying
out of his decision, Cyrus acted quite freely. Thus with the greatest
of ease God can effect His own purpose, and without the use of force
remove any obstacle standing in the way.
If (as so many students of prophecy believe) God has predestined that
the Jews shall, after centuries of weary wandering among the Gentiles,
once more occupy the land of Palestine, and if His time be now ripe
for the fulfillment of that decree, then neither the Arabs nor anyone
else can prevent their doing so. Whatever method or means God uses
will in no wise alter the fact that there will be spread before the
eyes of the world a demonstration that One immeasurably superior to
man is ordering its affairs. Time will show: but up to now it looks as
though God is repeating what He did in and through Cyrus. First, He
moved the British Government to take over the mandatory control of
Palestine, which has been administered for a quarter of a century at
great inconvenience and at heavy cost of life and money, without a
"thank you" from anyone. Now He has "stirred up the spirit" of the
U.S. Government to insist on the entry of more and more Jews into that
land. God has "His way in the whirlwind" (Nahum 1:3).
Let us now carefully consider the objection of the skeptic. If an
infinitely wise and benevolent Being be in full control of all the
affairs of earth, then why is there so much evil, so much suffering
and sorrow? Justice is a rare commodity between individuals or
nations-- the ruthless and powerful seize the prey, while the
conscientious and honest are despoiled. Mercy appears to be mainly a
consideration of prudence, for who acts generously or leniently when
another is thwarting his own interests?--witness, for example, the
toll of the road. If a God of love presides over the scene, then why
has He permitted the horrible holocaust of the past few years, with
such widespread havoc and misery? The first answer is, Because the
earth is inhabited by a rebellious race, which has revolted from its
Maker, and is now being made to feel that "the way of transgressors is
hard" (Prov. 13:15). Since man himself was the one who deliberately
dashed into pieces the cup of felicity which was originally placed in
his hands, he has no legitimate ground for complaint if he now finds
that the potion which he has brewed for himself is as bitter as gall
and wormwood.
The Infidel may reject with scorn the contents of the first three
chapters of Genesis, but in so doing he casts away the only key which
unlocks to us the meaning of human history, the only explanation which
rationally accounts for the course of human affairs. If it be true
that man was made by a holy and gracious God and was under moral
obligations to serve and glorify Him, and if instead of so doing he
cast off allegiance to Him and apostatized, what would we expect the
consequences to be? Why, that man should be made to feel His
displeasure and reap what he had sown. If this world lies under the
righteous curse of its Creator because of man's sin and its Ruler be
displaying His justice in punishing offenders and vindicating His
broken Law, in what other ink than that of blood and tears may we
expect human history to be written?! Does the alternative hypothesis
of evolution offer a more satisfactory solution? Very far from it. If
man started at the bottom of the ladder and during the course of the
ages has gradually ascended, if the human race be slowly but surely
improving, how comes is it that this twentieth century has witnessed
such an unprecedented display of savagery and degradation?!
If an omniscient and beneficent God be governing this world, why is
there so much wickedness and wretchedness in it? We answer, in the
second place, to demonstrate the truth of His own Word The accounts
which that Word gives of the corruptions of human nature have been
widely refused, as being too gloomy a diagnosis of the same. The
descriptions furnished by Scripture of man's depravity have been
haughtily despised by the wise of this world. Nevertheless, the annals
of human history furnish abundant verification of the same. It may not
be palatable to read, "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin
did my mother conceive me" (Ps. 51:5), that "man is born like a wild
ass's colt" (Job 11:12), that "The wicked are estranged from the womb,
they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies" (Ps. 58:3)--yet
universal observation discovers clear proof of the verity of the same.
Children do not have to be taught to be intractable, to lie and steal.
Remove restraints, leave them to themselves, and it quickly appears
what is born and bred in them. The widespread juvenile delinquency of
our own day is very far from exemplifying any progress of the human
race!
It certainly is not flattering to proud human nature to be told in the
unerring Word of Truth, that, as the result of the Fall, man's heart
is "deceitful above all things and desperately wicked" (Jer. 17:9),
yet every newspaper we open contains illustrations of the teaching of
Christ that, "out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, adulteries,
fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit,
lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these
evil things come from within, and defile the man" (Mark 7:21-23).
Thousands of years ago God described mankind thus: "Their throat is an
open sepulchre: with their tongues they have used deceit, the poison
of asps is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and
bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery
are in their ways, and the way of peace have they not known" (Rom.
3:13-17). And why is this? The closing words of the same passage tell
us: "There is no fear of God before their eyes" (v. 18). Who that has
any acquaintance with the chronicles of history can deny that
indictment? Who with the present state of society before his eyes can
deny it? The very Word of God which men will not receive by faith is
being verified in their very sight!
Why does God permit so much human misery? We answer, in the third
place, to manifest the glory of His own perfections. The frightful
calamity of war causes many to deny or seriously doubt the reality of
Divine Providence, for when that fearful scourge falls upon the
nations, it appears to them that Satan, rather than the Lord, has
charge of things and is the author of their troubles. At such a time
God's own people may find it difficult to stay their minds on Him and
rest implicitly in His wisdom and goodness. Yet the Word reveals that
God is no mere distant Spectator of the bloody conflicts of men, but
that His righteous and retributive agency is immediately involved
therein, though that neither mitigates the guilt of the human
instigators nor destroys their free agency. Their consuming egotism,
insatiable greed, horrible barbarities--proceed entirely from
themselves and are of their own volition; nevertheless, the Most High
directs their lusts to the execution of His own designs and renders
them subservient to His own honour.
The affairs of nations are ordered by a Divine hand. Their rise,
development and progress are "of the Lord," so also are their decline,
adversities and destruction. God's dealing with Israel of old was not
exceptional, but illustrative of His ways with the Gentiles throughout
the last 19 centuries. While Israel's ways pleased the Lord, He made
their enemies to be at peace with them; but when they gave themselves
up to idolatry and lasciviousness, war was one of His sore scourges
upon them. Whenever Divine judgment falls upon either an individual or
a nation, it is because sin has called loudly for Him to vindicate His
honour and enforce the penalty of His Law. Yet warning is always given
before He strikes: "space to repent" is provided, the call to forsake
that which displeases Him, opportunity to avert His wrath--and if this
warning be disregarded and the opportunity to escape His vengeance be
not improved--then is His judgment doubly righteous. Ordinarily God
makes use of men--a Nebuchadnezzar, a Caesar, a Hitler--as the
instruments by which His judgment is inflicted, thereby demonstrating
His sovereignty over all, who can do nothing without Him, yet who must
play the part which He has ordained.
In various ways does the Ruler of this world manifest the glory of His
attributes. By the display of His infinite patience in bearing with so
much longsuffering those who defy Him to His face and continue in
their obduracy. By exhibiting the exceeding riches of His mercy in
sometimes calling the most outrageous rebels out of darkness into His
marvelous light, bringing them to repentance and granting them pardon:
thus it was with King Manasseh and Saul of Tarsus. By manifesting the
strictness of His untempered justice in hardening others in sin to
their own destruction. "Behold therefore the goodness and the severity
of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee goodness, if
thou continue in His goodness: otherwise thou shalt also be cut off'
(Rom. 11:22). By showing forth His wondrous power, both in directing
and curbing human passions. "Surely the wrath of man shall praise Thee
[as that of Pharaoh's was made to do]: the remainder of wrath shalt
Thou restrain" (Ps. 76:10), for He holds in check the fiercest as much
as He sets bounds to the turbulent seas.
The depravity of human nature, the potency and prevalency of evil, and
the power and malice of the Wicked One in whom the whole world lies,
only makes more evident and wonderful the Providence of God. Since
holiness be so universally hated and the saints of the Lord so
detested and persecuted by the great majority of their fellow men, had
not God so signally interposed for their preservation, the last of His
people had long since perished amid the enmity and fury of their
implacable enemies. Were there no other evidence that the living God
governs this world, this one should suffice: that though His servants
and sons have been so strenuously opposed in this scene, yet they have
never been totally rooted out of it; that though the most powerful
governments have sought their complete destruction, and though they
were weak and possessed of no material weapons, yet a remnant always
survived!--as real a marvel that is as the preservation of the three
Hebrew youths in the fiery furnace of Babylon.
What has just been pointed out has not received the attention which it
justly claims, for it is a conspicuous feature of history and one that
has been frequently repeated. The saints of God in Old Testament
times, in the early centuries of this Christian era, and throughout
the Dark Ages, when both pagan and papal Rome made the most determined
efforts to completely annihilate them, had good reason to confess, "If
it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against
us, then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled
against us. Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone
over our soul; then the proud waters had gone over our soul. Blessed
be the LORD who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth" (Ps.
124:2-6). It is quite possible, perhaps likely, that before this
present century has run its course, the restraining hand of God will
again be wholly removed from their foes and His people subjected to
martyrdom. Should such prove the case, He will, unto the end, maintain
to Himself a witness in the earth.
Why is there so much suffering and sorrow in this world? Fourth, for
the good and gain of God's own people. As there is not a little in the
realm of creation which sorely puzzles both the naturalist and the
scientist--as there is much in God's written Word that is opposed to
proud reason--so many of His governmental works often appear
profoundly mysterious. That the wicked should prosper so much and
flourish as the green bay tree, while the righteous are often in sore
straits and at their wit's end to make ends meet; that the most
unscrupulous attain unto positions of prestige and power, while the
most virtuous and pious have been counted as "the offscouring of all
things," and ended their days in a dungeon or by suffering a cruel
martyrdom; that when God's judgments fall upon a nation they are no
respecter of persons, the relatively innocent suffering from them as
severely as the most guilty--these and similar cases which might be
instanced present real problems to those who reflect upon the same.
True, but the more thoughtfully they be examined, especially in view
of the hereafter, the less difficulty they present. The thoughts of
the materialist and skeptic extend no farther than the narrow bounds
of this life, and consequently he sees these things in a false
perspective. Because of their misuse of them, the temporal mercies
enjoyed by the wicked become a curse, hardening them in their sins and
fattening them for the slaughter. On the other hand, afflictions often
prove a blessing in disguise unto believers, weaning their affections
from the things of earth and causing them to seek their joy in things
above. God often thwarts their carnal plans because He would have
their hearts occupied with better objects. The more they are
dissatisfied in the creature and discover that everything under the
sun yields only vanity and vexation of spirit, the more inducement
have they to cultivate a closer communion with the One who can fully
satisfy their souls.
It is not meet that the righteous should always be in a prosperous and
happy case in their temporal estate, for then they would be most apt
to seek their rest therein. On the other hand, if their portion were
that of unrelieved affliction and misery, while the lot of the wicked
was uniformly one of plenty and ease, that would be too severe a trial
of faith. Therefore God wisely mixes His dispensations with each class
respectively. God so orders His Providences that His people shall live
by faith and not by sight or sense. That is not only for their
happiness, but for God's honour. He frequently regulates things so
that it may appear that the saints trust Him in the dark as well as in
the light. An outstanding example of that is seen in the case of Job,
who was afflicted as few have ever been. Yet in his blackest hour he
averred, "though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him" (13:15). How
greatly is He glorified by such conduct! Tribulations are needful for
the testing of profession, that the difference between the wheat and
the chaff may appear. Heresies are necessary that lovers of Truth may
be made manifest (1 Cor. 11:19). Trials are indispensable, that
patience may have her perfect work.
If in every instance the righteous were rewarded and the wicked
punished in this life, the Day of judgment would be fully anticipated:
but by furnishing some present instances of both the one and the
other, the great Assize is presaged and the government of God
vindicated. If temporal mercies and spiritual blessings were now
evenly distributed, no demonstration would be made of the absolute
sovereignty of Him who dispenses His favors as He pleases, and bestows
upon or withholds from each individual that which seems good unto
Himself. There are not more inequalities in the dispensations of
Providence than in the realm of creation. In its widest aspect there
is a noticeable and striking balance observable in the apportionment
of mercies. As in Old Testament times Divine favors were largely
confined to the seed of Abraham, so in the New Testament era unto the
Gentiles. Something analogous thereto is seen in God's conduct toward
the eastern and western parts of the earth. For 2,000 years after the
Flood, learning, government and piety were largely confined to the
east, while our forefathers in the west were a horde of savages. For
the last 2,000 years the Gospel, with all its beneficent by-products,
has traveled westward. Perhaps in the next 2,000 years it will again
move eastward.
The living God controls all circumstances, commands all events, rules
every creature, makes all their energies and actions fulfil His will,
provides a sure and comfortable resting place for the heart. The
present outlook may be dismal, but God reigns and is making all things
work together for the glory of His name and the good of His people. If
the human race is to occupy this earth for several more generations,
or perhaps many centuries, then certain it is that out of the throes
through which it is now passing shall issue the furtherance of the
Gospel and the promotion of Christ's kingdom. The annals of human
affairs can only be read intelligently and interpreted aright as we
perceive that history is His-story. In the final Day of Manifestation
it will be plain to all that, "He hath done all things well";
meanwhile, faith now knows that it is so.
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THE DOCTRINE OF REVELATION
Chapter 4
THE EXISTENCE OF GOD AS UNVEILED IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
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In the dispensations of His Providence, the revelation which God has
made of Himself unto mankind has been a progressive one. First, He is
manifested in the realm of creation, and that with sufficient
clearness as to leave all without excuse if they perceive not that He
is. Second, God is revealed in man himself, so that his very
constitution evinces his Divine origin and his conscience bears
witness of his accountability to his Maker. Third, God is plainly to
be seen in human history: most patently in His dealings with the Jews
during the past 35 centuries; yet with sufficient clearness everywhere
as to attest that He is the moral Governor of this world, the
Regulator of human affairs. But over and above these--O wonder of
wonders--God has become incarnate. In the Person of His blessed and
co-equal Son, God deigned to clothe Himself in our flesh and blood and
manifest Himself unto the sons of men. For the space of 33 years He
appeared among men and displayed His glory before their eyes; yea,
gave proof of His matchless mercy by performing a work, at infinite
cost to Himself, which has made it possible for Him to righteously
save the very chief of sinners.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. . . and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John
1:1, 14). It is by means of words that we make known our wills, reveal
the caliber of our minds and the character of our hearts, and
communicate information unto others. Appropriately, then, is Christ
designated, "The Word of God," for He has made the Transcendent
immanent, the incomprehensible God intelligible to us. Thus, too, is
He denominated "the image of the invisible God" (Col. 1:15) and the
"Alpha and the Omega" (Rev. 1:8)--the One who spells out the Deity
unto us. "The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father,
He hath declared" or "told Him forth" (John 1:18). In Christ's life of
impeccable purity, we behold God's holiness; in His utter
selflessness, God's benevolence; in His peerless teaching, God's
wisdom; in His unrivalled miracles, God's power; in His gentleness and
longsuffering, God's patience; in His love and grace, the outshining
of God's glory.
The record of Christ's unprecedented life is found in the four
Gospels. Those Gospels were written by men who were constantly in
Christ's company during the days of His ministry, being an ungarnished
record of what they personally saw with their own eyes and heard with
their own ears. Numerous copies of those Gospels have been in known
existence since the first century of this Christian era. Only three
explanations of them are feasible. First, that they were written by
deluded fanatics. But the character of their contents, the calmness of
their tenor, the absence of anything savoring of enthusiasm, cause
anyone capable of weighing evidence to promptly reject such an
hypothesis. The dreams of visionaries had never received such
widespread credence. Second, that they were the inventions of
deceitful men. But that could not be, otherwise their contemporaries
had exposed them as impostors. Wicked men could not have devised the
Sermon on the Mount. Third, that they were written by honest men, who
chronicled actual facts.
The Person of the Lord Jesus presents a baffling problem, yea, an
insoluble enigma unto infidelity. Skepticism is quite unable to supply
any rational explanation of the phenomenon which He presents. Yet,
"what think ye of Christ?" is a question which cannot be avoided or
evaded by anyone who professes to use his reasoning powers or lays any
claim to being an educated person. The obvious fact confronts believer
and unbeliever alike that the appearing of Jesus Christ on the stage
of this world has exerted a more powerful, lasting, and extensive
influence than has any other person, factor, or event that can be
named. To say that Christ has revolutionized human history is only to
affirm what His bitterest foes are compelled to acknowledge. He dwelt
in no palace, led no army, overthrew no mundane empire, yet His fame
has spread to the ends of the earth. He wrote no book, framed no
philosophy, erected no temple--yet He occupies a place in literature
and religion which none else has ever achieved. How is this to be
explained? Unbelief can furnish no answer! Nor can it refute, for the
historicity of Christ is established far more conclusively than that
of Socrates and Plato.
Viewed simply from the human plane the Lord Jesus presents a
phenomenon which admits of no human explanation. The law of heredity
cannot account for Him, for He transcends all merely racial
characteristics. Though according to the flesh He was the Son of
Abraham, yet He is bounded by no Jewish limitations. Instead, He is
the Man of men, the Pattern Man. The Englishman and the Dutchman, with
their vastly different racial temperaments, the stolid German and the
warm Italian behold their Ideal in Christ: He rises above all national
restrictions. The law of environment cannot explain Him, for He was
born in poverty, lived in a small town, received no collegiate
training, toiled at the carpenter's bench. Such an environment was not
conducive to the development of thought and teaching which was to
enlighten the whole world. Christ transcends all laws. There is
nothing provincial about Him. "The Son of man" is His fitting title,
for He is the Representative Man.
Christ was not tinctured or affected by the age in which He lived. And
that can be said of no one else. Study the characters and teaching of
any of the outstanding figures of history, and we are at once aware
that they were colored by their own generation. By common consent we
make certain allowances for those who lived in former times, and agree
that it would not be just to measure them by present-day ideals. Men
of the most sterling worth were, in measure, marred by the crudities,
coarseness, or superstitions of their contemporaries. But the Lord
Jesus is the grand Exception. You may test Him by the light of this
twentieth century--if light it be--or you may judge Him by any
century, and no lack or blemish is to be found in Him. His teaching
was pure Truth without any mixture of error, and therefore it stands
the test of all time. His teaching was neither affected by the
prevailing traditions of Judaism, by that of Grecian philosophy, nor
by any other influence then abroad. The timeless value of Christ's
teaching is without parallel. That of Socrates and Plato has long
since become obsolete, but Christ's is as pertinent and potent now as
the day He uttered it.
There is no part of Christ's teaching which the subsequent growth of
human knowledge has had to discredit. Therein it is in marked contrast
with that of all other men, whose dicta have to be constantly revised
and brought up to date. There is a universal quality to His teaching
which is found in none other's--an originality, a loftiness, an
adaptability. There is nothing petty, local, or transient about it. It
is of general application, suited to all generations and to all
peoples. It possesses a vital and vitalizing freshness without a
parallel. It is profound enough for the mightiest intellect, practical
enough for the artisan, simple enough for the little child. It is
profitable for youth, for maturity, and old age alike. It furnishes
that which is needed by those in prosperity, brings comfort to those
in adversity, and has imparted a peace which passes all understanding
to thousands who lay upon beds of suffering, and while they passed
through the valley of the shadow of death. Those are facts attested by
a multitude of witnesses whose testimony cannot be fairly impeached.
Unto Christ the master minds of the ages have paid homage. Such mighty
intellects as Lord Bacon and Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday and Lord
Kelvin, Milton and Handel; Calvin and John Locke, and a host of others
who towered above their fellows in mental acumen and genius, bowed
before Him in adoring worship. Not that Christianity is in any need of
human patronage to authenticate it, but that it may be evinced to the
thoughtful ones of this rising generation that Christians are far from
being a company of credulous simpletons. Christianity is not something
suited only to little children or old ladies in their dotage. When the
young men of this age behold such hard-headed men as General Dobbie,
the valiant defender of Malta, and Field Marshal Montgomery, the
Commander-in-chief of the British Army, unashamedly acknowledging
Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour, they have before them that
which clearly challenges them to seriously consider the claims of
Christ and carefully examine His teachings-- instead of contemptuously
ignoring the same as something unworthy of their best attention.
Napoleon Bonaparte, the military genius of a century ago, declared,
"Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne and myself have founded empires, but
upon what did those creations of our genius depend? Upon force. Jesus
Christ alone established His empire upon love, and to this very day
millions would die for Him. I think I understand something of human
nature, and I tell you, those were men and I am a man; Jesus Christ is
more than a man. I have inspired multitudes with such an enthusiastic
devotion that they would have died for me . . .but to do this it was
necessary that I should be visibly present, with the electric
influence of my looks, of my words, of my voice. When I saw men and
spoke to them, I lighted up the flame of self-devotion in their
hearts. Christ alone has succeeded in raising the mind of men toward
the Unseen, that it becomes insensible to the barriers of time and
space. Across a chasm of 1,800 years Jesus Christ makes a demand which
is, beyond all others, difficult to satisfy.
"He asks for the human heart. He will have it entirely for and to
Himself. He demands it unconditionally, and forthwith His demand is
granted. Wonderful! In defiance of time and space, the soul of man,
with all its powers and faculties, is annexed to the empire of Christ.
All who simply believe in Him experience that remarkable, supernatural
love towards Him. This phenomenon is unaccountable: it is altogether
beyond the scope of man's creative powers. Time, the great destroyer,
is powerless to extinguish this sacred flame; time cannot exhaust its
strength, nor put a limit to its reign. This it is which strikes me
most. I have often thought of it. This it is which proves to me quite
convincingly the Divinity of Jesus Christ." Paul Richter said of
Christ: "The holiest among the mighty, the mightiest among the holy,
who with His pierced hands has lifted empires off their hinges, turned
the stream of centuries out of its channel, and still governs the
ages."
Alexander, Napoleon, Lincoln, are dead, and we refer to them in the
past tense. But not so with Christ. We do not think or speak of Him as
One who was, but as One who is. The Lord Jesus is far more than a
memory. He is the great "I am": the same yesterday and today and
forever. He is more real to mankind, His influence still more
prevalent, His followers more numerous in this twentieth century than
they were in the first. On what principle, scientifically, can we
rationally account for the dynamical influence of the Lord Jesus
today? That One now at a distance of almost two millenniums is still
molding human thought, attracting human hearts, transforming human
lives, with such mighty sway that He stands forth from all other
teachers as the sun makes the stars recede into dimness and pale
before the luster of His refulgence. As a strictly scientific
question, the mystery of Christ's influence demands an adequate
solution. It requires neither science nor philosophy to deny, but it
does to explain. The only satisfactory explanation is that Christ is
God, omnipotent and omnipresent.
We call attention now to what has well been termed "The Logic of the
Changed Calendar": what follows is an enlargement of some notes we
made nearly forty years ago from a book entitled The Unrealized Logic
of Religion. Few people stop to inquire for an explanation of one of
the most amazing facts which is presented to the notice of everybody,
namely, the fact that all civilized time is dated from the birth of
Jesus Christ. This is the twentieth century, and from what event are
those centuries dated? From the birth of a Jew, who, according to the
view of Infidels, if He ever existed, was a peasant in an obscure
province, who was the author of no wonderful invention, who occupied
no throne, who died when, as men count years, He had scarcely reached
his prime, and who died the death of a criminal. Now if the Lord Jesus
Christ were nothing more than what skeptics will allow, then is it not
utterly unthinkable that the chronology of the civilized world should
be reckoned from His birth? The effect must correspond to the cause,
and there is no agreement between such a phenomenon and such an
inadequate producer.
To have some common measure of time is, of course, a necessity of
organized society, but where shall we find an adequate starting point
for the calendar?--i.e., one which will be acceptable to all civilized
nations! A world-shattering victory, the founding of some
many-centuried city, the birth of a dynasty, the beginning of a
revolution: some such event, it might reasonably be expected, would
give time a new starting point. But no conqueror's sword has ever cut
deep enough on Time to leave an enduring mark. The Julian era, the
Alexandria era, the era of the Sileucidae--all had their brief day and
have vanished. There is for civilized men but one suitable, enduring
and universally recognized starting point for civilized time, and that
is the manger at Bethlehem! And how is that strange yet startling fact
to be explained? It was imposed neither by the authority of a
conqueror, the device of priests, the enactment of a despot, nor even
by Constantine; but by slow and gradual consent.
The name of Jesus Christ did not emerge in the calendar till five
centuries after His death--a space of time long enough for Him to be
forgotten had He been an impostor. It took another 500 years to become
universally accepted; and the process is linked to no human name.
Here, then, is a phenomenon that skepticism cannot explain: that
without any conspiracy of Christian fanatics Jesus Christ has altered
the almanacs of the world. The one event which towers above the
horizon of history serves as a landmark to measure time for all
civilized races. The Lord of time has indelibly written His signature
across time itself; the years of the modern world being labeled by
common consent the years of our Lord! Every letter you receive (though
penned by an atheist), every newspaper carrying the date of its issue
(though published by Communists), bears testimony to the historicity
of Christ! The One who entered this world to shape its history to a
new pattern changed its calendar from A.M. to A.D.
All that had transpired previously in human history counted for
nothing. The name of the most famous of the world's generals or of its
most powerful monarchs was not deemed worthy to be imprinted upon all
succeeding centuries. By a deep, unanimous, inarticulate and yet
irresistible instinct, each nation has recognized and recorded on its
almanacs the true starting point of its life. Several attempts have
been made to establish another point of departure for recorded time.
Islam has made a faint but broken mark upon the centuries, relating
time to the sword; but the Moslem almanac is confined to but a cluster
of half-civilized races. La Place, the astronomer, proposed to give
stability and dignity to human chronology by linking it to the stars,
but the world approved not. France sought to popularize its
Revolution, and count 1793 as year one, but her calendar lasted but 13
years. The centuries belong to Christ and pay homage to Him by bearing
His name!
Men and women of all ages, who are at present being tossed to and fro
upon a sea of doubt, there is no reason why you should remain there.
It will be your own fault if you fail to secure firm ground to stand
upon. You may imagine Christians make an idle boast when they affirm
"we know," and declare, "That is exactly what you do not: you suppose,
you hope, you believe. The dream may be alluring, the hope pleasing,
but you cannot be sure." If so, you err. The children of God have
infallible proof, and if you follow the right course, assurance will
be yours too. The value and Divinity of Christ's teaching may be
personally verified by yourself. How? "If any man will do His will,"
said Christ, "he shall know of the doctrine" (John 7:17). If you will
read the record of it in the Gospels, submit to Christ's authority,
conform to His requirements, regulate your life by His precepts, then
you shall obtain a settled conviction that He "spake as never man
spake," that His are the words of Truth.
Nay, further. If you be an honest inquirer, prepared to follow the
Truth wherever it leads--and it will be out of the mists of skepticism
and away from the fogs of uncertainty--you may obtain definite and
conclusive proof that Christ is and that He is the Rewarder of those
who diligently seek Him. His invitation is, "If any man thirst, let
him come unto Me and drink" (John 7:37), and upon compliance, He
promises to satisfy that thirst. Test Him for yourself If the empty
cisterns of this world--their poor pleasures or their intellectual
speculations--have failed to satisfy your soul, Christ can. He
declares, "Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). If you have toiled in vain for
peace and your conscience be burdened with a sense of guilt, then cast
yourself on the mercy of Christ right now, and you shall find "rest
unto your soul"--such as this world can neither give nor take away.
Then you, too, will know the reality and certainty of His so great
salvation. Put Him to the test!
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THE DOCTRINE OF REVELATION
Chapter 5
THE HOLY BIBLE GOD'S WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
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In our preceding chapters we have called attention to some of the
evidences which demonstrate the existence of God as seen in the
revelation which He has made of Himself in creation, in man himself,
in His shaping of human history, and in the Person of His incarnate
Son. We turn now to that written communication which He has vouchsafed
us, namely, the Scriptures, commonly designated "the Bible," which
means "The Book," or more reverently "The Holy Bible"--the Book which
is separated from and exalted above all others, the Sacred Book.
Concerning it the Psalmist averred, "Thou hast magnified Thy Word
above all Thy name" (Ps. 138:2): that is, beyond all previous
manifestations of the Divine Being. In the Holy Scriptures God has
made a full discovery of Himself and a complete disclosure of His
will. There His glories are set forth in their meridian clarity and
splendor. The Word is a glass in which the character and perfections
of God may be seen, and in order to become better acquainted with Him
we need to more diligently peruse the same. Alas that so very few of
this generation do so. Alas that so many preachers discourage such a
duty.
Nearly 40 years ago, in one of our earliest publications, we wrote:
"To all who are acquainted with the spiritual conditions of our day it
is apparent that there is being made at this time a determined attempt
to set aside the authority of the Bible. In the press, the pulpit and
the pew, its Divine Authorship is being questioned and denied. The
Serpent's words to Eve `Yea, hath God said?' are being heard in every
quarter of Christendom. The ancient `landmarks' of our fathers are
being abandoned, the foundation of our religion undermined, and for
the most part the Bible is no longer regarded as the Word of God.
"In every age the Bible has been the object of attack and assault:
every available weapon in the Devil's arsenal has been used in the
effort to destroy the Temple of God's Truth. In the first days of the
Christian era the attack of the enemy was made openly--the bonfire
being the chief instrument of destruction. But in these `last days'
the assault is made in a more subtle manner, and comes from a more
unexpected quarter. The Divine origin of the Scriptures is now
disputed in the name of `Scholarship' and `Science,' and that, too, by
those who profess to be the friends and champions of the Bible. Much
of the learning and theological activities of the hour are
concentrated in the attempt to discredit and destroy the accuracy and
authority of God's Word. The result is that thousands of nominal
Christians are plunged into a sea of doubt and tossed about by every
wind of the destructive `Higher Criticism.' Many of those who are paid
to stand in our pulpits and defend the Truth of God are now the very
ones engaged in sowing the seed of unbelief and destroying the faith
of those to whom they minister."
Today we behold some of the fearful crops which have resulted from
that evil sowing: "some of," we say, for it is greatly to be feared
that the full harvest does not yet appear. Shocking and appalling is
the situation which is already spread before us. It has become
increasingly evident, even to man who make no pretensions unto
spirituality, that the restraining hand of God has been more and more
removed from the world, till a spirit of utter lawlessness and
recklessness now possesses a large proportion of mankind. But only
those with an anointed eye can perceive why this is so, namely because
the influence formerly exerted by God's Word was suppressed. The
majority of church-goers of the preceding generations had instilled
into them doubts upon the authenticity of Holy Writ: theological
professors and "up-to-date" preachers openly denied its supernatural
character. Once the awe-inspiring authority of God's Word was removed,
the most potent bridle upon the lusts and passions of the masses was
gone. Where there is no longer any fear of Divine judgment after
death, what is left to curb the activities of sin?
The present state of society is due to the infidelity of "the
churches" during the past century, and the apostasy of Christendom
began by losing its grip upon the basic truth of the Divine
inspiration of the Scriptures. And there is no hope whatever of
Christendom being recovered from its present corrupt condition and
woeful plight until it regains that grip, until it recognizes and
avows that the Bible is a messenger from Heaven, a direct
communication from God, imperiously demanding complete subjection of
conscience to its authority and total subjugation of the mind and will
to its requirements. It has, therefore, become the imperative duty of
God's servants to put first things first: to affirm with clarion voice
the Divine inspiration and authority of the Holy Bible, to present to
their hearers some of the many "infallible proofs" by which it is
authenticated, that they may "know the certainty of those things"
(Luke 1:4) wherein they are instructed. Thereby God Himself will be
honored, a sure foundation laid for faith to rest upon, the only
specific provided for the disease of materialism and infidelity, and
the lone barrier against the inroads of Romanism.
There is not a shadow of doubt in our mind that Rome was behind the
"Higher Criticism" movement of the last century, just as she was of
the introduction and spread of Arminianism in England (through Laud)
shortly after the Reformation. The Papacy was shrewd enough to
recognize that the authority of God's Word must be undermined and its
influence upon the nation weakened, before she had any hope of
bringing it within her deadly toils. There is nothing she hates and
dreads so much as the Bible, especially when it is circulated among
the common people in their own tongue, as was clearly shown in the
days of Queen Mary, of infamous memory. The organization of the Bible
Societies, with their enormous output, was a rude shock to Rome, but
she promptly countered it through "Modernism," by discrediting the
inerrancy of the Scriptures. The promulgation of the so-called "Higher
Criticism" has done far more for the spread of infidelity among the
masses than did the coarse blasphemies of Tom Paine; and it is among
those who have no settled convictions that Rome wins most of her
converts!
Now, the most effective way to oppose error is to preach the Truth, as
the way to dispel darkness from a room is to let in or turn on the
light. Satan is well pleased if he can induce those whom God has
called to expound His Law and proclaim His Gospel to turn aside and
seek to expose the fallacies of the various cults and isms. When the
disciples of Christ informed Him that the Pharisees were offended at
His teaching, He bade them, "Let them alone: they be blind leaders of
the blind" (Matthew 15:14)--waste no time upon them. When the servants
of the Householder asked permission to remove the tares which His
enemy had sown in His field, He forbade them (Matthew 13:29). The
business of Christ's ministers is to sow, and continue sowing the good
Seed, and not to root up tares! Their work is to be a positive and
constructive one, and not merely a negative and destructive thing.
Their task is to "preach the Word" (2 Tim. 4:2), faithfully and
diligently, in dependency upon the Spirit, looking to God for His
blessing upon the same. And what is so urgently needed today is that
they proclaim with earnest conviction, "All Scripture is given by
inspiration of God" (2 Tim. 3:16).
That claim is no empty one, but rather one that is attested by
unimpeachable witnesses and verified by incontrovertible evidence. It
bears in it and upon it the infallible tokens of its Divine origin,
and it is the bounden duty and holy privilege of God's servants to
present, simply and convincingly, some of the various and conclusive
evidence which demonstrates the uniqueness of the Bible. They cannot
possibly engage in a more important and needed task than in seeking to
establish their hearers in the Divine inspiration of the Scriptures,
for it is of the greatest possible moment they should be thoroughly
settled in that truth. The human mind cannot engage itself with any
inquiry more momentous than this: "Has the Bible come from God? Is it
a Divine revelation and communication addressed unto us personally
from our Maker?" If it is, then it has claims upon us such as are
possessed by no other writings. If it is not, then it is a wicked
imposter, utterly unworthy of our serious consideration. Those are the
sole alternatives. Hence, this is "the doctrine of doctrines: the
doctrine that teaches us all others, and in virtue of which alone they
are doctrines" (Gaussen).
Before we call attention to some of the abundant and varied evidence
which makes manifest the Divine inspiration of the Scriptures, perhaps
we should meet an objection which a few may be inclined to raise: Is
it not largely a waste of time for you to furnish demonstration of a
truth which no genuine Christian doubts? We do not think so. All of
God's people are not equally well established, and in any case faith
cannot have too firm a foothold, especially in a day when the tide of
infidelity is seeking to sweep everything away into the sea of
skepticism. It is good for Christians themselves to be more fully
assured that they have not followed "cunningly devised fables," but
have an unmistakable, "Thus saith the Lord" as the foundation of all
their hopes. Moreover, as another has pointed out, "Faith needs food
as well as foothold, and it is upon these Divine verities, so plainly
revealed and so clearly established in the Word of Truth, that faith
finds its choicest provision."
Further, these evidences are of value to the Christian in that they
enable him to give an intelligent and rational answer to those who
inquire after knowledge. God requires His people to "be ready always
to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope
that is in you, with meekness and reverence" (1 Pet. 3:15). Thus we
must be able to reply to any who seriously ask us, Wherefore do you
believe the Bible to be the Word of God? But our chief desire and
design will be to furnish young preachers with material to use in
sermons, aimed at resolving the perplexities and removing the doubts
which perturb not a few of their hearers, and so counter and nullify
the infidelities of modern "education." Yet here again we must
anticipate an objection: Since the regenerate alone are capable of
discerning spiritual things, why attempt to convince the unregenerate
that the Bible is a Divine book? If faith be the sole ear competent to
hear the voice of God, why try to reason with unbelievers?
While it is true that no arguments, however convincing in themselves,
can remove the veil of prejudice from the understanding of the
unregenerate or convert the heart unto God, yet that is far from
allowing that such means possess no value. It has often been said by
good men that the Scriptures are addressed to faith. That is true, yet
only a part of the truth, for if it were taken absolutely it must
follow they are not addressed to any devoid of faith, which is a
palpable error. Our Lord bade the skeptical Jews, "search the
Scriptures," and declared, "He that rejecteth Me and receiveth not My
words hath one that judgeth him: the Word that I have spoken the same
shall judge him in the last day" (John 12:48), thereby showing plainly
the natural man is under binding obligations to heed and be subject
unto the Word! The fact is that the Word is addressed to man as a
rational creature, as a moral agent, as a responsible being, and it
carries its own evidence--evidence which is addressed both to the
reason and conscience.
"These arguments are such as are able of themselves to beget in the
minds of men--sober, humble, intelligent and unprejudiced--a firm
opinion, judgment and persuasion that the Scripture doth proceed from
God" (J. Owen). They are evidences which show the irrationality of
infidelity, and render those faced with them without excuse for
rejecting the same. They are such as nothing but perverse prejudice
can restrain men from assenting thereto. It is a fact that of those
who have written against the Bible not one has soberly and seriously
undertaken to refute the evidence which they knew had been adduced for
the veracity of its history, the fulfillment of its miracles, and the
purity and consistency of its doctrine. They close the mouths of
gainsayers. Such arguments afford relief to the mind from the
objections of skeptics, for if weighed impartially they must produce a
moral assurance of the truth of Scripture. Thus they dispose the mind
to approach the Bible with confidence and pave the way for receiving
it as God's Word.
Such arguments go to show that Christians are not a company of
credulous simpletons, but have good reason for their faith. They are a
means of strengthening and establishing those who have accepted the
Bible on less satisfactory grounds. Few look farther than human
authority and public countenance. The majority believe the Scriptures
in the same way as Mohammedans do the Koran: because it is the
tradition of their fathers. But wisdom is to be justified of her
children, so that they walk in her ways by a rational choice. When the
Spouse is asked, "What, is thy Beloved more than another beloved?"
(Song. 5:9), she is not backward in making reply; and when the
worldling asks, "What, is your Bible above what the heathen appeal to
in support of their superstitions," we should be able to give an
intelligent answer.
Nevertheless some are still apt to conclude it is useless to enter
into such a discussion, insisting that the Bible is to be believed and
not argued about, that arguments at best will only produce a human
faith. But it is not a thing to be despised if we can prepare the
young to respect God's Word, and then seek the Spirit's confirmation.
Sometimes a human faith makes way for a Divine. The testimony borne by
the woman from the well issued in that very sequel: "Now we believe,
not because of thy saying, but we have heard Him ourselves and know
that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world" (John 4:39,
42). It is much to be thankful for when we can persuade people upon
good grounds that the Bible is the Word of God, so that they are
induced to make trial of it for themselves, for often that leads to
their obtaining an experimental verification from the Holy Spirit. The
revelation which God has made of Himself unto mankind through His
wondrous works, both in creation and in providence, are addressed unto
their reasoning faculty, and render them without excuse for their
unbelief of His existence. Equally so is the more complete discovery
of Himself which God has given to the world in His written Word
addressed to the intelligence and conscience of those favored with it,
and therefore will it in the Day to come condemn all who refused to
conform unto the Divine will as it is there made known to them. Hence
it behooves preachers to press the inerrancy and Divine authority of
the Holy Bible.
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A. W. Pink Header
THE DOCTRINE OF REVELATION
Chapter 6
THE HOLY BIBLE ADDRESSED TO REASON AND CONSCIENCE
_________________________________________________________________
That the Living Oracles of Truth are addressed to the reason of men as
well as their conscience is definitely established by the fact that
God Himself appeals to prophecy in proof of the unrivalled character
of the communications He made through His servants. Their messages
were retrospective as well as prospective, treating of things of the
remotest antiquity as well as of those which lay centuries ahead, and
thus commanded the entire horizon of history past and future. Their
Divine Author places such peculiar value and attaches such importance
to those supernatural disclosures as an evidence of inspiration that
not less than seven times in the prophecy of Isaiah alone He
challenges any false faith or idolatrous cult the world over to
produce any revelations like unto His. "Produce your cause, saith the
LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob. Let
them bring forth and show us what shall happen: let them show the
former things, what they be, that we may consider them and know the
latter end of them, or declare us things for to come" (41:21, 22).
"Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I
declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them" (42:9). "Let all
the nations be gathered together and let the people be assembled: who
among them can declare this, and show us former things? [such as the
creation of the earth, and everything else recorded in the book of
Genesis]: let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be
justified [in their claims]; or let them hear, and say, it is truth"
(43:9). "I have declared the former things from the beginning; and
they went forth out of My mouth, and I showed them; I did them
suddenly, and they came to pass" (48:3). None of the seers of false
religion can show either "the former things" or the "latter things":
their outlook is restricted to the present. Only the Omniscient One
can endow His messengers with a vision which reaches back before
history began and which looks forward to ages not yet historic.
Again--that the Word of God is addressed to the reason of men is
proven from the fact that appeal is made to the miracles recorded
therein. "And many other signs [i.e. miracles--Acts 2:22] truly did
Jesus in the presence of His disciples (who have recorded many of
them] which are not written in this book. But these are written that
ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God: and that
believing, ye might have life through His name" (John 20:30, 31). The
record of the various wonders wrought by God are given in Scripture
not merely to furnish information, but to convince us that He is the
Author of the Book which chronicles the same, and to bring our hearts
and lives in full submission to His authority--and that we receive as
our personal Lord and Saviour the One who is Himself God manifest in
flesh, and therefore the final Spokesman from Heaven. Those whom God
employed as His penmen gave to the world a Divine revelation, and He
accredited the same with due evidences, so that any receiving them are
left without excuse if they despise and reject them.
Now it should be quite evident that if God is to give a personal
communication unto fallen man, who is full of unbelief and skepticism,
it will be supported with something more than the ordinary evidence of
human testimony--that it will be supplemented by extraordinary
evidence. A Divine revelation will be confirmed by Divine insignia. If
God is to speak audibly to those who forsook Him, it can only be in a
way out of the common course. If He commissions messengers to declare
His will, they must possess such credentials as demonstrate that they
come from Him. Each Prophet sent from Him must be authenticated by
Him. Those bearing supernatural messages will reasonably be expected
to possess supernatural seals and be accompanied with supernatural
phenomena. If God directly intervenes to instruct and legislate for
the children of men, then clearly revelations and miracles must
cooperate and combine. But here the Infidel will at once demur, and
deny that miracles are either possible or credible.
Nothing is easier than for an atheist to affirm that since the
universe exists by eternal necessity and is subject to no change, that
miracles cannot take place; but it is impossible for him to make
anything approaching a satisfactory demonstration of that assertion.
We do not propose to enter upon a lengthy discussion of the subject,
deeming it sufficient to appeal to what has been presented in the
previous chapters as proof that God is, that He created the universe,
and is now presiding over it. And then to point out, first, that what
men term "the course of nature" is nothing but the agency of God. To
declare that either a suspension or an alteration of the laws of
nature is impossible, is to endow those laws with the attributes of
Deity, and to be guilty of the absurdity of saying that the Lawgiver
is subordinate to His own laws. The workman is ever superior to his
works, and if God be the Creator and Governor of Heaven and earth then
He must be free to interfere in His own works whenever He pleases, and
to make such interference manifest, by suspending or altering those
laws by which He is pleased normally to regulate them.
"What is called the usual course of nature, then, is nothing else than
the will of God, producing certain effects in a continual, regular,
constant and uniform manner; which course or manner of acting being in
every moment arbitrary, is as easy to be altered at any time as to be
preserved. . . . To assert the impossibility of a miracle is absurd,
for no man can prove, nor is there any reason to believe, that to work
a miracle is a greater exercise of power than those usual operations
which we daily witness. To restore life to a dead body and to bring it
forth from the grave is not attended with any more difficulty than to
communicate life to a fetus and to bring it forth from the womb. Both
are equally beyond the power of man; both are equally possible with
God. In respect of the power of God, all things are alike easy to be
done by Him. The power of God extends equally to great things as to
small, and to many as to few; and the one makes no more difficulty or
resistance to His will than the other" (Robert Haldane).
To proceed one step farther. In a world which is upheld and governed
by the living God, miracles are not only possible but credible,
because probable. If the arrangement of nature be designed for the
glory of its Maker and the good of His creatures, then it becomes in
the highest degree likely that when any end of extraordinary
importance is to be attained, that the laws of nature in their uniform
course should be altered and made subservient to that event, that it
should be heralded and evinced by extraordinary manifestations. Not
only will the laws of the natural world become subservient to any
great moral end, but they will be made to promote it. Since the laws
of nature be under the direct management of their own Legislator, then
not only may He moderate those laws at His own pleasure, but it is
reasonable to conclude that He will make those modifications palpable
and visible to His creatures when He purposes to effect some unusual
influence upon them. Miracles could only be incredible if they were
contrary to God's known perfections or contradicted some prior
revelation of His will.
"Everything we see is, in one sense, a miracle: it is beyond our
comprehension. We put a twig into the ground, and find in a few years'
time that it becomes a tree; but how it draws its nourishment from the
earth, and how it increases, we know not. We look around us, and see
the forests sometimes shaken by storms, at other times yielding to the
breeze; in one part of the year in full leaf, in another naked and
desolate. We all know that the seasons have an effect on these things,
and philosophers will conjecture at a few immediate causes; but in
what manner these causes act, and how they put nature in motion, the
wisest of them know not. When the storm is up, why does it not
continue to rage? When the air is calm, what rouses the storm? We know
not, but must, after our deepest researches into first causes, rest
satisfied with resolving all into the power of God. Yet,
notwithstanding we cannot comprehend the most common of these
appearances, they make no impression on us, because they are common,
because they happen according to a stated course, and are seen every
day. If they were out of the common course of nature, though in
themselves not more difficult to comprehend, they would still appear
more wonderful to us, and more immediately the work of God.
"Thus, when we see a child grow into a man, and, when the breath has
left the body, turn to corruption, we are not in the least surprised,
because we see it every day; but were we to see a man restored from
sickness to health by a word, or raised to life from the dead by a
mere command, though these things are not really more unaccountable,
yet we call the uncommon even a miracle, because it is uncommon. We
acknowledge, however, that both are produced by God, because it is
evident that no other power can produce them. Such, then, is the
nature of the evidence which arises from miracles; and we have no more
reason to disbelieve them, when well attested and not repugnant to the
goodness or justice of God, only because they were performed several
ages ago, than we have to disbelieve the more ordinary occurrences of
Providence which passed before our own time, because the same
occurrences may never happen again during our lives. The ordinary
course of nature proves the Being and Providence of God; these
extraordinary acts of power prove the Divine commission of that person
who performs them" (T. H. Horne).
Finally, miracles are not only possible and credible, but, as
indicated in an earlier paragraph, in certain circumstances they are
necessary. If there was to be a restoration of that intercourse with
God which men had severed and forfeited by their defection, it must
obviously be by supernatural means. Divine revelation, being of an
extraordinary nature, requires extraordinary proofs to certify it.
Since it was not to be a revelation made separately to every
individual, conveyed to his mind in such a way as should remove all
doubting, but rather a revelation communicated to a few and then
published to the world, it follows that miracles were called for to
confirm the testimony of the messengers of God, to convince others
that they spoke by higher authority than their own, and therefore the
necessity of miracles was in proportion to the necessity of a
revelation being made. By the miracle performed through His servants
God gave proof to those who heard them that they were not being
imposed upon by fraud when they claimed to utter a, "Thus saith the
Lord."
A miracle is a supernatural work. It is something which could not be
produced by the laws of nature, and it is therefore a deviation from
their normal operations. A miracle is an extraordinary Divine work,
where an effect is produced contrary to the common course of nature.
God was pleased to perform such prodigies to testify His approbation
of those who acted as His mouthpieces, to avouch their messages-- the
miracles they performed were their letters patent. Whatever God has
confirmed by miracles is solemnly and authoritatively ratified. The
miracles wrought by Moses and Elijah, and by the Apostles of the New
Testament were such as were manifestly beyond the powers of any
creature to produce and therefore they attested the Divine origin of
their messages. Obviously, God would not work such wonders through
imposters or in order to confirm lies, but only to witness unto the
truth of a Divine revelation--see Mark 16:20; Hebrews 2:4; though
miracles were both probable and necessary to authenticate unto men a
revelation from God, yet it could not reasonably be expected that such
sensible tokens or marks of Divine interposition should be renewed in
every age or to each individual in the world, for that would
completely subvert the regular order of things which the Creator has
established. Nor was there any need for such a continual repetition of
miracles. Once Christianity was established in the world, those
extraordinary interventions of God ceased. It was fitting that they
should, for God does nothing unnecessarily. The Jews, every time they
heard the Law read to them, did not expect a recurrence of the
supernatural happenings of Sinai: those were one solemn confirmation
of the Ten Commandments, which were to serve for all generations.
Likewise, the Christian doctrine is the same now as it was in the
first century, and will remain unchanged to the end of the world: we
have a sure and authentic record of it in the Bible. Miracles, like
any other facts, may be certified by reliable testimony.
It is by means of testimony that we obtain by far the greater part of
our knowledge, and the trustworthiness of such testimony may be as
conclusive as sense or mathematical demonstration. Evidence is
necessary to establish the fact of revelation, though revelation
existed before a line of Scripture came to be written. Those to whom
the revelation was not personally made are required to believe it on
the testimony of those who received it from the mouth of God. And it
is just as unreasonable and illogical not to credit those witnesses as
it would be to decline the trustworthiness of the atlas. I might as
well refuse to believe there is any such country as New Zealand
because I have never seen it for myself or personally spoken to those
who have lived there, as reject the Bible as a Divine revelation
because I did not personally witness the miracles God wrought to
attest its original penmen, nor have had personal converse with them.
It is only by the evidence of testimony of their contemporaries and
then through historians that we know such men as Alexander and
Napoleon ever existed.
"On the same grounds of historical testimony, but furnished to us in a
measure far more extensive, and connected moreover with a variety of
other kinds of evidence, we are assured of the fact that Jesus Christ
appeared in the world and that He was born, and lived, and died, in
the country of Judea. This is attested by contemporary historians, and
no man acquainted with history can be so absurd as to admit the
reality of the existence of Julius Caesar and at the same time deny
that of Jesus Christ. This is admitted by the greatest enemies of
Christianity; and it is also acknowledged on all hands that the
Christian religion which is professed at this day took its rise from
Jesus Christ, and in the age in which He lived. Till then it is never
mentioned; but from that period it begins to be noticed by historians,
and shortly after becomes the subject of public edicts, and later
produces revolutions in government, both more important and more
permanent than that which Julius Caesar effected" (Robert Haldane).
We have pointed out that our knowledge of and belief in all those
events of the past which we did not personally behold are based upon
the testimony of witnesses, and that we who live in this twentieth
century have far better and surer evidence--judged from an historical
standpoint--to be assured that Jesus Christ was an historical reality,
than we have for believing that Julius Caesar existed. The only
objection made against that fact which has even the appearance of
substance is, that whereas the history of Julius Caesar followed the
ordinary course of events, that of Jesus Christ was radically
different, so much so that the latter makes a far greater demand upon
our credence than does the former. Those who preceded us have shown
that this objection, so far from presenting any real difficulty, only
serves to render our belief easier, for it calls attention to just
what should be expected in such a case, thereby rendering it more
credible. Had the career of Jesus Christ flowed in normal
channels--were there no extraordinary features to mark it, then we
should indeed have good reason to suspect the records of it.
If Jesus Christ were the Son of God incarnate then we should naturally
expect Him to be born in a way none other ever was. If He came here on
a unique mission, of supreme importance to the whole human race--a
Divine Mission, having for its purpose a climacteric display of God's
perfections, and the saving of His people with an everlasting
salvation--then His life would obviously be without any parallel, yea,
characterized by the supernatural. The very nature of His mission
required that miracles should attest His teaching. Those very miracles
being matter of fact, evident to the senses of those who witnessed
them, of such a nature they could not be misunderstood, were, equally
with common occurrences, the subject of credible testimony. They were
not of a momentary nature, but permanent in their effects. They were
not performed in secret, but in broad daylight in the midst of
multitudes. They were not few only, but numerous. They were not
performed only in the presence of friends but before enemies, and
under a government and priesthood which bitterly hated their Performer
and the doctrine He supported.
The miracles wrought by the Lord Jesus were, both in their beneficent
character and in their wondrous nature, worthy of Him who did them and
of the mission which engaged Him. They were not performed as
spectacular displays of power, but directed to such gracious and
practical ends as feeding the hungry and healing the sick. Moreover,
it is to be carefully borne in mind that those wonders were
specifically predicted centuries before He was born at Bethlehem.
Wrought as they were in the open, before friends and foes alike, had
there been any deception practiced, it must have been detected But the
fiercest of His detractors were compelled to acknowledge their reality
(John 11:47; 12:18, 19), though ascribing them to a diabolical
influence. It is an historic fact that Christ's miracles were not
denied in the age in which they were performed, nor for many centuries
afterwards. They are related to us by eye-witnesses and are
inseparably connected with the rest of the history of which they form
apart. They are in perfect accord with what the rest of the Bible
reveals of the power and goodness of God.
When Moses beheld the bush burning and not consumed, and heard the
voice of the Lord speaking to him therefrom, not only were his senses
convinced, but the awe-inspiring effect upon his heart was
self-attesting evidence that the living God was there revealed to him.
But those to whom he related that startling experience, especially
when he declared he had then received a Divine commission to act as
their leader, would require some convincing proof that God had indeed
spoken to him. When the Lord bade him return into Egypt and inform the
elders of Israel that the God of their fathers had appeared unto him
in Horeb, Moses was fearful that his report would be received with
skepticism, saying, "They will not believe me, nor hearken to my
voice." Whereupon the Lord, in His condescending grace, told him to
cast his rod on the ground, and it became a serpent; and take it by
the tail and it became a rod in his hand; so that repeating these
miracles, "they may believe that the LORD God . . .hath appeared unto
thee" (Ex. 4:1-5). Thereby the mission which God had entrusted unto
Moses would be confirmed beyond all dispute.
Upon this particular point we know of none who has written more
lucidly and convincingly than Mr. J. C. Philpot, from whom we shall
now quote and paraphrase. "In such a matter as Divine revelation,
which, being supernatural, is to fallen men naturally incredible,
there is a necessity that the ordinary evidence of human testimony
should be as it were backed and supplemented by extraordinary
evidence, that is, the evidence of miracle and prophecy . . . Let us
see the combined effect of testimony and miracle when Moses goes to
execute his mission." "Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all
the elders of the children of Israel. And Aaron spake all the words
which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight
of the people. And the people believed: and when they heard that the
LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that He had looked upon
their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped" (Ex.
4:29-31).
"First, there is testimony: `And Aaron spake all the words which the
LORD had spoken unto Moses.' Next there is miracle: `And did the signs
in the sight of the people.' Thirdly, there is belief `And the people
believed.' Fourthly, there is worship: `they bowed their heads and
worshipped.' Thus we see that the weakness of testimony ["weak" under
such circumstances as those--a single weakness unto an unexpected and
unprecedented occurrence: A.W.P.] is made up for and supplemented by
the strength of a miracle. Without testimony, the miracle would be
purposeless; without a miracle, the testimony would be inefficacious.
Testimony is to miracle what Aaron was to Moses--'instead of a mouth';
and miracle is to testimony what Moses was to Aaron--'instead of God'
(Ex. 4:16). But why should a miracle possess this peculiar strength?
For this simple reason: that it shows the special interposition of the
Almighty. Thus the magicians, when baffled and confounded, confessed
to Pharaoh, `This is the finger of God' (Ex. 8:19)."
Another instance of the place and value of miracles in connection with
testimony is found in 1 Kings 18. Half a century before, 10 of
Israel's tribes had revolted from the throne of David. Jeroboam their
king had set up the worship of the golden calves in Dan and Bethel,
which marked the extremities of his kingdom. Two generations had grown
up in idolatry and, "for a long season Israel [in contradistinction
from Judah] had been without the true God, and without a teaching
priest, and without law" (2 Chron. 15:3). But in the days of the
wicked Ahab, God raised up the Prophet Elijah, and His messenger
announced that, "there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but
according to my word" (1 Kings 17:1), and for three years there was an
unbroken drought (James 5:17), which resulted in famine and great
distress. Yet when the Lord's hand was lifted up in such manifest
judgment "they would not see" (Isa. 26:11), but Jezebel slew the
Prophets of the Lord (1 Kings 18:13), while Ahab vowed vengeance upon
Elijah himself. Nor did the common people evince any sign of
repentance.
Elijah gave orders that all Israel should be gathered together unto
mount Cannel, with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of
the grove. He then came unto the people and said, "How long halt ye
between two opinions: if the LORD be God, follow Him; but if Baal,
follow him. And the people answered him not a word" (1 Kings
18:21)--apparently because they were nonplussed, perceiving not how
the controversy might be determined. Whereupon the servant of God
proposed, "Let them therefore give us two bullocks: and let them
choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay on
wood, and put no fire under; and I will dress the other bullock, and
lay it on wood, and put no fire under. And call ye on the name of your
god, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that
answereth by fire, let Him be God. And all the people answered and
said, It is well spoken" (vv. 23, 24). The controversy should be
decided by a miracle! Nothing could be fairer than what Elijah
proposed; no test more convincing than the one here put to the proof.
The people unanimously assented, and forthwith the trial was made.
For hours the prophets of Baal called upon their god to answer by
fire, but there was no response; they leaped up and down at the altar,
cutting themselves with knives till the blood gushed out upon them,
but there was not "any that regarded"--the desired fire fell not.
After their vain pretensions had been fully exposed, Elijah, to make
more evident the miracle that followed, called for four barrels of
water and poured it on the bullock which he had cut up and upon the
wood until, "the water ran round about the altar, and he filled the
trench also with the water." Then Elijah prayed unto the Lord God of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob saying, "Let it be known this day that Thou
art God in Israel, and I Thy servant, and that I have done all these
things at Thy Word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may
know that Thou art the LORD God, and that Thou hast turned their
hearts back again" (vv. 36, 37). Nor did the Prophet supplicate in
vain. "Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt
sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up
the water that was in the trench. And when the people saw they fell on
their faces, and they said, The LORD He is the God; the LORD, He is
the God" (vv. 38, 39).
Now what we would particularly note in that memorable scene on Carmel
is the light which it casts upon the evidential value of miracles.
That was made unmistakably plain in Elijah's prayer. The supernatural
fire which came down from Heaven in the sight of that vast assembly,
consuming not only the bullock but the very stones on which it was
laid, and the water in the trench round about the altar, was designed
to make manifest, first, that Jehovah was God in Israel. Second, that
Elijah was His authorized servant. Third, that his mission and work
was according to the Word of the Lord. Fourth, that God still had
designs of mercy in turning the hearts of Israel back again unto
Himself. Here, then, is another case in point where the evidence of
testimony was ratified by the evidence of a miracle. The mission of
Elijah was authorized by the miracles performed in answer to his
prayers: the special interposition of God attested the Divine origin
of his message, for obviously the Lord would not work such wonders in
answer to the petitions of an impostor. God was pleased to perform
those prodigies to testify His approbation of those who served as His
mouthpieces, thereby leaving "without excuse" all who turned a deaf
ear unto them.
Herein we may at once perceive how futile and senseless is the method
followed by the "Modernists" and "Higher Critics." They are obliged to
acknowledge the canonicity of the books of the Bible, for the whole of
the Old Testament was translated into the Greek more than 200 years
before Christ. While there is independent evidence for the existence
of the books of the New Testament from a very early date in the
Christian era: yet they refuse to believe the miracles recorded in
them. But that is utterly irrational. One has but to read attentively
either the Pentateuch, the four Gospels, or the Acts, to discover that
their historical portions and their miraculous portions are so
intimately related we cannot logically accredit the former without
accrediting the latter. They necessarily stand or fall together: if
the history is true, so also are the miracles; if the miracles be
spurious, so is the history. We could not delete the miraculous
plagues upon Egypt and the supernatural destruction of Pharaoh and his
hosts at the Red Sea without rendering completely meaningless the
historical portions of the book of Exodus. The same holds good of the
book of Acts: remove the miracles recorded therein, and much of the
narrative become unintelligible.
The same feature obtains in connection with the wonders wrought by the
Saviour. "Take, for instance, the raising of Lazarus from the dead.
How can we separate the narrative from the miracle, or the miracle
from the narrative? To see this more clearly, let us look at the
narrative as distinct from the miracle. How simply, and so to speak
naturally, is it related, and with what a minuteness and particularity
of circumstances, which could not from their very nature have been
invented. The name of the sick and dying man; the place where he
lived, not far from Jerusalem, and therefore open to the closest
investigation and examination; the names of his two sisters; the
absence of Jesus at the time; the deep grief of Martha and Mary, and
yet the way in which it was shown, so thoroughly in harmony with their
characters elsewhere given (Luke 10:38-42). The arrival of Jesus: His
conversation with them; His weeping at the tomb, and the remarks of
the bystanders--what an air of truthfulness pervades the whole! There
is nothing exaggerated, nothing out of place, nothing but what is in
perfect harmony with the character of Jesus as reflected in the mirror
of the other Gospels.
"But this narrative portion of the sickness and death of Lazarus
cannot he separated from the miraculous portion--the raising of him
from the dead. The first precedes, explains, introduces, and
harmonizes with the second. Without the narrative the miracle would be
unintelligible. It would float on the Gospel as a fragment of a
shipwrecked vessel on the waves of the sea, furnishing no indication
of its name or destination. So without the miracle the narrative would
be useless and out of place, and of no more spiritual value than the
sickness and death of a good man who died yesterday. But narrative and
miracle combined, interlaced and mutually strengthening each other
form a massy web which no Infidel fingers can pull to pieces. What we
have said with respect to the miracle wrought at the grave of Lazarus
is equally applicable to the other miraculous works of our blessed
Lord. Narrative introduces the miracle, and miracle sustains the
narrative--their combined effect being to prove that Jesus was the Son
of God, the promised Messiah of whom all the Prophets testified" (J.
C. Philpot).
To the miracles which He wrought, the Lord Jesus again and again
appealed as evidence of His Divine mission. Thus, His forerunner,
while languishing in prison and dismayed by his non-deliverance
therefrom, sent two of his disciples unto Him with the inquiry, "art
Thou He that should come, or do we look for another?" To which our
Lord made reply, "Go and show John again those things which ye do hear
and see; the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are
cleaned, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have
the Gospel preached unto them" (Matthew 11:4, 5). The Lord there
authenticated the Gospel which He preached by the supernatural works
He performed: those displays of Divine goodness and power being the
plain and irrefutable evidence that He was the Messiah "who should
come," according to the unanimous declarations of the Old Testament
Prophets. On another occasion, after mentioning the testimony which
John had borne unto Him, the Redeemer said, "But I have greater
witness than of John: for the works which the Father hath given Me to
finish, the same works that I do bear witness of Me, that the Father
hath sent Me" (John 5:33, 36).
When the unbelieving Jews came and said unto Him, "How long dost Thou
make us to doubt? If Thou be the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus
answered them, "I told you, and ye believed not; the works that I do
in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me" (John 10:24, 25). If it
be asked, How could any eye-witnesses of those mighty works refuse to
believe if they were indeed proofs of His Divine mission? Because,
since they rejected His teaching, God blinded their eyes and hardened
their hearts (John 12:37-40). But others were convinced. Many believed
in His name, when they saw the miracles which He did (John 2:23); and
on the feeding of the great multitude with five loaves and two small
fishes, we are told, "Then those men, when they had seen the miracle
that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that Prophet that should come
into the world" (John 6:14). Said Nicodemus, "We know that Thou art a
Teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that Thou
doest, except God be with Him" (John 3:2): such displays of Divine
power demonstrated that His mission and message were Divine.
Another striking illustration and exemplification of the value of
miracles authenticating one employed upon a Divine mission is found in
Acts 2. Less than two months after the death and resurrection of the
Lord Jesus, and His subsequent departure from this world, we find the
Apostle Peter declaring openly, "Ye men of Israel, hear these words:
Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and
wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you as ye
yourselves also know" (v. 22). This was not said to a company of
Christians in private, but to a vast "multitude" in Jerusalem (vv. 5,
6). It formed part of an appeal made to the whole mass of the Jewish
populace, and it was not contradicted by them, as it most certainly
had been if Peter were making an empty boast. The Apostle was
reminding them that Christ had dispossessed demons, raised the dead,
not in a corner, but in the most public manner. Those miracles were
incontestable, and the significance of them could not be gainsaid:
they were so many testimonies from God of His approbation of the One
who wrought them. They declared and demonstrated that Jesus Christ was
the promised Messiah and Saviour. They certified His mission and
doctrine. Much failure attaches to us at every point. Our paramount
desire to enjoy intimate and unbroken fellowship with the Lord, though
sincere, is neither as intense nor as constant as it should be. Our
efforts after the realization of that desire, our use of those means
which promote communion with Him, are not as diligent and wholehearted
as is incumbent upon us. Our pressing forward unto the mark set before
us is often most feeble and faulty. But there is no failure with our
God: His purpose will be accomplished, He will perfect that which
concerns us (Ps. 138:8).
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THE DOCTRINE OF REVELATION
Chapter 7
THE HOLY BIBLE FILLS MAN'S NEED FOR DIVINE REVELATION
_________________________________________________________________
If the Bible is the Word of God, if it immeasurably transcends all the
productions of human genius, then we should naturally expect it to be
attested by marks which evince its Divine origin. That such an
expectation is fully realized we shall, at some length, seek to show.
Those marks are not vague and uncertain, but definite and
unmistakable, and are of such a character as man could not be the
author of them. The indications that the Bible is a Divine revelation
are numerous, various, and conclusive. They are such as appeal
severally to those of different tastes and temperaments, while taken
together they present a case which none can invalidate. The Bible is
furnished with such credentials as only those blinded by prejudice can
fail to recognize it is a messenger from Heaven. They are of two
kinds--extraordinary [miracles and prophecies] and ordinary, and the
latter may be distinguished again between those which are objective
and subjective--the one addressed to reason, the other capable of
verification in experience. Each has the nature of a distinct witness,
yet there is perfect agreement between them--united, yet independent.
1. Man's Need. We may well draw our first argument for an intelligible
and authoritative revelation of God from our imperative requirement of
the same. We have presented evidence to show God exists, that He
created man a rational and moral being, endowed with the power to
distinguish between good and evil, and, therefore, that he was
[originally] capable of knowing God, obeying Him, and worshipping Him.
But man could neither intelligently obey nor acceptably worship God
unless he first had a direct revelation from Him of how He was to be
served. In order for there to be intercourse between man and his
Maker, he must first receive from Him a communication of His mind
prescribing the details of his duty. Accordingly we find that
immediately after the creation of Adam and Eve God gave them a
particular statute. He first informed them what they might do (Gen.
2:16), and then specified what they must not do. Thus, from the
outset, was man made dependent upon his Creator for a knowledge of His
will, and thus, too, was his fidelity unto Him put to the proof.
If such were the case with man in his pristine glory, as he was made
in the moral image of God, how much greater is his need of a Divine
revelation since he has left his first estate, lost the image of God,
and become a fallen and depraved creature! Sin has defiled his soul:
darkening his understanding, alienating his affections, vitiating all
his faculties. Should a critical objector here say, But you are now
assuming what has not yet been proved, for you are taking for granted
the authenticity of Genesis 3 [wherein the defection of man from his
Maker is recorded]. It should be sufficient reply at this stage to
ask, What other alternative remains? Only this: that God created man
in his present woeful plight, that he has never been in any better
condition. But is not such a concept abhorrent even to reason? Surely
a perfect God would not create so faulty a creature. Could One who is
infinitely pure and holy make man in the awful state of iniquity in
which we now behold him? How, then, has man become such a depraved
being?
Why is it that the world over, mankind are so intractable and wayward,
that so many are regulated by their lusts rather than reason, that if
the restraints of human law and government were removed and everyone
given free rein, the earth would speedily become a charnel-house?
During the first half of this twentieth century, despite our vaunted
education and civilization, enlightenment and progress, we have
witnessed the most appalling proofs of human depravity, and that on a
scale of enormous magnitude. So far from beholding any indication that
man is slowly but surely ascending from the ape to the Divine, there
is abundant evidence to show that the larger part of our race has
descended to the level of the beasts. But how comes this to be, if man
at the beginning was a sinless and holy creature? Apart from the
Bible, no satisfactory answer is forthcoming: neither philosophy nor
science can furnish any satisfactory explanation. Here again we see
the urgent need of a revelation from God: that Divine light may be
cast upon this dark mystery, that we may learn how man forfeited his
felicity and plunged himself into misery.
What has just been pointed out makes manifest yet another aspect of
man's deep need of a plain revelation from God. Man is now a fallen
and polluted creature--no one who reads the newspapers or attends the
police courts can question that. How, then, do the ineffable eyes of
God regard him? How is it possible for fallen creatures to regain
their former glory? Reason itself tells us that one who has rebelled
against God's authority and broken His laws cannot at death be taken
into His presence, there to spend a blissful eternity, without his
sins being first pardoned and his character radically changed. The
convictions of conscience reject any such anomaly. But apart from
Divine revelation, how are we to ascertain what will satisfy the
thrice holy God? In what way shall a guilty soul be pardoned, a sinful
soul be purified, a polluted creature made fit for the celestial
courts? All the schemes and contrivances of human devising fail
utterly at this vital point--at best they are but a dream, a guess.
Dare you, my reader, risk your eternal welfare upon a mere
peradventure?
Turning back from the future to the present: how is God to be
worshipped by man? Such a question is necessarily raised by the being
and character of God and of man's relationship to Him as His creature.
That the Deity should be acknowledged, that homage ought to be
rendered unto Him, has been owned by the majority of our fellows in
all climes and ages. True, their conceptions of Deity have varied
considerably, and so, too, their ideas of how to honour Him; yet the
conscience of all nations has convicted them that some form of worship
is due unto God. It has been generally felt and avowed that there
should be an acknowledgment of our dependency upon God, that
supplications for His favour should be offered, that confessions of
sin should be made, that thanksgivings for His mercies should be
returned. Low as man has fallen, yet until he be steeped in vice, the
dictates of reason and the promptings of his moral nature have
informed him that God ought to be worshipped. Yet without a special
revelation from God, how is it possible for any man to know that he
worships aright, that his efforts to honour God are acceptable to Him?
The crude and debasing idol worship of those who are ignorant of or
have spurned God's Word will clearly evince the need for such a
revelation.
From the works of creation, the voice of conscience, and the course of
Providence, we may learn enough of God and of our relation to Him as
to make us the accountable creatures of His government. But of that
knowledge which is necessary to our salvation, we can discover nothing
whatever. Unwritten revelation is inadequate to meet the needs of a
sinner. We need a further revelation in order to learn our real
character and ascertain how we may be acceptable unto God. Creation as
such exhibits no Saviour, announces no redemption, and supplies not
the least indication that the forgiveness of sins is possible, much
less likely. If we break the laws of nature we must suffer the
penalty. Ignorance will not exempt us nor will penitence remit the
suffering. Nature's laws are inexorable and are no respecter of
persons. A child falling into the fire will be burned as surely as the
vilest criminal. If we had nothing more than the visible world from
which to draw our conclusions, we could never infer a hope of mercy
for the transgressor of law. Nor would our moral instincts hold out
any prospect of future relief--for conscience condemns us and informs
us that punishment is just.
Religion [from re-ligo "to bind back"] must have something to tie to.
It must have a foundation, a basis, an ultimate appeal. What is that
appeal? Many say tradition: to the teaching of "the Fathers," to the
decree of Councils, to an authority lodged in the Church as a Divine
corporation, indwelt and made infallible by the presence of the Holy
Spirit. That is the doctrine of Rome--a doctrine which binds to a
system assumed to be supernatural, but which is "as shifting as the
decrees of councils have shifted, contradictory as the statements of
church fathers have been conflicting, blind and confusing; a congeries
of truths and errors, of affirmations, and denials, of half lights and
evasions from Origen to Bellarmine" (G. S. Bishop). The Papacy's claim
to be the seat of Divine authority is refuted by historic fact and
personal experience. Her career has been far too dark and checkered,
her influence on human life, liberty and progress, much too
unsatisfactory for any impartial investigator to be deceived by such
an arrogant pretension.
Others make their own instincts the supreme arbiter. That which
commends itself to their "intuitions" or appeals to their sentiments
is accepted, and whatever accords not therewith is spurned. But since
temperaments and tastes differ so widely, there could be no common
standard to which appeal may be made, and by which each one might test
the rightness or wrongness of his preferences. Each separate
individual would become a law unto himself: nay, if nothing be right
or good save what I approve of, then I am my own god. This may be
termed the religion of nature, and it accounts for every vagary from
the myths of Paganism to the self-delusion of mis-called "Christian
Science," for everything put forth from Homer to Huxley. Such
self-limitation exposes its utter poverty. Self cannot advance beyond
the bounds of an experience which is limited by the present. How can I
know anything about the origin of things unless I be taught by One who
existed before them? Apart from a special revelation from God, what
can I possibly know of what awaits me after death?
Human reason
is the ultimate court of appeal for the majority of this generation.
But reason is not uniform: what appears to be logical and credible to
one man, seems the very opposite to another. Most of what was pointed
out in the last paragraph obtains equally here--reason can know
nothing of what it has no experience. The great subject of controversy
between Infidels and Christians is whether reason [the intellect and
moral faculties] be sufficient to enable us to attain all that
knowledge which is necessary for bringing us to virtue and happiness.
That question is not to be answered by theorizing but by experiment;
not by conjectures, but facts. It must be submitted to the test of
history. At what conclusions did the reason of the ancient Egyptians,
Greeks and Romans arrive? So far from formulating any adequate
conception of Deity, they worshipped birds and beasts, and invented
gods of the most revolting character. There was no agreement among
their most renowned thinkers. Their systems of moral philosophy were
woefully defective and their framers notoriously profligate. Even
today where the Bible is rejected reason rises no higher than
agnosticism: I know not--whether there be a God, a soul which survives
the death of the body, or what the hereafter may hold.
If it be asked, What purpose does reason serve in connection with
spiritual things? We answer, first, its province is to form a judgment
of the evidence of Christianity: to investigate and to estimate the
grounds on which it claims to be a Divine revelation. Its duty is to
weigh impartially and determine the force of such arguments as we have
advanced in the preceding discussion and those we will present.
Second, its office is to examine carefully the contents of Scripture,
to acquaint ourselves with its teachings, to attentively consider the
demands they make upon us--which we could not do if we had no more
understanding than the irrational beasts. Third, its function is to
subordinate itself unto the authority of Divine revelation--the
absurdity of the opposite is self-evident. Reason is certainly not to
constitute the judge of what God says, but is rather to consider and
test the evidence which demonstrates that He has spoken. The wisdom of
God is not placed on trial before the bar of human foolishness. Man is
the scholar, and not the Teacher--his reason is to act as a servant
and not a lord. We act most reasonably when we thankfully avail
ourselves of the light which God has vouchsafed us in His Word.
Having shown the limitations and inadequacy of man's own
faculties--manifested everywhere in the records of history, both
ancient and modern--we return to our opening postulate: man's need of
a special and infallible revelation from God. He needs such in order
to deliver from a state of spiritual ignorance--a state which is
fraught with the utmost peril to his soul. Consider how prone is the
mind of man to embrace error, how ready and fertile to invent new
religions. Even when unfallen, man required that his path of duty be
made known to him by his Maker. Much more so does man, considered as a
fallen creature, require an unerring Mentor to instruct him in
spiritual things, one outside himself, infinitely above him. In a
world of conflicting opinions and ever-changing theories, we must have
a sure Touchstone, an unvarying Standard, an ultimate Authority to
which appeal can be made. Amid all the sins and sorrows, the problems
and trials of life, man is in urgent need of a Divine Guide to show
him the way to present holiness and happiness and to eternal glory.
2. A Presumption in its favour. This follows logically from all we
have presented. Since man sorely needs such a revelation from God, and
He is able to furnish it, then there is a strong probability that He
will do so. He who endowed man with his intellectual faculties, is
certainly capable of granting him a further degree of light by some
other medium. "Revelation is to the mind what a glass is to the eye,
whether it be intended to correct some accidental defect in its
structure, or to enlarge its power of vision beyond its natural
limits" (Professor Dick). To argue that we should be uncertain whether
such a revelation be genuine or not would be tantamount to saying that
because there are so many impostors in the world, therefore there is
no truth--that because so many are deceived, none can be sure that he
is right. It is both presumptuous and unreasonable to affirm that God
is unable to supply a communication unto mankind which is lacking in
those marks that would authenticate it as coming from Himself. Cannot
Deity legibly inscribe His signature on the work of His own hand?
We might indeed draw the conclusion that since man is so vilely
apostatized from his Maker, that God will justly abandon him to
misery. Yet we perceive that, notwithstanding the criminal conduct of
His creatures, God still makes His sun to shine and the rain to fall
upon them, providing them with innumerable blessings. Thoroughly
unexpected as it might well be, we behold God exercising mercy unto
the sinful sons of men, ameliorating those evils which they have
brought upon themselves, and providing means by the use of which their
sufferings are much alleviated. Though we could not from those things
warrantably draw the conclusion that God would proceed any further in
our behalf, yet if He should be pleased to extend His care unto our
souls as well as our bodies, it would only be an enlargement of the
scope of that benevolence already displayed in His provisions for us.
It would be in perfect accord with the method He has employed with His
creatures, if He further interposed to rescue fallen men from
ignorance, guilt and perdition.
"From man at the head of creation, down to the lowest organized
structure, there is not a necessity for which provision has not been
made, and that in exact proportion to its wants. You yourself came
into this world a poor, helpless, naked infant, full of necessities,
and would have perished from the womb unless provision had been made
for you. Who filled for you your mother's breast with milk and your
mother's heart with love? But you have a soul as well as a body--no
less naked, no less necessitous. Shall then the body have its
necessities, and those be provided for--and shall the soul have its
necessities too, and for it no provision made? Is there no milk for
the soul as well as the body? no `sincere milk of the Word' that it
may grow thereby?" (J. C. Philpot). The goodness of God, the
benevolence of the Creator, the mercy of our Governor, all point to
the likelihood of His ministering to this supreme need of ours,
without which everyone of us must assuredly perish.
Brother Philpot draws a further argument in support of this conclusion
from the relations which God sustains to us as our sovereign Master
and our judge, pointing out that a master's will must be known before
it can be obeyed, that a judge's law must be declared before it can be
transgressed. Why are theft and murder punished? Because the law of
the land expressly forbids those crimes under a prescribed penalty;
but since no human statute prohibits ingratitude, none are penalized
in human courts for the same. It is a recognized principle that "where
there is no law there is no transgression" (Rom. 4:15). Then does it
not clearly follow from this that God will give unto us His
laws--direct, positive, authoritative laws, binding upon us by Divine
sanctions? How could He justly punish what He has not forbidden? And
if He has forbidden sin, how and when has He done so? Where is the
statute book, written by His dictation, which makes known His will to
us? If it be not the Bible, we are left without any!
If it would be a far greater tax upon our credulity to believe that
the universe had no Maker, than that, "In the beginning God created
the heavens and the earth." If it involves immeasurably greater
difficulty to regard Christianity as being destitute of a Divine
Founder, than to recognize that it rests upon the Person and work of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Then is it not far more unreasonable to suppose
that God has left the human race without a written revelation from
Him, than to believe the Bible is such? There are times when the most
thoughtful are uncertain as to which is the right course to pursue,
when the most experienced need a guide their own wisdom cannot
supply--will the One who furnishes us with fruitful seasons deny us
such counsel? There are sorrows which rend the hearts of the
stoutest--will He who has given us the beautiful flowers and singing
birds to regale our senses, withhold that comfort we so much need in
the hour of bereavement? Which is the more reasonable--that the Maker
of sun and moon should provide a Lamp for our feet, or leave us to
grope our way amid the darkness of a ruined world?!
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THE DOCTRINE OF REVELATION
Chapter 8
THE HOLY BIBLE DECLARES IT COMES FROM GOD HIMSELF
_________________________________________________________________
We have presented a portion of that abundant evidence which makes it
unmistakably manifest that God has given us a clear revelation of
Himself in creation, in the constitution of man (physical, mental, and
moral), in His government of this world (as evinced in the annals of
history), in the advent to this earth of His incarnate Son, and in the
Holy Scriptures. We based our first argument that the Bible is an
inspired communication from God on the fact that man is in urgent need
of a written revelation, because his own faculties--especially as he
is now a fallen and sinful creature--are insufficient as a guide to
virtue and eternal happiness. Second, that there is therefore a
presumption in favour of the Bible's being a revelation from God,
since man urgently needs such and God is well able to supply it. Since
all nature evinces that a merciful Creator has made suitable provision
for every need of all His creatures, it is unthinkable that this
supreme need of the highest of His earthly creatures should be
neglected.
We now come to point 3: Its own claims. These are unambiguous,
positive, decisive, leaving us in no doubt as to what the Scriptures
profess to be. The Bible declares that, as a Book, it comes to us from
God Himself. It urges that claim in various ways. Its very names
proclaim its Source. It is repeatedly denominated "The Word of God."
It is so denominated because as we express our thoughts and make known
our intentions by means of words, so in His Book God has disclosed His
mind and declared His will unto us. It is called "The Book of the
LORD" (Isa. 34:16) because He is its Author and because of the Divine
authority with which it is invested, demanding our unqualified
subjection to its imperial edicts. It is termed "The Scripture of
Truth" (Dan. 10:21) because it is without confusion, without
contradiction, without the slightest mixture of error--infallible in
every verse, every word, every letter inspired--Divine. It is
designated "The Word of Life" (Phil. 2:16) because it is invested with
the very breath of the Almighty, indelible and indestructible, in
contradistinction from all the perishing productions of man. It is
entitled "The Oracles of God" (Rom. 3:2) because in it God Himself is
the Speaker.
The Bible proclaims itself to be a Divine revelation, a direct and
inerrent communication from the living God, that He "spake by the
mouth of His holy Prophets, which have been since the world began"
(Luke 1:70). They announce that "the Law of the LORD is perfect" (Ps.
19:7)--without flaw or blemish; that "the Word of God is quick and
powerful" (Heb. 4:12)--living, pungent, dynamic. They claim that "the
Word of the Lord endureth forever" (1 Pet. 1:25)--surviving all the
passages of time, withstanding all the efforts of enemies to destroy
it. They affirm themselves to be "the Holy Scriptures, which are able
to make thee wise unto salvation" (2 Tim. 3:15). The article there is
emphatic, being used to distinguish the Sacred Writings from all
others, to aver their excellence and eminence over all the writings of
men. The Holy One is their Author, they treat of the holy things of
God, and call for holy hearts and lives from their readers. And just
so far as our characters are formed and our conduct regulated by their
precepts, will the fruits of holiness appear in our lives.
The instruments which God employed to bring to us the Word were
themselves conscious of and frankly owned to the fact that they were
but His mouthpieces or penmen. Again and again we find them avowing
that truth. "Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD"
(24:2). "The LORD spake thus to me" (Isa. 8:11). "Hear ye for the LORD
hath spoken" (Jer. 13:15). "Hear this word that the LORD hath spoken"
(Amos 3:1). "The mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it" (Micah
4:4). Said the royal Psalmist, "The Spirit of the LORD spake by me,
and His Word was in my tongue" (2 Sam. 23:2). So, too, when the
Apostles quoted a passage from the Old Testament they gave their
testimony to the same truth. When Peter addressed the disciples, he
said, "this Scripture must needs have been fulfilled which the Holy
Spirit spake by the mouth of David" (Acts 1:16). "Who by the mouth of
thy servant David hast said" (Acts 4:25). "Well spake the Holy Spirit
by Isaiah the Prophet" (Acts 28:25). Whoever were the human spokesmen
or writers, the language of the Scriptures is the very Word of God.
Not once or twice, but scores of times, there are passages which,
without any preamble or apology, declare, "Thus saith the Lord." In
the Bible, God is the Speaker. Chapter after chapter in Leviticus
opens with, "And the Lord spake, saying." And so it runs to the end of
the chapter. Moses was but a scribe, God the Author of what is
recorded. The question of Inspiration is, in its ultimate analysis,
the question of Revelation itself. If the Book be Divine, then what it
says of itself is Divine. The question is one of Divine testimony, and
our business is simply to receive that testimony--without doubting or
quibbling, with thankful and unreserved submission to its authority.
When God speaks He must be heeded. "If at this moment yonder heavens
were opened--the curtained canopy of star-sown clouds rolled back; if
amid the brightness of light ineffable, the Dread Eternal were Himself
seen rising from His throne, and heard to speak in voice audible, it
could not be more potent, more imperative, than what lies now before
us upon Inspiration's pages" (G. S. Bishop).
God requires us to receive and accredit His Word, and to do so on His
own ipse dixit. All faith rests on testimony, and the testimony on
which faith in the Scriptures reposes is amply sufficient to support
it, for it is Divine. "If we receive the witness of men, the witness
of God is greater. .. he that believeth not God hath made Him a liar,
because he believeth not the record that God gave" (1 John 5:9, 10).
If the witness of men of respectability and integrity be received in
the judicatories of all nations, then most assuredly the witness of
God is infinitely more worthy of our acceptance. The best of men are
fallible and fickle, yet in matters of the greatest importance their
testimony is credited--the affairs of the world would soon come to a
standstill if it were not so. Then with how much more confidence may
we receive the testimony of Him who is infallible and immutable, who
can neither deceive nor be deceived?! How unspeakably dreadful the
alternative: if we believe not God's record, that is virtually calling
Him a liar--regarding Him as a false witness! May the reader be
delivered from such wickedness.
Now we proceed to point 4: No other explanation is even feasible.
Whence comes the Bible is a question deserving of the very best
attention of every serious mind. The subjects of which it treats are
of such tremendous importance both to our present welfare and our
future felicity, that the question of its derivation calls for the
most diligent examination. The Bible is here, and it must be accounted
for. It holds a unique place in the literature of mankind and it has
exerted an unrivalled influence in molding the history of the world;
and therefore it calls loudly for an adequate rationale to be given of
its origin. Only three explanations are possible: the Bible is either
a deliberate imposter, manufactured by wicked men; or it is the
product of deluded visionaries, who vainly imagined they were giving
forth inspired messages from Heaven; or else it is what it claims to
be: an infallible and authoritative revelation from God Himself unto
the sons of men. Between those three alternatives every thoughtful
investigator of the matter must choose. If he ponders carefully the
first two and tests them by the evidence adduced in favour of the
Bible's being a Divine communication, he should have no difficulty in
perceiving they are not only inadequate, but utterly absurd.
It is proverbial that "water will not rise above its own level," as it
is self-evident that no cause can produce any effect superior to
itself. Equally incredible is it that wicked men should bring forth a
Book which has done far more than all other books combined (except
those drawn from the Bible) in promoting morality and producing
holiness. Grapes do not grow upon thistles! To assert that the Bible
was produced by evil men is refuted by the very character of its
teachings, which uniformly condemn dishonesty and declare that "all
liars shall have their part in the Lake which burneth with fire and
brimstone" (Rev. 21:8). It is thoroughly irrational to suppose that
the authors of the most impious and gigantic literary fraud ever
imposed upon mankind (if such it be) should invent for themselves such
a fearful doom as that! It must also be remembered that some of the
penmen of the Bible laid down their lives for a testimony to its
verity; but the annals of history contain no record of men willingly
suffering martyrdom for a known lie--from which neither they nor their
families received any advantage.
Another class of skeptics dismiss the Bible as the fanciful flights of
poets, the ravings of mystics, the extravagances of enthusiasts. Much
in it is no doubt very beautiful, yet it is as unsubstantial as a
dream, with no reality corresponding thereto, and those who credit the
same are living only in a fool's paradise. They say, If there be a
God, He is so absolute and transcendent, so remote from this scene, as
to take no personal notice of our affairs; that it is both
unphilosophical and a slur on His greatness to affirm (as the ancient
Psalm does), "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord
pitieth them that fear Him." Thus we are asked to believe that mystics
and fanatics have invented a god with more tender and nobler
attributes than the real God has. But to say that fancy has devised a
superior god than actually exists is the acme of irrationality. Were
it possible for us to choose what kind of excellence deity should
possess, would we not include among them pity linked with infinite
power, using that power as its servant to tenderly minister unto the
suffering?
Surely this is the most amazing chimera that has ever been invented:
that men have endowed God with grander qualities than He really
possesses, that they have predicated of Him a perfection which He is
incapable of exercising. Rather must we affirm that that wondrous
statement, "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have
everlasting life" (John 3:16), is a revelation which opens to us a new
moral kingdom, a kingdom of unimaginable benignity and grace. The
message of redemption is a Divine light breaking in upon us from
Above, a revelation that proves itself. That God should send here His
own Son, clothed with our humanity, to seek and to save rebels against
His government, to suffer in their stead, and by His death make full
atonement for their sins, to provide His Spirit to conform them to His
image, to make them His joint heirs and sharers of His eternal glory,
is a concept which had never entered human heart or mind to conceive.
Yet it is worthy and becoming of our Maker. The Gospel is the noblest
force which has ever touched human character.
As another has pertinently asked, "Is it a dishonor to God that, being
great, He stoops to us? Does it make Him less? Is it a reproach to Him
that He gives Himself to us? Would it be more for His glory if He
mocked us? It is this very wedlock of the wisdom that planned the
heavens--the measureless Power that guides the stars--with the
tenderness that stoops to the whispered prayer of a child, that counts
the tears of a widow, that hears the sighs of the prodigal--which
makes the unconceivable greatness of God. It completes the mighty
curve of His attributes. And is it credible that we can conceive this
amazing greatness and yet God not be capable of it? . . . The Bible
represents God as saying, `My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor My
ways your ways, for as the heavens are higher than the earth so are My
thoughts above your thoughts and My ways above your ways.' And this
ought to be true! The realities of God ought to be nobler than the
dreams of men. It would be the perplexity and despair of man if this
were not so" (The Unrealized Logic of Religion).
Equally false is it to assert, as some ignorant Infidels have done,
that we owe the Bible to the Church. It is an indubitable historical
fact that the larger part of the Bible was in known existence more
than 200 years before the dawn of the Christian era, and every
doctrine, every precept and promise contained in the New Testament is
based upon that earlier revelation. Such was the sufficiency of the
Old Testament Scriptures that Paul could say they were "able to make
wise unto salvation." While it is true that Christian churches existed
before the New Testament was written, yet it must be borne in mind
that there was the spoken Word by Christ and His Apostles ere the
first of those churches was formed. On the day of Pentecost the Old
Testament was quoted and expounded, the revelation of God in Christ
was proclaimed, and it was upon the acceptance of that Word that the
New Testament came into being. Thus, the fact is that the Word created
the Church and not vice versa. It was only after some of the Apostles
had died and others were engaged in extensive travel that the need
arose for the permanent embodiment of the final portions of God's
revelation, and this was given gradually in the New Testament. From
that time until now, the written Word has taken the place of the
original spoken Word.
For centuries before the inauguration of Christianity, the Jews beheld
the books which comprised the Old Testament as being the genuine
productions of those Penmen whose names they bear, and they were
unanimously considered by them, without any exception or addition, to
have been written under the immediate direction of the Spirit of God.
Those books of the Old Testament had been preserved with the utmost
veneration and care, and at the same time had been jealously guarded
from any spurious or apocryphal writings. It is a fact well
authenticated that while the Jews of Christ's day were divided into
numerous sects, which stood in the most direct opposition to one
another, yet there was never any difference among them respecting the
divinity and authority of the sacred writings. Josephus appealed to
the public records of different nations and to many historical
documents existing in his day, as indisputable evidence, in the
opinion of the Gentile world, of the verity and fidelity of those
portions of Israel's history to which he referred. Even to this day
the bulk of the religious Jews retain an unshakable conviction of the
Divine origin of their religious laws and institutions. Yet their own
Scriptures record their unparalleled hardness of heart, resistance to
the light God gave them, and their rejection and murder of their own
Messiah--things which would have been accorded no place in a spurious
production.
That the Jews did not manufacture the Old Testament--on which the New
is largely based--is apparent from other considerations. The immense
disparity between the Old Testament as a book, and the Hebrew people
as a nation, shows that the knowledge of God and of Divine things
contained in the former, but wanting in the latter, came ab extra,
that it was communicated from on high. One has but to read the
writings of Josephus, the Jewish Targum and Talmud, or the Kabbala, to
recognize at once the vast difference there is between them and the
Holy Scriptures. That might be illustrated at great length, from many
different angles, but we will confine ourselves to a single feature,
and treat of it in a way that the ordinary reader will have no
difficulty in following: the extreme exclusiveness of the Jews, and
then call attention to a number of passages in the Old Testament which
cannot possibly be accounted for in the light of that dominant
national characteristic.
There has never been another people so outstandingly clannish in
sentiment and so provincial in outlook as the Jews: nor had any other
equal reason for so being. God dealt with them as with no other
nation: "You only have I known of all the families of the earth" (Amos
3:2). "He hath not dealt so with any nation" (Ps. 147:20). He forbade
Israel to have anything to do with the religion of other nations,
prohibited all marriages with them, and the learning of their ways.
Yet they carried the spirit of bigotry and exclusiveness to an
unwarrantable extent--far beyond the requirements of Scripture. Their
violent prejudice appears in that statement, "the Jews have no
dealings with the Samaritans" (John 4:9), in Peter's reluctance to go
unto Cornelius, and the unwillingness of the Christian Church at
Jerusalem to believe the grace of God extended to the uttermost part
of the earth. Nevertheless, the fact remains that the teaching of the
Old Testament was very far from inculcating that the Israelites must
confine their benevolent affections within the narrow bounds of their
own twelve tribes. No spirit of bigotry breathes in the sacred songs
sung in their temple.
"God be merciful unto us and bless us, and cause His face to shine
upon us. Selah. That Thy way may be known upon the earth, Thy saving
health among all nations. Let the people praise Thee, O God, let all
the people praise Thee. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy:
for Thou shalt judge the people righteously and lead the nations upon
earth" (Ps. 67:1-4). "All nations whom Thou hast made shalt come and
worship Thee, O Lord, and shall glorify Thy name" (Ps. 86:9). "O sing
unto the LORD a new song. Sing unto the LORD all the earth. Sing unto
the LORD, bless His name: show forth His salvation from day to day.
Declare His glory among the heathen, His wonders among the people . .
. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto His name, bring an offering
and come into His courts" (Ps. 96:1-3, 8). Who, we ask, put such words
as those into the Psalmist's mouth? Who caused them to be given a
permanent record on the Sacred Scroll? Who preserved them intact for
the thousand years which followed till the advent of Christ, during
which interval the Jews were possessed of most fanatical egotism and
the bitterest hatred of the Gentiles!?
The same striking feature appears even in the Pentateuch. "Thou shalt
speak and say before the LORD your God, A Syrian ready to perish was
my father: and he went down into Egypt and sojourned there with a few,
and became a nation, great, mighty and populous. And the Egyptians
evil entreated us and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage"
(Deut. 26:5, 6). The whole of that remarkable passage (vv.
4-10)--which Israel was required to recite before God at one of her
most solemn acts of worship--should be carefully weighed. What could
more effectually repress their national pride than that confession?
But who instructed them to make such a humble acknowledgment of their
lowly origin? Who bade them utter this perpetual avowal of their base
beginnings? And more--it was on the very basis of their lowly origin
and the sore oppression their fathers had suffered in a foreign land
that a number of most un-"Jewish" laws were framed--laws which bade
them pity and relieve the stranger. If that fact be critically
pondered it should be evident that such precepts could not have
originated from such a bigoted and hard-hearted people.
Those precepts were quite contrary to flesh and blood. It is natural
for sinful men to strongly resent harsh treatment, for the memory of
it to cherish rancor and malevolence, to feed the spirit of revenge,
so that if the positions should be reversed they would "get even."
Instead, we find the Mosaic Law enjoining the very
opposite--inculcating the warmest and purest benevolence toward the
wretched and defenseless of other nations. "Thou shalt not vex a
stranger nor oppress him; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt"
(Ex. 22:21). Yea, more--"The stranger that dwelleth with you shall be
unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself'
(Lev. 19:34). Now, my reader, what explanation can possibly account
for such benign statutes?--statutes which were repeatedly flouted by
Israel! Who was it that originated and inculcated such unselfish
tenderness? Who taught the haughty Jews to return good for evil? Who
but the One who is both "no respecter of persons," and, who is "very
pitiful and of tender mercy" (James 5:11).
It also requires to be pointed out that the Pentateuch contains a
narration of many events which took place in the actual lifetime, yea,
before the eyes, of the very people who were called upon to receive
those books as authentic. Thus there was no opportunity for Moses, or
anyone else, to palm off upon the Hebrews a lot of fictions, for each
one of them would know at once whether the records of their cruel
bondage in Egypt, the judgments which Jehovah is said to have executed
there, and the miraculous deliverance of His people at the Red Sea,
were true or not. Had those events been of a commonplace character,
few perhaps had been sufficiently interested to scrutinize the
narratives of them, still less have taken the trouble to refute them,
were they untrue. But in view of their extraordinary nature, and
especially since those miracles were designed to authenticate a new
religion upon which their future hopes were to be based and by which
their present deportment was to be regulated, it is unthinkable that a
whole nation gave a mechanical assent, and still more so that they
unitedly endorsed evidence which they knew to be false, especially
when those same narratives inculcated a code of conduct which they
certainly had never designed of their own accord.
But more--not only were many of the Mosaic institutions radically
different from those practiced by all other nations, and from what the
Hebrews had themselves observed in Egypt, they also involved numerous
rites which required constant attention and which must have been most
irksome and unpleasant. Moreover, those ceremonies subjected the
Israelites to considerable expense by the costly sacrifices they were
frequently required to offer and the tithes they were commanded to pay
the priests. Furthermore, some of the laws bound upon them were of
such a character that it is altogether unaccountable, on the
principles of political wisdom, that any legislator should have
proposed or that a whole nation should meekly have submitted to them.
Such was the law of the Sabbath year, which forbade them tilling or
sowing the ground for a whole twelve months (Ex. 23:10, 11). Such was
the law ordering all the males to journey from every part of the land
to the tabernacle (Deut. 16) --leaving their homes unprotected. Such
was the law which prohibited their king multiplying horses (Deut.
17:16); and more especially the law of jubilee, when all mortgaged
property had to be restored to the original owners and all slaves
freed (Lev. 25:10).
Now we submit that it is utterly incredible to suppose that any sane
legislator would, on his own authority, have imposed enactments which
interfered so seriously with both private and public liberty, and
which involved such hazards as the people dying of starvation while
their fields lay fallow, and their wives and children being murdered
by invaders when all their men-folk were far removed from them. Still
more inconceivable is it that, instead of bitterly resenting and
openly revolting against such unpopular statutes, the whole nation
should quietly acquiesce therein. It is quite pointless to say that
Israel was imposed upon by Moses, that he deceived them into believing
those laws were of Divine authority. No such deception was possible,
for the simple reason that the entire nation was assembled at Sinai
and had witnessed the supernatural and awe-inspiring phenomena when
the Lord had descended and given those Laws audibly--they had with
their own ears heard a portion of it published. Israel's reception of
such a Law can only be accounted for on the basis that they were fully
assured it proceeded from God Himself.
Having demonstrated that the Scriptures could not have been
manufactured by either wicked impostors or deluded fanatics, that they
were not invented by the Christian Church or the ancient Jews, we are
shut up to the only remaining alternative, namely, that they are a
revelation from God--His own inspired and infallible Word. No other
choice is left; no other explanation is credible. Every other attempt
to explain their origin is found, upon critical examination, to be not
only altogether inadequate, but utterly absurd. If a thinking man
finds it difficult, nay, impossible, to explain a created universe
apart from a Divine Creator, it is no less so for him to account for
the Book of books without a Divine Author. This is a matter which
admits of no compromise: if the Bible has come to us from God, then it
has claims upon us which infinitely transcend those of all other
writings. If it is not from God, then it is an impious fraud, unworthy
of our attention. There is no middle ground! Moreover, if the Bible is
not what it claims to be, then we are left without any revelation
which, with any reliability or authority, can impart to us the
knowledge of God or warrant its reception by mankind!
We now come to the 5^th point--It bears the hallmark of genuineness:
the contents of the Bible are just what might be looked for. What are
the essential characteristics we should expect to find in a written
communication from God unto fallen mankind? Would they not be, first,
the imparting to us of a knowledge of the true God; and second, of
that instruction which is best suited to our varied needs? Such is
precisely what we have in the Bible. The grand truth taught throughout
the Sacred Scriptures is that God does all things for His own glory
and for the manifestation of His own perfections. And is not that
exactly in accord with right reason? Once men are led to entertain any
true conceptions of the Supreme Being, they are brought to the
irresistible conclusion that One who is self-existent and
self-sufficient, the Creator and Proprietor of the universe, could not
be swayed by any creature or moved to action from a regard to anything
outside of Himself, or irrespective of Himself--that in all His
works--both of creation and providence, He will have a supreme regard
unto His own honour and the maintaining of His own perfections.
If, then, the Bible is the Word of God, proceeding from Himself,
stamped with the autograph of His own authority, we naturally expect
to find it possessed of that characteristic and directed to that end.
Thus in fact it is. The cardinal design of the Sacred Scriptures is to
make God known, to exhibit the peerless excellence of His character,
to teach us the homage and adoration which are His due. Their supreme
end is to display to us the glorious attributes of God, that we may
learn to form the most elevated conceptions of His Being, our own
entire dependence upon Him, our deep obligations to show forth His
praise. The scope of the entire Bible is to teach us our relations to
God, and that the business of our lives is to give Him His true place
in our hearts, to act always so as to please Him. Yet the very reverse
of that is what obtains in human practice: in view of which we are
forced to conclude that had men originated the Bible its teaching
thereon had been very different, and that it had contained no such
statements as, "The LORD hath made all things for Himself' (Prov.
16:4), "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31).
Again--would we not naturally expect to find a revelation from God
couched in a strain very different from that in which one man speaks
to another? Since the Creator is so high above the creature, does it
not befit Him to address us in terms which become His august majesty?
Such is just what we find in the Bible. Its instructions are delivered
to us not in an argumentative form, but in an authoritative manner,
for while arguments are suited to equals, they would be quite out of
place for the Allwise when directing the ignorant. Its precepts are
not proffered to us as so much good advice which we are free to heed
or not at our pleasure, but rather as imperial edicts which we
disregard to our eternal undoing. The commandments of Scripture admit
of no questioning: "Thou shalt," and "Thou shalt not," are its
peremptory terms. In the most uncompromising way, and without the
least semblance of apology, the Bible claims the absolute right to
dictate unto all men what they should do, condemns them for their
failure, and pronounces sentence of judgment upon every offender. From
Genesis to Revelation the contents of Holy Writ are set forth in
dictatorial language beyond which there is no appeal. It speaks
throughout as from an infinitely elevated plane.
Moreover, the Bible does not single out for address merely the
ignorant and the base, but issues its orders unto all classes alike.
The cultured as well as the illiterate, the high as well as the low,
the rich equally with the poor are imperatively told what they must do
and from what they must abstain. And that one feature alone places the
Bible, my reader, in a class by itself. If it possessed not the same,
then we should have grave reason to suspect its authenticity. It would
be most incongruous for the Ancient of Days to use a conciliatory tone
and employ the language of obsequiousness when vouchsafing a
communication to creatures who are but of yesterday. So far from the
language of dogmatism being unsuited, it is exactly what might be
looked for in a revelation from the Most High. Nevertheless, the
dictatorial ring of the Bible accords it a unique place in the realm
of literature. There is no other book in the world which demands, on
pain of eternal perdition, the total submission of all mankind unto
its authority; as there is none other which pronounces a fearful curse
on anyone who has the audacity to take away from its contents. The
ring of imperial authority which sounds through all its chapters
indicates that it is the voice of the living God who is the Speaker.
Yet it will also follow that if the Bible be a Divine revelation, then
it must be suited to the needs of man, and not simply this or that
man, but of all without distinction. One of the clearest marks of the
handiwork of God in the material creation is that of design and
adaptation--that all His productions are perfectly fitted to answer
the ends for which they are made--as the human hand to perform so many
different tasks. We should therefore expect to find this same
characteristic stamped upon the Bible; nor is that expectation
disappointed! It imparts to us the knowledge of God's glorious
character and our relations to Him, and reveals the means by which we
may regain His favour and secure our own eternal happiness. The Holy
Scriptures furnish us with an accurate diagnosis of the human heart
and all its manifold workings. They describe to us our enemies and
make known the stratagems which they employ, and how they are to be
resisted and overcome. They discover to us the character of that
malady which has smitten our moral nature, and the great Physician who
is able to recover us therefrom. They specify the most serious of the
dangers which menace us, and faithfully warn us against the same. They
supply instruction which if heeded promotes our welfare in every way.
The Bible makes known to us how wisdom, strength, and true joy are to
be obtained here, and how Heaven may be our portion hereafter. It
supplies salutary counsels which are admirably suited to all our
varied circumstances. It is adapted equally to the young as to the
aged, to those in prosperity or those in adversity. Its language is
simple enough for those of little education, yet it has depths in it
which the most learned cannot fathom. In the Scriptures there is as
great a variety as there is in Nature, something to meet the most
diverse temperaments and tastes: history, poetry, biography, prophecy,
legislation--the essentials of hygiene, profound mysteries, and a
message of glad tidings to those in despair. Moreover, the Bible is
self-explanatory. No reference library is required to be consulted in
order to arrive at the meaning of anything in it: one part interprets
another. The New Testament supplements the Old, and by patiently
comparing Scripture with Scripture the diligent reader may ascertain
the significance of any figure, symbol, or term used therein; though
its spiritual secrets are disclosed only unto the prayerful and the
obedient.
As the light is accommodated to the eye and the eye formed and fitted
to receive the light, so though the Scriptures have come from Heaven,
yet are they perfectly suited to those who live on earth. They contain
all the information that is required by man as a moral and accountable
being. There is no important problem relating to either our temporal
or eternal welfare upon which the Bible does not supply excellent
counsel. Though its contents be ineffably sublime, they are at the
same time intensely practical, meeting every moral and spiritual need,
adapted alike to Jew and Gentile, ancient or modern, rich or poor. The
Bible not only makes known how the State should be governed and the
Church ordered, but it furnishes full instruction to direct the
individual and to regulate the home. In a word, the Bible is qualified
to be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. When, then, we
examine this Book which claims to come from God, and find it possesses
all those marks and evidences which could reasonably be expected or
desired, that it is exactly suited to answer all the ends of a Divine
revelation, we are obliged to conclude that our Creator has graciously
met our deep need, and therefore that revelation should be received by
us with the utmost reverence and welcomed with the deepest
thanksgiving.
Let us move on to the 6^th point--Christ and the Scriptures. What was
His attitude toward them? What was His estimate of them? What use did
He make of them? The answers to those questions are of supreme
importance and must settle the matter once and for all, for what is
the opinion of any man worth when placed over against the verdict of
the Son of God! Give, then, your best attention while we seek to
furnish a reply to those inquiries. Negatively, Christ never cast the
slightest doubt upon their validity or called into question their
authenticity. When His detractors reminded Him, "Moses wrote unto us"
such and such a thing, He did not say that Moses was wrong, but told
them they "erred, not knowing the Scriptures" (Mark 12:19-24). When a
lawyer sought to ensnare Him, so far from brushing aside the authority
of the Scriptures, He enforced the same, saying, "What is written in
the Law?" (Luke 10:26). When engaged in any controversy, His
invariable appeal was unto the Old Testament, and declared that what
David said was "by the Spirit," (Mark 12:36). Not once did He intimate
that it was unreliable and untrustworthy.
But let us turn to the positive side. Behold the Lord Jesus when He
was assaulted by the Devil, and note well that the only weapon He made
use of was the Sword of the Spirit. Each time He repulsed the Tempter
with a sentence from the Old Testament (Matthew 4)! And observe that
as soon as that mysterious conflict was over, God--to evince His
approbation of Christ's conduct--sent angels to "minister unto Him"
(Mark 1:13). Mark how He commenced His public ministry, by entering
the synagogue, reading from the Prophet Isaiah, and saying, "This day
is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears" (Luke 4:16-21). Hear Him as
He declared, "Think not that I am come to destroy the Law or the
Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say
unto you, Till Heaven and earth pass, one jot or tittle shall in no
wise pass from the Law till all be fulfilled" (Matthew 5:17, 18). He
had come to enforce the teachings of the Old Testament in their
minutest detail, to honour and magnify the same, by rendering a
personal and perfect obedience to them. He owned the Scriptures as
"the Word of God" (Mark 7:13) just as they stood--without any
reservation or qualification--thereby authenticating all the books of
the Old Testament.
So far from regarding the Old Testament as being full of myths and
fables, He taught that Abraham, Lot, Moses, Daniel, were real
entities. He expressly ratified the very incidents at which the
skeptics scoff: the Flood, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by
fire from Heaven (Luke 17:28-29), Jonah being three days and nights in
the whale's belly (Matthew 12:40), thereby denying they were but "folk
lore," and establishing their historicity. Christ placed the words of
Moses on a par with His own--(John 5:46, 47). Jesus said, "If they
hear not Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded though
one rose from the dead" (Luke 16:31), which again evinces our Lord's
estimate of the Old Testament. It was of supreme authority to Him.
When vindicating Himself for affirming His Deity, after quoting from
the Psalms He added, "and the Scripture cannot be broken" (John
10:35)--it is infallible, inviolable. When engaged in prayer to the
Father He solemnly declared, "Thy Word is Truth" (John 17:17): not
simply contains the Truth, or even is true, but "is Truth"--without
the least tincture of error, the word of Him "that cannot lie" (Titus
1:2).
When His enemies came to arrest Him in the Garden and Peter drew his
sword, the Saviour rebuked him, saving, "Thinkest thou that I cannot
pray to My Father, and that He shall at once give Me more than twelve
legions of angels," yet note well how He at once added, "But how then
shall the Scripture be fulfilled, that thus it must be?" (Matthew
26:53, 54). Very blessed is that: showing that the written Word was
what regulated His every action, and that it was His strong
consolation in His darkest hour. Reverently behold Him on the Cross,
and observe Him placing homage upon the sacred Psalter by using its
words when undergoing the extreme anguish of Divine desertion (Ps.
22:1; Matthew 27:46). But more--"Jesus . . . that the Scripture might
be fulfilled, saith, I thirst" (John 19:28). There was yet one detail
predicted of His dying sufferings which had not been accomplished,
namely, that, "in My thirst they gave Me vinegar to drink" (Ps.
69:21), and therefore in subjection to the Divine authority of the Old
Testament, He cried "I thirst"! After rising in triumph from the
grave, we find our blessed Lord again magnifying the Scriptures:
"Beginning at Moses and the Prophets, He expounded unto them in all
the Scriptures the things concerning Himself' (Luke 24:27).
Thus we are left in no doubt whatever of Christ's attitude toward,
estimate of, and the use which He made of the Scriptures. He ever
treated them with the utmost reverence, affirmed their Divine
authority, and considered that one word of theirs put an end to all
controversy. He averred the Old testament was "the Word of God,"
entirely inerrent, verbally inspired, as a whole and in all its parts.
He affirmed that the Scriptures are the final court of appeal, and
asserted their perpetuity. For the Christian, the testimony of Christ
is final: he requires no further evidence or argument. Nor should the
non-Christian. It is the height of absurdity to suppose that One who
was endowed with infinitely superior wisdom to Solomon should have
been imposed upon by a fraud; as it would be horrible blasphemy to say
that He knowingly set His imprimatur upon what He knew to be false.
Whose judgment, my friend, do you prefer: that of the so-called
"advanced thinkers" or the verdict of the Son of God? Which deem you
the more trustworthy?
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THE DOCTRINE OF REVELATION
Chapter 9
THE HOLY BIBLE IS UNIQUE
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We come now to our 7^th point--Its uniqueness. Viewed simply as a
book, the Bible stands far apart from all others. Amid the writings of
the ancients or the productions of our modems there is nothing which,
for a moment, bears comparison with it. The Bible not only occupies a
prominent place in literature, but an unrivalled one. Consider its
amazing circulation. The number of its editions is to be counted not
by the dozen or even the hundreds, but literally by the thousands. And
not merely tens or hundreds of thousands of copies have been printed,
but hundreds of millions! That at once separates it by an immeasurable
distance from everything penned by man. Consider its unequalled
translation. It has been rendered into almost all the multitudinous
dialects of the earth. Those of nearly every nation now have the Bible
in their own tongue. It has been printed in more than 600 languages!
That too, is without any parallel. The most famous and popular
compositions of men have not been translated into one tenth as many
tongues. Consider its by-products: countless works have been devoted
to its exposition, millions of sermons preached and published on
portions of it. That also is without any precedent.
Consider further the laborious indexes which have been made upon its
contents. There are voluminous concordances which not only list every
word used in the Scriptures, but all the occurrences of them--in many
cases scores, and in not a few, hundreds of references. Now we do not
possess complete concordances of any of the writings of the most
renowned human author, wherein is collated every occurrence of each
word he used. And why? Because no such nicety, no such significance,
pertains to his language as makes the sense of a passage or the force
of an argument turn upon a single word. Much less has the ablest of
human authors employed all his terms with exact consistency and
correspondence throughout the whole of his writings. Yet such is the
case with the Bible--wherein no less than forty different men were
used as its scribes! The Concordance loudly proclaims the uniqueness
of the Bible. It tacitly declares that not simply this or that term,
but every word from Genesis to Revelation is God-breathed, and that
every occurrence of each word was directed by His unerring wisdom.
The perpetuity of their text is unique. The Sacred Scriptures were
written originally in Hebrew and Greek, which are the only languages
that, dating back of all tradition, are still recognized as living
vehicles of thought. The language spoken in the streets of modem
Athens is identically the same, to its very accents, as that used by
Plato and Socrates, yea, of Homer's Iliad, which was composed almost
3,000 years ago. In like manner, the Hebrew of the Talmud is the
Hebrew of the book of Genesis. What a remarkable survival, or rather a
miracle, of Divine power! That becomes more apparent when we contrast
how other ancient tongues have long since passed away. The Egyptian
language used by the builders of the pyramids has perished. The Syrian
used by Rabshakeh is no more. The dialect spoken by the original
Britons is now unknown. Yet the Hebrew employed by Moses is spoken by
the Jewish rabbi today, and the Greek used by the Apostle Paul is
heard in Salonica at this hour. Here, then, is a striking and
unparalleled fact: that the languages in which God wrote His Word have
outlived all their contemporaries and have remained unchanged
throughout the centuries!
Even on its surface the Bible differs from all other books. That
appears in the style of its writings. Two languages were used which
are quite diverse in their manner of inscription. The Hebrew is
written and read from right to left, whereas the Greek (and all modern
languages) is written and read from left to right. The Scriptures make
no comment upon that arresting and striking contrast, but leaves the
reader to interpret the fact in the light of their contents. Once
attention be focused upon the same, its significance is at once
apparent: in the singular reversal of its text the Bible teaches us
the two most fundamental and radical facts in human history: man's
apostasy from God, and his restoration. The "right hand" is that of
dignity and privilege (Ps. 110:1), the "left hand" is that of disgrace
and condemnation (Matthew 25:41). The Old Testament, written in
Hebrew, is an amplification of that statement, "man being in honour
abideth not" (Ps. 49:12), being a record of his departure from God,
with all its evil consequences. The New Testament, written in Greek,
has for its leading theme how the wanderer is restored to God, how the
prodigal returns to the Father's house.
As another has pointed out, the uniqueness of the Bible appears
(again) in that its conjugation of the Hebrew verb puts man in his
proper place. "In all Occidental languages the verb is conjugated from
the first person to the third--'I,' `Thou,' `He.' The Hebrew, in
reversal of the human thought, is conjugated from the third down and
backward to the first: beginning with God, then my neighbor, then
myself last--'He,' `Thou,' `I.' This is the Divine order:
self-obliterating and beautiful." That peculiarity is very much more
than an interesting detail in philology: it embodies and expresses a
profound spiritual truth. It accords God His due pre-eminence, and
thereby teaches us that all right thinking must start with Him and
work downward to man. For that very reason the Scriptures open with
the words, "In the beginning GOD." No theology can be sound unless it
makes that Truth its foundation and starting point. The initiative is
ever with God: "we love Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).
Once God is accorded His rightful place in our affections, man is
automatically put where he belongs--but which, apart from Divine
revelation and Divine grace, he never takes!
Our 8^th point--Its delineation of God. The portrayal of Deity
supplied by the Bible is so very different from and so vastly superior
to that furnished by all other sources--we are forced to conclude it
cannot be of human invention. Beginning with the Old Testament, let us
single out two statements which were penned by Moses. "Hear, 0 Israel,
the LORD our God is one Lord" (Deut. 6:4). That is a startling, yea, a
unique declaration, at complete variance with the conceptions of all
His contemporaries. Polytheism, or a belief in and worship of a
plurality of gods, prevailed universally among the heathen. Whence
then did Moses obtain his knowledge of the true God, who is one in His
essence? Certainly not from the Egyptians, for their king confessed,
"I know not the LORD" (Ex. 5:2). "The LORD God, merciful and gracious,
longsuffering and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for
thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will
by no means clear the guilty"--who continue impenitent and despise an
atoning sacrifice (Ex. 34:6, 7). Such a conception of the Divine
perfections is as far beyond the reach of man's mind as Heaven is
above the earth. Search the philosophers, the mystics, and religious
teachers of the ancients, and nothing can be found which in the least
resembles such a blessed conception of God as that.
"For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose
name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that
is of a contrite and humble spirit." "Thus saith the Lord, The heaven
is My throne and the earth is My footstool: where is the house that ye
build unto Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things
hath Mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord:
but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a
contrite spirit" (Isa. 57:15; 66:1, 2). The majesty of such language
at once distinguishes it from all human compositions and evinces it
was not fabricated by the brain of man. But suppose for the sake of
argument that the mind of man had soared to such an elevated
conception of Deity as is portrayed in the first part of those
passages, it had certainly not conceived of what follows in the second
part. Therein God is presented not only in the greatness of His
infinite excellence above all creatures, but also in His amazing
condescension unto the meanest of men. Those verses not only exhibit
the transcendence of the Creator, but make known the marvels of His
grace, "which He accounts His own glory" (Eph. 1:6).
Turning to the New Testament, we will confine ourselves to three brief
statements: "God is spirit" (John 4:24), "God is light" (1 John 1:5),
"God is love" (1 John 4:8). Those three descriptions of Deity furnish
us with a truer and more elevated view of Him than could the most
elaborate definitions of human eloquence and genius. They announce the
spirituality, the purity, and the benevolence of God. The first
purports to be a record of words spoken by Christ during His earthly
ministry; the second and third to be inspired declarations given by
the Holy Spirit through a human instrument. If their Divine origin be
denied, then the skeptic is faced with this problem: all three were
penned by an unlettered fisherman! Whence did he derive such
conceptions?--conceptions before which philosophy is abashed. The
sublimity and the comprehensiveness of those brief expressions are
without any peer, or even parallel. If they originated from one
unlearned, it would be a much greater marvel and miracle than that he
wrote them under Divine dictation. Much more might be added by
entering into a detailed enumeration of all the wondrous attributes of
God, but sufficient has been pointed out to establish how immeasurably
grander is the Bible's delineation of God than anything found in the
writings of men.
Our 9^th point--Its representation of man. The account which the Bible
gives of man is radically different from that supplied by all human
compositions. That sin and misery exist, yea, abound in the world, is
a patent fact, however unpleasant it may be. The daily newspapers
report it, the police courts illustrate it, the prisons witness
thereto. Nor is this fearful moral disease confined to any one nation,
or even limited to any particular strata of society, but is common to
all. It is no new epidemic, for it has prevailed in all periods of
history. Every human attempt to banish or even curb it has failed.
Legislation, education, increased wages and improved environments have
produced no change for the better. Sin is too deeply rooted and widely
spread in human nature for the remedial efforts of social reformers to
extirpate it. The wisest men who reject the Divine explanation of this
tragic mystery are completely in the dark as to the real nature and
origin of the malady. The Bible is the only book in existence which
truly describes the sinful condition of man, accurately diagnoses his
case, and ascribes it to an adequate cause. It teaches that as a
result of his defection from God at the beginning of human history, he
is a fallen, ruined, guilty, lost creature.
The picture which the Scripture gives of man is a deeply humiliating
one, radically different from all drawn by human pencils. It is so
because human writers describe how man views himself and how he
appears in the eyes of his fellows--the Bible alone informs us what
man is in the sight of God! His unerring Word affirms, "There is none
righteous: no, not one" (Rom. 3:l0)--not a single member of our race
who is conformed to the Divine Rule. That Word solemnly asserts,
"There is none that doeth good" (Rom. 3:12) according to the Divine
Standard of conduct: not one in his natural condition whose actions
proceed from a holy principle, acts out of love to God, or with an eye
only to His glory. Such statements as those are much too unpalatable
to proud human nature to have been made by any who sought to palm off
an alleged communication from Heaven designed for universal
acceptance. The Bible also shows why we cannot meet the just
requirements of our Maker: each of us is "shapen in iniquity" and
conceived in sin (Ps. 51:5). Depravity is transmitted from parent to
child: each one enters this world with a defiled nature, with a bent
toward evil.
Since the fountain is polluted, all the streams issuing therefrom are
foul. Fallen Adam "begat a son in his own [moral] likeness, after his
[sinful] image" (Gen. 5:3), and thus it has been with each succeeding
generation. "Man is born like a wild ass's colt" (Job 11:12)--
thoroughly intractable, hating restraint, wanting to have his own way.
Think you, my reader, such a description of human nature as that was
invented by man? "The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go
astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies" (Ps. 58:3). Entering
this world "alienated from the life of God" (Eph. 4:18), that which is
bred in the bone quickly comes out in the flesh. No child requires to
be taught to tell lies--it is natural for him to do so, and the more
he is left free to "develop his own personality" without
"inhibitions," the more will his delinquency appear. "Man at his best
estate is altogether vanity" (Ps. 39:5)--an empty bubble, yea, as vain
as a peacock. He is as unsubstantial as the wind. "Men of high degree
are a lie: to be laid in the balance they are altogether lighter than
vanity" (Ps. 62:9). Man, who so glories in himself, would never
originate such an estimate of himself.
Instead of making Satan the author of all our iniquities, the Holy
Bible teaches, "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil
thoughts, adulteries, fornication, murders, thefts, covetousness,
wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride,
foolishness; all these evil things come from within and defile the
man" (Mark 7:21-23). External temptations would have no power unless
there were something within us to which they could appeal: a lighted
match is a menace to a barrel of gunpowder, but not so to one filled
with water! That explains why all the efforts of statesmen, educators,
and social reformers are unavailing to effect any improvement of
man--they are incapable of reaching the seat of his moral disease; at
most, they can but place outward restraints on him. It is vain to move
the hands of a watch or polish its case if the mainspring be broken.
"The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked" (Jer.
17:9), is another concept which would never originate in the human
mind, for it is quite contrary to our ideas and too abasing for our
acceptance. Such a pride-withering delineation of human nature as the
Bible furnishes could have been supplied by none other than God
Himself.
The Bible not only paints human nature in the colors of truth and
reality, but it also reveals how it has come to be what it now is. The
existence of moral evil has been acknowledged in every age, for it was
far too palpable and potent to be denied, but whence it came and how
it originated proved to be a problem which the wisest, without Divine
revelation, were unable to solve. To ascribe it to the malignity of
matter (as some of the ancients did) is a manifest absurdity, for
matter possesses no moral qualities, and could not corrupt the heart
and mind, however closely it were placed in connection with them. The
Scriptures inform us that, "Man being in honour abideth not" (Ps.
49:12). The Hebrew word for man, there, is Adam, and that verse
informs us that the father of our race continued not in the state of
purity in which God created him. He disobeyed his Maker, lost his
innocence by his own fault, and having corrupted himself, has
communicated his depravity unto all his descendants. "By one man sin
entered the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men,
for that all have sinned" (Rom. 5:12). The root was vitiated, and
therefore every part of the tree springing from it is tainted.
We now come to point 10--Its teaching on sin. As might well be
expected, the teaching of Holy Writ thereon is as different from that
of fallen man's as is light from darkness. So long as it breaks not
forth in open crime, to the injury of their own interests, those of
this world regard sin lightly and minimize its seriousness. In many
quarters sin is regarded as being merely a species of ignorance, and
the sinner is looked upon as more to be pitied than blamed. The
various terms which are commonly used as substitutes for sin indicate
how inadequate and low is the popular conception: infirmities,
mistakes, shortcomings, youthful follies they speak of--rather than
iniquities, transgressions, disobedience, wickedness. In the Bible sin
is never palliated or extenuated, but from first to last its
heinousness and enormity are insisted upon. The Word of Truth declares
that "sin is very grievous" (Gen. 18:20), that "abominable thing"
which the Lord "hates" (Jer. 44:4). It regards sin as being "red like
crimson" (Isa. 1:18), and declares it to be "exceeding sinful" (Rom.
7:13). It likens sin to "the poison of asps," to the "scum" of a
seething pot, to the loathsome disease of leprosy.
The Bible declares "the thought of foolishness is sin" (Prov.
24:9)--what human mind devised such a standard as that?! It teaches
that "whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Rom. 14:23), so that
unbelief and doubting are reprobate. It insists that, "to him that
knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin" (James 4:17),
so that sins of omission, equally with those of commission, are
condemned. Yea, sins of ignorance are culpable (Lev. 5:17), for with
God's Word in our hands ignorance is inexcusable. Holy Writ teaches
that sin is more than an act, namely, an attitude which precedes and
produces the action. "Sin is lawlessness" (1 John 3:4 R.V.), spiritual
anarchy, a state of rebellion against the Lawgiver Himself. It insists
that we are sinners by nature before we are sinners by practice. It
does not restrict its indictments to any particular class, but
declares that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."
Now a book which uniformly depicts sin as a vile and hideous thing,
which strips man of every excuse, which declares that "every
imagination of the heart of man is only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5),
and which brings in "all the world guilty before God" (Rom. 3:19)
could not have been created by fallen creatures, but must have come
from the thrice Holy One.
The same applies with equal force to the teaching of the Scriptures
concerning the punishment of sin. A defective view of sin necessarily
leads to an inadequate conception of what is due unto it. Man looks at
sin and its deserts solely from the human viewpoint, but the Bible
exhibits its malignity in the light of God's broken Law, and shows it
to be one of infinite enormity and guilt, which--where the atoning
sacrifice of Christ be rejected--demands and receives eternal
punishment. The Word of Truth reveals that all who die in their sins
will be consciously tormented forever and ever in "Hell fire," and
there will not be a drop of water to relieve the sufferer. The sphere
of their anguish is described as "the blackness of darkness forever,"
for not a ray of hope ever enters there, and where there is "wailing
and gnashing of teeth." None but the Holy One, who alone is capable of
determining what is due to rebels against Himself, could have lifted
the veil and given us a glimpse of the terrible character of sin's
wages. The fact that this solemn truth is so distasteful to all and so
widely rejected, and yet occupies a place of so much prominence in the
Bible, is one of the many proofs that it is not of human origin.
Let us proceed to the 11^th point--Its historical parts. Much of the
Bible consists of historical narratives, yet both their contents and
the style in which they are written at once distinguish them from all
others. They cover a period of no less than 4,000 years! The Old
Testament contains the oldest records of the world, dating far back of
the chronicles of men, yea, of the dimmest traditions of all nations,
save the Jewish, and therefore the Scriptures of the Old Testament are
many centuries older than any other historical records. Herodotus, who
has been styled "the Father of History," was born a thousand years
after Moses!--the penman employed by God in writing the Pentateuch.
They not only impart information which none of the writings of
antiquity contain, but are in striking contrast with the legendary
fables of early Greece and Rome. The Bible alone supplies us with any
knowledge of the affairs of this world during its first 15 centuries.
Antedating all human historians, God Himself has made known to us how
the earth came into existence, how the nations originated, and has
given a brief but succinct account of the antediluvian era which
terminated in the Flood--all of which matters are entirely beyond our
imagination.
The opening verses of Genesis stand in a class entirely by themselves.
Their teaching upon the creation of the universe out of nothing is
quite peculiar to Holy Writ. Such an idea is not to be found in the
most rational and refined systems of secular writers. Even where an
intelligent Architect was conceived of, as in the speculations of
Plato and Aristotle, yet he was portrayed as working upon existing
material, on eternal matter. While the hypothesis favored by the
earlier Egyptians and Babylonians was that everything, including the
stars and this earth, has developed from the inherent power of the
sun. For reconditeness of theme and yet simplicity of language, for
comprehensiveness of scope and yet brevity of description, for
scientific exactitude and yet the absence of technical terms, nothing
can be found in all literature which for a moment compares with the
opening chapter of the Bible. Its Divine revelation stands out in
marked separation, not only from the meaningless cosmogonies of the
ancients and the senseless mythologies of the heathen, but equally
from the laborious jargon of our moderns who essay to write upon the
origin of things, and which are out of date almost as soon as
published.
Again--the historical portions of the Bible, alone, supply us with a
satisfactory explanation of the present state of the world. As was
pointed out earlier, the earth exhibits numerous marks of intelligence
and benignity, yet they are neither of unvaried orderliness nor of
unmixed benevolence. If on the one hand we behold the fertile fields
and beauties of nature, on the other there are icy wastes, vast
deserts, death-dealing volcanoes. It is apparent that this earth has
experienced some fearful convulsion, by which its original structure
has been deranged. It is still subject to earthquakes, devastating
tornadoes and tidal waves. Man and this earth are manifestly adapted
to each other; nevertheless there are many examples of such
discrepancy. Why is this? Certainly not because of any imperfection in
the Creator. Then why? The Bible alone accounts for these
abnormalities, and it does so in a way without the wisdom and power of
the Creator being impeached. It reveals that, as the result of sin,
God is now dealing in justice and holiness with His refractory
subjects, as well as in goodness and mercy with the creatures of His
hand.
The uniqueness of Scripture history appears not only in the
disclosures which are made, but also in its style and omissions. Its
method of chronicling events is radically different from all other
histories. It only just touches upon, and often entirely ignores,
matters which had been of most interest to men of the world, whereas
it frequently treats at length of things which they had deemed of no
importance. How amazingly brief is the account given the creating and
furnishing of this earth! Man had never restricted that to a single
chapter, and then have devoted more than 10 others to the tabernacle
and its erection. No indeed: the wisdom of this world would had
regarded the grand edifice of the universe as worthy of a much fuller
description than that of a religious tent! Nothing is told us of the
"seven wonders" of the ancient world. Men of renown are passed by in
silence, while the pastoral lives of insignificant individuals are
narrated. The great empires of antiquity are scarcely alluded to, and
then only as they touch the interests of Israel. A principle of
selection obtains such as no secular historians adopt, and the events
singled out are set down as a plain record of facts, without any
attempt of the writers to mingle their own reflections with them.
The design of sacred history is entirely different from that of all
others. Its aim is not simply to preserve the memory of certain
occurrences, but to teach us the knowledge of God and His salvation,
and to show us our deep need of the same. Its purpose is not merely to
narrate bare facts, but rather impart important moral instruction. It
does very much more than convey us a knowledge of events, an account
of which is nowhere else obtainable--the agency of God in connection
with those events is constantly brought out. That which uninspired
historians either overlook or deliberately ignore is made prominent,
namely, the Divine displeasure against sin. The historical portions of
Scripture display to us throughout, the excellence of the Divine
character, and set before us His governing of this world. Sacred
history is very much more than an authentic record of human affairs:
it exhibits the perversity and folly, the instability and unbelief of
human nature, and reveals the springs from which our actions proceed.
In its narratives the thoughts and secret motives of men are
discovered, and that in a manner and to an extent which none but the
great Searcher of hearts was capable of doing. The real character of
man is unveiled as in no other writings.
"The Bible describes, in action and exhibition, the perfections of
Jehovah as fully as the proclamation in which He declares Himself to
be longsuffering and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity, transgression
and sin. It delineates the deceitfulness and desperate wickedness of
the heart, as forcibly and distinctly as the annunciation's of the
Prophets, when they aloud and spare not" (Robert Haldane). It
emphasizes the providential interposition of God in human affairs and
His ways with men. Therein we are shown what a mad and bitter thing it
is for either an individual or a nation to forsake the living
God--and, contrariwise, what blessings attend those who walk in
subjection and fellowship with Him. Consequently its narratives are of
great practical value: not only in a general way by showing how God
punishes sin and rewards righteousness, but by specific and personal
illustrations of the same. Vital ethical and spiritual lessons are
thereby inculcated, and from the lives of different individuals we are
taught what examples are worthy of our emulation and what evils and
dangers it will be our wisdom and profit to avoid. Thus those sacred
narratives afford us scope for constant meditation. Into the inspired
history is most wondrously interwoven all the doctrines and duties
promulgated by Christ and His Apostles.
But the grand design of the Old Testament was to make manifest the
need for, the nature of, and the various preparations made unto the
redemptive work of Christ. Everything else was subordinated unto an
anticipation of the all-important advent of God's Son to this earth
and the inauguration of the Christian era. As there is one central
object in the heavens which far surpasses in glory all other planets,
so the Person and mission of the Lord Jesus Christ is accorded the
place of pre-eminence in the Sacred Volume. That was what regulated
the principle of selection as to what should or should not be recorded
in the Bible. Hence it is that the history of Adam and his posterity
during the first 2,000 years is condensed into but eleven chapters,
and why very little indeed is said about them--special attention being
directed only unto those individuals from which the promised Messiah
was to spring. For the same reason, from Genesis 12 onwards we are
occupied almost entirely with the history of Abraham and his
descendants. The lives of the Patriarchs are described in much more
detail, that we may perceive the sovereignty and grace of God in His
choice of and dealings with them; and that we may obtain a better view
of the stock from which Christ, according to His humanity, was to
issue.
Most of the Old Testament is a history of the nation of Israel, and
it, too, is written in a manner quite different from all others, for
as one has well said, "It is recorded by the unerring hand of Truth."
No effort is made to magnify the virtues of Israel, nor is there the
least attempt to hide their vices. Had those records been composed by
uninspired Jews, then obviously they would have laboured to present
the most attractive picture possible of their own people, and
therefore no reference would had been made unto their base ingratitude
and hard-heartedness. Particularly would a forgery have sought to
impress other nations with the might, valor, and military genius of
the Jews. But so far from that, their faint-heartedness and defeats
are frequently recorded. The capture of Jericho and the conquest of
Canaan are not attributed to the brilliance of Joshua and the bravery
of his men, but to the Lord's showing Himself strong in their behalf.
Nor did the victories granted them proceed from partiality or caprice,
for only while they walked in obedience to God's Law did He crown
their efforts with success. It is noteworthy that the sacred history
of the Old Testament ends at the point where credible secular history
begins, for the occupation of Palestine by the Persians, Greeks and
Romans is recorded by Xenophon and his successors.
And finally, point 12--Its typical teachings. Since the incarnation of
His Son, with the attendant blessings of redemption, was the grand
object contemplated by God from the dawn of human history, He ordered
everything in the early ages of the world to pave the way for the
same, particularly in the educating of His people concerning it. It
pleased God to first preach the Gospel to them by means of parables,
by symbolical instruction and typical occurrences which foreshadowed
the Person and work of the future Redeemer. Therein lies the key which
opens many a chapter of the Old Testament, which to those lacking, it
appears not only of little interest but unworthy of a place in a
Divine revelation. But once their scope and significance be
recognized, we perceive in those ancient institutions and religious
rites such a wondrous anticipation of and perfect correspondence with
what is set forth more openly in the New Testament as no human wisdom
could have devised. There is a pre-arranged harmony between type and
antitype as no mortal could invent; a prophetic meaning in them which
only God could have given. The fitness of the types and the agreement
of the antitypes lie not so much in their external resemblance as in
the essential oneness of the ideas they embody and express and their
relations to each other.
The types are so many outward emblems and visible signs appointed by
God to portray spiritual objects. They were so constructed and
arranged as to express in symbolical form the great truths and
principles which are common alike to all dispensations, such as the
holiness of God and its requirements, the sinfulness of sin and its
polluting effects, the necessity for a Mediator. Under the Levitical
ceremonies there was set forth a palpable exhibition of sin and
salvation, the purification of the heart, and the dedication of the
person and life unto God. His method of revelation was first to
portray heavenly things by means of earthly, to make known eternal
realities through temporal events, to exhibit to the physical senses
what was later presented more directly to the mind. Thereby was
indicated on a lower plane what was to be accomplished on a far higher
one. Visible things were made to image and prepare the way for the
disclosure of the more spiritual mysteries of Christ's kingdom. In
that way the earlier dispensations were made the servants for getting
ready the stage of things to come. God so modeled the institutions of
Israel's worship as to set before their eyes the cardinal doctrines of
Christianity, the one being a stepping-stone to the other. During the
immaturity of God's family celestial things were more easily grasped
when set forth in a corporate form than by abstract statements about
them.
The events recorded in the Old Testament were actual occurrences, yet
they also presaged the more excellent things which were promised.
Divine Providence so molded human history that in many instances there
was made a typical representation of the work of redemption. That was
set forth, in its broad outlines, in the days of Noah. The fearful
flood which God sent upon the world of the ungodly made known His
intense hatred of sin and the punishment which it entails. Yet before
that judgment fell, merciful warning was made and time given for
repentance; but the wicked repented not. In the ark we behold the
gracious provision which God made for those who feared Him. Noah and
his family sought refuge therein, and accordingly they were preserved
from the overflowing scourge. That ark was the only place of
deliverance. It was therefore a prophetic sign of Christ as the sole
Saviour of sinners, and the security of those who sheltered therein
shadowed forth the deliverance from the wrath to come of those who
flee to Christ. There was room in the ark for all who availed
themselves of it, and the Redeemer has promised to receive and cast
out none who come to Him. The dove sent forth by Noah was an emblem of
the Holy Spirit, and her return to the ark with an olive leaf in her
mouth spoke of that assurance which believers have that God is now at
peace with them.
The whole history of Israel was a typical one and was made to
adumbrate the experience of God's people in the days of their
unregeneracy, the provisions made by God for their deliverance, and
the complete salvation which He effects for them. The cruel bondage
suffered by the Hebrews in Egypt under the merciless oppression of
Pharaoh supplies a vivid picture of our natural servitude unto sin and
Satan. Their crying in the brick kilns and their groaning under the
whips of their taskmasters spoke of those smiting of conscience and
sorrows of heart when God convicts us of our rebellion against Him and
when He makes sin to become exceedingly burdensome and bitter to our
souls. The utter inability of those Israelite slaves to free
themselves from the galling yoke of their masters portrayed the
helplessness of the natural man, his complete impotence to deliver
himself from the dominion of sin. The sovereign grace of God in
raising up a deliverer in the person of Moses pointed forward to the
Redeemer emancipating His people. The appointment of the lamb and the
efficacy of its sprinkled blood to shelter from the angel of death on
the Passover night revealed yet more clearly what is now proclaimed by
the Gospel. While the destruction of Pharaoh and his hosts at the Red
Sea, and Israel's sight of the "Egyptians dead upon the sea shore"
(Ex. 14:30), told of the completeness of the Christian's
salvation--the putting away of his sins from before the face of God.
The subsequent history of Israel after their miraculous exodus from
Egypt while on their way to Canaan foreshadowed, in a remarkable and
unmistakable manner, the experiences of Christians from the tune they
are born again until their entrance into Heaven. Israel's long journey
across the wilderness supplies a graphic picture of the believer's
passage through this world. Once the heart has been really captivated
and won by the loveliness of Christ, the things of time and sense lose
their charm and this world becomes a dreary desert to him. As the
wilderness, with its sterile sands and waterless wastes, was a place
of trials unto the Hebrews, so this world is made the place of testing
unto the graces of the saints. But as God ministered unto Israel of
old, so He has made full provision to meet our every need. They had
the pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night to direct their
course, and we have the Word of God as a lamp unto our feet and the
Holy Spirit to interpret it for us. As God furnished them with manna
from on high, so He has given us "exceeding great and precious
promises" to feed upon. As He caused water to flow from the smitten
rock for Israel, so He now revives the souls of the contrite. As He
enabled them to overcome Amalek, so His grace is sufficient for us.
That remarkable feature of the Old Testament Scriptures which we are
now dealing with is a very comprehensive one, and a large volume might
readily be written thereon. The whole of the Mosaic ritual possessed a
typical and spiritual significance. The tabernacle in which they
worshipped was an emblematic representation of Christ and His Church,
and by ordaining that more than a dozen chapters should be devoted to
an account of its structure, its furniture, and its setting up, while
but a single chapter describes the creating and peopling of this
earth! This tells us that in the Divine estimation, the latter is of
infinitely more importance than the former. The world was made for
Christ (Col. 1:16) and His people (2 Cor. 4:15), as a platform upon
which the celestial hierarchies "might be known by [or rather
"through"--dia] the Church, the manifold wisdom of God" (Eph. 3:10).
The tabernacle was God's dwelling-place in the midst of Israel. Its
holy courts, its sacred vessels, the priesthood which ministered
there: the sacrifices they offered, were, to their minutest detail,
all, so many object lessons brought down to our finite capacity,
setting forth the grand truths of Divine revelation, without which we
could not so fully understand what is set forth in the New Testament.
Many of the outstanding characters of the Old Testament adumbrated
Christ in the varied relations He sustained. Adam presaged His federal
headship (Rom. 5:14), Moses His prophetical office (Deut. 18:18),
Melchizedek His priestly (Ps. 110:4), David His kingly (Rev. 5:5). The
checkered experiences through which Joseph passed foreshadowed Christ
both in His humiliation and His exaltation. Joshua typified Him as the
Securer of the inheritance. The miraculous birth of Isaac prefigured
the supernatural incarnation; the murder of Abel, His death; the
budding of Aaron's rod, His resurrection. Every perfection of Christ's
character, each office that He sustained, all the aspects of His
redemptive work--Godwards, manwards, and sin-ward--were indicated by
or through one and another of the historical persons of the
Patriarchal and Mosaic eras. That so very much in the Jewish
Scriptures should be adapted to image the Person and history of the
Saviour cannot be accounted for on any other hypothesis than that God
Himself is the Author of them. The spiritual instruction conveyed by
the Old Testament narratives, their deeper and hidden meanings, the
great number and variety of the types, their anticipations of and
perfect accord with what is taught in the New Testament, clearly
demonstrate that Judaism and Christianity--so dissimilar in their
externals, so opposite in their incidentals, yet uniting in their
essentials--both belong to the same Lord.
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THE DOCTRINE OF REVELATION
Chapter 10
THE HOLY BIBLE TEACHES THE WAY OF SALVATION
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The uniqueness of the Bible appears most conspicuously here, as anyone
may ascertain for himself by comparing the teaching of the so-called
"sacred books" of all human religions. The difference between what is
revealed in the Scripture of Truth and the systems of men upon the
attainment of holiness and eternal felicity is like unto that between
light and darkness. At no other point does the celestial nature of the
Bible shine forth more unmistakably than in the plan of redemption
which is made known therein. The good news which it heralds to ruined
and lost sinners is such as was undiscoverable by the light of nature,
yet is authenticated by its own intrinsic excellence. The Gospel which
is published in the Bible attests itself by virtue of its matchless
merits. It discovers its Divine origin by a proclamation of truth
which is self-evident. There is no need for an appeal to be made unto
any external testimonies, for a true perception of the Gospel
demonstrates its Divine nature. That which is affirmed in the Gospel
is manifest by its own assertion as something far surpassing all the
inventions of the human mind.
The Gospel itself is light, for its central Object is "the Light of
the world" (John 8:12). The advent of Jesus Christ to this earth was
predicted as the rising of "the Sun of righteousness" (Mal. 4:2), and
the universal spread of His Gospel is represented under the figure of
that grand fountain of natural light diffusing His beams over every
part of the earth (Ps. 19:1-5, and cf. Rom. 10:17, 18). Now light
necessarily proves itself for it is self-evident, needing nothing to
manifest it. It serves to discover other objects, but requires nothing
to discover itself. "Whatsoever doth make manifest is light" (Eph.
5:13), and the Gospel makes manifest the perfections of God, setting
forth an open discovery of them before our minds, beyond any other of
His wondrous works. Therefore is this Divine revelation, this message
of glad tidings unto condemned criminals, designated "the glorious
Gospel of the blessed God" (1 Tim. 1:11) because His ineffable glories
are there so brightly displayed. The consummate wisdom of God is
evidenced far more eminently in the work of redemption than in any of
His marvels in creation or in Providence, so that none but the blind
can be unconvinced thereby.
The Gospel evinces its Divinity by the solution which it offers to a
problem for which the combined wisdom of all mankind can furnish no
adequate solution. That problem is succinctly stated thus: "How, then,
can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of
a woman?" (Job 25:4). The problem is twofold: legal, and moral,
respecting man's relation to the Divine Law, and his fitness for the
celestial Temple. Man is a transgressor of the Divine Law. Every
member of the human race is such. Anything short of perfect and
perpetual obedience to the Divine commandments in thought and word and
deed constitutes one a transgressor. Measured by such a standard, each
of us must plead guilty, for we come far short of it. The Law condemns
us: how, then, can we be acquitted? On what possible ground can the
righteous Judge declare us to be entitled to the award of the Law? But
more--we are fallen and sinful creatures, and as such unfit to dwell
in the immediate presence of the ineffably holy God. How shall we get
rid of our defilement? How do we obtain that unsullied purity to make
us meet for Heaven?
Let us briefly amplify the several elements which enter into that
problem.
1. The requirements of God's Law. They are founded upon the
perfections of its Framer, and therefore nothing less than spotless
holiness is demanded of us. Negatively, it proscribes not only wrong
deeds and corrupt counsels of the heart, but--as no human legislation
ever did--it also prohibits evil desires and propensities, so that all
unchaste imaginations are forbidden, as also the spirit discontent,
envy, revenge--anything which is contrary to the perfections of God
Himself is interdicted. Positively, the Divine Law demands from us an
entire, unreserved, and uninterrupted yielding of soul and body, with
all their faculties and powers, unto God and His service. It requires
not only that we love Him with all our heart and strength, constantly,
but that love to Him must actuate and regulate all our actions
unvaryingly. Nor is that unreasonable, for we are all God's creatures,
made for His glory, and originally created without sin, in His own
image and likeness.
2. The charge preferred against us: "there is none righteous, no, not
one" (Rom. 3:10). Not a single member of our fallen race measures up
to the holy standard which our Maker and Governor has set before
us--not one who meets the just requirements of His Law. Nor is there
one who has made a genuine, wholehearted, and sustained effort to do
so. So far from subordinating all his interests to the will of God,
the natural man follows the desires and devices of his own heart,
giving place to God only so far as that is pleasing to himself. Though
he owes his very life to His daily care, yet he has no concern for His
glory. He is ungrateful, unruly, ungodly, abusing God's mercies,
despising His reproofs, trampling under foot His commandments. And
therefore "all the world stands guilty before God" (Rom. 3:19).
3. The sentence of the Law. This is clearly stated in the Divine Word.
"Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are
written in the Book of the Law to do them" (Gal. 3:10). Whoever
violates a single precept of that Law exposes himself to the
displeasure of God, and to His just punishment as the expression of
that displeasure. No allowance is made for ignorance, no distinction
is made between persons, no relaxation of its strictness is possible.
"The soul that sinneth it shall die," is its inexorable pronouncement.
No exception is made whether the transgressor be young or old, rich or
poor, Jew or Gentile: the wages of sin is death, for "the wrath of God
is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of
men" (Rom. 1:18).
4. The judge Himself is inflexibly just, "that will by no means clear
the guilty" (Ex. 34:7). In the high court of Divine justice, the Lord
interprets the Law in its sternest aspect and judges rigidly according
to the strictness of its letter. "He is a holy God, He is a jealous
God: He will not forgive your transgressions and your sins" (Josh.
24:19). God is inexorably righteous, and will not show any partiality
either to the Law or to its violator. "But we are sure that the
judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such
things.., who will render to every man according to his deeds" (Rom.
2:2, 6). He has determined that His Law shall be faithfully upheld and
its sanctions strictly enforced.
5. The sinner is unquestionably guilty. It is not merely that he has
infirmities, or that he has done his very best, yet failed to attain
unto absolute perfection. He has set at naught God's authority, and
has proved a proud rebel rather than a loyal subject. He has gone his
own way and gratified himself, without any concern for the Divine
honour. Morally respectable he may be in the sight of his fellows, but
a criminal before the Divine tribunal. It is impossible for any man to
clear himself of the solemn charge: he can neither disprove the
accusations which the Law prefers against him, nor vindicate himself
for the perpetration of them.
Here, then, is how the case stands. The Law demands flawless and
continuous obedience to its precepts in heart and in act, in motive
and performance. God charges us with having failed to meet those just
requirements, and declares us guilty. The Law then pronounces sentence
of condemnation, and demands the infliction of the death penalty. The
One before whose tribunal we stand is omniscient, and cannot be
imposed upon; He is inflexibly just and swayed by no sentimental
considerations. We are unable to refute the charges of the Law, unable
to vindicate our sinful conduct, unable to offer any reparation or
atonement for our crimes. Truly our case is desperate to the highest
degree.
Here, then, is the problem. How can God justify the willful
transgressor of His Law without justifying his sins? How can He
receive him into His favour without being the Patron of a rebel? How
can God deliver him from the penalty of His broken Law without going
back upon His word that He, "will by no means clear the guilty"? How
can life be granted to the culprit without repealing the sentence,
"the soul that sinneth it shall die"? How can mercy be shown to the
sinner without justice being flouted? That is a problem which none of
the jurists of this earth could solve, one which must forever have
baffled every finite intelligence. Yet, blessed be His name, God has,
in His consummate wisdom, devised a way whereby the chief of sinners
can be dealt with by Him as though he were entirely innocent. Nay,
more--He pronounces him righteous, up to the required standard of the
Law, and entitled to its reward of eternal life. The Gospel provides a
plain, satisfactory, and glorious solution to that problem, and
therein evidences its Divinity. To that solution we now direct the
reader's attention.
That solution may be summed up in one word, namely, substitution,
though a million words could not express all the stupendous wonders
attending the same. God decreed that salvation should be provided for
transgressors and, in order that His righteousness might not be
compromised, determined that Another should take their place, and in
their stead make a full satisfaction to the Divine Law, by rendering a
flawless obedience to it. But where was to be found one suitable for
this task, for, first, he must be a sinless being? There was not a
single candidate among the sons of men, for the whole human race was
guilty. From whence, then, could a substitute be found? Suitable, we
say, for not only must he be without sin, but his obedience to the Law
must possess such super-abounding worth as to pay the debts not of one
sinner, but of all sinners for whom it was vicariously performed. His
obedience must needs possess more merit than their total demerits.
That necessarily excluded all the angels, for as creatures of God they
themselves were obligated to render perfect obedience to Him, and in
so doing merely performed their duty; consequently no merit attached
to the same, and so there was no excess for others.
Further, none would be suitable save one who could act in his own
absolute right, one who in himself was neither a subject nor a
servant, otherwise he could merit nothing for others: he that has
nothing that is absolutely his own cannot pay any price to redeem
others. He must be a person possessed of infinite dignity and
worthiness, so that he might be capable of meriting infinite blessing.
He must be endowed with infinite power and wisdom to qualify him for
such a stupendous undertaking. He must be one of unchanging integrity
and immutable faithfulness, or he could not be depended upon for such
a momentous task. He must be one of matchless mercy and love to
willingly serve as the Substitute and die in the room of fallen and
depraved men. It was also requisite that he should be a person
infinitely dear unto God the Father, in order to give an infinite
value to his transaction in God's esteem. Now where, my reader, was
such a one to be found? Had that question been propounded to the
ablest of men, yea, to a conclave of angels, it had remained
unanswered forever.
But "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God"
(Luke 18:27). That problem which was far above the compass of all
creatures was solved by Omniscience. The surpassing goodness and
infinite wisdom of God selected His own Son for the undertaking, for
He was in every way fit, possessing in Himself all the requisite
qualifications. But here another problem, no less than the former,
presented itself. The Son was absolute Sovereign in Himself: how then
could He serve? He was infinitely above all law: how then could He
perform obedience to law? He was the Lord of Glory, worshipped by all
the heavenly hosts: how then could He be substituted in the place of
worms of the dust? Moreover, as their Substitute, He must not only
fulfil all the preceptive requirements of the Law, but He must also
take upon Him their sins and expiate their guilt; He must suffer the
Law's condemnation, endure its penalty, receive the awful wages of
sin. But how could One of such infinite dignity enter such depths of
humiliation? How could the ineffably Holy One be judicially "made sin"
for them? How could the Blessed One be made a curse? How could the
Lord of Life die?
As another has said, "If God had declared who the person is that
should do this work and had gone no further, no creature could have
thought which way this person could have performed the work. If God
had told them that His own Son must be the Redeemer, and that He alone
was a fit person for the work, and that He was a person every way
sufficient for it, but had proposed to them to contrive a way how this
fit and sufficient Person should succeed, we must conclude that all
created understandings would have been utterly at a loss." Yet the
Gospel makes known the wondrous and glorious solution to that problem,
a solution which had never entered the mind of man to conceive, and in
the revelation made of that salvation the Gospel bears unmistakably
the impression of Divine wisdom and carries its own evidence of its
Divinity.
The manifold wisdom of God determined that His Son should become the
Representative and Surety of sinners and so be substituted in their
place. But who else would have thought of such a thing: that the Son
should occupy the place of rebels and become the Object of Divine
wrath! And in order for the Son to be the sinner's Surety, He must
render satisfaction to the Law in man's own nature! What created
intelligence had deemed such a thing possible: that a Divine Person
should become incarnate and be both God and man in one Person! Had God
made known such a marvel, what finite intelligence could have devised
a way whereby the Son should become flesh without partaking of the
pollution of fallen human nature! Not only that the finite should
become finite, the Ancient of Days an infant, but that He should be
born of a woman without being tainted by the virus of sin! No angel
had ever dreamed of the miracle of the virgin birth, whereby an
immaculate human nature was produced in Mary's womb by the operation
of the Holy Spirit, so that "a holy thing" (Luke 1:35), spotless and
impeccable, was born by her! But that was no mystery to Divine wisdom.
The Son of God became the Son of man.
And so we might continue, paragraph after paragraph, pointing out that
the circumstances of Christ's birth, the details of His life, the
reception which He met with from the world, the character of His
mission, the nature of His death, His triumphant resurrection from the
tomb, His ascension into Heaven, His there being crowned with honour
and glory, seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high, now
reigning as King of kings and Lord of lords--each and all of which
transcend the powers of human imagination. But a word requires to be
added upon the application of Christ's work to His people. How shall
they partake of the benefits of His redemption without robbing Him of
His glory? By what means shall their enmity be subdued and their wills
be brought into subjection to Him? That was a further problem which no
man could have solved. It is by the Spirit's communicating to them a
new nature, making them sensible of their wretchedness and need, and
causing them to stretch forth the beggar's hand and receive eternal
life as a free gift. Though indwelling sin be not removed in this
life, Christ's love has so won their hearts that it is now their
fervent desire and sincere endeavour to live daily so as to please and
glorify Him.
Now we submit to the critical reader that the Gospel is stamped with
the Divine glory, that the wisdom of God appears conspicuously in the
way of salvation that it exhibits. In its unique contrivances, its
accomplished designs, its glorious ends, its blessed fruits, its
stupendous wonder in transforming lawless rebels into loving and loyal
subjects, we have that which is worthy of Omniscience. Never had it
entered into the heart of man to conceive not only of Hell-deserving
sinners being saved in a way suited to all the Divine perfections, but
which also provides for their being personally conformed unto the
image of God's Son, made "like Him" in holiness and happiness, made
"joint heirs" with Him and eternal sharers of His glory. When
impartially examined, it is self-evident that the Gospel is not of
human origin. Certainly the Jews did not invent it, for they were its
bitterest enemies. Nor the Gentiles, for they knew nothing about it
until the Apostles preached it to them. Nor did the Apostles
themselves, for at first they were offended at it (Matthew 16:21, 22).
The Gospel is of God: thanks be unto Him for His unspeakable gift!
In what way shall depraved and guilty creatures be delivered from
wickedness and punishment and restored to holiness and happiness, is
the most difficult as well as important question which can engage the
mind. Such an inquiry is of no interest to a pleasure-loving trifler,
but is of vast moment to the sin-convicted soul. He knows that God is
justly displeased with him, but how He shall become reconciled and
receive him into His favour, passes his comprehension. A sense of
guilt makes him afraid of God: how shall the cause of that fear be
removed? Those are difficulties which human religions do not resolve
and before which reason is silent. No amount of present repentance and
reformation can cleanse the blotted pages of the past. When brought
face to face with the dread realities of death, judgment, and
eternity, the soul is appalled. A vague hope in the general mercy of
God suffices not, for that leaves His justice unsatisfied. The Gospel
alone provides a satisfactory solution to these problems and peace for
the burdened conscience.
Neither sorrowing nor amendment of conduct can right the wrongs of
which the sinner is guilty before God, nor can he by any self-effort
change himself for the better, still less fit himself for Heaven. A
sinner may be filled with bitter remorse for his vicious excesses ,
but tears will not heal his diseased body or deliver him from an early
grave. The gambler will condemn himself for his folly, but no
self-recriminations will recover his lost estate or save him from
spending his remaining years in poverty. Thus it is evident that when
it comes to the blotting out of his iniquities before God and the
obtaining of a new nature which renders him fit for the Divine
presence, man must look outside himself. But where is he to look for
deliverance from himself for sin has made fallen man averse to
fellowship with the Holy One? How then shall he desire, seek after,
delight in that which is repellent to him? He is bidden to look unto
One who is "mighty to save" (Isa. 63:1). The Gospel presents a Divine
Physician who can heal the moral leper, yea, give eternal life to one
who is spiritually dead. The Lord Jesus is "able to save unto the
uttermost them that come unto God by Him" (Heb. 7:25). His salvation
is an all-sufficient and everlasting one, freely offered, "without
money and without price." Such a Saviour, such a salvation, is of no
human invention; therefore the Book which makes them known must be
Divine.
It may be asked, If the Gospel be self-evident, why do not all men
believe it? The answer is, "This is the condemnation, that light is
come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because
their deeds were evil" (John 3:19). The great majority deliberately
close their eyes and steel their hearts against its appeal, because
that appeal clashes with their corruptions and worldly interests. Not
until men solemnly contemplate the character of God, their relation to
Him as the subjects of His government, and their utter unpreparedness
for His awful tribunal, will they seriously consider the claims of His
Gospel. As food is relished most by the famished, as health is valued
highest by those who have suffered a painful and protracted illness,
so the Gospel is only welcomed by those who realize they are under the
curse of a sin-hating God, stricken with a moral malady which no human
remedy can relieve, hastening to hopeless eternity. Nevertheless, he
who believes not shall be damned.
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THE DOCTRINE OF REVELATION
Chapter 11
THE HOLY BIBLE
ITS FULFILLED PROPHECIES
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If the Bible is a human invention it ought not to require very much
perspicuity to discover and demonstrate its imposture. The Scriptures
claim to be of Divine inspiration, but if that claim is an empty and
unfounded one, then it should be no hard matter to prove it is so. The
Bible not only treats considerably of history and moral instruction,
but it contains not a little prophecy, and that not in dark and
dubious language, like that of the pretended Sibylline Oracle, such as
that ambiguous answer made to the inquiry of Croesus when he was about
to engage the Persians in war: "Croesus, having passed the river
Hilys, shall overturn a great empire"--which would be verified whether
his own kingdom or that of the Persians was subverted. Radically
different are the predictions of Holy Writ. They are clear and
definite, enter into specific and minute details, and in many
instances are too plain to be misunderstood. Thus, the dispute between
the Christian and the Infidel may be reduced to a short and simple
issue: if Scripture prophecy be Divinely inspired then it will be
accomplished; if it be spurious, it will not be.
Since the words "prophecy" and "prediction" are frequently used in a
loose and general sense in present-day parlance, it is requisite that
we should carefully define our term. By a "prophecy" we mean the
annunciation of some future event which could not have been foreknown
by natural means or arrived at by logical deduction from present data.
Such are scores of predictions recorded in the Bible hundreds of years
ago, and which have been accurately verified by history. They are
entirely different from weather forecasts, which are more often wrong
than right, and merely announce climatic conditions a few days ahead.
To bear any resemblance to the prophecies of Scripture, they would
have to prognosticate the specific temperature, the direction of the
wind, the precise rainfall upon a certain city or country on a given
day, 500 years hence! The reader will readily perceive that all of the
scientists and astronomers in the world possess no such prevision as
that. Yet the Bible abounds with forecasts far more wonderful.
It requires no prophetic spirit to declare that, life permitting, a
certain male infant will develop into a child, and then into a man;
but it would to announce from his cradle whether he will be a fool or
a wise man, a failure or success; and still more so to predict the
exact span of his life, and where and how he will die. A well-informed
politician may foretell how soon there will be a general election, and
which party will win the same; but he is quite incapable of foreseeing
the political, social, economic and religious condition of his country
100 years from now. And, likewise, it would be completely beyond his
powers to give the name and describe the character of its ruler in
that day. An experienced statesman may indeed discern the speedy
breakup of his state, and from the temper of its subjects deduce that
it is likely to collapse under a fearful revolution, but he could not
predict and describe the successive changes of empires centuries in
advance--changes which depend upon countless unknown incidents. Yet
the Bible does that very thing!
Sagacious conjecture is very different from Scripture prediction.
Prophecy is, as one has well defined it, "the eyes of the omniscient
God reading the predestinated future, and revealing the secret to His
servants, the Prophets." It is demonstrated to be such by the actual
accomplishment of the same as testified to by the records of history.
And it is highly significant that sacred history ends where profane
history--that part of it, at least, which is commonly regarded as
reliable--begins, so that the great changes in world affairs which the
Divine seers foretold are confirmed by secular recorders of events,
thereby effectually closing the mouths of skeptics. Thus the
remarkable predictions of Daniel concerning the rise, the career, and
the character of the great Gentile powers which occupied the stage
during the last six centuries before the advent of Christ may be fully
checked from the chronicles of heathen historians, who, entirely
unacquainted with the Old Testament (which then existed only in the
Hebrew language), were quite unaware that they were narrating the
fulfillment of the same.
The book of Daniel contains prophetic visions which describe one
momentous event after another that has come before the observance of
the whole world: events so unlikely, so startling, and so
far-reaching, that no wisdom could possibly have foreseen the
same--least of all, so far in advance. It was therein revealed that
four successive world kingdoms should arise, to be followed by a
spiritual and everlasting kingdom set up by God Himself. Those four
empires are viewed under the figure of wild beasts, to denote their
strength, ferocity, and agility. It was therein foretold that they
should come forth from "the great sea" (Dan. 7:2, 3), which in
Scripture always has reference to the Mediterranean, thereby defining
the center of their territorial origin. By that limitation of four,
God made it known that after the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Grecian,
and Roman empires there should never again be another kingdom
commensurate with those. Charlemagne, Napoleon, the Kaiser, Hitler, in
their insatiable greed, coveted and strove to form one, but in vain.
Equally so will prove the ambitions of Moscow. [Written in 1948].
It is an incontrovertible fact that no Infidel has ever dared to meet
the great body of Scripture prophecy, nor seriously attempted a reply
to the many books written thereon, calling attention to their
accomplishment. Either they are silently ignored, or dismissed with
some such scurrilous remark that the Scripture prophecies are ``a book
of falsehoods," as Tom Paine's accusation in his blasphemous Age of
Reason (Part 2, pages 44, 47). Let the reader judge for himself from
the following. Almost 100 years before the event, the Lord announced
through Isaiah that Babylon should be destroyed by the Medes and
Persians. "Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them. . .And
Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees'
excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. . .Go
up, O Elam [the ancient name of Persia]; besiege, O Media. . .Babylon
is fallen" (Isa. 13:17, 19; 21:2, 9). Utterly unlikely as such a
catastrophe then appeared, nevertheless, Herodotus and Xenophon record
its literal fulfillment!
Again, Daniel, more than 200 years before the event, foretold the
overthrow of the Medo-Persian empire by the arms of Greece, under the
direction of Alexander the Great, depicting the government of the
latter under the symbol of a he-goat with a notable horn between his
eyes. That prophecy, in figurative language, is found in Daniel 8:3-7,
and then (vv. 20-21) its meaning is explained in plain terms: "the ram
which thou sawest having two horns, are the kings of Media and Persia.
And the rough goat is the king of Grecia, and the great horn that is
between his eyes is the first king." Ask the historians of those
times, Diodorus and Plutarch, if that were a falsehood! In his
Antiquities (Jud. 11:8) Josephus tells of Alexander's journey to
Jerusalem for the purpose of dealing severely with the Jews, and how
that when he was shown by the high priest a copy of the prophecy of
Daniel announcing that a Grecian monarch should overthrow Persia, was
so deeply impressed that, contrary to his invariable course, he showed
remarkable favour to the Jews.
The same Daniel went on to announce that upon the death of Alexander
his vast empire should be divided between four of his principal
generals, each of whom should have an extensive dominion (8:8, 22),
which, as profane historians record, is precisely what took place. But
more--he also predicted that out of one of those four branches of the
Grecian empire would arise one who, at first weak and obscure, should
become "exceeding great," blatant and impious, and that he would meet
with no ordinary end (8:9, 12, 23-25). Therein was accurately
described the infamous career of Antiochus Epiphanies, king of Syria.
In that remarkable prophecy it was plainly intimated that that monster
should, by means of flattery and treachery, accomplish his evil
designs; and because of the degeneracy of the Jews would be permitted
for a time to ravish their country, profane their temple, and put many
of them to death; yet, that in the heyday of his career he should be
cut off by a sudden visitation from Heaven. All of which was fulfilled
to the letter!
Daniel also went on to herald the rise of yet a fourth kingdom. As he
foretold that the Babylonian should be succeeded by the Medo-Persian
and it by the Grecian, so in turn would this be vanquished by another
yet more powerful. It is described as being "strong as iron: for as
much as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all" (2:40); and as
"diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful" and which "shall
devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down and break it in
pieces" (7:19, 23). Therein was given, more than 500 years beforehand,
a delineation of the Roman empire, as differing from the others in its
democratic form of government, in the irresistible might of its
military power, and in its world-wide dominion (compare Luke 2:1).
Finally, Daniel announced that "in the days of these kings" (2:44)
should "the God of Heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be
destroyed" (2:44; 7:13, 14). And it was in the days of the Caesars
that the Son of God became incarnate and established His spiritual
kingdom, which, despite all the efforts of Satan and his emissaries to
overthrow it, continues to this very hour. What proofs of Divine
inspiration are these!
But let us now come to a phenomenon which falls more immediately
before our own observation, namely, the Jews. To the man of affairs
the Jews present an interesting, yet perplexing problem, for they are
the greatest paradox of the ages. No other nation was so highly
favored by God, yet none has ever been so severely chastised by Him.
They are the only people to whom God ever gave a land, yet the only
one which for so many centuries have been without one. They are the
only nation to whom God ever immediately gave a king, yet for 2,000
years they have been without a ruler or head. They are the outstanding
miracle of history. Scattered throughout the earth, they are yet a
unit; dispersed among the Gentiles, yet unassimilated by them. They
are not wanted anywhere, yet because of their financial strength,
needed everywhere. Taxed and plundered as no others have ever been,
yet the wealthiest of all people. Persecuted and slaughtered as no
other nation, yet miraculously preserved from annihilation.
The Bible alone supplies the key to their history. Not only so--the
Bible described, in numerous particulars, their history long in
advance. We will now single out but a few from the many scores. Two
thousand years before the event, their conquest by the Romans and the
terrors of the siege of Jerusalem were graphically depicted: see
Deuteronomy 28:49-57--the passage is too lengthy to quote here, but
let the reader be sure to consult it. The worldwide dispersion of the
Jews was foretold centuries in advance: "And the LORD shall scatter
thee among all people, and from the one end of the earth even unto the
other" (Deut. 28:64). The restless migrating of the Jews was made
known ages before their actual dispersion: "And among those nations
shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest:
but the LORD shall give thee a trembling heart, and failing of eyes,
and sorrow of mind" (Deut. 28:65). So literally has that been
fulfilled that "the wandering Jew" has become a proverbial expression
adopted by all modem nations!
The taunts universally passed upon them were prophetically declared:
"thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all
nations whither the LORD shall lead thee" (Deut. 28:37). Who has not
heard the expression, "as greedy as a Jew"! When one man gets the
better of another by means of tricky dealings, it has become the
custom throughout the English-speaking world to say "he Jew'd me."
Literally has he become a "Proverb and a byword." Their survival,
despite all the efforts of men to exterminate them, was made known:
"when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not... destroy them
utterly" (Lev. 26:44). The preservation of their national distinctness
was expressly predicted: "lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall
not be reckoned among the nations" (Num. 23:9). Though scattered
throughout the whole earth, they still subsist--unassimilated by the
Gentiles--as a distinct people! And so we might go on. Let the reader
carefully bear in mind that all of those fore-announcements were made
upwards of 3,000 years ago! Such forecasts manifestly render imposture
out of the question: they must have been God-breathed.
We now call attention to that which is central in prophecy, namely,
the amazing description supplied of the Messiah many centuries before
He came to this earth. A full portrait of Him was drawn in advance:
one inspired artist after another adding fresh details, until the
picture was complete. The Prophets, with one consent, gave witness to
the Lord Jesus Christ, so that nothing remarkable befell Him and
nothing great was done by Him which they did not foretell. Those
prophecies were in the hands of the Jews, and translated into the
Greek, generations before His birth, and were so well known that the
Apostle Paul could say to king Agrippa that he taught no things, "than
those which the Prophets and Moses did say should come: that Christ
should suffer and that He should be the first that should rise from he
dead" (Acts 26:22, 23). Thus did the fulfillment exactly correspond to
the predictions made long before, for it pleased God to supply such an
exact description of the Messiah that His identity should be
indubitably established when He appeared among men: and thus the Jews
were condemned by their Prophets for rejecting Him.
The supernatural character of our Lord's humanity was declared when it
was said that He should be the woman's "Seed" (Gen. 3:15), unbegotten
by a man: conceived and born of a "virgin" (Isa. 7:14). In Genesis
9:25-28, it was made known through which of the three sons of Noah the
Messiah should issue, namely, Shem: for God would "dwell" in his
"tents." Later, it was revealed that Christ, according to the flesh,
should be of the Abrahamic stock (Gen. 22:18, and cf. Matthew 1:1).
Still further was the compass narrowed, for of the twelve sons of
Abraham's grandson, Judah was chosen (Gen. 49:10). Out of all the
families of Judah, He would spring from the house of Jesse (Isa.
11:1). The place of His birth was specified (Micah 5:2). The very time
of His advent was mentioned (Dan. 9:24-26). So definite were the Old
Testament prophecies concerning Christ that the hope of Israel became
the Messianic hope: all their expectations centered in His appearing.
It is therefore the more remarkable that their sacred Scriptures
contained another set of prophecies, telling of His being despised by
His own nation and put to a shameful death.
Though Christ would preach good tidings to the meek, bind up the
brokenhearted, and proclaim liberty to the captives of sin and Satan
(Isa. 61:1), and though He should open the eyes of the blind, unstop
the ears of the deaf, and make the lame leap as a hart (Isa. 35:5, 6),
yet utterly incredible as it appeared, He would be "despised and
rejected of men" (Isa. 53:3). His back would be smitten, the hair
plucked out of His cheeks, and His face covered with the vile spittle
of those who hated Him (Isa. 1:6). He would be sold for "thirty pieces
of silver" (Zech. 11:13), brought as a lamb to the slaughter, taken
from prison and judgment, "cut off out of the land of the living"
(Isa. 53:8). His death by crucifixion was revealed a thousand years
beforehand (Psa. 22:1). So, too, His being crucified with malefactors
(Isa. 53:12), His being derided upon the Cross (Ps. 22:7, 8), His
being offered vinegar to drink (Psa. 69:2 1), as well as the soldiers
gambling for His garments (Ps. 22:1 8)--were all described. It was
also foretold that He should rise from the dead (Ps. 16:1, 2), and
ascend into Heaven (Ps. 68:18).
But perhaps the most remarkable feature about the prophecies
concerning Christ is their paradoxical character. He was to be the
seed of David, which should proceed out of his bowels (2 Sam. 7:12),
and at the same time be David's "Lord" (Ps. 110:1). He was to be both
"the Son of man" (Dan. 7:13) and "the mighty God" (Isa. 9:6); "a Man
of sorrows and acquainted with grief' (Isa. 53:3), yet "anointed with
the oil of gladness above His fellows" (Ps. 45:7). He was to be One in
whom Jehovah's "soul delighted" (Isa. 42:), yet "smitten of God and
afflicted" (Isa. 53:4). In one passage it was fore-announced, "Thou
art fairer than the children of men" (Ps. 45:2), in another, "His
visage was so marred more than any man" (Isa. 52:14). It was said
that, "Messiah shall be cut off, and shall have nothing" (Dan. 9:26,
margin), yet "of the increase of His government and peace there shall
be no end" (Isa. 9:7). He would "make His grave with the wicked" (Isa.
53:9), yet would be made "higher than the kings of the earth" (Psa.
89:27). The fulfillment in New Testament times of those apparently
glaring contradictions evinced there was perfect harmony between them;
yet is it not evident that such seeming inconsistencies as those had
ever been inserted in an imposture!
Now we submit to the skeptical reader that the fulfillment of all
those prophecies demonstrated the Divine origin of the Book which
contains them. They were given not in the form of a vague
generalization, but with a precision and minuteness which no human
sagacity could possibly have supplied. Again and again have men
attempted to foretell the future, but only to meet with failure; the
anticipations of the most far-seeing are repeatedly mocked by the
irony of events. Man stands before such an impenetrable veil that he
knows not what a day may bring forth. How then shall we explain the
hundreds of detailed prophecies recorded in the Scriptures which were
fulfilled to the letter centuries after they were given? Only one
explanation is rational, adequate, and satisfactory: they were
revealed by God Himself. It is the prerogative of God alone to declare
the end from the beginning, and the numerous, varied, and detailed
predictions recorded in the Bible, demonstrate beyond a doubt that
that Book is His own inspired and infallible Word. The prophecies of
Scripture are supernatural: nothing in the remotest degree resembling
or even aiming to do so, is to be found in any of the religions of the
world. Prophecy is as truly the product of Omniscience as miracles are
of Omnipotence.
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THE DOCTRINE OF REVELATION
Chapter 12
THE HOLY BIBLE
MORE UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS--1.
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1. Its doctrine. Probably that heading would be more intelligible unto
most of our readers had we employed the plural number. As a matter of
fact, it is at this very point that its uniqueness first appears.
Error is diverse and multiform, but Truth is harmonious and one.
Scripture speaks of "the doctrines of demons" (1 Tim. 4:1) and "the
doctrines of men" (Col. 2:22), which are "divers and strange
doctrines" (Heb. 13:9), but whenever it refers to that which is
Divine, the singular number is always used. Thus "the doctrine" (John
7:17; 1 Tim. 4:16), "the Apostles' doctrine" (Acts 2:42), "sound
doctrine" (1 Tim. 4:1), "good doctrine" (1 Tim. 4:6), "the name of God
and His doctrine" (1 Tim. 6:3). Yet, like a single diamond with its
many facets or the rainbow combining all the colors, the doctrine of
God has numerous and distinct aspects, which to our finite minds are
best apprehended singly. Nevertheless, they are not like so many
separate pearls on a string, but rather resemble branches growing out
of a single tree. What we term "the doctrines of grace" are only so
many parts or phases of the revealed favour of God unto His people.
The more time one devotes to a prayerful and diligent perusal of "the
doctrine of Christ" (2 John 9), the more will he perceive not only the
spiritual excellence of each of its parts, but also their perfect
harmony, their intimate relation to one another, and the mutual
furtherance of all unto the same end. It is ignorance of the whole
which lies behind the supposition that any one part conflicts with
another. It is designated "the doctrine which is according to
godliness" (1 Tim. 6:3), for when truly believed it produces and
promotes piety. It is a mold into which the mind is cast and from
which it receives its impress (Rom. 6:17, margin). An observing eye
will easily perceive that a distinct spirit attends different
religions and different systems of the same religion which, over and
above natural temperament, stamps their respective adherents. Thus it
was at the beginning: those who received "another Gospel" received
with it "another spirit" (2 Cor. 11:4), and hence we read of "the
spirit of truth and the spirit of error" (1 John 4:6). Scripture
doctrine produces holiness of character and conduct because it
proceeds from the Holy One.
It would require a whole volume to do justice to this argument and
illustrate it at length. The doctrine of the Godhead is unique. That
God must be one is an axiom of sound reason, for there could not be a
plurality of supreme beings. But that God should be one in His essence
or nature, yet three in His Persons, is something which mere reason
could never have discovered. That God is Triune, a trinity in unity,
transcends infinite intelligence, and therefore never originated
therefrom. That it is clearly set forth in the Bible evinces its
verity. The doctrine of federal headship is peculiar to Divine
revelation. That one should legally represent the many, that the many
should be dealt with judicially according to the conduct of the one,
is a truth which has no place at all in any human religion. Yet the
Bible teaches explicitly that the guilt of Adam's transgression is
reckoned to the account of all his natural descendants, so that
because of it they stand condemned before God--a thing far too
unpalatable for human invention. The merits of the obedience of the
last Adam is reckoned to the account of all His spiritual seed, so
that they are all accounted righteous before God--something far too
wonderful to be of human contrivance.
The doctrine of Divine grace is equally unique. It is a truth peculiar
to Divine revelation, a concept to which the unaided powers of man's
mind could never have risen. Proof of this is seen in the fact that
where the Bible has not gone, grace is quite unknown. Not the
slightest trace of it is to be found in any of the religions of
heathendom, and when missionaries undertake to translate the
Scriptures into the natives' tongues, they can find no word which in
any wise corresponds to the Bible word "grace." Grace is something to
which none has any rightful claim, something which is due unto none;
being mere charity, a sovereign favour, a free gift. Divine grace is
the favour of God bestowing inconceivable blessings upon those who
have no merits and from whom no compensation is demanded. Nay, more--
grace is exercised unto those who are full of positive demerits. How
completely grace sets aside all thought of worth in its subject
appears from that declaration, "being, justified freely by His grace"
(Rom. 3:24); that word, "freely," signifies "without a cause," and is
so rendered in John 15:25--justified gratuitously, for nothing!
Grace is a Divine provision for those who are so corrupt that they
cannot better their evil natures; so averse to God they will not turn
unto Him; so blind they perceive not His excellence; so deaf they hear
Him not speaking unto them; so dead spiritually that He must open
their graves and bring them forth on to resurrection ground if ever
they are to be saved. Grace implies that its object's condition is
desperate to the last degree: that God might justly leave him to
perish--yea, that it is a wonder of wonders He has not already cast
him into Hell. That grace is told out in the Gospel, which is not a
message of good advice, but of good news. It is a proclamation of
mercy, sent not to the good, but to the bad. It offers a free,
perfect, and everlasting salvation "without money and without price,"
and that to the chief of sinners. To the convicted conscience,
salvation by grace alone seems too good to be true. Grace is God
acting irrespective of the sinner's character, not as a Demander but
as a Giver--to the ill-deserving and Hell-deserving--who have done
nothing to procure His favour, but everything to provoke His wrath.
There are other portions of doctrine taught in the Scriptures which by
virtue of their very transcendency indicate their Divine source, as,
for example, that of the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of
man. It is a dictate of sound reason that if God be God--God in fact
as well as in name--then He must have full control of all His
creatures and regulate their every action in subservience to His own
glory. It is equally self-evident that if man be created a moral
agent, he must be endowed with the power of choice, and as such, be
answerable unto God for all his volitions. So teaches the Bible: on
the one hand that God is working all things after the counsel of His
own will, not only in Heaven but also "among the inhabitants of the
earth, and none can stay His hand" (Dan. 4:35); and on the other that
"every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Rom. 14:12).
Yet no human intellect is able to explain how that responsibility of
man consists with the fact that God has eternally predestinated his
every action and infallibly directs the same without the least
violence to his will.
The same seeming paradox appears in the doctrine of man's spiritual
impotence and accountability: that the fallen creature is in such
complete bondage to sin that he is incapable of performing a spiritual
act, yea, of originating a spiritual desire or thought, and yet is
justly held blameworthy for all his moral perversity and impiety--that
none can come to Christ except they be drawn (John 6:44), yet are
condemned for not coming to Him (John 3:18). So, too, the doctrine of
particular redemption: that Christ acted as the Surety of and made
atonement for the sins of God's elect only; yet that the Gospel makes
a free and bona fide offer of salvation unto all who hear it. In like
manner, the complementary doctrines of the saints' preservation by God
and the imperative necessity of their own perseverance in faith and
holiness--that no child of God can perish eternally, yet that he is in
real danger of so doing as long as he is left in this world. Such
things appear to be utterly inconsistent to human reason, which is
sure evidence that no impostors, would have placed so much in the
Bible as is foolishness to the natural man.
Another unmistakable hallmark of the genuineness of the several
branches of the doctrine of Holy Writ is the manner in which they are
set forth therein. They are not presented as so many expressly defined
articles of faith or items of a creed. There is no formal statement of
the doctrine of regeneration or of sanctification: rather are there
many brief references to each scattered throughout the whole of the
sacred writings. They are introduced more incidentally than
systematically. Instead of being drawn up as so many propositions,
they are illustrated and exemplified in the practical history of
individuals. So different from man's method, yet characteristic of the
ways of God! Man reduces botany to a system, but the Creator has not
set out the flowers and trees in separate beds and fields according to
their species, but has distributed them over the earth in beautiful
variety. In like manner, He has not gathered into one chapter the
whole of any one truth, but requires us to search and collate the
numerous references to it, which are mingled with exhortations,
warnings and promises. God's Word is addressed not only to our
understanding but to our conscience, and no doctrinal statement is
made without some practical end being answered.
Another striking feature of Biblical doctrine is its orderly
presentation. As in the processes of nature, so there is a gradual
unfolding of each particular doctrine. The diligent student will find
that every vital truth made known in Scripture is seen first in the
blade, then in the ear, and then in the full com in the ear. Thus, for
example, with the Messianic prophecies: the germinal announcement in
Genesis 3:15, the fuller revelation in Isaiah 53, the complete
fulfillment in the New Testament. So with God's justifying of a
sinner: briefly hinted at in Genesis 15:6, more plainly disclosed in
Psalm 32:1, 2, fully expounded in Romans 4. The Bible is more than a
book: it is a living organism, growth marking all its parts.
All through Scripture there is seen a systematic advance in the
communication of Truth. In Genesis, the basic doctrine repeatedly
exemplified is that of election; in Exodus, redemption by blood and
power; in Leviticus, the chosen and redeemed are brought nigh to God
as worshippers. Then the complementary side of things is set before
us: in Numbers, our passage through this wilderness-world; in
Deuteronomy, the enforcing of responsibility. While in Joshua we
behold the people of God entering into and enjoying their heritage.
What unmistakable progress is there! The same feature marks the New
Testament. In the Gospels, Christ accomplishing the work of salvation;
in Acts, the proclamation thereof; in the Epistles, salvation
experienced by the members of His mystical Body; in Revelation, the
saved in Glory around the Lamb. Such progress demonstrates both the
unity of Scripture and continuity of its inspiration. Behind all the
varied penmen is one Author working according to a definite plan.
2. Its precepts. This is another aspect of our many-sided subject
which deserves as many separate chapters as space requires us to
condense into paragraphs. At no other point does the heavenly origin
of the Bible appear more plainly than the exalted standard it sets
forth and the conduct it requires from us. Therein it is in marked
contrast with the writings of all who oppose the Bible. Infidels and
atheists have no ethical standard, yea, their code is utterly
subversive of all morality. So too it differs radically from the
teaching of the best of the ancient moralists and philosophers. They
far surpass the most celebrated maxims of the sages and religionists,
and immeasurably transcend the best statutes of all human legislation.
The Divine precepts embrace every relation and duty, and not only
prohibit all evil but promote all virtue. They reprehend practices
which all other systems approve or tolerate, and inculcate duties they
omit. The laws of man reach no farther than human action, but those of
God the fountain from which all actions proceed. If the laws of God
were universally obeyed this earth would be a scene of universal peace
and good will.
The world approves of ambition, the eager pursuit of wealth, fondness
of pleasure, and in many instances applauds pride, ostentation,
contempt of others, and even the spirit of revenge--whereas the
precepts of Scripture condemn all of those in every form and degree.
They require us to renounce the world as a source of happiness and to
set our affection upon things above (Col. 3:2). They repress the
spirit of greed: "having food and raiment, let us be therewith
content" (1 Tim. 6:8). "Labour not to be rich" (Prov. 23:4); "lay not
up for yourselves treasures upon earth" (Matt. 6:19); and warn that
"the love of money is the root of all evil." They bid us "lean not
unto thine own understanding. . . be not wise in thine own eyes"
(Prov. 3:5, 7), and prohibit all self-confidence: "he that trusteth in
his own heart is a fool" (Prov. 28:26). Not only do they reprehend the
spirit of revenge (Rom. 12:19; 1 Pet. 3:9), but they enjoin upon us,
"Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that
hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use and persecute you"
(Matthew 5:44). Such precepts as those never originated in any human
mind, my reader.
In these precepts morality and duty are advanced to their highest
pitch. "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do
ye even so to them" (Matthew 7:12). Many of them are entirely against
the bent of nature: as "rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let
not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth" (Prov. 24:17); "If thine
enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat" (Prov. 25:21); "In honour
preferring one another" (Rom. 12:10); "let each esteem each other
better than themselves" (Phil. 2:3). None others so "holy, just and
good" (Rom. 7:12). Such statements as the following were never devised
by man: "When thou doest thine alms, let not thy left hand know what
thy right hand doeth: that thine alms may be in secret" (Matthew 6:3,
4). "Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to
the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31); "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and
anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all
malice: and be ye kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one
another" (Eph. 4:31, 32). "Giving thanks always for all things unto
God" (Eph. 5:20); "Rejoice evermore" (1 Thess. 5:16).
"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is
perfect" (Matthew 5:48). The only objection which an Infidel could
bring against the precepts of Scripture is that such an exalted
standard of conduct as they inculcate is manifestly unattainable by
imperfect creatures. That is readily admitted, yet so far from making
against them, it only serves to exhibit the more clearly the design
and wisdom of their Divine Author. In requiring from fallen creatures
that which they cannot perform in their own strength, God does but
maintain His own rights, for our having lost our original power does
not release us from rendering to God that fealty and honour which is
His due. Moreover, they are admirably designed to humble us, for our
unsuccessful attempts to meet their demands make us the more conscious
of our infirmities, and thereby pride is abased. They are intended to
awaken within us a personal sense of dependence upon Divine aid. Where
there is a genuine desire and endeavour to obey those statutes, they
will be turned into earnest prayer for help--nor will assistance be
denied the seeking soul. Thus, the seeming foolishness of God is seen
to surpass the feigned wisdom of man.
One other remarkable feature about the precepts of the Bible calls for
a brief notice, namely, the motives by which they are enforced. No
appeal is made to vanity, selfishness, or any of the corrupt
propensities of our nature. Obedience to them is urged by no
consideration of what our fellows will think or say of us, nor how we
shalt further our own temporal interests. Rather are the animating
motives drawn from respect to God's will, hope of His approbation,
concern for His glory, gratitude for His mercies, the example that
Christ has left us, and the claims which His sacrifice has upon us.
Christians are bidden to forgive one another because God has for
Christ's sake forgiven them (Eph. 4:32). Wives are called on to submit
themselves unto their own husbands as the Church is subject unto
Christ, and husbands to love their wives "even as Christ also loved
the church" (Eph. 5). Servants are required to be obedient unto their
masters in singleness of heart "as unto Christ" (Eph. 6:5), while
their employers are to act toward their servants in the knowledge,
that they also "have a Master in Heaven" (Col. 4:1). Christ's
commandments are to be kept out of love to Him (John 14:15). How
radically different are such inducements as those from urging that
which will win the esteem of our fellows! Not that which will promote
our own temporal interests, but what "is right" (Eph. 6:1) is that
which the Holy Spirit presses upon us.
A final word to the preacher: The solemn fact is that every unsaved
hearer is "dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1), devoid of any
spiritual perception or sensibility, incapable of any spiritual
action--such as evangelical repentance and saving belief of the
Gospel. Nothing short of a miracle of grace can bring a lost soul from
death unto life, and nothing but the almighty and invincible power of
God can accomplish the same (Eph. 1:19). It therefore follows that
neither your faithfulness nor your earnestness can, of itself, save a
single sinner: you will simply be "beating the air" unless the Holy
Spirit is pleased to graciously accompany the Word with power and
apply it to the heart of your hearer. None but the blessed Spirit can
effectually convince of sin, and bring an unsaved person to realize
his desperate condition and dire need. Even the Word itself only
becomes "the Sword of the Spirit" as He wields it, and we cannot
warrantably look unto Him to do so if we grieve Him by using fleshly
means and worldly methods. It is unbelief in the imperative necessity
of the Spirit's operations which has caused so many churches to
descend to the level of the circus, and evangelists to conduct
themselves like showmen. Humbly seek His presence and blessing, and
trustfully count upon the same.
3. Its promises, which hold out the highest felicity of which man is
capable. There is a natural instinct in the human heart after
happiness, yea, after eternal happiness; yet instead of looking unto
God for the same, the unregenerate try to find it in the creature.
They fondly imagine that satisfaction is to be obtained in things
visible, that it is to be found through the medium of the senses. But
in vain do they gratify their bodily lusts: material things cannot
satisfy the longings of an immaterial spirit. The springs of the earth
are unable to quench the thirst of the soul. Wealth does not, for the
millionaire is still a stranger to contentment. The honours of the
world are but empty baubles, as their securers quickly enough
discover. The eager devotees of pleasure find there is no real
happiness in any form of amusement. Serious souls are at a loss to
know where to look for that which will reward their quest. "There are
many that say, Who will show us any good?" (Ps. 4:6): they neither
know what it consists of, nor where it to be found.
Hence it is that the Lord says unto them, "Wherefore do ye spend money
for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth
not? Hearken diligently unto Me, and eat ye that which is good, and
let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear and come
unto Me: hear and your soul shall live" (Isa. 55:2, 3). God has
"shown" what substantial and lasting "good" consists of, and where it
is to be obtained. He has made known the same unto us in the wondrous
and blessed promises of His Word: "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath
prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by
His Spirit" (1 Cor. 2:9, 10). This is yet another of the many
excellencies of the Bible: that its promises set forth the greatest
happiness of which we are capable of enjoying. The One who gave us
being is alone capable of putting real gladness into the human heart.
That gladness comes to us not through the delights of sense, but
consists in communion with the One who is the sum of excellence.
The promises of Scripture are the assurances which God has given us
that He will bestow the best of blessings, for this life and also for
the life to come, on those who seek them in the right spirit and
comply with their terms. From the many hundreds which are scattered
throughout the Bible we can but single out a few specimens. The sum of
them is that the soul of man shall delight itself in God Himself as
its everlasting portion. But that is impossible until the guilty
conscience has been pacified, and that can only be through the
knowledge of His forgiveness of sin. Therefore we begin with the
evangelical promises which are addressed unto sinners. "Let the wicked
forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him
return unto the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him, and to our God,
for He will abundantly pardon" (Isa. 55:7). "Come unto Me [Christ] all
ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew
11 :28)--peace of conscience, rest of soul, joy of heart. What
precious promises are those! They are the promises of Him that cannot
lie.
God has solemnly pledged Himself to bestow a free, full and eternal
salvation upon every penitent sinner who comes to Him as a beggar and
relies upon His Word. Not only to blot out all his iniquities, but to
clothe him with the robe of Christ's righteousness, to receive him as
a son, and to henceforth supply his every need. He has promised to be
"a sun and shield" unto all such, to "give grace and glory," and that
"no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly" (Ps.
84:11). The promises of Satan are every one of them lies, those of man
unreliable, but every one of God's is infallibly sure. The writer can
testify that after forty years of Christian experience, in his travels
around this earth, he has never met with a single person who trusted
God and found that His promises mocked him. At the close of his long
life Joshua said unto Israel, "ye know in all your hearts and in all
your souls that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which
the LORD your God spake concerning you: all are come to pass unto you"
(23:14). So, too, acknowledged Solomon: "Blessed be the Lord that hath
given rest unto His people Israel according to all that He promised:
there hath not failed one word" (1 Kings 8:56).
"Call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee" (Ps. 50:15).
That is a promise which every person may test for himself. We can
personally bear emphatic witness that many times have we put that word
to the proof and never found it wanting; and many, many others, too,
can bear witness that the living God is a prayer-hearing and
prayer-answering God. That is an argument--a well-attested one--which
no Infidel can answer. There is no gainsaying the fact that thousands
of men and women have called upon God in the day of their trouble and
were miraculously and gloriously delivered by Him. What a monument to
God's faithfulness in honoring His promises was raised by George
Muller of Bristol, whose 2,000 orphans were daily fed and clothed in
answer to believing prayer! In like manner shall everyone who puts his
trust in the Divine promises yet receive fulfillment of that most
amazing word; "when He [Christ] shall appear, we shall be like Him" (1
John 3:2)--perfectly conformed to His holy image! The Divine promises
unmistakably bespeak their Author to be none other than "the God of
all grace" (1 Pet. 5:10).
4. Its profundity. There are books in the writer's library which
thirty years ago he read with no little pleasure and profit. Some of
them he has recently re-read--with mingled disappointment and
thankfulness. In the past they were helpful to him: but today they are
too elementary to be of service to him. As he outgrew the clothes of
childhood, so every minister of the Gospel who continues to pursue his
studies assiduously will advance beyond the primers of his theological
youth. Yet no matter how intensely nor for how many years he may study
God's Word, he will never advance beyond it, either spiritually or
intellectually. What a laborious and thankless task would it be to
read through the ablest human production twenty times! Yet many who
have read through the Bible scores of times have testified that it was
more attractive and edifying to them than ever. The deeper any
regenerate soul digs into the wondrous contents of the Bible, the more
will he discover that it contain a boundless and fathomless ocean of
Truth, and an inexhaustible mine of precious treasure.
The Bible treats of the most exalted subjects which can engage the
mind of man. It rises above the merely human and temporal, and
occupies it readers with God, the unseen world, eternity. Everything
is shown to be related to Him whose throne is eternal in the heavens.
Human conduct is viewed not so much as it appears unto their
performers and fellows, but rather as it appears in the eyes of the
Holy One and in the light of the final Day of reckoning. There are
many things in Scripture which are above the capacity of man to have
devised. Such as a Trinity of Persons in the Godhead, the Divine
incarnation and virgin birth of Christ, the union of the human nature
to a Divine Person, the manner in which the Holy Spirit operates upon
souls. A delineation of fallen nature is given such as neither
philosophy nor medical science could furnish; the secret workings of
the heart are exposed in a manner in which no analysis of the
self-styled "psychiatrists" could supply. Parts of human history are
chronicled not for the purpose of magnifying man but to show how far
the human race has departed from God, and what obstacles stand in the
way of recovery to holiness and happiness. Heaven and the everlasting
bliss of the redeemed are portrayed not in a manner to gratify
curiosity, still less to appeal unto the corruptions of the natural
man, but to that place into which nothing that defiles can enter.
The profundity of its teaching appears throughout the pages of the
Sacred Volume. The origin of sin, the fall of man, the federal
relation of Adam to his posterity, the transmission of his own nature
to all his descendants, the consistency of man's freedom with God's
sovereignty, his total depravity with his accountability, the
justification of a believing sinner by the imputed righteousness of
Christ, his union to Him as a member of His mystical body admit of no
philosophical explanation. They defy intellectual dissection and
cannot be mapped out so as to show their precise points of contact or
mode of union with each other. They are not reducible to a system of
"common sense," but rather are presented as awful and insoluble
mysteries. They possess depths which no man can sound and heights
which none can scale. Yet so far from stumbling the reverent student
of the Bible, those very mysteries are just what he expects to find in
a book written by the Most High. They are designed to humble the
arrogance of man, by a demonstration of his intellectual limitations,
and should cause him to exclaim, "O the depth of the riches of the
wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments and
His ways past finding out!" (Rom. 11:33).
5. Its simplicity. Here is a remarkable phenomenon: that combined with
real profundity there is the utmost simplicity. Here again we find the
same thing characterizing the Word of God as appears in His works of
creation: while there is much that is occult, yet there is much more
that is plain and obvious. Though there be hidden prophecies and
difficult doctrines, yet on all practical matters and points of duty
the Scriptures are so clear that they may be understood by the dullest
minds. What is more explicit than the precepts? "The testimony of the
Lord is sure, making wise the simple" (Ps. 19:7). Though there be
things in the Bible which are sufficient to confound the proudest
efforts of human reason, yet it does not, as to its general tenor,
require either genius or erudition to grasp its terms, but is adapted
to the level of the unsophisticated. Since its contents are of
universal concern, they are presented in language suited to the
capacity of all. That which concerns man's temporal well-being and
everlasting felicity is written so distinctly that the wayfaring man,
though a fool, need not err therein. Though there be depths which no
leviathan can swim, yet the babe in Christ may safely wade in its
refreshing streams.
Though the Bible is full of majesty, yet the naked Truth itself is
presented in a manner suited to the meanest capacity. God graciously
accommodates Himself to our limitations, setting forth His mighty
power under such a figure as the baring of His arm, and represents
Heaven unto His people as "the Father's house" in which are many
mansions. Its very unaffectedness is perfectly suited to the gravity
of its Author. Its penmen employed not the "enticing words of man's
wisdom," but wrote "in demonstration of the Spirit and of power." The
Bible is not written in the style of the "classics": there is an
entire absence of any appearance of art. Take the four Gospels. Their
obvious design is to magnify the Redeemer, yet they never resort to
the usual method of elaborate praise. There is a plain statement of
His virtuous life, yet no eulogizing of His perfections. His most
gracious works are plainly recorded, and no attempt is made to
heighten their effect. His wondrous miracles are chronicled as matters
of fact, to speak for themselves, no comment being passed upon them,
no note of admiration affixed to them. They are sufficient to suitably
impress our minds, without any remarks from the narrators. In all of
this the candid mind will perceive the signature of Truth, an
ungarnished account of events which actually took place.
6. Its impartiality. To fully appreciate this striking feature of the
Bible, the reader needs to cast his mind back to the conditions
prevailing in society during the centuries when it was written. Women
were then the mere chattel of men, slavery was extensively practiced,
and with the utmost rigor, while kings reigned with the most despotic
sway. Yet the teachings of Holy Writ are without the least bias,
requiring obedience to their imperial edicts from all classes alike.
So far from being written to keep the oppressed in awe and subjection,
rulers and ruled are the subjects of its authoritative commands. Kings
and subjects are bound by the same laws, liable to the same
punishments, encouraged by the same promises. God's Word declares,
"there is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the
glory of God" (Rom. 3:22, 23); while it also announces, "Whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom. 10:13).
Such declarations as those were entirely foreign to the spirit and
sentiments which universally prevailed in the day of God's Prophets
and Apostles.
The Gospel of Christ is designed for no privileged class, but is to be
preached to "every creature" (Mark 16:15). It does not prescribe one
way of salvation for the rich and another for the poor: rather does it
affirm on the one hand, "How hardly shall they that have riches enter
into the kingdom of God!" (Mark 10:23), and on the other, "God hath
chosen the poor of the world" (James 2:5). There is no toadying to the
scholar or sage: "Thou has hid these things from the wise and prudent,
and hast revealed them unto babes" (Matthew 11:25). Husbands are
bidden to "love their wives as their own bodies" (Eph. 5:28), and
masters are enjoined to treat their servants in manner which comports
with the fact that they, too, have a Master in Heaven with whom "there
is no respect of persons" (Eph. 6:9). No such declaration as the
following was ever coined by an impostor: "There is neither Jew nor
Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor
female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:28).
7. Its comprehensiveness. God's Word is a compendious and complete
Rule of Life, so that we may be "thoroughly furnished unto all good
works" (2 Tim. 3:17). Every truth in it is designed to influence our
character and conduct. It contains full and explicit instructions for
all our relative duties. No case has ever occurred, or ever will, for
which adequate provision has not been made in its invaluable treasury.
Here are directions suited to any situation in which we may find
ourselves. Whether its reader be young or old, male or female, rich or
poor, illiterate or learned, he may find that which will supply all
his need. That any should read it without receiving any benefit
therefrom is due alone to his own vanity or perversity. His duty and
his danger are plainly marked out as though it had been written for
him alone! Its very fullness proclaims its Author: it is a revelation
and communication from the Infinite One. Its contents have supplied
material for thousands of books and matter for millions of sermons.
The Bible is more than a book: it is a library. Its history covers a
period of 4,000 years. Its prophecies extend to literally dozens of
nations. Its teachings respect good and evil, God and man, time and
eternity. It makes known how He is to be worshipped acceptably. It
informs us how His blessing may be secured upon the home. It reveals
its secrets of health and longevity. Here is milk for babes, meat for
the strong, medicine for the sick, relief for the weary, consolation
for the dying. The particular experience of every believer is so
vividly delineated therein that whoever reads it aright may discover,
by His grace, his precise state and degree of progress. In the Bible
is stored up more true wisdom, which has endured the trials of the
centuries, than the sum total of thinking done by men since the day of
human history down to the present hour. Of all the books in the world
the Bible alone can rightly be said to be comprehensive and complete.
It needs no addendum. It has been truly affirmed, "If every book but
the Bible were destroyed, not a single spiritual truth would be lost"
(Torrey). The comprehensiveness and fullness of the Scriptures is yet
another of their innumerable evidences which demonstrate their Divine
inspiration.
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A. W. Pink Header
THE DOCTRINE OF REVELATION
Chapter 13
THE HOLY BIBLE
MORE UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS--2.
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8. Its conciseness. Here is yet another remarkable feature which
distinguishes the Bible from other books: though it be the most
comprehensive of all, yet the most compact. Though it contains a
complete library, having no less than sixty-six books within its
covers, yet a small-print copy may be carried in one's pocket. Though
there is here an amazing fullness, yet no excessive length. There is
an abundance of matter wrapped up in a few words. An epitome of the
heavens and earth, an account of the forming of this world into an
habitable globe, the creation of its denizens, the making of man, the
formation of woman, their state in Paradise, a description of the
garden of Eden--are all condensed into two chapters which require but
two pages! If "brevity" be "the soul of with," then here is the
quintessence of wisdom. A vivid description of the fall of our first
parents, how it was brought about, with the effects thereof; to which
is subjoined the appearing of the Lord, their arraignment by Him, with
their trial, sentence, and expulsion from the garden, are all given
within the space of only twenty-four verses! So briefly narrated, yet
all-sufficient to answer every purpose for which the revelation of the
same is made to us.
Within the space of seven chapters we have the creation and furnishing
of the world, the apostasy of our first parents, the birth of Abel and
Cain, an account of their worship of God, the murder of the former,
and an enumeration of seven generations of the latter--with a
description of 10 of the progenitors of Christ. In addition, we find
in them an account of the wickedness of men, the announcement of God
that He purposed to destroy the earth and the human race; His detailed
instructions to Noah for the building of an ark, in which were to be
preserved himself, his family, and representatives of all living
creatures. Then we have described the coming of the flood, the
destruction of the old world, and the salvation of all within the ark!
All the wisdom of men could not have expressed and compressed subjects
of such vast importance and interests within so brief a compass. Moses
himself could not, unless he had been inspired by the Holy Spirit. No
book besides the Bible contains so much in so short a space. The
brevity of Scripture is beyond imitation. The wisdom of God is most
gloriously displayed in revealing so much in language so simple and so
succinct. There is nothing within the wide range of human literature
which in the least resembles this striking yet little noticed feature.
The unique brevity of Holy Writ only becomes really apparent when we
compare the biographies which men have written and the systems of
religion which they have drawn up. The Jews have joined to the
Scriptures their Talmud, to which they affix equal authority-- the one
followed by most of their rabbis consists of 12 folio volumes; while
the Romanists receive with the same veneration the writings of "the
fathers," the decisions of the "councils," the vast accumulations of
synod edicts and papal decrees and bulls, and a mass of "traditions"
respecting both faith and morals. Who among uninspired historians and
narrators would or could have recorded the birth, life, ministry,
miracles, sufferings, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ in
less than 1,200 lines? Who among them could have related the history
of Christianity during the first thirty of its most memorable years
within the space of thirty pages? For fullness and brevity, dramatic
description yet terseness of language, for outlines of sermons,
details of miraculous conversions, intervention of angels, all
pictured with a few brief touches, there is nothing comparable to the
Acts of the Apostles. What but the Divine Mind could have comprehended
in so small a book as the Bible such an immense store of information
and instruction?
9. Its Numerics. As the Creator has been pleased to provide an endless
variety in Nature, which appeals to widely different tastes and
temperaments both as it respects objects for the eye, sounds for the
ear, scents for the nose and flavors for the palate, so He has deigned
to supply many different kinds of evidence for the inspiration of His
Word, which are suited to all kinds of minds. As one man prefers this
dish or flower to that, so one investigator will be more impressed and
convinced by a particular line of demonstration than another. It is
with that fact in mind we have prepared this material and multiplied
their divisions. All of them will not appeal with equal potency and
pertinence to the same reader: what strikes one most forcibly may seem
not at all interesting to another, while what one finds unimpressive
may settle the matter for another. Thus with the argument we are about
to expound. Some may deem it fanciful and unsatisfactory, while others
will not only find it interesting and instructive, but weighty and
conclusive.
Our present argument may be briefly stated thus: as there are
innumerable evidences of mathematical design in God's works of
creation, we should naturally look for the same in His Word. If the
One who "telleth the number of the stars" (Ps. 147:4), who "bringeth
out their host by number" (Isa 40:26), who "weigheth the waters by
measure" (Job 28:25), should vouchsafe to grant the sons of men a
written revelation, it is to be expected that it will bear similar
evidences of numerical significance and exactitude. If the heavenly
bodies move with such unfailing regularity that an eclipse can be
calculated centuries in advance of its occurrence, and if all of our
chronometers are set by the motion of the sun, which never varies a
fraction of a second, then it is to be anticipated that similar
phenomena will appear in the Holy Scriptures. Nor is such an
expectation disappointed: rather does it receive abundant confirmation
and illustration. Everywhere in the Bible there are to be found the
same evidences of a supreme Mathematical Mind as appear to the careful
observer in the material realm.
Those marks of mathematical design are seen both in the general and in
the particular For example, 12 is the number of rule or government.
Thus, the only theocracy or nation immediately governed by God, and in
whose midst He set up His throne, comprised 12 tribes; and when Christ
established His spiritual kingdom upon earth, He ordained 12 Apostles
to be His ambassadors. Now both Scripture and common observation tell
us that God has set in the heavens, "two great lights: the greater
light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night" (Gen.
1:16). In perfect accord with that fact, day and night alike have 12
hours, each hour consisting of 60 minutes (12 x 5), with 12 months for
the year. From the remotest ages of antiquity astronomers have divided
the stellar heavens into the "12 signs of the Zodiac"; so, too, the
vast circle of the heavens has been divided into 360 degrees or 12 x
30. But why should 12 thus pervade the heavens? Why not 10 or
fourteen? Man can give no reason. But Scripture supplies the
explanation: "the heavens do rule" (Dan. 4:26), and 12 is the number
which stands for that!
The very structure of the Bible evinces numerical design and
arrangement. First we have the five books of the Pentateuch, like
basal blocks. They are surmounted by the 12 historical books--Joshua
to Esther. Next follow the five "poetical"--Job, Psalms, Proverbs,
Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon. Then come the five major Prophets,
succeeded by the 12 minor ones. Above these are the five historical
books of the New Testament, then the 21 Epistles (by five writers!),
and over all, like a crowning dome, the Apocalypse. It will be seen
that five is the number which occurs most frequently, appearing
conspicuously at four points: at the beginning of the Old Testament
and at the beginning of the New Testament; the other two in the center
of the Bible! Nor will the student of Scripture be surprised at this
when he discovers that the numerical significance of that number is
Divine grace. Hence five is the dominant number in the Tabernacle; and
hence too, the five great offerings of Leviticus 1-6. "This
mathematical law, pervading the Book, is at least a hint of the
mathematical mind of the Author, who reveals the same regard to the
symmetry of number and form in the material universe ("The Bible and
Spiritual Life," A. T. Pierson).
Before passing from the more general to the particular, let us point
out that Bible numerics assure us of the integrity of the Canon of
Scripture. How so? The very number of its books intimates the Canon is
complete. The Old Testament has in it 39, or 3 x 13, and three is the
number of manifestation and 13 of apostasy: its dominant theme being
the apostasy of man and of Israel. The New Testament has just 27
books, or the cube of three: 3 x 3 x 3, and three is the number of God
and of manifestation--God fully and finally manifested in the
incarnate and risen Christ. Now take out a single book, or add one
(like "Asher"), and that significance will disappear! But as it is in
Nature, so with the Bible: its wonders and perfections, especially in
minutiae, are only perceptible to the studious investigator. When
examined under the microscope the flakes of snow and even the scales
of the herring (as the writer recently saw for himself) are formed and
arranged after perfect geometrical patterns. In like manner, the
number of times a word or an object is found in the Bible is always in
strict harmony with the meaning possessed by that numeral.
As others before us have pointed out, four is the number of the world
or earth. The fourth day of Genesis 1 saw the material creation
completed--the fifth and sixth being devoted to furnishing and
peopling the earth. It is divided into four quarters: north, east,
south, west. It has four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter.
The fourth clause in the Family Prayer is, "Thy will be done on
earth." Four Gospels present our Lord's earthly ministry. Five, which
is 4 + 1 (God coming to the aid of the creature), is the number of
grace. The fifth day's work in Genesis 1 illustrates: "life" and "God
blessed them" occurring, for the first time. When Joseph signified his
peculiar favour unto the beloved Benjamin, "his mess was five times so
much" as that of any of his brethren (Gen. 43:34), and while he
provided change of raiment for them, he gave "five changes of raiment
to Benjamin" (Gen. 45:22). The fifth clause in the Family Prayer is
"Give us this day," etc. The 50th year was that of "jubilee." Six is
the number of man, for he was made on the sixth day, and see
Revelation 13:18. There were six cities of refuge for the manslayer
(Num. 35:13). In the Bible there are six words for "man"--four in the
Old Testament and two in the New. Our Lord was crucified by men and
for men at "the sixth hour"!
Seven, as is well known, is the number of perfection: how exceedingly
striking, then, that in Matthew 1:17, the Holy Spirit informs us there
were "14 generations" from Abraham to David, 14 from David to the
Babylonian captivity, and 14 from the captivity till Christ: or 42 in
all. And 42 is 7 x 6: the [42]nd generation from Abraham being the
perfect Man! Stand in holy awe, my reader, before such Divine
handiwork: Eight signifies a new beginning. It was Noah, "the eighth
person" (2 Pet. 2:5), who stepped out of the ark onto the earth to
begin a new order of things. Circumcision was to be administered on
the eighth day (Gen. 17:12). On the eighth day Israel's priests
entered upon their service (Lev. 8:33, and 9:1). On that day the leper
was cleansed (Lev. 14:10, 11), and the Nazarite was restored (Num.
6:10). Just eight penmen were employed by God on the New Testament.
Thirteen is the number of revolt or apostasy: "Twelve years they
served Chedorlaomer, and in the 13th year they rebelled" (Gen. 14:4).
Note Esther 3:13! In Mark 7:21, 22, our Lord enumerated 13 features of
man's apostate heart. The "dragon," the arch-apostate, is mentioned
just 13 times in the New Testament. Much of the above has been culled
from Numbers in Scripture, by E. W. Bullinger--unobtainable.
The same meaning appears in their multiples. Thus, one of the
significations of two is that of witness (John 8:17; Rev. 11:3), and
14 speaks of perfect or complete witness, as in Nehemiah 8:4, the 14
Epistles of Paul. Fifteen (5 x 3) is a manifestation of grace: 2 Kings
20:6; Leviticus 23:6, 34, 39. Ten is the number of responsibility
(Gen. 18:22; 24:55; Ex. 34:28), and therefore when Christ graciously
fed the multitude and they were required to partake in an orderly
manner--"make them sit down by fifties [5 x 10] in a company" (Luke
9:14). Jude is the 26th book (13 x 2) in the New Testament and its
obvious theme is apostasy, witnessing unto and against it: verses 4-8,
11-13, 24--a fitting prelude to the Revelation. When the Jews treated
Paul as an apostate, they laid upon him "forty stripes save one"--39
or 13 x 3 (2 Cor. 11:24)! Thus, all through the Scripture numbers are
not used haphazardly but with design. Not only so, but though they are
employed by no less than 40 penmen, yet always with uniform precision;
which can only be accounted for on the ground that all were inspired
by one and the same Spirit.
10. Its reserve. Had the Bible been of human origin--a fraud passed on
upon the world--exactly the opposite had been the case. When human
writers take up matters of extraordinary interest they deal with them
dramatically rather than prosaically, and in a manner which will
appeal to lovers of the sensational. But there is nothing like that in
the Scriptures: instead, a holy constraint rests upon its scribes.
When secular writers arouse curiosity they endeavour to satisfy it,
whereas the sacred penmen lift not a finger to remove the veil from
off the mysteries of which they treat. They never draw upon the
imagination, nor indulge in that speculation which is so prominent in
the authors and disciples of all heathen religions. That can only be
accounted for on the ground that the Holy Spirit suppressed their
natural proclivities. The Divine inspiration of the Bible appears not
only in what is said, but equally in what is not said. Its silences
are as eloquent as its speech. No explanation is given of the modus of
the three Persons in the Godhead--in marked contrast to the
presumptuous reasonings of not a few theologians, who sought to be
wise above what is written.
How scanty the information furnished on many things upon which the
human heart craves light! In the historical portions men and nations
appear abruptly, raising the curtain of oblivion, stepping to the
front of the stage for a brief moment, and then disappearing into the
unknown. It is full of gaps which human authors would have filled in.
How often we wish the Evangelists had been more communicative. Had
they been left to their own wisdom, the Gospels had been much fuller
and lengthier! No description is given of the bodily appearance of
Christ: they say not a word about His stature, complexion, or
features. What is yet more remarkable, except for one brief statement
concerning Him as a boy of twelve, the first 30 years of our Lord's
life are passed over in complete silence, which is very different from
the fabled accounts of the Apocryphal writers! There is not the least
gratifying of idle curiosity in the Bible, but a noticeable repressing
of the same. Nothing is told us of the experiences of the soul--either
redeemed or reprobate--immediately after death, and little about the
Eternal State. The Scriptures are not for entertainment, but are given
for practical and spiritual ends.
While Holy Writ makes known many facts unto us, it does so no further
than they contribute to the design of the Holy Spirit and are for our
moral instruction. Very little information is furnished, and sometimes
none at all, concerning the amanuenses of God--we do not even know who
wrote the books of Ruth and Esther. No account is given of the closing
hours of Peter, Paul and John. It is not thus with uninspired
historians and biographers! How natural for the Apostle John to have
spoken of our Lord's mother in terms of adulation, yet not a word does
he utter which affords the least support to the sickly sentimentality
and blasphemous idolatry of the Popish Mariolatry. Only once is she
mentioned after Christ's ascension, and then at a prayer meeting: not
as the object of supplication, but taking her place among brethren and
sisters as a supplicant (Acts 1:14)! Frequent mention is made in the
Gospels of "the devils" or "demons," yet nowhere are we told anything
about who or what they are. There are many matters of which we should
welcome information, but the Bible is silent thereon, because such
knowledge respected not our duty nor would it have promoted personal
piety. But nothing concerning our well-being is omitted. An account is
given of how the human race became infected with the virus of sin, but
not a word on the origin of evil.
11. Its ingenuousness. Had the historical portions of the Old
Testament been a spurious production, how vastly different had been
their contents! Each of the books was written by a son of Abraham, yet
nowhere do we find his posterity flattered. So far from extolling the
virtues of the Jewish nation, it is uniformly portrayed as an
ungrateful, rebellious, and sinful people. There is scarcely a book in
the Old Testament which does not relate that which is most unfavorable
and highly disgraceful to them. Nowhere do we find their bravery
eulogized, and never are their victories ascribed either to their
valor or military genius. Success is always attributed unto Jehovah,
their God. In like manner, their defeats are referred unto Him, as
withholding His power because their evil conduct had justly displeased
Him. Their defeats are accounted for neither by misfortune nor bad
generalship, but to their own wickedness restraining a holy God from
showing Himself strong in their behalf. Now such a God is not the
creation of the human mind, nor are such historians actuated by the
common principles of human nature. Time after time Israel's
subjugation by heathen nations is faithfully chronicled.
The Jewish historians have also impartially recorded the numerous
backslidings and spiritual declensions of their own people. One of the
outstanding truths of the Old Testament is the unity of God, that
beside Him there is none else, that all others are false gods, and
that the paying of any homage to them is the sin of all sins. Yet the
idolatry of Israel is frankly and repeatedly recorded. The guilt of
some of their leading men is mentioned, as that of Aaron and Solomon.
Nor is there the slightest attempt made to excuse such appalling
wickedness: instead, it is openly censured and roundly condemned. Nor
do the writers spare themselves or omit that which is to their
discredit. Moses concealed not the reflection cast upon his own tribe
(Gen. 34:30; 49:5), nor the incest of his parents (Ex. 6:20), or the
rebellion of his sister (Num. 12:1). He failed not to set down his own
faults and failings, but frankly tells us of his disinclination to
respond to Jehovah's call (Ex. 4:10-14), his murmuring against God
(Num. 11:11-14), his lack of faith after so many Divine interpositions
on his behalf (Num. 10:12), and the Lord's displeasure against him
because of his disobedience (Num. 27:12-14). Such unsparing fidelity
is found not in those who are left free to follow the bent of their
own hearts.
The same unusual feature is found in the New Testament. John the
Baptist is presented as a most eminent personage: miraculously born,
the Lord's forerunner, accorded the high honour of baptizing Him.
Where had human wisdom and sentiment placed him among the Saviour' s
followers? Surely, as the most distinguished and favored of His
attendants, set at His right hand. Whereas he was granted no familiar
discourse with Him, but was treated with apparent neglect, suffered to
be cast into prison through no fault of his own, left there unvisited.
See him harassed with unbelief, doubting whether or not He was the
true Messiah. Had his character been the invention of fraud, nothing
had been said of his lapse of faith. The same shocking unbelief is
recorded of the Apostles, who not only basely deserted Christ in the
hour of His crisis, but had no expectation of His rising from the
dead--nay, when informed that He had done so, were full of skepticism.
A spurious history had omitted such glaring blemishes. But the Bible
characters are painted in the colors of truth and nature, and in the
unrivalled honesty of its penmen we have yet another evidence that
they wrote by Divine inspiration and not by natural impulse.
12. Its majestic tone. If God is the Author of the Bible we should
naturally expect to find in it a loftiness of tone and majesty of
diction which surpasses all human productions. And such is indeed the
case, especially in those portions of it which more especially treat
of the Divine perfections. Amidst great plainness of speech and
homeliness of expression, adapted to that meanest capacity, there is
often an elevation of spirit and grandeur of language which not only
command attention but fill with reverent awe. Thus, "Hear O heavens,
and give ear O earth, for the LORD hath spoken" (Isa. 1:2). "The LORD
reigneth, let the people tremble" (Ps. 99:1). It would be the height
of presumption for any creature to speak thus, yet perfectly fitting
for the Almighty to do so. When the Son of God became incarnate, the
people who heard Him declared that, "He taught with authority, and not
as the scribes" (Matthew 7:29), and the very officers sent to arrest
Him testified, "never man spake like this Man" (John 7:46). The same
qualities mark God's written Word. It possesses a sovereign majesty
which is unrivalled and inimitable.
Though the contents of the Bible are not presented pompously or
bombastically, but calmly and with becoming dignity, there is yet an
unmistakable elevation of style and an august solemnity of diction
which is without parallel. God speaks therein and reveals the glory of
His excellence. His supremacy, His omniscience, His holiness, His
immutability, His faithfulness, His goodness and grace, are set forth
in a manner worthy of Himself, yet at the same time admirably suited
to our weakness. The most laborious efforts of scholars and
rhetoricians are insipid in comparison with those passages which are
particularly designed to convey to us due apprehensions of the One
with whom we have to do. "He sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and
the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the
heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in"
(Isa. 40:22). Yet, "He shall feed His flock like a shepherd: He shall
gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall
gently lead those that are with young" (Isa. 40:11).
We adduce but one other specimen. "O LORD my God, Thou art very great;
Thou art clothed with honour and majesty. Who coverest Thyself with
light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a
curtain: Who layeth the beams of His chambers in the waters: who
maketh the clouds His chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:
Who maketh His angels spirits; His ministers a flaming fire: Who laid
the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed forever.
Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood
above the mountains. At Thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of Thy
thunder they hasted away" (Ps. 104:1-7). Where shall we fine in human
compositions anything as chaste, so elevated, so sublime!
13. Its undesigned coincidences. Infidel challengers of the Scriptures
and deniers of their Divine inspiration have shown some industry and
ingenuity in gathering together apparent contradictions between
different statements in the Bible. But such alleged contradictions are
only apparent, and betray the ignorance and misapprehension of those
who urge them. The men who present them are merely retailing old
trivial objections, which have been refuted again and again. On the
other hand, those who undertake the defense of the Bible may appeal to
innumerable proofs not only of its general harmony but also of its
detailed consistency and verbal precision. The veracity of Holy Writ
is demonstrated by hundreds of undesigned coincidences in them, or the
uncollaborated agreement of one part with another. Though the Bible
has in it 66 books, written by 40 penmen, covering so many generations
of the world, relating to widely different states of society,
containing such a variety of matter upon so many different subjects,
and abounding in supernatural incidents, yet it exhibits concord in
all its parts, which becomes increasingly evident the more closely it
is examined. Their consonance without collusion is too uniform to be
accidental, and too incidental to have been mutually planned.
That which gives greater force to this argument is its self-evident
feature that the perfect agreement of all its writers is undesigned on
their part. The closer their productions be scanned, the more is it
manifest that their perfect unity was not studied but casual. This
line of argument was developed at considerable length by Paley and
later by J. I. Blunt, who fully evinced the minute agreement and yet
unpremeditated concurrence of one writer with another. The value of
such evidence cannot be overestimated. As Professor Blunt pointed out,
"It does not require many circumstantial coincidences to determine the
mind of a Jury as to the credibility of a witness in our courts even
when the life of a fellow creature is at stake." When independent
narrators describe an incident in detail and there is no discrepancy
but perfect accord between their several accounts, we logically
conclude that they have related actual occurrences--the more so when
there is no indication of conference or contrivance. We shall now
condense a number of examples from those authors.
After Joseph's brethren had cast him into the pit, we are told that,
"they lifted up their eyes and looked, and behold a company of
Ishmeelites came from Gilead, with their camels bearing spicery and
balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt" (Gen. 37:25). Now
this, by no means an obvious incident to have suggested itself, does
appear to be a very natural one to have occurred. But what is more to
our point, it tallies exactly with what we read of elsewhere, yet in a
passage which has no reference whatever to the one just cited, namely,
"Joseph commanded the physicians to embalm his father... and the
Egyptians mourned three score and ten days" (Gen. 50:2, 3). It was the
practice of the Egyptians to embalm their dead, and hence the
Ishmeelites would find a ready market in Egypt for their spices!
Again--when during the famine, Joseph possessed himself on the king's
account of all the land of Egypt, "he did not buy the land of the
priests" (Gen. 47:22)--as a specially favored class, they were
exempted. In perfect accord is the fact that the final mark of the
king's regard for Joseph was his giving him to wife, "the daughter of
Potipherah the priest" (Gen. 41 :45)--showing that the priests were
held in peculiar esteem by their monarch.
"Moses gave. . . two wagons and four oxen unto the sons of Gershon,
according to their service; and four wagons and eight oxen to the sons
of Merari" (Num. 7:7, 8). Why twice as many to the one as to the
other? No reason is expressly stated, yet if we turn to an earlier
chapter--separated by sundry details on other matters--we discover for
ourselves a satisfactory explanation: the sons of Gershon carried the
lighter part of the tabernacle furniture (Num. 4:25), those of Merari
the heavier (Num. 4:32, 33). Does cunning contrivance or truth lie
behind that? "But he [Israel's king] shall not multiply horses to
himself' (Deut. 7:16). The governors of Israel rode on "white asses
(Judges 5:10, and cf. Joshua 15:18; 1 Sam. 25:23), and it was the
asses and not the horses of Kish which were lost (1 Sam. 9:3). News of
Absalom's death was brought to David by runners on foot (2 Sam.
18:21-23). Thus it appears quite incidentally in the history of Israel
that for several centuries they had no horses--a coincidence of
reality which had never occurred in a fiction.
When praising the Lord for deliverance from their enemies, Deborah
mentioned there was not "a shield or spear" among the Israelites
(Judg. 5:8). Strange though that be, it fully accords with several
other details found in that book. Ehud "made him a dagger" (3:16),
Shamgar slew the Philistines "with an ox goad" (3:31), Jael had to
improvise and use a tent pen, (4:21), Samson searched in vain for a
weapon till he "found a new jawbone of an ass" (15:15). Yet more
remarkable was Gideon's victory over the Midianites with trumpets and
broken pitchers, with their satirical cry of faith "the sword of the
Lord and of Gideon" (7:15-22). No explanation is furnished by the
writer of Judges, nor does he link together those incidents. But when
we turn to 1 Samuel 13:19-22, they are fully accounted for, for there
we are told that when the Philistines subdued Israel they suffered "no
smith throughout the land"! Those who are qualified to weigh evidence
will perceive in such "undesigned coincidences the marks of truth--the
more convincing since our attention is not directly called to them.
"Goliath of Gath" (1 Sam. 17: 4). Let us mark the value of that casual
mention of the giant's town--a detail of such little importance that
its insertion or omission apparently mattered nothing. In Numbers
13:32, 33, we are informed that, "the sons of Anak were men of great
stature." Later, that Joshua "cut off the Anakim from the mountains
and utterly destroyed their cities," but a few remained "in Gaza, in
Gath, and in Ashdod" (Josh. 11:22). Thus 1 Samuel 17:4 is found to
square with those independent statements in Numbers and Joshua--in the
mouth of those three witnesses the veracity of history being
established! In 1 Samuel 22:3, 4, David trusted his father and mother
to the protection of the Moabites. Why he made such a strange and
dangerous choice we are not told. Had not the book of Ruth come down
to us, the mystery had been left unexplained, but there we learn that
the grandmother of David's father was "a Moabitess" (Ruth 4:17), and
thus the propriety of his selection of their place of refuge
appears--yet only by comparing the two books together is the
circumstance accounted for.
The undesignedness of many passages in the Gospels is overlooked in
our familiar acquaintance with them. For instance, why were the sick
brought to Jesus "when the even was come" (Matthew 8:16)? From the
parallel passages, (Mark 1:21; Luke 4:31) we learn that the
transaction took place on the Sabbath--which ended at sunset (Lev.
23:32). Then from Matthew 12:10--an entirely independent passage--we
discover there was a superstition among the Jews that, "it was not
lawful to heal on the Sabbath day." No explanation is given in Matthew
8:16, and had it not been for the accounts of Mark and Luke we had not
known it was "the Sabbath"! How came it to pass that Peter, a
stranger, who had entered the house in the night, and under
circumstances of some disorder, was identified by the maid in the
porch (Matthew 26:71)? John 18:16, tells us: he had stood there with
John until "her that kept the door" admitted them--one Gospel minutely
confirming the other.
The Bible, my reader, consists of no cunningly devised fables, but
authentic records of momentous events. They court examination and will
sustain the most diligent scrutiny, evidencing themselves to be
eminently trustworthy and faithful accounts of actual happenings.
While they relay much that is extraordinary, miracles many and mighty,
yet confidence in the historicity is established by the numerous marks
of reality, consistency, and accuracy which the ordinary matters of
fact combined with them constantly exhibit. The exact agreement
between incidental statements in widely separated parts of the Bible
argues the truthfulness of each of them. The closer we check one
narrative with another the more does the veracity of the writers
appear. Thus, when I find Paul affirming that from "a child" Timothy
had "known the Scripture" (2 Tim. 3:1 5)--which necessarily implies at
least one Jewish parent--and then discover his mother was "a Jewess"
(Acts 16:1), I am compelled by the very obliquity of such a statement
to accept it as inerrent.
14. Its dispassionate poise. In all the historical narratives of Old
and New Testaments alike there is a most noticeable absence of any
expression of feeling on the part of those who penned them. One and
all maintain candor and calmness when chronicling the most pathetic or
the most atrocious incidents. There is no trace anywhere of their own
delight or anger--not a single outburst of that personal bitterness
and rancor which so often mar the writings of uninspired men. Instead,
we behold a mild equanimity and quiet dignity breathing throughout the
sacred pages. Thus, when the fall of our first parents, with all its
disastrous consequences, is recorded, it is with out any reflections
of the scribe annexed thereto. The murder of Abel is related, but no
recriminations are cast upon Cain. Even when informing us there was
"no room in the inn" for Joseph and Mary, and that the newly born
Saviour was perforce laid in a manger, the evangelist indulges in no
cutting invectives upon those who so grievously insulted the Son of
God.
When another evangelist records the ferocious and wicked attempt of
Herod upon the life of the infant Saviour by ordering all the children
in Bethlehem under the age of two to be slain, he voices no horrified
denunciation at such brutality; and when he relates how the legal
parents of Christ had to flee into Egypt in order to escape from the
murderous designs of that king, he pronounces no railing accusation
upon him, such as an ordinary writer had deemed fit. Another of them
tells us of the tetrarch of Galilee vilely yielding to the demand of a
dancing girl that the head of John the Baptist be brought to her on a
platter, but refrains from all aspersion upon the woman's baseness and
the weakness and wickedness of his consenting to the murder of our
Lord's forerunner--and with unparalleled honesty states that, "the
king was exceeding sorry" (Mark 6:26). It was not that the evangelists
were devoid of feeling, but that they were so completely under the
control of the One who moved them to write that their natural passions
were wholly subdued.
Still more remarkable is the entire absence of any reproaches from the
evangelists upon the glaring injustice of the judges of the Redeemer,
the horrid indignities to which He was subjected during His last
hours, and the blasphemous taunts hurled at Him as He hung upon the
tree. Their temperate and unvarnished description of Christ's trial
and crucifixion is without parallel. Instead of indignantly upbraiding
Caiaphas and Pilate, instead of hot strictures upon the hypocritical
priests and Pharisees, instead of strong declamations of the brutal
soldiers--there is nothing but the calm discharge of their task as
sacred historians. How entirely different from the temper and tone of
the ordinary biographer when recounting the injuries of those he loves
or highly esteems! So, too, in the accounts of our Lord's
resurrection--what an opportunity did that unique event afford the
evangelists to break forth in accents of admiration! What an occasion
was it for extolling the powers of their triumphant Redeemer! Instead,
there is only a brief account of the bare facts of the case. Surely it
is patent that such moderation and sobriety can only be accounted for
on the ground that the Holy Spirit fully controlled them, that as the
amanuenses of God they wrote not by natural impulse, but by Divine
inspiration!
15. Its amazing anticipations. A few words need to be said upon the
scientific reliability of the Bible. First, there is not a word which
clashes with any known fact discovered since it was written. Therein
it differs radically from the Shafter of the Hindus (which affirms the
moon to be 50,000 leagues higher than the sun!), the Koran of Mahomet
(which teaches the mountains were created "to prevent the earth from
moving"!), the statement of Pope Zanchary (which denied the
antipodes), or the blunders which the latest generation of scientists
find in the writings of their immediate predecessors. Second, the
Bible makes known "secrets of Nature" of which all contemporary
writings were totally ignorant. Space permits of but few illustrations
to show that the Bible has always been far in advance of "science."
There is not a little recorded in Holy Writ of which the ancients knew
nothing, but which was verified long afterwards. For example: "Which
maketh Arcturus, Orion, Pleiades, and the chambers of the south" (Job
9:9): centuries after that was said the southern hemisphere was
unknown! "He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and
hangeth the earth upon nothing" (Job 26:7): sustaining it in space
without any material support, kept in position by the center of
gravity. As Dr. Leathers (King's College London) pointed out, "Job,
more than 3,000 years ago, described in the language of scientific
accuracy the condition of our globe." "Or ever the silver cord [the
spinal column] be loosed, or the golden bowl [the skull] be broken, or
the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel be broken in the
cistern" (Eccl. 12:6). The lungs take in and pour out air as a pitcher
does water. The heart is "the wheel" on which the pitcher is brought
up from the cistern: one of its lobes receives blood from the veins,
the other lobe casts it out again, pulsing it through the arteries.
Therein the circulation of the blood was figuratively described long
before Hervey discovered it!
Any good encyclopedia will inform its readers that in the 17th century
AD., Sir Isaac Newton discovered the "law" of the circular motion of
the wind; yet long before, Solomon had declared, "The wind goeth
toward the south, and turneth about the north; it whirleth about
continually, and the wind returneth again to his circuits" (Eccl.
1:6). It will likewise attribute to Newton the discovery of "the law
of evaporation," yet the Bible had previously made known, "He causeth
vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth" (Ps. 135:7). One would
think from man's writings that the scientists had invented these
things! But many centuries before coal was first mined, Job declared,
"As for the earth out of it cometh bread, and under it is turned up as
it were fire" (28:5): combustible material which provides the most
suitable fuel for the furnace. Millenniums before Henry Ford was born,
Nahum. (2:4) foretold, "The chariots shall rage in the streets, they
shall justle one against another in the broad ways: they shall seem
like torches, they shall run like the lightnings"!
In Genesis 15:5, God said to Abraham, "Look now toward Heaven, and
tell the stars, if thou be able to number them," while in Jeremiah
33:22, we read, "the host of Heaven cannot be numbered." When those
verses were penned, none on earth had the least idea there was a
countless number of stars. Ptolemy made a catalogue of the whole
sphere of the heavens and made them to be but three thousand and
fifty! But when Galileo turned his telescope on the heavens, he
discovered there were many more than had been seen by the naked eye;
when Lord Roosse used his great reflector, he found they were to be
numbered by the millions; and when Hershel examined the "milky way,"
he learned it was composed of countless myriads! How came it that
Moses and Jeremiah used expressions so far in advance of the knowledge
of their day, unless guided by Omniscience? "Thus shall it be in the
day when the Son of Man shall be revealed: in that day. . . he that is
in the field . . . in that night there shall be two in bed, the one
shall be taken and the other left" (Luke 17:30-35). How strikingly
accurate: day on one side of the earth, night on the other!--a fact
quite unknown in Luke's time!
16. Its ineffable purity. This appears relatively, by comparing the
Bible with other writings, for it far excels all human codes of law in
its injunctions, prohibitions, and motives as the light of a sunny day
does that of a foggy one. It is equally evident when considered
absolutely in itself as no other book, the turpitude and horrid nature
of sin as "that abominable thing" which God hates (Jer. 44:4), and
which we are to detest and shun. It never gives the least indulgence
or dispensation to sin, nor do any of its teachings lead to
licentiousness. It sternly condemns sin in all its forms, and makes
known the awful curse and wrath of God which are its due. It not only
reproves sin in the outward lives of men, but discovers the secret
faults of the heart, which is its chief seat. It warns against its
first motions, and legislates for the regulating of our spirits,
requiring us to keep clean the fountain from which are the issues of
life (Prov. 4:23). Its promises are made unto holiness, and its
blessings bestowed upon the pure in heart. The ineffable and exalted
holiness of the Bible is its chief and peculiar excellence, as it is
also the principal reason why it is disliked by the majority of the
unregenerate.
The Bible forbids all impure desires and unjust thoughts, as well as
deeds. It prohibits envy (Prov. 23:17), and all forms of selfishness
(Rom. 15:1). It requires us to "cleanse ourselves from all filthiness
of the flesh and spirit, to perfect holiness in the fear of God" (2
Cor. 7:1), and bids us "abstain from all appearance of evil" (1 Thess.
5:22)--injunctions which are quite foreign to the "moralists" of the
ancients! Heavenly doctrine is to be matched with heavenly character
and conduct. Its requirements penetrate into the innermost recesses of
the soul, exposing and censuring all the corruptions found there. The
law of man goes no farther than "thou shalt not steal," but that of
God, "thou shalt not covet." The law of man prohibits the act of
adultery, that of God reprehends the looking upon a woman to lust
after her (Matt. 5:28). The law of man says, "thou shalt not murder,"
that of God forbids all ill-will, malice or hatred (1 John 3:15). It
strikes directly at that which fallen nature most cherishes and
craves:
"Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you" (Luke 6:26)-- a
denunciation of no human invention! It prohibits the spirit of
revenge, enjoins the forgiveness of injuries, and, contrary to the
self-righteousness of our hearts, inculcates humility.
Though we have now set forth no fewer that thirty separate lines of
evidence for the Divine Authorship of the Scriptures, we are far from
having exhausted the subject. We might have shown that the Divine
inspiration of the Bible is attested by its miraculous preservation
through the centuries, its unrivalled influence upon humanity, its
perennial freshness, its inexhaustible fullness, its marvelous unity,
its verification in Christian experience--but we have previously
written thereon. Separate sections could have been devoted to the
setting forth of its minute accuracy, its pride-abasing contents, its
inculcation of altruism, its power to search the conscience, its
intense realism-- dealing not with theorizing and idealizing, but the
actualities of life, its utter unworldliness, its sanctifying
tendency, its teaching on Providence--but we hesitate lest the reader
be wearied, and because young preachers should now be able to work
them out for themselves.
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THE DOCTRINE OF REVELATION
Chapter 14
GOD'S SUBJECTIVE REVELATION
IN THE SOUL
_________________________________________________________________
We would be woefully unfaithful to our calling and fail lamentably in
the exercise of our present task did we not here issue a plain and
solemn warning--one which we beg each reader, and especially the young
preacher to seriously take to heart, namely that something more than
an intellectual belief in the existence of God and the inspiration of
His Word is necessary to the soul's recovery. There are multitudes now
in Hell who lived and died in the firm belief that God is and that the
Bible is a communication from Himself unto the children of men. It is
one thing for the mind to be assured that creation must have a Divine
Creator, and quite another for the heart to be yielded up to Him.
There is a radical difference between mental assent to the evidences
of God's existence, and a wholehearted consent to take Him as my
God--my only Lord, my chief Good, my supreme End--subject to Him,
delighting in Him, seeking His glory. So too with His Word. It is one
thing to be thoroughly persuaded of the uniqueness and excellence of
its contents, yet it is quite another to submit to its authority and
be regulated by its precepts. One may greatly admire the plan of
redemption revealed therein, and yet have no acquaintance with its
saving power!
The evidence we have presented for the existence of God and the
arguments produced in demonstration of the Divine Authorship of the
Bible, are amply sufficient for that purpose, yet they are incapable
of regenerating a single person or of producing saving faith in
anyone. Though they be such as no Infidel can refute, though they
thoroughly expose the utter irrationality of skepticism--they will not
be effectual in bringing one soul from spiritual death unto spiritual
life. They are indeed sufficient to intellectually convince anyone who
will impartially weigh the same, but they are unable to accomplish a
spiritual transformation in the soul. Though they are strong enough to
produce an historical faith, they are not strong enough to work saving
faith. Something more is necessary for that. However desirable and
valuable be a mental assent to the Bible's being the Word of God, we
must not rest satisfied therewith. There is a vital difference between
perceiving the transcendence of its teaching, its immeasurable
superiority to all the writings of men, and having a personal
experience in our own soul of its sanctifying virtue. That can be
acquired by no study or pains on our part, nor can it be imparted by
the ablest reasoner or most searching preacher.
In the introductory chapter we stated that after treating of the
manifestations which God has made of Himself in creation, in the moral
nature of man, in His shaping of human history, in His incarnate Son
and in the sacred Scriptures, we would consider that saving revelation
which He makes of Himself in the souls of His people. In each of the
others, it was an objective revelation of God which engaged our
attention; but we now concern ourselves with a subjective or inward
revelation of Himself. This is a much more difficult branch of our
subject, and one which requires to be handled with great care and
reverence; yet it is the most vital of all so far as the eternal
interests of the soul are concerned, and therefore one which it
behooves each of us to give our best attention unto. There are few
duties to which professing Christians are so reluctant to apply
themselves--they would not think of crossing a river in a boat with an
insecure and leaky bottom, and yet will venture into the ocean of
eternity on an untested (and, most probably, unsound) faith. All
around us are those who mistake a theoretical knowledge of the Gospel
for a saving acquaintance therewith.
There is a vast difference between being firmly persuaded that God is,
and knowing God for myself, so as to have access to Him, communion
with Him, delight in Him. Such a knowledge of Him cannot be obtained
by any efforts on our part. It is impossible for a man by any exercise
of his rational and reasoning powers--by acquired knowledge in the
arts and sciences, by philosophy or astronomy--to attain to the least
spiritual knowledge of God. The existence of God may be known, His
works seen and admired, His Word read and stored up in the mind, and
yet without any true and saving knowledge of the Triune Jehovah. No
human study or learning can impart to us one spiritual idea of God and
His Christ, or convey the slightest acquaintance with Him. The reader
of these lines may acknowledge God, confess Him to be sovereign, holy,
just and good, and yet be entirely ignorant of Him to any good
purpose. An infinite Being cannot be cognized by finite reason. "Canst
thou by searching find out God?" (Job 11:7). We may indeed say of His
wondrous works, "Lo these are parts of His ways," yet after the most
exhaustive investigation and examination of them we are obliged to
add, "but how little a portion is heard of Him" (Job 26:14).
God can only be known as He is supernaturally revealed to the heart by
the Spirit through the Word. None can be brought to a spiritual and
saving knowledge of God apart from Divine illumination and
communication. Hear what Christ Himself declared on the subject:
"neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomever
the Son will reveal Him" (Matthew 11:27). They may entertain correct
opinions of Him, have Scriptural ideas of Him in their brains, but
know Him they do not and cannot, unless Christ, by His Spirit, make
Him manifest to the soul. To the Jews He averred, "It is My Father
that honoureth Me: of whom ye say that He is your God Yet ye have not
known Him" (John 8:54, 55). So it is today, with the vast majority of
preachers and professing Christians: they mistake a notional knowledge
of God for an experiential acquaintance with Him. The Lord Jesus said,
"I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, because Thou hast
hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them
unto babes" (Matthew 11:25). "Unto babes,"--unto those whom Divine
grace has made simple and teachable, little in their own eyes,
conscious of their ignorance, and who cling to Him in their
dependence.
When Peter owned the Saviour as, "The Christ, the Son of the living
God," Jesus answered, "Blessed art thou Simon Bar-jona, for flesh and
blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in
Heaven" (Mart. 16:17). Peter had long been in possession of the Old
Testament, yet despite its prophecies so manifestly fulfilled in and
by the Lord Jesus, it was not sufficient of itself to produce in Peter
a saving conviction that Jesus was the Messiah. Nor were His wondrous
miracles enough to bring spiritual assurance to Peter's heart--they
did not even to the multitudes who witnessed them!
Nor is the Word of God, even in its unadulterated purity, adequate of
itself to save souls. This too was unmistakably and solemnly
demonstrated by the preaching of Christ: the great majority of those
who listened to Him remained unaffected, or else had their native
enmity against Him fanned into a flame. Nothing external to man can
impart to him a saving knowledge of God or His Christ. There must be a
supernatural application of the Truth made unto the heart by the
special power of God before it can be spiritually apprehended.
Not without good reason did the most favored of the Old Testament
Prophets exclaim, "Who bath believed our report? And to whom is the
arm of the LORD revealed?" (Isa. 53:l)--the second question answering
the former. That evangelical Prophet, like most of God's servants in
all ages, had many Gospel hearers, but few in whose hearts a
supernatural work of Divine grace was wrought. The "arm of the LORD"
is a figurative expression for His invincible power (Ps. 136:12). The
Lord, in His conquering might, is revealed subjectively by inward
manifestation, with life and efficacy in the soul. In 1 Corinthians
2:4, the same expression is termed, "in demonstration of the Spirit
and of power." Where there is not that powerful work of the Spirit in
the heart, there is no genuine conversion. In order to do that,
something more than faithful preaching is necessary: there must be a
distinct, personal, peculiar, immediate, miraculous and effectual work
of the Spirit: "a certain woman named Lydia.. . whose heart the Lord
opened, that she attended unto [took unto her] the things which were
spoken of Paul" (Acts 16:14).
"You may listen to the preacher,
God's own Truth be clearly shown:
But you need a greater Teacher
From the everlasting Throne.
Application is the work of God alone."
The most fearful and fatal delusion now so prevalent in most sections
of so-called "evangelical" Christendom is that a saving belief in
Christ lies within the power of the natural man, that by performing
what is naively termed "a simple act of faith," he becomes a new
creature. That is to make the sinner the beginner of his own
salvation! He takes "the first step," and God does the rest; he
believes, and then God renews him--which is a blatant denial of the
imperative necessity of the work of the Holy Spirit. The fact is, if
there is one time more than another when a man is absolutely dependent
upon the Spirit's power, it is at the beginning, for the most
formidable difficulty lies there. To savingly believe in Christ is a
supernatural act and is the direct product of a supernatural work of
grace in the soul. Fallen and depraved man has no more power to come
to Christ evangelically than he has merit of his own to entitle him to
God's favour. He is as completely dependent on the Spirit's gracious
operation within him as he is upon Christ's worthiness without him.
Fallen man is spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1), and a dead soul cannot
"co-operate," any more than a physical corpse can with an undertaker.
"The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for
they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they
are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14). The "things Of the Spirit"
signify contents of the Word of Truth, for they were penned under His
immediate inspiration. The "natural man" is man in his fallen and
unrenewed state while the sinner remains unregenerate, he "receiveth
not" either the Divine Law or the Gospel. That requires a word of
explication: the natural man can, and often does, receive the things
of the Spirit in the letter of them as so many propositions or
statements, but he cannot apprehend them as does one who has been made
the subject of a miracle of grace. They are "foolishness"--absurd,
unattractive, distasteful to him. Yea, he "cannot know them"-- he is
disqualified to perceive their verity and value; "because they are
spiritually discerned," and spiritual discernment he has none. The
sinner has to be transformed from a natural into a spiritual man
before he has any spiritual perception. "Except a man be born again he
cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). Only in God's light can we
see light (Ps. 3 6:9), and in order to do that, we must be brought out
of that darkness in which sin has enveloped the soul.
The natural man, by reading and hearing, is competent to receive the
things of God in their grammatical sense and to acquire an accurate
mental notion of them, but is quite incapable of receiving a spiritual
image of them in his understanding, of taking them into his
affections, of cordially accepting them with his will. They are
neither discerned by him in their Divine majesty and glory, delighted
in by him, nor obeyed. The things of the Spirit are not only addressed
to the intellect as true, but to the conscience as obligatory, to the
affections as good and lovely, to the will to be yielded unto. The
unregenerate are entirely unable to recognize by an inward experience
their surpassing weight and worth. They may indeed receive the Truth
of God into their brains, but they never receive "the love of the
Truth" (2 Thess. 2:10) in their affections. The natural man is
insensible alike to the authority and the excellence of the things of
the Spirit of God, because his whole inward state is antagonistic to
them. There must be congeniality between the perceiver and the thing
perceived: only the pure in heart can see God. We not only need the
Spirit objectively to reveal unto us the things of God, but He must
make us subjectively spiritual men before we can receive them into our
hearts.
As the eye is fashioned to take in sights, and the ear, sounds--as the
faculties of the mind are fitted to think, reason, and retain
concepts, so God must make the heart of fallen man suitable unto
spiritual things ere he can receive them. There must be a
correspondence between the object apprehended and the subject
apprehending, as there is between the qualities of matter and the
senses of the body which cognize them. As I cannot truly appreciate in
oratorio--no matter how acute my hearing--unless I have a musical ear
and refined taste, neither can I delight in spiritual things until I
be made spiritual. Between God and fallen man there is no living
relation, no agreement. The "beauty of holiness" cannot be perceived
by one who is in love with and blinded by sin. There is no harmony
between the sinner's spirit and the Holy Spirit. No matter how simply
and clearly the things of God be set before the natural man, nor how
logically and accurately he may reason about them, he cannot receive
them in their actuality and spirituality, for he has no spiritual
sight to discern their wisdom and goodness, no taste to relish their
loveliness and sweetness, no capacity to take in their desirability
and glory.
"The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not"
(John 1:5). Though "the Light of the world" stood before them, they
saw in Him no beauty that they should desire Him. Something more than
an external revelation of Him is necessary, even such as that
described in: "For God who [in the beginning] commanded the light to
shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of
the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor.
4:6). The unregenerate have their "understanding darkened, being
alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them,
because of the blindness of their heart" (Eph. 4:18), and they have no
more ability or power of their own to dispel the same than had the
deep to dissipate the darkness which abode upon it (Gen. 1:2). In the
darkness of a heart which, in its native condition, is a chamber of
spiritual death, God shines with a light that is none other than
Himself. The One who is light irradiates the benighted soul, and in
His light it now sees the fullness of truth and grace shining in the
face of Jesus Christ. By sovereign fiat and miraculous power the soul
is now enabled to discern the glory of the Divine perfections
manifested in and through the Redeemer.
For several generations past there has been a woeful ignoring of what
has been pointed out above. There has been little recognition of the
fact, and still less acknowledgment of it, that all which the Father
has purposed and contrived, all that the Son has done and suffered for
the redemption of His people, is unavailable and ineffective to their
souls until the Holy Spirit applies the same. The inestimable
blessings of the Father's love, through the Son's mediation, are only
brought home to the souls of the elect by the testimony, power and
operations of the Spirit. But during the last century, the majority of
"evangelists" displayed a zeal which was not according to knowledge.
In their efforts to show the simplicity of "the way of salvation,"
they ignored the difficulties of salvation (Luke 18:24; 1 Pet. 4:18);
and in their pressing the responsibility of men to believe, repudiated
the fact that none can do so savingly until the Spirit imparts faith.
One of His titles is "the Spirit of faith" (2 Cor. 4:13), because He
is the Author and Communicator of it. Faith is "the gift of God" (Eph.
2:8): not offered for man `s acceptance, but actually bestowed: "the
faith of the operation [not of man's will, but] of God" (Col. 2:
12)--"who by Him do believe in God" (1 Pet. 1:21).
The work of the Spirit in the heart is as indispensable as was the
work of Christ on the Cross. The necessity for the Spirit's inward and
effective operations are from the darkness, depravity and spiritual
emptiness of fallen human nature. He alone can discover to us our dire
need of Christ, convict us of our lost and ruined condition, create
within us a hatred and horror of sin, bring us to consent to Christ's
sceptre, and make us willing in the day of His power to take Christ's
yoke upon us. By nature we are totally averse to holiness, and from
birth have been accustomed to doing evil only. It is impossible for us
to take into the arms of our affection a holy Christ until the Spirit
of life in Christ Jesus first takes hold of us. Moreover, there is a
transcendency in spiritual things which far exceeds the highest flight
of natural reason. Nature stands in need of grace in order for the
heart to be rightly disposed to receive the things of God, and no
human culture or education can effect that. A Gospel which comes to us
from Heaven can only be savingly known by an inward revelation from
Heaven. The Gospel is a revelation of Divine grace, such as had never
entered the heart of man to conceive, still less is it capable of
comprehending it--their Author must apply it to the heart.
The Gospel consists of supernatural truth and it can only be perceived
in a supernatural light. True, an unregenerate person may acquire a
theoretical concept and notional knowledge of the Gospel, but that is
a radically different thing from a spiritual and experimental
knowledge thereof: the latter is possible only by the effectual
application of the Spirit. The natural man lacks both will and power
to turn unto Christ. Do some of our readers regard that as "dangerous
teaching"? Then we would remind them of the words of the Lord Jesus,
"No man can come to Me, except the Father who hath sent Me draw him"
(John 6:44). We who are "darkness" by nature must be made "light in
the Lord" (Eph. 5:8) ere we can enjoy the light of the Lord. As we
cannot see the sun in the heavens but in its own light, neither can we
see the Sun of righteousness but by the beams of His sacred
illumination. "When it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's
womb, and called me by His grace, to reveal His Son in me" (Gal. 1:15,
16). There Paul gives us an account of his conversion, ascribing it
wholly unto God: unto His foreordination, His effectual call, His
miraculous and inward illumination by the Spirit.
The Holy Scriptures, which are inspired of God, contain a clear and
full revelation of His will concerning our faith and practice. They
are able to make us wise unto salvation through faith which is in
Christ Jesus, and having done so, by them the man of God is
"thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim. 3:15-17). Great
things are ascribed to those Scriptures and the most blessed effects
are declared to be produced by them. "The Law of the LORD is perfect,
converting the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise
the simple; the statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes" (Ps. 19:7,
8). In all ages the child of God has acknowledged, "Thy Word is a lamp
unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Ps. 119:105). All of the
Christian's peace and joy, assurance and expectation, proceeds from
the knowledge which he has of the love and grace of God as declared in
His Word. Nevertheless, it remains that the operations of the Holy
Spirit within our souls are imperative and indispensable: the Gospel
needs to come to us--not only at first, but throughout our Christian
lives--"not in word only, but in power, and in the Holy Spirit" (1
Thess. 1:5). Our reception of the Truth is due alone to the
interposition and secret workings of an Almighty power in our hearts,
making it effectual to our conviction, conversion and consolation.
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THE DOCTRINE OF REVELATION
Chapter 15
GOD'S SUBJECTIVE REVELATION
IS ESSENTIAL
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Our urgent need for something more than an external revelation from
God, even though it be a written communication from Him, inspired and
inerrant, was intimated in our last chapter in a general way. Now to
be more specific. Our need of an immediate and inward discovery of God
in the soul, or for a supernatural work of grace to be wrought in the
heart in order to fit us for a saving knowledge of Him and the
receiving of His Truth, arises from the power which sin has upon man.
Sin has such a hold upon the affections of the unregenerate that no
human arguments or persuasions can divorce their heart from it. Sin is
born and bred in man (Ps. 51:5), so that it is as natural for fallen
man to sin as it is for him to breathe. Its power over him is
constantly increased by long-continued custom, so that he can no more
do that which is good than the Ethiopian can change his skin (Jer.
13:23). It is his delight: "It is sport to a fool to do mischief
(Prov. 10:23). Sinners have no other pleasure in this world than to
gratify their lusts, and therefore they have no desire to mortify
them. It has such a maddening effect upon them that, "their hearts are
fully set in them to do evil" (Eccl. 8:11). Nothing but the might of
God can change the bent of man's nature and the inclination of his
will.
The impossibility of a sinner's coming to Christ without an effectual
call from God, or His quickening application of the Word to his heart,
appear again from the strong opposition of fallen man. "Three things
must be wrought upon a man before he can come to Christ. His blind
understanding must be enlightened, his hard and rocky heart must be
broken and melted, his stiff, fixed, and obstinate will must be
conquered and subdued--but all these are effects of supernatural
power. The illumination of the mind is the peculiar work of God (2
Cor. 4:6). The breaking and melting of the heart is the Lord's own
work: it is He that gives repentance (Acts 5:31). It is the Lord that
takes away the heart of stone, and gives an heart of flesh (Ezek.
36:26); it is He that pours out the spirit of contrition upon man
(Zech. 12:10). The change of the natural bent and inclination of the
will is the Lord's sole prerogative (Phil. 2:13)" (John Flavell). None
but the Almighty can free sin's slaves or deliver Satan's captives. It
is a work of infinite power to impart grace to graceless souls, to
make those who are carnal and worldly to become spiritual and
heavenly. The call of God is to holiness (1 Thess. 4:7), and nothing
but omnipotence can make the unholy respond thereto.
The same must be said of the nature of that faith by which the soul
comes to Christ. Everything in faith is supernatural. Its implantation
is so (John 1:12, 13). "It is a flower that grows not in the field of
nature. As the tree cannot grow without a root, neither can a man
believe (savingly) without the new nature, whereof the principle of
believing is a part" (Thomas Boston). No vital act of faith can be
exercised by any man until a vital principle has been communicated to
him. The objects of faith are supernatural--Divine, heavenly,
spiritual, eternal, invisible--and such cannot be apprehended by
fallen man: his line is far too short to reach to them. The tasks
allotted faith lie not within the compass of mere nature--to deny
self, to prefer Christ before the dearest relations of flesh and
blood, to adopt His Cross as the principle of our lives, to cut off
the right hand and pluck out right-eye sins--are contrary to all the
dictates of natural sense and reason. The victories of faith bespeak
it to be supernatural: it overcomes the strongest oppositions from
without (Heb. 11:33, 34), purges the most deep-seated corruptions
within (Acts 15:9), and resists the most charming allurements of a
bewitching world (1 John 5:4). Nothing short of that mighty power
which raised Christ from the dead and exalted Him to the right hand of
God can enable a depraved creature to savingly believe (Eph. 1:19,
20).
Divine teaching is absolutely essential for the reception and learning
of Divine things, and without it all the teaching of men--even of
God's most faithful and eminent servants--is inefficacious. God
Himself cannot be apprehended merely by the intellectual faculty, for
He is spirit (John 4:24), and therefore can only be known spiritually.
But fallen man is carnal and not spiritual, and unless he be
supernaturally brought out of darkness into God's marvelous light, he
cannot see Him. This Divine teaching is promised: "Good and upright is
the LORD: therefore will He teach sinners in the way" (Ps. 25:8).
Sinners are subjects on whom He works, elect sinners, on whom He works
savingly: "all Thy children shall be taught of the LORD" (Isa. 54:13).
In them God makes good His assurance, "I will give them a heart to
know me" (Jer. 24:7), and until He does so there is no saving
acquaintance with Him. No book learning can acquire it: "According as
His Divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life
and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to
glory and virtue" (2 Pet. 1:3). That Divine power communicates life to
the soul, light to the understanding, sensitivity to the conscience,
strength to the affections, a death-wound to our loving knowledge of
Him" (2 Pet. 1:3) consists of such a personal discovery of God to the
heart as conveys a true, spiritual, affecting perception and
recognition of His surpassing excellence. God is revealed to it as
holy and gracious, clothed with majesty and authority, yet full of
mercy and tender pity. Such a view of Him is obtained as causes its
favored subject, in filial and adoring language, to exclaim, "I have
heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth Thee"
(Job 42:5). God Himself has become an awe-inspiring but blessed
reality to the renewed soul. He is beheld by the eye of faith, and
faith conveys both a demonstration and an inward subsistence of the
objects beheld. The Father is now revealed to the heart (Matthew
11:27). The word "reveal" means to remove a veil or covering, and so
exhibit to view what before was hidden. The blessed Spirit, at
regeneration, removes that film of enmity which sin has produced, that
blinding veil which is upon the depraved mind (2 Cor. 3:14), that
"covering" which is "cast over all people" (Isa. 25:7).
The saving revelation which is made to an elect sinner is not a
creating of something which previously had no existence, nor is it ab
extra to the Word: nothing is ever revealed to the soul by the Holy
Spirit which is not in the Scriptures. It is most important that we
should be quite clear on this point, or we shall be in danger of
mysticism on the one hand or fanaticism on the other. "To expect that
the Spirit will teach you without the Word is rank enthusiasm, as
great as to hope to see without eyes: and to expect the Word will
teach you without the Spirit is as great an absurdity as to pretend to
see without light--and if any man says the Spirit teaches him to
believe or do what is contrary to the written Word, he is a mad
blasphemer. God has joined the Word and the Spirit, and what God has
joined together let no man put asunder" (W. Romaine). "The Spirit of
God teaches and enlightens by His Word as the instrument. There is no
revelation from Him but what is (as to our perception of it) derived
from the Scriptures. There may be supernatural illuminations and
strong impressions upon the mind in which the Word of God has no place
or concern, but this alone is sufficient to discountenance them, and
to prove they are not from the Holy Spirit" (John Newton).
There is real need to labour this point, for not a few highly strung
people and those with vivid imaginations have been deceived thereon,
supposing that strange dreams, extraordinary visions, abnormal sights
and sounds, are the means or manner in which the Holy Spirit is made
manifest to the soul. Those who look for any such experience are far
more liable to be deluded by Satan than enlightened by the Holy
Spirit. The Spirit supplies no new and different revelation today from
that which He has already made in the written Word. God indeed spoke
to His servants of old by dreams and extraordinary means and made
known to them hidden mysteries and things to come--but a "vision and
prophecy" is forever "sealed up" (Dan. 9:24). Through Paul it was
announced that prophecies should "fail" (be given no more) and tongues
should "cease" (1 Cor. 13:8), and they did so when the Canon of
Scripture was completed. All of the Divine will, so far as it can be
of any use to us in the present life, is already clearly made known to
us in the Old and New Testaments. The testimony of the Spirit in the
Scriptures is a "more sure Word" than any voice from Heaven (2 Pet.
1:19)!
The most fearful curse is pronounced upon those who presume to add to
or diminish from the testimony of God in the Scriptures (Rev. 22:18,
19). It is plain to the Christian that Mohammed, John Smith and Mrs.
Eddy who pretended to be the recipients of special revelations from
God, were lying impostors. Others who claim to have received any
Divine communications of their own souls, over and above what is
contained in or may be rightly deduced from God's infallible Word, are
themselves deceived, and on highly dangerous ground. "God does not
give the Spirit to His people to abolish His Word, but rather to
render the Word effectual and profitable to them" (Calvin on Luke
24:45). The Holy Scriptures "are able to make wise unto salvation" (2
Tim. 3:15), yet not apart from the Spirit; the Spirit illuminates, yet
never apart from the Word. The Spirit has first to open our
sin-blinded understandings, before the light of the Word (2 Pet. 1:19)
can enter our souls. He alone can seal the Truth upon the heart. The
things revealed in the Bible are real and true, but the natural man
cannot perceive their spiritual nature, nor is he vitally affected by
them, for he has no inward experience of the realities of which they
treat.
By means of religious education and personal application to the study
of the same, the natural man can obtain a good understanding of the
letter of Scripture, and discourse fluently and orthodoxly thereon;
yet the light in which he discerns them is but a merely natural or
mental light; and while that be the case his experience is the same as
that of those described in 2 Timothy 3:7--ever learning and never able
to come to the [spiritual, Divine experiential] knowledge of the
truth." The religion of the vast majority in Christendom today is one
of tradition, form, or sentiment--destitute of one particle of vital
and transforming power. Unless the Spirit of God has regenerated and
indwells the soul, not only the most pleasing ritual but the most
orthodox creed is worthless! Reader, you may be an ardent "Calvinist,"
subscribe heartily to the soundest "Articles of Faith," assent
sincerely to every sentence in the Westminster Confession and
Catechism, and yet be dead in trespasses and sins. Yea, such is your
sad condition at this very moment, unless you have really been "born
of the Spirit" and God has revealed His Son in you (Gal. 1:16).
"A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from Heaven" (John
3:27). How little is that statement understood by the majority of
professing Christians! How unpalatable it is to the self-sufficient
Laodiceans of this age, ignorant as they are of their wretchedness,
poverty and blindness (Rev. 3:17). Though the wisdom and power of the
Creator manifestly appear in every part of His creation, yet when the
first Gospel preacher was sent to the Gentiles he had to declare, "the
world by wisdom knew not God" (1 Cor. 1:21). Though the Jews had the
Holy Scriptures in their hands and were thoroughly familiar with the
letter of them, yet they knew neither the Father nor His Son when He
appeared in their midst. Nor are things any better today. One may
accept the Bible as God's Word and assent to all that it teaches, and
still be in his sins. He may believe that sin is a transgressing of
God's Law, that the Lord Jesus is alone the Saviour of sinners, and
even be intellectually convinced that without holiness no man shall
see the Lord, and yet be entirely ignorant of God to any good purpose.
Until a miracle of grace is wrought within them, the state and
experience of all men--spiritually speaking--is, "Hearing, ye shall
hear, and not understand; seeing, ye shall see, and not perceive"
(Acts 28:26). They cannot do so until the veil of pride and prejudice,
carnality and self-interest be removed from their hearts, by God's
grace.
The soul must be Divinely renovated before it is capable of
apprehending spiritual things. The careful reader will have noticed
that the marginal rendering of John 3:27, is: "A man can take unto
himself nothing, except it be given him from Heaven." He must first be
given a disposition in order to do so. What a word was that of Moses
to the Israelites: "Ye have seen all that the LORD did before your
eyes in the land of Egypt . . . Yet the LORD hath not given you a
heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day"
(Deut. 29:2-4)--they took not to them the implications of what God had
done so as to profit therefrom. Many have "the form of knowledge and
of the truth in the Law" (Rom. 2:20) in their heads, but are total
strangers to the power of it in their hearts. Why is this the case?
Because the Spirit has not made an effectual application of it to
them:
they have received no inward revelation of it in their souls. Let us
furnish a specific illustration: "For I was alive [in my own esteem]
without the Law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and
I died" (Rom. 7:9). From earliest childhood Saul of Tarsus had been
thoroughly acquainted with the words of the Tenth Commandment, but
until the hour of his spiritual quickening they had never searched
within and "pricked him in the heart" (Acts 2:37).
Hitherto, that "Hebrew of the Hebrews" was proud of his orthodoxy, for
had he not been brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according
to the perfect manner of the Law of the fathers, and was zealous
toward God (Acts 22:3)? Conscientious in the performing of duty,
living an irreproachable life, "touching the righteousness which is in
the law, blameless" (Phil. 3:6) in his outward walk, he was thoroughly
pleased with himself. But when the Spirit of God applied to his
conscience those words, "thou shalt not covet," his complacency was
rudely shattered. When God gave him grace to perceive and feel the
spirituality and strictness of the Divine Law, that it prohibited
inward lustings, all unholy and irregular desires, he was convicted of
his lost condition. He now saw and felt a sea of corruption within. He
realized he stood condemned before the bar of a holy God, under the
awful curse of His righteous Law, and he died to all self-esteem and
self-righteousness. When the Law was Divinely brought home to his
conscience in shattering power, it was like a bolt from the blue,
smiting him with compunction: he became a dead man in his own
convictions, a justly sentenced criminal.
Have you, my reader, experienced God's Word to be "quick and powerful,
and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing
asunder of soul and spirit"? Have you found it to be "a discerner of
the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Heb. 4: 12)--of your heart?
You have not merely by the reading of it, nor by the hearing of it.
That Word must be applied by an Almighty hand before it cuts a soul to
the quick: only then is it "the sword of the Spirit"--when He directs
it. It is only by the blessing and concurrence of the Spirit that the
Word is made to produce its quickening, searching, illuminating,
convicting, transforming and comforting effects upon the soul of any
man. Only by the Spirit is the supremacy of the Word established in
the soul. It is by His teaching that there is conveyed a real
apprehension of the Truth, so that the heart is truly awed and
solemnized, by being made to feel the authority and majesty of the
Word. Only then does any man realize the vast importance and infinite
value of its contents. By the inward work and witness of the Spirit
the regenerate have a personal and infallible source of evidence for
the Divine inspiration and integrity of the Scriptures to which the
unregenerate have no access.
Spiritual life is followed by Divine light shining into the heart, so
that its favored subject perceives things to be with him exactly as
they are represented in the Word. The Spirit makes use of His own Word
as a vehicle for communicating instruction. The Word is the
instrument, but He is the Agent. The holiness of God, the spirituality
of His Law, the sinfulness of sin, his own imminent peril, are now
discovered to the soul with a plainness and certainly which as far
exceed that mental knowledge which he previously had of them as an
ocular demonstration exceeds a mere report of things. By the Spirit's
teaching he obtains radically different thoughts of God, of self, of
the world, of eternity, than he ever had before. Things are no longer
general and impersonal to him: "thou art the man" has become the
conviction of his conscience. He no longer challenges that awful
indictment, "the carnal mind is enmity against God, and is not subject
to the Law of God, neither indeed can be" (Romans 8:7), for he is
painfully aware of the awful fact that he has been a lifelong rebel
against Heaven. He no longer denies his total depravity, for the
Spirit has given him to see there is "no soundness" in him--that there
is nothing in him by nature but deadness, darkness, corruption,
unbelief and self-will.
Those who are inwardly taught of God discover there is abundantly more
of evil in their defiled natures and sinful actions than ever they
realized before. There is as great and real a difference between that
general notion which the natural man has of sin and that experiential
and intuitional knowledge of it which is possessed by the Divinely
quickened soul as there is between the mere picture of a lion and
being confronted by a living lion as it meets us roaring in the way.
In the light of the Spirit, sin is seen and felt to be something
radically different from how the natural man conceives it. None knows
what is in the heart of fallen man but God. He has delineated the same
in His Word, and when the Spirit opens the eyes of the sinner's
understanding, he sees himself in its mirror to be exactly as God has
there portrayed him--with a heart which is "deceitful above all things
and desperately wicked" (Jer. 17:9). His secret imaginations are now
discovered to him; his pride, his presumption, his awful hypocrisy are
beheld in all their hideousness. The sight and sense which the
illumination of the Spirit gives him of his wickedness and
wretchedness is overwhelming: he realizes he is a leprous wretch
before a holy God--he sees himself as irreparably ruined--lost.
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A. W. Pink Header
THE DOCTRINE OF REVELATION
Chapter 16
GOD'S SUBJECTIVE REVELATION
THE HOLY SPIRIT MUST QUICKEN
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We have dwelt upon the revelation which God has made of Himself in the
material universe, in the moral nature of man, in the shaping of human
history, in His incarnate Son, and in the Holy Scriptures. We have
pointed out that while the evidence which the first three supply for
the existence of God is ample to expose the irrationality of
skepticism, and to show that the Infidel is without excuse, and that
while the testimony of the last two transmit to us a clear and full
communication of the Divine will and make plain our path of duty, yet
none of them nor all combined are sufficient of themselves to bring
any man--fallen and sinful as he now is--to a saving knowledge of and
relation to the thrice Holy One. While the natural man may be
intellectually assured of God's existence, that Christ is His Son,
that the Bible is His inspired Word, and that while he may acquire an
accurate theoretical understanding of the Scriptures, he cannot either
discern, receive, or relish them spiritually and experimentally--and
in order thereto, he must first be made spiritual, "born of the
Spirit" (John 3:6), become "a new creature in Christ" (2 Cor. 5:17).
The absolute necessity for a supernatural work of grace upon the human
heart to fit it for the taking in of a spiritual knowledge of
spiritual things was shown from its indisposedness unto them because
of its native depravity, from the might and enthralling power which
sin has over it, as well as from the transcendency of Divine things
over the scope of human reason, and of the nature of that faith by
which alone they can be apprehended. In a word, that an answerableness
or correspondency between the object apprehended and the subject
apprehending is indispensable. But what accord or concord is there
between an infinitely holy God and a totally depraved and defiled
sinner? And thus the work of the Spirit within the sinner is as
imperative as is the work of Christ for him. The Word itself does not
produce its quickening, searching, convicting and converting effects
except by the blessing and concurrence of Him who of old moved holy
men to write it. In short, before anyone can obtain a saving and
sanctifying knowledge of God, he must make a personal, supernatural,
inward discovery of Himself to the soul. As none but God can change
night into day, so He alone can bring a sinner out of darkness into
His own marvelous light.
"All thy children shall be taught of the LORD" (Isa. 54:13). There is
a teaching of God without which all the teaching of man--even that of
His most gifted and faithful servants--is ineffectual and
inefficacious. The One by whom the elect are taught is the Holy
Spirit, and therefore is He rightly called, "The Spirit of wisdom and
revelation" (Eph. 1:17). Not because He reveals to the soul anything
which is not found in the Word itself. But first, because it was by
His own wisdom and revelation that the penmen of Scripture were
enabled to write what they did; and second because it is by His
operations that what they wrote is now made effectual unto their
souls. He begins by regenerating them--imparting to them a principle
of spiritual life, without which they are incapacitated to see the
things of God--(John 3:3). Then He makes to their renewed mind a real
and spiritual application of the same, so that they are realized in
the heart, and are found to be Divine realities. By the work of the
Spirit, the soul obtains an actual experience of the things contained
in the Scriptures, thereby receiving fulfillment of that promise, "I
will put My Law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts"
(Jer. 31:33).
All of God's children are taught by Him, yet not in the same degree,
nor in the same order of instruction. God exercises His sovereignty
here, as everywhere, being tied by no rules or regulations. That there
is variety in the influences of the Spirit is intimated in that
figurative expression, "Come from the four winds, 0 Breath, and
breathe upon these slain, that they may live" (Ezek. 37:9), and is
more definitely stated in, "There are diversities of operation, but it
is the same God which worketh all in all" (1 Cor. 12:6). Though God
ever acts as He pleases, and always with unerring wisdom, and where
His people are concerned, in infinite grace; usually His operations
upon their souls follow more or less a general pattern. But in every
instance such a revelation of God is made to the soul, as none can
understand or appreciate except those who have been made the favored
subjects of the same. It is accompanied by a life and light, power and
pungency, such as no preacher can possibly impart. An effectual
application of the Truth is then made so that its recipient is enabled
to know and feel his own personal case before God--to see himself in
His light, to have an actual experience of things which hitherto were
only hearsay to him.
Here we should, perhaps, anticipate an objection. Some may be inclined
to think that in the two chapters preceding this one and in what
follows here, we have wandered somewhat from our present subject. That
we are supposed to be treating of that immediate and inward, that
personal and saving revelation which God makes of Himself to the soul:
whereas we appear to be bringing in that which is extraneous and
irrelevant, by describing the varied experiences through which a soul
passes just prior to and in his conversion. But in reality, the
objection is pointless. As "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom," so an inward knowledge of God Himself is the beginning of
spiritual life and the first entrance into vital godliness. "This is
life eternal that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ whom Thou hast sent" (John 17:3). There cannot be any
evangelical conviction and contrition, still less a coming to Christ
and resting upon Him, until God Himself is known. We never move toward
God in Christ until He directly shines in our hearts (2 Cor. 4:6), and
thus the efficacious cause of faith is neither the clearness of our
minds nor the pliability of our wills, but our effectual call by God
from death unto life.
As no artist would undertake to draw a picture which would exactly
resemble every face in each feature and particular, yet may produce an
outline which will readily distinguish a man from any other creature,
so we shall not essay to give such a delineation of regeneration and
conversion as will precisely answer to every Christian's experience in
its circumstances, but rather one which should be sufficient to
distinguish between a supernatural work of grace and that which
pertains to empty professors. All births are not accompanied by equal
travail, either in duration or intensity, yet it is often the case
that those who have the easiest entrance into this world are the
greatest sufferers in infancy and childhood. So some of God's children
experience their acutest pangs of conviction before conversion and
others afterward, but sooner or later each is made to feel and mourn
the plague of his own heart. "The first actings of faith are, in most
Christians, accompanied with much darkness and confusion of
understanding; but yet we must say in the general that wherever faith
is, there is so much light as to discover to the soul its own sins,
dangers, and wants, and the all-sufficiency, suitableness, and
necessity of Christ for the supply and remedy of all; and without
this, Christ cannot be received" (John Flavell).
The selfsame light which discovers the holiness of God to a soul
necessarily reveals its own vileness. Though the Spirit does not
enlighten in the same measure or bring different ones to perceive
things in the same order, yet sure it is that He teaches everyone
certain fundamental lessons, and that, in a manner and to an extent
which they never understood before. "They that are whole need not a
physician, but they that are sick," and before one will savingly
betake himself to the Great Physician he is made conscious of his need
of His ministrations. When a soul is quickened and illuminated by the
Holy Spirit, his heart is opened to a sight and sense of sin. A work
of Divine grace is made perceptible first on the conscience, so that
its subject is given to realize the exceeding sinfulness of sin. He
now perceives how offensive it is unto God and how destructive unto
his own soul. The malignity of sin in its very nature is seen as a
thing contrary to the Divine Law. He who had previously felt himself
secure, now realizes he is in terrible danger. If he is one who was
already a professing Christian, he now knows that he was mistaken,
deluded--that what he thought to be peace, was nothing but the torpor
of an unawakened conscience.
Conviction of sin is followed by a wounding of the heart, for life is
accompanied not only with light but feeling also, otherwise its
subject would be a moral paralytic. The sinner is filled with shame,
compunction, horror and fear. He apprehends his own wickedness and
pollution to be such as none other was ever guilty of. He sees himself
to be utterly undone, and cries "Woe is me." He no longer laughs at
what is recorded in Genesis 3, or any longer has any doubt about
Adam's fall, for he perceives his sinful image in himself--conveyed to
him at his very conception, a defiled nature from birth. He has been
given an experiential insight into the mystery of iniquity. He now
realizes that so far from having lived to the glory of God,
self-gratification has been his sole occupation. "Against. Thee, Thee
only have I sinned, and done evil in Thy sight" (Ps. 51:4) is now his
anguished lament. He thinks there was never a case so desperate as
his, and fears there is no hope of forgiveness. Now his heart "knoweth
its own bitterness."
This anguish of heart is something radically different from that
sorrow for sin which is sometimes found in graceless souls, which
usually consists of being ashamed because of their fellows or a
chagrin at their own folly. Even Judas repented of betraying his
Master, but not with a "godly sorrow" (2 Cor. 7:10). It is not the
degree but the nature of our sorrow for sin which evidences whether or
not it be produced by the grace of God. That grief for sin which
issues from a gracious principle is concerned for having flouted God's
authority, abused His mercies, and been indifferent whether his
conduct pleased or displeased Him. Whereas the sorrow of the natural
man proceeds only from self-love: his grief is that he wrecked his own
interests and brought misery upon himself. The quickened soul is now
thoroughly ashamed and abased. He no longer makes excuses, but takes
sides with God and unsparingly condemns himself. The guilt of sin lies
heavily upon him, as an intolerable burden. The sentence of the Law is
pronounced in his conscience. He perceives that there is no soundness
in him, that his case is desperate to the last degree. How can I
escape my merited doom? is now his great concern.
Those who have not sat under a preaching of the Gospel of the grace of
God wherein Christ is freely offered to all who hear it, and have
reached the stage described above, are now at their wit's end. The
condition and case of such a one is no worse than it was formerly, but
the scales have been removed from his eyes and he sees himself in
God's light. The soul is now brought to a state of utter unrest and
disquietude: not only unable to find any satisfaction in the creature,
but even to obtain the slightest relief from the things of time and
sense. He seeks help and peace here and there, only to find they are
"cisterns which hold no water." He is at a total loss about
deliverance, and sees no way of escape from that eternal doom to which
he now realizes he is fast hastening. He once thought that a little
repentance would save him, or a cry to God for mercy would suffice for
pardon, but he now finds "the bed is shorter than a man can stretch
himself on, and the covering narrower than he can wrap himself in"
(Isa. 28:20). Neither meet his dire need.
What shall become of me? is now the question which wholly absorbs his
thoughts. If, like a drowning man seeking some object that he may
grasp to support him, he turns unto professing Christians and inquires
in what way the Lord dealt with their souls and how they obtained
relief--sometimes he will receive a little encouragement, but more
often that which dampens his faint hope that God will yet be gracious
unto him that he perish not. As he listens to what one and another
relates, he realizes that it is not the path which he is treading,
that he has not experienced the things which they did, and he is
brought to the place of self-despair. He wishes that he had never been
born, for he fears that in spite of all his convictions and anguish he
may be lost forever. He feels his utter helplessness and has an
experiential realization that he is "without strength" (Rom. 5:6). Yet
so far from this sense of his impotency producing apathy and inertia,
he is increasingly diligent in making use of the means of grace: he
now searches the Scriptures as he never did before, and cries from the
depths of his soul, "Lord save me" (Matthew 14:30).
"Understandest thou what thou readest?" said Philip to the Ethiopian
eunuch. "How can I?" he replied, "except some man should guide me"
(Acts 8:27-33). Nevertheless, he read the Scriptures, and God
graciously and savingly met with him therein, using Philip as His
instrument to preach Jesus unto him. None but Christ can save a
sinner: He alone can remove the burden of guilt, cleanse the
conscience, speak peace to the heart. As sin is loathed and hated, and
self-righteousness is renounced, room is made in the soul for Christ.
There is no true desire for Him until the utter vanity of this world
has been felt--that its most alluring pursuits and pleasures are
nothing better than the husks which the swine feed on. Sin must be
made bitter as wormwood to us, before Christ can be sweet to the
heart. God must wound the conscience by the lashing of His Law, ere
the healing balm of Christ's blood is longed for. Like the prodigal in
the far country, the soul must be brought to the place where it cries,
"I perish with hunger," before the rich provisions of the Father's
house are really sought.
It is in this way the blessed Spirit prepares the heart for the
receiving of Christ. By giving him to understand his condition and
case: his sins, his guilt, his pollution, his emptiness, his personal
demerit, his misery. By giving him such a sense of the same as causes
him to die unto himself, to renounce himself, to abhor himself to
acknowledge that the worst that God says of him in His Word is true.
Thereby the Holy Spirit shows him that he is exactly suited to Christ,
who is "mighty to save," and who does save "to the uttermost them that
come unto God by Him" (Heb. 7:25). He makes him to realize that he is
a fit subject for the Great Physician to exercise his loving kindness
upon, to heal him of his loathsome leprosy, to pardon his innumerable
sins, to supply all his need out of the exceeding riches of His
glorious grace. The Holy Spirit is pleased to show the self-condemned
soul that Christ has nothing in His heart against him, that He is full
of compassion, of infinite power, in every way meet for him; that He
came into the world with the express purpose to "seek and to save that
which was lost" (Luke 19:10). Thus is Christ made desirable unto him.
But it is one thing to perceive our need for and the perfect
suitability of Christ and to have longings after Him, and quite
another for Him to be made accessible and present to us. There has to
be an inward discovery of Him to the soul before He is made a reality
unto it and laid hold of by him. Said the Saviour, "This is the will
of Him that sent Me, that everyone that seeth the Son and believeth on
Him, may have everlasting life" (John 6:40). Note well the order of
those two verbs: there must be a "seeing" of the Son with the eye of
the soul before there can be any saving believing on Him. In other
words, the same One who has removed the scales of pride and prejudice
from the sinner's eyes to behold his own abject state, must show him
the glorious Object on which his trust is to be reposed. The light of
the Gospel now shines into his heart, and he is enabled to behold "the
King in His beauty." When He is beheld thus it must be said, "flesh
and blood hath not revealed this unto thee," but it has been
supernaturally communicated by the Spirit.
Christ is now made known as "Fairer than the children of men," as
wholly suited to and all-sufficient for the stricken sinner. The soul
is now assured that, "the Son of God is come, and has given him an
understanding that he may know Him that is true" (1 John 5:20). The
heart is taken with Him, attracted by Him, drawn to Him, and cries,
"Lord I believe, help Thou mine unbelief." A convincing and
fully-persuading realization of the truth of the Gospel concerning
Christ is his. The Spirit has vouchsafed no new and different
revelation of Christ than what was in the written Word, but He has
given a supernatural efficacy unto the Gospel to his soul, as truly as
the blowing of the rams' horns was made by God to cause the walls of
Jericho to fall down. The hour has come when the hitherto dead soul
hears the voice of the Son of God, and hearing, lives (John 5:25). His
voice has come to him with quickening energy. The saving knowledge of
Christ which is thus obtained is a vastly different thing from having
a good opinion or orthodox conception of Him: He is now realized to be
everything which the justice of an angry God required for satisfaction
and everything which is required by the most indigent soul.
Christ now dwells in his heart by faith, and the testimony of such a
one is, "One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see" (John
9:25), and neither man nor Satan can make him deny it. Before the Holy
Spirit, in His sovereign and invincible power, dealt with my soul, I
was "blind": blind to the just claims of Christ's holy sceptre, blind
so that I saw in Him no beauty that I should desire Him, blind to my
own folly in spending money for that which was not bread and by
seeking contentment and satisfaction away from Him. But now I see":
see His surpassing loveliness and superlative worth, see that He loved
even me and gave Himself for me. I see that His precious blood
cleanses me from all sin. I see that He is the only One worth living
on and living for. Hear him singing from the heart, "Thou O Christ are
all I want, more than all, in Thee I find." Hear him as he avers with
the Apostle, "I count all but loss for the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord" (Phil. 3:8). Behold him, as lost in wonder,
love, and praise, he bows in adoration and exclaims, "Thanks be unto
God for His unspeakable gift."
How different is such a coming to Christ, closing with Him, and
knowledge of Him, from that of the deluded and empty professors!
Rightly did the Puritan Flavell declare, "Coming to Christ notes a
supernatural and almighty power, acting the soul quite above its own
natural abilities in this motion. It is as possible for the ponderous
mountains to start from their bases and centers, mount aloft into the
air, and there fly like a wandering atom hither and thither, as for
any man of himself, i.e., by a pure natural power of his own, to come
to Christ. It was not a stranger thing for Peter to come to Christ
walking upon the waves of the sea, than for his or any man's soul to
come to Christ in the way of faith." It is only as the Spirit quickens
the dead soul, makes him sensible of his desperate condition and deep
need, reveals Christ as an all-sufficient Saviour, and by a powerful
inclining of his will, that he is brought to cast himself on Him, and
that he obtains for himself a saving experience of the Gospel, in
contradistinction from a mere hearsay knowledge of it.
This personal and secret revelation of God in the soul is a miracle,
as truly and as much so as when darkness enveloped the chaos of
Genesis 1:3, and God by a mere fiat said, "Let there be light, and
there was light." This is clear from, "For God, who commanded the
light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts unto the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face [or "Person"]
of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6). In His own ordained hour, by a
sovereign and almighty act on His part, a supernatural, saving and
sanctifying knowledge of God is communicated to the souls of each of
His elect. This knowledge of God is spiritual and altogether from
above, being wholly Divine and heavenly. Being miraculous, this unique
experience is profoundly mysterious. Its favored subject contributes
nothing whatever to it, not so much as desiring or soliciting the
same. "There is none that seeketh after God. . . the way of peace have
they not known: there is no fear of God before their eyes" (Rom. 3:11,
17, 18). It could not be otherwise, for by nature all are, spiritually
speaking, "dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1). There can be no
spiritual sight of spiritual objects, no spiritual hearing, still less
any spiritual actions, until spiritual life is imparted to the soul.
No one can possibly have any spiritual hatred of sin, any pantings
after holiness, any saving faith in Christ, until he has actually
"passed from death unto life." In every instance where God graciously
gives this inward and vivifying revelation of Himself. He declares, "I
am found of them that sought Me not" (Isa. 65:1 )--the subsequent
seeking of the soul is the reflex, the consequence, the effect, of His
initial seeking it. As we love Him because He first loved us (1 John
4:19), so we call upon Him (Rom. 10:13), because His effectual call (1
Pet. 2:9), preceded and capacitated ours. The "Spirit of life" (Rom.
8:2) must first join Himself to the spiritually-dead soul in
quickening power, before he has any spiritual life or light. In that
initial operation of the Spirit, the soul is wholly passive and
unconscious. Regeneration is not something which we actually
"receive," but is wrought in its subject once and for all. Was not
natural life communicated to me without any act of mine? What act did
I perform when a living soul was imparted to me? Nothing: it was
utterly impossible that I should. Being and life were Divinely given
to me without any volition whatever on my part.
The soul must be Divinely renovated before it is able to discern or
relish spiritual things. The natural man, totally depraved as he is,
can neither perceive the reality of spiritual things, be impressed
with their excellence, or have his affections drawn after them. How
can the natural man savingly believe in Christ when he has no grace,
no power of will upwards, no sufficiency in himself? Coming to Christ
is a spiritual motion, for it is the soul going out to Him. But motion
presupposes life, and as there can be no natural motion or movement
without natural life, so it is spiritually. Deny that, and you deny
the indispensability of the Spirit's work of grace to bestow life,
light and sight. Something in addition to life and light is required:
the Spirit must remove from our eyes the scales of pride and enmity
before we can perceive our ruined condition. Coming to Christ imports
both a sense of need and a hope of relief: it is an actual closing
with Him as He is freely offered to sinners in the Gospel, by a
practical assent of the understanding and hearty consent of the will.
By the Spirit alone are we awakened from the sleep of carnal sloth and
unconcern for our eternal welfare. By Him alone are we given to
perceive the spirituality and strictness of the Divine Law, and feel
its condemning power in our conscience. The Spirit alone shows us
ourselves and brings us to realize that our very nature is a sewer of
filth. He reveals to us our desperate need of Christ, who overcomes
our hostility to Him, and makes us willing to receive Him as our
Prophet to teach and instruct us, our Priest to atone and make
intercession for us, our King to rule over and fight for us. It is
wholly by His powerful operation that Christ is formed in us "the hope
of glory." By Him alone do we obtain an experimental and intuitional
knowledge of Christ. Said the Saviour, "He shall glorify Me, for He
shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the
Father hath are Mine: therefore said I that He shall take of mine and
shall show it unto you" (John 16:14, 15). "Show it," not in the mere
letter of it (there is no need for Him to do that, for by a little
diligence we can grasp the literal or grammatical meaning for
ourselves), but in the spirituality, blessedness and power thereof.
The preciousness and potency of the things of Christ are set home on
the renewed mind by the grace and energy of the Spirit in such a
manner that the believer is inwardly assimilated thereto. He shows
them not to his reasoning faculty but to his heart, and in such a way
as to impress a real image thereof, fixing the same indelibly in his
affections. The Spirit is He who gives unto him soul-satisfying,
heart-warming apprehensions of the Saviour's love, so that at times he
is quite lifted out of himself, his thoughts being raised above the
things of time and sense, to be entirely absorbed with the "altogether
lovely" One, and thus vouchsafes him an earnest and foretaste of his
eternal joy. It is the Spirit's special office to magnify Christ: to
make Him real unto His redeemed, to endear Him to their souls, until
He becomes their "All in all." Every true thought entertained of
Christ, every exercise of the believer's affections upon Him, is
through the effectual influence of the Spirit. All true fellowship and
communion which the Christian has with the Redeemer, all practical
conformity unto His holy image, is by the Spirit's gracious
operations. We are completely dependent upon Him for every spiritual
breath we draw and spiritual motion we make.
But we have been somewhat carried away--it is not easy for love to
heed the requirements of logic! The last three paragraphs should have
been preceded by the statement that, though an inward revelation of
God to the soul be both truly miraculous and profoundly mysterious,
yet it may be identified and known to its participant. To the
participant we say, for it is no less impossible to explain the same
by mere words to one who has had no actual experience of the same,
than it would be to convey any intelligible concept of color to one
born blind or of sound to one born totally deaf. It may be known by
its attendants and by its fruits. When life and being were given me
naturally, all that followed was but the effects and consequences of
the same. In due time I was brought forth into the world--a feeble and
needy, but living and active creature, yet entirely dependent upon
others. So at regeneration the soul has spiritual life imparted to it,
is born again, and all that follows in the experiences of that soul is
but the effects and fruits thereof, making manifest the reality of it,
so that by comparison of its present history with its past, and by an
examination of both in the light of Holy Writ, the great change may be
clearly and indubitably informed.
God has endowed the soul with the power of reflection, so that it may
be conscious of its own condition and operations. Therefore does He
bid professing Christians, "Examine yourselves whether ye be in the
faith, prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that
Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?" (2 Cor. 13:5). The
Psalmist tells us, "I commune with mine own heart, and my spirit made
diligent search" (77:6). God has so wondrously constituted man that he
is able to look within and form a judgment of himself and of his
actions, and at regeneration he is given "the spirit of a sound mind"
(2 Tim. 1:7) so that he may form an impartial and true judgment of
himself While some are too introspective, others are not sufficiently
so for their own good. The regenerate soul has power not only to put
forth a direct act of faith upon Christ, but also to discern that act:
"I know whom I have believed" (2 Tim. 1:12). In this way Christians
may attain unto a certainty of their saving knowledge of and union
with Christ. The more so since they have received the gift of the
blessed Spirit, by which "they might know the things that are freely
given to them of God" (I Cor. 2:12). "Hereby know we that we dwell in
Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit" (1 John
4:13), which is apparent from His operations within us.
It most highly concerns each reader to examine and try his knowledge
of God, and make sure it be something more than a merely natural and
notional one, namely that he has been favored with a spiritual and
experiential discovery of God to his soul. "Being alienated from the
life of God, through the ignorance that is in them . . . have given
themselves over unto lasciviousness. But ye have not so learned
Christ: if so be ye have heard Him, and have been taught by Him, as
the truth is in Jesus: that ye put off concerning the former
conversation the old man" (Eph. 4:18-22). There a contrast is drawn
between the unregenerate Gentiles and the Ephesian saints. The latter
had learned both from the precepts and example of Christ. The question
for them to make sure about was, Had they really been taught inwardly
and effectually by Him, so that a vital change was evident in their
character and conduct? That "if so be" intimated that nothing was to
be taken for granted. They must put themselves to the proof and
ascertain whether the truth dwelt in and regulated them as it did the
Saviour: whether in short, the teaching they had received was
inoperative or whether it had produced a radical change in their daily
lives. By its fruit is the tree known.
The inward and immediate revelation of God to a soul is made manifest
by its accompaniments. It is accompanied by a principle of life, of
grace, of holiness. It is attended with light and warmth and power,
producing a great and glorious change within, renovating each faculty
of the soul. Therein it differs radically from the "conversions" of
modem evangelism which effects no such change. It is attended with the
opening of the eyes of the understanding, enabling its subject to see
God, Christ, self, sin, the world, eternity--in a light he did not
previously. Such sights, under the gracious influences of the Spirit,
lead to the experiences of conviction, contrition, and conversion,
described in the preceding chapters. The quickened soul not only now
discovers the true nature of sin, but feels the guilt and burden of
it, and unfeignedly sorrows for and hates it. He is brought to realize
the worthlessness of all self-help and creature performances. He is
enabled to take in, little by little, a knowledge of Christ from the
Word, by which means he is led to an acquaintance with Him and his
will is brought to a full surrender to Him. Thus there is an efficacy
accompanying the Spirit's teaching which is not found in any man's
teaching: illuminating the understanding, searching the conscience,
engaging the affections, drawing the heart unto it, sanctifying the
will.
As there is both an outward and an inward "hearing" of the things of
God (Acts 26:26), an ineffectual "learning of the Truth" (2 Tim. 3:7),
and an effectual one (Eph. 4:20-22), so there is a knowledge of God
which is inefficacious (Rom. 1:21), and a knowledge of Him which is
saving (John 17:3). How am Ito ascertain that mine is the latter?
Answer: from its effects. It is not the quantity but the quality, not
the degree or extent of the knowledge but the kind of it that matters
and that is evidenced by its products. A real Christian may have a far
inferior intellectual grasp of the Truth than has an unregenerate
theologian, and yet possess a spiritual and sanctifying knowledge
thereof to which the theologian, after all his studying, is a
stranger. Concerning all the renewed God says, "But the Anointing
which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any
man teach you: but as the same Anointing teacheth you of all things,
and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall
abide in it" (1 John 2:27). That "Anointing" is the Person and
operations of the Holy Spirit, and where He indwells a soul no man is
needed to teach him there is a God, that the Bible is His Word, that
Christ is an all-sufficient Saviour, etc.
Let us now describe some of the effects of this Divine anointing.
First, it is a realizing knowledge. Its grand Object is no longer
known theoretically and inferentially, but actually and immediately,
not by a process of reasoning but intuitively. God, who is spirit and
invisible, is made visible and palpable to the soul. Does that strike
some of our readers as being too strong a statement? It would not, had
they experienced the same, and it should not, if they be at all
familiar with Holy Writ, for of Moses it is said, "he endured as
seeing Him who is invisible" (Heb. 11:27). God was real to his faith,
though imperceptible to his senses. At the new birth such a discovery
of God is made to the heart that its subject avers with Job, "I have
heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth Thee"
(42:5). The recipient of that manifestation is awed by a sense of His
majesty, His authority, His power, His holiness, His glory. Such a
revelation of the Most High is overwhelming: he dare not trifle any
longer with Him, for he now knows something of the being and character
of the One with whom he has to do. In like manner, the Gospel becomes
to him something very different from merely an external proclamation
by God's servants--it now is "the ministration of the Spirit" (2 Cor.
3:8) inwardly.
In the light of God the soul sees things as they actually are.
Hitherto, if he had not a false concept of them, it was but a notional
acquaintance at best. But now he views himself the present life, the
hereafter, as God does, perceiving that all under the sun is but
vanity and vexation of spirit. When truth is applied by the Holy
Spirit its authority and spirituality are discerned, its power and
pungency are felt, its savor and sweetness are tasted, its excellence
and uniqueness are realized. When God is inwardly revealed to a person
he becomes better acquainted with Him in five minutes this way, than
in a lifetime of reading books and hearing sermons about Him. It is
not an acquired knowledge, but an infused one, obtained by no mental
efforts, but is Divinely imparted. As a very different image is
begotten in the mind by actually seeing a person face to face than by
looking upon his portrait, so by the secret operations of the Spirit a
spiritual subsistence of God is wrought in the soul. Let the ablest
artist paint a picture of the sun, let him use the brightest pigments
and most brilliant colors, yet what a wan and insipid representation
does he make in comparison to the shining and splendor of the sun
itself! Glorious apprehensions of God and His Christ are conveyed and
begotten in the renewed soul by the Spirit. He has now "seen" the Son
(John 6:40) for himself, has "heard" His voice (John 5:25), "handled"
Him by faith (1 John 1:1), "tasted that the Lord is gracious" (1 Pet.
2:3).
Second, it is a convincing and certifying knowledge. By this inward
and gracious teaching of God there is given to the heart such personal
evidence of the wonders of wisdom and the riches of His grace as set
forth in the Gospel, that he is fully persuaded of the same. A firm
and unshakeable assurance of the verity of what is revealed in the
written Word is conveyed to the soul, for the Spirit works an inward
experience of the same in him, so that their reality and actuality is
known and acknowledged. There is an ocular demonstration made to him
by the light of the Word and the power of the Spirit revealing and
applying them to the one born again, so that the teachings of the
Scripture and the experiences of the believer, by these means, answer
to one another as do the figures in the wax and the engravings in the
seal. As a Spirit-taught person reads the Bible, especially much in
the Psalms or a chapter like Romans 7, he finds the workings of his
heart are accurately portrayed there, and says, "That is exactly my
case." Such an experience supplies far stronger proof than can either
reason or sense, and though faith be occupied with things not seen by
the eyes of the body and which are far above the reach of reason, yet
it produces a conviction and certainty which is more conclusive and
invincible than any logical demonstration.
The internal witness of the Spirit is much more potent and satisfying
than all arguments grounded upon human reasoning. The natural man may
be intellectually convinced that the Bible is the Word of God, and yet
never have had an experiential sense of the spirituality of His Law
and a heart-conviction that he is a guilty transgressor of it. He may
entertain no doubt whatever that the Lord Jesus is the only refuge
from the wrath to come, and still be a complete stranger in his soul
to His so-great salvation. A spiritual assurance that the Scriptures
are Divine can no more be obtained without the inward witness of the
Spirit than can a spiritual understanding of their contents. It is an
essential part of His distinctive work to produce a spiritual and
supernatural faith in the hearts of God's elect, so that they receive
the Word on the alone testimony of its Author. When that faith has
been communicated, he can no more doubt the integrity of the
Scriptures for he now "knows the certainty of those things wherein he
has been instructed" (Luke 1:4). Such an assurance will cause him to
cling to the Truth and confess it though there were not another person
on earth who did so. He now values the Bible as his dearest earthly
possession, and no matter how he might be tempted to do so, will
steadfastly refuse to "sell" or part with the Truth.
Third, it is an affecting knowledge. The notions possessed by the
natural man, Scriptural though they be, exert no spiritual influence
upon him and produce no godliness of character or conduct. They are
inoperative, ineffectual, inefficacious. He may perceive clearly that
sin is hateful to God and harmful to himself, that if cherished and
continued in, it will certainly damn him, yet his lusts dominate him.
He may be well informed upon the excellence of holiness, and the
necessity of possessing it if ever he is to enter Heaven, yet
self-love and self-interests turn the scales and prevent his seeking
it wholeheartedly. A natural knowledge of spiritual things penetrates
no deeper than the brain, neither influencing the heart nor moving the
will. The empty professor may subscribe sincerely to the doctrine of
man's total depravity, but it never moves him to cry from the depths
of an anguished soul, "O wretched man that I am." The doctrinal light
which the unregenerate have is like that of the moon's: it quickens
not, possesses no warmth, produces no fruit. A merely theoretical
knowledge of the Scriptures, however accurate or extensive it may be,
leaves the heart dead, cold, barren.
Radically different is that spiritual knowledge which God imparts to
the renewed mind. It has a vitalizing, convincing, moving and powerful
effect upon the whole of the inner man. It conveys a real subsistence
of Divine things to the soul, so that the understanding discerns and
knows them, the affections delight in and cleave to them, the will is
influenced and moved by them. "Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer, the
Holy One of Israel: I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to
profit" (Isa. 48:17). He teaches so much of the evil of sin as makes
it the most bitter and burdensome thing in the world to us. He teaches
us so much of our need for and the worth of Christ as moves us to
freely take His yoke upon us--which none do unless they have been
Divinely tamed. Spiritual light is like that of the sun's, which not
only illuminates, but warms and fructifies, and therefore is Christ
designated, "The Sun of righteousness" (Mal. 4:2). All the real
teaching of the Spirit has a powerful tendency to draw away from self
unto Christ, to a fixation in and living upon Him to find all our
springs in Him, to prove Him to be our everlasting strength.
Fourth, it is a humbling knowledge. This is another unmistakable
effect of an immediate and supernatural revelation of God to a person.
That spiritual illumination and inward teaching lays the soul low
before God. Therein it differs radically from self-acquired learning
and the intellectual teaching we absorb from men, for that only serves
to feed our conceit: such knowledge "puffeth up" (1 Cor. 8:1). Truth
itself when unapplied by the Spirit is only unsanctified knowledge,
adding to our store of information but producing no lowliness of
heart. But when the Lord teaches a soul, the bladder of
self-sufficiency is punctured, and there is a "casting down
imaginations, reasonings, and every high thing that exalteth itself
against the knowledge of God" (2 Cor. 10:5). He now renounces his own
wisdom and becomes as a "little child." The soul is brought to realize
not that he is lacking in instruction, but that he is incapable of
making a good use of what he already knows. He is now sensible that he
needs to be Divinely taught how to effectually translate his knowledge
into practice. The letter of God's precepts may be fixed in his mind,
but how to perform them he knows not, and therefore does he cry,
"Teach me, O LORD, the way of Thy statutes" (Ps. 119:33), "Teach me to
do Thy will" (Ps. 143:10).
Of too many Laodicean "Christians" must it be said, "thy wisdom and
thy knowledge it hath perverted thee [caused you to turn away]" (Isa.
47:10) from the only One who can effectually anoint blind eyes. But
the wisdom which is from above is a self-emptying one, making its
possessor cry, "Lord, teach me to pray" (Luke 11:1), and when he does,
it is in a very different manner from the polished periods and
eloquent language of what are termed pulpit "invocations." The natural
man will ask for relief when in temporal distress, though he has no
sense of need for spiritual mercies. But one taught of God is
painfully conscious of the fact that, "he knows not what he should
pray for as he ought," and has "groanings which cannot be uttered,"
and that makes him implore the help of the Holy Spirit. Such a one
prays, "Give me understanding that I may learn Thy statutes." "Incline
my heart unto Thy testimonies." "Quicken Thou me in Thy way." "Teach
me good judgment." "Order my steps in Thy Word and let not any
iniquity have dominion over me" (Ps. 119:73, 40, 66, 133). Thus the
soul is taught how perfectly suited is God's Word to his deep need.
Fifth, it is a transforming knowledge. When God savingly reveals
Himself to a person, a real and radical change is effected in him, so
that the one alienated from Him is now reconciled to Him. The light of
Divine grace is a prevailing and overcoming one, producing an altered
disposition toward God, so that the one who shrank from Him pants
after Him. Not only is Christ now feared, but adored. Divine teaching
not only slays enmity against God, but conveys to the soul an
answerableness to His holiness. It is affirmed of all such, "but ye
have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine whereto ye were
delivered" (Rom. 6:17), i.e., the mold of teaching into which you have
been cast. At regeneration the heart is made tender and the will
tractable. The characters of the renewed are formed by the Truth--for
a corresponding impression is made thereon. Their hearts and lives are
modeled according to the tenor of the Gospel. Truth is received not
only in the light of it, but in the love of it as well. The inward
inclinations are changed and framed according to what the Word
enjoins, the faculties being fitted to respond thereto. He delights in
the Law of God after the inward man, and chooses the things that
please God (Isa. 56:4).
The sanctifying discovery of God to the soul not only slays its enmity
unto Him, subdues the lusts of the flesh, removes carnal prejudices
against His holy requirements, but stirs up the affections after them.
No longer is there a murmuring against the exalted standard which God
sets before us, but rather a reaching forth and striving to measure up
to it. The Spirit's effectual application of the Word is always
accompanied by a drawing out of the heart unto God, so that its
subject is sensibly affected by His majesty and authority, His love
and grace, His forbearance and goodness. So great was the change
wrought in those who had been converted under his ministry, the
Apostle could say of one company, "Ye are manifestly declared to be
the Epistle of Christ ministered [instrumentally] by us, written not
with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God" (2 Cor. 3:3). And
why? Because, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, they
were changed "into the same image from glory to glory, as by the
Spirit of the Lord" (v. 18): changed from pride to humility, from
self-love to self-loathing, from self-seeking to Christ-pleasing.
Sixth, it is an operative knowledge. There are multitudes in
Christendom today who "profess they know God, but in works [not
"words"] deny Him" (Titus 1:16). Much Truth has entered their ears and
eyes, but it results only in idle notions, useless speculations, and
frothy talk. Whereas those who by grace are made partakers of the
Divine nature have a disposition and impulse unto the performance of
duty, and therefore they not only long after communion with God, but
diligently endeavour to please and glorify Him in their daily lives.
At the new birth God puts His Law into their souls and writes it upon
their hearts (Jer. 31:33), and that moves its favored recipient to
exclaim "How love I Thy Law!" (Ps. 119:97), and to manifest that love
by diligently seeking to comply with the Divine precepts. The Spirit
is given to the elect that He may "cause them to walk in God's
statutes" (Ezek. 34:27). A saving knowledge of God constrains the soul
unto obedience to Him: not perfectly so in this life, yet a real
responding to His requirements. No sooner did the light of God shine
supernaturally into the heart of Saul of Tarsus than he cried, "Lord,
what wilt Thou have me to do?" "Being made free from [the guilt and
dominion of] sin, and became servants to God, ye have your fruit unto
holiness" (Rom. 6:22).
When the Holy Spirit effectually applies the Truth unto a person, he
responds thereto: the soul is quickened and solemnized, God is
revered, the affections are elevated, the will is given an inclination
to deny self, renounce the world, resist the Devil. Thus it was with
the Thessalonian saints: "For this cause thank we God without ceasing,
because when ye received the Word of God which ye heard of us, ye
received it not as the word of men; but as it is in truth, the Word of
God which effectually worketh in you that believe" (1 Thess. 2:13). It
effectually prevails over sloth, the fear of man, worldly interests,
everything which stands in opposition to it. "Who teacheth like Him?"
(Job 36:22). Divine teaching is both efficacious and intensely
practical. As God's creative words were mighty and effectual (Gen. 1),
50 are His teaching words (John 6:63; 15:3). "Hereby we do know that
we know Him, if we keep His commandments" (1 John 2:3). Keeping His
commandments is the evidence and proof of a saving knowledge of God.
Though the obedience of a Christian be far from flawless, yet is it
real, spontaneous, sincere, impartial. Where no such obedience exists,
then "he that saith I know Him and keepeth not His commandments [by
prayerful and genuine endeavor] is a Liar" (1 John 2:4).
Seventh, it is a satisfying knowledge. The language of every truly
regenerated and converted soul is, I ask for no better Saviour than
Christ, I desire no other peace than God's--which passes all
understanding; I need no superior Director through the mazes of this
world than the infallible Scriptures. Though his station in life be
the humblest and meanest, the one who has been Divinely quickened
would not change places with those in highest office. The one in whose
heart the supernatural light of God has shone, making him wise unto
salvation, counts all other knowledge as comparatively worthless.
Though he be a financial pauper, yet the one who has had the scales of
prejudice and unbelief removed from his eyes, and Christ "revealed in
him," knows himself to be infinitely richer than the godless
millionaire. The one who has had the Divine Law effectually applied to
his conscience, his sins set before him in the light of God's
holiness, and has found cleansing and healing in the atoning blood of
the Lamb, had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord than
dwell in the mansions of the wicked. Joint heirs with Christ envy not
the great of this world; those who are clothed with His righteousness
look not with grudging eye upon those clothed in silks and flashing
with diamonds.
Yes, this knowledge is a heart-satisfying one. It cannot be otherwise,
for it is engaged with an all-sufficient Object. Nothing outside of
Christ can suit the soul. Satisfaction is not to be found in
ourselves, for we are mutable and dependent creatures. Nor in any of
the things of time and sense, for they all perish with the using.
Christ alone is the Fountain of Life and Happiness. He is
all-sufficient for us, "for it hath pleased the Father that in Him
should all fullness dwell" (Col. 1:19), and therefore can He amply
supply our every want. He is "altogether lovely," the perfection of
beauty. He excels all on earth, out-shines all in Heaven. The infinite
mind of God Himself finds contentment in the Lord Jesus, declaring Him
to be "Mine Elect, in whom My soul delighteth" (Isa. 42:1). Every
genuinely saved person readily sets to his seal that Christ is true
when He avers, "Whosoever drinketh of this Water [the failing wells of
earth] shall thirst again [as Solomon found, though he drank deeply
from them all]. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give
him, shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be
in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:13,
14). A Divine discovery of the fullness, suitability, and excellence
of Christ meets every need and satisfies every longing of the soul.
Let every reader, as he values his soul and its eternal interests,
carefully and honestly test himself by what has been set before him.
As the sin of Adam could not hurt us unless he had been our head by
way of generation, so the righteousness of Christ cannot enrich us
unless He be our Head by regeneration. There must be union with Him
before we partake of His benefits. The bands of union are life and the
Spirit on His part, faith and love on ours. There is no coming and
cleaving to Christ in a saving way until the soul has "learned of the
Father" (John 6:45). We have described some of the characteristics and
effects of that "learning." Speculative knowledge produces no
spiritual fruit: no humility, no poverty of spirit, no
broken-heartedness, no godly sorrow. Divine knowledge manifests a
heart-searching, sin-discovering, conscience-convicting,
soul-humbling, Christ- magnifying attitude. When Isaiah beheld the
Holy One he exclaimed "Woe is me! for I am undone" (Isa. 6:5). Have
you ever been brought to the place where you have made such a
confession? When Daniel had a vision of the Lord with "His face as the
appearance of lightning and His eyes as lamps of fire," he tells us,
"my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no
strength" (10:6, 8). Has anything resembling that been duplicated in
your experience?
Try yourself, we beseech you, by what has been pointed out. Assume not
that all is well with you. Examine yourself, and your knowledge of
Divine things. You may not know the very day of your regeneration, nor
how it was brought about, but the evidences of it are apparent. Which
do you really love the more: the pleasures of sin or the beauty of
holiness? Which do you genuinely value most: God or the creature?
Which are you actually serving: self or Christ? A sanctifying
knowledge of God results in the heart being divorced from the things
formerly cherished and idolized, and now cleaving to objects disliked
and shunned. When the Spirit shines into the heart and reflects His
own light from the Word into it, the soul is forevermore out of
conceit with itself. When the Lord fully discovered Himself unto Job,
he cried, "Behold, I am vile" (40:4). Have you ever been made
conscious of the same thing before Him? Do you now perceive that, in
yourself, you are a corrupt and polluted creature? Has the blessed
Spirit made Christ real and precious to you? If so, there has been a
radical change in your heart and life. When Christ was revealed to
Paul, he had a contempt for all things else, ardent desires after Him,
supreme delight in Him, and was willing to suffer the loss of all
things for His sake (Phil. 3:8, 9). A saving knowledge of Christ gives
us to prove the sufficiency of His grace, sustaining the soul amid
trials (2 Cor. 12:9).
"Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good
work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil.
1:6). That which we have sought to describe is only commenced at
regeneration and conversion: henceforth we are to "grow in grace and
in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18).
Our native spiritual blindness is only partly cured in this life, so
that we "see through a glass darkly." Believers are still completely
dependent upon the Lord that He should "open their understanding, that
they might understand the Scriptures" (Luke 24:45). They need to beg
Him to make good unto them that promise, "The path of the just is as
the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day"
(Prov. 4:18). As the work of God is carried on in the soul, the Spirit
shows him more and more what a Hell-deserving wretch he is in himself,
causes him to groan frequently over his corruptions and failures,
makes him more deeply sensible of his need and suitableness unto
Christ, brings him more and more in love with the Saviour, and stirs
him unto an increased diligence in endeavoring to serve and honour
Him. However far a saint may advance in an experiential acquaintance
with Him, it is his privilege and duty to pray that he may be,
"increasing in the knowledge of God" (Col. 1:10).
It is very necessary that the young Christian should clearly recognize
that God's work of grace in the soul is not completed in this life.
There are some of His people who look within themselves for a faith
that is not hampered with unbelief, for a love that is ever warm and
constant, for pantings after holiness that vary not in fervour and
regularity. They look for an obedience which is well-nigh perfect, and
because they are unable to find that this is their case, conclude
themselves to be unregenerate. They fail to realize that the evil
principle of "the flesh" is left in them, and remains unchanged unto
the end. It is indeed their bounden duty to mortify its lustings and
to make no provision for the same (Rom. 13:14), nevertheless, they
will frequently have occasion to complain, "iniquities prevail against
me" (Ps. 65:3), and daily will they need to avail themselves of that
fountain opened to the Lord's people for sin and for uncleanness
(Zech. 13:1). If they do not, if they trifle with temptations, consort
with the ungodly, allow unconfessed sins to accumulate on the
conscience, they will soon relapse into a sickly state of soul, lose
their relish for the things of God, have their graces languish, and
then they will be unable to discern in their hearts and lives the
seven marks named above. A backslider will not find the fruits of
righteousness in his soul.
It is also necessary to point out here that there is a radical
difference between the manner of the Spirit's working in regeneration
and His subsequent operations. In the former, He wrought upon us as we
were "dead in sin," and consequently entirely passive therein. But
after He has quickened us into newness of life, we concur with Him.
That is to say, we are required to use the means of grace, especially
the reading of God's Word, meditating on its contents, praying for
grace to conform thereto. The blessed Spirit will set no premium on
slothfulness. We are to Work, but He graciously assists: "Likewise the
Spirit also helpeth our infirmities." As we are "led by the Spirit" to
walk in the paths of righteousness, conscience testifies in our
favour, and "the Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirit that
we are the sons of God" (Rom. 8:14, 16). But if we become careless and
excuse ourselves therein, then the Spirit is grieved and obstructed,
His comforts are withheld, and we taste the bitterness of our folly.
The chastening rod falls on us till we repent of our waywardness and
turn again unto the Lord. When matters are righted with God, the
Spirit stirs us afresh to the use of means and again takes of the
soul-satisfying things of Christ and shows them unto us.
Finally, let it again be emphasized that all the inward teachings of
God are perfectly agreeable to the written Word. The revelations made
by the Spirit to the souls of God's elect and which constitute their
own actual "experience," and the revelation which He has made in the
sacred Scriptures never conflict (Isa. 59:21). When God speaks to the
heart of man, whether it be in a way of conviction, consolation, or
instruction in duty, He always honours the Bible by making express use
of its words. Thus the written Word is the sole standard by which we
must try all the teaching we have received: all must be weighed in the
balances of the Sanctuary. "To the Law and to the Testimony: if they
speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in
them" (Isa. 8:20). Without that Divine safeguard we lay ourselves open
to gross fanaticism and fatal deception. Whatever spiritual knowledge
you think you have received, if it accords not wholly with God's Word,
it is not of Divine revelation, but is either of human imagination or
Satanic insinuation. "The Word contains the revelation of Christ; the
Holy Spirit from the Word reveals Christ. In a spiritual apprehension
of Him eternal life is begotten in the soul, which while it is full of
Christ, yet we do not see and believe on Him to life eternal until the
Lord the Spirit be our Teacher and Instructor" (S. E. Pierce).
In conclusion, let us draw a few inferences from all that has been
before us. (1) Herein we behold the sovereignty of God, who divides
the light from the darkness as He pleases. Divine grace is
discriminating (Rom. 9:18). That particularity in which Christ dealt
with souls still exists: "It is given unto you to know the mysteries
of the kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not given" (Matthew
13:11). (2) Hence we see the deep importance of distinguishing between
that knowledge of the things of God which is naturally acquired and
that which is Divinely taught the soul, and the need for ascertaining
whether my knowledge is producing spiritual fruit in my life. It is a
safe criterion to apply that whatever originates with self always aims
at and terminates on self; whereas that which is from the Spirit draws
out the heart and will unto Christ. (3) That those upon whom the Sun
of righteousness has arisen cannot be sufficiently thankful or praise
Him enough. How grateful we should be if we "know the joyful sound"
(Ps. 89:15) and have found peace and joy in Christ! Well may we with
wonderment exclaim, "Lord, how is it that Thou wilt manifest Thyself
unto us, and not unto the world?" (John 14:22). (4) Why so few who
hear the Gospel are truly saved under it. How different were the
effects produced by the same Seed on the several soils (Luke 8:5-8):
the heart must be plowed and harrowed before it is made an "honest and
good" one (v. 15). (5) Why so many keen-brained and well-educated
people are left in spiritual ignorance, while simple and illiterate
souls are made wise unto salvation. (6) How that the preacher is
wholly dependent upon the Holy Spirit. The ablest minister of the Word
can no more of himself win souls to Christ than experienced fishermen
could catch a single fish until He gave success (Luke 5:5). Neither
the gifted Paul nor the eloquent Apollos was "anything": it is God
"that giveth the increase" (1 Cor. 3:7). Often the most carefully
prepared and earnestly delivered sermons produce no fruit, while a
plain and ordinary one is blest of God. (7) How highly should the
Christian prize the illumination of the Spirit and be looking
continually to Him for instruction. He needs not a plainer Bible, but
a clearer vision. I know no more of God to any good purpose than as I
have been and am being taught of Him!
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A. W. Pink Header
THE DOCTRINE OF REVELATION
Chapter 17
REVELATION IN GLORY
THIS LIFE AND LIFE HEREAFTER
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We have now arrived at the grand climax of our subject, and well may
we beg the Lord to enlarge our hearts that we may take in a
soul-rapturing view thereof. Having traced out--most imperfectly--the
revelation which God has made of Himself in the created universe, in
the moral nature of man, in His shaping of human history, in His
incarnate Son, in the sacred Scriptures, and in the saving discovery
which He makes of Himself in the souls of His elect at their
regeneration and conversion, we shall now endeavour to contemplate
something of that manifestation which the Triune God will make in and
through Christ unto His saints in Heaven. That experiential knowledge
of and communion with God which the believer has here on earth is
indeed a real, affectionate and blessed one, so that at times he is
lifted out of himself and made to rejoice with joy unspeakable-- yet
it is but an earnest and a foretaste of what he shall enjoy hereafter!
At death he enters into a life which amply compensates for all the
trials and tribulations he experiences in this world. Said one who had
endured persecution in every form: "For I reckon that the sufferings
of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory
which shall be revealed in us" (Rom. 8:18).
The profession of the Gospel subjects the believer to peculiar
hardships, for it requires him to deny self, take up his cross daily,
and serve under the banner of One who is despised and rejected of men
generally. To follow the example which Christ has left us involves
having fellowship with His sufferings and enduring His reproach, and
the more fully we be conformed to His holy image the more shall we be
hated, ridiculed and opposed by the world--especially by its graceless
professors. In certain periods of history, and in some countries
today, particularly fierce and sore persecution was experienced by the
saints; but everywhere and in all generations they have found, in
different ways and degrees that, all who are determined to live godly
in Christ Jesus "shall suffer persecution" (2 Tim. 3:12). Yet that is
only one side of the present experience of Christians: they also enjoy
a peace which passeth all understanding, and have blessed fellowship
with Christ as He walks and talks with them along the way. Moreover,
"the hope which is laid up for them in Heaven," whereof they have
heard in the Word of the truth of the Gospel (Col. 1:5), causes them,
like Moses of old, to "esteem the reproach of Christ greater riches
than the treasures of Egypt, for he had respect unto the recompense of
the reward" and by faith "endured, as seeing Him who is invisible"
(Heb. 11:26. 27).
Such is the experience of God's people, and ought to be so
increasingly by all of them: looking off from the things seen and
temporal unto those which are unseen and eternal. With the eye of
faith fixed steadfastly upon the Captain of their salvation, they
should run with patience the race set before them. Though a very small
part of this world be their portion, they are to "look for a City
which hath foundations, whose Maker and Builder is God." Though called
upon to suffer temporal losses for Christ's sake, they are to remember
that in Heaven, "they have a better and enduring substance." If they
be the objects of scorn and infamy, they can rejoice that their names
are written in Heaven, and will yet be honored by Christ, not only
before the Father and the holy angels, but before an assembled
universe He will not be ashamed to call brethren. If their affections
be really set upon things above, then having food and raiment they
will therewith be content. If they have the assurance they are heirs
of God and joint-heirs with Christ, it will be a small matter when
worms of the earth cast out their names as evil and shun their
company. If believing anticipations of the glorious future be theirs,
then the joy of the Lord will be their strength.
If the would-be disciple of Christ is enjoined to sit down first and
count the cost (Luke 14:28), let him also make an inventory of the
compensations. How rich those compensations are, how great "the
recompense of the reward" is, may be estimated by many considerations:
1. From the contrast presented by our present sufferings. "For our
light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more
exceeding eternal weight of glory" (2 Cor. 4:17). The sufferings of
God's people in this world are, considered in themselves, often very
heavy and grievous, and in many cases long protracted. If, therefore,
they be "light" when set over against their future bliss, how great
that bliss must be! The paucity of human language to express it is
seen in the piling up of one term upon another: it is a "weight," it
is an "exceeding weight," even a "far more exceeding weight," yea, it
is an "eternal weight of glory."
2. From the Divine promises. "Blessed are ye when men shall revile you
. . . for great is your reward in Heaven" (Matthew 5:11-12): who can
gauge what He terms "great"! "Then shall the righteous shine forth as
the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (Matthew 13:43). "Enter thou
into the joy of thy Lord" (Matthew 25:21).
3. From our relationship to God. The saints are designated His
children and heirs, and it is not possible for Almighty God to invest
created beings with higher honour than that. This sonship is not that
which pertains to them as creatures, and which in a lower sense other
creatures share--but rather is it a peculiar privilege and dignity
which belongs to them as new creatures in Christ Jesus. As such they
are nearer and dearer unto God than the unfallen angels. Therefore the
riches of the saints are to be estimated by the riches of God Himself!
4. From the declared purpose of God. "And hath raised us up together,
and made us sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus: that in
the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace, in
His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:6, 7). If, then,
God has designed to make a lavish display of the fullness of His
favour unto His people, how surpassingly glorious will such a
demonstration of it be! As another has said, "When the Monarch of the
universe declares His purpose of showing how much He loves His people,
the utmost stretch of imagination will struggle in vain to form even a
slight conception of their glory."
5. From the saints being God's inheritance. All creatures are God's
property, but the saints are His in a peculiar sense. They are
expressly denominated "God's heritage" (1 Pet. 5:3), which imports
that all other things compared with them are trifling in His view. On
them He sets His heart, loving them with an everlasting love, valuing
them above the angels. That affords another standard by which we may
measure their future felicity. Well might the Apostle pray that the
eyes of our understanding should be enlightened, that we might know,
"what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of
His inheritance in the saints" (Eph. 1:18). According as God has glory
in the saints, they themselves will be glorious.
6. From the love which Christ bears them. Of that love they have the
fullest proof in His infinite condescension to become incarnate for
their sakes, in the unparalleled humiliation into which He entered in
His producing for them a perfect robe of righteousness, and in His
making a full atonement for all their sins. That involved not only a
life of poverty and shame, of enduring the contradiction of sinners
against Himself, but of suffering the wrath of God in their stead.
Such love defies description and is beyond human comprehension. If He
so loved us when we were enemies, what will He not bestow on us as His
friends and brethren!
7. From the reward God has bestowed upon Christ. This also affords us
a criterion by which we may gauge what awaits the saints. The
stupendous achievements of Christ have been duly recognized by the
Father and richly recompensed. That reward is one which is
proportioned to the dignity of His person, one which is answerable to
the revenue of honour and praise which His infinitely meritorious work
brought to God, and which is commensurate with the unparalleled
sufferings He endured and the sacrifice He made. When God gives He
does so--as in all His other actions--in accord with whom and what He
is. He has highly exalted the Redeemer, and given Him the name which
is above every name. In John 17:22 we find the Lord Jesus making
mention to the Father of "the glory which Thou hast given Me." Oh,
what a transcendent and supernal glory that will be! And that glory He
shares with His beloved people: "the glory which Thou gayest Me, I
have given them"! That which pertains to the heavenly Bridegroom is
also the portion of His Bride. "To him that overcometh will I grant to
sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame and am set down with
My Father in His throne" (Rev. 3:21). The Head and His members form
one body, and therefore, "when He who is our life shall appear, then
shall we also appear with Him in glory" (Col. 3:4).
While the Scriptures make no attempt to gratify a carnal curiosity
concerning the nature and occupations of that life into which the
regenerate enter when they pass out of this world, yet sufficient is
told them to feed hope and gladden their hearts. While it is stated
that "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the
heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love
Him" (1 Cor. 2:9), let it not be overlooked that the same passage goes
on to say, "But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the
Spirit searcheth all things, yea the deep things of God" (v. 10). Yes,
He has, to no inconsiderable extent, graciously revealed the same in
the Word of Truth, and while we are to beware of lusting to be, "wise
above what is written," we should spare no pains to be made wise to
what is written. If the unregenerate go to such trouble and expense in
manufacturing telescopes and erecting observatories in order to
examine the stellar planets, and take such delight in each fresh
discovery they make, yet never expect to personally possess those
distant stars, how intense should be our interest in those glories of
Heaven which will soon be ours forever!
Not only has God been pleased to reveal to His people something of the
blissful future awaiting them, but even while still, in this vale of
tears, He favors them at times with real foretastes of the same.
Though at present we are able to form only the most imperfect and
indistinct ideas of the saints' felicity in Heaven, nevertheless, in
those moments of high elevation of soul, when the believer is
abstracted from external things and absorbed with contemplating the
perfections of God, he joins heartily with the Psalmist in exclaiming,
"Whom have I in Heaven but Thee? and there is none upon earth that I
desire besides Thee" (Ps. 73:25). Not only at conversion, when the
soul rejoices in the knowledge of sins forgiven and of his being
accepted in the Beloved, but afterwards, in seasons of intimate
fellowship with the Lord, the conscious motions of sin are suppressed,
and he is sensible only of the exercise of holy desires, love and joy.
Such an experience is a real "earnest" of that which he will enjoy to
a far greater degree when he is delivered from the body of this death
(indwelling corruptions) and is "present with the Lord," no longer
viewing Him through a mirror, but beholding Him "face to face."
It is at the second coming of Christ or at death that the believer in
Him enters into the glorified state, and therefore, before examining
what Holy Writ has to say upon the latter, we propose to enter into
some detail on what it teaches concerning his dissolution. Since the
vast majority of the redeemed enter Heaven through the portals of
death--for they have been doing so for almost 6,000 years, and the New
Testament seems to intimate there will be very few indeed of them upon
earth at the Redeemer's return--it is appropriate that we should do
so. Moreover, there is a real need for us to, for in certain quarters
scarcely anything has been given out, either orally or in writing, for
the instruction and comfort of God's people upon the dying of the
saint. Not only does nature shrink from the experience, and unbelief
paint it in black, but the Devil is not inactive in seeking to strike
terror into their hearts. Not a few have been deprived of the blessed
teaching of the Word thereon, because they have been erroneously led
to believe that for a Christian to think much about death, or seek to
prepare himself for it, is dishonoring to Christ and utterly
inconsistent with "looking for that blessed hope" and living in the
daily expectation of His glorious appearing.
That there is no real inconsistency between the two things is clear
from many considerations. Whether the Saviour will return before "the
millennium" or not until the close of earth's history--whether His
coming be "imminent," or whether certain events must first take
place--this is sure--that the Apostle Paul was among the number of
those who "waited for God's Son from Heaven" (1 Thess. 1:10).
Nevertheless, that did not deter him from communicating a most
comforting and assuring description of what takes place at the death
of a Christian (2 Cor. 5:1-8). Let us also point out that when
exhorting the New Testament saints to run with patience the race which
is set before them, the first motive which the Holy Spirit supplies
for the same is to remind them that they are "compassed about with so
great a cloud of witnesses" (Heb. 12: l)--the reference being to those
whose testimony is described in the previous chapter, of whom it is
said, "these all died in faith" (Heb. 11:13), and where the triumphant
deaths of Isaac, Jacob and Joseph are most blessedly depicted (vv.
20-22). We propose, then, to dwell upon the death of a child of God,
the accompaniments or attendants of the same, and the glorious sequel
thereto.
One of the distinguishing features of the Holy Scriptures and one of
the many proofs of their Divine inspiration is their blessed
illumination of the grave and the revelation they vouchsafe concerning
the hereafter. The light of nature and the best of pagan philosophy
could provide no certainty about the next life. The famous Aristotle,
when contemplating death, is said to have expressed himself thus:
"Anxius vixi, dubius morioa, nesci quo vado," which signifies, "I have
lived in anxiety, I am dying in doubtfulness, and know not where I am
going." How delightful the contrast of a Christian who can affirm,
"having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far
better" (Phil. 1:23). How profoundly thankful should we be unto God
for His Holy Word! It not only reveals to us the way of salvation,
makes clear the believer's path of duty, but it irradiates the valley
of shadows and lifts a comer of the veil, affording to us a view of
Immanuel's land. If God's people made a more prayerful and believing
study of and meditated upon what the Word teaches about their
departure from this world and their Homegoing, death would not only be
divested of its terrors, but would be welcomed by them.
That there is a radical difference between the death of a believer and
of an unbeliever is clear from many passages. "The wicked is driven
away in his wickedness, but the righteous hath hope in his death"
(Prov. 14:32), upon which Thomas Boston well said: "This text looks
like the cloud between the Israelites and the Egyptians: having a dark
side towards the latter and a bright side towards the former. It
represents death like Pharaoh's jailer, bringing the chief butler and
the chief baker out of prison: the one restored to his office, and the
other to be led to his execution. It shows the difference between the
godly and ungodly in their death: who, as they act a very different
part in life, so in death have a very different exit. . . The
righteous are not driven away as chaff before the wind, but led away
as a bride to the marriage chamber, carried by the angels into
Abraham's bosom. The righteous man dies not in a sinful state, but in
a holy state. He goes not away in sin, but out of it. In his life he
was putting off the old man, changing his prison garments; and now the
remaining rags of them are removed, and he is adorned with robes of
glory. He has hope in his death: the well-founded expectation of
better things than he ever had in this world."
Proverbs 14:32 is but one of many passages in the earlier Scriptures
which evince that the Old Testament saints were far from being in the
dark regarding death or what lay beyond it. They knew that in God's
presence is "fullness of joy, at Thy right hand there are pleasures
forevermore" (Ps. 16:11). Said David, "I will behold Thy face in
righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness"
(Ps. 17:15). And again, "Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever" (Ps. 23:6). It is true that life and immortality have been
brought more fully to light through the Gospel (2 Tim. 1:10),
nevertheless, it is clear that from the dawn of human history, the
light of Divine revelation had, for the saints, illuminated the tomb.
"Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel and afterward receive me to
glory" (Ps. 73:24), which, as a summary, goes as far as anything
taught in the New Testament. "Many of them that sleep in the dust of
the earth shall awake: some to everlasting life, some to shame and
everlasting contempt" (Dan. 12:2). And therefore, it is said of all
those who died in faith that, having seen the promises of God afar
off, they "were persuaded of them and embraced them, and confessed
that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth" (Heb. 11:13).
Before proceeding further, let us face the question, Why does a child
of God die? Since physical death be one of the consequences of sin,
and since the Lord Jesus has paid the whole of its wages, and
therefore put it away for His people, why should any of them have to
enter the grave? A number of reputable writers whom we have consulted
deem that a great and insoluble mystery, while others evade it by
saying that such presents no greater problem than sin's remaining in
us after regeneration. But neither of those things should present any
difficulty: both are designed for God's glory and their good. As
Proverbs 14:32 shows, there is a vast difference between the death of
the righteous and that of the wicked. Death is not sent to the former
as a penal infliction, but comes to him as a friend--to free him from
all further sorrow and suffering--to induct the heir of glory into his
inheritance. Why should a Christian die? sufficient for the disciple
to be as his Master, and "made conformable unto His death." What a
fearful hardship had the saints from Pentecost onwards been obliged to
remain on earth till the end of time! Surely it is an act of Divine
love to remove them from the vale of tears! But could not God have
translated them to Heaven without seeing death, like He did Enoch and
Elijah? Yes, but they were exceptions; and in such case Christ would
not have the glory of raising their bodies from the dust and
fashioning them like unto the body of His glory!
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A. W. Pink Header
THE DOCTRINE OF REVELATION
Chapter 18
REVELATION IN GLORY
THE JOY OF DEATH AND HEAVEN
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We are now to consider some of the details revealed in Scripture about
the death of a child of God. It is a most important and practical
subject, and, though a solemn one, a very blessed one too; for it is
then that the saint enters into glory. Let it be pointed out that if
we are prepared for God's summons to pass from this life, then,
whether His messenger be death or the appearing of the Lord of life,
we shall be equally ready. On the other hand, those who are unprepared
for death, yet profess to be daily looking for that Blessed Hope, are
woefully deceiving themselves that they will be among the number who
shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. What we have here said
requires no proof: it is self-evident that since a saint's departure
from this scene is in order for him to enter the presence of God, that
if he be prepared for that, it can make no difference to his soul
whether death or Christ personally be the one to conduct him thither.
Let the Christian make his calling and election sure (2 Pet. 1:10) by
ascertaining that he has a valid title to Heaven through Christ (Rom.
5:11) and a personal meetness by the miracle of the new birth (John
3:5; Col. 1:12), and he has no good reason to dread either death or
the Redeemer's return.
Death may be defined as the dissolution of that union which exists
between the constituent elements of human nature: it is a separating
of the immaterial part of man from the material, an emerging of the
soul from the body. But that severance in the Christian for a while
produces no separation of either his soul or his body from the Lord
Jesus. The union there is between the redeemed and regenerate members
of Christ's mystical body and their glorious Head is indissoluble and
endless, and is both the basis and security of every blessing they
enjoy in time and eternity. His people are as truly His in death as in
life. Their union with Christ is the same, nor is their interest in
Him lessened. As the beloved Hawker said, "The covenant rots not in
the grave, however their bodies molder into dust." Moreover, that
separation which the believer sustains of soul and body at death is
but for a season; and among other blessings with which it is
accompanied, will be amply compensated on the resurrection morning,
when an everlasting union shall be effected between them, nevermore to
be broken.
Let us now consider four expressions used in the New Testament in
connection with the death of a believer, none of which, be it noted,
contains the least suggestion of an experience to be dreaded. (1) The
Apostle Paul spoke of his decease as a departing from this world:
"having a desire to depart, and be with Christ, which is far better"
(Phil. 1:23). Young's concordance defines the word as signifying "to
loose up (an anchor)." It is a nautical term, which describes a vessel
leaving her temporary moorings. The figure is a suggestive and
picturesque one. The hour for sailing has arrived. The anchor is
weighed, the gangway raised, the ropes are released, and fond
farewells are said and waved to beloved friends who have come to see
us off The ship now moves gently away from the quay, down the river,
into the vast reaches of the ocean beyond. That is what death is to a
Christian: a loosening of those moorings which bound him to the earth,
a gliding out into a life of freedom, a going forth unto another
Country. This same figure is used again in "the time of my departure
is at hand" (2 Tim. 4:6)--the exact hour of sailing has been Divinely
appointed!
(2) The Apostle Peter likened his impending dissolution unto the
taking down of a tent: "knowing that shortly I must put off this my
tabernacle, as our Lord Jesus Christ hath showed me" (2 Pet. 1:14,
and, cf. John 21:18, 19). In the previous verse he had similarly
spoken of his body, declaring that he would continue urging upon the
saints their obligations and duties "as long as I am in this
tabernacle," or better "tent." The body, for whose wants the majority
of our fellows are as anxious as though it were the whole man, is but
a tent. The figure is a very suggestive one. A "tent" is a frail
structure, designed only for temporary occupation, is suited for use
in the wilderness, and is exchanged for a "house eternal in the
heavens." In the verse Peter employed a mixed metaphor, as Paul did in
2 Corinthians 5:1-4, where the breaking up of the earthly house of our
tabernacle is spoken of as our being "unclothed." Here, then, is the
Christian concept of death: it is no more terrible or distressing than
the removing of a tent (which is easily taken down), or the putting
off of our garments when retiring to rest--to be resumed at the dawn
of a new day!
(3) Death is likened unto an exodus. The term is used first in
connection with our Saviour: when He was transfigured before His
disciples on the holy mount, there talked with Him Moses and Elijah,
"who spake of His decease, which He should accomplish at Jerusalem"
(Luke 9:3 1). The Greek word is exodos and is found again in Hebrews
11:22, where it is recorded that, "By faith Joseph when he was a dying
[in Egypt] made mention of the departing [exodos] of the children of
Israel." It is hardly to be thought that Moses and Elijah would
confine their speech unto Christ's death, but would rather converse
upon "the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow" (1
Peter 1:1 1). Dr. Lightfoot was of the opinion that Christ's exodus
included His ascension, pointing out that Israel's exodus from Egypt
was a "triumphant and victorious one." The term literally means
"exit," and Manton regards its scope in Luke 9:31, as including
Christ's death, resurrection (Acts 2: 24) and ascension (Luke 24:51).
Peter also made use of the same term when he referred to his own
"decease" or exodus (2 Pet. 1:15), thereby giving it a general
application unto all of God's people.
Here, then, is another simple but suggestive figure to express the
blessedness of a believer's departure from this life. Like the
previous one, this also imports the going forth on a journey; but, in
addition, the leaving behind of the house of bondage and the making
for the promised inheritance--the antitypical Canaan. There is a
striking analogy between the death of a Christian and Israel's
emancipation from the cruel slavery of Pharaoh. One of the distinct
features of the Christian's life in this world is his groaning under
the burden of indwelling sin (Rom. 8:23; 2 Cor. 5:2), a crying "who
shall deliver me from the body of this death?" But death is, for him,
a snapping of his fetters, an escaping from the bonds that hold him, a
going forth from sin and sorrow into freedom and immortality. Israel's
exodus from Egypt was a leaving behind of all their enemies, and such
is death for the saint: the world, the flesh, the Devil--all that
opposes God and hinders him forever done with. Israel's exodus
included their safe passage through the Red Sea, a crossing over unto
the farther shore, their faces turned unto the land of milk and honey.
How eagerly should the Christian welcome death!
(4) The death of God's people is likened unto a sleep. This is the
most familiar figure of all, and since it is used much more frequently
in the Scriptures, and because certain errorists have perverted its
meaning, we will dwell longer upon it. To the saints in his day the
Apostle said, "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren,
concerning them which are asleep" (1 Thess. 4:13). We regard it as a
mistake to restrict that to their bodies: obviously it is their
persons ("them") which are "asleep"; yet that by no means warrants the
conclusion which some have drawn--that at death the soul passes into a
state of total inactivity and unconsciousness. Such a verse proves too
much for the case of "soul sleeping," for it would make it teach that
the soul died with the body, since "sleep" is here an image of death;
which would be in direct variance with our Lord's words, "Fear not
them which are able to kill the body, and are not able to kill the
soul" (Matthew 10:28). Even in this life, when the body is soundly
asleep, the soul or mind is not inactive, as our dreams manifestly
evidence.
Whether or not Luke 16:19-31, is a "parable," certain it is that our
Lord was there setting forth the condition of both the righteous and
the unrighteous immediately after death, and if their souls then pass
into a state of oblivion His language would be utterly misleading
where He declared the one to be "comforted" and the other "tormented"
(v. 25). So, too, His promise to the dying thief had been meaningless
unless he was to enjoy the company of Christ in Paradise that day and
enter upon all the delights of that place. Further, it would not be
true that "death" is one of the things which is unable to separate
believers from receiving manifestations of God's love and their
enjoyment of the same (Rom. 8:3 8, 39) if they pass from this world
into a state of insensibility. Again, Paul, who was favored with such
intimate and precious fellowship with Christ in this world, had never
been in any "strait" between his desire to remain in the flesh for the
sake of his converts and his longing to "depart," had the latter
alternative meant the complete suspension of all his faculties,
without any communion with God. Nor had he spoken of "the spirits of
just men made perfect" (Heb. 12:23) if they are without life and
light, peace and joy, immediately after death.
While rejecting the false glosses put upon this figurative expression,
let us be careful the enemy does not rob us of its true import, and
thereby deprive us of the comfort it contains. Was it not for the
consolation of His disciples (and all His people) that the Saviour
said: "I go to awake our friend Lazarus out of his sleep" (John
11:11)? Again, we are told that after the first Christian martyr had
knelt down and prayed for his enemies, he "fell asleep" (Acts 7:60)!
How much more was conveyed by that statement of the inspired historian
than had he merely said that Stephen expired! Amid the curses of his
foes, and while their stones were crushing the life from his body, he
"fell asleep." Inexpressibly blessed is that! As the sleep of the body
brings welcome relief when it is racked with pain, so death delivers
from spiritual warfare and puts an end to all the wounding of the
believer's soul by indwelling sin. As sleep gives rest from the toils
and burdens of the day, so that we are oblivious to the perplexities
and trials which harass our waking hours, so death for the saint puts
an end to all the things which occasioned him anxiety and distress
down here: he is released, henceforth, from all cares and troubles.
No doubt the principal idea which this figure should convey to us is
the entire harmlessness of death. What is there in sleep to dread?
Instead of being an object of horror, it is a merciful provision of
God's for which we should be most grateful. It comes to us not as a
rough and terrifying foe, but approaches gently as a kind friend.
Christ has removed the "sting" from death (1 Cor. 15:56, 57), and
therefore it can no more harm one of His redeemed than could a hornet
whose power to injure has been destroyed. In employing this comforting
metaphor, God would have His people assured that they have nothing
more to fear from the article of death than in lying down on their
beds to slumber. Again--sleep is of but brief duration: a few hours of
repose, and then we arise refreshed and reinvigorated for the duties
of another day. In like manner, death is but a sleep, an entering into
rest, and resurrection will be the restoration and glorification of
our bodies. Finally, death is likened to a sleep to intimate how
easily the Lord will quicken our mortal bodies. The skeptic may
ridicule as an impossibility the truth of resurrection, but to Christ
it will be simpler than waking a sleeper. A slumbering person is
aroused most easily by one speaking to him, and "the hour is coming,
in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice" (John
5:28)!
In addition to those figurative expressions, which so manifestly
depict the harmlessness of death, God has made many plain statements
in His Word for the comfort and assurance of His saints. It is evident
from Genesis 15 that He preached the Gospel to Abraham in clear terms:
not only the basic doctrine of justification by faith and the
righteousness which is imputed to the believer, but also that state of
blessedness into which all His people enter immediately upon their
death. First, He made known to the "father" or prototype of all the
faithful of what Heaven is and wherein the happiness of the saints
consists: "I am thy Shield" in this life, "and thy exceeding great
Reward" in the life to come (v. 1). For as Goodwin pointed out,
"Reward is after the finishing of work, and what is this reward but
the blessedness of Heaven? Christ Himself says no other, nor no more,
of it, `The Lord is the portion of Mine inheritance.' For the joy that
was set before Him, He endured the Cross knowing that `in Thy presence
is fullness of joy.'" Second, God informed him what the condition of
his soul should be: "thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace" (v. 15).
No wonder Balaam said, "Let me die the death of the righteous, and let
my last end be like his" (Num. 23:10).
What a blessed declaration is this: "Precious in the sight of the LORD
is the death of His saints" (Ps. 116:15)--then certainly it ought not
to be dreadful in theirs! That verse presents an aspect of our subject
which is all too little considered by Christians. They look at it, as
at most other things, too much from the human angle--but here we have
what may be termed the Godward side of a believer's death--it is
precious in His sight! The Hebrew word yaqar is rendered "costly" in 1
Kings 5:17, "honourable" in Psalm 45:9, "excellent" in Psalm 36:7. It
occurs again in "precious stones" (1 Kings 10:10), yea, is used of
Christ Himself--"a precious Cornerstone." Whatever form it takes, and
no matter what be the attendant circumstances, such is the death of
His people unto the Lord: an honourable, costly, excellent, precious
thing. Note well the words, "in the sight of the LORD": His eyes are
fixed upon them in a peculiar and special manner. Their death is
precious unto Him because it releases them from sin and sorrow,
because it is sanctified by His own death for them, because it is a
taking unto His immediate presence those upon whom He set His heart
from all eternity, because they are the trophies of His own victory,
and because they then "enter into the joy of their Lord."
In the closing verses of 1 Corinthians 3 a number of things are
mentioned as pertaining to God's children: "all things are yours:
whether Paul or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death,
or things present, or things to come; all are yours." Those words were
first addressed to shame some who sought pre-eminence in the house of
God and whose affections were too much set upon things on the earth;
yet they are full of instruction and comfort for us today. The
ministry of God's servants, the things God has provided for us in the
world, life or death, are equally ours. Death is ours not by way of
punishment and curse, but as a privilege and blessing. It is ours not
as an enemy, but as a friend. It is our conquered foe, and is not to
be feared, for it has neither strength nor sting to harm us: Christ,
our victorious Captain, has disarmed it of both--"He hath abolished
[rendered null and void] death" (2 Tim. 1:10). Life and death are
administered by God so as to fulfil His gracious designs unto His
people. Death is theirs because they share in Christ's triumphs over
it, because it furthers their interests and ministers to their
wellbeing, because it is a means of their inexpressible advantage,
removing them from a world of ills, conducting them into a world of
glory and bliss.
What a word is this: "And I heard a voice from Heaven, saying unto me,
Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth:
Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and
their works do follow them" (Rev. 14:13). Here was a special and
immediate revelation from Heaven. It was to be placed upon
imperishable record for the comfort of believers to the end of time.
"Blessed are the dead": pronounced so by God, happy in themselves. Not
"blessed shall they be," at the resurrection morning, though that will
be their case; but "blessed are" they at the moment. Why? Because they
"die in the Lord": whether conscious of the fact or not, they die in
union and communion with Him, His smile of approbation resting upon
them. To die in the Lord is "to die in the favour of God, in a state
of peace with Him as members of His mystical body" (Thomas Manton).
But more: they are blessed "from henceforth," without delay or
cessation, which at once gives the lie to their lapsing into a state
of entire unconsciousness. "Yea, saith the Spirit." Here is solemn
confirmation: the Holy Spirit maketh affidavit" (Manton). They "rest
from their labours": not only the toils of their temporal callings,
but their conflicts with sin. "And their works do follow them": we
carry nothing out of the world with us but the conscience and comfort
of what we have done for God" (Manton).
We continue by borrowing a few thoughts (though clothing them mostly
in our own language) from Boston's counsels on why a Christian should
be reconciled to death, and then how to prepare for it. Some dread the
prospect of leaving behind their wives and children in this cold
world: yet they have a reliable Guardian to commit them unto. Says He,
"Leave thy fatherless children: I will preserve them alive, and let
thy widows trust in Me" (Jer. 49:11). But death will remove me from my
dearest friends! True, yet it will conduct you unto your best Friend;
and if those you leave are God's children, you will meet them again in
Heaven. But the approach and pains of death are sometimes very
dreadful! Not nearly so terrible as pangs of conscience caused by
apprehensions of Divine wrath--remember that each pang of bodily
disease brings you a step nearer unto a soul made every whit whole.
But I am naturally timorous, and the very thoughts of death alarm me!
Then familiarize yourself with it by frequent meditations thereon, and
especially view the bright side of the cloud, and by faith look beyond
it.
That there may be a readier disposition of heart and preparedness of
mind, make it your care to "have always a conscience void of offense
toward God and men" (Acts 24:16). Walk closely with God, maintain a
diligent and strict course in the way of His precepts; and because of
the infirmities which cleave to us in this present state, renew your
repentance daily and be ever washing in that Fountain which has been
opened for sin and for uncleanness. Be constantly engaged in weaning
your heart from this world. Let the mantle of earthly enjoyments hang
loosely upon you, that it may be easily dropped when the summons comes
to depart for Heaven. Set your affections, more and more, upon things
above, and pass through this wilderness scene as a stranger and
pilgrim. We are ready for Heaven when our heart is there before us
(Mathew 6:21). Be diligent in laying up evidences of your title to
Heaven, for the neglect of so doing renders uncomfortable the dying
pillar of many a Christian. Grieve not the Holy Spirit, so that He
will bear witness with your spirit that you are a child of God (Rom.
8:16).
Though our specific subject is that revelation with which God favors
His people in Heaven, yet because the great majority of them pass
thereto through the door of death, and since quite a number of our
readers have been denied the comforting teaching of Scripture thereon,
we have taken the opportunity to write upon the same. We come now to
consider some of the accompaniments of a Christian's death.
Among these, first place must be given unto the presence of the Lord
with him at that time. While it is blessedly true that He never leaves
nor forsakes them, being with them "alway" (Matthew 28:20), yet He is
with them in a special manner at certain crucial times. This idea
seems to be clearly borne out by the statement that God is "a very
present help in trouble" (Ps. 46:1), as though He draws nearest of all
to us in the seasons of acutest need. Do we not have an illustration
and example of that fact when the three Hebrews were cast alive into
Babylon's furnace, and the king beheld Another walking with them in
the midst of the fire? "And the form of the fourth is like the Son of
God" said he (Dan. 3:25).
Again--has not the Lord declared, "Fear not, for I have redeemed thee,
I have called thee by thy name: thou art Mine. When thou passest
through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they
shall not overflow thee" (Isa. 43:1, 2). How blessedly that was
demonstrated at the Red Sea, where God so gloriously showed Himself
strong on behalf of His people; and again at the Jordan, which was
more definitely a figure of the safe passage of believers through
death. Was not the passing of Israel dry shod through Jordan into
Canaan a blessed adumbration of the saints' harmless exit from this
world and entrance into their everlasting inheritance? As Jehovah
manifested Himself most conspicuously on those occasions, so-- whether
perceived by them or not--He is, in a most particular sense, present
with His beloved ones as they walk through the valley of the shadow of
death. Said the Psalmist, "I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me:
Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me" (Ps. 23:4). Thy rod and Thy
staff: "by which Thou governs and rules Thy flock--the emblems of Thy
sovereignty and of Thy gracious care" (Spurgeon).
The meaning of those figures is plain: it is by His Word and Spirit
that the good Shepherd governs and cares for His sheep, and is their
"comfort" in the hour of their supreme crisis. That the believer is
granted a special supply of the Divine Comforter at that hour can
scarcely be doubted. "The Spirit was given us for that purpose, as a
brother is said to be `born for adversity' (Prov. 17:17). Certainly He
who was given for a comfort to you all through your life long, and has
delivered you out of all your distresses and fears, will carry you
through this; and though your heart should for a while fail you,
together with your flesh, yet God and His Spirit will not fail you
(Ps. 73:26). The interest of the Spirit's own glory moves Him. No
captain rejoices more to bring his vessel home into harbor, after he
has sailed it safely through so many storms, than the Holy Spirit
rejoices to bring a soul He has wrought upon and who was committed to
His trust, safe to Heaven" (Thomas Goodwin). Let it be noted that "the
supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ" is given not only in life but
also in death (Phil. 1:19, 20)!
2. The soul is rid of sin. There shall in no wise enter into the new
Jerusalem "any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh
abomination" (Rev. 21:27). No serpent shall find admittance into the
celestial paradise, nor will any who are still polluted by him. Not
only the holiness of God, but the happiness of the saints also require
that they be freed from all evil ere they enter Heaven, or otherwise
their bliss would be marred. Their communion with and delighting
themselves in the Lord is hindered down here by the sin which still
cleaves to them. From the moment of the new birth until the moment a
regenerated person leaves this world, "the flesh lusteth against the
spirit and the spirit against the flesh," and since those two
principles of action are "contrary the one to the other" it follows
that he "cannot do the things that he would" (Gal. 5:17), and daily
has he occasion to lament, "O wretched man that I am." Even when the
power of God subdues the ragings of sin within His children, they are
not delivered from its inbeing. But when the Divine summons to the
soul comes to depart hence, it is entirely delivered from inbred
corruption. The conflict is then ended; the victory over sin is
complete. No propensity to evil remains, no guilt of conscience or
defilement shall ever again be contracted.
"Although the whole troop of evils, like the army of Egypt, will
pursue me (as it did Israel) to the borders of the sea, death ends the
warfare--`The Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them
again no more forever' (Ex. 14:13). O the inconceivable blessedness
which immediately opens at death to every redeemed and regenerated
child of God!" (Robert Hawker). Yet it is not death itself which
effects this blessed purification of the soul. That is evident not
only from the cases of Enoch and Elijah, who were caught up to Heaven
without dying, but of those saints, too, who will be alive on earth at
the personal return of Christ (1 Cor. 15:51; 1 Thess. 4:17). No, it is
produced by the supernatural operation of God. It is the Lord Himself
fitting His "temple" (2 Cor. 6:16) for His fuller and final
possession. It is to be noted that Christ cleansed the temple at
Jerusalem twice: at the beginning of His ministry (John 2:15-17) and
again near the close thereof (Luke 19:45), which adumbrated His
twofold cleansing of the hearts of His redeemed. At conversion they
are purged from the love, the guilt, and the dominion of sin; at death
they are delivered from its very inbeing and presence.
3. Enlarging of their faculties. We regard that expression, "the
spirits of just men made perfect" (Heb. 12:23), as denoting not only
their being purged of all evil and misery, but also of their being
capacitated to take in immeasurably more good and happiness than ever
they did previously. Sin has not only greatly impaired the vitality
and functions of the body, but it has considerably injured the health
and defiled and limited the faculties of the soul; and therefore the
latter will experience a grand elevation when rid of the incubus of
sin. As the resurrected body will be possessed of powers far
transcending its present ones, so when the soul is glorified its
faculties will be much greater--the understanding no longer beclouded,
the affections purified, the will emancipated. In its present state
the soul, even when engaged in spiritual acts, is sadly cramped and
hampered, but upon its dismissing from the body, the Holy Spirit will
strengthen, enlarge, and elevate the faculties of the soul, raising
them up to a suitability and harmony with their new life in Heaven.
Then will the believer know even as he is known (1 Cor. 13:12).
It was, we believe, to this gracious operation of the Spirit that
David referred in Psalm 23:5, where, after describing his passage
through the valley of the shadow of death and before mentioning his
dwelling in the house of the Lord forever, he declared: "Thou
anointest my head with oil: my cup runneth over." In Old Testament
typology "oil" was the outstanding type of the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 John
2:27), and as the Lord Jesus was anointed by the Spirit at the
beginning of His ministry (Acts 10:3 8) and again at the completion of
it (Ps. 45:7; Acts 2:33), so the believer is anointed by Him first at
conversion (2 Cor. 1:21, 22) and then receives a fuller infusion of
Him at death. Then it is that mortality is "swallowed up of life" (2
Cor. 5:4)-words which are "as applicable unto the condition of the
soul then, as at the resurrection they are applicable to the condition
of the body" (Thomas Goodwin). As that eminent expositor pointed out:
"In 1 Corinthians 15, where the change of the body is insisted on,
Paul says, `this mortal shall put on immortality; this corruptible,
incoruption,' but here he says `swallowed up of life,' which is the
proper happiness of the soul." We will condense below the rest of his
remarks thereon.
"Though the soul in the substance of it be immortal, yet take the
condition of life which it now leads and it may be most truly said to
have a `mortality' adhering to it, yea, inhering in it as the adjunct
of it. There is a mortal state the person is in. There is an animal
life, as one calls it; there is a dying life, a life of death, in
which as to a great part the soul now lives; and it is this present
state, or this dying life of the soul, which causes believers to
`groan, being burdened,' and which the Apostle here terms `mortality,'
but which he assures us will, at its dismissal from the body, be
`swallowed up of life'--that which is life only, and only deserves the
name of life: the true and eternal life, life indeed. For what is
life? `This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true
God and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent' (John 17:3). It is a
peculiar life of living in God, as knowing Him and seeing Him face to
face." The soul which hitherto had been so trammeled by sin shall then
be taken into a life so rich, so full, so overflowing with abundance,
as to rid it in a moment of all misery and imperfection, freeing and
perfecting all its faculties.
4. Perfuming of their persons. This too is intimated in Psalm 23, a
part of which we have somewhat anticipated. It seems to us that each
experience described in verses 4-6 receives a general fulfillment
throughout the life of a saint, and a particular one at his death.
Thus, "though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death" well
expresses his journey through the wilderness, for though men term this
world, "the land of the living," it would be far more accurate to
designate it "the land of the dying." The shadow of the grave is cast
heavily across it; nevertheless, such language also suitably describes
the believer's passage through the article of death. "I will fear no
evil": why should he? A "valley," in contrast with a "mountain,"
suggests easy travel, and a "shadow" cannot harm him! Moreover, the
"shadow" necessarily presupposes the presence of light. Unbelief may
talk of "the dark valley of death"--not so David. It was far otherwise
with him: the Light of life (John 8:12) was there, as his words
acknowledge: "for Thou art with me"--to support, to guard, to comfort,
to rejoice. "With me" now in a peculiarly intimate and special way.
The One present was Jehovah, whom David knew and owned as "my
Shepherd" in the opening verse. But observe a striking alteration in
his language in the latter part of the Psalm. In the first three
verses all the pronouns referring to the Lord are in the third person:
"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me. He
restoreth my soul." But in the last three verses David changes to the
second person: "Thou art with me. Thy rod [not "His" rod] and Thy
staff. Thou preparest a table before me, Thou anointest my head." Why
the variation? Ah, there is something inexpressibly blessed in that
change. During life the believer speaks of the Lord--"He leadeth me";
but as he enters the valley of the shadow he speaks to the Lord, for
He is there by his side! How much we miss through our careless and
hurried reading of God's Word! How we need to weigh and ponder every
jot and tittle in it. Sometimes the tense of the verb, at others the
number of the noun marks that which is most important for us to
observe; here the change of pronouns brings out a precious line of
truth.
Having acknowledged the presence of the good Shepherd in the valley
and the comfort derived from His gracious care, the Psalmist next went
on to say: "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine
enemies." In Scripture, the "table" always speaks of fellowship, and
that of the most intimate kind (Luke 22:21), and here it tells of the
Lord's communion with the dying saint, and the loving and full
provision He has made to supply his every need. His "enemies" may
refer to the forces of evil, who would make their final assault upon
him if they could. But they are prevented from doing so, for God has
promised "the end of that man is peace" (Ps. 37:37). His enemies are
not only thwarted, but mocked by the Lord in this "table." Then as he
emerges from the valley, the believer exclaims, "Thou anointest my
head with oil"--as Moses did the heads of the priests as they were on
the point of entering upon their tabernacle privileges and duties (Ex.
28:41; 29:7), thereby preparing them for the presence of God. Thus the
Redeemer puts upon the soul His own blessed fragrance as it enters
into the courts above. Then David exultantly declared, "and I shall
dwell in the house of the LORD forever." Thus this remarkable Psalm
portrays the saint's happy life (vv. 1-3), comfortable death (vv. 4,
5), and blissful eternity (v. 6).
5. An angelic convoy. This is clear from our Lord's statement in Luke
16:22: "And it came to pass that the beggar died, and was carried by
the angels into Abraham's bosom." Abraham is the father of all them
that believe (Rom. 4:11), and is here shown to be in Paradise. His
"bosom" speaks of the place of peculiar privilege (John 1:18; 13:23):
the once-despised beggar, counted unworthy of a seat at the rich man's
table on earth, is accorded a position of honour on high--placed next
to the eminent Patriarch. The same gracious provision has God made for
the safe conduct of each of His people in their journey from earth to
Heaven: "He shalt give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in
all thy ways" (Ps. 91:11). Angelic ministry occupies, most probably, a
far more extensive place in the lives of believers than any of them
realize. "These encamp about them in the time of their life, and
surely will not depart in the day of their death. These happy
ministering spirits are attendants on the Lord's bride, and will
doubtless carry her safely home to His house. The Captain of the
saints' salvation is the Captain of this holy guard: He was their
Guide even unto death, and He will be their Guide through it, too"
(Thomas Boston).
What we are now considering presents another most blessed though
little-known contrast between the death of the righteous and the death
of the unrighteous. The souls of the former are carried to Heaven by
the holy angels, the souls of the latter are seized by demons and
taken to Hell. In Luke 12:20, Christ declared that God would say to
the rich boaster, "Thou fool, this night do they require thy soul"
(margin, and see Greek). Upon which, after affirming, "the devils take
others' souls away," Thomas Goodwin, the Puritan, asked: "Who are
they?" And his answer, "Hell is a prison (1 Pet. 3:19) and the judge
delivers to the officer, and the officer casts into prison (Luke
12:58). This `officer' is the Devil that hales souls to that prison."
In this convoy or guard of angels for the redeemed, saints are
conformed to their Head, when He was "carried up to Heaven" (Luke 24:5
1). "The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of
angels: The Lord is among them . . . Thou hast ascended on high" (Ps.
68:17, 18). "Angels were the chariots in which Christ rode, and these
the guard that attends believers" (Gill). Thus, the soul of the saint
is conducted in state from his earthly house to his heavenly abode.
Immediately after death, without any interval of waiting either long
or short, the ransomed soul is inducted into Paradise. The heir of
glory enters at once upon his eternal inheritance: "absent from the
body, present with the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:8). This needs emphasizing in
certain quarters, where the idea seems to obtain that the
glorification of the saint's soul awaits the time of the glorification
of his body. We do not like to see Protestants employing the term
"intermediate state" (in contrast with "the eternal state"), for it
savors too much of the imaginary "Limbo" of the Romanists; greatly
preferring the "disembodied" and the "resurrection state." Immediately
at death spirits of just men are "made perfect" in knowledge, in
holiness, in blessedness. Mortality is then "swallowed up of life": as
Goodwin expressed it, the soul "is now all life and joy in God the
Fountain of life." As we shall seek to show, the request of Christ in
John 17:24, receives its fulfillment in the experience of His redeemed
as soon as they leave this earth--the beatific vision is then theirs.
In the very moment of his dismissal from the body, the Saviour
receives His redeemed into the actual possession of that eternal
heritage which He has purchased for them. It was this reception for
which the expiring Stephen made request when he said, "Lord Jesus
receive my spirit" (Acts 7:59), and as Thomas Goodwin pointed out: "He
not only receives it into His own bosom, but He brings it to God and
presents it to Him with a joy infinitely more abounding than can be in
us. Then it is that Christ is glorified and rejoices in us, and so we
may be said rather to die to the Lord and His interest than to ours."
Then it is that He "sees of the travail of His soul and is satisfied."
While at a later date Christ will present the entire company of His
people to Himself a glorious Church, "not having spot or wrinkle, or
any such thing" (Eph. 5:27), yet He does so to each individual member
of it at death, as His words to the dying thief clearly implied. Oh,
what praise is due unto Him for having extracted the sting from death
and robbed it of all its terrors! What cause have we to exclaim,
"Thanks be unto God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ!"
What has been before us should surely make it easier to bear the
trials through which a Christian may now be passing: at longest they
are but for a moment in comparison with the eternity of bliss awaiting
him. How faith should feed upon and hope anticipate the same! With
what contentment should such a prospect fill us! What little reason
have we to envy the deluded worshippers of Mammon, even though such
now be clothed in purple and fine linen and fare sumptuously every
day. How the contemplation of what God has prepared for them that love
Him should wean their hearts from the perishing baubles of this world.
How the certainty of being "with Christ" forever should make them
desire to depart from this scene. How the knowledge that at death they
will be forever done with sin and sorrow should make them willing to
die. Why should any believer be reluctant to long to go unto the
eternal Lover of his soul, especially when he learns from Scripture
what full provision God has made for his passage to Him and that it is
an easy and pleasant one? Oh, that all our ambitions and longings may
be swallowed up in that of the Psalmist's: "One thing have I desired
of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of
the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD"
(27:4).
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A. W. Pink Header
THE DOCTRINE OF REVELATION
Chapter 19
REVELATION IN GLORY
THE STATE OF SAINTS IN GLORY
_________________________________________________________________
We have shown that there is a real and radical difference between the
death of a believer and that of an unbeliever, and having contemplated
some of the accompaniments of a Christian's departure from this world
we are now ready to consider how he exists in the disembodied state.
It is not to be wondered at that the unregenerate should be thoroughly
befogged at this point, for they are so materialistic that they find
it very difficult to form a definite concept of anything that is
incorporeal and intangible. But those who, by God's grace, enjoy a
real communion with Him who is "Spirit" (John 4:24), ought not to
flounder on this matter, for they have proved by experience how much
more important is the soul than the body, and how infinitely more real
and satisfying are spiritual objects than the perishing things of time
and sense. So far from regarding his soul as a mysterious, nebulous
and indefinable thing, the believer looks upon it as a living,
intelligent, sentient being--his real self We should view a
disembodied soul as one which has cast off its earthly clothing and is
now appareled in a garment of light, or, to use the language of
Scripture, "clothed in white raiment" (Rev. 3:5; 4:4).
At death the soul of the saint is freed from all the limitations which
sin had imposed upon it, and its faculties are then not only purified,
but elevated and enlarged. It will be like a chrysalis emerging from
its cramped condition, or a bird liberated from a cage, now free to
spread its wings and soar aloft. It is true the body is a component
part of man's complex being, yet we must endeavour to view it in a due
proportion. Which is the more important: the tenant or his tenement,
the individual or the tent in which he resides? It must be borne in
mind that the soul derives not its powers from the body. That is clear
from the Divine account of man's creation: after his body had been
formed, and as a separate act, God "breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life, and the man became a living soul" (Genesis 2:7). The
mind is the noblest part of our being, and therefore it must find
exercise and satisfaction in the disembodied state, otherwise we
should not be "blessed" or happy (Rev. 14:13) immediately after death.
"It is the mind maketh the man; it is our preferment above the beasts
that God hath given us a mind to know Him" (Thomas Manton).
"The soul can and does operate without the use of bodily organs in its
present state, and in many things stands in no need of them. The
rational soul thinks, reasons and discourses without the use of them.
Its powers and faculties need them not: the will is directed and
guided by the understanding; and the understanding has to do with
objects in the consideration of which bodily organs are in no way
assisting. As in the consideration of God, His nature and perfections;
of angels and their nature; and of a man's own spirit, and the things
of it--it penetrates into without the help of any of the instruments
of the body. It can consider of things past long ago, and of things
very remote and at a great distance; and such objects as are presented
to it by the senses, it reasons about them without making use of any
of the organs of the body. And if it can operate without the body, it
can exist without it; for since it is independent of it in its
operations, it is independent of it in its being. Since it can exist
without it, it can act in that separate state of existence without it.
Wherefore since it dies not with the body, it is not affected as to
its operations, by the absence of it, nor at death becomes insensible
as that is" (John Gill).
Yet, obvious as is what has been pointed out above, the majority of
Christians seem to suppose that it is impossible for us to form any
definite ideas of what it is to be disembodied, or of that state into
which the saint enters at death, or of what the medium is by which he
will know, enjoy, and have fellowship with the Lord in that state.
While they remain content with such slothful ignorance, it is not to
be expected that any further light will be vouchsafed them--"According
to your faith be it unto you" (Matthew 9:29) holds good at this point
as much as it does anywhere else. Not a curious and unbridled
imagination, but a Scripturally informed and regulated faith ever has
to do with God and His written Word. If His Word be searched
prayerfully, diligently and expectantly for Divine instruction on
these things it will not be confused. From some of the accounts given
in the sacred volume we may gather some real apprehensions on these
subjects, yea, much more than is generally attended to. To these
accounts we shall now turn.
The case of those servants of God who were favored with ecstatic
raptures and supernatural visions while their bodies were inactive and
senseless shows most clearly that the soul can function without any
assistance from the body. Micaiah said unto the king of Israel, "I saw
the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of Heaven standing by
Him, on His right hand and on His left" (1 Kings 22:19). Though the
Prophet was in the body, it was not with his natural eyes that he
gazed upon such a scene as that. Again, a similar sight was granted
Isaiah, and in addition he listened to the very words of the seraphim
as they cried unto one another, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of
hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory" (Isa. 6:1-5), and yet the
eyes and ears of his body could no more have "seen the King, the LORD
of hosts," nor heard those acclamations of Divine homage than could
those of our bodies lying cold in death. God is Spirit, incorporeal:
and His ineffable glory cannot be seen by the corporeal senses of any
creature: it was therefore a visionary representation which was made
to the spirit of His messenger.
Ezekiel tells us while among the captives by the river of Chebar, "the
heavens were opened and I saw visions of God" (1:1). At the close of
the first chapter of his prophecy, he describes one of those celestial
revelations. He says, "And above the firmament that was over their
heads [i.e. the cherubim] was the likeness of a throne as the
appearance of a sapphire stone, and upon the likeness of the throne
was the likeness as the appearance of a Man above it. And I saw as the
colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from
the appearance of His loins even upward, and from the appearance of
His loins even downward, and I saw as it were the appearance of fire,
and it had brightness round about. As the appearance of the bow that
is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the
brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the
glory of the Lord" (vv. 26-28). From the words we have placed in
italics it is obvious that the Prophet was under the supernatural
influx of the Holy Spirit, and that his spiritual faculties were
granted a visionary sight of the Saviour before He became incarnate.
The experiences of Daniel also supply some illumination on the matter
we are now considering: the capabilities of the soul abstracted from
the body. First, he informs us: "I saw in the night visions. . . the
Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair
of His head like the pure wool. His throne was like the fiery flame
and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth
from before Him: thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten
thousand times ten thousand stood before Him" (7:7-10). "Then I lifted
up mine eyes and looked, and behold a certain Man clothed in linen,
whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz. His body also was
like the beryl and His face as the appearance of lightning, and His
eyes as lamps of fire, and His arms and His feet like in colour to
polished brass, and the voice of His words like the voice of a
multitude. And I Daniel alone saw the vision" (10:5-7). A sight of
Christ was there presented to the eyes of the Prophet's mind. They
were opened and raised to an extraordinary degree; and they were
closed again after the vision passed. His faculties were
supernaturally elevated, or he could not have seen Christ thus. He
tells us, "there remained no strength in me" (v. 8), so that he was in
the body. As his body did not prevent his seeing this vision, neither
will the absence of ours prevent us seeing Christ by sight and vision
of soul.
A very similar, though perhaps not identical, case is that of Peter,
of whom we read that, "he fell into a trance, and saw Heaven opened,
and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet
knit at the four comers, and let down to the earth; wherein were all
manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and
creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him,
Rise. Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord, for I have
never eaten anything that is common or unclean. And the voice spake
unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed call not thou
common. This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again
into Heaven" (Acts 10:10-16). The dictionary defines a trance as "a
state in which the soul appears to be absent from the body, as to be
rapt in vision," because at such a time, all the normal activities
(save that of the heart) and sensibilities of the body are suspended.
The most remarkable feature of this incident is that Peter was not
only able to see and hear, but also to reason and speak, to express
his religious prejudice--and his, "Not so, Lord," demonstrates that
sin has defiled our inner being, and that the soul needs to be
purified before it can be admitted into the immediate presence of God
on high.
Still more pertinent is the case of the Apostle Paul. In 2 Corinthians
12 he relates an extraordinary experience with which God had favored
him. He declares, "I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years, ago,
(whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I
cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I
cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise and
heard unspeakable words which it is not lawful [or "possible"--margin]
for a man to utter," and this he recites as an illustration of
"visions and revelations of the Lord" (vv. 1-4). It is remarkable that
twice over in those verses, the Apostle should register his inability
to determine whether or not he was in the body at the time he was
translated to Heaven and heard and saw such wondrous things. If the
soul were incapable of recognizing objects when it is detached from
the body, then most assuredly Paul had never been at any such loss as
he here mentions. From the language employed it is clear that the soul
is capable of attending to the most important and blessed things of
all when it is out of the body, and thus that death will not deprive
it of its capabilities and sensibilities.
Finally, the experience which the beloved John had in the Isle of
Patmos supplies us with further help on this point. He, too, was
favored with a vision of Christ, an account of which he gives in the
first chapter of the Revelation, and the effect which it had upon him.
The glorious form of the Saviour shone forth before him beyond what it
did on the mount of transfiguration. The splendor of it was more than
the Apostle could bear in his embodied state--"when I saw Him, I fell
at His feet as dead" (v. 17). He described how the Lord Jesus acted
toward him and what He said to him: "And He laid His right hand upon
me, saying unto me, Fear not" (v. 17). He tells us that immediately
prior to this supernatural experience, "I was in the spirit" (v. 10),
or, more literally, "I became in spirit": that is, he passed out of
the condition of normal human consciousness into the supernormal. The
same expression occurs again in Revelation 4:2, "I became in spirit
and, behold, a throne was set in Heaven": he was elevated to a new
mode of consciousness and sphere of existence--in which mortal
imperfections had no place--in which all bodily activities and
sensations were completely suspended, and in which the soul was wholly
under a Divine influence, entirely abstracted from all corporeal
things, being fully controlled by the spirit.
It appears to the writer that from the accounts cited above, from both
the Old and New Testaments, we may form some real, definite, and
spiritual conceptions concerning the saints in their disembodied
state. The soul will be detached from all occupation with natural
things and entirely fixed upon Divine objects. The mind or spirit will
be lifted above the natural or mortal state and be illumined and
engaged with supernatural things. As those saints were favored with
visions of Christ while in their bodies, yet their bodies were of no
use to them at the time, so all of the redeemed when dismissed from
their bodies are granted a view of Christ for which their physical
senses are not needed--such a complete and immediate view of Him as
fills them with admiration and adoration. If it be asked what will be
the medium by which disembodied believers will know, enjoy and have
fellowship with the Lord, the answer is furnished by, "Now we see in a
mirror [American R.V.] obscurely, but then face to face" (1 Cor.
13:12). The "mirror" is the Word (Jam. 1:23-25) and the medium of
perception is faith; but in Heaven the soul will have an unobscured
sight of Christ and the whole invisible world will be opened, so that
we shall see as we are seen or "know as we are known," by means of
intuitional light and knowledge, crystal-clear intellectual and
spiritual views of Christ and the Father in Him, by the indwelling
Holy Spirit.
At the separation of the soul from the body it, or better he or she,
enters into a state of which he has had no previous experience, yet
the anticipation of the same should not occasion the slightest
uneasiness--for Christ Himself passed out of the world and entered
that state the same way. It is no untrodden path, for thousands of
God's people have already gone over it. Immediately upon its dismissal
from the body, such a change passes upon the soul that regeneration is
then completed by being instantaneously and forever delivered from the
whole being of sin and death. As we cannot enter Christ's spiritual
kingdom of grace except by the new birth and a translation out of
darkness into His marvelous light, neither can any of His redeemed
(prior to His second coming) enter the kingdom of Christ's glory save
by death. At that moment mortality is swallowed up of life. While
death will bring a great difference in me, it will make none in my
Saviour to me. "For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and
whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or
die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ both died, and rose,
and revived, that He might be Lord both of the dead and living" (Rom.
14:8, 9). While I am in the body Christ ministers to me and supplies
my every need, and when He summons me to leave the body, that will
afford Him opportunity to express His love to me in a new way,
introducing me into Heaven, there to behold His glory.
Luke 16:9 represents another aspect of the experience of saints upon
their leaving of this scene. "And I say unto you, Make to yourselves
friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, that, when ye fail, they may
receive you into everlasting." As Goodwin remarked, "Those everlasting
habitations there mentioned are in Heaven, where there are many
mansions." This verse is part of the parable of "the unjust steward,"
and here the Lord made a practical application of the same. He bids
His disciples emulate the wisdom (though not the wickedness) of him
who has an eye to the future. The "mammon of unrighteousness" is the
coinage of this world, in contrast with the "true riches" of the
Spirit. The saints are to expend their earthly means, however small,
in works of piety and charity, and thereby "make to themselves
friends." "Our Lord here exhorts us to provide for ourselves a
comfortable reception to the happiness of another world, by making
good use of our possessions and enjoyments in this world" (Manton).
The soul's passage out of this life is termed a "failing"--of the
body--and its entrance on high as a being welcomed home by those to
whom he had ministered upon earth. "The poor saints that are gone
before to glory receive them that in this world distributed to their
necessities" (Matthew Henry).
The above verse is one of several which makes it clear that there will
be the personal recognition of the saints in the next life. The
question was asked Luther a little while before his death whether we
should know one another in the other world, to which he answered by
observing the case of Adam, who knew Eve to be flesh of his flesh and
bone of his bone whom he had never seen before. "How did he know
this," asked Luther, "but by the Spirit of God, by revelation?" And
then he said, "so shall we know parents, wives and children in the
other world, and that more perfectly." To which we may add, How
otherwise can those of whose conversion and edification
Gospel-ministers have been the instruments be their "joy and crown of
rejoicing" in the day to come (1 Thess. 2:19) unless the one is able
to identify the other? A further hint on the subject is supplied by
the Apostles knowing Moses and Elijah on the mount, for they had never
beheld them previously nor seen any statue or picture of them, for
such was not allowed among the Jews.
It has long been our conviction that the glorious scene which the
three Apostles witnessed on the holy mount was designed (among other
ends) to furnish us with a glimpse of the blessed condition and
delight of the glorified So ravished was Peter by the sight that he
exclaimed: "Lord, it is good for us to be here" (Matthew 17:4), and
would fain have remained there. As Manton said: "So was he affected
with joy in the presence and company of Christ, and Moses and Elijah
appearing with Him, that all his natural comforts and relations were
forgotten." They were granted a foretaste of the life to come, for
those who enter that blessed state will never desire to come out of
it. The account of the transfiguration is prefaced by the statement:
"And after six days" (Mathew 17:1) and, "It came to pass about an
eight days after" (Luke 9:28): thus it was a seventh day (the perfect
number!) event--a foreshadowing of the eternal Sabbath. The central
figure was Christ Himself in resplendent glory. Talking with Him were
Moses and Elijah: the one who had survived death, the other who had
never expired--types of those saints alive on earth at Christ's second
coming.
Not only does the above incident teach us that the departed saints
preserve their individual identities and are recognizable, but the
fact that the Apostles were permitted to see them, and to hear their
discourse with Christ intimates that the society of saints is a part
of Heaven's blessedness, and that the Old Testament saints
(represented by Moses and Elijah) and those of the New (the Apostles)
are all together with Christ. Is not the same fact indicated by our
Lord's words, "I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and
west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the
kingdom of Heaven" (Matthew 8:11)? Still another passage which
witnesses to the truth that the company of the redeemed and our
fellowship with them is an adjunct of Heaven's blessedness is Hebrews
12:22, 23, where among other privileges we are said to have come to
"the spirits of just men made perfect." That same passage also makes
mention of "an innumerable company of angels." If the Bethlehem
shepherds were filled with joy as they heard the heavenly hosts
praising God, what delight will it give us to mingle our voices with
the angelic choirs! Yet these things are but secondary, for as
Rutherford well said: "The Lamb is all the glory in Immanuel's land,"
or, as Matthew 17 shows us, Moses and Elijah soon faded from the
Apostles' view, and they "saw no man save Jesus only" (v. 8)!
Though God has not given us the Scriptures in order to gratify an idle
carnal curiosity, it has pleased Him graciously to reveal sufficient
in them to satisfy the spiritual aspirations and expectations of His
people concerning the life to come. Nevertheless, it is neither the
prayerless nor the indolent who apprehend and enjoy much therein. We
have shown from the Word of Truth that the saint dies in union and
communion with the Lord, that an angelic guard of protection and
honour conducts him to the Father's House on high, that he is there
greeted by those believers whom he had befriended upon earth and who
have entered before him into their inheritance, and that Christ
Himself receives him and presents him faultless before the throne of
His glory with exceeding joy. We have seen that the company of the
redeemed and our fellowship with them, yes, and with the holy angels
also, constitutes a part of Heaven's blessedness, yet that such
privileges are entirely subordinate to the blissful communion we shall
have with Christ Himself. The supreme and climacteric joy will be
found in that One who occupies both the central and supreme throne in
Heaven. Nor would any saint have it otherwise. Christ is the One who
loved him and gave Himself for him, and therefore He is not only his
Saviour, his Beloved, but his "All" (Col. 3:11).
Well might the Psalmist, under the Spirit of inspiration, exclaim: "O
how great is Thy goodness which Thou hast laid up for them that fear
Thee, which Thou hast wrought for them that trust in Thee" (Ps.
31:19). A part of that which God, in His eternal purpose, designed for
His people is entered into and enjoyed by them during their earthly
pilgrimage; but far more is "laid up for them" for their eternal
felicity. The good or best wine is reserved for the end--for the
marriage feast (John 2:l0)--and its inexpressible excellence is
indicated by the, "O how great!" Then it is that we shall participate
in the consummation of God's "so great salvation": we shall be as
happy and as blessed as it is possible for creatures to be. "They
shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Thy house, and Thou
shalt make them drink of the river of Thy pleasures. For with Thee is
the fountain of life: in Thy light shall we see light" (Ps. 36:8, 9).
It is blessed to note that in the Hebrew word for "pleasures," there
is the plural of "Eden." As Home said: "In Heaven alone the thirst of
an immortal soul after happiness can be satisfied. There the streams
of Eden will flow again." To drink of that "river" (cf. Rev. 22:1) we
understand to signify to be favored with an unclouded knowledge of God
and a pure affection to Him.
There are two of the Divine titles which ought to appeal particularly
unto believers: "the God of all grace" (1 Pet. 5:10) and "the God of
glory" (Ps. 29:3). The former is much the better known one, yet it is
the latter which receives the most prominence in Scripture. There we
read of "the Father of glory" (Eph. 1:17), while the Son is styled
"the King of glory" (Ps. 24:7), and "the Lord of glory" (1 Cor. 2:8),
and the Comforter is termed "the Spirit of glory" (1 Pet. 4:14). Those
appellations speak not only of what God is in Himself essentially, but
also of what He is in His relations and acts unto His dear people. As
S. E. Pierce pointed out, "the God of glory expresses what He hath
prepared for us, what He will bestow upon us, and what He will be to
us in the house eternal in the heavens." "Glory" imports an excellency
(Matthew 4:8), yea, a height of excellency (2 Pet. 1:17), and
therefore that place and state of blessedness into which believers
enter immediately after death, and into which their Forerunner was
"received," is designated "Glory" (1 Tim. 3:16). It is striking to
note that the Hebrew word (tabod) means both "weight" and "glory," as
though to tell us that what seems so nebulous unto men is that which
alone possesses substance and solidity--explaining the Apostle's
expression, "an exceeding weight of glory," in 2 Corinthians 4:17.
"Glory" is connected with that which is exceedingly lovely to look
upon, for when we read of "the glory of his countenance" (2 Cor. 3:7),
we know it was no ordinary beauty and radiance which illumined the
face of Moses when he came down from the mount, but one that was too
dazzling for the beholders to gaze upon, so that he had to cover it
with a veil (Ex. 34:35). So, too, Paul tells us that when the Saviour
appeared to him on the way to Damascus, "there shone from Heaven a
great light upon me." No ordinary light was it, for he added: "I could
not see for the glory of that light" (Acts 22:6, 11). Thus it is in
Heaven itself: the celestial city "had no need of the sun, neither of
the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God did lighten it, and the
Lamb is the light thereof" (Rev. 21:23). What then must be "the riches
of His glory" (Eph. 3:16)! During their sojourn here believers are
made partakers of "the riches of His grace" (Eph. 1:7), but in the
life to come God will "make known the riches of His glory on the
vessels of mercy, which He had afore prepared unto glory" (Rom. 9:23)
and they are "His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19).
That a revelation of God in Christ unto His saints in glory will
satisfy every longing of the renewed heart is implied in the request
of Philip, "show us the Father, and it sufficeth" (John 14:8), for
that is an indirect acknowledgment that there is such a sufficiency in
viewing Him as will be enough to completely content all the insatiable
desires of the soul. Three tenses are used in connection with the
saint's absorption with Christ's excellence. First, "we beheld His
glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth" (John 1:14), which is realized at our conversion, when a
supernatural revelation of Christ is made to the heart. Second, "But
we all, with open face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the
Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory as by the
Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18), which is a progressive experience
in the Christian's life, as by the exercise of faith upon the personal
and official perfections of Christ, as they are set forth in the
written Word and under the gracious agency of the Spirit, we are
transformed being assimilated to His holy image. Third, "Father, I
will that they also whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am:
that they may behold My glory" (John 17:24), which is realized when
they are removed from earth to Heaven.
We are, from our regeneration to our glorification, taking in Christ
into our renewed understanding. It is but little that we now apprehend
of Him, yet the least degree of spiritual apprehension of Him received
into our hearts from the Word of Truth renders Him more precious to us
than the gold of Ophir. Imperfect though it be, yet even in this life
the genuine Christian has a real and solid, convincing and affecting
knowledge of Christ. By the gracious operations of the Spirit, his
faith is called into exercise in such a manner that it obtains both
evidence and subsistence of the things of God in the soul (Heb. 11:1).
As the eye of the body conveys to the mind an image of the object
beheld, so faith (which is the eye of the soul) takes in a true
knowledge of Christ, so that He is "formed within" him (Gal. 4:19).
Thereby he procures as accurate a knowledge of His Person as he ever
will in Heaven. When the believer shall see Christ "face to face," it
will be identically the same Person he formerly beheld by faith,
through a mirror obscurely. It will be no stranger to whom he needs an
introduction that the believer will meet with on high, but One whom he
savingly knew here below, and with whom he enjoyed an all-too-brief,
yet real and precious, fellowship.
Let there be no mistake upon this point: in this life every born again
Christian experiences the truth of those words: "Whosoever drinketh of
the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that
I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into
everlasting life" (John 4:14). That does not mean he will not desire a
more complete knowledge of Christ, deeper draughts of His love,
sensible enjoyments of Him--but that a satisfying portion is now his.
He "thirsts" indeed, yet not for any other portion, but for larger
measures of it. He will never more be without that which will
abundantly meet his every longing. The saints in Heaven know more of
Christ, but they do not know Him more truly than they did on earth. By
the Spirit the mind is enlightened to receive the true and saving
knowledge of Christ, and we are brought to believe on Him with all our
hearts. By Him we are "given an understanding that we may know Him
that is true" (1 John 5:20). The Spirit is graciously pleased to
reveal Christ to us as He is set forth in the Word--nevertheless, each
of us yearns with Paul "that I may know Him"--more perfectly (Phil.
3:10).
Further and grander manifestations of God will be enjoyed by saints in
Heaven than on earth, yet this will be different only in degree, and
not in kind, from that which is vouchsafed His people in this life. It
will indeed immeasurably exceed in fullness and clarity anything which
they are now capable of enjoying, but for substance it will be the
same. Grace is glory in the bud; glory is grace in full fruition. The
good wine of the kingdom is sampled by them now, but their cup of
bliss will then be full to overflowing. Even here the Spirit shows us
"things to come" (John 16:13), but there we shall enter into the full
possession of them. That communion with Christ in glory which the
redeemed enjoy at present, those refreshings in which they participate
from the fountain of His love--are termed "the firstfruits of the
Spirit" (Rom. 8:23)--samples of the harvest of blessedness awaiting
them as a cluster of the luscious grapes of Canaan was brought to
Israel before they entered the Land (Num. 13:23). Such experiences are
also termed "the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts" (2 Cor. 1:22).
An "earnest" is a small token of the whole yet to come, a partial
payment of the thing itself; what we now enjoy is a foretaste of the
coming feast.
"The fullness of the felicity of Heaven may appear if we compare with
it the present joys and comforts of the Holy Spirit. Such they are as
that the Scripture styles them strong consolation (Heb. 6:18), full
joy (John 15:11), joy unspeakable and full of glory (1 Pet. 1:8),
abounding consolation (2 Cor. 1:5). And yet all the joy and peace that
believers are partakers of in this life is but as a drop in the ocean,
as a single cluster to the whole vintage, as the thyme or honey upon
the thigh of a bee to the whole hive fully fraught with it, or as the
break and peep of day to the bright noontide. And yet these tastes of
the water, wine, and honey of this celestial Canaan, with which the
Holy Spirit makes glad the hearts of believers, are far more desirable
and satisfactory than the overflowing streams of all earthly
felicities. And there are none who have once tasted of them, but say
as the Samaritan woman did: `Lord, give me that water, that I thirst
not, neither come hither to draw' (John 4:15). So also the first and
early dawnings of the heavenly light fill the soul with more serenity,
and ravish it with more pure joy, than the brightest sunshine of all
worldly splendour can ever do" (W. Spurstow, 1656).
To see God in His Word and works is the happiness of saints on earth;
but to see Him in Christ face to face will be the fullness of their
blessedness in Heaven. None can doubt that the Apostle Paul was
favored with the most intimate, exalted and frequent communion with
Christ down here; yet he declared that to depart and be with Him is
"far better" (Phil. 1:23). He did not say, "to depart and be in
Paradise," but "to be with Christ"! So again--"absent from the body,
present with the Lord"--not, "safe at home in Heaven." From earliest
times it was announced, "unto Him shall the gathering of the people
be" (Gen. 49:10). That receives a threefold fulfillment at least: at
conversion, when they are drawn to Him by the power of the Father
(John 6:44); in the assembly to worship Him by the power of the Spirit
(Matthew 18:20); at death or His return, when He brings them to
Himself on high. "My Beloved is gone down into His garden to gather
lilies" (Song. 6:2). Christ comes into His "garden" (the local church)
sometimes to plant new lilies, and at others to crop and gather old
ones, to remove them into His paradise ("garden") above. "Gather My
saints together unto Me, those that have made a covenant with Me by
sacrifice" (Ps. 50:5).
"Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me
where I am; that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me"
(John 17:24). Too many of our moderns would postpone the realization
of that request until the "Eternal State," but there is nothing in
Scripture which intimates that the saints will have to await the
resurrection morning ere they shall gaze upon their glorified Lord. It
should be quite clear to the reader from all that we have set before
him that the obscure, partial and transient enjoyment of Christ which
is his in this life is turned into a clear, full, perfect and
permanent enjoyment of Him immediately after death. The beatific
vision will then be his--designated such because, having been freed
from all the darkness and limitation which indwelling sin places upon
the soul, he will then be able to take in his full measure of bliss.
At first his vision of Christ will be wholly spiritual and
intellectual: after the resurrection it will be corporeal also. In
Heaven the Son will be seen in all the surpassing dignity and splendor
of His Person, His perfections shining forth in cloudless luster.
"Then how should believers long to be with Him! Most men need patience
to die; a believer should need patience to live!" (John Flavel).
On high the Christian will have an immediate, uninterrupted and
satisfying view of the Lord of glory. In Him the Incomprehensible
Three will be manifested in the uttermost display of Their
excellencies, before all the holy angels and saints. It is that which
will be the supreme blessedness of Heaven, and which each believer
shall forever behold, filling him with such concepts of the Divine
glory as he can never express. He will be eternally admiring the same,
rejoicing in it, having communion with God over it, praising Him for
it. The heart will then be everlastingly fixed upon Christ as its
Center. The glory of Christ is very dear unto the saints. They have a
spiritual perception of it now, but a far greater apprehension of it
will be theirs when they are removed from this vale of tears and are
"present with the Lord." Then shall they behold the King in His
beauty, and that supernatural sight shall be theirs forever. Paul
could go no higher than, "so shall we ever be with the Lord." Not
merely beholding His glory as spectators, but taken into intimate
fellowship with the same.
How overwhelming must be the first open sight of Christ! What will our
feelings be when, without any intervening medium, we shall behold the
Son of God? Who can fitly visualize our first meeting with the eternal
Lover of our souls? What stretch of imagination can comprehend the
experience of soul as we behold Him who is "altogether lovely"? No
doubt the Christian reader has, like this scribe, attempted to
anticipate those moments when he will first gaze upon that Blessed One
whose visage was (through pain and suffering) more marred than any
other's, but which now shines with a splendour exceeding that of the
mid-day sun, and which will beam with love as He welcomes to Himself
another of His redeemed. Doubtless, when we behold His glorified
humanity, which is personally united to the Divine nature, and is
exalted far above all principalities and powers, we shall be lost in
wonder, love and praise. If the wise men fell down and worshipped Him
when they saw Him as "a young child with Mary, His mother, in the
house," what will be our feelings when we see Him seated upon the
Father's throne? Such views shall we then have of His excellence as
will satiate our souls with holy admiration and joy inexpressible.
Our efforts to anticipate that blissful experience will be aided
somewhat if we bear in mind that we shall then be completely rid of
sin and that selfishness of character which mars even the regenerate
in this life. "Everything we now enjoy, though even of a spiritual
nature, is tinged with self If we contemplate the glories of God in
His trinity of Persons, as revealed us in Christ: if we feel our souls
going forth under the Divine leading of the Holy Spirit in sweet
communion with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ--if the soul
be led to bless God, when at any time receiving love-tokens of pardon,
consolation, strength, or any of the 10,000, times 10,000 marks of
grace, like the dew from Heaven, coming to us from the Lord--in all
these, self and self interest is mingled. But there is an infinitely
higher source of pure unmixed felicity, which the disembodied spirit
will immediately enter upon when all selfishness is lost in the love
of God" (Robert Hawker). There the soul will be lifted up above
itself, absorbed entirely with God in Christ, independent of what He
is to us and all that He has done for us.
Christ, the God-man Mediator, is the grand Center of Heaven's
blessedness and the all-engrossing Object of its inhabitants. "In the
midst of the throne, and of the four living creatures, and in the
midst of the elders, stood a Lamb, as it had been slain" (Rev. 5:6).
And the hosts surrounding Him sing: "Thou art worthy to receive
honour, and glory, and blessing" (vv. 11, 12). It is the contemplation
of this most glorious Christ which will constitute the holiness and
happiness of the saints for all eternity. To behold His beauty will be
infinitely more than all the benefits we derive from Him. Our refined
and enlarged intellectual and spiritual faculties will be so engaged
with and exercised upon Him that it will be impossible for us to fall
again into sin. In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead
personally. In and through Him the Triune God is displayed before
elect angels and saints, reflecting on them the full blaze of the
Divine perfections. It is a Christ who is "The brightness [effulgence]
of God's glory" (Heb. 1:3) that we shall forever enjoy. Christ is the
Medium and Mirror in which the redeemed shall see God. "In Him we
shall behold the manifestation of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, as
far as the invisibility of the Divine essence can admit of revelation"
(Robert Hawker), and so far as finite creatures will be capable of
apprehending it.
As all the glory of the sun is inherent in itself and is only apparent
in the object it shines upon, so all the glory of Heaven centers in
Christ and is treasured up in Him for them--as all grace is (2 Tim. 2:
1)--and He imparts it unto them. Our blessedness in Heaven will not be
independent of the Lord, but conveyed to us out of His fullness.
"Christ's glory, as the God-man, is that of the Godhead dwelling
personally in Him. That glory is founded upon the union of the human
nature with the nature of God. This glory breaks forth and shines
through His human nature, as if the sun were encompassed with a case
of clear crystal--how glorious would that crystal be!" (Goodwin).
Christ's glory is so inherently and essentially in Himself that He is
designated "the Lord of glory," and His ineffable beauty will be so
beheld by us as to be reflected upon us, as the countenance of Moses
shone with a more-than-natural light after his communion with Jehovah.
Christ has indeed an incommunicable glory, yet according to our
capacity we shall be partakers of the glory which the Father has
"given" Him (John 17:22).
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THE DOCTRINE OF REVELATION
Chapter 20
REVELATION IN GLORY
CONCLUSION
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The glorification of the saint commences upon his departure from this
world, but it is not consummated until the morning of the
resurrection, when his body shall be "raised in glory" (1 Cor. 15:43).
Then will he be fully "conformed to the image of His Son" (Rom. 8:29).
It is observable that in the process of conforming, the members of
Christ's mystical body partake of the experiences of their Head. As He
suffered on this earth before He entered into His glory, so do they,
for the rule holds good here that the servant is not above his Master,
who purchased all that the servant is to enjoy. As His glorification
was in distinct stages, so is theirs. His glorification began in His
victory over sin and death, when He came forth triumphant from the
grave. It was greatly advanced when he ascended and sat down at the
right hand of the Majesty on high. Yet that did not complete it, for
He is awaiting a more thorough conquest of His enemies (Heb. 10:13)
and the completion of the Church which is His "fullness" or
"complement" (Eph. 1:23): "When He shall come to be glorified in His
saints and to be admired in all them that believe" (2 Thess. 1:10).
Ours begins at regeneration, when we receive "the Spirit of glory" as
an earnest of our inheritance. It will be greatly augmented at death,
for the soul is then purged of all defilement, and enters the Father's
House. But our complete glorification will not be until our bodies are
raised, reunited to our souls, and "fashioned like unto His glorious
body."
As Christ Himself is not in every way complete (Eph. 1:23) until the
entire company of His redeemed are about Him and fully conformed to
Him--for not till then will He "fully see of the travail of His soul
and be satisfied"--neither is the glorification of Christians complete
until their souls and bodies are united together again, for Christ
redeemed the body as well as the soul (Rom. 8:23), and if the Old
Testament saints were not perfect without New Testament believers
(Heb. 11:40), then by the same reason the soul will be imperfect
without the body. The charge God gave to Christ was not only to lose
none of "them" given to Him by the Father (John 18:9), but also that
He should lose "nothing" of them, but "should raise it up again at the
last day" (John 6:39). As Goodwin pointed out, "God hath the soul of
Abraham with Him above, yet still He reckons to have not Abraham, that
is the whole of him, until the resurrection; from thence Christ argued
that Abraham must rise because God is called Abraham's God (Matthew
22:32)." The hope of Christ Himself, while His body lay in the grave
(although His soul was in Paradise) was fixed upon the resurrection of
His body. "Therefore My heart is glad, and My glory rejoiceth: My
flesh also shall rest in hope. For Thou wilt not leave My soul in
Sheol [the unseen world], neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to
see corruption. Thou wilt show Me the path of life" (Ps. 16:9-1 1).
That expectation of the Saviour's was also shared by the Old Testament
saints. This is evident from the language of Job: "And though after my
skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I
shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another"
(19:26, 27). And again from the words of David: "As for me, I will
behold Thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake
with Thy likeness" (Ps. 17:15). As the death of the body is likened
unto "sleep," so the figure of "awaking" is used of its resurrection.
Not until then will entire satisfaction (of spirit and soul and body)
be the saint's--for only then will the eternal purpose of God
concerning him be fully realized. Note how comprehensive and sublime
was this expectation, to "behold Thy face," which proves that Old
Testament believers possessed as much light on the subject as we are
now favored with, for the New Testament contains nothing higher than
"they shall see His face" (Rev. 22:4). Not only so, but they turned it
into practical use, and lived in the blessed power and enjoyment of
the same. In Psalm 17:14 David makes mention of the "men of this
world" who flourished like a green bay tree and had all their carnal
hearts could desire of natural things. But far was he from envying
them or being discontented with his lot because he realized they had
"their portion in this life," and said, "As for me, I will behold Thy
face in righteousness"--he anticipated the joy of the life to come
To behold God's face by faith is both our duty and comfort in this
life, yet that can only be as we are clothed with the righteousness of
Christ and as we maintain practical righteousness by obedience to
God's revealed will. To behold the Lord by open vision will be our
occupation and enjoyment in the next life. But what is meant by, "I
shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness"? Not a few have
experienced difficulty in supplying an answer. Their spiritual
instincts tell them those words cannot mean that the soul will find
its contentment in God's image then being perfectly stamped upon
itself; yet at first glance that is what they seem to signify. Manton
appears to have given the true interpretation when he said: "In Heaven
we look for such a vision as makes way for assimilation, and such
assimilation to God as maketh for complete satisfaction and
blessedness." There will be no self-satisfaction there, but rather
entire absorption with and satisfaction in Christ. "That blessedness
consists of three things. 1. The open vision of God and His glory: the
knowledge of God will then be perfect, and the enlarged intellect
filled with it. 2. The participation of His likeness: our holiness
will there be perfect: this results from the former--'we shall be like
Him, for we shall see Him as He is' (l John 3:2). 3. A complete and
full satisfaction resulting from all this. There is no satisfaction
for a soul but in God: in His face and likeness, His good will toward
us, and His good work in us" (Matthew Henry).
It is solemnly true that the wicked will also yet behold the face of
God in Christ, for it is written, "Behold, He cometh with clouds; and
every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him": yet how
vastly different will be their case! They will look upon Him but
briefly and not perpetually, with shame and sorrow and not with
confidence and joy--upon their Judge and not their Saviour. So far
from such a sight filling them with satisfaction, "all kindreds of the
earth shall wail because of Him" (Rev. 1:7), yea, they shall say to
the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him
that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the
great day of His wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?" (Rev.
6:17). None will be able to stand, be he king or subject, rich or
poor, save those who "have washed their robes and made them white in
the blood of the Lamb." These latter are "before the throne of God,
and serve Him day and night in His temple, and He that sitteth upon
the throne shall dwell among them. They hunger no more, neither thirst
any more. . . For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall
feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of water" (Rev.
7:15-17), finding His joy in ministering to them, as theirs will be in
such ministry.
"At the resurrection there will be a glory upon the body as well as
upon the soul: a glory equal to that of the sun, moon and stars. The
body which is sown in the earth in corruption, a vile body, corrupted
by sin, and now by death, shall be raised in incorruption, no more to
be corrupted by sin, disease or death. What is sown in dishonor, and
has lost all its beauty and glory, and become nauseous and fit only to
be the companion of worms, shall be raised in glory--in the utmost
perfection and comeliness, fashioned like to the glorious body of
Christ--and shine like the sun in the firmament of Heaven. What is
sown in weakness, having lost all its strength, and carried by others
to the grave, shall be raised in power--strong and hale, able to move
itself from place to place--and will attend the service of God and the
Lamb without weakness and weariness--there will be no more complaint
of this kind: `the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.' What is
sown a natural body, or an animal one, which while it lived was
supported with animal food, shall be raised a spiritual body: not
turned into a spirit, for then it would not have flesh and bones, as
it will have; but it will subsist as spirits do, without food, and no
more die; then it will be no encumbrance to the soul, as now, in
spiritual services, but assisting to it, and befitted for spiritual
employments and to converse with spiritual objects." (J. Gill). When
the glorified soul and the glorified body are united, there will then
be a full accession of glory to the whole man, and his enjoyments will
then be entered into in a larger and more sensible manner.
Let us now consider the various features of a saint's glorification,
or those things which constitute his eternal bliss. First, a
perfection of knowledge. This is clear from "now I know in part, but
then shall I know even as also I am known." This does not mean we
shall become omniscient, or possessed of infinite knowledge, but that
our knowledge will be free from all doubt and error, and as full as
our finite faculties will permit. We shall not only enjoy a greater
means of knowledge, but our capacity to take in will be immeasurably
increased. That sight of God in Christ which will be ours will not
only irradiate our minds but enlarge our understandings. We shall
perceive the glory of God with the eyes of our mind fully enlightened.
The rays of that glory will shine into our souls so that they will be
filled with the knowledge of God, and with the whole good pleasure of
His will, in all His vast designs of grace unto us. That which is
revealed in Scripture, and upon which we now exercise faith and hope,
shall then be fully experienced by us.
Second, a perfection of union and communion, both with Christ and
fellow believers. Henceforth, there will be no more differences of
opinion, cooling of affections, or breaches between Christians. Then
will be fully realized that prayer, "that they may be one, even as We
are one: I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in
one" (John 17:22, 23). The very reading of those words should fill our
hearts with holy amazement, and the actualization of them will fill us
with adoration. The oneness between the Father and the Son is such
that they partake of the same ineffable blessedness, each enjoying it
equally with the other. And that is the likeness, by way of
similitude, of the final union between the Redeemer and the
redeemed--ours will be like Theirs! As the union between the Father
and the Son is a real, spiritual, holy, indestructible, and
inexpressibly glorious one, such will be that between Christ and His
Church in Heaven. There is a grace union between them here, but it is
the glory union which is referred to in the above verses. "He will be
theirs, and will bless them forever. He will be all around them and
within them, the light of their understandings, the joy of their
hearts, the object of their perpetual praise" (John Dick). Christ will
remain the everlasting bond of union between God and the saints.
Third, a perfection of love. Even now Christ has the first place in
their hearts (otherwise they would not be real Christians), yet how
often their affection toward Him wanes. Real need has each of us to
pray, "O may no earth-born cloud arise, to hide You from Your
servant's eyes." But, blessed be God, such a thing will be unknown
there. It will be impossible to constantly contemplate the excellence
of God without continually loving Him. "In this world the saints
prefer Him to their chief joy, and there are seasons when their hearts
go out to Him with an ardor which no created object can excite, with
desire for the closest union and the most intimate fellowship. But
this flame will glow more ardently in the pure atmosphere of Heaven.
The fervour of his affection will never abate, nor will anything occur
to suspend it or turn it into a different channel. God will always
maintain the pre-eminence and appear infinitely greater and better
than all other beings" (John Dick). There will be a perpetual cleaving
of heart to Him without change or weariness, a love that never ceases
working communion with God.
Fourth, a perfection of holiness. "Now they are in part made
`partakers of the Divine nature,' but then they shall perfectly
partake of it. That is to say, God will communicate to them His own
image, making all His goodness not only pass before them, but pass
into them, and stamp the image of all His own perfections upon them,
so far as the creature is capable of receiving the same; from whence
shall result a perfect likeness to Him, in all things in and about
them" (Thomas Boston). "If our view of the glory of Christ by faith is
assimilating now, and `changes into the same image from glory to
glory' (2 Cor. 3:18), what will a full view, a clear sight, of Him do?
Then will the great end of predestination--to be conformed to the
image of the Son of God--be completely answered. The soul, with all
its powers and faculties, will bear a resemblance to Christ. Its
understanding will have a clear discernment of Him, the bias of the
mind will be wholly toward Him, the will will be entirely subject to
Him, the affections will be in the strongest manner set upon Him, and
the memory will be fully stored with spiritual and heavenly things"
(John Gill).
Fifth, a perfection of glory. Of old it was promised, "The Lord will
give grace and glory" (Ps. 84:11): as surely as He has given us the
one, will He the other. "But we are bound to give thanks always to God
for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the
beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit
and belief of the truth: whereunto He called you by our Gospel, to the
obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thess. 2:13, 14).
That was what God had in mind for His people in eternity past:
nothing less would satisfy His heart. Observe well that it is "the
glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." Our glory cannot be independent of
Him, but the glory which the Father has given Him, He gives us (John
17:22), so that we share His very throne (Rev. 3:21)! As He is the
Head of grace, ministering to our every need, so He is the Head of
glory and will communicate the same to us in Heaven. He will shine
forth in all His glory so that His bride will reflect the splendor of
it. Angels will be spectators of it, but not the sharers. It will be a
glory revealed in the saints which is beyond all comparison (Rom.
8:18; 2 Thess. 1:10), and a glory put upon them which is inconceivable
(Ps. 45:13; Rev. 21:11), so that, "when Christ, who is our life, shall
appear, then shall we also appear with Him in glory" (Col. 3:4), in
shining robes of ineffable purity and beauty.
Sixth, a perfection of joy. "Joy sometimes enters into us now, but it
has much to do to get access while we are encompassed with sorrows;
but then, joy shall not only enter into us, but we shall enter into
it, and swim forever in an ocean of joy; where we shall see nothing
but joy wherever we turn our eyes" (Boston). Our joy will be pure and
unmixed, without any dregs of sorrow. "In Thy presence is fullness of
joy, at Thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore" (Ps. 16:11).
The object of our happiness will not be a creature, but God Himself.
The presence and communion of the Lamb will afford us everlasting
delight. All that the spouse is represented in the Song as longing
for, she will then have, and a thousand times more. Christ will then
say, "Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord" (Matthew 25:21), sharing
with us His own joy. Perfect serenity of mind, complete satisfaction
of heart, will be ours, without interruption forever. As we are told
that in that day the Lord God, "will rest in His love, He will joy
over thee with singing" (Zeph. 3:17), so will it be with His people.
Seventh, a perfection of praise. In Revelation 15:2, the heavenly
saints are seen "having the harps of God"--the emblem of praise. At
present our best worship is faulty, for both our knowledge of God and
our love to Him are sadly defective--but when we come into His
presence and are filled with all His fullness (Eph. 3:19), we shall
render to Him that which is His due. Then shall we fully realize our
infinite indebtedness to His grace, and our hearts will overflow with
gratitude. A glorified soul will be far better capacitated to estimate
and appreciate the wondrous riches of His grace than it can be in its
present state, and therefore our adoring homage will be immeasurably
more fervent and raised to a higher pitch. The infinite perfections of
the Triune Jehovah, His love unto the Church collectively and to each
of its members individually--the revelation and manifestation of His
glory in Christ, the salvation which He provided for them at such
fearful cost to Himself, contain an all-sufficiency for perpetual
praise and thanksgiving throughout the endless ages. His praises can
never be exhausted: for all eternity we shall find fresh matter in Him
for thanksgiving.
"And there shall be no more curse; but the throne of God and of the
Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him. And they shalt
see His face, and His name shalt be in their foreheads" (Rev. 22:3,
4). That is not only the final but the ultimate word on this glorious
subject. In the beatific vision it is not upon His "back parts" we
shalt look, as did Moses upon the mount (Ex. 33:23), but we shall "see
His face"! We shall not be limited to touching the hem of His garment,
nor to embracing His feet, but shall actually and personally feast our
eyes upon His peerless countenance. That sacred head which once was
crowned with thorns is now adorned with diadem resplendent; and that
blessed face which was covered with the vile spittle of men will
forever beam with love upon His own. Oh, what an ineffable sight! No
longer will our eyes be clouded by sin or dimmed by old age. Nor will
such bliss be ours for a brief season only, but forevermore. There
will be a perfect and perpetual influx of delight as we view Him in
the inconceivable radiance of His manifested glory.
"They shall see His face." There will be many other objects to behold,
but nothing in comparison with Him! Those mansions which Christ has
gone to prepare for His beloved must be indescribably lovely. The holy
angels, the cherubim and seraphim, will be present to our sight. The
Patriarchs and Prophets, the Apostles and martyrs, some of our own
dear kindred who were washed in the blood of the Lamb. But chief and
foremost, claiming our notice and absorbing our attention, will be our
best Beloved. Then it is we shall receive the fullest and grandest
answer to our oft-repeated prayer, "God be merciful unto us, and bless
us, and cause His face to shine upon us" (Ps. 67:1). To see the King's
face is to enjoy His favour (2 Sam. 14:24, 32). But it also signifies
to have the most intimate and immediate communion with Him, that we
shall then be the recipients of the fullest and most lavish
discoveries of His love--beholding Him with both the eyes of our
understandings and of our glorified bodies. All distance will then be
removed. Every veil will then be done away with. All we longed for
perfectly realized.
Nothing will then be lacking to the absolute completeness of our
happiness; and, what is far better, nothing will be lacking to
complete the happiness of Christ. That "joy" which He "set before Him"
or held in view, as He "endured the Cross" (Heb. 11:2), will then be
fully His, for we shall not only be with Him, but like Him, conformed
to His image. "His name shall be in their foreheads." Then will it
openly appear to all beholders that they belong to Him and bear His
holy image, since they shall perfectly reflect Him. As the "name"
represents the person, so we shall bear His likeness, giving
expression to those who see us who and what He is. We shall be
publicly acknowledged as His (cf. Rev. 14:1).
Christ will everlastingly delight in the Church, and the Church will
everlastingly delight in Him. There will be mutual intercourse, an
unrestrained opening of the heart one to another. In communion
communications are made by both parties. One party bestows favour upon
another, and the recipient reciprocates by giving back to the donor,
according to the benefit received, grateful acknowledgment-- those
communications, from both sides, flowing from love and union. Thus we
read, "Now ye Philippians know that. . . no church communicated with
me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only" (4:15). Paul and
the Philippian saints were united in heart and had spiritual
fellowship together in the Gospel (1:5). Out of love to him, they
communicated in a temporal way, they being, the active givers, he the
passive receiver. Then, in return for their kindness, the Apostle
communicated by acknowledging their beneficence, thanking them for it.
This may help us a little to form some idea of what our communion with
Christ in Heaven will be like. As the vine conveys sap to the branch,
so the branch responds by bearing leaves and fruit. Christ will
continue to be the Giver, and we the receivers. This will issue in the
overflowing of our love, and in return, we shall pour out praise and
thanksgiving, adoration and worship.
"He and I in one bright glory
Endless bliss shall share;
Mine, to be forever with Him;
His, that I am there."
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The Doctrine of Sanctification
by A. W. Pink
1. Introduction
_________________________________________________________________
In the articles upon "The Doctrine of Justification" we contemplated
the transcendent grace of God which provided for His people a Surety,
who kept for them perfectly His holy law, and who also endured the
curse which was due to their manifold transgressions against it. In
consequence thereof, though in ourselves we are criminals who deserve
to be brought to the bar of God's justice and there be sentenced to
death, we are, nevertheless, by virtue of the accepted service of our
Substitute, not only not condemned, but "justified," that is,
pronounced righteous in the high courts of Heaven. Mercy has rejoiced
against judgment: yet not without the governmental righteousness of
God, as expressed in His Holy law, having been fully glorified. The
Son of God incarnate, as the federal head and representative of His
people, obeyed it, and also suffered and died under its condemning
sentence. The claims of God have been fully met, justice has been
magnified, the law has been made more honourable than if every
descendant of Adam had personally fulfilled its requirements.
"As respects justifying righteousness, therefore, believers have
nothing to do with the law. They are justified `apart from it' (Rom.
3:21), that is, apart from any personal fulfillment thereof. We could
neither fulfill its righteousness, nor bear its course. The claims of
the law were met and ended, once and forever, by the satisfaction of
our great Substitute, and as a result we have attained to
righteousness without works, i.e., without personal obedience of our
own. `By the obedience of one shall many be constituted righteous'
(Rom. 5:19). There may indeed, and there are, other relations in which
we stand to the law. It is the principle of our new nature to rejoice
in its holiness: `we delight in the law of God after the inner man.'
We know the comprehensiveness and the blessedness of those first two
commandments on which all the Law and the Prophets hang: we know that
`love is the fulfilling of the law.' We do not despise the guiding
light of the holy and immutable commandments of God, livingly
embodied, as they have been, in the ways and character of Jesus; but
we do not seek to obey them with any thought of obtaining
justification thereby.
That which has been attained, cannot remain to be attained. Nor do we
place so great an indignity on `the righteousness of our God and
Saviour,' as to put the partial and imperfect obedience which we
render after we are justified, on a level with that heavenly and
perfect righteousness by which we have been justified. After we have
been justified, grace may and does for Christ's sake, accept as
well-pleasing our imperfect obedience; but this being a consequence of
our perfected justification cannot be made a ground thereof. Nor can
anything that is in the least degree imperfect, be presented to God
with the view of attaining justification. In respect of this, the
courts of God admit of nothing that falls short of His own absolute
perfectness" (B. W. Newton).
Having, then, dwelt at some length on the basic and blessed truth of
Justification, it is fitting that we should now consider the closely
connected and complementary doctrine of Sanctification. But what is
"sanctification": is it a quality or position? Is sanctification a
legal thing or an experimental? that is to say, Is it something the
believer has in Christ or in himself? Is it absolute or relative? by
which we mean, Does it admit of degree or no? is it unchanging or
progressive? Are we sanctified at the time we are justified, or is
sanctification a later blessing? How is this blessing obtained? by
something which is done for us, or by us, or both? How may one be
assured he has been sanctified: what are the characteristics, the
evidences, the fruits? How are we to distinguish between
sanctification by the Father, sanctification by the Son,
sanctification by the Spirit, sanctification by faith, sanctification
by the Word?
Is there any difference between sanctification and holiness? if so,
what? Are sanctification and purification the same thing? Does
sanctification relate to the soul, or the body, or both? What position
does sanctification occupy in the order of Divine blessings? What is
the connection between regeneration and sanctification? What is the
relation between justification and sanctification? Wherein does
sanctification differ from glorification? Exactly what is the place of
sanctification in regard to salvation: does it precede or follow, or
is it an integral part of it? Why is there so much diversity of
opinion upon these points, scarcely any two writers treating of this
subject in the same manner. Our purpose here is not simply to multiply
questions but to indicate the many sidedness of our present theme, and
to intimate the various avenues of approach to the study of it.
Diversive indeed have been the answers returned to the above
questions. Many who were ill-qualified for such a task have undertaken
to write upon this weighty and difficult theme, rushing in where wiser
men feared to tread. Others have superficially examined this subject
through the coloured glasses of creedal attachment. Others, without
any painstaking efforts of their own, have merely echoed predecessors
who they supposed gave out, the truth thereon. Though the present
writer has been studying this subject off and on for upwards of
twenty-five years, he has felt himself to be too immature and too
unspiritual to write at length thereon; and even now, it is (he
trusts) with fear and trembling he essays to do so: may it please the
Holy Spirit to so guide this thoughts that he may be preserved from
everything which would pervert the Truth, dishonour God, or mislead
His people.
We have in our library discourses on this subject and treatises on
this theme by over fifty different men, ancient and modern, ranging
from hyper-Calvinists to ultra-Arminians, and a number who would not
care to be listed under either. Some speak with pontifical dogmatism,
others with reverent caution, a few with humble diffidence. All of
them have been carefully digested by us and diligently compared on the
leading points. The present writer detests sectarianism (most of all
in those who are the worst affected by it, while pretending to be
opposed to it), and earnestly desires to be delivered from
partisanship. He seeks to be profited from the labours of all, and
freely acknowledges his indebtedness to men of various creeds and
schools of thought. On some aspects of this subject he has found the
Plymouth Brethren much more helpful than the Reformers and the
Puritans.
The great importance of our present theme is evidenced by the
prominence which is given to it in Scripture: the words "holy,
sanctified" etc., occurring therein hundreds of times. Its importance
also appears from the high value ascribed to it: it is the supreme
glory of God, of the unfallen angels, of the Church. In Ex. 15:11 we
read that the Lord God is "glorious in holiness"--that is His crowning
excellency. In Matt. 25:31 mention is made of the "holy angels," for
no higher honour can be ascribed them. In Eph. 5:26, 27 we learn that
the Church's glory lieth not in pomp and outward adornment, but in
holiness. Its importance further appears in that this is the aim in
all God's dispensations. He elected His people that they should be
"holy" (Eph. 1:4); Christ died that He might "sanctify" His people
(Heb. 13:12); chastisements are sent that we might be "partakers of
God's holiness" (Heb. 12:10).
Whatever sanctification be, it is the great promise of the covenant
made to Christ for His people. As Thos. Boston well said, "Among the
rest of that kind, it shines like the moon among the lesser stars--as
the very chief subordinate end of the Covenant of Grace, standing
therein next to the glory of God, which is the chief and ultimate end
thereof. The promise of preservation, of the Spirit, of quickening the
dead soul, of faith, of justification, of reconciliation, of adoption,
and of the enjoyment of God as our God, do tend unto it as their
common centre, and stand related to it as means to their end. They are
all accomplished to sinners on design to make them holy." This is
abundantly clear from, "The oath which He sware to our father Abraham:
that He would grant unto us, that we, being delivered out of the hand
of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and
righteousness before Him all the days of our life" (Luke 1 :73-75). In
that "oath" or covenant, sworn to Abraham as a type of Christ (our
spiritual Father: Heb. 2 :13), His seed's serving the Lord in holiness
is held forth as the chief thing sworn unto the Mediator--deliverance
from their spiritual enemies being a means to that end.
The supreme excellency of sanctification is affirmed in Prov. 8:11,
"For wisdom is better than rubies; and all things that may be desired
are not to be compared to it." "Everyone who has read the book of
Proverbs with any attention must have observed that Solomon means by
`wisdom' holiness, and by `folly' sin; by a wise man a saint, and by a
fool a sinner. `The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the
promotion of fools' (Prov. 13:35): who can doubt whether by `the wise'
he means saints, and by `fools' sinners! `The fear of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom' (Prov. 9:10), by which he means to assert that
true `wisdom' is true piety or real holiness. Holiness, then, is
`better than rubies,' and all things that are to be desired are not to
be compared with it. It is hard to conceive how the inestimable worth
and excellency of holiness could be painted in brighter colours than
by comparing it to rubies--the richest and most beautiful objects in
nature" (N. Emmons).
Not only is true sanctification an important, essential, and
unspeakably precious thing, it is wholly supernatural. "It is our duty
to enquire into the nature of evangelical holiness, as it is a fruit
or effect in us of the Spirit of sanctification, because it is
abstruse and mysterious, and undiscernible unto the eye of carnal
reason. We say of it in some sense as Job of wisdom, `whence cometh
wisdom, and where is the place of understanding, seeing it is hid from
the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of heaven;
destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our
ears: God understandeth the way thereof, and He knoweth the place
thereof. And unto man He said, Behold, the fear of the Lord that is
wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding' (28:20-23, 28). This
is that wisdom whose ways, residence, and paths, are so hidden from
the natural reason and understandings of men.
"No man, I say, by mere sight and conduct can know and understand
aright the true nature of evangelical holiness; and it is, therefore,
no wonder if the doctrine of it be despised by many as an
enthusiastical fancy. It is of the things of the Spirit of God, yea,
it is the principal effect of all His operation in us and towards us.
And `these things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God' (I Cor.
2:11). It is by Him alone that we are enabled to `know the things that
are freely given unto us of God' (v. 12) as this is, if ever we
receive anything of Him in this world, or shall do so to eternity.
`Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart
of man, the things that God hath prepared for them that love Him': the
comprehension of these things is not the work of any of our natural
faculties, but `God reveals them unto us by His Spirit' (vv. 9, 10).
"Believers themselves are oft-times much unacquainted with it, either
as to their apprehension of its true nature, causes, and effects, or,
at least, as to their own interests and concernment therein. As we
know not of ourselves, the things that are wrought in us of the Spirit
of God, so we seldom attend as we ought unto His instruction of us in
them. It may seem strange indeed, that, whereas all believers are
sanctified and made holy, they should not understand nor apprehend
what is wrought in them and for them, and what abideth with them: but,
alas, how little do we know of ourselves, of what we are, and whence
are our powers and faculties even in things natural. Do we know how
the members of the body are fashioned in the womb?" (John Owen)
Clear proof that true sanctification is wholly supernatural and
altogether beyond the ken of the unregenerate, is found in the fact
that so many are thoroughly deceived and fatally deluded by fleshly
imitations and Satanic substitutes of real holiness. It would be
outside our present scope to describe in detail the various
pretentions which pose as Gospel holiness, but the poor Papists,
taught to look up to the "saints" canonized by their "church," are by
no means the only ones who are mislead in this vital matter. Were it
not that God's Word reveals so clearly the power of that darkness
which rests on the understanding of all who are not taught by the
Spirit, it would be surprising beyond words to see so many intelligent
people supposing that holiness consists in abstinence from human
comforts, garbing themselves in mean attire, and practicing various
austerities which God has never commanded.
Spiritual sanctification can only be rightly apprehended from what God
has been pleased to reveal thereon in His holy Word, and can only be
experimentally known by the gracious operations of the Holy Spirit. We
can arrive at no accurate conceptions of this blessed subject except
as our thoughts are formed by the teaching of Scripture, and we can
only experience the power of the same as the Inspirer of those
Scriptures is pleased to write them upon our hearts. Nor can we obtain
so much as a correct idea of the meaning of the term "sanctification"
by limiting our attention to a few verses in which the word is found,
or even to a whole class of passages of a similar nature: there must
be a painstaking examination of every occurrence of the term and also
of its cognates; only thus shall we be preserved from the entertaining
of a one-sided, inadequate, and misleading view of its fullness and
many-sidedness.
Even a superficial examination of the Scriptures will reveal that
holiness is the opposite of sin, yet the realization of this at once
conducts us into the realm of mystery, for how can persons be sinful
and holy at one and the same time? It is this difficulty which so
deeply exercises the true saints: they perceive in themselves so much
carnality, filth, and vileness, that they find it almost impossible to
believe that they are holy. Nor is the difficulty solved here, as it
was in justification, by saying, Though we are completely unholy in
ourselves, we are holy in Christ. We must not here anticipate the
ground which we hope to cover, except to say, the Word of God clearly
teaches that those who have been sanctified by God are holy in
themselves. The Lord graciously prepare our hearts for what is to
follow.
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The Doctrine of Sanctification
by A. W. Pink
2. It's Meaning
_________________________________________________________________
Having dwelt at some length upon the relative or legal change which
takes place in the status of God's people at justification, it is
fitting that we should now proceed to consider the real and
experimental change that takes place in their state, which change is
begun at their sanctification and made perfect in glory. Though the
justification and the sanctification of the believing sinner may be,
and should be, contemplated singly and distinctively, yet they are
inseparably connected, God never bestowing the one without the other;
in fact we have no way or means whatsoever of knowing the former apart
from the latter. In seeking to arrive at the meaning of the second, it
will therefore be of help to examine its relation to the first. "These
individual companions, sanctification and justification, must not be
disjoined: under the law the ablutions and oblations went together,
the washings and the sacrifices" (T. Manton).
There are two principal effects that sin produces, which cannot be
separated: the filthy defilement it causes, the awful guilt it
entails. Thus, salvation from sin necessarily requires both a
cleansing and a clearing of the one who is to be saved. Again; there
are two things absolutely indispensable in order for any creature to
dwell with God in heaven: a valid title to that inheritance, a
personal fitness to enjoy such blessedness--the one is given in
justification, the other is commenced in sanctification. The
inseparability of the two things is brought out in, "In the Lord have
I righteousness and strength" (Isa. 45 :24); "but of Him are ye in
Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness,
and sanctification, and redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30); "but ye are washed,
but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified" (1 Cor. 6:11); "If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
"These blessings walk hand in hand; and never were, never will be,
never can be parted. No more than the delicious scent can be separated
from the beautiful bloom of the rose or carnation: let the flower be
expanded, and the fragrance transpires. Try if you can separate
gravity from the stone or heat from the fire. If these bodies and
their essential properties, if these causes and their necessary
effects, are indissolubly connected, so are our justification and our
sanctification" (James Hervey, 1770).
"Like as Adam alone did personally break the first covenant by the
all-ruining offence, yet they to whom his guilt is imputed, do
thereupon become inherently sinful, through the corruption of nature
conveyed to them from him; so Christ alone did perform the condition
of the second covenant, and those to whom His righteousness is
imputed, do thereupon become inherently righteous, through inherent
grace communicated to them from Him by the Spirit. `For as by one
man's offence death reigned by one, much more they which receive the
abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness, shall reign in life
by one, Jesus Christ' (Rom. 5:17). How did death reign by Adam's
offence? Not only in point of guilt, whereby his posterity were bound
over to destruction, but also in point of their being dead to all
good, dead in trespasses and sins. Therefore the receivers of the gift
of righteousness must thereby be brought to reign in life, not only
legally in justification, but also morally in sanctification" (T.
Boston, 1690).
Though absolutely inseparable, yet these two great blessings of Divine
grace are quite distinct. In sanctification something is actually
imparted to us, in justification it is only imputed. Justification is
based entirely upon the work Christ wrought for us, sanctification is
principally a work wrought in us. Justification respects its object in
a legal sense and terminates in a relative change--a deliverance from
punishment, a right to the reward; sanctification regards its object
in a moral sense, and terminates in an experimental change both in
character and conduct--imparting a love for God, a capacity to worship
Him acceptably, and a meetness for heaven. Justification is by a
righteousness without us, sanctification is by a holiness wrought in
us. Justification is by Christ as Priest, and has regard to the
penalty of sin; sanctification is by Christ as King, and has regard to
the dominion of sin: the former cancels its damning power, the latter
delivers from its reigning power.
They differ, then, in their order (not of time, but in their nature),
justification preceding, sanctification following: the sinner is
pardoned and restored to God's favour before the Spirit is given to
renew him after His image. They differ in their design: justification
removes the obligation unto punishment; sanctification cleanses from
pollution. They differ in their form: justification is a judicial act,
by which the sinner as pronounced righteous; sanctification is a moral
work, by which the sinner is made holy: the one has to do solely with
our standing before God, the other chiefly concerns our state. They
differ in their cause: the one issuing from the merits of Christ's
satisfaction, the other proceeding from the efficacy of the same. They
differ in their end: the one bestowing a title to everlasting glory,
the other being the highway which conducts us thither. "And an highway
shall be there,...and it shall be called The way of holiness" (Isa.
35:8).
The words ``holiness'' and ``sanctification" are used in our English
Bible to represent one and the same word in the Hebrew and Greek
originals, but they are by no means used with a uniform signification,
being employed with quite a varied latitude and scope. Hence it is
hardly to be wondered at that theologians have framed so many
different definitions of its meaning. Among them we may cite the
following, each of which, save the last, having an element of truth in
them. "Sanctification is God-likeness, or being renewed after His
image." "Holiness is conformity to the law of God, in heart and life.
Sanctification is a freedom from the tyranny of sin, into the liberty
of righteousness." "Sanctification is that work of the Spirit whereby
we are fitted to be worshippers of God." "Holiness is a process of
cleansing from the pollution of sin." "It is a moral renovation of our
natures whereby they are made more and more like Christ."
"Sanctification is the total eradication of the carnal nature, so that
sinless perfection is attained in this life."
Another class of writers, held in high repute in certain circles, and
whose works now have a wide circulation, have formed a faulty, or at
least very inadequate, definition of the word "sanctify," through
limiting themselves to a certain class of passages where the term
occurs and making deductions from only one set of facts. For example:
not a few have cited verse after verse in the 0. T. where the world
"holy" is applied to inanimate objects, like the vessels of the
tabernacle, and then have argued that the term itself cannot possess a
moral value. But that is false reasoning: it would be like saying that
because we read of the "everlasting hills" (Gen. 49:26) and the
"everlasting mountains" (Hab. 3:6) that therefore God cannot be
everlasting"--which is the line of logic (?) employed by many of the
Universalists so as to set aside the truth of the everlasting
punishment of the wicked.
Words must first be used of material objects before we are ready to
employ them in a higher and abstract sense. All our ideas are admitted
through the medium of the physical senses, and consequently refer in
the first place to external objects; but as the intellect develops we
apply those names, given to material things, unto those which are
immaterial. In the earliest stages of human history, God dealt with
His people according to this principle. It is true that God's
sanctifying of the sabbath day teaches us that the first meaning of
the word is `to set apart," but to argue from this that the term never
has a moral force when it is applied to moral agents is not worthy of
being called "reasoning"--it is a mere begging of the question: as
well argue that since in a majority of passages "baptism" has
reference to the immersion of a person in water, it can never have a
mystical or spiritual force and value--which is contradicted by Luke
12:50; 1 Corinthians 12:13.
The outward ceremonies prescribed by God to the Hebrews with regard to
their external form of religious service were all designed to teach
corresponding inward duties, and to show the obligation unto moral
virtues. But so determined are many of our moderns to empty the word
"sanctify" of all moral value, they quote such verses as "for their
sakes I sanctify Myself" (John 17:19); and inasmuch as there was no
sin in the Lord Jesus from which He needed cleansing, have
triumphantly concluded that the thought of moral purification cannot
enter into the meaning of the word when it is applied to His people.
This also is a serious error--what the lawyers would call "special
pleading": with just as much reason might we Insist that the word
"tempt" can never signify to solicit and incline to evil, because it
cannot mean that when used of Christ in Matthew 4:1; Hebrews 4:15!
The only satisfactory way of ascertaining the meaning or meanings of
the word "sanctify" is to carefully examine every passage in which it
is found in Holy Writ, studying its setting, weighing any term with
which it is contrasted, observing the objects or persons to which it
is applied. This calls for much patience and care, yet only thus do we
obey that exhortation "prove all things" (I Thess. 5:21). That this
term denotes more than simply "to separate" or "set apart," is clear
from Num. 6:8 where it is said of the Nazarite, "all the days of his
separation he is holy unto the Lord," for according to some that would
merely signify "all the days of his separation he is separated unto
the Lord," which would be meaningless tautology. So again, of the Lord
Jesus we are told, that He was "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate
from sinners" (Heb. 7:26), which shows that "holy" means something
more than "separation."
That the word "sanctify" (or "holy"--the same Hebrew or Greek term) is
far from being used in a uniform sense is dear from the following
passages. In Isaiah 66:17 it is said of certain wicked men, "They that
sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one
tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh." In Isaiah 13:3 God said of
the Medes, whom He had appointed to overthrow the Babylonian empire,
"I have commanded My sanctified ones, I have also called My mighty
ones, for Mine anger." When applied to God Himself, the term denotes
His ineffable majesty, "Thus saith the high and lofty One that
inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy" (Isa. 57:15 and cf. Psa.
99:3; Hab. 3:3). It also includes the thought of adorning and
equipping: "thou shalt anoint it to sanctify it" (Ex. 29:36 and cf.
40:11); "anoint him to sanctify him" (Lev. 8:12 and cf. v. 30), "If a
man purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour,
sanctified and meet for the Master's use" (2 Tim. 2:21).
That the word "holy" or "sanctify" has in many passages a reference to
a moral quality is clear from such verses as the following: "Wherefore
the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good" (Rom.
7:12)--each of those predicates are moral qualities. Among the
identifying marks of a scriptural bishop are that he must be "a lover
of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate"
(Titus 1 :8) each of those are moral qualities, and the very
connection in which the term "holy" is there found proves conclusively
it means much more than an external setting apart. "As ye have yielded
your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity, even so now
yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness" (Rom.
6:19): here the word "holiness" is used antithetically to
"uncleanness." So again in 1 Corinthians 7:14, "else were your
children unclean, but now are they holy" i.e. martially pure.
That sanctification includes cleansing is clear from many
considerations. It may be seen in the types, "Go unto the people, and
sanctify them today, and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes"
(Ex. 19:10)--the latter being an emblem of the former. As we have seen
in Romans 6:19 and I Corinthians 7:14, it is the opposite of
"uncleanness." So also in 2 Timothy 2:2! the servant of God is to
purge himself from "the vessels of dishonour" (worldly, fleshly, and
apostate preachers and churches) if he is to be "sanctified" and "meet
for the Master's use." In Ephesians 5:26 we are told that Christ gave
Himself for the Church, "that he might sanctify and cleanse it," and
that, in order that He "might present it to Himself a glorious Church,
not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but (in contrast from
such blemishes) that it should be holy" (v. 27). "If the blood of
bulls and goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean,
sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh" (Heb. 9:13): what could be
plainer!--ceremonial sanctification under the law was secured by a
process of purification or cleansing.
"Purification is the first proper notion of internal real
sanctification. To be unclean absolutely, and to be holy, are
universally opposed. Not to be purged from sin, is an expression of an
unholy person, as to be cleansed is of him that is holy. This
purification is ascribed unto all the causes and means of
sanctification. Not that sanctification consists wholly herein, but
firstly and necessarily it is required thereunto: `I will sprinkle
clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean; from all your filthiness
and from all your idols will I cleanse you!' (Ezek. 36:25). That this
sprinkling of clean water upon us, is the communication of the Spirit
unto us for the end designed, I have before evinced. It hath also been
declared wherefore He is called `water' or compared thereunto. The
next verse shows expressly that it is the Spirit of God which is
intended: `I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in
My Statutes.' And that which He is thus in the first place promised
for, is the cleansing of us from the pollution of sin, which in order
of nature, is proposed unto His enabling us to walk in God's statutes
(John Owen).
To sanctify, then, means in the great majority of instances, to
appoint, dedicate or set apart unto God, for a holy and special use.
Yet that act of separation is not a bare change of situation, so to
speak, but is preceded or accompanied by a work which (ceremonially or
experimentally) fits the person for God. Thus the priests in their
sanctification (Lev. 8) were sanctified by washing in water (type of
regeneration: Titus 3:5), having the blood applied to their persons
(type of justification: Rom. 5:9), and being anointed with oil (type
of receiving the Holy Spirit: 1 John 2 :20, 27). As the term is
applied to Christians it is used to designate three things, or three
parts of one whole: first, the process of setting them apart unto God
or constituting them holy: Hebrews 13:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:13.
Second, the state or condition of holy separation into which they are
brought: I Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 4:24. Third, the personal
sanctity or holy living which proceeds from the state: Luke 1:75; 1
Peter 1:15.
To revert again to the 0. T. types--which are generally the best
interpreters of the doctrinal statements of the N. T., providing we
carefully bear in mind that the antitype is always of a higher order
and superior nature to what prefigured it, as the substance must excel
the shadow, the inward and spiritual surpassing the merely outward and
ceremonial. "Sanctify unto Me all the firstborn . . . it is Mine" (Ex.
13 :2). This comes immediately after the deliverance of the firstborn
by the blood of the paschal lamb in the preceding chapter: first
justification, and then sanctification as the complementary parts of
one whole. "Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and
unclean, and between unclean fowls and clean: and ye shall not make
your souls abominable by beast, or by fowl, or by any manner of living
thing that creepeth on the ground, which I have separated from you as
unclean. And ye shall be holy unto Me: for I the Lord am holy, and
have severed you from other people, that ye should be Mine" (Lev.
20:25, 26). Here we see there was a separation from all that is
unclean, with an unreserved and exclusive devotement to the Lord.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Sanctification
by A. W. Pink
3. Its Necessity
_________________________________________________________________
It is our earnest desire to write this article not in a theological or
merely abstract way, but in a practical manner: in such a strain that
it may please the Lord to speak through it to our needy hearts and
search our torpid consciences. It is a most important branch of our
subject, yet one from which we are prone to shrink, being very
unpalatable to the flesh. Having been shapen in iniquity and conceived
in sin (Ps. 51:5), our hearts naturally hate holiness, being opposed
to any experimental acquaintance with the same. As the Lord Jesus told
the religious leaders of His day, "This is the condemnation, that
light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than
light" (John 3:19), which may justly be paraphrased "men loved sin
rather than holiness," for in Scripture "darkness" is the emblem of
sin the Evil one being denominated "the power of darkness"-- as
"light" is the emblem of the ineffably Holy One (1 John 1:5).
But though by nature man is opposed to the Light, it is written,
"Follow peace with all, and holiness, without which no man shall see
the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). To the same effect the Lord Jesus declared
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matt. 5:8).
God will not call unto nearness with Himself those who are carnal and
corrupt. "Can two walk together except they be agreed?" (Amos 3:3):
what concord can there be between an unholy soul and the thrice holy
God? Our God is "glorious in holiness" (Ex. 15:11), and therefore
those whom He separates unto Himself must be suited to Himself, and be
made "partakers of His holiness" (Heb. 12:10). The whole of His ways
with man exhibit this principle, and His Word continually proclaims
that He is "not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness, neither shall
evil dwell with Him" (Ps. 5:4).
By our fall in Adam we lost not only the favour of God, but also the
purity of our natures, and therefore we need to be both reconciled to
God and sanctified in our inner man. There is now a spiritual leprosy
spread over all our nature which makes us loathsome to God and puts us
into a state of separation from Him. No matter what pains the sinner
takes to be rid of his horrible disease, he does but hide and not
cleanse it. Adam concealed neither his nakedness nor the shame of it
by his fig-leaf contrivance; so those who have no other covering for
their natural filthiness than the externals of religion rather
proclaim than hide it. Make no mistake on this score: neither the
outward profession of Christianity nor the doing of a few good works
will give us access to the thrice Holy One. Unless we are washed by
the Holy Spirit, and in the blood of Christ, from our native
pollutions, we cannot enter the kingdom of glory.
Alas, with what forms of godliness, outward appearances, external
embellishments are most people satisfied. How they mistake the shadows
for the substance, the means for the end itself. How many devout
Laodiceans are there who know not that they are "wretched and
miserable, and poor and blind, and naked" (Rev. 3 :17). No preaching
affects them, nothing will bring them to exclaim with the prophet, "0
my God, I am ashamed, and blush to lift up my face to Thee my God"
(Ezra 9:6). No, if they do but preserve themselves from the known
guilt of such sins as are punishable among men, to all other things
their conscience seems dead: they have no inward shame for anything
between their souls and God, especially not for the depravity and
defilement of their natures: of that they know, feel, bewail nothing.
"There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not
washed from their filthiness" (Prov. 30:12). Although they had never
been cleansed by the Holy Spirit, nor their hearts purified by faith,
(Acts 15:9), yet they esteemed themselves to be pure, and had not the
least sense of their foul defilement. Such a generation were the
self-righteous Pharisees of Christ's day: they were constantly
cleansing their hands and cups, engaged in an interminable round of
ceremonial washings, yet were they thoroughly ignorant of the fact
that within they were filled with all manner of defilement (Matt.
23:25-28). So is a generation of churchgoers today; they are orthodox
in their views, reverent in their demeanor, regular in their
contributions, but they make no conscience of the state of their
hearts.
That sanctification or personal holiness which we here desire to show
the absolute necessity of, lies in or consists of three things. First,
that internal change or renovation of our souls, whereby our minds,
affections and wills are brought into harmony with God. Second, that
impartial compliance with the revealed will of God in all duties of
obedience and abstinence from evil, issuing from a principle of faith
and love. Third, that directing of all our actions unto the glory of
God, by Jesus Christ, according to the Gospel. This, and nothing short
of this, is evangelical and saving sanctification. The heart must be
changed so as to be brought into conformity with God's nature and
will: its motives, desires, thoughts and actions require to be
purified. There must be a spirit of holiness working within so as to
sanctify our outward performances if they are to be acceptable unto
Him in whom "there is no darkness at all."
Evangelical holiness consists not only in external works of piety and
charity, but in pure thoughts, impulses and affections of the soul,
chiefly in that disinterested love from which all good works must flow
if they are to receive the approbation of Heaven. Not only must there
be an abstinence from the execution of sinful lusts, but there must be
a loving and delighting to do the will of God in a cheerful manner,
obeying Him without repining or grudging against any duty, as if it
were a grievous; yoke to be borne. Evangelical sanctification is that
holiness of heart which causes us to love God supremely, so as to
yield ourselves wholly up to His constant service in all things, and
to His disposal of us as our absolute Lord, whether it be for
prosperity or adversity, for life or death; and to love our neighbors
as ourselves.
This entire sanctification of our whole inner and outer man is
absolutely indispensable. As there must be a change of state before
there can be of life--"make the tree good, and his fruit (will be)
good" (Matt. 12:33)--so there must be sanctification before there can
be glorification. Unless we are purged from the pollution of sin, we
can never be fit for communion with God. "And there shall in no wise
enter into it (the eternal dwelling place of God and His people)
anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination" (Rev.
21:27). "To suppose that an unpurged sinner can be brought into the
blessed enjoyment of God, is to overthrow both the law and the Gospel,
and to say that Christ died in vain" (J. Owen, Vol. 2: p. 511).
Personal holiness is equally imperative as is the forgiveness of sins
in order to eternal bliss.
Plain and convincing as should be the above statements, there is a
class of professing Christians who wish to regard the justification of
the believer as constituting almost the whole of his salvation,
instead of its being only one aspect thereof. Such people delight to
dwell upon the imputed righteousness of Christ, but they evince little
or no concern about personal holiness. On the other hand, there are
not a few who in their reaction from a one sided emphasis upon
justification by grace through faith alone, have gone to the opposite
extreme, making sanctification the sum and substance of all their
thinking and preaching. Let it be solemnly realized that while a man
may learn thoroughly the scriptural doctrine of justification and yet
not be himself justified before God, so he may be able to detect the
crudities and errors of "the Holiness people," and yet be completely
unsanctified himself. But it is chiefly the first of these two errors
we now desire to expose, and we cannot do better than quote at length
from one who has most helpfully dealt with it.
"We are to look upon holiness as a very necessary part of that
salvation that is received by faith in Christ. Some are so drenched in
a covenant of works, that they accuse us for making good works
needless to salvation, if we will not acknowledge them to be
necessary, either as conditions to procure an interest in Christ, or
as preparatives to fit us for receiving Him by faith. And others, when
they are taught by the Scriptures that we are saved by faith, even by
faith without works, do begin to disregard all obedience to the law as
not at all necessary to salvation, and do account themselves obliged
to it only in point of gratitude; if it be wholly neglected, they
doubt not but free grace will save them nevertheless. Yea, some are
given up to such strong Antinomian delusions, that they account it a
part of the liberty from bondage of the law purchased by the blood of
Christ, to make no conscience of breaking the law in their conduct.
"One cause of these errors that are so contrary one to the other is
that many are prone to imagine nothing else to be meant by `salvation'
but to be delivered from Hell, and to enjoy heavenly happiness and
glory; hence they conclude that, if good works be a means of
glorification, and precedent to it, they must also be a precedent
means of our whole salvation, and if they be not a necessary means of
our whole salvation, they are not at all necessary to glorification.
But though `salvation' be often taken in Scripture by way of eminency
for its perfection in the state of heavenly glory, yet, according to
its full and proper signification, we are to understand by it all that
freedom from the evil of our natural corrupt state, and all those holy
and happy enjoyments that we receive from Christ our Saviour, either
in this world by faith, or in the world to come by glorification.
Thus, justification, the gift of the Spirit to dwell in us, the
privilege of adoption (deliverance from the reigning power of
indwelling sin. A. W. P.) are parts of our `salvation' which we
partake of in this life. Thus also, the conformity of our hearts to
the law of God, and the fruits of righteousness with which we are
filled by Jesus Christ in this life, are a necessary part of our
`salvation.'
"God saveth us from our sinful uncleanness here, by the washing of
regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit (Ezek. 36:29; Titus 3
:5), as well as from Hell hereafter. Christ was called Jesus, i.e., a
Saviour: because He saves His people from their sins (Matt 1:21).
Therefore, deliverance from our sins is part of our `salvation,' which
is begun in this life by justification and sanctification, and
perfected by glorification in the life to come. Can we rationally
doubt whether it be any proper pert of our salvation by Christ to be
quickened, so as to be enabled to live to God, when we were by nature
dead in trespasses and sins, and to have the image of God in holiness
and righteousness restored to us, which we lost by the fall; and to be
freed from a vile dishonourable slavery to Satan and our own lusts,
and made the servants of God; and to be honoured so highly as to walk
by the Spirit, and bring forth the fruits of the Spirit? and what is
all this but holiness in heart and life?
"Conclude we, then, that holiness in this life is absolutely
necessary to salvation, not only as a means to the end, but by a
nobler kind of necessity--as part of the end itself. Though we are not
saved by good works as Procuring causes, yet we are saved to good
works, as fruits and effects of saving grace, `which God hath prepared
that we should walk in them' (Eph. 2:10). It is, indeed, one part of
our salvation to be delivered from the bondage of the covenant of
works; but the end of this is, not that we may have liberty to sin
(which is the worst of slavery) but that we may fulfill the royal law
of liberty, and that `we may serve in newness of spirit, and not in
the oldness of the letter' (Gal. 5:13; Rom. 7:6). Yea, holiness in
this life is such a part of our `salvation' that it is a necessary
means to make us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints
in heavenly light and glory: for without holiness we can never see God
(Heb. 12:14), and are as unfit for His glorious presence as swine for
the presence-chamber of an earthly king.
"The last thing to be noted in this direction is that holiness of
heart and life is to be sought for earnestly by faith as a very
necessary part of our `salvation.' Great multitudes of ignorant people
that live under the Gospel, harden their hearts in sin and ruin their
souls forever, by trusting on Christ for such an imaginary `salvation'
as consisteth not at all in holiness, but only in forgiveness of sin
and deliverance from everlasting torments. They would be free from the
Punishments due to sin, but they love their lusts so well that they
hate holiness and desire not to be saved from the service of sin. The
way to oppose this pernicious delusion is not to deny, as some do,
that trusting on Christ for salvation is a saving act of faith, but
rather to show that none do or can trust on Christ for true
`salvation' except they trust on Him for holiness, neither do they
heartily desire true salvation, if they do not desire to be made holy
and righteous in their hearts and lives. If ever God and Christ gave
you `salvation', holiness will be one part of it; if Christ wash you
not from the filth of your sins, you have no part with Him (John
13:8).
"What a strange kind of salvation do they desire that care not for
holiness! They would be saved and yet be altogether dead in sin,
aliens from the life of God, bereft of the image of God, deformed by
the image of Satan, his slaves and vassals to their own filthy lusts,
utterly unmeet for the enjoyment of God in glory. Such a salvation as
that was never purchased by the blood of Christ; and those that seek
it abuse the grace of God in Christ, and turn it into lasciviousness.
They would be saved by Christ, and yet be out of Christ in a fleshly
state; whereas God doth free none from condemnation but those that are
in Christ, that walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit; or
else they would divide Christ, and take a part of His salvation and
leave out the rest; but Christ is not divided (1 Cor. 1:13). They
would have their sins forgiven, not that they may walk with God in
love, in time to come, but that they may practice their enmity against
Him without any fear of punishment. But let them not be deceived, God
is not mocked. They understand not what true salvation is, neither
were they ever yet thoroughly sensible of their lost estate, and of
the great evil of sin; and that which they trust on Christ for is but
an imagination of their own brains; and therefore their trusting is
gross presumption.
"The Gospel-faith maketh us to come to Christ with a thirsty appetite
that we may drink of living water, even of His sanctifying Spirit
(John 7:37, 38), and cry out earnestly to Him to save us, not only
from Hell, but from sin, saying, `Teach us to do Thy will; Thy Spirit
is good' (Ps. 143:10); `Turn Thou me, and I shall be turned' (Jer.
31:18); `Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit
within me' (Ps. 51:10). This is the way whereby the doctrine of
salvation by grace doth necessitate us to holiness of life, by
constraining us to seek for it by faith in Christ, as a substantial
part of that `salvation' which is freely given to us through Christ"
(Walter Marshall, 1692).
The above is a much longer quotation than we usually make from others,
but we could not abbreviate without losing much of its force. We have
given it, not only because it is one of the clearest and strongest
statements we have met with, but because it will indicate that the
doctrine we are advancing is no novel One of our own, but one which
was much insisted upon by the Puritans. Alas, that so few today have
any real scriptural apprehension of what Salvation really is; alas
that many preachers are substituting an imaginary `salvation' which is
fatally deceiving the great majority of their hearers. Make no mistake
upon this point, dear reader, we beg you: if your heart is yet
unsanctified, you are still unsaved; and if you pant not after
personal holiness, then you are without any real desire for God's
salvation.
The Salvation which Christ purchased for His people includes both
justification and sanctification. The Lord Jesus saves not only from
the guilt and penalty of sin, but from the power and pollution of it.
Where there is a genuine longing to be freed from the love of sin,
there is a true desire for His salvation; but where there is no
practical deliverance from the service of sin, then we are strangers
to His saving grace. Christ came here to "Perform the mercy promised
to our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant: the oath which He
sware to our father Abraham; that He would grant unto us, that we
being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve Him without
fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our
life" (Luke 1:72-75). It is by this we are to test or measure
ourselves: are we serving Him "in holiness and righteousness?" If we
are not, we have not been sanctified; and if we are unsanctified, we
are none of His.
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The Doctrine of Sanctification
by A. W. Pink
4. Its Necessity (Completed)
_________________________________________________________________
In the first part of our treatment of the necessity of sanctification
it was shown that, the making of a sinner holy is indispensable unto
his salvation, yea, that sanctification is an integral part of
salvation itself. One of the most serious defects hr modern ministry
is the ignoring of this basic fact. Of only too many present-day
"converts" does it have to be said, "Ephraim is a cake not turned"
(Hos. 7:8)--browned underneath, unbaked on the top. Christ is set
forth as a fire-escape from Hell, but not as the great Physician to
deal with the malady of indwelling sin, and to fit for Heaven. Much is
said upon how to obtain forgiveness of sins, but little is preached on
how to be cleansed from its pollutions. The necessity for His atoning
blood is set forth, but not the indispensability of experimental
holiness. Consequently, thousands who mentally assent to the
sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice, know nothing about heart purity.
Again; there is a woeful disproportion between the place which is
given to faith and the emphasis which the Scriptures give to that
obedience which flows from sanctification. It is not only true that
"without faith it is impossible to please God" (Heb. 11:6), but it is
equally true that without holiness "no man shall see the Lord" (Heb.
12:14). Not only are we told "in Christ Jesus neither circumcision
availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation" (Gal.
6:15), but it is also written, "Circumcision is nothing, and
uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God"
(1 Cor. 7:19). It is not for nothing that God has told us, "Godliness
is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now it,
and of that which is to come" (1 Tim. 4:8). Not only is there in all
the promises a particular respect unto personal, vital, and practical
"godliness," but it is that very godliness which, pre-eminently, gives
the saint an especial interest in those promises.
Alas, how many there are today who imagine that if they have "faith
,"it is sure to be well with them at the end, even though they are not
holy. Under the pretense of honouring faith, Satan, as an angel of
light, has deceived, and is still deceiving, multitudes of souls. But
when their "faith" be examined and tested, what is it worth? Nothing
at all so far as insuring an entrance into Heaven is concerned: it is
a power-less, lifeless, and fruitless thing; it is nothing better than
that faith which the demons have (James 2:19). The faith of God's
elect is unto "the acknowledgement of the truth which is after
godliness" (Titus i :i). Saving faith is a "most holy faith" (Jude
20): it is a faith which "purifieth the heart" (Acts 15:9), it is a
faith which "worketh by love" (Gal. 5:6), it is a faith which
"overcometh the world" (1 John 5:4), it is a faith which bringeth
forth all manner of good works (Heb.11). Let us now enter into detail,
and show more specifically wherein lies the necessity for personal
holiness.
Our Personal holiness is required by the very nature of God. Holiness
is the excellence and honour of the Divine character. God is called
"rich in mercy" (Eph. 2:4), but "glorious in holiness" (Ex. 15':II) :
His mercy is His treasure, but holiness is His glory. He swears by
this perfection: "Once have I sworn by My holiness" (Psa. 89:35). Over
thirty times is He called "The Holy One of Israel." This is the
superlative perfection for which the angels in Heaven and the spirits
of just men made perfect do so much admire God, crying "Holy, holy,
holy" (1sa. 6:3; Rev. 4:8). As gold, because it is the most excellent
of the metals, is laid over inferior ones, so this Divine excellency
is laid upon all connected with Him: His sabbath is "holy" (Ex.
16:33), His sanctuary is "holy" (Ex. 15:13), His name is "holy" (Psa.
99:3), all His works are "holy" (Ps. 145:17). Holiness is the
perfection of all His glorious attributes: His power is holy power,
His mercy is holy mercy, His wisdom is holy wisdom.\
Now the ineffable purity of the Divine nature is everywhere in the
Scriptures made the fundamental reason for the necessity of holiness
in us. God makes the holiness of His own nature the ground of His
demand for holiness in His people: "For I am the Lord your God: ye
shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy, for I am
holy" (Lev. 11:4). The same fundamental principle is transferred to
the Gospel, "But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in
all manner of behaviour; because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am
holy" (1 Pet. 1 :15, 16). Thus God plainly lets us know that His
nature is such as, unless we be sanctified, there can be no
intercourse between Him and us. "For I am the Lord that bringeth you
up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be
holy, for I am holy" (Lev. 11:45). Without personal holiness the
relationship cannot be maintained that He should be our God and we
should be His people.
God is "of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on
iniquity" (Hab. 1:13). Such is the infinite purity of His nature, that
God cannot take any pleasure in lawless rebels, filthy sinners, the
workers of iniquity. Joshua told the people plainly that if they
continued in their sins, they could not serve the Lord, "for He is a
holy God" (Joshua 24:19). All the service of unholy people toward such
a God is utterly lost and thrown away, because it is `entirely
inconsistent with His nature to accept of it. The apostle Paul reasons
in the same manner when he says, "Let us have grace whereby we may
serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: for our God is a
consuming fire" (Heb. 12:28,29). He lays his argument for the
necessity of grace and holiness in the worship of God from the
consideration of the holiness of His nature, which, as a consuming
fire will devour that which is unsuited unto and inconsistent with it.
He who resolveth not to be holy must seek another god to worship and
serve, for with the God of Scripture he will never find acceptance.
The heathen of old realized this, and liking Dot to retain the
knowledge of the true God in their hearts and minds (Rom. 1:28), and
resolving to give up themselves unto all filthiness with greediness,
they stifled their notions of the Divine Being and invented such
"gods" to themselves, as were unclean and wicked, that they might
freely conform unto and serve them with satisfaction. God Himself
declares that men of corrupt lives have some secret hopes that He is
not holy: "Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as
thyself: but I will reprove thee" (Psa. 50:21). Others, today, while
professing to believe in God's holiness, have such false ideas of His
grace and mercy that they suppose He will accept them though they are
unholy.
"Be ye holy, for I am holy." Why? Because herein consists our
conformity to God. We were originally created in the image and
likeness of God, and that, for the substance of it, was
holiness--therein consisted the privilege, blessedness, preeminence of
man over all the lower creatures. Wherefore, without this conformity
unto God, with the impress of His image and likeness upon the soul, we
cannot stand in that relation unto God which was designed us in our
creation. This we lost by the entrance of sin, and if there be not a
way for us to acquire it again, we shall forever come short of the
glory of God and the end of our creation. Now this is done by our
be-coming holy, for therein consists the renovation of God's image in
us (Eph. 4:22-24 and cf. Col. 3:10). It is utterly vain for any man to
expect an interest in God, while he does not earnestly endeavor after
conformity to Him.
To be sanctified is just as requisite as to be justified. He that
thinks to come to enjoyment of God without holiness, makes Him an
unholy God, and puts the highest indignity imaginable upon Him. There
is no other alternative: we must either leave our sins, or our God. We
may as easily reconcile Heaven and Hell, as easily take away all
difference between light and darkness, good and evil, as procure
acceptance for unholy persons with God. While it be true that our
interest in God is not built upon our holiness, it is equally true
that we have none without it. Many have greatly erred in concluding
that, because piety and obedience are not meritorious, they can get to
Heaven without them. The free grace of God towards sinners by Jesus
Christ by no means renders holiness needless and useless. Christ is
not the minister of sin, but the Main-tamer of God's glory. He has not
purchased for His people security in sin, but salvation from sin.
According to our growth in likeness unto God are our approaches unto
glory. Each day both writer and reader is drawing nearer the end of
his earthly course, [A. W. Pink finished his earthy course on July 15,
1952] and we do greatly deceive ourselves if we imagine that we are
drawing nearer to Heaven, while following those courses which lead
only to Hell. We are woefully deluded if we suppose that we are
journeying towards glory, and yet are not growing in grace. The
believer's glory, subjectively considered, will be his likeness to
Christ (1 John 3:2), and it is the very height of folly for any to
think that they shall love hereafter what now they hate. There is no
other way of growing in the likeness of God but in holiness: thereby
alone are we "changed into the same image from glory to glory" (2 Cor.
3:18)--that is, from one degree of glorious grace to another, until by
one last great change shall issue all grace and holiness in eternal
glory.
But is not God ready to pardon and receive the greatest and vilest
sinner who comes unto Him by Christ? Is not His mercy so great and His
grace so free that He will do so apart from any consideration of worth
or righteousness of their own? If so, why insist so much on the
indispensability of holiness? `This objection, though thousands of
years old, is still made. If men must be holy, then carnal reasoners
can see no need of grace: and they cannot see how God is gracious if
men perish because they are unholy. Nothing seems more reasonable to
carnal minds than that we may live in sin because grace has abounded.
This is met by the apostle in Rom. 6:1, where he subjoins the reasons
why, notwithstanding the superaboundings of grace in Christ, there is
an indispensable necessity why all believers should be holy. Without
the necessity of holiness in us, grace would be disgraced. Note how
when He proclaimed His name "gracious and merciful," the Lord at once
added, "and will by no means clear the guilty" i.e. those who go on in
their sins without regard unto obedience.
2. Our personal holiness is required by the commands of God. Not only
is this so under the covenant of works, but the same is inseparably
annexed under the covenant of grace. No relaxation unto the duty of
holiness is granted by the Gospel, nor any indulgence unto the least
sin. The Gospel is no less holy than the Law, for both proceeded from
the Holy One; and though provision be made for the pardon of a
multitude of sins and for the acceptance of the Christian's imperfect
obedience, yet the standard of righteousness is not lowered, for there
is no abatement given by the Gospel unto any duty of holiness nor any
license unto the least sin. The difference between those covenants is
twofold: under that of works, all the duties of holiness were required
as our righteousness before God, that we might be justified thereby
(Rom 10:5)--not so under grace; no allowance was made for the least
degree of failure (James 2:10)--but, now, through the mediation of
Christ, justice and mercy are joined together.
Under the Gospel commands for universal holiness, respect is required
unto three things. First, unto the authority of Him who gives them.
Authority is that which obligates unto obedience: see Mal. 1:6. Now He
who commands us to be holy is our sovereign Lawgiver, with absolute
right to prescribe that which He pleases, and therefore a
non-compliance is a despising of the Divine Legislator. To be under
God's command to be holy, and then not to sincerely and earnestly
endeavour always and in all things so to be, is to reject His
sovereign authority over us, and to live in defiance of Him. No better
than that is the state of every one who does not make the pursuit of
holiness his daily and chief concern. Forgetfulness of this, or
failure to heed it as we ought, is the chief reason of our careless
walking. Our great safeguard is to keep our hearts and minds under a
sense of the sovereign authority of God in his commands.
Second, we must keep before our minds the power of Him who commands us
to be holy. "There is one Lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy"
(James 4:12). God's commanding authority is accompanied with such
power that He will eternally reward the obedient and eternally punish
the disobedient. The commands of God are accompanied with promises of
eternal bliss on the one hand, and of eternal misery on the other; and
this will most certainly befall us according as we shall be found holy
or unholy. Herein is to be seen a further reason for the indispensable
necessity of our being holy: if we are not, then a holy and
all-powerful God will damn us. A due respect unto God's promises and
threatenings is a principal 1iart of spiritual liberty: "I am the
almighty God: walk before Me, and be thou perfect" (Gen. 17:1): the
way to walk up-rightly is to ever bear in mind that He who requires it
of us is Almighty God, under whose eyes we are continually. If, then,
we value our souls, let us seek grace to act accordingly.
Third, respect is to be had unto the infinite wisdom and goodness of
God. In His commands God not only maintains His sovereign authority
over us, but also exhibits His righteousness and love. His commands
are not the arbitrary edicts of a capricious despot, but the wise
decrees of One who has our good at heart. His commands "are not
grievous" (1 John 5:3): they are not tyrannical restraints- of our
liberty, but are just, wholesome, and highly beneficial. It is to our
great ad-vantage to comply with them; it is for our happiness, both
now and hereafter, that we obey them. They are a heavy bur-den only
unto those who desire to be the slaves of sin and Satan: they are easy
and pleasant unto all who walk with God. Love for God carries with it
a desire to please Him, and from Christ may be obtained that grace
which will assist us thereto-- but of this, more later, D. V.
Our personal holiness is required by the Mediation of Christ. One
principal end of the design of God in sending His Son into the world
was to recover us unto that state of holiness which we had lost: "For
this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the
works of the Devil" (1 John 3:8). Among the principal of the works of
the Devil was the infecting of our natures and persons with a
principle of sin and enmity against God, and that evil work is not
destroyed but by the introduction of a principle of holiness and
obedience. The image of God in us was defaced by sin; the restoration
of that image was one of the main purposes of Christ's mediation.
Christ's great and ultimate design was to living His people unto the
enjoyment of God to His eternal glory, and this can only be by grace
and holiness, by which we Ire made "meet for the inheritance of the
saints in light."
Now the exercise of Christ's mediation is discharged under His
threefold office. As to His priestly, the immediate effects Were the
making of satisfaction and reconciliation, but the mediate effects are
our justification and sanctification: "Who gave Himself for us, that
He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a
peculiar people, zealous of good works" (Titus 2 :14)--no unholy
people, then, have any sure evidence of an interest in Christ's
sacrifice. As to His prophetic office, this consists in His revelation
to us of God's love and will: to make God known and to bring us into
subjection unto Him. At the very beginning of His prophetic ministry
we find Christ restoring the Law to its original purity--purging it
from the corruptions of the Jews: Matt. 5. As to His kingly office, He
subdues our lusts and supplies power for obedience. It is by these
things we are to test ourselves. To live in known and allowed sin, and
yet expect to be saved by Christ is the master deception of Satan.
From which of Christ's offices do I expect advantage? Is it from His
priestly? Then has His blood cleansed me? Have I been made holy
thereby? Have I been redeemed out of the world by it? Am I by it
dedicated to God and His service? Is it from His prophetic office?
Then have I effectually learned of Him to "deny ungodliness and
worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this
present world?" (Titus 2:12). Has He instructed me unto sincerity in
all my ways, in all my dealings with God and men? Is it from His
Kingly office? Then does He actually rule in me and over me? Has He
delivered me from the power of Satan and caused me to take His yoke
upon me? Has His sceptre broken the dominion of sin in me? Am I a
loyal subject of His kingdom? If not, I have no rightful claim to a
personal interest in His sacrifice. Christ died to procure holiness,
not to secure an indulgence for unholiness.
Our personal holiness is required in order to the glory of Christ. If
we are indeed His disciples, He has bought us with a price, and we are
"not our own," but His, and that to glorify Him in soul and body
because they are His: 1 Cor. 6:19, 20. He died for us that we should
not henceforth live unto ourselves, but unto Him who redeemed us at
such fearful cost. How, then, are we to do this? In our holiness
consists the principal part of that revenue of honour which the Lord
Jesus requires and expects from His disciples in this world. Nothing
glorifies Him so much as our obedience; nothing is a greater grief and
reproach to Him than our disobedience. We are to witness before the
world unto the holiness of His life, the heavenliness of His doctrine,
the preciousness of His death, by a daily walk which "shows forth HIS
praises" (1 Peter 2:9). This is absolutely necessary if we are to
glorify Him in this scene of His rejection.
Nothing short of the life of Christ is our example: this is what the
Christian is called to "follow." It is the life of Christ which it is
his duty to express in his own, and he who takes up Christianity on
any other terms woefully deceives his soul. No more effectual reproach
can be cast upon the blessed name of the Lord Jesus than for His
professing people to follow the lusts of the flesh, be conformed to
this world, and heed the behests of Satan. We can only bear witness
for the Saviour as we make His doctrine our rule, His glory our
concern, His example our practice. Christ is honoured not by wordy
expressions, but by a holy conversation. Nothing has done more to
bring the Gospel of Christ into reproach than the wicked lives of
those who bear His name. If I am not living a holy and obedient life
this shows that I am not "for" Christ, but against Him. (N. B. Much in
this article is a condensation of John Owen on the same subject, Vol.
3, of his works.)
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The Doctrine of Sanctification
by A. W. Pink
5. Its Problems
_________________________________________________________________
It should hardly be necessary for us to explain that when speaking of
the problem of sanctification we refer not to such as unto God, but
rather as it appears unto our feeble perceptions. But in these days it
is not wise to take anything for granted, for not only are there some
ready to make a man an offender for a word, if he fails to express
himself to their satisfaction, but there are others who need to have
the simplest terms defined unto them. No, it would be blasphemy to
affirm that sanctification, or anything else, ever presented any
problem to the great Jehovah: Omniscience can never be confronted with
any difficulty, still less an emergency. But to the Christian's finite
under-standing, deranged as it has been by sin, the problem of
Holiness is a very real and actual one; far more perplexing, we may
add, than that presented by the subject of justification.
There are various subsidiary difficulties in sanctification, as we
intimated in the fourth and fifth paragraphs of the Introductory
article, such as whether sanctification itself be a quality or a
position, whether it be legal or experimental, whether it be absolute
or progressive; all of which need to be cleared up in any satisfactory
treatment of this theme. But far more intricate is the problem itself
of how one who is a moral leper can be fit to worship in the Sanctuary
of God. Strange to say this problem is the acutest unto those who are
the most spiritual. Self-righteous Pharisees and self-satisfied
Laodiceans are in no wise troubled over the matter. Antinomians cut
the knot (instead of untying it) and deny all difficulty, by asserting
that the holiness of Christ is imputed to us. But those who realize
God requires personal holiness, yet are conscious of their own
filthiness, are deeply concerned thereupon.
Things are now, generally, at such a low ebb, that some of our readers
may be surprised to find us making any reference at all to the problem
of sanctification. In most places, today, either the doctrine taught
is so inadequate and powerless, or the practice maintained is so
defective, that few are likely to be exercised in conscience over the
nature of that holiness without which none shall see the Lord. The
claims of God are now so whittled down, the exalted standard which
Scripture sets forth is so disregarded, heart purity (in which vital
godliness so largely consists) is so little emphasized, that it is
rare to find any concerned about their personal state. If there be
some preachers zealously warning against the worthlessness of good
works to save where there be no faith in Christ, there are far more
who earnestly cry up an empty faith, which is unaccompanied by
personal holiness and obedience.
Such a low standard of spiritual living now prevails, that
comparatively few of the Lord's own people have any clear or
disturbing conceptions of how far, far short they come of measuring up
to the holy model which God has set before us in His Word. Such feeble
and faulty ideals of Christian living now prevail that those who are
preserved from the grosser evils which even the world condemns, are
"at ease in Zion." So little is the fear of God upon souls, so faintly
are the majority of professing Christians conscious of the plague of
their own hearts, that in most quarters to speak about the problem of
sanctification, would be talking in an unknown tongue. A fearful
miasma has settled down upon nine-tenths of Christendom, deadening the
senses, blunting spiritual perceptions, paralyzing endeavour after
deeper personal piety, till almost anything is regarded as being
acceptable unto God.
On the other hand, there is no doubt that some of us have intensified
the problem, by creating for ourselves additional and needless
difficulties, through erroneous ideas of what sanctification is or
what it involves in this life. The writer has been personally
acquainted with more than one who was in abject despair through
failing--after the most earnest and resolute efforts--to attain unto a
state which false teachers had told them was attainable in this life,
and who terminated their mortal wretchedness by committing suicide;
and it has long been a wonder to him that thousands more who heed such
teachers do not act likewise. There is no need to multiply
difficulties: scriptural sanctification is neither the eradication of
sin, the purification of the carnal nature, nor even the partial
putting to sleep of the "flesh"; still less does it secure an
exemption from the attacks and harassments of Satan.
Yet, on the other side, we must not minimize the problem, and reduce
it to such simple proportions that we suppose a complete solution
thereto is provided by merely affirming that Christ is our
sanctification, and in himself the believing sinner remains unchanged
to the end of his earthly course. If we die unholy in ourselves, then
we are most assuredly lost for eternity, for only the "pure in heart"
shall ever see God (Matt. 5:8). What that purity of heart is, and how
it is to be obtained, is the very real problem which sanctification
raises. It is at the heart God looks (1 Sam. 16:7), and it is with the
heart we need to be most concerned, for "out of it are the issues of
life" (Prov. 4:23). The severest woes were pronounced by Christ upon
men not because their external conduct was foul, but because within
they were "full of dead bones, and all uncleanness" (Matt. 23:27).
That personal holiness is absolutely essential for an entrance into
Heaven was shown at length in our last chapter, and that what men
regard as the lesser pollutions of sin just as effectually exclude
from the kingdom of God as do the most heinous crimes, is clear from 1
Cor. 6:9, 10. The question which forces itself upon us is, How shall
men be sanctified so as to suit an infinitely pure God? That we must
be justified before we can stand before a righteous God is no more
obvious than that it is necessary that we must be sanctified so as to
live in the presence of a holy God. But man is utterly without
holiness; yea, he is impure, foul, filthy. The testimony of Scripture
on this point is plain and full. "They are corrupt, they have done
abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The Lord looked down
from haven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did
understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all
together become filthy" (Ps. 14:1-3).
The testimony of Scripture is that all men are vile and polluted; that
they are, root and branch, source and stream, heart and life, not only
disobedient, but unholy, and therefore unfit for God's presence. The
Lord Jesus who knew what was in man, makes this clear enough when,
revealing with His own light that loathsome den, the human heart, He
says, "Out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries,
fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit,
lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these
evil thing come from within" (Mark 7:21-23). Nor must we forget that
the confession of saints concerning themselves has always corresponded
to God's testimony. David says, "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and
in sin did my mother conceive me" (Ps. 51). Job declared, "Behold I am
vile; I abhor myself." Isaiah cried out, "Woe is me, for I am undone;
because I am a man of unclean lips.., for mine eyes have seen the
King, the Lord of hosts."
But the most remarkable confession of this absolute vileness is
contained in an acknowledgment by the Old Testament church--a sentence
which has been taken up by all believers as exactly expressing what
they all have to say of their condition by nature: "But we are all as
an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags"
(Isa. 64:6). Strong language indeed is that, yet not one whit too
strong to depict the mud and mire into which the Fall has brought us.
If, then, when considering the doctrine of justification we found it
appropriate--in view of man's self-will, lawlessness, and
disobedience--to ask, "How shall a man be just with God? " it is no
less so now we are contemplating the doctrine of sanctification to
inquire--in view of man's uncleanness and filthiness--"Who shall bring
a clean thing out of an unclean?" (Job 14:4).
We have no more power to make ourselves holy than we have to unmake or
unbeing ourselves; we are no more able to cleanse our hearts, than we
are to command or direct the winds. Sin in dominion is the "plague" of
the heart (1 Kings 8:38), and as no disease is so deadly as the
plague, so there is no plague so deadly as that of the heart. "Can the
Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Then may ye also
do good that are accustomed to do evil" (Jer. 13:23). The proud cannot
make himself humble; the carnal cannot force himself to become
spiritual; the earthly man can no more transform himself into a
heavenly man than he can make the sun go backward or the earth fly
upward. Sanctification is a work altogether above the powers of human
nature: alas that this is so little realized today.
Even among those preachers who desire to be regarded as orthodox, who
do not deny the Fall as a historical fact, few among them perceive the
dire effects and extent thereof. "Bruised by the fall," as one popular
hymn puts it, states the truth far too mildly; yea, entirely misstates
it. Through the breach of the first covenant all men have lost the
image of God, and now bear the image of the Devil (John 8:44). The
whole of their faculties are so depraved that they can neither think
(2 Cor. 3:5), speak, nor do anything truly good and acceptable unto
God. They are by birth, altogether unholy, unclean, loathsome and
abominable in nature, heart, and life; and it is altogether beyond
their power to change themselves.
Not only so, but the curse of the law lying upon them has severed all
spiritual relation between God and them, cutting off all communion and
communication with Heaven. The driving from the Garden of Eden of our
first parents and the establishment of the cherubim with the flaming
sword at its entrance, denoted that in point of justice they were
barred from all sanctifying influences reaching them--that being the
greatest benefit man is capable of, as assimilating him to God Himself
or rendering him like Him. The curse has fixed a gulf between God and
fallen creatures, so that sanctifying influences cannot pass from Him
unto them, any more than their unholy desires and prayers can pass
unto Him. It is written, "The sacrifice of the wicked is an
abomination unto the Lord" (Prov. 15:8). And again, "The thoughts of
the wicked are an abomination to the Lord" (v.26).
It has, then, been rightly said that our sanctification "is no less a
mystery than our justification" (T. Boston). As the depravity of human
nature has always been so manifest that it could not escape notice
even in the world, so in all ages men have, been seeking to discover a
remedy for the same, and have supposed a cure could be achieved by a
right use of their rational, faculties. But the outcome has always
been, at best, but an outward show and semblance of sanctification,
going under the tame of "moral virtue." But so far is that from
meeting the requirements of Him who is Light, that men themselves,
once their eyes are (in any measure) anointed with heavenly eye salve,
perceive their moral virtue to be as "filthy rags," a menstrous cloth.
Until men are regenerate and act from a principle of grace in the
heart, all their actions are but imitations of real obedience and
piety, as an ape would mimic a man.
It is a common error of those that are unregenerate to seek to reform
their conduct without any realization that their state must be changed
before their lives can possibly be changed from sin to righteousness.
The tree itself must be made good, before its fruit can possibly be
good. As well attempt to make a watch go, whose mainspring is broken,
by washing its face and polishing its back, as for one under the curse
of God to produce any works acceptable to Him. That was the great
mistake Nicodemus laboured under: he supposed that teaching was all he
needed, so that he might adjust his walk to the acceptance of Heaven.
But to him the Lord Jesus declared, "Marvel not that I said unto thee,
Ye must be born again" (John 3:7): that was only another way of
saying, Nicodemus, you cannot perform spiritual works before you
possess a spiritual nature and a spiritual nature cannot be had until
you are born again.
Multitudes have laboured with great earnestness to subdue their evil
propensities, and have struggled long and hard to bring their inward
thoughts and affections into conformity with the law of God. They have
sought to abstain from all sins, and to perform every known duty. They
have been so devout and intent that they have undermined their health,
and were so fervent in their zeal that they were ready to kill their
bodies with fastings and mascerations, if only they might kill their
sinful lusts. They were strongly convinced that holiness was
absolutely necessary unto salvation, and were so deeply affected with
the terrors of damnation, as to forsake the world and shut themselves
up in convents and monasteries; yet all the while ignorant of the
mystery of sanctification--that a new state must precede a new life.
It is positively asserted by Divine inspiration that, "They that are
in the flesh cannot please God" (Rom. 8:8). Alas, how few understand
the meaning of those words "in the flesh;" how many suppose they only
signify, to be inordinately addicted to the baser passions. Whereas,
to be "in the flesh" is to be in a state of nature--fallen, depraved,
alienated from the life of God. To be "in the flesh" is not simply
being a personal transgressor of God's holy law, but is the cause of
all sinfulness and sinning. The "flesh" is the very nature of man as
corrupted by the fall of Adam, and propagated from him to us in that
corrupt state by natural generation. To be "in the flesh" is also
being in complete subjection to the power of the Devil, who is the
certain conqueror of all who attempt to fight him in their own
strength or with his own weapons. The flesh can no more he brought to
holiness by man's most vehement endeavours, than he can bring a dead
carcass to life by chafing and rubbing it.
The varied elements which entered into the problem of Justification
were: God's law requires from us perfect obedience to its statutes;
this we have utterly failed to render; we are therefore under the
condemnation and curse of the law; the Judge Himself is inflexibly
just, and will by no means clear the guilty: how, then, can men be
shown mercy without justice being flouted? The elements which enter
into the problem of Sanctification are: the law requires inward as
well as outward conformity to it: but we are born into this world with
a nature that is totally depraved, and can by no means be brought into
subjection to the law (Rom. 8:7). God Himself is ineffably pure, how
then can a moral leper be admitted into His presence? We are utterly
without holiness, and can no more make ourselves holy than the
Ethiopian can change his skin. Even though a holy nature be imparted
by regeneration, how can one with the flesh, unchanged, within him,
draw near as a worshipper unto the Heavenly Sanctuary? How can I as a
person possibly profess myself as holy, while conscious that I am full
of sin? How can I honestly profess to have a "pure heart," while
realizing a sea of corruption still rages within me? If my state must
be changed before anything in my life is acceptable to God, what I
possibly do?--I cannot unmake myself. If I know that polluted and
vile, and utterly unsuited unto the thrice holy how much less can He
regard me as fit for His presence?
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The Doctrine of Sanctification
by A. W. Pink
6. Its Solution
______________________________________________________________
In connection with the grand truth of sanctification there is both a
mystery and a problem: the former relates to the unregenerate; the
latter is what exercises so deeply the regenerate. That which is
hidden from the understanding of the natural man is, why his best
performances are unacceptable unto God, no matter how earnestly and
devoutly they be done. Even though he be informed that the tree must
be made good if its fruit is to be wholesome, in other words, that his
very state and nature must first be made acceptable unto God before
any of his works can be so, he has not the remotest idea of how this
is to be accomplished. But that which perplexes the spiritual man is,
how one who is still full of sin may justly regard his state and
nature as being acceptable unto God, and how one who is a mass of
corruption within can honestly claim to be holy. As the Lord is
pleased to enable we will consider each in turn.
The natural man is quite ignorant of the mystery of sanctification.
Though he may--under the spur of conscience, the fear of Hell, or from
desire to go to Heaven--be very diligent in seeking to conquer the
activities of indwelling sin and exceedingly zealous in performing
every known duty, yet he is quite in the dark as to why his state must
be changed before his actions ran be acceptable unto God. That upon
which he is unenlightened is, that it is not the matter which makes a
work good and pleasing to God, but the principles from which that work
proceeds. It is true that the conscience of the natural man
distinguishes between good and evil, and religious instruction may
educate him to do much which is right and avoid much that is wrong;
nevertheless, his actions are not done out of gratitude and in a
spirit of loving obedience, but out of fear and from a servile spirit;
and therefore are they like fruit ripened by art and forced in the
hothouse, rather than normally by the genial rays of the sun.
"Now the end (design) of the commandment (or law) is love out of a
pure heart, and a good conscience, and faith unfeigned" (I Tim. 1:5).
Nothing less than this will meet the Divine requirements. Only those
actions are pleasing to God which have respect unto His commandment,
which proceed from gratitude unto Him for His goodness, and where
faith has respect unto His promised acceptance and blessing. No works
are approved of Heaven except they possess these qualities. A sense of
duty must sway the conscience, disinterested affection must move the
heart, and faith in exercise must direct the actions. Hence, should I
be asked why I do thus and so? the answer should be, Because God has
commanded it. And if it be further enquired, And why such earnestness
and affection? the answer ought to be, Because God requires my best,
and I desire to honour Him with the same. Obedience respects God's
authority; love, His kindness; faith, His bounty or reward.
"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to
the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31). This must be our design--the glory
of God--if our actions are to meet with His approval. Whether it be
the discharge of our temporal duties, the performing of deeds of
charity and kindness, or acts of piety and devotion, they must be
executed with this aim: that God may be honored by our conformity to
His revealed will. The natural man, when in sore straits, will cry
fervently unto God, but it is only that his wants be supplied. Many
will contribute liberally of their means to the relief of sufferers,
but it is to be seen of men" (Matt. 6:2). People are religious on the
Sabbath and attend public worship, but it is either to satisfy an
uneasy conscience or in the hope of earning Heaven thereby.
From what has been said above it should be clear that the best deeds
of the unregenerate fall far short of the Divine requirements. The
actions of the natural man cannot receive the approbation of Heaven,
because God is neither the beginning nor the end of them: love for Him
is not their spring, glorifying Him is not their aim. Instead, they
issue from the workings of corrupt self, and they have in view only
the advancement of self. Nor can it be otherwise. Water will not rise
above its own level, or flow uphill. A pure stream cannot issue from
an impure fountain. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh" (John 3
:6), and will never be anything but flesh: educate, refine,
religionize the flesh all we may, it can never become spirit. The man
himself must be sanctified, before his actions are purified.
But how shall men be sanctified so as to be suited unto the presence
of an infinitely pure God? By nature they are utterly without
holiness: they are "corrupt, filthy, an unclean thing." They have no
more power to make themselves holy than they have to create a world.
We could tame a tiger from the jungle far more easily than we could
our lusts. We might empty the ocean more quickly than we could banish
pride from our souls. We might melt marble more readily than our hard
hearts. We might purge the sea of salt more easily than we could our
beings of sin. "For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee
much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before Me, saith the Lord God"
(Jer. 2:22).
Why "when we were in our best condition by nature, when we were in the
state of original holiness, when we were in Adam vested with the image
of God, we preserved it not. How much less likely then, is it, that
now, in the state of lapsed and depraved nature, it is in our power to
restore ourselves, to reintroduce the image of God into our souls, and
that in a far more eminent manner than it was at first created by God?
What needed all that contrivance of infinite wisdom and grace for the
reparation of our nature by Jesus Christ, if holiness, wherein it doth
consist, be in our power, and educed out of the natural faculties of
our souls? There can be no more fond imagination befall the minds of
men, than that defiled nature is able to cleanse itself, or depraved
nature to rectify itself, or we, who have lost that image of God which
He created in us, and with us, should create it again in ourselves by
our own endeavours" (John Owen).
Yet, let it be pointed out that this impotency to measure up to the
requirements of God is no mere innocent infirmity, but a highly
culpable thing, which greatly aggravates our vileness and adds to our
guilt. Our inability to measure up to the standard of personal piety
which God has appointed, lies not in a lack of executive power or the
needful faculties, but in the want of a willing mind and a ready heart
to practice true holiness. If men in a natural state had a hearty love
and liking to true holiness, and a fervent and sincere endeavour to
practice it, and yet failed in the event, then they might under some
pretence plead for this excuse (as many do), that they are compelled
to sin by an inevitable necessity. But the fact is that man's
impotency lies in his own obstinacy--"Ye will not come to Me" (John
5:40) said the Lord Jesus.
Inability to pay a debt does not excuse a debtor who has recklessly
squandered his estate; nor does drunkenness excuse the mad or violent
actions of a drunkard, but rather aggravates his crime. God has not
lost His right to command, even though man through his wickedness has
lost his power to obey. Because the flesh "lusteth against the Spirit"
(Gal. 5:17), that is far from an extenuation for not being in
subjection to Him. Because "every one that doeth evil hateth the
light," that is far from justifying them because they "loved darkness"
(John 3:19, 20); yea, as the Saviour there so plainly and solemnly
states, it only serves to heighten their criminality--"This is the
condemnation." Then "How much more abominable and filthy is man, which
drinketh iniquity like water?" (Job 15:16) that cannot practice
holiness because he will not.
It is because men do not make a right use of their faculties that they
are justly condemned. The soul in an unsanctified person is not dead,
but is a living and acting principle; and therefore it is able to
understand, desire, will, reason, and improve its opportunities, or
redeem the time. Though the natural man is unable to work grace in his
own heart, yet he is able to attend and wait upon the means of grace.
An unsanctified person may as well go to hear a sermon as attend a
theatre: he has the same eyes for reading the Scriptures as the
newspaper or a novel: he may as well associate himself with those who
fear an oath, as with those who delight to blaspheme that Name at
which all should tremble. In the day of judgment unsanctified persons
will be damned not for cannots, but for will not:.
Men complain that they cannot purify themselves, that they cannot
cease from sin, that they cannot repent, that they cannot believe in
Christ, that they cannot live a holy life. But if only they were
honest, if they were duly humbled, if they sincerely grieved over the
awful hold which sin has obtained upon them, they would fly to the
throne of grace, they would cry unto God day and night for Him to
break the chains which bind them, deliver them from the power of Satan
and translate them into the kingdom of His dear Son. If they were but
sincere in their complaint of inability, they would go to God and beg
Him to sprinkle clean water upon them, put His Spirit within them, and
give them a new heart, so that they might walk in His statutes and
keep His judgments (Ezek. 36:25-28). And it is just because they will
not, that their blood justly lies upon their own heads.
"Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye
double-minded' (James 4:8). Outward separation from that which is evil
and polluting is not sufficient: purity of heart is also
indispensable. "Behold, Thou desirest truth in the inward parts" (Psa.
51:6). The Divine law not only prohibits stealing, but also insists
"Thou shall not covet," which is a lusting of our souls rather than an
external act. Holiness of nature is required by the law, for how else
shall a man love the Lord his God with all his heart, soul, mind, and
strength, and his neighbour as himself? God is essentially holy by
nature, and nothing can be so contrary to Him as an unholy nature.
Nothing can be so contrary as opposite natures. How can a wolf and a
lamb, or vulture and a dove, dwell together? "What fellowship hath
righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with
darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial?" (2 Cor. 6:14,
15).
How, then, is this mystery cleared up? By what method, or in what way,
have the sanctified become blest with a nature which makes them meet
for the ineffable presence of God? By what process does the evil tree
become good, so that its fruit is wholesome and acceptable? Obviously,
we cannot here supply the full answer to these questions, or we should
be anticipating too much that we desire to bring out in later
chapters. But we will endeavor to now indicate, at least, the
direction in which and the lines along which this great mystery is
cleared--lines which most assuredly would never have entered our
hearts and minds to so much as conceive; but which once they are
viewed by anointed eyes, are seen to be Divine and satisfying. The
Lord graciously assist us to steer clear of the rocks of error and
guide us into the clear and refreshing waters of the truth.
As we have shown, it was quite impossible--though it was their bounden
duty--for those whom God sanctifies to personally answer the
requirements of His holy law: "Who can say, I have made my heart
clean, I am pure from sin?" (Prov. 20:9). Wherefore, for the
satisfaction of the law, which requires absolute purity of nature, it
was settled as one of the articles in the Everlasting Covenant, that
Christ, the Representative of all who would be sanctified, should be a
Man of an untainted and perfectly pure nature, which fully met the
requirements of the law: "For such an High Priest became us--holy,
harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners" (Heb. 7:26). The meeting
of that requirement necessitated two things: first, that the Head of
His people should be born with a holy human nature; second, that He
should retain that holiness of nature inviolate unto the end. Let us
consider, briefly, each of these separately.
There was a holy nature given to Adam as the Root of mankind, to be
kept by him and transmitted to his posterity by natural generation.
Upon that ground the law requires all men to be born holy, and
pronounces them unclean and "children of wrath" (Eph. 2:3) in the
contrary. But how can this demand be met by those who are born in sin?
They cannot enter again into their mother's womb, and be born a second
time without sin. Even so, the law will not abate its demand.
Wherefore it was provided that Christ, the last Adam, should, as the
Representative and Root of His spiritual seed, be born perfectly holy;
that whereas they brought a sinful nature into the world with them, He
should be born "that holy thing" (Luke I :35). Consequently, in the
reckoning of the law all believers are born holy in the last Adam.
They are said to be "circumcised" by the circumcision of Christ (Col.
2:11), and circumcision necessarily presupposes birth!
But more was required. It was necessary that the Second Man should
preserve His holy nature free from all spot or defilement, as He
passed through this world of sin. The law not only demands holiness of
nature, but also that the purity and integrity of that nature be
preserved. Wherefore to satisfy this "demand," it was provided that
the believers' federal Head should preserve His ineffable purity
unstained. "He shall not fail" (Isa. 42 :4). The first man did fail:
the fine gold soon became dim: the holiness of his nature was quickly
extinguished by sin. But the Second Man failed not: neither man nor
devil could corrupt Him. He preserved the holiness of His nature
unstained, even to the end of His life. And so of His sanctified,
viewing them in Himself, He declares, "Thou art all fair, My love;
there is no spot in thee" (Song of 5. 4:7).
But while that completely meets the judicial side, satisfying the
demands of the law, something more was yet required to satisfy the
heart of God and meet the experimental needs of His people. In view of
their being actually defiled in Adam when he sinned, they are defiled
in their own persons so that not only is his guilt imputed to them,
but his corruption is imparted to them in the nature they have
received from him by generation. Therefore, not only were the elect
legally born holy in Christ their Head, but from Him they also receive
a holy nature: it is written, "The first man Adam was made a living
soul; the last Adam was made a quickening Spirit" (1 Cor. 15:45). This
is accomplished by that gracious and supernatural working of the third
person in the Godhead, whereby the elect are vitally united to their
head so that "he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit" (1 Cor.
6:17).
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things
are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Cor. 5:17). Our
being united to Christ, through the Spirit, by faith, makes us
partakers of the same spiritual and holy nature with Him, as really
and as actually as Eve (type of the Church) was made of one nature
with Adam, being bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. Because
believers are united to Christ the Holy One, they are "sanctified in
Christ Jesus" (1 Cor. 1:2). The believer being one with Christ is made
"a new creature," because He is such a Stock as changes the graft into
its own nature: "If the Root be holy, so are the branches" (Rom.
11:16). The same Spirit which Christ received "without measure" (John
3:34) is communicated to the members of His body, so that it can be
said, "Of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace"
(John 1:16). Being united to Christ by faith, and through the
communication of the quickening Spirit from Christ unto him, the
believer is thereupon not only justified and reconciled to God, but
sanctified, made meet for the inheritance of the saints in light, and
made an heir of God.
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The Doctrine of Sanctification
by A. W. Pink
7. Its Solution (Completed)
______________________________________________________________
At the beginning of the former chapter it was pointed out that in
connection with the grand truth of sanctification there is both a
mystery and a problem: the former relating to the unregenerate, the
latter causing concern to the regenerate. That which is hidden from
the knowledge of the natural man is, why his best works are
unacceptable to God. Tell him that all his actions--no matter how
carefully and conscientiously, diligently and devoutly, executed--are
rejected by God, and that is something entirely above the reach of his
understanding. He knows not that his breaking of the law in Adam has
brought in a breach between himself and God, so that while that breach
remains, the favour of God cannot flow out of him, nor his prayers or
offerings pass in to God. The Lord will no more receive anything at
the hands of the natural man than He would have respect unto the
offering of Cain (Gen. 4). And had He left all men in their natural
estate, this would have held true of the whole race until the end of
time.
Inasmuch as all men were given a holy nature--created in the image and
likeness of God--in their representative and root, to be transmitted
to them by him, before the law was given to Adam, it follows that the
law requires a holy nature from each of us, and pronounces a curse
wherever it finds the opposite. Though we are actually born into this
world in a state of corruption and filth (Ezek. 16:3-6, etc.), yet the
law will not abate its just demands upon us. In consequence of the sin
which indwells us--which is so much a part and parcel of ourselves
that everything we do is defiled thereby--we are thoroughly unable to
render unto the law that obedience which it requires; for while we are
alienated from the life of God, it is impossible that any outward acts
of compliance with the law's statutes can proceed from those
principles which it alone can approve of, namely, disinterested love
and faith unfeigned. Consequently, the state of the natural man,
considered in himself, is entirely beyond hope.
The provision made by the manifold wisdom and sovereign grace of God
to meet the desperate needs of His people was stipulated for in terms
of the Everlasting Covenant. There it was agreed upon by the Eternal
Three that the Mediator should be the Son of man, yet, that His
humanity should be not only entirely free from every taint of original
sin, but should be purer than that of Adam's even when his Creator
pronounced him "very good." This was accomplished by the supernatural
operation of the Holy Spirit in the virgin birth, and by the Son of
God taking into personal union with Himself "that holy thing" which
was to be born of Mary. Inasmuch as Christ, the God-man Mediator,
entered this world not as a private Person, but as a public, as the
Representative and Head of God's elect, in the reckoning of the law
they were born holy in their Surety and Sponsor, and so fully measure
up to its requirements. Christ and His mystical body have never been
viewed apart by the law.
But this, unspeakably blessed though it be, was not all. A perfect
legal standing only met half of the need of God's elect: in addition,
their state must be made to accord with their standing. This also has
been provided for by the measureless love of the God of all grace. He
so ordered that, just as the guilt of Adam was imputed to all for whom
He acted, so the righteousness of Christ should be imputed to all for
whom He transacted: and, that just as spiritual death--with all its
corrupting effects--should be transmitted by Adam to all his
posterity, so the spiritual life of Christ--with all its gracious
influences-- should be communicated to all His seed. As they received
a sinful and impure nature from their natural head, so the sanctified
receive a sinless and pure nature from their spiritual Head.
Consequently, as they have borne the image of the earthy, so they
shall bear the image of the heavenly.
Some of our readers may, perhaps, conclude that all difficulty in
connection with this aspect of our subject has now been of, but a
little reflection on the part of the believer soon remind him that the
most perplexing point of all has yet to be cleared up. Though it be
true that every essential requirement of the law has been met for the
sanctified by their glorious Head, so that the law righteously views
them as holy in Him; and though it be true that at regeneration they
receive from Christ, by the Spirit, a new and holy nature, like unto
His; yet the old nature remains, and remains unchanged, unimproved.
Yea, to them it seems that the carnal nature in them is steadily
growing worse and worse, and more active and defiling every day they
live. They are painfully conscious of the jest that sin not only
remains in them, but that it pollutes their desires, thoughts,
imaginations, and acts; and to prevent its uprisings they are quite
powerless.
This presents to an honest heart and a sensitive conscience a problem
which is most acute, for how can those who abhor themselves be
pleasing unto the thrice holy One? How can those conscious of their
filthiness and vileness possibly be fit to draw nigh unto Him who is
ineffably and infinitely pure? The answer which some have returned to
this agonized enquiry based upon an erroneous deduction from the words
of Paul "it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me":
Rom. 7:20--will by no means satisfy them. To say it is not the
regenerate person, but only the flesh in him, which sins, is to invent
a distinction which repudiates the Christian's responsibility and
which affords no relief to a quickened conscience. Scripture is far
too plain on this point to justify a mistake: Old and New Testament
alike insist it is the person who sins--"against Thee. . . have I
sinned" (Ps. 51). Paul himself concludes Romans 7 by saying, "O
wretched man that I am!"
Where other matters are concerned, men have more sense than to fall
back upon such a distinction as some modern theologians are so fond of
insisting upon: it never occurs to them to argue thus in connection
with temporal things. Imagine one before a judge, who was charged with
theft, acknowledging his offence, but disowning all responsibility and
culpability on the ground that it was his "evil nature" and not
himself which did the stealing! Surely the judge would be in a
quandary to decide whether prison or the madhouse was the right place
to send him. This reminds us of an incident wherein a "Bishop" was
guilty of blasphemy in the House of Lords (where all "Bishops" have
seats). Being rebuked by his manservant, he replied, "It was the
`lord' and not the `bishop' who cursed." His servant responded, "When
the Devil gets the `lord' where will the `bishop' be!" Beware, my
reader, of seeking to clear yourself by throwing the blame upon your
"nature."
Somewhere else, then, than in any supposed distinction between the
sanctified person and his old nature, must the solution to our problem
be sought. When one who has been walking with God is tripped up by
some temptation and falls, into sin, or when indwelling corruption
surges up and (for the time being) obtains the mastery over him, he is
painfully aware of the fact; and that which exercises him the most is
not only that he has sinned against the One who is nearer and dearer
to him than all else, but that his communion with Him is broken, and
that he is no longer morally fit to come into His sacred presence.
Whilst his knowledge of the Gospel may be sufficient to allay any
haunting fears of the penal consequences of his sins, yet this does
not remove the defilement from his conscience. This is one important
respect in which the unregenerate and regenerate differ radically:
when the former sins it is the guilt (and punishment) which most
occupies his thoughts; but when the latter, it is the defiling effects
which most exercises his heart.
There are two things in sin, inseparably connected and yet clearly
distinguishable, namely, its criminality and its pollution. The
pollution of sin is that property of it whereby it is directly opposed
unto the holiness of God, and which God expresseth His holiness to be
contrary unto. Therefore it is said, He is "of purer eyes than to
behold iniquity, and canst not look on evil" (Hab. 1:13)--it is a vile
and loathsome sight to Him who is the Light. Hence doth He use that
pathetic entreaty, "Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate"
(Jer. 44:4.). It is with respect unto His own holiness that God sets
forth sin by the names of everything which is offensive,
objectionable, repulsive, abominable. Consequently, when the Holy
Spirit convicts of sin, He imparts such a sight and sense of the filth
of sin, that sinners blush, are ashamed, are filled with confusion of
face, are abased in their own esteem, and abashed before God.
As we are taught the guilt of sin by our own fear, which is the
inseparable adjunct of it, so we are taught the filth of sin by our
own shame, which unavoidably attends it. Under the typical economy God
not only appointed sacrifices to make atonement for the guilt of sin,
but also gave various ordinances for purification or ceremonial
cleansing from the pollution thereof. In various ways, during Old
Testament times, God instructed His people concerning the spiritual
defilement of sin: the distinction between clean and unclean animals,
the different natural distempers which befoul the body, the isolating
of the leper, the accidental touching of the dead which rendered
people religiously unclean by the law, are cases in point. All of them
prefigured internal and spiritual pollution, and hence the whole work
of sanctification is expressed by "a fountain opened...for sin and for
uncleanness" (Zech. 13:1 )--that is, for the purging away of them.
So inseparable is moral pollution from sin, and a sense of shame from
a consciousness of the pollution, that whenever a soul is truly
convicted of sin, there is always a painful sense of this filthiness,
accompanied by personal shame. Only as this is clearly apprehended,
are we able to understand the true nature of sanctification. The
spiritual comeliness of the soul consists in its conformity to God.
Grace gives beauty: hence it is said of Christ that He is "Fairer (or
"more beautiful") than the children of men," and that beauty consisted
in his being made in the image of God, which constituted the whole
harmony and symmetry of his nature, all his faculties and actions
having respect unto God. Therefore, that which is contrary to the
image of God--depravity, contrary to grace--sin, hath in it a
deformity which mars the soul, destroys its comeliness, disrupts its
order, and brings deformity, ugliness, vileness.
Whatever is contrary to holiness or the image of God on the soul, is
base, unworthy, filthy. Sin dishonors and degrades the soul, filling
it with shame. The closer we are permitted to walk with God and the
more we see ourselves in His light, the more conscious are we of the
deformity of sin and of our baseness. When our eyes were first opened
to see our spiritual nakedness, how hideous did we appear unto
ourselves, and what a sense of our pollution we had! That was but the
reflex of God's view, for He abhors, loathes, and esteems as an
abominable thing whatever is contrary to His holiness. Those who are
made "partakers of the Divine nature" (2 Pet. 1:4), do, according to
their measure, but see themselves with God's eyes, as wretched, naked,
shameful, loathsome, hideous and abominable creatures; and therefore
do they, with Job, "abhor" themselves.
The last four paragraphs are, in part, a condensation from John Owen;
and from them we may clearly perceive that it is they who are truly
sanctified and holy, who are the most deeply sensible of the root of
corruption which still remains within them, and which is ever
springing up and producing that which defiles them; and therefore do
they greatly bewail their pollutions, as that which is most
dishonoring to God and most disturbing to their own peace; and
earnestly do they endeavour after the mortification of it. A
remarkable corroboration is found in the fact that the most godly and
holy have been the very ones who most strongly affirmed their
sinfulness and most loudly bewailed the same. It was one whom God
Himself declared to be a "perfect (sincere) and an upright man, one
that feareth God, and escheweth evil" (Job 1:8) who declared "Behold,
I am vile" (40:4). It was one "greatly beloved" of God (Dan. 10:19),
who acknowledged "my comeliness was turned in me into corruption"
(10:8). It was he who was caught up to the third heaven and then
returned again to earth who moaned, "O wretched man that I am! who
shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Rom. 7:24).
From the quotations just made from the personal confessions of some of
the most eminent of God's saints, it is perfectly plain to any simple
soul that a "pure heart" cannot signify one from which all sin has
been removed, nor can their language possibly be made to square with
the utopian theory that the carnal nature is eradicated from any
believer in this life. Indeed it cannot; and none but they who are
completely blinded by Satan would ever affirm such a gross absurdity
and palpable lie. But this requires us now to define and describe what
a "pure heart" consists of, according to the scriptural meaning
thereof. And in our efforts to supply this, we shall have to try and
guard against two evils: providing a pillow for empty professors to
comfortably rest upon; and stating things in such a way that hope
would be killed in the regenerate.
First, a "pure heart" is one which has experienced "the washing of
regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5). That takes
place at the new birth, and is maintained by the Spirit throughout the
Christian's life. All that this involves we cannot now state at any
length. But, negatively, it includes the purifying of the believer's
understanding, so that it is no longer fatally blinded by Satan, but
is supernaturally illumined by the Spirit: in consequence, the vanity
of worldly things is now perceived. The mind is, in great measure,
freed from the pollution of error, and this, by the shining in of the
light of God's truth. It includes, negatively, the cleansing of the
affections, so that sin is no longer loved but loathed, and God is no
longer shrunk from and avoided, but sought after and desired.
From the positive side, there is communicated to the soul at
regeneration a nature or principle which contains within itself pure
desires, pure intentions, and pure roots of actions. The fear of God
is implanted, and the love of God is shed abroad in the heart. In
consequence thereof, the soul is made to pant after God, yearn for
conformity to His will, and seeks to please Him in all things. And
hence it is that the greatest grief of the Christian arises from the
hindering of his spiritual longings and the thwarting of his spiritual
aspirations. A pure heart is one that loathes impurity, and whose
heaviest burden is the realization that such an ocean of foul waters
still indwells him, constantly casting up their mire and dirt,
polluting all he does. A "pure heart," therefore, is one which makes
conscience of foolish, vile imaginations, and evil desires. It is one
which grieves over pride and discontent, mourns over unbelief, and
enmity, weeps in secret over unholiness.
Second, a "pure heart" is one which has been "sprinkled from an evil
conscience" (Heb. 10:22). An "evil conscience" is one which accuses of
guilt and oppresses because of unpardoned sin. Its possessor dreads
the prospect of the day of judgment, and seeks to banish all thoughts
of it from his mind. But a conscience to which the Spirit has
graciously applied the atoning blood of Christ obtains peace of mind,
and has confidence to draw nigh unto God: in consequence,
superstition, terror and torment is removed, and an aversion to God is
displaced by a joy in God. Hence, also, third, we read "purifying
their hearts by faith" (Acts 15:9). As unbelief is a principle which
defiles, so faith is a principle which purges, and that, because of
the object which it lays hold of. Faith looks away from self to
Christ, and is enabled to realize that His blood "cleanseth us from
all sin" (1 John 1:7).
Every Christian, then, has a "pure" heart in the particulars given
above. But every Christian does not have a "clean" heart (Ps. 51 :10).
That which pollutes the heart of a Christian is unjudged sin. Whenever
sin is allowed by us, communion with God is broken, and pollution can
only be removed, and communion restored, by genuine repentance--a
condemning of ourselves, a mourning over the sin, and unsparing
confession of the same, accompanied by a fervent desire and sincere
resolution not to be overtaken by it again. The willing allowance and
indulgence of any known sin cannot exist with a clean heart. Rightly,
then, did John Owen say of repentance: "It is as necessary unto the
continuance of spiritual life, as faith itself." After the repentance
and confession, there must be a fresh (and constant) recourse unto
that Fountain which has been "opened for sin and for uncleanness," a
fresh application by faith of the cleansing blood of Christ: pleading
its merits and efficacy before God.
In this chapter (in two sections) we have sought to answer the
questions at the close of the fifth chapter. We have met every demand
of the law in the person of our Surety. We are made meet for the
inheritance of the saints in light, because all the value of Christ's
cleansing blood is reckoned to our account. We are capacitated to draw
nigh unto God now, because the Holy Spirit has communicated to us the
very nature of Christ Himself. By faith we may regard ourselves as
holy in Christ. By regeneration we have received a "pure heart:" proof
of which is, we hate all impurity, although there is still that in us
which delights in nothing else. We are to maintain communion with God
by cleansing our own hearts (Ps. 73:13), and that, through constant
mortification, and the daily and unsparing judgment of all known sin
in and from us.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Sanctification
by A. W. Pink
8. Its Nature
______________________________________________________________
We have now reached what is, in several respects, the most important
aspect of our theme. It is very necessary that we should seek after a
clear and comprehensive view of the character of sanctification
itself, what it really consists of; or, at best, Our thoughts
concerning it will be confused. Since holiness is, by general consent,
the sum of all moral excellence, and the highest and most necessary
attainment, it is of the utmost moment that we should well understand
its real nature and be able to distinguish it from all counterfeits.
How can it be discovered whether or not we have been sanctified,
unless we really know what sanctification actually is? How can we
truly cultivate holiness, until we have ascertained the real substance
or essence holiness? A right apprehension of the nature of
sanctification or holiness is a great aid to the understanding of much
in the Scriptures, to the forming of right conceptions of the Divine
perfections, and to the distinguishing of true religion from all that
is false.
We have also now reached what is the most difficult and aspect of our
many-sided subject. The task of defining and describing the nature of
sanctification is by no means a simple one. This is due, partly, to
the many different aspects and angles which have to be borne in mind,
if anything like a comprehensive conception is to be obtained.
Scripture speaks of the believer being sanctified by God the Father;
other passages speak of being sanctified in Christ and by His
sacrifice; still others of being sanctified by the Spirit, by the
Word, by faith, by chastisements. Of course these do not refer to so
many different sanctifications, but to the various branches of one
complete sanctification; which, nevertheless, need to be kept
distinctly in our minds. Some Scriptures present sanctification as an
objective thing, others as subjective. Sometimes sanctification is
viewed as complete, at others as incomplete and progressive. These
varied phases of our subject will pass under review (D.V.) in later
chapters.
As we have consulted the works of others on this subject, we have been
struck by the paucity of their remarks on the nature of
sanctification. While many writers have treated at length on the
meaning of the term itself, the manner in which this gift has been
provided for the believer, the work of the Spirit in imparting the
same, the varying degrees in which it is manifested in this life, yet
few indeed have entered into a clear description of what holiness
actually is. Where false conceptions have been mercifully avoided,
yet, in most cases, only partial and very inadequate views of the
truth thereon have been presented. It is our conviction that failure
at this point, inattention to this most vital consideration, has been
responsible, more than anything else, for the conflicting opinions
which prevail so widely among professing Christians. A mistake at this
point opens the door for the entrance of all kinds of delusion.
In order to remove some of the rubbish which may have accumulated in
the minds of certain of our readers, and thus prepare the way for
their consideration of the truth, let us briefly touch upon the
negative side. First, scriptural sanctification is not a blessing
which may be and often is separated from justification by a long
interval of time. Those who contend for a "second work of grace"
insist that the penitent sinner is justified the moment he believes in
Christ, but that he is not sanctified until he completely surrenders
to the Lord and then receives the Spirit in His fulness--as though a
person might be converted without fully surrendering to Christ, or
become a child of God without the Holy Spirit indwelling him. This is
a serious mistake. Once we are united to Christ by the Spirit and
faith, we become "joint heirs" with Him, having a valid title to all
blessing in Him. There is no dividing of the Saviour: He is the
holiness of His people as well as their righteousness, and when He
bestows forgiveness, He also imparts heart purity.
Second, scriptural sanctification is not a protracted process which
the Christian is made meet for Heaven. The same work of Divine grace
which delivers a soul from the wrath to come fits him for the
enjoyment of eternal glory. At what point was the penitent prodigal
unsuited to the Father's house? As soon as he came and confessed his
sins, the best robe was placed upon him, the ring was put on his hand,
his feet were shod, and the word went forth, "Bring hither the fatted
calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: for this My son was
dead, and is alive again; he was lost and is found" (Luke 15:23, 24).
If a gradual progressive work of the Spirit was necessary in order to
fit the soul to dwell on High, then the dying thief was not qualified
to enter Paradise the very day he first believed in the Lord Jesus.
"But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the
name of the Lord Jesus" (1 Cor. 6:11)--those three things cannot be
separated. "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to
be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light" (Col. 1:12).
Third, scriptural sanctification is not the eradication of the carnal
nature. The doctrine of the "Perfectionists" hardens souls in
delusion, calling evil good, and allowing themselves in sin. It
greatly discourages sincere souls who labour to get holiness in the
right way--by faith in Christ--and leads them to think that they
labour in vain, because they find themselves still sinful and far from
perfect, when they have done their best to attain it. It renders
meaningless many scriptural exhortations, such as Romans 6:12, 2
Corinthians 7:1, Ephesians 4:22, 2 Timothy 2:22--"flee also youthful
lusts," shows plainly they were still present even in the godly
Timothy! Were the carnal nature gone from the Christian, he would be
quite unfitted for such duties as the confessing of sins (1 John 1:9),
loathing himself for them (Job 40:4), praying earnestly for the pardon
of them (Matt. 6:12), sorrowing over them with godly sorrow (2 Cor.
7:10), accepting the chastisement of them (Heb. 12:5-1l), vindicating
God for the same (Ps. 119:75), and offering Him the sacrifice of a
broken and a contrite heart (Ps. 51:17).
Fourth, scriptural sanctification is not something wholly objective in
Christ, which is not in anywise in ourselves. In their revolt against
sinless perfectionism, there have been some who have gone to an
opposite extreme: Antinomians argue for a holiness in Christ which
produces no radical change for the better in the Christian. This is
another deceit of the Devil, for a deceit it certainly is for anyone
to imagine that the only holiness he has is in Christ. There is no
such thing in reality as a perfect and inalienable standing in Christ
which is divorced from heart-purity and a personal walk in
righteousness. What a flesh-pleasing dogma is it, that one act of
faith in the Lord Jesus secures eternal immunity from condemnation and
provides a lifelong license to wallow in sin. My reader, a faith which
does not transform character and reform conduct is worthless. Saving
faith is only proved to be genuine by bearing the blossoms of
experimental godliness and the fruits of personal piety.
In our quest after the actual nature of holiness certain definite
considerations need to be kept steadily before us, as guideposts along
the track which we must follow. First, by noting what is holiness in
God Himself, for the creature's holiness--be it the angels', Christ's,
or the Christian's--must conform to the Divine pattern. Though there
may be many degrees of holiness, there cannot be more than one kind of
holiness. Second, by ascertaining what Adam had and lost, and which
Christ has regained for His people. While it be blessedly true that
the Christian obtains far more in the Second Man than was forfeited by
the first man, yet this is a point of considerable importance. Third,
by discovering the true nature of sin, for holiness is its opposite.
Fourth, by remembering that sanctification is an integral and
essential part of salvation itself, and not an extra. Fifth, by
following up the clue given us in the threefold meaning of the term
itself.
What is connoted by the holiness of God? In seeking an answer to this
question very little help is to be obtained from the works of
theologians, most of whom contented themselves with a set of words
which expressed no distinct thing, but left matters wholly in the
dark. Most of them say that God's holiness is His purity. If it be
enquired, in what does this purity consist? the usual reply is, In
that which is opposite to all sin, the greatest impurity. But who is
the wiser by this? That, of itself, does not help us to form any
positive idea of what God's purity consists of, until we are told what
sin really is. But the nature of sin cannot be experimentally known
until we apprehend what holiness is, for we do not fully learn what
holiness is by obtaining a right idea of sin; rather must we first
know what holiness is in order for a right knowledge of sin.
A number of eminent theologians have attempted to tell us what Divine
holiness is by saying, It is not properly a distinct attribute of God,
but the beauty and glory of all His moral perfections. But we can get
no concrete idea from those words, until we are told what is this
"beauty and glory." To say it is "holiness" is to say nothing at all
to the point. All that John Gill gives us for a definition of God's
holiness is, "holiness is the purity and rectitude of His nature."
Nath Emmons, the perfector of the "New England" scheme of theology,
tells us, "Holiness is a general term to express that goodness or
benevolence which comprises everything that is morally amiable and
excellent." Though sound in their substance, such statements are too
brief to be of much service to us in seeking to form a definite
conception of the Divine Holiness.
The most helpful description of God's holiness which we have met with
is that framed by the Puritan, Stephen Charnock, "It is the rectitude
or integrity of the Divine nature, or that conformity of it in
affection and action to the Divine will, as to His eternal law,
whereby He works with a becomingness to His own excellency, and
whereby He hath a delight and complacency in everything agreeable to
His will, and an abhorrency of everything contrary thereto." Here is
something definite and tangible, satisfying to the mind; though
perhaps it requires another feature to be added to it. Since the law
is "a transcript" of the Divine mind and nature, then God's holiness
must be His own harmony therewith; to which we may add, God's holiness
is His ordering all things for His own glory, for He can have no
higher end than that--this being His own unique excellency and
prerogative.
We fully concur with Charnock in making the will of God and the law of
God one and the same thing, and that His holiness lies in the
conformity of His affections and actions with the same; adding, that
the furtherance of His own glory being His design in the whole. Now
this concept of the Divine holiness--the sum of God's moral
excellency--helps us to conceive what holiness is in the Christian. It
is far more than a "position" or "standing." It is also and chiefly a
moral quality, which produces conformity to the Divine will or law,
and which moves its possessor to aim at the glory of God in all
things. This, and nothing short of this, could meet the Divine
requirements; and this is the great gift which God bestows upon His
people.
What was it that Adam had and lost? What was it which distinguished
him from all the lower creatures? Not simply the possession of a soul,
but that his soul had stamped upon it the moral image and likeness of
his Maker. This it was which constituted his blessedness, which
capacitated him for communion with the Lord, and which qualified him
to live a happy life to His glory. And this it was which he lost at
the fall. And this it is which the last Adam restores unto His people.
That is clear from a comparison of Colossians 3:10 and Ephesians 4:23:
the "new man," the product of regeneration, is "renewed in knowledge
(in the vital and experimental knowledge of God Himself: John 17:3)
after the image of Him that created him," that is, after the original
likeness which was bestowed upon Adam; and that "new man" is
distinctly said to be "created in righteousness and true holiness"
(Eph. 4:24).
Thus, what the first Adam lost and what the last Adam secured for His
people, was the "image and likeness" of God stamped upon the heart,
which "image" consists of "righteousness and holiness." Hence to
understand that personal and experimental holiness which the Christian
is made partaker of at the new birth, we have to go back to the
beginning and ascertain what was the nature or character of that moral
"uprightness" (Eccl. 7:29) with which God created man at the
beginning. Holiness and righteousness was the "nature" with which the
first man was endowed; it was the very law of his being, causing him
to delight in the Lord, do those things which are pleasing in His
sight, and reproduce in his creature measure God's own righteousness
and holiness. Here again we discover that holiness is a moral quality,
which conforms its possessor to the Divine law or will, and moves him
to aim only at the glory of God.
What is sin? Ah, what man is capable of supplying an adequate answer:
"Who can understand his errors?" (Ps. 19:12). A volume might be
written thereon, and still much be left unsaid. Only the One against
whom it is committed can fully understand its nature or measure its
enormity. And yet, from the light which God has furnished us, a
partial answer at least can be gathered. For example, in 1 John 3:4 we
read, "Sin is the transgression of the law," and that such
transgression is not confined to the outward act is clear from "the
thought of foolishness is sin" (Prov. 24:9). But what is meant by "sin
is the transgression of the law?" It means that sin is a trampling
upon God's holy commandment. It is an act of defiance against the
Lawgiver. The law, being "holy and just and good" it follows that any
breach of it is an evil and enormity which God alone is capable of
estimating.
All sin is a breach of the eternal standard of equity. But is more
than that: it reveals an inward enmity which gives to the outward
transgression. It is the bursting forth of that pride and the
self-will which resents restraint, which repudiates control, which
refuses to be under authority, which resists rule. Against the
righteous restraint of law, Satan opposed a false idea of "liberty" to
our first parents--"Ye shall be as gods." And he is still plying the
same argument and employing the same bait. The Christian must meet it
by asking, Is the disciple to be above his Master, the servant
superior to his Lord? Christ was "made under the law" (Gal. 44), and
lived in perfect submission thereto, and has left us an example that
we should "follow His steps" (1 Pet. 2:21). Only by loving, fearing,
and obeying the law, shall we be kept from sinning.
Sin, then, is an inward state which precedes the evil deeds. It is a
state of heart which refuses to be in subjection to God. It is a
casting off the Divine law, and setting up self-will and self pleasing
in its stead. Now, since holiness is the opposite of sin this helps us
to determine something more of the nature of sanctification.
Sanctification is that work of Divine grace in the believer which
brings him back into allegiance to God, regulating his affections and
actions in harmony with His will, writing His law on the heart (Heb.
10-16), moving him to make God's glory his chief aim and end. That
Divine work is commenced at regeneration, and completed only at
glorification. It may be thought that, in this section, we have
contradicted what was said in and earlier paragraph. Not so; in God's
light we see light. Only after the principle of holiness has been
imparted to us, can we discern the real character of sin; but after it
has been received, an analysis of sin helps us to determine the nature
of sanctification.
Sanctification is an integral part of "salvation." As this point was
dwelt upon at length in the third chapter, there is less need for us
to say much upon it here. Once it be clearly perceived that God's
salvation is not only a rescue from the penalty of sin, but is as
well, and chiefly, deliverance from the pollution and power of
sin--ultimating in complete freedom from its very presence there will
be no difficulty in seeing that sanctification occupies a central
place in the process. Alas that while there are many who think of
Christ dying to secure their pardon, so few today consider Christ
dying in order to renew their hearts, heal their souls, bring them
unto obedience to God. One is often obliged to wonder if one out of
each ten professing Christians is really experimentally acquainted
with the "so great salvation" (Heb. 2:3) of God!
Inasmuch as sanctification is an important branch of salvation, we
have another help towards understanding its nature. Salvation is
deliverance from sin, an emancipation from the bondage of Satan, a
being brought into right relations with God; and sanctification is
that which makes this actual in the believer's experience--not
perfectly so in this life, but truly so, nevertheless. Hence
sanctification is not only the principal part of salvation, but it is
also the chief means thereto. Salvation from the power of sin consists
in deliverance from the love of sin; and that is effected by the
principle of holiness, which loves purity and piety. Again, there can
be no fellowship with God, no walking with Him, no delighting
ourselves in Him, except as we tread the path of obedience (see 1 John
1:5-7); and that is only possible as the principle of holiness is
operative within us.
Let us now combine these four points. What is scriptural
sanctification? First, it is a moral quality in the regenerate--the
same in its nature as that which belongs to the Divine
character--which produces harmony with God's will and causes its
possessor to aim at His glory in all things. Second, it is the moral
image of God--lost by the first Adam, restored by the last
Adam--stamped upon the heart, which "image" consists of righteousness
and holiness. Third, it is the opposite of sin. Inasmuch as all sin is
a transgression of the Divine law, true sanctification brings its
possessor into a conformity thereto. Fourth, it is an integral and
essential part of "salvation," being a deliverance from the power and
pollution of sin, causing its possessor to love what he once hated,
and to now hate what he formerly loved. Thus, it is that which
experimentally fits us for fellowship with and the enjoyment of the
Holy One Himself.
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The Doctrine of Sanctification
by A. W. Pink
9. Its Nature (Continued)
______________________________________________________________
The threefold signification of the term "to sanctify." Perhaps the
simplest and surest method to pursue in seeking to arrive at a correct
understanding of the nature of sanctification is to follow up the
meaning of the word itself, for in Scripture the names of things are
always in accurate accord with their character. God does not tantalize
us with ambiguous or meaningless expressions, but the name He gives to
a thing is a properly descriptive one. So here. The word "to sanctify"
means to consecrate or set apart for a sacred use, to cleanse or
purify, to adorn or beautify. Diverse as these meanings may appear,
yet as we shall see they beautifully coalesce into one whole. Using
this, then, as our principal key, let us see whether the threefold
meaning of the term will open for us the main avenues of our subject.
Sanctification is, first of all, an act of the triune God, whereby His
people are set apart for Himself--for His delight, His glory, His use.
To aid our understanding on this point, let it be noted that Jude 1
speaks of those who are "sanctified by God the Father," and that this
precedes their being "preserved in Jesus Christ and called." The
reference there is to the Father choosing His people for Himself out
of the race which He purposed to create, separating the objects of His
favour from those whom He passed by. Then in Hebrews 10:10 we read,
"we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ
once for all": His sacrifice has purged His people from every stain of
sin, separated them from the world, consecrated them unto God, setting
them before Him in all the excellency of His offering. In 2
Thessalonians 2:13 we are told, "God hath from the beginning chosen
you to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of
the truth": this refers to the Spirit's quickening work by which He
separates the elect from those who are dead in sin.
Sanctification is, in the second place, a cleansing of those who are
to be devoted to God's use. This "cleansing" is both a legal and an
experimental one. As we prosecute our subject, it needs to be
constantly borne in mind that sanctification or holiness is the
opposite of sin. Now as sin involves both guilt and pollution, its
remedy must meet both of those needs and counteract both of those
effects. A loathsome leper would no more be a fit subject for Heaven
than would one who was still under the curse. The double provision
made by Divine grace to meet the need of God's guilty and defiled
people is seen in the "blood and water" which proceeded from the
pierced side of the Saviour (John 19:34). Typically, this twofold need
was adumbrated of old in the tabernacle furniture: the layer to wash
at was as indispensable as the altar for sacrifice. Cleansing is as
urgent as forgiveness.
That one of the great ends of the death of Christ was the moral
purification of His people is clear from many scriptures. "He died for
all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves,
but unto Him which died for them, and rose again" (2 Cor. 5:15); "Who
gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and
purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works" (Titus 2
:14); "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the
eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your
conscience from dead works to serve the living God" (Heb. 9:14); "Who
His own self bear our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being
dead to sins, should live unto righteousness" (1 Pet. 2:24). From
these passages it is abundantly plain that the purpose of the Saviour
in all that He did and suffered, was not only to deliver His people
from the penal consequences of their sins, but also to cleanse them
from the pollution of sin, to free them from its enslaving power, to
rectify their moral nature.
It is greatly to be regretted that so many when thinking or speaking
of the "salvation" which Christ has purchased for His people, attach
to it no further idea than deliverance from condemnation. They seem to
forget that deliverance from sin--the cause of condemnation--is an
equally important blessing comprehended in it. "Assuredly it is just
as necessary for fallen creatures to be freed from the pollution and
moral impotency which they have contracted, as it is to be exempted
from the penalties which they have incurred; so that when reinstated
in the favour of God, they may at the same time be more capable of
loving, serving, and enjoying Him forever. And in this respect the
remedy which the Gospel reveals is fully suited to the exigencies of
our sinful state, providing for our complete redemption from sin
itself, as well as from the penal liabilities it has brought upon us"
(T. Crawford on "The Atonement"). Christ has procured sanctification
for His people as well as justification.
That cleansing forms an integral element in sanctification is
abundantly clear from the types. "For if the blood of bulls and of
goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth
to the purifying of the flesh" (Heb. 9:13). The blood, the ashes, the
sprinkling, were all God's merciful provision for the "unclean" and
they sanctified "to the purifying of the flesh"--the references being
to Leviticus 16:14; Numbers 19:2, 17, 18. The antitype of this is seen
in the next verse, "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who
through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge
your conscience from dead works to serve the living God." The type
availed only for a temporary and ceremonial sanctification, the
Antitype for a real and eternal cleansing. Other examples of the same
thing are found in, "Go unto the people, and sanctify them today and
tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes" (Ex. 19:10); "I will
sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to Me in the
priest's office" (Ex. 29:44)--for the accomplishment of this see
Exodus 40:12-15, where we find they were "washed with water,"
"anointed" with oil, and "clothed" or adorned with their official
vestments.
Now the substitutionary and sacrificial work of Christ has produced
for His people a threefold "cleansing." The first is judicial, the
sins of His people being all blotted out as though they had never
existed. Both the guilt and the defilement of their iniquities are
completely removed, so that the Church appears before God "as the
morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun" (Song of S. 6:10). The
second is personal, at "the washing of regeneration and renewing of
the Holy Spirit." The third is experimental, when faith appropriates
the cleansing blood and the conscience is purged: "purifying their
hearts by faith" (Acts 15:9), "having our hearts sprinkled from an
evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water" (Heb. 10:22).
Unlike the first two, this last, is a repeated and continuous thing:
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). We
hope to amplify these different points considerably when we take up
more definitely our sanctification by Christ.
Sanctification is, in the third place an adorning or beautifying of
those whom God cleanses and sets apart unto Himself. This is
accomplished by the Holy Spirit in His work of morally renovating the
soul, whereby the believer is made inwardly holy. That which the
Spirit communicates is the life of the risen Christ, which is a
principle of purity, producing love to God; and love to God implies,
of course, subjection to Him. Thus, holiness is an inward conformity
to the things which God has commanded, as the "pattern" (or sample)
corresponds to the piece from which it is taken. "For ye know what
commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of
God, your sanctification" (1 Thess. 4:2, 3), i.e., your sanctification
consists in a conformity to His will. Sanctification causes the heart
to make God its chief good, and His glory its chief end.
As His glory is the end God has in view in all His actions--ordering,
disposing, directing everything with this design--so conformity to
Him, being holy as He is holy, must consist in setting His glory
before us as our ultimate aim. Subjective sanctification is that
change wrought in the heart which produces a steady desire and purpose
to please and honour God. This is not in any of us by nature, for
self-love rules the unregenerate. Calamities may drive the
unsanctified toward God, yet it is only for the relief of self. The
fear of Hell may stir up a man to cry unto God for mercy, but it is
only that he may be delivered. Such actions are only the workings of
mere nature--the instinct of self-preservation; there is nothing
spiritual or supernatural about them. But at regeneration a man is
lifted off his own bottom and put on a new foundation.
Subjective sanctification is a change or renovating of the heart so
that it is conformed unto God--unto His will, unto His glory. "The
work of sanctification is a work framing and casting the heart itself
into the word of God (as metals are cast into a die or mould), so that
the heart is made of the same stamp and disposition with the Word"
(Thos. Goodwin). "Ye have obeyed from the heart that form (or
"pattern") of doctrine whereto ye were delivered" (Rom. 6:17). The
arts and sciences deliver unto us rules which we must conform unto,
but God's miracle of grace within His people conforms them unto the
rulings of His will, so as to be formed by them; softening their
hearts so as to make them capable of receiving the impressions of His
precepts. Below we quote again from the excellent remarks of Thos.
Goodwin.
"The substance of his comparison comes to this, that their hearts
having been first, in the inward inclinations and dispositions of it,
framed and changed into what the Word requires, they then obeyed the
same Word from the heart naturally, willingly; and the commandments
were not grievous, because the heart was framed and moulded thereunto.
The heart must be made good ere men can obey from the heart; and to
this end he elegantly first compares the doctrine of Law and Gospel
delivered them, unto a pattern or sampler, which having in their eye,
they framed and squared their actings and doings unto it. And he
secondly compares the same doctrine unto a mould or matrix, in to
which metal is being delivered, have the same figure or form left on
them which the mould itself had; and this is spoken in respect of
their hearts."
This mighty and marvelous change is not in the substance or faculties
of the soul, but in its disposition; for a lump of metal being melted
and moulded remains the same metal it was before, yet its frame and
fashion is greatly altered. When the heart has been made humble and
meek, it is enabled to perceive what is that good, and perfect, and
acceptable will of God, and approves of it as good for him; and thus
we are "transformed by the renewing of our mind" (Rom. 12:2). As the
mould and the thing moulded correspond, as the wax has on it the image
by which it was impressed, so the heart which before was enmity to
every commandment, now delights in the law of God after the inward
man, finding an agreeableness between it and his own disposition. Only
as the heart is supernaturally changed and conformed to God is it
found that "His commandments are not grievous" (1 John 5:3).
What has just been said above brings us back to the point reached in
the preceding chapter (or more correctly, the first sections of this
chapter, namely, that holiness is a moral quality, an inclination, a
"new nature," a disposition which delights itself in all that is pure,
excellent, benevolent. It is the shedding abroad of God's love in the
heart, for only by love can His holy law be "fulfilled." Nothing but
disinterested love (the opposite of self-love) can produce cheerful
obedience. And, as Romans 5:5 tells us, the love of God is shed abroad
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. We are sanctified by the Spirit
indwelling us, He producing in and through us the fruits of holiness.
And thus it is that we read, "But know that the Lord hath set apart
him that is godly for Himself" (Ps. 4:3).
In the preceding (portion of this) chapter we asked, "How can it be
discovered whether or not we have been sanctified, unless we really
know what sanctification is?" Now let it be pointed out that our
sanctification by the Father and our sanctification by Christ can only
be known to us by the sanctification of the Spirit, and that, in turn,
can only be discovered by its effects. And this brings us to the
ultimate aspect of the nature of our sanctification, namely, that holy
walk, or course of outward conduct, which makes manifest and is the
effect of our inward sanctification by the Spirit. This branch of our
subject is what theologians have designated our "practical
sanctification." Thus, we distinguish between the act and process by
which the Christian is set apart unto God, the moral and spiritual
state into which that setting apart brings him, and the holy living
which proceeds from that state; it is the last we have now reached. As
the "setting apart" is both privative and positive--from the service
of Satan, to the service of God-- so holy living is separation from
evil, following that which is good.
Thos. Manton, than whom none of the Puritans are more simple,
succinct, and satisfying, says, "Sanctification is threefold. First,
meritorious sanctification is Christ's meriting and purchasing for His
Church the inward inhabitation of the Spirit, and that grace whereby
they may be sanctified: Hebrews 10:10. Second, applicatory
sanctification is the inward renovation, of the heart of those whom
Christ hath sanctified by the Spirit of regeneration, whereby a man is
translated from death to life, from the state of nature to the state
of grace. This is spoken of in Titus 3:5: this is the daily
sanctification, which, with respect to the merit of Christ, is wrought
by the Spirit and the ministry of the Word and sacraments. Third,
practical sanctification is that by which those for whom Christ did
sanctify Himself, and who are renewed by the Holy Spirit, and planted
into Christ by faith, do more and more sanctify and cleanse themselves
from sin in thought, word, and deed: (1 Pet. 1:15; 1 John3:3).
"As to sanctify signifieth to consecrate or dedicate to God, so it
signifieth both the fixed inclination or the disposition of the soul
towards God as our highest lord and chief good, and accordingly a
resignation of our souls to God, to live in the love of His blessed
majesty and a thankful obedience to Him. More distinctly (1) it
implieth a bent, a tendency, or fixed inclination towards God, which
is habitual sanctification. (2) A resignation, or giving up ourselves
to God, by which actual holiness is begun; a constant using ourselves
to Him, by which it is continued; and the continual exercise of a
fervent love, by which it is increased in us more and more, till all
be perfected in glory.
As to sanctify signifieth to purify and cleanse, so it signifies the
purifying of the soul from the love of the world. A man is impure
because, when he was made for God, he doth prefer base trifles of this
world before his Maker and everlasting glory: and so he is not
sanctified that doth despise and disobey his Maker; he despiseth Him
because he preferreth the most contemptible vanity before Him, and
doth choose the transitory pleasure of sinning before the endless
fruition of God. Now he is sanctified when his worldly love is cured,
and he is brought back again to the love and obedience of God. Those
that are healed of the over-love of the world are sanctified, as the
inclinations of the flesh to worldly things are broken."
"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your
whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess. 5:23). There was probably a
threefold reference in the apostle's request. First, he prayed that
all the members of the Thessalonian church, the entire assembly, might
be sanctified. Second, he prayed that each individual member might be
sanctified entirely in his whole man, spirit and soul and body. Third,
he prayed that each and all of them might be sanctified more
perfectly, moved to press forward unto complete holiness. 1
Thessalonians 5:23 is almost parallel with Hebrews 13:20, 21. The
apostle prayed that all the parts and faculties of the Christian might
be kept under the influence of efficacious grace, in true and real
conformity to God; so influenced by the Truth as to be fitted and
furnished, in all cases and circumstances, for the performance of
every good work. Though this be our bounden duty, yet it lies not
absolutely in our own power, but is the work of God in and through us;
and thus is to form the subject of earnest and constant prayer.
Two things are clearly implied in the above passage. First, that the
whole nature of the Christian is the subject of the work of
sanctification, and not merely part of it: every disposition and power
of the spirit, every faculty of the soul, the body with all its
members. The body too is "sanctified." It has been made a member of
Christ (1 Cor. 6:15), it is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor.
6:19). As it is an integral part of the believer's person, and as its
inclinations and appetites affect the soul and influence conduct, it
must be brought under the control of the spirit and soul, so that
"every one of us should know how to possess his vessel in
sanctification and honour" (1 Thess. 4:4), and "as ye have yielded
your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity, even so now
yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness" (Rom.
6:19).
Second, that this work of Divine grace will be carried on to
completion and perfection, for the apostle immediately adds, "Faithful
is He that calleth you, who also will do it" (1 Thess.5:24). Thus the
two verses are parallel with "Being confident of this very thing, that
He which hath begun a good work in you will finish it until the day of
Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6). Nothing short of every faculty and member
of the Christian being devoted to God is what he is to ever aim at.
But the attainment of this is only completely realized at his
glorification: "We know that when He shall appear, we shall be like
Him" (1 John 3:2)--not only inwardly but outwardly: "Who shall change
our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body"
(Phil. 3:21).
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The Doctrine of Sanctification
by A. W. Pink
10. Its Nature (Completed)
______________________________________________________________
That which we have laboured to show in the previous chapters of this
book is the fact that the sanctification of the Christian is very much
more than a bare setting apart of him unto God: it is also, and
chiefly, a work of grace wrought in his soul. God not only accounts
His people holy, but actually makes them so. The various materials and
articles used in the tabernacle of old, when dedicated to God, were
changed only in their use, but when man is dedicated to God he is
changed in his nature, so that not only is there a vital difference
between him and others, but a radical difference between him and
himself (1 Cor. 6:11)--between what he was, and now is. That change of
nature is a real necessity, for the man himself must be made holy
before his actions can be so. Grace is planted in the heart, from
whence its influence is diffused throughout all departments of his
life. Internal holiness is a hatred of sin and a love of that which is
good, and external holiness is the avoiding of the one and the
pursuing of the other. Wherever there a change of heart fruits will
appear in the conduct.
Like "salvation" itself--according to the use of the term is Scripture
(see 2 Tim. 1:9, salvation in the past; Phil. 2:12, salvation in the
present; Rom. 13:11, salvation in the future) and in the actual
history of the redeemed--so sanctification must be considered under
its three tenses. There is a very real sense in which all of God's
elect have already been sanctified: Jude 1; Hebrews 10:10; 2
Thessalonians 2:13. There is also a very real sense in which those of
God's people on earth are daily being sanctified: 2 Corinthians. 4:16;
7:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:23. And there is also a real sense in which the
Christian's (complete) sanctification is yet future: Romans 8:30;
Hebrews 12:23; 1 John 3:2. Unless this threefold distinction be
carefully borne in mind our thoughts are bound to be confused.
Objectively, our sanctification is already an accomplished fact (1
Cor. 1:2), in which one saint shares equally with another.
Subjectively, our sanctification is not complete in this life (Phil.
3:12) and varies considerably in different Christians, though the
promise of Philippians 1:6 belongs alike to all of them.
Though our sanctification be complete in all its parts, yet it is not
now perfect in its degrees. As the newborn babe possesses a soul and
body, endowed with all their members, yet they are undeveloped and far
from a state of maturity. So it is with the Christian, who (in
comparison with the life to come) remains throughout this life but a
"babe in Christ" (1 Pet. 2:2). We know but "in part" (1 Cor. 13:12),
and we are sanctified but in part, for "there remaineth yet very much
land to be possessed" (Josh. 13 :1). In the most gracious there
remains a double principle: the flesh and the spirit, the old man and
the new man. We are a mixture and a medley during our present state.
There is a conflict between operating principles (sin and grace), so
that every act is mixed: there is tin mixed with our silver and dross
with our gold. Our best deeds are defiled, and therefore we continue
to feed upon the Lamb with "bitter herbs" (Ex. 12:8).
Holiness in the heart discovers itself by godly sorrowings and godly
aspirations. "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be
comforted" (Matt. 5:4): "mourn" because of the swellings of pride, the
workings of unbelief, the surging of discontent; "mourn" because of
the feebleness of their faith, the coldness of their love, their lack
of conformity to Christ. There is nothing which more plainly evidences
a person to be sanctified than a broken and contrite heart--grieving
over that which is contrary to holiness. Rightly did the Puritan John
Owen say, "Evangelical repentance is that which carrieth the believing
soul through all his failures, infirmities, and sins. He is not able
to live one day without the constant exercise of it. It is as
necessary unto the continuance of spiritual life as faith is. It is
that continual, habitual, self-abasement which arises from a sense of
the majesty and holiness of God, and the consciousness of our
miserable failures." It is this which makes the real Christian so
thankful for Romans 7, for he finds it corresponds exactly with his
own inward experience.
The sanctified soul, then, is very far from being satisfied with the
measure of experimental holiness which is yet his portion. He is
painfully conscious of the feebleness of his graces, the leanness of
his soul, and the defilements from his inward corruption. But,
"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness"
(Matt. 5:6), or "they that are hungering and thirsting" as the Greek
reads, being the participle of the present tense; intimating a present
disposition of the soul. Christ pronounces "blessed" (in contrast from
those under "the curse") they who are hungering and thirsting after
His righteousness imparted as well as imputed, who thirst after the
righteousness of sanctification as well as the righteousness of
justification--i.e., the Spirit infusing into the soul holy
principles, supernatural graces, spiritual qualities, and then
strengthening and developing the same. Such has been the experiences
of the saints in all ages, "As the hart panteth after the waterbrooks,
so panteth my soul after Thee, 0 God. My soul thirsteth for God, for
the living God; when shall I come and appear before God?" (Ps. 42:1,
2).
One of the things which prevents so many from obtaining a right view
of the nature of sanctification is that scarcely any of the
bestowments of the Gospel are clearly defined in their minds all being
jumbled up together. While every spiritual privilege the believer
enjoys is the fruit of God's electing love and the purchase of
Christ's mediation, and so are all parts of one grand whole, yet it is
our loss if we fail to definitely distinguish them one from the other.
Reconciliation and justification, adoption and forgiveness,
regeneration and sanctification, all combine to form the present
portion of those whom the Father draws to the Son; nevertheless, each
of these terms stands for a specific branch of that "great salvation"
to which they were appointed. It makes much for our peace of mind and
joy of heart when we are able to apprehend these thinks severally. We
shall therefore devote the remainder of this chapter unto a comparison
of sanctification with other blessings of the Christian.
Regeneration and sanctification. It may appear to some who read
critically our articles on "Regeneration" and who have closely
followed what has been said in our discussion of the nature of
sanctification, that we have almost, if not quite, obliterated all
real difference between what is wrought in us at the new birth and
what God works in us at our sanctification. It is not easy to preserve
a definite line of distinction between them, because they have a
number of things in common; yet the leading points of contrast between
them need to be considered if we are to differentiate them in our
minds. We shall therefore occupy the next two or three paragraphs with
an examination of this point, wherein we shall endeavour to set forth
the relation of the one to the other. Perhaps it will help us the most
to consider this by saying that, in one sense, the relation between
regeneration and sanctification is that of the infant to the adult.
In likening the connection between regeneration and sanctification to
the relation between an infant and an adult, it should be pointed out
that we have in mind our practical and progressive sanctification, and
not our objective and absolute sanctification. Our absolute
sanctification, so far as our state before God is concerned, is
simultaneous with our regeneration. The essential thing in our
regeneration is the Spirit's quickening of us into newness of life;
the essential thing in our sanctification is that thenceforth we are
an habitation of God, through the indwelling of the Spirit, and from
that standpoint all the subsequent progressive advances in the
spiritual life are but the effects, fruits, and manifestations of that
initial consecration or anointing. The consecration of the tabernacle,
and later of the temple, was a single act, done once and for all;
after, there were many evidences of its continuance or perpetuity. But
it is with the experimental aspect we would here treat.
At regeneration a principle of holiness is communicated to us;
practical sanctification is the exercise of that principle in living
unto God. In regeneration the Spirit imparts saving grace; in His work
of sanctification, He strengthens and develops the same. As "original
sin" or that indwelling corruption which is in us at our natural
birth, contains within it the seeds of all sin, so that grace which is
imparted to us at the new birth contains within it the seeds of all
spiritual graces; and as the one develops and manifests itself as we
grow, so it is with the other. "Sanctification is a constant,
progressive renewing of the whole man, whereby the new creature doth
daily more and more die unto sin and live unto God. Regeneration is
the birth, sanctification is the growth of this babe of grace. In
regeneration, the sun of holiness rises; in sanctification it keepeth
its course, and shineth brighter and brighter unto the perfect day
(Prov. 4:18). The former is a specific change from nature to grace
(Eph. 5:8) the latter is a gradual change from one degree of grace to
another (Ps. 84:7), whereby the Christian goeth from strength to
strength till he appear before God in Zion" (Geo. Swinnock, 1660).
Thus, the foundation of sanctification is laid in regeneration, in
that a holy principle is then first formed in us. That holy principle
evidences itself in conversion, which is a turning away from sin to
holiness, from Satan to Christ, from the world to God. It continues to
evidence itself under the constant work of mortification and
vivification, or the practical putting off of the old man and the
putting on of the new; and is completed at glorification. The great
difference then between regeneration and experimental and practical
sanctification is that the former is a Divine act, done once and for
all; while the latter is a Divine work of God's grace, wherein He
sustains and develops, continues and perfects the work He then began.
The one is a birth, the other the growth. The making of us practically
holy is the design which God has in view when He quickens us: it is
the necessary means to this end, for sanctification is the crown of
the whole process of salvation.
One of the chief defects of modern teaching on this subject has been
in regarding the new birth as the summum bonum of the spiritual life
of the believer. Instead of its being the goal, it is but the starting
point. Instead of being the end, it is only a means to the end.
Regeneration must be supplemented by sanctification, or otherwise the
soul would remain at a standstill if such a thing were possible: for
it seems to be an unchanging law in every realm that where there is no
progression, there must be retrogression. That spiritual growth which
is so essential lies in progressive sanctification, wherein all the
faculties of the soul are more and more brought under the purifying
and regulating influence of the principle of holiness which is
implanted at the new birth, for thus alone do we grow up into Him in
all things, which is the Head, even Christ" (Eph. 4:15).
Justification and sanctification. The relation between justification
and sanctification is clearly revealed in Romans 3 to 8: that Epistle
being the great doctrinal treatise of the N. T. In the 5th chapter we
see the believing sinner declared righteous before God and at peace
with Him, given an immutable standing in His favour, reconciled to
Him, assured of his preservation, and so rejoicing in hope of the
glory of God. Yet, great as are these blessings, something more is
required by the quickened conscience, namely, deliverance from the
power and pollution of inherited sin. Accordingly, this is dealt with
at length in Romans 6, 7, 8, where various fundamental aspects of
sanctification are treated of. First, it is demonstrated that the
believer has been judicially cleansed from sin and the curse of the
law, and that, in order that he may be practically delivered from the
dominion of sin, so that he may delight in and serve the law. Union
with Christ not only involves identification with His death, but
participation in His resurrection.
Yet though sanctification is discussed by the apostle after his
exposition of justification, it is a serious error to conclude that
there may be, and often is, a considerable interval of time between
the two things, or that sanctification is a consequent of
justification; still worse is the teaching of some that, having been
justified we must now seek sanctification, without which we must
certainly perish--thus making the security of justification to depend
upon a holy walk. No, though the two truths are dealt with singly by
the apostle, they are inseparable: though they are to be contemplated
alone, they must not be divided. Christ cannot be halved: in Him the
believing sinner has both righteousness and holiness. Each department
of the Gospel needs to be considered distinctly, but not pitted
against each other. Let us not draw a false conclusion, then, because
justification is treated of in Romans 3 to 5 and sanctification in 6
to 8: the one passage supplements the other: they are two halves of
one whole.
The Christian's regeneration is not the cause of his justification,
nor is justification the cause of his sanctification--for Christ is
the cause of all three; yet there is an order preserved between them:
not an order of time, but of nature. First we are recovered to God's
image, then to His favour, and then to His fellowship. So inseparable
are justification and sanctification that sometimes the one is
presented first and sometimes the other: see Romans 8:1 and 13: 1 John
1:9; then Micah 7:19 and 1 Corinthians 6:11. First, God quickens the
dead soul: being made alive spiritually, he is now capacitated to act
faith in Christ, by which he is (instrumentally) justified. In
sanctification the Spirit carries on and perfects the work in
regeneration, and that progressive work is accomplished under the new
relation into which the believer is introduced by justification.
Having been judicially reconciled to God, the way is now open for an
experimental fellowship with Him, and that is maintained as the Spirit
carries forward His work of sanctification.
"Though justification and sanctification are both of them blessings of
grace, and though they are absolutely inseparable, yet they are so
manifestly distinct, that there is in various respects a wide
difference between them. Justification respects the person in a legal
sense, is a single act of grace, and terminates in a relative change;
that is, a freedom from punishment and a right to life. Sanctification
regards him in an experimental sense, is a continued work of grace,
and terminates in a real change, as to the quality both of habits and
actions. The former is by a righteousness without us; the latter is by
holiness wrought in us. Justification is by Christ as a priest, and
has regard to the guilt of sin; sanctification is by Him as a king,
and refers to its dominion. Justification is instantaneous and
complete in all its real subjects; but sanctification is progressive"
(A. Booth, 1813).
Purification and sanctification. These two things are not absolutely
identical: though inseparable, they are yet distinguishable. We cannot
do better than quote from G. Smeaton, "The two words frequently
occurring in the ritual of Israel, `sanctify' and `purify,' are so
closely allied in sense, that some regard them as synonymous. But a
slight shade of distinction between the two may be discerned as
follows. It is assumed that ever-recurring defilements, of a
ceremonial kind, called for sacrifices which removed, and the word
`purify' referred to these rites and sacrifices which removed the
stains which excluded the worshipper from the privilege of approach to
the sanctuary of God, and from fellowship with His people. The
defilement which he contracted excluded him from access. But when this
same Israelite was purged by sacrifice, he was readmitted to the full
participation of the privilege. He was then sanctified, or holy. Thus
the latter is the consequence of the former. We may affirm, then, that
the two words in this reference to the old worship, are very closely
allied; so much so, that the one involves the other. This will throw
light upon the use of these two expressions in the N. T.: Ephesians
5:25, 26; Hebrews 2;11; Titus 2:14. All these passages represent a man
defiled by sin and excluded from God, but readmitted to access and
fellowship, and so pronounced holy, as soon as the blood of sacrifice
is applied to him." Often the term "purge" or "purify" (especially in
Hebrews) includes justification as well.
Objective holiness is the result of a relationship with God, He having
set apart some thing or person for His own pleasure. But the setting
apart of one unto God necessarily involves the separating of it from
all that is opposed to Him: all believers were set apart or
consecrated to God by the sacrifice of Christ. Subjective holiness is
the result of a work of God wrought in the soul, setting that person
apart for His use. Thus "holiness" has two fundamental aspects.
Growing out of the second, is the soul's apprehension of God's claims
upon him, and his presentation of himself unto God for His exclusive
use (Rom. 12:1; etc.), which is practical sanctification. The supreme
example of all three is found in Jesus Christ, the Holy one of God.
Objectively, He was the One "whom the Father hath sanctified and sent
into the world" (John 10:36); subjectively, He "received the Spirit
without measure" (John 3 :34); and practically, He lived for the glory
of God, being absolutely devoted to His will--only with this
tremendous difference: He needed no inward purification as we do.
To sum up. Holiness, then, is both a relationship and a moral quality.
It has both a negative and a positive side: cleansing from impurity,
adorning with the grace of the Spirit. Sanctification is, first, a
position of honour to which God has appointed His people. Second, it
is a state of purity which Christ has purchased for them. Third, it is
an inducement given to them by the Holy Spirit. Fourth, it is a course
of devoted conduct in keeping therewith. Fifth, it is a standard of
moral perfection, at which they are ever to aim: 1 Peter 1:15. A
"saint" is one who was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the
world (Eph. 1:4), who has been cleansed from the guilt and pollution
of sin by the blood of Christ (Heb. 13:12), who has been consecrated
to God by the indwelling Spirit (2 Cor. 1:21, 22), who has been made
inwardly holy by the impartation of the principle of grace (Phil. :6),
and whose duty, privilege, and aim is to walk suitable thereto (Eph.
4:1).
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Sanctification
by A. W. Pink
11. Its Author
_________________________________________________________________
God Himself is the alone source and spring of all holiness. There is
nothing of it in any creature but what is immediately from the Holy
One. When God first created man, He made him in His own image, that
is, "in righteousness and true holiness (Eph. 4:24 and cf. Col. 3:10).
The creature can no more produce holiness of himself than he can
create life: for the one he is just as much dependent upon God as he
is for the other How much less, then, can a fallen creature, polluted
and enslaved by sin, sanctify himself? More easily could the Ethiopian
change his skin or the leopard his spots, than a moral leper make
himself pure. Where any measure of real holiness is found in a human
heart its possessor must say with Paul, "By the grace of God I am what
I am" (1 Cor. 15:10). Sanctification, then, is the immediate work and
gift of God Himself.
No greater delusion can seize the minds of men than that defiled
nature is able to cleanse itself, that fallen and ruined man may
rectify himself, or that those who have lost the image of God which He
created in them, should create it again in œ themselves by their own
endeavors. Self-evident as is this truth yet pride ever seeks to set
it aside. Self-complacency assumes that obligation and ability are
co-extensive. Not so. It is true that God requires and commands us to
be holy for He will not relinquish His rights or lower His standard.
Yet His command no more denotes that we have the power to comply, than
His setting before us a perfect standard implies we are able to
measure up to the same. Rather does the one inform us that we are
without what God requires, the other should humble us into the dust
because we come so far short of the glory of God.
But so self-sufficient and self-righteous are we by nature it also
needs to be pointed out that, the very fact God promises to work in
His people by His grace both indicates and demonstrates that of
themselves they are quite unable to meet His demands. Ponder for a
moment the following: "I will put My law in their inward parts, and
write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be My
people" (Jer. 31:31), "I will give them one heart, and one way, that
they may fear Me forever, for the good of them, and of their children
after them: and I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I
will not turn away from them to do them good; but I will put My fear
in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me" (Jer. 32:39,40),
"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within
you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I
will give you a heart of flesh; and I will put My Spirit within you,
and cause you to walk in My statutes" (Ezek. 36:26, 27). In those
blessed assurances, and nowhere else, is contained the guarantee of
our sanctification: all turns upon God's power, grace, and operations.
He is the alone accomplisher of His own promises.
The Author of our sanctification is the Triune God. We say "the Triune
God," because in Scripture the title "God," when it stands
unqualified, is not used with a uniform signification. Sometimes "God"
refers to the first Person in the Trinity, sometimes to the second
Person, and sometimes to the Third. In other passages, like 1
Corinthians 5:28, for instance, it includes all the three Persons.
Each of the Eternal Three has His own distinctive place or part in
connection with the sanctification of the Church, and it is necessary
for us to clearly perceive this if we are to have definite views
thereof. We have now reached that stage in our prosecution of this
subject where it behooves us to carefully trace out the particular
operations of each Divine Person in connection with our
sanctification, for only as these are discerned by us will we be
prepared to intelligently offer unto each One the praise which is His
distinctive due.
In saying that the Author of sanctification is the Triune God, we do
not mean that the Father is the Sanctifier of the Church in precisely
the same way or manner as the Son or as the Holy Spirit is. No, rather
is it our desire to emphasize the fact that the Christian is equally
indebted unto each of the three Divine Persons, that his
sanctification proceeds as truly from the Father as it does from the
Holy Spirit, and as actually from the Son as it does from either the
Spirit or the Father. Many writers have failed to make this clear. Yet
it needs to be pointed out that, in the economy of salvation, there is
an official order observed and preserved by the Holy Three, wherein we
are given to see that all is from the Father, all is through the Son,
all is by the Holy Spirit. Not that this official order denotes any
essential subordination or inferiority of one Person to another, but
that each manifests Himself distinctively, each displays His own
glory, and each is due the separate adoration of His people.
It is most blessed to observe there is a beautiful order adopted and
carried on by the Eternal Three through all the departments of Divine
love to the Church, so that each glorious Person of the Godhead has
taken part in every act of grace manifested toward the mystical Body
of Christ. Though all Three work conjointly, yet there are distinct
Personal operations, by which they make way for the honour of each
other: the love of the Father for the glory of the Son, and the glory
of the Son for the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus it is in connection
with the subject now before us. In the Scriptures we read that the
Church is "sanctified by God the Father" (Jude 1), and again,
"Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own
blood, suffered without the gate" (Heb. 13:12), and yet again, "God
hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification
of the Spirit" (2 Thess. 2:13). Each Person of the Godhead, then, is
our Sanctifier, though not in the same manner.
This same cooperation by the Holy Three is observable in many other
things. It was so in the creation of the world: "God that made the
world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and
earth" (Acts 17:24), where the reference is plainly to the Father; of
the Son it is affirmed "All things were made by Him, and without Him
was not any thing made that was made" (John 1:3); while in Job 26:13
we are told, "By His Spirit He bath garnished the heavens." So with
the production of the sacred humanity of our Redeemer: the
super-natural impregnation of the Virgin was the immediate effect of
the Spirit's agency (Luke 1:35), yet the human nature was voluntarily
and actively assumed by Christ Himself: "He took upon Him the form of
a servant" (Phil. 2:7 and cf. "took part" in Heb. 2:14); while in
Hebrews 10:5 we hear the Son saying to the Father, "a body hast Thou
prepared Me."
Our present existence is derived from the joint operation of the
Divine agency of the blessed Three: "Have we not all one Father? hath
not one God created us?" (Mal. 2:10); of the Son it is said, "For by
Him were all things created, that are in heaven and that are in earth"
(Col. 1:16); while in Job 33:4 we read, "The Spirit of God hath made
me, and the Breath of the Almighty hath given me life." In like
manner, the "eternal life" of believers is indiscriminately ascribed
to each of the Divine persons: in Romans 6:23 it is attributed to the
bounty of the Father, 1 John 5 :11 expressly assures us that it "is in
the Son," while in Galatians 6:8 we read, "he that soweth to the
Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." By the Father we
are justified (Rom. 8:33), by Christ we are justified (Isa. 53:11), by
the Spirit we are justified (1 Cor. 6:11). By the Father we are
preserved (1 Pet. 1 :5), by the Son we are preserved (John 10:28), by
the Spirit we are preserved (Eph. 4:30). By the Father we shall be
raised (2 Cor. I :9), by the Son (John 5:28), by the Spirit
(Rom.8:11).
The actions of the Persons in the Godhead are not unlike to the
beautiful colors of the rainbow: those colors are perfectly blended
together in one, yet each is quite distinct. So it is in connection
with the several operations of the Holy Three concerning our
sanctification. While it be blessedly true that the Triune God is the
Author of this wondrous work, yet, if we are to observe the
distinctions which the Holy Scriptures make in the unfolding of this
theme, they require us to recognize that, in the economy of salvation,
God the Father is, in a special manner, the Originator of this
unspeakable blessing. In connection with the whole scheme of
redemption God the Father is to be viewed as the Fountain of grace:
all spiritual blessings originating in His goodness, and are bestowed
according to the good pleasure of His sovereign will. This is clear
from Ephesians 1:3: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the
heavenlies in Christ."
That the Father is the Sanctifier of the Church is obvious from 1
Thessalonians 5:23, "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly:
and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved
blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ Here He is
acknowledged as such, by prayer being made to Him for the perfecting
of this gift and grace. So again in Hebrews 13:20, 21, we find the
apostle addressing Him as follows, "Now the God of peace, that brought
again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,
through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect m
every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well
pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ." It is the furthering of
this work within His people for which the apostle supplicates God. In
both passages it is the Father who is sought unto. "By the which will
we are sanctified, through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ
once for all" (Heb. 10): here the sanctification of the Church is
traced back to the sovereign will of God as the supreme originating
cause thereof, the reference again being to the eternal gracious
purpose of the Father, which Christ came here to accomplish.
Further proof that the first Person in the Divine Trinity is the
immediate Author of our sanctification is found in Jude 1: "To them
that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ,
called." Note it is not simply "them that are sanctified by God," but
more specifically "By God the Father." Before attempting to give the
meaning of this remarkable text, it needs to be pointed out that it is
closely connected with those words of Christ in John 10:36, "Say ye of
Him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou
blasphemest because I said, I am the Son of God?" Our Lord was there
referring to Himself not as the second Person of the Godhead
absolutely considered, but as the Godman Mediator, for only as such
was He "sent" by the Father. His being "sanctified" before He was
"sent," has reference to a transaction in Heaven ere He became
incarnate. Before the foundation of the world, the Father set apart
Christ and ordained that He should be both the Head and Saviour of His
Church, and that He should be plenteously endowed by the Spirit for
His vast undertaking.
Reverting to Jude 1, we would note particularly the order of its
statements: the "sanctified by God the Father" comes before "preserved
in Jesus Christ, called." This initial aspect of our sanctification
antedates our regeneration or effectual call from darkness to light,
and therefore takes us back to the eternal counsels of God. There are
three things in our verse: taking them in their inverse order, there
is first, our "calling," when we were brought from death unto life;
that was preceded by our being "preserved in Jesus Christ," i.e.,
preserved from physical death in the womb, in the days of our infancy,
during the recklessness of youth; and that also preceded by our being
"sanctified" by the Father, that is, our names being enrolled in the
Lamb's book of life, we are given to Christ to be loved by Him with an
everlasting love and made joint-heirs with Him forever and ever.
Our sanctification by the Father was His eternal election of us, with
all that that term connotes and involves. Election was far more than a
bare choice of persons. It included our being predestined unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself (Eph. 1:15). It
included our being made "vessels unto honour" and being "afore
prepared to glory" (Rom. 9:21, 22). It included being "appointed to
obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess. 5 :9). It
included our being separated for God's pleasure, God's use, and "that
we should be to the praise of His glory" (Eph. 1:12). It included our
being made "holy and without blame before him" (Eph. 1:4). This
eternal sanctification by God the Father is also mentioned in 2
Timothy 1:9, "Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling,
not according to our works but according to His own purpose and grace,
which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began."
As we pointed out in the last paragraph of the preceding chapter,
"Sanctification is, first, a position of honor to which God hath
appointed His people." That position of honor was their being "chosen
in Christ before the foundation of the world" (Eph. 1:4), when they
were constituted members of His mystical Body by the eternal purpose
of God. 0 what an amazing honour was that! a place in glory higher
than that of the angels being granted them. Our poor minds are
staggered before such wondrous grace. Here, then, is the link of
connection between John 10:36 and Jude 1: Christ was not alone in the
mind of the Father when He "sanctified" Him: by the Divine decree,
Christ was separated and consecrated as the Head of a sanctified
people. In the sanctification of Christ, all who are "called saints"
were, in Him, eternally set apart, to be partakers of His own holy
standing before the Father! This was an act of pure sovereignty on the
Father's part.
As it is not possible that anything can add to God's essential
blessedness (Job 22:2, 3; 35:7), so nothing whatever outside of God
can possibly be a motive unto Him for any of His actions. If He be
pleased to bring creatures into existence, His own supreme and
sovereign will must be the sole cause, as His own manifestative glory
is His ultimate end and design. This is plainly asserted in the
Scriptures: "The Lord hath made all things for Himself: yea, even the
wicked for the day of evil" (Prov. 16 :4), "Thou hast created all
things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created" (Rev. 4:11),
"Who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto him
again? For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to
whom be glory forever, Amen" (Rom. 11:35, 36). So it is in the
ordaining of some of His creatures unto honour and glory, and
appointing them to salvation in bringing them to that glory: nought
but God's sovereign will was the cause, nought but His own
manifestative glory is the end.
As we have shown in previous chapters, to "sanctify" signifies to
consecrate or set apart for a sacred use, to cleanse or purify, to
adorn or beautify. Which of these meanings has the term in Jude 1? We
believe the words "sanctified by God the Father" include all three of
those definitions. First, in that eternal purpose of His, the elect
were separated from all other creatures, and predestinated unto the
adoption of sons. Second, in God's foreviews of His elect falling in
Adam, the corrupting of their natures, and the defilement which their
personal acts of sin would entail, He ordained that the Mediator
should make a full atonement for them, and by His blood cleanse them
from all sin. Third, by choosing them in Christ, the elect were united
to Him and so made one with Him that all His worthiness and perfection
becomes theirs too; and thus they were adorned. God never views them
apart for Christ.
"To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us
accepted in the Beloved" (Eph. 1:6). The Greek word for "accepted" is
"charitoo," and Young's Concordance gives as its meaning "to make
gracious." It occurs (as a passive participle, rather than in its
active form, as in Eph. 1:6) again only in Luke i :~8, where the angel
said to the Virgin, "Hail, highly favored one," which Young defines as
"to give grace, to treat graciously," and in his Index "graciously
accepted or much graced." This, we believe, is the exact force of it
in Eph. I :6: "according as He hath much graced us in the Beloved." A
careful reading of the immediate context will show that this was
before the foundation of the world, which is confirmed by the fact
that the elect's being "much graced in the Beloved" comes before
"redemption" and "forgiveness of sins" in verse 7!--note too the
"hath" in verses 3, 4, 6 and the change to "have" in verse 7!
Here, then, is the ultimate reference in "sanctified by God the
Father" (Jude 1). As we have so often pointed out in the previous
chapters "sanctification" is not a bare act of simply setting apart,
but involves or includes the adorning and beautifying of the object or
person thus set apart, so fitting it for God's use. Thus it was in
God's eternal purpose. He not only made an election from the mass of
creatures to be created; He not only separated those elect ones from
the others, but He chose them "in Christ," and "much graced them in
the Beloved !" The elect were made the mystical Body and Bride of
Christ, so united to Him that whatever grace Christ hath, by virtue of
their union with Him, His people have: and therefore did He declare,
"Thou hast loved them AS Thou loved Me" (John 17:23). 0 that it may
please the Holy Spirit to so shine upon our feeble understandings that
we may be enabled to lay hold of this wondrous, glorious, and
transcendent fact. "Sanctified by God the Father :" set apart by Him
to be Body and Bride of Christ, "much graced" in Him, possessing His
own holy standing before the Throne of Heaven.
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The Doctrine of Sanctification
by A. W. Pink
12. Its Procurer
_________________________________________________________________
We have now reached what is to our mind the most important and
certainly the most blessed aspect of our many-sided subject, yet that
which is the least understood in not a few circles of Christendom. It
is the objective side of sanctification that we now turn to, that
perfect and unforfeitable holiness which every believer has in Christ.
We are not now going to write upon sanctification as a moral quality
or attribute, nor of that which is a matter of experience or
attainment by us; rather shall we contemplate something entirely
outside ourselves, namely, that which is a fundamental part of our
standing and state in Christ. That which we are about to consider is
one of those "spiritual blessings" which God has blest us with "in the
heavenlies in Christ" (Eph. 1:3). It is an immediate consequence of
His blood-shedding, and results from our actual union with Him as "the
Holy One of God." It is that which His perfect offering has sanctified
us unto, as well as what it has sanctified us from.
Among all the terrible effects and fruits which sin produces, the two
chief are alienation from God and condemnation by God: sin necessarily
excludes from His sanctuary, and brings the sinner before the judgment
seat of His law. Contrariwise, among all the blessed fruits and
effects which Christ's sacrifice procures, the two chief ones are
justification and sanctification: it cannot be otherwise. Inasmuch as
Christ's sacrifice has "put away" (Heb. 9:26), "made an end" (Dan.
9:24) of the sins of His people, they are not only freed from all
condemnation, but they are also given the right and the meetness to
draw nigh unto God as purged worshippers. Sin not only entails guilt,
it defiles; and the blood of Christ has not only secured pardon, it
cleanses. Yet simple, clear, and conclusive as is this dual fact,
Christians find it much harder to apprehend the second part of it than
they do the first.
When we first believed in Christ, and "the burden of our sins rolled
away," we supposed that (as one hymn expresses it) we would be "happy
all the day." Assured of God's forgiveness, that we had entered His
family by the new birth, and that an eternity with Christ in unclouded
bliss was our certain inheritance, what could possibly dampen our joy?
Ah, but it was not long before we discovered that we were still
sinners, living in a world of sin: yea, as time went on, we were made
more and more conscious of the sink of iniquity that indwells us, ever
sending forth its foul streams, polluting our thoughts, words and
actions. This forced from us the agonized inquiry, How can such vile
creatures as we see, feel, and know ourselves to be, either pray to,
serve, or worship the thrice holy God? Only in His own blessed Word
can be found a sufficient and a satisfying answer to this burning
question.
"The epistle to the Romans, is, as is well known, that part of
Scripture in which the question of justification is most fully
treated. There, especially, we are taught to think of God as a Judge
presiding in the Courts of His holy judgment. Accordingly, the
expressions employed throughout that epistle are `forensic,' or
`judicial.' They refer to our relation to God, or His relation to us,
in His judicial Courts--the great question there being, how criminals
can be brought into such a relation to Him, as to have, not
criminality, but righteousness, imputed to them.
"But if, in the epistle to the Romans, we see God in the Courts of His
judgment, equally in the epistle to the Hebrews we see Him in the
Temple of His worship. `Sanctified' is a word that has the same
prominence in the epistle to the Hebrews that `justified' has in the
epistle to the Romans. It is a Temple-word, descriptive of our
relation to God in the Courts of His worship, just as `justified' is a
forensic word, descriptive of our relation to God in the Courts of His
judgment. Before there can be any question about serving or
worshipping God acceptably, the necessity of His holiness requires
that the claims both of the Courts of His judgment, and also of the
Courts of His worship, should be fully met. He who is regarded in the,
judicial Courts of God as an unpardoned criminal, or who, in relation
to the Temple of God, is regarded as having the stains of his guilt
upon him, cannot be allowed to take his stand among God's servants. No
leper that was not thoroughly cleansed could serve in the Tabernacle.
The existence of one stain not adequately covered by compensatory
atonement, shuts out from the presence of God.
"We must stand `uncharged' in relation to the judicial Courts of God
and imputatively `spotless' in relation to the Courts of His worship:
in other words, we must be perfectly `justified' and perfectly
`sanctified' before we can attempt to worship or serve Him.
`Sanctification,' therefore, when used in this sense, is not to be
contrasted with justification, as if the latter were complete, but the
former incomplete and progressive. Both are complete to the believer.
The same moment that brings the complete `justification' of the fifth
of Romans, brings the equally complete `sanctification' of the tenth
of Hebrews--both being equally needed in order that God, as respects
the claims of His holiness, might be `appeased' or `placated' toward
us; and therefore equally needed as prerequisites to our entrance on
the worship and service of God in His heavenly Temple: for until wrath
is effectually appeased there can be no entrance into heaven.
"The complete and finished sanctification of believers by the blood of
Jesus, is the great subject of the ninth and tenth of the Hebrews.
`The blood of bulls and goats' gave to them who were sprinkled
therewith a title to enter into the courts of the typical tabernacle,
but that title was not an abiding title. It was no sooner gained than
it was lost by the first recurring taint. Repetition therefore of
offering and repetition of sprinkling was needed again and again. The
same circle was endlessly trodden and retrodden; and yet never was
perpetuity of acceptance obtained. The tabernacle and its services
were but shadows; but they teach us that, as `the blood of bulls and
goats' gave to them who were sprinkled therewith a temporary title to
enter into that typical tabernacle; so, the blood of Christ, once
offered, gives to all those who are once sprinkled therewith (and all
believers are sprinkled) a title, not temporary, but abiding, to enter
into God's presence as those who are sanctified for Heaven" (B. W.
Newton).
"We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ
once for all... For by one offering He hath perfected forever them
that are sanctified" (Heb. 10:10, 14). These blessed declarations have
no reference whatsoever to anything which the Spirit does in the
Christian, but relate exclusively to what Christ has secured for them.
They speak of that which results from our identification with Christ.
They affirm that by virtue of the Sacrifice of Calvary every believer
is not only counted righteous in the Courts of God's judgment, but is
perfectly hallowed for the Courts of His worship. The precious blood
of the Lamb not only delivers from Hell, but it also fits us for
Heaven.
By the redemptive work of Christ the entire Church has been set apart,
consecrated unto and accepted by God. The grand truth is that the
feeblest and most uninstructed believer was as completely sanctified
before God the first moment that he trusted in Christ, as he will be
when he dwells in Heaven in his glorified state. True, both his sphere
and his circumstances will then be quite different from what they now
are: nevertheless, his title to Heaven, his meetness for the immediate
presence of the thrice Holy One, will be no better then than it is
to-day. It is his relation to Christ (and that alone) which qualifies
him to enter the Father's House; and it is his relation to Christ (and
that alone) which gives him the right to now draw nigh within the
veil. True, the believer still carries around with him "this body of
death" (a depraved nature), but that affects not his perfect standing,
his completeness in Christ, his acceptance, his justification and
sanctification before God. But, as we said in an earlier paragraph,
the Christian finds it much easier to believe in or grasp the truth of
justification, than he does of his present perfect sanctification in
Christ. For this reason we deem it advisable to proceed slowly and
enter rather fully into this aspect of our subject. Let us begin with
our Lord's own words in John 17:19, "For their sakes I sanctify
Myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth." Unto
what did Christ allude when He there spoke of sanctifying Himself?
Certainly He could not possibly be referring to anything subjective or
experimental, for in His own person He was "the Holy One of God," and
as such, He could not increase in holiness, or become more holy. His
language then must have respect unto what was objective, relating to
the exercise of His mediatorial office.
When Christ said, "For their sakes I sanctify Myself," He denoted that
He was then on the very point of dedicating Himself to the full and
final execution of the work of making Himself a sacrifice for sin, to
satisfy all the demands of God's law and Justice. Christ, then, was
therein expressing His readiness to present Himself before the Father
as the Surety of His People to place Himself on the altar as a
vicarious propitiation for His Church. It was "for the sake" of others
that He sanctified Himself: for the sake of His eleven apostles, who
are there to be regarded as the representatives of the entire Election
of Grace. It is on their behalf, for their express benefit, that He
set Himself apart unto the full discharge of His mediatorial office,
that the fruit thereof might redound unto them. Christ unreservedly
devoted Himself unto God, that His people might reap the full
advantages thereof.
The particular end here mentioned of Christ's sanctifying Himself was
"that they also might be sanctified through the truth," which is a
very faulty rendering of the original, the Greek preposition being
"in" and not "through," and there is no article before "truth." The
marginal rendering, therefore, is much to be preferred: "that they
might be truly sanctified"--Bagster's interlinear and the R. V. give
"sanctified in truth." The meaning is "that they might be" actually,
really, verily "sanctified"--in contrast from the typical and
ceremonial sanctification which obtained under the Mosaic
dispensation: compare John 4:24; Col. 1:6; 1 John 3:18 for "in truth."
As the of Christ's sanctifying Himself--devoting Himself as whole
burnt offering to God, His people are perfectly sanctified their sins
are put away, their persons are cleansed from all defilement; and not
only so, but the excellency of His infinitely meritorious work is
imputed to them, so that they are perfectly acceptable to God, meet
for His presence, fitted for His worship.
"For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that sanctified"
(Heb. 10:14)--not by anything which the Spirit works in them, but
solely by what Christ's sanctifying of Him-self has wrought for them.
It is this sanctification in and through Christ which gives Christians
their priestly character, the title to draw near unto God within the
veil as purged worshippers. Access to God, or the worship of a people
made nigh by blood, was central in the Divinely appointed system of
Judaism (Heb. 9 :13). The antitype, the substance, the blessed reality
of this, is what Christ has secured for His Church. Believers are
already perfectly sanctified objectively, as the immediate fruit of
the Savior's sacrifice. Priestly nearness is now their blessed portion
in consequence of Christ's priestly offering of Himself. This it is,
and nought else, which gives us "boldness to enter into the Holiest"
(Heb. 10:19).
Many Christians who are quite clear that they must look alone to
Christ for their justification before God, often fail to view Him as
their complete sanctification before God. But this ought not to be,
for Scripture is just as clear on the one point as on the other; yea,
the two are therein inseparably joined together. "But of Him are ye in
Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness,
and sanctification, and redemption" (I Cor. 1 :30). And here we must
dissent from the exposition of this verse given by Chas. Hodge (in his
commentary) and others of his school, who interpret "sanctification"
here as Christ's Spirit indwelling His people as the Spirit of
holiness, transforming them unto His likeness. But this verse is
speaking of that sanctification which Christ is made unto us, and not
that which we are made by Christ--the distinction is real and vital,
and to ignore or confound it is inexcusable in a theologian.
Christ crucified (see the context of 1 Cor. 1:30--verses 17, 18, 23),
"of God is made unto us" four things, and this is precisely the same
way that God "made Him (Christ) to be sin for us" (2 Cor. 5:21),
namely, objectively and imputatively. First, Christ is "made unto us
Wisdom," objectively, for He is the One in whom all the treasures of
wisdom and knowledge are hid, it is true that by the Spirit we are
made wise unto salvation, nevertheless, we are far from being as wise
as we ought to be--see 1 Corinthians 8:2. But all the wisdom God
requires of us is found in Christ, and as the "Wisdom" of the book of
Proverbs, He is ours. Second, Christ is "made unto us Righteous-ness,"
objectively, as He is Himself "The Lord our righteous-ness" (Jer. 23
:6), and therefore does the believer exclaim, "In the Lord have I
righteousness and strength" (Isa. 45 :24). As the law raises its
accusing voice against me, I point to Christ as the One who has, by
His active and passive obedience, met its every demand on my behalf.
Third, Christ is "made unto us Sanctification," objectively: in Him we
have an absolute purity, and by the imputation to us of the efficacy
and merits of His cross-work we who were excluded from God on account
of sin, are now given access to Him. If Israel became a holy people
when sprinkled with the blood of bulls and goats, so that they were
readmitted to Jehovah's worship, how much more has the infinitely
valuable blood of Christ sanctified us, so that we may approach God as
acceptable worshippers. This sanctification is not something which we
have in our own persons, but was ours in Christ as soon as we laid
hold of Him by faith. Fourth, Christ is "made unto us Redemption,"
objectively: He is in His own person both our Redeemer and
Redemption--"in whom we have redemption" (Eph. 1:7). Christ is " made
unto us Redemption" not by enabling us to redeem ourselves, but by
Himself paying the price.
1 Corinthians 1:30, then, affirms that we are complete in Christ: that
whatever the law demands of us, it has received on our account in the
Surety. If we are considered as what we are in ourselves, not as we
stand in Christ (as one with Him), then a thousand things may be "laid
to our charge." It may be laid to our charge that we are woefully
ignorant of many parts of the Divine will: but the sufficient answer
is, Christ is our Wisdom. It may be laid to our charge that all our
righteousnesses are as filthy rags: but the sufficient answer is, that
Christ is our Righteousness. It may be laid to our charge that we do
many things and fail to do many others which unfit us for the presence
of a holy God: but the sufficient answer is, that Christ is our
Sanctification. It may be laid to our charge that we are largely in
bondage to the flesh: but the sufficient answer is, Christ is our
Redemption.
1 Corinthians 1:30, then, is a unit: we cannot define the "wisdom" and
the "sanctification" as what the Spirit works in us, and the
"righteousness" and the "redemption" as what Christ has wrought for
us: all four are either objective or subjective. Christ is here said
to be "sanctification" unto us, just as He is our righteousness and
redemption. To suppose that the sanctification here spoken of is that
which is wrought in us, would oblige me to explain the righteousness
and redemption here spoken of, as that which we had in ourselves; but
such a thought Mr. Hodge would rightly have rejected with abhorrence.
The righteousness which Christ is "made unto us" is most certainly not
the righteousness which He works in us (the Romanist heresy), but the
righteousness which He wrought out for us. So it is with the
sanctification which Christ is "made unto us it is not in ourselves,
but in Him; it is not an incomplete and progressive thing, but a
perfect and eternal one.
God has made Christ to be sanctification unto us by imputing to us the
infinite purity and excellency of His sacrifice. We are made nigh to
God by Christ's blood (Eph. 2:13) before we are brought nigh to Him by
the effectual call of the Spirit (1 Pet. 2:9): the former being the
necessary foundation of the latter--in the types the oil could only be
placed upon the blood. And it is on this account we "are sanctified in
Christ Jesus, called saints" (1 Cor. `:2). How vastly different is
this--how immeasurably superior to--what the advocates of "the higher
life" or the "victorious life" set before their hearers and readers!
It is not merely that Christ is able to do this or willing to do that
for us, but every Christian is already "sanctified in Christ Jesus."
My ignorance of this does not alter the blessed fact, and neither does
my failure to clearly understand nor the weakness of my faith to
firmly grasp it, in anywise impair it. Nor have my feelings or
experience anything whatever to do with it: God says it, God has done
it, and nothing can alter it.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Sanctification
by A. W. Pink
13. Its Procurer (Continued)
_________________________________________________________________
It has been pointed out in the earlier chapters of this book that the
Scriptures present the believer's sanctification from several distinct
points of view, the chief of which are, first, our sanctification in
the eternal purpose of God, when in His decree He chose us in Christ
"that we should be holy and without blame before Him" (Eph. 1:4). That
is what is referred to at the beginning of Hebrews 10:10, "by the
which will we are sanctified." This is our sanctification by God the
Father (Jude 1), which was considered by us in the 11th chapter under
"The Author of our Sanctification." Second, there is the fulfilling of
that "will" of God, the accomplishing of His eternal purpose by our
actual sanctification through the sacrifice of Christ. That is what is
referred to in "Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the
people with His own blood, suffered without the gate" (Heb. 13:12).
This is our sanctification by God the Son, and is what we are now
considering. Third, there is the application of this sanctification to
the individual by the Holy Spirit, when He separates him from those
who are dead in sins by quickening him, and by the new birth imparting
to him a new nature. This is our sanctification by God the Spirit.
Fourth, there is the fruit of these in the Christian's character and
conduct whereby he is separated in his life and walk from the world
which lieth in the Wicked one, and this is by the Holy Spirit's
working in him and applying the Word to him, so that he is (in
measure--for now we see "through a glass darkly") enabled to apprehend
by faith his separation to God by the precious blood of Christ. Yet
both his inward and outward life is far from being perfect, for though
possessing anew and spiritual nature, the flesh remains in him,
unchanged, to the end of his earthly pilgrimage. Those around him know
little or nothing of the inward conflict of which he is the subject:
they see his outward failures, but hear not his secret groanings
before God. It is not yet made manifest what he shall be, but though
very imperfect at present through indwelling sin, yet the promise is
sure "when He shall appear we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him
as He is."
Now though in this fourth sense our practical sanctification is
incomplete, this in nowise alters the fact, nor to the slightest
degree invalidates it, that our sanctification in the first three
senses mentioned above is entire and eternal, that "by one offering
Christ hath perfected forever them that are sanctified" (Heb. 10:14).
Though these three phases of the believer's sanctification are quite
distinct as to their development or manifestation, yet they are
blessedly combined together, and form our one complete acceptance
before God. That which we are here considering has to do with the
objective side of our subject: by which we mean that it is something
entirely outside of ourselves, resulting from what Christ has done for
us. It is that which we have in Christ and by Christ, and therefore it
can be received and enjoyed by faith alone. 0 what a difference it
makes to the peace and joy of the soul once the child of God firmly
grasps the blessed truth that a perfect sanctification is his present
and inalienable portion, that God has made Christ to be unto him
sanctification as well as righteousness.
Every real Christian has already been sanctified or set apart as holy
unto God by the precious blood of the Lamb. But though many believers
are consciously and confessedly "justified by His blood" (Rom. 5:9),
yet not a few of them are unwittingly dishonoring that blood by
striving (in their desires after holiness of life) to offer God
"entire consecration" or "full surrender" (as they call it) in order
to get sanctified--so much "living sacrifice" they present to God for
so much sanctification. They have been beguiled into the attempt to
lay self on some imaginary "altar" so that their sinful nature might
be "consumed by the fire of the Spirit." Alas, they neither enter into
God's estimate of Christ's blood, nor will they accept the fact that
"the heart is deceitful above all things and incurably wicked" (Jer.
17:9). They neither realize that God has "made Christ to be
sanctification unto them" nor that "the carnal mind is enmity against
God" (Rom. 8:7).
It is greatly to be regretted that many theologians have confined
their views far too exclusively to the legal aspect of the atonement,
whereas both the Old Testament types and the New Testament testimony,
with equal clearness, exhibit its efficacy in all our relations to
God. Because we are in Christ, all that He is for us must be ours.
"The blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin, and the believer does
not more truly take his place in Christ before the justice of God as
one against whom there is no charge, than he takes his place in Christ
before the holiness of God as one upon whom there is no stain" (Jas.
Inglis in "Way-marks in the wilderness," to whom we are indebted for
much in this and the preceding chapter). Not only is the believer
"justified by His blood" (Rom 5:9), but we are "sanctified (set apart,
consecrated unto God, fitted and adorned for His presence) through the
offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Heb. 10:10). It is
this blessed aspect of sanctification which the denominational creeds
and the writings of the Puritans almost totally ignored.
In the Larger Catechism of the Westminster Assembly the question is
asked, "What is sanctification?" To which the following answer is
returned: "Sanctification is a work of God's grace, whereby, they whom
God hath before the foundation of the world chosen to be holy, are in
time through the powerful operation of His Spirit, applying the death
and resurrection of Christ unto them, renewed in their whole man after
the image of God; having the seeds of repentance unto life and all
other saving graces, put into their hearts, and those graces so
stirred up, increased, and strengthened, as that they more and more
die unto sin and rise unto newness of life."
Now far be it from us to sit in judgment upon such an excellent and
helpful production as this Catechism, which God has richly blest to
thousands of His people, or that we should make any harsh criticisms
against men whose shoes we are certainly not worthy to unloose.
Nevertheless, we are assured that were its compilers on earth today,
they would be the last of all to lay claim to any infallibility, nor
do we believe they would offer any objection against their statements
being brought to the bar of Holy Scripture. The best of men are but
men at the best, and therefore we must call no man "Father." A deep
veneration for servants of God and a high regard for their spiritual
learning must not deter us from complying with "Prove all things: hold
fast that which is good" (1 Thess. 5:21). The Bereans were commended
for testing the teachings even of the apostle Paul, "And searched the
Scriptures daily whether those things were so" (Acts 17:11). It is in
this spirit that we beg to offer two observations on the above
quotation.
First, the definition or description of sanctification of the
Westminster divines is altogether inadequate, for it entirely omits
the most important aspect and fundamental element in the believer's
sanctification: it says nothing about our sanctification by Christ
(Heb. 10:10; 13:12), but confines itself to the work of the Spirit,
which is founded upon that of the Son. This is truly a serious loss,
and affords another illustration that God has not granted light on all
His Word to any one man or body of men. A fuller and better answer to
the question of, "What is sanctification?" would be, "Sanctification
is, first, that act of God whereby He set the elect apart in Christ
before the foundation of the world that they should be holy. Second,
it is that perfect holiness which the Church has in Christ and that
excellent purity which she has before God by virtue of Christ's
cleansing blood. Third, it is that work of God's Spirit which, by His
quickening operation, sets them apart from those who are dead in sins,
conveying to them a holy life or nature, etc."
Thus we cannot but regard this particular definition of the Larger
Catechism as being defective, for it commences at the middle, instead
of starting at the beginning. Instead of placing before the believer
that complete and perfect sanctification which God has made Christ to
be unto him, it occupies him with the incomplete and progressive work
of the Spirit. Instead of moving the Christian to look away from
himself with all his sinful failures, unto Christ in whom he is
"complete" (Col. 2:10), it encouraged him to look within, where he
will often search in vain for the fine gold of the new creation amid
all the dross and mire of the old creation. This is to leave him
without the joyous assurance of knowing that he has been "perfected
forever" by the one offering of Christ (Heb. 10:14); and if he be
destitute of that, then doubts and fears must constantly assail him,
and the full assurance of faith elude every striving after it.
Our second observation upon this definition is, that its wording is
faulty and misleading. Let the young believer be credibly assured that
he will "more and more die unto sin and rise unto newness of life,"
and what will be the inevitable outcome? As he proceeds on his way,
the Devil assaulting him more and more fiercely, the inward conflict
between the flesh and the Spirit becoming more and more distressing,
increasing light from God's Word more and more exposing his sinful
failures, until the cry is forced from him, "I am vile; 0 wretched man
that I am," what conclusion must he draw? Why this: if the
Catechism-definition be correct then I was sadly mistaken, I have
never been sanctified at all. So far from the "more and more die unto
sin" agreeing with his experience, he discovers that sin is more
active within and that he is more alive to sin now, than he was ten
years ago!
Will any venture to gainsay what we have just pointed out above, then
we would ask the most mature and godly reader, Dare you solemnly
affirm, as in the presence of God, that you have "more and more died
unto sin?" If you answer, Yes, the writer for one would not believe
you. But we do not believe for a moment that you would utter such an
untruth. Rather do we think we can hear you saying, "Such has been my
deep desire, such has been my sincere design in using the means of
grace, such is still my daily prayer; but alas, alas! I find as truly
and as frequently today as I ever did in the past that, "When I would
do good, evil is present with me; for what I would, that do I not; but
what I hate, that do I" (Rom. 7). Ah, there is a vast difference
between what ought to be, and that which actually obtains in our
experience.
That we may not be charged with partiality, we quote from the
"Confession of Faith" adopted by the Baptist Association, which met in
Philadelphia 1742, giving the first two sections of their brief
chapter on sanctification: 1. "They who are united to Christ,
effectually called, and regenerated, having a new heart and a new
spirit in them through the virtue of Christ's death and resurrection,
are also (a) farther sanctified, really and personally, through the
same virtue, (b) by His Word and Spirit dwelling in them; (c) the
dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed, (d) and the several
lusts thereof more and more weakened and mortified, and they more and
more quickened and strengthened in all saving graces, to the practice
of all true holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. 2. This
sanctification is throughout in the whole man, yet imperfect in this
life; there abideth still some remnants of corruption in every part,
whence ariseth a continual and irreconcilable war."--Italics ours.
Like the previous one, this description of sanctification by the
Baptists leaves something to be desired, for it makes no clear and
direct statement upon the all-important and flawless holiness which
every believer has in Christ, and that spotless and impeccable purity
which is upon him by God's imputation of the cleansing efficacy of His
Son's sacrifice. Such a serious omission is too vital for us to
ignore. In the second place, the words which we have placed in italics
not only perpetuate the faulty wording of the Westminster Catechism
but also convey a misleading conception of the present condition of
the Christian. To speak of "some remnants of corruption" still
remaining in the believer, necessarily implies that by far the greater
part of his original corruption has been removed, and that only a
trifling portion of the same now remains. But something vastly
different from that is what every true Christian discovers to his
daily grief and humiliation.
Contrast, dear reader, with the "some remnants of corruption"
remaining in the Christian (an expression frequently found in the
writings of the Puritans) the honest confession of the heavenly-minded
Jonathan Edwards: "When I look into my heart and take a view of its
wickedness, it looks like an abyss infinitely deeper than Hell. And it
appears to me that, were it not for free grace, exalted and raised up
to the infinite height of all the fulness of the great Jehovah, and
the arm of His grace stretched forth in all the majesty of His power
and in all the glory of His sovereignty, I should appear sunk down in
my sins below Hell itself. It is affecting to think how ignorant I was
when a young Christian, of the bottomless depths of wickedness, pride,
hypocrisy, and filth left in my heart." The closer we walk with God,
the more conscious will we be of our utter depravity.
Among the Thirty-nine Articles of the Church of England (Episcopalian)
there is none treating of the important doctrine of sanctification! We
believe that all the Reformation "standards" (creeds, confessions, and
catechisms) will be searched in vain for any clear statement upon the
perfect holiness which the Church has in Christ or of God's making Him
to be, imputatively, sanctification unto His people. In consequence of
this, most theological systems have taught that while justification is
accomplished the moment the sinner truly believes in Christ, yet is
his sanctification only then begun, and is a protracted process to be
carried on throughout the remainder of this life by means of the Word
and ordinances, seconded by the discipline of trial and affliction.
But if this be the case, then there must be a time in the history of
every believer when he is "justified from all things" and yet unfit to
appear in the presence of God; and before he can appear there, the
process must be completed--he must attain what is called "entire
sanctification" and be able to say "I have no sin," which, according
to 1 John 1:8, would be the proof of self-deception.
Here, then, is a real dilemma. If we say we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves; and yet, according to the doctrine of "progressive
sanctification," until we can say it (though it be inarticulately in
the moment of death) we are not meet for the inheritance of the saints
in light. What an awful thought it is, that Christ may come any hour
to those who realize that the process of sanctification within them is
incomplete. But more: not only are those who have no complete
sanctification unfit for eternal glory, but it would be daring
presumption for them to boldly enter the Holiest now--the "new and
living way" is not yet available for them, they cannot draw near "with
a true heart in full assurance of faith." What wonder, then, that
those who believe this doctrine are plunged into perplexity, that such
a cloud rests over their acceptance with God. But thank God, many
triumph over their creed: their hearts are better than their heads,
otherwise their communion with God and their approach to the throne of
His grace would be impossible.
Now in blessed contrast from this inadequate doctrine of theology, the
glorious Gospel of God reveals to us a perfect Saviour. It exhibits
One who has not only made complete satisfaction to the righteous Ruler
and Judge, providing for His people a perfect righteousness before
Him, but whose sacrifice has also fitted us to worship and serve a
holy God acceptably, and to approach the Father with full confidence
and filial love. A knowledge of the truth of justification is not
sufficient to thus assure the heart: there must be something more than
a realization that the curse of the law is removed--if the conscience
be still defiled, if the eye of God rests upon us as unpurged and
unclean, then confidence before Him is impossible, for we feel utterly
unfit for His ineffable presence. But forever blessed be His name, the
precious Gospel of God announces that the blood of Christ meets this
exigency also.
"Now where remission of these (sins) is, there is no more offering for
sin. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the Holiest by
the blood of Jesus" (Heb. 10:18, 19). The same sacrifice which has
procured the remission of our sins, provides the right for us to draw
nigh unto God as acceptable worshippers. "By His own blood He entered
in once into the Holy Place, having obtained eternal redemption for
us" (Heb. 9:13). Now that which gives the One who took our place the
right to enter Heaven itself, also gives us the right to take the same
place. That which entitled Christ to enter Heaven was "His own blood,"
and that which entitles the feeblest believer to approach the very
throne of God "with boldness," is "the blood of Jesus." Our title to
enter Heaven now, in spirit, is precisely the same as Christ's was!
The same precious blood which appeased the wrath of God, covers every
stain of sin's guilt and defilement; and not only so, but in the very
place of that which it covers and cleanses, it leaves its own
excellency; so that because of its finite purity and merit, the
Christian is regarded not only as guiltless and unreprovable, but also
as spotless and holy. Oh to realize by faith that we are assured of
the same welcome by God now as His beloved Son received when He sat
down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. God views us in Christ
His "Holy One," as possessing a holiness as perfect as is the
righteousness in which we are accepted, both of them being as perfect
as Christ Himself. "In us, as we present ourselves before Him through
Christ, God sees no sin! He looks on us in the face of His Anointed,
and there He sees us purer than the heavens" (Alex. Carson).
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The Doctrine of Sanctification
by A. W. Pink
14. Its Procurer (Completed)
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There is a perfect sanctification in Christ which became ours the
moment we first believed in Him--little though we realized it at the
time. There will also be a perfect conformity to this in us, an actual
making good thereof, when we shall be glorified and enter that blessed
realm where sin is unknown. In between these two things is the
believer's present life on earth, which consists of a painful and
bewildering commingling of lights and shadows, joys and sorrows,
victories and defeats--the latter seeming to greatly preponderate in
the cases of many, especially so the longer they live. There is an
unceasing warfare between the flesh and the spirit, each bringing
forth "after its own kind," so that groans ever mingle with the
Christian's songs. The believer finds himself alternating between
thanking God for deliverance from temptation and contritely confessing
his deplorable yielding to temptation. Often is he made to cry, "O
wretched man that I am!" (Rom. 7:24). Such has been for upwards of
twenty-five years the experience of the writer, and it is still so.
Now just as in the commercial world there are a multitude of medical
charlatans announcing sure remedies for the most incurable diseases,
and filling their pockets at the expense of those who are foolish
enough to believe their fairy-tales; so there are numerous "quacks" in
the religious world, claiming to have a cure for indwelling sin. Such
a paragraph as we have just written above, would be eagerly seized by
these mountebanks, who, casting up hands and eyes of holy horror,
would loudly express their pity for such "a needless tragedy." They
would at once affirm that such an experience, so largely filled with
defeat, was because the poor man has never been "sanctified," and
would insist that what he needed to do was "to lay his all on the
altar" and "receive the second blessing," the "baptism of the Spirit,"
or as some call it, "enter into the victorious life" by fully trusting
Christ for victory.
There are some perverters of the Gospel who, in effect, represent
Christ as only aiding sinners to work out a righteousness of their
own: they bring in Christ as a mere make-weight to supply their
deficiency, or they throw the mantle of His mercy over their failures.
Some of the religious quacks we have referred to above would be loud
in their outcry against such a travesty of the grace of God in Christ,
insisting that we can be justified by nought but His blood. And yet
they have nothing better to set before their dupes when it comes to
"perfect sanctification" or "full salvation through fully trusting
Jesus." Christ they say will aid us in accomplishing what we have
vainly attempted in our own strength, and by fully trusting Him we now
shall find easy what before we found so arduous. But God's Word
supplies no warrant to expect sinless perfection in this life, and
such teaching can only tend to fatal deception or bitter
disappointment.
Those we have referred to above generally separate justification and
sanctification both in fact and in time. Yea, they hold that a man may
pass through the former and yet be devoid of the latter, and represent
them as being attained by two distinct acts of the soul, divided it
may be by an interval of years. They exhort Christians to seek
sanctification very much as they exhort sinners to seek justification.
Those who attain to this "sanctification," they speak of as being
inducted into a superior grade of Christians, having now entered upon
"the higher life." Some refer to this experience as "the second
blessing:" by the first, forgiveness of sins is received through faith
in the Atonement; by the second, we receive deliverance from the power
(some add "the presence") of sin by trusting in the efficacy of
Christ's Name--a dying Saviour rescues from Hell, an ever-living
Saviour now delivers from Satan.
The question may be asked, But ought not the Christian to "present his
body a living sacrifice unto God?" Most assuredly, yet not for the
purpose of obtaining sanctification, nor yet for the improving or
purifying of "the flesh," the sinful nature, the "old man." The
exhortation of Romans 12:1 (as its "therefore" plainly shows--the
"mercies of God" pointing back to 5:1,2; 6:5, 6; 8:30, etc.) is a call
for us to live in the power of what is ours in Christ. The presenting
of our bodies "a living sacrifice to God" is the practical recognition
that we have been sanctified or consecrated to Him, and we are to do
so not in order to get our bodies sanctified, but in the gracious
assurance that they are already "holy."
The Christian cannot obtain a right view of the truth of
sanctification so long as he separates that blessing from
justification, or while he confines his thoughts to a progressive work
of grace being wrought within him by the Holy Spirit. "But ye are
washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the
Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Cor. 6:11): observe that
we are "sanctified" just as we are "justified--in the Name of Another!
"That they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them
which are sanctified by faith" (Acts 26:18): when we receive the
"forgiveness" of our sins, we also receive "an inheritance among them
that are sanctified by faith." The prayer of Christ, "Sanctify them
through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth" (John 17:17), is fulfilled as we
obtain a spiritual knowledge of the Truth by the power of the Holy
Spirit. It is not by self-efforts, by any "consecration" of our own,
by attempts to "lay our all on the altar" that we enter into what
Christ has procured for His people, but by faith's appropriation of
what God's Word sets before us.
In Christ, and in Him alone, does the believer possess a perfect
purity. Christ has consecrated us to God by the offering of Himself
unto Him for us. His sacrifice has delivered us from defilement and
the ensuing estrangement, and restored us to the favour and fellowship
of God. The Father Himself views the Christian as identified with and
united to His "Holy One." There are no degrees and can be no
"progress" in this sanctification: an unconverted person is absolutely
unholy, and a converted person is absolutely holy. God's standard of
holiness is not what the Christian becomes by virtue of the Spirit's
work in us here, but what Christ is as seated at His own right hand.
Every passage in the New Testament which addresses believers as
"saints"--holy ones--refutes the idea that the believer is not yet
sanctified and will not be so until the moment of death.
Nor does the idea of a progressive sanctification, by which the
Christian "more and more dies unto sin," agree with the recorded
experience of the most mature saints. The godly John Newton (author of
"How sweet the name of Jesus sounds," etc.) when speaking of the
expectations which he cherished at the outset of his Christian life,
wrote, "But alas! these my golden expectations have been like South
Sea dreams. I have lived hitherto a poor sinner, and I believe I shall
die one. Have I, then, gained nothing? Yes, I have gained that which I
once would rather have been without--such accumulated proof of the
deceitfulness and desperate wickedness of my heart as I hope by the
Lord's blessing has, in some measure, taught me to know what I mean
when I say, `Behold I am vile!' I was ashamed of myself when I began
to serve Him, I am more ashamed of myself now, and I expect to be most
ashamed of myself when He comes to receive me to Himself. But oh! I
rejoice in Him, that He is not ashamed of me!" Ah, as the Christian
grows in grace, he grows more and more out of love with himself.
"And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the
engravings of a signet, Holiness to the Lord. And thou shalt put it on
a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the
mitre it shall be. And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron
may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel
shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his
forehead, that they may be accepted of "before the Lord" (Ex.
28:36-38). These verses set before us one of the most precious typical
pictures to be found in the Old Testament. Aaron, the high priest, was
dedicated and devoted exclusively to the Lord. He served in that
office on the behalf of others, as their mediator. He stood before God
as the representative of Israel, bearing their names on his shoulders
and on his heart (Ex. 28:12, 29). Israel, the people of God, were both
represented by and accepted in Aaron.
That which was set forth in Exodus 28:36-38 was not a type of "the way
of salvation" but had to do entirely with the approach unto the thrice
holy God of His own sinning and failing people. Though the sacrifices
offered on the annual day of atonement delivered them from the curse
of the law, godly individuals in the nation must have been painfully
conscious that sin marred their very obedience and defiled their
prayers and praises. But through the high priest their service and
worship was acceptable to God. The inscription worn on his forehead
"Holiness to the Lord," was a solemn appointment by which Israel was
impressively taught that holiness became the House of God, and that
none who are unholy can possibly draw near unto Him. In Leviticus 8:9
the golden plate bearing the inscription is designated "the holy
crown," for it was set over and above all the vestments of Aaron.
Now Aaron foreshadowed Christ as the great High Priest who is "over
the House of God" (Heb. 10:21). Believers are both represented by and
accepted in Him. The "Holiness to the Lord" which was "always" upon
Aaron's head, pointed to the essential holiness of Christ, who "ever
liveth to make intercession for us." Because of our legal and vital
union with Christ, His holiness is ours: the perfections of the great
High Priest is the measure of our acceptance with God. Christ has also
"borne the iniquity of our holy things"--made satisfaction for the
defects of our worship--so that they are not laid to our charge; the
sweet incense of His merits (Rev. 8:3) rendering our worship
acceptable to God. By Him not only were our sins put away and our
persons made acceptable, but our service and worship is rendered
pleasing too: "To offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by
Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 2:5).
Here, then, is the answer to the pressing question, How can a moral
leper be fitted for the presence of God? We need a perfect holiness as
well as a perfect righteousness, in order to have access to Him. The
Holy One cannot look upon sin, and were we to approach Him in a way
wherein He could not look upon us as being perfectly holy, we could
not draw nigh unto Him at all. Christ is the all-sufficient answer to
our every problem, the One who meets our every need. The precious
blood of Jesus has separated the believer from all evil, removed all
defilement, and made him nigh unto God in all the acceptableness of
His Son. How vastly different is this from that conception which
limits sanctification to our experiences and attainments! How
definitely better is God's way to man's way, and how far are His
thoughts on this above ours!
Now it is in the New Testament Epistles that we are shown most fully
the reality and substance of what was typed out under Judaism. First,
we read, "For both He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are
all of one" (Heb. 2:11). Christ is both our sanctification and our
Sanctifier. He is our Sanctifier, first, by His blood putting away our
sins and cleansing us from all defilement. Second, by the operations
of the Holy Spirit, for whatever He doth, He does as "the Spirit of
Christ" who procured Him (Psa. 68:18 and Acts 2:33) for His people.
Third, by communicating a holy life unto us (John 10:10): the whole
stock of grace and holiness is in His hands, He communicating the same
unto His people (John 1:16). Fourth, by appearing in Heaven as our
representative: He being "Holiness to the Lord" for us. Fifth, by
applying and blessing His Word to His people, so that they are washed
thereby (Eph. 5:26). He is our sanctification because the holiness of
His nature, as well as His obedience, is imputed to us (1 Cor. 1:30).
"We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ
once for all" (Heb. 10:10). The Christian will never have right
thoughts on this subject until he perceives that his sanctification
before God was accomplished at Calvary. As we read, "And you, that
were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet
now hath He reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to
present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in His, sight" (Col.
1:21, 22): By His work at the cross, Christ presents the Church unto
God in all the excellency of His perfect sacrifice. In these passages
it is not at all a question of any work which is wrought in us, but of
what Christ's oblation has secured for us. By virtue of His sacrifice,
believers have been set apart unto God in all Christ's purity and
merits, a sure title being accorded them for Heaven. God accounts us
holy according to the holiness of Christ's sacrifice, the full value
of which rests upon the least instructed, the feeblest, and most tried
Christian on earth.
So infinitely sufficient is Christ's oblation for us that "by one
offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified" (Heb.
10:14). As we read again, "Ye are complete in Him" (Col. 2:10), and
this, because His work was complete. All true believers are in the
everlasting purpose of God, and in the actual accomplishment of that
purpose by the Lord Jesus, perfectly justified and perfectly
sanctified. But all believers are not aware of that blessed fact; far
from it. Many are confused and bewildered on this subject. One reason
for that is, that so many are looking almost entirely to human
teachers for instructions, instead of relying upon the Holy Spirit to
guide them into the truth, and searching the Scriptures for a
knowledge of the same. The religious world today is a veritable "Babel
of tongues," and all certainty is at an end if we turn away from the
Word (failing to make it our chief study) and lean upon preachers.
Alas, how many in professing Protestantism are little better off than
the poor Papists, who receive unquestioningly what the "priest" tells
them.
It is only as we read God's Word, mixing faith therewith (Heb. 4:2)
and appropriating the same unto ourselves, that the Christian can
enter into God's thoughts concerning him. In the sacred Scriptures,
and nowhere else, can the believer discover what God has made Christ
to be unto him and what He has made him to be in Christ. So too it is
in the Scriptures, and nowhere else, that we can learn the truth about
ourselves, that "in the flesh (what we are by nature as the depraved
descendants of fallen Adam) there dwelleth no good thing" (Rom. 7:18).
Until we learn to distinguish (as God does) between the "I" and the
"sin which dwelleth in me" (Rom. 7:20) there can be no settled peace.
Scripture knows nothing of the sanctification of "the old man," and as
long as we are hoping for any improvement in him, we are certain to
meet with disappointment. If we are to "worship God in the Spirit" and
"rejoice in Christ Jesus" we must learn to have "no confidence in the
flesh" (Phil. 3 :3).
"Wherefore Jesus, also, that He might sanctify the people with His own
blood, suffered without the gate" (Heb. 13:12). The precious blood of
Christ has done more than simply make expiation for their sins: it has
also set them apart to God as His people. It is that which has brought
them into fellowship with the Father Himself. By the shedding of His
blood for us, Christ made it consistent with the honour and holiness
of God to take us as His peculiar people; it also procured the Holy
Spirit who has (by regeneration) fitted us for the privileges and
duties of our high calling. Thus, Christ has sanctified His people
both objectively and subjectively. We are "sanctified with His own
blood," first, as it was an oblation to God; second, as its merits are
imputed to us; third, as its efficacy is applied to us.
Christ's blood "cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 7) in a threefold
way. First, Godwards, by blotting out our sins and removing our
defilement from His view (as Judge). Second, by procuring the Holy
Spirit, by whom we receive "the washing of regeneration" (Titus 3:5).
Third, by our consciences being "purged" (Heb. 9:14) as faith lays
hold of these blessed facts, and thus we are fitted to "serve the
living God!" Herein we may perceive how God puts the fullest honour on
His beloved Son, by making Him not only the Repairer of our ruin and
the triumphant Undoer of the Serpent's work (1 John 3:8), but also
giving us His own perfect standing before God and communicating His
own holy nature unto His people--for a branch cannot be in the true
vine without partaking of its life.
In the person of Christ God beholds a holiness which abides His
closest scrutiny, yea, which rejoices and satisfies His heart; and
whatever Christ is before God, He is for His people--"whither the
Forerunner is for us entered" (Heb. 6:20), "now to appear in the
presence of God for us" (Heb. 9:24)! In Christ's holiness we are meet
for that place unto which Divine grace has exalted us, so that we are
"made to sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:6)
This is not accomplished by any experience, separated by a long
process from our justification, but is a blessed fact since the moment
we first believed on Christ. We are in Christ, and how can any one be
in Him, and yet not be perfectly sanctified? From the first moment we
were "joined to the Lord" (1 Cor. 6:17), we are holy brethren,
partakers of the heavenly calling" (Heb. 3:1). This is what the
Christian's faith needs to lay hold of and rest on, upon the authority
of Him that cannot lie. Nevertheless, the best taught, the most
spiritual and mature Christian, apprehends the truth hut feebly and
inadequately, for now "we see through a glass darkly."
True, there is such a thing as a growth in the knowledge of
sanctification, that is, providing our thoughts are formed by the Word
of God. There is an experimental entering into the practical enjoyment
of what God has made Christ to be unto us, so that by faith therein
our thoughts and habits, affections and associations are affected
thereby. There is such a thing as our apprehending the glorious
standing and state which Divine grace has given us in the Beloved, and
exhibiting the influence of the same upon our character and conduct.
But that is not what we are here treating of. That which we are now
considering is the wondrous and glorious fact that the Christian was
as completely sanctified in God's view the first moment he laid hold
of Christ by faith, as he will be when every vestige of sin has
disappeared from his person, and he stands before Him glorified in
spirit and soul and body.
But the question may be asked, What provision has God made to meet the
needs of His people sinning after they are sanctified? This falls not
within the compass of the present aspect of our subject. Yet briefly,
the answer is, The ministry of Christ on high as our great High Priest
(Heb. 7:25) and Advocate (1 John 2:1); and their penitently confessing
their sins, which secures their forgiveness and cleansing (1 John
1:9). The sins of the Christian mar his communion with God and hinder
his enjoyment of His salvation, but they affect not his standing and
state in Christ. If I judge not myself for my sinful failures and
falls, the chastening rod will descend upon me, yet wielded not by an
angry God, but by my loving Father (Heb. 12:5-11).
We are not unmindful of the fact that there is not a little in this
chapter which worldly-minded professors may easily pervert to their
own ruin--what truth of Scripture is not capable of being "wrested"?
But that is no reason why God's people should he deprived of one of
the choicest and most nourishing portions of the Bread of Life! Other
chapters in this book are thoroughly calculated to "preserve the
balance of truth."
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The Doctrine of Sanctification
by A. W. Pink
15. Its Securer
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The Christian has been sanctified by the triune Jehovah: infinite
wisdom and fathomless grace so ordered it that he is indebted to each
of the Eternal Three. The Lord God designed that all the Persons in
the blessed Trinity should be honored in the making holy of His
people, so that each of Them might be distinctively praised by us.
First, the Father sanctified His people by an eternal decree, choosing
them in Christ before the foundation of the world and predestinating
them unto the adoption of children. Second, the Son sanctified His
people by procuring for them a perfect and inalienable standing before
the Judge of all, the infinite merits of His finished work being
reckoned to their account. Third, God the Spirit makes good the
Father's decree and imparts to them what the work of Christ procured
for them: the Spirit is the actual Securer of sanctification, applying
it to their persons. Thus the believer has abundant cause to adore and
glorify the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
It is very remarkable to observe the perfect harmony there is between
the different operations of the Eternal Three in connection with the
making holy of the elect, and the threefold signification of the term
"sanctification." In an earlier chapter we furnished proof that the
word "to sanctify" has a threefold meaning, namely, to separate, to
cleanse, to adorn. First, in Scripture a person or thing is said to be
sanctified when it is consecrated or set apart from a common to a
sacred use. So in the eternal decree of the Father, the elect were
separated in the Divine mind from countless millions of our race which
were to be created, and set apart for His own delight and glory.
Second, where those persons and things are unclean, they must be
purified, so as to fit them for God's pleasure and use. That was the
specific work assigned to the Son: His precious blood has provided the
means for our purification. Third, the persons or things sanctified
need to be beautified and adorned for God's service: this is
accomplished by the Holy Spirit.
It is also striking and blessed to note the relation and order of the
several acts of the Holy Three in connection with our sanctification.
The source of it is "the eternal purpose" or decree of God: "by the
which will we are sanctified" (Heb. 10:10). The substance of it was
brought forth by Christ when He fully accomplished God's will on our
behalf: "that He might sanctify the people with His own blood" (Heb.
13:12). The securer of it is the Holy Spirit, who by His work of grace
within applies to the individual the sanctification which the Church
has in its Head: "being sanctified by the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 15:16).
It is not until the Comforter takes up His abode in the heart that the
Father's will begins to be actualized and the Son's "work" evidences
its efficacy toward us. This glorious gift, then, is let down to us
from the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit.
If we consider the nature of Christ's work for His people and the
perfection of their standing in Him before God, it could not for a
moment be supposed that this having been accomplished by the grace,
wisdom, and power of God, that their state should be left
unaffected--that their position should be so gloriously changed, yet
their condition remain as sinful as ever; that they should be left in
their sins to take comfort from their immunity to Divine wrath. The
degradation, pollution, and utter ruin of our nature; our estrangement
from God, spiritual death, and our whole heritage of woe are the
immediate consequences of sin. And what would forgiveness,
justification, and redemption in Christ mean, if deliverance from all
those consequences did not directly and necessarily follow? Our being
made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor. 5:21) would be but an
empty name, if it does not imply and entail recovery from all that sin
had forfeited and deliverance from all that sin had incurred. Thank
God that, in the end (when we are glorified), will be perfectly
effected.
It is true that when Christ first seeks out His people He finds them
entirely destitute of holiness, yea, of even desire after it; but He
does not leave them in that awful state. No, such would neither honour
Him nor fulfill the Father's will. Glorious as is the triumph of
Divine grace in the justification of a sinner, through the work of
Christ as Surety, yet even that must be regarded as a means to an end.
See how this is brought out in every scriptural statement of the
purpose of grace concerning the redeemed, or the design of the mission
and sufferings of the Redeemer: "I am come that they might have life,
and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10); "Who gave
Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify
unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works" (Titus 2:14);
"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that
by these ye might be partakers of the Divine nature, having escaped
the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Pet. 1:4);
"Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we
should be called the sons of God" (1 John 3:1).
Since we are made the righteousness of God in Christ the result of
this in the Christian, must, ultimately, correspond with that
perfection. In other words, nothing short of perfect fellowship with
the Father and with His Son can answer to His having died on account
of our sins and risen again on account of our justification; and
having risen, become the Head f and Source of an entirely new life to
all who believe on Him. The aim of the Father's love and of the Son's
grace, was not only that we might have restored to us the life which
we lost in Adam, but that we should have "life more abundantly;" that
we should be brought back not merely to the position of
servants--which was the status of unfallen Adam--but be given, the
wondrous place of sons; that we should be fitted not simply for an
earthly paradise, but for an eternity of joy in the immediate presence
of God in Heaven.
Now it is on the ground of what Christ did and earned for His people,
and with a view to the realization of the Father's purpose of their
glorification, that the Holy Spirit is given to the elect. And it
makes much for His praise and for their peace that they obtain a clear
and comprehensive view of His work within them; nor can that be
secured by a hurried or superficial study of the subject. His
operations are varied and manifold; yet all proceeding from one
foundation and all advancing toward one grand end. That which we are
now to consider is the "sanctification of the Spirit," an expression
which is found both in 2 Thessalonians 2:13 and 1 Peter 1:2. The
connection in which the expression occurs in the two passages Just
mentioned, clearly intimates that the sanctification of the Spirit is
an integral part of our salvation, that it is closely associated with
our "belief of the truth," and that it precedes our practical
obedience.
John Owen's definition of the Spirit's sanctification, based on 1
Thessalonians 5:23 is as follows, "Sanctification is an immediate work
of the Spirit of God on the souls of believers, purifying and
cleansing of their natures from the pollution and uncleanness of sin,
renewing in them the image of God, and thereby enabling them from a
spiritual and habitual principle of grace, to yield obedience unto
God, according unto the tenor and terms of the new covenant, by virtue
of the life and death of Jesus Christ. Or more briefly: it is the
universal renovation of our natures by the Holy Spirit, into the image
of God, through Jesus Christ." Full and clear though this definition
be, we humbly conceive it is both inadequate and inaccurate:
inadequate, because it leaves out several essential elements;
inaccurate, because it confounds the effects with the cause. Later, he
says, "In the sanctification of believers the Holy Spirit doth work in
them, in their whole souls--their minds, wills, and affections--a
gracious, supernatural habit, principle, and disposition of living
unto God, wherein the substance or essence, the life and being, of
holiness doth consist."
In an article thereon S. E. Pierce said, "Sanctification, or
Gospel-holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord, comprehends
the whole work of the Spirit of God within and upon us, from our
regeneration to our eternal glorification. It is the fruit and blessed
consequence of His indwelling us, and the continued effect of
spiritual regeneration, i.e., in begetting within us a nature suited
to take in spiritual things, and be properly affected by them.
Regeneration is the root and sanctification is the bud, blossom and
fruit which it produces. In our regeneration by the Holy Spirit we are
made alive to God, and this is manifested by our faith in Christ
Jesus. Our lusts are mortified because we are quickened together with
Christ. And what we style the sanctification of the Spirit, which
follows after regeneration hath taken place within us, consists in
drawing forth that spiritual life which is conveyed to our souls in
our new birth, into acts and exercise on Christ and spiritual things,
in quickening our graces, and in leading us to walk in the paths of
holiness, by which proof is given that we are alive to God through
Jesus Christ our Lord." This, we believe is preferable to Owens, yet
still leaving something to be desired.
Exactly what is the sanctification of the Spirit? Personally, we very
much doubt whether that question can be satisfactorily answered in a
single sentence, for in framing one, account needs to be taken of the
change which is produced in the believing sinner's relationship to
God, his relationship to Christ as the Head of the Church, his
relationship to the unregenerate, and his relationship to the Divine
law. Positionally, our sanctification by the Spirit results from our
being vitally united to Christ, for the moment we are livingly joined
to Him, His holiness becomes ours, and our standing before God is the
same as His. Relatively, our sanctification of the Spirit issues from
our being renewed by Him, for the moment He quickens us we are set
apart from those who are dead in sins. Personally, we are consecrated
unto God by the Spirit's indwelling us, making our bodies His temples.
Experimentally, our sanctification of the Spirit consists in the
impartation to us of a principle ("Nature") of holiness, hereby we
become conformed to the Divine law. Let us consider each of these
viewpoints separately.
Our union to Christ is the grand hinge on which everything turns.
Divorced from Him, we have nothing spiritually. Describing our
unregenerate condition, the apostle says, "at that time ye were
without Christ," and being without Him, it necessarily follows "being
aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the
covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world"
(Eph. 2:12). But the moment the Holy Spirit makes us livingly one with
Christ, all that He has becomes ours, we are then "joint-heirs with
Him." Just as a woman obtains the right to share all that a man has
once she is wedded to him, so a poor sinner becomes holy before God
the moment he is vitally united to the Holy One. Everything which God
requires from us, everything which is needed by us, is treasured up
for us in Christ.
By our union with Christ we receive a new and holy nature, whereby we
are capacitated for holy living, which holy living is determined and
regulated by our practical and experimental fellowship with Him. By
virtue of our federal union with the first Adam we not only had
imputed to us the guilt of his disobedience but we also received from
him the sinful nature which has vitiated our souls, powerfully
influencing all our faculties. In like manner, by virtue of our
federal union with the last Adam, the elect not only have imputed to
them the righteousness of His obedience, but they also receive from
Him (by the Spirit) a holy nature, which renews all the faculties of
their souls and powerfully affects their actions. Once we become
united to the Vine, the life and holy virtue which is in Him flows
into us, and brings forth spiritual fruit. Thus, the moment the Spirit
unites us to Christ, we are "sanctified in Christ Jesus" (1 Cor. 1:2).
It is axiomatic that those whom God separates unto Himself must be
suited to Himself, that is, they must be holy. Equally clear is it
from the Scriptures that, whatsoever God does He is determined that
the crown of honour for it should rest upon the head of Christ, for He
is the grand Center of all the Divine counsels. Now both of these
fundamental considerations are secured by God's making us partakers of
His own holiness, through creating us anew in Christ Jesus. God will
neither receive nor own any one who has the least taint of sin's
defilement upon him, and it is only as we are made new creatures in
Christ that we can fully measure up to the unalterable requirements of
God. Our state must be holy as well as our standing; and as we showed
in the last three chapters Christ Himself is our sanctification, so
now we seek to point out that we are actually sanctified in
Christ--personally and vitally.
"But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus" (1 Cor. 1:30)--"of Him" by the
power and quickening operation of the Spirit. Christians are
supernaturally and livingly incorporated with Christ. "For we are His
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:10): that new creation
is accomplished in our union with His person. This is our spiritual
state: a "new man" has been "created in righteousness and true
holiness" (Eph. 4:24), and this we are exhorted to "put on" or make
manifest. This is not at all a matter of progress or attainment, but
is true of every Christian the moment he is born again. The terms
"created in righteousness (our justification) and true holiness" (our
sanctification) describe what the "new man" is in Christ. It is not
simply something which we are to pursue though that is true, and is
intimated in the "put ye on;" but it is what all Christians actually
are: their sanctification in Christ is an accomplished fact: it is
just because Christians are "saints" they are to lead saintly lives.
The believer begins his Christian life by having been perfectly
sanctified in Christ. Just as both our standing and state were
radically affected by virtue of our union with the first Adam, so both
our standing and state are completely changed by virtue of our union
with the last Adam. As the believer has a perfect standing in holiness
before God because of his federal union with Christ, so his state is
perfect before God, because he is now vitally united to Christ: he is
in Christ, and Christ is in him. By the regenerating operation of the
Spirit we are "joined unto the Lord" (1 Cor. 6:17). The moment they
were born again, all Christians were sanctified in Christ with a
sanctification to which no growth in grace, no attainments in holy
living, can add one iota. Their sanctification, like their
justification, is "complete in Him" (Col. 2:10). Christ Himself is
their life, and He becomes such by a personal union to Himself which
nothing can dissolve. From the moment of his new birth every child of
God is a "saint in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 1:7), one of the "holy
brethren" (Heb. 3:1); and it is just because they are such, they are
called upon to live holy lives. 0 what cause we have to adore the
grace, the wisdom, and the power of God!
When one of God's elect is quickened into newness of life a great
change is made relatively, that is, in connection with his relation to
his fellowmen. Previously, he too was both in the world and of it,
being numbered with the ungodly, and enjoying their fellowship. But at
regeneration he is born unto a new family, even the living family of
God, and henceforth his standing is no longer among those who are
"without Christ:" "Who hath delivered us from the Power of darkness,
and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son" (Col. 1:13).
Thus, when one is made alive in Christ by the Holy Spirit, he at once
becomes separated from those who are dead in trespasses and sins and
therefore this is another aspect of the "sanctification of the
Spirit." This was typed out of old. When the Lord was revealed unto
Abraham, the word to him was "Get thee out of thy country, and from
thy kindred" (Gen. 21:1). So again it was with Israel: no sooner were
they delivered from the Angel of Death by the blood of the lamb, than
they were required to leave Egypt behind them.
Personally we are sanctified or consecrated unto God by the Spirit's
indwelling us and making our bodies His temples. As He came upon
Christ Himself ("without measure") so, in due time, He is given to
each of His members: "ye have an Unction (the Spirit) from the Holy
One"--Christ; "the Anointing (the Spirit) which ye have received of
Him (Christ) abideth in you" (1 John 2:20, 27)--it is from this very
fact we receive our name, for "Christian" means "an anointed one," the
term being taken from the type in Psalm 133:2. It is the indwelling
presence of the Holy Spirit which constitutes a believer a holy
person. That which made Canaan the "holy" land, Jerusalem the "holy"
city, the temple the "holy" place, was the presence and appearing of
the Holy One there! And that which makes any man "holy" is the
perpetual abiding of the Spirit within him. Needless to say, His
indwelling of us necessarily produces fruits of holiness in heart and
life--this will come before us in the sequel.
Amazing, blessed, and glorious fact, the Holy Spirit indwells the
regenerate so that their bodies become the temples of the living God.
"The Holy Spirit descends on them and enters within them, in
consequence of their union with Christ. He comes from Heaven to make
known this union between Christ and them. He is the Divine Manifester
of it. He dwells in us as a well of water springing up into
everlasting life. He abides with us as our Divine Comforter, and will
be our Guide even unto death, and continue His life-giving influences
in us and dwell in us, filling us with all the fulness of God in
Heaven for ever" (S. E. Pierce).
This indwelling of the Spirit is, in the order of God, subsequent to
and in consequence of our being sanctified by the blood of Jesus; for
it is obvious that God could not "dwell" in those who were standing
under the imputation of their guilt. The Holy Spirit, therefore, from
the very fact of making our bodies His temples, attests and evidences
the completeness and perpetuity of the sanctification which is ours by
the sacrifice of Christ. He comes to us not to procure blessings which
Christ hath already purchased for us, but to make them known to us:
"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit
which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given
to us of God" (1 Cor. 2:12). He comes to sustain those in whom the
life of Christ now is.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Sanctification
by A. W. Pink
16. Its Securer (Completed)
______________________________________________________________
"Sanctification of the Spirit" (2 Thess. 2:13) is a comprehensive
expression which has a fourfold significance at least. First, it
points to that supernatural operation of the Spirit whereby a sinner
is "created in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:10), made vitally one with Him,
and thereby a partaker of His holiness. Second, it tells of the vital
change which this produces in his relation to the ungodly: having been
quickened into newness of life, he is at once separated from those who
are dead in sins, so that both as to his standing and state he is no
longer with them common to Satan, sin and the world. Third, it speaks
of the Spirit Himself taking up His abode in the quickened soul,
thereby rendering him personally holy. Fourth, it refers to His
bringing the heart into conformity with the Divine law, with all that
that connotes. Before taking up this last point, we will offer a few
more remarks upon the third.
The coming of this Divine and glorious Person to indwell one who is
depraved and sinful is both a marvel and a mystery: a marvel that He
should, a mystery that He would. How is it possible for Him who is
ineffably holy to dwell within those who are so unholy? Not a few have
said it is impossible, and were it not for the plain declarations of
Scripture thereon, probably all of us would come to the same
conclusion. But God's ways are very different from ours, and His love
and grace have achieved that which our poor hearts had never conceived
of. This has been clearly recognized in connection with the amazing
birth, and the still more amazing death of Christ; but it has not been
so definitely perceived in connection with the descent of the Spirit
to indwell believers.
There is a striking analogy between the advent to this earth of the
second person of the Trinity and the advent of the third person, and
the marvel and mystery of the one should prepare us for the other. Had
the same not become an historical fact, who among us had ever supposed
that the Father had suffered His beloved Son to enter such depths of
degradation as He did? Who among us had ever imagined that the Lord of
glory would lie in a manger? But He did! In view of that, why should
we be so staggered at the concept of the Holy Spirit's entering our
poor hearts? As the Father was pleased to allow the glory of the Son
to be eclipsed for a season by the degradation into which He
descended, so in a very real sense He suffers the glory of the Spirit
to be hid for a season by the humiliation of His tabernacling in our
bodies.
It is on the ground of Christ's work that the Spirit comes to us.
"Whatever we receive here is but the result of the fulness given to us
in Christ. If the Spirit comes to dwell in us as the Spirit of peace,
it is because Jesus by His blood, once offered, hath secured for us
that peace. If the Spirit comes as the Spirit of glory, it is because
Jesus has entered into and secured glory for us. If the Spirit comes
as the Spirit of sonship, it is because Jesus has returned for us to
the bosom of the Father and brought us into the nearness of the same
love. If the Spirit comes to us as the Spirit of life, it is because
of the life hidden for us in Christ with God. The indwelling of the
Spirit therefore being a result of the abiding relation to God into
which the resurrection and ascension of our Lord has brought us, must
of necessity be an abiding presence. Consequently, the sanctification
which results from the fact of His presence in us and from the fact of
the new man being created in us, must be a complete and abiding
sanctification--as complete and as abiding as the relation which
Christ holds to us in redemption as the Representative and Head of His
mystical body" (B. W. Newton).
Yet let it be pointed out that, the blessed Spirit does not allow our
hearts to remain in the awful condition in which He first finds them;
and this brings us to our fourth point. In Titus 3:5 we read
"according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration,
and renewing of the Holy Spirit." All that is comprehended in this
"washing" we may not be able to say, but it certainly includes the
casting of all idols out of our hearts, to such an extent that God now
occupies the throne of it. By this "washing of regeneration" the soul
is so cleansed from its native pollution that sin is no longer loved,
but loathed; the Divine law is no longer hated, but delighted in; and
the affections are raised from things below unto things above. We are
well aware of the fact that this is the particular point which most
exercises honest consciences; yet, God does not intend that our
difficulties should be so cleared up in this life that all exercise of
heart should be at an end.
Though it be true that the flesh remains unaltered in the Christian,
and that at times its activities are such that our evidences of
regeneration are clouded over, yet it remains that a great change was
wrought in us at the new birth, the effects of which abide. Though it
be true that a sea of corruption still dwells within, and that at
times sin rages violently, and so prevails that it seems a mockery to
conclude that we have been delivered from its domination; yet this
does not alter the fact that a miracle of grace has been wrought
within us. Though the Christian is conscious of so much filth within,
he has experienced the "washing of regeneration." Before the new birth
he saw no beauty in Christ that he should desire Him; but now he views
Him as "the Fairest among ten thousand." Before, he loved those like
himself; but now he "loves the brethren" (1 John 3:14). Moreover, his
understanding has been cleansed from many polluting errors and
heresies. Finally, it is a fact that the main stream of his desires
runs out after God.
But "the washing of regeneration" is only the negative side:
positively there is "the renewing of the Holy Spirit." Though this
"renewing" falls far short of what will take place in the saint at his
glorification, yet it is a very real and radical experience. A great
change and renovation is made in the soul, which has a beneficial
effect upon all of its faculties. This "renewing of the Holy Spirit"
has in it a transforming power, so that the heart and mind are brought
into an obediential frame toward God. The soul is now able to discern
that God's will is the most "good and acceptable and perfect" (Rom.
12:2) of all, and there is a deep desire and a sincere effort made to
become conformed thereto. But let it be carefully noted that the
present and not the past tense is employed in Titus 3:5--not ye were
washed and renewed, but a "washing" and "renewing:" it is a continual
work of the Spirit.
Ere proceeding to show further the nature of the Spirit's work in the
soul in His sanctifying operations, let it be pointed out that what
our hearts most need to lay hold of and rest on is that which has been
before us in the last few chapters. The believer has already been
perfectly sanctified in the decree and purpose of the Father. Christ
has wrought out for him that which, when reckoned to his account,
perfectly fits him for the courts of God's temple above. The moment he
is quickened by the Spirit he is created in Christ," and therefore
"sanctified in Christ:" thus both his standing and state are holy in
God's sight. Furthermore, the Spirit's indwelling him, making his body
His temple, constitutes him personally holy--just as the presence of
God in the temple made Canaan the "holy land" and Jerusalem the "holy
city."
It is of the very first importance that the Christian should be
thoroughly clear upon this point. We do not become saints by holy
actions--that is the fundamental error of all false religions. No, we
must first be saints before there can be any holy actions, as the
fountain must be pure before its stream can be, the tree good if its
fruit is to be wholesome. The order of Scripture is "Let it not be
once named among you, as becometh Saints" (Eph. 5:3), and "but now are
ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light" (Eph. 5 8); "in
behavior as becometh holiness" (Titus 2:3). God first sets our hearts
at rest, before He bids our hands engage in His service. He gives
life, that we may be capacitated to render love. He creates in us a
sanctified nature, that there may be sanctified conduct. God presents
us spotless in the Holiest of all according to the blood of
sprinkling, that, coming forth with a conscience purged from dead
works, we may seek to please and glorify Him.
It is the creating of this holy nature within us that we must next
consider. "It is something that is holy, both in its principle, and in
its actions; and is superior to anything that can come from man, or be
performed by himself. It does not lie in a conformity to the light of
nature, and the dictates of it; nor is it what may go by the name of
moral virtue, which was exercised by some of the heathen philosophers,
to a very great degree, and yet they had not a grain of holiness in
them; but were full of the lusts of envy, pride, revenge, etc., nor
does it lie in a bare, external conformity to the law of God, or in an
outward reformation of life and manners: this appeared in the
Pharisees to a great degree, who were pure in their own eyes, and
thought themselves holier than others, and disdained them, and yet
their hearts were full of all manner of impurity.
"Nor is it what is called restraining grace: persons may be restrained
by the injunction of parents and masters, by the laws of magistrates,
and by the ministry of the Word, from the grosser sins of life; and be
preserved, by the providence of God, from the pollutions of the world,
and yet not be sanctified. Nor are gifts, ordinary or extraordinary,
sanctifying grace: Judas Iscariot no doubt had both, the ordinary
gifts of a preacher, and the extraordinary gifts of an apostle; yet he
was not a holy man. Gifts are not graces: a man may have all gifts and
all knowledge, and speak with the tongue of men, and angels, and not
have grace; there may be a silver tongue where there is an
unsanctified heart. Nor is sanctification a restoration of the lost
image of Adam, or an amendment of that image marred by the sin of man;
or a new vamping up of the old principles of nature" (John Gill).
Having seen what this holy nature, imparted by the Spirit, is not; let
us endeavor to define what it is. It is something entirely new: a new
creation, a new heart, a new spirit, a new man, the conforming of us
to another image, even to that of the last Adam, the Son of God. It is
the impartation of a holy principle, implanted in the midst of
corruption, like a lovely rosebush growing out of a dung-heap. It is
the carrying forward of that "good work" begun in us at regeneration
(Phil. 1:6). It is called by many names, such as "the inward man" (2
Cor. 4:16) and "the hidden man of the heart" (1 Pet. 3:4), not only
because it has its residence in the soul, but because our fellows can
see it not. It is designated "seed" (1 John 3 :9) and "spirit" (John
3:6) because it is wrought in us by the Spirit of God. It is likened
to a "root" (Job 19:28), to "good treasure of the heart" (Matt.
12:35), to "oil in the vessel" (Matt. 25:4)--by "oil" there is meant
grace, so called for its illuminating nature in giving discernment to
the understanding, and for its supplying and softening nature, taking
off the hardness from the heart and the stubbornness from the will.
It is in this aspect of our sanctification that we arrive at the third
meaning of the term: the blessed Spirit not only separates from the
common herd of the unregenerate, cleanses our hearts from the
pollution of sin, but He suitably adorns the temple in which He now
dwells. This He does by making us partakers of "the Divine nature" (2
Pet. 1:4), which is a positive thing, the communication of a holy
principle, whereby we are "renewed after the image of God." When the
Levites were to minister in the holy place, not only were they
required to wash themselves, but to put on their priestly attire and
ornaments, which were comely and beautiful. In like manner, believers
are a holy and royal priesthood (1 Pet. 2:5), for they have not only
been washed from the filth of sin, but are "all glorious within" (Ps.
45:13). They have not only had the robe of imputed righteousness put
upon them (Isa. 61:10), but the beautifying grace of the Spirit has
been implanted in them.
It is by the reception of this holy principle or nature that the
believer is freed from the domination of sin and brought into the
liberty of righteousness, though not until death is he delivered from
the plague and presence of sin. At their justification believers
obtain a relative or judicial sanctification, which provides for them
a perfect standing before God, by which they receive proof of their
covenant relationship with Him, that they are His peculiar people, His
"treasure," His "portion." But more, they are also inherently
sanctified in their persons by a gracious work of the Spirit within
their souls. They are "renewed" throughout the whole of their beings;
for as the poison of sin was diffused throughout the entire man, so is
grace. It helps not a little to perceive that, as Thos. Boston pointed
out long ago in his "Man's Fourfold State," "Holiness is not one grace
only, but all the graces of the Spirit: it is a constellation of
graces; it is all the graces in their seed and root."
Yet let it be pointed out that, though the whole of the Christian's
person is renewed by the Spirit, and all the faculties of his soul are
renovated, nevertheless, there is no operation of grace upon his old
nature, so that its evil is expelled: the "flesh" or principle of
indwelling sin is neither eradicated nor purified nor made good. Our
"old man" (which must be distinguished from the soul and its
faculties) is "corrupt according to the deceitful lusts," and remains
so till the end of our earthly pilgrimage, ever striving against the
"spirit" or principle of holiness or "new man." As the soul at the
very first moment of its union with the body (in the womb) became
sinful, so it is not until the moment of its dissolution from the body
that the soul becomes inherently sinless. As an old divine quaintly
said, "Sin brought death into the world, and God, in a way of holy
resentment, makes use of death to put an end to the very being of sin
in His saints."
Many readers will realize that we are here engaged in grappling with a
difficult and intricate point. No man is competent to give such a
clear and comprehensive description of our inward sanctification that
all difficulty is cleared up: the most he can do is to point out what
it is not, and then seek to indicate the direction in which its real
nature is to be sought. As a further effort toward this it may be said
that, this principle of holiness which the Spirit imparts to the
believer consists of spiritual light, whereby the heart is (partly)
delivered from the darkness in which the Fall enveloped it. It is such
an opening of the eyes of our understandings that we are enabled to
see spiritual things and discern their excellency; for before we are
sanctified by the Spirit we are totally blind to their reality and
beauty: such passages as John 1:5; Acts 26:18; 2 Corinthians 4:6;
Ephesians 5:8; Colossians 1:13; 1 Peter 2:9 (read them!) makes this
clear.
Further, that principle of holiness which the Spirit imparts to the
believer consists of spiritual life. Previous to its reception the
soul is in a state of spiritual death, that is, it is alienated from
and incapacitated toward God. At our renewing by the Spirit, we
receive a vital principle of spiritual life: compare John 5:24; 10:11,
28; Romans 8:2; Ephesians 2:1. It is by this new life we are
capacitated for communion with and obedience to God. Once more; that
principle of holiness consists of spiritual love. The natural man is
in a state of enmity with God; but at regeneration there is implanted
that which delights in and cleaves to God: compare Deuteronomy 30:6;
Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:24. As "light" this principle of holiness
affects the understanding, as "life" it influences and moves the will,
as "love" it directs and moulds the affections. Thus also it partakes
of the very nature of Him who is Light, Life, and Love. "Let the
beauty of the Lord be upon us" (Ps. 90:17) signifies "let this
principle of holiness (as light, life, and love) be healthy within and
made manifest through and by us.
But we must now turn to the most important aspect of all, of the
nature of this principle of holiness, whereby the Spirit sanctified us
inherently. Our experimental sanctification consists in our hearts
being conformed to the Divine law. This should be so obvious that no
labored argument should be required to establish the fact. As all sin
is a transgression of the law (I John 3 :4), so all holiness must be a
fulfilling of the law. The natural man is not subject to the law,
neither indeed can he be (Rom. 8:7). Why? Because he is devoid of that
principle from which acceptable obedience to the law can proceed. The
great requirement of the law is love: love to God, and love to our
neighbor; but regarding the unregenerate it is written, "ye have not
the love of God in you" (John 5 42). Hence it is that God's promise to
His elect is "The Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the
heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart"
(Deut. 30:6)--for "love is the fulfilling of the law."
This is the grand promise of the Covenant: "I will put My laws into
their mind, and write them in their hearts" (Heb. 8:10); and again, "I
will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes"
(Ezek. 36:27). As we said in the preceding article: when Christ comes
to His people He finds them entirely destitute of holiness, and of
every desire after it; but He does not leave them in that awful
condition. No, He sends forth the Holy Spirit, communicates to them a
sincere love for God, and imparts to them a principle or "nature"
which delights in His ways. "They that are in the flesh cannot please
God" (Rom. 8:8). Why? Because any work to be pleasing to Him must
proceed from a right principle (love to Him), be performed by a right
rule (His Law, or revealed will), and have a right end in view (His
glory); and this is only made possible by the sanctification of the
Spirit.
Experimental holiness is conformity of heart and life to the Divine
law. The law of God is "holy, just and good" (Rom. 7:12), and
therefore does it require inward righteousness or conformity as well
as outward; and this requirement is fully met by the wondrous and
gracious provision which God has made for His people. Here again we
may behold the striking and blessed cooperation between the Eternal
Three. The Father, as the King and Judge of all, gave the Law. The
Son, as our Surety, fulfilled the Law. The Spirit is given to work in
us conformity to the Law: first, by imparting a nature which loves it;
second, by instructing and giving us a knowledge of its extensive
requirements; third, by producing in us strivings after obedience to
its precepts. Not only is the perfect obedience of Christ imputed to
His people, but a nature which delights in the law is imparted to
them. But because of the opposition from indwelling sin, perfect
obedience to the law is not possible in this life; yet, for Christ's
sake, God accepts their sincere but imperfect obedience.
We must distinguish between the Holy Spirit and the principle of
holiness which He imparts at regeneration: the Creator and the nature
He creates must not be confounded. It is by His indwelling the
Christian that He sustains and develops, continues and perfects, this
good work which he has begun in us. He takes possession of the soul to
strengthen and direct its faculties. It is from the principle of
holiness which He has communicated to us that there proceeds the
fruits of holiness--sanctified desires, actions and works. Yet that
new principle or nature has no strength of its own: only as it is
daily renewed, empowered, controlled, and directed by its Giver, do we
act "as becometh holiness." His continued work of sanctification
within us proceeds in the twofold process of the mortification
(subduing) of the old man and the vivification (quickening) of the new
man.
The fruit of the Spirit's sanctification of us experimentally, appears
in our separation from evil and the world. But because of the flesh
within, our walk is not perfect. Oftentimes there is little for the
eye of sense to distinguish in those in whom the Spirit dwells from
the moral and respectable wordlings; yea, often they put us to shame.
"It doth not yet appear what we shall be." "The world knoweth us not."
But the heart is washed from the prevailing love of sin by the tears
of repentance which the Christian is moved to frequently shed. Every
new act of faith upon the cleansing blood of Christ carries forward
the work of experimental sanctification to a further degree. As Naaman
was required to dip in the Jordan again and again, yea, seven times,
till he was wholly purged of his bodily leprosy; so the soul of the
Christian--conscious of so much of the filth of sin still defiling
him--continues to dip in that "fountain opened for sin and for
uncleanness." Thank God, one day Christ will "present to Himself a
glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing" (Eph.
5:27).
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Sanctification
by A. W. Pink
17. Its Rule
______________________________________________________________
Having considered the distinct acts of the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit in the sanctification of the Church, we must now carefully
inquire as to the Rule by which all true holiness is determined, the
Standard by which it is weighed and to which it must be conformed.
This also is of deep importance, for if we mistake the line and
plummet of holiness, then all our efforts after it will be wide of the
mark. On this aspect of our subject there also prevails widespread
ignorance and confusion today, so that we are obliged to proceed
slowly and enter rather lengthily into it. If one class of our readers
sorely needed--for the strengthening of their faith and the comfort of
their hearts--a somewhat full setting forth of the perfect
sanctification which believers have in Christ, another class of our
readers certainly require--for the illumination of their minds and the
searching of their conscience--a setting forth in detail of the
Divinely-provided "Rule."
In previous chapters we have shown that holiness is the antithesis of
sin, and therefore as "sin is the transgression (a deviation from or
violation of) the Law" (1 John 3:4), holiness must be a conformity to
the Law. As "sin" is a general term to connote all that is evil, foul,
and morally loathsome, so holiness" is a general term to signify all
that is good, pure, and morally virtuous or vicious, praiseworthy or
blameworthy, as they express the desires, designs, and choices of the
heart. As all sin is a species of self-love--self-will, self-pleasing,
self-gratification--so all holiness consists of disinterested or
unselfish love--to God and our neighbor: 1 Corinthians 13 supplies a
full and beautiful delineation of the nature of holiness: substitute
the term "holiness" for "love" all through that chapter. As sin is the
transgressing of the Law, so love is the fulfilling of the Law (Rom.
13:10).
The spirituality and religion of man in his original state consisted
in a perfect conformity to the Divine Law, which was the law of his
nature (for he was created in the image and likeness of God), with the
addition of positive precepts. But when man lost his innocency and
became guilty and depraved, he fell not only under the wrath of God,
but also under the dominion of sin. Consequently, he now needs both a
Redeemer, and a Sanctifier; and in the Gospel both are provided. Alas
that so often today only a half Gospel, a mutilated Gospel, is being
preached--whereby sinners are made "twofold more the children of Hell"
than they were before they heard it! In the Gospel a way is revealed
for our obtaining both pardoning mercy and sanctifying grace. The
Gospel presents Christ not only as a Deliverer from the wrath to come
(1 Thess. 1:10), but also as the Sanctifier of His Church (Eph. 5:26).
In His work of sanctifying the Church Christ restores His people unto
a conformity to the Law. Before supplying proof of this statement, let
us carefully observe what it is which the Law requires of us. "Jesus
said unto him, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and
great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and
the Prophets" (Matt. 22:37-40). Christ here summed up the ten
commandments in these two, and every duty enjoined by the Law and
inculcated by the Prophets is but a deduction or amplification of
these two, in which all are radically contained. Here is, first, the
duty required--love to God and our neighbor. Second, the ground or
reason of this duty--because He is the Lord our God. Third, the
measure of this duty--with all the heart.
The grand reason why God, the alone Governor of the world, ever made
the Law, requiring us to love Him with all our hearts, was because it
is, in its own nature, infinitely just and fitting. That Law is an
eternal and unalterable Rule of Righteousness, which cannot be
abrogated or altered in the least iota, for it is an unchanging
expression of God's immutable moral character. To suppose that He
would ever repeal or even abate the Law--when the grounds and reasons
of God's first making it remain as forcible as ever, when that which
it requires is as just and meet as ever, and which it becomes Him as
the moral Ruler of the universe to require as much as ever--casts the
highest reproach upon all His glorious perfections. Such a horrible
insinuation could have originated nowhere else than in the foul mind
of the Fiend, the arch-enemy of God, and is to be rejected by us with
the utmost abhorrence.
To imagine God repealing the moral Law, which is the rule of all
holiness and the condemner of all sin, would be supposing Him to
release His creatures from giving unto Him the full glory which is His
due, and allowing them to hold back a part of it at least. It supposes
Him releasing His creatures from that which is right and allowing them
to do that which is wrong. Yea, such a vile supposition reflects upon
God's very goodness, for so far from it being a boon and benefit to
His creatures, the repealing or altering this Law, which is so
perfectly suited to their highest happiness, would be one of the
sorest calamities that could happen. If God had rather that heaven and
earth should pass away than that the least jot or tittle of the Law,
should fail (Matt. 5:18), how steadfastly should we resist every
effort of Satan's to rob us of this Divine rule, weaken its authority
over our hearts, or prejudice us against it.
In the light of what has been pointed out, how unspeakably horrible,
that vile blasphemy, to imagine that the Son Himself should come from
Heaven, become incarnate, and die the death of the cross, with the
purpose of securing for His people a rescinding or abating of the Law,
and obtain for them a lawless liberty. What! had He so little regard
for His Father's interests and glory, for the honour of His Law, that
He shed His precious blood so as to persuade the great Governor of the
world to slacken the reins of His government and obtain for His people
an impious license? Perish the thought. Let all who love the Lord rise
up in righteous indignation against such an atrocious slur upon His
holy character, and loathe it as a Satanic slander--no matter by whom
propagated. Any Spirit-taught reader must surely see that such a
wicked idea as the affirming that Christ is the one who has made an
end of the Law, is to make Him the friend of sin and the enemy of God!
Pause for a moment and weigh carefully the implications. How could God
possibly vindicate the honor of His great name were He to either
repeal or abate that law which requires love to Him with all our
hearts? Would not this be clearly tantamount to saying that He had
previously required more than was His due? Or, to put it in another
form, that He does not now desire so much from His creatures as He
formerly did? Or, to state the issue yet more baldly: should God now
(since the cross) relinquish His rights and freely allow His creatures
to despise Him and sin with impunity? Look at it another way: to what
purpose should Christ die in order to secure an abatement from that
Law? What need was there for it? or what good could it do? If the Law
really demanded too much, then justice required God to make the
abatement; in such case the death of Christ was needless. Or if the
Law required what was right, then God could not in justice make any
abatement, and so Christ died in vain!
But so far from Christ coming into this world with any such evil
design, He expressly declared, "Think not that I am come to destroy
the Law, or the Prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one
tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled,
Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and
shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of
heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be
called great in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:17-19). This is the
very thing He condemned the Pharisees for all through this chapter.
They, in effect, taught this very doctrine, that the Law was abated,
that its exacting demands were relaxed. They affirmed that though the
Law did forbid some external and gross acts of sin, yet it did not
reprehend the first stirrings of corruption in the heart or lesser
iniquities.
For instance, the Pharisees taught that, murder must not be committed,
but there was no harm in being angry, speaking reproachfully, or
harboring a secret grudge in the heart (Matt. 5:21-26). That adultery
must not be committed, yet there was no evil in having lascivious
thoughts (vv. 27-30). That we must not be guilty of perjury, yet there
was no harm in petty oaths in common conversation (vv. 33-37). That
friends must not be hated, yet it was quite permissible to hate
enemies (vv. 43-47). These, and such like allowances, they taught were
made in the Law, and therefore were not sinful. But such doctrine our
Saviour condemned as erroneous and damning, insisting that the Law
requires us to be as perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect (v.
48), and declaring that if our righteousness exceed not that of the
scribes and Pharisees we could not enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt.
5:20). How far, then, was our holy Lord from abating God's Law, or
lessening our obligations to perfect conformity to it!
The fact of the matter is (and here we will proceed to adduce some of
the proofs for our statement at the beginning of the fourth
paragraph), that Christ came into the world for the express purpose of
giving a practical demonstration, in the most public manner, that God
is worthy of all that love, honor, and obedience which the Law
requires, and that sin is as great an evil as the punishment of the
Law implies, and thereby declared God's righteousness and hatred of
sin, to the end that God might be just and yet the Justifier of every
sincere believer. This Christ did by obeying the precepts and
suffering the death-penalty of the Law in the stead of His people. The
great design of the incarnation, life and death of our blessed Lord
was to maintain and magnify the Divine government, and secure the
salvation of His people in a way that placed supreme honour upon the
Law.
The chief object before the beloved Son in taking upon Him the form of
a servant was to meet the demands of the Law. His work here had a
prime respect to the Law of God, so that sinners should be justified
and sanctified without setting aside its requirements or without
showing the least disregard to it. First. He was "made under the Law"
(Gal. 4 :4)--amazing place for the Lord of glory to take! Second, He
declared, "Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of Me,
I delight to do Thy will, 0 my God; yea, Thy Law is within My heart"
(Ps. 40:7, 8)--enshrined in His affections. Third, He flawlessly
obeyed the commands of the Law in thought, and word, and deed: as a
Child He was subject to His parents (Luke 2:51); as Man He honored the
sabbath (Luke 4:16), and refused to worship or serve any but the Lord
His God (Luke 4:8). Fourth, when John demurred at baptizing Him, He
answered "Thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matt.
3:15)--what a proof of His love for the Lawgiver in submitting to His
ordinance! what proof of His love for His people in taking His place
alongside of them in that which spake of death!
The truth is, that it was God's own infinite aversion to the repeal of
the Law, as a thing utterly unfit and wrong, which was the very thing
which made the death of Christ needful. If the Law might have been
repealed, then sinners could have been saved without any more ado; but
if it must not be repealed, then the demands of it must be answered by
some other means, or every sinner would be eternally damned. It was
because of this that Christ willingly interposed, and "magnified the
Law and made it honorable" (Isa. 42:21), so securing the honour of
God's holiness and justice, so establishing His law and government,
that a way has been opened for Him to pardon the very chief of sinners
without compromising Himself to the slightest degree. "As many as are
of the works of the Law are under the curse. . . Christ hath redeemed
us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us" (Gal. 3:10,
13).
Christ loved His Father's honour far too much to revoke His Law, or
bring His people into a state of insubordination to His authority; and
He loved them too well to turn them adrift from "the perfect Law of
liberty." Read carefully the inspired record of His life upon earth,
and you will not discover a single word falling from His lips which
expresses the slightest disrespect for the Law. Instead we find that
He bade His disciples do unto men whatsoever we would that they should
do unto us because "this is the Law and the Prophets" (Matt. 7:12). In
like manner Christ's apostles urged the performance of moral duties by
the authority of the Law: "Owe no man anything, but to love one
another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the Law" (Rom.
13:8); "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right:
honour thy father and mother, which is the first commandment with
promise" (Eph. 6:1, 2). The apostle John exhorted believers to love
one another as "an old commandment which ye had from the beginning" (1
John 2:7). And, as we shall yet show at length, the Law is the great
means which the Spirit uses in sanctifying us.
Here, then, is a "threefold cord" which cannot be broken, a threefold
consideration which "settles the matter" for all who submit to the
authority of Holy Scripture. First, God the Father honored the Law by
refusing to rescind it in order that His people might be saved at less
cost, declining to abate its demands even when His own blessed Son
cried, "If it be possible, let this cup pass from Me." God the Son
honored the Law by being made under it, by perfectly obeying its
precepts, and by personally enduring its awful penalty. God the Spirit
honours the Law by making quickened sinners see, feel, and own that it
is "holy, and just, and good" (Rom. 7:12) even though it condemns
them, and that, before ever He reveals the mercy of God through Jesus
Christ unto them; so that the Law is magnified, sin is embittered, the
sinner is humbled, and grace is glorified all at once!
There are some who will go with us this far, agreeing that Christ came
here to meet the demands of the Law, yet who insist that the Law being
satisfied, believers are now entirely freed from its claims. But this
is the most inconsistent, illogical, absurd position of all. Shall
Christ go to so much pains to magnify the Law in order that it might
now be dishonored by us! Did He pour out His love to God on the Cross
that we might be relieved from loving Him! It is true that "Christ is
the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that believeth"
(Rom. 10:4)--for "righteousness" (for our justification), yes; but not
for our sanctification. Is it not written that "he that saith he
abideth in Him ought himself also to walk even as He walked" (1 John 2
:6), and did not Christ walk according to the rule of the Law? The
great object in Christ's coming here was to conform His people to the
Law, and not to make them independent of it. Christ sends the Spirit
to write the Law in their hearts (Heb. 8:10) and not to set at nought
its holy and high demands.
The truth is that God's sending His Son into the world to die for the
redemption of His people, instead of freeing them from their
obligations to keep the Law, binds them the more strongly to do so.
This is so obvious that it ought not to require arguing. Reflect for a
moment, Christian reader, upon God's dealings with us. We had rebelled
against the Lord, lost all esteem for Him, cast off His authority, and
practically bid defiance to both His justice and His power. What
wonder, then, had He immediately doomed our apostate world to the
blackness of darkness forever? Instead, He sent forth His own dear
Son, His only Begotten, as an Ambassador of peace, with a message of
good news, even that of a free and full forgiveness of sins to all who
threw down the weapons of their warfare against Him, and who took His
easy yoke upon them.
But more: when God's Son was despised and rejected of men, He did not
recall Him to Heaven, but allowed Him to complete His mission of
mercy, by laying down His life as a ransom for all who should believe
on Him. And now He sends forth His messengers to proclaim the Gospel
to the ends of the earth, inviting His enemies to cease their
rebellion, acknowledge the Law by which they stand condemned to be
holy, just and good, and to look to Him through Jesus Christ for
pardon as a free gift, and to yield themselves to Him entirely, to
love Him and delight themselves in Him forever. Is not this fathomless
love, infinite mercy, amazing grace, which should melt our hearts and
cause us to "present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable
unto God" which is indeed our "reasonable service" (Rom. 12:1)?
O my Christian reader, that God out of His own mere good pleasure,
according to His eternal purpose, should have stopped thee in thy mad
career to Hell, made thee see and feel thy awful sin and guilt, own
the sentence just by which thou wast condemned, and bring thee on thy
knees to look for free grace through Jesus Christ for pardon, and
through Him give up thyself to God forever. And that now He should
receive thee to His favor, put thee among His children, become your
Father and your God, by an everlasting covenant; undertake to teach
and guide, nourish and strengthen, correct and comfort, protect and
preserve; and while in this world supply all thy need and make all
things work together for thy good; and finally bring thee into
everlasting glory and blessedness. Does not this lay thee under
infinitely deeper obligations to Love the Lord thy God with all thine
heart? Does not this have the greatest tendency to animate thee unto
obedience to His righteous Law? Does not this engage thee, does not
His love constrain thee, to seek to please, honor and glorify Him?
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Sanctification
by A. W. Pink
18. Its Rule (Continued)
______________________________________________________________
We trust it has now been clearly proved to the satisfaction of every
Truth-loving reader that the great object in Christ's coming here was
to magnify the Law and satisfy its righteous demands. In His
fulfilling of the Law and by His enduring its penalty, the Lord Jesus
laid the foundation for the conforming of His people to it. This is
plainly taught us in, "For what the Law could not do (namely, justify
and sanctify fallen sinners--neither remit the penalty, nor deliver
from the power of sin) in that it was weak through the flesh (unable
to produce holiness in a fallen creature, as a master musician cannot
produce harmony and melody from an instrument that is all out of tune)
God sending His own Son in the likeness of sin's flesh and for sin,
condemned sin in the flesh, that (in order that) the righteousness of
the Law (its just requirements) might be fulfilled in us" (Rom. 8:3,
4).
This was the design of God in sending His Son here. "That He would
grant unto us, that we, being delivered out of the hand of our
enemies, might serve Him (be in subjection to Him) without fear, in
holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life" (Luke
1:74, 75). "Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all
iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good
works" (Titus 2:14). "Who His own self bare our sins in His own body
on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto
righteousness" (1 Pet. 2:24). These and similar passages, are so many
different ways of saying that Christ "became obedient unto death" in
order that His people might be recovered to obedience unto God, that
they might be made personally holy, that they might be conformed to
God's Law, both in heart and life. Nothing less than this would or
could meet the requirements of the Divine government, satisfy God's
own nature, or glorify the Redeemer by a triumphant issue of His
costly work.
Nor should it surprise any to hear that nothing short of
heart-conformity to the Law could satisfy the thrice Holy One. "The
Lord seeth not as man seeth: for man looketh on the outward
appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart" (1 Sam. 16:7). We have
read the Old Testament Scriptures in vain if we have failed to note
what a prominent place this basic and searching truth occupies: any
one who has access to a complete Hebrew-English concordance can see at
a glance how many hundreds of times the term "heart" is used there.
The great God could never be imposed upon or satisfied with mere
external performances from His creatures. Alas, alas, that heart
religion is rapidly disappearing from the earth, to the eternal
undoing of all who are strangers to it. God has never required less
than the hearts of His creatures: "My son, give Me thine heart" (Prov.
23:26).
"Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou
forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart
from thy heart all the days of thy life" (Deut. 4:9). "Circumcise
therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked"
(Deut. 10:16, and cf. Jer. 10:25, 26). "Keep thy heart with all
diligence, for out of it are the issues of life" (Prov. 4:23).
"Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to Me with all your
heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: and rend
your hearts and not your garments; and turn unto the Lord your God,
for He is gracious and merciful" (Joel 2:12, 13). The regenerate in
Israel clearly recognized the high and holy demands which the Law of
God made upon them: "Behold, Thou desirest truth in the inward parts"
(Ps. 51:6); and therefore did they pray, "Search me, 0 God, and know
my heart: try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked
way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Ps. 139:23, 24).
Now as we pointed out in our last, the Lord Jesus affirmed that the
full requirements of the Law from us are summed up in, "Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy mind; thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" (Matt.
22:37, 39). It was to restore His people to this that Christ lived and
died: to recover them to God, to bring them back into subjection to
Him (from which they fell in Adam), to recover them to the Lawgiver.
Christ is the Mediator between God and men, and by Christ is the
believing sinner brought to God. When He sends His ministers to preach
the Gospel it is "to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to
light, and from the power of Satan to God" (Acts 26:18). "All things
are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ" (2 Cor.
5:18). To the saints Paul wrote "Ye turned to God from idols, to serve
the living and true God" (1 Thess. 1:9). Of Christ it is written "He
is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him"
(Heb. 7:25); and again, "Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the
Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God" (1 Pet. 3:18)--to
the God of the Old Testament, the Lawgiver!
Let us now consider how Christ recovers His people unto a conformity
of the Law, how He restores them unto the Lawgiver. Since that which
the Law requires is that we love the Lord our God with all our hearts,
it is evident, in the first place, that we must have a true knowledge
of God Himself: this is both requisite unto and implied in the having
our affections set upon Him. If our apprehensions of God be wrong, if
they agree not with the Scriptures, then it is obvious that we have
but a false image of Him framed by our own fancy. By a true knowledge
of God (John 17:3) we mean far more than a correct theoretical notion
of His perfections: the demons have that, yet they have no love for
Him. Before God can be loved there must be a spiritual knowledge of
Him, a heartfelt realization of His personal loveliness, moral
excellency, ineffable glory.
By nature none of us possess one particle of genuine love for God: so
far from it, we hated Him, though we may not have realized the awful
fact, and had we done so, would not have acknowledged it. "The carnal
mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the Law of God,
neither indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7): those are equivalents, convertible
terms. Where there is enmity toward God, there is insubjection to His
Law; contrariwise, where there is love for God, there is submission to
His Law. The reason why there is no love for God in the unregenerate
is because they have no real knowledge of Him: this is just as true of
those in Christendom as it is of those in heathendom--to the highly
privileged and well-instructed Jews Christ said, "Ye neither know Me,
nor My Father" (John 8:19, 54). A miracle of grace has to take place
in order to this: "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of
darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor.
4:6); "We know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an
understanding, that we may know Him that is true" (1 John 5:20).
This true knowledge of God consists in our spiritually perceiving Him
(in our measure) to be just such an One as He actually is. We see Him
to be not only Love itself, the God of all grace and the Father of
mercies, but also Supreme, infinitely exalted above all creatures;
Sovereign, doing as He pleases, asking no one's permission and giving
no account of His actions; Immutable, with whom there is no
variableness or shadow of turning; ineffably Holy, being of purer eyes
than to behold evil and canst not look on iniquity; inflexibly Just,
so that He will by no means clear the guilty; Omniscient, so that no
secret can be concealed from Him; Omnipotent, so that no creature can
successfully resist Him; the Judge of all, who will banish from His
presence into everlasting woe and torment every impenitent rebel. This
is the character of the true God: do you love Him, my reader?
Second, a high esteem for God is both requisite unto and is implied in
loving Him. This high esteem consists of exalted thoughts and a lofty
valuation of Him from the sight and sense we have of His own intrinsic
worthiness and excellency. To the unregenerate He says, "Thou
thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thyself" (Ps. 50:21),
for their concepts of God are mean, low, derogatory. But when the
Spirit quickens us and shines upon our understandings we discern the
beauty of the Lord, and admire and adore Him. We join with the
celestial hosts in exclaiming, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of
hosts." As we behold, as in a glass, His glory, we see how infinitely
exalted He is above all creatures, and cry, "Who is like unto Thee, O
Lord, among the gods? who is like Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful
in praises, doing wonders?" yea, we confess "Whom have I in heaven but
Thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides Thee" (Ps.
73:25).
Now this high estimate of God not only disposes or inclines the heart
to acquiesce, but to exult in His high prerogatives. From a
consciousness of His own infinite excellency, His entire right
thereto, and His absolute authority over all, occupying the throne of
the universe, He presents Himself as the Most High God, supreme Lord,
sovereign Governor of all worlds, and demands that all creatures shall
be in a perfect subjection to Him; deeming those who refuse Him this
as worthy of eternal damnation. He declares, "I am the Lord, and
beside Me there is no God: My glory will I not give to another: thus
and thus shall ye do, because I am the Lord." As it would be the
utmost wickedness for the highest angel in heaven to assume any of
this honor to himself, yet it perfectly becomes the Almighty so to do:
yea, so far above all is He, that God is worthy of and entitled to
infinitely more honor and homage than all creatures together can
possibly pay to Him.
When the eyes of our hearts are open to see something of God's
sovereign majesty, infinite dignity, supernal glory, and we begin to
rightly esteem Him, then we perceive how thoroughly right and just it
is that such an One should be held in the utmost reverence, and
esteemed far above all others and exulted in: "Sing unto the Lord all
the earth" (Ps. 96:1). A spiritual sight and sense of the supreme
excellency and infinite glory of the Triune Jehovah will not only
rejoice our hearts to know that He is King of kings, the Governor of
all worlds, but we are also thankful and glad that we live under His
government, and are His subjects and servants. We shall then perceive
the grounds and reasons of His Law: how infinitely right and fit it is
that we should love Him with all our hearts and obey Him in
everything; how infinitely unfit and wrong the least sin is, and how
just the threatened punishment. We shall then also perceive that all
the nations of the earth are but as a drop in the bucket before Him,
and that we ourselves are less than nothing in His sight.
Third, a deep and lasting desire for God's glory is both requisite
unto and is implied in our loving Him. When we are acquainted with a
person who appears very excellent in our eyes and we highly esteem
him, then we heartily wish him well and are ready at all times to do
whatever we can to promote his welfare. It is thus that love to God
will make us feel and act toward His honor and interests in this
world. When God is spiritually beheld in His infinite excellency, as
the sovereign Governor of the whole world, and a sense of His infinite
worthiness is alive in our hearts, a holy benevolence is enkindled,
the spontaneous language of which is, "Give unto the Lord, O ye
kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength: give
unto the Lord the glory due unto His name" (Ps. 96:6, 7). "Be thou
exalted O God, above the heavens; let Thy glory be above all the
earth" (Ps. 57:5). As self-love naturally causes us to seek the
promotion of our own interests and self-aggrandizement, so a true love
to God moves us to put Him first and seek His glory.
This holy disposition expresses itself in earnest longings that God
would glorify Himself and honor His great name by bringing more of our
fellow-creatures into an entire subjection to Himself. The natural
longing and language of true spiritual love is, "Our Father which art
in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on
earth as it is in heaven." When God is about to bring to pass great
and glorious things to the magnifying of Himself, it causes great
rejoicing: "Let the heavens rejoice and let the earth be glad . . . He
shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with His
truth" (Ps. 96:11, 13). So too when God permits anything which, as it
seems to us, tends to bring reproach and dishonor upon His cause, it
occasions acute anguish and distress: as when the Lord threatened to
destroy Israel for their stiffneckedness, Moses exclaimed "What will
become of Thy great name? what will the Egyptians say!"
From this disinterested affection arises a free and genuine
disposition to give ourselves entirely to the Lord forever, to walk in
His ways and keep all His commandments. For if we really desire that
God may be glorified, we shall be disposed to seek His glory. A
spiritual sight and sense of the infinite greatness, majesty, and
excellency of the Lord of lords, makes it appear to us supremely fit
that we should be wholly devoted to Him, and that it is utterly wrong
for us to live to ourselves and make our own interests our last end.
The same desire which makes the godly earnestly long to have God
glorify Himself, strongly prompts them to live unto Him. If we love
God with all our hearts, we shall serve Him with all our strength. If
God be the highest in our esteem, then His honor and glory will be our
chief concern. To love God so as to serve Him is what the Law
requires; to love self so as to serve it, is rebellion against the
Majesty of heaven.
Fourth, delighting ourselves in God is both requisite unto and is
implied in our loving Him. If there be a heartfelt realization of
God's personal loveliness and ineffable glory, then the whole soul
must and will be attracted to Him. A spiritual sight and sense of the
perfections of the Divine character draw out the heart in fervent
adoration. When we "delight in" a fellow-creature, we find pleasure
and satisfaction in his company and conversation; we long to see him
when absent, rejoice in his presence, and the enjoyment of him makes
us happy. So it is when a holy soul beholds God in the grandeur of His
being, loves Him above all else, and is devoted to Him entirely--now
he delights in Him supremely. His delight and complacency is as great
as his esteem, arising from the same sense of God's moral excellency.
From this delight in God spring longings after a fuller acquaintance
and closer communion with Him: "0 God, Thou art my God; early will I
seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee in a
dry and thirsty land, where no water is: to see Thy power and Thy
glory . . because Thy lovingkindness is better than life . . . my soul
followeth hard after Thee" (Ps. 63:1-8). There is at times a holy
rejoicing in God which nothing can dim: "Although the fig tree shall
not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the
olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall
be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls;
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation"
(Hab. 3:17, 18). From this delight in God arises a holy disposition to
renounce all others and to live wholly upon Him, finding our
satisfaction in Him alone: "0 Lord our God, other lords besides Thee
have had dominion over us but by Thee only will we make mention of Thy
name" (Isa. 26:13); "I count all things but loss for the excellency of
the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the
loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ"
(Phil. 3 :8). As the proud man seeks contentment in creature honors,
the worldling in riches, the Pharisee in his round of duties, so the
true lover of God finds his contentment in God Himself.
That these four things are a true representation of the nature of that
love which is required in the first and great commandment of the Law,
upon which chiefly hang all the Law and the Prophets, is manifest, not
only from the reason of things, but from this: that such a love lays a
sure and firm foundation for all holy obedience. Only that love to God
is of the right kind which effectually influences us to keep His
commandments: "Hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His
commandments. He that saith I know Him, and keepeth not His
commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth
His Word, in him verily is the love of God perfected" (1 John 2:3-5).
But it is evident from the very nature of things that such a love as
this will effectually influence us so to do. As self-love naturally
moves us to set up self and its interests, so this love will move us
to set up God and His interests. The only difference between the love
of saints in heaven and of saints on earth is one of degree.
Having shown that the great object in Christ's coming to earth was to
magnify the Law (by obeying its precepts and suffering its penalty),
and that by so doing He laid a foundation for the recovering of His
people to the Lawgiver, it now remains for us to consider more
specifically how He conforms them to the Law. This, as we have just
seen, must consist in His bringing them to lay down the weapons of
their warfare against God, and by causing them to love God with all
their heart. This He accomplishes by the sending forth of His blessed
Spirit to renew them, for "the love of God is shed abroad in our
hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us" (Rom. 5:5). It is the
special and supernatural work of the Spirit in the soul which
distinguishes the regenerate from the unregenerate.
Previously we have shown at length that the regenerating and
sanctifying work of the Spirit is an orderly and progressive one,
conducting the soul step by step in the due method of the Gospel:
quickening, illuminating, convicting, drawing to Christ, and
cleansing. That order can be best perceived by us inversely, according
as it is realized in our conscious experience, tracing it backward
from effect to cause. (5) Without the Spirit bringing us to Christ
there can be no cleansing from His blood. (4) Without the Spirit
working in us evangelical repentance there can be no saving faith or
coming to Christ. (3) Without Divine conviction of sin there can be no
godly sorrow for it. (2) Without the Spirit's special illumination
there can be no sight or sense of the exceeding sinfulness of sin,
wherein it consists--opposition to God, expressed in self-pleasing.
(1) Without His quickening us we can neither see nor feel our dreadful
state before God: spiritual life must be imparted before we are
capable of discerning or being affected by Divine things.
It is by the Spirit we are brought from death unto life, given
spiritual perception to realize our utter lack of conformity to the
Divine Law, enabled to discern its spirituality and just requirements,
brought to mourn over our fearful transgressions against it and to
acknowledge the justice of its condemning sentence upon us. It is by
the Spirit we receive a new nature which loves God and delights in His
Law, which brings our hearts into conformity to it. The extent of this
conformity in the present life, and the harassing difficulty presented
to the Christian by the realization that there is still so much in him
which is opposed to the Law, must be left for consideration in our
next chapter.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Doctrine of Sanctification
by A. W. Pink
19. Its Rule (Continued)
______________________________________________________________
It has been pointed out in earlier chapters that our practical
sanctification by the Spirit is but His continuing and completing of
the work which He began in us at regeneration and conversion. Now
saving conversion consists in our being delivered from our depravity
and sinfulness to the moral image of God, or, which is the same thing,
to a real conformity unto the moral Law. And a conformity to the moral
Law (as we showed in our last chapter), consists in a disposition to
love God supremely, live to Him ultimately, and delight in Him
superlatively; and to love our neighbors as ourselves, with a practice
agreeing thereto. Therefore a saving conversion consists in our being
recovered from what we are by nature to such a disposition and
practice.
In order to this blessed recovery of us to God, Christ, by His Spirit
applies the law in power to the sinners understanding and heart, for
"the Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul" (Ps. 19:7). That
effectual application of the Law causes the sinner to see clearly and
to feel acutely how he had lived--in utter defiance of it; what he
is--a foul leper; what he deserves--eternal punishment; and how he is
in the hands of a sovereign God, entirely at His disposal (see Rom.
9:18). This experience is unerringly described in, "For without (the
Spirit's application of) the Law, sin was dead (we had no perception
or feeling of its heinousness). For I was alive without the Law once
(deeming myself as good as anyone else, and able to win God's approval
by my religious performances); but when the commandment came (in power
to my conscience), sin revived (became a fearful reality as I
discovered the plague of my heart), and I died" (to my
self-righteousness)--Romans 7:8, 9.
It is then, for the first time, that the soul perceives "the Law is
spiritual" (Rom. 7:14), that it requires not only outward works of
piety, but holy thoughts and godly affections, from whence all good
works must proceed, or else they are unacceptable to God. The Law is
"exceeding broad" (Ps. 119:96), taking notice not only of our outward
conduct but also of our inward state; "love" is its demand, and that
is essentially a thing of the heart. As the Law requires love, and
nothing but love (to God and our neighbor), so all sin consists in
that which is contrary to what the Law requires, and therefore every
exercise of the heart which is not agreeable to the Law, which is not
prompted by holy love, is opposed to it and is sinful. Therefore did
Christ plainly declare, "Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after
her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart" (Matt.
5:28).
God requires far more than a correct outward deportment: "Behold, Thou
desirest truth in the inward parts" (Ps. 51:6). The Law takes
cognizance of the thoughts and intents of the heart, saying, "thou
shalt not covet, which is an act of the soul rather than of the body.
When a sinner is brought to realize what the high and holy demands of
the Law really are, and how utterly he has failed to meet them, he
begins to perceive something of the awfulness of his condition, for
"by the Law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20). Now it is that the
awakened sinner realizes how justly the Law condemns and curses him as
an inveterate and excuseless transgressor of it. Now it is that he has
a lively sense in his own soul of the dreadfulness of eternal
damnation. Now it is he discovers that he is lost, utterly and
hopelessly lost so far as any self-help is concerned.
This it is which prepares him to see his dire need of Christ, for they
that are whole (in their self-complacency and self-righteousness),
betake not themselves to the great Physician. Thus the Law (in the
hands of the Spirit) is the handmaid of the Gospel. Was not this the
Divine order even at Sinai? The moral law was given first, and then
the ceremonial law, with its priesthood and sacrifices: the one to
convict of Israel's need of a Savior, the other setting forth the
Savior under various types and figures! It is not until sin "abounds"
in the stricken conscience of the Spirit-convicted transgressor, that
grace will "much more abound" in the estimation and appreciation of
his Spirit-opened heart. In exact proportion as we really perceive the
justice, dignity, and excellency of the Law, will be our realization
of the infinite evil of sin; and in exact proportion to our sense of
the exceeding sinfulness of sin will be our wonderment at the riches
of Divine grace.
Then it is that "God, who commanded the light to shine out darkness,
shines in our hearts, unto the light of the knowledge of the glory of
God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6). As an experimental
sense of the glory of God's righteousness in the Law and of His grace
in the Gospel is imparted to the soul by the Spirit, the sinner is
moved to return home to God, through the Mediator, to venture his soul
and its eternal concerns upon His free grace, and to give up himself
to be His forever--to love Him supremely, live to Him entirely, and
delight in Him superlatively. Hereby his heart begins to be habitually
framed to love his neighbor as himself, with a disinterested
impartiality; and thus an effectual foundation is laid in his heart
for universal external obedience, for nothing but a spontaneous and
cheerful obedience can be acceptable to God, an obedience which flows
from love and gratitude, an obedience which is rendered without
repining or grudging, as though it were a grievous burden to us.
It is thus that Christ, by His Spirit, conforms us to God's Law.
First, by enlightening our understandings, so that we perceive the
spirituality of the Law, in its high and meet demands upon our hearts.
Second, by bringing us to perceive the holiness and justice of its
requirements. Third, by convicting us of our lifelong trampling of the
Law beneath our feet. Fourth, by causing us to mourn over our wicked
defiance of its authority. And fifth, by imparting to us a new nature
or principle of holiness. Now it is that the Lord puts His laws into
our minds and writes them in our hearts (Heb. 8:10). Thus, so far from
the grace of the Gospel "making void the Law," it "establishes" it
(Rom. 3:31) in our consciences and affections. A spiritual and
universal obedience is what the Law demands.
The principal duties of love to God above all, and to our neighbors
for His sake, are not only required by the sovereign will of God, but
are in their own nature "holy, just and good" (Rom. 7:12), and
therefore meet for us to perform. These are the two main roots from
which issue all other spiritual fruits, and apart from them there can
be no holiness of heart and life. And the powerful and effectual means
by which this end is attained is the grand work of the Spirit in
sanctifying us, for by that our hearts and lives are conformed to the
Law. He must bestow upon us an inclination and disposition of heart to
the duties of the Law, so as to fit and enable us unto the practice of
them. For these duties are of such a nature as cannot possibly be
performed while we have a disinclination from them.
As the Divine life is thus begun, so it is carried on in the soul much
after the same order. The Spirit of God shows the believer, more and
more, what a sinful, worthless, Hell-deserving wretch he is in
himself, and so makes him increasingly sensible of his imperative need
of free grace through Jesus Christ, to pardon and sanctify him. He has
an ever-deepening sense of those two things all his days, and thereby
his heart is kept humble, and Christ and free grace made increasingly
precious. The Spirit of God shows the believer more and more the
infinite glory and excellency of God, whereby he is influenced to love
Him, live to Him, and delight in Him with all his heart; and thereby
his heart is framed more and more to love his neighbor as himself.
Thus "the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more
and more unto the perfect day" (Prov. 4:18).
The last paragraph needs the following qualifications: the Spirit's
operations after conversion are attended with two differences, arising
from two causes. First, the different state the subject is in. The
believer, being no longer under the Law as a covenant, is not, by the
Spirit, filled with those legal terrors arising from the fears of
Hell, as he formerly was (Rom. 8:15); rather is he now made
increasingly sensible of his corruptions, of the sinfulness of sin, of
his base ingratitude against such a gracious God; and hereby his heart
is broken. Second, from the different nature of the subject wrought
upon. The believer, no longer being under the full power of sin nor
completely at enmity against God, does not resist the Spirit's
operation as he once did, but has a genuine disposition to join with
Him against sin in himself; saying, Lord, correct, chasten me, do with
me as Thou wilt, only subdue my iniquities and conform me more and
more unto Thy image.
A few words now upon the relation of the Gospel. First, the grace of
the Gospel is not granted to counterbalance the rigor of the Law, or
to render God's plan of government justifiable so as to sweeten the
minds of His embittered enemies. The Law is "holy, just, and good" in
itself, and was so before Christ became incarnate. God is not a
tyrant, nor did His Son die a sacrifice to tyranny, to recover His
injured people from the severity of a cruel Law. It is utterly
impossible that the Son of God should die to answer the demands of an
unrighteous Law. Second, the Law, as it is applied by the Spirit,
prepares the heart for the Gospel: the one giving me a real knowledge
of sin, the other revealing how I may obtain deliverance from its
guilt and power. Third, the Law, and not the Gospel, is the rule of
our sanctification: the one makes known what it is that God requires
from me, the other supplies means and motives for complying therewith.
Fourth, the Law and the Gospel are not in opposition, but in
apposition, the one being the handmaid of the other: they exist and
work simultaneously and harmoniously in the experience of the
believer. Fifth, the high and holy demands of the Law are not modified
to the slightest degree by the Gospel: "Be ye therefore perfect, even
as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5 48); "But as He
which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of
conversation" (1 Pet. 1:15) is the standard set before us. Sixth, thus
the Christian's rule of righteousness is the Law, but in the hands of
the Mediator: "Being not without law to God, but under the law to
Christ" (1 Cor. 9:21)--beautifully typed out in the Law being given to
Israel at Sinai after their redemption from Egypt, through Moses the
typical Mediator (Gal. 3:19). Seventh, herein we may see the
seriousness of the God-dishonoring error of all those who repudiate
the moral law as the Christian's rule of life.
"The holy Law of God and the Gospel of His grace reflect the Divine
glory, the one upon the other reciprocally, and both will shine forth
with joint glory eternally in Heaven. The Law setting forth, in the
brightest light, the beauty of holiness, and the vileness and fearful
demerit of sin, will show the abounding grace that hath brought the
children of wrath thither, with infinite lustre and glory; and Grace
will do honour to the Law, by showing in sinners, formerly very vile
and polluted, the purity and holiness of the Law fully exemplified in
their perfect sanctification; and Christ, the Lamb that was slain, by
whom the interests of the Law and of Grace have been happily
reconciled and inseparably united, will be glorified in His saints and
admired by them who believe" (James Fraser, "The Scriptural doctrine
of Sanctification," 1760).
It is, then, by the regenerating and sanctifying work of His Spirit
that Christ brings His people to a conformity unto the Law and to a
compliance with the Gospel. "But we all, with open face, beholding as
in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from
glory to glory, by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18). The "glory
of the Lord" is beheld by us, first, as it shines in the glass of the
Law--the glory of His justice and holiness, the glory of His
governmental majesty and authority, the glory of His goodness in
framing such a Law, which requires that we love Him with all our
hearts, and, for His sake, as His creatures, our neighbors as
ourselves. The "glory of the Lord" is beheld by us, second, as it
shines forth in the glass of the Gospel--the glory of His redeeming
love, the glory of His amazing grace, the glory of His abounding
mercy. And, as renewed creatures, beholding this, we are "changed (the
Greek word is the same as Christ being "transfigured") into the same
image, from glory to glory (progressively, from one degree of it to
another) by the Spirit of the Lord:" that is, into a real conformity
to the Law, and a real compliance with the Gospel.
The Gospel calls upon us to repent, but there can be no genuine
repentance until we see and feel ourselves to be guilty transgressors
of the Law, and until we are brought by the Spirit to realize that we
are wholly to blame for not having lived in perfect conformity to it.
Then it is we clearly realize that we thoroughly deserve to be damned,
and that, notwithstanding all our doings and religious performances.
Yea, then it is that we perceive that all our previous religious
performances were done not from any love for God, or with any real
concern for His glory, but formally and hypocritically, out of
self-love, from fear of Hell, and with a mercenary hope of gaining
Heaven thereby. Then it is that our mouth is stopped, all excuses and
extenuations silenced, and the curse of the Law upon us is
acknowledged as just. Then it is that seeing God to be so lovely and
glorious a Being, we are stricken to the heart for our vile enmity
against Him, and condemn ourselves as incorrigible wretches. Such are
some of the elements of genuine repentance.
The Gospel calls upon us to believe, to receive upon Divine authority
its amazing good news: that a grievously insulted God has designs of
mercy upon His enemies; that the Governor of the world, whose Law has
been so flagrantly, persistently, and awfully trampled upon by us,
has, in His infinite wisdom, devised a way whereby we can be pardoned,
without His holy Law being dishonored or its righteous claims set
aside; that such is His wondrous love for us that He gave His only
begotten Son to be made under the Law, to personally and perfectly
keep its precepts, and then endure its awful penalty and die beneath
its fearful curse. But when a sinner has been awakened and quickened
by the Holy Spirit, such a revelation of pure grace seems "too good to
be true." To him it appears that his case is utterly hopeless, that he
has transgressed beyond the reach of mercy, that he has committed the
unpardonable sin. One in this state (and we sincerely pity the reader
if he or she has never passed through it) can no more receive the
Gospel into his heart than he can create a world. Only the Holy Spirit
can bestow saving faith.
The Gospel calls upon us to obey, to surrender ourselves fully to the
Lordship of Christ, to take His yoke upon us, to walk even as He
walked. Now the yoke which Christ wore was unreserved submission to
the will of God, and the rule by which He walked was being regulated
in all things by the Divine Law. Therefore does Christ declare, "If
any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross, and follow Me" (Matt. 16:24), for He has left us an example
that we should follow His steps. It is their refusal to comply with
this demand of the Gospel which seals the doom of all who disregard
its claims. As it is written, "The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from
Heaven, with His mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on
them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel" (2 Thess. 1:7,
8); and again, "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the
house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of
them that obey not the Gospel of God!" (1 Pet. 4:17). But such
obedience as the Gospel requires can only be rendered by the
sanctifying operations of the gracious Holy Spirit.
Marvelous indeed is the change which the poor sinner passes through
under the regenerating and converting operations of the Spirit in his
soul: he is made a new creature in Christ, and is brought into quite
new circumstances. Perhaps the closest analogy to it may be found in
the experience of orphan children, left without any guardian or guide,
running wild and indulging themselves in all folly and riot; then
being taken into the family of a wise and good man and adopted as his
children. These lawless waifs are brought into new surroundings and
influences: love's care for them wins their hearts, new principles are
instilled into their minds, a new temper is theirs, and a new
discipline regulates them; old things have passed away, all things
have become new to them. So it is with the Christian: from being
without God and hope in the world, from running to eternal ruin, they
are delivered from the power of darkness and brought into the kingdom
of Christ. A new nature has been communicated to them, the Spirit
Himself indwells them, and a reconciled God now bestows upon them a
Father's care, feeding, guiding, protecting them, and ultimately
conducting them into everlasting glory.
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The Doctrine of Sanctification
by A. W. Pink
20. Its Rule (Completed)
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The Unchanging moral Law of God, which requires us to love Him with
all our hearts and our neighbors as ourselves, is the believer's rule
of life, the standard of holiness to which his character and conduct
must be conformed, the line and plummet by which his internal desires
and thoughts as well as outward deeds are measured. And, as has been
shown, we are conformed to that Law by the sanctifying operations of
the Holy Spirit. This He does by making us see and feel the
heinousness of all sin, by delivering us from its reigning power, and
by communicating to us an inclination and disposition of heart unto
the requirements of the Law, so that we are thereby fitted and enabled
to the practice of obedience. While enmity against God reigns
within--as it does in every unregenerate soul--it is impossible for
love to give that obedience which the Law demands.
We concluded our last chapter by showing something of the marvelous
and radical change which a sinner passes through when he is truly
converted to God. One who has really surrendered to the claims of God
approves of His Law: "I love Thy commandments above gold; yea, above
fine gold. Therefore I esteem all Thy precepts concerning all things
to be right; and I hate every false way" (Ps. 119:127, 128). And why
do not the unregenerate do likewise? Because they have no love for a
holy God. But believers, loving a holy God in Christ, must love the
Law also, since in it the image of His holiness is displayed. The
converted have a real inclination of heart unto the whole Law: "The
Law of Thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver .
. . all Thy commandments are faithful" (Ps. 119:72, 86). There is in
the regenerate a fixed principle which lies the same way as the holy
Law, bending away from what the Law forbids and toward what it
enjoins.
The converted habitually endeavour to conform their outward conduct to
the whole Law: "0 that my ways were directed to keep Thy statutes!
Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all Thy
commandments" (Ps. 19:5, 6). They desire a fuller knowledge of and
obedience to the Law: "Teach me, ? Lord, the way of Thy statutes; and
I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep
Thy Law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Make me to go in
the path of Thy commandments, for therein do I delight" (Ps.
119:33-35). Should any object that these quotations are all made from
the Old Testament (waiving now the fact that such an objection is
quite pointless, for regeneration and its effects, conversion and its
fruits, are the same in all ages), we would point out that the apostle
Paul described his own experience in identically the same terms: "I
delight in the Law of God after the inward man . . . with the mind I
myself serve the Law of God" (Rom. 7:22, 26). Thus Christ conforms His
people to the Law by causing His Spirit to work in them an inclination
toward it, a love for it, and an obedience to it.
But at this point a very real and serious difficulty is presented to
the believer, for a genuine Christian has an honest heart, and detests
lies and hypocrisy. That difficulty may be stated thus: If conversion
consists in a real conformity to the holiness of God's Law, with
submission and obedience to its authority, accompanied by a sincere
and constant purpose of heart, with habitual endeavour in actual
practice, then I dare not regard myself as one who is genuinely
converted, for I cannot honestly say that such is my experience; nay,
I have to sorrowfully and shamefacedly lament that very much in my
case is the exact reverse. So far from the reigning power of sin being
broken in me, I find my corruptions and lusts raging more fiercely
than ever, while my heart is a cage of all unclean things.
The above language will accurately express the feelings of many a
trembling heart. As the preceding chapters upon the Rule of our
sanctification have been thoughtfully pondered, not a few, we doubt
not, are seriously disturbed in their minds. On the one hand, they
cannot gainsay what has been written, for they both see and feel that
it is according to the Truth; but on the other hand, it condemns them,
it makes them realize how far, far short they come of measuring up to
such a standard; yea, it plainly appears to them that they do not in
any sense or to any degree measure up to it at all. Conscious of so
much in them that is opposed to the Law, conscious of their lack of
conformity to it, both inwards and outwards, they bitterly bewail
themselves, and cry, "O wretched man that I am" (Rom. 7:24).
Our first reply is, Thank God for such an honest confession, for it
supplies clear evidence that you are truly converted. No
hypocrite--except it be in the hour of death--ever cries "0 wretched
man that I am." No unregenerate soul ever mourns over his lack of
conformity to God's Law! Such godly sorrow, dear Christian reader,
will enable you to appropriate at least one verse of Scripture to your
own case: "My tears have been my meat day and night" (Ps. 42:3), and
those words proceeded not from the bitter remorse of a Judas, but were
the utterance of one who had exclaimed "As the hart panteth after the
water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, ? God" (Ps. 42:1). Alas
that so many today are ignorant of what constitutes the actual
experience of a Christian: defeat as well as victory, grief as well as
joy.
Whilst it be a fact that at regeneration a new nature is imparted to
us by the Holy Spirit, a nature which is inclined toward and loves the
Law, it is also a fact that the old nature is not removed, nor its
opposition to and hatred of the Law changed. Whilst it be a fact that
a supernatural principle of holiness is communicated to us by the
Spirit, it is also a fact that the principle and root of indwelling
sin remains, being neither eradicated nor sublimated. The Christian
has in him two opposing principles, which produce in him a state of
constant warfare: "For the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the
spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other;
so that ye cannot do the things that ye would" (Gal. 5:17). That
"cannot" looks both ways: because of the restraining presence of the
"spirit," the "flesh" is prevented from fully gratifying its evil
desires; and because of the hindering presence of the "flesh," the
"spirit" is unable to fully realize its aspirations.
It is the presence of and the warfare between these two natures, the
"flesh" and the "spirit," the principles of sin and holiness, which
explain the bewildering state and conflicting experience of the real
Christian; and it is only as he traces more fully the teaching of Holy
Scripture and carefully compares himself therewith, that light is cast
upon what is so puzzling and staggering in his experience.
Particularly it is in the seventh of Romans that we have the clearest
and most complete description of the dual history of a converted soul.
Therein we find the apostle Paul, as moved by the Spirit, portraying
most vividly and intimately his own spiritual biography. There are few
chapters in the New Testament which the Devil hates more than Romans
7, and strenuously and subtly does he strive to rob the Christian of
its comforting and establishing message.
As we have shown above, the Christian approves of the Law, and owns it
to be "holy and just and good" (Rom. 7:12). He does so, even though
the Law condemns many things in him, yea condemns all in him which is
unholy or ungodly. But more: the Christian condemns himself--"For that
which I do, I allow not: for what I would, that do I not, but what I
hate, that do I" (Rom. 7:15). So far from sin affording him
satisfaction, it is the Christian's greatest grief. The more he
perceives the excellency of God and what He is entitled to from His
creatures, and the more he realizes what a debtor he is to Divine
grace and the loving obedience he ought to render out of gratitude,
the more acute is the Christian's sorrow for his sad and continual
failures to be what he ought to be and to live as he should.
Our second answer to one who is deeply distressed over the raging of
his lusts and fears that he has never been soundly converted, is this:
the fact is, that the more holy a person is, and the more his heart is
truly sanctified, the more clearly does he perceive his corruptions
and the more painfully does he feel the plague of his heart; while he
utters his complaints in strong expressions and with bitterness of
soul. In God's light we see light I It is not that sin has greater
control of us than formerly, but that we now have eyes to see its
fearful workings, and our consciences are more sensitive to feel its
guilt. An unregenerate person is like a sow wallowing in the mire: his
impurities and iniquities afford him satisfaction, and give him little
or no concern, no, not even the unholiness of his outward practice,
much less the unholiness of his heart.
There is a notable difference between the sensibilities and
expressions of the unconverted and the converted. An unregenerate
person, who indulges freely in a course of evil practice, will
nevertheless give a favourable account of himself: he will boast of
his good-heartedness, his kindness, his generosity, his praiseworthy
qualities and good deeds. On the other hand, persons truly holy, even
when kept pure in their outward behaviour, yet conscious of their
indwelling corruptions, will condemn themselves in unsparing language.
The unholy fix their attention on anything good they can find in
themselves, and this renders them easy in an evil course. But a truly
sanctified person is ready to overlook his spiritual attainments and
fruits, and fixes his attention, with painful consciousness, on those
respects in which he kicks conformity to Christ.
A Christian will say, I thought I had tasted that the Lord is gracious
and that my heart had undergone a happy change, with a powerful
determination toward God and holiness. I concluded I had some sound
evidence of true conversion and of a heart that was really
regenerated. Yet I knew the effect should be to grow in grace, to
advance in holiness, and to be more delivered from sin. But alas, I
find it quite otherwise. If there is grace in me, it is becoming
weaker, and even though my outward conduct be regulated by the
precepts of the Law, yet in my heart sin is becoming stronger and
stronger--evil lusts, carnal affections, worldly desires, and
disorderly passions, are daily stirring, often with great vehemence,
defiling my spirit. Alas, after all, I fear my past experience was
only a delusion, and the dread of the final outcome often strikes
terror throughout my whole soul.
Dear friend, it is true that there is much in every Christian which
affords great cause for self-judgment and deep humbling of ourselves
before God; yet this is a very different matter from sin obtaining
fuller dominion over us. Where sin gains power, there is always a
corresponding hardening of heart and spiritual insensibility. Sin is
served willingly by the wicked, and is sweet and pleasant to them. But
if you sorrow over sin, sincerely and vigorously oppose it, condemn
yourself for it, then old things have passed away and all is become
new. "Christians may be assured that, a growing sensibility of
conscience and heart sorrow for sin, is among the chief evidences of
growth in grace and of good advances in holiness, that they are likely
to have on this side of Heaven. For the more pure and holy the heart
is, it will naturally have the more quick feeling of whatever sin
remaineth in it" (Jas. Fraser, 1760).
The dual experience of the Christian is plainly intimated in Paul's
statement: "So then with the mind I myself serve the Law of God, but
with the flesh, the law of sin" (Rom. 7:25). But some one may reply,
the opening verse of the next chapter says, "There is therefore now no
condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the
flesh, but after the spirit." Ah, note the minute accuracy of
Scripture: had it said, "who act not according to the flesh" we might
well despair, and conclude for a certainty we were not Christians at
all. But "walking" is a deliberate course, in which a man proceeds
freely, without force or struggle; it is the reverse of his being
dragged or driven. But when the believer follows the dictates of the
flesh, it is against the holy desires of his heart, and with
reluctance to the new nature! But does not Romans 8:4 affirm, that
Christ died in order that "the righteousness of the Law might be
fulfilled in us?" Again we answer, admire the marvelous accuracy of
Scripture; it does not say, "the righteousness of the Law is now
fulfilled in us." It is not so, perfectly, in this life, but it will
be so at our glorification.
Perhaps the reader is inclined to ask, But why does God suffer the
sinful nature to remain in the Christian: He could easily remove it.
Beware, my friend, of calling into question God's infinite wisdom: He
knows what is best, and His thoughts and ways are often the opposite
of ours (Isa. 55:8). But let me ask, Which magnifies God's power the
more: to preserve in this wicked world one who still has within him a
corrupt nature, or one that has been made as sinless as the holy
angels? Can there be any doubt as to the answer! But why does not God
subdue my lusts: Would it not be more for His glory if He did? Again,
we say, Beware of measuring God with your mind. He knows which is most
for His glory. But answer this question: If your lusts were greatly
subdued and you sinned far less than you do, would you appreciate and
adore His grace as you now do?
Our third answer to the deeply exercised soul who calls into question
the genuineness of his conversion, is this: Honestly apply to yourself
the following tests. First, in seasons of retirement from the noise
and business of the world, or during the sacred hours of the Sabbath,
or in your secret devotions, what are your thoughts, what is the real
temper of your mind? Do you know God, commune with and delight in Him?
Is His Word precious, is prayer a welcome exercise? Do you delight in
God's perfections and esteem Him for His absolute supremacy and
sovereignty? Do you feel and lament your remaining blindness and
ignorance; do you mourn over your lack of conformity to God's Law and
your natural contrariety to it, and hate yourself for it? Do you watch
and pray and fight against the corruptions of your heart? Not indeed
as you should, but do you really and sincerely do so at all?
Second, what are the grounds of your love to God? from what motives
are you influenced to love Him? Because you believe He loves you? or
because He appears infinitely great and glorious in Himself? Are you
glad that He is infinitely holy, that He knows and sees all things,
that He possesses all power? Does it suit your heart that God governs
the world, and requires that all creatures should bow in the dust
before Him, that He alone may be exalted? Does it appear perfectly
reasonable that you should love God with all your heart, and do you
loathe and resist everything contrary to Him? Do you feel yourself to
be wholly to blame for not being altogether such as the Law requires?
Third, is there being formed within you a disposition to love your
neighbor as yourself, so that you wish and seek only his good? and do
you hate and mourn over any contrary spirit within you? Honest answers
to these questions should enable you to ascertain your real spiritual
state.
"The holiness which the Gospel requireth will not be maintained either
in the hearts or lives of men without a continual conflict, warring,
contending; and that with all diligence, watchfulness, and
perseverance therein. It is our warfare, and the Scripture abounds in
the discovery of the adversaries we have to conflict withal, their
power and subtlety, as also in directions and encouragements unto
their resistance. To suppose that Gospel obedience will be kept up in
our hearts and lives without a continual management of a vigorous
warfare against its enemies, is to deny the Scripture and the
experience of all that believe and obey God in sincerity. Satan, sin,
and the world, are continually assaulting of it, and seeking to ruin
its interest in us. The Devil will not be resisted, which it is our
duty to do (1 Pet. 5:8, 9) without a sharp contest; in the management
whereof we are commanded to `take unto ourselves the whole armour of
God' (Eph. 6:12). Fleshly lusts do continually war against our souls
(1 Pet. 2 :11), and if we maintain not a warfare unto the end against
them, they will be our ruin. Nor will the power of the world be any
otherwise avoided than by a victory over it (1 John 5 :4), which will
not be carried without contending.
"But I suppose it needs no great confirmation unto any who know what
it is to serve and obey God in temptations, that the life of faith and
race of holiness will not be persevered in without a severe striving,
laboring, contending, with diligence and persistence; so that I shall
take it as a principle (notionally at least) agreed upon by the
generality of Christians. If we like not to be holy on these terms, we
must let it alone, for on any other we shall never be so. If we faint
in this course, if we give it over, if we think what we aim at herein,
not to be worth the obtaining or persevering by such a severe
contention all our days, we must be content to be without it. Nothing
doth so promote the interest of Hell and destruction in the world, as
a presumption that a lazy slothful performance of some duties and an
abstinence from some sins, is that which God will accept of as our
obedience. Crucifying of sin, mortifying our inordinate affections,
contesting against the whole interest of the flesh, Satan, and the
world, and that in inward actings of grace, and all instances of
outward duties, and that always while we live in this world, are
required of us hereunto" (John Owen, 1660).
From all that has been said it should be evident that the Christian
needs to exercise the greatest possible care, daily, over the inward
purity of his heart, earnestly opposing the first motions of every
fleshly lust, inordinate affection, evil imagination, and unholy
passion. The heart is the real seat of holiness. Heart-holiness is the
chief part of our conformity to the spiritual Law of God, nor is any
outward work considered as holy by Him if the heart be not right with
Him--desiring and seeking after obedience to Him--for He sees and
tries the heart. Holiness of heart is absolutely necessary to peace of
mind and joy of soul, for only a cleansed heart can commune with the
thrice Holy God: then keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it
are the issues of life" (Prov. 4:23).
In the last paragraph we have said nothing which in anywise clashes
with our remarks in the body of this article; rather have we
emphasized once more another aspect of our subject, namely, the
pressing duty which lies upon the Christian to bring his heart and
life into fuller conformity with the Law. It would be a grievous sin
on the part of the writer were he to lower the standard which God has
set before us to the level of our present attainments. Vast indeed is
the difference between what we ought to be and what we actually are in
our character and conduct, and deep should be our sorrow over this.
Nevertheless, if the root of the matter be in us, there will be a
longing after, a praying for and a pressing forward unto increased
personal and practical holiness.
N. B. This aspect of our theme has been purposely developed by us
somewhat disproportionately. The supreme importance of it required
fullness of detail. The prevailing ignorance called for a lengthy
treatment of the subject. Unless we know what the Rule of
Sanctification is, and seek to conform thereto, all our efforts after
holiness will and must be wide of the mark. Nothing is more honoring
to God, and nothing makes more for our own true happiness, than for
His LAW to be revered, loved, and obeyed by us.
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The Doctrine of Sanctification
by A. W. Pink
21. Its Instrument
______________________________________________________________
Paul was sent unto the Gentiles "to open their eyes, to turn them from
darkness to light and the power of Satan unto God, that they might
receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are
sanctified by faith that is in me" (Acts 26:18). Two extremes are to
be guarded against in connection with the precise relation that faith
sustains to the various aspects of salvation: disparaging it, and
making too much of it. There are those who expressly deny that faith
has any actual part or place in the securing of the same. On the other
hand, there are some who virtually make a savior out of faith,
ascribing to it what belongs alone to Christ. But if we adhere closely
to Scripture and observe all that is said thereon (instead of
restricting our attention to a few passages), there is no excuse for
falling into either error. We shall therefore make a few remarks with
the object of refuting each of them.
"But without faith it is impossible to please God" (Heb. 11:6). We are
saved by faith (Luke 7:50). We are justified by faith (Rom. 5:1). We
live by faith (Gal. 2:20). We stand by faith (2 Cor. 1:24). We walk by
faith (2 Cor. 5:7). We obey by faith (Rom. 1:5). Christ dwells in our
hearts by faith (Eph. 3:17). We overcame the world by faith (1 John
5:4). The heart is purified by faith (Acts 15:9). All duties, for
their right motive and end, depend upon it. No trials and afflictions
can be patiently or profitably borne unless faith be in exercise. Our
whole warfare can only be carried on and finished victoriously by
faith (1 Tim. 6:12). All the gifts and graces of God are presented in
the promises, and they can only be received and enjoyed by us in a way
of believing. It is high worship to be strong in faith giving glory to
God. In view of all this, we need not be surprised to read that we are
"sanctified by faith."
But in what way does faith sanctify us? To answer this question
properly we must carefully bear in mind the principal aspects of our
subject, which have already been considered by us in the previous
chapters of this book. First, faith has nothing to do with the
Father's setting us apart and blessing us with all spiritual blessings
in Christ before the foundation of the world: it is one of the
God-dishonoring and creature-exalting errors of Arminianism to affirm
that Christians were elected on the ground that God foresaw they would
believe. Second, our faith was in no sense a moving cause to Christ's
becoming the Surety of His people and working out for them a perfect
holiness before God. Third, faith has no influence in causing the Holy
Spirit to separate the elect from the reprobate, for at the moment He
does this they are dead in trespasses and sins, and therefore totally
incapable of performing any spiritual acts. Fourth, faith will not
contribute anything unto the Christian's glorification, for that is
solely the work of God; the subject of it being entirely passive
therein. "Whom he justified, them he also glorified."
Thus faith, important though it be, plays only a secondary and
subordinate part in sanctification. It is neither the originating, the
meritorious, nor the efficient cause of it, but only the instrumental.
Yet faith is necessary in order to a saving union with Christ, and
until that be effected none of the blessings and benefits which are in
Him can be received by us. It seems strange that any who are well
versed in the Scriptures and who profess to be subject to their
teachings, should question what has just been affirmed. Take such a
declaration as "them that believe to the saving of the soul" (Heb.
10:39). True, we are not saved for our believing, yet equally true is
it that there is no salvation for any sinner without his believing.
Every blessing we receive from Christ is in consequence of our being
united to Him, and therefore we cannot receive the holiness there is
in Him until we are "sanctified by faith." Furthermore, faith is
necessary in order to the reception of the purifying Truth, in order
to practical deliverance from the power of sin, and in order to
progress or growth in personal holiness.
Before proceeding further let it be pointed out that the faith which
the Gospel requires, the faith which savingly unites a sinner to
Christ, the faith which issues in sanctification, is very much more
than the bare assent of the mind to what is recorded in the Scriptures
concerning the Lord Jesus; it is something far different from the mere
adoption of certain evangelical opinions regarding the way of
salvation. The Day to come will reveal the solemn fact that thousands
went down to Hell with their heads filled with orthodox beliefs--which
many of them contended for earnestly and propagated zealously, just as
the Mohammedan does with the tenets and principles of his religion.
Saving faith, my reader, is the soul's surrender to and reliance upon
the Lord Jesus Christ as a living, loving, all-sufficient Saviour, and
that, upon the alone but sure testimony of God Himself. When we say
"an all-sufficient Saviour" we mean One in whom there is a spotless
holiness as well as perfect righteousness for those who come to Him.
Faith lays hold of Christ as He is offered to sinners in the Gospel,
and He is there presented not only for justification but also for the
sanctification of all who truly believe on Him. The glorious Gospel of
grace not only heralds One who delivers from the wrath to come but as
giving title to approach now unto the thrice holy God. Moreover, faith
accepts a whole Christ: not only as Priest to atone for us, but as a
King to reign over us. Faith, then, is the instrument of our
sanctification. Faith is the eye which perceives the gracious
provisions which God has made for His people. Faith is the hand which
appropriates those provisions. Faith is the mouth which receives all
the good that God has stored up for us in Christ. Without faith it is
impossible to please God, and without the exercise of faith it is
impossible to make any real progress in the spiritual life.
Many of the Lord's people rob themselves of much of their peace and
joy by confounding faith with its fruits; they fail to distinguish
between the Word of God believed and what follows from believing it
aright. Fruit grows on the tree, and the tree must exist before there
can be fruit. True obedience, acceptable worship, growth in grace,
assurance of salvation, are what faith produces, and not what faith
itself is: they are the effects of faith working, and not definitions
of the nature of faith. Faith derives its being from the Word of God,
and all its fruits are the result of believing. What God has spoken in
His Word demands belief from all to whom the Word comes. Faith and the
Word of God, then, are related as the effect and the cause, because
"faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Rom.
10:17). When faith comes by the inward "hearing," then we assent to
what God has said, and we rely upon His faithfulness to make good what
He has promised; until that has been effected there can be no fruits
of faith.
It is, then, of much importance to correctly define what faith is, for
a mistake at this point is not only dishonoring to God, but injurious
to the soul and inimical to its peace. Faith is a childlike taking God
at His Word and resting on what He has said. It is a depending on
Christ to bestow those blessings and graces which He has promised to
those who believe. How is a sin-defiled soul to become a partaker of
the cleansing efficacy of the blood of the Lamb? Only by faith. The
purifying virtue of Christ's blood, and the administration of the
Spirit, for the application to make it effectual unto our souls and
consciences, is exhibited in the promises of the Gospel; and the only
way to be made a partaker of the good things presented in the promises
is by faith. God Himself ordained this instrumental efficacy unto
faith in the Everlasting Covenant, and nothing is more honoring to Him
than the exercise of real faith.
Returning to our earlier question, In what way does faith sanctify us?
We answer, first, by uniting us to Christ, the Holy One. Oneness with
Christ is the foundation of all the blessings of the Christian, but it
is not until he is actually united to Christ by faith that those
blessings are really made over to him. Then it is that Christ is "made
unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption"
(1 Cor. 1:30). It is faith which receives Christ's atonement, for God
hath set forth Christ "a propitiation through faith in His blood"
(Rom. 3 :25), and His infinitely meritorious blood not only justifies
but sanctifies too. Thus there is no intrinsic virtue in faith itself,
instead, its value lies wholly in its being the hand which lays hold
of Him who possesses infinite virtue. For this very reason faith
excludes all boasting (Rom. 3:27), and therefore any "believing" which
produces self-gratulation or results in self-satisfaction is most
certainly not the faith of the Gospel.
Second, faith sanctifies the believer by enabling him to enjoy now
what is his in Christ and what will be his in himself in Heaven. Faith
sets to its seal that the testimony of God is true when He declares
that "we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all" (Heb. 10:10). Faith assures its possessor that
though he is still a fallen creature in himself, and as such a sinner
to the end of his earthly course, yet in Christ he is perfectly holy,
having the same immaculate standing before God as does his Head and
Surety; for "as He is, so are we in this world" (1 John 4:17). Thus
faith is "the evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1) by the natural
eye, nor felt by the natural senses. Faith projects us out of this
scene entirely and carries the heart into Heaven itself--not a natural
faith, not a preacher-produced faith, but Gospel faith, imparted by
the Holy Spirit.
But let us not be mistaken at this point. The faith of which we are
here treating is not a blind fanaticism. It does not ignore the
presence of indwelling sin. It does not lose its eyes to the constant
activities of the flesh. It refuses to tone down the vile fruits which
the flesh produces, by terming them peccadillos, ignorance, mistakes,
etc. No, faith has clear vision and perceives the infinite enormity of
all that is opposed to God. Faith is honest and scorns the hypocrisy
of calling darkness light. But faith not only sees the total depravity
of natural self and the horrible filth which fouls every part of it,
but it also views the precious blood which has satisfied every claim
of God upon those for whom it was shed, and which cleanses from all
sin those who put their trust in it. It is neither fanaticism nor
presumption for faith to receive at its face value what God as
declared concerning the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice.
Third, faith sanctifies as it derives grace from the fullness in which
there is in Christ. God has constituted the Mediator the Source of all
spiritual influences and faith is the instrument by which they are
derived from Him. Christ is not only a Head of authority to His
Church, but also a Head of influence. "But speaking the truth in love,
may grow up into Him in all things, which is the Head, even Christ:
from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that
which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the
measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying
of itself in love" (Eph. 4:15, 16). That "effectual working in the
measure of every part" is by supplies of grace being received from
Christ, and that grace flows through the appointed channel of faith.
As the Lord Jesus declared unto the father of the demon-tormented son,
"If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth"
(Mark 9:28); and to the two blind beggars who cried unto Him for
mercy, "According to your faith be it unto you" (Matt. 9:29). How
earnest and importunate should we be, in begging the Lord to
graciously strengthen and increase our faith.
It is by faith laying hold upon a full Christ that the empty soul is
replenished. All that we need for time as well as eternity is to be
found in Him; but the hand of faith must be extended, even though it
grasp but the hem of His garment, if virtue is to flow forth from Him
into us. As Samson's strength was in his locks, so the Christian's
strength is in his Head. This the Devil knows full well, and therefore
does he labour so hard to keep us from Christ, causing the clouds of
unbelief to hide from our view the radiant face of the Sun of
righteousness, and getting us so occupied with our miserable selves
that we forget the great Physician. As it is by the sap derived from
the root which makes the branches fruitful, so it is by the virtue
which faith draws from Christ that the believer is made to abound in
holiness. Hence the exhortation, "Thou therefore, my son, be strong in
the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 2:1).
Fourth, faith sanctifies because it cleanses the soul. "And God, which
knoweth the heart, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit,
even as He did unto us; and put no difference between us and them,
purifying their hearts by faith" (Acts 15:8, 9). It is by faith the
heart is "sprinkled from an evil conscience" by the blood of Christ.
It is by faith the affections are lifted unto things above, and
thereby disentangled from the defiling objects of the world. It is by
the exercise of faith a that the "inward parts" (Ps. 51:6) are
conformed in some measure unto the Rule of righteousness and holiness,
for "faith worketh by love" (Gal. 5:6), and "love is the fulfilling of
the Law" (Rom. 13:10). It is to be duly noted that in Acts 15:9 the
apostle did not say" their hearts were purified by faith;" instead, he
used the present tense "purifying," for it is a continuous process
which lasts as long as the believer is hereupon earth. This aspect of
our sanctification is not complete till we are released from this
world.
Fifth, faith sanctifies because it is by this we hold communion with
Christ, and communion with Him cannot but nourish the principle of
holiness within the regenerate. Thus faith is sanctifying in its own
nature, for it is exercised upon spiritual objects. "But we all with
open face beholding (by faith) as in a glass the glory of the Lord,
are changed into the same image from glory to glory, by the Spirit of
the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18). Faith is a transforming grace because it
causes the soul to cleave unto the Divine Transformer. As it was faith
which made us to first lay hold of Christ, so it impels us to continue
coming unto Him; and if the woman who touched the hem of His garment
by faith secured the healing of her body, shall not those who cleave
to Christ continue obtaining from Him the healing of their spiritual
maladies!
Sixth, faith sanctifies because it appropriates the commandmetsts of
God and produces obedience. We are sanctified "by the Truth" (John
17:17), yet the Word works not without an act on our part as well as
of God's. It is naught but blind enthusiasm which supposes that the
Scriptures work in us like some magical charm. How solemn is that
passage "but the Word preached did not profit them, not being mixed
with faith in them that heard it" (Heb. 4:2). The Word avails us
nothing if it be not received into a trustful heart and faith be acted
upon it. Therefore do we read, "seeing ye have purified your souls in
obeying the truth through the Spirit" (1 Pet. 2:22): it is only as the
Truth is received upon the authority of God, given a place in our
affections, and yielded to by the will, that our souls are "purified"
by it. The more faith causes us to run in the way of God's
commandments, the more is the soul delivered from the defiling effects
of self-pleasing.
Seventh, faith sanctifies because it responds to the various motives
which God has proposed to His people, motives to stir them up unto
their utmost endeavours and diligence in using those ways and means
which He has appointed for preventing the defilements of sin, and for
cleansing the conscience when defilement has been contracted. As faith
receives the Word as God's, its Divine authority awes the soul,
subdues enmity, and produces submission. The effects of faith are that
the soul trembles at the Divine threatenings, yields obedience to the
Divine precepts, and gladly embraces the Divine promises. Herein, and
in no other way, do we obtain unfailing evidence of the reality and
genuineness of our faith. As the specie of a tree is identified by the
nature of the fruit which it bears, so the kind of faith we have may
be ascertained by the character of the effects which it produces. Some
of those effects we have sought to describe in the last few
paragraphs.
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The Doctrine of Sanctification
by A. W. Pink
22. Its Instrument (Completed)
______________________________________________________________
Having presented an outline in our last chapter of the part which
faith plays in sanctification, we shall now endeavour, under God, to
offer consolation unto some of our sin-burdened, doubt-harassed,
Satan-tormented brethren and sisters in Christ. "Comfort ye, comfort
ye, My people, saith your God." (Isa. 40:1). And why? Because God's
children are the most deeply distressed people on the face of the
earth! Though at times they experience a peace which passeth all
understanding, revel in that love which passeth knowledge, and rejoice
with joy unspeakable, yet for the most part their souls are much cast
down, and fears, bondage, groans, constitute a large part of their
experience. They may for a brief season be regaled by the wells and
palm trees of Elim, but most of their lives are lived in the "great
howling wilderness" (Deut. 32:10), so that they are often constrained
to say, "Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away,
and be at rest."
Such a distressful experience causes many of the regenerate to very
seriously doubt whether they are real Christians. They cannot
harmonize their gloom with the light-heartedness they behold in
religious professors all around them. No, and they need not wish to.
The superficial and apostate religion of our day is producing nothing
but a generation of flighty and frothy characters, who scorn anything
sober, serious, and solemn, and who sneer at that which searches,
strips, and abases into the dust. God's Isaacs must not expect to be
understood and still less appreciated by the "mocking" Ishmaels (Gen.
21:9), for though these dwell for a while in Abraham's household, yet
a different mother has borne them. Unless the sin distressed and
fear-tormented believer is "as a sparrow alone upon the housetop" (Ps.
102 :7), then he will have to say "mine heritage is unto me as a
speckled bird, the birds round about are against me" (Jer.
12:9)--there is no oneness, no fellowship.
Many of God's dear children are like Asaph. "But as for me, my feet
were almost gone; my steps had wellnigh slipped. For I was envious at
the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no
bands in their death: but their strength is firm. They are not
troubled as other men, neither are they plagued like other men.
Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain: violence covereth
them as a garment. Their eyes stand out with fatness they have more
than heart could wish. They are corrupt, and speak wickedly:
concerning oppression, they speak loftily" (Ps. 73:2-8). As Asaph
beheld the prosperity of these people he was staggered, supposing that
God was with them and had deserted him.
The spiritual counterpart of this is found in modern Laodicea. There
is a generation of professing Christians who appear to enjoy great
religious "prosperity." They have considerable knowledge of the letter
of Scripture; they are experts in "rightly dividing the Word;" they
have great light upon the mysteries of prophecy; and are most
successful as "soul winners." They have no ups and downs in their
experience, no painful twistings and turnings, but go on in a straight
course with light hearts and beaming countenances. Providence smiles
upon them, and they never have a doubt as to their acceptance in
Christ. Satan does not trouble them, nor is indwelling sin a daily
plague to them. And the poor Christian, conscious of his weakness, his
ignorance, his poverty, his vileness, is sorely tempted to be
"envious" of them, for they seem to have "more than heart could wish,"
while the longings of his heart are denied him, and that which he
pursues so eagerly continues to elude his grasp.
Ah, but note well some of the other characteristics of this prosperous
company. Pride compasseth them about as a chain" (Ps. 73 :6). Yes,
they are utter strangers to humility and lowliness. They are pleased
with their peacock feathers, knowing not that God views the same as
"filthy rags." "Concerning oppression, they speak loftily" (Ps. 73:8).
God's children are oppressed, sorely oppressed, by their corruptions,
by their innumerable failures, by the hidings of the Lord's face, by
the accusations of Satan. They are oppressed over the workings of
unbelief, over the coldness of their hearts, over the insincerity of
their prayers, over their vain imaginations. But these Laodiceans,
"speak loftily," ridiculing such things, and prate of their peace,
joy, and victory. "Therefore His people, return hither: and waters of
a full cup are wrung out to them" (Ps. 73:10), for as real Christians
listen to the "testimonies" of the "higher life" people, they conclude
that it would be the height of presumption to regard themselves as
Christians at all.
Behold these are the ungodly," continues Asaph, "who prosper in the
(religious) world; they increase in riches" (Ps. 73:12). And as he was
occupied with them, contrasting his own sad lot, a spirit of
discontent and petulance took possession of him. "Verily I have
cleansed my heart in vain" (Ps. 73:13)--what is all my past diligence
and efforts worth? I am not "prosperous" like these professors: I do
not have their graces or attainments, I do not enjoy the peace,
assurance, and victory, they have. Far from it: "For all the day long
I have been plagued, and chastened every morning" (Ps. 73:14). Ah,
that was holy Asaph's experience, my reader; is it yours? If so, you
are in goodly company, much as the present-day pharisees may despise
you.
Then the Psalmist was checked, and realized his wrong in giving way to
such wicked sentiments. "If I say, I will speak thus, behold, I shall
offend against the generation of Thy children" (Ps. 73:15). Yes, the
generation of God's children will be offended when they hear one of
their brethren saying it is "vain" to use the appointed means of grace
because those have not issued in deliverance from indwelling sin.
"When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; until I went
into the sanctuary of God, then understood I their end. Surely Thou
didst set them in slippery places; Thou castedst them down into
destruction" (Ps. 73 :16-18). How unspeakably solemn! Instead of these
prosperous Laodiceans having a spiritual experience high above those
whose hearts plague them "all the day long," they were total strangers
to real spirituality. Instead of being among the chief favorites of
God, they had been set by Him in the "slippery places" of error and
false religion, to be eventually "cast down into destruction."
What a warning is this, my sin-harassed brother, not to envy those who
are strangers to the plague of their own hearts, who groan not "being
burdened" (2 Cor. 5:4), and who cry not "O wretched man that I am"
(Rom. 7:24). Envy not the proud Laodiceans, who are "rich and
increased with goods and have need of nothing;" and know not that they
are "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked" (Rev.
3:17). Instead, be thankful if God has made you "poor in
spirit"--feeling that you are destitute of every spiritual grace and
fruit; and to "mourn" over your barrenness and waywardness; for none
other than Christ pronounces such characters "blessed." And why should
you think it strange if you are among that little company who are the
most distressed people on earth? Have you not been called into
fellowship with Christ, and was He not "The Man of sorrows" while He
tabernacled in this world? If He sorrowed and suffered so much in
enduring the penalty of sin, will you complain because God is now
making you groan daily under the felt workings of the power of sin?
The fact of the matter is that very much of that which now passes for
sanctification is nothing but a species of pharisaism, which causes
its deluded votaries to thank God that they are not like other men;
and sad it is to find many of the Lord's people adding to their
miseries by grieving over how far they come behind the lofty
attainments which they imagine these boasters have reached unto. A
true and God-honoring "Christian testimony," my reader, does not
consist in magnifying self, by telling of attainments and excellencies
which, with apparent humility, are ascribed to Divine enabling. No
indeed, very far from it. That "witness" which is most honoring to the
Lord is one which acknowledges His amazing grace and which magnifies
His infinite patience in continuing to bear with such an ungrateful,
heard-hearted, and unresponsive wretch.
The great mistake made by most of the Lord's people is in hoping to
discover in themselves that which is to be found in Christ alone. It
is this, really, which causes them to become so envious and
discontented when they behold the spurious holiness of some and the
carnal attractiveness of others. There is such a thing as "the
goodliness" of the flesh, which is "as the flower of the field" (Isa.
40:6), yet as the very next verse tells us "the Spirit of the Lord
bloweth upon it." But so easily are the simple deceived today they
often mistake such "goodliness" for godliness. Why, my reader, a man
(or woman) in his personal makeup may be as meek and tractable as a
lamb, he may be constitutionally as kind and grateful as a spaniel,
and he may be temperamentally as cheerful as a lark; yet there is not
a grain of grace in these natural qualities. On the other hand, the
Christian, in his natural temperament, is likely to be as gloomy as an
owl or as wild as a tiger; yet that does not disprove grace within
him.
"For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after
the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath
chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God
hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which
are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are
despised hath God chosen, and things which are not (non-entities,
ciphers) to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should
glory in His presence" (1 Cor. 1:26-29). If this passage were really
received at its face value, many of God's sin-afflicted and doubting
children would find the key that unlocks much which is bewildering and
grievous in their experience.
In His determination to magnify His sovereign grace God has selected
many of the very worst of Adam's fallen race to be the everlasting
monuments of His fathomless mercy--those whom Luther was wont to
designate "The Devil's riff-raffs." This is very evident too from "Go
out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in
hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind" (Luke
14:21)--the most unlikely ones as guests for a royal feast, the waifs
and strays of society! There are thousands of moral, upright, amiable
people who are never effectually called by the Spirit; whereas moral
perverts, thieves, and awful-tempered ones are regenerated. When such
are born again they still have vile inclinations, horrible
dispositions, fiery tempers, which are very hard to control, and are
subject to temptations that many of the unregenerate have no
first-hand acquaintance with.
Hundreds more of God's children, whose animal spirits are much quieter
by nature and whose temperament is more even and placid, yet are
plagued by a spirit of pride and self-righteousness, which is just as
hateful in the sight of God as moral degeneracy is to respectable
worldlings. Now unless the thoughts of such are formed from the
Scriptures, they are sure to entertain erroneous conceptions which
will destroy their peace and fill them with doubts and fears, for upon
a fuller discovery and clearer sight of the sea of corruption within,
they will conclude they have never passed from death unto life. But to
call into question our regeneration because we fail to obtain
deliverance from the power of indwelling sin, is a great mistake; the
new birth neither removes nor refines the flesh, but is the reception
of a nature that feels sin to be an intolerable burden, and that
yearns after holiness above everything else.
If I have really come to Christ as a leprous and bankrupt sinner,
utterly despairing of self-help, and have put my trust in the
sufficiency of His sacrifice, the Scripture affirms that God has made
Christ to be sanctification to me (1 Cor. 1:30) and that I have
received a spirit of holiness from Him. Now faith accepts this blessed
fact notwithstanding an ocean of corruption and the continued raging
of sin within. My peace of mind will, then, very largely depend upon
faith's continued apprehension of the perfect salvation which God has
provided for His people in Christ, and which in Heaven they shall
enjoy in their own persons. After the sinner has come to Christ
savingly, the Holy Spirit gives him a much fuller discovery of his
vileness, and makes him a hundredfold more conscious of how much there
is in his heart that is opposed to God than ever he realized
previously; and unless faith be daily in exercise, the activities of
the flesh will slay his assurance--instead, they ought to drive him
closer and closer to Christ.
O my Christian reader, what a difference it would make were you to
steadily realize the truth that, every temptation you encounter, every
defeat you suffer, every distressing experience you pass through, is a
call and a challenge for the exercise of faith. You complain that you
are still the subject of sin, that it cleaves to you as the flesh does
to your bones, that it mixes with your duties and defiles every act
you perform. You often feel that you are nothing but sin. When you
attempt to walk with God, inward evil rises up and stops you. When you
read His Word or endeavour to pray, unbelieving thoughts, carnal
imaginations, worldly lusts, seek to possess your soul. You strive
against them; but in vain. Instead of improvement, things grow worse.
You beg of God for humility, and pride rises higher; you cry to Him
for more patience, but apparently His ear is closed. Ah, you are now
learning the painful truth that in your flesh there dwelleth "no good
thing."
Yes, but what is a poor soul to do in such a harrowing case? How is it
possible for him to preserve any peace in his conscience? When the
believer is so sorely attacked by sin and Satan, how is he to defend
himself? Nothing but faith in the sure Word of God can keep him from
sinking into abject despair. This is the very time for him to maintain
his trust in the sufficiency of Christ's blood and the excellency of
His imputed righteousness. His faith is now being tried by the fire
that it may come forth as gold. It is by such experiences the
genuineness of his faith is put to the proof. The believer is cast
into the furnace that faith may conflict with unbelief, and though he
will be hard put to it, yet victory is sure. The proof of his victory
is faith's perseverance (amid a thousand waverings) unto the end.
Remember, my reader, that the test of perseverance is not how we act
in the face of success, but how we conduct ourselves under a long
series of defeats. "For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up
again" (Prov. 24:16).
Let it not be overlooked that we can no more take our place before God
now as accepted worshippers without a perfect holiness, than we can
enter Heaven without it; but that perfect holiness is to be found in
Christ alone--the practical holiness of the Christian is, at present,
but a very, very faint reflection of it. The more I feel my utter
unworthiness and total unfitness to approach unto God and call upon
Him in my own name, the more thankful I should be for the Mediator,
and the unspeakable privilege of calling upon God in Christ's name.
And it is faith which counts upon the glorious fact that the thrice
holy God can exercise His grace and goodness toward one so vile as I,
and that, consistently with His majesty and justice--Christ has
honored the Law infinitely more than my sins dishonor it. One who
feels that, as a Christian, he is "an utter failure," and who is
conscious of his continued abuse of God's mercies, can only draw nigh
to God with confidence as he exercises faith in the infinite merits of
Christ.
As we stated at the beginning, our principal object in writing this
chapter is, under God, to comfort His sin-distressed, doubt-harassed,
Satan-tormented people. We are not unmindful that among the ranks of
nominal Christians there are, on the one hand, many "having a form of
godliness, but denying the power thereof; ever learning and never able
to come to the knowledge of the Truth" (2 Tim. 3:5, 7), who will
regard as highly "dangerous" much of what we have said; while on the
other hand, there are "ungodly men, turning the grace of God into
lasciviousness" (Jude 4), who are likely to abuse the same by adopting
it as an intellectual opinion, from which they may derive peace in
their defiance of God. Yet notwithstanding these likely eventualities,
we shall not withhold a needful portion of the children's bread.
Those who claim to have received the "second blessing" and be
"entirely sanctified" in themselves, have never seen their hearts in
the light of God. Those who boast of their sinless perfection are
deceived by Satan, and "the truth is not in them" (1 John 1:8). Two
things ever go together in the experience of a genuine believer: a
growing discovery of the vileness of self, and a deepening
appreciation of the preciousness of Christ. There is no solid ground
for a believer to rest upon till he sees that Christ has fully
answered to God for him. In exact proportion to his faith will be his
peace and joy. "Ye are complete in Him" (Col. 2:10): believers now
possess a perfect holiness in the Covenant-Head, but at present they
are far from being perfect in the grace which flows to them from Him.
God honors and rewards that faith which is exercised upon our holiness
in Christ: not necessarily by subduing sin or granting victory over
it, but by enabling its possessor to continue cleaving to Christ as
his only hope.
O my Christian reader, be content to be nothing in yourself, that
Christ may be your all. O to truly say "He must increase, but I
decrease (John 3 :30). Growth in grace is a being brought more and
more off from self-complacency and self-dependency, to an entire
reliance upon Christ and the free grace of God through Him. This
temper is begun in the believer at regeneration, and like the tiny
mustard seed it at last develops into a large tree. As the Christian
grows in grace he finds himself to be increasingly full of wants, and
further off than ever from being worthy to receive the supply of them.
More and more the spirit of a beggar possesses him. As the Spirit
grants more light, he has a growing realization of the beauty of
holiness, of what Christ is entitled to from him; and there is a
corresponding self-loathing and grief because he is so unholy in
himself and fails so miserably to render unto Christ His due.
Fellowship with God and walking in the light as He is in the light, so
far from filling the Christian with self-satisfaction, causes him to
groan because of his darkness and filthiness--the clearer light now
making manifest what before was unperceived. Nothing is more perilous
to the soul than that we should be occupied with our achievements,
victories, enjoyments. If Paul was in danger of being exalted by the
abundance of the revelations vouchsafed him, can the danger be less of
our being puffed up with thoughts of spiritual progress, spiritual
conquests, spiritual excellencies. And yet the cherishing of such
thoughts is the very thing which is now being increasingly encouraged
by the religious quacks of the day. No matter what fellowship with
Christ be enjoyed, what growth in grace be made, it will ever remain
true that "we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened" (2
Cor. 5:4).
So far from what we have said in this chapter encouraging a real
Christian to entertain low views of sin, it is only in the vital and
experimental knowledge of the same that a life of holiness begins.
Nothing will cause a renewed soul to hate sin so much as a realization
of God's grace; nothing will move him to mourn so genuinely over his
sins as a sense of Christ's dying love. It is that which breaks his
heart: the realization that there is so much in him that is opposed to
Christ. But a life of holiness is a life of faith (the heart turning
daily to Christ), and the fruits of faith are genuine repentance, true
humility, praising God for His infinite patience and mercy, pantings
after conformity to Christ, praying to be made more obedient, and
continually confessing our disobedience. Daydreaming about complete
deliverance from indwelling sin, seeking to persuade ourselves that
the flesh is becoming less active, cannot counter-balance the humbling
reality of our present state; but our corruptions should not quench a
true Gospel hope.
Those who have read the previous chapters of this book cannot suppose
that we have any design to lower the standard of the Christian life,
or to speak peace to deluded souls who "profess that they know God,
but in works deny Him" (Titus 1:16). Some indeed may charge us with
encouraging light views of the sinfulness of sin, yet it must be
remembered that the grand truth of Divine grace has ever appeared
"dangerous" to mere human wisdom. A worldly moralist must think it
subservient of the very foundations of virtue to proclaim to men,
without regard to what they have done, and without stipulation as to
what they are to do, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt
be saved." If I believed that says the unrenewed man, I would take my
fill of sin, without fear or remorse. Ah, but a saving faith from God
is always accomplished by a principle which hates sin and loves
holiness; and the greatest grief of its possessor is, that its
aspirations are so often thwarted. But those very thwartings are the
testings of faith, and should daily drive us back to Christ for fresh
cleansings. Lord, increase our faith.
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Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
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It is our purpose to give (D. V.) a verse by verse exposition of the
fourth Gospel in the course of this series of studies, but before
turning to the opening verses of chapter I it will be necessary to
consider John's Gospel as a whole, with the endeavor of discovering
its scope, its central theme, and its relation to the other three
Gospels. We shall not waste the reader's time by entering into a
discussion as to who wrote this fourth Gospel, as to where John was
when he wrote it, nor as to the probable date when it was written.
These may be points of academical interest, but they provide no food
for the soul, nor do they afford any help to an understanding of this
section of the Bible, and these are the two chief things we desire to
accomplish. Our aim is to open up the Scriptures in such a way that
the reader will be able to enter into the meaning of what God has
recorded for our learning in this part of His Holy Word, and to edify
those who are members of the Household of Faith.
The four Gospels deal with the earthly life of the Savior, but each
one presents Him in an entirely different character. Matthew portrays
the Lord Jesus as the Son of David, the Heir of Israel's throne, the
King of the Jews; and everything in his Gospel contributes to this
central theme. In Mark, Christ is seen as the Servant of Jehovah, the
perfect Workman of God; and everything in this second Gospel brings
out the characteristics of His service and the manner in which He
served. Luke treats of the humanity of the Savior, and presents Him as
the perfect Man, contrasting Him from the sinful sons of men. The
fourth Gospel views Him as the Heavenly One come down to earth, the
eternal Son of the Father made flesh and tabernacling among men, and
from start to finish this is the one dominant truth which is steadily
held in view.
As we turn to the fourth Gospel we come to entirely different ground
from that which is traversed in the other three. It is true, the
period of time covered by it is the same as in Matthew, Mark, and
Luke, some of the incidents treated of by the "Synoptics" come before
us here, and He who has occupied the central position in the
narratives of the first three Evangelists is the same One that is made
pre-eminent by John; but otherwise, everything is entirely new. The
viewpoint of this fourth Gospel is more elevated than that of the
others; its contents bring into view spiritual relationships rather
than human ties; and, higher glories are revealed as touching the
peerless Person of the Savior. In each of the first three Gospels
Christ is viewed in human relationships, but not so in John. The
purpose of this fourth Gospel is to show that the One who was born in
a manger and afterward died on the Cross had higher glories than those
of King, that He who humbled Himself to take the Servant place was,
previously, "equal with God," that the One who became the Son of Man
was none other than, and ever remains, the Only Begotten of the
Father.
Each book of the Bible has a prominent and dominant theme which is
peculiar to itself. Just as each member in the human body has its own
particular function, so every book in the Bible has its own special
purpose and mission. The theme of John's Gospel is the Deity of the
Savior. Here, as nowhere else in Scripture so fully, the Godhood of
Christ is presented to our view. That which is outstanding in this
fourth Gospel is the Divine Sonship of the Lord Jesus. In this Book we
are shown that the One who was heralded by the angels to the Bethlehem
shepherds, who walked this earth for thirty-three years, who was
crucified at Calvary who rose in triumph from the grave, and who forty
days later departed from these scenes, was none other than the Lord of
Glory. The evidence for this is overwhelming, the proofs almost
without number, and the effect of contemplating them must be to bow
our hearts in worship before "the great God and our Savior Jesus
Christ" (Titus 2:13).
Here is a theme worthy of our most prayerful attention. If the Holy
Spirit took such marked care to guard the perfections of our Lord's
humanity-seen for example, in the words of the angel to Mary "that
Holy Thing which shall be born of thee," "made in the likeness of
sin's flesh," etc.--equally so has the Inspirer of the Scriptures seen
to it that there is no uncertainty touching the Divine Sonship of our
Savior. Just as the Old Testament prophets made known that the Coming
One should be a Man, a perfect Man, so did Messianic prediction give
plain intimation that He should be more than a man. Through Isaiah God
foretold, "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and
the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be
called Wonderful, Counseller, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace." Through Micah He declared, "But thou, Bethlehem
Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah yet out
of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be Ruler in Israel;
Whose goings forth have been from the days of eternity." Through
Zechariah He said, "Awake, O Sword, against my Shepherd, and against
the man that is my Fellow, saith the Lord of Hosts: smite the
Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered." Through the Psalmist He
announced, "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand,
until I make thine enemies thy footstool." And again, when looking
forward to the second advent, "Thou art my Son; this day have I
begotten thee (or, `brought thee forth')." In these days of
wide-spread departure from the faith, it cannot be insisted upon too
strongly or too frequently that the Lord Jesus is none other than the
Second Person of the blessed Trinity, co-eternal and co-equal with the
Father and the Holy Spirit.
In keeping with the special theme of this fourth Gospel, it is here we
have the full unveiling of Christ's Divine glories. It is here that we
behold Him dwelling with God before time began and before ever the
creature was formed (John 1:1, 2). It is here that He is denominated
"The only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John
1:14). It is here we read of John the Baptist bearing record "that
this is the Son of God" (John 1:34). It is here that we read "This
beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested
forth his glory" (John 2:11). It is here we are told that the Savior
said "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (John
2:19). It is here we learn that "The Father loveth the Son, and hath
given all things into his hand" (John 3:35). It is in this Gospel we
hear Christ saying, "For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and
quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the
Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
that all should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father" (John
5:21-23). It is here we find Him declaring, "Before Abraham was, I am"
(John 8:58). It is here He affirmed "I and my Father are One" (John
10:30). It is here He testifies "He that hath seen me hath seen the
Father" (John 14:9).
Before we take up John's Gospel in detail, a few words should also be
said concerning the scope of the fourth Gospel. It must be evident at
once that this is quite different from the other three. There, Christ
is seen in human relationships, and as connected with an earthly
people; but here He is viewed in a Divine relationship, and as
connected with a heavenly people. It is true the mystery of the "Body"
is not unfolded here--that is found only in what the Apostle Paul
wrote as he was moved by the Holy Spirit--rather is it the Family
relationship which is here in view: the Son of God together with the
sons of God. It is also true that the "heavenly calling," as such, is
not fully unfolded here, yet are there plain intimations of it, as a
careful study of it makes apparent. In the first three Gospels Christ
is seen connected with the Jews, proclaiming the Messianic kingdom, a
proclamation which ceased, however, as soon as it became evident that
the nation had rejected Him. But here in John's Gospel His rejection
is anticipated from the beginning, for in the very first chapter we
are told, "He came unto his own, and his own received him not." The
limitations which obtain in connection with much which is found in the
first three Gospels does not, therefore, obtain in John's. Again, in
John's Gospel the Savior is displayed as the Son of God, and as such
He can be known only by believers. On this plane, then, the Jew has no
priority. The Jew's claim upon Christ was purely a fleshly one
(arising from the fact that He was "the Son of David"), whereas
believers are related to the Son of God by spiritual union.
As there may be some of our readers who have been influenced by
ultra-dispensational teaching we deem it well to here call attention
to other points which help to fix the true dispensational bearings and
scope of this fourth Gospel. There are those who make no distinction
between John's Gospel and the Synoptics, and who insist that this
fourth Gospel is entirely Jewish, and has nothing but a remote
application to believers of the present dispensation. But this, we are
assured, is a serious mistake. John's Gospel, like his Epistles,
concerns the family of God. In proof of this we request the reader to
weigh carefully the following points:
First, in John 1:11-13 we read, "He came unto his own, and his own
received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power
to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name;
which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of
the will of man, but of God."
From these verses we may notice three things: first, the Jews as a
nation rejected the Sent One of the Father, they "received him not;"
second, a company did "receive him," even those that "believed on his
name"; third, this company are here designated "the sons of God," who
were "born . . . of God." There is nothing which in any wise resembles
this in the other Gospels. Here only, in the four Gospels, is the
truth of the new birth brought before us. And it is by new birth we
enter the family of God. As, then, the family of God reaches out
beyond Jewish believers, and takes in all Gentile believers too, we
submit that John's Gospel cannot be restricted to the twelve-tribed
people.
Second, after stating that the Word became flesh and tabernacled among
us, "and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the
Father (which is a glory that none but believers behold!), full of
grace and truth," and after summarizing John the Bapist's witness to
the Person of Christ, the Holy Spirit through the Evangelist goes on
to say, "and of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
Surely this verse alone establishes the point of who it is that is
here being addressed. The Jewish nation never received "of his
fulness"--that can be predicated of believers only. The "all we" of
verse 16 is the "as many as" received Him, to them gave He power to
become "the sons of God" of verse 12.
Third, in the tenth chapter of John, we read that the Savior said, "I
am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the
Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life
for the sheep" (verses 14, 15). Immediately following this He went on
to say, "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also
I must bring, and they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one
fold, and one shepherd" (verse 16). Who were these "other sheep?"
Before we can answer this, we must ascertain who were the "sheep"
referred to by Christ in the first fifteen verses of this chapter. As
to who they were there can be only one answer: they were not the
nation of Israel as such, for they had "received him not"; no, they
were the little company who had "received him," who had "believed on
his name." But Christ goes on to speak of a future company of
believers, "other sheep I have (speaking as God who calleth those
things which be not as though they were: Romans 4:17), them also I
must bring." Clearly, the "other sheep" which had not been brought
into the fold at the time the Savior then spake, were believers from
among the Gentiles, and these, together with the Jewish believers,
should be "one fold" (or, better "one flock"), which is the equivalent
of one family, the family of God.
Fourth, in John 11:49-52 we read, "and one of them, named Caiaphas,
being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing
at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should
die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this
spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he
prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation, and not for that
nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the
children of God that were scattered abroad." This was a remarkable
prophecy, and contained far more in it than Caiaphas was aware. It
made known the Divine purpose in the death of the Savior and revealed
what was to be the outcome of the great Sacrifice. It looked out far
beyond the bounds of Judaism, including within its range believing
sinners from the Gentiles. The "children of God that were scattered
abroad" were the elect found among all nations. That they were here
termed "children of God" while viewed as still "scattered abroad,"
gives us the Divine viewpoint, being parallel with "other sheep I
have." But what we desire to call special attention to is the
declaration that these believers from among the Gentiles were to be
"gathered together in one," not into one "body" (for as previously
said, the body does not fall within the scope of John's writings), but
one family, the family of God.
Fifth, in John 14:2, 3 we read that Christ said to His disciples, "In
My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a
place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself that
where I am, there ye may be also." How entirely different this is from
anything that is to be found in the first three Gospels scarcely needs
to be pointed out. In them, reference is invariably made to the coming
of "the Son of man," but here it is the rapture of the saints to
heaven, and the taking of them to be where Christ now is that is
expressly mentioned. And manifestly this can in no wise be limited to
Jewish believers.
Sixth, without attempting to develop this point at any length it
should be noticed that the relation which the Holy Spirit sustains to
believers in this Gospel is entirely different from what is before us
in the first three. Here only do we read of being "born of the Spirit"
(John 3:5). Here only is He denominated their "Comforter'' or Advocate
(John 14:16); and here only do we read of Him "abiding forever" with
believers (John 14:16).
Seventh, the High Priestly prayer of the Savior which is recorded in
John 17, and found nowhere else in the Gospels, shows plainly that
more than Jewish believers are here contemplated, and evidences the
wider scope of this fourth Gospel. Here we find the Savior saying,
"Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may
glorify thee: as thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he
should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him." The "as
many as thou hast given him" takes in the whole family of God. Again,
in verse 20 the Lord Jesus says, "Neither pray I for these alone, but
for them also which shall believe on me through their word:" the
"these" evidently refers to Jewish believers, while the "them also"
looked forward to Gentile believers. Finally, His words in verse 22,
"and the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may
be one, even as we are one" shows, once more, that the whole family of
God was here before Him.
In bringing this chapter to a close we want to prepare the reader for
the second of the series. In the next chapter we shall (D.V.) take up
the first section of the opening chapter, and it is our earnest desire
that many of our readers will make these verses the subject of
prayerful study and meditation. The Bible teacher who becomes a
substitute for diligent study on the part of those who hear him is a
hindrance and not a help. The business of the teacher is to turn
people to the searching of the Scriptures for themselves, stimulating
their interest in the Sacred Word, and instructing them how to go
about it. With this end in view, it will be our aim to prepare a
series of questions at the close of each chapter bearing on the
passage to be expounded in the succeeding one, so that the reader may
study it for himself. Below are seven questions on the passage for the
portion we shall take up in the next lesson, and we earnestly urge our
readers to study the first thirteen verses of John 1, and to
concentrate upon the points raised by our questions.
1. What "beginning" is referred to in John 1:1?
2. How may I obtain a better, deeper, fuller knowledge of God Himself?
By studying nature? By prayer? By studying Scripture? Or--how?
3. Why is the Lord Jesus here termed "The Word?" What is the exact
force and significance of this title?
4. What is the meaning of John 1:4--"The Life was the Light of men?"
5. The fact that the Savior is termed "the Light" in John 1:7, teaches
us what?
6. What does John 1:12 teach concerning what a sinner must do to be
saved?
7. What is the exact meaning of each clause in John 1:13?
Pray over and meditate much upon each of these questions, and above
all "Search the Scriptures" to find God's answers. Answers to these
questions will be found in the next chapter, in the course of our
exposition of John 1:1-13.
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Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 2
Christ, the Eternal Word
John 1:1-13
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In the last chapter we stated, "Each book of the Bible has a prominent
and dominant theme which is peculiar to itself. Just as each member in
the human body has its own particular function, so, every book in the
Bible has its own special purpose and mission. The theme of John's
Gospel is the Deity of the Savior. Here, as nowhere else in Scripture
so fully, the Godhood of Christ is presented to our view. That which
is outstanding in this fourth Gospel is the Divine Sonship of the Lord
Jesus. In this book we are shown that the One who was heralded by the
angels to the Bethlehem shepherds, who walked this earth for
thirty-three years, who was crucified at Calvary, who rose in triumph
from the grave, and who forty days later departed from these scenes,
was none other than the Lord of glory. The evidence for this is
overwhelming, the proofs almost without number, and the effect of
contemplating them must be to bow our hearts in worship before `the
great God and our Savior Jesus Christ' (Titus 2:13)."
That John's Gospel does present the Deity of the Savior is at once
apparent from the opening words of the first chapter. The Holy Spirit
has, as it were, placed the key right over the entrance, for the
introductory verses of this fourth Gospel present the Lord Jesus
Christ in Divine relationships and unveil His essential glories.
Before we attempt an exposition of this profound passage we shall
first submit an analysis of its contents. In these first thirteen
verses of John 1 we have set forth: --
1. The Relation of Christ to Time--"In the beginning," therefore,
Eternal: John 1:1.
2. The Relation of Christ to the Godhead--"With God," therefore, One
of the Holy Trinity: John 1:1.
3. The Relation of Christ to the Holy Trinity--"God was the Word"--the
Revealer: John 1:1.
4. The Relation of Christ to the Universe--"All things were made by
him"--the Creator: John 1:3.
5. The Relation of Christ to Men--Their "Light": John 1:4, 5.
6. The Relation of John the Baptist to Christ--"Witness" of His Deity:
John 1:6-9.
7. The Reception which Christ met here: John 1:10-13.
(a) "The world knew him not": John 1:10.
(b) "His own (Israel) received him not": John 1:11.
(c) A company born of God "received him": John 1:12, 13.
"In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the
word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were
made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made"
(John 1:1-3). How entirely different is this from the opening verses
of the other Gospels! John opens by immediately presenting Christ not
as the Son of David, nor as the Son of man, but as the Son of God.
John takes us back to the beginning, and shows that the Lord Jesus had
no beginning. John goes behind creation and shows that the Savior was
Himself the Creator. Every clause in these verses calls for our most
careful and prayerful attention.
"In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the
word was God." Here we enter a realm which transcends the finite mind,
and where speculation is profane. "In the beginning" is something we
are unable to comprehend: it is one of those matchless sweeps of
inspiration which rises above the level of human thought. "In the
beginning was the word," and we are equally unable to grasp the final
meaning of this. A "word" is an expression: by words we articulate our
speech. The Word of God, then, is Deity expressing itself in audible
terms. And yet, when we have said this, how much there is that we
leave unsaid! "And the word was with God," and this intimates His
separate personality, and shows His relation to the other Persons of
the blessed Trinity. But how sadly incapacitated are we for meditating
upon the relations which exist between the different Persons of the
Godhead. "And God was the word." Not only was Christ the Revealer of
God, but He always was, and ever remains, none other than God Himself.
Not only was our Savior the One through whom, and by whom, the Deity
expressed itself in audible terms, but He was Himself co-equal with
the Father and the Spirit. Let us now approach the Throne of grace and
there seek the mercy and grace we so sorely need to help us as we turn
now to take a closer look at these verses.
"Our God and Father, in the name of Thy dear Son, we pray Thee that
Thy Holy Spirit may now take of the things of Christ and show them
unto us: to the praise of the glory of Thy grace. Amen."
"In THE BEGINNING," or, more literally, "in beginning," for there is
no article in the Greek. In what "beginning?" There are various
"beginnings" referred to in the New Testament. There is the
"beginning" of "the world" (Matthew 24:21); of "the gospel of Jesus
Christ" (Mark 1:1); of "sorrows" (Mark 13:8); of "miracles" (or
"signs"), (John 2:11), etc. But the "beginning" mentioned in John 1:1
clearly antedates all these "beginnings." The "beginning" of John 1:1
precedes the making of the "all things" of John 1:3. It is then, the
beginning of creation, the beginning of time. This earth of ours is
old, how old we do not know, possibly millions of years. But "the
word" was before all things. He was not only from the beginning, but
He was "in the beginning."
"In beginning:" the absence of the definite article is designed to
carry us back to the most remote point that can be imagined. If then,
He was before all creation, and He was, for "all things were made by
him;" if He was "in the beginning," then He was Himself without
beginning, which is only the negative way of saying He was eternal. In
perfect accord with this we find, that in His prayer recorded in John
17, He said, "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self
with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." As, then,
the Word was "in the beginning," and if in the beginning, eternal, and
as none but God Himself is eternal, the absolute Deity of the Lord
Jesus is conclusively established.
"WAS the word." There are two separate words in the Greek which, in
this passage, are both rendered "was": the one means to exist, the
other to come into being. The latter word (egeneto) is used in John
1:3 which, literally rendered, reads, "all things through him came
into being, and without him came into being not even one (thing) which
has come into being;" and again we have this word "egeneto" in John
1:6 where we read, "there was (became to be) a man sent from God,
whose name was John;" and again in John 1:14, "And the word was made
(became) flesh." But here in John 1:1 and John 1:2 it is "the word
(ito) with God." As the Word He did not come into being, or begin to
be, but He was "with God" from all eternity. It is noteworthy that the
Holy Spirit uses this word "ito," which signifies that the Son
personally subsisted, no less than four times in the first two verses
of John 1. Unlike John the Baptist who "became (egeneto) a man," the
"word" was (ito), that is, existed with God before time began.
"Was THE WORD." The reference here is to the Second Person in the Holy
Trinity, the Son of God. But why is the Lord Jesus Christ designated
"the word?" What is the exact force and significance of this title?
The first passage which occurs to our minds as throwing light on this
question is the opening statement in the Epistle to the Hebrews: "God
who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the
fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his
Son." Here we learn that Christ is the final spokesman of God. Closely
connected with this is the Savior's title found in Revelation 1:8--"I
am Alpha and Omega," which intimates that He is God's alphabet, the
One who spells out Deity, the One who utters all God has to say. Even
clearer, perhaps, is the testimony of John 1:18: "No man hath seen God
at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the
Father, he hath declared him." The word "declared" means tell out, cf.
Acts 15:14, and 21:19; it is translated "told" in Luke 24:35. Putting
together these three passages we learn that Christ is the One who is
the Spokesman of God, and One who spelled out the Deity, the One who
has declared or told forth the Father.
Christ, then, is the One who has made the incomprehensible God
intelligible. The force of this title of His found in John 1:1, may be
discovered by comparing it with that name which is given to the Holy
Scriptures--"the Word of God." What are the Scriptures? They are the
Word of God. And what does that mean? This: the Scriptures reveal
God's mind, express His will, make known His perfections, and lay bare
His heart. This is precisely what the Lord Jesus has done for the
Father. But let us enter a little more into detail:--
(a) A "word" is a medium of manifestation. I have in my mind a
thought, but others know not its nature. But the moment I clothe that
thought in words it becomes cognizable. Words, then, make objective
unseen thoughts. This is precisely what the Lord Jesus has done. As
the Word, Christ has made manifest the invisible God.
(b) A "word" is a means of communication. By means of words I transmit
information to others. By words I express myself, make known my will,
and impart knowledge. So Christ, as the Word, is the Divine
Transmitter, communicating to us the life and love of God.
(c) A "word" is a method of revelation. By his words a speaker
exhibits both his intellectual caliber and his moral character. By our
words we shall be justified, and by our `words we shall be condemned.
And Christ, as the Word, reveals the attributes and perfections of
God. How fully has Christ revealed God! He displayed His power, He
manifested His wisdom, He exhibited His holiness, He made known His
grace, He unveiled His heart. In Christ, and nowhere else, is God
fully and finally told out.
"And the word was WITH GOD." This preposition "with" seems to suggest
two thoughts. First, the Word was in the presence of God. As we read,
"Enoch walked with God," that is, he lived in fellowship with God.
There is a beautiful verse in Proverbs 8 which throws its light on the
meaning of "with" in John 1:1, and reveals the blessed relation which
obtained from all eternity between the Word and God. The passage
begins at Proverbs 8:22 where "wisdom" is personified. It tells us of
the happy fellowship which existed between the Word and God before
ever the world was. In Proverbs 8:30 we read, "Then I was by him, as
one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always
before him." In addition to the two thoughts just suggested, we may
add that the Greek preposition "pros" here translated "with" is
sometimes rendered "toward," but most frequently "unto." The Word was
toward or unto God. One has significantly said, "The word rendered
with denotes a perpetual tendency, as it were, of the Son to the
Father, in unity of essence."
That it is here said "the word was with God" tells of His separate
personality: He was not "in" God, but "with" God. Now, mark here the
marvelous accuracy of Scripture. It is not said, "the word was with
the Father" as we might have expected, but "the word was with God."
The name "God" is common to the three Persons of the Holy Trinity,
whereas "the Father" is the special title of the first Person only.
Had it said "the word was with the Father," the Holy Spirit had been
excluded; but "with God" takes in the Word dwelling in eternal
fellowship with both the Father and the Spirit. Observe, too, it does
not say, And God was with God,"' for while there is plurality of
Persons in the Godhead, there is but "one God," therefore the minute
accuracy of "the WORD was with God."
"And the word WAS GOD," or, more literally, "and God was the word."
Lest the figurative expression "the word" should convey to us an
inadequate conception of the Divine glories of Christ, the Holy Spirit
goes on to say, "and the word was with God," which denoted His
separate personality, and intimated His essential relation to the
Godhead. And, as though that were not strong enough, the Holy Spirit
expressly adds, "and God was the word." Who could express God save Him
who is God! The Word was not an emanation of God, but God Himself made
manifest. Not only the revealer of God, but God Himself revealed. A
more emphatic and unequivocal affirmation of the absolute Deity of the
Lord Jesus Christ it is impossible to conceive.
"The same was in the beginning with God." The same," that is, the
Word; "was," that is, subsisted, not began to be; "in the beginning,"
that is, before time commenced; "with God," that is, as a distinct
Personality. That it is here repeated Christ was "with God," seems to
be intended as a repudiation of the early Gnostic heresy that Christ
was only an idea or ideal IN the mind of God from eternity, duly made
manifest in time--a horrible heresy which is being reechoed in our own
day. It is not said that the Word was in God; He was, eternally, "with
God."
Before we pass on to the next verse, let us seek to make practical
application of what has been before us, and at the same time answer
the third of the seven questions asked at the close of the previous
chapter; "How may I obtain a better, deeper, fuller knowledge of God
Himself? By studying nature? By prayer? By studying Scripture?
Or--how?" A more important question we cannot consider. What
conception have you formed, dear reader, of the Being, Personality,
and Character, of God? Before the Lord Jesus came to this earth, the
world was without the knowledge of the true and living God. To say
that God is revealed in nature is true, yet it is a statement which
needs qualifying. Nature reveals the existence of God, but how little
it tells of His character. Nature manifests His natural
attributes--His power, His wisdom, His immutability, etc.; but what
does nature say to us of His moral attributes--His justice, His
holiness, His grace, His love? Nature, as such knows no mercy and
shows no pity. If a blind saint unwittingly steps over the edge of a
precipice he meets with the same fate as if a vile murderer had been
hurled over it. If I break nature's laws, no matter how sincere may be
my subsequent repentance, there is no escaping the penalty. Nature
conceals as well as reveals God. The ancients had "nature" before
them, and what did they learn of God? Let that altar, which the
Apostle Paul beheld in one of the chief centers of ancient learning
and culture make answer--"to the Unknown God" is what he found
inscribed thereon!
It is only in Christ that God is fully told out. Nature is no longer
as it left the Creator's hands: it is under the Curse, and how could
that which is imperfect be a perfect medium for revealing God? But the
Lord Jesus Christ is the Holy One. He was God, the Son, manifest in
flesh. And so fully and so perfectly did He reveal God, He could say,
"He that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (John 14:9). Here, then,
is the answer to our question, and here is the practical value of what
is before us in these opening verses of John's Gospel. If the believer
would enter into a better, deeper, fuller knowledge of God, he must
prayerfully study the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ as
revealed in the Scriptures! Let this be made our chief business, our
great delight, to reverently scrutinize and meditate upon the
excellencies of our Divine Savior as they are displayed upon the pages
of Holy Writ, then, and only then, shall we "increase in the knowledge
of God" (Col. 1:10). The "light of the knowledge of the glory of God"
is seen only "in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6).
"All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made
that was made" (John 1:3). How this brings out, again, the absolute
deity of Christ! Here creation is ascribed to Him, and none but God
can create. Man, with all his boasting, is unable to bring into
existence a single blade of grass. Observe, that the whole of creation
is here ascribed to the Word--"all things were made by him." This
would not be true if He were Himself a creature, even though the first
and the highest creature. But nothing is excepted--"all things were
made by him." Just as He was before all things, and therefore,
eternal; so was He the Originator of all things, and therefore,
omnipotent.
"In him was life; and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4). This
follows logically from what has been said in the previous verse. If
Christ created all things He must be the Fountain of life. He is the
Life-Giver. We understand "life" to be used here in its widest sense.
Creature life is found in God, for "in him we live and move and have
our being"; spiritual life or eternal life, and resurrection life, are
also found "in Him." If it be objected that the Greek word for "life"
here is "zoe," and that zoe has exclusive reference to spiritual life,
we answer, Not always: see Luke 12:15; Luke 16:25 (translated
"life-time"), Acts 17:25, etc., where, in each case, "zoe" has
reference to human (natural) life, as such. Thus, "zoe" includes
within its scope all "life."
"And the Life was THE LIGHT of men." What are we to understand by
this? Notice two things: this statement in verse 4 follows immediately
after the declaration that "all things were made" by Christ, so that
it is creatures, as such, which are here in view; second, it is "men,"
as men, not only believers, which are here referred to. The "life"
here is one of the Divine titles of the Lord Jesus, hence, it is
equivalent to saying, "God was the light of men." It speaks of the
relation which Christ sustains to men, all men--He is their "light."
This is confirmed by what we read in verse 9, "That was the true
light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." In what
sense, then, is Christ as "the life" the "light of men?" We answer, In
that which renders men accountable creatures. Every rational man is
morally enlightened. All rational men "show the work of the law
written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness" (Rom.
2:15). It is this "light," which lightens every man that cometh into
the world, that constitutes them responsible human beings. The Greek
word for "light" in John 1:4 is "phos," and that it is not restricted
to spiritual illumination is plainly evident from its usage in Matthew
6:23, "If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great
is that darkness," and also see Luke 11:35; Acts 16:29, etc.
Let no reader infer from what has been said that we are among the
number who believe the unscriptural theory that there is in every man
a spark of Divine life, which needs only to be fanned, to become a
flame. No, we expressly repudiate any such satanic lie. By nature,
spiritually, he is "dead in trespasses and sins." Yet,
notwithstanding, the natural man is a responsible being before God, to
Whom he shall give an account of himself; responsible, because the
work of God's law is written in his heart, his conscience also bearing
witness, and this, we take it, is the "light" which is referred to in
John 1:4, and the "lighteneth" in John 1:9.
"And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it
not" (John 1:5). This gives us still another of the Divine titles of
Christ. In verse 1 He is spoken of as "the word." In verse 3 as the
Maker of all things. In verse 4 as "the life." Now, in verse 5 as "the
light." With this should be compared 1 John 1:5 where we read "God is
light." The conclusion, then, is irresistible, the proof complete and
final, that the Lord Jesus is none other than God, the second Person
in the Holy Trinity.
The "Englishman's Greek New Testament" renders the last clause of John
1:5 as follows--"and the light in the darkness appears, and the
darkness it apprehended not." This tells us of the effects of the
Fall. Every man that comes into this world is lightened by his
Creator, but the natural man disregards this light, he repels it, and
in consequence, is plunged into darkness. Instead of the natural man
"living up to the light he has" (which none ever did) he "loves
darkness rather than light" (John 3:19). The unregenerate man, then,
is like one that is blind--he is in the dark. Proof of this appears in
the fact that "the Light in the darkness appears, and the darkness
apprehended it not." All other darkness yields to and fades away
before light, but here "the darkness" is so impenetrable and hopeless,
it neither apprehends nor comprehends. What a fearful and solemn
indictment of fallen human nature! And how evident it is that nothing
short of a miracle of saving grace can ever bring one "out of darkness
into God's marvelous light."
"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John" (John 1:6). The
change of subject here is most abrupt. From "the Word" who was God,
the Holy Spirit now turns to speak of the forerunner of Christ. He is
referred to as "a man," to show us, by way of contrast, that the One
to Whom he bore witness was more than Man. This man was "sent from
Cod," so is every man who bears faithful witness to the Person of
Christ. The name of this man was "John" which, as etymologists tell
us, signifies "the gift of God."
`The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all
through him might believe" (John 1:7). John came to bear witness of
"the light." Weigh well these words: they are solemn, pathetic,
tragic. Perhaps their force will be the more evident if we ask a
question: When the sun is shining in all its beauty, who are the ones
that are unconscious of the fact? Who need to be told it is shining?
The blind! How tragic, then, when we read that God sent John to "bear
witness of the light." How pathetic that there should be any need for
this! How solemn the statement that men have to be told "the light" is
now in their midst. What a revelation of man's fallen condition. The
Light shone in the darkness, but the darkness comprehended it not.
Therefore, did God send John to bear witness of the Light. God would
not allow His beloved Son to come here unrecognized and unheralded. As
soon as He was born into this world, He sent the angels to the
Bethlehem shepherds to proclaim Him, and just before His public
ministry began, John appeared bidding Israel to receive Him.
"The same came for a witness." This defines the character of the
preacher's office. He is a "witness," and a witness is one who knows
what he says and says what he knows. He deals not with speculations,
he speaks not of his own opinions, but he testifies to what he knows
to be the truth.
"To bear witness of the light." This should ever be the aim of the
preacher: to get his hearers to look away from himself to Another. He
is not to testify of himself, nor about himself, but he is to "preach
Christ" (1 Cor. 1:23). This is the message the Spirit of God will own,
for Christ has said of Him, "He shall glorify me" (John 16:14).
"That all through him might believe." "That" means "in order that."
"To bear witness" defines the character of the preacher's office: to
"bear witness of the light" makes known the preacher's theme; that
"all through him might believe" speaks of the design of his ministry.
Men become believers through receiving the testimony of God's witness.
The "all" is the same as in John 6:45.
"He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light"
(John 1:8). No, John himself was not "that light," for "light" like
"life" is to be found only in God. Apart from God all is darkness,
profound and unrelieved. Even the believer has no light in himself.
What saith the Scriptures? "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now
are ye the light in the Lord" (Eph. 5:8). There is a statement found
in John 5:35 which, as it stands in the A.V., conflicts with what is
said here in John 1:8. In verse 35 when speaking of John, Christ said,
"He was a burning and shining light," but the Greek word used here is
entirely different from that translated "light" in John 1:8, and in
the R.V. it is correctly translated "He was the lamp that burneth and
shineth." This word used of John, correctly translated "lamp," points
a striking contrast between the forerunner and Christ as "the light."
A lamp has no inherent light of its own--it has to be supplied! A
"lamp" has to be carried by another! A "lamp" soon burns out: in a few
hours it ceases to shine.
"That was the true light, which lighteth every man which cometh into
the world" (John 1:9). Bishop Ryle in his most excellent notes on
John's Gospel, has suggested that the adjective "true" has here at
least a fourfold reference. First, Christ, is the "true light" as the
Undeceiving Light. Satan himself, we read, "is transformed into an
angel of light" (2 Cor. 11:14), but he appears as such only to
deceive. But Christ is the true Light in contrast from all the false
lights which are in the world. Second, as the "true light," Christ is
the Real Light. The real light in contrast from the dim and shaded
light which was conveyed through the types and shadows of the Old
Testament ritual. Third, as the "true light" Christ is the Underived
Light: there are lesser lights which are borrowed and reflected, as
the moon from the sun, but Christ's "light" is His own essential and
underived glory. Fourth, as the "true light," Christ is the
Supereminent Light, in contrast from all that is ordinary and common.
There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and
another of the stars; but all other lights pale before Him who is "the
light." The latter part of this ninth verse need not detain us now,
having already received our consideration under the exposition of
verse four. The light which "every man" has by nature is the light and
reason and conscience.
"He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world
knew him not" (John 1:10). "He was in the world" refers, we believe,
to His incarnation and the thirty-three years during which He
tabernacled among men. Then it is said "and the world was made by
him." This is to magnify the Divine glory of the One who had become
incarnate, and to emphasize the tragedy of what follows, "and the
world knew him not."
"He was in the world." Who was? None other than the One who had made
it. And how was He received? The great Creator was about to appear:
will not a thrill of glad expectancy run around the world? He is
coming not to judge, but to save. He is to appear not as a haughty
Despot, but as a Man "holy, harmless, undefiled;" not to be ministered
unto, but to minister. Will not such an One receive a hearty welcome?
Alas, "the world knew him not." Full of their own schemes and
pursuits, they thought nothing of Him. Unspeakably tragic is this, yet
something even more pathetic follows.
"He came unto his own, and his own received him not" (John 1:11). How
appropriate are the terms here used: note the nice distinction: "He
was in the world" and, therefore, within the reach of inquiry. But to
the seed of Abraham He "came," knocking as it were, at their door for
admission; but "they received him not." The world is charged with
ignorance, but Israel with unbelief, yea, with a positive refusal of
Him. Instead of welcoming the Heavenly Visitant, they drove Him from
their door, and even banished Him from the earth. Who would have
supposed that a people whose believing ancestors had been eagerly
awaiting the appearance of the Messiah for long ages past, would have
rejected Him when He came among them! Yet so it was: and should any
ask, How could these things be? we answer, This very thing was
expressly foretold by their own prophet, that He should possess
neither form nor comeliness in their eyes, and when they should see
Him there would be no beauty that they should desire Him. Ah! would it
have been any wonder if He had turned away from such ingrates in
disgust! What blessed subjection to the Father's will, and what
wondrous love for sinners, that He remained on earth in order that He
might later die the death of the Cross!
But if the world "knew him not," and Israel "received him not," was
the purpose of God defeated? No, indeed, for that could not be. The
counsel of the Lord "shall stand': (Prov. 19:21). The marvelous
condescension of the Son could not be in vain. So, we read, "but as
many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God,
even to them that believe on his name" (verse 12). This tells us of
the human side of salvation, what is required of sinners. Salvation
comes to the sinner through "receiving" Christ, that is, by "believing
on his name." There is a slight distinction between these two things,
though in substance they are one. Believing, respects Christ as He is
exhibited by the Gospel testimony: it is the personal acceptance as
truth of what God has said concerning His Son. Receiving, views Christ
as presented to us as God's Gift, presented to us for our acceptance.
And "as many as," no matter whether they be Jews or Gentiles, rich or
poor, illiterate or learned, receive Christ as their own personal
Savior, to them is given the power or right to become the sons (better
"children") of God.
But who receive Him thus? Not all by any means. Only a few. And is
this left to chance? Far from it. As the following verse goes on to
state, "which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh,
nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:13). This explains to us
why the few "receive" Christ. It is because they are born of God. Just
as verse 12 gives us the human side, so verse 13 gives us the Divine.
The Divine side is the new birth: and the taking place of the new
birth is "not of blood," that is to say, it is not a matter of
heredity, for regeneration does not run in the veins; "nor of the will
of the flesh," the will of the natural man is opposed to God, and he
has no will Godward until he has been born again; "nor of the will of
man," that is to say, the new birth is not brought about by the
well-meant efforts of friends, nor by the persuasive powers of the
preacher; "but of God." The new birth is a Divine work. It is
accomplished by the Holy Spirit applying the Word in living power to
the heart. The reception Christ met during the days of His earthly
ministry is the same still: the world "knows him not;" Israel
"receives him not;" but a little company do receive him, and who these
are Acts 13:48 tells us--"as many as were ordained to eternal life
believed." And here we must stop.
Preparatory to our next chapter, we are anxious that the reader should
study the following questions:
1. In John 1:14 the word "dwelt" signifies "tabernacled." The Word
tabernacled among men. It points us back to the Tabernacle of Israel
in the wilderness. In what respects did the Tabernacle of old typify
and foreshadow Christ?
2. "We beheld his glory" (John 1:14): what is meant by this? what
"glory?" At least a threefold "glory."
3. In what sense was Christ "before" John the Baptist (John 1:15)?
4. What is the meaning of John 1:16?
5. Why are we told that the law was given by Moses, but that grace and
truth came by Jesus Christ (John 1:17)?
6. Was there any "grace and truth" before Jesus Christ came? If so,
what is meant by them coming by Jesus Christ?
7. How many contrasts can you draw between Law and Grace?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 3
Christ, The Word Incarnate
John 1:14-18
_________________________________________________________________
We first submit a brief Analysis of the passage which is to be before
us--John 1:14-18. We have here:--
1. Christ's Incarnation--"The word became flesh": John 1:14.
2. Christ's Earthly sojourn--"And tabernacled among us:" John 1:14.
3. Christ's Essential Glory--"As of the only Begotten:" John 1:14.
4. Christ's Supreme excellency--"Preferred before:" John 1:15.
5. Christ's Divine sufficiency--"His fulness:" John 1:16.
6. Christ's Moral perfections--"Grace and truth:" John 1:17.
7. Christ's Wondrous revelation--Made known "the Father:" John 1:18.
"And the word was made (became) flesh, and dwelt among us" (John
1:14). The Infinite became finite. The Invisible became tangible. The
Transcendent became imminent. That which was far off drew nigh. That
which was beyond the reach of the human mind became that which could
be beholden within the realm of human life. Here we are permitted to
see through a veil that, which unveiled, would have blinded us. "The
word became flesh:" He became what He was not previously. He did not
cease to be God, but He became Man.
"And the word became flesh." The plain meaning of these words is, that
our Divine Savior took upon Him human nature. He became a real Man,
yet a sinless, perfect Man. As Man He was "holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners" (Heb. 7:26). This union of the two natures in
the Person of Christ is one of the mysteries of our faith--"Without
controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the
flesh" (1 Tim. 3:16). It needs to be carefully stated. "The word" was
His Divine title; "became flesh" speaks of His holy humanity. He was,
and is, the God-man, yet the Divine and human in Him were never
confounded. His Deity, though veiled, was never laid aside; His
humanity, though sinless, was a real humanity; for as incarnate, He
"increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man" (Luke
2:52). As "the word" then, He is the Son of God; as "flesh," the Son
of man.
This union of the two natures in the Person of Christ was necessary in
order to fit Him for the office of Mediator. Three great ends were
accomplished by God becoming incarnate, by the Word being made flesh.
First, it was now possible for Him to die. Second, He can now be
touched with the feeling of our infirmities. Third, He has left us an
example, that we should follow His steps.
This duality of nature was plainly intimated in Old Testament
prediction. Prophecy sometimes represented the coming Messiah as
human, sometimes as Divine. He was to be the woman's "seed" (Gen.
3:15); a "prophet" like unto Moses (see Deuteronomy 18:18); a lineal
descendant of David (see 2 Samuel 7:12); Jehovah's "Servant" (Isa.
42:1); a "Man of sorrows" (Isa. 53:3). Yet, on the other hand, He was
to be "the Branch of the Lord, beautiful and glorious" (Isa. 4:2); He
was "the wonderful Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Father of the ages,
the Prince of peace" (Isa. 9:6). As Jehovah He was to come suddenly to
His temple (see Malachi 3:1). The One who was to be born in Bethlehem
and be Ruler in Israel, was the One "whose goings forth had been from
the days of eternity" (Mic. 5:2). How were those two different sets of
prophecy to be harmonized? John 1:14 is the answer. The One born at
Bethlehem was the Divine and eternal Word. The Incarnation does not
mean that God dwelt in a man, but that God became Man. He became what
He was not previously, though He never ceased to be all that He was
before. The Babe of Bethlehem was Immanuel--God with us.
"And the word became flesh." It is the design of John's Gospel to
bring this out in a special way. The miracles recorded therein
illustrate and demonstrate this in a peculiar manner. For example: He
turns the water into wine--but how? He, Himself, did nothing but speak
the word. He gave His command to the servants and the transformation
was wrought. Again; the nobleman's son was sick. The father came to
the Lord Jesus and besought Him to journey to his home and heal his
boy. What was our Lord's response? "Jesus said unto him, Go thy way,
thy son liveth" (John 4:50), and the miracle was performed. Again; an
impotent man was lying by the porch of Bethesda. He desired some one
to put him into the pool, but while he was waiting another stepped in
before him, and was healed. Then the Lord Jesus passed that way and
saw him. What happened? "Jesus saith unto him, Rise," etc. The word of
power went forth, and the sufferer was made whole. Once more: consider
the case of Lazarus, recorded only by John. In the raising of the
daughter of Jairus, Christ took the damsel by the hand; when He
restored to life the widow's son of Nain, He touched the bier. But in
bringing Lazarus from the dead He did nothing except speak the word,
"Lazarus, come forth." In all of these miracles we see the Word at
work. The One who had become flesh and tabernacled among men was
eternal and omnipotent--"the great God (the Word) and our Savior
(became flesh) Jesus Christ." (Titus 2:13).
"And dwelt (tabernacled) among us." He pitched His tent on earth for
thirty-three years. There is here a latent reference to the tabernacle
of Israel in the wilderness. That tabernacle had a typical
significance: it forshadowed God the Son incarnate. Almost everything
about the tabernacle adumbrated the Word made flesh. Many and varied
are the correspondences between the type and the Anti-type. We notice
a few of the more conspicuous.
1. The "tabernacle" was a temporary appointment. In this it differed
from the temple of Solomon, which was a permanent structure. The
tabernacle was merely a tent, a temporary convenience, something that
was suited to be moved about from place to place during the
journeyings of the children of Israel. So it was when our blessed Lord
tabernacled here among men. His stay was but a brief one--less than
forty years; and, like the type, He abode not long in any one place,
but was constantly on the move--unwearied in the activity of His love.
2. The "tabernacle" was for use in the wilderness. After Israel
settled in Canaan, the tabernacle was superseded by the temple. But
during the time of their pilgrimage from Egypt to the promised land,
the tabernacle was God's appointed provision for them. The wilderness
strikingly foreshadowed the conditions amid which the eternal Word
tabernacled among men at His first advent. The wilderness home of the
tabernacle unmistakably foreshadowed the manger-cradle, the
Nazarite-carpenter's bench, the "nowhere" for the Son of man to lay
His head, the borrowed tomb for His sepulcher. A careful study of the
chronology of the Pentateuch seems to indicate that Israel used the
tabernacle in the wilderness rather less than thirty-five years!
3. Outwardly the "tabernacle" was mean, humble, and unattractive in
appearance. Altogether unlike the costly and magnificent temple of
Solomon, there was nothing in the externals of the tabernacle to
please the carnal eye. Nothing but plain boards and skins. So it was
at the Incarnation. The Divine majesty of our Lord was hidden beneath
a veil of flesh. He came, unattended by any imposing retinue of
angels. To the unbelieving gaze of Israel He had no form nor
comeliness; and when they beheld Him, their unanointed eyes saw in Him
no beauty that they should desire Him.
4. The "tabernacle" was God's dwelling place. It was there, in the
midst of Israel's camp, He took up His abode. There, between the
cherubim upon the mercy-seat He made His throne. In the holy of holies
He manifested His presence by means of the Shekinah glory. And during
the thirty-three years that the Word tabernacled among men, God had
His dwelling place in Palestine. The holy of holies received its
anti-typical fulfillment in the Person of the Holy One of God. Just as
the Shekinah dwelt between the two cherubim, so on the mount of
transfiguration the glory of the God-man flashed forth from between
two men--Moses and Elijah. "We beheld his glory" is the language of
the tabernacle type.
5. The "tabernacle" was, therefore, the place where God met with men.
It was termed "the tent of meeting." If an Israelite desired to draw
near unto Jehovah He had to come to the door of the tabernacle. When
giving instructions to Moses concerning the making of the tabernacle
and its furniture, God said, "And thou shalt put the mercy seat above
upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall
give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with
thee" (Ex. 25:21, 22). How perfect is this lovely type! Christ is the
meeting place between God and men. No man cometh unto the Father but
by Him (see John 14:16). There is but one Mediator between God and
men--the Man Christ Jesus (see 1 Timothy 2:5). He is the One who spans
the gulf between deity and humanity, because He is Himself both God
and Man.
6. The "tabernacle" was the center of Israel's camp. In the immediate
vicinity of the tabernacle dwelt the Levites, the priestly tribe: "But
thou shalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of testimony, and
over all the vessels thereof, and over all things that belong to it:
and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the
tabernacle" (Num. 1:50), and around the Levites were grouped the
twelve tribes, three on either side--see Numbers 2. Again; we read,
that when Israel's camp was to be moved from one place to another,
"Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set forward with the
camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp" (Num. 2:17). And, once
more, "And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the Lord,
and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them
round about the tabernacle. And the Lord came down in a cloud and
spake unto him" (Num. 11:24, 25). How striking is this! The tabernacle
was the great gathering center. As such it was a beautiful
foreshadowing of the Lord Jesus. He is our great gathering-center. And
His precious promise is, that "where two or three are gathered
together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20).
7. The "tabernacle" was the place where the Law was preserved. The
first two tables of stone, on which Jehovah had inscribed the ten
commandments were broken (see Exodus 32:19); but the second set were
deposited in the ark in the tabernacle for safe keeping (see
Deuteronomy 10:2-5). It was only there, within the holy of holies, the
tablets of the Law were preserved intact. How this, again, speaks to
us of Christ! He it was that said, "Lo, I come: in the volume of the
book it is written of me; I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy
law is within my heart" (Ps. 40:7, 8). Throughout His perfect life He
preserved in thought, word and deed, the Divine Decalogue, honoring
and magnifying God's Law.
8. The "tabernacle" was the place where sacrifice was made. In its
outer court stood the brazen altar, to which the animals were brought,
and on which they were slain. There it was that blood was shed and
atonement was made for sin. So it was with the Lord Jesus. He
fulfilled in His own Person the typical significance of the brazen
altar, as of every piece of the tabernacle furniture. The body in
which He tabernacled on earth was nailed to the cruel Tree. The Cross
was the altar upon which God's Lamb was slain, where His precious
blood was shed, and where complete atonement was made for sin.
9. The "tabernacle" was the place where the priestly family was fed.
"And the remainder thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat: with
unleavened bread shall it be eaten in the holy place; in the court of
the tabernacle of the congregation they shall eat it... The priest
that offereth it for sin shall eat it: in the holy place shall it be
eaten" (Lev. 6:16, 26). How deeply significant are these scriptures in
their typical import! And how they speak to us of Christ as the Food
of God's priestly family today, that is, all believers (see 1 Peter
2:5). He is the Bread of Life. He is the One upon whom our souls
delight to feed.
10. The "tabernacle" was the place of worship. To it the pious
Israelite brought his offerings. To it he turned when he desired to
worship Jehovah. From its door the Voice of the Lord was heard. Within
its courts the priests ministered in their sacred service. And so it
was with the Anti-type. It is "by him" we are to offer unto God a
sacrifice of praise (see Hebrews 13:15). It is in Him, and by Him,
alone, that we can worship the Father. It is through Him we have
access to the throne of grace.
Thus we see how fully and how perfectly the tabernacle of old
foreshadowed the Person of our blessed Lord, and why the Holy Spirit,
when announcing the Incarnation, said, "And the word became flesh, and
tabernacled among us." Before passing on to the next clause of John
1:14, it should be pointed out that there is a series of striking
contrasts between the wilderness tabernacle and Solomon's temple in
their respective foreshadowings of Christ.
(1) The tabernacle foreshadowed Christ in His first advent; the temple
looks forward to Christ at His second advent.
(2) The tabernacle was first, historically; the temple was not built
until long afterwards.
(3) The tabernacle was but a temporary erection; the temple was a
permanent structure.
(4) The tabernacle was erected by Moses the prophet (which was the
office Christ filled during His first advent); the temple was built by
Solomon the king (which is the office Christ will fill at His second
advent).
(5) The tabernacle was used in the wilderness--speaking of Christ's
humiliation; the temple was built in Jerusalem, the "city of the great
King" (Matthew 5:35)--speaking of Christ's future glorification.
(6) The numeral which figured most prominently in the tabernacle was
five, which speaks of grace, and grace was what characterized the
earthly ministry of Christ at His first advent; but the leading
numeral in the temple was twelve which speaks of government, for
Christ shall rule and reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.
(7) The tabernacle was unattractive in its externals--so when Christ
was here before He was as "a root out of a dry ground;" but the temple
was renowned for its outward magnificence--so Christ when He returns
shall come in power and great glory.
"And we beheld his glory." "We beheld" refers, directly, to the first
disciples, yet it is the blessed experience of all believers today.
"But we all . . . beholding, as in a glass (mirror) the glory of the
Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18). The term used in both of these verses seems to
point a contrast. In John 12:41 we read, "These things said Isaiah,
when he saw his glory, and spake of him," the reference being to
Isaiah 6. The Old Testament celebrities only had occasional and
passing glimpses of God's glory. But, in contrast from these who only
"saw," we--believers of this dispensation--"behold his glory." But
more particularly, there is a contrast here between the beholding and
the non-beholding of God's glory: the Shekinah glory abode in the holy
of holies, and therefore, was hidden. But we, now, "behold" the Divine
glory.
"We beheld his glory." What is meant by this? Ah! who is competent to
answer. Eternity itself will be too short to exhaustively explore this
theme. The glories of our Lord are infinite, for in Him dwelleth all
the fulness of the Godhead bodily. No subject ought to be dearer to
the heart of a believer. Briefly defined, "We beheld his glory"
signifies His supreme excellency, His personal perfections. For the
purpose of general classification we may say the "glories" of our
Savior are fourfold, each of which is capable of being subdivided
indefinitely. First, there are His essential "glories," as the Son of
God; these are His Divine perfections, as for example, His
Omnipotence. Second, there are His moral "glories," and these are His
human perfections, as for example, His meekness. Third, there are His
official "glories," and these are His mediatorial perfections, as for
example, His priesthood. Fourth, there are His acquired "glories," and
these are the reward for what He has done. Probably the first three of
these are spoken of in our text.
First, "We beheld his glory" refers to His essential "glory," or
Divine perfections. This is clear from the words which follow: "The
glory as of the only begotten of the Father." From the beginning to
the end of His earthly life and ministry the Deity of the Lord Jesus
was plainly evidenced. His supernatural birth, His personal
excellencies, His matchless teaching, His wondrous miracles, His death
and resurrection, all proclaimed Him as the Son of God. But it is to
be noted that these words, "we beheld his glory," follow immediately
after the words "tabernacled" among men. We cannot but believe there
is here a further reference to the tabernacle. In the tabernacle, in
the holy of holies, Jehovah made His throne upon the mercy seat, and
the evidence of His presence there was the Shekinah glory, frequently
termed "the cloud." When the tabernacle had been completed, and
Jehovah took possession of it, we read, "then a cloud covered the tent
of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle"
(Ex. 40:34). It was the same at the completion of Solomon's temple:
"The cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not
stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord had
filled the house of the Lord" (1 Kings 8:10, 11). Here "the cloud" and
"the glory" are clearly identified. The Shekinah glory, then, was the
standing sign of God's presence in the midst of Israel. Hence, after
Israel's apostasy, and when the Lord was turning away from them, we
are told, "And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the
city" (Ezek. 11:23). Therefore, when we read, "The Word . . .
tabernacled among men, and we beheld his glory" it was the proof that
none other than Jehovah was again in Israel's midst. And it is a
remarkable fact, to which we have never seen attention called, that at
either extremity of the Word's tabernacling among men the Shekinah
glory was evidenced. Immediately following His birth we are told, "And
there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping
watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came
upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they
were sore afraid" (Luke 2:8, 9). And, at His departure from this
world, we read "And when he had spoken these things, while they
beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight"
(Acts 1:9)--not "clouds," but "a cloud! We beheld his glory," then,
refers, first, to His Divine glory.
Second, there also seems to be a reference here to His official
"glory," which was exhibited upon the Holy Mount. In 2 Peter 1:16 we
read, "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made
known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were
eyewitnesses of his majesty." The reference is to the Transfiguration,
for the next verse goes on to say, "For he received from God the
Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the
excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
It is the use of the word "glory" here which seems to link the
transfiguration-scene with John 1:14. This is confirmed by the fact
that on the Mount, "while. he vet spake, behold, a bright cloud
overshadowed them" (Matthew 17:5).
Third, there is also a clear reference in John 1:14 to the moral
"glory" or perfections of the God-Man, for after saying "we beheld his
glory," John immediately adds (omitting the parenthesis) "full of
grace and truth." What marvelous grace we behold in that wondrous
descent from heaven's throne to Bethlehem's manger! It had been an act
of infinite condescension if the One who was the Object of angelic
worship had deigned to come down to this earth and reign over it as
King; but that He should appear in weakness, that He should
voluntarily choose poverty, that He should become a helpless
Babe--such grace is altogether beyond our ken; such matchless love
passeth knowledge. O that we may never lose our sense of wonderment at
the infinite condescension of God's Son.
In His marvelous stoop we behold His glory. Greatness is never so
glorious as when it takes the place of lowliness. Power is never so
attractive as when it is placed at the disposal of others. Might is
never so triumphant as when it sets aside its own prerogatives.
Sovereignty is never so winsome as when it is seen in the place of
service. And, may we not say it reverently, Deity had never appeared
so glorious as when It hung upon a maiden's breast! Yes, we behold His
glory--the glory of an infinite condescension, the glory of a
matchless grace, the glory of a fathomless love.
Concerning the acquired "glories" of our Lord we cannot now treat at
length. These include the various rewards bestowed upon Him by the
Father after the successful completion of the work which had been
committed into His hands. It is of these acquired glories Isaiah
speaks, when, after treating of the voluntary humiliation and death of
the Savior, he gives us to hear the Father saying of Christ,
"Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall
divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul
unto death" (Isa. 53:12). It is of these acquired glories the Holy
Spirit speaks in Philippians 2, where after telling of our Lord's
obedience even unto the death of the Cross, He declares, "Wherefore
God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above
every name" (Phil. 2:9). And so we might continue. But how unspeakably
blessed to know, that at the close of our great High Priest's prayer,
recorded in John 17, we find Him saying, "Father, I will that they
also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may
behold my glory, which thou hast given me" (verse 24)!
Before we pass on to the next verse we would point out that there is
an intimate connection between the one which has just been before us
(John 5:14) and the opening verse of the chapter. Verse 14 is really
an explanation and amplification of verse 1. There are three
statements in each which exactly correspond, and the latter throw
light on the former. First, "in the beginning was the word," and that
is something that transcends our comprehension; but "and the word
became flesh" brings Him within reach of our sense. Second "and the
word was with God," and again we are unable to understand; but the
Word "tabernacled among us," and we may draw near and behold. Third,
"and the word was God," and again we are in the realm of the Infinite;
but "full of grace and truth," and here are two essential facts
concerning God which come within the range of our vision. Thus by
coupling together verses 1 and 14 (reading the verses in between as a
parenthesis) we have a statement which is, probably, the most
comprehensive in its sweep, the profoundest in its depths, and yet the
simplest in its terms to be found between the covers of the Bible. Put
these verses side by side:--
(1) "In the beginning was the word:"
(a) "And the word became flesh" tells of the beginning of His
human life.
(2) "And the word was with God"
(b) "And tabernacled among us" shows Him with men.
(3) "And the word was God"
(c) "Full of grace and truth," and this tells what God is.
"John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I
spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was
before me" (John 1:15). Concerning the ministry and testimony of John
the Baptist we shall have more to say in our next chapter, D.V., so
upon this verse we offer only two very brief remarks. First, we find
that here the Lord's forerunner bears witness to Christ's supreme
excellency: "He that cometh after me is preferred before me," he
declares, which, in the Greek, signifies Christ had His being "before"
John. Second, "For he was before me." But, historically, John the
Baptist was born into this world six months before the Savior was.
When, then, the Baptist says Christ "was before" him, he is referring
to His eternal existence, and, therefore, bears witness to His deity.
"And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace" (John
1:16). The word "fulness" is still another term in this important
passage which brings out the absolute Deity of the Savior. It is the
same word which is found in Colossians 1:19 and 2:9--"For it pleased
the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; . . . For in him
dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." The Greek preposition
"ek" signifies "out of." Out of the Divine fulness have all we
(believers) "received." What is it we have "received" from Christ? Ah,
what is it we have not "received!" It is out of His inexhaustible
"fulness" we have "received." From Him we have "received" life (see
John 10:28); peace (John 14:27); joy (John 15:11); God's own Word
(John 17:14); the Holy Spirit (John 20:22). There is laid up in
Christ, as in a great storehouse, all that the believer needs both for
time and for eternity.
"And grace for grace." Bishop Ryle tells us the Greek preposition here
may be translated two different ways, and suggests the following
thoughts. First, we have received "grace upon grace," that is, God's
favors heaped up, one upon another. Second, "grace for grace," that
is, new grace to supply old grace; grace sufficient to meet every
recurring need.
"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus
Christ" (John 1:17). A contrast is drawn between what was "given" by
Moses, and what "came" by Jesus Christ; for "grace and truth" were not
merely "given," they "came by Jesus Christ," came in all their
fulness, came in their glorious perfections. The Law was "given" to
Moses, for it was not his own; but "grace and truth" were not "given"
to Christ, for these were His own essential perfections. On looking
into this contrast we must bear in mind that the great point here is
the manifestation of God: God as He was manifested through the Law,
and God as He was made known by the Only Begotten Son.
Was not the Law "truth?" Yes, so far as it went. It announced what God
righteously demanded of men, and therefore, what men ought to be
according to God's mind. It has often been said, the Law is a
transcript of God's mind. But how inadequate such a statement is! Did
the Law reveal what God is? Did it display all His attributes? If it
did, there would be nothing more to learn of God than what the Law
made known.
Did the Law tell out the grace of God? No; indeed. The Law was holy,
and the commandment holy, just, and good. It demanded obedience; it
required the strictest doing and continuance of all things written in
it. And the only alternative was death. Inflexible in its claims, it
remitted no part of its penalty. He that despised it "died without
mercy," and, "every transgression and disobedience received a just
recompense of reward" (Heb. 10:28; see Hebrews 2:2). Such a Law could
never justify a sinner. For this it was never given.
The inevitable effect of the Law when received by the unsaved is just
that which was produced at Sinai, to whom it first came: "And they
said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God
speak with us, lest we die" (Ex. 20:19). "Now therefore why should we
die? for this great fire will consume us: if we hear the voice of the
Lord our God any more, then we shall die" (Deut. 5:25). Why such
terror? Because "they could not endure that which was commanded" (Heb.
12:20). This terror was the testimony which the Law extorts from every
sinner, to whom it is brought home as God's Law; it is "the
ministration of condemnation, and of death" (2 Cor. 3:7, 9). It has a
"glory," indeed, but it is the glory of thunder and lightning, of
fire, of blackness, and of darkness, and the sound of the trumpet, and
of the voice of words, which only bring terror to the guilty
conscience. But, blessed be God, there is "a glory that excelleth" (2
Cor. 3:10).
"Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." The "glory that excelleth" is
the glory of "the word that became flesh, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father full of grace and truth." The Law revealed
God's justice, but it did not make known His mercy; it testified to
His righteousness, but it did not exhibit His grace. It was God's
"truth," but not the full truth about God Himself. "By the law is the
knowledge of sin;" we never read "by the law is the knowledge of God."
No; the "law entered that the offense might abound," "sin by the
commandment became exceeding sinful." It made known the heinousness of
sin; it condemned the sinner, but it did not fully reveal God. It
exhibited His righteous hatred of sin and His holy determination to
punish it: it exposed the guilt and corruption of the sinner, but for
ought it could tell him, it left him to his doom. "For what the law
could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his
own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in
the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (Rom. 8:3, 4).
"Grace and truth." These are fitly and inseparably joined together. We
cannot have the one without having the other. There are many who do
not like salvation by grace, and there are those who would tolerate
grace if they could have it without the truth. The Nazarenes could
"wonder" at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth, but
as soon as Christ pressed the truth upon them, they "were filled with
wrath," and sought to "cast him down headlong from the brow of the
hill whereon their city was built" (Luke 4:29). Such, too, was the
condition of those who sought Him for "the meat that perisheth." They
were willing to profit from His grace, but when He told them the truth
some "murmured" at Him, others were "offended," and "many of his
disciples went back and walked no more with him" (John 6:66). And in
our own day, there are many who admire the grace which came by Jesus
Christ, and would consent to be saved by it, provided this could be
without the intrusion of the truth. But this cannot be. Those who
reject the truth, reject grace.
There is, in Romans 5:21, another sentence which is closely parallel,
and really, an amplification of these words "grace and truth"--"Grace
reigns through righteousness, unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our
Lord." The grace which saves sinners is no mere moral weakness such as
is often to be found in human government. Nor is "the righteousness of
God," through which grace reigns, some mere semblance of justice. No;
on the Cross Christ was "set forth a proptiation (a perfect
satisfaction to the broken Law) through faith in his blood, to declare
his (God's) righteousness for the remission of sins" (Rom. 3:25).
Grace does not ignore the Law, or set aside its requirements; nay
verily, "it establishes the law" (Rom. 3:31): establishes it because
inseparably linked with "truth;" establishes it because it reigns
"through righteousness," not at the expense of it; establishes it
because grace tells of a Substitute who kept the Law for and endured
the death penalty on behalf of all who receive Him as their Lord and
Savior; and establishes it by bringing the redeemed to "delight" in
the Law.
But was there no "grace and truth" before Jesus Christ came? Assuredly
there was. God dealt according to "grace and truth" with our first
parents immediately after their transgression--it was grace that
sought them, and provided them with a covering; as it was truth that
pronounced sentence upon them, and expelled them from the garden. God
dealt according to "grace and truth" with Israel on the passover night
in Egypt: it was grace that provided shelter for them beneath the
blood; it was truth that righteously demanded the death of an innocent
substitute in their stead. But "grace and truth" were never fully
revealed till the Savior Himself appeared. By Him they "came:" in Him
they were personified, magnified, glorified.
And now let us notice a few contrasts between Law and Grace:
1. Law addresses men as members of the old creation; Grace makes men
members of a new creation.
2. Law manifested what was in Man-sin; Grace manifests what is in
God-Love.
3. Law demanded righteousness from men; Grace brings righteousness to
men.
4. Law sentences a living man to death; Grace brings a dead man to
life.
5. Law speaks of what men must do for God; Grace tells of what Christ
has done for men.
6. Law gives a knowledge of sin; Grace puts away sin.
7. Law brought God out to men; Grace brings men in to God.
"No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in
the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him" (John 1:18). This verse
terminates the Introduction to John's Gospel, and summarizes the whole
of the first eighteen verses of John 1. Christ has "declared"--told
out, revealed, unveiled, displayed the Father; and the One who has
done this is "the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the
Father." The "bosom of the Father" speaks of proximity to, personal
intimacy with, and the enjoyment of the Father's love. And, in
becoming flesh, the Son did not leave this place of inseparable union.
It is not the "Son which was," but "which is in the bosom of the
Father." He retained the same intimacy with the Father, entirely
unimpaired by the Incarnation. Nothing in the slightest degree
detracted from His own personal glory, or from the nearness and
oneness to the Father which He had enjoyed with Him from all eternity.
How we ought, then, to honor, reverence, and worship the Lord Jesus!
But a further word on this verse is called for. A remarkable contrast
is pointed. In the past, God, in the fulness of His glory, was
unmanifested--"No man" had seen Him; but now, God is fully
revealed--the Son has "declared" Him. Perhaps this contrast may be
made clearer to our readers if we refer to two passages in the Old
Testament and compare them with two passages in the New Testament.
In 1 Kings 8:12 we read, "Then spake Solomon, The Lord said that he
would dwell in the thick darkness." Again, "Clouds and darkness are
round about him" (Ps. 97:2). These verses tell not what God is in
Himself, but declare that under the Law He was not revealed. What
could be known of a person who dwelt in "thick darkness!" But now turn
to 1 Peter 2:9, "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood,
an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the
praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous
light." Ah, how blessed this is. Again, we read in 1 John 1:5, 7, "God
is light, and in him is no darkness at all... but if we walk in the
light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another."
And this, because the Father has been fully "declared" by our adorable
Savior.
Once more: turn to Exodus 33:18--"And he said, I beseech thee, show me
thy glory." This was the earnest request of Moses. But was it granted?
Read on, "And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou
shall stand upon a rock: and it shall come to pass, while my glory
passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of a rock, and will cover
thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hind, and
thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen."
Character is not declared in a person's "back parts" but in his face!
That Moses saw not the face, but only the back parts of Jehovah, was
in perfect accord with the dispensation of Law in which he lived. How
profoundly thankful should we be that the dispensation of Law has
passed, and that we live in the full light of the dispensation of
Grace! How deeply grateful should we be, that we look not on the back
parts of Jehovah "for God, who commanded the light to shine out of
darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor.
4:6). May grace be given us to magnify and adorn that superlative
grace which has brought us out of darkness into marvelous light,
because the God whom no man hath seen at any time has been fully
"declared" by the Son.
We conclude, once more, by drawing up a number of questions on the
passage which will be before us in the next chapter (John 1:19-34), so
that the interested reader, who desires to "Search the Scriptures" may
give them careful study in the interval.
1. Why did the Jews ask John if he were Elijah, John 1:21?
2. What "prophet" did they refer to in John 1:21?
3. What are the thoughts suggested by "voice" in John 1:23?
4. Why did John cry "in the wilderness" rather than in the temple,
John 1:23?
5. "Whom ye know not," John 1:26--What did this prove?
6. What are the thoughts suggested by the Savior's title "The Lamb of
God," John 1:29?
7. Why did the Holy Spirit descend on Christ as a "dove," John 1:32?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 4
Christ's Forerunner
John 1:19-34
_________________________________________________________________
Following our usual custom, we begin by submitting an Analysis of the
passage which is to be before us. In it we have:--
1. The Jews' inquiry of John, and his answers, John 1:19-26,
(1) "Who art thou?" Not the Christ: 19, 20.
(2) "Art thou Elijah?" No: 21.
(3) "Art thou that prophet?" No: 21.
(4) "What sayest thou of thyself?" A "voice:" 22, 23.
(5) "Why baptizeth thou?" To prepare the way for Christ: 24-26.
2. John's witness concerning Christ: John 1:27.
3. Location of the Conference, John 1:28.
4. John proclaims Christ as God's "Lamb," John 1:29.
5. The purpose of John's baptism, John 1:30-31.
6. John tells of the Spirit descending on Christ at His baptism, and
foretells that Christ shall baptize with the Spirit, John 1:32, 33.
7. John owns Christ's Deity, John 1:34.
Even a hurried reading of these verses will make it evident that the
personage which stands out most conspicuously in them is John the
Baptist. Moreover, we do not have to study this passage very closely
to discover that, the person and the witness of the Lord's forerunner
are brought before us here in a manner entirely different from what we
find in the first three Gospels. No hint is given that his raiment was
"of camel's hair," that he had "a leathern girdle about his loins," or
that "his meat was locusts and wild honey." Nothing is recorded of his
stem Call to Repentance, nor is anything said of his announcement that
"the kingdom of heaven is at hand." These things were foreign to the
design of the Holy Spirit in this fourth Gospel. Again; instead of
referring to the Lord Jesus as the One "whose fan is in his hand," and
of the One who "will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat
into his garner, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire"
(Matthew 3:12), he points to Him as "the Lamb of God which taketh away
the sin of the world." And this is most significant and blessed to
those who have been divinely taught to rightly divide the Word of
Truth.
Without doubt John the Baptist is, in several respects, one of the
most remarkable characters that is brought before us in the Bible. He
was the subject of Old Testament prophecy (Isa. 40); his birth was due
to the direct and miraculous intervention of God (Luke 1:7, 13); he
was "filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb" (Luke
1:15); he was a man sent from God" (John 1:6); he was sent to prepare
the way of the Lord (Matthew 3:3). Of him the Lord said, "Among them
that are born of women there has not risen a greater than John the
Baptist" (Matthew 11:11); the reference being to his positional
"greatness," as the forerunner of the Messiah: to him was accorded the
high honor of baptizing the Lord Jesus. That Christ was referring to
the positional "greatness" of John is clear from His next words,
"notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater
than he." To have a place in the kingdom of heaven will be a more
exalted position than to be heralding the King outside of it, as John
was. This, we take it is the key to that word in John 14:28, where we
find the Lord Jesus saying, "My Father is greater than I"--greater not
in His person, but in His position; for, at the time the Savior
uttered those words He was in the place of subjection, as God's
"Servant."
Our passage opens by telling of a deputation of priests and Levites
being sent from Jerusalem to enquire of John as to who he was: "And
this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites
from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?" (John 1:19). Nothing like
this is found in the other Gospels, but it is in striking accord with
the character and scope of the fourth Gospel, which deals with
spiritual rather than dispensational relationships. The incident
before us brings out the spiritual ignorance of the religious leaders
among the Jews. In fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy, the Lord's
forerunner had appeared in the wilderness, but, lacking in spiritual
discernment, the leaders in Jerusalem knew not who he was.
Accordingly, their messengers came and enquired of John, "Who art
thou?" Multitudes of people were flocking to this strange preacher in
the wilderness, and many had been baptized by him. A great stir had
been made, so much so that "men mused in their hearts of John, whether
he were Christ, or not" (Luke 3:15), and the religious leaders in
Jerusalem were compelled to take note of it; therefore, did they send
a deputation to wait upon John, to find out who he really was, and to
enquire into his credentials.
"And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ"
(John 1:20). These words give plain intimation of the Spirit in which
the priests and Levites must have approached John, as also of the
design of "the Jews" who had sent them. To them the Baptist was an
interloper. He was outside the religious systems of that day. He had
not been trained in the schools of the Rabbins, he had held no
position of honor in the temple ministrations, and he was not
identified with either the Pharisees, the Sadducees, or the Herodians.
From whence then had he received his authority? Who had commissioned
him to go forth bidding men to "Repent." By what right did he baptize
people? One can imagine the tone in which they said to John, "Who art
thou?" No doubt they expected to intimidate him. This seems clear from
the fact that we are here told, "and he confessed, and denied not." He
boldly stood his ground. Neither the dignity of those who had sent
this embassy to John, nor their threatening frowns, moved him at all.
"He confessed, and denied not." May like courage be found in us when
we are challenged with an "Who art thou?"
"But confessed, I am not the Christ." Having taken the firm stand he
had, did Satan now tempt him to go to the other extreme? Failing to
intimidate him, did the enemy now seek to make him boastfully
exaggerate? Christ had not then been openly manifested: John was the
one before the public eye, as we read in Mark 1:5, "And there went out
unto him all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all
baptized of him in the river of Jordan" (Mark 1:5). Now that the
multitudes were flocking to him, and many had become his disciples
(cf. John 1:35), why not announce that he was the Messiah himself! But
he instantly banished such wicked and presumptuous thoughts, if such
were presented by Satan to his mind, as most likely they were, or, why
tell us that he "confessed I am not the Christ?" May God deliver us
from the evil spirit of boasting, and keep us from ever claiming to be
anything more than what we really are--sinners saved by grace.
"And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elijah? And he saith, I am
not" (John 1:21). Why should they have asked John if he were Elijah?
The answer is, Because there was a general expectation among the Jews
at that time that Elijah would again appear on earth. That this was
so, is dear from a number of passages in the Gospels. For instance,
when the Lord asked His disciples, "Whom do men say that I the Son of
man am?" they answered, "Some say that thou art John the Baptist (who
had been slain in the interval), some Elijah, and others Jeremiah, or
one of the prophets" (Matthew 16:13, 14). Again; as the Lord Jesus and
His disciples came down from the Mount of Transfiguration, He said
unto them, "Tell the vision to no man until the Son of man be raised
from the dead." Then, we read, "His disciples asked him, saying, Why
then say the scribes that Elijah must first come?" (Matthew 17:9, 10).
The expectation of the Jews had a scriptural foundation, for the last
verses of the Old Testament say, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the
prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the
heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the
earth with a curse" (Mal. 4:5, 6). This prophecy has reference to the
return to earth of Elijah, to perform a ministry just before the
second advent of Christ, similar in character to that of John the
Baptist before the first public appearing of Christ.
When asked, "Art thou Elijah?" John replied, emphatically, "I am not."
John had much in common with the Tishbite, and his work was very
similar in character to the yet future work of Elijah; nevertheless,
he was not Elijah himself. He went before Christ "in the spirit and
power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17), bemuse he came "to make ready a people
prepared for the Lord."
Next, John's interrogators asked him, "Art thou that prophet?" (John
1:21). What "prophet?" we may well enquire. And the answer is, The
"prophet" predicted through Moses. The prediction is recorded in
Deuteronomy 18:15, 18: "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a
prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto
him ye shall hearken... I will raise them up a prophet from among
their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth;
and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him." This was
one of the many Messianic prophecies given in the Old Testament times,
which received its fulfillment in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
"Art thou that prophet?" John was asked; and, again, he answered,
"No."
"Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to
them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?" (John 1:22).
Searching questions were these--"Who art thou?"; "what sayest thou of
thyself?" John might have answered, and answered truthfully, "I am the
son of Zacharias the priest. I am one who has been filled with the
Holy Spirit from my birth." Or, he might have replied, "I am the most
remarkable character ever raised up by God and sent unto Israel."
"What sayest thou of thyself?" Ah! that was indeed a searching
question, and both writer and reader may well learn a lesson from
John's reply, and seek grace to emulate his lovely modesty--a lesson
much needed in these days of Laodicean boasting.
"He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make
straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaiah" (John 1:23).
Here was John's answer. "What sayest thou of thyself?" "I am the voice
of one crying in the wilderness," he said. Becoming humility was this.
Humility is of great price in the sight of God, and has had a
prominent place in the men whom He has used. Paul, the greatest of the
apostles, confessed himself "less than the least of all saints" (Eph.
3:8). And John here confesses much the same thing, when he referred to
himself as "the voice of one crying in the wilderness." Reader, what
reply would you make to such a query--"What sayest thou of thyself?"
Surely you would not answer, "I am an eminent saint of God: I am
living on a very exalted plane of spirituality: I am one who has been
much used of God." Such self-exaltation would show you had learned
little from Him who was "meek and lowly in heart," and would evidence
a spirit far from that which should cause us to own that, after all,
we are only "unprofitable servants" (Luke 17:10).
When John referred to himself as "the voice," he employed the very
term which the Holy Spirit had used of him seven hundred years
previously, when speaking through Isaiah the prophet--"The voice of
him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God" (Isa. 40:3). And we
cannot but believe this appellation was selected with Divine
discrimination. In a former chapter, when commenting upon the titles
of the Lord Jesus, found in John 1:7--"The light"--we called attention
to the fact that Christ referred to His forerunner (in evident
contrast from Himself as "the light") as "the lamp that burneth and
shineth" (John 5:35, R.V.). And so here, we are satisfied that another
contrast is pointed. Christ is "the Word;" John was but "the voice."
What, then, are the thoughts suggested by this figurative title?
In the first place, the word exists (in the mind) before the voice
articulates it. Such was the relation between Christ and His
forerunner. It is true that John was the first to appear before the
public eye; yet, as the "Word," Christ had existed from all eternity.
Second, the voice is simply the vehicle or medium by which the word is
expressed or made known. Such was John. The object of his mission and
the purpose of his ministry was to bear witness to "the Word." Again,
the voice is simply heard but not seen. John was not seeking to
display himself. His work was to get men to listen to his God-given
message in order that they might behold "the Lamb." May the Lord today
make more of His servants John-like; just "voices," heard but not
seen! Finally, we may add, that the word endures after the voice is
silent. The voice of John has long since been stilled by death, but
"the Word" abideth forever. Appropriately, then, was the one who
introduced the Messiah to Israel, termed the "voice." What wonderful
depths there are in the Scriptures! How much is contained in a single
word! And how this calls for prolonged meditation and humble prayer!
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness." What a position for the
Messiah's forerunner to occupy! Surely his place was in Jerusalem. Why
then did not John cry in the temple? Why, because Jehovah was no more
there in the temple. Judaism was but a hollow shell: outward form
there was, but no life within. It was to a nation of legalists,
Pharisee ridden, who neither manifested Abraham's faith nor produced
his works, that John came. God would not own the self-righteous
formalism of the Jews. Therefore, the one "sent of God" appeared
outside the religious systems and circles of that day. But why did
John preach "in the wilderness?" Because the "wilderness" symbolized
the spiritual barrenness of the Jewish nation. John could only mourn
over that which was not of God, and everything about him was in
keeping with this: his food was that which he found in the wilderness,
and his prophet's garment testified to the failure that was evident on
every hand.
"And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him,
and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that
Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?" (John 1:24, 25). This final
question put to John by the embassy from Jerusalem confirms what we
have said upon verse 20. The religious leaders among the Jews were
disputing John's right to preach, and challenging his authority to
baptize. He had received no commission from the Sanhedrin, hence "why
baptizest thou?" John does not appear to have answered the last
question directly, instead, he turns to them and speaks of Christ.
"John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth
one among you, whom ye know not" (John 1:26). John continued to stand
his ground: he would not deny that he baptized with water, or more
correctly, in water, but he sought to get them occupied with something
of greater importance than a symbolical rite. There is much to be
learned from John's answer here. These men were raising questions
about baptism, while as yet they were utter strangers to Christ
Himself--how like many today! Of what use was it to discuss with these
Pharisee--commissioned "priests and Levites" the "why" of baptism,
when they were yet in their sins? Well would it be for the Lord's
servants and those engaged in personal work for Christ, to carefully
heed what is before us here. People are willing to argue about side
issues, while the vital and central Issue remains undecided! And only
too often the Christian worker follows them into "By-path meadow."
What is needed is for us to ignore all irrelevant quibbles, and press
upon the lost the claims of Christ and their need of accepting Him as
their Lord and Savior.
"There standeth one among you, whom ye know not." How this exposed
Israel's[1] condition! How this revealed their spiritual ignorance!
And how tragically true, in principle, is this today. Even in this
so-called Christian land, while many have heard about Christ, yet in
how many circles, yes, and in religious circles too, we may say,
"there standeth one among you, whom ye know not!" O the spiritual
blindness of the natural man. Christ, by His Spirit, stands in the
midst of many a congregation, unseen and unknown.
"He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's
latchet I am not worthy to unloose" (John 1:27). What a noble
testimony was this! How these words of John bring out the Divine glory
of the One he heralded! Remember who he was. No ordinary man was John
the Baptist. The subject of Old Testament prophecy, the son of a
priest, born as the result of the direct intervention of God's power,
filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb, engaged in a
ministry which drew great multitudes unto him, and yet he looked up to
Christ as standing on a plane infinitely higher than the one he
occupied, as a Being from another world, as One before whom he was not
worthy to stoop down and unloose His shoes. He could find no
expression strong enough to define the difference which separated him
from the One who was "preferred before" him. Again we say, How these
words of John bring out the Divine glory of the One he heralded!
"These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was
baptizing" (John 1:28). There is, of course, some good reason why the
Holy Spirit has been pleased to tell us where this conference took
place, whether we are able to discover it or not. Doubtless, the key
to its significance is found in the meaning of the proper nouns here
recorded. Unfortunately, there is some variation in the spelling of
"Bethabara" in the Greek manuscripts; but with Gesenius, the renowned
Hebrew scholar, we are firmly inclined to believe this place is
identical with "Bethbarah" mentioned in Judges 7:24, and which
signifies "House of Passage,'' which was so named to memorialize the
crossing of the Jordan in the days of Joshua. It was here, then,
(apparently) at a place whose name signified "house of passage,"
beyond Jordan, the symbol of death, that John was baptizing as the
forerunner of Christ. The meaning of this should not be hard to find.
The significance of these names correspond closely with the religious
position that John himself occupied, and with the character of his
mission. Separated as he was from Judaism, those who responded to his
call to repent, and were baptized of him confessing their sins, passed
out of the apostate Jewish system, and took their place with the
little remnant who were "prepared for the Lord" (Luke 1:17). Well,
then, was the place where John was baptizing named "Bethbarah"--House
of Passage.
"The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold, the
lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).
"Behold the lamb of God:" the connection in which these words are
found should be carefully noted. It was the day following the meeting
between John and the Jerusalem delegation, a meeting which evidently
occurred in the presence of others also, for John continues "this is
he of whom I said, after me cometh a man which is preferred before
me," which is a word for word reference to what he had said to those
who had interrogated him on the previous day--see verse 27; when he
had also declared to those priests and Levites "which were sent of the
Pharisees" (verse 24), "there standeth one among you, whom ye know
not."
"Behold the lamb of God." The force of this Call was deeply
significant when viewed in the light of its setting. The Pharisees
were looking for a "prophet," and they desired a "king" who should
deliver them from the Roman yoke, but they had no yearnings for a
Savior-priest. The questions asked of John betrayed the hearts of
those who put them. They appeared to be in doubt as to whether or not
the Baptist was the long promised Messiah, so they asked him, "Art
thou Elijah? Art thou that prophet?" But, be it noted, no enquiry was
made as to whether he was the one who should deliver them "from the
wrath to come!" One would have naturally expected these priests and
Levites to have asked about the sacrifice, but no; apparently they had
no sense of sin! It was under these circumstances that the forerunner
of Christ announced Him as "the lamb of God," not as "the word of
God," not as "the Christ of God," but as THE LAMB. It was the Spirit
of God presenting the Lord Jesus to Israel in the very office and
character in which they stood in deepest need of Him. They would have
welcomed Him on the throne, but they must first accept Him on the
altar. And is it any different today? Christ as an Elijah--a Social
Reformer--will be tolerated; and Christ as a Prophet, as a Teacher of
ethics, will receive respect. But what the world needs first and
foremost is the Christ of the Cross, where the Lamb of God offered
Himself as a sacrifice for sin.
"Behold the lamb of God." There before John stood the One whom all the
sacrifices of Old Testament times had foreshadowed. It is exceedingly
striking to observe the progressive order followed by God in the
teaching of Scripture concerning "the lamb." First, in Genesis 4, we
have the Lamb typified in the firstlings of the flock slain by Abel in
sacrifice. Second, we have the Lamb prophesied in Genesis 22:8 where
Abraham said to Isaac, "God will provide himself a lamb." Third, in
Exodus 12, we have the Lamb slain and its blood applied. Fourth, in
Isaiah 53:7, we have the Lamb personified: here for the first time we
learn that the Lamb would be a Man. Fifth, in John 1:29, we have the
Lamb identified, learning who He was. Sixth, in Revelation 5, we have
the Lamb magnified by the hosts of heaven. Seventh, in the last
chapter of the Bible we have the Lamb glorified, seated upon the
eternal throne of God, Revelation 22:1. Once more; mark the orderly
development in the scope of the sacrifices. In Genesis 4 sacrifice is
offered for the individual--Abel. In Exodus 12 the sacrifice avails
for the whole household. In Leviticus 16, on the annual Day of
Atonement, the sacrifice was efficacious for the entire nation. But
here in John 1:29 it is "Behold the lamb of God which taketh away the
sin of the world"--Gentiles are embraced as well as Jews!
"Behold the lamb of God." What are the thoughts suggested by this
title? It points to His moral perfections, His sinlessness, for He was
the "lamb without blemish and without spot" (1 Pet. 1:19). It tells of
His gentleness, His voluntary offering Himself to God on our
behalf--He was "led" (not driven) as "a lamb to the slaughter" (Acts
8:32, R.V.). But, more especially, and particularly, this title of our
Lord speaks of sacrifice--He was "the lamb of God which taketh away
the sin of the world," and this could only be through death, for
"without shedding of blood is no remission." There was only one way by
which sin could be taken away, and that was by death. "Sin" here
signifies guilt (condemnation) as in Hebrews 9:26; and "the world"
refers to the world of believers, for it is only those who are in
Christ for whom there is now "no condemnation" (Rom. 8:1); it is the
world of believers, as contrasted from "the world of the ungodly" (2
Pet. 2:5).
"This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred
before me, for he was before me. And I knew him not: but that he
should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with
water" (John 1:30, 31). Here for the third time John declares that
Christ was "preferred before him"--(see verses 15, 27, 30). It
affirmed His pre-existence: it was a witness to His eternality. Then
John tells of the purpose of his baptism. It was to make Christ
"manifest" to Israel. It was to prepare a people for Him. This people
was prepared by them taking the place of sinners before God (Mark
1:5), and that is why John baptized in Jordan, the river of death;
for, being baptized in Jordan, they acknowledged that death was their
due. In this, John's baptism differs from Christian baptism. In
Christian baptism the believer does not confess that death is his due,
but he shows forth the fact that he has already died, died to sin,
died with Christ (Rom. 6:3, 4).
"And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven
like a dove, and it abode upon him" (John 1:32). This has reference,
of course, to the occasion when Christ Himself was baptized of John in
the Jordan, when the Father testified to His pleasure, in the Son, and
when the Spirit descended upon Him as a dove. It manifested the
character of the One on whom He came. The "dove" is the bird of love
and sorrow: apt symbol, then, of Christ. The love expressed the
sorrow, and the sorrow told out the depths of His love. Thus did the
heavenly Dove bear witness to Christ. When the Holy Spirit came upon
the disciples on the Day of Pentecost, we read "there appeared unto
them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them"
(Acts 2:3). "Fire," uniformly signifies Divine judgment. There was
that in the disciples which needed to be judged--the evil nature still
remained within them. But, there was nothing in the Holy One of God
that needed judging; hence, did the Holy Spirit descend upon Him like
a dove!
"And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the
same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and
remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Spirit"
(John 1:33). The word "remaining" is rendered "abiding" in the R.V.,
and this is one of the characteristic words of the fourth Gospel. The
other three Gospels all make mention of the Lord Jesus being anointed
by the Holy Spirit, but John is the only one that says the Spirit
"abode" upon Him. The Holy Spirit did not come upon Him, and then
leave again, as with the prophets of old--He "abode" on Christ. This
term has to do with the Divine side of things, and speaks of
fellowship. We have the same word again in John 14:10, "Believest thou
not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I
say unto you, I speak not from myself, but the Father abiding in me
doeth his works" (R.V.). So, in John 15, where the Lord Jesus speaks
of the fundamental requirement in spiritual fruit-bearing--fellowship
with Himself--He says, "He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same
beareth much fruit" (John 15:5 R.V.). That Christ shall "baptize with
(or `in') the Holy Spirit" was another proof of His Godhood.
"And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God" (John 1:34).
Here the witness of John the Baptist to the person of Christ
terminates. It is to be noted that the forerunner bore a seven-fold
witness to the excellency of the One he heralded. First, he testified
to His pre-existence--"He was before me," verse 15. Second, He
testified to His Lordship, verse 23. Third, he testified to His
immeasurable superiority--"I am not worthy to unloose" His "shoe's
latchet," verse 27. Fourth, he testified to His sacrificial
work--"Behold the lamb," verse 29. Fifth, he testified to His moral
perfections--"I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and
it abode upon him," verse 32. Sixth, he testified to His Divine right
to baptize with the Holy Spirit, verse 33. Seventh, he testified to
His Divine Sonship, verse 34.
The questions below concern the passage which we shall expound in the
next chapter, namely, John 1:35-51, and to prepare our readers for it
we ask them to give these questions their prayerful and careful
study:--
1. Why did Christ ask the two disciples of John, "What seek ye?" John
1:38.
2. What is signified by their reply, "Where dwellest thou?" John 1:38.
3. What important practical truth is incorporated in John 1:40, 41?
4. What blessed truth is illustrated by "findeth" in John 1:43?
5. What is meant by, "in whom is no guile?" John 1:47.
6. What attribute of Christ does John 1:48 demonstrate?
7. To what does Christ refer in John 1:51?
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] "We must not, however, limit this picture to Israel, for it is
equally applicable and pertinent to sinners of the Gentiles too.
Israel in the flesh was only a sample of fallen man as such. What we
have here is a pointed and solemn delineation of human depravity . . .
its normal application is to the whole of Adam's fallen race. Let
every reader see here a portrait of what he or she is by nature. The
picture is not a flattering. one we know. No, it is drawn by one who
searches the innermost recesses of the human heart, and is presented
here to humble us." (A.W.P.). And so all through.
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 5
CHRIST AND HIS FIRST DISCIPLES
John 1:35-51
_________________________________________________________________
We first submit a brief Analysis of the passage which is to be before
us. We would divide it as follows:--
1. John points to Christ as God's Lamb, John 1:35, 36.
2. The effect of this on two of his disciples, John 1:37.
3. Christ's searching question, the disciples' reply and communion
with Christ, John 1:38, 39.
4. The effect of this on Andrew, John 1:40-42.
5. Christ finds and calls on Philip to follow Him, John 1:43, 44.
6. The effect of this on Philip, John 1:45, 46.
7. The meeting between Christ and Nathanael, John 1:47-51.
The central truth of the passage we are about to study is, How the
first of Christ's disciples were brought into saving contact with Him.
It may be that some of our readers have experienced a difficulty when
studying these closing verses of John 1 as they have compared their
contents with what is found in Mark 1:16-20: "Now as he walked by the
sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into
the sea: for they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Come ye
after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And
straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him. And when he had
gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and
John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. And
straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the
ship with the hired servants, and went after him" (cf. Matthew
4:18-22; Luke 5:1-11). Many have wondered how to harmonize John
1:35-42 with Mark 1:16-20. But there is nothing to harmonize, because
there is no contradiction between them. The truth is, that Mark and
John are not writing on the same subject. Mark treats of something
which happened at a later date than that of which John writes. John
tells us of the conversion of these disciples, whereas Mark (as also
Matthew and Luke) deals with their call to service--a service which
concerned the lost sheep of the house of Israel. That John omits the
call to service (which each of the other three evangelists record)
brings out, again, the special character of his Gospel, for he treats
not of dispensational but of spiritual relationships, and therefore
was it reserved for him to describe the conversion of these first
disciples of Christ.
It is deeply interesting and instructive to mark attentively the
manner in which these first disciples found the Savior. They did not
all come to Him in the same way, for God does not confine Himself to
any particular method--He is sovereign in this, as in everything. It
had been well if this had been kept in mind, for then had many a doubt
been dispelled and many an heartache removed. How many there are who
have listened to the testimony of some striking conversion, and have
reproached themselves and made themselves miserable because their
experience was a different one. How many churches there are which have
their annual two weeks "protracted" meetings, and then conduct
themselves as though there were no other souls that needed salvation
during the remaining fifty weeks of the year! How many there are who
imagine no sinner can be saved except at a "mourner's bench!" But all
of these are so many ways of limiting God, that is, holding limited
conceptions of God.
Of the four cases of conversion described in our passage (we say four,
for the two mentioned in verse 35 are linked together) no two were
alike! The first two heard a preacher proclaiming Christ as "the lamb
of God," and, in consequence, promptly sought out the Savior for
themselves. Simon Peter, the next one, was "brought" to Christ by his
brother, who had followed and found the Savior on the previous day.
Philip, the third one, seemed to have no believer to help him, perhaps
no fellow creature who cared for his soul; and of him we read, "Jesus
would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him,
Follow me" (John 1:43). While the last, Nathanael, was sought out by
his now converted brother Philip, and was warmly invited to come and
see Christ for himself; and while making for Him, the Savior,
apparently, advanced toward and met the seeking one. Putting the four
together we may observe that the first found Christ as the result of a
preacher's message. The second and fourth found Christ as the result
of the personal work of a believer. In the case of the third there was
no human instrument employed by God. The fact that the first came to
Christ as the result of the ministry of John the Baptist, seems to
show that God puts the preaching of the Word as of first importance in
the saving of sinners. The fact that God honored the personal efforts
of two of these early converts, shows He is pleased to give a
prominent place to personal work in His means of saving souls. The
fact that Philip was saved apart from all human instrumentality,
should teach us that God has not reached the end of His resources even
though preachers should prove unfaithful to their calling, and even
though individual believers are too apathetic to go forth bidding
sinners to come to Christ.
It is also to be noted that not only did these first converts find the
Savior in a variety of ways, but also that Christ Himself dealt
differently with each one. For the two mentioned in verse 35 there was
a searching question to test their motives in following Christ--"What
seek ye?" For Simon Peter there was a striking declaration to convince
him that Christ knew all about him, followed by a gracious promise to
reassure his heart. For Philip there was nothing but a peremptory
command--"Follow me. While for Nathanael there was a gracious word to
disarm him of all prejudice and to assure his heart that the Savior
stood ready to receive him. Thus did the Great Physician deal with
each man according to his individual peculiarities and needs.
Finally, observe how this passage brings out the suitability of Christ
for all kinds of men. It is blessed to behold here, how the Savior
drew to Himself men of such widely different types and temperaments.
There are some superficial sceptics who sneeringly declare that
Christianity only attracts those or a particular type--the effeminate,
the emotional, and the intellectually feeble. But such an objection is
easily refuted by the facts of common observation. Christ has been
worshipped and served by men and women of every variety of temperament
and calling. Those who have delighted to own His name as The Name
"which is above every name" have been drawn from every walk of life,
as well as from every nation and tribe under the sun. Kings and
queens, statesmen and soldiers, scientists and philosophers, poets and
musicians, lawyers and physicians, farmers and fishermen have been
among the number who have cried, "Worthy is the lamb." And in the
cases of these early converts we find this principle strikingly
illustrated.
The unnamed disciple of verse 35 is, by common consent, regarded as
John, the writer of this fourth Gospel. John was the disciple who
leaned on the Master's bosom, devoted and affectionate. He was "the
disciple whom Jesus loved:" he was, apparently, the only one of the
twelve who stood by the Cross as the Savior was dying. Andrew seems to
have been a man with a calculating mind, what would be termed today,
of a practical turn: no sooner had he come to Christ, than he goes at
once and finds his brother Simon, tells him the good news that they
had found the Messiah, and brought him to Jesus; and, he was the one
to observe the lad with the five barley loaves and two small fishes,
when the hungry multitude was to be fed (John 6:8, 9). Simon Peter was
hot-headed, impulsive, full of zeal. Philip was sceptical and
materialistic: he was the one to whom our Lord put the test question,
"Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" to which Philip
replied, "Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them,
that every one of them may take a little" (John 6:5, 7); and again,
Philip was the one who said to Christ, "Lord, show us the Father, and
it sufficeth us" (John 14:8). Nathanael, of whom least is known, was,
evidently of a meditative and retiring disposition, whose life was
lived in the back-ground, but of an open and frank nature, one "in who
was no guile." How radically different, then, were these men in type
and temperament, yet each of them found in Christ that which met his
need and satisfied his heart! We regard these first converts as
representative and illustrative cases, so that it behooves us to study
each separately and in detail.
"Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples" (John
1:35). This is the place to ask the question, What was the fruitage of
John's mission? What results accrued from his ministry? They were very
similar to what may be expected to attend the labors of a servant of
God, who is used of His Master, today. John had borne faithful witness
to Christ: how had his ministry been received.', In the first place,
the religious leaders of his day rejected the testimony of God (Luke
7:30). In the second place, great crowds were attracted, and men of
all sorts attended upon his ministry (Luke 3:7-15). In the third
place, only a few were really affected by his message, and stood ready
to receive the Messiah when He appeared. It has been much the same all
through the ages. When God sends forth a man to take an active and
prominent part in His service, the religious leaders look upon him
with suspicion, and hold aloof in their fancied superiority. On the
other hand, the vulgar, curious crowds, ever hungering for the novel
and sensational, are attracted; but comparatively few are really
touched in their consciences and hearts.
"Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; and
looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the lamb of God"
(John 1:35, 36). Once more the Lord's forerunner heralds Him as "the
lamb of God" (cf. John 5:29). This teaches us that there are times
when the servant of God needs to repeat the same message. It also
informs us that the central and vital truth which God's messenger must
press, unceasingly, is the sacrificial work of Christ. Never forget,
brother preacher, that your chief concern is to present your Master as
"the lamb of God!" Notice, also, we are told, "John stood, and two of
his disciples; and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold
the lamb of God." The words we have placed in italics call attention
to a most important moral principle: if we would "look upon Jesus," if
we would "Behold the lamb," we must stand still; that is, all fleshly
activity must cease; we must come to the end of ourselves. This was
the first truth which God taught Israel after they had been delivered
from Egypt: as they were being pursued by the Egyptians, and came to
the Red Sea, God's servant cried, "Fear ye not, stand still, and see
the salvation of the Lord" (Ex. 14:13).
"And the two disciples heard him speak" (John 1:37). These two men
were John and Andrew. By calling they were fishermen. I hey had
already attached themselves to John, and had not only been baptized
but were eagerly awaiting the promised Messiah and Savior. At last the
day arrived when their teacher, whom they trusted as God's prophet,
suddenly checked them in their walk, and no doubt with almost
breathless interest, laid his hand upon them, and pointing to a
passing Figure, cried, "Behold the lamb of God!" There, in actual
bodily form, was the One for whom the ages had waited. There, within
reach of their own eyes, was the Son of God, who was to offer Himself
as a sacrifice for sin. There, right before them, was He of whom one
of these very two men later wrote, "That which was from the beginning,
which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have
looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the word of Life" (1 John
1:1).
How often this experience has been duplicated--duplicated in
principle, we mean. How many of us used to hear Christ spoken of while
as yet we had no personal knowledge of Him! We sat under a preacher
who magnified His excellencies, we heard men and women singing "Thou O
Christ art all I want, more than all in Thee I find," and we were
impressed by the testimonies of God's saints as they bore witness to
that Friend who sticketh closer than a brother. As we listened, our
hearts yearned for a similar experience, but as yet we had no personal
acquaintance with Him. When one day, perhaps we were waiting on the
ministry of one of God's servants, or maybe we were alone in our room
reading a portion of the Scriptures, or perhaps down on our knees
crying to God to reveal His Son to us, or possibly, we were attending
to the daily round of duty, when suddenly He who until then had been
only a name, was revealed to us by God as a living reality. Then we
could say with one of old, "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the
ear: but now mine eye seeth thee" (Job 42:5).
And what is the consequence of such an experience? Ah! now the soul
has been awakened, it feels some action is demanded of it. Such an one
can no longer sit and listen to descriptions of Christ--he must rise
and seek Him on his own account. Individual acquaintance with this
unique and Divine Person is now desired above everything. The one thus
awakened now seeks the Lord with all his heart. Thus it was with these
two disciples of John. As they heard their master say "Behold the lamb
of God," we read, "they followed Jesus" (verse 37).
"Then Jesus turned and saw them following, and saith unto them, What
seek ye?" (John 1:38). No sincere soul seeks or follows after Christ
in vain. "Seek and ye shall find" is His own blessed promise.
Accordingly, we find the Savior turning to and addressing these
enquiring souls. "What seek ye?" He says to them. At first sight this
question strikes us as strange. Some, perhaps, have regarded it as
almost a rebuff; yet it cannot be that. Personally, we look upon these
words of our Lord as designed to test the motive of these two men, and
to help them understand their own purpose. There are a great variety
of motives and influences which make people become the outward and
professed followers of Christ. In the days of which our passage
treats, many soon "followed" Christ because the crowd streamed after
Him and carried them along with it. Many "followed" Him for what they
could get--the loaves and fishes, or the curing of their ailments and
the healing of their loved ones. For a time many "followed" Him,
doubtless, because it was the popular and respectable thing to do. But
a few "followed" because they felt their deep need of Him, and were
attracted by the perfections of His Person.
So it was then, and so it is now. Christ desired to be followed
intelligently or not at all--that is, He will not accept formal or
superstitious worship. What He wants is the heart--the heart that
seeks Him for Himself! Hence the heart-searching question was put to
these two men, "What seek ye?" What, dear reader, would be your answer
to such a question? What seekest thou? The true answer to this
question reveals your spiritual state. Let no one suppose he is not
seeking anything. Such were an impossibility. Every heart has its
object. If your heart is not set upon Christ Himself, it is set upon
something which is not Christ. "What seek ye?" Is it gold, fame, ease
and comfort, pleasure, or--what? On what is your heart set? Is it an
increased knowledge of Christ, a more intimate acquaintance with Him,
a closer walk with Him? Can you say, in measure at least, "As the
heart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O
God' (Ps. 42:1)!
It is beautiful to notice the reply made by these two earnest souls.
"Master," they said, "Where dwellest thou?" (John 1:38). It seems
strange that their answer to the Lord's query has puzzled so many who
have pondered it. Most of the commentators have quite missed the point
of these words and failed to see any direct connection between the
question put by the Savior and the reply He received. "Where dwellest
thou?" Let us emphasize each word separately.
"Where dwellest thou?" How pathetic and tragic! What a question to ask
the Son of God! How it brought out His humiliation! There was no need
to ask where Caiaphas or Pilate dwelt, for everybody knew. But who
among men cared to know, or could have told these two men if asked,
where Christ dwelt?
"Where dwellest thou?" This was no question of mere idle curiosity. It
showed that they longed to be with Him. What they desired was
fellowship, as would have been made more evident if the translators
had rendered it ``Where abidest thou?" for "abiding'' ever has
reference to communion.
"Where dwellest thou?" they asked, in answer to "What seek ye?" It was
not a "what" but a "whom" that their hearts were set upon. It was not
a blessing, but the Blesser Himself that their spirits sought.
Unspeakably blessed it is to listen to the Savior's response to the
request made' by these two inquiring souls: "He saith unto them, Come
and see" (John 1:39). Ah, He knew their desires. He had read their
hearts. He discerned that they sought His presence, His person, His
fellowship. And He never disappoints such longings. "Come" is His
gracious invitation. "Come" was a word which assured them of His
welcome. "Come" is what He still says to all who labor and are heavy
laden.
"And see" or "look:" this was, we believe, a further word to test
them. When Christ conducted these two men to His dwelling place, would
a brief visit suffice them? No, indeed. Mark the remainder of the
verse, "they came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day:
for it was about the tenth hour." So fully had He won their
confidence, so completely had He attracted their hearts to Himself,
that though this was the first day of meeting with the Savior, they
abode with Him. Yes, they "abode" with Him. This is the word which
uniformly speaks of spiritual fellowship. They abode with Him that
day; for it was about the tenth hour; that is 4 P.M. We doubt not they
remained with Him that night, but this is not expressly stated, and
why? Ah, the Holy Spirit would not say they abode with Him "that
night," for there is no night in His presence! Notice, too, the name
of the place where He dwelt is not given. They "abode with him," where
this is we are not told: He was but a stranger here, and those who
follow Him must be strangers too. "They abode with him." How blessed!
His abiding place was theirs too. And so shall it be for all believers
throughout eternity. Has He not said, "I will come again, and receive
you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:3)?
"One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew,
Simon Peter's brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and
saith unto him, We have found the Messiah, which is, being
interpreted, the Christ" (John 1:40, 41).
How this tells of the satisfaction which these two disciples had found
in Christ! They wished to share with others their newborn joy! Andrew
now sought out his brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the
Christ." That it is here said "He first findeth his own brother,"
implies that John (who ever seeks to hide himself, never once
mentioning himself by name) did the same with his brother, James, a
little later. This is the happy privilege of every young believer--to
tell others of the Savior he has found. For this no college training
is required, and no authority from any church need be sought. Not that
we despise either of these, but all that is needed to tell a perishing
sinner of the Savior is a heart acquaintance with Him yourself. It was
not that Andrew went forth as a preacher, for that work he needed
training, training by Christ Himself. But he set out to bear simple
yet earnest witness of the Savior he had found. The one whom he sought
was his own brother, and this illustrates the fact that our personal
responsibility begins with those nearest to us. Witness should first
be borne in our own family circle.
"And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, He said, Thou
art Simon the son of Jona (or, perhaps better, `the son of John'):
thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone"
(John 1:42). Here we find the Lord giving Simon a blessed promise, the
force of which must be sought in what he was by nature. By natural
temperament Simon was fiery and impetuous, rash and unstable. What
would such a man's thoughts be, when he first heard Andrew? When he
learned that Christ was here, and received invitation to go to Him,
when he knew that the Master was seeking loyal and devoted servants,
would he not say, That is all right for steady, reliable Andrew, but
not for such as me? Would he not say, Why, I would be a stumblingblock
to the cause of Christ: my impetuous temper and hasty tongue will only
hinder, not help? If such thoughts passed through his mind, as we
think most likely, then how these words of Christ which now fell on
his ears must have reassured his heart: "When Jesus beheld him, he
said, Thou art Simon the son of John." Thus the Lord showed that He
was already thoroughly acquainted with Simon. But, He adds, "Thou
shalt be called, A stone." "Cephas" was Aramaic, and signifies "a
rock." "Petros" is the Greek and signifies "a stone." Peter is the
English form of both Cephas and Petros. How blessed, then, was this
promise of our Lord! "Thou art Simon" (his natural name), vacillating
and unstable. Yes, I know all about you, "But thou shalt be called
Cephas" (his new name), "a rock," fixed and stable. Christ, thus,
promised to undertake for him. What a blessed fulfillment did this
promise receive after the Savior's resurrection!
We believe, though, there is a deeper meaning in this verse, and one
which has a wider application, an application to all believers. In
these verses which treat of the third "day," we have that which
belongs, strictly, to the Christian dispensation. Peter must be viewed
as a representative character. Thus viewed, everything turns upon the
meaning of `the proper nouns here. Simon means "hearing." Son of Jona
is, correctly rendered we believe, in the R.V. "son of John," and John
signifies "God's gift." We become Christians by hearing God's Word
(Rom. 10:17), and this spiritual hearing is God's gift, and every
believer becomes a stone; comp. "Ye also, as living stones, are built
up a spiritual house" (1 Pet. 2:5).
"The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth
Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me" (John 1:43). How precious is
this! What a lovely illustration of His own declaration "The Son of
man is come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). How
it shows us the Good Shepherd going after this lone sheep of His! What
we read of here is equally true of every case of genuine conversion.
Whether the Lord uses a human instrument or not, it is Christ Himself
who seeks out and finds each one who, subsequently, becomes His
follower. Our seeking of Him is only the reflex action of His first
seeking us, just as we love Him because He first loved us.
"Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip
findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom
Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the
son of Joseph" (John 1:44, 45). Here, again, we see the effect that
Christ's revelation of Himself has upon the newly born soul. The young
believer partakes of the spirit of the One in whom he has believed.
The compassion of the Savior for the lost now fills his heart. There
is a going out of his affections toward the perishing. He cannot
remain silent or indifferent. He must tell others of the Savior he has
found, or rather, of the Savior who has found him.
"And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of
Nazareth?" (John 1:46). The one who seeks to win souls must expect to
be met with objections. Many a sinner is hiding behind queries and
quibbles. How then shall we meet them. Learn from Philip. All that he
said to Nathanael in reply to his question, was, "Come and see." He
invited his brother to come and put Christ to the test for himself.
This is the wise way: do not be turned aside by the objections of the
one to whom you are speaking, but continue to press upon him the
claims of Christ, and then trust God to bless His own Word, in His own
good time.
"Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an
Israelite indeed in whom is no guile" (John 1:47). Nathanael was
honest and open. His question to Philip was no mere evasion, or
hypocritical quibble; rather was it the voicing of a genuine
difficulty. This must not be forgotten in our dealings with different
souls. We must not conclude that all questions put to us are asked in
a carping spirit. There are some people, many Perhaps, who have real
difficulties. What they need is light, and in order to obtain this
they need to come to Christ. So in every case we cannot err if we
present Christ and His claims upon each soul we meet. Nathanael was an
"Israelite, indeed, in whom was no guile." We take it, he illustrates
in his person one of the qualifications for becoming a good-ground
hearer of the Word, namely, to receive that Word into "an honest and
good heart."
"Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and
said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under
the fig tree, I saw thee" (John 1:48). How this incident evidences the
Deity of Christ! It displayed His omniscience. Christ saw Nathanael,
and read his heart, before he came to Him. And, dear reader, He sees
and reads each of us, too. Nothing can be hid from His all-seeing eye.
No guise of hypocrisy can deceive Him.
"Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of
God; thou art the king of Israel" (John 1:49). This was sure evidence
that a Divine work had been wrought in Nathanael's soul. The eyes of
his understanding were opened to behold the Divine glory of the
Savior. And promptly does he confess Him as "the Son of God." It is
significant that in this fourth Gospel we find there are just seven
who bear witness to Christ's Deity. First, John the Baptist (John
1:34); Second, Nathanael (John 1:49); Third, Peter (John 6:69);
Fourth, the Lord Himself (John 10:36); Fifth, Martha (John 11:27);
Sixth, Thomas (John 20:28); Seventh, the writer of this Gospel (John
20:31).
"Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee I saw thee
under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than
these. And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Hereafter ye shall see the heaven open, and the angels of God
ascending and descending upon the Son of man" (John 1:50, 51).
Nathanael had been deeply impressed by what he had just witnessed,
namely, this manifestation of Christ's omniscience. But, says the
Lord, he should yet see greater things. Yea, the time should come when
he should behold an open heaven, and the earth directly connected with
it. He should see that to which in the far past, the dream and vision
of Jacob had pointed: that which should be the antitype of the ladder
which linked earth to heaven, was Christ Himself, and Nathanael with
all believers, will see "the angels of God ascending and descending
upon the Son of man."
It only remains for us to point out that here in the last half of John
1 we have three very remarkable typical pictures, treating of three
distinct Dispensations. The first is found in John 1:19-28. The second
begins at John 1:29--"The next day"--and ends at John 1:34. The third
begins at John 1:35--"Again the next day"--and ends at John 1:42.
I. In John 1:19-28 we have a typical picture of the Old Testament
Dispensation.
1. Note the mention of the "priests and Levites" (verse 19), as
representing the whole Levitical economy.
2. Note that "Jerusalem" is referred to here in this section (verse
19), but in none of the others.
3. Note how Israel's spiritual state during Old Testament times is
here pictured by the ignorance and lack of discernment of the Jews
(verse 19).
4. Note the reference here to "Elijah," and "that Prophet" who was to
be like unto Moses (verse 21).
5. Note that John is here seen in the wilderness (verse 23),
symbolical of Israel's spiritual barrenness up to the time of Christ's
appearing.
6. Note how accurately John's words, "there standeth one among you,
whom ye know not" (verse 26), depicted Israel's blindness to the
presence of Jehovah in their midst all through the Old Testament era.
7. Note that John bears witness to One who was to come "after" him
(verse 27): such was the witness borne to Christ during Old Testament
times.
II. In John 1:29-34 we have a typical picture of the Messianic
Dispensation (embracing the period of Christ's public ministry on
earth) intimated here by the words "The next day" (verse 29).
1. Note "John seeth Jesus coming unto him" (verse 29): this gives the
historic beginning of that dispensation, for "the law and the
prophets were until John" (Luke 16:16).
2. John proclaims Christ as "the lamb of God" (verse 29): it was to
offer Himself in sacrifice that He had come here.
3. "After me" (verse 30); that is, after John the Baptist, who rely
resented in his own person the terminal of the Old Testament
dispensation.
4. "And I knew him not" (verse 31): this represents the ignorance of
the Jews when Christ appeared.
5. "He shall be made manifest to Israel" (verse 31): cf. Matthew
15:24, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
6. "The Spirit . . . abode upon him" (verse 32), and upon no others
during that dispensation.
7. "This is the Son of God" (verse 34): it was as such Israel rejected
Him.
III. In John 1:35-43 we have a typical picture of the Christian
Dispensation, intimated by "Again the next day" (verse 35);
1. "The next day after, John stood" (verse 35): the end of John's
activities were now reached: cf. verse 39 "the tenth hour"--the full
measure of Israel's responsibility (cf, the ten commandments) was now
reached.
2. There is here a turning away from Judaism, represented by John, and
a following of the Lord Jesus (verses 35-37): note Jesus
"walked"--this was in contrast from John "stood."
3. It is as "the Lamb of God" Christians first know Christ (verse 36).
4. "They followed Jesus" (verse 37): this is what the Christian walk
is,--"He has left us an example that we should follow his steps" (1
Pet. 2:21).
5. Believers now abide with Christ (verse 39): that is, they enjoy
communion with Him, meanwhile hidden from the world.
6. Christianity is to be propagated by the personal efforts of
individual believers (verses 40, 41).
7. Unto Simon Christ said, "Thou shalt be called a stone" (verse 42):
it is as "living stones" that believers of this dispensation are
"built up a spiritual house" (1 Pet. 2:5), which is "a habitation of
God through the Spirit" (Eph. 2:22).
The following questions are given to be studied so as to prepare the
reader for our next chapter on John 2:1-11:--
1. "And the third day" (John 2:1)--after what? And why mention which
"day?"
2. Why is a marriage scene introduced at this point?
3. Why is the "mother" of Jesus so prominent?
4. What is signified by the two statements made by the Lord to His
mother in John 2:4?
5. What is the typical significance of the "six waterpots of stone"
(John 2:6)?
6. Of what is "wine" (John 2:10), the emblem?
7. What are the central lessons to be learned from this first miracle
of Christ?
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Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 6
Christ's First Miracle
John 2:1-11
_________________________________________________________________
First of all we will give a brief and simple Analysis of the passage
before us:--
1. The Occasion of the Miracle: a marriage in Cana, verse 1.
2. The Presence there of the Mother of Jesus, verse 1.
3. The Savior and His Disciples Invited, verse 2.
4. Mary's Interference and Christ's Rebuke, verses 3, 4.
5. Mary's Submission, verse 5.
6. The Miracle Itself, verses 6-8.
7. The Effects of the Miracle, verses 9-11.
We propose to expound the passage before us from a threefold
viewpoint: first, its typical significance, second, its prophetic
application, third, its practical teaching. It is as though the Holy
Spirit had here combined three pictures into one. We might illustrate
it by the method used in printing a picture in colors. There is first
the picture itself in its black-edged outline; then, on top of this,
is filled in the first coloring--red, or yellow, as the case may be;
finally, the last color--blue or brown--may be added to the others,
and the composite and variegated picture is complete. To use the terms
of the illustration, it is our purpose to examine, separately, the
different tints and shadings in the Divine picture which is presented
to our view in the first half of John 2.
I. The typical significance.
It is to be carefully noted that this second chapter of John opens
with the word "and," which indicates that its contents are closely
connected with what has gone before. One of the things that is made
prominent in John 1 (following the Introduction, which runs to the end
of verse 18) is the failure of Judaism, and the turning away from it
to Christ. The failure of Judaism (seen in the ignorance of the
Sanhedrin) is made plain by the sending of priests and Levites from
Jerusalem to enquire of John who he was (John 1:19). This is made
still more evident by the pathetic statement of the Baptist, "There
standeth one among you, whom ye know not" (John 1:26). All this is but
an amplication of that tragic word found in John 1:11--"He came unto
his own, and his own received him not." So blind were the religious
leaders of Israel, that they neither knew the Christ of God stood in
their midst, nor recognized His forerunner to whom the Old Testament
Scriptures bore explicit witness.
Judaism was but a dead husk, the heart and life of it were gone. Only
one thing remained, and that was the setting of it aside, and the
bringing in "of a better hope." Accordingly, we read in Galatians 4:4,
`But when the fulness of time was come, God sent forth his Son." Yes,
the fulness of God's time had come. The hour was ripe for Christ to be
manifested. The need of Him had been fully demonstrated. Judaism must
be set aside. A typical picture of this was before us in John 1. The
Baptist wound up the Old Testament system ("The law and the prophets
were until John"--Luke 16:16), and in John 1:35-37 we are shown two
(the number of competent testimony) of His disciples leaving John, and
following the Lord Jesus.
The same principle is illustrated again in the chapter now before us.
A marriage-feast is presented to our view, and the central thing about
it is that the wine had given out. The figure is not difficult to
interpret: "Wine" in Scripture is the emblem of joy, as the following
passage will show: "And wine that maketh glad the heart of man" (Ps.
104:15); "And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which
cheereth God and man?" (Judg. 9:13). How striking, then, is what we
have here in John 2! How accurate the picture. Judaism still existed
as a religious system, but it ministered no comfort to the heart. It
had degenerated into a cold, mechanical routine, utterly destitute of
joy in God. Israel had lost the joy of their espousals.
"And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of
the purifying of the Jews" (verse 6). What a portrayal of Judaism was
this! Six is the number of man, for it was on the sixth day man was
made, and of the Superman it is written, "Let him that hath
understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a
man; and his number is six hundred threescore six" (Rev. 13:18). Yes,
there were six waterpots standing there, not seven, the perfect
number. All that was left of Judaism was of the flesh; God was not in
it. As we read later on in this Gospel, the "feasts of the Lord" (Lev.
23:2) were now only "the feast of the Jews" (John 2:13, etc.).
Observe, too, that these six waterpots were of "stone," not silver
which speaks of redemption, nor of gold which tells of Divine glory.
As we read in Isaiah 1:22, "Thy silver is become dross," and again in
Lamentations 4:1, "How is the gold become dim?" Profoundly
significant, then, were these waterpots of "stone." And what is the
more noticeable, they were empty. Again, we say, what a vivid
portrayal have we here of Israel's condition at that time! No wonder
the wine had given out! To supply that Christ was needed. Therefore,
our chapter at once directs attention to Him as the One who alone can
provide that which speaks of joy in God. Thus does John 2 give us
another representation of the failure of Judaism, and the turning away
from it to the Savior. Hence, it opens with the word "and," as
denoting the continuation of the same subject which had been brought
out in the previous chapter.
In striking accord with what we have just suggested above, is the
further fact, that in this scene of the Cana-marriage feast, the
mother of Jesus occupies such a prominent position. It is to be noted
that she is not here called by her personal name--as she is in Acts
1:14--but is referred to as "the mother of Jesus." (John 2:1). She is,
therefore, to be viewed as a representative character. In this chapter
Mary occupies the same position as the Baptist did in John 1. She
stands for the nation of Israel. Inasmuch as through her the long
promised "seed" had come, Mary is to be regarded here as gathering up
into her person the entire Abrahamic stock.
What, then, does the Holy Spirit record here of Mary? Were her actions
on this occasion in keeping with the representative character she
filled? They certainly were. The record is exceedingly brief, but what
is said is enough to confirm our line of interpretation. The mother of
Jesus exhibited a woeful lack of spiritual discernment. It seems as if
she presumed so far as to dictate to the Lord. Apparently she ventured
to order the Savior, and tell Him what to do. No otherwise can we
account for the reply that He made to her on this occasion--"Woman,
what have I to do with thee?" It was a pointed rebuke, and as such His
words admonished her for her failure to render Him the respect and
reverence which, as the Lord of Glory, were His due.
We believe that this unwonted interference of Mary was prompted by the
same carnal motive as actuated His unbelieving "brethren" (i.e. other
sons of Mary and Joseph) on a later occasion. In John 7:2-5 we read,
"Now the Jews feast of tabernacles was at hand. His brethren therefore
said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judea, that thy disciples
also may see the works that thou doest. For there is no man that doeth
anything in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou
do these things, show thyself to the world. For neither did his
brethren believe in him."
Mary wanted the Savior to openly display His power and glory, and,
accordingly, she was a true representative of the Jewish nation.
Israel had no thought and had no heart for a suffering Messiah; what
they desired was One who would immediately set up His kingdom here on
earth. Thus, in Mary's ignorance (at that time) of the real character
of Christ's mission, in her untimely longing for Him to openly display
His power and glory, and in Christ's word of rebuke to her, "What have
I to do with thee?" we have added evidence of the typical significance
of this scene at the Cana marriage-feast--the setting aside of Israel
after the flesh.
II. The Prophetic Application.
What is recorded here in the first part of John 2 looks beyond the
conditions that obtained in Israel at that time. The miracle which
Christ performed at Cana possessed a prophetic significance. Like so
much that is found in Scripture, the passage before us needs to be
studied from a twofold viewpoint: its immediate and its remote
applications. Above, we have sought to bring out what we believe to be
the direct significance of this incident, in its typical and
representative suggestiveness. Now we would turn for a moment to
contemplate its more distant and prophetic application.
"And the third day:" so our chapter opens. The Holy Spirit presents to
our view a third day scene. The third day is the day of resurrection.
It was on the third day that the earth emerged from its watery grave,
as it was on the third day the barren earth was clothed with vegetable
life (Gen. 1:9, 11). There is an important scripture in Hosea 6:2
which should be placed side by side with John 2:1: "After two days
will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall
live in his sight." For almost two thousand years (two Days with
God--see 2 Peter 3:8) Israel has been without a king, without a
priest, without a home. But the second "Day" is almost ended, and when
the third dawns, their renaissance shall come.
This second chapter of John presents us with a prophetic foreshadowing
of the future. It gives us a typical picture of Christ--the Third Day,
following the two days (the two thousand years) of Israel's
dispersion. Then will Israel invite Jesus to come to them: for, not
until they say "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord"
will He return to the earth. Then will the Lord be married to the new
Israel, see Isaiah 54; Hosea 2, etc. Then will Christ turn the water
into wine--fill Israel's hearts with joy. Then will Israel say to the
Gentiles (their servants), "Whatsoever he saith unto you, do." Then
will Israel render unqualified obedience to Jehovah, for He will write
His law in their hearts (Jer. 31:33). Then will Christ "manifest His
glory" (John 2:11)--cf. Matthew 25:31; and thus will the best wine be
reserved for Israel until the last.
Having touched, somewhat briefly, upon the typical and prophetic
significance of this miracle, we turn now to consider,
III. The Practical Teaching.
"And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the
mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his
disciples, to the marriage" (verses 1, 2). Christ here sanctifies the
marriage relationship. Marriage was ordained by God in Eden and in our
lesson, the Savior, for all time, set His stamp of approval upon it.
To be present at this marriage was almost Christ's first public
appearance after His ministry commenced. By gracing this festive
gathering, our Lord distinguished and glorified this sacred
institution. Observe that Christ was invited to be there. Christ's
presence is essential to a happy marriage. The marriage where there is
no place for our Lord and Savior cannot be blest of God: "Whatsoever
ye do... do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31).
"And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They
have no wine" (John 2:3). Mary's words seem to indicate two things:
first, she ignored His Deity. Was she not aware that He was more than
man? Did she not know that He was God manifest in the flesh? and,
therefore, omniscient. He knew that they had no wine. Second, it
appears as though Mary was seeking to exert her parental authority, by
suggesting to Him what He ought to do under the circumstances.
"Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee?" (John
2:4). This is an elliptical expression, and in the Greek literally
read, "What to Me and thee?" We take it that the force of this
question of our Lord's was, What is there common to Me and thee--cf
Matthew 8:29 for a similar grammatical construction. It was not that
the Savior resented Mary's inviting His aid, but a plain intimation
that she must allow Him to act in His own way. Christ here showed that
His season of subjection to Mary and Joseph (Luke 2:51) was over, His
public ministry had now commenced and she must not presume to dictate
to Him.
Many of our readers, no doubt, have wondered why Christ here addressed
His mother as "Woman." Scholars tell us that at the time our Lord used
this word it would not sound harsh or rough. It was a designation
commonly used for addressing females of all classes and relationships,
and was sometimes employed with great reverence and affection. Proof
of this is seen in the fact that while on the Cross itself Christ
addressed Mary as "Woman," saying, "Behold thy son" (John 19:26 and
see also John 20:13, 15).
But we believe our Lord chose this word with Divine discrimination,
and for at least two reasons. First, because He was here calling
attention to the fact that He was more than man, that He was none less
than the Son of God. To have addressed her as "mother" would have
called attention to human relationships; but calling her "woman"
showed that God was speaking to her. We may add that it is significant
that the two times Christ addressed His mother as "woman" are both
recorded in the Gospel of John which sets forth His Deity.
Again, the employment of this term "woman" denotes Christ's
omniscience. With prophetic foresight He anticipated the horrible
idolatry which was to ascribe Divine honors to her. He knew that in
the centuries which were to follow, men would entitle her the Queen of
angels and the Mother of God. Hence, He refused to use a term which
would in any wise countenance the monstrous system of Mariolatry.
Christ would here teach us that Mary was only a woman--"Blessed among
women" (Luke 1:28) but not "blessed above women."
"Mine hour is not yet come" (John 2:4) became the most solemn
watchword of His life, marking the stages by which He drew nigh to His
death. Seven references are made in this Gospel to that awful "hour."
The first is in our present passage in John 2:4. The second is found
in John 7:30--"Then they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on
him, because his hour was not yet come." The third time is found in
John 8:20--"And no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet
come." The fourth is in John 12:23--"And Jesus answered them, saying,
The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified." The fifth
is in John 12:27--"Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say?
Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this
hour." The sixth is in John 16:32--"Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is
now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall
leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with
me." The seventh is in John 17:1--"These words spake Jesus, and lifted
up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy
son, that thy son also may glorify thee." This "hour" was the hour of
His humiliation. It was the "hour" of His suffering. But why should
Christ refer to this "hour" when Mary was seeking to dictate to Him?
Ah, surely the answer is not far to seek. That awful "hour" to which
he looked forward, was the time when He would be subject to man's
will, for then He would be delivered up into the hands of sinners. But
until then, He was not to be ordered by man; instead, He was about His
Father's business, seeking only to do His will.
"His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do"
(John 2:5). This is very beautiful. Mary meekly accepted the Lord's
rebuke, recognized His rights to act as He pleased, and left the
matter entirely in His hands. There is an important and much neglected
lesson here for each of us. How prone we are to dictate to God! How
often we are disposed to tell Him what to do! This is only another
evidence of that detestable self-will which still operates in the
believer, unless Divine grace subdues it. Our plain duty is to commit
our way unto the Lord and then leave Him to supply our need in His own
good time and manner.
We turn now to consider the miracle which Christ performed here at
Cana. And first, a few words upon the occasion of it. The Lord Jesus
recognized in this request of Mary's a call from His Father. He
discerned in this simple act of furnishing the wedding-guests with
wine a very different thing from what His mother saw. The performing
of this miracle marked an important crisis in the Savior's career. His
act of turning the water into wine would alter the whole course of His
life. Hitherto He had lived in quiet seclusion in Nazareth, but from
this time on He would become a public and marked character. From
henceforth He would scarcely have leisure to eat, and His opportunity
for retired communion with the Father would be only when others slept.
If He performed this miracle, and manifested forth His glory, He would
become the gazing stock of every eye, and the common talk of every
tongue. He would be followed about from place to place, thronged and
jostled by vulgar crowds. This would provoke the jealousy of religious
leaders, and He would be spied upon and regarded as a public menace.
Later, this would eventuate in His being seized as a notorious
criminal, falsely accused, and sentenced to be crucified. All of this
stood out before Him as He was requested to supply the needed wine.
But He did not shrink. He had come to do the will of God, no matter
what the cost. May we not say it reverently, that as He stood there by
Mary's side and listened to her words, that the Cross challenged Him.
Certainly it was here anticipated, and hence His solemn reference to
His "hour" yet to come.
In the second place, the manner in which the miracle was performed is
deserving of our closest attention. "And there were set there six
waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews,
containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill
the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he
saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the
feast. And they bare" (John 2:6-8). Christ was the One to work the
miracle, yet the "servants" were the ones who seemed to do everything.
They filled the waterpots, they drew off the wine, they bore it to the
governor of the feast. There was no visible exhibition of putting
forth of Divine power. Christ pronounced no magical formula: He did
not even command the water to become wine. What was witnessed by the
spectators was men at work, not God creating out of nothing. And all
this speaks loudly to us. It was a parable in action. The means used
were human, the result was seen to be Divine.
This was Christ's first miracle, and in it He shows us that God is
pleased to use human instrumentality in performing the wonders of His
grace. The miracle consisted in the supplying of wine and, as
previously pointed out, wine symbolizes joy in God. Learn then, that
the Lord is pleased to employ human agents in bringing joy to `the
hearts of men. And what was the element Christ used on this occasion
in producing the wine? It was water. Now "water" is one of the symbols
of the written Word (see Ephesians 5:26). And how may we His servants,
today, bring the wine of joy unto human hearts? By ministering the
Word (see Ephesians 5:26). And how may we His servants, today,
"servants" Christ's command to fill those six empty waterpots of stone
with water, might have seemed meaningless, if not foolish; but their
obedience made them fellow-workers in the miracle! And to the wise of
this world, who put their trust in legislation, and social
amelioration, it seems useless to go forth unto the wicked with
nothing more in our hands than a Book written almost two thousand
years ago. Nevertheless, it has pleased God "by the foolishness of
preaching to save them that believe"--foolish, that is, in the
estimate of the worldly wise. Here then is blessed instruction for the
servants of God today. Let us go forth with the Water of life,
implicitly obeying the commands of our Lord, and He will use us to
bring the wine of Divine joy to many a sad heart.
In the third place, consider the teaching of this miracle. In it we
have a striking picture of the regeneration of a sinner. First, we see
the condition of the natural man before he is born again: he is like
an empty waterpot of stone-cold, lifeless, useless. Second, we see the
worthlessness of man's religion to help the sinner. Those waterpots
were set apart "after the manner of the purifying of the Jews"--they
were designed for ceremonial purgation; but their valuelessness was
shown by their emptiness. Third, at the command of Christ they were
filled with water, and water is one of the emblems of the written
Word: it is the Word which God uses in quickening dead souls into
newness of life. Observe, too, these waterpots were filled "up to the
brim"--God always gives good measure; with no niggardly hand does He
minister. Fourth, the water produced wine, "good wine" (verse 10):
symbol of the Divine joy which fills the soul of the one who has been
"born of water." Fifth, we read "This beginning of miracles did
Jesus." That is precisely what the new birth is--a "miracle." And not
only so, it is always the "beginning of miracles" for the one newly
born: regeneration is ever the initial work of grace. Sixth, observe
"this beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and
manifested forth His glory." It is thus, in the regeneration of dead
sinners, that the "glory" of our Savior and Lord is "manifested."
Seventh, observe, "And His disciples believed on him." A dead man
cannot believe. But the first movement of the newly born soul is to
turn to Christ. Not that we argue an interval of time between the two,
but as cause stands to effect so the work of regeneration precedes the
act of believing in Christ--cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:13: first,
"sanctification of the Spirit," which is the new birth, then "belief
of the truth."
But is there not even a deeper meaning to this beginning of Christ's
miracles? Is it not profoundly significant that in this first miracle
which our Savior performed, the "wine," which is the symbol of His
shed blood, should be so prominent! The marriage-feast was the
occasion of joy and merriment; and does not God give us here something
more than a hint that in order for His people to be joyous, the
precious blood of His Son must be first poured forth! Ah, that is the
foundation of every blessing we enjoy, the ground of all our
happiness. Hence did Christ begin His supernatural works of mercy by
producing that which spoke of His sacrificial death.
"When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine,
and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water
knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom" (John 2:9).
This parenthetical statement is most blessed. It illustrates an
important principle. It was the servants--not the "disciples," nor yet
Mary--who were nearest to the Lord on this occasion, and who possessed
the know]edge of His mind. What puzzled the "ruler of the feast" was
no secret to these "servants." How different are God's ways from ours!
The Lord of glory was here as "Servant." In marvelous grace He came
"not to be ministered unto, but to minister:" therefore, are those who
are humble in service, and those engaged in the humblest service,
nearest to Him. This is their reward for turning their backs upon the
honors and emoluments of the world. As we read in Amos 3:7--"Surely
the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto (Ah,
unto whom?) his servants the prophets." It is like what we read in
Psalm 103:7--"He made known his ways unto Moses;" and who was Moses?
Let Scripture answer: "Now the man Moses was very meek above all the
men which were upon the face of the earth" (Num. 12:3)! Yes, "the meek
will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way" (Ps.
25:9).
Those who determine to occupy the position of authority (as Mary did
here) are not taken into the Lord's secrets. Those who wish to be in a
place like the "ruler of the feast," know not His thoughts. But those
who humble themselves to take the servant position, who place
themselves at Christ's disposal, are the ones who share His counsels.
And in the day to come, when He will provide the true wine of the
kingdom, those who have served Him during the time of His absence,
shall then be under Him the dispensers of joy. Has he not promised,
"If any man serve me, him will my Father honor?"
"And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good
wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou
hast kept the good wine until now" (John 2:10). This illustrates the
ways of men and the ways of God. The world (and Satan also) gives its
best first, and keeps the worst for the last. First the pleasures of
sin--for a season--and then the wages of sin. But with God it is the
very opposite. He brings His people into the wilderness before He
brings them into the promised inheritance. First the Cross then the
crown. Fellow believer, for us, the best wine is yet to be: "The path
of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto
the perfect day" (Prov. 4:18).
One more observation on this passage and we must close. What a message
is there here for the unsaved! The natural man has a "wine" of his
own. There is a carnal happiness enjoyed which is produced by "the
pleasures of sin"--the merriment which this world affords. But how
fleeting this is! How unsatisfying! Sooner or later this "wine," which
is pressed from "the vine of the earth" (Rev. 14:18), gives out. The
poor sinner may be surrounded by gay companions, he may be comfortably
circumstanced financially and socially, yet the time comes when he
discovers he has "no wine." Happy the one who is conscious of this.
The discovery of our own wretchedness is often the turning point. It
prepares us to look to that One who is ready "to give unto them beauty
for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the
spirit of heaviness" (Isa. 61:3). Unbelieving friend, there is only
One who can furnish the true "wine," the "good" wine, and that is the
Lord Jesus Christ. He can satisfy the longing of the soul. He can
quench the thirst of the heart. He can put a song into thy mouth which
not even the angels can sing, even the song of Redemption. What then
must you do? What price must you pay? Ah, dear friend, listen to the
glad tidings of grace: "Repent ye, and believe the Gospel" (Mark
1:15).
And now, we give a number of questions to prepare the interested
student for the lesson to follow. Study, then, and prayerfully
meditate on the following questions:--
1. Why is the cleansing of the temple referred to just here?--Note its
place in the other Gospels.
2. Why did not Christ drive out "the doves?" verse 16.
3. What was indicated by the Jews' demand for a "sign?" verse 18.
4. Why did Christ point them forward to His resurrection? verses
18-21.
5. Did the Lord's own disciples believe in the promise of His
resurrection? If not, why? verse 22.
6. What solemn warning does verse 23 point?
7. What does verse 25 prove concerning Christ?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 7
Christ Cleansing the Temple
John 2:12-25
_________________________________________________________________
"After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his
brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days"
(John 2:12). This verse comes in as a parenthesis between the two
incidents of the Cana marriage-feast and the cleansing the temple.
Like everything else in this chapter, it may be studied from a twofold
viewpoint, namely, its immediate application and its remote. In both
of these applications the reference to Capernaum is the key, and
Capernaum stands for two things--Divine favor and Divine judgment; see
Matthew 11:23.
Taking the immediate application first, this verse tells us that for a
short season Israel occupied the position of being in God's peculiar
favor. The mother of Jesus (as we saw in our last chapter) stands for
the nation of Israel, and particularly for Israel's privileges--for
she was the one most honored among women. "His brethren" represents
the nation of Israel in unbelief; proof of this is found in John 7:5.
"His disciples" were the little remnant in Israel who did believe in
Him, see John 2:11. With these, the Lord Jesus went down to Capernaum;
but they "continued there not many days." Not for long was Israel to
enjoy these special favors of God. Soon Christ would leave them.
But this twelfth verse also has a prophetic significance. Its double
application being suggested by the twofold meaning of Capernaum.
Capernaum, which was exalted to heaven, was to be brought down to
hell. Hence the force of "He went down to Capernaum." So it was with
the nation of Israel. They had been marvelously favored of God, and
they should be as severely punished. They should go down into the
place of punishment--for this is what Capernaum speaks of. And this is
exactly where the Jews have been all though this Christian
dispensation. And how blessed to note that as the mother, brethren,
and disciples of Christ (who represented, respectively, the nation of
Israel privileged, but unbelieving, and the little remnant who did
believe) went down to Capernaum--the place of Divine judgment--that
the Lord Jesus went with them. So it has been throughout this
Christian dispensation. The Jews have suffered severely, under the
chastisements of God, but the Lord had been with them in their
dispersion--otherwise they, had been utterly consumed long, long ago.
The statement they continued there not many days" is also in perfect
keeping with its prophetic significance and application. Only two
"days" shall Israel abide in that place of which Capernaum speaks; on
the third "day" they shall be delivered--see Hosea 6:2.
Let us now give a brief and simple Analysis of the passage which is to
be before us: the Cleansing of the Temple:--
1. The Time of the Cleansing, verse 13.
2. The Need of the Cleansing, verse 14.
3. The Method of Cleansing, verses 15, 16.
4. The Cause of the Cleansing, verse 17.
5. The Jews' demand for a Sign and Christ's reply, verses 18-22.
6. Christ's miracles in Jerusalem and the unsatisfactory result,
verses 23, 24.
7. Christ's knowledge of the human heart, verse 25.
We shall study this passage in a manner similar to that followed in
our exposition of the first half of John 2, considering first, the
typical meaning of the cleansing of the Temple; and, second, its
practical suggestions.
I. The Typical Meaning.
The first of the questions which we placed at the end of the last
chapter, and which we asked our readers to meditate on in preparation
for this, was, "Why is the cleansing of the temple referred to just
here?" The careful student will have noticed that in each of the other
Gospels, the cleansing of the temple is placed right at the close of
our Lord's public ministry, as one of the last things He did before
His apprehension. But here, the Holy Spirit has placed Christ's
cleansing of the temple almost at the beginning of His public
ministry. This has led the majority of the commentators to conclude
that these were two totally different occasions and incidents,
separated by a space of three years. In support of this conclusion
some plausible arguments are advanced, but we are not at all sure of
their validity. Personally, we are strongly inclined to believe that
what is recorded in Matthew 21:12, 13 is the same incident as is
before us here in John 2, and that the Holy Spirit has ignored the
chronological order (as is so often the case in the Gospels) for His
own good reasons. What these reasons may be we shall suggest below.
Before advancing them, let us first state why we regard the cleansing
of the temple here in John 2 as being identical with that which is
described in Matthew 21:12, 13, and the parallel passages in Mark and
Luke.
The points of likeness between the two are so striking that unless
there is irrefutable evidence that they are separate incidents, it
seems to us the most natural and the most obvious thing to regard them
as one and the same. We call attention to seven points of resemblance.
First, Matthew places the cleansing of the temple at the beginning of
the Passover week, and John tells us that "the Jews" Passover was at
hand (Matthew 2:12).
Second, Matthew mentions those that "sold and bought" being in the
temple (Matthew 21:12); John says the Lord found in the temple "those
that sold oxen," etc. (John 2:14).
Third, Matthew refers to the presence of those that "sold doves"
(Matthew 21:12); John also speaks of the "doves" (John 2:16).
Fourth, Matthew tells us that Christ "overthrew the tables of the
money-changers" (Matthew 21:12); John also tells us that Christ
"overthrew the tables" (John 2:15).
Fifth, Matthew mentions that Christ "cast out all them that sold and
bought in the temple" (Matthew 21:12); John declares He "drove them
all out of the temple" (John 2:15). Note, in the Greek it is the same
word here translated "drove" as is rendered "cast out" in Matthew!
Sixth, Matthew declares Christ said, "My house shall be called a house
of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves" (Matthew 21:13); John
records that the Lord said, "Make not my Father's house a house of
merchandise" (John 2:16). We have no doubt that the Lord made both of
these statements in the same connection, but John records the one
which expressly affirmed His Divine Sonship. In each case Christ
declared the temple was God's.
Seventh, Matthew records how Christ spent the night in Bethany, and
next morning He returned to Jerusalem, and was in the temple teaching,
when the chief priests and elders of the people came to Him and said,
"By what authority doest thou these things?" (Matthew 21:23). John
also records that after Christ had cleansed the temple, the Jews said
to Him, "What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these
things?" (John 2:18).
If, then, our conclusion be correct, that this cleansing of the Temple
occurred at the close of our Lord's ministry, the question returns
upon us, Why has the Holy Spirit taken this incident out of its
chronological setting and placed it by the side of our Lord's miracle
where He changed the water into wine? We believe the answer to this
question is not far to seek. We suggest that there was a double reason
for placing this incident in juxtaposition with the Cana
marriage-feast scene. First, it furnished added proof of the abject
failure of Judaism; second, it completed the prophetic picture of
Christ in the Millenium which John 2 supplies. We shall enlarge upon
each of these points below.
In the previous chapters we have pointed out how that in the opening
portion of John's Gospel two things are noticed repeatedly--the
setting aside of Judaism, and the turning away from it to Christ. This
was emphasized at some length in our last chapter, where we showed
that the giving out of the wine at the Cana marriage-feast, and the
presence of the six waterpots of stone standing there empty,
symbolized the spiritual condition of Israel at that time--they had
lost the joy of their espousals and were devoid of spiritual life.
In the passage which is now before us, an even darker picture still is
presented to view. Here all figures and symbols are dropped, and the
miserable state of Judaism is made known in pointed and plain terms.
Up to this stage, Israel's miserable condition spiritually, had been
expressed by negatives; the Messiah was there in their midst, but,
said His forerunner to the Jerusalem embassy, Him "ye know not" (John
1:26); so, again, in the first part of chapter 2, "They have no wine"
(John 2:3). But here, in the second half of John 2, the positive evil
which existed is fully exposed--the temple was profaned.
"And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem"
(John 2:13). Here is the first key to that which follows. The "Lord's
passover" (Ex. 12:11) had degenerated into "the passover of the Jews."
But this is not the particular point upon which we would now dwell.
What we would call attention to, particularly, is the time-mark given
here. Two things are linked together; the passover and the cleansing
of the temple. Now the reader will recall at once, that one of the
express requirements of God in connection with the observance of the
passover was, that all leaven must be rigidly excluded from the houses
of His people. The passover was a busy time for every Jewish family:
each home was subject to a rigorous examination, lest ceremonial
defilement, in the form of leaven, should be found therein. "No leaven
in your houses" was the requirement of the Law.
Now the center of Israel's ceremonial purity was the temple, the
Father's House. Israel gloried in the temple, for it was one of the
chief things which marked them off from all other nations, as the
favored people of God. What other race of people could speak of
Jehovah dwelling in their midst? And now Jehovah Himself was there,
incarnate. And what a sight met His eye! The House of prayer had
become a house of merchandise; the holy place of worship was now "a
den of thieves." Behold here the light shining in the darkness and
exposing the real nature of things. No doubt the custodians of the
temple would have stood ready to excuse this reproach upon God's
honor. They would have argued that these money changers and cattle
dealers, in the temple courts, were there as a convenience to those
who came to the temple to worship. But Christ lays bare their real
motive. "Den of thieves" tells us that the love of money,
covetousness, lay at the bottom of it all.
And what is "covetousness?" What is the Divine symbol for it? Let us
turn the light of Scripture on these questions. Notice carefully what
is said in 1 Corinthians 5:6-8. Writing to the Corinthian believers,
the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul says, "Your glorying is not
good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge
out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are
unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the
leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of
sincerity and truth." To what was he referring here under the figure
of "leaven?" Mark what follows: "I wrote unto you in an epistle not to
company with fornicators: yet not altogether with the fornicators of
this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolators"
(verses 9, 10). Leaven, then, here refers (among other things) to
covetousness, extortion and idolatry. Now go back again to John 2. The
feast of the passover was at hand, when all leaven must be removed
from Israel's dwellings. And there in the temple, were the cattle
dealers and moneychangers, actuated by covetousness and practicing
extortion. What horrible desecration was this! Leaven in the temple of
God!
But let us turn on the light of one more passage. In Colossians 3:5 we
read, "covetousness, which is idolatry." Ah, does not this reveal the
emptiness of Israel's boast! The nation prided itself upon its
monotheism--they worshipped not the many gods of the heathen. The Jews
boasted that they were free from idolatry. Yet
idolatry--"covetousness"--was the very thing the Son of God found in
His Father's House. Note again, the force of 1 Corinthians 5:10,
covetousness, extortion, and idolatry are the three things there
mentioned under the symbol of "leaven." Here, then, is the first
reason why the Holy Spirit has placed this incident just where He has
in this Gospel. It furnishes a striking climax to what has gone
before. Put together these three things, and see what a glaring
picture they give us of Judaism: first, a blinded priesthood (John
1:19-26); second, a joyless nation (no "wine," John 2:3); third, a
desecrated temple. (John 2:16).
We turn now to consider
II. The Practical Lessons.
1. We see here the holy zeal of Christ for the Father's house.
"Worshippers coming from remote parts of the Holy Land, found it a
convenience to be able to purchase on the spot the animals used in
sacrifice. Traders were not slow to supply this demand, and vying with
one another they crept nearer and nearer to the sacred precincts,
until some, under pretense of driving in an animal for sacrifice, made
a sale within the outer court. This court had an area of about 14
acres, and was separated from the inner court by a wall breast high,
and bearing intimations which forbade the encroachment of Gentiles on
pain of death. Round this outer court ran marble colonnades, richly
ornamented and supported by four rows of pillars, and roofed with
cedar, affording ample shade to the traders.
"There were not only cattle-dealers and sellers of doves, but also
money-changers; for every Jew had to pay to the Temple treasury an
annual tax of half a shekel, and this tax could be paid only in sacred
currency. No foreign coin, with its emblem of submission to an alien
king, was allowed to pollute the Temple. Thus there came to be need of
money-changers, not only for the Jew who had come up to the feast from
a remote part of the empire, but even for the inhabitants of
Palestine, as the Roman coinage had displaced the shekel in ordinary
use.
"Cattle-dealers and money-changers have always been notorious for
making more than their own out of their bargains, and facts enough are
on record to justify our Lord calling this particular market `a den of
thieves.' The poor were shamefully cheated, and the worship of God was
hindered and impoverished instead of being facilitated and enriched.
The worshipper who came to the temple seeking quiet and fellowship
with God had to push his way through the touts of the dealers, and
have his devotional temper dissipated by the wrangling and shouting of
a cattlemarket. Yet although many must have lamented this, no one had
been bold enough to rebuke and abolish the glaring profanation" (Dr.
Dods). But the Lord Jesus Christ could not suffer His Father's house
to be reproached thus. Zeal for God consumes Him and without
hesitation He cleanses the temple of those who defiled it.
2. "And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all
out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the
changers' money, and overthrew the tables" (John 2:15). How this
brings out the Deity of Christ! First, He identifies Himself with the
temple, terming it "My Father's house," and thus affirming His Divine
Sonship. This was something which none other had dreamed of doing.
Neither Moses, Solomon nor Ezra, ever termed the tabernacle or the
temple his "Father's house." Christ alone could do this. Again; mark
the result of His interference. One man, single handed, takes a whip
and the whole crowd flees in fear before Him. Ah, this was no mere
man. It was the terror of God that had fallen upon them.
3. This incident brings before us a side of Christ's character which
is almost universally ignored today. We think of the Lord Jesus as the
gentle and compassionate One. And such He was, and still is. But this
is not all He is. God is Light as well as Love. God is inflexibly
righteous as well as infinitely gracious. God is holy as well as
merciful. And we do well to remind ourselves of this. Scripture
declares "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living
God," as all who defy Him will yet discover. Scripture speaks of "the
wrath of the lamb," and our lesson furnishes us with a solemn
illustration of this. The unresisting money-changers and
cattle-dealers, fleeing in terror before His flashing eye and upraised
hand, give warning of what shall happen when the wicked stand before
the throne of His judgment.
4. This incident rebukes the present-day desecration of the house of
prayer. If the holy anger of the Lord Jesus was stirred when He beheld
the profanation of that House which was to be a "house of prayer," if
the idolatrous commercialization of it caused Him to cleanse it in
such a drastic manner, how must He now regard many of the edifices
which have been consecrated to His name! How tragically does history
repeat itself. The things which are now done in so many
church-houses--the ice cream suppers, the bazaars, the moving picture
shows and other forms of entertainment--what are these but idolatrous
commercialization of these "houses of prayer." No wonder that such
places are devoid of spirituality and strangers to the power of God.
The Lord will not tolerate an unholy mixture of worldly things with
spiritual.
5. One of the questions we drew up at the close of the last chapter
was, "Why did not Christ drive out the `doves'?" The answer to this is
found in Isaiah 52:13, where God through His prophet, declared of the
Messiah then to come, "Behold, my servant shall deal prudently." The
"prudence" of Christ was strikingly evidenced by His mode of procedure
on this occasion of the cleansing of the temple. The attentive reader
will observe that He distinguished, carefully, between the different
objects of His displeasure. The oxen and sheep He drove out, and these
were in no danger of being lost by this treatment. The money of the
changers He threw on the ground, and this could be easily picked up
again and carried away. The doves He simply ordered to be taken away:
had He done more with them, they might have flown away, and been lost
to their owners. Thus, the perfect One combined wisdom with zeal. How
differently would Moses or Elijah have acted under similar
circumstances. But even in His anger Christ deals in prudence. Christ
rebuked all, yet none were really injured, and nothing was lost. O
that we may learn of Him Who has left us such a perfect example.
6. "Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign showest thou
unto us seeing that thou doest these things?" (John 2:18). This demand
for a "sign" evidenced their blindness, and gave proof of what the
Baptist had said--"There standeth one among you whom ye know not"
(John 1:26). To have given them a sign, would only have been to
confirm them in their unbelief. Men who could desecrate God's house as
they had, men who were utterly devoid of any sense of what was due
Jehovah, were judicially blinded, and Christ treats them accordingly:
"Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three
days I will raise it up" (verse 19). He spoke in language which was
quite unintelligible to them. "Then said the Jews, Forty and six years
was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?
But He spake of the temple of his body" (John 2:20, 21). But why
should the Lord express Himself in such ambiguous terms? Because, as
He Himself said on another occasion, "Therefore speak I to them in
parables: because seeing they see not; and hearing they hear not,
neither do they understand" (Matthew 13:13). Yet, in reality, our
Lords' reply to these Jews was much to the point. In raising Himself
from the dead He would furnish the final proof that He was God
manifest in flesh, and if God, then the One Who possessed the
unequivocal right to cleanse the defiled temple which bore His name.
It is very significant to compare these words of Christ here with what
we find in Matthew 21:24-27, spoken, we doubt not, on the same
occasion. When challenged as to His authority, Matthew tells us He
appealed to the witness of His forerunner, which was primarily
designed for the Jews after the flesh. But John mentions our Lord's
appeal to His own resurrection, because this demonstrated His Deity,
and has an evidential value for the whole household of faith.
7. Another of the questions asked at the close of the previous chapter
was "Did the Lord's own disciples believe in the promise of His
resurrection?" The answer is, No, they did not. The evidence for this
is conclusive. The death of the Savior shattered their hopes. Instead
of remaining in Jerusalem till the third day, eagerly awaiting His
resurrection they retired to their homes. When Mary Magdalene went to
tell His disciples that she had seen the risen Christ, they "believed
not" (Mark 16:11). When the two disciples returned from Emmaus and
reported unto the others how the Savior had appeared unto them and had
walked with them, we are told, "neither believed they them" (Mark
16:13). The testimony of these eyewitnesses seemed to them as idle
tales (Luke 24:11). But how is this to be explained? How can we
account for the persistent unbelief of these disciples? Ah, is not the
answer to be found in the Lord's teaching in the Parable of the Sower?
Does He not there warn us, that the great Enemy of souls comes and
catches away the "seed" sown! And this is what had taken place with
these disciples. They had heard the Savior say He would raise up the
temple of His body in three days, but instead of treasuring up this
precious promise in their hearts, and being comforted by it, they had,
through their unbelief, allowed the Devil to snatch it away. Their
unbelief, we say, for in verse 22 we are told, "When therefore he was
risen from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this unto
them; and they believed the Scriptures, and the word which Jesus had
said." It was not until after He had risen that they "remembered" and
"believed" the word which Jesus had said. And what was it that enabled
them to "remember" it then? Ah, do we not recall what Christ had said
to them on the eve of His crucifixion, "But the Comforter, the Holy
Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all
things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have
said unto you" (John 14:26). What a striking and beautiful
illustration of this is given us here in John 2:22!
8. "Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast, many
believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But
Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all" (John
2:23, 24). What a word is this! How it evidences human depravity!
Fallen man is a creature that God will not trust. In Eden Adam showed
that man after the flesh is not to be trusted. The Law had proved him
still unworthy of the confidence of God. And now this same character
is stamped upon him by the Lord Jesus Himself. As another has said,
"Man's affections may be stirred, man's intelligence informed, man's
conscience convicted; but still God cannot trust him." (J. E. B.). Man
in the flesh is condemned. Only a new creation avails before God. Man
must be "born again."
9. "Jesus did not commit himself unto them" (verse 24). The Lord's
example here is a warning for us. We do well to remember that all is
not gold that glitters. It is not wise to trust in appearances of
friendliness on short acquaintance. The discreet man will be kind to
all, but intimate with few. The late Bishop Ryle has some practical
counsels to offer on this point. Among other things he said, "Learn
not to place yourself rashly in the power of others. Study to develop
a wise and a happy moderation between universal suspiciousness and
that of making yourself the sport and prey of every pretender and
hypocrite."
10. "Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all, and
needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in
man" (John 2:24, 25). Here we are shown the Savior's perfect knowledge
of the human heart. These men could not impose upon the Son of God. He
knew that they were only "stony ground" hearers, and therefore, not to
be depended upon. They were only intellectually convinced. Our Lord
clearly discerned this. He knew that their profession was not from the
heart. And reading thus their hearts He manifested His omniscience.
The force of what is said in these closing words of John 2 will be
made more evident if we compare them with 1 Kings 8:39: "Hear thou in
heaven thy dwelling-place, and forgive whose heart thou knowest; (for
thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of all
men.)"
It only remains for us to point out how that there is a series of most
striking contrasts between the two incidents recorded in the first and
second parts of this chapter--the making of water into wine at the
Cana marriage-feast, and the cleansing of the Temple. 1. In the one we
have a festive gathering; in the other a scene of Divine judgment. 2.
To the former the Lord Jesus was invited; in the later He took the
initiative Himself. 3. In the former case He employed human
instruments; in the latter He acted all alone. 4. In the former He
supplied the wine; in the latter He emptied the temple. 5. In the
former, His fact of making the wine was commended; in the cleansing of
the temple, He was challenged. 6. In the former Christ pointed forward
to His death (John 2:4); in the latter He pointed forward to His
resurrection (John 2:19, 21). 7. In the former He "manifested forth
his glory" (John 2:11); in the latter He manifested His "zeal" for His
Father's House (John 2:17).
Let the student prayerfully study and meditate upon the following
questions in preparation for the next lesson, when we shall give an
exposition of the first portion of John 3.
1. Why is Nicodemus referred to in this connection? verse 1.
2. Why are we told he came to Jesus "by night?" verse 2.
3. Was Nicodemus' conclusion justifiable? verse 2.
4. Why cannot a man "see" the kingdom of God except he be "born
again?" verse 3.
5. What did Nicodemus' ignorance demonstrate? verse 4.
6. What does "born of water" mean? verse 5.
7. In what other ways is the blowing of the Wind analogous with the
activities of the Holy Spirit in regeneration? verse 8.
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 8
Christ and Nicodemus
John 3:1-8
_________________________________________________________________
We begin with the usual Analysis of the passage that is to be before
us:--
1. The Person of Nicodemus, verse 1.
2. The official Position of Nicodemus, verse 1.
3. The Timidity of Nicodemus, verse 2.
4. The Reasoning of Nicodemus, verse 2.
5. What did Nicodemus' ignorance demonstrate? verse 4.
6. The Stupidity of Nicodemus, verse 4.
7. The Instructing of Nicodemus, verses 5-8.
"There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the
Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we
know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these
miracles that thou doest, except God be with him (John 3:1, 2).
Nicodemus was a "ruler of the Jews," which means, most probably, that
he was a member of the Sanhedrin. As such, he is to be viewed here as
a representative character. He gives us another phase of the spiritual
condition of Judaism. First, he came to Jesus "by night" (verse 2);
second, he was altogether lacking in spiritual discernment (verses 4,
10); third, he was dead in trespasses and sin, and therefore, needing
to be "born again" (verse 7). As such, he was a true representative of
the Sanhedrin--Israel's highest ecclesiastical court. What a picture,
then, does this give us again of Judaism! For the Sanhedrin it was
nighttime, they were in the dark. And like Nicodemus, their
representative, the Sanhedrin were devoid of all spiritual
discernment, and had no understanding in the things of God. So, too,
like Nicodemus, his fellow--members were destitute of spiritual
apprehension. Again we say, What light does this cast upon Judaism at
that time! So far, we have seen a blinded priesthood (John 1:21, 26);
second, a joyless nation (John 2:3); third, a desecrated Temple (John
2:16); and now we have a spiritually dead Sanhedrim
"The same came to Jesus by night." And why did Nicodemus come to the
Lord Jesus by night? Was it because he was ashamed to be seen coming
to Him? Did he approach Christ secretly, under cover of the darkness?
This is the view generally held, and we believe it to be the correct
one. Why else should we be told that he came "by night?" What seems to
confirm the popular idea is that each time Nicodemus is referred to in
the Gospel afterwards, it is repeated that he came to Jesus "by
night." In John 7:50, 51 we read, "Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that
came to Jesus by night, being one of them,) Doth our law judge any
man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?" And again in John
19:39 we are told, "And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first
came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes,
about a hundred pound weight." What is the more noticeable is that
something courageous is recorded of Nicodemus: his boldness in
reprimanding the Sanhedrin, and his intrepidity in accompanying Joseph
of Arimathea at a time when all the apostles had fled. It seems as
though the Holy Spirit had emphasized these bold acts of Nicodemus by
reminding us that at first he acted timidly. One other thing which
appears to confirm our conclusion is his use of the personal pronoun
when Nicodemus first addressed the Savior: "Rabbi," he said, "we know
that thou art a teacher come from God." Why speak in the plural number
unless he hesitated to commit himself by expressing his own opinion?
and so preferred to shelter behind the conclusion drawn by others,
hence the "we."
"The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know
that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these
miracles that thou doest, except God be with him" (John 3:2). This was
true, for the miracles of Christ differed radically from those
performed by others before or since. But this very fact warns us that
we need to examine carefully the credentials of other miracle-workers.
Is the fact that a man works miracles a sure proof that he comes from
God, and that God is with him? To some the question may appear
well-nigh superfluous. There are many who would promptly answer in the
affirmative. How could any man perform miracles "except God be with
him?" It is because this superficial reasoning prevails so widely that
we feel it incumbent upon us to dwell upon this point. And it is
because there are men and women today that work miracles, who (we are
fully persuaded) are not "sent of God," that a further word on the
subject is much needed.
In these times men and women can stand up and teach the most erroneous
doctrines, and yet if they proffer as their credentials the power to
perform miracles of healing, they are widely received and hailed as
the servants of God. But it is generally overlooked that Satan has the
power to work miracles, too, and frequently the great Deceiver of
souls bestows this power on his emissaries in order to beguile the
unstable and confirm them in error. Let us not forget that the
magicians of Egypt were able, up to a certain point, to duplicate the
miracles of Moses, and whence obtained they this power unless from
that old Serpent, the Devil! Let us not forget the warning of the Holy
Spirit in 2 Corinthians 11:13, 14, "For such are false apostles,
deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of
Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel
of light." And, finally, let us not forget it is recorded in Scripture
that of the Antichrist it is written, "Even him, whose coming is after
the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders" (2
Thess. 2:9). Yes, Satan is able to work miracles, and also to deliver
this power to others. So, then, the mere fact that a certain teacher
works miracles is no proof that he is "come from God."
It is because we are in danger of being beguiled by these "deceitful
workers" of Satan, who "transform themselves into the apostles of
Christ," that we are exhorted to "believe not every spirit, but try
the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are
gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1). And it should not be forgotten
that the church at Ephesus was commended by Christ because they had
heeded this exhortation, and in consequence had "tried them which say
they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars" (Rev. 2:2).
"But," it will be asked, "how are we to test those who come unto us in
the name of Christ?" A most important and timely question. We answer,
Not by the personal character of those who claim to come from God, for
as 2 Corinthians 11:14, 15 tells us, "Satan himself is transformed
into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his
ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness." And
not by their power to work miracles. How then? Here is the Divinely
inspired answer, "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not
according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isa.
8:20). They must be tested by the written Word of God. Does the
professed servant of God teach that which is in accord with the Holy
Scriptures? Does he furnish a "Thus saith the Lord" for every
assertion he makes? If he does not, no matter how winsome may be his
personality, nor how pleasing his ways, no matter how marvelous may be
the "results" he "gets," God's command is, "If there come any unto
you, and bring not this doctrine (this teaching), receive him not into
your house, neither bid him Godspeed" (2 John 10). Let us emulate the
Bereans, of whom it is recorded in Acts 17:11, "they received the word
with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether
those things were so."
And how did the Lord receive Nicodemus? Notice, He did not refuse him
an audience. It was night-time, and no doubt the Savior had put in a
full day, yet He did not seek to be excused. Blessed be His name,
there is no unacceptable time for a sinner to seek the Savior.
Night-time it was, but Christ readily received Nicodemus. One of the
things which impresses the writer as he reads the Gospels, is the
blessed accessibility of the Lord Jesus. He did not surround Himself
with a bodyguard of attendants, whose duty it was to insure his
privacy and protect Him from those who could be a nuisance. No; He was
easily reached, and blessedly approachable--quite unlike some "great"
preachers we know of.
And what was Christ's response to Nicodemus' address? This "ruler of
the Jews" hailed Him as "a teacher come from God," and such is the
only conception of the Christ of God. But it is not as a Teacher the
sinner must first' approach Christ. What the sinner needs is to be
"born again," and in order to do this he must have a Savior. And it is
of these very things our Lord speaks to Nicodemus--see verses 3 and
14. Of what value is teaching to one who is "dead in trespasses and
sins," and who is even now, under the condemnation of a holy God! A
saved person is a fit subject for teaching, but what the unsaved need
is preaching, preaching which will expose their depravity, exhibit
their deep need of a Savior, and then (and not till then) reveal the
One who is mighty to save.
Christ ignored Nicodemus' address, and with startling abruptness said,
"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God." This brings us to the central truth of
the passage before us--the teaching of our Lord upon the new birth.
Here we find that He speaks of first, the supreme Importance of the
new birth (verse 3); second, the Instrument of the new birth--"water"
(verse 5); third, the Producer of the new birth--"the Spirit" (verse
5); fourth, the imperative Necessity of the new birth--a new nature,
"spirit" (verse 6); sixth, the obvious Imperativeness of the new birth
(verse 7); seventh, the Process of the new birth (verse 8). Let us
consider each of these points separately.
1. The supreme Importance of the new birth. This is exhibited here in
a number of ways. To begin with, it is profoundly significant that.
the new birth formed the first subject of the Savior's teaching in
this Gospel. In the first two chapters we learn of a number of things
He did, but here in John 3 is the first discourse of Christ recorded
by this apostle. It is not how man should live that we are first
instructed by Christ in this Gospel, but how men are made alive
spiritually. A man cannot live before he is born; nor can a dead man
regulate his life. No man can live Godwards until he has been born
again. The importance of the new birth, then, is shown here, in that
the Savior's instruction upon it is placed at the beginning of His
teaching in this Gospel. Thus we are taught it is of basic,
fundamental importance.
In the second place, the importance of the new birth is declared by
the solemn terms in which Christ spoke of it, and particularly in the
manner in which He prefaced His teaching upon it. The Lord began by
saying, "Verily, verily," which means "Of a truth, of a truth." This
expression is employed by Christ only when He was about to mention
something of a momentous nature. The double "verily" denoted that what
He was about to say was of solemn and weighty significance. Let the
reader learn to pay special attention to what follows these "Verily,
verily's" of the Savior, found only in John.
In the third place, Christ here plainly intimated the supreme
importance of the new birth by affirming that "Except a man be born
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (verse 3). If then the
kingdom of God cannot be seen until a man is born again, the new birth
is shown to be a matter of vital moment for every descendant of Adam.
"Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John
3:3). There is some doubt in our mind as to exactly what is referred
to here by "the kingdom of God." In the first place, this expression
occurs nowhere else in this Gospel but here in John 3:3, 5. In the
second place, this fourth Gospel treats of spiritual things. For this
reason we think "the kingdom of God" in this passage has a moral
force. It seems to us that Romans 14:17 helps us to understand the
significance of the term we are here studying. "For the kingdom of God
is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the
Holy Spirit." In the third place, the kingdom of God could not be
"seen" by Nicodemus except by the new birth. We take it, then, that
the "kingdom of God" in John 3 refers to the things of God, spiritual
things, which are discerned and enjoyed by the regenerate here upon
earth (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:10, 14). The word for "see" in the Greek is
"eidon,' which means "to know or become acquainted with." The full
force, then, of this first word of Christ to Nicodemus appears to be
this: "Except a man be born again he cannot come to know the things of
God." Such being the case, the new birth is seen to be a thing of
profound importance.
"Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can
he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?" (John
3:4). What a verification was this of what the Lord had just told
Nicodemus. Here was proof positive that this ruler of the Jews was
altogether lacking in spiritual discernment, and quite unable to know
the things of God. The Savior had expressed Himself in simple terms,
and yet this master of Israel altogether missed His meaning. How true
it is that "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of
God; for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them,
because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14), and in order to
have spiritual discernment a man must be born again. Till then he is
blind, unable to see the things of God.
2. The Instrument of the new birth. "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I
say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he
cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (verse 5). Regeneration is a
being born "of water." This expression has been the occasion of wide
difference of opinion among theologians. Ritualists have seized upon
it as affording proof of their doctrine of baptismal regeneration, but
this only evidences the weakness of their case when they are obliged
to appeal to such for a proof text. However, it may be just as well if
we pause here and give the scriptural refutation of this widely held
heresy.
That baptism is in no wise essential to salvation, that it does not
form one of the conditions which God requires the sinner to meet, is
clear from many considerations. First, if baptism be necessary to
salvation then no one was saved before the days of John the Baptist,
for the Old Testament will be searched from beginning to end without
finding a single mention of "baptism." God, who changes not, has had
but one way of salvation since Adam and Eve became sinners in Eden,
and if baptism is an indispensable prerequisite to the forgiveness of
sins, then all who died from Abel to the time of Christ are eternally
lost. But this is absurd. The Old Testament Scriptures plainly teach
otherwise.
In the second place, if baptism be necessary to salvation, then every
professing believer who has died during this present dispensation is
eternally lost, if he died without being baptized. And this would shut
heaven's door upon the repentant thief, as well as all the Quakers and
members of the Salvation Army, the vast majority of whom have never
been baptized. But this is equally unthinkable.
In the third place, if baptism be necessary to salvation, then we must
utterly ignore every passage in God's Word which teaches that
salvation is by grace and not of works, that it is a free gift and not
bought by anything the sinner does. If baptism be essential to
salvation, it is passing strange that Christ Himself never baptized
any one (see John 4:2), for He came to "save his people from their
sins." If baptism be essential to salvation, it is passing strange
that the apostle Paul when asked point blank by the Philippian jailer,
"What must I do to be saved?" answered by saying, "Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Finally, if baptism be
essential to salvation, it is passing strange the apostle Paul should
have written to the Corinthians, "I thank God I baptized none of you,
but Crispus and Gaius" (1 Cor. 1:14).
If then the words of Christ "born of water" have no reference to the
waters of baptism, what do they signify? Before replying directly to
this question, we must observe how the word "water" is used in other
passages in this Gospel. To the woman at the well Christ said,
"Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never
thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of
water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:14). Was this
literal "water?" One has but to ask the question to answer it.
Clearly, "water" is here used emblematically. Again, in John 7:37, 38
we are told, "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus
stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and
drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his
belly shall flow rivers of living water." Here, too, the word "water"
is not to be understood literally, but emblematically. These passages
in John's Gospel are sufficient to warrant us in giving the word
"water" in John 3:5 a figurative meaning.
If then the Lord Jesus used the word "water" emblematically in John
3:5, to what was He referring? We answer, The Word of God. This is
ever the instrument used by God in regeneration. In every other
passage where the instrument of the new birth is described, it is
always the Word of God that is mentioned. In Psalm 119:50 we read,
"For Thy word hath quickened me." Again, in 1 Corinthians 4:15 we find
the apostle saying, "I have begotten you through the gospel." Again,
we are told "Of his own will begat he us with (what?--baptism? no but
with) the word of truth" (James 1:18). Peter declares, "Being born
again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of
God, which liveth and abideth for ever" (1 Pet. 1:23).
The new birth, then, is by the Word of God, and one of the emblems of
the Word is "water." God employs quite a number of emblems to describe
the various characteristics and qualities of His Word. It is likened
to a "lamp" (^<19B9105>Psalm 119:105) because it illumines. It is
likened unto a "hammer" (Jer. 23:29) because it breaks up the hard
heart. It is likened unto "water" because it cleanses: see Psalm
119:9; John 15:3; Ephesians 5:26: "Born of water" means born of the
cleansing and purifying Word of God.
3. The Producer of the new birth. "Born of water, and of the Spirit"
(John 3:5). The Holy Spirit of God is the Begetter, the Word is the
"seed" (1 John 3:9) He uses. "That which is born of the flesh is
flesh: and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6). And
again, "It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing"
(John 6:63). Nothing could be plainer. No sinner is quickened apart
from the Word. The order which is followed by God in the new creation
is the same He observed in the restoring of the old creation. A
beautiful illustration of this is found in Genesis 1. The opening
verse refers to the original creation of God. The second verse
describes its subsequent condition, after it had been ruined. Between
the first two verses of Genesis 1 some terrible calamity
intervened--most probably the fall of Satan--and the fair handiwork of
God was blasted. The Hebrew of Genesis 1:2 literally reads, "And the
earth became a desolate waste." But six days before the creation of
Adam, God began the work of restoration, and it is indeed striking to
observe the order He followed. First, darkness abode upon "the face of
the deep" (Gen. 1:2); Second, "And the Spirit of God moved upon
(Hebrew `brooded over') the face of the waters"; Third, "And God said,
Let there be light" (Gen. 1:3); Fourth, "And there was light." The
order is exactly the same in the new creation. First, the unregenerate
sinner is in darkness, the darkness of spiritual death. Second, the
Holy Spirit moves upon, broods over, the conscience and heart of the
one He is about to quicken. Third, the Word of God goes forth in
power. Fourth, the result is "light"--the sinner is brought out of
darkness into God's marvelous light. The Holy Spirit, then, is the One
who produces the new birth.
4. The imperative Necessity of the new birth. "Except a man be born of
water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God"
(John 3:5). By his first birth man enters this world a sinful
creature, and because of this he is estranged from the thrice Holy
One. Of the unregenerate it is said, "Having the understanding
darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance
that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart." Unspeakably
solemn is this. When Adam and Eve fell they were banished from the
Paradise, and each of their children were born outside of Eden. That
sin shuts man out from the holy presence of God, was impressively
taught to Israel. When Jehovah came down on Sinai to give the Law unto
Moses (the mediator), the people were fenced off at the base of the
Mount, and were not suffered to pass on pain of death. When Jehovah
took up His abode in the midst of the chosen people, He made His
dwelling place inside the holy of holies, which was curtained off, and
none was allowed to pass through the veil save the high priest, and he
but once a year as he entered with the blood of atonement. Man then is
away from God. He is, in his natural condition, where the prodigal son
was--in the far country, away from the father's house--and except he
be born again he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into
the kingdom of God." This is not an arbitrary decree, but the
enunciation of an abiding principle. Heaven is a prepared place for a
prepared people. And this is the very nature of the case. An
unregenerate man who has no relish at all for spiritual things, who is
bored by the conversation of believers, who finds the Bible dull and
dry, who is a stranger to the throne of grace, would be wretched in
heaven. Such a man could not spend eternity in the presence of God.
Suppose a fish were taken out of the water, and laid upon a salver of
gold; suppose further that the sweetest of flowers surrounded it, and
that the air was filled with their fragrance; suppose, too, that the
strains of most melodious music fell upon its ears, would that fish be
happy and contented? Of course not. And why not? Because it would be
out of harmony with its environment; because it would be lacking in
capacity to appreciate its surroundings. Thus would it be with an
unregenerate soul in heaven.
Once more. The new birth is an imperative necessity because the
natural man is altogether devoid of spiritual life. It is not that he
is ignorant and needs instruction: it is not that he is feeble and
needs invigorating: it is not that he is sickly and needs doctoring.
His case is far, far worse. He is dead in trespasses and sins. This is
no poetical figure of speech; it is a solemn reality, little as it is
perceived by the majority of people. The sinner is spiritually
lifeless and needs quickening. He is a spiritual corpse, and needs
bringing from death unto life. He is a member of the old creation,
which is under the curse of God, and unless he is made a new creation
in Christ, he will lie under that curse to all eternity. What the
natural man needs above everything else is life, Divine life; and as
birth is the gateway to life, he must be born again, and except he be
born again, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. This is final.
5. The Character of the new birth. But what is the new birth?
Precisely what is it that differentiates a man who is dead in sins
from one who has passed from death unto life? Upon this point there is
much confusion and ignorance. Tell the average person that he must be
born again and he thinks you mean that he must reform, mend his manner
of life, turn over a new leaf. But reformation concerns only the outer
life. And the trouble with man is within. Suppose the mainspring of my
watch were broken, what good would it do if I put in a new crystal and
polished the case until I could see my face in it? None at all, for
the seat of the trouble is inside the watch. So it is with the sinner.
Suppose that his deportment was irreproachable, that his moral
character was stainless, that he had such control of his tongue that
he never sinned with his lips, what would all this avail while he
still had (as God says he has) a heart that is "deceitful above all
things, and desperately wicked?" The new birth, then, is something
more than reformation.
Others suppose, and there are thousands who do so, that being born
again means becoming religious. Tell the average church-goer that
"Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God," and
these solemn words afford him no qualms. He is quite at ease, for he
fondly imagines that he has been born again. He will tell you that he
has always been a Christian: that from early childhood he has believed
in Christianity, has attended church regularly, nay, that he is a
church-member, and contributes regularly toward the support of the
Gospel. He is very religious. Periodically he has happy feelings; he
says his prayers regularly, and on Sundays he reads his Bible. What
more can be required of him! And thus many are lulled to sleep by
Satan. If such an one should read these lines, let him pause and
seriously weigh the fact that it was man eminently religious that the
Savior was addressing when He declared, "Except a man be born of water
and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Nicodemus
was not only a religious man, he was a preacher, and yet it was to him
Christ said, "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born
again."
There are still others who believe that the new birth is a change of
heart, and it is exceedingly difficult to convince them to the
contrary. They have heard so many preachers, orthodox preachers, speak
of a change of heart, that they have never thought of challenging the
scripturalness of this expression, yet it is unscriptural. The Bible
may be searched from Genesis to Revelation, and nowhere does this
expression "change of heart" occur upon its pages. The sad thing is
that "change of heart" is not only unscriptural, but is it
antiscriptural, untrue, and therefore, utterly misleading. In the one
who has been born again there is no change of heart though there is a
change of life, both inward and outward. The one who is born again now
loves the things he once bated, and he hates now the things he once
loved; and, in consequence, his whole line of conduct is radically
affected. But, nevertheless, it remains true that his old heart (which
is "deceitful above all things and desperately wicked") remains in
him, unchanged, to the end.
What, then, is the new birth? We answer, It is not the removal of
anything from the sinner, nor the changing of anything within the
sinner; instead, it is the communication of something to the sinner.
The new birth is the impartation of the new nature. When I was born
the first time I received from my parents their nature: so, when I was
born again, I received from God His nature. The Spirit of God begets
within us a spiritual nature: as we read in 2 Peter 1:4, "Whereby are
given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye
might be partakers of the divine nature."
It is a fundamental law which inheres in the very nature of things
that like can only produce like. This unchanging principle is
enunciated again and again in the first chapter of Genesis. There we
read, "And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after
his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after
his kind" (John 1:12). And again, "And God created great whales, and
every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth
abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind"
(John 1:21). It is only the blindness and animus of infidelistic
evolutionists who affirm that one order of creatures can beget another
order radically different from themselves. No; that which is born of
the vegetable is vegetable; that which is born of the animal is
animal. And that which is born of sinful man is a sinful child. A
corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit. Hence, "That which is born
of the flesh is flesh." It cannot be anything else. Educate and
cultivate it all you please, it remains flesh. Water cannot rise above
its own level, neither can a bitter fountain send forth sweet waters.
That which is born of flesh is flesh; it may be refined flesh, it may
be beautiful flesh, it may be religious flesh. But it is still
"flesh." On the other hand, "That which is born of the Spirit is
spirit." The child always partakes of the nature of his parents. That
which is born of man is human; that which is born of God is Divine.
That which is born of man is sinful, that which is born of God is
spiritual.
Here, then, is the character or nature of the new birth. It is not the
reformation of the outward man, it is not the education of the natural
man, it is not the purification of the old man, but it is the creation
of a new man. It is a Divine begetting (James 1:18). It is a birth of
the Spirit (John 3:6). It is a being made a new creation (2 Cor.
5:17). It is becoming a partaker of the Divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4). It
is a being born into God's family. Every born again person has,
therefore, two natures within him: one which is carnal, the other
which is spiritual. These two natures are contrary the one to the
other (Gal. 5:17), and in consequence, there is an unceasing warfare
going on within the Christian. It is only the grace of God which can
subdue the old nature; and it is only the Word of God which can feed
the new nature.
6. The obvious Imperativeness of the new birth. "Marvel not that I
said unto thee, Ye must be born again" (John 3:7). Without doubt,
Nicodemus was startled. The emphatic statements of Christ staggered
him. The vital importance and imperative necessity of the new birth
were points which had never exercised his conscience or engaged his
serious attention. He was amazed at the Savior's searching
declarations. Yet he ought not to have been. Really, there was no
cause for him to stand there in openmouthed wonderment. "Marvel not,"
said Christ. It was as though the Lord had said, "Nicodemus, what I
have said to you should be obvious. If a man is a sinner, if because
of sin he is blind to the things of God, if no amount of religious
cultivation can change the essential nature of man, then it is patent
that his deepest need is to be born again. Marvel not: it is a
self-evident truth."
That entrance into the kingdom of God is only made possible by the new
birth, that is, by the reception of the Divine nature, follows a basic
law that obtains in every other kingdom. The realm of music is entered
by birth. Suppose I have a daughter, and I am anxious she should
become an accomplished musician. I place her under the tuition of the
ablest instructor obtainable. She studies diligently the science of
harmony, and she practices assiduously hours every day. In the end,
will my desire be realized? Will she become an accomplished musician?
That depends upon one thing--was she born with a musical nature?
Musicians are born, not manufactured. Again; suppose I have a son whom
I desire should be an artist. I place him under the instruction of an
efficient teacher. He is given lessons in drawing; he studies the laws
of color-blending; he is taken to the art galleries and observes the
productions of the great masters. And what is the result? Does he
blossom out into a talented artist? And again it depends solely on one
thing--was he born with the nature and temperament of an artist?
Artists are born, not manufactured. Let these examples suffice for
illustrating this fundamental principle. A man must have a musical
nature if he is to enter the kingdom of music. A man must have an
artistic nature if he is really to enter the realm of art. A man must
have a mathematical mind if he is to be a mathematician. There is
nothing to "marvel" at in this: it is self-evident; it is axiomatic.
So, in like manner, a man must have a spiritual nature before he can
enter the spiritual world: a man must have God's own nature before he
can enter God's kingdom. Therefore "Marvel not . . . ye must be born
again."
7. The Process of the new birth. "The wind bloweth where it listeth,
and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it
cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the
Spirit" (John 3:8). A comparison is here drawn between the wind and
the Spirit. The comparison is a double one. First, both are sovereign
in their activities; and second, both are mysterious in their
operations. The comparison is pointed out in the word "so." The first
point of analogy is found in the word "where it listeth" or
"pleaseth"; the second is found in the words "canst not tell."
"The wind bloweth where it pleaseth... so is every one that is born of
the Spirit." The wind is irresponsible: that is to say, it is
sovereign in its action. The wind is an element altogether beyond
man's control. The wind neither consults man's pleasure, nor can it be
regulated by his devices. So it is with the Spirit. The wind blows
where it pleases, when it pleases, as it pleases. So it is with the
Spirit.
Again; the wind is irresistible. When the wind blows in the fulness of
its power it sweeps everything before it. Those who have looked upon
the effects of a tornado just after it has passed, know something of
the mighty force of the wind. It is so with the Spirit. When He comes
in the fulness of His power, He breaks down man's prejudices, subdues
his rebellious will, overcomes all opposition.
Again; the wind is irregular. Sometimes the wind moves so softly it
scarcely rustles a leaf, at other times it blows so loudly that its
roar can be heard miles away. So it is in the matter of the new birth.
With some the Holy Spirit works so gently His work is imperceptible to
onlookers; with others His action is so powerful, so radical,
revolutionary, His operations are patent to many. Sometimes the wind
is only local in its reach, at other times it is widespread in its
scope. So it is with the Spirit. Today He acts on one or two souls,
tomorrow, He may--as at Pentecost--"prick in the heart" a whole
multitude. But whether He works on few or many He consults not man; He
acts as He pleases.
Again; the wind is invisible. It is one of the very few things in
nature that is invisible. We can see the rain, the snow, the
lightning's flash; but not so the wind. The analogy holds good with
the Spirit. His Person is unseen.
Again; the wind is inscrutable. There is something about the wind
which defies all effort of human explanation. Its origin, its nature,
its activities, are beyond man's ken. Man cannot tell whence it cometh
or whither it goeth. It is so with the activities of the Holy Spirit.
His operations are conducted secretly; His workings are profoundly
mysterious.
Again; the wind is indispensable. If a dead calm were to continue
indefinitely all vegetation would die. How quickly we wilt when there
is no wind at all. Even more so is it with the Spirit. Without Him
there could be no spiritual life at all.
Finally, the wind is invigorating. The life-giving properties of the
wind are illustrated every time a physician orders his sick patient to
retire to the mountains or to the seaside. It is so, again, with the
Spirit. He is the One who strengthens with might in the inner man. He
is the One who energizes, revives, empowers. How marvelously full was
the figure employed by Christ on this occasion. How much is suggested
by this single word "wind." Let the above serve as an example of the
great importance and value of prolonged meditation upon every word of
Holy Writ.
God has thrown an impenetrable veil over the beginnings and processes
of life. That we live we know, but how we live we cannot tell. Life is
evident to the consciousness and manifest to the senses, but it is
profoundly mysterious in its operations. It is so with the new life
born of the Spirit. To sum up the teaching of this verse: "The wind
bloweth"--there is the fact. "And thou hearest the sound
thereof"--there is evidence of the fact. "But knowest not
whence"--there is the mystery behind the fact. The one born again
knows that he has a new life, and enjoys the evidences of it, but how
the Holy Spirit operates upon the soul, subdues the will, creates the
new life within us, belongs to the deep things of God.
Below will be found a number of questions bearing on the passage which
is to be before us in the next chapter. In the meantime let each
reader who desires to become a "workman that needeth not to be
ashamed" diligently study the whole passage (John 3:9-21) for himself,
paying particular attention to the points raised by our
questions:--[1]
1. What does verse 9 go to prove?
2. What solemn warning does verse 10 point?
3. What is the force of the contrast between earthly things and
heavenly things in verse 12?
4. How are we to understand verse 13 in view of Enoch's and Elijah's
experiences?
5. What Divine attribute of Christ is affirmed in verse 13?
6. What is the connection between verse 14 and the context?
7. Why was a "serpent" selected by God to typify Christ on the Cross?
verse 14. Study carefully the first nine verses of Numbers 21.
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] (No doubt the reader will be glad to know that the Author has
published a booklet containing the substance of the above entitled The
New Birth, which the Lord has been pleased to own in blessing to many.
Price 15 cents per copy. Order from the Bible Truth Depot, Swengel,
Pa.--I. C. H.).
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 9
Christ and Nicodemus (Concluded)
John 3:9-21
_________________________________________________________________
We begin with an Analysis of the passage which is before us:--
1. The Dullness of Nicodemus, verses 9, 10.
2. The Unbelief of Nicodemus, verses 11, 12.
3. The Omnipresence of Christ, verse 13.
4. The Necessity of Christ's Death, verses 14, 15.
5. The Unspeakable Gift of God, verse 16.
6. The Purpose of God in sending Christ, verse 17.
7. Grounds of Condemnation, verses 18-21.
In our last chapter we dealt at length with Nicodemus' interview with
Christ, and sought to bring out the meaning of our Lord's words on
that occasion. We saw how the Savior insisted that the new birth was
an imperative necessity; that, even though Nicodemus were a Pharisee,
a member of the Sanhedrin, nevertheless, unless he was born again he
could not see the kingdom of God, i.e. come to know the things of God.
We also saw how the Lord explained the character of the new birth as a
being "born of water (the Word) and of the Spirit"; that regeneration
was not a process of reformation or the improving of the old man, but
the creating of an altogether new man. That which is born of flesh is
flesh, and no artifices of men can ever make it anything else. If a
sinner is to enter the kingdom of God he must be born again. Finally,
we saw how the Savior likened the operations of the Spirit in bringing
about the new birth to the sovereign but mysterious action of the
wind. The Savior had used great plainness of speech, and one had
thought it impossible for an intelligent man to miss His meaning. But
observe the next verse.
"Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?" (John
3:9). How this reveals the natural man! It is true that Nicodemus was
an educated man and, doubtless, one of exemplary moral character; but
something more than education and morality are needed to understand
the things of God. God has spoken plainly, and in simple terms, yet
notwithstanding, the natural man, unaided, has no capacity to receive
what God has recorded in His Holy Word. Even though God became
incarnate and spoke in human language, men understood Him not. This is
demonstrated again and again in this Gospel. Christ spoke of raising
the temple of His body, and they thought He referred to the temple
standing in Jerusalem. He spoke to the Samaritan woman of the "living
water," and she supposed Him to be referring to the water of Jacob's
well. He told the disciples He had meat to eat they knew not of, and
they thought only of material food (John 4:32). He spoke of Himself as
the Living Bread come down from heaven which, said He, "is my flesh,
which I will give for the life of the world," and the Jews answered,
"How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" (John 6:51, 52). He
declared, "Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto Him
that sent me. Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me; and where I am,
thither ye cannot come," and His auditors said, "Whither will he go,
that we shall not find him? Will he go unto the dispersed among the
Gentiles?" (John 7:33-35). Again, He said, "I go my way, and ye shall
seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come";
and the Jews replied, "Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither
I go, ye cannot come" (John 8:21, 22). He declared, "If ye continue in
my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free," and they answered, "We be
Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how mayest thou,
Ye shall be made free?" (John 8:31-33). And so we might continue
through this Gospel. What a commentary upon human intelligence; what a
proof of man's stupidity and blindness!
And Nicodemus was no exception. Master in Israel he might be, yet he
was ignorant of the ABC of spiritual things. And why? What is the
cause of the natural man's stupidity? Is it because he is in the dark:
"The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they
stumble" (Prov. 4:19). The testimony of the New Testament is equally
explicit: "Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the
life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the
blindness of their heart" (Eph. 4:18). How humbling all this is. How
it exposes the folly of the proud boasting of men upon their fancied
wisdom and learning! The natural man is in the dark because he is
blind. Yet how rarely is this stressed in the modern pulpit. How very
rarely do most of the Bible teachers of the day emphasize and press
the blindness of natural man, and his deep need of Divine
illumination! These things are not palatable we know, and a faithful
exposition of them will not make for the popularity of those who
preach them: yet are they sorely needed in these days of Laodicean
complacency. Let any one who desires to follow the example which our
Savior has left us, read through the four Gospels at a sitting, with
the one purpose of discovering how large a place He gave in His
preaching to the depravity of man, and most probably the reader will
be greatly surprised.
"How can these things be?" Nicodemus was at least honest. He was not
ashamed to own his ignorance, and ask questions. Well for many another
if they would do likewise. Too many are kept in ignorance by a foolish
pride which scorns to take the place of one seeking light. Yet this is
one of the prime requirements in any who desire to learn. It applies
as much to the believer as to the unbeliever. If the Christian refuses
to humble himself, if he disdains the attitude of "What I see not,
teach thou me" (Job 34:32); if he is unwilling to receive instruction
from those taught of God, and above all, if he fails to cry daily to
God "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy
law" (Ps. 119:18), he will not, and cannot, grow in the knowledge of
the truth.
"Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and
knowest not these things?" (John 3:10). It is to be noted that our
Lord here employed the same term in interrogating Nicodemus as this
ruler of the Jews used at the beginning when addressing Christ, for in
the Greek the word for "teacher" in verse 2 is the same as the one
rendered "master" in verse 10. It is exceedingly striking to observe
that in the brief record of this interview we find the Lord employing
just seven times the very expression used by Nicodemus himself. We
tabulate them thus:
1. Nicodemus declared, "We know," verse 2.
Christ said, "That which we know we speak" (Gk.), verse 11.
2. Nicodemus said, "Thou art a teacher," verse 2.
Christ said, "Art thou a teacher?" verse 10.
3. Nicodemus said, "Except God be with him," verse 2.
Christ said, "Except a man be," verse 3.
4. Nicodemus asked, "How can a man be born?" verse 4.
Christ answered, "Except a man be born," verse 5.
5. Nicodemus asked, "Can he enter?" verse 4.
Christ answered, "He cannot enter," verse 5.
6. Nicodemus asked, "How can?" verse 9.
Christ asked, "How shall?" verse 12.
7. Nicodemus asked, "How can these things be?" verse 9.
Christ asked, "knowest not these things?" verse 10.
It is really startling to behold this remarkable correspondency
between the language of Nicodemus and the words of the Savior, and
surely there is some important lesson to be learned from it. What are
we to gather from this employment by Christ of the terms first used by
Nicodemus? Does it not illustrate a principle and teach a lesson for
all Christian workers? Let us state it this way: Christ met this man
on his own ground, and made his own language the channel of approach
to his heart. How simple, yet how important. Have we not often been
puzzled to know how to approach some person in whose soul we were
interested? We wondered just where was the place to begin. Well, here
is light on the problem. Make his own utterances the starting point of
your address. Turn his own words around against him, and whenever
possible, invest them with a deeper meaning and a higher application.
"Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and
knowest not these things?" What a rebuke this was! It was as though
the Lord had said, "You a teacher, and yet untaught yourself? You a
lightholder, and yet in the dark! You a master of Israel, and yet
ignorant of the most elementary spiritual truths!" How searching, and
how solemn! To what extent is this true of the writer and the reader?
Ah, must we not all of us hang our heads in shame? How little we know
of what we ought to know. How blind we are! So blind that we need to
be guided into the truth (John 16:13)! Is not our sorest need that of
going to the great Physician and seeking from Him that spiritual
"eyesalve," so that He may anoint our eyes that we can see (Rev.
3:18)? God forbid that the haughtiness of Laodicean-ism should prevent
us.
Ere passing on to the next verse let us point out one more lesson from
that now before us--verse 10. Even a religious teacher may be ignorant
of Divine truth. What a solemn warning is this for us to put no
confidence in any man. Here was a member of the Sanhedrin, trained in
the highest theological school of his day, and yet having no
discernment of spiritual things. Unfortunately he has had many
successors. The fact that a preacher has graduated with honors from
some theological center is no proof that he is a man taught of the
Holy Spirit. No dependence can be placed on human learning. The only
safe course is to emulate the Bereans, and bring everything we hear
from the platform and pulpit, yes, and everything we read in religious
magazines, to the test of the Word of God, rejecting everything which
is not clearly taught in the Holy Oracles.
"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and
testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness" (John
3:11). As pointed out above, this was Christ's reply to what Nicodemus
had said in his opening statement. "We know that thou art a teacher
come from God" declared this representative of the Sanhedrin. In
response, our Lord now says, "We speak that we do know, and testify
that we have seen." At a later stage in the conversation, Nicodemus
had asked, "How can these things be?" (verse 9). What Christ had said
concerning the new birth had struck this ruler of the Jews as being
incredible. Hence this solemn and emphatic declaration--"We speak that
we do know, and testify that we have seen." Christ was not dealing
with metaphysical speculations or theological hypotheses, such as the
Jewish doctors delighted in. Instead, He was affirming that which He
knew to be a Divine reality, and testifying to that which had an
actual existence and could be seen and observed. What an example does
our Lord set before all His servants! The teacher of God's Word must
not attempt to expound what is not already clear to himself, still
less must he speculate upon Divine things, or speak of that of which
he has no experimental acquaintance. Bather must he speak of that
which he knows and testify to that which he has seen.
"And ye receive not our witness." There is an obvious connection
between this statement and what is recorded in the previous verse.
There we find Christ chiding Nicodemus for his ignorance of Divine
truth; here He reveals the cause of such ignorance. The reason a man
does not know the things of God, is because he receives not God's
witness concerning them. It is vitally important to observe this
order. First receiving, then knowledge: first believing what God has
said, and then an understanding of it. This principle is illustrated
in Hebrews 11:3--"Through faith we understand." This is the first
thing predicated of faith in that wonderful faith chapter. Faith is
the root of perception. As we believe God's Word, He honors our faith
by giving us a knowledge of what we have believed. And, if we believe
not His Word we shall have no understanding whatever of Divine things.
"If I have told you earthly things and ye believe not, how shall ye
believe, if I tell you heavenly things?" (John 3:12). This is closely
connected with the previous verse. There, the Lord Jesus lays bare the
cause of man's ignorance in the things of God; here He reveals the
condition of growth in knowledge. God's law in the spiritual realm
corresponds with that which operates in the natural world: there is
first the blade, then the ear, and last the full corn in the ear. God
will not reveal to us a higher truth until we have thoroughly
apprehended the simpler ones first. This, we take it, is the moral
principle that Christ here enunciated. "Earthly things" are evident
and in measure comprehensible, but "heavenly things" are invisible and
altogether beyond our grasp until Divinely revealed to us. As to the
local or immediate reference, we understand by the "earthly things"
the new birth which takes place here upon earth, and the Lord's
reference to the "wind" as an illustration of the Spirit's operations
in bringing about the new birth. These were things that Nicodemus
ought to have known about from Ezekiel 36:25-27. If, then, Nicodemus
believed not God's Word concerning these earthly things, of what avail
would it be for Christ to speak to him of "heavenly things?" We pause
to apply this searching principle to ourselves.
Why is it that our progress is so slow in the things of God? What is
it that retards our growth in the knowledge of the truth? Is not the
answer to these and all similar questions stated above: "If I have
told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if
I tell you heavenly things?" The earthly things are things pertaining
to the earthly realm. They are the things which have to do with our
present life here upon earth. They are the commands of God which are
for the regulation of our daily walk down here. If we believe not
these, that is, if we do not appropriate them and submit ourselves to
them, if we do not receive and heed them, then will God reveal to us
the higher mysteries--the "heavenly things?" No, indeed, for that
would be setting a premium on our unbelief, and casting pearls before
swine.
Why is it that we have so little light on many of the prophetical
portions of Scripture? Why is it that we know so little of the
conditions of those who are now "present with the Lord?" Why is it
that we are so ignorant of what will form our occupation in the
eternal state? Is it because the prophecies are obscure? Is it because
God has revealed so little about the intermediate and eternal states?
Surely not. It is because we are in no condition to receive
illumination upon these things. Because we have paid so little earnest
heed to the "earthly things" (the things pertaining to our earthly
life, the precepts of God for the regulation of our earthly walk) God
withholds from us a better knowledge of "heavenly things," things
pertaining to the heavenly realm. Let writer and reader bow before God
in humble and contrite confession for our miserable failures, and seek
from Him that needed grace that our ways may be more pleasing in His
sight. Let our first desire be, not a clearer apprehension of the
Divine mysteries, but a more implicit obedience to the Divine
requirements. As we turn to God's Word, let our dominant motive be
that we may learn God's mind for us in order that we may do it, and
not that we may become wise in recondite problems. Let us remember
that "strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those
who by reason of use have their senses (spiritual senses) exercised to
discern both good and evil" (Heb. 5:14).
"And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from
heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven" (John 3:13). The
connection between this verse and the preceding one seems to be as
follows. The "heavenly things" to which the Lord had referred had not
till then been clearly revealed to men. To ascend to heaven, and
penetrate the hidden counsels of God, was an utter impossibility to
fallen man. Only the Son, whose native residence was heaven, was
qualified to reveal heavenly things.
But what did the Lord mean when He said, "No man hath ascended up to
heaven?" This verse is a favorite one with many of those who believe
in "Soul Sleep" and "Annihilation." There are those who contend that
between death and resurrection man ceases to be. They appeal to this
verse and declare it teaches no man, not even Abel or David, has yet
gone to heaven. But it is to be noted that Christ did not say, "no man
hath entered heaven," but, "no man hath ascended up to heaven." This
is an entirely different thing. "Ascended" no man had, or ever will.
What is before us now is only one of ten thousand examples of the
minute and marvelous accuracy of Scripture, lost, alas, on the great
majority who read it so carelessly and hurriedly. Of Enoch it is
recorded that he "was translated that he should not see death" (Heb.
11:5). Of Elijah it is said that he "went up by a whirlwind into
heaven" (2 Kings 2:11). Of the saints who shall be raptured to heaven
at the return of Christ, it is said that they shall be "caught up" (1
Thess. 4:17). Of Christ alone is it said that He "ascended." This at
once marks His uniqueness, and demonstrates that in all things He has
"the pre-eminence" (Col. 1:18).
But observe further that the Lord said, "even the Son of man which is
in heaven." In heaven, even while speaking to Nicodemus on earth. This
is another evidence of His Deity. It affirmed His Omnipresence. It is
remarkable to see that every essential attribute of Deity is
predicated of Christ in this Gospel, the special object of which is to
unveil His Divine perfections. His eternality is argued in John 1:1.
His Divine glory is mentioned in John 1:14. His omniscience is seen in
John 1:48 and again in John 2:24, 25. His matchless wisdom is borne
witness to in John 7:46. His unchanging love is affirmed in John 13:1.
And so we might go on indefinitely.
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must
the Son of man be lifted up" (John 3:14). Christ had been speaking to
Nicodemus about the imperative necessity of the new birth. By nature
man is dead in trespasses and sins, and in order to obtain life he
must be born again. The new birth is the impartation of Divine life,
eternal life, but for this to be bestowed on men, the Son of man must
be lifted up. Life could come only out of death. The sacrificial work
of Christ is the basis of the Spirit's operations and the ground of
God's gift of eternal life. Observe that Christ here speaks of the
lifting up of the Son of man, for atonement could be made only by One
in the nature of him who sinned, and only as Man was God's Son capable
of taking upon Him the penalty resting on the sinner. No doubt there
was a specific reason why Christ should here refer to His sacrificial
death as a "lifting up." The Jews were looking for a Messiah who
should be lifted up, but elevated in a manner altogether different
from what the Lord here mentions. They expected Him to be elevated to
the throne of David, but before this He must be lifted up upon the
Cross of shame, enduring the judgment of God upon His people's sin.
To illustrate the character, the meaning, and the purpose of His
death, the Lord here refers to the well-known incident in Israel's
wilderness wanderings which is recorded in Numbers 21. Israel was
murmuring against the Lord, and He sent fiery serpents among the
people, which bit them so that some of the people died and many others
were sorely wounded from their poisonous bites. In consequence, they
confessed they had sinned, and cried unto Moses for relief. He, in
turn, cried unto God, and the Lord bade him make a serpent of brass,
fix it on a pole, and tell the bitten Israelites to look to it in
faith and they should be healed. All of this was a striking
foreshadowing of Christ being lifted up on the Cross in order that He
might save, through the look of faith, those who were dying from sin.
The type is a remarkable one and worthy of our closest study.
A "serpent" was a most appropriate figure of that deadly and
destructive power, the origin of which the Scriptures teach us to
trace to the Serpent, whose "seed" sinners are declared to be. The
poison of the serpent's bite, which vitiates the entire system of its
victim, and from the fatal effects of which there was no deliverance,
save that which God provided, strikingly exhibited the awful nature
and consequences of sin. The remedy which God provided was the
exhibition of the destroyer destroyed. Why was not one of the actual
serpents spiked by Moses to the pole? Ah, that would have marred the
type: that would have pictured judgment executed on the sinner
himself; and, worse still, would have misrepresented our sinless
Substitute. In the type chosen there was the likeness of a serpent,
not an actual serpent, but a piece of brass made like one. So, the One
who is the sinners Savior was sent "in the likeness of sin's flesh"
(Rom. 8:3, Gk.), and God "made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin;
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Cor. 5:21).
But how could a serpent fitly typify the Holy One of God? This is the
very last thing of all we had supposed could, with any propriety, be a
figure of Him. True, the "serpent" did not, could not, typify Him in
His essential character, and perfect life. The brazen serpent only
foreshadowed Christ as He was "lifted up." The lifting up manifestly
pointed to the Cross. What was the "serpent?" It was the reminder and
emblem of the curse. It was through the agency of that old Serpent,
the Devil, that our first parents were seduced, and brought under the
curse of a Holy God. And on the cross, dear reader, the holy One of
God, incarnate, was made a curse for us. We would not dare make such
an assertion, did not Scripture itself expressly affirm it. In
Galatians 3:13 we are told, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of
the law, being made a curse for us." There was no flaw, then, in the
type. The foreshadowing was perfect. A "serpent" was the only thing in
all nature which could accurately prefigure the crucified Savior made
a curse for us.
But why a "serpent" of brass? That only brings out once more the
perfect accuracy of the type. "Brass" speaks of two things. In the
symbolism of Scripture brass is the emblem of Divine judgment. The
brazen altar illustrates this truth, for on it the sacrificial animals
were slain, and upon it descended the con suming fire from heaven.
Again; in Deuteronomy 28, the Lord declared unto Israel, that if they
would not hearken unto His voice and do His commandments (verse 15),
that His curse should come upon them (verse 16), and as a part of the
Divine judgment with which they should be visited, He warned them,
"Thy heaven that is above thy head shall be brass" (verse 23). Once
more, in Revelation 1, where Christ is seen as Judge, inspecting the
seven churches we are told, "His feet were like fine brass" (verse
15). The "serpent," then, spoke of the curse which sin entailed; the
"brass" told of God's judgment falling on the One made sin for us. But
there is another thought suggested by the brass. Brass is harder than
iron, or silver or gold. It told, then, of Christ's mighty strength,
which was able to endure the awful judgment which fell upon Him--a
mere creature, though sinless, would have been utterly consumed.
From what has been said, it will be evident that when God told Moses
to make a serpent of brass, fix it upon a pole, and bid the bitten
Israelites look on it and they should live, that He was preaching to
them the Gospel of His grace. We would now point out seven things
which these Israelites were not bidden to do.
1. They were not told to manufacture some ointment as the means of
healing their wounds. Doubtless, that would have seemed much more
reasonable to them. But it would have destroyed the type. The
religious doctors of the day are busy inventing spiritual lotions, but
they effect no cures. Those who seek spiritual relief by such means
are like the poor woman mentioned in the Gospel: she "suffered many
things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was
nothing bettered, but rather grew worse" (Mark 5:26).
2. They were not told to minister to others who were wounded, in order
to get relief for themselves. This, too, would have appealed to their
sentiments as being more practical and more desirable than gazing at a
pole, yet in fact it had been most impracticable. Of what use would it
be for one to jump into deep water to rescue a drowning man if he
could not swim a stroke himself! How then can one who is dying and
unable to deliver himself, help others in a similar state. And yet
there are many today engaged in works of charity with the vain
expectation that giving relief to others will counteract the deadly
virus of sin which is at work in their own souls.
3. They were not told to fight the serpents. If some of our moderns
had been present that day they would have urged Moses to organize a
Society for the Extermination of Serpents! But of what use had that
been to those who were already bitten and dying? Had each stricken one
killed a thousand serpents they would still have died. And what does
all this fighting sin amount to! True, it affords an outlet for the
energy of the flesh; but all these crusades against intemperance,
profanity and vice, have not improved society any, nor have they
brought a single sinner one step nearer to Christ.
4. They were not told to make an offering to the serpent on the pole.
God did not ask any payment from them in return for their healing. No,
indeed. Grace ceases to be grace if any price is paid for what it
brings. But how frequently is the Gospel perverted at this very point!
Not long ago the writer preached on human depravity, addressing
himself exclusively to the unsaved. He sought by God's help to show
the unbeliever the terribleness of his state and how desperate was his
need of a Savior to deliver him from the wrath to come. As we took our
seat, the pastor of the church rose and announced an irrelevant hymn
and then urged everybody present to "re-consecrate themselves to God."
Poor man! That was the best he knew. But what pitiful blindness! Other
preachers are asking their hearers to "Give their hearts to Jesus"-
another miserable perversion. God does not ask the sinner to give
anything, but to Receive His Christ.
5. They were not told to pray to the serpent. Many evangelists urge
their hearers to go to the mourners bench or penitent form" and there
plead with God for pardoning mercy, and if they are dead in earnest
they are led to believe that God has heard them for their much
speaking. If these "seekers after a better life" believe what the
preacher has told them, namely, that they have "prayed through" and
have now "got forgiveness," they feel happy, and for a while continue
treading the clean side of the Broad Road with a light heart; but the
almost invariable consequence is that their last state is worse than
the first. O dear reader, do not make the fatal mistake of
substituting prayer for faith in Christ.
6. They were told not to look at Moses. They had been looking to
Moses, and urging him to cry to God on their behalf; and when God
responded, He took their eyes from off Moses, and commanded them to
look at the brazen serpent. Moses was the Law-giver, and how many
today are looking to him for salvation. They are trusting in their own
imperfect obedience to God's commandments to take them to heaven. In
other words, they are depending on their own works. But Scripture says
emphatically, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but
according to his mercy he saved us" (Titus 3:5). The Law was given by
Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ, and Christ alone can
save.
7. They were not told to look at their wounds. Some think they need to
be more occupied with the work of examining their own wicked hearts in
order to promote that degree of repentance which they deem a necessary
qualification for salvation. But as well attempt to produce heat by
looking, at the snow, or light by peering into the darkness, as seek
salvation by looking to self for it. To be occupied with myself is
only to be taken up with that which God has condemned, and which
already has the sentence of death written upon it. But, it may be
asked, "Ought I not to have that godly sorrow which worketh repentance
before I trust in Christ?" Certainly not. You cannot have a godly
sorrow till you are a godly person, and you cannot be a godly person
until you have submitted yourself to God and obeyed Him by believing
in Christ. Faith is the beginning of all godliness.
We have developed the seven points above with the purpose of exposing
some of the wiles by which the Enemy is deceiving a multitude of
souls. It is greatly to be feared that there are many in our churches
today who sincerely think they are Christians, but who are sincerely
mistaken. Believing that I am a millionaire will not make me one; and
believing that I am saved, when I am not, will not save me. The Devil
is well pleased if he can get the awakened sinner to look at anything
rather than Christ--good works, repentance, feelings, resolutions,
baptism, anything so long as it is not Christ Himself.
Turning now from the negative to the positive side, let us consider,
though it must be briefly, one or two points in the type itself.
First, Moses was commanded by God to make a serpent of brass--it was
of the Lord's providing--and the spiritual significance of this we
have already looked at. Second, Moses was commanded to fix this brazen
serpent upon a pole. Thus was the Divine remedy publicly exhibited so
that all Israel might look on it and be healed. Third, the Lord's
promise was that "it shall come to pass, that every one that is
bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live" (Num. 21:8). Thus, not
only did God here give a foreshadowing of the means by which salvation
was to be brought out for sinners, but also the manner in which the
sinner obtains an interest in that salvation, namely, by looking away
from himself to the Divinely appointed object of faith, even to the
Lord Jesus Christ. How blessed this was: the brazen serpent was
"lifted up" so that those who were too weak to crawl up to the pole
itself, and perhaps too far gone to even raise their voices in
supplication could, nevertheless, lift up their eyes in simple faith
in God's promise and be healed.
Just as the bitten Israelites were healed by a look of faith, so the
sinner may be saved by looking to Christ by faith. Saving faith is not
some difficult and meritorious work which man must perform so as to
give him a claim upon God for the blessing of salvation. It is not on
account of our faith that God saves us, but it is through the means of
our faith. It is in believing we are saved. It is like saying to a
starving man, He that eats of this food shall be relieved from the
pangs of hunger, and be refreshed and strengthened. Eating is no
meritorious performance, but, from the nature of things, eating is the
indispensable means of relieving hunger. To say that when a man
believes he shall be saved, is just to say that the guiltiest of the
guilty, and the vilest of the vile, is welcome to salvation, if he
will but receive it in the only way in which, from the nature of the
case, it can be received, namely, by personal faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ, which means believing what God has recorded concerning His Son
in the Holy Scriptures. The moment a sinner does that he is saved,
just as God said to Moses, "It shall come to pass, that every one that
is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live."
"Every one that is bitten." No matter how many times he may have been
bitten; no matter how far the poison had advanced in its progress
toward a fatal issue, if he but looked he should "live." Such is the
Gospel declaration: "whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life." There is no exception. The vilest wretch on
the face of the earth, the most degraded and despised, the most
miserable and wretched of all human kind, who believes in Christ shall
be saved by Him with an everlasting salvation. Not sin but unbelief
can bar the sinner's way to the Savior. It is possible that some of
the Israelites who heard of the Divinely appointed remedy made light
of it; it may be that some of them cherished wicked doubts as to the
possibility of them obtaining any relief by looking at a brazen
serpent; some may have hoped for recovery by the use of ordinary
means; no matter, if these things were true of them, and later they
found the disease gaining on them, and then they lifted up a believing
eye to the Divinely erected standard, they too were healed. And should
these lines be read by one who has long procrastinated, who has
continued for many long years in a course of stout-hearted unbelief
and impenitence, nevertheless, the marvelous grace of our God declares
to you, that "whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life." It is still the "accepted time"; it is still "the
day of salvation." Believe now, and thou shalt be saved.
Man became a lost sinner by a look, for the first thing recorded of
Eve in connection with the fall of our first parents is that "The
woman saw that the tree was good for food" (Gen. 3:6) In like manner,
the lost sinner is saved by a look. The Christian life begins by
looking: "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth:
for I am God, and there is none else" (Isa. 45:22). The Christian life
continues by looking: "let us run with patience the race which is set
before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of faith" (Heb.
12:2). And at the end of the Christian life we "re still to be looking
for Christ: "For our conversation (citizenship) is in heaven; from
whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Phil.
3:20). From first to last, the one thing required is looking at God's
Son.
But perhaps right here the troubled and trembling sinner will voice
his last difficulty--"Sir, I do not know that I am looking in the
correct way." Dear friend, God does not ask you to look at your look,
but at Christ. In that great crowd of bitten Israelites of old there
were some with young eyes and some with old eyes that looked at the
serpent; there were some with clear vision and some with dim vision;
there were some who had a full view of the serpent by reason of their
nearness to the uplifted type of Christ; and there were, most
probably, others who could scarcely see it because of their great
distance from the pole, but the Divine record is "It shall come to
pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall
live." And so it is today. The Lord Jesus says, "Come unto me, all ye
that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." He does not
define the method or the manner of coming, and even if the poor sinner
comes groping, stumbling, falling, yet if only he will "come" there is
a warm welcome for him. So it is in our text: it is "whosoever
believeth"--nothing is said about the strength or the intelligence of
the belief, for it is not the character or degree of faith that saves,
but Christ Himself. Faith is simply the eye of the soul that looks off
unto the Lord Jesus, Do not rest, then, on your faith, but on the
Savior Himself.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life" (John 3:16). Christ had just made mention of His death, and had
affirmed that the Cross was an imperative necessity; it was not "the
Son of man shall be lifted up," but "the Son of man must be lifted
up." There was no other alternative. If the claims of God's throne
were to be met, if the demands of justice were to be satisfied, if the
sin was to be put away, it could only be by some sinless One being
punished in the stead of those who should be saved. The righteousness
of God required this: the Son of man must be lifted up.
But there is more in the Cross of Christ than an exhibition of the
righteousness of God; there is also a display of His wondrous love.
Verse 16 explains verse 14, as its opening word indicates. Verse 16
takes us back to the very foundation of everything. The great
Sacrifice was provided by Love. Christ was God's love-gift. This at
once refutes an error that once obtained in certain quarters, namely,
that Christ died in order that God might be induced to pity and save
men. The very opposite is the truth. Christ died because God did love
men, and was determined to save them that believe. The death of Christ
was the supreme demonstration of God's love. It was impossible that
there should be any discord among the Persons of the Godhead in
reference to the salvation of men. The will of the Godhead is, and
necessarily must be, one. The Atonement was not the cause, but the
effect, of God's love: "In this was manifested the love of God towards
us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that
we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but
that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our
sins" (1 John 4:9, 10). From what other source could have proceeded
the giving of Christ to save men but from LOVE--pure sovereign
benignity!
The Love of God! How blessed is this to the hearts of believers, for
only believers can appreciate it, and they but very imperfectly. It is
to be noted that here in John 3:16 there are seven things told us
about God's love: First, the tense of His love--"God so loved." It is
not God loves, but He "loved." That He loves us now that we are His
children, we can, in measure, understand; but that He should have
loved us before we became His children passes knowledge. But He did.
"God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners
Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8). And again: "Yea, I have loved thee
with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn
thee" (Jer. 31:3). Second, the magnitude of His love--"God so loved."
None can define or measure that little word "so." There are dimensions
to the breadth, and length, and depth, and height of His wondrous
love, that none can measure. Third, the scope of God's love--"God so
loved the world." It was not limited to the narrow bounds of
Palestine, but it flowed out to sinners of the Gentiles, too. Fourth,
the nature of God's love--"God so loved the world that he gave." Love,
real love, ever seeks the highest interest of others. Love is
unselfish; it gives. Fifth, the sacrificial character of God's
love--"he gave his only begotten Son." God spared not His Best. He
freely delivered up Christ, even to the death of the Cross, Sixth, the
design of His love". That whosoever believeth on him should not
perish." Many died in the wilderness from the bites of the serpents:
and many of Adam's race will suffer eternal death in the lake of fire.
But God purposed to have a people who "should not perish." Who this
people are is made manifest by their "believing" on God's Son.
Seventh, the beneficence of God's love--"But have everlasting life."
This is what God imparts to every one of His own. Ah, must we not
exclaim with the apostle, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath
bestowed upon us"! (1 John 3:1). O dear Christian reader, if ever you
are tempted to doubt God's love go back to the Cross, and see there
how He gave up to that cruel death His "only begotten Son."
"For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but
that the world through him might be saved" (John 3:17). This verse
enlarges upon the beneficient nature and purpose of God's love.
Unselfish in its character--for love "seeketh not her own"--it ever
desires the good of those unto whom it flows forth. When God sent His
Son here it was not to "condemn the world," as we might have expected.
There was every reason why the world should have been condemned. The
heathen were in an even worse condition than the Jews. Outside the
little land of Palestine, the knowledge of the true and living God had
well nigh completely vanished from the earth. And where God is not
known and loved, there is no love among men for their neighbors. In
every Gentile nation idolatry and immorality were rampant. One has
only to read the second half of Romans 1 to be made to marvel that God
did not then sweep the earth with the besom of destruction, But no; He
had other designs, gracious designs. God sent His Son into the world
that the world through Him "might be saved." It is to be remarked that
the word "might" here does not express any uncertainty. Instead it
declares the purpose of God in the sending of His Son. In common
speech the word "might" signifies a contingency. It is only another
case of the vital importance of ignoring man's dictionaries and the
way he employs words, and turning to a concordance to see how the Holy
Spirit uses each word in the Scriptures themselves. The word
"might"--as a part of the verb--expresses design. When we are told
that God sent His Son into the world that through Him "the world might
be saved," it signifies that "through him the world should be saved,"
and this is how it is rendered in the R. V. For other instances we
refer the reader to 1 Peter 3:18--"might bring us to God" implies no
uncertainty whatever, but tells of the object to be accomplished. For
further examples see Galatians 4:5; Titus 2:14; 2 Peter 1:4, etc.,
etc.
"He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not
is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the
only begotten Son of God" (John 3:18). For the believer there is "no
condemnation" (Rom. 8:1), because Christ was condemned in his
stead--the "chastisement of our peace" was upon Him. But the
unbeliever is "condemned already." By nature he is a "child of wrath"
(Eph. 2:3), not corruption merely. He enters this world with the curse
of a sin-hating God upon him. If he hears the Gospel and receives not
Christ he incurs a new and increased condemnation through his
unbelief. How emphatically this proves that the sinner is responsible
for his unbelief!
"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and
men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil"
(John 3:19). Here is the cause of man's unbelief: he loves the
darkness, and therefore hates the light. What a proof of his
depravity! It is not only that men are in the dark, but they love the
darkness--they prefer ignorance, error, superstition, to the light of
truth. And the reason why they love the darkness and hate the light is
because their deeds are evil.
"For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the
light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth
cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they
are wrought in God" (John 3:20, 21). Here is the final test. "Every
one that doeth (practices) evil hateth the light, neither cometh to
the light," and why?--"lest his deeds should be reproved." That is why
men refuse to read the Scriptures. God's Word would condemn them. On
the other hand, "he that doeth truth," which describes what is
characteristic of every believer, "cometh to the light"--note the
perfect tense--he comes again and again to the light of God's Word.
And for what purpose? To learn God's mind, that he may cease doing the
things which are displeasing to Him, and be occupied with that which
is acceptable in His sight. Was not this the final word of Christ to
Nicodemus, addressed to his conscience? This ruler of the Jews had
come to Jesus "by night," as though his deeds would not bear the
light!
For the benefit of those who would prepare for the next lesson we
submit the following questions:
1. What does the "much water" teach? verse 23.
2. What was the real purpose of the Jews in coming to John and saying
what is recorded in verse 26?
3. What is the meaning of verse 27?
4. What vitally important lesson for the Christian is taught in verse
29?
5. What is the meaning of verse 33?
6. What is meant by the last half of verse 34?
7. How does verse 35 bring out the Deity of Christ?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 10
Christ Magnified by His Forerunner
John 3:22-36
_________________________________________________________________
We give first a brief Analysis of the passage which is to occupy our
attention. Here we see:
1. The Lord Jesus and His Disciples in Judea, verse 22.
2. John baptizing in Aenon, verses 23, 24.
3. The attempt to provoke John's jealousy, verses 25, 26.
4. The humility of John, verses 27, 28.
5. The joy of John, verse 29.
6. The preeminence of Christ, verses 30-35.
7. The inevitable alternative, verse 36.
Another typical picture is presented in the passage before us, though
its lines are not so easily discernible as in some of the others which
we have already looked at.
The spiritual state of Judaism as it existed at the time of our Lord's
sojourn on earth is revealed in three pathetic statements; first, the
Jews were occupied with the externals of religion (verse 25); second,
they were envious of the results attending the ministry of Christ
(verse 26); third, they rejected the testimony of the Savior (verse
32). How pointedly did these things expose the condition of Israel as
a nation! With no heart for the Christ of God, and ignorant, too, of
the position occupied by His forerunner (verse 28), they were
concerned only with matters of ceremonialism. Religious they were, but
for a Savior they felt no need. They preferred to wrangle over
questions of "purification," rather than go to the Lord Jesus for the
Water of life. But this was not all. They were jealous of the outward
success that attended the ministry of the Lord Jesus in its early
stages. How this revealed their hearts! Plainer still is what we read
of them in verse 32--the testimony of Christ they "received not." The
Savior was not only "despised" by them, He was "rejected," too. Once
more, then, is the awful condition of Judaism made manifest before our
eyes.
"After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of
Judea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized" (John 3:22). This
must be read in the light of John 4:2. By linking these two verses
together an important principle is established: what is done by the
servants of Christ by His authority is as though it had been done by
Christ immediately. It is the same as what we read of in 2 Corinthians
5:20: "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did
beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to
God." It is the same in prayer. When we really pray to the Father in
the name of Jesus Christ, it is as though Christ Himself were the
suppliant.
"And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was
much water there: and they came, and were baptized" (John 3:23). The
meaning of the names of these places--like all others in
Scriptures--are deeply significant. Aenon signifies "place of
springs," Salim means "peace." What a blessed place for John to be in!
These names point a striking contrast from "the wilderness of Judea"
and "the region round about Jordan" (cf. Matthew 3:1, 5), which speak
of drought and death. Surely there is a most important lesson taught
us here, and a most precious one too. The place of drought and death
was where God had called the forerunner of Christ to labor, and as he
there bore faithful witness to the Lord Jesus it became to him a place
of "springs" (refreshment) and "peace!" Such is ever the experience of
the obedient servant of God.
"John also was baptizing." There is a word of great practical
importance here for many a servant of God. The Lord Jesus was there in
Judea in person, and His disciples were with Him, baptizing. The
crowds which at first attended the preaching of John had now deserted
him, and were thronging to Christ (verse 26). What then does the
Lord's forerunner do? Does he decide that his work is now finished,
and that God no longer has need of him? Does he become discouraged
because his congregations were so small? Does he quit his work and go
on a long vacation? Far, far from it. He faithfully persevered: "John
also was baptizing." Has this no message for us? Perhaps these lines
may be read by some who used to minister to big crowds. But these are
no more. Another preacher has appeared, and the crowds flock after
him. What then? Must you then conclude that God has set you aside? Are
you suffering this experience to discourage you? Or, worse still, are
you envious of the great success attending the labors of another! Ah,
fellow-servants of Christ, take to heart this word--"John also was
baptizing." His season of popularity might be over: his light might be
eclipsed by that of a greater: the crowds might have become thin; but,
nevertheless, he plodded on and faithfully persevered in the work God
had given him to do! "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in
due season we shall reap, if we faint not" (Gal. 6:9). John performed
his duty and fulfilled his course.
"John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was
much water there." This is one of the many verses in the New Testament
which plainly intimates the mode of baptism. If baptism were by
sprinkling or by pouring, "much water" would not be required. The fact
that John baptized in Aenon "because there was much water there"
strongly implies that the scriptural form of baptism is immersion. But
the one who desires to know and carry out God's mind is not left to
mere inferences, forceful though they may be. The very word
"baptized'' (both in the Greek and in English) signifies "to dip or
immerse." The Greek words for sprinkling and pouring" are entirely
different from the one for baptize. Again; the example of our blessed
Lord Himself ought to settle all controversy. No unprejudiced mind can
read Matthew 3:16 without seeing that the Lord Jesus was immersed.
Finally, the testimony of Romans 6 is unequivocal and conclusive.
There we read, "We are buried with Him by baptism into death" (verse
3).
"Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the
Jews about purifying" (John 3:25). The "Jews" mentioned here are the
same as those we read of in John 1:19, who sent a delegation unto the
Baptist to inquire who he was. There is a slight difference between
the ancient Greek MSS, and following a variation of reading the R.V.
says, "There arose therefore a questioning on the part of John's
disciples with a Jew about purifying." But we are thoroughly satisfied
that here, as in the great majority of instances, the A.V. is
preferable to the R.V. Clearly it is "the Jews" of John 1:19 who are
before us again in John 3:25. This is seen from what we read in verse
28: "Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ,
but that I am sent before him." The Baptist reminds them of the
testimony he bore before their representatives on the previous
occasion, for John 3:28 corresponds exactly with John 1:20 and 23.
"And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with
thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou bearest witness, behold, the same
baptizeth, and all men come to him" (John 3:26). What was the object
of these Jews? Was not their motive a malicious one? Were they not
seeking to make John envious? It would certainly appear so. Why tell
him of the outward success of Christ's ministry if it were not to
provoke the jealousy of His harbinger? And cannot we detect the Enemy
of souls behind this! This is ever a favorite device with him, to make
one servant of the Lord envious at the greater success enjoyed by
another. And alas! how frequently does he gain his wicked ends thus.
It is only those who seek not honor of men, but desire only the glory
of their Lord, that are proof against such attacks.
A striking example of the above principle is found in connection with
Moses, who "was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face
of the earth" (Num. 12:3). In Numbers 11:26, 27 we read, "But there
remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad,
and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them; and
they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the
tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp. And there ran a young
man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the
camp." Now notice what follows--"And Joshua the son of Nun, the
servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord
Moses, forbid them." Even Joshua was jealous for his master's sake.
But how blessedly did Moses rebuke him: "And Moses said unto him,
Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the Lord's people were
prophets and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!"
The same unselfish spirit is seen in that one who referred to himself
as "less than the least of all saints" (Eph. 3:8). While the beloved
apostle was a prisoner in Rome, many of the brethren waxed confident,
and were bold to speak the word without fear. True, some preached
Christ of envy and strife, and some also of good will. How then did
the apostle feel? Did he think these others were seeking to take
advantage of his absence? Was he jealous of their labors? Not so: he
said: "Notwithstanding... I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice"
(Phil. 1:14-18). So, again, he learns of the ministry of Philemon in
refreshing the saints, and to him he writes, "we have great joy and
consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are
refreshed by thee, brother" (Philem. 7). May more of this spirit be
found in us and in other of the Lord's servants as we learn of how God
is using them.
"John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given
him from heaven" (John 3:27). It is beautiful to see how John
conducted himself on this occasion. His reply was most becoming.
First, he bows to God's sovereign will (verse 27). Second, he reminds
his tempters of his previous disclaimer of any other place being his
save that of one "sent before" the Lord (John 1:28). Third, he
declared that Israel belonged to Christ, not to himself (verse 29).
Fourth, he affirms that his own joy was fulfilled in seeing men
turning to the Lord Jesus (verse 29). Finally, he insists that while
Christ must "increase," he must "decrease" (verse 30). Blessed
self-abnegation was this.
"John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given
him from heaven." John was not at all surprised at the lack of
spiritual perception in these Jews. The things of God cannot be
discerned by the natural man. Before a man can even "receive"
spiritual things they must first be "given him from heaven." And in
the bestowment of His gifts God is sovereign. We are fully satisfied
that the contents of this twenty-seventh verse contains the key to
much that is puzzling. There are some brethren, beloved of the Lord,
who do not see the truth of believer's baptism; there are others who
stumble over the subject of predestination. What may be as clear as
sunlight to us, is dark to them. But let us not be puffed up by our
superior knowledge. Let us remember the admonition of the apostle
Paul, "For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou
that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost
thou glory (boast), as if thou hadst not received it?" (1 Cor. 4:7).
But on the other hand, there is no excuse for ignorance in the things
of God. Far from it. God has plainly made known His mind. His blessed
Word is here in our hands. The Holy Spirit has been given to us to
guide us into all truth. And it is our responsibility to believe and
understand all that is recorded for our learning: "And if any man
think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to
know" (1 Cor. 8:2). Nevertheless, there is the Divine side, too; and
this is what is before us here in John 3:27. What did the Lord Jesus
say in response to the unbelief of the cities wherein His mightiest
works were done? "Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the
wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father:
for so it seemed good in thy sight" (Matthew 11:25, 26). What did He
say to Peter, when that apostle bore such blessed testimony to His
Messiahship and Deity? "Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art
thou, Simon Bar-Jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto
thee, but my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 16:17). And what is
recorded of Lydia? "And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of
purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose
heart the Lord opened, THAT (in order that) she attended unto the
things which were spoken of Paul" (Acts 16:14).
And yet God is not capricious. If it is not "given" to us the fault is
all our own. We "have not" because we "ask not" (James 4:2). Or, we
"find" not, because we are too lazy to "search" diligently for the
precious things of God. Here is His sure promise, provided we meet the
conditions annexed to it: "My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and
hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto
wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest
after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou
seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;
Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the
knowledge of God" (Prov. 2:1-5).
"Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but
that I am sent before him" (John 3:28). John now announces what he was
not, and what he was. He was but the messenger before the face of
Christ, His forerunner. A subordinate place, therefore, was his. How
blessed was this. These Jews were seeking to stir up the pride of
John. But the Lord's servant takes his proper place before them. He
reminds them that he was only one "sent before" Christ.
"He that hath the bride is the Bridegroom: but the friend of the
Bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because
of the Bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled" (John
3:29). The first thing which claims our attention here is the opening
sentence of this verse. Who is meant by the "bride" which the Lord
Jesus even then was said to "have?" In seeking the answer to this
question, particular attention should be paid to the connection in
which this statement is found, the circumstances under which it was
made, and also to the person who uttered it. The connection in which
this occurs is discovered by going back to John 3:22, 23. The
disciples of Jesus, as well as John himself, were "baptizing." This
was not Christian baptism, for that was not instituted until after the
death and resurrection of the Savior. This baptism, therefore, was
kingdom baptism, and was one of the conditions of entrance into it
(cf. Matthew 3). The circumstances under which this statement was made
is seen in that John 3:29 formed part of the Baptist's reply to those
who were seeking to arouse his envy over the fact that the crowds were
now flocking to Christ. The person who uttered it was not Paul the
apostle to the Gentiles, but John the Baptist, whose ministry was
confined to Israel, and who here styles himself "the friend of the
Bridegroom."
When the Baptist said "He that hath the bride, is the bridegroom," he
was not referring to the Church, the Body of Christ, for of that he
knew nothing whatever, nor did any one else save the Triune God. At
that time Christ was not forming a church, but as "the minister of the
circumcision" He was presenting Himself to Israel. A repenting and
believing few gathered around Him. That the twelve apostles are
connected with Christ in an earthly relationship (though also, of
course, members of the household of faith, and of the family of God)
is clear from the words of the Savior: "Jesus said unto them, Verily I
say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration,
when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also
shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel"
(Matthew 19:28). This is something which the apostle Paul--the apostle
of the Gentiles, the one through whom God made known the truth of one
Body--will never do.
"He that hath the bride" was the language of faith. The company who
will form the "bride" was then far from being complete; only a nucleus
was there, but faith viewed the purpose of God concerning Israel as
already accomplished. But "he that hath the bride" rules out the one
body, for that did not begin to be formed until several years later.
If further proof of the correctness of what we have written be asked
for, it is at once forthcoming in the very next sentence: "But the
friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth
greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is
fulfilled.'' Without a doubt this refers to John the Baptist himself.
But in no possible sense was he associated with heralding the truth of
the Church which is the Body of Christ. His own language, as recorded
in John 1:31 is final: "But that he should be made manifest to Israel,
therefore, am I come baptizing with water."
Let it be clearly understood that in this chapter we are neither
denying nor affirming that the Body of Christ will be His heavenly
bride. That does not fall within the compass of the present passage.
What we have attempted to do is to give a faithful exposition of John
3:29, and the "bride" there plainly refers to a company of regenerated
Israelites, a company not yet completed. The work of gathering out
that company has been interrupted by the rejection of Christ by the
Jewish nation as a whole, and this has been followed by the present
period. But after the Body of Christ has come "in the unity of the
faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto
the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13) God
will resume His work with Israel and complete that company which is to
be gathered out from them.
"But the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him,
rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice" (verse 29). This
is very blessed. Notice first, how we have repeated here what we
called attention to when considering John 1:35-37: the two disciples
of John "stood" before they heard their master "speak" and say "Behold
the lamb of God." The order is the same in the verse now before
us--"Which standeth and heareth him." Standing signifies the cessation
of activity: it denotes an act of concentrated attention. The
principle illustrated is a deeply important one. It is one which needs
to be pressed in this day of hustling and bustling about, which is
only the product of the energy of the flesh. We must "stand" before we
can "hear Him."
"This my joy therefore is fulfilled" (verse 29). How precious is this!
Joy of heart is the fruit of being "occupied with Christ!" It is
standing and hearing His voice which delights the soul. But again we
say that the all-important prerequisite for this is a cessation of the
activities of the flesh. His voice cannot be heard if we are rushing
hither and thither in fellowship with the fearful bedlam all around
us. The "better part" is not to be like Martha--"cumbered about much
serving"--but is to "sit" at the feet of the Lord Jesus like Mary did,
hearing His word (see Luke 10:38-42). Notice, too, the tense of the
verbs in John 3:29: "standeth and heareth." The perfect tense
expresses continuous action: again and again, daily, this must be
done, if our joy is to be filled full. Is not our failure at this very
point the explanation of our joyless lives?
"He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). Blessed climax
was this to the lovely modesty of John, and well calculated to crush
all party feeling and nip in the bud any jealousy there might be in
the hearts of his own disciples. In principle this is inseparably
connected with what he had just said before in the previous verse. The
more I "decrease" the more I delight in standing and hearing the voice
of that blessed One who is Altogether Lovely. And so conversely. The
more I stand and hear His voice, the more will He "increase" before
me, and the more shall I "decrease." I cannot be occupied with two
objects at one and the same time. To "decrease" is, we take it, to be
less and less occupied with ourselves. The more I am occupied with
Christ, the less shall I be occupied with myself. Humility is not the
product of direct cultivation, rather it is a by-product. The more I
try to be humble, the less shall I attain unto humility. But if I am
truly occupied with that One who was "meek and lowly in heart," if I
am constantly beholding His glory in the mirror of God's Word, then
shall I be "changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as
by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18).
The passage now before us contains the final testimony of the Baptist
to the Lord Jesus Christ. In it the Savior and His servant are sharply
contrasted. In witnessing to the manifold glories of his Master, John
the Baptist draws a seven-fold contrast. First, John was one who could
receive nothing, except it were given him from heaven (verse 27);
where as Christ was the One to whom the Father "hath given all things"
( verse 35). Second, Jesus was the Christ, whereas John was only one
"sent before Him" (verse 28). Third, Christ was the "bridegroom,"
whereas John was but the "friend" of the Bridegroom (verse 29).
Fourth, Christ must "increase," whereas John himself must "decrease"
(verse 30). Fifth, John was "of the earth," whereas the Lord Jesus had
come "from above," and "is above all" (verse 31). Sixth, John had only
a measure of the Spirit, but of Christ it is witnessed, "God giveth
not the Spirit by measure unto him" (verse 34). Seventh, John was but
a servant, whereas the Savior was none less than the Son of the Father
(verse 35). What a blessed and complete testimony was this to the
immeasurable superiority of the Lord of Glory!
"He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is
earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is
above all" (John 3:31). John now witnesses to the person, the glory,
and the testimony of Christ. It seems to us that John is here giving
point to one of the seven contrasts contained in this testimony which
he here drew between Christ and himself. "Earth and earthly" must not
be understood to signify "world and worldly." John was of the earth,
and spoke of things which pertain to the earth. But the Lord was from
heaven, and is above all. All other messengers that God has sent had
much earthiness about them, as those of us who are His servants now
have much of it. We are limited by our finite grasp. The bodies of
death in which we dwell are a severe handicap. Our vision is largely
confined to the things of earth. But there were no limitations to the
Lord Jesus: He was the Son of God from heaven, pure, perfect,
omniscient.
"And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth" (John 3:32). The
testimony which Christ bore was a perfect one. The prophets received
their message from the Holy Spirit, and they spoke of things which
they had not "seen"--see Matthew 13:17. There are things which the
angels desire to look into, but they were too mysterious for them to
fathom--see 1 Peter 1:12. But our Lord Jesus Christ knows "heavenly
things" by His own perfect knowledge, for He hath ever dwelt in the
bosom of the Father. He knew the mind of God for He is God.
"And no man receiveth his testimony" (John 3:32). How radically
different was this word of John from that of the Jews who declared
"all men come to him," verse 26! One lesson we may draw from this is
the unreliability of statistics which seek to tabulate spiritual
results. Those Jews were looking at the outward appearance only, and
from that point of view the cause of Christ seemed to be prospering in
an extraordinary way. But the Lord's forerunner looked beneath the
surface, at the true spiritual results, and his verdict was "no man
receiveth his testimony." Beware then of statistics, they depend
largely on the one who compiles them. Some who are sanguine, will say
everything that is pleasing and encouraging; others, who are more
serious and severe in their judgment, will say much that is
depressing.
"No man receiveth his testimony." This is not to be understood without
qualification, for the very next words declare "he that hath received
his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true." It is evident
that what John meant was that comparatively none received the
testimony of Christ. Compared with the crowds which came to Him,
compared with the nation of Israel as a whole, those who "received"
Christ's testimony were so few, that they were as though none at all
received it. And is it not the same today? In this favored land Christ
is preached to multitudes, and many there are who hear about Him; but,
alas! how few give evidence of having really received His testimony
into their hearts!
And why is it that men receive not the testimony of this One who
"cometh from heaven" (verse 31), who testifies of what He has seen and
heard (verse 32), and who has the Spirit without measure (verse 34),
yea, who is none other than the--Son beloved of the Father (verse 35)?
It is because they are earthly. The message is too heavenly for them.
They have no relish for it. They have hearts only for things below.
Others are too learned to believe anything so simple: it is still to
the Jews a stumblingblock, and to the Greeks foolishness. They will
not believe God; and how can they while "they receive honor from men!"
With others it is wide that hinders. They think themselves good enough
already. They are pharisaical. They are too high-born to see their
need of being born again. They are too haughty to take the place of
empty-handed beggars and receive God's gift. But the root reason for
rejecting the testimony of Christ is that, "men loved darkness rather
than light, because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19). Men are so
depraved their hearts are hardened and their understandings are
darkened, and therefore, do they prefer the darkness to the light.
"He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is
true" (John 3:33). To "set to his seal" means to certify and ratify.
By faith in the Lord Jesus the believer has come to know God as a
reality. Hitherto he heard of and talked about an unknown God, but now
he knows God for himself, and declares his faith in His fidelity. God
says, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life," and the
believer finds that God is true, for he lives now in newness of life.
The Lord says, "He that believeth on him is not condemned," and the
believer knows it is so, for the burden of guilt is gone from his
conscience. Those who receive Christ's testimony as true, take it unto
themselves. They rest their souls upon it. They make it their own.
They allow nothing to make them doubt what He has said. No matter
whether they can thoroughly understand it or no; no matter whether it
seems reasonable or unreasonable, they implicitly believe it. Whether
their feelings respond or not, makes no difference--the Son of God has
spoken, and that is enough.
"For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth
not the Spirit by measure unto him" (John 3:34). The Lord Jesus Christ
was sent here by God, and He spoke only the words of God. Testimony to
this fact was borne to Him by the Father on the Mount of
Transfiguration: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased:
hear ye him" (Matthew 17:5). And Christ differed from every other
messenger sent from God--in all things He has "the pre-eminence."
Others had the Spirit "by measure." They knew but fragments of the
truth of God. To them the Spirit came and then went again. Moreover,
their gifts varied: one had a certain gift from the Spirit, another an
entirely different gift. But God gave not the Spirit by measure unto
Christ. The Lord Jesus knew the full truth of God, for He Himself is
the Truth. On Him the Spirit did not come and go; instead, we read, He
"abode upon him" (John 1:32). And further: Christ was endowed with
every. Divine gift. In contrast from the fragmentary communications of
God through the prophets (see Hebrews 1:1), Christ fully and finally
received the mind of God. We believe that the full meaning of these
words that Christ had the Spirit "without measure" is a statement that
is strictly parallel with what we read in Colossians 2:9, "For in Him
dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."
"The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his band"
(John 3:35). What a glorious testimony was this! Christ was more than
a messenger or witness for God, He was the "Son" beloved of the
Father. Not only so, He was the One into whose hand the Father had
"given all things." How this brings out, again, the absolute Deity of
Christ! To none but to One absolutely equal with Himself could the
Father give "all things."
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that
believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth
on him" (John 3:36). Here is the inevitable alternative. Salvation
comes through believing, believing on the Son. How Divinely simple!
Those who believe on the Son have "everlasting life" as a present
possession, though the full enjoyment as well as the full
manifestation of it are yet future. But those who believe not the Son
"shall not see life," neither enter into it nor enjoy it; instead, the
wrath of a sin-hating God "abideth" on them. It is upon them even now,
and if they believe not, it shall abide on them for ever and ever. How
unspeakably solemn! How it behooves every reader to seriously and
honestly face the question--To which class do I belong?--to those who
believe on the Son, or to those who believe not on the Son?
The following questions concern the next lesson:
1. What are we to learn from the statement that "Jesus himself
baptized not"? John 4:2.
2. Why did the Lord "leave Judea" when He knew the Pharisees were
jealous? John 4:3.
3. What prophetic foreshadowing do we have in John 4:3, 4?
4. Why was it that Christ "must needs" go through Samaria? John 4:4.
5. What are we to learn from the fact that the meeting between Christ
and the Samaritan woman occurred at a "well?" John 4:6.
6. Why are we told that it was "Jacob's well"? John 4:6.
7. What is suggested by the "sixth hour"? John 4:6.
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 11
Christ at Sychar's Well
John 4:1-6
_________________________________________________________________
We begin with the usual Analysis of the passage that is to be before
us. In it we see:--
1. The Lord's knowledge of the Pharisees' jealousy, verse 1.
2. The disciples of the Lord baptizing, verse 2.
3. The Lord leaving Judea and departing into Galilee, verse 3.
4. The constraint of Divine grace, verse 4.
5. The Journey to Sychar, verse 5.
6. The Savior's weariness, verse 6.
7. The Savior resting, verse 6.
Like the first three chapters of John, this fourth also furnishes us
with another aspect of the deplorable spiritual grate that Israel was
in at the time the Lord was here upon earth. It is remarkable how
complete is the picture supplied us. Each separate scene gives some
distinctive feature. Thus far we have seen, First, a blinded
Priesthood (John 1:19, 26); Second, a joyless Nation (John 2:3);
Third, a desecrated Temple (John 2:14); Fourth, a spiritually-dead
Sanhedrin (John 3:7); Fifth, the person of Christ despised (John 3:26)
and His testimony rejected (John 3:32). Now we are shown the heartless
indifference of Israel toward their semi-heathen neighbors.
Israel had been highly privileged of God, and not the least of their
blessings was a written revelation from Him. But though favored with
much light themselves, they were selfishly indifferent toward those
who were in darkness. Right within the bounds of their own land (for
Samaria was a part of it), dwelt those who were semi-heathen, yet had
the Jews no love for their souls and no concern for their spiritual
welfare. Listen to the tragic plaint of one of their number: "The Jews
have no dealings with the Samaritans" (John 4:9). The heartless
indifference of the favored people of God toward the Samaritans is
intimated further in the surprise shown by the disciples when they
returned and found the Savior talking with this Samaritan woman (Luke
4:27). It was, no doubt, in order to rebuke them that the Savior said,
"Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest?
Behold, I say unto you. Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for
they are white already to harvest" (John 4:35). Thus, this heartless
neglect of the Samaritans gives us another glimpse of Israel's state
at that time.
But not only does John 4 give us another picture of the miserable
condition the Jews were in, but, once more, it contains a prophetic
foreshadowing of the future. In the closing verses of the previous
chapter we are shown the person of Christ despised (John 3:26) and His
testimony rejected (John 3:32). This but anticipated the final
rejection of Christ by the Nation as a whole. Now in marvelous
consonance with this, the very next thing we see is Christ turning to
the Gentiles! The order here, as everywhere, is perfect. As we all
know, this is exactly what happened in God's dispensational dealings
with the earth. No sooner did the old dispensation end, end with
Israel's rejection of Christ, than God in mercy turned to the Gentiles
(Rom. 11, etc.). This is intimated in our lesson, first, by the
statement made in verse 3: the Lord Jesus "left Judea, and departed
again into Galilee"--cf. Matthew 4:15--"Galilee of the Gentiles!"
Second, in the fact that here the Lord Jesus is seen occupied not with
the Jews but with the Samaritans. And third, by what we read of in
verse 40--"and He abode there two days." How exceedingly striking is
this! "He abode there two days." Remember that word in 2 Peter 3:8,
which declares "One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a
thousand years as one day." Two "days," then or 2,000 years is the
length of time that Christ was to be away from the Jews in Judea. How
perfect and accurate is this picture!
At the close of the seventh chapter we called attention to the
importance of noticing the relation of one passage to another. This is
a principle which has been sadly neglected by Bible students. Not only
should we be diligent to examine each verse in the light of its
context, but also each passage as a whole should be studied in its
relation to the complete passage which precedes and follows it. By
attending to this it will often be found that the Holy Spirit has
placed in juxtaposition two incidents--miracles, parables,
conversations, as the case may be--in order to point a contrast, or
series of contrasts between them. Such we saw was plainly the case
with what we have in the first and second halves of John 2, where a
sevenfold contrast is to be noted. Another striking example is before
us here. There is a manifest antithesis between what we have in the
first half of John 3 and the first half of John 4.
As we study John 3 and 4 together, we discover a series of striking
contrasts. Let us look at them. First, in John 3 we have "a man of the
Pharisees named Nicodemus:" in John 4 it is an unnamed woman that is
before us. Second, the former was a man of rank, a "Master of Israel:"
the latter was a woman of the lower ranks, for she came "to draw
water." Third, the one was a favored Jew: the other was a despised
Samaritan. Fourth, Nicodemus was a man of high reputation, a member of
the Sanhedrin: the one with whom Christ dealt in John 4 was a woman of
dissolute habits. Fifth, Nicodemus sought out Christ: here Christ
seeks out the woman. Sixth, Nicodemus came to Christ "by night:"
Christ speaks to the woman at mid-day. Seventh, to the self-righteous
Pharisee Christ said, "Ye must be born again:" to this sinner of the
Gentiles He tells of "the gift of God." How much we miss by failing to
compare and contrast what the Holy Spirit has placed side by side in
this wondrous revelation from God! May the Lord stir up all of us to
more diligent study of His Word.
"When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus
made and baptized more disciples than John, (Though Jesus himself
baptized not, but his disciples,) He left Judea, and departed again
into Galilee" (John 4:1-3). Even at that early date in Christ's public
ministry the Pharisees had begun to manifest their opposition against
Him. But this is not difficult to understand, for the teaching of the
Lord Jesus openly condemned their hypocritical practices. Morever,
their jealousy was aroused at this new movement, of which He was
regarded as the head. The Baptist was the son of a priest that
ministered in the Temple, and this would entitle him to some
consideration. But here was a man that was regarded as being no more
than the son of a carpenter, and who was He to form a following! And,
too, He was of Nazareth, now working in Judea! And "out of Nazareth,"
they taught, "could arise no prophet" (John 7:52). A spirit of rivalry
was at work, and the report was being circulated that "Jesus was
making and baptizing more diciples than John." Every one knew what
crowds had flocked to the preaching and baptizing of that Elijah-like
prophet, crying in the wilderness. Was it to be suffered then, that
this One of poor parentage should eclipse the Baptist in fame? Surely
not: that could not be allowed at any cost.
"When therefore the Lord knew... he left Judea." What a word is this!
There is no hint of any one having informed Him. That was not
necessary. The One who had humbled Himself to the infinite stoop of
taking upon Him the form of a servant, was none other than "the Lord."
This One whom the Pharisees contemptuously regarded as the
Nazarene-carpenter, was none other than the Christ of God, in whom
"dwelt all the fulness of the God-head bodily." "The Lord knew," at
once displays His omniscience. Nothing could be, and nothing can be,
hidden from Him.
"The Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples
than John" (John 1:1). It is important to observe the order of the two
verbs here for they tell us who, alone, are eligible for baptism. When
two verbs are linked together thus, the first denotes the action, and
the second how the action was performed. For example; suppose I said,
"He poured oil on him and anointed him." You could not say, "He
anointed him and poured oil on him," unless the anointing and the
pouring were two different acts. Therefore, the fact that "baptizing"
here comes after, and not before, the verb "made," proves that they
were disciples first, and were "baptized" subsequently. It is one of
many passages in the New Testament which, uniformly, teaches that only
one who is already a believer in Christ is qualified for baptism.
"Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples" (John 1:2).
This is but a parenthetical statement, nevertheless, it is of
considerable importance. It has been well said by the late Bishop
Ryle, "This verse intimates that baptism is neither the first nor the
chief thing about Christianity. We frequently read of Christ preaching
and praying, once of His administering the Lord's Supper, but
`baptize' He did not--as though to show us that baptism has nothing to
do with salvation."
"He left Judea, and departed again into Galilee" (John 1:3). This is
exceedingly solemn. To cherish the spirit of jealousy and rivalry is
to drive away the Lord. When the Savior sent forth the twelve on their
mission to the cities of Israel, He bade them "And whosoever will not
receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from
your feet for a testimony against them" (Luke 9:5). And again, when
sending forth the seventy, He said to them, "But into whatsoever city
ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets
of the same, and say, Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth
on us, we do wipe off against you" (Luke 10:10, 11) But before He did
this, He first set them an example. If "no man" would receive His
testimony in Judea (John 3:3), then He would leave for other parts. He
would not stay to cast pearls before swine.
No doubt the preaching of the Lord Jesus in Judea, and especially the
circumstance of baptizing many of the people (through the
instrumentality of His disciples) had greatly angered the Jewish
rulers, and probably they had already taken steps to prevent the
progress of this One whose teaching so evidently conflicted with
theirs, and whose growing influence over the minds of the people
threatened to weaken their authority. Our Lord knew this, and because
His hour was not yet come, and much was to be done by Him before He
finished the work the Father had given Him to do, instead of waiting
until He should be driven out of Judea, He left that district of His
own accord, and retired into Galilee, which, being remote from
Jerusalem, and under the governorship of Herod, was more or less
outside of their jurisdiction and less subject to the power of the
Sanhedrin.
"In going from Judea into Galilee, our Lord's most direct route lay
through Samaria, which was a district of Palestine, bounded on the
south by Judea, and on the north by Galilee, on the west by the
Mediterranean Sea, and on the east by the river Jordan. It was
possible to go from Judea into Galilee by crossing the Jordan, and
passing through Perea; but this was a very circuitous route, though
some of the stricter Jews seemed to have been in the habit of taking
it, to avoid intercourse with the Samaritans. The direct route lay
through Samaria" (Dr. J. Brown).
Samaria was a province allotted to Ephraim and the half tribe of
Manasseh in the days of Joshua (see Joshua 16 and 17, and particularly
Joshua 17:7). After the revolt of the ten tribes, the inhabitants of
this district had generally ceased to worship at the Temple in
Jerusalem, and following first the wicked idolatry introduced by
Jeroboam the son of Nebat (see 1 Kings 12:25-33, and note "Shechem" in
verse 25), they fell an easy prey to the Gentile corruptions
introduced by his successors. After the great body of the ten tribes
had been carried away captives, and their district left almost without
inhabitant, the king of Assyria planted in their province a colony of
various nations (2 Kings 17:24) who, mingling with the few original
inhabitants of the land, formed unto themselves a strange medley of a
religion, by combining the principles and rights of Judaism with those
of oriental idolaters. As the inspired historian tells us, they
"feared the Lord, and made unto themselves of the lowest of them
priests of the high places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of
the high places. They feared the Lord, and served their own gods,
after the manner of the nations who carried them away from thence...
So these nations feared the Lord, and served their graven images, both
their children, and their children's children: as did their fathers,
so do they unto this day" (2 Kings 17:32, 33, 41). Thus, the original
dwellers in Samaria were, to a great extent, heathenized.
At the time of the return of the remnant of Israel from the Babylonian
captivity, the Samaritans offered to enter into an alliance with the
Jews (Ezra 4:1, 2), and on being refused (Ezra 4:3) they became the
bitter enemies of the Jews and their most active opposers in the
rebuilding of their Temple and capital (see Nehemiah 4 and 6).
According to Josephus (see his "Antiquities" XI:7, 2; XIII:9), at a
later date Manasseh, the son of Jaddua the high priest, contrary to
the law, married the daughter of Sanballat, the chief of the
Samaritans, and when the Jews insisted that he should either repudiate
his wife, or renounce his sacred office, he fled to his father-in-law,
who gave him an honorable reception, and by the permission of
Alexander the Great built a temple to Jehovah on Mount Gerizim, in
which Manasseh and his posterity officiated as high priests, in
rivalry to the Divinely instituted ritual at Jerusalem--see also 1
Maccabees 3:10.
The Samaritans received as Divine the five books of Moses, and
probably, also, some at least of the prophetic oracles; but they did
not acknowledge the authenticity of the historical books written by
the Jews, who they regarded as their worst enemies. The natural
consequence of all these circumstances was, that the Jews and
Samaritans regarded each other with much more rancorous dislike than
either of them did the idolatrous nations by which they were
surrounded. Hence when his enemies said unto Christ, "Say we not well
that thou art a Samaritan?" (John 8:48), we can understand better the
venom behind the insult. Hence, too, it makes us bow our hearts in
wonderment to find the Lord Jesus representing Himself as "a certain
Samaritan" (Luke 10:33) as we learn of the depths of ignominy into
which He had descended and how He became the despised and hated One in
order to secure our salvation.
"And he must needs go through Samaria" (John 4:4). The needs-be was a
moral and not a geographical one. There were two routes from Judea to
Galilee. The more direct was through Samaria. The other, though more
circuitous, led through Perea and Decapolis to the southern shores of
Gennesaret. The former was the regular route. But the reason why the
Lord "must" go through Samaria, was because of a Divine needs-be. From
all eternity it had been ordained that He should go through Samaria.
Some of God's elect were there, and these must be sought and
found--cf. the Lord's own words in John 10:16, "And other sheep I
have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring." We shall
never appreciate the Gospel until we go back to the basic truth of
predestination, which puts God first, which makes the choice His
before it is ours, and which, in due time, brings His grace to bear
upon us with invincible power.
Election is of persons--predestination is of things. All the great
movements of the universe are regulated by God's will,--But if the
great movements, then the small movements for the great depend upon
the small. It was predestinated that our Savior should go through
Samaria, because there was a chosen sinner there. And she was a chosen
sinner, for if not she never would have chosen God, or known Jesus
Christ. The whole machinery of grace was therefore set in motion in
the direction of one poor lost sinner, that she might be restored to
her Savior and to her God. That is what we wish to see in our own
experience--to look back of ante-mundane ages, and date our eternal
life from the covenant. To say:
Father `twas Thy love that knew us
Earth's foundation long before
That same love to Jesus drew us
By its sweet constraining power,
And will keep us
Safely now and ever more
(Dr. G. S. Bishop).
It is not difficult to understand why the Lord must needs go through
Samaria. There were those in Samaria whom the Father had given Him
from all eternity, and these He "must" save. And, dear reader, if you
are one of God's elect there is a needs be put on the Lord Jesus
Christ to save you. If you are yet in your sins, you will not always
be. For years you may have been fleeing from Christ; but when His time
comes He will overtake you. However you may kick against the pricks
and contend against Him; however deeply you may sin, as the woman in
our passage, He will most surely overtake and conquer you. Yea, even
now He is on the way!
"Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to
the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's
well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat
thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour" (John 4:5, 6). How
truly human was the Lord Jesus! He would in all points be like unto
His brethren, so He did not exempt Himself from fatigue. How fully
then can He sympathize with the laborer today who is worn out with
toil! To the Savior, a long walk brought weariness, and weariness
needed rest, and to rest He "sat thus" on the well. He was,
apparently, more worn than the disciples, for they continued on into
the village to buy food. But He was under a greater mental strain than
they. He had a weariness they knew nothing about.
"Of the Son of man being in heaven, whilst upon earth, we have learnt
in the previous chapter (John 3:13). Now, though Divine, and therefore
in heaven, He was truly a man upon earth. This mystery of His person
none of us can fathom (Matthew 11:27). Nor are we asked to. We have to
believe it. `Perfect God, and perfect Man: of a reasonable soul and
human flesh subsisting'--such has been the language of confession of
the western part of Christendom for many an age. Now there are some
conditions incident to humanity. There are others, in addition,
connected with fallen humanity, such as liability to sickness, to
disease, and even to death. To these last, of course, the holy Son of
God was not, though a man, subject; yet, as being a man He was able to
die, and willingly gave up His life for His people. But to sickness
and bodily decay, as the Holy One, in whom was no sin, He was not, and
could not have been, subject. On the other hand, from conditions
incident to humanity, as hunger, thirst and weariness, He was not
exempt. In the wilderness He was hungry. On the Cross He was thirsty.
Here at the well He was weary. Into what circumstances, then, did He
voluntarily come, and that in obedience and love to His Father, and in
love to His own sheep! He, by whom the worlds were made, was sitting a
weary man by Jacob's well, and there at first alone. One word from the
throne, and the whole angelic host would have flown to minister to
Him. But that word was not spoken. For God's purpose of grace to souls
in Samaria was to be worked out at Sychar" (C. E. Stuart).
"Jesus therefore being wearied." This brings out the reality of
Christ's humanity. He was just as really and truly Man as He was God.
In stressing His absolute Deity, we are in danger of overlooking the
reality of His humanity. The Lord Jesus was perfect Man: He ate and
drank, labored and slept, prayed and wept. And what a precious thought
is there here for Christian workers: the Savior knew what it was to be
"weary"--not weary of well doing, but weary in well doing. But it is
blessed to see how the Holy Spirit has guarded the glory of Christ's
person here. Side by side with this word upon His humanity, we are
shown His Divine omniscience--revealed in His perfect knowledge of the
history of the woman with whom He dealt at the well. This principle
meets us at every turn in the Gospels. At His birth we behold His
humiliation--lying in a manger--but we discover His Divine glory, too,
for the angels were sent to announce the One born as "Christ the
Lord." See Him asleep in the boat, exhausted from the toil of a heavy
day's work: but mark the sequel, as He rises and stills the storm.
Behold Him by the grave of Lazarus, groaning in spirit and weeping:
and then bow before Him in worship as He, by a word from His mouth,
brings the dead to life. So it is here: "wearied with his journey,"
and yet displaying His Deity by reading the secrets of this woman's
heart.
"Jesus therefore being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well"
(John 4:6). This illustrates another important principle, the
application of which is often a great aid to the understanding of a
passage, namely, noticing the place where a particular incident
occurred. There is a profound significance to everything in Scripture,
even the seemingly unimportant details. The character of the place
frequently supplies the key to the meaning of what is recorded as
occurring there. For instance: the children of Israel were in Egypt
when the Lord delivered them. Egypt, then, symbolizes the place where
we were when God apprehended us, namely, the world in which we groaned
under the merciless taskmasters that dominated us. John the Baptist
preached in the wilderness, for it symbolized the spiritual barrenness
and desolation of Israel at that time. When the Lord Jesus enunciated
the laws of His kingdom, He went up into a mountain--a place of
elevation, symbolic of His throne of authority from which He delivered
His manifesto. When He gave the parables He "sat by the sea side" (cf.
Isaiah 17:12, 13; Ezekiel 26:3; Daniel 7:2; Revelation 17:5, for the
"sea" in its symbolic significance). The first four parables of
Matthew 13 pertain to the public profession of Christianity, hence
these were given in the hearing of the "great multitudes;" but the
next two concerned only the Lord's own people, so we read "Then Jesus
sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples
came unto him" (Matthew 13:36). When the Lord portrayed the poor
sinner as the one to whom He came to minister (under the figure of the
good "Samaritan") He represented him as a certain man who "went down
from Jerusalem [foundation of peace] to Jericho [the city of the
curse]." So, again, in Luke 15 the prodigal son is seen in "the far
country" (away from the father), and there feeding on the husks which
the swine did eat--another picture giving us the place where the
sinner is morally.
The above examples, selected almost at random, illustrate the
importance of observing the place where each event happened, and the
position occupied by the chief actors. This same principle receives
striking exemplification in the passage before us. The meeting between
the Savior and this Samaritan adulteress occurred at Sychar which
means "purchased"--so was the "gift of God" that He proffered to her.
And, as He revealed to her her soul's deep need He sat "on the well."
The "well" was a figure of Himself, and its water was the emblem of
the salvation that is to be found in Him. One authority for these
statements is Isaiah 12:3, "Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out
of the wells (Heb. `the well') of salvation." What a remarkable
statement is this! It is the key to the typical significance of many
an Old Testament passage. The "well" of the Old Testament Scriptures
foreshadowed Christ and what is to be found in Him. We shall now turn
to some of the Old Testament passages where the "well" is mentioned,
and discover how remarkably and blessedly they foreshadowed this One
who gave the water of life to the woman of Samaria.
1. The first time the "well" is mentioned in Scripture, is in Genesis
16:6, 7, 13, 14. "But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in
thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly
with her, she fled from her face. And the angel of the Lord found her
by a fountain of water in the wilderness... And she called the name of
the Lord which spake unto her, Thou God seest me... for she said, Have
I also here looked after Him that seeth me? Wherefore the well was
called, The well of him that liveth and seeth me." Note the following
points: First, the "well" (the "fountain of water" of verse 7 is
termed the "well" in verse 14) was the place where the angel of the
Lord found this poor outcast. So Christ is where God meets the sinner,
for "no man cometh unto the Father" but by Him. Second, this well was
located in the wilderness--fit symbol of this world. The "wilderness"
well depicts the state of heart we were in when we first met Christ!
Third, the "well" was the place where God was revealed. Hagar,
therefore, termed it, "the well of him that liveth and seeth me." So,
again, Christ is the Revealer of God--"He that hath seen me, hath seen
the Father."
2. In Genesis 21:14-19 we read, "And Abraham rose up early in the
morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto
Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away:
and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. And the
water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the
shrugs. And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way
off, as it were a bow shot: for she said, Let me not see the death of
the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and
wept. And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called
to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar?
fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is . . .
and God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water." How
inexpressibly blessed is this in its typical suggestiveness! Notice
the following points: First, we have before us again an outcast, and
one whose water was spent, for she had but "a bottle:" like the
prodigal son, she "began to be in want." Second, she had cast away her
child to die, and there she sat weeping. What a picture of the poor,
desolate, despairing sinner! Third, God "opened her eyes," and what
for? In order that she might see the "well" that had been there all
the time! Ah, was it not so with thee, dear Christian reader? It was
not thine own mental acumen which discovered that One of whom the
"well" here speaks. It was God who opened thine eyes to see Him as the
One who alone could meet thy desperate and deep need. What do we read
in Proverbs 20:12--"The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath
made even both of them." And again in John 5:20 we are told, "And we
know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding,
that (in order that) we may know Him that is true."
3. In this same chapter the "well" is mentioned again in another
connection: "And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto
Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant. And Abraham set seven ewe
lambs of the flock by themselves. And Abimelech said unto Abraham,
What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves? And
he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that
they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well. Wherefore
he called that place the well of the oath; because there they sware
both of them" (Gen. 21:27-31). Here we find the "well" was the place
of the "covenant" (verse 27), which was ratified by an "oath" (verse
31). And what do we read in Hebrews 7:20-22?--"And inasmuch as not
without an oath he was made priest: (For those priests were made
without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The
Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest forever after the
order of Melchisedec:) By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better
testament [covenant]."
4. In Genesis 24:10-12 we read, "And the servant took ten camels of
the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his
master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto
the city of Nahor. And he made his camels to kneel down without the
city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that
women go out to draw water. And he said, O Lord God of my master
Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day." Not only is each
typical picture perfect, but the order in which they are found
evidences Divine design. In the first scriptures we have glanced at,
that which is connected with the "well" suggested the meeting between
the Savior and the sinner. And in the last passage, the covenant and
the oath speak of that which tells of the sure ground upon which our
eternal preservation rests. And from that point, every reference to
the "well" has that connected with it which is appropriate of
believers only. In the last quoted passage, the "well" is the place of
prayer: so, the believer asks the Father in the name of Christ, of
whom the "well" speaks.
5. In Genesis 29:1-3 we read, "Then Jacob went on his journey, and
came into the land of the people of the east. And he looked, and
beheld a well in the field, and, lo, there were three flocks of sheep
lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks." This is
very beautiful. How striking is the contrast between this typical
scene and the first that we looked at in Genesis 16. There, where it
is a sinner and Christ which is in view, the "well" is located in the
wilderness--figure of the barrenness and desolation of the sinner. But
here, where the sheep are in view, the "well" is found in the
field--suggesting the "green pastures" into which the good Shepherd
leads His own. Notice there were "three flocks of sheep that were
lying by this "well," their position denoting rest, that rest which
Christ gives His own. Here in the field were the three flocks lying
"by it"--the well. It is only in Christ that we find rest.
6. In Exodus 2:15-17 we are told, "Now when Pharaoh heard this thing,
he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and
dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well. Now the priest
of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and
filled the troughs to water their father's flock. And the shepherds
came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and
watered their flock." How marvelous is this type. First, Pharaoh the
king of Egypt prefigures Satan as the god of this world, attacking and
seeking to destroy the believer. From him Moses "fled." How often the
great Enemy frightens us and gets us on the run. But how blessed to
note the next statement here: fleeing from Pharaoh to Midian, where he
now dwells, the first thing that we read of Moses is, "he sat down by
a well." Thank God there is One to whom we can flee for refuge--the
Lord Jesus Christ to whom the "well" pointed. To this well the
daughters of Jethro also came, for water. But the shepherds came and
drove them away. How many of the "under-shepherds" today are, by their
infidelistic teaching, driving many away from Christ. Nevertheless,
God still has a Moses here and there, who will "stand up and help"
those who really desire the Water of Life. But be it noted, before we
can "help" others we must first be resting on the well for ourselves,
as Moses was.
7. "And from thence they went to Beer: that is the well whereof the
Lord spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give
them water. Then Israel sang this song, Spring up, O well; sing ye
unto it" (Num. 21:16, 17). What a word is this! The well is
personified. It is made the object of song. It evokes praise. No
interpreter is needed here. Beloved reader, are you "singing" unto the
"Well?"
8. "Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by Enrogel; for they might not be
seen to come into the city: and a wench went and told them; and they
went and told king David. Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told
Absalom: but they went both of them away quickly, and came to a man's
house in Bahurim, which had a well in his court: whither they went
down. And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth,
and spread ground corn thereon; and the thing was not known" (2 Sam.
17:17-19). Here we find the "well" providing shelter and protection
for God's people. Notice there was a "covering" over its mouth, so
that Jonathan and Ahimaaz were hidden in the well. So it is with the
believer--"your life is hid with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3). how
striking is the last sentence quoted above, "And the thing was not
known!" The world is in complete ignorance of the believer's place and
portion in Christ!
9. "And David longed, and said, O that one would give me drink of the
water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!" (2 Sam. 23:15).
Nothing but water from the well of Bethlehem would satisfy David.
10. "Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of
thine own well" (Prov. 5:15). What a blessed climax is this. The
"well" is our own, and from its "running waters" we are invited to
"drink."
We sincerely pity any who may regard all of this as fanciful. Surely
such need to betake themselves to Christ for "eyesalve," that their
eyes may be enabled to behold "wondrous things" out of God's Law. To
us this study has been unspeakably blessed. And what meaning it all
gives to John 4:6--"Jesus, therefore, being wearied with His journey
sat thus on the well."
But there is one other word here that we must not overlook, a word
that gives added force to the typical character of the picture before
us, for it speaks of the character of that Salvation which is found in
Christ. "Now Jacob's well was there" (John 4:6). There are three
things in connection with this particular "well" that we need to
consider. First, this well was purchased by Jacob, or more accurately
speaking, the "field" in which the well was located was purchased by
him. "And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the
land of Canaan, when he came from Padan-Aram; and pitched his tent
before the city. And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had
spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's
father, for an hundred pieces of money" (Gen. 33:18, 19). The word
"Sychar" in John 4:6 signifies purchased. What a well-chosen and
suited place for Christ to speak to that woman of the "gift of God!"
But let it never be forgotten that this "gift" costs us nothing,
because it cost Him everything.
Second, the "parcel of ground" in which was this well, was afterwards
taken by Joseph with "sword and bow; . . . And Israel said unto
Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again
unto the land of your fathers. Moreover I have given to thee one
portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the
Amorite with my sword and with my bow" (Gen. 48:21, 22)--that this is
the same "parcel of ground" referred to in Genesis 33 is clear from
John 4:5. The reference in Genesis 48 must be to a later date than
what is in view in Genesis 33. The Amorites were seeking to rob Jacob
of his well, and therefore an appeal to arms was necessary. This, we
believe, fore shadowed the present interval, during which the Holy
Spirit (while Satan is yet the "Prince of this world" and ever seeks
to oppose and keep God's Jacobs away from the "well") is bringing
salvation to souls by means of the "sword" (Heb. 4:12).
Third, this portion purchased by Jacob, and later secured by means of
the "sword and bow," was given to Joseph (see Genesis 48:21, 22). This
became a part of Joseph's "birthright," for said Jacob "I have given
to thee one portion above thy brethren." This ought to have been given
to Reuben, Jacob's "firstborn," but through his fall into grievous sin
it was transferred to Joseph (see 1 Chronicles 5:1). How marvelously
accurate the type! Christ the second Man takes the inheritance which
the first man forfeited and lost through sin! Putting these three
together, we have: the "well" purchased, the "well" possessed, the
"well" enjoyed.
And here we must stop. In the next chapter we shall, D.V., consider
carefully each sentence in verses 7-11. Let the student ponder
prayerfully:--
1. What are we to learn from the fact that the Savior was the first to
speak? verse 7.
2. Why did He begin by asking her for a drink? verse 7.
3. Was it merely a drink of water He had in mind! If not, what was it?
4. What is the force and significance of the parenthetical statement
of verse 8?
5. What does the woman's answer (verse 9) go to prove?
6. What is the "gift of God?" verse 10
7. Why does Christ liken salvation to "living water?" Enumerate the
different thoughts suggested by this figure.
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 12
Christ at Sychar's Well (Continued)
John 4:7-10
_________________________________________________________________
First, a brief Analysis of the passage which is to be before us:--
1. The Woman of Samaria, verse 7.
2. The Savior's request, verse 7.
3. The Savior's solitariness, verse 8.
4. The Woman's surprise, verse 9.
5. The Woman's prejudice, verse 9.
6. The Savior's rebuke, verse 10.
7. The Savior's appeal, verse 10.
In the last chapter we pointed out the deep significance underlying
the words of John 4:4--"He must needs go through Samaria." It was the
constraint of sovereign grace. From all eternity it had been
foreordained that the Savior should go through Samaria. The performing
of God's eternal decree required it. The Son, incarnate, had come
there to do the Father's will"--Lo, I come to do thy will, O God." And
God's will was that these hated Samaritans should hear the Gospel of
His grace from the lips of His own dear Son. Hence, "He must needs go
through Samaria." There were elect souls there, which had been given
to Him by the Father, and these also He "must bring" (see John 10:16).
"Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his
journey, sat thus on the well" (John 4:6). Observe, particularly, that
the Lord Jesus was beforehand with this woman. He was at the well
first! "I am found of them that sought me not" (Isa. 65:1) is the
language of the Messiah in the prophetic word centuries before He made
His appearance among men, and this oracle has been frequently
verified. His salvation is not only altogether unmerited by those to
whom it comes, but at first, it is always unsought (see Romans 3:11),
and of every one who is numbered among His peculiar people it may be
as truly said, as of the apostles, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have
chosen you" (John 15:16). When we were pursuing our mad course of sin,
when we were utterly indifferent to the claims and superlative
excellency of the Savior, when we had no serious thought at all about
our souls, He--to use the apostle's peculiarly appropriate
word--"apprehended" us (Phil. 3:12). He "laid hold of" us, aroused our
attention, illumined our darkened understanding, that we might receive
the truth and be saved by it. A beautiful illustration of this is
before us here in John 4.
Yes, the Lord was beforehand with this woman. He was found of one who
sought Him not. It was so with the idolatrous Abraham (Josh. 24) in
the land of Chaldea: the Lord of glory appeared to him while he was
yet in Mesopotamia (Acts 7:2). It was so with the worm Jacob, as he
fled to escape from his brother's anger (Gen. 28:10, 13). It was so
with Moses, as he went about his shepherd duties (Ex. 3:1, 2). In each
instance the Lord was found by those who sought Him not. It was so
with Zacchaeus, hidden away amid the boughs of the trees"Zacchaeus,
make haste, and come down," was the peremptory command, for, saith the
Lord, "to day, I must abide at thy house" (Luke 19:5). It was so with
Saul of Tarsus, as he went on his way to persecute the followers of
the Lamb. It was so with Lydia, "whose heart the Lord opened, that she
attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul" (Acts 16:14). And,
let us add, to the praise of the glory of God's grace, but to our own
unutterable shame, it was so with the writer, when Christ
"apprehended" him; apprehended him when he was altogether unconscious
of his deep need, and had no desire whatever for a Savior. Ah, blessed
be His name, "We love him, because he first loved us!"
But let not the false conclusion be drawn that the sinner is,
therefore, irresponsible. Not so. God has placed within man a moral
faculty, which discerns between right and wrong. Men know that they
are sinners, and if so they need a Savior. God now commands all men
everywhere to "repent," and woe be to the one who disobeys. And again
we read, "And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the
name of his Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 3:23), and if men refuse to
"believe" their blood is on their own heads. Christ receives all who
come to Him. The Gospel announces eternal life to "whosoever
believeth." The door of mercy stands wide open. But, notwithstanding,
it remains that men love darkness rather than light, and so strong is
their love for the darkness and so deep-rooted is their antipathy
against the light, that, as the Lord declared, "No man can come to me,
except the Father which hath sent me draw him" (John 6:44). Here,
again, is the Divine side, and it is this we are now pressing.
"And it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to
draw water" (John 4:6, 7). This means it was the sixth hour after
sunrise, and would be, therefore, midday. It was at the time the sun
was at its greatest height and heat. Under the glare of the oriental
sun, at the time when those exposed to its strong rays were most weary
and thirsty, came this woman to draw water. The hour corresponded with
her spiritual condition--weary and parched in her soul. "The sixth
hour." What a significant line is this in the picture! Six invariably
speaks of man in the flesh.
"There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water" (verse 7). This was no
accident. She chose this hour because she expected the well would be
deserted. But, in fact, she went to the well that day, at that time,
because God's hour had struck when she was to meet the Savior. Ah, our
least movements are directed and over-ruled by Divine providence. It
was no accident that the Midianites were passing by when Joseph's
brethren had made up their minds to slay him (Gen. 37:28), nor was it
merely a coincidence that these Midianites were journeying to Egypt.
It was no accident that Pharaoh's daughter went down to the river to
bathe, nor that she "saw" the ark, which contained the infant Moses,
"among the flags" (Ex. 2:5). It was no accident that at the very time
Mordecai and the Jews were in imminent danger of being killed, that
Ahasuerus could not sleep, and that he occupied himself with reading
the court records, which told of how, aforetime, Mordecai had
befriended the king; and which led to the deliverance of God's people.
No; there are no accidents in the world that is presided over by a
living, reigning God!
"There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water." To "draw water" was
her object. She had no thought of anything else, save that she should
not be seen. She stole forth at this hour of the midday sun because a
woman of her character--shunned by other women--did not care to meet
any one. The woman was unacquainted with the Savior. She had no
expectation of meeting Him. She had no idea she would be converted
that day--that was the last thing she would expect. Probably she said
to herself, as she set forth, "No one will be at the well at this
hour." Poor desolate soul. But there was One there! One who was
waiting for her--"sitting thus on the well." He knew all about her. He
knew her deep need, and He was there to minister to it. He was there
to overcome her prejudices, there to subdue her rebellious will, there
to invite Himself into her heart.
"Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink" (John 4:7). Link together
these two statements: "Jesus, therefore, being wearied with his
journey... Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink." There was
everything to make Him "weary." Here was the One who had been the
center of Heaven's glory, now dwelling in a world of sin and
suffering. Here was the One in whom the Father delighted, now enduring
the contradiction of sinners against Himself. He had, in matchless
grace, come "unto his own," but with base indifference they "received
him not." He was not wanted here. The ingratitude and rebellion He met
with, the jealousy and opposition of the Pharisees, the spiritual
dullness of His own disciples--yes, there was everything to make Him
"weary." But, all praise to His peerless name, He never wearied in His
ministry of grace. There was never any love of ease with Him: never
the slightest selfishness: instead, nothing but one unbroken ministry
of love. Fatigued in body He might be, sick at heart He must have
been, but not too weary to seek out and save this sin-sick soul.
"Jesus said unto her." How striking is the contrast between what we
have here and what is found in the previous chapter! There we are
shown Nicodemus coming to Christ "by night," under cover of the
darkness, so that he might guard his reputation. Here we behold the
Lord Jesus speaking to this harlot in the full light of day--it was
midday. Verily, He "made himself of no reputation!"
"Jesus said unto her, Give me to drink." The picture presented is
unspeakably lovely. Christ seated on the well, and what do we find Him
doing? Sitting alone with this poor outcast, to settle with her the
great question of eternity. He shows her herself, and reveals Himself!
This is exactly what He does with every soul that He calls to Himself.
He takes us apart from the maddening world, exposes to us our
desperate condition, and then makes known to us in whose Presence we
are, leading us to ask from Him that precious "gift" which He alone
can impart. Thus did He deal here with this Samaritan adulteress. And
how this incident makes manifest the wondrous grace and infinite
patience of the Savior in His dealings with sinners! Tenderly and
patiently He led this woman, step by step, touching her heart,
searching her conscience, awakening her soul to a consciousness of her
deep need. And how this incident also brings out the depravity of the
sinner--his spiritual blindness and obstinacy; his lack of capacity to
understand and respond to the Savior's advance; yea, his slowness of
heart to believe!
"Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink." The first thing the Savior
did (note that He took the initiative) was to ask this woman for a
drink of cold water--considered the very cheapest gift which this
world contains. How the Son of God humbled Himself! Among the Jews it
was considered the depth of degradation even to hold converse with the
Samaritans; to be beholden to them for a favor would not be tolerated
at all. But here we find the Lord of glory asking for a drink of water
from one of the worst in this city of Samaritans! Such was His
condescension that the woman herself was made to marvel.
"Give me to drink." Here was the starting point for the Divine work of
grace which was to be wrought in her. Every word in this brief
sentence is profoundly significant. Here was no "ye must be." The very
first word the Savior uttered to this poor soul, was "give." It was to
grace He would direct her thoughts. "Give me," He said. He immediately
calls the attention of the sinner to Himself--"Give me." But what was
meant by "Give me to drink?" To what did the Savior refer? Surely
there can be no doubt that His mind was on something other than
literal water, though, doubtless, the first and local significance of
His words had reference to literal water. Just as the "weariness" of
the previous verse has a deeper meaning than physical fatigue, so this
"Give me to drink" signifies more than slaking His thirst. This world
was a dry and thirsty land to the Savior, and the only refreshment He
found here was in ministering His grace to poor needy sinners, and
receiving from them their faith and gratitude in return. This is fully
borne out in the sequel, for when the disciples returned and begged
Him to eat, He said unto them, "I have meat to eat that ye know not
of" (verse 32). When, then, the Savior said to this woman, "Give me to
drink," it was refreshment of spirit He sought.
"Give me to drink." But how could she, a poor, despised and blinded
sinner, "give" to Him? Ah, she could not. She must first ask of Him.
She had to receive herself before she could give. In her natural state
she had nothing. Spiritually she was Poverty-stricken; a bankrupt. And
this it was that the Savior would press upon her, in order that she
might be led to ask of Him. When, then, the Savior said, "Give me to
drink," He was making a demand of her with which, at this time, she
was unable to comply. In other words, He was bringing her face to face
with her helplessness. We are often told that God never commands us to
do what we have no ability to perform, but He does, and that for two
very good reasons: first, to awaken us to a sense of our impotency;
second, that we might seek from Him the grace and strength we need to
do that which is pleasing in His sight. What was the Law--that Law
that was "holy, just and good"--given for? Its summarized requirements
were, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart... and thy
neighbor as thyself." But what man ever did this? What man could do
it? Only one--the God-man. Why, then, was the Law given? On purpose to
reveal man's impotency. And why was that? To bring man to cast himself
at the foot of God's omnipotency: "The things which are impossible
with men are possible with God" (Luke 18:27). This is the first lesson
in the school of God. This is what Christ would first teach this needy
woman, verse 10 establishes that beyond a doubt--"Jesus answered and
said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that
saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him." But
it was the moral impossibility which Christ put before this woman that
aroused her curiosity and interest.
"For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat" (John
4:8). This was no mere coincidence, but graciously ordered by the
providence of God. Christ desired this poor soul to be alone with
Himself! This Gospel of John presents Christ in the very highest
aspect in which we can contemplate Him, namely, as God manifest in the
flesh, as the eternal Word, as Creator of all things, as the Revealer
of the Father. And yet there is none of the four Gospels in which this
glorious Person is so frequently seen alone with sinners as here in
John. Surely there is Divine design in this. We see Him alone with
Nicodemus; alone with this Samaritan woman; alone with the convicted
adulteress in John 8; alone with the man whose eyes He had opened, and
who was afterwards put out of the synagogue (John 9:35). Alone with
God is where the sinner needs to get--with none between and none
around him. This is one reason why the writer, during the course of
four pastorates, never made use of an "inquiry room," or "penitent
form." Another reason was, be cause he could find nothing resembling
them in the Word of God. They are human inventions. No priest, no
intermediary, is necessary. Bid the sinner retire by himself, and get
alone with God and His Word.
"For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat." The word
"buy" here points a contrast. Occurring just where it does it brings
into relief the "gift" of God to which the Savior referred, see verses
10 and 14. Another has suggested to the writer that the action of the
disciples here furnishes a striking illustration of 3 John 7: "taking
nothing of the Gentiles." These disciples of Christ did not beg, they
bought.
"Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being
a Jew, asketh drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews
have no dealings with the Samaritans" (John 4:9). The Savior's request
struck this woman with surprise. She knew the extreme dislike which
Jews cherished towards Samaritans. It was accounted a sin for them to
have any friendly intercourse with that people. The general tendency
of this antipathy may be judged from the following extracts from the
Jewish rabbins by Bishop Lightfoot:--It is prohibited to eat the
bread, and to drink the wine of the Samaritan." "If any one receives a
Samaritan into his house, and ministers to him, he will cause his
children to be carried into captivity." "He who eats the bread of a
Samaritan, is as if he ate swine's flesh."
Aware of this extreme antipathy, the Samaritan woman expresses her
amazement that a person, whom, from His dress and dialect, she
perceived to be a Jew, should deign to ask, much less receive a favor
from a Samaritan--"How is it that thou, being a Jew, asketh drink of
me, which am a woman of Samaria?" Ah, "little did she think," to
borrow the words of one of the Puritans, "of the glories of Him who
sat there before her. He who sat on the well owned a Throne that was
placed high above the head of the cherubim; in His arms, who then
rested Himself, was the sanctuary of peace, where weary souls could
lay their heads and dispose their cares, and then turn them to joys,
and to guild their thorns with glory; and from that holy tongue, which
was parched with heat, should stream forth rivulets of heavenly
doctrine, which were to water all the world, and turn deserts into a
paradise" (Jeremy Taylor).
"Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being
a Jew, asketh drink of me?" In a previous chapter we have pointed out
the sevenfold contrast which exists between the cases of Nicodemus and
this Samaritan woman. Here we call attention to a striking analogy.
The very first word uttered by Nicodemus in response to the Savior's
initial statements was "How?" (John 3:4); and the very first word of
this woman in reply to Christ's request was "How?" Both of them met
the advances of the Savior with a sceptical "How:" there were many
points of dissimilarity between them, but in this particular they
concurred. In His dealings with Nicodemus Christ manifests Himself as
the "truth;" here in John 4 we behold the "grace" that came by Jesus
Christ. "Truth" to break down the religious prejudices of a proud
Pharisee; "grace" to meet the deep need of this Samaritan adulteress.
"We are full of `how's.' The truth of God, in all its majesty and
authority, is put before us; we meet it with a how! The grace of God,
in all its sweetness and tenderness, is unfolded to our view; we reply
with a how? It may be a theological `how,' or a rationalistic `how,'
it matters not, the poor heart will reason instead of believing the
truth, and receiving the grace of God. The will is active, and hence,
although the conscience may be ill at ease, and the heart be
dissatisfied with itself, and all around, still the unbelieving `how'
breaks forth in one form or another. Nicodemus says, `How can a man be
born when he is old?' The Samaritan says, `How canst thou ask drink of
me?'" (C. H. M., from whom we have taken several helpful thoughts).
Thus it is ever. When the Word of God declares to us the utter
worthlessness of nature, the heart, instead of bowing to the holy
record, sends up its unholy reasonings. When the same truth sets forth
the boundless grace of God, and the free salvation which is in Christ
Jesus, the heart, instead of receiving the grace, and rejoicing in the
salvation, begins to reason as to how it can be. The fact is, the
human heart is closed against God--against the truth of His Word, and
against the grace of His heart. The Devil may speak and the heart will
give its ready credence. Man may speak and the heart will greedily
swallow what he says. Lies from Satan and nonsense from men all meet
with a ready reception by the foolish sinner; but the moment God
speaks, whether it be in the authoritative language of truth, or in
the winsome accents of grace, all the return the heart will make is an
unbelieving, rationalistic, infidelistic "How?" Anything and
everything for the natural heart save the truth and grace of God. How
deeply humbling all this is! Flow it ought to make us hide our faces
with shame! How it should make us heed that solemn word in Ezekiel
16:62, 63,
"And thou shalt know that I am the Lord: That thou mayest remember,
and be confounded . . . Because of thy shame, when I am pacified
toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord God."
"Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being
a Jew, asketh drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria?" How
completely this manifested the blindness of the natural heart--"thou
being a Jew." She failed to discern the excellency of the One talking
to her. She knew not that it was the Lord of glory. She saw in Him
nothing but a "Jew." She was altogether ignorant of the fact that He
who had humbled Himself to take upon Him the form of a servant, was
none other than the Christ of God. And Christian readers, it was thus
with each of us before the Holy Spirit quickened us. Until we were
brought out of darkness into God's marvelous light, we "saw in him no
beauty that we should desire him." All that this poor woman could
think of was the old prejudice--"thou a Jew... me a woman of Samaria."
So it was with you and me. When the sinner first comes into the
presence of God the latent enmity of the carnal mind is stirred up,
and, until Divine grace has subdued us, all we could do was to
prevaricate and raise objections.
"Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God,
and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have
asked of him, and he would have given thee living water" (John 4:10).
Our Lord was not to be put off with her "how?" He had answered the
"how" of Nicodemus, and He would now answer the "how" of this woman of
Sychar. He replies to Nicodemus, eventually, by pointing to Himself as
the great antitype of the brazen serpent, and by telling him of the
love of God in sending His Son into the world. He replies to the
woman, likewise, by telling her of "the gift of God?' It is beautiful
to observe the spirit in which the Savior answered this poor outcast.
He did not enter into an argument with her about the prejudices of the
Samaritans, nor did He seek to defend the Jews for their heartless
treatment of them. Nor did He deal roughly with her and reproach her
for her woeful ignorance and stupidity. No; He was seeking her
salvation, and with infinite patience He bore with her slowness of
heart to believe.
"Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God and
who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink." There is where the
root of the trouble lay. Man neither knows his need, nor the One who
can minister to it. This woman was ignorant of "the gift of God." The
language of grace was an unknown tongue. Like every other sinner in
his natural state, this Samaritan thought she was the one who must do
the giving. But salvation does not come to us in return for our
giving. God is the Giver; all we have to do is receive. "If thou
knewest the gift of God." What is this? It is salvation: it is eternal
life: it is the "living water" spoken of by Christ at the end of the
verse.
"If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee,
Give me to drink." But this woman did not know Who it was that spoke
to her, nor of the marvelous condescension of this One who had asked
her for a "drink." Had she done so, she, in turn, would have "asked of
Him." He was ready to give, if she would but take the place of a
receiver, and thus make Him the Giver; instead of her wanting to take
the place of a giver and make Him the Receiver.
"Thou wouldest have asked of him." It is blessedly true that the only
thing between the sinner and eternal life is an "ask." But asking
proceeds from knowing. "If thou knewest... thou wouldest have asked."
But O how reluctant the sinner is to take this place. God has to do
much for him and in him before he is ready to really "ask." The sinner
has to be brought to a realization of his awful condition and terrible
danger: he must see himself as lost, undone, and bound for the lake of
fire. He has to be made to see his desperate need of a Savior. Again,
God has to show him the utter vanity and worthlessness of everything
of this world, so that he experiences an acute "thirst" for the Water
of Life. He has to be driven to despair, until he is made to wonder
whether God can possibly save such a wretch as he. He has to be stript
of the filthy rags of his own self-righteousness, and be made willing
to come to God just as he is, as an empty-handed beggar ready to
receive Divine charity. He has to really come into the presence of
Christ and have personal dealings with Him. He has to make definite
request for himself. This, in part, is what is involved, before the
sinner will "ask." Before we ask, God has to deal with the conscience,
enlighten the understanding, subdue the rebellious will, and open the
heart, the door of which is fast closed against Himself. All of this
is what Christ did with this woman of our lesson. We are not saved
because of our seeking; we have to be sought. "And who it is that
saith to thee:" notice, particularly, this "who it is," not "what it
is"--it is not doctrine any more than doing. It is personal dealings
with Christ that is needed; with Him who is the Source and Giver of
"life."
Attention has often been called to the striking contrast in the manner
of our Lord's speech with Nicodemus and His method of dealing with
this poor Samaritan adulteress. The Lord did not deal with souls in
any mechanical, stereotyped way, as it is to be feared many
Christian-workers do today. No; He dealt with each according to the
condition of heart they were in. Christ did not begin with the Gospel
when dealing with Nicodemus. Instead, He said, "Marvel not that I said
unto thee, Ye must be born again." There is no good news in a "ye must
be." If a man must be born again, what is he going to do in order that
he may be? What does all his past life amount to?--no matter how full
of deeds of benevolence, acts of kindness, and religious performances.
Just nothing: a new beginning has to be made. But not only is an
entirely different order of life imperative, but man has to be "born
from above." What, then, can the poor sinner do in the matter?'
Nothing, absolutely nothing. To tell a man he "must be born again" is
simply a shut door in the face of all fleshly pretentions; and that is
precisely what Christ intended with Nicodemus.
But why shut the door before Nicodemus? It was because he belonged to
the Pharisees. He was a member of that class, one of whom Christ
portrayed as standing in the Temple and saying to God, "I thank thee,
that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers,"
etc. (Luke 18:11). Nicodemus was not only a highly respectable and
moral man, but he was deeply religious. And what he most needed was
just what he heard, for the Lord Jesus never made any mistakes.
Nicodemus prided himself upon his respectability and religious
standing: evidence of this is seen in his coming to Jesus "by
night"--he was conscious of how much he risked by this coming; he
feared he was endangering his reputation among the people by visiting
this Nazarene. Therefore his self-righteousness must be smashed up;
his religious pride must be broken down. The force, then, of what our
Lord said to this ruler of the Jews was, "Nicodemus, with all your
education and reformation, morality and religion, you have not begun
to live that life which is pleasing to God, for that you must be born
again." And this was simply to prepare the way for the Gospel; to
prepare a self-righteous man to receive it.
How entirely different was our Lord's speech with this woman at the
well! To her He never so much as mentions the need for the new birth;
instead, He tells her at once of the "gift of God." In the case of
this woman there was no legalistic and religious pattern to be swept
away. Her moral character and religious standing were already gone.
But it was far otherwise with Nicodemus. It is very evident that he
felt he had something to stand upon and glory in. What he needed to
know was that all of this in which he prided himself was worthless
before God. Even though a master of Israel, he was utterly unfit to
enter God's kingdom, and nothing could show him this quicker than for
the Lord to say unto him "Ye must be born again."
Do what you will with nature, educate, cultivate, sublimate it as much
as you please; raise it to the loftiest pinnacle of the temple of
science and philosophy; summon to your aid all the ornaments and
ordinances of the legal system, and all the appliances of man's
religion; make vows and resolutions of moral reform; weary yourself
out with the monotonous round of religious duties; betake yourself to
vigils, fastings, prayers, and alms, and the entire range of "dead
works," and after all, yonder Samaritan adulteress is as near to the
kingdom of God as you, seeing that you as well as she "must be born
again." Neither you nor she has one jot or tittle to present to God,
either in the way of title to the kingdom, or of capacity to enjoy it.
It is, and must be, all of grace, from beginning to end.
What, then, is the remedy? That to which Christ, at the close, pointed
out to Nicodemus: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in
him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:14, 15). But for
whom was this brazen serpent intended? Why, for any bitten creature,
just because he was bitten. The wound was the title. The title to
what? To look at the serpent. And what then? He that looked, lived.
Blessed Gospel, "look and live." True for Nicodemus: true for the
woman of Sychar: true for every sinbitten son and daughter of Adam.
There is no limit, no restriction. The Son of Man has been lifted up,
that whosoever looks to Him, in simple faith, might have what Adam in
innocency never possessed, and what the law of Moses never proposed,
even "everlasting life."
The Gospel meets men on a common platform. Nicodemus had moral
character, social standing, religious reputation; the woman at the
well had nothing. Nicodemus was at the top of the social ladder; she
was at the bottom. You could hardly get anything higher than a "Master
of Israel," and you could scarcely get anything lower than a Samaritan
adulteress; yet so far as standing before God, fitness for His holy
presence, title to heaven was concerned, they were both on one common
level. But how few understand this! So far as standing before God was
concerned there was "no difference" between this learned and religious
Nicodemus and the wretched woman of Sychar. To Nicodemus Christ said,
"Ye must be born again;" this brief statement completely swept away
the foundation from under his feet. Nothing less than a new nature was
required from him; and nothing more was needed for her. Uncleanness
could not enter heaven, nor could Phariseeism. Each must be born
again. True, there was a great difference morally and socially between
Nicodemus and this woman--that goes without saying. No sensible person
needs to be told that morality is better than vice, that sobriety is
preferable to drunkenness, that it is better to be an honorable man
than a thief. But none of these will save, or contribute anything
toward the salvation of a sinner. None of these will secure admittance
into the kingdom of God. Both Nicodemus and the Samaritan adulteress
were dead; there was no more spiritual life in the one than in the
other.
"Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God,
and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have
asked of him, and he would have given thee living water." There are
some who regard the "living water" here as the Holy Spirit, and there
is something to be said in favor of this view; but personally, while
not dissenting from it, we think that more is included within the
scope of our Lord's words. We believe the "living water" has reference
to salvation, salvation in its widest sense, with all that it
embraces. The figure of "water" is most suggestive, and like all
others which are found in Scripture calls for prayerful and prolonged
meditation in order to discover its fulness and beauty. At least seven
lines of thought appear to be suggested by "water"--living water--as a
figure of the salvation which Christ gives.
1. Water is a gift from God. It is something which man, despite all
his boasted wisdom, is quite unable to create. For water we are
absolutely dependent upon God. It is equally so with His salvation, of
which water is here a figure. 2. Water is something which is
indispensable to man. It is not a luxury, but a vital necessity. It is
that without which man cannot live. It is equally so with God's
salvation--apart from it men are eternally lost. 3. Water is that
which meets a universal need; it is not merely a local requirement,
but a general one. All are in need of water. It is so with God's
salvation. It is not merely some particular class of people, who are
more wicked than their fellows, for all who are outside of Christ are
lost. 4. Water is that which first descends from the heavens. It is
not a product of the earth, but comes down from above. So is it with
salvation: it is "of the Lord." 5. Water is a blessed boon: it cools
the fevered brow, slakes the thirst, refreshes and satisfies. And so
does the salvation which is to be found in Christ. 6. Water is
something of which we never tire. Other things satiate us, but not so
with water. It is equally true of God's salvation to the heart of
every one who has really received it. 7. Water is strangely and
unevenly distributed by God. In some places there is an abundance; in
others very little; in others none at all. It is so with God's
salvation. In some nations there are many who have been visited by the
Dayspring from on high; in others there are few who have passed from
death unto life; while in others there seem to be none at all.
"He would have given thee living water." How blessed this is! The
living water is without money and without price: it is a "gift." This
gift can be obtained from Christ alone. This gift can be procured from
Christ only by asking Him for it. How blessed the gift! How worldrous
the Giver! How simple the terms! Here, then, was the Christ of God
preaching to this poor fallen woman the Gospel of His grace. Here was
the Messiah in Israel winning to Himself a despised Samaritan. This is
hardly what we would have looked for. And how the unexpected meets us
again and again in these Gospels! How vastly different were things
from what We had imagined them! Here was the Son of God, incarnate,
born into this world; and where would we expect to find His cradle?
Why, surely in Jerusalem, the "city of the great king." Instead, He
was born in Bethlehem, which was "little among the thousands in
Judah." Yes, born in Bethlehem, and cradled in a manger--the very last
place we had looked for Him! And for what purpose has He visited this
earth? To offer Himself as a sacrifice for sins. To whom shall we go
to learn more about this? Surely, to the priests and Levites. Ah, and
what do we learn about them in this Gospel? Why, they were the very
ones who knew not the One who stood in their midst (John 1:26). No, if
we would learn about Him who had come to be the great sacrifice, we
must turn away from the priests and Levites, and go yonder into the
"wilderness"--the last place, again, we would think of--and listen to
that strange character dad in raiment of camel's hair, with a leathern
girdle about his loins; and he would tell us about the Lamb of Cod
which taketh away the sin of the world. Once more: suppose it had been
worship we had desired to learn about, whither had we betaken
ourselves? Why, surely, to the Temple--that, of all places, must be
where the Lord God is worshipped in the truest form. But again would
our quest have been in vain, for the Father's house was now but "a
house of merchandise." Whom had we sought out if instruction in the
things of God had been our desire? Why, surely, one of those best
qualified to teach us would be Nicodemus, "a Master of Israel." But
again would we have met with disappointment.
Now if we would have gone to Nicodemus to learn of the things of God,
who among us would have imagined these very truths being revealed by a
weary Traveller by one of Samaria's wells, to an audience of one! Who
were the Samaritans to be privileged thus? Should we not expect to
find this much--favored woman, and a people so highly honored, as
being the descendants of some race of age-long seekers after God?
Would we not conclude they must be the offspring of men who for long
centuries had lived in one continued and supreme endeavor to purge
their thoughts and ceremonies from every false and impure admixture?
But read again 2 Kings 17 for the inspired account of the unlovely
origin of the Samaritans. They were two-thirds heathen! Ah! after
reading this chapter would we not have expected to find worship in
Jerusalem and idolatry in Samaria! Instead of which, we find idolatry
in Jerusalem, and (before we are through with John 4) the true worship
in Samaria. And what does all this go to prove? It shows that the
wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. It demonstrates how
utterly incompetent we are for drawing conclusions and reasoning about
spiritual things. It exemplifies what was said long ago through
Isaiah: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways
your ways, saith the Lord" (Isa. 55:8). How foolish are man's
reasonings; how wise God's "foolishness!"
And here we must stop. In the next lesson we shall continue our study
of this wondrous and blessed chapter. In the meantime, let the
students prayerfully ponder the following questions:--
1. What particular trait of the sinner's heart is manifested by the
woman in the next statement? verse 11.--we do not mean her blindness
or stupidity.
2. What spiritual truth did she unconsciously voice when she said,
"the well is deep"? verse 11.
3. What God-dishonoring principle was enunciated by her in verse 12?
4. To what was Christ referring when He said, "this water"? verse 13.
5. How does verse 14 bring out the eternal security of the believer?
6. What did the woman mean by her words in verse 15?
7. Why did Christ say to her, "Go, call thy husband?" verse 16.
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 13
Christ at Sychar's Well (Continued)
John 4:11-19
_________________________________________________________________
In viewing the Savior's conversation with this Samaritan woman as a
sample case of God's gracious dealings with a sinner, we have seen,
thus far: First, that the Lord took the initiative, being the first to
speak. Second, that His first word to her was "Give"--directing her
thoughts at once to grace; and that His next was "me" leading her to
be occupied with Himself. Third, that He brings her face to face with
her helplessness by asking her for a "drink," which in its deeper
meaning, signified that He was seeking her faith and confidence to
refresh His spirit. Fourth, this was met by an exhibition of the
woman's prejudice, which, in principle, illustrated the enmity of the
carnal mind against God. Fifth, Christ then affirmed that she was
ignorant of the way of salvation and of His own Divine glory. Sixth,
He referred to eternal life under the expressive figure of "living
water." Seventh, He assured her that this living water was offered to
her as a "gift," on the condition that she was to "ask" for it, and
thus take the place of a receiver. This brief summary brings us to the
end of verse 10, and from that point we will now proceed, first
presenting an Analysis of the verses which immediately follow:--
1. The Woman's Ignorance, verse 11.
2. The Woman's Insolence, verse 12.
3. The Savior's Gracious Promise, verses 13, 14.
4. The Woman's Prejudice Overcome, verse 15.
5. The Savior's Arrow for the Conscience, verse 16.
6. The Savior's Omniscience Displayed, verses 17, 18.
7. The Woman's Dawning Perception, verse 19.
As we read the first section of this blessed narrative we were struck
with the amazing condescension of the Lord of Glory, who so humbled
Himself as to converse with this fallen woman of Samaria. Now, as we
turn to consider the section which follows, we cannot fail to be
impressed with the wondrous patience of the Savior. He had invited
this wretched creature to ask from Him, and He promised to give her
living water; but instead of promptly closing with His gracious offer,
the woman continued to raise objections. But Christ did not turn away
in disgust, and leave her to suffer the merited results of her
waywardness and stubbornness; He bore with her stupidity, and with
Divine long-sufferance wore down her opposition, and won her to
Himself.
"The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and
the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?" (John
4:11). Four things are brought out by this statement. First, her
continued blindness to the glory of Him who addressed her. Second, her
occupation with material things. Third, her concentration on the means
rather than the end. Fourth, her ignorance of the Source of the
"living water." Let us briefly consider each of these separately.
In verse 9 we find that this woman referred to Christ as "a Jew." In
replying, the Savior reproached her for her ignorance by saying, "If
thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give
me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him" (verse 10). It is true
she had never before met the Lord Jesus, but this did not excuse her.
It was because she was blind that she saw in Him no beauty that she
should desire Him. And it is only unbelief which prevents the sinner
today from recognizing in that One who died upon the cross the Son of
God, and the only One who could save him from his sins. And unbelief
is not a thing to be pitied, but blamed. But now that Christ had
revealed Himself as the One who dispensed the "gift" of God, the
Samaritan woman only answered, "Sir, Thou hast nothing to draw with!"
Poor woman, how little she knew as yet the Divine dignity of that One
who had come to seek and to save that which was lost. How complete was
her blindness. And how accurately does she picture our state by
nature. Exactly the same was our condition when God, in infinite
mercy, began His dealings with us--our eyes were closed to the
perfections of His beloved Son, and "we hid as it were our faces from
him."
"Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with." How this shows the trend of her
thoughts. Her mind was centered upon wells and buckets! And this,
again, illustrates a principle of general application. This woman is
still to be viewed as a representative character. Behold in her an
accurate portrayal of the sinner, as we see her mind concentrated upon
material things. Her mind was occupied with the world--its duties and
employments--and hence she could not rise to any higher thoughts: she
could not discern who it was that addressed her, nor what He was
offering. And thus it is with all who are of the world: they are kept
away from the things of Christ by the things of time and sense. The
Devil uses just such things to keep the soul from the Savior. "Let it
be what it may, let it be only a waterpot, he cares not, so long as it
occupies the mind to the exclusion of the knowledge of Christ. He
cares not for the instrument, so long as he gains his own ends, to
draw the mind away from the apprehension of spiritual things. It may
be pleasure, it may be amusement, gain, reputation, family duties,
lawful employments, so that it keeps the soul from fixing on Christ.
This is all he wants. A water-pot will serve his purpose, just as well
as a palace, so that he can blind them, `lest the light of the
glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto
them'" (J. N. Darby, from whom we have extracted other thoughts,
embodied in our exposition above and below).
Ah! dear friend, Is there anything which has thus been keeping you
away from Christ--from seeking His great salvation, and obtaining from
Him the "living water?" That thing may be quite innocent and harmless,
yea, it may be something praise worthy in itself. Even lawful
employments, family duties, may keep a soul from the Savior, and
hinder you from receiving His priceless gift. Satan is very subtle in
the means he employs to blind the mind. Did you ever notice that in
the Parable of the Sower the Lord tells us that the things which
"choke the Word" are "the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness
of riches" (Matthew 13:22)?
Should an unsaved soul read these lines we ask you to see yourself in
the case of this woman, as far as we have yet considered it. Her
thoughts were on the purpose which had brought her to the well--a
lawful and necessary purpose, no doubt, but one which occupied her
mind to the exclusion of the things of Christ! She could think of
nothing but wells and buckets--she was, therefore, unable to discern
the love, the grace, the winsomeness of that blessed One who sought
her salvation. And how many a man there is today so busily occupied
with making a living for his family, and how many a woman so concerned
with the duties of the home--lawful and necessary things--that Christ
and His salvation are crowded out! So it Was with this Samaritan
woman. She thought only of her bodily need: her mind was centered on
the common round of daily tasks. And thus it is with many another now.
They are too busy to take time to study the things of God. They are
too much occupied with their "waterpots" to listen to the still small
voice of God.
"Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with." These words illustrate another
principle which, in its outworkings, stands between many a sinner and
salvation. The woman's mind was centered on means, rather than the
end. She was occupied with something to "draw with," rather than with
Christ. And how many today are concerned far more with their own
efforts and doings than with the Savior Himself. And even where their
eyes are not upon their own works, they are frequently turned to the
evangelist, or to the `inquiry room,' or `the mourner's bench.' And
where this is not the case, the Devil will get them occupied with
their own repentance and faith. Anything, so long as he can keep the
poor sinner from looking to Christ alone.
And, too, we may observe how this woman was limiting Christ to the use
of means. She supposed He could not provide the "living water" unless
He had something to "draw with." And how many imagine they cannot be
saved except in some `Revival Meetings,' or at least in a
church-house. But when it pleases God to do so, He acts independently
of all means (the Word excepted). When He desires to create a world,
He speaks and it is done! He rains manna from heaven; furnishes water
out of the rock, and supplies honey from the carcass of the lion!
"The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with and the
well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?" She
continues to raise objections, and press her questions. No sooner had
the Lord answered one than she brings forward another. The Lord had
replied to her "How?" by telling of the "gift" of God, the "living
water." Now she asks "Whence?" this was to be obtained. She knew not
the Source from whence this "living water" proceeded. All she knew was
that the well was deep.
"The well is deep." And there is a deep meaning in these words. The
well is deep--far deeper than our hands can reach down to. From whence
then shall man obtain the "living water?" How shall he procure
"eternal life?" By keeping the Law? Nay, verily, for "by the deeds of
the law there shall no flesh be justified" (Rom. 3:20). Is it by
cultivating the best that is within us by nature? No, for "in my flesh
dwelleth no good thing" (Rom. 7:18). Is it by living up to the light
we have, and doing the best we know how? No, for we are "without
strength" (Rom. 5:6). What then? Ah! dear reader, listen: This "living
water" is not a wage to be earned, a prize to be sought, a crown to be
won. No; it is a gift, God's free gift in Christ: "The gift of God is
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:23); yes; the well
is deep. Into awful depths of suffering had the Savior to descend
before the life-giving Water could be furnished to sinners.
"Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and
drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?" (John 4:12).
As another has said, "How little she knew, as yet, of the One she was
addressing. The well might be deep, but there is something deeper
still, even her soul's deep need; and something deeper than that
again, even the grace that had brought Him down from heaven to meet
her need. But so little did she know of Him, that she could ask, `Art
thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well?' She knew
not that she was speaking to Jacob's God--to the One who had formed
Jacob and given him all that he ever possessed. She knew nothing of
this. Her eyes were yet closed, and this was the true secret of her
`How?' and `Whence?'"
How much this explains! When we find people asking questions,
unbelieving questions, concerning the things of God, it is a sure sign
that they need to have their eyes opened. The rationalist, the critic,
and the infidel are blind. It is their very blindness that causes them
to ask questions, raise difficulties, and create doubts, They deem
themselves very clever, but they do only exhibit their folly. However,
in the case of this Samaritan woman her questions proceeded not from a
bold infidelity, but from nature's blindness and ignorance, and
therefore the Lord dealt patiently with her. He knew how to silence a
rationalist, and ofttimes He dismissed a carping critic in a summary
manner. But there were also occasions when, in marvelous condescension
and gracious patience, He waited on an ignorant inquirer for the
purpose of resolving his difficulties and removing his fears. And thus
it was at the well at Sychar. He was not to be put off with her
quibbling, nor could He be wearied by her dullness. He bore with her
(as He did with each of us) in marvelous longsufferance, and left her
not until He had fully met the deep need of her soul by the revelation
of Himself.
"Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and
drank thereof himself?" Once again we may discover here a deeper
significance than what appears on the surface. Attention is called to
the antiquity of the well from which Jacob and his children drank.
Beautiful is the underlying spiritual lesson. The "well" is as old as
man the sinner. The salvation of which the "water" of this "well"
speaks, had refreshed the hearts of Abel and Enoch, Noah and Abraham,
and all the Old Testament saints. God has had but one way of salvation
since sin entered the world. Salvation has always been by grace,
through faith, altogether apart from human works. The Gospel is no
novelty: it was "preached before unto Abraham" (Gal. 3:8). Yea, it was
preached to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, when, clothing our
fallen first parents with coats of skins (Gen. 3:21), God made known
the fact "without shedding of blood is no remission," and that through
the death of an innocent substitute a covering was provided which
fitted the guilty and the defiled to stand unabashed in the presence
of the thrice holy One, because "accepted in the Beloved."
"Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water
shall thirst again" (John 4:13). The Lord Jesus was not to be put off.
He was determined to reveal Himself to this sin-sick soul. "Whosoever
drinketh of this water shall thirst again." The seat of the "thirst"
within man lies too deep for the waters of this earth to quench. The
"thirst" of man's soul is a spiritual one, and that is why material
things are unable to slake it. Earth's deepest well may be fathomed
and drained, and the needy soul remain thirsty after all. Men and
women may take their fill of pleasure, yet will it fail to satisfy.
They may surround themselves with every comfort and luxury that wealth
can provide, and the heart still be empty. They may court the honors
of the world, and climb to the highest pinnacle of human fame, but the
plaudits of men will leave an aching void behind them. They may
explore the whole realm of philosophy and science, until they become
as wise as Solomon, but like Israel's king of old, they will discover
that all under the sun is only "vanity and vexation of spirit." Over
all the wells of this world's providing must be written, "Whosoever
drinketh of this water shall thirst again."
This is true not only of the material, the mental, and the social
realms, but of the religious, too. Man may awaken within us certain
desires, but he cannot satisfy them. Man may exhort and persuade, and
we may make resolutions, amend our lives, become very religious, and
yet "thirst again." The religious systems of human manufacture hold
not the Water of Life. They do but disappoint. Nothing but the "living
water" can quench our thirst and satisfy our hearts, and only Christ
can give this.
"Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again." What an awful
illustration of this is furnished in Luke 16. There the Savior sets
before us a man clothed in purple and fine linen, who fared
sumptuously every day. He drank deeply of the wells of this passing
world; but he thirsted again. O see him, as the Son of God lifts the
veil which hides the unseen; see him lifting up his eyes in
hell-torments, craving, but craving in vain, a single drop of water to
cool his parched tongue. There is not as much as a drop of water in
hell! There he thirsts, and the unspeakably dreadful thing is that he
will thirst . Fearfully solemn is this for all; but perfectly
appalling for the children of ease and luxury, and they who spend
their time going from well to well of this world, and giving no
serious thought to an eternity of burning in the lake of fire. O that
it may please God to cause some such to give these lines a thoughtful
consideration, and arrest their attention, and lead them to the Lord
Jesus Christ, the Giver of that living water of which whosoever
drinketh shall never thirst.
"But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never
thirst" (John 4:14). Here is satisfaction to the soul. The one who has
asked and received is now satisfied. The Lord goes on to say, "but the
water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing
up into everlasting life." The believer now has a well of living water
within, ever fresh, ever flowing, ever springing up toward its native
source, for water always seeks its own level. But let us weigh each
expression. "Whosoever drinketh." What is drinking? It is ministering
to a felt need. It is a personal act of appropriation. It is a taking
into myself that which was, previously, without me. "Of the water that
I shall give him." This "water" is "eternal life," and this is not
bought or won, but is received as a "gift," for the "gift of God is
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." "Shall never thirst:"
here the Lord speaks according to the fulness of the gift bestowed: as
to our enjoyment of it, that is conditioned upon the way in which
faith maintains us in fellowship with the Giver. "Never thirst"
denotes a satisfying portion. "Never thirst" argues the eternal
security of the recipient. Were it possible for a believer to forfeit
salvation through unworthiness, this verse would not be true, for
every lost soul will "thirst," thirst forever in hell. "Shall be in
him a well of water springing up into everlasting life": this "gift,"
this "living water," is a present possession, imparted by grace, and
is something within the believer.
"But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never
thirst." To borrow again the language of the eloquent Puritan: "Here
we labor, but receive no benefit; we sow many times, and reap not; we
reap, and we do not gather in; or gather in, and do not possess; or
possess and do not enjoy; or if we enjoy, we are still unsatisfied: it
is with anguish of spirit and circumstances of vexation. A great heap
of riches makes neither our clothes more warm, our meat more
nutritive, nor our beverage more palatable. It feeds the eye but never
fills it. Like drink to a person suffering from dropsy, it increases
the thirst and promotes the torment. But the grace of God fills the
furrows of the heart; and, as the capacity increases, it grows itself
in equal degrees, and never suffers any emptiness or dissatisfaction,
but carries contentment and fulness all the way; and the degrees of
augmentation are not steps and near approaches to satisfaction, but
increasings of the capacity. The soul is satisfied all the way, and
receives more, not because it wanted any, but that it can now hold the
more, being become more receptive of felicity; and in every minute of
sanctification, there is so excellent a condition of joy that the very
calamities, afflictions, and persecutions of the world, are turned
into felicities by the activity of the prevailing ingredient: like a
drop of water falling into a tun of wine, it is ascribed into a new
form, losing its own nature by a conversion in one more noble. These
were the waters which were given us to drink, when, with the rod of
God, the Rock, Christ Jesus, was smitten. The Spirit of God moves
forever upon these waters; and, when the angel of the covenant had
stirred the pool, whosoever descends hither shall find health and
peace, joys spiritual, and the satisfaction of eternity" (Jeremy
Taylor).
"The woman saith unto Him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not,
neither come hither to draw" (John 4:15). She is still more or less in
the dark. The natural mind is occupied with natural things, and it
contemplates everything through that medium; it is confined to its own
little circle of feelings and ideas; and can neither see nor feel
anything beyond it; it lives in its own cramped realm, finds there its
own enjoyment and employment, and if left to itself, will live and die
there. Poor woman! The Savior of sinners was before her, but she knew
Him not. He was speaking words of grace to her, but as yet, she did
not fully comprehend. He had asked for a drink, and she had replied
with a "How?" He had told her of God's gift, and she had replied with
a "Whence?" He had spoken of an everlasting well, and she seeks only
to be spared the trouble of coming hither to draw.
And yet while all that we have just said above is no doubt true,
nevertheless, as we take a closer look at this last statement of the
woman, we may detect signs more hopeful. Her words afford evidence
that the patient dealing of Christ with her was not in vain, yea, that
light was beginning to illumine her darkened understanding. Note, she
now appropriates His word, and says, "Sir, give me to drink." Relief
from daily toil was, no doubt, the thought uppermost in her mind; yet,
and mark it well, she was now willing to be indebted to a "Jew" for
that! There was still much ignorance; but her prejudice was being
overcome; her heart was being won. What, then, is the next step? Why,
her conscience must be reached. A sense of need must be created. And
how is this accomplished? By a conviction of sin. The first thought in
connection with salvation, the prime meaning of the word itself, is
that of deliverance from something. Salvation implies danger, and the
sinner will not flee to Christ as a Refuge from the wrath to come
until a due sense (not merely of wretchedness, but) of guilt is upon
him. There can be no blessing till there is conviction and confession
of sin. It is not until we discover our case to be truly desperate
that we betake ourselves to Christ--until then, we attempt to
prescribe for ourselves. Herein lies the force of the Savior's next
word.
"Jesus said unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither" (John
4:16). It is strange that so many have missed the point of this. A
little meditation will surely discern not only the solemnity, but the
blessedness, of this word from the Savior, to the woman whose heart
was slowly opening to receive Him. It is mainly a matter of finding
the proper emphasis. Two things the Lord bade her do: the first was
solemn and searching; the second gracious and precious. "Go," He said,
"call thy husband"--that was a word addressed to her conscience. "And
come hither"--that was a word for her heart. The force of what He said
was this: If you really want this living water of which I have been
telling you, you can obtain it only as a poor, convicted, contrite
sinner. But not only did He say "Go," but He added "Come." She was not
only to go and call her husband, but she was to come back to Christ in
her true character. It was a marvelous mingling of "grace" and
"truth." Truth for her conscience; grace for her heart. Truth which
required her to come out into the light of her proper character, as a
self-confessed sinner; grace which invited her to return to the
Savior's side. Well may we admire the wonderful ways of Him "in whom
are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2:3).
"The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus saith unto her,
Thou hast well said I have no husband: For thou hast had five
husbands: and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst
thou truly" (John 4:17, 18). How this exhibits the Deity of Christ! He
revealed His omniscience. He knew all about this woman--her heart, her
life, her very thoughts; nothing could be hid from Him. She might be a
complete stranger to Him in the flesh, yet was He thoroughly
acquainted with her. It was the same with Peter: the Savior knew him
thoroughly the first time they met, see John 1:42 and our comments
thereon. So, too, He saw Nathanael under the fig tree before he came
to Him. And so, dear reader, He knows all about you. Nothing can be
concealed from His all-seeing eye. But this will not trouble you if
everything has been brought out into the light, and confessed before
Him.
"The woman saith unto Him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet"
(John 4:19). A "prophet" is God's spokesman. This poor soul now
recognized the voice of God. He had spoken more deeply than any man to
her soul. The Divine arrow of conviction had pierced her conscience,
and the effect is striking: "I perceive." Her eyes were beginning to
open: she sees something. She discovers herself to be in the presence
of some mysterious personage whom she owns as God's spokesman. It was
through her conscience the light began to enter! And it is ever thus.
O dear reader, have you experienced this for yourself? Has your
conscience been in the presence of that Light which makes all things
manifest? Have you seen yourself as guilty, undone, lost, Christless,
hell-deserving? Has the arrow ever entered your conscience? Christ has
various arrows in His quiver. He had an arrow for Nicodemus, and He
had an arrow for this adulteress. They were different arrows, but they
did their work. "He that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his
deeds may be made manifest" (John 3:21) was the arrow for the master
in Israel. "Go, call thy husband" was His arrow for this Samaritan
woman. The question of sin and righteousness must be settled in the
presence of God. Has, then, this vital and all-important matter been
settled between your soul and God? If so, you will be able to
appreciate the sequel--the remainder of this wonderful and blessed
narrative.
There is a principle here of great importance to the believer. An
exercised conscience precedes intelligence in the things of God.
Spiritual illumination comes through the heart more than through the
mind. They who are most anxious to have a better understanding of the
Holy Oracles need to pray earnestly for God to put His fear upon them,
that they may be more careful in avoiding the things that displease
Him. One of our deepest needs is a more sensitive conscience. In
Hebrews 5:11-13 we read of those who were "dull of hearing" and
incapacitated to receive the deeper things of God. "Dullness of
hearing" does not mean they were suffering from a stupefied mind, but
rather from a calloused conscience. The last verse of Hebrews 5 speaks
of those who were qualified to receive the deeper truths: "But strong
meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason
of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."
Thus. it was for our learning that we are shown that perception
spiritual things came to the Samaritan woman through, and as the
result of, a conscience active in the presence of God.
As preparation for the next lesson we ask the interested reader to
ponder the following questions:--
1. What is signified by "salvation is of the Jews"? verse 22.
2. What is meant by worshipping "in spirit and in truth"? verse 24.
3. Make a careful study of passages both in the Old and New Testaments
which speak of "worship."
4. What is implied by the woman's words in verse 25?
5. What constrained the disciples to remain silent? verse 27.
6. What is the force of the "then" in verse 28?
7. What principle is illustrated by the woman leaving her waterpot?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 14
Christ at Sychar's Well (Concluded)
John 4:20-30
_________________________________________________________________
In the last chapter we continued our exposition of John 4 down to the
end of verse 19. It is of surpassing interest to follow the course of
the Savior's dealings with the poor Samaritan adulteress--the Divine
patience, the infinite grace and tenderness, the faithful application
of the truth to her heart and conscience. We have been struck, too,
with the expose of human depravity which this instance furnishes: not
simply with the dissolute life of the woman, but with her prejudice,
her stupidity, her occupation with material things, her
procrastination--all so many exhibitions of what is in us by nature:
"As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man"
(Prov. 27:19.) In the attitude of this sinner toward Christ we see an
accurate portrayal of our own past history. Let us now resume at the
point where we left off in our last.
We append an Analysis of the passage which is to be before us:--
1. The place of worship, verses 20, 21.
2. Worshippers sought by the Father, verses 22, 23.
3. The character of acceptable worship, verse 24.
4. The woman's desire for Christ, verse 25.
5. Christ fully reveals Himself, verse 26.
6. The disciples' surprise and silence, verse 27.
7. The gratitude and zeal of a saved soul, verses 28-30.
"Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in
Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship" (John 4:20). This
woman was not regenerated, though she was on the very eve of being so.
She was at that point where it is always very difficult (if not
impossible) for us to determine on which side of the line a person
stands. Regeneration is an instantaneous act and experience, but
preceding it there is a process, sometimes brief, usually more or less
protracted. During this process or transitional stage there is a
continual conflict between the light and the darkness, and nothing is
very clearly defined. There is that which is the fruit of the Spirit's
operations, and there is that which springs from the activities of the
flesh. We may detect both of these at this point in John 4.
In the previous verse the woman had said, "Sir, I perceive that thou
art a prophet." This evidenced the fact that light was beginning to
illumine her understanding: there was the dawning of spiritual
intelligence. But immediately following this we discover the workings
of the flesh--"Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say,
that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." Here was
the enmity of the carnal mind showing itself again. It was a return to
the old prejudice, which was voiced at the commencement of
conversation--see verse 9. The subject of where to worship was one of
the leading points of contention between the Jews and the Samaritans.
The Lord had introduced a very disquieting theme. He had spoken
directly to her conscience; He had been convicting of Sin. And when a
sinner's conscience is disturbed, instinctively he seeks to throw it
off. He endeavors to turn aside the sharp point of the accusing shaft,
by occupying his mind with other things.
There is little doubt that this woman raised the subject of worship at
this stage for the purpose of diverting a theme of conversation which
was far from agreeable or creditable to her. "Sir, I perceive that
thou art a prophet," she had said, and so, glad of an opportunity to
shift the discourse from a subject so painful, she introduces the
great point of controversy between the Jews and the Samaritans, that
she might hear His opinion respecting it. And, too, this woman was
really interested in the friendly advances of this mysterious Stranger
who had spoken to her so graciously and yet so searchingly: and
doubtless she was anxious to know how He would decide the age-long
dispute. It is no uncommon thing for persons living in sin, not merely
to pretend, but really to have an interest in, and a zeal for, what
they term `religion.' Speculation about points in theology is
frequently found in unnatural union with habitual neglect of moral
duty. Ofttimes a sinner seeks protection from shafts of conviction
which follow the plain violation of the law of God, by discussions
respecting orthodoxy and heterodoxy. Ah! "who can understand the
errors" of that deceitful and desperately wicked thing, the human
heart!
In this question of the woman we may discover an underlying principle
of general application. Her conscience had been exercised over sin, in
the presence of God, and the effect upon her, as upon most quickened
souls, was to be concerned with the matter of "worship"--where to
worship is the question which now engages the attention. Really, it is
only self again in one of its ten thousand forms. First the sinner is
conscious of his prejudice; then he is occupied with his sins; then he
turns to his own repentance and faith; and then where to
worship--anything but Christ Himself! So it was with this woman here.
The Lord had pointed out what it was that kept her from asking for the
"gift of God," namely, ignorance. True, she was clear on some points.
She was versed in the contention between the Jews and the Samaritans;
she had been instructed in the difference between Jerusalem and
Gerizim; she knew all about "father Jacob." But there were two things
she did not know: "The gift of God" and "who it was that was speaking
to her." As yet she knew not Christ as the all-sufficient Savior for
lost sinners. Her mind was engaged with the problem of where to
worship.
Was it not thus with most of us? Following our first awakening, were
we not considerably exercised over the conflicting claims of the
churches and denominations? Where ought I to worship? Which
denomination shall I join? In which church shall I seek membership?
Which is the most scriptural of the different sects? These are
questions which the majority of us faced, and probably many sought the
solution of these problems long before they had found rest in the
finished work of Christ. After all it was only another `refuge' in
which we sought shelter from the accusing voice which was convicting
us of our lost condition.
"Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in
Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship"--some worship here;
some worship there; where ought we to worship? Important as this
question is, it is not one to be discussed by a convicted sinner. The
all-important thing for him is to find himself in the presence of the
revealed Savior. Let this be deeply pondered, clearly understood, and
carefully borne in mind. "A convicted sinner can never become a
devoted saint, until he finds his happy place at the feet of a
revealed Savior" (C. H. M.). Irreparable damage has been done to souls
by occupying them with churches and denominations, instead of with a
Savior-God. If the sinner joins a church before he has received Christ
he is in greater danger than he was previously. The church can neither
save nor help to save. Many regard the church as a stepping stone to
Christ, and frequently they find it but a stumbling-stone away from
Christ. No stepping stones to Christ are needed. He has come all the
way from heaven to earth, and is so near to us that no stepping stones
are required. Mark how strikingly this is illustrated in one of the
Old Testament types:
"An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice
thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and
thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto
thee, and I will bless thee. And if thou wilt make me an altar of
stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone; for if thou lift up thy
tool upon it, thou hast polluted it. Neither shalt thou go up by steps
unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon" (Ex.
20:24-26). It is to be noted that these instructions concerning "the
altar" follow immediately on the giving of the Law, for it
foreshadowed that which was to succeed the Legal dispensation, namely,
the Cross of Christ, on which the great Sacrifice was offered. Note
also it was expressly prohibited that the altar of stone should not be
built from hewn stones. The stones must have no human tools lifted up
upon them; no human labor should enter into their preparation. Neither
were there to be any steps up to God's altar. Any attempt to climb up
to God will only expose our shame. Indeed, steps up are not necessary
for us, for the Lord Jesus took all the steps down to where we lay in
our guilt and helplessness.
What stepping-stone did this woman of Samaria require? None at all,
for Christ was there by her side, though she knew Him not. He was
patiently dislodging her from every refuge in which she sought to take
shelter. He was seeking to bring her to the realization that she was a
great sinner, and He a great Savior, come down here in marvelous grace
to save her, not only from the guilt and penalty of sin, but also from
its dominion and power. What could "this mountain," or that
"Jerusalem" do for her? Was it not obvious that a prior question, of
paramount importance, claimed her serious attention, namely, What she
was to do with her sins?--how she was to be saved? What relief could
places of worship afford her burdened heart and guilty conscience?
Could she find salvation in Gerizim? Could she procure peace in
Jerusalem's temple? Could she worship the Father in spirit and in
truth in either the one or the other? Was it not plain that she needed
salvation before she could worship anywhere?
"Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye
shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the
Father" (John 4:21). The Lord turned her attention to a subject of
infinitely greater importance than the place of worship, even the
nature of acceptable worship; assuring her that the time was at hand
when controversies respecting the place of worship would be obsolete.
"The hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at
Jerusalem, worship the Father." The meaning of this evidently is that
"The time is just at hand when the public worship of God the Father
should not be confined to any one place, and when the controversy as
to whether Jerusalem or Gerizim had the better claim to that honor
would be superceded."
"Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation
is of the Jews" (John 4:22). Here we see `truth' mingling with
`grace.' Christ not only dealt in faithfulness. He was, and is, "the
faithful and true witness." The Lord, in a very brief word, settled
the disputed point--the Samaritans were wrong, the Jews right; the
former were ignorant, the latter well instructed. Christ then added a
reason to what He had just said--"for salvation is of the Jews." We
take it that "salvation" here is equivalent to "the Savior," that is,
the Messiah. In this way was the word used by Simeon--"Lord, now
lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For
mine eyes have seen thy salvation" (Luke 2:29, 30). So, too, the word
was used by John the Baptist, "And all flesh shall see the salvation
of God" (Luke 3:6). The force then of Christ's declaration was this:
The Savior, the Messiah, is to arise from among the Jews, and
therefore the true worship of Jehovah is to be found among them.
It may be inquired, Why should the Lord Jesus refer to Himself under
the impersonal word "salvation"? A moment's reflection will show the
propriety of it. Christ was continuing to press upon this woman the
fact that she was a sinner, and therefore it was useless to occupy her
mind with questions about places of worship. What she needed was
salvation, and this salvation could only be had through the knowledge
of God revealed as Father, in the face of Jesus Christ. Such is the
ground, and the only ground, of true spiritual worship. In order to
worship the Father we must know Him; and to know Him is salvation, and
salvation is eternal life.
What a lesson is there here for every Christian worker respecting the
manner to deal with anxious souls. When we are speaking to such, let
us not occupy them with questions about sects and parties, churches
and denominations, creeds and confessions. It is positively cruel to
do so. What they need is salvation--to know God, to believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ. Let us shut them up to this one thing, and refuse
to discuss anything else with them until they have received the
Savior. Questions about church--membership, the ordinances, etc., have
their place and interest; but manifestly they are not for convicted
sinners. Too many are so foolishly anxious to swell the ranks of their
party, that they are in grave danger of thinking more about getting
people to join them than they are about leading anxious souls simply
and fully to Christ. Let us study diligently the example of the
perfect Teacher in His dealings with the woman of Sychar.
"But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall
worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such
to worship him" (John 4:23). Here is the point which the Lord now
presses upon this anxious soul. A new order of things was about to be
established, and under it God would be manifested not as Jehovah (the
covenant-keeping God) but as "the Father," and then the great question
would not be where to worship, but how. Then the worshipper at
Jerusalem will not be accounted the true worshipper because he
worships there, nor the worshipper at Gerizim the false worshipper
because he worships there; the one who worships in spirit and in
truth, no matter where he may worship, he and he alone is the genuine
worshipper.
To "worship in spirit," is to worship spiritually; to "worship in
truth," is to worship truly. They are not two different kinds of
worship, but two aspects of the same worship. To worship spiritually
is the opposite of mere external rites which pertained to the flesh;
instead, it is to give to God the homage of an enlightened mind and an
affectionate heart. To worship Him truly is to worship Him according
to the Truth, in a manner suited to the revelation He has made of
Himself; and, no doubt, it also carries with it the force of
worshipping truly, not in pretense, but sincerely. Such, and such
alone, are the acceptable worshippers.
"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit
and in truth" (John 4:24). This is a most important verse and treats
of a most important but sadly misunderstood subject, namely, that of
worship. Much of that which is termed "worship' today is fleshly
rather than spiritual, and is external and spectacular, rather than
internal and reverential. What are all the ornate decorations in our
church-houses for? the stained glass windows, the costly hangings and
fittings, the expensive organs! But people at once reply, `But God's
house must be beautiful, and He surely loves to have it so.' But why
will not such objectors be honest, and say, `We love to have it so,
and therefore, God should too'? Here, as everywhere else, God's
thoughts are entirely different from man's. Look at the tabernacle
which was made according to the pattern which Jehovah Himself showed
to Moses in the mount! `Yes,' people reply, `but look at Solomon's
temple!' Ah, Solomon's, truly. But look at it, and what do we see? Not
one stone left upon another! Ah, dear reader, have you ever stopped to
think what the future holds for this world and all its imposing
structures? The world, and all that is therein, will be burned up! Not
only the saloons and the picture shows, but also its magnificent
cathedrals and stately churches, erected at enormous expense, while
half of the human race was hastening to the Lake of Fire without any
knowledge of Christ! Does this burning up of them look as though God
esteemed them very highly? And if His people pondered this, would they
be so ready to put so much of their money into them? After all, is it
not the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eye--denominational
pride--which lies behind it all?
"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit
and in truth." Note how emphatic this is--MUST. There is no
alternative, no choice in the matter. This must is final. There are
three "musts" in this Gospel, equally important and unequivocal. In
John 3:7 we read, "Ye must be born again." In John 3:14, "The Son of
man must be lifted up." In John 4:24, "God must be worshipped in
spirit and in truth." It is indeed striking to observe that the first
of these has reference to the work of God the Spirit, for He is the
One who effects the new birth. The second "must" has reference to God
the Son, for He was the One who had to die in order for atonement to
be made. The third "must" respects God the Father, for He is the
object of worship, the One who "seeketh" worshippers. And this order
cannot be changed. It is only they who have been regenerated by God
the Spirit, and justified by the Atonement of God the Son, who can
worship God the Father. "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination
to the Lord" (Prov. 15:8).
What is worship
? We answer: First, it is the action of the new nature seeking, as the
sparks fly upward, to return to the Divine and heavenly source from
which it came. Worship is one of the three great marks which evidences
the presence of the new nature--"We are the circumcision, which
worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no
confidence in the flesh" (Phil. 3:3)--in the Greek there is no article
before "spirit" or flesh;" the spirit refers to the new nature, which
is born of the Spirit.
In the second place, worship is the activity of a redeemed people.
Israel did not worship Jehovah in Egypt; there they could only "sigh,"
and "cry," and "groan" (see Exodus 2:23, 24). It was not until Israel
had passed through the Red Sea that we are told "Then sang Moses and
the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I
will sing unto the Lord" (Ex. 15:1); and note, this was the Song of
Redemption--the words "redeemed" and "redemption" are not found in
Scripture until this chapter is reached: see verse 13.
In the third place, worship proceeds from the heart. "This people
draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their
lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me"
(Matthew 15:8, 9). Worship is a redeemed heart occupied with God,
expressing itself in adoration and thanksgiving. Read through the
Redemption Song, expression of Israel's worship, in Exodus 15, and
notice the frequent repetition of "Thou," "Thee," and "He." Worship,
then, is the occupation of the heart with a known God; and everything
which attracts the flesh and its senses, detracts from real worship.
"God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit
and in truth." There is no choice in the matter. This emphatic "must"
bars out everything which is of the flesh. Worship is not by the eyes
or the ears, but "in spirit," that is, from the new nature. The more
spiritual is our worship the less formal and the less attractive to
the flesh will it be. O how far astray we have gone! Modern "worship"
(?) is chiefly designed to render it pleasing to the flesh: a `bright
and attractive service', with beautiful surroundings, sensuous music,
and entertaining talks. What a mockery and a blasphemy! O that we all
would heed that pointed word in Psalm 89:7; "God is greatly to be
feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of
all them that are about him"--how different things would then be.
Is a choir needed to `lead' worship? What choir was needed to aid the
Savior and His apostles as they sung that hymn in the upper room, ere
going forth into the Garden? (Matthew 26:30). What choir was needed to
assist the apostles, as with bleeding backs they sang praises to God
in the Philippian dungeon? Singing to be acceptable to God must come
from the heart. And to whom do the choirs sing--to God, or to the
people? The attractiveness of singing has been substituted for "the
foolishness of preaching." The place which music now holds in many of
our public services is a solemn "sign of the times" to those who have
eyes to see. But is music wrong? Has not God Himself bestowed the
gift? Surely, but what we are now complaining about is church-singing
that is professional and spectacular, that which is of the flesh, and
rendered to please the ear of man. The only music which ever passes
beyond the roof of the church in which it is rendered is that which
issues from born again people, who "sing with grace in their hearts
unto the Lord."
"God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit
and in truth." We must worship "in spirit," and not merely with the
physical senses. We cannot worship by admiring grand architecture, by
listening to the peals of a costly organ or the anthems of a highly
trained choir. We cannot worship by gazing at pictures, smelling of
incense, counting of beads. We cannot worship with our eyes or ears,
noses or hands, for they are all "flesh," and not "spirit." Moreover,
spiritual worship must be distinguished sharply from soulical worship,
though there are few today who discriminate between them. Much, very
much, of our modern so-called worship is soulical, that is, emotional.
Music which makes one "feel good," touching anecdotes which draw
tears, the magic oratory of a speaker which thrills his hearers, the
clever showmanship of professional evangelists and singers who aim to
`produce an atmosphere' for worship (?) and which are designed to move
the varied emotions of those in attendance, are so many examples of
what is soulical and not spiritual at all. True worship, spiritual
worship, is decorous, quiet, reverential, occupying the worshipper
with God Himself; and the effect is to leave him not with a nervous
headache (the inevitable reaction from the high tension produced by
soulical activities) but with a peaceful heart and a rejoicing spirit.
"The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called
Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things" (John 4:25). Here
is the Savior's reward for His gracious patience in dealing with this
woman. Slowly but surely the Word had done its work. At last this poor
soul has been driven from every false refuge, and now she is ready for
a revealed Savior. She is through with her prevarication and
procrastinations. She had asked "How?", and Christ had graciously
answered her. She had inquired "Whence?", and had received a kindly
reply. She had said, "Where?", and this difficulty had been disposed
of too. And now her questions ceased. She speaks with greater
confidence and assurance--`I know that Messias cometh." This was
tantamount to saying, "I want Christ."
"Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he" (John 4:26). For
the seventh and last time (in this interview) the Lord addressed this
soul whose salvation He sought and won. The moment the Samaritan woman
expressed her desire for Christ, He answers, "You have Him; He is now
speaking to you." Nothing more was needed. The Savior of sinners stood
revealed. That was enough. All was settled now. "It was not a mount
nor a temple; Samaria nor Jerusalem. She had found Jesus--a
Savior--God. A detected sinner and a revealed Savior have met face to
face, and all is settled, once and forever. She discovered the
wonderful fact that the One who had asked her for a drink, knew all
about her--could tell her all that ever she did, and yet He talked to
her of salvation. What more did she want? Nothing" (C. H. M.).
"And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with
the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou
with her?" (John 4:27). Once again we may discern the providential
dealings of God, regulating and directing the slightest movements of
His creatures. These disciples of Christ left the Savior seated on the
well, while they went into the city to buy meat (verse 8). Had they
remained they would only have been in the way. The Lord desired to
have this woman alone with Himself. His purpose in this had now been
accomplished. Grace had achieved a glorious victory. Another brand had
been plucked from the burning. The poor Samaritan adulteress had now
been brought out of sin's darkness into God's marvelous light. The
woman had plainly expressed her desire for the Christ to appear, and
the Lord had revealed Himself to her. "And upon this came His
disciples." Though they had not been permitted to hear what had been
said between Christ and this woman, they returned in time to witness
the happy finale. They needed to be taught a lesson. They must learn
that the saving grace of God was not limited to Israel, that it was
reaching out to sinners of the Gentiles, too. They "marvelled" as they
beheld their Master talking to this despised Samaritan, but they held
their peace. A Divine constraint arrested them. None of them dared to
ask Him a question at that moment.
"The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city"
(John 4:28). Here is the blessed climax. The patient work of the
condescending Savior was now rewarded. The darkness was dissipated:
"The light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6) now shone into the heart of this believing
sinner. Four times had this woman referred directly to herself, and it
is striking to note the contents and order of her respective
statements. First, she acknowledged her thirst--"Give me this water
that (in order that) I thirst not" (verse 15). Second, she confessed
her sin--"I have no husband" (verse 17). Third, she evidenced a
dawning intelligence--"I perceive" (v. 19). Fourth, she avowed her
faith--"I know that Messias cometh" (v. 25). Finally, she leaves her
waterpot and goes forth to testify of Christ.
"The woman then left her waterpot and went her way into the city."
Notice carefully the word "then," which is parallel with the "upon
this" of the previous verse. Both look back to what is recorded in
verse 26--"Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am." It will
be noted that the final word of this verse is in italics, which
signifies there is no corresponding word in the Greek. Omitting the
word "he" the verse as it reads in the A.V. is unintelligible. We are
satisfied that the correct reading would give "Jesus saith unto her, I
am that speaketh unto thee." It was the enunciation of the sacred "I
am" title of Jehovah (see Exodus 3:14); it was the solemn affirmation
that God was addressing her soul. It is a parallel utterance to John
8:58. The pronunciation of this ineffable Name was attended with
awe-inspiring effects (cf. John 18:6). This explains, here, the
silence of the disciples who marvelled when they found their Master
talking with the woman, but asked Him no question. It accounts for
that Divine constraint resting upon them. Moreover, it gives added
force and significance to what we read of in verse 28--"The woman then
left her waterpot." The weary Traveller by the well stood revealed as
God manifest in flesh.
"The woman then left her waterpot." Ah, was not that a lovely sequel!
She "left her waterpot" because she had now found a well of "living
water." She had come to the well for literal water; that was what she
had desired, and on what her mind was set. But now that she had
obtained salvation, she thought no more of her "waterpot." It is ever
thus. Once there is a clear perception of Christ to the soul, once He
is known and received as a personal Savior, there will be a turning
away from that on which before the carnal mind was centered. Her mind
was now stayed upon Christ, and she had no thought of well, water, or
waterpot. The Messias' glory was now her end and aim. Henceforth, "for
me to live is Christ" was her object and goal. She knew the Messiah
now, not from hearsay, but from the personal revelation of Himself,
and immediately she began to proclaim Him to others.
"And went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a
man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the
Christ?" (John 4:28, 29). How beautiful! Transformed from a convicted
sinner into a devoted saint. The work had been thorough--nothing could
be put to it, nor anything taken from it: because God had done it
(Ecclesiastes 3:14). There was no placing this woman on probation.
There was no telling her she must hold out faithful to the end if she
would be saved--wretched perversion of men! No; she was saved; saved
for all eternity. Saved by grace through faith, apart from any works
of her own. And now that she is saved, she wants to tell others of the
Savior she had found. The love of Christ constrained her. She now had
His nature within her, and therefore has she a heart of compassion of
the lost.
"Christian reader, be this our work, henceforth. May our grand object
be to invite sinners to come to Jesus. This woman began at once. No
sooner had she found Christ for herself, than she forthwith entered
upon the blessed work of leading others to His feet. Let us go and do
likewise. Let us by word and deed--`by all means,' as the apostle
says--seek to gather as many as possible around the Person of the Son
of God. Some of us have to judge ourselves for lukewarmness in this
blessed work. We see souls rushing along the broad and well-trodden
highway that leadeth to eternal perdition, and yet, how little are we
moved by the sight! How slow are we to sound in their ears, that true,
that proper Gospel note, `Come!' O, for more zeal, more energy, more
fervor! May the Lord grant us such a deep sense of the value of
immortal souls, the preciousness of Christ, and the awful solemnity of
eternity, as shall constrain us to more urgent and faithful dealing
with the souls of men" (C. H. M.).
"And saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that
ever I did: is not this the Christ? . . . Come" was the word of
invitation that this newly-born soul extended to those men. It was a
word she had learned from Christ's own lips (verse 16). It is the
great word of the Gospel. It is the word which has resulted in peace
to countless hearts. The last recorded words of this woman show her
now as an active servant for Christ. It is remarkable to find that
this final word of the woman was her seventh--the perfect number.
Seven times, no more and no less, had Christ spoken to her--telling of
the perfectness of His work in dealing with her. Six times she spoke
to Him (the number of man in the flesh) before she was fully saved;
and then to this is added the last recorded word when she went forth
to tell others of the One who had saved her; making seven in all--this
last one, the seventh, evidencing the perfect work which Christ had
wrought in her!
Our next lesson will be devoted to John 4:31-42. Let the interested
reader study the following questions:--
1. What is the central theme of verses 31-42?
2. What does verse 31 reveal to us about the disciples?
3. What did Christ mean when He said that doing the will of God
provided Him with "meat to eat"? verses 32, 34.
4. What "work" of the Father did Christ "finish"? verse 34.
5. In applying what is said in verse 38 to ourselves what should be
the true effect upon us?
6. What does "the Savior of the world" signify? verse 42.
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Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 15
CHRIST IN SAMARIA
John 4:31-42
_________________________________________________________________
We begin with the usual Analysis of the passage which is to be before
us. In it we see:--
1. The Disciples' Solicitude, verse 31.
2. The Disciples' Ignorance, verse 32.
3. The Disciples Instructed, verses 34-38.
4. The Samaritan Converts, verse 39.
5. The Samaritan's Request, verse 40.
6. The Samaritan Converts added unto, verse 41.
7. The Samaritan's Confession, verse 42.
Verses 31-38 form a parenthesis and tell us something of what
transpired during the interval that followed the woman's leaving the
well and the Samaritans coming to Christ because of her testimony to
Him. They record a conversation which took place between the Lord and
His disciples. The disciples, it will be remembered, had "gone away
unto the city to buy meat," and had returned from their quest, to find
their Master engaged in conversation with a woman of Samaria. They had
marvelled at this, but none had interrogated Him on the matter. As
they had heard the Savior pronounce the ineffable "I am" title (verse
26), a Divine restraint had fallen upon them. But now the interview
between the Lord Jesus and the Samaritan harlot was over. Grace had
won a glorious victory. A sinner had been brought out of darkness into
God's marvelous light, and in consequence, had gone forth to tell
others the good news which meant so much to her own heart.
Once more the Savior was left alone with His disciples. They had
returned in time to hear His closing words with the woman', and had
seen the summary effect they had on her. They had witnessed that which
should have corrected and enlarged their cramped vision. They had been
shown that whatever justification there might have been in the past
for the Jews to have "no dealings with the Samaritans," this no longer
held good. The Son of God had come to earth, "full of grace and
truth," and the glad tidings concerning Him must be proclaimed to all
people. This was a hard lesson for these Jewish disciples, but with
infinite patience the Lord bore with their spiritual dullness. In what
follows we have a passage of great practical importance, which
contains some weighty truths upon service.
"In the meanwhile His disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat" (John
4:31). A little earlier in the day the disciples had left their Master
sitting on the well, wearied from the long journey. Accordingly, they
had procured some food, and had returned to Him with it. But He
evidenced no desire for it. Instead of finding Christ weary and faint,
they discovered Him to be full of renewed energy. He had received
refreshment which they knew not of. This they could not understand,
and so they begged Him to eat of that which they had brought Him.
Their request was a kindly one. Their appeal to Him was well meant.
But it was merely the amiability of the flesh. The `milk of human
kindness' must not be mistaken for the fruit of the Spirit.
Sentimentality is not spirituality.
"But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of" (John
4:32). This was scarcely a rebuke: it was more a word of instruction
for their enlightenment. Their minds were upon material things; the
Lord speaks of that which is spiritual. "Meat" was used as a
figurative expression for that which satisfied. Christ's heart had
been fed. His spirit had been invigorated. What it was that had
refreshed Him we learn from His next utterance. It was something the
disciples "knew not of." Not yet had they discovered that the one who
gives out of the things of God is also a receiver. In dispensing
spiritual blessing to others, one is blest himself. Peace and joy are
a part of the reward which comes to him who does the will of God. The
obedient servant has "meat to eat" that those not engaged in service
know nothing about. These, and other principles of service, were what
the Lord would now press upon His disciples.
"Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him
ought to eat?" (John 4:33). This confirmed what Christ had just said:
disciples of His they might be, but as yet they were very ignorant
about spiritual things. Their minds evidently dwelt more upon material
things, than the things of God. They knew very little about the
relation of Christ to the Father: their thoughts turned at once to the
question as to whether or not any man had "brought him ought to eat."
Even good men are sometimes very ignorant; yea, the best of men are,
until taught of God. "How dull and thick brained are the best, `till
God rend the veil, and enlighten both the organ and the object" (John
Trapp, 1650, A.D.). But let us not smile at the dullness of those
disciples; instead, see in them an exhibition of our own spiritual
stupidity, and need of being taught of God.
"Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me,
and to finish his work" (John 4:34). What did Christ mean? In what
sense is doing the will of God "meat" to one who performs it? What is
the Father's "work?" And how was Christ "finishing" it? The answer to
those questions must be sought in the setting of our verse, noting its
connection with what has gone before and what follows. We must first
ascertain the leading subject of the passage of which this verse forms
a part.
As we proceed with our examination of the passage it will become more
and more evident that its leading subject is service. The Lord was
giving needed instruction to His disciples, and preparing them for
their future work. He sets before them a concise yet remarkably
complete outline of the fundamental principles which underlie all
acceptable service for God. The all-important and basic principle is
that of absolute obedience to the will of God. The servant must do the
will of his master. This the perfect Servant Himself exemplified. Note
how He refers to God. He does not say here, "My meat is to do the will
of the Father," but "the will of Him that sent me." That shows it is
service which is in view.
Now what was "the will" of the One who had sent Christ into the world?
Was it not to deliver certain captives from the hands of the Devil and
bring them from death unto life? If there is any doubt at all on the
point John 6:38 and 39 at once removes it--"For I came down from
heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And
this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he
hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at
the last day." This at once helps us to define the Father's
"work"--"and finish his work, which must not be confounded with the
work that was peculiarly the Son's: though closely related, they were
quite distinct. The "will" of the Father was that all those He had
"given" to the Son should be saved; His "work" had been in appointing
them unto salvation. "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to
obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess. 5:9). Appointment
unto salvation (see also 2 Thessalonians 2:13) is peculiarly the work
of the Father; the actual saving of those appointed is the work of the
Son, and in the saving of God's elect the Son finishes the "work" of
the Father. An individual example of this had just been furnished in
the case of the Samaritan woman, and others were about to follow in
the "many" who should believe on Him because of her testimony (verse
39), and the "many more" who would believe because of His own word
(verse 41).
How all this casts its own clear light on John 5:4 of this fourth
chapter, and explains to us the force of the "must" here The Lord had
not journeyed to Samaria to gratify His own desire, for "he pleased
not himself." In infinite grace the Son of God had condescended to lay
aside (temporarily) His glory and stooped to the place of a Servant;
and in service, as in everything else, He is our great Exemplar. He
shows us how to serve, and the first great principle which comes out
here is that joy of heart, satisfaction of soul, sustenance of
spirit--"meat"--is to be found in doing the will, performing the
pleasure, of the One who sends forth. Here, then, the perfect Servant
tells us what true service is--the simple and faithful performance of
that which has been marked out for us by God. Our "meat"--the
sustenance of the laborers heart, the joy of his soul--is not to be
sought in results (the "increase") but in doing the will of Him that
sent us forth. That was Christ's meat, and it must be ours, too. This
was the first lesson, the Lord here teaches His disciples about
Service. And it is the first thing which each of us who are His
servants now, need to take to heart.
"Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest?
behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for
they are white already to harvest" (John 4:35). It is very evident
that it is the subject of Service which is still before us, and the
principle enunciated in this verse is easily perceived. However, let
us first endeavor to arrive at the local force of these words, and
their particular significance to the disciples, before we reduce them
to a principle of application to ourselves.
"Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest?
behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, for
they are white already to harvest." There is no need to conclude that
the disciples had been discussing among themselves the condition of
the fields through which they had walked on their way to the city to
buy meat; though they may have done so. Rather does it seem to us that
the Lord continued to instruct His disciples in figurative language.
There seems no doubt that the Savior had in mind the spiritual state
of the Samaritans and the estimate formed of them by His disciples.
Possibly the Samaritans who had listened to the striking testimony of
the woman now saved were on their way toward the well, though yet some
considerable distance away, and pointing to them the Savior said to
the disciples, "Lift up your eyes" and behold their state.
"Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already
to harvest." This was plainly a rebuke. The disciples regarded Samaria
as a most unlikely field to work in; at best much sowing would be
required, and then a long wait, before any ripened grain could be
expected. They never dreamed of telling them that the Messiah was just
outside their gates! Must they not have hung their heads in shame when
they discovered how much more faithful and zealous had been this woman
than they? Here, then, is a further reason why Christ "must needs go
through Samaria"--to teach His disciples a much needed missionary
lesson.
What, now, is the application to us of the principle contained in this
verse? Surely it is this: we must not judge by appearances. Ofttimes
we regard certain ones as hopeless cases, and are tempted to think it
would be useless to speak to them about Christ. Yet we never know what
seeds of Truth may have been lodged in their hearts by the labors of
other sowers. We never know what influences may be working: ofttimes
those who seem to us the most unlikely cases, when put to the test are
the most ready to hear of the Savior. We cannot tell how many months
there are to harvest!
"And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life
eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice
together" (John 4:36). If the previous verse contained a rebuke, here
was a word to encourage. "He that reapeth receiveth wages" seems to
mean, This is a work in which it is indeed a privilege to be engaged,
for the laborer receives a glorious reward, inasmuch as he "gathereth
fruit unto life eternal." The reward is an eternal one, for not only
do those saved through the labors of the reaper receive eternal life,
but because of this the joy of both will be eternal too. "That both he
that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together." The sower may
have labored hard toward the salvation of souls, and yet never be
permitted to witness in this life the success which God gave to his
efforts. The reaper, however, does witness the ingathering;
nevertheless, both sower and reaper shall rejoice together in the
everlasting salvation of those garnered through their joint efforts.
"And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth"
(John 4:37). There is a timely warning here. To "reap" is not
everything, blessed as the experience is: to "sow" is equally
important. The bountiful crop garnered at Sychar was, under God, the
result of the labors of earlier sowers. These Samaritans were already
informed about the appearing of the Messiah, and for this knowledge
they were indebted to the faithful ministry of earlier servants of
God. That one sows and another reaps had been exemplified in the case
of the converted adulteress. Christ had met the need which the
testimony of the prophets had awakened within her.
How gracious of the Lord to recognize and own the labors of those
earlier sowers! Apparently their work had counted for little. They had
sown the seed, yet seemingly the ground on which it had fallen was
very unpromising. But now, under the beneficent influence of the Sun
of righteousness came the harvest, and the Lord is not slack to remind
His disciples of their indebtedness to the labors of those who had
gone before. Doubtless, Philip would recall these words of Christ in a
coming day (see Acts 8). And what comfort is there here for the sower
today! His labors may seem to go for nothing, but if he is diligent in
sowing the proper "seed," let him know that sooner or later all
faithful service is rewarded. He may not "reap," but "another"
will--"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that
your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58).
"I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labor: other men
labored, and ye are entered into their labors" (John 4:38). There is
no doubt a historical reference here which points us back to what is
recorded in Matthew 10, from which we learn that the Lord had sent
forth the twelve apostles to "preach," and to "heal the sick" (verses
7, 8.). This was in Judea, and the success of their labors is
indicated in John 4:1, 2--they had made and baptized many disciples.
One can imagine the elation of the disciples over their success, and
it was to repress their vanity that Christ here says to them, "I sent
you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labor: other men labored, and
ye are entered into their labors." He reminds them that they had
prospered because others had labored before them. It was a word
encouraging to the sower, sobering to the reaper. We may observe, in
passing, that when the Lord sends us forth to "reap," He directs us to
fields which have already been sown. It should also be noted that the
toil of the sower is more arduous than that of the reaper: when Christ
says, "Other men labored, and ye (the reapers) are entered into their
(the sowers') labors" He used a word which signified "to toil to the
point of exhaustion," indeed it is the same word which is used of the
Savior at the beginning of this chapter, when we read, "Jesus
therefore, being wearied with His journey." Luther was wont to say,
"The ministry is not an idle man's occupation." Alas that so often it
degenerates into such.
Sowing and reaping are two distinct departments of Gospel ministry,
and spiritual discernment (wisdom from God) is requisite to see which
is the more needed in a given place. "To have commenced sowing at
Sychar would have indicated a want of discernment as to the condition
of souls in that city. To have concluded from their success at Sychar,
that all Samaria was ready to receive the Lord, would have been
manifestly erroneous, as the treatment He met with in one of the
villages of Samaria at a later period in His life clearly
demonstrates. This, surely, can speak to us, where sowing and reaping
may go on almost side by side. The work in one place is no criterion
of what that in another place should be; nor does it follow, that the
laborer, highly blessed in one locality, has only to move to another,
to find that field also quite ready for his reaping-hook" (C. E.
Stuart).
"And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the
saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did"
(John 4:39). At first glance it looks as though this verse introduces
a change of subject, yet really it is not so. This verse, as also the
two following, enunciates and illustrates other principles of service.
In the first place, we are shown how that God is pleased to use feeble
messengers to accomplish mighty ends. Frequently He employs weak
instruments to make manifest His own mighty power. In this, as in
everything else, the Lord's thoughts and ways are very different from
ours. He employed a shepherd lad to vanquish the mighty Goliath. He
endowed a Hebrew slave with more wisdom than all the magicians of
Babylon possessed. He made the words of Naaman's servants to have
greater effect upon their august master than did those of the renowned
Elisha. In making selection for the mother of the Savior, He chose not
a princess, but a peasant woman. In appointing the heralds of the
Cross, fishermen were the ones called. And so a mighty work of grace
was started there in Sychar by a converted harlot. "How unsearchable
are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!"
"And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the
saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did."
The full force of this can only be appreciated as we go back to what
is told us in verses 28 and 29. She did not say. `Of what use can I be
for Christ?--I who have lost character with men, and have sunken into
the lowest depths of degradation!' No; she did not stop to reason, but
with a conscience that had been searched in the presence of the Light
and its burden of guilt removed, with a heart full of wonderment and
gratitude to the One who had saved her, she immediately went forth to
serve and glorify Him. She told what she knew; she testified of what
she had found, but in connection with a Person. It was of Him she
spoke; it was to Him she pointed. "He told me," she declared, thus
directing others to that One who had dealt so blessedly with her. But
she did not stop there. She did not rest satisfied with simply telling
her fellow-townsmen of what she had heard, nor Whom she had met. She
desired others to meet with Him for themselves. "Come" she said; Come
to Him for yourselves. And God honored those simple and earnest words:
"Many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for (because of)
the saying of the woman." Thus are we shown the great aim in service,
namely, to bring souls into the presence of Christ Himself.
"So when the Samaritans came unto him, they besought him to abide with
them; and he abode there two days. And many more believed because of
his Word; and they said to the woman, Now we believe, not because of
thy speaking: for we have heard for ourselves, and know that this is
indeed the Savior of the world" (John 4:40-42, A. R. V.). We have
quoted from the A. B. V. because we believe it is the more correct
here. The A. V. makes these Samaritans say, "For we have heard him
ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the
world." The majority of the Greek MSS. do not contain the words "the
Christ" in verse 42. These Samaritans had learned from the lips of the
woman who He was, "the Christ;" now they had discovered for themselves
what He was--the One who met their deepest need, "The Savior."
The above scripture places Samaria in striking contrast from the
unbelief and rejection of the Judeans and those dwelling in Jerusalem,
where so many of His mighty works had been done, and where it might be
expected multitudes would have received Him. Here in Samaria was a
people who seemed most unpromising; no record is given of Christ
performing a single miracle there; and yet many of these despised
Samaritans received Him. And is it not much the same today? Those whom
we would think were most disposed to be interested in the things of
God are usually the most indifferent; while those whom we are apt to
regard as outside, if not beyond, the reach of God's grace, are the
very ones that are brought to recognize their deep need, and become,
ultimately, the most devoted among the followers of the Lamb.
Let us now seek to gather up into a terse summary the leading lessons
of the verses which have been before us. The whole passage has to do
with service, and the fundamental principles of service are here
enunciated and illustrated. First, we learn the essential requirement
of service, as illustrated in the example of the Samaritan woman--a
personal acquaintance with the Savior, and a heart overflowing for
Him. Second, we are taught the spirit in which all service should be
carried on--the faithful performance of the task allotted us; finding
our satisfaction not in results, but in the knowledge that the will of
God has been done by us. Third, we are shown the urgency of
service--the fields already white unto harvest. Fourth, we have
encouragement for service--the fact that we are gathering "fruit unto
life eternal." Fifth, we learn about the interdependence of the
servants--"one soweth and another reapeth:" there is mutual dependence
one on the other: a holy partnership between those who work in the
different departments of spiritual agriculture. Sixth, we have a
warning for servants: they who are used to doing the reaping must not
be puffed up by their success, but must remember that they are
entering into the labors of those who have gone before. Finally; we
are taught here the aim ever to be kept in view, and that is to bring
souls into the presence of Christ, that they may become independent of
us, having learned to draw directly from Him.
We would call attention to the following points brought out in these
verses. First, the worldwide missionary need signified in the Lord's
words in verse 35. Second, to the distinctive characteristic of this
Age as seen in the absence of any public miracles. There is no hint of
Christ performing any miracles here in Samaria: nor is He doing so
publicly in the world today. Third, to the means employed as indicated
in verses 39 and 41, where we are told that it was the woman's
testimony, and the Word which caused many of the Samaritans to
"believe." Thus it is throughout this Age. It is the personal
testimony of believers and the preaching of the Word, which are the
Divinely appointed means for the propagation of Christianity. Fourth,
we may note the striking prominence of the Gentiles in this typical
picture: "Many of the Samaritans... believed on Him." While there is a
remnant of Israel "according to the election of grace" (typified in
the few disciples who were with Christ), nevertheless, it is the
Gentile element which predominates in the saved of this Age. Fifth,
mark that Christ is owned here not as "The Son of man," nor as "The
Son of David," but as "The Savior of the world." This title does not
mean that Christ is the Savior of the human race, but is a general
term, used in contradistinction from Israel, including all believing
Gentiles scattered throughout the earth.
Thus, once more, we discover that with marvelous skill the Holy Spirit
has caused this historical narrative which traces the actions of the
Savior in Samaria, and which records the instructions He there gave to
His disciples, to embody a perfect outline which sets forth the
leading features of this present Era of Grace, during which God is
taking out of the Gentiles a people for His name. This should cause us
to search more diligently for the hidden beauties and harmonies of
Scripture.
Below are the questions for the next lesson:--
1. How does verse 43 bring out the perfections of Christ?
2. How does "the Galileans received Him" (verse 45) confirm, "no honor
in His own country" (Galilee) of verse 44?
3. Why are we told Christ was in Cana when He healed the nobleman's
son? verse 46.
4. Why are we told the nobleman belonged to Capernaum? verse 46.
5. In what way does verse 48 apply to us today?
6. What does the word "yesterday" in verse 52 tell us about the
nobleman?
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Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 16
Christ in Galilee
John 4:43-54
_________________________________________________________________
What has been before us from verse 4 to the end of verse 42 in this
chapter is in the nature of a parenthesis, inasmuch as these verses
record what occurred in Samaria, which was outside the sphere of
Christ's regular ministry in Judea and Galilee. Here in the last
twelve verses of the chapter we are brought onto familiar ground
again. It would seem then, that we may expect to find a continuation
of what was before us in the first three chapters of John's Gospel,
namely, historical events and practical teaching in both of which the
Divine and moral glories of the Lord Jesus are displayed, and beneath
the narrative of which we may discern hidden yet definitely defined
typical and prophetical pictures.
We saw in our earlier studies that two things are made very prominent
in the opening chapters of this Gospel. First, the failure of Judaism,
the deplorable condition of Israel. Some solemn portrayals of this
have already been before us. In the second place, we have seen the
Holy Spirit drawing our attention away from Israel to Christ; and then
at the beginning of chapter four a third principle has been
illustrated, namely, a turning from Judaism to the Gentiles.
Furthermore, we have observed that not only do we have depicted in
these opening sections of our Gospel the sad spiritual state of Israel
at the time our Lord was here upon earth, but the narrative also
furnishes us with a series of striking foreshadowings of the future.
Such is the case in the concluding section of John 4.
Here, once more, we are reminded of the pitiable condition of Judaism
during the days of Christ's public ministry. This is brought out in a
number of particulars, which will become more evident as we study them
in detail. First, we have the express testimony of the Lord Himself
that He had no honor "in his own country." This was in vivid contrast
from His experiences in Samaria. Second, while we are told that "the
Galileans received him," it was not because they recognized the glory
of His person, or the authority and life-giving value of His words,
but because they had been impressed by what they had seen Him do at
Jerusalem. Third, there is the declaration made by Christ to the
nobleman--intended, no doubt, for the Galileans also"except ye see
signs and wonders, ye will not believe." All of this serves to
emphasize the condition of the Jews--their inability to recognize the
Lord Jesus the Christ of God, and their failure to set to their seal
that what He spake was the truth.
It is the practical lessons taught by this passage which are to occupy
our attention in the body of this chapter. Before pondering these we
submit an Analysis of this closing section of John 4:--
1. Christ goes into Galilee, verse 43.
2. Christ's tragic plaint, verse 44.
3. Christ received by the Galileans, verse 45.
4. The nobleman's request of Christ, verses 46, 47.
5. Christ's reply, verses 48-50.
6. The nobleman's journey home, verses 50-53.
7. This miracle Christ's second in Galilee, verse 54.
"Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee" (John
4:43). Different indeed are God's ways from ours. During those days
spent in Samaria many had believed on Christ to the saving of their
souls. And now the Savior leaves that happy scene and departed into a
country where He had received no honor. How evident it is that He
pleased not Himself! He had come here to do the will of the Father,
and now we see Him following the path marked out for Him. Surely there
is an important lesson here for every servant of God today: no matter
how successful and popular we may be in a place, we must move on when
God has work for us elsewhere. The will of the One who has
commissioned us must determine all our actions. Failure must not make
us lag behind, nor success urge us to run before. Neither must failure
make us fretful and feverish to seek another field, nor success cause
us to remain stationary when God bids us move on. The one, perhaps, is
as great a temptation as the other; but if we are following on to know
the Lord, then shall we know when to remain and when to depart.
"Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee." This
resumes and completes what is said in verses 3 and 4. The Lord,
accompanied by His disciples, left Judea because of the jealousy and
enmity of the Pharisees. He "departed again into Galilee" (verse 3).
But before He goes there, "he must needs go through Samaria" (verse
4). We have learned something of the meaning of that "must needs." But
the need had now been met, so the Lord Jesus departed from Samaria and
arrives at Galilee. The religious leaders in Jerusalem regarded
Galilee with contempt (see John 7:41, 52). It was there that "the poor
of the flock" were to be found. The first three Gospels record at
length the Galilean ministry of the Redeemer, but John's gives only a
brief notice of it in the passage now before us.
"For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honor in his own
country" (John 4:44). The reference is to what is recorded in Luke 4.
At Nazareth, "where he had been brought up," He entered the synagogue
and read from Isaiah 60, declaring "This day is this scripture
fulfilled in your ears." Those who heard Him "wondered," and said, "Is
not this Joseph's son?" They were totally blind to His Divine glory.
The Lord replied by saying, "Ye will surely say unto me this proverb,
Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum,
do also here in thy country. And he said, Verily I say unto you, No
prophet is accepted in his own country" (Luke 4:23, 24). Proof of this
was furnished immediately after, for when Christ referred to God's
sovereign dealings of old in connection with Elijah and Elisha, we are
told, "And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things,
were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city,
and led him to the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that
they might cast him down headlong" (verses 28, 29). Thus was He
dishonored and insulted by those among whom His preministerial life
had been lived.
He was without honor in "his own country," that is, Galilee; and yet
we now find Him returning there. Why, then, should He return thither?
The answer to this question is found in Matthew 4: "Now when Jesus had
heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; And
leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum which is upon the sea
coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Napthalim: That it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of
Zabulon, and the land of Naphthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond
Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw
great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death
light is sprung up" (verses 12-16). This furnishes us with another
instance of the obedience of the perfect Servant. In the volume of the
Book it was written of Him. Prophecy is not only an intimation of what
will be, but a declaration of what shall be. Prophecy makes known the
decrees of God. As, then, Christ had come here to do the will of God,
and God's will (revealed in the prophetic word) had declared that the
people in Galilee who walked in darkness, should see a great light,
etc. (Isa. 9:1, 2) the Lord Jesus Christ goes there.
"For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honor in his own
country." How this reveals to us the heart of the Savior! He was no
stoic, passing through these scenes, unmoved by what He encountered:
He was not insensible to the treatment He met with, He "endured such
contradiction of sinners against himself" (Heb. 12:3). The
indifference, the unbelief, the opposition of Israel, told upon Him,
and caused His visage to be "marred more than any man" (Isa. 52:14).
Hear Him, as by the spirit of prophecy, He exclaims, "I have labored
in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely
my judgment is with the Lord, and my reward with my God" (Isa. 49:4).
So here, when we hear Him testifying, "A prophet hath no honor in his
own country," we can almost catch the sob in His voice. For two days
He had experienced the joys of harvest. His spirit had been refreshed.
The "meat" which had been ministered to His soul consisted not only of
the consciousness that He had done the will of the One who had sent
Him, but also in the faith and gratitude of the woman who had believed
on Him. This had been followed by the Samaritans beseeching Him to
tarry with them, and the consequent believing of many of them because
of His word. But such joyful harvesting was only for a very brief
season. Two days only did He abide in Samaria. Now, He turns once more
to Galilee, and He goes with sad foreboding.
"For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honor in his own
country." His use of the word "prophet" here is very suggestive. It
was the word that the woman had used when her perceptive faculties
began to be illumined (verse 19). There, in Samaria, He had been
honored. The Samaritans believed His bare word, for no miracles were
performed before them. But now in Galilee He meets with a faith of a
very inferior order. The Galileans received Him because they had seen
"all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast" (verse 45). So,
too, the nobleman's house (verse 53) did not believe until a miracle
had been performed before their eyes. Thus a solemn contrast is
pointed. In Galilee He is not honored for His person's and word's
sake; in Samaria He was. As prophet He was not honored in Galilee; as
a miracle-worker He was "received." This principle is frequently
exemplified today. There is many a servant of God who is thought more
highly of abroad than he is at home. It is a true saying that
"familiarity breeds contempt." Ofttimes a preacher is more respected
and appreciated when visiting a distant field than he is by his own
flock.
"Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galileans received him,
having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for
they also went unto the feast" (John 4:45). How this brings out the
fickleness and the shallowness of human nature. For upwards of twenty
years the man Christ Jesus had lived in Galilee. Little or nothing is
told us about those years which preceded His public work. But we know
that He did all things well. His manner of life, His ways, His
deportment, His every act, must have stood out in vivid contrast from
all around Him. Had His fellow-townsmen possessed any spiritual
discernment at all they must have seen at once that Jesus of Nazareth
was indeed the Holy One of God. But they were blind to His glory. The
perfect life He had lived quietly among them was not appreciated. As
the Son of God incarnate He was unknown and unrecognized.
But now things were changed. The humble Carpenter had left them for a
season. He had commenced His public ministry. He had been to
Jerusalem. There He had sternly corrected the Temple abuses. There He
had performed such miracles that many believed on his name" (John
2:23). Many of the Galileans who were in attendance at the Feast had
also witnessed His wonderful works, and they were duly impressed. On
their return home they would doubtless tell others of what they had
witnessed. And now that the Lord Jesus returns to Galilee, He is at
once "received." Now that His fame had spread abroad the people
flocked around Him. Such is human nature. Let a man who lived in
comparative obscurity leave his native place, become famous in some
state or country, and then return to his home town, and it is
astonishing how many will claim friendship, if not kinship, with him.
Human nature is very fickle and very superficial, and the moral of all
this is to warn us not to place confidence in any man, but to value
all the more highly (because of the contrast) the faithfulness of Him
who changes not.
"So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water
wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at
Capernaum" (John 4:46). Why should we be told where the Lord was when
He performed the miracle of healing the nobleman's son? Why, after
mentioning Cana, is it added, "Where he made the water wine"? And why
tell us in the last verse of the chapter, "This is again the second
miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judea into Galilee?"
Surely it is apparent at once that we are to place the two miracles
that were wrought at Cana side by side. The Holy Spirit indicates
there is some connection between them, something which they have in
common. Following this hint, a close study of the record of these two
miracles reveals the fact that there is a series of striking
comparisons between them, apparently seven in number.
In the first place, both were third day scenes: in John 2:1 we read,
"And the third day there was a marriage in Carla of Galilee;" and in
John 4:43 we are told, "Now after two days he departed thence, and
went into Galilee." Second, when Mary came to Christ and told Him they
had no wine, He rebuked her (John 2:4), so when the nobleman asked
Christ to come down and heal his sick child the Lord rebuked him (John
4:48). Third, in each case we see the obedient response made by those
whom the Lord commanded (John 2:7 and 4:50). Fourth, in both miracles
we see the Word at work: in each miracle the Lord did nothing but
speak. Fifth, in both narratives mention is made of the servant's
knowledge (John 2:9 and 4:51). Sixth, the sequel in each case was that
they who witnessed the miracle believed: in the one we read, "And his
disciples believed on him" (John 2:11); in the other we are told, "And
himself believed, and his whole house" (John 4:53). Seventh, there is
a designed similarity in the way in which each narrative concludes: in
John 2:11 we are told, "This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana
of Galilee," and in John 4:54, "This is again the second miracle which
Jesus did, when he was come out of Judea into Galilee." Here is
another example of the importance of comparing two incidents which are
placed side by side in Scripture (sometimes for the purpose of
comparison, at others in order to point a series of contrast); here we
have an example of comparison between two miracles which, though
separated in time and in the narrative, both occurred at the same
place, and are the only miracles recorded in the New Testament as
being wrought in Cana.
"And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum."
The word "nobleman" signifies a royal officer: probably he belonged to
Herod's court; that he was a man of station and means is evident from
the fact that he had servants (verse 51). But neither rank nor riches
exempt their possessor from the common sorrows of human kind. Naaman
was a great man, but he was a leper (2 Kings 5:1). So here was a
nobleman, yet his son lay at the point of death. The rich have their
troubles as well as the poor. Dwellers in palaces are little better
off than those who live in cottages. Let Christians beware of setting
their hearts on worldly riches: as Bishop Ryle well says, "They are
uncertain comforts, but certain cares." No doubt this nobleman had
tried every remedy which money could produce. But money is not
almighty. Many invest it with an imaginary value that it is far from
possessing. Money can not purchase happiness, nor can it ensure
health. There is just as much sickness among the aristocracy as there
is among the common artisans.
"When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judea into Galilee, he went
unto him" (John 4:47). This domestic trial was a blessing in disguise,
for it caused the anxious father to seek out Christ, and this resulted
in him believing, and ultimately his whole house believed. God uses
many different agents in predisposing men to receive and believe His
Word. No doubt these lines will be read by more than one who dates his
first awakening to the time when some loved one lay at death's
door--it was then he was made to think seriously and saw the need for
preparing to meet God. It is well when trouble leads a man to God,
instead of away from God. Affliction is one of God's medicines; then
let us beware of murmuring in time of trouble.
"And besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he
was at the point of death" (John 4:47). This nobleman evidently had a
measure of faith in the ability of the great Physician, otherwise he
had not sought Him at all. But the measure of his faith was small. He
had probably learned of the miracles which the Lord had performed at
Jerusalem, and hearing that He was now in Galilee--only a few miles
distant--he goes to Him. The weakness of his faith is indicated in the
request that the Lord should "come down" with him to Capernaum. He
believed that Christ could heal close by, but not far away; at short
range, but not at a distance. How many there were who thus limited
Him. Jairus comes to Christ and says, "My little daughter lieth at the
point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she
may be healed; and she shall live" (Mark 5:23). The woman with the
issue of blood said, "If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be
whole" (Mark 5:28). So, too, Martha exclaimed, "Lord, if thou hadst
been here, my brother had not died" (John 11:21). But let us not
censure them, rather let us condemn our own unbelief.
But different far from this "nobleman" was the faith of the centurion
that sought the Lord on behalf of his sick servant, and who said,
"Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst come under my roof: but
speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed" (Matthew 8:8). It
seems to us this is the reason (or one reason, at least) why we are
told here in John 4 that the nobleman came from Capernaum, so that we
should link the two together and note the comparisons and contrasts
between them. Both resided at Capernaum: both were Gentiles: both were
men of position: both came to Christ on behalf of a sick member of his
household. But in Matthew 8 the centurion simply spread his need
before Christ and refrained from dictating to Him; whereas the
nobleman bids the Savior "come down" to Capernaum. In Matthew 8 we
find that the Lord offered to accompany the centurion--Jesus saith
unto him, I will come and heal him" (verse 7). He does the very
opposite here in John 4. In Matthew 8 the centurion declines the
Lord's offer and says, "Speak the word only;" where as the nobleman
meets Christ's rebuke by repeating his original request--"Sir, come
down ere my child die" (verse 49). Thus we see again the value of
observing the law of Comparison and Contrast.
"Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will
not believe" (John 4:48). This was a rebuke. Not only was the faith of
this nobleman weak, but he so far forgot himself as to dictate to the
Lord Jesus, and tell Him what to do. The force of Christ's reply seems
to be this: `You are demanding signs of Me before you will fully trust
your boy's case into My hands.' This is a serious mistake which is
made by many seeking souls. We must not be so wickedly presumptuous as
to tell God how to act and what to do. We must state no terms to the
Lord Most High. He must be left to work in His own way. "Except ye see
signs and wonders ye will not believe." How this brings out the
omniscience of Christ! He knew this man's heart. A measure of faith he
had, but he was afraid to fully commit himself. The Lord knew this,
and so addressed Himself to the suppliant accordingly.
"Except ye see signs and wonders ye will not believe." How searching
this is! Is it not a word that many of us need? Is it not at this very
point we most often fail? We ask God for a certain thing, and we have
a measure of faith that it will be given us; but in the interval of
waiting the bare word of God is not sufficient for us--we crave a
"sign." Or again; we are engaged in some service for the Lord, and we
are not without faith that our labors will result in some fruitage for
Him, but ere the fruit appears we become impatient, and we long for a
"sign." Is it not so? Is it true of you, dear reader, that "except ye
see signs and wonders, ye will not believe?" Ah! have we not all of us
cause to cry, "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief" (Mark 9:24)?
Fellow-worker, God has declared that His Word shall not return unto
Him void (Isa. 55:11). Is not that sufficient? Why ask for "signs"?
Fellow-Christian, God has declared that if we ask anything according
to His will, He heareth us (1 John 5:15). Is not His promise enough?
Why, then. crave for "signs"?
"The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die" (John
4:49). While it is evident that the nobleman was still slow of heart
to commit himself, unreservedly, into the hands of Christ;
nevertheless, it is good to see the spirit in which he received the
Lord's rebuke. Though he was a nobleman he did not become angry when
corrected; instead, he "suffered the word of exhortation," and with
commendable importunity continued to plead his suit.
"The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die." Bishop
Ryle has a helpful word on this: "There is here a salutary lesson for
the young. Sickness and death come to the young as well as the old.
But the young are slow to learn this lesson. Parents and children are
apt to shut their eyes to plain facts, and act as if the young never
die young. The gravestones in our cemeteries show how many there are
who never reached to man's estate at all. The first grave ever dug on
earth was for a young man! The first one who ever died was not a
father, but a son! He, then, who is wise will never reckon confidently
on long life. It is the part of wisdom to be prepared."
We trust these words will come home to the hearts of Christian parents
who read this chapter. In the action of this father who came to Christ
on behalf of his child there is an example which you will do well to
emulate. If you are not deeply concerned about the soul's welfare of
your children, who is likely to be? It is your bounden duty to teach
them the Word of God; it is your holy privilege to bring them in
prayer to God. Do not turn over to a Sunday School teacher what is
incumbent upon you. Teach your little ones the Scriptures from their
earliest infancy. Train them to memorize such verses as Psalm 9:17;
Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 6:23, etc., and God has promised to honor them
that honor Him. Be not discouraged if you are unable to detect any
response, but rest on the promise, "Cast thy bread upon the waters,
and thou shalt find it again after many days."
"The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die." How
the response of Christ to this request brought out the perfections of
Jehovah's Servant! This "nobleman," remember, occupied a high social
position; most likely he was a member of Herod's court. To any man
governed by fleshly considerations and principles, this would have
been a tempting opportunity to make a favorable impression in society;
it offered a chance to gain a footing in high places, which a man of
the world would have quickly seized. But the Lord Jesus never courted
popularity, nor did He ever toady to people of influence and
affluence. He ever refused to use the ways of the world. He
"condescended to men of low estate," and was the Friend not of princes
and nobles, but of "publicans and sinners." Well may each servant of
God take this to heart.
"Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth" (John 4:50). The
Lord never turns away a soul that truly seeks Him. There may be much
ignorance (as indeed there is in all of us), there may be much of the
flesh mixed in with our appeals, but if the heart is really set on
Him, He always responds. And not only so, invariably He does far more
for us than we ask or think. It was so here. He not only healed the
son of this nobleman, but He did so immediately, by the word of His
power.
"Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth." This nobleman was
a Gentile, for there were no "nobles" among the Jews; and in harmony
with each similar case, the Lord healed his son from a distance. There
are three, possibly four, different eases recorded in the Gospels,
where Christ healed a Gentile, and in each instance He healed from a
distance. There was a reason for this. The Jews were in covenant
relationship with God, and as such "nigh" to Him. But the Gentiles,
being "aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the
covenants of promise" were "far off" (Eph. 2:12, 13), and this fact
was duly recognized by the Savior.
"And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him" (John
4:50). Here once more, we are shown the Word (John 1:1, 14) at work.
This comes out prominently in the miracles described in this Gospel.
The Lord does not go down to Capernaum and take the sick boy by the
hand. Instead, He speaks the word of power and he is healed instantly.
The "words" He spake were "spirit and life" (John 6:63). And this
imparting of life at a distance by means of the word has a message for
us today. If Christ could heal this dying boy, who was at least ten
miles away, by the word of His mouth, He can give eternal life today
by His word even though He is away in heaven. Distance is no barrier
to Him.
"And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he
went his way. This is very blessed. It shows us the power of the
spoken word not only on the boy that was healed, but on his father,
too--"Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom.
10:17). The nobleman had heard the word of God from the lips of the
Son of God, and real faith, saving faith, was now begotten within him.
He raises no objections, asks no questions, makes no demurs; but with
implicit confidence in which he had heard, he believed, and went his
way. No "signs" were needed, no feelings required to impart assurance.
"He believed, and went his way." This is how salvation comes to the
sinner. It is simply a matter of taking God at His word, and setting
to our seal that He is true. The very fact that it is God's word
guarantees its truthfulness. This, we believe, is the only instance
recorded in the New Testament where a "nobleman" believed in
Christ--"not many noble are called" (1 Cor. 1:26).
"And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him,
saying, Thy son liveth. Then enquired he of them the hour when he
began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour
the fever left him" (John 4:51, 52). The word "yesterday" brings out a
striking point. Cana and Capernaum were only a comparatively short
distance apart: the journey could be made in about four hours. It was
only one hour after midday when the Savior pronounced the sick boy
healed. Such implicit confidence had the nobleman in Christ's word, he
did not return home that day at all!
I can picture the father on his way back home, going along happy and
rejoicing. If some one had enquired as to the occasion of his joy, he
would have been told it was because his child, at the point of death,
had been restored. Had the enquirer asked how the father knew his
child was now well, his answer would have been, `Because I have the
word of Christ for it--what more do I need!' And, dear reader, we too,
shall be full of peace and joy if we rest on the sure Word of God
(Rom. 15:13). The father's enquiry of his servants was not because of
unbelief, but because he delighted to hear a recountal of what God had
wrought. As John Wesley remarked on this verse, "The more exactly the
works of God are considered, the more faith is increased?
"So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus
said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole
house" (John 4:53). The nobleman's faith here is not to be regarded as
any different from what is attributed to him in verse 50: it is simply
a repetition, brought in here in connection with his house believing,
too. It is a very rare thing to find a believing wife and believing
children where the father, the head of the house, is himself an
unbeliever. What an example does this incident furnish us of the
mysterious workings of God!--a boy brought to the point of death that
a whole house might have eternal life.
Let the reader study carefully the following questions in preparation
for the next lesson:--
1. What is the meaning of "Bethesda," and what is the significance of
the "five porches"? verse 2.
2. Why are we told the impotent man had suffered thirty-eight years?
verse 5.
3. Why did Christ ask the impotent man such a question as is recorded
in verse 6?
4. What does the man's answer denote? verse 7.
5. What important principle is illustrated in verse 11?
6. What moral perfection of Christ is seen in verse 13?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 17
Christ at the Pool of Bethesda
John 5:1-15
_________________________________________________________________
We begin with the usual Analysis:--
1. Jesus in Jerusalem at the feast, verse 1.
2. The pool of Bethesda and the sick congregated about it, verses 2-4.
3. The impotent man and Christ's healing of him, verses 5-9.
4. The healed man and his critics, verses 10-12.
5. The man's ignorance, verse 13.
6. Christ's final word with him, verse 14.
7. The man confesses Jesus, verse 15.
The scene introduced to us in this passage is indeed a pathetic one.
The background is the pool of Bethesda, around which lay a great
multitude of impotent folk. The great Physician approaches this crowd
of sufferers, who were not only sick but helpless. But there was no
more stir among them than in the quiet waters of the pool. He was
neither wanted nor recognized. Addressing one of the most helpless of
the sufferers, the Lord asked him if he is desirous of being made
whole. Instead of responding to the sympathetic Inquirer with a prompt
request that He would have mercy upon him, the poor fellow thought
only of the pool and of some man to help him into it. In sovereign
grace the Savior spoke the life-giving word, and the man was
immediately and perfectly healed. Yet even then he was still ignorant
of the Divine glory of his Benefactor. The healing took place on the
Sabbath day, and this evoked the criticism of the Jews; and when they
learned that it was Jesus who had performed the miracle "they sought
to slay him." All of this speaks loudly of the condition of Judaism,
and tells of the rejection of the Christ of God.
"After this there was a feast of the Jews" (John 5:1). "After this"
or, as it should be. "After these things," is an expression which is
characteristic of John's Gospel as "Then" is of Matthew,
"Immediately'' of Mark, and "It came to pass" of Luke. It occurs seven
times in this Gospel (Luke 3:22; 5:1; 5:14; 6:1; 7:1, 11:11; 21:1) and
nine times in the Apocalypse. "It gives one the thought of Jesus
acting according to a plan and times marked out `in the volume of the
Book' (Ps. 40:7) and of which He renders an account in John 17" (M.
Taylor).
"After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to
Jerusalem" (John 5:1). There is nothing to indicate which of the
Feasts this was. Some think it was the Passover, but this we believe
is most unlikely, for when that feast is referred to in John it is
expressly mentioned by name: see John 2:13; 6:4; 11:55. Others think
it was the feast of Purim, but as that was a human invention and not
of Divine institution we can hardly imagine the Lord Jesus going up to
Jerusalem to observe it. Personally we think it much more likely that
the view of almost all the older writers is the correct one, and that
it was the feast of Pentecost that is here in view. Pentecost occurred
fifty days after the Passover, and the feast mentioned in John 4:1
follows the Passover mentioned in John 2:13. Pentecost is one of the
three great annual Feasts which the law required every male Israelite
to observe in Jerusalem (Deut. 16), and here we see the Lord Jesus
honoring the Divine Law by going up to Jerusalem at the season of its
celebration. Doubtless there was a typical reason why the name of this
feast should not be given here, for that to which the feast of
Pentecost pointed received no fulfillment in the days of our Lord's
early ministry--contrast Acts 2:1.
"Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called
in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches" (John 5:2). We
believe the reference here is to the sheep "gate" of Nehemiah 3:1. At
first glance Nehemiah 3 does not seem to be very interesting reading,
and yet there is much in it that is precious. It describes the
rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem in the days when a remnant of
Israel returned from the Babylonian captivity. Various portions in the
work of reconstruction were allotted to different individuals and
companies. These portions or sections were from gate to gate. Ten
gates are mentioned in the chapter. The first is the sheep gate (verse
1) and the last is "The gate Miphkad" which means "judgment," and
speaks, perhaps, of the judgment-seat of Christ; and then the chapter
concludes by saying, "And between the going up of the comer unto the
sheep gate repaired the goldsmiths and the merchants." Thus the circle
is completed, and at the close we are brought back to the point from
which we started--"The sheep gate." This is the gate through which the
sacrificial animals were brought to the temple--the "lamb"
predominating, hence its name. The sheep gate, then, points us at once
to Christ, and tells of His Cross.
Now in the light of what we have just said, how exceedingly
significant and blessed to note that we are here told the pool which
was called Bethesda, meaning mercy, was by the "sheep" (gate). It is
only in Christ that the poor sinner can find mercy, and it is only
through His sacrifice on the Cross that this mercy is now obtainable
for us in Him. What an instance is this of the great importance of
noting carefully every little word in Scripture! There is nothing
trivial in the Word of God. The smallest detail has a meaning and
value; every name, every geographical and topographical reference, a
message. As a further example of this, notice the last words of the
verse--"having five porches." The number of the porches here is also
significant. In Scripture the numerals are used with Divine design and
precision. Five stands for grace or favor. When Joseph desired to show
special favor to his brother Benjamin we read, "And he took and sent
messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times
so much as any of theirs" (Gen. 43:34); and again we are told, "To all
of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave
three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment" (Gen.
45:22). Five and its multiples are stamped on every part of the
tabernacle. It was with five loaves the Lord Jesus fed the hungry
multitude. The fifth clause in the Lord's prayer is, "Give us this day
our daily bread." The fifth Commandment was the only one with a
promise attached to it; and so we might go on. Thus we see the perfect
propriety of five porches (colonnades) around the pool of Mercy,
situated "by the sheep (gate)"!
"In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt,
withered, waiting for the moving of the water" (John 5:3). What a
picture of the Jewish nation at that time! How accurately does the
condition of that multitude of sufferers describe the spiritual state
of Judaism as it then existed! God had dealt with their father in
sovereign mercy and marvelous grace, but the Nation as such
appreciated it not. A few here and there took the place of lost
sinners, and were saved, but the "great multitude" remained in their
wretchedness. Israel as a people were impotent. They had the Law, made
their boast in it, but were unable to keep it. Not only were they
impotent, but "blind"--blind to their own impotency, blind to their
wretchedness, blind to their desperate need, and so blind to the
Divine and moral glories of the One who now stood in their midst "they
saw in him no beauty that they should desire him." A third word
describing their condition is added, "halt:" the term signifies one
who is lame, crippled. Israel had the Law but they were unable to walk
in the way of God's commandments. A blind man is able to grope his way
about: but a cripple cannot walk at all. Again; we are told this
"great multitude" were "withered." This, no doubt, refers to those
whose hands were paralyzed (cf. Matthew 12:10; Luke 6:6), and as a
description of Israel it tells us that they were totally incapacitated
to work for God. What a pitiable picture! First, a general summing up
of their state--"impotent." Second, a detailed diagnosis under three
descriptive terms "blind" (in their understandings and hearts), "halt"
(crippled in their feet, so that they were unable to walk), "withered"
(in their hands so that they were unable to work). Third, a word that
speaks of their response to the prophetic word--"waiting"; waiting for
the promised Messiah, and all the time ignorant of the fact that He
was there in their midst! Who but the Spirit of God could have drawn
so marvelously accurate a picture in such few and short lines!
We must not, however, limit this picture to Israel, for it is equally
applicable and pertinent to sinners of the Gentiles too. Israel in the
flesh was only a sample of fallen man as such. What we have here is a
pointed and solemn delineation of human depravity, described in
physical terms; its moral application is to the whole of Adam's fallen
race. Let every reader see here a portrait of what he or she is by
nature. The picture is not flattering we know. No; it is drawn by One
who searcheth the innermost recesses of the human heart, and is
presented here to humble us. The natural man is impotent--"without
strength" (Rom. 5:6). This sums up in a single word his condition
before God: altogether helpless, unable to do a single thing for
himself. Then follows an amplification of this impotency, given in
three (the number of full manifestation) descriptive terms. First, he
is blind. This explains the lethargic indifference of the great
multitude today--sporting on the very brink of the Pit, because unable
to see the frightful peril that menaces them; making merry as they
hasten down the Broad Road, because incompetent to discern the eternal
destruction which awaits them at the bottom of it. Yes, blind indeed
is the natural man: "The way of the wicked is as darkness: they knew
not at what they stumble" (Prov. 4:19).
"Halt": lame, crippled, unable to walk. How inevitably this follows
the other! How can one who is spiritually blind walk the Narrow Way
that leadeth unto life? "Mine eye affecteth mine heart" (Lam. 3:51),
and out of the heart are the issues of life (Prov. 4:23); if then the
eye be evil, the body also is full of darkness (Luke 11:34).
Halt--lame--a cripple--if, then, such an one is ever to come to Christ
he must indeed be "drawn" (John 6:44).
"Withered"--blind eyes, crippled feet, paralyzed hands: unable to see,
unable to walk, unable to work. How striking is the order here!
Consider them inversely: a man cannot perform good works unless he is
walking with God; and he will not begin to walk with God until the
eyes of his heart have been opened to see his need of Christ. This is
the Divine order, and it never varies. First the eyes must be opened,
and then an illumined understanding prepares us to walk worthy of the
vocation wherewith we are called; and that, in turn, equips us for
acceptable service for God. But so long as the eyes are "blind" the
feet will be "halt" and the hands "withered."
"Waiting for the moving of the water." Surely this is not hard to
interpret. This pool was the object in which the great multitude
placed all their hopes. They were waiting for its waters to be
"troubled" so that its curative property might heal them. But they
waited in vain. The one invalid who is singled out from the crowd had
been there "a long time," and little had it availed him. Is it not
thus with the ordinances of the religious world? How many there
are--"a great multitude" indeed--which place their faith in the waters
of baptism, or in the `mass' and `extreme unction'! And a long time
all such will have to wait before the deep need of their souls will be
met.
"For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and
troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the
waters stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had" (John
5:4). We return now to the Jewish application of our passage. The
waters of this pool reflect the Sinaitic law, which was "given by the
disposition of angels"; that law which promised "life" to him who did
all that it enjoined. But whoever kept the law? Whoever obtained life
by meeting its demands? None of Adam's fallen race. The law was "weak
through the flesh." A perfect man could keep it, but a sinner could
not. Why, then, was the law given? That the offense might abound; that
sin might be shown to be exceeding sinful; that the sinner might
discover his sinfulness. His very efforts to keep the law, and his
repeated failures to do so, would but make manifest his utter
helplessness. In like manner, when the angel troubled the water of
Bethesda so that the first to step into it might be made whole, this
only magnified the sufferings of those who lay around it. How could
those who were "impotent" step in! Ah! they could not. Was, then, God
mocking man in his misery? Nay, verily. He was but preparing the way
for that which was "better" (Heb. 11:40). And this is what is brought
before us in what follows.
"And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight
years" (John 5:5). How this serves to confirm our interpretation of
the previous verse, and what an illustration it furnishes us again of
the deep significance of every word of Scripture. Why should the Holy
Spirit have been careful to tell us the exact length of time this
particular sufferer had been afflicted? What is the meaning and
message of this "thirty and eight years"? Are we left to guess at the
answer? No, indeed. Scripture is its own interpreter if we will but
take the trouble to patiently and diligently search its pages and
compare spiritual things with spiritual (1 Cor. 2:13). Thirty-eight
years was exactly the length of time that Israel spent in the
wilderness after they came under law at Sinai (see Deuteronomy 2:14).
There it was, in the Wilderness of Sin, that of old Israel manifested
their "impotency"--blind, halt, withered--under law.
"When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had now been a long time in
that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?" (John 5:6).
Here is Light shining in the darkness, but the darkness comprehended
it not. The very shining of the Light only served to reveal how great
was the darkness. There was a great multitude of sick ones lying
around that disappointing pool, and here was the great Physician
Himself abroad in the land. Bethesda thickly surrounded, and Christ
Himself passing by unheeded! Truly the "darkness comprehended not."
And is it any different today? Here is human religion with all its
cumbersome machinery and disappointing ordinances waited on, and the
grace of God slighted. Go yonder to India with its myriad temples and
sacred Ganges; visit Thibet, the land of praying-wheels; turn and
consider the devotees of Mohammed and their holy pilgrimages; come
nearer home, and look upon the millions of deluded Papists with their
vigils and fasts, their beads and holy water; and then turn in to the
religious performances in many of the Protestant churches, and see if
there are any differences in the underlying principles which actuate
them. They one and all fail, utterly fail, to meet the deep need of
the soul. One and all they are unable to put away sin. And, yet, sad
to say, they one and all supplant the Christ of God--He is not wanted;
He passes by unnoticed.
Such is fallen human nature. The whole world lieth in the wicked one
(1 John 5:19), and were it not for sovereign grace every member of
Adam's race would perish eternally. Grace is the sinner's only hope.
Desert he has none. Spirituality he has none. Strength he has none. If
salvation is to come to him, it must be by grace, and grace is
unmerited favor shown toward the hell-deserving. And just because
grace is this, God exercises His sovereign prerogative in bestowing
His favors on whom He pleases--"For he saith to Moses, I will have
compassion on whom I will have compassion" (Rom. 9:16). And let none
murmur against this and suppose that any one is wronged thereby. Men
prate about God being unjust, but if justice, real justice, bare
justice, be insisted on, hope is entirely cut off for all of us.
Justice requires that each should receive his exact due; and what,
dear reader, is your due, my due, but judgment! Eternal life is a
gift, and if a gift it can neither be earned nor claimed. If salvation
is God's gift, who shall presume to tell Him the ones on whom He ought
to bestow it? Was salvation provided for the angels that fell? If God
has left them to reap the due reward of their iniquities, why should
He be charged with injustice if He abandons to themselves those of
mankind who love darkness rather than light? It is not that God
refuses salvation to any who truly seek it. Not so; there is a Savior
for every sinner who will repent and believe. But if out of the great
multitude of the impenitent and unbelieving God determines to exercise
His sovereign grace by singling out a few to be the objects of His
irresistible power and distinguishing favors, who is wronged thereby?
Has not God the right to dispense His charity as seemeth best to
Himself (Matthew 20:15)? Certainly He has.
The sovereignty of God is strikingly illustrated in the passage now
before us. There lay a "great multitude" of impotent folk: all were
equally needy, all equally powerless to help themselves. And here was
the great Physician, God Himself incarnate, infinite in power, with
inexhaustible resources at His command. It had been just as easy for
Him to have healed the entire company as to make a single individual
whole. But He did not. For some reason not revealed to us, He passed
by the "great multitude'' of sufferers and singled out one man and
healed him. There is nothing whatever in the narrative to indicate
that this "certain man" was any different from the others. We are not
told that he turned to the Savior and cried "Have mercy on me." He was
just as blind as were the others to the Divine glory of the One who
stood before him. Even when asked "Wilt thou be made whole?" he
evidenced no faith whatever; and after he had been healed "He wist not
who it was" that had healed him. It is impossible to find any ground
in the man himself as a reason for Christ singling him out for special
favor. The only explanation is the mere sovereign pleasure of Christ
Himself. This is proven beyond the shadow of doubt by His own
declaration immediately afterwards--"For as the Father raiseth up the
dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will"
(verse 21).
This miracle of healing was a parable in action. It sets before us a
vivid illustration of God's work of grace in the spiritual realm. Just
as the condition of that impotent multitude depicts the depravity of
Adam's fallen race, so Christ singling out this individual and healing
him, portrays the sovereign grace of Him who singles out and saves His
own elect. Every detail in the incident bears this out.
"When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in
that case." Note the individuality of this. We are not told that he
saw them--the "great multitude"--but him. The eyes of the Savior were
fixed on that one who, out of all the crowd, had been given to Him by
the Father before the foundation of the world. Not only are we told
that Christ "saw him," but it is added, "and knew that he had been now
a long time in that case." Yes, He knew all about him; had known him
from all eternity--"I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep" (John
10:11). And then we read, "And saith unto him." It was not the man who
spoke first, but Christ. The Lord always takes the initiative, and
invites Himself. And it was thus with you, Christian reader, when
sovereign grace sought you out. You, too, were lying amid the "great
multitude of impotent folk," for by nature you were a child of wrath,
"even as others" (Eph. 2:3). Yes, you were lying in all the abject
misery of a fallen creature--blind, halt, withered--unable to do a
thing for yourself. Such was your awful state when the Lord, in
sovereign grace, drew near to you. O thank Him now that He did not
pass you by, and leave you to the doom you so richly deserved. Praise
Him with a loud voice for His distinguishing grace that singled you
out to be an object of His sovereign mercy. But we must now consider
the force of the Savior's question here.
"He saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?" (John 5:6). Does it seem
strange that such a question should be put to that sufferer? Would not
being made whole be the one thing desired above all others by a man
who had suffered for thirty-eight years? Was not the very fact that he
was lying there by the pool an indication of what he wished? Why,
then, ask him "Wilt thou be made whole?" Ah! the question is not so
meaningless as some might suppose. Not always are the wretched willing
to be relieved. Invalids sometimes trade on the sympathy and
indulgence of their friends. Others sink so low that they become
despondent and give up all hope, and long for death to come and
relieve them. But there is something much deeper here than this.
Did not the Savior ask the question to impress upon this man the utter
helplessness of his condition! Man must be brought to recognize and
realize his impotency. Whilever we console ourselves we will do better
next time, that is a sure sign we have not come to the end of
ourselves. The one who promises himself that he will amend his ways
and turn over a new leaf has not learned that he is "without
strength." It is not till we discover we are helpless that we shall
abandon our miserable efforts to weave a robe of righteousness for
ourselves. It is not till we learn we are impotent that we shall look
outside of ourselves to Another.
No doubt one reason why Christ selected so many incurable cases on
which to show forth His power, was in order to have suitable objects
to portray to us the irreparable ruin which sin has wrought and the
utter helplessness of man's natural estate. The Savior, then, was
pressing upon the man the need of being made whole. But more: when the
Savior said, "Wilt thou be made whole?" it was tantamount to asking,
`Are you willing to put yourself, just as you are, into My hands? Are
you ready for Me to do for you what you are unable to do for yourself?
Are you willing to be my debtor?'
"The impotent man answered, Sir, I have no man, when the water is
troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another
steppeth down before me" (John 5:7). How sadly true to life. When the
great Physician said, "Wilt thou be made whole?" the poor sufferer did
not promptly answer, `Yea Lord; undertake for me.' And not thus does
the sinner act when first brought face to face with Christ. The
impotent man failed to realize that Christ could cure him by a word.
He supposed he must get into the pool. There are several lines of
thought suggested here, but it is needless to follow them out. The
poor man had more faith in means than he had in the Lord. And, too,
his eye was fixed on "man," not God: he was looking to human kind for
help. Again we would exclaim, How true to life! Moreover, he thought
that he had to do something--"While I am coming." How this uncovers
the heart of the natural man! How pathetic are the closing words of
this verse! What a heartless world we live in. Human nature is lull of
selfishness. Christ is the only unfailing Friend of the friendless.
"Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk" (John 5:8). If
the Savior waited until there was in the sinner a due appreciation of
His person, none would ever be saved. The sufferer had made no cry for
mercy, and when Christ inquired if he were willing to be made whole
there was no faith evidenced. But in sovereign grace the Son of God
pronounced the life-giving word, yet it was a word that addressed the
human responsibility of the subject. A careful analysis of the command
of Christ reveals three things. First, there must be implicit
confidence in His word. "Rise" was the peremptory command. There must
be a hearty recognition of His authority, and immediate response to
His orders. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be
saved" is something more than a gracious invitation; it is a command
(1 John 3:23). Second, "Take up thy bed"--a cotton pallet, easily
rolled up. There was to be no thought of failure, and no provision
made for a relapse. How many there are who take a few feeble steps,
and then return to their beds! `The last state of such is worse than
the first. If there is faith in the person of Christ, if there is a
submission to His authority, then the new life within will find an
outlet without: and we shall no longer be a burden to others, but able
to shoulder our own burdens. Third, "And walk." I like that word
coming here. It is as though the Savior said, `You were unable to walk
into the water: you could not walk in order to be cured, but now that
you are made whole, "walk!"' There are duties to be faced of which we
have had no previous experience, and we must proceed to discharge them
in faith; and in that faith in which He bids us do them will be found
the strength needed for their performance.
"And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and
walked: and on the same day was the sabbath" (John 5:9). How blessed!
The cure was both instantaneous and complete. Christ does not put the
believing sinner into a salvable state. He saves, saves us with a
perfect and eternal salvation the moment we believe: "I know that,
whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever: nothing can be put to it,
nor anything taken from it" (Ecclesiastes 3:14). We need hardly say
that we are here shown, once more, the Word at work. The Savior did
nothing but speak, and the miracle was accomplished. It is thus the
Son of God is revealed to us again and again in this fourth Gospel.
"The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath
day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed" (John 5:10). How true
to life again! The one who surrenders to his Lord must expect to
encounter criticism. The one who regulates his life by the Word of God
will be met by the opposition of man. And it is the religious world
that will oppose most fiercely. Unless we subscribe to their creed and
observe their rules of conduct, persecution and ostracism will be our
lot. Unless we are prepared to be brought into bondage by the
traditions of the elders we must be ready for their frowns. Christ was
not ignorant of the current teaching about the Sabbath, and He knew
full well what would be the consequences should this healed man carry
his bed on the sabbath day. But he had come here to set His people
free from the shackles which religious zealots had forged. Never did
He toady to the public opinion in His day; nor should we. There are
thousands of His people who need to be reminded of Galatians 5:1:
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us
free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." If the
child of God is regulated by the Scriptures and knows that he is
pleasing his Lord, it matters little or nothing what his fellowmen (or
his fellow-Christians either) may think or say about him. Better far
to displease them than to be entangled again in the yoke of bondage,
and thus "frustrate the grace of God" (Gal. 2:21).
"He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take
up thy bed, and walk" (John 5:11). This sets a fine example for us.
How simply he met his critics. He did not enter into an argument about
their perverted view of the Sabbath: he did not charge them with want
of sympathy for those who were sufferers, though he might have done
both. Instead, he hid behind Christ. He fell back upon the Word of
God. Well for us when we have a "Thus saith the Lord" to meet our
critics.
"Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up
thy bed and walk? And he that was healed wist not who it was" (John
5:12, 13). This illustrates the fact that there is much ignorance even
in believers. We ought not to expect too much from babes in Christ.
This man had been healed, and he had obeyed the command of his
Benefactor; but not yet did he perceive His Divine glories.
Intelligence concerning the person of Christ follows (and not
precedes) an experimental acquaintance with the virtues of His work.
"For Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place"
(John 5:13). This brings out the moral Perfections of the Savior. It
evidences the meekness of the Divine Servant: He ministered without
ostentation. He never sought to be the popular idol of the hour, or
the center of an admiring crowd. Instead of courting popularity, He
shunned it. Instead of advertising Himself, He "received not honor
from men." This lovely excellency of Christ appears most conspicuously
in Mark's Gospel: see Mark 1:37, 38, 44; 7:17, 36; 8:26, etc.
"Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold,
thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon thee"
(John 4:14). The Lord had withdrawn from the man. Christ had retired
in order that he might be tested. New strength had been given him;
opportunity was then afforded for him to use it. The restored sufferer
did not falter. The One who had saved him was obeyed as Lord. The
Jewish critics had not intimidated him. That a work of grace had been
wrought in his soul as well as in his body is evidenced by the fact
that he had gone to the House of Prayer and Praise. And there, we are
told, the Lord Jesus found him. This is most blessed. Christ was not
to be met with in the throng, but He was to be found in the temple!
Having dealt in "grace" with the poor helpless sufferer Christ now
applied the "truth." "Sin no more" is a word for his conscience. Grace
does not ignore the requirements of God's holiness: "Awake to
righteousness, and sin not" (1 Cor. 15:34) is still the standard set
before us. "Lest a worse thing come unto thee" reminds us that the
believer is still subject to the government of God. "Whatsoever a man
soweth, that shall he also reap" (Gal. 6:7). is addressed to
believers, not unbelievers. If we sin we shall suffer chastisement.
Bishop Ryle has pointed out that there is here an important message
for those who have been raised from a bed of sickness. "Sin no more":
renewed health ought to send us back into the world with a greater
hatred of sin, a more thorough watchfulness over our ways, a greater
determination to live for God's glory.
"The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, that had made
him whole" (John 5:15). This gives beautiful completeness to the whole
incident. Here we see him who had been healed confessing with his lips
the One who had saved him. It would seem that as soon as the Lord
Jesus had revealed Himself to this newly-born soul, that he had sought
out the very ones who had previously interrogated and criticized him,
and told them it was Jesus who had made him whole.
Study the following questions on the next lesson, verses 16-31:--
1. What is the force of Christ's answer in verse 17?
2. What is the meaning of Christ's words in verse 19?
3. How does verse 20 bring out the Deity of Christ?
4. What does verse 23 go to prove about Christ?
5. How does verse 24 establish the eternal security of the believer?
6. Why should the "Son of man" be the Judge? verse 28.
7. Does verse 30 speak of Christ's humanity or Deity?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 18
The Deity of Christ: Sevenfold Proof
John 5:16-30
_________________________________________________________________
We present our customary Analysis of the passage which is to be before
us. It sets forth the absolute equality of the Son with the Father:--
1. In Service, verses 16-18.
2. In Will, verse 19.
3. In Intelligence, verse 20.
4. In Sovereign Rights, verse 21.
5. In Divine Honors, verses 22-23.
6. In Imparting Life, verses 24-26.
7. In Judicial Power and Authority, verses 27-30.
There is an intimate connection between the passage before us and the
first fifteen verses of the chapter: the former provides the occasion
for the discourse which follows. The chapter naturally divides itself
into two parts: in the former we have recorded the sovereign grace and
power of the Lord Jesus in healing the impotent man on the Sabbath
day, and the criticism and opposition of the Jews; in the latter we
have the Lord's vindication of Himself. The second half of John 5 is
one of the profoundest passages in this fourth Gospel. It sets forth
the Divine glories of the incarnate Son of God. It gives us the Lord's
own teaching concerning His Divine Sonship. It also divides into two
parts: in the former is contained the Lord's sevenfold declaration of
His Deity; in the latter, beginning at verse 41, He cites the
different witnesses to His Deity. We shall confine ourselves now to
the former section. May the Spirit of Truth whose blessed work it is
to "glorify" the One who is now absent from these scenes illumine our
understandings and enable us to rightly divide this passage of God's
inspired Word.
The miracle of the healing of the impotent man, which engaged our
attention in the last chapter, has several outstanding and peculiar
features in it. The abject misery and utter helplessness of the
sufferer, the sovereign action of the Great Physician in singling him
out from the multitude which lay around the Pool of Bethesda, the
total absence of any indication of him making any appeal to Christ or
exercising any faith in Him previous to his healing, the startling
suddenness and spontaneity of the miracle, the Lord's command that he
should "take up his bed" on the Sabbath day, are all so many items
that at once arrest the attention. The turning of the healed man's
steps toward the Temple, evidenced that a work of grace had been
wrought in his soul as well as in his body. The grace of the Lord is
seeking him out in the Temple and the faithful words there addressed
to his conscience, give beautiful completeness to the whole scene. All
of this but serves to emphasize the enormity of what follows:
As soon as the healed man had learned Who it was that had made him
whole, he went and "told the Jews that it was Jesus" (verse 15). What,
then, was their response? Did they immediately seek this Blessed One
who must be none other than their long-promised Messiah? Did they,
like the prophetess Anna, give thanks unto the Lord, and speak "of him
to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem" (Luke 2:38)?
Alas, it was far otherwise. Instead of being filled with praise, they
were full of hatred. Instead of worshipping the Sent One of God, they
persecuted Him. Instead of coming to Him that they might have life,
they sought to put Him to death. Terrible climax was this to all that
had gone before. In chapter one we see "the Jews" ignorant as to the
identity of the Lord's forerunner (John 1:19), and blind to the Divine
Presence in their midst (John 1:26). In chapter two we see "the Jews"
demanding a sign from Him who had vindicated the honor of His Father's
House (John 2:18). In chapter three we are shown "a ruler of the Jews"
dead in trespasses and sins, needing to be born again (John 3:7). Next
we see "the Jews" quibbling or quarreling with John's disciples about
purifying (John 3:25). In chapter four we learn of their callous
indifference toward the Gentile neighbors--"the Jews have no dealings
with the Samaritans" (John 4:9). Then, in the beginning of chapter
five, we read of "a feast of the Jews," but its hollow mockery is
exposed in the scene described immediately afterwards--a "feast," and
then "a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered?
Now the terrible climax is reached when we are told, "And therefore
did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had
done these things on the sabbath day" (John 5:16). Beyond this they
could not go, save, when God's time had come, for the carrying out of
their diabolical desires.
"And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him,
because he had done these things on the sabbath day" (John 5:16).
Unspeakably solemn is this, for it makes manifest, in all its
hideousness, that carnal mind which is enmity against God. Here was a
man who had been afflicted for thirty and eight years. For a long time
he had lain helplessly by the pool of Bethesda, unable to step into
it. Now, of a sudden, he had risen up in response to the quickening
word of the Son of God. Not only so, he carried his bed, and walked.
The cure was patent. That a wondrous miracle had been wrought could
not be gainsaid. Unable to refute it, the Jews now vented their malice
by persecuting the Divine Healer, and seeking to put Him to death.
They sought to kill Him because He had healed on the Sabbath day. What
a situation! They dared to put themselves against the Lord of the
Sabbath. The One who had performed the miracle of healing was none
other than the Son of God. In criticising Him, they were murmuring
against God Himself. Therefore, we say we have here an out and out
exposure of that carnal mind which is enmity against God: that carnal
mind which, my reader, is by nature, in each of us. How this reveals
the awful depravity of the fallen creature. How it demonstrates our
deep need of a Savior! How it makes manifest that wondrous grace of
God which provided a Savior for such incorrigible rebels.
"But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work"
(John 5:17). This was not the only occasion when the Lord Jesus was
criticised for healing the sick on the Sabbath day, and it is most
instructive to observe (as others before us have pointed out) the
various replies He made to His opponents as these are recorded by the
different Evangelists. Each of them narrates the particular incident
(and the Lord's words in connection with it) that most appropriately
accorded with the distinctive design of His Gospel. In Matthew 12:2, 3
we find that Christ appealed to the example of David and the teaching
of the Law, which was well suited for record in this Gospel. In Mark
2:24, 27 we read that He said, "The sabbath was made for man," that
is, it was designed to serve man's best interests--this in the Gospel
which treats most fully of service. In Luke 13:15 we find the Lord
Jesus asking, "Doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or
his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?": here, in the
Gospel of Christ's humanity, we find Him appealing to human
sympathies. But in John 5 Christ takes altogether higher ground and
makes answer suited to His Divine glory.
"But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work."
Here is the first of the seven proofs which Christ now gives of His
absolute Deity. Instead of pointing to the example of David or
appealing to human sympathies, Christ identifies Himself directly with
"the Father." In saying "My Father worketh hitherto and I work" He
affirms His absolute equality with the Father. It would be nothing
short of blasphemy for a mere creature--no matter how exalted his rank
or how great his antiquity--to couple himself with the Father thus.
When He speaks of "My Father... and I" there is no misunderstanding
the claim that He made. But let us ponder first the pertinency of this
affirmation.
"My Father worketh hitherto." It is true that on the seventh day God
rested from all His creative works. As we read in Genesis 2:3, "And
God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He
had rested from all His work which God created and made." That seventh
day of rest was not needed by Him to recuperate from the toil of the
six days' labor, for "the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of
the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary" (Isa. 40:28).
No; but it is otherwise with the creature. Work tires us, and rest is
a physical and moral necessity, and woe be to the man or woman who
ignores the merciful provision "made for man." If we refuse to rest
throughout one day each week, God will compel us to spend at least the
equivalent of it upon our backs on a bed of sickness--"Be not
deceived; God is not mocked." God, at the beginning, set before His
creatures a Divine example, and pronounced the Day of Rest a "blessed"
one, and blessing has always attended those who have observed and
preserved its rest. Contrariwise, a curse has descended, and still
descends, on those who rest not one day in seven. God not only blessed
the seventh day, but He "hallowed" it and the word "hallow" means to
set apart for sacred use.
While it is true that God rested on that first seventh day from all
His creative work, He has never rested from His governmental work, His
providential work, supplying the needs of His creatures. The sun rises
and sets, the tides ebb and flow, the rain falls, the wind blows, the
grass grows on the weekly Rest Day as well as on any other. What we
may term works of necessity and works of mercy--that is upholding and
sustaining the whole realm of creation and the daily recurring needs
of His creatures--God never rests from.
Now says Christ, "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work." All through
the centuries has the Father been working. Nor had His working been
restricted to the material realm. In illuminating the understandings
of men, in convicting their consciences, in moving their wills, had He
also "worked hitherto." If, then, it was meet that God the Father
worked with unremitting patience and mercy, if the Father ministered
to the wants of His needy creatures on the Sabbath day, then by parity
of reason it must also be right for God the Son, the Lord of the
Sabbath, to engage in works of necessity and mercy on the weekly Rest
Day. Thus the Lord Jesus unequivocally claims absolute equality with
the Father in service.
"Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only
had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making
himself equal with God" (John 5:18). There was no mistaking the force
of Christ's declaration. By saying "My Father... and I" He had done
what, without the greatest impropriety, was impossible to any mere
creature. He had done what Abraham, Moses, David, Daniel, never
dreamed of doing. He had placed Himself on the same level with the
Father. His traducers were quick to recognize that He had "made
himself equal with God," and they were right. No other inference could
fairly be drawn from His words. And mark it attentively, the Lord
Jesus did not charge them with wresting His language and
misrepresenting His meaning. He did not protest against their
construction of His words. Instead of that He continued to press upon
them His Divine claims, stating the truth with regard to His unique
personality and presenting the evidence on which His claim rested. And
thus did He vindicate Himself not only from the charge of
Sabbath-violation in having healed by His Divine word a poor helpless
sufferer on that day, but also of blasphemy, in making an assertion in
which by obvious implication, was a claim to equality with God.
Christ's claim to absolute equality with God only fanned the horrid
flame of the enmity in those Jewish zealots--they "sought the more to
kill him." A similar scene is presented to us at the close of John 8.
Immediately after being told that the Lord Jesus said "Before Abraham
was I am" (another formal avowal of His absolute Deity) we read, "Then
took they up stones to cast at him" (verses 58, 59). So again in the
tenth chapter we find that as soon as He had declared "I and Father
are one" Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him" (verses 30,
31). Thus did the carnal mind of man continue to display its
inveterate enmity against God.
"Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, Verily, I say unto
you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father
do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son
likewise" (John 5:19). This is a verse which has been a sore puzzle to
many of the commentators, and one used frequently by the enemies of
Christ who deny His Deity. Even some of those who have been regarded
as the champions of orthodoxy have faltered badly. To them the words
"The Son can do nothing of himself" seem to point to a blemish in His
person. They affirm a limitation, and when misunderstood appear to
call for a half apology. The only solution which seems to have
occurred to these men who thus dishonor both the written and the
incarnate Word, is that this statement must have reference to the
humanity of Christ. But a moment's reflection should show that such a
conclusion is wide of the mark. The second half of this nineteenth
verse must be studied and interpreted in the light of the first half.
It is to be noted that the verse opens by saying "Then answered Jesus
and said unto them, Verily, Verily, I say unto you, the Son can do
nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do." What was it that
He was replying to? Who was it that He was here "answering"? The
previous verse quickly decides. He was replying to those who sought to
kill Him; He was answering His enemies who were enraged because He had
"made himself equal with God." In what follows, then, we have the
Lord's response to their implied charge of blasphemy. In verse 19 we
have the second part of the vindication of His claim that He and the
Father were one. Thus it will be seen that the words "The Son can do
nothing of himself" respect His Deity and not His humanity, separately
considered. Or, more accurately speaking, they concern the Divine
glory of the Son of God incarnate.
"The Son can do nothing of himself but what he seeth the Father do."
Does this mean that His ability was limited? or that His power was
restricted? Do His words signify that when He "made himself of no
reputation (R. V. emptied himself) and took upon him the form of a
servant" (Phil. 2:7) that He was reduced to all the limitations of
human nature? To all these questions we return an emphatic and
dogmatic No. Instead of pointing to an imperfection, either in His
person or power, they, rightly understood, only serve to bring out His
peerless excellency. But here as everywhere else, Scripture must be
interpreted by Scripture, and once we heed this rule, difficulties
disappear like the mists before the sun.
It will be seen that in verse 30 we have a strictly parallel
statement, and by noting what is added there the one in verse 19 is
more easily understood. "The Son can do nothing of himself" of verse
19 is repeated in the "I can do nothing of myself" in verse 30, and
then in the closing words of verse 30 we find that the Lord explains
His meaning by giving as a reason--"Because I seek not mine own will,
but the will of the Father which hath sent me." The limitation is not
because of any defect in His person (brought about by the incarnation)
nor because of any limitation in His power (voluntary or imposed); it
was solely a matter of will. "The Son can do nothing of himself,"
literally, "nothing out of himself," that is, "nothing" as proceeding
from or originating with Himself. In other words, the force of what He
said was this: `I cannot act independently of the Father.' But was
that a limitation which amounted to a defect? Indeed no; the very
reverse. Do the words "God that cannot lie" (Titus 1:2) and "God
cannot be tempted with evil" (James 1:13) point to a blemish in the
Divine nature or character? Nay, verily, they affirm Divine
perfections. It was so here in the words of Christ.
But may it not be that Christ is here speaking in view of His
mediatorial position, as the servant of the Father? We do not think
so, and that for three reasons. In the first place, John's Gospel is
not the one which emphasizes His servant-character; that is unfolded
in Mark's. In this Gospel it is His Deity, His Divine glory, which is
prominent throughout. Therefore, some explanation for this verse must
be found consonant with that fact. In the second place, our Lord was
not here defending His mediatorship, His Divinely-appointed works;
instead, He was replying to those who deemed Him guilty of blasphemy,
because He had made Himself equal with God. Our third reason will be
developed below.
"The Son can do nothing of himself." This we have attempted to show
means, "the Son cannot act independently of the Father." And why could
He not? Because in will He was absolutely one with the Father. If He
were God the Son then His will must be in perfect unison with that of
God the Father, otherwise, there would be two absolute but conflicting
wills, which means that there would be two Gods, the one opposing the
other; which in plainer language still, would be affirming that there
were two Supreme Beings which is, of course, a flat contradiction of
terms. It was just because the Lord Jesus was the Son of God, that His
will was in fullest harmony with the will of the Father. Man can will
independently of God, alienated from Him as he is. Even the angels
which kept not their first estate, yea, one above them in rank, the
"anointed cherub" himself could, and did say, "I will" (see Isaiah
14:13 and 14, five times repeated). But the Son of God could not, for
He was not only very Man of very man but also very God of very God.
It was this in the God-man which distinguished Him from all other men.
He never acted independently of the Father. He was always in perfect
subjection to the Father's will. There was no will in Him which had to
be broken. From start to finish He was in most manifest agreement with
the One who sent Him. His first recorded utterance struck the keynote
to His earthly life--"Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's
business?'' In the temptation when assailed by the Devil, He
steadfastly refused to act independently of God. "My meat is to do the
will of him that sent me" ever characterized' His lovely service. And,
as He nears the end, we have the same blessed excellency displayed, as
we behold Him on His face in the Garden, covered with bloody sweat, as
He confronts the thrice awful Cup, yet does He say, "Not my will, but
thine be done."
"The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do."
The word for "seeth" (blepo) signifies to contemplate, to perceive, to
know. It is used in Romans 7:23; 11:8; 1 Corinthians 13:12; Hebrews
10:25, etc. When, then, the Son exerts His Divine power, it is always
in the conscious knowledge that it is the will of the Father it should
be so exerted.
"The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do:
for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise."
Here is an assertion which none but a Divine person (in the most
absolute sense of the term) could truthfully make. Because the Son can
do nothing but what the Father does, so, on the other hand, "What
things soever the Father doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise."
Note well this word "likewise." Not only does He do what the Father
does, but He does it as He does it, that is, in a manner comporting
with the absolute perfections of their common Divine nature. But what
is ever more striking is the all-inclusive "whatsoever." Not only does
He perform His works with the same Divine power and excellency as the
Father does His, but the Son also does all "whatsoever he (the Father)
doeth." This is proof positive that He is speaking here not in His
mediatorial capacity, as the servant, but in His essential character
as one absolutely equal with God.
We cannot refrain from quoting here part of the most excellent
comments of the late Dr. John Brown on this verse:--"All is of the
Father--all is by the Son. Did the Father create the universe? So did
the Son. Does the Father uphold the universe? So does the Son. Does
the Father govern the universe? So does the Son. Is the Father the
Savior of the world? So is the Son. Surely the Jews did not err when
they concluded that our Lord.made Himself `equal with God.' Surely He
who is so intimately connected with God that He does what God does,
does all God does, does all in the same manner in which God does it;
surely such a person cannot but be equal with God." To this we would
add but one word: Scripture also reveals that in the future, too, the
will of the Father and of the Son will act in perfect unison, for, in
the last chapter of the Bible we read that the throne of Deity on the
new earth will be "the throne of God and of the lamb" (Rev. 22:1). But
before passing on to the next verse let us pause for a brief moment to
make application to ourselves. "The Son can do nothing of himself."
How this rebukes the selfwill in all of us! Who is there among the
saints who can truthfully say, I can do nothing at my own instance; my
life is entirely at God's disposal?
"For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that
himself doeth: and he will show him greater works than these, that ye
may marvel" (John 5:20). Here again the carnal mind is puzzled. If
Christ be the Son of God why does He need to be "shown." When we
"show" a child something it is because it is ignorant. When we "show"
the traveler the right road, it is because he does not know it. Refuge
is sought again in the mediatorship of Christ. But this destroys the
beauty of the verse and mars the unity of the passage. What seems to
point to an imperfection or limitation in Christ's knowledge only
brings out once more His matchless excellency.
"For the Father loveth the Son and showeth him all things that himself
doeth." The opening word "For" intimates there is a close connection
between this and the verse immediately preceding, as well as with the
whole context. It intimates that our Lord is still submitting the
proof that He was "equal with God." The argument of this verse in a
word is this: The Father has no secrets from the Son. Because He is
the Son of God, the Father loveth Him; that is to say, because they
are in common possession of the same infinite perfections, there is an
ineffable affection of the Father to the Son, and this love is
manifested by the Father "showing the Son all things." There is no
restraint and no constraint between them: there is the most perfect
intimacy because of their co-equality. Let me try to reduce this
profound truth to a simple level. If an entire stranger were to visit
your home, there are many things you would not think of "showing"
him--the family portrait-album for example. But with an intimate
friend or a loved relative there would be no such reluctance. The
illustration falls far short we know, but perhaps it may help some to
grasp better the line of thought we are seeking to present.
But not only do the words "the Father loveth the Son" make manifest
the perfect intimacy there is between them, but the additional words
"showeth him all things that himself doeth" evidences another of the
Divine glories of Christ, namely, the absolute equality of
intelligence that there is between the Father and the Son. Let us
again bring the thought down to a human level. What would be the use
of discussing with an illiterate person the mathematics of the fourth
dimension? What's the value of taking a child in the first grade and
"showing" him the solution of a problem in algebra? Who, then, is
capable of understanding all the ways and workings of God? No mere
creature. Fallen man is incapable of knowing God. The believer learns
but gradually and slowly, and only then as he is taught by the Holy
Spirit. Even the unfallen angels know God's mind but in part--there
are things they desire "to look into" (1 Pet. 1:12). To whom then
could God show the full counsel of His mind? And again we answer, To
no mere creature, for the creature however high in rank has no
capacity to grasp it. The finite cannot comprehend the infinite. Is it
not self-evident, then, that if the Father showeth the Son "all things
that himself doeth" He must be of the same mind as the Father? that
they are one, absolutely equal in intelligence! Christ has the
capacity to apprehend and comprehend "all things that the Father
doeth," therefore, He must be "equal with God," for none but God could
measure the Father's mind perfectly.
"The idea seems to be this, that the love of the Father, and of the
Son, their perfect complacency in each other, is manifest in the
perfect knowledge which the Son has of the period at which, the
purpose for which, and the manner in which, the Divine power equally
possessed by them is to be put forth. It is in consequence of this
knowledge, as if our Lord had said--`That in this case (the healing of
the impotent man) I have exercised Divine power while My Father was
exercising it'
"And He adds, `Still further--still more extraordinary manifestations
of this community of knowledge, will, and operation of the Father, and
of the Son, will be made.' `He will show him greater works than these,
that ye may marvel,' or `that ye shall marvel'; that is, we apprehend,
`the Son, in consequence of His perfect knowledge of the mind, and
will, and operations of His Divine Father, will yet make still more
remarkable displays of that Divine power which is equally His Father's
and His own'--such displays as will fill with amazement all who
witness them. What these displays were to be, appears from what
follows: He had healed the impotent man, but He was soon to raise to
life some who had been dead; nay, at a future period He was to raise
to life all the dead and act as the Governor and Judge of all mankind"
(Dr. John Brown).
"For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so
the Son quickeneth whom he will" (John 5:21). This verse presents the
fourth proof of Christ's Deity. Here He affirms His absolute equality
with the Father in sovereign rights. This affords further evidence
that the Lord Jesus was not here speaking as the dependent Servant,
but as the Son of God. He lays claim to Divine sovereignty. The
healing of the impotent man was an object lesson: it not only
demonstrated His power, but it illustrated His absolute sovereignty.
He had not healed the entire company of impotent folk who lay around
the Pool; instead, He had singled out just one, and had made him
whole. So He works and so He acts in the spiritual realm. He does not
quicken (spiritually) all men, but those "whom He will." He does not
quicken the worthy, for there are none. He does not quicken those who
seek quickening, for being dead in sin, none begin to seek until they
are quickened. The Son quickeneth whom He will: He says so, that ends
the matter. It is not to be reasoned about, but believed. To quicken
is to impart life, and to impart life is a Divine prerogative. How
this confirms our interpretation of the previous verses! It is the
Divine rights of Christ which are here affirmed.
"For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so
the Son quickeneth whom he will." The verse opens with the word "for,"
showing it is advancing a reason or furnishing a proof in connection
with what had been said previously. In our judgment it looks back
first to verse 19 and gives an illustration of "what things soever he
(the Father) doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise"--the Father
quickens, so does the Son. But there is also a direct connection with
the verse immediately preceding. There he had referred to "greater
works" than healing the impotent man. Here, then, is a
specimen--quickening the dead: making alive spiritually those who are
dead in sins. This is a further demonstration of His absolute equality
with the Father.
"For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto
the Son: That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the
Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which
hath sent him" (John 5:22, 23). This declaration that the Father
judgeth no man--better "no one"--is especially noteworthy. The Father
is the One whom we might most naturally expect to be the Judge. He is
the first who was wronged. It is His rights (though not His
exclusively) which have been denied. His governmental claims have been
set at naught. He was the One who sent here the Lord Jesus who has
been despised and rejected. But instead of the Father being the Judge,
He hath "committed all judgment unto the Son," and the reason for this
is "that all should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father."
There is then, or more correctly, there will be, absolute equality
between the Father and the Son in Divine honors.
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and
believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not
come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life" (John
5:24). Once more we find the Lord, as in verse 17, linking Himself in
closest union with the Father: "heareth my Word, and believeth him
that sent me." But as we have already dwelt at such length on the
dominant thought running all through our passage, we turn now to
consider other subordinate though most blessed truths. This verse has
been a great favorite with the Lord's people. It has been used of God
to bring peace and assurance to many a troubled soul. It speaks of
eternal life as a present possession--"hath everlasting life," not
shall have when we die, or when the resurrection morning comes. Two
things are here mentioned which are evidences and results of having
everlasting life, though they are usually regarded as two conditions.
The hearing ear and the believing heart are the consequences of having
eternal life and not the qualifications for obtaining it. Then it is
added, "and shall not come into condemnation'': this guarantees the
future--"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in
Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1). No condemnation for the believer because it
fell upon his Substitute. Another reason why the believer shall not
come into condemnation is because he has "passed from death," which is
the realm of condemnation, "into life."
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when
the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear
shall live" (John 5:25). This continues the same thought as in the
previous verse, though adding further details. `The dead shall hear:"
what a paradox to the carnal mind! Yet all becomes luminous when we
remember that it is the voice of the Son of God they hear. His voice
alone can penetrate into the place of death, and because His voice is
a life-giving voice, the dead hear it and live. The capacity to hear
accompanies the power of the Voice that speaks, and it is just because
that Voice is a life-giving one that the dead hear it at all, and
heating, live. Here then is the sixth proof presented for the Deity of
Christ: the Son claims absolute equality with the Father in the power
to give life.
"For as the Father has life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to
have life in himself" (John 5:26). This confirms what we have just
said above, while bringing in one further amplification. The Father
hath "life in himself." "It belongs to His nature; He has received it
from no one; it is an essential attribute of His necessarily existing
nature: He so has life that He can impart, withdraw, and restore it to
whomsoever He pleases. He is the fountain of all life. All in heaven
and in earth who have life, have received it from Him. They have not
life in themselves" (Dr. John Brown). Now in like manner the life of
Christ is not a derived life. "In him was life" (John 1:4). He is able
to communicate life to others because the Father hath "given to the
Son to have life in himself." The word "given" must be understood
figuratively and not literally, in the sense of appointed, not
imparted: see its usage in Isaiah 42:6; 49:8; 55:4. So also the word
"given him to have," signifies to hold or administer. Thus, inasmuch
as all creatures live and move and have their being in God, but in
contrast from them Christ has "life in himself," He cannot be a mere
creature but must be "equal with God."
"And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is
the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the
which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come
forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and
they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation" (John
5:27-29). This brings us to the seventh proof for the absolute Deity
of Christ: He is co-equal with the Father in judicial authority and
power.
"And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is
the Son of man." The "also" seems to point back to verse 22, where we
are told, "The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment
unto the Son." Judgment has been committed to the Son in order that
all should honor Him even as they honor the Father. But here in verse
27 Christ gives an additional reason: the Father has also appointed
the Lord Jesus to execute judgment "because he is the Son of man." It
was because the Son of God had become clothed with flesh and walked
this earth as Man, that He was despised and rejected and His Divine
glories disowned. This supplies a further reason why it is meet that
the Son of man should be Judge in the last great day. The despised One
shall be in the place of supreme honor and authority. All will be
compelled to bow the knee before Him; and thus will He be glorified
before them and His outraged rights vindicated.
Next follows a reference to the resurrection of all that are in the
graves. These are divided into two classes. First, they that have
clone good unto the resurrection of life. This refers to the
resurrection of the saints. They that have "done good" is a
characteristic description of them. It has reference to their walk
which manifests the new nature within them. In the previous verses
(24, 25) we have had life, eternal life, imparted to the spiritually
dead by the sovereign power of the Son of God. This is His own life
which is communicated to them. The Christ-life within is seen by
Christ-like acts without. This is forcibly and beautifully brought out
in the language which the Lord Jesus here uses when referring to His
people. Just as in Acts 10:38 the apostle sums up the earthly life of
Christ by saying He "went about doing good," so here the Lord Jesus
speaks of His own as "they that have done good," that is, have
manifested His own life. These will come forth at the time of His
appearing (1 Cor. 15:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:16); come forth "unto a
resurrection of life" for then they shall enter fully and perfectly
into the unhindered activities and joys of that life which is life
indeed.
"And they that have done evil" describes the great company of the
unsaved. These, too, shall "come forth." All the ungodly dead will
hear His voice, and obey it. They refused to hearken to Him while He
spoke words of grace and truth, but then they shall be compelled to
hear Him as He utters the dread summons for them to appear before the
great white throne. They would not believe on Him as the Savior of
sinners, but they will have to own Him as "Lord of the dead" (Rom.
14:9). Unspeakably solemn is this. Not a vestige of hope is held out
for them. It is not a resurrection of probation as some modern
perverters of God's truth are now teaching, but it is the resurrection
"unto damnation." Nothing awaits them but impartial judgment, the
formal and public pronouncement of their sentence of doom, and after
that nothing but an eternity of torment spent in the lake which
burneth with fire and brimstone. As they had sinned in physical bodies
so shall they suffer in physical bodies. Instead of having glorified
bodies, they shall be raised in bodies marred by sin and made hideous
by evil--"shame and everlasting contempt" (Dan. 12:2) describes them.
Though capable of enduring "tribulation and anguish" (Rom. 2:9) they
shall not be annihilated by the flames (any more than were the
physical bodies of the three Hebrews in Babylon's fiery furnace) but
continue forever--"salted with fire" (Mark 9:49): the "salt" speaks of
a preservative element which prevents decay.
"I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my
judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of
the Father which hath sent me" (John 5:30). The first part of the
verse need not detain us, for it has already received consideration
under our exposition of verse 19. The second half of the verse adds a
further word concerning the judgment. "My judgment is just:" this is
profoundly solemn. Christ will deal not in grace, but in inflexible
righteousness. He will administer justice, not mercy. This, once more,
excludes every ray of hope for all who are raised "unto damnation."
Two additional thoughts in connection with the Deity of Christ come
out in these last verses. First, the fact that "all that are in the
graves shall hear" the voice of Christ and shall "come forth," proves
that He is far more than the most exalted creature. Who but God is
able to regather all the scattered elements which have gone to
corruption! Second, who but God is capable of acting as Judge in the
Great Assize! None but He can read the heart, and none but He
possesses the necessary wisdom for such a stupendous task as
determining the sentence due to each one of that vast assemblage which
will stand before the great white throne. Thus we see that from start
to finish this wonderful passage sets forth the Godhood of the Savior.
Let us then honor Him even as we honor the Father, and prostrate
ourselves before Him in adoring worship.
Let the interested reader study carefully the following questions
preparatory to our next lesson on John 5:31-47:--
1. How many witnesses are there here to the Deity of Christ?
2. What is the meaning of verse 31?
3. What is the significance of the first half of verse 34, after
Christ had already referred to "John"?
4. What warning is there in the second half of verse 35?
5. What is the force of "ye think" in verse 39?
6. Who is referred to in the second half of verse 43?
7. What is the moral connection between receiving honor of men and not
believing in Christ? verse 44.
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 19
The Deity of Christ: Threefold Witness to It
John 5:31-47
_________________________________________________________________
We begin with our usual Analysis of the passage which is to be before
us:--
1. Christ's Witness not independent of the Father: verses 31, 32.
2. The Witness of John: verses 33, 34.
3. Christ's Witness to John: verse 35.
4. The Witness of Christ's Works: verse 36.
5. The Witness of the Father: verses 37, 38.
6. The Witness of the Scriptures: verse 39.
7. Christ's Witness against the Jews: verses 40-47.
As we pass from chapter to chapter it is ever needful to keep in mind
the character and scope of this fourth Gospel. Its chief design is to
present the Divine glories of Christ. It was written, no doubt, in its
first and local application to refute the heresies concerning the
person of the Lord Jesus which flourished toward the end of the first
century. Less than fifty years after the Lord departed from these
scenes and returned to His Father in heaven, the horrible system of
Gnosticism, which denied the essential Deity of the Savior, was spread
widely throughout those lands where the Gospel had been preached.
Whilst it was generally allowed that Christ was a unique personage,
yet, that He was "equal with God" was denied by many. Nor is that very
surprising when we stop to think how much there was which would prove
a stumbling block to the natural man.
Outwardly, to human eyes, Christ appeared to be an ordinary man. Born
into a peasant family; cradled amid the most humble surroundings;
carried away into Egypt to escape the cruel edict of Herod, and
returning later, only to grow to manhood's estate in obscurity;
working for years, most probably, at the carpenter's bench--what was
there to denote that He was the Lord of Glory? Then, as He began His
public ministry, appearing not as the great of this world are
accustomed to appear, with much pomp and ostentation; but, instead, as
the meek and lowly One. Attended not by an imposing retinue of angels,
but by a few poor and unlettered fishermen. His claims rejected by the
religious leaders of that day; the tide of popular opinion turning
against Him; the very ones who first hailed Him with their glad
Hosannas, ending by crying, "Away with him: crucify him." Finally,
nailed in shame to the cruel tree; silent to the challenge to descend
from it; and there breathing out His spirit--that, that was the last
the world saw of Him.
And now by the year A. D. 90 almost all of His original disciples
would be dead. Of the twelve apostles who had accompanied Him during
His public ministry, only John remained. On every side were teachers
denying the Deity of Christ. There was thus a real need for an
inspired, authoritative, systematic presentation of the manifold
glories of His divine person. The Holy Spirit therefore moved
John--the one who of all the early disciples knew Christ best, the one
whose spiritual discernment was the keenest, the one who had enjoyed
the inestimable privilege of leaning on the Master's bosom to write
this fourth Gospel. In it abundant evidence is furnished to satisfy
the most credulous of the Deity of the Lord Jesus. It is to the
written Word God now refers all who desire to know the truth
concerning His beloved Son, and in it are presented the "many
infallible proofs" for the Godhood of our blessed Redeemer. Chiefest
of these are to be found in John's Gospel.
In the chapter we are now studying we find record of a remarkable
miracle performed by the Lord Jesus which signally displayed His
Divine power. He had singled out a most hopeless ease and by a word
had made whole, instantly, one that had suffered with an infirmity for
thirty and eight years. Because this miracle had been performed on the
Sabbath day, the Jews persecuted the Lord Jesus. In gracious
condescension the Lord replied to their criticism by giving them a
sevenfold declaration of His equality with the Father. This we
examined at some length in maintaining it, so immeasurable is the
blessing when received, so tremendous is the stake involved in its
loss, God has vouchsafed us the amplest, clearest, fullest evidence.
"If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true" (John 5:31).
Every commentator we have consulted expounds this verse as follows:
The witness which I have just borne to Myself would not be valid
unless it is supported by that of others. The law of God requires two
or three witnesses for the truth to be established. Therefore if I
bear witness of Myself, says Christ, and there is none to confirm it,
it is "not true," i.e., it is not convincing to others. But we most
humbly dissent from any such interpretation. The word of a mere man
does need confirmation: but not so that of God the Son. To affirm or
suggest that His witness must be ratified by the testimony of others
so as to establish its validity, is deeply dishonoring to Him. And we
are both amazed and saddened that such a view should be put forth by
many excellent men.
"If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true." The key to this
verse lies in what has gone before. Divorce it from its context, and
we must expect to find it difficult; but examine it in our last
chapter; now, in the passage before us, we find that He closed by
bringing in the evidence of various unimpeachable witnesses who
testified to the veracity of His claims. In view, then, of what is to
be found here, there can be no excuse whatever for ignorance, still
less for unbelief, upon this all-important subject. So bright was
Christ's glory, so concerned was the Father in the light of its
setting, and all becomes clear. This verse simply reiterates in
another form what we find the Savior saying at the beginning of the
previous verse, can of mine own self do nothing" means, I cannot act
independently of the Father: I am so absolutely one with Him that His
will is My will; mine, His. So, now, He declares, "If I bear witness
of myself, my witness is not true." He speaks hypothetically--"if." "I
bear witness of myself" means, If I bear witness independently of the
Father. In such a case, "my witness is not true." And why? Because
such would be insubordination. The Son can no more bear witness of
Himself independently of the Father, than He can of Himself work
independently of the Father.
"There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the
witness which he witnesseth of me is true" (John 5:32). This explains
the previous verse and confirms our interpretation of it. The "other"
who is here referred to as "bearing witness" of Him, is not John the
Baptist, as some have strangely supposed, but the Father Himself.
Reference, not appeal, is made to John in verses 33, 34. Observe now
that our Lord did not here say, "There is One that beareth witness of
me" and His witness is true, but "there is another that beareth
witness of me." He would no more dissever the Father and His witness
from Himself, than He would bear witness to Himself independently of
the Father. This is strikingly confirmed by what we read in John 8:
"The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of
thyself; thy record is not true. Jesus answered and said unto them,
Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true... Ye judge
after the flesh; I judge no man. And yet if I judge, my judgment is
true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me" (verses
13-16).
"Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth" (John 5:33).
Here our Lord reminds "the Jews" (verse 16) how, when they had sent an
embassy unto His forerunner (see John 1:19), that he "bear witness
unto the truth." Notice the abstract form in which this is put. Christ
did not say, "He bear witness unto me," but "unto the truth." This
witness is recorded in John 1:20-27. First, John confessed that he was
not the Christ, but simply "the voice of one crying in the wilderness,
Make straight the way of the Lord." Then, he testified to the presence
of One in their midst whom they knew not, One of whom he said, "He it
is, who coming after me, is preferred before me, whose shoes latchet I
am not worthy to unloose." Such was the Baptist's witness to the
delegates of these same Jews.
"But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye
might be saved" (John 5:34). The Son of God continues to occupy the
same high ground from which He had spoken throughout this interview.
"I receive not testimony from man" shows that He had not appealed to
the witness of John in confirmation of His own declarations. His
purpose was quite otherwise: "These things I say, that ye might be
saved." The witness which John had borne to "the truth" was fitted to
have a salutary effect on those who heard him. John's testimony was a
merciful concession which God had made to the need of Israel. Christ
Himself did not stand in need of it; but they did. God sent His
messenger before His Son to prepare the way for Him. His ministry was
designed to arouse men's attention and to produce in them a sense of
their deep need of the One who was about to be manifested.
"But I receive not testimony from man." This word "receive" is
explained to us in verse 44 where it is interchanged with "seek." It
means to lay hold of, or grasp at. Christ would not bemean Himself by
subpoening human witnesses. His claim to be equal with God rested on
surer ground than the testimony of a man. But He had reminded these
Jews of what John had said to their representatives on an earlier
occasion, and this that they "might be saved," for salvation comes by
believing God's "witness unto the truth."
"He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a
season to rejoice in his light" (John 5:35). This was most gracious of
Christ. John had given faithful witness to the One who was to come
after him; and now the Son of God bears witness to him. A beautiful
illustration is this of the promise that if we confess Christ before
men, so He will yet confess us before God. "A burning and shining
light"--more correctly, "lamp," see R.V.--the Lord calls him. Burning
inwardly, shining outwardly. John's light had not been hid under a
bushel, but it had shone "before men." Ah! dear reader, will the
Savior be able to say of you, in a coming day, "He was a burning and
shining lamp"? Is the light that is within thee "burning" or is it
just flickering? Is your lamp "trimmed," and so "shining," or is it
shedding but a feeble and sickly glow? Great is the need for burning
and shining "lamps" in the world today. The shadows are fast
lengthening, the darkness increases, and the "midnight" hour draws on
apace. "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake
out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off
the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light" (Rom.
13:11, 12).
"And ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light" (John
5:35). This provides us with an illustration of the stony-ground
hearers of the parable of the Sower. Concerning this class Christ
says, "But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he
that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not
root in himself, but dureth for a while" (Matthew 13:20, 21). Such
were these Jews: "for a season" they rejoiced in John's light. But the
difference between real believers and mere professors is not in how
they begin but how they end. "He that endureth to the end shall be
saved": enduring to the end is not a condition of salvation, but an
evidence of it. So, again, when Christ says, "If ye continue in my
word, then are ye my disciples indeed:" continuing in Christ's word is
a proof that we are His disciples. We take it that which caused these
Jews to "rejoice'' for a season in John's light, was the testimony
which he bore to the Messiah, then about to appear. This was good news
indeed, for to them this meant deliverance from the Roman yoke and the
destruction of all their enemies. But when the Messiah was actually
manifested He instead announced that He had come to save the lost, and
when He demanded repentance and faith, their joy soon faded away.
"But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the
Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness
of me, that the Father hath sent me" (John 5:36). Here is the first
witness to which Christ appeals in proof of His Deity. His "works"
bore unmistakable witness to Him. He gave hearing to the deaf, speech
to the dumb, sight to the blind, cleansing to the leper, deliverance
to the captives of the Devil, life to the dead. He walked the waves,
stilled the wind, calmed the sea, He turned water into wine, cleansed
the Temple single-handed, and fed a great multitude with a few loaves
and fishes. And these miracles were performed by His own inherent
power. To these works He now directs attention as furnishing proof of
His Deity. Quite frequently did He appeal to His "works" as affording
Divine testimony: see John 10:25, 38; 14:11; 15:24.
The late Bishop Ryle called attention to five things in connection
with our Lord's miracles. "First, their number: they were not a few
only, but very many. Second, their greatness: they were not little,
but mighty interferences with the ordinary course of nature. Third,
their publicity: they were not done in a comer, but generally in open
day, and before many witnesses, and often before enemies. Fourth,
their character: they were almost always works of love, mercy and
compassion, helpful and beneficient to man, and not merely barren
exhibitions of power. Fifth, their direct appeal to man's senses: they
were visible, and would bear any examination. The difference between
them and the boasted miracles of Rome, on all these points, is
striking and conclusive." To these we might add two other features:
Sixth, their artlessness. They were not staged mechanically: they
happened in the natural course of our Lord's ministry. There was
nothing pre-arranged about them. Seventh, their efficacy. There was as
much difference between the miracles of healing performed by Christ
and those of His miserable imitators which are being so widely
heralded in our day, as there is between His teaching and that given
out by these pretenders who claim to heal in His name. Christ's cures
were instantaneous, not gradual; complete and perfect, not faulty and
disappointing.
"The same works that I do, bear witness of me." Ere passing on to the
next verse, we pause to apply these words to ourselves. Our works,
too, bear witness of us. If ours are "dead works," wood, hay, and
stubble which shall be burned up in the coming Day, that proves we are
carnal, walking after the flesh; and such a witness will dishonor and
grieve Him whose name we bear. But if we abound in "good works," this
will show that we are walking after the spirit, and men (our
fellow-believers) seeing our good works will glorify our Father which
is in heaven. What, then, my reader, is the "witness" which your
"works" are bearing? What the writer's? Let us "be careful to maintain
good works? (Titus 3:8).
"And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me.
Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape" (John
5:37). The miracles performed by our Lord were not the only nor the
most direct evidence which proved His Deity. The Father Himself had
borne witness. The majority of the commentators refer this to the
baptism of Christ, when the Father's voice declared, "This is my
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." But we scarcely think this is
correct. Immediately following, our Lord went on to say, "Ye have
neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape." What, then,
would be the force of Christ here appealing to the Father's witness at
the Jordan if these detractors of His had not heard that Voice?
Personally, we think that Christ refers, rather, to the witness which
the Father had borne to His Son through the prophets during Old
Testament times. This seems to give more meaning to what follows--the
Old Testament economy was characterized by an invisible God, neither
His voice being heard, nor His shape seen.
"And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him
ye believe not" (John 5:38). Here our Lord begins to make solemn
application of what He had said to the consciences and hearts of these
Jews. Note the awful charges which He brings against them: "ye have
not his word abiding in you" (verse 38); "Ye will not come to me"
(verse 40); "ye have not the love of God in you" (verse 42); "ye
receive me not" (verse 43); "ye seek not the honor that cometh from
God only" (verse 44); "ye believe not" (verse 47). But notice
carefully the basic charge: "ye have not his word abiding in you."
This explained all the others. This was the cause of which the others
were but the inevitable effects. If God's Word has no place in man's
hearts they will not come to Christ, they will not receive Him, they
will not love God, and they will not seek the honor that cometh from
God only. It is only as the Word is hidden in our hearts that we are
preserved from sinning against God.
"Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and
they are they which testify of me" (John 5:39). This is the last
witness which our Lord cites, and, for us, it is the most important.
John has long since passed away; the "words" of Christ are no longer
before men's eyes; the voice of the Father is no more heard; but the
testimony of the Scriptures abides. The Scriptures testified of
Christ, and affirmed His Deity. Their witness was the climax. The Holy
Writings, given by inspiration of God, were the final court of appeal.
What importance and authority does He attach to them! Beyond them
there was no appeal: above them no higher authority: after them no
further witness. It is blessed to note the order in which Christ
placed the three witnesses to which He appealed in proof of His
equality with God. First, there was the witness of His own Divine
works. Second, there was the witness which the Father had borne to Him
through the prophets. Third, there was the testimony of the Holy
Scriptures, written by men moved by the Holy Spirit. Thus in these
three witnesses there is a remarkable reference made to each of the
three Persons in the Holy Trinity.
"Search the Scriptures" was both an appeal and a command. It is to be
read, as in our A.V., in the imperative mood. The proof for this is as
follows: First, the usage of the word. The Bible is its own
interpreter. If scripture be compared with scripture its meaning will
be plain. In John 7:52 we find the only other occurrence of the Greek
word (ereunao) in John's Gospel, here translated "search"; "They
answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and
look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet." When the Pharisees said
to Nicodemus "Search and look," they were bidding him search the
Scriptures. Thus, in both instances, the word has the imperative and
not the indicative force. Again; to give the verb here the indicative
force in John 5:39 is to make the first half of the verse pointless;
but to render it in the imperative gives it a meaning in full accord
with what precedes and what follows. "For in them ye think ye have
eternal life." The pronoun "ye" is emphatic. The word "think" does not
imply it was a doubtful point, or merely a matter of human opinion. It
is rather as though Christ said unto them, `This is one of the
articles of your faith: ye think (are persuaded), and rightly so; then
act on it. Search the Scriptures (in which you are assured there is
eternal life) and you will find that they, too, testify of Me.' The
word "think" does not imply a doubt, but affirms an assurance. (Cf.
Matthew 22:42, etc.).
"Search the Scriptures." Here is a command from the Lord. The
authority of His Godhood is behind it. "Search," He says; not merely
"read." The Greek word is one that was used in connection with
hunting. It referred to the hunter stalking game. When he discovered
the tracks of an animal, he concentrated all his attention on the
ground before him, diligently searching for other marks which would
lead him to his quarry. In a similar way, we are to study God's Word,
minutely examining each expression, tracing every occurrence of it,
and ascertaining its meaning from its usage. The grand motive for such
earnest study is, that the Scriptures "testify" of Christ. May writer
and reader give daily heed to this Divine admonition, to "Search" the
Scriptures.
"And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life" (John 5:40). It
was not lack of evidence but perversity of will which kept these Jews
from coming to Christ. And it is so still. The Lord Jesus stands ready
to receive all who come to Him; but by nature men are unwilling,
unwilling to come to Him that they "might have life." But why is this?
It is because they fail to realize their awful peril: did they but
know that they are standing on the brink of the Pit, they would flee
from the wrath to come. Why is it? It is because they have no sense of
their deep and desperate need: did they but apprehend their awful
condition their wickedness, their blindness, their hardheartedness,
their depravity--they would hasten to the great Physician to be healed
by Him. Why is it? It is because the carnal mind is enmity against
God, and Christ is God.
"I receive not honor from men" (John 5:41). Here again the Lord
maintains His dignity and insists upon His Divine self-sufficiency. I
"receive not" signifies, as in verses 34 and 44, "I seek not" honor
from men. "When I state My claims, and complain that you disregard
them, it is not because I wish to ingratiate Myself with you; not
because I covet your approbation or that of any man, or set of men. He
did not need their sanction: He could receive no honor from their
applause. His object was to secure the approbation of His Divine
Father, by faithfully executing the commission with which He was
entrusted; and so far as they were concerned, His desire was not that
He should be applauded by them, but that they should be saved by Him.
If He regretted, and He did most deeply regret their obstinate
unbelief and impenitence, it was for their own sakes, and not for His
own. Such was the unearthly, unambitious spirit of our Lord, and such
should be the spirit of all His ministers" (Dr. John Brown).
"But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you" (John 5:42).
How this makes manifest the omniscience of Christ! He who searcheth
the heart knew the state of these Jews. They posed as worshippers of
the true and living God. They appeared to be very jealous of His
honor. They claimed to be most punctilious in the observance of His
Sabbath. But Christ was not deceived. He knew they had not the love of
God in them, and this was why they refused to come to Him for life, It
is so now. The reason why men despise the claims of Christ is not
because of any want of evidence on the side of those claims, but
because of a sinful indisposition on their part to attend to those
claims. They have not the love of God in them; if they had, they would
receive and worship His Son.
"I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another
shall come in his own name, him ye will receive" (John 5:43).
Unspeakably solemn is this. Israel's rejection of Christ has only
prepared the way for them to accept the Antichrist, for it is to him
our Lord referred in the second part of this verse. Just as Eve's
rejection of the truth of God laid her open to accept the Devil's lie,
so Israel's rejection of the true Messiah has thoroughly prepared
them, morally, to receive the false Messiah; who will come in his own
name, doing his own pleasure, and seeking glory from men. Thus will he
thoroughly expose the corrupt heart of the natural man. How this
exhibits what is in the fallen creature and demonstrates his
depravity!
"How can ye believe, which receive honor one of another, and seek not
the honor that cometh from God only" (John 5:44). "Honor" signifies
approbation or praise. While these Jews were making it their chief aim
to win the good opinion of each other, and remained more or less
indifferent to the approval and approbation of God, they would not
come to Christ for life. To come to Christ they must humble themselves
in the dust, by taking the place of lost sinners before Him. And to
receive Him as their Lord and Savior, to live henceforth for the glory
of that One who was despised and rejected of men, would at once
separate them from the world, and would bring down upon them contempt
and persecution. But there is no middle ground: "the friendship of the
world is enmity with God." If we are determined to be honored and
smiled upon by our fellowmen, we shall remain alienated from God.
"Men are deceived today by the thought of building up man, the
improvement of the race, the forming of character, holding on to
themselves as though all that man needed was change of direction. Man
is himself evil, a sinner by nature, utterly alienated from the life
of God. He needs life, a new one. For what else did Christ come but
that He might give it? He is not to be received with honors such as
men pay to high officials, for they are like the men who pay the
honor, but He is from above and above all, and has eternal life to
give. He needs emptiness for His fulness, sinfulness for His holiness,
sinners for His salvation, death for His life; and he who can make out
his case of being lost and helpless gets all. It is not that men
should do their best by leaving off vices and reforming, and pay
devout respect to the name of Jesus and to religious rites, adding
this to their goodness for God's acceptance. It is that they should be
as the poor man in the beginning of this chapter, indebted to Christ
for everything: they must be receivers instead of givers. Receiving
honor from one another vitiates the whole idea in regard to God and
His Christ. We honor Him only when we are saved by Him; then, as
saved, worshipping and rejoicing in Christ Jesus the Lord" (Mal.
Taylor).
"Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that
accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses,
ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me" (John 5:45, 46). Our
Lord concludes by intimating to these Jews that they would yet have to
give an account of their rejection of Him before the tribunal of God,
and there they would see as their accuser the great legislator of whom
they boasted, but whose testimony they rejected. Here, then, was the
final reason why they would not come to Him for life--they believed
not the written Word of God.
"There is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had
ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me." How
solemn and searching is this! If there is one thing those Jews thought
they believed, it was Moses and his writings. They contended earnestly
for the law: they venerated the name of Moses above almost all of
their national heroes. They would have been ready to die for what
Moses taught. And yet here is the Son of God solemnly declaring that
these Jews did not believe Moses, and furnishing proof by showing that
if they had really believed Moses' writings they had believed in
Christ, of whom Moses wrote. How terribly deceptive is the human
heart! "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end
thereof are the ways of death" (Prov. 14:12). O, dear reader, make
certain that you believe, really, savingly believe on the Son of God.
"But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?"
(John 5:47). How this exposes the "Higher Critics!" If they believe
not the writings of Moses, no matter what their ecclesiastical
connections or religious professions, it is sure proof that they are
unsaved men--men who have not believed in Christ. The Old Testament
Scriptures are of equal authority with the teaching of Christ: they
are equally the Word of God.
Let the following questions be studied for the next lesson:--
1. What do the opening words of verse 1 denote?
2. In what respects is verse 2 repeated today?
3. What is the significance of verse 4 coming just before the feeding
of the multitude?
4. How may we apply to ourselves Christ's questions in verse 5?
5. Wherein do Philip and Andrew represent us? verses 7-9.
6. What are the spiritual lessons suggested by verse 11?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 20
Christ Feeding The Multitude
John 6:1-13
_________________________________________________________________
Of all the miracles performed by the Lord Jesus the feeding of the
five thousand is the only one recorded by each of the four
Evangelists. This at once intimates that there must be something about
it of unusual importance, and therefore it calls for our most diligent
study. The Holy Spirit has--if we may reverently employ such
language--described this miracle in the most matter-of-fact terms. No
effort is made to emphasize the marvel of it. There is an entire
absence of such language as an uninspired pen would naturally have
employed to heighten the effect on the reader. And yet,
notwithstanding the simplicity and exceeding brevity of the narrative,
it is at once evident that this incident of the feeding of the hungry
multitude was a signal example of Christ's almighty power. As Bishop
Ryle has noted, of all the wonderful works which our Savior did none
was quite so public as this, and none other was performed before so
many witnesses. Our Lord is here seen supplying the bodily needs of a
great crowd by means of five loaves and two small fishes. Food was
called into existence which did not exist before. To borrow another
thought from Bishop Ryle: In healing the sick and in raising the dead,
something was amended or restored which already existed; but here was
an absolute creation. Only one other miracle in any wise resembles
it--His first, when He made wine out of the water. These two miracles
belong to a class by themselves, and it is surely significant, yea
most suggestive, that the one reminds us of His precious blood, while
the other points to His holy body, broken for us. And here is, we
believe, the chief reason why this miracle is mentioned by all of the
four Evangelists: it shadowed forth the gift of Christ Himself. His
other miracles exhibited His power and illustrated His work, but this
one in a peculiar way sets forth the person of Christ, the Bread of
Life.
Why, then, was this particular miracle singled out for special
prominence? Above, three answers have been suggested, which may be
summarized thus: First, because there was an evidential value to this
miracle which excelled that of all others. Some of our Lord's miracles
were wrought in private, or in the presence of only a small company;
others were of a nature that made it difficult, in some cases
impossible, for sceptics to examine them. But here was a miracle,
performed in the open, before a crowd of witnesses which were to be
numbered by the thousand. Second, because of the intrinsic nature of
the miracle. It was a creation of food: the calling into existence of
what before had no existence. Third, because of the typical import of
the miracle. It spoke directly of the person of Christ. To these may
be added a fourth answer: The fact that this miracle of the feeding of
the hungry multitude is recorded by all the Evangelists intimates that
it has a universal application. Matthew's mention of it suggests to us
that it forshadows Christ, in a coming day, feeding Israel's poor--cf.
Psalm 132:15. Mark's mention of it teaches us what is the chief duty
of God's servants--to break the Bread of Life to the starving. Luke's
mention of it announces the sufficiency of Christ to meet the needs of
all men. John's mention of it tells us that Christ is the Food of
God's people.
Before we consider the miracle itself we must note its setting--the
manner in which it is here introduced to us. And ere doing this we
will follow our usual custom and present an Analysis of the passage
which is to be before us:--
1. Christ followed into Galilee by a great multitude, verses 1, 2.
2. Christ retires to a mountain with His disciples, verse 3.
3. Time: just before the Passover, verse 4.
4. The testing of Philip, verses 5-7.
5. The unbelief of Andrew, verses 8, 9.
6. The feeding of the multitude, verses 10, 11.
7. The gathering up of the fragments, verses 12, 13.
"After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the
sea of Tiberias" (John 6:1).
"After these things": the reference is to what is recorded in the
previous chapter--the healing of the impotent man, the persecution by
the Jews because this had been done on the Sabbath day, their
determination to kill Him because He had made Himself equal with God,
the lengthy reply made by our Lord. After these things, the Lord left
Jerusalem and Judea and "went over the sea of Galilee." It is similar
to what was before us in John 4:1-3. The Son of God would not remain
and cast precious pearls before swine. He departed from those who
despised and rejected Him. Very solemn is this, and a warning to every
unbeliever who may read these lines.
"And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles
which he did on them that were diseased" (John 6:2). How completely
these people failed in their discernment and appreciation of the
person of Christ! They saw in Him only a wonderful Magician who could
work miracles, a clever Physician that could heal the sick. They
failed to perceive that He was the Savior of sinners and the Messiah
of Israel. They were blind to His Divine glory. And is it any
otherwise with the great multitude today? Alas, few of them see in
Christ anything more than a wonderful Teacher and a beautiful Example.
"And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles
which he did on them that were diseased." How sadly true to life. It
is still idle curiosity and the love of excitement which commonly
gathers crowds together. And how what we read of here is being
repeated before our eyes in many quarters today. When some
professional evangelist is advertised as a `Faith-healer' what crowds
of sick folk will flock to the meetings! How anxious they are for
physical relief, and yet, what little real concern they seem to have
for their soul's healing!
"And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his
disciples" (John 6:3). This may be regarded as the sequel to what we
read of in verse 2, or it may be connected with verse 1, and then
verse 2 would be considered as a parenthesis. Probably both are
equally permissible. If we take verse 2 as giving the cause why our
Lord retired to the mountain with His disciples, the thought would be
that of Christ withdrawing from the unbelieving world. The miracles
drew many after Him, but only a few to Him. He knew why this great
multitude "followed him," and it is solemn to see Him withdrawing to
the mountain with His disciples. He will not company with the
unbelieving world: His place is among His own. If verse 3 be read
right on after verse 1, then we view the Savior departing from Judea,
weary (cf. Mark 6:31) with the unbelief and self-sufficiency of those
in Jerusalem. "He went up into a mountain into another atmosphere,
setting forth the elevation with the Father to which He retired for
refreshment of spirit" (Malachi Taylor). Compare John 6:15 and John
7:53 to John 8:2 for other examples in John's Gospel.
"And the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh" (John 6:4). This
seems introduced here in order to point again to the empty condition
to Judaism at this time. The Passover was nigh, but the Lamb of God
who was in their midst was not wanted by the formal religionists. Yea,
it was because they were determined to "kill him" (John 5:18), that He
had withdrawn into Galilee. Well, then, may the Holy Spirit remind us
once more that the Passover had degenerated into "a feast of the
Jews." How significant is this as an introductory word to what
follows! The Passover looks back to the night when the children of
Israel feasted on the lamb; but here we see their descendants
hungering! Their physical state was the outward sign of their
emptiness of soul. Later, we shall see how this verse supplies us with
one of the keys to the dispensational significance of our passage.
"When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto
him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may
eat?" (John 6:5). While the multitude did not know Christ, His heart
went out in tender pity to them. Even though an unworthy motive had
drawn this crowd after Christ, He was not indifferent to their need.
Matthew, in his account, tells us "And Jesus went forth, and saw a
great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them" (Matthew
14:14). So also Mark (Mark 6:34). The absence of this sentence here in
John is one of the innumerable evidences of the Divine authorship of
Scripture. Not only is every word inspired, but every word is in its
suited place. The "compassion" of Christ, though noted frequently by
the other Evangelists, is never referred to by John, who dwells upon
the dignity and glory of His Divine person. Compassion is more than
pity. Compassion signifies to suffer with, along side of, another.
Thus the mention of Christ's compassion by Matthew tells us how near
the Messiah had come to His people; while the reference to it in Mark
shows how intimately the Servant of Jehovah entered into the
sufferings of those to whom He ministered. The absence of this word in
John, indicates His elevation above men. Thus we see how everything is
most suitably and beautifully placed. And how much we lose by our
ungodly haste and carelessness as we fail to mark and appreciate these
lovely little touches of the Divine Artist! May Divine grace constrain
both writer and reader to handle the Holy Book more reverently, and
take more pains to acquaint ourselves with its exhaustless riches. It
would be a delight to tarry here, and notice other little details
mentioned by the different evangelists which are omitted from John's
account--such as the fact that Matthew tells us (before the miracle
was performed) that "it was evening," and that the disciples bade
their Master "send the multitude away"--but perhaps more will be
accomplished if we leave the reader to search them out for himself.
"When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great multitude come
unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these
may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he
would do" (John 6:5, 6). In reading the Scriptures we fail to derive
from them the blessings most needed unless we apply them to our own
hearts and lives. Unlike all others, the Bible is a living book: It is
far more than a history of the past. Stript of their local and
incidental details, the sacred narratives depict characters living and
incidents transpiring today. God changes not, nor do the motives and
principles of His actions. Human nature also is the same in this
twentieth century as it was in the first. The world is the same, the
Devil is the same, the trials of faith are the same. Let, then, each
Christian reader view Philip here as representing himself. Philip was
confronted with a trying situation. It was the Lord who caused him to
be so circumstanced. The Lord's design in this was to "prove" or test
him. Let us now apply this to ourselves.
What happened to Philip is, in principle and essence, happening daily
in our lives. A trying, if not a difficult, situation confronts us;
and we meet with them constantly. They come not by accident or by
chance; instead, they are each arranged by the hand of the Lord. They
are God's testings of our faith. They are sent to "prove" us. Let us
be very simple and practical. A bill comes unexpectedly; how are we to
meet it? The morning's mail brings us tidings which plunge us into an
unlooked-for perplexity; how are we to get out of it? A cog slips in
the household's machinery, which threatens to wreck the daily routine;
what shall we do? An unanticipated demand is suddenly made upon us;
how shall we meet it? Now, dear friends, how do such experiences find
us? Do we, like Philip and Andrew did, look at our resources? Do we
rack our minds to find some solution? or do our first thoughts turn to
the Lord Jesus, who has so often helped us in the past? Here, right
here, is the test of our faith.
O, dear reader, have we learned to spread each difficulty, as it comes
along, before God? Have we formed the habit of instinctively turning
to Him? What is your feebleness in comparison with His power! What is
your emptiness in comparison with His ocean fulness? Nothing! Then
look daily to Him in simple faith, resting on His sure promise, "My
God shall supply all your need" (Phil. 4:19). Ah! you may answer, It
is easy to offer such advice, but it is far from easy to act on it.
True. Yea, of yourself it is impossible. Your need, and my need, is to
ask for faith, to p/cad for grace, to cry unto God for such a sense of
helplessness that we shall lean on Christ, and on Him alone. Thus, ask
and wait, and you shall find Him as good as His word. "Why art thou
cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou
in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my
countenance, and my God" (Ps. 43:5).
The birds without barn,
Or storehouse are fed;
From them let us learn
To trust for our bread.
His saints what is fitting
Shall ne'er be denied,
So long as, `tis written
"The Lord will provide."
When Satan appears,
To stop up our path,
And fills us with fears,
We triumph by faith:
He cannot take from us,
Though oft he has tried,
The heart-cheering promise,
"The Lord will provide."
"Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not
sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little" (John
6:7). Let us see in Philip, once more, a portrait of ourselves. First,
what does this answer of Philip reveal? It shows he was occupied with
circumstances. He was looking on the things which are seen--the size
of the multitude--and such a look is always a barrier in the way of
faith. He made a rapid calculation of how much money it would require
to provide even a frugal meal for such a crowd; but he calculated
without Christ! His answer was the language of unbelief--"Two hundred
pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them
may take a little." Fancy talking of "a little' in the presence of
Infinite Power and Infinite Grace! His unbelief was also betrayed by
the very amount he specified--two hundred pennyworth.
Nowhere in Scripture are numbers used haphazardly. Two hundred is a
multiple of twenty, and in Scripture twenty signifies a vain
expectancy, a coming short of God's appointed time or deliverance. For
example, in Genesis 31:41 we learn how that Jacob waited twenty years
to gain possession of his wives and property; but it was not until the
twenty-first that God's appointed deliverance came. From Judges 4:3 we
learn how that Israel waited twenty years for emancipation from
Jabin's oppression; but it was not until the twenty-first that God's
appointed deliverance came. So in 1 Samuel 7:2 we learn how that the
ark abode in Kirjath-Jearim for twenty years, but it was in the
twenty-first that God delivered it. As, then, twenty speaks of
insufficiency, a coming short of God's appointed deliverance, so two
hundred conveys the same idea in an intensified form. Two hundred is
always found in Scripture in an evil connection. Let the reader
consult (be sure to look them up) Joshua 7:21; Judges 17:4; 1 Samuel
30:10; 2 Samuel 14:26; Revelation 9:16. So the number here in John 6:7
suitably expressed Philip's unbelief.
How surprising was this failure in the faith of Philip. One would have
supposed that after all the disciples had witnessed of the Lord's
wonder-working power they had learned by this time that all fulness
dwelt in Him. We should have supposed their faith was strong and their
hearts calm and confident. Ah--should we? Would not our own
God-dishonoring unbelief check such expectations? Have we not
discovered how weak our faith is! How obtuse our understanding! How
earthly our minds and hearts! In vain does the Lord look within us
sometimes for even a ray of that faith which glorifies Him. Instead of
counting on the Lord, we, like Philip, are occupied with nature's
resources. Beware, then, of condemning the unbelief of Philip, lest
you be found condemning yourself too.
How often has the writer thought, after some gracious manifestation of
the Lord's hand on his behalf, that he could trust Him for the future;
that the remembrance of His past goodness and mercy would keep him
calm and confident when the next cloud should drapen his landscape.
Alas! When it came how sadly he failed. Little did we know our
treacherous heart. And little do we know it even now. O dear reader,
each of us need the upholding hand of the Lord every step of our
journey through this world that lieth in the Wicked one; and, should
that hand be for a single moment withdrawn, we should sink like lead
in the mighty waters. Ah! nothing but grace rescued us; nothing but
grace can sustain us; nothing but grace can carry us safely through.
Nothing, nothing but the distinguishing and almighty grace of a
sovereign God!
"One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,
There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small
fishes: but what are they among so many?" (John 6:8, 9). Unbelief is
infectious. Like Philip before him, Andrew, too, seemed blind to the
glory of Christ. "What are they among so many?" was the utterance of
the same old evil heart of unbelief which long ago had asked, "Can God
furnish a table in the wilderness?" (Ps. 78:10). And how the
helplessness of unbelief comes out here! "That every one may take a
little," said Philip; "What are these among so many?" asked Andrew.
What mattered the "many" when the Son of God was there! Like Philip,
Andrew calculated without Christ, and, therefore he saw only a
hopeless situation. How often we look at God through our difficulties;
or, rather, we try to, for the difficulties hide Him. Keep the eye on
Him, and the difficulties will not be seen. But alas! what
self-centered, skeptical, sinful creatures we are at best! God may
lavish upon us the riches of His grace--He may have opened for us many
a dry path through the waters of difficult circumstances--He may have
delivered us with His outstretched arm in six troubles, yet, when the
seventh comes along, instead of resting on Job 5:19, we are
distrustful, full of doubts and fears, just as if we had never known
Him. Such frail and depraved creatures are we that the faith we have
this hour may yield to the most dishonoring distrust in the next. This
instance of the disciples' unbelief is recorded for our
"learning"--for our humbling and watchfulness. The same unbelief was
evidenced by Israel in the wilderness, for the human heart is the same
in all ages. All of God's wonders in Egypt and at the Red Sea were as
nothing, when the trials of the wilderness came upon them. Their
testings in "the wilderness of sin" (Ex. 16:1) only brought out of
their hearts just what this testing brought out of Philip's and
Andrew's, and just what similar testing brings out of ours--blindness
and unbelief. The human heart, when proved, can yield nothing else,
for nothing else is there. O with what fervency should we daily pray
to our Father, "Lead us not into temptation [trial]"!
"And Jesus said, Make the men sit down" (John 6:10). How thankful we
should be that God's blessings are dispensed according to the riches
of His grace, and not according to the poverty of our faith. What
would have happened to that multitude if Christ had acted according to
the faith of His disciples? Why, the multitude would have gone away
unfed! Ah! dear reader, God's blessings do come, despite all our
undeserving. Christ never fails, though there is nothing but failure
in us. His arm is never withdrawn for a moment, nor is His love
chilled by our skepticism and ingratitude. To hear or read of this may
encourage one who is merely a professing Christian to continue in his
careless and God-dishonoring course; but far otherwise will it be with
a real child of God. The realization of the Lord's unchanging
goodness, His unfailing mercies--despite our backslidings--will melt
him to tears in godly sorrow.
"And Jesus said, Make the men sit down." How patient was the Lord with
His disciples. There was no harsh rebuke for either Philip or Andrew.
The Lord knoweth our frame and remembers that we are dust. "Make the
men sit down" was a further test; this time of their obedience. And a
searching test it was. What was the use of making a hungry multitude
sit down when there was nothing to feed them with? Ah! but God had
spoken; Christ had given the command, and that was enough. When He
commands it is for us to obey, not to reason and argue. Why must not
Adam and Eve eat of the tree of knowledge? Simply because God had
forbidden them to. Why should Noah, in the absence of any sign of an
approaching flood, go to all the trouble of building the ark? Simply
because God had commanded him to. So, today. Why should the Christian
be baptized? Why should the women keep silence in the churches? Simply
because God has commanded these things--Acts 10:48; 1 Corinthians
14:34.
It is indeed blessed to note the response of the disciples to this
command of their Master. Their faith had failed, but their obedience
did not. Where both fail, there is grave reason to doubt if there is
spiritual life dwelling in such a soul. Their obedience evidenced the
genuineness of their Christianity. "If faith is weak, obedience is the
best way in which it may be strengthened. "Then shall ye know,' says
the prophet, `if ye follow on to know the Lord.' If you have not much
light, walk up to the standard of what you have, and you are sure to
have more. This will prove that you are a genuine servant of God.
Well, this is what the disciples seemed to do here. The light of their
faith was low, but they heard the word of Jesus, `Make the men sit
down.' They can act if they cannot see. They can obey His word if they
cannot see that all fulness dwells in Him to meet every difficulty. So
they obey His command. The men sit down, and Jesus begins to dispense
His blessings. And thus by their act of obedience, their faith becomes
enlightened, and every want is supplied. This is always the result of
walking up to the light we have got. `To him that hath shall more be
given.' That light may be feeble, it may be only a single ray
irradiating the darkness of the mind; nevertheless, it is what God has
given you. Despise it not. Hide it not. Walk up to it, and more shall
be added.
"And we may notice here how all blessings come down to us through the
channel of obedience. The supply for every want had been determined
beforehand in the Savior's mind, for `he himself knew what he would
do' (verse 6). Yet though this were so, it was to flow through this
medium--so intimately and inseparably is the carrying out of all God's
purposes of grace toward us connected with obedience to His commands.
This is the prominent feature in all God's people. `Obedient children'
is the term by which they are distinguished from those who are of the
world. `He became obedient' was the distinguishing feature in the
character of the divine Master, and it is the mark that the Holy
Spirit sets upon all His servants. Obedience and blessing are
inseparably connected in God's Word. `If any man will do his will, he
shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God.' `He that hath my
commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that
loveth me shall be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will
manifest myself to him'" (Dr. F. Whitfield)
"And Jesus said, Make the men to sit down." But why "sit down"? Two
answers may be returned. First, because God is a God of order. Any one
who has studied the works of God knows that. So, too, with His Word.
When His people left Egypt, they did not come forth like a disorderly
mob; but in ranks of fives--see Exodus 13:18 margin. It was the same
when they crossed the Jordan and entered Canaan--see Joshua 1:14
margin. It was so here. Mark says, "They sat down in ranks, by
hundreds, and by fifties" (John 6:40). It is so still: "Let all things
be done decently and in order" (1 Cor. 14:40). Whenever there is
confusion in a religious meeting--two or more praying at the same
time, etc.--it is a sure sign that the Holy Spirit is not in control
of it. "God is not the author of confusion" (1 Cor. 14:33).
"Make the men sit down." Why? Secondly, may we not also see in this
word the illustration of an important principle pertaining to the
spiritual life, namely, that we must sit down if we would be fed--true
alike for sinner and saint. The activities of the flesh must come to
an end if the Bread of life is to be received by us. How much all of
us need to ask God to teach us to be quiet and sit still. Turn to and
ponder Psalm 107:30; Isaiah 30:15; 1 Thessalonians 4:11; 1 Peter 3:4.
In this crazy age, when almost everybody is rushing hither and
thither, when the standard of excellency is not how well a thing is
done, but how quickly, when the Lord's people are thoroughly infected
by the same spirit of haste, this is indeed a timely word. And let not
the reader imagine that he has power of himself to comply. We have to
be "made" to "sit down"--frequently by sickness. Note the same word in
Psalm 23:2--"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures."
"Now there was much grass in the place" (John 6:10). How gracious of
the Holy Spirit to record this. Nothing, however trifling or
insignificant, is unknown to God or beneath His notice. The "much
cattle" in Nineveh (Jon. 4:11) had not been forgotten by Him. And how
minutely has the Word of God recorded the house, the situation of it,
and the name and occupation of one of the Lord's disciples (Acts 10:5,
6)! Everything is before Him in the registry of heaven. God's eye is
upon every circumstance connected with our life. There is nothing too
little for Him if it concerns His beloved child. God ordered nature to
provide cushions for this hungry multitude to sit upon! Mark adds that
the grass was "green" (John 6:39), which reminds us that we must rest
in the "green pastures" of His Word if our souls are to be fed.
"So the men sat down, in number about five thousand" (John 6:10). This
is another beautiful line in the picture (cf. the five loaves in verse
9), for five is ever the number which speaks of grace, that is why it
was the dominant numeral in the Tabernacle where God manifested His
grace in the midst of Israel. Five is four (the number of the
creature) plus one--God. It is God adding His blessing and grace to
the works of His hand.
"And Jesus took the loaves" (John 6:11). He did not scorn the loaves
because they were few in number, nor the fish either because they were
"small." How this tells us that God is pleased to use small and weak
things! He used the tear of a babe to move the heart of Pharaoh's
daughter. He used the shepherd-rod of Moses to work mighty miracles in
Egypt. He used David's sling and stone to overthrow the Philistine
giant. He used a "little maid" to bring the "mighty" Naaman to Elisha.
He used a widow with a handful of meal to sustain His prophet. He used
a "little child" to teach His disciples a much needed lesson in
humility. So here, He used the five loaves and two small fishes to
feed this great multitude. And, dear reader, perhaps He is ready to
use you--weak, insignificant, and ignorant though you be--and make you
"mighty through God, to the pulling down of strongholds" (2 Cor.
10:4). But mark it carefully, it was only as these loaves and fishes
were placed in the hands of Christ that they were made efficient and
sufficient!
"And Jesus took the loaves." He did not despise them and work
independently of them. He did not rain manna from heaven, but used the
means which were to hand. And surely this is another lesson that many
of His people need to take to heart today. It is true that God is not
limited to means, but frequently He employs them. When healing the
bitter waters of Marah God used a tree (Ex. 15:23-25). In healing
Hezekiah of his boil He employed a lump of figs (2 Kings 20:4-7).
Timothy was exhorted to use a "little wine for his stomach's sake and
his often infirmities" (1 Tim. 5:23). In view of such scriptures let
us, then, beware of going to the fanatical lengths of some who scorn
all use of drugs and herbs when sick.
"And when he had given thanks" (John 6:11). In all things Christ has
left us a perfect example. He here teaches us to acknowledge God as
the Giver of every good gift, and to own Him as the One who provides
for the wants of all His creatures. This is the least that we can do.
To fail at this point is the basest ingratitude.
"He distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were
set down" (John 6:11). Here we are taught, again, the same lesson as
the first miracle supplied, namely, that God is pleased to use human
instruments in accomplishing the counsels of His grace, and thus give
us the inestimable honor and privilege of being "laborers together
with God" (1 Cor. 3:9). Christ fed the hungry multitude through His
disciples. It was their work as truly as it was His. His was the
increase, but theirs was the distribution. God acts according to the
same principle today. Between the unsearchable riches of Christ and
the hungry multitudes there is room for consecrated service and
ministry. Nor should this be regarded as exclusively the work of
pastors and evangelists. It is the happy duty of every child of God to
pass on to others that which the Lord in His grace has first given to
them. Yea, this is one of the conditions of receiving more for
ourselves. This is one of the things that Paul reminded the Hebrews
of. He declared he had many things to say unto them, and they were
hard to be interpreted because they had become dull (slothful is the
meaning of the word) of hearing, and unskilled in using the Word.
Consequently, instead of teaching others--as they ought--they needed
to be taught again themselves (Heb. 5:11-13). The same truth comes out
in that enigmatical utterance of our Lord recorded in Luke 8:18: "for
whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from
him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have." The one who
"hath" is the believer who makes good use of what he has received, and
in consequence more is given him; the one who "seemeth to have" is the
man who hides his light under a bushel, who makes not good use of what
he received, and from him this is "taken away." Be warned then, dear
reader. If we do not use to God's glory what He has given us, He may
withhold further blessings from us, and take away that which we fail
to make good use of.
"He distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were
set down." One can well imagine the mingled feelings of doubt and
skepticism as the twelve left the Savior's side for the hungry
multitude, with the little store in their baskets. How doubt must have
given place to amazement, and awe to adoration, as they distributed,
returned to their Master for a fresh supply, and continued
distributing, giving a portion of bread and fish to each till all were
satisfied, and more remaining at the close than at the beginning! Let
us remember that Jesus Christ is "the same yesterday and today and for
ever," and that all fulness dwells in Him. By comparing Mark 6:41 it
will be found that there the Holy Spirit has described the modus
operandi of the miracle: "He looked up to heaven, and blessed, and
brake the loaves, and gave to his disciples." The word "brake" is in
the aorist tense, intimating an instantaneous act; whereas "gave" is
in the imperfect tense, denoting the continuous action of giving.
"This shows that the miraculous power was in the hands of Christ,
between the breaking and the giving" (Companion Bible).
He distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were
set down." What a lesson is there here for the Christian servant. The
apostles first received the bread from the hands of their Master, and
then "distributed" to the multitude. It was not their hands which made
the loaves increase, but His! He provided the abundant supply, and
their business was to humbly receive and faithfully distribute. In
like manner, it is not the business of the preacher to make men value
or receive the Bread of life. He can not make it soul-saving to any
one. This is not his work; for this he is not responsible. It is God
who giveth the "increase"! Nor is it the work of the preacher to
create something new and novel. His duty is to seek "bread" at the
hands of his Lord, and then set it before the people. What they do
with the Bread is their responsibility! But, remember, that we cannot
give out to others, except we have first received ourselves. It is
only the full vessel that overflows!
"And likewise of the fishes as much as they would" (John 6:11).
"Precious, precious words! The supply stopped only with the demand.
So, when Abraham went up to intercede with God on behalf of the
righteous in Sodom, the Lord never ceased granting till Abraham had
ceased asking. Thus also in the case of Elisha's oil; so long as there
were empty vessels to be found in the land, it ceased not its abundant
supply (2 Kings 4:6). Likewise also here, so long as there was a
single one to supply, that supply came forth from the treasuries of
the Lord Jesus. The stream flowed on in rich abundance till all were
filled. This is grace. This is what Jesus does to all His people. He
comes to the poor bankrupt believer, and, placing in His hand a draft
on the resources of heaven, says to him, `Write on it what thou wilt.'
Such is our precious Lord still. If we are straitened, it is not in
Him, but in ourselves. If we are poor and weak, or tried and tempted,
it is not that we cannot help ourselves--it is because we do not (`All
things are yours', in Christ, 1 Corinthians 3:22 A.W.P.). We have so
little faith in things unseen and eternal. We draw so little on the
resources of Christ. We come not to Him with our spiritual wants--our
empty vessels--and draw from the ocean fulness of His grace.
"`As much as they would'. Precious, precious words. Remember them,
doubting, hesitating one, in all thy petitions for faith at the throne
of grace. `As much as they would.' Remember them, tried and tempted
one, in all thy pleadings for strength to support thee on thy
wilderness way. `As much as they would'. Remember them, bereaved and
desolate one, whose eves are red with weeping, bending over the green
sod, beneath which all thy earthly hopes are lying, and with a rent in
thine heart that shall never be healed till the morning of
resurrection--remember these words as thy wounded and desolate spirit
breaks forth in mournful accents on a Savior's ear for help and
strength. And, guilty one, bowed down with a lifetimes load of sin,
traversing the crooked bypaths of the broad road to ruin; a wilful
wanderer from thy God; as the arrow of conviction penetrates thy soul,
and as thine agonizing voice is heard crying for mercy--remember these
precious, precious words, `as much as they would'. `Him that cometh
unto Me I will in no wise cast out¡" (Dr. F. Whitfield).
"When they were filled" (John 6:12). God gives with no niggardly hand.
"When they were filled"--what a contrast is this from the words of
Philip, "That every one of them may take a little'? The one was the
outpouring of Divine grace, the other the limitation of unbelief.
Christ had fed them from His own inexhaustible resources, and when He
feeds His people He leaves no want behind. Christ, and He alone,
satisfies. His promise is, "He that cometh to me shall never hunger;
and he that believeth on me shall never thirst" (John 6:35). Do you
know, dear reader, what it is to be "filled" from His blessed
hand-filled with peace, filled with joy, filled with the Holy Spirit!
"Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost" (John
6:12) All were filled and yet abundance remained! How wonderful and
how blessed this is. All fulness dwells in Christ, and that fulness is
exhaustless. Countless sinners have been saved and their souls
satisfied, and yet the riches of grace are as undiminished as ever.
Then, too, this verse may be considered from another angle. "Gather up
the fragments." There was abundance for all, but the Lord would have
no waste. How this rebukes the wicked extravagance that we now behold
on every hand! Here, too, the Holy One has left us a perfect example.
"Gather up the fragments" is a word that comes to us all. The
"fragments" we need to watch most are the fragments of our time. How
often these are wasted! "Let nothing be lost"! "Gather them up"--your
mis-spent moments, your tardy services, your sluggish energies, your
cold affections, your neglected duties. Gather them up and use them
for His glory.
"Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with
the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above
unto them that had eaten" (John 6:13). How this confirms what we have
said about giving out to others. The loaves were augmented by division
and multiplied by subtraction! We are never impoverished, but always
enriched by giving to others. It is the liberal soul that is made fat
(Prov. 11:25). We need never be anxious that there will not be enough
left for our own needs. God never allows a generous giver to be the
loser. It is miserliness which impoverishes. The disciples had more
left at the finish than they had at the beginning! They "filled twelve
baskets," thus the twelve apostles were also provided with an ample
supply for their own use too! They were the ones who were enriched by
ministering to the hungry multitude! What a blessed encouragement to
God's servants today!
In closing, let us call attention to another of the wonderful typical
and dispensational pictures which abound in this Gospel. The passage
which has been before us supplies a lovely view of the activities of
God during this dispensation. It should be carefully noted that John 6
opens with the words, "After these things." This expression always
points to the beginning of a new series--cf. John 5:1; 7:1; 21:1;
Revelation 4:1, etc. In John 4 we have two typical chapters which
respect the Gentiles--see the closing portions of chapters 15 and 16.
Hence John 5 begins with "After this." John 5 supplies us with a
typical picture of Israel--see chapter 17. Now as John 6 opens with
"After these things," we are led to expect that the dispensational
view it first supplies will respect the Gentiles again and not the
Jews. This is confirmed by the fact that the remainder of the verse
intimates that Christ had now left Judea and had once more entered
Galilee of the Gentiles. Further corroboration is found in that Philip
and Andrew figure so prominently in the incident which follows--cf.
John 12:20-22 which specially links them with the Gentiles. In the
remainder of the passage we have a beautiful view of Christ and His
people during the present dispensation. Note the following lines in
the picture:--
First, we behold the Lord on high and His people "seated" with Him
John 4:3). This, of course, typifies our standing; what follows
contemplates our state. Second, we are shown the basis of our
blessings: "And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh" (verse
4). The Passover speaks of "Christ our passover sacrificed for us" (1
Cor. 5:7). But note, it is not only "the passover" which is mentioned
here, but also "the passover, a feast" (note the absence of this in
John 2:13!), which beautifully accords with what follows--typically,
believers feeding on Christ! But we are also told here that this
"passover" was "a feast of the Jews." This is parallel with John
4:22--"Salvation is of the Jews." It is a word to humble us, showing
our indebtedness to Israel, cf. Romans 11:18: "Thou bearest not the
root, but the root thee." Third, the people of God, those who in this
dispensation are fed, are they who "come unto Him" (verse 5)--Christ.
Fourth, Christ's desire (verse 5) and purpose (verse 6) to feed His
own. Fifth, His saints are a people of little faith (cf. Matthew
8:26), who fail in the hour of.testing (verses 5-9). Sixth, His people
must "sit down" in order to be "fed." Seventh, Christ ministers to His
people in sovereign grace ("five loaves" and "five" thousand men,
(verses 10, 11) and gives them a satisfying portion--"They were
filled" (verse 12).
It is beautiful to observe that after the great multitude had been
fed, there "remained" twelve full baskets, which tells of the
abundance of grace reserved for Israel. This also gives meaning to, "A
feast of the Jews was nigh" (verse 4).
Let the following questions be studied with a view to the next
chapter:--
1. Why did Christ "depart"? verse 15.
2. Why were the disciples "afraid"? verse 19.
3. What spiritual lessons may be drawn from verses 17 to 217
4. How harmonize the first half of verse 27 with Ephesians 2:8, 9?
5. What is meant by Christ being "sealed"? verse 27.
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 21
Christ Walking On The Sea
John 6:14-27
_________________________________________________________________
We begin with our customary Analysis of the passage which is to be
before us:--
1. The Response of the people to the miracle of the loaves: verses 14,
15.
2. The Retirement of Christ to the mount: verse 15.
3. The Disciples in the storm: verses 16-19.
4. The Coming of Christ to them: verses 20, 21.
5. The people follow Christ to Capernaum: verses 22-25.
6. Christ exposes their motive: verse 26.
7. Christ presses their spiritual need upon them: verse 27.
The opening verses of the passage before us contain the sequel to what
is described in the first thirteen verses of John 6. There we read of
the Lord ministering, in wondrous grace, to a great multitude of
hungry people. They had no real appreciation of His blessed person,
but had been attracted by idle curiosity and the love of the
sensational--"because they saw his miracles which he did on them that
were diseased" (verse 2). Nevertheless, the Son of God, in tenderest
pity, had supplied their need by means of the loaves and the fishes.
What effects, then, did this have upon them?
Christ had manifested His Divine power. There was no gainsaying that.
The crowd were impressed, for we are told, "Then those men, when they
had seen the miracle which Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that
prophet which should come into the world" (John 6:14). The title "that
prophet" has already been before us in John 1:21. The reference is to
Deuteronomy 18:15, where we read that, through Moses God declared,
"The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of
thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken." These
men, then, seemed ready to receive the Lord as their Messiah. And yet
how little they realized and recognized what was due Him as "that
prophet"--the Son of God incarnate. Instead of falling down before Him
as undone sinners, crying for mercy; instead of prostrating themselves
at His feet, in reverent worship; instead of owning Him as the Blessed
One, worthy of their hearts' adoration, they would "take him by force
to make him a king" (John 6:15); and this, no doubt, for their own
ends, thinking that He would lead them in a successful revolt against
the hated Romans. How empty, then, were their words! How little were
their consciences searched or their hearts exercised! How blind they
still were to the Light! Had their hearts been opened, the light had
shone in, revealing their wretchedness; and then, they would have
taken their place as lost and needy sinners. It is the same today.
Many there are who regard our Lord as a Prophet (a wonderful Teacher),
who have never seen their need of Him as a Refuge from the wrath to
come--a doom they so thoroughly deserve. Let us not be misled, then,
by this seeming honoring of Christ by those who eulogize His precepts,
but who despise His Cross. It is no more a proof that they are saved
who, today, own Christ as a greater than Buddha or Mohammed, than this
declaration by these men of old--"This is of a truth that prophet
which should come into the world," evidenced that they had "passed
from death unto life."
"When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by
force" (John 6:15). This is very solemn. Christ was not deceived by
their fair speech. Their words sounded very commendable and laudatory,
no doubt, but the Christ of God was, and is, the Reader of hearts. He
knew what lay behind their words. He discerned the spirit that
prompted them. "Jesus therefore perceived" is parallel with John 2:24,
25: "But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all,
and needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in
man." "Jesus therefore perceived" is a word that brings before us His
Deity. The remainder of verse 15 is profoundly significant and
suggestive.
"When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by
force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself
alone" (John 6:15). These Jews had owned Him (with their lips) as
Prophet, and they were ready to crown Him as their King, but there is
another office that comes in between these. Christ could not be their
King until He had first officiated as Priest, offering Himself as a
Sacrifice for sin! Hence the doctrinal significance of "He departed
again into a mountain himself alone," for in His priestly work He is
unattended--cf. Leviticus 16:17!
But there was also a moral and dispensational reason why Christ
"departed" when these Jews would use force to make Him a King. He
needed not to be made "a king," for He was born such (Matthew 2:2);
nor would He receive the kingdom at their hand. This has been brought
out beautifully by Mr. J. B. Bellet in his notes on John's
Gospel:--"The Lord would not take the kingdom from zeal like this.
This could not be the source of the kingdom of the Son of Man. The
`beasts' may take their kingdoms from the winds striving upon the
great sea, but Jesus cannot (Dan. 7:2, 25). This was not, in His ear,
the shouting of the people bringing in the headstone of the corner
(Zech. 4:7); nor the symbol of His People made willing in the day of
His power (Ps. 110:3). This would have been an appointment to the
throne of Israel on scarcely better principles than those on which
Saul had been appointed of old. His kingdom would have been the fruit
of their revolted heart. But that could not be. And besides this, ere
the Lord could take His seat on Mount Zion, He must ascend the
solitary mount; and ere the people could enter the kingdom, they must
go down to the stormy sea. And these things we see reflected here as
in a glass."
It should be noted that Matthew tells us how Christ "went up into a
mountain apart to pray" (Matthew 14:23); so, too, Mark (Mark 6:46).
The absence of this word in John is in beautiful accord with the
character and theme of this fourth Gospel, and supplies us with
another of those countless proofs for the Divine and verbal
inspiration of the Scriptures. In this Gospel we never see Christ
praying (John 17 is intercession, giving us a sample of His priestly
ministry on our behalf in heaven: note particularly verses 4 and 5,
which indicate that the intercession recorded in the verses that
follow was anticipatory of Christ's return to the Father!), for John's
special design is to exhibit the Divine glories of the Savior.
"And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea, And
entered into a ship" (John 6:16, 17). Matthew explains the reason for
this: "And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a
ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the
multitudes away" (Matthew 14:22). The Lord desired to be alone, so He
caused the disciples to go on ahead of Him. It would seem, too, that
He purposed to teach them another lesson on faith. This will appear in
the sequel.
"And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And
it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them" (John 6:17). What we
have here, and in the verses that follow, speaks unmistakably to us.
It describes the conditions through which we must pass as we journey
to our Home above. Though not of the world, we are necessarily in it:
that world made up of the wicked, who are like "the troubled sea." The
world in which we live, dear reader, is the world that rejected and
still rejects the Christ of God. It is the world which "lieth in the
wicked one" (1 John 5:19), the friendship of which is enmity with God
(James 4:4). It is a world devoid of spiritual light; a world over
which hangs the shadow of death. Peter declares the world is "a dark
place" (2 Pet. 1:19). It is dark because "the light of the world" is
absent.
"It was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them." Sometimes Christ
withholds the light of His countenance even from His own. Job cried,
"when I waited for light, there came darkness" (Job 30:26). But, thank
God, it is recorded, "Unto the upright there ariseth light in the
darkness" (Ps. 112:4). Let us remember that the darkness is not
created by Satan, but by God (Isa. 45:7). And He has a wise and good
reason for it. Sometimes He withholds the light from His people that
they may discover "the treasures of darkness" (Isa. 45:3).
"Jesus was not come to them. And the sea arose by reason of the great
wind that blew" (John 6:17, 18). This tested the faith and patience of
the disciples. The longer they waited the worse things became. It
looked as though Christ was neglectful of them. It seemed as though He
had forgotten to be gracious. Perhaps they were saying, If the Master
had been here, this storm would not have come up. Had He been with
them, even though asleep on a pillow, His presence would have cheered
them. But He was not there; and the darkness was about them, and the
angry waves all around them--fit emblems of the opposition of the
world against the believer's course. It was a real test of their faith
and patience.
And similarly does God often test us today. Frequently our
circumstances are dark, and conditions are all against us. We cry to
the Lord, but He "does not come." But let us remind ourselves, that
God is never in a hurry. However much the petulance of unbelief may
seek to hasten His hand, He waits His own good time. Omnipotence can
afford to wait, for it is always sure of success. And because
omnipotence is combined with infinite wisdom and love, we may be
certain that God not only does everything in the right way, but also
at the best time: "And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be
gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have
mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all
they that wait for him" (Isa. 30:18).
Sometimes the Lord "waits" until it is eventide before He appears in
His delivering grace and power. The darkness becomes more gloomy, and
still He waits. Yes, but He waits "to be gracious." But why? Could He
not be gracious without this waiting, and the painful suspense such
waiting usually brings to us? Surely; but one reason for the delay is,
that His hand may be the more evident; and another reason is, that His
hand may be the more appreciated, when He does intervene. Some times
the darkness becomes even more gloomy, well-nigh unbearable; and still
He waits. And again, we wonder, Why? All is it not that all our hopes
may be disappointed; that our plans may be frustrated, till we reach
our wit's end (Ps. 107:27)! And, then, just as we had given up hope,
He breaks forth unexpectedly, and we are startled, as were these
disciples on the stormlashed sea.
"So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they
see Jesus walking on the sea" (John 6:19). These lines will,
doubtless, be read by more than one saint who is in a tight place. For
you, too, the night is fearfully dark, and the breakers of adverse
circumstances look as though they would completely swamp you. O tried
and troubled one, read the blessed sequel of John 6:17, 18. It
contains a word of cheer for you, if your faith lays hold of it.
Notice that the disciples did not give up in despair--they continued
"rowing" (verse 19)! And ultimately the Lord came to their side and
delivered them from the angry tempest. So, dear saint, whatever may be
the path appointed by the Lord, however difficult and distasteful,
continue therein, and in His own good time the Lord will deliver you.
Again we say, Notice that the disciples continued their "rowing." It
was all they could do, and it was all that was required of them. In a
little while the Lord appeared, and they were at the land. Oh may God
grant both writer and reader perseverance in the path of duty. Tempted
and discouraged one, remember Isaiah 30:18 (look it up and memorize
it) and continue rowing!
There is another thing, a blessed truth, which is well calculated to
sustain us in the interval before the deliverance comes; and it will
if the heart appropriates its blessedness. While the storm-tossed
disciples were pulling at the oars and making little or no progress,
the Lord was on high--not below, but above them--master of the
situation. And, as Matthew tells us, He was "praying." And on high He
is now thus engaged on our behalf. Remember this, O troubled one, your
great High Priest who is "touched with the feeling of your
infirmities" is above, ever living to intercede. His prayers undergird
you, so that you cannot sink. Mark adds a word that is even more
precious--"And he saw them toiling in rowing" (John 6:48). Christ was
not indifferent to their peril. His eye was upon them. And even though
it was "dark" (John 6:17) He saw them. No darkness could hide those
disciples from Him. And this, too, speaks to us. We may be "toiling in
rowing" (the Greek word means "fatigued"), weary of the buffeting from
the unfriendly winds and waves, but there is One above who is not
unconcerned, who sees and knows our painful lot, and who, even now, is
preparing to come to our side. Turn your eyes away from your frail
barque, away from the surrounding tempest, and "look off unto Jesus,
the author and finisher of faith" (Heb. 12:1).
"So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they
see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they
were afraid" (John 6:19). This shows how little faith was in exercise.
Matthew tells us, "And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea,
they were troubled" (Matthew 14:26). Think of it, "troubled" and
"afraid" of Jesus! Does some one say, That was because the night was
dark and the waves boisterous, consequently it was easy to mistake the
Savior for an apparition? Moreover, the sight they beheld was
altogether unprecedented: never before had they seen one walking on
the water! But if we turn to Mark's record we shall find that it was
not dimness of physical sight which caused the disciples to mistake
their Master for a spectre, but dullness of spiritual vision: "They
considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was
hardened." Their fears had mastered them. They were not expecting
deliverance. They had already forgotten that exercise of Divine grace
and power which they had witnessed only a few short hours before. And
how accurately (and tragically) do they portray us--so quickly do we
forget the Lord's mercies and deliverances in the past, so little do
we really expect Him to answer our prayers of the present.
"But he saith unto them, "It is I; be not afraid" (John 6:20). This is
parallel in thought with what we had before us in verse 10. The
scepticism of Philip and the unbelief of Andrew did not prevent the
outflow of Divine mercy. So here, even the hardness of heart of these
disciples did not quench their Lord's love for them. O how deeply
thankful we ought to be that "He hath not dealt with us after our
sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities" (Ps. 103:10). From
beginning to end He deals with us in wondrous, fathomless, sovereign
grace. "It is I," He says. He first directs their gaze to Himself. "Be
not afraid," was a word to calm their hearts. And this is His
unchanging order. Our fears can only be dispelled by looking in faith
to and having our hearts occupied with Him. Look around, and we shall
be disheartened. Look within, and we shall be discouraged. But look
unto Him, and our fears will vanish.
"Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the
ship was at the land whither they went" (John 6:21). Now that He had
revealed Himself to them; now that He had graciously uttered the
heart-calming "Be not afraid"; now that He had (as Matthew and Mark
tell us) spoken that well-known word "Be of good cheer": they
"willingly' received him into the ship." Christ does not force Himself
upon us: He waits to be "received." It is the welcome of our hearts
that He desires. And is it not just because this is so often withheld,
that He is so slow in coming to our relief--i.e. "manifesting himself"
to us (John 14:21)! How blessed to note that as soon as He entered the
ship, the end of the voyage was reached for them. In applying to
ourselves the second half of this twenty-first verse, we must not
understand it to signify that when Christ has "manifested'' Himself
unto us that the winds will cease to blow or that the adverse "sea"
will now befriend us; far from it. But it means that the heart will
now have found a Haven of rest: our fears will be quieted; we shall be
occupied not with the tempest, but with the Master of it. Such are
some of the precious spiritual lessons which we may take to ourselves
from this passage.
"The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of
the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one
whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his
disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone;
(Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place
where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:)
When.the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his
disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for
Jesus" (John 6:22-24). The multitude, whose hearts were set on making
the Miracle-worker their "king," apparently collected early in the
morning to carry their purpose into effect. But on seeking for Jesus,
He was nowhere to be found. This must have perplexed them. They knew
that on the previous evening there was only one boat on their side of
the sea, and they had seen the disciples depart in this, alone. Where,
then, was the Master? Evidently, He who had miraculously multiplied
five loaves and two fishes so as to constitute an abundant meal for
more than five thousand people, must also in some miraculous manner
have transported Himself across the sea. So, availing themselves of
the boats which had just arrived from Tiberias, they crossed over to
Capernaum, in the hope of finding the Lord Jesus there; for they knew
that this city had, for some time, been His chief place of residence.
Nor was their expectation disappointed.
"And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said
unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? Jesus answered them and
said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw
the miracles but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled"
(John 6:25, 26). There was, perhaps, nothing wrong in their question,
"Rabbi, when camest thou hither?" But to have answered it would not
have profited them, and that was what the Lord sought. He, therefore,
at once showed them that He was acquainted with their motives, and
knew full well what had brought them thither. Outwardly at least,
these people appeared ready to honor Him. They had followed Him across
the sea of Galilee, and sought Him out again. But He read their
hearts. He knew the inward springs of their conduct, and was not to be
deceived. It was the Son of God evidencing His Deity again. He knew it
was temporal, not spiritual blessing, that they sought. When He tells
them, "Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles (or "signs") but
because ye did eat of the loaves," His evident meaning is that they
realized not the spiritual significance of those "signs." Had they
done so, they would have prostrated themselves before Him in worship.
And let us remember that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and
today, and forever." Christ still reads the human heart. No secrets
can be withheld from Him. He knows why different ones put on religious
garments when it suits their purpose--why, at times, some are so loud
in their religious pretensions--why thy profess to be Christians.
Hypocrisy is very sinful, but its folly and uselessness are equally
great.
"Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which
endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto
you" (John 6:27). The expression used here by Christ is a relative and
comparative one: His meaning is, Labor for the latter rather than for
the former. The word "labor" is very expressive. It signifies that men
should be in deadly earnest over spiritual things; that they should
spare no pains to obtain that which their souls so imperatively need.
It is used figuratively, and signifies making salvation the object of
intense desire. O that men would give the same diligence to secure
that which is imperative, as they put forth to gain the things of time
and sense. That to which Christ bids men direct their thoughts and
energies is "meat which endureth"--abideth would be better: it is one
of the characteristic words of this Gospel.
When our Lord says, "Labor... for that meat (satisfying portion) which
endureth unto everlasting life," He was not inculcating salvation by
works. This is very clear from His next words--"which the Son of man
shall give unto you." But He was affirming that which needs to be
pressed on the half-hearted and those who are occupied with material
things. It is difficult to preserve the balance of truth. On the one
hand, we are so anxious to insist that salvation is by grace alone,
that we are in danger of failing to uphold the sinner's responsibility
to seek the Lord with all his heart. Again; in pressing the total
depravity of the natural man, his deadness in trespasses and sins, we
are apt to neglect our duty of calling on him to repent and believe
the Gospel. This word of Christ's, "Labor . . . for the meat which
endureth" is parallel (in substance) with "Strive to enter in at the
strait gate" (Luke 13:24), and "every one presseth into the kingdom of
God" (Luke 16:16). "For him hath God the Father sealed" (John 6:27).
What is meant by Christ being "sealed" by God the Father? First,
notice it is as "Son of man" that He is here said to be "sealed." That
is, it was as the Son of God, but incarnate. There are two prime
thoughts connected with "sealing:" identification, and attestation or
ratification. In Revelation 7 we read of God's angel "sealing" twelve
thousand from each of the tribes of Israel. The sealing there consists
of placing a mark on their foreheads, and it is for the purpose of
identification: to distinguish and separate them from the mass of
apostate Israel. Again, in Esther 8:8 we read, "Write ye also for the
Jews, as it liketh you, in the king's name, and seal it with the
king's ring: for the writing which is written in the king's name, and
sealed with the king's ring, may no man reverse." Here the thought is
entirely different. The king's "seal" there speaks of authority. His
seal was added for the purpose of confirmation and ratification.
These, we doubt not, are the principle thoughts we are to associate
with the "sealing" of Christ.
The historical reference is to the time when Christ was baptized--Acts
10:38. When the Lord Jesus, in marvellous condescension, had
identified Himself with the believing remnant in Israel, taking His
place in that which spoke of death, the Father there singled Him out
by "anointing" or "sealing" Him with the Holy Spirit. This was
accompanied by His audible voice, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in
whom I am well pleased." Thus was the Christ, now about to enter upon
His mediatorial work, publicly identified and accredited by God. The
Father testified to the perfections of His incarnate Son, and
communicated official authority, by "sealing" Him with the Holy
Spirit. This declaration of Christ here in verse 27 anticipated the
question or challenge which we find in verse 52, "How can this man
give us his flesh to eat?" The sufficient answer, already given, was
"for him hath God the Father sealed." So, too, it anticipated and
answered the question of verse 30: "What sign showest thou then, that
we may see, and believe thee?" Just as princes of the realm are often
authorized by the king to act in governmental and diplomatic affairs
on his behalf, and carry credentials that bear the king's seal to
confirm their authority before those to whom they are sent, so Christ
gave proof of His heavenly authority by His miracles: "God anointed
Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power" (Acts 10:38).
It is blessed to know that we, too, have been "sealed": Ephesians
1:13. Believers are "sealed" as those who are approved of God But
observe, carefully, that it is in Christ we are thus distinguished.
"In whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy
Spirit of promise." Christ was "sealed" because of His own intrinsic
perfections; we, because of our identification and union with Him!
"Accepted in the beloved" (Eph. 1:6) gives us the same thought. Mark,
though, it is not said (as commonly misunderstood) that the Holy
Spirit seals us, but that the Holy Spirit Himself is God's "Seal" upon
us--the distinguishing sign of identification, for sinners do not have
the Holy Spirit (Jude 19).
Let the student ponder the following questions, preparatory to our
next chapter:--
1. What does the question in verse 28 intimate?
2. What is the meaning of verse 29?
3. What do verses 30 and 31 demonstrate in connection with those
people?
4. In how many different respects is "bread" a suited emblem of
Christ?
5. What is the meaning of verse 35--Does a believer ever "hunger" or
"thirst"?
6. Who have been given to Christ by the Father? verse 37.
7. What comforting truth is found in verse 39?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 22
Christ, the Bread of Life
John 6:28-40
_________________________________________________________________
Below we give an Analysis of the passage which is to be before us:--
1. The Inquiry of the legalistic heart: verse 28.
2. The Divine answer thereto: verse 29.
3. The Scepticism of the natural heart: verses 30, 31.
4. Christ the true Bread: verses 32-34.
5. Christ the Satisfier of man's heart: verse 35.
6. The Unbelief of those who had seen: verse 36.
7. Christ's Submission to the Father's will: verses 37-40.
It is both important and instructive to observe the connection between
John 5 and John 6: the latter is, doctrinally, the sequel to the
former. There is both a comparison and a contrast in the way Christ is
presented to us in these two chapters. In both we see Him as the
Source of life, Divine life, spiritual life, eternal life. But,
speaking of what is characteristic in John 5, we have life
communicated by Christ, whereas in John 6 we have salvation received
by us. Let us amplify this a little.
John 5 opens with a typical illustration of Christ imparting life to
an impotent soul: a man, helpless through an infirmity which he had
had for thirty-eight years, is made whole. This miracle Christ makes
the basis of a discourse in which He presented His Divine glories. In
verse 21 we read, "As the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth
them: even so the Son quickeneth whom he will." The same line of
thought continues through to the end of verse 26. Thus, Christ there
presents Himself in full Godhead title, as the Source and Dispenser of
life, sovereignly imparted to whom He pleases. The one upon whom this
Divine life is bestowed, as illustrated by the case of the impotent
man, is regarded as entirely passive; he is called into life by the
all-mighty, creating voice of the Son of God (verse 25). There is
nothing in the sinner's case but the powerlessness of death until the
deep silence is broken by the word of the Divine Quickener. His voice
makes itself heard in the soul, hitherto dead, but no longer dead as
it hears His voice. But nothing is said of any searchings of heart,
any exercises of conscience, any sense of need, any felt desire after
Christ. It is simply Christ, in Divine sufficiency, speaking to
spiritually dead souls, empowering them (by sovereign "quickening") to
hear.
In John 6 Christ is presented in quite another character, and in
keeping with this, so is the sinner too. Here our Lord is viewed not
in His essential glories, but as the Son incarnate. Here He is
contemplated as "the Son of man" (verses 27, 53), and therefore, as in
the place of humiliation, "come down from heaven" (verses 33, 38, 51,
etc.). As such, Christ is made known as the Object of desire, and as
the One who can meet the sinner's need. In John 5 it was Christ who
sought out the "great multitude" of impotent folk (verses 3, 6), and
when Christ presented Himself to the man who had an infirmity thirty
and eight years, he evidenced no desire for the Savior. He acted as
one who had no heart whatever for the Son of God. As such he
accurately portrayed the dead soul when it is first quickened by
Christ. But in John 6 the contrast is very noticeable. Here the "great
multitude" followed him (verses 2, 24, 25), with an evident desire for
Him--we speak not now of the unworthy motive that prompted that
desire, but the desire itself as illustrative of a truth. It is this
contrast which indicates the importance of noting the relation of John
5 and 6. As said in our opening sentences, the latter is the sequel to
the former. We mean that the order in the contents of the two
chapters, so far as their contents are typical and illustrative, set
forth the doctrinal order of truth. They give us the two sides: the
Divine and the human; and here, as ever, the Divine comes first. In
,John 5 we have the quickening power of Christ, as exercised according
to His sovereign prerogative; in John 6 we have illustrated the
effects of this in a soul already quickened. In the one, Christ
approaches the dead soul; in the other, the dead soul, now quickened,
seeks Christ!
In developing this illustration of the truth in John 6, the Holy
Spirit has followed the same order as in John 5. Here, too, Christ
works a miracle, on those who typically portray the doctrinal
characters which are in view. These are sinners already "quickened,"
but not yet saved; for, unlike quickening, there is a human side to
salvation, as well as a Divine. The prominent thing brought before us
in the first section of John 6 is a hungry multitude. And how forcibly
and how accurately they illustrate the condition of a soul just
quickened, is obvious. As soon as the Divine life has been imparted,
there is a stirring within; there is a sense of need awakened. It is
the life turning toward its Source, just as water ever seeks its own
level. The illustration is Divinely apt, for there are few things of
which we are more conscious than when we are assailed by the pangs of
hunger. But not so with a dead man, for he is unconscious; or with a
paralyzed man, for he is incapable of feeling. So it is spiritually.
The one who is dead in trespasses and sins, and paralyzed by
depravity, has no hunger for God. But how different with one who has
been Divinely "quickened"! The first effect of quickening is that the
one quickened awakes to consciousness: the Divine life within gives
capacity to discern his sinfulness and his need of Christ.
Mark, too, what follows in the second section of John 6. The same line
of truth is pursued further. Here we see the disciples in darkness, in
the midst of a storm, rowing towards the Place of Consolation. What a
vivid illustration does this supply of the experiences of the newly
quickened and so awakened soul! It tells of the painful experiences
through which he passes ere the Haven of Rest is reached. Not yet is
he really saved; not yet does he understand the workings of Divine
grace within him. All he is conscious of is his sense of deep need.
And it is then that Satan's fiendish onslaughts are usually the
fiercest. Into what a storm is he now plunged! But the Devil is not
permitted to completely overwhelm the soul, any more than he was the
disciples in the illustration. When God's appointed time arrives,
Christ draws nigh and says, "I am: be not afraid." He stands revealed
before the one who was seeking Him, and then is He "willingly received
into the ship"--He is gladly embraced by faith, and received into the
heart! Then the storm is over, the desired haven is reached, for the
next thing we see is Christ and the disciples at "Capernaum" (place of
consolation). Thus, in the feeding of the hungry multitude, and in the
delivering of the disciples from the storm-tossed sea, we have a most
blessed and wonderful illustration of Christ meeting and satisfying
the conscious need of the soul previously quickened.
It will thus be seen that all of this is but introductory to the great
theme unfolded in the middle section of John 6. Just as the healing of
the impotent man at the beginning of John 5 introduced and prepared
the way for the discourse that followed, so it is in John 6. Here the
prominent truth is Christ in the place of humiliation, which He had
voluntarily entered as man, "come down from heaven"; and thus as "the
bread of life" presenting Himself as the Object who alone can supply
the need of which the quickened and awakened soul is so conscious.[1]
"Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the
works of God?" (John 6:28). This question appears to be the language
of men temporarily impressed and aroused, but still in the dark
concerning the way to Heaven. They felt, perhaps, that they were on
the wrong road, that something was required of them, but what that
something was they knew not. They supposed they had to do some work;
but what works they were ignorant. It was the old self-righteousness
of the natural man, who is ever occupied with his own doings. The
carnal mind is flattered when it is consciously doing something for
God. For his doings man deems himself entitled to reward. He imagines
that salvation is due him, because he has earned it. Thus does he
reckon the reward "not of grace, but of debt." Man seeks to bring God
into the humbling position of debtor to him. How unbelief and pride
degrade the Almighty! How they rob Him of His glory!
"What shall we do that we might work the works of God?" It seems
almost incredible that these men should have asked such a question.
Only a moment before, Christ had said to them "Labor not for the meat
which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting
life, which the Son of man shall give unto you" (verse 27). But the
carnal mind, which is enmity against God, is unable to rise to the
thought of a gift. Or, rather, the carnal heart is unwilling to come
down to the place of a beggar and a pauper, and receive everything for
nothing. The sinner wants to do something to earn it. It was thus with
the woman at the well: until Divine grace completed its work within
her, she knew not the "gift of God" (John 4:10). It was the same with
the rich young ruler: "Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal
life?" (Luke 18:18). It was the same with the stricken Jews on the day
of Pentecost: "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37). It
was the same with the Philippian jailer: "Sirs, what must I do to be "
saved? (Acts 16:30). So it was with the prodigal son--"Make me as one
of thy hired servants" (one who works for what he receives) was his
thought (Luke 15:19). Ah! dear friends, God and man are ever the same
wherever you find them!
"Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye
believe on him whom he hath sent" (John 6:29). In what lovely patient
grace did the Lord make reply! In blessed simplicity of language, He
stated that the one thing that God requires of sinners is that they
believe on the One whom He has sent into the world to meet their
deepest need. "This is the work of God" means, this is what God
requires. It is not the works of the law, nor the bringing of an
offering to His temple altar; but faith in Christ. Christ is the
Savior appointed by God, and faith in Him is that which God approves,
and without which nothing else can be acceptable in His sight. Paul
answered the question of the Philippian jailer as the Lord before him
had done--"What must I do to be saved?": "Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ and thou shalt be saved" was the reply (Acts 16:31). But again
we say, Man had rather do than "believe." And why is this? Because it
panders to his pride: because it repudiates his utter ruin, inasmuch
as it is a denial that he is "without strength" (Rom. 5:6): because it
provides for him a platform on which he can boast and glory.
Nevertheless, the one and only "work" which God will accept is faith
in His Son.
But, perhaps some one will raise the question, Is it possible that I
can ever enter heaven without good works? Answer: No; you cannot enter
heaven without a good character. But those good works and that
character of yours must be without a flaw. They must be as holy as
God, or you can never enter His presence. But how may I secure such a
character as that? Surely that is utterly impossible! No, it is not.
But how then? By a series of strivings after holiness? No; that is
doing again. Do nothing. Only believe. Accept the Work already
done--the finished work of the Lord Jesus on our behalf. This is what
God asks of you--give up your own doings and receive that of My
beloved Son. But are you ready to do this? Are you willing to abandon
your own doings, your own righteousness, and to accept His? You will
not till you are thoroughly convinced that all your doings are faulty,
that all your efforts fall far short of God's demands, that all your
own righteousness is tarnished with sin, yea, is as "filthy rags."
What man will renounce his own work in order to trust to that of
another, unless he be first convinced that his own is worthless? What
man will repose for safety in another till he be convinced that there
is no safety in trusting to himself? It is impossible. Man cannot do
this of himself: it takes the work of God." It is the convicting power
of the Holy Spirit, and that alone, which brings the sinner to
renounce his own works and lay hold on the Lord Jesus for salvation.
O dear reader, we would solemnly press this upon you. Is the finished
work of Christ the only rock on which your soul is resting for eternal
life, or are you still secretly trusting to your own doings for
salvation? If so, you will be eternally lost, for the mouth of the
Lord hath spoken it--"He that believeth not shall be damned." Your own
doings, even if they were such as you wish them to be, could never
save you. Your prayers, your tears, your sorrowings for sin, your
alms-givings, your church-goings, your efforts at holiness of
life--what are they all but doings of your own, and if they were all
perfect they could not save you. Why? Because it is written, "By the
deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight."
Salvation is not a thing to be earned by a religious life, but is a
free gift received by faith--Romans 6:23.
"They said therefore unto him, What sign showest thou then, that we
may see, and believe thee? What dost thou work?" (John 6:30). How this
exhibits the works of unbelief! How difficult it is, yea impossible,
for the natural man, of himself, to accept Christ and His finished
work by "simple" faith! Truly, nothing but the Spirit of God can
enable a man to do it. The Lord had said, "Believe." They replied,
"Show us a sign." Give us something we can see along with it. Man must
either see or feel before he will believe. "We do not mean to say that
salvation is not by believing on Christ, but we want some evidence
first. We will believe if we can have some evidence on which to
believe. Oh, perfect picture of the natural heart! I come to a
man--one who has probably for years been making a profession of
religion--and I say to him, `Have you got eternal life dwelling in
you? Do you know that you are a saved man, that you have passed from
death unto life?' The reply is, `No, I am not sure of it.' Then you do
not believe on the Lord Jesus. You have not accepted the finished work
of Christ as yours. He replies, `Yes, I do believe on Christ.' Then
remember what He has said, `He that believeth hath everlasting life.'
He does not hope to have it. He is not uncertain about it. `He hath
it,' says the Son of God. The man answers, `Well, I would believe this
if I could only feel better. If I could only see in myself some
evidences of a change, then I could believe it, and be as certain of
it as you are.' So said these people to the Lord--give us some
evidence that we may see and believe. Do you not see that you are thus
making salvation depend on the evidences of the Spirit's work within
you, instead of the finished work of the Lord Jesus for you? You say,
I would believe if I could only feel better--if I could only see a
change. God says, Believe first, then you shall feel--then you shall
see. God reverses your order, and you must reverse it too, if you
would ever have peace with God. Believe, and you will then have in
your heart a motive for a holy life, and not only so, you will walk in
liberty, and peace, and joy" (Dr. F. Whitfield).
"They said therefore unto him, What sign showest thou then, that we
may see, and believe thee? What dost thou work?" The force of that is
this: You have asked us to receive you as the One sent of God. What
sign, then do you show; where are your credentials to authorize your
mission? And this was asked, be it remembered, on the morning
following the feeding of the five thousand! It seems unthinkable. Only
a few hours before they had witnessed a miracle, which in some
respects, was the most remarkable our Lord had performed, and from
which they had themselves benefitted. And yet, does not our own sad
history testify that this is true to life? Men are surrounded by
innumerable evidences for the existence of God: they carry a hundred
demonstrations of it in their own persons, and yet how often do they
ask, What proof have we that there is a God? So, too, with believers.
We enjoy countless tokens of His love and faithfulness; we have
witnessed His delivering hand again and again, and yet when some fresh
trial comes upon us--something which completely upsets our plans, the
removal, perchance, of some earthly object around which we had
entwined our heart's affections--we ask, Does God really care? And,
maybe, we are sufficiently callous to ask for another "sign" in proof
that He does!
"Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave
them bread from heaven to eat" (John 6:31). Here they drew a
disparaging contrast between Christ and Moses. It was the further
workings of their unbelief. The force of their objection was this:
What proof have we that Thou art greater than Moses? They sought to
deprecate the miracle they had witnessed on the previous day by
comparing Moses and the manna. It was as though they had said, `If you
would have us believe on you as the Sent One of God, you must show us
greater works. You have fed five thousand but once, whereas in Moses'
day, our fathers ate bread for forty years!' It is striking to note
how they harped back to their "fathers." The woman at the well did the
same thing (see John 4:12). And is it not so now? The experiences of
"the fathers", what they believed and taught, is still with many the
final court of appeal.
"Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave
them bread from heaven to eat." Their speech betrayed them, as is
evident from their use of the word "manna." The late Malachi Taylor
pointed out how this was "a name always used by their father, of
wilfulness, persistently ignoring Jehovah's word `bread', and now
uttered by them, because it was so written. It is notable that they of
old never called it anything at all but `manna' (meaning `What is
this?'), except when they despised it (Num. 21:5); and then they
called it `light bread.' And Jehovah named it `manna' in Numbers 11:7
when the mixed multitude fell a lusting for the flesh-pots of Egypt.
What lessons for us as to our thoughts of Christ, the Bread of God! In
Psalm 78:24, where God is recounting the evil ways of Israel through
the wilderness, He calls it `manna'; but in Psalm 105:40, where all
His mercies pass in review, calling for praise, it is called `bread'.
Again we say, What lessons for us!"
"Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave
you not the bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread
from heaven" (John 6:32). With good reason might our blessed Lord have
turned away from His insulting challengers. Well might He have left
them to themselves. But as another has said, "Grace in Him was active.
Their souls' interests He had at heart" (C.E.S.). And so, in wondrous
condescension, He speaks to them of the Father's "Gift", who alone
could meet their deep need, and satisfy their souls. And has He not
often dealt thus with thee, dear reader? Cannot you say with the
Psalmist, "He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us
according to our iniquities" (Ps. 103:10)? Instead of turning away in
disgust at our ingratitude and unbelief, He has continued to care for
us and minister to us. O how thankful ought we to be for that precious
promise, and the daily fulfillment of it in our lives, "I will never
leave thee, nor forsake thee."
"Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave
you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true
bread from heaven." The error of the Jews here should be a warning to
us. They thought Moses gave them the manna. But it was God and not
Moses. He was only the humble instrument. They ought to have looked
through the instrument to God. But the eye rested, where it is ever so
prone to rest--on the human medium. The Lord here leads them to look
beyond the human instrument to God--"Moses gave you not that bread...
but my Father," etc. O what creatures of sense we are. We live so much
in the outward and visible, as almost to forget there is anything
beyond. All that we gaze upon here is but the avenue to what eye hath
not seen, nor ear heard. All the temporal gifts and blessings we
receive are but the finger of the Father beckoning us within the inner
shrine. He is saying to us, `If My works be so beautiful, if My gifts
be so precious, if My footprints be so glorious, what must I be?' Thus
should we ever look through nature, to nature's God. Thus shall we
enjoy God's gifts, when they lead us up to Him; and then shall we not
make idols of them, and so run the risk of their removal. Everything
in nature and in providence is but the "Moses" between us and God. Let
us not be like the Jews of old, so taken up with Moses as to forget
the "greater than Moses," whence they all proceed.
"For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth
life unto the world" (John 6:33). The Father's provision for a dying
world was to send from heaven His only begotten Son. There is another
suggestive contrast here, yea, a double one. The manna had no power to
ward off death--the generation of Israel that ate it in the wilderness
died! How, then, could it be the "true bread"? No; Christ is the "true
bread," for He bestows "life." But again: the manna was only for
Israel. No other people in the desert (the Amorites, for instance)
partook of the manna; for it fell only in Israel's camp. But the true
Bread "giveth life unto the world." The "world" here does not include
the whole human race, for Christ does not bestow "life" on every
descendant of Adam. It is not here said that the true Bread offereth
"life unto the world," but He "giveth life." It is the "world" of
believers who are here in view. The Lord, then, designedly employs a
word that reached beyond the limits of Israel, and took in elect
Gentiles too!
"For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth
life unto the world." Three different expressions are used by our Lord
in this passage, each having a slightly varied meaning; the three
together, serving to bring out the fulness and blessedness of this
title. In verse 32 He speaks of Himself as the "true bread from
heaven": "true" speaks of that which is real, genuine, satisfying;
"from heaven" tells of its celestial and spiritual character. In verse
33 He speaks of Himself as "the bread of God," which denotes that He
is Divine, eternal. Then, in verse 35 He says, "I am the bread of
life": the One who imparts, nourishes and sustains life.
"Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread" (John
6:34). This was but the outcome of a fleeting impression which had
been made by His words. It reminds us very much of the language of the
woman at the well, "Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not,
neither come hither to draw" (John 4:15), and those who recall our
comments on that verse will remember the motive that prompted her. The
words of these men but served to make their rejection of Him more
manifest and decisive when they fully grasped His meaning: verse 36
proves this conclusively"But I said unto you, That ye also have seen
me, and believe not."
"And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life" (John 6:35). The
Lord places Himself before us under the figure of bread. The emblem is
beautifully significant, and like all others used in Scripture calls
for prolonged and careful meditation. First, bread is a necessary
food. Unlike many other articles of diet which are more or less
luxuries, this is essential to our very existence. Bread is the food
we cannot dispense with. There are other things placed upon our tables
that we can do without, but not so with bread. Let us learn the lesson
well. Without Christ we shall perish. There is no spiritual life or
health apart from the Bread of God.
Second, bread is a Food that is suited to all. There are some people
who cannot eat sweets; others are unable to digest meats. But all eat
bread. The physical body may retain its life for a time without bread,
but it will be sickly, and soon sink into the grave. Bread, then is
adapted to all. It is the food of both king and artisan. So it is with
Christ. It meets the need of all alike; He is able to satisfy every
class of sinners--rich or poor, cultured or illiterate.
Third, bread is a daily food. There are some articles of food which we
eat but occasionally; others only when they are in season. But bread
is something we need every day of our lives. It is so spiritually. If
the Christian fails to feed on Christ daily, if he substitutes the
husks of religious forms and ceremonies, religious books, religious
excitement, the glare and glitter of modem Christianity, he will be
weak and sickly. It is failure at this very point which is mainly
responsible for the feebleness of so many of the Lord's people.
Fourth, bread is a satisfying food. We quickly fire of other articles
of diet, but not so with this. Bread is a staple and standard article,
which we must use all our lives. And does not the analogy hold good
again spiritually? How often have we turned aside to other things,
only to find them but husks! None but the Bread of life can satisfy.
Fifth, let us note the process through which bread passes before it
becomes food. It springs up--the blade, the ear, the full corn in the
ear. Then it is cut down, winnowed, and ground into flour, and finally
subjected to the fiery process of the oven. Thus, and only thus, did
it become fit to sustain life. Believer in Christ, such was the
experiences of the Bread of God. He was "bruised for our iniquities."
He was subjected to the fierce fires of God's holy wrath, as He took
our place in judgment. O how wonderful--God forbid that we should ever
lose our sense of wonderment over it. The Holy One of God, was "made a
curse for us." "It pleased the Lord to bruise him." And this in order
that He might be the Bread of life to us! Let us then feed upon Him.
Let us draw from His infinite fulness. Let us ever press forward unto
a more intimate fellowship with Him.
"And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to
me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst"
(John 6:35). In verse 33 Christ had spoken of giving life to "the
world"--the world of believers, the sum total of the saved. Now He
speaks of, the individual--"he that cometh to me... he that believeth.
A similar order is to be observed in verse 37--note the "all" is
followed by "him." There is, no doubt, a shade of difference between
"believing on" Christ, and "coming to" Him. To "believe on" Christ is
to receive God's testimony concerning His Son, and to rest on Him
alone for salvation. To "come to" Him--which is really the effect of
the former--is for the heart to go out to Him in loving confidence.
The two acts are carefully distinguished in Hebrews 11:6: "without
faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must
believe that he is: and that he is the rewarder of them that
diligently seek him." I must know who the physician is, and believe in
his ability, before I shall go to him to be cured.
But what are we to understand by "shall never hunger" and "shall never
thirst"? Does the Christian never "hunger" or "thirst"? Surely; then,
how are we to harmonize his experience with this positive declaration
of the Savior? Ah! He speaks here according to the fulness and
satisfaction there is in Himself, and not according to our imperfect
apprehension and appreciation of Him. If we are straitened it is in
ourselves, not in Him. If we do "hunger" and "thirst," it is not
because He is unable, and not because He is unwilling, to satisfy our
hunger and quench our thirst, but because we are of "little faith" and
fail to draw daily from His fulness.
"But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not"
(John 6:36). Even the sight of Christ in the flesh, and the beholding
of His wondrous miracles, did not bring men to believe on Him. O the
depravity of the human heart! "Ye also have seen me, and believe not."
This shows how valueless was their request: "Lord, evermore give us
this bread" (verse 34). It is unspeakably solemn. They trusted in
Moses (John 9:28), they had rejoiced for a season in John the
Baptist's light (John 5:35); they could quote the Scriptures (John
6:31), and yet they believed not on Christ! It is difficult to say how
far a man may go, and yet come short of the one thing needful. These
men were not worse than many others, but their unbelief was manifested
and declared; consequently, Christ addresses them accordingly. This,
indeed, would be the result in every case, were we left to our own
thoughts of Christ. Be warned then, dear reader, and make sure that
yours is a saving faith.
"But I said unto you, that ye also have seen me, and believe not."
Was, then, the incarnation a failure? Was His mission fruitless? That
could not be. There can be no failure with God, though there is much
failure in all of us to understand His purpose. Christ was not in
anywise discouraged or disheartened at the apparent failure of His
mission. His next word shows that very conclusively, and to it we
turn.
"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me" (John 6:37). Here the
Lord speaks of a definite company which have been given to Him by the
Father. Nor is this the only place where He makes mention of this
people. In John 17 He refers to their seven times over. In verse 2 He
says, "As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should
give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him." So again in
verse 6 He says, "I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou
gavest me out of the world: Thine they were, and thou gavest them me."
And again in verse 9 He declares, "I pray not for the world, but for
them which thou hast given me; for they are thine." See also verses
11, 12, 24. Whom those are that the Father gave to Christ we are told
in Ephesians 1:4--"According as he hath chosen us in him before the
foundation of the world." Those given to Christ were God's elect,
singled out for this marvellous honor before the foundation of the
world: "God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation" (2 Thess.
2:13). But let us notice the exact connection in our passage wherein
Christ refers to the elect.
In verse 36 we find our Lord saying to those who had no heart for Him,
"ye also have seen me, and believe not." Was He, then, disheartened?
Far from it. And why not? Ah! mark how the Son of God, here the lowly
Servant of Jehovah, encourages Himself. He immediately adds, "All that
the Father giveth me shall come to me." What a lesson is this for
every under shepherd. Here is the true haven of rest for the heart of
every Christ worker. Your message may be slighted by the crowd, and as
you see how many there are who "believe not" it may appear that your
labor is in vain. Nevertheless "the foundation of God standeth sure,
having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his" (2 Tim. 2:19).
The eternal purpose of the Almighty cannot fail; the sovereign will of
the Lord Most High cannot be frustrated. All, every one, that the
Father gave to the Son before the foundation of the world "shall come
to him." The Devil himself cannot keep one of them away. So take heart
fellow-worker. You may seem to be sowing the Seed at random, but God
will see to it that part of it falls onto ground which He has
prepared. The realization of the invincibility of the eternal counsels
of God will give you a calmness, a poise, a courage, a perseverance
which nothing else can. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye
steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,
forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (1
Cor. 15:58).
"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me." But while this is
very blessed, it is solemnly tragic and deeply humbling. How
humiliating for us, that in the presence of incarnate life and love in
the person of the Lord of glory, no one would have come to Him, none
would have benefitted by His mission, had there not been those who
were given to Him by the Father, and on whose coming He could,
therefore, reckon. Man's depravity is so entire, his enmity so great,
that in every instance, his will would have resisted and rejected
Christ, had not the Father determined that His Son should have some as
the trophies of His victory and the reward of His coming down from
heaven. Alas that our deadness to such love should have called forth
such sighs as seem to breathe in these very words of Christ!
"And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37).
Let us not miss (as is so commonly done) the connection between this
clause and the one which precedes it. "Him that cometh to me" is
explained by "all that the Father giveth me." None would come to Him
unless the Father had first predestinated that they should, for it is
only "as many as were ordained to eternal life" that believe (Acts
13:48). Each one that the Father had given to Christ in eternity past,
"cometh" to Him in time--comes as a lost sinner to be saved; comes
having nothing, that he may receive everything.
The last clause "I will in no wise cast out" assures the eternal
preservation of everyone that truly cometh to Christ. These words of
the Savior do not signify (as generally supposed) that He promises to
reject none who really come to Him, though that is true; but they
declare that under no imaginable circumstances will He ever expel any
one that has come. Peter came to Him and was saved. Later, he denied
his Master with an oath. But did Christ "cast him out"? Nay, verily.
And can we find a more extreme case? If Peter was not "cast out," no
Christian ever was, or ever will be. Praise the Lord!
"For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of
him that sent me" (John 6:38). This is most instructive. The force of
it is this: Those whom the Father had given the Son--all of
them--would come to Him. It was no longer the Son in His essential
glory, quickening whom He would, as in verse 21, but the Son
incarnate, the "Son of man" (John 6:27), receiving those the Father
"drew" to Him (John 6:44)! "Therefore be it who it might, He would in
no wise cast him out: enemy, scoffer, Jew or Gentile, they would not
come if the Father had not sent them" (J.N.D.). Christ was here to do
the Father's will. Thus does Christ assure His own that He will save
to the end all whom the Father had given Him.
"For I came down from heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of
him that sent me." How greatly does this enhance the value of the
precious words at the close of the preceding verse, when we see that
our coming to Christ is not attributed to man's fickle will, but as
the effect of the Father's drawing to the Savior each one given to Him
in the counsels of that Father's love before the foundation of the
world! So, too, the reception of them is not merely because of
Christ's compassion for the lost, but as the obedient Servant of the
Father's will, He welcomes each one brought to Him--brought by the
unseen drawings of the Father's love. Thus our security rests not upon
anything in us or from us, but upon the Father's choice and the Son's
obedient love!
"And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which
he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again
at the last day" (John 6:39). How blessedly this, too, explains the
closing words of verse 37! Eternal predestination guarantees eternal
preservation. The "last day" is, of course, the last day of the
Christian dispensation. Then it shall appear that He hath not lost a
single one whom the Father gave to Him. Then shall He say, "Behold I
and the children which God hath given me" (Heb. 2:13).
"And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth
the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will
raise him up at the last day" (John 6:40). Christ had just spoken of
the Father's counsels. He had disclosed the fact that the success of
His ministry depended not on man's will--for that was known to be, in
every case, so perverse as to reject the Savior--but on the drawing
power of the Father. But here He leaves, as it were, the door wide
open to any one any where who is disposed to enter: "that every one
which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life."
Yet it is instructive to note the order of the two verbs here:
"believing" on Christ is the result of "seeing" Him. He must first be
revealed by the Spirit before He will be received by the sinner. Thus
did our Lord disclose to these men that a far deeper and infinitely
more important work had been entrusted to Him than that of satisfying
Israel's poor with material bread--not less a change than that of
raising up at the last day all that had been given to Him by the
Father, without losing so much as one.
The following questions are submitted to help the student for the next
chapter on John 6:41-59:--
1. Wherein does verse 44 rebuke their "murmuring"?
2. What ought to have been their response to verse 44?
3. Who are the "all" that are "taught of God"? verse 45.
4. What is meant by "not die"? verse 50.
5. What are the various thoughts suggested by "eat"? verse 51.
6. What is the difference in thought between verses 53 and 56?
7. What is meant by "I live by the Father"? verse 57.
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] We do not think the time would be wasted if the above paragraphs
were re-read before proceeding farther.
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 23
Christ in the Capernaum Synagogue
John 6:41-59
_________________________________________________________________
The following is submitted as an Analysis of the passage which is to
be before us:
1. The murmuring of the Jews: verses 41, 42.
2. Christ's rebuke: verses 43-45.
3. The glory of Christ: verse 46.
4. Christ, the Life-giver: verses 47-51.
5. The criticism of the Jews: verse 52.
6. Christ's solemn reply: verse 53.
7. The results of feeding on Christ: verses 54-59.
The first thirteen verses of John 6 describe the feeding of the
multitude, and in verses 14 and 15 we are shown what effect that
miracle had upon the crowd. From verse 16 to the end of verse 21 we
have the well-known incident of the disciples in the storm, and the
Lord walking on the sea and coming to their deliverance. In verses 22
to 25 we see the people following Christ to Capernaum, and in verses
26 to 40 we learn of the conversation which took place between them
and our Lord--most probably in the open air. At verse 41 there is a
break in the chapter, and a new company is introduced, namely, "the
Jews"; and from verse 59 it is clear that they were in the synagogue.
In this Gospel "the Jews" are ever viewed as antagonistic to the
Savior--see our notes on verse 15. Here they are represented as
"murmuring" because the Lord had said, "I am the bread which came down
from heaven." This does not prove that they had heard His words which
are recorded in verse 33. Note it does not say in verse 41 that the
Lord had said this "unto them": contrast verses 29, 32, 35! Most
probably, the words He had spoken to "the people" of verse 24--words
which are recorded in the verses which follow, to the end of verse
40--had been reported to "the Jews." Hence, verses 41 to 59 describe
the conversation between Christ and the Jews in the Capernaum
synagogue, as the preceding verses narrate what passed between the
Savior and the Galileans. The Holy Spirit has placed the.two
conversations side by side, because of the similarity of their themes.
"The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which
came down from heaven" (John 6:41). "In John `the Jews' are always
distinguished from the multitude. They are the inhabitants of
Jerusalem and Judea. It would, perhaps, be easier to understand this
Gospel, if the words were rendered `those of Judea', which is the true
sense" (J.N.D.). These Jews were "murmuring," and it is a significant
thing that the same word is used here as in the Septuagint (the first
Gentile translation of the Hebrew Old Testament) of Israel murmuring
in the wilderness. In few things does the depravity of the human heart
reveal itself so plainly and so frequently as in murmuring against
God. It is a sin which few, if any, are preserved from.
The Jews were murmuring against Christ. They were murmuring against
Him because He had said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven."
This was a saying that of. fended them. And why should that cause them
to murmur? They were, of course, completely blind to Christ's Divine
glory, and so were ignorant that this very One whom some of them had
seen grow up before their eyes in the humble home of Joseph and Mary
in Nazareth, and the One that some of them, perhaps, had seen working
at the carpenter's bench, should make a claim which they quickly
perceived avowed His Deity. It was the pride of the human heart
disdaining to be indebted to One who had lain aside His glory, and had
taken upon Him the form of a servant. They refused to be beholden to
One. so lowly. Moreover, they were far too self-satisfied and
self-righteous to see any need for One to come down from heaven to
them, much less for that One to die upon the Cross to meet their need
and thus become their Savior. Their case, as they thought, was by no
means so desperate as that. The truth is, they had no hunger for "the
bread which came down from heaven." What light this casts on the state
of the world today! How it serves to explain the common treatment
which the Lord of glory still receives at the hands of men! Pride, the
wicked pride of the self-righteous heart, is responsible for unbelief.
Men despise and reject the Savior because they feel not their deep
need of Him. Feeding upon the husks which are fit food only for swine,
they have no appetite for the true Bread. And when the claims of
Christ are really pressed upon them they still "murmur"!
"And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and
mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from
heaven?" (John 6:42). This shows that these Jews understood Christ's
words "I am the bread which came down from heaven" as signifying that
He was of Divine origin; and in this they were quite right. None but
He could truthfully make the claim. This declaration of Christ meant
that He had personally existed in heaven before He appeared among men,
and, as His forerunner testified, "He that cometh from above is above
all" (John 3:31): above all, because the first man and all his family
are of the earth, earthy; but "the second man is the Lord from heaven"
(1 Cor. 15:47). And for the Lord to become Man required the miracle of
the virgin birth: a supernatural Being could only enter this world in
a supernatural manner. But these Jews were in total ignorance of
Christ's superhuman origin. They supposed Him to be the natural son of
Joseph and Mary. His "father and mother," said they, "we know." But
they did not. His Father, they knew not of, nor could they, unless the
Father revealed Himself unto them. And it is so still. It is one thing
to receive, intellectually, as a religious dogma, that Jesus Christ is
the Son of God; it is altogether another to know Him as such for
myself. Flesh and blood cannot reveal this to me (Matthew 16:17).
"Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among
yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent
me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:43, 44).
This word is very solemn coming just at this point, and it is
necessary to note carefully its exact connection. It was a word which
at once exposed the moral condition and explained the cause of the
"murmuring" of these Jews. Great care must be taken to observe what
Christ did not say, and precisely what He did say. He did not say, "No
man can come to me, except the Father hath given him to me," true as
that certainly is. But He spoke here so as to address their human
responsibility. It was not designed as a word to repel, but to humble.
It was not closing the door in their face, but showed how alone that
door could be entered. It was not intended as an intimation that there
was no possible hope for them, rather was it a pointing out the
direction in which hope lay. Had Saul of Tarsus then been among the
number who heard these searching words of Christ, they would have
applied in full force in his own case and condition; and yet it became
manifest, subsequently, that he was a vessel of mercy, given to the
Son by the Father before the foundation of the world. And it is quite
possible that some of these very Jews, then murmuring, were among the
number who, at Pentecost, were drawn by the Father to believe on the
Son. The Lord's language was carefully chosen, and left room for that.
John 7:5 tells us that the Lord's own brethren (according to the
flesh) did not believe on Him at first, and yet, later, they ranked
among His disciples, as is clear from Acts 1:14. Let us be careful,
then, not to read into this 44th verse what is not there.
"No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him"
(John 6:44). These words of Christ make manifest the depths of human
depravity. They expose the inveterate stubbornness of the human will.
They explain the "murmuring" of these Jews. In answering them thus,
the obvious meaning of the Savior's words was this: By your murmuring
you make it evident that you have not come to Me, that you are not
disposed to come to Me; and with your present self-righteousness, you
never will come to Me. Before you come to Me you must be converted and
become as little children. And before that can take place, you must be
the subjects of Divine operation. One has only to reflect on the
condition of the natural man in order to see the indubitable truth of
this. Salvation is most exactly suited to the sinner's needs, but it
is not at all suited to his natural inclinations. The Gospel is too
spiritual for his carnal mind: too humbling for his pride: too
exacting for his rebellious will: too lofty for his darkened
understanding: too holy for his earthbound desires.
"No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw
him." How can one who has a high conceit of himself and his religious
performances admit that all his righteousnesses are as filthy rags?
How can one who prides himself on his morality and his religiousness,
own himself as lost, undone, and justly condemned? How can one who
sees so little amiss in himself, who is blind to the fact that from
the crown of his head to the sole of his foot there is no soundness in
him (Isa. 1:6), earnestly seek the great Physician? No man with an
unchanged heart and mind will ever embrace God's salvation. The
inability here, then, is a moral one. Just as when Christ also said,
"how can ye, being evil, speak good things?" (Matthew 12:34). And
again, "How can ye believe, which receive honor one of another?" (John
5:44). And again, "Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot
receive" (John 14:17). Water will not flow uphill, nor will the
natural man act contrary to his corrupt nature. An evil tree cannot
bring forth good fruit, and equally impossible is it for a heart that
loves the darkness to also love the light.
The depravity of man is, from the human side, the only thing which
will explain the general rejection of the Gospel. The only
satisfactory answer to the questions, Why is not Christ cordially
received by all to whom He is presented? Why do the majority of men
despise and reject Him? is man is a fallen creature, a depraved being
who loves sin and hates holiness. So, too, the only satisfactory
answer which can be given to the questions, Why is the Gospel
cordially received by any man? Why is it not obstinately rejected by
all? is, In the case of those who believe, God has, by His
supernatural influence, counteracted against the human depravity; in
other words, the Father has "drawn" to the Son.
The condition of the natural man is altogether beyond human repair. To
talk about exerting the will is to ignore the state of the man behind
the will. Man's will has not escaped the general wreckage of his
nature. When man fell, every part of his being was affected. Just as
truly as the sinner's heart is estranged from God and his
understanding darkened, so is his will enslaved by sin. To predicate
the freedom of the will is to deny that man is totally depraved. To
say that man has the power within himself to either reject or accept
Christ, is to repudiate the fact that he is the captive of the Devil.
It is to say there is at least one good thing in the flesh. It is to
flatly contradict this word of the Son of God--"No man can come to me,
except the Father which hath sent me draw him."
Man's only hope lies outside of himself, in Divine help. And this is
what we meant above when we said that this word of Christ was not
intended to close the door of hope, but pointed out the direction in
which hope lay. If it be true that I cannot get away from myself; if
it be true that my whole being is depraved, and therefore at enmity
with God; if it be true that I am powerless to reverse the tendency of
my nature, what then can I do? Why, acknowledge my helplessness, and
cry for help. What should a man do who falls down and breaks his hip?
He cannot rise: should he, then, lie there in his misery and perish?
Not if he has any desire for relief. He will lift up his voice and
summon assistance. And if these murmuring Jews had believed what
Christ told them about their helplessness, this is what they had done.
And if the unsaved today would only believe God when He says that the
sinner is lost, he, too, would call for a Deliverer. If I cannot come
to Christ except the Father "draws" me, then my responsibility is to
beg the Father to "draw" me.
In what, we may inquire, does this "drawing" consist? It certainly has
reference to something more than the invitation of the Gospel. The
word used is a strong one, signifiying, the putting forth of power and
obliging the object seized to respond. The same word is found in John
18:10; John 21:6, 11. If the reader consults these passages he will
find that it means far more than "to attract." Impel would give the
true force of it here in John 6:44.
As said above, the unregenerate sinner is so depraved that with an
unchanged heart and mind he will never come to Christ. And the change
which is absolutely essential is one which God alone can produce. It
is, therefore, by Divine "drawing" that any one comes to Christ. What
is this "drawing"? We answer, It is the power of the Holy Spirit
overcoming the self-righteousness of the sinner, and convicting him of
his lost condition. It is the Holy Spirit awakening within him a sense
of need. It is the power of the Holy Spirit overcoming the pride of
the natural man, so that he is ready to come to Christ as an
empty-handed beggar. It is the Holy Spirit creating within him an
hunger for the bread of life.
"It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God"
(John 6:45). Our Lord confirms what He had just said by an appeal to
the Scriptures. The reference is to Isaiah 54:13: "And all thy
children shall be taught of the Lord." This serves to explain, in part
at least, the meaning of "draw." Those drawn are they who are "taught
of God." And who are these, so highly favored? The quotation from
Isaiah 54 tells us: they are God's "children"; His own, His elect.
Notice carefully how our Lord quoted Isaiah 54:13. He simply said,
"And they shall be all taught of God." This helps us to define the
"all" in other passages, like John 12:32: "I, if I be lifted up from
the earth, will draw all unto Me." The "all" does not mean all of
humanity, but all of God's children, all His elect.
"Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father,
cometh unto me" (John 6:45). This also throws light on the "drawing"
of the previous verse. Those drawn are they who have "heard" and
"learned of the Father." That is to say, God has given them an ear to
hear and a heart to perceive. It is parallel with what we get in 1
Corinthians 1:23, 24: "But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a
stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness: But unto them which
are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the
wisdom of God." "Called" here refers to the effectual and irresistible
call of God. It is a call which is heard with the inward ear. It is a
call which is instinct with Divine power, drawing its object to Christ
Himself.
"Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he
hath seen the Father" (John 6:46). This is very important. It guards
against a false inference. It was spoken to prevent His hearers (and
us today) from supposing that some direct communication from the
Father is necessary before a sinner can be saved. Christ had just
affirmed that only those come to Him who had heard and learned of the
Father. But this does not mean that such characters hear His audible
voice or are directly spoken to by Him. Only the Savior was [and is]
in immediate communication with the Father. We hear and learn from the
Father only through His written Word! So much then for the primary
significance of this verse according to its local application. But
there is far more in it than what we have just sought to bring out.
"Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he
hath seen the Father." How this displays the glory of Christ, bringing
out, as it does, the infinite distance there is between the incarnate
Son and all men on earth. No man had seen the Father; but the One
speaking had, and He had because He is "of (not "the Father" but)
God." He is a member of the Godhead, Himself very God of very God. And
because He had "seen the Father," He was fully qualified to speak of
Him, to reveal Him--see John 1:18. And who else could "declare" the
Father? How else could the light of the Father's love and grace have
shined into our hearts, but through and by Christ, His Son?
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath
everlasting life" (John 6:47). Christ still pursues the line of truth
begun in verse 44. This forty-seventh verse is not an invitation to
sinners, but a doctrinal declaration concerning saints. In verse 44 He
had stated what was essential from the Divine side if a sinner come to
Christ: he must be "drawn" by the Father. In verse 45 He defined, in
part, what this "drawing" consists of: it is hearing and learning of
the Father. Then, having guarded against a false inference from His
words in verse 45, the Savior now says, "He that believeth on me hath
everlasting life." Believing is not the cause of a sinner obtaining
Divine life, rather is it the effect of it. The fact that a man
believes, is the evidence that he already has Divine life within him.
True, the sinner ought to believe. Such is his bounden duty. And in
addressing sinners from the standpoint of human responsibility, it is
perfectly proper to say `Whosoever believeth in Christ shall not
perish but have eternal life.' Nevertheless, the fact remains that no
unregenerate sinner ever did or ever will believe. The unregenerate
sinner ought to love God, and love Him with all his heart. He is
commanded to. But he does not, and will not, until Divine grace gives
him a new heart. So he ought to believe, but he will not till he has
been quickened into newness of life. Therefore, we say that when any
man does believe, is found believing, it is proof positive that he is
already in possession of eternal life. "He that believeth on me hath
(already has) eternal life": cf. John 3:36; 5:24; 1 John 5:1, etc.
"I am that bread of life" (John 6:48). This is the first of the seven
"I am" titles of Christ found in this Gospel, and found nowhere else.
The others are, "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12); "I am the
door" (John 10:9); "I am the good shepherd" (John 10:11); "I am the
resurrection and the life" (John 11:25); "I am the way, the truth, and
the life" (John 14:6); "I am the true vine" (15:l). They all look back
to that memorable occasion when God appeared to Moses at the burning
bush, and bade him go down into Egypt, communicate with His people,
interview Pharaoh, and command him to let the children of God go forth
into the wilderness to worship Jehovah. And when Moses asked, Who
shall I say hath sent me?, the answer was, "Thus shalt thou say unto
the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you" (Ex. 3:14). Here
in John, we have a sevenfold filling out of the "I am"--I am the bread
of life, etc. Christ's employment of these titles at once identifies
Him with the Jehovah of the Old Testament, and unequivocally
demonstrates His absolute Deity.
"I am that bread of life." Blessed, precious words are these. `I am
that which every sinner needs, and without which he will surely
perish. I am that which alone can satisfy the soul and fill the aching
void in the unregenerate heart. I am that because, just as wheat is
ground into flour and then subjected to the action of fire to fit it
for human use, so I, too, have come down all the way from heaven to
earth, have passed through the sufferings of death, and am now
presented in the Gospel to all that hunger for life.'
"Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is
the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof,
and not die" (John 6:49, 50). This is an amplification of verse 48.
There He had said, "I am that bread of life"; here He describes one of
the characteristic qualities of this "life." The Lord draws a contrast
between Himself as the Bread of life and the manna which Israel ate in
the wilderness; and also between the effects on those who ate the one
and those who should eat the other. The fathers did eat manna in the
wilderness, but they died. The manna simply ministered to a temporal
need. It fed their bodies, but was not able to immortalize them. But
those who eat the true bread, shall not die. Those who appropriate
Christ to themselves, those who satisfy their hearts by feeding on
Him, shall live forever. Not, of course, on earth, but with Him in
heaven.
"This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat
thereof, and not die" (John 6:50). It is obvious that Christ gives the
word "die" a different meaning here from what it bears in the previous
verse. There He had said that they, who of old ate manna in the
wilderness, "are dead": natural death, physical dissolution being in
view. But here He says that a man may eat of the bread which cometh
down from heaven, and "not die": that is, not die spiritually and
eternally, not suffer the "second death." Should any object to this
interpretation which gives a different meaning to the word "death" as
it occurs in two consecutive verses, we would remind him that in a
single verse the word is found twice, but with a different meaning:
"Let the dead bury their dead" (Luke 9:60).
This is one of the many, many verses of Scripture which affirms the
eternal security of the believer. The life which God imparts in
sovereign grace to the poor sinner, is--not a life that may be
forfeited; for, "the gifts and calling of God are without repentance"
(Rom. 11:29.) It is not a life which is perishable, for it is "hid
with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3.) It is not a life which ends when our
earthly pilgrimage is over, for it is "eternal life." Ah! what has the
world to offer in comparison with this? Do the worldling's fondest
dreams of happiness embrace the element of unending continuity? No,
indeed; that is the one thing lacking, the want of which spoils all
the rest!
"I am the living bread which came down from heaven" (John 6:51). How
evident it is then that Christ is here addressing these Jews on the
ground, not of God's secret counsels, but, of their human
responsibility. It is true that none will come to Him save as they are
"drawn" by the Father; but this does not mean that the Father refuses
to "draw" any poor sinner that really desires Christ. Yea, that very
desire for Christ is the proof the Father has commenced to "draw." And
how Divinely simple is the way in which Christ is received--"If any
man [no matter who he be] eat of this bread he shall live forever."
The figure of "eating" is very suggestive, and one deserving of
careful meditation.
In the first place, eating is a necessary act if I am to derive that
advantage from bread which it is intended to convey, namely, bodily
nourishment. I may look at bread and admire it; I may philosophize
about bread and analyze it; I may talk about bread and eulogize its
quality; I may handle bread and be assured of its excellency--but
unless I eat it, I shall not be nourished by it. All of this is
equally true with the spiritual bread, Christ. Knowing the truth,
speculating about it, talking about it, contending for it, will do me
no good. I must receive it into my heart.
In the second place, eating is responding to a felt need. That need is
hunger, unmistakably evident, acutely felt. And when one is really
hungry he asks no questions, he makes no demurs, he raises no
quibbles, but gladly and promptly partakes of that which is set before
him. So it is, again, spiritually. Once a sinner is awakened to his
lost condition; once he is truly conscious of his deep, deep need,
once he becomes aware of the fact that without Christ he will perish
eternally; then, whatever intellectual difficulties may have
previously troubled him, however much he may have procrastinated in
the past, now he will need no urging, but promptly and gladly will he
receive Christ as his own.
In the third place, eating implies an act of appropriation. The table
may be spread, and loaded down with delicacies, and a liberal portion
may have been placed on my plate, but not until I commence to eat do I
make that food my own. Then, that food which previously was without
me, is taken inside, assimilated, and becomes a part of me, supplying
health and strength. So it is spiritually. Christ may be presented to
me in all His attractiveness, I may respect His wonderful personality,
I may admire His perfect life, I may be touched by His unselfishness
and tenderness, I may be moved to tears at the sight of Him dying on
the cruel Tree; but, not until I appropriate Him, not until I receive
Him as mine, shall I be saved. Then, He who before was outside, will
indwell me. Now, in very truth, shall I know Him as the bread of life,
ministering daily to my spiritual health and strength.
In the fourth place, eating is an intensely personal act: it is
something which no one else can do for me. There is no such thing as
eating by proxy. If I am to be nourished, I must, myself, eat.
Standing by and watching others eat will not supply my needs. So, dear
reader, no one can believe in Christ for you. The preacher cannot;
your loved ones cannot. And you may have witnessed others receiving
Christ as theirs; you may later hear their ringing testimonies; you
may be struck by the unmistakable change wrought in their lives; but,
unless you have "eaten" the Bread of life, unless you have personally
received Christ as yours, it has all availed you nothing. "If any man
eat of this bread, he shall live forever." Divinely simple and yet
wonderfully full is this figure of eating.
"And the bread that I will give is my flesh" (John 6:51). Exceedingly
solemn and exceedingly precious is this. To "give" His "flesh" was to
offer Himself as a sacrifice, it was to voluntarily lay down His life.
Here, then, Christ presents Himself, not only as One who came down
from heaven, but as One who had come here to die. And not unto we
reach this point do we come to the heart of the Gospel. As an awakened
sinner beholds the person of Christ, as he reads the record of His
perfect life down here, he will exclaim, "Woe is me; I am undone."
Every line in the lovely picture which the Holy Spirit has given us in
the four Gospels only condemns me, for it shows me how unlike I am to
the Holy One of God. I admire His ways: I marvel at His perfections. I
wish that I could be like Him. But, alas, I am altogether unlike Him.
If Christ be the One that the Father delights in, then verily, He can
never delight in me; for His ways and mine are as far apart as the
east is from the west. O what is to become of me, wretched man that I
am! Ah! dear reader, what had become of every one of us if Christ had
only glorified the Father by a brief sojourn here as the perfect Son
of man? What hope had there been if, with garments white and
glistening. and face radiant with a glory surpassing that of the
midday sun, He had ascended from the Mount of Transfiguration, leaving
this earth forever? There is only one answer: the door of hope had
been fast closed against every member of Adam's fallen and guilty
race. But blessed be His name, wonderful as was His descent from
heaven, wonderful as was that humble birth in Bethlehem's lowly
manger, wonderful as was the flawless life that He lived here for
thirty-three years as He tabernacled among men; yet, that was not all,
that was not the most wonderful. Read this fifty-first verse of John 6
again: "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man
eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will
give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." Ah! it
is only in a slain Christ that poor sinners can find that which meets
their dire and solemn need. And His "flesh" He gave in voluntary and
vicarious sacrifice "for the life of the world": not merely for the
Jews, but for elect sinners of the Gentiles too. His meritorious life
was substituted for our forfeited life. Surely this will move our
hearts to fervent praise. Surely this will cause us to bow before Him
in adoring worship.
"The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man
give us his flesh to eat?" (John 6:52). "It is difficult, or rather
impossible, to say what was the precise state of mind which this
question indicated on the part of those who proposed it. It is not
unlikely that it expressed different sentiments in different
individuals. With some it probably was a contemptuous expression of
utter incredulity, grounded on the alleged obvious absurdity of the
statement made: q.d., `The man is mad; can any absurdity exceed this?
We are to live for ever by eating the flesh of a living man!' With
others, who thought that neither our Lord's words nor works were like
those of a madman, the question probably was equivalent to a
statement--`These words must have a meaning different from their
literal signification, but what can that meaning be?'
"These `strivings' of the Jews about the meaning of our Lord's words
were `among themselves'. None of them seemed to have stated their
sentiments to our Lord, but He was perfectly aware of what was going
on among them. He does not, however, proceed to explain His former
statements. They were not ready for such an explication. It would have
been worse than lost on them. Instead of illustrating His statement,
He reiterated it. He in no degree explains away what had seemed
strange, absurd, incredible, or unintelligible. On the contrary, He
becomes, if possible, more paradoxical and enigmatical than ever, in
order that His statement might be more firmly rooted in their memory,
and that they might the more earnestly inquire, `What can these
mysterious words mean?' He tells them that, strange and
unintelligible, and incredible, and absurd, as His statements might
appear, He had said nothing but what was indubitably true, and
incalculably important" (Dr. John Brown).
"Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily I say unto you, Except ye
eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life
in you" (John 6:53). This verse and the two that follow contain an
amplification of what He had said in verse 51. He was shortly to offer
Himself as a Substitutionary victim, an expiatory sacrifice, in the
room of and in order to secure the salvation, of both Jews and
Gentiles. And this sacrificial death must be appropriated, received
into the heart by faith, if men are to be saved thereby. Except men
"eat the flesh" and "drink the blood" of Christ, they have "no life"
in them. For a man to have "no life" in him means that he continues in
spiritual death: in that state of condemnation, moral pollution, and
hopeless wretchedness into which sin has brought him.
Observe that it is as Son of man He here speaks of Himself. How could
He have suffered death if He had not become incarnate? And the
incarnation was in order to His death. How this links together the
mysteries of Bethlehem and Calvary; the incarnation and the Cross!
And, as we have said, the one was in order to the other. He came from
heaven to earth in order to die: "but now once in the end of the world
hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself" (Heb.
9:26).
"But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the
suffering of death" (Heb. 2:9). "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of
man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you." Difficult as this
language first appears, it is really blessedly simple. It is not a
dead Christ which the sinner is to feed upon, but on the death of One
who is now alive forever more. His death is mine, when appropriated by
faith; and thus appropriated, it becomes life in me. The figure of
"eating" looks back, perhaps, to Genesis 3. Man died (spiritually) by
"eating" (of the forbidden fruit) and he is made alive (spiritually)
by an act of eating!
"Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and
I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:54). Notice the change in
the tense of the verb. In the previous verse it is, "Except ye eat";
here it is "whoso eateth." In the former, the verb is in the aorist
tense, implying a single act, an act done once for all. In the latter,
the verb is in the perfect tense, denoting that which is continuous
and characteristic. Verse 53 defines the difference between one who is
lost and one who is saved. In order to be saved, I must "eat" the
flesh and "drink" the blood of the Son of man; that is, I must
appropriate Him, make Him mine by an act of faith. This act of
receiving Christ is done once for all. I cannot receive Him a second
time, for He never leaves me! But, having received Him to the saving
of my soul, I now feed on Him constantly, daily, as the Food of my
soul. Exodus 12 supplies us with an illustration. First, the Israelite
was to apply the shed blood of the slain lamb. Then, as protected by
that blood, he was to feed on the lamb itself.
"Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and
I will raise him up at the last day." This confirms our interpretation
of the previous verse. If we compare it with verse 47 it will be seen
at once the "eating" is equivalent to "believing." Note, too, that the
tense of the verbs is the same: verse 47 "believeth," verse 54
"eateth." And observe how each of these are evidences of eternal life,
already in possession of the one thus engaged: "He that believeth on
me hath eternal life"; "Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood,
hath eternal life."
This passage in John 6 is a favorite one with Ritualists, who
understand it to refer to the Lord's Supper. But this is certainly a
mistake, and that for the following reasons. First, the Lord's Supper
had not been instituted when Christ delivered this discourse. Second,
Christ was here addressing Himself to un-believers, and the Lord's
Supper is for saints, not unregenerate sinners. Third, the eating and
drinking here spoken of are in order to salvation; but eating and
drinking at the Lord's table are for those who have been saved.
"For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed" (John
6:55). The connection between this and the previous verse is obvious.
It is brought in, no doubt, to prevent a false inference being drawn
from the preceding words. Christ had thrown the emphasis on the
"eating." Except a man ate His flesh, he had no life in him. But now
our Lord brings out the truth that there is nothing meritorious in the
act of eating; that is to say, there is no mystical power in faith
itself. The nourishing power is in the food eaten; and the potency of
faith lies in its Object.
"For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed." Here
Christ throws the emphasis on what it is which must be "eaten." It is
true in the natural realm. It is not the mere eating of anything which
will nourish us. If a man eat a poisonous substance he will be killed;
if he eat that which is innutritious he will starve. Equally so is it
spiritually. "There are many strong believers in hell, and on the road
to hell; but they are those who believed a lie, and not the truth as
it is in Christ Jesus" (Dr. J. Brown). It is Christ who alone can
save: Christ as crucified, but now alive for evermore.
"He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I
in him" (John 6:56). In this, and the following verse, Christ proceeds
to state some of the blessed effects of eating. The first effect is
that the saved sinner is brought into vital union with Christ, and
enjoys the most intimate fellowship with Him. The word "dwelleth" is
commonly translated "abideth.' It always has reference to communion.
But mark the tense of the verb: it is only the one who "eateth" and
"drinketh" constantly that abides in unbroken fellowship with Christ.
"He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I
in him." This language clearly implies, though it does not
specifically mention the fact, that Christ would rise from the dead,
for only as risen could He dwell in the believer, and the believer in
Him. It is, then, with Christ risen, that they who feed on Him as
slain, are identified--so marvelously identified, that Scripture here,
for the first time, speaks of union with our blessed Lord.
"As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he
that eateth me, even he shall live by me" (John 6:57). How evident it
is, again, that Christ is here speaking of Himself as the Mediator,
and not according to His essential Being: it is Christ not in Godhead
glory, but as the Son incarnate, come down from heaven. "I live by the
Father" means He lived His life in dependence upon the Father. This is
what He stressed in replying to Satan's first assault in the
temptation. When the Devil said, "If thou be the Son of God, command,"
etc., he was not (as commonly supposed) casting doubt on the Deity of
Christ, but asking Him to make a wrong use of it. "If" must be
understood as "since," same as in John 14:2; Colossians 3:1, etc. The
force of what the Tempter said is this: Since you are the Son of God,
exercise your Divine prerogatives, use your Divine power and supply
your bodily need. But this ignored the fact that the Son had taken
upon Him the "form of a servant" and had entered (voluntarily) the
place of subjection. Therefore, it is of this the Savior reminds him
in His reply--"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word
that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." How beautifully this
illustrates what Christ says here, "I live by the Father"! Let us then
seek grace to heed its closing sentence: "so he that eateth me, even
he shall live by me." Just as the incarnate Son, when on earth, lived
in humble dependence on the Father, so now the believer is to live his
daily life in humble dependence on Christ.
"This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers
did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live
forever" (John 6:58). There is an important point in this verse which
is lost to the English reader. Two different words for eating are here
employed by Christ. "Your fathers did eat (ephazon) manna"; "he that
eateth (trogon) of this bread shall live forever." The verb "phago"
means "to eat, consume, eat up." "Trogo signifies to feed upon, rather
than the mere act of eating. The first, Christ used when referring to
Israel eating the manna in the wilderness: the second was employed
when referring to believers feeding on Himself. The one is a carnal
eating, the other a spiritual; the one ends in death, the other
ministers life. The Israelites in the wilderness saw nothing more than
an objective article of food. And they were like many today, who see
nothing more in Christianity than the objective side, and know nothing
of the spiritual and experiential! How many there be who are occupied
with the externals of religion--outward performances, etc. How few
really feed upon Christ. They admire Him objectively, but receive Him
not into their hearts.
"These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum"
(John 6:59). What effect this discourse of Christ had on those who
heard Him will be considered in our next chapter. Meanwhile, let the
interested reader meditate upon the following questions:--
1. At what, in particular, were the disciples "offended": verses 60,
61?
2. What is the meaning of verse 63?
3. What is the force of the "therefore" in verse 65?
4. What does the "going back" of those disciples prove: verse 66?
5. Why did Christ challenge the twelve: verse 67?
6. What was the assurance of Peter based on: verse 68?
7. Why was there a Judas in the apostolate: verse 71? How many reasons
can you give?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 24
Christ and His Disciples
John 6:60-71
_________________________________________________________________
The following is submitted as an Analysis of the passage which is to
be before us:
1. Many disciples offended at Christ's discourse: verse 60.
2. Christ's admonition: verses 61-65.
3. Many disciples leave Christ: verse 66.
4. Christ's challenge to the Twelve: verse 67.
5. Simon Peter's confession: verses 68, 69.
6. Christ corrects Peter: verse 70.
7. The betrayer: verse 71.
The passage before us is one that is full of pathos. It brings us to
the conclusion of our Lord's ministry in Galilee. It shows us the
outcome of His ministry there. Here, He had performed some wonderful
miracles, and had given out some gracious teachings. It was here, that
He had turned the water into wine; here, He had healed the nobleman's
son, without so much as seeing him; here, He had fed the hungry
multitude. Each of these miracles plainly accredited His Divine
mission, and evidenced His Deity. None other ever performed such works
as these. Before such evidence unbelief was excuseless. Moreover, He
had presented Himself, both to the crowd outside and to the Jews
inside the synagogue, as the Bread of life. He had freely offered
eternal life to them, and had solemnly warned that, "except ye eat the
flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you"
(verse 53). What, then, was their response to all of this?
It is indeed pathetic to find that here in Galilee Christ met with no
better reception than had been His in Judea, and it is striking to see
how closely the one resembled that of the other. He had begun His
ministry in Judea, and, for a season, His success there, judged by
human standards, seemed all that could be desired. Crowds followed
Him, and many seemed anxious to be His disciples. But all is not gold
that glitters. It soon became evident that the crowds were actuated by
motives of an earthly and carnal character. Few gave evidence of any
sense of spiritual need. Few, if any, seemed to discern the real
purpose of His mission. A spirit of partisanship was rife, so we read,
"When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus
made and baptized more disciples than John, he left Judea, and
departed again into Galilee" (John 4:1, 3).
How was it, then, in Galilee? It was simply a repetition of what had
happened in Judea. Human nature is the same wherever it is found: that
is why history so constantly repeats itself. Here in Galilee, the
crowds, had followed Him. For a brief season, He was their popular
idol. And yet, few of them manifested any signs that their consciences
were stirred or their hearts exercised. Fewer still understood the
real purport of His mission. And now that He had declared it, now that
He had pressed upon them their spiritual need, they were offended:
many who had posed as His disciples, turned back, and walked no more
with Him.
How many of the Lord's servants have had a similar experience. They
entered some field of service, and for a time the crowd thronged their
ministry. For a season they were popular with those among whom they
labored. But, then, if the servant was faithful to his Master, if he
pressed the claims of Christ, if he shunned not to declare all the
counsel of God,--then, how noticeable the change! Then, arose a
"murmuring" (John 6:41); there was a "striving" among those who heard
him (John 6:52); there was a querulous "This is a hard saying" (verse
61); there was a "many" of "the disciples" going back, and walking "no
more with him" (verse 66). But sufficient for the servant to be as his
Master. Let him thank God that there is a little company left who
recognize and appreciate "the words of eternal life" (verse 68), for
they are of far greater price in the sight of God than "the many" who
"went back." Ah! dear reader, this is indeed a living Word, mirroring
the fickle and wicked heart as faithfully today as it did two thousand
years ago!
"Many therefore of his disciples, when they heard this, said, This is
an hard saying; who can hear it?" (John 6:60). The wonderful discourse
in the synagogue, following the one given to the people on the
outside, was now over. We are here shown the effect of it on the
disciples. A "disciple" means one who is a learner. These "disciples"
are carefully distinguished from "the twelve." They were made up of a
class of people who were, in measure, attracted by the person of
Christ and who were, more especially, impressed by His miracles. But
how real this attraction was, and how deep the impression made, we are
now given to see. When Christ had presented Himself not as the
Wonder-worker, but as the Bread of God; when He had spoken of giving
His flesh for the life of the world, and of men drinking His blood,
which signified that He would die, and die a death of violence; when
He insisted that except they ate His flesh and drank His blood "they
had no life" in them; and, above all, when He announced that man is so
depraved and so alienated from God, that except the Father draw him,
he would never come to Christ for salvation: they were all offended.
It will be seen, then, that we take the words, "This is an hard
saying; who can hear it?" as referring to the whole of the discourse
which Christ had just delivered in the Capernaum synagogue.
"Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This
is an hard saying; who can hear it?" The simple meaning of this is,
that these disciples were offended. It was not that they found the
language of Christ so obscure as to be unintelligible, but what they
had heard was so irreconcilable with their own views that they would
not receive it. What their own views were, comes out plainly in John
12. When Christ signified what death He should die, "The people
answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for
ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up?" (verse
34).
In applying the above verse to ourselves, two things should be noted.
First, that when today professing Christians criticize a servant of
God who is really giving out Divine truth, and complain that his
teaching is "An hard saying," it is always to be traced back to the
same cause as operated here. Many disciples will still reject the Word
of God when it is ministered in the power of the Spirit, and they will
do so because it conflicts with their own views and contravenes the
traditions of their fathers! In the second place, note that these men
complained among themselves. This is evident from the next verse:
"When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it." They
did not come directly to Christ and openly state their difficulties.
They did not ask Him to explain His meaning. And why? Because they
were not really anxious for light. Had they been so, they would have
sought it from Him. Again we say, How like human nature today! When
the Lord's messenger delivers a word that is distasteful to his
hearers, they are not manly enough to come to him and tell him their
grievance, far less will they approach him seeking help. No, like the
miserable cowards they are, they will skulk in the background, seeking
to sow the seeds of dissension by criticizing what they have heard.
And such people the servant of God will have no difficulty in placing:
they may wear the badge of disciples, but he will know from their
actions and speech that they are not believers!
"When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said
unto them, Doth this offend you?" (John 6:61). How solemn this is!
These men could not deceive Christ. They might have walked with Him
for a time (verse 66); they might have posed as His disciples (verse
60); they might have taken their place in the synagogue (verse 59),
and listened with seeming attention and reverence while He taught
them; but He knew their hearts: those they could not hide from Him.
Nor can men do so today. He is not misled by all the religiosity of
the day. His eyes of fire pierce through every mask of hypocrisy.
Learn, then, the consummate folly and utter worthlessness of "a form
of godliness" without its power (2 Tim. 3:5).
"When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said
unto them, Doth this offend you?" How this evidenced, once more, His
deity! At the beginning of our chapter He had been regarded as a
"prophet"; but a greater than a prophet was here. Later, an insulting
contrast had been drawn between Moses and Christ; but a greater than
Moses was before them. Neither Moses nor any of the prophets had been
able to read the hearts of men. But here was One who knew in Himself
when these disciples murmured. He knew, too, why they murmured. He
knew they were offended. Plainly, then, this must be God Incarnate,
for none but the Lord Himself can read the heart.
"What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was
before?" (John 6:62). Here we have the third great fact which this
chapter brings out concerning Christ. First, He referred to the Divine
incarnation: He was the Bread which had "come down from heaven" (verse
41). Second, He was going to die, and die a death of violence: the
repeated mention of His "blood," showed that (verses 52, 55, etc.).
Third, He would ascend to heaven, thus returning to that place from
whence He had come. His ascension involved, of necessity, His
resurrection. Thus does our chapter make dear reference to each of the
vital crises in the history of Christ.
"What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was
before?" Soon would the Son of God return to that sphere of unmingled
blessedness and highest glory from whence he came to Bethlehem's
manger; and that, in order to go to Calvary's Cross. But He would
return there as "the Son of man." This is indeed a marvel. A man is
now seated upon the throne of the Father--the God-man. And because of
His descent and ascent, heaven is the home of every one who, by eating
His flesh and drinking His blood, becomes a partaker of His life. And
because of this, earth becomes a wilderness, a place of exile, through
which we pass, the children of faith, as strangers and pilgrims. Soon,
thank God, shall His prayer be answered: "Father, I will that they
also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am" (John 17:24).
"What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was
before?" This is one of several intimations that during the days of
His earthly ministry the Lord Jesus looked beyond the Cross, with all
its dread horror, to the joy and rest and glory beyond. As the apostle
tells us in Hebrews 12:2, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher
of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the
cross, despising the shame." It is striking to note how the ascension
is made typically prominent at the beginning of John 6: see verses 3
and 15--"Jesus went up into a mount."
It is to be observed that Christ did not positively declare that these
murmurers should "see" Him as He ascended, but He merely asked them if
they would be offended at such a sight. It seems to us He designedly
left the door open. There is no room for doubt but that many became
real believers for the first time after He had risen from the dead.
The fact that 1 Corinthians 15:6 tells us He was seen of "above five
hundred brethren" proves this. It is quite likely that some of these
very men who had listened to His blessed teaching in the Capernaum
synagogue were among that number. But at the time of which our lesson
treats they were unbelievers, so He continued to address them
accordingly.
"It is the Spirit that quickeneth" (John 6:63). The Lord here presses
upon His critics what He had first said in verse 44. To believe on
Him, to appropriate the saving value of His death, was not an act of
the flesh: to do this, they must first be "drawn by the Father," that
is, be "quickened by the Spirit." There must be life before there can
be the activities of life. Believing on Christ is a manifestation of
the Divine life already in the one that believes. The writer has no
doubt at all that the words, "It is the Spirit that quickeneth," refer
to the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. John 6:63 is
complementary to verse 21. In the former, "quickening" is referred to
both God the Father, and God the Son; here, to God the Holy Spirit.
Thus by linking the two passages together we learn that regeneration
is the joint work of the three Persons in the Holy Trinity. So, in
like manner, by linking together Ephesians 1:20, John 10:18 and Romans
8:11, we learn that each Person of the Trinity was active in the
resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
"It is the Spirit that quickeneth: the flesh profiteth nothing" (John
6:63). This is indeed a searching word and one that greatly needs
emphasizing today. The flesh "profiteth nothing." The flesh has no
part in the works of God. All fleshly activities amount to nothing
where the regeneration of dead sinners is concerned. Neither the
logical arguments advanced by the mind, hypnotic powers brought to
bear upon the will, touching appeals made to the emotions, beautiful
music and hearty singing to catch the ear, nor sensuous trappings to
draw the eye--none of these are of the slightest avail in stirring
dead sinners. It is not the choir, nor the preacher, but "the Spirit
that quickeneth." This is very distasteful to the natural man, because
so humbling; that is why it is completely ignored in the great
majority of our modern evangelistic campaigns. What is urgently needed
today is not mesmeric experts who have made a study of how to produce
a religious "atmosphere," nor religious showmen to make people laugh
one minute and weep the next, but faithful preaching of God's Word,
with the saints on their faces before God, humbly praying that He may
be pleased to send His quickening Spirit into their midst.
"The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life"
(John 6:63). This confirms our interpretation of the first part of the
verse. Christ is speaking of regeneration, which was the one great
need of those who were offended at His teaching. They could not
discern spiritual things till they had spiritual life, and for that
they must be "quickened" by the Spirit of God. First, He told them who
did the quickening--"the Spirit"; now He states what the Spirit uses
to bring about that quickening--the "words" of God. The Spirit is the
Divine Agent; the Word is the Divine instrument. God begets "with the
word of truth" (James 1:18). We are born again of incorruptible seed,
"by the word of God" (1 Pet. 1:23). We are made partakers of the
Divine nature by God's "exceeding great and precious promises" (2 Pet.
1:4). And here in John 6:63 Christ explains how this is: the words of
God are "spirit, and they are life" That is, they are spiritual, and
employed by the Holy Spirit to impart life. Thus, we say again, The
great need of today, as of every age, is the faithful preaching of
God's Word; "not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in
demonstration of the Spirit and of power" (1 Cor. 2:4). What is needed
is less anecdotal preaching, less rhetorical embellishment, less
reliance upon logic, and more direct, plain, pointed, simple
declaration and ex- position of the Word itself. Sinners will never be
saved without this--"the flesh profiteth nothing"!
"The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."
How Christ here maintained the balance of truth! "It is the Spirit
that quickeneth" speaks of the Divine side. In connection with it man
has no part. There, the "flesh" is ruled out entirely. Are we, then,
to fold our arms and act as though we had no obligations at all? Far
from it. Christ guards against this by saying, "The words that I speak
unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." This was addressed to
human responsibility. These "words" are given to be believed; and we
are under direct obligation to set to our seal that God is true. Let
then the sinner read God's Word; let him see himself mirrored in it.
Let him take its searching message to himself; let him follow the
light whithersoever it leads him; and if he be sincere, if he is truly
seeking God, if he longs to be saved, the Holy Spirit shall quicken
him by that same Word of life.
"But there are some of you that believe not" (John 6:64). This affords
further confirmation of what we have said above. Christ was addressing
human responsibility. He was pressing upon His hearers their need of
believing on Him. He was not deceived by outward appearances. They
might pose as His disciples, they might seem to be very devoted to
Him, but He knew that they had not "believed." The remainder of the
verse is a parenthetical statement made by John (under the inspiration
of God) at the time he wrote the Gospel. "For Jesus knew from the
beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him."
Very striking is this. It is one more of the many evidences furnished
by this fourth Gospel, that Christ is none other than the Son of God.
"And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me,
except it were given unto him of my Father" (John 6:65). Here He
repeats what He had said in verse 44. He is still addressing their
responsibility. He presses upon them their moral inability. He affirms
their need of Divine power working within them. It was very humbling,
no doubt. It furnished proof that "the flesh profiteth nothing." It
shut them up to God. To the Father they must turn; from Him they must
seek that drawing power, without which they would never come to Christ
and be saved. Not only "would not" but could not. The language of
Christ is unequivocal. It is not "no man will," but "no man can come
unto me, except it were given him of my Father." The will of the
natural man has nothing to do with it. John 1:13 expressly declares
that the new birth is "not of the will of the flesh." Contrary this
may be to our ideas! distasteful to our minds and hearts; but it is
God's truth, nevertheless, and all the denials of men will never alter
it one whit.
"From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more
with him" (John 6:66). While the preceding verses contain words of
Christ which were addressed to human responsibility, we must not
overlook the fact that they also expressed the Divine side of things.
The "drawing" of the Father is exercised according to His sovereign
will. He denies it to none who sincerely seek; but the truth is, that
the seeking itself, the desire for Christ, is the initial effect of
this "drawing." That all men do not seek Christ may be explained from
two view points. From the human side the reason is that, men are so
depraved they love the darkness and hate the light. From the Divine
side, that any do seek Christ, is because God in His sovereign grace
has put forth a power in them which overcomes the resistance of
depravity. But God does not work thus in all. He is under no moral
obligation so to do. Why should He make an enemy love Him? Why should
He "draw" to Christ, one who wants to remain away? That He does so
with particular individuals is according to His own eternal counsels
and sovereign pleasure. And once this is pressed upon the natural man
he is offended. It was so here: "From that time many of his disciples
went back, and walked no more with him." What a contrast was this from
what occurred at the beginning of that day! Then, the many had crossed
the Sea and sought Him out; now, the many turned their backs upon Him:
so unreliable and so fickle is human nature.
"From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more
with him." This verse is parallel with what we read of in Luke 4: "But
I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of
Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when
great famine was throughout all the land; but unto none of them was
Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman which was
a widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the
prophet; and none of them was cleansed saving Naaman the Syrian"
(verses 25-27). Here Christ, in the synagogue of Nazareth, pressed
upon His hearers how in the past God had most evidently acted
according to His mere sovereign pleasure. And what was the effect of
this on those who heard? The very next verse tells us: "And all they
in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with
wrath." And human nature has not changed. Let the sovereign rights of
God be emphasized today, and people will be "filled with wrath"; not
only the men of the world will be, but the respectable attenders of
the modern synagogue. So it was here in our lesson: "From that time
many of his disciples went back." From what time? From the time that
Christ had declared, "No man can come unto me, except it were given
unto him of my Father" (verse 65). This was too much for them. They
would not remain to hear any more. And mark it carefully, that those
who left were "many of his disciples." Then let not the one who
faithfully preaches the sovereignty of God today be surprised if he
meets with a similar experience.
"Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?" (John 6:67).
Christ desires no unwilling followers; so, on the departure of the
"many disciples," He turns to the twelve and inquires if they also
desire to leave Him. His question was a test, a challenge. Did they
prefer to be found with the popular crowd, or would they remain with
what was, outwardly, a failing cause? Their answer would evidence
whether or not a Divine work of grace had been wrought in them.
"Will ye also go away?" The same testing question is still being put
to those who profess to be the followers of Christ. As He sees some
being carried along by the different winds of erroneous doctrines, now
blowing in every direction; as He beholds others going back into the
world, loving pleasure more than they love God; as He marks others
offended by the faithful and searching ministry of His servants, He
says to you and to me, "Will ye also go away?" O that Divine grace may
enable us to stand and to withstand. O that we may be so attracted by
the loveliness of His person that we shall gladly go forth "unto him,
without the camp (the camp of Christianized Judaism) hearing his
reproach" (Heb. 13:13).
"Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast
the words of eternal life" (John 6:68). A blessed reply was this. The
wondrous miracles had attracted the others, but the teaching of Christ
had repelled them. It was the very opposite with the apostles, for
whom, as usual, Peter acted as spokesman. It was not the supernatural
works, but the Divine words of the Lord Jesus which held them. Peter
had, what the "many disciples who went back" had not--the hearing ear.
Christ had said, "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit,
and they are life" (verse 63), and Peter believed and was assured of
this: "Thou hast the words of eternal life" he confessed. "The words
of Christ had sunk deep into his soul. He had felt their power. He was
conscious of the blessing they had imparted to him" (C.E.S.). It is
ever this which distinguishes a true Christian from the formal
professor.
"And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the
living God" (John 6:69). Notice carefully the order here: "We believe
and are sure." It is the Divinely appointed and unchanging order in
connection with spiritual things, It supplies one out of a thousand
illustrations that God's thoughts and ways are different, radically
different, always different, from ours. Whoever heard of believing in
order to be sure? Man wants to make sure first before he is ready to
believe. But God always reverses man's order of things. It is
impossible, utterly impossible, to be sure of Divine truth, or of any
part thereof, until we have believed it. Other illustrations of this
same principle may be adduced from Scripture. For example, the
Psalmist said, "I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the
goodness of the Lord in the land of the living" (Ps. 27:13). This also
is the very opposite of human philosophy. The natural man says,
`Seeing is believing'; but the spiritual man believes in order to see.
So, again, in Hebrews 11:3 we read, "Through faith we understand." How
many desire to understand the mystery of the Trinity or the doctrine
of election, before they will believe it. They might live to be as old
as Methuselah, and they would "understand" neither the one nor the
other until they had faith in what God had revealed thereon. It is
through faith that we do understand any part of Divine truth. "We
believe and are sure." To sum up: assurance, vision, knowledge, are
the fruits of "believing." God rewards our faith by giving us
assurance, discernment and understanding; but the unbelieving are left
in the darkness of ignorance so far as spiritual things are concerned.
"And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the
Living God." Certainty that Christ is "the Son of the living God"
comes not by listening to the labored arguments of seminary
professors, nor by studying books on Christian Evidences, but by
believing what God has said about His Son in the Holy Scriptures.
Peter was sure that Christ was the Son of God, because he had believed
"the words of eternal life" which he had heard from His lips. It is
indeed striking to note that in Matthew's Gospel this confession is
placed right after the apostles had seen Christ walking on the waters
and after they had received Him into the ship (Matthew 14:33); for it
is thus that Israel, in a coming day, will be brought to believe on
Him (cf. Zechariah 12:10). But here in John's Gospel, which treats of
the family of God, this confession is evoked by the assurance which
comes from believing His words. How beautifully this illustrates the
opening verse of John's Gospel, and how evident it is that God Himself
has placed everything in these Gospels!
"Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is
a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon: for he it was
that should betray him, being one of the twelve" (John 6:70, 71).
"Jesus answered them." This was in reply to Peter's avowal, "We
believe and are sure." Christ showed that He knew better than His
disciple. It was the omniscience of the Lord Jesus displayed once
more. He was not deceived by Judas, though it is evident that all the
apostles were. Proof of this is found in the fact that when He said,
"One of you shall betray me," instead of them answering, Surely you
refer to Judas, they asked, "Lord, is it I?" But from the beginning
Christ knew the character of the one who should sell Him to His
enemies. Yet not now will Christ openly identify him. What we read of
in verse 71 is the apostle's inspired comment, written years
afterwards.
That Judas was never saved is clear from many considerations. Here in
our text Christ is careful to except him from Peter's confession--"We
believe." So, too, in John 13. After washing the feet of His
disciples, which symbolized the removal of every defilement which
hindered communion with Him, He said, "Ye are clean," but then He was
careful to add, "but not all" (John 13:10), and then John supplies
another explanatory comment--"for he knew who should betray him;
therefore said he, Ye are not all clean" (verse 11). Again; the fact
that Christ here calls him a "devil"--and this was six months before
he betrayed Him--proves positively that he was not a child of God.
Acts l:25--"Judas by transgression fell"--is sometimes appealed to in
proof that he fell from grace. But the first part of the verse makes
quite clear what it was from which Judas fell: it was "ministry and
apostleship." This raises the question, Why was there a Judas in the
apostolate? The Divine answer to our question is furnished in John
17:12, where Christ tells us plainly that "the son of perdition" was
lost in order that "the Scriptures might be fulfilled." The reference
was to Psalm 41:9 and similar passages. When that prophecy was uttered
it seemed well-nigh incredible that the Friend of sinners should be
betrayed by one intimate with Him. But no word of God can fall to the
ground. It had been written that, "Mine own familiar friend, in whom I
trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against
me," and the son of perdition was lost in order that this scripture
might be accomplished. But why did God ordain this? Why should there
be a Judas in the apostolate? Mysterious as this subject is, yet, a
number of things seem clear. The following ends, at least, were
accomplished:--
1. It furnished an opportunity for Christ to display His perfections.
When the Son became incarnate, He declared, "Lo I come to do thy will,
O God" (Heb. 10:7), and this will of God for Him was written "in the
volume of the book." Now in that book it was recorded that a familiar
friend should lift up his heel against him. This was indeed a sore
trial, yet was it part of the Divine will for God's Servant. How,
then, does He act? John 6:70 answers: He deliberately "chose" one to
be His apostle, whom He knew at the time was a "devil"! How this
displays the perfections of Christ! It was in full subjection to the
Divine will, "written in the book," that He thus acted. Even though it
meant having Judas in closest association with Him for three years
(and what must that have been to the Holy One of God!), though it
meant that even when He retired from His carping critics to get alone
with the twelve, there would then be a devil next to Him, He hesitated
not. He bowed to God's will and "chose" him!
2. It provided an impartial witness to the moral excellency of Christ.
His Father, His forerunner, His saved apostles, bore testimony to His
perfections; but lest it should be thought that these were ex parte
witnesses, God saw to it that an enemy should also bear testimony.
Here was a man that was "a devil"; a man who was in the closest
possible touch with the life of Christ, both in public and in private;
a man who would have seized eagerly on the slightest flaw, if it had
been possible to find one; but it was not: "I have betrayed the
innocent blood" (Matthew 27:4), was the unsought testimony of an
impartial witness!
3. It gave occasion to uncover the awfulness of sin. The fulness of
redemption must bring to light the fulness of the wickedness of that
for which atonement is to be made: only thus could we thoroughly see
what is that terrible thing from which we are saved. And how could the
heinousness of sin be more fittingly exposed at that time than by
allowing a man to company with the Savior, to be inside the circle of
greatest earthly privilege, and to be himself convinced of the
innocency of that One who was to be the sacrificial victim; and yet,
notwithstanding, for him to basely betray that One and sell Him into
the hands of His enemies! Never was the vileness of sin more
thoroughly uncovered.
4. It supplies sinners with a solemn warning. The example of Judas
shows us how near a man may come to Christ and yet be lost. It shows
us that outward nearness to Christ, external contact with the things
of God, is not sufficient. It reveals the fact that a man may witness
the most stupendous marvels, may hear the most spiritual teaching, may
company with the most godly characters, and yet himself never be born
again.
5. It tells us we may expect to find hypocrites among the followers of
Christ. A hypocrite Judas certainly was. He was not a deceived soul,
but an out and out impostor. He posed as a believer. He forsook the
world and followed Christ. He went out as a preacher and heralded the
Gospel (Matthew 10:4). He did not manifest any offense at the teaching
of Christ, and did not follow those who turned back and walked no more
with Him. Instead, he remained by the Savior's side right up to the
last night of all. He even partook of the passover supper, and yet all
the time, he was an hypocrite; and his hypocrisy was undetected by the
eleven. And history repeats itself. There are still wolves in sheep's
clothing.
6. It shows us that a devil is to be expected among the servants of
God. It was thus when Christ was here on earth; it is so still.
Scripture warns us plainly against "false prophets," and "false
apostles" who are "the ministers of Satan." And the case of Judas
gives point to these warnings. Whoever would have expected to find a
"devil" among the twelve! Whoever would have dreamed of finding a
Judas among the apostles chosen by Christ Himself! But there was. And
this is a solemn warning to us to place confidence in no man.
7. It affords one more illustration of how radically different are
God's thoughts and ways from ours. That God should appoint a "devil"
to be one of the closest companions of the Savior; that He should have
selected "the son of perdition" to be one of the favored twelve,
seemed incredible. Yet so it was. And as we have sought to show above,
God had good reasons for this selection; He had wise reasons for this
appointment. Let this, then, serve to show us that, however mysterious
may be God's ways, they are ever dictated by omniscience!
The following questions are to help the student prepare for the next
chapter on John 7:1-13:--
1. What relation does verse 1 have to the rest of the lesson?
2. What do you know about the feast of tabernacles? verse 2. Look up
Old Testament references.
3. Who are "His brethren" verse 3?
4. Why did His brethren make the request of verse 4?
5. To what was Christ referring in verses 6 and 8?
6. In view of verses 1 and 8, why did Christ go to the feast at all?
verse 10.
7. What is the meaning of the last clause of verse 10?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 25
Christ and the Feast of Tabernacles
John 7:1-13
_________________________________________________________________
Below we give a rough Analysis of the passage which is to be before
us:--
1. Jesus walked in Galilee: verse 1.
2. Time: immediately before the Feast of Tabernacles: verse 2.
3. The request of Christ's brethren: verses 3-5.
4. Christ's reply to them: verses 6-8.
5. Christ still in Galilee: verse 9.
6. Christ goes up to the Feast: verse 10.
7. The attitude of men toward Christ: verses 11-13.
John 7 begins a new section of this fourth Gospel. Our Lord's ministry
in Galilee was now over, though He still remained there, because the
Judeans sought to kill Him. The annual Feast of tabernacles was at
hand, and His brethren were anxious for Christ to go up to Jerusalem,
and there give a public display of His miraculous powers. To this
request the Savior made a reply which at first glance appears
enigmatical. He bids His brethren go up to the Feast, but excuses
Himself on the ground that His time was not yet fully come. After
their departure, He abode still in Galilee. But very shortly after,
He, too, goes up to the Feast; as it were in secret. The Jews who
wished to kill Him, sought but were unable to discover Him. Among the
people He formed the principal subject of discussion, some of whom
considered Him a good man, others regarding Him as a deceiver. And
then, in verse 14 we are told, "Now about the midst of the feast Jesus
went up into the temple, and taught." Such is a brief summary of the
passage which is to be before us.
That our passage will present a number of real difficulties to the
cursory reader is not to be denied, and perhaps the more diligent
student may not be able to clear up all of them. The simplest and
often the most effective way of studying a portion of God's Word is to
draw up a list of questions upon it. This will insure a more definite
approach: it will save us from mere generalizations: it will reveal
the particular points upon which we need to seek God's help.
Who are meant by "his brethren"? (verse 3)--brethren who did not
"believe in him" (verse 5). To what did Christ refer when He said, "My
time is not yet come" (verse 6)? Why did Christ refuse to go up to the
Feast with His brethren (verse 8)? And why, after saying that His time
was not yet come, did He go to the Feast at all (verse 10)? What is
meant by "He went not openly, but as it were in secret" (verse 10)? If
He went up to the Feast "as it were in secret," why did He, about the
midst of the Feast, go into the temple, and teach (verse 14)? These
are some of the more pertinent and important questions which will
naturally occur to the inquiring mind.
It should be obvious that the central item in our passage is the Feast
itself,[1] and in the scriptural significance of this Feast of
tabernacles must be sought the solution of most of our difficulties
here. It will be necessary, then, to compare carefully the leading
scriptures which treat of this Feast, and then shall we be the better
able to understand what is before us. Having made these preliminary
remarks we shall now turn to our passage and offer an exposition of it
according to the measure of light which God has been pleased to grant
us upon it.
"After these things Jesus walked in Galilee" (John 7:1). The first
three words intimate that a new section of the Gospel commences
here--cf. John 6:1 and our comments thereon. "After these things"
probably has a double reference. In its more general significance, it
points back to the whole of His Galilean ministry, now ended. There is
a peculiar and significant arrangement of the contents of the first
seven chapters of John: a strange alternating between Judea and
Galilee. In John 1 the scene is laid in Judea (see verse 28); but in
John 2:1-12 Christ is seen in Galilee. In John 2:13 we are told that
"Jesus went up to Jerusalem," and He remained in its vicinity till we
reach John 4:3, where we are told, "He left Judea, and departed again
into Galilee." Then, in verse 1, we read, "Jesus went up to
Jerusalem," and He is viewed there to the end of the chapter. But in
John 6:1 we are told, "After these things Jesus went over the sea of
Galilee." And now in John 7 we are to see Him once more in Jerusalem.
But why this strange and repeated alternation? In the light of Matthew
4:15--"Galilee of the Gentiles"--we would suggest two answers: First,
this fourth Gospel, in a special manner, concerns the family of God,
which is made up of Jew and Gentile; hence the emphasis here by our
attention being directed, again and again, to both Judea and Galilee.
But note that Judea always comes before Galilee: "To the Jew first"
being the lesson taught. In the second place, if our references above
be studied carefully, it will be seen that the passages treating of
Galilee and what happened there, come in parenthetically; inasmuch as
Jerusalem is both the geographical and moral center of the Gospel.
"After these things," then, points back to the conclusion of His
Galilean ministry: John 2:1-11; 4:43-54; 6:1-71. But we also regard
these words as having a more restricted and specific reference to what
is recorded at the close of chapter 6, particularly verse 66. "After
these things" would thus point, more directly, to the forsaking of
Christ by many of His Galilean disciples, following the miracles they
had witnessed and the teaching they had heard.
"After these things Jesus walked (literally, "was walking") in
Galilee." It appears as though the Lord was reluctant to leave
Galilee, for it seems that He never returned there any more. It was
useless to work any further miracles, and His teaching has been
despised, nevertheless, His person He would still keep before them a
little longer. Jesus walking in Galilee, rather than dwelling in
privacy, suggests the thought of the continued public manifestation of
Himself: let the reader compare John 1:36; John 6:19; John 10:23 and
John 11:54 for the other references in this Gospel to Jesus "walking",
and he will find confirmation of what we have just said. Again, if
John 7:1 be linked with John 6:66 (as the "after these things"
suggests) the marvelous grace of the Savior will be evidenced. Many of
His disciples went back and walked no more "with him."
Notwithstanding, He continued to "walk," and that too, "in Galilee"!
"After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in
Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him" (John 7:1). Let the reader
turn back and consult our remarks on verse 15 concerning "the Jews."
It is indeed solemn to trace right through this fourth Gospel what is
said about them. "The Jews" are not only to be distinguished from the
Galileans, as being of Judea, but also from the common people of
Judea. Note how in our present passage "the are distinguished from
"the Jews": see verses 11, 12, 13. "The Jews" were evidently the
leaders, the religious leaders. Notice how in John 8:48 it is "the
Jews" who say to Christ "Thou art a Samaritan, and hast a demon." It
was "the Jews" who cast out of the synagogue the man born blind, whose
eyes Christ had opened (John 9:22, 34). It was "the Jews" who took up
stones to stone Christ (John 10:31). It was "the officers of the Jews"
who "took Jesus, and bound him" (John 18:12). And it was through "fear
of the Jews" that Joseph of Arimathaea came secretly to Pilate and
begged the body of the Savior (John 19:38). And so here: it was
because of the Jews, who sought to kill Him, that Jesus would not walk
in Judea, but remained in Galilee. Christ here left us a perfect
example. By His actions, He teaches us not to court danger, and
unnecessarily expose ourselves before our enemies. This will be the
more evident if we link this verse with John 11:53, 54: "From that day
forth they took counsel together for to put him to death. Jesus
therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence unto a
country near to the wilderness," etc. It will thus appear that our
Lord used prudence and care to avoid persecution and danger till His
time was fully come; so it is our duty to endeavor by all wise means
and precautions to protect and preserve ourselves, that we may have
opportunities for further service.
"Now the Jews's feast of tabernacles was at hand" (John 7:2). By
comparing this verse with John 6:4 it will be seen that upwards of six
months is spanned by John 6 to 7:1. John 6:4 says the Passover was
nigh, and from Leviticus 23:5 we learn that this Feast was kept in the
first month of the Jewish year: whereas Leviticus 23:34 tells us that
the Feast of tabernacles was celebrated in the seventh month. How
evident it is then that John was something more than an historian.
Surely it is plain that the Holy Spirit has recorded what He has in
this fourth Gospel (as in the others) according to a principle of
selection, and in consonance with a definite design.
"Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand." As already
intimated, it will be necessary for us to give careful attention to
the leading scriptures of the Old Testament on the Feast of
tabernacles, that we may ascertain its historical and typical
significance, and thus be the better prepared to understand the
details of the passage now before us.
Leviticus 23 reveals the fact that there were seven Feasts in Israel's
religious calendar, but there were three of these which were singled
out as of special importance. This we gather from Deuteronomy 16:16,
where it is recorded that Jehovah said to Israel, "Three times in a
year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place
which he shall choose i.e. in the tabernacle, and afterwards the
temple; in the feast of unleavened bread inseparably connected with
the passover, and in the feast of weeks i.e. pentecost, and in the
feast of tabernacles." We reserve a brief comment on the first two of
these, until we have considered the third.
The first time the Feast of tabernacles is mentioned by name is in
Leviticus 23, namely, in verses 34-36 and 39-44. As this passage is
too long for us to quote here in full, we would request the reader to
turn and read it through carefully before going farther. We give now a
brief summary of its prominent features. First, the Feast began on the
fifteenth day of the seventh month (verse 34). Second, it was a "holy
convocation," when Israel was to offer "an offering made by fire unto
the Lord" (verse 36). Third, it lasted for eight days (verse 39).
Fourth, those who celebrated this Feast were to take "boughs of goodly
trees" (verse 40). Fifth, they were to "rejoice before the Lord their
God seven days" (verse 40). Sixth, they were to "dwell in booths"
(verse 42). Seventh, the purpose of this was to memorialize the fact
that "Jehovah made their fathers to dwell in booths, when he brought
them out of the land of Egypt" (verse 43). In Numbers 29:12-40 we have
a detailed record of the ritual or sacrificial requirements connected
with this Feast.
Though Leviticus 23 is the first time the Feast of tabernacles is
mentioned by name, there is one earlier reference to it, namely, in
Exodus 23:16, where it is termed the Feast of Ingathering,[2] "which
is the end of the year (i.e. of the sacred calendar of Feasts), when
thou hast gathered in thy labors out of the field." The Feast of
tabernacles, then, was the grand Harvest Festival, when the Lord of
the harvest was praised for all His temporal mercies. This one was the
most joyous Feast of the year. It was not observed by Israel till
after they had entered and settled in Canaan: their dwelling in booths
at this Feast memorialized their wanderings in the wilderness.
The Old Testament records but two occasions when this Feast was ever
observed by Israel in the past, and they are most significant. The
first of these is found in 1 Kings 8, see verses 2, 11, 13, 62-66, and
note particularly the "seventh month" in verse 2 and the "eighth day"
in verse 66. This was in the days of Solomon at the completion and
dedication of the Temple. In like manner, the antitypical Feast of
tabernacles, will not be ushered in till the completion of the
spiritual "temple," which God is now building (Eph. 2:22; 1 Peter
2:5). The second account of Israel's past celebration of this Feast is
recorded in Nehemiah 8:13-18. The occasion was the settlement of the
Jewish remnant in Palestine, after they had come up out of captivity.
We cannot offer here anything more than a very brief word on
Deuteronomy 16:16. The three great Feasts which God required every
male Israelite to observe annually in Jerusalem, were those of
unleavened bread (inseparably connected with the passover), of weeks
(or pentecost), and tabernacles. The first has already received its
antitypical accomplishment at the Cross. The second began to receive
its fulfillment on the day of pentecost (Acts 2), but was interrupted
by the failure of the nation to repent (see Acts 3:1-21). The third
looks forward to the future.
"Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand." Someone has pointed
out that in John 5, 6, and 7 there is a striking order followed in the
typical suggestiveness of the contents of these chapters. In John 5
Israel may be seen, typically, as being delivered from the bondage of
Egypt: this was adumbrated in the deliverance of the impotent man from
lifelong suffering. In John 6 there is repeated reference made to
Israel in the wilderness, eating the manna. While here in John 7
Israel is viewed in the land, keeping the Feast of tabernacles.
"His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into
Judea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest"
(John 7:3). These "brethren" were the brothers of Christ according to
the flesh: that is, they were sons of Mary too. That they were
completely blind to His Divine glory is evident from the fact they
here told Him what to do. Blind to His glory, they were therefore
devoid of all spiritual discernment, and hence their reasoning was
according to the carnal mind. But what did they mean by "Go into
Judea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest"? The
answer is to be found in the "also" and the "therefore" at the
beginning of the verse--"His brethren therefore said unto him," etc.
The "therefore," of course, looks back to something previous. What
this is, we find in the closing verses of John 6. In the first part of
that chapter we have recorded a wonderful "work" performed by the
Lord. But in verse 66 we are told, "From that time many of his
disciples went back, and walked no more with him." Now, said these
brethren according to the flesh, do not waste any further efforts or
time here, but go to Judea. They were evidently piqued at the
reception which Christ had met with in Galilee. His work there seemed
to amount to very little, why not, then, try Jerusalem, the
headquarters of Judaism! Moreover, now was an opportune time: the
Feast of tabernacles was at hand, and Jerusalem would be full.
"For there is no man that doeth anything in secret, and he himself
seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, show thyself to
the world" (verse 4). Note the "if" here. There was evidently a
slightly veiled taunt in these words. We take it that these brethren
were really challenging Christ, and that the substance of their
challenge was this: `If these works of yours are genuine miracles, why
confine yourself to villages and small country-towns in Galilee, where
the illiterate and unsophisticated habituate. Go up to the Capital,
where people are better qualified to judge. Go up to the Feast, and
there display your powers, and if they will stand the test of the
public scrutiny of the leaders, why, your disciples will gather around
you, and your claims will be settled once for all.' No doubt, these
"brethren" really hoped that He would establish His claims, and in
that event, as His near kinsmen, they would share the honors which
would be heaped upon Him. But how insulting to our blessed Lord all
this was! What indignities He suffered from those who were blind to
His glory!
"If thou do these things, show thyself to the world." How these words
betrayed their hearts! They were men of the world: consequently, they
adopted its ways, spoke its language, and employed its logic. "Show
thyself to the world" meant, Accompany us to Jerusalem, work some
startling miracle before the great crowds who will be assembled there;
and thus, not only make yourself the center of attraction, but
convince everybody you are the Messiah. Ah! how ignorant they were of
the mind of God and the purpose of His Son's mission! It was "the
pride of life" (1 John 2:16) displaying itself. And how much of this
same "pride of life" we see today, even among those who profess to be
followers of that One whom the world crucified! What are the modem
methods of evangelistic campaigns and Bible conferences--the devices
resorted to to draw the crowds, the parading of the preacher's photo,
the self-advertising by the speakers--what are these, but the
present-day expressions of "Show thyself to the world"!
"If thou do these things, show thyself to the world." One other
comment, an exegetical one, should be made on this before we pass on
to the next verse. Here is a case in point where "the world" does not
always signify the whole human race. When these brethren of Christ
said, "Go show thyself to the world," it is evident that they did not
mean, `Display yourself before all mankind.' No, here, as frequently
in this Gospel, "the world" is merely a general term, signifying all
classes of men.
"For neither did his brethren believe in him" (John 7:5). How this
illustrates the desperate hardness and depravity of human nature. Holy
and perfect as Christ was, faultless and flawless as were His
character and conduct, yet, even those who had been brought up with
Him in the same house believed not in Him! It was bad enough that the
nation at large believed not on Him, but the case of these "kinsmen"
(Mark 3:21, margin) was even more excuseless. How this demonstrates
the imperative need of God's almighty regenerating grace! And how this
exemplifies Christ's own teaching that "No man can come to me except
the Father which hath sent me draw him"! And how striking to note that
the unbelief of His "brethren" was the fulfillment of Old Testament
prophecy: "I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto
my mother's children" (Ps. 69:8).
Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is
alway ready" (John 7:6). These words of Christ must be interpreted in
the light of the immediate context. His brethren had said, "Go show
thyself to the world." But His time to do this had not then come, nor
has it yet arrived. Not then would He vindicate Himself by openly
displaying His glory. This was the time of His humiliation. But how
plainly His words here imply that there is a time coming when He will
publicly reveal His majesty and glory. To this He referred when He
said, "And they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of
heaven with power and great glory" (Matthew 24:30). And what will be
the effect of this on "the world"? Revelation 1:7 tells us: "Behold,
he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also
which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of
him." And solemn will be the accompaniments of this showing of Himself
to the world. Then shall He say, "But those mine enemies, which would
not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before
me" (Luke 19:27); see, too, the last half of Revelation 19. How
little, then, did these brethren realize the import of their request!
Had He openly manifested Himself then--before the Cross--it would have
involved the perdition of the whole human race, for then there had
been no atoning-blood under which sinners might shelter! Thankful must
we ever be that He did not do what they asked. And how often we ask
Him for things, which He in His Divine wisdom and grace denies us! How
true it is that "we know not what we should pray for as we ought"
(Rom. 8:26)!
"Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is
alway ready." There was no "pride of life" in Christ. He demonstrated
this in the great Temptation. All the kingdoms of the world and the
glory of them could not tempt Him. Instead of seeking to show Himself
before the world, instead of advertising Himself, instead of
endeavoring to attract attention, He frequently drew a veil over His
works and sought to hide Himself: see Mark 1:36-38; Mark 7:17; Mark
7:36; Mark 8:26, etc. After He had been transfigured on the holy mount
and His glory had appeared before the eyes of the three apostles, He
bade them "that they should tell no man what things they had seen"
(Mark 9:9). How truly did He make Himself of "no reputation"! But how
different with these brethren. "Your time is alway ready," He said.
They were ever willing and wanting to win the applause of men, and
make themselves popular with the world.
"The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it,
that the works thereof are evil" (John 7:7). How this helps us to fix
the meaning of the last clause of the previous verse. "Your time is
alway ready" meant, as we have said, Your time to display yourself
before the world, in order to court its smiles, is ever to hand. But
how solemn is the reason Christ here gives for this! It was because
they had not cast in their lot with this One who was "despised and
rejected of men." Because of this, the world would not hate them. And
why? Because they were of the world. Contrariwise, the world did hate
Christ. It hated Christ because He testified of it (not "against"
it!), that its works were evil. The holiness of His life condemned the
worldliness of theirs. And right here is a solemn and searching test
for those who profess to be His followers today. Dear reader, if you
are popular with the world, that is indeed a solemn sign, an evil
omen. The world has not changed. It still hates those whose lives
condemn theirs. Listen to the words of Christ to His apostles, "If ye
were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are
not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore
the world hateth you" (John 15:19). Here our Lord tells us plainly
that the world hates those who are truly His. This, then, is a
searching test: does the world "hate" you?
"Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; for my
time is not yet full come. When he had said these words unto them, he
abode still in Galilee" (John 7:8, 9). The meaning of these verses is
really very simple. Christ plainly qualified Himself. He did not say
that He would not go up to the Feast; what He said was, He would not
go then--His time to go had not "yet come." "My time" must not be
confounded with "Mine hour" which He used when referring to His
approaching death. The simple force, then, of these verses is that
Christ declined to go up to the Feast with His brethren.
"But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the
feast" (John 7:10). How tragic is this. How it reveals the hearts of
these "brethren." They left Christ for the Feast! They preferred a
religious festival for fellowship with the Christ of God. And how
often we witness the same thing today. What zeal there is for
religious performances, for forms and ceremonies, and how little heart
for Christ Himself.
"But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the
feast, not openly, but as it were in secret" (John 7:10). The first
part of this verse supplies another reason why He would not accompany
His brethren to the Feast, as well as explains the somewhat ambiguous
"as it were in secret." The general method of travel in those days,
and especially at festival seasons, was to form caravans, and join
together in considerable companies (cf. Luke 2:44). And when such a
company reached Jerusalem, naturally it became known generally. It
was, therefore, to avoid such publicity that our Lord waited till His
brethren had gone, and then He went up to the Feast, "not openly,
(R.V. publicly"), but as it were in secret," i.e., in private. "But
when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the feast."
the words we have placed in italics are not so much a time-mark as a
word of explanation. The "when" has the force of because as in John
4:1; 6:12; 6:16, etc.
"Then went he also up unto the feast." This simple sentence gives us a
striking revelation of our Lord's perfections. In order to appreciate
what we have here it is necessary to go back to the first verse of the
chapter, where we are told, "Jesus walked in Galilee, for he would not
walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him." Why is it that
the Holy Spirit has begun the chapter thus? The central incident in
John 7 is Christ in Jerusalem at the Feast of tabernacles. Why, then,
introduce the incident in this peculiar way? Ah! the Holy Spirit ever
had the glory of Christ in view. Because the Jews "sought to kill him"
He "walked in Galilee." And therein, as pointed out, He left us an
example not to needlessly expose ourselves to danger. But now in verse
10 we find that He did go to Judea, yes to Jerusalem itself. Why was
this? We have to turn back to Deuteronomy 16:16 for our answer. There
we read, "Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the
Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose; in the feast of
unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of
tabernacles." According to the flesh Christ was an Israelite, and
"made under the law" (Gal. 4:4). Therefore, did He, in perfect
submission to the will of His Father, go up to Jerusalem to keep the
feast. In the volume of the book it was "written of him," and even
though the Jews "sought to kill him," He promptly obeyed the written
Word! And here, too, He has left us an example. On the one hand,
danger should not be courted by us; on the other, when the Word of God
plainly bids us follow a certain line of conduct, we are to do so, no
matter what the consequences.
"Then the Jews sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he? And
there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some
said, he is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people.
Howbeit no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews" (John
7:11-13). Mark what a strange variety of opinions there were
concerning Christ even at the beginning! In the light of this passage
the differences and divergencies of religious beliefs today ought not
to surprise us. As said the late Bishop Ryle, "They are but the modern
symptoms of an ancient disease." Christ Himself distinctly affirmed,
"Think not that I am come to send peace." Whenever God's truth is
faithfully proclaimed, opposition will be encountered and strife
stirred up. The fault is not in God's truth, but in human nature. As
the sun shines on the swamp it will call forth malaria: but the fault
is not in the sun, but in the ground. The very same rays call forth
fertility from the grainfields. So the truth of God will yield
spiritual fruit from a believing heart, but from the carnal mind it
will evoke endless cavil and blasphemy. Some thought Christ a good
man; others regarded Him as a deceiver: sufficient for the disciple to
be as His Master.
"Some said, he is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the
people" (John 7:12). "The Lord might bring blessing out of it, but
they were reasoning and discussing. In another place He asks His
disciples, `Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?' They tell Him,
`Some say that thou art John the Baptist; some Elias; and others, one
of the prophets.' It was all discussion. But when Peter replies, `Thou
art the Christ, the Son of the living God,' He tells him, `Blessed art
thou Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto
thee, but my Father which is in heaven'. There was personal
recognition of Himself, and where there is that, there is no
discussion. Discussing Him as subject-matter in their minds, they had
not submitted to the righteousness of God. Where people's minds are at
work discussing the right and the wrong, there is not the mind of the
new-born babe; they are not receiving, but judging" (J.N.D.).
"Howbeit no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews" (John 7:13).
What a solemn warning to us is this! What an awful thing is the fear
of man! How often it has silenced faithful witness for Christ! It is
written, "The fear of man bringeth a snare" (Prov. 29:25). This is
still true. Let us pray then for holy boldness that we may testify
faithfully for an absent Savior before a world that cast Him out.
The following questions on our next portion may help the student:--
1. Wherein is verse 15 being repeated today?
2. Why did Christ speak of His "doctrine" rather than doctrines, verse
16?
3. What is the relation of verse 17 to the context?
4. Wherein does verse 18 help us to carry out 1 John 4:1?
5. What is the difference between "the law of Moses" (verse 23) and
"the law of God" (Rom. 7:22, 25)?
6. To what did the speakers refer in the second half of verse 27--cf.
verse 42?
7. What comforting truth is illustrated in verse 30?
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] Note there is a sevenfold reference to the "Feast" in John 7.
[2] That this is the same Feast appears by a comparison of Deuteronomy
16:16 with Exodus 23:14-17.
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 26
Christ Teaching in the Temple
John 7:14-31
_________________________________________________________________
Below is an outline Analysis of the passage which is to be before
us:--
1. Christ in the Temple, teaching: verse 14.
2. The Jews marvelling and Christ's answer: verses 15-19.
3. The people's question and Christ's response: verses 20-24.
4. The inquiry of those of Jerusalem: verses 25-27.
5. The response of Christ: verses 28, 29.
6. The futile attempt to apprehend Christ: verse 30.
7. The attitude of the common people: verse 31.
In the last chapter we discussed the first thirteen verses of John 7,
from which we learned that notwithstanding "the Jews" (Judean leaders)
sought to kill Him (verse 1), Christ, nevertheless, went up to
Jerusalem to the Feast of tabernacles (verse 10). We pointed out how
this manifested the perfections of the Lord Jesus, inasmuch as it
demonstrated His submission to the will and His obedience to the word
of His Father. Our present chapter records an important incident which
transpired during the midst of the Feast. The Savior entered the
Temple, and, refusing to be intimidated by those who sought His life,
boldly taught those who were there assembled.
"Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and
taught" (John 7:14). Twice previously has "the temple" been mentioned
in this Gospel. In John 2 we behold Christ as the Vindicator of the
Father's house, cleansing the Temple. In verse 14 we read how Christ
found in the temple the impotent man whom He had healed. But here in
John 7, for the tint time, we find our Lord teaching in the Temple.
The Holy Spirit has not seen well to record the details of what it was
that our Lord "taught" on this significant occasion, but He intimates
that the Savior must have delivered a discourse of unusual weight. For
in the very next verse we learn that even His enemies, "the Jews,"
marvelled at it. In keeping with His usual custom, we doubt not that
He took advantage of the occasion to speak at length upon the
different aspects and relations of the Feast itself. Most probably He
linked together the various Old Testament scriptures which treat of
the Feast, and brought out of them things which His hearers had never
suspected were in them. And then there would be a searching
application of the Word made to the consciences and hearts of those
who listened.
"And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having
never learned?" (John 7:15). "These words undoubtedly refer to our
Lord's great acquaintance with the Scrip tures, and the judicious and
masterly manner in which He taught the people out of them, with far
greater majesty and nobler eloquence than the scribes could attain by
a learned education." (Dr. Philip Doddridge). But how their very
speech betrayed these Jews! How this exclamation of theirs exposed the
state of their hearts! It was not their consciences which were
exercised, but their curiosity that was aroused. It was not the claims
of God they were occupied with, but the schools of men. It was not the
discourse itself they were pondering, but the manner of its delivery
that engaged their attention.
"How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?" How like the
spirit which is abroad today! How many there are in the educational
and religious world who suppose it is impossible for man to expound
the Scriptures gracefully and to the edification of his hearers
unless, forsooth, he has first been trained in some college or
seminary! Education is an altar which is now thronged by a multitude
of idolatrous worshippers. That, no doubt, is one reason why God's
curse has fallen on almost all our seats of learning. He is jealous of
His glory, and anything which enters into competition with Himself He
blights and withers. An unholy valuation of human learning, which
supplants humble dependence upon the Holy Spirit is, perhaps, the
chief reason why God's presence and blessing have long since departed
from the vast majority of our centers of Christian education. And in
the judgment of the writer, there is an immediate and grave danger
that we may shortly witness the same tragedy in connection with our
Bible Schools and Bible Institutes.
If young men are taught, even though indirectly and by way of
implication, that they cannot and must not expect to become able
ministers of God's Word unless they first take a course in one of the
Bible Institutes, then the sooner all such institutions are shut down
the better both for them and the cause of God. If such views are
disseminated, if a course in some Bible School is advocated in
preference to personal waiting upon God and the daily searching of the
Scriptures in private, then God will blast these schools as surely as
He did the seminaries and universities. And such an event is not so
far beyond the bounds of probability as some may suppose. Already
there are not wanting signs to show that "Ichabod" has been written
over some of them. One of the principle Bible training schools in
England closed down some years ago; and the fact that one of the
leading Institutes in this country is constantly sending out urgent
appeals for financial help is conclusive evidence that it is now being
run in the energy of the flesh.
"Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that
sent me" (John 7:16). Let every young man who reads these lines ponder
carefully this sentence from Christ. If he is fully assured that he
has received a call from God to devote his life to the Lord's service,
and is now exercised as to how he may become equipped for such
service, let him prayerfully meditate upon these words of the Savior.
Let him remember that Christ is here speaking not from the standpoint
of His essential glory, not as a member of the Godhead, but as the Son
of God incarnate, that is, as the Servant of Jehovah. Let him turn to
John 8:28 and compare its closing sentence: "As my Father hath taught
me, I speak these things." It was in no human schools He had learned
to teach so that men marvelled. This discourse He had delivered
originated not in His own mind. His doctrine came from the One who
sent Him.
It was the same with the apostle Paul. Hear him as he says to the
Galatians, "But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was
preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man,
neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ" (John
1:11, 12). And these things, dear brethren, are recorded for our
learning. No one has to take a course in any Bible School in order to
gain a knowledge and insight of the Scriptures. The man most used of
God last century--Mr. C. H. Spurgeon--was a graduate of no Bible
Institute! We do not say that God has not used the Bible schools to
help many who have gone there; we do not say there may not be such
which He is so using today. But what we do say is, that such schools
are not an imperative necessity. You have the same Bible to hand that
they have; and you have the same Holy Spirit to guide you into all
truth. God may be pleased to use human instruments in instructing and
enlightening you, or He may give you the far greater honor and
privilege of teaching you directly. That is for you to ascertain. Your
first duty is to humbly and diligently look to HIM, wait on Him for
guidance, seek His will, ,and the sure promise is, "The meek will he
guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way" (Ps. 25:9).
"My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me." These words were
spoken by Christ to correct the Jews, who were unable to account for
the wondrous words which fell from His lips. He would assure them that
His "doctrine" had been taught Him by no man, nor had He invented it.
"My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me." How zealous He was
for the Father's honor! How jealously He guarded the Father's glory!
Let every servant of God learn from this blessed One who was "meek and
lowly in heart." Whenever people praise you for some message of help,
fail not to disclaim all credit, and remind your God--dishonoring
admirers that the "doctrine" is not yours, but His that sent you.
"My doctrine is not mine." Observe that Christ does not say "My
doctrines are not mine," but "My doctrine." The word "doctrine" means
"teaching," and the teaching (truth) of God is one correlated and
complete whole. In writing to Timothy, Paul said, "Take heed unto
thyself, and unto the doctrine" (not doctrines--1 Timothy 4:6). And
again he wrote, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is
profitable for doctrine" (2 Tim. 3:16). In striking contrast from
this, Scripture speaks of "the doctrines of men" (Col. 2:22); "strange
doctrines" (Heb. 13:9); and "doctrines of demons" (1 Tim. 4:1). Here
the word is pluralized because there is no unity or harmony about the
teachings of men or the teachings of demons. They are diverse and
conflicting. But God's truth is indivisible and harmonious.
"If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether
it be of God, or whether I speak of myself" (John 7:17). The wording
of this verse in the A.V. leaves something to be desired; we give,
therefore, the translation found in Bagster's Interlinear:[1] "If any
one desire his will to practice, he shall know concerning the teaching
whether from God it is, or I from myself speak." The Greek word here
rendered "desire" signifies no fleeting impression or impulse, but a
deeply rooted determination. The connection between this verse and the
one preceding is as follows: "What you have just heard from My lips is
no invention of Mine, but instead, it proceedeth from Him that sent
Me. Now if you really wish to test this and prove it for yourselves
you must take care to preserve an honest mind and cultivate a heart
that yields itself unquestioningly to God's truth."
"If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether
it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." In this declaration our
Lord laid down a principle of supreme practical importance. He informs
us how certainty may be arrived at in connection with the things of
God. He tells us how spiritual discernment and assurance are to be
obtained. The fundamental condition for obtaining spiritual knowledge
is a genuine heart-desire to carry out the revealed will of God in our
lives. Wherever the heart is right God gives the capacity to apprehend
His truth. If the heart be not right, wherein would be the value of
knowing God's truth? God will not grant light on His Word unless we
are truly anxious to walk according to that light. If the motive of
the investigator be pure, then he will obtain an assurance that the
teaching of Scripture is "of God" that will be far more convincing and
conclusive than a hundred logical arguments.
"If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether
it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." How this word rebuked,
again, these worldly-minded Jews; and how it reverses the judgment of
many of our moderns! One does not have to enter a seminary or a Bible
Institute and take a course in Christian Apologetics in order to
obtain assurance that the Bible is inspired, or in order to learn how
to interpret it. Spiritual intelligence comes not through the
intellect, but via the heart: it is acquired not by force of
reasoning, but by the exercise of faith. In Hebrews 11:3 we read,
"Through faith we understand," and faith cometh not by schooling but
by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God! Thousands of years ago one
of Israel's prophets was moved by the Holy Spirit to write, "Then
shall we know, if we follow on to know THE LORD" (Hos. 6:3).
"He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that
seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no
unrighteousness is in him" (John 7:18). Christ here appealed to the
manner and purpose of His teaching, to show that He was no impostor.
He that speaketh of, or better from, himself, means, he whose message
originates with himself, rather than God. Such an one seeketh his own
glory. That is to say, he attracts attention to himself: he aims at
his own honor and aggrandizement. On the other hand, the one who seeks
the glory of Him that sent him, the same is "true" or genuine (cf.
"true" in John 6:32 and 15:1), i.e. a genuine servant of God. And of
such, Christ added, "and no unrighteousness is in him." Interpreting
this in the light of the context (namely, verses 12 and 15), its
evident meaning is, The one who seeks God's glory is no impostor.
"He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that
seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no
unrighteousness is in him." What a searching word is this for every
servant of God today! How it condemns that spirit of self-exaltation
which at times, alas, is found (we fear) in all of us. The Pharisees
sought "the praise of men," and they have had many successors. But how
different was it with the apostle Paul, who wrote, "I am the least of
the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle" (1 Cor. 15:9).
And again, "Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints" (Eph.
3:8). And what an important word does this eighteenth verse of John 7
contain for those who sit under the ministry of the professed servants
of God. Here is one test by which we may discover whether the preacher
has been called of God to the ministry, or whether he ran without
being sent. Does he magnify himself or his Lord? Does he seek his own
glory, or the glory of God? Does he speak about himself or about
Christ? Can he truthfully say with the apostle, "We preach not
ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord" (2 Cor. 4:5)? Is the general
trend of his ministry, Behold me, or Behold the church, or Behold the
Lamb of God?
"Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law?
Why go ye about to kill me?" (John 7:19). Here Christ completely turns
the tables upon them. They were saying that He was unlettered, and now
He charges them with having the letter of the Law, but failing to
render obedience to it. They professed to be the disciples of Moses,
and yet there they were with murder in their hearts, because He had
healed a man on the Sabbath. He had just declared there was no
unrighteousness in Himself; now He uncovered the unrighteousness which
was in them, for they stood ready to break the sixth commandment in
the Decalogue. His question, "Why go ye about to kill me?" is very
solemn. It was a word of more than local application. Where there is
no heart for the truth, there is always an heart against it. And where
there is enmity against the truth itself there is hatred of those who
faithfully proclaim it. No one who is in anywise acquainted with the
history of the last two thousand years can doubt that. And it is due
alone to God's grace and restraining power that His servants do not
now share the experiences of Stephen, and Paul, and thousands of the
saints who were "faithful unto death" during the Middle Ages. Nor will
it be long before the Divine restraint, which now holds Satan in leash
and which is curbing the passions of God's enemies, shall be removed.
Read through the prophecies of the Revelation and mark the awful
sufferings which godly Jews will yet endure. Moreover, who can say how
soon what is now transpiring in Russia may not become general and
universal!
"The people answered and said, Thou hast a devil: who goeth about to
kill thee?" (John 7:20). "The people" evidently refers to the
miscellaneous company of Israelites in the Temple courts. At that
season they came from all parts of Palestine up to Jerusalem to
observe the Feast. Many of them were ignorant of the fact that the
Judean leaders had designs upon the life of Christ; and when He said
to the Jews (of verse 15) "Why go ye about to kill me?" (verse 19, and
cf. verse 1), these "people" deemed our Lord insane, and said "Thou
hast a demon," for insanity is often one of the marks of demoniacal
possession. This fearful blasphemy not only exposed their blindness to
the glory of Christ, but also demonstrated the desperate evil of their
hearts. To what awful indignities and insults did our blessed Lord
submit in becoming incarnate! "Thou hast a demon:" is such an
aspersion ever cast on thee, fellow-Christian? Then remember that thy
Lord before thee was similarly reviled: sufficient for the disciple to
be as his Master.
"Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all
marvel" (John 7:21). Christ ignored the horrible charge of "the
people," and continued to address Himself to "the Jews." And herein He
has left us a blessed example. It is to be noted that in the passage
where we are told, "Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an
example, that we should follow his steps," the Holy Spirit has
immediately followed this with, "who did no sin, neither was guile
found in his mouth: who, when he was reviled, reviled not again" (1
Pet. 2:22, 23). What a beautiful illustration John 7 gives of this!
When He was reviled, He "reviled not again." He made no answer to
their blasphemous declamation. O that Divine grace may enable us to
"follow his steps." When Christ said to the Jews, "I have done one
work, and ye all marvel," He was referring to what is recorded in John
5:1-16.
"Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of
Moses, but of the fathers;) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a
man. If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of
Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a
man every whit whole on the sabbath day?" (John 7:22, 23). Our Lord
continued to point out how unreasonable was their criticism of Himself
for healing the impotent man on the Sabbath day. He reminds them that
circumcision was performed on the Sabbath; why then should they
complain because He had made a poor sufferer whole on that day! By
this argument Christ teaches us that works of necessity and works of
mercy may be legitimately performed on the Sabbath. Circumcision was a
work of necessity if the Law of Moses was to be observed, for if the
infant reached its eighth day on the Sabbath, it was then he must be
circumcised. The healing of the impotent man was a work of mercy. Thus
are we permitted to engage in both works of necessity and works of
mercy on the holy Sabbath.
It is to be observed that Christ here refers to circumcision as
belonging to "the law of Moses." For a right understanding of the
teaching of Scripture concerning the Law it is of first importance
that we distinguish sharply between "the law of God" and "the law of
Moses." The Law of God is found in the ten commandments which Jehovah
Himself wrote on the two tables of stone, thereby intimating that they
were of lasting duration. This is what has been rightly termed the
moral Law, inasmuch as the Decalogue (the ten commandments) enunciates
a rule of conduct. The moral Law has no dispensational limitations,
but is lastingly binding on every member of the human race. It was
given not as a means of salvation, but as expressing the obligations
of every human creature to the great Creator. The "law of Moses"
consists of the moral, social, and ceremonial laws which God gave to
Moses after the ten commandments. The Law of Moses included the ten
commandments as we learn from Deuteronomy 5.
In one sense the Law of Moses is wider than "the law of God," inasmuch
as it contains far more than the Ten Commandments. In another sense,
it is narrower, inasmuch as "the law of Moses" is binding only upon
Israelites and Gentile proselytes; whereas "the law of God" is binding
on Jews and Gentiles alike.[2] Christ dearly observes this distinction
by referring to circumcision as belonging not to "the law of God," but
as being an essential part of "the law of Moses" which related only to
Israel.
"Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment"
(John 7:24). The connection between this verse and the preceding ones
is dear. Christ had been vindicating His act of healing the impotent
man on the Sabbath day. To His superficial critics it might have
seemed a breach of the Sabbatic law; but in reality it was not so.
Their judgment was hasty and partial. They were looking for something
they might condemn, and so seized upon this. But their verdict, as is
usually the case when hurried and prejudiced, was altogether
erroneous. Therefore, did our Lord bid them; "Judge not according to
the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." He exhorted them to be
fair; to take into account all the circumstances; to weigh all that
God's Word revealed about the Sabbath. "In it thou shalt not do any
work," was not to be taken absolutely: other scriptures plainly
modified it. The ministrations of the priests in the temple on the
Sabbath, and the circumcising of the child on that day when the Law
required it, were cases in point. But the Jews had overlooked or
ignored these. They had judged by appearances. They had not considered
the incident according to its merits, nor in the light of the general
tenor of Scripture. Hence, their judgment was unrighteous, because
unfair and false.
"Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment."
This is a word which each of us much need to take to heart. Most of us
fail at this point; fail in one of two directions. Some are prone to
form too good an opinion of people. They are easily deceived by an air
of piety. The mere fact that a man professes to be a Christian, does
not prove that he is one. That he is sound in his morals and a regular
attender of religious services, is no sure index to the state of his
heart. Remember that all is not gold that glitters. On the other hand,
some are too critical and harsh in their judgment. We must not make a
man an offender for a word. In many things we all offend. "There is
not a just man on earth that doeth good and sinneth not" (Ecclesiastes
7:20). The evil nature, inherited from Adam, remains in every
Christian to the end of his earthly course. And too, God bestows more
grace on one than He does on another. There is real danger to some of
us lest, forgetting the frailties and infirmities of our fellows, we
regard certain Christians as unbelievers. Even a nugget of gold has
been known to be covered with dust. It is highly probable that all of
us who reach heaven will receive surprises there. Some whom we
expected to meet will be absent, and some we never expected to see
will be there. Let us seek grace to heed this timely word of our
Lord's: "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous
judgment."
"Then said some of them of Jerusalem, Is not this he, whom they seek
to kill? But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing unto him.
Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ?" (John 7:25,
26). In this chapter one party after another stands exposed. The Light
was shining and it revealed the hidden things of darkness. First, the
"brethren" of Christ (verses 3-5) are exhibited as men of the world,
unbelievers. Next, "the Jews" (the Judean leaders) display their
carnality (verse 15). Then, the miscellaneous crowd, "the people"
(verse 20) make manifest their hearts. Now the regular inhabitants of
Jerusalem come before us. They, too, make bare their spiritual
condition. In sheltering behind "the rulers" they showed what little
anxiety they had to discover for themselves whether or not Christ was
preaching the truth of God. Verily, "there is no difference, for all
have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." The common people
were no better than the rulers; the Lord's brethren no more believed
on Him than did the Jews; the inhabitants of Jerusalem had no more
heart for Christ than they of the provinces. How plain it was, then,
that no man would come to Christ except he had been drawn of the
Father! It is so still. One class is just as much opposed to the
Gospel as any other. Human nature is the same the world over. It is
nothing but the distinguishing grace of God that ever makes one to
differ from another.
"Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no man
knoweth whence he is" (John 7:27). What pride of heart these words
evidence! These men of Jerusalem deemed themselves wiser than their
credulous rulers. The religious leaders might stand in some doubt, but
they knew whence Christ was. Evidently they were well acquainted with
His early life in Nazareth. Supposing that Joseph was His father, they
were satisfied that He was merely a man: "We know this man" indicates
plainly the trend of their thoughts.
"But when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is." This sentence
needs to be pondered with verse 42 before us. From Matthew 2:4, 5 it
is also plain that it was well known at the time that the Messiah
should first appear in Bethlehem. What, then, did these people mean
when they said, "When Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is"?
With Dr. Doddridge, we regard this statement as an expression of the
Jewish belief that the Messiah would be supernaturally born, i.e. of a
virgin, as Isaiah 7:14 declared.
"Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me,
and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent
me is true, whom ye know not" (John 7:28). It appears to the writer
that in the first part of this utterance the Lord was speaking
ironically. Some of them who lived in Jerusalem had declared, "we know
this man whence he is." Here Christ takes up their words and refutes
them. "Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am," such was their idle
boast; but, continues the Savior, "I am not come of myself, but he
that sent me is true, whom ye know not." So they did not know whence
He was. When Christ here declared of the Father, "He that sent me is
true," He looked back, no doubt, to the Old Testament Scriptures. God
had been "true" to His promises and predictions, many of which had
already been fulfilled, and others were even then in course of
fulfillment; yea, their very rejection of His Son evidenced the
Father's veracity.
"But I know him: for I am from him, and he hath sent me" (John 7:29).
It was because Christ knew the Father, and was from Him, that He could
reveal Him; for it is by the Son, and by Him alone, that the Father is
made known. "No man knoweth the Son but the Father; neither knoweth
any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will
reveal him" (Matthew 11:27). None cometh unto the Father but by
Christ; and none knoweth the Father but by Him.
"Then they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on him, because
his hour had not yet come" (John 7:30). This verse sets forth a truth
which should be of great comfort to God's people, and indeed it is so,
when received by unquestioning faith. We find here a striking example
of the restraining hand of God upon His enemies. Their purpose was to
apprehend Christ. They sought to take Him, yet not a hand was laid
upon Him! They thirsted for His blood, and were determined to kill
Him; yet by an invisible restraint from above, they were powerless to
do so. How blessed, then, to know that everything is under the
immediate control of God. Not a hair of our heads can be touched
without His permission. The demon-possessed Saul might hurl his
javelin at David, but hurling it and killing him were two different
things. Daniel might be cast into the den of lions, but as his time to
die had not then come, their mouths were mysteriously sealed. The
three Hebrews were cast into the fiery furnace, but of what avail were
the flames against those protected by Jehovah?
"Then they sought to take him: but no man laid hands on him, because
his hour was not yet come." How this evidences the invincibility of
God's eternal decrees! "There is no wisdom nor understanding nor
counsel against the Lord" (Prov. 21:30). God had decreed that the
Savior should be betrayed by a familiar friend, and sold for thirty
pieces of silver. How, then, was it possible for these men to seize
Him? They could no more arrest Christ than they could stop the sun
from shining. "There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless
the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand" (Prov. 19:21). What an
illustration of this is furnished by the incident before us!
"No man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come." Not
until the sixty-ninth "week" of Daniel 9:24 had run its courses could
Messiah the Prince be "cut off." All the hatred of men and all the
enmity of Satan and his hosts could not hasten Christ's appointed
death. Until God's foreordained hour smack, and the incarnate Son
bowed to His Father's good pleasure, He was immortal. And blessed be
God, it is our privilege to be assured that the hand of death cannot
strike us down before God's predestined "hour" arrives for us to go
hence. The enemy may war against us, and he may be permitted to strike
our bodies; but shorten our lives he cannot, anymore than he could
Job's. A frightful epidemic of disease may visit the neighborhood in
which I live, but I am immune till God suffers me to be affected.
Unless it is His will for me to be sick or to die, no matter how the
epidemic may rage, nor how many of those around me may fall victims to
it, it cannot harm me. "I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my
fortress: my God, in him will I trust." His reassuring voice answers
me: "Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the
arrow that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in
darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand
shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it
shall not come nigh thee" (Ps. 91:2, 6, 7). Should any be inclined to
think we have expressed ourselves too strongly, we ask them to ponder
the following scriptures: "Is there not an appointed time for man upon
earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling?"--that is,
strictly numbered (Job 7:1 ). "Seeing his days are determined, the
number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds
that he cannot pass . . . If a man die, shall he live again? all the
days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come" (Job 14:5,
14).
"No man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come." How
this brings out the fact that all of Christ's sufferings were
undergone voluntarily. He did not go to the Cross because He was
unable to escape it; nor did He die because He could not prevent it.
Far, far from it. Had He so pleased, He could have smitten down these
men with a single word from His mouth. But even that was not
necessary. They were prevented from touching Him without so much as a
single word being spoken!
"And many of the people believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh,
will he do more miracles than these, which this man hath done?" (John
7:31). Whether or not this was a saving faith it is rather difficult
to ascertain. Personally, we do not think it was. Bather do we regard
this verse as parallel with John 2:23: "Now when he was in Jerusalem
at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when
they saw the miracles which he did." But that theirs was not a saving
faith is evident from what follows: "But Jesus did not commit himself
unto them, because he knew all." So here, the remainder of verse 31
seems to argue against a saving faith. "When Christ cometh," intimates
that they did not really regard the Lord Jesus as the Messiah himself.
And their closing words, `Will he do more miracles than these which
this (fellow) hath done?" shows what a derogatory conception they had
of the incarnate Son of God.
The following questions bear upon our next chapter: John 7:32-53:--
1. What is there in verse 34 which unmistakably brings out the Deity
of Christ?
2. What does verse 35 go to prove?
3. Does verse 38 describe your spiritual experience? If not, why?
4. What solemn warning is conveyed by verses 41, 42?
5. What do verses 50, 51 go to show?
6. Were the Pharisees correct in verse 52?
7. What is there in this passage which magnifies Christ as "the Word"?
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] This is a work we strongly recommend to those who desire to be
students of the Word. It gives the original Greek and immediately
beneath, a literal, word for word, English translation. Obtainable
from the publisher of this book.
[2] See the author's booklet "The Law and the Saint" for a fuller
discussion of this subject. Obtainable from the publisher of this
book. 30 cents.
_________________________________________________________________
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 27
Christ in the Temple (Concluded)
John 7:32-53
_________________________________________________________________
The following is a general Outline of the passage which is to be
before us:--
1. The Pharisees' attempt to apprehend Christ: verse 32.
2. Christ's words to their officers: verses 33, 34.
3. The mystification of the Jews: verses 35, 36.
4. Christ's words on the last day of the Feast: verses 37-39.
5. The divided opinion of the common people: verses 40-44.
6. The confession of the officers: verses 45, 46.
7. The conference of the Pharisees broken up by Nicodemus: verses
47-53.
The passage for our present consideration continues and completes the
one that was before us in our last lesson. It views our Lord still in
the Temple, and supplies additional evidences of His absolute Deity.
It also affords further proofs of the desperate wickedness of the
human heart. There is a strange mingling of the lights and the
shadows. First, the Pharisees send officers to arrest Christ, and then
we find these returning to their masters and confessing that never man
spake as He did. On the one hand, we hear of Christ ministering
blessing to the thirsty souls who come unto Him and drink; on the
other, we learn of there being a division among the people because of
Him. The Sanhedrin sit in judgment upon Christ, and yet one of their
own number, Nicodemus, is found rebuking them.
Before examining in detail the dosing verses of John 7 this will be
the best place, perhaps, to call attention (though very briefly) to
the significant order of truth found in John 5, 6, and 7. This may be
seen in two different directions: First, concerning Christ Himself;
second, concerning His people. In John 5 Christ is seen disclosing His
Divine attributes, His essential perfections. In John 6 He is viewed
in His humiliation, as the One come down from heaven, and who was to
"give his life" for the world. But here in John 7, He says, "Yet a
little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me"
(verse 33), and speaks of the gift of the Holy Spirit, which was
subsequent upon His glorification (verse 39). So, too, there is a
similar progressive unfolding of truth in connection with the
believer. In John 5 he is viewed as "quickened" (verse 21). In John 6
we see the result of this: he comes to Christ and is saved. Now, in
John 7, we hear of "rivers of living water" flowing from him to
others!
"The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning
him; and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take
him" (John 7:32). Things began to move swiftly. An interval of but six
months divides between the time contemplated in our lesson and the
actual crucifixion of Christ. The shadows commence to fall more
thickly and darkly across His path. The opposition of His enemies is
more definite and relentless. The religious leaders were incensed:
their intelligence had been called into question (verse 26), and they
were losing their hold over many of the people (verse 31). When these
tidings reached the ears of the Pharisees and chief priests, they sent
out officers to arrest the Savior.
"Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then
I go unto him that sent me" (John 7:33). This was tantamount to
saying, My presence here is a source of annoyance to your masters, but
not for long will this be continued. But our Lord did not forget to
remind these officers that He was complete master of the situation.
None could remove Him until His work was finished: "Yet a little while
am I with you." True that little while spanned only six months, but
until these had run their course He would be with them, and no power
on earth could prevent it; no power either human or satanic could
shorten that little while by so much as a single day or hour. And when
that little while had expired He would "go." He would return to His
Father in heaven. Equally powerless would they be to prevent this. Of
His own self He would lay down His life, and of His own self would He
take it again.
"Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then
I go unto him that sent me." How solemnly these words apply to our own
age! Christ is now here in the Person of the Holy Spirit. But not
forever is the Holy Spirit to remain in the world. When the fulness of
the Gentiles be come in, then shall the Holy Spirit return to the One
that sent Him. And how many indications there are that this is not far
distant! Verily, we are justified in saying to sinners, "Yet a little
while" will the Holy Spirit be "with you" and then He will "go unto
him" that sent Him. Then resist Him no longer: "Today if ye will hear
his voice, harden not your hearts."
"Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye
cannot come" (John 7:34). This, no doubt, received its first
fulfillment immediately after our Lord had risen from the dead. When
"some of the watch" came to Jerusalem and made known to the chief
priests that Christ had risen, that the sepulcher was empty, we may be
sure that a diligent search was made for Him. But never again did any
of them set eyes upon Him--the next time they shall behold Him will be
at the Great White Throne. Whither He had gone they could not come,
for "Except a man be born again he cannot enter the kingdom of God."
And how tragically have these words of Christ received a continual
verification in connection with Israel all through the centuries. In
vain have the Jews sought their Messiah: in vain, because there is a
veil over their hearts even as they read their own Scriptures (2 Cor.
3:15).
"Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye
cannot come" (John 7:34). These words also have a solemn message for
unsaved Gentiles living today. In applying the previous verse to our
own times we pointed out how that the words, "Yet a little while am I
with you, and then I go unto him that sent me" find their fulfillment
in the presence of the Spirit of Christ in the world today, a presence
so soon to be removed. And once He is removed, once the Spirit of
Christ returns to heaven, He will be sought in vain. "Ye shall seek
me, and shall not find me" will receive a most solemn verification in
a soon--coming day. This is very clear from Proverbs 1:24-28: "Because
I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no
man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel and would none
of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when
your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your
destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh
upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they
shall seek me early, but they shall not find me." Nor does this solemn
passage stand alone: "Strive to enter in at the strait gate, for many,
I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able when once
the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door" (Luke
13:24, 25). In view of these solemn warnings let every unsaved reader
heed promptly that imperative word in Isaiah 55:6: "Seek ye the Lord
while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near."
"And where I am, thither ye cannot come." How this brings out the
Deity of Christ. Mark He does not say, "Where I shall be," or "Where I
then am, ye cannot come"; but, though still on earth, He declared,
"Where I am, thither ye cannot come." In the previous verse He had
said, "I go unto him that sent me." These two statements refer
severally, to His distinct natures. "Where I am" intimated His
perpetual presence in heaven by virtue of His Divine nature; His going
there was yet a future thing for His human nature!
"Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither will he go, that we
shall not find him? Will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles,
and teach the Gentiles?" (John 7:35). How true it is that "the natural
man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14). Devoid of any spiritual
perception, these Jews were unable to understand Christ's reference to
His return to heaven. When they asked, "Will he go to the dispersed
among the Gentiles?" they were referring to those Jews who lived away
from Palestine. The Greek word is "diaspora" and signifies the
Dispersion. It is found only here and in James 1:1 where it is
rendered "The twelve tribes which are scattered abroad," literally,
"in the dispersion'', and in 1 Peter 1:1, "sojourners of the
dispersion." Further, these Jews asked, "Will he teach the Gentiles?"
What an evidence is this that unbelief will think about anything but
God? God not being in their thoughts, it never occurred to them that
the Lord Jesus might be referring to His Father in heaven; hence their
minds turned to the dispersion and the Gentiles. It is thus even with
a Christian when he is under the control of unbelief: the last one he
will think of is God. Solemn and humbling commentary is this on the
corruption of our natural heart.
"What manner of saying is this that he said, Ye shall seek me, and
shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come?" (John
7:36). And mark it, these were not illiterate men who thus mused, but
men of education and religious training. But no amount of culture or
religious instruction can impart spiritual understanding to the
intellect. A man must be Divinely illumined before he can perceive the
meaning and value of the things of God. The truth is that the most
illiterate babe in Christ has a capacity to understand spiritual
things which an unregenerate university graduate does not possess. The
plainest and simplest word from God is far above the reach of the
natural faculties.
"In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried,
saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink" (John
7:37). Their celebration of this Feast of tabernacles was drawing to a
close. The "last" or eighth day had now arrived. It is here termed
"the last great day of the feast"; in John 19:31 the same word is
rendered "high day." It was so called because on this closing day
there was a general and solemn convocation of the worshippers (see
Leviticus 23:36). On this eighth day, when the temple courts would be
thronged with unusually large crowds, Jesus "stood and cried." What a
contrast this pointed between Himself and those who hated Him: they
desired to rid the world of Him; He to minister unto needy souls.
"Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto
me, and drink." Here is the Gospel in a single short sentence. Three
words in it stand out and call for special emphasis--"thirst," "come,"
"drink." The first tells of a recognized need. Thirst, like hunger, is
something of which we are acutely conscious. It is a craving for that
which is not in our actual possession. There is a soul thirst as well
as a bodily. The pathetic thing is that so many thirst for that which
cannot slake them. Their thirst is for the things of the world:
pleasure, money, fame, ease, self-indulgence; and over all these
Christ has written in imperishable letters, "Whosoever drinketh of
this water shall thirst again."
But in our text Christ is referring to a thirst for something
infinitely nobler and grander, even for Himself. He speaks of that
intense longing for Himself which only the Spirit of God can create in
the soul. If a poor sinner is convicted of his pollution and desires
cleansing, if he is weighted down with the awful burden of conscious
guilt and desires pardon, if he is fully aware of his weakness and
impotency and longs for strength and deliverance, if he is filled with
fears and distrust and craves for peace and rest,--then, says Christ,
let him "come unto me." Happy the one who so thirsts after Christ that
he can say, "As the hart panteth after the waterbrooks, so panteth my
soul after thee, O God" (Ps. 42:1).
"Let him come unto me." "Come" is one of the simplest words in the
English language. It signifies our approach to an object or person. It
expresses action, and implies that the will is operative. To come to
Christ means, that you do with your heart and will what you would do
with your feet were He standing in bodily form before you and saying,
"Come unto me." It is an act of faith. It intimates that you have
turned your back upon the world, and have abandoned all confidence in
everything about yourself, and now cast yourself empty-handed, at the
feet of incarnate Grace and Truth. But make sure that nothing whatever
is substituted for Christ. It is not, come to the Lord's table, or
come to the waters of baptism, or come to the priest or minister, or
come and join the church; but come to Christ Himself, and to none
other.
"And drink." It is here that so many seem to fail. There are numbers
who give evidence of an awakened conscience, of heart-exercise, of a
conscious need of Christ; and there are numbers who appear to be
seeking Him, and yet stop short at that. But Christ not only said,
"Come unto me," but He added, "and drink." A river flowing through a
country where people were dying of thirst, would avail them nothing
unless they drink of it. The blood of the slain lamb availed the
Israelite household nothing, unless the head of that household had
applied it to the door. So Christ saves none who do not receive Him by
faith. "Drinking" is here a figurative expression, and signifies
making Christ your own. In all ages God's saints have been those who
saw their deep need, who came to the Lord, and appropriated the
provision of grace.
"If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink." Let us not
forget where these words were first uttered. The Speaker was not in a
penitentiary, but in the Temple. Christ was not addressing a company
of profligates, but a religious crowd who were observing a
Divinely-instituted Feast! What an example for each of His servants!
Brother preacher, take nothing for granted. Do not suppose that
because those you address are respectable people and punctual in their
religious exercises they are necessarily saved. Heed that word of your
Master's, and "preach the gospel to every creature," cultured as well
as illiterate, the respectable as well as the profligate, the
religious man as well as the irreligious.
"He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly
shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38). The language used by
our Lord really implies that He had some definite passage in mind. We
believe that He referred to Isaiah 58:11, And thou shalt be like a
watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not."
Our Lord applies the promise to believers of the present dispensation.
The believer should not be like a sponge-taking in but not giving
out--but like a spring, ever fresh and giving forth. Twice before had
Christ employed "water" as a figure, and it is striking to observe the
progressive order. In John 3:5 He had spoken of a man being born "of
water and of the Spirit": here the "water" comes down from God--cf.
John 3:3 margin, "born From above." In John 4:14 He says, "The water
that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up
into everlasting life." Here the "water" springs up to God, reaching
out to the Source from whence it came. But in John 7:38 He says, "Out
of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." Here the "water"
flows forth for God in blessing to others.
"He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly
shall flow rivers of living water." This verse describes the normal
Christian, and yet, how many of us would say that its contents are
receiving a practical exemplification in our daily lives? How many of
us would make so bold as to affirm that out of our innermost part are
flowing "rivers of living water"? Few indeed, if we were honest and
truthful. What, then, is wrong? Let us examine the verse a little more
attentively.
"Out of his belly shall flow." What is the "belly"? It is that part of
man which constantly craves. It is that part which, in his fallen
condition, is the natural man's god--"Whose god is their belly" (Phil.
3:19), said the apostle: styled their "god" because it receives the
most care and attention. The "belly" is that part of man which is
never really satisfied, for it is constantly crying for something else
to appease its cravings. Now the remarkable thing, yea, the blessed
thing, is, that not only is the believer himself satisfied, but he
overflows with that which satisfies--out of his innermost parts "flow
(forth) rivers of living water" The thought indeed is a striking one.
It is not merely "from him" shall flow, but "out of his belly shall
flow;" that is, from that very part of our constitution which, in the
natural man, is never satisfied, there shall be a constant overflow.
Now how is the believer satisfied? The answer is, By "coming" to
Christ and drinking; which mean receiving from Him: by having his
emptiness ministered to from His fulness. But does this refer only to
a single act? Is this something that is done once for all? Such seems
to be the common idea. Many appear to imagine that grace is a sort of
thing which God puts into the soul like a seed, and that it will grow
and develop into more. Not that we deny that the believer grows, but
the believer grows in grace; it is not the grace in him which grows! O
dear Christian reader, we are to continue as we began. Where was it
that you found rest and peace? It was in Christ. And how did you
obtain these? It was from a consciousness of your need (thirsting),
and your coming to Christ to have this met, and by appropriating from
Him. But why stop there? This ought to be a daily experience. And it
is our failure at this very point which is the reason why John 7:38
does not describe our spiritual history.
A vessel will not overflow until it is full, and to be full it has to
be filled! How simple; and yet how searching! The order of Christ in
the scripture before us has never changed. I must first come to Him
and "drink" before the rivers of living water will flow forth from my
satisfied soul. What the Lord most wants from us is receptiveness,
that is, the capacity to receive, to receive from Him. I must receive
from Him, before I can give out for Him. The apostles came to Christ
for the bread before they distributed to the hungry multitude. Here is
the secret of all real service. When my own "belly" has been filled,
that is, when my own needy heart has been satisfied by Christ, then no
effort will be required, but out from me shall flow "rivers of living
water." O may Divine grace teach us daily to first come to Christ
before we attempt anything for Him.
"But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him
should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given: because that
Jesus was not yet glorified" (John 7:39). This intimates a further
reason why we are told in verse 37 that the words there recorded were
uttered by Christ on "the last" day, that is the eighth day of the
Feast. In Scripture eight ever refers to a new beginning, and for this
reason, like the numeral three, eight is also the number of
resurrection: Christ arose on the eighth day, "in the end of the
Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first of the week" (Matthew
28:1). And, doctrinally considered, Christ was here speaking as from
resurrection ground. He was referring to that which could not receive
its accomplishment till after He had risen from the dead. When he said
"the Holy Spirit was not yet," John meant that He was not yet publicly
manifested on earth. His manifestation was subsequent to the
glorification of Christ.
"Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a
truth this is the Prophet" (John 7:40). The line of thought found in
this verse and the twelve that follow it might be termed, The testing
of men by the truth, and their failure to receive it. The first class
brought before us here is the common people. Many of them were
impressed by the gracious words which proceeded out of the mouth of
Christ. They said, "Of a truth this is the Prophet." Their language
was identical with that of the Galileans, recorded in John 6:14. But
observe they merely said, "This is the Prophet." We are not told that
they received Him as such. Words are cheap, and worth little unless
followed by action. It is significant, however, that John was the only
one of the Evangelists that records these sayings of the people, for
they were in harmony with his special theme. As its first verse
intimates, the fourth Gospel presents Christ as "the Word," that is,
the Speech, the Revealer, of God. A "prophet" is God's spokesman!
"Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out
of Galilee? Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the
seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"
(John 7:41, 42). Here is another illustration of an acquaintance with
the letter of the Word which failed to regulate the walk. These people
could quote prophecy while they rejected Christ! How vain is an
intellectual knowledge of spiritual things when unaccompanied by grace
in the heart! These men knew where Christ was to be born. They
referred to the Scriptures as though familiar with their contents. And
yet the eyes of their understanding were not enlightened. The Messiah
Himself stood before them, but they knew Him not. What a solemn
warning is there here for us! A knowledge of the letter of Scripture
is not to be despised, far from it: would that all the Lord's people
today were as familiar with the Word as probably these Jews were. It
is a cause for deep thankfulness if we were taught to read and
memorize Scripture from our earliest childhood. But while a knowledge
of the letter of Scripture is to be prized, it ought not to be
over-estimated. It is not sufficient that we are versed in the
historical facts of the Bible, nor that we have a clear grasp,
intellectually, of the doctrines of Christianity. Unless our hearts
are affected and our lives moulded by God's Word, we are no better off
than a starving man with a cook book in his hand.
"Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out
of Galilee? Hath not the Scripture said, that Christ cometh of the
seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"
These words are recorded for our learning. We must not pass them over
hurriedly as though they contained no message for us. They should lead
us to solemnly and seriously examine ourselves. There are many today
who, like these men of old, can quote the Scriptures readily and
accurately, and yet who give no evidence that they have been born
again. An experiential acquaintance with Christ is the one thing
needful. A heart knowledge of God's truth is the vital thing, and it
is that which no schooling or seminary training can confer. If you
have discovered the plague of your own heart; if you have seen
yourself as a lost sinner, and have received as yours the sinner's
Savior; if you have tasted for yourself that the Lord is gracious; if
you are now, not only a hearer but a doer of the Word; then, abundant
cause have you to thank God for thus enlightening you. You may be
altogether ignorant of Hebrew and Greek, but if you know Him, whom to
know is life eternal, and if you sit daily at His feet to be taught of
Him, then have you that which is above the price of rubies. But O make
quite sure on the point, dear reader. You cannot afford to remain in
uncertainty. Rest not, until by Divine grace you can say, "One thing I
know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. And if your eyes have been
opened, pray God daily to give you a better heart-knowledge of His
Word.
"So there was a division among the people because of him" (John 7:43).
How this fulfilled His own predicted word. Near the beginning of His
public ministry (cf. Matthew 10:34,35) He said, "Suppose ye that I am
come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division. For
from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three
against two, and two against three," etc. (Luke 12:51, 52). So it
proved then, and so it has been ever since. Why we do not know. God's
ways are ever different from ours. There will be another "division"
among the people of the earth when the Lord Jesus leaves the Father's
throne and descends into the air; yea, a "division" also among the
people in the graves. Only the "dead in Christ" shall then be raised,
and only the living ones who have been saved by Him will be "caught up
together to meet the Lord in the air." The rest will be left behind.
What a "division" that will be! In which company would you be, dear
reader, were Christ to come today?
"So there was a division among the people because of him." If this was
the ease when Christ was upon earth, then we must not be surprised if
those who faithfully serve Him occasion a "division" during His
absence. Scripture says, "Woe unto you when all men speak well of
you." Read through the book of Acts and note what "divisions" the
preaching of the apostles caused. Mark that solemn but explicit word
in 1 Corinthians 11:19, "For there must be also factions among you,
that they that are approved may be made manifest among you" (R.V.).
How senseless, then, is all this modem talk about the union of
Christendom. Fellow-preacher, if you are faithfully declaring all the
counsel of God, be not surprised, nor be dismayed, if there is a
"division" because of you. Regard it as an ominous sign if it be
otherwise.
"And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him"
(John 7:44). This is similar to what was before us in verse 30. Again
and again is this noted in John's Gospel: cf. John 5:16, 18; 17:1;
8:20; 10:39, etc. But they were powerless before the decrees of God.
"Some of them would have taken him." The Greek word means they
"desired" to do so. They had a will to, but not the ability. Ah! men
may boast of their will-power and of their "free will," but after all,
what does it amount to? Pilate said, "Knowest thou not that I have
power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee" (John 19:10).
So he boasted, and so he really believed. But what was our Lord's
rejoinder? "Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against
me, except it were given thee from above." It was so here: these men
desired to arrest Christ, but they were not given power from above to
do so. Verily, we may say with the prophet of old, "O Lord, I know
that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh
to direct his steps" (Jer. 10:23).
"Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they
said unto them, Why have you not brought him?" (John 7:45). Well might
they ask such a question, for they were totally ignorant of the real
answer. Well might Pharaoh now ask, Why did I fail in destroying the
Hebrews? Or Nero, Why did I not succeed in exterminating all the
Christians? Or the king of Spain, Why did my "invincible Armada" fail
to reach the English ports and destroy the British navy? Or the
Kaiser, Why did my legions not succeed in taking Paris? In each case
the answer would be, Because God did not allow you to! Like these
other infamous characters, the Pharisees had reckoned without God.
They sent their officers to arrest Christ: they might as well have
ordered them to stop the sun from shining. Not all the hosts of earth
and hell could have arrested Him one moment before God's predestined
hour had arrived. Ah, dear reader, the God of the Bible is no mere
figurehead. He is Supreme in fact as well as in name. When He gets
ready to act none can hinder; and until He is ready, none can speed
Him. This is a hateful thought for His enemies, but one full of
comfort to His people. If you, my reader, are fighting against Him, be
it known that the great God laughs at your consummate folly, and will
one day ere long deal with you in His fury. On the other hand, if you
are, by sovereign grace, one of His children, then He is for you, and
if God be for you, who can be against you? Who, indeed!
"The officers answered, Never man spake like this man." (John 7:46).
What a testimony was this from unbelievers! Instead of arresting Him,
they had been arrested by what they had heard, Mark again how this
magnifies Christ as "the Word"! It was not His miracles which had so
deeply impressed them, but His speech! "Never man spake as this man."
True indeed was their witness, for the One they had listened to was
more than "man"--"the Word was God"! No man ever spake like Christ
because His words were spirit and life (John 6:63). What sayest thou
of Christ, my reader? Do you own that "never man spake as this man"?
Have His words come to you with a force that none other's ever did?
Have they pierced you through to "the dividing asunder of soul and
spirit"? Have they brought life to your soul, joy to your heart, rest
to your conscience, peace to your mind? Ah, if you have heard Him say
"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest," and you have responded to His voice, then can you say
indeed, "Never man spake like this man."
"Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived? Have any of
the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him?" (John 7:47, 48). The
"rulers" were men of official rank; the "Pharisees,'' the religious
formalists of that day. Few "rulers" or men of eminent standing, few
"scribes" or men of erudition, few "Pharisees'' or men of strict
morality, were numbered among the followers of the Lamb. They were too
well satisfied with themselves to see any need of a Savior. The
sneering criticism of these Pharisees has been repeated in every age,
and the very fact that it is made only supplies another evidence of
the veracity of God's Word. Said the apostle Paul, "Not many wise men
after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: but God
hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and
God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things
which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are
despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to
naught things which are" (1 Cor. 1:26-28). And why?--"that no flesh
should glory in his presence"!
"But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed" (John 7:49).
"This people" was a term of contempt. It has been rendered by some
scholars, "This rabble--this mob--this rift raft." Nothing was more
mortifying to these proud Pharisees, and nothing is more humiliating
to their modern descendants than to find harlots and publicans
entering the kingdom while they are left outside.
"Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one
of them,) Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know
what he doeth?" (John 7:50, 51). Have any of the Pharisees believed on
Christ, they asked? Not many had, but at least one had, as Nicodemus
gave evidence. Here is the one ray of light which relieves this dark
picture. Sovereign grace had singled out one of these very Pharisees,
and gave him courage to rebuke his unrighteous fellows. It is true
that Nicodemus does not appear to have said much on this occasion, but
he said sufficient to break up their conference. Not yet did he come
out boldly on the Lord's side; but he was no longer one of His
enemies. The work of grace proceeds slowly in some hearts, as in the
case of Nicodemus; for eighteen months had elapsed since what is
recorded in John 3. With others the work of grace acts more swiftly,
as in the case of Saul of Tarsus. Here, as everywhere, God acts
according to His own sovereign pleasure. Later, if the Lord will,
Nicodemus will come before us again, and then we shall behold the full
corn in the ear. John's Gospel depicts three stages in the spiritual
career of Nicodemus. In John 3 it is midnight: here in John 7 it is
twilight: in John 19 it is daylight in his soul.
"They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search,
and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet" (John 7:52). But they
were wrong. Their own Scriptures refuted them. Jonah was a "prophet,"
and he arose from Galilee: see 2 Kings 14:25. So, most probably, did
one or two other of their prophets. When they asked Nicodemus, "Art
thou also of Galilee?" they evidently meant, Art thou also a Galilean,
that is, one of His party?
"And every man went unto his own house" (John 7:53). The reference
here is to "every man" mentioned throughout this chapter. The Feast
was now over. The temporary "booths" would be taken down: and all
would now retire to their regular dwellings. "Every man went unto his
own house" is very solemn. Away from Christ they went. Him they left!
They desired His company no longer. And there the curtain falls.
The following questions are designed to prepare the student for the
next chapter on John 8:1-11:--
1. Wherein does this passage supply a further proof of the awful
condition of Israel?
2. What is the force and significance of "He sat down"? verse
2--contrast "Jesus stood" in John 7:37.
3. Wherein lay the "temptation"? verse 6.
4. What was the significance of Christ writing with His finger on the
ground? verse 6.
5. Why did He "again" write on the ground? verse 8.
6. According to which of the Divine attributes was Christ acting in
verse 11?
7. What do the words "go, and sin no more" (verse 11) evidence?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 28
Christ and the Adulterous Woman
John 8:1-11
_________________________________________________________________
We begin with the customary Analysis:--
1. Jesus retires to the mount of Olives: verse 1.
2. Jesus teaching in the temple: verse 2.
3. The Pharisees confront Him with an adulterous woman: verses 3-6.
4. Christ turns the light upon them: verses 6-8.
5. The Pharisees overcome by the light: verse 9.
6. The woman left alone with Christ: verse 10.
7. The woman dismissed with a warning: verse 11.
In this series of expositions of John's Gospel we have sedulously
avoided technical matters, preferring to confine ourselves to that
which would provide food for the soul. But in the present instance we
deem it necessary to make an exception. The passage which is to be
before us has long been the subject of controversy. Its authenticity
has been questioned even by godly men. John 7:53 to 8:11 inclusive is
not found in a number of the most important of the ancient
manuscripts. The R.V. places a question mark against this passage.
Personally we have not the slightest doubt but that it forms a part of
the inspired Word of God, and that for the following reasons:
First, if our passage be a spurious one then we should have to pass
straight from John 7:52 to 8:12. Let the reader try this, and note the
effect; and then let him go back to John 7:52 and read straight
through to John 8:14. Which seems the more natural and reads the more
smoothly?
Second, if we omit the first eleven verses of John 8, and start the
chapter with verse 12, several questions will rise unavoidably and
prove very difficult to answer satisfactorily. For example: "Then
spake Jesus"--when? What simple and satisfactory answer can be found
in the second part of John 7? But give John 8:1-11 its proper place,
and the answer is, Immediately after the interruption recorded in
verse 3. "Then spake Jesus again unto them" (verse 12)--unto whom? Go
back to the second half of John 7 and see if it furnishes any decisive
answer. But give John 8:2 a place, and all is simple and plain. Again
in verse 13 we read, "The Pharisees therefore said unto him": this was
in the temple (verse 20). But how came the Pharisees there? John 7:45
shows them elsewhere. But bring in John 8:1-11 and this difficulty
vanishes, for John 8:2 shows that this was the day following.
In the third place, the contents of John 8:1-11 are in full accord
with the evident design of this section of the Gospel. The method
followed in these chapters is most significant. In each instance we
find the Holy Spirit records some striking incident in our Lord's
life, which serves to introduce and illustrate the teaching which
follows it. In chapter 5 Christ quickens the impotent man, and makes
that miracle the text of the sermon He preached immediately after it.
In John 6 He feeds the hungry multitude, and right after gives the two
discourses concerning Himself as the Bread of life. In John 7 Christ's
refusal to go up to the Feast publicly and openly manifest His glory,
is made the background for that wondrous word of the future
manifestation of the Holy Spirit through believers--issuing from them
as "rivers of living water." And the same principle may be observed
here in John 8. In John 8:12 Christ declares, "I am the light of the
world," and the first eleven verses supply us with a most striking
illustration and solemn demonstration of the power of that "light."
Thus it may be seen that there is an indissoluble link between the
incident recorded in John 8:1-11 and the teaching of our Lord
immediately following.
Finally, as we shall examine these eleven verses and study their
contents, endeavoring to sound their marvelous depths, it will be
evident, we trust, to every spiritual intelligence, that no uninspired
pen drew the picture therein described. The internal evidence, then,
and the spiritual indications (apprehended and appreciated only by
those who enter into God's thoughts) are far more weighty than
external considerations. The one who is led and taught by the Spirit
of God need not waste valuable time examining ancient manuscripts for
the purpose of discovering whether or not this portion of the Bible is
really a part of God's own Word.
Our passage emphasizes once more the abject condition of Israel. Again
and again does the Holy Spirit call our attention to the fearful state
that Israel was in during the days of Christ's earthly ministry. In
chapter 1 we see the ignorance of the Jews as to the identity of the
Lord's forerunner (John 1:14), and blind to the Divine Presence in
their midst (John 1:26). In chapter 2 we have illustrated the joyless
state of the nation, and are shown their desecration of the Father's
House. In chapter 3 we behold a member of the Sanhedrin dead in
trespasses and sins, needing to be born again (John 3:7), and the Jews
quibbling with John's disciples about purifying (John 3:25). In
chapter 4 we discover the callous indifference of Israel toward their
Gentile neighbors--"the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans"
(John 4:9). In chapter 5 we have a portrayal of God's covenant people
in the great multitude of impotent folk, "blind, halt and withered."
In chapter 6 they are represented as hungry, yet having no appetite
for the Bread of life. In chapter 7 the leaders of the nation send
officers to arrest Christ. And now in chapter 8 Israel is contemplated
as Jehovah's unfaithful wife--"adulterous."
"Jesus went unto the mount of Olives" (John 8:1). This points a
contrast from the closing verse of the previous chapter. There we
read, Every man went unto his own house. Here we are told, "Jesus went
unto the mount of Olives." We believe that this contrast conveys a
double thought, in harmony with the peculiar character of this fourth
Gospel. All through John two things concerning Christ are made
prominent: His essential glory and His voluntary humiliation. Here,
the Holy Spirit presents Him to us as the eternal Son of God, but also
as the Son come down from heaven, made flesh. Thus we are given to
behold, on the one hand, His uniqueness, His peerless excellency; and
on the other, the depths of shame into which He descended. Frequently
these are placed almost side by side. Thus in chapter 4, we read of
Him, "wearied with his journey" (verse 6); and then in the verses that
follow, His Divine glories shine forth. Other examples will recur to
the reader. So here in the passage before us. "Jesus went unto the
mount of Olives" (following John 7:53) suggests the elevation of
Christ. But no doubt it also tells of the humiliation of the Savior.
The foxes had holes, and the birds of the air had nests, but the Son
of man had not where to lay His head (Matthew 8:20): therefore, when
"every man went unto his own house," "Jesus went unto the mount of
Olives," for He "owned" no "house" down here. He who was rich for our
sakes became poor.
"And early in the morning he came again into the temple" (John 8:2).
There is nothing superfluous in Scripture. Each one of these scenes
has been drawn by the Heavenly Artist, so we may be fully assured that
every line, no matter how small, has a meaning and value. If we keep
steadily before us the subject of this picture we shall be the better
able to appreciate its varied tints. The theme of our chapter is the
outshining of the Light of life. How appropriate then is this opening
word: the early "morning" is the hour which introduces the daylight!
"And early in the morning he came again into the temple." This word
also conveys an important practical lesson for us, inasmuch as Christ
here leaves an example that we should follow His steps. In the first
sermon of our Lord's recorded in the New Testament we find that He
said, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness"
(Matthew 6:33), and He ever practiced what he preached. The lesson
which our Redeemer here exemplified is, that we need to begin the day
by seeking the face and blessing of God! The Divine promise is, "They
that seek me early shall find me" (Prov. 8:17). How different would be
our lives if we really began each day with God! Thus only can we
obtain that fresh supply of grace which will give the needed strength
for the duties and conflicts of the hours that follow.
"And all the people came unto him" (John 8:2). This is another
instance where the word "all" must be understood in a modified sense.
Again and again is it used relatively rather than absolutely. For
example, in John 3:26 we read of the disciples of John coming to their
master in complaint that Christ was attracting so many to Himself:
"all come to him," they said. Again, in John 6:45 the Lord Jesus
declared, "They shall be all taught of God." So here, "all the people
came unto him." These and many other passages which might be cited
should prevent us from falling into the errors of Universalism. For
example, "I, if I be lifted up from the earth will draw all unto me"
(John 12:32), does not mean all without exception. It is a very patent
fact that everybody is not "drawn" to Christ. The "all" in John 12:32
is all without distinction. So here "all the people came unto him"
(John 8:2) signifies all that were in the temple, that is, all kinds
and conditions of men, men of varied age and social standing, men from
the different tribes.
"And he sat down, and taught them" (John 8:2). Jesus stood; Jesus
walked; Jesus sat. Each of these expressions in John's Gospel conveys
a distinctive moral truth. Jesus "stood" directs attention to the
dignity and blessedness of His person, and it is very solemn to note
that in no single instance (where this expression occurs) was the
glory of His person recognized: cf. John 1:26; 7:37 and what follows;
John 20:14, 19, 26; 21:4. Jesus "walked" refers to the public
manifestation of Himself: see our notes on John 7:1. Jesus "sat"
points to His condescending lowliness, meekness and grace: see John
4:6; 6:3; 12:15.
"And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in
adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him,
Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses
in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest
thou? This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse
him" (John 8:3-6). Following the miscarriage of their plans on the
previous day--through the failure of the officers to arrest Christ
(John 7:45)--the enemies of Christ hit upon a new scheme: they sought
to impale Him on the horns of a dilemma. The roar of the "lion" had
failed; now we are to behold the wiles of the "serpent."
The awful malignity of the Lord's enemies is evident on the surface.
They brought this adulterous woman to Christ not because they were
shocked at her conduct, still less because they were grieved that
God's holy law had been broken. Their object was to use this woman to
exploit her sin and further their own evil designs. With coldblooded
indelicacy they acted, employing the guilt of their captive to
accomplish their evil intentions against Christ. Their motive cannot
be misinterpreted. They were anxious to discredit our Lord before the
people. They did not wait until they could interrogate Him in private,
but, interrupting as He was teaching the people, they rudely
challenged Him to solve what must have seemed to them an unsolvable
enigma.
The problem by which they sought to defy Infinite Wisdom was this: A
woman had been taken in the act of adultery, and the law required that
she should be stoned. Of this there is no room for doubt, see
Leviticus 20:10 and Deuteronomy 22:22.[1] "What sayest thou?" they
asked. An insidious question, indeed. Had He said, "Let her go," they
could then accuse Him as being an enemy against the law of God, and
His own word "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the
prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill" (Matthew verse 17)
had been falsified. But if He answered, "Stone her," they would have
ridiculed the fact that He was the "friend of publicans and sinners."
No doubt they were satisfied that they had Him completely cornered. On
the one hand, if He ignored the charge they brought against this
guilty woman, they could accuse Him of compromising with sin; on the
other hand, if He passed sentence on her, what became of His own word,
"For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but
that the world through him might be saved" (John 3:17)? Here, then,
was the dilemma: if Christ palliated the wickedness of this woman,
where was His respect for the holiness of God and the righteousness of
His law; but if He condemned her, what became of His claim that He had
come here to "seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10)? And
yet of what avail was their satanic subtlety in the presence of God
manifest in flesh!
Ere passing on it may be well to notice how this incident furnishes an
illustration of the fact that wicked men can quote the Scriptures when
they imagine that it will further their evil designs: "Now Moses in
the law commanded us, that such should be stoned." But what cared they
for the law? They were seeking to turn the point of the Spirit's
"sword" against the One they hated; soon they were to feel its sharp
edge of themselves. Let us not be deceived then and conclude that
every one who quotes Scripture to us must, necessarily, be a
God-fearing man. Those who quote the Scriptures to condemn others are
frequently the guiltiest of all. Those who are so solicitous to point
to the mote in another's eye, generally have a beam in their own.
But there is far more here than meets the eye at first glance, or
second too. The whole incident supplies a most striking portrayal of
what is developed at length in the epistle to the Romans. It is not
difficult to discern here (skulking behind the scenes) the hideous
features of the great Enemy of God and His people. The hatred of these
scribes and Pharisees was fanned by the inveterate enmity of the
Serpent against the woman's "Seed." The subject is profoundly
mysterious, but Scripture supplies more than one plain hint that Satan
is permitted to challenge the very character of God--the book of Job,
the third of Zechariah, and Revelation 12:10 are proofs of that. No
doubt one reason why the Lord God suffers this is for the instruction
of the unfallen angels--cf. Ephesians 3:10.
The problem presented to Christ by His enemies was no mere local one.
So far as human reason can perceive it was the profoundest moral
problem which ever could or can confront God Himself. That problem was
how justice and mercy could be harmonized. The law of righteousness
imperatively demands the punishment of its transgressor. To set aside
that demand would be to introduce a reign of anarchy. Moreover, God is
holy as well as righteous; and holiness burns against evil, and cannot
allow that which is defiled to enter His presence. What, then, is to
become of the poor sinner? A transgressor of the law he certainly is;
and equally manifest is his moral pollution. His only hope lies in
mercy; his salvation is possible only by grace. But how can mercy be
exercised when the sword of justice bars her way? How can grace flow
forth except by slighting holiness? Ah, human wisdom could never have
found an answer to such questions. It is evident that these scribes
and Pharisees thought of none. And we are fully assured that at the
beginning Satan himself could see no solution to this mighty problem.
But blessed be His name, God has "found a way" whereby His banished
ones may be restored (2 Sam. 14:13, 14). What this is we shall see
hinted at in the remainder of our passage.
Let us observe how each of the essential elements in this problem of
all problems is presented in the passage before us. We may summarize
them thus: First, we have there the person of that blessed One who had
come to seek and to save that which was lost. Second, we have a
sinner, a guilty sinner, one who could by no means clear herself.
Third, the law was against her: the law she had broken, and the
declared penalty of it was death. Fourth, the guilty sinner was
brought before the Savior Himself, and was indicted by His enemies.
Such, then, was the problem now presented to Christ. Would grace stand
helpless before law? If not, wherein lay the solution? Let us attend
carefully to what follows.
"But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground"
(John 8:6). This was the first thing that He here did. That there was
a symbolical significance to His action goes without saying, and what
this is we are not left to guess. Scripture is its own interpreter.
This was not the first time that the Lord had written "with his
finger." In Exodus 31:18 we read, "And he gave unto Moses, when he had
made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of
testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God." When,
then, our Lord wrote on the ground (from the ground must the "tables
of stone" have been taken), it was as though He had said, You remind
Me of the law! Why, it was My finger which wrote that law! Thus did He
show these Pharisees that He had come here, not to destroy the law,
but to fulfill it. His writing on the ground, then, was (symbolically)
a ratification of God's righteous law. But so blind were His would-be
accusers they discerned not the significance of His act.
"So when they continued asking him" (John 8:7). It is evident that our
Lord's enemies mistook His silence for embarrassment. They no more
grasped the force of His action of writing on the ground, than did
Belshazzar understand the writing of that same Hand on the walls of
his palace. Emboldened by His silence, and satisfied that they had Him
cornered, they continued to press their question upon Him. O the
persistency of evil-doers! How often they put to shame our lack of
perseverance and importunity.
"So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said
unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a
stone at her" (John 8:7). This, too, has a far deeper meaning than
what appears on the surface. God's Law was a holy and a righteous one,
and here we find the Lawgiver Himself turning its white light upon
these men who really had so little respect for it. Christ was here
intimating that they, His would-be accusers, were no fit subjects to
demand the enforcement of the law's sentence. None but a holy hand
should administer the perfect law. In principle, we may see here the
great Adversary and Accuser reprimanded. Satan may stand before the
angel of the Lord to resist "the high priest" (Zech. 3:1), but,
morally, he is the last one who should insist on the maintenance of
righteousness. And how strikingly this reprimanding of the Pharisees
by Christ adumbrated what we read of in Zechariah 3:2 ("The Lord
rebuke thee, O Satan") scarcely needs to be pointed out.
"And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground" (John 8:8).
Profoundly significant was this, and unspeakably blessed. The symbolic
meaning of it is plainly hinted at in the word "again": the Lord wrote
on the ground a second time. And of what did that speak? Once more the
Old Testament Scriptures supply the answer. The first "tables of
stone" were dashed to the ground by Moses, and broken. A second set
was therefore written by God. And what became of the second "tables of
stone"? They were laid up in the ark (Ex. 40:20), and were covered by
the blood-sprinkled mercy-seat! Here, then, Christ was giving more
than a hint of how He would save those who were, by the law, condemned
to death. It was not that the law would be set aside: far from it. As
His first stooping down and with His finger writing on the ground
intimated, the law would be "established." But as He stooped down and
wrote the second time, He signified that the shed blood of an innocent
substitute should come between the law and those it condemned!
"And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience,
went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last"
(John 8:9). Thus was "the strong man bound" (Matthew 12:29). Christ's
enemies had thought to ensnare Him by the law of Moses; instead, they
had its searching light turned upon themselves. Grace had not defied,
but had upheld the law! One sentence from the lips of Holiness
incarnate and they were all silenced, all convicted, and all departed.
At another time, a self-righteous Pharisee might boast of his
lastings, his tithes and his prayers; but when God turns the light on
a man's heart, his moral and spiritual depravity become apparent even
to himself, and shame shuts his lips. So it was here. Not a word had
Christ uttered against the law; in nowise had He condoned the woman's
sin. Unable to find any ground for accusation against Him, completely
baffled in their evil designs, convicted by their consciences, they
slunk away: "beginning at the eldest," because he had the most sin to
hide and the most reputation to preserve. And in the conduct of these
men we have a clear intimation of how the wicked will act in the last
great Day. Now, they may proclaim their self-righteousness, and talk
about the injustice of eternal punishment. But then, when the light of
God flashes upon them, and their guilt and ruin are fully exposed,
they shall, like these Pharisees, be speechless.
"And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience,
went out." There is a solemn warning here for sinners who may be
exercised in mind over their condition. Here were men who were
"convicted by their own conscience," yet instead of this causing them
to cast themselves at the feet of Christ, it resulted in them leaving
Christ! Nothing short of the Holy Spirit's quickening will ever bring
a soul into saving contact with the Lord Jesus.
"And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience,
went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and
Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst" (John 8:9).
This is exceedingly striking. These scribes and Pharisees had
challenged Christ from the law. He met them on their own ground, and
vanquished them by the law. "When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw
none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine
accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And
Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee" (John 8:10, 11). The
law required two witnesses before its sentence could be executed
(Deut. 19:15), yet, those witnesses must assist in the carrying out of
the sentence (Deut. 17:7). But here not a single witness was left to
testify against this woman who had merely been indicted. Thus the law
was powerless to touch her. What, then, remained? Why, the way was now
clear for Christ to act in "grace and truth."
"Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more" (John 8:11). No doubt
the question occurs to many of our readers, Was this woman saved at
the time she left Christ? Personally, we believe that she was. We
believe so because she did not leave Christ when she had opportunity
to do so; because she addressed Him as "Lord" (contrast "Master" of
the Pharisees in verse 4); and because Christ said to her, "Neither do
I condemn thee." But, as another has said, "In looking at these
incidents of Scripture, we need not ask if the objects of the grace
act in the intelligence of the story. It is enough for us that here
was a sinner exposed in the presence of Him who came to meet sin and
put it away. Whoever takes the place of this woman meets the word that
clears of condemnation, just as the publicans and sinners with whom
Christ eats in Luke 15, set forth this, that if one takes the place of
the sinner and the outcast, he is at once received. So with the lost
sheep and the lost piece of silver. There is no intelligence of their
condition, yet they set forth that which, if one take, it is
representative. To make it clear, one might ask, `Are you as sinful as
this woman, as badly lost as that sheep or piece of silver?'" (Malachi
Taylor)
"And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience,
went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and
Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus
had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her,
Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She
said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn
thee: go, and sin no more." How striking and how blessed is this
sequel to what has been before us! When Christ wrote on the ground the
second time (not before), the "accusers" of the guilty departed! And
then, after the last accuser had disappeared, the Lord said, "Neither
do I condemn thee." How perfect the picture{ And to complete it,
Christ added, "Go, and sin no more," which is still His word to those
who have been saved by grace. And the ground, the righteous ground, on
which He pronounced this verdict "Neither do I condemn thee," was,
that in a short time He was going to be "condemned" in her stead.
Finally, note the order of these two words of Christ to this woman who
owned Him as "Lord" (1 Cor. 12:3). It was not, "Go and sin no more,
and I will not condemn thee," for that would have been a death-knell
rather than good news in her ears. Instead, the Savior said, "Neither
do I condemn thee." And to every one who takes the place this woman
was brought into, the word is, "There is therefore now no
condemnation" (Rom. 8:1). "And sin no more" placed her, as we are
placed, under the constraint of His love.
This incident then contains far more than that which was of local and
ephemeral significance. It, in fact, raises the basic question of, How
can mercy and justice be harmonized? How can grace flow forth except
by slighting holiness? In the scene here presented to our view we are
shown, not by a closely reasoned out statement of doctrine, but in
symbolic action, that this problem is not insoluable to Divine wisdom.
Here was a concrete case of a guilty sinner leaving the presence of
Christ un-condemned. And it was neither because the law had been
slighted nor sin palliated. The requirements of the law were strictly
complied with, and her sin was openly condemned--"sin no more." Yet,
she herself, was not condemned. She was dealt with according to "grace
and truth." Mercy flowed out to her, yet not at the expense of
justice. Such, in brief, is a summary, of this marvelous narrative; a
narrative which, verily, no man ever invented and no uninspired pen
ever recorded.
This blessed incident not only anticipated the epistle to the Romans,
but it also outlines, by vivid symbols, the Gospel of the grace of
God. The Gospel not only announces a Savior for sinners, but it also
explains how God can save them consistently with the requirements of
His character. As Romans 1:17 tells us, in the Gospel is "the
righteousness of God revealed." And this is precisely what is set
forth here in John 8.
The entire incident is a most striking amplification and
exemplification of John 1:17: "For the law was given by Moses, but
grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." The grace of God never
conflicts with His law, but, on the contrary, upholds its authority,
"As sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through
righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 5:21).
But as to how grace might reign "through righteousness" was a problem
which God alone could solve, and Christ's solution of it here marks
Him as none other than "God manifest in flesh." With what blessed
propriety, then, is this incident placed in the fourth Gospel, the
special design of which is to display the Divine glory of the Lord
Jesus!
Perhaps a separate word needs to be said on verse 7, in connection
with which some have experienced a difficulty; and that is, Do these
words of Christ enunciate a principle which we are justified in using?
If so, under what circumstances? It is essential to bear in mind that
Christ was not here speaking as Judge, but as One in the place of the
Servant. The principle involved has been well stated thus, "We have no
right to say to an official who in condemning culprits or in
prosecuting them is simply discharging a public duty, `See that your
own hands be clean, and your own heart pure before you condemn
another'; but we have a perfect right to silence a private individual
who is officiously and not officially exposing another's guilt, by
bidding him remember that he has a beam in his own eye which he must
first be rid of" (Dr. Dods).
The "scribes and Pharisees" who brought the guilty adulteress to
Christ must be viewed as representatives of their nation (as Nicodemus
in John 3 and the impotent man in John 5). What, then, was the
spiritual condition of Israel at that time? It was precisely that of
this guilty woman: an "evil and adulterous generation" (Matthew 12:37)
Christ termed them. But they were blinded by self-righteousness: they
discerned not their awful condition, and knew not that they, equally
with the Gentiles, were under the curse that had descended upon all
from our father, Adam. Moreover; they were under a deeper guilt than
the Gentiles--they stood convicted of the additional crime of having
broken their covenant with the Lord. They were, in fact, the
unfaithful, the adulterous wife of Jehovah (see Ezekiel 16; Hosea 2,
etc.). What, then, did Jehovah's law call for in such a case? The
answer to this question is furnished in Numbers 5, which sets forth
"the law of jealousy," and describes the Divinely-ordered procedure
for establishing the guilt of an unfaithful wife.
We cannot here quote the whole of Numbers 5, but would ask the reader
to turn to and read verses 11-31 of that chapter. We quote now verses
17, 24, 27:--"And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen
vessel; and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the
priest shall take, and put it into the water... And he shall cause the
woman to drink the bitter water that causeth the curse: and the water
that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter... And
when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass,
that, if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband,
that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become
bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the
woman shall be a curse among her people!"
What light these verses cast upon our Lord's dealings with the
Pharisees (representatives of Israel) here in John 8. "Water" is the
well-known emblem of the Word (Eph. 5:26, etc.). This water is here
termed "holy." It was to be in an earthen vessel (cf. 2 Corinthians
4:7). This water was to be mixed with "the dust which is in the floor
of the tabernacle."--Thus the water becomes "bitter water," and the
woman was made to drink it. The result would be (in case she was
guilty) that her guilt would be outwardly evidenced in the swelling of
her belly (symbol of pride) and the rotting of her thigh--her strength
turned to corruption. Now put these separate items together, and is it
not precisely what we find here in John 8? The Son of God is there
incarnate, "made flesh," an "earthen vessel." The "holy water" is seen
in His holy words--"He that is without sin among you, let him first
cast a stone at her." In stooping down and writing on the floor of the
temple, He mingled "the dust" with it. As He did this it became
"bitter" to the proud Pharisees. In the conviction of their
consciences we see how "bitter," and in going out, one by one,
abashed, we see the withering of their strength! And thus was the
guilt of Jehovah's unfaithful wife made fully manifest!
The following questions bear upon the next chapter:--
1. What is meant by "the world" in verse 12? Do not jump to
conclusions.
2. What kind of light does "the world" enjoy? verse 12
3. What is "the light of life"? verse 12.
4. To what "witness of the Father" was Christ referring? verse 18.
5. What does "die in your sins" (verse 21) prove concerning the
Atonement?
6. What is the meaning of verse 31?
7. What does the truth make free from? verse 32.
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] Where the form of death was not specified, it was by stoning.
_________________________________________________________________
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 29
Christ, the Light of the World
John 8:12-32
_________________________________________________________________
The following is a Summary of the passage which is to be before us:--
1. Christ the Light of the world: verse 12.
2. The Pharisees' denial: verse 13.
3. Christ enforces His claim to absolute Deity: verses 14-18.
4. The Pharisees' question and Christ's reply: verses 19, 20.
5. Christ's solemn warning to the Pharisees: verses 21-24.
6. The Pharisees' question and Christ's reply: verses 25-29.
7. The many who "believed" and Christ's warning to them; verses 30-32.
The first division of John 8 forms a most striking and suitable
introduction to the first verse of our present lesson, which, in turn,
supplies the key to what follows in the remainder of the chapter. The
Holy Spirit records here one of the precious discourses of "The
Wonderful Counsellor," a discourse broken by the repeated
interruptions of His enemies. Christ announces Himself as "the light
of the world", but this is prefaced by an incident which gives
wonderful force to that utterance.
As we saw in our last chapter, the first eleven verses of John 8
describe a venomous assault made upon the Savior by the scribes and
Pharisees. A determined effort was made to discredit Him before the
people. A woman taken in adultery was brought, the penalty of the
Mosaic law was defined, and then the question was put to Christ, "But
what sayest thou?" We are not left to speculate as to their motive:
the passage tells us "This they said, tempting him, that they might
have to accuse him." Think of it! They imagined that they could
substantiate an accusation against the Lawgiver Himself! What
perversity: what blindness: what depravity! Yet how effectively this
serves as a dark back-ground on which to display the better, "the
light"! Nor is that all that this introduction effected.
In our exposition of these verses we intimated that what was there
presented to Christ was the problem--altogether too profound for
creature wisdom--how to harmonize justice and mercy. The woman was
guilty; of that there could be no doubt. The sentence of the law was
plainly defined. What reply, then, could Christ make to the open
challenge, "What sayest thou?" There is little need for us to repeat
what was said in the previous chapter, though the theme is a most
captivating one. By symbolic action our Lord showed that it was not
the Divine intention for mercy to be exercised at the expense of
justice. He intimated that the law would be enforced. But by writing
on the ground the second time, He reminded His would-be accusers that
a shelter from the exposed law was planned, and that a blood-sprinkled
covering would protect the guilty one from its accusing voice. Thus
did the Redeemer intimate that God's righteousness would be magnified
in the Divine method of saving sinners, and that His holiness would
shine forth with unsullied splendor. And "light" is the emblem of
holiness and righteousness! Fitting introduction, then, was this for
our Lord's announcement of Himself as "the light of the world."
But not only did the malice of the Lord's enemies supply a dark
background to bring into welcome relief the outshining of the Divine
Light; not only did their attack supply Christ with an opportunity for
Him to manifest Himself as the Vindicator of God's holiness and
righteousness; but we may also discover a further reason for the Holy
Spirit describing this incident at the beginning of our chapter.
Following His symbolic action of writing on the ground, the Lord
uttered one brief sentence, and one only, to His tempters, but that
one was quite sufficient to rout them completely. "He that is without
sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her" was what He said.
The effect was startling: "Being convicted by their conscience" they
",,vent out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last:
and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst." It was
the holy "light" of God which smote their sin-darkened understandings,
and their departure demonstrated the power of that light! Observe,
too, the words of Christ to the adulterous woman: "Go," He said, not
"in peace"; but "GO, and sin no more." How that evidenced the spotless
purity of "the light"! Thus we see, once more, the great importance of
studying and weighing the context; for here, as everywhere, it gives
meaning to what follows.
"Then spake Jesus again unto them" (John 8:12). "Then" signifies after
the departure of the Pharisees and after the adulterous woman had
gone. "Then spake Jesus again unto them." This takes us back to the
second verse of our chapter where we are told that in the early
morning Christ entered the temple, and, as all the people came unto
Him, He sat down and taught them. Now, after the rude interruption
from certain of the scribes and Pharisees, He resumed His teaching of
the people, and spake "again unto them." And herein we may discover,
once more, the perfections of the God-man. The disagreeable
interruption had in no wise disturbed His composure. Though fully
aware of the malignant design of the Pharisees, He possessed His soul
in patience. Without exhibiting the slightest perturbation, refusing
to be turned aside from the task He was engaged in, He returned at
once to the teaching of the people. How differently we act under
provocation! To us disturbances are only too frequently perturbances.
If only we realized that everything which enters our life is ordered
by God, and we acted in accord with this, then should we maintain our
composure and conduct ourselves with unruffled serenity. But only one
perfect life has been lived on this earth; and our innumerable
imperfections only serve to emphasize the uniqueness of that life.
"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the
world" (John 8:12). This is the second of the "I am" titles of Christ
found in this fourth Gospel. It calls for most careful consideration.
We may observe, in the first place, that this announcement by Christ
was in full accord with the Old Testament prophecies concerning the
Messiah. Through Isaiah God said concerning the Coming One, "I the
Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and
will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a
light of the Gentiles" (Isa. 42:6). And again, "And he said, It is a
light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes
of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give
thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation
unto the end of the earth" (Isa. 49:6). And again, He was denominated
"the sun of righteousness" who should arise "with healing in his
wings" or "beams" (Mal. 4:2).
"I am the light of the world." We may notice, in the second place,
that "light" is one of the three things which God is said to be. In
John 4:24 we are told, "God is spirit." In 1 John 1:5, "God is light";
and in 1 John 4:8, "God is love." These expressions relate to the
nature of God, what He is in Himself. Hence, when Christ affirmed "I
am the light of the world," He announced His absolute Deity. Believers
are said to be "light in the Lord" (Eph. 5:8). But Christ Himself was
"the light."
But what is meant by "I am the light of the world"? Does this mean
that Christ is the Light of the whole human race, of every man and
woman? If so, does this prove that Universalism is true? Certainly
not. The second part of our verse disproves Universalism: it is only
the one who "follows" Christ that has "the light of life." The one who
does not "follow" Christ remains in darkness. The words of Christ in
John 12:46 supply further repudiation of Universalism: "I am come a
light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide
in darkness." But if "I am the light of the world" does not teach
Universalism, what does it mean? We believe that its force will best
be ascertained by comparing John 1:4, 5, 9. As we have given an
exposition of these verses in the second chapter of Vol. I, we would
ask the reader to turn to it. Suffice it now to say we understand that
"light" in these passages is not to be restricted to the spiritual
illumination enjoyed by believers, but is to be taken in its widest
signification. If John 1:4 be linked with the preceding verse (as it
should be), it will be seen that the reference is to the relation
sustained by the Creator to "men." The "light" which lightens every
man that cometh into the world is that which constitutes him a
responsible being. Every rational creature is morally enlightened.
Christ is the Light of the world in the widest possible sense,
inasmuch as all creature intelligence and all moral perception proceed
from Him.
Perhaps it may be well to ask here, Why is it that "the world" is
mentioned so frequently in this fourth Gospel? The "world" occurs only
fifteen times in the first three Gospels added together; whereas in
John it is found seventy-seven times! Why is this? The answer is not
far to seek. In this fourth Gospel we have a presentation of what
Christ is essentially in His own person, and not what He was in
special relation to the Jews, as in the other Gospels. John treats of
the Deity of Christ, and as God He is the Creator of all (John 1:3).
and therefore the life and light of His creatures (John 1:4). It is
true that in a number of instances "the world" has a restricted
meaning, but these are not difficult to determine: either the context
or parallel passages show us when the term is to be understood in its
narrower sense. The principle of interpretation is not an arbitrary
one. When something is predicated of "the world" which is true only of
the redeemed, then we know it is only the world of believers which is
in view: for instance, Christ giving (not proffering) life--here
eternal life as the context shows--unto the world (John 6:33). But
when there is nothing that is predicated of "the world" which is true
only of believers, then it is "the world of the ungodly" (2 Pet. 2:5)
which is in view.
"He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the
light of life" (John 8:12). At first glance this clause will seem,
perhaps, to conflict with the definition we have given of "light" in
the first part of the verse. "I am the light of the world" we
understand to signify (in accord with John 1:4, 5, 9), I am the One
who has bestowed intelligence and moral sensibility on all men. But
now Christ says (by necessary implication) that unless a man "follows"
Him he will "walk in darkness." But instead of conflicting with what
we have said above, the second part of verse 12 will be found, on
careful reflection, to confirm it. "He that followeth me" said our
Lord, "shall not walk in darkness [Greek, "the darkness"], but shall,"
shall what? "enjoy the light"? no, "shall have the light of life."
These words point a contrast. In the former sentence He spoke of
Himself as the moral light of men; in the second He refers to the
spiritual light which is possessed by believers only. This is clear
from the expression used: he "shall have" not merely "light"--which
all rational creatures possess; but "he shall have the light of life,"
that is, of spiritual, Divine light, which is something possessed only
by those who "follow" Christ.
"He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the
light of life." In these words, then, Christ defined the state of the
natural man. The unregenerate have "light": they are capable of
weighing moral issues; they have a conscience which either "accuses or
excuses them" (Rom. 2:15); and they have the capacity to recognize the
innumerable evidences which testify to the existence and natural
attributes of the great Creator (Rom. 1:19); so that "they are without
excuse" (Rom. 1:20). But spiritual light they do not have.
Consequently, though they are endowed with intelligence and moral
discernment, spiritually, they are "in the darkness." And it was
because of this that the Savior said, "He that followeth me shall not
walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life." The necessary
implication of these words is that the world is in spiritual darkness.
It was so two thousand years ago. The Greeks with all their wisdom and
the Romans with all their laws were spiritually in the dark. And the
world is the same today. Notwithstanding all the discoveries of
science and all the efforts to educate, Europe and America are in the
dark. The great crowds see not the true character of God, the worth of
their souls, the reality of the world to come. And Christ is the only
hope. He has risen like the sun, to diffuse life and light, salvation
and peace, in the midst of a dark world.
"He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the
light of life." What is it to "follow" Christ? It is to commit
ourselves unreservedly to Him as our only Lord and Savior in doctrine
and conduct (see John 1:37 and contrast John 10:5). A beautiful
illustration (borrowed from Bishop Ryle) of this is to be found in the
history of Israel in the wilderness as they followed the "cloud." Just
as the "cloud" led Israel from Egypt to Canaan, so the Lord Jesus
leads the believer from this world to heaven. And to the one who
really follows Christ the promise is, he shall not, like those all
around him, walk in darkness. "Light," in Scripture, is sometimes the
emblem of true knowledge, true holiness, true happiness; while
"darkness" is the figure for ignorance and error, guilt and depravity,
privation and misery. Because the believer follows the One who is
Light, he does not grope his way in doubt and uncertainty, but he sees
where he is going, and not only so, he enjoys the light of God's
countenance. But this is his experience only so far as he really
"follows" Christ. Just as if it were possible to follow the sun in its
complete circuit, we should always be in broad daylight, so the one
who is actually following Christ shall not walk in darkness.
"The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of
thyself; thy record is not true" (John 8:13). Christ had just made the
fullest claim to Deity when He said "I am the light of the world" the
Pharisees could not understand Him to mean anything less.
Jehovah-Elohim was the God of light, as numerous passages in the Old
Testament plainly taught. When Jesus made this asseveration the
Pharisees therefore said, "Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record
is not true." The force of their objection seems to be this: That God
is the Light of the world we fully allow, but when you avow this of
yourself we cannot accredit it; what you say is false.
"The Pharisees therefore said unto him." Evidently these were a
different company of Pharisees than those who had brought in the
adulteress. Enraged by the discomfiture of their brethren, their
fellows insultingly said to the Lord, Thy record is not true. They
shrank from the Light. They could not endure the holy purity of its
beams. They desired only to extinguish it. How solemnly this
illustrated John l:5--"The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness
comprehended it not?
"Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself,
yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but
ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go;" (John 8:14). Here the
Lord tersely replies to the unbelieving denial of the Pharisees, and
ratifies what He had said just previously. Though My Divine glory is
now veiled, though at present I am not exercising My Divine
prerogatives, though I stand before you in servant form, nevertheless,
when I affirmed that I am the Light of the world I spoke the truth. My
record is true because "I know whence I came and whither I go," which
is a knowledge possessed absolutely by none else. He had come from the
Father in heaven, and thither He would return; and therefore, as the
Son, He could not give a false witness. But as to His heavenly nature
and character they were in complete ignorance, and therefore
altogether incompetent to form, and still less to pass, a judgment.
"Though I bear record of myself yet my record is true." Some have
experienced a difficulty in harmonizing this with what we read of in
verse 31--"If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true." But
if each of these statements be interpreted in strict accord with the
context the difficulty vanishes. In John 5 the Lord was proving that
the witness or record He bore was not in independence of the Father,
but in perfect accord therewith. The Father himself (John 5:37) and
the Scriptures inspired by the Father (John 5:39) also testified to
the absolute Deity of Christ. But here in John 8 the Lord Jesus is
making direct reply to the Pharisees who had said that His witness was
false. This He denies, and insists that it was true; and immediately
after He appeals again to the confirmatory witness of the Father (see
John 8:18). "Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man" (John 8:15). We
believe that there is a double thought here. When Christ said "Ye
judge after (according to) the flesh," He meant, we think, first, You
are deciding My claims according to what you see; you are judging
according to outward appearances. Because I am in the likeness of
sinful flesh you deem it impossible for Me to be "the light of the
world." But appearances are deceptive. I do not form My judgments
thus: 1 look on the heart, and see things as they actually are. But
again; when Christ said: "Ye judge after the flesh," this was to
affirm that they were incapable of judging Him. They adopted the
world's principles, and judged according to carnal reasoning. Because
of this they were incapable of discerning the Divine nature of His
mission and message.
"I judge no man" has been variously interpreted. Many understand it to
signify that Christ here reminded His critics that He was not then
exercising His judicial prerogatives. It is regarded as being parallel
with the last clause of John 12:47. But we think it is more natural,
and better suited to the context, to supply an ellipsis, and
understand Christ here to mean, I do not judge any man after the
flesh; when I judge, it is according to spiritual and Divine
principles. The Greek word signifies "to determine, to form an
estimate, to arrive at a decision," and here it has precisely the same
force in each clause. When Christ said to these Pharisees, "Ye judge
after the flesh," He did not refer to a judicial verdict, for He was
not then replying to some formal pronouncement of the Sanhedrin.
Instead, He meant, You have formed your estimate of Me after the
flesh, but not so do I form My estimates.
"And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I
and the Father that sent me" (John 8:16). This confirms what we have
just said upon the last clause of the previous verse. "If I judge," or
better "when I judge" My judgment is true. You may determine according
to carnal principles; but I do not. I act on spiritual principles. I
judge not according to appearances, but according to reality. My
judgment is according to truth, for it is the judgment of God--"I am
not alone, but I and the Father that sent me." This was a full claim
to Deity. It affirmed the absolute oneness of the Son with the Father.
This statement of Christ's is parallel with the one He made later: "I
and my Father are one" (John 10:30). He speaks here in John 8 of the
Divine wisdom which is common to the Father and the Son. This being
so, how could His judgment be anything but true?
"It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is
true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent
me beareth witness of me" (John 8:17, 18). Here Christ repeats in
another form what He had just affirmed. HIS testimony was not
unsupported. The Mosaic law required two witnesses to establish the
truth. The present case was not one where this law was strictly
applicable; nevertheless, the circumstances of it were in fullest
accord therewith. Christ bore personal witness to His Divine person
and mission, and the Father also bore witness thereto. How the Father
bore witness to the Son was before us in the fifth chapter of this
Gospel. He bore witness to Him in the prophecies of the Old Testament,
which were now so gloriously fulfilled in His character, teaching,
actions, and even in His very rejection by men. The Father had borne
witness to the Son through the testimony of His servant, John the
Baptist (see John 1). He had borne witness to Him at the Jordan, on
the occasion of His baptism. Thus by the principles of their own law
these Pharisees were condemned. Two witnesses established the truth,
but here were two Witnesses, the Father and the Son, and yet they
rejected the truth! It was not, as several of the commentators have
thought, that Christ was here appealing to the law in order to
vindicate Himself. His manifest purpose was to condemn them, and that
is why He says, "your law" rather than "the law."
"Then said they unto Him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye
neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have
known my Father also" (John 8:19). How the Light revealed the hidden
things of darkness! Christ had appealed to the testimony of the
Father, but so obtuse were these Pharisees, they asked, "Where is thy
Father?" In our Lord's answer to them we are shown once more how that
none can know the Father save through and by the Son. As He declared
on another occasion, "Neither knoweth any man the Father, save the
Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him" (Matthew 11:27).
"These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple;
and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come" (John
8:20). "The treasury `was in the forecourt of the women, in which were
placed thirteen bronze chests, to receive the taxes and free-will
offerings of the people. The mention of the treasury here would be
quite in keeping with the genuineness of the history of the woman
taken in adultery. To the court of the women only could she have been
brought to meet the Lord. Of these chests, nine were for legal payment
of the worshippers, and four for free-will offerings" (C.E.S. from
Barclay's Talmud).
"And no man laid hands on him: for his hour was not yet come." This
plainly intimates that the Pharisees were greatly incensed at what
Christ had said, and had it been possible they would have at once
subjected Him to violence. But it was not possible, and never would
have been unless God had withdrawn His restraining hand. It is indeed
striking to note how this feature is repeated again and again in the
fourth Gospel, see John 7:30; 7:44; 8:59; and 10:39, etc. These
passages show that men were unable to work out their evil designs
until God permitted them to do so. They demonstrate that God is
complete master of all; and they prove that the sufferings Christ did
undergo were endured voluntarily.
"Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me,
and shall die in your sins" (John 8:21). The word "again" looks back
to John 7:33, 34, where on a previous occasion Christ had made a
similar statement. "I go my way" signifies I shall very shortly leave
you. It was a solemn word of warning. "And ye shall seek me, and shall
die in your sins." Christ here addressed these Pharisees as the
representatives of the nation, and looked forward to the sore trials
before it. In but a few years, Israel would suffer an affliction far
heavier than any they had experienced before; and when that time came,
they would seek the delivering help of their promised Messiah, but it
would be in vain. Having refused the Light they would continue in the
darkness. Having despised the Savior, they should "die in their sins."
Having rejected the Son of God, it would be impossible for them to
come whither He had gone.
"Ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins." It is unspeakably
solemn that these words have a present application. How dreadful! that
the Savior may be sought, but sought in vain. A man may have religious
feelings about Christ, even weep at the thought of His Cross, and yet
have no saving acquaintance with Him. Sickness, the fear of death, a
serious financial reverse, the drying up of creature--sources of
comfort--these frequently draw out much religiousness. Under a little
pressure a man will say his prayers, read his Bible, become active in
church work, profess to seek Christ, and become quite a different
character; but only too often such an one is but reformed, and not
transformed. And frequently this is made apparent in this world. Let
the pressure be removed, let health return, let there be a change of
circumstances, and how often we behold the zealous professor returning
to his old ways. Such an one may have "sought" Christ, but because his
motive was wrong, because it was not the effect of a deep conviction
of being lost and undone, his seeking was in vain.
"Ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins." Far more solemn is the
application of these words to a class of people today which we greatly
fear is by no means a small one. How many there are who, under the
superficial and temporary influence of the modern evangelistic
meetings, come forward to the front seeking Christ. For the moment,
many of them, no doubt, are in earnest; and yet the sequel proves that
they sought in vain. Why is this? Two answers may be returned. First,
with some, it is because they were not in dead earnest. Of old God
said, "Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with
all your heart" (Jer. 29:13). Second, with others, and with by far the
greater number, it is because they do not seek in the right place. The
seeker in the average meeting is exhorted to "lay his all upon the
altar," or is told that he must "pray through." But Christ is not to
be found by either of these means. "Search the Scriptures" was the
word of the Savior Himself, and the reason given was, "they are they
which testify of me." In the volume of the book it is written of
Christ. It is in the written Word that the incarnate Word is to be
found.
"Ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins." These words will yet
have a further application to a coming day, when it will be too late
to find Christ. Then the "door" will be shut. Then sinners will call
upon God but He will not answer; they shall seek the Lord, but they
shall not find Him (Prov. 1:28, etc.). "Whither I go, ye cannot come"
(John 8:21). Not "ye shall not come," but "ye cannot come." Cannot
because the holiness of God makes it impossible: that which is corrupt
and vile cannot dwell with Him; there can be no communion between
light and darkness. Cannot because the righteousness of God makes it
impossible. Sin must be punished; the penalty of the broken law must
be enforced; and for the reprobate "there remaineth no more sacrifice
for sins." Cannot because they have no character suited to the place
whither Christ has gone. In the very nature of the case every man must
go to "his own place" (Acts 1:25), the place for which he is fitted.
If, by grace, he has the nature of God, then later on he will go and
dwell with Him (John 13:36); but if he passes out of this world "dead
in sins" then, of necessity, he will yet be cast into the Lake of
Fire, "which is the second death" (Rev. 20:14). If a man dies "in his
sins" he cannot enter heaven. How completely this shatters the "Larger
Hope"!
"Then said the jews, Will he kill Himself? because he saith, Whither I
go, ye cannot come?" (John 8:22). The Pharisees replied with profane
levity, and with an impious sneer. This is frequently the resort of a
defeated opponent: when unable to refute solid argument, he will avail
himself of ridicule. With what infinite grace did Our Lord forbear
with His enemies! "And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am
from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world" (John 8:23).
There seems to be a double thought conveyed by these words. First,
Christ pointed out the reason or cause why they understood not His
words and received not His witness. There was an infinite gulf
separating Him from them: they were from beneath, He was from above.
Second, Christ explained why it was that whither He was going they
could not come. They belonged to two totally different spheres: they
were of the world, He was not of the world. The friendship of the
world is enmity against God, how then could they who were not only in
the world, but of it, enter heaven, which was His home?
"I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye
believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins" (John 8:24). How
terrible is the end of unbelief! The one who persists in his rejection
of the Christ of God will die in his sins, unpardoned, unfit for
heaven, unprepared to meet God] How unspeakably solemn is this! How
little are we impressed by these fearful words, "die in your
sins"--true of the vast majority of our fellows as they pass out of
this world into an hopeless eternity. And how sadly mistaken are they
who say that it is harsh and uncharitable to speak of the future
destiny of unbelievers. The example of Christ should teach us better.
He did not hesitate to press this awful truth, nor should we. In the
light of God's Word it is criminal to remain silent. In the judgment
of the writer this is the one truth which above all others needs to be
pressed today. Men will not turn to Christ until they recognize their
imminent danger of the wrath to come.
"Ye shall die in your sins." This is one of many verses which exposes
a modern error concerning the Atonement. There are some who teach that
on the Cross Christ bore all the sins of all men. They insist that the
entire question of sin was dealt with and settled at Calvary. They
declare that the only thing which will now send any man to hell, is
his rejection of Christ. But such teaching is entirely unscriptural.
Christ bore all the sins of believers, but for the sins of unbelievers
no atonement was made. And one of the many proofs of this is furnished
by John 8:24: "Ye shall die in your sins" could never have been said
if the Lord Jesus removed all sins from before God.[1]
"Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them,
Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning" (John 8:25). We
believe that this is given much more accurately in the R.V.,
especially the marginal rendering: "They said therefore unto him, Who
art thou? Jesus said unto them, Altogether that which I also speak
unto you." This was a remarkable utterance. The Pharisees had objected
that Christ's witness of Himself was not true (verse 13). The Lord
replied that His witness was true, and He proved it by an appeal to
the corroborative witness of the Father. Now they ask, "Who art thou?"
And the incarnate Son of God answered, I am essentially and absolutely
that which I have declared myself to be. I have spoken of "light": I
am that Light. I have spoken of "truth": I am that Truth. I am the
very incarnation, personification, exemplification of them. Wondrous
declaration is this! None but He could really say, I am Myself that of
which I am speaking to you. The child of God may speak the truth and
walk in the truth, but he is not the Truth itself. A Christian may let
his light "shine," but he is not the Light itself. But Christ was, and
therein we perceive His exalted uniqueness. As we read in 1 John 5:20,
"We know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an
understanding, that we may know him that is true," not "him who taught
the truth," but "him that is true."
"I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is
true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him"
(John 8:26). As nearly as we can gather, the force of this verse is as
follows: `Your incredulity is very reprehensible, and your insulting
sneers deserve the severest censure, but I forbear.' If Christ had
dealt with these insulting opponents as they thoroughly merited, not
only would He have upbraided them, but He would have passed an
immediate sentence of condemnation upon them. Instead of doing so, He
contented Himself by affirming once more that the witness He bore of
Himself was true, because it was in the most perfect accord with what
the Father Himself had said. Perfect example for us. Whenever the
servant of Christ is criticized and challenged because of the message
he brings, let him learn of his Master, who was meek and lowly in
heart. Instead of passing sentence of condemnation on your detractors,
simply press upon them the eternal veracity of Him in whose name you
speak.
"They understood not that he spake to them of the Father" (John 8:27)
O the blinding power of prejudice; the darkness of unbelief! How
solemnly this reveals the woeful condition that the natural man is in.
Unable to understand even when the Son of God was preaching to them!
"Except a man be born again he cannot see." And this is the condition
of every man by nature. Spiritually, the unregenerate American is in
precisely the same darkness that the heathen are in, for both are in
the darkness of death. Men need something more than external light;
they need inward illumination. One may sit all his life under the
soundest Gospel ministry, and at the end, understand no more with the
heart than those in Africa who have never heard the Gospel. Let these
solemn words be duly weighed--"they understood not," understood not
the words which none other than the Son of God was saying to them!
Then let every reader who knows that he is saved, praise God fervently
because He "hath given US in understanding, that we may know him that
is true" (1 John 5:20).
"Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man,
then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but
as my Father has taught me, I speak these things" (John 8:28). His
"lifting up" referred to His approaching death and the manner of it,
see John 12:32, 33. "Then shall ye know that I am he" intimated that
the crucifixion would be accompanied and followed by such
manifestations of His Divine glory that He would be fully vindicated,
and many would be convinced that He was indeed the Messiah, and that
He had done and said only what He had been commissioned by the Father
to do and say. How strikingly was this word of Christ verified on the
day of Pentecost! Thousands, then, of the very ones who had cried,
"Crucify him", were brought to believe on Him as "both Lord and
Christ."
"And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone;
for I do always those things that please him" (John 8:29). "Whatever
opinion men might form of His doctrines or conduct, He knew that in
all He said, and in all He did, He was the Father's elect servant
upheld and delighted in by Him--His beloved Son, in whom He was well
pleased" (Dr. John Brown). Men who were blinded by Satan might regard
Him as an impostor, and as a blasphemer, but He knew that the Father
approved and would yet vindicate Him fully. How could it be otherwise
when He did always those things that pleased Him?--a claim none other
could truthfully make.
"As he spake these words, many believed on him" (John 8:30). This does
not mean that they believed to the saving of their souls, the verses
which follow evidence they had not. Probably nothing more is here
signified than that they were momentarily impressed so that their
enmity against Him was, temporarily, allayed. Many were evidently
struck by what they observed in the demeanor of Christ-bearing the
perverseness of His enemies so patiently, speaking of so ignominious a
death with such holy composure, and expressing so positively His sense
of the Father's approbation. Nevertheless, the impression was but a
fleeting one, and their believing on Him amounted to no more than
asking, "When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which
this man hath done?" (John 7:31).
"Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue
in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed" (John 8:31). Our Lord
here describes one of the marks of a genuine disciple of His.
Continuance in His word is not a condition of discipleship, rather is
it the manifestation of it. It is this, among other things, which
distinguishes a true disciple from one who is merely a professor.
These words of Christ supply us with a sure test. It is not how a man
begins, but how he continues and ends. It is this which distinguishes
the stony ground hearer from the goodground hearer--see Matthew 13:20,
23, and contrast Luke 8:15. To His apostles Christ said "He that
endureth to the end shall be saved" (Matthew 10:22). Not, we repeat,
that enduring to the end is a condition of salvation, it is an
evidence or proof that we have already passed from death unto life. So
writes the apostle John of some who had apostatized from the faith:
"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been
of us, they would have continued with us," etc. (1 John 2:19).
"If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed." The word
"indeed" signifies truly, really, genuinely so. By using this word
Christ here intimated that those referred to in the previous verse,
who are said to have "believed on him," were not "genuine disciples."
The one who has been truly saved will not fall away and be lost; the
one who does fall away and is lost, was never truly saved. To
"continue" in Christ's word is to "keep his word" (Rev. 3:8). It is to
hold fast whatever Christ has said; it is to perseveringly follow out
the faith we profess to its practical end.
"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John
8:32). "To know the truth is something more definite than to know what
is true; it is to understand that revelation with regard to the
salvation of men, through the mediation of the incarnate Son, which is
so often in the New Testament called, by way of eminence, `the
truth',--the truth of truths,--the most important of all truths,--the
truth of which He is full,--the truth that came by Him, as the law
came by Moses,--the truth, the reality in opposition to the shadows,
the emblems, of the introductory economy,--what Paul termed, `the word
of the truth of the Gospel', Colossians 1:5" (Dr. John Brown).
"The truth shall make you free." Note the striking connection between
these three things: (1) "continue in my word," verse 31; (2) "ye shall
know the truth," verse 32; (3) "the truth shall make you free," verse
32. This order cannot be changed. The truth gives spiritual liberty;
it frees from the blinding power of Satan (2 Cor. 4:4). It delivers
from the darkness of spiritual death (Eph. 4:18). It emancipates from
the prison-house of sin (Isa. 61:1). Further enlargement upon the
character and scope Of spiritual freedom will be given when we come to
verse 36. Let the student first work on the following questions:--
1. To what extent is the sinner the "servant" (bondslave) of sin?
verse 34.
2. What does verse 36 teach about the will of the natural man?
3. What is the difference between Abraham's "children" (verse 39), and
his "seed" (verse 33)?
4. What is the meaning of verse 43?
5. What is the force of "of God" in verse 47?
6. What is the meaning of verse 51?
7. To what was Christ referring in verse 56?
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] See the author's booklet, " The Atonement," also his "The
Sovereignty of God."
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 30
Christ, the Light of the World (Concluded)
John 8:33-59
_________________________________________________________________
The passage for our present consideration continues and completes the
portion studied in our last chapter. It brings before us Christ as the
Light revealing the hidden things of darkness, exposing the
pretensions of religious professors, and making manifest the awful
depths of human depravity. We shall miss that in it which is of most
importance and value if we localize it, and see in these verses
nothing more than the record of a conversation between the Lord and
men long since past and gone. We need to remind ourselves constantly
that the Word of God is a living Word, depicting things as they now
are, describing the opposition and activities of the carnal mind as
they obtain today, and giving counsel which is strictly pertinent to
ourselves. It is from this viewpoint we shall discuss this closing
section of John 8. Below we give a Summary of our passage:--
1. Bondage and liberty: verses 33-36.
2. Abraham's seed and Abraham's children: verses 37-40.
3. Children of the Devil and children of God: verses 41-47.
4. Christ dishonored by men, the Father honored by Christ: verses
48-50.
5. Life and death: verses 51-55.
6. Abraham and Christ: verses 56-58.
7. The Savior leaves the Temple: verse 59.
"They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to
any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?" (John 8:33). This
was the reply made by the Jews to the words of the Lord recorded in
the previous verses. There we find Him describing the fundamental
characteristic of a genuine disciple of His: he is one who continues
in Christ's word (verse 31, re-read our comments thereon). The one who
continues in the Word shall know the truth, and the truth shall make
him free (verse 32). But to be told about being made free is something
the natural man does not like to hear. The plain implication is that
before he knows the truth he is in bondage. And such indeed is the
case, little as men realize or recognize the fact. There are four
things about themselves which are particularly hateful, because so
humbling, to the unregenerate. First, that they are destitute of
righteousness (Isa. 64:6) and goodness (Rom. 7:18), and therefore
"unclean" (Isa. 64:6) and "vile" (Job 40:4). Second, that they are
destitute of wisdom from John 3:11 and therefore full of "vanity" (Ps.
39:5) and "foolishness" (Prov. 22:15). Third, that they are destitute
of "strength" from verse 6 and "power" (Isa. 40:29), and therefore
unable to do anything good of or from themselves (John 15:5). Fourth,
that they are destitute of freedom (Isa. 61:1), and therefore in a
state of bondage (2 Pet. 2:19).
The condition of the natural man is far, far worse than he imagines,
and far worse than the average preacher and Sunday school teacher
supposes. Man is a fallen creature, totally depraved, with no
soundness in him from the sole of his foot even unto the head (Isa.
1:6). He is completely under the dominion of sin (John 8:34), a
bond-slave to divers lusts (Titus 3:3), so that he "cannot cease from
sin" (2 Pet. 2:14). Moreover, the natural man is thoroughly under the
dominion of it. He is taken captive by the Devil at his will (2 Tim.
2:26). He walks according to the Prince of the power of the air, the
spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience (Eph. 2:2). He
fulfills the lusts of his father, the Devil (John 8:44). He is
completely dominated by Satan's power (Col. 1:13). And from this
thraldom nothing but the truth of God can deliver.
Ye shall be made free (John 8:33). As already stated, this signifies
that the natural man is in bondage. But this is a truth that the
natural man cannot tolerate. The very announcement of it stirs up the
enmity within him. Tell the sinner that there is no good thing in him,
and he will not believe you; but tell him that he is completely the
slave of sin and the captive of Satan, that he cannot think a godly
thought of himself (2 Cor. 3:5), that he cannot receive God's truth (1
Cor. 2:14), that he cannot believe (John 12:39), that he cannot please
God (Rom. 8:8), that he cannot come to Christ (John 6:44), and he will
indignantly deny your assertions. So it was here in the passage before
us. When Christ said "the truth shall make you free", the Jews replied
"We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man."
The proud boast of these Jews was utterly unfounded; nothing could
have been further from the truth. The very first view which Scripture
gives us of Abraham's seed after they became a nation, is in bitter
and cruel bondage (Ex. 2). Seven times over in the book of Judges we
read of God delivering or selling Israel into the hands of the
Canaanites. The seventy-years captivity in Babylon also gave the lie
to the words of these Jews, and even at the time they spoke, the
Romans were their masters. It was therefore the height of absurdity
and a manifest departure from the truth for them to affirm that the
seed of Abraham had never been in bondage. Yet no more untenable and
erroneous was this than the assertions of present-day errorists who
prate so loudly of the freedom of the natural man, and who so hot]y
deny that his will is enslaved by sin. "How sayest thou, Ye shall be
made free?": equally ignorant are thousands in the religious world
today. Deliverance from the Law, emancipation from bad habits they
have heard about, but real spiritual freedom they understand not, and
cannot while they remain in ignorance about the universal bondage of
sin.
"Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever
committeth sin is the servant [bond-slave] of sin" (John 8:34). In
saying "whosoever... is the bondslave" Christ was intimating to these
Jews that they were no exception to the general rule, even though they
belonged to the favored seed of Abraham. Christ was not speaking of a
particular class of men more lawless than their fellows, but was
affirming that which is true of every man in his natural condition.
"Whosoever committeth sin," refers to the regular practice, the
habitual course of a man's life. Here is one thing which distinguishes
the Christian from the non-Christian. The Christian sins, and sins
daily; but the non-Christian does nothing but sin. The Christian sins,
but he also repents; moreover, he does good works, and brings forth
the fruit of the Spirit. But the life of the unregenerate man is one
unbroken course of sin. Sin, we say, not crime. Water cannot rise
above its own level. Being a sinner by nature, man is a sinner by
practice, and cannot be anything else. A corrupt tree cannot bring
forth good fruit. A poisoned fountain cannot send forth sweet waters.
Because the sinner has no spiritual nature within him, because he is
totally depraved and in complete bondage to sin, because he does
nothing for God's glory, every action is polluted, every deed
unacceptable to the Holy One.
"Whosoever committeth sin is the bond-slave of sin." How different are
God's thoughts from ours! The man of the world imagines that to become
a Christian means to forego his freedom. He supposes that he would be
fettered with a lot of restrictions which nullified his liberty. But
these very suppositions only evidence the fact that the god of this
world (Satan) has blinded his mind (2 Cor. 4:4). The very opposite
from what he supposes is really the case. It is the one out of Christ,
not the one in Christ, who is in bondage--in "the bond of iniquity"
(Acts 8:23). He is impelled by the downward trend of his nature, and
the very freedom which the sinner supposes he is exercising in the
indulgence of his evil propensities is only additional proof that he
is the "bond-slave of sin." The love of self, the love of the world,
the love of money, the love of pleasure--these are the tyrants which
rule over all who are out of Christ. Happy the one who is conscious of
such bondage, for this is the first step toward liberty.
"And the bond-slave abideth not in the house forever: but the Son
abideth ever" (John 8:35). The commentators are far from being in
agreement in their interpretation of this verse, though we think there
is little room for differences of opinion upon it. The "bond-slave" is
the same character referred to in the previous verse--the one who
makes a constant practice of sinning. Such an one abideth not in the
house forever--the "house" signifies family, as in the House of Jacob,
the House of Israel, the House of God (Heb. 3:5, 6). We take it that
our Lord was simply enunciating a general principle or stating a
well-known fact, namely, that a slave has only a temporary place in a
family. The application of this principle to those He was addressing
is obvious. The Jews insisted that they were Abraham's seed (verse
32), that they belonged to the favored family, whose were the
covenants and promises. But, says our Lord, the mere fact that you are
the natural descendants of Abraham, gives you no title to the
blessings which belong to his spiritual children. This was impossible
while they remained the bond-slaves of sin. Unless they were "made
free" they would soon be cut off even from the temporary place of
external privilege.
"But the Son abideth ever." These words point a contrast. The slave's
place was uncertain, and at best temporary, but the Son's place in the
family is permanent--no doubt the word "abideth" here (as everywhere)
suggests the additional thought of fellowship. The history of
Abraham's family well illustrated this fact, and probably Christ has
the case of Ishmael and Isaac in mind when He uttered these words.
"The Son abideth ever." Though this statement enunciated a general
principle--some-thing that is true of every member of God's
family--yet the direct reference was clearly to Christ Himself, as the
next verse makes plain, for "the Son" of verse 36 is clearly
restricted to the Lord Jesus.
"If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed"
(John 8:36). The "therefore" here settles the application of the
previous verse. "The Son" is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ,
and He is able to make free the bond-slaves of sin because He is the
Son. The Son is no bond-slave in the Father's family, but He is one in
purpose and power with the Father; He is in perfect fellowship with
Him, and therefore He is fully competent to liberate those under the
tyranny of sin and the dominion of Satan. To make His people "free"
was the central object in view in the Divine incarnation. The first
ministerial utterance of Christ was to the effect that the Spirit of
the Lord had anointed Him to preach "deliverance to the captives... to
set at liberty them that are bruised" or "bound" (Luke 4:18). And so
thoroughly are men under the thraldom of sin, so truly do they love
darkness rather than light, they have to be made free. (cf. "maketh me
to lie down" Psalm 23.)
"Ye shall be free indeed." Free from what? This brings before us the
truth of Christian freedom: a most important subject, but one too wide
to discuss here at any length.[1] To sum up in the fewest possible
words, we would say that Christian liberty, spiritual liberty,
consists of this: First, deliverance from the condemnation of sin, the
penalty of the law, the wrath of God--Isaiah 42:7; 60:1; Romans 8:1.
Second, deliverance from the power of Satan--Acts 26:18; Colossians
1:13; Hebrews 2:14, 15. Third, from the bondage of sin--Romans 6:14,
18. Fourth, from the authority of man--Galatians 4:8, 9; 5:1;
Colossians 2:20-22. So much for the negative side; now a word on the
positive.
Christians are delivered from the things just mentioned that they may
be free to serve God. The believer is "the Lord's freeman" (1 Cor.
7:22), not Christ's freeman, observe, but "the Lord's," a Divine title
which ever emphasizes our submission to His authority. When a sinner
is saved he is not free to follow the bent of his old nature, for that
would be lawlessness. Spiritual freedom is not license to do as I
please, but emancipation from the bondage of sin and Satan that I may
do as I ought: "that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies
might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before
him, all the days of our life" (Luke 1:74, 75). Romans 6:16-18 and 22
contains a Divine summary of the positive side of this subject: let
the reader give it careful and prayerful study.
"I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my
word hath no place in you" (John 8:37). Our Lord's object in these
words is evident. He was further emphasizing the fact that though
these Jews were the seed of Abraham, they certainly were not the
children of God. Proof of this was furnished by the awful enmity then
at work in their hearts. They sought (earnestly desired) to kill Him
who was the Son. Certainly then, they were not God's children.
Moreover, His word had no place in them--the Greek word translated "no
place" signifies no entrance. They received it not (contrast 1
Thessalonians 2:13). They were merely wayside hearers. It is this
which distinguishes, essentially, a saved man from a lost one. The
former is one who receives with meekness the engrafted Word (James
1:21). He hides that Word in his heart (Ps. 119:11). The believer
gives that Word the place of trust, of honor, of rule, of love. The
man of the world gives the Word no place because it is too spiritual,
too holy, too searching. He is filled with his own concerns, and is
too busy and crowded to give the Word of God a real place of
attention. Unspeakably solemn are those awful words of Christ to all
such: "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that
judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in
the last day" (John 12:48).
"I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which
ye have seen with your father" (John 8:38). Christ further emphasizes
the infinite gulf which separated these Jews from Himself. In the
previous verse He had furnished proof that these men who were the seed
of Abraham certainly were not the children of God. Here He leads up to
their real parentage. In the first part of this verse our Lord insists
that the doctrine He taught was what He had received from the Father,
and its very nature and tendency clearly showed who His Father was.
Its spirituality evidenced that it proceeded from the thrice Holy One:
its unworldliness testified to the fact that it came from Him who is
Spirit: its benignity showed it was from Him who is Love. Such was His
Father.
"Ye do that which ye have seen with your father.' . . . Your actions
tell who your father is, as My doctrine tells who My Father is.' In
both cases `father' here seems to mean spiritual model--the being
after whom the character is fashioned--the being, under whose
influences the moral and spiritual frame is formed. The thought that
lies at the bottom of this representation is, `Men's sentiments and
conduct are things that are formed, and indicate the character of him
who forms them. Your actions, which are characterized by falsehood and
malignity, distinctly enough prove, that, in a moral and spiritual
point of view, neither Abraham, nor the God of Abraham, is your
father. The former of your spiritual character is not in heaven,
wherever else he may be found¡" (Dr. J. Brown).
"They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father" (John 8:39).
These Jews surely had a suspicion of whither our Lord's remarks in the
previous verse were pointing; but they pretended not to observe, and
sought to represent Him as a calumniator of Abraham. When they said,
"Abraham is our father," it was but the self-righteousness of the
natural man exhibiting itself. They were contrasting themselves from
the heathen. `The heathen are in bondage we allow; but You are now
talking to those who belong to the covenant people: we belong to the
Jewish Church,' this was the force of their remarks. It is not
difficult to perceive how well this describes what is a matter of
common observation today. Let the servant of God preach in the
churches of this land on the ruined and lost condition of the natural
man; let him faithfully apply his message to those present; and the
result will be the same as here. The great mass of religious
professors, who have a form of godliness but know nothing and manifest
nothing of its power, will hotly resent being classed with those on
the outside. They will tell you, We belong to the true Church, we are
Christians, not infidels.
"Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the
works of Abraham" (John 8:39). Very simple, yet very searching was
this. The "seed" of Abraham Christ acknowledged them to be (verse 37),
but the "children" of Abraham they certainly were not. Natural descent
from their illustrious progenitor did not bring them into the family
of God. Abraham is "the father" only of "them that believe" (Rom.
4:11). This distinction is specifically drawn in Romans 9:7: "Neither,
because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children."
"Children" of Abraham refers to a spiritual relationship; "seed" of
Abraham is only a fleshly tie, and "the flesh profiteth nothing" (John
6:63).
"If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham."
Here was and still is the decisive test. Natural descent counts for
nothing, it is a spiritual relationship with God which is the great
desideratum. The profession of our lips amounts to nothing at all if
it be not confirmed by the character of our lives. Talk is cheap; it
is our works, what we do, which evidences what we really are. A tree
is known by its fruits. The "works of Abraham" were works of faith and
obedience--faith in God and submission to His Word. But His Word had
"no place in them." Idle then was their boast. Equally so is that of
multitudes today, who say Lord, Lord, but do not the things which He
has commanded.
"But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which
I have heard of God: this did not Abraham" (John 8:40). "Abraham acted
not thus. If ye were Abraham's children in a spiritual sense--if you
were conformed to his character--you would imitate his conduct. But
your conduct is the very reverse of his. You are desiring and plotting
the murder of a man who never injured you, whose only crime is that He
has made known to you important and salutary, but unpalatable truth.
Abraham never did anything like this. He readily received every
communication made from heaven. He never inflicted injury on any man,
far less on a Divine messenger, who was merely doing his duty. No, no!
If children are like their parents, Abraham is not your father. He
whose deeds you do, he is your father" (Dr. J. Brown).
"Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born
of fornication; we have one Father, even God" (John 8:41). When the
Jews replied, "We be not born of fornication,'' we take it that they
meant, `We are not bastard Jews, whose blood has been contaminated
with idolatrous alliances, as is the case with the Samaritans.' It
seems likely that this word was provoked by what our Lord had said in
verse 35--"the bond-slave abideth not in the house," which was an
oblique reference to Ishmael. If so, their words signified, `We are
genuine descendants of Abraham; we are children not of the concubine,
but of the wife.'
"We have one Father, even God." How this same claim is being made on
every side today! Those in far-distant lands may be heathen; but
America is a Christian country. Such is the view which is held by the
great majority of church members. The universal Fatherhood of God and
the universal brotherhood of man are the favorite dogmas of
Christendom: "We have one Father, even God" is the belief and boast of
the great religious masses. How this justifies our opening remark,
that the passage before us is not to be limited to a conversation
which took place nineteen hundred years ago, but also contains a
representation of human nature as it exists today, manifesting the
same spirit of self-righteousness, appealing to the same false ground
of confidence, and displaying the same enmity against the Christ of
God.
"Jesus said unto them, If God were your father, ye would love me: for
I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he
sent me" (John 8:42). This was an indirect but plain denial that God
was their Father. If they were the children of God they would love
Him, and if they loved Him they would most certainly love His only
begotten Son, for "he that loveth him that begat, loveth him that is
begotten of him" (1 John 5:1). But they did not love Christ. Though He
was the image of the invisible God, the brightness of His glory, and
the express image of His person, they despised and rejected Him. They
were the bond-slaves of sin (verse 34); Christ's Word had no place in
them (verse 37); they sought to kill Him (verse 40). Their boast
therefore was an empty one; their claim utterly unfounded.
"Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my
word" (John 8:43). Christ was here addressing Himself to their
consciences. His question--no doubt there was a pause before He
answered it--ought to have exercised their hearts. Why do you not
understand My speech? You claim to be the children of the Father, why
then are My words so obscure and mysterious to you? My language is
that of the Father, surely then there is something wrong somewhere!
The same question comes with equal pertinency to every one who hears
the Word of God today. If that Word comes to me as that of an unknown
tongue, then this shows I am a stranger to God. If 1 understand not
His speech, I cannot be one of His children. That does not mean, of
course, that I shall be able to fathom the infinite depths of His
wonderful Word. But, speaking characteristically, if I understand not
His speech--which is addressed not to the intellect but to the
heart--then there is every reason why I should gravely inquire as to
the cause of this.
"Even because ye cannot hear my word." The word "hear" (an Hebrew
idiom) signifies to receive and believe--compare John 9:27; 10:3;
12:47; Acts 3:22, 23, etc. And why was it that these Jews "could not
hear" His Word? It was because they were children in whom was no faith
(Deut. 32:20). It was because they had no ear for God, no heart for
His Word, no desire to learn His will. Proof positive was this that
they were dead in trespasses and sins, and therefore not children of
God. Unspeakably solemn is this. Hearing God's Word is an attitude of
heart. We speak now not of the Divine side, for true it is that the
Lord Himself must prepare the heart (Prov. 16:1) and give the hearing
ear (Prov. 20:12). But from the human side, man is fully responsible
to hear. But he cannot hear the still small voice of God while his
ears are filled with the siren songs of the world. That he has no
desire to hear does not excuse him, rather does it the more condemn
him. The Lord grant that the daily attitude of writer and reader may
be that of little Samuel, "Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth."
"Ye are of your father the Devil, and the lusts of your father ye will
do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth,
because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh
of his own; for he is a liar, and the father of it" (John 8:44). This
was the prime point our Lord had been leading up to. First, He had
repudiated their claim of being the children of Abraham. Second, He
had demonstrated that God was not their Father. Now He tells them in
plain language who their father really was, even the Devil. Their
characters had been formed not under Divine influence, but under a
diabolical influence. The moral likeness of that great Enemy of God
was plainly stamped upon them. "Your inveterate opposition to the
truth, shows your kinship to him who is the father of the Lie, and
your desire to kill Me evidences that you are controlled by that one
who was a murderer from the beginning."
"Ye are of your father the Devil" is true of every unregenerate soul.
Renouncing their dependency on God, denying His proprietorship, loving
darkness rather than light, they fall an easy prey to the Prince of
darkness. He blinds their minds; he directs their walk, and works in
them both to will and to do of his evil pleasure (Eph. 2:2). Nor can
sinners turn round and cast the blame for this upon God. For as Christ
here declares, the lusts of their father they will do, or they desire
to do, which is the correct meaning of the word. They were cheerful
servants; voluntary slaves.
"And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not" (John 8:45). The
human race is now reaping what was sown at the beginning. Our first
parents rejected God's truth and believed the Devil's lie, and ever
since then man has been completely under the power of falsehood and
error. He will give credence to the most grotesque absurdities, but
will regard with skepticism what comes to him with a thousand fully
authenticated credentials. Some will believe that there are no such
things as sin and death. Some will believe that instead of being the
descendants of fallen Adam, they are the offspring of evolving apes.
Some believe that they have no souls and that death ends all. Others
imagine that they can purchase heaven with their own works. O the
blindness and madness of unbelief! But let the truth be presented; let
men hear that God says they are lost, dead in trespasses and sins;
that eternal life is a gift, and eternal torment is the portion of all
who refuse that gift; and men believe them not. They believe not God's
truth because their hearts love that which is false--"They go astray
as soon as they be born, speaking lies" (Ps. 58:3); they "delight in
lies" (Ps. 62:4); they make lies their "refuge" (Isa. 28:15),
therefore it is that they "turn away their ears from the truth" (2
Tim. 4:4); and though they are ever learning, yet are they "never able
to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Tim. 3:7). And therefore
Christ is still saying to men, "because I tell you the truth, ye
believe me not."
"Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye
not believe me?" (John 8:46). We take it Christ was here anticipating
an objection. The charge He had just made against them was a very
severe and piercing one, yet He openly challenges them to refute it.
If you deny what I have said and charge Me with falsehood, how will
you prove your charge? Which of you can fairly convince Me of that or
of any other sin? But, on the other hand, if it be evident that I have
told you the truth, then why do ye not believe Me? Such, in brief, we
take to be our Lord's meaning here.
"He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not,
because ye are not of God" (John 8:47). The force of this we
understand as follows: Every member of God's family is in-dwelt by the
Holy Spirit, and in virtue of this receives with affection, reverence,
and obedient regard the words of his heavenly Father, by whomsoever
they are brought; hence, the reason why you do not receive My words is
because you are not His children. "He that is of God" carries a double
thought. First, it signifies, he that belongs to God by eternal
election. A parallel to this is found in John 10:26, "Ye believe not,
because ye are not of my sheep." It is this which, in time,
distinguished the elect from the non-elect. The former, in due time,
hear or receive God's words; the latter do not. Second, "He that is of
God" signifies, he that has been born of God, he that is in the family
of God. A parallel to this is found in John 18:37: "Every one that is
of the truth heareth my voice."
"Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou
art a Samaritan, and hast a demon?" (John 8:48). This was a plain
admission that they were unable to answer the Lord. Completely
vanquished in argument, they resort to vulgar and blasphemous
declamation. But why should these Jews have called Christ these
particular names at this time? We believe the answer is found in what
Christ had just said to them. He had declared that they were not the
true children of Abraham (verse 39); and He had affirmed that the
Devil was their father (verse 44). In reply, they retorted, "Thou art
a Samaritan, and hast a demon." The general meaning of these epithets
is clear: by "a Samaritan" they meant one who was an enemy to their
national faith; by "thou hast a demon" they intimated one obsessed by
a proud and lying spirit. What frightful insults did the Lord of glory
submit to!
"Jesus answered, I have not a demon; but I honor my Father, and ye do
dishonor me" (John 8:49). To the first of their reproaches He made no
reply. He passed it by as unworthy of notice, the irritated outburst
of wanton malice. To the second He returns a blank denial, and then
adds, "but I honor my Father." One who is controlled by the Devil is a
liar, but Christ had told them the truth. One who is prompted by the
Devil flatters men, but Christ had depicted fallen human nature in the
most humbling terms. One who is moved by the Devil is inflated with
pride, seeks honor and fame; but Christ sought only the honor of
Another, even the Father. Divinely calm, Divinely dignified. Divinely
majestic was such an answer. How the longsufferance of Christ, His
patient bearing with these villifiers, His unruffled spirit and calm
bearing, evidenced Him to be none other than the Son of God.
"And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth"
(John 8:50). "`If I did, I should not have told you the truth. Had My
own aggrandizement been My object, I should have followed another
course; and My not obtaining "glory"--a good opinion--from you, no way
disheartens Me. There is One who seeketh, that is, who seeketh My
glory. There is One who will look after My reputation. There is One
who is pledged in holy covenant to make Me His firstborn, higher than
the kings of the earth. And He who seeketh My glory, judgeth. He will
sit in judgment on your judgment.' These words seem plainly intended
to intimate, in a very impressive way, the fearful responsibility they
had incurred. He was doing His Father's will: they were treating Him
with contumely. The Father was seeking the honor of His faithful
Servant, His beloved Son; and dreadful would be the manifestation of
His displeasure against those who, so far as lay in their power, had
put to shame the God-man, whom He delighted to honor" (Dr. J. Brown).
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall
never see death." (John 8:51). Christ had just pointed out the fearful
consequence of rejecting Him and His Word--there was One who would
judge them. Locally this pointed to the awful visitation from God upon
their nation in A.D. 70; but the ultimate reference is to eternal
judgment, which is "the second death." Now in sharp and blessed
contrast from the doom awaiting those in whom the Word had "no place,"
Christ now says, "If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death"!
Blessed promise was this for His own. But mark how human
responsibility is here pressed--the promise is only to the one who
keeps Christ's Word. To "keep" the Word is to hide it in the heart
(Ps. 119:11). It is to retain it in the memory (1 Cor. 15:3). It is to
be governed by it in our daily lives (Rev. 3:8). "He shall never see
(know, experience) death" refers to penal death, the wages of sin,
eternal separation from God in the torments of Hell. For the believer
physical dissolution is not death (separation), but to be present with
the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8).
"Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil.
Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my
saying, he shall never taste of death. Art thou greater than our
father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest
thou thyself?" (John 8:52, 53). What a striking exemplification was
this of what our Lord had said in verse 43: they understood not His
speech and heard not His words. Devoid of discernment, they had no
capacity to perceive the spiritual import of what He said. Such is the
awful condition of the natural man: the things of God are foolishness
to him (1 Cor. 2:14). What is revealed to babes in Christ is
completely hidden from those who are wise and prudent in their own
estimation and in the judgment of the world (Matthew 11:25). No matter
how simply and plainly the truths of Scripture may be expounded, the
unregenerate are unable to understand them. Unable because their
interests are elsewhere. Unable because they will not humble
themselves and cry unto God for light. Unable because their hearts are
estranged from Him. Christian reader, what abundant reason have you to
thank God for giving you an understanding (1 John 5:20)!
"Jesus answered, if I honor myself, my honor is nothing; it is my
Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God" (John
8:54). "It is my Father that honoureth me": precious words are these
and worthy of prolonged study and meditation. To "honor" is to do or
speak that of a person which shall not only manifest our own esteem
for him, but shall lead others to esteem him too. The Father's esteem
for the Son is evidenced by His love and admiration for Him, as well
as His desire to make Him the loved and admired of others. God honored
Him at His birth, by sending the angels to herald Him as Christ the
Lord. He honored Him during the days of His infancy, by directing the
wise men from the east to come and worship the young King. He honored
Him at His baptism, by proclaiming Him His beloved Son. He honored Him
in death, by not suffering His body to see corruption. He honored Him
at His ascension, when He exalted Him to His own right hand. He will
honor Him in the final judgment, when every knee shall be made to bow
before Him and every tongue confess that He is Lord. And throughout
eternity He shall be honored by a redeemed people who shall esteem Him
the Fairest among ten thousand to their souls. Infinitely worthy is
the Lamb to receive honor and glory. Let then the writer and reader
see to it that our daily lives honor Him who has so highly honored us
as to call us "brethren."
"Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I
know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and
keep his saying" (John 8:55). The One who honored Him they knew not,
despite their profession to be His children. But on the other hand, if
He were to deny the knowledge He had of the Father, then He would be
as false as they were in pretending to know Him. But He would not deny
Him; nay more, He would continue to give evidence of His knowledge of
the Father by keeping His Word. For Him that Word meant to finish the
work which had been given Him to do, to become obedient unto death,
even the death of the Cross. A searching word is this for us. If we
really know the Father it will be evidenced by our subjection to His
Word!
"Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was
glad" (John 8:56). More literally the Greek reads, "Abraham, your
father, was transported with an exultant desire that he should see My
day, and he saw it and rejoiced." The Greek is much more expressive
and emphatic than our English translation. It intimates that Abraham
looked forward with joy to meet the Object of his desires, and exulted
in a sight of it. But to what did our Lord refer when He said, Abraham
saw "my day"? In the Greek the "day" is emphasized by putting it
before the pronoun--"day, my." We believe that "day" is here to be
understood in its dispensational sense, as signifying the entire
Dispensation of Christ, which embraces the two advents. Probably what
Abraham saw and rejoiced in was, first, the humiliation of Christ,
terminating in His death, which would occasion the patriarch great joy
as he knew that death would blot out all his sins: second, the
vindication and glorification of Christ.
But how did Abraham "see" Christ's "day"? We believe that a threefold
answer may be returned: First, Abraham saw the day of Christ by faith
in the promises of God (Heb. 11:13). Hebrews 11:10 and 16 intimate
plainly that the Spirit of God made discoveries to Abraham which are
not recorded on the pages of the Old Testament. Second, Abraham saw
the day of Christ in type. In offering Isaac on the altar and in
receiving him back in figure from the dead, he received a marvelous
foreshadowing of the Savior's death and resurrection. Third, by
special revelation. The "secret of the Lord" is with them that fear
Him, and there is no doubt in our mind but that God was pleased to
show the Old Testament saints much more of His covenant than is
commonly supposed among us (see Psalm 25:14).
"Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was
glad." The relevancy of this remark of Christ and its relation to what
had gone before are easily perceived. More immediately, it was part of
His answer to their last question in verse 53--"Whom makest thou
thyself?" More remotely, it furnished the final proof that they were
not the children of Abraham, for they did not his work (verse 39). If
these Jews rejoiced not at the appearing of Christ before them, then
in no sense were they like Abraham.
"Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and
hast thou seen Abraham?" (John 8:57). How blind they were! How
thoroughly incompetent to understand His speech. Christ had not spoken
of seeing Abraham, but of Abraham seeing His "day." There was a vast
difference between these two things, but they were incapable of
perceiving it.
"Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham
was, I am" (John 8:58). Here was the full disclosure of His glory; the
affirmation that He was none other than the Eternal One. That they so
understood Him is evident from what follows.
"Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and
went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed
by" (John 8:59). "It is Immanuel: but there is no knee bent to Him, no
loving homage tendered. They took up stones to stone Him, and He
hiding Himself for the moment from their sacrilegious violence, passes
out of the temple" (F. W. Grant).
"Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the
midst of them, and so passed by." Fearfully solemn is this in its
present-day application. The chief design of the whole chapter is to
present Christ as the "light" and to show us what that Light revealed.
Not by observation can we discover the full ruin which sin has
wrought. It is only as the Light shines that man is fully exposed. And
that which is particularly discovered here is the utter vanity of the
religious pretensions of the natural man.
Apart from spiritual discernment, the religious professor presents
before us a fair appearance. His evident sincerity, his
punctiliousness, his unquestionable zeal, his warm devotion, his
fidelity to the cause he has espoused, are frequently a mask which no
human eye can penetrate. It is not until such professors are exposed
to the searching light of God that their real characters are laid
bare. It is only as the Word is faithfully applied to them that their
awful depravity is revealed. It was not profligate outcasts, but
orthodox Jews who are here seen taking up stones to cast at the Son of
God, and they did this not on the public highway, but in the temple;
Nor have things changed for the better. Were Christ here today in
Servant-form, and were He to enter our churches and tell the great
mass of religious professors that they were the bondslaves of sin, and
that they were of their father the Devil and that his lusts they
delighted in doing, they would conduct themselves exactly as their
fellows did eighteen centuries ago. Terribly significant then is the
final word of our chapter: the Savior "hid himself" from them, and
went out of the temple. It is so still. From the self-righteous and
self-sufficient but blinded religious formalists, Christ still hides
Himself; those who deny that they need to be made free from the
slavery of sin He still leaves to themselves. But thank God it is
written, "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of
a contrite and humble spirit" (Isa. 57:15).
The following questions are to help the interested student on the next
chapter, John 9:1-7:--
1. What is the great doctrinal teaching of this passage?
2. What typical picture does it contain?
3. Why does it open with the word "And"? verse 1.
4. To what was Christ referring in verse 4?
5. Why did Christ again say "I am the Light of the world" verse 5.
6. What was the symbolical meaning of verses 6 and 7?
7. What force has "therefore" in verse 7?
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] See the author's booklet, "Christian Liberty."
_________________________________________________________________
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 31
Christ And The Blind Beggar
John 9:1-7
_________________________________________________________________
Below will be found an Analysis of the passage which is to be before
us:--
1. Jesus beholds the man born blind: verse 1.
2. The disciples' question: verse 2.
3. Christ's answer: verses 3-5.
4. Christ anoints the blind man: verse 6.
5. Christ sends the man to the Pool: verse 7.
6. The man's prompt obedience: verse 7.
7. The miracle completed: verse 7.
That there is an intimate connection between John 8 and John 9 is
manifest from the first word of the latter, and when the Holy Spirit
has thus linked two things together it behooves us to pay close
attention to the law of comparison and contrast. The little
conjunction at the opening of John 9 is very appropriate, for in the
previous verse we read of Jesus hiding Himself from those who took up
stones to cast at Him; while in John 9:1 we behold a man blind from
his birth, unable to see the passing Savior. That these two chapters
are closely related is further seen by a comparison of John 8:12 and
John 9:5: in both Christ is revealed, specifically, as "the light of
the world." As we read carefully the opening verses of the chapter now
before us and compare them with the contents of John 8 it will be
found that they present to us a series of contrasts. For example, in
John 8 we behold Christ as "the light" exposing the darkness, but in
John 9 He communicates sight. In John 8 the Light is despised and
rejected, in John 9 He is received and worshipped. In John 8 the Jews
are seen stooping down--to pick up stones; in John 9 Christ is seen
stooping down--to make anointing clay. In John 8 Christ hides Himself
from the Jews; in John 9 He reveals Himself to the blind beggar. In
John 8 we have a company in whom the Word has no place (verse 37); in
John 9 is one who responds promptly to the Word (verse 7). In John 8
Christ, inside the Temple, is called a demoniac (verse 48); in John 9,
outside the Temple, He is owned as Lord (verse 36). The central truth
of John 8 is the Light testing human responsibility; in John 9 the
central truth is God acting in sovereign grace after human
responsibility has failed. This last and most important contrast we
must ponder at length.
In John 8 a saddening and humbling scene was before us. There Christ
was manifested as "the light" and woeful were the objects that it
shone upon. It reminds us very much of that which is presented right
at the beginning of God's Word. Genesis 1:2 introduces us to a ruined
earth, with darkness enveloping it. The very first thing God said
there was, "Let there be light," and we are told, "There was light."
And upon what did the light shine? what did its beams reveal? It shone
upon an earth that had become "without form and void"; its beams
revealed a scene of desolation and death. There was no sun shining by
day nor moon by night. There was no vegetation, no moving creature, no
life. A pall of death hung over the earth. The light only made
manifest the awful ruin which sin (here, the sin of Satan) had
wrought, and the need for the sovereign goodness and almighty power of
God to intervene and produce life and fertility.
So it was in John 8. Christ as the Light of the world discovers not
only the state of Israel, but too, the common atheism of man. He
affirmed His power to make free the bondslaves of sin (John 8:32): but
His auditors denied that they were in bondage. He spoke the words of
the Father (John 8:38): but they neither understood nor believed Him.
He told them that their characters were formed under the influence of
the Devil and that they desired it to be so (John 8:44): in reply they
blasphemously charged Him with having a demon. He declared that He was
the Object who had rejoiced the heart of Abraham (John 8:56): and they
scoffed at Him. He told them He was the great and eternal "I am" (John
8:58): and they picked up stones to cast at Him. All of this furnishes
us with a graphic but accurate picture of the character of the natural
man the world over. The mind of the sinner is enmity against God, and
he hates the Christ of God. He may be very religious, and left to
himself, he may appear to be quite pious. But let the light of God be
turned upon him, let the bubble of his self-righteousness be
punctured, let his awful depravity be exposed, let the claims of
Christ be pressed upon him, and he is not only skeptical, but furious.
What, then, was Christ's response? Did He turn His back on the whole
human race? Did He return at once to heaven, thoroughly disgusted at
His reception in this world? What wonder if the Father had there and
then called His Son back to the glory which He had left. Ah! but God
is the God of all grace, and grace needed the dark background of sin
so that its bright lustre might shine the more resplendently. Yet
grace would be misunderstood and unappreciated were it shown to all
alike, for in that case men would deem it a right to which they were
entitled, a meet compensation for God allowing the race to fall into
sin. O the folly of human reasoning! Grace would be no more grace if
fallen men had any claims upon it. God is under no obligations to men:
every title to His favor was forfeited forever when they, in the
person of their representative, rebelled against Him. Therefore does
He say, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy" (Rom. 9:15). It
is this side of the truth which receives such striking illustration in
the passage which is to be before us.
In John 8 we are shown the utter ruin of the natural man-despising
God's goodness, hating His Christ. Here in John 9 we behold the Lord
dealing in grace, acting according to His sovereign benignity. This,
this is the central contrast pointed by these two chapters. In the
former it is the Light testing human responsibility; in the latter,
the Light acting in sovereign mercy after the failure of human
responsibility had been demonstrated. In the one we see the sin of man
exposed, in the other we behold the grace of God displayed.
"And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth"
(John 9:1). That which is dominant in this passage is intimated in the
opening verse. The sovereignty of Divine grace is exemplified at once
in the actions of our Lord and in the character of the one upon whom
His favors were bestowed. The Savior saw a certain man; the man did
not see Him, for he had no capacity to do so, being blind. Nor did the
blind man call upon Christ to have mercy upon him. The Lord was the
one to take the initiative. It is ever thus when sovereign grace acts.
But let us admire separately each detail in the picture here.
"And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man." How blessed. The Savior was
not occupied with His own sorrows to the exclusion of those of others.
The absence of appreciation and the presence of hatred in almost all
around Him, did not check that blessed One in His unwearied service to
others, still less did He abandon it. Love "suffereth long," and
"beareth all things" (1 Cor. 13). And Christ was Love incarnate,
therefore did the stream of Divine goodness flow on unhindered by all
man's wickedness. How this perfection of Christ rebukes our
imperfections, our selfishness!
"He saw a man which was blind from his birth." What a pitiable object!
To lose an arm or a leg is a serious handicap, but the loss of sight
is far more so. And this man had never seen. From how many enjoyments
was he cut off! Into what a narrow world did his affliction confine
him! And blindness, like all other bodily afflictions, is one of the
effects of sin. Not always so directly, but always so remotely. Had
Adam never disobeyed his Maker the human family had been free from
disease and suffering. Let us learn then to hate sin with godly hatred
as the cause of all our sorrows; and let the sight of suffering ones
serve to remind us of what a horrible thing sin is. But let us also
remind ourselves that there is something infinitely more awful than
physical blindness and temporal suffering, namely, sickness of soul
and a blinded heart.
"He saw a man which was blind from his birth." Accurately did he
portray the terrible condition of the natural man. The sinner is blind
spiritually. His understanding is darkened and his heart is blinded
(Eph. 4:18). Because of this he cannot see the awfulness of his
condition: he cannot see his imminent danger: he cannot see his need
of a Savior--"Except a man be born again he cannot see" (John 3:3).
Such an one needs more than light; he needs the capacity given him to
see the light. It is not a matter of mending his glasses
(reformation), or of correcting his vision (education and culture), or
of eye ointment (religion). None of these reach, or can reach, the
root of the trouble. The natural man is born blind spiritually, and a
faculty missing at birth cannot be supplied by extra cultivation of
the others. A "transgressor from the womb" (Isa. 48:8). shapen in
iniquity and conceived in sin (Ps. 51:5), man needs a Savior from the
time he draws his very first breath. Such is the condition of God's
elect in their unregenerate state--"by nature the children of wrath,
even as others" (Eph. 2:3).
"He saw a man which was blind from his birth." The late Bishop Ryle
called attention to the significant fact that the Gospels record more
cases of blindness healed than that of any other one affliction. There
was one deaf and dumb healed, one sick of the palsy, one sick of a
fever, two instances of lepers being healed, three dead raised, but
five of the blind! How this emphasizes the fact that man is in the
dark spiritually. Moreover, the man in our lesson was a beggar (verse
8)--another line in the picture which so accurately portrays our state
by nature. A beggar the poor sinner is: possessing nothing of his own,
dependent on charity. A blind beggar--what an object of need and
helplessness! Blind from his birth--altogether beyond the reach of
man!
"And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man,
or his parents, that he was born blind?" (John 9:2). How little pity
these disciples seem to have had for this blind beggar, and how
indifferent to the outflow of the Lord's grace. Instead of humbly and
trustfully waiting to see what Christ would do, they were
philosophizing. The point over which they were reasoning concerned the
problem of suffering and the inequalities in the lot of human
existence--points which have engaged the minds of men in every clime
and age, and which apart from the light of God's Word are still
unsolved. There are many who drift along unexercised by much of what
goes on around them. That some should be born into this world to enter
an environment of comfort and luxury, while others first see the light
amid squalor and poverty; that some should start the race of mortality
with a healthy body and a goodly reserve of vitality, while others
should be severely handicapped with an organism that is feeble or
diseased, and still others should be crippled from the womb, are
phenomena which affect different people in very different ways. Many
are largely unconcerned. If all is well with them, they give very
little thought to the troubles of their fellows. But there are others
who cannot remain indifferent, and whose minds seek an explanation to
these mysteries. Why is it that some are born blind?--a mere accident
it cannot be. As a punishment for sin, is the most obvious
explanation. But if this be the true answer, a punishment for whose
sins?
"Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born
blind?" Three theories were current among the philosophers and
theologians of that day. The first obtained in some measure among the
Babylonians, and more extensively amongst the Persians and Greeks, and
that was the doctrine of reincarnation. This was the view of the
Essenes and Gnostics. They held that the soul of man returned to this
earth again and again, and that the law of retribution regulated its
varied temporal circumstances. If in his previous earthly life a man
had been guilty of grievous sins, special punishment was meted out to
him in his next earthly sojourn. In this way philosophers sought to
explain the glaring inequalities among men. Those who now lived in
conditions of comfort and prosperity were reaping the reward of former
merit; those who were born to a life of suffering and poverty were
being punished for previous sins. That this theory of re-incarnation
obtained in measure even among the Jews is clear from Matthew 16:13,
14. When Christ asked His disciples, "Whom do men say that I the Son
of man am?" they said, "Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some,
Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets" which shows that
some of them thought the soul of one of the prophets was now
re-incarnated in the body of Jesus of Nazareth. Further evidence that
this view obtained to some extent among the Jews is supplied by the
Apocrypha. In "The Wisdom of Solomon"--8:19, 20--are found these
words, "Now I was a goodly child, and a goodly soul fell to my lot.
Nay rather, being good, I came into a body undefiled"!
But among the rabbins this theory held no place. It was so completely
without scriptural support, yea, it so obviously clashed with the
teaching of the Old Testament, they rejected it in toto. How then
could they explain the problem of human suffering? The majority of
them did so by the law of heredity. They considered that Exodus 20:5
supplied the key to the whole problem: all suffering was to be
attributed to the sins of the parents. But the Old Testament ought to
have warned them against such a sweeping application of Exodus 20:5.
The case of Job should have at least modified their views. With some
it did, and among the Pharisees a third theory, still more untenable,
was formulated. Some held that a child could sin even in the womb, and
Genesis 25:22 was quoted in support.
It was in view of these prevailing and conflicting theories and
philosophies which then obtained that the disciples put their question
to the Lord: "Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he
was born blind?" Evidently they desired to hear what He would say upon
the matter. But what is the present-day application of this verse to
us? Surely the reasoning of these disciples in the presence of the
blind beggar points a solemn warning. Surely it tells of the danger
there is of us theorizing and philosophizing while we remain
indifferent to human needs. Let us beware of becoming so occupied with
the problems of theology that we fail to preach the Gospel to lost
souls!
"Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but
that the works of God should be made manifest in Him" (John 9:3). The
Lord returned a double answer to the disciples' inquiry: negatively,
this man was not born blind because of sin. "Neither did this man sin
nor his parents" must not be understood absolutely, but like many
another sentence of Scripture has to be modified by its setting. Our
Lord did not mean that this man's parents had never sinned, but that
their sin was not the reason why their son had been born blind. All
suffering is remotely due to sin, for if sin had not entered the world
there would have been no suffering among humankind. But there is much
suffering which is not due immediately to sin. Indirectly the Lord
here rebukes a spirit which all of us are prone to indulge. It is so
easy to assume the role of judge and pass sentence upon another. This
was the sin of Job's friends, recorded for our learning and warning.
The same spirit is displayed among some of the "Faith-healing" sects
of our day. With them the view largely obtains that sickness is due to
some sin in the life, and that where healing is withheld it is because
that sin is unconfessed. But this is a very harsh and censorious
judgment, and must frequently be erroneous. Moreover, it tends
strongly to foster pride. If I am enjoying better health than many of
my fellows, the inference would be, it is because I am not so great a
sinner as they! The Lord deliver us from such reprehensible
Phariseeism.
"But that the works of God should be made manifest in him." Here is
the positive side of our Lord's answer, and it throws some light upon
the problem of suffering. God has His own wise reasons for permitting
sickness and disease; ofttimes it is that He may be glorified thereby.
It was so in the case of Lazarus (John 11:4). It was so in connection
with the death of Peter (John 21:19). It was so in the affliction of
the apostle Paul (2 Cor. 12:9). It was so with this blind beggar: he
was born blind that the power of God might be evidenced in the removal
of it, and that Christ might be glorified thereby.
"But that the works of God should be made manifest in him." Let us not
miss the present application of this to suffering saints today. Surely
this word of the Savior's contains a message of consolation to
afflicted ones among His people now. Not that they may expect to be
relieved by a miracle, but that they may comfort themselves with the
assurance that God has a wise (if hidden) purpose to be served by
their affliction, and that is, that in some way He will be glorified
thereby. That way may not be manifested at once; perhaps not for long
years. At least thirty years (see verse 23) passed before God made it
evident why this man had been born blind. As to what God's purpose is
in our affliction, as to how His purpose will be attained, and as to
when it will be accomplished, these things are none of our affair. Our
business is to meekly submit to His sovereign pleasure (1 Sam. 3:18),
and to be duly "exercised thereby" (Heb. 12:11). Of this we may be
sure, that whatever is for God's glory in us, will ultimately bring
blessing to us. Then do not question God's love, but seek grace to
rest in sincere faith on Romans 11:36 and 8:28.
"I must work the works of him that sent me" (John 9:4). And what were
these works? To reveal the perfections of God and to minister to the
needs of His creatures. Such "works" the Son must do because He was
one both in will and in nature with the Father. But no doubt there is
another meaning in these words. The "works of him" that sent Christ
were not only works that were pleasing to God, but they were works
which had been predestinated by God. These works must be done because
God had eternally decreed them--cf. the "must" in John 4:4 and 10:16.
"The night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world,
I am the light of the world" (John 9:4, 5). More specifically this
statement had reference to what Christ was about to do--give sight to
the blind beggar. This is clear from the opening words of verse 6:
"When he had thus spoken." The miracle Christ was about to perform
gave a striking illustration of the yet greater miracle of the Divine
bestowment of spiritual vision upon an elect sinner. Such an one must
be illumined for the eternal counsels of Deity so determined--compare
the "must" in Acts 4:12. The saving of a sinner is not only entirely
the "work" of God, but it is, pre-eminently, that in which He
delights. This is what these words of Christ here plainly intimate.
How blessed to know, then, that the most glorious of all God's works
is displayed in the saving of lost and hell-deserving sinners, and
that the Persons of the Trinity cooperate in the outflow of grace.
"The night cometh, when no man can work." Christ here teaches us both
by word and example the importance of making the most of our present
opportunities. His earthly ministry was completed in less than four
years, and these were now rapidly drawing to a close. He must then be
about His Father's business. A Divine constraint was upon Him. May a
like sense of urgency impel us to redeem the time, knowing the days
are evil (Eph. 5:16). What a solemn word is this for the sinner: "the
night cometh, when no man can work"! This is life's day for him; in
front lies the blackness of darkness forever (Jude 1:13). Unsaved
reader, your "night" hastens on. "Today if ye will hear his voice
harden not your hearts." "Behold now is the accepted time; behold, now
is the day of salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2).
"As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." Christ
seems to be referring to the attempt which had just been made upon His
life (John 8:59). Soon the appointed time would come for Him to leave
the world, but until that time had arrived man could not get rid of
Him. The light would shine despite all man's efforts to put it out.
The stones of these Jews could not intimidate or hinder this One from
finishing the work which has been given Him to do. "Light of the
world" He had just demonstrated Himself to be by exposing their wicked
hearts. "Light of the world" He would now exhibit Himself by
communicating sight and salvation to this poor blind beggar.
"When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the
spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay"
(John 9:6). This was a parable in action and deserves our closest
attention. Christ's mode of procedure here though extraordinarily
peculiar was, nevertheless, profoundly significant. Peculiar it
certainly was, for the surest way to blot out vision would be to
plaster the eye with wet clay: and yet this was the only thing Christ
did to this blind beggar. Equally sure is it that His mysterious
action possessed some deep symbolic significance. What that was we
shall now inquire.
"When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the
spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay." The
first thing we must do is to study this care* fully in the light of
the context. What is before us in the context? This: the "light of the
world" (John 8:12), the "sent one" (John 8:18), the "Son" (John 8:36)
was despised and rejected of the Jews. And why was that? Because He
appeared before them in such lowly guise. They judged Him "after the
flesh" (John 8:15); they sought to kill Him because He was "a man that
had told them the truth" (John 8:40). They had no eyes to discern His
Divine glory and were stumbled by the fact that He stood before them
in "the likeness of men."
Now what do we have here in John 9? This: once more Christ affirms
that He was "the light of the world" (John 9:5); then, immediately
following, we read, "When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground,
and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind
man with the clay." Surely the meaning of this is now apparent. "As a
figure, it pointed to the humanity of Christ in earthly humiliation
and lowliness, presented to the eyes of men, but with Divine efficacy
of life in Him" (J.N.D.). Christ had presented Himself before the
Jews, but devoid of spiritual perception they recognized Him not. And
did the blind beggar, who accurately represented the Jews, did he see
when Christ applied the clay to his eyes? No; he did not. He was still
as blind as ever, and even though he had not been blind he could not
have seen now. What, then, must he do? He must obey Christ. And what
did Christ tell him to do? Mark carefully what follows.
"And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by
interpretation, Sent)" (John 9:7). This, too, was a sermon in action.
What the blind beggar needed was water. And of what did that speak?
Clearly of the written Word (see our notes on John 3:5, and cf.
Ephesians 5:26). It was just because the Jews failed to use the water
of the Word that the eyes of their hearts remained closed. Turn to
John 5, and what do we find there? We see the Jews seeking to kill
Christ because He made Himself equal with God (verse 18). And what did
He bid them do? This: "Search the Scriptures" (John 5:39). We have the
same thing again in John 10: the Jews took up stones again to stone
Him (verse 31). And the Lord asked them why they acted thus. Their
answer was, "Because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God"
(verse 33). What reply did Christ make, "Jesus answered them, Is it
not written?" It was then, this very thing which (symbolically) the
Lord commanded the blind beggar to do. He obeyed implicitly, and the
result was that he obtained his sight. The difference between the Jews
and the beggar was this: they thought they could see already, and so
refused the testimony of the written Word; whereas the beggar knew
that he was blind and therefore used the water to which Christ
referred him. This supplies the key to the 39th verse of this chapter
which sums up all that has gone before. "And Jesus said, For judgment
I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that
they which see might be made blind."
We turn now to consider the doctrinal significance of what has just
been before us. The blind beggar is to be viewed as a representative
character, i.e., as standing for each of God's elect. Blind from
birth, and therefore beyond the help of man; a beggar and therefore
having nothing, he fitly portrays our condition by nature. Sought out
by Christ and ministered to without a single cry or appeal from him,
we have a beautiful illustration of the activities of sovereign grace
reaching out to us in our unregenerate state. Our Lord's method of
dealing with him, was also, in principle, the way in which He dealt
with us, when Divine mercy came to our rescue.
"He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed
the eyes of the blind man with the clay." This seems to have a double
meaning. Dispensationally it symbolized Christ presenting Himself in
the flesh before the eyes of Israel. Doctrinally it prefigured the
Lord pressing upon the sinner his lost condition and need of a Savior.
The placing of clay on his eyes emphasizes our blindness. "And said
unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam." This intimates our need of
turning to the Word and applying it to ourselves, for it is the
entrance of God's words which, alone, give light (Ps. 119:130).
The name of the Pool in which the blind beggar was commanded to wash
is not without its significance, as is seen by the fact that the Holy
Spirit was careful to interpret it to us. God incarnate is the Object
presented to the needy sinner's view: the One who was "anointed" by
the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38). How is He presented to us? Not as pure
spirit, nor in the form of an angel; but as "made flesh." Where is He
to be thus found? In the written Word. As we turn to that Word we
shall learn that the man Christ Jesus is none other than the "sent
one" of the Father. It is through the Word alone (as taught by the
Holy Spirit) that we can come to know the Christ of God.
"He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing" (John 9:7).
The simple obedience of the blind beggar is very beautiful. He did not
stop to reason and ask questions, but promptly did what was told him.
As the old Puritan, John Trapp (1647), quaintly puts it, "He obeyed
Christ blindly. He looked not upon Siloam with Syrian eyes as Naaman
did upon Jordan; but, passing by the unlikelihood of a cure by such
means, he believeth and doeth as he was bidden, without hesitation."
Let the interested student go over the whole chapter carefully and
prayerfully, seeking the personal application of this passage. Let the
following questions be studied:--
1. How do verses 8 and 9 apply to the history of a newly saved soul?
2. What do verses 10 and 11 teach us concerning the young convert?
3. How do verse 12 fit in with the application of this passage to a
babe in Christ?
4. Study verses 13-16 from a similar viewpoint.
5. What do the beggar's words in verse 17 intimate? Cf. our remarks on
John 4:19.
6. What does verse 18 teach the young believer to expect?
7. What do verses 20-23 teach the babe in Christ he must do?
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Exposition of the Gospel of John
CHAPTER 32
Christ and the Blind Beggar (Continued)
John 9:8-23
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We begin with our usual Analysis of the passage which is to be before
us:--
1. The uncertainty of the neighbors: verses 8, 9.
2. Their questioning of the beggar: verse 10.
3. The beggar's answers: verses 11, 12.
4. The Pharisees and the Sabbath: verses 13, 14.
5. The beggar before the Pharisees: verses 15-17.
6. The skepticism of the Jews: verse 18.
7. The beggar's parents interrogated: verses 19-23.
In our last chapter we pointed out how that the opening verses of John
9 supply us with a blessed illustration of the outflow of sovereign
grace toward an elect sinner. Every detail in the picture contributes
to its beauty and accuracy. Upon the dark background of the Jews'
hatred of Christ (chapter 8) we are now shown the Savior ministering
to one who strictly portrays the spiritual condition of each of God's
elect when the Lord begins His distinguishing work of mercy upon him.
Seven things are told us about the object of the Redeemer's
compassion:
First, he was found outside the Temple, portraying the fact that, in
his natural `condition, the elect sinner is alienated from God.
Second, he was blind, and therefore unable to see the Savior when He
approached him. Third, he had been blind from birth: so, too, is the
sinner--"estranged from the womb" (Ps. 58:3). Fourth, he was therefore
quite beyond the aid of man: helpless and hopeless unless God
intervened. Fifth, he was a beggar (verse 8), unable to purchase any
remedy if remedy there was; completely dependent upon charity. Sixth,
he made no appeal to the Savior and uttered no cry for mercy; such is
our condition before Divine grace begins to work within us. Seventh,
the reasoning of the disciples (verse 2) illustrates the sad fact that
no human eye pities the sinner in his spiritual wretchedness.
Our Lord's dealings with this poor fellow shadow forth His gracious
work in us today. Note, again, seven things, in connection with Christ
and the blind beggar. First, He looked in tender pity upon the one who
so sorely needed His healing touch. Second, He declared that this man
had been created to the end that the power and grace of God might be
manifested in him (verse 3). Third, He intimated that necessity was
laid upon Him (verse 4): the eternal counsels of grace "must" be
accomplished in the one singled out by Divine favor. Fourth, He
announced Himself as the One who had power to communicate light to
those in darkness (verse 5). Fifth, He pressed upon the blind beggar
his desperate need by emphasizing his sad condition (verse 6). Sixth,
He pointed him to the means of blessing and put his faith to the test
(verse 7). Seventh, the beggar obeyed, and in his obedience obtained
evidence that a miracle of mercy had been wrought upon him. Each of
these seven things has their counterpart in the realm of grace today.
As we follow the Divine narrative and note the experiences of the
blind beggar after he had received his sight, we shall find that it
continues to mirror forth that which has its analogy in the spiritual
history of those who have been apprehended by Christ. What is before
us here in John 9 is something more than an incident that happened in
the long ago--it accurately depicts what is transpiring in our own
day. The more the believer studies this passage in the light of his
own spiritual history, the more will he see how perfectly this
narrative describes his own experiences.
"The neighbors therefore, and they which before had seen him that he
was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged?" (John 9:8). When
a genuine work of grace has been wrought in a soul it is impossible to
conceal it from our neighbors and acquaintances. At first they will
talk among themselves and discuss with a good deal of curiosity and
speculation what has happened. The unsaved are always skeptical of
God's miracles. When one of their fellows is saved, they cannot deny
that a radical change has taken place, though the nature of it they
are completely at a loss to explain. They know not that the
manifestation of Christ in the outward life of a quickened soul is due
to Christ now dwelling within. Yet, even the unbelieving world is
compelled to take note and indirectly acknowledge that regeneration is
a real thing. Ah! dear reader, if the Lord Jesus has lain His wondrous
hand on you, then those with whom you come into daily contact will
recognize the fact. "They will see that it is not with thee as it used
to be--that a real change has passed upon thee--that the tempers and
lusts, habits and influences which once ruled thee with despotic
power, now rule thee no longer--that though evil may occasionally
break out, it does not habitually bear sway--that though it dwells
within it does not reign--though it plagues it does not govern."
"Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am
he" (John 9:9). How marvellously accurate is this line in the picture!
When one who is dead in trespasses and sins has been quickened into
newness of life he becomes a new creature in Christ, but the old man
still remains. Not yet has he been delivered from this body of death;
for that, he must await the return of our Lord. In the one who has
been born again there are, then, two natures: the old is not
destroyed, but a new has been imparted. This is plainly foreshadowed
in the verse before us: some recognized the one they had known before
his eyes were opened; others saw a different personality. It is this
which is so puzzling in connection with regeneration. The individual
is still the same, but a new principle and element have come into his
life.
"Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened?" (John
9:10). How true to life again! The one who has found mercy with the
Lord is now put to the proof: his faith, his loyalty, his courage must
be tested. It is not long before the quickened soul discovers that he
is living in a world that is unfriendly toward him. At first God may
not permit that unfriendliness to take on a very aggressive form, for
He deals very tenderly with the babes in His family. But as they grow
in grace and become strong in the Lord and in the power of His might,
He suffers them to be tested more severely and no longer shields them
from the fiercer assaults of their great enemy. Nevertheless, testing
they must have from the beginning, for it is thus that faith is
developed by casting us upon the Lord and perfecting our weakness in
His strength.
"Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened?" Here was
an opportunity afforded this one who had so wondrously received his
sight to bear witness to His gracious Benefactor. To confess Christ,
to tell of what great things the Lord hath done for him, is the first
duty of the newly saved soul, and the promise is, "Whosoever shall
confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before
the angels of God" (Luke 12:8). But this is the last thing which the
world appreciates or desires: that blessed Name which is above every
name is an offense to them. It is striking to observe how the
neighbors of the beggar framed their question: "How were thine eyes
opened?" not "Who opened thine eyes?" They wished to satisfy their
curiosity, but they had no desire to hear about Christ!
"He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and
anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and
wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight" (John 9:11). The
witness borne by this man was simple and honest. As yet he did not
have much light, but he was faithful to the light that he did have;
and that is the way to obtain more. He did not speculate nor
philosophize, but gave a straightforward account of what the Lord had
done to him. Two things in this man's confession should be noted as
accurately illustrating the witness of a newly saved soul today.
First, it was the work of Christ rather than His person which had most
impressed him; it was what Christ had done, rather than who He was
that was emphasized in his testimony. It is so with us. The first
thing we grasp is that it is the Cross-work of the Lord Jesus, His
sacrificial death which put away our sins; the infinite value of His
person we learn later, as the Spirit unfolds it to us through the
Word. Second, in connection with the person of Christ it was His
humanity, not His Deity that this man spoke of. And was it not so with
us? "A man that is called Jesus"--was it not that aspect of His
blessed person which first filled our vision! "A man that is called
Jesus" speaks of His lowliness and humiliation. Later, as we study the
Scriptures and grow in the knowledge of the Lord, we discover that the
man Christ Jesus is none other than the Son of God.
"He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and
anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and
wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight." That precious name
of "Jesus" was the most hated of all to those Jews; yet did the beggar
boldly confess it. "It would manifestly have served the poor man's
worldly interest to cushion the truth as to what had been done for
him. He might have enjoyed the benefit of the work of Christ, and yet
avoided the rough path of testimony for His name in the face of the
world's hostility. He might have enjoyed his eyesight, and, at the
same time, retained his place within the pale of respectable religious
profession. He might have reaped the fruit of Christ's work and yet
escaped the reproach of confessing His name.
"How often is this the case! Alas, how often! Thousands are very well
pleased to hear of what Jesus has done; but they do not want to be
identified with His outcast and rejected Name. In other words, to use
a modem and very popular phrase, `They want to make the best of both
worlds'--a sentiment from which every true-hearted lover of Christ
must shrink with abhorrence--an idea of which genuine faith is wholly
ignorant. It is obvious that the subject of our narrative knew nothing
of any such maxim. He had had his eyes opened, and he could not but
speak of it, and tell who did it, and how it was done. He was an
honest man. He had no mixed motives. No sinister object, no
undercurrent. Happy for him? (C.H.M.).
"He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and
anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and
wash." There is one little detail here which strikingly evidences the
truthfulness of this narrative, and that is one little omission in
this man's description of what the Savior had done to him. It is to be
noted that the beggar made no reference to Christ spitting on the
ground and making clay of the spittle. Being blind he could not see
what the Lord did, though he could feel what He applied! It is in just
such little undesigned coincidences, such artless touches, as this,
that makes the more apparent the genuineness of these Divine
narratives.
"Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not" (John
9:12). Equally commendable was the modesty of this man here. He acted
up to the light that he had, but he did not go beyond it. He pretended
not to possess a knowledge not yet his. O that we were all as simple
and honest. When the neighbors enquired, "Is not this he that sat and
begged?", he answered, "I am he"--though it is most unseemly for a
Christian to advertise the sins of his unregenerate days, yet it is
equally wrong for him to deny what he then was when plainly asked.
Next, they had asked, "How were thine eyes opened?", and he
unhesitatingly told them, not forgetting to boldly confess the name of
his Benefactor. Now they said, "Where is he?", and he frankly replied,
"I know not." The babe in Christ is guileless and hesitates not to
acknowledge that he is ignorant of much. But it is sad to observe how
pride so often comes in and destroys this simplicity and honesty.
Christian reader, and especially the babe in Christ, hesitate not to
avow your ignorance; when asked a question that you cannot answer,
honestly reply, "I know not." Feign not a knowledge you do not
possess, and have not recourse to speculation.
"They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind" (John
9:13). "Now the former blind beggar was to become an object of special
notice by the Pharisees. Very likely many of them had passed him
unheeded. A blind beggar! Which of them would bestow a thought on him
whose condition they regarded as an evidence that he was born in sin?
But the beggar, no longer blind, was quite a different matter. Were
they anxious to learn of the favor he had received in order to honor
his Benefactor, or to solicit in their turn favors from Him? Quite the
contrary. Their efforts were directed to discredit the miracle as
being wrought by One sent from God. He who had shortly before affirmed
of Himself in the Temple court, that He was God, had now opened that
man's eyes. The insult to the Divine Majesty, as the Jews regarded it,
in asserting His Deity, was followed by this miracle, of which the
beggar in the Temple precincts was the subject. To discredit the Lord
was their purpose. He was a Sabbath-breaker they declared; and
therefore that miracle must be disowned as being any display of
almighty power and benevolence" (C. E. Stuart).
"They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind." This was
a much more severe trial for him than what he had just passed through
at the hands of his neighbors. It was a real test of his faith. The
opposition of the Pharisees against the Lord, and their desire to get
rid of Him were well known: and their determination to excommunicate
any one who confessed Him as the Christ was no secret (see verse 22).
To face them, then, was indeed an ordeal. Alas that this part of the
history is being repeated today. Repeated it certainly is, for the
ones who will treat worst the young believer are not open infidels and
atheists, but those who are loudest in their religious professions.
These Pharisees have many successors: their tribe is far from being
extinct, and their descendants will be found occupying the same
position of religious leadership as did their fathers of old.
"And it was the Sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his
eyes" (John 9:14). There are two observations which we would make on
this verse. First, our Lord here teaches us that the words of the
fourth commandment "In it [the Sabbath] thou shalt not do any work,"
are not to be taken absolutely, that is, without any modification. By
His own example He has shown us that works of necessity and also works
of mercy are permissible. This 14th verse therefore reflects the glory
of Christ. It was the Sabbath day: how was He occupied? First, (and
note the order) He had gone to the Temple, there to minister God's
Word; second, now He is seen ministering in mercy to one in need.
Perfect example has He left us.
In the next place, we would call attention to the fact that our Lord
knew full well that His performing of this miracle on the Sabbath
would give offense to His enemies. He proceeded to its execution,
nevertheless. We have another illustration of the same principle in
Mark 7:2: "When they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled,
that is to say, with unwashen hands, they found fault." Though
rendering perfect obedience to all the laws of God, Christ paid no
regard to the commandments of men. Here too He has left us a perfect
example. Let not the believer be brought into bondage by heeding the
mandates of religious legislators, when their rules and regulations
have no support from the Holy Scriptures.
"Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his
sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and i washed,
and do see" (John 9:15). This was an honest effort on the part of
these Pharisees to investigate the teaching of that blessed One whose
voice they had recently heard and whose power had now been so signally
displayed. They--or the influential among them at least, for in this
Gospel "the Jews" ever refer to the religious leaders or their
agents--had already agreed that if any did confess that Jesus was the
Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue (see verse 22). Thus had
they deliberately closed their eyes against the truth, and therefore
it was impossible that they should now discern it, blinded by
prejudice as they were. Their object here was twofold: to discredit
the miracle, and to intimidate the one who had been the subject of it.
Note the form of their question. They, too, asked the beggar how he
had received his sight, not who was the one who had so graciously
blest him.
"He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do
see." The enlightened beggar was not to be cowed. He had returned a
straightforward answer to the inquiries of his neighbors, he is
equally honest and bold now before the open enemies of Christ. His
faithful testimony here teaches us an important lesson. Behind his
human interrogators it is not difficult to discern the great Enemy of
souls. Satan it is who hurls the fiery darts, even though he employs
religious professors as his instruments. But they fall powerless upon
the shield of faith, and it is this which is illustrated here. One may
be the veriest babe in Christ, but so long as he walks according to
the measure of light which God has granted, the Devil is powerless to
harm him. It is when we quench that light, or when we are unfaithful
to Christ, that we become powerless, and fall an easy prey to the
Enemy. But the one before us was acting up to the light that he had,
therefore the lion roared in vain against him.
"Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because
he keepeth not the Sabbath day" (John 9:16). A striking contrast is
this from what has just been before us. These Pharisees had turned
their backs upon the Light, and therefore was their darkness now even
more profound. Devoid of spiritual discernment they were altogether
incapable of determining what was a right use and lawful employment of
the Sabbath and what was not. They understood not that "The sabbath
was made for man" (Mark 2:27), that is, for the benefit of his soul
and the good of his body. True, the day which God blest at the
beginning was to be kept holy, but it was never intended to bar out
works of necessity and works of mercy, as they should have known from
the Old Testament Scriptures. In thus finding fault with Christ
because He had opened the eyes of this blind beggar on the Sabbath
day, they did but expose their ignorance and exhibit their spiritual
blindness.
"Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And
there was a division among them" (John 9:16). We wonder if one of
those who spoke up thus was Nicodemus! The argument used here is
strictly parallel with the words of that "Master in Israel" which we
find in John 3:1, 2. That we are next told, "And there was a division
among them" shows that the second speakers held their ground and
refused to side-in with the open enemies of our Lord. On this verse
the Puritan Bullinger remarked, "All divisions are not necessarily
evil, nor all concord and unity necessarily good"!
"They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he
hath opened thine eyes?" (John 9:17). The Devil is powerless in his
efforts to gain an advantage over the sheep of Christ. Repulsed for
the moment by the unexpected friendliness toward Christ on the part of
some of the Pharisees, the Enemy turned his attention once more to the
beggar: "They say unto the blind man again": note the frequency with
which this word is used in this passage--verses 15, 17, 24, 26. The
Devil's perseverance frequently puts our instability to shame.
"What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes?" A searching
question was this. The faith of the beggar was now openly challenged:
he must now either confess or deny his Benefactor. But he did not
flinch or dissemble. Boldly he answered, "He is a prophet." Divine
grace did not fail him in the hour of need, but enabled him to stand
firm and witness a good confession. Blessed be His name, the grace of
God is as sufficient for the youngest and feeblest as for the most
mature and established.
"He said. He is a prophet" (John 9:17). There is a decided advance
here. When answering his neighbors, the beggar simply referred to
Christ as, "A man that is called Jesus" (verse 11); but now he owns
Him as One whose word is Divine, for a "prophet" was a mouthpiece of
God. This was most blessed. At first he had been occupied solely with
the work of Christ, now he is beginning to discern the glory of His
person; increased intelligence was his. Nor is God arbitrary in the
bestowment of this. When the believer walks faithfully according to
the light which he has, more is given to him. It was so here; it is so
now. This is the meaning of that verse which has perplexed so many:
"Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be
given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which
he seemeth to have" (Luke 8:18): the reference here being to light
used and unused-note the "therefore" which looks back to verse 16. In
Matthew's account it reads, "For whosoever hath, to him shall be
given, and he shall have more abundance." A striking illustration of
this is furnished in John 9. Light the beggar now had; and that light
he let shine forth, consequently more was given to him; later, we
shall see how a more abundance" was vouchsafed to him.
"He said, He is a prophet." This is not the first time we have had
Christ owned as "prophet" in this Gospel. In John 4:19 we read that
the woman of Samaria said to the Savior at the well, "I perceive that
thou art a prophet." In John 6:14 we are told, "Then those men, when
they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth
that prophet that should come into the world." Once more, in John 7:40
we read, "Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying,
said, Of a truth this is the prophet." These references are in
striking accord with the character and theme of this fourth Gospel. A
prophet was the mouthpiece of God, and the great purpose of John's
Gospel, as intimated in its opening verse, is to portray the Lord
Jesus as "the Word"!
"But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind,
and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had
received his sight" (John 9:18). How skeptical are the unregenerate!
"Children in whom is no faith (Deut. 32:20) is what the Scriptures
term them. A wonderful miracle had been performed, but these Jews were
determined not to believe it. The simple but emphatic testimony of the
one on whom it had been wrought went for nothing. What a lesson is
this for the young convert. Marvelling at what the Savior has so
graciously done for and in him, anxious that others should know Him
for themselves, he goes forth testifying of His grace and power. Full
of zeal and hope, he expects that it will be a simple matter to
convince others of the reality of what the Lord has clone for him. Ah!
it will not be long before his bright expectations meet with
disappointment. He will soon discover something of that dreadful and
inveterate unbelief which fills the hearts of his unsaved fellows. He
must be shown that he has no power to convince them; that nothing but
a miracle of mercy, the putting forth of invincible power by God
Himself, is sufficient to overcome the enmity of the carnal mind.
"And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born
blind? how then doth he now see?" (John 9:19). This was a desperate
move. They had been unable to intimidate the one who had been dealt
with so graciously by Christ. They were unable to meet the arguments
which had been made by some of the more friendly Pharisees. They now
decide to summon the beggar's parents. It was their last hope. If they
could succeed in getting them to deny that their son had been born
blind, the miracle would be discredited. With this object in view they
arraign the parents. And Satan still seeks to discredit the witness of
the young Christian by getting his relatives to testify against him!
This is an oft-used device of his. Let us daily seek grace from God
that we may so act in the home that those nearest to us will have no
just ground for condemning our profession.
"His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and
that he was born blind: But by what means he now seeth, we know not;
or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he
shall speak for himself" (John 9:20, 21). How this serves to expose
the folly of a wish we have often heard expressed. People say, "O that
I had lived in Palestine during the days of Christ's public ministry;
it had been so much easier to have believed in Him!" They suppose that
if only they had witnessed some of the wonderful works of our Lord,
unbelief had been impossible. How little such people know about the
real nature and seat of unbelief; and how little acquainted must they
be with the four Gospels. These plainly record the fact (making no
effort at all either to conceal or excuse it) that again and again the
Lord Jesus put forth His supernatural power, producing the most
amazing effects, and yet the great majority of those who stood by were
nothing more than temporarily impressed. It was so here in the passage
before us. Even the parents of this man born blind believed not on
Christ. They were evidently afraid of their inquisitors; and yet their
answer nonplussed the Pharisees.
"These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews" (John
9:22). They represented a large class of religious professors who
surround us on every side today--in such bondage are men and women,
otherwise intelligent, to religious leaders and authorities. How true
it is that "the fear of man bringeth a snare." The only ones who are
fearless before men are those who truly fear God. This is one of our
daily needs: to cry earnestly unto the Lord that He will put His
"fear" upon us. "These words spake his parents, because they feared
the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess
that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue" (John
9:22). Mark here the desperate lengths to which prejudice will carry
men. They were determined not to believe. They had made up their minds
that no evidence should change their opinions, that no testimony
should have any weight with them. It reminds us very much of what we
read of in Acts 7. At the close of Stephen's address we read that his
enemies "stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord" (verse
57). This is just what these Pharisees did, and it is what many are
doing today. And this is the most dangerous attitude a sinner can
assume. So long as a man is honest and open-minded, there is hope for
him, no matter how ignorant or vicious he may be. But when a man has
deliberately turned his back upon the truth, and refuses to be
influenced by any evidence, it is very rare indeed that such an one is
ever brought into the light.
"Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him" (John 9:23).
Typically, this tells us that the young and tried believer must not
look to man for help; his resources must be in God alone. This man
might well have expected his parents to be filled with gratitude at
their son's eyes being opened, that they would perceive how God had
wrought a miracle of mercy upon him, and that they would readily stand
by and corroborate his witness before this unfriendly tribunal. But
little help did he receive from them. The onus was thrown back upon
himself. And this line in the picture is not without its due
significance. The young believer might well expect his loved ones to
appreciate and rejoice over the blessed change they must see in him;
but oftentimes they are quite indifferent if not openly antagonistic.
So too with our fellow-Christians. If we look to them for help when we
get in a tight place, they will generally fail us. And it is perhaps
well that it should be so. Anything that really casts us upon God
Himself is a blessing, even though it be disguised and appear to us a
calamity at the time. Let us learn then to "have no confidence in the
flesh" (Phil. 3:3), but let our expectation be in the Lord, who will
fail us not.
Let the interested student ponder the following questions:
1. What is meant by "Give God the praise" (verse 24)? Cf. Joshua 7:19.
2. Explain the first half of verse 25 so as not to conflict with verse
33.
3. What other verse in John's Gospel does the second half of verse 29
call to mind?
4. What connection is there between verse 31 and what has gone before?
5. Why did Christ wait till the beggar had been "east out" (verse 34)
before He revealed Himself as the Son of God (verse 35)?
6. Why are we told nothing more about the beggar after what is said in
verse 38?
7. What is the meaning of verse 39? Contrast John 3:17.
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 33
Christ and the Blind Beggar (Concluded)
John 9:24-41
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The following is offered as an Analysis of the passage which is to be
before us:--
1. The beggar challenged and his reply: verses 24, 25.
2. The beggar cross-examined and his response: verses 26, 27.
3. The beggar reviled: verses 28, 29.
4. The beggar defeats his judges: verses 30-33.
5. The beggar cast out by the Pharisees, sought out by Christ: verses
34, 35.
6. The beggar worships Christ as the Son of God: verses 36-38.
7. Christ's condemnation of the Pharisees: verses 39-41.
We arrive now at the closing scenes in this inspired narrative of the
Lord's dealings with the blind beggar and the consequent hostility of
the Pharisees. In it there is much that is reprehensible, but much too
that is praiseworthy. The enmity of the carnal mind is again exhibited
to our view; while the blessed fruit of Divine grace is presented for
our admiration. The wickedness of the Pharisees finds its climax in
their excommunication of the beggar; the workings of grace in his
heart reaches its culmination by bringing him to the feet of the
Savior as a devoted worshipper.
The passage before us records the persistent efforts of the Pharisees
to shake the testimony of this one who had received his sight. Their
blindness, their refusal to be influenced by the most convincing
evidence, their enmity against the beggar's Benefactor, and their
unjust and cruel treatment of him, vividly forecasted the treatment
which the Lord Himself was shortly to receive at their hands. On the
other hand, the fidelity of the beggar, his refusal to be intimidated
by those in authority, his Divinely-given power to non-plus his
judges, his being cast out of Judaism, and his place as a worshipper
at the feet of the Son of God on the outside, anticipated what was to
be exemplified again and again in the history of the Lord's disciples
following His own apprehension.
"Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him,
Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner" (John 9:24).
The one to whom sight had been so marvelously imparted had been
removed from the court of the Sanhedrin while the examination of his
parents had been going on. But he is now brought in before his judges
again. The examination of his parents had signally failed to either
produce any discrepancy between the statements of the parents and that
of their son, or to bring out any fact to the discredit of Christ. A
final effort was therefore made now to shake the testimony of the man
himself.
"Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him,
Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner." These
shameless inquisitors pretended that during his absence they had
discovered something to the utter discredit of the Lord Jesus. Things
had come to light, so they feigned, which proved Him to be more than
an ordinary bad character--such is the force of the Greek word here
for "sinner," compare its usage in Luke 7:34, 37, 39; 15:2; 19:7. It
is evident that the Sanhedrin would lead the beggar to believe that
facts regarding his Benefactor had now come to their knowledge which
showed He could not be the Divinely-directed author of his healing.
Therefore, they now address him in a solemn formula, identical With
that used by Joshua when arraigning Achan--see Joshua 7:19. They
adjured him by the living God to tell the whole truth. They demanded
that he forswear himself, and join with them in some formal statement
which was dishonoring to Christ. It was a desperate and blasphemous
effort at intimidation.
"He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one
thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see" (John 9:25). It is
refreshing to turn for a moment from the unbelief and enmity of the
Pharisees to mark the simplicity and honesty of this babe in Christ.
The Latin Vulgate renders the first clause of this verse, "If he is a
sinner I know not." The force of his utterance seems to be this: `I do
not believe that He is a sinner; I will not charge Him with being one;
I refuse to unite with you in saying that He is.' Clear it is that the
contents of this verse must not be explained in a way so as to clash
with what we have in verse 33, where the beggar owned that Christ was
"of God." The proper way is to view it in the light of the previous
verse. There we find the Pharisees adjuring him to join with them in
denouncing Christ as a sinner. This the beggar flatly refused to do,
and refused in such a way as to show that he declined to enter into a
controversy with his judges about the character of Christ.
"Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that,
whereas I was blind, now I see." This was tantamount to saying, `Your
charge against the person of Christ is altogether beside the point.
You are examining me in connection with what Christ has done for me,
therefore I refuse to turn aside and discuss His person.' The
Pharisees were trying to change the issue, but the beggar would not be
side-tracked. He held them to the indisputable fact that a miracle of
mercy had been wrought upon him. Thereupon he boldly declared again
what the Lord had done for him. That his eyes had been opened could
not be gainsaid: all the argument and attacks of the Pharisees could
not shake him. Let us not only admire his fearlessness and
truthfulness, but seek grace to emulate him.
"One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see." These are
words which every born-again person can apply to himself. There are
many things of which the young believer has little knowledge: there
are many points in theology and prophecy upon which he has no light:
but "one thing" he does know--he knows that the eyes of his
understanding have been opened. He knows this because he has seen
himself as a lost sinner, seen his imminent danger, seen the
Divinely-appointed refuge from the wrath to come, seen the sufficiency
of Christ to save him. Can a man repent and not know it? can he
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to the saving of his soul and not
know it? can he pass from death unto life, be delivered from the power
of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son, and not
know it? We do not believe it. The saints of God are a people that
"know." They know Whom they have believed (2 Tim. 1:12). They know
that their Redeemer liveth (Job 19:26). They know the), have passed
from death unto life (1 John 3:14). They know that all things work
together for their good (Rom. 8:28). They know that when the Lord
Jesus shall appear they shall be like Him (1 John 3:2). Christianity
treats not of theories and hypotheses, but of certainties and
realities. Rest not, dear reader, till you can say, "One thing I know,
that, whereas I was blind, now I see."
"Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine
eyes?" (John 9:26). Unable to get this man to deny the miracle which
had been wrought upon him, unable to bring him to entertain an evil
opinion of Christ, his judges inquire once more about the manner in
which he had been healed. This inquiry of theirs was merely a
repetition of their former question--see verse 15. It is evident that
their object in repeating this query was the hope that he would vary
in his account and thus give them grounds for discrediting his
testimony. They were seeking to "shake his evidence": they hoped he
would contradict himself.
"Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine
eyes?" This illustrates again how that unbelief is occupied with the
modus operandi rather than with the result itself. How you were
brought to Christ--the secondary causes, where you were at the time,
the instrument God employed--is of little moment. The one thing that
matters is whether or not the Lord has opened the sin-blinded eyes of
your heart. Whether you were saved in the fields or in a church,
whether you were on your knees at a "mourner's bench" or upon your
back in bed, is a detail of very little value. Faith is occupied not
with the manner in which you held out your hand to receive God's gift,
but with Christ Himself! But unbelief is occupied with the "how"
rather than with the "whom."
"He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear:
wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples?"
(John 9:27). With honest indignation he turns upon his unscrupulous
inquisitors and refuses to waste time in repeating what he had already
told them so simply and plainly. It is quite useless to discuss the
things of God with those whose hearts are manifestly closed against
Him. When such people continue pressing their frivolous or blasphemous
inquiries, only one course remains open, and that is "Answer a fool
according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit" (Prov.
26:5). This Divine admonition,, has puzzled some, because in the
preceding verse we are told, Answer not a fool according to his folly,
lest thou also be like unto him." But the seeming contradiction is
easily explained. When God says, "Answer not a fool according to his
folly, lest thou also be like unto him," the meaning is, I must not
answer a fool in a foolish manner, for this would make me a sharer of
his folly. But when God says, "Answer a fool according to his folly,
lest he be wise in his own conceit," the meaning is, that I must
answer him in a way to expose his folly, lest he imagine that he has
succeeded in propounding a question which is unanswerable. This is
exactly what the beggar did here in the lesson: he answered in such a
way as to make evident the folly and unbelief of his judges.
"Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are
Moses' disciples" (John 9:28). The word "reviled" is hardly strong
enough to express the original. The Greek word signifies that the
Pharisees hurled their anathemas against him by pronouncing him an
execrable fellow. How true to life! Unable to fairly meet his
challenge, unable to justify their course, they resort to
villification. To have recourse to invectives is ever the last resort
of a defeated opponent. Whenever you find men calling their opponents
hard names, it is a sure sign that their own cause has been defeated.
"They reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple." The man of the
world has little difficulty in locating a genuine "disciple" of
Christ. This man had not formally avowed himself as such, yet the
Pharisees had no difficulty in deciding that he was one. His whole
demeanor was so different from the cringing servility which they were
accustomed to receive from their own followers, and the wisdom with
which he had replied to all their questions, stamped him plainly as
one who had learned of the God-man. So it is today. Real Christians
need no placards on their backs or buttons on their coat lapels in
order to inform their fellows that they belong to the Lord Jesus. If I
am walking as a child of light, men will soon exclaim, "Thou art his
disciple.'' The Lord enable writer and reader to give as clear and
ringing a testimony in our lives as this beggar did.
"But we are Moses' disciples." A lofty boast was this, but as baseless
as haughty. The Lord had already told them, "Had ye believed Moses, ye
would have believed me; for he wrote of me" (John 5:46). This too has
its present-day application. Multitudes are seeking shelter behind
high pretensions and honored names. Many there are who term themselves
Calvinists that Calvin would be ashamed to own. Many call themselves
Lutherans who neither manifest the faith nor emulate the works of the
great Reformer. Many go under the name of Baptists to whom our Lord's
forerunner, were he here in the flesh, would say, "Flee from the wrath
to come." And countless numbers claim to be Protestants who scarcely
know what the term itself signifies. It is one thing to say "We are
disciples," it is quite another to make demonstration of it.
"We know that God spake unto Moses" (John 9:29). Such knowledge was
purely intellectual, something which they venerated as a religious
tradition handed down by their forebears; but it neither moved their
hearts nor affected their lives. And that is the real test of a man's
orthodoxy. An orthodox creed, intellectually apprehended, counts for
nothing if it fails to mould the life of the one professing it. I may
claim to regard the Bible as the inspired and infallible Word of God,
yea, and be ready to defend this fundamental article of the faith; I
may refuse to heed the infidelistic utterances of the higher critics,
and pride myself on my doctrinal soundness--as did these Pharisees.
But of what worth is this if I know not what it means to tremble at
that Word, and if my walk is not regulated by its precepts? None at
all! Rather will such intellectual light serve only to increase my
condemnation.
"As for this fellow, we know not from whence he is" (John 9:29).
Proofs went for nothing. The testimony of this man and the witness of
his parents had been spread before these Pharisees, yet they believed
not. Ah! faith does not come that way. Hearing the testimony of God's
saints will no more regenerate lost sinners than listening to the
description of a dinner I ate will feed some other hungry man. That is
one reason why the writer has no patience with "testimony meetings":
another is, because he finds no precedent for them in the Word of God.
But this beggar had faith, and his faith came as the result of being
made the personal subject of the mighty operation of God. Nothing
short of this avails. Sinners may witness miracles as Pharaoh did;
they may listen to the testimony of a believer as these Pharisees;
they may be terrified by the convulsions of nature, but none of these
things will ever lead a single sinner to believe in Christ. "Faith
cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Rom. 10:17)--by
the Word applied in the omnipotent power of the Holy Spirit.
"As for this fellow, we know not from whence he is." How inconsistent
is unbelief! In the seventh chapter of this Gospel we find the Jews
refusing to believe on Christ because they declared they did know
whence He was. Hear them, Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but
when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is" (John 7:27). But now
these Pharisees object against Christ, "We know not from whence he
is." Thus do those who reject the truth of God contradict themselves.
"The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous
thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine
eyes" (John 9:30). Quick to seize the acknowledgement of the ignorance
as to whence Christ came, the beggar turned it against them. Though he
spoke in the mildest of terms yet the stinging import of his words is
evident. It was as though he had said, "You who profess yourselves
fully qualified to guide the people on all points, and yet in the dark
on a matter like this!" A poor beggar he might be, and as such cut off
from many of the advantages they had enjoyed, nevertheless, he knew
what they did not--he knew that Christ was "of God" (verse 33)! How
true it is that God reveals things to babes in Christ which He hides
from the wise and prudent! hides because they are "wise"--wise in
their own conceits. Nothing shuts out Divine illumination so
effectively as prejudice and pride: nothing tends to blind the heart
more than egotism. "If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this
world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise" (1 Cor. 3:18);
"Proud, knowing nothing" (1 Tim. 6:4).
"Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a
worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth" (John 9:31).
This verse like many another must not be divorced from its setting.
Taken absolutely, these words "God heareth not sinners,'' are not
true. God "heard" the cry of Ishmael (Gen. 21:17); He "heard" the
groanings of the children of Israel in Egypt, long before He redeemed
them (Ex. 2:24); He "heard" and answered the prayer of the wicked
Manasseh (2 Chron. 33:10-13). But reading this verse in the light of
its context its meaning is apparent. The Pharisees had said of Christ,
"We know that this man is a sinner" (verse 24). Now says the beggar,
"We know that God heareth not sinners," which was one of their pet
doctrines. Thus, once more, did the one on trial turn the word of his
judges against themselves. If Christ were an impostor as they avowed,
then how came it that God has assisted Him to work this miracle?
"Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes
of one that was born blind" (John 9:32). This was his reply to their
statement that they were Moses' disciples. He reminds them that not
even in Moses' day, not from the beginning of the world had such a
miracle been performed as had been wrought on him. It is a significant
fact that among all the miracles wrought by Moses, never did he give
sight to a blind man, nor did any of the prophets ever open the eyes
of one born blind. That was something that only Christ did!
"If this man were not of God, he could do nothing." This beggar was
now endowed with a wisdom to which these learned Pharisees were
strangers. How often is this same principle illustrated in the
Scriptures. The Hebrew lad from the dungeon, not the wise men of
Egypt, was the one to interpret the dream of Pharaoh. Daniel, not the
wise men of Babylon, deciphered the mysterious writing on the walls of
Belshazzar's palace. Unlettered fishermen, not the scribes, were taken
into the confidences of the Savior. So here, a mouth and wisdom were
given to this babe in Christ which the doctors of the Sanhedrin were
unable to resist.
"If this man were not of God, he could do nothing." What a beautiful
illustration is this of Proverbs 4:18!--"But the path of the just is
as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect
day." First, this beggar had referred to his Benefactor as "a man that
is called Jesus" (verse 11). Second, he had owned Him as "a propehet"
(verse 17). And now he declares that Christ was a man of God." There
is also a lesson here pointed for us: as we walk according to the
light we have, God gives us more. Here is the reason why so many of
God's children are in the dark concerning much of His truth--they are
not faithful to the light they do have. May God exercise both writer
and reader about this so that we may earnestly seek from Him the grace
which we so sorely need to make us faithful and true to all we have
received of Him.
"They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins,
and dost thou teach us?" (John 9:34). Alas, how tragically does
history repeat itself. These men were too arrogant to receive anything
from this poor beggar. They were graduates from honored seats of
learning, therefore was it far too much beneath their dignity to be
instructed by this unsophisticated disciple of Christ. And how many a
preacher there is today, who in his fancied superiority, scorns the
help which ofttimes a member of his congregation could give him.
Glorying in their seminary education, they cannot allow that an
ignorant layman has light on the Scriptures which they do not possess.
Let a Spirit-taught layman seek to show the average preacher "the way
of the Lord more perfectly," and he must not be surprised if his
pastor says--if not in so many words, plainly by his bearing and
actions--"dost thou teach us?" How marvellously pertinent is this
two-thousand-year-old Book to our own times!
"And they cast him out" (John 9:34). "Happy man! He had followed the
light, in simplicity and sincerity. He had borne an honest testimony
to the truth. His eyes had been opened to see and his lips to testify.
It was no matter of wrong or wicked lewdness, but simple truth, and
for that they cast him out. He had never troubled them in the days of
his blindness and beggary. Perhaps some of them may have proudly and
ostentatiously tossed him a trifling alms as they walked past, thus
getting a name amongst their fellows for benevolence; but now this
blind beggar had become a powerful witness. Words of truth now flowed
from his lips--truth far too powerful and piercing for them to stand,
so they `thrust him out.' Happy, thrice happy man! again we say, This
was the brightest moment in his career. These men, though they knew it
not, had done him a real service. They had thrust him out into the
most honored position of identification with Christ as the despised
and rejected One" (C.H.M.).
"And they cast him out." How cruelly and unjustly will religious
professors treat the real people of God! When these Pharisees failed
to intimidate this man they excommunicated him from the Jewish church.
To an Israelite the dread of excommunication was second only to the
fear of death: it cut him off from all the outward privileges of the
commonwealth of Israel, and made him an object of scorn and derision.
But all through the ages some of the faithful witnesses of Christ have
met with similar or even worse treatment. Excommunication,
persecution, imprisonment, torture, death, are the favorite weapons of
ecclesiastical tyrants. Thus were the Waldenses treated; so Luther,
Bunyan, Ridley, the Huguenots; and so, in great probability, will it
be again in the near future.
"And they cast him out." Ah! Christian reader, if you did as this man
you would know something of his experience. If you bore faithful
testimony for Christ by lip and life; if you refused to walk
arm-in-arm with the world, and lived here as a stranger and pilgrim;
if you declined to follow the customs of the great religious crowd,
and regulated your walk by the Word, you would be very
unpopular--perhaps the very thing that you most fear! You would be cut
off from your former circle of friends, as not wanted; cut off because
your ways condemned theirs. Yea, if true to God's Word you might be
turned out of your church as an heretic or stirrer up of strife.
"Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he
said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?" (John 9:35). This
is indeed precious. No sooner had the Sanhedrin excommunicated the
beggar than the Savior sought him out. How true it is that those who
honor God are honored by Him. Faithfully had this man walked according
to his measure of light, now more is to be given him. Great is the
compassion of Christ. He knew full well the weight of the trial which
had fallen upon this newly-born soul, and He proved Himself "a very
present help in trouble." He cheered this man with gracious words.
Yea, He revealed Himself more fully to him than to any other
individual, save the Samaritan adulteress. He plainly avowed His
deity: He presented Himself in His highest glory as "the Son of God."
"Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he
said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?" The connection
between this and the previous verse should be carefully noted: the
beggar was "cast out" before he knew Christ as the Son of God. The
Nation as such denied this truth, and only the despised few on the
outside of organized Judaism had it revealed to them. There is a
message here greatly needed by many of the Lord's people today who are
inside man-made systems where much of the truth of God is denied.
True, if they are the Lord's, they are saved; but not to them will
Christ reveal Himself, while they continue in a position which is
dishonoring to Him. It is the Holy Spirit's office to take of the
things of Christ and to show them unto us. But while we are identified
with and lend our support to that which grieves Him, He will not
delight our souls with revelations of the excellencies of our Savior.
Nowhere in Scripture has God promised to honor those who dishonor Him.
God is very jealous of the honor of His Son and He withholds many
spiritual blessings from those who fellowship that which is an offense
to Him. On the outside with Christ is infinitely preferable to being
on the inside with worldly professors who know Him not. The time is
already arrived when many of God's people are compelled to choose
between these two alternatives. Far better to be cast out because of
faithfulness to Christ, or to "come out" (2 Cor. 6:17) because of
others' unfaithfulness to Christ, than to remain in the Laodicean
system which is yet to be "spued out" by Christ (Rev. 3:16). Whatever
loss may be entailed by leaving unscriptural and worldly churches, it
will be more than compensated by the Lord. It was so with this beggar.
"He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?"
(John 9:36). It is indeed beautiful to mark the spirit of this man in
the presence of Christ. Before the Sanhedrin he was bold as a lion,
but before the Son of God he is meek and lowly. Here he is seen
addressing Him as "Lord." These graces, seemingly so conflicting, are
ever found together. Wherever there is uncompromising boldness toward
men, there is humility before God: it is the God-fearing man who is
fearless before the Lord's enemies.
"And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that
talketh with thee" (John 9:37). This is one of the four instances in
this Gospel where the Lord Jesus expressly declared His Divine
Sonship. In verse 25 He foretold that "the dead shall hear the voice
of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live." Here He says "Dost
thou believe on the Son of God?... it is he that talketh with thee."
In John 10:36 He asked "Say ye of him, whom the Father hath
sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said,
I am the Son of God?" In John 11:4 He told His disciples "This
sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of
God might be glorified thereby." Nowhere in the other Gospels does He
explicitly affirm that He was the Son of God. John's record of each of
these four utterances of the Savior is in beautiful accord with the
special theme and design of his Gospel.
"And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him" (John 9:38).
What a lovely climax is this in the spiritual history of the blind
beggar! How it illustrates the fact that when God begins a good work
He continues and completes it. All through the sacred narrative here
the experiences of this man exemplify the history of each soul that is
saved by grace. At first, seen in his wretchedness and helplessness:
sought out by the Lord: pointed to that which speaks of the Word: made
the subject of the supernatural operation of God, sight imparted. Then
given opportunity to testify to his acquaintances of the merciful work
which had been wrought upon him. Severely tested by the Lord's
enemies, he, nevertheless, witnessed a good confession. Denied the
support of his parents, he is cast back the more upon God. Arraigned
by the religious authorities, and boldly answering them according to
the light he had, more was given him. Confounding his opponents, he is
reviled by them. Confessing that Christ was of God, he is east out of
the religious systems of his day. Now sought out by the Savior, he is
taught the excellency of His person which results in him taking his
place at the feet of the Son of God as a devoted worshipper. And here,
most suitably, the Holy Spirit leaves him, for it is there he will be
forever--a worshipper in the presence of the One who did so much for
him. Truly naught but Divine wisdom could have combined with this
historical narrative an accurate portrayal of the representative
experiences of an elect soul.
"And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they
which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind"
(John 9:39). "This is deeply solemn! For judgment I am come into this
world.' How is this? Did He not come to seek and to save that which
was lost? So He Himself tells us (Luke 19:10), why then speak of
`judgment'? The meaning is simply this: the object of His mission was
salvation; the moral effect of His life was judgment. He judged no
one, and yet He judged every one.
"It is well to see this effect of the character and life of Christ
down here. He was the light of the world, and this light acted in a
double way. It convicted and converted, it judged and it saved.
Furthermore it dazzled, by its heavenly brightness, all those who
thought they saw; while, at the same time, it lightened all those who
really felt their moral and spiritual blindness. He came not to judge,
but to save; and yet when come, He judged every man, and put every man
to the test. He was different from all around Him, as light in the
midst of darkness; and yet He saved all who accepted the judgment and
took their true place.
"The same thing is observed when we contemplate the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ. `For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish
foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God... But
we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto
the Greeks foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and
Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God' (1 Cor. 1:18,
23, 24). Looked at from a human point of view, the cross presented a
spectacle of weakness and foolishness. But, looked at from a Divine
point of view, it was the exhibition of power and wisdom, `The Jew',
looking at the cross through the hazy medium of traditionary religion
stumbled over it; and `the Greek', looking at it from the fancied
heights of philosophy, despised it as a contemptible thing. But the
faith of a poor sinner, looking at the cross from the depths of
conscious guilt and need, found in it a Divine answer to every
question, a Divine supply for every need. The death of Christ, like
His life, judged every man, and yet it saves all those who accept the
judgment and take their true place before God" (C.H.M.). This was all
announced from the beginning: "And Simeon blessed them, and said unto
Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising
again of many in Israel" (Luke 2:34).
"And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and
said unto him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were
blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your
sin remaineth" (John 9:40, 41). This receives explanation in John
15:22-24: "If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had
sin: but now they have no cloak (excuse) for their sin. He that hateth
Me hateth My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which
none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen
and hated both Me and My Father." The simple meaning then of these
words of Christ to the Pharisees is this: "If you were sensible of
your blindness and really desired light, if you would take this place
before Me, salvation would be yours and no condemnation would rest
upon you. But because of your pride and self-sufficiency, because you
refuse to acknowledge your undone condition, your guilt remaineth."
How strikingly this confirms our interpretation of verse 6 and the
sequel. The blind man made to see illustrates those who accept God's
verdict of man's lost condition; the self-righteous Pharisees who
refused to bow to the Lord's decision that they were "condemned
already'' (John 3:18), continued in their blindness and sin.
Let the interested student carefully ponder the following questions on
John 10:1-10:--
1. What is the "sheepfold" of verse 1?
2. What is "the door" by which the shepherd enters the sheepfold?
(verse 2).
3. Who is "the porter" of verse 3?
4. Leadeth the sheep "out of" what? (verse 3).
5. What is the meaning of "I am the door of the sheep" (verse 7)?
6. What entirely different line of thought does "I am the door" of
verse 9 give us?
7. Who is "the thief" of verse 10?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 34
Christ, the Door
John 10:1-10.
_________________________________________________________________
Below is an Analysis of the passage which is to be before us:--
1. Entrance into the Sheepfold: lawful and unlawful: verses 1, 2.
2. The Shepherd admitted by the porter: verse 3.
3. The Shepherd leading His sheep out of the fold: verses 3, 4.
4. The attitude of the sheep toward strangers: verse 5.
5. Christ's proverb not understood: verse 6.
6. The true Shepherd and the false shepherds contrasted: verses 7-9.
7. Antichrist and Christ contrasted: verse 10.
As a personal aid to the study of this passage the writer drew up a
list of questions, of which the following are samples: To whom is our
Lord speaking? What was the immediate occasion of His address? Why
does He make reference to a "sheepfold?" What is meant by "climbing up
some other way" into it? What is signified by "the door"? What
"sheepfold" is here in view?--note it is one into which thieves and
robbers could climb; it was one entered by the shepherd; it was one
out of which the shepherd led his sheep. Who does "the porter" bring
before us? Such questions enable us to focalize our thoughts and
approach this section with some degree of definiteness.
Our passage begins with "Verily, verily, I say unto you." The
antecedent of the you is found in "the Pharisees" of the previous
chapter. The occasion of this word from Christ was the excommunication
of the beggar by the Pharisees (John 9:34). The mention of "the
sheepfold" at once views these Pharisees in a pastoral relationship.
The reference to "thieves and robbers" climbing up some other way
denounced the Pharisees as False shepherds, and rebuked them for their
unlawful conduct. In the course of this "parable" or "proverb," the
Lord contrasts Himself from the Pharisees as the true Shepherd. These
things are clear on the surface, and the confusion of some of the
commentators can only be attributed to their failure to attend to
these simple details.
There are two chief reasons why many have experienced difficulty in
apprehending the Lord's teaching in this passage: failure to consider
the circumstances under which it was delivered, and failure to
distinguish between the three "doors" here spoken of--there is the
"door into the sheepfold" (verse 1); the "door of the sheep" (verse
7); and the "door" of salvation (verse 9). In the previous chapter we
find our Lord had given sight to one born blind. This aroused the
jealousy of the Pharisees, so that when the beggar faithfully
confessed it was Jesus who had opened his eyes, they cast him out of
the synagogue. When Christ heard of this He at once sought him out,
and revealed Himself as the Son of God. This drew forth the
confession, "Lord, I believe." Thus did he evidence himself to be one
of "the sheep," responding to the Shepherd's voice. Following this,
our Lord announced, "For judgment I am come into this world, that they
which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind"
(John 9:39). Some of the Pharisees heard Him, and asked, "Are we blind
also?" To which the Savior replied, "If ye were blind, ye should have
no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth." It was
the self-confidence and self-complacency of these Pharisees which
proved them to be blind, and therefore in their sins. Unto them, under
these circumstances, did Christ deliver this memorable and searching
proverb of the shepherd and his sheep.
It will probably be of some help to the reader if we describe briefly
the character of the "sheepfold" which obtains in Eastern lands. In
Palestine, which in the pastoral sections was infested with wild
beasts, there was in each village a large sheepfold, which was the
common property of the native farmers. This sheepfold was protected by
a wall some ten or twelve feet high. When night fell, a number of
different shepherds would lead their flocks up to the door of the
fold, through which they passed, leaving them in the care of the
porter, while they went home or sought lodging. At the door, the
porter lay on guard through the night, ready to protect the sheep
against thieves and robbers, or against wild animals which might scale
the walls. In the morning the different shepherds returned. The porter
would allow each one to enter through the door, calling by name the
sheep which belonged to his flock. The sheep would respond to his
voice, and he would lead them out to pasture. In the lesson before us
this is what the Lord uses as a figure or proverb.
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that entereth not by the door into
the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and
a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the
sheep" (John 10:1, 2). The "sheepfold" here is not Heaven, for thieves
and robbers do not climb up into it. Nor is it "The Church" as some
have strangely supposed, for the Shepherd does not lead His sheep out
of that, as He does from this fold (see verse 3). No, the "sheepfold"
is manifestly Judaism--in which some of God's elect were then to be
found--and the contrast pointed in these opening verses between the
true Shepherd and the false ones, between Christ and the Pharisees.
The "door" here must not be confused with "the Door" of verse 9. Here
in verse 1 it is simply contrasted from the "climbing up some other
way." It signifies, then, the lawful "way" of entrance for the
Shepherd, to those of His sheep then to be found in Judaism.
"But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep."
The simple meaning of this is, that Christ presented Himself to Israel
in a lawful manner, that is, in strict accord with the Holy
Scriptures. "He submitted Himself to all the conditions established by
Him who built the house. Christ answered to all that was written of
the Messiah, and took the path of God's will in presenting Himself to
the people" (Mr. Darby). He had been born of a virgin, of the covenant
people, of the Judaic stock, in the royal city--Bethlehem. He had
conformed to everything which God required of an Israelite. He had
been "born under the law" (Gal. 4:4). He was circumcised the eighth
day (Luke 2:21), and subsequently, at the purification of His mother,
He was presented to God in the Temple (Luke 2:22).
"To him the porter openeth" (John 10:3). The word "porter" signifies
door-keeper. The only other time the word occurs in John's Gospel is
in John 18:16, 17, and how strikingly these two references illustrate,
once more, the law of contrast! "But Peter stood at the door without.
Then went out that other disciple, which was known unto the high
priest, and spake unto her that kept the door (the porter), and
brought in Peter. Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter,
Art not thou also one of this man's disciples? He saith, I am not." In
John 10 the "porter" refers, ultimately, to the Holy Spirit, while the
door-keeper in John 18 is a woman that evidently had no sympathy with
Christ. In John 10 the porter opens the door to give the Shepherd
access to the sheep, whereas in John 18 the door is opened that a
sheep might gain access to the Shepherd. In John 10 the sheep run to
the Shepherd, but in John 18 the sheep is seen in the midst of wolves.
In John 10 the sheep follow the Shepherd: in John 18 one of the sheep
denies the Shepherd!
"To him the porter openeth." The "porter" was the one who vouched for
the shepherd and presented him to the sheep. As to the identity of the
"porter" in this proverb there can be no doubt. The direct reference
was to John the Baptist who "prepared the way of the Lord." He it was
who formally introduced the Shepherd to Israel: "that he should be
made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing" (John 1:31),
was his own confession. But, in the wider application, the "porter"
here represented the Holy Spirit, who officially vouched for the
credentials of the Messiah, and who now presents the Savior to each of
God's elect.
"To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice;, and he
calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out" (John 10:3).
Three things mark the genuine shepherd: first, he entered the fold by
"the door," and climbed not over the walls, as thieves and robbers
did. Second, he entered the door by "the porter" opening to him.
Third, he proved himself, by "the sheep" recognizing and responding to
his voice. Mark, then, how fully and perfectly these three
requirements were met by Christ in His relation to Israel, thus
evidencing Him to be the true Shepherd.
As we have seen, the "door" was the legitimate and appointed entrance
into the fold, and this figure meant that the Messiah came by the road
which Old Testament prophecy had marked out beforehand. The "porter"
presented the shepherd to the sheep. Not only had the prophets borne
witness to Christ, but, in addition, when He appeared, a forerunner
heralded Him, introducing Him to the people. Besides this, when the
true Shepherd of Israel was manifested, the sheep recognized His
voice. The true sheep were known to Him, for He called them by name.
The call was to follow Him, and to follow Him was to take their place
with the despised and rejected One outside of Judaism. How beautifully
this links up with what was before us in John 9 it is not difficult to
perceive.
In John 9 Christ had shown how that He had entered the door into the
sheepfold, for He had come working the works of God (John 9:4), and
had thus shown Himself to be in the confidence of the Owner of the
fold, and therefore the approved Shepherd of the flock. The Pharisees,
on the contrary, were resisting Him and attacking the sheep; therefore
they must needs be "thieves and robbers." The blind beggar was a
sample of the flock, for refusing to listen to the voice of strangers,
he, nevertheless, knew the voice of the Shepherd, and drawn to Him, he
found salvation, security, and sustenance.
All of this, strikingly illustrated in John 9, receives interpretation
and amplification in chapter 10, where we have a blessed commentary on
the condition of the excommunicated one. The Pharisees imagined they
had cut him off from the place of safety and blessing, but the Lord
had shown him that it was only then he had really entered the true
place of blessing. Had he remained inside Judaism he would have been
the constant object of the assaults of the "thieves and robbers"; but
now he was in the care of the true Shepherd, the good Shepherd, who
instead of killing him, would die for him! It is beautiful to compare
John 10:3 with 9:34. The Pharisees' "casting out" of the poor beggar
was, in reality, the Shepherd leading him out from the barren
wilderness of Judaism to the green pastures of Christianity. Thus are
we given to see the Lord Himself behind the human instru-ments--a
marvellous example is this of how God ofttimes employs even His
enemies to accomplish a good turn for His people.
"To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he
calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out." Mark carefully
the qualification here: it is not He calleth the sheep by name, but
"he calleth his own sheep by name." His "own sheep" were those who had
been given to Him by the Father from all eternity; and when He calls,
all of these "sheep" must come to Him, for it is written, "All that
the Father giveth me shall come to me" (John 6:37). These "sheep,"
then, were the elect of God among Israel. Not to the Nation at large
was Christ's real ministry; rather did He come unto "the lost sheep of
the house of Israel." That these "lost sheep" were not coextensive
with the whole Nation is clear from the twenty-sixth verse of this
chapter, for there we find the Shepherd saying to unbelieving
Israelites, "But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep." The
sheep, then, whom Christ "called" during the days of His earthly
ministry were the elect of God, whom He led out of Judaism. This was
strikingly foreshadowed of old. Moses, while estranged from Israel,
kept the flock of his father in other pastures, near "the mount of
God" (Ex. 3:1).
"And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and
the sheep follow him: for they know his voice" (John 10:4). Christ
began His ministry inside the fold of Judaism, for it was there His
Jewish sheep were to be found, though mixed with others: from these
they needed to be separated when the true Shepherd appeared. Therefore
does His voice sound, calling the lost sheep of the House of Israel
unto Himself. As they responded, they were put forth outside the fold,
to follow Him.
"And the sheep follow him: for they know his voice." Link this up with
the third clause in the previous verse. "He calleth his own sheep by
name . . . and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice." A
number of blessed illustrations of this are found scattered throughout
the Gospels. "And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man,
named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto
him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him" (Matthew 9:9). Here
was a lone sheep of Christ. The Shepherd called him; he recognized His
voice, and promptly followed Him.
"And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said
unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide
at thy house" (Luke 19:5). Here was one of the sheep, called by name.
The response was prompt, for we are told, "And he made haste, and came
down, and received him joyfully" (verse 6).
"The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth
Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me" (John 1:43). This shows us the
Shepherd seeking His sheep before He called him.
John 11 supplies us with a still more striking example of the drawing
power of the Shepherd's voice as He calleth His own sheep. There we
read of Lazarus, in the grave; but when Christ calls His sheep by
name--"Lazarus, come forth"--the sheep at once responded.
As a touching example of the sheep knowing His voice we refer the
reader to John 20. Mary Magdalene visited the Savior's sepulcher in
the early morning hour. She finds the stone rolled away, and the body
of the Lord gone. Disconsolate, she stands there weeping. Suddenly she
sees the Lord Jesus standing by her, and "knew not that it was Jesus."
He speaks to her, but she supposed Him to be the gardener. A moment
later she identified Him, and says, "Rabboni." What had happened in
the interval? What enabled her to identify Him? Just one word from
Him"Mary"! The moment He called His sheep by name she "knew his
voice"!
It has been thus with God's elect all down the ages. It is so today.
There is a general "call" which goes forth to all who hear the Gospel,
for "many are called," though few are chosen (Matthew 20:16). But to
each of Christ's "sheep" there comes a particular, a special call.
This call is inward and invincible, and therefore effectual. Proof of
this is found in Romans 8:30 and many other scriptures: there we read,
"Whom he called, them he also justified." But all are not justified,
therefore all are not "called." Who then are "the called"? The
previous clause of Romans 8:30 tells us--"Whom he did predestinate,
them he also called." And who were the ones "predestinated"? They were
those whom God did "foreknow" (John 8:29). And who were they? The
previous verse makes answer--they who were "the called according to
his purpose." Called not because of anything in them, foreseen or
actual, but solely by His own sovereign will or purpose.
This effectual call from God is heard by each of the "sheep" because
they are given "ears to hear": "The hearing ear, and the seeing eye,
the Lord hath made even both of them" (Prov. 20:12). This effectual
call comes to none but the sheep; the "goats" hear it not--"But ye
believe not, because ye are not of my sheep" (John 10:26).
There is, no doubt, a secondary application of these verses to the
under-shepherds of Christ today, and considered thus they supply us
with several important principles which enable us to identify them
with certainty. First, a true under-shepherd of Christ is one who
gains access to the sheep in the Divinely-appointed way: unlike the
Pharisees, he does not intrude himself into this sacred office, but is
called to it by God. Second, he is, in the real meaning of the word, a
shepherd of the sheep: he has their welfare at heart, and ever
concerns himself with their interests. Third, to such an one "the
porter openeth": the Holy Spirit sets before him an "open door" for
ministry and service. Fourth, the sheep hear his voice: the elect of
God recognize him as a Divinely appointed pastor. Fifth, he calleth
his own sheep by name: that portion of the flock over which God has
made him overseer, are known to him individually: with a true pastor's
heart he seeks them out in the home and acquaints himself with them
personally. Sixth, he "leadeth them out" into the green pastures of
God's Word where they may find food and rest. Seventh, "he goeth
before them": he sets before them a godly example, asking them to do
nothing which he is not doing himself; he seeks to be "an example of
the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in
faith, in purity" (1 Tim. 4:12). May the Lord in His grace increase
the number of such faithful undershepherds. Let the reader, especially
the preacher, consult the following passages: Acts 20:28; 2
Thessalonians 3:9; 1 Peter 5:2-4.
"And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they
know not the voice of strangers" (John 10:5). This is very important,
for it describes a mark found on all of Christ's sheep. A strange
shepherd they will not heed. This can hardly mean that they will never
respond to the call of the false shepherds, but that the redeemed of
Christ will not absolutely, unreservedly, completely give themselves
over to a false teacher. Instead, speaking characteristically, they
will flee from such. It is not possible to deceive the elect (Matthew
24:24). Let a man of the world hear two preachers, one giving out the
truth and the other error, and he can discern no difference between
them. But it is far otherwise with a child of God. He may be but a
babe in Christ, unskilled in theological controversies, but
instinctively he will detect vital heresy as soon as he hears it. And
why is this? Because he is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and has
received an "unction" from the Holy One (1 John 2:20). How thankful we
should be for this. How gracious of the Lord to have given us this
capacity to separate the precious from the vile!
"This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what
things they were which he spake unto them" (John 10:6). This points a
contrast, bringing out as it does the very reverse of what was before
us in the previous one. There we learn of the spirit of discernment
possessed by all of Christ's sheep; here we see illustrated the solemn
fact that those who are not His sheep are quite unable to understand
the truth even when it is plainly presented to them. Blind indeed were
these Pharisees, and therefore totally incapacitated to perceive our
Lord's meaning. Equally blind are all the unsaved today. Well educated
they may be, and theologically trained, but unless they are born again
the Word of God is a sealed book to them.
"Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am
the door of the sheep" (John 10:7). The "door of the sheep" is to be
distinguished from the "door of the sheepfold" in verse 1. The latter
was the Divinely-appointed way by which Christ had entered Judaism, in
contrast from the false pastors of Israel whose conduct evidenced
plainly that they had thrust themselves into office. The "door of the
sheep" was Christ Himself, by which the elect of Israel passed out of
Judaism. The Lord had not come to restore Judaism, but to lead out His
own unto Himself. A striking illustration of this is to be found in
Exodus 33. At the time viewed there Judaism was in a state of unbelief
and rebellion against God. Accordingly, Moses, the shepherd of Israel,
"took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from
the camp, and called it the Tabernacle of the congregation. And it
came to pass, that every one which sought the Lord went out unto the
tabernacle of the congregation, which was without the camp" (verse 7).
Those who really sought the Lord had to leave "the camp," and go forth
unto the shepherd on the outside. It is beautiful to note the sequel:
"And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy
pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the
Lord talked with Moses" (verse 9). God was with His shepherd on the
outside of the camp! So here in John 10, Christ, the antitype of Moses
(Deut. 18:18), tabernacles outside Judaism, and those whose hearts
sought the Lord went forth unto Him. And history has repeated itself.
God is no longer with the great organized systems of Christendom, and
those of His people whose hearts cleave to Him must go forth "outside
the camp" if they would commune with Him! The "door" here then speaks
of exit, not entrance.
"All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep
did not hear them" (John 10:8). It is abundantly clear that here we
have another instance in John's Gospel where the word "all" cannot be
taken absolutely. The Lord had been speaking of shepherds, the
shepherds of Israel; but not all of them had been "thieves and
robbers." Moses, Joshua, David, the prophets, Nehemiah, and others who
might be mentioned, certainly could not be included within this
classification. The "all" here, as is usually the case in Scripture,
must be restricted. But restricted to whom? Surely to the scribes and
Pharisees, who were here being addressed by the Lord. Bishop Ryle has
a helpful note on this verse: "Let it be noted," he says, "that these
strong epithets show plainly that there are times when it is right to
rebuke sharply. Flattering everybody, and complimenting all teachers
who are zealous and earnest, without reference to their soundness in
the faith, is not according to Scripture. Nothing seems so offensive
to Christ as a false teacher of religion, a false prophet, or a false
shepherd. Nothing ought to be so much dreaded in the Church, and if
needful, be so plainly rebuked, opposed, and exposed. The strong
language of our Reformers, when writing against Romish teachers, is
often blamed more than it ought to be."
It is a notable fact that the severest denunciations which are to be
found in the Scriptures are reserved for false teachers. Listen to
these awful words of Christ: "Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites!... ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a
camel! . . . ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape
the damnation of hell?" (Matthew 23:14, 24, 33). So, too, His
forerunner: "O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from
the wrath to come?" (Matthew 3:7). So, too, the apostle Paul: "For
such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves
into the apostles of Christ" (2 Cor. 11:13). So Peter: "These are
wells without water, clouds that are carried with the tempest; to whom
the mist of darkness is reserved forever" (2 Pet. 2:17). So Jude:
"clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose
fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars,
to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever" (verses 12,
13). Unspeakably solemn are these; would that their alarm might be
sounded forth today, as a warning to those who are so careless whose
ministry they sit under.
But why should our Lord term the Pharisees "thieves and robbers"?
Wherein lay the propriety of such appellations? We believe that light
is thrown on this question by such a scripture as Luke 11:52: "Woe
unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye
entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye
hindered." With this should be compared the parallel passage in
Matthew 23:13. The Pharisees were thieves inasmuch as they seized
positions which they had no right to occupy, exerted an authority
which did not justly belong to them, and unlawfully demanded a
submission and subjection to which they could establish no valid
claim.
What, may be asked, is the distinction between "thieves" and
"robbers"? The word for "thief" is "kleptes" and is always so
rendered. It has reference to one who uses stealth. The word for
"robbers" is "lestes," and is wrongly translated "thief" in Matthew
21:13; Luke 10:30, 36, etc. It has reference to one who uses violence.
The distinction between these two words is closely preserved all
through the New Testament with the one exception of verse 10, where it
seems as though the Lord uses the word "kleptes" to combine the two
different thoughts, for there the "thief" is said not only to "steal,"
but also to "kill and destroy."
"I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved" (John
10:9). Notice carefully the broader terms which Christ uses here. No
longer does He say, as in verse 7, "I am the door of the sheep," but
"I am the door," and this He follows at once with, "If any man enter
in, he shall be saved." Why this change of language? Because up to
this point the Lord had been referring solely to elect Israelites,
which He was leading out of Judaism. But now His heart reaches forth
to the elect among the Gentiles, for not only was He "a minister of
the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made
unto the fathers," but He also came "that the Gentiles might glorify
God for His mercy" (Rom. 15:8, 9). The "door" in verse 1 was God's
appointed way for the shepherd into Judaism. The "door" in verse 7 was
the Way out of Judaism, by Christ leading God's elect in separation
unto Himself. Here in verse 9 the "door" has to do with salvation, for
elect Jew and Gentile alike.
"I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved." This is
the "door" into the presence of God. By nature we are separated, yea,
"alienated" from God. Sin as a barrier comes in between and bars us
out of His holy presence. This is one of the first things a convicted
soul is made conscious of. I am defiled and condemned, how can I draw
near to God? I am made to realize my guilty distance from Him who is
Light, how then can I be reconciled to Him? Then, from God's Word, I
learn heaven's answer to these solemn questions. The Lord Jesus has
bridged that awful gulf which separated me from God. He bridged it by
taking my place and being made a curse in my stead. And as the
exercised soul bows to God's sentence of condemnation, and receives by
faith the marvelous provision which His grace has made, I, with all
other believers, learn, "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were
afar off are made nigh by the blood of Christ" (Eph. 2:13).
"I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved." This is
one of the precious words of Christ which is well worthy of prolonged
meditation. A "door" speaks of easy ingress and is contrasted from the
high walls in which it is set. There are no difficult walls which have
to be scaled before the anxious sinner can obtain access to God. No,
Christ is the "door" into His presence. A "door" may also be
contrasted from a long, dreary, circuitous passage--just one step, and
those on the outside are now within. The soul that believes God's
testimony to the truth of salvation by Christ alone, at once enters
God's presence. But mark the definite article: "I am the door." There
was only one door into the ark in which Noah and his family found
shelter from the flood. There was only one door into the Tabernacle,
which was Jehovah's dwelling-place. So there is only one "door" into
the presence of the Father--"Neither is there salvation in any other:
for there is none other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we
must be saved" (Acts 4:12). And again, "I am the way," said Christ.
"No man cometh unto the Father but by me" (John 14:6). Have you
entered by this "door," dear reader? Remember that a door is not to be
looked at and admired, but to be used! Nor do you need to knock: the
Door is open, and open for "any man" who will enter. Soon, though, the
Door will be shut (see Luke 13:25), for the present Day of salvation
(2 Cor. 6:2) will be followed by the great Day of wrath (Rev. 6:17).
Enter then while there is time.
Such are some of the simplest thoughts suggested by the figure of "the
door." What follows is an extract from an unknown writer who signed
himself "J.B. Jr':--"The door suggests the thought of the
dwelling-place to which it is the means of entrance. Within we find
the possession or portion of those who can by right enter by the door.
Thus it is as a place set apart for its possessors from all that which
is outside. In this way we may say it is a sanctuary. These things are
rightly connected with a door, it being the only right way of
entrance."
"I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved." Notice
Christ did not say, "I am the door: if any man enter in, he shall be
saved," but, "by me if any man enter in." Man cannot enter of himself,
for being by nature "dead in trespasses and sins" he is perfectly
helpless. It is only by Divine aid, by the impartation to us of
supernatural power, that any can enter in and be saved. Without Christ
we can do nothing (John 15:5). Writing to the Philippians the apostle
said, "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to
believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake" (John 1:29). Not only
is it a fact that no one can come to Christ except the Father draw him
(John 6:44), but it is also true that none can come to the Father
except Christ empowers. This is very clear from the sixteenth verse of
our chapter: "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them
also I must bring." The "sheep" enter through the Door into God's
presence because Christ "brings" them. Beautifully is this portrayed
in Luke 15:5, 6: "And when he hath found it (the lost sheep), he
layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he
calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice
with me."
"I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and
shall go in and out, and find pasture." To go "in and out" is a
figurative way to express perfect freedom. This was something vastly
different from the experiences of even saved Israelites under the law
of Moses. One of the chief designs of the ceremonial law was to hedge
Israelites around with ordinances which kept them separate from all
other nations. But this was made an end of by Christ, for through His
death the "middle wall of partition" was broken down. Thus were His
sheep perfectly free to "go in and out." It is indeed striking to
discover in Nehemiah 3 that of the ten gates referred to there, of the
sheep gate only are no "locks and bars" mentioned. This chapter
concerns the remnant after their captivity, and clearly fore-shadows
in a wonderful way the truth here taught by Christ. "The fulness of
this freedom is intercourse with other saints, and in deliverance from
the yoke of the (ceremonial) laws (Acts 15:10), was only by degrees
apprehended. That lesson, taught Peter on the housetop at Joppa (Acts
10), was the first real step in the realization of that freedom" (Mr.
C. E. Stuart).
"And find pasture." This tells of the gracious provision made for the
nourishment of the sheep. Our minds at once turn to that matchless
Psalm which records the joyous testimony of the saints: "The Lord is
my Shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green,
pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters." The "pastures,"
then, speak not only of food, but of rest as well. This too is a part
of that wondrous portion which is ours in Christ. A beautiful type of
this is found in Numbers 10:33: "And they departed from the mount of
the Lord three days' journey: and the ark of the covenant of the Lord
went before them in the three days' journey, to search out a resting
place for them." All through the Old Testament the "ark of the
covenant" is a lovely figure of the Savior Himself, and here it is
seen seeking out a resting place--the pastures--for Israel of old.
"I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and
shall go in and out, and find pasture." Seven things are enumerated in
this precious verse. First, "I am the door": Christ the only Way to
God. Second "By me if any man enter": Christ the Imparter of power to
enter. Third, "If any man enter": Christ the Savior for Jew and
Gentile alike. Fourth, "If any man enter in": Christ appropriated by a
single act of faith. Fifth, "he shall be saved": Christ the Deliverer
from the penalty, power, and presence of sin. Sixth, "he shall go in
and out": Christ the Emancipator from all bondage. Seventh, "and find
pasture'': Christ the Sustainer of His people.
Finally, it is blessed to see how the contents of this precious verse
present Christ to us as the Fulfiller of the prophetic prayer of
Moses: "And Moses spake unto the Lord, saying, Let the Lord, the God
of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, Which
may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may
lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of
the Lord be not as sheep which have no shepherd" (Num. 27:15-17).
"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy"
(John 10:10). It will be observed that Christ here uses the singular
number. In verse 8 He had spoken of "thieves and robbers" when
referring to all who had come before Him; but here in verse 10 He has
some particular individual in view--"the thief." It should also be
noted that in speaking of this particular "thief" our Lord combines in
one the two distinct characters of thieves and robbers. As intimated
in our comments on verse 8 the distinctive thought associated with the
former is that of stealth; that of the latter, is violence. Here "the
thief" cometh to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. Who then is the
Lord referring to? Surely it is to the last false shepherd of Israel,
the "idol shepherd," the antichrist, of whom it is written, "For lo, I
will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that
be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is
broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh
of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces. Woe to the idol shepherd
that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his
right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be
utterly darkened" (Zech. 11:16).
"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more
abundantly" (John 10:10). Why say this after having already declared
that "By me if any man enter in, he shall be saved"? Mark this follows
His reference to "the thief." Here then our Lord seems to be looking
forward to the Day of His second advent, as it relates to Israel. This
indeed will be the time when abundant life will be theirs. As we read
in Romans 11:15, "If the casting away of them be the reconciling of
the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the
dead?" In striking accord with this it should be noted that the Lord's
title "I am the door" (verse 9) is the third of His "I am" titles in
this Gospel--the number which speaks of resurrection. Immediately
following we find Christ saying here I am the good Shepherd" (verse
11). This is the fourth of His "I am" titles--the number of the earth.
As preparation for the next chapter let the interested student ponder
carefully the following points:--
1. Study the typical "shepherds" of the Old Testament.
2. Precisely what is the meaning of "for" in verse 11?
3. Did the Shepherd give His life for any besides "the sheep"?
4. What other adjectives besides "good" are applied to Christ as the
"Shepherd"?
5. Who is referred to by "a hireling" (verse 12)?
6. Who are the "other sheep" of verse 16?
7. Look up proofs in the Gospels of the first part of verse 18.
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 35
Christ, the Good Shepherd
John 10:11-21
_________________________________________________________________
The following is submitted as an Analysis of the passage which is to
be before us:--
1. The good Shepherd dies for His sheep: verse 11.
2. The character and conduct of hirelings: verses 12, 13.
3. The intimacy between the Shepherd and the sheep: verse 14.
4. The intimacy between the Father and the Son.' verse 15.
5. Gentile sheep saved by the Shepherd: verse 16.
6. The relation of the Shepherd to the Father: verses 17, 18.
7. The division among the Jews: verses 19-21.
The passage before us completes our Lord's discourse with the
Pharisees, following their excommunication of the beggar to whom He
had given sight. In this discourse, Christ does two things: first, He
graphically depicts their unfaithfulness; second, He contrasts His own
fidelity and goodness. They, as the religious leaders of the people,
are depicted as "strangers" (verse 5), as "thieves and robbers" (verse
8), as "hirelings". (verses 12, 13). He stands revealed as "the door"
(verses 9, 11), and as "the good Shepherd" (verse 11).
The Pharisees were the shepherds of Israel. In casting out of the
synagogue this poor sheep, the man that was born blind, for doing what
was right, and for refusing to do what was wrong, they had shown what
manner of spirit they were of. And this was but a sample of their
accustomed oppression and violence. In them, then, did the prophecy of
Ezekiel receive a fulfillment, that prophecy in which He had testified
of those shepherds of His people who resembled thieves and robbers.
Ezekiel 34 (which like all prophecy has a double fulfillment) supplies
a sad commentary upon the selfish and cruel conduct of the scribes and
Pharisees. The whole chapter should be read: we quote but a
fragment--"And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man,
prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them,
Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of
Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the
flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them
that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not
strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have
ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that
which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but
with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them" (verses 1-4).
The same prophecy of Ezekiel goes on to present the true Shepherd of
Israel, the Good Shepherd: "For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I,
even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd
seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are
scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of
all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark
day... I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith
the Lord God. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that
which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and
will strengthen that which was sick... And I will set up one shepherd
over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall
feed them, and he shall be their shepherd... Thus shall they know that
I the Lord their God am with them, and that they, even the house of
Israel, are my people, saith the Lord God. And ye my flock, the flock
of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord God" (verses
11, 12, 15, 16, 23, 30, 31).
Ezekiel is not the only prophet of the Old Testament who presents the
Savior under the figure of a "shepherd." Frequently do the Old
Testament Scriptures so picture Him. In His dying prediction, Jacob
declared, "From thence (the mighty God of Jacob) is the Shepherd, the
Stone of Israel" (Gen. 49:24). The Psalmist declared, "The Lord is my
Shepherd" (Ps. 23:1). Through Isaiah it was revealed, "The Lord God
will come with strong hand. and his arm shall rule for him: behold,
his reward is with him, and his work before him. He shall feed his
flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and
carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with
young" (Ps. 40:10, 11). In Zechariah occurs that remarkable word
"Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my
fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep
shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones"
(Ps. 13:7).
In addition to the prophecies, the Old Testament is particularly rich
in the types which foreshadow Christ in the character of a "shepherd."
So far as we have been able to trace, there are five individual
shepherds who pointed to Christ, and each of them supplies some
distinctive line in the typical picture. First, Abel, for in Genesis
4:2 we are told that "Abel was a keeper of sheep." The distinctive
aspect of typical truth which he exemplifies is the death of the
Shepherd--slain by wicked hands, by his brother according to the
flesh. The second is Jacob, and a prominent thing in connection with
him as a shepherd is his care for the sheep--see Genesis 30:31;
Genesis 31:38-40; and note particularly Genesis 33:13, 14. The third
is Joseph: the very first thing recorded in Scripture about this
favorite son of Jacob is that he fed the flock (Gen. 37:2). The fourth
is Moses. Three things are told us about him: he watered, protected
and guided the sheep: "Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters:
and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their
father's flock. And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses
stood up and helpeth them, and watered their flock... Now Moses kept
the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he
led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain
of God, even to Horeb" (Ex. 2:16, 17; 3:1). The fifth is David, and he
is presented as jeopardizing his life for the sheep--"And David said
unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion,
and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: And I went out after
him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he
arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew
him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear" (1 Sam. 17:34-36).
There is one other individual "shepherd" referred to in the Old
Testament and that is "the idol shepherd" (Zech. 11:16, 17), and he is
the Antichrist--how significant that he is the sixth! The only other
individual "shepherd" mentioned in Scripture is the Lord Jesus, and He
is the seventh! Seven is the number of perfection, and we do not reach
perfection till we come to Christ, the Good Shepherd!
"I am the good shepherd." The word for "good" is a very comprehensive
one, and perhaps it is impossible to embrace in a brief definition all
that it included within its scope. The Greek word is "kalos" and is
translated "good" seventy-six times: it is also rendered "fair,"
"meet," "worthy," etc. In order to discover the prime elements of the
word we must have recourse to the law of first mention. Whenever we
are studying any word or expression in Scripture, it is very important
to pay special attention to the initial mention of it. The first time
this word "good" occurs in the New Testament is in Matthew 3:10, where
we read, "Every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down,
and cast into the fire." The word "tree" is there used metaphorically.
It is the unregenerate who are in view. No unbeliever is able to bring
forth "good fruit." The "good fruit," then, is what is produced in and
through a Christian. What kind of "fruit" is it which a Christian
bears? It is Divine fruit, spiritual fruit: it is the product of the
new nature. It is Divine as contrasted from what is human; spiritual
as contrasted from what is fleshly. Thus in the light of this first
occurrence of the word "good" we learn that when Christ said, "I am
the good shepherd" He signified, "I am the Divine and spiritual
Shepherd." All other shepherds were human; He was the Son of God. The
"shepherds" from whom He is here contrasting Himself were the
Pharisees, and they were carnal; but He was spiritual.
It will also repay us to note carefully the first occurrence of this
word "good" in John's Gospel. It is found in John 2:10. When the Lord
Jesus had miraculously turned the water into wine, the servants bore
it to the governor of the feast, and when he had tasted it, he
exclaimed, "Every man at the beginning cloth set forth good wine; and
when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept
the good wine until now." Here the meaning of the word "good"
signifies choice, or excellent, yea, that which is pre-eminently
excellent, for the "good wine" is here contrasted from the inferior.
This usage of "kalos" helps us still further in ascertaining the force
of this adjective in John 10:11. When Christ said, "I am the good
shepherd," He intimated that He was the pre-eminently excellent
Shepherd, infinitely elevated above all who had gone before Him.
"I am the good shepherd." This was clearly an affirmation of His
absolute Deity. He was here addressing Israelites, and Israel's
"Shepherd" was none other than Jehovah (Ps. 23:1; 80:1). When then the
Savior said, "I am the good shepherd." He thus definitely identified
Himself with the Jehovah of the Old Testament.
"I am the good shepherd." This, like every other of our Lord's titles,
views Him in a distinctive relationship. He was, says Dr. John Gill,
"a Shepherd of His Father's appointing, calling, and sending, to whom
the care of all His sheep, or chosen ones, was committed; who was set
up as a Shepherd over them by Him, and was entrusted with them; and
who being called, undertook to feed them." In the Greek it is more
emphatic than in the English: literally it reads, "I am the shepherd,
the good."
"The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep" (verse 11). The word
for "giveth' is usually translated "layeth down." "For the sheep"
signifies, on their behalf. The good Shepherd gave His life freely and
voluntarily, in the room and stead of His people, as a ransom for
them, that they might be delivered from death and have eternal life.
The Ethiopic Version reads, "The good Shepherd gives His life for the
redemption of the sheep."
"The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." This is one of the
many scriptures which clearly and definitely defines both the nature
and extent of the Atonement. The Savior "gave his life" not as a
martyr for the truth, not as a moral example of self-sacrifice, but
for a people. He died that they might live. By nature His people are
dead in trespasses and sins, and had not the Divinely-appointed and
Divinely-provided Substitute died for them, there had been no
spiritual and eternal life for them. Equally explicit is this verse
concerning those for whom Christ laid down His life. It was not laid
down for fallen angels, but for sinful men; and not for men in
general, but for His own people in particular; for "the sheep," and
not for "the goats." Such was the announcement of God through the
prophets, "For the transgression of my people was he stricken" (Isa.
53:8). As said the angel to Mary, "Thou shalt call his name Jesus: for
he shall save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21); and as said
the angel to the shepherds, "Behold I bring you good tidings of great
joy, which shall be to all the people" (Luke 2:10). The same
restriction to be observed in the words of Christ at the Supper: "This
is my blood of the new testament which is shed for many for the
remission of sins" (Matthew 26:28). (Cf. also Acts 20:28; Titus 2:14;
Hebrews 2:17, etc.)
"But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep
are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and
the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep" (John 10:12). It
seems evident that our Lord is here pointing once more to the
Pharisees, the unfaithful shepherds of Israel. The hireling shepherd
is not the owner of the sheep--note "whose own the sheep are not"; he
has neither a proprietorship over them nor affection for them. The
"hireling" is paid to guard and watch them, and all such mind their
own things, and not the things of the Lord. And yet in view of Luke
10:7--"The laborer is worthy of his hire"--and other Scriptures, we
must be careful not to interpret the use of this figure here out of
harmony with its context. "It is not the bare receiving of hire which
demonstrates a man to be a hireling (the Lord hath ordained that they
who preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel); but the loving of
hire; the loving the hire more than the work; the working for the sake
of the hire. He is a hireling who would not work, were it not for the
hire" (John Wesley). The "hireling" in a word is a professing servant
of God who fills a position simply for the temporal advantages which
it affords. A hireling is a mercenary: has no other impulse than the
lust of lucre.
"But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep
are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and
the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep." We do not think
that the "wolf" here has reference, directly, to Satan, for the false
shepherds do not flee at his approach; rather does it seem to us that
"the wolf" points to any enemy of the "sheep," who approaches to
attack them. Note in passing the care of Christ here in the selection
of His words: "the wolf catcheth them and scattereth the sheep," not
devoureth, for no "sheep" of Christ can ever perish.
"The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for
the sheep" (John 10:13). At first glance this saying of Christ's seems
very trite, yet a little reflection will show that it enunciates a
profound principle--a man does what he does because he is what he is.
There is ever a rigid consistency between character and conduct. The
drunkard drinks because he is a drunkard. But he is a drunkard before
he drinks to excess. The liar lies because he is a liar; but he is a
liar before he tells a lie. The thief steals because he is a thief.
When the testing time comes each man reveals what he is by what he
does. Conduct conforms to character as the stream does to the
fountain. "The hireling fleeth because he is an hireling": this is a
philosophical explanation of the fugitive's deed. It was the flight
which demonstrated the man.
The same principle holds good on the other side. The Christian acts
christianly because he is a Christian; but a man must be a Christian
before he can live a Christian life. Christian profession is no
adequate test, nor is an orthodox creed. The demons have a creed, and
it causes them to tremble, but it will not deliver them from Hell; It
is by our fruit that we are known: it is deeds which make manifest the
heart.
"The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling." Character is
revealed by our conduct in the crises of life. When is it that the
hireling fleeth? It is when he seeth "the wolf coming." Ah! it is the
wolf that discovers the hireling! You might never have known what he
was had not the wolf come. Very suggestive is this figure. It has
passed into our common speech, as when poverty and starvation is
represented by "the wolf is at the door." It suggests a crisis of
trial or fierce testing. St. Paul made use of this simile when
addressing the Ephesian elders: "For I know this, that after my
departing shall greivous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the
flock" (Acts 20:29). This is all very searching. How do you act when
you see "the wolf' coming! Are you terror stricken? Or, does
approaching danger, temptation, or trial, cast you back the more upon
the Lord?
"I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine"
(John 10:14). There seem to be three lines of thought suggested by
this figure of the "shepherd" as applied to the Lord Jesus. First, it
refers to His mediatorial office. The shepherd is not the owner of the
flock, but the one to whom the care of the sheep is entrusted. So
Christ as Mediator is the One appointed by the Father to act as
shepherd, the One to whom He has committed the salvation of His
elect--note how in the types, Joseph, Moses, and David tended not
their own flock, but those of their fathers. Second, the figure speaks
of fellowship, the Savior's presence with His own. The shepherd never
leaves his flock. There is only one exception to this, and that is
when he commits them into the care of the "porter" of the sheepfold;
and that is at night-fall. How suggestive is this! During the night of
Christ's absence, the Holy Spirit has charge of God's elect! Finally;
the shepherd-character speaks of Christ's care, faithfulness,
solicitude for His own.
In two other passages in the New Testament is Christ presented as "the
shepherd," and in each with a different descriptive adjective. In
Hebrews 13:20 we read, "Now the God of peace, that brought again from
the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the
blood of the everlasting covenant.'' Again in 1 Peter verse 4, we are
told, "When the chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown
of glory which fadeth not away." There is a striking order to be
observed in the three "shepherd" titles of our Lord. Here in John 10,
the reference is plainly to the Cross, so that He is the "good"
Shepherd in death, laying down His life for the sheep. In Hebrews 13
the reference is to the empty sepulcher, so that He is the "great"
Shepherd in resurrection. While in 1 Peter 5:4 the reference is to His
glorious return, so that He will be manifested as the "chief'
Shepherd.
"I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep." Why does the Lord refer
to His people under the figure of "sheep"? The figure is very
suggestive and full. We shall not attempt to be exhaustive but merely
suggestive. Under the Mosaic economy a sheep was one of the few clean
animals: as such it suitably represents God's people, each of which
has been cleansed from all sin. A sheep is a harmless animal: even
children will approach them without fear. So God's people are exhorted
to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves" (Matthew 10:16). Sheep
are helpless: nature has endowed them neither with weapons of attack
nor defense. Equally helpless is the believer in himself: "without me,
says Christ, ye can do nothing. Sheep are gentle: what so tame and
tractable as a lamb! This is ever a grace which ought to distinguish
the followers of Christ: "gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy
and good fruits" (James 3:17). The sheep are entirely dependent upon
the shepherd This is noticeably the case in the Orient. Not only must
the sheep look to the shepherd for protection against wild animals,
but he must lead them to the pastures. May we be cast back more and
more upon God. Sheep are preeminently characterized by a proneness to
wander. Even when placed in a field with a fence all around it, yet if
there be a gap anywhere, they will quickly get out and stray. Alas,
that this is so true of us. Urgently do we all need to heed that
admonition, "Watch and pray lest ye enter into temptation." A sheep is
a useful animal. Each year it supplies a crop of wool. In this too it
prefigures the Christian. The daily attitude of the believer should
be, "Lord, what wouldst thou have me to do?"
"I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep." Very blessed is this. The
Lord Jesus knows each one of those whom the Father has given to Him
with a special knowledge of approbation, affection, and intimacy.
Though unknown to the world "the world knoweth us not" (1 John
3:l)--we are known to Him. And Christ only knoweth all His sheep.
Ofttimes we are deceived. Some whom we regard as "sheep" are really
"goats"; and others whom we look upon as outside the flock of Christ,
belong thereto notwithstanding. Whoever would have concluded that Lot
was a "righteous man" had not the New Testament told us so! And who
would have imagined that Judas was a devil when Christ sent him forth
as one of the twelve! "And know my sheep": fearfully solemn is the
contrast presented by Matthew 7:23--"I never knew you"!
"And am known of mine" (John 10:14). Christ is known experientially;
known personally. Each born-again person can say with Job, "I have
heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee"
(Job 42:6). The believer knows Christ not merely as the outstanding
Figure in history, but as the Savior of his soul. He has a heart
knowledge of Him. He knows Him as the Rest-giver, as the Friend who
sticketh closer than a brother, as the good Shepherd who ever
ministereth to His own.
"As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father" (John 10:15).
The word "knoweth" here, as frequently in Scripture, signifies a
knowledge of approbation: it is almost the equivalent of loveth. The
first part of this verse should be linked on to the last clause of the
previous one, where Christ says, I "know my sheep, and am known of
mine." The two clauses thus make a complete sentence, and a remarkable
one it is. The mutual knowledge of Christ and His sheep, is like unto
that which exists between the Father and the Son: it is a knowledge,
an affection, so profound, so spiritual, so heavenly, so intimate, so
blessed, that no other analogy was possible to do it justice: as the
Father knoweth the Son, and as the Son knoweth the Father, so Christ
knows His sheep, and so the sheep know Him.
"And I lay down my life for the sheep" (John 10:15). The precise
significance of the preposition is unequivocally defined for us in
Romans 5:6-8, where the same Greek term ("huper") occurs: "For when we
were yet without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For
scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good
man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward
us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." The word
"for" here means not merely on the behalf of, but in the stead of:
"the Greek expression for "dying for any one," never has any
signification other than that of rescuing the life of another at the
expense of one's own" (Parkhurst's Lexicon).
"And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold" (John 10:16). It
is clear that the Lord is here contemplating His elect among the
Gentiles. Not only for the elect Jews would He "lay down his life,"
but for "the children of God that were scattered abroad" (John 11:52)
as well. But note Christ does not here say, "other sheep I shall
have," but "other sheep I have." They were His even then; His, because
given to Him by the Father from all eternity. A parallel passage is
found in Acts 18. The apostle Paul had just arrived in Corinth, and
the Lord spoke to him in a vision by night, and said unto him, "Be not
afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace; for I am with thee, and no
man shall set on thee to hurt thee, for I have much people in this
city" (verses 9, 10). How positive, definite, and unequivocal these
statements are! How they show that everything is to be traced back to
the eternal counsels of the Godhead!
"And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must
bring, and they, shall hear my voice" (John 10:16). Equally positive
is this. This is no uncertainty, no contingency. There is no they are
willing to listen." How miserably man perverts the truth of God, yea,
how wickedly he denies it! It is not difficult to understand what is
the cause of it; it is lack of faith to believe what the Scriptures so
plainly teach. These "other sheep" Christ must bring because necessity
was laid upon Him. He had covenanted with the Father to redeem them.
And they would be brought, they would hear His voice, for there can be
no failure with Him. The work which the Father gave His Son to do
shall be perfectly performed and successfully accomplished. Neither
man's stubbornness nor the Devil's malice can hinder Him. Not a single
one of that favored company given to Christ by the Father shall
perish. Each of these shall hear His voice, because they were
predestinated so to do, and it is written, "As many as were ordained
to eternal life believed" (Acts 13:48). "They shall hear my voice" was
both a promise and a prophecy.
"And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must
bring, and they shall hear my voice." Upon this verse the Puritan
Trapp has some most suggestive thoughts in his excellent commentary--a
commentary which, so far as we are aware, has been out of print for
over two hundred years. "Other sheep--the elect Gentiles, whose
conversion to Christ was, among other types, not obscurely foretold in
Leviticus 19:23-25--`And when ye shall come into the land, and shall
have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the
fruit thereof as uncircumcised; three years shall it be as
uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten of. But in the fourth
year all the fruit thereof shall be holy to praise the Lord withal.
And in the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit thereof, that it may
yield unto you the increase thereof: I am the Lord your God'. The
first three years in Canaan, the Israelites were to cast away the
fruits of the trees as uncircumcised. So our Savior planted the Gospel
in that land for the first `three years' of His public ministry: but
the uncircumcision was cast away; that is, to the uncircumcised
Gentiles, the Gospel was not preached. The fruit of the fourth year
was consecrated to God: that is, Christ in the fourth year from His
baptism, laid down His life for His sheep, rose again, ascended, and
sent His Holy Spirit; whereby His apostles, and others were
consecrated as the firstfruits of the Promised Land. But in the fifth
year, the fruit of the Gospel planted by Christ began to be common,
for the Gospel was no longer shut up within the narrow bounds of
Judaism, but began to be preached to all nations for the obedience of
faith!"[1]
"And there shall be one fold, and one shepherd" (John 10:16).
Everywhere else in the New Testament the Greek word for "fold" is
translated "flock," as it should be here, and as it is in the R. V. In
the first part of this verse the Greek uses an entirely different word
which is correctly rendered "fold"--"Other sheep I have which are not
of this fold." "This fold" referred to Judaism, and the elect Gentiles
were outside of it, as we read in Ephesians 2:11, 12, "Ye being in
time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by that
which is called the circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at
that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth
of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no
hope, and without God in the world." But now the Lord tells us, "there
shall be one flock, and one Shepherd.' This has been already
accomplished, though not yet is it fully manifested--"For he is our
peace, who hath made both (believing Jews and believing Gentiles) one,
and hath broken down the middle wall of partition" (Eph. 2:14). The
"one flock" comprehends, we believe, the whole family of God, made up
of believers before the nation of Israel came into existence, of
believing Israelites, of believing Gentiles, and of those who shall be
saved. The "one flock" will have been gathered from various "folds."
"Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I
might take it again" (John 10:17). Christ is here speaking as the
Mediator, as the Word who had become flesh. As one of the Godhead, the
Father had loved Him from all eternity. Beautifully is this brought
out in Proverbs 8:30: "Then I was by him, as one brought up with him,
and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him"--the
previous verses make it plain that it is the Son who is in view,
personified as "Wisdom." But the Father also loved Christ in His
incarnate form. At His baptism, the commencement of His mediatorial
work, He declared, "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well
pleased." Here the Son declares, "Therefore doth my Father love me,
because I lay down my life that I might take it again", for the laying
down of His life was the supreme example of His devotion to the Father
as the next verse clearly shows--it was in obedience to the Father
that He gave up His spirit.
"No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself" (John 10:18).
When Christ died, He did so of His own voluntary will. This is a point
of vital importance. We must never give a place to the dishonoring
thought that the Lord Jesus was powerless to prevent His sufferings,
that when He endured such indignities and cruel treatment at the hands
of His enemies, it was because He was unable to avoid them. Nothing
could be farther from the truth. The treachery of Judas, the arrest in
the Garden, the arraignment before Caiaphas, the insults from the
soldiers, the trial before Pilate, the submission to the unjust
sentence, the journey to Calvary, the being nailed to the cruel
tree--all of these were voluntarily endured. Without His own consent
none could have harmed a hair of His head. A beautiful type of this is
furnished in Genesis 22:13, where we read that the ram, which was
placed on the altar as a substitute for Isaac, was "caught in a
thicket by his horns." The "horns" speak of strength and power (see
Habakkuk 3:4, etc.). Typically they tell us that the Savior did not
succumb to death through weakness, but that He gave up His life in the
full vigor of His strength. It was not the nails, but the strength of
His love to the Father and to His elect, which held Him to the Cross.
The pre-eminence of Christ was fully manifested at the Cross. In birth
He was unique, in His life unique, and so in His death. Not yet have
we read aright the inspired accounts of His death, if we suppose that
on the Cross the Savior was a helpless victim of His enemies. At every
point He demonstrated that no man took His life from Him, but rather
that He laid it down of Himself. See the very ones sent to arrest Him
in the Garden, there prostrate on the ground before Him (John 18:6):
how easily could He have walked away unmolested had it so pleased Him!
Hear Him before Pilate, as He reminds that Roman officer, "Thou
couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee
from above" (John 19:11). Behold Him on the Cross itself, so superior
to His sufferings that He makes intercession for the transgressors,
saves the dying robber, and provides a home for His widowed mother.
Listen to Him as He cries with a loud voice (Matthew 27:46, 50)--no
exhausted Sufferer was this! Mark how triumphantly He "gave up the
ghost" (John 19:30). Verily "no man" took His life from Him. So
evident was it that He triumphed in the hour of death itself, the
Roman soldier was made to exclaim, "Truly this was the Son of God"
(Matthew 27:54).
"I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again" (John
10:18). Here our Lord ascribes His resurrection to His own power. He
had done the same before, when, after cleansing the temple, the
Pharisees had demanded from Him a sign: "Destroy this temple, and in
three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19) was His response. In Romans
6:4 we are told that Christ was "raised from the dead by the glory of
the Father." In Romans 8:11 we read, "But if the Spirit of him that
raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ
from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that
dwelleth in you." These passages are not contradictory, but
complementary; they supplement one another; each contributing a
separate ray of light on the glorious event of which they speak.
Putting them together we learn that the resurrection of the Savior was
an act in which each of the three Persons of the Trinity concurred and
co-operated.
"This commandment have I received of my Father." This is parallel with
what we read of in Philippians 2:8, "And being found in fashion as a
man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the
death of the cross." It was to this our Lord referred in John 6:38,
"For I came down from heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of
him that sent me."
"There was a division therefore again among the Jews for these
sayings" (John 10:19). This had been foretold of old: "He shall be for
a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense to
both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the
inhabitants of Jerusalem" (Isa. 8:14). Similarly, Simeon announced in
the temple, when the Savior was presented to God, "Behold, this child
is set (appointed) for the fall and rising again of many in Israel"
(Luke 2:34). So had the Savior Himself declared. "Think not that I am
come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword"
(Matthew 10:34). From the Divine side this is a profound mystery to
us. It had been an easy matter for God to have subdued the enmity in
men's hearts and brought them all as worshippers to the feet of
Christ. But instead of this, He permitted His Son to be despised and
rejected by the great majority, and He permitted this because He
Himself eternally decreed it (see Acts 2:23; 1 Peter 2:8, etc).
"And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?"
(John 10:20). Terrible indeed was the condition of these men. The Son
of God called a demoniac, Truth incarnate deemed insane! "Tigers
rage," says a Puritan, "at the fragrancy of sweet spices: so did these
monsters at the Savior's sweet sayings.'' How humbling to remember
that the same corrupt heart indwells each of us! O what grace we daily
need to keep down the iniquity which is to be found in every
Christian. Not until we reach the glory shall we fully learn how
deeply indebted we are to God's wondrous grace.
"Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a
devil open the eyes of the blind?" (John 10:21). Notice it was the
"many" who deemed Christ a madman. But there were some--"others"--even
among the Pharisees who had, even then, a measure of light, and
recognized that the Savior neither spake nor acted like a demoniac.
This minority group was made up, no doubt, by such men as Nicodemus
and Joseph of Arimathea. It is significant that they were impressed
more with His "words" than they were with His miraculous works.
As a preparation for our exposition of the remainder of John 10, let
the interested reader study the following points:--
1. What is the force of "it was winter" (verse 22) in the light of
what follows?
2. Mark the contrasts between John 10:23 and Acts 3:11 and 5:12.
3. What verses in John 8 are parallel with John 10:26?
4. Enumerate the seven proofs of the believer's security found in
verses 27-29.
5. Trace out the seven things said about "the sheep" in John 10.
6. Trace out the seven things said about the "shepherd."
7. What is the meaning of "sanctified" in verse 36?
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] Let the reader carefully re-read this paragraph.
_________________________________________________________________
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 36
Christ, One with the Father
John 10:22-42
_________________________________________________________________
It is by no means a simple task either to analyze or to summarize the
second half of John 10. The twenty-second verse clearly begins a new
section of the chapter, but it is equally clear that what follows is
closely related to that which has gone before. The Lord is no longer
talking to "the Pharisees," but to "the Jews." Nevertheless, it is in
His shepherd character, as related to His own, that He is here viewed.
Yet while there is this in common between the first and second halves
of John 10, there is a notable difference between them. In the former,
Christ is seen in His mediatorship; in the latter, it is His essential
glories which are the more prominent.
In the first part of John 10 it is Christ in "the form of a servant"
which is before us. He gains entrance to the sheepfold by "the porter
opening to him" (verse 3). He is the "door" into God's presence (verse
9), the Way unto the Father. There, He is seen as the One who was to
"give his life for the sheep" (verse 11). There, we behold Him in the
place of obedience, in subjection to the "commandment" of the father
(verse 18). But mark the contrast in the second half of John 10. Here,
He presents Himself as the One endowed with the sovereign right to
"give eternal life" to His own (verse 28); as One possessed of
almighty power, so that none can pluck them out of His hand (verse
28); as one with the Father (verse 30); as "the Son of God" (verse
36). It seems evident then that the central design of the passage
before us is to display the essential glories of the person of the
God-man. It is not so much the Godhood of Christ which is here in
view, as it is the Deity of the One who humbled Himself to become man.
What is recorded in the latter half of John 10 provided a most
pertinent, though tragic, conclusion to the first section of the
Gospel. It was winter-time (verse 22); the season of ingathering was
now over; the "sun of righteousness" had completed His official
circuit, and the genial warmth of summer had now given place to the
season of chilling frosts. The Jews were celebrating "the feast of the
dedication," which commemorated the purification of the temple. But
for the true Temple, the One to whom the temple had pointed--God
tabernacling in their midst--they had no heart. The Lord Jesus is
presented as walking in the temple, but it is to be carefully noted
that He was "in Solomon's porch" (verse 23). which means that He was
on the outside of the sacred enclosure, Israel's "house" was left unto
them desolate (cf. Matthew 23:38)!While here in the porch, "the Jews"
(the religious leaders) came to Christ with the demand that He tell
them openly if He were "the Christ" (verse 24), saying, "How long dost
thou make us to doubt?" This was the language of unbelief, and uttered
at that late date, showed the hopelessness of their condition.
Following this interview of the Jews with Christ, and their
unsuccessful attempt to apprehend Him, the Lord retires beyond Jordan,
"unto the place where John at first baptized" (verse 40). Thus did
Israel's Messiah return to the place where He had formally dedicated
Himself to His mission. Further details will come before us in the
course of the exposition. Below is an attempt to analyze our
passage:--
1. During the feast of dedication Jesus walks in Solomon's porch:
verses 22, 23.
2. The Jews demand an open proclamation of His Messiah-ship: verse 24.
3. The Lord explains why a granting of their request was useless:
verses 25, 26.
4. The eternal security of His sheep: verses 27-30.
5. The Jews attempt to stone Him because of His avowal of Deity:
verses 31-33.
6. Christ's defense of His Deity: verses 34-38.
7. Christ leaves Jerusalem and goes beyond Jordan, where many believe
on Him: 39, 42.
"And it was at Jerusalem the feast of dedication, and it was winter"
(John 10:22). The feast of dedication was observed at Jerusalem in
memorial of the purification of the Temple after it had been polluted
by the idolatries of Antiochus Epiphanes. Proof of this is to be found
in the fact that we are here told the time was "winter." Therefore the
"feast" here mentioned could not be in remembrance of the dedication
of Solomon's temple, for this temple had been dedicated at
harvest-time (1 Kings 8:2); nor was it to celebrate the building of
Nehemiah's temple, for that had been dedicated in the spring-time
(Ezra 6:15, 16). The "feast" here referred to must be that which had
been instituted by Judas Maccabaeus, on his having purified the temple
after the pollution of it by Antiochus, about 165 B. C. This "feast"
was celebrated every year for eight successive days in the month of
December (1 Maccabees 4:52, 59), and is mentioned by Josephus (Antiq.
12:7, etc.). Thus the words, "and it was winter" enable us to identify
this feast.
"And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was
winter." Here, as always in Scripture, there is a deeper meaning than
the mere historical. The mention of "winter" at this point is most
significant and solemn. This tenth chapter of John closes the first
main section of the fourth Gospel. From this point onwards the Lord
Jesus discourses no more before the religious leaders. His public
ministry was almost over. The Jews knew not their "day of visitation,"
and henceforth the things which "belonged to their peace" were hidden
from their eyes (Luke 19:42). So far as they were concerned the words
of Jeremiah applied with direct and solemn force: "The harvest is
past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved" (John 8:20). For them
there was nothing but an interminable "winter." Significant and
suitable then is this notice of the season of coldness and barrenness
as an introduction to what follows.
What we have just pointed out in connection with the moral force of
this reference to "winter" encourages us to look for a deeper
significance in this mention here of "the feast of the dedication."
Nowhere else in Scripture is this particular feast referred to. This
makes it the more difficult to ascertain its significance here. That
there is some definite reason for the Holy Spirit noticing it, and
that there is a pertinent and profound meaning to it when contemplated
in its connections, we are fully assured. What, then, is it?
As already pointed out, the last half of John 10 closes the first
great section of John's Gospel, a section which has to do with the
public ministry of Christ. The second section of this Gospel records
His private ministry, concluding with His death and resurrection. The
distinctive character of these two sections correspond exactly with
the two chief purposes of our Lord's incarnation, which were to
present Himself to Israel as their promised Messiah, and to offer
Himself as a sacrifice for sin. What, then, remained? Only the still
more important work which was to be accomplished by His death and
resurrection. He had presented Himself to Israel; now, shortly, He
would offer Himself as a sacrifice to God. It is to this "the
dedication" here points.
It is in this Gospel, alone of the four, that the Lord Jesus is hailed
as "the lamb of God," and if the reader will turn back to Exodus 12 he
will find that the "lamb" was to be separated from the flock some days
before it was to be killed (see verses 3, 5, 6). In keeping with this,
note how in this passage (and nowhere else) the Lord Jesus speaks of
Himself as the One whom the Father had "sanctified" (verse 36), and
mark how at the end of the chapter He is seen leaving Jerusalem and
going away "beyond Jordan" (verse 40)! That the Holy Spirit has here
prefaced this final conversation between the Savior and the Jews by
mentioning "the feast of the dedication" is in beautiful and striking
accord with the fact that from this point onwards Christ was now
dedicated to the Cross, as hitherto He had been engaged in manifesting
Himself to Israel.
The interpretation suggested above is confirmed and established by two
other passages in the New Testament. The Greek word rendered
"dedication" occurs nowhere else in the New Testament, but it is found
twice in its verbal form. In Hebrews 9:18 we read, "Whereupon neither
the first testament was dedicated without blood" (Heb. 9:18). In
Hebrews 10:19, 20 we are told, "Having therefore, brethren, boldness
to enter into the holiest, by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living
way, which he hath consecrated [dedicated] for us, through the veil,
that is to say, his flesh." In each of these instances "dedication" is
connected with blood-shedding! And it was to this, the shedding of His
precious blood, that the Lord Jesus was now (after His rejection by
the Nation) dedicated! An additional item still further confirming our
exposition is found in the fact that the historical reference in John
10:22 was to the dedication of the temple, and in John 2:19 the Savior
refers to Himself as "this temple"--"destroy this temple, and in three
days I will raise it up." The antitypical dedication of the temple was
the Savior offering Himself to God! Most fitting then was it that the
Holy Spirit should here mention the typical dedication of the temple
immediately after the Lord had thrice referred to His "laying down"
His life (see verses 15, 17, 18)!
"And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch" (John 10:23).
Josephus informs us (Antiq. John 8:3) that Solomon, when he built the
temple, filled up a part of the valley adjacent to mount Zion, and
built a portico over it toward the East. This was a magnificent
structure, supported by a wall four hundred cubits high, made out of
stones of vast bulk. It continued to the time of Agrippa, which was
several years after the death of Christ. Twice more is mention made of
"Solomon's porch" in the New Testament, and what is found in these
passages points a sharp contrast from the one now before us. In Acts
3:11 we are told that, following the healing of the lame beggar by
Peter and John, "all the people ran together unto them in the porch
that is called Solomon's, greatly wondering." But here in John 10:23,
following our Lord's healing of the blind beggar, there is no hint of
any wonderment among the people! Again in Acts 5:12 we read, "And they
were all with one accord in Solomon's porch." This is in evident
contrast, designed contrast, from what is before us in our present
passage. Here, immediately after the reference to our Lord walking in
Solomon's porch, we read, "then came the Jews round about him, and
said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt?" They were
manifestly out of accord with Him. They were opposed to Him, and like
beasts of prey sought only His life. Thus we see once more the
importance and value of comparing scripture with scripture. By thus
linking together these three passages which make mention of "Solomon's
porch" we discern the more clearly how that the design of our passage
is to present the God-man as "despised and rejected of men."
"Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost
thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly" (John
10:24). The appropriateness of this incident at the close of John 10,
and the force of this request of the Jews--obviously a disingenuous
one--should now be apparent to the reader. Coming as it does right at
the close of the first main section of this Gospel, a section which is
concerned with the public ministry of Christ before Israel, this
demand of the religious leaders makes it plain how useless it was for
the Messiah to make any further advances toward the Nation at large,
and how justly He might now abandon them to that darkness which they
preferred to the light;, By now, it was ,unmistakably plain that the
religious leaders received him not, and this request of theirs for Him
to tell them "plainly" or "openly" if He were the Messiah, was
obviously made with no other purpose than to gain evidence that they
might apprehend Him as a rebel against the Roman government. But, if
such was their evil design, did they not already have the needed
evidence to formulate the desired charge against Him? The answer is,
No, not evidence sufficiently explicit.
"How long dost thou make us to doubt? if thou be the Christ, tell us
plainly." It is a significant thing that the Lord Jesus had not
declared, plainly and openly in public, that He was the Messiah. He
had avowed His Messiahship to His disciples (John 1:41, 49, etc.); to
the Samaritans (John 4:42), and to the blind beggar (John 9:37); but
He had not done so before the multitudes or to the religious leaders.
This designed omission accomplished a double purpose: it made it
impossible for the authorities to lawfully seize Him before God's
appointed time, and it enforced the responsibility of the Nation at
large. That the Lord Jesus was the One that the prophets announced
should come, had been abundantly attested by His person, His life, and
His works; yet the absence of any formal announcement in public served
as an admirable test of the people. His miraculous works--ever termed
"signs" in John's Gospel--were more than sufficient to prove Him to be
the Messiah unto those who were open-minded; but yet they were not
such as to make it possible for the prejudiced to refuse their assent.
This is ever God's way of dealing with moral agents. There are
innumerable tokens for the existence of a Divine Creator, sufficient
to render all men "without excuse"; yet are these tokens of such a
nature as not to have banished atheism from the earth. There are a
thousand evidences that the Holy Scriptures are the inspired Word of
God, yet are there multitudes who believe them not. There is a great
host of unimpeachable witnesses who testify daily to the Saviourhood
of the Lord Jesus, yet the great majority of men continue in their
sins.
Before we pass from this verse a word should be said upon the
turpitude of these Jews. "How. long dost thou make us to doubt?" was
inexcusable wickedness. They were seeking to transfer to Him the onus
of their unbelief. They argued that He was responsible for their
unreasonable and God-dishonoring doubting. This is ever the way with
the unregenerate. When God arraigned Adam, the guilty culprit
answered, "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of
the tree, and I did eat" (Gen. 3:12). So it is today. Instead of
tracing the cause of unbelief to his own evil heart, the sinner blames
God for the insufficiency of convincing evidence.
"Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that
I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me" (John 10:25). The
Lord had told them that He was "the Son of man," and that as such the
Father had "given him authority to execute judgment" (John 5:27). He
had told them that He was the One of whom Moses wrote (John 5:46). He
had told them that He was the "living bread" which had come down from
heaven (John 6:51). He had told them that Abraham had rejoiced to see
His day (John 8:56). All of these were statements which intimated
plainly that He was the promised One of the Old Testament Scriptures.
In addition to what He had taught concerning His own person, His
"works" bore conclusive witness to His Messianic office. His "works"
were an essential part of His credentials, as is clear from Luke
7:19-23: "And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to
Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for
another?... Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John
what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame
walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to
the poor the gospel is preached. And blessed is he, whosoever shall
not be offended in me." These were the precise verifications as to
what was to take place when the Messiah appeared--compare Isaiah 35:5,
6.
"But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto
you" (John 10:26). Unspeakably solemn was this word. They were
reprobates, and now that their characters were fully manifested the
Lord did not hesitate to tell them so. The force of this awful
statement is definite and clear, though men in their unbelief have
done their best to befog it. Almost all the commentators have
expounded this verse as though its clauses had been reversed. They
simply make Christ to say here to these Jews that they were
unbelievers. But the truth is that the Lord said far more than that.
The commentators understand "the sheep" to be nothing more than a
synonym for born-again and justified persons, whereas in fact it is
equivalent to God's elect, as the sixteenth verse of this chapter
clearly shows. The Lord did not say "Because ye are not of my sheep ye
believe not," but, "Ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep."
Man always turns the things of God upside down. When he comes to
something in the Word which is peculiarly distasteful, instead of
meekly submitting to it and receiving it in simple faith because God
says it, he resorts to every imaginable device to make it mean
something else. Here Christ is not only charging these Jews with
unbelief, but He also explains why faith had not been granted to
them--they were not "of his sheep": they were not among the favored
number of God's elect. If further proof be required for the
correctness of this interpretation, it is furnished below. A man does
not have to believe to become one of Christ's "sheep": he "believes"
because he is one of His sheep.
"But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto
you." To what is our Lord referring? When had He previously avowed
that these Jews were not of God's elect? When had He formerly classed
them among the reprobates? The answer is to be found in chapter eight
of this same Gospel. There we find this same company--"the Jews" (see
verse 48)--antagonizing Him, and to them He says, "Why do ye not
understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word" (verse 43).
This is strictly parallel with "ye believe not" in John 10:26. Then,
in John 8, He explains why they could not "hear his word"--it was
because they were "of their father the devil" (verse 44). Again, in
the forty-seventh verse of the same chapter He said to the Jews, "He
that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not,
because ye are not of God." Strictly parallel is this with John 10:26.
They "heard not" because they were not of God: they "believed not"
because they were not of His sheep. In each instance He gives as the
reason why they received Him not the solemn fact that they belonged
not to God's elect: they were numbered among the reprobates.
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" (John
10:27). Here the Lord contrasts the elect from the non-elect. God's
elect hear the voice of the Son: they hear the voice of the Shepherd
because they belong to His sheep: they "hear" because a sovereign God
imparts to them the capacity to hear, for "The hearing ear and the
seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them" (Prov. 20:12). Each
of the sheep "hear" when the irresistible call comes to them, just as
Lazarus in the grave heard when Christ called him.
"And I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27). Each of the sheep
are known to Christ by a special knowledge, a knowledge of
approbation. They are valued by Him because entrusted to Him by the
Father. As the Father's love gift, He prizes them highly. The vast
crowd of the nonelect He "never knew" (Matthew 7:23) with a knowledge
of approbation; but each of the elect are known affectionately,
personally, eternally. "And they follow me." They "follow" the example
He has left them; they follow in holy obedience to His commandments;
they follow from love, attracted by His excellent person; they follow
on to know Him better.
"And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish,
neither shall any pluck them out of my hand" (John 10:28). The
connection between this and what has gone before should not be lost
sight of. Christ had been speaking about His approaching death, His
laying down His life for the sheep (verse 15, etc.). Would this, then,
imperil the sheep? No, the very reverse. He would lay down His life in
order that it might be imparted to them. This "life," Divine and
eternal, would be given to them, not sold or bartered. Eternal life is
neither earned as a wage, merited as a prize, nor won as a crown. It
is a free gift, sovereignly bestowed. But, says the carping objector,
All this may be true, but there are certain conditions which must be
fulfilled if this valuable gift is to be retained, and if these
conditions are not complied with the gift will be forfeited, and the
one who receives it will be lost. To meet this legalistic skepticism,
the Lord added, "and they shall never perish." Not only is the life
given "eternal," but the ones on whom this precious gift is bestowed
shall never perish: backslide they may, "perish" they shall not, and
cannot, while the Shepherd lives! Hypocrites and false professors make
shipwreck of the faith (not their faith, for they never had any), but
no real saint of God did or will. There are numerous cases recorded in
Scripture where individuals backslided, but never one of a real saint
apostatizing. A believer may fall, but he shall not be utterly cast
down (Ps. 37:24). Quite impossible is it for a sheep to become a goat,
for a man who has been born again to be unborn.
"Neither shall any man (any one) pluck them out of my hand." Here the
Lord anticipates another objection, for the fertile mind of unbelief
has rarely evidenced more ingenuity than it has at this point, in
opposing the blessed truth of the eternal security of God's children.
When the objector has been forced to acknowledge that this passage
teaches that the life given to the sheep is "eternal," and that those
who receive it shall "never perish," he will next make shift by
replying, True, no believer will destroy himself, but what of his many
enemies, what of Satan, ever going about as a roaring lion seeking
whom he may devour? Suppose a believer falls into the toils of the
Devil, what then? This, assures our Lord, is equally impossible. The
believer is in the hand of Christ, and none is able to pluck from
thence one of His own. Tease and annoy him the Devil may, but seize
the believer he cannot. Blessed, comforting, re-assuring truth is
this! Weak and helpless in himself, nevertheless, the sheep is secure
in the hand of the Shepherd.
"My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all: and none is able
to pluck them out of my Father's band" (John 10:29). Here the Lord
anticipates one more objection. He knew full well that there would be
some carping quibblers who would be foolish enough to say, True, the
Devil is unable to pluck us from the hand of Christ, but we are still
"free agents," and therefore could jump out if we chose to do so.
Christ now bars out this miserable perversion. He shows us how that it
is impossible for a sheep to perish even if it desired to--as though
one ever did! The "hand of Christ" (verse 28) is beneath us, and the
"hand" of the Father is above us. Thus are we secured between the
clasped hands of Omnipotence!
No stronger passage in all the Word of God can be found guaranteeing
the absolute security of every child of God. Note the seven strands in
the rope which binds them to God. First, they are Christ's sheep, and
it is the duty of the shepherd to care for each of his flock! To
suggest that any of Christ's sheep may be lost is to blaspheme the
Shepherd Himself. Second, it is said "They follow" Christ, and no
exceptions are made; the Lord does not say they ought to, but declares
they do. If then the sheep "follow" Christ they must reach Heaven, for
that is where the Shepherd is gone! Third, to the sheep is imparted
"eternal life": to speak of eternal life ending is a contradiction in
terms. Fourth, this eternal life is "given" to them: they did nothing
to merit it, consequently they can do nothing to demerit it. Fifth,
the Lord Himself declares that His sheep "shall never perish,"
consequently the man who declares that it is possible for a child of
God to go to Hell makes God a liar. Sixth, from the Shepherd's "hand"
none is able to pluck them, hence the Devil is unable to encompass the
destruction of a single one of them. Seventh, above them is the
Father's "hand," hence it is impossible for them to jump out of the
hand of Christ even if they tried to. It has been well said that if
one soul who trusted in Christ should be missing in Heaven, there
would be one vacant seat there, one crown unused, one harp unstrung;
and this would grieve all Heaven and proclaim a disappointed God. But
such a thing is utterly impossible.
"I and my Father are one" (John 10:30). The R.V. correctly renders
this verse, "I and the Father are one." The difference between these
two translations is an important one. Wherever the Lord Jesus says, my
rather, He is speaking as the Mediator, but whenever He refers to "the
Father," He speaks from the standpoint of His absolute Deity. Thus,
"my Father is greater than I" (John 14:28) contemplates Him in the
position of inferiority. "I and the Father are one" affirms Their
unity of nature or essence, one in every Divine perfection.
"I and the Father are one." There are those who would limit this
oneness between the Father and Son to unity of will and design--the
Unitarian interpretation of the passage. Dr. John Brown has refuted
the error of this so ably and simply that we transcribe from his
exposition: "Harmony of will and design, is not the thing spoken of
here; but harmony or union of power and operation. Our Lord first says
of Himself, `I give unto my sheep eternal life, and none shall pluck
them out of my hand.' He then says the same thing of the Father--`None
is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.' He plainly, then,
ascribes the same thing to Himself that He does to the Father, not the
same will, but the same work--the same work of power, therefore the
same Power. He mentions the reason why none can pluck them out of the
Father's hands,--because He is the Almighty, and no created Power is
able to resist Him. The thing spoken of is power,--Power irresistible.
And in order to prove that none can pluck them out of HIS hand, He
adds, `I and the Father are one.' One in what? unquestionably in the
work of power whereby He protects His sheep and does not suffer them
to be plucked out of His hand. What the Father is, that the Son is.
What the work of the Father is, that the work of the Son is. As the
Father is almighty, so is the Son likewise. As nothing can resist the
Father, so nothing can resist the Son. Whatsoever the Father hath, the
Son hath likewise. The Father is in the Son, and the Son in the
Father. These two are one--in nature, perfection and glory."
"I and the Father are one." It is most blessed to observe the
connection between this declaration and what had preceded it. All the
diligent care and tender devotion of the Shepherd for the sheep but
expresses the mind and heart of the Owner toward the flock. The
Shepherd and the Owner are one, one in their relation and attitude
toward the flock; one both in power and in Their loving care for the
sheep. Immutably secure then is the believer. It was the laying hold
of these precious truths which caused our fathers to sing,
How firm a foundation
Ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith,
In His excellent Word.
What more can He say,
Than to you He hath said,
To you who to Jesus
For refuge have fled.
"Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him" (John 10:31). This
is quite sufficient to settle the meaning of the previous verse. These
Jews had no difficulty in perceiving the force of what our Lord had
just said to them. They instantly recognized that He had claimed
absolute equality with the Father, and to their ears this was
blasphemy. Instead of saying anything to correct their error, if error
it was, Christ went on to say that which must have confirmed it.
"Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him." Fearful wickedness
was this! Who could imagine that any heart would have been so base, or
any hand so cruel, as to have armed themselves with instruments of
death, against such a Person, while speaking such words! Yet we behold
these Jews doing just this thing, and that within the sacred precincts
of the Temple! A frightful exhibition of human depravity was this.
Christ had done these Jews no wrong. They hated Him without a cause.
They hated Him because of His holiness; and this, because of their
sinfulness. Why did Cain hate Abel? "Because his own works were evil,
and his brother's righteous" (1 John 3:12). Why did the Jews hate
Christ?--"But me it hateth, because I testify of it that the works
thereof are evil" (John 7:7). And in that measure in which believers
are like Christ, in the same proportion will they be hated by
unbelievers: "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before
it hated you" (John 15:18).
"Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from my
Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?" (John 10:32). The
word "works" is to be understood here in its widest sense. The Lord
appeals to the whole course of His public ministry--His perfect life,
His gracious deeds in ministering to the needs of others, His wondrous
words, wherein He spake as never man had spoken. When He terms these
works as "from the Father" He means not only that they met with the
Father's full approval, but that they had been done by His authority
and command--"I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do"
(John 17:4).
"The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but
for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God"
(John 10:33). It was most appropriate for this to be recorded in
John's Gospel, the great design of which is to present the Deity of
the Savior. The carnal mind is "enmity against God," and never was
this more fully evidenced than when God incarnate appeared in the
midst of men. During His infancy, an organized effort was made to slay
Him (Matthew 2). In one of the Messianic Psalms there is more than a
hint that during the years Christ spent in seclusion at Nazareth,
repeated attempts were made upon His life--"I am afflicted and ready
to die from my youth up" (Ps. 88:15. The very first word spoken by Him
in the Nazareth synagogue after His public ministry began, was
followed by an attempt to murder Him (Luke 4:29). And from that point
onwards to the Cross, His steps were dogged by implacable foes who
thirsted for His blood. Wonderful beyond comprehension was that grace
of God which suffered His Son to sojourn in such a world of rebels.
Divine was that infinite forbearance which led Christ to endure "the
contradiction of sinners against himself." Deep, fervent, and
perpetual should be our praise for that love which saved us at such a
cost!
"Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are
gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the
scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath
sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said,
I am the Son of God? If I do not the works of my Father, believe me
not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye
may know, and believe, that the Father is in me and I in him" (John
10:34-38). Upon these verses we cannot do better than quote from the
excellent remarks of Dr. John Brown:
"Our Lord's reply consists of two parts. In the first, He shows that
the charge of blasphemy, which they founded on His calling Himself the
Son of God, was a rash one, even though nothing more could have been
said of Him, than that He had been `sanctified and sent by the
Father'; and secondly, that His miracles were of such a kind, as that
they rendered whatever He declared of Himself, as to His intimate
connection with the Father, however extraordinary, worthy of credit.
"Our Lord's argument in the first part of this answer is founded on a
passage in the Psalm 82:6; `I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you
are children of the most high.' These words are plainly addressed to
the Jewish magistrates, commissioned by Jehovah to act as His
vicegerents in administering justice to His people: who judged for
God--in the room of God; whose sentences, when they agreed with the
law, were God's sentences; whose judgment, was God's judgment, and
rebels against whom, were rebels against God.
"The meaning and force of our Lord's argument is obvious. If, in a
book which you admit to be of Divine authority, and all whose
expressions are perfectly faultless, men which have received a Divine
communication to administer justice to the people of God are called
`gods' and sons of the Highest; is it not absurd to bring against One
who has a higher commission than they (One who had been sanctified and
sent by the Father), and who presented far more evidence of His
commission, a charge of blasphemy, because He calls Himself `the Son
of God'? You dare not charge blasphemy on the Psalmist;--why do you
charge it on Me?... He reasoned with the Jews on their own principles.
Were the Messiah nothing more than you expect Him to be, to charge One
who claims Messiahship with blasphemy, because He calls Himself the
Son of God, is plainly gross inconsistency. Your magistrates are
called God's sons, and may not your Messiah claim the same title?
"The second part of our Lord's reply is contained in the
thirty-seventh and thirty-eighth verses. It is equivalent to--I have
declared that I and the Father are one--one in power and operation. I
do not call on you to believe this merely because of My testimony, but
I do call on you to believe on My testimony supported by the miracles
I have performed, works which nothing but a Divine power could
accomplish. These works are the voice of God, and its utterance is
distinct: it speaks plainly, it utters no dark saying. You cannot
refuse to receive the doctrine that I and the Father are one, that the
Father is in Me, and I in Him, without contradicting His testimony and
calling Him a liar."
Let us notice one or two details in these verses before we turn to the
conclusion of our chapter. The word "gods" in the eighty-second Psalm,
quoted here by Christ, has occasioned difficulty to some. The
magistrates of Israel were so called because of their authority and
power, and as representing the Divine majesty in government. Mark how
in verse 35 the Savior said, "The scripture cannot be broken." What a
high honor did He here place upon the written Word! In making use of
this verse from the Psalmist against His enemies, the whole point of
His argument lay in a single word--"gods"--and the fact that it
occurred in the book Divinely inspired. The Scriptures were the final
court of appeal, and here the Lord insists on their absolute authority
and verbal inerrancy.
Observe here Christ's use of the word "sanctified" in verse 36 refutes
many modem heretics. There are those who teach that to be sanctified
is to have the carnal nature eradicated. They insist that
sanctification is moral purification. But how thoroughly untenable is
such a definition in the light of what the Master says here. He
declares that He was "sanctified." Certainly that cannot mean that He
was cleansed from sin, for He was the Holy One. Here, as everywhere in
Scripture, the term sanctified can only mean set apart. Observe the
order: Christ was first sanctified and then sent into the world. The
reference is to the Father's eternal appointment of the Son to be the
Mediator.
"Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their
hand" (John 10:39). This signifies that these Jews sought to apprehend
the Lord Jesus so that they might bring Him before the Sanhedrin, but
they were unable to carry out their evil designs. Soon He would
deliver Himself into their hands, but until the appointed hour arrived
they might as well attempt to harness the wind as lay hands on the
Almighty.
"And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first
baptized; and there he abode. And many resorted unto him, and said,
John did no miracle: but all things which John spake of this man were
true. And many believed on him there" (John 10:40-42). We have already
pointed out the significance of this move of Christ. In leaving
Jerusalem--to which He did not return until the appointed "hour" for
His death had arrived--and in going beyond Jordan to where His
forerunner had been, the Lord gave plain intimation that His public
ministry was now over. The Nation at large must be left to suffer the
due reward of their iniquities. In what follows we have a beautiful
illustration of this present dispensation: "Outside the camp" Christ
now was, but in this place, as the despised and rejected One, many
resorted to Him. God would not allow His beloved Son to be universally
unappreciated, even though organized Judaism had turned its back upon
Him. Here beyond Jordan He works no public miracle (as He does not
today), but many believed on Him because of what John had spoken. So
it is now. It is the Word which is the means God uses in bringing
sinners to believe on the Savior. Happy for these men that they knew
the day of their visitation, and improved the brief visit of Christ.
Let the interested student study the following questions on the first
part of John 11:--
1. Why did not the sisters name the sick one? verse 3.
2. What is the force of the "therefore"? verse 6.
3. Why did not Christ hasten to Bethany at once? verse 6.
4. Why "into Judea" rather than "to Bethany"? verse 7.
5. Why did Christ refer to the "twelve hours in the day"? verse 9.
6. What is meant by the second half of verse 9?
7. What is meant by "walking in the night'? verse 10.
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 37
Christ Raising Lazarus
John 11:1-10
_________________________________________________________________
Below is an Analysis of the first ten verses of John 11.
1. Lazarus and his sisters, verses 1, 2.
2. Their appeal to the Lord, verse 3.
3. God's design in Lazarus' sickness, verse 4.
4. The delay of love, verses 5, 6.
5. Christ testing His disciples, verse 7.
6. The disciples' trepidation, verse 8.
7. The Lord re-assuring the disciples, verses 9, 10.
Before taking up the details of the passage which is to be before us a
few words need to be said concerning the principle design and
character of John 11 and 12. In the preceding chapters we have
witnessed the increasing enmity of Christ's enemies, an enmity which
culminated in His crucifixion. But before God suffered His beloved Son
to be put to death, He gave a most blessed and unmistakable witness to
His glory. "We have seen, all through John, that no power of Satan
could hinder the manifestation of the Person of Christ. He met with
incessant opposition and undying hatred, the result, however, being
that glory succeeds glory in manifestation, and God was fully revealed
in Jesus. That was His purpose, and who could hinder its
accomplishment? `Why do the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain
thing?' Man's rage against Christ, only served as an occasion for the
manifestation of His glory. Here in John 11 the Son of God is
glorified, the glory of God answering to the rejection of the Person
of Christ in the preceding chapters" (R. Evans: Notes & Meditations on
John's Gospel).
It is indeed a striking fact, and one to which we have not seen
attention called, that the previous chapters show us Christ rejected
in a threefold way, and then God answering by glorifying Christ in a
threefold way. In verse 16 we read, "Therefore did the Jews persecute
Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the
sabbath day": this was because of His works. In John 8:58 we are told,
"Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham
was, I am"; and immediately following, it is recorded, "Then took they
up stones to cast at him"; this was because of His words. While in
John 10:30 the Lord affirmed, "I and my Father are one," which is at
once followed by, "Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him":
this was on account of the claim which He had made concerning His
person.
The threefold witness which God caused to be borne to the glory of
Christ in John 11 and 12 corresponds exactly with the threefold
rejection above, though they are met in their inverse order. In John
10:31 it was Christ in His absolute Deity, as God the Son, who was
rejected. Here in John 11 His Divine glory shines forth most
manifestly in the raising of Lazarus. In John 8 He was rejected
because He declared "Before Abraham was, I am." There it was more in
His Messianic character that He was despised. Corresponding to this,
in John 12:12-15 we find Him in full Messianic glory entering
Jerusalem as "King of Israel." In John 5 Christ is seen more in His
mediatorial character, in incarnation as "the Son of man"--note verse
27. Corresponding to this we find in the third section of John 12 the
Gentiles seeking the Lord Jesus, and to them He answered: "The hour is
come, that the Son of man should be glorified" (John 12:23)!
Man had fully manifested himself. The Light had shone in the darkness,
and the darkness comprehended it not. The deep guilt of men had been
demonstrated by their refusing the sent One from the Father, and their
deadness in trespasses and sins had been evidenced by the absence of
the slightest response to the eternal Word then tabernacling in their
midst. They had seen and hated both Him and His Father (John 15:24).
The end of Christ's public ministry was, therefore, well-nigh reached.
But before He goes to the Cross, God gave a final testimony to the
glory of His beloved. Beautiful is it to behold the Father so
jealously guarding the honor of His Son in this threefold way ere He
left the stage of public action. And solemn was it for Israel to be
shown so plainly and so fully WHO it was they had rejected and were
about to crucify.
The darker the night, the more manifest the light which illumines it.
The more the depravity and enmity of Israel were exhibited, the
brighter the testimony which God caused to be borne to the glory of
His Son. The end was almost reached, therefore did the Lord now
perform His mightiest work of all--save only the laying down of His
own life, which was the wonder of all wonders. Six miracles (or as
John terms them, "signs") had already been wrought by Him, but at
Bethany He does that which displayed His Divine power in a superlative
way. Previously we have seen Him turning water into wine, healing the
nobleman's son, restoring the impotent man, multiplying the loaves and
fishes, walking on the sea, giving sight to the blind man; but here he
raises the dead, yea, brings back to life one who had lain in the
grave four days. Fitting climax was this, and most suitably is it the
seventh "sign" in this Gospel.
It is true that Christ had raised the dead before, but even here the
climax is again to be seen. Mark records the raising of Jairus'
daughter, but she had only just died. Luke tells of the raising of the
widow's son of Nain, but he had not been buried. But here, in the case
of Lazarus, not only had the dead man been placed in the sepulcher,
but corruption had already begun to consume the body. Supremely true
was it of the just One (Acts 3:14) that His path was as the shining
light, which shone "more and more unto the perfect day" (Prov. 4:18).
The same climactic order is to be seen in connection with the state of
the natural man which John's "signs" typically portray. "They have no
wine" (John 2:3), tells us that the sinner is a total stranger to
Divine joy (Judg. 9:13). "Sick" (John 4:46), announces the condition
of the sinner's soul, for sin is a disease which has robbed man of his
original health. The "impotent man" (John 5:7), shows us that the poor
sinner is "without strength" (Rom. 5:6), completely helpless, unable
to do a thing to better his condition. The multitude without any food
of their own (John 6:5), witnesses to the fact that man is destitute
of that which imparts strength. The disciples on the storm-tossed sea
(John 6:18), before the Savior came to them, pictures the dangerous
position which the sinner occupies--already on the "broad road" which
leadeth to destruction. The man blind from his birth (John 9:1),
demonstrates the fact that the sinner is altogether incapable of
perceiving either his own wretchedness and danger, or the One who
alone can deliver him. But in John 11 we have that which is much more
solemn and awful. Here we learn that the natural man is spiritually
dead, "dead in trespasses and sins." Lower than this we cannot go.
Anything more hopeless cannot be portrayed. In the presence of death,
the wisest, the richest, the most mighty among men have to confess
their utter helplessness. This, this is what is set before us in John
11. Most suitable background for Christ to display Himself as "the
resurrection and the life." And most striking is this climax of the
"signs" recorded in the fourth Gospel, displaying both the power of
Christ and the condition of the natural man.
"Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of
Mary and her sister Martha" (John 11:1). The object of our Lord's
resurrection-power is first presented to our notice. His name was
Lazarus. At once our minds revert back to Luke 16, where another
"Lazarus" is seen. But how striking the contrast, a contrast most
evidently designed by the Holy Spirit. There are only two mentioned in
the New Testament which bear this name. Here again the `law of
comparison and contrast' helps us. The Lazarus of Luke 16 was a
beggar, whereas everything goes to show that the Lazarus of John 11
(cf. John 12:2, 3) was a man of means. The Lazarus of Luke 16 was
uncared for, for we read of how the dogs came and licked his sores;
but the one in John 11 enjoyed the loving ministrations of his
sisters. The Lazarus of Luke 16 was dependent upon the "crumbs" which
fell from another's table; whereas in John 12, after his resurrection,
the Lazarus of Bethany is seen at "the table" where the Lord Jesus
was. The one in Luke 16 died and remained in the grave, the one in
John 11 was brought again from the dead.
The Holy Spirit has been careful to identify the Lazarus of John 11 as
belonging to Bethany--a word that seems to have a double meaning:
"House of Figs," and "House of Affliction." It was the "town" (more
accurately "village") of Mary and her sister Martha. Though not
mentioned previously by John, this is not the first reference to these
sisters in the Gospel records. They are brought before us at the close
of Luke 10, and what is there recorded about them sheds not a little
light upon some of the details of John 11.
Martha was evidently the senior, for we are told "Martha received him
into her house" (Luke 10:38). This is most blessed. There were very
few homes which were opened to the Lord Jesus. He was "despised and
rejected of men." Men hid as it were their faces from Him and
"esteemed him not." Not only was He unappreciated and unwelcome, but
He was "hated." But here was one who had "received him," first into
her heart, and then into her home. So far so good. Of her sister, it
is said, "And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus'
feet and heard his word" (Luke 10:39). It is indeed striking to note
that each time Mary is mentioned in the Gospel, she is seen at the
feet of Christ. She had the deeper apprehension of the glory of His
person. She was the one who enjoyed the most intimacy with Him. Her's
was the keener spiritual discernment. We shall yet see how this is
strongly confirmed in John 11 and 12.
Next we are told, "But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and
came to him and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath
left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me" (Luke
10:40). The word "cumbered" means "weighted down." She was burdened by
her "much serving." Alas, how many there are like her among the Lord's
people to-day. It is largely due to the over-emphasis which has been
placed upon "Christian service"--much of which is, we fear, but the
feverish energy of the flesh. It is not that service is wrong, but it
becomes a snare and an evil if it be allowed to crowd out worship and
the cultivation of one's own spiritual life: note the order in 1
Timothy 4:16, "Take heed unto thyself, and to thy teaching."
"And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art
careful and troubled about many things" (Luke 10:41). This is very
solemn. The Lord did not commend Martha for her "much serving."
Instead, He reproved her. He tells her she was distracted and worried
because she had given her attention to "many things." She was
attempting more than God had called her to do. This is very evident
from the previous verse. Martha felt that her load was too heavy to
carry alone, hence her "bid her therefore that she help me." Sure sign
was this that she had run without being sent. When any Christian feels
as Martha here felt, he may know that he has undertaken to do more
than the Lord has appointed.
"But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which
shall not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:42). Though the Lord
reproved Martha, He commended Mary. The "one thing needful" is "that
good part" which Mary had chosen, and that is to receive from Christ.
Mary sat at His feet "and heard his word." She was conscious of her
deep need, and came to Him to be ministered unto. Later, we shall see
how she ministered unto Christ, and ministered so as to receive His
hearty commendation. But the great lesson for us here is, that we must
first be ministered unto before we are qualified to minister unto
others. We must be receivers, before we can give out. The vessel must
be filled, before it can overflow. The difference then between Martha
and Mary is this: the one ministered unto Christ, the other received
from Him, and of the latter He declared, she "hath chosen that good
part which shall not be taken away from her." This brief examination
of Luke 10, with the information it gives about the characters of the
two sisters of Lazarus will enable us to understand the better their
respective actions and words in John 11.
"It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his
feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick" (John 11:2). This
explains why Mary is mentioned first in the previous verse--the only
time that she is. The commentators have indulged in a variety of
conjectures, but the reason is very obvious. John's Gospel was written
years after the first three, one evidence of which is supplied in the
verses before us. The opening verse of our chapter clearly supposes
that the reader is acquainted with the contents of the earlier
Gospels. Bethany was "the town (village) of Mary and her sister
Martha." This Luke 10:38 had already intimated. But in addition, both
Matthew and Mark record how that Mary had "anointed" the Lord with her
costly ointment in the house of Simon the leper who also resided in
Bethany. It is true her name is not given either by Matthew or
Mark,[1] but it is very clear that her name must have been known, for
how else could the Lord's word have been carried out: "Verily I say
unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the
whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a
memorial of her" (Mark 14:9). It is this which explains why Mary is
mentioned first in John 11:1--she was the better known!
It was at Bethany that Lazarus lived with his sisters. Bethany was but
a village, yet had it been marked out in the eternal counsels of God
as the place which was to witness the greatest and most public
miraculous attestation of the Deity of Christ. "Let it be noted that
the presence of God's elect children is the one thing which makes
towns and countries famous in God's sight. The village of Martha and
Mary is noticed, while Memphis and Thebes are not named in the New
Testament. A cottage where there is grace, is more pleasant in God's
sight than a palace where there is none." (Bishop Ryle). It was at
Bethany there was to be given the final and most conclusive proof that
He who was on the point of surrendering Himself to death and the grave
was none other than the resurrection and the life. Bethany was less
than two miles from Jerusalem (John 11:18), the headquarters of
Judaism, so that the news of the raising of Lazarus would soon be
common knowledge throughout all Judea.
"Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom
thou lovest is sick" (John 11:3). This must not be regarded as a
protest; it was not that Martha and Mary were complaining against
Christ because He suffered one whom He loved to fall sick. Instead, it
was simply an appeal to the heart of One in whom they had implicit
confidence. The more closely this brief message from the sisters is
scrutinized, the more will their becoming modesty be apparent. Instead
of prescribing to Christ what should be done in their brother's case,
they simply acquainted Him with his desperate condition. They did not
request Him to hasten at once to Bethany, nor did they ask Him to heal
their brother by a word from a distance, as once He had restored to
health the nobleman's son (John 4). Instead, they left it for Him to
decide what should be done.
"Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick." Each word in this
touching message of Martha and Mary is worthy of separate
consideration. "Lord" was the language of believers, for no unbeliever
ever so addressed the despised Nazarene. "Lord" acknowledged His
Deity, owned His authority, and expressed their humility. "Lord,
behold": this is a word which arrests attention, focalizes interest,
and expressed their earnestness. "He whom thou lovest." This is highly
commendable. They did not say, "he who loves thee." Christ's
fathomless love for us, and not our feeble love for Him, is what we
ever need to keep steadily before our hearts. Our love varies; His
knows no change. It is indeed striking to note the way in which the
sisters refer to Lazarus. They did not blame him! They did not even
say, "our brother," or "thy disciple," but simply "he whom thou lovest
is sick." They knew that nothing is so quick in discernment as love;
hence their appeal to the omniscient love of Christ. "He whom thou
lovest is sick." There are two principle words in the Greek to express
sickness: the one referring to the disease itself, the other pointing
to its effects--weakness, exhaustion. It is the latter that was used
here. As applied to individual cases in the N.T. the word here used
implies deathly-sick--note its force in Acts 9:37 and Philippians
2:26, 27. In John 5:3 and 7 it is rendered "impotent." It is not at
all likely that Martha and Mary would have sent to Christ from such a
distance had not their brother's life been in danger. The force, then,
of their message was, "He whom thou lovest is sinking."
The verse now before us plainly teaches that sickness in a believer is
by no means incompatible with the Lord's love for such an one. There
are some who teach that sickness in a saint is a sure evidence of the
Lord's displeasure. The case of Lazarus ought forever to silence such
an error. Even the chosen friends of Christ sicken and die. How
utterly incompetent then are we to estimate God's love for us by our
temporal condition or circumstances! "No man knoweth either love or
hatted by all that is before them" (Ecclesiastes 9:1). What then is
the practical lesson for us in this? Surely this: "Therefore judge
nothing before the time" (1 Cor. 4:5). The Lord loves Christians as
truly when they are sick as when they are well.
It is blessed to mark how Martha and Mary acted in the hour of their
need. They sought the Lord, and unburdened their hearts to Him. Do we
always act thus? It is written, "God is our refuge and strength, a
very present help in trouble" (Ps. 46:1); yet, to our shame, how
little we know Him as such. When the people murmured against Moses, we
are told that, "he cried unto the Lord" (Ex. 15:25). When Hezekiah
received the threatening letter from Rabshakeh, he "spread it before
the Lord" (Isa. 37:14). When John the Baptist was beheaded his
disciples "went and told Jesus" (Matthew 14:12). What examples for us!
We have not an High Priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of
our infirmities. No, He is full of compassion, for when on earth He,
too, was" acquainted with grief." He sympathizes deeply with His
suffering people, and invites them to pour out the anguish of their
hearts before Him. What a blessed proof of this we find in John 20.
When He met the tearful Mary on the morn of His resurrection, He asked
her, "Woman, why weepest thou?" (John 20:15). Why ask here such a
question? Did He not know the cause of her sorrowing? Certainly He
did. Was it a reproach? We do not deem it such. Was it not rather
because He wanted her to unburden her heart before Him! "Cast thy
burden upon the Lord" is ever His word. This is what Martha and Mary
were doing. The Lord grant that every tried and troubled reader of
these lines may go and do likewise.
The action of these sisters and the wording of their appeal afford us
a striking example of how we should present our petitions to the Lord.
Much of the present-day teaching on the subject of prayer is grossly
dishonoring to God. The Most High is not our servant to be brought
into subjection to our will. Prayer was never designed to place us on
the Throne, but to bring us to our knees before it. It is not for the
creature to dictate to the Creator. It/s the happy privilege of the
Christian to make known His requests with thanksgiving. But,
"requests" are not commands. Petitioning is a very different matter
from commanding. Yet we have heard men and women talk to God not only
as if they were His equals, but as though they had the right to order
Him about. Coming to the Throne of Grace with "boldness" does not mean
with impious impudence. The Greek word signifies "freedom of speech."
It means that we may tell out our hearts as God's children, never
forgetting though, that He is our Father.
The sisters of Lazarus acquainted the Lord with the desperate
condition of their brother, appealed to His love, and then left the
case in His hands, to be dealt with as He saw best. They were not so
irreverent as to tell Him what to do. In this they have left all
praying souls a worthy example which we do well to follow. "Commit thy
way unto the Lord": that is our responsibility. "Trust also in him";
that is our happy privilege. "Trust also in him," not dictate to Him,
and not demand from Him. People talk of "claiming" from God. But grace
cannot be "claimed," and all is of grace. The very "throne" we
approach is one of grace. How utterly incongruous then to talk of
"claiming" anything from the Sitter on such a throne. "Commit thy way
unto the Lord, trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass." But
it must ever be kept in mind that He will "bring it to pass" in His
own sovereign way and in His own appointed time. And oftentimes,
usually so in fact, His way and time will be different from ours. He
brought it to pass for Martha and Mary, though not in the time and way
they probably expected. The Apostle Paul longed to preach the Gospel
in Rome, but how slow he was in realizing his desire and in what an
altogether unlooked-for manner went he there!
"When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but
for the glory of God" (John 11:4). We take it that this was our Lord's
answer to the messenger, rather than a private word to His disciples,
though probably it was spoken in their hearing. And what a mysterious
answer it was! How strangely worded! How cryptic! What did He mean?
One thing was evident on its surface: Martha and Mary were given the
assurance that both the sickness of Lazarus and its issue were
perfectly known to Christ--how appropriately was the record of this
reserved for John's Gospel; how perfectly in accord with the whole
tenor of it!
"This sickness is not unto death." This declaration is similar in kind
to what was before us in John 9:3, "Neither hath this man sinned, nor
his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in
him"--compare our comments thereon. The sickness of Lazarus was "not
unto death" in the ordinary sense of the word, that is, unto abiding
death--death would not be the final end of this "sickness." But why
not have told the exercised sisters plainly that their brother would
die, and that He would raise him from the dead? Ah! that is not God's
way; He would keep faith in exercise, have patience developed, and so
order things that we are constantly driven to our knees! The Lord said
sufficient On this occasion to encourage hope in Martha and Mary, but
not enough to make them leave off seeking God's help! Bishop Ryle has
pointed out how that we encounter the same principle and difficulty in
connection with much of unfulfilled prophecy: "There is sufficient for
faith to rest upon and to enkindle hope, but sufficient also to make
us cry unto God for light"!
"This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God." What a
word was this! How far, we wonder, had those two sisters entered into
such a thought concerning the sickness of their brother. But now they
were to learn that it was Divinely ordained, and from the sequel we
are shown that Lazarus' sickness, his death, the absence of Christ
from Bethany, and the blessed issue, were all arranged by Him who
doeth all things well. Let us learn from this that God has a purpose
in connection with every detail of our lives. Many are the scriptures
which show this. The case of the man born blind provides a parallel to
the sickness and death of Lazarus. When the disciples asked why he had
been born blind, the Savior answered, "That the works of God should be
manifest in him." This should teach us to look behind the outward
sorrows and trials of life to the Divine purpose in sending them.
"This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the
Son of God might be glorified thereby" (John 11:4). How this shows
that the glory of God is one with the glory of the Son! The two are
inseparable. This comes out plainly, again, if we compare John 2:11
with John 11:40. In the former we are told, "This beginning of
miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee and manifested forth his glory."
In the latter we find Him saying to Martha, as He was on the point of
raising Lazarus, "Said I not unto thee, that. if thou wouldest
believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God." The same truth is
taught once more in John 14:13, "Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name,
that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." What
then is the lesson for us? This: "All men should honor the Son, even
as they honor the Father" (John 5:23).
"Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus" (John 11:5).
Here the order of their names is reversed from what we have in verse
1. Martha is now mentioned first. Various conjectures have been made
as to why this is. To us it appears the more natural to mention Mary
first at the beginning of the narrative, for she would be the better
known to the readers of the Gospel records. In John 11:5, and so
afterwards, it was suitable to name Martha first, seeing that she was
the senior. But in addition to this, may it not be the Holy Spirit's
design to show us that each sister was equally dear to the Savior! It
is true that Mary chose the better part, whilst Martha struggled with
the needless unrest of her well-meaning mind. But though these sisters
were of such widely dissimilar types, yet were they one in Christ!
Diverse in disposition they might be, yet were they both loved with
the same eternal, unchanging love!
"Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus." A precious
thought will be lost here unless we mark carefully the exact place in
the narrative that this statement occupies. It is recorded not at the
beginning of the chapter, but immediately before what we read of in
verse 6, where we are told that the Lord Jesus "abode two days still
in the place where he was." Such a delay, under such circumstances,
strikes us as strange. But, as we shall see, the delay only brought
out the perfections of Christ--His absolute submission to the Father's
will. In addition to that, it is beautiful to behold that His delay
was also in full keeping with His love for Martha and Mary. Among
other things, Christ designed to strengthen the faith of these sisters
by suffering it to endure the bitterness of death, in order to
heighten its subsequent joy. "His love wittingly delays that it may
more gloriously console them after their sufferings" (Stier). Let us
learn from this that when God makes us wait, it is the sign that He
purposes to bless, but in His own way--usually a way so different from
what we desire and expect. What a word is that in Isaiah 30:18, "And
therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and
therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the
Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him"!
"When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still
in the same place where he was" (John 11:6). The Lord knows best at
what time to relieve His suffering people. There was no coldness in
His affection for those tried sisters (as the sequel clearly shows),
but the right moment for Him to act had not then come. Things were
allowed to become more grievous: the sick one died, and still the
Master tarried. Things had to get worse at Bethany before He
intervened. Ofttimes God brings man to the end of himself before He
comes to his relief. There is much truth in the old proverb that
"Man's extremity is God's opportunity." Frequently is this the Lord's
way; but how trying to flesh and blood! How often we ask, with the
disciples, "Master, carest thou not that we perish?" But how awful to
question the tender compassion of such a One! And how foolish was the
question of these disciples: how could they "perish" with Christ on
board! What cause we have to hang our heads in shame! "When
circumstances look dark, our hearts begin to question the love of the
One who permits such to befall us. Oh, let me press upon you this
important truth: the dealings of the Father's hand must ever be looked
at in the light of the Father's heart. Grasp this. Never try to
interpret love by its manifestations. How often our Father sends
chastisement, sorrow, bereavement, pressure! How well He could take me
out of it all--in a moment--He has the power, but He leaves me there.
Oh, may He help us to rest patiently in Himself at such times, not
trying to read His love by circumstances, but them, whatever they may
be, through the love of His heart. This gives wondrous
strength--knowing that loving heart, and not questioning the dealings
of His hand" (C.H.M.).
But why did Christ abide two days still in the same place where He
was? To test the faith of the sisters, to develop their patience, to
heighten their joy in the happy sequel. All true; but there was a much
deeper reason than those. Christ had taken upon Him the form of a
servant, and in perfect submission to the Father He awaits His orders
from Him. Said He, "I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will,
but the will of him that sent me" (John 6:38). Most beautifully was
this demonstrated here. Not even His love for Martha and Mary would
move Him to act before the Father's time had come. Blessedly does this
show us the anti-typical fulfillment of one detail in a most wondrous
type found in Leviticus 2. The meal offering plainly foreshadowed the
incarnate Son of God. It displays the perfections of His Divine-human
person. Two things were rigidly excluded from this offering: "No meat
offering, which ye shall bring unto the Lord, shall be made with
leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of
the Lord made by fire" (Lev. 2:11). The leaven is the emblem of evil.
"Honey" stands for the sweetness of natural affections, what men term
"the milk of human kindness." And how strikingly this comes out here.
How differently Christ acted from what you and I most probably would
have done! If we had received a message that a loved one was
desperately sick, would we not have hastened to his side without
delay? And why would we? Because we sought God's glory? or because our
natural affections impelled us? Ah! in this, as in everything, we
behold the uniqueness of the Lord Jesus. The Father's glory was ever
dearest to the heart of the Son. Here then is the force of the
"therefore." "When therefore he heard that he is sick, then indeed he
remained in which he was place two days" (Bagster's
Interlinear-literal translation). The "therefore" and the "indeed"
look back to verse 4--"this sickness... is for the glory of God." And
how what we read of in the intervening verse serves to emphasize
this--Christ's love for His own never interfered with His dependence
on the Father. His first recorded utterance exhibited the same
principle: to Mary and Joseph He said, "Wist ye not that I must be
about my Father's business?" The Father's claims were ever supreme.
"Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judea
again" (John 11:7). Notice the manner in which the Lord expressed
Himself. He did not say, Let us go to Lazarus, or to Bethany. Why not?
We believe the key to the Lord's thought here lies in the word
"again": note the disciples' use of the same word in the following
verse. The Lord was trying the disciples: "Let us go into Judea
again." If we refer back to the closing verses of John 10 the force of
this will be more evident. In John 10:39 we read that His enemies in
Judea "sought again to take him." Judea, then, was now the place of
opposition and danger. When, then, the Lord said, "Let us go into
Judea again," it was obviously a word of testing. And how this
illustrates a common principle in the Lord's way of dealing with us!
It is not the smooth and easy-going path which He selects for us. When
we are led by Him it is usually into the place of testing and trial,
the place which the flesh ever shrinks from.
"His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone
thee; and goest thou thither again?" (John 11:8). The Greek is more
definite and specific than the A.V. rendering here. What the disciples
said was, "Master, the Jews just now sought to stone thee; and goest
thou thither again?" The attempt of His enemies to stone Christ was
still present before the eyes of the disciples, though they had now
been some little time at Bethabara. The disciples could see neither
the need nor the prudence of such a step. How strange the Lord's ways
seem to His shortsighted people; how incapable is our natural
intelligence to understand them! And how this manifests the folly of
believers being guided by what men term "common sense." How much all
of us need to heed constantly that word, "Trust in the Lord with all
thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy
ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" (Prov. 3:5, 6).
God often leads His own into places which are puzzling and perplexing
and where we are quite unable to perceive His purpose and object. How
often are the servants of Christ today called upon to fill positions
from which they naturally shrink, and which they would never have
chosen for themselves. Let us ever remember that the One who is our
Lord and Master knows infinitely better than we the best road for us
to travel.
"Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man
walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this
world" (John 11:9). This verse has proved a puzzle to many, yet we
believe its meaning can be definitely fixed. The first thing to bear
in mind is that the Lord Jesus here was answering the timidity and
unbelief of the disciples. They were apprehensive: to return to Judea,
they supposed, was to invite certain death (cf. John 11:16). Christ's
immediate design, then, was to rebuke their fears. "Are there not
twelve hours in the day?" That is, Has not the "day" a definitely
allotted time? The span of the day is measured, and expires not before
the number of hours by which it is measured have completed their
course. The night comes not until the clock has ticked off each of the
hours assigned to the day. The application of this well-known fact to
the Lord's situation at that time is obvious.
A work had been given Him to do by the Father (Luke 2:49), and that
work He would finish (John 17:4), and it was impossible that His
enemies should take His life before its completion. In John 10:39 we
are told that His enemies "sought again to take him," but "he went
forth out of their hand"--not simply "escaped" as in the A.V. What the
Lord here assures His disciples, is, that His death could not take
place before the time appointed by the Father. The Lord had expressly
affirmed the same thing on a previous occasion: "The same day there
came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and
depart hence; for Herod will kill thee." And what was His reply? This,
"Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out demons, and I do cures
today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected" (Luke
13:32)! "As a traveler has twelve hours for his day's journey, so also
to Me there is a space of time appointed for My business" (Hess). What
we have here in John 11:9 is parallel to His statement in John 9:4--"I
must work the works of him that. sent me, while it is day"--"must"
because the Father had decreed that He should!
This word of Christ to His disciples had more than a local
significance: it enunciated a principle of general application. There
is no need for us to enlarge upon it here, for we have already treated
of it in our remarks upon John 7:30. God has allotted to each man a
time to do his life's work, and no calamity, no so-called accident can
shorten it. Can man make the sun set one hour earlier? Neither can he
shorten by an hour his life's day.
In the second part of the ninth verse the Lord announced another
reason why it was impossible for men to shorten His life: "If any man
walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this
world." To walk in the day is to walk in the light of the sun, and
such an one stumbleth not, for he is able to see the obstacles in his
way and so circumvent them. Spiritually, this means, It is impossible
that one should fall who is walking with God. To "walk in the day"
signifies to walk in the presence of Him who is Light (1 John 1:5), to
walk in communion with Him, to walk in obedience to His will. None
such can stumble, for His Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light
unto our path. It is beautiful to see the application of this to the
Lord Jesus in the present instance. When He got word that Lazarus was
sick, He did not start at once for Bethany. Instead, He tarried where
He was till the Father's time for Him to go had come. He waited for
the "light" to guide Him--a true Israelite watching for the moving of
the Cloud! Christ ever walked in the full light of God's known will.
How impossible then for Him to "stumble."
"But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no
light in him" (John 11:10). Very solemn and searching is this in its
immediate application to the disciples. It was a warning against their
refusing to accompany Him. Christ was the true Light, and if they
continued not with Him they would be in the dark, and then "stumbling"
was inevitable. The thought here is different from what we get at the
close of John 9:4. There Christ speaks of a "night" in which no man
could "work"; here of a "night" in which no believer should "walk."
The great lesson for us in these two verses is this, No fear of danger
(or unpleasant consequences) must deter us from doing our duty. If the
will of God clearly points in a certain direction our responsibility
is to move in that direction unhesitatingly, and we may go with the
double assurance that no power of the Enemy can shorten our life till
the Divinely appointed task is done, and that such light will be
vouchsafed us that no difficulties in the way will make us "stumble."
What shall we say to such a blessed assurance? What but the words of
the apostle Jude, "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling,
and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with
exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty,
dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen" (verses 24, 25).
The following questions are designed to help the interested student
for our next lesson:--
1. Death is likened to "sleeping," verse 11: what thoughts are
suggested by this figure?
2. Why did the disciples misunderstand Christ, verse 13?
3. Why was Christ "glad" for the disciples sake, verse 15?
4. What is signified by the "four days," verse 17?
5. Why are we told of the nearness of Jerusalem to Bethany, verse 18?
6. Why "resurrection" before "life" in verse 25?
7. What is the force of "shall never die," verse 26?
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] It is characteristic of John to give us her name, for he presents
Christ as God manifest in the flesh, therefore everything comes out
into the light: cf. the fact that John alone tells us the name of the
priest's servant, whose ear the Saviour healed (John 18:10).
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 38
Christ Raising Lazarus (Continued)
John 11:11-27
_________________________________________________________________
The following is a suggested Analysis of the passage which is to be
before us:--
1. Christ announces Lazarus' death, but the disciples misunderstand
Him, verses 11-13.
2. Christ rejoices for their sake that He had been absent from
Bethany, verses 14, 15.
3. Thomas' melancholy devotion, verse 16.
4. Lazarus in the grave four days already, verse 17.
5. The nearness of Jerusalem to Bethany, verse 18.
6. Many Jews come to comfort the sisters, verse 19.
7. The conversation between Christ and Martha, verses 20-27.
In the previous lesson we have seen how the Lord Jesus received a
touching message that Lazarus was dying; in the passage now before us
we behold Him making for Bethany, Lazarus having died and been buried
in the interval. The central thing in John 11 is Christ made known as
the resurrection and the life, and everything in it only serves to
bring out by way of contrast the blessedness of this revelation.
Resurrection can be displayed only where death has come in, and what
is so much emphasized here is the desolation which death brings and
man's helplessness in the presence of it. First, Lazarus himself is
dead; then Thomas speaks of the disciples accompanying the Lord to
Bethany that they may die with Him (John 11:16); then Martha comes
before us; and though in the presence of Christ, she could think only
of the death of her brother (John 11:21); it was the same with Mary
(John 11:32); finally, the Jews who had come to comfort the bereaved
sisters are seen "weeping" (John 11:33), and even as the Lord stands
before the grave, they have no thought that He was about to release
the tomb's victim (John 11:37). What a background was all this for
Christ to display His wondrous glory!
It is not difficult for us to discern here behind the dark shadows
that which is far more solemn and tragic. Physical death is but the
figure, as well as the effect, of another death infinitely more
dreadful. The natural man is dead in trespasses and sins. The wages of
sin is death, and when the first man sinned he received those fearful
wages. In the day that Adam ate of the forbidden fruit he died, died
spiritually, as a penal infliction. And Adam died spiritually not only
as a private individual, but as the head and public representative of
his race. Just as the severing of the trunk of a tree from its roots,
means (in a short time) the death of each of its boughs, twigs and
leaves, so the fall of Adam dragged down with him every member of the
human race. It is for this reason that every one born into this world
enters it "alienated from the life of God" (Eph. 4:18).
Yes, the natural man, the world over, is spiritually dead. He is alive
worldwards, selfwards, sinwards, but dead Godwards. It is not that
there is a spark of life within which by careful cultivation or
religious exercises may be fanned into a flame; he is completely
devoid of Divine life. He needs to be born again; an altogether new
life, than the one he possesses by nature, must be imparted to him, if
ever he is to enter the kingdom of God. The sinner's condition is far,
far worse than he has any idea of, or than the great majority of the
doctors of divinity suppose. Of what use is a "remedy" to one who is
dead? and yet the thoughts of very few rise any higher when they think
and talk of the Gospel. Of what use is it to reason and argue with a
corpse? and yet that is precisely what the sinner is from the
standpoint of God. "Then, why preach the Word to sinners at all, if
they are incapable of hearing it?" is the question which will
naturally occur to the reader. Sad, sad indeed that such a question is
asked at this late day--sad, because of the God-dishonoring ignorance
which it displays.
No intelligent servant of God preaches the Word because he imagines
that the will and mind of the sinner is capable of responding to it,
any more than when God commanded Ezekiel to "Prophesy upon these
bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord"
(Ezek. 37:4), he supposed the objects of his message were capable of
responding. "Well, why preach at all?" First, because God has
commanded us to do so, and who are we to call into question His
wisdom? Second, because the very words we are commanded to preach,
"they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63). The Word we are to
"hold forth" is "the word of life" (Phil. 2:16). The new birth is "not
of blood (by natural descent), nor of the will of the flesh (his own
volition), nor of the will of man (the preacher's persuasion), but OF
GOD" (John 1:13), and the seed which God uses to produce the new birth
is His own Word (James 1:18).
Now this is what is so strikingly and so perfectly illustrated here in
John 11. Lazarus was dead, and that he had died was unmistakably
evidenced by the fact that his body was already corrupting. In like
manner, the spiritual death of the natural man is plainly manifested
by the corruptions of his heart and life. In the opening paragraph we
have sought to bring out how that which is emphasized here in John 11
is the utter helplessness of man in the presence of death. And this is
what the servant of God needs to lay hold of in its spiritual
application. If it was only a matter of stupidity in the sinner, we
might overcome that by clearly reasoned statements of the truth. If it
was simply a stubborn will that stood in the way of the sinner's
salvation, we could depend upon our powers of persuasion. If it was
merely that the sinner's soul was sick, we could induce him to accept
some "remedy." But in the presence of death we are impotent.
"All of this sounds very discouraging," says the reader. So much the
better if it results in bringing us upon our faces before God. Nothing
is more healthful than to be emptied of self-sufficiency. The sooner
we reach this place the better. "For we," said Paul, "have no
confidence in the flesh" (Phil. 3:3). The quicker we are made to
realize our own helplessness, the more likely are we to seek help from
God. The sooner we recognize that "the flesh profiteth nothing" (John
6:63), the readier shall we be to cry unto God for His all-sufficient
grace. It is not until we cease to depend upon ourselves that we begin
to depend upon God. "With men this is impossible; but with God all
things are possible" (Matthew 19:26), and this, be it remembered, was
said by Christ in answer to the disciples' query, "Who then can be
saved?"
Here, then, is where light breaks in. Here is where the "glory of God"
(John 11:4) shines forth. Man may be helpless before death, not so
God. Lazarus could not raise himself, nor could his beloved sisters
and sorrowing friends bring him back from the grave. Ah! but He who
is, Himself, "the resurrection and the life" comes on the scene, and
all is altered. And what does He do? Why, He did that which must have
seemed surpassingly strange to all who beheld Him. He cried to the
dead man, "Come forth." But what was the use of doing that? Had
Lazarus the power in himself to come forth? Most certainly not--had
Mary or Martha, or any of the apostles cried, "Lazarus, come forth"
that would have been unmistakably evidenced. No man's voice is able to
pierce the depths of the tomb. But it was One who was more than man,
who now spake, and He said, "Come forth" not because Lazarus was
capable of doing so, but because it was life-giving Voice which spake.
The same omnipotent lips which called a world into existence by the
mere fiat of His mouth, now commanded the grave to give up its victim.
It was the Word of power which penetrated the dark portals of that
sepulcher. And here, dear reader, is the comforting, inspiring, and
satisfying truth for the Christian worker. We are sent forth to preach
the Word to lost and dead sinners, because, under the sovereign
application of the Holy Spirit, that Word is "the word of life." Our
duty is to cry unto God daily and mightily that He may be pleased to
make it such to some, at least, of those to whom we speak.
Before we come to the actual raising of Lazarus, our chapter records
many interesting and instructive details which serve to heighten the
beauty of its central feature. The Lord Jesus was in no hurry; with
perfect composure He moved along in Divine dignity and yet human
compassion to the grief-stricken home at Bethany. At every point two
things are prominent: the imperfections of man and the perfections of
Christ.
"These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend
Lazarus sleepeth" (John 11:11). The "these things" are the declaration
that the sickness of Lazarus was for the glory of God, that the Son of
God might be glorified thereby (John 11:4); His expressed intention of
returning to Judea (John 11:7); and His avowed assurance that there
could be no "stumbling" seeing that He ever walked in the unclouded
light of the Father's countenance (John 11:9). In these three things
we learn the great principles which regulated the life of
Christ--lowliness, dependence, obedience. He now announced that
Lazarus was no longer in the land of the living, referring to his
death under the figure of "sleep." The figure is a very beautiful one,
and a number of most blessed thoughts are suggested by it. It is a
figure frequently employed in the Scriptures, both in the Old and New
Testaments: in the former it is applied to saved and unsaved: but in
the N.T. it is used only of the Lord's people.[1] In the N.T. it
occurs in such well-known passages as 1 Corinthians 15:20, 51: "Now is
Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that
slept... Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we
shall all be changed"; and 1 Thessalonians 4:14, 5:10: "For if we
believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep
in Jesus will God bring with him . . . Who died for us, that, whether
we wake or sleep, we should live together with him." Below we give
some of the leading thoughts suggested by this figure:--
First, sleep is perfectly harmless. In sleep there is nothing to fear,
but, much to be thankful for. It is a friend and not a foe. So, for
the Christian, is it with death. Said David, "Yea, though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil." Such
ought to be the triumphant language of every child of God. The "sting"
has gone from death (1 Cor. 15:56, 57), and has no more power to hurt
one of Christ's redeemed, than a hornet has after its sting has been
extracted.
Second, sleep comes as a welcome relief after the sorrows and toils of
the day. As the wise man declared, "The sleep of a laboring man is
sweet" (Ecclesiastes 5:12). Death, for the believer, is simply the
portal through which he passes from this scene of sin and turmoil to
the paradise of bliss. As 1 Corinthians 3:22 tells us, "death" is
ours. Sleep is a merciful provision, not appreciated nearly as much as
it should be. The writer learned this lesson some years ago when he
witnessed a close friend, who was suffering severely, seeking sleep in
vain for over a week. Equally merciful is death for one who is
prepared. Try to imagine David still alive on earth after three
thousand years! Such a protracted existence in this world of sin and
suffering would probably have driven him hopelessly crazy long ago.
How thankful we ought to be that we have not the longevity of the
antediluvians!
Third, in sleep we lie down to rise again. It is of but brief
duration; a few hours snatched from our working time, then to awaken
and rise to a new day. In like manner, death is but a sleep and
resurrection, an awakening. "And many of them that sleep in the dust
of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame
and everlasting contempt" (Dan. 12:2). On the glorious resurrection
morn the dead in Christ shall be awakened, to sleep no more, but live
forever throughout the perfect Day of God.
Fourth, sleep is a time of rest. The work of the day is exchanged for
sweet repose. This is what death means for the Christian: "Blessed are
the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit,
that they may rest from their labors" (Rev. 14:13). This applies only
to the "intermediate state," between death and resurrection. When we
receive our glorified bodies there will be new ministries for us to
engage in, for it is written, "His servants shall serve him" (Rev.
22:3).
Fifth, sleep shuts out the sorrows of life. In sleep we are mercifully
unconscious of the things which exercise us throughout the day. The
repose of night affords us welcome relief from that which troubles us
by day. It is so in death. Not that the believer is unconscious, but
that those in paradise know nothing of the tears which are shed on
earth. Scripture seems to indicate that there is one exception in
their knowledge of what is transpiring down here: the salvation of
sinners is heralded on high (Luke 15:7, 10).
Sixth, one reason perhaps why death is likened to a sleep is to
emphasize the ease with which the Lord will quicken us. To raise the
dead (impossible as it appears to the skeptic) will be simpler to Him
than arousing a sleeper. It is a singular thing that nothing so
quickly awakens one as being addressed by the voice. So we are told
"the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall
hear his voice" (John 5:28).
Seventh, sleep is a time when the body is fitted for the duties of the
morrow. When the awakened sleeper arises he is refreshed and
invigorated, and ready for what lies before him. In like manner, the
resurrected believer will be endued with a new power. The limitations
of his mortal body will no longer exist. That which was sown in
weakness shall be raised in power.
But O how vastly different is it for one who dies in his sins. The
very reverse of what we have said above will be his portion. Instead
of death delivering him from the sorrows of this life, it shall but
introduce him to that fearful place whose air is filled with weeping
and wailing and gnashing of teeth. It is true that sinners too shall
be raised from the dead, but it will be unto "the resurrection of
damnation." It will be in order to receive bodies in which they will
suffer still more acutely the eternal torments of the lake of fire. To
all such, death will be far worse than the most frightful nightmare.
And O unsaved reader, there is but a step between thee and death. Your
life hangs by a slender thread, which may snap at any moment. Be
warned then, ere it is too late. Flee, even now, from the wrath to
come. Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, for there is no hope
beyond the grave.
"After that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go,
that I may awake him out of sleep" (John 11:11). What marvelous
condescension was it for the Lord of glory to call a poor worm of the
earth His "friend"! But note He said, "Our friend." This, we believe,
was a word of rebuke to His fearful and distrustful disciples; Our
friend--yours, as well as Mine. He has also shown you kindness. You
have professed to love him; will you now leave him to languish! His
sisters are sorrowing, will you ignore them in their extremity! That
is why He here says "I go"--contrast the "us" in verses 7 and 15. Our
friend--I go. I to whom the danger is greatest. I am ready to go. It
was both a rebuke and an appeal. He had told them that the sickness of
Lazarus was in order that the Son of God might be glorified thereby
(John 11:4), would they be indifferent as to how that glory would be
displayed!
"I go that I may awaken"--go, even though to His own death. He
"pleased not himself." Thoughts of His own personal safety would no
more retard Him than He had allowed personal affection to hasten Him.
What is before Him was the Father's glory, and no considerations of
personal consequences would keep Him from being about His Father's
business. The moment had come for the Father's glory to shine forth
through the Son: therefore, His "I go," sharply contrasted from the
"he abode two days still" of John 11:6. He was going to awaken
Lazarus: "None can awaken Lazarus out of this sleep, but He who made
Lazarus. Every mouse or gnat can raise us from that other sleep; none
but an omnipotent power from this." (R. Hall).
"Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit
Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of
taking of rest in sleep" (John 11:12, 13). It is clear from their
language that the disciples had not understood the Lord: they supposed
He meant that Lazarus was recovering. Yet, the figure He had used was
not obscure; it was one which the Old Testament scriptures should have
made them thoroughly familiar with. Why then, had they failed to
perceive His meaning? The answer is not hard to find. They were still
timid and hesitant of returning to Judea. But why should that have
clouded their minds? Because they were occupied with temporal
circumstances. It was "stoning" they were concerned about, the stoning
of their beloved Lord--though if He was stoned, there was not much
likelihood that they would escape. And when our thoughts are centered
upon temporal things, or when selfish motives control us, our
spiritual vision is eclipsed. It is only as our eye is single (to
God's glory) that our whole body is full of light. "Then said Jesus
unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead" (John 11:14). What a proof was
this of the omniscience of Christ. He knew that Lazarus was already
dead, though the disciples supposed he was recovering from his
sickness. No second message had come from Bethany to announce the
decease of the brother of Martha and Mary. And none was needed. Though
in the form of a servant, in the likeness of man, Christ was none
other than the Mighty God, and clear proof of this did He here
furnish. How blessed to know that our Savior is none other than
Immanuel!
"And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye
may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him" (John 11:15). But why
should Christ be glad for the disciples' sake that He was absent from
Bethany at the time Lazarus was sinking? Because the disciples would
now be able to witness a higher manifestation of His glory, than what
they otherwise would had He been present while Lazarus was sick. But
what difference would His presence there have made? This: it is
impossible to escape the inference that had the Lord Jesus been there,
Lazarus had not died--impossible not only because His words to the
disciples plainly implied it, but also because of what other
scriptures teach us on that point. The implication is plain: what the
Lord unmistakably signified here was that it was inconsistent with His
presence that one should die in it. It is a most striking thing that
there is no trace of any one having died in the presence of the Prince
of Life (Acts 3:15). And furthermore, the Gospel records show that
whenever Christ came into the presence of death, death at once fled
before Him! As to the non-possibility of any one dying in the presence
of Christ, we have an illustration in connection with what took place
in Gethsemane. When the officers came to arrest the Savior, Peter drew
his sword and smote the high priest's servant, with the obvious
intention of slaying him. But in vain. Instead of cleaving his head
asunder he simply severed an ear! More striking still is the case of
the two thieves who were crucified with Him: They died after He had
given up His spirit! As to death fleeing at the approach of Christ we
have a most remarkable example in the case of the widow's son of Nain.
Here it was different than in the instances of Jairus' daughter and
the brother of Martha and Mary. Each of these had appealed to Him but
here it was otherwise. A man was about to be buried, and as the
funeral cortege was on the way to the cemetery, the Lord Jesus
approached, and touching the bier He said to the young man, "Arise,"
and at once "the dead sat up, and began to speak" (Luke 7:14, 15)!
"And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye
may believe" (John 11:15). How perfect are the ways of God! If Martha
and Mary had had their wish granted, not only would they (and Lazarus
too) have been denied a far greater blessing, but the disciples would
have missed that which must have strengthened their faith. And too,
Christ would have been deprived of this opportunity which allowed Him
to give the mightiest display of His power that He ever made prior to
His own death; and the whole Church as well would have been the loser!
How this should show us both the wisdom and goodness of God in
thwarting our wishes, in order that His own infinitely better will may
be done.
This verse also teaches a most important lesson as to how the Lord
develops faith in His own. The hearts of the disciples were instructed
and illuminated gradually. There was no sudden and violent action made
upon them. They did not attain to their measure of grace all at once.
Their eyes were slowly opened to perceive who and what Christ was; it
was by repeated manifestations of Divine power and human compassion
that they came to recognize in Him a Messiah of a far higher order
than what they had been taught to expect. John 2:11 illustrates the
same principle: "This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of
Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on
him." And God deals with us in the same way. There is, in the
development of our faith, first the blade, then the ear, then the full
corn in the ear. Compare the development of Abraham's faith through
the increasingly severe trials through which God caused him to pass.
"Nevertheless let us go unto him" (John 11:15). Lazarus was dead, and
yet the Lord speaks of going to him. "O love, stronger than death! The
grave cannot separate Christ and His friends. Other friends accompany
us to the brink of the grave, and then they leave us. `Neither life
nor death can separate from the love of Christ'" (Burkitt). Lazarus
could not come to Christ, but Christ would go to him.
"Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellow-disciples,
Let us also go, that we may die with him" (John 11:16). No wonder that
he said this to his fellow-disciples rather than to the Lord. Very
melancholy was his utterance. Thomas was a man who looked on the dark
side of things. Lazarus is dead, Christ is going to die, let us go and
die too! And this, after the Lord had said, "I go, that I may awaken
him out of sleep" (John 11:11)! How difficult is it for man to enter
into the thoughts of God! Christ was going to Bethany to give life.
Thomas speaks only of dying. Evident is it that he had quite failed to
understand what Christ had said in John 11:9. How much of unbelief
there is even in a believer! And yet we must not overlook the spirit
of devotion which Thomas' words breathed: Thomas had rather die than
be separated from the Savior; Though he was lacking in intelligence,
he was deeply attached to the person of the Lord Jesus.
"Let us also go, that we may die with him" (John 11:16). "This was the
language of a despairing and despondent mind, which could see nothing
but dark clouds in the picture. The very man who afterwards could not
believe that his Master had risen again, and thought the news too good
to be true, is just the one of the twelve who thinks that if they go
back to Judea they must all die! Things such as these are deeply
instructive, and are doubtless recorded for our learning. They show us
that the grace of God in conversion does not so re-mold a man as to
leave no trace of his natural bent of character. The sanguine do not
altogether cease to be sanguine, nor the desponding to be despondent,
when they pass from death to life, and become true Christians. This
shows us that we must make large allowances for natural temperament in
forming our estimate of individual Christians. We must not expect all
God's children to be exactly one and the same. Each tree in a forest
has its own peculiarities of shape and growth, and yet all at a
distance look one mass of leaf and verdure. Each member of Christ's
body has his own distinct bias, and yet all in the main are led by one
Spirit and love one Lord. The two sisters Martha and Mary, the
apostles Peter and John and Thomas, were certainly very unlike one
another in many respects. But they all had one point in common: they
loved Christ and were His friends" (Bishop Ryle).
"Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four
days already" (John 11:17). Christ did not correct the error of
Thomas, but calmly left the truth to do, in due time, its own work.
The reference here to the "four days" makes it evident that in John 11
we have something more than a typical picture of the spiritual
condition of the nation of Israel. From a doctrinal viewpoint, the
condition of Lazarus in the grave accurately portrayed the state of
the natural man dead in trespasses and sins, a mass of corruption. It
is true that Lazarus was a Jew, but "as in water face answereth to
face, so the heart of man to man" (Prov. 27:19). The third chapter of
Romans shows plainly that the state of Israel was also the state of
the Gentiles. The "day" here, as usually in this Gospel, signifies (in
its deeper meaning) a thousand years. "Four days," had man been in the
place of death--alienation from God--for there were exactly four
thousand years from the fall of Adam to the coming of Christ. God
allowed the awful state of man to be completely manifested before He
sent Christ to this earth.
"Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four
days already." Note that this verse does not say "When Jesus came to
Bethany, he found that Lazarus had lain in the grave four days
already," but instead, "When Jesus came, he found that he had lain in
the grave four days already." The Holy Spirit had a reason for putting
it so indefinitely, and that reason we have sought to show above. When
"Jesus came" to this earth, "he," fallen man, had been "in the
grave"--the place of death--"four days already"--four thousand years.
O the minute and marvelous accuracy of Scripture!
"Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off"
(John 11:18). There seems to be a double reason why this topographical
reference is made here. First, it explains why the "many Jews" had
come to Bethany to comfort Martha and Mary (John 11:19). Second, it
shows how very near to Jerusalem the raising of Lazarus occurred. It
was less than two miles from the headquarters of Judaism, within
walking distance, almost within sight of the Temple. All room for
excuse was thereby removed for any ignorance in the leaders of the
nation as to the identity of the person of Christ. His last and
greatest "sign" was given before many eye-witnesses almost at the very
doors of the Sanhedrin. Thus in this seemingly unimportant detail the
Holy Spirit has emphasized the deep guilt of those who were most
responsible for rejecting Christ.
"And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them
concerning their brother" (John 11:19). And poor comforters they must
have made. They are in view again in John 11:37. When they witnessed
the tears of the Lord Jesus by the grave-side of Lazarus, they said,
"Could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused
that even this man should not have died?" While no doubt they looked
upon Christ as a miracle-worker, it is clear they had no apprehension
of the glory of His person--"this man" shows that. Furthermore, it
never seems to have entered their minds that He was capable of raising
the dead. How then could they "comfort" the sorrowing sisters? It is
impossible for an unbeliever to minister real comfort to a child of
God. God alone can bind up the brokenhearted. Only the Divine
Comforter can speak peace to the troubled soul, and not knowing Him,
an unsaved person is incapable of pointing another to the one Source
of consolation and rest.
"And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them
concerning their brother." Mark here the over-ruling wisdom of God. By
waiting four days before raising Lazarus, a much greater number
witnessed his resurrection, and thus the miracle of Christ was more
decisively authenticated, for it would be given greater publicity. The
Hand which controls all things so shaped events that it was impossible
for the Sanhedrin to discredit this last great "sign" of Israel's
Messiah. Here then was a further reason for the "therefore" in John
11:6. God not only has a good reason for each of His delays, but
generally a manifold reason. Many various ends are accomplished by
each of His actions. Not only wicked but utterly senseless are our
criticisms of His ways.
"Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met
him" (John 11:20). This action was thoroughly characteristic of
Martha. Even though the Lord Jesus was not yet come into the village
(John 11:30), she advances to meet Him. The verses that follow show us
something of the condition of her mind at this time. "But Mary sat
still in the house." "It is impossible not to see the characteristic
temperament of each sister coming out here. Martha--active, stirring,
busy, demonstrative--cannot wait, but runs impulsively to meet Jesus.
Mary--quiet, gentle, pensive, meditative, meek--sits passively at
home" (Bishop Ryle). What marks of truth are these minor details! How
evident that the same One who inspired Luke 10 moved John to record
these little marks of character here!
"Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my
brother had not died" (John 11:21). There are some who think that
Martha spoke in a spirit of petulancy, that she was reproaching the
Lord for not having responded more promptly to the message sent Him
while He was in Bethabara. But we think this is a mistake. Bather do
we regard Martha's words as a sorrowful lament, the telling out the
grief of her heart. Martha's words show plainly what had been
uppermost in the minds of the sisters during those trying four
days--note that Mary says almost the same thing when she met Christ
(John 11:32). There was a strange mingling of the natural and the
spiritual, of faith and unbelief in this statement of Martha's. She
had confidence in Christ, yet she limited His power. She believed that
her brother had not died, no matter how low he were, had Christ only
been present; yet the thought never seems to have entered her mind
that He was able to raise Lazarus now that he was dead. "Lord, I
believe; help thou mine unbelief" would well have suited her condition
at that time. And how often it is appropriate for us! Alas, that it
should be so. The Christian is a strange paradox; a dual personality
indeed.
"Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my
brother had not died." That which is reprehensible in this utterance
of Martha is that she was making distance a limitation of Christ's
power. And have not we often been guilty of the same thing? Have not
we often envied those who were in Palestine during the time that the
Word tabernacled among men? But now, alas, He is absent; and Heaven
seems so far away! But it is not: it was not too far distant for
Stephen to see right into it! But suppose it were; what then? Do we
not have the precious promise of the Savior, "LO, I am with you alway,
even unto the end of the age"! But, says the reader, Christ is bodily
absent. True, and that was what had exercised Martha. Yet it ought
not; had not the Lord healed both the centurion's servant and the
nobleman's son at a distance by His word! He had; but memory failed
Martha in the hour of trial and suffering. Alas, that this is so often
the case with us.
"But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will
give it thee" (John 11:22). It is this additional word which indicates
that there was a different meaning in Martha's words of John 11:21
from Mary's in John 11:32. Surely Martha must have said what she did
here without any deliberation. With characteristic impulsiveness she
most probably uttered the first thoughts which came into her mind. And
yet we can hardly conceive of one making such a statement if she knew
Christ as God the Son. The word she used for "ask God"' indicates that
she did not recognize that Christ was the One in whom dwelt all the
fulness of the Godhead bodily. In New Testament Greek there are two
words for "ask." The first, "aiteo," signifies a familiar asking. The
second, "eroteo," means a supplicatory petitioning. The one is suited
to express the favor asked of the Creator by the creature, the other
for a son's asking of the Father. The former is never used of Christ
with the Father except here on the lips of Martha! It was a dragging
down of Christ to the level of the prophets. It was the inevitable
outcome of having sat so little at His feet listening to His words.
"Jesus said unto her, Thy brother shall rise again" (John 11:23).
These were the first words of the Lord Jesus now that He had arrived
at the confines of Bethany. He was about to give "beauty for ashes,
the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of
heaviness" (Isa. 61:3); but not yet did He specifically announce His
gracious purpose. Instead, He first gave the broad and general
promise, "Thy brother shall rise again," without announcing when or
how. It is the Lord's way to draw out by degrees His grace in the
hearts of His own. He said enough to encourage hope and strengthen
faith, but not sufficient to exclude exercise of heart. Light is given
us upon the great mysteries of life gradually. "Here a little and
there a little." Faith has to be disciplined, and knowledge is
imparted only as the heart is able to receive it. "I have yet many
things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now" (John 16:12)
still holds good. Unto the Corinthians Paul had to say, "And I,
brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto
carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and
not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet
now are ye able" (1 Cor. 3:1, 2). Alas that we are so dull and make
such slow progress in the things of God.
"Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the
resurrection at the last day" (John 11:24). Martha supposed that He
was gently setting aside her implied request that He would "ask of
God," and that He was pointing her forward to a future and far-distant
hope. Poor Martha! As yet she had learned little from the Lord Jesus.
She had nothing better than the common hope of Jews--the resurrection
of the dead "at the last day." Does not this suggest another reason
why the Holy Spirit tells us in John 11:18 that "Bethany was nigh unto
Jerusalem"--less than two miles away. Martha was still under the
influence of Judaism! But these words of hers also contain a warning
for us. Martha, like the woman at the well, understood not the
nearness of the benefit. In each case, half despondingly, they put it
into the future. To the Samaritan woman Christ said, "The hour cometh,
and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in
spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him." To
this she replied, "I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ:
when he is come, he will tell us all things." To Martha He had said,
"Thy brother shall rise again," and she replied: "I know that he shall
rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Each had only the
vague, inoperative idea of a future and final good; whereas He spoke
to each of a present blessing. It is easier to believe things which
are in the far off (which occasion us no exercise of heart!) than it
is to appropriate now that which ministers comfort and strength for
the present trial. It makes less demand upon faith to believe that in
a future day we shall receive glorified bodies, than to rest now on
the heartening assurance that, "They that wait upon the Lord shall
renew their strength."
"Jesus saith unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life" (John
11:25). This was like what the Lord said to the woman at the well.
When she had, by her word, postponed the blessing, He answered at
once, "I am that speaketh unto you"; so now He says to Martha, "I am
the resurrection, and the life." Here is something of vital importance
for our souls. It is not simply that He corrected the vision of these
women by turning them from the distant future to the immediate
present, but that He fixes their eyes upon Himself! It is not future
events but the Person of the Lord, ever present with us, that we need
most to be occupied with. Strength, blessing, comfort, are imparted
just so far as we are taken up with Christ Himself.
"I am the resurrection, and the life." "See how the Lord proceeds to
instruct and to elevate her mind; how graciously He bears with her
passing fretfulness; how tenderly He touches the still open wounds;
how He leads her from grieving over her brother to believe yet more
fully in her Savior; how He raises her from dwelling on Lazarus dead,
to repose implicitly in Him who is the Lord of life; how He diverts
her from thinking only of a remote and general resurrection to confide
in Him who is even at this present, the Resurrection and the Life"
(Dr. G. Brown). So too does He remove our ignorance, help our
unbelief, and bear with our peevishness. Wondrous condescension,
matchless patience, fathomless grace! And how the realization of these
should humble us, and cause us to blush for very shame! "Lord,
increase our faith" in Thyself.
"I am the resurrection, and the life." This is what He is, in His own
peerless Person. What He would here press upon Martha was that all
power resided in Himself. Soon she would witness a display of this,
but in the meantime the Lord would occupy her with what, or rather who
He was in Himself. Blessed, thrice blessed is it for the soul to lay
hold of this sustaining and satisfying truth. Infinitely better is it
for us to be occupied with the Giver than His gifts.
But why this order: the resurrection and the life? For at least a
threefold reason. First, this is the doctrinal order. In spiritual
experience Christ is to us the resurrection before He is the life. The
sinner is dead in trespasses and sins, in the grave of guilt,
separated from God. He has his dwelling "among the tombs" (Mark 5:3).
His first need is to be brought out of this awful place, and this
occurs at his regeneration. The new birth is a passing from death unto
life (John 5:24); it is the being brought on to resurrection ground.
The same double thought of leaving the place of death and receiving
resurrection life is found again in verse 25: "The hour is coming, and
now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they
that hear shall live." Lazarus in the grave, raised to life by the
word of Christ, gives us a perfect illustration of God's mighty work
of grace in the hearts of His elect.
Second, This was the dispensational order. The Old Testament saints
were all in the grave when He who is "The Life" came down to this
earth. Therefore it is in resurrection power that they will know the
Christ of God. But believers in Palestine at the time when the eternal
Word tabernacled among men knew Him as the Living One, God manifest in
the flesh. And yet it was not until after the Cross that they knew Him
as such in the fullest sense of the word. It was not until the day of
His own resurrection that He breathed on the disciples and said,
"Receive ye the Holy Spirit" (John 20:22). It is the life of a risen
and never-dying Savior which the believer now has as an inalienable
and--eternal possession. Christ is the resurrection because He is the
life, and He is the Life because He is the Resurrection.
Third, This will be the prophetic order. When the Lord Jesus leaves
His Father's throne and descends into the air, His people will be
found in two great companies; by far the greater part will be (as to
their bodies) asleep in the grave; the others will be alive on the
earth. But "flesh and blood" cannot inherit the kingdom of God. The
living saints will need to be "changed," just as much as the sleeping
saints will need raising. Therefore to the one Christ will be the
resurrection, to the other the life. The two companies of believers
are clearly distinguished in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, "The dead in Christ
shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught
up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air." The
"changing" of the living believers is mentioned in 1 Corinthians
15:51. It is to this "change" of believers who have not entered the
grave that Romans 8:11 refers: "But if the Spirit of him that raised
up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the
dead shall also quicken (give life to) your mortal bodies by his
Spirit that dwelleth in you." Marvellously full were these words of
Christ, "I am the resurrection and the life."
"He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live"
(John 11:25). This was brought in to show that what Christ had just
spoken of was elective and not common to all men as such. He was
referring to something peculiar to His own: "he that believeth" limits
the first part of the verse to God's elect. The resurrection of
unbelievers, not to "life" but to the second death, where, however
they shall exist in conscious torment forever and ever, is mentioned
in other scriptures such as Daniel 12:2; John 5:29; Revelation 20,
etc.
"He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." The
Greek here is very explicit and impressive. The verb, "though he were
dead," is in the past tense, and with it is coupled a present
participle, "yet shall he live," i.e. continue to live; but this, be
it noted, is predicated of one who believes. How this word of Christ
tells of the indestructibility of faith--its ever-living, never-dying
character! Primarily, this was a message of comfort to Martha; it went
beyond what He had said to her in John 11:23. First He said, "Thy
brother shall rise again"; next He directed attention to Himself as
"the resurrection and the life"; now He intimates that though Lazarus
had died, yet, because he was a believer, he should live. "Because I
live, ye shall live also" (John 14:19) we regard as a parallel
promise.
"And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die" (John
11:26). At the close of the previous verse Christ had referred to
physical resurrection, bodily life; here, He speaks of death in its
ultimate sense. Revelation 20:6 repeats the same blessed truth:
"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on
such the second death hath no power." At the close of the previous
verse the Lord Jesus had spoken of believers who had fallen
asleep--they shall live. But here He speaks of living believers--they
shall never die. The Lord had made the same assertion on a previous
occasion: "If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death."
"Believest thou this?" (John 11:26). Every Divine communication
challenges the heart to which it is made. We understand Christ's
"this" to include all that He had said in John 11:25, 26. "Believest
thou this?" Have you really laid hold of it? How little we grasp that
which has been presented to us. How little we enter into what we
believe in a half-hearted and general way! The sequel (John 11:39)
clearly shows that Martha had not really "believed" what Christ here
said to her--a most searching warning for us. Much of what we thought
we held is found to have made no impression upon us when the hour of
testing comes.
"She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that Thou art the Christ,
the Son of God, which should come into the world" (John 11:27). Most
of the commentators are quite astray here. They look upon this
utterance of Martha's as an evidence that the mists of doubt had now
disappeared and that at last her faith had come out into the full
sunlight. But what we read of in John 11:39 clearly refutes such a
view, and what is before us here must be interpreted in harmony with
her final words at the grave itself. How then are we to understand her
utterance in John 11:27? Pressed as she was by the searching question
in the previous verse, it seems to us that she fell back on a general
answer, which affirmed her belief that the Lord Jesus was the promised
Messiah. Having confessed Him as such, she at once went her way. She
felt there was a depth to the Lord's words which she was quite
incapable of fathoming. And here we must stop.
Let the interested reader ponder the following questions to prepare
him for the next lesson:--
1. Why did Martha leave Christ and seek out her sister, verse 28?
2. What does verse 30 reveal to us about Christ?
3. Why did Jesus weep, verse 35?
4. What is the meaning of the "therefore," verse 38?
5. Why were they bidden to remove the stone, verse 39?
6. What is the spiritual significance of verse 44?
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] The only apparent exception is the case of Jairus' daughter.
_________________________________________________________________
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 39
Christ Raising Lazarus (Concluded)
John 11:28-44
_________________________________________________________________
The following is submitted as an Analysis of the passage which is to
be before us:--
1. Mary goes to meet Jesus, verses 28-30, 32.
2. The Jews follow her, verse 31.
3. Jesus groaning and weeping, verses 33-35.
4. The comments of the Jews, verses 36-38.
5. Martha's unbelief and Christ's rebuke, verses 39, 40.
6. Jesus praying and praising, verses 41, 42.
7. The raising of Lazarus, verses 43, 44.
The central design of John's Gospel is to present Christ to us as the
Eternal Word become flesh, the Lord of glory in the likeness of men.
Two things are made prominent throughout: His Divine dignity and His
human perfections. Wonderfully perfect is the blending of these in the
God-man: everything is there in Him to draw out our hearts in adoring
love and reverent worship. Here we are shown His mighty power, and
also His blessed tenderness. Here we behold not only His absolute
authority, but also His entire dependency. It is not only that we gaze
upon one of the Persons of the Holy Trinity, come down from heaven to
earth, but also on One who entered fully into the conditions and
circumstances of men, sin only excepted. Strikingly do these two lines
of truth meet in John 11. The very chapter which chronicles His
mightiest "sign" reveals the principles by which He
walked--submission, dependence, obedience. Side by side with the
record of His omnipotent voice calling the dead to life again, do we
read of Him groaning and weeping. Absolutely unique is this wondrous
Person.
The blending of Christ's Divine glories and human perfections meet us
at every turn in this fourth Gospel. If John is the only one of the
four Evangelists who enters into the pre-incarnate dignities of
Christ, showing Him to us as the One who subsisted in the beginning,
both being with God, and God Himself: the Creator of all things; if
John is the only one who contemplates Him as the great "I am," equal
with the Father; he also brings before us details concerning His
humanity which are not to be met with in the Synoptists. John is the
only one who tells us of Christ being "wearied with his journey" (John
4:6), groaning as He beheld the tears of His own, and thirsting as He
hung upon the Cross. Christ became Man in the fullest sense of the
word, and nowhere do we behold His human sympathies and perfections
more blessedly displayed than in this very Gospel which portrays Him
as God manifest in flesh.
It is in John's Gospel, pre-eminently, that we see the antitype of the
veil, which speaks so plainly of the Son of God incarnate. "And thou
shalt make a veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined
linen of cunning work" (Ex. 26:31). This order "blue, purple and
scarlet" is repeated over twenty times in Exodus, and is never varied.
The blue and scarlet are never placed in juxtaposition in any of the
fabrics of the tabernacle. This of itself is sufficient to show that
the Holy Spirit intimates there is an important truth here in
connection with the person of Christ. The "blue" is the color of
heaven, and speaks of Christ as the Son of God. The "scarlet" is both
the color of sacrifice and human glory. The "purple" is a color
produced by the mixing together of blue and scarlet. Without the
purple, the blue and the scarlet would have presented too vivid a
contrast to the eye; the purple coming in between them shaded off the
one extreme from the other.
Now the antitype of these colors is found in the incarnate Christ. He
was both God and man, and yet these two vastly dissimilar natures
unite in one perfect Person. The "purple," then, coming in between the
"blue" and the "scarlet" tells of the perfect blending or union of His
two natures. The great marvel (as well as mystery) of His unique
person is that in Him were combined all the fulness of the Godhead
with all the sinless feelings and affections of man. And it is just
this which is so beautifully brought out in John's Gospel, and nowhere
more strikingly than in John 11. When the sisters sent to Christ
telling Him that their brother was sinking, instead of hastening at
once to him, He remained two days where He was. Did this show that He
was devoid of human feelings? No; His purpose was to manifest the
Divine glory. But mark the sequel. When He arrives at Bethany, His
heart is profoundly moved as He beholds the sorrowing sisters. And who
but the God-man would have shed tears by the grave of Lazarus when He
was on the very point of restoring the dead to life! Each of the three
colors of the veil are clearly seen. The "blue" in the Divine power
which raised the dead; the "scarlet" in the groans and tears. Now
behold the "purple." When Lazarus came forth from the sepulcher he was
still bound with the grave-clothes. The spectators were so amazed, so
awed, so bewildered, they made no effort to remove them. "Loose him"
were the words which proceeded from Christ. And who but the God-man
would have been occupied with such a detail? We witness the same thing
again at the Cross; "It is finished" exhibits the "blue"; "I thirst,"
the "scarlet"; and the "purple" is evidenced in His tender thought for
His widowed mother, commending her to His beloved John!
In our previous lessons upon the first sections of John 11 we have
seen the Lord at Bethabara with His disciples, and then on the
confines of Bethany, whither Martha, Unbidden, with characteristic
impatience rushed to meet Him. We sought to weigh her utterances as
she gave expression to the first thoughts that entered her mind. We
saw how that the responses made by Christ were quite beyond her depth,
and how that in answer to His searching "Believest thou this?" she
replied, "Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ the Son of
God, which should come into the world." Immediately following this we
read, "And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her
sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee"
(John 11:28).
In her impulsive hurry to meet the Lord (John 11:20) Martha, for the
time, forgot all about her sister; but now she goes to call Mary.
There is nothing in the narrative to show that Christ had asked for
Mary--if He had, John would surely have told us so. Was it then a
fabrication on Martha's part? We do not so regard it: rather do we
think she concluded that the profound words of Christ were more suited
to her sister than herself. When Christ said, "I am the resurrection,
and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall
he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die,"
she felt that Mary must hear this; she will be able to understand.
"And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her
sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee"
(John 11:28). The cryptic utterances of Christ Martha considered as a
"call" for the more spiritual Mary. What a tribute this was to the
discernment of the one whom she had formerly criticized! She called
her "secretly" so as not to attract the attention of the many Jews who
were with her in the house (John 11:19). These Jews had come from
Jerusalem and Martha knew that most of the people there were
antagonistic to the Savior. "Christianity doth not bid us abate
anything of our wariness and honest policy, yea, it requires us to
have no less the wisdom of the serpent as the harmlessness of the
dove" (R. Hall). And, too, she probably felt that it was more fitting
that Mary should enjoy an interview with Christ in undisturbed
privacy. Mark that Martha terms Christ "Master" (the Teacher), not
"Lord?'
"As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him"
(John 11:29). With characteristic quietness and calm Mary had remained
seated in the house, but now she hears that the One at whose feet she
had loved to sit, was here at hand, she rises and goes forth to meet
Him at once, "quickly." The knowledge that He was "calling" her lent
wings to her feet. She needed not to tarry and inquire who was meant
by "the Master"--she had none other, and that one word was sufficient
to identify the One who was the Fairest among ten thousand to her
soul.
"Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where
Martha met him" (John 11:30). Very striking indeed is this. He was
still in the same place where Martha had talked with Him. In the
interval she had returned to Bethany, entered the house and spoken to
her sister, and Mary had herself traveled the same distance to meet
Him in whom her soul delighted. And when she completed the
journey--how long a one it was we do not know--she found her Beloved
awaiting her. How this brings out the calmness of Christ: there was no
undue haste to perform the miracle! And how blessedly it illustrates
the fact that He never hides Himself from a seeking soul. He would not
disappoint this one who so valued His presence. If she "arose quickly"
to go to Him, He waited patiently for her arrival!
"The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her,
when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out followed,
her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there" (John 11:31).
This too is striking. Man proposes but God disposes. Martha's secrecy
came to nothing. God had purposed that the last great "sign" of
Israel's Messiah should be given before many eye-witnesses. The Jews
followed Mary because they supposed she had gone to the grave to weep
in private, but He who doeth all things according to the counsel of
His own will, drew them there, that the miracle of the raising of
Lazarus should be done in public. Doubtless their intention was to
"comfort" her, and for their kindliness God would not let them be the
losers. Has He not said, "whosoever shall give to drink unto one of
these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple,
verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward" (Matthew
10:42)? Beautifully was that verified on this occasion.
The Jews who had journeyed from Jerusalem to Bethany had felt for
Martha and Mary in their heavy bereavement, and came to offer what
comfort they could. By so doing they reaped a rich and unexpected
reward. They beheld the greatest miracle which Christ ever wrought,
and as the result many believed on Him (John 11:45). "We need not
doubt that these things were written for our learning. To show
sympathy and kindness to the sorrowful is good for our souls. To visit
the fatherless and widows in their affliction, to weep with them that
weep, to try and bear one another's burdens and lighten one another's
cares,--all of this will make no atonement for sin and will not take
us to Heaven. Yet it is healthy employment for our hearts, and
employment which we ought not to despise. Few persons are aware that
one secret of being miserable is to live only for ourselves, and one
secret of being happy is to try to make others happy. In an age of
peculiar selfishness and self-indulgence it would be well that we took
this to heart" (Bishop Ryle). It is significant that these Jews did
not leave the house when Martha left it!
"Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down
at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my
brother had not died" (John 11:32). This was the language of
perplexity and grief. Like Martha, Mary was thinking of what might
have happened. How often we look back on the past with an "if" in our
minds! How often in our sore trials we lash ourselves with an "if."
And small comfort does it bring! How often we complain "it might have
been" (Mark 14:5). As Whittier says, "Of all sad words of tongue and
pen, the saddest are these, `It might have been.'" Only too often
these words express the inveterate sadness of one who is swallowed up
with sorrow. Ofttimes it issues from forgetfulness of the Lord: He
permitted it, so it must be for the best. It may not appear so to our
dim vision; but so it is. It was so with Martha and Mary, as they were
soon to behold.
"Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down
at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my
brother had not died." While this was the language of grief and
perplexity, it certainly was not a reproachful murmur, as her casting
herself at the feet of Christ clearly shows. Nor does Mary here add an
apologetic reflection as had her sister (John 11:22). Her words had
quite a different meaning from the very similar language of Martha. We
say very similar, for their utterances were not identical, as a
reference to the Greek will show. They each used the same words, but
the order of them varied, and in this may be seen what was uppermost
in each of their minds. The A.V. gives a literal rendering of the
original language of Martha (John 11:21); but what Mary said was,
"Lord, if thou hadst been here, had not died my brother." That which
was uppermost in the thoughts of Martha, was her brother's death; that
which was discerned by Mary was that none could die in the presence of
Christ. Her words then were an expression of worship, as the casting
of herself at Christ's feet was an act of adoring homage.
"Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down
at his feet." This was ever her place. It is beautiful to observe that
each time the New Testament presents Mary to us, she is seen "at the
feet of Jesus"--expressive of her worshipful spirit. But there is no
mere repetition. In Luke 10, at Christ's feet she owned Him as
Prophet, hearing His word (verse 39). Here in John 11 she approaches
Christ as Priest--that great High Priest that can be "touched with the
feeling of our infirmities," who shares our sorrows, and ministers
grace in every time of need. In John 12:3 Mary, at His feet
acknowledged Him as "King"--this will appear if we compare Matthew
26:7, from which we learn that she also anointed "the head" of the
rejected King of the Jews!
"When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which
came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled" (John
11:33). The Greek word here for "groaned" is expressive of deep
feeling, sometimes of sorrow, more often of indignation. In this
instance the Holy Spirit has recorded the cause of Christ's
groaning--it was the sight of Mary and her comforters weeping. He was
here in the midst of a groaning creation, which sighed and travailed
over that which sin had brought in. And this He felt acutely. The
original suggests that He was distressed to the extremest degree:
moved to a holy indignation and sorrow at the terrific brood which sin
had borne. Agitated by a righteous detestation of what evil had
wrought in the world. "And was troubled" is, more literally, "he
troubled himself"; He caused Himself to be troubled by what made
others weep and wail. And how this "groaning" and "troubling of
himself" brings out the perfections of the incarnate Son! He would not
raise Lazarus until He had entered in spirit into the solemnity of the
awfulnes of death. Mark 8:12 intimates that the miracles which He
performed cost Him something. Plainer still is the testimony of
Matthew 8:17: "himself took our infirmities, and bare our
sicknesses"--He felt the burden of sickness before He removed it.
"And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and
see" (John 11:34). What a mark of genuineness is this line in the
picture! Who that was inventing a fictitious story would have
introduced such a detail in a scene like this! But how thoroughly in
keeping with everything else which the Gospels record about Christ.
There was no ostentation about Him. He never used His Omniscience for
the mere sake of display. He wished to be invited to the sepulcher.
"Jesus wept" (John 11:35). The shortest verse in the Bible, yet what
volumes it contains. The Son of God weeping, and weeping on the very
eve of raising the dead man! Who can fathom it? Three times in the New
Testament we read of the Lord Jesus weeping: here, over Jerusalem,
(Luke 19:41), and in Gethsemane (Heb. 5:7). Each time His tears were
connected with the effects or consequences of sin. By the grave-side
of Lazarus these tears expressed the fulness of the grief which His
heart felt. They manifested the perfectness of His love and the
strength of His sympathy. He was the Man of sorrows and "acquainted
with grief." Yet, here too was more than an expression of human
sympathy. Here were souls upon which rested the weight of the dark
shadow of death, and they were souls which He loved, and He felt it.
"Jesus wept": "The consciousness that He carried resurrection-virtue
in Him, and was about to fill the house at Bethany with the joy of
restored life, did not stay the current of natural affections. `Jesus
wept.' His heart was still alive to the sorrow, as to the degradation
of death. His calmness throughout this exquisite scene was not
indifference, but elevation. His soul was in the sunshine of those
deathless regions which lay far away and beyond the tomb of Lazarus,
but He could visit that valley of tears, and weep with those that
wept" (J. G. Bellett).
"Then said the Jews, Behold how He loved him!" (John 11:36). How these
tears demonstrated "the profound sympathy of the heart of Jesus with
us in all the sorrows and trials through which we pass. Had those
sisters for a moment questioned the love of Jesus for them and His
sympathy with them in their sorrow, how they would be rebuked by these
groans and tears! `Jesus wept.' What tender sympathy and grace! And He
is the same today. It is true the surroundings are different, but His
heart is the same: `Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to-day, and
forever.' He `wept.' How we see the reality of His human nature! Yes;
it was a perfect human heart. He wept for the sorrow and desolation
which sin has brought into the world; and He entered into it as no
other could. Oh! what groans and tears! How they tell out the heart of
our precious Lord Jesus! He truly loved these tried ones, and they
proved it. So shall we if we rest in the same tender, gracious,
sympathizing Lord" (C.H.M.).
"And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the eyes of
the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?" (John
11:37). This sounds very much like the language of men determined to
believe nothing good of our Lord, insistent on picking a hole or
finding a fault, if possible, in any thing that He did. Their words
have a sarcastic ring about them. Some have wondered why these carping
critics did not mention the raising of Jairus' daughter or the widow's
son. But it should be remembered that both of these miracles had been
performed in Galilee. Moreover, the healing of the blind man in
Jerusalem was much more recent. It is clear that they had no thought
of help being available now that Lazarus was dead, and so they openly
reproach Christ for allowing him to die. And men in their petulance
and unbelief, especially at funerals, still ask much the same
questions: `Why should the Almighty have permitted this?' They forget
that "He giveth not account of any of his matters" (Job 33:13). "What
I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter" (John 13:7)
is sufficient for faith.
"Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was
a cave, and a stone lay upon it" (John 11:38). This time, as the
"therefore" indicates, the groaning was occasioned by the carping
unbelief of those mentioned in the previous verse. Here it was a
matter of Christ "enduring the contradiction of sinners against
himself" (Heb. 12:3). It shows how He felt the antagonism of those who
knew Him not. It was not as a stoic that He passed through these
scenes. Everything that was contrary to His holy nature, moved Him
deeply. How blessed it is for us to remember this as we, who have the
firstfruits of the Spirit, "groan within ourselves, waiting for the
adoption, the redemption of our body" (Rom. 8:23). How comforting to
know that our Redeemer felt the same thing which the new nature within
us feels; only felt it a thousand times more acutely. Not for nothing
was He termed "a man of sorrows" (Isa. 53:3). In us there is ever a
conflict; one nature feeding on, the other repelled by, the things of
this world. But with the Holy One of God there was nothing to
neutralize, nothing to modify, the anguish which His spirit felt from
His daily contact with evil and corruption. As Hebrews tells us, "He
suffered being tempted." It is true there was nothing in Him to which
Satan could appeal, and therefore there was no possibility of Him
yielding. But nevertheless the temptation was a fearful reality. His
holy nature recoiled from the very presence of the Evil One, as His
"get thee hence, Satan" plainly intimates. His spotless purity was
sickened by the vile solicitations of the tempter. Yes, He suffered to
a degree we do not and cannot. Suffered not only from the temptation
of Satan, but from the evil which surrounded Him on every side. The
"groaning" which the Holy Spirit has here recorded gives us a glimpse
of what must have gone on constantly in the spirit of that blessed One
so deeply "acquainted with grief."
"Jesus said, Take ye away the stone" (John 11:39). "What majestic
composure in the midst of this mighty emotion!" (Stier). Though
weeping outwardly and groaning inwardly, the Lord Jesus was complete
master of Himself. He acts and speaks with quiet dignity. The miracles
of God avoid with the supremest propriety all that is superfluous. So
often in the mighty works of God we may observe, an economy of Divine
power. What man could do, he is required to do. We have little use for
the hackneyed saying that "God helps those who help themselves," for
God very often helps those who are unable to help themselves. Yet, on
the other hand, it remains true that it is not God's general way to do
for us what we are responsible and capable of doing for ourselves. God
is pleased to bless our use of the means which are at hand. If I am a
farmer, I shall harvest no crops unless I plow and sow and care for my
fields. Just as in the first miracle of this Gospel Christ ordered men
to fill the jars with water, so here He ordered men to roll away the
stone.
"Jesus said, Take ye away the stone." There is another lesson for us
to learn here. He might have commanded the stone to roll itself away,
or He might have bidden Lazarus to come forth through the impediment
of the stone. Instead, He bade the bystanders remove it. Christ
modestly avoided all pomp and parade and mingled the utmost simplicity
with the most amazing displays of power. What an example He thus set
us to avoid all ostentation!
"Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by
this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days" (John 11:39).
What a characteristic word was this from one who was "careful about
many things," ever anxious about circumstances. Did Martha suppose
that Christ only desired to view the body? It would seem so. And yet
how sad is the unbelief which her utterance expressed. Lazarus' own
sister would put an obstacle in the way of the manifestation of
Christ's glow! She supposed it was useless to remove the stone. How
solemnly this warns us that natural affections can never rise to the
thoughts of God, and that only too frequently we are opposed to His
workings even where it is for the blessing of those whom we love most
tenderly! How often has a husband, a wife, a parent, sought to resist
the Word or providences of God, as they were operating in or on the
object of their affection! Let us take to heart this lamentable
resistance of Martha.
"Jesus said unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest
believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?" (John 11:40). There is
considerable difference of opinion as to what our Lord referred to
when He declared, "Said I not unto thee?" etc. Many suppose He was
reminding her of some word of His spoken just before, when she had met
Him alone, and which is not recorded in the context. This is mere
supposition, and an unlikely one at that. It seems more natural to
regard it as pointing back to the answer Christ had sent her from
Bethabara: "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God,
that the Son of God may be glorified thereby" (John 11:4). Others
think it was as though He said, "Martha, thou art forgetting the great
doctrines of faith which I have ever taught thee. How often you have
heard Me say, All things are possible to him that believeth." There
may be a measure of truth in this as well.
"Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest
believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?" Profound word was this.
"The glory of God"! That which rejoices the soul when seen and known;
that, without which we must forever remain unsatisfied and unblest;
that, in comparison with which all sights are as nothing,--is "the
glory of God." This was what Moses prayed to see: "I beseech thee,
show me thy glory" (Ex. 33:18). The glory of God is the revelation of
His excellencies, the visible display of His invisible perfections. It
was the glory of God which Christ came here to make manifest, for He
is the outshining of God's glory (Heb. 1:3). But the one special point
to which our Lord here referred, was His own glory as the Bringer of
life out of death. It was this which He came to reveal, both in His
own person, by dying and rising again, and in the works of His
hands--here in the raising of Lazarus. To remove the wages of death,
to undo the work which sin had wrought, to conquer him that had the
power of death, to swallow up death in victory--this was indeed a
special manifestation of glory.
"God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in
our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6). Now it is unbelief which
hinders our seeing the glory of God. It is not our unworthiness, our
ignorance, nor our feebleness, that stand in the way, but our
unbelief, for there is far more of unbelief than faith in us, as well
as in Martha. Those searching words, "Said I not unto thee" apply to
writer and reader. He was reminding Martha of a word given her before,
but which had not been "mixed with faith." Alas, how often His words
to us have fallen on unresponsive hearts. Mark the order of the two
verbs here: "Believe" comes before "see," and compare our remarks on
John 6:69.
"Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid"
(John 11:41). As pointed out previously, two things stand out
conspicuously all through this chapter: the glory of Christ and the
failure of men; His perfections and their imperfections confront us at
every, point. Christ had bidden the bystanders "Take ye away the
stone"--doubtless a heavy one (cf. Matthew 27:60) which would require
several men to move. But they had not responded. They paused to listen
to Martha's objection. It was not until He had replied to her, not
until He had spoken of the glory of God being seen, that they obeyed.
"Then they took away the stone." How slow is man to obey the Word of
God! What trifles are allowed to hinder!
"And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that
thou hast heard me" (John 11:41). Very beautiful is this. It
manifested Christ as the dependent One. Perfectly did He fulfill
Proverbs 3:5, 6: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not
unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him." But
more: it was the Son giving the Father the honor for the miracle which
was about to be performed. He directed attention away from Himself to
One in heaven. Well might He say, "learn of me; for I am meek and
lowly in heart" (Matthew 11:29). And too, there is another thing here.
In view of His words in the next verse it seems clear that He also
lifted up His eyes for the sake of those standing around. His miracles
had been blasphemously attributed to Satan and Hell; He would here
show the true Source from which they proceeded--"Jesus lifted up his
eyes." Note also His, "Father, I thank thee." He began with this.
Christ has left us a perfect example, not only of prayerfulness but of
thankfulness as well. We are always more ready to ask than thank: but
see Philippians 4:6.
"And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that
thou hast heard me." "We now reach a point of thrilling and breathless
interest. The stone had been removed from the mouth of the cave. Our
Lord stands before the open grave, and the crowd stands around,
awaiting anxiously to see what would happen next. Nothing appears from
the tomb. There is no sign of life at present; but while all are
eagerly looking and listening, our Lord addresses His Father in Heaven
in a most solemn manner, lifting up His eyes, and speaking audibly to
Him in the hearing of all the crowd. The reason He explains in the
next verse. Now, for the last time, about to work His mightiest
miracle, He once more makes a public declaration that He did nothing
separate from His Father in heaven, and that in this and all His work
there is a mysterious and intimate union between Himself and the
Father" (Bishop Ryle).
"And I knew that thou hearest me always" (John 11:42). What perfect
confidence in the Father had this One here in servant form! And what
was the ground of His confidence? Has He not Himself told us in John
8:29?--"He that sent me is with me; the Father hath not left me alone;
For I do always those things that please him"! The Lord Jesus never
had a thought which was out of harmony with the Father's will, and
never did a thing which in the slightest degree deviated from His
Father's word. He always did those things which pleased Him (Ps.
16:8); therefore did the Father always hear Him. What light this
throws on our un-answered prayers! There is an intimate relation
between our conduct and the response which we receive to our
supplications: "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not
hear me" (Ps. 66:18). Equally clear is the New Testament. "And
whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his
commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight" (1
John 3:22). Very searching is this. It is not what men term "legalism"
but the Father maintaining the demands of holiness. For God to answer
the prayers of one who had no concern for His glory and no respect to
His commandments, would be to place a premium upon sin.
"And I knew that thou hearest me always." Very, very blessed is this.
Unspeakable comfort does it minister to the heart that rests upon it.
Christ did not cease to pray when He left this earth: He still prays,
prays for us, His people: "Wherefore he is able also to save them to
the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make
intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25). How much we owe to His
intercession eternity will reveal--far, far more than we now realize.
Read through John 17 and note the different things He has asked (and
possibly, still asks) the Father for us. He asks that His joy may be
fulfilled in us (verse 13), that we may be kept from evil in the world
(verse 15), that we may be sanctified through the truth John 4:17),
that we may be one (21), that we may be made perfect in one (verse
23), that we may be with Him where He is (verse 24), that we may
behold His glory (verse 24). None of these things are yet ours in
their fulness; but how unspeakably blessed to know that the time is
coming when all of them will be! The Father hears Christ "always,"
therefore these things must be made good to us?
"But because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may
believe that thou hast sent me" (John 11:43). How this reminds us of
Elijah on mount Carmel! "Elijah the prophet came near and said, Lord
God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that
thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have
done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this
people may know that thou art the Lord God" (1 Kings 18:36, 37)! This
scripture supplies the key to the meaning of the Lord's words beside
the tomb of Lazarus. Like Elijah's, Christ's mission was unto Israel,
and like Elijah, He here prayed that God would authenticate His
mission. If the Father had not sent Him, He would not have heard Him
in anything; the Father hearing Him here at the graveside of Lazarus
was therefore a clear proof and full evidence of His Divine mission.
"And when he had thus spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus,
come forth" (John 11:43). This "loud voice" was also for the people's
sake, that all might hear. Lazarus was addressed personally for, as it
has been well remarked, had Christ simply cried "come forth" Hades
would have been emptied and every tenant of the grave would have been
raised from the dead. We have here, in miniature, what will take place
on the resurrection morn. "The Lord himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout... and the dead in Christ shall rise" (1 Thess. 4:16,
17). So, too, will it be when the wicked dead shall be resurrected:
"Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, in the which all that are
in the graves shall hear his voice" (John 5:28). It is striking to
note that Christ here did nothing except to say, "Lazarus, come
forth." It was the last great public witness to Christ as the
incarnate Word. And, too, it perfectly illustrated the means which God
employs in regeneration. Men are raised spiritually, pass from death
unto life, by means of the written Word, and by that alone.
Providences, personal testimonies, loss of loved ones, deeply as these
sometimes may stir the natural man, they never "quicken" a soul into
newness of life. We are born again, "not of corruptible seed, but of
incorruptible by the word o/ God, which liveth and abideth forever" (1
Pet. 1:23).
"Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth" (John 11:44).
At the sound of that Voice the king of terrors at once yielded up his
lawful captive, and the insatiable grave gave up its prey. Captivity
was led captive and Christ stood forth as the Conqueror of sin, death
and Satan. There it was demonstrated that He who was in the form of a
Servant, nevertheless, held in His own hand "the keys of death and
hades." Here was public proof that the Lord Jesus had absolute power
over the material world and over the realm of spirits. At His bidding
a soul that had left its earthly tenement was called back from the
unseen to dwell once more in the body. What a demonstration was this
that He who could work such astounding miracles must be none other
than one "who is over all, God blessed for ever" (Rom. 9:5). Thank God
for an all-mighty Savior. How can any sheep of His ever perish when
held in such a hand!
"And he that was dead came forth" (John 11:44). "This shows us what
the energy, the utmost energy, of evil can do over those who are the
beloved of the Lord; but it also shows us how the Lord Jesus sets it
altogether aside in the energy and in the strength of His own power.
We have here the full result of Satan's power, and the perfect
triumphing of the Lord over that power. Death is the result of the
power of Satan. By bringing in sin, he brought in death: `the wages of
sin'; this is the utmost of Satan's power. He brought in this at the
commencement, he brought it in by deceit; for `he was a murderer from
the beginning, and abode not in the truth.' Such has he been ever
since; he is called the old Serpent and the Deceiver; and having
deceived, he became the murderer of the first Adam, and in one sense,
of the last Adam. He was and is a liar; that is his character, as
exactly opposed to Christ, who is the truth. In like manner all the
variations of his character are set in opposition to that of Christ.
He is the destroyer, and Christ is the Giver of life; He is the
accuser of the brethren, and Christ the Mediator for them; Christ the
Truth of God, and Satan the father of lies. In this character he is
first brought before us. By misrepresenting the truth and character of
God, he became the murderer of the souls of men, and brought in
death--this was his power. Christ came to destroy him that had the
power of death, that is, the Devil. The Son of God came to destroy the
works of the Devil by bringing souls from the power of Satan to the
power of the living God. This is what is so strikingly illustrated
here in John 11" (Mr. J. N. Darby).
There are two ways in which the Lord Jesus has become the resurrection
and the life of His people: First, in purchasing their redemption from
the wages of sin, by paying Himself the full price which Divine
justice demanded for their trangressions. This He did by His own
voluntary and vicarious sufferings; being made a curse for us. Second,
by making us one with Himself who is the very life of all being: "he
that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit" (1 Cor. 6:17). It was this
He prayed for in John 17: "That they all may be one; as thou, Father,
art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us" (verse 21).
This is made good by the Holy Spirit: "If any man be in Christ he is a
new creation" (2 Cor. 5:17). The believer is "in Christ" not only by
the eternal choice of the Father (Eph. 1:4), not only by His being
constituted our federal Head (1 Cor. 15:22), but also by vital union.
In this double way then is Christ unto us "the resurrection and the
life," and thus has He completely triumphed over him (the Devil) who
had (no longer "has") the power of death. A most striking figure of
this was Lazarus. Dead, in the grave, his body already gone to
corruption. At the almighty word of Christ "he that was dead came
forth." The children of God are the children of the resurrection.
Where Christ is made the life of the soul, there is the certainty of a
resurrection to life eternal in Christ's life: when His life is
communicated to us, we have that within us over which the power of
Satan is unable to prevail. Dimly, but beautifully, was this
foreshadowed of old in the case of Job. Afflict him Satan might,
destroy his possessions he was permitted to do, but touch his life he
could not!
The picture presented here in John 11 is Divinely perfect. It was
during the bodily absence of Christ from Bethany that death exercised
its power over Lazarus. It is so with us now. What we have in John 11
is not merely an individual, but a family--a family beloved of the
Lord. How clearly this prefigured the family of God now upon earth!
While Christ was bodily absent, the power of death was felt, and
sorrow and grief came in. But tears gave place to rejoicing. After
abiding "two days" where He was, Christ came to that afflicted family,
and His very presence manifested the power of life. So, when Christ
returns for His people, it will be in this same twofold character: as
the Resurrection and the Life. Then will He put away not only the
grief of His people, but that which has caused it. In the interval,
His "tears" (before He raised Lazarus) assure us of His deep sympathy!
"And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with
graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin" (John
11:44). This line in the picture in nowise mars its accuracy, rather
does it intensify it. Whether we view the raising of Lazarus as a
figure of the regeneration of a sinner, or the glorification of the
believer, the "graveclothes" here and the removal of them, are equally
significant. When a sinner is born again, God's work of grace in his
soul is not perfected, rather has it just commenced. The old nature
still remains and the marks of the grave are still upon him. There is
much to impede the movements of the "new man," much from which he
needs to be "loosed," and which his spiritual resurrection did not of
itself effect. The language of such a soul was expressed by the
apostle Paul when he said, "to will is present with me, but how to
perform that which is good I find not... For I delight in the law of
God after the inward man; but I see another law in my members, warring
against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law
of sin which is in my members" (Rom. 7:18, 22, 23). It was so here
with Lazarus when the Lord called him from the tomb; he did not leave
the hampering graveclothes behind him, but came forth "bound hand and
foot."
"Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go" (John 11:44). How
this brings out the moral glory of Christ. The fact that He had to ask
the bystanders to liberate the risen man shows that the spectators
were all overcome with amazement and awe. The Lord alone remained
serene and collected. That the Lord invited them to "loose him"
(rather than, by a miracle, cause the clothes to fall from him) points
a beautiful lesson. In gracious condescension the Lord of glory links
human instruments with Himself in the work which He is now doing in
the world. Again and again is this seen in John's Gospel. He used the
servants at the wedding-feast, when He turned the water into wine. He
fed the hungry multitude through the hands of His disciples. He bade
the spectators of this last public miracle roll the stone away from
the grave; and now He asks them to free Lazarus from the graveclothes.
And this is still His blessed way. He alone can speak the word which
quickens dead sinners; but tie permits us to carry that word to them.
What an inestimable privilege--an honor not given even to the angels!
O that we might esteem it more highly. There is no higher privilege
this side of Heaven than for us to be used of the Lord in rolling away
gravestones and removing graveclothes.
"Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go." But there is a yet
deeper and even more blessed truth taught us here. In its ultimate
application the raising of Lazarus points, as we have seen, to the
full manifestation of Christ as the resurrection and the life at the
time when He returns to His sorrowing "family." Then will God's
wondrous work of sovereign grace be perfected. No longer shall we be
left in a groaning creation, but removed to His own place on high. No
longer shall we be imprisoned in these tabernacles of clay, for we
shall be "delivered from the bondage of corruption" and enter into
"the glorious liberty of the children of God." No more shall our face
be "bound about with a napkin," which now causes us to see "through a
glass darkly," but in that glad day we shall see "face to face" (1
Cor. 13:12). Then shall this corruptible put on incorruption and
mortality shall be "swallowed up of life" (2 Cor. 5:4). It is of this
that the "Loose him" speaks. No more shall we wear the habiliments of
death, but then shall we rejoice in that One who has forever set us
free that we might walk with Him in newness of life. Then, ah, then,
shall we obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee
away.
"Loose him." This was to satisfy the onlookers that they had not been
deceived by any optical delusion. With their own hands they were
permitted to handle his body. It is very striking to observe that in
this final "sign" of Christ, conclusive evidence was offered to three
of their senses--nostrils, eyes, and hands: the "stink" must have been
apparent when the stone was removed from the cave; they saw Lazarus
come forth a living man; they were suffered to trench and handle him.
All possible deception was therefore out of question.
"And let him go." The spectators were not allowed to satisfy an idle
curiosity. Lazarus was to retire to the privacy of home. Those who had
witnessed the miracle of his resurrection, were not suffered to pry
into the secrets of the grave or ask him curious questions. "Let him
go" was the authoritative word of Christ, and there the curtain falls.
And fitly so. When the Lord Jesus leaves His Father's throne on high
and descends into the air, we too shall go--go from these scenes of
sin and suffering, go to be "forever with the Lord." Glorious
prospect! Blessed climax! Blissful goal! May our eyes be steadily
fixed upon it, running with perseverance the race set before us,
looking off unto Him who "for the joy that was set before him, endured
the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of
the throne of God" (Heb. 12:2).
The following questions are to prepare the student for the closing
section of John 11:--
1. How explain the different actions of the spectators, verses 45, 46?
2. What important truth is illustrated in verse 50?
3. What is meant by "this spake he not of himself," verse 51?
4. What do verses 51, 52 teach about the Atonement?
5. "Gather together" in one what, verse 52?
6. Why did Jesus "walk no more openly among the Jews," verse 54?
7. What is meant by "to purify themselves," verse 55?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 40
Christ Feared by the Sanhedrin
John 11:45-57
_________________________________________________________________
The following is submitted as an Analysis of the passage which is to
be before us:--
1. The effects of Christ's great miracle, verses 45, 46.
2. The Council and their predicament, verses 47, 48.
3. Caiaphas and his counsel: verses 49, 50.
4. The Holy Spirit's interpretation, verses 51, 52.
5. The Council's decision and Christ's response, verses 53, 54.
6. The Feast of the Passover and the purification of the Jews, verses
55, 56.
7. The commandment of the Council, verse 57.
In the closing section of John 11 we are shown the effects of the
awe-inspiring miracle recorded in the earlier part of the chapter. And
we are at once struck with what is here omitted. The Holy Spirit has
told us of the varying impressions made upon the "many Jews" who
witnessed the raising of Lazarus, but nothing whatever is said of the
feelings of either Lazarus or his sisters! Several reasons may be
suggested for this. In the first place, the Bible is not written to
satisfy an idle curiosity. It would not have suited the ways of God
for us to know now what was retained by the memory of Lazarus as he
returned from the Unseen to this world. It is not God who moves
Spiritualists to pry into that which lies behind the veil. In the
second place, there is a beautiful delicacy in concealing from us the
emotions of Martha and Mary. We are not allowed to obtrude into the
privacy of their home after their loved one had been restored to them!
In the third place, may we not reverently say, the joy of the sisters
was too great for utterance. An impostor inventing this story would
have made this item very prominent, supposing that it would furnish a
suitable and appropriate climax to the narrative. But the spiritual
mind discerns that its very omission is an evidence of the Divine
perfections of this inspired record.
"Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things
which Jesus did, believed on him" (John 11:45). Though John says
nothing about the effects which the raising of Lazarus had upon any of
the members of the Bethany family, it is striking to observe how the
Holy Spirit here adheres to His unity of purpose. All through this
Gospel He has shown us the growing enmity of the "Jews," an enmity
which was now so swiftly to culminate in the crucifixion of the Lord
of glory. So now, without stopping to draw any moral from the great
"sign" which the Messiah had just given, without so much as making a
single comment upon it He at once tells us how it was regarded by the
Jews! They, as ever, were divided about the Lord Jesus (cf. John 7:43;
9:16; 10:19). A goodly number of those who had witnessed the coming
forth of Lazarus from the tomb "believed on him." Without attempting
to analyze their faith, this we may safely say: their enmity was
subdued, their hostility was discarded, temporarily at least.
"Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things
which Jesus did, believed on him." "It is remarkable that our
Evangelist speaks of them as those who had come to Mary. Their regard
for her led them to have regard to Him whom she so deeply loved.
Perhaps too they had conversed with her about Him, and she had borne
testimony unto Him, and impressed them favorably concerning Him, and
prepared them for their faith in Him" (Dr. John Brown). The wording of
this 45th verse is most significant. It does not say, "Then many of
the Jews came to Mary, who, seeing the things which Jesus did,
believed on ram, but "Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and
had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him." The two things
are linked together--the coming to Mary and the seeing the things
which He did--as explaining why they "believed on him." It reminds us
of what we read of in John 4:39, 41, 42: "And many of the Samaritans
believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told
me all that ever I did . . . And many more believed because of his own
word; And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy
saying; for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed
the Christ, the Savior of the world."
"But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what
things Jesus had done" (John 11:46). "But": ominous word is this.
Solemn is the contrast now presented. Some of those who had witnessed
the miracle went at once to the Pharisees and told them of what Christ
had done. Most probably they were their spies. Their motive in
reporting to these inveterate enemies of our Lord cannot be
misunderstood; they went not to modify but to inflame their wrath.
What an example of incorrigible hardness of heart! Alas, what is man!
Even miracles were to some "a savor of death unto death"!
"Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council" (John
11:47). The "chief priests" were, in all probability, Sadducees; we
know that the high priest was, see Acts 5:17. The "Pharisees" were
their theological opponents. These two rival sects hated each other
most bitterly, yet, in this evil work of persecuting the Lord Jesus,
they buried their differences, and eagerly joined together in the
common crime. The same thing is witnessed in connection with Herod and
Pilate: "And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked
him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate.
And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for
before they were at enmity between themselves" (Luke 23:11, 12)! Each
of these cases was a fulfillment of the prophecy which the Holy Spirit
had given through David long before: "The kings of the earth set
themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord,
and against His Christ" (Ps. 2:2).
"Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and
said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles" (John 11:47). The
"council" was deeply stirred by the evidence before them. Jesus had
clearly demonstrated that he was the Christ, and they ought forthwith
to have acknowledged Him. Instead of doing so they chided themselves
for their delay at not having apprehended and silenced Him before.
"What do we?" they asked. Why are we so dilatory? On a previous
occasion, these same men had sent officers to arrest Christ (John
7:32), but instead of doing so they returned to their masters saying,
"Never man spake like this man," and then, in the providence of God,
Nicodemus objected, "Doth our law judge any man before it hear him,
and know what he doeth?" (John 7:51), and this broke up their
conference. But now things had come to a head. They did know what He
was doing. "For this man doeth many miracles." This they could not
deny. Very solemn was it. They owned the genuineness of His miracles,
yet were their consciences unmoved. How this exposes the uselessness
of much that is being done today. Some think they have accomplished
much if they demonstrate to the intellect the truth of Christ's
miracles. We often wonder if such men really believe in the total
depravity of human nature. Souls are not brought into the presence of
God, or saved, by such means. The wisdom of this world is foolishness
with God. Nothing but omnipotent and sovereign grace is of any avail
for those who are lost. And the only thing God uses to quicken the
dead is His own Word. One who has really passed from death unto life
has no need for so-called "Christian Evidences" to buttress his faith:
one who is yet dead in trespasses and sins has no capacity of heart to
appreciate them. Preach the Word, not argue and reason about the
miracles of the Bible, is our business!
"If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him" (John 11:48).
How these words reveal the awful enmity of their hearts: no matter
what others did, they were determined not to believe. In our first
chapter on John 11 we called attention to the link between this
chapter and Luke 16. In each instance there was a "Lazarus." The very
name, then, of the one whom Christ had just raised at Bethany, should
have served to remind them of His warning words at the close of Luke
16. Well did Christ say of them, "If they hear not Moses and the
prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the
dead" (verse 31). What a proof that witnessing miracles will not bring
dead sinners to the feet of Christ! "We must never wonder if we see
abounding unbelief in our own times, and around our own homes. It may
seem at first inexplicable to us, how men cannot see the truth which
seems so clear to ourselves, and do not receive the Gospel which
appears so worthy of acceptation. But the plain truth is, that man's
unbelief is a far more deeply-seated disease than is generally
reckoned. It is proof against the logic of facts, against reasoning,
against moral suasion. Nothing can melt it down but the grace of God.
If we ourselves believe, we can never be too thankful. But we must
never count it a strange thing, if we see many of our fellow men as
hardened and unbelieving as the Jews" (Bishop Ryle).
"If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him; and the Romans
shall come and take away both our place and nation" (John 11:48). It
was only to be expected that the resurrection of Lazarus would raise a
wave of popular excitement. Any stir among the common people the
leaders considered would be dangerous, especially at passover time,
then nigh at hand, when Jerusalem would be filled with crowds of
Israelites, ready to take fire from any spark which might fall among
them (cf. John 12:12, 13). The Council therefore deemed it wisest to
concert measures at once for repressing the nascent enthusiasm.
Something must be done, but what they hardly knew. They feared that a
disturbance would bring Rome's heavy hand down upon them and lead to
the loss of what national life still remained to them. But their fears
were not from any concern which they had for God's glory, nor were
they even moved by patriotic instinct. It was sordid self-interest.
"They will take away our place," the temple (Greek "topos" used in
Acts 6:13, 14; Acts 21:28, 29, where, plainly, the temple is in view),
which was the center and source of all their influence and prover.
They claimed for themselves what belonged to God. The holy things
were, in their eyes, their special property.
Palestine had been annexed as a province to the Roman Empire, and as
was customary with that people, they allowed those whom they conquered
a considerable measure of self-government. The Jews were permitted to
continue the temple services and to hold their ecclesiastical court.
It was those who were in position of power who here took the lead
against Christ. They imagined that if they continued to leave Him
alone, His following would increase, and the people set Him up as
their King. It mattered not that He had taught, "My kingdom is not of
this world" (18.36); it mattered not that He retired when the people
had desired to take Him by force and make Him their King (John 6:15).
Enough that they supposed His claims threatened to interfere with
their schemes of worldly prosperity and self-aggrandizement.
It is indeed striking to see the utter blindness of these men. They
imagined that if they stopped short the career of Christ they would
protect themselves from the Romans. But the very things they feared
came to pass. They crucified Christ. And what was the sequel? Less
than forty years afterward the Roman army did come, destroyed
Jerusalem, burned the temple and carried away the whole nation into
captivity. A thoughtful writer has remarked on this point: "The
well-read Christian need hardly be reminded of many like things in the
history of Christ's Church. The Roman emperors persecuted the
Christians in the first three centuries, and thought it a positive
duty not to let them alone. But the more they persecuted them the more
they increased. The blood of the martyrs became the seed of the
Church. So, too, the English Papists, in the days of Queen Mary
persecuted the Protestants and thought that truth was in danger if
they left them alone. But the more they burned our forefathers, the
more they confirmed men's minds in steadfast attachment to the
doctrines of the Reformation. In short, the words of the second Psalm
are continually verified in this world. The kings of the earth set
themselves and the rulers take counsel against the Lord. But `He that
sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall have them in
derision.' God can make the designs of His enemies work together for
the good of His people, and cause the wrath of men to praise Him. In
days of trouble, and rebuke, and blasphemy, believers may rest
patiently in the Lord. The very things that at one time seem likely to
hurt them, shall prove in the end to be for their gain."
"And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same
year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is
expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the
whole nation perish not" (John 11:49, 50). The Council was puzzled.
They saw in Christ, as they thought, a menace to their interests, but
what course to follow they scarcely knew. Lip to this point they had
simply asked one another questions. Impatient at the vacillations of
the priests and Pharisees, the high priest brusquely and
contemptuously swept aside their deliberations with, "Ye know nothing
at all." "The one point to keep before us is our own interests. Let
that be clearly understood. When we once ask, What is expedient for
us, there can be no doubt about the answer. This Man must die! Never
mind about His miracles, or His teachings, or the beauty of His
character, His life is a perpetual danger to our prerogatives. I vote
for death." As John 11:53 shows us, the evil motion of Caiaphas was
carried. The Council regarded it as a brilliant solution to their
difficulty. "If this popular Nazarene be slain not only will suspicion
be removed from us, but our loyalty to the Roman Empire will be
unmistakably established. The execution of Jesus will not only show
that we have no intention of revolting, but rather will the slaying of
this Man, who is seeking to establish an independent kingdom, plainly
evidence our desire and purpose to remain the faithful subjects of
Caesar. Thus our watchful zeal for the integrity of the Empire will
not only establish confidence but win the applause of the jealous
power of Rome? Caiaphas spoke as an unscrupulous politician who
sacrifices righteousness and truth for party interests. So too in
accepting his policy, the Council persuaded themselves that political
prudence required the carrying out of his counsel rather than that the
Romans should be provoked.
"Our place" was what they considered. It was precisely what the Lord
had foretold: "But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among
themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the
inheritance may be ours" (Luke 20:14). Favor from Caesar rather than
from God, was what their hearts desired. "Unlike Abraham they took
riches from the king of Sodom instead of blessings from the hands of
Melchizedek. They chose the patronage of Rome rather than know the
resurrection-power of the Son of God" (Mr. Bellett). Solemn warning is
this for us to be governed by higher principles than "expediency."
"And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he
prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation" (John 11:51). "There
are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the
Lord that shall stand" (Prov. 19:21). Strikingly was this illustrated
here. Caiaphas was actuated by political expediency: the Lord Jesus
was to be a State victim. Little did he know of the deep meaning of
the words that he uttered, "It is expedient that one man die for the
people": little did he realize that he had been moved of God to utter
a prophecy to the honor of Him whom he despised. What we have in this
verse and in the one following is the Holy Spirit's parenthetical
explanation and amplification upon this saying of the high priest's.
Altogether unconscious of the fact, Caiaphas had "prophesied," and as
2 Peter 1:20, 21 tells us, "No prophecy of the scripture is of any
private interpretation i.e. human origination, for the prophecy came
not at any time by the will of man." The instance before us is closely
parallel with the case of Balaam in the O.T., who also "prophesied"
against his will.
The subject is indeed a profound one, and one which human wisdom has
stumbled over in every age, nevertheless the teaching of Scripture is
very clear upon the point: all things, in the final analysis, are of
God. Nowhere is this more evident than in connection with the
treatment which the Lord Jesus received at the hands of wicked men.
Referring to this very decision of the Council (among other things)
Acts 4:26-28 tells us, "The kings of the earth stood up, and the
rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his
Christ. For of a truth against thy holy servant Jesus, whom thou hast
anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the
people of Israel were gathered together, for to do whatsoever thy hand
and thy counsel determined before to be done." It had been decreed in
the eternal counsels of the Godhead that Christ should die, and die
for Israel, and when Caiaphas advanced his proposal he was but a link
in the chain which brought that decree to pass. This was not his
intention, of course. His motive was evil only, and therein was he
justly guilty. What we have here is the antitype of that which had
been foreshadowed long centuries before. The brethren of Joseph by
their cruel counsels thought to defeat the purpose of God, who had
made it known that they should yet pay homage to their younger
brother. Yet in delivering him up to the Ishmaelites, though their
intention was evil only, nevertheless, they did but bring to pass the
purpose of God. So Caiaphas fulfilled the very counsel of God
concerning Christ, which he meant to bring to nothing, by prophesying
that He should die for the people. Well may Christ have said to
Caiaphas, as Joseph had said to his brethren, "But as for you, ye
thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass,
as it is this day, to save much people alive" (Gen. 50:20)!
"And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he
prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation" (John 11:51). What
light this throws on the nature of Christ's death! It brings out its
twofold aspect. From the human side it was a brutal murder for
political ends: Caiaphas and the priests slaying Him to avoid an
unpopular tumult that might threaten their prerogatives; Pilate
consenting to His death to avoid the unpopularity which might follow a
refusal. But from the Divine side, the death of Christ was a vicarious
sacrifice for sinners. It was God making the wrath of man to praise
Him. "The greatest crime ever done in the world is the greatest
blessing ever given to the world. Man's sin works out the loftiest
Divine purpose, even as the coral insects blindly building up the reef
that keeps back the waters or, as the sea in its wild, impotent rage,
seeking to overwhelm the land, only throws upon the beach a barrier
that confines its waves and curbs its fury" (Dr. MacLaren).
"And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together
in one the children of God that were scattered abroad" (John 11:52).
As the previous verse gives us the Holy Spirit's explanation of the
words of Caiaphas, this one contains His amplification: as verse 51
informs us of the nature of Christ's death, verse 52 tells us of the
power and scope of it. The great Sacrifice was not offered to God at
random. The redemption-price which was paid at the Cross was not
offered without definite design. Christ died not simply to make
salvation possible, but to make it certain. Nowhere in Scripture is
there a more emphatic and explicit statement concerning the objects
for which the Atonement was made. No excuse whatever is there for the
vague (we should say, unscriptural) views, now so sadly prevalent in
Christendom, concerning the ones for whom Christ died. To say that He
died for the human race is not only to fly in the face of this plain
scripture, but it is grossly dishonoring to the sacrifice of Christ. A
large portion of the human race die un-saved, and if Christ died for
them, then was His death largely in vain. This means that the greatest
of all the works of God is comparatively a failure. How horrible! What
a reflection upon the Divine character! Surely men do not stop to
examine whither their premises lead them. But how blessed to turn away
from man's perversions to the Truth itself. Scripture tells us that
Christ "shall see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied." No
sophistry can evade the fact that these words give positive assurance
that every one for whom Christ died will, most certainly, be saved.
Christ died for sinners. But everything turns on the significance of
the preposition. What is meant by "Christ died for sinners"? To answer
that Christ died in order to make it possible for God to righteously
receive sinners who come to Him through Christ, is only saying what
many a Socinian has affirmed. The testing of a man's orthodoxy on this
vital truth of the Atonement requires something far more definite than
this. The saving efficacy of the Atonement lies in the vicarious
nature of Christ's death, in His representing certain persons, in His
bearing their sins, in His being made a curse for them, in His
purchasing them, spirit and soul and body. It will not do to evade
this by saying, "There is such a fulness in the satisfaction of
Christ, as is sufficient for the salvation of the whole world, were
the whole world to believe in Him." Scripture always ascribes the
salvation of a sinner, not to any abstract "sufficiency," but to the
vicarious nature, the substitutional character of the death of Christ.
The Atonement, therefore, is in no sense sufficient for a man, unless
the Lord Jesus died for that man: "For God hath not appointed us to
wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for
us" (1 Thess. 5:9, 10). "If the nature of this `sufficiency' for all
men be sifted, it will appear to be nothing more than a conditional
`sufficiency,' such as the Arminians attribute to their universal
redemption--the condition is: were the whole world to believe on Him.
The condition, however, is not so easily performed. Many professors
speak of faith in Christ as comparatively an easy matter, as though it
were within the sinner's power; but the Scriptures teach a different
thing. They represent men by nature as spiritually bound with chains,
shut up in darkness, in a prison-house. So then all their boasted
`sufficiency' of the Atonement is only an empty offer of salvation on
certain terms and conditions; and such an Atonement is much too weak
to meet the desperate case of a lost sinner" (Wm. Rushton).
Whenever the Holy Scriptures speak of the sufficiency of redemption,
they always place it in the certain efficacy of redemption. The
Atonement of Christ is sufficient because it is absolutely
efficacious, and because it effects the salvation of all for whom it
was made. Its sufficiency lies not in affording man a possibility of
salvation, but in accomplishing their salvation with invincible power.
Hence the Word of God never represents the sufficency of the Atonement
as wider than the design of the Atonement. How different is the
salvation of God from the ideas now popularly entertained of it! "As
for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy
prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water" (Zech. 9:11). Christ, by
His death paid the ransom, and made sin's captives His own. He has a
legal right to all of the persons for whom He paid that ransom price,
and therefore with God's own right arm they are brought forth.
For whom did Christ die? "For the transgression of my people was he
stricken" (Isa. 53:8). "Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall
save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). "The Son of man came
not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a
ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28). "The good Shepherd giveth his life
for the sheep" (John 10:11). "Christ also loved the church and gave
himself for it" (Eph. 5:25). "Who gave himself for us, that he might
redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar
people" (Titus 2:14). "To make propitiation for the sins of the
people" (Heb. 2:17). Here are seven passages which gave a clear and
simple answer to our question, and their testimony, both singly and
collectively, declare plainly that the death of Christ was not an
atonement for sin abstractedly, nor a mere expression of Divine
displeasure against iniquity, nor an indefinite satisfaction of Divine
justice, but instead, a ransom-price paid for the eternal redemption
of a certain number of sinners, and a plenary satisfaction for their
particular sins. It is the glory of redemption that it does not merely
render God placable and man pardonable, but that it has reconciled
sinners to God, put away their sins, and forever perfected His
set-apart ones.
"He prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation" (verse 51). The
nature of Christ's death is here intimated in the word "for": it was
in the stead of others. Christ died for "that nation," (i.e. that
"holy nation," 1 Peter 2:9). Mark here the striking accuracy of
Scripture. Caiaphas did not say that Christ should die for "this
nation," (namely, the Jewish nation); but for "that nation." Isaiah 53
will be the confession of that "holy nation," as the beginning of
Isaiah 54 plainly shows. Then shall it be said, "Thy people also shall
be all righteous: they shall inherit the land forever, the branch of
my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified" (Isa.
60:21).
"And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together
in one the children of God that were scattered abroad" (John 11:52).
Here the Holy Spirit tells us that the scope of Christ's death also
includes God's elect from among the Gentiles. As the Savior had
announced on a former occasion, "I lay down my life for the sheep. And
other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must
bring, and they shall hear my voice;, and there shall be one flock,
and one shepherd" (John 10:15, 16). Here then are the "other sheep,"
namely, God's elect scattered throughout the world. They are here
called "the children of God" because they were such in His eternal
purpose. Just as Christ said "other sheep I have," and just as God
said to the Apostle, "I have much people in this city" (Acts 18:10),
so in the mind of God these were children, though "scattered abroad,"
when Christ died. There is a most striking correspond-ency between
John 11:51, 52 and 1 John 2:2: the one explains the other. Note
carefully the threefold parallelism between them. Christ died with a
definite end in view, and the Father had an express purpose before Him
in giving up His Son to death. That end and that purpose was that
"Israel" should be redeemed, and that "the children of God," scattered
abroad, should be gathered together in one--not "one body," for the
Church is nowhere contemplated (corporeately) in John's writings; but
one family. It shall yet be fully demonstrated that Christ did not die
in vain. The prayer of our great High Priest will be fully answered:
"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe
on me through their word; that they all may be one" (John 17:20,21).
Then shall He "see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied" (Isa.
53:11).
"Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to
death" (John 11:53). What a fearful climax was this to all that had
gone before! Again and again we have noted the incorrigible wickedness
of the Jews. Not only was He not "received" by His own, but they cast
Him out. Not only was He despised and rejected by men, but they
thirsted for His blood. The religious head of the Nation, the high
priest, moved for His death, and the Council passed and ratified his
motion. Nothing now remained but the actual execution of their awful
decision. Their only consideration now was how and when His death
could best be accomplished without creating a tumult among the people.
No doubt they concluded that the raising of Lazarus would result in a
considerable increase in the number of the Lord's followers, hence
they deemed it wise to use caution in carrying out their murderous
plan.
"Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews" (John 11:54).
How quietly, with what an entire absence of parade, does the Holy
Spirit introduce some of the most striking points in Scripture! How
much there is in this word "therefore." It shows plainly that God
would have us meditate on every jot and tittle of His matchless Word.
The force of the "therefore" here is this: the Lord Jesus knew of the
decision at which the Council had arrived. He knew they had decreed
that He should die. It is another of the many inconspicuous proofs of
His Deity, which are scattered throughout this Gospel. It witnessed to
His omniscience. The Holy Spirit has shown us that He knew what took
place in that Council, for He has recorded the very words that were
uttered there. And now Christ shows us by His action here that He also
knew. We may add that the word for "no more" signifies "not yet," or
"no more at present"; "openly" signifies "publicly."
"Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews; but went thence
unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and
there continued with his disciples" (11:54). Though near at hand, His
"hour" had not yet come: Christ therefore retired into a place about
which nothing is now known, there to enjoy quiet fellowship with His
disciples. "Like the former cases of retirement, this place is
significant. Ephraim means `fruitlessness': it is the name given to
the tribes in apostasy, in the Prophets, forecasting thus what was in
God's heart about them, even though they were in rebellion and ruin.
Can anything exceed the grace of God, or anything but man's depravity
and obduracy bring it into action and display, and be a fitting cause
and occasion for all its riches and wonders! Ah they who have been met
by God in that grace, are yet to meet Him in the glory of it, to know
as all through the history of their sad failures they have been known.
Thus we have in chapter ten the Church gathered to the Son of God,
here (anticipatively) Israel; but He must die for this" (Malachi
Taylor).
"And the Jews' passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the
country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves"
(John 11:55). Here was man's religiousness, punctilious about
ceremonial ablutions, but with no heart for inward purity. The very
ones who were so careful about ordinances, were, in a few days,
willing to shed innocent blood! What a commentary upon human nature!
According to the Mosaic law no Israelite who was ceremonially, defiled
could keep the passover at the regular time, though he was allowed to
keep it one month later (Num. 9:10, 11). It was to avoid this delay,
that many Jews here came up to Jerusalem before the passover that they
might be "purified," and hence entitled to keep it in the month Nisan.
"Then sought they for Jesus, and spake among themselves, as they stood
in the temple, What think ye, that he will not come to the feast?"
(John 11:56). Two things gave rise to this questioning among those who
had come up to Jerusalem from all sections of Palestine. Each of the
two previous years Christ had been present at the Feast. In John 2:13
we read, "And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to
Jerusalem." It was at this season the Lord had manifested Himself as
the Vindicator of the honor of His Father's House, and a deep
impression had been made on those who had witnessed it. A year later,
during the course of the Feast He had fed the hungry multitude on the
Mount. This so stirred the people that they wanted, by force, to make
Him their king (John 6:14, 15). But now the leaders of the natron were
incensed against Him. They had decreed that Jesus must die, and their
decree was now public knowledge. Hence the one topic of interest among
the crowds of Jews in Jerusalem was, would this miracle worker who
claimed to be not only the Messiah but the Son of God, enter the
danger zone, or would He be afraid to expose Himself?
"Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment,
that, if any man know where he were, he should show it that they might
take him" (John 11:57). Behind the edict of the Council we may
discover the enmity of the Serpent working against the woman's Seed.
This verse supplies the climax to the chapter, showing the full effect
of the Divine testimony which had been borne in the raising of
Lazarus. The resurrection-power of the Son of God had brought to a
head the hatred of him who had the power of death. It is true that
Christ had raised the dead on other occasions, but here He had given a
public display of His mighty power on the very outskirts of Jerusalem,
and this was an open affront to Satan and his earthly instruments. The
glory of the Lord Jesus shone out so brightly that it seriously
threatened the dominion of "the prince of this world," and
consequently there was no longer a concealment of the resolution which
he had moved the religious world to make--Jesus must die. But how
blessed to know that the very enmity of the Devil himself is overruled
by God to the outworking of His eternal purpose!
1. In whose house was the "supper" made, verse 2?
Let the student give careful attention to the following questions on
our next section, John 12:1-11--
2. What do verses 2 and 3 hint at about the eternal state?
3. What is intimated by Mary wiping Christ's feet with her "hair,"
verse 3?
4. What spiritual truth is suggested by the last clause of verse 3?
5. How many contrasts are there here between Mary and Judas?
6. What blessed truth is suggested by "Let her alone," verse 7?
7. Why were the "chief priests" so anxious to get rid of Lazarus,
verse 10?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 41
Christ Anointed at Bethany
John 12:1-11
_________________________________________________________________
Below is an Analysis of the passage which we are about to study:--
1. Jesus at Bethany again, verse 1.
2. The supper, verse 2.
3. Mary's devotion, verse 3.
4. Judas' criticism, verses 4-6.
5. Christ's vindication of Mary, verses 7, 8.
6. The curiosity of the crowd, verse 9.
7. The enmity of the priests, verses 10, 11.
What is recorded in John 12 occurred during the last week before our
Lord's death. In it are gathered up what men would term the "results"
of His public ministry. For three years the unvarying and manifold
perfections of His blessed Person had been manifested both in public
and in private. Two things are here emphasized: there was a deepening
appreciation on the part of His own; but a steady hardening of
unbelief and increasing hostility in His enemies. Three most striking
incidents in the chapter illustrate the former: first, Christ is seen
in the midst of a circle of His most intimate friends in whose love He
was permanently embalmed; second, we behold how that a striking, if
transient, effect, had been made on the popular mind: the multitude
hailed Him as "king"; third, a hint is given of the wider influence He
was yet to wield, even then at work, beyond the bounds of Judaism:
illustrated by the "Greeks" coming and saying, "We would see Jesus."
But on the other hand, we also behold in this same chapter the
workings of that awful enmity which would not be appeased until He had
been put to death. The hatred of Christ's enemies had even penetrated
the inner circle of His chosen apostles, for one of them was so
utterly lacking in appreciation of His person that he openly expressed
his resentment against the attribute of love which Mary paid to his
Master. And at the close of the first section of this chapter we are
told, "But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus
also to death." "In this hour there meet a ripeness of love which
Jesus has won for Himself in the hearts of men, and a maturity of
alienation which forebodes that His end cannot be far distant" (Dr.
Dods).
In a most remarkable way and in numerous details John 12 abounds in
contrasts. What could be more exquisitely blessed than its opening
scene: Love preparing a feast for its Beloved; Martha serving, now in
His presence; Lazarus seated with perfect composure and in joyous
fellowship with the One who had called him out of the grave; Mary
freely pouring out her affection by anointing with costly spikenard
Him at whose feet she had learned so much. And yet what can be more
solemn than the death-shades which fall across this very scene: the
Lord Himself saying, "Against the day of my burying hath she kept
this,' so soon to be followed by those heart-moving words, Now is my
soul troubled" (John 12:27). His own death was now in full view,
present, no doubt, to His heart as He had walked with Mary to the tomb
of Lazarus. As we have seen in John 11, He felt deeply the groaning
and travailing of that creation which once had come so fair from His
own hands. It was sin which had brought in desolation and death, and
soon He was to be "made sin" and endure in infinite depths of anguish
the judgment of God which was due it. He was about to yield Himself up
to death for the glory of God (John 12:27, 28), for only in the Cross
could be laid that foundation for the accomplishment of God's eternal
counsels.
Christ had ever been the Object of the Father's complacency. "When he
appointed the foundations of the earth: then I was by him, as one
brought up with him and I was daily his delight" (Prov. 8:29, 30). So
too at the beginning of His public ministry, the Father had declared,
"This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased"
(Matthew 3:17). But now He was about to give the Father new ground for
delight: "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my
life, that I might take it again" (John 10:17). Here then was the
deepest character of His glory, and the Father saw to it that a
fitting testimony should be borne to this very fact. His grace
prepared one to enter, in some measure at least, into what was on the
eve of transpiring. Mary's heart anticipated what lay deepest in His,
even before it found expression in words (John 13:31). She not only
knew that He would die, but she apprehended the infinite preciousness
and value of that death. And how more fittingly could she have
expressed this than by anointing His body "to the burying" (Mark
14:8)!
The link between John 11 and 12 is very precious. There we have, in
figure, one of God's elect passing from death unto life; here we are
shown that into which the new birth introduces us: Lazarus sitting at
meat with the Lord Jesus. "But now, in Christ Jesus, ye who some times
were far off, are made nigh by the blood of Christ" (Eph. 2:13). This
is the marvel of grace. Redemption brings the sinner into the presence
of the Lord, not as a trembling culprit, but as one who is at perfect
ease in that Presence, yea, as a joyful worshipper. It is this which
Lazarus sitting at "the table" with Christ so sweetly speaks of. And
yet the opening scene of John 12 looks forward to that which is still
more blessed.
The opening verses of John 12 give us the sequel to what is central in
the preceding chapter. Here we are upon resurrection ground. That
which is foreshadowed in this happy gathering at Bethany is what
awaits believers in the Glory. It is that which shall follow the
complete manifestation of Christ as the resurrection and the life.
Three aspects of our glorified state and our future activities in
Heaven are here made known. First, in Lazarus seated at the table with
Christ we learn of both our future position and portion. To be where
Christ is, will be the place we shall occupy: "That where I am, there
ye may be also" (John 14:3). To share with Christ His inherited reward
will be our portion. And how blessedly this comes out here: "They made
him a supper... Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with
him." This will find its realization when Christ shall say, "The glory
which thou gavest me I have given them" (John 17:22)! "And Martha
served." As to our future occupation in the endless ages yet to come
Scripture says very little, yet this we do know, "his servants shall
serve him" (Rev. 22:4). Finally, in Mary's loving devotion, we behold
the unstinted worship which we shall then render unto Him who sought
and bought and brought us to Himself.
"Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where
Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead" (John
12:1). This verse has long presented a difficulty to the commentators.
A few have demurred, but by far the greater number in each age have
considered that Matthew (Matthew 26) and Mark (Mark 14) record the
same incident that is found in John 12. But both Matthew and Mark
introduce the anointing at Bethany by a brief mention of that which
occurred only "two days" before the passover; whereas John tells us it
transpired "six days" before the passover (see Matthew 26:2; Mark
14:1; John 12:1). But the difficulty is self created, and there is no
need whatever to imagine, as a few have done, that Christ was anointed
twice at Bethany, with costly ointment, by a different woman during
His last week. The fact is, that, excepting the order of events, there
is nothing whatever in the Synoptists which in any wise conflicts with
what John tells us. How could there be when the Holy Spirit inspired
every word in each narrative? Both Matthew and Mark begin by telling
us of the decision of the Sanhedrin to have Christ put to death, and
then follows the account of His anointing at Bethany. But it is to be
carefully noted that after recording the decision of the Council "two
days" before the passover, Matthew does not use his characteristic
term and say "Then when Jesus was in Bethany, he was anointed"; nor
does Mark employ his customary word and say, "And immediately" or
"straightway Jesus was anointed." But how are we to explain Matthew's
and Mark's description of the "anointing" out of its chronological
order?
We believe the answer is as follows: The conspiracy of Israel's
leaders to seize the Lord Jesus is followed by a retrospective glance
at the "anointing" because what happened at Bethany provided them with
an instrument which thus enabled them to carry out their vile desires.
The plot of the priests was successful through the instrumentality of
Judas, and that which followed Mary's expression of love shows us what
immediately occasioned the treachery of the betrayer. Judas protested
against Mary's extravagance, and the Lord rebuked him, and it was
immediately afterward that the traitor went and made his awful pact
with the priests. Both Matthew and Mark are very definite on this
point. The one tells us that immediately following the Lord's reply
"Then one of the twelve called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief
priests" (Matthew 26:14); Mark linking together without a break, the
rebuke of Christ and the betrayer's act by the word "and" (Mark
14:10). John mentions the "supper" at Bethany in its historical order,
Matthew and Mark treat of the events rising out of the supper,
bringing it in to show us that the rebuke of Christ rankled in the
mind of Judas and caused him to go at once and bargain with the
priests.
But how are we to explain the discrepancies in the different accounts?
We answer, There are none. Variations there are, but nothing is
inconsistent. The one supplements the other, not contradicts. When
John describes any event recorded in the Synoptists, he rarely repeats
all the circumstances and details specified by his predecessors,
rather does he dwell upon other features not mentioned by them. Much
has been made of the fact that both Matthew and Mark tell us that the
anointing took place in the house of Simon the leper, whereas John is
silent on the point. To this it is sufficient to reply, the fact that
the supper was in Simon's house explains why Jesus tells us Lazarus
"sat at the table with him": if the supper had been in Lazarus' house,
such a notice would have been superfluous. Admire then the silent
harmony of the Gospel narratives.[1]
"Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany" (John 12:1).
The R.V. more correctly renders this, "Jesus therefore six days before
the passover came to Bethany." But what is the force of the
"therefore"? with what in the context is it connected? We believe the
answer is found in John 11:51: Caiaphas "prophesied that Jesus should
die for that nation" etc.--"Jesus therefore six days before the
passover came to Bethany." He was the true paschal Lamb that was to be
sacrificed for His people, therefore did He come to Bethany, which was
within easy walking distance of Jerusalem, where He was to be slain.
It is very striking to note that the very ones who thirsted so
greedily for His blood said, "Not on the feast day, lest there be an
uproar among the people" (Matthew 26:5--repeated by Mark 14:2). But
God's counsels could not be thwarted, and at the very hour the lambs
were being slain, the true passover was sacrificed. But why "six days
before the passover"? Perhaps God designed that in this interval man
should fully show forth what he was.
"Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany." The
memories of Bethany cannot fail to touch a chord in the heart of any
one who loves the Lord Jesus. His blood-bought people delight to dwell
upon anything which is associated with His blessed name. But what
makes Bethany so attractive is that He seemed to find in the little
company there a resting-place in His toilsome path. It is blessed to
know that there was one oasis in the desert, one little spot where He
who "endured the contradiction of sinners against himself" could
retire from the hatred and antagonism of His enemies. There was one
sheltered nook where He could find those who, although they knew but
little, were truly attracted to Him. It was to this "Elim" in the
wilderness (Ex. 15:27) that the Savior now turned on His last journey
to Jerusalem.
"Where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead."
This is very blessed as an introduction to what follows. The Lord
Jesus interpreted the devotion of Mary as "against the day of my
burying hath she kept this" (John 12:7). The Father ordered it that
His beloved Son should be "anointed" here in this home at Bethany in
the presence of Lazarus whom Christ had raised from the dead: it
attested the power of His own resurrection!
"There they made him a supper" (John 12:2). This evening meal took
place not at the home of Martha, but, as we learn from the other
Evangelists, in the house of Simon, who also dwelt at Bethany. He is
called "the leper" (as Matthew is still named the "tax-gatherer" after
Christ had called him) in remembrance of that fearful disease from
which the Lord, most probably, had healed him. It is quite likely that
he was a relative or an intimate friend of Martha and Mary, for the
elder sister is here seen ministering to his guests as her own,
superintending the entertainment, doing the honors, for so the
original word may here imply--compare the conduct of the mother of
Jesus at the marriage in Cana: John 2. It is blessed to observe that
this "supper" was made for Christ, not in honor of Lazarus!
"There they made him a supper." Note the use of the plural pronoun.
Though this supper was held in the house of "Simon the leper" it is
evident that Martha and Mary had no small part in the arranging of it.
This, together with the whole context, leads us to the conclusion that
a feast was here made as an expression of deep gratitude and praise
for the raising of Lazarus. Christ was there to share their happiness.
In the previous chapter we have seen Him weeping with those who wept,
here we behold Him rejoicing with those who rejoice! When He restored
to life the daughter of Jairus, He gave the child to her parents and
then withdrew. When He raised the widow's son at Nain, He restored him
to his mother and then retired. And why? because so far as the record
informs us He was a stranger to them. But here, after He had raised
Lazarus, He returned to Bethany and partook of their loving
hospitality. It was His joy to behold their joy, and share in the
delight which His restoration of the link which death had severed, had
naturally produced. That is His "recompense": to rejoice in the joy of
His people. Mark another contrast: when He raised Jairus' daughter He
said "Give her to eat"; here after the raising of Lazarus, they gave
Him to eat!
"There they made him a supper." This points another of the numerous
contrasts in which our passage abounds. Almost at the very beginning
of His ministry, just before He performed His first public "sign," we
see the Lord Jesus invited to a marriage-feast; here, almost at the
very close of His public ministry, just after His last public "sign,"
a supper is made for Him. But how marked the antithesis! At Cana He
turned the water into wine-emblem of the joy of life; here at Bethany
He is anointed in view of His own burial!
"And Martha served." This is most blessed. This was her characteristic
method of showing her affection. On a former occasion the Lord had
gently reproved her for being "cumbered with much serving," and
because she was anxious and troubled about many things. But she did
not peevishly leave off serving altogether. No; she still served:
served not the less attentively, but more wisely. Love is unselfish.
We are not to feast on our own blessings in the midst of a groaning
creation, rather are we to be channels of blessing to those around:
John 7:38, 39. But mark here that Martha's service is connected with
the Lord: "They made him a supper and Martha served." This alone is
true service. We must not seek to imitate others, still less, work for
the sake of building up a reputation for zeal. It must be done to and
for Christ: "Always abounding in the work of the Lord"
(1 Cor. 15:58).
"And Martha served": no longer outside the presence of Christ, as on a
former occasion--note her "serve alone" in Luke 10:40. "In Martha's
`serving' now we do not find her being `cumbered', but something that
is acceptable, as in the joy of resurrection, the new life, unto Him
who has given it. Service is in its true place when we have first
received all from Him, and the joy of it as begotten by Himself
sweetly ministers to Him" (Malachi Taylor).
"But Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him" (John
12:2). This illustrated the true Christian position. Lazarus had been
dead, but now alive from the dead, he is seated in the company of the
Savior. So it is (positionally) with the believer: "when we are dead
in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ... And hath raised us
up together, and made us sit together in the heavenlies in Christ
Jesus" (Eph. 2:5, 6). We have been "made meet to be partakers of the
inheritance of the saints in light" (Col. 1:12). Such is our perfect
standing before God, and there can be no lasting peace of heart until
it be apprehended by faith.
"But Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him." This
supplies more than a vague hint of our condition in the resurrected
state. In this age of rationalism the vaguest views are entertained on
this subject. Many seem to imagine that Christians will be little
better than disembodied ghosts throughout eternity. Much is made of
the fact that Scripture tells us "flesh and blood shall not inherit
the kingdom of God," and the expression "spiritual body" is regarded
as little more than a phantasm. While no doubt the Scriptures leave
much unsaid on the subject, yet they reveal not a little about the
nature of our future bodies. The body of the saint will be "fashioned
like unto" the glorious body of the resurrected Christ (Phil. 3:21).
It will therefore be a glorified body, yet not a non-material one.
There was no blood in Christ's body after He rose from the dead, but
He had "flesh and bones" (Luke 24:39). True, our bodies will not be
subject to their present limitations: sown in weakness, they shall be
"raised in power.'' A "spiritual body" we understand (in part) to
signify a body controlled by the spirit--the highest part of our
beings. In our glorified bodies we shall eat. The daughter of Jairus
needed food after she was restored to life. Lazarus is here seen at
the table. The Lord Jesus ate food after He had risen from the dead.
"But Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him." "A happy
company it must have been. For if Simon was healed by the Lord at some
previous time, as has been supposed, full to overflowing must his
heart have been for the mercy vouchsafed. And Lazarus, there raised
from the dead, what proofs were two of that company of the Lord's
power and goodness! God only could heal the leper; God only could
raise the dead. A leper healed, a dead man raised, and the Son of God
who had healed the one, and had raised the other, here also at the
table--never before we may say without fear of contradiction had a
supper taken place under such circumstances" (C. E. Stuart).
"Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and
anointed the feet of Jesus" (John 12:3). Mary had often heard the
gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth: the Lord of glory had
sat at their humble board in Bethany, and she had sat at His feet to
be instructed. In the hour of her deep sorrow He had wept with her,
and then had He delivered her brother from the dead, crowning them
with lovingkindness and tender mercy. And how could she show some
token of her love to Him who had first loved her? She had by her a
cruse of precious ointment, too costly for her own use, but not too
costly for Him. She took and broke it and poured it on Him as a
testimony of her deep affection, her unutterable attachment, her
worshipful devotion. We learn from John 12:5 that the value of her
ointment was the equivalent of a whole year's wages of a laboring man
(cf. Matthew 20:2)! And let it be carefully noted, this devotion of
Mary was prompted by no sudden impulse: "against the day of my burying
hath she kept this" (John 12:7)--the word means "diligently
preserved," used in John 17:12, 15!
"Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and
anointed the feet of Jesus." Mary's act occupies the central place in
this happy scene. The ointment was "very costly," but not too costly
to lavish upon the Son of God. Not only did Mary here express her own
love, but she bore witness to the inestimable value of the person of
Christ. She entered into what was about to be done to and by Him: she
anointed Him for burial. He was despised and rejected of men, and they
were about to put Him to a most ignominious death. But before any
enemy's hand is laid upon Him, love's hands first anoint Him! Thus
another striking and beautiful contrast is here suggested.
"Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and
anointed the feet of Jesus." Mark tells us she "broke the box" before
she poured it on the Savior. This, in figure, spoke of the breaking of
His body, of which the broken bread in the Lord's Supper is the
lasting memorial. Both Matthew and Mark tell us that she anointed the
head of Christ. This is no discrepancy. Evidently, Mary anointed both
His head and feet, but most appropriately was John led to notice only
the latter, for as the Son of God it was fitting that this disciple
should take her place in the dust before Him!
"And wiped his feet with her hair" (John 12:3). How the Holy Spirit
delights in recording that which is done out of love to and for the
glory of Christ! How many little details has He preserved for us in
connection with Mary's devotion. He has told us of the kind of
ointment it was, the box in which it was contained, the weight of it,
and its value; and now He tells us something which brings out, most
blessedly, Mary's discernment of the glory of Christ. She recognized
something of what was due Him, therefore after anointing Him she wiped
His feet with her "hair"--her "glory" (1 Cor. 11:15)! Her silent act
spread around the savor of Christ as One infinitely precious. Before
the treachery of Judas, Christ receives the testimony of Mary's
affection. It was the Father putting this seal of deepest devotion
upon the One who was about to be betrayed.
"And the house was filled with the odour of the ointment" (John 12:3).
This is most significant, a detail not supplied in the Synoptics, but
most appropriate here. Matthew and Mark tell us how Christ gave orders
that "Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole
world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial
of her" (Mark 14:9). This John omits. In its place he tells us, "And
the house was filled with the odour of the ointment." In the other
Gospels the "memorial" goes forth: here the fragrance of Christ's
person abides in "the house." There is much suggested here: not simply
the "room" but "the house" was filled with the sweet fragrance of the
person of Christ anointed by the spikenard. Sooner or later, all would
know what had been done to the Lord. The people on the housetop would
perceive that something sweet had been offered below. And do not the
angels above know what we below are now rendering unto Christ (cf. 1
Corinthians 11:10, etc.)!
"Mary came not to hear a sermon, although the first of Teachers was
there; to sit at His feet and hear His word, was not now her purpose,
blessed as that was in its proper place. She came not to make known
her requests to Him. Time was when in deepest submission to His will
she had fallen at His feet, saying, `Lord, if thou hadst been here, my
brother had not died'; but to pour out her supplications to Him as her
only resource was not now her thought, for her brother was seated at
the table. She came not to meet the saints, though precious saints
were there, for it says `Jesus loved Martha and Mary and Lazarus.'
Fellowship with them was blessed likewise and doubtless of frequent
occurrence; but fellowship was not her object now. She came not after
the weariness and toil of a week's battling with the world, to be
refreshed from Him, though surely she, like every saint, had learned
the trials of the wilderness; and none more than she, probably, knew
the blessed springs of refreshment that were in Him. But she came, and
that too at the moment when the world was expressing its deepest
hatred of Him, to pour out what she had long treasured up (John 12:7),
that which was most valuable to her, all she had upon earth, upon the
person of the One who had made her heart captive, and absorbed her
affections. She thought not of Simon the leper--she passed the
disciples by--her brother and her sister in the flesh and in the Lord
engaged not her attention then--`Jesus only' filled her soul--her eyes
were upon Him. Adoration, homage, worship, blessing, was her one
thought, and that in honor of the One who was `all in all' to her, and
surely such worship was most refreshing to Him" (Simple Testimony).
"Then saith one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which
should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred
pence, and given to the poor?" (John 12:4, 5). What a contrast was
this from the affectionate homage of Mary! But how could he who had no
heart for Christ appreciate her devotion! There is a most striking
series of contrasts here between these two characters. She gave freely
what was worth three hundred pence; right afterwards Judas sold Christ
for thirty pieces of silver. She was in a "Simon's" house; He was a
"Simon's son." Her "box" (Mark 14:3); his "bag" (John 12:6). She a
worshipper; he a thief. Mary drew the attention of all to the Lord;
Judas would turn away the thoughts of all from Christ to "the poor."
At the very time Satan was goading on the heart of Judas to do the
worst against Christ, the Holy Spirit mightily moved the heart of Mary
to pour out her love for Him. Mary's devotion has given her a place in
the hearts of all who have received the Gospel; Judas by his act of
perfidy went to "his own place"--the Pit!
Everything is traced to its source in this Gospel. Matthew 26:8 tells
us that "When his disciples saw it [Mary's tribute of love], they had
indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?" But John shows us
who was the one that had injected the poison into their minds. Judas
was the original protester, and his evil example affected the other
apostles. What a solemn case is this of evil communications corrupting
good manners (1 Cor. 15:33)! Everything comes out into the light here.
Just as John is the only one who gives us the name of the woman who
anointed the Lord, so he alone tells us who it was that started the
criticizing of Mary.
In John 12:3 we have witnessed the devotedness of faith and love never
surpassed in a believer. But behind the rosebush lurked the serpent.
It reminds us very much of Psalm 23:5: "Thou preparest a table before
me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil"!
The murmuring of Judas right after the worship of Mary is most
solemnly significant. True valuation of Christ always brings out the
hatred of those who are of Satan. No sooner was He worshiped as an
infant by the wise men from the East, then Herod sought to slay Him.
Immediately after the Father proclaimed Him as His "beloved Son," the
Devil assailed Him for forty days. The apostles were seized and thrown
into prison because the leaders of Israel were incensed that they
"taught the people and preached through Jesus the resurrection from
the dead" (Acts 4:2, 3). So in a coming day many will be beheaded "for
the testimony of Jesus" (Rev. 20:4).
"Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to
the poor?" (John 12:5). This was the criticism of a covetous soul. How
petty his range of vision! How sordid his conception! He argued that
the precious unguent which had been lavished upon Christ ought to have
been sold. He considered it had been wasted (Mark 14:4). His notion of
"waste" was crude and material in the extreme. Love is never "wasted."
Generosity is never "wasted." Sacrifice is never "wasted." Love
grudges nothing to the Lord of love! Love esteems its costliest nard
all inferior to His worth. Love cannot give Him too much. And where it
is given out of love to Christ we cannot give too much for His
servants and His people. How beautifully this is expressed in
Philippians 4:18: "having received of Epaphroditus the things which
were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smelt, a sacrifice acceptable,
well-pleasing to God."
Judas had no love for Christ, hence it was impossible that he should
appreciate what had been done for Him. Very solemn is this: he had
been in the closest contact with the redeemed for three years, and yet
the love of money still ruled his heart. Cold-heartedness toward
Christ and stinginess toward His cause always go together. "To whom
little is forgiven, the same loveth little" (Luke 7:47). There are
many professing Christians today infested with a Judas-like spirit.
They are quite unable to understand true zeal and devotedness to the
Lord. They look upon it all as fanaticism. Worst of all, such people
seek to cloak their miserliness in giving to Christian objects by a
pretended love for the poor: `charity begins at home' expresses the
same spirit. The truth is, and it had been abundantly demonstrated all
through these centuries, that those who do the most for the poor are
the very ones who are most liberal in supporting the cause of Christ.
Let not Christians be moved from a patient continuance in well doing
by harsh criticisms from those who understand not. We must not expect
professors to do anything for Christ when they have no sense of
indebtedness to Christ.
"Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence and given to
the poor?" These are the first words of Judas recorded in the Gospels;
and how they reveal his heart! He sought to conceal his base
covetousness under the guise of benevolence. He posed as a friend of
the poor, when in reality his soul was dominated by cupidity. It
reminds us of his hypocritical "kiss." It is solemn to contrast his
last words, "I have betrayed innocent blood" (Matthew 27:4).
"This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a
thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein" (John 12:6). It
is good to care for the root, but at that moment the whole mind of God
was centered on the Person and work of His Son, evidenced by His
moving Mary to anoint the Savior for His burial. Opportunities for
relieving the poor they always had, and it was right to do so. But to
put them in comparison with the Lord Jesus at such a time, was to put
them out of their place, and to lose sight of Him who was supremely
precious to God.
Judas evidently acted as treasurer for the apostolic company (cf. John
13:29), having charge of the gifts which the Lord and His disciples
received: Luke 8:2, 3. But the Holy Spirit here tells us that he was a
"thief." We believe this intimates that the "field" (or "estate")
which he purchased (Acts 1:18) "with the reward of iniquity" (or,
"price of wrong doing") had been obtained by the money which he
pilfered from the same "bag." Usually this "field" is confounded with
the "field" that was bought with the thirty pieces of silver which he
received for the betrayal of His Master. But that money he returned to
the chief priests and elders (Matthew 27:3, 5), and with it they
bought "the potter's field to bury strangers in" (Matthew 27:7).
"Then said Jesus, Let her alone" (John 12:7). How blessed! Christ is
ever ready to defend His own! It was the Good Shepherd protecting His
sheep from the wolf. Judas condemned Mary, and others of the apostles
echoed his criticism. But the Lord approved of her gift. Probably
others of the guests misunderstood her action: it would seem an
extravagance, and a neglect of duty towards the needy. But Christ knew
her motive and commended her deed. So in a coming day He will reward
even a cup of water which has been given in His name. "Let her alone":
did not this foreshadow His work on high as our Advocate repelling the
attacks of the enemy, who accuses the brethren before God day and
night (Rev. 12:10)!
"Against the day of my burying hath she kept this" (John 12:7). This
points still another contrast. Other women "brought sweet spices, that
they might come and anoint him" (Mark 16:1), after He was dead; Mary
anointed Him "for his burial" (Matthew 26:12) six days before He died!
Her faith had laid hold of the fact that He was going to die--the
apostles did not believe this (see Luke 24:21 etc.). She had learned
much at His feet! How much we miss through our failure at this point!
Matthew and Mark add a word here which is appropriately omitted by
John. "Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be
preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done
shall be spoken of for a memorial of her" (Mark 14:9). He whose Name
is "as ointment poured forth" (Song 1:3), commended her who, all
unconsciously, fulfilled the prophecy, "While the king sitteth at his
table my spikenard sendeth forth the sweet smell thereof" (Song 1:12).
In embalming Him, she embalmed herself: her love being the marble on
which her name and deed were sculptured. Note another contrast: Mary
gave Christ a momentary embalming; He embalmed her memory forever in
the sweet incense of His praise. What a witness is this that Christ
will never forget that deed, however small, which is done
wholeheartedly in His name and for Himself!
"Hereupon we would further remark that while this can not diminish the
sin of Judas, by making his covetousness any thing but covetousness,
yet but for his mean remonstrance, we might not have known the
prodigality of her love. But for the objection of Judas, we might not
have had the commendation of Mary. But for his evil eve, we should
have been without the full instruction of her lavish hand. Surely `The
wrath of man shall praise thee'!" (Dr. John Brown).
"For the poor always ye have with you: but me ye have not always"
(verse 8). There is a little point here in the Greek which is most
significant, bringing out, as it does, the minute accuracy of
Scripture. In the previous verse "Let alone (aphes) her" is in the
singular number, whereas, "The poor always ye have (exete) with you"
is in the plural number. Let her alone was Christ's rebuke to Judas,
who was the first to condemn Mary; here in verse 8 the Lord addresses
Himself to the Twelve, a number of whom had been influenced by the
traitor's words. Remarkably does this show the entire consistency and
supplementary character of the several narratives of this incident.
Let us admire the silent harmonies of Scripture!
"For the poor always ye have with you: but me ye have not always"
(John 12:8). There is a very searching message for our hearts in these
words. Mary had fellowship with His sufferings, and her opportunity
for this was brief and soon passed. If Mary had failed to seize her
chance to render love's adoring testimony to the preciousness of
Christ's person at that time, she could never have recalled it
throughout eternity. How exquisitely suited to the moment was her
witness to the fragrance of Christ's death before God, when men deemed
Him worthy only of a malefactor's cross. She came beforehand to anoint
Him "for his burial." But how soon would such an opportunity pass! In
like manner we are privileged today to render a testimony to Him in
this scene of His rejection. We too are permitted to have fellowship
with His sufferings. But soon this opportunity will pass from us
forever! There is a real sense in which these words of Christ to Mary,
"me ye have not always" apply to us. Soon shall we enter into the
fellowship of His glory. O that we may be constrained by His love to
deeper devotedness, a more faithful testimony to His infinite worth,
and a fuller entering into His sufferings in the present hour of His
rejection by the world.
"For the poor always ye have with you: but me ye have not always." One
other thought on this verse before we leave it. These words of our
Lord's "me ye have not always" completely overthrow the Papist figment
of transubstantiation. If language means anything, this explicit
statement of Christ's positively repudiates the dogma of His "real
presence," under the forms of bread and wine at the Lord's Supper. It
is impossible to harmonize that blasphemous Romish doctrine with this
clear-cut utterance of the Savior. The "poor always ye have with you"
in like manner disposes of an idle dream of Socialism.
"Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there; and they
came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also,
whom he had raised from the dead" (John 12:9). "This sentence is a
genuine exhibition of human nature. Curiosity is one of the most
common and powerful motives in man. The love of seeing something
sensational and out of the ordinary is almost universal. When people
could see at once both the subject of the miracle and Him that worked
the miracle we need not wonder that they resorted in crowds to
Bethany" (Bishop Ryle).
"But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to
death; because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and
believed on Jesus" (John 12:10, 11). "Lazarus is mentioned throughout
this incident as forming an element in the unfolding of the hatred of
the Jews which issued in the Lord's death: notice the climax, from the
mere connecting mention in verse 1, then nearer connection in verse
2,--to his being the cause of the Jews flocking to Bethany in verse
9,--and the joint object with Jesus of the enmity of the chief priests
in verse 10" (Alford). Mark it was not the Pharisees but the "chief
priests," who were Sadducees, (cf. Acts 5:17), that "consulted that
they might also put Lazarus to death": They would, if possible, kill
him, because he was a striking witness against them, denying as they
did the truth of resurrection. But how fearful the state of their
hearts: they had rather commit murder than acknowledge they were
wrong.
Let the thoughtful student ponder carefully the following questions:
--
1. What does verse 13 teach us about prophecy?
2. Why a "young ass," verse 14?
3. Verse 15 (cf. Zechariah 9:9); why are some of its words omitted
here?
4. In what sense did Christ then "come" as King, verse 15?
5. Why did not the disciples "understand," verse 16?
6. Why does verse 17 come in just here?
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] Other points which have occasioned difficulty to some will be
dealt with in the course of this exposition.
_________________________________________________________________
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 42
Christ's Entry Into Jerusalem
John 12:12-20
The following is an Analysis of the passage which is to be before
us:--
1. The crowd going forth to meet Jesus, verse 12.
2. The joyous acclamations of the people, verse 13.
3. The Savior mounted on an ass, verse 14.
4. The king's presentation of Himself to Israel, verse 15.
5. The dullness of the disciples, verse 16.
6. The cause why the people sought Jesus, verses 17, 18.
7. The chagrin of the Pharisees, verse 19.
The passage which is to be before us brings to our notice one of the
most remarkable events in our Lord's earthly career. The very fact
that it is recorded by all the four Evangelists at once indicates
something of uncommon moment. The incident here treated of is
remarkable because of its unusual character. It; is quite unlike
anything else recorded of the Lord Jesus in the Gospels. Hitherto we
have seen Him withdrawing Himself as much as possible from public
notice, retiring into the wilderness, avoiding anything that savoured
of display. He did not court attraction: He did not "cry nor strive,
nor cause his voice to be heard in the streets" (Matthew 12:19). He
charged His disciples they should "tell no man that he was Jesus the
Christ" (Matthew 16:20). When He raised the daughter of Jairus, He
"straitly charged them that no man should know of it" (Mark 5:43).
When He came down from the Mount of Transfiguration He gave orders to
His disciples that "they should tell no man what things they had seen,
till the Son of man was risen from the dead" (Mark 9:9).
We wish to press upon the reader the uniqueness of this action of
Christ entering Jerusalem in the way that He did, for the more this
arrests us the more shall we appreciate the motive which prompted Him.
"When Jesus therefore perceived that they (the multitude which He had
fed) would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed
again into a mount himself alone" (John 6:15). When His brethren
urged, "show thyself to the world" (John 7:4), He answered, "My time
is not yet come." Here, on the contrary, we see Him making a public
entry into Jerusalem, attended by an immense crowd of people, causing
even the Pharisees to say, "Behold, the world has gone after him." And
let it be carefully noted that Christ Himself took the initiative here
at every point. It was not the multitude who brought to Him an animal
richly caparisoned, nor did the disciples furnish the colt and ask Him
to mount it. It was the Lord who sent two of the disciples to the
entrance of Bethphage to get it, and the Lord moved the owner of the
ass to give it up (Luke 19:33). And when some of the Pharisees asked
Him to rebuke His disciples, He replied, "I tell you, that, if these
should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out" (Luke
19:40).
How, then, are we to account for this startling change of policy on
the part of Christ? What is the true explanation of His conduct? In
seeking an answer to this question, men have indulged in the wildest
conjectures, most of which have been grossly dishonoring to our Lord.
The best of the commentators see in the joyous acclamations of the
crowds an evidence of the power of Christ. He moved them to own Him as
their "king," though as to why He should here do so they are not at
all clear, nor do they explain why His moving their hearts produced
such a transient effect, for four days later the same crowds shouted
"Crucify him." We are therefore obliged to look elsewhere for the key
to this incident.
We need hardly say that here, as everywhere, the perfections of the
Lord Jesus are blessedly displayed. Two things are incontrovertible:
the Lord Jesus ever acted with the Father's glory before Him, and ever
walked in full accord with His Father's Word. "In the volume of the
book" it was written of Him, and when He became incarnate He declared
"I come to do thy will, O God." These important considerations must be
kept in mind as we seek a solution to the difficulty before us.
Furthermore, we need to remember that the counsel of the Father always
had in view the glory of the Son. It is by the application of these
fundamental principles to the remarkable entry into Jerusalem that
light will be shed upon its interpretation.
Why, then, did the Lord Jesus send for the ass, mount it, and ride
into the royal city? Why did He suffer the crowds, unrebuked, to hail
Him with their "Hosannas"? Why did He permit them to proclaim Him
their king, when in less than a week He was to lay down His life as a
sacrifice for sin? The answer, in a word, is, because the Scriptures
so required! Here, as ever, it was submission to His Father's Word
that prompted Him. Loving obedience to the One who sent Him was always
the spring of His actions. His cleansing of the temple was the
fulfillment of Psalm 69:9. The testimony which He bore to Himself was
the same as the Old Testament Scriptures announced (John 5:39). When
on the cruel Cross He cried, "I thirst," it was not in order for His
sufferings to be alleviated, but "that the scripture might be
fulfilled" (John 19:28). So here, He entered Jerusalem in the way that
He did in order that the Scriptures might be fulfilled.
What scriptures? The answer to this question takes us back, first of
all, to the prophecy which dying Jacob made, a prophecy which related
what was to befall his descendants in "the last days"--an Old
Testament expression referring to the times of the Messiah: begun at
His first advent, completed at His second. In the course of His Divine
pronouncement, the aged patriarch declared, "the scepter shall not
depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh
come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people he. Binding his
foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine" (Gen.
49:9-11). The word "scepter" here signifies tribal rod. Judah was to
preserve the separate independency of his tribe until the Messiah
came. The fulfillment of this is seen in the Gospels. Though the ten
tribes had long before been carried into captivity, from which they
never returned, Judah (the "Jews"), were still in Palestine when the
Son of God became incarnate and tabernacled among men. Continuing his
prophecy, Jacob announced, "And unto him [Shiloh--the Peacemaker--cf.
`thy peace' in Luke 19:42], shall the gathering of the people be."
This received its first fulfillment at Christ's official entry into
Jerusalem. But mark the next words, "Binding his foal unto the vine,
and his ass's colt unto the choice vine." The "vine" was Israel (Isa.
5, etc); the "choice vine" was Christ Himself (John 15:1). Here, then,
was the fact itself prophetically announced. But this by no means
exhausts the scriptural answer to our question.
We turn next to that remarkable prophecy given through Daniel
respecting the "seventy weeks." This prophecy is found in Daniel
9:24-27. We cannot now attempt an exposition of it,[1] though it is
needful to make reference to it. This prophecy was given while Israel
were captives in Babylon. In it God made known the length of time
which was to elapse from then till the day when Israel's
transgressions should be finished, and everlasting righteousness be
brought in. "Seventy weeks" were to span this interval. The Hebrew
word for "weeks" is "hebdomads," and simply means septenaries;
"Seventy sevens" gives the true meaning. Each of the "hebdomads"
equals seven years. The "seventy sevens," therefore, stood for four
hundred and ninety years.
The "seventy sevens" are divided into three unequal parts. Seven
"sevens" were to be spent in the rebuilding of Jerusalem: the books of
Ezra and Nehemiah record the fulfillment of this. After Jerusalem had
been restored, sixty-two more "sevens" were to run their course "unto
the Messiah the Prince." And then we are told, "After-threescore and
two sevens (added to the previous seven `sevens', making sixty-nine in
all), shall Messiah be cut off." Here, then, is a definite
computation, and a remarkable and most important Messianic prophecy.
"Messiah the Prince" (cf. Revelation 1:5), was to present Himself to
Jerusalem (note "thy holy city" in Daniel 9:24), after the expiration
of the sixty-ninth "seven," or more specifically, precisely four
hundred and eighty-three years after God gave this prophecy to His
beloved servant.
Now, it is this prophecy which received its fulfillment and supplies
the needed key to what is before us in John 12. The entry of the Lord
Jesus into Jerusalem in such an auspicious manner, was the Messiah
formally and officially presenting Himself to Israel as their
"Prince." In his most excellent book "The Coming Prince," the late Sir
Robert Anderson marshalled conclusive proofs to show that our Savior
entered Jerusalem on the very day which marked the completion of the
sixty-ninth "hebdomad" of Daniel 9. We make here a brief quotation
from his masterly work.
"No student of the Gospel-narrative can fail to see that the Lord's
last visit to Jerusalem was not only in fact, but in the purpose of
it, the crisis of His ministry, the goal towards which it had been
directed. After the first tokens had been given that the Nation would
reject His Messianic claims, He had shunned all public recognition of
them. But now the twofold testimony of His words and works had been
fully tendered. His entrance into the Holy City was to proclaim His
Messiah-ship, and to receive His doom. Again and again His apostles
even had been charged that they should not make Him known. But now He
accepted the acclamations of `the whole multitude of the disciples,'
and silenced the remonstrance of the Pharisees with indignation.
"The full significance of the words which follow in the Gospel of Luke
is concealed by a slight interpolation in the text. As the shouts
broke forth from His disciples, `Hosanna to the Son of David, blessed
is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord,' He looketh
off toward the Holy City and exclaimed, `If thou also hadst known,
even on this day, the things which belong to thy peace! but now they
are hid from thine eyes' (Luke 19:42). The time of Jerusalem's visit
had come, and she knew it not. Long ere this, the Nation had rejected
Him, but this was the predestined day when their choice must be
irrevocable."
One other prophecy remains to be considered, in some respects the most
wonderful of the three. If God announced through Jacob the simple fact
of the gathering of the people unto the Peacemaker, if by Daniel He
made known the very year and day when Israel's Messiah should
officially present himself as their Prince, through Zechariah He also
made known the very manner of His entry into Jerusalem. In Zechariah
9:9 we read: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, shout, O daughter
of Jerusalem; behold, thy king cometh unto thee: He is just, and
having salvation; lowly and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the
foal of an ass." As we shall see, several words in this prophecy are
not quoted in the Gospels, therefore this prediction (like all
prophecy) will receive another fulfillment; it will be completely
realized when the Lord Jesus returns to this earth.
Before we come to the detailed exposition, let us offer a brief
comment upon what has just been before us. At least three prophecies
were fulfilled by Christ on His official entry into Jerusalem,
prophecies which had been given hundreds of years before, prophecies
which entered into such minute details that only one explanation of
them is possible, and that is God Himself must have given them. This
is the most incontrovertible and conclusive of all the proofs for the
Divine inspiration of the Scriptures. Only He who knows the end from
the beginning is capable of making accurate forecasts of what shall
happen many generations afterwards. How the recorded accomplishment of
these (and many other) prophecies guarantees the fulfillment of those
which are still future!
"On the next day much people that were to come to the feast, when they
heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees,
and went forth to meet him, and cried: 'Hosanna! Blessed is the King
of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord'" (John 12:12, 13). It
is important to note the opening words of this quotation. What we have
here is the sequel to the first verse of our chapter. "Then Jesus six
days before the passover came to Bethany." During the week preceding
the passover Jerusalem was crowded with Jews, who came in companies
from every section of Palestine. They came early in order that they
might be ceremonially qualified to partake of the feast (John 11:55).
Already we have learned that the main topic of conversation among
those who thronged the temple at this time was whether or not Jesus
would come up to the feast (John 11:56). Now, when the tidings reached
them that He was on the way to Jerusalem, they at once set out to meet
Him.
In view of what we read of in John 11:57, some have experienced a
difficulty here. "Both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a
commandment, that, if any man knew where he were, he should show it,
that they might take him." How came it then that we now read of "much
people... took palm branches and went forth to meet him?" The
difficulty is quickly removed if only close attention be paid to what
the Holy Spirit has said. First, note that in John 11:57 the past
tense is used, "had given commandment": this was before the Lord Jesus
retired to Ephraim (John 11:54). Second, observe that John 11:55 tells
us "many went out of the country up to Jerusalem" (John 11:55). It is
evident therefore that many (if not all) of those who now sallied
forth with palm branches to greet the Lord were men of Galilee,
pilgrims, who had come up to the metropolis from the places where most
of His mighty works were done. It was the Galileans who on a previous
occasion sought to make Him "a king" (John 6:15, cf. 7:1). They were
not only far less prejudiced against Him than were those of Judea, but
they were also much less under the influence of the chief priests and
Pharisees of Jerusalem. Marvelously accurate is Scripture. The more
minutely it is examined the more will its flawless perfections be
uncovered to us. How this instance shows us, once more, that our
`difficulties' in the Word are due to our negligence in carefully
noting exactly what it says, and all it says on any given subject!
"Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him" (verse 13).
This was a sign of joy, a festival token. In connection with the feast
of tabernacles God instructed Moses to tell Israel, "And ye shall take
you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm
trees... and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God" (Lev. 23:40).
In Revelation 7:9, where we behold the "innumerable multitude before
the throne and before the Lamb," they have "palms in their hands."
"And cried, Hosanna! Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the
name of the Lord." The word Hosanna means "Save now!" It is a cry of
triumph, not of petition. As to how far these people entered into the
meaning of the words which they here uttered, perhaps it is not for us
to say. The sequel would indicate they were only said under the
excitement of the moment. But looking beyond their intelligent design,
to Him whose overruling hand directs everything, we see here the
Father causing a public testimony to be borne to the glory of His Son.
At His birth He sent the angels to say to the Bethlehem shepherds,
"Unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is
Christ the Lord," and now He suffered this multitude to hail Him as
the Blessed One come in the Name of the Lord. Again; before the public
ministry of Christ commenced, the wise men from the East were led to
Jerusalem to announce that the king of the Jews had been born; and now
that His public ministry was over, it is again testified to that He is
"the King of Israel."
"And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is
written" (John 12:14). This is simply a comprehensive statement,
gathering up in a word the results of the details supplied by the
other Evangelists, and which John takes for granted we are familiar
with. The fullest account of the obtaining of the young ass is
furnished by Luke, and very striking is it to note what occurred--see
Luke 19:29-35. There is nothing in his account which conflicts with
the shorter statement which John has given us. "And Jesus, when he had
found a young ass, sat thereon." He "found" it because He directed the
disciples where to find it! It is another of those incidental
allusions to the Deity of Christ, for in an unmistakable way it
evidenced His omniscience; He knew the precise spot where the ass was
tethered!
"Fear not, daughter of Sion; behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an
ass's colt" (John 12:15). Emphasis is here laid on the age of the
animal which Christ rode. It was a "young" one; Luke tells us that it
was one "whereon yet never man sat" (John 19:30). This is not without
deep significance. Under the Mosaic economy only those beasts which
had never been worked were to be used for sacrificial purposes (see
Numbers 19:2; Deuteronomy 21:3). Very striking is this. Like His birth
of a virgin, like His burial in a new sepulcher, "wherein was never
man yet laid" (John 19:41); so here, on the only occasion when He
assumed anything like majesty, He selected a colt which had never
previously been ridden. How blessedly this points to the dignity, yea,
the uniqueness of His person hardly needs to be dwelt upon.
"Sat thereon, as it is written." How this confirms what we said at the
beginning. It was in order to fulfill the prophetic Word that the Lord
Jesus here acted as He did. That which was "written" was what ever
controlled Him. He lived by every word which proceeded out of the
mouth of the Lord. The incarnate Word and the written Word never
conflicted. What ground then had He to say, "I do always those things
that please him"! O that we might have more of His spirit!
"Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an
ass's colt." Momentous hour was this. Israel's true king, David's Son
and Lord, now officially presented Himself to the nation. Various have
been the attempts made to interpret this. In recent years the view
which has had most prominence among students of prophetic truth is,
that Christ was here offering the kingdom to Israel, and that had
Israel received Him the millennial reign would have been speedily
inaugurated. It is worse than idle to speculate about what would have
happened if the nation had acted differently from what they did; idle,
because "secret things belong unto the Lord." Our duty is to search
diligently and study prayerfully "those things which are revealed"
(Deut. 29:29), knowing that whatever difficulties may be presented,
Israel's rejection and crucifixion of the Lord Jesus were according to
what God's hand and counsel "determined before to be done" (Acts
4:28).
What then was Christ's purpose in presenting Himself to Israel as
their King? The immediate answer is, To meet the requirements of God's
prophetic Word. But this only takes the inquiry back another step.
What was God's purpose in requiring Israel's Messiah to so act on this
occasion? In seeking an answer to this, careful attention must be paid
to the setting. As we turn to the context we are at once impressed by
the fact that one thing there is made unmistakably prominent--the
death of Christ looms forward with tragic vividness. At the close of
John 11 we find the leaders of the nation "took counsel together for
to put him to death" and the Council issued a decree that, "If any man
knew where he was, he should show it, that they might take him" (John
11:53, 57). The 12th chapter opens with the solemn intimation that it
now lacked but six days to the passover. The all-important "hour" for
the slaying of the true Lamb drew on apace. Then we have the anointing
of Christ by Mary, and the Savior interpreted her act by saying,
"Against the day of my burying hath she kept this."
Here, then, is the key, hanging, as usual, right on the door. The Lord
of glory was about to lay down His life, but before doing so the
dignity of His person must first be publicly manifested. Moreover,
wicked hands were about to be laid on Him, therefore the guilt of
Israel must be rendered the more inexcusable by them now learning who
it was they would shortly crucify. The Lord therefore purposely drew
the attention of the great crowds to Himself by placing Himself
prominently before the eyes of the nation. What we have here is,
Christ pressing Himself upon the responsibility of the Jews. None
could now complain that they knew not who He was. On a former occasion
they had said to Him, "How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be
the Christ, tell us plainly" (John 10:24). But now all ground for
ignorance was removed; by fulfilling the prophecies of Jacob, of
Daniel, and of Zechariah, the Lord Jesus demonstrated that He was none
other than Israel's true king. It was His last public testimony to the
nation! He was their "King," and in fulfillment of the plain
declarations of their own Scriptures He here presented Himself before
them.
The prophecy of Zechariah is not quoted in its entirety by any of the
Evangelists, and it is most significant to mark the different words in
it which they omit. First of all, none record the opening words,
"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem."
The reason for this is obvious; Israel could not be called upon to
"rejoice" while she was rejecting her King! That part of the prophecy
awaits its realization in a future day. Not until she has first
"mourned" as one mourneth for his only son (Zech. 12:10), not until
Israel "acknowledge their offense" (Hos. 5:15), not until they
"repent" (Acts 3:19), not until they say, "Come, and let us return
unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten,
and he will bind us up" (Hos. 6:1); in short, not until their sins are
put away, will the spirit of joy and gladness be given unto them.
In the second place, the words "just and having salvation" are omitted
from each of the Gospels. This also is noteworthy, and is a striking
proof of the verbal inspiration of the Scriptures. It was not in
justice, but in grace, that the Lord Jesus came to Israel the first
time. He came "to seek and to save that which was lost." He appeared
"to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." But when He comes the
second time, God's word through Jeremiah shall receive its
fulfillment--"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise
unto David a righteous branch, and a king shall reign and prosper, and
shall execute judgment and justice in the earth." But why the omission
of "having salvation?'' Because Israel as a nation would not have
salvation. Ofttimes would He have gathered her children together, but
they "would not."
One other omission remains to be noticed: the smallest, but by no
means the least significant. Zechariah foretold that Israel's king
should come "lowly, and riding upon an ass." Matthew mentions the
lowliness of Christ, though in the A. V. it is rendered "meek" (John
21:5). But this word is left out by John. And why? Because it is the
central design of the fourth Gospel to emphasize the glory of Christ.
(See John 1:14; 2:11; 11:4, etc.)
"Fear not, daughter of Sion; behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an
ass's colt" (John 12:15). The fact that the Lord Jesus was seated upon
"an ass" brings out His mortal glory. As the Son of David according to
the flesh, He was "made under the law" (Gal. 4:4), and perfectly did
He fulfill it at every point. Now, one thing that marked out Israel as
God's peculiar people was the absence of the horse, in their midst.
The "ox" was used in plowing, and the "ass" for riding upon, or
carrying burdens. An express decree was made forbidding the king to
multiply horses to himself: "But he shall not multiply horses to
himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he
should multiply horses" (Deut. 17:16). Thus the king of God's
separated people was to be sharply distinguished from the monarchs of
the Gentiles--note how Pharaoh (Ex. 14:23; 15:1), the kings of Canaan
(Josh. 11:4), Naaman (2 Kings 5:9), the king of Assyria (Isa. 37:8),
are each mentioned as the possessors of many horses and chariots. But
the true Israelites could say, "Some trust in chariots, and some in
horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God" (Ps. 20:7).
It is remarkable that the first recorded sin of Solomon was concerning
this very thing: "And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for
his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen" (1 Kings 4:26). It was,
therefore, as One obedient to the Law, that Christ purposely selected
an "ass"!
"Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an
ass's colt." How evident it is that Christ had laid aside His glory
(John 17:5). He who was in the form of God, and thought it not robbery
to be equal with God, made Himself of no reputation," and took upon
Him the form of a servant. Not only does this action of our wonderful
Savior mark His perfect subjection to the law of Moses, but it also
brings out His gracious lowliness. When He formally presented Himself
to Israel as their king, He rode not in a golden chariot, drawn by
powerful stallions, but instead He came seated upon the colt of an
ass. Neither was the beast harnessed with any goodlier trappings than
the garments which His disciples had spread thereon. And even the ass
was not His own, but borrowed! Truly the things which are "highly
esteemed among men are abomination in the sight of God" (Luke 16:15).
"No Roman soldier in the garrison of Jerusalem, who, standing at his
post or sitting in his barrack-window, saw our Lord riding on an ass,
could report to his centurion that He looked like one who came to
wrest the kingdom of Judea out of the hands of the Romans, drive out
Pontius Pilate and his legions from the tower of Antonia, and achieve
independence for the Jews with the sword" (Bishop Ryle). How evident
it was that His kingdom was "not of this world!" What an example for
us to "Be not conformed to this world" (Rom. 12:2)!
Perhaps some may be inclined to object: But does not Revelation 19:11
conflict with what has just been said? In no wise. It is true that
there we read, "And I saw heaven open, and behold a white horse; and
he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True." There is no room
to doubt that the Rider of this "white horse" is any other than the
Lord Jesus Christ. But He will appear thus at His second advent. Then
everything shall be changed. He who came before in humiliation and
shame shall return in power and majesty. He who once had not where to
lay His head shall then sit on the throne of His glory (Matthew
25:31). He who was nailed to a malefactor's Cross shall, in that day,
wield the scepter of imperial dominion. Just as the "ass" was well
suited to the One who had laid aside His glory, so the white
"war-horse" of Revelation 19 is in perfect keeping with the fact that
He is now "crowned with glory and honor."
"These things understood not his disciples" (John 12:16). How
ingenuous such a confession by one of their number! No impostor would
have deprecated himself like this. How confidently may we depend upon
the veracity of such honest chroniclers! Like us, the apostles
apprehended Divine things but slowly. Like us, they had to "grow in
grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior jesus Christ." But
mark, it does not say "these things believed not his disciples." It is
our privilege, as well as our bounden duty, to believe all God has
said, whether we "understand" it or not. The more implicitly we
believe, the more likely will God be pleased to honor our faith by
giving us understanding (Heb. 11:3).
"But when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things
were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him"
(John 12:16). From the fact that the plural number is twice used
here--"these things"--and from the very similar statement in John 2:22
we believe that the entire incident of our Lord's entry into
Jerusalem, with all its various accompaniments, are here included.
Probably that which most puzzled the disciples is what Luke has
recorded: "And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept
over it" (John 19:41). In view of this verse it would be more accurate
to speak of our Lord's tearful entry into Jerusalem, rather than His
triumphant entry. Christ was not misled by the exalted cries of the
people. He knew that the hour of His crucifixion, rather than His
coronation, was near at hand. He knew that in only a few days' time
the "Hosannas" of the multitudes would give place to their "Away with
him? He knew that the nation would shortly consummate its guilt by
giving Him a convict's gibbet instead of David's throne.
But why should the disciples have been so puzzled and unable to
understand "these things?" It was because they were so reluctant to
think that this One who had power to Work such mighty miracles should
be put to a shameful death. To the very end, they had hoped He would
restore the kingdom and establish His throne at Jerusalem. The honors
of the kingdom attracted, the shame of the Cross repelled them: It was
because of this that on the resurrection-morning He said to the two
disciples, "O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the
prophets have spoken; ought not Christ to have suffered these things
and to enter into his glory?" (Luke 24:25, 26). Yes, there had to be
the sufferings before the glory, the Cross before the Crown (cf. 1
Peter 1:11). But when Jesus was "glorified," that is, when He had
ascended to heaven and the Holy Spirit had been given to guide them
into all truth, then "remembered they that these things were written
of him."
"The people therefore that were with him when he called Lazarus out of
his grave and raised him from the dead, bare record. For this cause
the people also met him, for that they heard that he had done this
miracle" (John 12:17, 18). This line in the picture is supplied only
by John, and suitably so, for it was in the raising of Lazarus that
the glory of the Son of God had been manifested (John 11:4). They who
had witnessed that notable miracle had reported it in Jerusalem, and
now it was known that He who had power to restore the dead to life was
nearing the Capital, many came forth to meet Him. Doubtless one reason
why this is brought in here is to emphasize the deep guilt of the
nation for rejecting Him whose credentials were so unimpeachable.
"The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye
prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him" (John 12:19).
Here is one of the many evidences of the truthful consistency of the
independent accounts which the different Evange lists have given us of
this incident. Luke tells us: "And some of the Pharisees from among
the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples" (John
19:39), and the Lord had answered them, "I tell you that, if these
should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." Here
we are shown their chagrin. They were envious of His popularity; they
feared for their own hold over the people.
But here a difficulty confronts us, and one which we have seen no real
effort to solve. The majority of the commentators suppose that the
joyous greetings which the Lord Jesus received from the crowds on this
occasion were the result of a secret putting forth of His Divine
power, attracting their hearts to Himself. But how shall we explain
the evanescent effect which it had upon them? how account for the fact
that less than a week later the same crowds cried, "Crucify him"? To
affirm that this only illustrates the fickleness of human nature is no
doubt to say what is sadly too true. But if both of their cries were
simply expressions of "human nature," where does the influencing of
their heart by Divine power come in? We believe the difficulty is
self-created, made by attributing the first cry to a wrong cause.
Two things are very conspicuous in God's dealings with men: His
constraining power and His restraining power. As illustrations of the
former, take the following examples. It was God who gave Joseph favor
in the sight of the keeper of the prison (Gen. 39:22), who moved
Balaam to bless Israel when he was hired to curse them (Num. 23:20),
who stirred up the spirit of Cyrus to make a proclamation giving the
Jews the right to return to Palestine (Ezra 1:1, 2). As illustrations
of the latter, mark the following cases. It was God who "withheld"
Abimelech from sinning (Gen. 20:6); the brethren of Joseph "conspired
against him to slay him" (Gen. 37:18), but God did not allow them to
carry out their evil intentions.
Now, these same two things are given a prominent place in the Gospels
in connection with the Lord Jesus. At His bidding the leper was
cleansed, the blind saw, the dead were raised. At His word the
disciples forsook their nets, Matthew left the seat of custom,
Zaccheus came down from his leafy perch and received Him into his
house. At His command the apostles went forth without bread or money
(Luke 9:3); made the hungry multitudes sit down for a meal, when all
that was in sight were five small loaves and two little fishes. Yes, a
mighty constraining power did He wield. But equally mighty, if not so
evident, was the restraining power that He exerted. At Nazareth His
rejectors "led him into the brow of the hill... that they might cast
him down headlong. But he, passing through the midst of them, went his
way" (Luke 4:29, 30). In John 10:39 we are told "They sought again to
take him, but he went forth out of their hands." When the officers
came to arrest Him in the Garden, and He said, "I am," they "went
backward and fell to the ground" (John 18:6)!
But the restraining power of Christ was exercised in another way than
in the above instances. He also checked the fleshly enthusiasm of
those who were ready to welcome Him as an Emancipator from the Roman
yoke. When they would "come and take him by force, to make him a king,
he departed" (John 6:15). All through His ministry He discouraged all
public tokens of honor from the people, lest (humanly speaking) the
envy of His enemies should bring His preaching to an untimely end. But
His public ministry was over, so He now removes the restraint and
allows the multitudes to hail Him with their glad Hosannas, and this,
not that He now craved pomp, but in order that the Scriptures might be
fulfilled. These transports of joy from the Galileans were raised
because they imagined that He would there and then set up His temporal
kingdom. Hence, when their hopes were disappointed, their transports
were turned into rage and therefore did they join in the cry of
"crucify him"!
Ponder the following questions as a preparation for our next
chapter:--
1. Why did the Greeks seek out Philip, verse 21?
2. Why did Philip first tell Andrew, not Christ, verse 22?
3. What is meant by "glorified" in verse 23?
4. Why did Christ say verse 24 at this time?
5. What is meant by verse 31?
6. What is meant by "draw," verse 32?
7. Why did Jesus "hide" Himself, verse 36?
ENDNOTES:
[1] This wonderful and important prophecy is carefully, interestingly,
and most helpfully dealt with in the Seventy Weeks and the Great
Tribulation by Mr. Philip Mauro.
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 43
Christ Sought by Gentiles
John 12:20-36
_________________________________________________________________
The following is a suggested Analysis of the passage which is to be
before us:--
1. The desire of the Greeks to see Jesus, verses 20-23.
2. Christ's response, verses 24-26.
3. Christ's prayer and the Father's answer, verses 27, 28.
4. The people's dullness, verses 29, 30.
5. Christ's prediction, verses 31-33.
6. The people's query, verse 34.
7. Christ's warning, verses 35, 36.
The end of our Lord's public ministry had almost been reached. Less
than a week remained till He should be crucified. But before He lays
down His life His varied glories must be witnessed to. In John 11 we
have seen a remarkable proof that He was the Son of God: evidenced by
His raising of Lazarus. Next, we beheld a signal acknowledgment of Him
as the Son of David: testified to by the jubilant Hosannas of the
multitudes as the king of Israel rode into Jerusalem. What is before
us now concerns Him more especially as the Son of man. As the Son of
David He is related only to Israel, but His Son of man title brings in
a wider connection. It is as "the Son of man" He comes to the Ancient
of days, and as such there is "given him dominion and glory, and a
kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him"
(Dan. 7:14). In perfect keeping with this, our present passage shows
us Gentiles seeking Him, saving, "We would see," not "the Christ," but
"Jesus." Thus the Father saw to it that His blessed Son should receive
this threefold witness ere He suffered the ignominy of the Cross.
It is both instructive and blessed to trace the links which unite
passage to passage. There is an intimate connection between this third
section of John 12 and what has preceded it. Again and again in the
course of these expositions we have called attention to the
progressive unfolding of truth in this Gospel, and here, too, we would
observe, briefly, the striking order followed by Christ in His several
references to His own death and resurrection. In John 10 the Lord
Jesus is before us as the Shepherd, leading God's elect out of Judaism
and bringing them into the place of liberty, and in order to do this
He lays down His life that He may possess these sheep (verses 11, 15,
17, 18). In John 11 He is seen as the resurrection and the life, as
the Conqueror of death, with power in Himself to raise His own--a
decided advance on the subject of the previous chapter. But in John 12
He speaks of Himself as "the corn of wheat" that falls into the ground
and dies, that it may bear "much fruit." This speaks both of union and
communion, blessedly illustrated in the first section of the chapter,
where we have the happy gathering at Bethany suppling with Him.
If the Lord Jesus is to be to others the "resurrection" and the
"life", we now learn what this involved for Him. He should be
glorified by being the firstborn among many brethren. But how? Through
death: "Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it
abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (John
12:24). Life could not come to us but through His death;
resurrection--life out of death accomplished. Except a man be born
again he cannot enter the kingdom of God; and except Christ had died
none could be born again. The new birth is the impartation of a new
life, and that life none other than the life of a resurrected Savior,
a life which has passed through death, and, therefore, forever beyond
the reach of judgment. "The gift of God is eternal life in Jesus
Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:23 Greek).
Some have experienced a difficulty here: If the Divine life in the
believer is the life of the risen Christ, then what of the Old
Testament saints. But the difficulty is more fanciful than real. It is
equally true that there could be no salvation for any one, no putting
away of sins, until the great Sacrifice had been offered to God. But
surely none will infer from this that no one was saved before the
Cross. The fact is that both life and salvation flowed backwards as
well as forwards from the Cross and the empty sepulcher. It is a
significant thing, however, that nowhere in the Old Testament are we
expressly told of believers then possessing "eternal life," and no
doubt the reason for this is stated in 2 Timothy 1:10, "But is now
made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath
abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light
through the gospel."
It is very striking to observe that our Lord did not speak of the
union and communion of believers with Himself until the Gentiles here
sought Him. It is a higher truth altogether than any which He ever
addressed to Israel. His Messiahship resulted from a fleshly
relationship, the being "Son of David," and it is on this ground that
He was to sit upon the throne of His father David and "reign over the
house of Jacob" (Luke 1:32, 33). But this was not the goal before Him
when He came to earth the first time: to bring a people to His own
place in the glory was the set purpose of His heart (John 14:2, 3).
But a heavenly people must be related to Him by something higher than
fleshly ties: they must be joined to Him in spirit, and this is
possible only on the resurrection side of death. Hence that word;
"Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we
have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no
more" (2 Cor. 5:16). It is the One who has been "lifted up" (above
this earth) that now draws all--elect Gentiles as well as Jews--unto
Himself.
"And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at
the feast:--The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida
of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus" (John
12:20, 21). This is very striking. The rejection of Christ by Israel
was soon to be publicly evidenced by them delivering Him up to the
Romans. As Daniel had announced centuries before, after sixty-nine
weeks "shall Messiah be cut off" (John 9:26). Following His rejection
by the Jews, God would visit the Gentiles "to take out of them a
people for his name" (Acts 15:14). This is what was here foreshadowed
by "the Greeks" supplicating Him. The connection is very striking: in
verse 19 we find the envious Pharisees saying, "The world is gone
after him," here, "And... certain Greeks... saying, We would see
Jesus." It was a "first-fruit," as it were, of a coming harvest. It
was the pledge of the "gathering together into one the children of God
that were scattered abroad" (John 11:52). It was another evidence of
the fields being "white already to harvest'' (John 4:35). These
"Greeks" pointed in the direction of those other "sheep" which the
Good Shepherd must also bring. It is also significant to note that
just as Gentiles (the wise men from the East) had sought Him soon
after His birth, so now these "Greeks" came to Him shortly before His
death.
Exactly who these "Greeks" were we cannot say for certain. But there
are two things which incline us to think that very likely they were
Syro-Phoenicians. First, in Mark 7:26, we are told that the woman who
came to Christ on behalf of her obsessed daughter, was "a Greek, a
Syro-Phoenician by nation." Second, the fact that these men sought out
Philip, of whom it is expressly said that he "was of Bethsaida of
Galilee"--a city on the borders of Syro-Phoenicia. The fact that
Philip sought. the counsel of Andrew, who also came from Bethsaida in
Galilee (see John 1:44), and who would therefore be the one most
likely to know most about these neighboring people, provides further
confirmation. That these "Greeks" were not idolatrous heathen is
evidenced by the fact that they "came up to worship at the feast," the
verb showing they were in the habit of so doing!
These "Greeks" took a lowly place. They "desired" Philip: the Greek
word is variously rendered "asked," "besought," "prayed." They
supplicated Philip, making known their wish, and asking if it were
possible to have it granted; saying, "Sir, we would see Jesus," or
more literally, "Jesus, we desire to see." At the very time the
leaders of Israel sought to kill Him, the Greeks desired to see Him.
This was the first voice from the outside world which gave a hint of
the awakening consciousness that Jesus was about to be the Savior of
the Gentiles as well as the Jews. Of old it had been said, "And the
Desire of all nations shall come" (Hag. 2:7). That it was more than an
idle curiosity which prompted these Greeks we cannot doubt, for if it
were only a physical sight of Him which they desired, that could have
been easily obtained as He passed in and out of the temple or along
the street of Jerusalem, without them interviewing Philip. It was a
personal and intimate acquaintance with Him that their souls craved.
The form in which they stated their request was prophetically
significant. It was not "We would hear him," or "We desire to witness
one of his mighty works," but "We would see Jesus." It is so to-day.
He is no longer here in the flesh: He can no longer be handled or
heard. But He can be seen, seen by the eye of faith!
"Philip cometh and telleth Andrew" (John 12:22). At first sight this
may strike us as strange. Why did not Philip go at once and present
this request of the Greeks to the Savior? Is his tardiness to be
attributed to a lack of love for souls? We do not think so. The first
reference to him in this Gospel pictures a man of true evangelical
zeal. No sooner did Philip become a follower of Christ than he
"findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom
Moses in the law, and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth" (John
1:45). How, then, shall we account for his now seeking out Andrew
instead of the Lord? Does not Matthew 10:5 help us? When Christ had
sent forth the Twelve on their first preaching tour, He expressly
commanded them, "Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any
city of the Samaritans enter ye not." Furthermore, the disciples had
heard Him say to the Canaanitish woman, "I am not sent but unto the
lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:24). Most probably it
was because these definite statements were in Philip's mind that he
now sought out Andrew and asked his advice.
"And again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus" (John 12:22). In the light of
what has just been before us, how are we to explain this action of the
two disciples? Why did they not go to the "Greeks" and politely tell
them that it was impossible to grant their request? Why not have said
plainly to them, Jesus is the Messiah of Israel, and has no dealings
with the Gentiles? We believe that what had happened just before, had
made a deep impression upon the apostles. The Savior mounting the ass,
the acclamations of the multitudes which He had accepted without a
protest, His auspicious entrance into Jerusalem, His cleansing of the
temple immediately afterwards (Matthew 21:12, 13), no doubt raised
their hopes to the highest point. Was the hour of His ardently desired
exaltation really at hand? Would "the world" now go after Him (John
12:19) in very truth? Was this request of the "Greeks" a further
indication that He was about to take the kingdom and be "a light to
lighten the Gentiles" as well as "the glory of his people Israel?" In
all probability these were the very thoughts which filled the minds of
Andrew and Philip as they came and told Jesus.
"And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of
man should be glorified" (John 12:23). Now, for the first time, the
Lord declared that His "hour" had come. At Cana He had said to His
mother, "Mine hour is not yet come" (John 2:5), and about the midst of
His public ministry we read, "No man laid hands on him because his
hour was not yet come" (John 7:30). But here He announced that His
hour had arrived, the hour when He, as Son of man, would be
"glorified." But what is here meant by Him being "glorified?" We
believe there is a double reference. In view of the connection here,
the occasion when the Lord Jesus uttered these words, their first
meaning evidently was: the time has arrived when the Son of man should
be glorified by receiving the worshipful homage of the Gentiles. He
intimated that the hour was ripe for the blessing of all the families
of the earth through Abraham's seed. But, linking this verse with the
one that immediately follows, it is equally clear that He referred to
His approaching death. To His followers, the Cross must appear as the
lowest depths of humiliation, but the Savior regarded it (also) as His
glorification. John 13:30, 31 fully bears this out: "He then having
received the sop went immediately out: and it was night. Therefore,
when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and
God is glorified in him." The two things are intimately related:
salvation could not come to the Gentiles except through His death.
"And Jesus answered them, saving, The hour is come, that the Son of
man should be glorified" (John 12:23). It is by no means easy to
determine to whom Christ uttered these words. We strongly incline to
the view that they were said to the disciples. The record is silent as
to whether or not the Lord here granted these "Greeks" an interview;
that is, whether He left the temple-enclosure where He then was, and
went into the outer court, beyond which Gentiles were not permitted to
pass. Personally, we think, everything considered, it is most unlikely
that He suffered them to enter His presence. If the wish of these
"Greeks" was not granted, it would teach them that salvation was not
through His perfect life or His wondrous works, but by faith in Him as
the crucified One. They must be taught to look upon Him not as the
Messiah of Israel, but as "the lamb of God which taketh away the sin
of the world."
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the
ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth
much fruit" (John 12:24). Very different were the thoughts of Christ
from those which, most probably, filled the minds of His disciples on
this occasion. He looked, no doubt, to the distant future, but He also
contemplated the near future. Death lay in His path, and this engaged
His attention at the very time when His disciples were most jubilant
and hopeful. There must be the suffering before the glory: the Cross
before the Crown. Outwardly all was ready for His earthly glory. The
multitudes had proclaimed Him king; the Romans were silent, offering
no opposition (a thing most remarkable); the Greeks sought Him. But
the Savior knew that before He could set up His royal kingdom He must
first accomplish the work of God. None could be with Him in glory
except He died.
"Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth
alone, but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.'! "Nature is
summoned here to show the law of increase which is stamped upon her;
and that creative law is made an argument for the necessity of the
death that is before Him. What an exaltation of the analogies in
Nature to exhibit and use them in such a way as this! And what a means
of interpreting Nature itself is here given us! How it shows that
Christ, ignored by the so-called `natural' theology, is the true key
to the interpretation of Nature, and that the Cross is stamped
ineffacably upon it! Nature is thus invested with the robe of a
primeval prophet, and that the Word, who is God, the Creator of all
things, becomes not merely the announcement of Scripture, but a
plainly demonstrated fact before our eyes today.
"The grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies: it has life in it,
and carries it with it through death itself. The death which it
undergoes is in the interest even of the life, which it sets free from
its encasement--from the limitations which hedge it in--to lay hold of
and assimilate the surrounding material, by which it expands into the
plant which is its resurrection, and thus at last into the many grains
which are its resurrection-fruit. How plain it is that this is no
accidental likeness which the Lord here seizes for illustration of His
point. It is as real a prediction as ever came from the lips of an Old
Testament prophet: every seed sown in the ground to produce a harvest
is a positive prediction that the Giver of life must die. The union of
Christ with men is not in incarnation, though that, of course, was a
necessary step towards it. But the blessed man, so come into the
world, was a new, a Second Man, who could not unite with the old race,
and the life was the light of men; but if that were all, the history
would be summed up in the words that follow: `And the light shineth in
darkness and the darkness comprehended it not. He was in the world...
and the world knew him not.' To the dead, life must be communicated
that there may be eyes to see. Men can only be born again into the
family of God, of which the Son of God as Man is the beginning.
"Yet the life cannot simply communicate the life. Around Him are the
bands of eternal righteousness, which has pronounced condemnation upon
the guilty, and only by the satisfaction of righteousness in the
penalty incurred can these bands be removed. Death--death as He
endured it--alone can set Him free from these limitations: He is
`straitened till it be accomplished.' In resurrection He is enlarged
and becomes the Head of a new creation; and `if any man be in Christ,
it is new creation' (2 Cor. 5:17). In those redeemed by His blood the
tree of life has come to its precious fruitage" (Numerical Bible).
"He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in
this world shall keep it unto life eternal" (John 12:25). First of
all, this was a word of warning for the beloved disciples. They had
just witnessed the palms of victory waving in His path: soon they
should see Him numbered with the transgressors. The echoes of the
people's "Hosannas" were still sounding in their ears: in four days'
time they should hear them cry, "Crucify him." Then they would enter
into the followship of His sufferings. But these things must not move
them. They must not, any more than He, count their life dear unto
them. He warns them against selfishness, against cowardice, against
shrinking from a martyr's cross. But the principle here is of wider
application.
There is no link of connection between the natural man and God. In the
man Christ Jesus there was a life in perfect harmony with God, but
because of the condition of those He came to save He must lay it down.
And He has left us an example that we should follow His steps. If we
would save our natural life, we must lay it down: the one who loves
his life in this world must necessarily lose it, for it is "alienated"
from God; but if by the grace of God a man separates himself in heart
from that which is at enmity with God (James 4:4), and devotes all his
energies to God, then shall he have it again in the eternal state.
"If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall
also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor"
(John 12:26). If the previous verse was a warning to the disciples,
this was spoken for their encouragement. "Each grain of wheat that is
found on the parent stem follows of necessity by the law of its own
nature the pattern of the grain from which it came. His people, too,
must be prepared to follow Him upon the road on which He was going.
Here is the rule, here is the reward of service: to be with Christ
where He is, is such reward as love itself would seek, crowned with
the honor which the Father puts upon such loving service. The way of
attainment is by the path which He had trodden, and what that was, in
its general character at least, is unmistakably plain" (Mr. F. W.
Grant).
"Now is my soul troubled: and what shall I say?" (John 12:27). That
was the beginning of the Savior's travail ere the new creation could
be born. He was seized by an affrighting apprehension of that dying of
which He had just spoken. His holy soul was moved to its very depths
by the horror of that coming "hour." It was the prelude to Gethsemane.
It reveals to us something of His inward sufferings. His anguish was
extreme; His heart was suffering torture--horror, grief, dejection,
are all included in the word "troubled." And what occasioned this? The
insults and sufferings which He was to receive at the hands of men?
The wounding of His heel by the Serpent.> No, indeed. It was the
prospect of being "made a curse for us," of suffering the righteous
wrath of a sin-hating God. "What shall I say?" He asks, not "What
shall I choose?" There was no wavering in purpose, no indecision of
will. Though His holy nature shrank from being "made sin," it only
marked His perfections to ask that such a cup might pass from Him.
Nevertheless, He bowed, unhesitatingly, to the Father's will, saying,
"But for this cause came I unto this hour." The bitter cup was
accepted.
"Father, glorify thy name" (John 12:28). Christ had just looked death,
in all its awfulness as the wages of sin, fully in the face, and He
had bowed to it, and that, that the Father might be glorified. This it
was which was ever before Him. Prompt was the Father's response. "Then
came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified, and
will glorify again" (John 12:28). The Son of God had been glorified at
the grave of Lazarus as Quickener of the dead, and now He is glorified
as Son of man by this voice from heaven. But there is more than this
here: the Father uses the future tense--"I will glorify again." This
He would do in bringing again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great
Shepherd of the sheep: "raised up from the dead by the glory of the
Father" (Rom. 6:4).
"The people therefore, that stood by, and heard, said that it
thundered: others said, An angel spake to him" (John 12:29). What a
proof was this that the natural man is incapable of entering into
Divine things. A similar instance is furnished in the Lord speaking
from heaven to Saul of Tarsus at the time of his conversion. In Acts
9:4 we read that a voice spoke unto him, saying, "Saul, Saul, why
persecutest thou me?" In Acts 22:9 we are told by Paul, "They that
were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not
the voice of him that spake to me." They perceived not what He said.
As the Savior had declared on a former occasion, "Why do ye not
understand my speech? Even because ye cannot hear my word" (John
8:43). How the failure of these Jews to recognize the Father's voice
emphasized the absolute necessity of the Cross!
"Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for
your sakes" (John 12:30). Three times the Father spoke audibly unto
the Son: at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of His
Messianic career, and in each case it was in view of His death. At the
Jordan Christ went down, symbolically, into the place of death; on the
Holy Mount Moses and Elijah had talked with Him "of his decease" (Luke
9:31); and here, Christ had just announced that His "hour" was at
hand. It is also to be observed that the first time the Father's voice
was heard was at Christ's consecration to His prophetic office; the
second time it was in connection with His forthcoming decease, His
priestly work, the offering Himself as a Sacrifice for sin; here, it
followed right on His being hailed as king, and who was about to be
invested (though in mockery) with all the insignia of royalty, and
wear His title, "The king of the Jews," even upon the Cross itself.
Mark also the increasing publicity of these three audible speakings of
the Father. The first was heard, we believe, only by John the Baptist;
the second by three of His disciples; but the third by those who
thronged the temple. "For your sakes": to strengthen the faith to the
disciples; to remove all excuse from unbelievers.
"Now is the judgment of this world" (John 12:31). How this brings out
the importance and the value of the great work which He was about to
do! In this and the following verse, three consequences of His death
are stated. First, the world was "judged": its crisis had come: its
probation was over: its doom was sealed by the casting forth of the
Son of God. Henceforth, God would save His people from the world.
Second, the world's Prince here received his sentence, though its
complete execution is yet future. Third. God's elect would be drawn by
irresistible vower to the One whom the world rejected.
"Now shall the prince of this world be cast out" (John 12:31). The
tense of the verb here denotes that the "casting out" of Satan would
be as gradual as the "drawing" in the next verse (Alford). The Lord
here anticipates His victory, and points out the way in which it
should be accomplished: a way that would have never entered into the
heart of men to conceive, for it should be by shame and pain and
death; a way that seemed an actual triumph for the enemy. Not only was
life to come out of death, but victory out of apparent defeat. The
Savior crucified is, in fact, the Savior glorified!
"Now shall the prince of this world be cast out." As pointed out
above, the casting out of Satan was to be a gradual process. In the
light of this verse, and other passages (e.g., Hebrews 2:14, 15), we
believe that Satan's hold over this world was broken at the Cross. The
apostle tells us that Christ "spoiled principalities and powers,
having made a show of them openly; triumphing over them" (Col. 2:15),
and this statement, be it noted, is linked with His Cross! We believe,
then, the first stage in the "casting out" of Satan occurred at the
Cross, the next will be when he is "cast out" of heaven into the earth
(Rev. 12:10); the next, when he is "cast into the bottomless pit"
(Rev. 20:3); the final when he is "cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone" (Rev. 20:10).
"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all unto me. This
he said, signifying what death he should die" (John 12:32, 33). A
truly wonderful and precious word is this. It is Christ's own
declaration concerning His death and resurrection. "I, if I be lifted
up from the earth" referred to His crucifixion; but "will draw all
unto me" looked to the resurrection-side of the Cross, for a dead
Savior could "draw" nobody. Yet the two things are most intimately
connected. It is not simply that Christ is the magnet; it is the
crucified Christ. "It is crucifixion which has imparted to Him His
attractive power; just as it is death which has given Him His
life-giving power. It is not Christ without the Cross; nor is it the
Cross without Christ; it is both of them together" (H. Bonar). And
wherein lies the attraction? "Because of the love which it embodies.
Herein is love--the love that passeth knowledge! What so magnetic as
love? Because of the righteousness which it exhibits. It is the Cross
of righteousness. It is righteousness combining with love taking the
sinner's side against law and judgment. How attractive is
righteousness like this! Because of the truth which it proclaims. All
God's truth is connected with the Cross. Divine wisdom is concentrated
there. How can it but be magnetic? Because of the reconciliation which
it publishes. It proclaims peace to the sinner, for it has made peace.
Here is the meeting-place between men and God" (Ibid).
But what is meant by "I will draw"? Ah, notice the sentence does not
end there! "I will draw all unto me." The word "men" is not in the
original. The "all" plainly refers to all of God's elect. The scope of
the word "all" here is precisely the same as in John 6:45--"And they
shall be all taught of God." It is the same "all" as that which the
Father has given to Christ (John 6:37). "The promise, `I will draw all
unto me must, I think, mean that our Lord after His crucifixion would
draw men of all nations and kindreds and tongues to Himself, to
believe in Him and be His disciples. Once crucified, He would become a
great center of attraction, and draw to Himself; re]easing from the
Devil's usurped power, vast multitudes of all peoples and countries,
to be His servants and followers. Up to this time all the world had
blindly hastened after Satan and followed him. After Christ's
crucifixion great numbers would turn away from the power of Satan and
become Christians" (Bishop Ryle). Christ's design was to show that His
grace would not be confined to Israel.
The Greek word here used for "draw" is a very striking one. Its first
occurrence is in John 6:44, "No man can come to me, except the Father
which hath sent me draw him." Here it is the power of God overcoming
the enmity of the carnal mind. It occurs again in John 18:10, "Then
Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's
servant." Here the term signifies that Peter laid firm hold of his
sword and pulled it out of its sheath. It is found again in John 21:6,
11, "Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land full of great
fishes." Here it signifies the putting forth of strength so as to drag
an inanimate and heavy object. It is used (in a slightly different
form) in James 2:6, "Do not rich men oppress you and draw you before
the judgment seats?" Here it has reference to the impelling of
unwilling subjects. From its usage in the New Testament we are
therefore obliged to understand Christ here intimated that, following
His crucifixion, He would put forth an invincible power so as to
effectually draw unto Himself all of God's elect, which His omniscient
foresight then saw scattered among the Gentiles. A very striking
example of the Divine drawing-power is found in Judges 4:7, "And I
will draw unto thee to the river Kishon, Sisera, the captain of
Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver
him into thine hands." In like manner Christ draws us unto Himself.
"Thus it is His heart relieves itself. The glory of God, the overthrow
of evil, the redemption and reconciliation of men is to be
accomplished by that, the cost of which is to be for Him so much. He
weighs the gain against the purchase-price for him, and is content"
(Mr. Grant).
"The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ
abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted
up? who is this Son of man?" (John 12:34). It seems exceedingly
strange that men acquainted with the Old Testament should have been
stumbled when their Messiah announced that He must die. Isaiah 53,
Daniel's prophecy that He should be "cut off" (Dan. 9:26), and that
solemn word through Zechariah, "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd,
and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite
the shepherd" (Zech. 13:7), should have shown them that His exaltation
could be only after His sufferings.
"Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you.
Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that
walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth" (John 12:35). His
questioners, most probably, in their malignant self-conceit, flattered
themselves that they had completely puzzled Him. But He next spoke as
though He had not heard their cavil. They were not seeking the truth,
and He knew it. Instead of answering directly, He therefore gave them
a solemn warning, reminding them that only for a short space longer
would they enjoy the great privilege then theirs, and stating what
would be the inevitable consequence if they continued to despise it.
"While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the
children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did
hide himself from them" (John 12:36). "Christ had spoken. Introduced
at the commencement of the Gospel as the Light of men (John 1:4), He
had proclaimed Himself to be the Light of the world, that whosoever
should follow Him should not walk in darkness, but have the light of
life (John 8:12). He had also said that, as long as He was in the
world, He was the light of it (John 9:5). Soon would the Light be
withdrawn, His death being near at hand. Is there not, then, something
awfully solemn in these few words of our chapter (John 12:35, 36)? He
had preached among them. He had wrought miracles among them. He had
kept, too, in His ministry to the land which God had promised to
Abraham. He had never ministered outside of it. The people in it had
enjoyed opportunities granted to none others. What, now, was the
result, as His public ministry was thus terminating? `He departed, and
did hide himself from them.' Who of them all mourned over His
departure? or sought where to find Him?" (Mr. C. E. Stuart)
Study the following questions on our next lesson:--
1. What is the central design of this passage, John 12:37-50?
2. Why is Isaiah 53 quoted here, verse 38?
3. Why was it "they could not believe" verse 39?
4. Whose "glory" is referred to in verse 41?
5. Had those mentioned in verse 42 saving faith?
6. When and where did Jesus say what is found in verses 44-50?
7. What is the "commandment" of verses 49, 50?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 44
Christ's Ministry Reviewed
John 12:37-50
_________________________________________________________________
The following is an Analysis of the closing section of John 12:--
1. The nation's response to Christ's ministry, verse 37.
2. The forecast of Israel's unbelief by Isaiah, verses 38-41.
3. The condition of those who had been impressed by Christ, verses 42,
43.
4. Christ's teaching about His relation to the Father, verses 44, 45.
5. Christ's teaching concerning the design of His ministry, verses 46,
47.
6. Christ's teaching concerning the doom of all who despised Him,
verses 48, 49.
7. Christ's teaching concerning the way of life, verse 50.
The passage before us is by no means an easy one to understand. The
previous section closes as follows:
"These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from
them" (John 12:36).
Many have thought, and we believe rightly so, that this statement
brings the public ministry of Christ to a close in this Gospel. When
we enter the thirteenth chapter it is very evident that a new section
there begins, for from the beginning of 13 to the end of 17 the Lord
is alone with His apostles; while in the 18th He is arrested and led
to judgment. But if John 12:36 marks the ending of Christ's public
ministry, how are we to understand the verses which follow to the end
of the chapter? especially in view of what is said in verse 44: "Jesus
cried and said," etc.
Now, we believe the answer to this question has been well stated by
Dr. John Brown: "The paragraph itself (John 12:37-50) is of a
peculiar, I had almost said unique, structure and character. The
history of our Lord's public ministry is closed. It terminates in the
verse immediately preceding. The account of His private interview with
His friends, previous to His passion, is about to commence. It begins
with the first verse of the following chapter. One scene in the
eventful history is closed; another is about to open. The curtain is,
as it were, falling upon the theater in which the public acts of Jesus
were performed, and the Evangelist is about to conduct us into the
sacred circle of His disciples, and communicate to us the sublime and
consoling conversations which the Redeemer, full of love, had with
them before His final departure. But before He does this he makes a
pause in the narrative, and, as it were, looks back and around; and,
in the paragraph before us, presents us in a few sentences with a
brief but comprehensive view of all the Lord had taught and done
during the course of His public ministry, and of the effects which His
discourses and miracles had produced on the great body of His
countrymen.
John here gives us a resume of Christ's public ministry, mentioning
His miracles and recapitulating His teaching. The closing section of
John 12 forms an epilogue to that chapter of our Lord's life which had
just been brought to a close in John 12:36. Four vital truths which
had occupied a prominent place in Christ's oral ministry are here
singled out: His appeal to the Father which sent Him (John 12:44, 45,
49); Himself the Light of the world (John 12:46); the danger of
unbelief (John 12:47-49); the end of faith (John 12:50). The Holy
Spirit's design in moving John to pen this section was, we believe, at
least two-fold: to explain the seeming failure of Christ's public
ministry, and to show that the guilt of unbelief rested inexcusably
upon Israel.
"The rejection of Jesus Christ by the great body of His
fellow-countrymen, the Jews, is a fact which, at first view, may seem
to throw suspicion on the greatness of His claims to a Divine mission,
as indicating the evidence adduced in their support did not serve its
purpose with those to whom it was originally presented, and who, in
some points of view, were placed in circumstances peculiarly favorable
for forming a correct estimate of its validity. It may be supposed
that had the proofs of His Divine mission and Messiahship been as
strong and striking as the friends of Christianity represent them, the
prejudices of the Jews, powerful as they unquestionably were, must
have given way before them; and the believers of His doctrine must
have been as numerous as the witnesses of His miracles. Such a
supposition, though plausible, argues on the part of its supporters,
imperfect and incorrect views of the human constitution,
intellectually and morally" (Ibid). In other words, it ignores the
total depravity of man!
Now, in the closing section of John 12 the Holy Spirit has most
effectively disposed of the above objection. He has done so by
directing our attention to Old Testament predictions which accurately
forecast the very reception which the Messiah met with from the Jews.
First, Isaiah 53 is referred to, for in this chapter it was plainly
foretold that He should be "despised and rejected of men." And then
Isaiah 6 is quoted, a passage which tells of God judicially blinding
His people because of their inveterate unbelief. Thus the very
objection made against Christianity is turned into a most conclusive
argument in its favor. The very fact that the Lord Jesus was put to
death by His countrymen demonstrates that He is their Messiah! Thus
has God, once more, made "the wrath of man to praise him."
"But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they
believed not on him" (John 12:37). Fearful proof was this of the
depravity of the human heart. The miracles of Christ were neither few
in number nor unimpressive in nature. The Lord Jesus performed
prodigies of power of almost every conceivable kind. He healed the
sick, expelled demons, controlled the winds, walked on the sea, turned
water into wine, revealed to men their secret thoughts, raised the
dead. His miracles were wrought openly, in the light of day, before
numerous witnesses. Nevertheless "they"--the nation at
large--"believed not on him." Altogether inexcusable was their
hardness of heart. All who heard His teaching and witnessed His works,
ought, without doubt, to have received Him as their
Divinely-accredited Messiah and Savior. But the great majority of His
countrymen refused to acknowledge His claims.
"The prevalence of unbelief and indifference in the present day ought
not to surprise us. It is just one of the evidences of that mighty
foundation-doctrine, the total corruption and fall of man. How feebly
we grasp and realize that doctrine is proved by our surprise at human
incredulity. We only half believe the heart's deceitfulness. Let us
read our Bibles more attentively, and search their contents more
carefully. Even when Christ wrought miracles and preached sermons
there were numbers of His hearers who remained utterly unmoved. What
right have we to wonder if the hearers of modern sermons in countless
instances remain unbelieving? `The disciple is not greater than his
Master.' If even the hearers of Christ did not believe, how much more
should we expect to find unbelief among the hearers of His ministers?
Let the truth be spoken and confessed: man's obstinate unbelief is one
among many of the indirect proofs that the Bible is true" (Bishop
Ryle).
"That the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled which he
spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of
the Lord been revealed?" (John 12:38). This does not mean that the
Jews continued in unbelief with the conscious design of fulfilling Old
Testament prophecy. Nor does the Holy Spirit here teach that God
exercised a secret influence upon the hearts of the Jews, which
prevented them from believing, in order that the prophecy of Isaiah
might not fail of accomplishment. The Jews did fulfill the predictions
of Isaiah, but it was ignorantly and unwittingly, As one able
expositor has well said, "The true interpretation here depends on the
fact, that the participle rendered that, in the sense of in order
that, sometimes signifies so that, pointing out, not the connection of
cause and effect, but that of antecedent and consequence, prediction
and accomplishment. For example, in the question of the disciples,
`Who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' the
meaning plainly is, `Is this man's blindness the consequence of his
parents' sin, or of his own in some preexistent state?'" We believe it
had been better to render it thus: "They believed not, consequently
the saying of Isaiah was fulfilled." God does not have to put forth
any power to cause any sinner not to believe: if He leaves him to
himself, he never will believe.
It is highly significant that Isaiah 53 opens in the way it does. That
remarkable chapter tells of the treatment which the Savior met with
from Israel when He was here the first time. As is well known, the
Jews will not own it as a prophecy concerning the Messiah: some of
them have attempted to apply it to Jeremiah, others to the nation. How
striking then that the Triune-God has opened it with the question,
"Who hath believed our report?" Most suitably does John apply it to
the unbelieving nation in his day. "And to whom is the arm of the Lord
revealed?" The "arm of the Lord" signifies the power of God as it had
been manifested by the Messiah. There are therefore two things here:
"Who hath believed our report?" points to Christ's oral ministry; "to
whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?" to His miracles.
"Therefore they could not believe, because that Isaiah said again"
(John 12:39). This is exceedingly solemn. It is explained in the next
verse. In consequence of their rejection of Christ, the nation as a
whole was judicially blinded of Cod, that is, they were left to the
darkness and hardness of their own evil hearts. But it is most
important to mark the order of these two statements: in John 12:37
they did not believe; here in John 12:39, they could not believe. The
most attractive appeals had been made: the most indubitable evidence
had been presented: yet they despised and rejected the Redeemer. They
would not believe; in consequence, God gave them up, and now they
could not believe. The harvest was vast, the summer was ended, and
they were not saved. But the fault was entirely theirs, and now they
must suffer the just consequences of their wickedness.
"He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they
should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and
be converted, and I should heal them" (John 12:40). This was God's
response to the wicked treatment which Israel had meted out to His
beloved Son. They had refused the light, now darkness shall be their
dreadful portion. They had rejected the truth, now a heart which loved
error should be the terrible harvest. Blinded eyes and a hardened
heart have belonged to Israel ever since; only thus can we account for
their continued unbelief all through these nineteen centuries; only
thus can we explain Israel's attitude toward Christ to-day.
"All through His Divine ministry in this Gospel, the Lord had been
acting in grace, as the `son of the Father' and as `the light of the
world.' His presence was day-time in the land of Israel. He had been
shining there, if haply the darkness might comprehend Him, and here,
at the close of His ministry (John 12:35, 36) we see Him still as the
light casting forth His last beams upon the land and the people. He
can but shine, whether they will comprehend Him or not. While His
presence is there it is still day-time. The night cannot come till He
is gone. `As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world'!
But here, He `departed and did hide himself from them' (John 12:36);
and then God, by His prophet, brings the night upon the land: John
12:40" (Mr. J. G. Bellett).
Fearfully solemn is it to remember that what God did here unto Israel
He will shortly do with the whole of unbelieving Christendom: "And for
this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should
believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believe not the
truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (2 Thess. 2:11, 12). Just
as in the days of Nimrod God "gave up" the entire Gentile world
because they despised and rejected the revelation which He had given
them (Rom. 1); just as He abandoned Israel to their unbelief, through
the rejection of His Son; so in a soon-coming day He will cause
unfaithful Christendom to receive the Antichrist because "they
received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved" (2
Thess. 2:10). Oh, dear reader, be warned by this. It is an unspeakably
solemn thing to trifle with the overtures of God's grace. It is
written, "How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?" (Heb.
2:3). Then "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him
while he is near" (Isa. 55:6).
"These things said Isaiah, when he saw his glory, and spake of him"
(John 12:41). A striking testimony is this to the absolute Deity of
Christ. The prediction quoted in the previous verse is found in Isaiah
6. At the beginning of that chapter the prophet sees "Jehovah sitting
upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple."
Above the throne stood the seraphim, with veiled face, crying, "Holy,
holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts." The sight was too much for Isaiah,
and he cried, "Woe is me! for I am undone." Then a live coal was taken
from off the altar and laid upon his mouth, and thus cleansed, he is
commissioned to go forth as God's messenger. And here the Holy Spirit
tells us in John 12, "These things said Isaiah, when he saw his glory,
and spake of him"--the context makes it unmistakably plain that the
reference is to the Lord Jesus. One of the sublimest descriptions of
the manifested Deity found in all the Old Testament is here applied to
Christ. That One born in Bethlehem's manger was none other than the
Throne-Sitter before whom the seraphim worship.
"Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but
because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be
put out of the synagogue" (John 12:42). Here is a statement which
affords help on such verses as John 2:23; John 7:31; John 8:30; John
10:42; John 11:45; John 12:11. In each of these passages we read of
many "believing" on the Lord Jesus, concerning whom there is nothing
to show that they had saving faith. In the light of the verse now
before us it would seem that John, all through his Gospel, divides the
unbelieving into two classes: the hardened mass who were altogether
unmoved by the wondrous works of Christ; and a company, evidently by
no means small, upon whom a temporary impression was made, but yet who
failed to yield their hearts captive to the Savior--the fear of man,
and loving the praise of man, holding them back. And do we not find
the same two classes in Christendom to-day? By far the greater number
of those who come under the sound of the Gospel remain unmoved,
heeding neither its imperative authority nor being touched by its
winsome tidings. They are impervious to every appeal. But there is
another class, and its representatives are to be found, perhaps, in
every congregation; a class who are affected in some measure by the
Word of the Cross. They do not despise its contents, yet, neither are
their hearts won by it. On the one hand, they are not openly
antagonistic; on the other, they are not out and out Christians.
"Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but
because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be
put out of the synagogue." This points a most solemn warning to the
class we have just mentioned above. A faith which does not confess
Christ is not a saving faith. The New Testament is very explicit on
this. Said the Lord Jesus, "Whosoever shall confess me before men, him
shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: But he
that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God"
(Luke 12:8, 9). And in the Epistle to the Romans we are told, "If thou
shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in
thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved" (John 10:9). These Jews referred to in our text were satisfied
that Christ was neither an impostor nor a fanatic, yet were they not
prepared to forsake all and follow Him. They feared the consequences
of such a course, for the Jews had agreed already that if any man did
confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue"
(John 9:22). These men then deemed it wisest to conceal their
convictions and wait until the Messiah should place Himself in such a
position that it would be safe and advantageous for them to avow
themselves His disciples. They were governed by self-interest, and
they have had many successors. If any should read these lines who are
attempting to be secret disciples of the Lord Jesus, fearing to come
out into the open and acknowledge by lip and life that He is their
Lord and Savior, let them beware. Remember that the first of the eight
classes mentioned in Revelation 21:8 who are cast into the lake of
fire are the "fearful"!
"For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John
12:43). These men, whose minds were convinced but whose hearts
remained unmoved, not only feared the religious authorities, but they
also desired the approbation of their fellows. They were determined to
retain their good opinion, even though at the expense of an uneasy
conscience. They preferred the good will of other sinners above the
approval of God. O the shortsighted folly of these wretched men! O the
madness of their miserable choice! Of what avail would the good
opinion of the Pharisees be when the hour of death overtook them? In
what stead will it stand them when they appear before the
judgment-throne of God? "What shall it profit a man if he shall gain
the whole world, and lose his own soul?" How we are reminded of our
Savior's words, "How can ye believe which receive honor one of
another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only?" (John
5:44). Let us remember that we cannot have both the good-will of
sinners and the good-will of God: "Know ye not that the friendship of
the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of
the world is the enemy of God" (James 4:4).
"Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me,
but on him that sent me" (John 12:44). Notice that nothing whatever is
said about either the time or the place where the Savior made this
utterance. We believe that John still continues his epilogue, giving
us in John 12:44-50 a summary, of Christ's teaching. The substance of
what he here says plainly indicates this. "How strange that this
supposed discourse of Jesus should to an extent of which there is no
previous example, consist of repetitions alone, and, moreover, of only
such words as are already found in John's Gospel. Did the Lord ever
recapitulate in this style, uttering connectedly so long a discourse
without any new thoughts and distinct sayings? but, when for once St.
John recapitulates, seeming (though only seeming) to put his words
into the Lord's lips, what an instructive example he gives us, not
venturing to add anything of his own! Yea, verily, all this the Lord
had said, each saying in its season; but St John unites them all
retrospectively together" (Stier). The tense of the verbs here, "Jesus
cried and said," signify, as Stier and Alford have pointed out, that
Christ was wont to, that it was His customary course of repeated
action.
"And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me" (John 12:45). That John
is giving us in these verses a summary of the teachings of Christ is
evidenced by a comparison of them with earlier statements in this
Gospel. For example: compare "He that believeth on me, believeth not
on me, but on him that sent me" (John 12:44) with John 5:24--"He that
heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me." So here: "He that
seeth me seeth him that sent me." Compare with this John 8:19, "If ye
had known me, ye should have known my Father also;" and John 10:38,
"That ye may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in him."
This was one of the vital truths which occupied a prominent place in
our Lord's teachings. No man had seen God at any time, but the only
begotten Son had come here to "declare" Him (John 1:18). What we have
here in John 12:45 is a reference to the frequent mention made by
Christ to that mysterious and Divine union which existed between
Himself and the Father.
"I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me
should not abide in darkness" (John 12:46). Clearly this is parallel
with John 8:12 and John 9:5: "I am the light of the world: he that
followeth me shall not walk in darkness... As long as I am in the
world, I am the light of the world." "I am come a light into the
world": upon this verse Dr. John Brown has the following helpful
comments: "This proves, first, that Christ existed before His
incarnation, even as the sun exists before it appears above the
eastern hills; second, it is implied that He is the one Savior of the
world, as there is but one sun; third, that He came, not for one
nation only, but for all; even as the sun's going forth is from the
end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it; and there is
nothing hid from the heat therof." This verse continues John's
reference to the general teaching of Christ concerning the character
and tendency of His mission. He had come here into this world as a
light-revealing God and exposing man--and this, in order that all who
believed on Him should be delivered from the darkness, that is, from
the power of Satan (Col. 1:13) and the ruin of sin (Eph. 4:18).
"And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I
came not to judge the world but to save the world" (John 12:47). Here
the Evangelist calls attention to another truth which had held a
prominent place in our Lord's teachings. It respected His repeated
announcement concerning the character and design of His mission and
ministry. It tells of the lowly place which He had taken, and of the
patient grace which marked Him during the time that He tabernacled
among men. It brings into sharp contrast the purpose and nature of His
two advents. When He returns to this earth it will be in another
character and with a different object from what was true of Him when
He was here the first time. Before, He was here as a lowly servant;
then, He shall appear as the exalted Sovereign. Before, He came to woo
and win men; then, He shall rule over them with a rod of iron.
"And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not." With
this compare verse 45, "Do not think that I will accuse you to the
Father. For I came not to judge the world, but to save the world,"
compare with this John 3:17, "For God sent not his Son into the world
to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved,"
and note our original comments upon John 3:17. "He that rejecteth me,
and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I
have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day" (John 12:48).
This solemn utterance of Christ corrects an erroneous conclusion which
has been drawn by some Calvinists, who deny the responsibility of
unregenerate souls in connection with the Gospel. They argue that
because the natural man is devoid of spiritual life, he cannot
believe; a dead man, they say, cannot receive Christ. To this it might
be replied, A dead man cannot reject Christ. But many do! It is true
that a dead man cannot believe, yet he ought to. His inability lies
not in the absence of necessary faculties, but in the wilful
perversion of his faculties. When Adam died spiritually, nothing in
him was annihilated; instead, he became "alienated from the life of
God" (Eph. 4:18). Every man who hears the Gospel ought to believe in
Christ, and those who do not will yet be punished for this unbelief,
see 2 Thessalonians 1:7. As Christ here teaches, the rejector of Him
will be judged for his sin. Let any unsaved one who reads these lines
thoughtfully ponder this solemn word of the Lord. Jesus.
"He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that
judgeth him." The first part of this verse is almost identical with
what we read of in John 3:18: "But he that believeth not is condemned
already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten
Son of God." "The words that I have spoken, the same shall judge him
in the last. day." This takes us back to Deuteronomy 18:19, where, of
the great Prophet God promised to raise up unto Israel He declared,
"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my
words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him."
"The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last
day." Very solemn indeed is this, for its application is to all who
have heard the Gospel. It tells us three things.
First, there is to be a "last day." This world will not remain
forever. The bounds of its history, the length of its existence are
Divinely determined, and when the appointed limit is reached, "The day
of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the
heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall
melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein
shall be burned up" (2 Pet. 3:10).
Second, this last day will be one of judgment: "Because he hath
appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness
by that man whom he hath ordained" (Acts 17:31). Then shall hidden
things be brought to light: the righteous vindicated, and the
unrighteous sentenced. Then shall God's broken law be magnified, and
His holy justice honored. Then shall all His enemies be subjugated and
God shall demonstrate that He is GOD. Then shall every proud rebel be
made to bow in subjection before that Name which is above every name,
and confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
Third, Christ's Word will judge sinners in that Day. His Word was a
true Word, a Divine Word, a Word suited to men. Yet men have slighted
it, attacked it, denied it, made its holy contents the subject of
blasphemous jesting. But in the last great Day it shall judge them.
First and foremost among the "books" which shall be opened and out of
which sinners shall be "judged" (Rev. 20:12) will be, we believe, the
written Word of God--"In the day when God shall judge the secrets of
men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel" (Rom. 2:16).
"For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he
gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak"
(John 12:49). This was something which Christ had affirmed repeatedly,
see John 5:30; 7:16; 8:26-28, etc. It expressed that intimate and
mysterious union which existed between the Father and Himself. His
purpose was to impress upon the Jews the awfulness of their sin in
refusing His words: in so doing, they affronted the Father Himself,
for His were the very words which the Son had spoken to them. In like
manner, to-day, "he that believeth not God hath made him a liar;
because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son" (1 John
5:10). How terrible then is the sin of despising the testimony of
Christ!
"And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I
speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak" (John
12:50). This is an abstract of what we read of in John 3:11; 5:32;
8:55. It brings out once more the perfections of the incarnate Son. He
acted not in independency, but in perfect oneness of heart, mind, and
will, with the Father. Whether the Jews believed them or not, the
messages which Christ had delivered were Divinely true, and therefore
were they words of life to all who receive them by simple faith. This
closing sentence in John's summary of Christ's teachings is very
comprehensive: "whatsoever" He had spoken, was that which He had
received of the Father. Therefore in refusing to heed the teaching of
Christ, the Jews had despised the God of their fathers, the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
"And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I
speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak" (John
12:50). Once more we have a declaration which is not confined to its
local application. This verse speaks in clarion tones to all who come
under the sound of the Gospel to-day. God has given not an
"invitation" for men to act on at their pleasure, but a "commandment"
which they disobey at their imminent peril. That commandment is "that
we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 3:23),
hence at the beginning of the Epistle to the Romans, where Paul refers
to the Gospel of God, he says, "By whom we have received grace and
apostleship, for faith--obedience among all nations" (John 1:5). This
commandment is "life everlasting" to all who receive it by the
obedience of faith. Adam brought death upon him by disobeying God's
commandment: we receive life by obeying God' commandment. Then "see
that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who
refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we
turn away from him that speaketh from heaven" (Heb. 12:25).
Study the following questions in view of our next lesson:--
1. What is meant by the last clause of verse 1?
2. What "supper" is referred to in verse 2?
3. What is the symbolic significance of Christ's actions in verse 4?
4. What is signified by the washing of the disciples' feet, verse 5?
5. Why is Peter so prominent in verses 6-9?
6. What is meant by "no part with Me" verse 8?
7. What is the meaning of verse 10?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 45
Christ Washing His Disciples' Feet
John 13:1-11
_________________________________________________________________
Below is an Analysis of the passage which is to be before us:--
1. Christ's unchanging love, verse 1.
2. Judas's inveterate hatred, verse 2.
3. Christ's return to the Father, verse 3.
4. Christ performing a slave's work, verses 4, 5.
5. Peter's blundering ignorance, verses 6-9.
6. Bathing and cleansing, verse 10.
7. The traitor excepted, verse 11.
We are now to enter upon what many believers in each age have regarded
as the most precious portion of this Gospel, yea, as one of the most
blessed passages in all the Word of God. John 13 begins a new section,
a section clearly distinguished and separated from what has gone
before. At the beginning of the Gospel two things were stated in
connection with the outcome of Christ's mission and ministry: the
nation, as such, "received him not": this has been fully demonstrated,
especially in chapters 5 to 12; second, those who did "receive him"
were to be brought into the place of children of God. In chapters 13
to 17 we see Christ alone with His own, separated from the world,
telling them of their peculiar portion and privileges.
At the close of Christ's public ministry, we are told "He departed and
did hide himself from them"; that is, from the nation (John 12:36). In
13 to 17 we find the Savior, in most intimate fellowship with His
disciples, revealing to them the wondrous place which they had in His
love, and how that love would be continually exercised on their behalf
now that He was about to leave them and go to the Father. He had told
them that, "the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to
minister, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28). All
through His career Christ had "ministered" to His own, but now, His
public ministry was over and He was on the eve of giving His life a
ransom for them, to be followed by Him taking His place on high. It
would, therefore, be natural for the disciples to conclude that His
"ministry" unto them was also ended. But not so. It would continue,
and that is what this blessed section of John's Gospel is primarily
designed to show us. He loved these disciples (and us) not only unto
the Cross, but "unto the end." His return to the Father would neither
terminate nor diminish the activities of His love for His own: in
Heaven He is still occupied with the interest of His people.
The central design of the "Paschal Discourse" of Christ was to lead
His own into a spiritual understanding of their new place before the
Father, and their new position in the world, as distinguished from the
portion and place which they had had in Judaism. What we have in John
13 to 17 takes the place of the long Olivet discourse recorded by each
of the Synoptists. Here, instead of taking His seat upon the Mount, He
brings the disciples, in spirit, into Heaven, and reveals the glories,
blessedness, and holiness of the Sanctuary there. Instead of treating
of the horrors of the Tribulation, He discloses to the family of God
the activities of their great High Priest, as well as their own
sorrows and joys during the time of their journey through this
wilderness.
While there is a marked contrast between what we have at the close of
John 12 and the beginning of 13, there is also a close link of
connection between them, a link which further develops the progressive
unfolding of truth in this wondrous Gospel. In chapter 12 Christ had
spoken of Himself as "the corn of wheat" which had to die in order
that it might bring forth "much fruit." As we have seen, this speaks
of union and communion--blessedly illustrated in the opening scene,
the "supper" in Bethany. But here in chapter 13 and onwards, He makes
known His own most gracious work for maintaining believers in
fellowship with Himself. Two things, each most blessed and evidencing
His perfections, are to be noted. First, His eye is on the heavenly
sanctuary (John 13:1); second, His eye is upon His own (John 13:4). He
guards the holy requirements of God, and He cares for and ministers to
His people. We are left here in this world, and its dust is defiling,
unfitting us for entrance into the Holiest. Here in John 13 we see
Christ fitting us for that place. It is important for us to recognize,
though, that it is God's interests which He has at heart in washing
our feet! Christ is here seen as the Laver which stood between the
brazen altar and the sanctuary, and which was approached only after
the brazen altar had done its work.
There is a further link between John 12 and 13 which brings out a most
blessed contrast--let the student be constantly on the lookout for
these. At the beginning of John 12 we behold the feet of the Lord; in
John 13 we see the feet of the disciples. The "feet" of Christ were
anointed, those of the disciples were washed. As the Savior passed
through this sinful world He contracted no defilement. He left it as
He came: "holy, harmless, and undefiled." The "feet" speak of the
walk, and the fact that Christ's feet were anointed with the fragrant
spikenard tells of the sweet savor which ever ascended from Him to the
Father, perfectly glorifying Him as He did in every step of His path.
But in sharp contrast from Him, the walk of the disciples was defiled,
and the grime of the way must be removed. Note, also, that the
anointing of the Savior's feet is given before the washing of the
disciples' feet--in all things He must have "the preeminence" (Col.
1:18)!
That which opens this section and introduces the "Paschal Discourse"
is the Lord washing the feet of His disciples. The first thing to
observe, particularly, is that it was water and not blood which was
used for their cleansing. It is deeply important to note this, for
many of the Lord's own people seem to be entirely ignorant about the
distinction. Their speaking of a re-application of the blood, of
coming anew to "the fountain" which has been opened for sin and
uncleanness when they have transgressed, proves that this is only too
sadly true. The New Testament knows nothing whatever of a
re-application of the blood, or of sinning Christians needing to be
washed in it again. To speak of such things is to grossly dishonor the
all-efficacious sacrifice of the Cross. The blood of Jesus Christ
God's Son cleanseth us from all sin (1 John 1:7). By "one offering he
hath perfected forever them that are set apart" (Heb. 10:14). This
being so, what provision, we may ask, has been made for the removal of
the defilements which the Christian contracts by the way? The answer
is "water."
A careful study will show that in the Old and New Testaments alike the
"blood" is Godward, the "water" is saintward, to remove impurity in
practice: the one affects our standing, the other our state; the
former is for judicial cleansing, the latter is for practical
purification. In the types, Leviticus 16 makes known God's
requirements for the making of atonement; Numbers 19 tells of God's
provision for the defilements of the way, as Israel journeyed through
the wilderness. The latter was met not by blood, but by "the water of
purification." Judicial cleansing from the guilt of all sin is the
inalienable portion of every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Moral
cleansing, the practical purification of the heart and ways from all
that defiles and hinders our communion with God is by water, that is,
the Word, applied to us in power by the Holy Spirit.
"Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour
was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father,
having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the
end" (John 13:1). This opening verse supplies us with the first key to
what follows. What we have here anticipates that which was in view in
Christ's return to the Father. He graciously affords us a symbolic
representation of His present service for us in Heaven. He is seated
at the right hand of the Majesty on High, but He is there in our
interests, ever living to make intercession for us, ever there as our
Advocate with the Father, ever maintaining and succouring us by the
way.
"Now before the feast of the passover," immediately before, for on the
morrow Christ was to die as the true Lamb. The "passover" itself was
eaten at the close of the fourteenth day of Nisan (Ex. 12:6, 8); but
"the feast," which lasted seven days, began on the fifteenth (Num.
28:17). What we have here, then, transpired on the eve before our
Lord's death.
When Jesus knew that his hour was come." Christ is the only One who
has ever trod this earth that was never taken by surprise. All was
known and felt in the Father's presence. "That he should depart out of
this world": note "this world," not "the world." It is striking to see
how frequently this term occurs at the close of His life: "And Jesus
said, For judgment I am come into this world" (John 9:39); "He that
hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal" (John
12:25); "Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the Prince of
this world be cast out" (John 12:31). "This world" was evidently a
terrible place in the Lord's mind! He could not stay here. He had made
the world (John 1:10), but sin has made this world what it is. Note
"that he should depart out of this world unto the Father," not unto
heaven! How blessed! It was the Father's presence His heart desired!
"Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the
end." "His own"! After all the previous conflicts with an unbelieving
world, after all His unavailing appeals to Israel, Christ now comforts
His heart by lavishing His love upon the few who despised Him not.
What a blessed expression"his own"! "Ye are not your own" (1 Cor.
6:19); we belong to Christ. We all know the delight which comes from
being able to call something our own. It is not so much the value of
what is possessed which constitutes this satisfaction, as it is the
simple consciousness that it is mine. It is the Holy Spirit here
declaring the heart of the Savior in the terms of love. It is not with
our poor estimate of Him, still less with our wretched selves, that He
would occupy us. He would have us taken up with Christ's thoughts
about us! We belong to the Lord Jesus in a threefold way. First, by
the Father's eternal election. We are the Father's love-gift to the
Son: "chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world." Second, we
are His by His own redemptive rights. He paid the purchase price. He
bought us for Himself: "Christ also loved the church, and gave himself
for it." Third, we are His by the effectual call of the Holy Spirit.
If any one be in Christ, he is a new creation, and we are created anew
by the Third Person of the Holy Trinity: "born of the Spirit."
"He loved them unto the end." Here is the care of the Good Shepherd
for the sheep. Unto "the end" of what? Who can define it? First, unto
the end of our earthly pilgrimage. We need the assurance of His love
as we pass through this wilderness. We shall not need it when we see
Him face to face and know as we are known. But we do need the full
assurance of it now. And what a resting-place for the poor heart amid
all the buffetings of this life--the bosom of the Savior! It is here
that John turned (John 13:23), and it is blessedly accessible to us,
in spirit. Yea, it is to maintain us in the unending enjoyment of our
place there, that the Lord Jesus is here seen washing the disciples'
feet before He begins the long discourse which follows to the end of
chapter 16. The love of Christ must be occupied about its objects, and
this is what we see here. God is "light" (1 John 1:5), and God is
"love" (1 John 4:16). In the first twelve chapters of this Gospel
Christ is seen as light, revealing the Father, exposing men (John 1:7;
3:19; 8:12; 9:5). But now we behold Him (with "his own") as love (cf.
John 13:34; 14:12; 15:9; 17:26, etc.). But mark it, it is a holy love.
Divine love cannot allow that which is unclean. Therefore does the
holy love of Christ begin by removing defilement from the feet of His
disciples! Most blessed is this. We delight to contemplate the love
which caused Him to lay down His life for us, but let us never lose
sight of the present activities of it.
"He loved them unto the end? Not only unto the last, but to the
farthest extent of their need and of His grace. He knew that Philip
would misunderstand Him, that three of them would sleep while He
prayed and agonized, that Peter would deny Him, that Thomas would
doubt Him, that all would "forsake him"--yet He "loved them unto the
end"! And so it is with us, dear Christian reader. "His own" are the
objects of HIS love; "unto the end" is the extent of His love. He
loves us unto "the end" of our miserable failures, unto the "end" of
our wanderings and backslidings, unto the "end" of our unworthiness,
unto the "end" of our deep need.
His love no end or measure knows,
No change can turn its course;
Eternally the same it flows
From one eternal Source.
The first part of our verse intimates two things about the Lord Jesus
at this time: the Cross was before Him with all its horrors; the joy
of returning to the Father was before Him with all its bliss; yet
neither the fearful prospect of woe nor the hope of unspeakable rest
and gladness shook His love for His own. He is the same yesterday, and
to-day, and forever, therefore His love never varies. He is eternal,
therefore has He loved us with an everlasting love. He is Divine,
therefore is His love different from all others, passing human
knowledge.
"And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of
Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him" (John 13:2). What a
fearful contrast! From love to hate; from the Savior to Satan; from
"his own" to the traitor! The mention of Judas here seems to be for
the purpose of enhancing the beauty of what follows. The Devil had
full mastery over the heart of the betrayer: thus in figure the Cross
was passed--Satan had accomplished his design.
"Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands,
and that he was come from God, and went to God" (John 13:3) "These
statements of Christ's Divine origin, authority, and coming glory, are
made so as to emphasize the amazing condescension of the service to
which He humbled Himself to do the office of a bondslave" (Companion
Bible).
"Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands,
and that he was come from God, and went to God; he riseth from supper,
and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself"
(John 13:3, 4). "It was not in forgetfulness of His Divine origin, but
in full consciousness of it, He discharged this menial function. As He
had divested Himself of the `form of God' at the first, stripping
Himself of the outward glory attendant on recognized Deity; and had
taken upon Himself `the form of a servant,' so now He laid aside His
garment and girded Himself; assuming the guise of a household slave.
For a fisherman to pour water over a fisherman's feet was no great
condescension; but that He, in whose hands are all human affairs and
whose nearest relation is the Father, should thus condescend, is of
unparalleled significance. It is this kind of action that is suitable
to One whose consciousness is Divine. Not only does the dignity of
Jesus vastly augment the beauty of the action, but it also sheds new
light on the Divine character" (Dr. Dods).
Three things are to be carefully noted here as reasons why He washed
His disciples' feet on this occasion. First, He knew that His hour was
come when He should depart out of this world (John 13:1); second, He
loved His own unto the end (John 13:1); third, because all things had
been given into His hands, and He that had come from God was returning
to God--for these reasons He arose from the table and girded Himself
with a towel. As we shall see, all of this finds its explanation in
the Lord's words to Peter, "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with
me" (John 13:8). For three years the disciples had had "a part" with
Him. But now He was about to leave them; but before doing so He would
assure them (and us) that His wondrous love continues undiminished and
unchanged after His return to the Father. Christ began a service in
the Glory which, in another manner, He will continue forever. The
service in which He is now engaged is to maintain our "part" with Him.
There has been much controversy as to what "supper" is referred to
here in John 13. Most assuredly it was not the "Lord's Supper," for in
John 13:26 we find Christ giving the "sop" to Judas, and the
Synoptists make it unmistakably plain that this was at the paschal
supper. The Lord's Supper receives no mention in the fourth Gospel. On
this fact Bishop Ryle strikingly says, "I think it was specially
intended to be a witness forever against the growing tendency of
Christians to make an idol out of the sacraments. Even from the
beginning there seems to have been a disposition in the Church to make
a religion of forms and ceremonies rather than of heart, and to exalt
outward ordinances to a place which God never meant them to fill.
Against this teaching St. John was raised up to testify. The mere fact
that in his Gospel he leaves out the Lord's Supper altogether, and
does not even name it, is strong proof that the Lord's Supper cannot
be, as many tell us, the first, chief, and principle thing in
Christianity. His perfect silence about it can never be reconciled
with this favorite theory. It is a most conspicuous silence, I can
only see one answer: it is because it is not a primary, but a
secondary thing in Christ's religion."
"He riseth from supper." In the order of events this comes right after
what we read of in John 13:1: the time-mark there being connected with
Christ's action here. Evidently it was just before the beginning of
the meal that the Lord Jesus rose from the table--the meal being the
paschal one. It is important to note that John's narrative carries
everything on in strict connection from this point to John 14:31, and
then on to John 18:1: therefore this "supper" and Christ's discourse
to His disciples was at once followed by the going forth to
Gethsemane. The question of Peter in John 13:24 is inexplicable if the
paschal supper had already taken place (as quite a number have
insisted), for the Synoptists are explicit that our Lord named the
betrayer during this meal. Most of the difficulty has been created by
the first clause of John 13:2, which should be rendered, "when the
supper arrived," i.e., was ready. Mark how that 13:12 shows us Christ
resuming His place at the table.
"He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments: and took a towel,
and girded himself" (John 13:4). Everything here, we doubt not, has a
deep symbolical meaning. The "supper" was the paschal one, and clearly
spoke of Christ's death. The rising from supper and the laying aside
of His garments (cf. John 20:6) pictured our Lord on the
resurrection-side of the grave. The girding Himself speaks of service,
the heavenly service in which He is now engaged on behalf of His
people. It is a wonderful thing that the Lord never relinquished His
servant character. Even which the modern advocates of the so-called
sacramental system can never get over, or explain away. If the
sacrament of the Lord's Supper really is the first and chief thing in
Christianity, why does St. John tell us nothing about it? To that
question after His return to the Glory He still ministers to us.
Beautifully was this typified of old in connection with the Hebrew
servant in Exodus 21. "If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he
shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free . . . If the
servant shall plainly say I love my master, my wife, and my children;
I will not go out free, then his master shall bring him unto the
judges; he shall also bring him to the door, and unto the door-post;
and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall
serve him forever" (verses 2-5, 6). This has been expounded at length
in our "Gleanings in Exodus." Suffice it now to say that it affords us
a most blessed foreshadowment of the perfect Servant. Christ will
"serve forever." To-day He is serving us, applying the Word (by His
Spirit) to our practical state, dealing with what unfits us for
fellowship with Himself on high. Luke 12:37 gives us a precious word
upon His future service: "Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord
when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he
shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come
forth and serve them." And how will He "serve" us then? By ministering
to our happiness and enjoyment as "His guests"!
"After that he poureth water into a basin," etc. (John 13:5).
Everything here is Divinely perfect. Seven distinct actions are
attributed to the Savior: "He (1) riseth from supper, and (2) laid
aside his garments, and (3) took a towel, and (4) girded himself.
After that he (5) Poureth water into a basin, and (6) began to wash
the disciples' feet, and (7) to wipe them with the towel wherewith he
was girded." It was their feet which He here proceeded to wash. Their
persons were already cleansed. They had been brought out of Judaism,
and a heavenly portion was now theirs--a place in the Father's House.
But their conduct must be suited to that House. Their walk must be in
accord with their heavenly calling. They must be kept clean in their
ways.
The water with which the Savior here cleansed the soiled feet of His
disciples was an emblem of the Word: "Wherewithal shall a young man
cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word" (Ps.
119:9). Fully and blessedly is this brought out in Ephesians 5:25,
26:"Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he
might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the
word.""Every clause of this passage is found here in John 13. He
`loved' them, the Church. He `gave himself' for them, the `supper'
setting forth that: that He might `sanctify,' separate to Himself,
thus they were `his own'; and `cleanse' it with the washing of water
by the Word. It is complete; His constant, perfect provision for our
being kept clean" (Mr. Malachi Taylor). It is to be particularly
observed that the Lord did not leave this work unfinished or half
done: like a perfect servant, our Lord not only "washed" their feet,
but He "wiped" them as well!
"Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost
thou wash my feet?" (John 13:6). Simon was ever blundering, and his
sad faults and failings are recorded for our learning. "In Divine
things the wisdom of the believer is subjection to Christ and
confidence in Him. What He does we are called on to accept with
thankfulness of heart, and as Mary said to the servants at the
marriage-feast, `Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.' This Simon
Peter did not, for when the Lord approached him in the form of a
servant or bond-man, he demurred. Was there not faith `working by
love' in Peter's heart? Both, undoubtedly, yet not then in action, but
buried under superabundant feeling of a human order, else he had not
allowed his mind to question what the Lord saw fit to do. He had
rather bowed to Christ's love and sought to learn, as He might teach,
what deep need must be in him and his fellows to draw forth such a
lowly yet requisite service from his Master... Too self-confident and
indeed ignorant not only of himself and the defiling scene around, but
of the depths and constancy of Christ's love, Peter says to Him,
`Lord, dost thou wash my feet?' Granting that he could not know what
was not yet revealed, but was it comely of him, was it reverent, to
question what the Lord was doing? He may have thought it humility in
himself, and honor to the Lord, to decline a service so menial at His
hands. But Peter should never have forgotten that as Jesus never said
a word, so He never did an act save worthy of God and demonstrative of
the Father; and now more than ever were His words and ways an
exhibition of Divine grace, as human evil set on by Satan, not only in
those outside, but within the innermost circle of His own, called for
increased distinctness and intensity.
"The truth is we need to learn from God how to honor Him, and learn to
love according to His mind. And if any man think that he knoweth
anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know; this, too, was
Peter's mistake. He should have suspected his thoughts, and waited in
all submissiveness on Him who, as many confessed that knew far less
than he did, `hath done all things well,' and was absolutely what He
was saying, truth and love in the same blessed Person. The thoughts of
God are never as ours, and saints slip into those of man, unless they
are taught of God, by faith, in detail, too, as well as in the main;
for we cannot, ought not, to trust ourselves in anything. God the
Father will have the Son honored; and He is honored most when believed
in and followed in His humiliation. Peter therefore was equally astray
when he once ventured to rebuke the Lord for speaking of His suffering
and death, as now when he asks, `Dost thou wash my feet?¡" (Bible
Treasury).
"Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but
thou shalt know hereafter" (John 13:7). We take it that the force of
this is, briefly, as follows: Peter, this gives a picture, a sample,
of the work which I shall perform for My people when I return to the
Father. You do not see the significance of it now, but you will later,
when the Holy Spirit has come. This was really a rebuke; but given
tenderly. Peter ought to have known that in his Lord's mysterious
action there must be a purpose and a meaning in it worthy of His
subjection to the Father and expressive of His love for His own. But
like us, Peter was dull of discernment, slow to learn. Instead of
gladly submitting to the most high Sovereign now performing the
service of a slave, he plunges still further into worse error: "Peter
saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet." It was ignorance, yea,
affection, which prompted him; but that did not excuse him. But how
blessed that he had, and that we have, to do with One who bears with
us in our dullness, and whose grace corrects our faults!
"Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet" (John 13:8). We
are all ready to censure Peter for not complying immediately with the
Lord's will when he knew it. But let us beware lest we be guilty of
something more inexcusable than what we condemn in the apostle. Peter
said he would not submit, yet he did, and that very quickly. Is it not
sadly true of us, that we often say we will submit, and yet remain
obstinately disobedient? As another has said, "We do not use Peter's
words, but we act them, which he durst not do. What, then, is the
difference between us and him? Is it not just the difference between
the two sons in the parable--the one of whom said, `I go, and went
not,' the other of whom said, `I will not go, and afterwards repented
and went?' Which of these did the will of the father? Whether do you
think Peter's refractory expression, or our disobedient conduct, most
deserving of censure?"
"Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me"
(John 13:8). "If I wash thee not": we cannot wash our own feet; we are
totally incompetent, not only for the saving of our souls, hut also
for the cleansing of our defiled walk. Nor has even the Word apart
from His living presence any efficacy. Our feet must be in His hands,
that is to say, we must completely yield to Him. It is not simply that
we are to judge our ways according to our apprehension of the Word,
and its requirements, but He must interpret and apply it, and for this
we must be in His presence.
But what is meant by "no part with me?" Ah, here is the key that
unlocks the chamber that conducts us to the very center of this
incident. The word "part" has reference to fellowship. This is seen
from our Lord's words concerning the sister of Martha: "Mary hath
chosen that good part" (Luke 10:42). The meaning of this word "part"
is clearly defined again in 2 Corinthians 6:15, "What concord hath
Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an
infidel?"
What is the "washing"? "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with
me." It is something which is needed by all believers. We say
"believers," for though all such have a portion in Christ, how often
they fail to enjoy their "part" with Him. This "washing" is something
more than confession of sin and the consequent forgiveness. It is the
searching out of the Word, in the presence of God, of that which led
me into evil; it is judging the root, of which sins are the fruit. Yet
this "washing" must not be limited to God's remedy for our declension
and failure, rather should we view it as His gracious provision for
our daily need, as a preservative and preventative against outward
failures. We need to get alone with our Lord each day, opening our
hearts to the light as the flower does its petals to the sun. Alas!
that we have so little consciousness of our deep need for this, and
that there is so little retirement and examination of our ways before
God. To really place our feet for washing in the blessed hands of
Christ is to come before Him in the attitude of the Psalmist: "Search
me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if
there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting"
(Ps. 139:23, 24). This is imperatively necessary if, while in such a
defiling place as this world, we are to have a "part" with Him.
"Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands
and my head" (John 13:9). Here, with characteristic impulsiveness,
Peter rushes to the opposite extreme. As he hears that he could have
no part with Christ except the Lord wash him, he is ready now to be
washed all over. It was the passionate outburst of a warm-hearted if
dull-minded disciple. Nevertheless, his ignorance voiced another
error. He needed not now to be washed all over. The sinner does, but
the saint does not. It is only our walk which needs cleansing.
"Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his
feet, but is clean every whit" (John 13:10). The distinction which our
Lord here drew is of vital importance. "He that is washed," better,
"He who has been bathed," that is, his whole person cleansed: "needeth
not save to wash his feet," then is he completely fit for communion
with the Lord. There is a washing which believers have in Christ that
needs not to be ever repeated. In Him there is to be found a cleansing
which is never lost. "By one offering he hath perfected forever them
that are set apart" (Heb. 10:14). The believer has been purged from
all sin, and made meet to be a partaker of the inheritance of the
saints in light (Col. 1:12). This purging needs no repetition. It is
of first moment that the Christian should be dear upon this basic
truth. The benefits which Christ confers upon the believer are never
recalled; the efficacy of His precious blood abides upon him
eternally. The moment a sinner, drawn by the Holy Spirit, comes to
Christ, he is completely and finally cleansed. It is the apprehension
of this which gives a finn rock for my feet to rest upon. It assures
me that my hope is a stable one; that my standing before God is
immutable. It banishes doubt and uncertainty. It gives the heart and
mind abiding peace to know that the benefits I have found in Christ
are never to be recalled. I am brought out from under condemnation and
placed in a state of everlasting acceptance. All this, and more, is
included in the "bathing" which Christ has declared needs not to be
repeated. I stand resplendent in the sight of God in all the Savior's
beauty and perfections. God looks upon believers not merely as
forgiven, but as righteous: as truly as Christ was "made sin" for us,
so have we been "made the righteousness of God in him."
But side by side with this blessed truth of a bathing in Christ which
needs not, and cannot be, repeated, stands another truth of great
practical importance: "He that is bathed needeth not save to wash his
feet, but is clean every whit." There is a partial cleansing which the
believer still needs, a daily washing to counteract the defiling
effects of this world. Our daily contact with the evil all around
causes the dust of defilement to settle upon us so that the mirror of
our conscience is dimmed and the spiritual affections of our heart are
dulled. We need to come afresh into the presence of Christ in order to
learn what things really are, surrendering ourselves to His judgment
in everything, and submitting to His purging Word. And who is there
that, even for a single day, lives without sin? Who is there that does
not need to daily pray, "Forgive us our trespasses''? Only One has
ever walked here and been unsoiled by the dust of earth. He went as He
came, unstained, uncontaminated. But who is there among His people
that does not find much in his daily walk that makes him blush for
shame! How much unfaithfulness we all have to deplore! Let me but
compare my walk with Christ's, and, unless I am blinded by conceit or
deceived by Satan, I shall at once see that I come infinitely short of
Him, and though "following his steps" (not "in his steps" as it is so
often misquoted), it is but "afar off." So often my acts are
un-Christlike in character, so often my disposition and ways have "the
flesh" stamped upon them. Even when evil does not break out in open
forms, we are conscious of much hidden wrong, of sins of thought, of
vile desires. How real, then, how deep, is our daily need of putting
our feet in the hands of Christ for cleansing, that everything which
hinders communion with Him may be removed, and that He can say of us,
"Ye are clean"!
Is it not most significant that nothing is said in this chapter about
the washing of the disciples' hands? Does it not point a leading
contrast between the Mosaic and the Christian dispensations? Under the
law, where there was so much of doing, the priests were required to
wash both their hands and their feet (Ex. 30:19); but under grace all
has been done for us, and if the walk be right, the work will be
acceptable!
"And ye are clean, but not all. For he knew who should betray him;
therefore said he, Ye are not all clean" (John 13:10, 11). Christ here
referred to Judas, though He did not name the Traitor. Judas must have
known what He meant, but his conscience was seared as with a red-hot
iron, and his heart was harder than the nether mill-stone. Even this
touching exhibition of the condescending love and grace of Christ
toward His disciples made no impression upon him. In less than one
hour he went forth to sell his Master. In his case it was not a matter
of losing spiritual life, but of manifesting the fact that he never
had it. It was not a sheep of Christ becoming unclean, but of a dog
returning to his vomit. Unspeakably solemn warning is this for those
who, for a time, maintain an outward form of godliness, but are
strangers to its inward power.
The following questions are to help the student prepare for the next
lesson:--
1. What is the typical teaching of verse 12?
2. What is the important lesson on reverence in verse 13?
3. How are we to obey, verses 14, 15?
4. What is the thought suggested by verse 16 coming right after verses
14, 15?
5. What lessons are to be learned from verse 17?
6. What is the meaning of verse 19?
7. What blessed truth is expressed in verse 20?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 46
Christ's Example For Us
John 13:12-20
_________________________________________________________________
The following is given as an Analysis of the second section of John
13:12-20
1. Christ's searching question, verse 12.
2. Christ's dignity and authority, verse 13.
3. Christ's example for us to follow, verses 14, 15.
4. Christ's warning against pride, verse 16.
5. Christ's approval of practical godliness, verse 17.
6. Christ's word about the Traitor, verses 18, 19.
7. Christ's encouragement to His servants, verse 20.
The opening portion of John 13 makes known the provision which Divine
love has made for failure in our walk as we journey through this
world-wilderness, and the means which are used to maintain us in
fellowship with Christ. Its central design is stated by the Lord when
He said to Peter, "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me." The
washing of our feet is imperative if we are to enjoy fellowship with
the Holy One of God. "Grace" has given us a place in Christ, now
"truth" operates to maintain our place with Christ. The effect of this
ministry is stated in verse 10: "He that is bathed needeth not save to
wash his feet, but is clean every whit."
There is a double washing for the believer: the one of his entire
person, the other of his feet; the former is once for all, the latter
needs repeating daily. In both instances the "washing" is by the Word.
Of the former we read, "Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor
revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such
were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God"
(1 Cor. 6:10, 11). And again, "Not by works of righteousness which we
have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of
regeneration, and renewing of the holy Spirit's (Titus 3:5). The
"washing of regeneration" is not by blood, though it is inseparable
from redemption by blood; and neither the one nor the other is ever
repeated. Of the latter we read, "Christ also loved the church, and
gave himself for it: That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the
washing of water By The Word. That he might present it to himself a
glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but
that it should be holy and without blemish" (Eph. 5:25-27). This same
distinction was plainly marked in the Old Testament. When Aaron and
his sons were consecrated, they were bathed all over (Ex. 29:4;
Leviticus 8:6): but at the "laver" it was only their hands and feet
which were daily cleansed (Ex. 30:19, 21).
In our last chapter we pointed out how that the "blood" is Godward,
the "water" saintwards. The one is for legal expiation, the other for
moral purification. Now, while both the "bathing" (Titus 3:5) and the
"washing" of the saints's feet is by the "water of the word," there is
a "cleansing" by blood""the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us
from all sin" (1 John 1:7). But this "cleansing" is judicial, not
experiential. The precious blood has not been applied to my heart, but
it has cancelled my guilt. It has washed out the heavy and black
account which was once against me on high. A "book of remembrance's's
is written before God (Mal. 3:16), but in it there is not left on
record a single sin against any believer. Just as a damp sponge passed
over a slate removes every chalk mark upon it, so the blood of Christ
has blotted out every transgression which once was marked up against
me. How deeply significant, then, to read that when the Roman soldier
pierced the side of the dead Savior that "forthwith came there out
blood and water" (John 19:34)! The blood for penal expiation, the
water for moral purification. But mark the order: first, the "blood"
to satisfy the demands of a holy God, then the "water" to meet the
needs of His defiled people!
The distinction between the bathing of the entire body and the washing
of the feet was aptly illustrated by the ancient custom of bathers. A
person returning from the public baths, was, of course, dean, and
needed not to be re-bathed. But wearing only sandals, which covered
but part of the feet, he quickly needed the foot-bath to cleanse
himself from the dust of travel encountered on his way from the baths
to his home. Even to-day bathers in the sea are often seen going to
their dressing-room with a pail of water to cleanse their soiled feet.
This may be regarded as a parable of the spiritual life. Believers
were bathed, completely cleansed, at the new birth. The
"dressing-room" is Heaven, where we shall be robed in white raiment
and garments of glory. But the pail of water is needed for our present
use in connection with the daily walk.
In the second section of John 13 the Lord Jesus makes a practical
application to the disciples of what He had just done for them. He
intimates very plainly that,, there was a spiritual meaning in His
washing of their feet: Know ye not what I have done to you?" He tells
them expressly that they ought to wash one another's feet. If they
shrank from such lowly service, He reminds them that none other than
He, their Master and Lord, had done so much for them. He warns them
that a theoretical knowledge of these things was of no value, unless
it resulted in an actual carrying out of them: "If ye know these
things, happy are ye if ye do them." Then He recurs again to the fact
that one of their number must be excepted. The presence of the traitor
seems to have cast a shadow upon Him, but He tells them beforehand
that the Scriptures had predicted his defection, so that when the
betrayer delivered up their Master into the hands of His enemies the
faith of the other disciples might not falter. Finally, He encourages
them with the assurance that whosoever received His servants received
Himself, yea, received the One who had sent Him. What dignity that
gave to their calling!
"So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and
was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to
you?" (John 13:12). It is important to note that it was from the
"supper" that the Lord arose when He girded Himself for the washing of
His disciples's feet; to it He now returns. Typically, it was Christ's
"leaving the place of communion, as if this were interrupted, until
His necessary work for them should renew it once more. He rises,
therefore, from supper, and girded Himself for a fresh service. His
sacrificial work is over, the shedding of blood is no more needed, but
only the washing of water; and here also not the ~bath of
regeneration's (Titus 3:5 Gk.), but simply as He pointed out to Peter,
the washing of the feet. It is defilement contracted in the walk that
is in question; and He puts Himself at their feet to wash them. As of
old, Jehovah could say to Israel, ~Thou hast made me to serve with thy
sins's (Isa. 43:24), so may He still say to us; but His unchanging
love is equal to all possible demands upon it. Notice here that all
the disciples need it, and that thus He invites us all to-day to put
our feet into His hands continually, that they may be cleansed
according to His thought of what is cleanness, who alone is capable of
judging according to the perfect standard of the Sanctuary of which He
is indeed Himself the Light" (Numerical Bible).
"So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and
was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to
you?" This is the sequel to what we read of in John 13:4. There He had
lain aside His outer garments, here He resumes them. We believe that
the former act had a double symbolical meaning. First, we are told,
"he riseth from supper": what supper is not here specified. Now,
"supping" speaks of communion, therefore when we are told "he riseth
from supper and laid aside his garments and took a towel and girded
himself," the first and deepest meaning would be, He left His place on
high, where from all eternity He had been the Father's delight, and
with whom He had enjoyed perfect communion as the Son, but now
divested Himself of His outward glory and took upon Him the form of a
servant. But the "supper" is also the memorial of His death, hence the
rising from it and the laying aside of His garments would suggest the
additional thought of His resurrection. Now, we believe that the
Lord's action here in John 13:12 connects with and is the sequel to
the first thing pointed out above. The putting on of His garments and
the sitting down again would typify His return to the Father's
presence, the resumption of His original glory (John 17:5), and His
resting on high.
The Lord was about to explain (in part) and enforce what He had done
unto the disciples. Before pondering what He had to say, let us first
admire the calmness and deliberation which marked His actions. He
quietly resumed His garments (there is no hint of the apostles
offering to assist Him!) ere He seated Himself upon the couch or
cushion, in His character of Teacher and Lord, thus giving His
disciples time to recover from their surprise, collect their thoughts,
and prepare themselves for what He was about to say. This gives
additional meaning to His posture. Note that ere He began the "Sermon
on the Mount" He first seated Himself (Matthew 5:1); so it was while
seated in a ship (Matthew 13:2) He delivered the seven parables of the
kingdom; so while He "sat upon the mount of Olives" (Matthew 24:3), He
gave His longest prophetic announcement; so here He seated Himself
before giving the great Paschal Discourse. The force of these notices
is seen by comparing them with Luke 5:3: "He sat down and taught the
people." Study the passages in John's Gospel where Jesus "stood," and
then where He "walked""see John 7:1 and our remarks.
"So after he had washed their feet," that is, the feet of each of the
twelve. "We may learn an important lesson here as to dealing with
offenders in the assembly. The Lord knew all about Judas, and all he
was doing, but treated him as one of the apostles, till he displayed
himself. There may be suspicion about some individual, that all is not
right with him; but mere suspicion will not suffice to act on. The
matter must come clearly out, ere it can be rightly dealt with. Were
this remembered, cases of discipline, instead of causing trouble in
the assembly through lack of common judgment, would be clear to all
unprejudiced persons, and the judgments of the assembly be accepted as
correct. Has it not at times been the reverse?" (Mr. C. E. Stuart).
"He said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?" Very searching
was this. In washing the feet of His disciples He had not only
displayed a marvellous humility, which He would have them take to
heart, but He had eared for them in holy love. Not only had He saved
them, but He was concerned about their fellowship with Himself, and
for this, strict attention must be paid to the walk. For when the feet
are soiled, the dust of this world must be removed. In His question
the Lord illustrates how that it is His way to teach us afterwards the
good which He has already done for us; as we grow up in Him in the
truth, we are enabled to enter into and appreciate more deeply what at
first we understood but slightly. The same grace which brought
salvation teaches us, that "denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we
should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
looking for that blessed hope" (Titus 2:11, 12). Deeply humbling is it
to discover how little we understood the love and the grace which had
been acting on our behalf.
"Know ye what I have done to you?" "This is a question which we should
often put to ourselves respecting what our Lord says, and what He does
to us. None of His works are ~the unfruitful works of darkness.'s They
are all full of meaning. They are all intended to serve a purpose, and
a good one;, and it is of importance, in most cases, that we should be
aware of it. If we look at His work in the light of His Word, and seek
the guidance of His good Spirit, we shall generally be able to discern
His wise and benign purpose, even in dispensations at first sight very
strange and mysterious. He only can explain His intentions, and He
will not suffer His humble, enquiring disciples to remain ignorant of
them, if it be for their real benefit to know them" (Dr. John Brown).
"Ye call me Master and Lord: and )re say well; for so I am" (John
13:13). Beautifully does this bring out the fact that the Lord Jesus
is "full of grace and truth." Though He had just fulfilled for His
disciples the most menial office of a slave, yet He had not abandoned
the place of authority and supremacy. He reminds them that He is still
their "Master and Lord," and that, by their own confession, for the
word "call" here signifies address""Ye address Me as Master and Lord."
In thus owning the incarnate Son of God they "did well." Alas! that so
many of His professing followers now treat Him with so much less
respect than that which He here commended in the Twelve. Alas! that so
many who owe their all for time and eternity to that peerless One who
was "God manifest in flesh," speak of Him simply as "Jesus." Jesus is
the Lord of glory, and surely it is due the dignity and majesty of His
person that this should be recognized and owned, even in our very
references to Him. We do not expect that those who despise and reject
Him should speak of Him in any more exalting terms than "The
Nazarene," or "Jesus"; but those who have been, by amazing grace,
given "an understanding, that we may know him that is true" (1 John
5:20) ought gladly to confess Him as "The Lord Jesus Christ"!
"Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am." Surely
this is sufficient for any humble-minded Christian. If our blessed
Redeemer says we "say well" when we address Him as "Master and Lord,"
how can we afford to speak of Him in terms upon which His approval is
not stamped? Never once do we find the apostles addressing Him as
"Jesus" while He was with them on earth. When He exhorted them to make
request of Him for an increase of laborers He bade them, "Pray ye
therefore the Lord of the harvest" (Matthew 9:38). When He sent forth
the disciples to secure the ass on which He was to ride into
Jerusalem, He ordered them to say, "The Lord hath need of him" (Luke
19:31). When He required the use of the upper room, it was "The Lord
saith, My time is at hand; I will therefore keep the passover at thy
house" (Matthew 26:18).
Above, we have said that the apostles never once addressed our Lord
simply as "Jesus." Mark, now, how they did refer to the Blessed One.
"And Peter answered him and said, LORD, if it be thou, bid me come
unto thee on the water" (Matthew 14:28). "And when his disciples James
and John, saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to
come down from heaven, and consume them?" (Luke 9:54). "And they were
exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him,
Lord, is it I?" (Matthew 26:22). "And they rose up the same hour, and
returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and
them that were with them, saying, The Lord is risen indeed" (Luke
24:33, 34). "Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou
goest" (John 14:5). "That disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter,
It is the Lord" (John 21:7).
It may be objected that the Gospel narratives commonly refer to the
Lord as "Jesus." It was Jesus who was led of the Spirit into the
wilderness to be tempted of the Devil. It was Jesus who was moved with
compassion as He beheld the sufferings and sorrows of humanity. It was
Jesus who taught the people, etc. This is true, and the explanation is
not far to seek. It was the Holy Spirit of God who, through the pens
of the Evangelists, thus referred to Him, and this makes all the
difference. What would be thought of one of the subjects of king
George referring to the reigning monarch of Great Britian and saying,
"I saw George pass through the city this morning"? If, then, it would
be utterly incongruous for one of his subjects to speak thus of the
king of England, how much more so is it to refer to the King of kings
simply as Jesus! But now, king George's wife might refer to and speak
of her husband as "George" with perfect propriety. Thus it is that the
Holy Spirit refers to our Lord by His personal name in the Gospel
narratives.
Our modern hymns are largely responsible for the dishonor that is now
so generally cast upon that "worthy name" (James 2:7), and we cannot
but raise our voice in indignant protest against much of the trash
(for such it is) that masquerades under the name of "hymns" and
religious "songs." It is sad and shocking to hear Christians sing
"There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus." There is no "lowly Jesus"
to-day. The One who once passed through unparalleled humiliation has
been "made both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36), and is now seated at the
right hand of the Majesty on high. If the earnest student will turn to
the four Gospels and note how different ones addressed the Son of God
he will be well repaid. The enemies of Christ constantly referred to
Him as Jesus (Matthew 26:71, etc.), and so did the demons (Mark 1:23,
24). Let us pray God to deliver us from this flippant, careless, and
irreverent manner of speaking of His Blessed Son. Let us gladly own
our Savior as "Lord" during the time of His rejection by the world.
Let us remember His own words: "All should honor the Son, even as they
honor the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the
Father which hath sent him" (John 5:23). This is no trivial or
trifling matter, for it stands written, "By thy words thou shalt be
justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned" (Matthew 12:37).
"If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet" (verse 14).
"Master" means teacher. The "teacher" is believed; the "Lord" is
obeyed. Here Christ proceeded to enforce and apply what He had just
done unto them. The connection is obvious, not only with what
precedes, but also with that which follows. If the Greatest could
minister to the least, how much more should the lesser minister to his
equal! If the Superior waited upon His admitted inferiors, much less
should that inferior wait upon his fellows. And mark the premise from
which He draws this conclusion. He did not say, "I am your teacher and
Lord," but "Ye call me teacher and Lord." It was from the confession
of their own lips that He now proceeds to instruct them. The order in
which these titles occur is significant. First, these disciples had
heard Christ as "teacher," and later they had come to know Him as
their "Lord." But now Christ reverses the order: "If I then, your Lord
and teacher." Why is this? Because this is the experimental order now.
We must surrender to Him as "Lord," bowing to His authority,
submitting to His yoke, before He will teach us!
"Ye also ought to wash one another's feet" (John 13:14). So they
ought, and why had they not already done so? The supper-room here was
already supplied with water, pail, and towel. Why had not they used
them? Luke 22:24 tells us, "And there was also a strife among them,
which of them should be accounted the greatest." This occurred, be it
noted, at this very time. It was then that the Savior shamed them by
saying, "For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that
serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as He that
serveth" (Luke 22:27).
"Ye also ought to wash one another's feet." Let us consider the
application of these words to ourselves: "In discovering any stain
that may be resting on the feet of our brethren, we are not to blind
ourselves to its presence, or to hide from ourselves its character by
calling evil good. If we are to be honest and faithful in respect of
ourselves, we shall be equally honest and truthful in respect of
others. On the other hand, we have to beware of looking on the sins
and failures of our brethren with Pharisaic complacency and cold
indifference. What condition is more awful than that one who finds his
joy in searching out iniquities, and exulting in exposing and
magnifying them when discovered? Such, indeed, have reason to remember
that with whatsoever judgment they judge, they shall be judged; and
that the measure they mete out to others shall be meted out to
themselves again. How continually should we remind ourselves that the
love of the same gracious Lord that is toward us is toward our
brethren likewise, and that one of our chief privileges is the title
to appeal to it and intercede on their behalf, asking that sins, even
of deepest dye, may be removed; and that the deserved results of
chastisement and sorrow might be averted. So we should not be as those
who ~bite and devour one another,'s but be as those who ~wash one
another's feet's" (Mr. B. W. Newton).
Yes, a most needful word is this for us all, ever ready as we are to
lift up the skirts of a brother and say, "See how soiled his feet
are"! But much exercise of soul, much judging of ourselves, is needed
for such lowly work as this. I have to get down to my brother's feet
if I am to wash them! That means that "the flesh" in me must be
subdued. Let us not forget that searching word in Galatians 6:1, 2:
"Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual
restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself,
lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so
fulfill the law of Christ." I must be emptied of all sense of
self-superiority before I can restore one who is "out of the way." It
is the love of Christ which must constrain me as I seek to be of help
to one of those for whom He died. It is as "dear children" (Eph. 5:1)
that we are called upon to be "imitators of God"! Very wonderful and
blessed is what is here before us: when the Lord appoints on earth a
witness of His ways in Heaven, He tells us to wash one another's feet,
and to love one another (John 13:34). There must be a patient
forbearing with our brother's faults, a faithful but tender applying
of the Word to his particular case, and an earnest and daily
intercession for him: these are the main things included in this
figure of "washing." But let us not stop short at the "washing": there
must be the "drying," too! The service when done must be regarded as a
service of the Fast. The failure which called for it, is now removed,
and therefore is to be buried in the depths of oblivion. It ought
never to be cast against the individual in the future.
"For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to
you" (John 13:15). It is well known that not a few have regarded this
as a command from Christ for His followers now to practice literal
foot-washing, yea, some have exalted it into a "Church ordinance."
While we cannot but respect and admire their desire to obey Christ,
especially in a day when laxity and self-pleasing is so rife, yet we
are fully satisfied that they have mistaken our Lord's meaning here.
Surely to insist upon literal foot-washing from this verse is to miss
the meaning as well as the spirit of the whole passage. It is not with
literal water (any more than the "water" is literal in John 3:5; 4:14;
7:38) that the Lord would have us wash one another. It is the Word (of
which "water" is the emblem) He would have us apply to our
fellow-disciples's walk. This should not need arguing, but for the
benefit of those who think that the Lord here instituted an ordinance
which He would have practiced today, we would ask them to please weigh
carefully the following points:
That that which the Lord Jesus here did to His disciples looked beyond
the literal act to its deep symbolic significance is clear from these
facts: First, the Lord's word to Peter, "What I do thou knowest not
now" (John 13:7): certainly Peter knew that his feet had been
literally washed! Second, the further words of Christ to Peter, "If I
wash thee not, thou hast no part with me" (John 13:8): certainly there
are multitudes of believers that have a part with Christ who have
never practiced foot-washing as a religious ordinance. Third, His
words, "Ye are clean, but not all" (John 13:10): Judas could never
have been thus excepted if only literal foot-washing was here in view.
Fourth, His question, "Know ye what I have done to you?" clearly
intimates that the Lord's act in washing the feet of the disciples had
a profound spiritual meaning. Fifth, note that here in John 13:15 the
Lord does not say "Ye should do what I have done unto you," but "as I
have done to you!" Add to these considerations the fact that this
incident is found in John's Gospel, which is, pre-eminently, the one
which treats of spiritual relationships under various figures"bread,
water, Shepherd and sheep, vine and the branches, etc., and surely all
difficulty disappears.
"For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to
you." We take it that the force of these words of Christ is this: I
have just shown you how spiritual love operates: it ever seeks the
good of its objects, and esteems no service too lowly to secure that
good. It reminds us very much of the Lord's words following His
matchless picture of the Good Samaritan who had compassion on the
wounded traveler, dismounting, binding up his wounds, pouring in oil
and wine, setting him on His own beast, bringing him to the inn and
taking care of him""Go, and do thou likewise" (Luke 10:33-37). When
real love is in exercise it will perform with readiness difficult,
despised, and even loathsome offices. There are some services which
are even more menial and repulsive than the washing of feet, yet, on
occasion, the service of love may call for them. It should hardly be
necessary to add, that Christians living in Oriental lands, where
sandals are worn, should be ready to wash literally the feet of a
weary brother, not simply as an act of courtesy, but as a service of
love.
"For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to
you." We believe that one thing included in this comparative "as" is
that it looks back to a detail in John 13:4 which is usually
overlooked: it was as girded with a towel that Christ washed the feet
of His disciples, and that which was signified by the "towel" applies
to us. The "towel" was that with which Christ was girded: it bespoke
the servant's attitude. Then the Lord used that with which He was
girded upon their feet: emblematically, this was applying to them the
humility which marked Him. Mr. Darby tells us that it was a linen
towel which was employed, and in the New Testament "linen" signifies
"the righteousness of saints" (Rev. 19:8, R.V.). It was His own
spotless love which fitted Him to approach His disciples and apply the
Word to them. How searching is all of this for us! If we would imitate
Him in this labor of love we must ourselves be clothed with humility,
we must employ nothing but the Word, and we must have on the linen
towel of practical righteousness to dry with.
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his
lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him"
(John 13:16). The Lord acts as His own interpreter. He here gives
plain intimation of the meaning of His symbolic action. He draws an
important lesson from what He had just done, the more needful because
He was about to withdraw from them. It would fare ill with His people
if their leaders were found disputing among themselves, devouring one
another. Surrounded as they were by Judaism and Paganism, lambs in the
midst of wolves, much depended upon their humility and mutual
helpfulness. Much needed by every Christian, and especially by those
engaged in Christian service, is that word of Christ's, "Take my yoke
upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart."
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his
lord, neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him." That
this is of more than ordinary importance is evidenced by the solemn
and emphatic "Verily, verily" with which the Lord prefaced it.
Moreover, the fact that at a later point in this same discourse the
Lord said to His apostles, "Remember the word that I said unto you,
The servant is not greater than his lord" (John 15:20), shows that it
is one which is specially needed by his ambassadors. How many a dark
page of "Church History" had never been written if the ministers of
Christ had heeded this admonition! How vain the pretensions of those
who have lorded it over God's heritage in the light of this searching
word! Sad indeed have been the manifestations of Nicolaitanism in
every age. Even before the last of the apostles left this world he had
to say, "I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have
the pre-eminence among them, receiveth us not" (3 John 9); and the
same spirit is far from being dead today.
"If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them" (John 13:17). If
ye know what "things"? First, the vital need of placing our feet in
the hands of Christ for cleansing (John 13:8). Second, the owning of
Christ as "Master and Lord" (John 13:13). Third, the need of washing
one another's feet (John 13:14). Fourth, the performing of this
ministry as Christ performed it"in lowly love (John 13:15). Now, said
our Savior, If ye know "these things," happy or blessed are ye if ye
do them. A mere speculative knowledge of such things is of no value.
An intellectual apprehension, without the embodiment of them in our
daily lives, is worse than useless. It is both significant and solemn
to note that the one Christ termed a wise man that built his house
upon the rock is, "Whoso heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them"
(Matthew 7:24). No one knows more truth than the Devil, and yet none
works more evil!
"If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." "It has been
well remarked that our Lord does not say, ~Happy are ye if these
things be done to you,'s but ~Happy are ye if ye do them.'s We are apt
to suppose that we should be happy if men loved us, and were ready on
every occasion to serve us. But, in the judgment of Christ, it would
more conduce to our happiness that our hearts were like His, full of
love to all our brethren, and our hands like His, ever ready to
perform to them even the humblest offices of kindness. We often make
ourselves unhappy by thinking that we are not treated with the
deference and kindness to which we consider ourselves entitled. If we
would be really happy, we must think more of others and less of
ourselves. True happiness dwells within; and one of its leading
elements is the disinterested self-sacrificing love which made the
bosom of Jesus its constant dwelling-place" (Dr. John Brown).
"I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen" (John 13:18). The
immediate reference is to what the Lord had said in the previous
verse. Just as in John 13:10 He had said to the twelve, "Ye are dean,"
and then added, "but not all," so after saying, "Happy are ye if ye do
them," He at once says, "I speak not of you all." Faithfulness
required Him to make an exception. There was no happiness for Judas;
before him lay "the blackness of darkness for ever." When Christ said,
"I know whom I have chosen" it is evident that He was not speaking of
election to salvation, but to the apostolate. Where eternal election
is in view the Scriptures uniformally ascribe it to God the Father.
But where it is a question of ministry or service, in the New
Testament, the choice and the call usually proceed from the Lord
Jesus"see Matthew 9:30; Matthew 20:1; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:24;
Acts 26:16; Ephesians 4:11, etc. His words here in John 13:18 are
parallel with those in John 6:70: "Have not I chosen you twelve? and
one of you is a devil?"
"But that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with
me, hath lifted up his heel against me" (John 13:18). As to why the
Lord Jesus chose Judas to be one of the twelve, see our remarks on
John 6:70, 71. Very remarkable is this statement here in the light of
the context. Christ had washed the feet of the very one whose heel was
raised against Himself! Into what depths of humiliation did the Son of
God deign to descend! He now foretells the defection of Judas, and
announces that this was but the fulfillment of the prophetic Word. The
reference is to the 41st Psalm, which exposes the awful character of
the betrayer; the 109th Psalm makes known the outcome of his
treachery. Christ then had suffered the traitor to remain with Him
that the Scriptures might be fulfilled; but as soon as the "sop" had
been given to Him, Christ would say, "That thou doest, do quickly"
(John 13:27). "How wondrous the patience which, knowing all from the
beginning, bore all to the end, without a frown or sign of shrinking
from the traitor! But so much the more withering must be the sentence
of judgment when it comes from His lips, the Lord of glory, the hated
and despised of men" (Mr. W. Kelly).
"He that eateth bread with me, hath lifted up his heel against me."
The local reference in Psalm 41 is to what David suffered at the hands
of Ahithophel, but that was but a foreshadowrnent and type of what the
Savior suffered from Judas. In now quoting from this prophetic Psalm
the Lord Jesus evidenced His Divine knowledge of what lay before Him,
and testified to the inestimable value of the Scriptures. Nothing
proves more conclusively their Divine origin than the accurate and
literal fulfillment of their prophecies. Predictions were made of
events which were not to transpire till hundreds, and in some cases
thousands, of years afterwards, minute details are furnished, and the
specific accomplishment of them can only be accounted for on the one
ground that He who knows the end from the beginning was their Author.
The wording of this prophecy about Judas is very striking. "His heel!
the most contemptible rejection possible: was it not such to sell the
Lord of glory for the price of a slave? It was as if he would inflict
upon Christ the Serpent's predicted wound (Gen. 3:15)? (F. W. Grant.)
"Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may
believe that I am" (John 13:19). What care did He evince for His own!
What blessed proof was this of His loving them "unto the end"! Christ
would here assure the disciples that everything which befell Him, even
that which was most staggering to faith, was but the strict
fulfillment of what had long ago been recorded. He was the great One
typified and prophesied throughout the Old Testament, and He now
assures the apostles of Judas' perfidy before he went forth to bargain
with the priests, that they might know He had not trusted in him, nor
had He been deceived by him, as had David by Ahithophel! Thus, instead
of the apostles being stumbled by the apostasy of one of their number,
it should strengthen their faith in every written word of God to know
that that very Word had long before announced what they were on the
eve of witnessing. Moreover, their faith in Christ should be
strengthened, too. By calling their attention to the fulfillment of
Psalm 41 He showed them that He was the Person there marked out; that
He was a true Prophet, announcing the certain accomplishment of
David's prediction before it came to pass; and that He was the great
"I am" who "searcheth the hearts and trieth the reins of the children
of men," being fully acquainted with their secret thoughts and most
carefully concealed designs.
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send
receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me"
(John 13:20). At first sight there appears to be no connection between
this verse and the ones preceding, yet a little thought will soon
discover the link between them. The Lord had been exhorting His
disciples to follow the example which He had given, assuring them they
would be happy if they did so. Then He announced the apostasy of
Judas. Now He informs them that their vocation was by no means
affected by the defection of the betrayer. "The whole circle of the
apostles seemed to be disorganized by the treachery of Judas; and
therefore the Lord confirms the faithful in their election, and that
very fittingly by a repetition of that earlier promise (Matthew 10:42)
on which all depended" (Stier). It was the Lord comforting His own and
most graciously establishing their hearts by turning their attention
away from the traitor to their Master, who abides forever the same, as
does the Father.
Judas had been one of the twelve whom the Lord had sent forth to
preach the Gospel and to work miraculous signs in His name (Matthew
10). Would then all that he had done as an apostle be discredited,
when his real character became known? This important question here
receives answer from our Lord: "He that receiveth whomsoever I send
receiveth me." The Lord knew how apt His people are to despise the
work done if the worker proves to be unworthy; therefore does He teach
us to look beyond the instrument to the One who sent him. The Lord has
the right to appoint whom He pleases. If, then, the message is from
God's Word, reject it not because the messenger proves a fraud. What
matters it to me whether the postman be black or white, pleasant or
unpleasant, so long as he hands me the right letter?
"He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that
receiveth me receiveth him that sent me." There is another important
principle here. The apostles were the ambassadors of the Lord, and in
the person of an ambassador the sovereign himself is received or set
at naught. As His ambassadors, how circumspectly ought each of His
servants to walk! And as His ambassadors, how dutiful and respectful
in its reception should the Church be of them! As He was sent from the
Father, so they were sent from Him. By this gracious analogy He arms
them with authority and inspires them with courage. Thus the Lord
fully identifies them with Himself.
The following questions need studying to prepare for our next lesson:"
1. What three things are dearly implied in verse 22?
2. Why did not Peter ask the Lord directly, verse 24?
3. Why did Jesus say to Judas, verse 27?
4. In how many respects was the Son of man glorified at the Cross,
verse 31?
5. What attributes of Cod were glorified at the Cross, verse 31?
6. In what sense was it a "new commandment," verse 34?
7. What is the meaning of verse 36?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 47
Christ's Warnings
John 13:21-38
_________________________________________________________________
Below is an Analysis of the passage which is to be before us:--
1. The betrayer and his identification, verses 21-26.
2. The departure of Judas and the thoughts of the Eleven, verses
27-30.
3. A threefold glorification, verses 31-32.
4. The new commandment, verse 34.
5. The badge of Christian discipleship, verse 35.
6. Peter's questions, verses 36-37.
7. Christ's warning prediction, verse 38.
We have entitled this chapter Christ's Warnings: it scarcely covers
everything in the passage, yet it emphasizes that which is most
prominent in it. At the beginning of our present section Christ warns
Judas; at the close, He warns Peter. In between, there are some
gracious and tender instructions for the beloved disciples, and these
too partake very largely of the nature of warnings. He warns them
against misinterpreting the nature of His death, John 13:31-32. He
warns them of His approaching departure, John 13:33. He warns them of
their need of a commandment that they should "love one another", John
13:34. He warns them that only by the exercise of love toward each
other would it be made manifest that they were His disciples, John
13:35.
Our passage opens with a solemn word identifying the Savior's
betrayer. This betrayer had been plainly announced in Old Testament
prophecy: "He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel
against me" (Ps. 41:9). "A man's foes," said the Lord, "are they of
his own household" (Matthew 10:36), and fearfully was this verified in
His own case. A "familiar friend" became a familiar fiend. How this
exposes the error of those who suppose that all that fallen man needs
is example and instruction. Judas enjoyed both, yet was not his evil
heart moved. For three years had he been not only in the closest
possible contact, but in the nearest intimacy with the Savior. His had
been a favored place in the innermost circle of the Twelve. Not only
had he listened to the daily preaching of Christ as He taught the
people, not only had he witnessed most, at least, of His wondrous
miracles, but he had also gazed upon the perfections of Christ in His
private life. And yet, after all this, Judas was unmoved and
unchanged. Nothing could more forcefully demonstrate our Lord's
utterance, "Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of
God"! So near to Christ, yet unsaved! What a challenge for every
heart!
The case of Peter points a most solemn warning of quite another
character. Outwardly Judas posed as a disciple of Christ; inwardly
Simon was a believer in Him. The one exhibits the sin and madness of
hypocrisy; the other the danger and sad results of self-confidence. It
was to Peter that the Lord said, "The spirit (the new nature) indeed
is willing, but the flesh (the natural man) is weak." But this
utterance was never intended as an excuse, behind which we might take
refuge when we fail and fall; but was given as a lasting warning to
have "no confidence in the flesh" (Phil. 3:3). The Holy Spirit has
faithfully recorded the sad defection of one who was especially dear
to the heart of the Savior, that all Christians who follow Him might
seek grace from God to avoid the snare into which he fell.
From a human view, Peter failed at his strongest point. By nature he
was bold and courageous. Probably there was not a stouter heart among
the apostles. He quailed not before the marvellous scene on the Mount
of Transfiguration. He it was who stepped out of the ship and started
to walk across the waves to Christ. And he it was who drew his sword
in the Garden, and smote the high priest's servant as the officers
arrested his beloved Master. No coward was Peter. And yet he trembled
in the presence of a maid, and when taxed with being a disciple of
Christ, denied it with an oath! How is this to be explained? Only on
the ground that in order to teach him and us the all-important lesson,
that if left to ourselves, the strongest is as weak as water. It is in
conscious weakness that our strength lies (2 Cor. 12:10). Peter was
fully assured that though all should be offended yet would not he
(Mark 14:29). And, without a doubt, he fully meant what he said. But
he did not know himself; he had not learned, experientially, the
exceeding deceitfulness of the human heart; he knew not as yet that
without the upholding power and sustaining grace of the Lord he could
do nothing (John 15:5). O that we might learn from him.
"We fancy sometimes, like Peter, that there are some things we could
not possibly do. We look pityingly upon others who fall, and plume
ourselves in the thought that at any rate we should not have done so.
We know nothing at all. The seeds of every sin are latent in our
hearts, even when renewed, and they only need occasion, or
carelessness, or the withdrawal of God's grace for a season, to put
forth an abundant crop. Like Peter, we think we can do wonders for
Christ, and like Peter, we learn by bitter experience that we have no
might and power at all. A humble sense of our own innate weakness, a
constant dependency on the Strong for strength, a daily prayer to be
held up, because we cannot hold up ourselves--these are the true
secrets of safety" (Bishop Ryle). Surely the outstanding lesson for us
in connection with the fall of Peter is this: "Let him that thinketh
he standeth take heed lest he fall" (1 Cor. 10:12).
"When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified,
and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray
me" (John 13:21). The Lord had been ministering to His disciples,
teaching and comforting them. He had spoken of their future, but in
the midst of these anticipations a dark shadow falls upon Him,
troubling Him. Already had He hinted at it, now He proceeds to testify
more plainly to the traitor who was among the Twelve. The Lord was
"troubled in spirit." It is remarkable that this is mentioned most
frequently by the very Evangelist whose special design it was to
portray the Lord Jesus as God manifest in flesh--cf. John 11:33, 38;
12:27. These statements prove the reality of His humanity, showing
that He had a real human soul as well as body. They also prove that it
is no infirmity or imperfection to be troubled by the presence of
evil. Christ was no stoic: He felt keenly all that was contrary to
God. Really, none was so truly and so completely sensitive as He. He
was the Man of sorrows, and it is just because He has Himself passed
through this scene, suffering within at every step of the way, that He
is able to be touched with "the feeling of our infirmities."
"When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified,
and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray
me." It is well to remind ourselves that what the Lord Jesus endured
upon the Cross was but the climax and completion of His sufferings.
Throughout His life He suffered at the hands of Satan, His enemies,
and His friends. He felt acutely the unbelief and hostility of the
scribes and Pharisees. His tearful lament over Jerusalem evidences the
depths of His anguish over Israel's rejection. Here it was the bitter
sorrow of seeing one of the apostles deliberately becoming an
apostate. Nothing wounds more deeply than ingratitude; and that one,
who had been a constant companion with Him for three years, should now
raise his heel against Him, was a sore trial. If Judas was unmoved,
the Lord was not. Seeing no beauty in Christ after all he had heard
and witnessed during years of closest contact with Him, unaffected by
His marvellous grace to sinners, caring only for paltry gain,
dominated by self, and the rebuke he had received in Simon's house
rankling within, he turned against his Master and arranged to sell Him
to His enemies. No wonder the Lord was "troubled" as He thought of
such deceit, treachery, and cupidity. He had said "Ye are clean, but
not all," and still Judas retained his place, and gave no sign of
retiring.
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me."
There is a melancholy emphasis on the pronoun here: one of you at the
table with Me; one of you whose feet I have just washed; one of you
who have had the high honor of being My first ambassadors, shall take
advantage of your intimacy with Me and knowledge of My ways, to guide
the enemy to My place of retirement, and deliver Me into the hands of
those who seek My life. He was "troubled" by the enormity of the
crime, and no doubt, too, over the awful doom which lay before Judas.
How deeply "troubled" the Savior was we may learn from His words in
Psalm 55: "Wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart
not from her streets. For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then
I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did
magnify himself against me;, then I would have hid myself from him:
But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. We
took sweet counsel together and walked unto the house of God in
company" (verses 11-14). How vividly this brings out before us the
grief with which the Man of sorrows was "acquainted"! How deeply His
holy soul was stirred, we may learn from the solemn but righteous
imprecations which He called down upon the base ingrate in Psalm 109:
"Let his days be few; and let another take his office; let his
children be fatherless, and his wife a widow" (verses 8, 9), etc.
"Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake"
(John 13:22). Three things are made very evident by this verse: one
thing about the disciples, one about Judas, and one about the Lord
Himself. First, it is plain that what Christ had said in John 13:18
had made no impression upon the Eleven. And this was the most natural.
No doubt their minds were so occupied with what the Savior had just
done for them that they had scarcely recovered from their surprise.
They were so impressed by His amazing condescension that His statement
"He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me" fell
upon ears that heeded Him not. But now He speaks more plainly and
directly, and they exchanged puzzled glances with each other,
wondering which of them it was to whom He had referred.
Second, the fact that "The disciples looked one on another, doubting
of whom he spake" is proof positive that Judas had succeeded in
concealing his turpitude from his fellows. His outward conduct had
given the other apostles no occasion to suspect him. To what lengths
cannot hypocrisy go! Matthew tells us that when Christ announced to
the Twelve that one of them should betray Him, "They were exceedingly
sorrowful, and began every one of them to say, Lord, is it I?"
(Matthew 26:22), upon which Matthew Henry says: "They are to be
commended for their charity, in that they are more jealous of
themselves than of each other. It is the law of charity to hope the
best, because we assuredly know, therefore we may justly expect, more
evil of ourselves than of our brethren. They are also to be commended
for their acquiescence in what Christ said. They trusted, as we would
do well to do, more to His words, than to their own hearts, and
therefore do not say, `It is not--it cannot be--I'; but `Lord, is it
I?' See if there be such a way of wickedness, such a root of
bitterness in me, and discover it to me, that I may pluck up the root,
and stop up that way." Boldly playing his role of duplicity to the
last, Judas dares to ask, "Master, is it I?" (Matthew 26:25)--a clear
proof, though, that he was unsaved, for no man can say Lord Jesus but
by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3).
Third, the fact that the apostles were perplexed, wondering to whom
the Lord had referred, brings out most blessedly the infinite patience
with which Christ had borne with the son of perdition. Throughout His
ministerial life He must have treated Judas with the same
condescending grace, gentleness, kindness, as the Eleven. He could not
have exhibited any aversion against him, or the others would have
noticed it, and known now of whom He spake. How this tells of the
perfections of our Savior! His kindness ill-requited, His favors
unappreciated, His holy soul loathing such a sink of iniquity so near
to Him--yet He bowed to the sovereign will and authoritative word of
the Father, and patiently bore this trial.
"Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom
Jesus loved" (John 13:23). Here is one of those striking contrasts in
which this Gospel abounds, and a most blessed one it is. Our attention
is diverted for a moment from the base treachery and horrible hatred
of Judas to one whom Christ had attracted, whose heart had been won by
His beauty, and who now affectionately reposed on the Savior's breast.
It is blessed, and an evident mark of the Holy Spirit's guidance to
see how John here refers to himself. It was not "one who loved Jesus,"
though truly he did; but "one of his disciples whom Jesus loved." Nor
does he mention his own name--love never advertises itself.
"Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it
should be of whom he spake" (John 13:24). This is one of many
statements in the New Testament which effectually disposes of the
Roman Catholic figment that Peter was the pope of the apostolate. As
one of the older Protestant writers well said, "So far from Peter
having any primacy among the apostles, he here uses the intercession
of John." There was no doubt a moral reason why Peter put his question
through John, instead of asking it direct. Is it not clear from John
13:6, 8, 37 that Peter's state of soul was not altogether right before
God? And, does not his fearful fall, that very evening, supply still
further proof? Matthew tells us that after the arrest of the Savior,
Peter "followed him afar off unto the high priests' palace" (Matthew
26:38), and a sense of distance began to make itself felt in Peter's
soul even here--there was a measure of reserve between himself and the
Lord.
"He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it?"
(John 13:25). The contrast here between John and Peter is very
noticeable. John was close to the Lord: affection had drawn him there.
He was so near to Christ and his spirit so unclouded, he could look up
into the face of the Savior and ask Him any question. This is the
blessed portion and privilege of every Christian. Alas! that so many
are like Peter on this occasion--ready to turn to a brother, rather
than to the Lord Himself. Why is it that when the average Christian
meets with some difficulty in his reading of the Word, or some problem
in his spiritual life, he says, "I will ask or write brother
so-and-so?" Why not enjoy the blessed privilege of referring directly
to the Lord Jesus? It is a question of intimacy with Him, and that is
very searching. While there is any self-confidence, as in Peter's
ease, or any known hindrance in my spiritual life, that at once places
me at a moral distance from Christ. But is it not blessed to see that,
at the end, Peter came to the same place which John is seen occupying
here? "And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou
knowest that I love thee" (John 21:17). He threw open his heart. What
was it but saying, Lord, there was a time when I would not ask You
questions, but now I can invite You to look into my heart! Let us then
come before Him now, asking Him to search our hearts and put His
finger on anything that hinders us from having direct access to Him in
everything. Let us ever be on the watch that we do not enjoy a greater
intimacy with some brother than with the Lord Himself.
"Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have
dipped it" (John 13:26). It seems clear from what follows that these
words of Christ must have been whispered to John or spoken in such a
low tone that the other disciples were unable to catch them. At last
the Lord Jesus identified the betrayer. The mask of hypocrisy which he
had worn had thoroughly deceived the apostles, but He with whom "all
things are naked and open" cannot be imposed upon. While man looked on
the outward appearance, He looks upon the heart; so He now unmasks the
false disciple, and shows him to be--what He always knew, though none
else suspected that he was--a traitor.
"And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son
of Simon" (John 13:26). The sign given by Christ to identify the
betrayer was suggestive and solemn. "It was a mark of honor for the
host to give a Portion to one of the guests. The Lord had appealed to
the conscience of Judas in John 13:21, now He appeals to his heart"
(Companion Bible). The "sop" was, most probably, a piece of unleavened
bread, now dipped in the sauce prepared for the eating of the paschal
lamb. That Judas accepted it shows the unthinkable lengths to which he
carried his hypocrisy. Determined as he was to perpetrate the foulest
treachery, yet he hereby renews his pledge of friendship. It' makes us
think of the "Hail Master" and the "kiss" when he was in the act of
delivering Him to His enemies. But how wonderful, how blessed, the
meekness of our Lord; surely none but He could have acted thus. In
complete command of Himself, no sign of ill-will toward the one who
had already taken counsel with the chief priests, He gives him the
sop. Closely did this correspond with the prophetic declaration
already referred to, "He that eateth with me hath lifted up his heel
against me."
"And after the sop Satan entered into him" (John 13:27). The receiving
of the sop, expressive of friendship, ought to have broken him down in
an agony of repentance; but it did not. He was like those mentioned in
Hebrews 6:8: ground on which the rain came oft, but which instead of
bringing forth herbs, bore only thorns and briars, whose end is to be
burned. It is remarkable to note that not until now are we told of
Satan's entrance into him. Equally striking is it to observe that as
soon as he had received the "sop" the Enemy took full possession of
his only too willing victim.
"Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly" (John 13:27).
Fearful words were these. Space for repentance had now passed forever.
His doom was sealed. But what else lay behind these words of Christ?
We believe it was the formal announcement of the Savior surrendering
Himself to the Father's will. It was as though He said, I am ready to
be led as a lamb to the slaughter; go, Judas, and do that which you
are so anxious to do; I will not withstand thee! But again; may we not
regard this word of Christ as in one sense parallel with the one He
had addressed to the Devil at the close of the great temptation. There
was a needs-be for Him to be tempted of the Devil for forty days; but
when that needs-be was fully met, He said, "Get thee hence, Satan"
(Matthew 4:10). So, in order that Scripture might be fulfilled, it was
necessary for there to be a Judas in the apostolate, so that he could
eat with Christ. But now that prophecy had been accomplished, now that
the traitor's heel had been lifted against his Master, Christ says,
"Depart"! Moreover, was not this the formal dismissal of Judas from
the Lord's service? Christ had called him to a place in the
apostolate: for three years He had used him: now He announces his
discharge; later, another shall "take his bishoprick." Finally, we
believe it can be established from the other Gospels that it was right
after this that the Lord instituted His own "supper" as a lasting
memorial of Himself; but before doing so He first banishes the
traitor, for that "supper" is for His own only.
"Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him"
(John 13:28). At this point John, at least, and most probably Peter
also, knew who it was who should betray their beloved Master, yet in
the light of this verse it is evident that none of them suspected that
the act of treachery was so soon to be perpetrated. None of them
perceived the awfulness of the issues then pending.
"For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had
said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the
feast; or, that he should give something to the poor" (John 13:29).
"These thoughts of the disciples were mistaken ones, but they do them
no discredit. They are excusable and even praiseworthy. They indicate
the operation of the charity which thinketh no evil, but is ever
disposed to put on words and actions the most favorable construction
they will reasonably admit. The mistakes of charity are wiser and
better than the surmises of censoriousness, even when they turn out to
be according to the truth. Judas had all along been a bad man; but
hitherto he had given no such evidence of his unprincipled character
as would have warned his fellow-disciples to entertain suspicions of
him. Knowing that he was the treasurer and steward of this little
society, they supposed that the words of the Master might refer to his
speedily obtaining something which would be requisite for the feast of
the passover, which lasted for a week; that he should immediately give
some alms to the poor.
"It is plain from these words that our Lord and His disciples were in
the habit of giving, especially at the time of the great festivals,
out of their scanty pittance, something to those more destitute than
themselves. Their `deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their
liberality': and by His example He has taught us not merely that it is
the duty of those who may have but little to spare to give of that
little to those who have still less, but that religious observances
are gracefully connected with deeds of mercy and alms-giving. He
joined humility with piety in His practice as well as in His doctrine;
and in this He hath left us an example that we should follow His
steps" (Dr. John Brown). To these remarks we may add that the fact the
disciples had supposed Judas had gone to purchase things for "the
feast" is clear proof that the Lord did not work miracles in order to
procure the food needed by Himself and His apostles. It also shows
that they did not beg, but managed their temporal affairs with
prudence and economy (cf. John 4:8).
But far different were the base designs of Judas from what the
apostles had charitably supposed. "It was not to buy things needful,
but to sell the Lord and Master; it was no preparation for the feast,
but that to which it, not they, had ever looked onward--the
fulfillment of God's mind and purpose in it, though it were the Jews
crucifying their own Messiah, by the hands of lawless men; it was not
that Judas should give to the poor, but that He should who was rich
yet for our sakes became poor, that we through His poverty might be
made rich" (Bible Treasury).
"He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was
night" (John 13:30). There is something more here, something deeper,
than a mere reference to the time of the day. As Judas went forth on
his dastardly errand, there then began that "hour" of the Power of
darkness (Luke 22:53), when God suffered His enemies to put out the
Light of life. So, too, it was "night" in the soul of Judas, for he
had turned his back on "the light." Like Cain he went out from the
"presence of the Lord"; like Baalim he loved "the wages of
unrighteousness"; like Ahithophel he went to betray his "familiar
friend." It was night: "Men love darkness rather than light, because
their deeds are evil": fitting time was it, then, for the son of
perdition to perpetrate his dark deed! "Immediately" he went: his feet
were "swift to shed blood"!
"Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man
glorified" (John 13:31). A most remarkable word was this. The Lord
Jesus spoke of His death, but He regarded it neither as a martyrdom
nor as a disgrace. There is nothing quite like this in the other
Gospels. Here, as ever, John gives us the highest, the Divine
viewpoint of things. The Savior contemplates His death on the shameful
tree as His glorification. "It seems very strange that, in these
circumstances, Jesus should say, `Now--now is the Son of man
glorified.' It would not have been wonderful if, on the banks of
Jordan after His baptism, with the mystic dove descending and abiding
on Him, and the voice of the Eternal pealing from the open heaven,
`This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased'; or, on the summit
of the Mount of Transfiguration, when `His face did shine as the sun,
and His garments became white as the light,' and Moses and Elijah
appeared with Him in glory, and a voice came forth from the cloud of
glory. `This is my beloved Son, hear him,' our Lord had said, in holy
exaltation, `Now is the Son of man glorified'! But, when these words
were spoken, what was before the Redeemer but the deepest abasement,
and the severest sufferings--heavy accusations--a condemnatory
sentence--insults--infamy--the fellowship of thieves--the agonies of
death--the lonely sepulcher! How does He, in these circumstances, say,
`Now is the Son of man glorified'" (Dr. John Brown).
But wherein was Christ's death on the Cross His glorification? Notice,
first, that He said, "Now is the Son of man glorified." It was the Son
of God as incarnate who was "glorified" on the Cross. But how?
Wherein? First, in that He there performed the greatest work which the
whole history of the entire universe ever witnessed, or ever will
witness. For it the centuries waited; to it the centuries look back.
Second, because there He reversed the conduct of the first man. The
first Adam was disobedient unto death, the last Adam was obedient unto
death, even the death of the Cross. The glory of man is to glorify
God; and never was God more glorified than when His own incarnate Son
laid down His life in submission to His command (John 10:18); and
never was human nature so glorified as when the Son of man thus
glorified God. Third, because through death He destroyed him who had
the power of death, that is the devil (Heb. 2:14). What a notable
achievement was this, that One made in the likeness of sin's flesh
should accomplish the utter defeat of the arch-enemy of God and man!
Fourth, because at the Cross was paid the ransom-price which purchased
for Himself all the elect of God. What glory for the Son of man was
this, that He should do what none other in all the realm of creation
could do (through immeasurable suffering and shame)--"bring many sons
unto glory." The manner in which He wrought this work also glorified
Him: He was a willing sufferer; the price was cheerfully paid; He was
led, not driven, as a lamb to the slaughter; He endured the Cross,
despising the shame; and not until offended justice and a broken law
were fully satisfied did He cry, "It is finished." Finally, by virtue
of His Cross-work, a glory was acquired by the Mediator: there is now
a glorified Man at God's right hand (John 17:22). "Wherefore God also
hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every
name" (Phil. 2:10).
"And God is glorified in him" (John 13:31). What a theme! One which no
human pen can begin to do justice to. The Cross-work of Christ was not
only the basis of our salvation, and the glorification of the Son of
man Himself, but it was also the brightest manifestation of the glory
of God. Every attribute of Deity was superlatively magnified at
Calvary.
The power of God was exceedingly glorified at the Cross. There the
kings of the earth and the rulers took counsel together against God
and against His Christ; there the terrible enmity of the carnal mind
and the desperate wickedness of the human heart did their worst; there
the fiendish malignity of Satan was put forth to its fullest extent.
But God had laid help upon One that is mighty (Ps. 89:19). None was
able to take His life from the Savior (John 10:18). After man and
Satan had done their worst, the Lord Jesus remained complete master of
Himself, and not until He saw fit did He lay down His life of Himself:
never was the power of God more illustriously displayed. Christ was
crucified "through weakness" (2 Cor. 13:4), offering no resistance to
His enemies: but it is written, "The weakness of God is stronger than
men" (1 Cor. 1:25), and gloriously was that demonstrated at the Cross,
when the power of God sustained the humanity of Christ as He endured
His outpoured wrath.
The justice of God was exceedingly glorified at the Cross. Of old He
declared that He "will by no means clear the guilty" (Ex. 34:7), and
when the Lord laid on our blessed Substitute "the iniquities of us
all" He hung there as the Guilty One. And God is so strictly and
immutably just that He would not spare His own Son when He had made
Him to be sin for us. He would not abate the least mite of that debt
which righteousness demanded. The penalty of the broken law must be
enforced, even though it meant the slaying of His well Beloved.
Therefore did the cry go forth, "Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd,
and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite
the Shepherd" (Zech. 13:7). The justice of God was more illustriously
glorified by the propitiation which was made by the Lord Jesus than if
every member of the human race were to suffer in Hell forever.
The holiness of God was exceedingly glorified at the Cross. He is "of
purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity" (Hab.
1:13), and when Christ was "made a curse for us" (Gal. 3:13) the
thrice Holy One turned away from Him. It was this which caused the
agonizing Savior to cry, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
Never did God so manifest His hatred of sin as in the sufferings and
death of His Only-begotten. There He showed it was impossible for Him
to be at peace with that which had raised its defiant head against
Him. All the honor due to the holiness of God by all the holy angels,
and all the cheerful obedience and patient suffering of all the holy
men who have ever existed, or ever will exist, are nothing in
comparison with the offering of Christ Himself in order that every
demand of God's holiness, which sin had outraged, might be fully met.
The faithfulness of God was exceedingly glorified at the Cross. God
had sworn, "The soul that sinneth it shall die," and when the Sinless
One offered to receive the full and fearful wages of sin, God showed
to all heaven and earth that He had rather that the blood of His
Fellow be spilt than that one tittle of the Word should fail. In the
Scriptures He had made it known that His Son should be led as a lamb
to the slaughter, that His hands and His feet should be pierced, that
He should be numbered with transgressors, that He should be wounded
for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. These and many
other predictions received their exact fulfillment at Calvary, and
their accomplishment there supplied the greatest proof of all that God
cannot lie.
The love of God was exceedingly glorified at the Cross. "God so loved
the world that he gave his only begotten Son" (John 3:16). "Herein is
love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to
be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10). "The light of the sun
is always the same, but it shines brightest at noon. The Cross of
Christ was the noon-tide of everlasting love--the meridian-splendor of
eternal mercy. There were many bright manifestations of the same love
before; but they were like the light of the morning that shines more
and more unto the perfect day; and that perfect day was when Christ
was on the Cross, and darkness covered all the land" (McLaurin).
O when we view God's grand design,
To save rebellious worms,
How vengeance and compassion join
In their sublimest forms!
Our thoughts are lost in rev'rent awe--
We love and we adore;
The first archangel never saw
So much of God before!
Here each Divine perfection joins,
And thought can never trace,
Which of the glories brightest shines--
The justice or the grace.
"If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself,
and shall straightway glorify him" (John 13:32). "This verse may be
paraphrased as follows: `If God the Father be specially glorified in
all His attributes by My death, He shall proceed at once to place
special glory on Me, for My personal work, and shall do it without
delay, by raising Me from the dead, and placing Me at His right hand.'
It is the same idea that we have in the seventeenth chapter more
fully. `I have glorified thee on the earth; now, O Father, glorify
thou me with thine own self¡" (Bishop Ryle).
"Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me:
and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I
say to you" (John 13:33). Here for the first time the Lord Jesus
addressed His disciples by this special term of endearment, "little
children." It is striking to observe that the Lord waited until after
Judas had gone out before using it: teaching us that unbelievers must
not be addressed as God's "children"! "Ye shall seek Me" tells of
their love for Him, as the "little children" had expressed His love
for them. "Whither I go, ye cannot come" seems to have a different
force from what it signified when addressed to the unbelieving Jews in
John 7:33. He declared to them, "I go unto him that sent me . . . and
where I am, thither ye cannot come." The reference is the same in John
8:21. But here the Savior was not speaking of His return to the
Father, but of His going to the Cross--thither "they" could not come.
In His great work of redemption He was alone. Just as in the type,
"There shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he
(the high priest) goeth in to make an atonement" (Lev. 16:17), so in
the antitype.
"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I
have loved you, that ye also love one another" (John 13:34). "The
immense importance of Christian love cannot possibly be shown more
strikingly than the way that it is urged on the disciples in this
place. Here is our Lord leaving the world, speaking for the last time,
and giving His last charge to the disciples. The very first subject He
takes up and presses on them is the great duty of loving one another,
and that with no common love; but after the same patient, tender,
unwearied manner that He had loved them. Love must needs be a very
rare and important grace to be so spoken of! The want of it must needs
be plain proof that a man is no true disciple of Christ. How vast the
extent of Christian love ought to be" (Bishop Ryle).
"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I
have loved you, that ye also love one another." The nation now
disappears. It is no question of loving one's neighbor, but of
Christ's disciples, and their mutual love according to His love. Nor
is it here activity of zeal, in quest of sinners, blessed as that is;
but the unselfish seeking of the good of saints, as such, in lowliness
of mind. The Law required love of one's neighbor, which was a fleshly
relationship; Christ enjoins love to our brethren, which is a
spiritual relationship. Here, then, is the first sense in which this
"commandment" was a new one. But there is a further sense brought out
by John in his Epistle: "A new commandment I write unto you, which
thing is true in him and in you" (1 John 2:8). Love had now been
manifested, yea, personified, as never before. Christ had displayed a
love superior to the faults of its objects, a love which never varied,
a love which deemed no sacrifice too great. Scott has well observed on
this new commandment, "Love was now to be explained with new
clearness, enforced by new motives and obligations, illustrated by a
new example, and obeyed in a new manner."
"By this shall all know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one
to another" (John 13:35). Love is the badge of Christian discipleship.
It is not knowledge, nor orthodoxy, nor fleshly activities, but
(supremely) love which identifies a follower of the Lord Jesus. As the
disciples of the Pharisees were known by their phylacteries, as the
disciples of John were known by their baptism, and every school by its
particular shibboleth, so the mark of a true Christian is love; and
that, a genuine, active love, not in words but in deeds. 1 Corinthians
13 gives a full exposition of this verse.
"Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered
him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow
me afterwards" (John 13:36). How evident it is that even the Eleven
had not grasped the fact that their beloved Master was going to be
taken from them! Often as He had spoken to them of His death, it seems
to have made no lasting impression upon them. This illustrates the
fact that men may receive much religious instruction, and yet take in
very little of it, the more so when it clashes with their
preconceptions. The Christian teacher needs much patience, and the
less he expects from his work, the less will he be disappointed.
Christ's words here, "Whither I go" had a different meaning than in
John 13:33. There He had spoken of taking His place alone in death:
here He refers to His return to the Father, therefore is He careful to
add, "thou shalt follow me afterwards."
"Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay
down my life for thy sake" (John 13:37). Peter knew and really loved
the Lord, but how little he as yet knew himself! It was right to feel
the Lord's absence; but he should have heeded better the mild, but
grave, admonition that where Christ was going he was not able to
follow Him now; he should have valued the comforting assurance that he
should follow Him later. Alas! how much we lose now, how much we
suffer afterwards, through not laying to heart the deep truth of
Christ's words! We soon see the bitter consequences in Peter's
history; but we know, from the future words of our Lord in the close
of this Gospel, how grace would ensure in the end the favor,
compromised by that self-confidence at the beginning, which He here
warned against.
"But we are apt to think most highly of ourselves, of our love,
wisdom, moral courage, and every other good quality, when we least
know and judge ourselves in God's presence, as here we see in Peter;
who, impatient of the hint already given, breaks forth into the
self-confident question, `Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will
lay down my life for thy sake.' Peter therefore must learn, as we
also, by painful experience, what he might have understood even better
by subjection of heart, in faith, to the Lord's words. When He warns,
it is rash and wrong for us to question; and rashness of spirit is but
the precursor of a fall in fact, whereby we must be taught, if we
refuse otherwise" (Bible Treasury).
"Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast
denied me thrice" (John 13:38). Once more the Lord manifests His
omniscience, this time by foretelling the fall of one of His own.
Utterly unlikely did it seem that a real believer would deny his Lord,
and not only so, but at once follow it up with further denials. Little
likelihood did there appear that one who was so devoted to Christ, who
had enjoyed such unspeakable privileges, and who was expressly warned
that he should "watch and pray lest ye enter into temptation," should
prove so unworthy. Yet incredible as it might appear to the Eleven the
Lord foresaw it all, and here definitely announces the fearful sin of
Peter. He knew that so far from Peter laying down his life for His
sake, he would that very night try to save his own life, by a cowardly
denial that he was His disciple. And yet the Lord did not cast him
off. He loved even Peter "unto the end," and after His resurrection
sought him out and restored him to fellowship again. Truly such love
passeth knowledge. O that we were so fully absorbed with it that, for
very shame, we might be withheld from doing anything that would grieve
it.
The following questions are to help the student to prepare for the
lesson on the first section of John 14:--
1. What is meant by "believe also in me," verse 1?
2. What is meant by the "Father's House," verse 2?
3. How is Christ "preparing a place for us," verse 3?
4. What is meant by "the way," verse 4?
5. What did Philip mean, verse 8?
6. How did the disciples see the Father in Christ, verse 9?
7. What "works' sake" did Christ refer to in verse 11?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 48
Christ Comforting His Disciples
John 14:1-11
_________________________________________________________________
Below is an Analysis of the passage which is to be before us: --
1. Christ's call to faith in Himself, verse 1.
2. Christ's teaching about Heaven, verse 2.
3. Christ's precious promises, verses 3, 4.
4. Thomas' question, verse 5.
5. Christ perfectly suited to us, verses 6, 7.
6. Philip's ignorance, verse 8.
7. Christ's reproof, verses 9-11.
It is in the fourteenth chapter of John that the Lord Jesus really
begins the Paschal Discourse, a discourse which for tenderness, depth,
and comprehensiveness is unsurpassed in all the Scriptures. The
circumstances under which it was delivered need to be steadily borne
in mind. This heart-melting Address of Christ was given to the Eleven
on the last night before He died, affording a manifestation of Him
which has been strikingly likened to the "glorious radiance of the
setting sun, surrounded with dark clouds, and about to plunge into
darker, which, fraught with lightning, thunder, and tempest, wait on
the horizon to receive him." Most blessedly do His words here bring
out the perfections of the God-man. Any other man, even a man of
superior strength of mind and kindliness of heart, placed, so far as
he could be placed in our Lord's circumstances, would have had his
mind thrown into such a state of uncontrollable agitation, and most
certainly would have been too entirely occupied with his own
sufferings and anxieties to have any power or disposition to enter
into and soothe the sorrows of others. But though completely aware of
all that awaited Him, though feeling the weight of the awful load laid
upon Him, though tasting the bitter cup which He must drain, He not
only retained full self-possession, but took as deep an interest in
the fears and sorrows of the apostles as if He Himself had not been a
sufferer. Instead of being occupied with what lay before Himself, He
spent the time in comforting His disciples: He "loved them unto the
end."
During His public ministry and in His private intercourse with them,
the apostles had heard repeated statements from His lips concerning
His approaching sufferings and death, statements which appear to us
simple and plain, but which perplexed and amazed them. It is most
charitable, and perhaps most reasonable, to conclude that His
disciples regarded His references to His coming passion as parables,
which were not to be understood literally; and that, at any rate, He
could not mean anything inconsistent with His immediately restoring
the kingdom to Israel. They were fully convinced that He was the
Messiah, and their only idea in connection with the Messiah was that
of an illustrious Conqueror, a prosperous king; therefore, whatever
was obscure in their Master's sayings, must be understood in the light
of these principles. And it is probable that their hopes had never
risen higher than when they had seen Him ride into Jerusalem amid the
joyous acclamations of the multitudes hailing Him as the Son of David.
But right after His entry into Jerusalem they had heard Him speak of
Himself as the "corn of wheat" which must fall into the ground and
die, and this,, at least, must have awakened dark forebodings. And,
too, His conduct and sayings during the pass-over-supper, and what
followed, must have deeply perplexed and distressed them. "Now is my
soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour?"
must have filled them with painful misgivings. He had said, "Yet a
little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the
Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you." This was,
indeed, sufficient to fill them with anxiety and sorrow. They dearly
loved Him. The thought of Him dying, and of their parting with Him,
was unbearable. Moreover, they must have asked themselves, How can
this be reconciled with His Messiah-ship? Are we, after all, to give
up our hope that this is He who would redeem Israel? And what is to
become of us! We have forsaken all to follow Him, will He now forsake
us, leaving us amid enemies, as sheep in the midst of wolves, to
suffer the fierce malignity of His triumphant foes!
"Our Lord, who knew what was in man, was well aware of what was
passing in the minds of His disciples. He knew how they were troubled,
and what anxious, desponding, and despairing thoughts were arising in
their hearts, and He could not but be touched with the feeling of
their infirmities. There lay on His own mind a weight of anguish which
no being in the universe could bear along with Him. He could not have
the alleviation of sympathy. He must tread the winepress alone. They
could not enter into His feelings; but He, the magnanimous One, could
enter into theirs. There was room in His large heart for their
sorrows, as well as His own. He feels their griefs, as if they were
His own; and kindly comforts those whom He knew were soon to desert
Him in the hour of His deepest sorrows! `In all their afflictions, He
was afflicted;' and He shows in the address which He made to them that
`the Lord who anointed Him to comfort those who mourn,' and to bind up
the brokenhearted, had indeed `given to Him the tongue of the learned
that He might speak a word in season to them who were weary' (Isa.
61:1; 50:4)". (Dr. John Brown).
"Let not your heart be troubled" (John 14:1). It was the sorrows of
their hearts which now occupied the great heart of love. "Troubled"
they were; deeply so. They were troubled at hearing that one of their
number should betray Him (John 13:21). They were troubled at seeing
their Master "troubled in spirit" (John 13:21); troubled because He
would remain with them only a "little while" (John 13:33); troubled
over the warning He had given to Peter, that he would deny His Lord
thrice. Thus this little company of believers were disquieted and cast
down. Wherefore the Savior proceeded to comfort them.
"Ye believe in God, believe also in me" (John 14:1). Commentators have
differed widely as to the precise meaning of these words. The
difficulty arises from the Greek. Both verbs are exactly the same, and
may be translated (with equal accuracy) either in the imperative or
the indicative mood. Either will make good sense, and possibly each is
to be kept in mind. The R.V. reads: "Believe in God, believe also in
me." Thus translated, it is a double exhortation. The force of it
would then be: Your perturbation of spirit arises from not believing
what God has spoken by His prophets concerning My sufferings and the
glory which is to follow. God has announced in plain terms that I was
to be despised and rejected of men, that I am to be wounded for your
transgressions and bruised for your iniquities. These are the words of
Jehovah Himself; then doubt them not. "Believe also in me." I too have
warned you what to expect. I have told you that I am to suffer many
things at the hands of the chief priests and scribes and be killed.
These things must be. Then hold fast the beginning of your confidence
steadfast unto the end: be not "offended" in Me, even though I go to a
criminal's cross.
But it should be remembered that the Lord was speaking not only to the
Eleven, but to us as well. Even so, the above interpretation supplies
an exhortation which we constantly need. "Believe in God," O
Christian. Let not your heart be troubled, for thy Father is possessed
of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness. He knows what is best for
thee, and He makes all things work together for thy good. He is on the
Throne, ruling amid the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of
the earth, so that none can stay His hand. Why, then, art thou cast
down, O my soul? God is our refuge and strength, a very present help
in trouble; therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed,
and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though
the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake
with the swellings thereof. What though trials come thick and fast,
what though I am misunderstood and unappreciated, what though Satan
roar and rage against me? "If God be for us who can be against us?"
Believe in God. Believe in His absolute sovereignty, His infinite
wisdom, His unchanging faithfulness, His wondrous love. "Believe also
in me." I am the One who died for thy sins and rose again for thy
justification; I am the One who ever liveth to make intercession for
thee. I am the same, yesterday, and to-day, and forever. I am the One
who shall come.again to receive you unto Myself, and ye shall be
forever with Me. Yes, "believe also in me!"
While the above interpretation is fully justified by the Greek, while
the double exhortation was truly needed both by the Eleven and by us
to-day, and while many able expositors have advanced it, yet we cannot
but think that the A.V. gives the truer force of our Lord's words
here, rendering the first verb in the indicative and the second in the
imperative. "Believe also in me." What, then, did Christ mean? The
apostles had already, by Divine illumination, recognized Him as the
Christ, the Son of the living God. It is clear, then, that He was not
here challenging their faith. We take it that what the Lord had in
view was this: the apostles already believed in Him as the Messiah,
and as the Savior, but their confidence reposed in One who dwelt in
their midst, who went in and out among them in the sensible
relationship of daily companionship. But He was about to be removed
from them, and He whom they had seen with their eyes and had handled
with their hands (1 John 1:1) was to be invisible to the outward eye.
Now, says He, "Ye believe in God," who is invisible; you believe in
His love, though you have never seen His form; you are conscious of
His care, though you have never touched the Hand that guides and
protects you. "Believe, also, in me"; that is to say, In like manner
you must have full confidence in My existence, love, and care, even
though I am no longer present to sight. This comfort remains for us;
this is the faith in which we are now to live: "Whom having not seen,
ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice
with joy unspeakable and full of glory" (1 Pet. 1:8).
"Believe also in me." The "also" here brings out the absolute Deity of
Christ in a most unmistakable manner. "Here thou seest plainly that
Christ Himself testifies that He is equal with God Almighty; because
we must believe in Him even as we believe in God. If He were not true
God with the Father, this faith would be false and idolatrous" (Dr.
Martin Luther).
"In my Father's house are many mansions" (John 14:2). The Father's
"house" is His dwelling-place. It is noteworthy that the Lord Jesus is
the only one who ever referred to the "Father's house," and He did so
on three occasions. First, He had said of the temple in Jerusalem,
"Make not my Father's house a house of merchandise" (John 2:16). Then
He had mentioned it in connection with the "prodigal son" and his
elder brother: "As he came and drew nigh to the house (the `father's')
he heard music and dancing"; here it is presented as the place of joy
and gladness. In John 14 Christ mentions it as the final abode of the
saints.
The glories and blessedness of Heaven are brought before us in the New
Testament under a variety of representations. Heaven is called a
"country" (Luke 19:12; Hebrews 11:16); this tells of its vastness. It
is called a "city" (Heb. 11:10; Revelation 21; this intimates the
large number of its inhabitants. It is called a "kingdom" (2 Pet.
1:11); this suggests its orderliness. It is called "paradise" (Luke
23:43; Revelation 2:7); this emphasizes its delights. It is called the
"Father's house," which bespeaks its permanency.
The temple at Jerusalem had been called the Father's "house" because
it was there that the symbol of His presence abode, because it was
there He was worshipped, and because it was there His people communed
with Him. But before the Lord Jesus closed His public ministry He
disowned the temple, saying, "Behold your house is left unto you
desolate" (Matthew 23:38). Therefore does the Savior now transfer this
term to the Father's dwelling-place on High, where He will grant to
His redeemed a more glorious revelation of Himself, and where they
shall worship Him, uninterruptedly, in the beauty of holiness.
The "Father's house" has been the favourite term for Heaven with most
Christians. It speaks of Home, the Home of God and His people. Sad it
is that in this present evil age one of the most precious words in the
English language has lost much of its fragrance. Our fathers used to
sing, "There is no place like home." To-day the average "home" is
little more than a boarding-house--a place to eat and sleep in. But
"home" used to mean, and still means to a few, the place where we are
loved for our own sakes; the place where we are always welcome; the
place whither we can retire from the strife of the world and enjoy
rest and peace, the place where loved ones are together. Such will
Heaven be. Believers are now in a strange country, yea, in an enemy's
land; in the life to come, they will be at Home!
"In my Father's house are many mansions." The many rooms in the temple
prefigured these (see 1 Kings 6:5, 6; Jeremiah 35:1-4, etc.). The word
for "mansions" signifies "abiding-places"--a most comforting term,
assuring us of the permanency of our future home in contrast from the
"tents" of our present pilgrimage. Blessed, too, is the word "many";
there will be ample room for the redeemed of the past, present, and
future ages; and for the unfallen angels as well.
"If it were not so, I would have told you" (John 14:2). Had there been
no room for believers in the many mansions of the Father's House,
Christ would have said so. He had never deceived them; truth was His
only object--"To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into
the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth" (John 18:37). It
was because full provision had been made for their complete and
eternal happiness that He encouraged them to entertain such high
hopes. He would never have brought them into such an intimacy with
Himself if that was now to end forever.
"I go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2). "He does not explain
how the place in the Father's House should be prepared for them; nor
were they yet, perhaps, able to understand. The Epistle to the Hebrews
will show us, if we turn to it, that the heavenly places had to be
purified by the better sacrifices which He was to offer, in which all
the sacrifices of the law would find their fulfillment. Ephesians
speaks similarly of the `redemption of the purchased possession'; and
Colossians of the `reconciliation of things in heaven' (Heb. 9:23;
Ephesians 1:14; Colossians 1:20). Such thoughts are even now strange
to many Christians; for we are slow to realize the extent of the
injury that sin has inflicted, and equally, therefore, the breadth of
the application of the work of Christ. This is not the place to
enlarge upon it; but it is not difficult to understand that wherever
sin has raised question of God--and it has done so, as we know, in
Heaven itself--the work of Christ as bringing out in full His whole
character in love and righteousness regarding that which had raised
the question, has enabled Him to come in and restore, consistently
with all that He is, what had been defiled with evil. Thus our High
Priest, to use as the apostle does, the figure of Israel's day of
atonement, has entered into the Sanctuary to reconcile with the
virtues of His sacrifice the holy places themselves, and make them
accessible to us" (Numerical Bible).
"I go to prepare a place for you." We also understand this to mean
that the Lord Jesus has procured the right--by His death on the
Cross--for every believing sinner to enter Heaven. He has "prepared"
for us a place there by entering Heaven as our Representative and
taking possession of it on behalf of His people. As our Forerunner He
marched in, leading captivity captive, and there planted His banner in
the land of glory. He has "prepared" for us a place there by entering
the "holy of holies" on High as our great High Priest, carrying our
names in with Him. Christ would do all that was necessary to secure
for His people a welcome and a permanent place in Heaven. Beyond this
we cannot go with any degree of certainty. The fact that Christ has
promised to "prepare a place" for us--which repudiates the vague and
visionary ideas of those who would reduce Heaven to an intangible
nebula--guarantee that it will far surpass anything down here.
"I go to prepare a place for you." God never has, and never will, take
His people into a place un-prepared for them. In Eden God first
"planted a garden," and then placed Adam in it. It was the same with
Israel when they entered Canaan: "And it shall be, when the Lord thy
God shall have brought thee into the land which he swear unto thy
father, to Abraham, to Isaac, and Jacob, to give them great and goodly
cities, which thou buildest not, and houses full of all good things,
which thou filledst not, and wells digged which thou diggedst not,
vineyards and olive trees which thou plantedst not" (Deut. 6:10, 11).
And what can we say of the grace manifested by the Lord of glory going
to prepare a place for us? He will not entrust such a task to the
angels. Proof, indeed, is this that He loves us "unto the end."
"And if I go and prepare a place for you" (John 14:3). "A special
people taken from the earth in a risen Christ must have a special
place. A new thing was to take place, men brought into Heaven! Man was
not made for Heaven, but for the earth, and so placed here to till the
earth and live upon it. By sinning he lost the earth and the earth
shared his ruin. But by sinning he brought down the Son of God from
Heaven, who by His descent opened Heaven as the normal place for those
believing on Christ, and so in Him" (Mr. Malachi Taylor).
"I will come again." The Lord will not send for us, but come in person
to conduct us into the Father's House. How precious we must be to Him!
"The Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the arch-angel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in
Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the
air" (1 Thess. 4:16, 17).
"And receive you unto myself." Notice, not "take" but receive. The
Holy Spirit has charge of us during the time of our absence from the
Savior; but when the mystical body of Christ is complete then is His
work clone here, and He hands us over to the One who died to save us.
"And receive you unto myself." To have us with Himself is His heart's
desire. To the dying thief He said, "Today shalt thou be with me in
paradise." To the Church it is promised that we shall "ever be with
the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:17).
"That where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:3). The place which
was due the Son is the place which grace has given to the sons. This
is the blessed sequel to what was before us in John 13. There Christ
said, "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me." There, it is
the Savior maintaining His own on earth in communion with Himself.
Here, in due time, we shall be with Him, to enjoy unbroken fellowship
forever. This had been promised before: "If any man serve me, let him
follow me; and where I am there shall also my servant be" (John
12:26). Here it is formally declared. In John 17:24 it is prayed for:
"Father I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me
where I am."
Here then, is the Divine specific for heart-trouble; here, indeed, is
precious consolation for one groaning in a world of sin. First, faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Second, the assurance that the Father's
House on high will be our eternal Home. Third, the realization that
the Savior has done and is doing everything necessary to secure us a
welcome there and fit that Home for our reception. Fourth, the blessed
hope that He is coming in person to receive us unto Himself. Finally,
the precious promise that we are to be with Him forever. But, and mark
it well, it is only in proportion as we are "troubled" by our absence
from Him, that we shall be comforted and cheered by these precious
words! Here is solid ground for consolation, conclusive arguments
against despondency and disquietude in the present path of service and
suffering, the Savior lives and loves and cares for us! He is active,
promoting our interests, and when God's time arrives He shall come and
receive us unto Himself.
"And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know" (John 14:4). To
understand this verse it is necessary to keep in mind the connection.
Only a very short time before, Peter had asked, "Lord whither goest
thou?" (John 13:36), and when He replied, "Whither I go, thou canst
not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards," he rejoined,
"Why cannot I follow thee now?" Both of these questions of Peter, and
they probably expressed the thoughts of all the apostles, were
answered by our Lord in the verses which have just been before us. "It
is as if He had said, You are troubled in spirit because you know not
whither I go; and because I have said, ye cannot follow Me now. I am
going to My Father; to His House of many mansions; let not, therefore,
these fears about Me distress you; and as to your following Me--as to
the reason why you cannot follow Me now--and as to the way in which
you are to follow Me hereafter, know that arrangements must be made
for your coming to where I am going. I go to make these arrangements,
and when they are completed I will come and take you to Myself, that
where I am, there ye may be also. That is whither I am going--that is
the reason why you do not go with Me, or follow Me now--that is the
way in which you are afterwards to come where I am going: and, i.e.
thus `ye know', for I have plainly told you `whither I go' and the
`way' in which you are to come whither I shall have gone" (Dr. John
Brown). The "whither" was unto the Father; the "way" was the process
by which they would arrive there. It was not simply the goal, but the
path to it; not simply the whither but the how which Christ had just
revealed to them.
"Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how
can we know the way?" (John 14:5). Our Lord had spoken very simply and
plainly, yet was He misunderstood. The Father, His House, its many
mansions, Christ going there to prepare a place and His promise to
come and receive His people unto Himself and share His place with
us--these things were dim and unreal to the materialistic and
rationalistic Thomas. His mind was on earthly things. Did the
"father's house" mean some palace situated outside Palestine, and did
Christ's "going away" signify His removing to that palace? He was not
sure, and tells the Lord so. Well, if we brought our difficulties unto
Him. But let us not forget that the Spirit of truth had not yet been
given to the disciples to show them "things to come" (John 16:13). He
has been given to us, therefore is our ignorance the more excuseless.
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John
14:6). Before sin entered the world Adam enjoyed a threefold privilege
in relation to God; he was in communion with his Maker; he knew Him,
and he possessed spiritual life. But when he disobeyed and fell, this
threefold relationship was severed. He became alienated from God, as
the hiding of himself painfully demonstrated; having believed the
Devil's lie, he was no longer capable of perceiving the truth, as the
making of fig-leaf aprons clearly evidenced; and he no longer had
spiritual life, for God's threat "In the day thou eatest thereof thou
shalt surely die" was strictly enforced. In this same awful condition
has each of Adam's descendants entered this world, for "that which is
born of the flesh is flesh"--a fallen parent can beget nought but a
fallen child. Every sinner, therefore, has a three-fold
need--reconciliation, illumination, regeneration. This threefold need
is perfectly met by the Savior. He is the Way to the Father; He is the
Truth incarnate; He is the Life to all who believe in Him. Let us
briefly consider each of these separately.
"I am the way." Christ spans the distance between God and the sinner.
Man would fain manufacture a ladder of his own, and by means of his
resolutions and reformations, his prayers and his tears, climb up to
God. But that is impossible. That is the way which seemeth right unto
a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death (Prov. 14:12). It is
Satan who would keep the exercised sinner on his self-imposed journey
to God. What faith needs to lay hold of is the glorious truth that
Christ has come all the way down to sinners. The sinner could not come
in to God, but God in the person of His Son has come out to sinners.
He is the Way, the Way to the Father, the Way to Heaven, the Way to
eternal blessedness.
"I am the truth." Christ is the full and final revelation of God. Adam
believed the Devil's lie, and ever since then man has been groping
amid ignorance and error. "The way of the wicked is as darkness; they
know not at what they stumble" (Prov. 4:19). "Having the understanding
darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance
that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart" (Eph. 4:18).
A thousand systems has the mind devised. "God hath made man upright;
but they have sought out many inventions" (Ecclesiastes 7:29). "There
is none that understandeth" (Rom. 3:11). Pilate voiced the perplexity
of multitudes when he asked, "What is truth?" (John 18:38). Truth is
not to be found in a system of philosophy, but in a Person-Christ is
"the truth": He reveals God and exposes man. In Him are hid "all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2:3). What tremendous folly
to ignore Him! What will it avail you in Hell, dear reader, even
though you have mastered all the sciences of men, were acquainted with
all the events of history, were versed in all the languages of
mankind, were thoroughly acquainted with the politics of your day? O,
how you will wish then that you had read your newspapers less and your
Bible more; that with all your getting you had got understanding; that
with all your learning you had bowed before Him who is the Truth!
"I am the life." Christ is the Emancipator from death. The whole Bible
bears solemn witness to the fact that the natural man is spiritually
lifeless. He walks according to the course of this world; he has no
love for the things of God. The fear of God is not upon him, nor has
he any concern for His glory. Self is the center and circumference of
his existence. He is alive to the things of the world, but is dead to
heavenly things. The one who is out of Christ exists, but he has no
spiritual life. When the prodigal son returned from the far country
the father said, "This, my son, was dead, and is alive again; he was
lost, and is found" (Luke 15:24). The one who believes in Christ has
passed out of death into life (John 5:24). "He that believeth on the
Son hath everlasting life" (John 3:36). Then turn to Him who is the
Life.
"I am the way." Without Christ men are Cains-wanderers. "They are all
gone out of the way" (Rom. 3:12). Christ is not merely a Guide who
came to show men the path in which they ought to walk: He is Himself
the Way to the Father. "I am the truth." Without Christ men are under
the power of the Devil, the father of lies. Christ is not merely a
Teacher who came to reveal to men a doctrine regarding God: He is
Himself the Truth about God. "He that hath seen me hath seen the
Father." "I am the life." Without Christ men are dead in trespasses
and sins. Christ is not merely a Physician who came to invigorate the
old nature, to refine its grossness, or repair its defects. "I am
come," said He, "that they might have life, and that they might have
it more abundantly" (John 10:10).
"No man cometh unto the Father but by me" (verse 6). Christ is the
only way to God. It is utterly impossible to win God's favor by any
efforts of our own. "Other foundation can no man lay than that is
laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 3:11). "Neither is there
salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven
given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). "There is one
God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1
Tim. 2:6). Let every Christian reader praise God for His unspeakable
Gift, and "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the
holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath
newly-made for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and
having an high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a
true heart in full assurance of faith" (Heb. 10:19-22).
"If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from
henceforth ye know him, and have seen him" (verse 7). This is
intimately connected with the whole of the immediate context. The
reason why the apostles found it so hard to understand the Lord's
references to the Father, the Father's House, and His and their way
there, was because their views respecting Himself were so defective
and deficient. The true knowledge of the Father cannot be obtained but
by the true knowledge of the Son; and if the Son be really known, the
Father is known also. The Father is known just so far as the Son is
known; no farther. Christ was more than a manifestation of God; He was
"God manifest in flesh." He was the Only-begotten, who fully declared
Him.
"From henceforth ye know him, and have seen him." "These words of our
Lord are a prediction, which, like many predictions, is uttered in the
present tense--the event not only being as certain as if it had
already taken place, but appearing as accomplished to the mind of the
prophet, rapt into the future by the inspiring impulse. It is
equivalent to, `yet a very little while and ye shall know Him--know
Him so clearly that it may be said you see Him? The prediction was
accomplished on the day of Pentecost. From the time these words were
uttered, a series of events took place, in close succession, in which
through the atoning sufferings, and death, and glorious resurrection
of our Lord Jesus, the character of God the Father, was gloriously
illustrated. But, till after the resurrection, the disciples saw only
the dark side of the cloud in which Jehovah was; and even till `the
Spirit was poured out from on High,' they but indistinctly discerned
the true meaning of these events. Then, indeed, `the darkness was
passed, and the true light shone.' The Holy Spirit took of the things
of Christ and showed them unto them" (Dr. John Brown).
"Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us"
(John 14:8). What the Lord had just said to Thomas, Philip was unable
to thoroughly grasp. With that strange faculty of the human mind to
pass over the most prominent and important points of a subject and to
seize only on that on which our own mind had been running, this
disciple can think only of "seeing" the Father, not how He is to be
seen. Possibly Philip's mind reverted to the experience of Moses on
the Mount, when, in answer to earnest prayer, he was placed in a cleft
of the rock and permitted to see the retiring glory of Jehovah as He
passed by; or, he may have remembered what Moses, Aaron, Nadab and
Abihu and the seventy elders of Israel were permitted to witness when
"they saw the God of Israel, and under his feet, as it were, a paved
work of a sapphire stone, and, as it were the body of heaven in his
clearness" (Ex. 24:10). He may have recalled that prophecy, "The glory
of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together"
(Isa. 40:5).
"Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast
thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father;
and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?" (John 14:9). This was a
rebuke, the more forceful by being addressed to Philip individually.
He had said, "Show us the Father." Christ replied, "Hast thou not
known me, Philip?" The force of this was: Have you never yet
apprehended who I am? The corporeal representation of God, such as
Philip desired, was unnecessary; unnecessary because a far more
glorious revelation of Deity was there right before him. The Word,
made flesh, was tabernacling among men, and His glory was "the glory
of the only-begotten of the Father." He was the visible Image of the
invisible God. He was the "brightness of his glory, and the express
image of his person." In Him dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead
bodily.
"Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The
words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that
dwelleth in me he doeth the works" (John 14:10). Christ was in the
Father and the Father was in Him. There was the most perfect and
intimate union between Them. Both His words and His works were a
perfect revelation of Deity. It is very striking to note here that the
Son refers to His "words" as the Father's "works." His words were
works, for they were words of power. "He spake and it was done; he
commanded, and it stood fast"! He said "Lazarus, come forth"; and he
that was dead came forth.
"Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else
believe me for the very works' sake" (John 14:11). This is solemn. The
Lord has to descend to the level that He took when speaking to His
enemies--"Though ye believe not me believe the works that ye may know,
and believe that the Father is in me and I in him" (John 10:38). So
now He says to Philip, If ye will not, on My bare word, believe that I
am One with the Father, at least acknowledge the proof of it in My
works. How thankful we should be that the Holy Spirit has been given
to us, to make clear what was so dark to the disciples. Let us praise
God that "we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an
understanding, that we may know him that is true" (1 John 5:20).
Let the interested student carefully ponder the following questions:--
1. For whom are the promises in verse 12 intended?
2. Who has ever done anything "greater" than Christ did, verse 12?
3. What does it mean to ask "in the name of" Christ, verse 13?
4. How is verse 14 to be qualified?
5. Is obeying God's commandments "legalism," verse 15?
6. Why cannot "the world" receive the Holy Spirit, verse 17?
7. What is the meaning of verse 20?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 49
Christ Comforting His Disciples (Continued)
John 14:12-20
_________________________________________________________________
Below is an Analysis of the passage which is to be before us:--
1. Christ's cause furthered by His return to the Father, verse 12.
2. Praying in the name of Christ, verses 13, 14.
3. Love evidenced by obedience, verse 15.
4. The coming of the Comforter, verses 16, 17.
5. Christians not left orphans, verse 18.
6. Our life secured by Christ's, verse 19.
7. Knowledge of Divine life in believers, verse 20.
At first reading there does not appear to be much direct connection
between the several verses of our present passage. This second section
of John 14 seems to lack a central unity. Yet, as we read it more
attentively, we notice that both John 14:13 and John 14:16 open with
the word "And," which at once makes us suspect that our first hasty
impression needs correcting. The fact is that the more closely this
Paschal Discourse of Christ be studied, the more shall we perceive the
close connection which one part of it sustains to another, and many
important lessons will be learned by noting the relation which verse
has to verse.
The first verse of our passage opens with the remarkable promise that
the apostles of Christ should do even greater works than their Master
had done. Then, in the next two verses reference is made to prayer,
and the fact that these are prefaced with the word "And" at once
indicates that there is an intimate relation between the doing of
these works and the supplicating of God. This is the more striking if
we recall the central thing in the former section. The opening verse
of John 14 is a call to faith in Christ, and the closing verse (11)
repeats it. Following the word upon prayer, the Lord next said, "If ye
love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15). Here we seem to lose the
thread again, for apparently a new subject is most abruptly
introduced. But only seemingly so, for, in truth, it is just here that
we discover the progress of thought. The faith and the praying (the
two essential pre-requisites for the doing of the "greater works")
have their root in an already existing love, which is now to be
evidenced by pleasing its Object. What comes next? The promise of
"another Comforter." Surely this is most suggestive. It was only by
the coming of the Holy Spirit that the apostles' faith in Christ was
established, that power was communicated for the performing of mighty
works, and that their love was purified and deepened. Thus we have a
most striking example of the importance and value of studying closely
the connection of a passage and noting the relation of one verse to
another.
Having remarked upon the relation between the verses of our present
passage, let a brief word be said upon the connection which exists
between it as a whole and the first section of John 14. The Lord began
by saying, "Let not your heart be troubled." All that followed was the
assigning of various reasons why the apostles should not be so
excessively perturbed at the prospect of His approaching departure. He
began, by setting before them three chief grounds of comfort: He was
going to the Father's House of many mansions. He was going there to
prepare a place for them. When His preparations were complete, He
would come for them in person to conduct them to Heaven, so that His
place might be theirs forever. Then He had been interrupted by the
question of Thomas and the request of Philip, and in response He had
stated with great plainness the truth concerning both His person and
His mission. Now, in the section before us, the Lord brings forward
further reasons why the sorrowing disciples should not let their
hearts be troubled. These additional grounds of consolation will come
before us in the course of our exposition.
Though the Lord continues in this second section of His Discourse what
He began in the first, yet there is a striking advance to be noted. At
the beginning of John 14, Christ had referred to what the apostles
should have known, namely, that the Son on earth had perfectly
declared the Father, and this ought to have been the means of their
apprehending whither He was going. This they knew (John 14:4), however
dull they might be in perceiving the consequences. But now the Lord
discloses to them that which they could not understand till the Holy
Spirit was given. It was by the descent of the Comforter that they
would be guided into all truth. It was by the Holy Spirit that Christ
would come to them (John 14:18). And it was by the Spirit they would
know that Christ was in the Father, and they in Him and He in them.
The Lord did not say that they ought to have understood, even then,
these things: the apprehension of them would not be until the day of
Pentecost.
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works
that I do shall he do also" (John 14:12). The "works" of which Christ
here spake were His miraculous works, the same as those mentioned in
the two preceding verses, works to which He appealed as proofs of His
Divine person and mission. The one to whom Christ promised this was
"He that believeth on me." Some have understood this to refer to all
the genuine followers of Christ. But this is manifestly wrong, for
there is no Christian on earth today who can do the miracles which
Christ did--cleanse the leper, give sight to the blind, raise the
dead. To meet this difficulty it has been replied, This is due to a
deficiency in the Christian's faith. But, this is simply a begging of
the question. Our Lord did not say, "He that believeth on me may do
the works that I do, but shall do!" But of whom, then, was Christ
speaking?
We submit that "He that believeth on me," like the expression "them
that believe" in Mark 16:17, of whom it was said certain miraculous
signs should follow them, refers to a particular class of persons, and
that these expressions must be modified by their reference and
setting. In each case the promise was limited to those whom our Lord
was addressing. "The only safe way of interpreting the whole of this
Discourse, and many other passages in the Gospels, is to remember that
it was addressed to the apostles--that everything in it has a direct
reference to them--that much that is said of them, and to them, may be
said of, and to, all Christian ministers, all Christian men--but that
much that is said of them and to them, cannot be truly said either of
the one or the other of these classes, and that the propriety of
applying what is applicable to them, must be grounded on some other
foundation than its being found in this Discourse.
"It is plain from the New Testament that there was a faith which was
specially connected with miraculous powers. This faith was that Christ
is possessed of omnipotence, and that He intends, through my
instrumentality, to manifest His omnipotence in the performance of a
miracle. But, this faith, like all faith, must rest on a Divine
revelation made to the individual; where this is not the case, there
can be no faith--there may be fancy, there may be presumption, but
there can be no faith. Such a revelation Christ made to the apostles
and to the seventy disciples, when He said `Behold, I give unto you
power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of
the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you' (Luke 10:19). No
man, to whom such a revelation has not been made, can work such
miracles, and it would seem that even in the case of those to whom
such a revelation was made, a firm belief of the revelation and
reliance on the power and faithfulness of Him who made it, was
necessary to the miracles being effectively produced in any particular
instance.
"Keeping these undoubted facts in view, there is little difficulty in
interpreting Christ's words here. The disciples had derived great
advantage of various kinds from the exercise of their Master's power
to work miracles. They were quite aware that if He should leave them,
not only would they be deprived of the advantage of His superior
powers, but that their own, which were entirely dependent on Him,
would be withdrawn also. Now our Lord assures them in the most
emphatic manner, by a repetition of the formula of affirmation,
`Verily, verily, I say unto you,' that His miraculous power was to
continue to be exercised through them as a medium, and that, to its
being exercised henceforth, as hitherto, faith in Him, on their part,
would be at once necessary and effectual. Such a statement was
obviously calculated to reassure their shaken minds, and comfort their
sorrowing hearts. And we find the declaration was filled to the
letter. They, believing on Him, did the works which He did. We find
them, like Him, instantaneously healing the sick, casting out demons,
and raising the dead" (Dr. John Brown). Hebrews 2:4 records the
fulfillment of Christ's promise: "God also bearing them witness, both
with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the
Holy Spirit."
"And greater than these shall he do" (John 14:12). It is important to
note that the word "works" in the second clause is not found in the
original. We do not think Christ was now referring to miracles in the
technical sense of that term, but to something else which, in
magnitude and importance, would exceed t, he miracle done by Himself
and the apostles. "Greater things would be better. What these greater
things were it is not difficult to determine. The preaching of a risen
and exalted Savior, the proclaiming of the Gospel to "every creature,"
the turning of souls from darkness to light, and from the power of
Satan to the service of the living God, the causing of heathen to
demolish with their own hands the temples of idolatry, the building of
that temple of living stones of which Christ is both the foundation
and the chief-corner, and which far surpassed the temple at
Jerusalem--these things were far greater than any interferences with
the course of nature's laws. Thus did the Father honor His Son, owning
the perfect work which He had done, by the greater wonders which the
Holy Spirit effected through the disciples.
"Because I go unto my Father" (John 14:12). It is important to note
how that in this "because" the Lord Jesus has Himself given us a
partial explanation here of how His promise would be made good, though
it is largely lost by placing a full stop at the end of John 14:12. If
we read straight on through John 14:13 the Savior's explanation is the
more apparent: "Greater things than these shall he do, because I go
unto my Father, And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I
do." Christ would henceforth give to their prayers power from on high,
so that what they did, He would do in and through them. Thus, in His
"seed" was the pleasure of the Lord to prosper (Isa. 53:10). If the
full stop be insisted on and its force rigidly pressed, John 14:12
would then teach that, the disciples must now continue to work in the
place of their Lord the still greater things, because He Himself was
no longer there. But this is obviously wrong. He left them, it is
true; but He also returned to indwell them (John 14:18), and in this
way came the harvest of His own seed-sowing. "And herein is that
saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that
whereon ye bestowed no labor'" (4:37, 38). Link John 14:13 with John
14:12 and all is plain and simple: thus connected we are taught that
the greater things done by the apostles were, in reality, done by
Christ Himself! As Mark 16:20 tells us, "And they went forth, and
preached everywhere, the Lord working with them." But what He did was
in answer to their believing prayers!
"And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the
Father may be glorified in the Son" (John 14:13). The connection of
this with the whole context is very precious. Let it be kept steadily
in mind that Christ was here comforting His disciples, who were
troubled at the prospect of His leaving them, and that He was calling
them to an increased confidence in Himself. In the previous verse He
had just assured them that His cause would not suffer by His return to
the Father, for even greater things should be done through and by them
as a testimony of His glory. Now He reminds them that His corporeal
absence would only unite these apostles to Him more intimately and
more effectually in a spiritual way. True, He would be in Heaven, and
they on earth, but prayer could remove all sense of distance, prayer
could bring them into His very presence at any time, yea, prayer was
all-essential if they were to do these "greater" things. And had he
not already given them a perfect example? Had He not shown them that
there was an intimate connection between the great works which He had
done and the prayers which He had offered to the Father? Had they not
heard Him repeatedly "ask" the Father (see John 6:11; 11:41; 12:28,
etc.)? Then let them do likewise. He was interpreting His own words at
the beginning of this Discourse: "Believe also in me." Faith in His
person was now to be manifested by prayer in His name!
"If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it" (John 14:14).
Very blessed is this. The disciples were invited to count upon a power
that could not fail, if sought aright. Christ was no mere man whose
departure must necessarily bring to an end what He was wont to do upon
earth. Though absent, He would manifest His Deity by granting their
petitions: whatsoever they asked He would do. All power in Heaven is
His. The Father hath committed all judgment unto the Son (John 5:22)
and in the exercise of this power He gives His own whatsoever they
need.
"If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." What is meant by
asking in the name of Christ? Certainly it is much more than the mere
putting of His name at the end of our prayers, or simply saying, "Hear
me for Jesus' sake." First, it means that we pray in His person, that
is, as standing in His place, as fully identified with Him, asking by
virtue of our very union with Himself. When we truly ask in the name
of Christ, He is the real petitioner. Second, it means, therefore,
that we plead before God the merits of His blessed Son. When men use
another's name as the authority of their approach or the ground of
their appeal, the one of whom the request is made looks beyond him who
presented the petition to the one for whose sake he grants the
request. So, in all reverence we may say, when we truly ask in the
name of Christ, the Father looks past us, and sees the Son as the real
suppliant. Third, it means that we pray only for that which is
according to His perfections and what will be for His glory. When we
do anything in another's name, it is for him we do it. When we take
possession of a property in the name of some society, it is not for
any private advantage, but for the society's good. When an officer
collects taxes in the name of the government, it is not in order to
fill his own pockets. Yet how constantly do we overlook this principle
as an obvious condition of acceptable prayer! To pray in Christ's name
is to seek what He seeks, to promote what He has at heart!
"If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." From what has
been said above it will be seen that Christ was very far from handing
His disciples a `blank check' (as some have expressed it), leaving
them to fill it in and assuring them that God would honor it because
it bore His Son's signature. Equally so is it a carnal delusion to
suppose that a Christian has only to work himself up to an expectation
to suppose that God will hear his prayer, in order to obtain what he
asks for. To apply to God for any thing in the name of Christ, the
petition must be in keeping with what Christ is. We can only rightly
ask God for that which will magnify His Son. To ask in the name of
Christ is, therefore, to set aside our own will, and bow to the
perfect will of God. If only we realized this more, what a check it
would be on our ofttimes rash and illconsidered requests! How many of
our prayers would never be offered did we but pause to inquire, Can I
present this in that Name which is above every name?
Not what I wish, but what I want,
O let Thy grace supply;
The good unasked, in mercy grant,
The ill, though asked, deny.
--Cowper.
"If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15). There seems to be
a most abrupt change of subject here, and many have been puzzled in
finding the connection. Let us first go back to the opening verse of
our chapter. The apostles were troubled at heart at the prospect of
their Master's departure, and this evidenced, unmistakably, their deep
affection for Him. Here, with tender faithfulness, He directs their
affection. Your love for Me is to be manifested not by inconsolable
regrets, but by a glad and prompt compliance with My commandments. So
much is clear; but what of the link with the more immediate context?
In seeking the answer to this, let us ask, "What is the leading
subject of the context?" This, as we have seen, is a call to faith in
an ascended Christ: in the previous verse, a faith evidenced by
praying in His name. Now He says, "If ye love me, keep my
commandments." Surely then the answer is plain: love is the spring of
true faith and the goal of real prayer. "If ye shall ask any thing in
my name, I will do it" He had just said, and this that the Father
might be glorified in the Son. For what, then, shall we ask? is the
natural inquiry which is now suggested? Here then is our Lord's
response: an increase of/ore (in myself and in all who are Christ's)
which will evidence itself by doing His will. Unless this be the first
and foremost desire of our hearts, all other petitions will remain
unanswered. "And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep
his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight"
(1 John 3:22).
"All sentimental talking and singing about love are vain. Unless, by
grace, we show a truthful obedience, the profession of affection is
worse than affectation. There is more hypocrisy than we suppose. Love
is practical, or it is not love at all" (Mr. P. W. Heward).
"If ye love me, keep my commandments." How this verse rebukes the
increasing Antinomianism of our day! In some circles one cannot use
the word "commandments" without being frowned upon as a "legalist."
Multitudes are now being taught that Law is the enemy of Grace, and
that the God of Sinai is a stern and forbidding Deity, laying upon His
creatures a yoke grievous to be borne. Terrible travesty of the. truth
is this. The One who wrote upon the tables of stone is none other than
the One who died on Calvary's Cross; and He who here says "If ye love
me, Keep My Commandments" also said at Sinai that He would show mercy
unto thousands of them "that love me and Keep My Commandments"! It is
indeed striking to note that this tender Savior, who was here
comforting His sorrowing disciples, also maintained His Divine majesty
and insisted upon the recognition of His Divine authority. Mark how
His Deity appears here: "Keep my commandments": we never read of Moses
or any of the prophets speaking of their commandments!
"If ye love me, keep my commandments." What are Christ's commandments?
We will let another answer: "The whole revelation of the Divine will,
respecting what I am to believe and feel and do and suffer, contained
in the Holy Scriptures is the law of Christ. Both volumes of Christ
are the work of the Spirit of Christ. His first and great commandment
is: `Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and soul,
and strength'; and the second great commandment is like unto the
first: `Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.' The commandments of
Christ include whatever is good and whatever God hath required of us"
(Dr. John Brown) That the One who brought Israel out of Egypt, led
them across the wilderness, and gave them the Law, was Christ Himself,
is clear from 1 Corinthians 10:9: "Neither let us tempt Christ, as
some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents" (cf. 1
Corinthians 10:4).
"Obedience to the commandments of Christ is the test of love to Him,
and there will be no difficulty in applying the test, if there be only
an honest desire to have the question fairly settled; for there are
certain qualities of obedience, which are to be found in every lover
of Christ, and which are never found in any one else, and it is to
these we must attend, if we would know what is our character. Every
lover of Christ keeps His commandments implicitly: that is, he does
what he does because Christ bids him. The doing what Christ commands
may be agreeable to my inclinations or conducive to my interest; and
if it is on these grounds I do it, I serve myself, not the Lord Jesus
Christ. What Christ commands may be commanded by those whose authority
I acknowledge and whose favor I wish to secure; if I do it on these
grounds, I keep man's commandments, not Christ's. I keep Christ's
commandments only when I do what He bids me because He bids me. If I
love Christ, I shall keep His commandments impartially. If I do
anything because Christ commands me to do it, I shall do whatever He
commands. I shall not `pick and choose.' If I love Christ, I shall
keep His commandments cheerfully. I shall esteem it a privilege to
obey His law. The thought that they are the commandments of Him whom I
love, because of His excellency and kindness, makes me love His law,
for it must be excellent because it is His, and it must be fitted to
promote my happiness for the same reason. If I love Christ I shall
keep His commandments perseveringly. If I really love Him I can never
cease to love Him, and if I never cease to love Him, I shall never
cease to obey Him" (Condensed from Dr. John Brown).
"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter,
that he may abide with you forever" (John 14:16). Note that this verse
begins with "And." In the previous one the Lord had been speaking of
the disciples' love for Him, marked by an obedient walk. Here He
reveals His love for them, evidenced by His asking for One who should
shed abroad the love of God in their hearts (Rom. 5:5) and thus
empower them to keep His commandments! Until now Christ had been their
Comforter, but He was going to leave them; therefore does He ask the
Father that another Comforter should be given to them. Here, again, we
behold the Savior loving them "unto the end"! There is also a blessed
link of connection between this verse and verses 13, 14. There the
Lord had taught them to "ask in His name," and in Luke 11:13, He had
told them that the Father would give the Holy Spirit if they "asked
for him." But here Christ is before them: His prayer precedes
theirs--He would "ask" the Father for the Comforter to be sent unto
them.
There has been a great deal of learned jargon written on the precise
meaning of the Greek word here rendered "Comforter." Personally, we
believe that no better term can be found, providing the original
meaning of our English word be kept in mind. Comforter means more than
Consoler. It is derived from two Latin words, corn "along side of" and
fortis "strong." A comforter is one who stands alongside of one in
need, to strengthen. The reference here is, of course, to the Holy
Spirit, and the fact that He is termed "another Comforter" signifies
that He was to fill the place of Christ, doing for His disciples all
that He had done for them while He was with them on earth, only that
the Holy Spirit would minister from within as Christ had from without.
The Holy Spirit would comfort, or strengthen in a variety of respects:
consolation when they were cast down, grace when they were weak or
timid, guidance when they were perplexed, etc. The fact that the Lord
here called the Holy Spirit "another Comforter" also proves Him to be
a person, and a Divine person. It is striking to observe that in this
verse we have mentioned each of the three Persons of the blessed
Trinity: "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another
Comforter"! One other thought suggested by the "another Comforter."
The believer has two Comforters, Helpers or Strengtheners: the Holy
Spirit on earth, and Christ in Heaven, for the same Greek word here
rendered "Comforter" is translated "Advocate" in 1 John 2:l,--an
"advocate" is one who aids, pleads the cause of his client. Christ
"maketh intercession" for us on High (Heb. 7:25), the Holy Spirit
within us (Rom. 8:26)! And this other "Comforter," be it noted, was to
abide with them not just so long as they grieved Him not, but "for
ever." Thus is the eternal preservation of every believer Divinely
assured.
"Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it
seeth him not, neither knoweth him" (John 14:17). The Lord had just
promised the apostles "another Comforter," that is, One like unto
Himself and in addition to Himself. Here He warns them against
expecting a visible Person. The One who should come is "the Spirit."
Two thoughts are suggested by the title here given Him: "the Spirit of
truth," or more literally, "the Spirit of the truth." The "truth" is
used both of the incarnate and the written Word. Christ had said to
the disciples, "I am the way, the truth, and the life"; a little later
He would say to the Father, in their hearing, "Thy Word is truth"
(John 17:17). The Spirit, then, is the Spirit of Christ, because sent
by Him (John 16:7), and because He is here to glorify Christ (John
16:14). The Spirit is also the Spirit of the written Word, because He
moved men to write it (2 Pet. 1:21), and because He now interprets it
(John 16:13). Hitherto Christ had been their Teacher; henceforth the
Holy Spirit should take His place (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit works
not independently of the written Word, but through and by means of it.
"Whom the world cannot receive." Very solemn is this. It is not "will
not," but cap, not receive. Unable to receive the Spirit "the world"
demonstrates its real character--opposed to the Father (1 John 2:16).
The whole world lieth in the wicked one (1 John 5:19), and he is a
liar from the beginning: how then could the world receive "the Spirit
of truth"? Our Lord adds another reason, "because it seeth him not,
neither knoweth him." But what did the Lord mean? How can the
invisible Spirit be seen? 1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us: "The natural
man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned." It is spiritual "seeing" which is in view, as
in John 6:40. And why cannot those who are of the "world" see Him?
Because they have never been born again: "Except a man be born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God." And why should the Lord have made
this statement here? Surely for the comfort of the disciples. "Another
Comforter" had been promised them; One who should abide with them for
ever;, even the Spirit of Truth. What glorious conquests might they
now expect to make for Christ! Ah! the Lord warns them of what would
really take place: "the world" would not, could not, receive Him.
"But ye know him: for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you" (John
14:17). "But" points a contrast: indicating at once that the work of
the Spirit would be to separate the people of Christ from the world.
"He dwelleth with you": He did, even then, for Christ was full of the
Spirit (Luke 4:1; John 3:34). "And shall be in you" was future. The
Lord Jesus here promised that the Third Person of the Holy Trinity
should take up His abode within believers, making their bodies His
temple. Marvellous grace was this. But, on what ground does the Holy
Spirit enter and indwell the Christian? Not because of any personal
fitness which He discovers there, for the old evil nature still
remains in the believer. How, then, is it possible for the Holy Spirit
to dwell where sin is still present? It is of the first moment that we
obtain the correct answer to this, for multitudes are confused
thereon: yet there is no excuse for this; the teaching of Scripture is
abundantly clear. Jehovah of old, dwelt in the midst of Israel, even
when they were stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart. He did so on
the ground of atoning blood (see Leviticus 16:16). In like manner, the
Holy Spirit indwells the believer now, as the witness to the
excellency and sufficiency of that one offering of Christ's which has
"perfected for ever them that are set apart" (Heb. 10:14). Strikingly
was this foreshadowed in the types. The "oil" (emblem of the Holy
Spirit) was placed upon the blood--see Leviticus 8:24, 30; Leviticus
14:14, 17, etc.
"I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you" (John 14:18).
`The marginal rendering here is to be preferred: "I will not leave you
orphans." It looks back to John 13:33 where the Lord had addressed
them as "little children". They were not to be like sheep without a
shepherd, helpless believers in a hostile world, without a defender,
forsaken orphans incapable of providing for themselves, left to the
mercy of strangers. "I will come to you": how precious is this! Before
we go to His place to be with Him (John 14:2, 3), He comes to be with
us! But what is meant by "I will come to you"? We believe that these
words are to be understood in their widest latitude. He came to them
corporeally, immediately after His resurrection. He came to them in
spirit after His ascension. He will come to them in glory at His
second advent. The present application of this promise to believers
finds its fulfillment in the gift of the Holy Spirit indwelling us
individually, present in the midst of the assembly collectively. And
yet we must not limit the coming of Christ to His children to the
presence of the Holy Spirit. The mystery of the Holy Trinity is
altogether beyond the grasp of our finite minds. Yet the New Testament
makes it clear that in the unity of the Godhead, the advent of the
Holy Spirit was also Christ coming, invisibly, to be really present
with His own. "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the age"
(Matthew 28:20). "Christ liveth in me," said the apostle Paul (Gal.
2:20). "Christ among you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27). How
unspeakably blessed is this! Friends, relatives, yea, professing
Christians may turn against us, but He has promised, "I will never
leave thee nor forsake thee" (Heb. 13:5).
"Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more" (John 14:19). The
last time "the world" saw the Lord of glory was as He hung upon the
Cross of shame. After His resurrection He appeared unto none but His
own. "The world seeth me no more" is not an accurate translation, nor
is it true. "The world" shall see Him again. "Yet a little while and
the world me no longer sees" is what the original says, "Every eye
shall see him" (Rev. 1:7). When? When He is seated upon the Great
White Throne to judge the wicked. Then shall they be punished with
"everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the
glory of his power" (2 Thess. 1:9).
"But ye see me" (John 14:19). They saw Him then, while He was speaking
to them. They saw Him, again and again, after He had risen from the
dead. They saw Him, as He went up to Heaven, till a cloud received Him
out of their sight. They saw Him, by faith, after He had taken His
seat at the right hand of God, for it is written, "We see Jesus, who
was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death,
crowned with glory and honor" (Heb. 2:9). They see Him now, for they
are present with the Lord. They shall see Him at His second coming:
"When he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as
he is" (1 John 3:2). They shall see Him for ever and ever throughout
the Perfect Day: for it is written, "And they shall see his face; and
his name shall be in their foreheads" (Rev. 22:4).
"Because I live, ye shall live also" (John 14:19). "Your spiritual
life now, and your eternal life hereafter, are both secured by My
life. I live, have life in Myself, can never die, can never have My
life destroyed by My enemies, and shall live on to all eternity.
Therefore: ye shall live also--your life is secured forever, and can
never be destroyed; you have everlasting life now, and shall have
everlasting glory hereafter" (Bishop Ryle). The blessed truth here
expressed by Christ is developed at length in the Epistles: there the
Holy Spirit shows us, believers are so absolutely one with Christ that
they partake with Him of that holy happy life into which, in the
complete enjoyment of it, Christ entered, when He rose again and sat
down on the Father's Throne.
"At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I
in you" (John 14:20). The first reference in "that day" is to
Pentecost, when Christ came, spiritually, to His disciples; came not
merely to visit, but to abide with and in them. Then were they brought
into the consciousness of their oneness of life with Him. The ultimate
reference, no doubt, is to the Day of His glorious manifestation: then
shall we know even as we are known.
The following questions are on the closing section of John 14:--
1. How does Christ "manifest" Himself to us, verse 21?
2. What is the difference between "commandments" in verse 21 and
"words" in verse 23?
3. What is the double "peace" of verse 27?
4. How is the Father "greater" than Christ, verse 28?
5. "Believe" what, verse 29?
6. What is the meaning of verse 30?
7. What is the spiritual significance of the last clause in verse 31?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 50
Christ Comforting His Disciples (Concluded)
John 14:21-31
_________________________________________________________________
The following is an Analysis of the closing section of John 14:
1. Christ manifested to the believer, verse 21.
2. The quandary of Judas, verse 22.
3. Christ's explanation, verses 23-25.
4. The ministry of the Spirit, verse 26.
5. The gift of Christ's peace, verse 27.
6. The failure in the disciples' love, verses 28-29.
7. The coming conflict, verses 30-31.
That the central design of Christ in the first main section of this
Paschal Discourse was to comfort His sorrowing disciples, and that
this section does not close until we reach the end of John 14 is clear
from verse 27: "Let not your heart be troubled." The Lord here repeats
what He had said in the first verse, and then adds, "neither let it be
afraid." That the first section of the Discourse does terminate at the
close of the chapter, is obvious from its final words: "Arise, let us
go hence."
Many and varied were the grounds of comfort which the Lord had laid
before the apostles. First, He assured them that He was going to the
Father's House. Second, that He would make provision for their coming
there. Third, that when the necessary preparations were completed, He
would come and conduct them thither. Fourth, that He had opened the
way for them, had made them acquainted with the way, and would give
them the energy necessary to go along that way. Fifth, that He would
not withdraw from them the miraculous powers which He had conferred
upon them, but would enable them to do still greater things. Sixth,
that whatever they needed for the discharge of the work to which He
had called them, on asking in His name, they should assuredly obtain.
Seventh, that a Divine Person should be sent to supply His place,
acting as their instructor, guide, protector and consoler. Eighth,
that they should not be "left orphans," but He would return to them in
possession of an endless life, of which they should be partakers.
Ninth, that in a soon-coming day they should apprehend the oneness of
life, shared by the Father and the Son and the sons.
In the passage which is to be before us we find the Lord adding to
these grounds of comfort. Tenth, He would manifest Himself to those
who kept His commandments. Eleventh, those who kept His Word should be
loved by the Father. Twelfth, the Holy Spirit would bring back to
their remembrance all things Christ had said unto them. Thirteenth,
Peace He left with them. Fourteenth, His own peace He bequeathed unto
them. No wonder that He said, "Let not your heart be troubled, neither
let it be afraid"!
"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth
me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love
him, and will manifest myself to him" (John 14:21). In this instance
we shall depart from our customary method of expounding the different
clauses of a verse in the order in which they occur; instead, we shall
treat this verse more or less topically. That in it which is of such
vital importance is the final clause, where the Savior promised to
manifest Himself to the obedient believer. Now there is nothing the
real Christian desires so much as a personal manifestation of the Lord
Jesus. In comparison with this all other blessings are quite
secondary. In order to simplify, let us ask and attempt to answer
three questions: How does the Savior now "manifest" Himself? What are
the effects of such manifestation? What are the conditions which I
have to meet?
In what way does the Lord Jesus now manifest Himself? It is hardly
necessary to say, not corporeally. No longer is the Word, made flesh,
tabernacling among men. No more does He say, as He said to Thomas,
"Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands, and reach hither thy
hand, and thrust it into my side" (John 20:27). No longer may He be
seen by our physical eyes (1 John 1:1). Nor is the promise of Christ
which we are now considering made good through visions. We recall the
vision which Jacob had at Bethel, when a ladder was set upon earth,
whose top reached unto heaven, upon which the angels of God ascended
and descended. We think of that wondrous vision given to Isaiah, when
he saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, before which the seraphim
cried, "holy, holy, holy." No, it is not in visions or in dreams that
the Lord promises to come to His people. What then? It is a spiritual
revelation of Himself to the soul! It is a vivid realization of the
Savior's being and nearness, in a deep and abiding sense of His favor
and love. "By the power of the Spirit, He makes His Word so luminous,
that as we read it, He Himself seems to draw near. The whole biography
of Jesus becomes in this way a precious reality. We see His form. We
hear His words." It is through the written Word that the incarnate
Word "manifests" Himself to the heart!
And what are the effects upon the soul of such a manifestation of
Christ. First and foremost, He Himself is made a blessed and glorious
reality to us. The one who has been granted such an experience can say
with Job, "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now
mine eye (the eye of the heart) seeth thee" (Job 42:5). Such a one now
discerns the surpassing beauty and glory of His person and exclaims,
"Thou art fairer than the children of men." Again: such a
manifestation of Christ to the soul assures us of His favor. Now we
hear Him saying (through the Scriptures) "As the Father hath loved me,
so I have loved you." And now I can respond, "My beloved is mine, and
I am his." Another consequence of this manifestation of Christ is
"comfort and support in trials, especially in those trials, which, on
account of their Personal nature, are beyond the reach of human
sympathy and love--the trials of desertion and loneliness, from which
Jesus Himself suffered so keenly; heart trials, domestic trials,
secret griefs, too sacred to be breathed in the ears of men--all these
trials in which nothing can sustain us but the sympathy which His own
presence gives." Just as the Son of God appeared to the three faithful
Hebrews in the fiery furnace, so does He now come to those in the
place of trial and anguish. So too in the last great trial, should we
be called upon to pass through it ere the Savior comes. Then to
earthly friends we can turn no longer. But we may say with the
Psalmist, "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I
will fear no evil, for thou art with me."
Now, let us inquire, What are the terms on which the Savior thus draws
near? Surely every Christian reader is most anxious to secure the key
to an experience so elevating, so blessed. Listen now to the Savior's
words, "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that
loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I
will love him, and will manifest myself to him." The faith by which we
are saved does not destroy the necessity for an obedient walk. "Faith
is the root of which obedience is the beautiful flower and fruit. And
it is only when faith has issued in obedience, in an obedience which
stumbles not at sacrifices, and halts not when the way is rough and
dark; in an obedience that cheerfully bears the cross and shame--it is
only then that this highest promise of the Gospel is fulfilled... When
love for the Savior shall lead us to keep His holy Word--lead us to an
immediate, unreserved, unhesitating obedience--lead us to say, in the
spirit of entire self-surrender and sacrifice, `Thy will, not mine, be
done,' then, farewell to doubt and darkness, to loneliness and sorrow!
Then shall we mourn no more an absent Lord. Then shall we walk as
seeing Him who is invisible, triumphant over every fear, victorious
over every foe."[1]
This manifestation of Christ is made only to the one who really loves
Him, and the proof of love to Him is not by emotional displays but by
submission to His will. There is a vast difference between sentiment
and practical reality. The Lord will give no direct and special
revelation of Himself to those who are in the path of disobedience.
"He that hath my commandments,'' means, hath them at heart. "And
keepeth them," that is the real test. We hear, but do we heed? We
know, but are we doing His will? "My little children, let us not love
in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:18)!
"And he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father." There are three
different senses in which Christians may be considered as objects of
the loving favor of the Father and of the Son: as persons elected in
sovereign grace to eternal life; as persons actually united to Christ
by believing: and as persons transformed by the sanctifying work of
the Spirit. It is in this last sense that Christ here speaks. Just as
the Father is said to love the Son because of His obedience (John
10:17, 18), so is He said to love the believer for the same reason. It
is the love of complacency, as distinguished from the love of
compassion. The Father was well pleased with His incarnate Son, and He
is well pleased with us when we honor and glorify His Son by obeying
His commandments.
"Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt
manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?" (John 14:22). This
question had in view the Lord's words when He had just said, "The
world seeth me no more" (John 14:19), and that He would "manifest"
Himself to him who kept His commandments. This conflicted sharply with
the Jewish ideas of the Messiah and His kingdom. As yet Judas had
failed to perceive that the truth of God must sever between those who
receive it and those who reject it, and that therefore His kingdom was
"not of this world" (John 18:36). And why was it that Judas understood
this not? 1 Corinthians 2:10, 11 tells us--the Spirit had not yet been
given.
"Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot." "There is something very
affecting in this brief parenthesis; the short, sad sentence which our
Evangelist throws in--`Judas, not Iscariot.' The one is not for a
moment to be confounded with the other; the true apostle with the
traitor. How widely different may men be who yet bear the same name!
How many have but the name in common!" (Dr. John Brown.) The Judas who
asked this question was the brother of James, the son of Alphaeus, see
Luke 6:16.
"Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto
the world?" How many there are to-day who, by means of legislation and
social amelioration, wish to press on the world those teachings of
Christ which are only for His own! Judas did not go quite so far as
the unbelieving brethren of Christ according to the flesh--"Go show
thyself to the world" (John 7:4); but he was sorely puzzled at this
breach between the world and them. Dull indeed was Judas, for the Lord
had just said, "Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot
receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him" (John 14:17).
But equally dull, most of the time, are all of us.
"Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my
words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and
make our abode with him" (John 14:23). "If Judas had known what the
world is, and what every human heart is by nature, instead of being
puzzled at the Lord's withdrawal from the world, he would have
wondered how Jesus could reveal Himself to any man" (Stier). The Lord
here repeats that God has fellowship only with those whose hearts
welcome Him, who love Him, and whose love is manifested by submission
to His Word. Then He loves in return. The Old Testament taught
precisely the same thing. "I love them that love me" (Prov. 8:17). "If
a man love me he will keep my word." Let not renewed souls torture
themselves by attempting to define too nicely the extent of their
"keeping." Let those who are tempted to do so meditate upon John
17:6--"I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me
out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they
have kept thy Word." Mark it well that this was said by the Savior in
full view of all the infirmities and failures of the disciples, and
said prior to the day of Pentecost!
To "keep" God's commandments is to obey them, and the primary, the
fundamental thing in obedience, is the desire of the heart, and it is
on the heart that God ever looks. Two things are true of every
Christian: deep down in his heart there is an intense, steady longing
and yearning to please God, to do His will, to walk in full accord
with His Word. This yearning may be stronger in some than in others,
and in each of us it is stronger at some times than at others;
nevertheless, it is there! But in the second place, no real Christian
fully realizes this desire. Every genuine Christian has to say with
the apostle Paul, "Not as though I had already attained, either were
already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may lay hold of that
for which I am laid hold of by Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:12).
Now we believe that it is this heart-obedience, this inward longing to
be fully conformed to His will, this burning desire of the renewed
soul, of which Christ here speaks. "If a man love me, he will keep my
word." Every true believer loves Christ; therefore every true believer
"keeps" His Word, keeps it in the sense thus defined. Let it be
repeated, God looks at the heart; whereas we are constantly occupied
with the outward appearance. As we scrutinize our deeds, if we are
honest, we have to acknowledge that we have "kept his word" very
imperfectly; yea, it seems to us, that we are not entitled to say that
we have "kept" it at all. But the Lord looks behind the deeds, and
knows the longings within us. The case of Peter in John 21 is a
pertinent illustration. When Christ asked him a third time, "Lovest
thou me?" His disciple answered, "Lord, thou knowest all things; THOU
knowest that I love thee" (John 21:17). My disgraceful actions
contradicted my love; my fellow-disciples have good reason to doubt
it, but Thou who searchest the heart knowest better. In one sense it
is an intensely solemn and searching thing to remember that nothing
can be hidden from Him before whom all things are open and naked; but
in another sense it is most blessed and comforting to realize that He
can see in my heart what I cannot often discover in my ways, and what
my fellow-believers cannot--a real love for Him, a genuine longing to
please and glorify Him.
Let not the conclusion be drawn that we are here lapsing into
Antinomian laxity, or making it a matter of no moment what our outward
lives are like. To borrow words which treat of another subject, "As
there was a readiness to will so there should be a performance also"
(2 Cor. 8:11). Though the apostle acknowledged that he had not
"already attained," yet he continued to "follow after." Where there is
love for Christ, there cannot but be bitter sorrow (as with Peter)
when we know that we have grieved Him. And more; there will be a
sincere confession of our sins, and confession will be followed by
earnest supplication for grace to enable us to do what He has bidden.
Nevertheless, it is blessed to know that He who is the Truth declares,
positively and without qualification, "If a man love me, he will keep
my word;" and in the light of John 17:6, this must mean: first and
absolutely, in the desire of his heart; secondly and relatively, in
his walk.
It is to be noted that the Lord here makes a change of terms from what
He had said in John 14:21; a slight change, but an important one.
There He had said, "He that hath my commandments, keepeth them;" here,
"If a man love me, he will keep my word"--in the Greek the singular
number is used. "This is a beautiful difference, and of great
practical value, being bound up with the measure of our attentiveness
of heart. Where obedience lies comparatively on the surface, and
self-will or worldliness is not judged, a `commandment' is always
necessary to enforce it. People ask, `Must I do this? Is there any
harm in that?' To such the Lord's will is solely a question of
commandment. Now there are commandments, the expression of His
authority, and they are not grievous. But, besides, where the heart
loves Him deeply, His `word' will give enough expression of His will.
Even in nature a parent's look will do it. As we well know, an
obedient child catches the mother's desire before the mother has
uttered a word. So, whatever might be the word of Jesus, it would be
heeded, and thus the heart and life be formed in obedience" (Mr. W.
Kelly).
"True also it is that something of both characters of love, as Christ
affirms them, will be found in all true Christians over-borne by so
much contrary influence that, like Peter in the high priest's palace,
only He who knoweth all things can detect the true disciple beneath
the false. There is the false within us all, as well as the true,
Alas, in many, so often uppermost. The results cannot fail to follow:
the blessing of which the Lord speaks attaches to that with which He
here connects it. We find it in proportion as we answer to the
character.
"Looked at in this way, there is no difficulty in seeing the deeper
nature of a love that keeps Christ's `word', as compared with that
which keeps `commandments' only. Not to keep a positive command is
simple, rank rebellion, nothing less. His `word' is wider, while it
addresses itself with less positiveness of authority to the one whose
heart and conscience is less prompt to the appeal of love" (Numerical
Bible). I do not "command" a friend: my mind is made known to him by
my words, and he acts accordingly. One word has greater weight with
him than a hundred commands have on one at a distance? A servant
receives my commands and obeys them, but he knows not my heart; but my
friend walks with me in the intelligence of my deepest thoughts. Ah!
is this so with us? Are we really walking with Him who calls us not
servants, but friends--see John 15:15!
"And my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our
abode with him." Just as there is a marked advance from His
"commandments" in John 14:21 to His "word" in John 14:23, so there is
in the blessings respectively attached to the keeping of the one and
the other. In the former He promises to manifest Himself to the heart,
in the latter He speaks of both the Father and Himself coming to make
Their abode with such a soul. "Abiding" speaks of fellowship all
through John's writings. Not only is our fellowship with the Father
and His Son (1 John 1:3), but to the one who truly heeds the Word,
They will come and have fellowship with him. This is the reward of
loving obedience. The "result will be to manifest the competency of
Scripture for the `man of God' to whom alone it is pledged as
competent, able to furnish throughly unto all good works.' Who is the
man of God, but he who is out and out for God, and who else can expect
to be furnished in this way, but he who is honestly intentioned to use
his knowledge as before Him who gave it? The very passage which we are
quoting here reminds us of where the profit is to be found: `All
Scripture is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness.' If we do not mean to accept the reproof
and the correction, where is the use of talking about the rest?"
(Numerical Bible).
"He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings" (John 14:24). Here was
the final word to Judas: the line between "the world" and "his own" is
clearly drawn by the "whoso loveth me, whoso loveth me not." Not to
love the Loveliest is because of hatred. There is no other
alternative. Of old Jehovah had declared that He would visit the
iniquities of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth
generation of them that hated Him, but that He would show mercy unto
thousands of them that loved Him and kept His commandments (Ex. 20:6).
What seems to be indifference is really enmity. All who are not with
Christ are against Him (Luke 11:23).
"He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings." Observe the change. In
the previous verse the one who loves Christ keeps His Word; here the
one who loves Him not, His sayings or words. Why this variation?
Because unbelief does not combine in their unity the individual
sayings, but dismisses them as they are isolated. The true believer
hears in all God's words one Word--Him, the unbeliever heeds not! An
unbeliever may observe some of Christ's words as a matter of policy
and prudence, because they commend themselves to his reason; but
others, which to him are distasteful, which appear impracticable or
severe, he esteems not. If he loved Christ he would value His Word as
a whole; but he does not; therefore he keeps not His words.
"And the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent
me" (John 14:24). Thus the Lord concludes this point by magnifying the
Word. Here, we say again, was the final answer to the question, "How
is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the
world?" Does the world believe on Me? Does it love Me? Does it keep My
commandments? How, then, can I manifest Myself to it? "Thus did the
Lord dispose of the three main stumbling blocks which hindered these
disciples: the offense of Thomas, who would know all with his natural
understanding; the offense of Philip, who was eager for visible
manifestations to the outward senses; the offense of Judas, who would
too readily receive the whole world into the kingdom of God" (Lange).
"These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you"
(John 14:25). In the light of the verse which immediately follows we
understand this to mean: I said what I have in view of My near
departure. Because I am yet with you, these things make little
impression upon your hearts, but when the Holy Spirit has come you
will be able to enter the better into their meaning and blessedness.
"But the comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will
send in my name, he shall teach you all things" (John 14:26). This is
one of many verses which contains clear proof of the Divine
personality of the Holy Spirit. A mere abstract influence could not
teach. Moreover, "he shall teach you," being a masculine pronoun,
could not be applied to any but a real person. The Comforter would be
sent by the Father, but in the name of Christ. The significance of
this can best be ascertained by a reference to John 5:43: just as the
Savior had come in the Father's name, so the Holy Spirit would be sent
in the Son's name: that is to say, in His stead, for His interests,
with His authority. Just as the Son had made known the Father, so the
Spirit would take of the things of Christ and show them to His people.
Just as the Son had glorified the Father, so the Spirit would glorify
Christ. Just as, hitherto, the Savior had supplied all the needs of
His own, henceforth the Comforter should fully provide for them.
"He shall teach you all things." Here is another instance where the
words of Scripture are not to be taken in their absolute sense. If the
apostles were to be taught all things without any qualification, they
would be omniscient. Nor did Christ mean that the Holy Spirit would
teach them all that it was possible for finite creatures to know: He
would not make known to them the secrets of futurity, or the occult
workings of nature. Rather would He teach them all that it was
necessary for them to know for their spiritual well-being, and this,
particularly, in connection with what Christ had taught them, either
fully or in germ form. He would make clear to them that which, as yet,
was mysterious in their Master's sayings.
"He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your
remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you" (John 14:26). Two
striking examples of that are recorded in this very Gospel. In John
2:22 we are told, "When therefore he was risen from the dead, his
disciples remembered that he had said this unto them." Again, in John
12:16 we read, "These things understood not his disciples at the
first; but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these
things were written of him." No doubt this promise of Christ applies
in a general way to all real Christians. Hundreds of times has the
writer prayed to God, just before entering the pulpit, that He would
be pleased to strengthen his memory and enable him to recall the exact
words of Scripture as he quoted them; and graciously has He answered
us. We would confidently urge our fellow-believers to plead this verse
before God on sleepless nights, or when on a bed of sickness, as well
as before going to teach a Sunday School class, asking Him to bring
back to your remembrance the comforting promises of His Word; or, when
tempted, that His precepts might flash upon you.
"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you" (John 14:27).
Without being dogmatic, we believe that there is a double "peace"
spoken of here: a peace left and a peace given. In the New Testament
"peace" is spoken of in a twofold sense: as signifying reconciliation,
contrasted from alienation: and a state of tranquillity as contrasted
from a state of tumult. The one is objective, the other subjective.
The former is referred to in Romans 5:1: "Being justified by faith we
have peace with God." His holy wrath against us and our vile
opposition against Him are ended forever. The latter is mentioned in
Philippians 4:7: "The peace of God, which passeth all understanding
shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." The one who
fully unbosoms himself before the throne of grace enjoys rest within.
The one then is judicial, the other, experiential. "Peace I leave with
you" would be the result of the Atonement. "My peace I give unto you,"
would be enjoyed through the indwelling Spirit. The one was for the
conscience; the other for the heart.
"My peace I give unto you." This was the personal peace which He had
enjoyed here on earth. He was never ruffled by circumstances, and
never resisted the will of the Father. He was ever in a state of most
perfect amity with God. The peace He here promised His disciples was
the peace which filled His own heart, as the result of His unbroken
communion with the Father. "For us it is restlessness of will which
disturbs this--the strife with His will which this means, and the
dissatisfaction of soul which follows every gain that may seem to make
in that direction. Doing only His will, there can be no proper doubt
as to the issue" (Numerical Bible).
"Not as the world giveth, give I unto you" (John 14:27). The peace
which the worldling has is shallow, unstable, unsatisfying, false. It
talks much about peace, but knows little of the thing itself. We have
peace-societies, peace-programmes, a peace-palace, and a League of
Nations to promote peace; yet all the great powers are armed to the
teeth! "When they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction
cometh upon them" (1 Thess. 5:3). The world's peace is a chimera: it
fails under trial. When the world gives, it is to the ungodly, not to
the godly, whom they hate. When the world gives, it gives away, and
has no longer. But Christ gives by bringing us into what is eternally
His own. When Christ gives He gives forever, and never takes away.
"Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John
14:27). Here the Lord concludes that section of His discourse which
had been devoted to the comforting of His sorrowing disciples.
Abundant had been the consolation He had proffered them. Their hearts
ought now to have been at perfect peace, their minds being stayed upon
God. And yet while this verse terminated the first section of the
address, it is closely connected with the verses which follow where
the Lord proceeded to make application of what He had been saying.
"Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come unto you. If
ye love me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father:
for my Father is greater than I" (John 14:28). Connecting this verse
with the one immediately preceding, the force of our Lord's words is
this: If you only believed what I have been saying to you, your cares
and fears would vanish, and joy would take the place of sorrow. But
what did the Lord mean by "If ye loved me?" Was He not instructing and
directing their love, in order to purify it? He knew that they loved
Him, and what He had said in John 14:15, 21, 23, assumed it. But their
love was not yet sufficiently dis-interested: they were occupied too
much with the thought of their own bereavement, instead of the
heavenly joy into which the Redeemer was about to enter. If they had
loved Him with a pure love, they would have been happy at His
exaltation and forgotten themselves.
"My Father is greater than I." This is the favourite verse with
Unitarians, who deny the absolute Deity of Christ and His perfect
equality with the Father--a truth which is clearly taught in many
scriptures. Those who use these words of our Lord in support of their
blasphemous heresy, wrest them from their context, ignoring altogether
the connection in which they are found. The Savior had just told the
apostles that they ought to rejoice because He was going to the
Father, and then advances this reason, "For my Father is greater than
I." Let this be kept definitely before us and all difficulty vanishes.
The Father's being greater than Christ was the reason assigned why the
disciples should rejoice at their Master's going to the Father. This
at once fixes the meaning of the disputed "greater," and shows us the
sense in which it was here used. The contrast which the Savior drew
between the Father and Himself was not concerning nature, but official
character and position.
Christ was not speaking of Himself in His essential Being. The One who
thought it not robbery to be "equal with God" had taken the servant
form, and not only so, had been made in the likeness of men. In both
these senses, namely, in His official status (as Mediator) and in His
assumption of human nature, He was inferior to the Father. Throughout
this discourse and in the Prayer which follows in chapter 17, the Lord
Jesus is represented as the Father's Servant, from whom He had
received a commission, and to whom He was to render an account; for
whose glory He acted, and under whose authority He spake. But there is
another sense, more pertinent, in which the Son was inferior to the
Father. In becoming incarnate and tabernacling among men, He had
greatly humiliated Himself, by choosing to descend into shame and
suffering in their acutest forms. He was now the Son of man that had
not where to lay His head. He who was rich had for our sakes become
poor. He was the Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. In view of
this, Christ was now contrasting His situation with that of the Father
in the heavenly Sanctuary. The Father was seated upon the throne of
highest majesty; the brightness of His glory was uneclipsed; He was
surrounded by hosts of holy beings, who worshipped Him with
uninterrupted praise. Far different was it with His incarnate
Son--despised and rejected of men, surrounded by implacable enemies,
soon to be nailed to a criminal's cross. In this sense, too, He was
inferior to the Father. Now in going to the Father, the Son would
enjoy a vast improvement of situation. It would be a gain unspeakable.
The contrast then was between His present state of humiliation and His
coming state of exaltation to the Father! Therefore, those who really
loved Him should have rejoiced at the tidings that He would go to the
Father, because the Father was greater than He--greater both in
official status and in surrounding circumstances. It was Christ owning
His place as Servant, and magnifying the One who had sent Him.
"And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come
to pass, ye might believe" (John 14:29). "The question naturally
occurs, Believe what? That question is answered by referring to the
parallel statement in reference to the treachery of Judas: `Now I tell
you, that when it is come to pass, ye might believe that I am' (John
13:19)--that I am the Messiah, the Divinely appointed, qualified,
promised, accredited Savior: and of course, that all that I have
taught you is indubitably true; and all I have promised is absolutely
certain. The disciples did believe this, but their faith was feeble;
it required confirmation. It was to be exposed to severe trials, and
needed support: and the declaration by Him of these events before they
took place was of all things the best fitted for giving their faith
that required confirmation and support" (Dr. John Brown).
"Hereafter I will not talk much with you" (John 14:30). In a very
short time He would be cut off from them, while He undertook His
greatest work of all. In reminding them that it would be impossible
for Him to say much more to them, He hinted at the deep importance of
them pondering over and over what He had just said, and what He was on
the point of saying to them. This was to be His last address in His
humbled state, and during the next few hours they would sorely need
the sustaining and comforting power of these precious promises if they
were not to faint.
"For the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me" (John
14:30). The awful enmity of the Serpent was now to be fully vented
upon the woman's Seed: he was to be allowed to bruise the Savior's
heel. All that this meant we are incapable of entering into. It would
seem that Satan began his assault in the Garden, and ceased not till
he had moved Pilate to seal the sepulcher and place a guard about it.
The words "and hath nothing in me" refer to His inherent holiness. As
the sinless One there was nothing within to which the Devil could
appeal. How completely different is it with us! Throw a lighted match
into a barrel of gunpowder, and there is a fearful explosion; cast it
into a barrel of water and it is quenched!
"For the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me." This
too was said for the consolation of the apostles: the Savior would
assure them beforehand that the issue of the approaching conflict was
not left in any doubt. There was no weak point in Him for Satan to
find; therefore He must come forth more than Conqueror. Satan could
find something in Noah, Abraham, David, Peter. but Christ was the Lamb
"without blemish."
"But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father
gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence" (John
14:31). Most blessed is this. The last words of this sentence look
back to the end of the previous verse. The prince of this world
cometh--but, nevertheless, I suffer him to come against Me, and I go
to meet Him. Christ's love to the Father was thus evidenced by His
willingness to allow the dragon to lay hold upon Him. He went forth to
meet Satan because He had received "commandment" from the Father to do
so. It is remarkable that this is the only time that Christ ever spoke
of His love to the Father; it was now that He was to give the supreme
proof of it. How this rebukes those who are ever talking and singing
of their love for the Lord! In the words "Arise, let us go hence," the
Lord must have got up from the supper-table, and apparently was
followed by His apostles into the outer room, where they remained
until they left for Gethsemane, cf. John 18:1.
The following questions are to help the student on the first section
of John 15:--
1. What is meant by "the true vine," verse 1?
2. In what sense is the Father the husbandman, verse 1?
3. What is meant by "He taketh away," verse 2?
4. What is meant by "purgeth," verse 2?
5. What is meant by "abide in Me," verse 4?
6. What is meant by the last clause of verse 5?
7. Who is in view in verse 6?
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] The above questions are from an article by the late Mr. Inglis, in
"Waymarks in the Wilderness."
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 51
Christ the True Vine
John 15:1-6
_________________________________________________________________
The following is an Analysis of the passage which is to be before
us:--
1. The vine and the husbandman, verse 1.
2. The fruitless branch cared for, verse 2.
3. The purging of fruitless branches, verse 2.
4. Clean through the Word, verse 3.
5. Conditions of fruit-bearing, verse 4.
6. The absolute dependency of Christians, verse 5.
7. The consequences of severed fellowship, verse 6.
The passage which is to engage our attention is one that is, most
probably, familiar to all of our readers. It is read as frequently,
perhaps, as any chapter in the New Testament. Yet how far do we really
understand its teachings? Why does Christ here liken Himself to a
"vine"? What are the leading thoughts suggested by the figure? What
does He mean when He says, "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit
he taketh away"? What is the "fruit" here referred to? And what is the
force of "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch and
is withered; and men gather them, and cast into the fire, and they are
burned"? Now as we approach any portion of Scripture for the purpose
of studying it, it is essential to keep in mind several elementary but
important principles: Who are the persons addressed? In what
connection are they addressed? What is the central topic of address?
We are not ready to take up the details of any passage until we have
first settled these preparatory questions.
The persons addressed in John 15 were the eleven apostles. It was not
to unsaved people, not to a mixed audience that Christ was speaking;
but to believers only. The remote context takes us back to John 13:1.
In chapters 13 and 14 we are taught what Christ is doing for us while
He is away--maintaining us in communion with Himself, preparing a
place for us, manifesting Himself to us, supplying our every need
through the Holy Spirit. In John 15, it is the other side of the truth
which is before us. Here we learn what we are to be and do for Him
during the interval of His absence. In 13 and 14 it is the freeness
and fulness of Divine grace; in 15 it is our responsibility to bear
fruit.
The immediate context is the closing sentence of chapter 14: "Arise,
let us go hence. Christ had just said, "Peace I leave with you, my
peace I give unto you." He had said this while seated at the
supper-table, where the emblems of His death--the basis of our
peace--were spread. Now He gets up from the table, which prefigured
His resurrection from the dead. Right afterwards He says, I am the
true vine. Christ's symbolic action at the close of 14, views Him on
resurrection-ground, and what we have here in 15 is in perfect accord
with this. There must be resurrection-life before there can be
resurrection-fruit. The central theme then is not salvation, how it is
to be obtained or the danger of losing it. Instead, the great theme
here is fruit-bearing, and the conditions of fertility. The word
"fruit" occurs eight times in the chapter, and in Scripture eight is
the resurrection-number. It is associated with a new beginning. It is
the number of the new creation. If these facts be kept in mind, there
should be little difficulty in arriving at the general meaning of our
passage.
The figure used by our Savior on this occasion was one with which the
apostles must have been quite familiar. Israel had been likened unto a
"vine" again and again in the Old Testament. The chief value of the
vine lies in its fruit. It really serves no other purpose. The vine is
a thing of the earth, and in John 15, it is used to set forth the
relation which exists between Christ and His people while they are on
earth. A vine whose branches bear fruit is a living thing, therefore
the Savior here had in view those who had a living connection with
Himself. The vine and its branches in John 15 does not represent what
men term "the visible Church," nor does it embrace the whole sphere of
Christian profession, as so many have contended. Only true believers
are contemplated, those who have passed from death unto life. What we
have in John 15:2 and 6 in nowise conflicts with this statement, as we
shall seek to show in the course of our exposition.
The word which occurs most frequently in John 15 is "abide," being
found no less than fifteen times in the first ten verses. Now
"abiding" always has reference to fellowship, and only those who have
been born again are capable of having fellowship with the Father and
His Son. The vine and its branches express oneness, a common life,
shared by all, with the complete dependency of the branches upon the
vine, resulting in fruit-bearing. The relationship portrayed is that
of which this world is the sphere and this life the period. It is here
and now that we are to glorify the Father by bearing much fruit. Our
salvation, our essential oneness with Christ, our standing before God,
our heavenly calling, are neither brought into view nor called into
question by anything that is said here. It is by dragging in these
truths that some expositors have created their own difficulties in the
passage.
A few words should now be said concerning the place which our present
section occupies in this Paschal Discourse of our Lord. In the
previous chapter we have seen the apostles troubled at the prospect of
their Master's departure. In ministering to their fearful and
sorrowing hearts, He had assured them that His cause in this world
would not suffer by His going away: He had promised that, ultimately,
He would return for them; in the meantime, He would manifest Himself
to them, and He and the Father would abide in them. Now He further
assures them that their connection with Him and their connection with
each other, should not be dissolved. The outward bond which had united
them was to be severed; the Shepherd was to be smitten, and the sheep
scattered (Zech. 13:7). But there was a deeper, a more intimate bond,
between them and Him, and between themselves, a spiritual bond, and
while this remained, increasing fruitfulness would be the result.
The link of connection between the first two main sections of the
discourse, where Christ is first comforting and then instructing and
warning His disciples, is found in the dosing verses of chapter 14.
There He had said, Hereafter, I will not talk much with you; for the
prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. But that the
world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me
commandment, even so I do." In the light of this, chapter 15
intimates: Let My Father now (when the prince of this world cometh,
but only as an instrument in the hands of His government) do with Me
as He will. It will only issue in the bringing forth of that which
will glorify the Father, if the corn of wheat died it would bring
forth "much fruit" (John 12:24). Fruit was the end in view of the
Father's commandment and the Son's obedience. Thus the transition is
natural and logical.
"I am the true vine" (John 15:1). This word "true" is found in several
other designations and descriptions of the Lord Jesus. He is the "true
Light" (John 1:9). He is the "true bread" (John 6:32). He is "a
minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle" (Heb. 8:2). The
usage of this adjective in the verses just quoted help to determine
its force. It is not true in opposition to that which is false; but
Christ was the perfect, essential, and enduring reality, of which
other lights were but faint reflections, and of which other bread and
another tabernacle,, were but the types and shadows. More
specifically, Christ was the true light in contrast from His
forerunner, John, who was but a "lamp" (John 5:35 R.V.), or
light-bearer. Christ was "the true bread" as contrasted from the
manna, which the fathers did eat in the wilderness and died. He was a
minister of "the true tabernacle" in contrast from the one Moses made,
which was "the example and shadow of heavenly things" (Heb. 8:5).
But in addition to these instituted types of the Old Testament, there
are types in nature. When our Lord used this figure of the "vine," He
did not arbitrarily select it out of the multitude of objects from
which an ordinary teacher might have drawn illustrations for his
subject. Rather was the vine created and constituted as it is, that it
might be a fit representation of Christ and His people bringing forth
fruit to God. "There is a double type here, just as we find a double
type in the `bread,' a reference to the manna in the wilderness, and
behind that, a reference to bread in general, as the staff of human
life. The vine itself is indeed constituted to be an earthly type of a
spiritual truth, but we find a previous appropriation of it to that
which is itself a type of the perfect reality which the Lord at length
presents to us. We refer to the passages in Psalms and prophets where
Israel is thus spoken of" (Waymarks in the Wilderness).
In Psalm 80:8-9 we read, "Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: Thou
hast cast out the heathen, and planted it. Thou preparedst room before
it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land."
Again, in Isaiah we are told "Now will I sing to my well-beloved, a
song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My well-beloved hath a
vineyard in a very fruitful hill: And he fenced it, and gathered out
the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a
tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he
looked that it should bring forth grapes and it brought forth wild
grapes . . . For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of
Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant" (Isa. 5:1, 2, 7).
These passages in the Old Testament throw further light on the
declaration of Christ that He was "the true vine." Israel, as the
type, had proved to be a failure. "I had planted thee a noble vine,
wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate
plant of a strange vine unto me?" (Jer. 2:21): "Israel is an empty
vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself" (Hos. 10:1). In contrast
from this failure and degeneracy of the typical people, Christ says "I
am the true vine"--the antitype which fulfills all the expectations of
the Heavenly Husbandman. Many are the thoughts suggested by this
figure: `to barely mention them must suffice. The beauty of the vine;
its exuberant fertility; its dependency--clinging for support to that
on which and around which it grows; its spreading branches; its lovely
fruit; the juice from which maketh glad the heart of God and man
(Judg. 9:13; Psalm 104:15), were each perfectly exemplified in the
incarnate Son of God.
"And my Father is the husbandman" (John 15:1). In the Old Testament
the Father is represented as the Proprietor of the vine, but here He
is called the Husbandman, that is the Cultivator, the One who cares
for it. The figure speaks of His love for Christ and His people:
Christ as the One who was made in the form of a servant and took the
place of dependency. How jealously did He watch over Him who "grew up
before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground" (Isa.
53:2)! Before His birth, the Father prevented Joseph from putting away
his wife (Matthew 1:18-20). Soon after His birth the Father bade
Joseph to flee into Egypt, for Herod would seek the young Child to
destroy Him (Matthew 2:13). What proofs were these of the Husbandman's
care for the true Vine!
"And my Father is the husbandman." The Father has the same loving
solicitude for "the branches" of the vine. Three principal thoughts
are suggested. His protecting care: His eye is upon and His hand tends
to the weakest tendril and tenderest shoot. Then it suggests His
watchfulness. Nothing escapes His eye. Just as the gardener notices
daily the condition of each branch of the vine, watering, training,
pruning as occasion arises; so the Divine Husbandman is constantly
occupied with the need and welfare of those who are joined to Christ.
It also denoted His faithfulness. No branch is allowed to run to
waste. He spares neither the spray nor the pruning knife. When a
branch is fruitless He tends to it; if it is bearing fruit, He purgeth
it, that it may bring forth more fruit. "My Father is the husbandman."
This is very blessed. He does not allot to others the task of caring
for the vine and its branches, and this assures us of the widest, most
tender, and most faithful care of it. But though this verse has a
comforting and assuring voice, it also has a searching one, as has
just been pointed out.
"Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away" (John
15:2). This has been appealed to by Arminians in proof of their view
that it is possible for a true Christian to perish, for they argue
that the words "taketh away" signify eternal destruction. But this is
manifestly erroneous, for such an interpretation would flatly
contradict such explicit and positive declarations as are to be found
in John 4:14; John 10:28; John 18:9; Romans 5:9-10; Romans 8:35-39,
etc. Let us repeat what we said in the opening paragraph: Christ was
not here addressing a mixed audience, in which were true believers and
those who were merely professors. Nor was He speaking to the
twelve--Judas had already gone out! Had Judas been present when Christ
spoke these words there might be reason to suppose that He had him in
mind. But what the Lord here said was addressed to the eleven, that
is, to believers only! This is the first key to its significance.
Very frequently the true interpretation of a message is discovered by
attending to the character of those addressed. A striking example of
this is found in Luke 15--where a case the very opposite of what we
have here is in view. There the Lord speaks of the lost sheep and the
lost coin being found, and the wayward son coming to the Father. Many
have supposed that the Lord was speaking (in a parable) of the
restoration of a backslidden believer. But the Lord was not addressing
His disciples and warning them of the danger of getting out of
communion with God. Instead He was speaking to His enemies (Luke 15:2)
who criticised Him because He received sinners. Therefore, in what
follows He proceeded to describe how a sinner is saved, first from the
Divine side and then from the human. Here the case is otherwise. The
Lord was not speaking to professors, and warning them that God
requires truth in the inward parts; but He is talking to genuine
believers, instructing, admonishing and warning them.
"Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away." Many
Calvinists have swung to the other extreme, erring in the opposite
direction. We greatly fear that their principal aim was to overthrow
the reasoning of their theological opponents, rather than to study
carefully this verse in the light of its setting. They have argued
that Christ was not speaking of a real believer at all. They insist
that the words "beareth not fruit" described one who is within the
"visible Church" but who has not vital union with Christ. But we are
quite satisfied that this too is a mistake. The fact is, that we are
so accustomed to concentrate everything on our own salvation and so
little accustomed to dwell upon God's glory in the saved, that there
is a lamentable tendency in all of us to apply many of the most
Pointed rebukes and warnings found in the Scriptures (which are
declared to be "profitable for reproof and correction," as well as
"for instruction in righteousness") to those who are not saved, thus
losing their salutary effects on ourselves.
The words of our Lord leave us no choice in our application of this
passage--as a whole and in its details--no matter what the conclusions
be to which it leads us. Surely none will deny that they are believers
to whom He says "Ye are the branches" (John 15:5). Very well then;
observe that Christ employs the same term in this needed word in John
15:2: "Every branch in me, that beareth not fruit." To make it doubly
clear as to whom He was referring, He added, "Every branch in me that
beareth not fruit." Now if there is one form of expression, which, by
invariable and unexceptional use, indicates a believer more
emphatically and explicitly than another, it is this:--"in me," "in
him," "in Christ." Never are these expressions used loosely; never are
they applied to any but the children of God: "If any one be in Christ
(he is) a new creation" (2 Cor. 5:17).
"Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away." If then,
it is a real believer who is in view here, and if the "taketh away"
does not refer to perishing, then what is the force and meaning of our
Lord's words? First of all, notice the tense of the first verb: "Every
branch in me not bearing fruit he taketh away" is the literal
translation. It is not of a branch which never bore fruit that the
Lord is here speaking, but of one who is no longer "bearing fruit."
Now there are three things which cause the branches of the natural
vine to become fruitless: either through running to leaf, or through
disease (a blight), or through old age, when they wither and die. The
same holds good in the spiritual application. In 2 Peter 1:8, we read:
"For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye
shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord
Jesus Christ." The unescapable inference from this is that, if the
"these things" (mentioned in 2 Peter 1:5-7) do not abound in us, we
shall be "barren and unfruitful"--compare Titus 3:14. In such a case
we bring forth nothing but leaves--the works of the flesh. Unspeakably
solemn is this: one who has been bought at such infinite cost, saved
by such wondrous grace, may yet, in this world, fall into a barren and
unprofitable state, and thus fail to glorify God.
"He taketh away." Who does? The "husbandman," the Father. This is
conclusive proof that an unregenerate sinner is not in view. "The
Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son"
(John 5:22). It is Christ who will say, "Depart from me" (Matthew 25).
It is Christ who shall sit upon the Great White Throne to judge the
wicked (Rev. 20). Therefore it cannot be a mere professor who is here
in view--taken away unto judgment. Again a difficulty has been
needlessly created here by the English rendering of the Greek verb.
"Airo" is frequently translated in the A.V. "lifted up." For example:
"And they lifted up their voices" (Luke 17:13, so also in Acts 4:24).
"And Jesus lifted up his eyes" (John 11:41). "Lifted up his hand"
(Rev. 10:5), etc. In none of these places could the verb be rendered
"taken away." Therefore, we are satisfied that it would be more
accurate and more in accord with "the analogy of faith" to translate,
"Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he lifteth up"--from
trailing on the ground. Compare with this Daniel 7:4: "I beheld till
the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth,
and made to stand upon the feet like a man."
"And every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it, that it may bring
forth more fruit" (John 15:2). The words "branch in me," though dearly
understood, are not expressed in the Greek. Literally, it is "And
every one that fruit bears," that is, every one of the class of
persons mentioned in the previous clause. How this confirms the
conclusion that if believers are intended in the one case, they must
be in the other also! The care and method used by the Husbandman are
told out in the words: "He purgeth it." The majority of people imagine
that "purgeth" here is the equivalent of "pruning," and understand the
reference is to affliction, chastisement, and painful discipline. But
the word "purgeth" here does not mean "pruning," it would be better
rendered, "cleanseth," as it is in the very next verse. It may strike
some of us as rather incongruous to speak of cleansing a branch of a
vine. It would not be so if we were familiar with the Palestinian
vineyards. The reference is to the washing off of the deposits of
insects, of moss, and other parasites which infest the plant. Now the
"water" which the Husbandman uses in cleansing the branches is the
Word, as John 15:3 tells us. The thought, then, is the removal by the
Word of what would obstruct the flow of the life and fatness of the
vine through the branches. Let it be clearly understood that this
"purging is not to fit the believer for Heaven (that was accomplished,
once for all, the first moment that faith rested upon the atoning
sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ), but is designed to make us more
fruitful, while we are here in this world.
"And every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring
forth more fruit." "It is that action of the Father by which He brings
the believer more fully under the operation of the `quick and
powerful' Word. The Word is that by which the believer is born, with
that new birth to which no uncleanness attaches (1 Pet. 1:23). But
while by second birth he is `clean,' and in relation to his former
condition is `cleansed,' he is ever viewed as exposed to defilement,
and consequently as needing to be `cleansed.' And as the Word was,
through the energy of the Spirit, effectual in the complete cleansing,
so in regard to defilement by the way and in regard to the
husbandman's purging to obtain more fruit, the purging is ever to be
traced up to the operation of the Word (Ps. 119:9; 2 Corinthians 7:1).
Whatever other means may be employed, and there are many, they must be
viewed as subordinate to the action of the `truth,' or as making room
for its purging process. Thus when affliction as a part of the process
is brought into view, it is only as a means to the end of the soul's
subjection and obedience to the Word. So the Psalmist said, `Before I
was afflicted, I went astray: but now have I kept thy word... It is
good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy
statutes' (Ps. 119:67, 71). It will, we think, be apparent, that all
means which Divine wisdom employs to bring to real subjection to the
Word, must be regarded as belonging to the process of `purging' that
we may bring forth more fruit.
"It would be interesting to pursue our inquiry into the course of our
purging but our present limits forbid this. We may just remark that
much that may be learned on this point from such passages as those of
which, without any extended remark, we cite one or two. Here is one
which suggests a loving rebuke of all impatience under the operations
of the Husbandman's hand: `For a season if need be, ye are in
heaviness through manifold trials' (1 Pet. 1:7). Then we have a text
in James, which calls for joy under the Father's faithful purging: `My
brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers trials; knowing
this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience
have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting
nothing,' (John 1:2-4). Once more, we take the words of Christian
exultation which declare our fellowship with God in the whole process
and fruit of our purging: `And not only so, but we glory in
tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and
patience, experience; and experience, hope. And hope maketh not
ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the
Holy Spirit which is given unto us' (Rom. 5:3-5). O that we might
learn from these revelations of the Father's work, upon us and in us,
quietly and joyfully to endure; and rightly to interpret all that
befalls us, only desiring that He may fulfill in us all the good
pleasure of His will, that we may be fruitful in every good work" (Mr.
C. Campbell).
"Now (better, `already') ye are clean through the word which I have
spoken unto you," (John 15:3). The purging or cleansing of the
previous verse refers to the believer's state; the cleanness here
describes his standing before God. The one is progressive, the other
absolute. The two things are carefully distinguished all through. We
have purified our souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit (1
Pet. 1:22), yet we need to be purifying ourselves, even as Christ is
pure (1 John 3:3). We are washed" (1 Cor. 6:11), yet there is constant
need that He who washed us from our sins at first should daily wash
our feet (John 13:10). The Lord, having had occasion to speak here of
a purging which is constantly in process, graciously stopped to assure
the disciples that they were already clean. Note He makes no
exception--"ye": the branches spoken of in the previous verses. If the
Lord had had in mind two entirely different classes in John 15:2 (as
almost all of the best commentators argue), namely, formal professors
in the former part of the verse and genuine believers in the latter,
He would necessarily have qualified His statement here. This is the
more conclusive if we contrast His words in John 13:10: "Ye are clean,
but not all"! Let the reader refer back to our remarks upon John 13:10
for a fuller treatment of this cleanness.
"Abide in me" (John 15:4). The force of this cannot be appreciated
till faith has laid firm hold of the previous verse: "Already ye are
clean." "Brethren in Christ, what a testimony is this: He who speaks
what he knows and testifies what He has seen, declares us `clean every
whit.' Yea, and He thus testifies in the very same moment as when He
asserts that we had need to have our feet washed; in the very same
breath in which He reveals our need of cleansing in order to further
fruit-bearing. He would thus assure us that the defilement which we
contract in our walk as pilgrims, and the impurity which we contract
as branches do in nowise, nor in the least degree, affect the absolute
spotless purity which is ours in Him.
"Now in all study of the Word this should be a starting-point, the
acknowledgement of our real oneness with Christ, and our cleanness in
Him by His Word. It may be observed that He cannot `wash our feet'
till we know that we are cleansed `every whit'; and we cannot go on to
learn of Him what is needful fruit-bearing unless we first drink in
the Word, `Ye are already clean.' We can only receive His further
instruction when we have well learned and are holding fast the first
lesson of His love--our completeness in Him" (Mr. C. Campbell).
"Clean every whit," Thou saidst it, Lord!
Shall one suspicion lurk?
Thine surely is a faithful Word,
And Thine a finished Work.
"Abide in me," "To be" in Christ and "to abide" in Him are two
different things which must not be confounded. One must first be "in
him" before he can "abide in him." The former respects a union
effected by the creating-power of God, and which can neither be
dissolved nor suspended. Believers are never exhorted to be "in
Christ"--they are in Him by new creation (2 Cor. 5:17; Ephesians
2:10). But Christians are frequently exhorted to abide in Christ,
because this privilege and experience may be interrupted. "To `abide,'
`continue,' `dwell,' `remain' in Christ--by all these terms is this
one word translated--has always reference to the maintenance of
fellowship with God in Christ. The word `abide' calls us to vigilance,
lest at any time the experimental realization of our union with Christ
should be interrupted. To abide in Him, then, is to have sustained
conscious communion with Him" (Mr. Campbell). To abide in Christ
signifies the constant occupation of the heart with Him--a daily
active faith in Him which, so to speak, maintains the dependency of
the branch upon the vine, and the circulation of life and fatness of
the vine in the branch. What we have here is parallel with that other
figurative expression used by our Lord in John 6:56: He that eateth my
flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth (abideth) in me, and I in him."
This is but another way of insisting upon the continuous exercise of
faith in a crucified and living Savior, deriving life and the
sustenance of life from Him. As the initial act of believing in Him is
described as "coming" to Him, ("He that cometh to me shall never
hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst": John 6:35),
so the continued activity of faith is described as "abiding in him."
"Abide in me, and I in you" (John 15:4). The two things are quite
distinct, though closely connected. Just as it is one thing to be "in
Christ," and another to "abide in him," so there is a real difference
between His being in us, and His abiding in us. The one is a matter of
His grace; the other of our responsibility. The one is perpetual, the
other may be interrupted. By our abiding in Him is meant the happy
conscious fellowship of our union with Him, in the discernment of what
He is for us; so by His abiding in us is meant the happy conscious
recognition of His presence, the assurance of His goodness, grace and
power--Himself the recourse of our soul in everything.
"As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abides in the
vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me (John 15:4). "Thus our
Lord enforces the necessity of maintaining fellowship. He is not only
the source of all fruit, but He also puts forth His power while there
is personal appropriation of what He is for us, and in us. And this,
if we receive it, will lead us to a right judgment of ourselves and
our service. In the eyes of our own brethren, and in our own esteem,
we may maintain a goodly appearance as fruitbearing branches. But
whatever our own judgment or that of others, unless the apparent
springs from `innermost fellowship and communion' the true Vine will
never own it as His fruit.
"Moreover, all this may, by His blessing, bring us to see the cause of
our imperfect or sparse fruit bearing. Thousands of Christians are
complaining of barrenness; but they fail to trace their barrenness to
its right source--the meagerness of their communion with Christ.
Consequently, they seek fruitfulness in activities, often right in
themselves, but which, while He is unrecognized, can never yield any
fruit. In such condition, they ought rather to cry, `Our leanness! Our
leanness'; and they ought to know that leanness can only be remedied
by that abiding in Christ, and He in them, which `fills the soul with
marrow and its fatness.' `Those that be planted in the house of the
Lord (an Old Testament form for "abiding in Him") shall flourish in
the courts of our God. They shall bring forth fruit in old age; they
shall be fat and flourishing' (Ps. 92:13, 14). We are surely warranted
to say, Take heed to the fellowship, and the fruit will spring forth"
(Mr. C. Campbell).
"I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in
him, the same bringeth forth much fruit" (John 15:5). This is very
blessed, coming in just here. It is a word of assurance. As we
contemplate the failure of Israel as God's vine of old, and as we
review our own past resolutions and attempts, we are discouraged and
despondent. This is met by the announcement, "I am the vine, ye are
the branches." It is not a question of your sufficiency; yea, let your
insufficiency be admitted, as settled once for all. In your self you
are no better than a branch severed from the vine-dry, dead. But "he
that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit."
"No figure could more forcibly express the complete dependence of the
believer on Christ for all fruit-bearing than this. A branch cannot
bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine. In itself it has no
resources though in union with vine it is provided with life. This is
precisely the believer's condition: `Christ liveth in me.' The branch
bears the clusters, but it does not produce them. It bears what the
vine produces; and so the result is expressed by the Apostle, `to me
to live is Christ.' It is important that in this respect, as well as
with reference to righteousness before God, we should be brought to
the end of self with all its vain efforts and strivings. And then
there comes to us the assurance of unfailing resources in Another"
("Waymarks in the Wilderness").
"For without me (better `severed from me') ye can do nothing" (John
15:5). Clearly this refers not to the vital union existing between
Christ and the believer, which shall never be broken, either by his
own volition or the will of God, through all eternity (Rom. 8:38-39);
but to the interruption of fellowship and dependency upon Him,
mentioned in the immediate context. This searching word is introduced
here to enforce our need of heeding what had just been said in the
previous verse and repeated at the beginning of this.
"Severed from me ye can do nothing." There are many who believe this
in a general way, but who fail to apply it in detail. They know that
they cannot do the important things without Christ's aid, but how many
of the little things we attempt in our own strength! No wonder we fail
so often. "Without me ye can do nothing". "Nothing that is spiritually
good; no, not any thing at all, be it little or great, easy or
difficult to be performed; cannot think a good thought, speak a good
word, or do a good action; can neither begin one, nor when it is
begun, perfect it" (Dr. John Gill). But mark it well, the Lord did not
say, "Without you I can do nothing." In gathering out His elect, and
in building up His Church, He employs human instrumentality; but that
is not a matter of necessity, but of choice, with Him; He could "do"
without them, just as well as with them.
"Severed from me ye can do nothing." Urgently do we need this warning.
Not only will the allowance of any known sin break our fellowship with
Him, but concentration on any thing but Himself will also surely do
it. Satan is very subtle. If only he can get us occupied with
ourselves, our fruit-bearing, or our fruit, his purpose is
accomplished. Faith is nothing apart from its object, and is no longer
in operation when it becomes occupied with itself. Love, too, is in
exercise only while it is occupied with its beloved. "There is a
disastrous delusion in this matter when, under the plea of witnessing
for Christ and relating their experience, men are tempted to parade
their own attainments: their love, joy and peace, their zeal in
service, their victory in conflict. And Satan has no more effectual
method of severing the soul from Christ, and arresting the bringing
forth of fruit to the glory of God, than when he can persuade
Christians to feast upon their own fruit, instead of eating the flesh
and drinking the blood of the Son of man. But shall we not bear
witness for Christ? Yes, verily, but let your testimony be of Him, not
of yourself" ("Waymarks in the Wilderness").
"If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is
withered; and men gather them, and cast into the fire, and they are
burned" (John 15:6). This is another verse which has been much
misunderstood, and it is really surprising to discover how many able
commentators have entirely missed its meaning. With scarcely an
exception, Calvinistic expositors suppose that Christ here referred to
a different class from what had been before Him in the three previous
verses. Attention is called to the fact that Christ did not say, "If a
branch abide not in me he is cast forth," but "If a man abide not in
me." But really this is inexcusable in those who are able, in any
measure, to consult the Greek. The word "man" is not found in the
original at all! Literally rendered it is, "unless any one abide in me
he is cast out as the branch" (Bagster's Interlinear). The simple and
obvious meaning of these words of Christ is this: If any one of the
branches, any believer, continues out of fellowship with Me, he is
"cast forth." It could not be said of any one who had never "come" to
Christ that He does not abide in Him. This is made the more apparent
by the limitation in this very verse: "he is cast forth as a branch."
Let it be remembered that the central figure here employed by the Lord
has reference to our sojourn in this world, and the bringing forth of
fruit to the glory of the Father. The "casting forth" is done by the
Husbandman, and evidently had in view the stripping of the believer of
the gifts and opportunities which he failed to improve. It is similar
to the salt "losing its savor" (Matthew 5:13). It is parallel with
Luke 8:18: "And whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that
which he seemeth to have." It is analogous to that admonition in 2
John 8: "Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we
have wrought, but that we receive a full reward."
But what is meant by, "Men gather them, and cast into the fire, and
they are burned"? Observe, first, the plural pronouns. It is not "men
gather him and cast into the fire, and he is burned," as it would most
certainly have been had an unbeliever, a mere professor, been in view.
The change of number here is very striking, and evidences, once more,
the minute accuracy of Scripture. "Unless any one abide in me, he is
east forth as a branch, and men gather them and cast into the fire and
they are burned." The "them" and the "they" are what issues from the
one who has been cast forth "as a branch." And what is it that issues
from such a one--what but dead works: "wood, hay, stubble"! and what
is to become of his "dead works." 1 Corinthians 3:15 tells us: "If any
man's work shall be burned (the very word used in John 15:6!), he
shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."
Lot is a pertinent example: he was out of fellowship with the Lord, he
ceased to bear fruit to His glory, and his dead works were all burned
up in Sodom; yet he himself was saved!
One other detail should be noticed. In the original it is not "men
gather them," but "they gather them." Light is thrown on this by
Matthew 13:41, 42: "The Son of man shall send forth his angels and
they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them
which do iniquity: And shall east them into a furnace of fire: There
shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." Note the two distinct items
here: the angels gather "all things that offend" and "them which do
iniquity." In the light of John 15:6 the first of these actions will
be fulfilled at the session of the judgment-seat of Christ (2 Cor.
5:10), the second when He returns to the earth.
Here then is a most solemn warning and heart-searching prospect for
every Christian. Either your life and my life is, as the result of
continuous fellowship with Christ, bringing forth fruit to the glory
of the Father, fruit which will remain; or, because of neglect of
communion with Him, we are in immense danger of being set aside as His
witnesses on earth, to bring forth only that which the fire will
consume in a coming Day. May the Holy Spirit apply the words of the
Lord Jesus to each conscience and heart.
Studying the following questions will prepare for our next lesson:--
1. What is the connection between verse 7 and the context?
2. How is "ye shall ask what ye will" in verse 7 to be qualified?
3. What is meant by "so shall ye be my disciples," verse 8?
4. What is the relation between verses 9-12 and the subject of
fruit-bearing?
5. What constituted Christ's "joy," verse 11?
6. What is suggested by "friends," verses 13-15?
7. Why does Christ bring in election in verse 16?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 52
Christ the True Vine (Concluded)
John 15:7-16
_________________________________________________________________
Below is an Analysis of the second section of John 15:--
1. Fellowship and prayer, verse 7.
2. The Father glorified by much fruit, verse 8.
3. Fruit found in love, verses 9-10.
4. Fruit found in joy, verse 11.
5. Fruit found in peace, verse 12.
6. The proofs of Christ's love, verses 13-15.
7. The purpose of Christ's choice, verse 16.
That the theme of this second section of John 15 is the same as was
before us in its opening portion is clear from verses 8 and 16: in
both of these verses the word "fruit" is found, and as we shall see,
all that lies between is intimately connected with them. Before taking
up the study of our present passage let us summarize what was before
us in our last lesson.
The vine and its branches, unlike the "body" and its head, does not
set forth the vital and indissoluble union between Christ and His
people--though that is manifestly presupposed; instead, it treats of
that relationship which exists between Him and them while they are
upon earth, a relationship which may be interrupted. The prominent
thing is fruit-bearing and the conditions of fertility. Three
conditions have already been before us. First, to be a fruit-bearing
branch of the vine, one must be in Christ. Second, to be a
fruit-bearing branch of the vine, the Father must purge him by the
cleansing action of the Word. Third, to be a fruit-bearing branch of
the vine, he must abide in Christ. The first two are solely of God's
grace: they are Divine actions. But the third is a matter of Christian
responsibility, and this what is enforced throughout John 15.
As pointed out in the introduction to our last chapter, the broad
distinction between John 14 and 15 is that in the former we have the
grace of God unfolded; in the latter Christian responsibility is
pressed. Further evidence of this will be found in the frequent
repetition of two pronouns. In John 14 the emphasis is upon the "me";
in John 15 upon the "ye." In John 14 it is: "believe also in me"
(verse 1); "no man cometh unto the Father but by me" (verse 6); "If ye
had known me, ye should have known my Father also" (verse 7); "Have I
been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip?"
(verse 9); and so on. Whereas in John 15 it is "ye are clean" (verse
3); "Herein is my Father glorified that ye bear much fruit" (verse 8);
"continue ye in my love" (verse 9); "Ye are my friends, if" etc.
(verse 14). The word "ye" occurs no less than twenty-two times in John
15!
That which is of such deep importance for the Christian is the third
condition noted above; hence our Lord's repeated emphasis upon it.
Mark how in John 15:4 the word "abide" occurs no less than three
times. Note how the same truth is reiterated in John 15:5. Observe how
John 15:6 is devoted to a solemn statement of the consequences of
failure to "abide" in Christ. Observe also how this same word "abide"
is found again in John 15:7, 9, 10, 11, and 16. Just as necessary and
imperative as Christ's command "Come unto me" is to the sinner, so
absolutely essential is His "Abide in me" to the saint. As then this
subject of abiding in Christ is of such moment, we will now supplement
our previous remarks upon it.
First, to abide in Christ is to continue in the joyful recognition of
the value of His perfect sacrifice and the efficacy of His precious
blood. There can be no fellowship with the Lord Jesus, in the full
sense of the word, while we harbor doubts of our personal salvation
and acceptance with God. Should some soul troubled on this very point
be reading these lines, we would earnestly press upon him or her the
fact that the only way to be rid of torturing uncertainty is to turn
the eye away from self, unto the Savior. Here are His own blessed
words: "He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth
(abideth) in me, and I in him" (John 6:56), That means that I feed
upon, am satisfied with, that Sacrifice of sweet savor which has fully
satisfied God.
Second, to abide in Christ is to maintain a spirit and an attitude of
entire dependency on Him. It is the consciousness of my helplessness;
it is the realization that "severed from him, I can do nothing." The
figure which the Lord here employed strongly emphasizes this. What are
the branches of a vine but helpless, creeping, clinging, things? They
cannot stand alone; they need to be supported, held up. Now there can
be no abiding in Christ while we entertain a spirit of
self-sufficiency. To have no confidence in the flesh, to renounce our
own might, to lean not unto our own understanding, precedes our
turning unto Christ: there must be a recognition of my own emptiness
before I shall turn to and draw from His fulness. "As the branch
cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can
ye, except ye abide in me." In itself a branch has absolutely no
resources: in union with the vine it is pervaded with life.
Third, to abide in Christ is to draw from His fulness. It is not
enough that I turn from myself in disgust, I must turn to Christ with
delight. I must seek His presence; I must be occupied with His
excellency; I must commune with Him. It is no longer a question of my
sufficiency, my strength, or my anything. It is solely a matter of His
sufficiency. The branch is simply a conduit through which flows the
fruit-producing juices, which result in the lovely dusters of grapes.
Remember that the branch does not produce, but simply bears them! It
is the vine which produces, but produces through the branch, by the
branch being in the vine. It is not that the believer finds in Christ
a place of rest and support, whither he may go in order to produce his
own fruit. This is the sad mistake made by those who are ever speaking
of their own self-complacency, self-glorifying experiences, which
shows that their souls are occupied with themselves rather than with
Christ. It is of the greatest practical importance to know that Christ
is "all and in all"--not only as our standing before God and our
ultimate Perfection, but also as to our present life to the glory of
the Father.
"If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye
will, and it shall be done unto you" (John 15:7). The connection
between this verse and the ones preceding it is as follows. In John
15:4 and 5 the Lord had exhorted His disciples to abide in Him. In
John 15:6 He had warned them what would be the consequences if they
did not. Now He turns, or rather returns, to the consolatory and
blessed effects which would follow their compliance with his
admonition. Three results are here stated. First, the answer to
whatever prayers they presented to Cod; the glorification of the
Father; the clear witness to themselves and to others that they were
His disciples. Thus would Christ most graciously encourage us.
"If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye
will, and it shall be done unto you." What erroneous conclusions have
been drawn from these words! How often they have been appealed to in
order to justify the most unworthy views of prayer! The popular
interpretation of them is that if the Christian will only work himself
up to an importunate pleading of this promise before the throne of
grace, he may then ask God for what he pleases, and the Almighty will
not--some go so far as to say He cannot--deny him. We are told that
Christ has here given us a blank check, signed it, and left us to fill
it in for what we will. But 1 John 5:14 plainly repudiates such a
carnal conception--"And this is the confidence that we have in him,
that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us."
Therefore, what we ask shall not be done unto us unless our will is
subordinated to and is in accord with the will of God.
What then is the meaning of our Lord's promise? Certainly it does not
give praying souls carte blanche. For God to gratify us in everything
we requested, would not only be dishonoring to Himself, but, ofttimes,
highly injurious to ourselves. Moreover, the experience of many of
those who frequent the throne of grace dissipates such a delusion. All
of us have asked for many things which have not been "done unto" us.
Some have asked in great earnestness, with full expectation, and they
have been very importunate; and yet their petitions have been denied
them. Does this falsify our Lord's promise? A thousand times no! Every
word He uttered was God's infallible truth. What then? Shall we fall
back upon the hope that God's time to answer has not yet come; but
that shortly He will give us the desire of our hearts? Such a hope may
be realized, or it may not. It all depends upon whether the conditions
governing the promise in John 15:7 are being met. If they are not, it
will be said of us "Ye ask, and have not, because ye ask amiss" (James
4:3).
Two conditions here qualify the promise: "If ye abide in me." Abiding
in Christ signifies the maintaining of heart communion with Christ.
"And my words abide in you": not only must the heart be occupied with
Christ, but the life must be regulated by the Scriptures. Note it is
not here "my word," but "my words." It is not the Word as a whole, but
the Word, as it were, broken up. It is the precepts and promises of
Scripture personally appropriated, fed upon by faith, hidden in the
heart. It is the practical heeding of that injunction, "Man shall not
live (his daily life) by bread alone, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God." And mark that it is Christ's
words abiding in us. It is no fitful, spasmodic, occasional exercise
and experience, but constant and habitual communion with God through
the Word, until its contents become the substance of our innermost
beings.
"Ye shall ask what ye will." But for what would such a one ask? If he
continues in fellowship with Christ, if His "words" remain in him,
then his thoughts will be regulated and his desires formed by that
Word. Such an one will be raised above the lusts of the flesh. Such an
one will "bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of
Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5), proving "what is that good, and acceptable, and
perfect will of God" (Rom. 12:2). Consequently, such, an one will ask
only for that which is according to his will (1 John 5:14); and
thereby will he verify the Lord's promise "it shall be done unto you."
Such a view of prayer is glorifying to God and satisfying to the soul.
For one who communes with the Savior, and in whom His Word dwells
"richly," supplication is simply the pulsation of a heart that has
been won to God. While the believer is in fellowship with the Lord and
is governed from within by His Word, he will not ask for things
"amiss." Instead of praying in the energy of the flesh (which, alas,
all of us so often do), he will pray "in the Spirit" (Jude 20). "Why
is there so little power of prayer like this in our own times? Simply
because there is so little close communion with Christ, and so little
strict conformity to His words. Men do not `abide in Christ,' and
therefore pray in vain. Christ's words do not abide in them, as their
standard of practice, and therefore their prayers are not answered.
Let this lesson sink down into our hearts. He that would have answers
to his prayers, must carefully remember Christ's directions. We must
keep up intimate friendship with the great advocate in Heaven, if our
petitions are to be granted" (Bishop Ryle).
"Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit" (John
15:8).This is an appeal to our hearts. The "glory" of the Father was
that which Christ ever kept before Him, and here He presses it upon
us. He would have us concerned as to whether our lives honor and
magnify the Father, or whether they are a reproach to Him. An
unfruitful branch is a dishonor to God. What an inducement is this to
"abide in Christ"!
It is time that we now inquire as to the nature or character of the
"fruit" of which Christ here speaks. What is the "fruit," the much
fruit, by which the Father is glorified? Fruit is not something which
is attached to the branch and fastened on from without, but is the
organic product and evidence of the inner life. Too often attention is
directed to the outward services and actions, or to the results of
these services, as the "fruit" here intended. We do not deny that this
fruit is frequently manifested externally, and that it also finds
expression in outward works is clear from John 15:6: "Severed from me
ye can do nothing." But there is a twofold evil in confining our
attention to these. First, it often becomes a source of deception in
those who may do many things in the will and energy of the flesh, but
these are dead works, often found on corrupt trees. Second, it becomes
a source of discouragement to children of God who, by reason of
sickness, old age, or unfavourable circumstances, cannot engage in
such activities, and hence are made to believe that they are barren
and useless.
"We may say, in brief, that the fruit borne by the branches is
precisely that which is produced by the Vine; and what that is, may be
best understood by looking at what He was as God's witness in the
world. The fruit is Christlike affections, dispositions, graces, as
well as the works in which they are displayed. We cannot undervalue
the work of faith and labor of love; but we would remember that `the
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, meekness, temperance'; and those who are prevented
from engaging in the activities of Christian service, may often be in
circumstances most favorable to the production of the fruit of the
Spirit" ("Waymarks in the Wilderness").
It is deeply important for us to recognize that the "fruit" is the
outflow of our union with Christ; only thus will it be traced to its
true origin and source. Then will it be seen that our fruit is
produced not merely by Christ's power acting upon us, but, as it truly
is, as the fruit of the vine. Thus, in every branch, is HIS word
literally verified: "From me is thy fruit found" (Hos. 14:8), and
therefore should every branch say, "Not I, but the grace of God." This
is all one as to say that our fruit is Christ's fruit; for God's
operations of grace are only wrought in and by Christ Jesus. Thus
saints are "filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus
Christ to the praise and glory of God" (Phil. 1:11). If there be any
love, it is "the love of Christ" (2 Cor. 5:14); if there be any joy,
it is Christ's joy (John 15:11); if there be any peace, it is His
peace, given unto us (John 14:27); if there be any meekness and
gentleness it is "the meekness and gentleness of Christ" (2 Cor.
10:1). How thoroughly this was realized by the apostle, to whom it was
given to be the most signal example of the vine sending forth fruit by
His branches, may be gathered from such expressions: "I will not dare
to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me"
(Rom. 15:18). "Christ speaking in me" (2 Cor. 13:3); "He that wrought
effectually in Peter... was mighty in me" (Gal. 2:8); "Christ liveth
in me" (Gal. 2:20): "I can do all things through Christ who
strengtheneth me" (Phil. 4:13). Thus, and thus only as this is
recognized, all dependency upon and all glorying in self is excluded,
and Christ becomes all in all.
"Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit" (John 15:8).
There are four relationships which need to be distinguished. Life in
Christ is salvation. Life with Christ is fellowship. Life by Christ is
fruit-bearing. Life for Christ is service. The "fruit" is Christ
manifested through us. But note the gradation: in John 15:2 it is
first "fruit," then "more fruit," here "much fruit." This reminds us
of the "some thirty-fold, some sixty, and some an hundred" (Mark
4:20).
"So shall ye be my disciples" (John 15:8). With this should be
compared John 8:31: "If ye continue in my Word, then are ye my
disciples indeed." Continuance in the Word is not a condition of
discipleship, but an evidence of it. So here, to bear much fruit will
make it manifest that we are His disciples. Just as good fruit on a
tree does not make the tree a good one, but marks it out as such, so
we prove ourselves to be Christ's disciples by displaying Christlike
qualities.
"As the Father hath loved me, so I have loved you" (John 15:9). There
is no change of theme, only another aspect of it. In the two previous
verses the Lord had described three of the consequences of abiding in
Him in order to fruitfulness; here, and in the three verses that
follow, He names three of the varieties of the fruit home; and it is
very striking to note that they are identical with the first three and
are given in the same order as those enumerated in Galatians 5:22,
where the "fruit of the Spirit" is defined. Here in John 15:9, it is
love; in John 15:11, it is joy; while in John 15:12 it is peace--the
happy issue of brethren loving one another.
"As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you." "As the Father
loved Him from everlasting, so did He love them; as His Father loved
Him with a love of complacency and delight, so did He love them; as
the Father loved Him with a special and peculiar affection, with an
unchanging, invariable, constant love, which would last forever, in
like manner does Christ love His people; and with this He enforces the
exhortation which follows" (Dr. John Gill).
"As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you; continue ye in my
love." (John 15:9). Christ's love to us is unaffected by our
changeableness, but our enjoyment of His love depends upon our
continuance in it. By this continuance in His love, or abiding in it,
as it should be (the Greek word is the same), is meant our actual
assurance of it, our reposing in it. No matter how mysterious His
dispensations be, no matter how severe the trials through which He
causes us to pass, we must never doubt His immeasurable love for us
and to us. The measure of His love for us was told out at the Cross,
and as He is the same to-day as yesterday, therefore He loves us just
as dearly now, every moment, as when He laid down His life for us. To
"abide" in His love, then, is to be occupied with it, to count upon
it, to be persuaded that nothing shall ever be able to separate us
from it. Dwelling upon our poor, fluctuating love for Him, will make
us miserable; but having the heart fixed upon His wondrous love, that
love which "passeth knowledge," will fill us with praise and
thanksgiving. Very blessed but very searching is this. To "abide" in
Christ is to abide in His love. Our growth proceeds from love to love.
"If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love." (John 15:10).
Even still more searching is this. There can be no fruit for the
Father, no abiding in Christ's love, unless there be real subjection
of will. It is only in the path of obedience that He will have
fellowship with us. Alas, how many err on this point. We are living in
an age wherein lawlessness abounds. Insubordination is rife on every
hand. In many a place even professing Christians will no longer
tolerate the word "commandments." Those who would urge the duty of
obedience to the Lord, are regarded as enemies of the faith, seeking
to bring Christians into bondage. Satan is very subtle, but we are not
ignorant of his devices. He seeks to persuade sinners that they must
keep God's commandments in order to be saved. He tries to make saints
believe that they must not keep God's commandment, otherwise they will
be putting themselves "under law," beneath a yoke grievous to be
borne. But let these specious lies of the Devil be tested by
Scripture, and their falsity will soon appear. 1 Corinthians 9:21
tells us that we are "under the law to Christ.' Romans 13:10 assures
us that "love is the fulfilling of the law": the fulfilling mark, not
the abrogating of it, nor a substitution for it. The apostle Paul
declared that he "delighted in the law of God after the inward man,"
and that he "served the law of God" (Rom. 7:22-25). And here in John
15 the Lord Himself said to His disciples, "If ye keep my
commandments, ye shall abide in my love. O fellow Christians, let no
sophistry of man (no matter how able a Bible teacher you may deem
him), and no deceptive art of Satan, rob you of this word of the
Savior's; a word which we all need, never more than now, when all
authority, Divine and human, is more and more flouted. Note that this
was not the only time that Christ made mention of His commandments and
pressed upon His people their obligations to keep them. See John
13:34; John 14:15; John 15:10; Matthew 28:20, etc.
"Even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love"
(John 15:10). Here is the final word against those who decry godly
obedience as "legalism." The incarnate Son walked according to His
Father's commandments. He "pleased not himself" (Rom. 15:3). His meat
was to do the will of the One who had sent Him. And He has left us an
example that we should follow His steps. "He that saith he abideth in
him ought himself also so to walk even as he walked" (1 John 2:6). The
one who disregards God's "commandments" is not walking as Christ
walked; instead, he is walking as the world walks. Let no one heed the
idle quibble that the "commandments" of Christ are opposed to or even
different from the commandments of the Father. Christ and the Father
are one--one in nature, one in character, one in authority. "The
commandments of Christ include the whole of the preceptive part of the
inspired volume, with the exception of those ritual and political
statutes which refer to the introductory dispensations which have
passed away" (Dr. John Brown). And let it be said again, that no
Christian can abide in Christ's love unless he is keeping Christ's
commandments!
"Even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love."
The "even as" refers to the character of Christ's obedience to the
Father. "His obedience was the obedience of love, and so must ours be.
His obedience was but the expression of His love. External obedience
to Christ's commandments, if not the expression of love, is, in His
estimation, of less than no value, for He sees it to be what it
is--vile hypocrisy or mere selfishness. No man will continue in His
love by such obedience. His obedience was, in consequence of its being
the result of love, cheerful obedience. He delighted to do the will of
His Father. It was His meat to do the Father's will, and so must be
our obedience to Him. We must run in the way of His commandments with
enlarged hearts. We are to keep them, not so much because we must keep
them as because we choose to keep them, or, if a necessity is felt to
be laid upon us, it should be the sweet necessity resulting from
perfect approbation of the law, and supreme love to the Law-giver.
Christ's obedience to the Father was universal--it extended to every
requisition of the law. There was no omission, no violation; and in
our obedience to the Savior, there must be no reserves--we must count
His commandments to be in all things, what they are--right; and we
must abhor every wicked way. Christ's obedience to the Father was
persevering. He was faithful unto death; and so must we be. This is
His promise: To him that overeometh will I give to sit with me on my
throne, even as I have overcome, and am set down with my Father on his
throne' (Rev. 3:21). It is thus, then--only thus--by keeping the
commandments of our Lord as He kept the commandments of His Father,
that we shall continue in His love, as He continued in His Father's
love" (Dr. John Brown).
"These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you"
(John 15:11). The "these things" covers the whole of the ten preceding
verses. The fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22) is "love, joy, peace."
Having mentioned love in the previous verse, Christ now goes on to
speak of joy. Just as in John 14:27 there is a double "peace," so here
there is a twofold joy. First, there is the joy of Christ Himself,
that joy which had been His during His sojourn on earth. He mentions
this in His prayer in John 17: "These things I speak in the world,
that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves" (verse 13). How
this reveals to us the inner life of the Savior! Abiding in His
Father's love, He had a joy which certainly not His enemies and
perhaps His friends would have credited the "Man of sorrows." His joy
was in pleasing the Father, in doing His will and glorifying His name.
Then, too, He rejoiced in the prospect before Him. "Looking unto Jesus
the author and finisher of faith; who for the joy that was set before
him endured the cross" (Heb. 12:2). This double joy of the incarnate
Son, is mentioned in Psalm 16, where the Spirit of prophecy recorded
the Savior's words long beforehand: "I have set the Lord always before
me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my
heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth" (verses 8, 9). This was the joy
of communion and obedience. "Thou wilt show me the path of life: in
thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures
forevermore" (verse 11): this was the joy "set before him."
"These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in
you." The "these things" refers, more specifically, to the maintaining
of communion with Christ, and the conditions upon which they may be
realized. When fellowship with the Lord Jesus is broken, joy
disappears. This was illustrated in the experience of the Psalmist.
David had sinned; sinned grievously against the Lord, and in
consequence, he no longer enjoyed a comforting sense of His presence.
David was wretched in soul, and after making earnest confession of his
sin, he cried, "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation" (Ps. 51:12):
salvation he had not lost, but the joy of it he had. It was the same
with Peter: he "went out and wept bitterly" (Luke 22:62). A child of
God can only be miserable when he is away from Christ. It is important
for us to recognize and realize that we need Christ just as much for
our everyday life, as we do for eternity; just as really for the fruit
which the Father expects from us, as for our title to Heaven.
"And that your joy might be full" (John 15:11). The grounds of the
Christian's joy are not in himself, but in Christ: "Rejoice in the
Lord" (Phil. 4:4). But the measure in which we enter into this is
determined by our daily communion with the Lord. "Our fellowship is
with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ, and these things write
we unto you that your joy may be full" (1 John 1:3, 4). Our joy ought
to be steady and constant, not fitful and occasional: "Rejoice in the
Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice" (Phil. 4:4). Joy is not
"happiness'' as the world uses the term; it is much deeper. The
worldling finds his happiness in circumstances and surroundings; but
the Christian is quite independent of these. Paul and Silas, in the
Philippian dungeon, with backs bleeding, "sang praises unto God" (Acts
16:25). What a blessed triumphing over circumstances was that!
Prison-walls could not cut them off from Christ! But how this puts us
to shame! The reason why we are so often dull and despondent, the
cause of our restlessness and discontent, is because we walk so little
in the light of the Lord's countenance. May we earnestly seek grace to
heed the things which He has "spoken unto us" that our joy may be
"full."
"This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved
you" (John 15:12). "Love is benignant affection, and the appropriate
display of it. In this most general meaning of the term, `love is the
fulfilling of the law.' The exercise of this principle in supremacy,
in a well-informed intelligent being, secures the performance of all
duty. It cannot coexist with selfishness and malignity, the great
causes of sin. In the degree it prevails, they are destroyed. `Love
does'--love can do--`no evil' (Rom. 13:10). Love does--love must
do--all practical good. If evil is done--if good is not done--it is
just because love is not there in sufficient force" (Dr. John Brown).
It is important that we distinguish between love and benevolence. The
benevolence of Christ knows no limits to any of His people. Just as
the Father maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and
sendeth the rain on the just and on the unjust, so Christ ever
ministers to and supplies the every need of each of His people,
whether they are abiding in Him or no. But just as He abides only in
the one who is abiding in Him, just as he finds complacency only in
him who keeps His commandments (John 14:21), so the Christian is to
regulate his actions and manifest his love. "As a Christian I am to
cherish and exercise love toward every one who gives evidence that he
is a brother in Christ. It is only in this character that he has any
claim upon my brotherly affection, and the degree not of my good will,
for that should in every ease be boundless; yet my esteem of, and
complacency in a Christian brother, should be proportioned to the
manifestation which he makes of the various excellencies of the
Christian character. The better he is, and shows himself to be, I
should love him the better. My love should be regulated on the same
principle as Christ's, whose benevolence knows no limit in reference
to any of His people, but whose esteem and complacency are always
proportioned to holy principles and conduct on the part of His people"
(Dr. John Brown).
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for
his friends" (John 15:13). It is to be observed that these words
follow right on after Christ saying, "love one another as I have loved
you." In view of this, we believe that John 15:13 to 16 set forth a
number of proofs of Christ's love, each of which manifested some
distinctive feature of it, and that these are here advanced in order
to teach us how we should love one another. The Lord places first the
highest evidence of His love: He laid down His life for His people. It
is to be observed that in the Greek the word "man" is not found in
this verse. Literally rendered it reads, "greater than this love no
one has, that one his life lay down for friends his." Christ
emphasizes once more the great fact that His death, imminent at the
time He spoke, was purely voluntary. He "laid down" His life; none
took His life from Him. This life was laid down for His friends, and
in thus dying on their behalf, in their stead, He furnished the
supreme demonstration of His love to and for them. Romans 5:6-10
emphasizes the same truth, only from a different standpoint. There,
the objects of Christ's atoning sacrifice are described as Divine
justice saw them, they are viewed as they were in themselves, by
nature and practice--ungodly, sinners, enemies. But here in John 15
the Savior speaks of them in the terms of Divine love, and as they
were by election and regeneration--His "friends."
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for
his friends." Now in this verse the Lord not only speaks of His own
unselfish, sacrificial, illimitable love, but He does so for the
express purpose of supplying both a motive and an example for us. He
has given us a commandment that we "love one another," and that we
love our brethren as He loved them.
There is to be no limitation in our love: if occasion requires it we
are to be ready to lay down our life one for another. The same truth
is found in John's first Epistle: "Hereby perceive we the love of God,
because he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our
lives for the brethren" (1 John 3:16). "Herein is love, not that we
loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the
propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also
to love one another." How these scriptures rebuke us! What is it worth
if we hold the theory that we are ready, in obedience to God's Word,
to lay down our lives for our brethren, when we fail so sadly in
ministering to the common and daily needs and sufferings of God's
children? "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in
tongue; but in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:18)!
"Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you" (John 15:14).
Here is the second proof of Christ's love for His own. He had treated
them with unreserved intimacy. He had brought them into close
fellowship with Himself. He had dealt with them not as strangers, nor
had He acted as men do toward casual acquaintances. Instead, He had,
in infinite condescension, given them the unspeakable privilege of
being His friends. And such they would continue, so long as they did
whatsoever He had commanded them, for the Lord will not be on intimate
terms with any who are out of the path of obedience. This was
something far higher than the attitude which the Rabbis maintained
toward their disciples, and higher still than the feeling which a
master entertained for his servants. The Lord of glory deigned to
treat his disciples and servants as friends!
"Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." It is to be
carefully noted that Christ did not here say, "I am your friend?" Just
now there is a great deal in the more popular hymnbooks about Jesus as
our friend. How few seem to appreciate the desire of our Lord to make
us His friends! The difference is very real. When a man who has
attained the highest position in the nation notices a man of the
laboring class and calls him his friend, it is a condescension, for he
hereby exalts that unknown man to his own level. But for the
insignificant man to say of the famous one, `He's my friend,' by no
means exalts that one; indeed, it might be considered a presumption, a
piece of impudence. This familiarity, this calling Jesus our Friend,
is dimming in people's hearts the consciousness that He is something
more than that: He is out Savior! He is our Lord! He is really, in His
own essential nature, our God" (Mr. C. H. Bright). The same rebuke is
called for by those who term the incarnate Son of God their elder
Brother! It is true that He, in marvellous grace, is "not ashamed to
call us brethren," but it ill requites that grace for us to term Him
our "Elder Brother." Let us ever remember His own word "Ye call me
Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am" (John 13:13).
"Henceforth I call you not servants: for the servant knoweth not what
his Lord doeth: but I have called you friends: for all things that I
have heard of my Father I have made known unto you" (John 15:15). Here
is the third proof of the love of Christ for His own. He not only
treated the disciples as friends, but He owned them as such, and took
them fully into His confidence. Our thoughts at once revert to
Abraham, who is expressly called "the friend of God" (James 2:23). The
reference no doubt is to what we read of in Genesis 18:17. God was
about to destroy Sodom. Lot knew nothing of this, for he was at too
great a moral distance from God. But the Lord said, "Shall I hide from
Abraham that thing which I do?" In Abraham God found delight, and
therefore did He make him the confidant of His counsels. It is
striking that Abraham is the only Old Testament saint directly termed
the friend of God (see Isaiah 41:8). But Abraham is "the father of all
them that believe," and here the Lord calls his believing children His
"friends." The term speaks both of confidence and intimacy--not our
confidence in and intimacy with Him, but He in and with us. He would
no longer call them "servants," though they were such; but He makes
them His companions. He reveals to them the Father's thoughts,
bringing them into that holy nearness and freedom which He had with
the Father. What a place to put them into! If they were not fit to
receive these intimacies, He would be betraying the confidence of the
Father! It is the new nature which gives us the needed fitness.
"I have called you friends." This is not to be restricted to the
Eleven, but applies equally to all His blood-bought people. The King
of kings and Lord of lords not only pities and saves all them that
believe in Him, but actually calls them His friends! In view of such
language, we need not wonder that the apostle said, "The love of
Christ passeth knowledge." What encouragement this should give us to
pour out our hearts to Him in prayer! Why should we hesitate to
unbosom ourselves to One who calls us His "friends"! What comfort this
should give us in trouble. Will He not minister of His own mercy and
grace to His "friends"! And what assurance is here for the one who
doubts the final issue. Weak and unworthy, we all are in ourselves,
but Christ will never forsake His "friends"!
"For all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto
you" (15:15). The "all things" here were those which pertained to His
Mediatorship. Mark 4 supplies us with a striking illustration of how
the Lord made His disciples His special confidants: "And he said unto
them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God:
but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables
. . . Without a parable spake he not unto them (the multitudes): and
when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples''
(verses 11, 34). And again in the Gospel records we find the Savior
distinguishing His disciples by similar marks of His love. To them
only did He confide His approaching betrayal into the hands of wicked
men. To them only did He declare that His place in the Father's House
should be theirs. To them only did He announce the coming of the
Comforter.
In like manner Christ has revealed many things to us in His Word which
the wise of this world know nothing about. "For yourselves know
perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
For when they shall say Peace and safety: then sudden destruction
cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall
not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day
should overtake you as a thief" (1 Thess. 5:2-4). How highly we should
value such confidences. How much would He reveal to us, now hidden, if
only we gave more diligent heed to His commandments! Ever remember
that "the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him"! Ere passing
to the next verse let it be pointed out again that the Lord was not
only here referring to the evidences of His own love for us, but was
also making known how our love should be manifested one toward
another. "He that hath friends will show himself friendly" (Prov.
18:24). Then let us abstain from encroaching on a brother's spiritual
liberty; let us not usurp dominion over a brother's faith; let us
treat our brother not as a servant, still less as a stranger, but as a
friend!
"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that
ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain;
that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it
you" (John 15:16). "This love was at the foundation of all for them:
and to it they owed, and we owe, that choice was on His side, not
ours. `Ye have not chosen me,' He says, `but I have chosen you.' Thus
in conscious weakness the power of God is with us: and as He sought us
when lost, when there was nothing but our misery to awaken His
compassion--so we may count assuredly upon Him, whatever our
helplessness, to perfect the work He has begun. What comfort lies for
us in the royal work, `I have chosen you'!
"But grace enables us to fulfill the conditions necessarily imposed by
the holiness of the Divine nature, and cannot set these aside:
therefore the closing words. They are in the same line with others
that we have lately heard: which they emphasize only in a somewhat
different way. Fruit that abides is that which alone satisfies God.
How much that looks well has not that quality in it which ensures
permanence. How much that seems truly of God reveals its character by
its decay! This `abiding' connects itself, in the Gospel of John, with
the Divine side of things which is seen all through" (Numerical
Bible).
The following questions are to help the student prepare for our next
lesson:--
1. What is the link between verses 17 to 27 with the context?
2. What is our Lord's central design in this passage?
3. Wherein is the depravity of man exhibited?
4. Why does Christ repeat verse 12 in verse 17?
5. What is the meaning of verse 19?
6. What is the force of "had not had sin," verses 22, 24?
7. Of what does the testimony of verses 26, 27 consist?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 53
Christ Fortifying His Disciples
John 15:17-27
_________________________________________________________________
The following is an Analysis of the closing section of John 15:--
1. Christians commanded to love one another, verse 17.
2. Christians warned of the world's hatred, verse 18.
3. Causes of the world's hatred, verses 19-21.
4. The greatness of the world's guilt, verses 22-24.
5. The fulfillment of God's Word, verse 25.
6. The witness of the Spirit, verse 26.
7. The witness of Christians, verse 27.
The principal Subject in the passage which is to be before us is the
world's hostility against Christ and His people. Its hatred is
mentioned seven times--solemn witness to its awful entirety and
inveteracy. The transition from the preceding section is quite natural
and easy. The Lord had been speaking to and of "his own;" now He
contemplates "the world." He had just declared that His disciples are
His friends; now He turns to describe His and their enemies. He had
set before the apostles the proofs of His love for them; now He warns
them of the world's hatred. The connection between the last verse of
the previous section and the opening one of our present portion is
most significant. "These things I command you, that ye love one
another." Various motives had been presented for them loving one
another, chief among them being the example of His own wondrous love.
Now an entirely new and different reason is advanced: Christians need
to be united together by the bonds of brotherly affection because the
world, their common enemy, hated them.
A loving heart would feign discover or induce love everywhere. To be
ungratified in that desire and more than that, to be hated, is a hard
and bitter lot, the bitterest ingredient in all affliction. Therefore
does the Lord here faithfully prepare His disciples for such an
experience, that they might not marvel at the world's hostility nor be
stumbled by it--"Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you" (1
John 3:13). Graciously did the Savior proceed to fortify His disciples
against the storm of persecution which He knew full well would burst
upon them shortly after His departure. Charged with such a mission,
proclaiming such a message, invested with miraculous powers of
benevolence, the apostles might fondly imagine that the world would
soon be won to Christ. But they must be prepared for disappointment.
Therefore, did Christ arm them beforehand, that their spirits might
not be overwhelmed by the bitter malice and opposition which they
would surely encounter.
There is little or nothing in the Gospel records to intimate that the
apostles had been subjected to persecution while their Master was with
them. After the seventy were sent forth, we read that they "returned
again with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject unto us
through thy name" (Luke 10:17). When the scribes and Pharisees were
offended because the disciples transgressed the tradition of the
elders, eating with unwashen hands, instead of assailing them
directly, the complaint was laid before the Lord Jesus (Matthew 15:2).
When the Savior was arrested in the Garden, He said to the officers,
"Let these (the apostles) go their way" (John 18:8). Even after His
crucifixion, they were allowed to go, unmolested, back to their
fishing (John 21:23). But after His return to the Father, they too
would experience the world's malignity. Therefore did the Lord
forewarn them of the treatment which they must expect and would
certainly receive at the hands of the ungodly.
The warning which the Lord Jesus here gave the apostles is much needed
by young believers to-day. The inexperienced Christian supposes that
the hatred of the world against him is a reproach. He thinks that he
is to blame for it. He imagines that if only he were kinder, more
gentle, more humble, more Christlike, the enmity of unbelievers would
be overcome. This is a great mistake. The truth is, the more
Christlike we are the more shall we be antagonized and shunned. The
most conclusive proof of this is found in the treatment which our
blessed Savior received when He was in the world. He was "despised and
rejected of men." If then the purest love which was ever manifested on
earth, if goodness incarnate was hated by men in general, if the
brighter His love shone, the fiercer was the enmity which it met with
in response, then how can we expect to be admired and esteemed by the
world? Surely none will entertain the horrible thought that any of us
can surpass the prudence of the Son of God!
And how all of this rebukes the popularity which so many professing
Christians, yea, and many of the professed servants of the Christ now
enjoy! Have we forgotten that severe rebuke, "Ye adulterers and
adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity
with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the
enemy of God" (James 4:4)! Solemn indeed are the terms used here.
Adulterers and adulteresses are they who seek and enjoy illicit love.
In like manner, for a professing Christian--one who claims to love
Christ--to seek his delight in the world, to company with the ungodly,
is to be guilty of spiritual adultery. "Love not the world, neither
the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love
of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15). "Be not conformed to this
world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Rom.
12:2).
"These things I command you, that ye love one another" (John 15:17).
There is something peculiarly searching and heart-rebuking in this.
How humbling to find that Christ had to command us to love one
another! How humbling to hear Him repeating this command, for He has
already given this same commandment to His disciples in John 13:34!
And how humbling to find Him here repeating it again, for He had only
just said, "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I
have loved you" (John 15:12)! Was it because He foreknew how little
Christian love would be exercised among His people? Was it because He
knew how much there is in each of us that is so unlovely? Was it
because He foresaw that the Devil would stir up bitterness and strife
among His followers, seeking to make them bite and devour one another?
Whatever may or may not have been before Him, one thing cannot be
denied--Christ has expressly commanded His people to love one another.
"These things I command you, that ye love one another." Not only does
the insistent emphasis of our Lord upon this world indicate that here
is something which every Christian needs to take seriously to heart,
but the large place given to it in the Epistles adds strong
confirmation. The following commandments of the Holy Spirit through
the apostles are but repetitions and expansions of the precept now
before us: "Be kindly affectioned one to another" (Rom. 12:10).
"Forbearing one another in love" (Eph. 4:2). "Endeavoring to keep the
unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:3). "Be ye kind one
to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another" (Eph. 4:32). "If any
man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do
ye" (Col. 3:13). "See that ye love one another with a pure heart
fervently" (1 Pet. 1:22). "Love the brotherhood" (1 Pet. 2:17). "And
above all things have fervent charity among yourselves" (1 Pet. 4:8).
"Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another,
love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous" (1 Pet. 3:8). Envy,
malice, ill-feeling, evil-speaking among brethren are a sure proof of
the lack of this brotherly love!
"If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you"
(John 15:18). Here the Lord introduces the subject of the world's
enmity, and He begins by pointing out to His apostles that what they
would suffer was only what lie had suffered before them; they must not
be surprised then at finding themselves in the midst of a hostile
people. For their part they must be meek and gentle, living peaceably
with all men so far as they would allow them to. They must do nothing
maliciously to provoke or warrant the hatred of the world; but if they
were faithful to the Lord, they must be prepared for the same evil
treatment which He met with.
"Ye know that it hated me before it hated you." The word "before" here
refers not so much to time as it does to experience. Christ was
assuring them that He trode the very same path which they would be
called on to follow. He had preceded them in it: "When he putteth
forth his own sheep he goeth before them" (John 10:4). How this should
comfort us! It was Christ identifying the disciples with Himself. If
we belong to the Lord Jesus that is sufficient to arouse the world's
rancor. But it is blessed to know that it hates us because of Him, not
because of ourselves! It is the repulsion of human nature for what is
of God. And nowhere is the awful depravity of fallen man more
evidenced than. in his hatred of that which is pure, lovely, good,
holy.
"If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye
are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world,
therefore the world hateth you" (John 15:19). Here the Lord proceeds
to state the various causes of the world's hatred. Two are given in
this verse: tint, His people are no longer "of the world;" second,
Christ had "chosen them out of the world." The two are really
resolvable into one: it is because Christ has chosen us out of the
world that we no more belong to it. We no longer share its spirit, are
no more actuated by its aims, are not now governed by its principles.
Note the Lord's emphatic emphasis here: five times in this one verse
does the Lord mention "the world"! Do you, He seems to ask, desire the
smiles of men, are you anxious to stand high in their favor? That
would be tragic indeed; that would prove you also belonged to the
world. In John 8:23, Christ had declared of Himself, "Ye are from
beneath; I am from above; ye are of this world; I am not of this
world." Now, for the first time, He predicates the same thing of His
disciples. It is striking to note that this was not until after John
14:31, and Christ had (figuratively) taken His place--identifying the
disciples with Himself in that place--on resurrection ground. It is
only as united to a risen Christ that we are taken (positionally) out
of "the world."
"I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you."
It is remarkable that the first reason Christ here gives as to why the
world hates believers, is because of their election. "The world cannot
endure the thought of God's sovereignty and electing love" (Mr. F. W.
Grant). The world is enraged at the very idea of Christians being the
singled-out favorites of God. Strikingly was this demonstrated almost
at the beginning of our Lord's public ministry. After announcing that
the prophecy of Isaiah 61:1, 2 found its fulfillment in His mission,
He went on to say how that while the heaven was shut up for three
years and a half, during the subsequent famine, though there were many
widows in Israel, God, in His sovereign grace, sent Elijah unto none
but the widow of Zarephath; and though there were many lepers in
Israel in the time of Elisha, none of them were cleansed, though God
in His sovereign mercy healed Naaman, the Syrian. The response to our
Lord's words was very shocking. "And all they in the synagogue, when
they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and
thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill
whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong"
(Luke 4:28, 29).
It is just the same to-day. Nothing so stirs up the enmity of the
carnal mind as to hear of God's absolute sovereignty: choosing some,
passing by others. Then how much worldliness there must now be in many
professing Christians! It should be noted in the example cited above
that it was the religious world which was so enraged against Christ:
it was the synagogue-worshippers that sought to murder the Savior,
because He pressed upon them the fact that God had compassion on whom
He pleases. Nor have things changed for the better. Let any servant of
God to-day expound the truths of Divine election and foreordination,
and he will be assailed the most fiercely by those who claim to be the
people of God. So, too, with believers in general. Let their lives
attest their calling, let their walk make it manifest that they are
not "of the world," because "chosen out of it," and the bitter enmity
of the ungodly will indeed be excited. But let us not be cast down at
this, rather let us see in the hostility of unbelievers a precious
evidence that we are one with Him whom the world cast out.
"Therefore the world hateth you." It will not hate mere professors.
The man who is conformed to this world, who takes part in its
politics, who shares its pleasures, who acts according to its
principles, even though he beats the name of Christ, will not be
ostracised or persecuted. The woman who is conformed to this world,
who follows its fashions, who enjoys its society, who works for its
reformation, will not be shunned by it. The world loves its own. But
those who walk in separation from the world (and they are few in
number), those who follow a rejected Christ, will know something of
what it means to enter into "the fellowship of his sufferings" (Phil.
3:10). God has said, "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ
Jesus shall suffer persecution" (2 Tim. 3:12). But let such recall and
be cheered by those words of our Savior, "Blessed are they which are
persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you
and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven:
for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you" (Matthew
5:10, 12).
"Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater
than his lord" (John 15:20). How touching is this! Christ would have
us forget no words spoken by Him! He here reminds the apostles of what
He had said to them a little previously, though in another
connection--showing how full His utterances are, designed for various
applications. His purpose here is to press upon us that it is a mark
of genuine discipleship if we share the experiences of our Master,
encountering the hatred of the world. "If they have persecuted me,
they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will
keep yours also" (John 15:20). The "if" looks back to the same word at
the beginning of John 15:18 and 19. If you are My followers, My
friends, then must you have fellowship in My sufferings. They have
persecuted the Lord, and just so far as they live and act accordingly,
they will also persecute His servants. The world may boast of its
liberal principles; it may for a time tolerate a lukewarm
Christianity; but, let the people of God be out and out for Him, and
the secret hatred of the heart will soon manifest itself. When the "I
have chosen you out of the world" becomes a practical reality, then
the world's rage and ban will be displayed. But after all, what is the
world's hatred in comparison with Christ's love! And yet, as has been
said, "If there is anything that true Christians seem incessantly
forgetting, and seem to need incessantly reminding of, it is the real
feeling of unconverted people towards them, and the treatment they
must expect to meet with" (Bishop Ryle).
"If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they
have kept my saying, they will keep yours also." There seems to be a
note of irony here. The Lord had spoken nought but the unadulterated
truth of God, yet the world had not kept His sayings. And why? Because
His sayings condemned them. "For every one that doeth evil hateth the
light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved"
(John 7:20). "The world cannot hate you (His unbelieving brethren);
but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are
evil" (John 7:7). And just so far as we proclaim the truth of God, so
will men (in general) reject our message! "They are of the world:
therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are
of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth
not us" (1 John 4:5, 6).
"But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake,
because they know not him that sent me" (John 15:21). Here the Lord
gives the deepest reason why His disciples would be hated by the
world. "For my name's sake" means, of course, on account of it. It was
because they would represent Him, acting as His ambassadors, that men
would persecute them. Christ would grant His people the high privilege
of sharing His sufferings: "If ye be reproached for the name of
Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon
you" (1 Pet. 4:14). It is the confession of Christ's name which
arouses the enmity of depraved hearts. May we, like Moses, "esteem the
reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt"--the
world (Heb. 11:26). "Because they know not him that sent me": far from
this ignorance affording an excuse, it was inexcusable, because
wilful.
"If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now
they have no cloak for their sin" (John 15:22). Here is an example of
where the words of Scripture cannot be taken in their absolute sense.
When our Lord declared of the Jews that if He had not become incarnate
and spoken unto them "they had not had sin," He does not mean that
they would have been without sin in every sense. The chief design of
the first three chapters of Romans is to establish the fact that all
the world, Jew and Gentile alike, were "guilty before God." Christ was
speaking in a comparative sense. Compared with their immeasurable
guilt of rejecting the Lord of glory, their personal sins were as
nothing. Similar instances where things are represented absolutely,
though intended in a comparative sense, are frequent in Scripture. For
example: "All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted
to him less than nothing" (Isa. 40:17). "So then neither is he that
planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the
increase" (1 Cor. 3:7).
There had been sin all along, and the governmental dealings of God
with men clearly evidenced that He took account of it. But evil as man
had shown himself all through his history, the coming of Christ to the
earth brought sin to such a head, that all that had gone before was
relatively speaking, a trifling thing when compared with the monstrous
evil that was done against incarnate Love. It is a question of the
standard of measurement. There are a number of passages which clearly
teach that there will be degrees of punishment meted out to those who
are lost: Matthew 11:22; Hebrews 10:28, 29, etc. The degree of
punishment will be determined by the heinousness of the sins
committed, and that will be decided by the degree of light sinned
against. When One who was more than man came into the world, the
Divine dignity of His person, the love and light which He manifested,
brought in a new standard of measurement. Christ was here speaking
according to the glory of His person. It will be more tolerable for
Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of judgment than for Capernaum. And why?
Because the latter turned its back upon the King of kings and Lord of
lords.
The principle here enunciated by the Savior is very solemn in its
application, and one which we all do well to take to heart. Spiritual
privileges carry with them heavy responsibilities: "For unto
whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required." (Luke
12:48)! To dwell in a land of open Bibles and preached Gospel, places
men on a very different footing before God than the heathen who have
never heard of Christ. Judgment will be according to the light
enjoyed! The mere fact that men knew the way of truth, and walked not
therein, will only increase their condemnation. To receive Divine
instruction and not improve it, is, as Christ here plainly declares,
to leave men without any cloak (or "excuse") for their sin.
"He that hateth me hateth my Father also" (John 15:23). The Lord here
furnished proof that the sin of despising Him involved guilt of
unparalleled magnitude. Christwords were not only His own words, but
the Father's also. He and the Father were one. The idea of some that
they can acceptably worship the Father while rejecting His Son is a
deceit of man's depraved heart and a lie of the Devil. "The Jews
professed that they loved God, and that on the ground of that love
they hated Christ; the God however, whom they loved was not the true
God, but a phantom which they named God. The fact that they rejected
Christ, in spite of all His words of spirit and truth, showed them to
be the enemies of the Father" (Hengstenberg).
"He that hateth me hateth my Father also." Very solemn is this. In the
previous verses the Lord had shown that the principal reason why the
world would hate His disciples was because of their oneness with
Himself. Now He shows that the reason why the world hated Him was
because of His oneness with the Father. Christ revealed the Father. He
was the express image of His person. In Him dwelt all the fulness of
the Godhead bodily. He that saw Him, saw the Father also. His doctrine
was the truth of God. His life revealed the perfections of God. His
laws expressed the will of God. To dislike Him, then, was proof
positive that they hated God. It is a most fearful fact, but one most
clearly revealed in Scripture, that men in their natural state are
"haters of God" (Rom. 1:30); their minds being "enmity against God"
(Rom. 8:7). It is this hatred of God which causes people to reject
Christ and dislike Christians. Conversely their rejection of Christ
demonstrates their hatred of God. Christ is the test of the state of
every human heart! "What think ye of Christ?" honestly answered,
reveals whether we are His friends or His enemies. There is no God in
the universe except the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and
if men do not believe in, love, worship and serve the Son, they hate
the Father. Just as faith begets love, so unbelief begets hatred.
"If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they
had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my
Father" (John 15:24). How decidedly does the Lord Jesus place Himself
above all the other messengers of God that had preceded Him! The words
"they had not had sin" have the same force here as in John 15:22. If
Israel had not enjoyed such privileges, they had not contracted such
guilt. If they had not heard Him who spake as never man spake, and if
they had not witnessed works such as never man performed, their
criminality in the sight of God would have been so much less that, in
comparison with their culpability now that they had heard and seen and
believed not, had been as nothing. It is to be noted that Christ first
mentioned what He had spoken unto them (John 15:22), and they referred
to the works which He had done among them.
"If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they
had not had sin, but now have they both seen and hated both me and my
Father." "The presence and testimony of the Son of God had the gravest
possible results. It was not only an infinite blessing in itself and
for God's glory, but it left men, and Israel especially, reprobate.
Law had proved man's weakness and sin, as it put under the curse all
who took their stand on the legal principle. There was none righteous,
none that sought after God, none that did good, no, not one. The
heathen were manifestly wicked, the Jews proved so by the
incontestable sentence of the law. Thus every mouth was stopped, and
all the world obnoxious to God's judgment. But the presence of Christ
brought out, not merely failure to meet obligations as under law, but
hatred of Divine goodness come down to men in perfect grace... Sin
before or otherwise was swallowed up in the surpassing sin of
rejecting the Son of God come in love and speaking not merely as man
never spoke, but as God had never spoken."
"But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is
written in their law, They hated me without a cause" (John 15:25).
Terrible indictment of Israel was this. "There was nothing in Christ
to provoke hatred in any but morally disordered, depraved minds.
Nothing in His character, it was faultless; nothing in His doctrines,
they were all true; nothing in His laws, they were holy, just and
good. He never had done the world any harm: He had spent His life in
bestowing favors on men. Why, then, did they hate Him, why did they
persecute Him, why did they put Him to death? They hated Him because
they hated His Father" (Dr. John Brown.)
"But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is
written in their law, They hated me without a cause." Here the Lord
was tracing the world's enmity back to its true source. He had given
no cause for it; it must therefore be attributed to their desperately
wicked hearts. The Lord was further fortifying His disciples. They
must not be surprised nor offended at the bitterness and malice of the
ungodly. His conduct had been mild and benevolent; yet they hated Him.
Let us see to it that we give men no "cause" to hate us. Let their
enmity against us be provoked only by fellowship with Christ: "It is
enough for the disciple that he be as his Master, and the servant as
his Lord. If they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub, how
much more shall they call them of his household!" (Matthew 10:25).
"But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is
written in their law, They hated me without a cause." No doubt Christ
was also anticipating an objection here. How is such hatred possible?
Why does God permit it? The Lord answers by saying, This hatred of the
world is but the fulfillment of God's Word, and therefore of His
inscrutable counsels. So little do the wicked affect by their malice,
they only fulfill the Scriptures--while they draw down upon themselves
the judgments which other passages therein announce. In quoting here
from "their law," Christ showed that the written Word testified
against Israel!
"But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the
Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he
shall testify of me" (John 15:26). The connection here is apparent.
The Lord had been warning the disciples of the opposition they would
meet with from that kingdom over which Satan is "the Prince." But that
only distresses the more their already saddened hearts, therefore did
their tender Master revert again to His original promise--the one
promise repeated most frequently in this Paschal Discourse--that the
Divine Comforter would come to their relief. It was presupposed in
John 15:20, 21 that His disciples would be hated, like Himself, on
account of their word. He predicted their fate to them as His
witnesses. It was obvious that they should think, But how shall we
poor, weak men persist in our testimony, yea, even bear it in the face
of such predicted hatred? He therefore confirms to them their
vocation, and predicts to them with equal clearness that they shall
bear Him testimony in the future (John 15:27). "Not of themselves,
however, and in their own human persons: the Paraclete (the Comforter)
will conduct the cause. He then, however, returns to the former again,
and consoles them by the emphatic assurance that they might not
stumble at this: I have now (more clearly than ever before) foretold
to you both the coming of the Spirit as a Witness against the hatred
of the world, and at the same time the continuance of that hatred in
spite of His testimony" (Stier).
"But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the
Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he
shall testify of me." That the Spirit is here said to "proceed from
the Father" (a statement which has split the Greek from the Roman
"Church," into whose differences we shall not here enter) is
supplementary to what the Lord had said in John 14:26. There the
Comforter was to be sent in Christ's name: here He proceeds from the
Father. The two statements placed side by side, bring out the unity of
the Godhead. This additional word also shows that the Spirit was not
exclusively subordinate to Christ, as some have argued from John
14:26. "He shall testify of me," amplifies His former word in John
14:16, "another Comforter.'' The Spirit would further Christ's
interests, and be unto the disciples (only in another way) all that
Christ would have been unto them had He remained on earth.
"But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the
Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he
shall testify of me." "Here the Comforter is viewed as sent by the
ascended Christ from the Father, and consequently as witness of His
heavenly glory. This is an advance on what we saw in the previous
chapter where Christ asks and the Father gives the Paraclete to be
with them forever, sending Him in His Son's name. Here the Son Himself
sends, though of course, from the Father. The Spirit of truth is thus
the suited Witness of Christ as He is above" (The Bible Treasury).
"Whom I will send" brings out the glory of the exalted Savior in a
most striking way.
"And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the
beginning" (John 15:27). Here the Lord explains to the disciples how
the Spirit would testify and of what it would consist. He would not
make any corporeal manifestation of Himself as had the Son, but He
would bear witness in and through the disciples. He would testify that
which they had already seen in Him, and that which they had already
heard from Him--nothing besides, essentially different or new. Thus it
will be seen that the two "testimonies" of John 15:26 and 27 are not
separate and independent, but natural and harmonious.
"And ye also shall bear witness." Marvellous grace was this. Neither
hostility nor hatred had quenched the compassion of Christ. The world
might cast Him out, yet still would His mercy linger over it. Before
judgment ultimately descended on the world, a further witness to
Himself should be given it, a witness which has already continued for
over eighteen centuries! May Divine power enable every real Christian
to witness faithfully and constantly for our absent Lord. May we by
lip and life bear testimony, in season and out of season, to His
excellency, and to Him as our sufficiency.
The following questions are to aid the student on the opening portion
of John 16:--
1. What is the central theme of verses 1-11?
2. What is the meaning of verse 1?
3. What does the last clause of verse 2 go to prove?
4. What blessings would "remembrance" bring the apostles, verse 4?
5.Why did the apostles ask "Whither goest Thou?" verse 5?
6. Why "expedient" for Christ to go, verse 7?
7. In what way does the Spirit "reprove the world," verse 8?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 54
Christ Vindicated by the Spirit
John 16:1-11
_________________________________________________________________
The following is an Analysis of the passage which is to be before
us:--
1. Reason why Christ warned His disciples, verse 1.
2. Details of what they would suffer, verse 2.
3. Cause of the world's hostility, verse 3.
4. Christ's tender solicitude, verse 4.
5. The disciple's self-occupation, verses 5, 6.
6. The promise of the Spirit, verse 7.
7. The Spirit vindicating Christ, verses 8, 11.
The chapter division between John 15 and 16 is scarcely a happy one,
though perhaps it is not an easy matter to indicate a better: John
16:12 would probably have been a more suitable point for the break,
for verse 12 obviously begins a new sub-section. In the passage which
is to be before us we find the Lord continuing the subject which had
engaged Him at the close of chapter 15. There He had been speaking of
the hatred of the world--against the Father, against Himself, and
against His disciples. Then He had assured them that He would send the
Holy Spirit to conduct His cause. The character in which Christ
mentioned the Third Person of the Godhead--"the Comforter"--should
have quieted the fears and sorrows of the apostles. Now Christ returns
to the world's hatred, entering more into detail. Previously, He had
spoken in general terms of the world's enmity; now He proceeds to
speak more particularly, sketching as He does the future fortunes of
Christianity, describing the first chapter of its history.
Most faithfully did the Savior proceed to warn His disciples of the
treatment which would be meted out to them by their enemies.
Strikingly has Mr. John Brown commented upon our Lord's conduct on
this occasion. "The founders of false religions have always endeavored
to make it appear to be the present interest of those whom they
addressed to acquiesce in their pretentions and submit to their
guidance. To his countrymen the Arabian impostor held out the lure of
present sensual indulgence; and when he at their head, made war in
support of his imposture, the terms proffered to the conquered were
proselytism, with a full share in the advantages of their victors, or
continued unbelief with slavery or death. It has indeed been the
policy of all deceivers, of whatever kind, to conceal from the dupes
of their artifice, whatever might prejudice against their schemes, and
skillfully to work on their hopes and fears by placing in a prominent
point of view all the advantages which might result from them
embracing their schemes, and all the disadvantages which might result
from their rejecting them. An exaggerated view is given both of the
probabilities of success, and of the value of the benefits to be
secured by it, while great care is taken to throw into the shade the
privations that must be submitted to, the labor that must be
sustained, the sacrifices that must be made, the sufferings that must
be endured, and the ruin that may be incurred, in joining in the
proposed enterprise.
"How different the conduct of Jesus Christ! He had no doubt promised
His followers a happiness, ample and varied as their capacities of
enjoyment, and as enduring as their immortal souls; but He distinctly
intimated that this happiness was spiritual in its nature, and to be
fully enjoyed only in a future world! He assured them that, following
Him, they should all become inheritors of a kingdom; but He with equal
plainness stated that that kingdom was not of this world, and that he
who would enter into it must `forsake all,' and `take up his cross.'
Himself poor and despised, `a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with
grief.' He plainly intimated that His followers must be `in the world,
as He was in the world.'"
The disciples of Christ were to be hated by the world! But it is
highly important that we do not form too narrow a view of what is
meant by "the world." Satan has tried hard to obliterate the line
which separates between those who are "of the world" and those who are
"not of the world." And to a large extent he has succeeded. The
professing "Church" has boasted that it would convert the world. To
accomplish this aim, it has sought to popularize "religion."
Innumerable devices have been employed--many of which even a sense of
propriety should have suppressed--to attract the ungodly. The result
has been the world has converted the "professing Church." But
notwithstanding this it still remains true that "the world" hates the
true followers of the Lamb. And nowhere is this more plainly evident
than in those who belong to what we may term the religious world. This
will come before us in the course of our exposition.
The closing verses of our present portion announce the relationship of
the Holy Spirit to "the world" and it is this which distinguishes the
first division of John 16 from the closing section of John 15. In the
concluding verses of John 15 the Lord had spoken of the world's
hatred, and this still engages Him in the first few verses of chapter
16. But in verse 7 He refers once more to the Holy Spirit, and in
verses John 8:11 presents Him as His Vindicator. It is this which has
guided us in selecting the title of our present chapter: its
suitability must be determined by the interpretation which follows.
"These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended"
(John 16:1). Before the Lord describes in detail the forms in which
the world's hostility would be manifested, He paused to acquaint the
disciples with His reasons for announcing these things. First, it was
in order that they should not be "offended" or "stumbled" or
"scandalized" as the word means. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.
Christ would prepare His people beforehand by telling them plainly
what they might expect. Instead of contending among themselves which
should be the greatest, He bids them prepare to drink of the cup He
drank of and to be baptised with the baptism wherewith He was to be
baptised. It was not that He would discourage them, far from it; He
would fortify them against what lay ahead. And bow this evidenced the
tender concern of their Master. How it demonstrates once more that He
"loved them unto the end"! And how gracious of the Lord to thus warn
us! Should we not often have stumbled had He not told us beforehand
what to expect?
"These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended."
That there was need for this warning is very evident. Already the
question had been asked, "Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed
thee; what shall we have therefore?" (Matthew 19:27). Moreover, that
very night all would be "offended" because of Him: "Then saith Jesus
unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night; for it
is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock
shall be scattered abroad" (Matthew 26:31). But, it may be asked, Why
should Christ here forewarn the disciples when He knew positively that
they would be offended? Ah! why tell Peter to "watch and pray lest he
enter into temptation" (Mark 14:38), when the Lord had already
foretold that he would deny Him thrice! Why command that the Gospel
should be preached to every creature when He foreknows that the great
majority gill not believe it! The answer to each of these questions
is: to enforce human responsibility.
"They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that
whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service" (John
16:2). Out of the catalogue of sufferings to which the disciples
should be subjected, the Lord selects for mention two samples of all
the rest: an extreme torture of the mind and the final infliction upon
the body. It is indeed solemn to observe that this persecution of
Christ's people comes from the religious world. The first fulfillment
of this prophecy was from the Jews, who professed to be the people of
God. But Christ indentifies them with the world. Their sharing in and
display of its spirit showed plainly where they belonged. And the same
is true to-day. Where profession is not real, even those who bear the
name of Christ are part of "the world," and they are the first to
persecute those who do follow Christ. When the walk of the Christian
condemns that of the worldly professor, when faithfulness to his Lord
prevents him from doing many things which the world does, and when
obedience to the Word obliges him to do many things which the world
dislikes, then enmity is at once aroused and persecution
follows--persecution just as bitter and real to--day, though its forms
be changed.
"To be `put out of the synagogue' was more than simply to be excluded
from the place of public worship. It cut a man off from the privileges
of his own people, and from the society of his former associates. It
was a sort of moral outlawry, and the physical disabilities followed
the sufferer even after death. To be under this ban was almost more
than flesh and blood could bear. All men shunned him on whom such a
mark was set. He was literally an outcast; in lasting disgrace and
perpetual danger. Those familiar with the history of the dark ages, or
who are acquainted with the effects of losing caste among the Hindoos,
will be able to realize the terrors of such a system" (Mr. Geo.
Brown).
Sometimes the degradation of excommunication was the prelude to death.
Cases of this are recorded in the book of Acts. We find there mention
made of a class called "zealots." They were a desperate and fanatical
faction who thirsted for the blood of Christians. "And when it was
day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a
curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink, till they had
killed Paul. And they were more than forty which had made this
conspiracy" (Acts 23:12, 13). That such men were not restricted to the
lower classes is evident from the case of Saul of Tarsus, who tells us
that in his unregenerate days, "I verily thought with myself, that I
ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut
up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and
when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them" (Acts 26:9,
10).
How fearfully do such things manifest the awful depravity of the human
heart! It has been the same in every age: godliness has always met
with hatred and hostility. "Cain, who was of the wicked one, and slew
his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were
evil, and his brother's righteous" (1 John 3:12). He that is upright
in the way is abomination to the wicked" (Prov. 29:27). "They hate him
that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly"
(Amos 5:10). It is the same now. Faithfulness to Christ will stir up
religious rancour. In spite of the boasted liberalism of the day, men
are still intolerant, and manifest their enmity just so far as they
dare.
"And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known
the Father, nor me" (John 16:3). Here the Lord traces, once more, the
world's undying ill-will to its true source: it is because they are
not acquainted with the Father and the Son. Hatred and persecution of
God's children are both the consequence and the proof of the spiritual
ignorance of their enemies. Had the Jews really known the Father in
whom they vainly boasted, they would have acknowledged the One whom He
had sent unto them, and acknowledging Him, they would not have
mistreated His followers. Thus it is to-day! "Whosoever believeth that
Jesus is the Christ is born of God. And every one that loveth Him that
begat loveth him also that is begotten of Him" (1 John 5:1).
"But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye
may remember that I told you of them" (John 16:4). The Lord had
already given one reason (John 16:1), why He had spoken these things
to the disciples, now He gives them another: He made these revelations
that their faith in Him might be increased when the events should
confirm His prophecy. The fulfillment of this prediction would deepen
their assurance in Him as the omniscient God, and this would encourage
them to depend upon the veracity of His promises. If the evil things
which He foretold came to pass, then the good things of which He had
assured them must be equally dependable.
"And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was
with you" (John 16:4). "The Lord also tells them why He had not told
them at the first. The full revelation was more than their weak hearts
could bear. They would be staggered at the prospect. They must be
gradually trained to this. Not all at once, but by little and little,
as they were able to bear it, He unfolds the scheme of His cross, and
of their duties and dangers. The Lord has milk for His babes, and meat
for His strong men. And there was as yet no need for this. For He
Himself was with them, and by the less could prepare for the greater.
He was with them, as a nurse with her children; to lead them on from
strength to strength, from one degree of grace and Christian virtue to
another. But now that He was about to depart from them, and leave
them, as it were, to themselves; to see how they will acquit
themselves in that contest for which He has been training them all the
while; it is necessary that all the more plainly and fully He should
lay before them their future--at first this was not needed.
`Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.' And He was yet with
them and could gradually unfold it to them. And there was yet time.
But as time goes on, we see Him and hear Him opening page after page
of the volume of His secret Providence to their opening minds; till
finally, as here, He tells them plainly and fully even of the
extremest trials that are coming upon them" (Mr. Geo. Brown).
"And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was
with you." But how are we to reconcile this with such passages as
Matthew 5:10, 12; Matthew 10:21, 28, etc.? In addition to the solution
offered above, namely, that Christ gradually unfolded these things to
the apostles, we may point out: First, He had not previously said that
the world would do these things unto them; that is, He had not
hitherto intimated that they would be hated by all men. Second,
previously He had not declared that the reason for this hatred was
because of men's ignorance of the Father and the Son. Third, He had
not previously predicted that such persecution would proceed from the
delusion that the perpetrators would imagine that they were doing God
a service!
"But now I go my way to him that sent me" (John 16:5). There are some
who would connect this first clause of the verse with the end of John
16:4, thus: "And these things I said not unto you at the beginning,
because I was with you; but now I go my way to him that sent me." And
then after a brief pause, the Lord asked, "And does no one of you ask
whither I go; but because I have thus spoken to you, your heart is
filled with sorrow." This is quite likely, and seems a natural and
beautiful connection.
"And none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?" (John 16:5). In John
13:36, we find Peter asking Christ, "Whither goest thou?" But this was
an unintelligent forwardness, for he evidently thought that the Lord
was going on an earthly journey (cf. John 7:5). In John 14:5: Thomas
said, "We know not whither thou goest," but this was more by way of
objection. What the Lord wanted was an intelligent, sympathetic,
affectionate response to what He had been saying. But the apostles
were so absorbed in grief that they looked not beyond the cloud which
seemed to overshadow them. they were so occupied with the present
calamity as not to think of the blessing, which would issue from it.
They were depressed at the prospect of their Master's departure. Had
they only asked themselves whither He was going, they would have felt
glad for Him; for though it was their loss, it was certainly His
gain--the joy of being with His Father, the rest of sitting down on
high, the blessedness of entering again into the glory which He had
before the foundation of the world. It was therefore a rebuke for
their self-occupation, and how tenderly given!
"But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled
your heart" (John 16:6). How often it is thus with us! We magnify our
afflictions, and fail to dwell upon the blessings which they bear. We
mourn and are in heaviness in the "cloudy and dark day," when the
heavens are black with clouds and the wind brings a heavy rain,
forgetting the beneficial effects upon the parched earth, which only
thus can bring forth its fruits for our enjoyment. We wish it to be
always spring, and consider not that without winter first, spring
cannot be. It was so with the disciples. Instead of making the most of
the little time left them with their Master, in asking Him more about
His place and work in Heaven, they could think of nothing but His
departure. What a warning is this against being swallowed up by
over-much sorrow! We need to seek grace to enable us to keep it under
control.
"But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled
your heart." It is blessed to learn that the disciples did not
continue for long in this disconsolate mood. A very different spirit
was theirs after the Savior's resurrection. Strikingly is this brought
out in the concluding verses of Luke's Gospel: "And he led them out as
far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And
it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and
carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to
Jerusalem with great joy: And were continually in the temple, praising
and blessing God." Forty days of fellowship with Him after He had come
forth victor of the grave, had removed their doubts, dispelled their
fears, and filled their souls with joy unspeakable.
"Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go
away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you"
(John 16:7). Blessed contrast! The disciples, at the moment, had no
thought for Him, but He was thinking of them and assured them that
though they lost Him for a while, it would be their gain. Though they
had failed to ask, their compassionate Master did not fail to answer.
Ever more ready to hear than we are to pray, and want to give more
than we desire; ready to make allowance for them in their present
distress, and thinking always more of the sufferings of others than
His own; thinking more now of those He is leaving behind, than of the
agony He is going forth to meet--before they call He answers, answers
what should have been their request, declaring unto them the
expediency of His departure.
"Nevertheless" is adversative: I know you are saddened at the prospect
of My departure, but My going is needful for you. "I tell you the
truth": the personal pronoun is emphatic in the Greek--I who love you,
I who am about to lay down My life for you: therefore you must believe
what I am saying. I tell you the truth. Your misgivings of heart have
beclouded your understandings, you misapprehend things. You think that
if I remain with you, all the evils which I have mentioned would be
prevented. Alas, you know not what is best for you. "It is expedient
for you that I go away": It is for your profit, your advantage. It is
striking to note the contrast between our Lord's use here of
"expedient" from the same words on the lips of Caiaphas in John 11:50!
But what did the Lord mean? How was His going away their gain? We
believe that there is a double answer to this question according as we
understand Christ's declaration here to have a double reference.
Notice that He did not say "It is expedient for you that I go my way
to him that sent me?" as He had said in John 16:4. He simply said, "it
is expedient for you that I go away." We believe that Christ
designedly left it abstract. Whither was He "going" when He spake
these words? Ultimately, to the Father, but before that He must go to
the Cross. Was not His first reference then to His impending death?
And was it not highly expedient for the disciples and for us, that the
Lord Jesus should go to and through the sufferings of Calvary?
"For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you." "The
atoning death of Christ was necessary to make it consistent with the
Divine government to bestow on men these spiritual blessings which are
necessarily connected with the saving influence of the Holy Spirit.
All such blessings from the beginning had been bestowed with a
reference to that atonement; and it was fitting that these blessings,
in their richest abundance, should not be bestowed till that atonement
was made" (Mr. John Brown). "`Unless I go away,' that is, unless I
die, nothing will be done--you will continue as you are and everything
will remain in its old state: the Jews under the law of Moses, the
heathen in their blindness--all under sin and death. No scripture
would then be fulfilled, and I should have come in vain" (Mr. Martin
Luther).
But while we understand our Lord's first reference in His words "If I
go not away" to be to His death, we would by no means limit them to
this. Doubtless He also looked forward to His return to the Father.
This also was expedient for His disciples. "So fond had they grown of
His fleshly presence, they could not endure that He should be out of
their sight. Nothing but His corporeal presence could quiet them. We
know who said, If Thou hadst been here, Lord, as if absent, He had not
been able to do it by His Spirit, as present by His body. And a
tabernacle they would needs build Him to keep Him on earth still; and
ever and anon they were still dreaming of an earthly kingdom, and of
the chief seats there, as if their consummation should have been in
the flesh. The corporeal presence therefore is to be removed, that the
spiritual might take place" (Bishop Andrews).
In other ways, too, was it "expedient" for His disciples that the
Savior should take His place on High. It is of a glorified Christ that
the Spirit testifies, and for that the Savior had to "go away."
Moreover, had Christ remained on earth He had been localized, His
bodily presence confined to one place: whereas by the Spirit He is now
omnipresent--where two or three disciples are gathered together in His
name, there is He in the midst. Again; had the Lord Jesus remained on
earth there had been far less room and opportunity for His people to
exercise faith. Furthermore, this cannot be gainsaid: after Christ had
ascended and the Spirit descended, the apostles were new men. They did
far more for an absent Lord, than they ever did while He was with them
in the flesh.
"But if I depart, I will send him unto you" (John 16:7). "Every
rendering of this verse ought to keep the distinction between
`apeltho' and `poreutho,' which is not sufficiently done in the
English Version, by `going away' and `depart.' `Depart' and `go' would
be better! The first expressing merely the leaving them, the second,
the going up to the Father" (Dean Alford). We believe our Lord's fine
discrimination here confirms our interpretation above of the double
reference in His "if I go not away," though we know of no commentator
who takes this view.
"And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of
righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:8). There is hardly a
sentence in this Gospel which has been more generally misunderstood
than the one just quoted. With rare exceptions this verse is
understood to refer to the benign activities of the Holy Spirit among
those who hear the Gospel. It is supposed to define His work in the
conscience prior to conversion. It is regarded as a description of His
gracious operations in bringing the sinner to see his need of a
Savior. So firmly has this idea taken root in the minds even of the
Lord's people, it is difficult to induce them to study this verse for
themselves--study it in the light of what precedes, study it in the
light of the amplification which follows, study the terms employed,
comparing their usage in other passages. If this be done carefully and
dispassionately, we feel confident that many will discover how
untenable is the popular view of it.
It should be very evident that something must be wrong if this verse
be interpreted so as to clash with Christ's explicit statement in John
14:17, "The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive." What then
is the character of the "reproof" that is here spoken of? Is it an
evangelical conviction wrought in the heart, or is it something that
is altogether external? Almost all the older commentators regarded it
as the former. We, with an increasing number of later writers, believe
it is the latter. One of the leading lexicons of the twentieth century
gives as the meaning of elencho, "to bring in guilty; to put to shame
by proving one to be wrong; to convict with a view to condemnation and
judgment, but not necessarily to convince; to bring in guilty without
any confession or feeling of guilt by the guilty one."
The general use of the word in the New Testament decidedly confirms
this definition. It occurs in John 3:20: "For every one that doeth
evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds
should be reproved," which obviously means: lest the evil nature of
his deeds should be so manifested by the light that excuse of
extenuation would be impossible. It is found again in John 8:46,
"Which of you convinceth me of sin?": most certainly Christ did not
mean, Which of you is able to convince Me, or make Me realize I have
sinned. Rather, Which of you can substantiate a charge? which of you
can furnish proof of sin against Me? It is rendered "reproved" in Luke
3:19, meaning "charged," not made to feel guilty. So too in Ephesians
5:11; 2 Timothy 4:2.
Thus, in each of the above passages "elencho" refers to an objective
condemnation, and not to a subjective realization of condemnation. In
1 Timothy 5:20 it is rendered, "rebuke". So also in Titus 1:13; Titus
2:15; Hebrews 12:5; Romans 3:19. Clearer still, if possible, is its
force in James 2:9, "But if ye have respect of persons, ye commit sin,
and are convicted of the law as transgressors." Rightly did Bishop
Ryle say in his comments on John 16:8, "Inward conviction is certainly
not the meaning of the word rendered `reprove.' It is rather
refutation by proofs, convicting by unanswerable arguments as an
advocate, that is meant."
The next point to be considered is, How does the Holy Spirit "reprove
the world of sin," etc.? In order to answer this question aright it
needs to be pointed out that our Lord was not, in these verses,
describing the mission of the Holy Spirit, that is, the specific work
which He would perform when He came to earth. We grant that at first
sight the words "He will reprove" appear to describe His actual
operations, but if everything in the passage is attentively studied,
should it be seen that this is not the case. We believe our present
verse is similar in its scope and character to Matthew 10:34, "I came
not to send peace, but a sword." To send a "sword" was not the nature
of Christ's mission, but, because of the perversity of fallen human
nature, it was the effect of His being here. Again, in Luke 12:49 He
said, "I am come to send fire on the earth." It is the very presence
of the Spirit on earth which, though quite unknown to them, reproves
or condemns the world.
The Holy Spirit ought not to be here at all. That is a startling
statement to make, yet we say it thoughtfully. From the standpoint of
the world, Christ is the One who ought to be here. The Father sent Him
into the world, Why, then, is He not here? The world would not have
Him. The world hated Him. The world cast Him out. But Christ would not
leave His own "orphans" (John 14:18, margin). He graciously sent the
Holy Spirit to them, and, to the angels and His saints, the very
presence of the Holy Spirit on earth "reproves", or brings in guilty,
the world. The Holy Spirit is here to take the place (unto His
disciples) of an absent Christ, and thus the guilt of the world is
demonstrated.
Confirmatory of what has been pointed out, observe particularly the
character in which the third person of the Godhead is here
contemplated: "and he shall reprove." Who shall do so? The previous
verse tells us, "The Comforter." The Greek word is "paracletos" and is
rightly rendered "Advocate" in 1 John 2:1. Now an "advocate" produces
a "conviction" not by bringing a wrong-doer to realize or feel his
crime, but by producing proofs before a court that the wrong-doer is
guilty. In other words, he "reproves" objectively, not subjectively.
Such is the thought of our present passage: it is the actual presence
of the Holy Spirit on earth which objectively reproves, rebukes,
convicts "the world."
"Here the Holy Spirit is not spoken of as dealing with individuals
when He regenerates them and they believe, but as bringing conviction
to the world because of sin. The Holy Ghost being here, convicts the
world, i.e., what is outside where He is. Were there faith, He would
be in their midst: but the world doth not believe. Hence Christ is, as
everywhere in John, the standard for judging the condition of men"
(Mr. W. Kelly).
But some may object, If this passage be not treating of a subjective
work of evangelical conviction, why does the Holy Spirit "reprove" the
world at all? what is gained if the world knows it not? But such a
question proceeds on an entire mis-conception. We say again, these
verses are not treating of what the Spirit does, but mention the
consequence of His being here. John 9:39 gives us almost a parallel
thought, "And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that
they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made
blind." In John 3:17 we are told, "For God sent not his Son into the
world to condemn the world." How then are these two passages to be
harmonized? John 3:17 give us the mission on which God sent His Son;
John 9:39 names one of the consequences which resulted from His coming
here. His very presence judged everything that was contrary to God. So
the presence of the Spirit on earth judges the world, condemns it for
Christ's being absent.
"Of sin, because they believe not on me" (John 16:9). The presence of
the Divine Paraclete on earth establishes three indictments against
"the world." First "of sin." "He was in the world, and the world was
made by him, and the world knew him not" (John 1:10). The word "knew"
here means far more than to be cognizant of or to be acquainted with.
It means that the world loved Him not, as the word "know" is used in
John 10:4, 5, 14, 15, etc. In like manner, unbelief is far more than
an error of judgment, or nonconsent of the mind: it is aversion of
heart. And "the world" is unchanged. It has no more love for Christ
now than it had when its princes (1 Cor. 2:8) crucified Him. Hence the
present tense here: "because they believe not on me."
"Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more"
(John 16:10). The personal "I" links up with John 16:7, the last
clause of which should be carefully noted: `7 will send him unto you."
The Paraclete is here as Christ's "Advocate." Now the office and duty
of an "advocate" is to vindicate his client when his cause permits of
it: to do so by adducing evidence which shall silence his adversary.
It is in this character that the Holy Spirit is related to "the
world." He is here not to improve it, and make it a better place to
live in, but to establish its consummate sin, to furnish proof of its
guilt, and thus does He vindicate that blessed One whom the world cast
out.
If it were the subjective work of the Holy Spirit in individual souls
which was here in view, it had necessarily read, "He will convict the
world... of unrighteousness," because it is destitute of it. But this
is not the thought here at all. It is the Spirit's presence on earth
which establishes Christ's "righteousness," and the evidence is that
He has gone to the Father. Had Christ been an impostor, as the
religious world insisted when they east Him out, the Father had not
received Him. But the fact that the Father did exalt Him to His own
right hand demonstrates that He was completely innocent of the charges
laid against Him; and the proof that the Father has received Him, is
the presence now of the Holy Spirit on earth, for Christ has "sent"
Him from the Father. The world was unrighteous in casting Him out; the
Father righteous in glorifying Him, and this is what the Spirit's
presence here established.
"Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged" (John
16:11). Had our passage been describing the work of the Spirit in
producing conversion this order had been reversed, the "judgment"
would have preceded the (un) "righteousness." Let this detail be
carefully pondered. If the Spirit's reproof of "sin" means His
bringing the sinner to realize his lost condition, and His reproving
of "righteousness" means making him feel his need of Christ's
righteousness, then wherein would be the need of still further
convincing of "judgment"? It does not seem possible to furnish any
satisfactory answer! But understanding the whole passage to treat of
the objective consequences of the Spirit's presence on earth, then
John 16:11 furnished a fitting conclusion.
"Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged." This is the
logical climax. The world stands guilty of refusing to believe in
Christ: its condemnation is attested by the righteousness of Christ,
exhibited in His going to the Father: therefore nothing awaits it but
judgment. The Spirit's presence here is the evidence that the Prince
of this world has been judged--when He departs sentence is executed,
both on the world and on Satan. "This, therefore, is the testimony of
the Holy Spirit to the world. It is heaven's reversal of the world's
treatment of Christ. It is the answer of the righteous Father to what
the world has done to His Son, and must not be interpreted of Gospel
conviction" ("Things to Come," Vol. 5, p. 142).
The following questions are to aid the student for our next lesson:--
1. What did Christ mean by "ye cannot bear them now," verse 12?
2. Have the "many things" been said, verse 12?
3. What is implied by the word "guide," verse 13? Meditate on it.
4. What is meant by "he shall not speak of himself," verse 13?
5. Where has the Spirit shown us "things to come," verse 13?
6. To whom was Christ referring in verse 16?
7. Find the verse which records the disciples "rejoicing," verse 22.
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 55
Christ Glorified by theSpirit
John 16:12-22
_________________________________________________________________
Below is an Analysis of the passage which is to be before us:--
1. The need for the Spirit's coming, verse 12.
2. The purpose of the Spirit's coming, verse 13.
3. The end accomplished by the Spirit's coming, verse 14.
4. The subordination of the Spirit, verse 15.
5. The effect of the Spirit's coming, verse 16.
6. The disciples' mystification, verses 17-19.
7. The Lord's profound prediction, verses 20-22.
That which is central in this second section of John 16 is the Holy
Spirit glorifying the Lord Jesus. The more closely our present passage
be studied, the more will it be found that this is the keynote of it.
At first sight there does not seem to be any unity about this portion
of Scripture. In John 16:12, the Lord declares that He had yet many
things to say unto the apostles, but they were unable to bear them. In
John 16:13-15, Christ made direct reference to the Holy Spirit, and
what He would do for and in believers. In John 16:16 the Savior
uttered an allegorical proverb (see John 16:25), which mystified the
disciples, causing them to ask one another what He meant by it. While
in the last three verses He made mention of their sorrow and of the
joy which would follow His departure. Yet, varied as these subjects
appear to be, closer study will show that they are intimately
connected and logically grow out of what is found in the opening
verses.
Nowhere else did our Lord give so full a word concerning the blessed
person and work of the Holy Spirit. Seven things are here postulated
of Him. He would act as "the Spirit of truth," He would guide
believers into all truth, He would not speak of Himself, He would
speak what He heard; He would show believers things to come; He would
glorify Christ; He would take of the things of Christ and show them
unto His people. Why, then, it may be asked, have we not entitled this
chapter, The Work of the Spirit with and in Christians? Because what
is here predicated of Him is in special and direct relation to Christ.
It is the Holy Spirit glorifying the Lord Jesus, glorifying Him by
magnifying Him before believers. Not only is this expressly affirmed
in John 16:14, but the character in which He acts throughout affords
further proof.
In John 16:7 the Savior declared, "But I the truth say to you, It is
profitable for you that I should go away: for if I go not away the
Paraclete will not come" (Bagster's Interlinear). Now in John 16:13,
He says, "But when he, the Spirit of the truth, [the Greek has the
article] has come, he will guide you into all the truth." It is, then,
as the Spirit of Christ that He is here viewed. This is further
emphasized in John 16:14: "He shall glorify me, for he shall receive
of mine, and shall show it unto you"--words which are repeated in John
16:15. It is therefore plain that the central and distinguishing
subject of our present section is Christ glorified by the Spirit. How
this applies to the dosing verses will be indicated in the course of
our exposition.
"It has been repeatedly shown, and in this chapter most expressly,
that the presence of the Spirit depended on the departure of Christ to
heaven consequently fitting the saints for the new truths, work,
character, and hopes of Christianity. The disciples were not ignorant
of the promises that the Spirit should be given to inaugurate the
reign of the Messiah. They knew the judgment under which the chosen
people abide, `until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high, and
the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted
for a forest,' so vast outwardly, no less than inwardly, the change
when God pats forth His power for the Kingdom of His Son. They know
that He will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh; not only the sons and
daughters, the old and young of Israel enjoying a blessing far beyond
all temporal favors, but the servants and the handmaidens, in short,
all flesh, and not the Jews alone sharing it.
But here it is the sound heard when the great High Priest goes in into
the sanctuary before Jehovah (Ex. 28:35), and not only when He comes
out for the deliverance and joy of repentant Israel in the last days.
It is the Spirit given when the Lord Jesus went on high, and by Him
thus gone. For this they were wholly unprepared, as indeed it is one
of the most essential characteristics, of God's testimony between the
rejection and the reception of the Jews; and the Spirit, when given,
was to supply what the then state of the disciples could not bear"
(Bible Treasury.)
Never can we be sufficiently thankful for the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Though our blessed Savior is in heaven, we have a Divine Person with
us on earth: a person who quickens us (John 5:21), who indwells us (1
Cor. 6:19), who loves us (Rom. 15:7), who leads us (Rom. 8:14), who
gives us assurance of our sonship (Rom. 8:16), who helpeth our
infirmities by making intercession for us (Rom. 8:26), and who has
sealed us unto the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30). O that we may not
grieve Him. O that we may recognize His indwelling presence and act
accordingly. O that we may avail ourselves of His Divine fulness and
power.
"I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now"
(John 16:12). The contents of John 16:8 to 11 are parenthetical in
their character, in that in John 16:1 to 7 Christ has been speaking of
and to His disciples, digressing for a moment to complete what He said
previously about "the world." Now He turns to consider His own again,
and they in connection with the sending of the Holy Spirit to them.
The Lord had yet many things to say unto those who had followed Him in
the day of His rejection, things which it was deeply important for
them to know, but things which they were then in no condition to
receive--"ye cannot bear them now." The Greek word here for "bear" is
used in a double sense in the New Testament, literally and
figuratively. In John 10:31 it is rendered, "Then the Jews took up
stones again to stone Him": they laid hold of these stones. In Luke
10:4 it is translated, "Carry neither purse nor scrip." In Matthew
20:12, the word is employed figuratively: "Thou hast made them equal
with us which have borne the burden and heat of the day." So in
Revelation 2:2: "I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience,
and how thou canst not bear them which are evil." From these
references it would appear that our Lord signified that the apostles
were then incapable of laying hold of or retaining what He, otherwise,
would have said to them; incapable because they could not endure such
revelations.
"I have yet many things to say unto you, hut ye cannot bear them now."
The fact that the Eleven were in no condition to receive, unable to
endure these further revelations from the Savior, demonstrated their
need for the Holy Spirit to come and guide them into all the truth:
suitable introduction, then, was that for this new section! Moreover,
it hints strongly of the nature of the "many things" which Christ then
had in mind. The apostles were prejudiced. Their hearts were set on
the establishment of the Messianic kingdom. They could not tolerate
the thought of Christ leaving them and returning to the Father. But
the Lord Jesus could not at that time ascend the throne of David.
Israel had rejected Him, and bitter would be the results for them,
though most merciful would be the consequences for the Gentiles.
Hence, we take it, that what our Lord here had in view was God's
rejection of Israel, and His turning unto the Gentiles: the abolishing
of the old covenant, and the introduction of the new: the abrogation
of the ceremonial law and the bringing in of another order of
priesthood: instructions for the government of His churches:
prophecies concerning the future.
"I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now."
This is both blessed and searching. Blessed, bemuse it shows our
Lord's tender considerateness: He would not press upon them what they
were in no condition to receive. Few things are more irritating than
to hear without understanding. What an example for teachers now to
follow! Much discernment and wisdom is needed if we are to minister
the Word "in season," a word suited to the spiritual condition of our
hearers, and such wisdom can only be obtained by earnest waiting upon
God. But there is also a searching and solemn force to this utterance
of Christ's. How many a communication would He not make to us, could
we "bear" it! Paul had to have a thorn in the flesh sent him, lest he
be exalted above measure through "the abundance of the revelations"
which he received when he was caught up into Paradise; and in view of
this, we are strongly inclined to believe that the "many things" which
Christ had in mind also included revelations about Paradise and
Heaven, the more so in view of John 16:5: "But now I go my way to him
that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?" But
"sorrow" had filled their hearts (John 16:6), and this unfitted them
for fuller disclosures about the Higher World.
"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into
all truth" (16:13). Here is the answer to a question.which must have
occurred to many in meditating upon the previous verse: Did these
apostles ever after bewail a lost opportunity? No; graciously did the
Lord provide against that. "Howbeit," even so, though they could not
bear these things then, when the Paraclete had come, He should guide
them into all the truth! The One who would thus undertake for them is
called "The Spirit of the truth." In addition to affirming that He was
the Spirit of "the truth" (of Christ), this title also emphasized His
suitability for such a task, His competency as the Savior's Witness.
The Spirit was fully qualified because He is "the Spirit of the
truth": because of His perfect knowledge of the Truth, because of His
infinite love for the Truth, and because of His absolute incapacity
for falsehood. Scripture speaks of "the spirit of error" (1 John 4:6).
There is a lying spirit who controls the blind, that leads the blind,
and in consequence they "both fall into the ditch."
Another thing suggested by this title of the third person of the
Godhead is His relation to and connection with the written Word,
which, like the incarnate Word is also called "the truth": "Sanctify
them through thy truth: thy word is truth" (John 17:17). The
inspiration of the Holy Scriptures is in an unique sense the work of
the Holy Spirit: "holy [separated] men of God spake moved by the Holy
Spirit" (2 Pet. 1:21). So too the interpretation of Scripture is the
special work of the Spirit: "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither
have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared
for them that love him. But God hath revealed unto us by his Spirit:
for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For
what man knoweth the things of a man, save [by] the spirit of man
which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but [by]
the Spirit of God" (1 Cor. 2:9-11). Before he can see, man must have
both sight and light. Eyes cannot see in the darkness, and light shows
nothing to the blind. So with regard to the Truth: there must be the
seeing eye and illuminating light. For an interpreter we need a
trustworthy guide, an infallible teacher; and he is to be found not in
the "Church," the "voice of tradition," the "intuitive faculty," or in
reason, but in the Spirit of God. He it is who quickens, illumines,
interprets, and the only instrument which He uses is the written Word.
Therefore is He called "the Spirit of the truth."
"He will guide you." There are three classes of people who need to be
"guided": those who are blind, those who are too weak to walk alone,
or those journeying through an unknown country. In each of these
senses does the Holy Spirit guide God's elect. By nature, we are
spiritually blind, and He guided us into the way of "truth" (2 Pet.
2:2). Then as "babes" in Christ, He has to teach us how to walk (Rom.
8:14). Then as travelers through this wilderness scene, as we journey
to the Heavenly Country, He points out the "narrow way which leadeth
unto life." Note carefully, "He will guide you into all the truth,"
not "bring you into": there must be a yieldedness on our part, a
corresponding obedience! If the Spirit "guides" our steps, the
necessary implication is that we are walking with Him, that we are
closely following His directions. This term also suggests an orderly,
gradual and progressive advancing: we grow in "knowledge" as well as
in "grace" (2 Pet. 3:18).
"He will guide you into all the truth," not all truths, but "all the
truth." God's truth is one connected, harmonious, indivisible whole
(compare our remarks on John 7:16). "All the truth" here means all
revealed truth, which is recorded in the written Word. That we have in
our hands "all the truth" is clearly implied by one of the dosing
verses in the last book of the Bible: "If any man shall add unto these
things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this
Book" (Rev. 22:18).
"For he shall not speak of himself." This does not mean, as some
suppose, that He should not speak about Himself. He has told us much
about Himself in every section of the Scriptures. But He would not
speak from Himself, independently of the Father and the Son. As the
Son came not to act independently of the Father, but to serve His
Father, so the Spirit is here to serve the Son. The reference is to
His administrative position.
"I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my
judgment is just: because I seek not mine own will, but the will of
the Father which hath sent me" (John 5:30). "I have many things to say
and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the
world these things which I have heard of him" (John 8:26). "These
declarations respecting both the Son and Spirit must appear
inconsistent with Their supreme Divinity, to every one who does not
know the doctrine of the economical subordination of the Son and
Spirit in the great plan of human redemption. Essentially the Spirit
and the Son are equal to, for they are one with, the Father.
Economically, the Father is greater than the Son and the Spirit, for
He sends Them; the Son is greater than the Spirit, for He sends Him.
Without apprehending this distinction, we cannot interpret the sacred
Scriptures, nor form any clear notion of the way of salvation. The
Spirit like the Son, would be faithful to Him who appointed Him. In
speaking to the apostles, in conveying information to their minds, He
would communicate just what He was sent to communicate, without
excess, without defect, without variation" (Mr. Brown).
"But whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak" (John 16:13). This
is parallel with John 15:15, "For all things that I have heard of my
Father, I have made known unto you." What a searching word is this for
every teacher! "If the Spirit may not speak of Himself, if He speaks
only what He has heard of the Father and the Son--O, preacher! how
canst thou draw thy preaching out of thyself, out of thy head, or even
thy heart?" (Gossner).
"And he will show you things to come" (John 16:13). Mark the
progressive order in these several statements concerning the work of
the Spirit. In John 14:26 the Lord declared that the Spirit would
recall to the apostles the past: "But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit,
whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things
and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto
you." In John 15:26, we learn that the Spirit would testify of the
present glory of Christ. But here, in John 16:13, it is promised that
He would show them things concerning the future! There are many
prophecies scattered throughout the Epistles--far more than most
people imagine--which the Spirit has given. But the main reference, no
doubt, in this word of Christ, was to the book of the Revelation, the
opening sentence of which reads, "The Revelation of Jesus Christ,
which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must
shortly come to pass." It is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, for He is
its chief subject and object; yet it was given by the Holy Spirit,
hence the seven times repeated, "He that hath an ear to hear, let him
hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches!" Thus whether it be
things past, things present, or things to come, Christ is the grand
Center of the Spirit's testimony!
"He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it
unto you" (John 16:14). This is the prime object before the Spirit:
whether it be revealing the truth, speaking what He hears, or showing
things to come, the glorification of Christ is the grand end in view.
The light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ (2 Cor. 4:6) is both the center and capstone of Divine truth.
This is the vital test for every lying spirit which would obtrude
itself into the place of the Spirit: rationalism, ritualism,
fanaticism, philosophy, science falsely so-called, all dishonor
Christ, but the Spirit always magnifies Him. It is a notable fact that
(so far as the writer is aware) nowhere in the Epistles has the Holy
Spirit told us anything about the Father which had not previously been
revealed in and by the Lord Jesus; but He has told us many things
about the Son, which Jesus uttered not in the days of His humiliation.
"He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it
unto you." The blessed work of the Spirit in revealing to believers
the precious things of God is strikingly brought out in 1 Corinthians
2: "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the
heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love
him" (John 2:9). This is a reference to Isaiah 64, and most Christians
when quoting it stop at this point, but the very next verse goes on to
say, "But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit
searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God."
"All things that the Father hath are mine" (John 16:15). Very blessed
is this: the Lord Jesus would not speak of His own glory apart from
that of the Father. It is very similar to His words in John 17:10:
"And all mine are thine, and thine are mine." "Thus there is opened
for us a glimpse into the living blessed bond of love in receiving and
giving in the eternal ground of the triune essence of the Godhead. The
Father hath from eternity given to the Son to have life and all things
in Himself, yet always He is the Son who revealeth the Father, only as
the Fatherhood remains with the Father. But all things the Son
bringeth and giveth to the Father again, honoreth and glorifieth Him
in His being glorified in His people. And this through the Spirit, who
with equal rights in this unity taketh from the sole fulness of the
Father and the Son, all that He livingly offers in His announcement"
(Stier). "Take of mine" should be "receive of mine" as in the previous
verse, otherwise the force of "therefore" here would be lost--in the
Greek the word is the same in both verses.
"A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while
and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father" (John 16:16). In the
previous verses Christ had touched upon lofty things, now He comes
down to the level of His apostles' needs. He condescends to stoop to
their weakness, by addressing Himself to their anguished hearts. From
the awful heights of the three persons of the Godhead, He descends to
the sorrows and joys of His disciples. "A little while, and ye shall
not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me." But what
did the Savior mean? This cryptic utterance of His sorely puzzled
those to whom it was first addressed, as is clear from the verses
which follow. Christ Himself termed it a proverbial form of speech
(John 16:25), and this must be kept in mind as we seek its
interpretation. Before inquiring into the meaning of our Lord's words
here, let us first ask as to His purpose in thus speaking so
enigmatically.
The Lord had previously said to the disciples, "Now is the Son of man
glorified, and God is glorified in him. Little children, yet a little
while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews,
Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say unto you" (John 13:31, 33).
But it is plain that they understood Him not: "Simon Peter said unto
him, Lord, whither goest thou?" (John 13:36). He had said, "I go to
prepare a place for you... and whither I go ye know, and the way ye
know" (John 14:2, 4). But Thomas had responded, "Lord, we know not
whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?" (John 14:5). He had
said, "Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more." (John
14:19). But they were unresponsive: "Now I go my way to him that sent
me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?" (John 16:4). Now
the Lord repeats in parabolic form what He had previously announced,
in order to arouse them from their stupor of sorrow and to make a
deeper impression upon their minds. That His end was gained is evident
from the next verse. But we believe that He had a still deeper reason:
He was also supplying them with material for comfort in future days of
trial. Later, when they recalled these words, they would recognize
that the first part of them had received fulfillment--a "little while"
after He had spoken and they saw Him not; and this would cheer them
with the sure hope that in another "little while" they would see Him
again.
"A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while,
and ye shall see me." In less than two hours, most likely, He was
arrested in the Garden, and there the apostles lost sight of their
Master--even Peter and John saw Him but for a very little while
longer. But He not only disappeared from their bodily vision, but
spiritually too they lost sight of Him. Their faith was eclipsed. The
words of the two disciples on the way to Emmaus no doubt expressed the
common sentiment among His followers at that time: "But we trusted
that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel" (Luke 24:21).
The fact that they believed not (Mark 16:11, 13) when they first heard
of His resurrection, revealed their state of heart. They were in the
darkness of doubt, and therefore could not see Christ with the eye of
faith. But their seeing Him not, physically and spiritually, was of
short continuance. After "a little while"--only three days--He
reappeared to them, and then He disappeared again for another "little
while" from their bodily vision, though never more would they
spiritually lose sight of their Lord and their God.
Now while the above is probably the primary reference in our Lord's
words, we have no doubt but that they contain a much deeper meaning,
and an application to the whole company of Christians. "There is, as
for Christ Himself, the breaking through death into life, so for the
disciples a deeply penetrating, fundamental change from sorrow to joy.
By no means merely their sorrow at His death, and their joy on His
living again, after the analogy of the sorrow and joy of the children
of men in their changing experience; but as the mediating expression
of an essential internal process which the Holy Spirit completed in
their case, but which is still going on to the end of all. Thus as the
way of the disciples through sorrow to joy between the crucifixion and
resurrection of our Lord was already for them something preparatory
and typical, it becomes to us a type of the way which all His future
disciples have also to pass through that godly sorrow which
distinguishes them fully from the world into the joy of faith and life
in Christ Jesus" (Stier).
"A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again a little while,
and ye shall see me." We believe that it is misleading to place a
comma after the word "again," because there are two distinct periods
here in view, two "little while's": "a little while and ye shall not
see me" referred, first, to the interval between His death and
resurrection; "and again a little while and ye shall see me," which
first found its fulfillment after His resurrection, but in its deeper
meaning signifies ye shall see Me in a more intimate and spiritual
sense. Only ten days after His ascension, by the aid of the Spirit,
they saw Him in a new, a deeper, a fuller way than ever before. But
there is still a further meaning, with a wider application: "And again
a little while": compare with this Hebrews 10:37: "For yet a little
while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry"! After
this present interval of Christ's session at God's right hand,
believers will "see him as he is" and be forever with Him.
"Because I go to the Father." This is assigned as the reason why the
disciples should "see" Him after a "little while." It must be
remembered that He was going to the Father in a special character;
namely, as the One who had gloriously finished the work which had been
given Him to do. He was therefore going to the Father as One entitled
to a rich reward. This reward would be bestowed upon Him personally,
but also upon the people whom He had purchased for Himself. Hence, His
going to the Father thus guaranteed the sending of the Holy Spirit to
that people (Acts 2:33) and it was by the Spirit they were enabled to
"see" Him (Heb. 2:9). Thus it was His glorification which afforded the
means for Him to now reveal Himself unto us spiritually. Moreover,
because He has gone to the Father in this character, He will yet come
again and receive us unto Himself (John 14:23) when we shall see Him,
no longer through a glass darkly. His going to the Father thus
manifested His title and fitness to introduce us to the Father's
House!
"Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that
he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again,
a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father?"
(John 16:17). The Lord's words sounded strangely in the ears of the
disciples, and some of them began to discuss the seeming paradox. That
they should see Him, and that they should not see Him!--it sounded
like a contradiction in terms. And even His expression of going to the
Father was by no means plain to them. They thought that the Messiah
would remain on the earth (John 12:34). There was no place in their
theology for His leaving them and returning to the Father. And yet
there ought to have been: see Psalm 68:18; Psalm 110:1. They erred
through not knowing the Scriptures; hence their bewilderment here. How
forcibly this illustrates the fact that the difficulties we find in
the words of Scripture are self-created--due to our preconceptions and
prejudices.
"They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? We
cannot tell what he saith" (John 16:18). This refers, apparently, to
the answer which others among the Eleven made to those of their number
(mentioned in the previous verse) who were quietly discussing what the
Lord had just said. The first group were completely bewildered; the
second puzzled mainly by the "little while." They "desired" to ask
Christ, as is clear from John 16:19; yet they refrained from doing so.
And how slow, oftentimes, are we to seek for light! "Ye have not,
because ye ask not" (James 4:2)! God has designedly put many things in
His Word in such a way that their meaning cannot be obtained by a
rapid and careless reading. He has clone so in order to exercise us,
and to drive us to our knees; to make us cry, "Open thou mine eyes,
that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law" (Ps. 119:18); and to
pray, "That which I see not, teach thou me" (Job 34:32).
"Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto
them, Do ye inquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while,
and ye shall not see me: and again a little while, and ye shall see
me?" (John 16:19). "It may seem strange that the desire did not at
once find expression in direct inquiry; for surely they had been long
enough with Him, and had known Him sufficiently well to induce the
conviction that He was `meek and lowly in heart,' and always more
ready to give, than they were to receive, instruction. The truth seems
to be, that on this occasion they were both ashamed and afraid to seek
the information which they were anxious to obtain--ashamed to
acknowledge their ignorance on a subject on which their Master had so
often addressed them; and afraid, it may be equally, that they should
draw down on themselves a faithful, though kindly rebuke. What is said
of a former declaration, seems to have been true of that which now
perplexed them, `they understood not the saying, and they were afraid
to ask him'; Mark 9:32" (Mr. John Brown).
"It is to be noted that the Lord did not reply directly to their
intended question. He does not give them further information on the
subject concerning which they were curious. The point which perplexed
them was His promised speedy return. They had half made up their minds
to lose Him. They had a kind of vague, undefined suspicion that their
worst fears regarding Him were about to be realized: but if so, what
could He mean by speaking of this quick return? If He must die, how
can it be only for a little while?' As yet they knew not the
Scriptures what the rising from the dead should mean. Their minds were
confused, and their hearts filled with sorrow. So the Lord dwells upon
this point of time, though He does not directly answer the desired
question. He prefers now rather to give them some general prospect of
brighter days to come: their sorrow shall give place to joy: that
should be short, this should be lasting; that for a time only, this
forever." (Mr. George Brown).
The Lord knows what things we have need of before we ask: all things
are open before Him, even our hearts! He would not leave His disciples
in uncertainty: "Before they call I will answer; and while they are
yet speaking, I will hear" (Isa. 65:24). There is something very
impressive in the way in which the Lord Jesus here repeats what He had
said just before: evidently with the intention of fixing these words
in their minds. Seven times in these four verses occurs this
expression "a little while." How the Spirit would impress upon us the
brevity of our earthly pilgrimage! How the Lord here emphasizes the
blessed truth that we should be daily, hourly, expecting His return!
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but
the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow
shall be turned into joy" (John 16:20). There is no change of subject
here as some have strangely thought. Instead, the Lord mentions the
effects of not seeing Him and seeing Him again. The double meaning of
His words in John 16:16 must be borne in mind--their immediate
reference to the apostles, and their wider application to all
Christians. As they concerned the Eleven, Christ made it known that
they would first mourn for Him as one dead, and not only would the
decease of their unfailing Comforter result in deep lamentation, but
the rejoicing of the world over its seeming victory and His defeat
would intensify their sorrows. But after a short season their grief
would be turned into rejoicing.
Strikingly was this prediction fulfilled. When Mary Magdalene came to
the apostles to announce the Savior's triumph over the grave, she
found them mourning and weeping (Mark 16:10). When Christ approached
the two disciples walking to Emmaus, He asked "What manner of
communications are these that ye have one to another? as ye walk and
are sad" (Luke 24:17). How often during those three days must they
have remembered His words "Ye shall weep and lament." And while the
beloved disciples were sunk in sorrow, their enemies were rejoicing.
Solemnly does this come out in the prophetic plaint of the Messiah:
"Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me:
neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause" (Ps.
35:19). But these words of Christ also have a direct application to
all His people on earth: "Sorrow" is their portion too--how could it
be otherwise as identified with the Man of sorrows during the time of
His rejection! The awful enmity of men against God; the way in which
the world still treats His beloved Son; the many false prophets who
dishonor the Lord; the absence of the Savior Himself; and the sight of
our fellow-creatures rushing heedlessly to destruction, these are
enough to make Christians "weep and lament." Add to these our own sad
failures, and the failures of our brethren--often more apparent to us
than our own--and we can at once perceive the force of the apostle's
words, "Even we ourselves groan within ourselves waiting for the
adoption, the redemption of our body" (Rom. 8:23).
"But your sorrow shall be turned into joy" (John 16:20). The woman who
saw the risen Savior as they returned from the sepulcher "with fear
and great joy" (Matthew 28:8) ran to announce the glad tidings to the
disciples. When He Himself appeared to them we read, "Then were the
disciples glad, when they saw the Lord" (John 20:20). And when He
ascended on high "they worshipped Him and returned to Jerusalem with
great joy" (Luke 24:52). But mark here the minute discrimination of
our Lord's language. It was not only that their sorrow should give
place to joy, but be "turned into joy." Their sorrowing became joy!
The very cause of their sorrow--the death of Christ--now became the
ground and subject of their joy! Grief would not only be replaced by
joy, but be transmuted into joy, even as the water was turned into
wine! The Cross of Christ is glorified into an eternal consolation.
And what was it, or rather Who was it that brought this about? None
other than the Holy Spirit. He has so interpreted for us the death of
the Savior that we now cry, "God forbid that I should glory save in
the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Gal. 6:14). So our title for this
chapter still holds good here: it is Christ glorified by the Spirit.
The final meaning of this profound and full word of Christ's, "your
sorrow shall be turned into joy," will find its ultimate realization
in all His people when He comes to receive us unto Himself. Weeping
may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. And even here
the exactitude of our Lord's language is to be seen: our "sorrow"
shall be "turned into joy": our present groanings are but creating
within us a larger capacity for joy in the grand hereafter: "Our light
affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (2 Cor. 4:17). But how fearful
the contrast in the case of unbelievers: "Woe unto you that laugh now:
for ye shall mourn and weep" (Luke 6:25)!
"A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come:
but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more
the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world" (John 16:21).
Plain and simple though this verse appears to be, yet we believe,
there is a depth and fulness in it which has never been fully
apprehended. First of all it is evident that we have a double
parallelism: "a little while and ye shall not see me" (John 16:16),
"ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice, and ye shall
be sorrowful" (John 16:20), "a woman when she is in travail hath
sorrow, because her hour is come" (John 16:21), all refer to the same
thing--the same period of time, the same experience. So too "again a
little while and ye shall see me" (John 16:16), "your sorrow shall be
turned into joy" (John 16:20), and "as soon as she is delivered of the
child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born
into the world" (John 16:21), also correspond. What we have here in
verse 21 repeats, but in figurative language, what Christ had said in
the previous verses. The Lord now illustrates by a reference to the
most familiar of all examples of joy issuing from sorrow. The force of
the figure used to portray our sufferings intimates the necessity of
them, their severity, their brief duration, and the fact that they are
antecedent to and productive of joy. So much is clear on the surface.
But in its deeper meaning the figure which the Savior here employed
went beyond His literal language in the previous verse.
The symbolical domain of nature has much to teach us if we have eyes
to see and hearts to receive. God has wisely and graciously ordered it
that the pangs of the mother are compensated in her joy over the fruit
of her anguish. And this is a symbolical prophecy, written in nature
by the Creator's finger, of the birth of the new man. That, too, is
preceded by travail, both on the part of the Spirit and of the one He
brings forth: but here travail gives place to joy. The same process is
also repeated in the Christian life. The travail-pangs of
"mortification" are the precursors of resurrection-joys. There must
be, for us too, the cross before the crown. There must be fellowship
with the sufferings of Christ, before we share His glory (Rom. 8:17).
Plain intimation of this is given in His words here: "her hour is
come"--the same expression used by Him so often in conjunction with
His own "travail" The Holy Spirit has also used this same figure of a
travailing woman to set forth the relation in which this present life
stands to the future life: see Romans 8:12, 19, 22, 23.
Marvellously full is this word of Christ's. Fulfilled not only in the
experience of the apostles, fulfilled in our regeneration, it is still
further fulfilled in our Christian life.
"And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your
heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you" (John
16:22). There is little need for us to enter into a lengthy exposition
of this verse. In it the Lord gathers up into a brief summary all that
He had said from John 16:15 onwards. There is the same fulness of
reference as before. Directly, it applied, to the case of the
apostles. For a short season they sorrowed over their Master's death
and absence. This gave place to rejoicing at His resurrection and
ascension. But the permanency of their joy--"none taketh from
you"--was secured by the coming of the Spirit. But our Lord's words
were also addressed to the entire body of His people, therefore, as
has been said, "The way of the first disciples between the Passion and
Pentecost is a type of the whole interval of the Lord's Church between
His departure to the Father and His final return" (Stier).
The following questions are to aid the student on the dosing portion
of John 16:--
1. In what "day," verse 23?
2. What is meant by "ask me nothing," verse 23?
3. What is the meaning of the first part of verse 24?
4. When did Christ show them "plainly," verse 25?
5. What is the meaning of verse 26?
6. Did the disciples really understand Christ now, verse 29?
7. In what sense did Christ "overcome the world," verse 33?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 56
Christ's Concluding Consolations
John 16:23-33
_________________________________________________________________
The following is an Analysis of the dosing section of John 16:--
1. Asking the Father in the name of Christ, verses 23, 24.
2. Christ's promise to show the Father plainly, verse 25.
3. The Father's love made known, verses 26, 28.
4. The confession of the apostles, verses 29, 30.
5. Christ's challenge of their faith, verse 31.
6. Christ's solemn prediction, verse 32.
7. Christ's comforting assurance, verse 33.
Our present section contains the dosing words of our Lord's Paschal
Discourse. We trust that many readers have shared the writer's sense
of wonderment as we have passed from chapter to chapter and verse to
verse. A truly wondrous one was this address of Christ. It stands
quite by itself, for there is nothing else like it in the four
Gospels. Here the Savior is alone with His own, and most blessedly
does He reveal His tender affections for them. Here He speaks no
longer to those whose hopes were to be realized in Judaism. Here He
anticipates what is treated of in fuller detail in the Epistles,
speaking as He does of the Christian's position, portion, privileges
and responsibilities. There is a fulness in His words which it is
impossible for us to exhaust, a depth we can never completely fathom
in this life. Every verse will richly repay the most diligent and
prolonged study.
In the closing verses of John 16 the Lord Jesus proceeds to set forth
even more fully the blessings and privileges which were to issue from
His going to heaven, declaring, too, the Father's love for those whom
He had given to the Son. First, He assures believers of the readiness
of the Father to grant unto them whatsoever they asked Him in the
Son's worthy name. Next, He tells them that in thus asking, their joy
should be made full. Then He announces that the time would come when
He should no more speak in dark sayings, but He would show plainly of
the Father. This is followed by the declaration that the Father loveth
them because they loved the Son. Then He reminds them again that,
having come forth from the Father into the world, He would leave the
world and return to the Father. After this there is a break made by
the disciples affirming their faith in Him. This is met by the solemn
warning that, nevertheless, they would forsake Him. Then He closes by
His never-to-be-forgotten words, "Be of good cheer, I have overcome
the world." May the Spirit of the Truth grant us His sorely needed
guidance as we ponder this passage together.
"In that day ye shall ask me nothing" (John 16:23). This short
sentence has proven a sore puzzle to many of the commentators. There
is wide difference of opinion, both as to what "day" is in view here,
and as to what is signified by "ye shall ash me nothing." That Christ
was here looking forward needs not to be argued; but how far forward
is what many have not found it easy to decide. Did He mean that day,
after the brief interval of separation when they should meet again, of
His resurrection? Did He mean the day of pentecost, when the Spirit
was to descend upon them, enduing them with power? Did He mean the
whole period of Christianity, the "day of salvation?" Or, did He
employ this term in the sense that it has in so many Old Testament
prophecies (see Isaiah 2:11; Isaiah 5:30; Isaiah 11:10, etc.),the day
of His public manifestations? Or, did He look beyond the bounds of
earth's history to the unending perfect "day", the Day of glory? Each
of these meanings has been severally contended for by able expositors,
and in view of the profound fulness of our Lord's words, we would
hesitate to limit them to any one of these possible alternatives:
probably several of them are to be combined.
"And in that day ye shall ask me nothing." This is not the first time
that this expression was used by Christ. In John 14:20 we find that He
said, "At [in] that day ye shall know that I am in my Father and ye in
me, and I in you." But even there this expression can hardly be
limited to one specific reference. If the reader will turn back to our
comments on that verse he will find that we have explained it to
signify: first, the day when the Holy Spirit was given to guide
believers into all the truth; second, and ultimately, to the clay of
glory, when we shall know even as we are known. It is thus that we
understand "In that day" here in John 16:23; having both a narrower
and wider meaning, a nearer and a remoter application.
"When in immediate connection with what has just been said, we find
the greatest promise connected with the strikingly prominent `in that
day' it becomes needful to mark carefully the meaning of this formula.
It is obvious that it cannot mean any individual day; and we cannot
avoid seeing that the time signified by it begins with the day of the
resurrection, if we rightly understood the great turning point of the
future, which our Lord since John 14:3 has had always before His eyes,
has its commencement in the resurrection-morning after the night of
suffering and death. But as certain as we have seen embraced in John
16:20-22, a comprehensive glance at all the future of the Church, must
we in this connected but heightened conclusion of all, give the words
their furtherest reach of signification. The Lord, as we think at
least, intends this `in that day' to include tint of all, the whole
period of the dispensation of the Spirit, which already typically
commenced in His first return and seeing them again:--and then,
pre-eminently, the end of this time, the consummation of the fulness
of the Spirit in His own when He shall have unfolded and imparted all
that is Christ's to His people. This is plain from the greatness of
the promise connected with it, which can never have its full
realization till that goal is reached. `And in that day ye shall ask
me nothing. Great and unfathomable word.'" (Stier.)
But what is meant by "ye shall ask me nothing?" Strangely and
deplorably has this been perverted by some. There have been a few who
have argued from this verse that we are here forbidden to address
Christ, directly, in prayer. But Acts 1:24; 7:59, to say nothing of
many passages in the Epistles, dearly refutes such an error.
"Ye shall ask me nothing." The first key to this is found in the
particular term our Lord here employed. In the Greek another word is
used in the latter part of this same verse where He says, "Whatsoever
ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you." While it is
true that these two words are used, in some passages, almost
interchangeably, yet that they have a distinct meaning is clear from
several considerations. If the usage of each word be carefully traced
through the New Testament it will be found that the former (erotao) is
expressive of familiar entreaty, whereas the second (aiteo) signifies
a lowly petition. Hence, whilst the Lord Jesus is found employing the
former in His asking the Father on behalf of His disciples, never once
does He use the latter term. Even more significant is it to find that
Martha--who had not sat at His feet and learned of Him as had her more
spiritual sister--used the latter word when she said, "I know that
even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee"
(John 11:22); failing to discern the Divine glory of His person, she
supposed that He would have to appeal to God as a suppliant.
According to its classical usage, "erotao" signifies "to ask
questions, to make inquiry in order to obtain information." It is
employed in this sense in a number of passages: to seek no further, we
find it bearing this meaning in John 16:19. "Now Jesus knew that they
were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do you inquire among
yourselves?" But like the words "in that day," so "ye shall ask me
nothing" seem to have a double significance here--a relative and an
absolute, an immediate and remote, a primary and an ultimate.
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in
my name, he will give it you" (John 16:23). Here is the second key to
the first part of this verse, so far as its primary meaning and
immediate application is concerned: asking the Father everything, is
contrasted from asking the Son nothing. "In that day" refers primarily
to the time when, the Holy Spirit was given to them, in which "day" we
are now living. But when the Holy Spirit came, Christ would be absent;
then, instead of asking the Savior questions (as they did constantly
while He was with them), they would petition the Father. "The Lord is
really signifying the great change from recourse to Him as their
Messiah on earth for every difficulty, not for questions only, but for
all they might want day by day, to that access to the Father into
which He would introduce them as the accepted Man and glorified Savior
on high" (Mr. W. Kelly). This accounts for the "Verily, verily" with
which Christ introduced this second statement: it emphasized the
certainty and sufficiency of the new recourse of the disciples which
He now made known unto them. And how this emphasized His "it is
expedient for you that I go away" (John 16:7)! Petitions in Christ's
all-prevailing name the apostles would be permitted to present to the
Father, which was something no saint before the Cross had ever been
instructed to urge. As the God of Israel He had been known: but now
believers were to approach Him in the conscious relationship of
children addressing their Father!
But if we look forward to the ultimate fulfillment of Christ's words
"in that day ye shall ask me nothing," they signify that in the Glory
we shall know even as we are known, and there will no longer be any
need to interrogate Him about any of the problems which now so sorely
perplex us. Then we shall--to speak in the language of the
context--understand the meaning of our present "sorrows" and "rejoice"
forever, for the wise Love that appointed them. Having thus pointed us
forward to the final goal, the Lord provides encouragement for us as
we journey toward it--"Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name
he will give it you." The "whatsoever" must be qualified by whatever
is for the Father's glory, will promote His Son's interests, and is
for our good.
"Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name" (John 16:24). The Lord was
not reproving His disciples for a failure in their prayer-life, but
was announcing one of the consequences of the great change then at
hand. If the reader will note carefully what we said on John 14:13,
14, he will see how impossible it was for saints to pray in the name
of the Lord Jesus before His ascension. In the previous verses we have
learned what the results of the coming of the Spirit would be
saintwards, here we are shown the effects Godwards. Consequent on
Christ's exaltation, the Spirit in and with believers would draw out
their hearts in prayer, teaching them to present their petitions to
the Father in the all-prevailing name of the Son.
"Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full" (John 16:24).
"I enjoin you thus to pray, that not only may you be delivered from
all despondency and heart-trouble, but that in the enjoyment of all
heavenly and spiritual blessings, and in the possession of all that is
necessary and sufficient to secure the success of the great enterprise
on which you are about to enter, you may be filled with holy
happiness, heavenly joy--joy in the Holy Spirit. There is a close
connection between the two advices given by an apostle under the
influence of the Spirit of His Master: `Rejoice evermore: pray without
ceasing' (1 Thess. 5:16, 17). The second is the means of securing the
first. If we cease to pray, we are likely to cease to rejoice--we must
`pray without ceasing' that we may `rejoice evermore': and were we,
instead of being anxious, careful, and troubled about many things, to
`be anxious about nothing, but in everything by prayer and
supplication, make our requests known unto God, with thanksgiving'
(Phil. 4:6), assuredly the `peace of God, would keep our hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus'; and, amid external troubles, our joy
would be full" (Mr. John Brown).
"These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh
when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall show you
plainly of the Father" (John 16:25). It will be noted that the margin
gives "parables" as an alternative for "proverbs." In this word of
Christ there is, again, a fulness of meaning which no brief definition
can comprehend. In the Greek there are two words used (for the one
Hebrew word "mashal")--"parabole" and "paroimia": the former is never
used in John's Gospel: the latter occurs in John 10:6 and here.
Possibly it had been better to render it "dark saying" in the present
instance, as the Lord sets it in antithesis t rom "showing plainly of
the Father." And yet the thoughts connected with "proverbs" is not to
be excluded. The wisdom of Solomon is recorded in his "Proverbs." So
the Lord here intimates that He, the Truth, the "greater than
Solomon," would not do otherwise than speak in sentences with a
fulness of meaning which no mere mental acumen can penetrate. But
again, the Greek word here may properly be rendered "parables," and
the distinctive idea connected with this term is probably to be
included as well.
"Parables are truths given and yet concealed from those who cannot or
will not receive them; but to the ready heart that can take them in,
they can be made known, as we see in Matthew 13:13-16. The parables
there were not understood by His enemies and would not have been by
the disciples, but He opened them. A parable is not a story to
illustrate a truth; it is the truth itself. As though He would say,
`It will not be received, but I will speak it nevertheless.' It is
like a nut, needing to be cracked open, but the kernel is there; and
rich too. Now He had spoken to them in that way. Many of the incidents
that occur have truth in them that would be open only to the ear and
eye of the new man, enligntened and exercised by the Holy Spirit.
"He had said these things, whether they understood them or not; but
the hour was coming when He would no more speak unto them in parables,
but would show them plainly of the Father. That is now by the Holy
Spirit. `There is no book in me Scripture that is more full of
teaching that requires fellowship with the subject, and the mind of
the writer--the Sprat--than the Gospel of John. Wherein we fail, it is
that we are so little in fellowship with Him. The deeper the
fellowship, the more thoroughly we would understand all that has been
told. That is, men, me reason for speaking in parables, but not doing
it when the Holy Spirit comes (there are no parables in the Epistles,
and note 2 Corinthians 3:12: A.W.P.). The Holy Spirit's business is to
take of the things of Christ and tell them out and make them actually
ours." (Mr. Malachi Taylor).
The Lord went on to say that the time (hour) was at hand when He would
speak no more obscurely to the disciples, but would plainly "show them
of the Father." This promise began to be accomplished even before
Pentecost. On the very day of His resurrection, "beginning at Moses
and all the prophets, he expounded" to the two disciples on the way to
Emmaus, "the things concerning himself" (Luke 24:27). To Mary
Magdalene He made known that His Father was His brethren's Father
(John 20:17). So in Luke 24:45 we are also told, "Then opened he their
understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures." But the
complete fulfillment was given in the coming of the Spirit to guide
them into all the Truth: then the veil was completely taken off their
hearts, and with open face they contemplated the glory of God in the
face of Jesus Christ. In John 16:14 the Lord had said the Spirit would
"show," here He says "I will show"; there He had spoken of the Spirit
showing the things "of mine," here "I will show of the Father." This
interchange strikingly attests the unity of the three Persons in the
Godhead.
"At that day ye shall ask in my name" (John 16:26). In the day of the
Spirit believers would ask the Father in the name of Christ, not only
plead His name as a motive, but come to God in the value of His
person. What an incentive is this for each Christian reader to engage
in this holy exercise! "The benefit of prayer is so great that it
cannot be expressed. Prayer is the dove which, when sent out, returns
again, bringing with it the olive-leaf, namely, peace of heart. Prayer
is the golden chain which God holds fast, and lets not go until He
blesses. Prayer is the Moses' rod which brings forth the water of
consolation out of the Rock of Salvation. Prayer is Samson's jawbone,
which smites down our enemies. Prayer is David's harp, before which
the evil spirit flies. Prayer is the key to heaven's treasures" (John
Gerhard.)
"And I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you." The
first design of Christ in these words was to repel a false notion
which many have entertained, namely that the Father must be besought
by Christ before He will notice us. It is not that Christ here denies
that He would intercede for us, but He would assure us that such
intercession on His part is not needed to induce the Father to love
us--the next verse makes it very clear. It was Christ assuring His
disciples that, following His exaltation ("in that day"), the way
would be open for them to come into the Father's presence. "I say not
unto you, that I will pray the Father for you." "This no more denies
Christ's intercession for us, than John 16:23 forbids the servant
praying to his Lord about His work or His house. It is not an absolute
statement, but it is simply an ellipse, which the words following
explain." (Mr. W. Kelly.)
"For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have
believed that I came out from God." (John 16:27). This at once
indicates the line of thought in the Savior's mind at the close of the
previous verse. It was not that He had to coerce the Father either to
hear our prayers or to love us. The favors which we receive from the
Father are not extorted from Him by the importunate pleading of the
Savior. So far from the Father having no regard for our happiness He
loves us, loves us with a special love of approbation because we love
His Son: therefore is He ever ready to minister to our welfare,
watching over us with paternal affection and care. The Father does not
love us because Christ intercedes for us; but Christ intercedes for us
because we are the objects of the Father's special love. What a
blessed word is this! Spoken for our assurance and comfort as we
journey homewards. Whatsoever they ask in Christ's name shall be given
them, is secured by the love of the Father, no less than by the
intercession of Christ; nay, even more so, inasmuch as the only
fountain is more than the only channel, though both are equally
necessary in their own places." (Mr. John Brown.)
"For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have
believed that I came out from God." It is to be noted that "love" is
here placed before "believing." One reason for this was because Christ
had just been speaking of love in the previous verse; now He proceeds
to speak of faith so as to prepare the way for that profession of
faith which the disciples at once made. But no doubt the word
"believe" here is used as in John 14:1. It was not the initial act of
faith in the Lord Jesus, but the confiding in and on Him after His
return to the Father.
"I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world; again, I
leave the world, and go to the Father." (John 16:28). "Having been led
to mention His coming forth from God, our Lord concludes His
explicatory remarks by stating in the fewest words the truths which,
above all others, it was of importance that the disciples should hold
fast in the hour of temptation, which was just coming on them to try
them." (Mr. John Brown.) These are the vital facts for faith to lay
hold of. First, Christ came forth from the Father. He is the heavenly
One come down to earth; not only "sent" officially, but "come" by
voluntary consent. Second, He came into the world; and why? That He
might be the Savior of sinners. Third, He has gone back to the Father.
How? Through death and resurrection. With what intent? To diffuse from
on high the benefits of His redeeming work. Christ's design here was
to show the apostles how fully warranted was their confidence in
Himself.
"His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and
speakest no proverb. Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and
needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou
earnest forth from God." (John 16:29, 30). This confession of the
apostles looks back to what Christ had just said in John 16:27, 28.
The assurance that the Father Himself loved them had comforted their
hearts: the declaration from their Master's own lips that they "loved
and believed" in Him gave them new confidence. As Calvin beautifully
puts it: "The disciples did not fully understand the meaning of
Christ's discourse; but though they were not capable of this, the mere
odor of it refreshed them." All was no longer dark to them; their
faith was confirmed. When they declared, "now speakest thou plainly,
and speakest no proverb" (obscure saying), they were looking back to
what He had said in John 16:25. It seems clear that the apostles
imagined the "day" the Lord mentioned had already arrived, and that
their Master was now making good His promise to them. This is the more
evident from their statement, "Now are we sure that thou knowest all
things, and needest not that any man should ask. thee," which looks
back to John 16:23: "And in that day ye shall ask me nothing."
"Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that
any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou earnest forth
from God." The disciples perceived that the Lord had accurately
discerned their thoughts, and, unasked, had solved their difficulties.
Yet it is dear that they failed to take in the fulness of what He had
just said. They believed that He had come forth from "God" (John
16:27). So far, so good. But He had spoken of coming forth from "the
Father" and of returning to Him (John 16:28). Upon this they were
silent, and for a very good reason: at that time they neither believed
nor understood that deeper point of view. The "Father" is God truly.
But God speaks of the one Divine Being who is over all Creator,
Governor, Sustainer, Judge. Father speaks of relationship, the
relationship of God to His children. Of this the disciples, as yet,
understood little, perhaps nothing.
"We believe that thou camest forth from God." Really this went no
further than a confession that He was the promised Messiah. Nicodemus
said, "Rabbi, we know thou art a teacher come from God" (John 3:2).
The woman of Samaria exclaimed, "Come see a man who told me all things
that ever I did: is not this the Christ?" (John 4:29). Those who
witnessed the miracle of the loaves avowed, "This is of a truth that
prophet that should come into the world" (John 6:14). Peter testified,
"We believe, and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the
living God"--not "Father"! (John 6:69). Martha said, "Yea, Lord, I
believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come
into the world." (John 11:27). The word of the apostles here in John
16:30 went no farther than these other confessions. "We believe that
thou camest forth from God." In truth they had apprehended nothing
that raised them above the effect of Christ's rejection; only the
realization that He came forth from the Father and was returning to
Him, could give this.
"They had no conception of the mighty change from all that they had
gathered of the Kingdom as revealed in the Old Testament, to the new
state of things that would follow His absence with the Father on high
and the presence of the Holy Spirit here below. It sounded plain to
their ears; but even up to the ascension they feebly, if at all,
caught a glimpse of it. They to the last clung to the hopes of Israel,
and these surely remain to be fulfilled another day. But they
understood not this `Day,' during which, if the Jews are treated as
reprobate, even as He was rejected of them, those born of God should
in virtue of Christ and His work be placed in immediate relationship
with the Father. His return to the Father was a parable still, though
the Lord does not correct their error, as indeed it was useless: they
would soon enough learn how little they knew. But at least even then,
they had the inward consciousness that He knew all, and, as He
penetrated their thoughts had no need that any should ask Him. `Herein
we believe that thou camest out from God.' Undoubtedly--yet how far
below the truth He had uttered (in John 16:28), is that which they
were thus confessing! The Spirit of His Son sent into their hearts
would give them in due time to know the Father; as redemption
accomplished and accepted could alone provide the needful ground for
this" (The Bible Treasury). No wonder the Lord had just previously
announced to the apostles: "I have yet many things to say unto you,
but ye cannot bear them now"!
"Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?" (John 16:31). It seems to us
that the Lord was here challenging their faith. In a real sense they
did believe that He was the promised Messiah--"come out from God." But
their faith was on the eve of being severely tested, and under that
testing it would be shaken to its very foundations; though fail it
would not. He with His own omniscient foresight, knew what lay ahead
of them. The indignity, the sufferings, the crucifixion of their
Master would indeed cause them to be "offended." Their faith was
genuine; but it was not strong as they supposed. This explains, we
think, the "now"--"Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?"; ye
believe Me while I am with you and things are going according to your
minds, but what will you do when I shall be taken from you, delivered
into the hands of the Gentiles, die, and be buried! The Lord then was
warning them against their self-confidence.
"We need not doubt that the profession of the Eleven was real and
sincere. They honestly meant what they said. But they did not know
themselves. They did not know what they were capable of doing under
the pressure of the fear of men and strong temptation. They had not
rightly estimated the weakness of the flesh, the power of the Devil,
the feebleness of their own resolutions, the shallowness of their own
faith. All this they had yet to learn by painful experience. Like
young recruits, they had yet to learn that it is one thing to know the
soldier's drill and wear the uniform, and quite another to be
steadfast in the day of battle. Let us mark these things and learn
wisdom. The true secret of spiritual strength is self-distrust and
deep humility. `When I am weak, then am I strong' (2 Cor. 12:10). None
of us, perhaps, have the least idea how much we might fall if placed
suddenly under the influence of strong temptation. Happy is he who
never forgets the words, `Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed
lest he fall,' and, remembering our Lord's disciples, pray daily,
`Hold thou me up and then I shall be safe.'" (Bishop Ryle).
"Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be
scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone" (John
16:32). This was spoken For the disciples' sakes, that His prediction
of the heavy hour of pressure might prepare them for it. It was said
to humble them, to destroy their present self-confidence. Note the
opening, "Behold" to arrest their attention! "Ye shall be scattered!"
Without the Shepherd, they would be dispersed abroad. "Every man to
his own"--his own shelter or hiding-place. Each of them would provide
for his own safety. When the storm burst there was shelter for all but
Christ. He performed His Work of Atonement alone, because He alone was
qualified to do it.
"And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me" (John 16:32).
How gracious of the Savior to address this word for the comfort of
their hearts! Moreover, the consciousness of the Father's presence was
the stay of His own heart. This is clear from Isaiah 50:7, "For the
Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded; therefore
have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be
ashamed." "Let us here, in transition to the following verse mark how
all this is a type for the entire future of the Church. Often is this
scattering of the disciples from His presence repeated, in various
degrees and with various manifestations, but He is not alone. And even
if in this day all men were to leave Him, He abides what He is, and
the Father is with Him. His holy cause can never be forsaken or lost"
(Stier). Similarly Calvin remarks: "Whosoever well ponders this will
hold firm his faith though the world shake, nor will the defection of
all others overturn his confidence; we do not render God full honor
unless He alone is felt to be sufficient to us."
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace"
(John 16:33). Having made a final reference to the awful "hour" then
at hand, the Lord winds up His matchless discourse with a parting word
of encouragement and victory. He here condenses into a single sentence
the instruction which He had given them in the upper room. The "peace"
of His own was what His tender heart was concerned about. "Ever
thinking more of others than of Himself, even in this near prospect of
the bitter Cross, He forgets His own grief in the grief of His
disciples. He is occupied in comforting those who ought to have been
His comforters" (Mr. G. Brown). The "peace" of which He spake can be
enjoyed only by communion with Himself. In the previous verse He had
mentioned their forsaking Him; but He had not forsaken them. Three
days later He would return with His "peace be unto you" (John 20:19),
then did they learn, once for all, that in Him alone was peace to be
found. But He does not hide from them the fact that "in the world"
they should have "tribulation,'' but He first assures them that,
notwithstanding this, there was peace for them in Him.
"In the world ye shall have tribulation" (John 16:33). This is not to
be restricted to the violent enmity of the ungodly. It is a general
term for distress of any kind. The Latin word from which our
"tribulation" is taken, was used of the flail which separated the
wheat from the chaff. There are temptations, trials, troubles in the
world as well as from it. "In the world" is to be in the place of
testing. While the Christian is left down here he suffers from the
weakness and weariness of the body, from temporal losses and
disappointments, from the severing of cherished ties, as well as from
the sneers and taunts, the hatred and persecution of the world. But
though "in the world" is tribulation, "in Christ" there is "peace."
The world cannot rob us of that, nor can its evil "prince" destroy it.
But let us never forget that this "peace" is only enjoyed by faith. It
is only as we abide in conscious communion with the Savior that we can
anticipate the unclouded and unending joys of the future. The peace
which is for us in Christ is appropriated just so far as faith lays
hold of our perfect acceptance, our eternal security, and our wondrous
portion in Him.
"But be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). The
influence and power of "the world" is powerful, but not all-powerful.
It has been fought and overcome. One greater than it, mightier than
its "prince," has been here, and vanquished it. The world did its
utmost in the battle, but the Son of God prevailed. Noah condemned the
world (Heb. 11:7), but Christ conquered it. It has no longer any power
left but what He permits. It was in the way of temptation, suffering
and obedience that He fought and won. Therefore let us "Be of good
cheer." The world is a conquered world; it has been conquered for us
by Christ. Then let us take courage. The storms of trial and
persecution may sometimes beat fiercely upon us; but let them only
drive us closer to Christ.
"But be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." What a glorious
close for this Discourse! The foundation of peace is our Savior's
personal victory, here anticipated by Him before the conflict! How
this should stimulate us. The world is still essentially the same; but
so is Christ! And our Lord is still saying, "Be of good cheer; I have
overcome the world." There must be no surrender, no compromise, no
fellowship with the world. Here is our Lord's war-cry: him that
overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also
overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne" (Rev. 3:21).
Ere long the conflict will cease by the victory gained, for
"Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world; and this is the
victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4). The
day is nigh at hand when Christ shall come to reward His servants.
Then shall the victor be crowned. "And oh, the delight of casting
these crowns at His feet, and ascribing forever and ever, glory, and
honor, and dominion and blessing to the Great Overcomer, to Him who
conquered for us, who conquered in us, who made us more than
conquerors! It is sweet to anticipate this glorious result of all our
tribulations and struggles; and in the enjoyment of peace in Him
amidst these struggles and tribulations, to raise, though in broken
accents, and with a tremulous voice, the song which, like the sound of
great waters, shall unceasingly, everlastingly, echo through heaven,
`Worthy is the Lamb that was slain'" (Mr. John Brown).
Let the student work on the following questions as preparation for our
next lesson:--
1. What does the "lifting up of His eyes" teach us, verse 1?
2. What did Christ refer to in "glorify thy Son," verse 1?
3. How is verse 2 related to Christ's petition?
4. Does verse 3 give a definition of "eternal life" or--?
5. Why did Christ refer to the Father as "the only true God," verse 3?
6. What was Christ's "glory" before the world, verse 5?
7. By how many different pleas (in verses 1, 4) does Christ support
His petition in verse 5?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 57
Christ Interceding
John 17:1-5
_________________________________________________________________
The following is an Analysis of the first section of John 17:
1. The Son praying, verse 1.
2. His desire for the Father's glory, verse 1.
3. His own glory subsidiary, verse 1.
4. The consequences of His glorification, verse 2.
5. The way to and means of eternal life, verse 3.
6. The Son rendering an account of His stewardship, verse 4.
7. His reward, verse 5.
The seventeenth of John contains the longest recorded prayer which our
Lord offered during His public ministry on earth, and has been justly
designated His High Priestly Prayer. It was offered in the presence of
His apostles, after the institution and celebration of the Lord's
Supper, and immediately following the Paschal discourse recorded in 14
to 16. It has been appropriately said, "The most remarkable prayer
followed the most full and consoling discourse ever uttered on earth"
(Matthew Henry). It differs from the prayer which Christ "taught his
disciples," for in that there are petitions which the Savior could not
offer for Himself, while in this there are petitions which none else
but Christ could present. In this wonderful prayer there is a
solemnity and elevation of thought, a condensed power of expression,
and a comprehensiveness of meaning, which have affected the minds and
drawn out the hearts of the most devoted of God's children to a degree
that few portions of Scripture have done.
In John 17 the veil is drawn aside, and we are admitted with our great
High Priest into "the holiest of all." Here we approach the secret
place of the tabernacle of the Most High, therefore it behoves us to
put off our shoes from off our feet, listening with humble, reverent
and prepared hearts, for the place whereon we now stand is indeed holy
ground. We give below a few brief impressions of other writers.
"This is truly, beyond measure, a warm and hearty prayer. He opens the
depths of His heart, both in reference to us and to His Father, and He
pours them all out. It sounds so honest, so simple; it is so deep, so
rich, so wide, no one can fathom it" (Martin Luther).
Melanchthon, another of the Reformers, when giving his last lecture
before his death, said on John 17: "There is no voice which has ever
been heard, either in heaven or in earth, more exalted, more holy,
more fruitful, more sublime, than the prayer offered up by the Son to
God Himself."
The eminent Scottish Reformer, John Knox, had this chapter read to him
every day during his last illness, and in the closing scene, the
verses that were read from it consoled and animated him in the final
conflict.
"The seventeenth chapter of the Gospel by John, is, without doubt, the
most remarkable portion of the most remarkable book in the world. The
Scripture of truth, given by inspiration of God, contains many
wonderful passages, but none more wonderful than this--none so
wonderful. It is the utterance of the mind and heart of the Godman, in
the very crisis of His great undertaking, in the immediate prospect of
completing, by the sacrifice of Himself, the work which had been given
Him to do, and for the accomplishment of which He had become
incarnate. It is the utterance of these to the Father who had sent
Him. What a concentration of thought and affection is there in these
few sentences! How `full of grace,' how `full of truth.' How
condensed, and yet how clear the thoughts,--how deep, yet how calm,
the feelings which are here, so far as the capabilities of human
language permit, worthily expressed! All is natural and simple in
thought and expression--nothing intricate or elaborate, but there is a
width in the conceptions which the human understanding cannot
measure--a depth which it cannot fathom. There is no bringing out of
these plain words all that is seen and felt to be in them" (Mr. John
Brown).
"The chapter we have now begun is the most remarkable in the Bible. It
stands alone, and there is nothing like it" (Bishop Ryle).
Even Mr. W. Kelly with his caution and conservatism writes, "Next
follows a chapter which one may perhaps characterise truly as
unequalled for depth and scope in all the Scriptures."
This prayer of our Lord is wonderful as a specimen of the
communications which constantly passed between the Son and His Father
while He was here on earth. Vocal prayer seems to have been habitual
with our Savior. While being baptised He was engaged in prayer (Luke
3:21). Immediately on the commencement of His public ministry we find
that, after a short repose, following a day of unremitting labor, "He
rose up a great while before day, and went out, and departed into a
solitary place, and there prayed" (Mark 1:35). On the eve of selecting
the twelve apostles He "went out into a mountain to pray, and
continued all night in prayer to God" (Luke 6:12). It was while
engaged in the act of prayer that He was transfigured (Luke 9:29). And
it was while praying that He ceased to breathe (Luke 23:46). Only the
briefest mention is made as to the substance of these prayers--in most
instances none at all. But here in John 17, the Holy Spirit has been
pleased to record at length His prayer in the upper room. How thankful
we should be for this!
Perhaps the most interesting way to view this prayer is as a model of
His high priestly intercession for us, which He continually makes in
the immediate presence of God, on the ground of His completed and
accepted sacrifice. The first intimation of this is found in the fact
that the Lord Jesus here prayed audibly in the presence of His
disciples. He prayed that their interests might be secured, but He
prayed audibly that they should be aware of this, that they might know
what a wondrous place they had in His affections, that they might be
assured that all His influence with the Father would be employed for
their advantage. More plainly still is this intimated in John 17:13:
"And now come I to thee and these things I speak in the world, that
they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves"--q.d. "These are
intercessions which in heaven I will never cease to make before God;
but I make them now in the world, in your hearing that you may more
distinctly understand how I am there to be employed in promoting your
welfare, so that you may be made in large measure, partakers of My
happiness." "The petitions for Himself are much briefer than those
which He presents for His people--the former being only two, or,
rather, but one, variously expressed; while the latter are quite a
number, earnestly urged with a variety of pleas. This arrangement and
division of the matter of the prayer justifies the view which has not
unfrequently been taken of it: that it was throughout intercessory and
the substance and model of that intercession which He constantly makes
in heaven as our great High Priest" (Mr. T. Houston).
It is in His mediatorial character that the Savior here prays: as the
eternal Son, now in the form of a Servant. The office of a mediator or
day's-man is "to lay his hand upon both" (Job 9:33); to treat with
each party, in the previous chapters we have beheld Christ dealing
with believers in the name of the Father, opening His counsels to
them; now we find Him dealing with the Father on behalf of believers,
presenting their cause to Him, just as Moses, the typical mediator,
spoke to God (Ex. 19:19) and from God (Ex. 20:19), so did our blessed
Savior speak from God and to God. And He is still performing the same
office and work: speaking to us in the Word, speaking for us in His
intercession on High.
The prayer that we are now about to meditate upon is a standing
monument of Christ's affection for the Church. In it we are permitted
to hear the desires of His heart as He spreads them before the Father,
seeking the temporal, spiritual and eternal welfare of those who are
His own. This prayer did not pass away as soon as its words were
uttered, or when Christ ascended to heaven, but retains a perpetual
efficacy. "Just as the words of creation hath retained their vigor
these six thousand years: `Increase and multiply: Let the earth bring
forth after its kind,' so this prayer of Christ's retains its force,
as if but newly spoken" (Mr. T. Manton). Let us remember our Lord's
words, "Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that
thou hearest me always" (John 11:41, 42) as we ponder this prayer
together.
"These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven" (John
17:1). The first four words look backwards and their meaning is fixed
by the opening clause in John 16:33. They refer to the whole
consolatory discourse recorded in the three preceding chapters. Having
completed His address to the disciples, He now lifted up His eyes and
heart to the Father. The connection is emphasized by the Spirit:
"These words spoke Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said."
What an example for all of His servants! He had said everything to the
apostles which a wise kindness could dictate in order to sustain them
in the supremely trying circumstances in which they were about to be
placed, and as the hour was at hand when they were to be separated
from Him, He employs the few moments now remaining in commending them
to the care of the Father--His Father and their Father. From preaching
He passed to prayer! Thereby He teaches us that after we have done all
we can to promote the holiness and comfort of those with whom we are
connected, we should in prayer and supplication beseech Him, who is
the author of all good, to bless the objects of our care and the means
which we have employed for their welfare. "Doctrine has no power,
unless efficacy is imparted to it from above. Christ holds out an
example to teach them, not to employ themselves only in sowing the
Word, but by mingling prayers with it, to implore the assistance of
God, that His blessing may render their labors fruitful" (John
Calvin).
"And lifted up his eyes to heaven." While delivering the discourse
recorded in the previous chapters His eyes, no doubt, had been fixed
with tender solicitude' upon His disciples. But now as a token that He
was about to engage in prayer, He lifts up His eyes toward heaven.
"This shows that bodily gestures in prayer and worship of God are not
altogether to be overlooked as unmeaning" (Bishop Ryle). The gesture
naturally expresses withdrawal of the thoughts and the affections from
earthly things, deep veneration, and holy confidence. It denoted the
elevation of His heart to God. Said David, "Unto thee O Lord, do I
lift up my soul" (Ps. 25:1). In true prayer the affections go out to
God. Our Lord's action also teaches us the spiritual reverence which
is due God: the heaven of heavens is His dwelling-place, and the
turning of the eyes toward His Throne expresses a recognition of God's
majesty and excellence. "Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that
dwellest in the heavens" (Ps. 123:1). Again, such a posture signifies
confidence in God. There can be no real prayer until there is a
turning away from all creature dependencies: "I will lift up mine eyes
unto the hills. From whence cometh my help? My help cometh from the
Lord, which made heaven and earth" (Ps. 121:1, 2) The believer looks
around, and finds no ground for help; his relief must come from God
above.
"And said, Father." The Mediator here addresses God as Father. He was
His "Father" in a threefold sense. First, by virtue of His human
nature, miraculously produced. His body was "prepared" for Him by God
(Heb. 10:5). Just as in the human realm the begetter of the child is
its father, so the One who made the body of Christ, became the Father
of His human nature: "And the angel answered and said unto her [Mary],
the Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest
shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be
born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). The man
Christ Jesus is thus in a peculiar sense, the Son of God. In like
manner, Adam, who was created by God in His own image and likeness, is
called "the son of God" (Luke 3:38). Second, God stands in the
relation of "Father" to our Lord as the Head and Representative of the
holy family redeemed from among men. He is thus "The first born among
many brethren" (Rom. 8:29). To this the apostle seems to refer when he
applies to the Lord Jesus that Old Testament word "I will be to him a
Father, and he shall be to me a Son" (Heb. 1:5). Third, the
appellation "Father" given to the first person of the Trinity by our
Savior, primarily, and usually refers to that essential relation which
subsisted between the first and second persons of the God head from
all eternity. Identity of nature is the chief idea suggested by the
term. In Romans 8:32, Christ is spoken of as God's "own Son,"
intimating that He is a Son in a sense absolutely peculiar to Himself.
"And said, Father." Two things were expressed. First, relationship:
the relationship of sonship. This was His claim to be heard. It was as
though He had said, "O thou with whom I have existed in unity of
essence, perfection, and enjoyment from the unbegun eternity, and by
whose will and operation I have been clothed miraculously with human
nature and constituted the Head of all appointed unto salvation--I now
come to thy throne of grace." Second, it indicated affection. It
expressed love, veneration, confidence, submission. In whom should a
son trust if not in his father? It was as though He had said, "I trust
Thy power, Thy wisdom, Thy benignity, Thy faithfulness. Into Thy hands
I commend Myself. I know that Thou wilt hear My prayer for Thou art My
Father!" Previously Christ had commanded prayer: here, by His own
blessed example He commends to us this holy exercise.
"The hour is come." This is the seventh and last time that the Lord
Jesus refers to this most momentous "hour"--see our remarks on John
2:4. This was the greatest "hour" of all--because most critical and
pregnant with eternal issues--since hours began to be numbered. It was
the hour when the Son of God was to terminate the labors of His
important life by a death still more important and illustrious. It was
the hour when the Lord of glory was to be made sin for His people, and
bear the holy wrath of a sin-hating God. It was the hour for
fulfilling and accomplishing many prophecies, types and symbols which
for hundreds and thousands of years had pointed forward to it. It was
the hour when events took place which the history of the entire
universe can supply no parallel: when the Serpent was Permitted to
bruise the heel of the woman's Seed; when the sword of Divine justice
smote Jehovah's Fellow; when the sun refused to shine; when the earth
rocked on its axis; but when the elect company were redeemed, when
Heaven was gladdened, and which brought, and shall bring to all
eternity, "glory to God in the highest."
But why did the Savior begin His prayer by referring to this "hour"?
As a plea to support the petitions that He was about to present. "In
our Lord's prayer for Himself there is pleading as well as petition.
Prayer is the expression of desire for benefit by one who needs it, to
one who, in his estimation, is able and disposed to confer it. Request
or petition is therefore its leading element; but in the expression of
desire by one intelligent being to another, it is natural that the
reasons why the desire is cherished, and the request presented, should
be stated, and the grounds unfolded, on which the hope is founded,
that the desire should be granted. Petitions and pleading are thus
connected in prayer from man to man; and they are so, likewise, in
prayer from men to God. Whoever reads carefully the prayers uttered by
holy men, influenced and guided by the Spirit of God, recorded in
Scripture, will be struck with the union of petition and pleading, by
which they are distinguished. When they are brought `near to
God'--when they, as Job says, `find him and come even to his seat,'
how do `they order their cause before him, and fill their mouths with
arguments' (Job 23:3-4)2 They `plead' with Him, as Jeremiah expresses
it" (John 12:1). (Mr. John Brown).
Christ's first plea was the intimate and endearing relation in which
He stood to the object of worship: "Father... glorify thy Son." There
is a powerful plea in each of these words. His second plea was "the
hour is come"--the time appointed for granting this petition had
arrived. Like so many of His words in these closing chapters, "the
hour" here seems to have a double significance: referring not only to
His sufferings, but also looking forward to the resurrection--side of
the Cross--compare our remarks on John 13:31. "This is the appointed
period for the remarkable glorification of the Son by the Father in
His sufferings, by His sufferings, for His sufferings under them,
after them. `The time, yea, the set time, is come,' and if the time be
come shall not the event take place? It is a matter of Divine purpose,
and when was a Divine purpose falsified! It is a matter of Divine
promise, and when was a Divine promise frustrated!" (Mr. John Brown).
"Glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee" (John 17:1).
This is so closely connected with what follows in the next two verses
that it is difficult to treat of it separately. In John 17:2 and 3
Christ describes the particular mode of glorifying the Father on which
His heart was set, and the aspect of the glorification of Himself
which He here prays for, namely, to have power over all flesh and to
give eternal life to as many as the Father had given Him. There was a
double object of desire, a double subject of prayer; the glorification
of the Father in the bestowal of eternal life upon the elect, and the
glorification of the Son as subsidiary to this as the necessary and
effectual means of accomplishing it. Thus we see the perfect
disinterestedness of Christ. He prayed to be "glorified" not for His
own sake, but that the Father might be glorified in our salvation!
Here again we see Him loving us "unto the end!"
"Glorify thy Son." This was the Savior requesting the Father to
support Him on the Cross, afterwards to bring Him out of the grave and
set Him at His own right hand, so as to bring to a triumphant
completion the work given Him to do; and this in order that the
glorious attributes of the Father--His justice, holiness, mercy and
faithfulness--might be exhibited and magnified, for God is most
"glorified" when the excellencies of His character are manifested to
and acknowledged by His creatures. The glorification of the Son, in
accord with the double meaning of the "hour" here, would mean Glorify
Me in My sufferings, and glorify Me after My sufferings. In both of
these aspects was His prayer answered. The angel sent to strengthen
Him in the Garden, the testimony of Pilate--"I find no fault in
him,"--the drawing of the dying thief to the Savior while He hung upon
the Cross, the rending of the temple veil, the confession of the
centurion, "Truly, this was the Son of God," were all so many
responses of the Father to this petition. His resurrection and
exaltation to the highest seat in Heaven, was His glorification
following His sufferings.
There is much for us to learn here. First, mark the connection: "the
hour is come, glorify thy Son." "The true remedy of tribulation is to
look to the succeeding glory, and to counterbalance future dangers
with present hopes. This was comfort against that sad hour. So it must
be our course: not to look at things which are seen, but to things
which are not seen (2 Cor. 4:17); to defeat sense by faith. When the
mind is in heaven it is fortified against the pains which the body
feeleth on earth" (Mr. Thos. Manton-Puritan). Second, observe what
Christ sought: to be "glorified" by the Father--not to be enriched by
men, not to be honored by the world. This should be our desire too.
Christ rebuked those who received honor one from another instead of
seeking the honor that cometh from God (John 5:44), and because they
loved the praise of men, more than the praise of God (John 12:43). We
should not only seek for grace, but glory. Third, note that Christ
asked for what He knew would be given Him. The Father had said "I have
both glorified, and will glorify again" (John 12:28). Neither promises
nor providence render prayer meaningless or useless. Fourth, Christ
prayed for this glory in order that He might glorify the Father. Here
too, He has left us an example. Whatsoever we do is to be done to the
glory of God, and nothing should be asked from Him save for His glory.
"As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give
eternal life to as many as thou hast given him" (John 17:2). "The
Father is first of all to be glorified in the humanity of the God-man,
who presents Himself to that end; then, through Him in His disciples,
so that in this first word concerning the mutual glorification, that
is already involved and included which follows in John 17:10. In John
17:2 we have a more specific development and explanation of the sense
in which this glorification of the Father to and in fallen humanity is
meant" (Stier). We regard the connecting "as" or "according as" as
having a double force, supplying a reason for and describing the
manner of the Father's glorification of Christ. Let us examine the
verse in this order of thought.
Verse 2 contains the third plea which the Savior presented to the
Father: to glorify the Son was in accord with the place which the
Father had destined Him to fill, and the work which He had appointed
Him to perform: the glorification of the Son was necessary to His
filling that place and executing that work. The place which God had
destined Him to occupy was that of rightful authority over the whole
human race, with complete control of all events in connection with
them (see John 5:22; Ephesians 1:19-21, etc.). The work appointed Him
was to give eternal life to all the elect. But in order to the
accomplishment of this purpose the Son must be glorified in and by and
for His sufferings. He must be glorified by expiating sin upon the
Cross, by being raised from the dead, and by being set at God's right
hand so as to be put into actual possession of this authority and
power. How cogent then was His plea! Unless the Father glorified Him,
He could not accomplish the ends of His mediatorial office.
The Father, in His eternal counsels, had appointed the Son to save a
portion of the human race; to conduct to glory many sons, who, like
their brethren in the flesh, were going to destruction. These had been
given Christ to save. By nature they were "dead in trespasses and
sins": guilty, depraved, destitute of spiritual life, incapable of
thinking, feeling, choosing, acting, or enjoying; communion with the
all-holy, ever-blessed One. If ever they were to be saved they must
have eternal life bestowed upon them by the Savior, and for Him to
impart this inestimable boon, He must be exalted to the place of
supreme dominion. This, then, was the Savior's "argument" or plea
here: the Father's glory being the end in view.
Verse 2 also describes the manner of the Father's glorification in and
by the Son: let Thy Son glorify Thee by saving souls "according as"
Thou hast appointed Him so to do. "As thou hast given" obviously means
promised to give--see such scriptures as Psalm 89:27; Daniel 7:14,
etc. The fact that this "power" or authority over all flesh is given
to Christ, at once shows the character in which He here appears,
namely, as Mediator. That Christ receives this "gift" shows us that
free grace is no dis-honorable tenure. Why should haughty sinners
disdain Divine charity, when the God-man was willing to accept a gift
from the Father! "Power over all flesh" means, first, dominion over
the whole human race. But it also means, most probably, authority over
all creatures, for Christ "is gone into heaven, and is on the right
hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto
him" (1 Pet. 3:22). "All power in heaven and earth" has been given to
Him (Matthew 28:18). Not only is He the "head of every man" (1 Cor.
11:3), but the "head of all principality and power" (Col. 2:10).
"As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give
eternal life to as many as thou hast given him." We must distinguish
between Christ's universal authority and His narrower charge.
Authority has been given Him over all; but out of this "all" is an
elect company, committed to Him as a charge. This was typified by
Joseph of old; authority over all Egypt was conveyed to him by the
king, but his brethren had a special claim upon his affections. "The
keys of heaven are in the hands of Christ; the salvation of every
human soul is at His disposal" (Bishop Ryle). How blessed to rest upon
this double truth--the universal dominion of Christ, His affection for
His own. All has been put into the hands of our Savior, therefore the
Devil himself cannot move except so far as Christ allows. This
universal dominion has been bestowed upon Christ "that" (in order
that) He may give eternal life to God's elect. The elect were given to
Christ by way of reward (Isa. 53:10-12), and by way of charge (John
6:37; 18:9).
"And this is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3). There has been
considerable difference of opinion as to what is meant by "this is
eternal life." We shall not canvass the various interpretations that
have been given, rather shall we seek to indicate what we believe was
our Lord's meaning here. "This is life eternal," more literally, "this
is the eternal life--that," etc. A parallel form of speech is found in
John 3:19: "And this is the condemnation--that," etc. In the words
that follow in John 3:19 the ground and way of condemnation are
stated--"light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather
than light, because their deeds were evil." This helps us to arrive at
the first meaning here: "This is the eternal life--that they might
know thee," etc.--this is the way to it. Again, in John 12:50 we read,
"His commandment is--life everlasting" that is, the outward means of
it. Once more, in 1 John 5:20, we read, "This is the true God and
eternal life"--Christ is the Author of it. Taken by themselves the
words of this verse might be understood as speaking of the
characteristics and manifestations of "eternal life," but the context
would forbid this. Christ is here amplifying the plea of the previous
verse. Thus: unless I am glorified, I cannot bestow eternal life;
without My ascension the Holy Spirit will not come, and without Him
there can be no knowledge of the Father and His Son, and so by
consequence, no eternal life, for "knowing God" and "eternal life" are
inseparable. Therefore "this is eternal life--that they might know
thee" etc., obviously signifies, This is the way to, the means of
eternal life, namely, by the knowledge of God imparted by Jesus
Christ.
"This is the eternal life, that they know thee" (literal rendering).
The knowledge spoken of here is not speculative but practical, not
theoretical but experimental, not intellectual but spiritual, not
inactive but saving. That it is a saving knowledge, which is here in
view is clear from the double object--God and Christ. He that knoweth
God in Christ knoweth Him as His reconciled Father, and so resteth on
and in Him. "And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee"
(Ps. 9:10). The knowledge here spoken of presupposes a walk in harmony
with it, produced by it: "Hereby we do know that we know him, if we
keep his commandments" (1 John 2:3). How this strengthened the plea of
the Savior here scarcely needs pointing out. What would bring more
"glory" to the Father than that He should be known (trusted, loved,
served) by those to whom the Son gave eternal life! "Eternal life"
contains the essence of all blessing: "This is the promise that he
hath promised us--eternal life" (1 John 2:25). Spiritual or eternal
life consists in knowing, living on, having communion with, and
enjoying endless satisfaction in the Triune God through the one
Mediator.
"Know thee, the only true God." Appeal is made to this by Unitarians
in their horrible efforts to disprove the Godhead of the second and
third persons of the Trinity. That Christ cannot be here denying the
Deity of Himself and of the Spirit we well know from many other
passages, but what did He mean by affirming that the Father is "the
only true God"? We believe the answer is twofold:--
First, Christ was here excluding the idols of the Gentiles--false
gods, el., 1 Thessalonians 1:9:--to denote that that Godhead is only
true that is in the Father. The Son and the Spirit are not excluded
because they are of the same essence with the Father. The Son and the
Spirit are "true God," not without, but in the Father. "I and the
Father are one" (John 10:30); "the Father is in me, and I in him"
(John 10:38): not divided in essence, but distinguished in
personality. In 1 John 5:20 the Son Himself is called "the only true
God!" Which no more excludes the Father than John 17:3 excludes the
Son. Many such exclusive statements are to be found in Scripture, that
must be expounded by the analogy of faith. For example: "No one
knoweth the Father, but the Son, and none knoweth the Son, but the
Father" (Matthew 11:27); but this excludes not the Spirit, for He
"searcheth the depths of God" (1 Cor. 2:10). One person of the Trinity
does not exclude the others. When Scripture insists there is no God
but one, it simply denies that all others who are "called gods" are
such.
Second, Christ was here speaking in view of the order and economy of
salvation, for He had just mentioned the giving of "eternal life." In
the economy of salvation the Father is ever represented as Supreme,
the One in whom the sovereign majesty of Deity resideth. The Son
sustains the office of Mediator, and in this character He could
rightly say, "My Father is greater than I" (John 14:28) In like
manner, during the present dispensation, the Holy Spirit is the
Servant of the Godhead (see Luke 4:17-23 and cf. John 16:13 and our
remarks thereon). In the order of redemption the Father is the
principal party representing the whole Godhead, because He is the
Originator and Fountain of it.
"And Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." The connecting "and" gives
plain warning that the Father, "the only true God" cannot be "known"
apart from "Jesus Christ"! Just as the "only true God" is opposed to
the vanities of the Gentiles, so is "Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent"
to the blindness of the Jews! "Sent" has a threefold intimation and
signification. It points to His Deity: "We believe that thou camest
forth from God" (John 16:30). It refers to His incarnation: "When the
fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son made of a woman"
(Gal. 4:4). It also signified His office of Mediator and Redeemer. For
this reason He is called "The apostle and high priest of our
profession" (Heb. 3:1), and apostle means the sent one. Jesus Christ
is the great Ambassador to treat with us from God.
It is worthy of note that this is the only place in the New Testament
where our Lord called Himself "Jesus Christ." In so doing He affirmed
that He, Jesus the Son of man, and Son of God was the only true Christ
(Messiah): thereby He repudiated every false notion of the Messiah, as
in the previous clause He had excluded every false god. It is very
striking to observe how that in 1 John 5:1 we are told, Whosoever
believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God," while in 1 John
5:5 we read, "Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that
believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" Do you, dear reader, know the
Father and the Son--the Father as revealed in and by Jesus Christ! If
you do not, you have not eternal life.
"I have glorified thee on the earth" (John 17:4). Here is the next
plea of the Savior: I have glorified Thee, do Thou now glorify Me. God
has been glorified in creation (Ps. 19:1) and by His providences (Ex.
15:6-7, etc.); but to a superlative degree, in an altogether unique
way, He had been glorified by the Son. Christ has glorified the Father
in His person (Heb. 1:3). He glorified Him by His miracles (Matthew
9:8, etc.). He glorified Him by His words, constantly ascribing all
praise to Him (Matthew 11:25, etc.). But above all He had glorified
Him by His holy life. The Savior was sent into the world as the
Representative of His people, to render obedience to that law which
they had violated (Gal. 4:4); and perfectly bad He in thought and word
and deed discharged this duty. In Him--full of grace and truth--the
disciples had beheld a moral glory possessed by none save Him who
abode in the bosom of the Father. "I have glorified thee on the
earth"--in the place where He had been so grievously dishonored.
In view of having glorified the Father on earth, the Son said "glorify
thou me." "The more we examine the Gospel of John, the more we shall
see One who speaks and acts as a Divine Person--one with the
Father--alone could do, but yet always as One who has taken the place
of a servant, and takes nothing to Himself but receives all from His
Father. `I have glorified thee: now glorify me.' What language of
equality of nature and love! But He does not say, `And now I will
glorify myself.' He has taken the place of man to receive all, though
it be a glory He had with the Father before the world was. This is of
exquisite beauty. I add, it was out of this the enemy sought to seduce
Him, in vain, in the wilderness" (Mr. Darby).
"I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do" (John 17:4).
Here is the final plea of the Savior for His glorification. When He
entered this world, He affirmed, "Lo, I come to do thy will, O God"
(Heb. 10:7). At the age of twelve, He said, "Wist ye not that I must
be about my Father's business?" (Luke 2:49). In John 4:34 He declared,
"My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his
work." Now He says, "I have finished the work which thou gavest me to
do." He anticipated by a few hours His cry from the Cross, "It is
finished" (John 19:30). The Savior referred to His work on earth as
though He had been already exalted to heaven. How evident it is all
through His prayer that His heavenly mediation is in view--"Now I am
no more in the world" (John 17:11)!
"I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." As the eternal
Son He had, in the character of the faithful Servant, done what none
other could do. He had performed the Father's will: He had delivered
His message: He had not only taught but perfectly exemplified the
truth. He had "finished transgression and brought in everlasting
righteousness " (Dan. 9:24). He had put away sin by the sacrifice of
Himself. He had "restored that which He took not away" (Ps. 69:4).
Thus had He glorified the Father upon earth and finished the work
given Him to do. There was every reason then why He should be
"glorified." Every moral attribute of Deity required it. Having
endured the Cross, He was fully entitled to enter "the joy set before
Him." Having poured out His soul unto death, it was but meet that the
Father should "divide him a portion with the great" (Isa. 53:12).
Having glorified Him on earth, it was fitting that the Savior should
be glorified in heaven.
"And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the
glory which I had with thee before the world was" (John 17:5). Having
presented the various pleas suited to His glorification, the Son now
returns to His petition. The verse before us conducts us to a height
which we have no means of scaling. All that we can do is to humbly
ponder its words in the light of the context and parallel scriptures.
When the Savior says, "glorify thou me" He speaks as the Mediator, as
"Jesus Christ" (John 17:3). As Jesus Christ He had been humiliated;
now, as Jesus Christ, He was to be glorified. The Father's answer to
this is seen in Acts 2: "This Jesus hath God raised up... let all the
house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus,
whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ" (verses 32, 36)--compare
also Philippians 2:9-11. But the glorification here must not be
confined to His humanity, as the remainder of the verse shows. As the
eternal Son He has humbled Himself (Phil. 2:6), and as the Son He has
been exalted and magnified see Psalm 21:1-6; 110:1; Ephesians 1:17-23;
Revelation 5:11-14.
That Christ asked to be "glorified," demonstrated His perfections: not
even as risen did He glorify Himself. In addition to the fact that His
glorification had been promised and earned by Him, three reasons may
be given why He asked for it. First, for the comfort of His apostles
who were troubled over His humiliation. Second, for our instruction:
to teach us that suffering for God is the highway to glory. Third, for
the benefit of His Church: Christ must be glorified before it could
prosper. The example of the Savior here teaches that we should pray
that the Father may be pleased to honor us by fitting and using us to
lead men to a knowledge of the only true God through Jesus Christ, and
to enable us, in our creature measure, to glorify Him on earth and to
finish the work which He has given us to do.
The following questions are to help the student on the next section:
--
1. How many pleas does Christ here present on behalf of His own,
verses 6,12?
2. Of whom is Christ speaking in verse 6?
3. In what senses were the elect "given" to Christ, verse 6?
4. What important truth is pointed in the "ands" of verse 8?
5. How harmonize verse 9 with Luke 23:34?
6. Why "Holy" Father, verse 11?
7. What is the unity of verse 12?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 58
Christ Interceding (Continued)
John 17:6-12
_________________________________________________________________
The following is an Analysis of the second section of John 17: --
1. What Christ had done for God's elect, verse 6.
2. The response of the elect, verses 6, 7.
3. The consequent assurance of the elect, verse 8.
4. The elect alone prayed for by the Mediator, verse 9.
5. Reasons why Christ prayed for the elect, verses 9-11.
6. Christ praying for their preservation and unity verse 11.
7. Christ's accompanying plea, verse 12.
John 17 is the sequel to chapter 13. In each the actions of our great
High Priest are in view. But the services are different, both together
giving us a full representation of our Advocate on high. In the 13th
chapter He had, as it were, laid one hand on the defiled feet of His
saints; here He lays the other hand on the throne of the Father,
forming thus a chain of marvellous workmanship reaching from God to
sinners. In the 13th chapter His body was girt, and He was stooping
down towards our feet; here, His eyes are lifted up (John 17:1), and
He is looking in the face of the Father. What that is asked for us, by
One who fills up the whole distance between the bright throne of God
and our defiled feet, can be denied? All must be granted--such an One
is heard always. Thus we get the sufficiency and acceptability of the
Advocate" (Mr. J. G. Bellett).
That order in which the Savior here presents His petitions, and the
pleas by which He urges them, are deserving of the closest notice. The
prayer has three main divisions: in John 17:1 to 5 He prays for
Himself; in John 17:6 to 19 He prays for the disciples then alive: in
John 17:20 to 26 He prays for those who should believe. In praying for
Himself, His own glorification, the great end in view is the Father's
glory. In John 17:1 He says: "glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may
glorify thee," and in John 17:5 He adds: "glorify thou me with thine
own self." This, be it noted, is before He asks a single thing for His
people. Just as in The disciples' prayer, "Our Father which art in
heaven, hallowed be thy name" was the opening petition, so here in
"The Lord's Prayer" the Father's interests come first. Inseparably
connected are the two things: the Father's glory and the Son's glory.
In praying for Himself before His people He shows us that in all
things He has the pre-eminence (Col. 1:18).
In studying the different pleas for His own glorification, we find
that they were seven in number, and this supplies us with the first of
a most striking series of sevens which runs through this prayer. The
various pleas were as follows: First, because of His filial
relationship with God--"Father," John 17:1. Second, because the
appointed time for it had arrived--"The hour is come," John 17:1.
Third, because authority over all flesh had been given Him by Divine
appointment and promise, John 17:2. Fourth, because His bestowal of
eternal life on God's elect had also been promised Him, John 17:2.
Fifth, because in bestowing eternal life on the elect He would be
bringing them to a knowledge of the Father, John 17:3. Sixth, because
He had glorified the Father on the earth, John 17:4. Seventh, because
He had finished the work which had been given Him to do, John 17:4.
For these reasons He asks that His request be granted.
Ere passing from the first section of this prayer, attention should be
called to the lovely manner in which the Son there kept before Him the
glory of the Father. First, He had said: "Father... glorify thy Son"
(17:1), not "the Son": He desired no glory for Himself apart from the
Father! Second, "that thy Son also may glorify thee" (John 17:1): not
separately, but in perfect union. Third, "As thou hast given him power
over all flesh" (John 17:2): blessed is it to see the place which He
gives the Father. Fourth, "that he should give eternal life to as many
as"--He redeems with His blood? No; but--"to as many as thou hast
given him" (John 17:3)! Thus, again, does He refer all to the Father.
Fifth, "And this is life eternal that they might know me"? No;
but-"that they might know thee, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent"
(John 17:3). Sixth, "I have finished the work which thou hast given me
to do" (John 17:4): nothing was done for self. He ascribes honor to
the Father for originating and appointing that work! Finally, when He
prays to be glorified, it is touching to see how He puts it: "glorify
thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had before the
world was", No, no; but instead "with the glory which I had with thee
before the world was": not for a moment would He dissociate His own
glory from His Father! Truly is this altogether Lovely One "fairer
than the children of men."
We have now completed the first main section of John 17, verses 1-5,
where Christ is seen praying for Himself. In the second section,
verses 6-19, He prays for the living disciples. This second section is
also subdivided into two parts, though it is not easy to classify
them. In verses 6 to 12 the fundamental reason is brought out as to
why the Savior prays for His disciples and not for the world-because
of their relation to Himself. Out of this grows the petition for their
preservation--the essence of all intercession. In verses 13 to 19 the
Lord prays for His disciples as left here in the world, presenting
their several needs as growing out of this. We shall confine ourselves
now to the first subdivision.
While this prayer resolves itself into three divisions there is a most
striking apparent unity about it. The substance of Christ's prayer for
Himself is: Place Me in circumstances in which I may glorify Thee in
the salvation of men. The substance of His prayer for the disciples
is: Fit them for glorifying Thee in promoting the salvation of men,
through prosecuting the work to which I have called them as My
instrumental agents. The substance of His prayer for the whole company
of the redeemed (John 17:20-26) is: Bring them to entire conformity to
Thyself in mind, will and enjoyment, that Thou mayest be glorified to
the uttermost by their being saved to the uttermost. Thus the glory of
the Father is the paramount consideration from the beginning to the
end. A close study of the details will fully bear this out. But though
everything is subordinated by Christ to the Divine glory, yet the
blessings asked for the apostles and the whole company of the redeemed
are viewed not only in reference to the glory of the Father directly,
but to the glory of the Son, in whom and by whom the Father was to be
glorified. The plea for blessing them is that "I am glorified in them"
(John 17:10), and the ultimate design is "that they may behold my
glory" (John 17:24).
"The prayer of our Lord for His apostles, like the prayer for Himself,
comprehends both petition and pleading. He asks blessings for them,
and He states the grounds on which He asks these blessings for them.
The transition at the beginning of the sixth verse is similar to that
at the twentieth verse, though not so distinctly defined. There He
says, `I pray not for them alone,' i.e., the apostles (rather the
entire company of disciples at that time, A.W.P.), `but for them also
which shall believe in me through their word.' Here He in effect says,
`I pray not for myself alone, but for the men to whom I have
manifested thy name.'
"The great blessing which our Lord asks for the apostles is that they
may be one, as the Father and the Son are; that is, that they may be
united with Them as to mind and will, and aim and operation in the
great work of glorifying God in the salvation of men. That is the
ultimate object of His desire in reference to them; the other
petitions are for what is necessary in order to this. The blessings
necessary to the obtaining of this blessing are two: First,
Conservation--`Keep them through, or in, or in reference to, thine own
name'; `Keep them from the evil one or the evil thing that is in the
world, that they may be one, as we are.' Then, second,
Consecration--`Sanctify them through, or in reference to, thine own
name'; all the rest is occupied with pleadings--most powerful and
appropriate pleadings'' (Mr. John Brown).
While it is true that in John 17:6 to 19 the Lord is praying directly
and immediately for His apostles, it is clear to us that they are here
viewed, as in the preceding chapters, in a representative character.
Were this not the case, there would be no place at all in this prayer
for all the others of His believing disciples at that time, for John
17:20 speaks only of those who were to believe at a later date. The
careful student will note that Christ was most particular to describe
the ones He here intercedes for in terms which are common to all
believers. It is with this understanding that we shall now proceed
with our exposition.
"I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of
the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me, and they have
kept thy word" (John 17:6). Four things are to be carefully noted in
this and the following verses: the persons for whom Christ intercedes;
the characters in which they are presented; the petitions offered on
their behalf; and the particular pleas by which each separate petition
is urged. It is to be noted that the Lord did not begin by asking for
the blessing of His disciples; rather did He first describe the ones
he was about to pray for: in John 17:6 to 10 it is presentation, in
John 17:11 and 12 it is supplication. It is beautiful to see that as
the Savior here comes before the Father as intercessor, He presents
"His own" along with Himself. It reminds us of His word, spoken long
before by the spirit of prophecy, "Behold I and the children whom the
Lord hath given me" (Isa. 8:18, quoted in Hebrews 2:13). It was the
fulfillment of what had been so strikingly foreshadowed by the high
priest of Israel: "And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of
Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart when he goeth in
unto the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually" (Ex.
28:29). So here, when our great High Priest entered the presence of
the Father, He bore our names on His heart before Him! That which made
this possible was His own glorification, consequent upon His "finished
work" (John 17:4, 5).
"I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of
the world." Here is the first proof that the Lord had more than the
eleven apostles in view. He designedly employed language that was
strictly applicable to all His believing people at that time. During
His earthly life He had made known the Father's name to far more than
the Eleven. 1 Corinthians 15:6 speaks of the risen Savior being seen
by "over five hundred brethren at once." So, too, far more than the
apostles had been given to Christ out of the world; and again, a
larger company than the apostles had "kept his word." Three things
were here mentioned by Christ to recommend to the Father these objects
of His petition: they were acquainted with the Father's name; they
were the subjects of His distinguishing grace; they were obedient to
His will. Thus the Lord Jesus spoke of what He had done, what the
Father had done, and what the disciples had done.
"I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of
the world." Herein Christ fulfilled that prophecy, "I will declare thy
name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise
thee" (Ps. 22:22). To make known the Father's name was to reveal Him,
manifest His character, display His perfections. As we are told at the
beginning of this Gospel, "No man hath seen God at any time; the only
begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared
him." The Son alone was competent for this. Christ had manifested the
Father's perfections in His perfect life, wondrous miracles and
sublime teaching. But only those who had been given Him by the Father
were able to receive this manifestation. Christ has made known the
Father to all the elect: "I write unto you, little children, because
ye have known the Father" (1 John 2:13). So perfectly did Christ
discharge this office that He could say, "He that hath seen me hath
seen the Father" (John 12:9).
"Thine they were, and thou gavest them me." All creatures belong to
the Father by creation (Heb. 12:9), but this is not what is here in
view. Christ is speaking of a special company which had been given to
Him. The reference, then, is to the sovereign election of God, whereby
He chose a definite number to be His "peculiar people" --His in a
peculiar or special way. These were eternally His: "chosen in Christ
before the foundation of the world" (Eph. 1:4); and by the
immutability of His purpose of grace from John 11:29, they are always
His. This plea was made by Christ to the Father not only for the
urging of the petition which followed, but for the comfort of the
disciples. Despised by Israel they might be, hated by men in general,
the special objects of Satan's enmity; yet were they the peculiar
favourites of God. Again, this plea of Christ's affords us instruction
in prayer. The more we discern the Father's interests in us, the
greater our confidence when we come to Him a prayer. What assurance
would be ours if, when we approached the throne of grace, we realized
that the Father's heart had been set upon us from the beginning of all
things!
"And thou gavest them me." Thine by foreordination; Mine by special
donation. "The acts of the three persons of the Trinity are
commensurate; of the same sphere and latitude; those whom the Father
chooseth, the Son redeemeth and the Spirit quickeneth. The Father
loveth none but those which are given to Christ, and Christ taketh
charge of none but those that are loved by the Father. Your election
will be known by your interest in Christ, and your interest in Christ
by the regeneration of the Spirit. All God's flock are put into
Christ's hands, and He leaveth them in the care of the Spirit: `Elect
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through
sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the
blood of Jesus Christ' (1 Pet. 1:2). There is a chain of salvation;
the beginning is from the Father, the dispensation through the Son,
the application by the Spirit; all cometh from the Father, and is
conveyed to us through Christ by the Spirit" (Mr. Thos. Manton).
"Thou gavest them me." The elect are given to Christ, first by way of
reward: "When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall
see his seed... He shall see of the travail of his soul, and be
satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many;
for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a
portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong"
(Isa. 53:10-12.) "Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen tot
thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy
possession" (Ps. 2:8). The elect were given to Christ, secondly, by
the way of charge. "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me,
and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out [reject]... And
this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he
hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at
the last day" (John 6:37, 39). The elect were intrusted to Christ to
take care of. Thus the faithfulness of Christ to the Father is engaged
on our behalf. If a single one of God's elect were to perish, the
glory of the perfect Servant would be tarnished for all eternity. How
absolute, then, is our security!
"And they have kept thy word." The last reference, no doubt, is to
God's call, which went forth through Christ. When these disciples
heard that word of command, they rose up, left all, and followed Him.
Moreover, they had continued with Him. When many "went back and walked
no more with him," the Savior said unto the Twelve, "Will ye also go
away?" Their answer, through Peter, was prompt and unwavering: To whom
shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal lite" (John 6:66-68);
contrast verse 38. The Lord spoke here absolutely from the standpoint
of their faith, no notice being taken of their failures to apprehend
that Word. How beautiful, how blessed, to see our great High Priest,
notwithstanding the feebleness of their faith and their frequent
unbelief, presenting the disciples before the Father according to the
perfections of His own love--that love which "imputetn no evil" (1
Cor. 13:5). They had kept the Father's word, but O how imperfectly.
But love notices not their detects, dwelling only upon their troth,
submission and obedience! Satan is an accuser, and even speaks evil of
believers; but Christ, our Advocate, takes our part, and ever speaks
well of us. Thus is the highest commendation Christ coma give His
people: "They have kept thy word."
"Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are
of thee" (John 17:7). The Lord continues to speak in commendatory
terms of His disciples. "These are wonderful words when we consider
the character of the eleven men to whom they were applied. How weak
was their faith! How slender their knowledge! How shallow their
spiritual attainments! How faint their hearts in the hour of danger!
Yet a very little while after Jesus spoke these words they all forsook
Him and fled, and one of them denied Him with an oath. No one, in
short, can read the four Gospels with attention and fail to see that
never had a great Master such weak servants as Jesus had in the eleven
apostles. Yet these very servants were the men of whom the gracious
Head of the church speaks here in high and honorable terms. The lesson
before us is full of comfort and instruction. It is evident that the
Lord sees far more in His believing people than they see in
themselves, or than others see in them. The least degree of faith is
very precious in His sight. Though it be no larger than a grain of
mustard seed, it is a plant of heavenly growth, and makes a boundless
difference between the possessors of it and the men of the world. The
eleven apostles were weak and unstable as water; but they believed and
loved their Master when millions refused to own Him. And the language
of Him who declared that a cup of cold water given in the name of a
disciple should not lose its reward, shows plainly that their
constancy was not forgotten" (Bishop Ryle).
It is blessed to note the characters in which Christ here presents the
disciples to His Father. "It is most comforting to find that all these
glorious desires for the saints our Lord grounds simply on this: that
they have received the Son's testimony about the Father, and had
believed surely in the Father's love. How full of blessing it is to
see that we are presented before God simply as believing that love!
How surely does it tell us that the pleasure of our God is this: that
we should know Him in love, know Him as the Father, know Him according
to the words of Him who has come out from His bosom. This is joy and
liberty. And it is indeed only as having seen God in love, seen the
Father and heard the Father in Jesus, that makes us the family. It is
not the graces that adorn us, or the services that we render, but
simply that we know the Father. It is this which distinguishes the
saint from the world, and gives him his standing, as here, in the
presence of the Father" (Mr. J. G. Bellett).
"For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they
have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee,
and they have believed that thou didst send me" (John 17:8). The "for"
which here introduces what follows explains the all things in the
previous verse. The disciples had entered, by grace, into that of
which the world was completely ignorant, namely, that the Father was
the source of all that was given to the Son. Some "wondered" at His
words and works; others, in their enmity, blasphemously attributed
them to Satan. Not only had the disciples learnt that He came out from
the Father, but they had perceived that the means (the "words") of
bringing them into such blessing were also of the Father. The Savior
had treated them as "friends," committing to them those intimate
communications of grace which the Father gave to Him, and this that
they might know the Divine relationship into which His wondrous love
had brought them. Nor had this been in vain. Slow of heart they truly
were (as, alas! are we), yet they received the truth, and receiving it
they knew that He was the Son of the Father's love. Thus does the
Savior explain how souls are brought into such nearness to the Father.
It is instructive to note the order here: "For I have given unto them
the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have
known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that
thou didst send me." How this makes manifest the fact that "faith
cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17). How
plain is the lesson here taught us! If our faith is to be
strengthened, deepened and increased, it can only be by our diligent
attention to, prayerful meditation upon, and personal appropriation of
the words of God! So, too, knowledge, spiritual knowledge--discernment
and understanding--is the fruit of "receiving" God's words. It is to
be noted that the initial "receiving" has preceded it. The "believing"
comes last here, though the Lord Jesus admits no other faith than that
which is based upon an intelligent acquaintance with His person--cf.
Romans 10:13.
"I pray for them: I pray not for the world; but for them which thou
hast given me; for they are thine" (John 17:9). The world here is a
general name for mankind in their fallen state. There is a "fashion of
this world" (1 Cor. 7:31), a common mould, according to which the
characters of men are formed. There "is a course of this world" (Eph.
2:2), in which all walk, except those who are on the narrow way" which
leadeth unto life. All who have not been "transformed by the renewing
of their minds" (Rom. 12:2) are, as a matter of course, "conformed to
this world." For the unbelieving, Christ prayed not: "For whom He is
the Propitiation, He is an Advocate; and for whom He died, He makes
intercession, and for no others in a spiritual saving way." (Mr. John
Gill).
"I pray not for the world." But how is this to be harmonized with the
fact that while He was on the Cross the Savior did pray for His
enemies --"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do"? It
is important that we should distinguish between the prayers of Christ
as the perfect Man and the prayers of Christ as Mediator. There are
several of the Psalms which plainly intimate that the Lord Jesus
prayed for His foes, but this was to show us that as a perfect Man,
subject to that holy law which required each one to love his neighbor
as himself, He harboured no revenge. He prayed for the ungodly in
answer to His human duty, but not officially as the Mediator. So He
taught His disciples, "Love your enemies, bless them which curse you,
do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully
use you, and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). But here in John 17 Christ
is seen as the great High Priest, therefore He prays only for "His
own."
"But for them which thou hast given me." How this should bow our
hearts in adoring worship! What thanksgivings it calls for! Oh what an
inestimable privilege to be one of the objects of Christ's
intercession. Millions passed by unprayed for by Him; but those who
belong to the "little flock" (Luke 12:32) are held up by Him before
the throne of grace. One of the disciples asked Him, "Lord, how is it
that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?"
(John 14:22). So may we ask, "How is it that Thou wilt pray for us,
and not for the world?" Others more accomplished, with more pleasing
dispositions, who daily put us to shame in many ways, left out, and we
taken in! The finite mind, yea the renewed mind, can discover no
answer. All that we can say is, it was the sovereign grace of the
sovereign God who singled us out to be the objects of His
distinguishing favors. Let the world call it selfishness in us if they
will, but let us express in praise to God our profoundest gratitude,
and seek to live as becometh His elect ones. Let us also follow the
example of Christ here and manifest our greatest love for those who
have been chosen out of the world. "As we have therefore opportunity,
let us do good unto all, especially unto them who are of the household
of faith" (Gal. 6:10). But do Christ's words in John 17:9 forbid us to
pray for the wicked? No, indeed. Christ's mediatorial acts as our
great High Priest are not our standard of conduct; but in His walk as
the perfect Man He has left us "an example." On the Cross He prayed
for His enemies. So we are commanded to pray for our enemies; and it
is our duty to pray for all men. See Romans 10:1; 1 Timothy 2:1.
"For they are thine." In the previous verses the Savior had described
the characters of those for whom He was about to intercede, now He
presents the reasons why He prayed for them. The first is, "for they
are thine." Though given to the Mediator by grant--both as a reward
and as a charge--they are still the Father's; that is, He has not
relinquished His right and property over them. As a father who giveth
his daughter in marriage to another does not lose his fatherly
propriety, so those given to Christ are still the Father's "for they
(in sharp contrast from `the world') are thine" fixes the meaning of
"thine they were" in John 17:6--"thine" not by creation, but by
election. "The world" also belongs to the Father by creation! What a
powerful plea was this; the ones for whom Christ was about to pray
were the Father's, therefore, for His own glory and because of His
affection for that which belonged to Him, He would keep them.
"And all mine are thine, and thine are mine" (John 17:10). Here is the
second motive for His request: the interests of the Father and the Son
could not be separated; what belonged to the one belonged to the
other. Indubitable proof of His absolute Deity; it is because the
Savior is one with the Father that They have rights and interests no
less boundless than common. The Holy Spirit is not here mentioned,
though He is certainly not to be excluded. As Mr. Manton well said,
"They are the Father's children, Christ's members, and the Spirit's
temples."
"And I am glorified in them" (John 17:10). This was His third plea.
Since the Son was the supreme Object of the Father's affections, then
this was another reason for Him preserving those in whom the Savior
was glorified. What a place for us! To be the subjects of this mutual
affection of the Father and the Son! The world knew Him not, Israel
received Him not; but these disciples by their faith, love, and
obedience, glorified Him; therefore did He make special intercession
for them. And how imensly practical is this for us! The more we
glorify Christ, the more confidence shall we have of His intercession
for us--"Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I
confess also before my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 10:32).
"And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I
come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou
hast given me, that they may be one, as we" (John 17:11). What a
touching plea is this! The Savior reminds the Father that the
disciples would be deprived of His personal care as present with them,
and this would expose them the more to the world. He had been their
Guide, their Guardian, their ever-present and all-sufficient Friend.
And how He had borne with their infirmities, upheld them in weakness,
protected them from evil! But now He was leaving them, going to the
Father, and into His hands He now commits His own charge.
"But these are in the world." God could take each saint to Heaven the
very day he believed (as He did the dying thief) did He so please; but
for reasons of His own He leaves them here for a shorter or longer
season. He does so for His own wise purposes: "I pray not that thou
shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep
them from the evil" (John 17:15). He gets more glory by leaving us
here. As a quaint old writer said, "It is more wonderful to maintain a
candle in a bucket of water than in a lantern." God's power is made
perfect in our weakness (2 Cor. 12:9). God sent Jacob and his family
into Egypt that He might there exhibit before his descendants His
mighty power on Pharaoh. We are left here that we might be tried: "Be
not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience
inherit the promises" (Heb. 6:12). There is a measure of sufferings
appointed (1 Thess. 3:3), and each of us must receive his share.
Another reason why we are left in the world is to make us appreciate
the more the coming glory. The roughness of our pilgrim path makes us
yearn for rest; our present strangership deepens our desire to be at
Home.
"Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given
me." The term "holy" is here descriptive of character. The root
meaning of the word is separation, and as applied to God it signifies
that He is far removed from evil. But this is simply negative. God is
not only elevated high above all impurity, but He is absolutely,
essentially pure in Himself. That God is holy signifies that He is
lifted high above all finite creatures. "Who shall not fear thee O
Lord, and glorify thy name? For thou only art holy" (Rev. 15:4).
The titles of God in Scripture are suited to the requests made of Him:
"Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace" (2 Thess. 3:16); "Now
the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one
toward another" (Rom. 15:5), where the apostle prays for brotherly
forbearance among the saints. The connection in which the Savior here
addresses "the holy Father" is striking. He was asking for the
preservation and unification of His disciples, and He requests the
Father to do this for them in strict accord with His holy nature. The
Lord would have us know with whom we have to do; He would have us pray
for an ever-deepening abhorrence of sin--"Ye that love the Lord, hate
evil" (Ps. 97:10).
"Keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me." How this
brings out the value Christ sets upon us and the deep interest He has
in us! About to return to the Father on high, He asks the Father that
He will preserve those so dear to His heart, those for whom He bled
and died. He hands them over to the care of the very One who had first
given them to Him. It was as though He said: I know the Father's
heart! He will take good care of them! And why was it, why is it, that
we are so highly esteemed by Christ? Clearly not for any excellency
which there is, intrinsically, in us. The answer must be, Because we
are the Father's love gift to the Son. It is striking to observe that
just seven times in this chapter Christ speaks of those whom the
Father had "given" Him--see verses 2, 6 (twice) 9, 11, 12, 24. In John
3:16 we learn of the Father's love to us; here in John 17 we behold
the Father's love to Christ. God so loved the world as to give His
only begotten Son; and He so loved His Son as to give Him a people
who, conformed to His image, shall through all eternity, show forth
His praises. Marvellous fact! We are the Fathers love gift to His Son.
Who then can estimate the value which Christ puts upon us! The worth
of a gift depends upon the one who made it; its intrinsic value may be
paltry, but when made by a loved one it is highly prized for his sake.
So we, utterly unworthy in ourselves, are ever regarded by Christ in
all the inestimable worth of that love of the Father which gave us to
Him! Thus does the eye of our great High Priest ever look upon us with
affection and delight. How this ought to endear Him to our hearts!
Little wonder then, in view of what has just been before us, that the
first thing the Savior asked for on behalf of those given to Him by
the Father was their preservation. He was leaving them in a hostile
world: "He asks that they may be kept from evil, from being overcome
by temptation, from being crushed by persecution, from every device
and assault of the Devil" (Bishop Ryle). But some find a difficulty
here, why should Christ pray for their continuance in grace? Was not
such a request meaningless, useless? Had He not affirmed that no sheep
of His should ever perish! Ah, how futile for the finite mind to
reason about spiritual and Divine things! But does Scripture throw any
light on this apparently needless petition of Christ? Yes; it shows
us, throughout, that God's decrees do not render void the use of
means; yea, many of God's decrees are accomplished through the
employment of instrumental agencies; and one of these chief means is
prayer! It is the old nature, still in the Christian, which makes
needful the intercession of Christ!
"That they may be one, as we." This refers not to a manifestation of
ecclesiastical oneness; rather is it a oneness of personal knowledge
of and fellowship with the Father and the Son, and therefore oneness
in spirit, affection, and aim. It is a oneness which is the outcome
not of human agreement or effort, but of Divine power, through making
each and all "partakers of the divine nature." Has this request of the
Savior been granted? It has. In Acts 4:32 we read, "And the multitude
of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul." And is it
not still true that among the real people of God, despite all their
minor differences, there is still a real, a fundamental, and a
blessed, underlying unity--they all believe God's Word is inspired,
inerrant, of final authority; they all believe in the glorious person
and rest upon the all-sufficient sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ;
they all aim at the glory of God; they all pant for the time when they
shall be forever with the Lord. "One as we" shows that the union here
prayed for is a Divine, spiritual, intimate, invisible, unbreakable
one!
"While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name; those
that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son
of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled" (John 17:12).
"The Lord, then, in committing His own to the Father, whom in that
name He was keeping whilst here, speaks of having kept them safe, save
that one who was doomed to destruction. Awful lesson! that even the
constant presence of Jesus fails to win where the Spirit brings not
the truth home to the conscience. Does this enfeeble Scripture? On the
contrary, the Scripture was thereby fulfilled. Chapter 13 referred to
Judas that none should be stumbled by such an end of his ministry.
Here it is rather that none should therefore doubt the Lord's care. He
was not one of those given to Christ by the Father, though called to
be an apostle; of those so given He had lost none. Judas was an
apparent, not a real, exception, as he was not a child of God but the
son of perdition. To see the awful end of so heartless a course would
only give more force to His works of grace who, if He left the world
for the Father, was bringing them into His own associations before the
Father" (Bible Treasury).
"While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name; those
that thou gavest me I have kept." None but a Divine person could
"keep" them. He had preserved them from the machinations of the world,
the flesh, and the devil. None had apostatized; all had "continued"
with Him in the day of His humiliation (Luke 22:28).
"And none of them is lost, but the son of perdition." Note carefully,
He did not say, "except the son of perdition," rather, "but the son of
perdition." He belonged not to "them," that is, to those who had been
given Him by the Father. The disjunctive participle is used here, as
frequently in Scripture, to contrast those belonging to two different
classes. Compare Matthew 12:4; Acts 27:22; Revelation 21:27. Not one
of them given to Christ can or will be lost. "Father, I will that they
also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am."
"That the scripture might be fulfilled." The reference is to Psalms 41
and 109. The presence of the traitor among the apostles was one of the
many proofs that the Lord Jesus was the promised Messiah. Four reasons
may be suggested for Christ referring to Judas here. To show there was
no failure in discharging the trust which the Father had committed to
Him; to assure the disciples of this, so that their faith might not be
staggered; to demonstrate that Christ had not been deceived by Judas;
to declare God's hand and counsel in it--"that the scripture might be
fulfilled."
The following questions are to prepare the student for our next
lesson: --
1. What is meant by "my joy fulfilled in themselves," verse 13?
2. What is meant by "they are not of the world," verse 14?
3. Why are believers left here in the world, verse 15?
4. Why the repetition of verse 14 in verse 16?
5. What is the "sanctification" of verse 17?
6. What is the meaning of verse 18?
7. How did Christ "sanctify himself," verse 19?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 59
CHRIST INTERCEDING (CONTINUED)
John 17:13-19
_________________________________________________________________
The following is an Analysis of the passage which is to be before us:
--
1. Christ's desire for His disciples' joy, verse 13.
2. The disciples hated by the world, verse 14.
3. Christ's prayer for their preservation, verse 15.
4. The disciples identified with Christ in separation from the world,
verse 16.
5. Christ's prayer for their sanctification, verse 17.
6. The disciples sent into the world as Christ was, verse 18.
7. Christ's provision for their sanctification, verse 19.
One chief reason why the Lord Jesus uttered audibly the wonderful
prayer recorded in John 17 in the hearing of His apostles was that
they might be instructed and comforted thereby, and not the apostles
only, but all His people since then. This is clear from verse 13: "And
now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world that (in
order that) they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves." "He
addresses His Father as taking His own place in departing, and giving
His disciples theirs (that is, His own), with regard to the Father and
to the world, after He had gone away to be glorified with the Father.
The whole chapter is essentially putting the disciples in His own
place, after laying the ground for it in His own glorifying and work.
It is, save the last verses, His place on earth. As He was divinely in
heaven, and showed a divine, heavenly character on earth, so (He being
glorified as man in heaven) they, united with Him, were in turn to
display the same. Hence we have first the place He personally takes,
and the Work which entitled them to it" (Mr. J. N. Darby).
The above quotation (rather clumsily worded) will repay careful
thought. It is to be noted that the final ground on which the Savior
asked to be glorified was not His own personal perfections, not His
essential oneness with the Father, but, instead, that Work which He
completed here below. In this He presented a valid and sure title for
us to join Him in the same heavenly blessedness, and also laid the
foundation for us taking His place here below. Mark how this is
emphasized all through: First, "I have given them the words which thou
gavest me" (John 17:8). Second, "that they might have my joy fulfilled
in themselves" (John 17:13). Third, "they are not of the world, even
as I am not of the world" (John 17:16). Fourth, "As thou hast sent me
into the world, even so have I sent them into the world" (John 17:18).
Fifth, "I sanctify myself that they also might be sanctified" (John
17:19). Sixth, "the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them"
(John 17:22). Seventh, "that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may
be in them" (John 17:26). What a place! What a privilege! What an
honor! Amazing the grace and the love which bestowed it.
Wondrous is the position we occupy, the place which is ours--the same
place of blessing which Christ enjoyed when He was here. It is true
that we are blest through Christ, but that is not all the truth, nor
by any means the most striking part of it: we are also blest with Him.
The love wherewith the Father had loved the Son, should be in the
disciples. They should enter into the consciousness of it, and thus
would His joy be fulfilled in them. It is this that we are called to,
the enjoyment in this world of the love which Christ knew here below:
His Father's love. What was His delight? Was it from the world? Surely
not. He was in the world, but never of it; His joy was from and in the
Father. And He has communicated to us the means which ministers to
this joy: "I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me"
(John 17:8).
The above aspect of truth is further developed in John 17 in the
sevenfold way in which the Lord Jesus has identified us with Himself.
First there is identity in fellowship: "As thou hast given him power
over all flesh that he should give eternal life (Himself, see 1 John
1:1) to as many as thou hast given him" (John 17:2). Second, identity
of spirit and aim: "that they may be one as we" (John 17:11). Third,
identity in separation: "they are not of the world even as I am not of
the world" (John 17:14). Fourth, identity of mission, "as thou hast
sent me into the world, even so have I sent them into the world" (John
17:18). Fifth, identity in fellowship: "As thou Father art in me, and
I in thee, that they also may be one in us" (John 17:21). Sixth,
identity of imparted glory: "The glory which thou gavest me I have
given them" (John 17:22). Seventh, identity in love: "that the world
may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast
loved me" (John 17:23).
Another thing which it is blessed to behold is that, in this Prayer
the Lord Jesus renders an account of His work to the Father, and this
in seven particulars: First, He had glorified the Father on earth
(John 17:4). Second, He had finished the work which had been given Him
to do (John 17:4). Third, He had manifested the Father's name unto His
own (John 17:6). Fourth, He had given them the Father's words (John
17:8, 14). Fifth, He had kept them as a shepherd keeps his sheep (John
17:12). Sixth, He had sent them forth into the world (John 17:18).
Seventh, He had given them the glory which the Father had bestowed
upon Him (John 17:22)--mark the "I have" in each verse. How striking
it is to note that in His work among the saints everything was in
connection with the Father: it was the Father He had glorified; it was
the Father's name He had manifested, etc.
The portion which is now to engage our attention is the second
division of the second section of this Prayer. In the first section,
John 17:1-5, the Savior prays for Himself. In the second section, John
17:6-19, He prays for His disciples. From John 17:6 to verse 12, He is
principally engaged in presenting to the Father the persons of those
for whom He was about to intercede, interspersing two petitions for
their preservation and unification. In John 17:13-19, He continues His
supplications on their behalf, verse 13 being the transitional point
between the two sub-divisions.
"And now I come to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that
they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves" (John 17:13). Though it
be by no means easy to trace the connection between this verse and
those which precede and follow, yet the meaning of its contents is
clear and blessed. The Savior would not only have His people safe in
eternity, but He desires them to be happy here and now: He would have
them enter into His joy. It was for this reason He had uttered this
Prayer while He was here upon earth. How this reveals the affections
of our great High Priest! He might have offered this Prayer in silence
to the Father, so that we had known nothing of its gracious and
comforting details. But that would not have satisfied the heart of the
Lord Jesus. He spoke audibly so that the apostles might hear Him, and
He has caused it to be written down too, so that we also might know of
His deep interest in us. How it behoves us, then, to prayerfully read
and re-read and meditate frequently upon what is here recorded for our
peace, our edification, our happiness!
"And now come I to Thee." The commentators are divided as to whether
these words signify, And now I address Thee in prayer, or, And now I
am leaving the earth and returning to Thee. Probably both senses are
to be combined. The whole of this Prayer was in view of His almost
immediate departure from the world and His ascension on high. But it
is more than this. As pointed out in the introductory remarks of our
first chapter on John 17, what we have here is also a pattern, a
sample we might almost say, of the intercession which the Mediator is
now making at God's right hand. This Prayer was first uttered on
earth, therefore the "now come I to thee" would signify, 1 supplicate
before Thy throne of grace. This Prayer is now being repeated in
Heaven (whether audibly or not we cannot say), and for that, Christ
had to return to the Father, hence "now come I to thee" would have
this additional force.
In the verse before us there is both declaration and supplication. The
Savior is pressing His suit on behalf of those whom the Father had
given Him. In view of His own departure, and their condition in the
world, He justifies His earnestness in prayer for them. I am leaving
them, therefore I must make provision for them. I approach Thee on
their behalf; I am speaking aloud for their benefit; I have let them
know that I am to be restored to that glory which I had with Thee
before the world was; I have given them the assurance that they are
the objects of Thy distinguished favor, and that they are Thy love
gift to Me; I have let them see how deeply concerned I am about their
preservation and unification--and all of this that "they might have my
joy fulfilled in themselves."
"These things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy
fulfilled in themselves." In the immediate application to the
apostles, we understand our Lord's reference to be: In view of their
deep dejection, I have sought to turn their sorrow into joy, by
permitting them to hear Me commending them and their cause, with such
cheerful confidence, to My Father and their Father. But this by no
means exhausts the scope of His words here. There was a more specific
reference in His mind, something which was designed for the
instruction and consolation of all His people.
"That they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves." What joy? The
joy that He had at that very time, the joy which had been the portion
of His heart all through those thirty-three years while He tabernacled
among men. It was the joy of fellowship with the Father. It was this
which He had before Him when, speaking by the Spirit of prophecy long
before, He said: "The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of
my cup: thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in
pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. I will bless the Lord,
who hath given me counsel; my reins also instruct me in the night
seasons. I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my
right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my
glory rejoiceth" (Ps. 16:5-9). Though a Man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief, yet "the joy of the Lord" was His "strength" (Nehemiah
8:10). It was to this He referred when He said to the disciples "I
have meat to eat (a satisfying portion) that ye know not of" (John
4:32).
"That they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves." This was what
the heart of the Savior craved for His people, and for this He had
made full provision. In this Prayer, Christ makes it known that we
have been brought into the same position before the Father that He had
held, and just in proportion as we consciously enter into it, His joy
is fulfilled in us. As the result of His finished work every barrier
has been removed, the veil has been rent, a "new and living way" has
been opened for us, and therefore have we access into "the holiest of
all," and are invited to "draw near with a true heart in full
assurance of faith" (Heb. 10:19-22). His Father is our Father; His
relation to God--that of Son--is now ours; for "because ye are sons,
God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying,
Abba, Father" (Gal. 4:6). Therefore does the Holy Spirit tell us,
"Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus
Christ. And these things write we unto you, THAT your joy may be full"
(1 John 1:3-4).
It is blessed to mark how solicitous the Savior was over the happiness
of His people. When He departed He sent the Holy Spirit to be their
Comforter. In His Paschal Discourse He said, "These things have I
spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and your joy might
be full" (John 15:11). In His instructions He bade them: "Ask and ye
shall receive, that your joy may be full"
(John 16:24). A miserable Christian is therefore a self-contradiction.
A joyless Christian is one who is out of communion with the Father:
other objects have engaged his heart, and in consequence he walks not
in the light of His countenance. What is the remedy? To confess our
sins to God; to put away everything which hinders our communion with
Him; to make regular use of the means which He has graciously provided
for the maintenance of our joy--the Word, prayer, meditation, the
daily occupation of the heart with Christ, dwelling constantly on the
glorious future that awaits us, proclaiming to others the unsearchable
riches of Christ.
"I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them" (John
17:14). The connection of this with the previous verse is easy to
perceive. In John 17:8, the Lord had said, "I have given unto them the
words which thou gavest me": this means more than that He had
expounded to them the Old Testament Scriptures. The reference, we
believe, is to what we read of in Isaiah 50:4. "The Lord God hath
given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a
word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning.
He wakeneth mine ear to hear, as the learned." Each morning had the
perfect Servant waited upon the Father for His message or messages for
each day, and those messages had been faithfully delivered. But here
He says: "I have given them thy word." It was the testimony of what
the Father was--that was the source of His joy, and now would be of
theirs. "And the world hath hated them": "In proportion as they had
their joy in God, would it be realized how tar the world was away from
Him, and it would hate them as not of it. The light would bring its
shadows, and they would be identified with Him in sorrow and joy
alike" (Numerical Bible).
"And the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world"
(John 17:14). The inhabitants of this world are fully under the
dominion of its "prince," and led by him are wholly taken up with the
things of time and sense, namely, all that is "not of the Father" (1
John 2:16). Therefore do the men of the world bear an implacable
hatred to Christ and His people, because "they are not of the world."
Once Christians were "of the world," they followed its "course," and
were fully "conformed" to its policy, its principles, its aims, But
grace has delivered them from this "present evil world" (Gal. 1:4), so
that they now have new affections, new interests, a new Master. They
have been separated from the world, and in proportion as they follow
Christ their lives condemn the world (Heb. 11:7). Therefore does the
world hate them: it secretly plots against them, it inwardly curses
them, it says all manner of evil against them, it opposes them, it
rejoices when any evil befalls them.
"Even as I am not of the world." "The first man is of the earth,
earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven" (1 Cor. 15:47). Christ
never was of the world. He was "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate
from sinners" (Heb. 7:26). So He declared to the Jews: "Ye are from
beneath; I am from above; ye are of this world; I am not of this
world" (John 8:23). But how is it also true of His people that they
are "not of the world?" Because, "If any man be in Christ he is a new
creation" (2 Cor. 5:17). In consequence of this, he is a "partaker of
the heavenly calling" (Heb. 3:1), his "citizenship is in heaven"
(Phil. 3:20), he has been begotten unto an heavenly inheritance (1
Pet. 1:3-5). In view of this, he is but a "stranger and pilgrim" here,
journeying to his Home on High.
"I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because
they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." This is
another argument or plea--their danger--by which the Savior urges His
petition for their preservation. They were being left by Him in the
midst of an hostile world, therefore were they in sore need of
protection. They no longer had anything in common. They could have no
fellowship with the world: they could not take part in its worship:
they could not further its plans. Therefore would they be despised,
boycotted, persecuted. "They also that render evil for good are mine
adversaries; because I follow the thing that is good" (Ps. 38:20).
"For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy"
(Mark 6:20). "Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you" (1 John
3:13). The Savior knowing that the world would not change, therefore
besought the Father on behalf of those whom He left here.
"I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that
thou shouldest keep them from the evil" (John 17:15). "This also He
speaks, most assuredly, for the instruction of the hearers of His
prayer. He thus admits that it might be reasonable to ask this: on the
one hand, it must appear to the disciples a good and desirable thing,
while on the other hand, by de-dining such a prayer intimates that it
would be the reverse... So, also, contrary to the deep desire which
all future disciples would feel: a desire which is not to be compared,
however, with that of Elijah, oppressed by despondency (1 Kings 19:4),
nor to be regarded as the desire of lethargy, but such as the apostle
expressed in Philippians 1:23. In their first conversion and joy
almost all more or less feel a desire to be at once with Him above.
And often we think concerning others, Well for them now to die, for
they would be safe in Heaven! But the Lord knows better, and we should
learn a better lesson from His words on this occasion. He asked not
for this, then ask it not thyself, either for thyself or for others!
Reply to thine own desires to depart, nevertheless, it is better, for
it is more needful, to remain in the flesh and in the world. Content
thyself with praying for thy preservation, until thou hast fulfilled
all thy work" (Stier). Bishop Ryle has pointed out that, "Three of the
only prayers not granted to saints, recorded in Scripture, are the
prayers, of Moses, Elijah, Jonah to be `taken out of the world.'" How
very striking!
"I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that
thou shouldest keep them from the evil." In John 17:11 Christ had
said, "Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast
given me," here He amplifies for the benefit of His disciples--"keep
them from the evil." The Greek word for "evil" may be translated
either "evil one" or "evil thing": probably both are included. "Keep
them from the author of evil, and from evil itself; from sin, from the
power and snares of the Devil, from destruction, until their course is
run. Satan is the author; the world is the bait; sin is the hook. Keep
them from the Devil that they may not come under his power; from the
world, that they may not be deceived by its allurements" (Mr. Manton).
A spiritual victory over it is therefore better than a total exemption
from it. Thus the Lord again teaches us here how to pray: not to be
delivered from the world, but from its evil. That Christ asked the
Father to "keep us" shows that it is not within our power to keep
ourselves: "kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation
ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Pet. 1:5).
God has many ways of keeping us, but they may be reduced to two: by
His Spirit or His providence. The one is inward, the other is outward.
By the power of the Holy Spirit the evil within us is restrained: "I
also withheld thee from sinning against me" (Gen. 20:6). By the Spirit
grace is imparted to us: "I will put my fear in their hearts that they
shall not depart from me" (Jer. 32:40). By His providences He removes
occasions to and objects of sin: "For the rod of the wicked shall not
rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their
hands unto iniquity" (Ps. 125:3). "God is faithful, who will not
suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the
temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it"
(1 Cor. 10:13).
The fact that we are unable to keep ourselves should work in us the
spirit of dependency. Our daily confession should be, "O our God, wilt
thou not judge them? For we have no might against this great company
that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are
upon thee" (2 Chron. 20:12); our daily prayer should be, "Lead us not
into temptation, but deliver us from evil." The fact that Cod is able
and willing to keep us should inspire confidence, deepen assurance,
and fill us with praise: "I know whom I have believed, and am
persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him
against that day." Just as the diver, encased in his watertight suit
is surrounded by water, but preserved from it, so the believer, living
in this evil world is kept by the mighty power of God, His arm
encircling us.
"They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world" (John
17:16). The same words are found in John 17:14, but in a different
connection: there He was stating the chief reason why the world hated
them; here He is advancing a reason why He asked the Father to keep
them from evil--because "they are not of the world." The truth of this
verse applies in a sevenfold way: First, Christians have a different
standing from those who belong to the world: their standing is in
Adam, ours in Christ; they are under condemnation, we "accepted in the
beloved." Second, we possess a different nature: theirs is born of the
flesh, ours "of the Spirit"; theirs is evil and corrupt, ours holy and
Divine. Third, we serve a different Master: they are of their father
the Devil, and the desires of their father they do; we serve the Lord
Christ. Fourth, we have a different aim: theirs is to please self,
ours to glorify God. Fifth, we have a different citizenship: theirs is
on earth; ours in heaven. Sixth, we live a different life: far below
the standard set before us it is true: nevertheless, no Christian (in
the general tenor of his conduct) goes to the same excess of sin as
does the worldling. Seventh, we have a different destiny: theirs is
the Lake of Fire, ours is the Father's House on High. The "world" is a
system built up away from God, and from it we have been taken,
delivered, separated. The Lord grant needed grace to us all that we
may manifest this in our daily walk.
"They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." "It is a
fact and not an obligation, though the firmest ground of obligation.
They are not of the world, not merely they ought not to be; whilst if
they are not, it is grievous inconsistency to seem to be of the world.
It is false to our relationship for we are the Father's and given to
the rejected Son who has done with the world; and if it be said that
this is to bring in everlasting and heavenly relationships now be it
so: this is exactly what Christianity means in principle and practice.
It is faith possessing Christ who gives the believer His own place of
relationship and acceptance on high, as well as of testimony apart
from His rejection by the world below; which He has to make good in
words and ways, in spirit and conversation, whilst waiting for the
Lord... That the world improves for Christ or His own is as false as
that the flesh can ameliorate. It is the light become darkness! It is
the natural man knowing enough to forego what is shameless, and
invested with a religious veil; it is the world essentially occupying
itself with the things of God in profession, but in reality of the
world where common sense suffices for its services and its worship,
and the mind of Christ would be altogether inapplicable. What a
triumph to the enemy! It is just what we see in Christendom; and
nothing irritates so much as the refusal so to walk, worship or serve.
"It does not matter how loudly you denounce or protest: if you join
the world, they will not mind your words, and you are faithless to
Christ. Nor does it matter how much grace and patience you show: if
you keep apart as not of the world, you incur enmity and hatred, and
contempt. A disciple is not above his Master, but every one that is
perfected shall be as his Master. To act as not of the world is felt
to be its strongest condemnation! And no meekness or love can make it
palatable. Nor does God intend that it should, for He means it as part
of the testimony to His Son. And as the world neither receives nor
understands the Father's Word, so it hates those who have and act on
that Word" (Bible Treasury).
"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth" (John 17:17). On
no detail in this Prayer, perhaps, has there been wider difference of
opinion than on this verse. Those who regard John 17:6-19 as
containing our Lord's intercession for the apostles only (among whom
is Mr. John Brown as well as several other eminent expositors),
understand this to mean: Consecrate them (as were Israel's priests of
old) to the important mission that lies before them, i.e., by
anointing them with the Holy Spirit. But against this view there are,
in our judgment, insuperable objections. Not only is it, we think,
abundantly clear, that the Savior was here praying for all His people,
but the preposition used in this verse precludes such a thought: it is
"Sanctify them through [by] thy truth." Had it been a matter of
setting apart unto ministerial duties it would have been "Sanctify
them for (unto) thy truth."
The subject of sanctification is a deeply important one; one on which
much ignorance prevails, and we are tempted to turn aside and discuss
it at some length; but this would be beside the scope of our present
work; suffice it now if we offer a bare outline. First of all, the
word "sanctify" (so "holy") has one uniform meaning throughout
Scripture, namely, to set apart; usually but not always, some one or
some thing set apart unto God for His use. The word never has
reference to inward cleansing, still less to the eradication of the
carnal nature. Take its usage in John 17:19: "For their sake I
sanctify myself." This can only mean, For their sakes I set Myself
apart.
In Jude 1, we read of those who are "sanctified by God the Father."
The reference there is to His eternal predestination of the elect when
He set them apart in Christ from our doomed race. In Hebrews 10:10
(cf. Hebrews 13:12), we read of being sanctified "through the offering
of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all." The reference there is to
our being set apart by ransom from those who are the captives of
Satan. In 2 Thessalonians 2:13 and 1 Peter 1:2, we read of
"sanctification of the Spirit." The reference there is to the new
birth, when He sets us apart from those who are dead in trespasses and
sins. Here in John 17:17 sanctification is "by the truth," that is, by
the written Word of God. The sanctification of the Father, of Jesus
Christ, and of the Spirit, each have to do with that which is
positional and absolute, admitting of no degrees, concerned not with a
gradual process, but with what is complete and final. But
"sanctification by the truth" is practical and progressive. Just so
far as I walk according to God's Word shall I be separated from evil.
Thus we discover a most intimate connection between these two
petitions of Christ for His own: "keep them from the evil" (John
17:15), "Sanctify them by thy truth" (John 17:17): the former is
secured by the latter. So also we may perceive the close relation of
John 17:17 to verse 16: "They are not of the world, even as I am not
of the world"--now "sanctify them by thy truth": because they are not
of the world, cause them to walk in separation from it.
``Thy word is truth." The written Word is (not "contains")
unadulterated truth, because its Author cannot lie. In it there is no
error. Because the Word is God's truth it is of final authority. By it
every thing is to be tested. By it our thoughts are to be formed and
our conduct is to be regulated. Just because God's Word is truth it
sanctifies those who obey it: "according to the faith of God's elect,
and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness" (Titus
1:1). If then the Word is truth what a high value we should put upon
it. If it is by the truth we are sanctified, how dearly we should
prize it. How solemn too is the converse: if truth separates from
evil, error conducts into evil. It was so at the beginning: it was
believing the Devil's lie which plunged our race into sin and death!
Then beware of error: as poison is to the body, so is error to the
soul. Shun those who deny any part of God's truth as you would a
deadly plague: "Take heed what ye hear" (Mark 4:24).
"As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them
into the world" (John 17:18). Wonderful statement is this,
anticipatory of what He says in John 20:21: "as my Father hath sent
me, so send I you." How evident that Christ has given us His
place--His place of acceptance on high, His place of witness here
below! But those who witness here below have a special character: it
is as those belonging to Heaven that we are called upon to bear
testimony in the world. Christ did not belong to the world, He was the
Heavenly One come down to earth; so we, as identified with Him, as
partakers of the heavenly calling, are now commissioned to represent
Him here below. What a proof that we are not "of the world?' It is
only as first "chosen out of the world," that we can be "sent into the
world!'' That this is not limited to the apostles is clear from 1 John
4:17, which is speaking of all believers--"as he is, so are we in this
world."
"As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I sent them into
the world." Christ was sent here to reveal the Father, to show forth
His glory, so we are sent into the world to show forth Christ's glory,
which is to the glory of the Father. Christ was sent here on an errand
of mercy, to seek and to save that which was lost; so we are here as
His agents, His instruments, to preach His gospel, to tell a world
dead in sin of One who is mighty to save. Christ was here "full of
grace and truth"; so we are to commend our Master by gracious and
faithful lives. Christ was here as the Holy One in the midst of a
scene of corruption; so we are to be the "salt of the earth." Christ
was here as the Light; so we are to shine as lights in this dark
place. Christ was furnished with the Spirit, who anointed, filled, and
led Him; so we have received the Spirit, to anoint, fill and guide us.
Christ was ever about His Father's business,' pleasing not Himself,
but ever making the most of His brief sojourn here below; so we are to
redeem the time, to be instant in season and out of season, always
abounding in the work of the Lord. It is thus that Christ is
"glorified" in us (John 17:10). What a dignity this gives to our
calling!
"As
thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into
the world." The connection of this verse with the previous one is most
significant. There the Savior had prayed the Father to sanctify by the
truth those that He was leaving behind; here He adds, I have sent them
into the world. This is a plea to support His petition. It was as
though He had said: "Father, Those for whom I am interceding are to be
My representatives here below, as I have been Thy Representative;
therefore separate them from the pollutions of this evil world, fill
them with the spirit of devotedness, that they may be examples of holy
living." It is to be noted that when Christ first sent forth the
Twelve, He instructed them: "Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and
into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not. But go rather to the
lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 10:5-6). But now He sends
them into the "world," to preach the Gospel to every creature. The
chosen nation does not occupy the place of distinctive blessing during
this dispensation; Christianity bears a witness to Jew and Gentile
alike.
"And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be
sanctified through the truth" (John 17:19). "This is the second plea
advanced by Christ in support of His petition in John 17:17' He had
urged their commission, now His own merit. Justice might interpose and
say, `They are unworthy'; but Christ saith, `I sanctify myself for
them.' He dealeth with the Father not only by way of entreaty, but
merit; and applieth Himself not only to the goodwill of the Father, as
His beloved One, but to His justice, as One that was ready to lay down
His life as a satisfaction'' (Mr. Manton).
"And for their sakes I sanctify myself." Just as there is a double
meaning to the "hour" (John 17:1), and "I come to thee" (John 17:13)
etc., so is there to "I sanctify myself." Its first and most obvious
reference is to the Cross. I, the great High Priest, set apart Myself
for My people--I devote Myself as the Lamb of God to be slain for
them, see Hebrews 10:14. In saying He did this that they might be
"sanctified by the truth," He affirmed that His own official
sanctification was the meritorious cause of their being sanctified
practically. In declaring that He sanctified Himself, the Lord Jesus
called attention to how freely and voluntarily He entered upon His
sacrificial service. There was no necessity or compulsion: He laid
down His life of Himself (John 10:18). This He did for "their sakes,"
namely, the whole company of God's elect--another sure proof that all
His people are in view throughout this Prayer! "Christ also loved the
church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse
it" (Eph. 5:25, 26)! "Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the
people with his own blood, suffered without the gate" (Heb. 13:12)!
"And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be
sanctified through the truth." The deeper and ultimate reference of
Christ in these words was to His being set apart on High as the
glorified Man, the object of His people's affections, contemplation,
and worship. "He set Himself apart as a heavenly man above the
heavens, a glorified man in the glory, in order that all truth might
shine forth in Him, in His Person, raised up from the dead by the
glory of the Father--all that the Father is, being thus displayed in
Him; the testimony of divine righteousness, of divine love, of divine
power; the perfect model of that which man was according to the
counsels of God, and as the expression of His power morally and in
glory--the image of the invisible God, the Son, and in glory. Jesus
set Himself apart, in this place, in order that the disciples might be
sanctified by the communication to them of what He was; for this
communication was the truth, and created them in the image of that
which it revealed. So that it was the Father's glory revealed by Him
on earth, and the glory into which He had ascended as man; for this is
the complete result--the illustration in glory of the way in which He
had set Himself apart for God, but on behalf of His own. Thus there is
not only the forming and governing of the thoughts by the Word,
setting us apart morally to God, but the blessed affections flowing
from our having this truth in the Person of Christ, our hearts
connected with Him in grace" (Mr. J. N. Darby).
The following questions are to prepare the reader for our dosing study
on John 17: --
1. How many series of sevens can you find in John 17?
2. What is the unity prayed for in verse 21?
3. What is the "glory" of verse 22?
4. What is the unity of verse 23?
5. What is the connection of verse 24?
6. Why "righteous" Father, verse 25?
7. What is the meaning of verse 26?
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http://www.pbministries.org. All rights reserved.
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 60
Christ Interceding (Concluded)
John 17:20-26
_________________________________________________________________
The following is an Analysis of the dosing section of John 17:--
1. Christ's heart embracing all the redeemed, verse 20.
2. Christ's prayer for their unity, verse 21.
3. Christ's imparting to them His glory, verse 22.
4. Christ and His saints manifested in glory, verse 23.
5. Christ yearning for us to be with Himself, verse 24.
6. Christ contrasting the world from His own, verse 25.
7. Christ assuring us of the Father's love, verse 26.
We have now arrived at the dosing section of this wonderful Prayer, a
section which supplies a glorious climax to all that has gone before.
In it our Lord gives the gracious assurance that He was here praying
not for the apostles only, nor simply for the entire company of those
who had followed Him while He was here on earth, but for all His
people: "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall
believe in me through their word" (John 17:20). It is not that the
Savior now begins to present separate petitions for another company
than those prayed for in the preceding verses, but that those who were
to believe, all through the generations that should follow, are here
linked with the first Christians.
Seven things Christ asked the Father for the whole company of His
redeemed. First, He prayed for their preservation: "Holy Father, keep
through thine own name those whom thou hast given me" (John 17:11).
Second, for their jubilation: "that they might have my joy fulfilled
in themselves" (John 17:13). Third, for their emancipation from evil:
"that thou shouldst keep them from the evil" (John 17:15). Fourth, for
their sanctification: "sanctify them by thy truth" (John 17:17).
Fifth, for their unification: "that they all may be one" (John 17:21).
Sixth, for their association with Himself: "that they also, whom thou
hast given me, be with me where I am" (John 17:24). Seventh, for their
gratification: "that they may behold my glory" (John 17:24).
A careful analysis of this Prayer reveals the fact that just as the
Lord urged the one petition which He made for Himself by seven pleas,
so He supported the seven petitions for His people by seven pleas,
First, He asked the Father to preserve, sanctify and glorify His
people, because they were the Father's love-gift to the Son; see John
17:9: this was an appeal to the Father's love for Him. Second, because
of the Father's personal interest in them, see John 17:9, 10. What a
mighty plea was this: "they are thine"--Thine elect, Thy children;
therefore undertake for them! Third, because His own glory was
connected with them, John 17:10: Mine honor and glory are infinitely
dear to Thee, and what glory have I in the world save what comes from
My redeemed! These are they who show forth My praises here below! were
they to perish, were they to apostatize, where would My honor be? Note
how the Savior presses this again at the end of John 17:21 and in
verse 23. Fourth, because He was leaving them: He pleads their
desolation, and asks the Father to make it up to them in another way.
Fifth, because He was leaving them "in the world," see John 17:11, 15:
consider, O Father, where I am leaving them: it is a wicked, polluting
place--then protect them for My sake. Sixth, the world hated them, see
John 17:14: they are surrounded by bitter enemies, and urgently need
Thy protection. Seventh, because He set Himself apart (died) for their
sakes, see verse 19: therefore, let not My costly sacrifice be in
vain!
It is also to be observed that in this Prayer believers are
contemplated in a sevenfold relation to the world. First, they are
given to Christ out of the world, John 17:6. Second, they are left in
the world, John 17:11. Third, they are not of the world, John 17:14.
Fourth, they are hated by the world, John 17:14. Fifth, they are kept
from the evil in the world, John 17:15. Sixth, they are sent into the
world, John 17:18. Seventh, they will yet be manifested in glorified
unity before the world, John 17:23.
There are seven "gifts" referred to in this chapter: four of which are
bestowed upon the Mediator, and three upon His people. First, Christ
has been given universal "power" or dominion (John 17:2). Second, He
was given a "work" to do (John 17:4). Third, He was given a "people"
to save (John 17:6). Fourth, He has been given a richly-merited
"glory" (John 17:22). Fifth, we have been given "eternal life" (John
17:2). Sixth, we have been given the Father's "word" (John 17:8).
Seventh, we have been given the "glory" which the Father gave to the
Son (John 17:22).
Though verses 20-26 form a clearly-defined separate section of John
17, yet are they so closely connected with the previous sections that
the perfect unity of the whole is apparent. That which is distinctive
about these closing verses is the glorification of Christ's people.
The Lord looks forward to the blessed consummation, while tracing the
several steps or stages which lead up to it. Just as it was with the
Head Himself, so is it with His members: in His own case, His
impending sufferings merged into His glorification (John 17:1, 4), so
after speaking of the afflictions which His people would suffer while
in the world (John 17:14-19), He turns now to their glorification
(John 17:22, 24). Thus did He fill out His "I am glorified in them"
(John 17:10)--nothing more being said of them entering the kingdom of
God through much tribulation.
The position which John 17:20-26 occupy in this Prayer is the key to
their interpretation. They are found at the end of it. This of itself
is sufficient to indicate the scope of its contents. In the previous
sections the Lord Jesus had prayed for His people according to their
needs while they were here in the world. But now He looks forward to
the time when they shall no more be in the world; when, instead, they
shall be where He now is. Therefore does He pray that they may be
unified, glorified, and satisfied. This will come before us in detail
in the course of our exposition.
"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe
on me through their word" (John 17:20). Up to this point the Lord had
referred specifically only to the body of disciples alive at that
time, but now He lets us know that He was here praying for all
Christians. The "neither pray I for these alone" takes in all the
petitions and pleas contained in John 17:6 to 19; "but for them also"
intimates that not only does He hereby appropriate to all future
disciples what He had just said of and asked for the living disciples
of that day, but also that they, as well as we, were included in all
that follows. What honor did the Lord here put upon individual
believers: their names are in Christ's will or testament; they are
bound up in the same bundle of life with the apostles. Just as David,
when about to die, prayed not only for Solomon his successor, but also
for all the people, so Christ not only prayed for the apostles, to
whom was committed the government of the church after His departure,
but for all believers unto the end of the age.
"Neither pray I for these alone." How this reveals Christ's love for
us! He thought of us before we had our being: He provided for us
before we were born! As parents provide for their children's children
yet unborn, so did the Lord Jesus remember future believers, as well
as those of the first generation. Christ foresaw that the Gospel would
prevail, notwithstanding the world's hatred, and that numbers would
yield themselves to the obedience of faith; therefore, to show that
they had a place in His heart, He names them in this His testament. It
was Esau's complaint, "Hast thou but one blessing, O my father?" when
he came too late, and Jacob had already carried away the blessing. But
we were not born too late to receive the blessing of Christ's prayers.
He had regard to us even then; therefore, each born-again-soul can
say, "He prayed for me"! "Who can reckon up the numbers which have
been saved? Who can say how many more will be brought to swell the
dimensions of the one flock, ere Christian testimony shall have
attained its predestined consummation? Till then the full tale of
those for whom the Lord prayed will not be disclosed" (Mr. C. E.
Stuart). As this wondrous Prayer stretches forward into eternity, only
in eternity will it be fully understood.
"But for them also which shall believe on me through their word." Note
three things: the persons prayed for; the mark by which they are
identified--faith in Christ; the ground and warrant of their
faith--the Word. Once again (cf. John 17:9) the Lord makes it known
that believers, and believers only, have an interest in His
mediatorial intercessions. Christ still confines Himself to the elect!
He does not pray for all men, whether they believe or no. "His prayers
on earth do but explain the virtue and extent of His sacrifice. He
sueth out what He purchased, and His intercession in heaven is but a
representation of His merit; both are acts of the same office. Partly
because it is not for the honor of Christ that His prayers should fall
to the ground: `I know that thou hearest me always' (John 11:42).
Shall the Son of God's love plead in vain; and urge His merit and not
succeed? Then farewell the sureness and firmness of our comfort.
Christ's prayers would fall to the ground if He should pray for them
that shall never believe" (Mr. Manton).
The description here given of those who do have an interest in
Christ's intercession is their faith in Him. This is the fundamental
mark of their identification. He mentions not their love, their
obedience, their steadfastness (though these are necessary in their
place), but their faith. Wherever our participation of the benefits of
Christ's death and resurrection are spoken of, the one thing named is
faith. Why? Because this is a grace which compels us to look outside
of ourselves to Him! Faith is the great essential, for faith is the
mother of obedience and the other graces. But. mark it is no vague and
undefined faith: "which shall believe on me." To believe in Christ is
to have confidence in and to rely upon Him; it is to trust Him, to
rest upon Him.
The ground and warrant of our faith is "their word," that is, the word
of the apostles. "Before the apostles fell asleep, they, under the
guidance of the Holy Spirit, embodied in the books of the New
Testament their doctrine and its evidence, gave an account of what
they had taught, and of the miraculous works which had proved that
they were taught of God. In these writings they still continue to
testify the Son. The apostles alone are `God's ambassadors' in the
strict sense of that word. They alone stand `in Christ's stead' (2
Cor. 5:20). They had `the mind oœ Christ' in a sense peculiar to
themselves; and that mind is in their writings. `Their sound is gone
out into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.'
Romans 10:18." (Mr. J. Brown). It is only through the Word that we
believe in Christ (Rom. 10:14, 17).
"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe
in me through their word." This is the more blessed if we bear in mind
the circumstances under which these words were uttered. The public
ministry of Christ was now over, and those who believed on Him, in
comparison with those who believed not, were few indeed. And now He
was to be put to a criminal's death, and the faith of His disciples,
already severely tried, would be made to tremble in the balance. How
blessed then to listen to these words of His; He was not discouraged;
He knew that the corn of wheat, which was to fall into the ground and
die, would bring forth much fruit; like Abraham of old, He "staggered
not at the promise of God (that He should have a `Seed' that would
satisfy him) through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory
to God." He looked to the future, from things seen to things unseen,
and beheld them who were yet to swell the numbers of His "little
flock." "This was the `joy set before him' (Heb. 12:2), and `these
things he spake in the world,' in the presence of His apostles, `that
they might have his joy fulfilled in themselves' (John 17:13). How
well fitted was His cheerful confidence to re-assure their failing
spirits--to revive their all-but-expiring: hopes! And how must the
recollection of this Prayer have delighted them amid their painful yet
joyous labors, when He successfully employed them to `gather to Him
His saints, those with whom He had made covenant by sacrifice,' Psalm
50:51" (Mr. J. Brown).
"That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee,
that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou
hast sent me" (John 17:21). Upon this verse we write with some
reserve, not being at all sure of the nature of the unity here prayed
for by Christ. In 17: 11 He had asked for the oneness of all His
people who were on earth at that time, here He adds to them those who
were afterwards to believe--"that they all may be one." In John 17:11
His request was that His people "may be one as we," here that "they
all may be one as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they
also may be one in us." It seems that a mystical union is in view
here. But who is competent to define the manner in which the Father is
in the Son and the Son in the Father! No doubt one reason why the
Savior mentioned the unity of His people so frequently in this Prayer
(John 17:11, 21, 22, 23) was to intimate that the middle wall of
partition which had for so long divided Jews from the Gentiles was on
the point of being broken down, and that now He would "make in himself
of twain one new man" (Eph. 2:15).
"That the world may believe that thou hast sent me." This is what
presents a real difficulty to the writer. The previous part of the
verse seems to speak of the mystical union which binds believers
together; but the last clause shows that it is one that shall
powerfully affect the world. It is clear then the unity here prayed
for by the Lord is yet to be manifested upon the earth. But it is
equally clear that this manifestation is still future, for Christ is
here speaking of those which were to believe on Him (John 17:20), and
now asks, "that they all may be one."
"That the world may believe that thou hast sent me." It is to be
carefully noted Christ did not here pray that the result of the
manifested unity of His people should be that "the world may believe
in me," but "that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." These
two things are widely different. By the "world" is here meant, the
world of the ungodly. But unregenerate men are never brought to
believe in Christ by any external displays of Divine power and
goodness--the benevolent miracles wrought by Him clearly prove this.
Nothing but the Word applied by the Spirit ever quickened sinners into
newness of life.
"And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them" (John 17:22).
Christ here speaks of a "glory" which the Father had given to Him.
Clearly, this is not His essential glory, which He possessed as the
eternal Son, as co-equal with the Father; which glory He never
relinquished. Nor is it the visible and external glory which He laid
aside when He took the Servant form (Phil. 2:6, 7), when He "who was
rich," for our sakes became "poor," which glory He had asked to be
restored to Him again (John 17:5). Rather is it that "glory" which He
acquired as the incarnate One, as the reward for His perfect work here
on earth. It is to this that Isaiah referred when he said, "Therefore
will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the
spoil with the strong, because he hath poured out his soul unto death"
(Isa. 53:12). An inheritance has been given Him (Heb. 1:2), and this
He will share with His own, for, by wondrous grace, we are
"joint-heirs" with Christ (Rom. 8:17).
But what is meant by "the glory which thou gavest me I have given
them"? The Lord is speaking from the standpoint of the Divine decrees,
and thus "calleth those things which be not as though they were" (Rom.
4:17). It is parallel with Romans 8:30: "Whom he justified, them he
also glorified"--not "will glorify." So absolutely certain is our
future glorification that it is spoken of as a thing already
accomplished. But though the actual bestowment of the glory be yet
future, it is presented for faith to lay hold of and enjoy even now,
for "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of
things not seen" (Heb. 11:1).
"That they may be one, even as we are one" (verse 22). Verse 22 opens
with the word "And," and what follows explains what the Lord had said
in the previous verse. The union referred to is the consequence of
"glory given" to us--"the glory which thou gavest me I have given
them; that (in order that) they may be one, even as we are one"! Our
spiritual union is begun now, but it only attains its full fruition in
the life to come. That this oneness results from Christ's bestowal on
us of His acquired glory proves that it is no man-made unity about
which we hear so much talk and see so little evidence these days!
"I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and
that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them,
as thou hast loved me" (John 17:23). Here is further evidence that the
unity for which our Lord prayed in John 17:21 is one that is to be
manifested in the future, for John 17:22 and 23 follow without any
break. The being "made perfect in one" is to have its realization at
the return of Christ for His saints: "Till we all come in the unity of
the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man,
unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph.
4:13). "God having provided some better thing for us (New Testament
saints), that they (Old Testament saints) without us should not be
made perfect" (Heb. 11:40). It is then that Christ will "present it to
himself a glorious church... holy and without blemish" (Eph. verse
27). Then will there be perfect oneness in faith, knowledge, love,
holiness, glory.
"That the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them,
as thou hast loved me." When God's elect have all been gathered
together in one (John 11:52), when the glory which Christ received
from the Father has been imparted to them, when they shall have been
made perfect in one, then shall the world have such a clear
demonstration of God's power, grace and love toward His people, they
shall know that the One who died to make this glorious union possible
was the sent One of the Father, and that they had been loved by the
Father as had the Son, for "When Christ, who is our life, shall
appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory" (Col. 3:4); then
"he shall come to be glorified in his saints and admired in all them
that believe... in that day" (2 Thess. 1:10).
"And hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." As one has rightly said,
"This expression is stupendous--God loveth the saints as He loveth
Christ." Mr. Manton points out that "The `as' is a note of casuality
as well as similitude. He loveth us because He loved Christ, therefore
it is said, `He hath made us accepted in the Beloved'. (Eph. 1:6). The
ground of all that love God beareth to us is for Christ's sake. We are
chosen in Him as the Head of the elect (Eph. 1:4), pardoned,
sanctified, glorified, in and through Him. All these benefits and
fruits of God's love are procured by Christ's merit. Three chief ends
are accomplished thereby. First, it makes the more for them the
freeness of His grace that the reason why He loveth us is to be found
outside of ourselves. Second, it makes for His own glory: God could
not love us with honor to Himself if His wisdom had not found out this
way of loving us in Christ: there was a double prejudice against
us--our corrupt nature was loathed by His holiness, our transgressions
provoked a quarrel with His justice. Third, it makes for our comfort,
for if God should love us for our own sakes it would be a very
imperfect love, our graces being so weak, and our services so
stained."
The particle "as" also signifies a similitude and likeness. First,
there is likeness in the grounds of it. The Father loveth Christ as
His Son, so He loveth us as His sons (1 John 3:1). Again; the Father
loveth Christ as His Image, He being "the brightness of his glory and
the express image of his person" (Heb. 1:3); so He loveth the saints,
who are by grace renewed after His image (Col. 3:10). Second, there is
a likeness in the properties of it. He loves Christ tenderly; so
us--"as dear children" (Eph. 5:1): He loves Christ eternally: so
us--"I have loved thee with an everlasting love" (Jer. 31:3). He loves
Christ unchangeably: so us--see Malachi 3:6. Third, there is a
likeness in the fruits of it. In the intimacies of communion: John
5:30, cf. 15:15. In the bestowal of spiritual gifts: John 3:35, cf. 1
Corinthians 3:22, 23. In reward: Psalm 2:7, 8, cf. Revelation 2:26.
What a stay for our poor hearts is this! What comfort when hated by
the world, to know that the Father loved us as the Son! What a
glorious theme for our daily meditation! What cause for adoring
worship!
"Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me
where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me"
(John 17:24). As we have meditated upon the different verses of this
profound chapter the words of the Psalmist have occurred to us again
and again: "Such knowledge too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot
attain unto it" (Ps. 139:6). How pertinently do they apply to the
lofty point which we have now reached! This 24th verse may well be
regarded is the climax of this wonderful Prayer. Once more, the
Redeemer says, "Father," for He is suing for a child's portion for
each of His people; it is not simply wages, such as a servant receives
from his master, but an inheritance such as children receive from
their parents--the inheritance being the Father's House, where the
Savior now is. Here for the first time in this prayer Christ says "I
will." It was a word of authority, becoming Him who was God as well as
man. He speaks of this as His right, on account of His purchase and of
the covenant transactions between the Father and the Son concerning
those given to Him. "I will" comported with the authority (John 17:2)
which the Father has given Him over all flesh and the glory into which
He has entered (John 17:5, 22). Or again, this "I will," uttered just
before His death, may be regarded as His "testament"--this was the
legacy which He bequeathed to us: Heaven is ours, an inheritance left
us by Christ!
"Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me
where I am." What comfort is here! What sweeter words for meditation
than these of Christ? What assurance they breathe: not one of the
elect shall fail to enter Heaven! What joy is here: "In thy presence
is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore"
(Ps. 16:11). The queen of Sheba said, "Happy are thy men, happy are
these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear
thy wisdom" (1 Kings 10:8). They that shall stand before the Lord and
see His glory are much more happy. How this reveals to us the heart of
the Savior: He will not be satisfied till He has all His blood-bought
ones in His presence--"for ever with the Lord." For this He is coming
personally to take us to be with Himself: "I will come again, and
receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may he also" (John
14:3).
"That they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me." "It is not
on the one hand that which is personal from everlasting to
everlasting, beyond creature ken, that in the Son which I presume none
really knows nor can, save the Father who is not said to reveal Him.
Neither is it on the other hand the glory given to the blessed Lord
which is to be manifested even to the world in that day, in which
glory we are to be manifested along with Him. Here it is proper to
Himself on high, yet given Him by the Father, as we are in His perfect
favor to behold it: a far higher thing than any glory shared along
with us, and which the Lord, reckoning on unselfish affections
Divinely formed in us, looks for our valuing accordingly as more
blessed in beholding Him thus than in aught conferred in ourselves. It
is a joy for us alone, wholly outside and above the world, and given
because the Father loved Him before its foundation. None but the
Eternal could be thus glorified, but it is the secret glory which none
but His own are permitted to contemplate--`blest answer to reproach
and shame'--not the public glory in which every eye shall see Him.
Nothing less than that meets His desire for us. How truly even now our
hearts can say that He is worthy? (Bible Treasury).
"For thou lovest me before the foundation of the world" (John 17:24).
This is mentioned as the reason why the Father had given Him this
glory. And how it supplies us with a standard for measurement--the
glory which has been conferred upon our blessed Savior is commensurate
with the everlasting love which the Father had for Him! What a glory
must it be! And O the privilege, the honor, the bliss of beholding it.
How this should make us yearn for the time when we shall gaze upon His
resplendent glory!
"O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee; but I have known
thee" (John 17:25). It is not easy to determine the precise relation
which the last two verses of John 17 bear to the preceding ones. If
their words be attentively considered, they will be seen to express no
desire and to ask for no blessing, nor do they contain any plea to
enforce the previous petitions. With Mr. Manton we are inclined to
say, "It is a part of Christ's supplication; He had made His will and
testament, and now allegeth the equity of it." Thus we understand the
"O righteous Father" here to have a double force. First, God is not
only merciful, but just, in glorifying the elect; His grace reigns
through righteousness (Rom. 5:21). It expressed the Savior's
confidence in the justice of the Father that He would do all things
well. "He was asking for what He was entitled to according to the
stipulation of the eternal covenant. Justice required that His
requests should be granted." (Mr. John Brown).
The words "O righteous Father" are also to be connected with what
follows--"the world hath not known thee." This is very solemn. Christ
not only left the world without His intercession, but He turned it
over to the justice of the Father. Not only did Divine righteousness
bestow heavenly glory on the elect, but Divine righteousness refuses
to bestow it on the unbelieving world. "The world hath not known
thee." therein lies their guilt--"Because that which may be known of
God is manifest to them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the
invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly
seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal
power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse" (Rom. 1:19, 20).
"O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee; but I nave known
thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me." "The Lord draws
the line definitely between the world and His own, and makes it turn
not on rejecting Himself but on ignoring His Father. Here, therefore,
it is a question of judgment in result, however grace may tarry and
entreat; and therefore He says, `Righteous Father,' not `Holy Father,'
as in John 17:11 where He asks Him to keep those in His name, as He
had done whilst with them. Now He sets forth not the lawlessness of
the world, not its murderous hatred of Himself or of His disciples,
nor yet of the grace and truth revealed in the Gospel, nor of the
corruptions of Christianity and the church, which we are sure lay
naked and open before His all-seeing eyes, but that on the one side
the world knew not the Father, and on the other that the Son did, as
the disciples that the Father sent the Son: words simply and briefly
said, but how solemn in Lord here linking us with Himself--"I have
known... these character and issues!" (Bible Treasury). How blessed to
see the have known?
"And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the
love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them" (John
17:26). Here the Lord briefly sums up what He had done and would still
do for His disciples--make known the Father unto them. He returns at
the end to what He had said at the first, see verse 6. The I "will
declare it" is not to be limited; true, Christ is now, by the Spirit,
revealing the Father, but He will continue so to do throughout
eternity. Then He states why He is the Declarer of the Father's name
"that [in order that] the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in
them, and I in them." "Where Christ is known as the Father's sent One,
the deepest blessing and the highest privileges are even now given,
and not merely what awaits the saints at Christ's coming. If ever
there was one capable of estimating another, it was the Son in respect
of the Father; and His name, the expression of what He was, with equal
competency He made known to us. He had done it on earth to the
disciples; He would do so from heaven whither He was going; and this
that He might give them and us, the consciousness of the same love of
the Father which rested ever on Himself here below. As if to cut off
the not unnatural hesitation of the disciples He added the blessed
guarantee of His own being in them, their life. For they could
understand that, if they lived of His life, and could be somehow as He
before the Father, the Father might love them as Him. This is just
what He does give and secure by identification with them, or rather as
He puts it, `and I in them.' Christ is all and in all." (Bible
Treasury).
"And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it; that the
love wherewith thou hast loved me may he in them, and I in them." How
striking to note that love, not eternal life, or faith, or even glory,
is the last word here: "And now abideth faith, hope, love, these
three, but the greatest of these is love" (1 Cor. 13:13). But let it
be particularly observed that the love of the Father dwelleth in us
only through the mediation of the Son, hence the final words, "and I
in them," cf. John 17:23. Again, how blessed the conjunction here:
Christ in us, the love of the Father in us, by the power of the Holy
Spirit, "the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy
Spirit" (Rom. 5:5)! Suitable close was this. The section began with,
"having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the
end" (John 13:1), and it closes with "that the love wherewith thou
hast loved me may be in them, and I in them!" In the genial warmth and
glorious radiance of that love shall we bask throughout eternity.
The following questions are to prepare the student for our next
lesson:--
1. What type was fulfilled in verse 1?
2. What is suggested by the "garden," verse 1?
3. Why is there no reference here to His agony?
4. What made them fall to the ground, verse 6?
5. Why did Christ repeat His question, verse 7?
6. In what character did Christ speak at the end of verse 8?
7. What important practical truth is exemplified in verse 11?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 61
CHRIST IN THE GARDEN
John 18:1-11
_________________________________________________________________
Below is an Analysis of the passage which is to be before us: --
1. Jesus and His disciples cross the Cedron, verse 1.
2. Judas' knowledge of this place of retirement, verse 2.
3. Judas conducting the Lord's enemies there, verse 3.
4. Christ's challenge and their response, verses 4, 5.
5. Christ's power and their lack of discernment evidenced, verses 6,
7.
6. Christ protecting His own, verses 8, 9.
7. Peter's rashness and Christ's rebuke, verses 10, 11.
The eighteenth chapter begins a new section of our Gospel. Chapter 1
is introductory in its character; 2 to 12 record our Lord's ministry
in the world; 13 to 17 show Him alone with His disciples, preparing
them for His departure; 18 to 21 is the closing division, giving us
that which attended His death and resurrection. Here, too, everything
is in perfect accord with the distinctive character of John's
delineation of Christ. The note struck here is in quite a different
key from the one heard at the end of the Synoptics. That which is
prominent in the closing scenes of the fourth Gospel is not the
sufferings of the Savior, but the lofty dignity and Divine glory of
the God-man.
"As the last section (13 to 17) involved His death, it must take
place. He has given in His record to Him who sent Him, whose counsels
had determined before what was to be done, and whose prophets showed
before that Christ should suffer (Acts 2:23; Acts 3:18; Acts 4:28);
and now that must be which makes all these assertions true. Without
these two chapters (18, 19), therefore, none of the precious things
which have thrilled the heart in the previous chapters could be
possible; nay, more, none of His own assertions as to what He would be
and do, of giving eternal life, of having any of the world, of coming
again for them, of sending the Holy Spirit, of preparing a place for
them, of having them in the glory with Him, or of having that glory at
all; there would be no assembly of God, no restoration of Israel, no
gathering of the nations, no millennium, no new heavens and new earth,
no adjustment in righteousness of the `creation of God' of which He is
the beginning, no display of grace, no salvation, no revelation of the
Father--all these and much more were contingent on His death and
resurrection. Without these all things in this book drop out and leave
a blank, the blackness of darkness" (Mr. M. Taylor).
John 18 opens with an account of the Savior and His disciples entering
the Garden, but in recording what took place there nowhere is the
presiding hand of the Holy Spirit more evident. Nothing is said of His
taking Peter and James and John into its deeper recesses, that they
might "watch with him." Nothing is said of His there praying to the
Father. Nothing is said of His falling upon His face, Of His awful
agony, of the bloody sweat, of the angel appearing to strengthen Him.
Perfectly in place in the other Gospels, they are passed over here as
unsuited to the picture which John was inspired to paint. In their
place other details are supplied--most appropriate and striking--which
are not found in the Synoptics.
"Into that Garden, hallowed by so many associations, the Lord entered,
with the Eleven; and there took place the Agony related in the
Synoptics, but wholly passed over by John. Yet he was very near the
Lord, being one of the three taken apart from the rest by Christ, and
asked to watch with Him. The rest were told to sit down a little way
off from the Master. If any of the Evangelists then could have written
with authority of that solemn time John was the one best fitted to do
it. Yet he is the one who omits all reference to it! It might be
thought that what the others had written was sufficient. Why, then,
did he describe so minutely circumstances connected with the Lord's
apprehension! The special line of his Gospel, presenting the Lord as a
Divine Person, will alone explain this. As Son of God incarnate he
presents Him, and not as the suffering Son of man. We shall learn,
then, from him that which none of the others mention, though Matthew
was present with Him, how the Lord's personal presence at first
over-awed Judas and the company with that traitor" (Mr. C. E. Smart).
In each of the Synoptics, as the end of His path drew near, we find
the Savior speaking, again and again, of what He was to suffer at the
hands of men; how that He would be scourged and spat upon, be
shamefully treated by Jew and Gentile alike, ending with His
crucifixion, burial and resurrection. But here in John, that which is
seen engaging His thoughts in the closing hours was His return to the
Father (see John 13:1; 14:2; 16:5; 17:5). And everything is in perfect
accord with this. Here in the Garden, instead of Christ falling to the
ground before the Father, we behold those who came to arrest the
Savior falling to the ground before Him! Nowhere does the perfect
supremacy of the Lord Jesus shine forth more gloriously: even to the
band of soldiers He utters a command, and the disciples are allowed to
go unmolested.
"When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples
over the brook Cedron" (John 18:1). The "these words" refer to the
paschal Discourse and the High Priestly prayer which have engaged our
attention in the previous chapters. Having delivered His prophetic
message, He now prepares to go forth to His priestly work. The
"Garden" is the same one mentioned in the other Gospels, though here
the Holy Spirit significantly omits its name--Gethsemane. In its
place, He mentions the "brook Cedron," identical with "Kidron," its
Hebrew name, which means "dark waters"--emblematic of that black
stream through which He was about to pass. The Cedron was on the east
side of the city, dividing Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives
(Josephus). It was on the west side of the city that He was crucified:
thus did the Son of Righteousness complete His atoning circuit!
What, we may ask, was our Lord's design and purpose in entering the
"Garden" at this time? First, in accord with the typical teaching of
the Day of Atonement. The victim for the sin-offering (unlike the
burnt offering) was destroyed "without (outside) the camp" (see
Leviticus 4:12, 21; Leviticus 16:27); so the Lord Jesus offered
Himself as a sacrifice for sin outside of Jerusalem: "Wherefore Jesus
also that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered
without the gate" (Heb. 13:12). Therefore, as His atoning sufferings
began here, He sought the Garden, rather than remain in Jerusalem.
Second, in crossing the brook Cedron, accompanied by His disciples,
another Old Testament type was most strikingly fulfilled. In 2 Samuel
15 (note particularly verses 23, 30, 31) we read of David, at the time
of his shameful betrayal by his familiar friend Ahithophel, crossing
the same brook; crossing it in tears, accompanied by his faithful
followers. So David's Son and Lord, crossed the Cedron while Judas was
betraying Him to His foes.
Third, His object was to afford His enemies the more free scope to
take Him. The leaders of Israel had designed to lay hands on Him for
some time past, but they feared the common people; therefore, that
this impediment might be removed, the Savior chose to go out of the
city to the Garden, where they might have full opportunity to
apprehend Him, and carry Him away in the night, quietly and secretly.
In addition to these reasons, we may add, His arrest in the solitude
of the Garden made it the easier for His disciples to escape.
The entrance of Christ into the Garden at once reminds us of Eden. The
contrasts between them are indeed most striking. In Eden, all was
delightful; in Gethsemane, all was terrible. In Eden, Adam and Eve
parleyed with Satan; in Gethsemane, the last Adam sought the face of
His Father. In Eden, Adam sinned; in Gethsemane, the Savior suffered.
In Eden, Adam fell; in Gethsemane, the Redeemer conquered. The
conflict in Eden took place by day; the conflict in Gethsemane was
waged at night. In the one Adam fell before Satan; in the other, the
soldiers fell before Christ. In Eden the race was lost; in Gethsemane
Christ announced, "Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none"
(John 18:9). In Eden, Adam took the fruit from Eve's hand; in
Gethsemane, Christ received the cup from His Father's hand. In Eden,
Adam hid himself; in Gethsemane, Christ boldly showed Himself. In
Eden, God sought Adam; in Gethsemane, the last Adam sought God! From
Eden Adam was "driven"; from Gethsemane Christ was "led." In Eden the
"sword" was drawn (Gen. 3:24); in Gethsemane the "sword" was sheathed
(John 18:11).
"Where was a garden, into which he entered and his disciples" (John
18:1). Christ did not dismiss the apostles as they left the upper-room
in Jerusalem, but took them along with Him to Gethsemane. He would
have them witness the fact that He was not seized there as a helpless
victim, but that He voluntarily delivered Himself up into the hands of
His foes. He would thereby teach them, from His example, that it is a
Christian duty to offer no resistance to our enemies, but meekly bow
to the will of God. He would also show them His power to protect His
own under circumstances of greatest danger.
"And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place" (John 18:2). "Our
Lord and Savior knew that He should be taken by Judas, and that this
was the place appointed by His Father wherein He should be taken; for
the 4th verse tells us `Jesus therefore, knowing all things that
should come upon him,' etc. He knew that Judas would be there that
night, and, therefore, like a valiant champion, He cometh into the
field first, afore His enemy. He goeth thither to choose, and singles
out this place on purpose" (Mr. Thomas Goodwin).
"For Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples" (John 18:2).
This was the Savior's place of prayer during the last week--a quiet
spot to which He frequently retired with His apostles. In Luke 21:37
we read, "And in the daytime he was teaching in the temple; and at
night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of
olives." In Luke 22:39 we read, "And he came out, and went, as he was
wont to the mount of olives; and his disciples also followed him."
This was Christ's place of devotion, and the place, no doubt, where
many precious communications had passed between Him and the disciples;
it is mentioned here to show the obduracy of the traitor's heart--it
also aggravated his sin.
The Savior knew full well that the treacherous apostate was well
acquainted with this spot of holy associations, yet did He,
nevertheless go there. On previous occasions He had avoided His
enemies. "Then took they up stones to cast at him; but Jesus hid
himself, and went out of the temple" John (John 8:59). These things
spoke Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them (John
12:36). But now the hour was come; therefore did He make for that very
place to which He knew Judas would lead His enemies.
"Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief
priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and
weapons" (John 18:3). The "band" which Judas "received" evidently
signifies a detachment of Roman soldiers, which Pilate had granted for
the occasion; the Greek word means the tenth part of a legion, and
therefore consisted of four or five hundred men. Some have questioned
this, but the words of Matthew 26:47, "a great multitude with
him"--strongly confirms it. The "officers from the chief priests and
Pharisees" refer to the servants of Israel's leaders. Luke 22:52 shows
that the heads of the Nation themselves also swelled the mob" Then
Jesus said unto the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and the
elders, which were come to him, Be ye come out, as against a thief,
with swords and staves?" As Christ was to die for sinners both of the
Jews and Gentiles, so God ordered it that Gentiles (Roman soldiers)
and Jews should have a hand alike in His arrest and in His
crucifixion!
"Cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons" (John 18:3).
What an anomaly! Seeking out the Light of the world with torches and
lanterns! Approaching the Good Shepherd with "weapons!" As though He
would seek to hide Himself; as though He could be taken with swords
and staves! Little did they know of His readiness to be led as a lamb
to the slaughter. Significant too is the general principle here
symbolically illustrated: attacks upon the Truth were made by
artificial lights and carnal weapons! It has been thus ever since. The
"light of reason" is what men depend upon; and where that has failed,
resort has been had to brute force, of which the "weapons" speak. How
vain these are, when employed against the Son of God, He plainly
demonstrated in the sequel.
"Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him" (John
18:4). With this should be compared John 13:3, which presents a most
striking comparison and contrast: "Jesus knowing that the Father had
given all things into his hands"; the comparison is between our Lord's
omniscience in either reference; the contrast between the subjects of
His knowledge there and here. In John 13:3 Christ spoke of "all
things" being given into His hands; here in John 18:4 He anticipates
the moment when "all things" were to be taken from Him, when He was to
be "cut off" and "have nothing" (Dan. 9:26). His foreknowledge was
perfect: for Him there were no surprises. The receiving of "all
things" from the Father's hands was not more present to His spirit
than the loss of "all things" by His being cut off. In John 13 He
contemplates the glory; here the sufferings, and He passed from the
one to the other in the unchanging blessedness of absolute perfection.
"Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him." These
were the "all things" decreed by God, agreed upon by the Son in the
eternal covenant of grace, predicted in the Old Testament Scriptures,
and foretold, again and again, by Himself; namely, all the attendant
circumstances of His sufferings and death.
"Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went
forth"--not out of the Garden as John 18:26 plainly shows, but from
its inner recesses, where He had prayed alone. "Went forth," first to
awaken the sleeping three (Matthew 26:46), then to rejoin the eight
whom He had left on the outskirts of the Garden (Matthew 26:36), and
now to meet Judas and his company. This "went forth" shows the perfect
harmony between John and the Synoptics.
"And said unto them, Whom seek ye?" (John 18:4). Our Lord was the
first to speak: He did not wait to be challenged. His reason for
asking this question is indicated in the "therefore" of the previous
clause--"Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon
him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?" That which the
Holy Spirit has here emphasized is the willingness of Christ to
suffer, His readiness to go forth to the Cross. He knew full well for
what fell purpose these men were there, but He asks the question so
that He might solemnly and formally surrender Himself to them. Once,
when they wanted to take Him by force and make Him a king, He departed
from them (John 6:15); but now that He was to be scourged and
crucified, He boldly advanced to meet them. This was in sharp contrast
from the first Adam in Eden, who, after his sin, hid himself among the
trees of the garden. So, too, Christ's act and question here bore
witness to the futility and folly of their "lanterns and torches and
weapons."
"They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said unto them, I am"
(John 18:5). Why did they not answer, "Thee!"? Jesus of Nazareth stood
before them, yet they did not say, "Thou art the one we have come to
arrest." It is plain from this circumstance that they did not
recognize Him, nor did Judas, who is here expressly said to have
"stood with them." Despite their "lanterns and torches" their eyes
were holden! Does not this go far to confirm our thought on the
closing words of John 18:3--the Holy Spirit designedly intimated that
something more than the light which nature supplies is needed to
discover and discern the person of the God-man! And how this is
emphasized by the presence of Judas, who had been in closest contact
with the Savior for three years! How solemn the lesson! How forcibly
this illustrates 2 Corinthians 4:3, 4: "But if our gospel be hid, it
is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath
blinded the minds of them which believe not." Even the traitor failed
now to recognize the Lord: he too was stricken with dimness of vision.
The natural man is spiritually blind: the Light shone in the darkness,
and the darkness comprehended it not (John 1:5)! It is only as the
light of God shines in our hearts that knowledge is given us to behold
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6)!
"And Judas, also, which betrayed him, stood with them" (John 18:5).
Only a few hours previous he had been seated with Christ and the
Eleven, now he is found with the Lord's enemies, acting as their
guide. Some have argued that there is a discrepancy here between
John's account and what we read of in the Synoptics. In the latter we
are told Judas had arranged with the soldiers that he would give them
a sign, identifying the One they should arrest by kissing Him. This he
did, and they laid hands on Him. But here in John 18 he is viewed as
failing to recognize the Savior, yet there is no discrepancy at all.
John does not relate what Matthew and the others give us, but instead,
supplies details which they were guided to omit. John tells us what
took place in the Garden before the traitor gave his vile sign. If the
reader will compare Luke's account he will see that the kiss was given
by Judas at a point between what we read of in John 18, verses 9, 10.
"As soon then as he had said unto them, I am, they went backward, and
fell to the ground" (John 18:6). Another reason why notice is taken of
Judas at the dose of the preceding verse is to inform us that he, too,
fell to the ground. Observe the words "they went backward." They were
there to arrest Him, but instead of advancing to lay hands on Him,
they retreated! Among them were five hundred Roman soldiers, yet they
retired before His single "I am." They fell back in consternation, not
forward in worship! All He said was "I am"; but it was fully
sufficient to overawe and overpower them. It was the enunciation of
the ineffable Name of God, by which He was revealed to Moses at the
burning bush (Ex. 3:14). It was a display of His Divine majesty. It
was a quiet exhibition of His Divine power. It was a signal
demonstration that He was "the word" (John 1:1)! He did not strike
them with His hand--there was no need to; He simply spoke two
monosyllables and they were completely overcome.
But why, we may ask, should our Lord have acted in such a manner on
this occasion? First, that it might be clearly shown He was more than
"Jesus of Nazareth": He was "God manifest in flesh," and never was
this more unmistakably evidenced. Second, that it might appear with
absolute dearness that He voluntarily delivered Himself up into their
hands--that it was not they who apprehended Him, but He who submitted
to them. He was not captured, for He was not to (passively) suffer
merely, but to (actively) offer Himself as a sacrifice to God. Here is
the ultimate reason why it is reCorded that "Judas also, which
betrayed him, stood with them": the traitor's perfidy was needless and
the captor's weapons useless against One who is giving up Himself unto
death and was soon to give Himself in death. If none had power to take
His life from Him (John 10:18, 19), none had power to arrest Him. He
here showed them, and us, that they were completely at His
mercy--helpless on the ground--and not He at theirs. How easy for Him
then to have walked quietly away, unmolested! First, they failed to
recognize Him; now they were prostrate before Him. What was to hinder
Him from leaving them thus? Nothing but His Father's will, and to it
He submissively bowed. Thus did the Savior give proof of His
willingness to offer Himself as a sacrifice for sin. In the third
place, it left these men without excuse. Every detail in connection
with our Lord's passion had been determined by the Divine counsels,
yet God did not treat those who had a hand in it as mere machines, but
as responsible moral agents. Before Pilate sentenced Christ to death,
God first gave him a plain intimation that it was an innocent Man who
stood before him, by warning his wife in a dream (Matthew 27:19). So
here with these Roman soldiers, who may never have seen Christ before.
They cannot plead in the Day of judgment that they were ignorant of
the glory of His person: they cannot say that they never witnessed His
miraculous power, and had no opportunity given them to believe on Him.
This exhibition of His majesty, and their laying hands on Him
afterwards, makes their condemnation just!
It is very striking to observe that the Lord Jesus had uttered the
same words on previous occasions, but with very different effects. To
the woman at the well He had said "I am" (John 4:26), and she at once
recognized Him as the Christ (John 4:29). To the disciples on the
storm-lashed sea He had said, "I am" (John 6:20--see Greek), and we
are told "they willingly received him into the ship." But here there
was no conviction wrought of His Messiahship, and no willing reception
of Him. Instead, they were terrified, and fell to the ground. What a
marvelous demonstration that the same Word is to some "a savor of life
unto life," while to others it is "a savor of death unto death"!
Observe, too, that His Divine "I am" to the disciples in the ship was
accompanied by "Be not afraid" (John 6:20); how solemn to mark its
omission here!
Vividly does this forewarn sinners of how utterly helpless they will
be before the Christ of God in a coming Day! "What shall He do when He
comes to judge, who did this when about to be judged? What shall be
His might when He comes to reign, who had this might when He was at
the point to die?" (Augustine.) What, indeed, will be the effect of
that Voice when He speaks in judgment upon the wicked!
"As soon then as he had said unto them, I am, they went backward, and
fell to the ground." This was a remarkable fulfillment of an Old
Testament prophecy given a thousand years before. It is recorded in
the 27th Psalm, the whole of which, most probably, was silently
uttered by the Savior as He journeyed from the upper-room in
Jerusalem, across the brook Cedron, into the Garden. "The Lord is my
light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of
my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even my enemies
and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell"
(verses 1, 2). Let the reader pause and ponder the remainder of this
Psalm: it is blessed to learn what comforted and strengthened the
Savior's heart in that trying hour. Psalm 27 gives us the musings of
Christ's heart at this time, Godwards. Psalm 35 recorded His prayers
against His enemies, manwards: "Let them be confounded and put to
shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to
confusion that devise my hurt" (verse 4). Still another Psalm should
be read in this connection, the 40th. That this Psalm is a Messianic
one we know positively from verses 7, 8. verses 11-17 were, we
believe, a part of His prayer in Gethsemane, and in it He asked, "Let
them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to
destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me
evil" (verse 14). Thus was both Messianic prophecy fulfilled and
prayer answered in this overwhelming of His enemies.
"Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye?" (John 18:7). "This second
question carries a mighty conviction, a mighty triumph with it over
their conscience as if He had said, I have told you I am; and I have
told it you to purpose, have I not? Have you not learned by this who I
am, when your hearts are so terrified that you all fell down before
Me! They had been taught by woeful experience who He was, when He blew
them over, flung them down with His breath; and it might have turned
to a blessed experience had God struck their hearts, as He did their
outward man" (Mr. Thomas Goodwin).
"And they said, Jesus of Nazareth" (John 18:7). They would not own Him
as the Christ, but continued to speak of Him according to the name of
His humiliation--"Jesus of Nazareth." How striking and how solemn is
this after what has been before us in John 18:6--such an exhibition of
Divine majesty and power, yet their hard hearts unmoved! No outward
means will soften those who are resolved on wickedness. No miracles,
however awesome, will melt men's enmity: nothing will suffice except
God works directly by His Word and Spirit. Another signal proof of the
desperate hardness of men's hearts in the case of those who were
appointed to guard the Savior's sepulcher. While keeping their watch,
God sent an earthquake, and then an angel to roll away the stone from
the grave's mouth, and so awful were these things to the keepers that
they "became as dead men." And yet, when they reported to their
masters and were offered a bribe to say His disciples stole the body
of Christ while they slept, they were willing parties to such a lie. O
the hardness of the human heart: how "desperately wicked"! Even Divine
judgments do not subdue it. In a coming day God will pour out on this
earth the vials of His wrath, and what will be the response of men?
This: "They gnawed their tongues for pain, and blasphemed the God of
heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of
their deeds" (Rev. 16:10, 11). Nothing but a miracle of sovereign
grace, the putting forth of omnipotent power, can bring a blaspheming
rebel out of darkness into God's marvelous light. Many a soul has been
terrified, as were these men in the Garden, and yet continued in their
course of alienation from God.
"Jesus answered, I have told you that I am" (John 18:8). The dignity
and calmness of our Lord are very noticeable here. Knowing full well
all the insults and indignities He was about to suffer, He repeats His
former declaration, "I am"; then He added, "if therefore ye seek me,
let these go their way." "Christ was about to suffer for them, and
therefore it was not just that they should suffer too; nor was it
proper that they should suffer with Him, lest their sufferings should
be thought to be a part of the price of redemption. These words then
may be considered as an emblem and pledge of the acquittal and
discharge of God's elect, through the surety-engagements and
performances of Christ who drew near to God on their behalf,
substituting Himself in their room, and undertaking for them in the
counsel and covenant of peace, and laid Himself under obligation to
pay their debts. Now, as there was a discharge of them from eternity,
a non-imputation of sin to them, and a secret letting of them go upon
the surety-engagements of Christ; so there was now an open discharge
of them all upon the apprehension, sufferings, death and resurrection
of Him" (Mr. John Gill).
"If therefore ye seek me, let these go their way" (John 18:8). In John
13:1 we are told of Christ that "having loved his own which were in
the world, he loved them unto the end." How blessedly this is seen
here. Christ's first thought is not of Himself and what He was about
to suffer, but of His disciples. It was the Shepherd protecting His
sheep. "The tender sympathy and consideration of our great High Priest
for His people came out very beautifully in this place, and would
doubtless be remembered by the Eleven long afterwards. They would
remember that the very last thought of their Master, before He was
made a prisoner, was for them and their safety" (Bishop Ryle). And how
the Savior's majesty here shines forth again! He was about to be taken
prisoner, but He acts as no helpless captive, but rather like a king.
"Let these go their way" was a command. Here am I, take Me; but I
charge you not to meddle with them--touch not Mine anointed! He speaks
as Conqueror, and such He was; for He had thrown them to the ground by
a word from His lips. They were about to tie His hands, but before
doing so He first tied theirs!
"If therefore ye seek me, let these go their way." There is much for
us to learn here. First, it supplied another proof of how easily He
could have saved Himself had He so pleased: He that saved others could
have saved Himself; He who had authority to command them to let these
go, had authority to command them to let Himself go. Second, Christ
only was to suffer: in the great work before Him none could
follow--"And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the
congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement" (Lev. 16:17). He
was to tread the winepress alone. Third, Christ had other work for
them yet to do, and until that work was done their enemies should and
must leave them alone. So long as God has something for His servants
to do the Devil himself cannot seize them. "Go," said Christ, when
warned that Herod would kill Him, "and tell that fox, Behold, I cast
out demons, and I do cures today and tomorrow" (Luke 13:32). I will do
those things in spite of him; he cannot prevent Me. Fourth, here we
see grace, as in the previous verse Divine power, exercised by this
One who so perfectly "declared the Father" (verse 18). Fifth, Christ
would thus show His disciples how fully competent He was to preserve
them amid the greatest dangers. We have no doubt but that these Roman
soldiers and Jewish officers intended to seize the apostles as
well--Mark 14:51, 52, strongly indicates this--but the Word of power
went forth, "let these go their way," and they were safe. We doubt not
that the coming day will make it manifest that this same word of power
went forth many times, though we knew it not, when we were in the
place of danger.
"That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which
thou gavest me have I lost none" (John 18:9). This "saying" refers not
to an Old Testament prophecy but to that part of His prayer recorded
in John 17:12--"While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy
name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is
lost." Though this has a peculiar respect unto the apostles, it is
true of all God's elect, who are given to Christ, and none of them
shall be lost, neither their souls nor their bodies; for Christ's
charge of them reaches to both: both were given to Him, both are
redeemed by Him, and both shall be saved by Him with an everlasting
salvation; He saves their souls from eternal death, and will raise
their bodies from corporeal death; therefore, that His care of His
disciples, with respect to their temporal lives as well as eternal
happiness, might be seen, He made this agreement with those who came
to take Him, or rather laid this injunction upon them, to dismiss them
and which it is very remarkable they did, for they laid hands on none
of them, even though Peter drew his sword and struck off the ear of
one of them. Thus did Christ give another signal proof of His power
over the spirits of men to restrain them; and thus did He again make
manifest His Deity.
"Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's
servant and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus"
(John 18:10). Peter exercised a zeal which was not regulated by
knowledge: it was the self-confident energy of the flesh acting in
unconsidered haste. It was the inevitable outcome of his failure to
heed Christ's word, "Watch and pray, lest ye enter into
temptation"--it is failure to pray which so often brings us into
temptation! Had Peter observed the ways of his Master and heeded His
words, he would have learned that carnal weapons had no place in the
fight to which He has called him and us. Had he marked the wonderful
grace which He had just displayed in providing for the safety of His
own, he would have seen that this was no time for smiting with the
sword. What a fearful warning is this to every Christian for the need
of walking in the Spirit, that we fulfill not the lusts of the flesh!
The flesh is still in the believer, and a lasting object-lesson of
this is the humbling history of Peter--rash yet courageous when he
should have been still; a few hours later, cowardly and base when he
ought to have witnessed a good confession for Christ. But though Peter
failed to act according to grace, the grace of God was signally
manifested towards him. No doubt Peter struck with the intention of
slaying Malchus--probably the first to lay hands on the Savior--but an
unseen Power deflected the blow, and instead of the priest's servant
being beheaded he lost only an ear, and that was permitted so that a
further opportunity might be afforded the Lord Jesus of manifesting
both His tender mercy and all-mighty power. We may add that the life
of Malchus was safe while Christ was there, for none ever died in His
presence!
"Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's
servant, and cut off his right ear." The sequel to this is supplied by
Luke: "and he touched his ear, and healed him" (Luke 22:51)! Very
striking indeed is this; it rendered the more excuseless the act of
those who arrested Him, aggravating their sin and deepening their
guilt. Christ manifested both His power and His grace before they laid
hands on Him. This act of healing Malthus' ear was the last miracle of
the Savior before He laid down His life. First, He appealed to their
consciences, now to their hearts; but once they had seized their prey
He left them to their own evil lusts.
"Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath" (John
18:11). This was a rebuke, though mildly administered. Peter had done
his best to nullify his Master's orders, "Let these go their way." He
had given great provocation to this company armed with swords and
staves: he had acted wrongly in resisting authority, in having
recourse to force, in imagining that the Son of God needed any
assistance from him. "Put up thy sword into the sheath": the only
"sword" which the Christian is ever justified in using is the Sword of
the Spirit, the Word of God.
"The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" (John
18:11). How blessedly this entire incident brings out the varied
glories of Christ: perfect supremacy and perfect subjection. He
declared Himself the great "I am," and His enemies fall to the ground;
He gives the word of command, and His disciples depart unmolested. Now
He bows before the will of the Father, and receives the awful cup of
suffering and woe from His hand without a murmur. Never did such
Perfections meet in any other; Sovereign, yet Servant; the Lion-Lamb!
God's dispensations are frequently expressed as a cup poured out and
given to men to drink. There are three "cups" spoken of in Scripture.
First, there is the cup of salvation: "I will take the cup of
salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord" (Ps. 116:13). Second,
there is the cup of consolation: "Neither shall men tear themselves
for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; neither shall men
give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for
their mother" (Jer. 16:7). To this the Psalmist referred: "My cup
runneth over" (Ps. 23:5). Our Lord Himself used the same figure,
previously when He said, "Father, if it be possible let this cup pass
from me" (Matthew 26:39). It was a dreadful cup which He was to drink
of. Third is the cup of tribulation: Upon the wicked he shall rain
snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest; this shall be the
portion of their cup" (Ps. 11:6). So the prophet Jeremiah is bidden,
"Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations,
to whom I send thee, to drink it" (Jer. 25:15; cf. Psalm 75:8).
"The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" "He
doth not say, A necessity is laid upon Me to drink this cup. He doth
not simply say, My Father hath commanded Me to drink it, but, `shall I
not drink it?' It is a speech that implies His spirit knew not how to
do otherwise than obey His Father, such an instinct that He could not
but choose to do it. Even just as Joseph said, `how then can I do this
great wickedness, and sin against God?' (Gen. 39:9), so Christ here,
`shall I not drink it?' It implies the highest willingness that can
be" (Mr. Thomas Goodwin).
"The cup which My Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" What a
lesson Christ here teaches us. The Serpent was about to bruise His
heel; the Gentiles were about to mock and scourge Him; the Jews cry,
Away with Him. But the Savior looks beyond all secondary causes direct
to Him of whom and through whom and to whom were all things (Rom.
11:36). Peter's eyes were upon the human adversaries; but no, He saith
to Peter, there is a higher Hand in it. Moreover, He did not say,
"which the Judge of all the earth giveth me," but "my Father"--the One
who dearly loveth Me! How this would sweeten our bitter cups if we
would but receive them from the Father's hand! It is not until we see
His hand in all things that the heart is made to rest in perfect
peace.
The following questions are to help the student prepare for our next
lesson: --
1. What types and doctrinal truths are suggested by "bound," verse 12?
2. Why is verse 14 inserted here?
3. Why has the Holy Spirit given Peter so prominent a place?
4. Why of "His disciples and doctrine," verse 19?
5. Why did Christ say nothing about His disciples, verse 20?
6. Why did Christ say verse 21?
7. What is the meaning of verse 24?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 62
CHRIST BEFORE ANNAS
John 18:12-27
_________________________________________________________________
Below is an Analysis of the second section of John 18: --
1. Christ bound and led to Annas, verses 12-14.
2. Peter follows and is admitted to the palace, verses 15, 16.
3. Peter's first denial of Christ, verses 17, 18.
4. Annas questions Christ, and His reply, verses 19-21.
5. Christ smitten and His remonstrance, verses 22, 23.
6. Annas sends Christ to Caiaphas, verse 24.
7. Peter's second and third denials, verses 25-27.
In the passage before us John again supplies details which are not
given by the other Evangelists. The Synoptics describe our Lord's
appearing before Caiaphas: in the fourth Gospel this is passed over,
and in its place we have His arraignment before Annas. As in the
Garden, so in the high priest's palace, two of the Savior's
perfections are prominently displayed: His lowliness and dignity: His
immeasurable superiority over all who surrounded Him, friends or foes,
and His complete submission before those in the seat of human
authority. As the Son of God we see Him exposing the wickedness of all
with whom He comes into contact; as the Son of man He carried Himself
meekly before those who acted more like fiends than humans.
The structure of our present passage is quite complex. From Christ
being led away to Annas, the Holy Spirit pauses to notice Peter
following and then entering the high priest's house. After recording
Peter's first denial, he is left warming himself at the fire, and then
a brief account is given of what passed between Annas and Christ.
Following the announcement that Annas sent Jesus bound to Caiaphas,
the Spirit returns again to Peter and describes the second and third
denials. The central thing is plainly Christ's appearing before Annas
and afterwards before Pilate, but the narrative is interrupted again
and yet again to tell of the apostle's awful fall. Most vividly does
this point a solemn lesson. God is not the author of confusion: it is
sin which produces disorder and hinders the Spirit from taking the
things of Christ and showing them unto us! It is this which is written
large across John 18 if attention be paid to its structure and order
of narrative.
But why is it that the Holy Spirit has made so prominent the sin of
Simon in this portion of Scripture? Why has He broken into His account
of what befell the Savior, by mentioning the threefold denial? Why,
especially, after having previously recorded the same in each of the
Synoptics? Ah, is it not to emphasize the need of Christ's atoning
death, by showing us the character of those for whom He died! Was it
not His design to show how fearfully sin had "abounded" before He
portrayed the super-abounding of grace! Was it not suitable that He
should first paint a dark background, so that the perfections of the
Holy One might be brought into sharper relief! What comes out so
plainly all through John--never more so than in these closing
incidents--is Christ glorifying the Father in a scene where the ruin
of sin was complete and universal.
"Then the band and the captain and the officers of the Jews took
Jesus, and bound him" (John 18:12). Behold here the amazing hardness
of unconverted men. The company of those who arrested the Savior was
made up of men of marked differences; it was composed of Gentiles and
Jews, soldiers and servants of the priests and Pharisees, heathen and
those who belonged to the covenant people of Jehovah. But in one
respect they were all alike--they were blind to the glories of Him.
whom they apprehended. Both parties had witnessed a signal exhibition
of His power, when by a word from His lips He had thrown them all to
the ground. Both parties had witnessed His tender mercy, when they saw
Him heal the torn ear of the first to lay rough hands on Him. Yet,
both remained insensible and unmoved, and now proceeded to coolly
carry out their odious business of binding the incarnate Son of God.
Terrible indeed is the state of the natural man. Let us not wonder,
then, at the unbelief and hardness of heart which we see on every side
to-day; these things were manifested in the presence of the Savior,
and will continue until He returns in judgment.
"Behold also the amazing condescension of our Lord Jesus Christ. We
see the Son of God taken prisoner and led away bound like a
malefactor--arraigned before wicked and unjust judges--insulted and
treated with contempt. And yet, this unresisting Prisoner had only to
will His deliverance, and He would at once have been free. He had only
to command the confusion of His enemies, and they would at once have
been confounded. Above all, He was One who knew full well that Annas
and Caiaphas, and all their companions, would one day stand before His
judgment-seat and receive an eternal sentence. He knew all these
things and yet condescended to be treated as a malefactor without
resisting. One thing at any rate is very dear: the love of Christ to
sinners is `a love that passeth knowledge.' To suffer for those who
are in some sense worthy of our affection, is suffering that we can
understand. To submit to ill-treatment quietly, when we have no power
to resist, is submission that is both graceful and wise. But to suffer
voluntarily, when we have the power to prevent it, and to suffer for a
world of unbelieving and ungodly sinners, unasked and unthanked--this
is a line of conduct which passes man's understanding. Never let us
forget that this is the peculiar beauty of Christ's sufferings when we
read the wonderful story of His cross and passion. He was led away
captive, and dragged before the high priest's bar, not because Fie
could not help Himself, but because He had set His heart on saving
sinners--by bearing their sins, by being treated as a sinner, and by
being punished in their stead" (Bishop Byle).
"Then the band and the captain and the officers of the Jews took
Jesus, and bound him." The first word ought to be translated
"Therefore," not "Then:" the words of the previous verse explaining
its force: "Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the
sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?"
Having rebuked Peter for offering resistance, He bowed to the Father's
will. "Therefore" they "took Jesus and bound him"--like savage beasts
they sprang upon their prey. We believe it was to this the Savior
referred when, speaking by the Spirit of prophecy, He declared, "Many
bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring
lion... dogs have compassed me, the assembly of the wicked have
enclosed me." We doubt not that they bound Him with heavy chains, for
of him who furnishes, perhaps, the fullest type of Christ it is
written, "Joseph was sold for a servant: whose feet they hurt with
fetters: he was laid in iron" (Ps. 105:17, 18). Is not the antitype of
this more than hinted at in Isaiah 53:5, where we are told not only
that He was "wounded for our transgressions" but "bruised for our
iniquities"!--was it not when they "bound" His wrists and ankles with
handcuffs and fetters!
Why
did they "bind" Him? Four historical reasons we may give: because
Judas had bidden them hold Him fast (Matthew 26:48), this because he
remembered what is recorded in Luke 4:29, 30; John 8:59, etc.; because
they would heap shame upon Him, treating Him as a lawless character;
because they deemed Him worthy of death, thereby prejudicing His
sentence. But behind these we may see a typical reason: God overruling
for the fulfillment of it. All that befell Christ was to fulfill the
types and prophecies that went before of Him. The most eminent type of
Christ in His sufferings was Isaac, and the first thing that Abraham
did to him, when about to offer him up as a sacrifice, was to take and
bind him (Gen. 22:9)! So it was with the animals which were offered:
"bind the sacrifice with cords, unto the horns of the altar" (Ps.
118:27). But deeper still, there was a mystical significance to this
binding of the Savior: we were sin's captives, therefore was He
theirs! Our sins were the cause of His binding, therefore did He, as
our Substitute, cry, "innumerable evils have taken hold upon me; mine
iniquities (ours, made His) have compassed me about" (Ps. 40:12)! He
was bound that we might be set free. "It is a certain rule that what
should have been done to us, something correspondent was done to
Christ; and the virtue of His person was such, though it was done to
His body, it brought us freedom from the like due to our souls; and by
Him being thus bound and led, He Himself afterward, when He ascended,
led captivity captive" (Mr. Thomas Goodwin). How ready, then, should
we be to be bound for Christ (in Hebrews 13:3 afflictions for His sake
are called "bonds"!); and how little ought we to be moved by the
vileness of those who persecute us, when we remember Him!
"And led him away to Annas first" (John 18:13). The Savior was neither
"driven" nor "dragged," but led: thereby the Holy Spirit informs us,
once more, of His willing submission. He offered no resistance. With
infinitely greater ease than Samson of old, could He have burst His
bonds "as a thread when it toucheth the fire"; but as prophecy had
announced, "he was led as a lamb to the slaughter"--gentle and
tractable. Here also He fulfilled not only prophecy but type: each
animal that was to be offered in sacrifice was first led to the priest
(Lev. 17:5), so Christ was first brought to Annas. The road followed
from the Garden to the house of the high priest was also significant.
Gethsemane was at the foot of Olivet, on the east side of Jerusalem,
beyond the brook Cedron. In journeying from there to the city, the
gate through which they would pass was "the sheep gate' (Nehemiah 3:1,
32; Nehemiah 12:39; John 5:2, and see our notes on the last). The
"sheep gate" was nigh unto the temple, and through it the sacrificial
animals passed (first having been fed in the meadows adjoining the
Cedron); so also went the true Lamb on this occasion! Note a striking
contrast here: Adam was driven out of the Garden (Gen. 3:24); Christ
was led!
"And led him away to Annas first; for he was father-in-law to
Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year" (John 18:13). John
is the only one who tells of the Savior being brought before Annas;
the Synoptics describe His appearance before Caiaphas. Both Annas and
Caiaphas are called "high priests." The fact that there were two high
priests shows the confusion which prevailed at that time. Much has
been written on the subject that provides neither information nor
edification. So far as our own limited light goes, we take it that the
Roman rule over Palestine supplies the key. In view of John 11:49 it
seems that the Romans elected a high priest for Israel each year
(compare Acts 4:6, which mentions no less than four, all living, who
had filled that office), but in the light of Luke 3:1 it is dear that
sometimes they were re-elected. According to the Law of God the high
priest retained his office till death (Ex. 40:15; Numbers 35:25,
etc.), therefore in the eyes of the Jews, Annas, not Caiaphas, was the
real high priest: Caiaphas was formally acknowledged in a civic way,
but Annas took precedence over him in ecclesiastical matters. This, we
believe, explains why the Savior was brought first before Annas.
"Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was
expedient that one man should die for the people" (John 18:14). The
reference here is to what is recorded in John 11:49-52. Caiaphas
apparently, was the first man to make the motion that Christ be put to
death. The reason he advanced being a political one, with the evident
intention of currying favor with the Romans. The callous selfishness
of the man comes out plainly in his "consider that it is expedient for
us that one man should die for the people" (John 11:50). He was
addressing the Sanhedrin, the Supreme Court of Judaism, and in saying
"for us," rather than "for them," he shows that he cared more for his
office than for his nation.
"Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was
expedient that one man should die for the people." Why is this
mentioned here? To show on what ground (from the human side) our
Savior was crucified: it was out of political considerations, and
those imaginary at best--lest perchance "the Romans take away our
place and nation." The Holy Spirit has premised all the other
sufferings of Christ thus, in order to show us that no equity is to be
expected from all their proceedings against Him. They had resolved,
before they took Him, to put Him to death, and that for State
considerations, therefore they would be sure to keep to their
resolutions whether He were innocent or no, whether they could convict
Him or not. The judge had given his verdict and determined the
sentence before the trial took place! Here then is one of the Spirit's
reasons for introducing this reference to the words of Caiaphas--to
show us that in what follows we must not expect to find any favor
shown to the Lord Jesus, nor must we be surprised if His trial was
simply a farce, a glaring travesty of justice. In addition to this, we
believe that God saw to it that there should be a plain testimony from
the legal head of the nation as to the purpose and character of His
Son's death: He was dying "FOR the people"!
"And Simon Peter followed Jesus" (John 18:15). Matthew tells us that
he "followed afar off" (Matthew 26:58). In following Christ at all on
this occasion Peter was clearly acting in the energy of the flesh, for
Christ's will as to His disciples had been plainly expressed in the
"let these go their way" (John 18:8). "Lovingly anxious to see what
was done to Him, yet not bold enough to keep near Him like a disciple.
Anyone can see that the unhappy Peter was under the influence of very
mixed feelings--love made him ashamed to run away and hide himself;
cowardice made him ashamed to show his colors, and stick by his Lord's
side. Hence he chose a middle course, the worst, as it happened, that
he could have followed" (Bishop Ryle).
"And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple: that
disciple was known unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus into
the palace of the high priest" (John 18:15). There has been much
discussion and speculation as to who this "other disciple" was. A few
of the old commentators and most of the modern believe that he was the
writer of this Gospel; but whoever he may have been, it is almost
certain that he was not John. In the first place, John was a poor
fisherman of Galilee--far removed from Jerusalem--therefore it is most
unlikely that he was on sufficiently intimate terms with the high
priest as to enter his house, and have authority over the door-keeper
so as to order her to admit Peter. In the second place, John, being a
Galilean, would have been recognized and challenged as was Peter
(Matthew 26:69, 73). In the third place, whenever John refers to
himself in this Gospel it is always as "the disciple whom Jesus loved"
(John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20). Finally, Acts 4:13 makes it very
plain that the high priest was not personally acquainted with either
Peter or John! Who, then, was this "other disciple"? The answer is, We
do not know. It may have been Nicodemus or Joseph of Arimathaea, but
we cannot be sure.
"But Peter stood at the door without" (John 18:16). How significant
and suggestive is this little detail--the door was shut! Was it not by
God's providence that the door was now closed? Happy for Peter had he
remained on the outside. The Lord had plainly warned him to "watch and
pray lest he enter into temptation." But Peter disregards His
admonition, and knocks for admission--why else should the other
disciple have gone out? There is a practical lesson for us right here:
God in His mercy put an impediment in Peter's way, stopping him from
going on to that which should be the occasion of his sin; so does He,
ofttimes, with us. Therefore, when we find God, in His providence,
placing some barrier in our path, it behooves us to pause, and examine
well our grounds for going further along the same path we are in. If
our way is warranted by the Word and our conscience is clear as to a
certain line of duty, then obstacles are to be regarded only as
testings of faith and patience; but otherwise they are warnings from
God.
"Then went out that other disciple, which was known unto the high
priest, and spoke unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter"
(John 18:16). Ah! says the reader, does not this conflict with what
has just been said on the first part of the verse? Would not the
coming forth of the other disciple, his speaking to the door-keeper
(unasked by Peter), and his bringing him in, indicate that God's
providences were working in favor of Peter's entering the palace? Did
it not look as though God were calling Peter to enter? The difficulty
seems real, yet it is capable of a simple solution. Peter had
disregarded the warning of God--the shut door; he had persisted in
having his own way--knocking for entrance; now God removes His
providential barrier. How solemnly this speaks to us; may the Lord
grant to each the hearing ear. When we disregard both the Word and
warning providence of God, we must not be surprised if He then sets a
snare for us. When we insist on having our own way, we must be
prepared if God gives us up to our own heart's lust (Ps. 81:12). Jonah
chafed against God's word, therefore when he fled from going to
Nineveh and set his heart on Tarshish, he found a ship all ready for
him to sail in! Here, then: is another most important practical lesson
pointed out for us: the outward providences of God must not be taken
for our guide when we have refused His Word and His warnings!
"Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou
also one of this man's disciples? He saith, I am not"
(John 18:17). That the door-keeper was a maid rather than a man was
obviously overruled by the providence of God: He would humble the
pride of Peter in this way, that his weakness might stand out as a
lasting warning against self-confidence. It was neither by one of the
Roman soldiers nor one of the Jewish officers that the apostle was
first challenged, but by a young woman! Why she should ask him the
question she did, we are not told; whether she was moved by idle
curiosity, or detected that he was a Galilean, or whether his
countenance bore marks of agitation and fear, or whether--as is more
likely--she concluded from Peter being a friend of the "other
disciple" that he "also" was a follower of Christ, we cannot be sure.
Note how mildly she framed her question: not, Are you a follower of
this Insurrectionist, this Enemy of Judaism, this Blasphemer against
God, but simply, "this man"! Yet, notwithstanding the sex of his
questioner, and the mild form of her question, Peter told a downright
lie. He said, "I am not." "The betrayal by Judas, though more
dreadful, is almost less startling than the denial by Peter. We are
less prepared for the cowardice of the one, than for the covetousness
of the other. That the one should turn timid seems less natural, so to
say--was less to be expected--than that the other should prove a
traitor. `Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest
he fall¡" (Mr. Geo. Brown).
"And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of
coal, for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood
with them, and warmed himself" (John 18:18). What we have here is
introductory to the second and third denials, recorded in John
18:25-27. Peter was cold. How profoundly and solemnly significant! The
Christian who follows Christ "afar off" will soon be chilled and grow
cold spiritually; then will recourse be had to fleshly stimulants for
warmth and comfort. And the enemies of Christ--the world, the flesh,
and the Devil--will provide their "fire"--their places and means of
cheer!
"And Peter stood with them." Ominous words are these. Of the traitor
it was said "And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them"; now
we find Simon in the same evil company! "The apostle stood among the
crowd of his Master's enemies, and warmed himself like one of them, as
if he had nothing to think of but his bodily comfort; while his
beloved Master stood in a distant part of the hall, cold, and a
prisoner. Who can doubt that Peter, in his miserable cowardice, wished
to appear one of the party who hated Christ, and sought to conceal his
real character by doing as they did? And who can doubt that while he
warmed his hands he felt cold, wretched, and comfortless in his own
soul?" (Bishop Ryle). How true it is that "The backslider in heart
shall be filled with his own ways" (Prov. 14:14)! Some have pointed
out that the Holy Spirit has here told us "it was cold" in order to
impress us the more with the bloody sweat of Christ only a short while
before!
"The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his
doctrine" (John 18:19). The gross injustice of such a mode of
procedure is glaringly apparent. Instead of preferring a charge
against the Savior, and then summoning witnesses to prove it, Annas
acted after the manner of the Inquisition, asking questions so as to
ensnare the One before him. And this was the religious head of Israel,
acting altogether against and without law, no indictment having been
drawn up, no evidence brought forward to support it; nothing but a
cowardly attempt to overawe the Prisoner by browbeating Him, so that
he could obtain something which might be used against him.
"The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his
doctrine." The fact that Annas referred here to our Lord's "disciples"
at once indicates the malevolent character of his questioning: it was
an ironical reference to those who had forsaken Him and fled! The high
priest "asked Jesus of his disciples"--With what design did you gather
them round you? Where are they? How many have you in reality now? He
asked of them; he did not call for them: none were allowed to testify
on His behalf! "And of his doctrine"--not for edification, but to see
if it were a new teaching of His own, so that they might have
wherewith to accuse Him. It is plain that at this stage they were at a
loss for a charge. "The disciples are mentioned as His dependents, His
followers, His party, His sworn confidents; the doctrine is inquired
into as novelty, heresy, dangerous misleading error; both together
pointing to the two charges which afterwards were urged--Insurrection
against the Roman power, error or blasphemy against the Jewish"
(Stier).
"Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world" (John 18:20). Not
before, but to, "the world." Why did He not say "to the multitudes"?
why "to the world"? It was the first hint of the universality of His
message--note how the "Jews" are referred to separately, later in the
verse! "I spake openly to the world": truth is bold and fears not the
light. It is the emissaries of Satan who hide the leaven in the meal
(Matthew 13:33); it is the servants of the Prince of darkness who
haunt the "secret chambers" (Matthew 24:26). In saving that He spake
openly to the world the Lord was indirectly rebuking Annas and his
co-conspirators for their injustice of refusing Him a trial in open
court.
"I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews
always resort" (John 18:20)--there is no article before "synagogue."
In affirming that He taught in the established places of public
worship, the Lord gave proof that He was no lawless separatist,
clandestinely proselytising, but honoring the institutions of God and
acting as became His Prophet. "Whither the Jews always resort." "He
describes His cause and doctrine as properly national, for all the
Jews. There is in the background of both question and answer, though
the Lord put it directly not in words, the meaning that the main point
in His teaching was the testimony to Himself as the Messiah:--thus
where all the Jews as Jews are assembled in their national religion to
worship God, there have I testified that which applies to all the
Jews, that they all should be `My disciples' and ought to acknowledge
and join themselves to Me!" (Stier).
"And in secret have I said nothing" (John 18:20). This does not mean
that He had never instructed His disciples in private. The Lord was
giving a general description of His public ministry. Moreover, His
confidential communications to His own were but explanations or
amplifications of what he had taught in the open. He had not two
doctrines, one exoteric for the multitudes, and another esoteric for
His intimate friends. In secret He had said nothing. In like manner,
the badge by which His messengers may always be identified is
described in 2 Corinthians 4:2: "not walking in craftiness, nor
handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the
truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of
God." In saying "in secret have I said nothing" the Savior
unhesitatingly appropriated to Himself the identical declaration of
Jehovah of old--"I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the
earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the
Lord speak righteousness, I declare things that are right" (Isa.
45:19). It is also blessed to observe that while Christ here gave a
full, if brief, answer to Annas concerning His "doctrine," not a word
did He say about His "disciples.'' As the Shepherd He protected His
sheep! He alone was to suffer, therefore He alone assumed all
responsibility!
"Why askest thou me?" (John 18:21). Mark the quiet dignity of Christ.
So far from being cowed, He turned and challenges the judge: "Why," or
better, "Wherefore askest thou me?" It was one of those questions of
the Lord which never failed to pierce the heart. Why, do you, the high
priest, pretend to be ignorant of what is common knowledge among the
people! You have had many opportunities to hear Me yourself! You have
expelled from the synagogue those who believe in Me; what meanest
thou, then, by this questioning! It was the Light exposing the "hidden
things of dishonesty." It was the Holy One condemning the high priest
for attempting to make a prisoner incriminate himself and supply
evidence to be used against him.
"Ask them which heard me what I have said unto them: behold, they know
what I said" (John 18:21). By thus appealing to those who had heard
Him, the Lord still further rebuked the malicious secrecy which had
induced them, through fear of the people, to take Him by night. The
direction in which Christ pointed Annas is very striking. He did not
say, Summon the deaf, the lame, the blind, the lepers I have healed.
He did not say, Send for Lazarus of Bethany and question him! But,
"Ask them which heard me." It was "the Word" challenging them! "Survey
the dignity, the clearness, the gentleness, the supremely measured
rightness and wisdom of this answer! In the full and perfect
consciousness that He was no founder of a sect, deserving inquisition,
He began with I openly, continued with I, and closed with profound
feeling who He was, yet not expressing it with `what I have said.'
But, with the most proper discretion of one arrested and charged, more
righteous than Annas and his foolish questioning: --I may not and will
not now, My life and doctrine lying before you, testify for Myself, or
defend Myself--let all be investigated! Let the testimony of all bear
witness!" (Stier).
"And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by,
struck Jesus with the palm of his hand (margin with a rod'), saying,
Answerest thou the high priest so?" (John 18:22). How fearfully does
this exhibit the enmity of the natural man against God, here manifest
in the flesh! Meekly and mildly had our Lord replied to questions
which deserved no answer, and all that He received in return was a
cruel and cowardly blow. There is no hint of any remonstrance from
Annas, nor have we any reason to suppose that he made any. And what
shall be thought of a judge who allowed a bound prisoner to be treated
in this fashion! Unable to meet the convicting and condemning truth,
resource was had to force. It was might attempting to crush the right.
This was the first blow which the sacred body of our Savior received
from the hands of sinners, and this came not from one of the Roman
soldiers, but from a Jew! The Greek word signifies "gave a blow on the
face," whether with his hand or with a stick is not determined;
personally, we believe it was with the latter, and thus fulfilled
Micah 5:1--"They shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the
cheek."
"Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil:
but if well, why smitest thou me?" (John 18:23). There was no hot
surging of the flesh here, no angry retort, no spirit of resentment.
Under all circumstances the Lord Jesus manifested His perfections. But
He only was "without sin": contrast the apostle Paul in Acts 23. When
the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to strike
their prisoner in the mouth, Paul said, God shall smite thee thou
whited wall. Yet it is beautiful to see how grace in him triumphed
over the flesh: as soon as they asked him, "Revilest thou God's high
priest?" he answered, "I wist not, brethren, that he was the high
priest, for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of
thy people" (Acts 23:2-5). But He who is fairer than the children of
men never had to retract a single word! O that we may learn of Him who
was meek and lowly in heart.
"But if well, why smitest thou me?" The Savior still acted as became
the Son of God: He questioned His questioner! He judged the one who
had so unrighteously condemned Him. If the smiter had any sense of
justice he must have felt keenly our Lord's calm rebuke.
"Now Annas had sent him bound unto Caiaphas, the high priest" (John
18:24). The word "had" here is misleading and is not warranted by the
Greek. It was following what we read of in John 18:19-23 that Christ
was turned over to Caiaphas. Annas had heard sufficient. He saw that
to prolong the uneven contest would damage himself rather than his
Prisoner; so, ignoring Christ's piercing question, the blow of the
officer and our Lord's rebuke, he sends Him bound to his son-in-law,
that the specious judgment might proceed as prudently as possible, but
with the "If I have spoken (not `done'!) evil, bear witness of the
evil" ringing in his ears.
"And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said therefore unto
him, Art not thou also one of his disciples? He denied it, and said, I
am not" (John 18:25). The first clause here is repeated from John
18:18 so as to connect the history. The "therefore" informs us why it
was that these men should challenge Peter. He was standing "with them"
(John 18:18), as one of them, and no doubt it was the flames from
their "fire" which lit up his face and caused them to recognize him.
He was warming himself--more concerned about his body than his soul.
He was listening to their blasphemous talk about his Master, too timid
to speak up and witness for Him. And it is written "Be not deceived,
evil communications corrupt good manners" (1 Cor. 15:33). So it proved
here, for when these men asked the apostle if he were one of Christ's
disciples, he denied it. This gives additional force to the
"therefore": Peter's being in the company of these enemies of the Lord
was the occasion of his being challenged, and that became the occasion
of his greater sinning! What a solemn warning for us to avoid the
company of the ungodly! How urgently we need to heed the command! "Be
ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers"! But note it
carefully that Peter did not deny that Jesus was the Christ, the Son
of God, or the Savior of sinners--which, we think, none indwelt by the
Holy Spirit ever did--but only that he was one of His "disciples"!
"One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear
Peter cut off, saith Did not I see thee in the garden with him?" (John
18:26). What a rebuke was this! Peter was standing "with them" (John
18:18), and now one reminds him that, only a little while before, he
had stood "with him." How this should have searched his conscience;
how it ought to have opened his eyes to the place he now occupied. But
poor Peter had boasted, "Although all shall be offended yet will not I
. . . I will not deny thee in any wise" (Mark 14:29, 31); and so God
left him to stand alone, to show him and us that except omnipotent
grace upholds us we are certain to fall. Alas, what is man. What is
our boasted strength but weakness, and when we are left to ourselves
how our most solemn resolutions melt like snow before the sun!
"Peter then denied again: and immediately the cock crew" (John 18:27).
"If any of his companions had been asked at what point of Peter's
character the vulnerable spot would be found, not one of them would
have said, He will fall through cowardice. Besides, Peter had a few
hours before been so emphatically warned against denying Christ that
he might have been expected to stand firm this night at least. Perhaps
it was this very warning which betrayed Peter. When he struck the blow
in the garden, he may have thought he had falsified his Lord's
prediction, and when he found himself the only one who had courage to
follow to the palace, his besetting self-confidence returned and led
him into circumstances for which he was too weak. He was equal to the
test of his courage which he was expecting, but when another kind of
test was applied in circumstances and from a quarter he had not
anticipated his courage failed him utterly.
"Peter probably thought he might be brought bound with his Master
before the high priest, and had he done so he would probably have
stood faithful. But the Devil who was sifting him had a much finer
sieve than that to run him through. He brought him to no formal trial,
where he could gird himself for a special effort. The whole trial was
over before he knew he was being tried. So do most of our real trials
come; in a business transaction that turns up with others in the day's
work, in the few minutes' talk or the evening's intercourse with
friends, it is discovered whether we are so truly Christ's friends
that we cannot forget Him or disguise the fact that we are His. In
these battles which we must all encounter, we receive no formal
challenge that gives us time to choose our ground and our weapons; but
a sudden blow is dealt us, from which we can be saved only by
habitually wearing a coat of mail sufficient to turn it, and which we
can carry into all companies" (Mr. M. Dods).
Many are the lessons which we ought to learn from this sad fall of
Peter. First, in himself the believer is as weak as water. Only two
hours before, Peter had partaken of the Lord's Supper, had heard the
most touching Address and Prayer that ever fell on mortal ears, and
had received the plainest possible warning--yet he fell!! Second, it
shows us the danger of self-confidence. "It is a beacon mercifully set
up in Scripture, to prevent others making shipwreck." Third, it warns
us of the consequences of prayerlessness: had Peter watched and prayed
when the Lord bade him, he would have found grace to help in time of
need. Fourth, it reveals to us the perils of companioning with the
wicked. Fifth, it shows us the disastrous influence of the fear of
man--"the fear of man bringeth a snare" (Prov. 29:25), making us more
afraid of the face of those we can see than the eye of God whom we
cannot see. Sixth, it should prepare us against surprise when our
familiar friends fail us in the crucial hour--God often permits this
to cast us back the more on Himself! Seventh, did not God permit Peter
to sin more grievously than any of the Eleven because He foreknew the
extravagant regard which should afterwards be paid to him and his
self-styled "successors'!
"After all let us leave the passage with the comfortable reflection
that we have a merciful and faithful High Priest, who can be touched
with the feeling of our infirmities, and will not break the bruised
reed. Peter no doubt fell shamefully, and only rose again after
heartfelt repentance and bitter tears. But he did rise again; he was
not cast off forevermore. The same pitiful Hand that saved him from
drowning, when his faith failed him on the waters, was once more
stretched out to raise him when he fell in the high priest's hall. Can
we doubt that he rose a wiser and better man? If Peter's fall has made
Christians see more clearly their own great weakness and Christ's
great compassion, then Peter's fall has not been recorded in vain"
(Bishop Ryle).
The following questions are to help the student on the dosing section
of John 18:--
1. Compare the Synoptics for what happened ere Christ appeared before
Pilate.
2. What does verse 30 prove?
3. What does the second half of verse 31 go to show?
4. What did Christ mean by verse 36?
5. What is the force of the last clause of verse 37?
6. Why did God cause Pilate to say verse 39?
7. What is the deeper significance of verse 40?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 63
Christ Before Pilate
John 18:28-40
_________________________________________________________________
The following is an Analysis of the closing section of John 18:--
1. Christ brought to Pilate's court, verse 28.
2. Pilate demanding a formal charge, verses 29, 30.
3. Pilate seeking to shelve his responsibility, verses 31, 32
4. Pilate examining Christ, verses 33-37.
5. Pilate affirms Christ's innocence, verse 38.
6. Pilate's attempt at compromise, verse 39.
7. Pilate's attempt fails, verse 39.
In our last chapter we contemplated the Lord Jesus in the presence of
Annas, the real high priest of Israel: in the portion of Scripture
which is for our present consideration we behold the Savior arraigned
before Pilate. Much that occurred between these two things is omitted
by John. In John 18:24 we read, "Now Annas sent him bound unto
Caiaphas the high priest," and following the account of Peter's second
and third denials we are told, "Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto
the hall of judgment" (John 18:28). This fourth Gospel tells us
nothing about what transpired when our Lord appeared before Caiaphas,
the legal high priest (by Roman appointment), of Israel. For this we
have to compare Matthew 26:57-68; 27:1, 2; Mark 14:53 to 15:2; Luke
22:54 to 23:1. Let us briefly summarize the contents of these
passages.
As was pointed out in our last, sentence of death had been passed upon
Christ before He was brought to trial at all (John 18:14); the
examination before Caiaphas was, therefore, nothing more than a
horrible farce. The Savior was tried before what ought to have been
the holiest judicature on earth, but was condemned by the most fearful
perversion of justice and abuse of its forms that is recorded anywhere
in history. The amazing contrasts presented are intensely affecting.
The Friend of sinners was shackled by handcuffs and leg-irons. The
Judge of all the earth was arraigned before a fallen son of Adam. The
Lord of glory was treated with the foulest scorn. The Holy One was
condemned as a blasphemer. Liars bore witness against the Truth. He
who is the Resurrection and the Life was doomed to die.
With Caiaphas were assembled the "scribes and elders" (Matthew 26:57):
in addition to these were the "chief priests and all the council"
(Matthew 26:59). At this decisive crisis, when Israel's rejection of
their Messiah took its final and official form, all the leaders of the
nation were solemnly convened. Their first act was to summon witnesses
against the Lord, and the unprincipled character of the Sanhedrin,
their utter unrighteousness, is glaringly apparent in that they
"SOUGHT false witnesses against Jesus" (Matthew 26:59). The Sanhedrin
had not the power to execute the death-penalty, therefore, some charge
must be preferred against Him when they brought Him before
Pilate--hence the seeking of the false witnesses. There were thousands
who could have testified to the genuineness of His miracles; their own
agents had acknowledged that never did man speak as He did; but such
testimony as this was not what they wanted. Something must be devised
which would give a semblance of justice in clamoring for His
execution.
For a time their iniquitous quest was fruitless: "though many false
witnesses came, yet found they none"--none who could supply what they
wanted. But "at the last came two false witnesses"--the minimum number
required by the Mosaic law, just as Jezebel obtained two false
witnesses to testify against Naboth (1 Kings 21:18). They affirmed
that Christ had said, "I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to
build it in three days." In obedient submission to His Father's Word,
the Savior had stood by in silence while these children of the father
of lies had perjured themselves. Evidently dissatisfied at the
flimsiness of such a charge, and uneasy at Christ's calm dignity, the
high priest arose "and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? What is
it which these witness against thee?" But Jesus held His peace.
Alarmed, most probably at the dignified demeanor of his Prisoner, and
fearful perhaps that His bearing might move the hearts of some in the
Council, Caiaphas said, "I adjure thee by the living God, that thou
tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God" (Matthew 26:63).
"This was the method among the Israelites of proffering and accepting
the oath; the appeal to God (and the formula of curse as the penalty
of lying--which, however, was not ventured on now) was made on the one
side, and the answer made thereupon was received, without any
repetition of the oath being regarded as necessary on the part of the
respondent. I adjure Thee by the living God (in whose office I stand,
under whose power we all are, before whom Thou also standest, who
knowest the truth, and judgeth between us and Thee) that Thou tell us,
this holy Sanhedrin now here as before God, the truth. Thus does he
avow, bearing testimony against himself in this most awful abuse of
the name of God, that he knows this God as a living God who will not
be mocked! He testifies of His truth, even while he is aiming to get
the victory by a lie; of His power and majesty, while he is pushing
his opposition to the uttermost? (Stier).
Now, for the first time, Christ spoke before Caiaphas. He penetrates
the meaning of His questioner, recognizes all the consequences of His
affirmation, but hesitates not to answer. As an obedient Israelite, it
was His duty to respond to the adjuration of the ruling power (Lev.
5:1; 1 Kings 22:16). Made "under the law" (Gal. 4:4), He was
submissive to the last, even when it was perverted against Him. The
Savior not only replied to His judge, but, maintaining His dignity to
the last, added, "Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the
right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven" (Matthew
26:64):--"Sitting" in contrast from Me now standing before you, while
you sit in judgment upon Me; "power" in contrast from His then
weakness (i.e., refusing to exercise His might); "Coming in the clouds
of heaven" in contrast from going to the Cross! Caiaphas' response was
to rend his official robes--instead of putting them off before the
majesty of the great High Priest. In this act Caiaphas did, unknown to
himself, but intimate that God had rent asunder the Aaronic
priesthood!--a garment is only torn to pieces by its owner when he has
no more use for it.
Following the rending of his robes, Caiaphas said, "What further need
have we of witnesses? Behold, now we have heard His blasphemy. What
think ye?" He was the blasphemer. "What further need have we of
witnesses?" betrayed his uneasy conscience; "Behold, now ye have heard
him" was the signal that the mock trial was over. The answer he wanted
was promptly given: "He is guilty of death." Elated at their fancied
triumph, "then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others
smote with the palms of their hands, saying, Prophesy unto us thou
Christ, who is he that smote thee?" Thus did Israel condemn their
Messiah, rebellious man his God.
"When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the
people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: And when they
had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate
the governor" (Matthew 27:1, 2), thus fulfilling our Lord's
prediction, "The Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests,
and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall
deliver him to the Gentiles: And they shall mock him, and shall
scourge him, and shall spit upon him" (Mark 10:33, 34). This brings us
to the first point touched upon by John, whose narrative we shall now
follow.
"Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it
was early" (John 18:28). "Then," following the decision of the
Council, recorded in Matthew 27:1; "led they"; still unresisting, He
went as a lamb to the slaughter. Mark tells us (Mark 15:1) they
"bound" Him; "unto the hall of judgment," Pilate's court-room. "And it
was early": the disciples could not watch with Him one hour; His
enemies had acted against Him all through that night! Alas, man has
more zeal and energy, because more heart, for that which is evil than
for that which is good. The same people who will listen, untired, half
a day to a political discussion, or sit three hours through an opera,
complain that the preacher is long-winded if he spends the whole hour
in expounding the Word of God! "It was early": their one object now
was to obtain from Pilate, as swiftly as possible, his confirmation of
the death-sentence.
"And they themselves went not into the judgment-hall, lest they should
be defiled; but that they might eat the passover" (John 18:28). The
judgment-hall was Gentile property and to have entered it the Jews
would be ceremonially defiled, and from that there was not time to be
cleansed ere the passover feast arrived. Anxious to partake of the
passover, they therefore went no further than the entrance to the
praetorium. They would not enter Pilate's hall, though they were ready
to use him to further their own wickedness! What a proof was this of
the worthlessness of religion where it has failed to influence the
heart. Fully did they merit those awful words of Christ: Woe unto you,
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited
sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full
of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly
appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and
iniquity" (Matthew 23:27, 28).
These very men were here engaged in the vilest act ever perpetrated on
earth, and yet they spoke of being "defiled"! They hesitated not to
deliver their Messiah to the Gentiles, yet were scrupulous lest they
be disqualified from eating the passover. So to-day there are some who
are more concerned about the right form of baptism than they are of a
scriptural walk; more punctilious about observing the Lord's supper
than to bring forth fruit to the glory of the Father. Let us beware
lest we also "strain at a gnat and swallow a camel." "These `rulers of
the Jews' and the multitude that followed them were thorough
Ritualists. It was their ritualism that urged them on to crucify the
Son of God. Christ and ritualism are opposed to each other as light is
to darkness. The true Cross in which Paul gloried and the cross in
which modern ceremonialists glory, have no resemblance to each other.
The Cross and the crucifix cannot agree. Either ritualism will banish
Christ or Christ will banish ritualism." (Mr. H. Bonar.)
"Pilate then went out unto them" (John 18:29). That the whole
Sanhedrin (Mark 15:1, 2), accompanied by a large crowd (Luke 23:1),
should visit him at such a time (the passover feast), was sufficient
to convince Pilate that some important matter required his attention;
therefore, early morning though it were, he went out to them. That he
was not taken by surprise we know, for only the previous night they
had secured a cohort of Roman soldiers, which could not have been
obtained without his permission. It was clear to him, then, that here
was some culprit whom the Jews wished executed before the Feast began.
"And said, What accusation bring ye against this man?" (John 18:29).
Pilate's question here confirms what we have just said above. He did
not ask them what was the object of their visit, but simply inquired
what charge they preferred against their prisoner. This was in accord
with the Roman law which required three things: the making of a
specific indictment, the bringing of the accusers before the accused,
and the liberty granted to the latter to answer for himself (Acts
25:16). Pilate therefore acted honorably in demanding to know the
nature of the crime charged against the Lord Jesus. God saw to it that
out of their own mouths they should be condemned.
"They answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we
would not have delivered him up unto thee" (John 18:30), The Jews were
piqued at Pilate's question. They were not anxious to prefer a charge,
knowing full well that they had no evidence by which they could
establish it. It is clear that they hoped that Pilate would take their
word for it--especially as they had obtained the soldiers from him so
easily--and condemn their Prisoner unheard. With characteristic
hypocrisy they now assumed an injured air: they posed as righteous
men; they would have Pilate believe that they would never have
arrested an innocent man. Their "if he were not a malefactor, we would
not have delivered him up unto thee" was tantamount to saying: "See
who is before you--we are none other than the sacred Sanhedrin: we
have already tried the case, and our judgment is beyond question: we
only ask you now to give the necessary Roman sanction that He may be
put to death." Their hands were forced by Pilate, for Luke tells us
"they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the
nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he
himself is Christ a king" (Luke 23:2).
"Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him, according to
your law" (John 18:31). The whole responsibility now rested on Pilate.
He was too well acquainted with the Jews' expectations to suppose that
the Sanhedrin would hate and persecute one who would free them from
the Roman yoke. Their simulation of good citizenship was too shallow
to deceive him. But he did not relish the task before him, and sought
to evade it. The real character of the man comes out plainly
here--timid, vacillating, temporizing, unprincipled. Pilate wished to
have nothing to do with the case; he was anxious for the Jews to
shoulder the full onus of Christ's death. What cared he for justice,
so long as he could get out of an unpleasant situation! He was anxious
not to displease the Jews, therefore did he say, "judge him (sentence
Him to death) according to your law."
"The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any
man to death" (John 18:31). This reply completely thwarted the
wretched Pilate's attempt to avoid the necessity of judging our Lord.
They pressed upon the Roman governor that the legal power of passing
the death sentence was no longer in their hands, therefore it was
impossible for them to do as he desired. They here warned Pilate that
nothing but the execution of Christ would satisfy them. But a Higher
Power was overruling: "Of a truth against thy Holy servant Jesus, whom
thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles,
and the people of Israel, were gathered together, for to do whatsoever
thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done" (Acts 4:27,28).
"The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any
man to death." Though they were unaware of it, this was a remarkable
confession. It was their own acknowledgment that Genesis 49:10 was now
fulfilled--"The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver
from between his feet, until Shiloh come." The heads of Israel here
owned that they were no longer the rulers of their own nation, but
were under the dominion of a foreign power. He that has the right to
condemn a prisoner to death is the governor of a country. "It is not
lawful" they said; you, the Roman governor, alone can do it. By their
consent they no longer had a law-administrator of their own stock,
therefore the "scepter" had departed, and this was proof positive that
Shiloh (the Messiah) had come! How unaware wicked men are when they
fulfill prophecy!
"That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which he spake,
signifying what death he should die" (John 18:32). Here again
prediction was being fulfilled, all unconsciously by themselves. The
refusal of Israel to take matters into their own hands, when Pilate
put it there, only worked for the accomplishment of Christ's own
words: "and shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge,
and to crucify" (Matthew 20:19). Moreover, had the Jews still
possessed the power of inflicting capital punishment for such crimes
as they alleged against the Lord Jesus, the mode of execution would
have been by stoning. By delivering Him to Pilate this ensured the
Roman form of punishment, crucifixion, and thus did the saying of
Christ come to pass: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up" (John 3:14); and
again, "I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all unto me.
This He said, signifying what death he should die" (John 12:32, 33).
"Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus,
and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews?" (John 18:33). Here
we have another glaring example of the gross injustice which was meted
out to the Savior. First Annas, then Caiaphas, now Pilate, displayed
the fearful enmity of the carnal mind against God--here manifest in
flesh. Roman law required that the accused and the accusers should be
brought face to face, and that the former should have an opportunity
of replying to the charge laid against him (Acts 23:28), but this
Pilate denied Christ. But what was far worse, Pilate examined Christ
as the enemy of Caesar and the Jews were His only accusers! If the
Lord Jesus were really opposing the authority and rights of the
Emperor, why had not the Roman power taken the initiative? Where were
the Gentile witnesses against Him? Were all the Roman officers
indifferent to their master's interests! Pilate knew that it was for
envy (Matthew 27:18) the Sanhedrin had delivered Him up. He knew full
well that the Savior was no malefactor: he could not have been
ignorant of His public life--His deeds of mercy, His words of grace
and truth; yet did he refuse Him a fair trial The fact that Pilate's
objection (John 18:31) was so easily silenced, revealed the pitiable
weakness of his character. Sent to be the Governor of these Jews,
they, nevertheless, compelled him to be their slave, the executioner
of their wrath.
"Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus,
and said unto him, Art thou the king of the Jews?" What lay behind
this question? what was the state of Pilate's mind when he asked it?
With Bishop Ryle we are inclined to say, "On the whole, the question
seems a mixture of curiosity and contempt." The humble attire and
lowly appearance of our Lord cannot fail to have struck the Governor.
The entire absence of any signs which the world associates with One
possessing a kingdom must have puzzled him. Yet tidings of His
"triumphal entrance" into Jerusalem only a few days before had
doubtless reached his ears. Who, then, was this strange character who
attracted the multitudes, but was hated by their leaders? who had
power to heal the sick, yet had not where to lay His head? who was
able to raise the dead, yet here stood bound before him?
"Jesus answered him, Sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others
tell it thee of me?" (John 18:34). Our Lord was addressing Himself to
Pilate's conscience. Do you really desire to act justly? Is it
information you are in quest of? or are you going to be the tool of
those who delivered Me to thee? He would point out to him the
injustice of any suspicions he might entertain. If you have reason to
think I am a "king" in the sense in which you employ the term, then
where are the Roman witnesses? If you are influenced only by what you
have heard from the Sanhedrin, beware of heeding the word of those who
are plainly My enemies. Christ was pressing upon him his individual
responsibility of coming to some definite conviction concerning
Himself. But why not have answered with a plain Yes or No? Because
that, under the circumstances, was impossible? Pilate used the word
"king" as a rival of Caesar, as a rebel against Rome. To have replied
Yes, would have misled Pilate; to have said No, without qualification,
would have been to deny "the hope of Israel." The Lord therefore
presses Pilate for a definition of this ambiguous term. Admire His
consummate wisdom.
"Sayest thou this of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?" "Our
Lord, by this, would learn whether His claims to be king of the Jews
was challenged by Pilate as protector of the Emperor's rights in
Judea, or merely upon a charge of the Jews. Upon this hung, I may say,
everything in the present juncture; and the wisdom and purpose of the
Lord in giving the inquiry. this direction are manifest. Should Pilate
say that he had become apprehensive of the Roman interests, the Lord
could at once have referred him to the whole course of His life and
ministry, to prove that, touching the king, innocency had been found
in Him. He had taught the rendering to Caesar the things that are
Caesar's. He had withdrawn Himself, departing into a mountain alone,
when He perceived that the multitude would have taken Him by force to
make Him a king (John 6:15). His controversy was not with Rome... and
Pilate would have had His answer according to all this had the
challenge proceeded from himself as representative of the Roman power.
But it did not" (Mr. J. G. Bellett).
"Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests
have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done?" (John 18:35). Here
Pilate betrayed his insincerity. He evaded Christ's penetrating
question. He denied any personal interest in the matter. I am no
Jew--I am not concerned about points of religious controversy. "What
hast thou done?"--let us deal with practicaI matters. We doubt not
that Pilate uttered his first question sneeringly--Am I a Jew! You
forget that I, a noble Roman, can have no patience with visions and
dreams. It was the haughty and contemptuous language of a prominent
man of affairs. "Thine own nation and the chief priests" are the ones
who are interested in ceremonial rites and recondite prophecies, and
they have "delivered thee to me"! What is it that they have against
you? Here he speaks as the judge: let us come to the business in hand.
"Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Thine own nation and the chief priests
have delivered thee unto me: what hast thou done?" "This answer of
Pilate conveyed the full proof of the guilt of Israel. In the mouth of
him who represented the power of the world at that time, the thing was
established, that Israel had disclaimed their King and sold themselves
into the hand of another. This, for the present, was everything with
Jesus--this at once carried Him beyond the earth, and out of the
world. Israel had rejected Him, and His kingdom was, therefore, not
from hence: for Zion is the appointed place for the King of the whole
earth to sit and rule; and the unbelief of the daughter of Zion must
keep the king of the earth away. The Lord, then, as the rejected King,
listening to this testimony from the lips of the Roman, could only
recognize the present loss of His throne" (Mr. Bellett). Hence
Christ's next words.
"My kingdom is not of this world' (John 18:36). First, observe that He
did not say "My kingdom is not in this world," but "My kingdom is not
of this world." Believers are not "of" this world (John 17:16), yet
they are "in" it! Second, observe His own qualifying and yet
amplifying words at the dose of the verse: "but now is my kingdom not
from hence." The "now" is explained by Pilate's declaration in the
previous verse--re-read Mr. Bellett's comments thereon. This was not
said by Christ until after His final and official rejection by Israel!
Third, observe His explanatory "if my kingdom were of this world, then
would my servants fight"--to deliver their king. Our Lord was
graciously explaining to Pilate the character of that kingdom over
which He will yet preside. Unlike all the kingdoms which have preceded
it, My kingdom will not originate with man, but be received from God
(Dan. 7:13, 14; Luke 19:12); unlike the kingdoms of man, which have
been dependent upon the powers of the world, Mine will be an absolute
theocracy; unlike theirs, which have been propagated by the world's
arms, Mine will be regulated by heavenly principles; unlike theirs,
which have been characterized by injustice and tyranny, Mine will be
marked by righteousness and peace.
In answering Pilate as He did we cannot but admire the wondrous grace
and patience of our blessed Lord. The contemptuous "Am I a Jew?" of
Pilate annulled his right to any further notice; his "what hast thou
done?" gave the One before him the full right to maintain silence. But
ignoring the insult, Christ continued to address Himself to his
conscience. "My kingdom is not of this world" warned Pilate that there
was another world, to which He belonged! "My kingdom," which will not
be brought in by "fighting," was to assure him there was a Power
superior to the boasted might of Rome, which then dominated the earth.
"Now is my kingdom not from hence" intimated that His kingdom would be
far otherwise than those in which violence and injustice had ever held
sway, and where, after all, there was nothing obtained but the
semblance of right and truth. Thus instead of furnishing a positive
reply to Pilate's "What hast thou done?" He gave a negative answer
which, however, plainly showed that He was guilty of no political evil
and had done nothing against Caesar.
Some have wondered why Christ did not appeal to His wondrous and
benevolent works of mercy when Pilate asked Him, "What hast thou
done?" But those were a part of His Messianic credentials (Matthew
11:3-5, etc.), and therefore only for Israel. Others have wondered why
Pilate did not refer to the smiting of Malchus in the garden, when the
Lord affirmed "then would my servants fight." Why had not the
Sanhedrin informed Pilate of Peter's temerity? Malchus was a servant
of the high priest and nothing was more natural than that he should
clamor for redress. The seeming difficulty is at once removed by a
reference to Luke 22:51, where we are told that the Savior "touched
his ear and healed him." "The miracle satisfactorily explains the
suppression of the charge--to have advanced it would have naturally
led to an investigation that would have more than frustrated the
malicious purpose it was meant to serve. It would have proved too
much. It would have manifested His own compassionate nature, His
submission to the law, and His extraordinary powers" (Mr. J. Blount).
"Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then?" (John 18:37).
The Governor was puzzled. The quiet and dignified bearing of the One
before him, the threefold reference to His kingdom, the declaration
that it was not of this world, the calm assertion that though in bonds
He was possessed of "servants," plus a strong hint that His dominion
would yet be firmly established, though not by the sword, was more
than Pilate could grasp. Pilate's change from "Art thou the king of
the Jews?" in John 18:33 to "Art thou a king then?" intimated he was
satisfied there was nothing to fear politically, yet that Christ had
made a claim which was incomprehensible to his mind. We believe that
he had dropped his scornful tone and asked this last question half
earnestly, half curiously. That He was "king" our Lord would not deny,
but boldly acknowledged "to this end was I born," knowing full well
what would be the cost of His affirmation. It is to this the Holy
Spirit refers, "who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession"
(1 Tim. 6:13). Though Israel received Him not, yet He was their king
(Matthew 2:2). Though the husbandmen were casting Him out, yet He was
the heir of the vineyard. Though His citizens were saying they would
not have Him to reign over them, yet He had been anointed to the
throne in Zion.
"To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world,
that I should bear witness unto the truth" (John 18:37). Note how the
Savior here linked together His kingdom and His bearing witness unto
the truth. Truth is authoritative, imperial, majestic. This was a
further word for Pilate's conscience, if only his heart were open to
receive it. Christ informs him that He possessed a higher glory than
His title to David's throne, even that of Deity, for it was as the
Only-begotten of the Father that He was "full of grace and truth," and
His "came I into the world"--distinguished from His being "born" in
the previous clause--was a direct hint that He was from Heaven!
Moreover, the Lord would have it known that there had been no failure
in His mission. The great design before Him at His first advent was
not to wield the royal scepter, but to bear witness unto the truth;
that He had faithfully done, yea, was doing, at that very moment. This
was His answer, to Pilate's "What hast thou done?" (John 18:35)--I
have witnessed unto, not simply "truth" but, the truth; it was as "the
word" He again spoke!
"Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice" (John 18:37). He
that is "of the truth" means, first, he that is true, honest and
sincere; in its deeper meaning, he who is of God: compare John 8:47.
It is only the one who has a heart for the truth who really hears
Christ's voice, for the Author of the truth is also the Teacher, the
Interpreter of it. What a word was this for Pilate's conscience. If
you are really seeking the Truth, which I came into the world to bear
witness unto, you will listen unto Me! "Would any one ask how he can
know that he is `of the truth'? The Sacred Word supplies a direct
answer, leaving none in doubt. `Let us not love in word, neither in
tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of
the truth' (1 John 3:18, 19). Whoever shows himself to be a partaker
of the Divine nature, evidenced by loving in deed and in truth, is of
the truth, hears Christ's voice, and will be found in His train among
the armies of heaven, when He comes forth to deal with the apostate
power on earth" (Mr. C. E. Stuart).
"Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he
went out" (John 18:38). There has been wide difference of opinion as
to the spirit in which he asked this question. Clearly it was not that
of an earnest inquirer, as his at once leaving Christ without waiting
for an answer shows--only an awakened conscience is really desirous of
knowing what is Truth. Many have thought it was more a wail of
despair: What is truth?: "I have investigated many a system, examined
various philosophers, but have found no satisfaction in them." But
apart from the fact that everything revealed about his character
conflicts with an earnest, persevering quest after light, would he not
rather have said, "Truth! there is no truth!" had that been his state
of mind? Personally, we regard Pilate's words here as an expression of
scorn, ending them not with a question mark but an exclamation, the
emphasis on the final word "What is truth?' It was the Light now
manifesting the darkness. This expressed the settled conviction of a
conscienceless politician. "Truth"!--is it for that you are
sacrificing your life? We think his words in John 18:39 bear this out.
"And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and said
unto them, I find in him no fault" (John 18:38). Pilate was uneasy.
The words of Christ had impressed him more deeply than he would care
to admit. That He was innocent was clear; that Pilate was now guilty
of the grossest injustice is equally patent. If the Roman governor
found "no fault" in Christ he ought to have promptly released Him. But
instead of yielding to the voice of conscience he proceeded to confer
with those who thirsted for the Savior's blood. Much is omitted by
John at this point which is found in the Synoptics--the chief priest's
remonstrance (Mark 15:3-12); Pilate sending Him to Herod; and the
brutal treatment which He received at the hands of his soldiers,
followed by Herod sending Him back to Pilate (Luke 23:5-18).
"But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the
passover: will ye therefore that I release unto you the king of the
Jews?" (John 18:39). The nature of such a proposal at once reveals the
unscrupulous character of him who made it. Pilate feared to offend the
Jews (feared because an uprising at that time would have brought him
into disfavour with Caesar, who had his hands full elsewhere) and so
sought an expedient which he hoped would please them, and yet enable
him to discharge the Lord Jesus. Remembering the custom which obtained
at the passover of releasing a prisoner--a most striking custom it
was, grace, deliverance, connected with the passover!--he suggests
that Christ be the one to go free. It was as though he said, Let us
suppose that Jesus is guilty; I am willing to declare Him a criminal
worthy of death, providing He be freed. Luke tells us that he went so
far as to offer to "chastise" Christ before he released Him (Luke
23:16). Little did he recognize the type of men he was dealing with,
still less the One above who was directing all things.
"Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now
Barabbas was a robber" (John 18:40). The Jews revealed themselves as
worse than Pilate and demanded what he least expected. Thirsting for
the blood of their victim, impatient or him to yield up to them their
prey, they all "cried (the Greek signifies `shouted') not this man,
but Barabbas." Pilate's compromise not only showed plainly that he was
not "of the truth" but only drew out the extent of their enmity.
"Barabbas was a robber," better "bandit"--one who used force; Luke
says he was a murderer, How very striking: the Jews chose Barabbas,
and plunders and blood-shedders have ruled over them ever since!! In
this their history is without a parallel.
"We have noticed elsewhere how strangely yet significantly this name
Barabbas, `son of the father,' comes in here. It was the Son of the
Father--just as that--whom they were refusing now; but of what father
was this lawless one the son? A shadow it is, surely, of the awful
apostasy to come, when they will receive him who comes in his own name
(the Antichrist, A.W.P.), true child of the rebel and `murderer from
the beginning.' Yet there is a Gospel side to this also. How good to
see that here it is the question, Shall the Savior or the sinner
suffer? and to remember that under the law, the unclean animal might
be redeemed with a Lamb (Ex. 13), but the lamb could not be redeemed.
Impossible for the Savior to be released in this way. But the sinner
may" (Mr. F. W. Grant).
The following questions are to aid the student on John 19:1-11:--
1. Why did God allow Christ to wear "a crown of thorns," verse 2?
2. Why "a purple robe," verse 2?
3. How many times in the four Gospels "I find no fault," verse 4?
4. What was Pilate's aim in "Behold the man"! verse 5?
5. What is the meaning of verse 6 in the light of John 18:31?
6. What made Pilate "the more afraid," verse 8?
7. Why did Jesus make no answer, verse 9?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 64
Christ Before Pilate (Concluded)
John 19:1-11
_________________________________________________________________
Below is an Analysis of the passage which is to be before us:--
1. Christ scourged and mocked, verses 1-3.
2. Pilate re-affirms His innocency, verse 4.
3. Pilate appeals to the Jews' sympathies, verse 5.
4. The Jews' response, verses 6, 7.
5. Pilate's fear, verses 8, 9.
6. Pilate's boast, verse 10.
7. Christ's reprimand, verse 11.
Nowhere in Scripture, perhaps, is there a more striking and vivid
demonstration of the sovereignty of God than Pilate's treatment of the
Lord Jesus. First, Pilate was assured of His innocency, acknowledging,
no less than seven times, "I find no fault in him." Second, Pilate
desired to release Him: "Pilate therefore willing to release Jesus"
(Luke 23:20); "I will let him go" (Luke 23:22); "Pilate sought to
release him" (John 19:12); "Pilate was determined to let him go" (Acts
3:13), all prove that unmistakably. Third, Pilate was urged, most
earnestly by none other than his own wife, not to sentence Him
(Matthew 27:19.). Fourth, he actually endeavored to bring about His
acquittal: he bade the Jews themselves judge Christ (John 18:31); he
sent Him to Herod, only for Christ to be returned (Luke 23:7); he
sought to induce the Jews to have him convict Barabbas in His stead
(John 18:39,40).Yet in spite of all, Pilate did give sentence that
Christ should be crucified!
What does man's will amount to when it runs counter to the will of
God? Absolutely nothing. Here was Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea,
determined to release the Savior, yet prevented from doing so. From
all eternity God had decreed that Pilate should sentence His Son to
death, and all earth and hell combined could not thwart the purpose of
the Almighty--He would not be all-mighty if they could! Christ was
"delivered up (Greek) by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God" (Acts 2:23). As God's servant fearlessly announced, Both Herod
and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were
gathered together for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel
determined before to be done" (Acts 4:27, 28). This is not simply
"Calvinism," it is the explicit declaration of Holy Writ, and, woe be
unto the one who dares to deny it. Christ had to be sentenced by
Pilate because the eternal counsels of Deity had foreordained it.
Moreover, Christ was dying for sinners both of the Jews and of the
Gentiles, therefore Divine wisdom deemed it fitting that both Jews and
Gentiles should have a direct hand in His death.
But, it will at once be objected, This reduces Pilate to a mere
machine! Our first answer is, What of that?--better far to reduce him
to a non-entity than to deny the Word of the living God! Away with the
deductions of reason; our initial and never-ceasing duty is to bow in
absolute submission to the teaching of the Holy Scriptures. Our second
answer is, The deduction drawn by the objector is manifestly
erroneous. An honest mind is forced to acknowledge that the Gospel
records present Pilate to us as a responsible agent. Christ addressed
Himself to Pilate's conscience: "Everyone that is of the truth heareth
my voice" (John 18:37); God faithfully warned him that Christ was a
just Man and to have nothing to do with Him (Matthew 27:19). Should it
be asked, How could God consistently warn him when He had decreed that
he should sentence Christ to death? Our reply is, His decree was a
part of His own sovereign counsels; whereas the warning was addressed
to Pilate's responsibility, and he will be justly held accountable for
disregarding it. Christ announced that Peter would deny Him, yet a few
minutes later said to him, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into
temptation"! Finally, the Savior Himself told Pilate that he was
sinning in holding Him: "he that delivered me unto thee hath the
greater sin" (John 19:11)--therefore it follows that Pilate's failure
to release Him was a great sin!
"Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him" (John 19:1). We
believe that the real explanation of this awful act of the Roman
governor is intimated in verse 4--"Pilate therefore went forth again,
and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may
know that I find no fault in him." It was a desperate move, made
against his better judgment, and, also made, we fully believe, against
the strivings of his conscience. It was his third and last effort at a
compromise. First, he had asked the Jews to judge Christ for
themselves (John 18:31). Second, he had pitted against Him a notable
outlaw, Barabbas, and made them take their choice. That having failed,
he made a final effort to escape from that which he feared to do. He
hesitated to speak the irrevocable word, and so scourged the Lord
Jesus instead, and suffered the soldiers to brutally mistreat Him. We
believe Pilate hoped that when he should present to the gaze of the
Jews their suffering and bleeding king, their rage would be appeased.
Luke 23:16 bears this out: "I will chastise him and release him." How
entirely this wretched device failed we shall see by and by.
"Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him." "The cruel
injury inflicted on our Lord's body, in this verse, was probably far
more severe than an English reader might suppose. It was a punishment
which among the Romans generally preceded crucifixion, and was
sometimes so painful that the sufferer died under it. It was often a
scourging with rods, and not always with cords, as painters and
sculptors represent. Josephus, the Jewish historian, in his
`Antiquities,' particularly mentions that malefactors were scourged
and tormented in every way before they were put to death. Smith's
Dictionary of the Bible says that under the Roman mode of scourging,
`The culprit was stripped, stretched with cords or thongs on a frame,
and beaten with rods'" (Bishop Rile).
"And the soldiers plaited a crown of thorns, and put it on his head,
and they put on him a purple robe, and said, Hail, king of the Jews!
and they smote him with their hands" (John 19:2, 3). "One question
springs from the heart on reading this--How could it be! Where is the
lauded Roman justice in this scourging of a bound prisoner of whom the
judge says, `I find no fault in him!' Why is an uncondemned one given
into the rude hands of Roman soldiers for them to mock and smite at
their pleasure? Where is the cool judgment of Pilate, that a little
while ago refused to take action lest injustice be done? Why is Jesus
treated in a way wholly unparalleled so far as we know? What is the
secret of it all?" (Mr. M. Taylor). Difficult as it would be,
impossible perhaps, for unaided reason to answer these questions, the
light which Scripture throws on them removes all difficulty.
First, who was this One so brutally, so unrighteously treated? He was
Immanuel, "God manifest in flesh," and fallen man hates God. "The
heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" (Jer.
17:9). "The carnal mind is enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7). "Their
throat is an open sepulcher; with their tongues they have used deceit;
the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing
and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: destruction and
misery are in their ways" (Rom. 3:13-16). Never before or since did
these awful facts receive such exemplification. Never were the
desperate wickedness of the human heart, the fearful enmity of the
carnal mind, and the unspeakable vileness of sin's ways, so
unmistakably evidenced as when the Son of God was "delivered into the
hands of men" (Mark 9:31). All Divine restraint was withdrawn, and
human depravity was allowed to show itself in all its naked
hideousness.
Second, this was Satan's hour. Said the Savior to those who came to
arrest Him in the Garden, "This is your hour, and the power of
darkness" (Luke 22:53). On the day when sin entered the world, Jehovah
announced that He would put enmity between the serpent and the woman,
and between his seed and her seed (Gen. 3:15). That enmity was
manifested when Christ became incarnate, for we are told, "And the
dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to
devour her child as soon as it was born" (Rev. 12:4), and he it was
who moved Herod to slay all the young children in Bethlehem. But God
interposed and the dragon was foiled. But now God hindered no longer.
The hour had arrived when the serpent was to bruise the Savior's heel,
and fully did he now avail himself of his opportunity. Jews and
Gentiles alike were "of their father, the devil." and his lusts
(desires) they now carried out with a will.
Third, Christ was on the point of making atonement for sin, therefore
sin must be revealed in all its enormity. Sin is lawlessness,
therefore did Pilate scourge the innocent One. Sin is transgression,
therefore did Pilate set aside all the principles and statutes of
Roman jurisprudence. Sin is iniquity (injustice), therefore did these
soldiers smite that One who had never harmed a living creature. Sin is
rebellion against God, therefore did Jew and Gentile alike maltreat
the Son of God. Sin is an offense, therefore did they outrage every
dictate of conscience and propriety. Sin is coming short of the glory
of God, therefore did they heap ignominy upon His Son. Sin is
defilement, uncleanness, therefore did they cover His face with vile
spittle.
Fourth, Christ was to die in the stead of sinners, therefore must it
be shown what was righteously due them. The Law required "an eye for
an eye and a tooth for a tooth," a quid pro quo. All sin is a revolt
against God, a treating of Him with contumacy, a virtual smiting of
Him; therefore was Christ scourged by sinners. Again, when man became
a sinner the righteous curse of the thrice holy God fell upon him,
hence Christ will yet say to the wicked. "Depart from me ye cursed"!
Unto Adam God declared, "cursed is the ground for thy sake... thorns
also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee" (Gen. 3:17, 18);
therefore the last Adam, as the Head of those He came to deliver from
the curse, was crowned with thorns! Again, by nature and practice we
are defiled: our iniquities cover us from head to toot--sins which are
"scarlet" and "crimson" (Isa. 1:18); therefore was the Savior
enveloped in "a purple robe"--Matthew actually terms it "a scarlet
robe" (Matthew 27:28), and Mark says "they clothed him with purple"
(Mark 15:17). Finally, they mocked Him as "king of the Jews," for "sin
hath reigned unto death" (Rom. 5:21). Here then is the Gospel of our
salvation: the Savior was scourged, that we might go free; He was
crowned with thorns, that we might be crowned with blessing and glory;
He was clothed with a robe of contempt, that we might receive the robe
of righteousness; He was rejected as king, that we might be made kings
and priests unto God.
"Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I
bring him forth to you that ye may know that I find no fault in him"
(John 19:4). The private interview which Pilate had had with Christ at
least convinced him that He had done nothing worthy of death; he
therefore returned to the Jews and re-affirmed His innocence. The
"therefore" points back to what is recorded in John 19:1-3: he had
gone as far as he meant to. "I bring him forth to you": there is
nothing more that I intend to do. "I find no fault in him": how
striking that the very one who shortly after sentenced Him to death,
should give this repeated witness that the Lamb was "without blemish!"
More striking still is it to observe that at the very time the Lord
Jesus was apprehended and crucified as a criminal, God raised up one
after another to testify of His guiltlessness. Of old the prophet had
asked, "And who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out
of the land of the living" (Isa. 53:8). A sevenfold answer is supplied
in the Gospels. First, Judas declared "I have sinned in that I have
betrayed the innocent blood" (Matthew 27:4) Second, Pilate declared,
"I find no fault in him" (John 19:4). Third, of Herod Pilate said,
"No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of
death is done unto him" (Luke 23:15). Fourth, Pilate's wife entreated,
"Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many
things this day in a dream because of him." (Matthew 27:19). Fifth,
the dying thief affirmed, "We receive the due reward of our deeds: but
this man hath done nothing amiss" (Luke 23:41). Sixth, the Roman
centurion who glorified God, said, "Certainly this was a righteous
man" (Luke 23:47). Seventh, those who stood with the centurion
acknowledged, "Truly this was the son of God" (Matthew 27:54)!
"Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple
robe" (John 19:5). "That our blessed Lord, the eternal Word, should
have meekly submitted to be led out after this fashion, as a
gazing-stock and an object of scorn, with an old purple robe on His
shoulders, a crown of thorns on His head, His back bleeding from
scourging, and His head from thorns, to feast the eyes of a taunting,
howling, blood-thirsty crowd, is indeed a wondrous thought! Truly such
love `passeth knowledge'" (Bishop Ryle).
"And Pilate saith unto them, `Behold the man!'" (John 19:5). We fully
believe that Pilate was here appealing to the Jews' pity. See, saith
he, what He has already suffered! He had no need to say more. The
shame, the bleeding wounds, were tongues sufficiently moving if only
they had ears to hear. Pilate hoped that their wrath would now be
appeased. Is He not already punished enough! It is surely striking
that the Governor said not, "Behold this man," but, "Behold the man."
It was the ungrudging testimony of an unprejudiced witness. Never
before had any other who had stood before his bar carried himself as
this One. Never before had Pilate seen such quiet dignity, intrepid
courage, noble majesty. He was deeply impressed, and avowed the Lord's
uniqueness.
"When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried
out, saying, Crucify, crucify" (John 19:6). Pilate's scheming failed
here as completely as had his previous attempts to avoid condemning
our Lord; nothing short of His death would satisfy the Jews. The
pitiful sight of the bleeding Savior softened them not a whir. Like
beasts of prey that have tasted blood, they thirsted for more. The
humiliating figure of their Messiah crowned with thorns by these
heathen, instead of humbling, only infuriated them. They were "past
feeling." Solemn it is to observe that the chief priests were to the
fore in demanding His crucifixion--the "officers" were the personal
followers and servants of the priests, and would naturally take up the
cry of their masters; the word for "cried out" signifies a boisterous
shout. It is a painful fact that all through this dispensation the
most cruel, relentless, and blood-thirsty persecutors of God's saints
have been the religious leaders--in a hundred different instances the
"bishops" (?) and "cardinals" of Rome. Nor is it otherwise to-day. The
form of persecution may have changed, yet is the opposition which
comes from those who profess to be the servants of Christ the most
relentless and cruel which God's children have to endure. It is to be
noted that the cry was not "Crucify him," but "Crucify,
crucify"--refusing Him the "the man" of Pilate! It was Israel, all
through, who hounded Him to His death: how wondrous then that God
shall yet have mercy upon them.
"Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify: for I find no fault
in him" (John 19:6). Pilate was disgusted at their lawless clamor,
indignant at their challenging his decision, angry at their
insistence. "Take ye him," if you want; "and crucify" if you dare.
They had had the effrontery to appeal against the findings of his
court, now he mocks them in regard to the impotency of their court,
for according to their own admission, they were powerless (John
18:31). The Jews were insisting that Pilate should commit a judicial
murder, now he challenges them to defy the Roman law. His "For I find
no fault in him" was his challenge for them to continue opposing
Caesar's authority.
"The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die,
because he made himself the Son of God" (John 19:7). Their words here
show plainly that they discerned the satire in Pilate's offer: had he
really given them permission to crucify Christ, they would have acted
promptly. They knew that he had not spoken seriously; they felt his
biting irony, and stung by his sarcasm they now attempted some defense
of their outrageous conduct. "We have a law" they insisted, much as
you scorn us for wanting to act lawlessly. We have a law as well as
you! "By our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of
God"--their reference was to Leviticus 24:16. Instead of re treating
before Pilate's outburst of indignation, they continued to press their
demands upon him. We charge your prisoner with having broken our law,
the punishment for which is death. Their aim was to make out Christ to
be a dangerous impostor as well as a seditious person, opposed both to
Jewish religion and Roman law. Pilate had challenged them; now they
challenge him. You have dared us to defy the Roman law; we now dare
you to refuse to maintain the Jewish law.
"We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made
himself the Son of God." It is indeed remarkable that as soon as
Pilate said "Behold the man," they proceeded to charge Him with
"making himself the Son of God"! Their motive was an evil one, but how
evident that a higher power was overruling! Finding the charge of
sedition had broken down, and that Pilate could not be induced to
sentence Him to death on that score, they now accused Christ of
blasphemy. But how their hypocrisy was manifested: they appealed to
their own "law," yet had no respect for it, for their law called for
stoning not crucifixion, as the penalty for blasphemy! A careful
comparison of the Gospel records reveals the fact that the Jews
preferred just seven indictments against Christ. First, they charged
Him with threatening to destroy the temple (Matthew 26:61); second,
with being a "malefactor" (John 18:30); third, with "perverting the
nation" (Luke 23:2); fourth, with "forbidding to give tribute to
Caesar" (Luke 23:2); fifth, with stirring up all the people (Luke
23:5); sixth, with being king" (Luke 23:2); seventh, with making
Himself the Son of God (John 19:7). This sevenfold indictment
witnessed to the completeness of their rejection of Him!
"When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid"
(John 19:8). The meaning of this is evident, yet, strange to say, many
of the commentators have missed it. Some have supposed that fear of
the Jews is what is intended; others, that Pilate was fearful lest it
should now prove impossible to save Christ; others, lest he should
take a false step. But the "therefore" is sufficient to show the error
of these views: it was the declaration that Christ "made himself the
Son of God" which alarmed the Roman Governor. Moreover, the "he was
the more afraid" shows it was not an emotion which he now felt for the
first time. The person of the Lord Jesus was what occasioned his fear.
We believe that from the beginning there was a conscious uneasiness in
his soul, deepened by an awe which the bearing and words of Christ had
inspired. He had seen many malefactors, some guilty, some innocent,
but never one like this. His "Ecce Homo" (John 19:5) witnesses to his
estimate of Christ. The warning which he had received from his wife
must also have impressed him deeply; and now that he is reminded his
Prisoner called Himself the Son of God, he was the more afraid.
"And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence
art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer" (John 19:9). This was the
sixth question Pilate asked Christ, and it is deeply interesting to
follow his changing moods as he put them. First, he had asked "Art
thou the king of the Jews?" (John 18:33)--asked, most probably, in the
spirit of sarcasm. Second, "Am I a Jew?" (John 18:35)--asked in the
spirit of haughty contempt. Third, "What hast thou done?" (John
18:35)--a pompous display of his authority. Fourth, "Art thou a king
then?" (John 18:37)--indicating his growing perplexity. Fifth, "What
is truth?" (John 18:38)--asked out of contemptuous pity. Sixth,
"Whence art thou?" In what spirit did he ask this question? Much turns
upon the right answer, for otherwise we shall be at a loss to
understand our Lord's refusal to reply.
"Whence art thou?" Not "Whom art thou?" nor, "Art thou the Son of God
then?" but "Whence art thou?" Yet it is clear that Pilate was not
asking about His human origin, for he had already sent Christ as a
"Galilean" to Herod (Luke 23:6). Was it then simply a question of idle
curiosity? No, the "mote afraid" of the previous verse shows
otherwise. Was it that Pilate was now deeply exercised and anxiously
seeking for light? No, for his outburst of scornful pride in the verse
that follows conflicts with such a view. What, then? First, we think
that Pilate was genuinely puzzled and perplexed. A man altogether
unique he clearly perceived Christ to be. But was He more than man?
The deepening fear of his conscience made him uneasy. Suppose that
after all, this One were from Heaven! That such a thought crossed his
mind at this stage we fully believe, and this leads to the second
motive which prompted his question:--Pilate hoped that here was a way
out of his difficulty. If Christ were really from Heaven, then
obviously he could not think of crucifying Him. He therefore has
Christ led back again into the judgment hall, and says, Tell me
privately your real origin and history so that I may know what line to
take up with thine enemies. "We may well believe that Pilate caught at
this secret hope that Jesus might tell him something about Himself
which would enable him to make a firm stand and deliver Him from the
Jews. In this hope, again, the Roman Governor was destined to be
disappointed" (Bishop Ryle).
"But Jesus gave him no answer." Ominous "but"; perplexing silence.
Hitherto He had replied to Pilate's questions; now He declined to
speak. At first our Lord's silence surprises and puzzles us, but
reflection shows that He could not have acted otherwise. First, the
fact that in John 19:11 we do find Christ speaking to Pilate, shows
that His silence here in John 19:9 was no arbitrary determination to
say no more. "With us, when we would patiently suffer in silence,
there may be some such arbitrary purpose of our own; or, to put a
better construction upon it, we cannot actually speak and at the same
time suffer in patience, for we have inwardly too much to do with our
own spirits, in order to maintain our proper posture of mind. But
Christ is in His profoundest humanity elevated above this human
imperfection; in His lips (as we shall hear from the Cross) the Word
of God is never bound" (Stier). Second, Christ's silence here makes
evident the spirit in which Pilate had put his question: it was not
the cry of an earnest soul, honestly seeking light, for our Lord never
closed the door against any such! Third, Pilate was not entitled to a
reply. He had acted in grossest injustice when he refused to release
One whom he declared was innocent; he had despised God's warning
through his wife; he had declined to wait for an answer to his "What
is truth"; he had, against his own conscience, scourged the Savior and
suffered his soldiers to mock and maltreat Him. Why then should Christ
reveal to him the mystery of His person!
"Pilate had forfeited his right to any further revelation about his
Prisoner. He had been told plainly the nature of our Lord's kingdom,
and the purpose of our Lord's coming into the world, and been obliged
to confess publicly His innocence. And yet, with all this light and
knowledge, he had treated our Lord with flagrant injustice, scourged
Him, allowed Him to be treated with the vilest indignities by his
soldiers, knowing in his own mind all the time that He was a guiltless
person. He had, in short, sinned away his opportunities, forsaken his
own mercies, and turned a deaf ear to the cries of his own conscience.
"`He gave him no answer.' Most men, like Pilate, have a day of grace,
and an open door put before them. If they refuse to enter in, and
choose their own sinful way, the door is often shut, and never opened
again. There is such a thing as a `day of visitation,' when Christ
speaks to men. If they will not hear His voice, and open the door of
their hearts, they are often let alone, given over to a reprobate
mind, and left to reap the fruit of their own sins. It was so with
Pharaoh, and Saul, and Ahab; and Pilate's case was like theirs. He had
his opportunity, and did not choose to use it, but preferred to please
the Jews at the expense of his conscience, and to do what he knew was
wrong. We see the consequence--`Jesus gave him no answer'" (Bishop
Ryle).
In addition to what has been pointed out above, may we not say, that
as it had been Divinely appointed Christ should suffer for the sins of
His people, He declined to say anything which was calculated to hinder
it! True, Pilate was morally incapable of receiving the truth: to make
him a definite answer would simply have been casting pearls before
swine, and this the Savior refused to do. Moreover, had He affirmed
His Deity, it would have afforded Pilate the very handle he sought for
releasing Him. Thus we may say with Bishop Ryle "Our Lord's silence
was just and well merited, but it was also part of God's counsels
about man's salvation." Finally, let us learn from Christ's example
here that there is "a time to be silent," as well as "a time to speak"
(Eccl. 3:7)!
"Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou
not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release
thee?" (John 19:10). Here the haughty, fierce, and imperious spirit of
the Roman was manifested; the authoritative I asserting itself. We
doubt not that all the emphasis was thrown upon the personal
pronouns--Thou mayest keep silence before the Jews, the soldiers and
before Herod; but me also? What lack of respect is this! It was the
proud authority of an official politician displaying itself. Knowest
Thou not in whose presence Thou standest! You are no longer before
Annas and Caiaphas--mere figure-heads. I am the Governor of Judea, the
representative of Caesar Augustus. "Speakest thou not unto me?" It was
his seventh and last question to our Lord, asked in the spirit of
sarcasm and resentment combined. Accustomed to seeing prisoners
cringing before him, willing to do anything to obtain his favor, he
could not understand our Lord's silence. He was both perplexed and
angered: his official pride was mortified.
"Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to
release thee!" How he condemned himself. How he revealed his true
character. Here was one on the bench talking about his power to commit
a judicial murder! Here was one who had, over and over again, affirmed
the innocency of his Prisoner, now owning his power to release Him,
and yet shortly after condemned Him to death. And this from a man
holding high office, who belonged to the nation which prided itself in
its impartial justice! Mark also his consummate folly. Here was a worm
of the earth so puffed up with a sense of his own importance, so
obsessed with the idea of his own absolute freewill that he has the
effrontery to say that the Son of the Highest was entirely at his
disposal! Mark too his utter inconsistency. He was boasting of his
legal authority: but if the Lord were innocent he had no judicial
power to "crucify" Him; if He were guilty, he had no judicial power to
"release" Him! Out of his own mouth he stands condemned. Carefully
analyzed his words can only mean--I am above the law: innocent or
guilty, I can do with you as I please.
"This high-handed claim to absolute power is one which ungodly great
men are fond of making. It is written of Nebuchadnezzar, `Whom he
would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he
set up; and whom he would he put down' (Dan. 5:19). Yet even when such
men boast of power, they are often, like Pilate, mere slaves, and
afraid of resisting popular opinion. Pilate talked of `power to
release,' but he knew in his own mind that he was afraid, and so
unable to exercise it" (Bishop Ryle).
"Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except
it were given thee from above" (John 19:11). For His Father's honor
and as a rebuke to Pilate, the Lord once more spake, giving His last
official testimony before He was crucified. Blessed it is to mark
carefully the words of grace and truth which now proceeded from His
lips. How easy for Him to have given the lie to Pilate's boast by
paralyzing the tongue which had just uttered such blasphemy! How easy
for Him to have made a display of His power before this haughty
heathen similar to what He had done in the Garden! But, instead, He
returns a calm and measured answer, equally expressive of His glory,
though in another way. A careful study of His words here will reveal
both His voluntary lowliness and His Divine majesty--how wonderful
that both should be combined in one brief sentence!
"Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me except
it were given thee from above." The Lord acknowledged that Pilate did
have "power" but of quite a different kind, from quite a different
source, and under different restrictions from what he supposed. Pilate
had boasted of an arbitrary discretion, of a sovereign choice of his
own, of a lawless right to do as he pleased. Christ referred him to a
power which came from above, delegated to men, limited according to
the pleasure of the One who bestowed it. Thus Christ, first, denied
that Pilate had the "power" to do with Him as he pleased. Second, He
maintained His Father's honor by insisting that He alone is absolute
Sovereign. Even so temperate a writer as Bishop Ryle says on this
verse: "Thou talkest of power: thou dost not know that both thou and
the Jews are only tools in the hands of a higher Being: you are both,
unconsciously, mere instruments in the hands of God"!
"Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except
it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivereth me unto
thee hath the greater sin." Our Lord conceded that Pilate did have
power: He acknowledged the authority of the human courts. To the very
last Christ respected the law, nor did He dispute the power of the
Romans over the Jews. But He insisted that Pilate's power came from
above, for, "There is no power but of God: the powers that be are
ordained of God" (Rom. 13:1) and compare Proverbs 8:15, 16. Christ
acknowledged that Pilate's power, extended over Himself--"no power
against me except," etc.--so thoroughly had He made Himself of no
reputation. But it was because Pilate's "power," both personal and
official, was "from above," that the Savior bowed to it. In His "he
that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin," the Lord, as in
Luke 22:22, shows us that God's counsels do not abolish the guilt of
the men who execute them. And mark here, for it is most striking, that
the same One who meekly bows to Pilate's (God-given) authority,
manifests Himself as the Judge of men, apportioning the comparative
guilt of Pilate and the Jews. Thus did He maintain His Divine dignity
to the end. This, then, was our Lord's reply to Pilate's "Knowest thou
not?" I know, first, that all the power you have is from above;
second, I know the precise measure both of your guilt and of him who
delivered Me to thee! This, we take it, is the force of the rather
difficult "therefore." Mark how, out of respect for Pilate's official
personage, the Lord did not actually say "he that delivered me unto
thee hath greater sin than thee"!--though plainly that was implied.
Here, as in Luke 12:47, 48 Christ teaches degrees of sin and guilt,
and therefore degrees of future punishment. The "he who delivered me
up" refers not to Judas (his was the "greatest sin") but Caiaphas,
acting as the representative of the nation. Finally observe that the
last word which Pilate heard from the lips of Christ was "sin"!--the
next, in all probability, will be the sentence of his eternal doom.
Below are the questions for our next study:--
1. Why did the "chief priests" take the lead, verse 15?
2. Why was Christ "delivered to them," verse 16?
3. Why "in the Hebrew," verse 17?
4. Why were two others crucified with Him, verse 18?
5. Why the inscription, verse 19?
6. Why in three languages, verse 20?
7. What is the meaning of verse 23?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 65
Christ Condemned to Death
John 19:12-24
_________________________________________________________________
The following is an Analysis of the passage which is to be before
us:--
1. Pilate's effort foiled, verse 12.
2. Pilate on the Bench, verse 12.
3. The Jews' rejection of their Messiah, verse 15.
4. Christ delivered to the Jews, verse 16.
5. Christ crucified, verses 17-18.
6. The inscription of the Cross, verses 19-22.
7. The soldiers and Christ's garments, verses 23-24.
The death of Christ may be viewed from five main viewpoints. From the
standpoint of God the Cross was a propitiation (Rom. 3:25-26), where
full satisfaction was made to His holiness and justice. From the
standpoint of the Savior, it was a sacrifice (Eph. 5:2), an offering
(Heb. 9:14), an act of obedience (Phil. 2:8). From the standpoint of
believers, it was a substitution, the Just suffering for the unjust (1
Pet. 3:18). From the standpoint of Satan it was a triumph and a
defeat: a triumph, in that he bruised the heel of the woman's Seed
(Gen. 3:15); a defeat, in that through His death Christ destroyed him
that had the power of death, that is, the Devil (Heb. 2: 14). From the
standpoint of the world it was a brutal murder (Acts 3:15). It is with
this last-mentioned aspect of the death of Christ that our present
passage principally treats.
The ones who (from the human side) took the initiative in the slaying
of the Lamb of God, were the Jews; the one who was judicially
responsible was Pilate. In the introduction to our last chapter we
pointed out two things: first, that God had ordained Pilate should
pass sentence upon His Son; second, that Pilate was, nevertheless,
morally guilty in so doing. We shall not review the ground already
covered, but would supplement our previous remarks by a few words upon
Pilate's final actions.
From the very first move made by the Jews for Pilate to sentence their
Messiah, it is evident that he had no relish for the part which they
wished and urged him to play; and the more he saw of Christ for
himself, the more his reluctance increased. This is apparent from his
restless journeying back and forth from the judgment-hall; evidenced
by his repeated protestations of Christ's innocence; evidenced by the
compromises he offered them; evidenced by the appeals he made to them.
If, then, he was unwilling to pass the death-sentence, how comes it
that he, the Roman governor, was finally prevailed upon to do so? In
seeking to answer this question we shall now confine ourselves to the
human side of things.
In the first place, the Jews had charged Christ with perverting the
nation, stirring up the people, teaching them to refuse to pay
tribute, and claiming Himself to be the king of the Jews (Luke
23:2-5). These were charges which Pilate could not afford to ignore.
It is true the preferring of such charges was one thing, and the
proving of them quite another; but the Governor was too much of a
politician not to know how easy it was to manufacture evidence and to
hire false witnesses. In the second place, Pilate had himself incurred
the hatred of the Jews by mingling the blood of certain Galileans with
their sacrifices (Luke 13:1)--a thing not only morally wrong, but
legally reprehensible. In the third place, when Pilate showed signs of
weakening, the Jews told him that if he did let Jesus go, he was no
friend of Caesar (John 19:12). Pilate was quick to perceive that if he
released his Prisoner, complaint would at once be made to the Emperor,
and under a charge of conspiracy and treason, he was likely not only
to lose the governorship, but his head as well.
Here, then, was the issue which Pilate had to pass on: on the one hand
he knew that Christ was innocent, that He was a unique Man, possibly
more than man; on the other hand, he was threatened by the Sanhedrin
with exposure before Caesar. In its final analysis, Pilate had to
choose between Christ and the world. When the issue was clearly
defined, he did not hesitate; he decided to please the people and win
their applause, rather than intensify their already fierce hatred
against him and condemn him to Caesar. "Here is the anticipative
result of Pilate's vacillation. When a man begins to temporize with
his conscience, to trifle with sin--be it the love of applause, the
fear of man, or whatsoever thing is contrary to sound doctrine and
plain morality--it is easy to predict what is sure to follow. Sin is
at the first like a tiny spark. Tread it out at once--that is your
duty. But indulge, foster, toy with it, and it will kindle and spread,
and lay waste in a fearful conflagration the very temple of the soul.
So here with this unhappy Pilate, trying to join together what God
hath forever put asunder--his carnal inclination and his duty; hoping
all in vain to harmonize equity and injustice; to comply with the
voice of wicked men without, and yet not offend the voice of God
within him; thinking to serve two masters--God and mammon. Miserable,
impossible compromise" (Mr. Geo. Brown).
"And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him" (John 19:12). The
time-mark here is significant. Following the Jews' accusation that
Christ had "made himself the Son of God" (John 19:7), Pilate,
thoroughly uneasy, had retired within the judgment-hall, and asked the
Savior, "Whence art thou?" (John 19:9). But the Lord returned him no
answer. Thereupon Pilate said, "Speakest thou not unto me? knowest
thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release
thee?" To this Christ made reply, "Thou couldest have no power against
me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered
me unto thee hath the greater sin." That Pilate was deeply impressed,
both by his Prisoner's demeanor and words, we cannot doubt. Previously
unwilling to condemn an innocent Man, he now resolves to make a real
effort to save Him. Leaving Christ behind in the judgment-hall, Pilate
returned once more to the Jews. What he now said to them John has not
told us: all we know is that he must have made an earnest appeal to
the Savior's enemies, which they as decisively rejected.
"But the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not
Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against
Caesar" (John 19:12). The Jews knew their man, for hypocrites are
usually the quickest to detect hypocrisy in others. They had reserved
their strongest card for the last: with diabolic cunning they
insinuated that no matter what the Governor's personal feelings might
be, no matter how unwilling he was to please them, he could not afford
to displease the Emperor. For him this was a clinching argument. From
this moment his hopes of escaping from his unhappy situation were
dashed to the ground. It is hard to decide which was the more
despicable: the duplicity of the Jews in feigning to care for Caesars
interests, or the cowardice and wickedness of Pilate in conniving at a
foul murder. On the one hand we see the descendents of Abraham, the
most favored of all people, professing to be eagerly awaiting the
appearing of the promised Messiah, now clamouring for His crucifixion.
On the other hand, we behold a judge of one of the high courts of
Rome, defying conscience and trampling upon justice. Never did human
nature make such a contemptible exhibition. Never was sin more
heinously displayed.
"When Pilate, therefore, heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth,
and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the
Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha" (John 19:13). "`Pilate's
playing with the situation,' observes Lange, `is now passed; now the
situation plays with him!' First he said, not asked, What is truth!
Now his frightened heart, to which the Emperor's favor is the supreme
law of life, says, What is justice! He takes his place on the
judgment-seat, therefore, and with what seems something between a
taunt and a faint, final plea, says to the Jews, `Behold your King!'"
(Numerical Bible.) Pilate dared no longer oppose the bloody demands of
the Jews. There remained nothing now but for him to take his seat
publicly on the bench and pronounce sentence. It is striking to note
that the trial of Christ before Pilate was in seven stages. This is
seen by noting carefully the following scriptures, which speak of the
Governor passing in and out of the judgment-hall. The First stage was
on the outside: John 18:28-32. The Second on the inside: John
18:33-37. Third, on the outside: John 18:38-40. Fourth, inside: John
19:1-3. Fifth, outside: John 19:4-7. Sixth, inside: John 19:8-11.
Seventh, outside: John 19:12-16.
"When Pilate, therefore, heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth,
and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the
Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha." Here, as everywhere in
Scripture, if only we have eyes to see, there is a deep significance
to the proper noun. The word for "Pavement" is found nowhere else in
the New Testament, but its Hebrew equivalent occurs just once in the
Old Testament, and it is evident that the Holy Spirit would have us
link the two passages together. In 2 Kings 16:17 we read, "King Ahaz
cut off the borders of the bases, and removed the laver from off them;
and took down the sea from off the brazen oxen that were under it, and
put it upon a pavement of stones." In Ahaz's case, his act was the
conclusive token of his surrender to abject apostasy. So here of
Pilate coming down to the level of the apostate Jews. In the former
case it was a Jewish ruler dominated by a Gentile idolator; in the
latter, a Gentile idolator dominated by Jews who had rejected their
Messiah!
"And it was the preparation of the passover" (John 19:14). There has
been an almost endless controversy concerning this. The Lord and His
disciples had eaten the passover together on the previous night (Luke
22:15), and yet we read here of the "preparation of the passover." Sir
R. Anderson wrote much that was illuminating on the point. We can only
give a brief selection: "These writers one and all confound the
Passover-supper with the feast which followed it, and to which it lent
its name. The supper was a memorial of the redemption of the firstborn
of Israel on the night before the Exodus; the feast was the
anniversary of their actual deliverance from the house of bondage. The
supper was not a part of the feast; it was morally the basis on which
the feast was founded, just as the Feast of Tabernacles was based on
the great sin-offering of the Day of Expiation which preceded it. But
in the same way that the Feast of Weeks can now be commonly designated
Pentecost, so the Feast of Unleavened Bread was popularly called the
Passover (Luke 22:1). That title was common to the supper and the
feast, including both; but the intelligent Jew never confounded the
two. No words can possibly express more clearly this distinction than
those afforded by the Pentateuch in the final promulgation of the Law:
`In the fourteenth day of the first month is the passover of the Lord,
and in the fifteenth day of this same month is the Feast' (Num.
28:16-17)."
But to what does "the preparation of the passover" refer? "Among the
Jews `the preparation' was the common name for the day before the
sabbath, and it is so used by all the Evangelists. Bearing this in
mind, let the reader compare with John 19:14, verses 31-42, and he
will have no difficulty in rendering the words in question, `it was
Passover Friday.'" (Sir Robert Anderson.) Let the reader also compare
Mark 15:42, which is even more conclusive.
"And about the sixth hour" (John 19:14). This expression has also
occasioned much difficulty to many. It is supposed to conflict with
Mark 15:25. "and it was the third hour, and they crucified Him." But
there is no discrepancy here whatsoever. Mark gives the hour when our
Lord was crucified; John is speaking of the Passover Friday, i.e., the
day when preparations were made for the sabbath (which began at Friday
sunset) preparing food, etc., so that none would have to be cooked on
the sabbath. It was about the sixth hour after this "preparation" had
commenced. This is the view which was taken by Augustine and Dr.
Lightfoot. We believe the Holy Spirit has recorded this detail for the
purpose of pointing a comparison and a contrast. For six hours the
Jews had been working in preparation for the approaching sabbath;
during the next "six hours" (compare Mark 15:25, 33-37), Christ
finished His great work, which brings His people into that eternal
rest of which the sabbath was the emblem! "And he said unto the Jews,
Behold your king!" (John 19:14). This was evidently spoken in irony
and contempt.
"But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him" (John
19:15). As on the previous occasions of Pilate's private appeals, so
now this final and public appeal of his had no effect upon the Jews.
Once more they raised their fierce, relentless cry, demanding the
Prisoner's death by crucifixion. Nothing but His blood would satisfy
them. He must die: so had God decreed; so they demanded. The decree of
the One was from love; the insistence of the other, was from hatred.
The design of the One, was mercy unto poor sinners; the aim of the
others, barbarous cruelty to Him who was sinless. This rejection of
their Messiah by Israel fulfilled two prophecies: "We hid as it were
our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not" (Isa.
53:3); "Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One,
to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth" (Isa.
49:7).
"Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your king?" (John 19:15). As
one has said, "Pilate speaks here with a mixture of compassionate
feeling and mockery. For the last time the Roman governor put the
decisive question to the Jews, giving them a final chance to relent,
throwing the emphasis, we believe, on the word `crucify.' It was a
frightful mode of execution, reserved for slaves and the most
abandoned criminals.
"The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar" (John 19:15).
"They are entirely infidel, throwing off all allegiance to any but
Caesar, and cry that they had no other king. It is purely of the Jews,
the whole transaction, for they consign to the most cruel death Him
whom the Roman governor would have let go. This is man's religion, and
it will, in the end, enthrone `the Wilful One' and bow to his image"
(Rev. 13). (Mr. M. Taylor).
"The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar." God took
them at their word: they have been under their own verdict ever since.
History repeated itself, though with a tragic addition. In the days of
Samuel, Israel said, "Make us a king to judge us like all nations" (1
Sam. 8:5), and Jehovah's response was, "Hearken unto the voice of the
people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected
thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them."
So it was here with their rebellious descendants, when they rejected
Christ the king. In consequence of their fatal decision, Israel has
abode "many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a
sacrifice" (Hos. 3:4). Bitter indeed have been the consequences.
Jotham's parable has received its tragic fulfillment: "And the bramble
said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come
put your trust in my shadow; and if not, let fire come out of the
bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon" (Judg. 9:15, and see verses
7-16).
"The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar." "It was not
the verdict of the Jews alone, and they have not suffered alone. The
whole world has been lying under the yoke which they have preferred to
the easy yoke of Christ. They have got very tired of Caesar--true;
and, as we see by their fitful movements every now and then, would
feign be rid of him. They are always crying, `Give us better
government'; but all they can do is, with doubtful betterment, to
divide him up into many little Caesars; better as they think, because
weaker, and with divided interests, so that the balance of power may
secure the even weights of justice. That is still an experiment some
think; but this chronic war is never peace, nor can be; and the reason
is, men have refused the Prince of Peace. Modify it, rename it,
disguise it as you please, the reign of Caesar is the only
alternative" (Numerical Bible).
"Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified" (John
19:16). Between John 19:15 and 16 comes in what is recorded in Matthew
27:24-25. Seeing that the Jews would not be turned from their purpose,
and afraid to defy them, he took water and washed his hands before
them (cf. Deuteronomy 21:1-6; Psalm 26:6), saying, "I am innocent of
the blood of this just person: see ye to it." Thus did this cowardly,
world-loving Roman betray his trust. Never was a name more justly
handed down to the world's scorn than Pilate's. By his act he sought
to cast the entire onus upon the Jews. Their terrible response was,
"His blood be on us, and on our children." Then, we are told, "Pilate
gave sentence that it should be as they required... He delivered Jesus
to their will" (Luke 23:24-25). Thus the Lord's execution was now in
Jewish hands (Acts 2:23), the centurion and his quaternion of soldiers
merely carrying out the decision of the chief priests.
"Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified." Our
Lord's own estimate of Pilate's act is recorded by the Spirit of
prophecy through the Psalmist: "Shall the throne of iniquity have
fellowship with that which frameth mischief by a law? They gather
themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the
innocent blood" (Ps. 94:20, 21)! Let us not forget, however, that
behind the governor of Judea, who delivered the Lord Jesus unto the
Jews, was the Governor of the Universe, who "spared not his own Son,
but delivered him up for us all" (Rom. 8:32). And why? Because He was
"delivered for our offenses" (Rom. 4:25). Christ was delivered to
death, that we might be delivered from death.
"And they took Jesus and led him away" (John 19:16). Observe the word
"led" again. How often has the Holy Spirit repeated it! Christ was
neither driven nor dragged, for He made no resistance. As prophecy had
foretold long before, "He was led as a lamb to the slaughter" (Isa.
53:7).
"And he, bearing his cross, went forth unto a place called the place
of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew, Golgotha"
(John 19:17). The Jews lost no time: Christ was taken straight from
Gabbatha to Golgotha; from judgment to execution. The Savior "bearing
his cross," had been marvelously foreshadowed of old when "Abraham
took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son"
(Gen. 22:6). "He, bearing his cross, went forth." That is, out of
Jerusalem, or as Hebrews 13:12 puts it, "Jesus also, that he might
sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without [outside] the
gate." This, too, fulfilled an Old Testament type--every detail of the
Passion fulfilled some prophecy or type. In Leviticus 16:27 we read,
"And the bullock for the sin-offering, and the goat for the
sin-offering; whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy
place shall one carry forth without the camp." "Little did the blinded
Jews imagine that when they madly hounded on the Romans to crucify
Jesus outside the gates, that they were unconsciously perfecting the
mightiest sin-offering of all!" (Bishop Ryle).
At this point the other Gospels supply a detail which John, for some
reason, was guided to omit. In Matthew 27:32 we are told. "As they
came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name; him they
compelled to bear his cross." Almost all of the commentators, both
ancient and modern, draw the conclusion that Simon was compelled to
bear the Savior's cross because He was staggering and sinking beneath
its weight. But there is not a word in the New Testament to support
such a conjecture, and everything recorded about Christ after He was
nailed to the tree decidedly conflicts with it. That Simon was
"compelled" to bear His cross, shows there was not one in all that
crowd with sufficient compassion and courage to volunteer to carry it
for Him!
"Went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called
in the Hebrew, Golgotha." "The place of a skull--the place of the
kingdom of death. This is plainly what the world is, because of
sin--death being the stamp of the government of God upon it. For this
the Lord sought it; here His love to men brought Him; only He could
lift this burden from them, and for this He must come under it"
(Numerical Bible).
"Which is called in the Hebrew, Golgotha." This expression--used twice
in connection with the Savior's crucifixion (John 19:13, 17)--is found
elsewhere only in John 5:2: "Now there is at Jerusalem by the
sheep-gate a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda."
What a contrast; there at Bethesda, we see His mercy; here at
Golgotha, their brutality! Luke gives us the Gentile name, "Calvary"
(Luke 23:33); John the Hebrew, "Golgotha," of the place where our
Savior was crucified. Compare the same double name of the place of
Pilate's judgment-seat (John 19:13). "May it be that in these
instances of double meaning that God is giving His in the words which
He used with His people, and man is giving his in the language of the
world? Moreover, this Death was for both Jews and Gentiles! There is a
reason for every word which the Holy Spirit records" (Mr. M. Taylor).
"Where they crucified him, and two others with him, on either side
one, and Jesus in the midst" (John 19:18). This one verse records the
fulfillment of at least three Old Testament prophecies. First, the
manner in which the Savior was to die had been clearly foretold. A
thousand years before this He had cried, by the Spirit of prophecy,
"they pierced my hands and my feet" (Ps. 22:16); this is indeed most
striking. The Jewish form of capital punishment was stoning. But no
word of God can fall to the ground, therefore did Pilate give orders
that Christ should be crucified, which was the Roman form of
execution, reserved only for the vilest criminals. Second, Isaiah had
declared, "He was numbered with the transgressors" (Isa. 53:12). The
Jews' object was to add a final indignity and insult to the Lord; it
was a public declaration that He was counted no better than the scum
of the earth. Little did they realize that this expression of their
malice was but a means for the carrying out of Messianic prediction!
Third, it had been written that He should be "with the wicked at his
death" (Isa. 53:9--literal translation). But why did God permit His
Beloved to be so outrageously treated? To show us the place which His
Son had taken. It was the place which was due us because of our
sins--the place of shame, condemnation, punishment. Moreover, the Lord
crucified between the two malefactors, gave Him the opportunity to
work one more miracle ere He laid down His life--a miracle of
sovereign grace. Let the reader at this point carefully ponder Luke
23:39-43, and there he will find that the One on the central cross
clearly demonstrated that He. was the Redeemer by snatching a brand
from the burning, and translating from the brink of the Pit into
Paradise, one of these very thieves as the first trophy of His
all-sufficient sacrifice.
"And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing
was, Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews" (John 19:19). "He comes
thus into death as King--`King of the Jews,' indeed, but which in its
full rendering implies so much. It faces the Jew, the Greek, the
Roman, affirming to each in his own language, with a positiveness
which His enemies vainly strive to set aside, a meaning for each one.
Here is indeed God's King--King in death as in life--here in a
peculiar way affirmed; His Cross henceforth to be the very sign of His
power, the scepter under which they bow, in adoring homage" (Numerical
Bible). Pilate's reason for placing such a description of our Lord
over His cross is not easy to determine; probably it was so worded in
anger, and with the aim of annoying and insulting the Jews. Whatever
his motive, it was clearly overruled by God. It is well known that the
words of the four Evangelists vary in their several descriptions of
this title. Enemies of the truth have pointed to this as a
"contradiction." But all difficulty is removed if we bear in mind that
we are told Pilate wrote the inscription in three different
languages--most probably not wording them alike. The Holy Spirit moved
Matthew to translate one (most likely the Hebrew) and Luke another
(most likely the Greek); Mark only quoting a part of what John had
given us--most likely from the Latin. There is, therefore, no
discrepancy at all, and nothing for an impartial reader to stumble
over.
"This title then read many of the Jews; for the place where Jesus was
crucified was nigh to the city" (verse 20). No one could fail to see
who it was that hung upon the central Cross. Even in death God saw to
the guarding of His Son's glory. Before He was born. the angel
announced to Mary His "kingdom" (Luke 1:32, 33). In His infancy, wise
men from the east heralded Him as "king" (Matthew 2:2). At the
beginning of the Passion week, the multitudes had cried, "Blessed is
the king of Israel" (John 12:13). Before Pilate, He Himself bore
witness to His "kingdom" (John 18:36-37). And now His royal title was
affixed to His very gibbet.
"And it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin" (John 19:20).
Note that the Holy Spirit has placed "Hebrew" first! Hebrew was the
language of the Jews; Greek of the educated world; Latin of the
Romans; hence all who were gathered around the cross could read the
title in his own language. Remember that the confusion of tongues was
the sign of Babel's curse (Gen. 11). Significantly are we reminded of
this here, when Christ was being made a curse for us! Hebrew was the
language of religion; Greek of science, culture and philosophy; Latin
of law. In each of these realms Christ is "king." In the religious, He
is the final revelation of the true God (Heb. 1:2; John 14:9). In
science, He is the Force behind all things. "By him all things
consist" (Col. 1:17). "Upholding all things by the word of his power"
(Heb. 1:3); so, too, in Him are hid "all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge" (Col. 2:3). In jurisprudence, He is supreme; the Law-giver
and Law-administrator (1 Cor. 9:21).
"Then said the chief priests of the Jews to pilate, Write not, The
king of the Jews; but that He said, I am king of the Jews" (John
19:21). It is noteworthy that this is the first and only time that
they are termed "the chief priests of the Jews," the Holy Spirit
thereby intimating that God no longer owned them as His priests:
having rejected their Messiah, Judaism was set aside, and therefore
its official leaders are regarded as serving the Jews, but not
Jehovah. The words of the priests here show that they resented
Pilate's insult. It was most humbling to their pride that this
crucified criminal should be publicly designated their "king." They
desired the Governor to alter the wording of the inscription so that
it might appear Christ was nothing more than an empty-boasting
imposter.
"Pilate answered, What I have written, I have written" (John 19:22).
Pilate could be firm when it suited him. The haughty, imperious
character of the Roman comes out plainly here. His decisive reply
evidences his contempt for the Jews: Trouble me no further; what I
have written must stand; I shall not alter it to please you. "It,
therefore, stands written forever. Caiaphas, as representative of the
Jews proclaimed the Lord as Savior of the world; Pilate fastens upon
the Jews the hated name of the Nazarene as their King" (Companion
Bible). The truth is that God would not allow Pilate to change what he
had written. Unknown to himself he was the amanuensis of Heaven. This
was part of the Word of God--the Scriptures, the Writings, and not a
jot of it shall ever pass away. And wondrously was it manifested that
very day that what Pilate had written was the Word of God. This was
the text used by the Spirit of Truth to bring about the regeneration
and conversion of the repentant thief. His "Lord remember me when thou
comest into thy kingdom," shows that his faith rested on that which
the Roman governor had written and placed on the cross, and which his
Spirit--opened eyes read and believed!
"Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments
and made four parts, to every soldier a part" (John 19:23). "The
soldiers having now finished their bloody work, having nailed our Lord
to the cross, put the title over His head, and reared the cross on
end, proceeded to do what they probably always did--to divide the
clothes of the criminal among themselves. In most countries the
clothes of a person put to death by the law are the perquisite of the
executioner. So it was with our Lord's clothes. They had most likely
stripped our Lord naked before nailing His hands and feet to the
cross, and had laid His clothes on one side till after they had
finished their work. They now turned to the clothes, and, as they had
done many a time on such occasions, proceeded to divide them" (Bishop
Ryle). There were four soldiers; some think this emblemizes the four
quarters of the Gentiles' world. It seems clear that they ripped His
several garments to pieces, so as to divide them in equal parts. How
this, once more, makes manifest the depths of humiliation into which
the Son of God descended!
"And also his coat; now the coat was without seam, woven from the top
throughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it,
but cast lots for it, whose it shall be" (John 19:23, 24). The deeper
significance of this is not difficult to perceive. Garments in
Scripture, speak of conduct, as a display of character--cf. Psalm
109:18; 1 Peter 5:5, etc. Now, the Savior's "coat," His outer garment,
was of one piece--intimating the unity, the unbroken perfection of His
ways. Unlike our "garments," which are, at best, so much patchwork,
His robe was "without seam." Moreover, it was "woven from the top
throughout"--the mind of Him above controlled His every action! This
"coat" or "robe" was a costly one, so owned even by the soldiers, for
they declined to tear it to pieces. It spoke of the righteousness of
Christ, the "robe of righteousness" (Isa. 61:10), the "best robe"
(Luke 15) with which the Father clothes each prodigal son. For this
"robe" the soldiers cast lots, and we are told in Proverbs 16:33 that
"The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of
the Lord." Thus the action of these soldiers declares that the "best
robe" is not left to the caprice of man's will, but the Lord Himself
has determined whose it shall be! Note another contrast; the sinful
first Adam was clothed by God; the sinless last Adam was unclothed by
wicked men.
"That the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my
raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These
things therefore the soldiers did" (John 19:24). Three things come out
plainly: First, that God Himself was master of this whole situation,
directing every detail of it to the outworking of His eternal
counsels. Second, that no word of God's can fail. A thousand years
before hand it had been predicted that these soldiers should both
divide the Savior's raiment among them, and also cast lots for His
vesture or coat. Literally was this fulfilled to the very letter.
Third, that the One who hung there on the Tree was, beyond a shadow of
doubt, the Messiah of Israel, the One of whom all the prophets had
written.
Below are the questions on the closing section of John 19:--
1. Why "woman," verse 26?
2. What perfections of Christ are seen in verse 28?
3. What was "finished," verse 30?
4. Why "bowed His head," verse 30?
5. What is the spiritual meaning of "blood and water," verse 34?
6. What prophecy was accomplished in verse 38?
7. What type was fulfilled in verses 41, 42?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 66
Christ Laying Down His Life
John 19:25-42
_________________________________________________________________
Below is an Analysis of John 19:25-42:--
1. The mother of Jesus and the beloved disciple, verses 25-27.
2. The Savior's thirst, verses 28, 29.
3. The Savior's victorious death, verse 30.
4. God guarding the Savior's body, verses 31-33.
5. The piercing of the Savior's side, verses 34-37.
6. The boldness of Joseph and Nicodemus, verses 38, 39.
7. The Savior's burial, verses 40-42.
Each of the Evangelists treats of our Lord's death with more or less
fullness of detail. The birth, the baptism, and the temptation of
Christ are described in only two of the Gospels; several of His
miracles and discourses are found only in one; but the Savior's
Passion is recorded in all four, which at once denotes its supreme
importance. But though each Evangelist devotes not a little space to
the events of the last hours of Christ, there is a striking variation
about their several narratives. Nowhere is the hand of the Spirit more
evident than in what He guided each Gospel writer to insert and omit.
Each of them was manifestly moved by Him to bring in only that which
was strictly pertinent to the distinctive design before him.
The four Gospels are not four biographies of Christ, nor do the four
together supply one. A harmony of the four Gospels reveals great
blanks, altogether incompatible with the theory that they supply us
with a "life of Christ." Only the briefest mention is made of His
birth and infancy, and then nothing more is told us about Him till He
had reached the age oœ twelve. After the few words relating to His
boyhood, we see Christ no more till He was about thirty. Even His
public ministry is not given us with anything approaching
completeness: a journey, a miracle, a discourse, here and there, and
that is about all. What, then, are the four Gospels, and what was the
principle of selection which determined what should have a place in
each of them?
The four Gospels give us delineations of the Lord Jesus in four
distinct characters: the principle of selection is, that only that
which serves to illustrate and exemplify each of these characters was
included. Matthew presents Christ as the Son of David, the king of
Israel, and everything in his Gospel contributes to this theme. Mark
portrays Him as God's Workman, and everything in his Gospel bears
directly upon the Servant and His service. Luke depicts Him as the Son
of man, hence it is His human perfections, sympathies, and relations
which he dwells upon. John reveals Him as the Son of God incarnate,
the Word become flesh, tabernacling among men; hence it is His Divine
glories, the dignity and majesty of His person, which are most
prominent here. Strikingly is this evidenced in what he has related
and what he has omitted concerning the Redeemer's sufferings.
John says nothing about the Savior's agony in Gethsemane, but he and
he only does mention the falling backward to the ground of those who
came to arrest Him. John omits all details of what took place when our
Lord appeared before Caiaphas, but he describes the trial before
Annas. The fourth Gospel, and it alone, records our Lord's words to
Pilate about His kingdom (John 18:36), of His coming into this world
to bear witness unto the truth (John 18:37), of his having no power to
crucify Him except what God gave (John 19:11). John alone makes
mention of His seamless robe (John 19:23), His legs not being broken
(John 19:33), and the blood and water which came from His pierced
side. John omits altogether the awful cry, "Why hast thou forsaken
me?" and in its place gives His triumphant "It is finished." John says
nothing of His being numbered with the transgressors, but does tell us
of Him being with the rich in His death. John alone mentions the
costly spices which Nicodemus brought for the anointing of the
Savior's dead body. Clearer proofs of the verbal inspiration of the
Scriptures we could not ask for.
Seven times
the Savior spoke while He was upon the cross, thus exhibiting His
perfections as the Word, in death, as in life. The first, the word of
forgiveness, for His enemies (Luke 23:34). The second, the word of
salvation, to the dying thief (Luke 23:42, 43). The third, the word of
affection, to and for His mother (John 19:25, 26). The fourth, the
word of anguish, to God (Matthew 27:46). The fifth, the word of
suffering, to the spectators (John 19:28). The sixth, the word of
victory, to His people (John 19:30). The seventh, the word of
contentment, to the Father (Luke 23:46). The third, fifth and sixth of
these cross-utterances are recorded by John, and will come before us
in our present study.
"Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's
sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene" (John 19:25).
The Jews were present at the crucifixion to satisfy their fiendish
craving for His death; the Roman soldiers were there from duty; but
here is a group noticed by the Spirit who had been drawn there by
affectionate devotion for the central Sufferer. They were not looking
on from a distance, nor mingling with the morbid crowds in attendance.
They stood "by the cross." A pitiably small company, five in all; yet
a deeply significant number, for five is the number of grace, and in
contrast from the crowds which evidenced man's depravity and enmity,
these were the trophies of Divine favor. This little company comprised
four women and one man. The first was Mary, the Savior's mother, who
now realized the full force of that prophetic word spoken by the aged
Simeon more than thirty years before: "Yet, a sword shall pierce
through thine own soul also" (Luke 2:35). The second was Mary the wife
of Cleophas, of whom we read but little, yet in that little what a
wealth of love!--here at the cross, in Matthew 28:1 at the sepulcher;
called here "his mother's sister"--evidently her sister-in-law, sister
of Joseph, for it is most unlikely that she was a full-blood sister
with the same name as herself. The third was Mary of Magdala, out of
whom Christ had cast seven demons, and to whom He appeared first when
He was risen from the dead. How significant that each of them was
named "Mary," which means bitterness! What anguish of spirit was
theirs as they beheld the dying Lamb! Equally significant is the
absence of another Mary--the sister of Lazarus! A fourth woman was
there--Matthew 27:56--the mother of John, though she is not mentioned
here. The fifth one was "the disciple whom Jesus loved"--so far as we
know, the only one of the eleven apostles who was present.
"Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother." "Neither her own
danger, nor the sadness of the spectacle, nor the insults of the
crowd, could restrain her from performing the last office of duty and
tenderness to her Divine Son on the Cross" (Mr. Doddridge). After the
days of His infancy and childhood, we see and hear little of Mary.
During His public ministry her life was lived in the background. But
now, when strikes the supreme hour of her Son's agony, when the world
has cast out the Child of her womb, she stands there by the cross!
Baffled, perhaps, at the unprecedented scene, paralyzed at His
sufferings, yet bound by the golden chain of love to the dying One,
there she stands. His disciples may desert Him, His friends may
forsake Him, His nation may despise Him; but His mother is there,
where all might see her--near Him in death as in birth. Who can fully
appreciate the mother-heart!
Marvelous fortitude was Mary's. Hers was no hysterical or
demonstrative sorrow. There was no show of feminine weakness; no wild
outcry of uncontrollable anguish; no falling to the ground in a swoon.
Not a word that fell from her lips on this occasion has been recorded
by any of the four Evangelists: apparently she suffered in unbroken
silence. The crowds were mocking, the thieves taunting, the soldiers
callously occupied with His garments, the Savior was bleeding--and
there was His mother beholding it all! What wonder if she had turned
away from such a spectacle! What wonder if she had fled from such a
scene! But no! She did not crouch away nor fall in a faint. She stood
by the cross. What tremendous courage! What love! What reverence for
the Savior!
"When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by,
whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son? (John
19:26). Occupied with the most stupendous work ever done, not only on
earth but in the entire universe; under a burden which no mere
creature could possibly have sustained; the Object of Satan's fiercest
malignity! about to drain the awful cup which meant separation from
God Himself for three hours; nevertheless, even at such a time, the
Lord Jesus did not deem natural ties as unworthy of recognition. To
the very end He showed Himself both perfect Son of God and perfect Son
of man. In boyhood He had "honored" His parents (Luke 2:52), so does
He now on the cross. About to leave this world, He first provides a
home for His widowed mother. First He had prayed for His enemies; then
He had spoken the words of salvation and assurance to the repentant
thief; now He addresses His mother.
"He saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!" Twice do we find
our Lord addressing Mary as "Woman'!: at the Cana marriage-feast (John
2:4), and here. It is noteworthy that both of these references are
found in John's Gospel, the Gospel which treats specifically of His
Deity. The Synoptics present Him in human relationships, but John
portrays Him as the Son of God--above all; hence the perfect propriety
of Christ here addressing His mother as "Woman." That this term is
neither harsh nor discourteous is clear from a comparison with John
20:13. But there was another reason why He would no longer call her
"mother"--as, doubtless, He had addressed her many a time. The death
on the cross made an end of all His natural ties: "Henceforth know we
no man after the flesh: yet, though we have known Christ after the
flesh, yet now henceforth know we no more" (2 Cor. 5:16)! From now on,
believers would be linked to Christ by a closer bond, by a spiritual
relationship, and this is what the Savior would now teach both His
mother and His beloved apostle. "Behold thy son!" I am thy "Son" no
longer. It is a striking confirmation of this that Mary is not
mentioned at all in connection with Christ's resurrection: the only
other time she is referred to in the New Testament is in Acts 1:14,
where we see her taking her place among (not over) believers at a
prayer-meeting.
"Here it is that our Lord lays aside His human affections. He sees His
mother and His beloved disciple near the Cross, but it is only to
commend them the one to the other, and thus to separate Himself from
the place which He had once filled among them. Sweet, indeed, it is,
to see how faithfully He owned the affection up to the last moment
that He could listen to it; no sorrow of His own could make Him forget
it! But He was not always to know it. The `children of the
resurrection' neither marry, nor are given in marriage. He must now
form their knowledge of Him by other thoughts, for they are henceforth
to be joined to Him as `one spirit'; for such are His blessed ways. If
He takes His distance from us, as not knowing us in `the flesh,' it is
only that we may be united to Him in nearer affections and closer
interests" (Mr. J. G. Bellett).
"Then saith he to the disciple" (John 19:27)--the one standing by
"whom he loved." In Matthew 26:56 we read concerning the Eleven, "They
all forsook Him and fled." This was the accomplishment of His own sad
prediction, "all ye shall be offended because of me this night"
(Matthew 26:31)--the Greek signifying "scandalized." They were ashamed
to be found in His company. But it is blessed to know that one
returned to His side ere He died. And which one was it? Who of the
little band shall manifest the superiority of his love? Even though
the Sacred Narrative had concealed his identity, it would not have
been difficult for us to name him. But the fact that Scripture informs
us that it was the writer of this fourth Gospel supplies one of the
many silent but indubitable proofs of the Divine inspiration of the
Bible.
"Woman behold thy son! Then said he to the disciple, Behold thy
mother!" (John 19:27). First, to His mother, Behold now this one who
cares for you, who has taken his place by your side, who would not
allow you to stand here alone. Second, to John, Behold thy
mother!--regard her henceforth with the tenderest affection; she is My
living legacy to you! Thus did the Redeemer give to the apostle who
had leaned on His breast, the one on whose breast He had once rested!
Thus did He give to John the place which He had filled--a higher place
than that which He gave to Peter! The order is indeed striking: Christ
bade Mary look to John, before He commanded him to care for her--John
was to be the stay of Mary, not Mary of John!
"And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home" (John
19:27). First, the Savior's act has forever set an example for
children to honor their parents--to the end, not only while they are
minors. Second, it marked His tender compassion: He would graciously
spare His mother the worst, and therefore made arrangements that she
would not witness the awful darkness, hear His cry of agony, or be
present when He died. Third, it showed Him Son of God, the Protector
and Provider of His people; it was the pledge of His equal care for
all He leaves behind on earth--while we are here in the world He will
supply our "every need." Fourth, He here confirmed the law of love,
under the shadow of the cross. He united together those who loved Him
and whom He loved. There was no command, for love needs none; love
will respond to a gesture, a glance. The beloved disciple at once
understood his Lord's mind. Fifth, He intimated that in providing for
His people, He would do so by means of His people; it was John who was
to provide hospitality for Mary. Christ is still saying to us: "Behold
thy son!... Behold thy mother!"--compare Matthew 25:40. How
marvelously are the Divine and human perfections of Christ blended
here: as Man, honoring His mother; as God, the Head of the family,
making arrangements for the children!
"From that hour that disciple took her unto his own home." Of old it
had been predicted that the Lord Jesus should act discreetly: "Behold,
my Servant shall deal prudently" (Isa. 52:13). In commending His
mother to the care of His beloved apostle, the Savior evidenced His
wisdom by the choice of her future guardian. Perhaps there was none
who understood Him so well as His mother, and it is almost certain
that none had apprehended His love so deeply as had John. We see,
therefore, how they would be most suited companions for each other,
the intimate bond of spiritual love uniting them together and to
Christ. None so well fitted to take care of Mary; none whose company
she would find so congenial; none whose fellowship either would more
appreciate.
"From that hour that disciple took her unto his own home." Here, as
ever, the Roman Catholics err--"not knowing the Scriptures, nor the
power of God." From this verse they argue that Mary could have had no
other children, otherwise Christ had never committed her, a widow, to
John. But the Word of God plainly declares that she did have other
children--"Is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James and
Joses, and Simon, and Judas? and his sisters, are they not all with
us?" (Matthew 13:55, 56). The same Word of God also shows us that they
were, at that time, ill-fitted to be Mary's companions and
guardians--"I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto
my mother's children" (Ps. 69:8), were the Savior's own words. How,
then, could they take the Savior's place, and be unto Mary what He had
been! "We surely need no stronger proof than we have here, that Mary,
the mother of Jesus, was never meant to be honored as Divine, or to be
prayed to, worshipped and trusted in, as the friend and patroness of
sinners. Common sense points out that she who needed the care and
protection of another, was never likely to help men and women to
heaven, or to be in any sense a mediator between God and man? (Bishop
Ryle). How this incident also illustrates, once more, that spiritual
bonds have the preference over natural ties! Moreover, what a
heart-piercing rebuke to His unbelieving "brethren" (John 7:5) were
His words here to Mary and John.
"After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that
the Scriptures might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst" (John 19:28). What
a sight is this--the Maker of heaven and earth with parched lips! the
Lord of glory in need of a drink! the Beloved of the Father crying, "I
thirst!" First, it evidenced His humanity. The Lord Jesus was not a
Divine man, nor a humanized God; He was the God-man. Forever God, and
now forever man. When the eternal Word became incarnate, He did not
cease to be God, nor did He lay aside any of His Divine attributes;
but He did become flesh; being made in all things like unto His
brethren. He "increased in wisdom and stature" (Luke 2:52); He
"wearied" in body (John 4:6); He was "an hungered" (Matthew 4:2); He
"slept" (Mark 4:38); He "marvelled" (Mark 6:6); He "wept" (John
11:35); He "prayed" (Mark 1:35); He "rejoiced" (Luke 10:21); He
"groaned" (John 11:33); and here, He "thirsted." God does not thirst;
there is no hint (so far as we are aware) that the angels ever do; we
shall not in the Glory (Rev. 7:16). But Christ did, as man, in the
depths of His humiliation.
This fifth Cross-utterance of the Savior, "I thirst," followed right
after the three hours of darkness, during which the light of God's
countenance had been withdrawn from the Sin-Bearer. It was then that
the blessed Savior endured the fierceness of the outpoured wrath of a
holy God. It was this which made Him exclaim, "My moisture is turned
into the drought of summer" (Ps. 32:4). This cry, then, tells of the
intensity of what He had suffered, the awful severity of the conflict
through which He had just passed. "He hath made Me desolate and
faint," He cried (Lam. 1:13).
But unparalleled as had been His sufferings, great as was His thirst,
it was not desire for the relief of His body that now opened His lips.
Far different, far higher, was the motive which prompted Him. This
comes out clearly in the first part of John 19:28. Carefully has the
Holy Spirit guarded the Savior's glory, with delight has He brought
before us His unique perfections. First, the very fact that He did now
"thirst" evidences His perfect submission. He that had caused water to
flow from the smitten rock for the refreshment of Israel in the
wilderness, had the same infinite resources at His disposal now that
He was on the cross. He who turned the water into wine by a word from
His lips, could have spoken the same word of power here, and instantly
met His own need. Why, then, did He hang there with parched lips?
Because, in the volume of that Book which expressed the will of God,
it was written that He should thirst! He came here to do God's will,
and ever did He perfectly perform it.
In death, as in life, Scripture was for the Lord Jesus the
authoritative Word of the living God. In the temptation He had refused
to minister to His own need apart from that Word by which He lived; so
now He makes known His need, not that it might be relieved, but that
"the Scriptures might be fulfilled"! Observe that He did not Himself
seek to fulfill it--God can be trusted to take care of that; but He
gives utterance to His distress so as to provide occasion for the
fulfillment. "The terrible thirst of crucifixion is upon Him, but that
is not enough to force those parched lips to speak; but it is written,
`In my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink'--this opens them" (Mr. F.
W. Grant) Here, then, as ever, He shows Himself in active obedience to
the will of God, which He came to accomplish. He simply says, "I
thirst," the vinegar is tendered and the prophecy is fulfilled. What
perfect absorption in the Father's will!
But mark how His Divine perfections come out here: "Jesus knowing that
all things were now accomplished." How completely self-possessed the
Savior was! He had hung on that cross for six hours, and had passed
through suffering unparalleled: nevertheless His mind was perfectly
clear and His memory entirely unimpaired. He had before Him, with
perfect distinctness, the whole truth of God. He reviewed in a moment
the entire scope of Messianic prediction. He remembered there was one
prophetic scripture yet unaccomplished. He overlooked nothing. What a
proof was this that He was Divinely superior to all circumstances!
Finally, mark the wondrous grace here: He thirsted on the cross, that
we might drink the water of life and thirst no more forever!
"Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar; and they filled a sponge
with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth" (John
19:29). The act recorded here must be carefully distinguished from
that mentioned in Matthew 27:34, being the same as that found in
Matthew 27:48. The first drink of vinegar and gall, commonly given to
criminals to deaden their pains, the Lord refused; the drink of
vinegar or sour wine, He here accepted--in obedience to His Father's
will. The ones who tendered the sponge were, most probably, the Roman
soldiers, who carried out the details of the crucifixion. Little did
they think that they were executing the counsels of God! In view of
the context in Matthew 27 we believe that these Romans had been deeply
impressed by the Savior's words from the cross, and especially by that
mysterious darkness for three hours, and that they now acted either
out of compassion or reverence.
"When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is
finished" (John 19:30). "It is finished"--a single word in the
original. It was the briefest and yet the fullest of His seven
cross-utterances. Eternity will be needed to make manifest all that it
contains. All things had been done which the law of God required; all
things established which prophecy predicted; all things brought to
pass which the types foreshadowed; all things accomplished which the
Father had given Him to do; all things performed which were needed for
our redemption. Nothing was left wanting. The costly ransom was given,
the great conflict had been endured, sin's wages had been paid, Divine
justice satisfied. True, there was the committal of His spirit into
the hands of the Father, which immediately followed His word here;
there was His resurrection, ascension, and session on high, but these
are the fruit and reward of that work which He completed. Nothing more
remained for Him to do; nothing more awaited its fulfillment; His work
on earth was consummated.
"It is finished." This was not the despairing cry of a helpless
martyr. It was not an expression of satisfaction that the end of His
sufferings was now reached. It was not the last gasp of a worn-out
life. No, it was the declaration on the part of the Divine Redeemer
that all for which He came from heaven to earth to do, was now done;
that all which was needful to reveal the glorious character of God had
now been accomplished; that everything necessary for the putting away
of the sins of His people, providing for them a perfect standing
before God, securing for them an eternal inheritance and fitting them
for it, had all been done.
"It is finished." The root Greek word here, "teleo," is variously
translated in the New Testament. A reference to some of its
alternative renditions in other passages will enable us the better to
discern the fullness and finality of the term here used by the Savior.
In Matthew 11:1 "teleo" is translated as follows, "When Jesus had made
an end of commanding His twelve disciples." In Matthew 17:24 it is
rendered, "They that received tribute money came to Peter, and said,
Doth not your Master pay tribute." In Luke 2:39 it is translated, "And
when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord."
In Luke 18:31 it is rendered, "All things that are written by the
prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished." Putting
these together we learn the scope of Christ's sixth cross-utterance.
"It is finished." He cried--it is "made an end of," it is "paid," it
is "performed," it is "accomplished." What was "made an end of"?--our
sins, our guilt! What was "paid"?--the price of our redemption! What
was "performed"?--the utmost requirements of God's law. What was
"accomplished"?--the work which the Father had given Him to do! What
was "finished"?--the making of atonement!
"And he bowed his head, and gave up the spirit" (John 19:30). The
order of these two actions strikingly evidences the Savior's
uniqueness: with us the spirit departs, and then the head is bowed;
with Him it was the opposite! So, too, each of these actions
manifested His Deity. First, He "bowed his head"; the plain intimation
is that, up to this point, His head had been held erect. It was no
impotent sufferer who hung there in a swoon. Had that been the case,
His head had lolled helplessly on His chest, and He would have had no
occasion to "bow" it. Weigh well the verb here: it is not that His
head "fell forward," but He consciously, calmly, reverently, bowed His
head. How sublime was His carriage even on the "tree!" What superb
composure did He evidence! Was it not His majestic bearing on the
cross that, among other things, caused the centurion to cry, "Truly
this was the Son of God" (Matthew 27:54)!
"And gave up (delivered up) the spirit." None else ever did this or
died thus. How remarkably do these words exemplify His own declaration
in John 10:17, 18: "I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No
man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to
lay it down, and I have power to take it again"! The uniqueness of
Christ's action here may also be seen by comparing His words with
those of Stephen's. As the first Christian martyr was dying, he
prayed, "Lord Jesus receive my spirit" (Acts 7:59). In sharp contrast
from Stephen, Christ "gave up the spirit"; Stephen's was taken from
him, not so the Savior's.
"The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies
should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day (for that sabbath
day was an high day), besought Pilate that their legs might be broken,
and that they might be taken away" (John 19:31). The day on which the
Savior was crucified was "an high day": it was on the eve of the
regular weekly sabbath and also of the first day of the feast of
unleavened bread, from which the Jews reckoned the seven weeks to
pentecost; the same day was also the one appointed for the
presentation and offering of the sheaf of new corn, so that it
possessed a treble solemnity. Hence the Jews' urgency here--the
breaking of the legs would serve the double purpose of hastening and
ensuring death. Behind this motive and act of "the Jews," zealous for
the Law (Deut. 21:22, 23), we may behold, again, the over-ruling hand
of God. Seemingly, Pilate would have allowed the body of Christ to
remain on the cross, perhaps for several days, after He was dead. But
the Lord Jesus had declared He would be "buried" and that He would be
in the grave three days. For the fulfillment of this He must be buried
the same day that He died; therefore did God see to it that no word of
His failed! Once again were the Lord's enemies unconsciously executing
the Divine counsels.
"Then came the soldiers, and break the legs of the first, and of the
other which was crucified with him" (John 19:32). Why did the soldiers
first give their attention to the two thieves? We cannot be certain,
but most likely because they perceived that Christ was dead already.
The Greek word for "break" here signifies to "shiver to pieces." A
heavy mallet or iron bar was used for this. On this verse Bishop Ryle
says, "It is noteworthy that the penitent thief, even after his
conversion, had more suffering to go through before he entered into
Paradise. The grace of God and the pardon of sin did not deliver him
from the agony of having his legs broken. When Christ undertakes to
save our souls, He does not undertake to deliver from bodily pains and
conflict with the last enemy. Penitence, as well as impenitence, must
taste death (unless the Savior returns first, A.W.P.)" Yet it is
blessed to know that these Roman soldiers were also the unwitting
agents for fulfilling Christ's promise "Today shalt thou be with me in
paradise"!
"But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they
break not his legs" (John 19:33). This affords further evidence of the
uniqueness of Christ's death. The Lord Jesus and the two thieves had
been crucified together. They had been on their respective crosses the
same length of time. But now, at the close of the day, the two thieves
were still alive; for, as it is well known, execution by crucifixion,
though exceedingly painful, was usually a slow death. No vital member
of the body was directly affected, and often the sufferer lingered on
for two or three days, before being finally overcome with exhaustion.
It was not natural, therefore, that Christ should be dead after but
six hours on the cross--observe how that "Pilate marvelled if he were
already dead" (Mark 15:44). The request of the Jews to Pilate shows
that they were not expecting the three to die unless death were
hastened. In the fact that the Savior was "dead already" when the
soldiers came to Him, though the two thieves still lived, we have a
further demonstration that His life was not "taken from him," but that
He "laid it down of himself"!
"But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they
break not his legs." This was the first proof that the Son of God had
really died. Trained executioners as these Roman soldiers were, it is
quite unthinkable that they would make any mistake in a matter like
this. Pilate had given orders for the legs of the three to be broken,
and they would not dare to disobey unless they were absolutely sure
that Christ were "dead already." Infidels expose themselves to the
charge of utter absurdity if they claim that Christ never died, and
was only in a swoon. The Roman soldiers are witnesses against them!
"But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith
came there out blood and water" (John 19:34). "That blood should flow
from one now dead, that blood and water should issue together, yet
separated, was clearly a miracle. The water and the blood came forth
to bear witness, that God has given to us eternal life, and that this
life is in His Son (1 John 5:8-12). We have not here the centurion's
confession, `truly this was the Son of God'; we have not Pilate's
wife, nor the convicted lips of Judas, bearing Him witness; Jesus does
not here receive witness from men, but from God. The water and the
blood are God's witnesses to His Son, and to the life that sinners may
find in Him. It was sin that pierced Him. The action of the soldier
was a sample of man's enmity. It was the sullen shot of the defeated
foe after the battle; the more loudly telling out the deep-seated
hatred that there is in man's heart to God and His Christ. But it only
sets off the riches of that grace which met it, and abounded over it;
for it was answered by the love of God. The point of the soldier's
spear was touched by the blood! The crimson flow came forth to roll
away the crimson sin" (Mr. Bellett).
"But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith
came there out blood and water." Here was the second proof that our
Lord really died. One of the soldiers determined to make sure work and
leave nothing uncertain--in all probability directing his spear at the
Savior's heart. He was singled out from the others even while dead
between the dying thieves. "He has a place even here that belonged to
Him alone!" (Mr. W. Kelly). "Behold now the sleeping last Adam, and
out of His side formed the evangelical Eve. Behold the Rock which was
smitten, and the waters of life gushed forth. Behold the Fountain that
is opened for sin and uncleanness" (Augustine). "The blood and water
signified the two great benefits which all believers partake of
through Christ--justification and sanctification. Blood stands for
remission, water for regeneration; blood for atonement, water for
purification. The two must always go together." (Matthew Henry).
"And he that saw it bear record, and his record is true: and he
knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe" (John 19:35). The
reference is to what is recorded in the previous verse: John vouches
as an eye-witness for the flowing of the blood and water from the
Savior's pierced side. It is evident that he had returned to the cross
after conducting Mary to his own home, and it is equally evident that
he must have remained there to the end. John's solemn asseveration
here plainly intimates that what is recorded in the previous verse is
a notable miracle. We believe that the "record" of John includes both
what he has written here and that which he says in his first Epistle:
"This is he that came by [i.e., was manifest by means of] water and
blood" (1 John 5:6). In the Gospel the blood is mentioned first, as
satisfying God; then comes the "water" as applied to us. In the
Epistle the order is the experimental one: we have to be regenerated
before we have faith in the blood!
"For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A
bone of him shall not be broken" (John 19:36). The Holy Spirit here
quotes Psalm 34:20: "He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is
broken." Marvelously had this been fulfilled. God had kept all the
bones of His incarnate Son. Notwithstanding Pilate's order, the
soldiers broke not His legs. All the legions of Caesar could not have
broken a single bone: they, too, had "no power" except what was given
them from above! The preservation of Christ's bones was the
fulfillment of an ancient type; "Neither shall ye break a bone
thereof" (Ex. 12:46), i.e., of the paschal lamb. For fifteen hundred
years Israel had punctiliously observed this item in the passover
observance, and none of them (so far as we know) had any idea of its
meaning. Now the Holy Spirit explains it.
"And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they
pierced" (John 19:37). In a most striking way the piercing of the
Savior's side demonstrated the sovereignty of God--His absolute
control over all His creatures and their every act. The soldier had
received instructions to break the legs of Christ, but this he did
not: had he done so, Scripture had been broken! The soldier had not
received orders to pierce the Savior's side, yet this he did: had he
not, prophecy had failed of its accomplishment! The quotation is from
Zechariah 12:10 and the reference is to a coming day, when Israel
shall look upon Him whom they pierced--they pierced Him, though the
act was performed by a Roman. Observe here the minute accuracy of
Scripture: in John 19:36 the word "fulfilled" is suitably used; but
here in John 19:37 it is significantly absent. And why? Because the
complete "fulfillment" of Zechariah 12:10 is yet future, hence the
"another scripture saith."
"After this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but
secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away
the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore and
took the body of Jesus" (John 19:38). This, too, was in fulfillment of
prophecy: "Men appointed his grave with the wicked, but he was with
the rich in his death" (Isa. 53:9, corrected translation). It is
blessed to see the Holy Spirit here bringing Joseph to light in
connection with the last offices of love to the precious body of the
Lord; he was allowed a privileged part in the accomplishment of
Isaiah's prediction. How true it is that man proposes, but God
disposes! Wicked men had prepared three graves for the occupants of
the three crosses, but one of them was destined to remain unoccupied
that day. Just as God would not suffer Christ's bones to be broken, so
He would not allow His body to be placed in a malefactor's tomb; but
instead, in a sepulcher prepared by one who loved Him. Hitherto,
Joseph had, through fear of the Jews, been a secret disciple; but
though afraid to own the Savior while He lived, now that He was dead,
he went in "boldly" (Mark 15:43) and craved His body. What a witness
was this to the power of the Redeemer's death!
"And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by
night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pound
weight (John 19:39). This also witnessed to the power of Christ's
death. Like Joseph, Nicodemus came out into the light but slowly.
Timid by nature, yet grace overcoming, here is Nicodemus the only one,
apparently, who dared to help Joseph in the holy work of burying the
Lord. How great the contrast between his conduct in John 3, when he
crept into the Lord's place of lodging under cover of night, and here,
where he is not ashamed to openly show himself as one who loved the
crucified Savior! The value of his gift testifies to the greatness of
his love. "Joseph and Nicodemus had done what they could. That service
done for Christ has never been forgotten. The names of these two are
embalmed in the volume of inspiration, and the amount in weight of the
spices that Nicodemus brought is likewise recorded. Service done to
Christ, or in His name, is never by God forgotten" (Mr. C. E. Stuart).
"Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with
the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury" (John 19:40). "They
wrapped that incorruptible body in spices, for it is to be fragrant
for evermore to all His people as the death like which there is no
other" (Mr. F. W. Grant). Here, too, a beautiful type was fulfilled.
In 2 Chronicles 16:14 we read, "And they buried him in his own
sepulcher, which he had made for himself in the city of David, and
laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odors and divers kinds
of spices."
"Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in
the garden a new sepulcher, wherein was never man yet laid" (John
19:41). Beautifully suggestive is the reference to the "garden." It
was in a "garden" that the first Adam sowed the seed which issued in
death; so here, in a "garden" was sown the Seed which was to bear much
fruit in immortal life. In the "new" sepulcher "wherein was never yet
man laid" we have the fulfillment of still another type: "And a man
that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer (previously
slain) and lay them up without the camp in a clean place" (Num. 19:9).
"There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation; for
the sepulcher was nigh at hand" (John 19:42). Here was the third
conclusive proof that the Lord Jesus actually died--He was buried. He
who had been born of a virgin mother, was laid in a virgin grave;
there to remain for three days when He came forth as the mighty
Victor.
The following questions are to prepare for our next study:--
1. Why was the "stone" removed, verse 1?
2. What is shown by Mary's words, verse 2?
3. Why seek the two she did, verse 2?
4. Why went not John in, verse 5?
5. What is the significance of verse 7?
6. What was it he "saw" that made him "believe," verse 8?
7. Why did they go "home," verse 10?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 67
Christ Risen from the Dead
John 20:1-10
_________________________________________________________________
Below is an Analysis of the first section of John 20:--
1. The stone removed from the sepulcher, verse 1.
2. Mary Magdalene's appeal to the two disciples, verse 2.
3. Love's race to the sepulcher, verses 3, 4.
4. John's hesitation and Peter's boldness, verses 5, 6.
5. The grave-clothes and John's conclusion, verses 7, 8.
6. The disciples' slowness of heart, verse 9.
7. Their return home, verse 10.
The resurrection of Christ was more than hinted at in the first Divine
promise and prophecy (Gen. 3:15): if Christ was to bruise the
serpent's head after His own heel had been bruised by the enemy, then
must He rise from the dead. The passing of the ark through the waters
of judgment on to the cleansed earth, foreshadowed this same great
event (1 Pet. 3:21). The deliverance of Isaac from the altar, after he
had been given up to death three days before (see Genesis 22:4), is
interpreted by the Holy Spirit as a receiving of him back, in figure,
from the dead (Heb. 11:19). The crossing of the Red Sea by Israel on
dry ground, three days after the slaying of the paschal lamb, was a
type of Christians being raised together with Christ. The emergence of
Jonah after three days and nights in the whale's belly forecast the
Savior's deliverance from the tomb on the third day. Prophecy was
equally explicit: "Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth:
my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in
hades; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou
wilt show me the path of life" (Ps. 16:9-11).
We cannot make too much of the death of Christ, but we can make too
little of His resurrection. Our hearts and minds cannot meditate too
frequently upon the cross, but in pondering the sufferings of the
Savior, let us not forget the glories which followed. Calvary does not
exhaust the Gospel message. The Christian evangel is not only that
Christ died for our sins, but also that He rose again the third day
according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:1-4). He was delivered for our
offenses and raised again for our justification (Rom. 4:25). Had
Christ remained in the sepulcher it had been the grave of all our
hopes; "If Christ be not raised," said the apostle, "then is our
preaching vain, and your faith is also vain" (1 Cor. 15:14). To be a
witness of His resurrection was a fundamental qualification for an
apostle (Acts 1:22). That God raised up the One whom the Jews had
crucified, was the central truth pressed by Peter in his pentecostal
sermon (Acts 2:24-36). The same fact was urged again by the apostles
in Solomon's porch (Acts 3:15), and before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:10;
Acts 5:30). This foundation-truth was proclaimed also to the Gentiles
(Acts 10:40; Acts 13:34). Its prominence in the Epistles is too
well-known to require quotations.
The 20th chapter of John records the appearances which the Savior made
to some of His own after He was risen from the dead--we say "after,"
for none of them witnessed the actual resurrection itself. "As no eye
beheld what was deepest in the Cross, so only God looked on the Lord
rising from among the dead. This was as it should be. Darkness veiled
Him giving Himself for us in atonement. Man saw not that infinite work
in His death; yet was it not only to glorify God thereby, but that our
sins might be borne away righteously. We have seen the action of the
world, and especially of the Jews, in crucifying Him; high and low,
religious and profane, all played their part; even an apostle denied
Him, as another betrayed Him to the murderous priests and elders. But
Jehovah laid on Him the iniquities of us all; Jehovah bruised and put
Him to grief; Jehovah made His soul an offering for sin; and as this
was Godward, so was it invisible to human eyes, and God alone could
rightly bear witness, by whom He would, of the eternal redemption
there obtained, which left Divine love free to act even in a lost and
ungodly world.
"So with the resurrection of Christ. He was raised up from the dead by
the glory of the Father; God raised up Jesus whom the Jews slew and
hanged on a tree; He had laid down His life that He might take it
again, in three days raising the temple of His body which they
destroyed. But if no man was given to see the act of His rising from
the dead, it was to be testified in all the world, as well as His
atoning death. Assuredly he who withholds His resurrection maims the
glad tidings of its triumphant proof and character, and compromises
the believers' liberty and introduction into the new creation, as he
immensely clouds the Lord's glory; even as the denial of resurrection
virtually charges God's witnesses with falsehood and makes faith
vain." (Bible Treasury).
The resurrection of Christ was brought about by the joint action of
the three Persons of the Trinity. Just as they cooperated in
connection with His incarnation (Heb. 10:5 for the Father; Philippians
2:7 for the Son; Luke 1:35 for the Spirit), just as they had each been
active in connection with the atonement (Isa. 53:6, 10 for the Father;
Ephesians 5:2 for the Son; Hebrews 9:14 for the Spirit), so the whole
Godhead was engaged on the resurrection-morning. "Christ was raised up
from the dead by the glory of the Father" (Rom. 6:4): "I lay down my
life, that I might take it again" (John 10:17): "But if the Spirit of
him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you" etc. (Rom. 8:11).
"The first of the week" (John 20:1). All the ways of God express His
perfect wisdom, and everything recorded of them in Scripture is
written for our learning. Most fitting was it that the Lord Jesus, as
head of the new creation, should rise from the dead on the first day
of the week--intimating that a new beginning had been inaugurated. The
full requirements of the moral law had been met; the shadows of the
ceremonial law had all been fulfilled; the old system, connected with
man in the flesh, was ended; a new and spiritual dispensation had
begun. It was this "first of the week" which the Spirit of prophecy
had in mind when He moved the Psalmist to write, "The stone which the
builders refused is become the head of the corner. This is the Lord's
doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord
hath made (appointed); we will rejoice and be glad in it" (Ps.
118:22-24). Here is the reason why the Lord's people are under
obligations to keep Sunday as their day of rest and worship.[1] During
Old Testament times the Sabbath was the memorial of God's finished
work in the old creation (Gen. 2:3; Exodus 20:11); in New Testament
times the Sabbath is the memorial of Christ's finished work from which
issues the new creation.
"The first of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet
dark, unto the sepulcher" (John 20:1). Mark tells us that Mary
Magdalene was accompanied to the grave by Mary the mother of James,
and Salome (Mark 16:1, 2); but John mentions them not. It is
characteristic of this fourth Gospel to present individual souls to
our notice; Nicodemus alone with Christ, the woman at the well, the
blind beggar in chapter 9 being well-known examples. Another thing
which is prominent in John is the heart's affection, the soul finding
a satisfying Object: the two disciples who abode with the Lord, on
their very first meeting with Him (John 1:39); the bringing of others
to the Savior, that they also might bask in His presence (John 1:41,
45); the words of Peter (John 6:68), the appeal of the sisters (John
11:3), and the devotion of Mary (John 12:3), are so many
illustrations. It is this which Mary of Magdala so vividly
exemplifies. To whom much is forgiven, the same loveth much (Luke
7:47), and abundant cause had this woman to love the Savior, for out
of her He had cast seven demons (Luke 8:2).
It was "very early in the morning" (Mark 16:2) that Mary came to the
sepulcher; as John tells us "when it was yet dark." But though she had
reason for expecting to find the Roman soldiers on guard there
(Matthew 27:66), though there had just been "a great earthquake"
(Matthew 28:2), though there were no male disciples accompanying her,
though this was the midst of the Feast, when thousands of strangers
were most probably sleeping under any slight shelter near the walls of
Jerusalem, love drew Mary to the place where the Savior's body had
been laid. How this devotion of hers puts to shame many of us, who
perhaps have greater intelligence in spiritual things, but who
manifest far less love for Christ! Few were as deeply attached to the
Redeemer as was this woman. Few had received as much at His gracious
hands, and her gratitude knew no bounds. How this explains the
listlessness and half-heartedness among us! Where there is little
sense of our indebtedness to Christ, there will be little affection
for Him. Where light views of our sinfulness, our depravity, our utter
unworthiness, are entertained, there will be little expression of
gratitude and praise. It is those who have had the clearest sight of
their de-servingness of hell, whose hearts are most moved at the
amazing grace which snatched them as brands from the burning, that are
the most devoted among Christ's people. Let us pray daily, then, that
it may please God to grant us a deeper realization of our sinfulness
and a deeper apprehension of the surpassing worthiness of His Son, so
that we may serve and glorify Him with increasing zeal and
faithfulness.
"And seeth the stone taken away from the sepulcher" (John 20:1).
Matthew tells us that, "Behold, there was a great earthquake: for the
angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the
stone from the door, and sat upon it" (Matthew 28:2): Upon this Mr.
John Gill has said, "This stone was removed by an angel, for though
Christ Himself could easily have done it, it was proper that it should
be done by a messenger from Heaven, by the order of Divine justice,
which had lain Him a prisoner there." The stone was rolled away from
Lazarus' sepulcher by human hands (John 11:41), the stone from
Christ's tomb by angelic--in all things He has the pre-eminence! We
believe that God's principal design in sending His angel to remove the
stone was that these believers might see for themselves that the
sepulcher was now tenantless. The angel seated on the stone (later,
inside the sepulcher) would demonstrate that God Himself had
intervened. Apparently Mary was the first to perceive that the
entrance to the grave was now open.
"Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other
disciple whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away
the Lord out of the sepulcher, and we know not where they have laid
him" (John 20:2). There is no difficulty in reconciling this statement
with the record of Matthew if the following points be kept in mind:
First, either Mary was in front of the other women as they journeyed
to the sepulcher, or else her vision was keener than theirs; at any
rate, she appears to have been the first to perceive that the stone
had been removed. Second, she was so excited over this that, instead
of going right up to the sepulcher with her companions, she at once
rushed off to acquaint the apostles--hence she missed seeing the
angel. Third, after Mary's hurried departure, the rest of the little
party drew near the grave, hardly knowing what to conclude or what to
expect. Fourth, Mary was, most probably, a long way on the road to
John's dwelling before the other women left the tomb.
Various reasons have been advanced as to why Mary sought out Peter and
John. These two seem to have been nearer the Savior than the other
apostles. They were among the highly favored three who witnessed the
transfiguration, and whom He also took with Him further into the
Garden than the others (Matthew 26:37). These two had also stuck more
closely to Him after His arrest, following to and entering the high
priest's residence. Moreover, as another has said, "John alone of all
the apostles, had witnessed Peter's sad fall and observed his bitter
weeping afterwards. Can we not understand that from Friday night to
Sunday morning John would be lovingly employed in binding up the
broken heart of his brother, and telling him of our Lord's last words?
Can we doubt that they were absorbed and occupied in converse about
their Master on this very morning, when Mary Magdalene suddenly ran in
with her wonderful news." Mary, then, sought Peter and John because
she knew that among the disciples they would be most likely to respond
(at that early hour) to the anxious inquiry that filled her own soul.
It is indeed beautiful to see these two disciples now together: "The
love and tender nature of John's character come out most blessedly in
his affection for Peter, even after his denial of Christ... John
clings to him, and has him under his own roof, wherever that was. When
Judas fell, he had no friend to raise and cheer him. When Peter fell,
there was `a brother born for adversity' who did not despise him!"
(Bishop Ryle).
"And saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the
sepulcher and we know not where they have laid him." How this shows us
that love needs to be regulated by faith. Mary's affection for the
Savior cannot be doubted, and most blessed it was; but her faith
certainly was not in exercise. She had judged by the sight of her
eyes. The stone had been removed, and she at once jumped to the
conclusion that some one had been there and "taken away" the Savior's
body. The thought that He was now alive had evidently not entered her
mind. She supposed that He was yet under the power of death. His own
repeated declaration that He would rise again on the third day had
made no impression. "Alas, how little of Christ's teaching the best of
us take in! How much we let fall!" What a strange mingling of
spiritual intelligence and spiritual ignorance we behold here. "They
have taken away the Lord'? How often we see the same confusion in
ourselves and in others! Observe her "we know not where they have laid
him"--agreeing with Matthew's account that other women had accompanied
her on the journey to the sepulcher.
"Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the
sepulcher" (John 20:3). The announcement which Mary had made to them
was so startling that the two disciples arose at once, setting forth
to ascertain what this removal of the stone from the sepulcher really
meant. It is most likely that they would first ask Mary, Are you sure
the body is gone? But all she could tell them was that the stone was
no longer in its place. Finding that Mary had not actually looked in
the sepulcher, they deemed it best to go and inspect it for
themselves. Strikingly may we behold here the over-ruling providence
of God. According to the Mosaic law a woman was not eligible to bear
witness (note no mention of them is made in 1 Corinthians 15!), and
the truth could not be established by less than two men. Here then we
have the needed two in Peter and John, as eye-witnesses of the empty
grave and the orderliness of the clothes which the Savior had left
behind!
"So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter,
and came first to the sepulcher" (John 20:4). Their running evidences
that they were both excited and anxious. "We can well suppose that
Mary's sudden announcement completely overwhelmed them, so that they
knew not what to think. Who can tell what thoughts did not come into
their minds, as they ran, about our Lord's oft-repeated predictions of
His resurrection? Could it really be true? Could it possibly prove
that all their deep sorrow was going to turn to joy? These are all
conjectures, no doubt. Yet a vast amount of thoughts may run through a
mind, at a great crisis, in a very few minutes" (Bishop Ryle).
As to the physical reason of John's out-distancing Peter we cannot be
certain, but the popular idea that John was the younger of the two is
most likely correct, for he lived at least sixty years afterwards. As
to the spiritual reason, we think they err who attribute to Peter a
guilty conscience, which made him fearful of a possible meeting with
the Savior. Had this been the case, he had hardly set out for the
sepulcher at all, still less would he have gone there on the run!
Moreover, the promptness with which he entered the tomb argues against
the common view. Yet we cannot doubt that there is a moral
significance to this detail which the Spirit has recorded for our
]earning. Peter had not yet been restored to fellowship with the
Savior. John, too, was the one of all the Eleven who was on most
intimate terms with the Lord. This is sufficient to account for his
winning love's race to the sepulcher.
"And he stooping down, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not
in" (John 20:5). Here again we are left to conjecture. The simple fact
is recorded; why John entered not in we are not told. Some say, to
prevent himself being ceremonially defiled; but that seems very
far-fetched. Others think it was out of reverence for the place where
the Savior had lain; this, while being more plausible, seems negatived
by the fact that only a short while after he did enter the sepulcher
(John 20:8). It appears to us more likely that, after looking in and
seeing the sepulcher was empty, he waited for Peter to come up and
take the lead--John being the younger of the two, this would be the
most gracious thing for him to do. Whatever the motive which guided
him, certainly we can see, again, the over-ruling hand of God--two
must be present to witness the condition of the grave so as to
establish the truth!
"And he stooping down, saw the linen clothes lying." What is the moral
significance of John's act here? Surely it is this: John would never
see the risen Christ while he was "stooping down" and looking within
the sepulcher! How many there are to-day who conduct themselves as
John did! They wish to ascertain whether or not they are real
Christians. And what is the method they pursue? How do they prosecute
their inquiry? By self-examination, by introspection, by looking
within! They attempt to find in their own hearts that which will give
them confidence towards God. But this is like seeking to make fast a
ship by casting the anchor within its own hold. The anchor must be
thrown outside of the ship, so that, lost to sight beneath the waves,
it pierces through the mud or sand of the ocean's bed, and grips the
rock itself. The surest way to discover whether or not I am trusting
in Christ is not to peer within to see if I have faith, but to
exercise faith, by looking away to its Object--faith is the eye of the
soul, and the eye does not look at itself. If I look within, most
likely I shall see only what John saw--the tokens of death! "Looking
off unto Jesus" is what the Word says.
"Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulcher"
(John 20:6). "How this illustrates that there are widely different
temperaments among believers! Both ran to the sepulcher. John, of the
two, the more gentle, quiet, reserved, deep-feeling, stooped down, but
went no further. Peter, more hot and zealous, impulsive, fervent and
forward, cannot be content without going into the sepulcher, and
actually seeing with his own eyes. Both, we may be sure, were deeply
attached to our Lord. The hearts of both, at this critical juncture,
were full of hopes and fears, anxieties and expectations, all tangled
together. Yet each acts in his own characteristic fashion! Let us
learn from this to make allowance for wide varieties in the individual
character of believers. To do so will save us much trouble in the
journey of life, and prevent many an uncharitable thought. Let us not
judge brethren harshly, and set them down in a low place, because they
do not see or feel things as we see and feel. The flowers in the
Lord's garden are not all of one color and one scent, though they are
all planted by the One Spirit. The subjects of Christ's kingdom are
not all exactly of one tone or temperament, though they all love the
same Savior, and are written in the same book of life. The Church has
some in its ranks who are like Peter, and some who are like John, but
a place for all, and a work for all to do. Let us love all who love
Christ in sincerity, and thank God that they love Him at all" (Bishop
Ryle).
"And seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin, that was about His
head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a
place by itself" (John 20:6, 7) In the Greek the word for "seeth" is
different from that for "saw" in the preceding verse: the word used in
connection with John signifies to take a glance; the one used of Peter
means that he beheld intently, scrutinized. The design of the Holy
Spirit in this verse is obvious: He informs us that Peter found in the
empty tomb the clearest evidences of a deliberate and composed
transaction. There were no signs of haste or fear. What had taken
place had been done "decently and in order," not by a thief, and
scarcely by a friend. "There they beheld, not their Object, but the
trophies of His victory over the power of death. There they see the
gates of brass and the bars of iron cut in sunder. The linen clothes
and the napkin which had been wrapped around the Lord's head, as
though He were death's prisoner, were seen strewing the ground like
the spoils of the vanquished, as under the hand of death's Conqueror.
The very armor of the strong man was made a show of in his own house;
this telling loudly that He, who is the plague of death, and hell's
destruction, had been in that place doing His glorious work." (Mr. J.
G. Bellett).
"Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the
sepulcher, and he saw, and believed" (John 20:8). There is wide
difference of opinion as to the meaning of this verse. What was it
that John "saw and believed"? Many say that John saw the grave was
tenantless and believed what Mary had said,--"they have taken away the
Lord." But John had already looked into the grave and seen the linen
clothes (John 20:5); what is said here in John 20:8 is clearly
something different. But what alternative is left us? Only this, that
John now believed that Christ had risen from the dead. But if this be
the reference here, how are we to understand the next verse--"For as
yet they knew not the Scripture, that He must rise again from the
dead?" Does not this bar out the thought that John now believed that
Christ was alive? We do not think so; the contrast pointed between
John 20:8 and 9 is not between believing and not believing, but
between the grounds on which faith rested!
We believe that the key to the meaning of this verse lies in the word
"saw." In the Greek it is a different one from that which is used
either in John 20:5 or verse 6; the word here in verse 8 has the force
of "perceived with the understanding." But what was it that John now
"saw"? In verse 5, when he looked into the sepulcher from the outside,
he saw (by a glance) "the linen clothes lying"; but now, on the
inside, he saw also "the napkin that was about His head not lying with
the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself" (John
20:7). On this the late Mr. Pierson wrote: "`Wrapped together,' fails
to convey the true significance. The original means rolled up, and
suggests that these clothes were lying in their original convolutions,
as they had been tightly rolled up around our Lord's dead body. In
John 19:40 it is recorded how they tightly wound--bound about--that
body in the linen clothes; how tightly and rigidly may be inferred
from the necessity of loosing Lazarus, even after miraculous power had
raised up the dead body and given it life (John 11:44). This explains
John 20:8: `And he (John) saw and believed.' There was nothing in the
mere fact of an empty tomb to compel belief in a miraculous
resurrection; but, when John saw, on the floor of the sepulcher, the
long linen wrappings that had been so tightly wound about the body and
the head, lying there undisturbed, in their original convolutions, he
knew that nothing but a miracle could have made it possible."
John "saw and believed" or understood: it was a logical conclusion, an
irresistible one, drawn from the evidence before him. The body was
gone from the sepulcher; the clothes were left behind, and the
condition of them indicated that Christ had passed out of them without
their being un-wrapped. If friends had removed the body, would they
not have taken the clothes with it, still covering the honored corpse?
If foes had removed the body, first stripping it, would they have been
so careful to dispose of the clothes and napkin in the orderly manner
in which John now beheld them? Everything pointed to deliberation and
design, and the apostle could draw only one conclusion--Christ had
risen. Our blessed Lord had left the grave-clothes just as they had
rested upon Him. He had simply risen out of them by His Divine power.
We believe that this shows there is a deeper significance than is
generally perceived in the angel's word to the women, "Come see the
place where the Lord lay" (Matthew 28:6). The clothes themselves
marked His resting-place, somewhat as one would leave the impression
of his form upon the bed on which he had been lying--body, arms, head.
Here then we have the first proof that the mighty Victor had risen
from the sleep of death.
In leaving behind His grave-clothes an Old Testament type was
strikingly fulfilled. Joseph, through no fault of his own, was cast
into prison--the place of condemnation. While in prison he was
numbered with transgressors--two, as Christ was crucified between the
two thieves; to the one he was the means of blessing, to the other he
was the pronouncer of judgment. All of this is so clear it needs no
comment. But Joseph did not remain forever in the prison, any more
than Christ continued in the tomb. Joseph's place of shame and
suffering was exchanged for one of dignity and glory. But before he
left the dungeon "he shaved himself, and changed his raiment" (Gen.
41:14). So the Savior left behind Him the habiliments of death, coming
forth clothed in immortality and glory. This was the pledge that at
Christ's second coming His people will also be rid forever of
everything connected with the old creation--"Who shall change our vile
body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body" (Phil.
3:21).
"For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from
the dead" (John 20:9). Very searching and humbling is this. For three
years these two leading apostles had heard our Lord speak of His
resurrection, yet had they not understood Him. Again and again had He
told them that He would rise again on the third day, yet had they
never taken in His meaning. His enemies had remembered what He said
(see Matthew 27:63), but His friends had forgotten! What a piercing
rebuke was that of the angel's--"He is risen, as he said" (Matthew
28:6)! And again, "Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not
here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when He was yet in
Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of
sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again" (Luke
24:5-7)! But these words of Christ had fallen on unheeding ears.
Moreover, the apostles had had the Old Testament Scriptures in their
hands from the beginning, and such passages as Psalm 16:9-11, etc.,
ought to have prepared them for His resurrection. But wrong teaching
in childhood, traditions imbibed in their youth (John 12:34), had
prejudiced them and made void the Word of God. This statement of
John's here brings out, once more, his trustworthiness as a witness.
"Hereby it appears that they were not only honest men, who would not
deceive others, but cautious men, who would not themselves he imposed
upon" (Matthew Henry).
"For as yet they knew not the scripture that he must rise again from
the dead." The Holy Spirit here contrasts a faith which rests on the
Word of God, with an intellectual assurance which proceeds from mere
external evidence. Much has been made by Christian apologists of the
value of "evidences," but it has been greatly overrated. Creation
demonstrates a Creator, but the outward proofs of His hand do not move
the heart, nor bring the soul into communion with Him--the written
Word, applied by the Spirit, alone does that! "Facts are of high
`interest and real importance; and as the Israelite could Point to
them as the basis of his religion, to the call of Abram by God, and
the deliverance of the chosen people from Egypt and through the desert
and into Canaan, so can the Christian to the incomparably deeper and
more enduring ones of the incarnation, death, resurrection, and
ascension of the Son of God, with the consequent presence of the Holy
Spirit sent down from Heaven. But faith to have moral value, to deal
with the conscience, to purify the heart, is not the pure and simple
acceptance of facts on reasonable grounds, but the heart's welcoming
God's testimony in His Word. This tests the soul beyond all else, as
spiritual intelligence consists in the growing up to Christ in an
increasing perception and enjoyment of all that God's Word has
revealed, which separates the saint practically to Himself and His
will in judgment of self and the world.
"To `see and believe' therefore is wholly short of what the operation
of God gives us; as traditional faith or evidence answers to it now in
Christendom. It is human, and leaves the conscience unpurged and the
heart without communion. It may be found in him who is in no way born
of God (John 2:23-25), but also in the believer as here; if so, it is
not what the Spirit seals and in no way delivers from present things.
And this it seems to be the Divine object to let us know in the
account before us. Faith, to be of value and have power, rests not on
sight or inference, but on Scripture. And as the disciples show the
most treacherous memory as to the words of the Lord till He was raised
up from the dead (John 2:22), so were they insensible to the force and
application of the written Word: after that they believed both, they
entered into abiding and enlarging blessing from above. This, as Peter
tells us in his first Epistle (1 Pet. 1:8), is characteristically the
faith of a Christian, who, having not seen Christ, loves Him; and on
whom, though not now seeing Him but believing he exults with joy
unspeakable and full of glory. The faith that is founded on evidences
may strengthen against Deism, Pantheism, or Atheism, but it never gave
remission of sins, never led one to cry Abba Father, never filled the
heart with His grace and glory who is the Object of God's everlasting
satisfaction and delight" (The Bible Treasury).
"Then the disciples went away again unto their own home" (John 20:10).
"Here also we have the further and marked testimony of its
powerlessness (John's `believing' A.W.P.). The fact was known on
grounds indisputable to their minds but not yet appreciated in God's
sight as revealed in His Word, and hence they return to their own
unbroken association" (Bible Treasury). Doubtless this is one reason
why the Holy Spirit recorded this detail, but are we not meant to link
it up with John 19:27 as well "From that hour that disciple took her
unto his own home." Did not Peter and John now hasten to tell the
Savior's mother that He was risen from the dead!
The following questions are to aid the student for our next lesson:--
1. What is the typical picture in verses 11-23?
2. Why did not Mary recognize Him in verse 15?
3. Why did she recognize Him in verse 16?
4. Why "touch Me not," verse 17?
5. Why refer to the ascension here, verse 17?
6. What do the last words of verse 19 prove?
7. Why the repetition in verse 21 from verse 19?
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] See author's "The Christian Sabbath."
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 68
Christ Appearing to His Own.
John 20:11-23
_________________________________________________________________
Below is an Analysis of our present passage:--
1. Mary at the sepulcher, verses 11-13.
2. Christ revealing Himself to Mary, verses 14-16.
3. Christ commissioning Mary, verses 17-18.
4. The apostles in the upper room, verse 19.
5. Christ revealing Himself to the apostles, verse 20.
6. Christ commissioning the apostles, verse 21.
7. Christ enduing the apostles, verses 22, 23.
Our Lord had triumphed o'er the grave, "as he said." Before the sun of
this world had risen upon the third day since the crucifixion, the Son
of righteousness had already risen; the Bridegroom had gone forth from
His chamber (Ps. 19:4). The One whose heel was bruised by the serpent
had, through death, become the destroyer of him who had the power of
death. The eye of no earthly watcher had beheld the actual
resurrection of the body, the rising, and the going forth. That He had
risen was evident by the stone rolled away, the empty sepulcher, and
the condition of the grave-clothes which He had left behind;
corroborated, too, by the witness of the angels. But now He was to
appear in person unto His own: the manner in which He did so is very
striking. "Although the impulse of His love urged Him at once to the
company of His own upon earth, who are still in the sorrow of death;
yet He does not overwhelm them with sudden surprise at His glorious
reappearance, but restrains Himself, yields Himself to their view by
degrees, regulated by the highest wisdom of love. Their minds are
gradually prepared, each one according to its temperament and need"
(Stier).
So far as our present light reveals, the Savior made eleven
appearances between His resurrection and ascension. First, to Mary
Magdalene alone (John 20:14). Second, to certain women returning from
the sepulcher (Matthew 28:9, 10). Third, to Simon Peter (Luke 24:34).
Fourth, to the two disciples going to Emmaus (Luke 24:13). Fifth, to
the ten apostles in the upper room (John 20:19). Sixth, to the eleven
apostles in the upper room (John 20:26-29). Seventh, to seven
disciples fishing at the sea of Tiberias (John 21). Eighth, to the
eleven apostles and possibly other disciples with them (Matthew
28:16). Ninth, to above five hundred brethren at once (1 Cor. 15:7).
Tenth, to James (1 Cor. 15:7). Eleventh, to the eleven apostles, and
possibly other disciples on the mount of Olives at His ascension (Acts
1). His twelfth appearance, after His ascension, was to Stephen (Acts
7). His thirteenth, to Saul on the way to Damascus (Acts 9). His
fourteenth, to John on Patmos (Rev. 1). And this was the last--how
profoundly significant. The final appearing was His fourteenth! The
factors of fourteen are seven and two, seven being the number of
perfection, and two of witness. Thus we have His own perfect witness
to His triumph over the tomb!! His next appearing will be unto His
blood-bought saints all together, when He shall descend into the air
with a shout, and catch us up to be with Himself for evermore (1
Thess. 4:16). This will be His fifteenth appearance. The factors of
fifteen are three and five, three being the number of full
manifestation, and five of grace. Thus, at His coming for us, His
grace, His wondrous grace, will be fully manifested!!
It is with the first and the fifth of these appearings of the risen
Savior that our present lesson is concerned. And here, too, the
significance of these numerals holds good. One is the number of God in
the unity of His essence. It speaks of His absolute sovereignty. The
sovereignty of God comes out here most vividly and blessedly in the
character of the one selected to have the high honor of being the
first to gaze upon the triumphant Redeemer. It was not to the Eleven,
not even to John, that Christ first showed Himself; it was to a woman,
and she the one out of whom He had cast seven demons--one who had been
the complete slave of Satan. And to her He revealed Himself as God the
Son (see verse 17). And to whom was His fifth appearance made? To His
mother? No. To Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus? No. It was to the
unbelieving apostles, to those who had regarded as idle tales the
testimony of the women who had seen Him. His fifth appearance was made
to those who had least reason to expect Him, whose faith was the
weakest. Wondrous grace indeed was this!
"But Mary stood without at the sepulcher weeping" (John 20:11). This
is the sequel to what was before us in the last lesson. At the
beginning of the 20th chapter, we read, "The first of the week cometh
Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher, and
seeth the stone taken away from the sepulcher. Then she runneth, and
cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and
saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher,
and we know not where they have laid him." In the interval, the two
apostles had been to the sepulcher, inspected the clothes within, and
then returned to their home, to acquaint the Savior's mother that He
was risen from the dead. Meanwhile Mary, not knowing of this, had
returned to the sepulcher, desolate and sorrowful. But soon her grief
was to be turned into gladness: in but a little while the One who had
taken captive her heart and who now occupied her every thought would
be manifested to her. Strikingly does this illustrate Proverbs 8:17:
"I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find
me." Mary, and the other women, were the first to seek the sepulcher
on the resurrection morning, and they were the first to whom the
Victor of death showed Himself (Matthew 28:9). Alas that so many put
off the seeking of Christ till the last hour of life, and then never
find Him!
"But Mary stood without at the sepulcher weeping." Here, once more,
the Holy Spirit shows us that love needs to be regulated by faith. It
was love for Christ that caused her to weep: she was weeping because
the sepulcher was empty, yet in fact that was the very thing which
should have made her rejoice. Had the Lord's body been still there,
she might have wept indeed, for then His promise had failed, His work
on the cross had been in vain, and she (and all others) yet in her
sins. The weeping manifested her affection, but it also showed her
unbelief. "How often are the fears and sorrows of saints quite
needless! Mary stood at the sepulcher weeping, and wept as if nothing
could comfort her. She wept when the angels spoke to her: `Woman,'
they said, `why weepest thou'? She was weeping still when our Lord
spoke to her: `Woman,' He said, `why weepest thou?' And the burden of
her complaint was always the same: `They have taken away my Lord, and
I know not where they have laid Him'! Yet all this time her risen
Master was close to her! Her tears were needless. Like Hagar in the
wilderness (Gen. 21:19), she had a well of water by her side, but she
had not eyes to see it!
"What thoughtful Christian can fail to see that we have here a
faithful picture of many a believer's experience? How often we mourn
over the absence of things which in reality are within our grasp, and
even at our right hand! Two-thirds of the things we fear in life never
happen at all, and two-thirds of the tears we shed are thrown away,
and shed in vain. Let us pray for more faith and patience, and allow
more time for the development of God's purposes: let us believe that
things are often working together for our peace and joy, which seem at
one time to contain nothing but bitterness and sorrow. Old Jacob said
at one time in his life `all these things are against me' (Gen.
42:36), yet he lived to see Joseph again, rich and prosperous, and to
thank God for all that had happened" (Bishop Ryle).
"And as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulcher"
(John 20:11). Such is ever the effect of uncontrolled grief. When we
sorrow, even as others who have no hope, when we walk by sight instead
of faith, when we are moved by the flesh instead of the spirit, we
stoop down, and are occupied with things below. "Unto thee lift I mine
eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens" (Ps. 123:1) should ever be
the believer's attitude. Mary points a timely warning for us. We are
living in days when "men's hearts are failing them for fear, and for
looking after those things which are coming on the earth" (Luke
21:26), and the more we are occupied with the evil around us, the more
will our hearts fail. Heed then the Savior's admonition, "When these
things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads; for
your redemption draweth nigh" (Luke 21:28). Let us, instead of looking
down like Mary, say with the Psalmist, "I will lift up mine eyes unto
the hills. From whence cometh my help? My help cometh from the Lord,
which made heaven and earth" (Ps. 121:1, 2).
"And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head and the
other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain" (John 20:12). How
long-suffering is our God! How patiently He deals with our dulness!
Where the heart is really engaged with Christ, even though faith be
weak and intelligence small, God will bear with us. Here were two
messengers from Heaven ready to re-assure Mary! Their presence in the
sepulcher was proof positive that God had not suffered it to be rifled
by wicked hands. Their very posture signified that all was well. Their
number indicated a testimony from on High, if only this sorrowing
woman had eyes to see and ears to hear.
"And seeth two angels in white sitting." The sepulcher was not so
deserted as it seemed. Luke tells us of two angels appearing to the
other women a little earlier, and it is instructive to note the
several points of difference. "And it came to pass, as they were much
perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining
garments" (Luke 24:4). Luke calls them "two men"--from their
appearance, we suppose. John is more explicit: "two angels." When
these other women saw the two angels, they were on the outside of the
sepulcher; but when Mary looked down they were now within. In Luke 24
the angels were "standing," here in John 20 they are "seated"! Nowhere
are we told the names of the two angels, but some have thought that
they were Michael and Gabriel, arguing that the supreme importance of
our Lord's resurrection would call for the presence of the highest
angels. Probably the same two appeared to the disciples at Christ's
ascension (Acts 1:10).
"And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the
other at the feet." This is the only place in Scripture where we see
angels sitting. The fact that they were sitting in the place where
"the body of Jesus had lain" was God's witness unto the rest which was
secured by and proceeds from the finished work of the Lord Jesus. It
is in striking accord with the character of this fourth Gospel that it
was reserved for John to mention this beautiful incident. Who can
doubt that the Holy Spirit would have us link up this verse with
Exodus 25:17-19--"And thou shalt make a mercy-seat of pure gold . . .
and thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou
make them, in the two ends of the mercy-seat." More remarkable still
is the final word which Jehovah spake unto Moses concerning the
mercy-seat: "And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with
thee from above the mercy-seat from between the two cherubims" (Ex.
25:22). Here, then, in John's Gospel, do we learn once more that
Christ is the true meeting-place between God and man!
The question has often been asked, Why did not Peter and John see
these two angels when they entered the sepulcher? It seems clear that
they must have been there, though invisible. In view of Psalm 91:11 we
are satisfied that they had been about that sepulcher from the first
moment that the sacred body was deposited there: "For he shall give
his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways"--this was
God's promise to Christ. From the general teaching of the Scripture we
learn that the angels of God are visible and invisible, appear and
disappear, instantaneously and supernaturally, according as God
commissions them. Most probably they are near to each believer every
moment of his existence (Heb. 1:14), though we are unaware of their
presence. Yet, while they are of a higher order of beings than humans,
not the smallest particle of worship is to be given them; for, like
ourselves, they are but the creatures of God.
That the angels were "in white" denotes purity and freedom from
defilement, which is the character of all the inhabitants of heaven.
White was the color of our Lord's raiment in the transfiguration; it
is the color in which the angels ever appeared; it will be the color
of our garments in glory (Rev. 3:4). The late Bishop Andrews drew a
timely moral from the positions occupied by the two angels in the
sepulcher. "We learn that between the angels there was no striving for
places. He that sat at the feet was as well content with his place as
he that sat at the head. We should learn from their example. With us,
both angels would have been at the head, and never one at the feet!
With us, none would be at the feet; we must be head-angels all!"
"And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou"? (John 20:13). We
have no reason for supposing that the angels were ignorant of the
occasion of Mary's lamentation, therefore, we understand their words
here as a gentle inquiry, made for the purpose of stirring her mind.
Why weepest thou? Have you any just cause for those tears? Search your
heart! Does not the fact that Christ is not here afford ground for
rejoicing! It is to be noted that the angels used precisely the same
language as the Savior does in John 20:15, thereby intimating that
their words are ever spoken by the command of God. Observe that their
words to the disciples at the ascension of Christ also began with a
"Why?" No doubt our unbelief, our fears, our repinings, our lack of
obedience and zeal, afford much ground of surprise to these unfallen
beings.
"She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know
not where they have laid him" (John 20:13). Before the angels had time
to add the comforting assurance, "He is not here; he is risen, as he
said," Mary interrupts by explaining why she was so heart-broken--How
can I do anything else but weep, when He is not here, and I know not
where they have taken His body! A strange mingling of faith and
unbelief, of intelligence and ignorance, of affection and fear, was
hers. "Lord," she owned Jesus of Nazareth to be, and yet imagined that
some one had taken Him away! It is indeed striking that she replied so
promptly and naturally to the angels: instead of being awe-struck at
their presence, she answered as though they were nothing more than
men. She was so swallowed up with her grief, so occupied with her
thoughts about Christ, that she paused not to gaze upon these Heavenly
visitors. Mark the change of her language here: to Peter and John she
had appropriately said, "They have taken away the Lord"; but to the
angels she (now alone) says "my Lord," thus expressing the depths of
her affections. And how blessed that each individual believer may
speak of Him as "my Lord." "The Lord is my Shepherd" said David (Ps.
23:1). "My beloved is mine, and I am his" (Song 2:16). "Who loved me,
and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20) said the apostle Paul.
"And when she had thus said she turned herself back" (John 20:14).
Very, very, striking is this. Christ meant so much to her that she
turned her back on the angels to seek His body! He was the One her
affections were set upon, and therefore, even these angels held no
attraction for her! How searching is this: if Christ really occupied
the throne of our hearts, the poor things of this world would make no
appeal to us. It is because we are so little absorbed with Him, and
therefore so little acquainted with His soul-satisfying perfection,
that the things of time and sense are so highly esteemed. O that
writer and reader may be able to say with the Psalmist, and say with
ever-increasing fervor and reality, "Whom have I in heaven but thee?
and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee."
"And when she had thus said she turned herself back and saw Jesus
standing" (John 20:14). Such devotion as Mary's could not pass
unrewarded: to her who loved Him so deeply does the Savior first
appear. "Those who love Christ most diligently and perseveringly, are
those who receive most privileges at His hands. It is a touching fact,
and one to be carefully noted, that Mary would not leave the
sepulcher, even when Peter and John had gone to their own home. Love
to her gracious Master would not let her leave the place where He had
lain. Where He was now she did not know, but love made her linger
about the empty tomb; love made her honor the last place where His
precious body had been seen by mortal eyes. And here love reaped a
rich reward. She saw the angels whom Peter and John had not observed.
She heard them speak. She was the first to see our Lord after He had
risen from the dead, the first to hear His voice. Can any one doubt
that this was written for our learning? Wherever the Gospel is
preached throughout the world, this little incident testifies that
those who honor Christ will be honored by Christ" (Bishop Ryle). "And
saw Jesus standing." Very blessed is this. Why was the Savior standing
there, beside His own sepulcher? Ah, was it not the response of His
heart to one who loved Him! He was there for the purpose of meeting
and comforting this sorely-wounded soul!
"And saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus" (John 20:14).
It is strange how many of the commentators have erred on this point.
The popular idea is that Mary failed to recognize Christ because her
eyes were dimmed with tears. But how comes it, we ask, that when she
looked into the sepulcher she saw the two angels and the respective
positions which they occupied? No; we believe there is far more reason
for us to conclude that her eyes were "holden" supernaturally, like
the two disciples walking to Emmaus, so that she did not distinguish
the figure before her to be that of our Lord. The condition of His
resurrection body was very different from that of His body before the
crucifixion. Moreover, He was to be known no more "after the flesh" (2
Cor. 5:16), but, as the head of the new creation. Yet, as others have
pointed out, this incident was a striking emblem of the spiritual
experience of many Christians. "I will never leave thee nor forsake
thee" is His promise; yet how often are we unconscious of His presence
with us!
"Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou?"
(John 20:15). These were the first words of our risen Savior, and how
like Him! He came here to bind up the brokenhearted (Isa. 61:1), and
in the end He will wipe away tears from off the faces of all His
people (Isa. 25:8; Revelation 21:4). This was His evident design here:
He would arouse Mary from the stupefying effects of her sorrow. His
first question was a gentle reproof: Ought you not to be rejoicing,
instead of repining? His second question was still more searching; Who
is it you are seeking among the dead? Hast thou forgotten that the
crucified One is the Lord of life, the resurrection and the life, the
One who laid down His life that He might take it again! Devoted and
affectionate as she was, had she not forgotten those words of His
which had so often been spoken in her hearing! "Whom seekest
thou?"--it was only in really finding Him that the ever-flowing
fountain of her grief could be stayed.
"She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou
have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will
take him away" (John 20:15). Notice, first, her artless simplicity.
Three times over in these few words did Mary speak of "him" without
stopping to define or mention His name. She was so wholly absorbed
with Christ that she supposed every one would know whom she
sought--like the Shulamite crying to the watchman, "Saw ye him whom my
soul loveth?" (Song 3:3). Note also her, "I will take him away." He
was all her own; what depth of affection! What a sense of her title to
Him! But mark how there may be much ignorance even in a devoted
believer--she supposed Him to be the "gardener"! And yet, as one has
said, "Devout Mary, thou art not much mistaken. As it was the trade of
the first Adam to dress the Garden of Eden, so is it the trade of the
last Adam to tend the Garden of His Church: He digs up the soil by
reasonable affliction; He sows in it the seeds of grace; He waters it
with His Word" (Bishop Hall).
"Jesus saith unto her, Mary" (John 20:16). This was the second
utterance of the risen Christ to this devoted soul, and it is
important to note that it was the second. Before He addressed her by
name, He first called her "woman"! In addressing her as "woman" He
spoke as God to His creature; in calling her "Mary" He spoke as Savior
to one of His redeemed. The former gave her to know that He was
exalted high above every human relationship; the latter intimated His
love for one of His own. "I know thee by name, and thou hast found
grace in my sight" (Ex. 33:12), said Jehovah in the Mount. So here,
Jehovah, now incarnate, knows this woman by name, for she, too, had
"found grace" in His sight. In Christ addressing Mary by name we have
a beautiful illustration of His own words in John 10:3, "And he
calleth his own sheep by name." It was the seal of redemption: "But
now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed
thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee
by thy name; thou art mine" (Isa. 43:1)!
"She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say,
Master" (John 20:16). This shows that Mary now recognized Him. "The
sheep follow him, for they know his voice" (John 10:4), and here was
one of the sheep responding to the call of the Good Shepherd. One word
only did He utter, "Mary"! But that was sufficient to transform the
weeper into a worshipper. It shows us, once more, the power of the
Word! "Rabboni," she exclaimed, as she fell at His feet--a Hebrew term
signifying "my Master." Here was the rich reward for her devotion, her
faithfulness, her perseverance. The One who had before cast the demons
from her, now addressed Himself to her heart. She knew now that the
fairest among ten thousand to her soul had triumphed over the tomb:
her sorrow was ended, her cup of joy overflowing. There is one little
detail in the picture here, most lovely, which is usually overlooked.
As soon as Christ addressed her by name, she "turned herself," and
saith unto Him, "Rabboni." After His first word, when she supposed Him
to be the gardener, she had turned away from Him, her attitude still
toward the tomb; but now that He called her by name, she turns her
back on the tomb and falls at His feet--it is only as He is known that
we are delivered, experimentally, from the power of death!
"Jesus said unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my
Father" (John 20:17). We believe that these words have a double
significance and application. First, the "Touch me not," in its direct
force, is clearly explained by Christ Himself--"for I am not yet
ascended." Mary had, we think, fallen at His feet, and was on the
point of embracing them--remembering, perhaps, the words of the
Shulamite, "I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not
let him go" (Song 3:4). But the Lord instantly checked her: "Touch me
not, for I am not yet ascended." "On this very day, the morrow after
the Sabbath, the high priest waved the sheaf of the first fruits
before the Lord while He, the First-fruits from the dead (1 Cor.
15:23), would be fulfilling the type by presenting Himself before the
Father" (Companion Bible). This we are satisfied supplies the key to
the primary meaning of our Lord's words to Mary, for He who was so
jealous of the types would not neglect this one in Leviticus 23:10,
11. Yet, we do not think that this exhausts the scope of what Christ
said here. Everywhere in this Gospel there is a fullness about the
Lord's utterances which it is impossible for us to fathom; and beyond
their force to those immediately addressed is ever a wider
application. So here.
"Touch me not." These words are not found in the Synoptics and therein
lies the key to their deeper meaning and wider application. In Matthew
28:9 we read, "As they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met
them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet." How
sharp the contrast here, yet how perfectly in keeping with the
particular scope of each Gospel! Matthew presents Christ as the Son of
David, in Jewish relationships. But John portrays Him as the Son of
God, connected with the sons, as head of the new creation, the members
of which know Him not "after the flesh" (2 Cor. 5:16). Therefore in
His "Touch me not" to Mary, the Lord was giving plain intimation that
the Christian would know Him only in spirit, as the One with the
Father on high; hence His "for I am not yet ascended"! It was the
first hint--abundantly amplified in the sequel of the new relationship
into which the resurrection of Christ has brought us, linking us with
Himself as the Son of God in the Father's House! How significant that
this was His third word to Mary--the number which speaks of
resurrection!
"But go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend [the proper
present "I am ascending"] unto my Father, and your Father; and to my
God, and your God" (John 20:17). Mary was to be the first witness of
Christ's resurrection. This illustrates a truth of great practical
importance. A woman--more devoted, perhaps, than any of the
Twelve--had anointed Him for His burial (John 12), and now a woman is
the first to whom Christ revealed Himself in resurrection glory. How
this tells us that the heart leads the mind in the apprehension of
God's truth. The men were quicker to grasp, intellectually, the
meaning of the empty tomb, but Mary was the more devoted, and this
Christ rewarded. Mary exemplifies the case of those whose hearts seek
Christ, but whose minds are ill-informed. It is the heart God ever
looks at. We may know much truth intellectually, but unless the heart
is absorbed with Christ, He will not reveal Himself to such an one in
the intimacies of love and communion.
"Go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend." This is the first
time that the Lord Jesus addressed the disciples as "brethren." How
blessed! It is on resurrection-ground that we are thus related to
Christ. "Except the corn of wheat fell into the ground and died, it
had abode alone" (John 12:24), but now that He has emerged from the
grave, He is "the firstborn among many brethren" (Rom. 8:29). Of old
had the Spirit of prophecy expressed the language of the Messiah thus:
"I will declare thy name unto my brethren" (Ps. 22:22). Like Joseph
after he was delivered from the prison and raised to a position of
dignity and honor (Gen. 45:16), so Christ "is not ashamed to call us
brethren" (Heb. 2:11). The blessedness of this comes out in the
closing words of John 20:17: "I ascend unto my Father, and your
Father; and to my God, and your God." `Believers are, by amazing
grace, brought into the same position with Himself before God His
Father. It was in view of this that the Lord said to Mary, "Touch
[Greek `cling to'] me not"--we are detached from Him by all earthly
contact, and instead commune with Him by faith, in spirit, on High.
"Go to my brethren and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and
your Father; and my God and your God." The terms of this message to
His brethren deserve the closest notice. He did not bid Mary say to
them "I have risen," but "I ascend." True, the one necessarily
presupposed the other, but it is clear He would have them understand
that His resurrection was only a step toward His return unto the
Father. That which the Savior would impress upon His beloved disciples
was the fact that He had not left the grave simply to remain with them
here on earth, but in order to enter Heaven as their Representative
and Forerunner. In saying, "I ascend unto my Father and your Father,
and my God, and your God," He was conveying a message of real comfort.
He is your Father and God, as well as Mine; all that He is to Me, the
Head, He is also to you, the members. But mark His precision: He did
not say "Our Father, and our God." He still maintains His
pre-eminency, His uniqueness, for God is His Father and God in a
singular and incommunicable manner. Finally, note the contrast between
Mary's commission here and the one given to the other women in Matthew
28:10: there the message was for the disciples to meet Him in Galilee,
and accordingly they did so; here, He names no place on earth, but
simply tells them that He is going to Heaven, there in spirit to meet
them before the Father.
"Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord
and that he had spoken these things unto her" (John 20:18). "As by a
woman came the first message of death, so by a woman came also the
first notice of the resurrection from the dead. And the place also
fits well, for in a garden they came, both" (Bishop Andrews). Observe
that Mary told the disciples that she had "seen the Lord," not simply
"Jesus"! Mark records the immediate effect of her message: "She went
and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. And
they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her,
believed not" (Mark 16:10,11). What a tragic forecast of the general
reception which the Christian evangelist meets with! How few he finds
that promptly receive the glad tidings of which he is the bearer!
Often the ones he deems most likely to welcome the good news, are the
very ones whose unbelief will be the most outspoken.
"Then the same day at evening, being the first of the week, when the
doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the
Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst" (John 20:19). Observe in the
first place how the Holy Spirit here emphasizes the fact that what
follows is a first-day scene. On this first Christian Sabbath the
disciples were assembled" in separation from the world, and from this
point on to the end of the New Testament the first day of the week is
stamped with this characteristic: Sunday, not Saturday, was henceforth
to be the day set apart for rest from the work and concerns of the
world, and for occupation with the things of God. Note in the next
place, that from the beginning non-Christians have manifested their
opposition to and hatred of these holy exercises. Observe that those
gathered together are here called "disciples," not "apostles." It is
striking that never once are they termed "apostles" in John's Gospel.
The reason for this is not far distant: the word "apostle" means "one
sent forth"; but here, where it is the family which is in view, they
are always seen with Christ!
"Then the same day at evening, being the first of the week, when the
doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the
Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst and saith unto them, Peace be
unto you" (John 20:19). Very striking is this. John is the only one
who mentions the doors being "shut" (Greek signifies "barred"). But no
closed doors could keep out the Conqueror of death. There was no need
for Him to knock for admission, nor for an angel to open to Him as for
Peter (Acts 12:10); nor do we consider what a miracle was wrought, in
the ordinary meaning of that term. Our resurrection-body will not be
subject to the limitations of the mortal body: sown in weakness it
will be raised in power (1 Cor. 15:43).
Most blessed is it to ponder our Lord's greeting to the Ten--Thomas
was absent. Very touching and humbling was the Lord's gracious
salutation. Peter had denied Him, and the others had forsaken Him.
How, then, does He approach them? Does He demand an explanation of
their conduct? Does He tell them that all is now over, that henceforth
He will have no more to do with such unfaithful followers? No, indeed.
Well might He have said, "Shame upon you!" But, instead He says,
"Peace be unto you." He would remove from their hearts all fear which
His sudden and unannounced appearance might have occasioned. He would
quiet each uneasy conscience. Having put away their sins He could now
remove their fears. Be not afraid: I come not as judge, to reckon with
your perfidy and unbelief; nor do I enter as One who has been injured
by you, to utter reproaches. No; I bring from My sepulcher something
very different from upbraidings: "Peace be unto you" was the blessed
greeting of the Prince of peace, and none but He can speak peace to
any. "Peace" was the subject of the angel's carol in the night of the
Lord's nativity; so "Peace" is the first word He pronounced in the
ears of His disciples now that He is risen from the dead. So will it
be when we meet Him face to face--we, with all our miserable failures,
both individual and corporate; we with all our sins of omission and
commission; we, with all our bitter controversies, and deplorable
divisions. Not "Shame! shame!" but "Peace! peace!" will be His
greeting. How do we know this? Because He is "The same yesterday and
to-day and forever." Almost His last words to the disciples on the
"yesterday" were "these things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye
might have peace" (John 16:33); so here His first word to them in the
"to-day" was peace; and this is the pledge that "Peace" will be His
word to us at the beginning of the great "forever."
"And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side"
(John 20:20). This was, first, to assure the astonished disciples that
it was really their Savior who stood before them. He bade them see
with their own eyes that He had a real material body, that it was no
ghost now appearing to them. He would have them recognize that He was
indeed the same person whom they had known before the crucifixion,
that He had risen in His incorruptible humanity. Significant is the
omission here: Luke tells us that He said, "Behold my hands and my
feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see" (Luke 24:39). It was
most appropriate that this word should be recorded in the third
Gospel, which portrays Him as the Son of man; and it was most suitable
to omit this detail in the Gospel which speaks of His Divine dignity
and glory. Observe here, "He showed unto them his hands and his side."
Luke says "his hands and his feet." This variation is also
significant. Here His word in John would presuppose His "feet," for
they, in common with His hands, bore me imprint of the nails. But
there was a special reason for mentioning His "side" here--see John
19:34: through His pierced side a way was opened to His heart, the
seat of the affections! In John we see Him as the Son of God, and God
is love.
"And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side."
The "so" indicates there is a close connection between this act of
Christ's and His words at the end of the preceding verse. The marks in
His hands and side were shown to the disciples not only to establish
His identity, not only as the trophies of His victorious fight, but
principally to teach them, and us, that the basis of the "peace" He
has made, and which He gives, is His death upon the cross. In saying
"Peace be unto you" He announced that enmity had been removed, God
placated, reconciliation effected; in pointing to the signs of His
crucifixion, He showed what had accomplished these. These marks are
still upon His holy body--Revelation 5:6. These marks our great High
Priest shows to God as He intercedes. In a coming day the sight of
them will bring Israel to repentance--Zechariah 12:10. In the Day of
Judgment they will confront and condemn His enemies.
"Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord" (John 20:20).
What must have been their feelings! Their fears all gone; their hopes
fulfilled; their hearts satisfied. Now indeed had the Lord made good
His promise: "And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you
again, and your hearts shall rejoice'' (John 16:22). But observe an
important distinction here: First, Christ said, "Peace be unto you,
and when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side."
Second: "Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord." Peace
comes through His perfect work; joy is the result of being occupied
with His blessed person. This is a precious secret for our hearts.
There are many Christians who suppose that they cannot rejoice while
they remain in circumstances of sorrow. What a mistake! Observe here
that Christ did not change the circumstances of these disciples; they
were still "shut in for fear of the Jews," but He drew out their
hearts unto Himself, and thus raised them above their circumstances!
We see the same principle exemplified in 1 Peter 1. There we read of
saints of God enduring a great fight of afflictions: they were
persecuted, scattered abroad, homeless. But what of their spiritual
condition? This--"Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season
if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations." And
then, having mentioned the person of the Savior, he at once adds,
"Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not,
yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable" (verse 8). Their
circumstances had not been changed, but their hearts were lifted above
them. This then is the great secret of joy--occupation and fellowship
with Christ.
"Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath
sent me, even so send I you" (John 20:21). This was no mere
repetition. Just as the first "Peace be unto you" is interpreted by
the Lord's act which at once followed, so this second "Peace" is
explained by the next words. The first peace was for the conscience;
the second for the heart. The first had to do with their position
before God; the second with their condition in the world. The first
was "peace with God" (Rom. 5:1); the second was "the peace of God"
(Phil. 4:7). The first is the consequence of the atonement: the second
is that which issues from communion. These disciples were not going to
Heaven with Christ, but were to remain behind in a hostile world, in a
world which provides no peace. He therefore communicates to them the
secret of His peace, which was that of communion with the Father in
separation from the world.
"As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you." He now does formally
what He contemplated in that wondrous address to the Father: "As thou
hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the
world" (John 17:18). Let it be remembered that it was in immediate
connection with this that He said "Neither pray I for these alone, but
for them also which shall believe on me through their word" (John
17:20). The mission He announced there was not peculiar to the company
He then addressed: it defined the mission of all His people in that
world which has rejected Him. And what a marvellous mission it is--to
represent our Lord here below, as He represented the Father. What a
wondrous dignity to show in our life and by our words how He would
speak and walk. This is the standard of practical holiness--nothing
lower, "He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk,
even as he walked" (1 John 2:6). But how unspeakably blessed to
observe that the Lord first said "Peace be unto you" before "I send
you." We are constantly disposed to look for peace as the earned
reward of service: what a travesty! and how worthless! Such "Peace" is
but a transient self-complacency which cannot deceive any one but the
self-deluded hypocrite. The truth is that peace is the preparation for
service: "the joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). The
order in John 20:21 is most significant: "Peace . . . send I you."
"The sons of peace are not to retain it for themselves; its possession
makes them also messengers of peace" (Stier). Note the Son is a
"Sender" in equal authority with the Father. "As my Father hath sent
me, even so send I you." Christ was sent to manifest the Father, and
with a message of grace to this sinful world; we are sent to manifest
the Son, and with a similar message. Yet observe how carefully He
guarded His glory; two different words are here used for
"send"--Christ was God, we men; He came to atone, we to proclaim His
atonement: He did his work perfectly, we very imperfectly!
"And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them,
Receive ye the Holy Spirit" (John 20:22). The first key to the Receive
ye the Holy Spirit, lies in the "And when he had said this"--"even so
send I you." Christ had entered upon His ministry as One anointed by
the Holy Spirit, so should His beloved apostles. This was the final
analogy pointed by the "as... so." The second key is found in the "He
breathed on them and saith, Receive ye the Holy Spirit": the Greek
word here used is employed nowhere else in the New Testament, but is
the very one used by the Septuagint translators of Genesis 2:7: "And
the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into
his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." There,
man's original creation was completed by this act of God; who, then,
can fail to see that here in John 20, on the day of the Savior's
resurrection, the new creation had begun, begun by the Head of the new
creation, the last Adam acting as "a quickening spirit" (1 Cor.
15:45)! The impartation of the Holy Spirit to the disciples was the
"firstfruits" of the resurrection, as well as a proof that the Spirit
proceeds from the Son as well as the Father--wonderful demonstration
of the Savior's Godhead! In Genesis 2:7 we have Jehovah "breathing"
into Adam; in John 20:22 the Savior "breathing" upon the apostles; in
Ezekiel 37:9 the Spirit "breathing" upon Israel. Finally, it is solemn
to contrast Isaiah 11:4: "With the breath of His lips shall he slay
the wicked."
"Receive ye the Holy Spirit." This was supplementary to "Go tell my
brethren." They were, before this, born from above; but the heir, as
long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be
lord of all. But the time appointed by the Father had now come. He who
came to redeem them that were under the law, that they might receive
the adoption of sons, had accomplished His undertaking. They were no
more servants but sons; yet it was only by the Spirit of adoption that
they could be made conscious of it or enter into the joy of it. From
this moment the Spirit dwelt within them. We have been accustomed to
look upon the change which is so apparent in apostles as dating from
the day of pentecost, but the great change had occurred before then.
Read the closing chapter of each Gospel and the first of Acts, and the
proofs of this are conclusive. Their irresolution, their unbelief,
their misapprehensions, were all gone. When the cloud finally received
the Savior from their sight, instead of being dispersed in
consternation "they worshipped him" and "returned to Jerusalem with
great joy" (Luke 24:52)--this was "joy in the Holy Spirit" (Rom.
14:17): Moreover, they continued "with one accord in prayer and
supplication" (Acts 1:14)--this was "the unity of the Spirit in the
bond of peace" (Eph. 4:3). Peter has a clear understanding of Old
Testament prophecy (Acts 1:20)--this was the Spirit guiding into the
truth (John 16:13). And these things were before pentecost. What
happened at pentecost was the baptism of power, not the coming of the
Spirit to indwell them!
"Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose
soever sins ye retain, they are retained" (John 20:23). Upon this
controverted verse we cannot do better than quote from the excellent
remarks of the late Bishop Ryle: "In this verse our Lord continues and
concludes the commission for the office of ministers, which He now
gives to the Apostles after rising from the dead. His work as a public
teacher was ended: the Apostles henceforth were to carry it on. The
words which formed this commission are very peculiar and demand close
attention. The meaning of these words, I believe, may be paraphrased
thus: `I confer on you the power of declaring and pronouncing
authoritatively whose sins are forgiven, and whose sins are not
forgiven. I bestow on you the office of pronouncing who are pardoned,
and who are not, just as the Jewish high priest pronounced who were
clean and who were unclean in cases of leprosy. I believe that nothing
more than this authority to declare can be got out of the words, and I
entirely repudiate and reject the strange notion maintained by some
that our Lord meant to depute to the Apostles, or any others, the
power of absolutely pardoning or not pardoning, absolving, or not
absolving, any one's soul.'
"(a) The power of forgiving sins, in Scripture, is always spoken of as
the special prerogative of God. The Jews themselves admitted this when
they said, `Who can forgive sins but God only?' (Mark 2:7). It is
monstrous to suppose that our Lord meant to overthrow and alter this
great principle when He commissioned His disciples.
"(b) The language of the Old Testament shows conclusively that the
Prophets were said to do certain things when they declared them to be
done. Thus Jeremiah's commission runs in these words, `I have this day
set thee over the nation and over the kingdom, to root out, and to
pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant'
(Jer. 1:10). This can only mean to declare the rooting out and pulling
down, etc. So also Ezekiel says I came to destroy the city' (Ezek.
43:3).
"(c) There is not a single instance in the Acts or Epistles of an
Apostle taking on himself to absolve, or pardon, any one. When Peter
said to Cornelius. `Whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission
of sins' (Acts 10:43), and when Paul said, Through this man is
preached unto you the forgiveness of sins' (Acts 13:38), they pointed
to Christ alone as the Remitter."
So Calvin: "When Christ enjoins the apostles to forgive sins, He does
not convey to them what is peculiar to Himself. It belongs to Him to
forgive sins--He only enjoins them, in His name, to proclaim the
forgiveness of sins."
Add to these the fact that Peter and John were sent down to Samaria to
inspect and authorize the work done through Philip (Acts 8:14), that
Peter said to Simon Magus, "I perceive that thou art in the gall of
bitterness, and the bond of iniquity" (Acts 8:23), and that Paul wrote
"To whom ye forgive anything, I also: for if I forgave anything, to
whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of
Christ" (2 Cor. 2:10), we have clear evidence of the unique authority
and power of the apostles.
The question has been asked, Was this ministerial office and
commission conferred on the apostles by Christ transferred by them to
others? Again we quote Bishop Ryle, "I answer, without hesitation,
that in the strictest sense the commission of the apostles was not
transmitted, but was confined to them and St. Paul. I challenge any
one to deny that the Apostles possessed certain ministerial
qualifications which were quite peculiar to them, and which they could
not, and did not, transmit to others. (1) They had the gift of
declaring the Gospel without error, and with infallible accuracy, to
an extent that no one after them did. (2) They confirmed their
teachings by miracles. (3) They had the power of discerning spirits.
In the strictest sense there is no such thing as apostolic
succession."
In closing let us admire together the lovely typical picture which our
passage contains. Here we have a wondrous portrayal of the essential
features of Christianity: 1. Christ is known in a new way, no longer
"after the flesh," but in spirit, on High. "Touch me not... ascended"
(John 20:17). 2. Believers are given a new title--"brethren" (John
20:17). 3. Believers are told of a new position--Christ's position
before the Father (John 20:17). 4. Believers occupy a new place--apart
from the world (John 20:19). 5. Believers are assured of a new
blessing--"peace" made and imparted (John 20:19, 21). 6. Believers are
given a new privilege--the Lord Jesus in their midst (John 20:19). 7.
Believers have a new joy--through a vision of the risen Lord (John
20:20). 8. Believers receive a new commission--sent into the world by
the Son as He was sent by the Father (John 20:21). 9. Believers are a
new creation--indicated by the "breathing" (John 20:22). 10. Believers
have a new Indweller--even the Holy Spirit (John 20:22); How Divinely
meet that all this was on the "first of the week--indication of a new
beginning, i.e., Christianity supplanting Judaism!!
The following questions are to aid the student on the closing section
of John 20:--
1. What does the absence of Thomas teach us, verse 24?
2. What do his words in verse 25 prove?
3. What is the difference between the "Peace" of verse 26 and verses
19, 21?
4. Why the great similarity between verses 19 and 26?
5. What practical lesson does verse 28 teach?
6. What is the meaning of verse 29?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 69
Christ and Thomas
John 20:24-31
_________________________________________________________________
Below is an Analysis of our present passage:--
1. The absence of Thomas, verse 24.
2. The skepticism of Thomas, verse 25.
3. Christ appears to Thomas, verses 26, 27.
4. The confession of Thomas, verse 28.
5. Christ's last beatitude, verse 29.
6. The signs of Jesus, verse 30.
7. The purpose of this Gospel, verse 31.
In our last chapter we were occupied with the appearing of the Lord
unto the apostles as they were assembled together in some room,
probably the "upper-room" in which the Lord's Supper was instituted.
But on this occasion one of the Eleven, Thomas, was absent. We are not
expressly told why he was not present with his brethren, but from what
we learn of him in other passages, from his words to the Ten when they
told him of their having seen the Lord, and from Christ's own words to
Thomas when He appeared unto the Eleven, it is almost impossible to
avoid the conclusion that unbelief was the cause of his absence. In
three different passages Thomas is mentioned in this Gospel, and on
each occasion he evidenced a gloomy disposition. He was a man who
looked on the darker side of things: he took despondent views both of
the present and the future. Yet he was not lacking in courage, nor in
loyalty and devotion to the Savior.
The first time Thomas comes before us is in chapter 11. At the close
of 10 we read how the enemies of Christ "sought again to take him; but
he escaped out of their hand, and went away again beyond Jordan."
While there, the sisters of Lazarus sent unto Him, acquainting Him
with the sickness of their brother. After waiting two days, the Savior
said unto His disciples, "Let us go into Judea." The disciples at once
reminded Him that it was there the Jews had, only lately, sought to
stone Him; so they ask, "Goest thou thither again?" At the end of His
colloquy with them, He said, "Let us go." And then we are told,
"Thomas, which is called Didymus, said unto his fellow-disciples, Let
us also go, that we may die with him" (John 11:16). These words throw
not a little light on the character of him who uttered them. First,
they reveal Thomas as a man of morbid feeling--death was the object
which filled his vision. Second, they indicate he had an energetic
disposition, "Let us go." Third, they exhibit his courage--he was
ready to go even to death. Fourth, they manifest his affection for
Christ--"Let us also go, that we may die with him."
The next time Thomas is brought to our notice is in chapter 14. The
Lord had announced to the apostles that in a little while He would
leave them, and whither He was going, they could not come. In
consequence, they were filled with sadness. In view of their grief,
the Lord said, "Let not your heart be troubled," supporting this with
the comforting assurances that He was going to the Father's House,
going there to prepare a place for them, and from which He would come
and receive them unto Himself: ending with "Whither I go ye know, and
the way ye know." Thomas was the first to reply, and his doleful
response was, "Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we
know the way?" (John 14:5). Ignoring the precious promises of the
Savior, Thomas saw in His departure only the extinction of hope. Thus
we behold, once more, his gloomy nature, and, in addition, his
sceptical turn of mind. He reminds us very much of John Bunyan's
"Fearing," "Despondency," and "Much Afraid," in his Pilgrim's
Progress--types of a large class of Christians who are successors of
doubting Thomas.
The third and last time that Thomas occupies any prominence in this
Gospel is in the 20th chapter. Here the first thing noted about him is
that he was not with the other disciples when the Lord appeared unto
them. In view of what has been before us above, this is scarcely to be
wondered at. "If the bare possibility of his Lord's death had plunged
this loving yet gloomy heart into despondency, what dark despair must
have preyed on it when that death was actually accomplished! How the
figure of his dead Master had burnt itself into his soul, is seen from
the manner in which his mind dwells on the prints of the nails, the
wound in His side. It is by these only, and not by well-known features
or peculiarity of form, he will recognize and identify his Lord. His
heart was with the lifeless body on the cross, and he could not bear
to see the friends of Jesus or speak with those who had shared his
hopes, but buries his disappointment and desolation in solitude and
silence. Thus it was that, like many melancholy persons, he missed the
opportunity of seeing what would effectually have scattered his
doubts!" (Mr. Dods).
"But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when
Jesus came" (John 20:24). The "But" is ominous and at once exposes the
folly of the inventions which have been made to excuse Thomas. The
disciples convened in the evening of that first day of the week under
most unusual circumstances. John, at least, was satisfied that the
Savior had risen; of the others, some were sceptical, for they
believed not the report of the women who had seen Him that very
morning. No doubt the apostles assembled with mingled feeling of
suspense and excitement. That Thomas was absent can only be accounted
for, we believe, by what the other passages reveal of his gloomy and
sceptical disposition. Note how the Holy Spirit has here added "Thomas
called Didymus," which is evidently designed as a connecting link--cf.
John 11:16. On the resurrection day he least of all believed the
tidings of the women, isolating himself in the sorrow of death in
wilful unbelief--the wilfulness of it is seen in the next verse.
The state of Thomas' soul coincided with his absence on that memorable
evening. He resisted the blessedness of the resurrection, and
therefore did not join his brethren, and thus share the joy of the
Master's presence in their midst. Slow of heart to believe, he
remained for a whole week in darkness and gloom. One important lesson
we may learn from this is, how much we lose by our failure to
cultivate the fellowship of Christian brethren. "Not forsaking the
assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is" (Heb.
10:25) is the word of Scripture. Two warnings against disobeying this
were furnished in connection with Christ's resurrection. In Luke 24:13
we read, "And behold, two of them went that same day to a village
called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about three score furlongs":
mark the words in italics. These two disciples had turned their backs
on their brethren in Jerusalem. Little wonder, then, that when the
Lord Himself drew near to them "their eyes were holden that they
should not know Him" (Luke 24:16). Yet even to them the Lord
manifested His long-suffering grace by making Himself known (verse
31)! And what was the effect upon them? This: "They rose up the same
hour, and returned to Jerusalem and found the eleven" (verse 33)! When
Christians are in fellowship with Christ, they desire and seek the
fellowship of His people; conversely, when they are out of fellowship
with the Lord they have little or no desire for communion with
believers. It was thus with Thomas. Out of fellowship with Christ,
through unbelief, he forsook the assembly. And how much he lost! God's
blessing, Christ's presence, the Holy Spirit's power, joy of heart,
and in addition, a whole week spent in despondency. What a warning for
us!
"The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord"
(John 20:25). This is most blessed. The Ten were not callously
indifferent to the welfare of their erring brother. They did not say,
"O, well, there is no need for us to be troubled; he is the loser; if
he had been in his proper place, he, too, would have seen the Savior,
heard His blessing of `Peace be unto you,' and received the Holy
Spirit; but he was not here, and it only serves him right that he
should suffer for his negligence; let us leave him alone." O, no. The
selfish world may reason and act thus; but not so those who are truly
constrained by the love of Christ. The more we love Him, the more
shall we love His people. So it was here. As soon as the Ten had been
favored with this gracious visit from the risen Redeemer, they sought
out Thomas and communicated to him the glad tidings. How this rebukes
some of us! If we were more in fellowship with Christ, we should have
more heart for His wayward and wandering sheep. It is those who are
"spiritual" that are exhorted to restore the one "overtaken in a
fault" (Gal. 6:13)
"But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of
the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust
my hand into his side, I will not believe" (John 20:26). This
illustrates the same principle so sadly exemplified in John 20:18.
Those who know Christ will bear testimony of Him to others, but they
must be prepared for the unbelief of those whom they address. The Ten
spoke to Thomas, but he believed them not. This also shows how that
the best of men are subject to unbelief. Thomas had witnessed the
resurrection of Lazarus, he had heard the Lord's promises that He
would rise again on the third day, yet believed not now that He was
risen. What point this gives to the admonition in Hebrews 12:1, where
we are exhorted to lay aside "the sin (unbelief) which doth so easily
beset us!" Thomas refused to accredit the testimony of ten competent
witnesses who had seen Christ with their own eyes, men who were his
friends and brethren, and who could have no object in deceiving him.
But he obstinately declares that he will not believe, unless he
himself sees and touches the Lord's body. He presumes to prescribe the
conditions which must be met before he is ready to receive the glad
tidings. Thomas was still sceptical. Perhaps he asked his brethren.
Why did not Christ remain with you? Where is He now? Why did He not
show Himself to me? He implied, though he did not say it directly,
that they were laboring under a delusion. And were they altogether
blameless? They told Thomas "We have seen the Lord," but apparently
they said nothing of the gracious and wondrous words which they had
heard from His lips! Is there not a lesson, a warning, here for us? It
is not our experiences which we are to proclaim, but His words!
"Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my
finger into the print of the nails and thrust my hand into his side, I
will not believe." This is the only place in the New Testament where
the "nails" which pierced the Savior's hands and feet are actually
mentioned. The Romans did not always use nails when crucifying
criminals. Sometimes they bound the victims hands and feet to the
cross by strong cords. The fact that "nails" were used in connection
with the Savior, and the express mention of them here by Thomas,
witnesses to the actual and literal fulfillment of Psalm 22:16: "they
pierced my hands and my feet."
"And after eight days again, his disciples were within, and Thomas
with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the
midst, and said, Peace be unto you" (John 20:26). "After eight days"
signifies, according to the Jewish manner of reckoning time (who
counted any part of a day as a whole one), after a week. It was,
therefore, on the second Christian sabbath that the Eleven assembled
together, this time Thomas being present. Observe that the Holy Spirit
mentions the fact that again the doors were shut, for He would
emphasize once more the supernatural character of the
resurrection--body. The close similarity between this and John 20:19
makes it plain that this visit of the Savior was for the special
benefit of Thomas. But mark a significant omission here: nothing is
now said of their "fear of the Jews!" His "Peace be unto you" (John
20:19) had calmed their hearts and taken away their fear of men. It is
one more witness to the power of the Word.
"And Thomas was with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and
stood in the midst and said, Peace be unto you." Marvelous grace was
this. As we have said, this second manifestation of Christ unto the
apostles was expressly made for the special benefit of Thomas. The
Savior made the same mysterious entrance through the closed doors and
came with the same comforting salutation. There is much for us to
learn from this. How patient and tender is the Lord with dull and slow
believers! Forcefully does this come out here. Christ did not
excommunicate His unbelieving disciple, but addressed to him the same
word of "Peace" as He had previously saluted the Ten. O, how
graciously does He bear with the waywardness and infirmities of His
people. Timely are the admonitions of Bishop Ryle: "Let us take care
that we drink into our Lord's spirit and copy His example. Let us
never set down men in a low place, as graceless and godless, because
their faith is feeble and their love is cold. Let us remember the case
of Thomas, and be very pitiful and of tender mercy. Our Lord has many
weak children in His family, many dull pupils in His school, many raw
soldiers in His army, many lame sheep in His flock. Yet He bears with
them all, and casts none away. Happy is that Christian who has learned
to deal likewise with his brethren. There are many in the Family, who,
like Thomas, are dull and slow, but for all that, like Thomas, are
real and true believers."
"And said, Peace be unto you." This is the third time that we find the
precious word on the lips of the Savior in this chapter, and on each
occasion it was used with a different design. The first (John 20:19),
tells of the glorious consequences of His atoning work: peace has been
made with God, peace is now imparted to those whose sins have been put
away. The second (John 20:21), is His provision for service, using
that word in its largest scope. It is this which supplies power for
our walk, and it is only to the extent that the peace of God is ruling
our hearts that we are able to rise above the hindrances of our path
and the opposition of the flesh. But the third "Peace" is the means of
recovery. This comes out most strikingly in the next verse. "Then
saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my
hands"--compare the "when he had so said (`Peace be unto you' John
20:19) he showed unto them his hands and his side" (John 20:20).
"Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my
hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side, and be
not faithless but believing" (John 20:27). Thus the Lord did for
Thomas what He had done for the Ten--He pointed out that which
memorialized the ground on which true "peace" rests. The Lord went
back to first principles with this erring disciple. Thomas needed to
be re-established in the truths taught by the pierced hands and side
of the Savior, and therefore he got just what was required to restore
his wandering soul. What a lesson for us! When we have gone astray,
what is it that recalls us? Not occupation with the intricacies of
prophecy or the finer points of doctrine (important and valuable as
these are in their place) but the great foundation truth of the
Atonement. It was the sight of the Savior's wounds which scattered all
Thomas' doubts, overcame his self-will, and brought him to the feet of
Christ as an adoring worshipper. So it is with us. Have we grown cold
and worldly; are we out of communion with the Lord Jesus--He recalls
us to Himself by the same precious truth which first won our hearts.
This is what breaks us down:--
"And yet to find Thee still the same--
`Tis this that humbles us with shame."
Was it not for this reason the Lord appointed the loaf and the cup for
the Feast of remembrance! It is the emblems of His broken-body and
poured-out blood which move the heart, quicken the spirit, thrill the
soul, and rekindle the joy which we tasted when we first looked by
faith upon His hands and side. This, then, we believe, is the force of
the connection between John 20:27 and what immediately precedes. What
a lesson for us: the most effective way of dealing with backsliders is
to tenderly remind them of the dying love of the Lord Jesus!
"Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my
hands; and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side: and be
not faithless but believing." While the link between this and the
verse before is unspeakably blessed, yet the actual contents of it are
most searching and solemn. The language which the Savior here employed
affords positive proof that He had heard the petulant and sceptical
words of Thomas to his fellow-apostles--cf. John 20:25. No one had
seen the Lord as visibly present when Thomas gave utterance to his
unbelief. None had reported his words to Christ. Yet was He fully
acquainted with them! He had listened to the outburst of His disciple,
and now makes Thomas aware of it. Wondrous proof was this of His
omniscience! Searching warning is it for us! The One who died on
Calvary's cross was "God manifest in flesh," and being God, He not
only sees every deed we perform, but also hears every word that we
utter. O that we might be more conscious, hour by hour, that the eye
of Divine holiness is ever upon us, that the ear of the omnipresent
One is ever open to all that we say, that He still stands in the midst
of the seven golden candlesticks! To realize this is to walk "in the
fear of God."
"Reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side." What solemn light
this casts upon what we read in John 19:34. It must have been a large
wound for the Lord to tell Thomas to thrust in his hand.; What
indignities the Savior suffered for our sakes! Again, do not these
wounds of Christ throw light upon the character of the resurrection
body? Do they not argue strongly that our personal identity will
survive the great transformation? It needs to be borne in mind that
the bodies of those who sleep in the dust of the earth are not going
to be re-created, but resurrected! And grand and glorious as will be
the change from our present mortal bodies, yet it seems clear from
several scriptures that our personal identity will be so preserved
that recognition will not only be possible but certain.
"Be not faithless, but believing." "This is a rebuke and an
exhortation at the same time. It is not merely a reproof to Thomas for
his scepticism on this particular occasion, but an urgent counsel to
be of a more believing turn of mind for the time to come. `Shake off
this habit of doubting, questioning, and discrediting every one. Give
up thine unbelieving disposition. Become more willing to believe and
trust.' No doubt the primary object of the sentence was to correct and
chastise Thomas for his sceptical declaration to his brethren. But I
believe our Lord had in view the further object of correcting Thomas'
whole character, and directing his attention to his besetting sin. How
many there are among us who ought to take to themselves our Lord's
words! How faithless we often are, and how slow to believe!" (Bishop
Ryle).
"And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God" (John
20:28). How blessed! In a moment the doubter was transformed into a
worshipper. Like Paul (Acts 26:19), Thomas "was not disobedient to the
heavenly vision." There was no room for scepticism now, no occasion
for him to put his finger "into the print of the nails," and thrust
his hand "into his side" (John 20:25). The language of Christ in the
next verse--"Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed"--makes it
clear that Thomas did not do as he had boasted. There was no need for
him to handle Christ now: his intellectual doubts had vanished because
his heart was satisfied! The words of Thomas on this occasion gave
evidence of his faith in Christ, his subjection to Him, and his
affection for Him.
"And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God." This is
the only time in the Gospels that anyone owned Christ as "God." And
what was it that evoked this blessed testimony? The context tells us.
The fact that Christ knew the very words which he had used, satisfied
Thomas that Immanuel stood before him; hence his worshipful
confession. And when we meet Him in the air, see the glory streaming
through His pierced hands and side ("He had bright beams out of His
side!" Habakkuk 3:4), when we hear His "Peace be unto you," when we
perceive that He knows all about us, we too shall cry "My Lord and my
God."
How marvelous are the ways of Divine grace. Doubting Thomas was the
one who gave the strongest and most conclusive testimony to the
absolute Deity of the Savior which ever came from the lips of a man!
Just as the railing thief became the one to own Christ's Lordship from
the cross, just as timid Joseph and Nicodemus were the ones who
honored the dead body of the Savior, just as the women were the
boldest at the sepulcher, just as unfaithful Peter was the one whom
Christ bade "Feed my sheep," just as the prime persecutor of the early
church became the apostle to the Gentiles, so the sceptical and
materialistic Thomas was the one to say "My Lord and my God." Where
sin abounded, grace did much more abound!
"And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God." Mark the
word "said unto him." It was no mere ejaculation. Thomas was not here
speaking to the Father nor of the Father, but to and of the Son. The
fact that Thomas addressed Him as "my Lord" evidences that he too had
now "received the Holy Spirit" (cf. John 20:22), for "no man can say
that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:3). It is
very striking to contrast what we read of in 1 Kings 18:39. When
Elijah met the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, and in response to
his faith and prayer, Jehovah was pleased to manifest Himself by
sending fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice and lick up the
water; the people exclaimed, "The Lord, he is the God, the Lord, he is
the God." But Thomas here did far more than this: he not only
acknowledged that Jesus of Nazareth was Lord and God, but he confessed
Him as "my Lord and my God." And how striking that this is recorded in
connection with the third notice of Thomas, and the third appearance
of the resurrected Christ in this Gospel--it is only as risen from the
dead the Lord Jesus could be our Lord and God!
"And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God." "This
noble confession of Thomas admits of only one meaning: it was a
blessed testimony to our Lord's Deity. It was a clear, unmistakable
declaration that Thomas believed Him, when he saw Him that day, to be
not only man, but God. And, above all, it was a testimony which our
Lord received and did not prohibit and a declaration which He did not
say one word to rebuke. When Cornelius fell down at the feet of Peter
and would have worshipped him, the apostle refused such honor at once:
`Stand up; I myself am a man' (Acts 10:26). When the people of Lystra
would have done sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas, `they rent their
clothes and ran in among the people, saying, Sirs, why do ye these
things? We are men of like passions with you,' Acts 14:15. (When John
fell down to worship before the feet of the angel, he said unto him,
`See thou do it not': Revelation 22:8, 9.--A.W.P.). But when Thomas
said to Jesus, `My Lord and my God,' the words do not elicit a
syllable of reproof from our holy and truth-loving Master. Can we
doubt that these things were written for our learning?
"Let us settle it firmly in our minds that the Deity of Christ is one
of the grand foundation truths of Christianity, and let us be willing
to go to the stake rather than deny it. Unless our Lord Jesus is very
God of very God, there is an end of His mediation, His atonement, His
priesthood, His whole work of redemption. These doctrines are useless
blasphemies unless Christ is God. Forever let us bless God that the
Deity of our Lord is taught everywhere in the Scriptures, and stands
on evidence that can never be overthrown. Above all, let us daily
repose our sinful selves on Christ with undoubting confidence, as one
that is perfect God as well as perfect man. He is man, and therefore
can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He is God, and
therefore `is able to save unto the uttermost them that come unto God
by him.' That Christian has no cause to fear who can look to Jesus by
faith and say with Thomas, `My Lord and my God.'" (Bishop Ryle).
"Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast
believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed"
(John 20:29). Christ accepted Thomas' confession, but reminded him
that it was occasioned by outward signs, the appeal to his sight. What
a warning against the modern craving for "signs"--a tendency upon
which Satan is now trading in many directions. And how it condemns
those materialists who say they will not believe in anything which
they cannot examine with their physical senses! Thomas had insisted
upon seeing the risen Christ, and the Lord graciously granted his
request. The result was he believed. But the Lord pointed out to His
disciple that there is a greater blessedness resting on those who have
never seen Him in the flesh, yet who have believed--an expression
which looked back to the Old Testament saints as well as forward to
us! This was the last of our Lord's beatitudes.
"Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." What a
precious word is this for our hearts. We have never seen Him in the
flesh. Here, then, is a promise for us. Should it be asked: How do you
know that the rejected One is now in the glory? the answer would be,
Because of His own word that when He went there He would send down to
His people the Holy Spirit. Therefore, every joy in God which we now
have, every longing for Christ, manifests His Spirit's presence in our
souls, and this is a precious testimony to the tact that Christ is now
on High. These manifestations of the Spirit here are the proofs that
Christ is there. They are the antitype of the "bells" on the robe of
the high priest when he went unto the holy of holies on the Day of
Atonement (see Exodus 28:33-35.). As the people listened on the
outside, they heard the unseen movements of their representative
within; so we are conscious of the presence of our High Priest in the
Holiest by the tongues of the "bells"--the sweet testimony now borne
to us by the Holy Spirit. And why is there a greater blessedness
pronounced on us than upon those who saw Christ during the days when
He tabernacled among men? Because we own Him during the day of His
rejection, and therefore He is more honored by such faith! It is faith
in Himself, faith which rests alone on the Word, which Christ
pronounces "blessed."
"And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his
disciples, which are not written in this book" (John 20:30). This and
the following verse comes in parenthetically. The whole of chapter 20
is occupied with a recountal of the appearance of the risen Christ
unto His own, and this is continued in chapter 21 as the very first
verse shows. We take it that the "many other signs" refer not to what
the Lord had done through the whole course of His public ministry, but
to the proofs which the risen Christ had furnished His apostles. This
is confirmed by the words "Many other signs truly did Jesus in the
presence of his disciples," whereas, most of His ministerial signs
were performed before the general public. There were other signs which
the Savior gave to the Eleven which proved that He had risen from the
dead, but the Holy Spirit did not move John to record them. Some of
them are described in the Synoptics. For example, His appearing to the
two disciples on the way to Emmaus (Luke 24:15), His eating in the
presence of the Eleven (Luke 24:43), His opening their understandings
to understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:45), His appearing to them in
Galilee (Matthew 28:16), His declaration that all power was given unto
Him in heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18), His commissioning them to
make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the
triune God (Matthew 28:19, 20). Others of these "signs" are recorded
in Acts 1, 1 Corinthians 15, etc. When John says that these "other
signs" which Jesus did are not written in this book [the fourth
Gospel], he implies that they are in some other book or books. On
this, one has quaintly said, "St. John generously recognizes the
existence of other books beside his own, and disclaims the idea of his
Gospel being the only one which Christians ought to read. Happy is
that author which can humbly say `My book does not contain everything
about the subject it handles. There are other books about it. Read
them.'"
"But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the
Christ. the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through
his name" (John 20:31). Here the Holy Spirit tells why the
resurrection-signs of Christ mentioned by John are recorded in this
Gospel. They are written not merely to furnish us with historical
information about the Lord Jesus, but that we might believe on Him!
They are written that we might believe on Him as "the Christ," the
Messiah, the anointed One--Him to whom the Old Testament prophets
pointed. They are written that we might believe on Jesus as "the Son
of God," the second Person of the Godhead incarnate, the One whose
Divine glories are unfolded more particularly in the New Testament.
And they are written that we might believe on Him thus in order that
we might have "life through his name." It is faith in the written
revelation which God has given of His Son which brings "life" and all
that is included in that word--salvation, immortality, eternal glory.
Reader, hast thou "believed"? Not about Christ, but in Him? Have you
received Him as your Lord and Savior? If so, the blessing of Heaven
rests upon you. If not, you are, even now, "under condemnation," and
if you remain in your wicked unbelief there awaits you nought but "the
blackness of darkness forever."
The following questions are to help the student on John 21:1-14:--
1. Why did not the disciples recognize Christ, verse 4?
2. Why did Christ ask the question in verse 5?
3. What does Peter's act denote, verse 7?
4. Why mention the "fire of coals," verse 9?
5. Why was not the net broken, verse 11?
6. What is the spiritual significance of verses 12, 13?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 70
Christ by the Sea of Tiberias
John 21:1-14
_________________________________________________________________
The following is an Analysis of our present passage:--
1. Christ's third appearing to the apostles, verses 1, 14.
2. The seven on the sea, verses 2, 3.
3. Their dulness and emptiness, verses 4, 5.
4. The miracle of the fishes, verse 6.
5. John's recognition and Peter's response, verse 7.
6. The landing of the six, verses 8, 9.
7. Christ's welcome, verses 10-13.
The opening verses of this Gospel are in the nature of a Prologue, so
the closing chapter is more or less an Epilogue. In the former, the
Holy Spirit has set forth what Christ was before He came forth from
the Father; in the latter He has shown, in mystical guise, how He now
rules the world after His return to the Father. "The prologue is
intended to exhibit the external life of Christ as it preceded His
manifestation in the world; the epilogue appears to have for its
scope, to exhibit His spiritual sway in the world as it would continue
after He had left it" (Lange). All here has a profound significance.
The disciples are on the sea; the Lord, no longer with them, directs
from the shore, manifesting His power by working with them in their
seemingly lonesome toil, and exhibiting His love in providing food for
them. Then the charge is left to "feed his sheep." His final word was
a reference to His coming again.
The varied details of chapter 21 supply a most instructive and
marvelously complete lesson on service. In the previous chapter we
have seen the Savior establishing the hearts of the apostles by His
word of "Peace," endowing them with the Holy Spirit, and then
commissioning them to proclaim remission of sins. Here we have, in
symbolic form, the apostles engaged in active ministry. The order is
most suggestive. What we receive from the Lord Jesus is to be used for
the good of others. Freely we have received, freely we are now to
give. The key to the practical significance of the scene here
portrayed lies in the almost identical circumstances when the apostles
received their first ministerial call--Luke 5.
The chapter as a whole falls into seven parts as we analyze it from
the viewpoint of its teaching on service. First, we see men serving in
the energy of the flesh (John 21:2, 3). Peter says, "I go a fishing."
He had received no call from God to do so. His action illustrates
self-will, and the response of the other six men acting under human
leadership. Second, we are shown the barrenness of such efforts (John
21:3-5). They toiled all night, but caught nothing, and when the Lord
asked if they had any meat, they had to answer, No. Third, the Lord
now directs their energies, telling them where to work (John 21:6):
the result was that the net was filled with fishes. Fourth, we learn
of the Lord's gracious provision for His servants (John 21:12, 13): He
had provided for them, and invites them to eat. Fifth, we are taught
what is the only acceptable motive for service--love to Christ (John
21:15, 17). Sixth, the Lord makes known how that He appoints the time
and manner of the death of those of His servants who die (John 21:18,
19). Seventh, the Lord concludes by leaving with them the prospect of
His return; not for death, but for Himself they should look (John
21:20, 24).
The miracle in John 21 stands alone: it is the only recorded one which
Christ wrought after His resurrection, and most fittingly is it the
last narrated in this Gospel. Its striking resemblance to the first
miracle which some of these disciples had witnessed (Luke 5:1-11) must
have brought to their remembrance the very similar circumstances under
which they had been called by Christ to leave their occupation as
fishermen and become fishers of men. Thus they would be led to
interpret this present "sign" by the past one, and see in it a renewed
summons to their work of catching men, and a renewed assurance that
their labor in the Lord would not be in vain. Suitably was it the last
miracle which they witnessed at the hands of their Master, for it
supplied a symbol which would continually animate them to and in their
service for Him. It was designed to assure them that just as He had
prospered their efforts while He was with them in the flesh, so they
could count on His guidance, power, and blessing when He was absent
from them.
This final miracle of the Savior was performed in Galilee, so also was
His first (i.e., the turning of the water into wine), and it seems
clear that the Holy Spirit would have us use the law of comparison and
contrast again. The author of "The Companion Bible" has called
attention to quite a number of striking correspondences between the
two miracles: we mention a few, leaving the interested reader to work
out the others for himself. In both miracles there is a striking
background: in the one we have the confession of Nathanael (John
1:49); in the other, the confession of Thomas (John 20:28). The first
miracle was on "the third day" (John 2:1); the latter was "the third
time" the Lord showed Himself to the apostles (John 21:14). The one
was occasioned by them having "no wine" (John 2:3); the other, by them
having no fish (John 21:3, 5). In both the Lord uttered a command:
"Fill the waterpots" (John 2:7); "Cast the net" (John 21:6). In both
Christ furnished a bountiful supply: the water pots were "filled to
the brim (John 2:7); the net full of great fishes (John 21:11). In
both a number is mentioned: "six waterpots" (John 2:6); "one hundred
and fifty and three fishes" (John 21:11). In both Christ manifested
His Deity (John 2:11; 21:12, 14). How much we lose by not carefully
comparing scripture with scripture!
"After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the
sea of Tiber, as; and on this wise showed he" (John 21:1). "After
these things" always marks off a distinct section in John's writings.
The earlier appearances of the risen Savior were in view of the then
condition and need of the apostles to establish their faith and assure
their hearts. But here, what the Lord did and said, had a prophetic
significance, anticipating and picturing His future relations to them.
"Jesus showed himself," not presenting Himself, but manifested His
presence, power, and glory. It was not simply that the disciples saw
him, but that he revealed Himself. "His body after the resurrection
was only visible by a distinct act of His will. From that time the
disciples did not, as before, see Jesus, but He appeared unto them. It
is not for nothing that the language is changed. Henceforth, He was to
be recognized not by the flesh, but by the spirit; not by human
faculties, but by Divine perceptions: His disciples were to walk by
faith, and not by sight" (Chrysostom). When we are told in Acts 1:3
that the Lord Jesus was "seen of them forty days," it does not mean
that the Lord was corporeally present with them throughout this
period, nor that He was seen by them each day. He was visible and
invisible, appeared in one form or another, according to His own
pleasure.
"At the sea of Tiberias." In John 6:1 we read, "The sea of Galilee,
which is the sea of Tiberias," the latter being its Roman name. In
Matthew 28:10 we learn that the risen Savior had said to the women at
the sepulcher, "Go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and
there shall they see me." This, then, explains the presence of the
seven disciples here in Galilee. Where the other four were, and why
they had not yet arrived, we do not know. But it seems clear that
these seven had no business there at the sea, for Matthew 28:16
distinctly says, "The eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a
mountain where Jesus had appointed them." It looks very much as though
Peter was restless, and while waiting the coming of the other apostles
he said, "I go a fishing"--to the last we see his energetic nature at
work. Others have suggested that the reason they went a fishing was in
order that they might obtain food for a meal, and possibly this did
supply an additional motive--cf. John 21:12.
"There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and
Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other
of his disciples" (John 21:2). Peter being mentioned first intimates
that the enumeration here is the order of grace. "Thomas" occupying
the second place in the list is a further indication of this. The
removal of his doubts had restored the Eleven to unity of faith, and
prepared them for mutual fellowship again. "There were together Simon
Peter and Thomas," which is a beautiful contrast from John 20:24--"But
Thomas was not with them!" Thomas is named next to Peter, as if he now
kept closer to the meetings of the apostles than ever. "It is well if
losses by our neglect make us more careful afterwards not to let
opportunities slip" (Matthew Henry). Of "Nathanael" we read elsewhere
only in John 1:45-51: probably he is the "Bartholomew" of Matthew
10:3. Next come the "sons of Zebedee," emphasizing their
fishermen-character. This is the only place where John does not refer
to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved": the absence of this
expression here being in full accord with the fact that it is the
order of grace which is before us. Who the other two disciples were we
are not told.
"Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We
also go with thee. They went forth and entered into a ship
immediately; and that night they caught nothing" (John 21:3). That
Peter is here seen taking the lead is in full accord with what we read
elsewhere of his impulsive and impetuous nature. Most of the
commentators consider that the disciples were fully justified in
acting as they did on this occasion. But the Lord had not given them
orders to fish for any but men. It seems to us, therefore, that they
were acting according to the promptings of nature. The fact that it
was night-time also suggests that they were not walking as children of
light. Nor did the Lord appear to them during that night: they were
left to themselves! The further fact that they "caught nothing" is at
least a warning hint that servants of the Lord cannot count on His
blessing when they choose the time and place of their labors, and when
they run, unsent. These beloved disciples had to be taught in their
own experience, as we all have to be, the truth which the Lord had
enunciated just before His death--"Without me, ye can do nothing"
(John 15:5); not, a little, but nothing! The further fact that we are
told, "They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately" as soon
as Peter had said, "I go a fishing," instead of first looking to God
for guidance, or weighing what Peter had said, supplies further
evidence that the whole company was acting in the energy of the
flesh--a solemn warning for each of God's servants to wait on the Lord
for their instructions instead of taking them from a human leader!
"But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the
disciples knew not that it was Jesus" (John 21:4). The "But" here adds
further confirmation to what we have said above on John 21:3. That
these disciples now failed to recognize the Savior indicates that
their spiritual faculties were not then in exercise. It seems evident
that they were not expecting Him. And how often He draws near to us
and we know it not! And how often our acting in the energy of the
flesh and following the example of human leaders is the cause of this!
In the Greek, the dosing words of this verse are identical with those
found at the end of John 20:14: "and [Mary] knew not that it was
Jesus." She was immersed in sorrow, occupied with death, and she
recognized not the Savior. These men had returned to their worldly
calling, and were occupied with their bodily needs and recognized Him
not. Surely these things are written for our learning!
"Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered
him, No" (John 21:5). Our Lord's form of address here is also
searchingly suggestive. He did not use the term of endearment employed
in John 13:33, "Little children," but employed the more general form
of salutation, which the margin renders "Sirs." He spoke not according
to the intimacies of love, but as from a distance--a further hint from
the Spirit as to how we are to interpret John 21:2, 3. But why did He
ask: "Have ye any meat?" He knew, of course, that they had none; what,
then, was the purpose of His enquiry? Was it not designed to draw from
them a confession of their failure, ere He met their need? And is not
this ever His way with His own? Before He furnishes the abundant
supply, we must first be made conscious of our emptiness. Before He
gives strength, we must be made to feel our weakness. Slow, painfully
slow, are we to learn this lesson; and slower still to own our
nothingness and take the place of helplessness before the Mighty One.
The disciples on the sea picture us, here in this world; the Savior on
the shore (whither we are bound) Christ in Heaven. How blessed, then,
to behold Him occupied with us below, and speaking to us from "the
shore!" It was not the disciples who addressed the Lord, but He who
spoke to them!
"And He said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship,
and ye shall find" (John 21:6). How this evidences the Deity of the
One here speaking to these disciples! He knew on which side of the
ship the net should be cast. But more, did it not show them, and us,
that He is sovereign of the sea? These men had fished all their lives,
yet had they toiled throughout that night and taken nothing. But here
was the Lord telling them to cast their net but once, and assuring
them they should find. Was it not He, by His invisible power, that
drew the fishes into their net! And what a striking line is this
picture of Christian service. How He tells the servants that success
in their ministry is due not to their eloquence, their power of
persuasion, or their any thing, but due alone to His sovereign
drawing-power. A most blessed foreshadowment did the Savior here give
the apostles of the Divine blessing which should rest upon their
labors for Him. In full and striking accord with this was the fact
that the Lord bade them "Cast the net on the right side of the
ship"--cf. Matthew 25:34: "Then shall the king say unto them on his
right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world!"
"They cast, therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the
multitude of fishes" (John 21:6). This is very striking. The Lord was
a hundred yards away from them (John 21:8), yet they heard plainly
what He said. Again: He was, so far as their recognition of Him at the
moment, an entire stranger to them. Moreover, notwithstanding the fact
that they had fished all night and caught nothing, and had already
drawn up the net into the boat, as being useless to prolong their
efforts; nevertheless, they now promptly cast it into the sea again.
How strikingly this demonstrated once more the power of the Word--in
making them hear His voice, in overcoming whatever scruples they may
have had, in moving their hearts to prompt obedience. Verily, "all
power in heaven and in earth" is His. In the abundant intake the
disciples were taught that in "keeping his commandments there is great
reward" (Ps. 19:11). And what a lesson for those who seek to serve:
His it is to issue orders, ours to obey--unmurmuringly,
unquestioningly, promptly.
"Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the
Lord" (John 21:7). This is in perfect keeping with what we read
elsewhere about John--the most devoted of the apostles, he possessed
the most spiritual discernment. He was the one who leaned on the
Master's breast at the supper, and to whom the Lord communicated the
secret of the betrayer's identity (John 13:23-26). He was the one that
was nearest to the cross, and to whose care the Savior committed His
mother (John 19:26, 27). He it was who was the first of the Eleven to
perceive that the Lord had risen from the dead (John 20:8). So here,
he was the first of the seven to identify the One on the shore. How
perfectly harmonious are the Scriptures! "The tenderest love has the
first and surest instincts of the object beloved" (Stier). And what a
lesson is here again for the Lord's servants: when He grants success
to our labors, when the Gospel-net in our hands gathers fishes, let us
not forget to own "It is the Lord!" To how much more may and should
this principle be applied. As we admire the beauties of nature, as we
observe the orderliness of her laws, as we receive countless mercies
and blessings every day, let us say "It is the Lord!" So, too, when
our plans go awry, when disappointment, affliction, persecution comes
our way, still let us own "It is the Lord!" It is not blind chance
which rules our lives, but the One who died for us on the cross.
"Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's
coat unto him (for he was naked) and did cast himself into the sea"
(John 21:7). This was in full keeping with Peter's character: if John
was the first to recognize Christ, Peter was the first to act! Nor do
we believe that it was mere impulsiveness which prompted him--his
collectedness in first girding himself with the outer garment makes
decisively against such a superficial conclusion. Peter, too, was
devoted to Christ, deeply so, and it was love which here made him
impatient to reach Christ. Peter's action makes us recall that night
on the stormy sea when the Savior walked on the waves toward the ship
in which the disciples were. Peter it was, then, who said unto the
Lord, "Bid me come unto thee on the water" (Matthew 14:28), for he
could not wait for his Beloved to reach him. Beautiful it is now to
observe that there was no reserve about Peter. In the interval between
Matthew 14 and John 21, he had basely denied his Master; but in the
interval, too, and after the denial, he had heard His "Peace be unto
you," and, plainly, this reassuring word had been treasured up in his
heart. Observe that Peter left the net full of fishes for Christ, like
the Samaritan woman who left her waterpot. The "girding" of himself
evidences the deep reverence in which he held the Savior!
"And the other disciples came in a little ship (for they were not far
from the land, but as it were two hundred cubits) dragging the net
with fishes" (John 21:8). Love does not act uniformly; it expresses
itself differently, through various temperaments. John did not jump
out of the ship, though he was equally devoted as Peter, nor did the
other five. The six remained in the skiff or punt which usually
accompanied the large fishing vessels, so as to draw the net full of
fishes safely to land; illustrating the fact that faithful evangelists
will not desert those who have been saved under their preaching, but
will labor with them, care for them, and do all in their power to
ensure their safely reaching the shore. The parenthetical remark seems
to be brought in here to emphasize the miraculous character of this
catch of fish, and to teach us that sometimes converts to Christ will
be found in the most unlikely places--the net was cast close in to the
shore!
"As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals
there, and fish laid thereon, and bread" (John 21:9). This is most
blessed. It illustrates once more the precious truth that Jesus Christ
is "the same yesterday, and to-day and forever." Even in His
resurrection-glory He was not unmindful of their physical needs. Ever
thoughtful, ever compassionate for His own, the Savior here showed His
toiling disciples that He cared for their bodies as well as their
souls: "For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust"
(Ps. 103:14). We doubt not that this provision of His was miraculously
produced: the fire, the fish on it, and the bread by its side, were
the creations of Him who has but to will a thing and it is done. It is
surely significant that the food which Christ here provided for the
disciples was of the same variety as that with which He had fed the
hungry multitude close by the same sea. The fish and the bread would
doubtless recall the earlier miracle to the minds of the apostles.
"They saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread."
What is the deeper significance of this? First, it tells us of the
Lord's care for His servants, and is the concrete pledge that He will
supply all their need. Second, the Lord has left us an example to
follow: if the Son of God condescended to spread this table for His
children after their night of toil, let us not think it beneath us to
take loving forethought whenever we have the opportunity of
ministering to the physical comfort of His servants: even a cup of
water given in His name will yet be rewarded. Third, it signifies that
in the midst of laboring for others, our own souls need warming and
feeding--a lesson which many a servant of God has failed to heed.
Fourth, the fact that there were fish already on the fire before the
disciples drew their full net to land, intimates that the Lord is not
restricted to the labors of His servants, but that He can and does
save souls altogether apart from human instrumentality--another thing
we need to take to heart these days when man is so much magnified.
Finally, does not this gracious provision of Christ forecast the
refreshment and satisfaction which will be ours when our toiling on
the troublous sea of this world shall be ended, and we are safely
landed on the Heavenly shore!
"Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught"
(John 21:10). "In this verse our Lord calls on the disciples to bring
proof that, in casting the net at His command, they had not labored in
vain. It was the second word that He spake to them, we must remember,
on this occasion. The first saying was, `Cast the net on the right
side of the ship, and ye shall find.' The second saying was, `Bring of
the fish which ye have now caught,' with a strong emphasis on the word
`now.' I believe our Lord's object was to show the disciples that the
secret of success was to work at His command, and to act with implicit
obedience to His word. It is as though He had said, `Draw up the net,
and see for yourselves how profitable it is to do what I tell you.'
Fish for food they did not want now, for it was provided for them.
Proof of the power of Christ's blessing, and the importance of working
under Him was the lesson to be taught, and as they drew up the net
they would learn it" (Bishop Ryle). This also is in full accord with
the fact that the practical teaching of this chapter is instruction
upon service.
"Bring of the fish which ye have now caught." Is there not also a
spiritual hint in this verse? The "fish" symbolize the souls which the
Lord enables His servants to gather in. In bidding them bring of the
fish to Him, He intimated they would have fellowship together, not
only in laboring, but also in enjoying the fruits of it! It reminds us
of His words in John 4:36: "He that reapeth receiveth wages, and
gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he
that reapeth may rejoice together." The Lord delights in sharing His
joy with us. Beautifully is this brought out again in Luke 15:6: "When
he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying
unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost."
How marvelous the grace which here said to the disciples: "Bring of
the fish which ye have now caught?
"Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an
hundred and fifty and three; and for all there were so many, yet was
not the net broken" (John 21:11). Peter drew the net to land: how
remarkable is this in view of what is said in John 21:6: "They were
not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes." Surely this points
another important lesson in connection with service. What six men had
been unable to do in their own strength, one man now did when he went
to his work from the feet of Christ! Peter was weaker than gossamer
thread when he followed his Lord afar off; but in His presence, a
sevenfold power came upon him! A similar example is found in Judges
6:14: "The Lord looked upon him [Gideon] and said, Go in this thy
might." The place of strength is still at the feet of the Savior, and
strength will be imparted exactly in proportion as we are in conscious
fellowship with Him and drawing from His infinite fullness. "He giveth
power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth
strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men
shall utterly fail; but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their
strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run,
and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint" (Isa. 40:29-31).
How much each of us need to heed that word, "Wait on the Lord, be of
good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart; wait, I say, on the
Lord" (Ps. 27:14). How lamentable, and how humbling, that we are so
slow to avail ourselves of the unfailing strength which is to be found
in Him; found for the feeblest who will wait on Him in simple faith
and earnest entreaty.
"Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes,
an hundred and fifty and three; and for all there were so many, yet
was not the net broken." There are two details here upon which the
ingenuity of many have been freely exercised: the number of the fish,
and the not breaking of the net. There is little room to doubt that
Peter would recall the miraculous draught of fishes on a former
occasion, when the net did break (Luke 5). On that occasion the
miracle was followed by the Lord saying unto Simon, "From henceforth
thou shalt catch men." There it is the work of the evangelist which is
in view, and therefore there is no numbering, tot it is impossible for
him to count up those who are saved under his Gospel message.
Following this second miraculous draught, the Lord said unto Simon,
"Feed my sheep." Here it is the work of the pastor or teacher which is
in view, and hence there is numbering, for he ought to be able to
determine which are sheep and which are goats. In the former the net
breaks, for though many profess to believe the Gospel, yet few really
do so to the saving of their souls. In the latter, the net breaks not,
for none of the elect (the "right" side of the ship) shall perish. As
for the spiritual meaning of the numbering of the fish here, observe
that they were not counted till the end, not in John 21:6, but in John
21:11; not while in the ship, but after "the land" is reached! Not
till we come to Heaven shall we know the number of God's elect!
"Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine" (John 21:12). How beautifully
this evidenced the fact that He was still the same loving, gracious,
condescending One as in the days of His humiliation! The disciples
were not kept at a distance. They were invited to draw near, and
partake of the provision which His own compassion had supplied. So He
still says to the one who responds to His knocking, "I will come in to
him and sup with him, and he with me" (Rev. 3:20). Here for the last
time we hear His blessed and familiar "Come." "Come" not "Go." He did
not send them away, but invited them to Himself.
"And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that
it was the Lord" (John 21:12). "This statement is by no means to be
understood as implying any doubt, but on the contrary a full
persuasion that it was Christ Himself. Yet may we infer from it the
change which had passed upon Him, and the awe which possessed them,
after His resurrection. He was the same, and yet not the same. There
was so much of His former appearance as to preclude doubtfulness;
there was so much of change as to prevent all curious and carnal
questioning. They sat down to the meal in silence, wondering at, while
at the same time they well knew, Him Who was thus their Host" (Mr. G.
Brown). It was reverence for Him which suppressed their inquiries.
"Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish
likewise" (John 21:13). As Master of the feast, as Head of the family
he now dispensed His mercies. But we may observe that no longer does
the Lord give thanks before meat with His guests, as formerly He did
(John 6:11). Then, it was as the perfect Man, the Servant ministering,
that He gave thanks to God, with and for and before them all, for what
God had given them: but now, as God, He Himself gives, and requires
them to recognize Him as the Lord. There, it was His humanity which
was the more prominent; here, His Deity. Yet how unspeakably blessed
to observe that this One who is now "crowned with glory and honor" was
still their Minister, caring for them! Not only was this the emblem of
that spiritual fellowship which it is our unspeakable privilege to
enjoy with Christ even now, but also the pledge of the future
relations which will exist. Even in a coming day "He will `gird'
Himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and
serve them" (Luke 12:37). He will yet give us to "eat of the tree of
life" (Rev. 2:7), and of the "hidden manna" (Rev. 2:17).
"This is now the third time that Jesus showed himself to his
disciples, after that he was risen from the dead" (John 21:14). This
does not mean that the Lord made but three appearances in all, but the
third that John was led to record: the other two he mentions, are
found in chapter 20. It should be remembered that during the "forty
days" of Acts 1, which intervened between His resurrection and
ascension, Christ did not consort with His disciples as before, but
only showed Himself to them occasionally.
It is deeply interesting to compare the record found in Luke 5 of the
earlier miraculous draught of fishes; there are a number of
comparisons and contrasts. Both took place at the sea of Galilee; both
were preceded by a night of fruitless toil; both evidenced the
supernatural power of Christ; both were followed by a commission to
Peter. But in the former, the Lord was in the ship; here, on the
shore: in the one the net broke, in the other it did not: the one was
at the beginning of Christ's public ministry; the latter, after His
resurrection: in the former, Peter's commission was to fish for "men";
in the latter, to feed Christ's "sheep"; in the one the number of
fishes is not given; in the latter it is.
The following questions are to aid the student on our final section:--
1. Why after "they had dined" did Christ speak, verse 15?
2. Why did Christ ask Peter verse 15?
3. What is the difference between Peter's three commissions, verses
15, 16, 17?
4. What is meant by grieved, verse 17?
5. Why did Peter turn around, verse 20?
6. What should Christ's rebuke teach us, verse 22?
7. What is the force of verse 25?
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A. W. Pink Header
Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 71
Christ and Peter
John 21:15-25
_________________________________________________________________
The following is an Analysis of our final section:--
1. The threefold question, verses. 15, 17.
2. The threefold reply, verses 15, 17.
3. The threefold commission, verses 15, 17.
4. Christ's prophecy concerning Peter's death, verses 18, 19.
5. Peter's question concerning John, verses 20, 21.
6. Christ's reply, verses 22, 23.
7. John's final testimony, verses 24, 25.
The final section of this truly wondrous and most blessed Gospel
contains teaching greatly needed by our fickle and feeble hearts. The
central figures are the Lord and Simon Peter, and what we have here is
the sequel to what was before us in chapter thirteen, the Lord washing
the feet of His disciples. There, too, Peter was to the fore, and that
because he occupies the position of a representative believer; that
is, his fall and the cause of it, his restoration and the means
employed for it, illustrate the experiences of the Christian and the
provisions which Divine grace has made for him. Before we take this up
in detail let us add that, just as in the first part of John 21 we
have, in symbol, the confirmation of the calling of the Apostles to be
fishers of men, so in this second section we have the final
establishment of the one to whom the keys of the kingdom were
entrusted.
The first thing recorded in connection with Peter's fall is our Lord's
words to him before it took place: "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath
desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed
for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted,
strengthen thy brethren" (Luke 22:31, 32). This is very solemn and
very blessed. Solemn is it to observe that the Lord prayed not to keep
Peter from failing. In suffering His apostle to fall, the Lord's mercy
comes out most signally, for that fall was necessary in order to
reveal to Peter the condition of his heart, to show him the
worthlessness of self-confidence, and to humble his proud spirit. The
need for Satan's "sifting" was at once made manifest by the Apostle's
reply, "And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both
into prison, and to death" (Luke 22:33). "This is a condition which
not only exposes one to a fall, but from which the fall itself may be
the only remedy. We have to learn that when we are weak only are we
strong; and that Christ's strength is made perfect in our weakness.
Peter's case is a typical one; and thus it is so valuable for us.
"The Lord Himself, in such a case as this, cannot pray ("cannot"
morally do so--A.W.P.) that Peter may not fall, but that he may be
`converted' by it, turned from that dangerous self-confidence to
consciousness of his inability to trust himself, even for a moment.
Here Satan is foiled and made to serve the purpose of that grace which
he hates and resists. He can overpower this self-sufficient Peter; but
only to fling him for relief upon his omnipotent Lord. Just as the
`messenger of Satan to buffet' Paul (2 Cor. 12), only works for what
he in nowise desires, to repress the pride so ready to spring up in
us, and which the lifting up to the third heaven might tend to foster.
Here there had been no fall, and all was over-ruled for fullest
blessing; in Peter's case, on the other hand, Satan's effort would be
to assail the fallen disciple with suggestions of a sin too great to
be forgiven--or, at least, for restoration to that eminent place from
which it would be torture to remember he had fallen. What he needed to
meet this with was faith; and this, therefore, the Lord prays, might
not fail him.
"How careful is He to revive and strengthen in the humbled man the
practical confidence so needful! The knowledge of it all given him
beforehand--of the prayer made for him--of the exhortation addressed
to him when restored, to `strengthen his brethren'--all this would be
balm indeed for his wounded soul; but even this was not enough for his
compassionate Lord. The first message of His resurrection had to be
addressed specially `to Peter' (Mark 16:7), and to `Cephas' himself He
appears, before the Twelve (1 Cor. 15:5). Thus He will not shrink back
when they are all seen together. When we find him at the sea of
Tiberias, it is easy to realize that all this has done its work. Told
that it is the Lord who is there on the shore, he girds on his outer
garment, and casts himself into the sea, impatient to meet his Lord.
But now he is ready, and only now, for that so necessary dealing with
his conscience, when his heart is fully assured" (Numerical Bible).
When the Savior washed the feet of Peter, he said, "What I do thou
knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter" (John 13:7). This
cleansing, as we saw, has to do with the maintenance of a "part with"
Christ (John 13:8). It tells of the Lord's gracious work in restoring
a soul which has become defiled and out of communion with Him; the
"water" figuring the means which He uses, the Word. Now, at that time
Peter had not fallen, and therefore he perceived not the significance
of the Savior's (anticipatory) act. But now he is to learn in his
conscience the holy requirements of Christ, and experience the
purifying power of the Word and the recovering grace of our great High
Priest.
In John 21:9 we learn that the first thing which confronted the
Apostle when he joined the Lord on the shore was "a fire of coals," an
expression found again in John's Gospel only in John 18:18. There we
read of "a fire of coals" in the priest's palace, and that Peter stood
by its side with Christ's enemies "warming himself." It was there that
he had denied his Master. How this "fire of coals" by the sea of
Tiberias would prick his conscience: a silent preacher, but a powerful
one, nevertheless! Christ did not point to it, nor say anything about
it; that was unnecessary. Next we read of the seven disciples
partaking of the food which the Savior had provided, showing that the
Lord's attitude toward Peter had not changed. The meal being over, He
now turned and addressed Simon. It was there by the side of this "fire
of coals" that the Lord entered into this colloquy with him, the
purpose of which was to bring the Apostle to judge himself, for "fire"
ever speaks of judgment.
"So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of
Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?" (John 21:15). Mark carefully
how the Lord began: not with a reproach, still less a word of
condemnation, nor even with a "Why did you deny Me?" but "Lovest thou
me more than these?" Yet, observe that the Lord did not now address
him as "Peter," but "Simon son of Jonas." This is not without its
significance. "Simon" was his original name, and stands in contrast
from the new name which the Lord had given him: "And when Jesus beheld
him, he said, thou art Simon the son of Jonas: that shalt be called
Cephas (Peter), which is by interpretation, A stone" (John 1:42). The
way in which the Lord now addressed His disciple intentionally called
into question the "Peter." Mark how that in Luke 22:31 the Lord said,
"Simon, Simon, behold Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift
you as wheat." Christ would here remind him of his entire past as a
natural man, and especially that his fall had originated in "Simon"
and not "Peter!" On only one other occasion did the Lord address him
as "Simon son of Jonah," and that was in Matthew 16:17, "Jesus
answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon son of Jonah: for
flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is
in heaven." But note that the Lord is quick to add, "And I say also
unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my
church: and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will
give unto thee the keys of the kingdom." Thus this first word of the
Lord to His disciple in John 21:15 was designed to pointedly remind
him of his glorious confession, which would serve to make him the more
sensitive of his late and awful denial.
"Lovest thou me more than these?" This was still more searching than
the name by which Christ had addressed His Apostle. He would not heal
Peter's wound slightly, but would work a perfect cure; therefore, does
He as it were, open it afresh. The Savior would not have him lose the
lesson of his fall, nor in the forgiveness forget his sin.
Consequently He now delicately retraces for him the sad history of his
denial, or rather by His awakening question brings it before his
conscience. Peter had boasted, "Though all shall be offended, yet will
not I": he not only trusted in his own loyalty, but congratulated
himself that his love to Christ surpassed that of the other Apostles.
Therefore did the Lord now ask, "Lovest thou me more than these?"
i.e., more than these apostles love Me?
"He said unto him, Yea Lord; thou knowest that I love thee" (John
21:15). An opportunity had graciously been given Peter to retract his
former boast, and gladly did he now avail himself of it. First, he
began with a frank and heartfelt confession "thou knowest." He leaves
it to the Searcher of hearts to determine. He could not appeal to his
ways, for they had reflected upon his love; he would not trust his own
heart any longer; so he appeals to Christ Himself to decide. Yet
observe, he did not say "thou knowest if (or whether) I love thee,"
but "thou knowest that I love thee"--he rested on the Lord's knowledge
of his love; thus there was both humility and confidence united. "It
was as though he said, `Thou hast known me from the beginning as son
of Jonah; drawn me to Thee, hast kindled love in my soul, hast called
me Peter; Thou didst warn of my blindness, and pray for my faith, and
hast since forgiven me; Thou hast looked, both before and since Thy
death, into my heart, with eyes of grace, so Thou knowest all! What I
feel concerning my love is this, that I am far from loving Thee as I
ought and as Thou art worthy of being loved; but Thou, O Lord, knowest
that in spite of my awful failure, and notwithstanding my present
weakness and deficiency, I do love Thee'" (Stier).
"He saith unto him, Feed my lambs" (John 21:15). What marvelous grace
was this! Not only does the Lord accept Peter's appeal to His
omniscience, but He gives here a blessed commission. Christ was so
well satifised with Peter's reply that He does not even confirm it
with, "Verily, I do know it." Instead, He responds by honoring and
rewarding his love. Christ was about to leave this world, so He now
appoints others to minister to His people. "Feed my lambs." The change
of figure here from fishing to shepherding is striking: the one
suggests the evangelist, the other the pastor and teacher. The order
is most instructive. Those who have been saved need
shepherding--caring for, feeding, defending. And those whom Christ
first commends to Peter were not the "sheep" but the "lambs"--the weak
and feeble of the flock; and these are the ones who have the first
claim on us! Note Christ calls them "my lambs," denoting His authority
to appoint the under-shepherds.
"He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest
thou me?" (John 21:16). The Lord now drops the comparative "more than
these" and confines Himself to love itself. This question is one which
He is still asking of each of those who profess to believe in Him.
"`Lovest thou me?' is, in reality, a very searching question. We may
know much, and do much, and talk much, and give much, and go through
much, and make much show in our religion, and yet be dead before God
for want of love, and at last go down to the Pit. Do we love Christ?
That is the great question. Without this there is no vitality about
our Christianity. We are no better than painted wax-figures: there is
no life where there is no love" (Bishop Ryle).
"He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love thee" (John
21:16). In this passage there are two distinct words in the Greek
which are translated by the one English word "love," and it is most
instructive to follow their occurrences here. The one is a much
stronger term than the other. To preserve the distinction the one
might be rendered "love" and the other "affection" or "attachment."
When the Lord asked Peter, "Lovest thou me?" He used, both in John
21:15 and 16, the stronger word. But when Peter answered, what he
really said, each time, was "thou knowest that I have affection for
thee." So far was he now from boasting of the superiority of his love,
he would not own it as the deepest kind of love at all! Once more the
response of Divine grace is what Peter receives: "He saith unto him,
Feed my sheep" (John 21:16). The word for "feed" here is more
comprehensive than the one which the Lord had used in the previous
verse, referring primarily to rule and discipline. Observe the Lord
again calls them "my sheep," not "thy sheep"--thus anticipating and
refuting the pretensions of the Pope!
"He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou
me?" (John 21:17). Here the Lord Himself uses the weaker term--"Hast
thou affection for me? Grace reigns through righteousness" (Rom.
5:21). Three times had Peter denied his Master; three times, then, did
the Lord challenge his love. This was according to "righteousness."
But in thus challenging Peter, the Lord gave him the opportunity of
now thrice confessing Him. This was according to "grace." In His first
question the Lord challenged the superiority of Peter's love. In His
second question the Lord challenged whether Peter had any love at all.
Here, in His third question the Lord now challenges even his
affection! Most searching was this! But it had the desired effect. The
Lord wounds only that He may heal.
"Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest
thou me?" (John 21:17). Here we are shown once more the power of the
Word. This was indeed the sequel to John 13. That Peter was "grieved"
does not mean that he was offended at the Lord because He repeated His
question, but it signifies that he was touched to the quick, was
deeply sorrowful, as he re- called his threefold denial. It is
parallel with his "weeping bitterly" in Luke 22:62. This being
"grieved" evidenced his perfect contrition! But if it was grievous for
the disciple to be thus probed and have called to remembrance his sad
fall, how much more grievous must it have been to the Master Himself
to be denied?
"And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest
that I love thee" (John 21:17). Beautiful is it to behold here the
transforming effects of Divine grace. He would not now boast that his
love was superior to that of others; he would not even allow that he
had any love; nay more, he is at last brought to the place where he
now declines to avow even his affection. He therefore casts himself on
Christ's omniscience. "Lord," he says, "thou knowest all things." Men
could see no signs of any love or affection when I denied Thee; but
Thou canst read my very heart; I appeal therefore to Thine all-seeing
eye. That Christ knew all things comforted this disciple, as it should
us. Peter realized that the Lord knew the depths as well as the
surfaces of things, and therefore, that He saw what was in his poor
servant's heart, though his lips had so transgressed. Thus did he once
more own the absolute Deity of the Savior. Thus, too, did he rebuke
those who would now talk and sing of their love for Christ! "His
self-judgment is complete. Searched out under the Divine eye, he is
found and owns himself, not better but worse than others; so
self-emptied that he cannot claim quality for his love at all. The
needed point is reached: the strong man converted to weakness is now
fit to strengthen his brethren; and, as Peter descends step by step
the ladder of humiliation, step by step the Lord follows him with
assurance of the work for which he is destined" (Numerical Bible).
"Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep" (John 21:17). Does this, after
all, warrant, or even favor, the pretensions of the Pope? No, indeed.
"The Evangelist relates in what manner Peter was restored to that rank
of honor from which he had fallen. The treacherous denial, which had
been formerly described, had undoubtedly rendered him unworthy of the
Apostleship; for how could he be capable of instructing others in the
faith, who had basely revolted from it? He had been made an Apostle,
but from the time that he had acted the part of a coward, he had been
deprived of the honor of Apostleship. Now, therefore, the liberty, as
well as the authority of teaching, is restored to him, both of which
he had lost through his own fault. That the disgrace of his apostasy
might not stand in the way, Christ blots it out and fully restores the
erring one. Such a restoration was needed both for Peter and his
hearers; for Peter, that he might the more boldly exercise himself,
being assured of the calling with which Christ had again invested him;
for his hearers, that the stain which attached to him might not be the
occasion of despising the Gospel" (John Calvin). We may add that this
searching conversation between Christ and Peter took place in the
presence of six of the other Apostles: his sin was a public one, so
also must be his repudiation of it! Note that in Acts 20:28 all the
"elders" are exhorted to feed the flock!
"Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep." If you love Me, here is the way
to manifest it. It is only those who truly love Christ that are fitted
to minister to His flock! The work is so laborious, the appreciation
is often so small, the response so discouraging, the criticisms so
harsh, the attacks of Satan so fierce, that only the "love of
Christ"--His for us and ours for Him--can "constrain" to such work.
"Hirelings" will feed the goats, but only those who love Christ can
feed His sheep. Unto this work the Lord now calls Peter. Not only had
Christ restored the disciple's soul (Ps. 23:3), but also his official
ministry; another was not to take his bishopric--contrast Judas (Acts
1:20)!
"Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep." Marvelous grace was this. Not
only is Peter freely forgiven, not only is he fully restored to his
apostleship, but the Lord commends to him (though not to him alone)
that which was dearest to Him on earth--His sheep! There is nothing in
all this world nearer the heart of Christ than those for whom He shed
His precious blood, and therefore He could not give to Peter a more
affecting proof of His confidence than by committing to his care the
dearest objects of His wondrous love! It is to be noted that the Lord
here returns to the same word for "feed" which He had used in John
21:15. Whatever may be necessary in the way of rule and discipline
(the force of "feed" in John 21:16), yet, the first (John 21:15) and
the last (John 21:17) duty of the under-shepherd is to feed the
flock--nothing else can take the place of ministering spiritual
nourishment to Christ's people!
It is striking to observe that in connection with Peter's restoration
he received a threefold commission which exactly corresponds with our
Lord's threefold "Peace be unto you" with which He saluted the
disciples in the previous chapter. "Feed my lambs" (John 21:15)
answers to the first benediction in John 20:19: it is
Gospel-exposition needed by the young believer to establish him in the
foundation truth of redemption. "Shepherd" or "discipline" My sheep
(John 21:16) answers to the second "Peace be unto you in John 20:21,
which relates to service and walk. "Feed my sheep" (John 21:17)
answers to the third "Peace be unto you" in John 20:26, spoken for the
special benefit of Thomas, and has to do with the work of restoring
those who have gone astray. Compare also the threefold written
ministry of the Apostle John unto the "fathers, young men, and "little
children" (1 John 2:13).
"Verily, verily I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest
thyself, and walkest whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old
thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and
carry thee whither thou wouldest not" (John 21:18). Here, too, the
grace of Christ shines forth most blessedly. Not only had Peter been
forgiven, restored, commissioned, but now the Lord takes him back to
the fervent declaration which he had made in the energy of the flesh:
"Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death"
(Luke 22:33), and assures him that this highest honor of all shall be
granted him. "Peter might still feel the sorrow of having missed such
an opportunity of confessing Christ at the critical moment. Jesus
assures him now that if he had failed in doing that of his own will,
he should be allowed to do it by the will of God: it should be given
him to die for the Lord, as he had formerly declared himself ready to
do in his own strength" (Mr. J. N. Darby).
"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest
thyself and walkest whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old,
thou shalt stretch forth thy hands and another shall gird thee, and
carry thee whither thou wouldest not" (John 21:18). The connection
between this verse and those preceding is as follows: the Lord here
warns Peter that his love to Him would be sorely tested, that caring
for His sheep would ultimately involve a martyr's death--for thus do
we understand His words here. A more direct link is found in that
Peter had just said, "Lord, thou knowest all things": Christ now gave
proof that He did indeed, for He speaks positively and in minute
detail of that which was yet future, and could be known only to God.
The beloved disciple again would be placed in such a position that he
would have to choose between denying and confessing Christ. As the
reward for his good confession here, and to supply an encouragement
for the future, the Lord assures him that he shall confess Him even to
death.
"This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God" (John
21:19). This is a parenthetic remark by John, made for the purpose of
supplying a key to the meaning of the Lord's words in the previous
verse. When Christ said, "When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself,
and walkest whither thou wouldest," He signified that during his
earlier days Peter had enjoyed his natural freedom. When he said, "But
when thou shalt be old thou shall stretch forth thy hands," He meant
that Peter would do this at the command of another. When He added,
"And another shall gird thee," He meant that Peter should be bound as
a prisoner with cords--cf. Acts 21:11 where Agabus took Paul's girdle
and bound his own hands and feet, to symbolize the fact that the
Apostle would be "delivered into the hands of the Gentiles." In His
final words, "and carry thee whither thou wouldest not," the Lord did
not mean that Peter would resist or murmur ("what death he should
glorify God" proves that), but that the death he should die would be
contrary to nature, disagreeable to the flesh. Peter was to die a
death of violence, by crucifixion. In the "thou wouldest not" the Lord
further intimated that He does not expect His people to enjoy bodily
pains, though we are to endure them without murmuring. "But the Pope
(to whom Peter says in vain, Follow me, as I follow Christ!) is the
reverse: the older he grows the more arbitrarily will he gird and lead
others whither he will" (Stier).
"This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God." It is
not only by acting, but chiefly by suffering, that the saints glorify
God. Note how the Lord says to Ananias concerning Saul, "I will show
him how great things he shall suffer [not "do"] for my name's sake"
(Acts 9:16)! Note how that when the Apostle would strengthen the
wavering Hebrews, instead of reminding them of their works, He said,
"Call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were
illumined, ye endured a great fight of afflictions" (Heb. 10:32). But
what sweet consolation to realize that our whole future has been
fore-arranged by Christ--by Him who is too wise to err and too loving
to be unkind.
"This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God." What
a lesson is there here for us. True, it is the Lord's return, not
death, for which we are to look and wait. Nevertheless, all who have
gone before us have died, and we may do so before the Savior comes.
Let us remember, then, that should this be the case, we may "glorify"
God in death as well as in life. We may be patient sufferers as well
as active workers. Like Samson, we may do more for God in our death
than we did in our lives. The death of the martyrs had more effect on
men than the lives they had lived. "We may glorify God in death by
being ready for it when it comes... by patiently enduring its pains...
by testifying to others of the comfort and support which we find in
the grace of Christ" (Bishop Ryle). It is a blessed thing when a
mortal man can say with David, "Yea, though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me"
(Ps. 23:4).
"And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me" (verse
19). Here was the final word of grace to the fallen, and now recovered
disciple. Now that Peter had discovered his weakness, now that he had
judged the root from which his failure had proceeded, now that he had
been fully restored in heart, conscience, and commission, the Lord
says, "Follow me." This was what he had pretended to do (John 18:15),
when the Lord had told him he could not (Luke 22:33, 34). But now
Christ says, You may, you can, you shall. To "follow" Christ means to
"deny self" and "take up the cross." In other words, it means to be
"conformed to his death." This, in spirit; with Peter, in bodily
experience, too. This word of Christ supplies one more link with what
is found in chapter 13. There the Savior said to Peter, "Whither I go,
thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards"
(John 13:36). This is the sequel: "It was a call on him to follow the
Lord, through death, up to the Father's House. And upon saying these
words to him, the Lord rises from the place where they had been
eating, and Peter, thus bidden, rises to follow Him" (Mr. Bellett).
The Lord evidently accompanied this final word with a symbolic
movement of going on before.
"Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved
following, which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord,
which is he that betrayeth thee?" (John 21:20). What a line in the
picture is this, and how true to life! How humbling! Here was a
believer, fully restored to communion, there in the presence of
Christ, bidden to follow Him; yet here we find him taking his eye off
Christ, and turning round to look at John! There is only one
explanation possible--the flesh still remains in the believer, and
ever lusts against the spirit! Though fully restored, the old Simon
still remained. Christ had told him to "follow," not look around.
Stier suggests that there was here "a side-glance once more of
comparison with others," hardly that we think, rather the old tendency
of taking his eye off Christ was manifested. In beautiful contrast
from the fleshly turning of Peter, is the spiritual "following" of
John. Christ had not commanded him to do so, nor had He even directly
addressed him; but true love was ever occupied with its object, and
here the Apostle of love could do no other than follow Christ. Blessed
is it to mark how the Holy Spirit now refers to him, not only as "the
disciple whom Jesus loved," but also as the one who "leaned on his
breast at the supper." At the beginning of this Gospel (John 1:18)
Christ is seen in the bosom of the Father, here at the end, a redeemed
sinner is referred to as one who leaned on the bosom of the Savior!
"Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?"
(John 21:21). This too, evidenced the flesh in Peter. Christ had
announced what awaited him, now the apostle is anxious to know how
John--the one with whom he was most intimate and between whom there
was a very close bond--should fare. The same curiosity which made him
beckon to John that he should "ask who it should be" that would betray
Christ (John 13:24), now causes him to say, "what [of] this man?"
"Peter seems more concerned for another than for himself. So apt are
we to be busy in other men's matters, but negligent in the concerns of
our own souls--quick-sighted abroad, but dim-sighted at home--judging
others and prognosticating what they will do, when we have enough to
mind our own business. Peter seems more concerned about events than
duties" (Matthew Henry).
"Jesus saith unto him, if I will that he tarry till I come, what is
that to thee? follow thou me" (John 21:22). The Lord rebukes Peter's
curiosity about John, and presses upon him his own duty. There is an
old saying, Charity begins at home, and there is not a little truth in
it. We are naturally creatures of extremes, and it is a hard matter to
preserve the balance. On the one side is uncharitable selfishness,
which makes us indifferent to the interests of others; on the other
side is altruism carried to such an extent that we neglect the
cultivation of our own souls. Both are wrong. Let us not be weary in
well doing to others, but let us also heed that word of Paul's to
Timothy, "Take heed unto thyself" (1 Tim. 4:16). Unhappily there are
not a few who have reason to say, "They made me the keeper of the
vineyards; mine own vineyard have I not kept" (Song 1:6). It was to
correct this tendency in Peter that the Lord spoke. His business was
to attend to his own duty, fulfill his own course, and leave the
future of others in the hands of God--cf. Luke 13:23, 24. What good
would it do Peter to know whether John was to live a long life or a
short one, to die a violent death or a natural one?--cf. Daniel 12:8,
9. A warning is this to us not to be curious about the decrees of God
concerning others--cf. Deuteronomy 29:29. "Follow me" is also His word
to us: we are to follow Him as Leader of His people, as Shepherd of
His flock, as Exemplar for His saints, as Lord of all.
"Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple
should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If
I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?" (John 21:23).
What plain proof does this afford that the Lord's coming does not
refer to the decease of His people. How strange that any should have
supposed that it did! Death is the believer going to be with Christ,
the Lord's return is His coming to be with us. Yet how curious, that
even from the beginning, the Lord's word "I come again" in connection
with John, was misunderstood and wrested. Another thing which these
words of Christ made evident was that His return is an impending
event, that is, one which may occur at any time, and one which we
should be constantly expecting. Note the "If I will": a majestic
declaration was this that Christ is now the Disposer of men's lives:
He did not say, if God, or if the Father, wills, but if I will. Mark
how this verse furnishes us with a warning against following human
traditions, even though they came from "the brethren": how blessed to
have the unerring standard of God's written Word!
"If I will that he tarry till I come." What was the deeper meaning in
this word of Christ's? First, are we not intended to see in Peter and
John representatives of the Church in the early and latter days of
this dispensation? Peter, who died a death of violence, points to the
first centuries, when martyrdom was almost the common experience of
believers. John, who is given the hope that he may (though not the
promise that he shall) live on till the Lord's return, points to this
last century, when the truth of the Lord's coming has been so widely
made known among His people! But this is not all. The ministry of John
actually goes on to the end, for in the Revelation he treats at length
of those things which are to usher in the Lord's return to the earth,
aye, and beyond to the new heaven and the new earth!
It is most blessed to observe that there is no account given in this
Gospel of the Lord's ascension, and this is in most perfect keeping
with the Spirit's design here. The departure of Christ left the
disciples behind on earth. But here it is the family, in which--now in
spirit, soon in the body--there are to be no separations. The last
sight we have of the Savior in John's Gospel, the sons are with Him!
So shall we be "forever with the Lord."
"This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote
these things: and we know that his testimony is true. And there are
also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be
written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not
contain the books that should be written. Amen" (John 21:24, 25).
These verses call for little comment. The Gospel closes with the
personal seal and attestation of its writer. John, without mentioning
his name, vouches for the veracity of what he had recorded, and then
adds an hyperbole (cf. Matthew 11:23; Hebrews 11:12; for others) to
emphasize the fact that it was not possible for him to fully tell out
the infinite glories of that One who is the central figure of his
Gospel. The final "Amen"--found at the end of each Gospel--is the Holy
Spirit's imprimatur.
"The Apostle closes his Gospel with another reminder of the inadequacy
of all human words to tell out His glory, of whom he has been
speaking. If it were attempted to tell out all, the world would be
unable to contain the books that would be written. It would be an
impracticable load to lift, rather than a help to clearer
apprehension. How thankful we may be for the moderation that has
compressed what would be really blessing to us into such a moderate
compass! which yet, as we all must know, develops into whatever
largeness we may have capacity for. Our Bibles are thus the same, and
quite manageable by any. On the other hand, are we burning to know
more? We may go on without any limit, except that which our little
faith or heart may impose. May God awaken our hearts to test for
themselves the expansive power of Scripture, and whether we can find a
limit anywhere! Like the inconceivable immensity of the heavens, ever
increasing as the power of vision is lengthened, we go on to find that
the further we go only the more does the thought of infinity rise upon
us; but this infinity is filled with an Infinite Presence; in every
leaf-blade, in every atom, yet transcending all His works; and `to us
there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for
Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ. by whom are all things, and we by
Him'" (Numerical Bible).
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Exposition of the Gospel of John
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER 72
Conclusion
_________________________________________________________________
Our happy task is finished, and it is with a real sense of regret that
we take up our pen to add an appendix. Before he commenced this
commentary the author devoted ten years of special study to John's
Gospel, having gone through it three times in the course of as many
pastorates, and since then he has taught it in different Bible
classes. For six years more we have labored hard in preparing a
chapter each month. Over forty commentaries and expositions have been
read through and their interpretations of each verse carefully
weighed, and the endeavor has been made to supplement our own
searchings by culling from them what struck us as being most helpful.
Amid many labors and calls upon our time, our gracious God has enabled
us to continue and complete this Exposition of John's Gospel, and it
is with fervent thanksgiving to Him that we begin these concluding
paragraphs. The instruction, the help and blessing which we have
received personally, while preparing each chapter, has been a rich
compensation for the time, prayer, and work we have put into them. Our
own faith in the inerrancy and perfection of the Scriptures has been
strengthened, and the conviction we had at the outset, that every
verse contains a mine of spiritual wealth, has been confirmed again
and again. That our production is very far from being perfect we are
fully aware; but such as it is, we lay it before the Lord, and humbly
entreat Him to use, own, and bless it to many of His dear people.
One of our aims in prosecuting this work has been to stimulate others
to the personal study of the Word. The Bible is not only a book to be
read devotionally, but it is also a mine of spiritual riches to be
worked (Prov. 2:1-5), and the more diligently we seek after its hidden
treasures, the greater will be our reward. God does not place a
premium on laziness. His call is, "Study to show thyself approved unto
God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the
Word of Truth" (2 Tim. 2:15). Alas! most of His people have never been
taught how to study. In this work we have sought to suggest one method
which we have personally found to be very beneficial--the
interrogative method: asking the Bible questions, drawing up a list on
each passage as a preliminary to its careful examination.
The point at which so many readers of the Bible fail the worst is that
of concentration. Their energies are scattered too much. Suppose a man
inherited a thousand acres of arable land, and that he found it
impossible to hire laborers. It would be useless for him attempting to
farm the whole piece. But if he fenced off, say, five acres, devoted
himself to this small section, and went in for intensive farming, he
would be far more likely to succeed. It is thus with the Bible. While
every Christian ought to read three or four chapters daily, and thus
go through it once each year; it is impossible to really study the
whole of it within the brief span of a life-time. In addition to
extensive reading, there should be intensive study. Pray for guidance
in your selection and then concentrate on a single book or chapter. If
the Christian reader would spend fifteen minutes each day for a whole
year on a single chapter--say, Exodus 12, Matthew 13, John 17, Romans
8, or Ephesians 1--he would, most probably, be surprised at the
fruitful results. The necessity and the importance of concentration
and its invaluable returns are realized by but few.
If sixty-six Spirit-taught Bible expositors would each of them
concentrate on one book in the Bible, devoting the whole of their
special studies to it for ten years, at the end of that time (should
the Lord not return before) the people of God at large would be
enriched immeasurably. No one man is competent to write on all the
books of Scripture; that is why the condensed commentaries on the
Bible as a whole are so disappointing and comparatively worthless. Do
not be too ambitious, dear friend. Aim at quality rather than
quantity. One chapter thoroughly studied will yield more to your soul
than a hundred chapters which are read but not studied.
Again, other students of Scripture fail through their lack of
perseverance. Because a passage does not open up to them at the first
or second examination of it, they become discouraged. God often tests
our earnestness. It is not the dilatory, but the diligent soul that is
made fat (Prov. 13:4). "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him"
(Ps. 37:7) applies as much to Bible-study as it does to prayer.
Regular, persistent stick-to-itiveness (to use a word of Spurgeon's)
is what counts. Note how one of the marks of the good-ground hearers
is that they "bring forth fruit with patience" (Luke 8:15). If at
first you don't succeed, try, try again.
When Jehovah gave food to His people Israel in the wilderness, He did
not furnish them with loaves ready made. Instead, He sent them manna
as "a small round thing" (Ex. 16:14). Much time and labor were
required to gather a sufficient quantity for a day's supply. After the
gathering, it had to be "ground" and then "baked." This was a parable
in action. It has a voice for us to-day. The way in which most of us
learn is precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line,
line upon line; here a little, and there a little" (Isa. 28:10). Be
not disheartened, then, if you appear to get small returns from your
Scriptural labors. No time spent in the prayerful study of the Word is
ever really lost. To familiarize yourself with the letter of it counts
for something, and later (if you keep at it) you will reap the
benefit.
Oftentimes Christians are almost discouraged when the Spirit of God
enables a well-instructed scribe to bring out of his treasures things
new and old. They say, "I have read that passage again and again, but
never saw such beauties in it as he has pointed out, or such wonders
as he has brought forth." Ah! you may not realize that, probably, he
has given that passage special study for years past, that he has
prayed over it scores of times, that he examined it again and again
and saw no more in it than you did till, ultimately, God rewarded his
patience, and now he rejoices as one that "findeth great spoil" (Ps.
119:162).
But something more is needed than concentration and perseverance. We
may focalize our attention, be very diligent and patient, but unless
the Holy Spirit illumines our understanding, the wonders and beauties
of the Word will remain hidden from us. The Bible is addressed not so
much to the intellect as it is to the heart. Prayer is an essential
prerequisite. Before we open the Bible we need, every time, to get
down on our knees and humbly beseech God, for Christ's sake, to "open
thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law" (Ps.
119:18). Mysteries of grace which are hidden from the wise and prudent
are revealed to "babes," i.e., the simple, humble, dependent ones. It
is written, "The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he
teach His way" (Ps. 25:9). Have no confidence in your own powers:
remember that "a man can receive nothing, except it be given him from
heaven" (John 3:27). Yet God is ever ready to give to those who ask in
faith.
When the chapter for your study has been selected, begin by asking,
What is there here for my own soul?--what warnings, what
encouragements, what exhortations, what promises? Examine it first of
all from the practical standpoint, with a view to your own personal
needs. Ask God to make the passage speak unto your own soul, and to
grant you the hearing ear. Next, and closely related to the former, in
fact seeking God's answer to your first question, ask, What is there
here about Christ? What is there that I can learn about Him, what
example has He here left me, what perfections of His are portrayed,
what typical picture of Him can I discover? From this, pass on to its
evangelical message, its gospel bearing. Ask, What does this chapter
teach me about sin, about the depravity of man, about the grace of
God, about the way of salvation, about the blessedness of the
redeemed? Every chapter in the Bible leads, ultimately, to Calvary.
Then you may ponder its doctrinal bearings, its theological
instruction. This will require you to look up marginal references from
parallel passages. Ask, What is there here about the sovereignty of
God, or the responsibility of man? What of the important truths of
justification, sanctification, propitiation, preservation,
glorification? This will require you to note the setting of the
chapter which you are studying--its relation to those which precede
and which follow; its bearing on the other chapters in the Epistle.
These are but hints, yet if heeded, Bible-study will cease to be an
irksome duty and become a profitable delight. It is from these angles
that the writer has endeavored to examine each chapter in the Gospel
of John, and these are the methods which, under God, he has found
yield the best results. In addition to the general principles of study
named above, we have also sought to give attention to some of the laws
which regulate the interpretation of the Scriptures. God is a God of
order, and the God of creation and the God of written revelation are
one and the same. Just as we may discern "laws of Nature," so are
there "laws of the Bible." Some of these have been pointed out during
the course of our exposition: the laws of first mention, of
progressive unfolding, of comparison and contrast, of parallelism, of
numerics, etc.
In connection with the spiritual arithmetic of the Bible we have been
deeply impressed with the constantly recurring seven in the Gospel of
John, and it is surely not without significance that there are
twenty-one chapters or 3x7, in it. It is true that the chapter
divisions are of human origin, and that man does nothing perfectly,
yet we believe that in the providence of Him who has "magnified his
word above all his name" (Ps. 138:1, 2), He has not only superintended
the placing of the different books in the Canon of Scripture, but has
also guided, or at least overruled, many or most of its chapter
divisions. Obviously is this so, we are fully assured, in connection
with the Gospels.
Matthew has twenty-eight chapters, 7x4. Now, four is the number of the
earth and seven of perfection. How appropriate that the Gospel which
most directly concerns God's earthly people and the earthly kingdom of
Christ, should be thus divided; for no perfection on earth will be
witnessed until the Son of Man returns and sets up His throne upon it.
Mark has sixteen chapters, 2x8. Two is the number of witness and eight
of a new beginning. Most suitably are those numbers here, for in this
second Gospel Christ is portrayed as the faithful and true Witness,
the perfect Servant of God, laying the foundations of the new
creation. Luke has twenty-four chapters, 6x4, or 2x12. Whichever way
we divide the twenty-four, the result is in striking accord with the
subject of this third Gospel. In Luke Christ is presented as the Son
of man, the last Adam. Thus 6x4 would speak of man connected with the
earth; or, 12x2 would tell of that perfect government which awaits the
return to this earth of the "second Man" (1 Cor. 15:47). John has
twenty-one chapters, 7x3. How striking this is! For seven speaks of
perfection and three is the number of Deity. Thus, the very number of
chapters in this fourth Gospel intimates that here we have revealed
the perfections of God! These are what have occupied us as we have
gone through it chapter by chapter.
Everything in Scripture, clown to the minutest detail, has a profound
significance. Of course it has, for its Author is Divine. The same God
who has expended so much care over the formation and adaptation of
every member of our physical bodies--e.g., the eye or the hand--has
not devoted less to that Word which is to endure forever. In the Bible
God has written a Book worthy of Himself. If this fact be firmly
grasped, the devout student will expect to find in every passage
depths, wonders, beauties, such as only the Allwise could produce. But
let it not be forgotten that the Inspirer of Holy Writ alone can
interpret it to us.
To the reader who has, under God, been helped and blest by this
Exposition, we would say, Do everything in your power to make this
work known to others. You owe it to your fellow-Christians so to do.
Why should not many of them be instructed and gladdened, too? These
books are not published as a commercial venture. The demand for this
class of literature is tragically small. It takes from five to ten
years to sell sufficient for the publisher to get back the bare costs
of printing and binding. Nor is advertising of much avail. It is the
personal word that counts. If you can do so conscientiously, earnestly
recommend these volumes both by word of mouth and by letters, to your
Christian friends, to your Pastor, to Sunday school teachers and other
Christian workers. Bear them in mind when making a present to a
friend. Another good way of interesting others is to loan your own
copies, thus others may be induced to purchase for themselves.
And now, dear reader, my work in composing this commentary and yours
in going through it (the first time, at least) is now finished; but
there remains the improvement which ought to be made of it, and the
account which must yet be given to God, for He "requireth that which
is past" (Ecclesiastes 3:15). It is by attending to the former that we
shall be prepared for the latter. I have not written for the sake of
providing mere religious entertainment, and we trust that you have
read with some higher motive than simply to fill in a few spare hours.
Unless each of our hearts has been drawn out in warmer love, deeper
devotion, and purer worship unto Him whose manifold glories give
lustre to every page of Holy Writ; unless the result of our studies of
John's Gospel leads both writer and reader to clearer visions of and
more whole-hearted obedience unto the Word made flesh, our labors have
been in vain.
_________________________________________________________________
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A. W. Pink Header
The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 1
The Holy Spirit
_________________________________________________________________
In the past having given consideration to the attributes of God our
Father, and then to a contemplation of some of the glories of God our
Redeemer, it now seems fitting that these should be followed by this
series on the Holy Spirit. The need for this is real and pressing, for
ignorance of the Third Person of the Godhead is most dishonoring to
Him, and highly injurious to ourselves. The late George Smeaton of
Scotland began his excellent work upon the Holy Spirit by saying,
"Wherever Christianity has been a living power, the doctrine of the
Holy Spirit has uniformly been regarded, equally with the Atonement
and Justification by faith, as the article of a standing or falling
church. The distinctive feature of Christianity as it addresses itself
to man's experience, is the work of the Spirit, which not only
elevates it far above all philosophical speculation, but also above
every other form of religion."
The Importance of Studying the Holy Spirit
Not at all too strong was the language of Samuel Chadwick when he
said, "The gift of the Spirit is the crowning mercy of God in Christ
Jesus. It was for this all the rest was. The Incarnation and
Crucifixion, the Resurrection and Ascension were all preparatory to
Pentecost. Without the gift of the Holy Spirit all the rest would be
useless. The great thing in Christianity is the gift of the Spirit.
The essential, vital, central element in the life of the soul and the
work of the Church is the Person of the Spirit" (Joyful News, 1911).
The great importance of a reverent and prayerful study of this subject
should be apparent to every real child of God. The repeated references
made to the Spirit by Christ in His final discourse (John 14 to 16) at
once intimates this. The particular work which has been committed to
Him furnishes clear proof of it. There is no spiritual good
communicated to anyone but by the Spirit; whatever God in His grace
works in us, it is by the Spirit. The only sin for which there is no
forgiveness is one committed against the Spirit. How necessary is it
then that we should be well instructed in the Scripture doctrine
concerning Him! The great abuse there has been in all ages under the
pretense of His holy name, should prompt us to diligent study.
Finally, the awful ignorance which now so widely prevails upon the
Spirit's office and operations, urges us to put forth our best
efforts.
Yet important as is our subject, and prominent as is the place given
to it in Holy Writ, it seems that it has always met with a
considerable amount of neglect and perversion. Thomas Goodwin
commenced his massive work on The Work of the Holy Spirit in Our
Salvation (1660) by affirming, "There is a general omission in the
saints of God, in their not giving the Holy Spirit that glory that is
due to His Person and for His great work of salvation in us, insomuch
that we have in our hearts almost forgotten this Third Person." If
that could be said in the midst of the balmy days of the Puritans,
what language would be required to set forth the awful spiritual
ignorance and impotency of this benighted 20th century!
In the Preface to his Lectures on "The Person, Godhead, and Ministry
of the Holy Spirit" (1817), Robert Hawker wrote, "I am the more
prompted to this service, from contemplating the present awful day of
the world. Surely the `last days' and the `perilous times,' so
expressly spoken of by the Spirit, are come (1 Tim. 4:1). The flood
gates of heresy are broken up, and are pouring forth their deadly
poison in various streams through the land. In a more daring and open
manner the denial of the Person, Godhead, and Ministry of the Holy
Spirit is come forward and indicates the tempest to follow. In such a
season it is needful to contend, and that, `earnestly, for the faith
once delivered unto the saints.' Now in a more awakened manner ought
the people of God to remember the words of Jesus, and `to hear what
the Spirit saith unto the churches.'"
So again, in 1880, George Smeaton wrote, "We may safely affirm that
the doctrine of the Spirit is almost entirely ignored." And let us
add, Wherever little honor is done to the Spirit, there is grave cause
to suspect the genuineness of any profession of Christianity. Against
this, it may he replied, Such charges as the above no longer hold
good. Would to God they did not, but they do. While it be true that
during the past two generations much has been written and spoken on
the person of the Spirit, yet, for the most part, it has been of a
sadly inadequate and erroneous character. Much dross has been mingled
with the gold. A fearful amount of unscriptural nonsense and
fanaticism has marred the testimony. Furthermore, it cannot be denied
that it is no longer generally recognized that supernatural agency is
imperatively required in order for the redemptive work of Christ to be
applied to sinners. Rather do actions show it is now widely held that
if unregenerate souls are instructed in the letter of Scripture their
own willpower is sufficient to enable them to "decide for Christ."
The Problem: Effort in the Flesh
In the great majority of cases, professing Christians are too puffed
up by a sense of what they suppose they are doing for God, to
earnestly study what God has promised to do for and in His people.
They are so occupied with their fleshly efforts to "win souls for
Christ" that they feel not their own deep need of the Spirit's
anointing. The leaders of "Christian" (?) enterprise are so concerned
in multiplying "Christian workers" that quantity, not quality, is the
main consideration. How few today recognize that if the number of
"missionaries" on the foreign field were increased twenty-fold the
next year, that that, of itself, would not ensure the genuine
salvation of one additional heathen? Even though every new missionary
were "sound in the faith" and preached only "the Truth," that would
not add one iota of spiritual power to the missionary forces, without
the Holy Spirit's unction and blessing! The same principle holds good
everywhere. If the orthodox seminaries and the much-advertised Bible
institutes turned out 100 times more men than they are now doing, the
churches would not be one bit better off than they are, unless God
vouchsafed a fresh outpouring of His Spirit. In like manner, no Sunday
School is strengthened by the mere multiplication of its teachers.
o my readers, face the solemn fact that the greatest lack of all in
Christendom today is the absence of the Holy Spirit's power and
blessing. Review the activities of the past 30 years. Millions of
dollars have been freely devoted to the support of professed Christian
enterprises. Bible institutes and schools have turned out "trained
workers" by the thousands. Bible conferences have sprung up on every
side like mushrooms. Countless booklets and tracts have been printed
and circulated. Time and labors have been given by an almost
incalculable number of "personal workers." And with what results? Has
the standard of personal piety advanced? Are the churches less
worldly? Are their members more Christ-like in their daily walk? Is
there more godliness in the home? Are the children more obedient and
respectful? Is the Sabbath Day being increasingly sanctified and kept
holy? Has the standard of honesty in business been raised?
The Need
Those blest with any spiritual discernment can return but one answer
to the above questions. In spite of all the huge sums of money that
have been spent, in spite of all the labors which has been put forth,
in spite of all the new workers that have been added to the old ones,
the spirituality of Christendom is at a far lower ebb today than it
was 30 years ago. Numbers of professing Christians have increased,
fleshly activities have multiplied, but spiritual power has waned.
Why? Because there is a grieved and quenched Spirit in our midst.
While His blessing is withheld there can be no improvement. What is
needed today is for the saints to get down on their faces before God,
cry unto Him in the name of Christ to so work again, that what has
grieved His Spirit may be put away, and the channel of blessing once
more be opened.
Until the Holy Spirit is again given His rightful place in our hearts,
thoughts, and activities, there can be no improvement. Until it be
recognized that we are entirely dependent upon His operations for all
spiritual blessing, the root of the trouble cannot be reached. Until
it be recognized that it is "`Not by might, (of trained workers), nor
by power (of intellectual argument or persuasive appeal), but by MY
SPIRIT,' saith the Lord" (Zech. 4:6), there will be no deliverance
from that fleshly zeal which is not according to knowledge, and which
is now paralyzing Christendom. Until the Holy Spirit is honored,
sought, and counted upon, the present spiritual drought must continue.
May it please our gracious God to give the writer messages and prepare
the hearts of our readers to receive that which will be to His glory,
the furtherance of His cause upon earth, and the good of His dear
people. Brethren, pray for us.
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The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 2
The Personality of the Holy Spirit
_________________________________________________________________
If we were asked to state in a comprehensive form what constitutes
(according to our views of Scripture) the blessedness of the Lord's
people on earth, after His work of grace is begun in their souls, we
would not hesitate to say that it must be wholly made up of the
personal knowledge of and communion with the glorious Trinity in their
Persons in the Godhead--for as the church is chosen to be
everlastingly holy and everlastingly happy, in uninterrupted communion
with God in glory when this life is ended, the anticipation of it now
by faith must form the purest source of all present joy. But this
communion with God in the Trinity of His Persons cannot be enjoyed
without a clear apprehension of Him. We must know under Divine
teaching God in the Trinity of His Persons, and we must also know from
the same source the special and personal acts of grace by which each
glorious Person in the Godhead has condescended to make Himself known
unto His people before we can be said to personally enjoy communion
with each and all.
We offer no apology, then, for devoting a separate chapter to the
consideration of the personality of the Holy Spirit, for unless we
have a right conception of His glorious being, it is impossible that
we should entertain right thoughts about Him, and therefore impossible
for us to render to Him that homage, love, confidence, and submission,
which are His due. To the Christian who is given to realize that he
owes to the personal operations of the Spirit every Divine influence
exercised upon him from the first moment of regeneration until the
final consummation in glory, it cannot be a matter of little
importance for him to aspire after the fullest apprehension of Him
that his finite faculties are capable of--yea, he will consider no
effort too great to obtain spiritual views of Him to whose Divine
grace and power the effectual means of his salvation through Christ
are to be ascribed. To those who are strangers to the operations of
the blessed Spirit in the heart, the theme of this chapter is likely
to be a matter of unconcern, and its details wearisome.
Figurative or Literal Personality
Some of our readers may be surprised to hear that there are men
professing to be Christians who flatly deny the personality of the
Spirit. We will not sully these pages by transcribing their
blasphemies, but we will mention one detail to which appeal is made by
the spiritual seducers, because some of our friends have possibly
experienced a difficulty with it. In the second chapter of Acts the
Holy Spirit was said to be "poured out" (v. 18) and "shed abroad" (v.
33). How could such terms be used of a Person? Very easily: that
language is figurative, and not literal; literal it cannot be for that
which is spiritual is incapable of being materially "poured out." The
figure is easily interpreted: as water "poured out" descends, so the
Spirit has come from Heaven to earth; as a "pouring" rain is a heavy
one, so the Spirit is freely given in the plentitude of His gifts.
Aspects of Personality
Having cleared up, we trust, what has given difficulty to some, the
way is now open for us to set forth some of the positive evidence. Let
us begin by pointing out that a "person" is an intelligent and
voluntary entity, of whom personal properties may be truly predicated.
A "person" is a living entity, endowed with understanding and will,
being an intelligent and willing agent. Such is the Holy Spirit: all
the elements which constitute personality are ascribed to and found in
Him. "As the Father hath life in Himself, and the Son has life in
Himself, so has the Holy Spirit: since He is the Author of natural and
spiritual life to men, which He could not be unless He had life in
Himself; and if He has life in Himself, He must subsist in Himself'
(John Gill).
1. Personal properties are predicated of the Spirit. He is endowed
with understanding or wisdom, which is the first inseparable property
of an intelligent agent: "the Spirit searcheth all things, even the
deep things of God" (1 Cor. 2:10). Now to "search" is an act of
understanding, and the Spirit is said to "search" because He "knoweth"
(v. 11). He is endowed with will, which is the most eminently
distinguishing property of a person: "All these things worketh that
one and selfsame Spirit, dividing unto every man as He will" (1 Cor.
12:11)--how utterly meaningless would be such language were the Spirit
only an influence or energy! He loves: "I beseech you, brethren, for
the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit" (Rom.
15:30)--how absurd would it be to speak of the "love of the Spirit" if
the Spirit were nothing but an impersonal breath or abstract quality!
2. Passive personal properties are ascribed to the Holy Spirit: that
is to say, He is the Object of such actions of men as none but a
person can be. "Ye agree together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord"
(Acts 5:9)--rightly did John Owen say, "How can a quality, an
accident, an emanation from God be tempted? None can possibly be so
but he that hath an understanding to consider what is proposed unto
him, and a will to determine upon the proposals made." In like manner,
Ananias is said to, "lie to the Holy Spirit" (Acts 5:3)--none can lie
unto any other but such a one as is capable of hearing and receiving a
testimony. In Ephesians 4:30 we are bidden not to grieve the Holy
Spirit"--how senseless would it be to talk about "grieving" an
abstraction, like the law of gravity. Hebrews 10:29 wams us that He
may be "done despite unto."
3. Personal actions are attributed to Him. He speaks: "The Spirit
speaketh expressly" (1 Tim. 4:1); "he that bath an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit saith unto the churches" (Rev. 2:7). He teaches: "The
Holy Spirit shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say"
(Luke 12:12); "He shall teach you all things" (John 14:26). He
commands or exercises authority: a striking proof of this is found in
Acts 13:2, "The Holy Spirit said, Separate unto me Barnabas and Saul
for the work whereunto I have called them"--how utterly misleading
would such language be if the Spirit were not a real person! He
intercedes: "The Spirit itself maketh intercession for us" (Rom.
8:26)--as the intercession of Christ proves Him to be a person, and a
distinct one from the Father, unto whom He intercedes, so the
intercession of the Spirit equally proves His personality, even His
distinct personality.
4. Personal characters are ascribed to Him. Four times over the Lord
Jesus referred to the Spirit as "The Comforter," and not merely as
"comfort"; inanimate things, such as clothes, may give us comfort, but
only a living person can be a "comforter." Again, He is the Witness:
"The Holy Spirit also is a witness to us" (Heb. 10:15); "The Spirit
itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of
God" (Rom. 8:16)--the term is a forensic one, denoting the supplying
of valid evidence or legal proof; obviously, only an intelligent agent
is capable of discharging such an office. He is Justifier and
Sanctifier: "But ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name
of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of God" (1 Cor. 6:11).
5. Personal pronouns are used about Him. The word "pneuma" in the
Greek, like "spirit" in the English, is neuter, nevertheless the Holy
Spirit is frequently spoken of in the masculine gender: "The
Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My
name, He shall teach you all things" (John 14:26)--the personal
pronoun could not, without violating grammar and propriety, be applied
to any other but a person. Referring again to Him, Christ said, "If I
depart, I will send Him unto you" (John 16:7)--there is no other
alternative than to regard the Holy Spirit as a Person, or to be
guilty of the frightful blasphemy of affirming that the Savior
employed language which could only mislead His Apostles and bring them
into fearful error. "I will pray the Father that he shall give another
Comforter" (John 14:16)--no comparison would be possible between
Christ (a Person) and an abstract influence.
Borrowing the language of the revered J. Owen, we may surely say, "By
all these testimonies we have fully confirmed what was designed to be
proved by them, namely, that the Holy Spirit is not a quality, as some
speak, residing in the Divine nature; not a mere emanation of virtue
and power from God; not the acting of the power of God in and unto our
sanctification, but a holy, intelligent subsistent, or Person." May it
please the Eternal Spirit to add His blessings to the above, apply the
same to our hearts, and make His adorable Person more real and
precious to each of us. Amen.
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The Holy Spirit
Chapter 3
The Deity of the Holy Spirit
_________________________________________________________________
In the last chapter we endeavored to supply from the testimony of Holy
Writ abundant and clear evidence that the Holy Spirit is a conscious,
intelligent, personal Being. Our present concern is the nature and
dignity of His Person. We sincerely trust that our present inquiry
will not strike our readers as being a superfluous one: surely any
mind which is impressed with a due reverence for the subject we are
upon will readily allow that we cannot be too minute and particular in
the investigation of a point of such infinite importance. While it be
true that almost every passage which we brought forward to demonstrate
the Spirit's personality also contained decisive proof of His Godhead,
yet we deemed the present aspect of our subject of such importance as
to be justly entitled to a separate regard--the more so, as error at
this point is fatal to the soul.
Deity or Not Deity
Having shown, then, that God's Word expressly and unequivocally
teaches that the Spirit is a Person, the next question to be
considered is, Under what character are we to consider Him? What rank
does He occupy in the scale of existence? It has been truly said that,
"He is either God, possessing, in a distinction of Person, an
ineffable unity of the Divine nature with the Father and the Son, or
He is the creature of God, infinitely removed from Him in essence and
dignity, and having no other than a derivative excellence in that rank
to which He is appointed in creation. There is no medium betwixt the
one and the other. Nothing intermediate between the Creator and
created can be admissible. So that were the Holy Spirit to be placed
at the top of all creation, even as high above the highest angel as
that angel transcends the lowest reptile of animated life, the chasm
would be still infinite; and He, who is emphatically called the
Eternal Spirit, would not be God" (Robert Hawker).
We will now endeavor to show from the Word of Truth that the Holy
Spirit is distinguished by such names and attributes, that He is
endowed with such a plentitude of underived power, and that He is the
Author of such works as to altogether transcend finite ability, and
such as can belong to none but God Himself. However mysterious and
inexplicable to human reason the existence of a distinction of Persons
in the essence of the Godhead may be, yet if we submissively bow to
the plain teachings of the Divine Oracles, then the conclusion that
there subsists three Divine Persons who are co-essential, co-eternal,
and co-equal is unavoidable. He of whom such works as the creation of
the universe, the inspiration of the Scriptures, the formation of the
humanity of Christ, the regeneration and sanctification of the elect,
is, and must be, GOD; or, to use the language of 2 Corinthians 3:17
"Now the Lord is that Spirit."
Proofs of the Spirit's Deity
1. The Holy Spirit is expressly called God. To Ananias Peter said,
"Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?" and
then in the very next verse, he affirms "thou hast not lied unto men,
but unto God" (Acts 5:3, 4): if, then, lying to the Holy Spirit is
lying to God, it necessarily follows that the Spirit must be God.
Again, the saints are called "the temple of God," and the reason
proving this is that, "the Spirit of God dwelleth in you" (1 Cor.
3:16). In like manner, the body of the individual saint is designated,
"the temple of the Holy Spirit," and then the exhortation is made,
"therefore glorify God in your body" (1 Cor. 6:19, 20). In 1
Corinthians 12, where the diversity of His gifts, administrations, and
operations are mentioned, He is spoken of severally as "the same
Spirit" (v. 4), "the same Lord" (v. 5), "the same God" (v. 6). In 2
Corinthians 6:16 the Holy Spirit is called "the living God."
2. The Holy Spirit is expressly called Jehovah, a name that is utterly
incommunicable to all creatures, and which can be applied to none
except the Great Supreme. It was Jehovah who spoke by the mouth of all
the holy Prophets from the beginning of the world (Luke 1:68, 70), yet
in 2 Peter 1:20 it is implicitly declared that those Prophets all
spoke by "the Holy Spirit" (see also 2 Sam. 23:2, 3, and compare Acts
1:16)! It was Jehovah whom Israel tempted in the wilderness, "sinning
against God and provoking the Most High" (Ps. 78:17, 18), yet in
Isaiah 63:10 this is specifically termed, "rebelling against and
vexing the Holy Spirit"! In Deuteronomy 32:12 we read, "The Lord alone
did lead them," yet speaking of the same people, at the same time,
Isaiah 63:14 declares, "the Spirit of the Lord did lead them." It was
Jehovah who bade Isaiah, "Go and tell this people, hear ye indeed"
(6:8, 9), while the Apostle declared, "well spake the Holy Spirit by
Isaiah the Prophet, saying, Go unto the people and say, Hear ye
indeed..." (Acts 28:25, 26)! What could more plainly establish the
identity of Jehovah and the Holy Spirit? Note that the Holy Spirit is
called "the Lord" in 2 Thessalonians 3:5.
3. The perfections of God are all found in the Spirit. By what is the
nature of any being determined but by its properties? He who possesses
the properties peculiar to an angel or man is rightly esteemed one. So
He who possesses the attributes or properties which belong alone to
God, must be considered and worshipped as God. The Scriptures very
clearly and abundantly affirm that the Holy Spirit is possessed of the
attributes peculiar to God. They ascribe to Him absolute holiness. As
God is called "Holy," "the Holy One," being therein described by that
superlatively excellent property of His nature wherein He is "glorious
in holiness" (Ex. 15:1 1); so is the Third Person of the Trinity
designated "the Spirit of Holiness" (Rom. 1:4) to denote the holiness
of His nature and the Deity of His Person. The Spirit is eternal (Heb.
9:14). He is omnipresent: "Whither shall I flee from thy Spirit?" (Ps.
139:7). He is omniscient (see 1 Cor. 2:10, 11). He is omnipotent:
being termed "the Power of the Highest" (Luke 1:35; see also Micah
2:8, and compare Isa. 40:28).
4. The absolute sovereignty and supremacy of the Spirit manifest His
Godhead. In Matthew 4:1 we are told, "Then was Jesus led up of the
Spirit into the wilderness": who but a Divine Person had the right to
direct the Mediator? and to whom but God would the Redeemer have
submitted! In John 3:8 the Lord Jesus drew an analogy between the wind
which "bloweth where it listeth" (not being at the disposal or
direction of any creature), and the imperial operations of the Spirit.
In 1 Corinthians 12:11 it is expressly affirmed that the Holy Spirit
has the distribution of all spiritual gifts, having nothing but His
own pleasure for His rule. He must, then, be "God over all, blessed
forever." In Acts 13:2-4 we find the Holy Spirit calling men unto the
work of the ministry, which is solely a Divine prerogative, though
wicked men have abrogated it unto themselves. In these verses it will
be found that the Spirit appointed their work, commanded them to be
set apart by the church, and sent them forth. In Acts 20:28 it is
plainly declared that the Holy Spirit set officers over the church.
5. The works ascribed to the Spirit clearly demonstrate His Godhead.
Creation itself is attributed to Him, no less than to the Father and
the Son: "By the Spirit lie hath garnished the heavens" (Job 26: 13):
"the Spirit of God hath made me" (Job 33:4). He is concerned in the
work of providence (Isa. 40:13-15; Acts 16:6, 7). All Scripture is
given by inspiration of God (2 Tim. 3:16), the source of which is the
Spirit Himself (2 Peter 1:21). The humanity of Christ was miraculously
formed by the Spirit (Matthew 1:20). Christ was anointed for His work
by the Spirit (Isa. 61:1; John 3:34). His miracles were performed by
the Spirit's power (Matthew 12:3 8). He was raised from the dead by
the Spirit (Rom. 8:11). Who but a Divine person could have wrought
such works as these!?
Reader, do you have a personal and inward proof that the Holy Spirit
is none other than God? Has He wrought in you that which no finite
power could? Has He brought you from death unto life, made you a new
creature in Christ, imparted to you a living faith, filled you with
holy longings after God? Does He breathe into you the spirit of
prayer, take of the things of Christ and show them unto you, apply to
your heart both the precepts and promises of God? If so, then, these
are so many witnesses in your own bosom of the deity of the Blessed
Spirit.
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The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 4
The Titles of the Holy Spirit
_________________________________________________________________
Correct views of the Divine character lie at the foundation of all
genuine and vital godliness. It should, then, be one of our chief
quests to seek after the knowledge of God. Without the true knowledge
of God, in His nature and attributes, we can neither worship Him
acceptably nor serve Him aright.
"Names" Describe Character
Now the three Persons in the Godhead have graciously revealed
Themselves through a variety of names and titles. The Nature of God we
are utterly incapable of comprehending, but His person and character
may be known. Each name or title that God has appropriated unto
Himself is that whereby He reveals Himself unto us, and whereby He
would have us know and own Him. Therefore whatever any name of God
expresses Him to be, that He is, for He will not deceive us by giving
Himself a wrong or false name. On this account He requires us to trust
in His Name, because He will assuredly be found unto us all that His
Name imports.
The names of God, then, are for the purpose of expressing Him unto us;
they set forth His perfections and make known the different relations
which He sustains unto the children of men and unto His own favored
people. Names are given for this intent, that they might declare what
the thing is to which the name belongs. Thus, when God created Adam
and gave him dominion over this visible world, He caused the beasts of
the field and the fowls of the air to pass before him, that they might
receive names from him (Gen. 2:19). In like manner, we may learn of
what God is through the names and titles He has taken. By means of
them, God spells out Himself to us, sometimes by one of His
perfections, sometimes by another. A very wide field of study is here
introduced to us, yet we can now say no more than that the prayerful
and diligent searcher will find it a highly profitable one to
investigate.
What has been said above serves to indicate the importance of the
present aspect of our subject. What the Holy Spirit is in His Divine
Person and ineffable character is made known unto us by means of the
many names and varied titles which are accorded to Him in Holy Writ. A
whole volume, rather than a brief chapter, might well be devoted to
their contemplation. May we be Divinely guided in using the limited
space which is now at our disposal in writing that which will both
magnify the Third Person in the blessed Trinity, and serve as a
stimulus unto our readers to give more careful study and holy
meditation to those titles of His which we cannot here consider.
Possibly, we can help our friends most by devoting our attention to
those which are more difficult to apprehend.
Concurrence in the Trinity
The Holy Spirit is designated by a great many names and titles in
Scripture which clearly evince both His personality and Deity. Some of
these are peculiar to Himself, others He has in common with the Father
and the Son, in the undivided essence of the Divine nature. While in
the wondrous scheme of redemption the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit are revealed unto us under distinct characters, by which we are
taught to ascribe certain operations to one more immediately than to
another, yet the agency of each is not to be considered as so detached
but that They cooperate and concur. For this reason the Third Person
of the Trinity is called the Spirit of the Father (John 14:26) and the
Spirit of the Son (Gal. 4:6), because, acting in conjunction with the
Father and the Son, the operations of the one are in effect the
operations of the others--and altogether result from the indivisible
essence of the Godhead.
Titles Used in Scripture
First, He is designated "The Spirit," which expresses two things.
First, His Divine nature, for "God is Spirit" (John 4:24); as the
Thirty-Nine Articles of the Episcopal Church well express it, "without
body, parts, or passions." He is essentially pure, incorporeal Spirit,
as distinct from any material or visible substance. Second, it
expresses His mode of operation on the hearts of the people of God,
which is compared in Scripture to a "breath," or the movement of the
"wind"--both of which adumbrate Him in this lower world; suitably so,
inasmuch as they are invisible, and yet vitalizing elements. "Come
from the four winds, 0 Breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they
may live" (Ezek. 37:9). Therefore was it that in His public descent on
the day of Pentecost, "suddenly there came a sound from Heaven of a
rushing, mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were
sitting" (Acts 2:2).
Second, He is called by way of eminency "The Holy Spirit" which is His
most usual appellation in the New Testament. Two things are included.
First, respect is had unto His nature. As Jehovah is distinguished
from all false gods thus, "Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the
gods; who is like thee, glorious in holiness" (Ex. 15:11); so is the
Spirit called Holy to denote the holiness of His nature. This appears
plainly in Mark 3:29, 30, "He that shall blaspheme against the Holy
Spirit hath never forgiveness; because they said, he hath an unclean
spirit"--thus opposition is made between His immaculate nature and
that of the unclean or unholy spirit. Observe, too, how this verse
also furnishes clear proof of His personality, for the "unclean
spirit" is a person, and if the Spirit were not a Person, no
comparative opposition could be made between them. So also we see here
His absolute Deity, for only God could be "blasphemed"! Second, this
title views His operations and that in respect of all His works, for
every work of God is holy--in hardening and blinding, equally as in
regenerating and sanctifying.
Third, He is called God's "good Spirit" (Neh. 9:20). "Thy Spirit is
good" (Ps. 143:10). He is so designated principally from His nature,
which is essentially good for "there is none good but one, that is
God" (Matthew 19:17); so also from His operations, for "the fruit of
the Spirit is in all goodness, and righteousness, and truth" (Eph.
5:9).
Fourth, He is called the "free Spirit" (Ps. 5 1:12), so designated
because He is a most munificent Giver, bestowing His favors severally
as He pleases, literally, and upbraiding not; also because it is His
special work to deliver God's elect from the bondage of sin and Satan,
and bring them into the glorious liberty of God's children.
Fifth, He is called "the Spirit of Christ" (Rom. 8:9) because sent by
Him (Acts 2:33), and as furthering His cause on earth (John 16:14).
Sixth, He is called "the Spirit of the Lord" (Acts 8:29) because He
possesses Divine authority and requires unhesitating submission from
us.
Seventh, He is called, "the Eternal Spirit" (Heb. 9:14). "Among the
names and titles by which the Holy Spirit is known in Scripture, that
of `the eternal Spirit' is His peculiar appellation--a name, which in
the very first face of things, accurately defines His nature, and
carries with it the most convincing proof of Godhead. None but `the
High and Holy One, inhabiteth eternity,' can be called eternal. Of
other beings, who possess a derivative immortality, it may be said
that as they are created for eternity, they may enjoy, through the
benignity of their Creator, a future eternal duration. But this
differs as widely as the east is from the west, when applied to Him of
whom we are speaking. He alone, who possesses an underived,
independent, and necessary self-existence, `who was, and is, and is to
come,' can be said, in exclusion of all other beings, to be eternal"
(Robert Hawker).
Eighth, He is called "the Paraclete" or "the Comforter" (John 14:16)
than which no better translation can be given, providing the English
meaning of the word be kept in mind. Comforter means more than
Consoler. It is derived from two Latin words, corn "along side of" and
fortis "strength." Thus a "comforter" is one who stands alongside of
one in need, to strengthen. When Christ said He would ask the Father
to give His people "another Comforter," He signified that the Spirit
would take His own place, doing for the disciples, what He had done
for them while He was with them on earth. The Spirit strengthens in a
variety of ways: consoling when cast down, giving grace when weak or
timid, guiding when perplexed.
We close this subject with a few words from the pen of the late J. C.
Philpot (1863), "Nor let anyone think that this doctrine of the
distinct Personality of the Holy Spirit is a mere strife of words, or
unimportant matter, or an unprofitable discussion, which we may take
or leave, believe or deny, without any injury to our faith or hope. On
the contrary, let this be firmly impressed on your mind, that if you
deny or disbelieve the Personality of the blessed Spirit, you deny and
disbelieve with it the grand foundation truth of the Trinity. If your
doctrine be unsound, your experience must be a delusion, and your
practice an imposition."
_________________________________________________________________
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The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 5
The Covenant-Offices of the Holy Spirit
_________________________________________________________________
The ground which we are now to tread, will, we fear, be new and
strange to most of our readers. In the January and February 1930
issues of Studies in the Scriptures, we wrote two rather lengthy
articles upon "The Everlasting Covenant." There we dwelt principally
upon it in connection with the Father and the Son; here we shall
contemplate the relation of the Holy Spirit unto the same. His
covenant-offices are intimately connected with and indeed flow from
His Deity and Personality, for if He had not been a Divine Person in
the Godhead, He would not and could not have taken a part in the
Covenant of Grace. Before proceeding further, let us define our terms.
Definitions
By the "Covenant of Grace," we refer to that holy and solemn compact
entered into between the august Persons of the Trinity on behalf of
the elect, before the foundation of the world. By the word "offices"
we understand the whole of that part of this sacred compact which the
Holy Spirit undertook to perform. Lest some should suppose that the
application of such a term to the Third Person of the Godhead be
derogatory to His ineffable majesty, let us point out that it by no
means implies subordination or inferiority. It signifies literally a
particular charge, trust, duty, or employment, conferred for some
public or beneficial end. Hence we read of "the priest's office" (Ex.
28:1; Luke 1:8), the apostolic "office" (Rom. 11:13), etc.
There is then no impropriety in using the word "office" to express the
several parts which the Son and the blessed Spirit undertook in the
Covenant of Grace. As Persons in the Trinity they were equal; as
covenanting Parties they were equal; and as They in infinite
condescension, undertook to communicate to the church unutterable
favors and blessings, Their kind offices, so graciously and
voluntarily entered into, neither destroy nor diminish that original
equality in which They from all eternity subsisted in the perfection
and glory of the Divine Essence. As Christ's assumption of the
"office" of "Servant" in no way tarnished or canceled His equality as
the Son, so the Spirit's free undertaking the office of applying the
benefits of the Everlasting Covenant (Covenant of Grace) to its
beneficiaries in no way detracts from His essential and personal honor
and glory.
The word "office," then, as applied to the covenant-work of the Holy
Spirit, denotes that which He graciously undertook to perform by way
of stipulated engagement and sets forth, under one comprehensive term,
the whole of His blessed pledging and performances on behalf of the
election of grace. To an enlightened understanding and a believing
heart, there is in the Covenant itself--in the fact of it, and the
provisions of it--something singularly marvelous and precious. That
there should have been a Covenant at all--that the three Persons in
the Godhead should have deigned to enter into a solemn compact on
behalf of a section of the fallen, ruined, and guilty race of mankind
should fill our minds with holy wonderment and adoration. How firm a
foundation was thus laid for the salvation of the church. No room was
allowed for contingencies, no place left for uncertainties; her being
and well-being was forever secured by unalterable compact and eternal
decree.
The Spirit's Covenant-Office: Sanctification
Now the "office-work" of the Holy Spirit in connection with this
"everlasting Covenant, ordered in all things and sure" (2 Sam. 23:5),
may be summed up in a single word, sanctification. The Third Person of
the Holy Trinity agreed to sanctify, the objects of the Father's
eternal choice, and of the Son's redemptive satisfaction. The Spirit's
work of sanctification was just as needful, yea, as indispensable for
the church's salvation, as was the obedience and blood-shedding of
Christ. Adam's fall plunged the church into immeasurable depths of woe
and wretchedness. The image of God in which her members had been
created was defaced. Sin, like a loathsome leprosy, infected them to
the very heart's core. Spiritual death spread itself with fatal effect
over her every faculty. But the gracious Holy Spirit pledged Himself
to sanctify such wretches, and frame and fit them to be partakers of
holiness, and live forever in God's spotless presence.
Without the Spirit's sanctification the redemption of Christ would
avail no man. True, a perfect atonement was made by Him and a perfect
righteousness brought in, and so the persons of the elect are legally
reconciled to God. But Jehovah is holy as well as just, and the
employments and enjoyment of His dwelling-place are holy too. Holy
angels there minister whose unceasing cry is, "Holy, holy, holy is the
Lord of hosts" (Isa. 6:3). How then could unholy, unregenerated,
unsanctified sinners dwell in that ineffable place into which "there
shall in no way enter anything that defileth, neither whatsoever
worketh abomination, or maketh a lie" (Rev. 21:27)? But O the wonder
of covenant grace and covenant love! The vilest of sinners, the worst
of wretches, the basest of mortals, can and will enter through the
gates into the Holy City: "And such were some of you, but ye are
washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the
Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Cor. 6:11).
From what has been said in the last paragraph it should be clear that
sanctification is as indispensable as justification. Now there are
many phases presented in Scripture of this important Truth of
sanctification, into which we cannot here enter. Suffice it to say
that aspect of it which is now before us is the blessed work of the
Spirit upon the soul, whereby He internally makes the saints meet for
their inheritance in the light (Col. 1:12): without this miracle of
grace none can enter Heaven. "That which is born of the flesh is
flesh" (1 John 3:6): no matter how it be educated and refined, no
matter how disguised by religious ornamentation, it remains still
flesh. It is like everything else which earth produces: no
manipulation of art can change the original nature of the raw
material.
No process of manufacture can transmute cotton into wool, or flax into
silk: draw, twist, spin or weave, bleach and surface all we may, its
nature remains the same. So men-made preachers and the whole corps of
creature religionists may toil night and day to change flesh into
spirit, they may work from the cradle to the grave to fit people for
Heaven, but after all their labors to wash the Ethiopian white and to
rub the spots out of the leopard, flesh is flesh still and cannot by
any possibility enter the kingdom of God. Nothing but the supernatural
operations of the Holy Spirit will avail. Not only is man polluted to
the very core by sin original and actual, but there is in him an
absolute incapability to understand, embrace or enjoy spiritual things
(1 Cor. 2:14).
The imperative necessity, then, of the Spirit's work of sanctification
lies not only in the sinfulness of man, but in the state of spiritual
death whereby he is as unable to live, breathe, and act Godward as the
corpse in the graveyard is unable to leave the silent tomb and move
among the busy haunts of men. We indeed know little of the Word of God
and little of our own hearts if we need proof of a fact which meets us
at every turn; the vileness of our nature and the thorough deathliness
of our carnal heart are so daily and hourly forced upon us that they
are a such a matter of painful consciousness to the Christian, as if
we should see the sickening sight of a slaughterhouse, or smell the
death taint of a corpse.
Suppose a man is born blind: he has a natural incapacity of sight. No
arguments, biddings, threats, or promises can make him see. But let
the miracle be wrought: let the Lord touch the eyes with His Divine
hand; he sees at once. Though he cannot explain how or why, he can say
to all objectors, "One thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I
see" (John 9:25). And thus it is in the Spirit's work of
sanctification, begun at regeneration, when a new life is given, a new
capacity imparted, a new desire awakened. It is carried forward in his
daily renewing (2 Cor. 4:16) and is completed at glorification. What
we would specially emphasize is that whether the Spirit is convicting
us, working repentance in us, breathing upon us the spirit of prayer,
or taking of the things of Christ and showing them unto our joyful
hearts, He is discharging His covenant-offices. May we render unto Him
the praise and worship which is His due.
For most of the above we are indebted to some articles by the late J.
C. Philpot.
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The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 6
The Holy Spirit During the Old Testament Ages
_________________________________________________________________
Much ignorance prevails today concerning this aspect of our subject.
The crudest ideas are now entertained as to the relation between the
Third Person of the Godhead and the Old Testament saints. Yet this is
scarcely to be wondered at in view of the fearful confusion which
obtains respecting their salvation, many supposing that they were
saved in an entirely different way from what we are now. Nor need we
be surprised at that, for this, in turn, is only another of the evil
effects produced by the misguided efforts of those who have been so
eager to draw as many contrasts as possible between the present
dispensation and those which preceded it, to the disparaging of the
earlier members of God's family. The Old Testament saints had far more
in common with the New Testament saints than is generally supposed.
A verse which has been grossly perverted by many of our moderns is
John 7:39, "The Holy Spirit was not yet given, because that Jesus was
not yet glorified." It seems passing strange that with the Old
Testament in their hands, some men should place the construction which
they do upon those words. The words "was not yet given" can no more be
understood absolutely than "Enoch was not" (Gen. 5:24); they simply
mean that the Spirit had not yet been given in His full administrative
authority. He was not yet publicly manifested here on earth. All
believers, in every age, had been sanctified and comforted by Him, but
the "ministration of the Spirit" (2 Cor. 3:8) was not at that time
fully introduced; the outpouring of the Spirit, in the plentitude of
His miraculous gifts, had not then taken place.
In Relation to Creation
Let us first consider, though very briefly, the work of the Spirit in
connection with the old or material creation. Before the worlds were
framed by the Word of God, and things which are seen were made out of
things which do not appear (Heb. 11:3), when the whole mass of
inanimate matter lay in one undistinguished chaos, "without form and
void," we are told that, "the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the
waters" (Gen. 1:2). There are other passages which ascribe the work of
creation (in common with the Father and the Son), to His immediate
agency. For example, we are told, "by His Spirit He hath garnished the
heavens" (Job 26:13). Job was moved to confess, "The Spirit of God
hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life"
(33:4). "Thou sendest forth Thy Spirit, they are created: and Thou
renewest the face of the earth" (Ps. 104:30).
In Relation to Adam
Let us next contemplate the Holy Spirit in relation to Adam. As so
much darkness now surrounds this subject, we must enter into it in
greater detail. "Three things were required to render man fit unto
that life to God for which he was made. First, an ability to discern
the mind and wisdom of God with respect unto all the duty and
obedience that God requires of him; as also for to know the nature and
properties of God, as to believe Him the only proper object of all
acts and duties of religious obedience, and an all-sufficient
satisfaction and reward in this world, and to eternity. Secondly, a
free, uncontrolled, unentangled, disposition to every duty of the law
of his creation for living unto God. Thirdly, an ability of mind and
will, with a readiness of compliance in his affections, for a regular
performance of all duties and abstinence from all sin. These things
belonged unto the integrity of his nature, with the uprightness of the
state and condition wherein he was made. And all these things were the
peculiar effects of the immediate operation of the Holy Spirit.
"Thus Adam may be said to have had the Spirit of God in his innocence.
He had Him in these peculiar effects of His power and goodness, and he
had Him according to the tenor of that covenant, whereby it was
possible that he should utterly lose Him, as accordingly it came to
pass. He had Him not by especial inhabitation, for the whole world was
then the temple of God. In the Covenant of Grace, founded in the
Person and on the mediation of Christ, it is otherwise. On whomsoever
the Spirit of God is bestowed for the renovation of the image of God
in him, He abides with him forever" (J. Owen, 1680).
The three things mentioned above by that eminent Puritan constituted
the principal part of that "image of God" wherein man was created by
the Spirit. Proof of this is seen in the fact that at regeneration the
Holy Spirit restores those abilities in the souls of God's elect: "And
hath put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge, after the
image of Him that created him" (Col. 3:10): that is, the spiritual
knowledge which man lost at the Fall is, potentially, restored at the
new birth; but it could not be restored or "renewed" if man had never
possessed it!
The "knowledge" with which the Holy Spirit endowed Adam was great
indeed. Clear exemplification of this is seen in Genesis 2:19. Still,
more conclusive evidence is found in Genesis 2:21-23: God put Adam
into a deep sleep, took a rib out of his side, formed it into a woman,
and then set her before him. On sight of her Adam said, "This is now
bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh." He knew who she was and her
origin, and forthwith gave her a suitable name; and he could only have
known all this by the Spirit of revelation and understanding.
That Adam was, originally, made a partaker of the Holy Spirit is quite
evident to the writer from Genesis 2:7, "The Lord God formed man of
the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of
life." If those words were interpreted in the light of the Analogy of
Faith, they can mean nothing less than that the Triune God imparted
the Holy Spirit unto the first man. In Ezekiel 37 we have a vivid
parabolic picture of the regenerating of spiritual Israel. There we
are told, "Prophesy unto the Wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to
the Wind, Thus saith the LORD God, Come from the four winds, O Breath,
and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as
He commanded me, and the Breath came unto them, and they lived" (vv.
9, 10). Again, we find the Savior, after His resurrection, "Breathed
on them (the Apostles), and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy
Spirit" (John 20:22): that was the counterpart of Genesis 2:7: the one
the original gift, the other the restoration of what was lost.
Rightly has it been said that "The doctrine that man was originally,
though mutably, replenished with the Spirit, may be termed the deep
fundamental thought of the Scripture doctrine of man. If the first and
second Adam are so related that the first man was the analogue or
figure of the second, as all admit on the authority of Scripture (Rom.
5:12-14), it is clear that, unless the first man possessed the Spirit,
the last man, the Healer or Restorer of the forfeited inheritance,
would not have been the medium of giving the Spirit, who was withdrawn
on account of sin, and who could be restored only on account of the
everlasting righteousness which Christ (Rom. 8:10) brought in" (G.
Smeaton, 1880).
In Relation to the Nation Israel
Let us next observe the relation of the Holy Spirit unto the nation of
Israel. A very striking and comprehensive statement was made by
Nehemiah, when he reviewed the Lord's dealings with His people of old:
"Thou gavest also Thy good Spirit to instruct them" (Neh. 8:20). He
was, until quenched, upon the members of the Sanhedrin (Num. 11:16,
17). He came upon the judges (Judges 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 15:14), upon
the kings (1 Sam. 11:6; 16:13), and the Prophets. But note it is a
great mistake to say, as many have done, that the Holy Spirit was
never in any believer before Pentecost: Numbers 27:18, Nehemiah 9:30,
1 Peter 1:11 clearly prove otherwise. But alas, Israel "rebelled and
vexed his Holy Spirit" (Isa. 63:10), as Stephen declared, "Ye do
always resist the Holy Spirit: as your fathers did, so do ye" (Acts
7:51).
That the Holy Spirit indwelt saints under the Legal economy is clear
from many considerations: how otherwise could they have been
regenerated, had faith, been enabled to perform works acceptable to
God? The Spirit prompted true prayer, inspired spiritual worship,
produced His fruit in the lives of believers then (see Zech. 4:6) as
much as He does now. We have "the same Spirit of faith" (2 Cor. 4:13)
as they had. All the spiritual good which has ever been wrought in and
through men must be ascribed unto the Holy Spirit. The Spirit was
given to the Old Testament saints prospectively, as pardon of sin was
given in view of the satisfaction which Christ was to render unto God.
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The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 7
The Holy Spirit and Christ
_________________________________________________________________
We are afraid that our treatment of the particular aspect of this
many-sided theme which is now before us is rather too abstruse for
some of our readers to follow, yet we trust they will kindly bear with
us as we endeavor to write for those who are anxious for help on the
deeper things of God.
The Deeper Things of God
As stated before, we are seeking to minister unto widely different
classes, unto those with differing capacities, and therefore we wish
to provide a varied spiritual menu. He who is hungry will not leave
the table in disgust because one dish thereon appeals not to him. We
ask their forbearance while we seek to give something like
completeness to our exposition of the subject as a whole.
"As the humanity of Christ was assumed into the Hypostatic union, we
may fitly say, on the one hand, that the Person of Christ was
anointed, so far as the call to office was concerned; while we bear in
mind, on the other hand, that it is the humanity that is anointed in
as far as we contemplate the actual supplies of God's gifts and
graces, aids and endowments, necessary to the execution of His office.
But that we may not be engulfed in onesidedness, it must be also added
that the Holy Spirit, according to the order of the Trinity,
interposes His power only to execute the will of the Son
as to the unction of the Lord Jesus by the Spirit, it was different
according to the three grades successively imparted. The first grade
was at the incarnation; the second coincided with His baptism, the
third and highest grade was at the ascension, when He sat down on His
mediatorial throne, and received from the Father the gift of the
Spirit to bestow upon His Church in abundant measure" (G. Smeaton).
The Spirit in the Incarnation and Baptism of Christ
We have already contemplated the first anointing of the Lord Jesus
when, in His mother's womb, His humanity was endowed with all
spiritual graces, and when through childhood and up to the age of 30
He was illuminated, guided, and preserved by the immediate operations
of the Third Person in the Godhead. We come now to briefly consider
His second anointing, when He was formally consecrated unto His public
mission and Divinely endowed for His official work. This took place at
the River Jordan, when He was baptized by His forerunner. Then it was,
while emerging from the waters, that the heavens were opened, the Holy
Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove, and the voice of the
Father was heard testifying unto His infinite pleasure in His
incarnate Son (Matthew 3:16, 17). All the references to that unique
transaction call for close examination and prayerful study.
The first thing that is recorded after this is, "And Jesus being full
of the Holy Spirit, returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit
into the wilderness" (Luke 4:14). The reason why we are told this
seems to be for the purpose of showing us that Christ's humanity was
confirmed by the Spirit and made victorious over the devil by His
power. Hence it is we read that right after the temptation, "And Jesus
returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee" (Luke 4:14). Next we
are told that He entered the synagogue at Nazareth and read from
Isaiah 61, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath
anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal
the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and
recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are
bruised; to preach the acceptable year of the Lord," and declared,
"This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears" (Luke 4:18, 19,
21).
Here, then, is to be seen the leading distinction between the first
and second "grades" of Christ's "unction" from the Spirit. The first
was for the forming of His human nature and the enduing it with
perfect wisdom and faultless holiness. The second was to endow Him
with supernatural powers for His great work. Thus the former was
personal and private, the latter official and public; the one was
bestowing upon Him of spiritual graces, the other imparting to Him
ministerial gifts. His need for this double "anointing" lay in the
creature-nature He had assumed and the servant-place which He had
taken; and also as a public attestation from the Father of His
acceptance of Christ's Person and His induction into His mediatorial
office. Thus was fulfilled that ancient oracle, "The Spirit of the
Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the
Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear
of the LORD; and shall make Him of quick understanding" (Isa. 11:2,
3).
"For He whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God; for God giveth
not the Spirit by measure unto Him" (John 3:34). This at once brings
out the pre-eminence of Christ, for He receives the Spirit as no mere
man could. Observe the contrast pointed out by Ephesians 4:7, "But
unto everyone of us is given grace according to the measure of the
gift of Christ." In none but the Mediator did "all the fullness of the
Godhead" dwell "bodily" (Col. 2:9). The uniqueness of the Spirit's
relation to our Lord comes out again in Romans 8:2, "For the law of
the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of
sin and death." Note carefully the words we have italicized: not only
does this statement reveal to us the source of all Christ's actions,
but it intimates that more habitual grace dwells in Him than in all
created beings.
The Spirit in the Ascension of Christ
The third degree of Christ's unction was reserved for His exaltation,
and is thus described, "Therefore being by the right hand of God
exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy
Spirit, He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear" (Acts
2:33). This highest ride of unction, when Christ was "anointed with
the oil of gladness above his fellows" (Ps. 45:7) and which became
apparent at Pentecost, was an ascension-gift. The declaration which
Peter gave of it was but a paraphrase of Psalm 68:18, "Thou hast
ascended on high, Thou hast led captivity captive: Thou hast received
gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD might dwell
among them." That bountiful supply of the Spirit was designed for the
erecting and equipping of the New Testament church, and it was fitly
bestowed after the ascension upon those for whom the Spirit was
purchased.
Christ Bestows the Spirit
As Mediator, the Lord Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit for the
execution of all His offices, and for the performance of all His
mediatorial work. His right to send the Spirit into the hearts of
fallen men was acquired by His atonement. It was the well-earned
reward of all His toil and sufferings. One of the chief results of the
perfect satisfaction which Christ offered to God on behalf of His
people, was His right now to bestow the Spirit upon them. Of old it
was promised Him, "By His knowledge shall My righteous Servant justify
many, for He shall bear their iniquities: therefore will I divide Him
a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the
strong; because He hath poured out His soul unto death" (Isa. 53:11,
12). So, too, His forerunner had announced, "He shall baptize you with
the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:11).
What has just been said above is further borne out by Galatians 3:13,
14. "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a
curse for us ... that the blessing of Abraham might come on the
Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise of
the Spirit through faith." The promised Spirit followed the great work
of canceling the curse as the effect follows the cause. To give the
Holy Spirit to men, clearly implied that their sins had been put away;
see Leviticus 14:14, 17 for the type of this--the "oil" (emblem of the
Spirit) placed upon the "blood"! Not only does Christ's right to
bestow the Holy Spirit upon His redeemed intimate the cancellation of
their sins, but it also clearly argues His Divine dignity, for no mere
servant, however exalted his station, could act thus or confer such a
Gift!
A Joint Mission
From the varied quotations which have been made from Scripture in
reference to Christ's unction for all His offices, it sometimes
appears as if He were in the subordinate position of needing
direction, aid, and miraculous power for the purposes of His mission
(Isa. 11:1-3; 61:1, 2, etc.); at other times He is said to have the
Spirit (Rev. 3:1), to give the Spirit (Acts 2:33), to send the Spirit
(John 15:26) as if the Spirit's operations were subordinated to the
Son. But all difficulty is removed when we perceive, from the whole
tenor of Scripture, that there was a conjoined mission in which the
Son and the Spirit act together for the salvation of God's elect. The
Son effected redemption--the Spirit reveals and applies it to all for
whom it was purchased.
In writing on the Holy Spirit and Christ, it is to be understood that
we are not now contemplating our Lord as the Second Person of the
Trinity, but rather as the God-man Mediator, and the Holy Spirit not
in His Godhead abstractly considered, but in His official discharge of
the work assigned Him in the Everlasting Covenant. This is undoubtedly
the most difficult aspect of our subject, yet it is very important
that we should prayerfully strive after clear scriptural views
thereof. To apprehend aright, even according to our present limited
capacity, the relation between the Holy Spirit and the Redeemer,
throws much light on some difficult problems, supplies the key to a
number of perplexing passages in Holy Writ, and better enables us to
understand the work of the Spirit in the saint.
"Come ye near unto Me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from
the beginning: from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord
God and his Spirit hath sent Me" (Isa. 48:16). This remarkable verse
presents to us the Lord Jesus speaking of old by the spirit of
prophecy. He declares that He had always addressed the Nation in the
most open manner, from the time when He appeared unto Moses at the
burning bush and called Himself, "I am that I am" (Ex. 3); and He was
constantly present with Israel as their Lord and Deliverer. And now
the Father and the Spirit had sent Him to effect the promised
spiritual deliverance of His people; sent Him in the likeness of sin's
flesh, to preach the Gospel, fulfill the Law, and make a perfect
satisfaction unto Divine justice for His church. Here, then, is a
glorious testimony unto a Trinity of Persons in the Godhead: the Son
of God is sent in human nature and as Mediator; Jehovah the Father and
the Spirit are the Senders, and so is a proof of Christ's mission,
commission, and authority, who came not of Himself, but was sent of
God (John 8:42).
"The Lord hath created a new thing in the earth: A woman shall compass
a man" (Jer. 31:22). Here we have one of the prophetic announcements
of the wonder of the Divine incarnation, the eternal Word becoming
flesh, a human body and soul being prepared for Him by the miraculous
intervention of the Holy Spirit. Here the Prophet intimates that the
creating power of God was to be put forth under which a woman was to
compass a Man. The virgin Mary, under the overshadowing power of the
Highest (Luke 1:35) was to conceive and bring forth a Child, without
the help or cooperation of man. This transcendent wonder Isaiah calls
a "sign" (7:14); Jeremiah "a new thing in the earth"; the New
Testament record of which is, "When as his mother Mary was espoused to
Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the
Holy Spirit" (Mathew 1:18).
"And the Child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom,
and the grace of God was upon Him. And Jesus increased in wisdom and
stature, and in favor with God and man" (Luke 2:40, 52). Not only was
the humanity of Christ supernaturally begotten by the Holy Spirit, but
it was "anointed" by Him (cf. Lev. 2:1 for the type), endued with all
spiritual races. All the progress in the Holy Child's mental and
spiritual development, all His advancement in knowledge and holiness
must be ascribed unto the Spirit. "Progress," in the human nature
which He deigned to assume, side by side with His own Divine
perfection, is quite compatible, as Hebrews 2:14, 17 plainly intimate.
As George Smeaton has so helpfully pointed out in his book, the
Spirit's operations "formed the link between Christ's deity and
humanity, perpetually imparting the full consciousness of personality,
and making Him inwardly aware of His Divine Sonship at all times."
Thus the Spirit, at the incarnation, became the great guiding
principle of all Christ's earthly history, and that, according to the
order of operation that ever belongs to the Holy Trinity: all proceeds
from the Father, through the Son, and is by the Holy Spirit. It was
the Spirit who formed Christ's human nature, and directed the whole
tenor of His earthly life. Nothing was undertaken but by the Spirit's
directing, nothing was spoken but by His guidance, nothing executed
but by His power. Unless this be steadfastly maintained, we are in
grave danger of confounding the two natures of Christ, absorbing the
one in the other instead of keeping them separate and distinct in our
thoughts. Had His Deity been absorbed by His humanity, then grief,
fear, and compassion had been impossible. The right use of the
faculties of His soul owed their exercise to the Holy Spirit who fully
controlled Him.
"From birth to baptism the Spirit directed His mental and moral
development, and strengthened and kept Him through all the years of
preparation and toil. He was in the Carpenter as truly as in the
Messiah, and the work at the bench was as perfect as the sacrifice on
the Cross" (S. Chadwick). At first sight, such a statement may seem to
derogate from the personal honor of the Lord Jesus, but if we perceive
that, according to the order of the Trinity, the Spirit exercises His
power only to execute the will of the Father and the Son, then the
seeming difficulty disappears. So far is the interposition of the
Spirit's operations from interfering with the glory of the Son, it
rather reveals Him the more conspicuously: that in the work of
redemption the activities of the Spirit are next in order to those of
the Son.
Misguided Theories
To this we may add another excerpt from G. Smeaton: "The two natures
of our Lord actively concurred in every mediatorial act. If He assumed
human nature in the true and proper sense of the term into union with
His Divine Person, that position must be maintained. The Socinian
objection that there could be no further need for the Spirit's agency,
and, in fact, no room for it--if the Divine nature was active in the
whole range of Christ's mediation--is meant to perplex the question,
because these men deny the existence of any Divine nature in Christ's
Person. That style of reasoning is futile, for the question simply is,
What do the Scriptures teach? Do they affirm that Christ was anointed
by the Spirit (Acts 10:38)? that He was led out into the wilderness by
the Spirit? that He returned in the power of the Spirit to begin His
public ministry? that He performed His miracles by the Spirit? and
that, previously to His ascension, He gave commandments by the Spirit
to His disciples whom He had chosen (Acts 1:2)?
"No warrant exists for anything akin to the Kenotic theory which
denudes Him of the essential attributes of His Godhead, and puts His
humanity on a mere level with that of other men. And as little warrant
exists for denying the Spirit's work on Christ's humanity in every
mediatorial act which He performed on earth or performs in Heaven. The
unction of the Spirit must be traced in all His personal and official
gifts. In Christ the Person and office coincide. In His Divine Person
He was the substance of all the offices to which He was appointed, and
these He was fitted by the Spirit to discharge. The offices would be
nothing apart from Himself, and could have neither coherence nor
validity without the underlying Person."
If the above still appears to derogate from the glory of our Lord's
Person, most probably the difficulty is created by the objector's
failing to realize the reality of the Son's humanity. The mystery is
indeed great, and our only safeguard is to adhere strictly unto the
several statements of Scripture thereon. Three things are to be kept
steadily in view. First, in all things (sin excepted) the eternal Word
was "made like unto his brethren" (Heb. 2:17): all His human faculties
developed normally as He passed through infancy, childhood and youth.
Second, His Divine nature underwent no change or modification when He
became incarnate, yet it was not merged into His humanity, but
preserved its own distinctness. Third, He was "anointed with the
Spirit" (Acts 10:38), nay, He was the absolute receiver of the Spirit,
poured on Him in such a plentitude, that it was not by measure (John
3:34).
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A. W. Pink Header
The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 8
The Advent of the Spirit
_________________________________________________________________
It is highly important we should closely observe how each of the
Eternal Three has been at marked pains to provide for the honor of the
other Divine Persons, and we must be as particular to give it to Them
accordingly. How careful was the Father to duly guard the ineffable
glory of the Darling of His bosom when He laid aside the visible
insignia of His Deity and took upon Him the form of a servant: His
voice was then heard more than once proclaiming, "This is my beloved
Son." How constantly did the incarnate Son divert attention from
Himself and direct it unto the One who had sent Him. In like manner,
the Holy Spirit is not here to glorify Himself, but rather Him whose
vicar and Advocate He is (John 16:14). Blessed is it then to mark how
jealous both the Father and the Son have been to safeguard the glory
and provide for the honor of the Holy Spirit.
The Importance of the Advent of the Spirit
"`If I go not away, the Comforter will not come' (John 16:7); He will
not do these works while I am here, and I have committed all to Him.
As My Father hath visibly `committed all judgment unto the Son: that
all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father' (John
5:22, 23), so I and my Father will send Him having committed all these
things to Him, that all men might honor the Holy Spirit, even as they
honor the Father and the Son. Thus wary and careful are everyone of
the Persons to provide for the honor of each other in our hearts" (T.
Goodwin, 1670).
The public advent of the Spirit, for the purpose of ushering in and
administering the new covenant, was second in importance only unto the
incarnation of our Lord, which was in order to the winding up of the
old economy and laying the foundations of the new. When God designed
the salvation of His elect, He appointed two great means: the gift of
His Son for them, and the gift of His Spirit to them; thereby each of
the Persons in the Trinity being glorified. Hence, from the first
entrance of sin, there were two great heads to the promises which God
gave His people: the sending of His Son to obey and die, the sending
of His Spirit to make effectual the fruits of the former. Each of
these Divine gifts was bestowed in a manner suited both to the august
Giver Himself and the eminent nature of the gifts. Many and marked are
the parallels of correspondence between the advent of Christ and the
advent of the Spirit.
Parallels in the Advents of Christ and of the Spirit
1. God appointed that there should be a signal coming accorded unto
the descent of Each from Heaven to earth for the performance of the
work assigned Them. Just as the Son was present with the redeemed
Israelites long before His incarnation (Acts 7:37, 38; 1 Cor. 10:4),
yet God decreed for Him a visible and more formal advent, which all of
His people knew of--so though the Holy Spirit was given to work
regeneration in men all through the Old Testament era (Neh. 9:20,
etc.), and moved the Prophets to deliver their messages (2 Peter
1:21), nevertheless God ordained that He should have a coming in
state, in a solemn manner, accompanied by visible tokens and glorious
effects.
2. Both the advents of Christ and of the Spirit were the subjects of
Old Testament prediction. During the past century much has been
written upon the Messianic prophecies, but the promises which God gave
concerning the coming of the Holy Spirit constitute a theme which is
generally neglected. The following are among the principal pledges
which God made that the Spirit should be given unto and poured out
upon His saints: Psalm 68:18; Proverbs 1:23; Isaiah 32:15; Ezekiel
36:26, 39:29; Joel 2:28; Haggai 2:9: in them the descent of the Holy
Spirit was as definitely announced as was the incarnation of the
Savior in Isaiah 7:14.
3. Just as Christ had John the Baptist to announce His incarnation and
to prepare His way, so the Holy Spirit had Christ Himself to foretell
His coming, and to make ready the hearts of His own for His advent.
4. Just as it was not until "the fullness of time had come" that God
sent forth His Son (Gal. 4:4), so it was not until "the day of
Pentecost was fully come" that God sent forth His Spirit (Acts 2:1).
5. As the Son became incarnate in the holy land, Palestine, so the
Spirit descended in Jerusalem.
6. Just as the coming of the Son of God into this world was
auspiciously signalized by mighty wonders and signs, so the descent of
God the Spirit was attended and attested by stirring displays of
Divine power. The advent of Each was marked by supernatural phenomena:
the angel choir (Luke 2:13) found its counterpart in the "sound from
Heaven" (Acts 2:1), and the Shekinah "glory" (Luke 2:9) in the
"tongues of fire" (Acts 2:3).
7. As an extraordinary star marked the "house" where the Christ-child
was (Matthew 2:9), so a Divine shaking marked the "house" to which the
Spirit had come (Acts 2:2).
8. In connection with the advent of Christ there was both a private
and a public aspect to it: in like manner, too, was it in the giving
of the Spirit. The birth of the Savior was made known unto a few, but
when He was to "be made manifest to Israel" (John 1:31), He was
publicly identified, for at His baptism the heavens were opened, the
Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove, and the voice of the
Father audibly owned Him as His Son. Correspondingly, the Spirit was
communicated to the Apostles privately, when the risen Savior
"breathed on, and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit" (John
20:22); and later He came publicly on the day of Pentecost when all
the great throng then in Jerusalem were made aware of His descent
(Acts 2:32-36).
9. The advent of the Son was in order to His becoming incarnate, when
the eternal Word was made flesh (John 1:14); so, too, the advent of
the Spirit was in order to His becoming incarnate in Christ's
redeemed: as the Savior had declared to them, the Spirit of truth
"shall be in you" (John 14:17). This is a truly marvelous parallel. As
the Son of God became man, dwelling in a human "temple" (John 2:19),
so the Third Person of the Trinity took up His abode in men, to whom
it is said, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the
Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (1 Cor. 3:16). As the Lord Jesus said
to the Father, "A body hast Thou prepared Me" (Heb. 10:5), so the
Spirit could say to Christ, "A body hast Thou prepared Me" (see Eph.
2:22).
10. When Christ was born into this world, we are told that Herod "was
troubled and all Jerusalem with him" (Matthew 2:3); in like manner,
when the Holy Spirit was given we read, "And there were dwelling at
Jerusalem Jews, devout men out of every nation under heaven. Now when
this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were troubled
in mind" (Acts 2:5, 6).
11. It had been predicted that when Christ should appear He would be
unrecognized and unappreciated (Isa. 53), and so it came to pass. In
like manner, the Lord Jesus declared, "The Spirit of truth, whom the
world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him"
(John 14:17).
12. As the Messianic claims of Christ were called into question, so
the advent of the Spirit was at once challenged: "They were all amazed
and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?" (Acts
2:12).
13. The analogy is yet closer: as Christ was termed "a winebibber"
(Matthew 11:19), so of those filled with the Spirit it was said,
"These men are full of new wine" (Acts 2:13)!
14. As the public advent of Christ was heralded by John the Baptist
(John 1:29), so the meaning of the public descent of the Spirit was
interpreted by Peter (Acts 2:15-36).
15. God appointed unto Christ the executing of a stupendous work, even
that of purchasing the redemption of His people; even so to the Spirit
has been assigned the momentous task of effectually applying to His
elect the virtues and benefits of the atonement.
16. As in the discharge of His work the Son honored the Father (John
14:10), so in the fulfillment of His mission the Spirit glorifies the
Son (John 16:13, 14).
17. As the Father paid holy deference unto the Son by bidding the
disciples, "hear ye him" (Mart. 17:5), in like manner the Son shows
respect for His Paraclete by saying, "He that hath an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches" (Rev. 2:7).
18. As Christ committed His saints into the safe-keeping of the Holy
Spirit (John 16:7; 14:16), so the Spirit will yet deliver up those
saints unto Christ, as the word "receive" in John 14:3 plainly
implies. We trust that the reader will find the same spiritual delight
in perusing this chapter as the writer had in preparing it.
The Meaning of the Advent of the Spirit
At Pentecost the Holy Spirit came as He had never come before.
Something then transpired which inaugurated a new era for the world, a
new power for righteousness, a new basis for fellowship. On that day
the fearing Peter was transformed into the intrepid evangelist. On
that day the new wine of Christianity burst the old bottles of
Judaism, and the Word went forth in a multiplicity of Gentile tongues.
On that day more souls seem to have been truly regenerated, than
during all the three and one half years of Christ's public ministry.
What had happened? It is not enough to say that the Spirit of God was
given, for He had been given long before, both to individuals and the
nation of Israel (Neh. 9:20; Hag. 2:5); no, the pressing question is,
In what sense was He then given? This leads us to carefully consider
the meaning of the Spirit's advent.
1. It was the fulfillment of the Divine promise. First, of the Father
Himself. During the Old Testament dispensation, He declared, again and
again, that He would pour out the Spirit upon His people (see Prov.
1:23; Isa. 32:15; Joel 2:28, etc.), and now these gracious
declarations were accomplished. Second, of John the Baptist. When he
was stirring the hearts of multitudes by his call to repentance and
his demand of baptism, many thought he must be the long-expected
Messiah, but he declared unto them, "I indeed baptize you with water,
but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not
worthy to unloose: He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with
fire" (Luke 3:15, 16). Accordingly He did so on the day of Pentecost,
as Acts 2:32, 33 plainly shows. Third, of Christ. Seven times over the
Lord Jesus avowed that He would give or send the Holy Spirit: Luke
24:49; John 7:37-39; 14:16-19; 14:26; 15:26; 16:7; Acts 1:5, 8. From
these we may particularly notice, "When the Comforter is come, whom I
will send unto you from the Father ... He shall testify of Me" (John
15:26): "It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away,
the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him
unto you" (John 16:7).
That which took place in John 20:22 and in Acts 2 was the fulfillment
of those promises. In them we behold the faith of the Mediator: He had
appropriated the promise which the Father had given Him, "Therefore
being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the
Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He hath shed forth this, which
ye now see and hear" (Acts 2:33)--it was by faith's anticipation the
Lord Jesus spoke as He did in the above passage.
"The Holy Spirit was God's ascension gift to Christ, that He might be
bestowed by Christ, as His ascension gift to the church. Hence Christ
had said, `Behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you.' This was
the promised gift of the Father to the Son, and the Savior's promised
gift to His believing people. How easy now to reconcile the apparent
contradiction of Christ's earlier and later words: `I will pray the
Father and He shall give you another Comforter'; and then, afterward,
`If I depart I will send Him unto you.' The Spirit was the Father's
answer to the prayer of the Son; and so the gift was transferred by
Him to the mystical body of which He is the head" (A. T. Pierson in
The Acts of the Holy Spirit).
2. It was the fulfillment of an important Old Testament type. It is
this which explains to us why the Spirit was given on the day of
"Pentecost," which was one of the principal religious feasts of
Israel. Just as there was a profound significance to Christ's dying on
Passover Day (giving us the antitype of Ex. 12), so there was in the
coming of the Spirit on the 50th day after Christ's resurrection. The
type is recorded in Leviticus 23, to which we can here make only the
briefest allusion. In Leviticus 23:4 we read, "These are the feasts of
the Lord."
The first of them is the Passover (v. 5) and the second "unleavened
bread" (v. 6, etc.). The two together speaking of the sinless Christ
offering Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of His people. The third
is the "wave sheaf" (v. 10, etc.) which was the "firstfruits of the
harvest" (v. 10), presented to God "on the morrow after the (Jewish)
Sabbath" (v. 11), a figure of Christ's resurrection (1 Cor. 15:23).
The fourth is the feast of "weeks" (see Ex. 34:22; Deut. 16:10, 16)
so-called because of the seven complete weeks of Leviticus 23:15; also
known as "Pentecost" (which means "Fiftieth") because of the "fifty
days" of Leviticus 23:16. It was then the balance of the harvest began
to be gathered in. On that day Israel was required to present unto God
"two wave loaves," which were also designated "the first-fruits unto
the Lord" (Lev. 23:17). The antitype of which was the saving of the
3,000 on the day of Pentecost: the "firstfruits" of Christ's
atonement, compare James 1:18. The first loaf represented those
redeemed from among the Jews, the second loaf was anticipatory and
pointed to the gathering in of God's elect from among the Gentiles,
begun in Acts 10.
3. ft was the beginning of a new dispensation. This was plainly
intimated in the type of Leviticus 23, for on the day of Pentecost
Israel was definitely required to offer a "new meal offering unto the
Lord" (v. 16). Still more clearly was it fore-announced in a yet more
important and significant type, namely, that of the beginning of the
Mosaic economy, which took place only when the nation of Israel
formally entered into covenant relationship with Jehovah at Sinai. Now
it is exceedingly striking to observe that just 50 days elapsed from
the time when the Hebrews emerged from the house of bondage till they
received the Law from the mouth of Moses. They left Egypt on the 15th
of the first month (Num. 33:3), and arrived at Sinai the first of the
third month (Ex. 19:1, note "the same day"), which would be the
forty-sixth. The next day Moses went up into the mount, and three days
later the law was delivered (Ex. 19:11)! And just as there was a
period of 50 days from Israel's deliverance from Egypt until the
beginning of the Mosaic economy, so the same length of time followed
the resurrection of Christ (when His people were delivered from Hell)
to the beginning of the Christian economy!
That a new dispensation commenced at Pentecost further appears from
the "tongues like as office" (Acts 2:1). When John the Baptist
announced that Christ would baptize, "with the Holy Spirit and with
fire," the last words might have suggested material burning to any
people except Jews, but in their minds far other thoughts would be
awakened. To them it would recall the scene when their great
progenitor asked God, who promised he should inherit that land wherein
he was a stranger, "Lord, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit
it?" The answer was "Behold a smoking furnace and a burning lamp . .
." (Gen. 15:17). It would recall the fire which Moses saw in the
burning bush. It would recall the "pillar of fire" which guided by
night, and the Shekinah which descended and filled the tabernacle.
Thus, in the promise of baptism by fire they would at once recognize
the approach of a new manifestation of the presence and power of God!
Again--when we read that, "there appeared unto them cloven tongues
like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them" (Acts 2:2), further
evidence is found that a new dispensation had now commenced. "The word
`sat' in Scripture marks an ending and a beginning. The process of
preparation is ended and the established order has begun. It marks the
end of creation and the beginning of normal forces. `In six days the
Lord made Heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and
rested the seventh day.' There is no weariness in God. He did not rest
from fatigue: what it means is that all creative work was
accomplished. The same figure is used of the Redeemer. Of Him it is
said `when He had made purification for sins (He) sat down on the
right hand of the Majesty on high.' No other priesthood had sat down.
The priests of the Temple ministered standing because their ministry
was provisional and preparatory, a parable and prophecy. Christ's own
ministry was part of the preparation for the coming of the Spirit.
Until He `sat down' in glory, there could be no dispensation of the
Spirit . . . When the work of redemption was complete, the Spirit was
given, and when He came he `sat.' He reigns in the Church as Christ
reigns in the Heavens" (S. Chadwick in The Way to Pentecost).
"There are few incidents more illuminating than that recorded in `the
last day of the feast' in John 7:37-39. The feast was that of
Tabernacles. The feast proper lasted seven days, during which all
Israel dwelt in booths. Special sacrifices were offered and special
rites observed. Every morning one of the priests brought water from
the pool of Siloam, and amidst the sounding of trumpets and other
demonstrations of joy, the water was poured upon the altar. The rite
was a celebration and a prophecy. It commemorated the miraculous
supply of water in the wilderness, and it bore witness to the
expectation of the coming of the Spirit. On the seventh day the
ceremony of the poured water ceased, but the eighth was a day of holy
convocation, the greatest day of all.
"On that day there was no water poured upon the altar, and it was on
the waterless day that Jesus stood on the spot and cried, saying: `If
any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink.' Then He added those
words: `He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture has said, from
within him shall flow rivers of living water.' The Apostle adds the
interpretative comment: `But this spake He of the Spirit, which they
that believe on Him were to receive: for the Spirit was not given
because Jesus was not yet glorified.' `As the scripture hath said.'
There is no such passage in the Scripture as that quoted, but the
prophetic part of the water ceremony was based upon certain Old
Testament symbols and prophecies in which water flowed forth from Zion
to cleanse, renew, and fructify the world. A study of Joel 3:18 and
Ezekiel 47 will supply the key to the meaning both of the rite and our
Lord's promise.
"The Holy Spirit was `not yet given,' but He was promised, and His
coming should be from the place of blood, the altar of sacrifice.
Calvary opened the fountain from which poured forth the blessing of
Pentecost" (S. Chadwick).
4. It was the Grace of God flowing unto the Gentiles. We have
considered the meaning of the Spirit's descent, and pointed out that
it was the fulfillment of Divine promise, the accomplishment of Old
Testament types, and the beginning of a new dispensation. It was also
the Grace of God flowing unto the Gentiles. But first let us observe
and admire the marvelous grace of God extended unto the Jews
themselves. In His charge to the Apostles, the Lord Jesus gave orders
that "repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name
among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem" (Luke 24:47), not because
the Jews had any longer a covenant standing before God--for the Nation
was abandoned by Him before the crucifixion--see Matthew 23:38--but in
order to display His matchless mercy and sovereign benignity.
Accordingly, in the Acts we see His love shining forth in the midst of
the rebellious city. In the very place where the Lord Jesus had been
slain the full Gospel was now preached, and 3,000 were quickened by
the Holy Spirit.
But the Gospel was to be restricted to the Jews no longer. Though the
Apostles were to commence their testimony in Jerusalem, yet Christ's
glorious and all-efficacious Name was to be proclaimed "among all
nations." The earnest of this was given when "devout men out of every
nation under heaven" (Acts 2:5) exclaimed, "How hear we every man in
his own tongue?" (v. 8). It was an entirely new thing. Until this
time, God had used Hebrew, or a modification of it. Thus Bullinger's
view that a new "Jewish" dispensation (the "Pentecostal") was then
inaugurated is Divinely set aside. What occurred in Acts 2 was a part
reversal and in blessed contrast from what is recorded in Genesis 11.
There we find "the tongues were divided to destroy an evil unity, and
to show God's holy hatred of Babel's iniquity." In Acts 2 we have
grace at Jerusalem, and a new and precious unity, suggestive of
another building (Mathew 16:18), with living stones--contrast the
`bricks' of Genesis 11:3 and its tower (P. W. Heward). In Genesis the
dividing of tongues was in judgment; in Acts 2 the cloven tongues were
in grace; and in Revelation 7:9, 10 we see men of all tongues in
glory.
The Purpose of the Advent of the Spirit
We next consider the purpose of the Spirit's descent.
1. To witness unto Christ's exaltation. Pentecost was God's seal upon
the Messiahship of Jesus. In proof of His pleasure in and acceptance
of the sacrificial work of His Son, God raised Him from the dead,
exalted Him to His own right hand, and gave Him the Spirit to bestow
upon His Church (Acts 2:33). It has been beautifully pointed out by
another, that, on the hem of the ephod worn by the high priest of
Israel were golden bells and pomegranates (Ex. 28:33, 34). The sound
of the bells (and that which gave them sound was their tongues)
furnished evidence that he was alive while serving in the sanctuary.
The high priest was a type of Christ (Heb. 8:1); the holy place was a
figure of Heaven (Heb. 9:24); the "sound from Heaven" and the speaking
"in tongues" (Acts 2:2, 4) were a witness that our Lord was alive in
Heaven, ministering there as the High Priest of His people.
2. To take Christ's place. This is clear from His own words to the
Apostles, "And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another
Comforter, that He may abide with you forever" (John 14:16). Until
then, Christ had been their "Comforter," but He was soon to return to
Heaven; nevertheless, as He went on to assure them, "I will not leave
you orphans, I will come to you" (marginal rendering of John 14:18);
He did "come" to them corporately after His resurrection, but He
"came" to them spiritually and abidingly in the Person of His Deputy
on the day of Pentecost. The Spirit, then, fills the place on earth of
our absent Lord in Heaven, with this additional advantage, that,
during the days of His flesh the Savior's body confined Him unto one
location, whereas the Holy Spirit--not having assumed a body as the
mode of His incarnation--is equally and everywhere resident in and
abiding with every believer.
3. To further Christ's cause. This is plain from His declaration
concerning the Comforter: "He shall glorify Me" (John 16:14). The word
"Paraclete" (translated "Comforter" all through the Gospel) is also
rendered "Advocate" in I John 2:1, and an "advocate" is one who
appears as the representative of another. The Holy Spirit is here to
interpret and vindicate Christ, to administer for Christ in His Church
and Kingdom. He is here to accomplish His redeeming purpose in the
world. He fills the mystical Body of Christ, directing its movements,
controlling its members, inspiring its wisdom, supplying its strength.
The Holy spirit becomes to the believer individually and the church
collectively all that Christ would have been had He remained on earth.
Moreover, He seeks out each one of those for whom Christ died,
quickens them into newness of life, convicts them of sin, gives them
faith to lay hold of Christ, and causes them to grow in grace and
become fruitful.
It is important to see that the mission of the Spirit is for the
purpose of continuing and completing that of Christ's. The Lord Jesus
declared, "I am come to send fire on the earth: and what will I, if it
be already kindled? But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how
am I straitened till it be accomplished!" (Luke 12:49, 50). The
preaching of the Gospel was to be like "fire on the earth," giving
light and warmth to human hearts; it was "kindled" then, but would
spread much more rapidly later. Until His death Christ was
"straitened": it did not consist with God's purpose for the Gospel to
be preached more openly and extensively; but after Christ's
resurrection, it went forth unto all nations. Following the ascension,
Christ was no longer "straitened" and the Spirit was poured forth in
the plenitude of His power.
4. To endue Christ's servants. "Tarry ye in Jerusalem until ye be
endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:49) had been the word of
Christ to His Apostles. Sufficient for the disciple to be as his
Master. He had waited, waited till He was 30, ere He was "anointed to
preach good tidings" (Isa. 61:1). The servant is not above his Lord:
if He was indebted to the Spirit for the power of His ministry, the
Apostles must not attempt their work without the Spirit's unction.
Accordingly they waited, and the Spirit came upon them. All was
changed: boldness supplanted fear, strength came instead of weakness,
ignorance gave place to wisdom, and mighty wonders were wrought
through them.
Unto the Apostles whom He had chosen, the risen Savior "commanded them
that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise
of the Father," assuring them that "Ye shall receive power after that
the Holy Spirit is come unto you; and ye shall be witnesses unto Me
both in Jerusalem, and in all Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of
the earth" (Acts 1:2, 4, 8). Accordingly, we read that, "And when the
day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one
place" (Acts 2:1): their unity of mind evidently looked back to the
Lord's command and promise, and their trustful expectancy of the
fulfillment thereof. The Jewish "day" was from sunset unto the
following sunset, and as what took place here in Acts 2 occurred
during the early hours of the morning--probably soon after sunrise--we
are told that the day of Pentecost was "fully come." The Outward Marks
of the Spirit's Advent
The outward marks of the Spirit's advent were three in number: the
"sound from Heaven as of a rushing mighty wind," the "cloven tongues
as of fire," and the speaking "with other tongues as the Spirit gave
them utterance." Concerning the precise signification of these
phenomena, and the practical bearing of them on us today, there has
been wide difference of opinion, especially during the past 30 years.
Inasmuch as God Himself has not seen fit to furnish us with a full and
detailed explanation of them, it behooves all interpreters to speak
with reserve and reverence. According to our own measure of light, we
shall endeavor briefly to point out some of those things which appear
to be most obvious.
First,
the "rushing mighty wind" which filled all the house was the
collective sign, in which, apparently, all the 120 of Acts 1:15
shared. This was an emblem of the invincible energy with which the
Third Person of the Trinity works upon the hearts of men, bearing down
all opposition before Him, in a manner which cannot be explained (John
3:8), but which is at once apparent by the effects produced. Just as
the course of a hurricane may be clearly traced after it has passed,
so the transforming work of the Spirit in regeneration is made
unmistakably manifest unto all who have eyes to see spiritual things.
Second,
"there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat
upon each of them" (Acts 2:3), that is, upon the Twelve, and upon them
alone. The proof of this is conclusive. First, it was to the Apostles
only that the Lord spoke in Luke 24:49. Second, to them only did He,
by the Spirit, give commandments after His resurrection (Acts 1:2).
Third, to them only did He give the promise of Acts 1:8. Fourth, at
the end of Acts 1 we read, "he (Matthias) was numbered with the eleven
Apostles." Acts 2 opens with "And" connecting it with 1:26 and says,
"they (the Twelve) were all with one accord in one place" and on them
the Spirit now "sat" (Acts 2:3). Fifth, when the astonished multitude
came together they exclaimed, "Are not all these which speak
Galileans?" (Acts 2:7), namely, the "men (Greek, "males") of Galilee"
of 1:11! Sixth, in Acts 2:14, 15, we read, "But Peter standing up with
the eleven lifted up his voice and said unto them, "Ye men of Galilee
and all ye that dwell in Judea, be this known unto you and hearken
unto my words: For these are not drunk"--the word "these" can only
refer to the "eleven" standing up with Peter!
These "cloven tongues like as of fire" which descended upon the
Apostles was the individual sign, the Divine credential that they were
the authorized ambassadors of the enthroned Lamb. The baptism of the
Holy Spirit was a baptism of fire. " `Our God is a consuming fire.'
The elect sign of His presence is the fire unkindled of earth, and the
chosen symbol of His approval is the sacred flame: covenant and
sacrifice, sanctuary and dispensation were sanctified and approved by
the descent of fire. `The God that answereth by fire, he is the God'
(1 Kings 18:24). That is the final and universal test of Deity. Jesus
Christ came to bring fire on the earth. The symbol of Christianity is
not a Cross, but a Tongue of Fire" (Samuel Chadwick).
Third,
the Apostles, "speaking with other tongues" were the public sign. 1
Corinthians 14:22 declares "tongues are for a sign, not to them that
believe, but to them that believe not," and as the previous verse
(where Isa. 28:11 is quoted) so plainly shows, they were a sign unto
unbelieving Israel. A striking illustration and proof of this is found
in Acts 11, where Peter sought to convince his skeptical brethren in
Jerusalem that God's grace was now flowing forth unto the Gentiles: it
was his description of the Holy Spirit's falling upon Cornelius and
his household (Acts 11:15-18 and cf. 10:45, 46) which convinced them.
It is highly significant that the Pentecostal type of Leviticus 23:22
divided the harvest into three degrees and stages: the "reaping" or
main part, corresponding to Acts 2 at Jerusalem; the "corners of the
field" corresponding to Acts 10 at "Caesarea Philippi," which was in
the corner of Palestine; and the "gleaning" for "the stranger"
corresponding to Acts 19 at Gentile Ephesus! These were the only three
occasions of "tongues" recorded in Acts.
Signs in Relation to "The Pentecostal Movement"
It is well known to some of our readers that during the last
generation many earnest souls have been deeply exercised by what is
known as "the Pentecostal movement," and the question is frequently
raised as to whether or not the strange power displayed in their
meetings, issuing in unintelligible sounds called "tongues," is the
genuine gift of the Spirit. Those who have joined the movement--some
of them godly souls, we believe--insist that not only is the gift
genuine, but it is the duty of all Christians to seek the same. But
surely such seem to overlook the fact that it was not any "unknown
tongue" which was spoken by the Apostles: foreigners who heard them
had no difficulty in understanding what was said (Acts 2:8).
If what has just been said be not sufficient, then let our appeal be
unto 2 Timothy 3:16, 17. God has now fully revealed His mind to us:
all that we need to "thoroughly furnish" us "unto all good works" is
already in our hands! Personally the writer would not take the trouble
to walk into the next room to hear any person deliver a message which
he claimed was inspired by the Holy Spirit; with the completed
Scriptures in our possession, nothing more is required except for the
Spirit to interpret and apply them. Let it also be duly observed that
there is not a single exhortation in all the Epistles of the New
Testament that the saints should seek "a fresh Pentecost," no, not
even to the carnal Corinthians or the legal Galatians.
As a sample of what was believed by the early "fathers" we quote the
following: "Augustine saith, `Miracles were once necessary to make the
world believe the Gospel, but he who now seeks a sign that he may
believe is a wonder, yea a monster.' Chrysostom concludeth upon the
same grounds that, `There is now in the Church no necessity of working
miracles,' and calls him `a false prophet' who now takes in hand to
work them" (From W. Perkins, 1604).
In Acts 2:16 we find Peter was moved by God to give a general
explanation of the great wonders which had just taken place. Jerusalem
was, at this time of the feast, filled with a great concourse of
people. The sudden sound from Heaven "as of a rushing mighty wind,"
filling the house where the Apostles were gathered together, soon drew
there a multitude of people; and as they, in wonderment, heard the
Apostles speak in their own varied languages, they asked, "What
meaneth this?" (Acts 2:12). Peter then declared, "This is that which
was spoken of by the Prophet Joel." The prophecy given by Joel
(2:28-32) now began to receive its fulfillment, the latter part of
which we believe is to be understood symbolically.
Application
And what is the bearing of all this upon us today? We will reply in a
single sentence: the advent of the Spirit followed the exaltation of
Christ: if then we desire to employ more of the Spirit's power and
blessing, we must give Christ the throne of our hearts and crown Him
the Lord of our lives.
Having dwelt upon the doctrinal and dispensational aspects of our
subject, next we hope to take the "practical" and "experimental"
bearings of it.
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The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 9
The Work of the Spirit
_________________________________________________________________
It is a great mistake to suppose that the works of the Spirit are all
of one kind, or that His operations preserve an equality as to degree.
To insist that they are and do would be ascribing less freedom to the
Third Person of the Godhead than is enjoyed and exercised by men.
There is variety in the activities of all voluntary agents: even human
beings are not confined to one sort of work, nor to the production of
the same kind of effects; and where they design so to do, they
moderate them as to degrees according to their power and pleasure.
Much more so is it with the Holy Spirit. The nature and kind of His
works are regulated by His own will and purpose. Some He executes by
the touch of His finger (so to speak), in others He puts forth His
hand, while in yet others (as on the day of Pentecost) He lays bare
His arm. He works by no necessity of His nature, but solely according
to the pleasure of His will
Upon Both the Unsaved and the Saved
Many of the works of the Spirit, though perfect in kind and fully
accomplishing their design, are wrought by Him upon and within men
who, nevertheless, are not saved. "The Holy Spirit is present with
many as to powerful operations, with whom He is not present as to
gracious inhabitation. Or, many are made partakers of Him in His
spiritual gifts, who are not made partakers of Him in His saving
grace: Matthew 7:22, 23" (John Owen on Heb. 6:4). The light which God
furnishes different souls varies considerably, both in kind and
degree. Nor should we be surprised at this in view of the adumbration
in the natural world: how wide is the difference between the
glimmering of the stars from the radiance of the full moon, and that
again from the shining of the midday sun. Equally wide is the gulf
which separates the savage with his faint illumination of conscience
from one who has been educated under a Christian ministry, and greater
still is the difference between the spiritual understanding of the
wisest unregenerate professor and the feeblest babe in Christ; yet
each has been a subject of the Spirit's operations.
"The Holy Spirit works in two ways. In some men's hearts He works with
restraining grace only, and the restraining grace, though it will not
save them, is enough to keep them from breaking out into the open and
corrupt vices in which some men indulge who are totally left by the
restraints of the Spirit . ... God the Holy Spirit may work in men
some good desires and feelings, and yet have no design of saving them.
But mark, none of these feelings are things that accompany salvation,
for if so, they would be continued. But He does not work Omnipotently
to save, except in the persons of His own elect, whom He assuredly
bringeth unto Himself. I believe, then, that the trembling of Felix is
to be accounted for by the restraining grace of the Spirit quickening
his conscience and making him tremble" (C. H. Spurgeon on Acts 24:25).
The Holy Spirit has been robbed of much of His distinctive glory
through Christians failing to perceive His varied workings. In
concluding that the operations of the blessed Spirit are confined unto
God's elect, they have been hindered from offering to Him that praise
which is His due for keeping this wicked world a fit place for them to
live. Few today realize how much the children of God owe to the Third
Person of the Trinity for holding in leash the children of the Devil,
and preventing them from utterly consuming Christ's church on earth.
It is true there are comparatively few texts which specifically refer
to the distinctive Person of the Spirit as reigning over the wicked,
but once it is seen that in the Divine economy all is from God the
Father, all is through God the Son, and all is by God the Spirit, each
is given His proper and separate place in our hearts and thoughts.
The Spirit's Operation in the Non-elect
Let us, then, now point out a few of the Spirit's general and inferior
operations in the non-elect, as distinguished from His special and
superior works in the redeemed.
1. In restraining evil. If God should leave men absolutely to their
own natural corruptions and to the power of Satan (as they fully
deserve to be, as He will in Hell, and as He would now but for the
sake of His elect), all show of goodness and morality would be
entirely banished from the earth: men would grow past feeling in sin,
and wickedness would swiftly and entirely swallow up the whole world.
This is abundantly clear from Genesis 6:3, 4, 5, 12. But He who
restrained the fiery furnace of Babylon without quenching it, He who
prevented the waters of the Red Sea from flowing without changing
their nature, now hinders the working of natural corruption without
mortifying it. Vile as the world is, we have abundant cause to adore
and praise the Holy Spirit that it is not a thousand times worse.
The world hates the people of God (John 15:19): why, then, does it not
devour them? What is it that holds back the enmity of the wicked
against the righteous? Nothing but the restraining power of the Holy
Spirit. In Psalm 14:1-3 we find a fearful picture of the utter
depravity of the human race. Then in verse 4 the Psalmist asks, "Have
all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they
eat bread, and call not upon the Lord." To which answer is made,
"There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the
righteous" (v. 5). It is the Holy Spirit who places that "great fear"
within them, to keep them back from many outrages against God's
people. He curbs their malice. So completely are the reprobate
shackled by His almighty hand, that Christ could say to Pilate, "thou
couldest have no power against me, except it were given thee from
above" (John 19:11)!
2. In inciting to good actions. All the obedience of children to
parents, all the true love between husbands and wives, is to be
attributed unto the Holy Spirit. Whatever morality and honesty,
unselfishness and kindness, submission to the powers that be and
respect for law and order which is still to be found in the world,
must be traced back to the gracious operations of the Spirit. A
striking illustration of His benign influence is found in 1 Samuel
10:26, "Saul also went home to Gibeah: and there went with him a band
of men, whose hearts God (the Spirit) had touched." Men's hearts are
naturally inclined to rebellion, are impatient against being ruled
over, especially by one raised out of a mean condition among them. The
Lord the Spirit inclined the hearts of those men to be subject unto
Saul, gave them a disposition to obey him. Later the Spirit touched
the heart of Saul to spare the life of David, melting him to such an
extent that he wept (1 Sam. 24:16). In like manner, it was the Holy
Spirit who gave the Hebrews favor in the eyes of the Egyptians--who
hitherto had bitterly hated them--so as to give earrings to them (Ex.
12:35, 36).
3. In convicting of sin. Few seem to understand that conscience in the
natural man is inoperative unless stirred up by the Spirit. As a
fallen creature, thoroughly in love with sin (John 3:19), man resists
and disputes against any conviction of sin. "My Spirit shall not
always strive with man, for that he also is flesh" (Gen. 6:3): man,
being "flesh," would never have the least distaste of any iniquity
unless the Spirit excited those remnants of natural light which still
remain in the soul. Being "flesh," fallen man is perverse against the
convictions of the Spirit (Acts 7:51), and remains so forever unless
quickened and made "spirit" (John 3:6).
4. In illuminating. Concerning Divine things, fallen man is not only
devoid of light, but is "darkness" itself (Eph. 5:8). He had no more
apprehension of spiritual things than the beasts of the field. This is
very evident from the state of the heathen. How, then, shall we
explain the intelligence which is found in thousands in Christendom,
who yet give no evidence that they are new creatures in Christ Jesus?
They have been enlightened by the Holy Spirit (Heb. 6:4). Many are
constrained to inquire into those scriptural subjects which make no
demand on the conscience and life; yea, many take great delight in
them. Just as the multitudes took pleasure in beholding the miracles
of Christ, who could not endure His searching demands, so the light of
the Spirit is pleasant to many to whom His convictions are grievous.
The Spirit's Operation in the Elect
We have dwelt upon some of the general and inferior operations which
the Holy Spirit performs upon the non-elect, who are never brought
unto a saving knowledge of the Truth. Now we shall consider His
special and saving work in the people of God, dwelling mainly upon the
absolute necessity for the same. It should make it easier for the
Christian reader to perceive the absoluteness of this necessity when
we say that the whole work of the Spirit within the elect is to plant
in the heart a hatred for and a loathing of sin as sin, and a love for
and longing after holiness as holiness.
This is something which no human power can bring about. It is
something which the most faithful preaching as such cannot produce. It
is something which the mere circulating and reading of the Scripture
does not impart. It is a miracle of grace, a Divine wonder, which none
but God can or does perform.
Total Depravity Apart from the Spirit
Of course if men are only partly depraved (which is really the belief
today of the vast majority of preachers and their hearers, never
having been experimentally taught by God their own depravity), if deep
down in their hearts all men really love God, if they are so
good-natured as to be easily persuaded to become Christians, then
there is no need for the Holy Spirit to put forth His Almighty power
and do for them what they are altogether incapable of doing for
themselves. And again: if "being saved" consists merely in believing I
am a lost sinner and on my way to Hell, and by simply believing that
God loves me, that Christ died for me, and that He will save me now on
the one condition that I "accept Him as my personal Savior" and "rest
upon His finished work," then no supernatural operations of the Holy
Spirit are required to induce and enable me to fulfill that
condition--self-interest moves me to, and a decision of my will is all
that is required.
But if, on the other hand, all men hate God (John 15:23, 25), and have
minds which are "enmity against Him" (Rom. 8:7), so that "there is
none that seeketh after God" (Rom. 3:11), preferring and determining
to follow their own inclinations and pleasures. If instead of being
disposed unto that which is good, "the heart of the sons of men is
fully set in them to do evil" (Eccl. 8:11). And if when the overtures
of God's mercy are made known to them and they are freely invited to
avail themselves of the same, they "all with one consent begin to make
excuse" (Luke 14:1 8)--then it is very evident that the invincible
power and transforming operations of the Spirit are indispensably
required if the heart of a sinner is thoroughly changed, so that
rebellion gives place to submission and hatred to love. This is why
Christ said, "No man can come to me, except the Father (by the Spirit)
which hath sent me draw him" (John 6:44).
Again--if the Lord Jesus Christ came here to uphold and enforce the
high claims of God, rather than to lower or set them aside. If He
declared that "strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth
unto Life, and few there be that find it," rather than pointing to a
smooth and broad road which anyone would find it easy to tread. If the
salvation which He has provided is a deliverance from sin and
self-pleasing, from worldliness and indulging the lusts of the flesh,
and the bestowing of a nature which desires and determines to live for
God's glory and please Him in all the details of our present
lives--then it is clear beyond dispute that none but the Spirit of God
can impart a genuine desire for such a salvation. And if instead of
"accepting Christ" and "resting upon His finished work" be the sole
condition of salvation, He demands that the sinner throw down the
weapons of his defiance, abandon every idol, unreservedly surrender
himself and his life, and receive Him as His only Lord and Master,
then nothing but a miracle of grace can enable any captive of Satan's
to meet such requirements.
Objections to Total Depravity Proved False
Against what has been said above it may be objected that no such
hatred of God as we have affirmed exists in the hearts of the great
majority of our fellow-creatures--that while there may be a few
degenerates, who have sold themselves to the Devil and are thoroughly
hardened in sin, yet the remainder of mankind are friendly disposed to
God, as is evident by the countless millions who have some form or
other of religion. To such an objector we reply, The fact is, dear
friend, that those to whom you refer are almost entirely ignorant of
the God of Scripture: they have heard that He loves everybody, is
benevolently inclined toward all His creatures, and is so easy-going
that in return for their religious performances will wink at their
sins. Of course, they have no hatred for such a "god" as this! But
tell them something of the character of the true God: that He hates
"all the workers of iniquity" (Ps. 5:5), that He is inexorably just
and ineffably holy, that He is an uncontrollable Sovereign, who "hath
mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will He hardeneth" (Rom.
9:18), and their enmity against Him will soon be manifested--an enmity
which none but the Holy Spirit can overcome.
It may be objected again that so far from the gloomy picture which we
have sketched above being accurate, the great majority of people do
desire to be saved (from having to suffer a penalty for their sin),
and they make more or less endeavor after their salvation. This is
readily granted. There is in every human heart a desire for
deliverance from misery and a longing after happiness and security,
and those who come under the sound of God's Word are naturally
disposed to be delivered from the wrath to come and wish to be assured
that Heaven will be their eternal dwelling-place--who wants to endure
the everlasting burnings? But that desire and disposition is quite
compatible and consistent with the greatest love to sin and most
entire opposition of heart to that holiness without which no man shall
see the Lord (Heb. 12:14). But what the objector here refers to is a
vastly different thing from desiring Heaven upon God's terms, and
being willing to tread the only path which leads there!
The instinct of self-preservation is sufficiently strong to move
multitudes to undertake many performances and penances in the hope
that thereby they shall escape Hell. The stronger men's belief of the
truth of Divine revelation, the more firmly they become convinced that
there is a Day of Judgment, when they must appear before their Maker,
and render an account of all their desires, thoughts, words and deeds,
the most serious and sober will be their minds. Let conscience convict
them of their misspent lives, and they are ready to turn over a new
leaf; let them be persuaded that Christ stands ready as a Fire-escape
and is willing to rescue them, though the world still claims their
hearts, and thousands are ready to "believe in Him." Yes, this is done
by multitudes who still hate the true character of the Savior, and
reject with all their hearts the salvation which He has. Far, far
different is this from an unregenerate person longing for deliverance
from self and sin, and the impartation of that holiness which Christ
purchased for His people.
All around us are those willing to receive Christ as their Savior, who
are altogether unwilling to surrender to Him as their Lord. They would
like His peace, but they refuse His "yoke," without which His peace
cannot be found (Matthew 11:29). They admire His promises, but have no
heart for His precepts. They will rest upon His priestly work, but
will not be subject to His kingly scepter. They will believe in a
"Christ" who is suited to their own corrupt tastes or sentimental
dreams, but they despise and reject the Christ of God. Like the
multitudes of old, they want His loaves and fishes, but for His
heart-searching, flesh-withering, sin-condemning teaching, they have
no appetite. They approve of Him as the Healer of their bodies, but as
the Healer of their depraved souls they desire Him not. And nothing
but the miracle-working power of the Holy Spirit, can change this bias
and bent in any soul.
It is just because modern Christendom has such an inadequate estimate
of the fearful and universal effects which the Fall has wrought, that
the imperative need for the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit is
now so little realized. It is because such false conceptions of human
depravity so widely prevail that, in most places, it is supposed all
which is needed to save half of the community is to hire some popular
evangelist and attractive singer. And the reason why so few are aware
of the awful depths of human depravity, the terrible enmity of the
carnal mind against God and the heart's inbred and inveterate hatred
of Him, is because His character is now so rarely declared from the
pulpit. If the preachers would deliver the same type of messages as
did Jeremiah in his degenerate age, or even as John the Baptist did,
they would soon discover how their hearers were really affected toward
God; and then they would perceive that unless the power of the Spirit
attended their preaching they might as well be silent.
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The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 10
The Holy Spirit Regenerating
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Self-Regeneration Is Impossible
The absolute necessity for the regenerating operation of the Holy
Spirit in order for a sinner's being converted to God lies in his
being totally depraved. Fallen man is without the least degree of
right disposition or principles from which holy exercises may proceed.
He is completely under a contrary disposition: there is no right
exercise of heart in him, but every motion of his will is corrupt and
sinful. If this were not the case, there would be no need for him to
be born again and made "a new creature." If the sinner were not wholly
corrupt he would submit to Christ without any supernatural operation
of the Spirit; but fallen man is so completely sunk in corruption that
he has not the faintest real desire for God, but is filled with enmity
against Him (Rom. 8:7). Therefore does Scripture affirm him to be
"dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1).
"But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons
of God, to them which believe on His name: Which were born, not of
blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of
God" (John 1:12, 13). The latter verse expounds the former. There an
explanation is given as to why any fallen descendant of Adam ever
spiritually receives Christ as His Lord and Master, and savingly
believes on His name.
First, it is not because grace runs in the blood--as the Jews
supposed. Holiness is not transmitted from father to son. The child of
the most pious parents is by nature equally as corrupt and is as far
from God as is the offspring of infidels. Second, it is not because of
any natural willingness--as Arminians contend: "nor of the will of the
flesh" refers to man in his natural and corrupt state. He is not
regenerated by any instinct, choice, or exertion of his own; he does
not by any personal endeavor contribute anything towards being born
again; nor does he cooperate in the least degree with the efficient
cause: instead, every inclination of
Third, the new birth is not brought about by the power and influence
of others. No sinner is ever born again as the result of the
persuasions and endeavors of preachers or Christian workers. However
pious and wise they are, and however earnestly and strenuously they
exert themselves to bring others to holiness, they do in no degree
produce the effect. "If all the angels and saints in Heaven and all
the godly on earth should join their wills and endeavors and unitedly
exert all their powers to regenerate one sinner, they could not effect
it; yea, they could do nothing toward it. It is an effect infinitely
beyond the reach of finite wisdom and power: "(S. Hopkins).
Regeneration Is the Sole Work of the Spirit
In regeneration one of God's elect is the subject, and the Spirit of
God is the sole agent. The subject of the new birth is wholly passive:
he does not act, but is acted upon. The sovereign work of the Spirit
in the soul precedes all holy exercises of heart--such as sorrow for
sin, faith in Christ, love toward God. This great change is wrought in
spite of all the opposition of the natural heart against God: "So then
it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God
that showeth mercy" (Rom. 9:16). This great change is not a gradual
and protracted process, but is instantaneous: in an instant of time
the favored subject of it passes from death unto life.
In regeneration the Spirit imparts a real, new, and immortal life; a
life not such as that which was inherited from the first Adam, who was
"a living soul," but such as is derived from the last Adam, who is "a
quickening Spirit" (1 Cor. 15:45). This new creation, though as real
as the first, is widely different from it; that was an original or
primary creation in the dust of the earth becoming man by the word of
God's power; this is the regeneration of an actual and existing
man--fallen and depraved, yet rational and accountable--into an heir
of God and joint-heir with Christ. The outcome is "a new man," yet it
is the same person, only "renewed."
"Regeneration consists in a new, spiritual, supernatural, vital
principle, or habit of grace infused into the soul, the mind, the will
and affections, by the power of the Holy Spirit, disposing and
enabling them in whom it is, unto spiritual, supernatural, vital
actings and spiritual obedience" (John Owen). No new faculties are
created, but instead, the powers of the soul are spiritualized and
made alive unto God, fitted to enjoy God and hold communion with Him.
Regeneration consists in a radical change of heart, for there is
implanted a new disposition as the foundation of all holy exercises;
the mind being renovated, the affections elevated, and the will
emancipated from the bondage of sin. The effect of this is that the
one who is born again loves spiritual things as spiritual, and values
spiritual blessings on account of their being purely spiritual.
Regeneration of Existing (Not New) Faculties
In view of a certain school of teaching upon "the two natures in the
believer," some readers may experience difficulty over our statement
above that at regeneration no new faculties are created, the soul
remaining, substantially, the same as it was before. No, not even in
the glorified state will any addition be made to the human
constitution, though its faculties will then be completely unfettered
and further enlarged and elevated. Perhaps this thought will be the
more easily grasped if we illustrate it by a striking case recorded in
2 Kings 6:17, "Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray Thee, open his
eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man,
and he saw; and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots
of fire round about Elisha."
No new faculties were communicated unto Elisha's servant, but the
powers of his vision were so enlarged that he was now able to discern
objects which before were invisible to him. So it is with our
understandings at regeneration: the mind (abstractly considered) is
the same in the unregenerate as in the regenerate, but in the case of
the latter, the Spirit has so quickened it that it is now able to take
in spiritual objects and act toward them. This new spiritual visive
(i.e., of vision) power with which the understanding is endowed at the
new birth is a quality, super-added to the original faculties. As this
is a point of importance, yet one which some find it difficult to
grasp, we will proceed to dwell upon it a moment longer.
The bodily eye of the saint after resurrection will be elevated to see
angels (which are now invisible), and therefore may be rightly termed
a new eye, yea, a spiritual eye--even as the whole body will be a
"spiritual body" (1 Cor. 15:44)--yet that change will be but the
super-induction of new spiritual qualities for the eye (and the whole
body) unto spiritual objects. In like manner, the entire being of one
who is born again is so spiritualized or endued with "spirit" (John
3:6) as to be styled a "new man," a spiritual man; nevertheless, it is
but the original man "renewed," and not the creating of a new being.
After regeneration things appear in an altogether new light, and the
heart exercises itself after quite a new manner. God is now seen as
the sum of all excellence. The reasonableness and spirituality of His
law is so perceived that the heart approves of it. The infinite evil
of sin is discerned. The one born again judges, condemns, and loathes
himself, and wonders that he was not long ago cast into Hell. He
marvels at the grace of God in giving Christ to die for such a wretch.
Constrained by the love of Christ, he now renounces the ways of sin
and gives himself up to serve God. Hereby we may discover what it is
which persons are to inquire after in order to determine whether they
have been born again, namely, by the exercises of their hearts, and
the influence and effects these have upon their conduct.
We have pointed out that at regeneration the faculties of the soul are
spiritually enlivened, grace putting into them a new ability so that
they are capable of performing spiritual acts. At the new birth the
Holy Spirit communicates principles of spiritual life, whereby the
soul is qualified to act as a supernatural agent and produce
supernatural works. The need for this should be evident; God and
Christ, as they are revealed in the Gospel, are supernatural objects
to the natural faculties or powers of the soul, and there is no
proportion between them--not only such a disproportion as the bat's
eye has unto the sun, but as a blind man's eye to the sun. Thus there
is a greater necessity for the soul to be given new principles and
abilities to act in a holy and spiritual manner than at the first
creation to act naturally.
Manifestations of Regeneration
Holiness in the heart is the main and ultimate birth brought forth in
regeneration, for to make us partakers of God's holiness is the sum
and scope of His gracious purpose toward us, both of His election
(Eph. 1:4), and of all His dealings afterward (Heb. 12:10), without
which "no man shall see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). Not that finite
creatures can ever be partakers of the essential holiness that is in
God, either by imputation, or much less by real transubstantiation. We
can be no otherwise partakers of it than in the image thereof--"which
after God (as pattern or prototype) is created in righteousness and
true holiness" (Eph. 4:24); "after the image of "(Col. 3:10).
Regeneration is the first discovery and manifestation of election and
redemption to the persons for whom they were intended: "But after the
kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared" (Titus 3:4);
and how and when did it appear? "According to His mercy He saved us by
the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit" (v. 5).
"God's eternal love, like a mighty river, had from everlasting run, as
it were underground. When Christ came, it took its course through His
heart, hiddenly ran through it, He bearing on the Cross the names of
them whom God had given Him; but was yet still hidden from us, and our
knowledge of it. But the first breaking of it forth, and particular
appearing of it in and to the persons, is when we are converted, and
is as the first opening of a fountain" (T. Goodwin).
There is a great display of God's power apparent in our regeneration;
yea, an "exceeding greatness" thereof, no less than that which raised
up Christ from the dead (Eph. 1:19, 20). Because the work of
regeneration is often repeated, and accomplished in a trice, as seen
in the dying thief and Paul, and often accomplished (apparently) by a
few words from one frail mortal falling on the ears of another, we are
apt to lose sight of the omnipotent working of the Holy Spirit in the
performing thereof. Indeed the Spirit so graciously hides the
exceeding greatness of His power working in sinners' hearts, by using
such sweet persuasive motives and gent)e inducements--drawing with
"the cords of a man" (Hosea 11:4)-that His might is inadequately
recognized, owned, and adored by us.
The marvel of regeneration is the bringing of a soul out of spiritual
death into spiritual life. It is a new creation, which is a bringing
of something out of nothing. Moreover the new creation is a far
greater wonder than is the old--in the first creation there was
nothing to oppose, but in the new all the powers of sin and Satan are
set against it. Regeneration is not like the changing of water into
wine, but of contrary into contrary--of hearts of stone into flesh
(Ezek. 36:26), of wolves into lambs (Isa. 11:6). This is greater than
any miracle Christ showed, and therefore did He tell His Apostles
that, under the mighty endowment of the Holy Spirit, they should work
"greater works" than He did (John 14:12).
Not only is there a wondrous exhibition of His power when the Spirit
regenerates a soul, but there is also a blessed manifestation of His
love. In the exercise of His gracious office towards God's elect and
in His work in them, the Holy Spirit proves to a demonstration that
His love toward the heirs of glory is ineffable and incomprehensible.
As the principal work of the Spirit consists in making our souls alive
to God, in giving us to apprehend the transactions of the Father and
the Son in the Everlasting Covenant, and in imparting to them
spiritual principles whereby they are fitted to enjoy and commune with
God, it is internal--hence it is that His work being within us, we are
more apt to overlook Him, and are prone to neglect the giving to Him
the glory which is distinctly His due, and most sadly do we fail to
praise and adore Him for His gracious work in us.
Thus it is with all believers: they find themselves more disposed to
think on the love of Christ, or on the Father's love in the gift of
Him than in exercising their minds spiritually in soul-inflaming and
heartwarming meditations on the love and mercy of the Holy Spirit
towards them, and His delight in them. Yet all that they really know
and enjoy of the Father's love by faith in the finished work of the
Son, is entirely from the inward teaching and supernatural influences
of the eternal Spirit. This is too plainly evident in our neglect to
ascribe distinctive glory to Him as a Divine person in the Godhead as
God and Lord.
Summary
"For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by
our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or
sleep, we should live together with Him" (1 Thess. 5:9, 10). Yet, the
Father's appointment and the Son's redemption, with all the
unspeakable blessings thereof, remained for a season quite unknown to
us. In their fallen, sinful, and guilty state, Christians lay "dead in
trespasses and sins," without hope. To bring them out of this state,
and raise them from a death of sin into a life of righteousness is the
great and grand work reserved for the Holy Spirit, in order to display
and make manifest thereby His love for them.
The Holy Spirit is fully acquainted with the present and everlasting
virtue and efficacy of the Person and work of Immanuel, and what His
heart was set upon when He made His soul an offering for sin, and how
infinitely and eternally well pleased was Jehovah the Father with it,
who has it in perpetual remembrance. The Father and the Son having
committed the revelation and application of this great salvation unto
the persons of all the elect to the Holy Spirit, He is pleased
therefore, out of the riches of His own free and sovereign grace, to
work in due season in all the heirs of glory. And as Christ died but
once--His death being all-sufficient to answer every design to be
effected by it--so the Holy Spirit by one act works effectually in the
soul, producing a spiritual birth and changing the state of its
partaker once and for all, so that the regenerated are brought out of
and delivered from the power of death and translated into the kingdom
of God's dear Son. Without this spiritual birth we cannot see
spiritual objects and heavenly blessings in their true worth and
excellence.
The effect of the new birth is that the man born again loves spiritual
things as spiritual and values spiritual blessings on account of their
being purely spiritual. The spring of life from Christ enters into
him, and is the spring of all his spiritual life, the root of all his
graces, the perpetual source of every Divine principle within him. So
says Christ: "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give
him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be
in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (John
4:14). This regeneration introduces the elect into a capacity for the
enjoyments which are peculiar to the spiritual world, and makes the
one alteration in their state before God which lasts forever. All our
meetness for the heavenly state is wrought at our regeneration (Col.
1:12, 13). Regeneration is one and the same in all saints. It admits
of no increase or diminution. All grace and holiness are then imparted
by the Spirit: His subsequent work is but to draw it forth into
exercise and act.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 11
The Spirit Quickening
_________________________________________________________________
We shall now confine ourselves to the initial operation of the Spirit
within the elect of God. Different writers have employed the term
"regeneration" with varying latitude: some restricting it unto a
single act, others including the whole process by which one becomes a
conscious child of God. This has hindered close accuracy of thought,
and has introduced considerable confusion through the confounding of
things which, though intimately related, are quite distinct. Not only
has confusion of thought resulted from a loose use of terms, but
serious divisions among professing saints have issued therefrom. We
believe that much, if not all, of this would have been avoided had
theologians discriminated more sharply and clearly between the
principle of grace (spiritual life) which the Spirit first imparts
unto the soul, and His consequent stirrings of that principle into
exercise.
Quickening Is the Initial Operation of the Spirit
In earlier years we did not ourselves perceive the distinction which
is pointed by John 6:63 and 1 Peter 1:23: the former referring unto
the initial act of the Spirit in "quickening" the spiritually-dead
soul, the latter having in view the consequent "birth" of the same.
While it is freely allowed that the origin of the "new creature" is
shrouded in impenetrable mystery, yet of this we may be certain, that
life precedes birth. There is a strict analogy between the natural
birth and the spiritual: necessarily so, for God is the Author of them
both, and He ordained that the former should adumbrate the latter.
Birth is neither the cause nor the beginning of life itself: rather is
it the manifestation of a life already existent: there had been a
Divine "quickening" before the child could issue from the womb. In
like manner, the Holy Spirit "quickens" the soul, or imparts spiritual
life to it, before its possessor is "brought forth" (as James 1:18 is
rightly rendered in the R.V.) and "born again" by the Word of God (1
Pet. 1:23).
James 1:18, 1 Peter 1:23, and parallel passages, refer not to the
original communication of spiritual life to the soul, but rather to
our being enabled to act from that life and induced to love and obey
God by means of the Word of Truth--which presupposes a principle of
grace already planted in the heart. In His work of illumination,
conviction, conversion, and sanctification, the Spirit uses the Word
as the means thereto, but in His initial work of "quickening" He
employs no means, operating immediately or directly upon the soul.
First there is a "new creation" (2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 2:10), and then the
"new creature" is stirred into exercise. Faith and all other graces
are wrought in us by the Spirit through the instrumentality of the
Word, but not so with the principle of life and grace from which these
graces proceed.
Quickening Imparts Life
In His work of "quickening," by which we mean the impartation of
spiritual life to the soul, the Spirit acts immediately from within,
and not by applying something from without. Quickening is a direct
operation of the Spirit without the use of any instrument: the Word is
used by Him afterwards to call into exercise the life then
communicated. "Regeneration is a direct operation of the Holy Spirit
upon the human spirit. It is the action of Spirit upon spirit, of a
Divine Person upon a human person, whereby spiritual life is imparted.
Nothing, therefore, of the nature of means or instruments can come
between the Holy Spirit and the soul that is made alive. God did not
employ an instrument or means when He infused physical life into the
body of Adam. There were only two factors: the dust of the ground and
the creative power of God which vivified that dust. The Divine
omnipotence and dead matter were brought into direct contact, with
nothing interposing. The dust was not a means or instrument by which
God originated life. So in regeneration there are only two factors:
the human soul destitute of spiritual life, and the Holy Spirit who
quickens it.
"The Word and Truth of God, the most important of all the means of
grace, is not a means of regeneration, as distinct from conviction,
conversion and sanctification. This is evident when we remember that
it is the office of a means or instrument to excite or stimulate an
already existing principle of life. Physical food is a means of
physical growth, but it supposes physical vitality. If the body is
dead, bread cannot be a means or instrument. Intellectual truth is a
means of intellectual growth, but it supposes intellectual vitality.
If the mind be idiotic, secular knowledge cannot be a means or
instrument. Spiritual truth is a means of spiritual growth, in case
there be spiritual vitality. But if the mind be dead to righteousness,
spiritual truth cannot be a means or instrument.
"The unenlightened understanding is unable to apprehend, and the
unregenerate will is unable to believe. Vital force is lacking in
these two principal factors. What is needed at this point is life and
force itself. Consequently, the Author of spiritual life Himself must
operate directly, without the use of means or instruments; and
outright give spiritual life and power from the dead: that is, ex
nihilo. The new life is not imparted because man perceives the truth,
but he perceives the truth because the new life is imparted. A man is
not regenerated because he has first believed in Christ, but he
believes in Christ because he has been regenerated" (W. T. Shedd,
Presbyterian, 1889).
First the Work of the Spirit, Then the Word
Under the guise of honoring the written word, many have (no doubt
unwittingly) dishonored the Holy Spirit. The idea which seems to
prevail in "orthodox" circles today is that all which is needed for
the salvation of souls is to give out the Word in its purity, God
being pledged to bless the same. How often we have heard it said, "The
Word will do its own work." Many suppose that the Scriptures are quite
sufficient of themselves to communicate light to those in darkness and
life to those who are dead in sins. But the record which we have of
Christ's life ought at once to correct such a view. Who preached the
Word as faithfully as He, yet how very few were saved during His three
and a half years' ministry?!
The parable of the Sower exposes the fallacy of the theory now so
widely prevailing. The "seed" sown is the Word. It was scattered upon
various kinds of ground, yet notwithstanding the purity and vitality
of the seed, where the soil was unfavorable, no increase issued
therefrom. Until the ground was made good, the seed yielded no
increase. That seed might be watered by copious showers and warmed by
a genial sum, but while the soil was bad there could be no harvest.
The ground must be changed before it could be fertile. Nor is it the
seed which changes the soil: what farmer would ever think of saying,
The seed will change the soil! Make no mistake upon this point: the
Holy Spirit must first quicken the dead soul into newness of life
before the Word obtains any entrance.
To say that life is communicated to the soul by the Spirit's
application of the Word, and then to affirm that it is the principle
of life which gives efficacy to the Word, is but to reason in a
circle. The Word cannot profit any soul spiritually until it be "mixed
with faith" (Heb. 4:2), and faith cannot be put forth unless it
proceeds from a principle of life and grace; and therefore that
principle of life is not produced by it.
"We might as well suppose that the presenting of a picture to a man
who is blind can enable him to see, as we can suppose that the
presenting of the Word in an objective way is the instrument whereby
God produces the internal principle by which we are enabled to embrace
it" (Thomas Ridgley, Presbyterian, 1730--quoted by us to show we are
not here inculcating some new doctrine.)
Yet notwithstanding what has been pointed out above, many are still
likely to insist upon the quickening power which inheres in the Word
itself, reminding us that its voice is that of the Almighty. This we
freely and fully acknowledge, but do not all the unregenerate resist,
and refuse to heed that Voice? How, then, is that opposition to be
removed? Take an illustration. Suppose the window of my room is
darkened by an iron wall before it. The sun's beams beat upon it, but
still the wall remains. Were it of ice, it would melt away, but the
nature of iron is to harden and not soften under the influence of
heat. How, then, is the sun to enter my room? Only by removing that
wall: a direct power must be put forth for its destruction. In like
manner, the deadly enmity of the sinner must be removed by the
immediate operation of the Spirit, communicating life, before the Word
enters and affects him.
"The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single,
thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy
whole body shall be full of darkness" (Matthew 7:22, 23). By the "eye"
is not here meant the mind only, but the disposition of the heart (cf.
Mark 7:22). Here Christ tells us in what man's blindness consists,
namely, the evil disposition of his heart, and that the only way to
remove the darkness, and let in the light, is to change the heart. An
"evil eye" is not cured or its darkness removed merely by casting
light upon it, any more than the rays of the sun communicate sight
unto one whose visive faculty is dead. The eye must be cured, made
"single," and then it is capable of receiving the light.
"It is said the Lord opened the heart of Lydia, that she attended unto
the things that were spoken by Paul (Acts 16:14). It would be a
contradiction, and very absurd, to say that God's Word spoken by Paul
was that by which her heart was opened; for she knew not what he did
speak, until her heart was opened to attend to his words and
understand them. Her heart was first opened in order for his words to
have any effect or give any light to her. And this must be done by an
immediate operation of the Spirit of God on her heart. This was the
regeneration now under consideration, by which her heart was renewed,
and formed unto true discerning like the single eye" (Samuel Hopkins,
1792).
The soul, then, is quickened into newness of life by the direct and
supernatural operation of the Spirit, without any medium or means
whatever. It is not accomplished by the light of the Word, for it is
His very imparting of life which fits the heart to receive the light.
This initial work of the Spirit is absolutely indispensable in order
to have spiritual illumination. It is depravity or corruption of heart
which holds the mind in darkness, and it is in this that unregeneracy
consists. It is just as absurd to speak of illumination being conveyed
by the Word in order to have a change of heart, or the giving of a
relish for spiritual things, as it would be to speak of giving the
capacity to a man to taste the sweetness of honey while he was devoid
of a palate.
No, men are not "quickened" by the Word, they must be quickened in
order to receive and understand the Word. "And I will give them a
heart to know me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and
I will be their God" (Jer. 24:7): that statement would be quite
meaningless if a saving knowledge of or experimental acquaintance with
God were obtained through the Word previous to the "new heart" or
spiritual life being given, and was the means of our being quickened.
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (Prov. 1:7); the
"fear of the Lord" or Divine grace communicated to the heart
(spiritual life imparted) alone lays the foundation for spiritual
knowledge and activities.
Characteristics of Quickening
"For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth, even so the
Son quickeneth whom He will" (John 5:21); "It is the Spirit that
quickeneth: the flesh profiteth nothing" (John 6:63). All the Divine
operations in the economy of salvation proceed from the Father, are
through the Son, and are executed by the Spirit. Quickening is His
initial work in the elect. It is that supernatural act by which He
brings them out of the grave of spiritual death on to resurrection
ground. By it He imparts a principle of grace and habit of holiness;
it is the communication of the life of God to the soul. It is an act
of creation (2 Cor. 5:17). It is a Divine "workmanship" (Eph. 2:10).
All of these terms denote an act of Omnipotency. The origination of
life is utterly impossible to the creature. He can receive life; he
can nourish life; he can use and exert it; but he cannot create life.
In this work the Spirit acts as sovereign. "The wind bloweth where it
listeth (or "pleaseth") ... so is everyone that is born of the Spirit"
(John 3:8). This does not mean that He acts capriciously, or without
reason and motive, but that He is above any obligation to the
creature, and is quite uninfluenced by us in what He does. The Spirit
might justly have left everyone of us in the hardness of our hearts to
perish forever. In quickening one and not another, in bringing a few
from death unto life and leaving the mass still dead in trespasses and
sins, the Spirit has mercy "on whom He will have mercy." He is
absolutely free to work in whom He pleases, for none of the fallen
sons of Adam have the slightest claim upon Him.
The quickening of the spiritually dead into newness of life is
therefore an act of amazing grace: it is an unsought and unmerited
favor. The sinner, who is the chosen subject of this Divine operation
and object of this inestimable blessing, is infinitely ill-deserving
in himself, being thoroughly disposed to go on in wickedness till this
change is wrought in him. He is rebellious, and will not hearken to
the Divine command; he is obstinate and refuses to repent and embrace
the Gospel. However terrified he may be with the fears of threatened
doom, however earnest may be his desire to escape misery and be happy
forever, no matter how many prayers he may make and things he may do,
he has not the least inclination to repent and submit to God. His
heart is defiant, full of enmity against God, and daily does he add
iniquity unto iniquity. For the Spirit to give a new heart unto such
an one is indeed an act of amazing and sovereign grace.
This quickening by the Spirit is instantaneous: it is a Divine act,
and not a process; it is wrought at once, and not gradually. In a
moment of time the soul passes from death unto life. The soul which
before was dead toward God, is now alive to Him. The soul which was
completely under the domination of sin, is now set free; though the
sinful nature itself is not removed nor rendered inoperative, yet the
heart is no longer en rapport (in sympathy) with it. The Spirit of God
finds the heart wholly corrupt and desperately wicked, but by a
miracle of grace He changes its bent, and this by implanting within it
the imperishable seed of holiness. There is no medium between a carnal
and a spiritual state: the one is what we were by nature, the other is
what we become by grace, by the instantaneous and invincible operation
of the Almighty Spirit.
This initial work of quickening is entirely unperceived by us, for it
lies outside the realm and the range of human consciousness. Those who
are dead possess no perception, and though the work of bringing them
on to resurrection ground is indeed a great and powerful one, in the
very nature of the case its subjects can know nothing whatever about
it until after it has been accomplished. When Adam was created, he was
conscious of nothing but that he now existed and was free to act: the
Divine operation which was the cause of his existence was over and
finished before he began to be conscious of anything. This initial
operation of the Spirit by which the elect become new creatures can
only be known by its effects and consequences. "The wind bloweth where
it listeth," that is first; then "thou hearest the sound thereof"
(John 3:8): it is now made known, in a variety of ways, to the
conscience and understanding.
Under this work of quickening we are entirely passive, by which is
meant that there is no co-operation whatever between the will of the
sinner and the act of the Holy Spirit. As we have said, this initial
work of the Spirit is effected by free and sovereign grace, consisting
of the infusion of a principle of spiritual life into the soul, by
which all its faculties are supernaturally renovated. This being the
case, the sinner must be entirely passive, like clay in the hands of a
potter, for until Divine grace is exerted upon him he is utterly
incapable of any spiritual acts, being dead in trespasses and sins.
Lazarus co-operated not in his resurrection: he knew not that the
Savior had come to his sepulcher to deliver him from death. Such is
the case with each of God's elect when the Spirit commences to deal
with them. They must first be quickened into newness of life before
they can have the slightest desire or motion of the will toward
spiritual things; hence, for them to contribute the smallest iota unto
their quickening is utterly impossible.
The life which the Spirit imparts when He quickens is uniform in all
its favored subjects. "As seed virtually contains in it all that
afterwards proceeds from it, the blade, stalk, ear, and full corn in
the ear, so the first principle of grace implanted in the heart
seminally contains all the grace which afterwards appears in all the
fruits, effects, acts, and exercises of it" (John Gill). Each
quickened person experiences the same radical change, by which the
image of God is stamped upon the soul: "that which is born of the
Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6), never anything less, and never anything
more. Each quickened person is made a new creature in Christ, and
possesses all the constituent parts of "the new man." Later, some may
be more lively and vigorous, as God gives stronger faith unto one than
to another; yet there is no difference in their original: all partake
of the same life.
While there is great variety in our perception and understanding of
the work of the Spirit within us, there is no difference in the
initial work itself. While there is much difference in the carrying on
of this work unto perfection in the growth of the "new creature"--some
making speedy progress, others thriving slowly and bringing forth
little fruit--yet the new creation itself is the same in all. Each
alike enters the kingdom of God, becomes a vital member of Christ's
mystical body, is given a place in the living family of God. Later,
one may appear more beautiful than another, by having the image of his
heavenly Father more evidently imprinted upon him, yet not more truly
so. There are degrees in sanctification, but none in vivification.
There has never been but one kind of spiritual quickening in this
world, being in its essential nature specifically the same in all.
Only the Beginning
Let it be pointed out in conclusion that the Spirit's quickening is
only the beginning of God's work of grace in the soul. This does not
wholly renew the heart at once: no indeed, the inner man needs to be
"renewed day by day" (2 Cor. 4:16). But from that small beginning, the
work continues-- God watering it "every moment" (Isa. 27:3)--and goes
on to perfection; that is, till the heart is made perfectly clean and
holy, which is not accomplished till death. God continues to work in
His elect, "both to will and to do of His good pleasure," they being
as completely dependent upon the Spirit's influence for every right
exercise of the will after, as for the first. "Being confident of this
very thing, that He which bath begun a good work within you will
finish it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6).
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The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 12
The Spirit Enlightening
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Darkness by Nature
By nature fallen man is in a state of darkness with respect unto God.
Be he ever so wise, learned, and skillful in natural things, unto
spiritual things he is blind. Not until we are renewed in the spirit
of our minds by the Holy Spirit can we see things in God's light. But
this is something which the world cannot endure to hear of, and when
it be insisted upon, they will hotly deny the same. So did the
Pharisees of Christ's day angrily ask, with pride and scorn, "Are we
blind also?" (John 9:40), to which our Lord replied by affirming that
their presumption of spiritual light and knowledge only aggravated
their sin and condemnation (v. 41); unhesitatingly, He told the blind
leaders of religion, that, notwithstanding all their boasting, they
had never heard the Father's voice "at any time" (John 5:37).
There is a twofold spiritual darkness, outward and inward. The former,
is the case with those who are without the Gospel until God sends the
external means of grace to them: "The people which sat in darkness saw
a great light" (Matthew 4:16). The latter, is the case with all, until
God the Spirit performs a miracle of grace within the soul and
quickens the dead into newness of life: "And the light shineth in
darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not" (John 1:5). No matter
how well we are acquainted with the letter of Scripture, no matter how
sound and faithful is the preaching we sit under and the books we
read, until the soul be Divinely quickened it has no spiritual
discernment or experimental perception of Divine things. Until a man
be born again, he cannot "see" the kingdom of God (John 3:3).
Inward Darkness: Active Opposition to God
This inward darkness which fills the soul of the natural man is
something far more dreadful than a mere intellectual ignorance of
spiritual things. Ignorance is a negative thing, but this spiritual
"darkness" is a positive thing--an energetic principle which is
opposed to God. The "darkness" which rests upon the human soul gives
the heart a bias toward evil, prejudicing it against holiness,
fettering the will so that it never moves God-wards. Hence we read of
"the power of darkness" (Col. 1:13): so great is its power that all
under it love darkness "rather than light" (John 3:19). Why is it that
men have little difficulty in learning a business and are quick to
discover how to make money and gratify their lusts, but are stupid and
unteachable in the things of God? Why is it that men are so prone and
ready to believe religious lies, and so averse to the Truth? None but
the Spirit can deliver from this terrible darkness. Unless the Sun of
righteousness arises upon us (Mal. 4:2), we are shut up in "the
blackness of darkness forever" (Jude 13).
Because of the darkness which rests upon and reigns within his entire
soul, the natural man can neither know, admire, love, adore, or serve
the true God in a spiritual way. How can God appear infinitely lovely
to one whose every bias of his heart prompts unto hatred of the Divine
perfections? How can a corrupt soul be charmed with a Character which
is the absolute opposite of its own? What fellowship can there be
between darkness and Light; what concord can there be between sin and
Holiness; what agreement between a carnal mind and Him against whom it
is enmity? False notions of God may charm even an unregenerate heart,
but none save a Divinely-quickened soul can spiritually know and love
God. The true God can never appear as an infinitely amiable and lovely
Being to one who is dead in trespasses and sins and completely under
the dominion of the Devil.
Enlightenment Presupposes Turning from Self
"It is true that many a carnal man is ravished to think that God loves
him, and will save him; but in this case, it is not the true character
of God which charms the heart: it is not God that is loved. Strictly
speaking, he can only love himself, and self-love is the source of all
his affections. Or, if we call it `love' to God, it is of no other
kind than sinners feel to one another: `for sinners also love those
that love them' (Luke 6:32). The carnal Israelites gave the fullest
proof of their disaffection to the Divine character (in the
wilderness), as exhibited by God Himself before their eyes, yet were
once full of this same kind of `love' at the side of the Red Sea"
(Joseph Bellamy).
My reader, the mere fact that your heart is thrilled with a belief
that God loves you, is no proof whatever that God's true character
would suit your taste had you right notions of it. The Galatians loved
Paul while they considered him as the instrument of their conversion;
but on further acquaintance with him, they turned his enemies, for his
character, rightly understood, was not at all congenial to them. If
God is "of purer eyes than to behold evil" and cannot but look upon
sin with infinite detestation (Hab. 1:13); if all those imaginations,
affections, and actions which are so sweet to the taste of a carnal
heart, are so infinitely odious in the eyes of God as to appear to Him
worthy of the eternal pains of Hell, then it is utterly impossible for
a carnal heart to see any beauty in the Divine character until it
perceives its own character to be infinitely odious.
There is no spiritual love for the true God until self be hated
The one necessarily implies the other. I cannot look upon God as a
lovely Being, without looking upon myself as infinitely vile and
hateful. When Christ said to the Pharisees, "Ye serpents, ye
generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of Hell?"
(Matthew 23:33), those words determined His character in their eyes.
And it implies a contradiction to suppose that Christ's character
might appear lovely to them, without their own appearing odious,
answerable to the import of His words. There was nothing in a
Pharisee's heart to look upon his own character in such a detestable
light, and therefore all the Savior's words and works could only
exasperate them. The more they knew of Christ, the more they hated
Him; as it was natural to approve of their own character, so it was
natural to condemn His.
The Pharisees were completely under the power of "darkness," and so is
every human being till the Spirit quickens him into newness of life.
If the fault were not in the Pharisees, it must have been in Christ;
and for them to own it was not in Christ, was to acknowledge they were
"vipers" and worthy of eternal destruction. They could not look upon
Him as lovely, until they looked upon themselves as infinitely odious;
but that was diametrically opposite to every bias of their hearts.
Their old heart, therefore, must be taken away, and a new heart be
given them, or they would never view things in a true light. "Except a
man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3).
Enlightenment Follows Quickening
"Darkness was upon the face of the deep" (Gen. 1:2)--fallen man's
state by nature. "And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the
waters" (Gen. 1:2)--adumbrating His initial work of quickening. "And
God said, Let there be light, and there was light" (Gen. 1:3). Natural
light was the first thing produced in the making of the world, and
spiritual light is the first thing given at the new creation: "But
God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in
our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6). This Divine light shining into
the mind, occasions new apprehensions of what is presented before it.
Hitherto the favored subject of it had heard much about Christ: "by
the hearing of the ear," but now his eye sees Him (Job 42:5): he
clearly apprehends a transcendent excellence in Him, an extreme
necessity of Him, a complete sufficiency in Him.
"In Thy light shall we see light" (Ps. 36:9). This is of what
spiritual illumination consists. It is not a mere informing of the
mind, or communication of intellectual knowledge, but an experimental
and efficacious consciousness of the reality and nature of Divine and
spiritual things. It is capacitating the mind to see sin in its real
hideousness and heinousness, and to perceive "the beauty of holiness"
(Ps. 96:9) so as to fall heartily in love with it. It is a spiritual
light super-added to all the innate conceptions of the human mind,
which is so pure and elevated that it is entirely beyond the power of
the natural man to reach unto. It is something which the natural heart
cannot even conceive of, but the knowledge of which is communicated by
the Spirit's enlightenment (1 Cor. 2:9, 10).
A dead man can neither see nor hear: true alike naturally and
spiritually. There must be life before there can be perception: the
Spirit must quicken the soul before it is capable of discerning and
being affected by Divine things in a spiritual way. We say "in a
spiritual way," because even a blind man may obtain an accurate idea
of objects which his eye has never beheld; even so the unregenerate
may acquire a natural knowledge of Divine things. But there is a far
greater difference between an unregenerate man's knowledge of Divine
things--no matter how orthodox and Scriptural be his views--and the
knowledge possessed by the regenerate, than there is between a blind
man's conception of a gorgeous sunset and what it would appear to him
were sight communicated and he were permitted to gaze upon one for
himself. It is not merely that the once-blind man would have a more
correct conception of the Creator's handiwork, but the effect produced
upon him would be such as words could not describe.
The Spirit's quickening of the dead soul into newness of life lays the
foundation for all His consequent operations. Once the soul is made
the recipient of spiritual life, all its faculties are capacitated
unto spiritual exercises: the understanding to perceive spiritually,
the conscience to feel spiritually, the affections to move
spiritually, and the will to act spiritually. Originally, God formed
man's body out of the dust of the ground, and it then existed as a
complete organism, being endowed with a full set of organs and
members; but it was not until God "breathed into" him the "breath of
life" (Gen. 2:7) that Adam was able to move and act. In like manner,
the soul of the natural man is vested with all these faculties which
distinguish him from the beasts, but it is not until the Spirit
quickens him that he is capable of discerning and being affected by
Divine things in a spiritual way.
Once the Spirit has brought one of God's dead elect on to resurrection
ground, He proceeds to illumine him. The light of God now shines upon
him, and the previously-blind soul, having been Divinely empowered to
see, is able to receive that light. The Spirit's enlightenment
commences immediately after quickening, continues throughout the
Christian's life, and is consummated in glory: "The path of the just
is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect
day" (Prov. 4:18). As we stated in a previous chapter, this spiritual
enlightenment is not a mere informing of the mind or communication of
spiritual knowledge, but is an experimental and efficacious
consciousness of the Truth. It is that which is spoken of in 1 John
2:20, 27, "But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all
things . . . But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth
in you, and ye need not that any man teach you."
Manifestations of Enlightenment
By this "anointing" or enlightenment the quickened soul is enabled to
perceive the true nature of sin--opposition against God, expressed in
self-pleasing. By it he discerns the plague of his own heart, and
finds that he is a moral leper, totally depraved, corrupt at the very
center of his being. By it he detects the deceptions of Satan, which
formerly made him believe that bitter was sweet, and sweet bitter. By
it he apprehends the claims of God: that He is absolutely worthy of
and infinitely entitled to be loved with all his heart, soul, and
strength. By it he learns God's way of salvation: that the path of
practical holiness is the only one which leads to Heaven. By it he
beholds the perfect suitability and sufficiency of Christ: that He is
the only One who could meet all God's claims upon him. By it he feels
his own impotence unto all that is good, and presents himself as an
empty vessel to be filled out of Christ's fullness.
A Divine light now shines into the quickened soul. Before, he was
"darkness," but now is he "light in the Lord" (Eph. 5:8). He now
perceives that those things in which he once found pleasure, are
loathsome and damnable. His former concepts of the world and its
enjoyments, he now sees to be erroneous and ensnaring, and apprehends
that no real happiness or contentment is to be found in any of them.
That holiness of heart and strictness of life which before he
criticized as needless preciseness or puritanical extreme, is now
looked upon not only as absolutely necessary, but as most beautiful
and blessed. Those moral and religious performances he once prided
himself in and which he supposed merited the approval of God, he now
regards as filthy rags. Those whom he once envied, he now pities. The
company he once delighted in now sickens and saddens him. His whole
outlook is completely changed.
Divine illumination, then, is the Holy Spirit imparting to the
quickened soul accurate and spiritual views of Divine things. To hear
and understand is peculiar to the "good-ground" hearer (Matthew
13:23). None but the real "disciple" knows the Truth (John 8:31, 32).
Even the Gospel is "hid" from the lost (2 Cor. 4:4). But when a
quickened soul is enlightened by the Spirit, he has a feeling
realization of the excellence of the Divine character, the
spirituality of God's Law, the exceeding sinfulness of sin in general
and of his own vileness in particular. It is a Divine work which
capacitates the soul to have real communion with God, to receive or
take in spiritual objects, enjoy them, and live upon them. It is in
this way that Christ is "formed in us" (Gal. 4:19). Thus, at times,
the Christian is able to say: "Thy shining grace can cheer, This
dungeon where I dwell. `Tis paradise when Thou art here, If Thou
depart, `tis Hell."
Characteristics of Enlightenment
In closing, let us seek to define a little more definitely some of the
characteristics of this Divine enlightenment.
First,
it is one which gives certainty to the soul. It enables its favored
possessor to say, "One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I
see" (John 9:25). And again, "I know whom I have believed, and am
persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him
against that day" (2 Tim. 1:12). Later, Satan may be permitted to
inject unbelieving and atheistic thoughts into his mind, but it is
utterly impossible for him to persuade any quickened and enlightened
soul that God has no existence, that Christ is a myth, that the
Scriptures are a human invention. God in Christ has become a living
reality to him, and the more He appears to the soul the sum of all
excellence, the
Second,
this Divine enlightenment is transforming. Herein it differs radically
from a natural knowledge of Divine things, such as the unregenerate
may acquire intellectually, but which produces no real and lasting
impression upon the soul. A spiritual apprehension of Divine things is
an efficacious one, stamping the image thereof upon the heart, and
molding it into their likeness: "But we all, with open face beholding
as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image
from glory to glory, by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18). Thus
this spiritual illumination is vastly different from a mere notional
and inoperative knowledge of Divine things. The Spirit's enlightenment
enables the Christian to "show forth the praises of him who hath
called "(1 Pet. 2:9).
Third,
this Divine enlightenment is a spiritual preservative. This is evident
from 1 John 2:20, though to make it fully clear unto the reader an
exposition of that verse in the light of its context is required. In 1
John 2:18 the Apostle had mentioned the "many antichrists" (to be
headed up in the antichrist), which were to characterize this final
dispensation: seducers from the Faith were numerous even before the
close of the first century AD. In 1 John 2:19 reference is made to
those who had fallen under the spell of these deceivers, and who had
in consequence, apostatized from Christianity. In sharp contrast
therefrom, the Apostle affirms, "But ye have an unction from the Holy
One, and ye know all things" (v. 20). Here was the Divine
preservative: the Spirit's enlightenment ensured the saints from being
captured by Satan's emissaries. Apostates had never been anointed by
the Spirit; renewed souls are, and this safeguards them. The voice of
a stranger "will they not follow" (John 10:5). It is not possible to
fatally "deceive" one of God's elect (Matthew 24:24). The same
precious truth is found again in 1 John 2:27: the Spirit indwells the
Christian "forever" (John 14:16), hence the "anointing" he has
received "abideth in him" and thus guarantees that he shall "abide in
Christ."
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The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 13
The Spirit Convicting
_________________________________________________________________
Though man in his natural estate is spiritually dead, that is,
entirely destitute of any spark of true holiness, yet is he still a
rational being and has a conscience by which he is capable of
perceiving the difference between good and evil, and of discerning and
feeling the force of moral obligation (Rom. 1:32; 2:15). By having his
sins clearly brought to his mind and conscience, he can be made to
realize what his true condition is as a transgressor of the holy Law
of God. This sight and sense of sin, when aroused from moral stupor,
under the common operations of the Holy Spirit, is usually termed
"conviction of sin"; and there can be no doubt that the views and
feelings of men may be very clear and strong even while they are in an
unregenerate state. Indeed, they do not differ in kind (though they do
in degree), from what men will experience in the Day of Judgment, when
their own consciences shall condemn them, and they shall stand guilty
before God (Rom. 3:19).
Not "Conviction of Sin"
But there is nothing whatever in the kind of conviction of sin
mentioned above which has any tendency to change the heart or make it
better. No matter how clear or how strong such convictions are, there
is nothing in them which approximates to those that the Spirit
produces in those whom He quickens. Such convictions may be
accompanied by the most alarming apprehensions of danger, the
imagination may be filled with the most frightful images of terror,
and Hell may seem almost uncovered to their terrified view. Very
often, under the sound of the faithful preaching of Eternal
Punishment, some are aroused from their lethargy and feelings of the
utmost terror are awakened in their souls, while there is no real
spiritual conviction of the exceeding sinfulness of sin. On the other
hand, there may be deep and permanent spiritual convictions where the
passions and the imagination are very little excited.
Solemn is it to realize that there are now in Hell multitudes of men
and women who on earth were visited with deep conviction of sin, whose
awakened conscience made them conscious of their rebellion against
their Maker, who were made to feel something of the reality of the
everlasting burnings, and the justice of God meting out such
punishment to those who spurn His authority and trample His laws
beneath their feet. How solemn to realize that many of those who
experienced such convictions were aroused to flee from the wrath to
come, and became very zealous and diligent in seeking to escape the
torments of Hell, and who under the instinct of self-preservation took
up with "religion" as offering the desired means of escape. And how
unspeakably solemn to realize that many of those poor souls fell
victim to men who spoke "smooth things," assuring them that they were
the objects of God's love, and that nothing more was needed than to
"receive Christ as your personal Savior." How unspeakably solemn, we
say, that such souls look to Christ merely as a fire-escape, who
never--from a supernatural work of the Spirit in their
hearts--surrendered to Christ as Lord
Does the reader say, "Such statements as the above are most
unsettling, and if dwelt upon would destroy my peace." We answer, O
that it may please God to use these pages to disturb some who have
long enjoyed a false peace. Better far, dear reader, to be upset, yea,
searched and terrified now, than die in the false comfort produced by
Satan, and weep and wail for all eternity. If you are unwilling to be
tested and searched, that is clear proof that you lack an "honest
heart." An "honest" heart desires to know the Truth. An "honest" heart
hates pretense. An "honest" heart is fearful of being deceived. An
"honest" heart welcomes the most searching diagnosis of its condition.
An "honest" heart is humble and tractable, not proud, presumptuous,
and self-confident. 0 how very few there are who really possess an
"honest heart."
Characteristics of the Spirit's True Conviction
The "honest" heart will say, "If it is possible for an unregenerate
soul to experience the convictions of sin you have depicted above, if
one who is dead in trespasses and sins may, nevertheless, have a vivid
and frightful anticipation of the wrath to come, and engage in such
sincere and earnest endeavors to escape from the same, then how am I
to ascertain whether my convictions have been of a different kind from
theirs?" A very pertinent and a most important question, dear friend.
In answering the same, let us first point out that, soul terrors of
Hell are not, in themselves, any proof of a supernatural work of God
having been wrought in the heart: it is not horrifying alarms of the
everlasting burnings felt in the heart which distinguishes the
experience of quickened souls from that of the un-quickened; though
such alarms are felt (in varying degrees) by both classes.
In His particular saving work of conviction, the Holy Spirit occupies
the soul more with sin itself than with punishment. This is an
exercise of the mind to which fallen men are exceedingly averse: they
had rather meditate on almost anything than upon their own wickedness:
neither argument, entreaty, nor warning will induce them to do so; nor
will Satan suffer one of his captives--till a mightier One comes and
frees him--to dwell upon sin, its nature, and vileness. No, he
constantly employs all his subtle arts to keep his victim from such
occupation, and his temptations and delusions are mixed with the
natural darkness and vanity of men's hearts so as to fortify them
against convictions; so that he may keep "his goods in peace" (Luke
11:21).
It is by the exceeding greatness of His power that the Holy Spirit
fixes the mind of a quickened and enlightened soul upon the due
consideration of sin. Then it is that the subject of this experience
cries, "my sin is ever before me" (Ps. 51:3), for God now reproves him
and "sets his sins in order" before his eyes (Ps. 50:21). Now he is
forced to behold them, no matter which way he turns himself. Feign
would he cast them out of his thoughts, but he cannot: "the arrows" of
God stick in his heart (Job 6:4), and he cannot get rid of them. He
now realizes that his sins are more in number than the hairs of his
head (Ps. 40:12). Now it is that "the grass withereth, the flower
fadeth; because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it" (Isa. 40:7).
The Spirit occupies the quickened and enlightened soul with the
exceeding sinfulness of sin. He unmasks its evil character, and shows
that all our self-pleasing and self-gratification are but a species of
sinfulness--of enmity against Him--against His Person, His attributes,
His government. The Spirit makes the convicted soul feel how
grievously he has turned his back upon God (Jer. 32:33), lifted up his
heel against Him and trampled His laws underfoot. The Spirit causes
him to see and feel that he has forsaken the pure Fountain for the
foul stream, preferred the filthy creature above the ineffable
Creator, a base lust to the Lord of glory.
The Spirit convicts the quickened soul of the multitude of his sins.
He realizes now that all his thoughts, desires and imaginations, are
corrupt and perverse; conscience now accuses him of a thousand things
which hitherto never occasioned him a pang. Under the Spirit's
illumination the soul discovers that his very righteousnesses are as
"filthy rags," for the motive which prompted even his best
performances were unacceptable to Him who "weigheth the spirits." He
now sees that his very prayers are polluted, through lack of pure
affections prompting them. In short, he sees that "from the sole of
the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in him; but wounds,
and bruises, and putrefying sores" (Isa. 1:6).
The Spirit brings before the heart of the convicted one the character
and claims of God Sin is now viewed in the light of the Divine
countenance, and he is made to feel what an evil and bitter thing it
is to sin against God. The pure light of God, shining in the
conscience over against vile darkness, horrifies the soul. The
convicted one both sees and feels that God is holy and that he is
completely unholy; that God is good and he is vile; that there is a
most awful disparity between Him and us. He is made to feelingly cry,
"How can such a corrupt wretch like I ever stand before such a holy
God, whose majesty I have so often slighted?" Now it is that the soul
is made to realize how it has treated God with the basest ingratitude,
abusing His goodness, perverting His mercies, scorning his best
Friend. Reader, has this been your experience?
Summary of Differences in "Conviction"
In summary, there is a very real and radical difference between that
conviction of sin which many of the unregenerate experience under the
common operations of the Spirit, and that conviction of sin which
follows His work of quickening and enlightening the hearts of God's
elect. We have pointed out that in the case of the latter, the
conscience is occupied more with sin itself than with its punishment;
with the real nature of sin, as rebellion against God; with its
exceeding sinfulness, as enmity against God; with the multitude of
sins, every action being polluted; with the character and claims of
God, as showing the awful disparity there is between Him and us. Where
the soul has not only been made to perceive, but also to feel--to have
a heart-horror and anguish over the same--there is good reason to
believe that the work of Divine grace has been begun in the soul.
Many other contrasts may be given between that conviction which issues
from the common operations of the Spirit in the unregenerate and His
special work in the regenerate. The convictions of the former are
generally light and uncertain, and of short duration, they are sudden
frights which soon subside; whereas those of the latter are deep,
pungent and lasting, being repeated more or less frequently throughout
life. The former work is more upon the emotions; the latter upon the
judgment. The former diminishes in its clarity and efficacy, the
latter grows in its intensity and power. The former arises from a
consideration of God's justice; the latter are more intense when the
heart is occupied with God's goodness. The former springs from a
horrified sense of God's power; the latter issues from a reverent view
of His holiness.
Unregenerate souls regard eternal punishment as the greatest evil, but
the regenerate look upon sin as the worst thing there is. The former
groan under conscience's presages of damnation; the latter mourn from
a sense of their lack of holiness. The greatest longing of the one is
to be assured of escape from the wrath to come; the supreme desire of
the other is to be delivered from the burden of sin and conformed to
the image of Christ. The former, while he may be convicted of many
sins, still cherishes the conceit that he has some good points; the
latter is painfully conscious that in his flesh there "dwelleth no
good thing," and that his best performances are defiled. The former
greedily snatches at comfort, for assurance and peace are now regarded
as the highest good; the latter fears that he has sinned beyond the
hope of forgiveness, and is slow to believe the glad tidings of God's
grace. The convictions of the former harden, those of the latter melt
and lead to submission. (The above two paragraphs are condensed from
the Puritan, Charnock).
The Means of the Spirit's Convicting: Use of the Law
The great instrument which the Holy Spirit uses in this special work
of conviction is the law, for that is the one rule which God has given
whereby we are to judge of the moral good or evil of actions, and
conviction is nothing more or less than the formal impression of sin
by the law upon the conscience. Clear proof of this is found in the
passages that follow. "By the law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom.
3:20): it is the design of all laws to impress the understanding with
what is to be done, and consequently with man's deviation from them,
and so absolutely necessary is the law for this discernment, the
Apostle Paul declared, "I had not known sin but by the law" (Rom.
7:7)--its real nature, as opposition to God; its inveterate enmity
against Him; its unsuspected lustings within. "The law entered that
sin might abound" (Rom. 5:20): by deepening and widening the
conviction of sin upon the conscience.
Now it is that God holds court in the human conscience and a reckoning
is required of the sinner. God will no longer be trifled with, and sin
can no longer be scoffed at. Thus a solemn trial begins: the law
condemns, and the conscience is obliged to acknowledge its guilt. God
appears as holy and just and good, but as awfully insulted, and with a
dark frown upon His brow. The sinner is made to feel how dreadfully he
has sinned against both the justice and goodness of God, and that his
evil ways will no longer be tolerated. If the sinner was never solemn
before, he is solemn now: fear and dismay fills his soul, death and
destruction seem his inevitable and certain doom. When the Lord
Almighty Himself appears in the court of conscience to vindicate His
honor, the poor criminal trembles, sighs for mercy, but fears that
pardoning mercy cannot justly be granted such a wretch.
Now it is that the Holy Spirit brings to light the hidden things of
darkness. The whole past life is made to pass in review before the
convicted soul. Now it is that he is made to experimentally realize
that "the Word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any
two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and
spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart" (Heb. 4:12). Secret things are
uncovered, forgotten deeds are recalled; sins of the eyes and sins of
the lips, sins against God and sins against man, sins of commission
and sins of omission, sins of ignorance and sins against light, are
brought before the startled gaze of the enlightened understanding. Sin
is now seen in all its excuselessness, filthiness, heinousness, and
the soul is overwhelmed with horror and terror.
Whatever step the sinner now takes, all things appear to be against
him; his guilt abounds, and his soul tremblingly sinks under it; until
he feels obliged, in the presence of a heart-searching God, to sign
his own death-warrant, or in other words, freely acknowledge that his
condemnation is just. This is one of "the solemnities of Zion" (Isa.
32:20). As to whether this conviction is experienced at the beginning
of the Christian life (which is often though not always the case), or
at a later stage; as to how long the sinner remains under the spirit
of bondage (Rom. 8:15); as to what extent he feels his wretchedness
and ruin, or how deeply he sinks into the mire of despair, varies in
different cases. God is absolute sovereign, and here, too, He acts as
He sees good. But to this point every quickened soul is brought: to
see the spirituality of God's Law, to hear its condemning sentence, to
feel his case is hopeless so far as all self-help is concerned.
Here is the fulfillment of Deuteronomy 30:6, "The Lord thy God will
circumcise thine heart." The blessed Spirit uses the sharp knife of
the Law, pierces the conscience, and convicts of the exceeding
sinfulness of sin. By this Divine operation the hardness of the heart
is removed, and the iniquity of it laid open, the plague and
corruption of it discovered, and all is made naked to the soul's view.
The sinner is now exceedingly pained over his rebellions against God,
is broken down before Him, and is filled with shame, and loathes and
abhors himself. "Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with
child: wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a
woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for
that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of
Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it" (Jer. 30:6, 7)--such
is, sooner or later, the experience of all God's quickened people.
Of ourselves we could never be truly convicted of our wretched state,
for "the heart is deceitful above all things," and God alone can
search it (Jer. 17:9). O the amazing grace of the Holy Spirit that He
should rake into such foul and filthy hearts, amid the dunghill of
putrid lusts, of enmity against God, of wickedness unspeakable! What a
loathsome work it must be for the Holy Spirit to perform! If God the
Son humbled Himself to enter the virgin's womb and be born in
Bethlehem's manger, does not God the Spirit humble Himself to enter
our depraved hearts and stir up their vile contents in order that we
may be made conscious thereof?! And if praise is due unto the One for
the immeasurable humiliation which He endured on our behalf, is not
distinctive praise equally due unto the Other for His amazing
condescension in undertaking to convict us of sin?! Thanksgiving,
honor and glory for ever be ascribed unto Him who operates as "the
Spirit of judgment" and "the Spirit of burning" (Isa. 4:4).
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A. W. Pink Header
The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 14
The Spirit Comforting
_________________________________________________________________
Several Sequential Steps
The saving work of the Spirit in the heart of God's elect is a gradual
and progressive one, conducting the soul step by step in the due
method and order of the Gospel to Christ. Where there is no
self-condemnation and humiliation there can be no saving faith in the
Lord Jesus: "Ye repented not afterward, that ye might believe Him"
(Matthew 21:32) was His own express affirmation. It is the burdensome
sense of sin which prepares the soul for the Savior: "Come unto Me all
ye that labors and are heavy laden" (Matthew 11:28). Without
conviction there can be no contrition and compunction: he that sees
not his wickedness and guilt never mourns for it; he that feels not
his filthiness and wretchedness never bewails it.
Never was there one tear of true repentance seen to drop from the eye
of an unconvicted sinner. Equally true is it that without illumination
there can be no conviction, for what is conviction but the application
to the heart and conscience of the light which the Spirit has
communicated to the mind and understanding: Acts 2:37. So, likewise,
there can be no effectual illumination until there has been a Divine
quickening, for a dead soul can neither see nor feel in a spiritual
manner. In this order, then, the Spirit draws souls to Christ: He
brings them from death unto life, shines into their minds, applies the
light to their consciences by effectual conviction, wounds and breaks
their hearts for sin in compunction, and then moves the will to
embrace Christ in the way of faith for salvation.
These several steps are more distinctly discerned in some Christians
than in others. They are more clearly to be traced in the adult
convert, than in those who are brought to Christ in their youth. So,
too, they are more easily perceived in such as are drawn to Him out of
a state of profaneness than those who had the advantages of a pious
education. Yet in them, too, after conversion, the exercises of their
hearts--following a period of declension and backsliding--correspond
thereto. But in this order the work of the Spirit is carried on,
ordinarily, in all--however it may differ in point of clearness in the
one and in the other. God is a God of order both in nature and in
grace, though He be tied down to no hard and fast rules.
Weaned from the World
By His mighty work of illumination and conviction, with the
humiliation which is wrought in the soul, the Spirit effectually weans
the heart forever from the comfort, pleasure, satisfaction or joy that
is to be found in sin, or in any creature, so that his soul can never
be quiet and contented, happy or satisfied, till it finds the comfort
of God in Christ. Once the soul is made to feel that sin is the
greatest of all evils, it sours for him the things of the world, he
has lost his deep relish for them forever, and nothing is now so
desirable unto him as the favor of God. All creature comforts have
been everlastingly marred and spoiled, and unless he finds comfort in
the Lord there is none for him anywhere.
"Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the
wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her" (Hosea 2:14). When God
would win His church's heart to Him, what does He do? He brings her
into "the wilderness," that is, into a place which is barren or devoid
of all comforts and delights; and then and there He "speaks comfort to
her." Thus, too, He deals with the individual. A man who has been
effectually convicted by the Spirit is like a man condemned to die:
what pleasure would be derived from the beautiful flowers as a
murderer was led through a lovely garden to the place of execution!
Nor can any Spirit-convicted sinner find contentment in anything till
he is assured of the favor of Him whom he has so grievously offended.
And none but God can "speak comfortably" to one so stricken.
The Nature of the Spirit's Comforting in Suffering
Though God acts as a sovereign, and does not always shine in the same
conspicuous way into the hearts of all His children, nevertheless, He
brings them all to see light in His light: to know and feel that there
can be no salvation for them but in the Lord alone. By the Spirit's
powerful illuminating and convicting operations the sinner is made to
realize the awful disparity there is between God and himself, so that
he feebly cries, "How can a poor wretch like me ever stand before such
a holy God, whose righteous Law I have broken in so many ways, and
whose ineffable majesty I have so often insulted?" By that light the
convicted soul, eventually, is made to feel its utter inability to
help itself, or take one step toward the obtainment of holiness and
happiness. By that light the quickened soul both sees and feels there
can be no access to God, no acceptance with Him, save through the
Person and blood of Christ; but how to get at Christ the stricken soul
knows not.
"And I will give her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor
for a door of hope" (Hosea 2:15): such is the comforting promise of
God to the one whom He proposes to "allure" or win unto Himself.
First, He hedges up the sinner's way with "thorns" (Hosea 2:6),
piercing his conscience with the sharp arrows of conviction. Second,
He effectually battles all his attempts to drown his sorrows and find
satisfaction again in his former lovers (v. 7). Third, He discovers
his spiritual nakedness, and makes all his mirth to cease (vv. 10,
11). Fourth, He brings him into "the wilderness" (v. 14), making him
feel his case is desperate indeed. And then, when all hope is gone,
when the poor sinner feels there is no salvation for him, "a door of
hope" is opened for him even in "the valley of Achor" or "trouble,"
and what is that "door of hope" but the mercy of God!
It is by putting into his mind thoughts of God's mercy that the Spirit
supports the fainting heart of the convicted sinner from sinking
beneath abject despair. Now it is that the blessed Spirit helps his
infirmities with "groanings that cannot be uttered," and in the midst
of a thousand fears he is moved to cry, "God be merciful to me a
sinner." But "we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom
of God" (Acts 14:22)--true alike of the initial entrance into the
kingdom of grace and the ultimate entrance into the kingdom of glory.
The Lord heard the "groaning" of the poor Hebrews in Egypt, and "had
respect unto them" (Ex. 2:23-25), nevertheless, He saw it was good for
them to pass through yet sorer trials before He delivered them. The
deliverer was presented to them and hope was kindled in their hearts
(Ex. 4:29-31), yet the time appointed for their exodus from the house
of bondage had not yet arrived.
And why was the deliverance of the Hebrews delayed after Moses had
been made manifest before them? Why were they caused to experience yet
more sorely the enmity of Pharaoh? Ah, the Lord would make them to
feel their impotence as well as their wretchedness, and would exhibit
more fully His power over the enemy. So it is very often (if not
always) in the experience of the quickened soul. Satan is now
permitted to rage against him with increased violence and fury (Zech.
3:1). The Devil accuses him of his innumerable iniquities, intensifies
his remorse, seeks to persuade him that he has committed the
unpardonable sin, assures him he has transgressed beyond all
possibility of Divine mercy, and tells him his case is hopeless. And,
my reader, were the poor sinner left to himself, the Devil would
surely succeed in making him do as Judas did!
But, blessed be His name, the Holy Spirit does not desert the
convicted soul, even in its darkest hour: He secretly upholds it and
grants at least temporary respites, as the Lord did the Hebrews in
Egypt. The poor Satan-harassed soul is enabled "against hope to
believe in hope" (Rom. 4:18) and to cry, "Let the sighing of the
prisoner come before Thee: according to the greatness of Thy power,
preserve Thou those that are appointed to destruction" (Ps. 79:11).
Yet before deliverance is actually experienced, before that peace
which passeth all understanding is communicated to his heart, before
the redemption "which is in Christ Jesus" becomes his conscious
portion, the soul is made to feel its complete impotence to advance
one step toward the same, that it is entirely dependent upon the
Spirit for that faith which will enable him to "lay hold of Christ."
No Place for a "Decision" to Be Saved
One would naturally suppose that the good news of a free Savior and a
full salvation would readily be embraced by a convicted sinner. One
would think that, as soon as he heard the glad tidings, he could not
forbear exclaiming, in a transport of joy, "This is the Savior I want!
His salvation is every way suited to my wretchedness. What can I
desire more? Here will I rest." But as a matter of fact this is not
always the case, yea, it is rarely so. Instead, the stricken sinner,
like the Hebrews in Egypt after Moses had been made manifest before
them, is left to groan under the lash of his merciless taskmasters.
Yet this arises from no defect in God's gracious provision, nor
because of any inadequacy in the salvation which the Gospel presents,
nor because of any distress in the sinner which the Gospel is
incapable of relieving; but because the workings of self-righteousness
hinder the sinner from seeing the fullness and glory of Divine grace.
Strange as it may sound to those who have but a superficial and
non-experimental acquaintance with God's Truth, awakened souls are
exceedingly backward from receiving comfort in the glorious Gospel of
Christ. They think they are utterly unworthy and unfit to come to
Christ just as they are, in all their vileness and filthiness. They
imagine some meetness must be wrought in them before they are
qualified to believe the Gospel, that there must be certain holy
dispositions in their hearts before they are entitled to conclude that
Christ will receive them. They fear that they are not sufficiently
humbled under a sense of sin, that they have not a suitable abhorrence
of it, that their repentance is not deep enough; that they must have
fervent breathings after Christ and pantings after holiness before
they can be warranted to seek salvation with a well-grounded hope of
success. All of which is the same thing as hugging the miseries of
unbelief in order to obtain permission to believe.
Burdened with guilt and filled with terrifying apprehensions of
eternal destruction, the convicted sinner yet experimentally ignorant
of the perfect righteousness which the Gospel reveals for the
justification of the ungodly, strives to obtain acceptance with God by
his own labors, tears, and prayers. But as he becomes better
acquainted with the high demands of the Law, the holiness of God, and
the corruptions of his own heart, he reaches the point where he
utterly despairs of being justified by his own strivings. "What must I
do to be saved?" is now his agonized cry. Diligently searching God's
Word for light and help, he discovers that "faith" is the
all-important thing needed, but exactly what faith is, and how it is
to be obtained, he is completely at a loss to ascertain. Well-meaning
people, with more zeal than knowledge, urge him to "believe," which is
the one thing above all others he desires to do, but finds himself
utterly unable to perform.
If saving faith were nothing more than a mere mental assent to the
contents of John 3:16, then any man could make himself a true believer
whenever he pleased--the supernatural enablement of the Holy Spirit
would be quite unnecessary. But saving faith is very much more than a
mental assenting to the contents of any verse of Scripture; and when a
soul has been Divinely quickened and awakened to its awful state by
nature, it is made to realize that no creature-act of faith, no
resting on the bare letter of a text by a "decision" of his own will,
can bring pardon and peace. He is now made to realize that "faith" is
a Divine gift (Eph. 2:8, 9), and not a creature work; that it is
wrought by "the operation of God" (Col. 2:12), and not by the sinner
himself. He is now made conscious of the fact that if ever he is to be
saved, the same God who invites him to believe (Isa. 45:22), yea, who
commands him to believe (1 John 3:23), must also impart faith to him
(Eph. 6:23).
Cannot you see, dear reader, that if a saving belief in Christ were
the easy matter which the vast majority of preachers and evangelists
of today say it is, that the work of the Spirit would be quite
unnecessary? Ah, is there any wonder that the mighty power of the
Spirit of God is now so rarely witnessed in Christendom?--He has been
grieved, insulted, quenched, not only by the skepticism and
worldliness of "Modernists," but equally so by the creature-exalting
free-willism and self-ability of man to "receive Christ as his
personal Savior" of the "Fundamentalists"!! Oh, how very few today
really believe those clear and emphatic words of Christ, "No man can
come to me, except the Father which hath sent me (by His Spirit) draw
him" (John 6:44).
Ah, my reader, when GOD truly takes a soul in hand, He brings him to
the end of himself He not only convicts him of the worthlessness of
his own works, but He convinces him of the impotence of his will. He
not Only strips him of the filthy rags of his own self-righteousness,
but He empties him of all self-sufficiency. He not only enables him to
perceive that there is "no good thing" in him (Rom. 7:18), but he also
makes him feel he is "without strength" (Rom. 5:6). Instead of
concluding that he is the man whom God will save, he now fears that he
is the man who must be lost forever. He is now brought down into the
very dust and made to feel that he is no more able to savingly believe
in Christ than he can climb up to Heaven.
We are well aware that what has been said above differs radically from
the current preaching of this decadent age; but we will appeal to the
experience of the Christian reader. Suppose you had just suffered a
heavy financial reverse and were at your wits' end to know how to make
ends meet: bills are owing, your bank has closed, you look in vain for
employment, and are filled with fears over future prospects. A
preacher calls and rebukes your unbelief, bidding you lay hold of the
promises of God. That is the very thing which you desire to do, but
can you by an act of your own will? Or, a loved one is suddenly
snatched from you: your heart is crushed, grief overwhelms you. A
friend kindly bids you to, "sorrow not even as others who have no
hope." Are you able by a "personal decision" to throw off your anguish
and rejoice in the Lord? Ah, my reader, if a mature Christian can only
"cast all his care" upon the Lord by the Holy Spirit `s gracious
enablement, do you suppose that a poor sinner who is yet "in the gall
of bitterness and the bond of iniquity" can lay hold of Christ by a
mere act of his own will?
Just as to trust in the Lord with all his heart, to be anxious for
nothing, to let the morrow take care of its own concerns, is the
desire of every Christian, but "how to perform that which is good" he
"finds not" (Rom. 7:18), until the Holy Spirit is pleased to
graciously grant the needed enablement. The one supreme yearning of
the awakened and convicted sinner is to lay hold of Christ, but until
the Spirit draws him to Christ, he finds he has no power to go out of
himself, no ability to embrace what is proffered him in the Gospel.
The fact is, my reader, that the heart of a sinner is as naturally
indisposed for loving and appropriating the things of God, as the wood
which Elijah laid on the altar was to ignite, when he had poured so
much water upon it, as not only to saturate the wood, but also to fill
the trench round about it (1 Kings 18:33)-a miracle is required for
the one as much as it was for the other.
The fact is that if souls were left to themselves--to their own "free
will"--after they had been truly convicted of sin, none would ever
savingly come to Christ! A further and distinct operation of the
Spirit is still needed to actually "draw" the heart to close with
Christ Himself. Were the sinner left to himself, he would sink in
abject despair; he would fall victim to the malice of Satan. The Devil
is far more powerful than we are, and never is his rage more stirred
than when he fears he is about to lose one of his captives: see Mark
9:20. But blessed be His name, the Spirit does not desert the soul
when His work is only half done: He who is "the Spirit of life" (Rom.
8:2) to quicken the dead, He who is "the Spirit of truth" (John 16:13)
to instruct the ignorant, is also "the Spirit of faith" (2 Cor. 4:13)
to enable us to savingly believe.
How the Spirit Comforts
And how does the Spirit work faith in the convicted sinner's heart? By
effectually testifying to him of the sufficiency of Christ for his
every need; by assuring him of the Savior's readiness to receive the
vilest who come to Him. He effectually teaches him that no good
qualifications need to be sought, no righteous acts performed, no
penance endured in order to fit us for Christ. He reveals to the soul
that conviction of sin, deep repenting, a sense of our utter
helplessness, are not grounds of acceptance with Christ, but simply a
consciousness of our spiritual wretchedness, rendering relief in a way
of grace truly welcome. Repentance is needful not as inducing Christ
to give, but as disposing us to receive. The Spirit moves us to come
to Christ in the very character in which alone He receives sinners--as
vile, ruined, lost. Thus, from start to finish "Salvation is of the
Lord" (Jonah 2:9)--of the Father in ordaining it, of the Son in
purchasing it, of the Spirit in applying it.
_________________________________________________________________
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A. W. Pink Header
The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 15
The Spirit Drawing
_________________________________________________________________
There seems to be a pressing need for a clear and full exposition of
the Spirit's work of grace in the souls of God's people. It is a
subject which occupies a place of considerable prominence in the
Scriptures--far more so than many are aware--and yet, sad to say, it
is grievously neglected by most preachers and writers of today; and,
in consequence, the saints are to a large extent ignorant upon it.
Reasons for Ignorance of the Spirit's Drawing
The supernatural and special work of the Holy Spirit in the soul is
that which distinguishes the regenerate from the unregenerate.
1. The religion of the vast majority of people today consists merely
in an outward show, having a name to live among men, but being
spiritually dead toward God. Their religion comprises little more than
bare speculative notions, merely knowing the Word in its letter; in an
undue attachment to some man or party; in a blazing zeal which is not
according to knowledge; or in censoriously contending for a certain
order of things, despising all who do not rightly pronounce their
particular shibboleths. The fear of God is not upon them, the love of
God does not fill and rule their hearts, the power of God is not
working in their souls--they are strangers to it. They have never been
the favored subjects of the Spirit's quickening operation.
"No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him;
and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:44). This emphatic
and man-humbling fact is almost universally ignored in Christendom
today, and when it is pressed upon the notice of the average preacher
or "church member," it is hotly denied and scornfully rejected. The
cry is at once raised, "If that were true, then man is nothing more
than a machine, and all preaching is useless. If people are unable to
come to Christ by an act of their own will, then evangelistic effort
is needless, worthless." No effort is made to understand the meaning
of those words of our Lord: they clash with modern thought, they rile
the proud flesh, so they are summarily condemned and dismissed. No
wonder the Holy Spirit is now "quenched" in so many places, and that
His saving power is so rarely in evidence.
2. With others the supernatural agency of the Spirit is effectually
shut out by the belief that Truth will prevail: that if the Word of
God be faithfully preached, souls will be truly saved. Far be it from
us to undervalue the Truth, or cast the slightest reflection on the
living Word of God; yet modern ideas and present conditions demand
that we plainly point out that it is not the Truth, the Scriptures,
the Gospel, which renews the soul; but instead, the power and
operations of the Holy Spirit. "You may teach a man the holiest of
truths, and yet leave him a wretched man. Many who learn in childhood
that `God is love,' live disregarding, and die blaspheming God.
Thousands who are carefully taught, `Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and thou shalt be saved,' neglect so great salvation all their days.
Some of the most wicked and miserable beings that walk the earth are
men into whose consciences, when yet youthful and unsophisticated, the
truth was carefully instilled.
"Unmindful of this, and not considering the danger of diverting faith
from the power to the instrument, however beautiful and perfect the
instrument may be, many good men, by a culpable inadvertence,
constantly speak as if the Truth had an inherent ascendance over man,
and would certainly prevail when justly presented. We have heard this
done till we have been ready to ask, `Do they take men for angels,
that mere Truth is to captivate them so certainly?' yes, and even to
ask `Have they ever heard whether there be any Holy Spirit?'
"The belief that Truth is mighty, and by reason of its might must
prevail, is equally fallacious in the abstract, as it is opposed to
the facts of human history, and to the Word of God. We should take the
maxim, the Truth must prevail, as perfectly sound, did you only give
us a community of angels on whom to try the Truth. With every
intellect clear and every heart upright, doubtless Truth would soon be
discerned, and, when discerned, cordially embraced. But, Truth, in
descending among us, does not come among friends. The human heart
offers ground whereon it meets Truth at an immeasurable disadvantage.
Passions, habits, interests, yes, nature itself, lean to the side of
error; and though the judgment may assent to the Truth, which,
however, is not always the case, still error may gain a conquest only
the more notable because of this impediment. Truth is mighty in pure
natures, error in depraved ones.
"Do they who know human nature best, when they have a political object
to carry, trust most of all to the power of Truth over a constituency,
or would they not have far more confidence in corruption and revelry?
The whole history of man is a melancholy reproof to those who mouth
about the mightiness of Truth. `But,' they say, `Truth will prevail in
the long run.' Yes, blessed be God, it will; but not because of its
own power over human nature, but because the Spirit will be poured out
from on high, opening blind eyes and unstopping deaf ears.
"The sacred writings, while ever leaving us to regard the Truth as the
one instrument of the sinner's conversion and the believer's
sanctification, are very far from proclaiming its power over human
nature, merely because it is Truth. On the contrary, they often show
us that this very fact will enlist the passions of mankind against it,
and awaken enmity instead of approbation. We are ever pointed beyond
the Truth to HIM who is the Source and Giver of Truth; and, though we
had Apostles to minister the Gospel, are ever lead not to deem it
enough that it should be `in word only, but in demonstration of the
Spirit and in power'"(William Arthur, 1859).
It Is the Spirit Who Draws
John the Baptist came preaching "the baptism of repentance for the
remission of sins" (Mark 1:4), but by what, or rather Whose power was
it, that repentance was wrought in the hearts of his hearers? It was
that of the Holy Spirit! Of old it was said, "He shall go before Him
in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17). Now the "spirit and
power of Elijah" was that of the Holy Spirit, as is clear from Luke
1:15, "he (the Baptist) shall be filled with the Holy Spirit."
Similarly, it should be duly observed that when Christ commissioned
His Apostles to preach in His name among all nations (Luke 24:47),
that He added, "Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but
tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from
on high" (v. 49). Why was the latter annexed to the former, and
prefaced with a "Behold" but to teach them (and us) that there could
be no saving repentance produced by their preaching, except by the
mighty operations of the Third Person of the Godhead?
None will ever be drawn to Christ, savingly, by mere preaching; no,
not by the most faithful and Scriptural preaching: there must first be
the supernatural operations of the Spirit to open the sinner's heart
to receive the message? And how can we expect the Spirit to work among
us while He is so slighted, while our confidence is not in Him, but in
our preaching? How can we expect Him to work miracles in our midst,
while there is no humble, earnest, and trustful praying for His
gracious activities? Most of us are in such a feverish rush to "win
souls," to do "personal work," to preach, that we have no time for
definite, reverent, importunate crying unto the Lord for His Spirit to
go before us and prepare the soil for the Seed. Hence it is that the
converts we make are but "man made," and their subsequent lives make
it only too apparent unto those who have eyes to see that the Holy
Spirit does not indwell them nor produce His fruits through them. O
brethren, join the writer in contritely owning to God your sinful
failure to give the Spirit His proper place.
The renewed heart is moved and melted when it contemplates the holy
Savior having our iniquities imputed to Him and bearing "our sins in
His own body on the tree." But how rarely is it considered that it is
little less wonderful for the Holy Spirit to exercise Himself with our
sins and hold them up to the eyes of our understanding. Yet this is
precisely what He does: He rakes in our foul hearts and makes us
conscious of what a stench they are in the nostrils of an infinitely
pure God. He brings to light and to sight the hidden and hideous
things of darkness and convicts us of our vile and lost condition. He
opens to our view the "horrible pit" in which by nature we lie, and
makes us to realize that we deserve nothing but the everlasting
burnings. O how truly marvelous that the Third Person of the Godhead
should condescend to stoop to such a work as that!
"No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him"
(John 6:44). No sinner ever knocks (Matthew 7:7) at His door for
mercy, by earnest and importunate prayer, until Christ has first
knocked (Rev. 3:20) at his door by the operations of the Holy Spirit!
The Natural Man Rejects God
As the Christian now loves God "because he first loved" him (1 John
4:19), so he sought Christ, because Christ first sought him (Luke
19:10). Before Christ seeks us, we are well content to lie fast asleep
in the Devil's arms, and therefore does the Lord say, "I am found of
them that sought Me not" (Isa. 65:1). When the Spirit first applies
the Word of Conviction, He finds the souls of all men as the angel
found the world in Zechariah 1:11; "all the earth sitteth still, and
is at rest." What a strange silence and midnight stillness there is
among the unsaved! "There is none that seeketh after God" (Rom. 3:11).
It is because of failure to perceive the dreadful condition in which
the natural man lies, that difficulty is experienced in seeing the
imperative need for the Spirit's drawing power if he is to be brought
out of it. The natural man is so completely enslaved by sin and
enchained by Satan that he is unable to take the first step toward
Christ. He is so bent on having his own way and so averse to pleasing
God, he is so in love with the things of this world and so out of love
with holiness that nothing short of Omnipotence can produce a radical
change of heart in him, so that he will come to hate the things he
naturally loved, and love what he previously hated. The Spirit's
"drawing" is the freeing of the mind, the affections, and the will
from the reigning power of depravity; it is His emancipating of the
soul from the dominion of sin and Satan.
Prior to that deliverance, when the requirements of God are pressed
upon the sinner, he in every case, rejects them. It is not that he is
averse from being saved from Hell--for none desire to go there--but
that he is unwilling to `forsake" (Prov. 28:13; Isa. 55:7) his
idols--the things which hold the first place in his affections and
interests. This is clearly brought out in our Lord's parable of "The
Great Supper." When the call went forth, "Come for all things are now
ready," we are told, "they all with one consent began to make excuse"
(Luke 14:18). The meaning of that term "excuse" is explained in what
immediately follows: they preferred other things; they were unwilling
to deny themselves; they would not relinquish the competitive
objects--the things of time and sense ("a piece of ground," "oxen," "a
wife") were their all-absorbing concerns.
Had nothing more been done by "the Servant"--in this parable the Holy
Spirit--all had continued to "make excuse" unto the end: that is, all
had gone on cherishing their idols, and turning a deaf ear to the holy
claims of God. But the Servant was commissioned to "bring in hither"
(v. 21), yea, to "compel them to come in" (v. 23). It is a holy
compulsion and not physical force which is there in view--the melting
of the hard heart, the wooing and winning of the soul to Christ, the
bestowing of faith, the imparting of a new nature, so that the
hitherto despised One is now desired and sought after: "I drew them
with cords of a man (using means and motives suited to a rational
nature) with bands of love" (Hosea 11:4). And again, God says of His
people "with loving-kindness have I drawn thee" (Jer. 31:10).
The Spirit's Drawing the Elect
Even after the elect have been quickened by the Spirit, a further and
distinct work of His is needed to draw their hearts to actually close
with Christ. The work of faith is equally His operation, and therefore
is it said, "we having received (not "exercised"!) the same Spirit of
faith" (2 Cor. 4:13) i.e., "the same" as Abraham, David, and the other
Old Testament saints received, as the remainder of the verse
indicates. Hence, observe the careful linking together in Acts 6:5,
where of Stephen we read that, he was "a man full of faith and of the
Holy Spirit"; full of "faith," because filled with the Spirit. So of
Barnabas we are told, "he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit
and of faith" (Acts 11:24). Seek to realize more definitely, Christian
reader, that spiritual faith is the gift of the Spirit, and that He is
to be thanked and praised for it. Equally true is it that we are now
entirely dependent upon Him to call it into exercise and act.
The Divine Drawer is unto God's people "the Spirit of grace and of
supplications" (Zech. 12:10). Of grace, in making to their smitten
consciences and exercised hearts a wondrous discovery of the rich
grace of God unto penitent rebels. Of supplications, in moving them to
act as a man fleeing for his life, to seek after Divine mercy. Then it
is He leads the trembling soul to Calvary, "before whose eyes Jesus
Christ" is now "evidently (plainly) set forth crucified" (Gal. 3:1),
beholding the Savior (by faith) bleeding for and making atonement for
his sins--more vividly and heart affectingly than all the angels in
Heaven could impart. And hence it follows in Zechariah 12:10, "they
shall look upon Me whom they have pierced." Then it is that their eyes
are opened to see that which was hitherto hidden from them, namely the
"Fountain opened. . .for sin and for uncleanness" (Zech. 13:1), into
which they are now moved to plunge for cleansing.
Yes, that precious "Fountain" has to be opened to us, or,
experimentally, we discern it not. Like poor Hagar, ready to perish
from thirst, knowing not that relief was near to hand, we--convicted
of our fearful sins, groaning under the anguish of our lost
condition--were ready to despair. But as God opened Hagar's eyes to
see the "well," or "fountain" (Gen. 21:19), so the Spirit of God now
opens the understanding of the awakened soul to see Christ, His
precious blood, His all-sufficient righteousness. But more-- when the
soul is brought to see the Fountain or Well, he discovers it is "deep"
and that he has "nothing to draw with" (John 4:11). And though he
looks in it with a longing eye, he cannot reach unto it, so as to wash
in it. He finds himself like the "impotent man" of John 5, desirous of
"stepping in," but utterly without strength to do so. Then it is the
Holy Spirit applies the atonement, "sprinkling the conscience" (Heb.
10:23), effectually granting a realization of its cleansing efficacy
(see Acts 15:8, 9; 1 Cor. 6:11--it is Christ's blood, but the Spirit
must apply it.)
And when the awakened and convicted soul has been brought to Christ
for cleansing and righteousness, who is it that brings him to the
Father, to be justified by Him? Who is it that bestows freedom of
access unto Him from whom the sinner had long been absent in the "far
country"? Ephesians 2:18 tell us, "for through Him (Christ, the
Mediator) we both (regenerated Jews and Gentiles, Old Testament and
New Testament saints alike) have access by one Spirit unto the
Father." Ah, dear reader, it was nothing but the secret and invincible
operations of the blessed Spirit which caused you--a wandering
prodigal--to seek out Him, whom before you dreaded as a "consuming
fire." Yes, it was none other than the Third Person of the Holy
Trinity who drew you with the bands of love, and taught you to call
God, "Father" (Rom. 8:15)!
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The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 16
The Spirit Working Faith
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The principal bond of union between Christ and His people is the Holy
Spirit; but as the union is mutual, something is necessary on our part
to complete it, and this is faith. Hence, Christ is said to dwell in
our hearts "by faith" (Eph. 3:17). Yet, let it be said emphatically,
the faith which unites to Christ and saves the soul is not merely a
natural act of the mind assenting to the Gospel, as it assents to any
other truth upon reliable testimony, but is a supernatural act, an
effect produced by the power of the Spirit of grace, and is such a
persuasion of the truth concerning the Savior as calls forth exercises
suited to its Object. The soul being quickened and made alive
spiritually, begins to act spiritually, "The soul is the life of the
body, faith is the life of the soul, and Christ is the life of faith"
(John Flavel).
What Is "Saving Faith"
It is a great mistake to define Scriptural terms according to the
narrow scope and meaning which they have in common speech. In ordinary
conversation, "faith" signifies credence or the assent of the mind
unto some testimony. But in God's Word, so far from faith--saving
faith, we mean-- being merely a natural act of the mind, it includes
the concurrence of the will and an action of the affections: it is
"with the heart," and not with the head, "that man believeth unto
righteousness" (Rom. 10:10). Saving faith is a cordial approbation of
Christ, an acceptance of Him in His entire character as Prophet,
Priest, and King; it is entering into covenant with Him, receiving Him
as Lord and Savior. When this is understood, it will appear to be a
fit instrument for completing our union with Christ, for the union is
thus formed by mutual consent.
Were people to perceive more clearly the implications and the precise
character of saving faith, they would be the more readily convinced
that it is "the gift of God," an effect or fruit of the Spirit's
operations on the heart. Saving faith is a coming to Christ, and
coming to Christ necessarily presupposes a forsaking of all that
stands opposed to Him. It has been rightly said that, "true faith
includes in it the renunciation of the flesh as well as the reception
of the Savior; true faith admires the precepts of holiness as well as
the glory of the Savior" (J. H. Thornwell, 1850). Not until these
facts are recognized, enlarged upon, and emphasized by present-day
preachers is there any real likelihood of the effectual exposure of
the utter inadequacy of that natural "faith" which is all that
thousands of empty professors possess.
Saving Faith Is the Work of the Spirit
"Now He which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and bath anointed us,
is God" (2 Cor. 1:21). None but God (by His Spirit) can "stablish" the
soul in all its parts--the understanding, the conscience, the
affections, the will. The ground and reason why the Christian believes
the Holy Scriptures to be the Word of God is neither the testimony nor
the authority of the church (as Rome erroneously teaches), but rather
the testimony and power of the Holy Spirit. Men may present arguments
which will so convince the intellect as to cause a consent--but
establish the soul and conscience so as to assure the heart of the
Divine authorship of the Bible, they cannot. A spiritual faith must be
imparted before the Word is made, in a spiritual way, its foundation
and warrant.
1. Faith In the Word: The same blessed Spirit who moved holy men of
old to write the Word of God, works in the regenerate a faith which
nothing can shatter. That Word is the Word of God. The stablishing
argument is by the power of God's Spirit, who causes the quickened
soul to see such a Divine Majesty shining forth in the Scriptures that
the heart is established in this first principle. The renewed soul is
made to feel that there is such a pungency in that Word that it must
be Divine. No born-again soul needs any labored argument to convince
him of the Divine inspiration of the Scriptures: he has proof within
himself of their Heavenly origin. Faith wrought in the heart by the
power of the Spirit is that which satisfies its possessor that the
Scriptures are none other than the Word of the living God.
2. Faith in Christ: Not only does the blessed Spirit work faith in the
written Word--establishing the renewed heart in its Divine veracity
and authority--but He also produces faith in the personal Word, the
Lord Jesus Christ. The imperative necessity for this distinct
operation of His was briefly shown in a previous chapter upon "The
Spirit Comforting," but a further word thereon will not here be out of
place. When the soul has been Divinely awakened and convicted of sin,
it is brought to realize and feel its depravity and vileness, its
awful guilt and criminality, its utter unfitness to approach a holy
God. It is emptied of self-righteousness and self-esteem, and is
brought into the dust of self-abasement and self-condemnation. Dark
indeed is the cloud which now hangs over it; hope is completely
abandoned, and despair fills the heart. The painful consciousness that
Divine goodness has been abused, Divine Law trodden under foot, and
Divine patience trifled with, excludes the expectation of any mercy.
How the Spirit Works Saving Faith
When the soul has sunk into the mire of despair no human power is
sufficient to lift it out and set it upon the Rock. Now that the
renewed sinner perceives that not only are all his past actions
transgressions of God's Law, but that his very heart is desperately
wicked--polluting his very prayers and tears of contrition--he feels
that he must inevitably perish. If he hears the Gospel, he tells
himself that its glad tidings are not for such an abandoned wretch as
he; if he reads the Word he is assured that only its fearful
denunciations and woes are his legitimate portion. If godly friends
remind him that Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost,
he supposes they are ignorant of the extremities of his case--should
they urge him to believe or cast himself on the mercy of God in
Christ, they do but mock him in his misery, for he now discovers that
he can no more do this of himself than he can grasp the sun in his
hands. All self-help, all human aid, is useless.
In those in whom the Spirit works faith, He first blows down the
building of human pretensions, demolishes the walls which were built
with the untempered mortar of man's own righteousness, and destroys
the foundations which were laid in self-flattery and natural
sufficiency, so that they are entirely shut up to Christ and God's
free grace. Once awakened, instead of fondly imagining I am the man
whom God will save, I am now convinced that I am the one who must be
damned. So far from concluding I have any ability to even help save
myself, I now know that I am "without strength" and no more able to
receive Christ as my Lord and Savior than I can climb up to Heaven.
Evident it is, then, that a mighty supernatural power is needed if I
am to come to Him who "justifieth the ungodly." None but the
all-mighty Spirit can lift a stricken soul out of the gulf of despair
and enable him to believe to the saving of his soul.
To God the Holy Spirit be the glory of His sovereign grace in working
faith in the heart of the writer and of each Christian reader. You
have attained peace and joy in believing, but have you thanked that
peace-bringer--"the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 15:13)? All that "joy
unspeakable and full of glory" (1 Peter 1:8) and that peace which
"passeth all understanding" (Phil. 4:7)--to whom is it ascribed? The
Holy Spirit. It is particularly appropriated to Him: "peace and joy in
the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 14:17 and cf. 1 Thess. 1:6). Then render unto
Him the praise which is His due.
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The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 17
The Spirit Uniting to Christ
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Two Kinds of Union
One of the principal ends or designs of the Gospel is the
communication to God's elect of those benefits or blessings which are
in the Redeemer; but the communication of benefits necessarily implies
communion, and all communion as necessarily presupposes union with His
Person. Can I be rich with another man's money, or advanced by another
man's honors? Yes, if that other be my surety (one who pledges himself
as liable for my debt), or my husband. Peter could not be justified by
the righteousness of Paul, but both could be justified by the
righteousness of Christ imputed to them, seeing they are both knit to
one common Head. Principal and surety are one in obligation and
construction of law. Head and members are one body; branch and stock
are one tree, and a slip will live by the sap of an-other stock when
once engrafted into it. We must, then, be united to Christ before we
can receive any benefits from Him.
Now there are two kinds of union between Christ and His people: a
judicial and a vital, or a legal and a spiritual. The first is that
union which was made by God between the Redeemer and the redeemed when
He was appointed their federal Head. It was a union in law, in
consequence of which He represented them and was responsible for them,
the benefits of His transactions redounding to them. It may be
illustrated by the case of suretyship among men: a relation is formed
between the surety and that person for whom he engages, by which the
two are thus far considered as one--the surety being liable for the
debt which the other has contracted, and his payment is held as the
payment of the debtor, who is thereby absolved from all obligation to
the creditor. A similar connection is established between Christ and
those who had been given to Him by the Father.
But something farther was necessary in order to the actual enjoyment
of the benefits procured by Christ's representation. God, on whose
sovereign will the whole economy of grace is founded, had determined
not only that His Son should sustain the character of their Surety,
but that there should be also a vital as well as legal relation
between them, as the foundation of communion with Him in all the
blessings of His purchase. It was His good pleasure that as they were
one in law, they should be also one spiritually, that Christ's merit
and grace might not only be imputed, but also imparted to them, as the
holy oil poured on the head of Aaron descended to the skirt of his
garments. It is this latter, this vital and spiritual union, which the
Christian has with Christ, that we now purpose to treat of.
Internal "Drawing"
The preaching of the Gospel by the ambassadors of the Lord Jesus is
the instrument appointed for the reconciling or bringing home of
sinners to God in Christ. This is clear from Romans 10:14 and 1
Corinthians 1:21, and more particularly from 2 Corinthians 5:20, "Now
then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by
us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." But, as
we have pointed out, the mere preaching of the Word--no matter how
faithfully--will never bring a single rebel to the feet of Christ in
penitence, confidence, and allegiance. No, for that there must be the
special and supernatural workings of the Holy Spirit: only thus are
any actually drawn to Christ to receive Him as Lord and Savior: and
only as this fact is carefully kept prominently before us does the
blessed Spirit have His true place in our hearts and minds.
"Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power" (Ps. 110:3). It
is by moral persuasion--"with cords of a man" (Hosea 11 :4)--that the
Holy Spirit draws men to Christ. Yet by moral persuasion we must not
understand a simple and bare proposal or tender of Christ, leaving it
still to the sinner's choice whether he will comply with it or not.
For though God does not force the will contrary to its nature,
nevertheless He puts forth a real efficacy when He "draws," which
consists of an immediate operation of the Spirit upon the heart and
will whereby its native rebellion and reluctance is removed, and from
a state of unwillingness the sinner is made willing to come to Christ.
This is clear from Ephesians 1:19, 20 which we quote below.
"And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who
believe, according to the working of His mighty power, which He
wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at
His own right hand in the heavenly places." Here is much more than a
mere proposal made to the will: there is the putting forth of Divine
power, great power, yea the exceeding greatness of God's power; and
this power has a sure and certain efficacy ascribed to it: God works
upon the hearts and wills of His people "according to the working of
His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from
the dead"--both are miracles of Divine might. Thus God fulfills "all
the good pleasure of His goodness, and the work of faith with power"
(2 Thess. 1:11). Unless the "arm of the LORD" is revealed (Isa. 53:1)
none believe His "report."
Spiritual Union
Spiritual union with Christ, then, is effected both by the external
preaching of the Gospel and the internal "drawing" of the Father. Let
us now take note of the bands by which Christ and the believer are
knit together. These bands are two in number, being the Holy Spirit on
Christ's part, and faith on our part. The Spirit on Christ's part is
His quickening us with spiritual life, whereby Christ first takes hold
of us. Faith on our part, when thus quickened, is that whereby we take
hold of Christ. We must first be "apprehended" (laid hold of) by
Christ, before we can apprehend Him:
Philippians 3:12. No vital act of faith can be exercised until a vital
principle is first communicated to us. Thus, Christ is in the believer
by His Spirit; the believer is in Christ by faith. Christ is in the
believer by inhabitation; the believer is in Christ by implantation
(Rom. 6:3-5). Christ is in the believer as the head is in the body; we
are in Christ as the members are in the head.
"He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit" with Him (1 Cor.
6:17). The same Spirit which is in the Head is in the members of His
mystical body, a vital union being effected between them. Christ is in
Heaven, we upon earth, but the Spirit being omnipresent is the
connecting link. "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body,
whether we be Jews or Gentiles" (1 Cor. 12:13)--what could be plainer
than that? "Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because
He hath given us of His Spirit" (1 John 4:13). Thus, Christ is unto
His people a Head not only of government, but also of influence.
Though the ties which connect the Redeemer and the redeemed are
spiritual and invisible, yet are they so real and intimate that He
lives in them and they live in Him, for "the Spirit of life in Christ
Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death" (Rom. 8:2).
"But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in
you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your
mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you" (Rom. 8:11), and
this, because the Spirit is the bond of union between us and Christ.
Because there is the same Spirit in the Head and in His members, He
will therefore work the same effects in Him and in us. If the Head
rise, the members will follow after, for they are appointed to be
conformed unto Him (Rom. 8:29)--in obedience and suffering now, in
happiness and glory hereafter. Christ was raised by the Spirit of
holiness (Rom. 1:4), and so shall we be--the earnest of which we have
already received when brought from death unto life.
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The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 18
The Spirit Indwelling
_________________________________________________________________
The Spirit and Christ
"But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the
Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of
Christ, he is none of His" (Rom. 8:9). The possession of the Holy
Spirit is the distinguishing mark of a Christian, for to be without
the Spirit is proof positive that we are out of Christ--"none of His":
fearful words! And, my reader, if we are not Christ's, whose are we?
The answer must be, Satan's, for there is no third possessor of men.
In the past all of us were subjects of the kingdom of darkness, the
slaves of Satan, the heirs of wrath. The great questions which each
one of us needs to accurately answer are, Have I been taken out of
that terrible position? Have I been translated into the kingdom of
God's dear Son, made an heir of God, and become indwelt by His Holy
Spirit?
Observe that the Spirit and Christ go together: if we have Christ for
our Redeemer, then we have the Holy Spirit for our Indweller. But if
have not the Spirit, we are not Christ's. We may be members of His
visible "Church," we may be externally united to Him by association
with His people, but unless we are partakers of that vital union which
arises from the indwelling of the Spirit, we are His only by name.
"The Spirit visits many who are unregenerate, with His motions, which
they resist and quench; but in all that are sanctified He dwells:
there He resides and rules. He is there as a man at his own house,
where he is constant and welcome, and has the dominion. Shall we put
this question to our hearts, Who dwells, who rules, who keeps house
there? Which interest has the ascendant?" (Matthew Henry).
The Spirit belongs to Christ (Heb. 1:9, Rev. 3:1) and proceeds from
Him (John 1:33; 15:26; Luke 24:49). The Spirit is sent by Christ as
Mediator (Acts 2:33). He is given to God's people in consequence of
Christ's having redeemed them from the curse of the Law (Gal. 3:13,
14). We have nothing but what we have in and from the Son. The Spirit
is given to Christ immediately, to us derivatively. He dwells in
Christ by radication, in us by operation. Therefore is the Spirit
called "the Spirit of Christ" (Rom. 8:9) and "the Spirit of His Son"
(Gal. 4:6); and so it is Christ who "liveth in" us (Gal. 2:20). Christ
is the great Fountain of the waters of life, and from Him proceeds
every gift and grace. It is our glorious Head who communicates or
sends from Himself that Spirit who quickens, sanctifies, and preserves
His people.
What high valuation we set upon the blessed Person and work of the
Holy Spirit when we learn that He is the gift, yea the dying legacy
which Christ bequeathed unto His disciples to supply His absence. "How
would some rejoice if they could possess any relic of anything that
belonged unto our Savior in the days of His flesh, though of no use or
benefit unto them. Yea, how great a part of men, called Christians, do
boast in some pretended parcels of the tree whereon He suffered. Love
abused by superstition lies at the bottom of this vanity, for they
would embrace anything left them by their dying Savior. But He left
them no such things, nor did ever bless and sanctify them unto any
holy or sacred ends; and therefore hath the abuse of them been
punished with blindness and idolatry. But this is openly testified
unto in the Gospel: when His heart was overflowing with love unto His
disciples and care for them, when He took a holy prospect of what
would be their condition, work, and temptations in the world, and
thereon made provision of all that they could stand in need of, He
promised to leave and give unto them His Holy Spirit to abide with
them forever" (John Owen).
Plain and express are the declarations of Holy Writ on this wondrous
and glorious subject. "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and
that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (1 Cor. 3:16). "Because ye
are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts,
crying, Abba, Father" (Gal. 4:6). "Observe where the Spirit is said to
dwell: not in the understanding--the fatal error of many--but in the
heart. Most certainly He enlightens the understanding with truth, but
He does not rest there. He makes His way to, and takes up His abode in
the renewed and sanctified heart. There He sheds abroad the love of
God. There He inspires the cry of "Abba, Father." And be that cry
never so faint, it yet is the breathing of the indwelling Spirit, and
meets a response in the heart of God.
"How affecting are Paul's words to Timothy, `That good thing which was
committed unto thee by the Holy Spirit which dwelleth in us.' "
The Basis for the Spirit's Indwelling
The basis upon which the Spirit takes up His abode within the believer
is twofold: first, on the ground of redemption. This is illustrated
most blessedly in the cleansing of the leper--figure of the sinner.
"And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering,
and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that
is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the
great toe of his right foot ... And of the rest of the oil that is in
his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him
that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon
the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass
offering" (Lev. 14:14, 17). Wondrous type was that: the "oil" (emblem
of the Holy Spirit) was placed "upon the blood"--only on the ground of
atonement accomplished could the Holy Spirit take up His abode in
sinners: this at once sets aside human merits.
There must be moral fitness as well. The Spirit of God will not
tabernacle with unbelieving rebels. "After (or "when") that ye
believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise" (Eph.
1:13). It is to those who obey the command, "Be ye not unequally yoked
together" that God promises, "I will dwell in them" (2 Cor. 6:16).
When by repudiating all idols, receiving Christ as Lord, trusting in
the merits of His sacrifice, the heart is prepared--the Spirit of God
enters to take possession for Christ's use. When we give up ourselves
to the Lord, He accepts the dedication by making our bodies the
temples of the Holy Spirit, there to maintain His interests against
all the opposition of the Devil.
In considering the Spirit indwelling believers we need to be on our
guard against entertaining any conception of this grand fact which is
gross and dishonoring to His Person. He does not so indwell as to
impart His essential properties or perfections--such as omniscience or
omnipotence--it would be blasphemy so to speak. But His saving and
sanctifying operations are communicated to us as the sun is said to
enter a room, when its bright beams and genial warmth are seen and
felt therein. Further, we must not think that the graces and benign
influences of the Spirit abide in us in the selfsame manner and
measure they did in Christ: no, for God "giveth not the Spirit by
measure unto Him" (John 3:34)--in Him all fullness dwells.
This lays the basis for the most solemn appeal and powerful
exhortation. Is my body a temple of the Holy Spirit? then how devoted
should it be to God and His service! Am I indwelt by the Spirit of
Christ? then how I ought to lend my ear to His softest whisper, my
will to His gentlest sway, my heart to His sacred influence. In
disregarding His voice, in not yielding to His promptings, He is
grieved, Christ is dishonored, and we are the losers. The greatest
blessing we possess is the indwelling Spirit: let us seek grace to
conduct ourselves accordingly.
What "Indwelling" Denotes
"But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the
Spirit of God dwell in you" (Rom. 8:9). Three things are denoted by
the Spirit's "indwelling." First, intimacy. As the inhabitant of a
house is more familiar there than elsewhere, so is the Spirit in the
hearts of Christ's redeemed. God the Spirit is omnipresent, being
everywhere essentially, being excluded nowhere: "Whither shall I go
from Thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy presence?" (Ps.
139:7). But as God is said more especially to be there where He
manifests His power and presence, as Heaven is "His dwelling place,"
so it is with His Spirit. He is in believers not simply by the effects
of common Providence, but by His gracious operations and familiar
presence. "Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive,
because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He
dwelleth with you, and shall be in you" (John 14:17). The world of
natural men are utter strangers to the Spirit of God, not being
acquainted with His sanctifying operations, but He intimately
discovers His presence to those who are quickened by Him.
Second, constancy: "dwelling" expresses a permanent abode. The Spirit
does not affect the regenerate by a transient action only, or come
"upon" them occasionally as He did the Prophets of old, when He
endowed them for some particular service above the measure of their
ordinary ability--but He abides in them by working such effects as are
lasting. He comes to the believer not as a Visitor, but as an
Inhabitant: He is within us "a well of water springing up into
everlasting life" (John 4:14). He lives in the renewed heart, so that
by His constant and continual influence He maintains the life of grace
in us. By the blessed Spirit Christians are "sealed unto the day of
redemption" (Eph. 4:30).
Third, sovereignty: this is also denoted under the term "dwell." He is
owner of the house, and not an underling. From the fact that the
believer's body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle points
out the necessary implication that he is "not his own" (1 Cor. 6:19).
Previously he was possessed by another owner, even Satan--the evil
spirit says, "I will return into my house" (Matthew 12:44). But the
Spirit has dispossessed him, and the sanctified heart has become His
"house," where He commands and governs after His own will. Take again
the figure of the sanctuary: "Know ye not that ye are the temple of
God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (1 Cor. 3:16). A
"temple" is a sacred dwelling, employed for the honor and glory of
God, where He is to be revered and worshipped, and from which all
idols must be excluded.
What the Indwelling Spirit Is
The indwelling Spirit is the bond by which believers are united to
Christ. If, therefore, we find the Holy Spirit abiding in us, we may
warrant-ably conclude we have been `joined to the Lord." This is
plainly set forth in those words of the Savior's, "And the glory which
Thou gayest Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as We are
one: I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one"
(John 17:22, 23). The "glory" of Christ's humanity was its union with
the Godhead. How was it united? By the Holy Spirit. This very "glory"
Christ has given His people: "I in them," which He is by the
sanctifying Spirit--the bond of our union with Him.
The indwelling Spirit is the sure mark of the believer's freedom from
the Covenant of Works, under which all Christless persons stand. And
our title to the special privileges of the new covenant, in which none
but Christ's are interested is but another way of saying. they are
"not under the law, but under grace" (Rom. 6:14). This is plain from
the Apostle's reasoning in Galatians 4:6, 7, "Because ye are sons, God
hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba,
Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son." The spirit
of the old covenant was a servile one, a spirit of fear and bondage,
and those under the same were not "sons," but servants. The spirit of
the new covenant is a free one, that of children, inheriting the
blessed promises and royal immunities contained in the charter of
grace.
The indwelling Spirit is the certain pledge and earnest of eternal
salvation. The execution of the eternal decree of God's electing
love--"drawn" (Jer. 31:3), and the application of the virtues and
benefits of the death of Christ by the Spirit (Gal. 3:13, 14), is sure
evidence of our personal interest in the Redeemer. This is plain from
1 Peter 1:2: "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,
through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of
the blood of Jesus Christ." God's eternal decree is executed and the
blood of Christ is sprinkled upon us when we receive the Spirit of
sanctification. The Spirit's residing in the Christian is the
guarantee and earnest of the eternal inheritance: "Who hath also
sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts" (2 Cor.
1:22).
The Evidences of the Spirit's Indwelling
What are the evidences and fruits of the Spirit's inhabitation? First,
wherever the Spirit dwells, He does in some degree mortify and subdue
the evils of the soul in which He resides. "The Spirit (lusts) against
the flesh" (Gal. 5:17), and believers "through the Spirit do mortify
the deeds of the body" (Rom. 8:13). This is one special part of His
sanctifying work. Though He kills not sin in believers, He subdues
it--though He does not subdue the flesh as that it never troubles or
defiles them any more, its dominion is taken away. Perfect freedom
from its very presence awaits them in Heaven; but even now, animated
by their holy Indweller, Christians deny themselves and use the means
of grace which God has appointed for deliverance from the reigning
power of sin.
Second, wherever the Spirit dwells, He produces a spirit of prayer and
supplication. "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for
we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself
maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered"
(Rom. 8:26). The two things are inseparable: wherever He is poured out
as the Spirit of grace, He is also poured out as the Spirit of
supplication (Zech. 12:10). He helps Christians before they pray by
stirring up their spiritual affections and stimulating holy desires.
He helps them in prayer by teaching them to ask for those things which
are according to God's will. He it is who humbles the pride of their
hearts, moves their sluggish wills, and out of weakness makes them
strong. He helps them after prayer by quickening hope and patience to
wait for God's answers.
Third, wherever the Spirit dwells He works a heavenly and spiritual
frame of mind. "They that are after the flesh do mind the things of
the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the
Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually
minded is life and peace" (Rom. 8:5-6). The workings of every creature
follow the being and bent of its nature. If God, Christ, Heaven,
engage the thoughts and affections of the soul, the Spirit of God is
there. There are times in each Christian's life when he exclaims, "How
precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of
them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand:
when I awake, I am still with Thee" (Ps. 139:17, 18)--such holy
contemplation is the very life of the regenerate.
But, says the sincere Christian, If the Spirit of God dwelt in me,
could my heart be so listless and averse to spiritual duties? Answer,
The very fact that you are exercised and burdened over this sad state
evidences the presence of spiritual life in your soul. Let it be borne
in mind that there is a vast difference between spiritual death and
spiritual deadness: the former is the condition of the unregenerate,
the latter is the disease and complaint of thousands of the
regenerate. Note it well that nine times over, David, in a single
Psalm, prayed, "Quicken me!" (119). Though it be so often, it is not
so always with you: there are seasons when the Lord breaks in upon
your heart, enlarges you affections, and sets your soul at
liberty--clear proof you are not deserted by the Comforter!
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A. W. Pink Header
The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 19
The Spirit Teaching
_________________________________________________________________
Taught of the Spirit
"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will
send in My name, He shall teach you all things" (John 14:26). Those
words received their first fulfillment in the men to whom they were
immediately addressed-the Apostles were so filled and controlled by
the Holy Spirit that their proclamation of the Gospel was without
flaw, and their writings without error. Those original ambassadors of
Christ were so taught by the Third Person in the Trinity that what
they delivered was the very mind of God. The second fulfillment of the
Savior's promise has been in those men whom He called to preach His
Gospel throughout the Christian era. No new revelations have been made
to them, but they were, and are, according to their varied measure,
and the particular work assigned to them, so enlightened by the Spirit
that the Truth of God has been faithfully preached by them. The third
and widest application of our Lord's words are unto the entire
Household of Faith, and it is in this sense we shall now consider
them.
It is written, "And all Thy children shall be taught of the LORD"
(Isa. 54:13 and cf. John 6:45). This is one of the great
distinguishing marks of the regenerate: all of them are "taught of the
LORD." There are multitudes of unregenerate religionists who are
taught, numbers of them well taught, in the letter of the Scriptures.
They are thoroughly versed in the historical facts and doctrines of
Christianity; but their instruction came only from human
media-parents, Sunday School teachers, or through reading religious
books. Their intellectual knowledge of spiritual things is
considerable, sound, and clear; yet is it unaccompanied by any
heavenly unction, saving power, or transforming effects. In like
manner, there are thousands of preachers who abhor the errors of
"Modernists" and who contend earnestly for the Faith. They were taught
in Bible Institutes, and theological schools, yet it is to be feared
that many of them are total strangers to a miracle of grace being
wrought in the heart. How it each of us to test ourselves rigidly at
this point!
It is a common fact of observation-which anyone may test for
himself-that a very large percentage of those who constitute the
membership of evangelical denominations were first taken there in
childhood by their parents. The great majority in the Presbyterian
churches today had a father or mother who was a Presbyterian and who
instructed the offspring in their beliefs. The same is true of
Baptists, the Methodists, and those who are in fellowship at the
Brethren assemblies. The present generation has been brought up to
believe in the doctrines and religious customs of their ancestors. Now
we are far from saying that because a man who is a Presbyterian today
had parents and grandparents that were Presbyterians and who taught
him the Westminster Catechism, that therefore all the knowledge he
possesses of Divine things is but traditional and theoretical. No
indeed. Yet we do say that such a training in the letter of the Truth
makes it more difficult, and calls for a more careful
self-examination, to ascertain whether or not he has been taught of
the Lord.
Though we do not believe that Grace runs in the blood, yet we are
convinced that, as a general rule, (having many individual
exceptions), God does place His elect in families where at least one
of the parents loves and seeks to serve Him, and where that elect soul
will be nurtured in the fear and admonition of the Lord. At least
three-fourths of those Christians whom the writer has met and had
opportunity to question, had a praying and Scripture-reading father or
mother. Yet, on the other hand, we are obliged to acknowledge that
three-fourths of the empty professors we have encountered also had
religious parents, who sent them to Sunday School and sought to have
them trained in their beliefs: and these now rest upon their
intellectual knowledge of the Truth, and mistake it for a saving
experience of the same. And it is this class which it is the hardest
to reach: it is much more difficult to persuade such to examine
themselves as to whether or not they have been taught of God, than it
is those who make no profession at all.
Let it not be concluded from what has been pointed out that, where the
Holy Spirit teaches a soul, He dispenses with all human
instrumentality. Not so. It is true the Spirit is sovereign and
therefore works where He pleases and when He pleases. It is also a
fact that He is Almighty, tied down to no means, and therefore works
as He pleases and how He pleases. Nevertheless, He frequently
condescends to employ means, and to use very feeble instruments. In
fact, this seems to generally characterize His operations: that He
works through men and women, and sometimes through little children.
Yet, let it be said emphatically, that no preaching, catechizing or
reading produces any vital and spiritual results unless God the Spirit
is pleased to bless and apply the same unto the heart of the
individual. Thus there are many who have passed from death unto life
and been brought to love the Truth under the Spirit's application of a
pious parent's or Sunday School teacher's instruction-while there are
some who never enjoyed such privileges yet have been truly and deeply
taught by God.
Tests for the Spirit's Teaching
From all that has been said above a very pertinent question arises,
How may I know whether or not my teaching has been by the Holy Spirit?
The simple but sufficient answer is, By the effects produced. First,
that spiritual knowledge which the teaching of the Holy Spirit imparts
is an operative knowledge. It is not merely a piece of information
which adds to our mental store, but is a species of inspiration which
stirs the soul into action. "For God, who commanded the light to shine
out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor.
4:6). The light which the Spirit imparts reaches the heart. It warms
the heart, and sets it on fire for God. It masters the heart, and
brings it into allegiance to God. It molds the heart, and stamps upon
it the image of God. Here, then, is a sure test: how far does the
teaching you have received, the knowledge of Divine things you
possess, affect your heart?
Second, that knowledge which the teaching of the Spirit imparts is a
soul-humbling knowledge. "Knowledge puffeth up" (1 Cor. 8:1), that is
a notional, theoretical, intellectual knowledge which is merely
received from men or books in a natural way. But that spiritual
knowledge which comes from God reveals to a man his empty conceits,
his ignorance and worthlessness, and abases him. The teaching of the
Spirit reveals our sinfulness and vileness, our lack of conformity to
Christ, our unholiness; and makes a man little in his own eyes. Among
those born of women was not a greater than John the Baptist: wondrous
were the privileges granted him, abundant the light he was favored
with. What effect had it on him? "He it is, who coming after me is
preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose"
(John 1:27). Who was granted such an insight into heavenly things as
Paul! Did he herald himself as "The greatest Bible teacher of the
age"? No. "Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints" (Eph.
3:8). Here, then, is a sure test: how humble you?
Third, that knowledge which the teaching of the Holy Spirit imparts is
a world-despising knowledge. It makes a man have poor, low, mean
thoughts of those things which his unregenerate fellows (and which he
himself, formerly) so highly esteem. It opens his eyes to see the
transitoriness and comparative worthlessness of earthly honors, riches
and fame. It makes him perceive that all under the sun is but vanity
and vexation of spirit. It brings him to realize that the world is a
flatterer, a deceiver, a liar, and a murderer which has fatally
deceived the hearts of millions. Where the Spirit reveals eternal
things, temporal things are scorned. Those things which once were gain
to him, he now counts as loss; yea, as dross and dung (Phil. 3:4-9).
The teaching of the Spirit raises the heart high above this poor
perishing world. Here is a sure test: does your knowledge of spiritual
things cause you to hold temporal things with a light hand, and
despise those baubles which others
Fourth, the knowledge which the teaching of the Spirit imparts is a
transforming knowledge. The light of God shows how far, far short we
come of the standard Holy Writ reveals, and stirs us unto holy
endeavors to lay aside every hindering weight, and run with patience
the race set before us. The teaching of the Spirit causes us to "deny
ungodliness and worldly lusts," and to "live soberly, righteously, and
godly, in this present world" (Titus 2:12). "We all, with open face
beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the
same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2
Cor. 3:18). Here, then, is a sure test: how far does my knowledge of
spiritual things influence my heart, govern my will, and regulate my
life? Does increasing light lead to a more tender conscience, more
Christlike character and conduct? If not, it is
The Spirit Applies Knowledge to the Heart
"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will
send in My name, He shall teach you all things" (John 14:26). How
urgently we need a Divine Teacher! A natural and notional knowledge of
Divine things may be obtained through men, but a spiritual and
experimental knowledge of them can only be communicated by God
Himself. I may devote myself to the study of the Scriptures in the
same ways as I would to the study of some science or the mastering of
a foreign language. By diligent application, persevering effort, and
consulting works of reference (commentators, etc.), I may steadily
acquire a comprehensive and accurate acquaintance with the letter of
God's Word, and become an able expositor thereof. But I cannot obtain
a heart-affecting, a heart-purifying, and a heart-molding knowledge
thereof. None but the Spirit of truth can write God's Law on my heart,
stamp God's image upon my soul, and sanctify me by the Truth.
Conscience informs me that I am a sinner; the preacher may convince me
that without Christ I am eternally lost; but neither the one nor the
other is sufficient to move me to receive Him as my Lord and Savior.
One man may lead a horse to the water, but no 10 men can make him
drink when he is unwilling to do so. The Lord Jesus Himself was
"anointed to preach the Gospel" (Luke 4:18), and did so with a zeal
for God's glory and a compassion for souls such as none other ever
had; yet He had to say to His hearers, "Ye will not come to Me, that
ye might have life" (John 5:40). What a proof is that, that something
more is required above and beyond the outward presentation of the
Truth. There must be the inward application of it to the heart with
Divine power if the will is to be moved. And that is what the teaching
of the Spirit consists of: it is an effectual communication of the
Word which works powerfully within the soul.
Why is it that so many professing Christians change their view so
easily and quickly? What is the reason there are so many thousands of
unstable souls who are "tossed to and fro, and carried about with
every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness,
whereby they lie in wait to deceive" (Eph. 4:14)? Why is it that this
year they sit under a man who preaches the Truth and claim to believe
and enjoy his messages; while next year they attend the ministry of a
man of error and heartily embrace his opinions? It must be because
they were never taught of the Spirit. "I know that, whatsoever God
doeth, it shall be forever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing
taken from it" (Eccl. 3:14). What the Spirit writes on the heart
remains: "The anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you"
(1 John 2:27), and neither man nor devil can efface it.
Why is it that so many professing Christians are unfruitful? Month
after month, year after year, they attend upon the means of grace, and
yet remain unchanged. Their store of religious information is greatly
increased, their intellectual knowledge of the Truth is much advanced,
but their lives are not transformed. There is no denying of self,
taking up their cross, and following a despised Christ along the
narrow way of personal holiness. There is no humble self-abasement, no
mourning over indwelling sin, no mortification of the same. There is
no deepening love for Christ, evidenced by a running in the way of His
commandments. Such people are "ever learning, and never able to come
to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Tim. 3:7), i.e. that "knowledge"
which is vital, experimental, affecting, and transforming. They are
not taught of the Spirit.
Why is it in times of temptation and death that so many despair?
Because their house is not built upon the Rock. Hence, as the Lord
Jesus declared, "the rain descended, and the floods came, and the
winds blew, and beat upon that house; and itself' (Matthew 7:27). It
could not endure the testing: when trouble and trial, temptation and
tribulation came, its insecure foundation was exposed. And note the
particular character Christ there depicted: "Everyone that heareth
these sayings of Mine, (His precepts in the much-despised "Sermon on
the Mount") and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man,
which built his house upon the sand" (v. 26). Men may go on in worldly
courses, evil practices, sinful habits, trusting in a head-knowledge
of Christ to save them; but when they reach "the swelling of Jordan"
(Jer. 12:5) they will prove the insufficiency of it.
Ah, dear reader, a saving knowledge is not a knowledge of Divine
things, but is a Divinely-imparted knowledge. It not only has God for
its Object, but God for its Author. There must be not only a knowledge
of spiritual things, but a spiritual knowledge of the same. The light
which we have of them must be answerable to the things themselves: we
must see them by their own light. As the things themselves are
spiritual, they must be imparted and opened to us by the Holy Spirit.
Where there is a knowledge of the Truth which has been wrought in the
heart by the Spirit, there is an experimental knowledge of the same, a
sensible consciousness, a persuasive and comforting perception of
their reality, an assurance which nothing can shake. The Truth then
possesses a sweetness, a preciousness, which no inducement can cause
the soul to part with it.
What the Spirit Teaches
Now as to what it is which the Spirit teaches us, we have intimated,
more or less, in previous chapters. First, He reveals to the soul "the
exceeding sinfulness of sin" (Rom. 7:13), so that it is filled with
horror and anguish at its baseness, its excuselessness, its turpitude.
It is one thing to read of the excruciating pain which the gout or
gall stones will produce, but it is quite another thing for me to
experience the well-nigh unbearable suffering of the same. In like
manner, it is one thing to hear others talking of the Spirit
convicting of sin, but it is quite another for Him to teach me that I
am a rebel against God, and give me a taste of His wrath burning in my
conscience. The difference is as great as looking at a painted fire,
and being thrust into a real one.
Second, the Spirit reveals to the soul the utter futility of all
efforts to save itself. The first effect of conviction in an awakened
conscience is to attempt the rectification of all that now appears
wrong in the conduct. A diligent effort is put forth to make amends
for past offenses, painful penances are readily submitted to, and the
outward duties of religion are given earnest attendance. But by the
teaching of the Spirit the heart is drawn off from resting in works of
righteousness which we have done (Titus 3:5), and this, by His giving
increasing light, so that the convicted soul now perceives he is a
mass of corruption within, that his very prayers are polluted by
selfish motives, and that unless God will save him, his
Third, the Spirit reveals to the soul the suitability and sufficiency
of Christ to meet its desperate needs. It is an important branch of
the Spirit's teaching to open the Gospel to those whom He has
quickened, enlightened, and convicted-and to open their understanding
and affections to take in the precious contents of the Gospel. "He
shall glorify Me" said the Savior, "for He shall receive of Mine, and
shall show it unto you" (John 16:14). This is His prime function: to
magnify Christ in the esteem of "His own." The Spirit teaches the
believer many things, but His supreme subject is Christ: to emphasize
His claims, to exalt His Person, to reveal His perfections, to make
Him superlatively attractive. Many things in Nature are very
beautiful, but when the sun shines upon them, we appreciate their
splendor all the more. Thus it is when we are enabled to 's teaching.
The Spirit continues to teach the regenerate throughout the remainder
of their lives. He gives them a fuller and deeper realization of their
own native depravity, convincing them that in the flesh there dwells
no good thing, and gradually weaning them from all expectation of
improving the same. He reveals to them "the beauty of holiness," and
causes them to pant after and strive for an increasing measure of the
same. He teaches them the supreme importance of inward piety.
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The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 20
The Spirit Cleansing
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The title of this chapter may possibly surprise some readers who have
supposed that cleansing from sin is by the blood of Christ alone.
Judicially it is so, but in connection with experimental purging,
certain distinctions need to be drawn in order to a clearer
understanding. Here, the gracious operation of the Holy Spirit is the
efficient cause, the blood of Christ is the meritorious and procuring
cause, faith's appropriation of the Word is the instrumental cause. It
is by the Holy Spirit our eyes are opened to see and our hearts to
feel the enormity of sin, and thus are we enabled to perceive our need
of Christ's blood. It is by the Spirit we are moved to betake
ourselves unto that "fountain" which has been opened for sin and for
uncleanness. It is by the Spirit we are enabled to trust in the
sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice now that we realize what
Hell-deserving sinners we are. All of which is preceded by His work of
regeneration whereby He capacitates the soul to see light in God's
light and appropriate the provisions of His wondrous mercy.
It is now our purpose to trace out the various aspects of the Spirit's
work in purging the souls of believers, for we do not wish to
anticipate too much the ground we hope to yet cover in our articles
upon "Sanctification," yet this present topic would be incomplete were
we to pass by this important phase of the Spirit's operations. We
shall therefore restrict ourselves unto a single branch of the
subject, which is sufficiently comprehensive as to include in it all
that we now feel led to say thereon, namely, that of mortification.
Nor shall we attempt to discuss in detail the varied ramifications of
this important Truth, for if we are spared we hope some day ere very
long to devote a series of articles to its separate consideration, for
it is far too weighty and urgent to be dismissed with this brief
notice of it.
"For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the
Spirit do mortify' the deeds of the body, ye shall live" (Rom. 8:13).
A most solemn and searching verse is this, and one which we greatly
fear has very little place in present-day preaching. Five things in it
claim attention. First, the persons addressed. Second, the awful
warning here set before them. Third, the duty enjoined upon them.
Fourth, the efficient Helper provided. Fifth, the promise made. Those
here addressed are regenerated believers, Christians, as is evident
from the whole context: the Apostle denominates them "brethren" (v.
12).
The Awful Warning
Our text, then, belongs to the Lord's own people, who "are debtors,
not to the flesh, to live after the flesh" (Rom. 8:12); rather are
they "debtors" to Christ (who redeemed them) to live for His glory,
"debtors" to the Holy Spirit (who regenerated them) to submit
themselves to His absolute control. But if an apprehension of their
high privilege (to please their Savior) and a sense of their bounded
duty (to Him who has brought them from death unto life) fail to move
them unto godly living, perhaps an apprehension of their awful danger
may influence them thereto: "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall
die"-die spiritually, die eternally, for "life" and "death" in Romans
always signifies far more than natural life and death. Moreover, to
restrict "ye shall die" to physical dissolution would be quite
pointless, for that experience is shared by sinners and saints alike.
It is to be noted that the Apostle did not say, "If ye have lived
after the flesh ye shall die," for everyone of God's children did so
before He delivered them from the power of darkness and translated
them into the kingdom of His dear Son. No, it is, "If ye live after
the flesh," now. It is a continual course, a steady perseverance in
the same, which is in view. To "live after the flesh" means to
persistently follow the inclinations and solicitations of inward
corruption, to be wholly under the dominion of the depravity of fallen
human nature. To "live after the flesh" is to be in love with sin, to
serve it contentedly, to make self-gratification the trade and
business of life. It is by no means limited to the grosser forms of
wickedness and crime, but includes as well the refinement, morality,
and religiousness of the best of men, who yet give God no real place
in their hearts and lives. And the wages of sin is death.
"For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die." That is a rule to
which there is no exception. No matter what your experience or
profession, no matter how certain of your conversion or how orthodox
your belief: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man
soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall
of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall
of the Spirit reap life everlasting" (Gal. 6:7, 8). O the madness of
men in courting eternal death rather than leave their sinful pleasures
and live a holy life. O the folly of those who think to reconcile God
and sin, who imagine they can please the flesh, and yet be happy in
eternity notwithstanding. "How much she hath glorified herself, and
lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her" (Rev. 18:7)-
so much as the flesh is gratified, so much is the soul endangered.
Will you, my reader, for a little temporal satisfaction run the hazard
of God's eternal wrath? Heed this solemn warning, fellow-Christian:
God means what He says, "IF ye live after the flesh, ye shall die."
The Duty to Mortify Sin
Let us now consider the duty which is here enjoined-"do mortify the
deeds of the body." In this clause, "the body" is the same as "the
flesh" in the previous one, they are equivalent terms for the
corruption of nature. The emphasis is here placed upon the body
because it is the tendency of in-dwelling sin to pamper and please our
baser part. The soul of the unregenerate acts for no higher end than
does the soul of a beast-to gratify his carnal appetites. The "deeds
of the body," then, have reference not only to the outward actions,
but also the springs from which they proceed. Thus, the task which is
here assigned the Christian is to "mortify" or put to death the
solicitations to evil within him. The life of sin and the life of
grace are utterly inconsistent and repellent: we must die to sin in
order to live unto God.
Now there is a threefold power in sin unto which we must die. First,
its damning or condemning power, whereby it brings the soul under the
wrath of God. This power it has from the Law, for "the strength of sin
is the law" (1 Cor. 15:56). But, blessed be God, the sentence of the
Divine Law is no longer in force against the believer, for that was
executed and exhausted upon the head of his Surety: consequently, "we
are delivered from the law" (Rom. 7:6). Though sin may still hale
Christians before God, accuse them before Him, terrify the conscience
and make them acknowledge their guilt, yet it cannot drag them to Hell
or adjudge them to eternal wrath. Thus, by faith in Christ sin is
"mortified" or put to death as to its condemning power (John 5:24).
Second, sin has a ruling and reigning power, whereby it keeps the soul
under wretched slavery and continual bondage. This reign of sin
consists not in the multitude, greatness, or prevalence of sin, for
all those are consistent with a state of grace, and may be in a child
of God, in whom sin does not and cannot reign. The reign of sin
consists in the in-being of sin unopposed by a principle of grace.
Thus, sin is effectually "mortified" in its reigning at the first
moment of regeneration, for at the new birth a principle of spiritual
life is implanted, and this lusts against the flesh, opposing its
solicitations, so that sin is unable to dominate as it would (Gal.
5:17); and this breaks it tyranny. Our conscious enjoyment of this is
dependent, mainly, upon our obedience to
Third, sin has an indwelling and captivating power, whereby it
continually assaults the principle of spiritual life, beating down the
Christian's defenses, battering his armor, routing his graces, wasting
his conscience, destroying his peace, and at last bringing him into a
woeful captivity unless it be mortified. Corruption does not lie
dormant in the Christian: though it reigns not supreme (because of a
principle of grace to oppose it) yet it molests and often prevails to
a very considerable extent. Because of this the Christian is called
upon to wage a constant warfare against it: to "mortify" it, to
struggle against its inclinations and deny its solicitations, to make
no provision for it, to walk in the
Unless the Christian devotes all his powers to a definite,
uncompromising, earnest, constant warfare upon indwelling sin: unless
he diligently seeks to weaken its roots, suppress its motions,
restrain its outward eruptions and actions, and seeks to put to death
the enemy within his soul, he is guilty of the basest ingratitude to
Christ. Unless he does so, he is a complete failure in the Christian
life, for it is impossible that both sin and grace should be healthy
and vigorous in the soul at the same time. If a garden is overrun with
weeds, they choke and starve the profitable plants, absorbing the
moisture and nourishment they should feed upon. So, if the lusts of
the flesh absorb the soul, the graces of the Spirit cannot develop. If
the mind is filled with worldly or filthy things, then meditation on
holy things is crowded out. Occupation with sin deadens the mind for
holy duties.
But who is sufficient for such a task? Who can expect to gain the
victory over such a powerful enemy as indwelling sin? Who can hope to
put to death that which defies every effort the strongest can make
against it? Ah, were the Christian left entirely to himself the
outlook would be hopeless, and the attempt useless. But, thank God,
such is not the case. The Christian is provided with an efficient
Helper: "greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world"
(1 John 4:4). It is only "through the Spirit" we can, in any measure,
successfully "mortify the deeds of the body."
True Mortification
Though the real Christian has been delivered from condemnation and
freed from the reigning power of sin, yet there is a continual need
for him to "mortify" or put to death the principle and actings of
indwelling corruption. His main fight is against allowing sin to bring
him into captivity to the lusts of the flesh. "Have no fellowship with
the unfruitful works of darkness"-enter into no truce, form no
alliance with-"but rather reprove them" (Eph. 5:11). Say with Ephraim
of old, "What have Ito do any more with idols?" (Hosea 14:8). No real
communion with God is possible while sinful lusts remain unmortified.
Allowed sin draws the heart from God, entangles the affections,
discomposes the soul, and provokes God to close His ears against our
prayers: see Ezekiel 14:3.
Now it is most important that we should distinguish between mock
mortification and true, between the counterfeit resemblances of this
duty and the duty itself. There is a pagan "mortification," which is
merely suppressing such sins as nature itself discovers and from such
reasons and motives as nature suggests (Rom. 2:14). This tends to hide
sin rather than mortify it. It is not a recovering of the soul from
the world unto God, but only acquiring a fitness to live with less
scandal among men. There is a Popish and superstitious
"mortification," which consists in the neglect of the body, abstaining
from marriage, certain kinds of meat, and apparel. Such things have "a
show of wisdom" and are highly regarded by the carnal world, but not
being commanded by God they have no spiritual value whatsoever. They
macerate the natural man instead of mortifying the old man. There is
also a Protestant "mortification" which differs nothing in principle
from the Popish: certain fanatics eschew some of God's creatures;
others demand abstinence when God requires temperance.
True mortification consists, first, in weakening sin's root and
principle. It is of little avail to chop off the heads of weeds while
their roots remain in the ground-nor is much accomplished by seeking
to correct outward habits while the heart be left neglected. One in a
high fever cannot expect to lower his temperature while he continues
to eat heartily, nor can the lusts of the flesh be weakened so long as
we feed or "make provision for" them. Second, in suppressing the
risings of inward corruptions: by turning a deaf ear to their voice,
by crying to God for grace so to do, by pleading the blood of Christ
for deliverance. Make conscience of evil thoughts and imaginations: do
not regard them as inevitable, still less cherish them; turn the mind
to holy objects. Third, in restraining its outward actings: "denying
ungodliness," etc. (Titus 2:12).
Our Helper
Though grace be wrought in the hearts of the regenerate, it is not in
their power to act it: He who implanted it must renew, excite, and
marshal it. "If ye through the Spirit do mortify" (Rom. 8:13). First,
He it is who discovers the sin that is to be mortified, opening it to
the view of the soul, stripping it of its deceits, exposing its
deformity. Second, He it is who gradually weakens sin's power, acting
as "the Spirit of burning" (Isa. 4:4), consuming the dross. Third, He
it is who reveals and applies the efficacy of the Cross of Christ, in
which there is contained a sin-mortifying virtue, whereby we are "made
conformable unto His death" (Phil. 3:10). Fourth, He it is who
strengthens us with might in the inner man, so that our graces-the
opposites of the lusts of the flesh-are invigorated and called into
exercise.
The Holy Spirit is the effective Helper. Men may employ the aids of
inward rigor and outward severity, and they may for a time stifle and
suppress their evil habits; but unless the Spirit of God work in us,
nothing can amount to true mortification. Yet note well it is not, "If
the Spirit do mortify," nor even, "If the Spirit through you do
mortify," but, "If ye through the Spirit do mortify"! The Christian is
not passive, but active in this work. We are bidden to "cleanse
ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit" (2 Cor. 7:1).
We are exhorted to "build up yourselves on your most holy faith" and
"keep ourselves in the love of God" (Jude 20, 21). Paul could say, "I
keep under my body, and bring it into subjection" (I Cor. 9:27). It is
by yielding to the Spirit's impulses, heeding His strivings,
submitting ourselves unto His government, that any measure of success
is granted us in this most important work.
The believer is not a cipher in this work. The gracious operations of
the Spirit were never designed to be a substitute for the Christian's
discharge of his duty. True, His influence is indispensable, though it
relaxes us not from our individual responsibility. "Little children,
keep yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:21) emphasizes our obligation,
and plainly intimates that God requires from His people something more
than a passive waiting for Him to stir them into action. O my reader,
beware of cloaking a spirit of slothful indolence under an apparent
jealous regard for the honor of the Spirit. Is no self-effort required
to escape the snares of Satan by refusing to walk in those paths which
God has forbidden? Is no self-effort to be made in breaking away from
the evil influence of godless companions? Is no self-effort called for
to dethrone an unlawful habit? Mortification is a task to which every
Christian must address himself with prayerful and resolute
earnestness. Nevertheless it is a task far transcending our feeble
powers.
It is only "through the Spirit" that any of us can acceptably and
effectually (in any degree) "mortify the deeds of the body." He it is
who works in us a loathing of sin, a mourning over it, a turning away
from it. He it is who presses upon us the claims of Christ, reminding
us that inasmuch as He died for sin, we must spare no efforts to die
to sin-"striving against sin" (Heb. 12:4), confessing it (1 John 1:9),
forsaking it (Prov. 28:13). He it is who preserves us from giving way
to despair, and encourages us to renew the conflict, assuring us that
ultimately we shall be more than conquerors through Him that loved us.
He it is who deepens our aspirations after holiness, causing us to
cry, "Create in me a clean heart, O God" (Ps. 51:10), and moving us to
"forget those things which are behind, and reach forth unto those
things which are before" (Phil. 3:13).
The Promise
"If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall
live" (Rom. 8:13). Here is the encouraging promise set before the
sorely-tried contestant. God will be no man's debtor: He is a rewarder
of them that diligently seek Him (Heb. 11:6). If, then, by grace, we
deny the flesh and cooperate with the Spirit, if we strive against sin
and strive after holiness, richly shall we be recompensed. To say that
Christians are unable to concur with the Spirit is to deny there is
any real difference between the renewed and those who are dead in sin.
It is true that without Christ we can do nothing (John 15:5), yet it
is equally true (though far less frequently quoted) that "I can do all
things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Phil. 4:13).
Mortification and vivification are inseparable: dying to sin and
living unto God are indissolubly connected: the one cannot be without
the other. If we through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body,
then, but only then, we shall "live"-live a life of grace and comfort
here, and live a life of eternal glory and bliss hereafter.
Some have a difficulty here in that Romans 8:13 conditions "life" upon
our performance of the duty of mortification. "In the Gospel there are
promises of life upon the condition of our obedience. The promises are
not made to the work, but to the worker, and to the worker not for his
work, but for Christ's sake according to his work. As for example,
promise of life is made not to the work of mortification, but to him
that mortifieth the flesh, and that not for his mortification, but
because he is in Christ, and his mortification is the token or
evidence thereof And therefore it must be remembered that all promises
of the Gospel that mention works include in them reconciliation with
God in Christ" (W. Perkins, 1604). The conditionality of the promise,
then, is neither that of causation or uncertainty, but of coherence
and connection, or means and end. The Highway of Holiness is the only
path that leads to Heaven: "He that soweth to the Spirit shall of the
Spirit reap life everlasting" (Gal. 6:8).
But let it be pointed out that the sowing of a field with grain is not
accomplished in a few minutes, it is a lengthy and laborious task,
calling for diligence and patience. So it is with the Christian:
mortification is a lifelong task. A neglected garden is neither easily
nor quickly rid of weeds and much care is required for the cultivation
of herbs and flowers. Nor is a long-neglected heart, with its
indwelling corruptions and powerful lusts, brought into subjection to
the Spirit by a few spasmodic efforts and prayers. It calls for
painful and protracted effort, the daily denying of self, application
of the principles of the Cross to our daily walk, earnest supplication
for the Spirit's help. So "Be not weary" (Gal. 6:9).
In conclusion let us seek to meet the objection of the discouraged
Christian. "If a true mortification must be not only a striving
against the motions of inward corruptions, but also the weakening of
its roots, then I fear that all my endeavors have been in vain. Some
success I have obtained against the outbreakings of lust, but still I
find the temptation of it as strong as ever. I perceive no decays in
it, but rather does it grow more violent each day." Answer, "That is
because you are more conscious and take more notice of corruption than
formerly. When the heart is made tender by a long exercise of
mortification, a small temptation troubles it more than a greater one
did formerly. This seeming strengthening of corruption is not a sign
that sin is not dying, but rather an evidence that you are spiritually
alive and more sensible of its motions" (condensed from Ezekiel
Hopkins, 1680, to whom we are indebted for several leading thoughts in
the first part of this chapter).
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The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 21
The Spirit Leading
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"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of
God" (Rom. 8:14). This verse presents to us another aspect of the
varied work of the blessed Holy Spirit. In addition to all His other
functions, He performs the office of Guide unto the godly. Nor is this
peculiar to the present dispensation: He so ministered during the Old
Testament times. This is brought out clearly in Isaiah 63, "Where is
He that brought them up out of the Sea with the shepherd of His flock?
where is He that put His holy Spirit within him? That led them by the
right hand of Moses with His glorious arm, dividing the water before
them, to make Himself an everlasting name? That led them through the
deep, as an horse in the wilderness, that they should not stumble? As
a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD caused him
to rest: so didst Thou lead Thy people, to make Thyself a glorious
name" (vv. 11-14). Moses was no more able, by his own power, to induce
the Hebrews to pass between the divided waters of the Red Sea and to
cross the trackless desert, than by the mere extending of the rod he
could divide those waters. Moses was simply the human instrument: the
Holy Spirit was the efficient Agent.
Divinely Drawn
In the above passage we have more than a hint of how the Holy Spirit
"leads": it is by means of an inward impulse, as well as by external
directions. Among his comments upon Romans 8:14 Matthew Henry says,
"Led by the Spirit as a scholar in his learning is led by his tutor,
as a traveler in his journey is led by his guide, as a soldier in his
engagements is led by his captain." But such analogies are inadequate,
for they present only the external side, leaving out of account the
internal operations of the Spirit, which are even more essential. "O
LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man
that walketh to direct his steps" (Jer. 10:23). By nature we are not
only ignorant of God's way, but reluctant to walk therein even when it
is shown us, and therefore we find the Church praying "Draw me, we
will run after Thee" (Song. 1:4). Ah, we never seek unto God, still
less "run after Him," till we are Divinely drawn.
This humbling truth was well understood by David of old. First, he
prayed, "Teach me, O LORD, the way of Thy statutes . . . Give me
understanding" (Ps. 119:33, 34). But second, he realized that
something more than Divine illumination was needed by him: therefore
did he add, "Make me to go in the path of Thy commandments . . .
Incline my heart unto Thy testimonies," (vv. 35, 36). By nature our
hearts are averse from God and holiness. We can be worldly of
ourselves, but we cannot be heavenly of ourselves. The power of sin
lies in the love of it, and it is only as our affections are Divinely
drawn unto things above that we are delivered from sin's dominion.
Moreover, our wills are perverse, and only as supernatural grace is
brought to bear upon them are they "inclined" Godwards. Thus, to be
"led by the Spirit of God" is to be governed by Him from within, to be
subject unto His secret but real impulses or strivings.
Not only are our hearts inclined by nature unto temporal, material,
worldly, and evil things, rather than unto eternal, spiritual,
heavenly and holy things, but they are by inveterate custom too. As
soon as we are born we follow the bent of our natural appetites, and
the first few years of our life are governed merely by sense; and the
pleasures begotten by gratifying our senses become deeply ingrained in
us. Moreover, by constant living in the world and long contact with
material things, the tendency increases upon us and we become more
strongly settled in a worldly frame. "Can the Ethiopian change his
skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are
accustomed to do evil" (Jer. 13:23). Custom becomes a "second nature"
to us: the more we follow a certain course of life, the more we
delight in it, and we are only weaned from it with very great
difficulty.
Natural lusts and appetites being born and bred in us from infancy,
continue to cry out for indulgence and satisfaction. The will has
become bent to a carnal course and the heart craves material
pleasures. Hence, when the claims of God are presented to us, when the
interests of our souls and the things of eternity are brought before
us, when the "beauty of holiness" is presented to our view, they find
our wills already biased in the contrary direction and our heart
prepossessed with other inclinations, which by reason of long
indulgence bind us to them. The heart being deeply engaged with and
delighting in temporal and worldly things, is quite unable to respond
to the dictates of reason and set itself upon that which is heavenly
and Divine; and even the voice of conscience is unheeded by the soul,
which prefers the insidious lullaby of Satan. Nothing but the Almighty
power of the Holy Spirit can turn ("lead") the heart in a contrary
direction.
Now the heart is inclined toward God when the habitual bent of our
affections is more to holiness than to worldly things. As the power of
sin lies in the love of it, so it is with indwelling grace. Grace
prevails over us when we so love the things of God that the bent of
the will and the strength of our affections is carried after them.
When the course of our desires and endeavors, and the strength and
stream of our souls runs out after holiness, then the heart is
"inclined" Godwards. And how is this brought to pass, how does God
reduce our rebellious hearts and mold them to the obedience of His
will? The answer is, by His Word and by His Spirit; or putting it
another way, by moral persuasion and by gracious power.
"And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My
statutes" (Ezek. 36:27). God does this by combining together
invincible might and gentle inducements. God works upon us morally,
not physically, because He will preserve our nature and the principles
thereof. He does not force us against our wills, but sweetly draws us.
He presents weighty reasons, casting into the mind one after another,
till the scales be turned and then all is made efficacious by His
Spirit. Yet this is not a work which He does in the soul once and for
all, but is often renewed and repeated; and that because the "flesh"
or sinful nature remains in us, unchanged, even after regeneration.
Therefore do we need to ask God to continue inclining our hearts
toward Himself.
This brings us to notice the intimate connection which exists between
our present text and the verse immediately preceding it. "For if ye
live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do
mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live" (Rom. 8:13):-if we yield
ourselves to the Spirit's impulses to restrain our evil propensities
and our proneness to indulge them, then Heaven will be our portion,
"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of
God" (v. 14). Thus Romans 8:14 is said in confirmation and
amplification of verse 13: only those who are ruled by the Spirit give
evidence that they are the "sons of God." To be "led by the Spirit,"
then, means, as the whole context clearly shows, to "walk not after
the flesh, but after the Spirit" (v. 4), to "mind the things of the
Spirit" (v. 5), to "through the Spirit mortify the deeds of the body"
(v. 13). Suitably did Calvin remark on Romans 8:14, "Thus the empty
boasting of hypocrites is taken away, who without any reason assume
the title of sons of God."
Thus we are "led by the Spirit" both actively and passively: actively,
with respect to His prompting; passively on our part, as we submit to
those promptings; actively, by His pressing upon us the holy
requirements of the Scriptures; passively, as we yield ourselves unto
those requirements. The Spirit is our Guide, but we must obey His
motions. In the immediate context it is His restraining motives which
are in view, moving us to the mortifying of sin. But His "leading" is
not to be restricted to that: He exercises inviting motives,
encouraging us unto the perfecting of holiness. And this being guided
and governed by the Holy Spirit is an infallible proof that we are
living members of God's family.
Active Guidance
It is the office of Jehovah the Spirit in the covenant of redemption,
after He has called the elect out of the world, to place Himself at
their head and undertake their future guidance. He knows the only path
which leads to Heaven. He knows the difficulties and dangers which
beset us, the intricate maze of life's journey, the numerous false
routes by which Satan deceives souls, and the proneness of the human
heart to follow that which is evil; and therefore does He, in His
infinite grace, take charge of those who are "strangers and pilgrims"
in this scene, and conduct them safely to the Celestial Country. O
what praise is due unto this heavenly Guide! How gladly and thankfully
should we submit ourselves unto His directions! How hopeless would be
our case without Him! With what alacrity should we follow His motions
and directions!
As we have already pointed out, the blessed Spirit of God "leads" both
objectively and subjectively: by pointing us to the directive precepts
of the Word, that our actions may be regulated thereby: and by secret
impulses from within the soul, impressing upon us the course we should
follow-the evils to be avoided, the duties to be performed. The Spirit
acts upon His own life in the renewed soul. He works in the Christian
a right disposition of heart relating to Truth and duty. He maintains
in the believer a right disposition of mind, preparing and disposing
him to attend unto the revealed will of God. He speaks effectually to
the conscience, enlightens the understanding, regulates the desires,
and orders the conduct of those who submit themselves unto His holy
suggestions and overtures. To be "led by the Spirit of "is to be under
His guidance and government.
A Caution
The wayward child and the self-willed youth is guided by his own
unsanctified and unsubdued spirit. The man of the world is controlled
by "the spirit of the world." The wicked are governed by Satan "the
spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Eph. 2:2).
But the Christian is to yield himself unto "the still small voice" of
the Holy Spirit. Yet a word of caution is needed at this point, for in
our day there are many fanatics and impious people who do that which
is grossly dishonoring to God under the plea that they were "prompted
by the Spirit" so to act. To be "led by the Spirit of God" does not
mean being influenced by unaccountable suggestions and uncontrollable
impulses which result in conduct displeasing to God, and often
injurious to ourselves and others. No, indeed: not so does the Spirit
of God "lead" anyone.
There is a safe and sure criterion by which the Christian may gauge
his inward impulses, and ascertain whether they proceed from his own
restless spirit, an evil spirit, or the Spirit of God. That criterion
is the written Word of God, and by it all must be measured. The Holy
Spirit never prompts anyone to act contrary to the Scriptures. How
could He, when He is the Author of them! His promptings are always
unto obedience to the precepts of Holy Writ. Therefore, when a man who
has not been distinctly called, separated, and qualified by God to be
a minister of His Word, undertakes to "preach," no matter how strong
the impulse, it proceeds not from the Holy Spirit. When a woman "feels
led" to pray in public where men are present, she is moved by "another
spirit" (2 Cor. 11:4), or if one claimed "guidance" in assuming an
unequal yoke by marrying an unbeliever, 2 Corinthians 6:14 would prove
conclusively that it was not the "guidance" of the Holy Spirit. Divine
Direction
The Holy Spirit fulfills His office of Guide by three distinct
operations. First, He communicates life and grace, a new "nature";
second, He stirs that life unto action, and gives "more grace"; third,
He directs the action into performance of duty. Life, motion, and
conduct are inseparable in nature and grace alike. First, the Holy
Spirit quickens us into newness of life, infusing gracious habits into
the soul. "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I
put within you" (Ezek. 36:26). Second, He moves upon the soul and
assists the new nature to act according to its own gracious habits and
principles: He "worketh in you both to will and to do of His good
pleasure" (Phil. 2:13). Third, He directs our actions by enlightening
our understandings, guiding our inclinations, and moving our wills to
do that which is pleasing unto God. It is the last two we are now
considering.
Divine direction is promised the saints: "The meek will He guide in
judgment: and the meek will He teach His way" (Ps. 25:9): and this not
only by general directions, but by particular excitations. "I am the
LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the
way that thou shouldest go" (Isa. 48:17). Divine guidance is desired
by the saints as a great and necessary blessing: "Show me Thy ways, 0
LORD; teach me Thy paths. Lead me in Thy truth, and teach me: for Thou
art the God of my salvation; on Thee do I wait all the day" (Ps. 25:4,
5). Mark the earnestness of this prayer: "show me, teach me, lead me."
Note the argument: "Thou art the God of my salvation," and as such,
pledged to undertake for me. Observe the importunity: "on Thee do I
wait all the day," as if he would not be left for a moment to his own
poor wisdom and power. Even the "new nature" is utterly dependent upon
the Holy Spirit.
Though the children of God are "light in the Lord" (Eph. 5:8) and have
a general understanding of the way of godliness, yet much ignorance
and darkness still remains in them, and therefore in order to a steady
and constant course of obedience they need to be guided by the Holy
Spirit, so that their light may be both directive and persuasive.
Though Christians have a general understanding of their duty, much
grace from God is needed to perform it by them. If left to themselves,
their own corruptions would blind and govern them, and therefore do
they pray, "Order my steps in Thy Word: and let not any iniquity have
dominion over me" (Ps. 119:133). The way to Heaven is a "narrow" one,
hard to find and harder still to be kept, except God teach us daily by
His Spirit. Wisdom from on High is continually needed to know how to
apply the rules of Scripture to all the varied details of our lives.
The Holy Spirit is the only fountain of holiness, and to Him we must
constantly turn for directions.
But something more than knowledge is needed by us: the Spirit must
persuade and incline our hearts, and move our wills. How strong are
our inclinations to sin, how easily fleshly impulses override our
better judgment, how weak we are before temptation! We know what we
should do, but are carried away by corrupt affections to the contrary.
It is at this point the Holy Spirit governs from within. First, by His
restraining motions, bidding us to avoid and mortify sin; second, by
His quickening motions, inviting us to the pursuit of holiness. And
just so far as we yield to His "strivings" are we "led by the Spirit
of God." As moral agents we are responsible to co-operate with the
Spirit and respond to His gentle sway over us. Alas, we so often fail
to do so. But though He allows this up to a certain point-for our
humbling-yet by His invincible power He prevents our making shipwreck
of the faith, and after many
Knowing We Are Led by the Spirit
In conclusion we will seek to supply answer to the following question:
How may Christians know whether they be among those who are "led by
the Spirit of God"? In general, those who are directed by this Divine
Guide are moved to examine their hearts and take frequent notice of
their ways, to mourn over their carnality and perverseness, to confess
their sins, to earnestly seek grace to enable them to be obedient.
They are moved to search the Scriptures daily to ascertain the things
which God has prohibited and the things which He enjoins. They are
moved to an increasing conformity to God's holy Law, and an increasing
enablement to meet its requirements is wrought in them by the Spirit
blessing to them the means of grace. But to be more specific.
First, just so far as we are governed by the Spirit of God are we led
from ourselves: from confidence in our own wisdom, from dependence
upon our own strength, and from trust in our own righteousness. We are
led from self-aggrandizement, self-will, self-pleasing. The Spirit
conducts away from self unto God. Yet let it be pointed out that this
weaning us from ourselves is not accomplished in a moment, but is a
perpetual and progressive thing. Alas, God has at best but a portion
of our affections. It is true there are moments when we sincerely and
ardently desire to be fully and unreservedly surrendered to Him, but
the ensnaring power of some rival object soon confirms how partial and
imperfect our surrender has been.
Second, just so far as we are governed by the Spirit of God are we
brought to occupation with Christ. To whom else, in our deep need, can
we go? Who so well-suited to our misery and poverty? Having severed us
in some degree from ourselves, the Spirit brings us into a closer
realization of our union with the Savior. Are we conscious of our
filth and guilt?-the Spirit leads us to the blood of Christ. Are we
sorely tried and oppressed?- the Spirit leads us to Him who is able to
succour the tempted. Are we mourning our emptiness and barrenness?-the
Spirit leads us to the One in whom dwelleth all the fullness of the
Godhead bodily. It is the special office of the Spirit to
Third, just so far as we are governed by. the Spirit of God are we
conducted along the highway of holiness. The Spirit leads the
Christian away from the vanities of the world to the satisfying
delight which is to be found in the Lord. He turns us from the husks
which the swine feed upon unto spiritual realities, drawing our
affections unto things above. He moves us to seek after more intimate
and more constant communion with God, which can only be obtained by
separation from that which He abhors. His aim is to conform us more
and more to the image of Christ. Finally, He will conduct us to
Heaven, for of it the Spirit is both the pledge and the earnest.
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The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 22
The Spirit Assuring
_________________________________________________________________
We do not propose to treat of the Spirit assuring in a topical and
general way, but to confine ourselves to His inspiring the Christian
with a sense of his adoption into the family of God, limiting
ourselves unto two or three particular passages which treat
specifically thereof. In Romans 8:15 we read, "For ye have not
received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the
Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." The eighth chapter
of Romans has ever been a great favorite with the Lord's people, for
it contains a wide variety of cordials for their encouragement and
strengthening in the running of that heavenly race which is marked out
and set before them in the Word of God. The Apostle is there writing
to such as have been brought, by the grace and power of the Holy
Spirit, to know and believe on the Lord Jesus, and who by their
communion with Him are led to set their affection upon things above.
First, let us observe that Romans 8:15 opens with the word "For,"
which not only suggests a close connection with that which precedes,
but intimates that a proof is now furnished of what had just been
affirmed. In the verse, the Apostle had said, "Therefore, brethren, we
are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh": the
"Therefore" being a conclusion drawn from all the considerations set
forth in verses 1-11. Next, the Apostle had declared, "For if ye live
after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify
the deeds of the body, ye shall live" (v. 13); which means, first, ye
shall continue to "live" a life of grace now; and second, this shall
be followed by a "life" of glory throughout eternity. Then the Apostle
added, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons
of God" (v. 14), which is a confirmation and amplification of verse
13: none live a life of grace save those who are "led by the Spirit of
God"-are inwardly controlled and outwardly governed by Him: "the sons
of God."
"Not Received the Spirit of Bondage"
Now, in verse 15, the Apostle both amplifies and confirms what he had
said in verse 14: there he shows the reality of that relationship with
God which our regeneration makes manifest-obedient subjection to Him
as dear children. Here he brings before us further proof of our Divine
sonship-deliverance from a servile fear, the exercise of a filial
confidence. Let us consider the negative first: "For ye have not
received the spirit of bondage again to fear." By nature we were in
"bondage" to sin, to Satan, to the world; yet they did not work in us
a spirit of "fear," so they cannot be (as some have supposed) what the
Apostle had reference to; rather is it what the Spirit's convicting us
of sin wrought in us. When He applies the Law to the conscience our
complacency is shattered, our false peace is destroyed, and we are
terrified at the thought of God's righteous wrath and the prospect of
eternal punishment.
When a soul has received life and light from the Spirit of God, so
that he perceives the infinite enormity and filthiness of sin, and the
total depravity and corruption of every faculty of his soul and body,
that spirit of legality which is in all men by nature, is at once
stirred up and alarmed, so that the mind is possessed with secret
doubts and suspicions of God's mercy in Christ to save. Thereby the
soul is brought into a state of legal bondage and fear. When a soul is
first awakened by the Holy Spirit, it is subject to a variety of
fears; yet it does not follow from thence that He works those fears or
is the Author of them: rather are they to be ascribed unto our own
unbelief. When the Spirit is pleased to convict of sin and gives the
conscience to feel the guilt of it, it is to show him his need of
Christ, and not to drive unto despair.
No doubt there is also a dispensational allusion in the passage we are
now considering. During the Mosaic economy, believing Israelites were
to a considerable extent under the spirit of legal bondage because the
sacrifices and ablutions of the Levitical institutions could not take
away sins. The precepts of the ceremonial law were so numerous, so
various, so burdensome, that the Jews were kept in perpetual bondage.
Hence, we find Peter referring to the same as "a yoke which neither
our fathers nor we were able to bear" (Acts 15:10). Much under the Old
Testament dispensation tended to a legal spirit. But believers, under
the Gospel, are favored with a clearer, fuller, and more glorious
display and revelation of God's grace in the Person and work of the
Lord Jesus Christ, the Evangel making known the design and sufficiency
of His finished work, so that full provision is now made to deliver
them from all servile fear.
"Received the Spirit of Adoption"
Turning now to the positive side: believers have "received the Spirit
of adoption, whereby they cry, Abba, Father": they have received that
unspeakable Gift which attests and makes known to them their adoption
by God. Before the foundation of the world God predestined them "unto
the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself' (Eph. 1:5). But
more-the elect were not only predestined unto the adoption of
children-to actually and openly enjoy this inestimable favor in
time-but this blessing was itself provided and bestowed upon them in
the Everlasting Covenant of grace, in which they not only had promise
of this relationship, but were given in that Covenant to Christ under
that very character. Therefore does the Lord Jesus say, "Behold I and
the children which God hath given Me" (Heb. 2:13).
It is to be carefully noted that God's elect are spoken of as
"children" previous to the Holy Spirit's being sent into their hearts:
"Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into
your hearts" (Gal. 4:6). They are not, then, made children by the new
birth. They were "children" before Christ died for them: "he
prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; and not for that
nation only, but that also He should gather together in one the
children of God that were scattered abroad" (John 11:51, 52). They
were not, then, made children by what Christ did for them. Yea, they
were "children" before the Lord Jesus became incarnate: "Forasmuch
then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself
likewise took part of the same" (Heb. 2:14). Thus it is a great
mistake to confound adoption and regeneration: they are two distinct
things; the latter being both the effect and evidence of the former.
Adoption was by an act of God's will in eternity-regeneration is by
the work of His grace in time.
Had there been no adoption, there would be no regeneration: yet the
former is not complete without the latter. By adoption the elect were
put into the relation of children; by regeneration they are given a
nature suited to that relation. So high is the honor of being taken
into the family of God, and so wondrous is the privilege of having God
for our Father, that some extraordinary benefit is needed by us to
assure our hearts of the same. This we have when we receive the Spirit
of adoption. For God to give us His Spirit is far more than if He had
given us all the world, for the latter would be something outside
Himself, whereas the former is Himself! The death of Christ on the
Cross was a demonstration of God's love for His people, yet that was
done without them; but in connection with what we are now considering,
"the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which
is given unto us" (Rom. 5:5).
Wondrous and blessed fact that, God manifests His love to the members
of His Church in precisely the same way that He evidenced His love
unto its Head when He became incarnate, namely, by the transcendent
gift of His Spirit. The Spirit came upon Jesus Christ as the proof of
God's love to Him and also as the visible demonstration of His
Sonship. The Spirit of God descended like a dove and abode upon Him,
and then the Father's voice was heard saying, "This is My Beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased"- compare John 3:34, 35. In fulfillment of
Christ's prayer, "I have declared unto them Thy name, and will declare
it: that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them" (John
17:26) the Spirit is given to His redeemed, to signify the sameness of
the Father's love unto His Son and unto His sons. Thus, the
inhabitation of the Spirit in the Christian is both the surest sign of
God's fatherly love and the proof of his adoption.
Inclining Hearts to Love God
"Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into
your hearts, crying, Abba, Father" (Gal. 4:6). Because they had been
eternally predestined unto the adoption of sons (Eph. 1:4, 5), because
they were actually given to Christ under that character in the
Everlasting Covenant (John 17:2; Heb. 2:13), at God's appointed time
the Holy Spirit is sent unto their hearts to give them a knowledge of
the wondrous fact that they have a place in the very family of God and
that God is their Father. This it is which inclines their hearts to
love Him, delight in Him, and place all their dependence on Him. The
great design of the Gospel is to reveal the love of God to His people,
and thereby recover their love to God, that they may love Him again
who first loved them. But the bare revelation of that love in the Word
will not secure this, until "the love of God is shed abroad in our
hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us" (Rom. 5:5).
It is by the gracious work of the Holy Spirit that the elect are
recovered from the flesh and the world unto God. By nature they love
themselves and the world above God; but the Holy Spirit imparts to
them a new nature, and Himself indwells them, so that they now love
God and live to Him. This it is which prepares them to believe and
appropriate the Gospel. The effects of the Spirit's entering as the
Spirit of adoption are liberty, confidence, and holy delight. As they
had "received" from the first Adam "the spirit of bondage"-a
legalistic spirit which produced "fear"; their receiving the Spirit of
adoption is all the more grateful: liberty being the sweeter because
of the former captivity. The Law having done its work in the
conscience, they can now appreciate the glad tidings of the Gospel-the
revelation of the amazing love and grace of God in Jesus Christ. A
spirit of
The blessed fruit of receiving the Spirit of adoption is that there is
born in the heart a childlike affection toward God and a childlike
confidence in Him: "Whereby we cry, Abba, Father." The Apostle employs
in the original two different languages, "Abba" being Syrian and
"Father" being Greek, the one familiar to the Jews, the other to the
Gentiles. By so doing he denotes that believing Jews and Gentiles are
children of one family, alike privileged to approach God as their
Father. "Christ, our peace, having broken down the middle wall of
partition between them; and now, at the same mercy-seat, the Christian
Jew and the believing Gentile both one in Christ Jesus, meet, as the
rays of light converge and blend in one common center-at the feet of
the "(O. Winslow).
A Filial Spirit
As the Spirit of adoption, the Holy Spirit bestows upon the quickened
soul a filial spirit: He acts in unison with the Son and gives a sense
of our relationship as sons. Emancipating from that bondage and fear
which the application of the Law stirred up within us, He brings us
into the joyous liberty which the reception of the Gospel bestows. 0
the blessedness of being delivered from the Covenant of Works! O the
bliss of reading our sentence of pardon in the blood of Immanuel! It
is by virtue of our having received the Spirit of adoption that we cry
"Father! Father!" It is the cry of our own heart, the desire of our
soul going out unto God. And yet our spirit does not originate it:
without the immediate presence, operation, and grace of the Holy
Spirit we neither would nor could know God as our "Father." The Spirit
is the Author of everything in us which goes out after God.
This filial spirit which the Christian has received is evidenced in
various ways. First, by a holy reverence for God our Father, as the
natural child should honor or reverence his human parent. Second, by
confidence in God our Father, as the natural child trusts in and
relies upon his earthly parent. Third, by love for our Father, as the
natural child has an affectionate regard for his parent. Fourth, by
subjection to God our Father, as the natural child obeys his parent.
This filial spirit prompts him to approach God with spiritual freedom,
so that he clings to Him with the confidence of a babe, and leans upon
Him with the calm repose of a little one lying on its parent's breast.
It admits to the closest intimacy. Unto God as his "Father" the
Christian should repair at all times, casting all his care upon Him,
knowing that He cares for him (1 Pet. 5:7). It is to be manifested by
an affectionate subjection (obedience) to Him "as dear children" (Eph.
5:1).
"The Spirit of adoption is the Spirit of God, who proceedeth from the
Father and the Son, and who is sent by Them to shed abroad the love of
God in the heart, to give a real enjoyment of it, and to fill the soul
with joy and peace in believing. He comes to testify of Christ; and by
taking of the things which are His, and showing them to His people, He
draws their heart to Him; and by opening unto them the freeness and
fullness of Divine grace, and the exceeding great and precious
promises which God has given unto His people, He leads them to know
their interest in Christ; and helps them in His name, blood, and
righteousness, to approach their heavenly Father with holy delight"
(S. E. Pierce).
John Gill observes that the word "Abba" reads backwards the same as
forwards, implying that God is the Father of His people in adversity
as well as prosperity. The Christian's is an inalienable relationship:
God is as much his "Father" when He chastens as when He delights, as
much so when He frowns as when He smiles. God will never disown His
own children or disinherit them as heirs. When Christ taught His
disciples to pray He bade them approach the mercy-seat and say, "Our
Father which art in Heaven." He Himself, in Gethsemane, cried, "Abba,
Father" (Mark 14:36)-expressive of His confidence in and dependence
upon Him. To address God as "Father" encourages faith, confirms hope,
warms the
Respective of Care
Let it next be pointed out that this filial spirit is subject to the
state and place in which the Christian yet is. Some suppose that if we
have received the Spirit of adoption there must be produced a steady
and uniform assurance, a perpetual fire burning upon the altar of the
heart. Not so. When the Son of God became incarnate, He condescended
to yield unto all the sinless infirmities of human nature, so that He
hungered and ate, wearied and slept. In like manner, the Holy Spirit
deigns to submit Himself unto the laws and circumstances which
ordinarily regulate human nature. In Heaven the man Christ Jesus is
glorified; and in Heaven the Spirit in the Christian will shine like a
perpetual star. But on earth, He indwells our hearts like a flickering
flame; never to be extinguished, but not always bright, and needing to
be guarded from rude blasts, or why bid us "quench not the Spirit" (1
Thess. 5:19)?
The Spirit, then, does not grant the believer assurance irrespective
of his own carefulness and diligence. "Let your loins be girded about,
and your lights burning" (Luke 12:35): the latter being largely
determined by the former. The Christian is not always in the enjoyment
of a child-like confidence. And why? Because he is often guilty of
"grieving" the Spirit, and then, He withholds much of His comfort.
Hereby we may ascertain our communion with God and when it is
interrupted, when He be pleased or displeased with us-by the motions
or withdrawings of the Spirit's consolation. Note the order in Acts
9:31, "Walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy
Spirit"; and again in Acts 11:24, "He was a good man, and full of the
Holy Spirit." Hence, when our confidence toward "the Father" is
clouded, we should search our
Empty professors are fatally deluded by a false confidence, a
complacent taking for granted that they are real Christians when they
have never been born again. But many true possessors are plagued by a
false diffidence, a doubting whether they be Christians at all. None
are so inextricably caught in the toils of a false confidence as they
who suspect not their delusion and are unconscious of their imminent
danger. On the other hand, none are so far away from that false
confidence as those who tremble lest they be cherishing it. True
diffidence is a distrust of myself True confidence is a leaning wholly
upon Christ, and that is ever accompanied by utter renunciation of
myself. Self-renunciation is the heart-felt acknowledgment that my
resolutions, best efforts, faith and holiness, are nothing before God,
and that Christ must be my All.
In all genuine Christians there is a co-mingling of real confidence
and false diffidence, because as long as they remain on this earth
there is in them the root of faith and the root of doubt. Hence their
prayer is "Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief' (Mark 9:24). In
some Christians faith prevails more than it does in others; in some
unbelief is more active than in others. Therefore some have a stronger
and steadier assurance than others. The presence of the indwelling
Spirit is largely evidenced by our frequent recourse to the Father in
prayer-often with sighs, sobs, and groans. The consciousness of the
Spirit of adoption within us is largely regulated by the extent to
which we yield ourselves unto His government.
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The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 23
The Spirit Witnessing
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The Holy Spirit is first a witness for Christ, and then He is a
witness to His people of Christ's infinite love and the sufficiency of
His finished work. "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send
unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth
from the Father, He shall testify (bear witness) of Me" (John 15:26).
The Spirit bears His testimony for Christ in the Scriptures; He bears
His testimony to us in our renewed minds. He is a Witness for the Lord
Jesus by all that is revealed in the Sacred Volume concerning Him. He
bears witness to the abiding efficacy of Christ's offering: that sin
is effectually put away thereby, that the Father hath accepted it,
that the elect are forever perfected thereby, and that pardon of sins
is the fruit of Christ's oblation.
The sufficiency of the Spirit to be Witness for Christ unto His people
appears first, from His being a Divine Person; second, from His being
present when the Everlasting Covenant was drawn up; third, from His
perfect knowledge of the identity of each member of the election of
grace. When the ordained hour strikes for each one to be quickened by
Him, He capacitates the soul to receive a spiritual knowledge of
Christ. He shines upon the Scriptures of Truth and into the renewed
mind. He enables the one born again to receive into his heart the
Father's record concerning His beloved Son, and to give full credit to
it. He enables him to realize that the Father is everlastingly well
pleased with every one who is satisfied with the Person,
righteousness, and atonement of His co-equal Son, and who rests his
entire hope and salvation thereon. Thereby He assures him of the
Father's acceptance of him in the Beloved.
Objective and Subjective Witness
Now the Spirit is a Witness unto God's people both objectively and
subjectively: that is to say, He bears witness to them, and He also
bears witness in them-such is His wondrous grace toward them. His
witness to them is in and through and by means of the Scriptures. "By
one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.
Whereof the Holy Spirit also is a Witness to us" (Heb. 10:14, 15),
which is explained in what immediately follows. A quotation is made
from the Prophet Jeremiah, who had spoken as he was moved by the Holy
Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21). The Lord declares of His people "their sins and
iniquities will I remember no more" (Heb. 10:17). Whereupon the Holy
Spirit points out, "Now where remission of these is, there is no more
offering for sin" (v. 18). Thus does He witness to us, through the
Word, of the sufficiency and finality of Christ's one offering.
But something more is still required by God's needy people, for they
are the subjects of many fears, and Satan frequently attacks their
faith. It is not that they have any doubt about the Divine inspiration
of the Scriptures, or the unerring reliability of every thing recorded
therein. Nor is it that they are disposed for a moment to call into
question the infinite sufficiency and abiding efficacy of the
sacrifice of Christ. No-that which occasions them such deep concern
is, whether they have a saving interest therein. They are aware that
there is a faith (such as the demons have-James 2:19) which obtains no
salvation. They perceive that the faith of which many empty professors
boast so loudly is not evidenced by their works. And they discover so
much in themselves that appears to be altogether incompatible with
their being new creatures in Christ, until they often fear their own
conversion was but a delusion after all.
When an honest soul contemplates the amazing greatness of the honor
and the stupendousness of the relation of regarding itself as a
joint-heir with Christ, it is startled and staggered. What, me a child
of God! God my Father! Who am Ito be thus exalted into the Divine
favor? Surely it cannot be so. When I consider my fearful sinfulness
and unworthiness, the awful depravity of my heart, the carnality of my
mind, such rebellion of will, so prone to evil every moment, and such
glaring flaws in all I undertake-surely I cannot have been made a
partaker of the Divine nature. It seems impossible; and Satan is ever
ready to assure me that I am not God's child. If the reader be a
stranger to such tormenting fears, we sincerely pity him. But if his
experience tallies with what we have just described, he will see how
indispensable it is that the Holy Spirit should hear witness to him
within.
But there are some who say that it is a sin for the Christian to
question his acceptance with God because he is still so depraved, or
to doubt his salvation because he can perceive little or no holiness
within. They say that such doubting is to call God's Truth and
faithfulness into question, for He has assured us of His love and His
readiness to save all who believe in His Son. They affirm it is not
our duty to examine our hearts, that we shall never obtain any
assurance by so doing; that we must look to Christ alone, and rest on
His naked Word. But does not Scripture say, "For our rejoicing is
this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly
sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have
had our conversation in the world" (2 Cor. 1:12)? And again we are
told, "Let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in
truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure
our hearts before Him" (1 John 3:18, 19).
Doubting and Professing Christians
But it is insisted that Scripture forbids all doubting: "O thou of
little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" (Matthew 14:31). Yes, but
Christ was not there blaming Peter for doubting his spiritual state,
but for fearing he would be drowned. Yet Christ "upbraided them with
their unbelief' (Mark 16:14): true, for not believing He was risen
from the dead-not for calling into question their regeneration! But
Abraham is commended because "against hope (all appearances) he
"believed in hope" (Rom. 4:18): yes, and that was that he should have
a son!-how is that relevant to what we are now discussing? But "we
walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7): yes, the conduct of the
Apostles was governed by a realization of that which is to come (see
v. 11). But "whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Rom. 14:23): but this
is nothing to the purpose; if a man does not believe it is right to do
some act, and yet ventures to do
Let us define more closely the point now under discussion. We may
state it thus: Does God require anyone to believe he has been born
again when he has no clear evidence that such is the case? Surely the
question answers itself: the God of Truth never asks anyone to believe
a lie. If my sins have not been pardoned, then the more firmly
convinced I am that they have been, the worse for me; and very ready
is Satan to second me in my self-deception! The Devil would have me
assured that all is well with me, without a diligent search and
thorough examination for sufficient evidence that I am a new creature
in Christ. O how many he is deceiving by making them believe it is
wrong to challenge their profession and put their hearts to a real
trial!
True, it is a sin for a real Christian so to live that his evidences
of regeneration are not clear; but it is no sin for him to be honest
and impartial, or to doubt when, in fact, his evidences are not clear.
It is sin to darken my evidences, but it is no sin to discover that
they are darkened. It is a sin for a man, by rioting and drunkenness,
to make himself ill; but it is no sin to feel he is sick, if there be
grounds for it, to doubt if he will survive his sickness. Our sins
bring upon us inward calamities as well as outward, but these are
chastisements rather than sins. It is the Christian's sin which lays
the foundation for doubts, which occasions them; yet those doubtings
are not themselves sins.
But it will be said, Believers are exhorted to "hold fast the
confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end" (Heb. 3:6)
and that "we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of
our confidence steadfast unto the end" (v. 14). Yes, but that
"confidence" is that Jesus is the Christ, together with a true faith
in Him, as is clear from the whole context there. Nothing is more
absurd than to say that professing Christians are made partakers of
Christ by holding fast the confidence that they are saved, for that is
what many a deceived soul does, and does to the very end (Matthew
7:22). There can be no well-grounded confidence unless it rests upon
clear evidence or reliable testimony. And for that, there must be not
only "the answer of a good conscience" (1 Pet. 3:21), but the
confirmatory witness of the Spirit.
The Office of Witness
The Holy Spirit who dwells in Christ, the great and eternal Head of
His people, dwells also in all the living members of His mystical
Body, to conform them to Him and to make them like Him in their
measure. He it is who takes possession of every quickened soul,
dwelling in them as the Spirit of life, of grace, of holiness, of
consolation, of glory. He who made them alive in the Lord, now makes
them alive to the Lord. He gives them to know the Father in the Son,
and their union with Christ. He leads them into communion with the
Father and the Son, and fulfills all the good pleasure of His will in
them and the work of faith with power (2 Thess. 1:11). In the carrying
on of His "good work" in the soul-commenced in regeneration, and
manifested in conversion to the Lord-the Spirit is pleased to act and
perform the office of Witness: "The Spirit itself beareth witness with
"(Rom. 8:16).
Now the office of a "witness" is to bear testimony or supply evidence
for the purpose of adducing proof. The first time this term occurs is
in the Epistle to the Romans in 2:15, "Which show the work of the law
written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and
their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing." The
reference is to the Heathen: though they had not received from God a
written revelation (like the Jews had), nevertheless, they were His
creatures, responsible creatures, subject to His authority, and will
yet be judged by Him. The grounds upon which God holds them
accountable are, first, the revelation which He has given them of
Himself in creation, which renders them "without excuse" (Rom. 1:19,
20); and second, the work of His Law written in their hearts, that is,
their rationality or "the light of nature." But not only do their
moral instincts instruct them in the difference between right and
wrong, and warn them of a future day of reckoning, but their
conscience also bears witness-it is a Divine monitor within, supplying
evidence that God is their Governor and Judge.
But while the Christian ever remains a creature accountable to his
Maker and Ruler, he is also a child of God, and, normally (that is,
while he is sincerely endeavoring to walk as such), his renewed
conscience bears witness to-supplies evidence of-the fact. We say
"renewed conscience," for the Christian has been renewed throughout
the whole of his inner man. The genuine Christian is able to say, "We
trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live
honestly" (Heb. 13:18)-the bent of his heart is for God and obedience
to Him. Not only is there a desire to please God, but there are
answerable endeavors: "Herein do I exercise myself, to have always a
conscience void of offense toward God, and men" (Acts 24:16). When
these endeavors are carried on there is inward assurance of our state:
"For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience" (2 Cor.
1:12).
Thus, the Christian's sincerity is evidenced by his conscience. It is
true that there is also "another law in his members, warring against
the law of his mind, and bringing him into captivity to the law of
sin" (Rom. 7:23); yet that is his grief, and not his joy; his burden
and not his satisfaction. It is true that "to will is present with
him; but how to perform that which is good (how to attain unto what he
ardently desires and prays for) he finds not." Yea, the good that he
loves to do, he often does not; and the evil which he hates, he often
falls into (Rom. 7:18, 19). Even so; yet, blameworthy and lamentable
though such things are, it in no way alters the fact that the one
whose experience it is, can call God Himself to witness that he wishes
with all his heart it were otherwise; and his own conscience testifies
to his sincerity in expressing such a desire.
What He Bears Witness To
It is most important that the Christian should be quite clear as to
what it is his own "spirit" or conscience bears witness to. It is not
to the eradication of evil from his heart, nor is it to any
purification of or improvement in his carnal nature-anyone whose
conscience bears witness to that, bears witness to a lie, for "if we
say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in
us" (1 John 1:8). So long as the Christian remains on earth, "the
flesh (the principle of sin) lusteth against the Spirit"-the principle
of grace (Gal. 5:17). Moreover, the more our thoughts are formed by
the Word, the more do we discover how full of corruption we are; the
closer we walk with God, the more light we have, and the more are the
hidden (unsuspected) things of darkness within discovered to our
horrified gaze. Thus, the Christian's assurance that he is a
regenerate person by no means signifies he is conscious that he is
more and more dying to the presence and activities of indwelling sin.
God does not intend that we should be in love with ourselves.
That which the renewed conscience of the Christian bears witness to is
the fact that he is a child of God. Side by side with the sink of
iniquity which indwells the believer-of which he becomes increasingly
conscious, and over which he daily groans-is the spirit of adoption
which has been communicated to his heart. That filial spirit draws out
his heart in love to God, so that he craves after the conscious
enjoyment of His smiling countenance, and esteems fellowship with Him
high above all other privileges. That filial spirit inspires
confidence toward God, so that he pleads His promises, counts on His
mercy, and relies on His goodness. That filial spirit begets reverence
for God, so that His ineffable majesty is held in awe. His high
authority is respected, and he trembles at His Word. That filial
spirit produces subjection to God, so that he desires to obey Him in
all things, and sincerely endeavors to walk
Now here are definite marks by which the Christian may test himself.
True, he is yet very far from being what he should be, or what he
would be could his earnest longings only be realized; nevertheless, is
not his present case very different from what it once was? Instead of
seeking to banish God from your thoughts, is it not now the desire of
your heart for your mind to be stayed upon Him, and is it not a joy to
meditate upon His perfections? Instead of giving little or no concern
as to whether your conduct honored or dishonored the Lord, is it not
now your sincere endeavor to please Him in all your ways? Instead of
paying no attention to indwelling sin, has not the plague of your
heart become your greatest burden and grief? Well, then, these very
things evidence you are a child of God. They were not in your nature,
so they must have been implanted by the Holy Spirit. Those graces may
be very feeble, yet their presence struggling amid corruptions-are
If with honesty of purpose, lowliness of heart, and prayerful inquiry,
I find myself breathing after holiness, panting after conformity to
Christ, and mourning over my failures to realize the same, then so far
from it being presumption for me to conclude I am a child of God, it
would be willful blindness to refuse to recognize the work of the
Spirit in my soul. If my conscience bears witness to the fact that I
honestly desire and sincerely endeavor to serve and glorify God, then
it is wrong for me to deny, or even to doubt, that God has "begun a
good work" in me. Take note of your health, dear reader, as well as of
your disease. Appropriate to yourself the language of Christ's Spouse,
"I sleep, but my heart waketh" (Song. 5:2)-grace is to be acknowledged
amid infirmities; that which is a cause for humiliation must
But notwithstanding the evidences which a Christian has of his Divine
sonship, he finds it no easy matter to be assured of his sincerity, or
to establish solid comfort in his soul. His moods are fitful, his
frames variable. Grace in the best of us is but small and weak, and we
have just cause to mourn the feebleness of our faith, the coldness of
our love, and the grievous imperfections of our obedience. But it is
at this very point the blessed Spirit of God, in His wondrous grace
and infinite condescension, helps our infirmities-He adds His witness
to the testimony of our renewed conscience, so that (at times) the
conviction is confirmed, and the trembling heart is assured. It is at
such seasons the Christian is able to say, "My conscience also bearing
me witness in the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 9:1).
The question which most deeply exercises a genuine saint is not, have
I repented, have I faith in Christ, have I any love for God? but
rather, are my repentance, faith and love sincere and genuine? He has
discovered that Scripture distinguishes between repentance (1 Kings
21:27) and repentance "not to be repented of" (2 Cor. 7:10); between
faith (Acts 8:13) and "faith unfeigned" (1 Tim. 1:5), between love
(Matthew 26:49) and "love in sincerity" (Eph. 6:24); and only by the
gracious enabling of the Holy Spirit can any soul discern between
them. He who bestowed upon the Christian repentance and faith must
also make him to know the things which are freely given to him of God
(1 Cor. 2:12). Grace can only be known by grace, as the sun can only
be seen in its own light. It is only by the Spirit Himself that we can
be truly assured we have been born of Him.
Errors in Subjective Witness
Rightly did Jonathan Edwards affirm, "Many have been the mischiefs
that have arisen from that false and delusory notion of the witness of
the Spirit, that it is a kind of inward voice, suggestion, or
revelation from God to man, that he is beloved of Him, and that his
sins are pardoned-sometimes accompanied with, sometimes without, a
text of Scripture; and many have been the false and vain (though very
high) affections that have arisen from hence. It is to be feared that
multitudes of souls have been eternally undone by it." Especially was
this so in the past, when fanaticism made much of the Spirit to souls.
An affectionate and dutiful child has within his own bosom the proof
of the peculiar and special relationship in which he stands to his
father. So it is with the Christian: his filial inclinations and
aspirations after God prove that he is His child. In addition to this,
the Holy Spirit gives assurance of the same blessed fact by shedding
abroad in his heart the love of God (Rom. 5:5). The Holy Spirit's
indwelling of the Christian is the sure mark of his adoption. Yet the
Spirit cannot be discerned by us in His essence: only by means of His
operations is He to be known. As we discern His work, we perceive the
Worker; and how His work in the soul can be ascertained without
diligent examination of our inward life and a careful comparison of it
with the Scriptures, we know not. The Spirit reveals Himself to us by
that spirit which He begets in us.
"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the
children of God" (Rom. 8:16). Let it be carefully noted that this
verse does not say the Spirit bears witness to our spirit (as it is so
often misquoted), but "with"-it is a single word in the Greek (a
compound verb) "beareth witness with." It is deeply important to
notice this distinction: the witness of the Spirit is not so much a
revelation which is made to my spirit, considered as the recipient of
the testimony, as it is a confirmation made in or with my spirit,
considered as co-operating in the testimony. It is not that my spirit
bears witness that I am a child of God, and that then the Spirit of
God comes in by a distinguishable process with a separate testimony,
to say Amen to my assurance; but it is that there is a single
testimony which has a conjoint origin.
The "witness" of the Spirit, then, is not by means of any supernatural
vision nor by any mysterious voice informing me I am a child of
God-for the Devil tells many a hypocrite that. "This is not done by
any immediate revelation or impulse or merely by any text brought to
the mind (for all these things are equivocal and delusory); but by
coinciding with the testimony of their own consciences, as to their
uprightness in embracing the Gospel, and giving themselves up to the
service of God. So that, whilst they are examining themselves
concerning the reality of their conversion, and find Scriptural
evidence of it, the Holy Spirit from time to time shines upon His own
work, excites their holy affections into lively exercise, renders them
very efficacious upon their conduct, and thus puts the matter "(Thomas
Scott).
Guidelines for Subjective Witness
First, the Spirit's witness is in strict accord with the teaching of
Holy Writ. In the Word He has given certain marks by which the
question may be decided as to whether or not I am a child of God: He
has described certain features by which I may identify myself-see John
8:39, Romans 4:12 and 8:14 and contrast John 8:44 and Ephesians 2:2,
3. It is by the Truth that the Spirit enlightens, convicts, comforts,
feeds, and guides the people of God; and it is by and through the
Truth that He bears witness with their spirit. There is a perfect
harmony between the testimony of Scripture and the varied experiences
of each renewed soul, and it is by revealing to us this harmony, by
showing us the correspondence between the history of our soul and the
testimony of the Word that He persuades us we are born again: "Hereby
we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts "(1 John
3:19).
Second, He works such graces in us as are peculiar to God's children,
and thereby evidences our interest in the favor of God. He makes the
Christian to feel "poor in spirit," a pauper dependent upon the
charity of God. He causes him to "mourn" over much which gives the
worldling no concern whatever. He bestows a spirit of "meekness" so
that the rebellious will is, in part, subdued, and God's will is
submitted unto. He gives a "hunger and thirst after righteousness" and
gives the soul to feel that the best this perishing world has to offer
him is unsatisfying and but empty husks. He makes him "merciful"
toward others, counteracting that selfish disposition which is in us
by nature. He makes him "pure in heart" by giving him to pant after
holiness and hate that which is vile (Matthew 5:3-8, etc.). By His own
fruit in the soul, the
Third, He helps us to discern His work of grace in our souls more
clearly. Conscience does its part, and the Spirit confirms the same.
The conjoint witness of the Spirit gives vigor and certainty to the
assurance of our hearts. When the flood-waters of a land mingle
themselves with a river they make one and the same stream, but it is
now more rapid and violent. In like manner, the united testimonies of
our own conscience and of the Spirit make but one witness, yet it
becomes such as to break down our fears and overcome our doubts. When
the blessed Spirit shines upon His own work of grace and holiness in
our souls, then in His light we "see light" (Ps. 36:9). Inward
holiness, a filial spirit, an humble heart, submission to God, is
something that Satan cannot imitate.
Fourth, He helps us not only to see grace, but to judge of the
sincerity and reality of it. It is at this point many honest souls are
most sorely exercised. It is much easier to prove that we believe,
than to be assured that our faith is a saving one. It is much easier
to conclude that we love Christ, than it is to be sure that we love
Him in sincerity and for what He is in Himself. Our hearts are
fearfully deceitful, there are many minglings of faith and unbelief
(Mark 9:24), and grace in us is so feeble that we hesitate to
pronounce positively upon our state. But when the Spirit increases our
faith, rekindles our love, strengthens us with might in the inner man,
He enables us to come to a definite conclusion. First He
The deceits of Satan, though often plausible imitations up to a point,
are, in their tendency and outcome, always opposed to that which God
enjoins. On the other hand, the operations of the Spirit are ever in
unison with the written Word. Here, then, is a sure criterion by which
we may test which spirit is at work within us. The three truths of
Scripture which more directly concern us are, our ruin by nature, our
redemption by grace, and the duties we owe by virtue of our
deliverance. If then, our beliefs, our feelings, our assurance, tend
to exalt depraved nature, depreciate Divine grace, or lead to a
licentious life, they are certainly not of God. But if they have quite
the opposite tendency, convincing us of our wretchedness by nature,
making Christ more precious to us, and leading us into the duties He
enjoins, they are of the Holy Spirit.
It only remains for us to ask, Why does not the Holy Spirit grant unto
the Christian a strong and comforting assurance of his Divine sonship
at all times? Various answers may be given. First, we must distinguish
between the Spirit's work and His witness: often it is His office to
convict and make us miserable, rather than to impart comfort and joy.
Second, His assuring consolation is often withheld because of our
slackness: we are bidden to "make your calling and election sure" and
"be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace" (2 Pet. 1:10 and
3:1 4)-the comforts of the Spirit drop not into lazy souls. Third,
because of our sins: "The Holy Spirit fell on all them which heard the
Word" (Acts 10:44)-not while they were walking in the paths of
unrighteousness. His witness is a holy one: He will not put a jewel in
a swine's snout (Prov. 11:22). Keep yourselves in the love of God
(Jude 21) and the Spirit's witness will be yours.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 24
The Spirit Sealing
_________________________________________________________________
Closely connected with the Spirit's work of witnessing with the
Christian's spirit that he is a child of God, is His operation in
sealing. This appears clearly from 2 Corinthians 1:19-22 and Ephesians
1:13.
The riches of the Christian are found in the promises of God, and
these are all "Yea and Amen" in Christ: unless, then, our faith he
built upon them, it is worthless. It is not sufficient that the
promises he sure, we must he "established" upon them. No matter how
firm the foundation (be it solid rock), unless the house he connected
therewith, actually built thereon, it is insecure. There must he a
double "Amen": one in the promises, and one in us. There must be an
echo in the Christian's own heart: God says these things, so they must
be true; faith appropriates them and says they are for me. In order to
have assurance and peace it is indispensable that we be established in
and on the Divine promises.
The Christian's riches lie in the promises of God: his strength and
comfort in his faith being built upon them. Now the same Divine power
which delivered the Christian from the kingdom of Satan and brought
him into a state of grace, must also deliver him from the attacks of
the enemy upon his faith and confirm him in a state of grace. Only God
can produce stability: only He can preserve that spark of faith amid
the winds and waves of unbelief, and this He is pleased to do-"He
which bath begun a good work in you will finish it" (Phil. 1:6).
Therefore are we told "Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ.
. . is God." Observe carefully it is not "hath stablished," but
"stablisheth" - it is a continuous process throughout the Christian's
life on earth.
In what follows the apostle shows us what this "stablishing" consists
of, or how it is accomplished: "and bath anointed us ... who bath also
sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our heart" (2 Cor.
1:22). Each of these figures refers to the same thing, and has to do
with the "stablishing" or assuring of our hearts. Under the Old
Testament economy prophets, priests, and kings were authorized and
confirmed in their office by "anointing" (Lev. 8:11; 2 Sam. 5:3; 1
Kings 19:16). Again; contracts and deeds of settlement were ratified
by "sealing" (Esther 8:8; Jer. 32:8-10). And a "pledge" or "earnest"
secured an agreement or bargain (Gen. 38:17, 18; Deut. 24:10). Thus
the sure estate of the Christian is first expressed under the general
word "stablisheth," and then it is amplified under these three
figurative terms "anointed, sealed, earnest." It is with the second of
them we are now concerned.
It may be asked, But what need has the Christian of attestation or
confirmation of his state in Christ-is not faith itself sufficient
proof? Ah, often our faith and the knowledge we have of our believing
in Christ is severely shaken; the activities of indwelling sin stir up
a thick cloud of doubt, and Satan avails himself of this to tell us
our profession is an empty one. But in His tender grace, God has given
us the Holy Spirit, and from time to time He "seals" or confirms our
faith by His quickening and comforting operations. He draws out our
hearts anew unto God and enables us to cry "Abba, Father." He takes of
the things of Christ, shows them to us, and brings us to realize that
we have a personal interest in the Same.
The same blessed truth is found again in Ephesians 1:13. It is
important to note the order of the three things there predicated of
saints: they "heard," they "believed," they were "sealed": thus the
sealing is quite distinct from and follows the believing, as the
believing does the hearing. There are two things, and two only, upon
which the Spirit puts His seal, namely, two mighty and efficacious
works: first, the finished work of Christ, whereby He put away sin by
the sacrifice of Himself; and second, upon His own work in the hearts
of those who believe. In legal documents the writing always precedes
the witnessing and sealing: so here, the Spirit writes God's laws on
the heart (Heb. 8:10), and then He seals the truth and reality of His
own work to the consciousness of the recipient.
The main intent of "sealing" is to assure, to certify and ratify.
First, the Holy Spirit conveys an assurance of the truth of God's
promises, whereby a man's understanding is spiritually convinced that
the promises are from God. Neither the light of reason nor the
persuasive power of a fellow-mortal can bring any one to rest his
heart upon the Divine promises: in order to do that, there must be the
direct working of the Holy Spirit-"Our gospel came not unto you in
word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much
assurance" (1 Thess. 1:5): the "much assurance comes last! Second, He
gives the believer an assurance of his own personal interest in those
promises: and this again is something which none but the Spirit can
impart. We do not say that this sealing excludes all doubting, but it
is such an assurance as prevails over doubts.
There are many uses of a "seal" such as proprietorship,
identification, confirmation, secrecy, security; but in Ephesians 1:13
the immediate thing stated is the sealing of an inheritance: we have
obtained an inheritance by faith, and having believed we are "sealed."
What is the specific use of a "seal" in connection with an
inheritance? It may either be the making of the inheritance sure to a
man in itself, or making the man know that it is his-assuring him of
the fact. Now it cannot be the former, for nothing is needed to make
Heaven sure once a sinner truly believes-the moment he lays hold of
Christ, the inheritance is certain. So it must be the latter: to make
us sure, to persuade our hearts the inheritance is ours. It is this
the Spirit accomplishes in His "seal."
The Holy Spirit is never called a "Seal" as He is an "Earnest" (2 Cor.
5:5): it is only in relation to an act of sealing that this figure is
associated with Him; thus it is a distinct operation of His "in our
hearts" (2 Cor. 1:22). It is not the stamping of God's image upon the
soul (as many of the Puritans supposed) that is referred to in
Ephesians 1:13, for that is done before believing, and not after. The
order of truth in that verse is very simple and decisive: in the
gospel salvation is offered -it may he mine; faith accepts that offer
so as to make salvation mine; thc Spirit seals or confirms my heart
that salvation is mine. Thus in "sealing" the Spirit authenticates,
certifies, ratifies.
Observe that He does this in His special character as "the Spirit of
promise." He is so designated because, first, the Spirit was the great
and grand promise of the New Testament (John 14:26; 15:26, etc.) as
Christ was of the Old Testament. Second, because He works by means of
the promises. Third, because in His whole work He acts according to
the everlasting covenant, which, as it respects the elect, is a
Covenant of Promise (Eph. 2:12). When He seals home a sense of the
love of God and gives the soul a view of its interest in Christ, it is
done by means of the Word of Promise. It was so when He "sealed"
Christ (John 6:27) and consecrated Him to the work of redemption. The
Father said by an audible voice from Heaven, "This is my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased": this was repeating what had been
pronounced in the purpose of Jehovah the Father concerning the
Mediator (Isa. 42:1); this the Holy Spirit brought home in power or
"sealed" upon the mind of Jesus at that time.
The "sealing" or assuring operations of the Spirit are known to the
believer in two ways. First, inferentially: by enabling him to
perceive His work in the soul and from it conclude his regeneration.
When I see smoke I must infer a fire, and when I discern spiritual
graces (however feeble) I reason back to the Producer of them. When I
feel a power within combating my corruptions, and often thwarting my
intentions to indulge the lusts of the flesh, I conclude it is the
Spirit resisting the flesh (Gal. 5:17). Second, intuitively: by a
Divine light in the heart, by a Divine authority felt, by the love of
God shed abroad therein. If I have any hope wrought in me, either by
looking to Christ's blood or perceiving grace in me, it is by the
power of the Spirit (Rom. 15:13).
The Spirit brings to the mind of the Christian the sacred promises. He
shows us the good contained in them, the grace expressed in them, the
perfection and freeness of Christ's salvation declared by them; and
thereby He seals them on our mind and enables us to rest thereon. He
shows us the veracity and faithfulness of God in the promises, the
immutability of the everlasting covenant, the eternity of God's love,
and that He hath by two immutable things (His word and His oath), in
which it is impossible for Him to lie, given a firm foundation for
strong consolation to us who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the
hope set before us in the gospel (Heb. 6:18). It is in this way that
"the God of all grace" doth, by the Spirit, "stablish, strengthen,
settle us" (1 Pet. 5:10). It is by the Spirit's operations that the
Christian's fears are quietened, his doubts subdued, and his heart
assured that a "good work" (Phil. 1:6) has been Divinely begun in him.
The Spirit indwelling us is Christ's seal (mark of identification)
that we are His sheep; the Spirit authenticating His own blessed work
in our souls, by revealing to us our "title" to Heaven, is His sealing
us.
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The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 25
The Spirit Assisting
_________________________________________________________________
Role of Suffering
A child of God oppressed, suffering sorely, often driven to his wit's
end-what a strange thing! A joint-heir with Christ financially
embarrassed, poor in this world's goods, wondering where his next meal
is coming from-what an anomaly! An object of the Father's everlasting
love and distinguishing favor tossed up and down upon a sea of
trouble, with every apparent prospect of his frail boat capsizing-what
a perplexity! One who has been regenerated and is now indwelt by the
Holy Spirit daily harassed by Satan, and frequently overcome by
indwelling sin-what an enigma! Loved by the Father, redeemed by the
Son, his body made the temple of the Holy Spirit, yet left in this
world year after year to suffer affliction and persecution, to mourn
and groan over innumerable failures, to encounter one trial after
another, often to be placed in far less favorable circumstances than
the wicked; to sigh and cry for relief, yet for sorrow and suffering
to increase-what a mystery! What Christian has not felt the force of
it, and been baffled by its inscrutability.
Now it was to cast light upon this pressing problem of the sorely
tried believer that the eighth chapter of Romans was written. There
the Apostle was moved to show that "the sufferings of the present
time" (v. 18) are not inconsistent with the special favor and infinite
love which God bears unto His people. First, because by those
sufferings the Christian is brought into personal and experimental
fellowship with the sufferings of Christ (v. 17 and cf. Phil. 3:10).
Second, severe and protracted as our afflictions may be, yet there is
an immeasurable disproportion between our present sufferings and the
future Glory (vv. 18-23). Third, our very sufferings provide occasion
for the exercise of hope and the development of patience (vv. 24, 25).
Fourth, Divine aids and supports are furnished us under our
afflictions (vv. 26, 27) and it is these we would now consider.
Help amidst Suffering
"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities" (Rom. 8:26). Not
only does "hope" (a sure expectation of God's making good His
promises) support and cheer the suffering saint, leading him to
patiently wait for deliverance from his afflictions, but the blessed
Comforter has also been given to him in order to supply help to this
very end. By His gracious aid the believer is preserved from being
totally submerged by his doubts and fears. By His renewing operations
the spark of faith is maintained, despite all the fierce winds of
Satan which assail. By His mighty enabling the sorely harassed and
groaning Christian is kept from sinking into complete skepticism,
abject despair, and infidelity. By His quickening power hope is still
kept alive, and the voice of prayer is still faintly heard.
And how is the gracious help of the Spirit manifested? Thus: seeing
the Christian bowed down by oppression and depression, His compassion
is called forth, and He strengthens with His might in the inner man.
Every Christian is a living witness to the truth of this, though he
may not be conscious of the Divine process. Why is it, my afflicted
brother, my distressed sister, that you have not made shipwreck of
your profession long ere this? What has kept you from heeding that
repeated temptation of Satan's to totally abandon the good fight of
faith? Why has not your manifold "infirmities" annihilated your faith,
extinguished your hope, and cast a pall of unrelieved gloom upon the
future? The answer is because the blessed Spirit silently, invisibly,
yet sympathetically and effectually helped you. Some precious promise
was sealed to your heart, some comforting view of Christ was presented
to your soul, some whisper of love was breathed into your ear, and the
pressure upon your spirit was reduced, your grief was assuaged, and
fresh courage possessed you.
Here, then, is real light cast upon the problem of a suffering
Christian- the most perplexing feature of that problem being how to
harmonize sore sufferings with the love of God. But if God had ceased
to care for His child, then He had deserted him, left him to himself
Very far from this, though, is the actual case: the Divine Comforter
is given to help his infirmities. Here, too, is the sufficient answer
to an objection which the carnal mind is ready to make against the
inspired reasoning of the Apostle in the context: How can we who are
so weak in ourselves, so inferior in power to the enemies confronting
us, bear up under our trials which are so numerous, so protracted, so
crushing? We could not, and therefore Divine grace has provided for us
an all-sufficient Helper. Without His aid we had long since succumbed,
mastered by our trials. Hope looks forward to the Glory to come; in
the weary interval of waiting, the Spirit supports our poor hearts and
keeps grace
"Our infirmities": note the plural number, for the Christian is full
of them, physically, mentally, and spiritually. Frail and feeble are
we in ourselves, for "all flesh is grass, and all the goodliness
thereof is as the flower of the field" (Isa. 40:6). We are "compassed
with infirmity" (Heb. 5:2) both within and without. When trials and
troubles come we are often bewildered by them and faint beneath them.
When opposition and persecution break out against us, because of our
cleaving to the Truth and walking with Christ, we are staggered. When
the chastening rod of our Father falls upon us, how we fret and fume.
What a little thing it takes to disturb our peace, stifle the voice of
praise, and cause us to complain and murmur. How easily is the soul
cast down, the promises of God forgotten, the glorious future awaiting
us lost sight of. How ready are we to say with Jacob, "All these
things are against me," or with David, "I shall now perish one day at
the hand of Saul."
The "infirmities" of Christians are as numerous as they are varied.
Some are weak in faith, and constantly questioning their interest in
Christ. Some are imperfectly instructed in the Truth, and therefore
ill-prepared to meet the lies of Satan. Some are slow travelers along
the path of obedience, frequently lagging in the rear. Others groan
under the burden of physical afflictions. Some are harassed with a
nervous temperament which produces a state of perpetual pessimism,
causing them to look only upon the dark side of the cloud. Others are
weighed down with the cares of this life, so that they are constantly
depressed. Others are maligned and slandered, persecuted and
boycotted, which to those of a sensitive disposition is well-nigh
unbearable. "Our infirmities" include all that cause us to groan and
render us the objects of the Divine compassion.
But "the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities." Here is a Divine
revelation, for we had known nothing about it apart from the
Scriptures. We are not left alone to endure our infirmities: we have a
helper, a Divine Helper; One not far off, but with us; nay, in us. The
Greek word here for "helpeth" is a striking one; it signifies to "take
part with" or to "take hold with one." It occurs in only one other
passage, namely, "bid Mary therefore that she help me" (Luke 10:40),
where the obvious thought is that Martha was asking for her sister's
assistance, to share the burden of the kitchen, that she might be
eased. The Spirit "helpeth" the Christian's infirmities not only by a
sympathetic regard, but by personal participation, supporting him
beneath them, like a mother "helps" her child when leaming to walk, or
a friend gives his arm to an aged person to lean upon.
In his comments on this clause Calvin says, "The Spirit takes on
Himself a part of the burden by which our weakness is oppressed, so
that He not only succours us, but lifts us up, as though He went under
the burden with us." Oh how this should endear the blessed Spirit of
God to us. We worship the Father, whence every mercy has its rise; we
adore the Son, through whom every blessing flows; but how often we
overlook the Holy Spirit, by whom every blessing is actually
communicated and applied. Think of His deep compassion, His manifold
succourings, His tender love, His mighty power, His efficacious grace,
His infinite forbearance; all these challenge our hearts and should
awaken praises from us. They would if we meditated more upon them.
The Spirit does not remove our "infirmities," any more than the Lord
took away Paul's thorn in the flesh; but He enables us to bear them.
Constrained by a love which no thought can conceive, moved by a
tenderness no tongue can describe, He places His mighty arm beneath
the pressure and sustains us. Though He has been slighted and grieved
by us a thousand times, receiving at our hands the basest requital for
His tenderness and grace, yet when a sword enters our soul or some
fresh trouble bows us down to the ground, He again places beneath us
the arms of His everlasting love and prevents our sinking into
hopeless despair.
Help in Intercessory Prayer
It is a great infirmity or weakness for the Christian to faint in the
day of adversity, yet such is often the case. It is a sad thing when,
like Rachel of old weeping for her children, he "refuses to be
comforted" (Jer. 31:15). It is most deplorable for all when he so
gives way to unbelief that the Lord has to say to him, "How is it that
ye have no faith?" (Mark 4:40). Terrible indeed would be his end if
God were to leave him entirely to himself. This is clear from what is
said in Mark 4:17, "when affliction or persecution ariseth for the
Word's sake, immediately they are offended," or as Luke says, "Which
for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away" (8:13). And
why does the stony-ground hearer apostatize? Because he is without the
assistance of the Holy Spirit! Writer and reader would do the same if
no Divine aid were forthcoming!
But thank God, the feeble and fickle believer is not left to himself:
"the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities" (Rom. 8:26). That "help" is
as manifold as our varied needs; but the Apostle singles out one
particular "infirmity" which besets all Christians, and which the
blessed Spirit graciously helps: "for we know not what we should pray
for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us."
How this Divine declaration should humble us into the dust: so
depraved is the saint that in the hour of need he is incapable of
asking God aright to minister unto him. Sin has so corrupted his heart
and darkened his understanding that, left to himself, he cannot even
discern what he should ask God for. Alas, that pride should so blind
us to our real condition and our deep, deep need.
In nothing do the saints more need the Spirit's presence and His
gracious assistance than in their addresses of the Throne of Grace.
They know that God in His Persons and perfections is the Object of
their worship; they know that they cannot come unto the Father but by
Christ, the alone Mediator; and they know that their access to Him
must be by the Spirit (Eph. 2:18). Yet such are their varying
circumstances, temptations, and wanderings, so often are they shut up
in their frames and cold in their affections, such deadness of heart
is there toward God and spiritual things, that at times they know not
what to pray for as they ought. But it is here that the Spirit's love
and grace is most Divinely displayed: He helps their infirmities and
makes intercession for them!
One had thought that if ever there were a time when the Christian
would really pray, earnestly and perseveringly, and would know what to
ask for, it should be when he is sorely tried and oppressed. Alas, how
little we really know ourselves. Even a beast will cry out when
suffering severe pain, and it is natural (not spiritual!) that we
should do the same. Of degenerate Israel of old God said, "they have
not cried unto Me with their heart, when they howled upon their beds"
(Hosea 7:14): no, relief from their sufferings was all they thought
about. And by nature our hearts are just the same! So long as we are
left to ourselves (to try us and manifest what we are: 2 Chron.
32:31), when the pressure of sore trial comes upon us, we are
concerned only with deliverance from it, and not that God may be
glorified or that the trial may be sanctified to our souls.
Left for himself, man asks God for what would be curses rather than
blessings, for what would prove to be snares rather than helps to him
spiritually. Have we not read of Israel that, "They tempted God in
their heart by asking meat for their lust" (Ps. 78:18); and again, "He
gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul" (Ps.
106:15)! Perhaps someone replies, But they were not regenerate souls.
Then have we not read in James, "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye
ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts" (4:3)? Ah, my
reader, this is a truth which is very unpalatable to our proud hearts.
Did not Moses "ask" the Lord that he might be permitted to enter
Canaan (Deut. 3:26, 27)? Did not the Apostle Paul thrice beseech the
Lord for the removal of his thorn in the flesh? What proofs are these
that "we know not what we should pray for as we ought!"
"The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities." This being so, surely the
least that we can do is to seek His aid, to definitely ask Him to
undertake for us. Alas, how rarely we do so. As intimated above, when
the pressure of trouble first presses upon us, usually it is nature
which cries out for relief At other times the soul is so cast down
that even the voice of natural "prayer" is stifled. Often there is so
much rebellion at work in our hearts against the providential
dispensations of God toward us that we feel it would be mockery to
seek His face; yea, we are ashamed to do so. Such at least has been
the experience of the writer more than once, and that not long ago,
though he blushes to acknowledge it. O the infinite patience and
forbearance of our gracious God!
Why We Need Help
"We know not what we should pray for as we ought." And why? First,
because we are so blinded by self-love that we are unable to discern
what will be most for God's glory, what will best promote the good of
our brethren (through some of the dross being purged out of us), and
what will advance our own spiritual growth. O what wretched "prayers"
(?) we put up when we are guided and governed by self-interests, and
what cause do we give the Lord to say "ye know not what manner of
spirit ye are of' (Luke 9:55). Alas, how often we attempt to make God
the Servant of our carnal desires. Shall we ask our heavenly Father
for worldly success! Shall we come to Him who was born in a stable and
ask Him for temporal luxuries or even comforts!
Why is it that "we know not what we should pray for as we ought"?
Second, because our minds are so discomposed by the trial and the
suffering it brings, and then we have to say with one of old, "I am so
troubled that I cannot speak" (Ps. 77:4): so you see, dear "brother,
and companion in tribulation" (Rev. 1:9) that you are not the first to
experience spiritual dumbness! But it is most blessed to link with
this such a promise as, "For the Holy Spirit shall teach you in the
same hour what ye ought to say" (Luke 12:12). Why is it that "we know
not what we should pray for as we ought"? Third, because oftentimes
our tongues are tied as the result of leanness of our souls. It is
"out of the abundance of the heart" that "the mouth speaketh" (Matthew
12:34), and if the Word of Christ be not dwelling in us "richly" (Col.
3:16), how can we expect to have the
"The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities," but He does so silently and
secretly, so that we are not conscious of His assistance at the time
He renders it. That gracious and effectual help is manifested to us by
the effects which it has produced in us; though so perverse are our
hearts and so great is our pride, we often attribute those effects to
our own will-power or resolution. Have we suddenly, or even gradually,
emerged from the slough of despond? It was not because we had "come to
our senses" or "regained our poise," rather was it solely due to the
Spirit's renewing us in the inner man. Has the storm within us-which
God's crossing of our will occasioned-been calmed? It was because the
Spirit deigned to subdue our iniquities. Has the voice of true prayer
again issued from us? It was because the Spirit had made intercession
for us.
Lord God the Spirit, to whom Divine honor and glory belongs, equally
as to the Father and the Son, I desire to present unto Thee unfeigned
praise and heartfelt thanksgiving. O how deeply am I indebted to Thee:
how patiently hast Thou borne with me, how tenderly hast Thou dealt
with me, how graciously hast Thou wrought in me. Thy love passeth
knowledge, Thy forbearance is indeed Divine. O that I were more
conscientious and diligent in seeking not to slight and grieve Thee.
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The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 26
The Spirit Interceding
_________________________________________________________________
If left to himself, the believer would never see (by faith) the
all-wise hand of God in his afflictions, still less would his heart
ever honestly say concerning them, "Thy will be done." If left to
himself, he would never seek grace to patiently endure the trial,
still less would he hope that afterwards it would produce the
peaceable fruit of righteousness (Heb. 12:11). If left to himself, he
would continue to chafe and kick like "a bullock unaccustomed to the
yoke" (Jer. 31:18) and would curse the day of his birth (Job 3:1). If
left to himself, he would have no faith that his sufferings were among
the "all things" working together for his ultimate good, still less
would he "glory in his infirmity that the power of Christ might rest
upon him" (2 Cor. 12:9). No, dear reader, such holy exercises of heart
are not the product of poor fallen human nature; instead, they are
nothing less than the immediate, gracious, and lovely fruits of the
Holy Spirit-brought forth amid such uncongenial soil.
"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not
what we should pray for as we ought" (Rom. 8:26). At no one point is
the Christian made more conscious of his "infirmities" than in
connection with his prayer-life. The effects of indwelling corruption
are such that often prayer becomes an irksome task, rather than the
felt delight of a precious privilege; and strive as he may, he cannot
always overcome this fearful spirit. Even when he endeavors to pray,
he is handicapped by wanderings of mind, coldness of heart, the
intrusion of carnal cares; while he is painfully conscious of the
unreality of his petitions and unfelt confessions. How cold are the
effusions of our hearts in secret devotions, how feeble our
supplications, how little solemnity of mind, brokenness of heart. How
often the prayer exercises of our souls seem a mass of confusion and
contradiction.
"But the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which
cannot be uttered" (Rom. 8:26). It is particularly the help which the
blessed Comforter gives the Christian in his prayer-life, in the
counteracting of his "infirmities," which is now to engage our
attention. In Zechariah 12:10 He is emphatically styled "The Spirit of
grace and of supplications," for He is the Author of every spiritual
desire, every holy aspiration, every outgoing of the heart after God.
Prayer has rightly been termed "the breathing of the newborn soul,"
yet we must carefully bear in mind that its respiration is wholly
determined by the stirrings of the Holy Spirit within us. As the
Person, work and intercession of Christ are the foundation of all our
confidence in approaching the Father, so every spiritual exercise in
prayer is the fruit of the Spirit's operations and intercession.
How the Spirit Intercedes
First, when the believer is most oppressed by outward trials and is
most depressed by a sense of his inward vileness, when he is at his
wit's end and ready to wring his hands in despair, or is most
conscious of his spiritual deadness and inability to express the
sinfulness of his case, the Spirit stirs him in the depths of his
being: "The Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings
which cannot be uttered." There has been some difference of opinion as
to whether this refers directly to groanings of the Spirit Himself, or
indirectly to the spiritual groanings of the Christian, which are
prompted and produced by Him. But surely there is no room for
uncertainty: the words "cannot be uttered" could not apply to a Divine
Person. That which He produces in and through the believer, is
ascribed to the Spirit-the "fruit" of Galatians 5:22, and Galatians
4:6 compared with
As it is the Spirit who illumines and gives us to see the exceeding
sinfulness of sin and the depravity of our hearts, so He is the One
who causes us to groan over the same. The conscience is pierced, the
heart is searched, the soul is made to feel something of its fearful
state. The conscious realization of "the plague of our hearts" (1
Kings 8:38) and its "putrefying sores" (Isa. 1:6), produces
unutterable anguish. The painful realization of our remaining enmity
against God, the rebellion of our wills, the woeful lack of
heart-conformity to His holy Law, so casts down the soul that it is
temporarily paralyzed. Then it is that the Spirit puts forth His
quickening operations, and we "groan" so deeply that we cannot express
our feelings, articulate our woe, or unburden our hearts. All that we
can do is to sigh and sob inwardly. But such tears of the heart are
precious in the sight of God (Ps. 56:8) because they are produced by
His blessed Spirit.
Second, when the soul is so sorely oppressed and deeply distressed,
the Spirit reveals to the mind what should be prayed for. He it is who
pours oil on the troubled waters, quiets in some measure the storm
within, spiritualizes the mind, and enables us to perceive the nature
of our particular need. It is the Spirit who makes us conscious of our
lack of faith, submissiveness, obedience, courage, or whatever it may
be. He it is who gives us to see and feel our spiritual wants, and
then to make them known before the Throne of Grace. The Spirit helps
our infirmities by subduing our fears, increasing our faith,
strengthening our hope, and drawing out our hearts unto God. He grants
us a renewed sense of the greatness of God's mercy, the changelessness
of His love, and the infinite merits of Christ's sacrifice before Him
on our behalf.
Third, the Spirit reveals to cast-down saints that the supplies of
grace for their varied needs are all expressed in the promises of God.
It is those promises which are the measures of prayer, and contain the
matter of it; for what God has promised, all that He has promised, but
nothing else are we to ask for. "There is nothing that we really stand
in need of, but God hath promised the supply of it, in such a way and
under such limitations as may make it good and useful unto us. And
there is nothing that God hath promised but we stand in need of it, or
are some way or other concerned in it as members of the mystical body
of Christ" (John Owen). But at this point also the help of the Spirit
is imperative, "that we might know the things that are freely given to
us of God" (1 Cor. 2:12).
It is thus that the Spirit bears up the distressed minds of
Christians: by directing their thoughts to those promises most suited
to their present case, by impressing a sense of them upon their
hearts, by giving them to discern that those precious promises contain
in them the fruits of Christ's mediation, by renewing their faith so
that they are enabled to lay hold of and plead them before God. Real
prayer is in faith: faith necessarily respects God's promises:
therefore if we understand not the spiritual import of the promises,
the suitability of them to our varied cases, and reverently urge the
actual fulfillment of them to us, then we have not prayed at all. But
for that sight and sense of the promises, and the appropriation of
them, we are entirely dependent upon the Holy Spirit.
Fourth, the Spirit helps the Christian to direct his petitions unto
right ends. Many prayers remain unanswered because of our failure at
this point: "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye
may consume it upon your lusts" (Jas. 4:3). The "ask amiss" in that
passage means to ask for something with a wrong end in view, and were
we left entirely to ourselves, this would always be the case with us.
Only three ends are permissible: that God may be glorified, that our
spirituality may be promoted, that our brethren may be blessed. Now
none but the Spirit can enable us to subordinate all our desires and
petitions unto God's glory. None but the Spirit can bring us to make
our advancement in holiness our end-the reason why we ask God to grant
our requests. This He does by putting into our minds a high valuation
of conformity to God, a deep longing in the heart that His image may
be more manifestly stamped upon us, a strong inclination of will to
diligently seek
It is by the Spirit the sin-troubled Christian is helped to apprehend
God as his Father, and his heart is emboldened to approach Him as
such. It is by the Spirit we are granted a conscious access to the
Throne of Grace. He it is who moves us to plead the infinite merits of
Christ. He it is who strengthens us to pray in a holy manner, rather
than from carnal motives and sentiments. He it is who imparts any
measure of fervor to our hearts so that we "cry" unto God-which
respects not the loudness of our voices, but the earnestness of our
supplications. He it is who gives us a spirit of importunity, so that
we are enabled (at times) to say with Jacob, "I will not let Thee go,
except Thou bless me" (Gen. 32:26). And He it is who prepares the
heart to receive God's answer, so that what is bestowed is a real
blessing to us and not a curse.
In conclusion let it be pointed out that the motions of the Spirit in
the saint are a "help" to prayer, but not the rule or reason of
prayer. There are some who say that they never attempt to pray unless
conscious that he Spirit moves them to do so. But this is wrong: the
Spirit is given to help us in the performance of duty, and not in the
neglect of it! God commands us to pray: that is our "rule"-"always to
pray" (Luke 18:1), "in everything by prayer and supplication" (Phil.
4:6). For many years past, the editor had made it a practice of
beginning his prayers by definitely and trustfully seeking the
Spirit's aid: see Luke 11:13. Do not conclude that lack of words and
suitable expressions is a proof that the Spirit is withholding His
help. Finally, remember that He is Sovereign: "the wind bloweth were
it listeth" (John 3:8).
The Negative and the Positive
God's Word is designed to have a twofold effect upon the Christian: a
distressing and a comforting. As we appropriate the Scriptures to
ourselves, pride will be abased and the old man cast down; on the
other hand faith will be strengthened and the new man built up. Our
poor hearts first need humbling, and then exalting; we must be made to
mourn over our sins, and then be filled with praise at the realization
of God's amazing grace. Now in Romans 8:26, 27 there is that which
should produce both these effects upon us. First, we are reminded of
"our infirmities" or weaknesses: note the plural number, for we are
full of them-how our apprehension of this should "hide pride from us"!
Yet, second, here is also real ground for comfort and hope: "The
Spirit also helpeth our infirmities." The frail and erring believer is
not left to himself: a gracious, all-powerful, ever-present Helper is
given to support and assist him. How this blessed fact should rejoice
our hearts!
The tones of Scripture, then, fall upon the ear of God's children in
ever alternating keys: the minor and the major. So it is in the
passage before us, for next we read "we know not what we should pray
for as we ought." What a pride-withering word is that! One which is in
direct variance with what is commonly supposed. The general belief is
that men do know well enough what they should pray for, but they are
so careless and wicked they do not discharge this duty; but God says,
they "know not." Nor can the godliest saint or wisest minister help
the unregenerate at this point, by drawing up for them a form of
words, which suitably expresses their needs, for it is one thing to
have Scriptural words upon our lips, but it is quite another for the
soul to feel his dire need of what he asks for; it is out of the
abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh in prayer, or God will not
hear.
But the words of our text are yet more searching and solemn: they
refer not to the unregenerate (though of course it is of them), but to
the regenerate: "we (Christians) know not what we should pray for as
we ought." And again we say what a heart-humbling word is this. Now we
are partakers of the Divine nature, now a way has been opened for us
into the presence of God, now we have access to the Throne of Grace
itself, now we are invited to "make known our requests." Yet so
fearfully has sin darkened our judgment, so deceitful and wicked are
our hearts, so blind are we as to what would truly promote the
manifest glory of God and what would really be for our highest good,
that "we know not what we should pray for as we ought." Do you
actually believe this, my reader? If you do, it must bring you into
the dust before the One with whom we have to do.
"We know not what we should pray for as we ought." No, we "know not"
even with the Bible in our hands, in which are full instructions to
direct praying souls; in which are so many inspired prayers for our
guidance. No, we "know not" even after the Lord Himself has graciously
supplied us with a pattern prayer, after which ours should be modeled.
Sin has so perverted our judgments, self-love has so filmed our eyes,
worldliness has so corrupted our affections, that even with a Divine
manual of prayer in our hands, we are quite incapable (of ourselves)
of discerning what we should ask for-supplies of Divine grace to
minister to our spiritual needs-and are unable to present our suit in
a spiritual manner, acceptable to God. How the recognition of this
fact should empty our hearts of conceit! How the realization of it
should fill us with shame! What need have we to cry, "Lord, teach us
to pray!"
But now on the other side: lest we should be utterly cast down by a
sense of our excuseless and guilty ignorance, we are Divinely informed
"the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us." Wondrous indeed,
unspeakably blessed, is this! Instead of turning away from us in
disgust because of our culpable ignorance, God has not only provided
us with an Intercessor at His right hand (Heb. 7:25). But what is to
the writer even more remarkable, God has given His needy people a
Divine Intercessor at their right hand, even the Holy Spirit. How this
glorious fact should raise our drooping souls, revolutionize our ideas
of prayer, and fill our hearts with thanksgiving and praise for this
unspeakable Gift. If it be asked, Why has God provided two
Intercessors for His people, the answer is: to bridge the entire gulf
between Him and us. One to represent God to us, the Other to represent
us before God. The One to prompt our prayers, the Other to present
them to the Father. The One to ask blessings for us, the Other to
convey blessings unto us!
Groanings
It is indeed striking to observe this alternation between the minor
and major keys running all through our passage, for next we are told,
"the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which
cannot be uttered." This, as we have seen, refers to the inward
anguish which the Spirit produces in the believer. Here, then, is
further ground for self-abasement: even when a sense of need has been
communicated to us, so sottish are we that our poor hearts are
overwhelmed, and all we can do is to sigh and groan. Even when the
Spirit has convicted us of our corruptions and imparted a deep
yearning for Divine grace, we are incapable of articulating our wants
or expressing our longings: rather is our case then like the
Psalmist's, "I was dumb with silence" (39:2). If left to ourselves,
the distress occasioned by our felt sinfulness would quite disable us
to pray.
It may be objected, To what purpose is it that the Spirit should stir
up such "groanings," which the Christian can neither understand nor
express? Ah, this brings us to the brighter side again: "He that
searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit" (Rom.
8:27). God knows what those groanings mean, for He discerns the very
thoughts and intents of our hearts. How comforting is this: to realize
in prayer we are coming to One who thoroughly understands us! How
blessed to be assured that God will rightly interpret every motion the
Spirit prompts within us. God "knows" the "mind of the Spirit"-His
intention in producing our anguish. God is able to distinguish between
the moanings of "groanings" of which the Spirit is the Author.
There is a fourfold "spirit" which works in prayer. First, the natural
spirit of man, which seeks his own welfare and preservation. This is
not sinful, as may be seen from the case of Christ in Gethsemane: the
innocent desire of human nature to be delivered from the awful
pressure upon Him; and then subjecting His will to the Father's.
Second, a carnal and sinful spirit: "your brethren that hated you,
that cast you out for My name's sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified"
(Isa. 66:5), but God did not answer them in the way they meant. Third,
the new nature in the believer, which has holy aspirations, but is
powerless of itself to express them. Fourth, "praying in the Holy
Spirit" (Jude 20)-by His prompting and power. Now God discerns between
the motions of nature, the lustings of the flesh, the longings of
grace, and the desires wrought by the Spirit. This it is which
explains "The LORD weigheth the spirits" (Prov. 16:2)-the "spirit"
mentioned above.
None but God is able to thus distinguish and interpret the "groanings"
of the Spirit in the saint. A striking proof of this is found in, "Now
Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was
not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken" (1 Sam
1:13)-even the high priest of Israel was incapable of discerning the
anguish of her heart and what the Spirit had prompted within her. "He
that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit,"
(Rom. 8:27), signifies far more than that He understands: God approves
and delights in-for this use of the word "know" see Psalm 1:6; Amos
3:2; John 10:14; 1 Corinthians 8:3. And why is it that God thus finds
perfect complacency in the mind of our Helper? Because as the Father
and the Son are One, so the Father and the Spirit are One-one in
nature,
"Because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will
of God" (Rom. 8:27). Here is additional ground for our encouragement.
The words "the will of" are in italics, which means they are not in
the Greek, but have been supplied by our translators. They interpose a
needless limitation. That which the Spirit produces in the saint is,
first, in accord with God's nature-spiritual and holy. Second, it is
according to God's Word, for the Spirit ever prompts us to ask for
what has been revealed or promised. Third, it is according to God's
purpose, for the Spirit is fully cognizant of all the Divine counsels.
Fourth, it is according to God's glory, for the Spirit teaches us to
make that our end in asking. 0 what encouragement is here: the Spirit
creates within us holy desires, the Son presents them, the Father
understands and approves them! Then let us "come boldly to the Throne
of Grace."
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A. W. Pink Header
The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 27
The Spirit Transforming
_________________________________________________________________
2 Corinthians 3:18
Just as there are certain verses in the Old Testament and the Gospels
which give us a miniature of the redemptive work of Christ for God's
people-such, for example, as Isaiah 53:5 and John 3:16-so in the
Epistles there are some condensed doctrinal declarations which express
in a few words the entire work of the Spirit in reforming, conforming,
and transforming believers. 2 Corinthians 3:18 is a case in point:
"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the
Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by
the Spirit of the Lord." This important passage supplies a brief but
blessed summary of the progressive work of grace which is wrought in
the Christian by the indwelling Spirit. It focuses to a single point
the different rays which are emitted by the various graces which He
communicates to them, namely, that wherein the saint is slowly but
surely conformed unto and transfigured into the very image of the
Lord.
There are many parts in and aspects of the Spirit's work in reforming,
conforming and transforming the believer, but they are here epitomized
in one brief but most comprehensive statement, which we now propose to
examine and expound. As an aid to this, let us proceed to ask our
verse a number of questions. First, exactly what is meant by "the
glory of the Lord," into "the same image" of which all believers "are
changed"?-are-not, "shall be." Second, what is "the glass" in which we
are beholding this glory? Third, what is denoted in the we are
"changed into the same image from glory to glory." Fourth, what is the
force of "we all with open face" are beholding this glory? Finally,
how does the Spirit of the Lord effect this great change in believers?
Are they entirely passive therein, or is there an active co-operation
on their part?
Perhaps it will help the reader most if we first give brief answers to
these questions and then supply amplifications of the same in what
follows. The "glory of the Lord" here signifies His moral perfections,
the excellencies of His character. The "glass" in which His glory is
revealed and in which those with anointed eyes may behold it, is the
Holy Scripture. Our being "changed into the same image" has reference
to our sanctification, viewed from the experimental side; that it is
here said to be "from glory to glory" intimates it is a gradual and
progressive work. Our beholding that glory with "open face" means that
the veil of darkness, of prejudice, of "enmity," which was over our
depraved hearts by nature, has been removed, so that in God's light we
now see light. The Spirit effects this great change both immediately
and mediately, that is, by His direct actions upon the soul and also
by blessing to us our use of the appointed means of grace.
"The glory of the Lord." This we have defined as His moral
perfections, the excellencies of His character. The best theologians
have classified God's attributes under two heads: incommunicable and
communicable. There are certain perfections of the Divine Being which
are peculiar to Himself, which in their very nature cannot be
transmitted to the creature: these are His eternity, His immutability,
His omnipotence, His omniscience, His omnipresence. There are other
perfections of the Divine Being which He is pleased to communicate, in
measure, to the unfallen angels and to the redeemed from among men:
these are His goodness, His grace, His mercy, His holiness, His
righteousness, His wisdom. Now, obviously, it is the latter which the
Apostle has before him in 2 Corinthians 3:18, for believers are not,
will not, and cannot be changed into the "same image" of the Lord's
omniscience, etc. Compare "we beheld the glory ... full of grace and
truth" (John 1: 14)-His moral perfections.
The "Glass"
The "glass" in which the glory of the Lord is revealed and beheld by
us is His written Word, as is clear by a comparison with James
1:22-25. Yet let it be carefully borne in mind that the Scriptures
have two principal parts, being divided into two Testaments. Now the
contents of those two Testaments may be summed up, respectively, in
the Law and the Gospel. That which is outstanding in the Old Testament
is the Law; that which is preeminent in the New Testament is the
Gospel. Thus, in giving an exposition or explanation of the "glass" in
which believers behold the Lord's glory, we cannot do better than say,
It is in the Law and the Gospel His glory is set before us. It is
absolutely essential to insist on this amplification, for a
distinctive "glory of the Lord" is revealed in each one, and to both
of them is the Christian conformed (or "changed") by the Spirit.
Should anyone say that we are "reading our own thoughts into" the
meaning of the "glass" in which the glory of the Lord is revealed, and
object to our insisting this signifies, first the Law, we would point
out this is fully borne out by the immediate context of 2 Corinthians
3:18, and what is found there obliges us to take this view. The
Apostle is there comparing and contrasting the two great economies,
the Mosaic and the Christian, showing that the preeminence of the one
over the other lay in the former being an external ministration (the
"letter"), whereas the latter is internal (the "spirit"), in the
heart; nevertheless, he affirms that the former ministration "was
glorious" (v. 7), and "if the ministration of condemnation be
glorious" (v. 9), "for even that which is made glorious" (v. 10), "if
that which was done away was glorious" (v. 11)-all being explained by
the fact that the glory of the Lord was exhibited therein.
In the "glass" of the Law the Lord gave a most wondrous revelation of
His "glory." The Law has been aptly and rightly designated "a
transcript of the Divine nature," though (as is to be expected) some
of our modems have taken serious exception to that statement, thereby
setting themselves in opposition to the Scriptures. In Romans 8:7 we
are told "the carnal mind is enmity against God," and the proof
furnished of this declaration is, "for it is not subject to the Law of
God," which, manifestly, is only another way of saying that the Law is
a transcript of the very character of God. So again we read, "The law
is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good" (Rom. 7:12):
what is that but a summarized description of the Divine perfections!
If God Himself is "holy and just and good" and the Law is an immediate
reflection of His very nature, then it will itself be "holy and just
and good." Again, if God Himself is "love" (1 John 4:8) and the Law is
a glass in which His perfections shine, then that which the Law
requires, all that is required, will be love, and that is exactly the
case: Matthew 22:37-39.
What a word is that in Exodus 24:16, "And the glory of the LORD abode
upon Mount Sinai." Yes, the glory of the Lord was as really and truly
manifested at Sinai as it is displayed now at Mount Zion-that man in
his present state was unable to appreciate the awe-inspiring display
which God there made of His perfections, in no way alters that fact,
for He is a God to be feared as well as loved. In the "glass" of the
Law we behold the glory of the Lord's majesty and sovereignty, the
glory of His government and authority, the glory of His justice and
holiness. Yes, and the "glory" of His goodness in framing such a Law
which requires us to love Him with all our hearts, and for His sake,
His creatures, our neighbors as ourselves.
But the "glory of the Lord" is further manifested in the "glass" of
the Gospel, in which God has made a fuller and yet more blessed
revelation of His moral perfections than He did at Sinai. Now the
Gospel necessarily implies or presupposes the following things. First,
a broken Law, and its transgressors utterly unable to repair its
breach. Second, that God graciously determined to save a people from
its curse. Third, that He purposes to do so without making light of
sin, without dishonoring the Law, and without compromising His
holiness-otherwise, so far from the Gospel being the best news of all,
it would herald the supreme calamity. How this is effected, by and
through Christ, the Gospel makes known. In His own Son, God shines
forth in meridian splendor, for Jesus Christ is the brightness of His
glory, the express image of His Person. In Christ the veil is rent,
the Holy of Holies is exposed to full view, for now we behold "The
light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6).
In the Gospel is displayed not only the amazing grace and infinite
mercy, but also and mainly the "manifold wisdom" of God. Therein we
learn how grace is exercised righteously, how mercy is bestowed
honorably, how transgressors are pardoned justly. God did not deem it
suitable to the honor of His majesty to sovereignly pardon sinners
without a satisfaction being offered to Himself, and therefore did He
appoint a Mediator to magnify the Law and make it honorable. The great
design of the incarnation, life and death of Christ, was to
demonstrate in the most public manner that God was worthy of all that
love, honor and obedience which the Law required, and that sin was as
great an evil as the punishment threatened supposed. The heart of the
glorious Gospel of Christ is the Cross, and there we see all the
Divine perfections fully displayed: in the death of the Lord Jesus the
Law was magnified, Divine holiness vindicated, sin discountenanced,
the sinner saved, grace glorified, and Satan defeated.
The Unregenerate See It Not
Though the glory of the Lord be so plainly revealed in the two-fold
"glass" of the Law and the Gospel, yet the unregenerate appreciate it
not: concerning the one it is said, "But even unto this day, when
Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart" (2 Cor. 3:15); and of the
latter we read, "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds
of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of
Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them" (2 Cor. 4:4).
The unregenerate are blind to the loveliness of the Divine character:
not that they have no eyes to see with, but they have deliberately
"closed them" (Matthew 13:15); not that they are not intellectually
convinced of the Divine perfections, but that their hearts are
unaffected thereby. It is because man is a fallen depraved and vicious
creature that he is not won by "the beauty of holiness."
"Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John
3:3). Clearest possible proof of this was furnished when the Word
became flesh and tabernacled among men. Those who had been "born of
God" (John 1:13) could say, "We beheld His glory, the glory as of the
Only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). But
different indeed was it with those who were left in their natural
state-they, notwithstanding their education, culture, and religion,
were so far from discerning any form or comeliness in Christ, that
they cried, "Thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil" (John 8:48). Yet
it is as plain as a sunbeam that the blindness of the Pharisees was
due neither to the lack of necessary faculties nor to the want of
outward opportunities, but entirely to the perverted state of their
minds and the depraved condition of their hearts-which was altogether
of a criminal nature.
From what has just been pointed out, then, it is plain when the
Apostle declares, "but we all, with open face beholding as in a glass
the glory of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18), that a miracle of grace had been
wrought in them. As spiritual blindness consists in an absence of
relish for holy beauty-which blindness is capable of being greatly
increased and confirmed through the exercise and influence of the
various corruptions of a wicked heart, and which Satan augments by all
means in his power-so spiritual sight is the soul's delighting itself
in Divine and spiritual things. In regeneration there is begotten in
the soul a holy taste so that the heart now goes out after God and His
Christ. This is referred to in Scripture in various ways. It is the
fulfillment of that promise "And the LORD thy God will circumcise
thine to love the LORD thy God" (Deut. 30:6).
This new relish for spiritual things which is begotten in the soul by
the immediate operations of the Spirit is also the fulfillment of, "A
new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within
you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I
will give you an heart of flesh" (Ezek. 36:26); and of, "I will give
them an heart to know Me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be My
people" (Jer. 24:7). So also, "Then the eyes of the blind shall be
opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped" (Isa. 35:5). Of
Lydia we read, "Whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto
the things which were spoken of Paul" (Acts 16:14). To the Corinthian
saints the Apostle wrote, "For God, who commanded the light to shine
out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts" (2 Cor. 4:6). In
consequence thereof, the happy subjects of this work of Divine grace
perceive and relish the holy character of God and are enamored with
His perfections.
"Changed into the Same Image"
"But we all": that is, all who have been supernaturally brought from
death unto life, out of darkness into God's marvelous light. "With
open face," or "unveiled face," as it is in the Greek and as the R.V.
translates it: that is, with hearts from which "the veil" of prejudice
(2 Cor. 3:15) has been removed, from which that "covering cast over
all people" (Isa. 25:7), the covering of enmity against God, has been
destroyed. "Beholding"-note carefully the present tense, for it is a
continuous action which is here in view; "as in a glass" or "mirror,"
namely, the twofold glass of the Law and the Gospel; "the glory of the
Lord," that is His communicable perfections, His moral character; "are
changed into the same image," this clause it is which must next engage
our careful attention.
Following our usual custom, let us first give a brief definition and
then amplify the same. To be changed into "the same image" means that
the regenerated soul becomes conformed unto the Divine character, that
answerable principles and affections are wrought in his heart,
bringing him into harmony with the perfections of God. This must be
the case, for since Divinely enlightened souls have such a relish for
holy beauty, for such beauty as there is in the character of God, then
it necessarily follows that every Divine truth as it comes into their
view will appear beautiful, and will accordingly beget and excite holy
affections corresponding with its nature. Or, more specifically, as
the heart is occupied with the several perfections of God exhibited in
the Law and in the Gospel, corresponding desires and determinations
will be awakened in and exercised by that soul.
It would imply a contradiction to suppose that any heart should be
charmed with a character just the opposite to its own. The carnal mind
is enmity against God: resenting His authority, disliking His
holiness, hating His sovereignty, and condemning His justice: in a
word, it is immediately opposed to His glory as it shines in the glass
of the Law and the Gospel. But one who has been Divinely enlightened
loves the Truth because he has a frame of heart answerable
thereto-just as the unregenerate soul loves the world because it suits
his depraved tastes. The regenerate discerns and feels that the Law is
righteous in requiring what it does, even though it condemns him for
his disobedience. He perceives, too, that the Gospel is exactly suited
to his needs and that its precepts are wise and excellent. Thus he is
brought into conformity with the one and into compliance with the
other.
Universal experience teaches us that characters appear agreeable or
disagreeable just as they suit our taste or not. To an angel, who has
a taste for holy beauty, the moral character of God appears infinitely
amiable; but to the Devil, who is being of a contrary taste, God's
moral character appears just the reverse. To the Pharisees, no
character was more odious than that of the Lord Jesus; but at the same
time Mary and Martha and Lazarus were charmed with Him. To the Jewish
nation in general, who groaned under the Roman yoke, and longed for a
Messiah to set them at liberty, to make them victorious, rich and
honorable-a Messiah in the character of a temporal prince, who had
gratified their desires-such an one had appeared glorious in their
eyes, and they would have been changed into the same image; that is,
every answerable affection had been excited in their hearts.
Now it is this moral transformation in the believer which is the
evidence of his spiritual enlightenment: "beholding," he is "changed."
Where a soul has been supernaturally illumined there will issue a
corresponding conformity to the Divine image. But in so affirming,
many of our Christian readers are likely to feel that we are thereby
cutting off their hopes. They will be ready to exclaim, Alas, my
character resembles the likeness of Satan far more than it does the
image of God. Let us, then, ease the tension a little. Observe, dear
troubled souls, this transformation is not effected instantaneously,
but by degrees: this great "change" is not accomplished by the Spirit
in a moment, but is a gradual work. This is plainly signified in the
"from glory to glory," which means, from one degree of it to another.
Only as this fact is apprehended can our poor hearts be assured before
God.
This expression "from glory to glory" is parallel with "the rain also
filleth the pools: they go from strength to strength" (Ps. 84:6, 7),
which means that under the gracious revivings of the Spirit, believers
are renewed again and again, and so go on from one degree of strength
to another. So in Romans 1:17 we read of "from faith to faith," which
means from little faith to more faith, until sometimes it may be said,
"your faith groweth exceedingly" (2 Thess. 1:3). So it is with this
blessed "change" which the Spirit works in believers. The first degree
of it is effected at their regeneration. The second degree of it is
accomplished during their progressive (practical) sanctflcation. The
third and last degree of it takes place at their glorification. Thus
"the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and
more unto the perfect day" (Prov. 4:18).
Summary
For the benefit of clarity we will give a brief digest of our previous
exposition of 2 Corinthians 3:18, which is a verse that supplies a
comprehensive summary of the Spirit's work in the believer. The "we
all" are those that are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The "with open
face" signifies with minds from which their enmity against God has
been removed, with hearts that are reconciled to Him. "Beholding" is a
repeated act of the soul, which is the effect of its having been
supernaturally enlightened. "As in a glass" refers to the revelation
which God has made of Himself in the Law and in the Gospel. The "glory
of the Lord" connotes His character or moral perfections. "Are changed
into the same image" tells of the transformation which is effected in
the believer by the Spirit. The "from glory to glory" announces that
this great change of the heart's reformation and conformation to the
image of God is produced gradually.
When the Spirit deals with an elect soul, He first brings him face to
face with God's Law, for "by the law is the knowledge of sin" (Rom.
3:20). He reveals to him the perfections of the Law: its spirituality,
its immutability, its righteousness. He makes him realize that the Law
is "holy, and just, and good" (Rom. 7:12) even though it condemns and
curses him. He shows that the Law requires that we should love the
Lord our God with all our hearts, and our neighbors as ourselves; that
it demands perfect and perpetual obedience in thought, word, and deed.
He convinces the soul of the righteousness of such a demand. In a
word, the one with whom the Spirit is dealing beholds "the glory of
the Lord"-His majesty, His holiness, His justice-in the glass of the
Law. Only thus is the soul prepared and fitted to behold and
appreciate the second great revelation which God has made of His moral
perfections.
Next, the Spirit brings before the soul the precious Gospel. He shows
him that therein a marvelous and most blessed display is made of the
love, the grace, the mercy, and the wisdom of God. He gives him to see
that in His eternal purpose God designed to save a people from the
curse of the Law, and that, without flouting its authority or setting
aside its righteous claims; yea, in such a way that the Law is
"magnified and made honorable" (Isa. 42:21) through its demands being
perfectly met by the believing sinner's Surety. He unveils to his
wondering gaze the infinite condescension of the Father's Beloved, who
willingly took upon Him the form of a servant and became obedient unto
death, even the death of the Cross. And the Spirit so works in his
heart that, though the Cross be a stumbling block to the Jew and
foolishness unto the Greek, it appears to him to be the most wondrous,
blessed, and glorious object in the universe-and by faith he
thankfully rests the entire interests of his soul for time and
eternity upon the atoning sacrifice which Christ offered thereon unto
God.
Not only does the Spirit give that soul to behold "the glory of the
Lord" as it shines first in the "glass" of the Law, and second in the
"glass" of the Gospel, but He also causes him to be "changed into the
same image," that is, He begets within him corresponding principles
and affections, to the one and to the other. In other words, He brings
his heart to a conformity to the Law and to a compliance with the
Gospel. He causes the believer to "set to his seal" (John 3:33) to the
whole Truth of God. He brings him to a full acquiescence with the Law,
consenting to its righteous claims upon him, and working in him a
desire and determination to adopt the Law as his rule of life or
standard of conduct. So, too, the Spirit causes him to gladly embrace
the Gospel, admiring the consummate wisdom of God therein, whereby the
perfect harmony of His justice and mercy are blessedly exhibited. He
brings him to renounce all his own works, and rest alone on the merits
of Christ for his acceptance with God.
"Beholding as in a glass" is literally "in a mirror." Now the mirrors
to the ancients, unlike ours, were not made of glass, but of highly
burnished metal, which reflected images with great brilliancy and
distinctness, corresponding to the metal. If the mirror was of silver,
a white light would be the result; if of gold, a yellow glow would be
suffused. Thus an opaque object reflected the rays of the sun, and so
became in a measure luminous. Here the Apostle makes use of this as a
figure of the Spirit's transforming the believer. The Law and the
Gospel display various aspects of "the glory of the Lord," that is, of
God Himself, and as anointed eyes behold the same, the soul is
irradiated thereby and an answerable change is wrought in it.
As the soul by faith, with broken heart (and not otherwise), beholds
the glory of the Lord, in the mirror of the two Testaments (and not in
the New without the Old), he is by the continual operations of the
Spirit in him (Phil. 1:6) "changed into the same image." The views
thus obtained of the Divine character excite answerable affections in
the beholder. Rational argument may convince a man that God is holy,
yet that is a vastly different thing from his heart being brought to
love Divine holiness. But when the Spirit removes the veil of enmity
and prejudice from the mind and enables the understanding to see light
in God's light, there is a genuine esteem of and delight in God's
character. The heart is won with the excellence of His moral
perfections, and he perceives the rightness and beauty of a life
wholly devoted to His glory. Thus there is a radical change in his
judgment, disposition and conduct.
In the glass of the Law there shines the glory of God's holiness and
righteousness, and in the glass of the Gospel the glory of His grace
and mercy, and as by the Spirit's enablement the believer is beholding
them, there is wrought in him a love for the same, there is given to
him an answerable frame of heart. He cordially owns God as righteous
in all His ways and holy in all His works. He acknowledges that God is
just in condemning him, and equally just in pardoning him. He freely
confesses that he is as evil as the Law pronounces him to be, and that
his only hope lies in the atoning sacrifice of the Lamb. Christ is now
"The Fairest of ten thousand" to his soul. He desires and endeavors to
exercise righteousness and truth, grace and mercy, in all his dealings
with his fellows. Thus a personal experience of the transforming power
of the Law and the Gospel brings its subject into a conformity to
their temper and tendency.
This being "changed into the same image" of the glory of the Lord, is
but another way of saying that the Law of God is now written on the
heart (Heb. 8:10), for as we have said previously, the Law is a
transcript of the Divine nature, the very image of God. As the Law was
written in indelible characters on the tables of stone by the very
finger of God, so at regeneration and throughout the entire process of
sanctification, views and dispositions in accord with the nature of
the Law become habitual in the heart, through the operations of the
Holy Spirit, according to the measure of grace which He supplies. The
genuine language of the soul now becomes, "How reasonable it is that I
should love with all my heart such an infinitely glorious being as
God, that I should be utterly captivated by His supernal excellence.
How fitting that I should be entirely for Him and completely at the
disposal of Him who is Lord of all, whose rectitude is perfect, whose
goodness and wisdom are infinite, and who gave His Son to die for me!"
This being "changed into the same image" of the glory of the Lord, is
also the same as Christ being "formed" in the soul (Gal. 4:19). It is
having in kind, though not in degree, the same mind that was in the
Lord Jesus. It is being imbued with His Spirit, being brought into
accordance with the design of His mediatorial work, which was to honor
and glorify God. In a word, it is being at heart the very disciples of
Christ. This being "changed into the same image" of the glory of the
Lord, is to be "reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:20). Previously, we were
at enmity against Him, hating His sovereignty, His strictness, His
severity; but now we perceive the surpassing beauty of His every
attribute and are in love with His whole Person and character. No
greater change than this can be conceived of: "Ye were sometimes
darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord" (Eph. 5:8). This great
change is to "come unto" God (Heb. 7:25), causing us to diligently
seek daily supplies of grace from Him.
Occupation and Application
"Mine eye affecteth mine heart" (Lam. 3:51). We are influenced by the
objects we contemplate, we become ostensibly assimilated to those with
whom we have much intercourse, we are molded by the books we read.
This same law or principle operates in the spiritual realm: "But we
all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are
changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit
of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18)-beholding, we are changed. Here, then, is
our responsibility: to use the means which God has appointed for our
growth in grace, to be daily occupied with spiritual objects and
heavenly things. Yet our study and contemplation of the Truth will
not, by itself, produce any transformation: there must be a Divine
application of the Truth to the heart. Apart from the Divine agency
and blessing all our efforts and use of the means amount to nothing,
and therefore is it added "We are changed . . . by the Spirit."
Just as surely as Christ's all-mighty power will, on the resurrection
morning, transform the bodies of His people from mortality to life and
from dishonor to glory, so also does the Holy Spirit now exert a
supernatural power in morally transforming the characters of those
whom He indwells. The great difference between these two-the future
work of Christ upon the bodies of the saints and the present work of
the Spirit upon their souls-is that the one will be accomplished
instantaneously, whereas the other is effected slowly and gradually.
The one we shall be fully conscious of, the other we are largely
unconscious of. This being "changed into the same image" of the glory
of the Lord is a progressive experience, as the "from glory to glory"
plainly intimates-from one degree of it to another. It is begun at
regeneration, is continued throughout our sanctification, and will be
perfected at our glorification.
Now that which deeply exercises and so often keenly distresses the
sincere Christian is that as he seeks to honestly examine himself he
discovers so very little evidence that he IS being "changed into" the
image of the Lord. He dare not take anything for granted, but desires
to "prove" himself (2 Cor. 13:5). The moral transformation of which we
have been treating is that which supplies proof of spiritual
illumination, and without at least a measure of it, all supposed
saving knowledge of the Truth is but a delusion. We shall therefore
endeavor now to point out some of the leading features by which this
transformation may be identified, asking the reader to carefully
compare himself with each one.
Marks of Transformation
First, where the Spirit has begun to transform a soul the Divine Law
is cordially received as a Rule of Life, and the heart begins to echo
to the language of Psalm 119 in its commendation. Nothing more plainly
distinguishes a true conversion from a counterfeit than this: that one
who used to be an enemy to God's Law is brought understandingly and
heartily to love it, and seek to walk according to its requirements.
"Hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments" (1
John 2:3). He who has been born again has a new palate, so that he now
relishes what he formerly disliked. He now begins to prove that it is
not only the fittest, but the happiest thing in the world, to aspire
to be holy as God is holy, to love Him supremely and live to Him
entirely.
Second, a life of self-loathing. The regenerated soul perceives that
complete and constant subjection to God is His due, and that the gift
of His beloved Son has laid him under lasting obligations to serve,
please, and glorify Him. But the best of God's people are only
sanctified in part in this life, and realizing the Law requires, and
that God is entitled to sinless perfection from us, what but a life of
self-abhorrence must ensue? Once we are supernaturally enlightened to
see that "the Law is spiritual," the inevitable consequence must be
for me to see and feel that "I am carnal, sold under sin" (Rom. 7:14).
And therefore there must be a continued sense of infinite blame, of
self-loathing, of godly sorrow, of broken-heartedness, of hungering
and thirsting after righteousness; of watching, praying, striving, or
mourning because of frequent defeat.
Third, genuine humility. In view of what has just been pointed out, it
is easy to see why humility is represented all through Scripture as a
dominant feature of those who are quickened by the Spirit. An
hypocrite, being experimentally ignorant of Divine Law-never having
been slain by it (Rom. 7:9, 11)-then, the more religious he is, the
more proud and conceited will he be. But with a true saint it is just
the opposite: for if the Law be his rule of duty, and his obligations
to conform thereto are infinite, and his blame for every defect is
proportionately great-if the fault lie entirely in himself, and his
lack of perfect love and obedience to God be wholly culpable-then he
must be filled with low and mean thoughts of himself, and have an
answerable lowliness of heart.
There is no greater proof that a man is ignorant of the Truth
savingly, and a stranger to Christ experimentally, than for spiritual
pride to reign in his heart. "Behold, his soul which is lifted up is
not upright in him" (Hab. 2:4). The graceless Pharisee, blind to the
real character and purport of the Law, was ready to say, "God, I thank
Thee, that I am not as other men"; while the penitent Publican, seeing
himself in the light of God, dared not lift up his eyes to Heaven, but
smote upon his breast (the seat of his spiritual leprosy) and cried
"God be merciful to me, the sinner." The proud religionists of
Christ's day exclaimed, "Behold, we see" (John 9:41); but the holy
Psalmist prayed, "Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous
things out of Thy Law." Thousands of deluded people who profess to be
Christians prate about their consecration, victories, and attainments;
but the Apostle Paul said, "I count not myself to have apprehended"
(Phil. 3:13).
Fourth, a growing apprehension of the Divine goodness. The more a
quickened soul sees himself in the light of God, the more he discovers
how much there still is in him which is opposed to His Law, and in how
many respects he daily offends. The more clearly he perceives how very
far he comes short of the glory of God, and how unlike Christ he is in
character and conduct, the deeper becomes his appreciation of the
grace of God through the Mediator. The man who is of a humble, broken
and contrite heart, finds the promises of the Gospel just fitted to
his case. None but One who is "mighty to save" (Isa. 63:1) can redeem
such a wretch as he knows himself to be; none but the "God of all
grace" (1 Pet. 5:10) would show favor to one so vile and worthless.
"Worthy is the Lamb" is now his song. "Not unto us, O LORD, not unto
us, but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy mercy, and for Thy Truth's
sake" (Ps. 115:1) is his hearty acknowledgment. It is the Spirit's
continued application of the Law to the believer's conscience which
prepares him to receive the comforts and consolations of the Gospel.
When the mind is thoroughly convinced that God can, consistently with
His honor, willingly receive to favor the most naked, forlorn,
wretched, guilty, Hell-deserving of the human race, and become a
Father and Friend to him, he is happier than if all the world was his
own. When God is his sensible Portion, everything else fades into
utter insignificance. The fig tree may not blossom, nor any fruits be
in the vine, yet he will "joy in the God of his salvation" (Hab.
3:18). The Apostle Paul, although a prisoner at Rome, not in the least
dejected, cries, "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice"
(Phil. 4:4). When God is chosen as our supreme Good, all earthly idols
are rejected, and our treasure is laid up in Heaven. In proportion as
grace flourishes in the heart our comforts will remain, let outward
things go as they will; yea, it will be found that it is "good to be
afflicted" (Ps. 119:71).
Here, then, are some of the principal effects produced by our being
"changed," or reformed, conformed, and transformed by the Spirit of
God. There is a growing realization of the ineffable holiness of God
and of the righteousness and spirituality of the Law, and the extent
of its requirements. There is a deepening sense of our utter
sinfulness, failure and blameworthiness, and the daily loathing of
ourselves for our hard-heartedness, our base ingratitude, and the ill
returns we make to God for His infinite goodness to us. There is a
corresponding self-abasement, taking our place in the dust before God,
and frankly admitting that we are not worthy of the least of His
mercies (Gen. 32:10). There is an increasing appreciation of the grace
of God and of the provision He has made for us in Christ, with a
corresponding longing to be done with this body of death and conformed
fully to the lovely image of the Lord; which longings will be
completely realized at our glorification.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 28
The Spirit Preserving
_________________________________________________________________
During recent years much has been written upon the eternal security of
the saints, some of it helpful, but most of it superficial and
injurious. Many Scriptures have been quoted, but few of them
explained. A great deal has been said about the fact of Divine
preservation, but comparatively little on the method thereof. The
preservation of the believer by the Father and by the Son has been
given considerable prominence, but the work of the Spirit therein was
largely ignored. The general impression conveyed to the thoughtful
reader has been that, the "final perseverance" of the Christian is a
mechanical thing rather than a spiritual process, that it is
accomplished by physical force rather than by moral persuasion, that
it is performed by external might rather than by internal
means-something like an unconscious non-swimmer being rescued from a
watery grave, or a fireman carrying a swooning person out of a burning
building. Such illustrations are radically
It may be objected that the principal thing for us to be concerned
with is the blessed fact itself, and that there is no need for us to
trouble ourselves about the modus operandi: let us rejoice in the
truth that God does preserve His people, and not wrack our brains over
how He does so. As well might the objector say the same about the
redemptive work of Christ: let us be thankful that He did make an
atonement, and not worry ourselves over the philosophy of it. But is
it of no real importance, no value to the soul, to ascertain that
Christ's atonement was a vicarious one, that it was a definite one,
and not offered at random; that it is a triumphant one, securing the
actual justification of all for whom it was made? Why, my reader, it
is at this very point lies the dividing-line between vital truth and
fundamental error. God has done something more than record in the
Gospels the historical fact of Christ's death: He has supplied in the
Epistles an explanation of its nature and design.
So, too, God has given us far more than bald statements in His Word
that none of His people shall perish: He has also revealed how He
preserves them from destruction, and it is not only highly insulting
to Him, but to our own great loss, if we ignore or refuse to ponder
carefully what He has made known therein. Was it without reason Paul
prayed, "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge
of Him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may
know . . . what is the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who
believe, according to the working of His mighty power, which He
wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at
His own right hand" (Eph. 1:17-20). Christians are "kept by the power
of God" (1 Pet. 1:5), and evidently we can only know what that power
is, and the greatness thereof, as we are spiritually enlightened
concerning the same.
When we read that we are "kept by the power of God through faith unto
salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Pet. 1:5), or "For
it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good
pleasure" (Phil. 2:13), in such passages the immediate reference is
always to the Holy Spirit-the "immediate," though not the exclusive.
In the economy of redemption all is from the Father, through the Son,
by the Spirit. All proceeds from the fore-ordination of the Father,
all that comes to the believer is through Christ, that is, on account
of His infinite merits: all is actually wrought by the Spirit, for He
is the Executive of the Godhead, the active Agent in all the works of
redemption. The believer is as truly and directly preserved by the
Spirit, as he was quickened by Him; and only as this is duly
recognized by us will we be inclined to render Him that thanks and
praise which is His distinctive due.
Preservation in Holiness
The chief end for which God sends the Spirit to indwell His people is
to deliver them from apostasy: to preserve them not only from the
everlasting burnings, but from those things which would expose them
thereto. Unless that be clearly stated, we justly lay ourselves open
to the charge that this is a dangerous doctrine-making light of sin
and encouraging careless living. It is not true that if a man has once
truly believed in Christ, no matter what enormities he may commit
afterwards, nor what course of evil he follow, he cannot fail to reach
Heaven. Not so is the teaching of Holy Writ. The Spirit does not
preserve in a way of licentiousness, but only in the way of holiness.
Nowhere has God promised His favor to dogs who go back to their vomit,
nor to swine which return to their wallowing in the mire. The believer
may indeed experience a fearful fall, yet he will not lie down content
in his filth, any more than David did: "Though he fall, he shall not
be utterly cast down: for the "(Ps. 37:24).
That many Christians have persevered in holiness to the last moment of
their lives, cannot be truthfully denied. Now their perseverance must
have been obtained wholly of themselves, or partly of themselves and
partly by Divine aid, or it must have been wholly dependent on the
purpose and power of God. None who profess to believe the Scriptures
would affirm that it was due entirely to their own efforts and
faithfulness, for they clearly teach that progress in holiness is as
much the work of the Spirit as is the new birth itself. To say that
the perseverance of the saint is due, in part to himself, is to divide
the credit, afford ground for boasting, and rob God of half His
rightful glory. To declare that a life of faith and holiness is
entirely dependent upon the grace and power of God, is but to repeat
what the Lord told His disciples: "without Me ye can do nothing" (John
15:5), and is to affirm with the Apostle, "Not that we are sufficient
of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency
is of God" (2 Cor. 3:5).
Yet it needs to be pointed out that in maintaining His people in
holiness, the power of God operates in quite another manner than it
does in the maintenance of a river or the preservation of a tree. A
river may (sometimes does) dry up, and a tree may be uprooted: the one
is maintained by being replenished by fresh waters, the other is
preserved by its being nourished and by its roots being held in the
ground; but in each case, the preservation is by physical power, from
without, entirely without their concurrence. In the case of the
Christian's preservation it is quite otherwise. With him God works
from within, using moral persuasion, leading him to a concurrence of
mind and will with the Holy Spirit in this work. God deals with the
believer as a moral agent, draws him "with cords of a man" (Hosea
11:4), maintains his responsibility, and bids him, "work out your own
salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God which worketh in you
both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:12, 13).
Thus there is both preservation on God's part and perseverance in
holiness on ours, and the former is accomplished by maintaining the
latter. God does not deal with His people as though they were
machines, but as rational creatures. He sets before them weighty
considerations and powerful motives, solemn warnings and rich rewards,
and by the renewings of His grace and the revivings of His Spirit
causes them to respond thereto. Are they made conscious of the power
and pollution of indwelling sin? then they cry for help to resist its
lustings and to escape its defilements. Are they shown the importance,
the value, and the need of faith? then they beg the Lord for an
increase of it. Are they made sensible of that obedience which is due
unto God, but aware, too, of the hindering drag of the flesh? then
they cry, "Draw me, we will run after Thee." Do they yearn to be
fruitful? then they pray, "Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south;
blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my
Beloved come into His garden, and eat His pleasant fruits" (Song.
4:16).
His understanding having been savingly enlightened, the believer
desires to grow in grace and the knowledge of his Lord, that he may
abound in spiritual wisdom and good works. Every affection of his
heart is stirred, every faculty of his soul called into action. And
yet this concurrence is not such as to warrant us saying that his
perseverance depends, in any degree on himself, for every spiritual
stirring and act on his part is but the effect of the Spirit's
operation within him, "He which hath begun a good work in you will
finish it" (Phil. 1:6). He who first enlightened, will continue to
shine upon the understanding; He who originally convicted of sin, will
go on searching the conscience; He who imparted faith will nourish and
sustain the same; He who drew to Christ, will continue to attract the
affections toward Him.
Regeneration and Preservation
There are two eminent benefits or spiritual blessings which comprehend
all others, filling up the entire space of the Christian's life, from
the moment of his quickening unto his ultimate arrival in Heaven,
namely, his regeneration and his preservation. And as the renowned
Puritan Thomas Goodwin says, "If a debate were admitted which of them
is the greater, it would be found that no jury of mankind could
determine on either side, but must leave it to God's free grace
itself, which is the author and finisher of our faith, to decide." As
the creating of the world at first and the upholding and governing of
all things by Divine power and Providence are yoked together (Heb.
1:2, 3), so are regeneration and preservation. "Faithful is He that
calleth you, who also will do it" (1 Thess. 5:24)-i.e., preserve (v.
23). "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which
according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively
hope ... to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled ... who are
kept by the power of God through faith" (1 Pet. 1:3-5).
The same blessed linking together of these eminent benefits is seen in
the Old Testament: "Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and
unwise? is not He thy Father that hath bought thee? hath He not made
thee and established thee?" (Deut. 32:6); "And even to your old age I
am He; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you; I have made and I will
bear" (Isa. 46:4); "Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not
our feet to be moved" (Ps. 66:9)-the verb has a double meaning, as the
margin signifies: "putteth" at the first, and "holdeth" or maintaineth
afterwards. How wonderful is this in the natural: delivered from
countless dangers, preserved from epidemics and diseases which carried
off thousands of our fellows, recovered from various illnesses which
had otherwise proven fatal. Still more wonderful is the spiritual
preservation of the saint: kept from the dominion of sin which still
indwells him; kept from being drawn out of the Narrow Way by the
enticements of the world; kept from the horrible heresies which
ensnare multitudes on every side; kept from being entirely overcome by
Satan, who
What pleasure it now gives the Christian to hear of the varied and
wondrous ways in which God regenerates His people! What delight will
be ours in Heaven when we learn of the loving care, abiding
faithfulness, and mighty power of God in the preservation of each of
His own! What joy will be ours when we learn the details of how He
made good His promise, "When thou passest through the waters, I will
be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee;
when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither
shall the flame kindle upon thee" (Isa. 43:2)-His Providence working
for us externally, His grace operating internally: preserving amid the
tossings and tempests of life, recovering from woeful backslidings,
reviving us when
How the Spirit Preserves
The preservation of God's people through all the vicissitudes of their
pilgrim journey is accomplished, immediately, by the Holy Spirit. He
it is who watches over the believer, delivering him when he knows it
not; keeping him from living in the world's sinks of iniquity, lifting
up a standard when the Enemy comes like a flood against him (Isa.
59:19). He it is who keeps him from accepting those fatal heresies
which deceive and destroy so many empty professors. He it is who
prevents his becoming contented with a mere "letter" ministry or
satisfied with head-knowledge and notional religion. And how does the
Spirit accomplish the Christian's preservation? By sustaining the new
nature within him, and calling it forth into exercise and action. By
working such graces in him that he becomes "established" (2 Cor.
1:21). By keeping him conscious of his utter ruin and deep need of
Christ. By bringing him to a concurrence with His gracious design,
moving him to use appropriate means. But let us be more specific.
"Teach me, O LORD, the way of Thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto
the end" (Ps. 119:33). We lost the way of true happiness when we fell
in Adam, and ever since men have wandered up and down vainly seeking
rest and satisfaction: "They are all gone out of the way" (Rom. 3:12).
Nor can any man discover the way of holiness and happiness of himself:
he must be taught it spiritually and supernaturally by God. Such
teaching is earnestly desired by the regenerate, for they have been
made painfully conscious of their perversity and insufficiency:
"Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding
of a man" (Prov. 30:2) is their confession. It is by Divine and inward
teaching that we are stirred into holy activity: "I will keep it"-that
which is inwrought by the Spirit is outwrought by us. Thereby our
final perseverance is accomplished: "I will keep it to the
end"-because
"When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto
thy soul; discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep
thee" (Prov. 2:10, 11). For wisdom to enter into our hearts means that
the things of God have such an influence upon us as to dominate our
affections and move our wills. For knowledge to be pleasant to our
souls signifies that we delight in the Law of God after the inward man
(Rom. 7:22), that submission to God's will is not irksome but
desirable. Now where such really be the case, the individual possesses
a discernment which enables him to penetrate Satan's disguises and
perceive the barb beneath the bait, and is endowed with a discretion
which makes him prudent and cautious, so that he shuns those places
where alluring temptations abound and avoids the company of evil men
and women. Thereby is he delivered from danger and secured from making
shipwreck of the faith: see also Proverbs 4:6; 6:22-24.
"I will make an Everlasting Covenant with them, that I will not turn
away from them to do them good; but I will put My fear in their
hearts, that they shall not depart from Me" (Jer. 32:40). This
statement casts much light upon the means and method employed by God
in the preserving of His people. The indwelling Spirit not only
constrains the new nature by considerations drawn from the love of
Christ (2 Cor. 5:14), but He also restrains the old nature by a sense
of God's majesty. He often drops an awe on the believer's heart, which
holds him back from running into that excess of riot which his lusts
would carry him unto. The Spirit makes the soul to realize that God is
not to be trifled with, and delivers from wickedly presuming upon His
mercy. He stimulates a spirit of filial reverence in the saint, so
that he shuns those things which would dishonor his Father. He causes
us to heed such a word as, "Be not highminded, but fear: for if God
spared not the natural branches, take heed lest He also spare not
thee" (Rom. 11:20,21). By such means does God fulfill His promise "I
will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes"
(Ezek. 36:27).
"For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by
faith" (Gal. 5:5). It is the stirrings of hope, however faint, which
keeps the soul alive in seasons of disappointment and despondence. But
for the renewings of the gracious Spirit, the believer would
relinquish his hope and sink into abject despair. "Then the eyes of
the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be
unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of
the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and
streams in the desert" (Isa. 35:5, 6): it is by fresh supplies of the
Spirit (Phil. 1:19) that there comes not only further light, but new
strength and comfort. Amid the perturbations caused by indwelling sin
and the anguish from our repeated defeats, it is one of the Spirit's
greatest works to sustain the soul by the expectation of things to
come.
"Who are kept by the power of God through faith" (1 Pet. 1:5). Here
again we are shown how the preservation of the saint is effected:
through the influences of an exercised faith-compare 1 John 5:4. Now
faith implies not only the knowledge and belief of the Truth, but also
those pious affections and dispositions and the performance of those
spiritual duties which constitute practical holiness. Without faith no
man can attain unto that holiness, and without the power of God none
can exercise this faith. Faith is the channel through which the mighty
works of God are wrought-as Hebrews 11 so clearly shows-not the least
of which is the conducting of His people safely through the Enemy's
land (1 John 5:19).
Perseverance in grace, or continuance in holiness, is not promoted by
a blind confidence or carnal security, but by watchfulness, earnest
effort and self-denial. So far from teaching that believers shall
certainly reach Heaven whether or not they use the means of grace,
Scripture affirms, "If ye live after the flesh ye shall die: but if ye
through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live"
(Rom. 8:13). God has not promised that, no matter how loosely a saint
may live or what vile habits he may persist in, he shall not perish;
but rather does He assure us that He will preserve from such looseness
and wickedness as would expose him to His wrath. It is by working
grace in our hearts, by calling into exercise the faculties of our
souls, by exciting fear and hope, hatred and love, sorrow and joy,
that the saint is preserved.
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The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 29
The Spirit Confirming
_________________________________________________________________
In view of the preceding chapter on the Spirit preserving, there is
really no need for us to take up another aspect of the subject which
so closely approximates thereto-yet a little reflection has persuaded
us that it may be wise to do so. Some of our readers are fearful that
the editor wavers on the blessed truth of the eternal security of the
Christian. Some Arminians, because of our strong emphasis upon the
absolute supremacy and sovereignty of God and the total impotency of
fallen men unto holiness, have charged us with denying human
responsibility, when the fact is that we go much farther than they do
in the holding and proclaiming of man's accountability. On the other
hand, some Calvinists, because we insist so emphatically and
frequently on the imperative necessity of treading the Highway of
Holiness in order to escape the everlasting burnings, have questioned
our soundness on the final perseverance of the saints; when probably,
as our writing on suicide shows, we believe this truth more fully than
they do. Very few today hold the balance of the Truth.
The Holy Spirit as "Earnest"
That which we now desire to contemplate is the blessed Spirit viewed
under the metaphor of an "earnest." This term is used of Him in the
following passages: "Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of
the Spirit in our hearts" (2 Cor. 1:22); "Now He that hath wrought us
for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest
of the Spirit" (2 Cor. 5:5); "After that ye believed, ye were sealed
with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our
inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the
praise of His glory" (Eph. 1:13, 14). The figure is taken from an
ancient custom (which is by no means obsolete today) of the method
used in the clinching of a commercial bargain or contract. The seller
agrees to make delivery at some future date of what has been agreed
upon, and as a guaranty of this the purchaser receives an "earnest,"
that is, a sample or token, an insignificant installment, of what has
been contracted for.
An "earnest," then, supposes a contract wherein two parties are
agreed, the one who is ultimately to come into possession of what has
been agreed upon being given a token of the other's good faith that he
will abide by the terms of the bargain. It is a part of the price
given beforehand, to assure the one to whom the "earnest" is given
that at the appointed season he shall receive the whole of that which
is promised. Now the right which the believer has to eternal life and
glory comes in a way of contract or covenant. On the one side, the
believer agrees to the terms specified (the forsaking of sin and the
serving of the Lord), and yields himself to God by repentance and
faith. On the other side, God binds Himself to give the believer
forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among them which are sanctified
by faith. This is clearly enough stated in, "Incline your ear, and
come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will (then) make
an Everlasting Covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David"
(Isa. 55:3)-upon our hearty consent to the terms of the Gospel, God
engages Himself to bestow upon us those inestimable blessings secured
for His people by the spiritual or antitypical David.
An "earnest" intimates there is some delay before the thing bargained
for is actually bestowed: in the case of goods, deliverance at once is
not agreed upon, in the case of property possession is not immediately
entered into. It is for this reason that the token of good faith or
preliminary installment is given: because the promised deliverance is
deferred, possession being delayed for a season, an "earnest" is
bestowed as a pledge or confirmation of what is to follow. Now as soon
as the believer really enters into covenant with God, he has a right
to the everlasting inheritance, but his actual entrance into full
blessedness is deferred. God does not remove us to Heaven the moment
we believe, any more than He brought Israel into Canaan within a few
days after delivering them from Egypt. Instead, we are left for a
while in this world, and that for various reasons: one among them
being that we may have opportunities for exercising faith and love;
faith in "looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of
the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13), hope in
longing: "ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption"
(Rom. 8:23).
An "earnest" is a part, though only a very small one, of the whole
that has been agreed upon. If a contract was made for the delivery of
a sum of money on a certain date, then a trifling installment thereof
was given; if it were the transfer of a piece of land, then a square
of turf was cut and handed to its future possessor, that being a
symbolic guarantee to assure him during the interval of waiting. So
too, those comforts which the Spirit communicates to believers are the
same in kind as the joys of Heaven though they are vastly inferior in
their degree. The saving gifts and graces of the Spirit are but a
small beginning and part of that glory which shall yet be revealed in
and to us. Grace is glory begun, and they differ from each other only
as an infant does from a fully matured adult. Holiness or purity of
heart is a pledge of that sinless estate and full conformity to Christ
which is promised the Christian in the future. That present loosing of
our bonds is but a sample of our perfect and final freedom.
An "earnest" is given for the security of the party who receives it,
and not for the benefit of him that bestows it. He who gives the
earnest is legally bound to complete his bargain, but the recipient
has this guarantee in hand for the confirming and comforting of his
mind while he is waiting-it being to him a tangible pledge and sample
of what as yet is only promised. Here again we may see the aptness and
accuracy of the figure, for the spiritual earnest which Christians
receive is given solely for their benefit, for there is no danger
whatever of backing out on God's part. "Wherein God, willing more
abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of His
counsel, confirmed it by an oath: that by two immutable things, in
which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong
consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set
before us" (Heb. 6:17, 18)-and this because believers commonly
More about "Earnest"
An "earnest" remains the irrevocable possession of its recipient until
the bargain is consummated, and even then it is not taken from him.
Therein an "earnest" differs from a "pledge," for when a pledged
article is returned, the pledge is taken back again. So, too, the
"earnest" which Christians receive is irrevocable and inalienable:
"For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance" (Rom.
11:29). As the Lord Jesus declared, "I will pray the Father, and He
shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever"
(John 14:16). How blessedly and how positively this intimates the
eternal security of God's elect! Jehovah has made with them "an
Everlasting Covenant, ordered in all things and sure" (2 Sam. 23:5).
Even now they have received "the firstfruits of the Spirit" (Rom.
8:23), and that is the Divine certification of the glorious harvest,
the plentitude of God's favor yet to follow. Like Mary, the believer
today, by yielding to the Lordship of Christ, has "chosen that good
part, which shall not be taken away" (Luke 10:42).
"Now He which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us,
is God; who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit
in our hearts" (2 Cor. 1:21, 22). It is to be duly noted that both the
sealing and the earnest are for our "stablishing." As one hymn-writer
put it, "What more can He say than to you He hath said, to you who to
Jesus for refuge hath fled?" And what more can He do, we may ask, than
what He has done to assure His people of the glorious inheritance
awaiting them? We have the Lord Jesus Christ in Heaven with our
nature, to show that our nature shall yet come there: "Whither the
Forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus" (Heb. 6:20). Nor is that
all: we have the Holy Spirit sent down into our hearts as proof that
we are not only children, but also the heirs of God: Romans 8:14-17.
"Now He that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also
hath given unto us the eamest of the Spirit" (2 Cor. 5:5). That
"selfsame thing" is not to be restricted unto a resurrected body: it
is the "far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" of 2
Corinthians 4:17, the "things which are not seen" of 4:18. Having
spoken of the everlasting bliss awaiting the saints on High, for which
they now groan and earnestly long (5:4), the Apostle mentions two of
the principal grounds on which such a hope rests. First, God has
"wrought us for" the same, that is He has regenerated us, giving us a
holy and heavenly nature which fully capacitates us to be with
Himself. Second, He has given us "the earnest of the Spirit" as a
guaranty of this glorious estate. Thus are we fitted for, and thus are
we assured of the infinitely better life awaiting us.
"After that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of
promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption
of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory" (Eph. 1:13,
14). In this passage (1:3-14) the Apostle describes those wondrous and
numerous blessings with which the saints are blest in Christ. Eternal
election (v. 4), membership in God's family (v. 5), acceptance in the
Beloved (v. 6), the forgiveness of sins (v. 7), and understanding of
Divine mysteries (vv. 8, 9), predestined unto an inheritance (v. 11),
sealed with the Holy Spirit (v. 13), and now the Spirit given to us as
"the earnest of our inheritance"-a part-payment in promise and pledge
of the whole. The dwelling of the Spirit in the believer's heart is
the guaranty of his yet taking his place in that holy and joyous scene
where all is according to the nature of God and where Christ is the
grand Center.
According to the literal meaning of the figure, an "earnest" signifies
the clinching of a bargain, that it is a sample of what has been
agreed upon, that it confirms and ensures the consummation of the
contract. And that is what the operations and presence of the Spirit
in the believer connote. First, they supply proof that God has made a
covenant with him "ordered in all things and sure." Second, the
present work of the Spirit in him is a real foretaste and firstfruit
of the coming harvest. Is there not something of the glorified eye in
that faith which the Spirit has implanted? Do the pure in heart see
God face to face in Heaven? Well, even now, faith enables us to endure
"as seeing Him who is invisible" (Heb. 11:27). Is there not now
something of that glorified joy wherein they in Heaven delight
themselves in God: "In the multitude of my thoughts within me Thy
comforts delight my soul" (Ps. 94:19). And is there not now a real
though faint adumbration of that glorified transformation of soul into
the image of Christ? Compare 2 Corinthians 3:18 with 1 John 3:2!
The "earnest" ensures the consummation of that contract. It is so
here. The first operation of the Spirit in the elect is the guaranty
of the successful completion of the same: "being confident of this
very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform
it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6). Thus, God has given us
something in hand that we may confidently anticipate the promised
inheritance. And this, so that both our desire and our diligence may
be stimulated. We are not asked to mortify sin, deny self, forsake the
world, for nothing. If the "Earnest" be so blessed, what shall the
Inheritance itself be! O what lively expectations of it should be
cherished in our hearts! O what earnest efforts should be made in
"reaching forth unto those things which are before" (Phil. 3:13)!
And what is the Inheritance of which the Spirit is the "Earnest" unto
the believer? It is nothing less than God Himself! The blessed God, in
the trinity of His Persons, is the everlasting portion of the saints.
Is it not written, "If children, then heirs; heirs of God, and
joint-heirs with Christ" (Rom. 8:17)? And what is Christ's
"inheritance"? "The LORD is the portion of Mine inheritance" (Ps.
16:5), He declared. The future bliss of believers will consist in the
fullness of the Spirit capacitating them to enjoy God to the full! And
has not the believer already "tasted that the Lord is gracious" (1
Pet. 2:3)? Yes, by the Spirit. The Spirit is the utmost proof to us of
God's love, the firstfruit of glory: "Because ye are sons, God hath
sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts" (Gal. 4:6).
God, then, grants His people a taste in this world of what He has
prepared for them in the world to come. The gifts and graces of the
Spirit in the elect affirm the certainty of the glory awaiting them:
as surely as an "earnest" guarantees the whole sum, so do the
"firstfruits of the Spirit" (Rom. 8:23) the coming harvest of bliss.
The nature of the Christian's "earnest" intimates both the character
and the greatness of what is in store for him: even now He bestows a
measure of life, light, love, liberty-but what shall these be in their
fullness! One ounce of real grace is esteemed by its possessor more
highly than a ton of gold: what, then, will it be like to bathe in the
ocean of God's favor? If now there are times when we experience that
peace which "passeth all understanding" (Phil. 4:7) and are made to
"rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory" (1 Pet. 1:8), how
incapable we are of estimating the full value of our Inheritance, for
an "earnest" is but a tiny installment of that which is promised. O
that the realization of this, faint though it be, may move us to look
and long for the heavenly glory with greater vehemence.
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The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 30
The Spirit Fructifying
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In the Song of Solomon
Far more is said in Scripture upon this aspect of our many-sided
subject than is generally supposed-different figures being used,
especially in the Old Testament, to express the graces and virtues
which the Spirit imparts to and develops in the elect. A considerable
variety of emblems are employed to set them forth. They are frequently
referred to as flowers and gardens of them, to beds of spices, and
unto trees and orchards. For example, in Solomon's Song we hear Christ
saying to His Spouse: "A garden enclosed is My sister, My Spouse; a
spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Thy plants are an orchard of
pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphor, with spikenard. Spikenard
and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense;
myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices: a fountain of gardens, a
well of living "(Song. 4:12-15).
The figures used in the above passage are very beautiful and call for
careful consideration. A "garden" is a piece of ground distinguished
and separated from others, for the owner's use and delight; so the
Church of Christ is distinguished and separated from all other people
by electing, redeeming, and regenerating grace. In a garden is a great
variety of plants, herbs, and flowers-so in the Church there are
members differing much from each other, yet in all there is that which
is delightful to their Lord. In a garden the plants and flowers do not
grow up naturally of themselves, they do not spring forth
spontaneously from its soil, but have to be set or sown, for nothing
but weeds grow up of themselves; so in Christ's Church, those
excellencies which are found in its members are not natural to them,
but are the direct product of the Spirit's operations, for by nature
nothing grows in their hearts but the weeds of sin and corruption.
The commentators are not agreed as to whether Christ is speaking to
His Spouse in verse 15, or whether She is there heard replying to what
He had said in verses 12-14. Personally, we strongly incline to the
latter: that Christ having commended His Church as a fruitful garden,
She now ascribes it all to Him: "A Fountain of gardens, a Well of
living waters, and streams from Lebanon." Yet, if we accept the former
interpretation, it amounts to much the same thing, for He would there
be explaining what it was that made His Garden so fertile. To be
healthy and productive a garden must be well watered, otherwise its
delicate plants will quickly wilt and wither; the same being true of
trees and all vegetation: a plentiful supply of water is
indispensable. Consequently, in keeping with the fact that believers
are likened unto plants and trees, and their graces to flowers and
fruits, the quickening, renewing, reviving, and fructifying operations
of the Spirit are spoken of as "dew," as "showers," as "streams in the
desert," etc.
Cultivating Christlikeness
The Holy Spirit not only imparts life and holiness, but He sustains
the same in the soul; He not only communicates heavenly graces, but He
cultivates and develops them. "That they might be called Trees of
righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified .
. . For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth
the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will
cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations"
(Isa. 61:3, 11). Yes, the same One who "planted" those "trees of
righteousness" must also "cause them" to "spring forth" to grow and
bear fruit. While the tendency of the new nature is ever Godwards, yet
it has no power of its own, being entirely dependent upon its Creator
and Giver. Hence, that fruit which is borne by the believer is
expressly called "the fruit of the Spirit" so that the honor and glory
may be ascribed alone unto Him. "From Me is thy fruit found" (Hosea
14:8).
"For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the
dry ground: I will pour My Spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon
thine offspring: and they shall spring up as among the grass, as
willows by the water courses" (Isa. 44:3, 4). Just as surely as a
drought brings famine, so the absence of the Spirit's working leaves
all in a state of spiritual death; but just as heavy rains renew a
parched vegetation, so an outpouring of the Spirit brings new life.
Then shall it indeed be said, "The wilderness and the solitary place
shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as
the rose" (Isa. 35:1), which is expressly interpreted for us by the
Spirit in, "For the LORD shall comfort Zion: He will comfort all her
waste places; and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her
desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found
therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody" (Isa. 51:3). We have
purposely added Scripture to Scripture because the spiritual meaning
of these passages is commonly unperceived today, when carnal
dispensationalists insist on the ignoring of all figures, and the
interpreting of everything "literally."
"My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be
formed in you" (Gal. 4: 19)-that which the Apostle did ministerially,
the Spirit does efficiently. This is how the Spirit makes the
Christian fruitful, or rather, it is how He first fits him to be
fruitful: by forming Christ in him! The metaphor is taken from the
shaping of the child in its mother's womb, so that as its natural
parents communicated the matter of its body, it is then framed and
shaped into their likeness, limb for limb, answering to themselves. In
like manner, the Spirit communicates to the heart an incorruptible
"seed" (1 John 3:9) or spiritual nature, and then conforms the soul
unto Christ's image: first to His graces, and then to His example:
"That ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you" (1
Pet. 2:9)-which we could not do unless we had first received them. Ah,
my reader, this is a solemn thing: we pass among men for genuine
Christians, but the only coins which will pass the eye of God are
those which bear stamped upon them the image of His Son.
In other words, then, the Spirit's fructifying of the believer is the
conforming of him unto Christ, first in his heart, and then in his
life. By nature we are totally unlike Christ, being born in the image
of Adam and dominated by Satan; or, to revert to the figure in the
opening paragraph, so far from resembling a beautiful and well-kept
garden, we are like a barren desert, where nothing but useless shrubs
and poisonous weeds are found. "I went by the field of the slothful,
and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; and, lo, it was
all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof,
and the stone wall thereof was broken down" (Prov. 24:30, 31). That is
how we appeared unto the holy eye of God in our unregenerate state! It
is only when a miracle of grace has been wrought in our hearts that
Christ begins to be formed in us, and that we (in our measure)
reproduce His graces; and this is due solely to the sovereign and
effectual operations of the Holy Spirit.
Fruit of the Spirit (Graces of the Spirit)
"Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree
bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit,
neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit ... Wherefore by
their fruits ye shall know them" (Matthew 7:17, 18, 20). The fruit
they bear is that which distinguishes the children of God from the
children of the Devil. This "fruit" is the temper or disposition
wrought in the elect by the Holy Spirit, which is manifested by them,
severally, "according to the measure of the gift of Christ" (Eph.
4:7). The Spirit fructifies the regenerate by conforming them to the
image of Christ: first to His graces, and then to His example. The
lovely virtues found in them do not issue from the depraved nature of
fallen man, but are supernaturally inwrought by God.
There are three leading passages in the New Testament on this subject.
John 15 names the conditions of fruitfulness: union with Christ,
purging by the Father, abiding in Christ, and Christ and His Word
abiding in us. Galatians 5 furnishes a description of the fruit
itself. 2 Peter 1:5-8 states the order of fruit or the process of its
cultivation. "In the figure of the Vine, the Holy Spirit is not
mentioned, but in comparing Himself to the Vine and His disciples to
the Branches, the Tree corresponds to the Body, and the Life to His
Spirit. The diffusion of life is the work of the Holy Spirit, and the
fruit by which the Father is glorified is the fruit of the Spirit.
Apart from Christ there is neither life nor fruit, but without the
Spirit of Christ there can be neither union or abiding. Our Lord does
not specify the fruit. What He emphasizes is the fact that it is
fruit, and that it is fruit directly from Himself" (S. Chadwick).
"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance" (Gal. 5:22, 23).
These are graces of the Spirit as distinguished from the gifts of the
Spirit, enumerated in 1 Corinthians 12, and which will be considered
in our next chapter. They are holy and heavenly dispositions with the
conduct which results therefrom. The Apostle begins with the principal
characteristics of the spiritual mind, and then passes on to its
operation and manifestation in personal conduct, social virtues, and
practical behavior. A threefold reason may be suggested why these
spiritual graces are termed "fruit." First, because all grace is
derived from the Spirit as fruit issues from the life of a plant.
Second, to denote the pleasantness of grace, for what is more
delightful than sweet and wholesome fruit? Third, to signify the
advantage redounding to those who have the Spirit; as the owners are
enriched by the fruit produced from their gardens and orchards, so
believers are enriched by the fruits of holiness.
In the use of the singular number, "the fruit (rather than fruits) of
the Spirit," emphasis is placed upon the unity of His operations:
producing one harmonious whole-in contrast from the products of the
flesh, which ever tend to discord and chaos. These virtues are not
like so many separate flowers in a bouquet, as the variegated petals
of one lovely flower exhibiting different shades and forms. A rainbow
is one, yet in it all the primary colors are beautifully blended
together. These graces which the Spirit imparts to a renewed soul are
distinguishable, but they are inseparable. In some believers one grace
predominates more than another-as meekness in Moses, patience in Job,
love in John-yet all are present and
Galatians 5:22, 23 enumerates nine of the graces communicated by the
Spirit. Some have suggested that the last eight are but varied
expressions of the first. That "Joy is love exulting, Peace is love in
repose, Longsuffering is love on trial, Gentleness is love in society,
Goodness is love in action, Faith is love in endurance, Meekness is
love at school, and Temperance is love in discipline" (A. T. Pierson).
But while love is, admittedly, the greatest of all the graces, yet 1
Corinthians 13:13 shows that it is but one of several. Personally, we
prefer the older classification which divided the nine graces into
three threes: the first three-love, joy, peace-being Godwards in their
exercise; the second three-longsuffering, gentleness goodness-being
exercised manwards; and the last three-fidelity,
"Love": the Apostle begins with that which flows directly from God
(Rom. 5:5), and without which there can be no fellowship with Him or
pleasing of Him. "Joy" in God, in the knowledge of pardon, in
communion with Christ, in the duties of piety, in the hope of Heaven.
"Peace": of conscience, rest of heart, tranquillity of mind.
"Longsuffering" when provoked and injured by others, exercising a
magnanimous forbearance toward the faults and failing of our fellows.
"Gentleness" rendered "kindness" in 2 Corinthians 6:6, a gracious
benignity, the opposite of a harsh, crabbed, and brutal temper.
"Goodness" or beneficence, seeking to help and benefit others, without
expecting any return or reward. "Faith" or more accurately
"faithfulness": being trustworthy, honest, keeping your promises.
"Meekness" or yieldedness, the opposite of self-will and
self-assertiveness. "Temperance" or self-control: being moderate in
all things, ruling one's spirit, denying self
"In newspaper English, the passage would read something like this: The
Fruit of the Spirit is an affectionate, lovable disposition, a radiant
spirit and a cheerful temper, a tranquil mind and a quiet manner, a
forbearing patience in provoking circumstances and with trying people,
a sympathetic insight and tactful helpfulness, generous judgment and a
big-souled charity, loyalty and reliableness under all circumstances,
humility that forgets self in the joy of others, in all things
self-mastered and self-controlled, which is the final mark of
perfecting. This is the kind of character that is the Fruit of the
Spirit. Everything is in the word Fruit. It is not by striving, but by
abiding; not by worrying, but by trusting; not of works, but of faith"
(S. Chadwick). And, as our passage goes on to say, "Against such there
is no law" (Gal. 5:23): that which the Law enjoins the Spirit imparts,
so that there is perfect harmony between the Law and the Gospel.
But here, too, there is to be a concurrence between the Christian and
the Spirit; our responsibility is to cherish and cultivate our graces,
and to resist and reject everything which opposes and hinders them.
Fruit is neither our invention nor our product, nevertheless it
requires our "diligence" as 2 Peter 1:5 plainly indicates. A neglected
garden grows weeds in plenty, and then its flowers and fruits are
quickly crowded out. The gardener has to be continually alert and
active. Turn to and ponder Psalm 1 and see what has to be avoided, and
what has to be done, if the believer is to "bring forth his fruit in
his season." Re-read John 15 and note the conditions of fruitfulness,
and then turn the same into earnest prayer. The Lord, in His grace,
make both writer and reader successful horticulturists in the
spiritual realm.
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The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 31
The Spirit Endowing
_________________________________________________________________
From the graces which the Spirit works in God's children, we turn now
to consider the gifts which He bestows upon God's servants. This
brings us to a comprehensive subject, and instead of devoting two
brief papers thereto, a series of lengthy articles might well be
written thereon. We can but here single out one or two aspects of
it-those which we consider most need our attention today. Broadly
speaking the fundamental principle underlying this branch of our theme
may be expressed thus: when God calls any to the performance of
special work in His service, He equips them by the gifts of His
Spirit. For example we read, "The LORD hath called by name Bezaleel .
. . and He hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in
understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; and
to devise curious works, to "etc. (Ex. 35:30-32).
Now just as men erred grievously concerning the being of God, grossly
misrepresenting Him by images; and just as there have been the most
horrible errors respecting the Person of the Mediator; so there has
been fearful confusion upon the gifts of the Spirit, in fact it is at
this point there pertains the most serious mistakes with regards to
Him. Men have failed to distinguish between His extraordinary and His
ordinary gifts, and have sought to generalize what was special and
exceptional. Urging the rank and file of professing Christians to seek
"power from on High," the "baptism of the Spirit," or His "filling for
service," the wildest extravagances have been fostered and the door
has been opened wide for Satan to enter and delude the souls and wreck
the bodily health of thousands of people.
Gift of Prophecy
It was well said by John Owen nearly three centuries ago that, "The
great deceit and abuse that hath been in all ages of the church under
the pretense of the name and work of the Holy Spirit, make the
thorough consideration of what we are taught concerning them
exceedingly necessary." The most signal gift of the Spirit for the
benefit of His people in Old Testament times was that of prophecy. The
Prophets were men who spoke in the name and by the authority of God,
giving forth a Divinely inspired message from Him. It is not
surprising, then, that many pretended unto this gift who were never
inspired by the Holy Spirit, but rather were filled by a lying spirit,
Satan making use of them to accomplish his own designs: see 1 Kings
22:6, 7; Jeremiah 5:3 1, etc. Those facts are recorded for our
warning!
This same gift of prophecy occupied a prominent place in the early
days of the Christian dispensation, before the New Testament was
written. The Gospel was at first declared from the immediate
revelation of the Spirit, preached by His direct assistance, made
effectual by His power, and accompanied in many instances by outward
miraculous works, the whole of which is designated "the ministration
of the Spirit" (2 Cor. 3:8). Those extraordinary manifestations of the
Spirit were then so obvious and so acknowledged by all Christians that
those who wished to impose and deceive found no more successful method
than by claiming to be themselves immediately inspired by the Spirit.
Consequently we find such warnings given by God as, "Despise not
prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good" (1
Thess. 5:20, 21); "But there were false prophets also among the
people, even as there shall be false teachers among you" (2 Pet. 2:1);
"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they
are of God"(l John 4:1).
Gift of Discernment
In order to preserve the church in truth and peace during those
primitive times, and safeguard them from being imposed upon by the
false prophets while there was a real communication of the
extraordinary gifts of the Spirit (whereby the more occasion was
afforded for charlatans to pretend unto the possession of them), God
graciously endowed some of His people with the gift of "the discerning
of spirits" (1 Cor. 12:10). The saints were thereby provided with some
who were enabled in extraordinary manner to judge and determine those
who claimed to be specially endowed by the Spirit-but when the
extraordinary manifestations of the Spirit ceased, this particular
gift was also withdrawn, so the Christians are now left with the Word
alone by which to measure and try all who claim to be the mouthpiece
of God.
Signs and Wonders
"How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the
first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by
them that heard Him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs
and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit"
(Heb. 2:3, 4). This passage makes known to us God's design in the
miraculous gifts of the Spirit at the beginning of this dispensation.
They were for the purpose of confirming the preached Word-for none of
the New Testament had then been written! They were for the
establishing of the Gospel; not to beget and strengthen faith, but to
cause unbelievers to listen to the Truth-compare
Nine Gifts
In 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 we are supplied with a list of those
extraordinary gifts of the Spirit which then obtained-we use the word
"extraordinary" in contrast from His ordinary gifts, or those which
obtain in all ages and generations. "For to one is given by the Spirit
the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same
Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of
healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to
another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers
kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues" (1 Cor.
12:8-10). It will be noted that just as "the fruit of the Spirit" is
divided into nine graces (Gal. 5:22, 23), so "the ministration of the
Spirit" is here described under nine distinct gifts. A very few words
must now suffice upon them.
"The word of wisdom" (1 Cor. 12:8) was a special gift bestowed upon
the Apostles (hence it heads this list of gifts) for the defense of
the Gospel against powerful adversaries: see Luke 21:15! "The word of
knowledge" was a special gift bestowed on all then called of God to
preach the Gospel: it supernaturally qualified them to expound Divine
mysteries without protracted study and lengthy experience: see Acts
4:13! "To another faith," a special gift which enabled its possessor
to trust God in any emergency, and to boldly face a martyr's death:
see Acts 6:5. The "gifts of healing" and "the working of miracles" are
seen in their exercise by the Apostles in the Acts. "To another
prophecy" or immediate inspiration and revelation from God. Upon
"tongues" and their "interpretation" we shall have more to say later.
Non-continuance of Extraordinary Gifts
Now that all of these special impulses and extraordinary gifts of the
Spirit were not intended to be perpetuated throughout this Christian
dispensation, and that they have long since ceased, is clear from
several conclusive considerations. Their non-continuance is hinted at
in Mark 16:20 by the omission of Christ's, "and, lo, I am with you
alway, even unto the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). So, too, by the
fact that God did not give faith to His servants to count upon the
same throughout the centuries: it is unthinkable that the intrepid
Reformers and the godly Puritans failed to appropriate God's promise
if any had been given to that effect. "Love never fails. But whether
there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they
will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away" (1 Cor.
13:8).
The Apostle cannot there be contrasting Heaven with earth, for those
on High possess more "knowledge" than we have; so the reference must
be to the cessation of the miraculous gifts of 1 Corinthians 12. The
qualifying language "which at the first began to be spoken by the
Lord, and was confirmed to us . . . with signs and wonders" (Heb. 2:3,
4) points in the same direction, and clearly implies that those
supernatural manifestations had even then ceased Finally, 2 Timothy
3:16, 17 proves conclusively that there is now no need for such gifts
as prophecy and tongues: we are "thoroughly furnished" by the now
complete Canon of Scripture.
Practice of Gifts in the Church Meeting
Our discussion upon the Person and work of the Holy Spirit would lack
completeness if we ignored the fantastic and fanatical view which some
have taken regarding 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 as the Divine pattern and
ideal for "the open meeting" of the local church today. We refer to
those who decry a "one-man ministry" and who encourage an "any-man
minis-try" under the guise of allowing the Spirit full freedom to move
and use any whom Christ has "gifted." It is insisted that here in 1
Corinthians 14 we behold different ones endowed with various gifts
taking part in the same meeting, yet strange to say these very people
readily acknowledge that the gift of tongues has ceased-but this very
chapter prescribes how that gift was and was not to be used!
Now in the first place there is not a single statement in all the New
Testament that the practice which obtained at Corinth prevailed
generally in other churches of that day, still less that the
assemblies of the saints in all generations were to be patterned after
their order. Rather is there much to show that what obtained at
Corinth was not the regular mode established by Christ and His
Apostles. The fact is that not only were the conditions at Corinth
merely transitory and exceptional, but they were fraught with much
evil. In no other church of apostolic days was there such disorder and
carnality. "Gifts" were valued there more highly than grace, knowledge
than love, and the consequence was that the possessors of those
miraculous gifts, by their pride and forwardness, neutralized whatever
good those gifts accomplished. The reason for that is not far to seek:
they had no governing head or heads and no Divinely authorized teacher
or teachers. The absence of elders made them like an army without
officers, or a school without masters. Where all were equal, none
would submit; where all wanted to teach, none would learn.
So far from the Corinthian church supplying a pattern for all others
to follow, it stands before us a most solemn warning and sample of
what ensues when a company of Christians is left without a Divinely
qualified leader. The most terrible laxity of discipline obtained: one
member was living in adultery with his father's second wife (5:1),
while others were getting drunk at the Lord's table (11:21). Those
fearful sins (which would not be tolerated today in any Christian
church worthy of the name) were winked at, because the assembly was
split into parties through want of a controlling head (an
under-shepherd of Christ), and because the sinning members belonged to
the majority, the minority was powerless.
Besides the fearful laxity of discipline, the grossest irregularities
prevailed at their public meetings for the worship of God. There was
neither unity, order, edifying ministry, nor decorum. One had his
"psalm," another his "doctrine," another his "tongue," another his
"revelation," and yet another his "interpretation" (1 Cor.
14:26)-which is mentioned by the Apostle not by way of commendation,
but as a rebuke for their disorder, as is quite evident from the final
clause of that verse, as also from verse 40: carefully compare the
opening words of verses 15 and 26! As another has said, "Here, then,
all were charged, as it were, to the muzzle, and each wanting to have
the first say, the longest say, and the loudest say. They did not wish
to edify, but to show off."
Now it was in view of such a situation that the Apostle was moved of
God to pen 1 Corinthians 14, in order to correct these abuses and to
lay down rules for the regulation of those who possessed the
extraordinary gifts of prophesying and speaking in tongues. But this
very fact at once over-throws that theory which has been built on an
erroneous conception of this chapter! Not only is there not a single
statement elsewhere in the New Testament that the Holy Spirit is the
President over assemblies, or that He is ever present in any other
sense than that He dwells in individual believers, but 1 Corinthians
14 itself is very far from teaching that the Spirit presides over the
local church, and requires those who have been "gifted" by Christ to
wait on Him, and be governed entirely by His inward promptings. Surely
it is perfectly obvious that inward promptings of the Spirit render
quite needless such rules and regulations as are given here!
To affirm that "the spirits of the prophets are subject to the
prophets" (v. 32), that is, their "gift" of prophecy is under the
Prophet's own control, is a vastly different thing from saying that
the prophets were to be subject to the Holy Spirit! No matter how
strong was the impulse to speak, he could not rightly defy the command
given, "Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge"
(v. 29) under the plea that the Spirit urged him to speak. So again,
how easy it had been for the Apostle to affirm, "If the Spirit impel
anyone to speak in a tongue, He will move some other brother to
translate"; but so far from that, he commanded, "But if there be no
interpreter, let him keep silence in the church" (v. 28), which
utterly demolishes the idea that these Corinthians were being presided
over by the Holy Spirit.
Nowhere in 1 Corinthians 14 is it stated that the Spirit conducted (or
ought to conduct) their meetings, nor were the Corinthians rebuked for
failing to look to Him for guidance. There is not a hint of their
sinfulness in limiting His sovereign freedom among them! Instead, the
Apostle says, "I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that
ye prophesied" (v. 5), and, "I had rather speak five words with my
understanding . . . than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue" (v.
19) which he most certainly had not said if his theme here was the
Spirit's superintendence, for in that case the Apostle would have
gladly and entirely subjected himself to His control. Throughout the
entire chapter the Apostle presents action as coming from the side of
the possessors of the gifts, and not from the side of the Spirit. It
is not, "when ye come together the Spirit will move one to speak in a
tongue, another to prophecy, etc." No, they are bidden to use good
sense, to show their love to one another by subjection, and to beware
of shocking visitors (vv. 20, 23). But enough.
As there were offices extraordinary (Apostle and Prophets) at the
beginning of our dispensation, so there were gifts extraordinary; and
as successors were not appointed for the former, so a continuance was
never intended for the latter. The gifts were dependent upon the
officers: see Acts 8:14-21; 10:44-46; 19:6; Romans 1:11; Galatians
3:5; 2 Timothy 1:6. We no longer have the Apostles with us, and
therefore the supernatural gifts (the communication of which was an
essential part of "the signs of an Apostle": 2 Cor. 12:12) are absent.
None but a Prophet can "prophesy!" Let it be definitely noted that the
"Prophet" and the "teacher" are quite distinct:1 Corinthians 12:28,
29; Ephesians 2:20; 3:5-the one is no more, the latter still exists. A
Prophet was inspired by God to give out an infallible
Surely it is a manifest absurdity, then, to take a chapter which was
given for the express purpose of regulating the exercise of the
extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, and apply it to a company today
where none of those gifts exist! Furthermore, if 1 Corinthians 14 sets
forth the Spirit's superintendence of the local assembly in worship,
why is it that there is not a single mention of Him throughout the
whole of its 40 verses? That is indeed a hard question to answer.
Obviously, there has been read into it what is not there! But do we
not still have the "word of wisdom" and "the word of knowledge"?
Certainly not; they were among the spiritual gifts of 1 Corinthians
12:1, and that word "spiritual" is not used there in contrast from
"carnal" (as is clear from 1 Cor. 3:1, for they were not spiritual in
that sense), so that it must mean inspired, and "inspired" men ceased
when the Canon of Scripture was closed!
It is true that the Spirit acts today, but it is in secret, and not in
open manifestation as in the days of the Apostles; and by mixed
agency. The Truth is taught, but not perfectly as the Apostles and
their delegates preached it. The best sermon now preached or article
written, is not a standard (as it would be if inspired by the Spirit),
for it has blemishes in it; yet the Spirit is not responsible for
them. What the Spirit does now is to bestow ordinary ministerial
gifts, which the possessor must improve and develop by study and use.
To "seek power from High" or a special "filling of the Spirit" is to
run the serious risk of being controlled by evil spirits posing as
angels of light.
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The Holy Spirit
by A. W. Pink
Chapter 32
Honoring The Spirit
_________________________________________________________________
It seems fitting that we should close this lengthy discussion upon the
Person, office, and operations of the Holy Spirit by dwelling upon
what is due Him from those in whom He has wrought so graciously, for
it is very evident that some recognition and response must be made Him
by us. There is, however, the more need for us to write something
thereon, because there are quite a number who belong to a company
which refrains from all direct worship of the Third Person in the
Godhead, deeming it unscriptural and incongruous to do so. It seems
strange that the very ones who claim to give the Spirit a freer and
fuller place in their meetings than any branch of Christendom, should,
at he same time, demur at prayer being immediately directed to Him.
Yet it is so: some of them refuse to sing the Doxology because it ends
with "Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost."
From time to time one and another of our readers have written, taking
exception to occasional statements made by us, such as "what praise is
due the Spirit for His grace and goodness unto us!" challenging us to
point to any definite passage wherein we are bidden to worship or pray
to the Spirit distinctively. First, let us point out that there are
many things clearly implied in Scripture which are not formally and
expressly stated, and to assert we must for that reason reject them is
absurd-some have refused the canonicity of the book of Esther because
the name of God is not found therein, yet His superintending
Providence, His overruling power, His faithfulness and goodness, shine
forth in each chapter! We build not our faith on any isolated texts,
but on the Word of God as a whole, rightly and spiritually
interpreted.
We have begun thus not because we are unable to find any definite
statements in the Word which obviously warrant the position we have
taken, but because we deemed it well to refute an erroneous principle.
Even if there were no clear cases recorded of prayer and praise being
offered immediately to the Holy Spirit, we should surely require some
strong positive proof to show the Spirit is not to be supplicated. But
where, we ask, is there anything in Holy Writ which informs us that
one Person in the Godhead must be excluded from the praises that we
make unto the Lord? Here we are meeting the objector on his own
ground: if what we are about to advance fails to convince him, he must
at least allow that he knows of no texts which refute or condemn us,
no verse which warns us against rendering to the blessed Spirit that
recognition and honor to which we consider He is fully entitled.
Worshipping the Spirit as a Member of the Trinity
"Thou shalt fear (worship-Matthew 4:10) the LORD thy God, and serve
Him" (Deut. 6:13). Now the Lord our God is a Unity in Trinity, that
is, He subsists in three Persons who are co-essential and co-glorious.
Therefore the Holy Spirit, equally with the Father and the Son, is
entitled to and must receive devout homage, for we are here commanded
to render the same to Him. This is confirmed by the "holy, holy,
holy," of Isaiah 6:3, where we find the seraphim owning separately and
worshipping distinctively the Eternal Three. The words that follow in
verse 8, "Who will go for Us?" make it quite clear that the threefold
"holy" was ascribed to the Blessed Trinity. Still further confirmation
is found in Acts 28:25, 26, where the Apostle prefaces his quotation
of Isaiah 6:9 with "well spake the Holy Spirit by Isaiah the Prophet."
If, then, the angels ascribe glory and render worship to the Holy
Spirit, shall we, who have been regenerated by Him, do less!?
"O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our
Maker" (Ps. 95:6). Who is our "Maker?" Perhaps you answer, Christ, the
eternal Word, of whom it is said, "All things were made by Him; and
without Him was not anything made that was made" (John 1:3 and cf.
Col. 1:16). That is true, yet Christ is not our "Maker" (either
naturally or spiritually) to the exclusion of the Holy Spirit. The
Third Person of the Godhead, equally with the Father and the Son, is
our "Maker." In proof of this assertion we quote, "The Spirit of God
hath made me, and the Breath of the Almighty hath given me life" (Job
33:4). Let the reader carefully compare Job 26:13 with Psalm 33:6. Let
it also be duly noted that this 95th Psalm (vv. 7-11) is quoted in
Hebrews 3:7-11 and prefaced with, "Wherefore as the Holy Spirit
saith." Thus not only may we worship the blessed Spirit, but here in
Psalm 95:6 we are commanded to do so.
It does indeed seem strange that any professing Christian should raise
any objection and question the propriety of worshipping the Spirit.
Are we not to acknowledge our dependence upon and obligations unto the
Holy Spirit? Surely! surely! He is as much the Object of faith as is
the Father and the Son: He is so in His Being and perfections, His
Deity and personality, His offices and operations. Moreover, there are
particular acts of trust and confidence to be exercised on Him. As He
is God, He is to be worshipped, and that cannot be done aright without
faith. We are to trust Him for His help in prayer and the discharge of
every duty! We are to exercise confidence that He will complete the
good work which He has begun in us. Especially should ministers of the
Word look to Him for His help in and blessing upon their labors.
"Then said He unto me, Prophesy unto the Wind (Breath), prophesy, son
of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the
four winds, O Breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may
live" (Ezek. 37:9). We sincerely trust that none of our readers will
suppose that the Lord bade His servant to perform an idolatrous act by
invoking the literal "wind." No, a comparison of verses 9 and 10 with
verse 14 shows plainly that it was the Holy Spirit Himself who was
referred to-see John 3:8. Nor does this passage stand alone. In Song
of Solomon 4:16 we find the Spouse praying to the Spirit for renewal
and revival: "Awake, O north Wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my
garden, that the spices thereof may flow out." She expressed her
desires metaphorically, but this is what she breathed after. It is the
Spirit of life, then, we should always apply to for quickening, for
the enlivening and exciting of His graces in us.
Worshipping the Spirit Directly
This subject is (alas) new to many. Not a few seem to have been misled
through a wrong understanding of that word concerning the Spirit in
John 16:13, as though, "He shall not speak of Himself," signified He
shall never occupy the saints with His own Person and work, but always
direct them to Christ. It is true that the Spirit is here to glorify
Christ, yet that by no means exhausts His mission. His first work is
to direct the attention of sinners to God as God, convicting them of
rebellion against their Creator, Ruler, and Judge. Then, too, He
occupies the saints with the Father: His love, grace, and providential
care. But John 16:13 no more means that the Spirit does not magnify
Himself than Christ's, "I have not spoken for Myself" (John 12:49)
meant that He never occupied people with His own Person-His "come unto
Me" (Matthew 11:28, John 7:37) proves otherwise.
Others create difficulty out of the fact that in the economy of
redemption the Spirit now occupies the place of Servant of the
Godhead, and as such it is incongruous to worship Him. Such a cavil
hardly deserves reply. But lest some of our readers have been misled
by this sophistry, let it be pointed out that during the days of His
flesh, Christ occupied the place of "Servant," the One who came here
not to be ministered unto, but to minister-nevertheless, even during
that season of His humiliation we are told, "Behold there came a leper
and worshipped Him" (Matthew 8:2). And have we not read that when the
wise men from the east entered the house where He was, they "fell down
and worshipped Him" (Matthew 2:11)? Thus, the fact that the Holy
Spirit is the Executive of the Godhead by no means debars Him of His
title to our love and homage. Some say that because the Spirit is in
us, He is not a suitable Object of worship, as the Father and Son
without us. But is the Spirit within the only relation He sustains to
us? Is He not omnipresent, infinitely above us, and as such an
appropriate Object of worship?
That the Holy Spirit is to be publicly owned and equally honored with
the Father and the Son is very evident from the terms of the great
commission, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit"
(Matthew 28:19). Now to be baptized in the name of the Holy Spirit is
either a real act of worship, or otherwise it would be a mere
formality-which of the two is not difficult to determine. In view of
this verse, no one need have the slightest hesitation in rendering
homage to the Spirit as he does to the Father and the Son. This is not
a case of reasoning on our parts nor of drawing an inference, but is a
part of Divinely-revealed Truth. If we praise and revere the Son for
what He has done for us, shall not the Spirit be adored for what He
has wrought in us!? The Spirit Himself loves us (Rom. 15:30), by whose
authority, then, are we to stifle our love for Him!?
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen" (2 Cor. 13:14).
Here again the Holy Spirit is honored equally with the Father and the
Son-the Apostles certainly did not slight Him as do some of our
modems. Let it be duly weighed that "communion" is a mutual thing, a
giving and receiving. In our communion with the Father we receive from
Him, and then return to Him love and obedience. From the Son we
receive life, and acknowledge it in our praises. From the Spirit we
receive regeneration and sanctification, shall we render Him nothing
in return? We understand this verse to signify, "O Lord Jesus Christ,
let Thy grace be with us; O God the Father, let thy love be manifested
unto us; O Holy Spirit, let Thy saints enjoy much of thy communion."
This invocatory benediction revealed the longings of Paul's heart unto
the Corinthian saints, and those longings prompted his petition on
their behalf.
"And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the
patient waiting for Christ" (2 Thess. 3:5). What could be plainer?
Here each of the three Divine Persons is distinguished, and the
Apostle prays directly to the Lord the Spirit-obviously "the Lord"
here cannot refer to the Son, for in such case it would signify "The
Lord (Jesus) direct your hearts into the patient waiting for Christ."
As it is the Spirit's office to "guide us into all truth" (John
16:13), to "lead us into the paths of righteousness" (Ps. 23:3), so to
"direct" our hearts into the love of God and longings after Christ. He
it is who communicates God's love to us (Rom. 5:50), and He it is who
stirs us up to the performance of duty by inflaming our hearts with
apprehensions of God's tenderness toward us-and for this we are to
pray to Him! It is just as though the Apostle said, "O thou Lord the
Spirit, warm our cold hearts with a renewed sense of God's tender
regard for us, stabilize our fretful souls into a patient waiting for
Christ."
"John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and
peace, from Him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and
from the seven Spirits which are before His throne; and from Jesus
Christ, who is the faithful witness" (Rev. 1:4, 5). This is as much a
prayer-an invocation of blessing-as that recorded in Numbers 6:24-26.
The Apostle John desired and supplicated God the Father ("Him who is,"
etc.), God the Holy Spirit in the plenitude of His power ("the seven
Spirits"), and God the Son, that the seven churches in Asia might
enjoy Their grace and peace. When I say "The Lord bless you, dear
brother," I should utter empty words unless I also pray the Lord to
bless you. This "grace and peace be unto you," then, was far more that
a pleasantry or courtesy: John was making known to the saints his deep
longings for them, which found expression in ardent supplication for
these very blessings to be conferred upon them. In conclusion let us
say that every verse of the Bible which bids us "Praise the Lord" or
"worship God" has reference to each of the Eternal Three.
"Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth
labourers into His harvest" (Matthew 9:38). Here is something very
plain and expressive, the only point needing to be determined is, Who
is "The Lord of the harvest"? During the days of His earthly ministry,
Christ Himself sustained that office, as is clear from His calling and
sending forth of the Twelve; but after His ascension, the Holy Spirit
became such. As proof thereof, we refer to "The Holy Spirit said,
Separate Me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called
them . . . so they, being sent forth by the Holy Spirit, departed"
(Acts 13:2, 4)! So again we read, "Take heed therefore unto
yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Spirit hath
made you overseers" (Acts 20:28). It is the Holy Spirit who now
appoints the laborers, equips them, assigns their work, and blesses
their efforts. In 1 Corinthians 12:5 and 2 Corinthians 3:17 the Holy
Spirit expressly is designated "Lord."
"Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all you creatures
here below. Praise Him above you heavenly hosts-praise Father, Son and
Holy Ghost." Amen!
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A. W. Pink Header
THE LAW AND THE SAINT
by A. W. Pink
1. Introduction
_________________________________________________________________
It has been said that every unregenerate sinner has the heart of a
Pharisee. This is true; and it is equally true that every unregenerate
sinner has the heart of an Antinomian. This is the character which is
expressly given to the carnal mind: it is "enmity against God"; and
the proof of this is, that "it is not subject to the law of God,
neither indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7). Should we be surprised, then, if we
find the underlying principles of Phariseeism and Antinomianism
uniting in the same mind? Surely not. There is no more real opposition
between these apparently opposing principles, than there is between
enmity and pride. Many a slothful servant has hated his master and his
service, and yet had he pride and presumption enough to demand his
wages. Phariseeism and Antinomianism unite,
The term Antinomian signifies one who is against the Law, hence, when
we declare that ours is an age of lawlessness, it is only another way
of saying that it is an age characterized by Antinomianism. There is
little need for us to pause and offer proof that this is an age of
lawlessness. In every sphere of life the sad fact confronts us. In the
well-nigh total absence of any real discipline in the majority of the
churches, we see the principle exemplified. Not more than two
generations ago, thousands, tens of thousands, of the loose-living
members whose names are now retained on the membership rolls, would
have been dis-fellowshipped. It is the same in the great majority of
our homes. With comparatively rare exceptions, wives are no longer in
subjection to their husbands (Eph. 5:22,24); and as for obeying them
(1 Pet. 3:1,2,5,6), why, the majority of women demand that such a
hateful word be stricken from the marriage ceremony. So it is with the
children--how could it be otherwise? Obedience to parents is almost
entirely a thing of the past. And what of conditions in the world? The
abounding marital unfaithfulness, Sunday trading, banditry, lynchings,
strikes, and a dozen other things that might be mentioned, all bear
witness to the frightful wave
What, we may well inquire, is the cause of the lawlessness which now
so widely obtains? For every effect there is a cause, and the
character of the effect usually intimates the nature of the cause. We
are assured that the present wide-spread contempt for human law is the
inevitable outgrowth of disrespect for Divine Law. Where there is no
fear of God, we must not expect there will be much fear of man. And
why is it that there is so much disrespect for Divine Law? This, in
turn, is but the effect of an antecedent cause. Nor is this hard to
find. Do not the utterances of Christian teachers during the last
twenty-five years go far to explain the situation which now confronts
History has repeated itself. Of old, God complained of Ephraim, "I
have written to him the great things of My Law, but they were counted
as a strange thing" (Hos. 8:12). Observe how God speaks of His Law:
"The great things of My Law"! They are not precepts of little moment,
but to be lightly esteemed, and slighted; but are of great authority,
importance, and value. But, as then, so during the last few
years--they have been "counted as a strange thing". Christian teachers
have vied with each other in denouncing the Law as a "yoke of
bondage", "a grievous burden", "a remorseless enemy". They have
declared in trumpet tones that Christians should regard the Law as "a
strange thing": that it was never designed for them: that it was given
to Israel, and then made an end of at the Cross of Christ. They have
warned God's people to have nothing to do with the Ten Commandments.
They have denounced as "Legalists" Christians of the past, who, like
Paul, "served the Law" (Rom. 7:25). They have affirmed that Grace
rules the Law out of the Christian's life as absolutely as it did out
of his salvation. They have held up to ridicule those who contended
for a Christian Sabbath, and have classed them with Seventh-Day
Adventists. Having sown the wind, is it
The characters of the cause determinates the character of the effect.
Whatsoever a man sowth that (the same in kind) shall he also reap.
Unto them who of old regarded the great things of God's Law as a
strange thing, God declared, "Because Ephraim hath made many alters to
sin, alters shall be unto him to sin" (Hosea 8:11). And because many
of our Christian leaders have publicly repudiated Divine Law, God has
visited us with a wave of lawlessness in our churches, homes, and
social life. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked"!! Nor have we any
hope of stemming the onrushing tide, or of causing Christian leaders
to change their position. Having committed themselves publicly, the
examples of past history warn us that pride will keep them from making
the humbling confession that they have erred. But we have a hope that
some who have been under the influence of twentieth century
Antinomianism will have sufficient spiritual discernment to recognize
the truth when it is presented to their notice; and
In the January 1923 issue of a contemporary, appeared the second
article from the pen of Dr. McNichol, Principal of Toronto Bible
School, under the caption of "Overcoming the Dispensations". The
purpose of these articles is to warn God's children against the perils
which lie "in the way of much of the positive premillennial teaching
of the day". Quoting, Dr.
1. There is danger when the Law is set against Grace. No scheme of
prophetic interpretation can be safe which is obliged to represent
the dispensations of Law and Grace as opposing systems, each
excluding the other and contrary to it. If this were the case, it
would mean that God had taken opposing and contradictory attitudes
towards men in these two different ages. In the last analysis this
representation of the relation of law and grace affects the
character of God, as everything which perverts the Scriptures,
disturbing thereby the mirror of His mind, ultimately does.
So far from being opposing systems, law and grace as revealed in
Scripture are parts of one harmonious and progressive plan. The
present dispensation is spoken of as the age of grace, not because
grace belongs to it exclusively, but because in it grace has been
fully manifested. When John declared that "the law was given by
Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ", he was
contrasting law and grace, not as two contrary and irreconcilable
systems, but as two related parts of one system. The law was the
shadow, Christ was the substance. The law was the pattern, Christ
was the reality. The grace which had been behind the law came to
light through Jesus Christ so that it could be realized. As a
matter of fact, grace had been in operation from the beginning. It
began in Eden with the first promise of redemption immediately
after the fall. All redemption is of grace; there can be no
salvation without it, and even the law itself proceeds on the basis
of grace.
The law was given to Israel not that they might be redeemed, but
because they had been redeemed. The nation had been brought out of
Egypt by the power of God under the blood of the slain lamb, itself
the symbol and token of His grace. The law was added at Sinai as
the necessary standard of life for a ransomed people, a people who
now belonged to the Lord. It began with a declaration of their
redemption; "I am the Lord thy God who brought thee out of the land
of Egypt, out of the house of bondage" (Ex. 20:2). It rested on the
basis of grace, and it embodied the principle that redemption
implied a conformity to God's moral order. In other words, the very
grace that redeemed Israel carried with it the necessity of
revealing the law to Israel. The law was given that they might walk
worthy of the relation in which they now stood to God, worthy of a
salvation which was already theirs. The covenant of the law did not
supersede the covenant of promise, but set forth the kind of life
which those who were redeemed by the covenant of promise were
expected to live.
The law was not a covenant of works in the sense that Israel's
salvation depended upon obedience to it. The devout Israelite was
saved by faith in the promise of God, which was now embodied in the
tabernacle services. He looked forward through the sacrifices to a
salvation which they foreshadowed, and by faith accepted it, as we
look back to the Cross and by faith accept the salvation which has
been accomplished. The Old Testament saints and the New Testament
saints are both saved in the same way, and that is, by the grace of
God through Jesus Christ alone.
Of course the people did not keep the law. It only brought sin to
light and proved that righteousness could not come that way, as
Paul points out in the Epistle to the Romans. It made all the more
evident that there was a need for the work of Christ. But Christ
came not to put the law aside and introduce another plan. "I came
not to destroy", He declared, "but to fulfill"; not to dissolve the
obligations of the law and release us from them, but to
substantiate the law and make good all that it required. In the
Sermon on the Mount He expounded and expanded the law, in all its
depth and breadth, and in all its searching sweep. This Sermon
spoke to His disciples; it was His law for them. It was not
intended for another age and another people; it set forth the kind
of life He expected His own people to live in the present age.
Of course we cannot fulfill the law of the Sermon on the Mount as
an outward standard of life. Our Lord did not leave it at that. He
was Himself going to make it possible for His disciples to fulfill
it, but He could not yet tell them how. When He died and rose again
and ascended into heaven, and His Holy Spirit--the same Spirit
which had fulfilled and exemplified that law completely in His own
life--came flowing back into the lives of His disciples, then they
had to keep it. The law was written on their hearts. Their lives
were conformed to the law, not by slavish obedience to an outward
standard, but by the free constraint of an inward spirit. The
ordinance of the law was fulfilled in them when they walk not after
the flesh but after the spirit.
It is this very feature of grace which seems to make it an entirely
different and separate system from the law, for it did not exist in
the Old Testament dispensation. It could not be realized before the
redemptive work of Christ was done and the Holy Spirit came. The
Israelites occupied a different position toward the law from that
occupied by the Christian now. The law demanded an obedience which
the natural heart could not give. In its practical working,
therefore, the law necessarily came to stand over man as a
creditor, with claims of justice which had not been satisfied.
These claims Christ met on the Cross and put out of the way. More
than that, by virtue of our union with Him in His death and
resurrection, He has brought us out of the sphere where the law as
an outward authority demands obedience of the natural man, into the
sphere where the law is written upon the heart by the power of the
Holy Spirit. He has created us "a new man" whose nature it is to
fulfill the law by an inward power and principle. This is what Paul
meant when he said, "I through the law died unto the law that I
might live unto God" (Gal. 2:19), and when he wrote to the Romans,
"Sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the law
but under grace" (6:14).
This new revelation to the law has been created by the grace of God
through the work of Jesus Christ. But the law still remains. It is
the reflex of His own character and the revelation of His moral
order. He cannot set it aside, for then He would deny Himself. The
wonder and glory of grace consists in this, that it came in, not to
oppose the law and substitute another plan, but to meet and satisfy
all its claims and provide a way of fulfilling all its obligations.
It has pleased the Lord by His grace to magnify the law and make it
honorable.
With the above remarks we are in hearty accord. [1] It is a
superficial and erroneous conclusion that supposes the Old and New
Testaments are antagonistic. The Old Testament is full of grace: the
New Testament if full of Law. The revelation of the New Testament to
the Old is like that of the oak tree to the acorn. It has been often
said, and said truly, "The New is in the Old contained, the Old is by
the New explained"! And surely this must be so. The Bible as a whole,
and in its parts, is not merely for Israel or the Church, but is a
written revelation from God to and for the whole human race. It is
indeed sad to see how little this
Even the late Mr. F. W. Grant in his notes on Exodus 19 and 20 was so
inconsistent with himself as to say, First, "It is plain that
redemption, as bringing the soul to God, sets up His throne within it,
and obedience is the only liberty. It is plain too, that there is a
`righteousness of the law' which the law itself gives no power to
fulfill, but which `is fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh
but after the spirit' (Rom. 8:4). What is merely dispensational
passes, but not that which is the expression of God's character and
required by it. Nothing of that can pass. . . grace still must affirm
this, therefore, not set it (obedience) aside; but it does what law
does not--it provides for the accomplishment of the condition. First
of all, the obedience of Another, who owed none, has glorified God
infinitely with regard to those who owed but did not pay. Secondly,
--for this even could not release (nor could there be blessing in
release) from the personal obligation, --grace apprehended in the
heart brings back the heart to God, and the heart brought back in love
serves of necessity"
With the above quoted words from The Numerical Bible we are in entire
accord, and only wish they might be echoed by Mr. Grant's followers.
But second, and most inconsistently, and erroneously, Mr. Grant says:
"In the wisdom of God, that same law, whose principle was `do and
live', could yet be the type of the obedience of faith in those who
are subjects of a spiritual redemption, the principle of which is
`live and do'. Let us remember, however, that law in itself retains
none the less its character as opposed to grace, and that as a type it
does not represent law any longer: we are not, as Christians in any
sense under the law, but under grace" (italics his). This is a
mistake, the more serious because made by one whose writings now
constitute in certain circles the test of 's Word.
What has been said above reveals the need for a serious and careful
examination of the teaching of Holy Scripture concerning the Law. But
to what do we refer when we speak of "The Law"? This is a term which
needs to be carefully defined. In the New Testament there are three
expressions used, concerning which there has been not a little
confusion. First, there is "the Law of God" (Rom. 7:22,25, etc.).
Second, there is "the Law of Moses" (John 7:23; Acts 13:39, 15:5,
etc.). Third, there is "the law of Christ" (Gal. 6:2). Now these three
expressions are by no means synonymous, and it is not until we learn
to distinguish between them, that
The "Law of God" expresses the mind of the Creator, and is binding
upon all rational creatures. It is God's unchanging moral standard for
regulating the conduct of all men. In some places "the Law of God" may
refer to the whole revealed will of God, but in the majority it has
reference to the Ten Commandments; and it is in this restricted sense
we use the term. This Law was impressed on man's moral nature from the
beginning, and though now fallen, he still shows the work of it
written in his heart. This law has never been repealed, and in the
very nature of things, cannot be. For God to abrogate the moral Law
would be to plunge the whole universe into anarchy. Obedience to the
Law of God is man's first duty. That is why the first complaint that
Jehovah made against Israel after they left Egypt was, "How long
refuse ye to keep My commandments and My laws" (Ex. 16:27). That is
why the first statutes God gave to Israel were the Ten Commandments,
i.e. the moral Law. That is why in the first discourse of Christ
recorded in the New Testament He declared, "Think not that I am come
to destroy the Law, or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to
fulfill" (Matt 5:17), and then proceeded to expound and enforce the
moral Law. And that is why in the first of the Epistles, the Holy
Spirit has taught us at length the relation of the Law to sinners and
saints, in connection with salvation and the subsequent walk of the
saved: the word "law" occurs in Romans no less than seventy-five
times, though, of course, not every reference is to the Law of God.
And that is why sinners (Rom. 3:19) and saints (Jas. 2:12) shall be
judged
The "Law of Moses" is the entire system of legislation, judicial and
ceremonial, which Jehovah gave to Israel during the time they were in
the wilderness. The Law of Moses, as such, is binding upon none but
Israelites. This Law has not been repealed. That the Law of Moses is
not binding on Gentiles
The "Law of Christ" is God's moral Law, but in the hands of the
Mediator. It is the Law which Christ Himself was "made under" (Gal.
4:4). It is the Law which was "in His heart" (Psa. 40:8). It is the
Law which He came to "fulfill" (Matt. 5:17). The "Law of God" is now
termed "the Law of Christ" as it relates to Christians. As creatures
we are under bonds to "serve the Law of God" (Rom. 7:25). As redeemed
sinners we are "the bondslaves of Christ" (Eph. 6:6), and as such we
are under bonds to "serve the Lord Christ" (Col. 3:24). The relation
between these two appellations, "the law of God" and "the Law of
Christ" is clearly intimated in 1 Corinthians 9:21, where the apostle
states, that he was not without Law to God," for he was "under the Law
of Christ". The meaning of this is very simple. As a human creature,
the apostle was still under obligation to obey the moral Law of God
his Creator; but as a saved man he now belonged to Christ, the
Mediator, by redemption. Christ had purchased him: he was His,
therefore, he was "under the Law of Christ". The "Law of Christ",
then, is just the moral Law of God now in the hands of the Mediator
and Redeemer--cf.
Should any object against our definition of the distinction drawn
between God's moral Law and "the Law of Moses" we request them to
attend closely to what follows. God took special pains to show us the
clear line of demarcation which He has Himself drawn between the two.
The moral Law became incorporated in the Mosaic Law, [2] yet was it --
In the first place, let the reader note carefully the words with which
Exodus 20 opens: "And God spake all these words." Observe it is not
"The Lord spake all these words", but "God spake". This is the more
noticeable because in the very next verse He says, "I am the Lord thy
God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt", etc. Now the
Divine titles are not used loosely, nor are they employed alternately
for the purpose of variation. Each one possesses a definite and
distinct signification. "God" is the creational title (see Gen. 1:1).
"Lord" is God in covenant relationship, that is why it is "Lord God"
all through Genesis 2. In Genesis 1 it is God in connection with His
creatures. In Genesis 2 it is the Lord God in connection with Adam,
with whom He had entered into a covenant--see Hosea 6:7, margin. The
fact, then, that Exodus 20 opens with "And God spake all these words",
etc. prove conclusively that the Ten Commandments were not and are not
designed solely for Israel (the covenant people), but for all mankind.
The use of the title "God" in Exodus 20:1 is the more forceful because
in verses 2,5,7,10,11, and 12 "the Lord" is
In the second place, the Ten Commandments, and they alone, of all the
laws Jehovah gave to Israel, were promulgated by the finger of God,
amid the most solemn
In the third place, the Ten Commandments, and they alone, of all
Jehovah's statutes to Israel, were written directly by the finger of
God, written upon tables of stone; and written thus to denote their
lasting and
In the fourth place, the Ten Commandments were further distinguished
from all those laws which had merely a local application to Israel, by
the fact that they alone were laid up in the ark. A tabernacle was
prepared by the special direction of God, and within it an ark was
placed, in which the two tables of the Law were deposited. The ark,
formed of the most durable wood, was overlaid with gold, within and
without. Over it was placed the mercy-seat, which became the throne of
Jehovah in the midst of His people. Not until the tabernacle had been
erected, and the Law placed in the ark, did Jehovah take up His abode
in Israel's midst. Thus did the Lord signify to Israel that the moral
Law was the basis of all His governmental dealings
Thus it is clear beyond any room for doubt that the Ten Commandments,
the moral Law of God, were sharply distinguished from "the Law of
Moses." The "Law of Moses," excepting the moral Law incorporated
therein, was binding on none but Israelites, or Gentile proselytes.
But the moral Law of God, unlike the Mosaic, is binding on all men.
Once this distinction is perceived, many minor difficulties are
cleared up. For example: someone says, If we are to keep the Sabbath
day holy, as Israel did, why must we not observe the other
Sabbaths--the Sabbatic year, for instance? The answer is, Because the
moral Law alone is binding on Gentiles and Christians. Why, it may be
asked, does not the death penalty attached to the desecration of the
Sabbath day (Ex. 31:14, etc.) still obtain? The answer is, Because
though that was a part of the Mosaic Law, it was not a part of the
moral Law of God, i.e. it was not inscribed on the tables of stone;
therefore it
In the chapters following this, we propose to offer an exposition of
the principal scriptures in the New Testament which refer to the Ten
Commandments. First, we will take up the passages which are appealed
to by those who deny that the Law is in anywise binding on Christians.
Second, we shall treat of some of the many passages which unmistakable
prove that all are under lasting obligations to obey the Law of God.
Third, a separate booklet [3] will be devoted to the Christian
Sabbath. Fourth, in another separate booklet [4] we shall discuss the
nature of true Christian liberty. May Divine grace so illumine our
understandings and rule our hearts that we shall run in the way of
God's commandments.
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES
[1] Except that in the closing paragraphs Dr. McNicol is somewhat
confused about the present relation of
[2] And this of necessity. As already stated, the Ten Commandments
reveal the will of the Creator for every human creature, and as
Israelites were first God's creatures before being brought into the
relationship of His covenant people, the moral Law was given to them
before the Mosaic Law. This explains why the Ten Commandments are
repeated in Deut. 5. In Ex. 20 they are addressed to God's creatures;
in Deut. 5, to Israel as Jehovah's covenant people Mark the "God spake
all these words"!
[3] "The Christian ". 30 cents.
[4] "Christian Liberty". 15 cents.
Contents
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A. W. Pink Header
THE LAW AND THE SAINT
by A. W. Pink
2. The Negative Side
_________________________________________________________________
What is the relation between the Law and the saint? By the Law we
refer to the Ten Commandments engraven upon the tables of stone by the
finger of God; by the saint we mean, the believer living in the
present dispensation. What, then, is the relation between the
Christian living today and the Ten Commandments formally proclaimed in
the time of Moses? It is indeed sad that such a question needs to be
raised, and that the Divine answer requires to be pressed upon the
people of God. There was a time when it would not have been easy to
find a Christian who was ignorant upon this subject; a time when the
first thing committed to memory by the children of Christian parents
was the Ten Commandments. But, alas, today it is far otherwise. Now,
it is becoming increasingly difficult to find those who can give a
clear and scriptural answer to our opening question. And as to finding
children who can repeat
The Law and the saint. Present-day teachings on this subject, as on
almost every other scriptural theme, is conflicting and contradictory.
There are indeed few Divine doctrines upon which even Christian
teachers are uniform in their testimony. What differences of opinion
exist concerning Church-truth and the ordinances! What a variety of
interpretations of prophecy now confront us! What a lack of harmony
concerning the doctrine of sanctification. The same confusion prevails
concerning the relation of the Law to the saint. Just as the Confusion
of Tongues (Gen. 11) immediately preceded God's call to Abraham (the
father of us all) to leave his native home and go forth into that land
which he was to receive for an inheritance (Gen. 12), so there is a
confusion of tongues in the theological world just before the people
of God are to be called away from this earth to their heavenly
inheritance (1 Pet. 1:4). That God has a good reason for permitting
the present confusion of tongues, we doubt not--"For there must be
factions among you; that they that are approved may be made manifest
among you" (1 Cor. 11:19,
What is the relation of the Law to the saint? Three answers have been
given. First, that sinners become saints by obeying the Law. Second,
that the Law is a rule of life for believers. Third, that the Law has
nothing whatever to do with believers today. Those who give the first
answer teach that the Law defines what God requires from man, and
therefore man must keep it in order to be accepted by God. Those who
give the second answer teach that the Law exhibits a standard of
conduct, and that while this Old Testament standard receives
amplification in the New, yet the latter does not set aside the
former. Those who give the third answer teach that the Law was a yoke
of bondage, grievous to be borne, and that it has been made an end of
so far as Christians are concerned. The first answer is Legalism pure
and simple: salvation by works; the second, relates to true Christian
liberty; the third, is Antinomianism--lawlessness, a repudiation of
God's governmental authority. The first view prevailed generally
through the Medieval Ages, when Popery reigned almost supreme. The
second view prevailed generally during the time of the Reformers and
Puritans. The third view has come into prominence during the last
century, and now is the popular belief of our
How thankful we should be that it is our happy privilege to return
from the theological bedlam that surrounds us, and enter the quiet
sanctuary of God's truth; that we may turn away from the conflicting
voices of men, to hear what God says on the
We cherish the hope that few who have read the above paragraphs are so
conceited as to suppose they have no need to examine or reexamine what
the Scriptures teach about the relation of the Law to believers. We
are persuaded, rather, that the reader shares the conviction of the
writer, namely, that this is an imperative necessity. It is so easy to
conclude that our views of certain Divine truths have been formed from
our own study of what we have (correctly or incorrectly) imbibed from
human teachers. Our need is that of the Bereans (Acts 17:11) --to
"Search the Scriptures daily" to find out whether or not what we hear
and read is in accord with the Word of Truth. Moreover, this is sure,
"if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as
he ought to know" (1 Cor. 8:2). Therefore it behooves every one of us
to definitely look to God for light and help, and
Before we present to the reader some of the leading scriptures which
set forth the relation of the Law to believers of this dispensation,
it will first be necessary to examine the passages which are appealed
to by those who affirm that the Law has no relation to the people of
God living today. Let us then turn to these passages, and without
prejudice (as far as that is possible) seek to
"For as many as have sinned without Law shall also perish without
Law...for when the Gentiles which have not the Law, do by nature the
things contained in the Law, these, having not the Law, are a Law unto
themselves" (Rom. 2:12-14). These verses really have no direct bearing
on our present theme, inasmuch as they treat of other than saints.
Yet, as this passage does relate to the wider subject of the Law in
general, and as it is made use of by those who flatly and hotly deny
the Law has any relation to believers
It is affirmed by some whom we respect, but from whom on this subject
we are obliged to differ, that the Law was given to the nation of
Israel and to none else, and therefore, that neither Gentiles nor
Christians are under any obligation to keep it. That the Law was
formally given to Israel at Sinai is freely granted. But does that
prove it was meant for none other than the descendants of Jacob?
Surely not. When writing to the saints at Rome (many of whom were
Gentiles, see 1:13; 11:13; 15:15, 16, etc.) Paul said, "But now we are
delivered from the Law" (7:6). Again, in 8:7 he declares, "The carnal
mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the Law of God,
neither indeed can be": mark, it is not "the Jewish mind", but the
"carnal mind" to Jew and Gentile alike. Now, there would be no point
to this statement if the mind of man, as man, is not obligated to be
in subjection to the Law of God. Man's mind is not subject, and
because of its innate depravity "cannot be"; nevertheless, it ought to
be. Once more: note how in Ephesians 2:2 the wicked are said to be
"children of disobedience"; this is meaningless if they are not under
obligation to obey the commandments of God. These scriptures, then,
are sufficient to establish the fact that "under the Law".
Returning now to Romans 2:12,13. The simple meaning of these verses is
that, the Gentiles never had given to them the two tablets of stone on
which the Ten Commandments were inscribed, nor were they in possession
of the Scriptures, wherein those Commandments were recorded. But it
should be carefully noted that Romans 2:5 goes on to state these very
Gentiles "show the work of the Law written on their hearts". On these
verses Professor Stifler has well said, "The argument (of v.14) lies
in this, that Gentiles have what is tantamount to the moral Law". The
fact that the Gentiles are "a law unto themselves" shows that God gave
them the equivalent of what He gave the Jews, namely, a standard of
right and wrong. In the case of the former, it was "written in their
hearts", in the case of the latter, it was written on tables of stone,
and afterwards in the Scriptures. "From this it is clear that the
moral Law given to Israel by Moses was but a transcript, or
compendium, of the Law which God, in the creation, had stamped upon
the moral nature of man...The moral Law, therefore, was not altogether
new in the time of the exodus; nor was it something exclusively for
Israel, but was a gift for the whole race, and therefore, must be of
"(Mr. Wm. Mead).
"For ye are not under the Law, but under grace" (Rom. 6:14). This is
the favorite verse with those who take the position that the Law has
no relation to believers of this dispensation. "Not under the Law" is
explicit, and seems final. What, then, have we to say concerning it?
This: that like every other verse in the Bible, it must not be
divorced from its setting, but is to be studied and faithfully
interpreted in the light of its context. What, then, is the context
about? First, what is the remote context concerned with? Second, what
is the theme of the immediate context? By the remote context we mean,
the Epistle as a whole. This is always the first thing to be weighed
in connection with the exposition of any passage. Failure here is
responsible for the great majority of misinterpretations and erroneous
applications of Scripture. It should be carefully noted that the words
"Ye are not under the Law" but "under grace" are found not in Hebrews,
but in Romans. This, of itself, should warn us that "not under Law"
needs to be understood in a modified sense. If it were true that the
Law has been abrogated, then the Epistle to the Hebrews would be the
one place of all others where we should expect to find this taught.
The theme of Hebrews is, The superiority of Christianity over Judaism.
[1] In the expansion of this theme the apostle, again and again, shows
how the prominent things in Judaism are not obsolete--see chapter 7
for the changing of the priesthood, from the Aaronic to the
Melchizedek order; chapters 8 and 9 for the substitution of the new
covenant for the old, etc. And yet, not a word is said in it that
"Not under the Law, but under grace" is found in Romans, the great
theme of which is, The righteousness of God: man's need of God's
righteousness, how it becomes the believer's, what are the legal
consequences of this, and the effect it should have on our conduct.
The prominent feature of the first eight chapters of Romans is that
they treat of the judicial side of Gospel truth, rather than with the
experimental and practical. Romans 5 and 6, especially, treat of
justification and its consequences. In the light of this fact it is
not difficult to discover the meaning of 6:14. "Ye are not under the
Law, but under grace" signifies, Ye are under a system of gratuitous
justification. "The whole previous argument explains this sentence. He
refers to our acceptance. He goes back to the justification of the
guilty, `without the deeds of the Law', the act of free grace; and
briefly restates it thus, that he may take up afresh the position that
this glorious liberation means not license, but Divine "(Bishop Moule
- 1893).
"Ye are not under the Law but under grace". The contrast is not
between the Law of Moses and the gospel of Christ, as two economies or
dispensations, rather is it a contrast between Law and grace as the
principles of two methods of justification, the one false, the other
true; the one of human devising, the other of Divine provision. "Under
Law' means, ruled by Law as a covenant of works" (Dr.
Griffith-Thomas). "Law" and "grace" here are parallel with "the Law of
works" and "the Law of faith" in 3:27! Romans 6:14 was just as true of
the Old Testament saints as of New Testament believers. Caleb, Joshua,
David, Elijah, Daniel were no more "under Law" in the sense that these
words bear in Romans 6:14, than Christians are today. Instead, they
were "under grace" in the matter of their justification, just as truly
"Not under the Law" does not mean, Not under obligation to obey the
precepts of the moral Law; but signifies, Not keeping the Law in order
to be saved. The apostle asserts in this verse that Christians are not
under the Law, as an actual, effectual adequate means of justification
or sanctification, and if they are so, their case is utterly hopeless;
for ruin must inevitably ensue. That this is all that he means is
apparent from the sequel of his remarks (6:15-8:39). What can be
plainer, than that the moral Law as `precept' is altogether approved
and recognized by him. See chapter 7:12-14. Nay, so far is the apostle
from pleading for oblivion or repeal of moral precepts, that he
asserts directly (8:3,4) that the Gospel is designed to secure
obedience to these moral precepts; which the Law was unable to do. It
is, then, from the Law viewed in this light, and this only, namely, as
inadequate to effect the justification and secure the obedience of
sinners,
"Let no one, then, abuse this declaration by imagining that it in
anywise affords ground to believe that Christians are freed from
obligation to obey the precepts of the moral Law. What is the Divine
Law but a transcript of the Divine will? And are not Christians to be
conformed to this? Is not all the Law summed up in these two
declarations: "Thou shalt love the Lord with all thine heart; and thy
neighbour as thyself"! And are Christians absolved from loving God and
their neighbour? If not, then this part of the subject stands
unembarrassed by anything which the apostle has said in our text or
context'
The force of Romans 6:14 becomes more apparent if we observe what
follows it. In the very next verse we read, "What then? Shall we sin,
because we are not under the Law, but under grace? God forbid". This
anticipates an objection: If we are not under the Law as the ground of
our justification, then are we to be lawless? The inspired answer is,
God forbid. Nothing is more self-evidently certain then, that if the
moral Law is not a rule of life to believers, they are at liberty to
disregard its precepts. But the apostle rejects this error with the
utmost abhorrence. We quote here a part of Calvin's comments on Romans
6:15: "But we are much deceived if we think, that the righteousness
which God approves of in His Law is abolished, when the Law is
abrogated; for the abrogation is by no means to be applied to the
precepts which teach the right way of living, as Christ confirms and
sanctions these, and does not abrogate them; but the right view is,
that nothing is taken away but , to which men without grace are
subject".
In what follows, to the end of this chapter, the apostle shows that
though the believer is "not under Law" as the ground of his
justification, nevertheless, he is under the Law as a rule of his
Christian life, that is, he is under obligations to obey its moral
precepts. In verse 18 (which contains the positive answer to the
question asked in v. 15) the apostle declares, "being then made free
from sin, ye became the servants (bond-slaves) of righteousness".
Again in verse 22 he says, "But now being made free from sin, and
become servants of God, ye have your fruit unto holiness". Observe
carefully, it is not here said "servants of Christ", nor "servants of
the Father", which would bring in quite another thought, but "servants
of God", which enforces the believer's responsibility to the
Law-giver. That this is the meaning of Romans 6:18 and 22 is clear
from 7:25, where the apostle says, "So then serveTHE LAW OF GOD".
"Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the Law. . .Now we
are delivered from the Law" (Rom. 7:4,6). These statements really call
for a full exposition of Romans 7:1-6. but it would occupy too much
space to give that here. Perhaps we can arrive at the meaning of these
two verses by a shorter route. They occur in a section of the Epistle
which treats of the results of Divine righteousness being imputed to
the believer. Chapter 4 deals with the imputation of this
righteousness; chapters 5 to 8 give the results. The results
(summarized) are as follows: 5:1-11 Justification and Reconciliation;
5:12-6:23 Identification with Christ, the last Adam; 7:1-25
Emancipation from the Curse of the Law; 8:1-39 Preservation through
time and eternity. Thus it will be seen that these chapters deal
mainly with the Divine rather than the human side of things. "Dead to
the Law" in 7:4 is parallel with "dead to sin" in 6:2: parallel in
this sense, that it is objective "death" not subjective; the judicial
and not the practical aspect of truth which is in view. Observe it is
said, we "become dead to the Law by the body of Christ", not by a
Divine repeal of the Law. In other words, we died to the Law
vicariously, in the person of our blessed Substitute. So, too, we are
"delivered from the Law", or as the R. V. more accurately puts it "We
have been discharged from the Law", because we have "died to that
wherein we were held". In Christ we "died" to the
"Dead to the Law". "By the term the Law, in this place, is intended
that Law which is obligatory on both Jews and Gentiles. It is the Law,
the work of which is written in the hearts of all men; and that Law
which was given to the Jews in which they rested, 2:17. It is the Law
taken in the largest extent of the word, including the whole will of
God in any way manifested to all mankind, whether Jew of Gentile. All
those whom the apostle is addressing, had been under this Law in their
unconverted state. . .To the moral Law exclusively here and throughout
the rest of the chapter, the apostle refers...Dead to the Law means
freedom from the power of the Law, as having endured its penalty, and
satisfied its demands. It has ceased to have a claim on the obedience
of believers in order to life (better, on believers it has ceased to
pronounce its curse--A. W. P.), although it still remains their rule
of duty" (Robert Haldane). On the words, "Now we are delivered from
the Law", Mr. Haldane says: "Christ hath fulfilled the Law, and
suffered its penalty for them, and they in consequence are free from
its demands for the purpose of obtaining life, or that, on account of
the breach of it, the purpose of obtaining life, or that, on account
of the breath of it, they should suffer ".
One further word needs to be said on Romans 7:4-6. Some insist that
the whole passage treats only of Jewish believers. But this is
certainly a mistake. When Paul says in verse 1 "I speak to them that
know Law" --there is no article in the Greek--he reasons on the basis
that his readers were fully cognizant of the principle that "the Law
hath dominion over a man so long as he liveth". If Paul was here
confining his address to Jewish believers, he had said, "I speak to
those among you who know the Law". When he says "Know ye not,
brethren" (v. 1) and "Wherefore, my brethren" (v. 4) he is addressing
his brethren in Christ as the Jews, his brethren by nature, he is
careful to so intimate, "My brethren, my kinsmen according to the
flesh" (9:3)! Finally, it should be carefully noted how the apostle
uses the pronouns "ye" and "we" interchangeably in verses 4 and 5. The
emphatic "ye also" in verse 4 seems specifically designed to show that
his illustration in the previous verses, with its obvious suggestion
of Israel's history, was strictly
"The deliverance from Law in Galatians is that which leads to the son
ship of all saints, while the deliverance in Romans leads to the union
of all saints with Christ. But in both they are viewed as all alike
having been in bondage under Law, and all alike delivered from it. For
indeed it is the design of the Holy Spirit ever to lead the saints of
all ages to regard themselves as delivered from a common guilt,
redeemed from a common curse-- "the curse of the Law" --rescued from a
common doom; and all this as the result of the curse being fulfilled
in the death of Him in whom they all "(Charles Campbell).
"For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to every one that
believeth" (Rom. 10:4). Frequently, only the first half of this verse
is quoted, "Christ is the end of the Law". But this is not all that is
said here. Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness, that is,
before God. The context unequivocally settles the scope and
significance of this expression. Paul had just affirmed that Israel,
who was ignorant of God's righteousness, had gone about "to establish
their own righteousness". Once more it is justification which is in
view, and not the walk of a believer. Says Dr. Thos. Chalmers: "There
is one obvious sense in which Christ is the end of the Law, and that
is when the Law is viewed as a schoolmaster brings us to the
conclusion, as to its last lesson, that Christ is our only refuge, our
only righteousness". So also Dr. G. Thomas: "With Christ before us
legal righteousness is necessarily at an end, and in not submitting to
Christ, the Jews were ".
Another passage frequently appealed to by those who insist on the
total abrogation of the Law is 2 Cor. 3. Such expressions as "That
which is done away" (v. 11), and "that which is abolished" (v. 13) are
regarded as alluding to the Ten Commandments "written and engraven in
stones" (v. 7). That this is a mistake, is easily proven. For in Rom.
13:9 and Eph. 6:2 several of the Ten Commandments are quoted and
enforced. This is quite sufficient to prove that the moral Law is not
"done away". And such scriptures as Isaiah 2:2,3; Jeremiah 31:33,
etc., make it plain that notabolished".
In 2 Corinthians 3 (and again and again throughout the Epistle) Paul
is contending against false "apostles" (note 2:17 and see further 6:1;
11:3,4,13,22) who, preaching the Law to the exclusion of Christ, were
seducing the people of God from the blessings of the new covenant.
Consequently, the apostle is not here treating of the Law as the moral
standard of conduct for believers, but as that which condemns sinners.
The inspired penman is pointing out the folly of turning back to the
Law as the ground of acceptance before God--which was what the false
apostles insisted on. The method he follows is to draw a series of
contrasts between the old covenant and the new, showing the
immeasurable superiority of the latter over the former. He shows that
apart from Christ, the old covenant was but a ministration of
condemnation and death; that just as the body without the spirit is
dead, so the Law without Christ was but a lifeless "letter". Second
Corinthians 3, then contrasts Christianity with Judaism. That which
has been "done away" is the old covenant; that which is "abolished"
(for the
In the Galatian Epistle there are quite a number of verses which are
used by those who affirm the Law has no relation to believers
today--e.g. 2:19; 3:13; 3:23-25; 4:5; 5:18. Now it is impossible to
understand these verses unless we first see what is the theme and
character of the Epistle in which they are found. The theme of
Galatians is the Believer's Emancipation from the Law. The special
character of the Epistle is that it was written to confirm the faith
of Christians, who had been troubled and shaken by Judaisers. But a
careful reading of the Epistle should show the Emancipation here
viewed is not from the Law as the standard of moral conduct, but from
the curse or penalty of the Law; and the particular heresy of the
Judaisers was not that they pressed the Ten Commandments upon the
saints as a rule of life, but that they insisted the works of the Law
must be fulfilled before a sinner could be saved. (See Acts 15:1).
"The trouble at Galatia was legalism and ritualism. Speaking strictly
the two are one; for the attempt to secure Divine favor through law
observance leads inevitably to ritualism in its worst form. That the
Galatians were going over to the ground of law for acceptance with God
is evident from the whole tenor of the Epistle" (Prof. W. G. Morehead
on "Galatians"). "The object of the Epistle to the Galatians was to
restore among them the pure Gospel which they had received, but which
they had so mingled with human works and ceremonies and a notion of
their own free will and merits, as to have well-nigh lost it" ("Grace
in Galatians" by Dr. George S.
The central issue raised in Galatians is not what is the standard of
conduct for the believer's life, but what is the ground of a sinner's
salvation. In proof of this assertion note carefully that in Galatians
1:7 Paul expressly says the Judaisistic troublers were they who "would
pervert the Gospel of Christ". Again, "That no man is justified by the
Law in the sight of God is evident", etc. (3:11), shows the trend of
the argument. Again; "For I testify again to every man that is
circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole Law" (5:3 and cf.
6:15) indicates wherein the Judaisers erred. So, "Christ is become of
no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the Law; ye are
fallen from grace" (Gal. 5:4) evidences the subject of the Epistle. To
"fall from grace" means not for a Christian to obey the Ten
Commandments, but to do the works of the Law (moral and ceremonial) in
order to be justified. The Law and the Gospel are irreconcilable.
Every attempt to combine them
On Galatians 3:25 Dr. George Bishop has this to say: "We are no longer
`under a schoolmaster! i.e., for discipline, for penalty. It does not
mean for precept. It does not mean that the Ten Commandments are
abolished. It simply says, You are not saved by keeping the
Commandments, nor are you lost if you fail. It is Christ who has saved
you, and you cannot be lost. Now you will obey from the instinct of
the new nature and from gratitude, for these are holiness". On 5:13,
14 he says, "By love serve one another". Here the Law is brought in as
a service. `I am among you', Saud Hesysm; as One that serveth'-- `If
ye love Me keep My commandments'. The New Testament repeats and
enforces all the Ten Commandments. They were given to be kept, and
kept they shall be. Matthew 5:19: `For all the Law is fulfilled in one
word, even in this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself'. The Law
is fulfilled': the Law was given to be fulfilled, not only for us, but
in us, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. There is
danger here of a mistake on either side--for if we do not preach faith
alone for salvation, no one is saved; but if we preach a faith that
does not obey, we preach that which nullifies the faith which saves "
On Galatians 5:18 Dr. John Eadie has this to say: "The Galatians were
putting themselves in subjection to Law, and ignoring the free
government of the Spirit. To be led by the Spirit is incompatible with
being under the Law. So the beginning of Galatians 3. To be under the
Law is thus to acknowledge its claim and to seek to obey it in hope of
meriting eternal life". To be led by the Spirit is incompatible with
being under the Law because the Holy Spirit
"Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which
was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His
cross" (Col. 2:14). Here it is assumed that the "handwriting of
ordinances" refers to the Ten Commandments, and, that "which was
contrary to us", refers to Christians. Such a distortion is quickly
discovered once this interpretation is exposed to the light. Observe,
in the first place, that at the beginning of the previous verse the
apostle refers to Gentile believers-- "And you, being dead in your
sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh", etc. The "us" of verse 14
refers, then to Jewish believers. But between the "you" and the "us"
is a word which supplies the key to what follows, namely, the word
"together", which here, as in Ephesians 2:5, 6, points to the
spiritual union of believing Gentiles with believing Jews. Believing
Jews and gentiles were "quickened together". And how could that be?
Because they were "quickened together with Him". Christ acted
vicariously, as the Representative of all His people, so that when He
died they all died (judicially); when He was quickened they all were;
when He rose again they all rose; not merely one part of them did, but
all together. But in order for Jew and Gentile to enjoy fellowship, in
order for them to be brought "together", that which had hitherto
separated them must be made an end of. And it is this which is in view
in Colossians 2:14. The handwriting of ordinances was against us,"
i.e. against the Jews, for their Divinely-given Law prohibited them
for all religious intercourse with the Gentiles. But that which had
been against the Jews, was taken out of the way, being nailed to the
Cross. Nor does this interpretation stand unsupported: it is
indubitably
It is well-known among students of the Word that the Epistles of
Ephesians and Colossians are largely complementary and supplementary;
and it will frequently be found
Now in Ephesians 2 there is a passage which is strictly parallel with
this portion of Colossians 2. In verse 11 the apostle addresses the
Gentile saints, who were of the Uncircumcision--note the reference to
"uncircumsision" in Colossians 2:13. Then in verse 12 he reminds them
of how in their unconverted state they had been "aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel", etc. But in verse 13 he tells them that they
had been "made nigh" by the blood of Christ. The result of this is
stated in verse 14: "For He is our peace who hath made both one" (i.e.
both believing Jews and believing Gentiles): the "made both one" being
parallel with the "quickened together" of Colossians 2:13. Next the
apostle tells how this had been made possible: "And hath broken down
the middle wall of partition" (that had separated Jew from Gentile);
which is parallel with "and took it out of the way", etc. Then the
apostle declares, "having abolished in His flesh the enmity, the Law
of commandments contained in ordinances", which is parallel with
"blotting out the handwriting of ordinances"! Thus has God most
graciously made us entirely independent of all human interpretations
of Colossians 2:13, 14, by interpreting it for us in Ephesians
2:11-15. How much we lose by failing to compare scripture with
One other verse we must consider, and that is 1 Timothy 1:9: "Knowing
this, that the Law is not made for a righteous man, but for the
lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinner", etc. The key
to this is supplied in the immediate context. In verses 3 and 4 the
apostle bids Timothy to "charge some that they preach no other
doctrine, neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies", etc.
It is clear that he has in mind those who had been infected by
Judaisers. In verse 5 the apostle tells his son in the faith what was
the "end", of "the commandments" --i.e. the moral Law, as is clear
from what precedes and what follows. The design or aim of that Law
which is "holy and just and good" (Rom. 7:12) was to direct and
advance love to God and men; but this love ("charity") can spring only
"out of a pure heart ".
Next, in verses 6 and 7 the apostle taxes the Judaisers and those
affected by them, as having "swerved" from love and faith, turning
aside to "vain jangling", and setting themselves up as teachers of the
Law, understanding neither what they said nor affirmed. Then, in verse
8, the apostle guards against His readers drawing a false inference
from what he had just said in verse 7, and so he declares "But we know
that the Law is good, if a man use it lawfully"; thus amplifying what
he had affirmed in verse 5. Lest they should think that because he had
reflected upon the Judaisers, he had also disparaged the Law itself,
he added this safeguard in verse 8. To "use" the Law "lawfully", is to
use it as God intended it to be used: not as a means of salvation, but
as a standard of conduct; not as the ground of our justification, but
as the director of our obedience to God. The Law is used unlawfully,
not when presented as the rule of the believer's life, but when it is
opposed to
Finally, in verses 9 and 10 the apostle contrasts the design of the
Law as it respected believers and unbelievers: "The Law is not made
for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient", etc. That
is to say, the Law as an instrument of terror and condemnation, was
not made for the righteous but for the wicked. "The Law, threatening,
compelling, condemning, is not made for a righteous man, because he is
pushed forward to duty of his own accord, and is no more led by the
spirit of bondage and fear of punishment" (Turretin). "By the Law is
to be understood, the moral Law, as it is armed with stings and
terrors, to restrain rebellious sinners. By the righteous man, is
meant, one in whom a principle of Divine grace is planted, and who,
for the knowledge and love of God, chooses the things that are
pleasing to Him. As the Law has annexed so many severe threatenings to
the transgression of it, it is evidently directed to the wicked, who
will only be compelled by fear "(Poole's Annotations).
We have now examined every passage of any importance in the New
Testament which is used by modern Antinomians. And not one of them has
a word to say against believers in this dispensation using the Law as
the standard of their moral conduct. In our next article, we shall
treat of the positive side of the subject, and show that the children
of God are obligated to obey the Ten Commandments, not as
In this article we have departed from our usual custom, in that we
have quoted from quite a number of the commentators of the past. This
has been done, not because we desired to buttress our expositions by
an appeal to human authorities--though the interpretations of godly
men of the past are not to be scorned and regarded as obsolete, rather
should they receive the careful examination which they merit, for it
was under such teaching was produced Christian conduct that puts to
unutterable shame the laxity of the present-day Christian walk. No, we
have appealed to the writings of Christian exegetes of the past that
it might be seen we have not given a forced and novel interpretation
of those passages which stood in the way of what we deem to be the
truth on the subject of the relation of the Law to Christians; but
instead, an interpretation which, though the result of personal study,
is in full accord with that given by many, who for piety, scholarship,
spiritual discernment,
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES
[1] This theme is developed by showing the superiority of Christ--the
Center and Life of Christianity - over angels. Adam, Moses, Joshua,
Aaron, and the whole Levitical economy.
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A. W. Pink Header
THE LAW AND THE SAINT
by A. W. Pink
3. The Positive Side
_________________________________________________________________
What is the relation of the Law (the Ten Commandments) to Christians?
In our previous chapter we pointed out how that three radically
different answers have been returned to this question. The first, that
sinners become saints by obeying the Law. This is Legalism pure and
simple. It is heresy of the most dangerous kind. All who really
believe and act on it as the ground of their acceptance by God, will
perish eternally. Second, others say that the Law is not binding on
Christians because it has been abolished. This is, we are fully
assured, a serious error. It arises from a mistaken interpretation of
certain passages in the Epistles. The inevitable tendency of such an
error is toward Antinomianism, the "turning of the grace of God into
lasciviousness" (Jude 4). Third, others affirm, and the writer is
among the number, that the Ten Commandments are an expression of the
unchanging character and will of God: that they are a moral standard
of conduct which we disregard at our peril: that they are, and will
ever be, binding
In our last chapter we sought to prepare the way for the present one.
There, we dealt with the negative side; here, we shall treat of the
positive. In the former, we sought to give the true meaning of the
principal passages in the New Testament appealed to by those who deny
that the Ten Commandments are now binding on Christians. In the
present chapter, we shall endeavor to expound some of the many
passages in the New Testament which affirm that the Ten Commandments
are now binding on Christians. We, therefore, invite the reader's most
diligent and prayerful attention to the scriptures cited and
"Think not that I am come to destroy the Law, or the Prophets: I am
not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till
heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in nowise pass from
the Law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of
these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called
the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach
them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt.
5:17-19). It might appear to the disciples of Christ that their Master
intended to set aside Moses and the Prophets, and introduce an
entirely new standard of morality. It was true indeed that He would
expose the error of depending on the work of the Law for acceptance
with God (as Moses and the prophets had done before Him); but it was
no part of His design to set aside the Law itself. He was about to
correct various corruptions, which obtained among the Jews, hence He
is careful to preface what He has to say by cautioning them not to
misconstrue His designs. So far from having any intention of
repudiating Moses, He most emphatically asserts: first, that He had
not come to destroy the Law; second, that He had come to "fulfill" it;
third, that the Law is of perpetual obligation; fourth, that whoso
breaks one of the least of the Law's commandments and teaches other so
to do, shall suffer loss; fifth, that he
"I am not come to destroy the Law"--the Prophets simply expounded the
Law, and rebuked Israel for their failure to keep it, and forewarned
them of the consequences of continued disobedience. "I am not come to
destroy the Law." Nothing could be more explicit. The word "destroy"
here means "to dissolve or overthrow". When, then, our Lord said that
He had not come to destroy the Law He gave us to understand that it
was not the purpose of His mission to repeal or annul the Ten
Commandments: that he had not come to free men from their obligations
to them. And if He did not "destroy" the Law, then no one had
destroyed it; and if no one has destroyed it, then the Law still
stands with all its Divine authority; and if the Law still abides as
the unchanging expression of God's character and will, then every
human creature is under lasting obligation to obey it;
Second, the Son of God went on to say "I am not come to destroy, but
to fulfill". The word "fulfill" here means "to fill up, to complete".
Christ "fulfilled" the Law in three ways: first, by rendering personal
obedience to its precepts. God's Law was within His heart (Psa. 40:8),
and in thought, word and deed, He perfectly met its requirements; and
thus by His obedience He magnified the Law and made it honorable (Isa.
42:21). Second, by suffering (at the Cross) its death-penalty on
behalf of His people who had transgressed it. Third, by exhibiting its
fulness and spirituality and by amplifying its contents. Thus did
Christ, our Exemplar, "fulfill the Law."
So far from Christ having repealed the Law, He expressly affirmed,
"Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in nowise
pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled." In these words He announces
the perpetuity of the Law. So long as heaven and earth shall last, the
Law will endure, and by
But this is not all that our Lord here said. With omniscient foresight
He anticipated what Mr. Mead has aptly termed "The Modern Outcry
against the Law", and proceeds to solemnly warn against it. He said,
"Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and
shall teach men so, he ".
"Do we then make void the Law through faith? God forbid: yea, we
establish the Law" (Rom. 3:31). In the previous part of the chapter
the apostle had proven that "there is none righteous, no not one" (v.
10); second, he had declared "By the deeds of the Law there shall no
flesh be justified" (v. 2); then in verses 21 through 26 he had set
forth the Divine way of salvation--"through faith in Christ's blood".
In verse 28, he sums up his argument by affirming "a man is justified
by faith without the deeds of the Law". In verses 29 and 30 he proves
that this is true for Jew and Gentile alike. Then, in verse 31, he
anticipates an objection: What about the Law, then? This was a very
pertinent question. Twice had he said that justification was apart
from the deeds of the Law. If, then, the Law served no purpose in
effecting the salvation of sinners, has it no office at all? If we are
saved "through faith" is the Law useless? Are we to understand you to
mean (Paul) that the Law has been annulled? Not at all, is the
apostle's answer: "We establish the "
What did the apostle mean when he said "we establish the Law"? He
meant that, as saved men, Christians are under additional obligations
to obey the Law, for they are now furnished with new and more powerful
motives to serve God. Righteousness imputed to the believer produces
in the justified one a kind and an extent of obedience which could not
otherwise have been obtained. So far from rendering void or nullifying
the authority and use of the Law, it sustains and confirms them. Our
moral obligation to God and our neighbor has not been weakened, but
strengthened. Below we offer one or two brief
"Does not the doctrine of faith evacuate the Old Testament of its
meaning, and does it not make law void, and lead to disregard of it?
Does it not open the door to license of living? To this the apostle
replies, that it certainly does not; but that, on the contrary, the
Gospel puts law on a proper basis and establishes it on its foundation
as a revelation of God's will" (Dr.
"We cancel law, then, by this faith of ours? We open the door, then,
to moral license? We abolish code and precept, then, when we ask not
for conduct, but for faith? Away with the thought; nay, we establish
law; we go the very way to give a new sacredness to its every command,
and to disclose a new power for the fulfillment of them all. But how
this is, and is to be, the later argument "(Dr. Handley Moule).
"Objection. If man is justified by faith without works, does not that
do away with law entirely, i.e. teach lawlessness? Answer: By no
means. It establishes the law. When a man is saved by grace, that does
not make him lawless. There is a power within him which does not
destroy, but it strengthens the law, and causes him to keep it, not
through fear, but through love of God"
"For I delight in the law of God after the inward man...with the mind
I myself serve the Law of God" (Rom 7:22-25). In this chapter the
apostle does two things: first, he shows what is not and what is the
Law's relation to the believer--judicially, the believer is
emancipated from the curse or penalty of the Law (7:1-6); morally, the
believer is under bonds to obey the Law (vv. 22,25). Secondly, he
guards against a false inference being drawn from what he had taught
in chapter 6. In 6:1-11 he sets forth the believer's identification
with Christ as "dead to sin" (vv. 2,7, etc.). Then, from verse 11
onwards, he shows the effect this truth should have upon the
believer's walk. In chapter 7 he follows the same order of thought. In
7:1-6 he treats of the believer's identification with Christ as "dead
to the law" (see vv. 4 and 6). Then, from verse 7 onwards he describes
the experiences of the Christian. Thus the first half of Romans 6 and
the first half of Romans 7 deal with the believer's standing, whereas
the second half of each chapter treats of the believer's state; but
with this difference: the second half of Rom. 6 reveals what our state
ought to be, whereas the second half of Rom. 7 (vv. 13-25) shows what
our state actually . [1]
The controversy which has raged over Rom. 7 is largely the fruitage of
the Perfectionism of Wesley and his followers. That brethren, whom we
have cause to respect, should have adopted this error in a modified
form, only shows how widespread today is the spirit of Laodiceanism.
To talk of "getting out of Romans 7 into Romans 8" is excuseless
folly. Romans 7 and 8 both apply with undiminished force and
pertinence to every believer on earth today. The second half of Romans
7 describes the conflict of the two natures in the child of God: it
simply sets forth in detail what is summarized in Galatians 5:17.
Romans 7:14,15,18,19,21 are far short of the standard set before
him--we mean God's standard, not that of the so-called "victorious
life" teachers. If any Christian reader is ready to say that Romans
7:19 does not describe his life, we say in all kindness, that he is
sadly deceived. We do not mean by this that every Christian breaks the
laws of men, or that he is an overt transgressor of the laws of God.
But we do mean that his life is far, far below the level of the life
our Saviour lived here on earth. We do mean that there is much of "the
flesh" still evident in every Christian--not the least in those who
make such loud boastings of their spiritual attainments. We do mean
that every Christian has urgent need to daily pray for the forgiveness
of his daily sins (Luke 11:4), for "in "(James 3:2, R.V.).
The second half of Romans 7, then, is describing the state of the
Christian, i.e. the conflict between the two natures within him. In
verse 14 the apostle declares, "We know that the Law is spiritual".
How different is this language from the disparaging way that many now
refer to God's Law! In verse 22 he exclaims, "I delight in the Law of
God after the inward man". How far removed is this from the delusion
that the Law has been abolished, and that it no longer serves any
purpose for the Christian! The apostle Paul did not ignore the Law,
still less did he regard it as an enemy. The new nature within him
delighted in it: so, too, did the Psalmist, see Psalm 119:72, 97, 140.
But the old nature was still within him too, warring against the new,
and bringing him into captivity to the law of sin, so that he cried,
"O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this
death" (v.24)--and we sincerely pity every professing Christian who
does not echo this cry. Next the apostle thanks God that he shall be
delivered yet "through Jesus Christ our Lord" (v. 25), not "by the
power of the Holy Spirit" note! The deliverance is future, at the
return of Christ, see Philippians 3:20, etc. Finally, and mark that
this comes after he had spoken of the promised "deliverance", he sums
up his dual experience by saying, "So then with the mind I myself
serve the Law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin". Could
anything be plainer? Instead of affirming that the Law had nothing to
do with him as a Christian, nor he with it, he expressly declared that
he served "the Law of God". This is sufficient for "serve" the Law of
God at their peril.
"For what the Law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh,
God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin,
condemned sin in the flesh. That the righteousness of the Law might be
fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit"
(Rom. 8:3,4). This throws light on Romans 3:31, showing us, in part,
how the Law is established". The reference here is to the new nature.
The believer now has a heart that loves God, and therefore does it
"delight in the Law of God". And it is ever at the heart that God
looks, though, of course, He takes note of our actions too. But in
heart the believer "fulfills" the holy requirements of God's Law,
inasmuch as his innermost desire is to serve, please, and glorify the
Law-giver. The righteous requirements of the Law are "fulfilled" in us
because we
"He that loveth another hath fulfilled the Law. For this, Thou shalt
not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou
shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be
any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying,
namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill
to his neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilling of the Law" (Rom.
13:8-10). Here again, the apostle, so far from lending the slightest
encouragement to the strange delusion that the Ten Commandments have
become obsolete to Christians, actually quotes five of them, and then
declares, "Love is the fulfilling of the Law". Love is not a
substitution for Law-obedience, but it is that which prompts the
believer to render obedience to it. Note carefully, it is not "love is
the abrogating of the Law", but "love is the fulfilling of the Law".
"The whole Law is grounded on love to God and love to man. This cannot
be violated without the breach of Law; and if there is love, it will
influence us to the observance of all God's commandments" (Haldane).
Love is the fulfilling of the Law because love is what the Law
demands. The prohibitions of the Law are not unreasonable restraints
on Christian liberty, but the just and wise requirements of love. We
may add that the above is another passage which serves to explain
Romans 3:31, for it supplies a practical exemplification of the way in
which the Gospel establishes the Law as the expression of the Divine
will, which love alone
"For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant
unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a
Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the Law; as
under the Law, that i might gain them that are under the Law; to them
that are without Law, as without Law, (being not without Law to God,
but under the Law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without
Law" (1 Cor. 9:19-22). The central thought of this passage is how the
apostle forewent his Christian liberty for the sake of the Gospel.
Though "free" from all, he nevertheless, made himself "the servant" of
all. To the unconverted Jews he "became a Jew;" Acts 16:3 supplies an
illustration. To those who deemed themselves to be yet under the
ceremonial law, he acted accordingly: Acts 21:26 supplies an example
of this. To them without Law: that is, Gentiles without the ceremonial
law, he abstained from the use of all ceremonies as they did: cf.
Galatians 2:3. Yet, he did not act as "without Law to God", but
instead, as "under the Law to Christ"; that is, as still under the
moral Law of God. He never counted himself free from that, nor would
he do anything contrary to the eternal Law of righteousness. To be
"under Law to God", is, without question, to be under the God.
Therefore, to be under the Law of Christ, is to be under the Law of
God, for the Law was not abrogated but reinforced by Christ. This
text, then, gives a plain and decisive answer to the question, How the
believer is under the Law of God, namely, as he is "under the ",
belonging to Christ, as he does, by redemption.
"For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty
for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all
the Law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself" (Gal. 5:13,14). Here the apostle first reminds
the Galatian saints (and us) that they had been called unto "liberty",
i.e., from the curse of the moral Law (3:13). Second, he defines the
bounds of that liberty, and shows that it must not deteriorate to
fleshly license, but that it is bounded by the requirements of the
unchanging moral Law of God, which requires that we love our neighbor
as ourselves. Third, he repeats here, what he had said in Romans
13:8-10, namely, that love is the fulfilling of the Law. The new
commandment of love to our brethren is comprehended in the old
commandment of love to our neighbor, hence the former is enforced by
an appeal to the
"For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty
for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another" (Gal.
5:13). We quote here part of the late Dr. George Bishop's comments on
this verse: "The apostle here emphasizes a danger. The believer before
believing, relied upon his works to save him. After believing, seeing
he is in no way saved by his works, he is in danger of despising good
works and minifying their value. At first he was an Arminian living by
law; now he is in danger of becoming an
"But the law is holy and the commandment holy, and just, and good. It
is God's standard--the eternal Norm. Fulfilled by Christ for us, it
still remains the swerveless and unerring rule of righteousness. We
are without the law for salvation, but not without the law for
obedience. Angels are under the law `doing God's commandments,
hearkening to the voice of His word' (Ps. 103:20). The law then is
immutable--its reign universal and without exception. The law! It is
the transcript of the Divine perfection: the standard of eternal
justice: the joy and rapture of all holy beings. The law! We are above
it for salvation, but under it, or rather in it and it in us, as a
principle of "(Grace in Galatians).
"Children obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy
father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That
it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth"
(Eph. 6:1-3). Once more we have a direct quotation from the tables of
stone as the regulator of the Christian conscience. First, the apostle
bids children obey their parents in the Lord. Second, he enforces this
by an appeal to the fifth commandment in the Decalogue. What a proof
this is that the Christian is under the Law (for the apostle is
writing to Christians), under it "to Christ". Third, not only does the
apostle here quote the fifth commandment, but he reminds us that there
is a promise annexed to it, a promise concerning the prolongation of
earthly life. How this refutes those who declare that our blessings
are all spiritual and heavenly (Eph. 1:3). Let the ones who are
constantly criticizing those who press on the children of God the
scriptures which have to do with our earthly walk, and who term this a
"coming down from our position in the heavenlies' weigh carefully
Ephesians 6:2,3 and also 1 Timothy 4:8--"For bodily exercise profiteth
little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of
the life that now is, and of that which is to come"; and let them also
study 1 Peter 3:10. In the administration of His government, God acts
upon immutable [2]
"But we know that the Law is good, if a man use it lawfully" (1 Tim.
1:8). The Law is used unlawfully, when sinners rest on their imperfect
obedience to it as the ground of their acceptance by God. So, too,
believers use it unlawfully, when they obey its precepts out of
servile fear. But used lawfully, the Law is good. This could never
have been said if the Law is an enemy to be shunned. Nor could it have
been said if it has been repealed for the Christian. In that case, the
apostle would have said, "The Law is not binding upon us". But he did
not so say. Instead, he declared "The Law if good". He said more than
that, he affirmed, "We know that the Law is good". It is not a
debateable point, rather is it one that has been Divinely settled for
us. But the Law is only "good" if a man (Greek, any one) use it
lawfully. To use the Law lawfully is to regard it as the unchanging
expression of the Will of God, and therefore to "delight" in it. To
use the Law lawfully is to receive it as the corrector of our conduct.
To use the Law lawfully is to "fulfill"
"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new
covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah...this
is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those
days, saith the Lord; I will put My laws into their mind, and write
them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be
to Me a people" (Heb. 8:8,10). Let it be carefully noted that this
passage unmistakably demonstrates two things: first, it proves
conclusively that the Law has not been "abolished"! Second, it proves
that the Law does have a use and value for those that are saved, for
it is saved Israel that is here in view! Nor is there any possible
room for doubt as to whether or not this applies
The passage just quoted refers to "the new covenant". Is the new
covenant restricted to Israel? Emphatically no. Did not our Saviour
say at the Holy Supper, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which
is poured out for many for the remission of sins" (Matt. 26:28, R.V.)?
Was Christ's blood of the new covenant limited to Israel? Certainly
not. Note how the apostle quotes our Lord's words when writing to the
Corinthians, see 1 Corinthians 11:25. So, too, in 2 Corinthians 3:6
the apostle Paul declares that God has made us (not is going to make
us) "ministers of the new covenant". This is proof positive that
Christians are under the new covenant. The new covenant is made with
all that Christ died for, and therefore Hebrews 8:8-10 assures us that
God puts His laws into the minds and writes them upon the hearts of
But so anxious are some to grasp at everything which they imagine
favors their contention that in no sense are believers under the Law,
this passage is sometimes appealed to in support. It is argued that
since God has now (by regeneration) written the Law on the believer's
heart, He no longer needs any outward commandments to rule and direct
him. Inward principle, it is said, will now move him spontaneously, so
that all need for external law is removed. This error was so ably
exposed fifty years ago by Dr. Martin, we transcribe a part of his
"How was it with our first parents? If ever outward law, categorical
and imperative, might have been dispensed with, it might in Adam's
case. In all the compass of his nature, there was nothing adverse to
the law of God. He was a law unto himself. He was the moral law unto
himself; loving God with all his heart, and his neighbour as himself,
in all things content, in nothing coveting. Was imperative,
authoritative, sovereign commandment therefore utterly unnecessary?
Did God see it to be needless to say to him, Thou shalt, or, Thou
shalt not? It was the very thing that infinite wisdom saw he needed.
And therefore did He give commandment--"Thou shalt not eat of ".
"How was it with the last Adam? All God's law was in His heart
operating there, an inward principle of grace; He surely, if any,
might have dispensed with strict, imperative, authoritative law and
commandment. `I delight to do Thy will, O God; Thy law also is within
My heart". Was no commandment, therefore, laid upon--no
obedience--statute ordained--unto Him? Or did He complain if there
was? Nay; I hear Him specially rejoicing in it. Every word He uttered,
every work He did, was by commandment: `My Father which sent me, He
gave Me commandment what I should say and what I should do; as He gave
me '.
"And shall His members, though the regenerating Spirit dwells in them,
claim an exemption from what the Son was not exempt? Shall believers,
because the Spirit puts the law into their hearts, claim a right to
act merely at the dictate of inward gracious principle, untrammeled,
uncontrolled by outward peremptory statute? I appeal to Paul in the
seventh chapter of the Romans, where he says: "The law is holy', and
adds, as if to show that it was no inward actuating law of the heart,
but God's outward commanding law to the will: `the law is holy, and
the commandment is holy, and just, and good'. And I appeal to the
sweet singer of Israel, as I find him in the 119^th Psalm, which is
throughout the breathing of a heart in which the law of God is
written, owning himself with joy as under peremptory external law:
`Thou '".
If ye fulfill the royal Law according to the scripture, Thou shalt
love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well" (James 2:8). The immediate
purpose of the apostle was to correct an evil--common in all climes
and ages--of which his brethren were guilty. They had paid deference
to the wealthy, and shown them greater respect than the poor who
attended their assembly (see preceding verses). They had, in fact,
"despised the poor" (v.6). The result was that the worthy name of
Christ had been "blasphemed" (v.7). Now it is striking to observe the
method followed and the ground of appeal made by the
First, he says, "If ye fulfill the royal law according to the
scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: but
if ye have respect of persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the
Law as transgressors" (vv. 8,9). He shows that in despising the poor
they had transgressed the Law, for the Law says, "Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself". Here then, if proof positive that the Law was
binding upon those to whom James wrote, for it is impossible for one
who is in every sense "dead to the Law" to be a "transgressor" of it.
And here, it is probable that some will raise the quibble that the
Epistle of James is Jewish. True, the Epistle is addressed to the
twelve tribes scattered abroad. Yet it cannot be gainsaid that the
apostle was writing to men of faith (1:3); men who had been
regenerated-- "begotten" (1:18); men who were called by the worthy
name of Christ (2:7), and therefore Christians. And it is to them the
apostle here appeals to the Law! --another
The apostle here terms the Law, "the royal Law". This was to empathize
its authority, and to remind his regenerated brethren that the
slightest deflection from it was rebellion. The royal Law also calls
attention to the supreme dignity of its
This royal Law, we learn, is transcribed in the Scriptures--the
reference here was, of course,
Next, the apostle says, "For whosoever shall keep the whole Law, and
yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For He that said, Do not
commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no
adultery, yet if thou kill, thou are become a transgressor of the Law"
(vv. 10,11). His purpose is evident. He presses on those to whom he
writes that, he who fails to love his neighbour is just as much and
just as truly a transgressor of the Law as the man who is guilty of
adultery or murder, for he has rebelled against the authority of the
One who gave the whole Law. In this quotation of the 6^th and 7^th
commandments all doubt is removed as to what "Law" is in view in this
passage.
Finally, the apostle says, "So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall
be judged by the Law of liberty. For he shall have judgment without
mercy, that hath showed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against
judgment" (vv. 12,13). This is solemn and urgently needs pressing upon
the Lord's people today: Christians are going to be "judged by the
Law"! The Law is God's unchanging standard of conduct for all; and all
alike, saints and sinners, are going to be weighed in its balances;
not of course, in order to determine their eternal destiny, but to
settle the apportionment of reward and punishment. It should be
obvious to all that the very word "reward" implies obedience to the
Law! Let it be repeated, though, that this judgment for Christians has
nothing whatever to do with their salvation. Instead, it is to
determine the measure of reward which they shall enjoy in Heaven.
Should any object against the idea of any future judgment (not
punishment but judgment) for Christians, we would ask them to
carefully ponder 1 Corinthians 11:31, 32: 2 Timothy 4:1; Hebrews
10:30--in
It should be noted that the apostle here terms the Law by which we
shall be judged "the Law of liberty". It is, of course, the same as
"the royal Law" in verse 8. But why term it the Law of liberty?
Because such it is to the Christian. He obeys it (or should do) not
from fear, but out of love. The only true "liberty" lies in complete
subjection to God. There was, too, a peculiar propriety in the apostle
James here styling the Law of God "the Law of liberty". His brethren
had been guilty of "respecting persons", showing undue deference to
the rich; and this was indeed servility of the worst kind. But to
"love our "will free us from this.
Other passages in the New Testament which show more directly the
bearing of the Law on believers might be quoted, but we close, by
calling attention to 1 John 2:6: "He that saith he abideth in Him
ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked" (1 John 2:6). This
is very simple, and yet deeply important. The believer is here
exhorted to regulate his walk by that of the walk of Christ. How did
He walk? We answer, in perfect obedience to the Law of God. Galatians
4:4 tells us, "God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the
Law." Psalm 40:8 declares that God's Law was in His heart. Everything
recorded about the Saviour in the four Gospels evidences His complete
subjection to the Law. If, then, the Christian desires to honor and
please God, if he would walk as Christ walked, then must he regulate
his conduct by and render obedience to the Ten Commandments. Not that
we would for a moment insist that the Christian has nothing more than
the Ten Commandments by which to regulate his conduct. No; Christ came
to "fulfill" the Law, and as we have intimated, one thing this means
is that, He has brought out the fulness of its contents, He has
brought to light its exceeding spirituality, He has shown us (both
directly and through His apostles) its manifold application. But
whatever amplification the Law has received in the New Testament,
nothing has been given by God which in any wise conflicts with what he
first imprinted on man's moral nature, and afterwards wrote with His
own finger at Sinai, nothing that in the slightest modifies its
authority or our obligation to render
May the Holy Spirit so enlighten our sin-darkened understandings and
so draw out our hearts unto God, that we shall truthfully say, "The
Law of Thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and
silver...O how love I Thy law! it is my meditation all the day" (Psa.
119:72-97).
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES
[1] Verses 8-12 are more or
[2] That some obedient children are short-lived no more belies the
Word of God than that some diligent men are poor, yet Proverbs 10:4
says, "The hand of the diligent maketh rich:" The truth is, that these
promises reveal the general purpose of God, but He always reserves to
Himself the sovereign right to make whom He pleases exceptions to the
general rule.
_________________________________________________________________
Contents
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER ONE
David As a Youth
1 Samuel 16 and 17
_________________________________________________________________
The life of David marked an important epoch in the unfolding of God's
purpose and plan of redemption. Here a little and there a little God
made known the grand goal toward which all His dealings tended. At
sundry times and in divers manners God spake in times past. In various
ways and by different means was the way prepared for the coming of
Christ. The work of redemption, with respect to its chief design, is
carried on from the fall of man to the end of the world by successive
acts and dispensations in different ages, but all forming part of one
great whole, and all leading to the one appointed and glorious climax.
"God wrought many lesser salvations and deliverances for His church
and people before Christ came. Those salvations were all but so many
images and forerunners of the great salvation Christ was to work out
when He should come. The church during that space of time enjoyed the
light of Divine revelation, or God's Word. They had in a degree the
light of the Gospel. But all those revelations were only so many
forerunners and earnests of the great light which He should bring who
came to be `the Light of the world.' That whole space of time was, as
it were, the time of night, wherein the church of God was not indeed
wholly without light: but it was like the light of the moon and stars,
that we have in the night; a dim light in comparison with the light of
the sun. The church all that time was a minor: see Gal. 4:1-3"
(Jonathan Edwards).
We shall not here attempt to summarize the divine promises and pledges
which were given during the earlier ages of human history, nor the
shadows and symbols which God then employed as the prefigurations of
that which was to come: to do so, would require us to review the whole
of the Pentateuch. Most of our readers are more or less familiar with
the early history of the Israelite nation, and of what that history
typically anticipated. Yet comparatively few are aware of the marked
advance that was made in the unfolding of God's counsels of grace in
the days of David. A wonderful flood of light was then shed from
heaven on things which were yet to come, and many new privileges were
then vouchsafed unto the Old Testament Church.
In the preceding ages it had been made known that the Son of God was
to become incarnate, for none but a divine person could bruise the
Serpent's head (cf. Jude), and He was to do so by becoming the woman's
"Seed" (Gen. 3:15). To Abraham God had made known that the Redeemer
should (according to the flesh) descend from him. In the days of Moses
and Aaron much had been typically intimated concerning the Redeemer's
priestly office and ministry. But now it pleased God to announce that
particular person in all the tribes of Israel from which Christ was to
proceed, namely, David. Out of all the thousands of Abraham's
descendants, a most honorable mark of distinction was placed upon the
son of Jesse by anointing him to be king over his people. This was a
notable step toward advancing the work of redemption. David was not
only the ancestor of Christ, but in some respects the most eminent
personal type of Him in all the Old Testament.
"God's beginning of the kingdom of His church in the house of David,
was, as it were, a new establishing of the kingdom of Christ: the
beginning of it in a state of such visibility as it thenceforward
continued in. It was as it were God's planting the root, whence that
branch of righteousness was afterwards to spring up, that was to be
the everlasting King of His church; and therefore this everlasting
King is called the branch from the stem of Jesse: `And there shall
come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out
of his roots' (Isa. 11: 1). `Behold the days come, saith the Lord,
that I will raise up unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall
reign and prosper' (Jer. 23:5). So Christ, in the New Testament, is
called `the root and offspring of David' (Rev. 22: 16)" (Work of
Redemption by Jonathan Edwards, 1757).
It is deserving of our closest attention and calls for our deepest
admiration that each advance which was made in the unfolding of the
counsels of divine grace occurred at those times when human reason
would have least expected them. The first announcement of the divine
incarnation was given not while Adam and Eve remained in a state of
innocency, but after they had rebelled against their Maker. The first
open manifestation and adumbration of the everlasting covenant was
made after all flesh had corrupted its way on earth, and the flood had
almost decimated the human race. The first announcement of the
particular people from which the Messiah would spring, was published
after the general revolt of men at the tower of Babel. The wondrous
revelation found in the last four books of the Pentateuch was made not
in the days of Joseph, but after the whole nation of Israel had
apostatized (see Ezek. 20:5-9).
The principle to which attention has been directed in the above
paragraph received further exemplification in God's call of David. One
has but to read through the book of Judges to discover the terrible
deterioration which succeeded the death of Joshua. For upwards of five
centuries a general state of lawlessness prevailed: "In those days
there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his
own eyes" (Judges 21:25). Following this was Israel's demand for a
king, and that, that they might "be like all the nations" (1 Sam.
8:20); therefore did Jehovah declare, "I gave thee a king in Mine*
anger, and took him away in My wrath" (Hosea 13:11). He, too, was an
apostate, and his history ends by his consulting a witch (1 Sam. 28),
and perishing on the battlefield (1 Sam. 31).
Such is the dark background upon which the ineffable glory of. God's
sovereign grace now shone forth; such is the historical setting of the
life of him we are about to consider. The more carefully this be
pondered, the more shall we appreciate the marvelous interposition of
divine mercy at a time when the prospects of Israel seemed well-nigh
hopeless. But man's extremity is always God's opportunity. Even at
that dark hour, God had ready the instrument of deliverance, "a man
after His own heart." But who he was, and where he was located, none
but Jehovah knew. Even Samuel the prophet had to be given a special
divine revelation in order to identify him. And this brings us to that
portion of Scripture which introduces to us, David as a youth.
"And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul,
seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn
with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I
have provided Me a king among his sons" (1 Sam. 16:1). This is the
sequel to what is recorded in 1 Samuel 16:10-12. Saul had despised
Jehovah, and now he was rejected by Him (1 Sam. 15:23). True, he
continued to occupy the throne for some little time. Nevertheless,
Saul was no longer owned of God. An important principle is here
illustrated, which only the truly Spirit-taught can appreciate: a
person, an institution, a corporate company, is often rejected by God
secretly, a while before this solemn fact is evidenced outwardly;
Judaism was abandoned by the Lord immediately before the Cross
(Matthew 23:38), yet the temple stood until A.D. 70!
God had provided Him a king among the sons of Jesse the Bethlehemite,
and, as Micah 5:2 informs us, Bethlehem Ephratah was "little among the
thousands of Judah." Ah, "God hath chosen the foolish things of the
world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the
world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the
world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, and things
which are not, to bring to naught things that are" (1 Cor. 1:27, 28).
And why? "That no flesh should glory in His presence" (1 Cor. 1:29).
God is jealous of His own honor, and therefore is He pleased to select
the most unlikely and unpromising instruments to execute His pleasure
(as the unlettered fishermen of Galilee to be the first heralds of the
Cross), that it may the more plainly appear the power is His alone.
The principle which we have just named received further illustration
in the particular son of Jesse which was the one chosen of God. When
Jesse and his sons stood before Samuel, it is said of the prophet that
"He looked on Eliab and said, Surely the Lord's anointed is before
Him" (1 Sam. 16:6). But the prophet was mistaken. And what was wrong
with Eliab? The next verse tells us, "But the Lord said unto Samuel,
Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because
I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man
looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart"
(v. 7). Ah, my reader, this is solemn and searching: it is at your
heart the Holy One looks! What does He see in you?--a heart that has
been purified by faith (Acts 15:9), a heart that loves Him supremely
(Deut. 6:5), or a heart that is still "desperately wicked" (Jer.
17:9)?
One by one the seven sons of Jesse passed in review before the
prophet's eye, but the "man after God's own heart" was not among their
number. The Sons of Jesse had been called to the sacrifice (v. 5),
and, apparently, the youngest was deemed too insignificant by his
father to be noticed on this occasion. But "the counsel of the Lord .
. . shall stand" (Prov. 19:21), so inquiry and then request is made
that the despised one be sent for. "And he sent, and brought him in.
Now he was ruddy, withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to
look to. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he"
(16:12). Most blessed is it to compare these words with what is said
of our Lord in Song of Solomon 5:10, 16, "My Beloved is white and
ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand . . . His mouth is most sweet:
yea, He is altogether lovely."
The principle of divine election is designed for the humbling of man's
proud heart. Striking and solemn is it to see that, all through, God
ignored that in which the flesh glories. Isaac, and not Ishmael
(Abraham's firstborn), was the one selected by God. Jacob, and not
Esau, was the object of His eternal love. The Israelites, and not the
Egyptians, the Babylonians, or the Greeks, was the nation chosen to
shadow forth this blessed truth of God's sovereign foreordination. So
here the eldest sons of Jesse were all "rejected" by Jehovah, and
David, the youngest, was the one of God's appointing. It should be
observed, too, that David was the eighth son, and all through
Scripture that numeral is connected with a new beginning: suitably
then (and ordained by divine providence) was it that he should be the
one to mark a fresh and outstanding epoch in the history of the
favored nation.
The elect of God are made manifest in time by the miracle of
regeneration being wrought within them. This it is which has always
distinguished the children of God from the children of the devil;
divine calling, or the new birth, is what identifies the high
favorites of Heaven. Thus it is written, "whom He did predestinate,
them He also called" (Rom. 8:30)--called out of darkness into His
marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). This miracle of regeneration, which is
the birth-mark of God's elect, consists of a complete change of hears,
a renewing of it, so that God becomes the supreme object of its
delight, the pleasing of Him its predominant desire and purpose, and
love for His people its characteristic note. God's chosen are
transformed into the choice ones of the earth, for the members of
Christ's mystical body are predestinated to be "conformed to the
image" of their glorious Head; and thus do they, in their measure, in
this life, "show forth" His praises.
Beautiful it is to trace the fruits or effects of regeneration which
were visible in David at an early age. At the time Samuel was sent to
anoint him king, he was but a youth, but even then he evidenced, most
unmistakably, the transforming power of divine grace. "And Samuel said
unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth
yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep" (1 Sam. 16:11).
Thus the first sight we are given of David in God's Word presents him
as one who had a heart (a shepherd's care) for those who symbolized
the people of God. "Just as before, when the strength of God's people
was being wasted under Pharaoh, Moses, their deliverer, was hidden as
a shepherd in a wilderness; so, when Israel was again found in
circumstances of deeper, though less ostensible, peril, we again find
the hope of Israel concealed in the unknown shepherd of an humble
flock" (David by B. W. Newton).
An incident is recorded of the shepherd-life of David that plainly
denoted his character and forecast his future. Speaking to Saul, ere
he went forth to meet Goliath, he said, "Thy servant kept his father's
sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the
flock: and I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out
of his mouth: and when he arose against me I caught him by his beard,
and smote him, and slew him" (1 Sam. 17:34,35). Observe two things.
First, the loss of one poor lamb was the occasion of David's daring.
How many a shepherd would have considered that a thing far too
trifling to warrant the endangering of his own life! Ah, it was love
to that lamb and faithfulness to his charge which moved him to act.
Second, but how could a youth triumph over a lion and a bear? Through
faith in the living God: he trusted in Jehovah, and prevailed. Genuine
faith in God is ever an infallible mark of His elect (Titus 1:1).
There is at least one other passage which sheds light on the spiritual
condition of David at this early stage of his life, though only they
who are accustomed to weigh each word separately are likely to
perceive it. "Lord, remember David, and all his afflictions: How he
sware unto the Lord, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob; Surely I
will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed;
I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids, until
I find out a place for the Lord, an habitation for the mighty God of
Jacob. Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of
the wood" (Ps. 132: 1-6). A careful reading of the whole Psalm reveals
to us the interests of the youthful David's heart. There, amid the
pastures of Bethlehem Ephratah, he was deeply concerned for Jehovah's
glory.
In closing, let us note how conspicuous was the shepherd character of
David in his early days. Anticipating for a moment that which belongs
to a later consideration, let us thoughtfully observe how that after
David had rendered a useful service to King Saul, it is recorded that,
"David went and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at
Bethlehem" (1 Sam. 17:15). From the attractions (or distractions) of
the court, he returned to the fold--the influences of an exalted
position had not spoiled him for humble service! Is there not a word
here for the pastor's heart: the evangelistic field, or the
Bible-conference platform, may furnish tempting allurements, but your
duty is to the "sheep" over the which the good Shepherd has placed
you. Take heed to the ministry you have received of the Lord, that you
fulfill it.
Fellow-servant of God, your sphere may be an humble and inconspicuous
one; the flock to which God has called you to minister may be a small
one; but faithfulness to your trust is what is required of you. There
may be an Eliab ready to taunt you, and speak contemptuously of "those
few sheep in the wilderness" (1 Sam. 17:28), as there was for David to
encounter; but regard not their sneers. It is written, "His lord said
unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been
faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things;
enter thou into the joy of thy Lord" (Matthew 25:21).
As David was faithful to his trust in the humble sphere in which God
first placed him, so he was rewarded by being called to fill a more
important position, in which there too he honorably acquitted himself:
"He chose David also for His servant, and took him from the
sheepfolds: from following the ewes great with young He brought him to
feed Jacob, His people, and Israel His inheritance. So he fed them
according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the
skillfulness of his hands" (Ps. 78:70-72).
Index
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER TWO
His Anointing
1 Samuel 16 and 17
_________________________________________________________________
In our last chapter we called attention to the time in which David's
lot was cast. The spirituality of Israel had indeed fallen to a low
ebb. The law of God was no longer heeded, for "every man did that
which was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25). The terrible failure
of the priesthood stands out clearly in the character of Eli's sons (1
Sam. 2:22). The nation as a whole had rejected Jehovah that He should
not reign over them (1 Sam. 8:7). The one then on the throne was such
a worthless reprobate that it was written, "The Lord repented that He
had made Saul king over Israel" (1 Sam. 15:36). The utter contempt
which the people paid to the sacred tabernacle appears in the dreadful
fact that it was suffered to languish in "the fields of the wood" (Ps.
132:6). Well, then, might our patriarch cry out, "Help Lord, for the
godly man ceaseth" (Ps. 12:1).
But though the righteous government of God caused Israel to be sorely
chastised for their sins, He did not completely abandon them. Where
sin abounded, grace did much more abound. Amid the prevailing
darkness, almighty power sustained, here and there, a light unto
Himself. The heart of one feeble woman laid hold of Jehovah's
strength: "He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the
beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them
inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the
Lord's, and He hath set the world upon them: He will keep the feet of
His saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness: for by
strength shall no man prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be
broken to pieces; out of heaven shall He thunder upon them: The Lord
shall judge the ends of the earth; and He shall give strength unto His
King, and exalt the horn of His Anointed" (1 Sam. 2:8-10). That was
the language of true faith, and faith is something which God never
disappoints. Most probably Hannah lived not to see the realization of
her Spirit-inspired expectations, but in "due season" they were
realized.
How encouraging and comforting ought the above to be to the little
remnant of God's heritage in this "cloudy and dark day"! To outward
sight, there is now much, very much, to distract and dishearten. Truly
"men's hearts are failing them for fear, and for looking after those
things which are coming on the earth" (Luke 21:26). But, blessed be
His name, "the Lord hath His way in the whirlwind" (Nahum 1:3). Faith
looks beyond this scene of sin and strife, and beholds the Most High
upon His throne, working "all things after the counsel of His own
will" (Eph. 1:11). Faith lays hold of the Divine promises which
declare, "at eveningtide it shall be light" (Zech. 14:7); and "When
the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall
lift up a standard against him" (Isa. 59: 19). In the meantime God's
grace is sufficient for the feeblest who really trusts Him.
Samuel was given by God in response to the prayers of Hannah, and who
can doubt that David also was the answer to the earnest supplications
of those who sought Jehovah's glory. And the Lord's ear has not grown
heavy that it can no longer hear; yet the actions of present-day
professing Christians say they believe that it has! If the diligence
which is now paid to the ransacking of daily newspapers in search for
sensational items which are regarded as "signs of the times," and if
the time that is now given to Bible conferences was devoted to
confession of sin and crying unto God to raise up a man after His own
heart, whom He would use to bring back His wayward people into the
paths of righteousness, it would be spent to much greater profit.
Conditions are not nearly so desperate today as they were at the close
of the "dark ages," nor even as bad as they were when God raised up
Whitefield. To your knees, my brethren: God's arm is not shortened
that it cannot save.
Now not only was the raising up of David a signal demonstration of
divine grace working in the midst of a people who deserved naught but
untempered judgment, but, as pointed out before, it marked an
important stage in the unfolding of God's counsels, and a further and
blessed adumbration of what had been settled upon in the everlasting
covenant. This has not been sufficiently emphasized by recent writers,
who, in their zeal to stress the law element of the Mosaic economy,
have only too often overlooked the grace element which was exercised
throughout. No "new dispensation" was inaugurated in the days of
David, but a most significant advance was made in the divine
foreshadowings of that kingdom over which the Messiah now rules. The
Mediator is not only the arch Prophet and High Priest, but He is also
the King of kings, and this it is which was now to be specifically
typified. The throne, as well as the altar, belongs to Christ!
From the days of Abraham, and onwards for a thousand years, the
providential dealings of God had mainly respected that people from
whom the Christ was to proceed. But now attention is focused on that
particular person from whence He was to spring. It pleased God at this
time to single out the specific man of whom Christ was to come,
namely, David. "David being the ancestor and great type of Christ, his
being solemnly anointed to be king over his people, that the kingdom
of His church might be continued in his family forever, may in some
respects be looked on as an anointing of Christ Himself. Christ was as
it were anointed in him; and therefore Christ's anointing and David's
anointing are spoken of under one in Scripture: `I have found David My
servant; with My holy oil have I anointed him' (Ps. 89:20). And
David's throne and Christ's are spoken of as one: `And the Lord shall
give Him the throne of His father David' (Luke 1:32). `David--knowing
that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his
loins, according to the flesh, He would raise up Christ to sit on his
throne' (Acts 2:30)" (Jonathan Edwards).
The typical character of David's person presents a most precious line
of study. His very name signifies "the Beloved." His being an
inhabitant of Bethlehem was ordained to point to that place where the
Darling of God's heart was to be born. His "beautiful countenance" (1
Sam. 16:13) spoke of Him who is "fairer than the children of men." His
occupation as a shepherd set forth the peculiar relation of Christ to
God's elect and intimated the nature of His redemptive work. His
faithful discharge of the pastoral office forecast the love and
fidelity of the great Shepherd. His lowly occupation before he
ascended the throne prefigured the Savior's humiliation prior to His
glorious exaltation. His victory over Goliath symbolized the triumph
of Christ over the great enemy of God and His people. His perfecting
of Israel's worship and instituting of a new ecclesiastical
establishment anticipated Christ as the Head and Law-Giver of His
Church.
But it is in the anointing of David that we reach the most notable
feature of our type. The very name or title "Christ" means "the
Anointed" One, and David was the first of Israel's kings who thus
foreshadowed Him. True, Saul also was anointed, but he furnished a
solemn contrast, being a dark foreboding of the antichrist. At an
earlier period, Aaron had been anointed unto the sacerdotal office
(Lev. 8:12); and, at a later date, we read of Elisha the prophet being
anointed (1 Kings 19:16). Thus the threefold character of the
Mediator's office as Prophet, Priest and Potentate, was fully typed
out centuries before He was openly manifested here on earth.
It is a remarkable fact that David was anointed three times. First,
privately at Bethlehem (1 Sam. 16:13). Second, by the men of Judah (2
Sam. 2:4). Third, by the elders of Israel (2 Sam. 5:3). So also was
that august One whom he foreshadowed. This will appear the more
evident if we quote the following: "Then Samuel took the horn of oil,
and anointed him in (or "from") the midst of his brethren: and the
Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward" (1 Sam.
16:13). Concerning our Lord, His humanity was miraculously conceived
and sanctified by the Spirit and endowed with all graces in the
Virgin's womb (Luke 1:35). Second, He was publicly "anointed with the
Spirit" (Acts 10:38) at His baptism, and thus equipped for His
ministry (see Isa. 61:1). Third, at His ascension He was "anointed
with the oil of gladness above His fellows" (Ps. 45:6, 7). It was to
this that the anointing of David more especially pointed.
It is striking to observe that God anointed David after Saul, to reign
in his room. He took away the crown from him who was higher in stature
than any of his people, and gave it to one who resided in Bethlehem,
which was "little among the thousands of Judah" (Micah 5:2). In this
way was God pleased to prefigure the fact that He who, when on earth,
was "despised and rejected of men," should take the kingdom from the
great ones of the earth. At a later date, this was more expressly
revealed, for in the Divine interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream
Daniel declared, "In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven
set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom
shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and
consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Forasmuch as
thou sawest that the Stone was cut out of the mountain without hands,
and that it break in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver,
and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall
come to pass hereafter" (Dan. 2:44, 45).
It was the mediatorial reign of Christ which David foreshadowed, and
of which he prophesied: "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever: the
scepter of Thy kingdom is a right scepter" (Ps. 45:6). That "throne"
is His mediatorial throne, and that "scepter" is the symbol of
authority over His mediatorial kingdom. Those metaphors are here
applied to Christ as setting forth His kingly office, together with
His dignity and dominion, for the throne whereon He sits is "the
throne of the Majesty in the heavens" (Heb. 8:1). "Thou lovest
righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore, God, thy God, hath
anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows" (Ps. 45:7).
This is in contrast from the days when He was "a Man of sorrows and
acquainted with grief." It denotes His triumph and exaltation. It was
at His ascension that He was "crowned with glory and honour."
Just as the priestly office and work of Christ were foreshadowed by
Melchizedek and Aaron, so the kingship and kingdom of the Mediator
were typed out by both David and Solomon. It would lead us too far
afield to enlarge upon this, but the interested reader will do well to
ponder such scriptures as 2 Samuel 7:12-16; Isaiah 16:5; Jeremiah
23:5, 6; 33:14-17; Acts 13:34; Revelation 3:7; 5:5. And let us not be
robbed of the preciousness of these passages by the attempts of some
who would have us believe they belong only to the future. In many
instances their insistence upon literalizing many portions of Holy
Writ has resulted in the carnalizing of them, and the missing of their
true and spiritual import. Let the reader beware of any system of
interpretation which takes away from the Christian any portion of
God's Word: all Scripture is "profitable for doctrine" (2 Tim. 3: 16).
Between the first and the third anointings of David, or between
Samuel's consecrating of him to the kingly office and his actually
ascending the throne, there was a period of severe trials and
testings, during which our patriarch passed through much suffering and
humiliation. Here too we may discern the accuracy of our type. David's
Son and Lord trod a path of unspeakable woe between the time when the
Holy Spirit first came upon Him and His exaltation at the right hand
of the Majesty on high. It is indeed blessed to read through the first
book of Samuel and take note of the series of wonderful providences by
which God preserved David's life until the death of Saul; but it is
yet more precious to see in these so many adumbrations of what is
recorded in such passages as Matthew 2:16; Luke 4:29; John 8:59; John
10:31, 39, etc.
Ere passing on, let us seek to make practical application unto
ourselves of what has just been referred to above. God promised
Abraham a son, in whom all the nations of the earth should be blessed
(Gen. 12:3), yet he performed it not for thirty years (Gen. 21:2). God
anointed David king over Israel, yet before the kingdom was actually
given to him, his faith was severely tested, and he was called on to
endure many sore buffetings. He was hated, persecuted, outlawed and
hunted like a partridge on the mountains (1 Sam. 26:20, etc.). Yet was
he enabled to say, "I waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined
unto me, and heard my cry" (Ps. 40:1). So the Christian has been
begotten to a glorious inheritance, but "we must through much
tribulation enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). It is only
"through faith and patience (we) inherit the promises" (Heb. 6: 12).
Another thing which God did at that time toward furthering the great
work of redemption was to inspire David to show forth Christ and His
salvation in divine songs. David was endowed with the spirit of
prophecy, and is called "a prophet" (Acts 2:29, 30) so that here too
he was a type of Christ. "This was a great advancement that God made
in this building; and the light of the Gospel, which had been
gradually growing from the fall, was exceedingly increased by it; for
whereas before there was but here and there a prophecy given of Christ
in a great many ages, now here Christ is spoken of by David
abundantly, in multitudes of songs, speaking of His incarnation, life,
death, resurrection, ascension into heaven, His satisfaction,
intercession; His prophetical, kingly, and priestly office; His
glorious benefits in this life and that which is to come; His union
with the church and the blessedness of the church in Him; the calling
of the Gentiles. All these things concerning Christ and His redemption
are abundantly spoken of in the book of Psalms" (Jonathan Edwards).
To quote again from this Spirit-taught man, "Now first it was that God
proceeded to choose a particular city out of all the tribes of Israel
to place His name there. There is several times mention made in the
law of Moses of the children of Israel's bringing their oblations to
the place which God should choose, as Deuteronomy 12:5-7; but God had
never proceeded to it till now. The tabernacle and ark were never
pitched, but sometimes in one place, and sometimes in another; but now
God proceeded to choose Jerusalem. The city of Jerusalem was never
thoroughly conquered or taken out of the hands of the Jebusites, till
David's time. It is said in Joshua 15:63, `As for the Jebusites, the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them
out.' But now David wholly subdued it, as we have an account in 2
Samuel 5. And now God proceeded to choose that city to place His name
there, as appears by David's bringing up the ark thither soon after;
and therefore this is mentioned afterwards as the first time God
proceeded to choose a city to place His name there: 2 Chronicles
6:5,6; 12:13.
"The city of Jerusalem is therefore called the holy city; and it was
the greatest type of the church of Christ in all the Old Testament. It
was redeemed by David, the captain of the hosts of Israel, out of the
hands of the Jebusites to be God's city, the holy place of His rest
forever, where He would dwell; as Christ, the Captain of His people's
salvation redeemed His church out of the hands of devils, to be His
holy and beloved city. And therefore how often does the Scripture,
when speaking of Christ's redemption of His church, call it by the
names of Zion and Jerusalem! This was the city that God had appointed
to be the place of the first gathering and erecting of the Christian
Church after Christ's resurrection, of that remarkable pouring out of
the Spirit of God on the apostles and primitive Christians, and the
place whence the Gospel was to sound forth into all the world; the
place of the first Christian Church, that was to be, as it were, the
mother of all other churches in the world; agreeably to that prophecy,
Isaiah 2:3, 4: `out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of
the Lord from Jerusalem'" (Work of Redemption).
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER THREE
Entering Saul's Service
1 Samuel 16 and 17
_________________________________________________________________
In our last chapter we contemplated David's anointing; in our present
study an entirely different experience in his varied career is before
us. The two halves of 1 Samuel 16 present a series of striking
contrasts. In the former, we behold David called to occupy the throne,
in the latter he is seen entering the place of service. There we see
the Spirit of the Lord coming upon David (v. 13), here we behold the
Spirit of the Lord departing from Saul (v. 14). In the one David is
anointed with the holy oil (v. 13), in the other Saul is troubled with
an evil spirit (v. 14). Samuel was "mourning" (v. 1), Saul is
"refreshed" (v. 23). Samuel approached Jesse with an heifer for
sacrifice (v. 2), Jesse sends David to Saul with bread, wine, and a
kid for feasting (v. 20). David was acceptable in God's sight (v. 12),
here he found favor in Saul's eyes (v. 22). Before he was tending the
sheep (v. 11), now he is playing the harp in the palace (v. 23).
God did not set David upon the throne immediately: after his
"anointing" came a season of testing. The coming of the Spirit upon
him was followed by his having to face the great enemy. Thus it was
with David's Son and Lord, the One whom, in so many respects, he
foreshadowed. After the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Him at His
baptism, Christ was tempted of the devil for forty days. So here: the
next thing we read of is David's being sent to calm Saul who was
terrified by an evil spirit, and shortly after that he goes forth to
meet Goliath--figure of Satan. The principle which is here illustrated
is one that we do well to take to heart: patience has to be tested,
humility manifested, faith strengthened, before we are ready to enter
into God's best for us; we must use rightly what God has given us, if
we desire Him to give us more.
"But the Spirit of the Lord departed From Saul, and an evil spirit
from the Lord troubled him" (1 Sam. 16: 14). Exceedingly solemn is
this, the more so when we consider that which precedes it. In 1 Samuel
15:1-3 the Lord, had, through Samuel, given a definite commission unto
Saul to "utterly destroy Amalek, and all that they had." Instead of so
doing, he compromised: "But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the
best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the
lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them" (1
Sam. 15:9). When faced by God's faithful prophet, the king's excuse
was "the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen to sacrifice
unto the Lord" (v. 15). Then it was that Samuel said, "Hath the Lord
as great delight in burnt offerings and in sacrifices, as in obeying
the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, to
hearken than the fat of rams" (v. 22).
Saul had openly defied the Lord by deliberately disobeying His plain
commandment. Wherefore the prophet said unto him, "For rebellion is as
the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected
thee from being king" (v. 23). And now we come to the dreadful sequel.
"The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from
the Lord troubled him." Having forsaken God, God forsook him. Rightly
did Matthew Henry say upon this verse: "They that drive the good
Spirit away from them, do of course become a prey to the evil spirit.
If God and His grace do not rule us, sin and Satan will have
possession of us."
"But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit
from the Lord troubled him." Great care needs to be taken against our
reading into these words what is really not in them, otherwise we
shall make one part of Scripture contradict another. The Holy Spirit
had never been given to Saul as the Spirit of regeneration and
sanctification: but He had been given to him as a Spirit of prophecy
(see 1 Sam. 10:10 and contrast 1 Sam. 28:6), and as a Spirit of wisdom
for temporal rule, thus fitting him for the discharge of his royal
duties, In like manner, when we read that "God gave him another heart"
(1 Sam. 10:9), this must not be confounded with "a new heart" (Ezek.
36:26)--the "another heart" was not in a moral and spiritual sense,
but only in a way of wisdom for civil government, prudence to rule,
courage to fight against his enemies, fortitude against
It is a serious mistake to suppose that because the Holy Spirit has
not come as the Spirit of regeneration and sanctification unto many
professors, that therefore He has not come to them at all. Many are
"made partakers of the Holy Spirit" as the Spirit of "enlightenment"
(Heb. 6:4), of spiritual aspirations (Num. 24:2; 23:10 etc.), of
deliverance from the "pollutions of the world" (2 Pet. 2:20), who are
never brought from death unto life. There are common operations of the
Spirit as well as special, and it behooves all of us to seriously and
diligently examine our hearts and lives for the purpose of discovering
whether or not the Holy Spirit indwells us as a Sanctifier, subduing
the flesh, delivering from worldliness, and conforming to the image of
Christ. "When men grieve and quench the Spirit by willful sin, He
departs, and will not strive" (Matthew Henry).
The servants of Saul were uneasy over the king's condition, realizing
that an evil spirit from God was tormenting him. They therefore
suggested that a man who had skill in playing the harp should be
sought out, saying, "And it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit
from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou
shalt be well" (1 Sam. 16:16). Such is the best counsel which poor
worldlings have to offer unto those in trouble. As Matthew Henry says,
"How much better friends had they been to him, if they had advised
him, since the evil spirit was from the Lord, to make his peace with
God by true repentance, to send for Samuel to pray with him, and
intercede with God for him; then might he not only have had some
present relief, but the good Spirit would have returned."
How many whose consciences have convicted them of their careless,
sinful, Godless ways, and who have been startled by the presence of an
eternity in Hell, have been ruined forever by following a course of
drowning the concerns of the soul by regaling and delighting the
senses of the body, "Eat, drink, and be merry" is the motto of the
world, and every effort is made to stifle all anxiety about the near
prospect of a time arriving when instead of being able to go on so
doing, not even a drop of water will be available to ease their
unbearable sufferings. Let younger readers seriously ponder this.
"Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in
the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the
sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will
surely bring thee into judgment" (Eccl. 11:9).
The suggestion made by his servants appealed to Saul, and he gave his
consent. Accordingly one of them told him, "Behold, I have seen a son
of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty
valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely
person, and the Lord is with him" (1 Sam. 16:18). A high character is
here accorded David, as one well fitted for the strange part he was to
play. Not only was his person suited for the court, not only was he
skilled upon the harp, but he was known for his courage and wisdom.
The terming of him "a mighty valiant man" intimates that his
single-handed victory over the lion and the bear (1 Sam. 17:37) had
already been noised abroad. Finally, it was known that "the Lord is
with him." How this illustrates and demonstrates the fact that one who
has received the Spirit as the Spirit of regeneration and
sanctification gives dear evidence of it to others! Where a miracle of
grace has been wrought in the heart, the fruits of it will soon be
unmistakably manifested to all around. Very searching is this. Can
those with whom we come into daily contact see that "the Lord is with"
the writer and the reader? O to let our light "so shine before men,
that they may see our good works, and glorify our Father which is in
heaven" (Matthew 5:16).
"Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David
thy son, which is with the sheep" (1 Sam. 16:19). Little did Saul
think that in giving this order he was inviting to his palace the very
one of whom Samuel had said, "The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel
from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbor of thine, better
than thou" (1 Sam. 15:28)! How marvelously does God, working behind
the scenes, bring His own purpose to pass! Verily "man's goings are of
the Lord," and well may we say "how can a man then understand his own
way?" (Prov. 20:24). Yet while we are quite incapable of analyzing
either the philosophy or psychology of it, let us admire and stand in
awe before Him of whom it is written, "For of Him, and through Him,
and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory forever, Amen" (Rom.
11:36).
"Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David
thy son, which is with the sheep" (1 Sam. 16:19). What a testing for
David was this! He who had been anointed unto an office wherein he
would command and rule over others, was now called on to serve. Lovely
is it to mark his response: there was no unwillingness, no delay. He
promptly complied with his father's wishes. It was also a testing of
his courage: Might not Saul have learned his secret, and now have
designs upon his life? Might not this invitation to the palace cover a
subtle plot to destroy him; Ah, "the angel of the Lord encampeth round
about them that fear Him, and delivereth them," and where God is truly
feared, the fear of man disappears.
"And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a
kid, and sent them by David his son, unto Saul" (v. 20). What a
beautiful typical picture is here presented to us. It was the dire
need of poor Saul which moved Jesse to send forth his anointed son: so
it was a world lying in sin unto which the Father sent His Beloved.
Behold David richly laden with presents for the king: Jesse sent him
forth not with weapons of warfare in his hands, but with the tokens of
his good will. So the Father sent forth His Son "not to condemn the
world" (John 3:17), but on an errand of grace and mercy unto it.
"And David came to Saul." Yes, at his father's bidding he freely left
his home: though the anointing oil was upon him, he went forth not to
be ministered unto, but to minister. How blessedly this foreshadowed
Him of whom it is written, "Who, being in the form of God, thought it
not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation,
and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness
of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and
became obedient unto death" (Phil. 2:6-8). )O that writer and reader
may be so filled with His Spirit, that not 's bidding.
"And David came to Saul." Admire again the wondrous working of God.
David had been called to reign over Israel, but the time had not yet
arrived for him to occupy the throne. An unsophisticated shepherd-boy
needed training. Observe then how the providence of God ordered it
that for a season he should dwell in the royal court, thus having full
opportunity to note its ways, observe its corruptions, and discover
its needs. And mark it well, this was brought about without any
scheming or effort either on his own part or of that of his friends.
An evil spirit from the Lord troubled the king: his courtiers were
exercised, and proposed a plan to him: their plan met with Saul's
approval: David was mentioned as the one who should be sent for: the
king assented, Jesse raised no demurs, David was made willing; and
thus, working secretly but surely, God's purpose was accomplished. It
is only the eye of faith that looks above the ordinary happenings of
daily life and sees the divine hand ordering and shaping them for the
accomplishment of God's counsels and the good of His people.
An important principle is here illustrated: when God has designed that
any Christian should enter His service, His providence concurs with
His grace to prepare and qualify him for it, and often it is by means
of God's providences that the discerning heart perceives the divine
will. God opened the door into the palace without David having to
force or even so much as knock upon it. When we assume the initiative,
take things into our own hands, and attempt to hew a path for
ourselves, we are acting in the energy of the flesh. "Commit thy way
unto the Lord: trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass . . .
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him" (Ps. 37:5-7). Obedience
to these exhortations is not easy to flesh and blood, yet they must be
complied with if we are not to miss God's best. The more we
appropriate and act upon such divine precepts, the more clearly will
the hand of God be seen when it intervenes on our behalf: the feverish
activities of natural zeal only raise a cloud of dust which conceals
from us the beauties of divine providence.
"And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him
greatly; and he became his armourbearer. And Saul sent to Jesse,
saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found
favour in my sight" (vv. 21, 22). Here too we may perceive and admire
the secret workings of God s providence. "The king's heart is in the
hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever
He will" (Prov. 21:1). It was the divine purpose, and For David's
good, that he should spend a season at the court; therefore did the
Lord incline Saul's heart toward him. How often we lose sight of this
fact. How apt we are to attribute the favor and kindness of people
toward us to any thing rather than to the Lord! O my reader, if God
has given you favor in the eyes of your congregation, or your
employer, or your customers, give Him the glory and the thanks for it.
"And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul,
that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was
refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him" (v.
23). Here we see the readiness of David to perform every task which
God allotted him. In this he evidenced his moral fitness for the
important role he was yet to fill. "Thou hast been faithful over a few
things, I will make thee ruler over many things" (Matthew 25:21),
expresses an important principle in the government of God, and one
which we do well to take to heart. If I am careless in fulfilling my
duties as a Sunday school teacher, I must not be surprised if God
never calls me to the ministry. And if I am unfaithful in teaching and
disciplining my own children, I must not be surprised if God withholds
His power and blessing when I seek to teach the children of others.
The power of David's harp to quiet the spirit of Saul and to drive
away temporarily the demon, ought not to be attributed either to the
skill of the player or to the charm of music. Instead, it must be
ascribed alone to the Lord, who was pleased to bless this means to
these ends. The instrument, be it weak or strong, likely or unlikely,
is utterly powerless in and of itself. Paul may plant and Apollos may
water, but there will be no increase unless God gives it. In view of
chapter 17:55, 56 some have concluded that what has been before us in
the closing verses of chapter 16 is placed out of its chronological
order. But there is no need to resort to such a supposition. Moreover,
chapter 17:15 plainly refutes it. How long David remained in the
palace we know not, but probably for quite some time; after which he
returned again unto his humbler duties in the sheepfold.
Index
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER FOUR
Slaying Goliath
1 Samuel 17
_________________________________________________________________
When Samuel denounced Saul's first great sin and announced that his
kingdom should not continue, he declared, "The Lord hath sought Him a
man after His own heart" (1 Sam. 13:14). To this, allusion was made by
the apostle Paul in his address in the synagogue at Antioch, "He
raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also He gave
testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after
Mine own heart, which shall fulfill all My will" (Acts 13:22). A truly
wondrous tribute was this unto the character of David, yet one which
the general course of his life bore out. The dominant characteristic
of our patriarch was his unfeigned and unsurpassed devotion to God,
His cause, and His Word. Blessedly is this illustrated in what is now
to be before us. The man after God's own heart is the one who is out
and out for Him, putting His honor and glory before all other
considerations.
1 Samuel 17:15 supplies a precious link between what was considered in
our last lesson and what we are now about to ponder. There we are
told, "But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father's
sheep at Bethlehem." Knowing that he was to be the next king over
Israel, natural prudence would suggest that his best policy was to
remain at court, making the most of his opportunities, and seeking to
gain the goodwill of the ministers of state; but instead of so doing,
the son of Jesse returned to the sheepfold, leaving it with God to
work out His will concerning him. No seeker after self-aggrandizement
was David. The palace, as such, possessed no attractions for him.
Having fulfilled his service unto the king, he now returns to his
father's farm.
"Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and
were gathered together at Shochoh" (1 Sam. 17:1). Josephus (Antiq.
50:6, c. 9, sect. 1) says that this occurred not long after the things
related in the preceding chapter had transpired. It seems likely that
the Philistines had heard of Samuel's forsaking of Saul, and of the
king's melancholy and distraction occasioned by the evil spirit, and
deemed it a suitable time to avenge themselves upon Israel for their
last slaughter of them (chapter 14). The enemies of God's people are
ever alert to take advantage of their opportunities, and never have
they a better one than when their leaders provoke God's Spirit and His
prophets leave them. Nevertheless, it is blessed to see here how that
God makes the "wrath of man" to praise Him (Ps. 76:10).
"And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together and pitched by
the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the
Philistines" (17:2). The king had been relieved, for a season at
least, of the evil spirit; but the Spirit of the Lord had not returned
to him, as the sequel plainly evidences. A sorry figure did Saul and
his forces now cut. "And there went out a champion out of the camp of
the Philistines, named Goliath of Gath . . . And he stood and cried
unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to
set your battle in array? Am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to
Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. If he be
able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants;
but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our
servants, and serve us. And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of
Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together. When Saul
and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were
dismayed, and greatly afraid" (vv. 4, 8-11). Ere pondering the haughty
challenge which was here thrown down, let us point out (for the
strengthening of faith in the inerrancy of Holy Writ) a small detail
which exhibits the minute accuracy and harmony of the Word.
In Numbers 13 we read that the spies sent out by Moses to inspect the
promised land, declared, "The land through which we have gone to
search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all
the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we
saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants" (vv. 32,
33). Now link this up with Joshua 11:21, 22, "And at that time came
Joshua, and cut off the Anakims from the mountains . . . there was
none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel: only
in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, there remained." Here in our present
passage it is stated, quite incidentally, that Goliath belonged to
"Gath"! Thus, in the mouth of three witnesses--Moses, Joshua and
Samuel--is the word established, concurring as they do in a manner
quite artless, to verify a single particular. How jealous was God
about His Word! What a sure foundation faith has to rest upon!
Goliath pictures to us the great enemy of God and man, the devil,
seeking to terrify, and bring into captivity those who bear the name
of the Lord. His prodigious size (probably over eleven feet)
symbolized the great power of Satan. His accoutrements (compare the
word "armour" in Luke 11:22!) figured the fact that the resources of
flesh and blood can not overcome Satan. His blatant challenge
adumbrated the roaring of the lion, our great adversary, as he goes
about "seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). His declaration that
the Israelites were but "servants to Saul" (v. 8) was only too true,
for they were no longer in subjection to the Lord (1 Sam. 8:7). The
dismay of Saul (v. 11) is in solemn contrast to his boldness in
11:5-11 and 14:47, when the Spirit of the Lord was upon him. The
terror of the people (v. 11) was a sad evidence of the fact that the
"fear of the Lord" (11:7) was no longer upon them. But all of this
only served to provide a background upon which the courage of the man
after God's own heart might the more evidently appear.
The terrible giant of Gath continued to menace the army of Israel
twice a day for no less than forty days--a period which, in Scripture,
is ever associated with probation and testing. Such a protracted
season served to make the more manifest the impotency of a people out
of communion with God. There was Saul himself, who "from his shoulders
and upward was higher than any of the people" (9:2). There was
Jonathan who, assisted only by his armor-bearer, had, on a former
occasion, slain twenty of the Philistines (14:14). There was Abner,
the captain of the host (14:50), a "valiant man" (26:15), but he too
declined Goliath's challenge. Ah, my reader, the best, the bravest of
men, are no more than what God makes them. When He renews not his
courage, the stoutest heart is a coward. Yet God does not act
arbitrarily, rather is cowardice one of the consequences of lost
communion with Him: "The righteous are bold as a lion" (Prov. 28:1).
Man's extremity is God's opportunity. But He does not always, nor
generally, act immediately, when we are brought low. No, he "waits to
be gracious" (Isa. 30:18), that our helplessness may be the more fully
realized, that His delivering hand may be seen the more clearly, and
that His merciful interposition may be the more appreciated. But even
at this time, when all seemed lost to Israel, when there was none in
her army that dared to pick up the gauntlet which Goliath had thrown
down, God had His man in reserve, and in due time he appeared on the
scene and vindicated the glorious name of Jehovah. The instrument
chosen seemed, to natural wisdom and military prudence, a weak and
foolish one, utterly unfitted for the work before him. Ah, it is just
such that God uses, and why? That the honor may be His, that "no flesh
should glory in His presence" (1 Cor. 1:29). Before considering the
grand victory which the Lord wrought through David, let us carefully
ponder the training which he had received in the school of God. This
is deeply important for our hearts.
It was away from the crowds, in the quietude of pastoral life, that
David was taught the wondrous resources which there are in God
available to faith, There, in the fields of Bethlehem, he had, by
divine enablement, slain the lion and the bear (v. 34, 35). This is
ever God's way: He teaches in secret that soul which He has elected
shall serve Him in public. Ah, my reader, is it not just at this point
that we may discover the explanation of our failures?--it is because
we have not sufficiently cultivated the "secret place of the most
High" (Ps. 91:1). That is our primary need. But do we really esteem
communion with God our highest privilege? Do we realize that walking
with God is the source of our strength?
There had been direct dealings between David's soul and God out there
in the solitude of the fields, and it is only thus that any of us are
taught how to get the victory. Have you yet learned, my brother or
sister, that the closet is the great battlefield of faith! It is the
genuine denying of self, the daily taking up of the cross, the knowing
how to cast down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth
itself against the knowledge of God, and the bringing into captivity
every thought to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). Let the foe be
met and conquered in private, and we shall not have to mourn defeat
when we meet him in public. O may the Holy Spirit impress deeply upon
each of our hearts the vital importance of coming forth from the
presence of God as we enter upon any service unto Him: this it is
which regulates the difference between success and failure. Note how
the blessed Redeemer acted on this principle: Luke 6:12, 13, etc.!
"And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah
of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy
brethren; and carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of their
thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge" (v.
17, 18). Another beautiful type is this of our Saviour going about His
Father's business, seeking the good of his brethren: a similar one is
found in Genesis 37:13, 14. But without staying to develop this
thought, let us observe how God was directing all things to the
accomplishment of His purpose. Jesse had eight sons (16:10, 11), and
only three of them had joined Saul's army (17:13), so that five of
them were at home; yet David, the youngest, was the one sent--though
Jesse knew it not, God had work for him to do. Nothing happens by
chance in this world: all is controlled and directed from on High
(John 19:11).
"And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a
keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to
the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for
the battle" (v. 20). How this evidenced the readiness and eagerness of
David to obey his father's orders! Again we may look from the type to
the Antitype, and hear Him say, "Lo, I come, to do Thy will, O God"
(Heb. 10: 7). Blessed it is to mark that David was as mindful of his
father's sheep as he was of his commands: his leaving them "with a
keeper," evidenced his care and fidelity in the discharge of his
office. His faithfulness in a few things fitted him to be ruler over
many things. He who is best qualified to command, is the one who had,
previously, learned to obey.
"God's providence brought him to the camp very seasonably, when both
sides had set the battle in array, and as it should seem were more
likely to come to an engagement than they had yet been all the forty
days (v. 21). Both sides were now preparing to fight. Jesse little
thought of sending his son to the army just in that critical juncture;
but the wise God orders the time, and all the circumstances, of
actions and affairs, so as to serve His design of securing the
interests of Israel, and advancing the man after His own heart"
(Matthew Henry).
Though he had only just completed a long journey, we are told that
David "ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren" (v. 22).
This reminds of Proverbs 22:29, "Seest thou a man diligent in
business? he shall stand before kings." As David talked with his
brethren, Goliath came forth again and repeated his challenge. The
whole army was "sore afraid" (v. 24), and though reminding one another
of the promised reward awaiting the one who slew the giant, none dared
to venture his life. Such inducements as Saul offered, sink into utter
insignificance when death confronts a man. David mildly expostulated
with those who stood near him, pointing out that Goliath was defying
"the armies of the living God" (v. 26).
"And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and
Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou
down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the
wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for
thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle" (v. 28). How
this reminds us of what is said of David's Son and Lord in John 1:11,
etc. There is a lesson here which every true minister of Christ does
well to take to heart, for by so doing he will be forearmed against
many a disappointment and discouragement. Sufficient for the disciple
to be as his Master: if the incarnate Son was not appreciated, his
agents should not expect to be--"For if I yet pleased men, I should
not be the servant of Christ" (Gal. 1:10). Not only will men in
general be displeased, but even the people of God, when in a low
state, will neither understand nor value the actings of faith. The man
of God must be prepared to be misinterpreted and to stand alone.
Blessed it is to mark David's reply to the cruel taunt of his brother:
it was a real testing of his meekness, but when he was reviled, he
reviled not again. Nor did he attempt any self-vindication, or
explanation of his conduct--such had been quite wasted upon one with
such a spirit. First, he simply asked "What have I done?": what Fault
have I committed to be thus chided; reminding us of our Lord's meek
reply under a much stronger provocation--"`Why smitest thou Me?" (John
18:23). Second, he said, "Is there not a cause?" This he left with
him: there was a cause for his coming to the camp: his father had sent
him: the honor of Israel--sullied by Goliath--required it; the glory
of God necessitated it. Third, he "turned from him toward another" (v.
30).
David's speaking to one and another soon reached the ears of Saul, who
accordingly sent for him (v. 31). To the king, he at once said, "Let
no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with
this Philistine" (v. 32); only to be met with this reply, "Thou art
not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him," Ah, "These
that undertake great and public services must not think it strange if
they be discountenanced and opposed by those from whom they have
reason to expect support and assistance. But must humbly go on with
their work, in the face not only of their enemies' threats, but of
their friends' sleights and suspicions" (Matthew Henry). The language
used by him in the presence of the king was not the bravado of a
boaster, but the God-honoring testimony of a man of faith. Saul and
his people were in despair as the consequence of their being occupied
with the things of sight: the man of faith had a contemptuous disdain
for Goliath because he viewed him from God's viewpoint--as His enemy,
as "uncircumcised." Note how he attributed his previous successes to
the Lord, and how he improved them to count upon Him for further
victory: see verse 37.
The response made by Saul unto David's pleading was solemnly
ludicrous. First, he said, "Go, and the Lord be with thee," which were
idle words on such lips. Next we read that "Saul armed David with his
own armour" (i.e., with some that he kept in his armory), in which he
had far more confidence than in God. But David quickly perceived that
such was unsuited to him: the one who has much to do with God in
secret cannot employ worldly means and methods in public; the man of
faith has no use for carnal weapons. Such things as ecclesiastical
titles, dress, ritualistic ceremonies, which are imposing to the eye
of the natural man, are but bubbles and baubles to the spiritual. "And
David put them off him" (v. 39), and advanced to meet the haughty
Philistine with only a sling and five smooth stones. Should it be
asked, But are we not justified in using means? The answer is, Yes,
the means which God supplies (the "smooth stones"), but not that which
man offers--his "armour."
"When the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him" (v.
42). First, Eliab had taunted, then Saul had sought to discourage, and
now Goliath scorns him. Ah, the one who (by grace) is walking by faith
must not expect to be popular with men, for they have no capacity to
appreciate that which actuates him. But true faith is neither chilled
by a cold reception nor cooled by outward difficulties: it looks away
from both, unto Him with whom it has to do. If God be "for us" (Rom.
8:3 1), it matters not who be against us. Nevertheless, faith has to
be tested--to prove its genuineness, to strengthen its fiber, to give
occasion for its exercise. Well may writer and reader pray, "Lord,
increase our faith."
The Philistine blustered, "cursed David by his gods" (v. 43), and
vowed he would give his flesh unto the fowls and beasts. But it is
written, "the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong"
(Eccl. 9:11); and again, "God resisteth the proud" (James 4:6). The
response made by David at once revealed the secret of his confidence,
the source of his strength, and the certainty of his victory: "I come
to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of
Israel, whom thou hast defied" (v. 45). Ah, "The name of the Lord is a
strong tower, the righteous runneth into it, and is safe" (Prov.
18:10).
The reader is so familiar with the blessed sequel that little comment
on it is required. Faith having brought God into the scene could
announce the victory in advance (v.46). One stone in its hand was
worth more than all the Philistine's armor on the giant of unbelief.
And why? Because that stone, though flung by David's sling, was
directed and made efficacious by the hand of God. It is pitiable to
find how some of the best commentators missed the real point here.
Verse 6 begins the description of Goliath's armor by saying "he had a
helmet of brass upon his head": some have suggested this fell off when
he lifted up his hand to curse David by his gods (v. 43); others
supposed he left the visor open that he might see the better. But
David's stone did not enter his eye, but his "forehead"--divine power
sent it through the helmet of brass! In David's cutting off his head
(v. 51) we have a foreshadowment of what is recorded in Hebrews 2:14.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER FIVE
His Early Experiences
1 Samuel 18
_________________________________________________________________
Had we sought a topical title for this chapter, "The Price of
Popularity" might well have been selected. The seventeenth chapter of
1 Samuel closes by recounting the memorable victory of David over
Goliath the Philistine giant; the eighteenth chapter informs us of a
number of things which formed the sequel to that notable achievement.
There is much which those who are ambitious and covetous of earthly
honor do well to take to heart. An accurate portrayal is given of
different phases and features of human nature that is full of
instruction for those who will duly ponder the same. Much is condensed
into a small compass, but little imagination is required in order to
obtain a vivid conception of what is there presented. One scene after
another is passed in rapid review, but amid them all, the man after
God's own heart acquitted himself admirably. May the Lord enable each
of us to profit from what is here recorded for our learning.
"And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul,
that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and
Jonathan loved him as his own soul" (1 Sam. 18:1 and cf. verses 3, 4).
Let us admire here the tender grace of God, and behold an illustration
of a blessed principle in His dealings with us. Jonathan was the son
of Saul, and, therefore (ordinarily), "heir apparent to the throne."
But, as we have seen, David had been anointed unto that position.
There was, therefore, occasion for Jonathan to look upon David as his
rival, and to be filled with jealousy and hatred against him. Instead,
his heart is united unto him with a tender affection. This should not
be attributed to the amiability of his character,
What we have just called attention to above, is not sufficiently
recognized and pondered in these evil days, no, not even by the people
of God. There is nothing recorded of Jonathan which really shows that
he was a saved man, but not a little to the contrary--particularly in
the closing scenes of his life. When, then, the heart of a man of the
world is drawn out to a saint, when he shows kindness unto him, we
should always discern the secret workings of God's power, graciously
exercised for us. He who employed ravens to feed His servant Elijah (1
Kings 17), often moves the hearts and minds of unregenerate people to
be kind toward His children. It was the Lord who gave Joseph "favour
in the sight of the keeper of the prison" (Gen. 39:21), the Israelites
"favour in the sight of the Egyptians" (Ex. 3:21) at the time of their
exodus, Esther in the sight of king Ahasuerus (Esther 5:2). It is so
still; and we only honor God when we perceive and own this, and praise
Him for it.
David's finding favor in the eyes of Jonathan was the more noteworthy,
in that the envy and enmity of Saul was soon stirred against him. What
a mercy from God was it, then, for David to have a true friend in his
enemy's household! The value of it will come before us later. It was
by this means that our hero received warning and his safety was
promoted. In like manner, there are few of God's children unto whom He
does not, in critical seasons, raise up those who are kindly disposed
toward them, and who in various ways help and succor them. Thus it has
been in the life of the writer, and we doubt not, with many of our
readers also. Let us admire the Lord's goodness and adore His
faithfulness in thus giving us the sympathy and assistance of unsaved
friends in a hostile world.
"And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his
father's house" (v. 2). The purpose of God concerning David was
beginning to ripen. First, He had so overruled things, that Saul had
sent for him to attend the king occasionally in his fits of
melancholia. But now David was made a permanent member of the court.
This was but fitting in view of the promise which had been made to him
by the king before he encountered Goliath: that if victorious, Saul's
daughter should be given to him to wife (17:25). Thus was David being
fitted for his royal duties. It is blessed when we are able to realize
that each providential change in our lives is another step toward the
accomplishing of the divine counsels concerning us.
"And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself
wisely; and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in
the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants"
(v. 5). Beautiful it is to behold here the humility and fidelity of
the one upon whom the anointing oil already rested: diligently had he
fulfilled his trust in the sheepfold at Bethlehem, dutifully did he
now carry out the orders of the king. Let this be duly laid to heart
by any who are tempted to chafe under the situation which they now
occupy. "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might"
(Eccl, 9:10), defines the duty of each one of us. The teaching of the
New Testament is, of course, the same: "Not slothful in business;
Fervent in spirit" (Rom, 12:11). Whatever position you occupy, dear
reader, no matter how humble or distasteful, "whatsoever ye do, do it
heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men" (Col. 3:23).
"And behaved himself wisely." How very few do so! How many have,
through injudicious conduct, not only hindered their spiritual
progress, but ruined their earthly prospects. Such a word as the one
now before us needs to be turned into prayer--believing, fervent,
persevering. Especially is that counsel timely unto the young. We need
to ask God to enable us to carry ourselves wisely in every situation
in which He has placed us: that we may redeem the time, be on our
guard against temptations, and perform each duty to the very best of
our ability. "Be ye wise as serpents, and harmless as doves" (Matthew
10:16), does not mean, be compromisers and temporizers, tricky and
deceitful; but, take into consideration the fickleness of human nature
and trust none but God. In David's behaving himself "wisely" he points
again unto Him of whom God said, "Behold, My Servant shall deal
prudently" (Isa. 52:13).
Saul now set David "over the men of war": though not made
commander-in-chief, some high military office was given him, possibly
over the king's bodyguard. This was a further step toward the
equipping of David for his life's work: there was much fighting ahead
of him, powerful enemies of Israel which had to be conquered; thus was
God making all things "work together" for his good. What a change from
the obscurity and peace of pastoral life, to becoming a courtier and
soldier. "And he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also
in the sight of Saul's servants." God gave their future ruler favor in
the eyes both of the common people and of the court. How this reminds
us of what is recorded of the Antitype: "And Jesus increased in wisdom
and stature, and in favour with God and man" (Luke 2:52).
"And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the
slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of
Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with
joy, and with instruments of music. And the women answered as they
played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten
thousands" (vv. 6, 7). How this incident served to make manifest the
low spiritual state into which the nation of Israel had now sunk. "Out
of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" (Matthew 12:34): the
language we employ, is a sure index to the condition of our souls,
"They are of the world, therefore speak they of the world" (1 John
4:5). It is indeed distressing, yet ought not to be surprising, that
so few professing Christians in their general conversation with each
other, "minister grace unto the hearers" (Eph. 4:29)--not surprising,
because the great majority of them are strangers to the power of
godliness.
The language used by the women of Israel when celebrating the .death
of Goliath and the defeating of the Philistines, gave plain indication
that their hearts and minds were occupied only with the human victors.
"God was not in all their thoughts" (Ps. 10:4). Alas that this is so
often the case today: we are living in an age of hero worship, and
Christendom itself is infected by this evil spirit. Man is eulogized
and magnified on every hand, not only out in the world, but even in
the so-called churches, Bible conferences, and religious
periodicals--seen in the advertising of the speakers, the printing of
their photos, and the toadying to them. O how little hiding behind the
Cross, how little self-effacement there is today. "Cease ye from man"
(Isa. 2:22), needs to be placed in large letters over the platforms of
all the big religious gatherings in this man-deifying age. No wonder
the Holy Spirit is "grieved" and "quenched," yet where are the voices
being raised in faithful protest?
"And the women answered as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his
thousands, and David his ten thousands." What a sad contrast was this
from what we find recorded in Exodus 15! A far greater overthrow of
the enemy was witnessed by Israel at the Red Sea, than what had just
taken place in the valley of Elah (1 Sam. 17:19). Yet we do not find
the mothers of these women of Israel magnifying Moses and singing his
praises. Instead, we hear Miriam saying to her sisters, "Sing ye to
the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider
hath He thrown into the sea" (v. 21). Jehovah was there given His true
place, the victory being ascribed to Him and not to the human
instruments. See to it, dear reader, that--no matter what the common
and evil custom be to the contrary--you give all the glory to Him unto
whom alone it rightfully belongs.
"And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said,
They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have
ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?"
(v. 8). The song of the women was not only dishonoring to God, but was
impolitic as well. As we saw in verse 15, David "behaved himself
wisely"; but the conduct of Israel's daughters was in sharp contrast
therefrom. The honoring of David above Saul, was more than the king's
proud heart could endure: the activity of the "flesh" in the women
acted upon the "flesh" in him. Unable to rejoice in what God had
wrought through another, Saul was envious when he heard the superior
praises of David being sung; he could not tolerate the thought of
being second.
Perhaps someone may be inclined to raise the question, Why did not God
restrain those women from exalting David in song above Saul (as He
could easily have done), and thus prevented the rising of the king's
jealousy? Several answers may be returned to this query: it subserved
God's purpose, arid promoted the spiritual good of David. God often
withholds His curbing hand in order that it may the better appear what
is in fallen and unregenerate man. Were He not to do so, the
distinction between the children of God and the children of the devil
would not be so evident. Moreover, David was being flattered, and
flattery is ever a dangerous thing; therefore does God often wisely
and mercifully check our proud hearts from being unduly elated
thereby, by causing some to think and speak evil of us.
"For every great and good work a man must expect to be envied by his
neighbor: no distinction or pre-eminence can be so unexceptionably
obtained, but it will expose the possessor to slander and malice, and
perhaps to the most fatal consequences. But such trials are very
useful to those who love God, they serve as a counterpoise to the
honour put upon them, and check the growth of pride and attachment to
the world; they exercise them to faith, patience, meekness, and
communion with God; they give them a fair opportunity of exemplifying
the amiable nature and tendency of true godliness, by acting with
wisdom and propriety in the most difficult circumstances; they make
way for increasing experience of the Lord's faithfulness, in
restraining their enemies, raising them up friends, and affording them
His gracious protection; and they both prepare them for those stations
in which they are to be employed, and open their way to them: for in
due time modest merit will shine forth with double lustre" (T. Scott).
Ere passing on, let it be remembered that each detail of this chapter,
and every thing in the Old Testament Scriptures, is "written for our
learning" (Rom. 15:4). Especially does it need to be emphasized for
the benefit of the young, that lavish commendations from those who
admire and love us, in such a world as this, often prove a real
injury; and in all cases every thing should be avoided which can
excite envy and opposition--except the performance of our duty to God
and man. "Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you" (Luke
6:26). During the twelve years He was in the pastorate, the writer
deemed it expedient to retire into the vestry as soon as the service
was over: the "flesh" loves to hear the eulogies of the people, but
they are not conducive to humility. "Seekest thou great things for
thyself? seek them not" (Jer. 45:5).
"And Saul eyed David from that day and forward" (v. 9). Perceiving
that David was looked upon favorably by the people (v. 5), jealous of
the praise which was accorded him (v. 7), fearful that he might soon
lose the kingdom (v. 8), Saul now regarded the slayer of Goliath with
a malignant eye. Instead of looking upon David with esteem and
gratitude, as he should have done because of his gallant behavior, he
jealousy observed his ways and actions, biding his time to do him
injury. What a solemn example does this provide of the inconstancy of
poor human nature! Only a little before Saul had "loved him greatly"
(16:21), and now he hated him. Beware, my reader, of the fickleness of
the human heart. There is only One who can truthfully say "I change
not" (Mal. 3:6).
If David was counting upon the stability of Saul's affection for him,
if he concluded that his military prowess had established him in the
king's favor, he was now to meet with a rude awakening. Instead of
gratitude, there was cruel envy; instead of kindly treatment, his very
life was sought. And this too is recorded for our instruction. The
Holy Scriptures not only unveil to us the attributes of God, but they
also reveal to us the character of man. Fallen human nature is
faithfully depicted as it actually is. The more attentively God's Word
be pondered and its teachings and principles absorbed, the better will
we be fortified against many a bitter disappointment. There is no
excuse for any of us being deceived by people: if we took to heart the
solemn warnings which the Bible furnishes, we should be far more upon
our guard, and would heed such exhortations as are found in Psalm
146:3; Proverbs 17:18; Jeremiah 9:4; 17:5; Micah 7:5.
"And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came
upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house. And David
played with his hand, as at other times; and there was a javelin in
Saul's hand. And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite
David even to the wall. And David avoided out of his presence twice"
(vv. 10, 11). How swiftly troubles follow on the heels of triumphs!
What a contrast between hearing the acclaiming songs of the women, and
dodging a murderous weapon! And yet how true to life! Well, then, does
each of us need to seek grace that we may learn to hold everything
down here with a light hand. Rightly did one of the Puritans counsel,
"Build not thy nest in any earthly tree, for the whole forest is
doomed to destruction." It is only as the heart is set upon things
"The evil spirit came from God upon Saul." Yes, the wicked as well as
the righteous, evil spirits as well as holy angels, are under the
absolute and immediate control of God, cf. Judges 9:23. But let us not
miss the solemn connection between what is recorded in verse 9 and in
verse 10: when we indulge jealousy and hatred, we give place to the
devil (Eph. 4:26, 27). "And he prophesied:" all prophesyings are not
inspired by the Holy Spirit, that is why we need to heed I John 4:1.
Observe the enemy's subtilty: no doubt Saul's prophesying was designed
to take David off his guard--he would least expect an attempt on his
life at such a time. Blessed is it to note that after avoiding the
deadly weapon cast at him, David did not pick it up and hurl it at
Saul: instead, he quietly withdrew from his presence. May like grace
be granted unto both writer and reader when tempted to retaliate upon
those who wrong us.
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER SIX
His Early Experiences
(Continued)
1 Samuel 18
_________________________________________________________________
Human nature is quite apt to turn eyes of envy upon those who occupy
exalted positions. It is commonly supposed that they who are stationed
in seats of eminence and honor enjoy many advantages and benefits
which are denied those beneath them; but this is far more imaginary
than real, and where true is offset by the added responsibilities
incurred and the more numerous temptations which are there
encountered. What was before us in our last chapter ought to correct
the popular delusion. David on the plains of Bethlehem was far better
off than David in the king's household: tending the sheep was less
exacting than waiting upon Saul. Amid the green pastures he was free
from jealous courtiers, the artificial etiquette of the palace, and
the javelin of a mad monarch. The practical lesson to be learned by us
is, to be contented with the lowly position which the providence of
God has assigned us. And why should those who are joint-heirs with
Christ be concerned about the trifles and toys of this world?
Resuming now at the point where we broke off, we next read, "And Saul
was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, and was departed
from Saul" (1 Sam. 18: 12). The word for "afraid" here is a milder one
than that employed in verse 15, and might be rendered "apprehensive."
The king was becoming increasingly uneasy about the future. Consequent
upon his disobedience, the prophet of God had plainly told Saul,
"Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, He hath also
rejected thee from being king," and then he added, "The Lord hath rent
the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a
neighbour of thine, that is better than thou" (15: 23, 28). While he
was probably ignorant of David's anointing (16:13), it is plain that
Saul was now growing more fearful that the man who had vanquished
Goliath was he whom Jehovah had selected to succeed him.
First,
it was evident to all that the Lord had given the young shepherd the
victory over Goliath, for none had dared, in his own courage, to
engage the mighty giant. Second, David's behaving himself so wisely in
every position assigned him, and his being "accepted in the sight of
all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants" (18:5),
indicated that he would be popular with the masses were he to ascend
the throne. Third, the song of the women caused the jealous king to
draw his own conclusion: "they have ascribed unto David ten thousands,
and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what can he have more but
the kingdom?" (v. 8). And now that his personal attack upon David's
life had been frustrated (v. 11), Saul was apprehensive, for he saw
that the Lord was with David, while he knew that He had forsaken
"And Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him" (v. 12).
The proofs that the special favor of God rested upon David were too
plain and numerous for Saul to deny. Jehovah was protecting and
preserving, prospering and succeeding David, giving him victory over
his enemies and acceptance in the sight of the people. Ah, my reader,
when the smile of the Lord is resting upon any of His saints, even the
wicked are obliged to take note of and acknowledge the same. The chief
captain of Abimelech's host admitted to Abraham, "God is with thee in
all that thou doest" (Gen. 21:22)--what a testimony was that from a
heathen! When Joseph was in the house of Potiphar, we are told, "And
his master saw that the Lord was with him" (Gen. 39:3). Can those
among whom our lot is cast perceive that the special blessing of
Heaven is resting upon us? If not, our hearts ought to be deeply
exercised before God.
"And Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, and was
departed from Saul." An additional cause of Saul's alarm was the
knowledge that the Lord had departed from him, and therefore was he
destitute of strength of mind and courage, wisdom and prudence, and
had become mean and abject, and exposed to the contempt of his
subjects. The reference is to chapter 16:14. A solemn warning is this
for us. It was because of his rebellion against the Lord, that Saul
was now deserted of God. How often God withdraws His sensible and
comforting presence from His people, through their following of a
course of self-will. "He that hath My commandments and keepeth them,
he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My
Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him" (John
14:21).
"Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a
thousand; and he went out and came in before the people" (v. 13).
Solemn indeed is it to behold how Saul acted here. Instead of humbling
himself before God, he sought to rid himself of the man whose presence
condemned him. Instead of judging himself unsparingly for the sin
which had caused the Spirit of God to leave him, the wretched king was
loath to look any more at the one upon whom Jehovah's favor manifestly
rested. Flow differently did sinning David act at a later date! Behold
him as he cried, "For I acknowledge my transgression, and my sin is
ever before me. Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done this
evil in Thy sight . . . . Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take
not Thy Holy Spirit from me" (Ps. 51:3, 4, 11). Ah, here is the great
difference between the unregenerate and the regenerate: the one harden
themselves in their sin, the other are broken before God on account of
it.
"Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a
thousand; and he went out and came in before the people." But let us
admire again the hand of God overruling, yea, directing, the reprobate
monarch's actions to the carrying out of His own designs. Though it
was hatred of his person that caused the king to remove David from the
court, and perhaps partly to please his subjects and partly because he
hoped he might be slain in battle, that our hero was now made captain
over a regiment; yet this only served the more to ingratiate him with
the people, by affording him the opportunity of leading them to
victory over their enemies. Abundant opportunity was thus afforded to
all Israel to become acquainted with David and all his ways.
Let us also take note of another line in the typical picture here.
Though anointed king of Israel (16:13), David was, nevertheless,
called upon to endure the hatred of the ruling power. Thus it was with
David's Son and Lord. The One who lay in Bethlehem's manger was none
other than "Christ (`the Anointed') the Lord" (Luke 2: 11), and "born
King of the Jews" (Matthew 2:2); yet the king of Judea sought His life
(Matthew 2:16)--though fruitlessly, as in our type. So too at a later
date, when His public ministry had begun, we read that, "the Pharisees
went out and held a council against Him, how they might destroy Him"
(Matthew 12:14). Blessed is it to see how that, instead of attempting
to take things into his own hands, David was content to quietly wait
the time which God had appointed for his coronation. In like manner,
our blessed Lord willingly endured the "sufferings" before He entered
into His "glory." May Divine grace grant unto us all needed patience.
"And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the Lord was
with him" (v. 14). Observe that little word "all," and turn it into
prayer and practice. Whether on the farm, in the court, or on the
battlefield, the man after God's own heart conducted himself
prudently. Here too he foreshadowed Him of whom it was declared "He
hath done all things well" (Mark 7:37). Let this ever be our desire
and aim. "And the Lord was with him," protecting and prospering. That
word in 2 Chronicles 15:2 still holds good, "The Lord is with you,
while ye be with Him: and if ye seek Him, He will be found of you; but
if ye forsake Him, He will forsake you." If we diligently seek to
cultivate a daily walk with God, all will be well with us.
"Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was
afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went
out and came in before them" (vv. 15, 16). When the God-forsaken king
perceived that he had gained no advantage against David, but that
instead he succeeded in all his undertakings, and was more and more in
favor with the people, Saul was greatly alarmed, lest the hour was
drawing near when the kingdom should be rent from him and given to his
rival. When the wicked discern that the awe and blessing of God is
upon the righteous, they are "afraid" of them: thus we read that
"Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy" (Mark
6:20). When it is known that God is in the assemblies of His saints,
even the great ones of the earth are convicted and rendered uneasy:
see Psalm 48:2-6.
"And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I
give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the Lord's
battles. For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the
hand of the Philistines be upon him" (v. 17). This was said not in
friendship and good-will to David, but as designed to lay a snare for
him. Thoroughly obsessed with envy, the king was unable to rest. If it
could be accomplished without incurring direct guilt, he was
determined to encompass David's destruction. Formerly he had made a
personal attack upon his life (18:11), but now he feared the people,
with whom David was so popular (v. 16); so Saul deemed it wiser to
devise this vile plot. He would have David work out his own doom.
Remarkable is it to note that this was the very way in which Saul's
own career was ended--he was slain by the Philistines: see 1 Samuel
31:1-5.
"Only be thou valiant for me and light the Lord's battles. For Saul
said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the
Philistines be upon him." Was this incident before David when he
wrote, "The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was
in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn
swords" (Ps. 55:21)! How unspeakably dreadful was this: here was a man
with murder in his heart, deliberately plotting the death of a
fellow-creature; yet, at that very moment, talking about "fighting the
Lords battles"! O how often is the vilest hypocrisy cloaked with
spiritual language! How easy it is to be deceived by fair words! How
apt would be the bystanders who heard this pious language of Saul, to
conclude that the king was a godly man! Ah, my reader, learn well this
truth: it is actions which speak louder than words.
"And David said unto Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my
father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?"
(v. 18). Some of the commentators have supposed that Saul promised
David his daughter to wife at the time when he went forth to engage
Goliath; but there is nothing in Scripture which directly supports
this. What is recorded in chapter 17:25 was the words of Israel, and
not of the king--they supposed he would do this and more. When Saul's
proposal was made known to him, the modesty and humility of David was
at once manifested. Some think that the reference made by David to his
"family," had in view his descent from Ruth the Moabitess.
It is blessed to behold the lowly spirit which was displayed by David
on this occasion. No self-seeking time-server was he. His heart was
occupied in faithfully performing each duty assigned to him, and he
aspired not after earthly honors and fleshly advantages. "Who am I?"
at once evidenced the mean estimate which he entertained of himself.
Ah, that is the man whom the Lord uses and promotes: "God resisteth
the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble" (James 4:6). "And what is
my life?" breathes the same sentiment: the pitting of my life against
the Philistine is no equivalent to receiving the king's daughter in
marriage. Here again we see the subject of these articles adumbrating
the perfections of his Lord: "learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in
heart" (Matthew 11:29) gives us what the modesty of David but
imperfectly represented. Let writer and reader earnestly seek grace to
heed that word "not to think of himself more highly than he ought to
think; but to think soberly" (Rom. 12:3).
"But it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul's daughter should
have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the
Meholathite to wife" (v. 19). What was the word of such a man worth?
Be very slow, dear reader, in resting upon the promises of a fallen
creature. No doubt the perfidy of the king is so grossly affronting
David was designed to anger him. Such shameful treatment was
calculated to stir up to mutiny one who had the right to claim the
fulfillment of Saul's agreement; and thus the king thought he could
gain an advantage against him. It is striking and solemn to discover
that the curse of God rested upon that marriage; for the five sons
born by Merab to the Meholathite (brought up by Michal) were delivered
into the hands of the Gibeonites, and "hanged" (2 Sam. 21:8,9)!
"And Michal Saul's daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the
thing pleased him. And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be
a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against
him" (vv. 20, 21). A new opportunity now presented itself unto the
wicked king's purpose. Michal, another of his daughters, fell in love
with David: he therefore proposed to give her to him for a wife
instead of Merab, hoping that he would now have opportunity of
bringing about his death. But let us look beyond the devil-possessed
monarch, and behold and admire the wondrous ways of Him who maketh
"all things work together for good" to them that love Him. Just as of
old the Lord turned the heart of the daughter of Pharaoh unto Moses
and thus foiled the evil designs of her father to destroy all the male
children of the Hebrews, so He now drew out the affections of Michal
unto David, and used her to thwart the murderous intentions of Saul:
see chapter 19: 11-17. What a proof that all hearts are in God's
hands!
Conscious that his own word would have no weight with him, the king
slyly employed his servants to gain David's confidence. They were
commanded to commune with him "secretly," and to assure him "the king
hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee: now therefore be
the king's son-in-law" (v. 22). When the secret restraints of God are
withdrawn from them "the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them
to do evil" (Eccl. 8:11). They will scruple at nothing, but employ any
and every means to hand for accomplishing their evil designs: they
will flatter and praise or criticize and condemn, advance or abase,
the object of their spleen, as best serves their purpose.
When David was informed of the king's intention, his reply again
evidenced the lowliness of his heart: "Seemeth it to you a light thing
to be a king's son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly
esteemed?"--by the king (v. 23). From what follows, it seems evident
that David was here pointing out his inability to bring to the king's
daughter the dowry that might be expected: compare Genesis 29:18;
34:12; Exodus 22:16, 17. Beautifully has Matthew Henry, in his
comments on this verse, pointed out: "If David thus magnified the
honour of being son-in-law to the king, how highly then should we
think of it to be the sons (not in law, but in Gospel) to the King of
kings! `Behold what manner of love the Father bath bestowed upon us!'
(1 John 3:1). Who are we that we should be thus dignified?" Utterly
unable as we were to bring any "dowry" to recommend us unto God.
When his servants made known unto Saul David's reply, the real design
of the king became apparent. "The condition of the marriage must be
that he kill a hundred Philistine; and, as proof that those he had
slain were uncircumcised, he must bring in their foreskins cut off.
This would be a great reproach upon the Philistines, who hated
circumcision, as it was an ordinance of God; and perhaps David's doing
this would the more exasperate them against him; and make them seek to
be revenged on him, which was the thing Saul desired and designed"
(Matthew Henry). Even to such a stipulation David did not demur:
knowing that God was with him, jealous of His glory to slay His
enemies, he went forth and killed double the number required. Verily,
God maketh the wrath of man to praise Himself (Ps. 76:10).
Index
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER SEVEN
Fleeing From Saul
1 Samuel 19
_________________________________________________________________
At the close of 1 Samuel 18 there is a striking word recorded which
supplies a most blessed line in the typical picture that was furnished
by the man after God's own heart. There we read, "David behaved
himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name
was much set by"--the marginal reading is still more suggestive: "so
that his name was precious." What a lovely foreshadowing was this of
Him whose "Name" is "as ointment pouted forth" (Song of Solomon 1:3)!
Yes, both to His Father and to His people the name of Christ is "much
set by." He has "obtained a more excellent name" than angels bear
(Heb. 1:4); yea, He has been given "a name which is above every name"
(Phil, 2:9). "Precious" beyond description is that Name unto His own:
they plead it in prayer (John 14: 13); they make it their "strong
tower" (Prov. 18:10).
"And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that
they should kill David" (1 Sam. 19:1). How vivid and how solemn is the
contrast presented between the last sentence of the preceding chapter
and the opening one of this! And yet perhaps the spiritually minded
would hardly expect anything else. When the "name" of the "Beloved"
(for that is what `David" signifies) is "much set by," we are prepared
to see the immediate raging of the enemy--personified here by Saul.
Yes, the picture here presented to our view is true to life. Nothing
is more calculated to call into action the enmity of the Serpent
against the woman's Seed than the extolling of His "name," with all
that that scripturally includes. It was thus in the days of the
apostles. When they announced that "There is none other Name under
heaven given among men whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12), the
Jewish leaders "commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the
name of Jesus" (v. 18); and because they heeded not, the apostle's
were "beaten" and again commanded "not to speak in the name of Jesus"
(Acts 5:40).
The previous plot of Saul upon David's life had failed. Instead of his
being slain by the Philistines, they fell under the hand of David, and
the consequence was that the son of Jesse became more esteemed than
ever by the people. His name was held in high honor among them. Thus
it was too with his Antitype: the more the chief priests and Pharisees
persecuted the Lord Jesus, the more the people sought after Him: "From
that day forth, they took counsel together for to put Him to death . .
. and the Jews' passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the
country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves.
Then sought they for Jesus" (John 11:53, 55, 56). So it was after His
ascension: the more His witnesses were persecuted, the more the Gospel
prospered. There seems little room for doubt that the death of Stephen
was one of the things used by God to convict him who afterwards became
the mighty apostle to the Gentiles. When the early church was
assailed, we are told, "Therefore they that were scattered abroad went
everywhere preaching the Word" (Acts 8:4). Thus does God make the
wrath of man to praise Him.
Saul was growing desperate, and now hesitated not to make known unto
his own son his fierce hatred of David. Yet here again we may behold
and admire the directing hand of Providence, in the king's not
concealing his murderous designs from Jonathan. The son shared not his
father's enmity, accordingly we read, "But Jonathan Saul's son
delighted much in David: and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my
father seeketh to kill thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to
thyself until the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide
thyself: and I will go out and stand beside my father in the field
where thou art, and I will commune with my father of thee; and what I
see, that I will tell thee" (9:2, 3). It is blessed to see such true
and disinterested friendship, for it should not be forgotten that
Jonathan was the natural heir to the throne. Here we see him
faithfully acquainting David of his danger, and counseling him to take
precautionary measures against it.
Not only did Jonathan warn his beloved friend of the evil intentions
of his father, but he also entreated the king on his behalf. Beautiful
it is to see him interceding before Saul (vv. 4, 5), at the imminent
risk of bringing down his anger upon his own head. Jonathan reminded
Saul that David had never wronged him; so far from it, he had
delivered Israel from the Philistines, and had thus saved the king's
throne; why then should he be so set upon shedding "innocent blood"?
Jonathan must not here be regarded as a type of Christ, rather is he a
vivid contrast. Jonathan's plea was based upon David's personal
merits. It is the very opposite in the case of the Christian's
Intercessor. Our great High Priest appears before the King of the
universe on behalf of His people not on the ground of any good they
have done, but solely on the ground of that perfect satisfaction or
obedience which He offered to divine justice on their behalf; no
merits of theirs can He plead, but His own perfect sacrifice prevails
for them.
Jonathan's intercession was successful: "And Saul hearkened unto the
voice of Jonathan" (v. 6). He not only gave his son a fair hearing,
but was duly impressed by the arguments used, and was convicted for
the present that he was wrong in seeking the life of David. Yet here
again the intercession of Jonathan and that of the Lord Jesus for His
people are in striking contrast: the former had naught but a temporary
and transient effect upon his father, whereas that of our Advocate is
eternally efficacious--forever be His name praised. "And Saul sware,
As the Lord liveth, he shall not be slain" (v. 6). Once more we see
how easy it is for wicked men to make use of pious expressions, and
appear to superficial observers godly men. The sequel shows of what
little value is the solemn oath of a king, and warns us to place no
confidence in the engagements of earthly rulers. They who are
acquainted with the Scriptures are not surprised when even national
and international treaties become only worthless "scraps of paper."
Reassured by Jonathan, David returned to Saul's household (v. 7). But
not for long: a fresh war (probably local, and on a small scale) broke
out with the Philistines. This called for David to resume his military
activities, which he did with great success (v. 8), killing many of
the enemy and putting the remainder to flight. A blessed example does
the man after God's own heart here set us. Though serving a master
that little appreciated his faithful efforts, nay, who had vilely
mistreated him, our hero did not refuse to perform his present duty.
"David continues his good services to his king and country. Though
Saul had requited him evil for good, and even his usefulness was the
very thing for which Saul envied him, yet he did not therefore retire
in sullenness, and decline public service. Those that are ill paid for
doing good, yet must not be weary of well-doing, remembering what a
bountiful benefactor our heavenly Father is" (Matthew Henry).
"And the evil spirit from the Lord was upon Saul, as he sat in his
house with his javelin in his hand" (v. 9). The opening word of this
verse seems to intimate that the fresh victory of David over the
Philistines stirred up the spiteful jealousy of the king, and thus by
"giving place to the devil" (Eph. 4:26, 27) became susceptible again
to the evil spirit. "And David played with his hand," no doubt upon
the harp. One who had been so successful upon the battlefield, and was
held in such honor by the people, might have deemed such a service as
beneath his dignity; but a gracious man considers no ministry too
humble by which he may do good to another. Or, he might have objected
on the basis of the danger he incurred the last time he performed this
office for Saul (18:10), but he counted upon God to preserve him in
the path of duty.
"And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin" (v.
10). In view of his so recently acceding to his son's intercession and
swearing that David should not be slain, our present verse furnishes
an illustration of a solemn and searching principle. How often unsaved
people, after sudden conviction have resolved to break from their evil
doings, and serve the Lord, but only after a short season to return to
their course of sin, like a washed sow to her wallowing in the mire (2
Peter 2:22), Where there has been no miracle of mercy wrought within
the heart, no change of disposition, and where there is no dependence
upon divine grace for needed strength, resolutions, however sincere
and earnest, seldom produce any lasting effect. Unmortified lusts
quickly break through the most solemn vows; where the fear of God does
not possess the heart, fresh temptations soon arouse the dormant
corruptions, and this gives Satan good opportunity to regain complete
mastery over his victim.
But he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the javelin
into the wall; and David fled, and escaped that night" (v. 10). How
wonderful is the care of God for His own! Though invisible, how real
are His protecting arms! "Not a shaft of hate can hit, till the God of
love sees fit." What peace and stability it brings to the heart when
faith realizes that "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them
that fear Him, and delivereth them" (Ps. 34:7). Men may be filled with
malice against us, Satan may rage and seek our destruction, but none
can touch a hair of our heads without God's permission. The Lord
Almighty is the "Shield and Buckler," the "Rock and Fortress" of all
those who put their trust in Him. Yet note that David was not
foolhardy and reckless. Faith is not presumptuous: though we are to
trust Him, we are forbidden to tempt the Lord; therefore it is our
duty to retire when men seek our hurt (cf. Matthew 10:23).
Saul also sent messengers unto David's house, to watch him, and to
slay him in the morning: and Michal David's wife told him, saying, If
thou save not thy life tonight, tomorrow shalt thou be slain" (v. 11).
Saul was thoroughly aroused: chagrined by his personal failure to kill
David, he now sent his guards to assassinate him. These were to
surround his house and wait till daylight, rather than enter and run
the risk of killing some one else, or allowing him to make his escape
during the confusion and darkness. But man proposes, and God disposes.
The Lord had other services for David to perform, and the servant of
God is immortal until the work allotted him has been done. This time
the king's own daughter, who had married David, was the one to
befriend him. In some way she had learned of her father's plan, so at
once took measures to thwart it. First, she acquainted her husband of
his imminent danger.
Next we are told, "so Michal let David down through a window; and he
went, and fled, and escaped" (v. 12). In like manner, Rahab had let
down the spies from her house in Jericho, when the king's messengers
were in quest of him; and as the disciples let down the apostle Paul
at Damascus, to preserve him from the evil designs of the Jews. Though
the doors were securely guarded, David thus escaped through a window,
and fled swiftly and safely away. It is of deep interest at this point
to turn to the fifty-ninth Psalm, the heading of which (inspired, we
believe) tells us it was written "when Saul sent, and they watched the
house to kill him." In this critical situation, David betook himself
to prayer: "Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from
them that rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity,
and save me from bloody men. For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul:
the mighty are gathered against me; not for my transgression, nor for
my sin, O Lord" (Psalm 59:1-3). Blessed is it to see that ere he
completed the Psalm, full assurance of deliverance was his: "But I
will sing of Thy power, yea, I will sing aloud of Thy mercy in the
morning"(v. 16).
"And Michal took an image, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of
goats' hair for his bolster, and covered it with a cloth, and when
Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick" (vv. 13,
14). Water will not rise above its own level. We cannot expect the
children of this world to act according to heavenly principles.
Alienated as they are from the life of God (Eph. 4:18), utter
strangers to Him in experience (Eph. 2:12), they have no trust in Him.
In an emergency they have no better recourse than to turn unto fleshly
schemings and devisings. From a natural viewpoint Michal's fidelity to
her husband was commendable, but from a spiritual standpoint her
deceit and falsehood was reprehensible. The one who commits his cause
and case unto the Lord, trusting also in Him to bring to pass His own
wise purpose and that which shall be for his own highest good (Ps.
37:5), has no need to resort unto tricks and deceits. Does not David's
having yoked himself to an unbeliever supply the key to his painful
experiences in Saul's household!
"And Saul sent the messengers again to see David, saying, Bring him up
to me in the bed, that I may slay him" (v. 15). Bent on David's
destruction, the king gave orders that, sick or no, he should be
carried into his presence, and this for the specific purpose of
slaying him by his own hand. Base and barbarous was it to thus triumph
over one whom he thought was sick, and to vow the death of one that,
for all he knew, was dying by the hand of nature. Spurred on by him
who is "a murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44), the savage cruelty
of Saul makes evident the extreme danger to which David was exposed:
which, in turn, intensifies the blessedness of God's protection of
him. How precious it is for the saint to know that the Lord places
Himself as the Shield between him and his malicious foe! "As the
mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about His
people from henceforth even forever" (Ps. 125:2).
When the servants returned to and entered Michal's house, her plot was
exposed and the flight of David discovered (v. 16). Whereupon the king
asked his daughter, "Why hast thou deceived me so, and sent away mine
enemy, that he is escaped?" (v. 17). How thoroughly blurred is the
vision of one who is filled with envy, anger and hatred! He who had
befriended Saul again and again, was now regarded as an "enemy." There
is a solemn lesson for us in this: if pride, prejudice, or
self-seeking rule our hearts, we shall regard those who are our wisest
counselors and well-wishers as foes. Only when our eye be single is
our whole body full of light. Solemn is it to note Michal's answer to
Saul: "He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee?" (v. 17),
thereby representing David as a desperate man who would have slain her
had she sought to block his escape. Still more solemn is it to find
the man after God's own heart married to such a woman!
"So David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him
all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in
Naioth" (v. 19). It was by Samuel he had been anointed, and through
him he had first received the promise of the kingdom. Probably David
now sought God's prophet for the strengthening of his faith, for
counsel as to what he should do, for comfort under his present
troubles, for fellowship and prayer: it was through Samuel he was now
most likely to learn the mind of the Lord. And too, he probably
regarded asylum with Samuel as the most secure place in which he could
lodge. Naioth was close to Ramah, and there was a school of the
prophets: if the Philistines gave no disturbance to the "hill of God"
and the prophets in it (10:5), it might be reasonably concluded that
Saul would not.
"And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah."
And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company
of the prophets prophesying and Samuel standing as appointed over
them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also
prophesied" (vv. 19, 20). Notwithstanding the sacredness of the place
David was in, Saul sent servants to arrest him. But again the Lord
interposed, by causing His Spirit to fall upon Saul's messengers, who
were so much taken up with the religious exercises, they neglected the
errand on which they had been sent. How this reminds us of the
Pharisees and chief priests sending officers to apprehend Christ, but
who instead of executing their commission, returned to their masters,
saying, "Never man spake like this Man" (John 7:32,45,46)! Saul sent
others of his servants, a second and a third time, to seize David, but
before he reached the place where David was, the Spirit of God came
upon him and threw him into a kind of trance, in which he continued
all day and night; giving David plenty of rime to escape. Such strange
methods does Jehovah sometimes employ in bringing to naught the
efforts of His enemies against His servants.
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER EIGHT
His Wanderings
1 Samuel 20
_________________________________________________________________
The picture which the Holy Spirit has given in Scripture of David's
character and life is a composite one. It is somewhat like a painting
in which the dominant colors are white, black and gold. In many
details David has left an example which we do well to follow. In other
respects he presents a solemn warning which we do well to heed. In
other features he was a blessed type of Christ. Thus, the meeting
together of these three distinct things in David may well be likened
unto a composite picture. Nor do we exercise a wrong spirit (providing
our motive be right), or sully the grace of God by dwelling upon the
sad defects in the character of the Psalmist or the failures in his
life; rather will the Spirit's design be realized and our souls be the
gainers if we duly take to heart and turn them into earnest prayer,
that we may be delivered from the snares into which he fell.
At the close of our last chapter we saw how that, to escape the
murderous hatred of Saul, David took refuge with Samuel at Naioth.
Thither did his relentless enemy follow him. But wondrously did God
interpose. Three times the messengers which the king had sent to
arrest David were restrained and awed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Not only so, but when Saul himself came in person, the Spirit of God
subdued and threw him into a kind of ecstatic trance. One would have
thought that this signal intervention of God for David had quieted all
his fears, and filled his soul with praise and thanksgiving unto Him
who had shown Himself strong on his behalf. Was it not plain that God
did not intend Saul to harm the one whom His prophet had anointed? Ah,
but David too was a man of like passions with us, and unless divine
grace wrought effectually within him, no outward providences would
avail to spiritualize him. The moment the Lord leaves us to ourselves
(to try us, to show what we are), a fall is certain.
Instead of continuing at Naioth, quietly waiting the next token of
God's goodness, David became alarmed, and took matters into his own
hands. Instead of being occupied with the divine perfections, David
now saw only a powerful, inveterate, bloodthirsty enemy. Accordingly,
the next thing we read is, "And David fled from Naioth in Ramah"
(20:1): true he "fled" from Saul, but he also turned his back upon
Samuel. "And came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is
mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh
my life?" It is solemn to see David preferring a conference with
Jonathan rather than with the prophet of God. As usual, the key is
hung upon the door; the opening verse of this chapter explains to us
what is found in the later ones. It was "natural" that David should
turn for help to a "friend," but was it spiritual?
Do not the questions David put to Jonathan reveal to us the state of
his heart? The "I," "mine," "my," "my," show plainly enough the
condition of his mind. God was not now in all his thoughts, yea, He
was not mentioned at all. The repeated attempts of Saul upon his life
had thoroughly unnerved him, and his "there is but a step between me
and death" (1 Sam. 20:3), intimates plainly that unbelieving fears now
possessed him. Ah, David needed to turn unto an abler physician than
Jonathan if his feverish anxiety was to be allayed: only One was
sufficient for laying a calming and cooling hand upon him. O how much
the saint loses when he fails to acknowledge the Lord in all his ways
(Prov. 3:6). But worse: when communion is broken, when the soul is out
of touch with God, temptation is yielded unto and grievous sin is
committed. It was so here. Afraid that Saul's anger would return when
his absence from the table was noted, but fearful to take his place
there, David bids Jonathan utter a deliberate lie on his behalf (20:5,
6). May this speak loudly to each of our hearts, warning of the
fearful fruits which issue from severed fellowship with the Lord.
The first false step David had taken was in marrying the daughter of
Saul, for it is evident from the sacred narrative that she was no
suited partner for the man after God's own heart. His second mistake
was his fleeing from Naioth, and thus turning his back upon the
prophet of God. His third failure was to seek aid of Jonathan. The
true character of his "friend" was exhibited on this occasion: seeing
David so perturbed, he had not the moral courage to acknowledge the
truth, but sought to pacify him with a prevarication (20:2). Surely
Jonathan could not be ignorant of Saul's having thrown the javelin at
David, of the instructions given to the servants to slay him (19:11),
of the messengers sent to arrest him (19:20), and of his going after
David in person (19:22). But all doubt is removed by "Saul spake to
Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill
David" (19:1). Jonathan deliberately equivocated in 20:2, and "evil
communications corrupt good manners" (1 Cor. 15:33): thus it was
here--David lied too (20:5,6).
We do not propose to go over this twentieth chapter verse by verse,
for we are not now writing a commentary upon 1 Samuel. A plan was
agreed upon by Jonathan whereby he should ascertain the latest
attitude of his father and acquaint David with the same. A solemn
covenant was entered into between them: Jonathan here, and David much
later (2 Sam. 9), faithfully carried out its terms. The words "David
hid himself in the held" (v. 24 and cf. 35, 41), at once expose his
lie in verse 6, though the commentators have glossed it over. When
David was missed from the king's table and inquiry was made, Jonathan
repeated the lie which David had suggested to him. Thereupon the king
reviled his son, and declared that David "shall surely die" (v. 31).
When Jonathan sought to expostulate, and ask why David should be
slain, Saul threw his javelin at him. The meeting between Jonathan and
David in the field, and their affectionate leave-taking is touchingly
described (vv. 41, 42).
"Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest" (21:1). When a real
saint is out of touch with God, when he is in a backslidden state, his
conduct presents a strange enigma and his inconsistent ways are such
as no psychologist can explain. But much that is inexplicable to many
(even to ill-informed believers) is solved for us by Galatians 5: 17:
"for the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the
flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot
do the things that ye would." Here we have set forth the conflict of
the two "natures" in the Christian, the irreconcilable opposition
between the two mainsprings of conduct, the "flesh" and the "spirit."
According as one or the other of these two principles is actuating and
dominating the saint, such will be his course of action. The final
clause of this verse has a double force: the presence of the "flesh"
hinders the "spirit" from completely realizing its desires in this
life (Rom. 7:15-25); the presence of the "spirit," prevents the
"flesh" from fully having its way.
Galatians 5: 17 supplies the key to many a mysterious experience in
the life of a Christian, and sheds much light on the checkered
histories of Old Testament saints. We might add many paragraphs at
this point by illustrating the last sentence from the lives of Noah,
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Elijah, etc., but
instead, we will confine our attention to the leading subject of these
chapters. In his meeting the attacks of the wild animals (17:34-36),
in his devotion for the tabernacle (Ps. 132:1-7), in his engagement
with Goliath, the "spirit" was uppermost in David, and therefore was
the Lord before his heart. There had been severe testings of courage
and faith, but his trust in the Lord wavered not. Then followed a
season in the king's household, where it was much harder to preserve
this spirituality. Then Saul turned against him, and again and again
sought his life. Deprived of the outward means of grace, David's faith
flagged, and as it flagged fears replaced it, and instead of being
occupied with the Lord, his powerful foe filled his vision.
In his flight from Saul, David first sought unto Samuel, which shows
that the "flesh" in him was not completely regnant, as it never is in
a truly regenerate soul: "Sin shall not have dominion over you" (Rom.
6: 14)--it shall not render you its absolute slave. But in his flight
from Samuel and his turning to Jonathan for help, we see the "flesh"
more and more regulating his actions--still more plainly manifested in
the falsehood which he put into his friend's mouth. And now in his
flight unto Ahimelech and the manner in which he conducted himself,
the anointed eye may discern the conflict which was at work within
him. It now seemed clear unto David that no change for the better was
to be expected in Saul: as long as the king was alive, he was in
danger. An outcast from the court, he now became a lonely wanderer,
but before he journeyed farther afield, his heart was first drawn to
Nob, whither the tabernacle had been removed.
Various motives and considerations seem to have moved David in his
repairing to Nob. Foreseeing that he must now be an exile, he wished
to take leave of the tabernacle, not knowing when he should see it
again, it is plain from many of his Psalms that the sorest grief of
David during the time of his banishment was his isolation from the
house of God and his restraint from public ordinances: "How amiable
are thy Tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even
fainteth for the courts of the Lord . . . . For a day in thy courts is
better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of
my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness" (Ps. 84:1, 2, 10 and
cf. 42:3, 4, etc.) Second, it seems clear from 1 Samuel 22:10 that
David's purpose was to enquire of the Lord through the high priest, to
obtain directions from Him as to his path. Third, from what follows
here, it appears that food was also his quest.
"And Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David" (21:1). Evidently
the high priest had heard of David's having fallen under the
displeasure of Saul, and so concluded that he was a fugitive. Knowing
the type of man the king was, Ahimelech was fearful of endangering his
own life by entertaining David. "And said unto him, Why art thou
alone, and no man with thee?" That there were some "young men" with
him is clear from verse 4 and also Matthew 12:3, yet having won such
renown both in camp and court, it might well be expected that David
should be accompanied by a suitable equipage. The disdain which the
high priest showed for David the outcast, illustrates the merciless
attitude of the world toward a fallen and impoverished hero.
"And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me
a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the
business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I
have appointed my servants to such and such a place" (21:2). Here
again we see David guilty of a gross untruth. How solemn to find the
Psalmist of Israel telling a deliberate lie at the threshold of the
house of God, whither he had come to inquire the mind of the Lord.
Verily, each one of us has real need to pray "Remove from me the way
of lying" (Ps. 119:29). David's heart quailed under the embarrassing
question of the priest, and he who had dared to meet single-handed the
Philistine giant was now afraid to speak the truth. Ah, there cannot
be the calm and courage of faith, where faith itself is inoperative.
Elijah shrank not from meeting the four hundred prophets of Baal, yet
later he fled in terror from Jezebel. Peter dared to step out of the
ship onto the sea, yet trembled before a maid. "Wherefore let him that
thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall."
It is easier to trust God in days of sunshine than in times of gloom
and darkness. "David had often, indeed, before known difficulty and
danger: from the day of his conflict with Goliath he had known little
else: but then, there was this difference--in former difficulties he
had been enabled to triumph. Some ray of brightness had gilded every
cloud; some honor awaited him out of each affliction. But now, God
seemed no longer to interfere on his behalf. The full enmity of Saul
was allowed to take its course; and God interfered not, either to
subdue or to chasten. He appeared no longer to intend raising David
above circumstances, but to allow him to be overcome by them. David's
heart seemed unable to bear this. To trust God whilst overcoming is
one thing; to trust Him when being overcome is another" (B. W.
Newton).
David now asked Ahimelech for five loaves of bread (21:3): bear in
mind that he stood at the door of the tabernacle, and not before the
priest's personal residence. All that was to hand were the twelve
loaves which had rested for a week on the golden table in the
sanctuary, and which, being replaced at once by twelve more, became
the property of the priests and their families. Assuring Ahimelech
that he and his men met the requirements of Exodus 19:15, David
pressed for the bread being given to him. To what a low estate had the
son of Jesse fallen: now that Saul's rooted malice was generally known
the people would be afraid and unwilling to befriend him. In Matthew
12 we find the Lord Jesus vindicating this action, which shows us that
the ordinances of religion may be dispensed with where the
preservation of life calls for it: ritual observances must give way to
moral duties, and in the case of urgent providential necessity that is
permissible which ordinarily may not be done.
"Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day,
detained before the Lord; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the
chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul" (21:7). And yet in his
hearing David had preferred his urgent request. Surely natural common
sense would have prompted him to act with more prudence. Ah, my
reader, when the saint is in a backslidden state of soul, he often
acts more foolishly than does the man of the world. This is a
righteous judgment of God upon him. He has given us His Word to walk
by, and that Word is one of wisdom, containing salutary counsel. We
turn from it at our peril and irreparable loss. To lean unto our own
understanding is to court certain disaster. Yet, when communion with
God is broken, this is exactly what we do. Then it is that we are
suffered to reap the bitter fruits of our evil ways and made to feel
the consequences of our folly.
Next, David asked Ahimelech for a weapon, and was told that the only
one available was "the sword of Goliath," which had been preserved in
the tabernacle as a monument of the Lord's goodness to Israel. When
told of this, David exclaimed, "There is none like that, give it to
me." Alas, alas, how had the mighty fallen. "Surely it augured ill for
David, that his hand--that hand which had placed the sword of Goliath
in the sanctuary of the God of Israel--that hand which had once taken
the pebble and the sling as the symbol of its strength, because it
trusted in the Lord of hosts--it augured ill that his hand should be
the first to withdraw the giant weapon from its resting-place in order
that he might transfer to it a measure, at least of that confidence
which he was withdrawing from God. How different the condition of
David now, and on the day of Goliath's fall! Then, trusting in the God
of Israel, and associated with Israel, he had gone out in owned
weakness; but now, forsaking Israel and the land of Israel, he went
forth armed with the sword of Goliath, to seek friendship and alliance
with the Philistines, the enemies of Israel, and the enemies of God"
(B. W. Newton).
Thus David now set forth, provisioned (temporarily, at least) and
armed. But at what a cost? The unsuspecting priest had believed
David's lies, and assured by him that Saul had commissioned him,
feared not the presence of Doeg the king's servant (v. 7). But he paid
dearly for listening, against his better judgment, to David's
falsehoods. That treacherous Edomite informed Saul (22:9, 10), and
later he was ordered by the enraged king to reek a fearful vengeance:
"And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew
on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod.
And Nob, the city of the priests smote he with the edge of the sword,
both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and
sheep" (1 Sam. 22: 18, 19). Such were some of the fearful results of
David's lies, as he afterwards acknowledged to the one remaining child
of Ahimelech: "I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy
father's house" (1 Sam. 22:22). May it please the Holy Spirit to
powerfully move both writer and reader to lay to heart the whole of
this solemn incident, that we may pray daily with increasing
earnestness, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."
Index
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER NINE
His Flight to Ziklag
1 Samuel 21
_________________________________________________________________
There are times when God's tender love for His people seems to be
contradicted by the sore testings which He sends upon them, times when
His providences appear to clash with His promises; then it is that
faith is tested, and so often fails; then it is also that the
superabounding grace of God is evidenced by delivering the one who has
given way to unbelief. These principles are illustrated again and
again on the pages of Holy Writ, especially in the Old Testament, and
one of their chief values is for us to lay them to heart, turn them
into earnest prayer, and seek to profit from them. God forbid that we
should "wrest" them to our destruction (2 Pet. 3:16). God forbid that
we should deliberately sin in order that grace may abound (Rom. 6:1,
2). And God forbid that we should take the failures of those who
preceded us as excuses for our own grievous falls, thus endeavoring to
shelter behind the faults of others. Rather let us seek grace to
regard them as danger-signals, set up to deter us from slipping into
the snares which tripped them.
To Abraham God promised a numerous seed (Gen. 12:2), but His
providences seemed to run counter to the fulfillment. Sarah was
barren! But the sterility of her womb presented no difficulty to
Omnipotence. Nor was there any need for Abraham to attempt a fleshly
compromise, by seeking a son through Hagar (Gen. 16). True, for a
while, his plan appeared to succeed? but the sequel not only
demonstrated the needlessness for such a device, but in Ishmael a
bitter harvest was reaped. And this is recorded as a warning for us.
To Jacob God said, "Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy
kindred, and I will be with thee" (Gen. 31:3). During the course of
his journey, messengers informed him that Esau was approaching with
four hundred men, and we read that "Jacob was greatly afraid and
distressed" (Gen. 32:7). How human! True, and how sad, how dishonoring
to God! What cause for fear was there when Jehovah was with him? O for
grace to "trust in Him at all times" (Ps. 62:8).
Learn, dear brethren and sisters, that faith must be tested--to prove
its genuineness. Yet only He who gives faith, can maintain it; and for
this we must constantly seek unto Him. What has just been before us
receives further illustration in the subject of these chapters. David
was the king elect, yet another wore the crown. The son of Jesse had
been anointed unto the throne, yet Saul was now bitterly persecuting
him. Had God forgotten to be gracious? No, indeed. Had He changed His
purpose? That could not be (Mal. 3:6). Why, then, should the slayer of
Goliath now be a fugitive? He had been appointed to be master of vast
treasures, yet he was now reduced to begging bread (21:3). Faith must
be tested, and we must learn by painful experience the bitter
consequences of not trusting in the Lord with all our hearts, and the
evil fruits which are borne whenever we lean unto our own
understandings, take matters into our own hands, and seek to extricate
ourselves from trouble.
Concerning Hezekiah we read that "God left him, to try him, that he
might know all that was in his heart" (2 Chron. 32:31). None of us
knows how weak he is till God withdraws His upholding grace (as He did
with Peter) and we are left to ourselves. True, the Lord has plainly
told us that "without Me ye can do nothing." We think we believe that
word, and in a way we do; yet there is a vast difference between not
calling into question a verse of Scripture, an assenting to its
verity, and an inward acquaintance with the same in our own personal
history. It is one thing to believe that I am without strength or
wisdom, it is another to know it through actual experience. Nor is
this, as a rule, obtained through a single episode, any more than a
nail is generally driven in securely by one blow of the hammer. No, we
have to learn, and re-learn, so stupid are we. The Truth of God has to
be burned into us in the fiery furnace of affliction. Yet this ought
not to be so, and would not be so if we paid more heed to these Old
Testament warnings, furnished in the biographies of the saints of
yore.
In our last chapter we saw that, following the murderous attack of
Saul upon him, David fled to Naioth, But thither did his relentless
enemy follow him. Wondrously did God interpose on His servant's
behalf. Yet, being a man of like passions with ourselves, and the
supernatural grace of God not supporting him at the time, instead of
David's fears being thoroughly removed, and instead of waiting quietly
with Samuel to receive a word of Divine guidance, he was occupied with
his immediate danger from Saul, and after vainly conferring with
Jonathan, took things into his own hands and fled to Nob. There he
lied to the priest, by means of which he obtained bread, but at the
fearful cost of Saul reeking vengeance through Doeg in slaying
eighty-five of those who wore the linen ephod. Disastrous indeed are
the consequences when we seek to have our own way and hew out a path
for ourselves. How differently had things turned out if David trusted
the Lord, and left Him to undertake for him!
God is all-sufficient in Himself to supply all our need (Phil. 4:19)
and to do for us far more exceeding abundantly above all that we ask
or think (Eph. 3:20). This He can do either in an immediate way, or
mediately if He sees fit to make use of creatures as instruments to
fulfill His pleasure and communicate what He desires to impart to us.
God is never at a loss: all things, all events, all creatures, are at
His sovereign disposal. This foundational truth of God's
all-sufficiency should be duly improved by us, taking heed that we do
not by our thoughts or actions reflect upon or deny this divine
perfection. And this we certainly do when we use unlawful means to
escape imminent dangers. Such was the case with Abram (Gen. 20) and
Isaac (Gen. 26) when they denied their wives, concluding that that was
a necessary expedient to save their lives--as though God were not able
to save them in a better and more honorable way. Such we shall see was
the case with David at Ziklag.
We also made brief reference in our last chapter to the fact that when
the saint is out of touch with God, when he is in a backslidden state,
his behavior is so different from his former conduct, so inconsistent
with his profession, that his actions now present a strange enigma.
And yet that enigma is capable of simple solution. It is only in God's
light that any of us "see light" (Ps. 36:9). As the Lord Jesus
declares, "he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness" (John
8:12). Yes, but it is only as we are really "following" Him, our
hearts engaged with the example which He has left us, that we shall
see, know, and take that path which is pleasing and honoring to Him.
There is only one other alternative, and that is seeking to please
either our fellows or ourselves, and where this is the case, only
confusion and trouble can ensue.
When communion with God (who is "light") is severed, nothing but
spiritual darkness is left. The world is a "dark place" (2 Peter
1:19), and if we are not ordering our steps by the Word (Ps. 119:105),
then we shall flounder and stumble. "The backslider in heart shall be
filled with his own ways" (Prov. 14:14), not with the "ways" of God
(Ps. 103:7). Where fellowship with the Lord is broken, the mind is no
longer illuminated from Heaven, the judgment is clouded, and a lack of
wisdom, yea, folly itself, will then characterize all our actions.
Here is the key to much in our lives, the explanation of those "unwise
doings," those "foolish mistakes" for which we have had to pay so
dearly--we were not controlled by the Holy Spirit, we acted in the
energy of the flesh, we sought the counsel of the ungodly, or followed
the dictates of common sense.
Nor is there any determining to what lengths the backslider may go, or
how foolishly and madly he may not act. Solemnly is this illustrated
in the case now before us. As we saw in the preceding paper, David was
worried at being unarmed, and asked the high priest if there were no
weapon to hand. On being informed that the only one available was "the
sword of Goliath," which had been preserved in the tabernacle as a
memorial of the Lord's goodness to His people, David exclaimed, "There
is none like it, give it me" (1 Sam. 21:9). Alas, "how had the fine
gold become dim"! He who when walking in the fear of the Lord had not
hesitated to advance against Goliath with nothing in his hand save a
sling, now that the fear of man possessed him, placed his confidence
in a giant's sword. Perhaps both writer and reader are inclined to
marvel at this, but have we not more reason to mourn as we see in this
incident an accurate portrayal of many of our past failures?
"And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to
Achish the king of Gath" (1 Sam. 21:10). Fearing that Saul would
pursue him were he to make for any other part of the land of Israel,
and not being disposed to organize a company against him, David took
refuge in Gath of the Philistines. But what business had he in the
territory of God's enemies? None whatever, for he had not gone there
in His interests. Verily, "oppression maketh a wise man mad" (Eccl.
7:7). Few indeed conduct themselves in extreme difficulties without
taking some manifestly false step: we should therefore "watch and pray
that we enter not into temptation" (Matthew 26:41), earnestly seeking
from God the strength which will alone enable us to successfully
resist the Devil.
"And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to
Achish the king of Gath." It is evident from what follows that David
hoped he would not be recognized. Thus it is with the backslidden
Christian as he fraternizes with the world: he attempts to conceal his
colors, hoping that he will not be recognized as a follower of the
Lord Jesus. Yet behold the consummate folly of David: he journeyed to
Gath with "the sword of Goliath" in his hands! Wisdom had indeed
deserted him. As another has said, "Common prudence might have taught
him, that, if he sought the friendship of the Philistines, the sword
of Goliath was not the most likely instrument to conciliate their
favour." But where a saint has grieved the Holy
"And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king
of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying
Saul hath slain his thousands and David his ten thousands?" (v. 11).
God will not allow His people to remain incognito in this world. He
has appointed that they should "be blameless and harmless, the sons of
God, without blame in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation among
whom" they are to "shine as lights in the world" (Phil. 2: 15), and
any efforts of theirs to annul this, He will thwart. Abraham's
deception was discovered. Peter's attempt to conceal his discipleship
failed--his very speech betrayed him. So here: David was quickly
recognized. And thus it will be with us. And mercifully is this the
case, for God will not have His own to settle down among and enjoy the
friendship of His enemies.
"And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of
Achish the king of Gath" (v. 12). What right had David to be at Gath?
None whatever, and God soon caused circumstances to arise which showed
him that he was out of his place, though in wondrous mercy He withheld
any chastisement. How sad to hear of him who had so courageously
advanced against Goliath now being "sore afraid"! "The righteous are
bold as a lion" (Prov. 28:1); yes, the "righteous," that is, they who
are right with God, walking with Him, and so sustained by His grace.
Sadder still is it to see how David now acted: instead of casting
himself on God's mercy, confessing his sin, and seeking His
intervention, he had recourse to deceit and played the fool.
"And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in
their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his
spittle fall down upon his beard" (v. 13). Afraid to rely upon the man
whose protection he had sought, the anointed of God now feigned
himself to be crazy. It was then that he learned experimentally, "It
is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes" (Ps.
118:9). The king elect "feigned himself mad": "such was the condition
into which David had sunk. Saul himself could scarcely have wished for
a deeper degradation" (B. W. Newton). Learn from this, dear reader,
what still indwells the true saint, and which is capable of any and
every wickedness but for the restraining hand of God. Surely we have
need to pray daily "Hold Thou me up, and I shall be safe" (Ps.
119:117).
"Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad:
wherefore then have ye brought him to me? Have I need of mad men, that
ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? Shall
this fellow come into my house?" (vv. 14, 15). How evident is it to
the anointed eye, from the whole of this incident, that the Holy
Spirit's object here was not to glorify David, but to magnify the
longsuffering grace of God, and to furnish salutary instruction and
solemn warning for us! Throughout the Scriptures the character of man
is accurately painted in the colors of reality and truth.
Many are the lessons to be learned from this sad incident. Though
ingenious falsehoods may seem to promote present security, yet they
insure future disgrace. They did for Abraham, for Isaac, for Jacob,
for Peter, for Ananias. Leaning unto his own understanding conducted
David to Gath, but he soon learned from the shame of his folly that he
had not walked in wisdom. Not only was David deeply humiliated by this
pitiful episode, but Jehovah was grievously dishonored thereby.
Marvelous indeed was it that he escaped with his life: this can only
be attributed to the secret but invincible workings of His power,
moving upon the king of the Philistines, for as the title of Psalm 34
informs us, "Achish drove him away, and he departed." Such was the
means which an infinitely merciful God used to screen His child from
imminent danger.
From Gath David fled to the cave of Adullam. Blessed is it to learn of
the repentant and chastened spirit in which the servant of God entered
it. The thirty-fourth Psalm was written by him then (as its
superscription informs us), and in it the Holy Spirit has given us to
see the exercises of David's heart at that time. There we find him
blessing the Lord, his soul making his boast in Him (vv. 1-3). There
we hear him saying, "I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered
me from all my fears" (v. 4). There he declares, "This poor man cried,
and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The
angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and
delivereth them" (vv. 6, 7).
But it was more than praise and gratitude which filled the restored
backslider. David had learned some valuable lessons experimentally.
Therefore we hear him saying, "Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I
will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is he that desireth
life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from
evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good;
seek peace and pursue it" (vv. 11-14). "He had proved the evil of
lying lips and a deceitful tongue, and now was able to warn others of
the pitfall into which he had fallen" (B. W. Newton). But it is
blessed to mark that the warned, not as one who was left to reap the
harvest of his doings, but as one who could say, "The Lord redeemeth
the soul of His servants, and none of them that trust in Him shall be
desolate" (v. 22).
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER TEN
In the Cave of Adullam
1 Samuel 22
_________________________________________________________________
At the close of the preceding chapter, we saw the backslider restored
to communion with God. As David then wrote, "Many are the afflictions
of the righteous"--most of them brought upon themselves through sinful
folly--"but the Lord delivereth him out of them all" (Ps. 34:19). Yet,
in His own good time. The hour had not yet arrived for our patriarch
to ascend the throne. It would have been a simple matter for God to
have put forth His power, destroyed Saul, and given His servant rest
from all his foes. And this, no doubt, is what the energetic nature of
David had much preferred. But there were other counsels of God to be
unfolded before He was ready for the son of Jesse to wield the
scepter. Though we are impulsive and impetuous, God is never in a
hurry; the sooner we learn this lesson, the better for our own peace
of mind, and the sooner shall we "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently
for Him" (Ps. 37:7).
"God had designs other than the mere exaltation of David. He intended
to allow the evil of Saul and of Israel to exhibit itself. He intended
to give to David some apprehension of the character of his own heart,
and to cause him to learn subjection to a greater wisdom than his own.
He intended also to prove the hearts of His own people Israel; and to
try how many among them would discern that the Cave of Adullam was the
only true place of excellency and honour in Israel" (B. W. Newton).
Further discipline was needed by David, if he was to learn deeper
lessons of dependency upon God. Learn from this, dear reader, that
though God's delays are trying to flesh and blood, nevertheless they
are ordered by perfect wisdom and infinite love. "For the vision is
yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie:
though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come" (Hab. 2:3).
"David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam" (1
Sam. 22:1). Still a fugitive, David left the land of the Philistines,
and now took refuge in a large underground cavern, situated, most
probably, not far from Bethlehem. To conceal himself from Saul and his
blood-thirsty underlings, our hero betook himself to a cave--it is
probable that the Holy Spirit made reference to this in Hebrews 11:38.
The high favorites of Heaven are sometimes to be located in queer and
unexpected places. Joseph in prison, the descendants of Abraham
laboring in the brick-kilns of Egypt, Daniel in the lions' den, Jonah
in the great fish's belly, Paul clinging to a spar in the sea,
forcibly illustrate this principle. Then let us not murmur because we
do not now live in as fine a house as do some of the ungodly; our
"mansions" are in Heaven!
"David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam." It
is blessed to learn how David employed himself at this time; yet close
searching has to be done before this can be ascertained. The Bible is
no lazy man's book: much of its treasure, like the valuable minerals
stored in the bowels of the earth, only yield up themselves to the
diligent seeker. Compare Proverbs 2: 1-5. By noting the
superscriptions to the Psalms (which, with many others, we are
satisfied are Divinely inspired), we discover that two of them were
composed by "the sweet singer of Israel" at this time. Just as the
34^th casts its welcome light upon the close of 1 Samuel 21, so Psalm
57 and 142 illuminate the opening verses of 1 Samuel 22.
The underground asylum of David made an admirable closet for prayer,
its very solitude being helpful for the exercise of devotion. Well did
C. H. Spurgeon say, "Had David prayed as much in his palace as he did
in his cave, he might never have fallen into the act which brought
such misery upon his latter days." We trust the spiritual reader will,
at this point, turn to and ponder Psalms 57 and 142. In them he will
perceive something of the exercises of David's heart. From them he may
derive valuable instruction as to how to pray acceptably unto God in
seasons of peculiar trial. A careful reading of the fifty-seventh
Psalm will enable us to follow one who began it amid the gloomy
shadows of the cavern, but from which he gradually emerged into the
open daylight. So it often is in the experiences of the believer's
soul.
Perhaps the Psalm 142 was composed by David before the Psalm 57:
certainly it brings before us one who was in deeper anguish of soul.
Blessed indeed is it to mark the striking contrast from what is here
presented to us and what was before us as we passed through 1 Samuel
20 and 21. There we saw the worried fugitive turning to Jonathan,
lying to Ahimelech, playing the madman at Gath. But vain was the hope
of man. Yet how often we have to pass through these painful
experiences and bitter disappointments before we thoroughly learn this
lesson! Here we behold the son of Jesse turning to the only One who
could do him any real good. "I cried unto the Lord with my voice I
poured out my complaint before Him. I showed before Him my trouble"
(vv. 1, 2). This is what we should do: thoroughly unburden our hearts
unto Him with whom we have to do. Note how, at the close of this
Psalm, after he had so freely poured out his woes, David exclaimed,
"Thou shalt deal bountifully with me"!
"And Jonathan loved him as his own soul . . . all Israel and Judah
loved David" (1 Sam. 18:1, 16). Now their love was tested, now an
opportunity was furnished them to manifest their affections for him.
This was the hour of David's unpopularity: he was outlawed from the
court; a fugitive from Saul, he was dwelling in a cave. Now was the
time for devotion to David to be clearly exhibited. But only those who
truly loved him could be expected to throw in their lot with an hated
outcast. Strikingly is this illustrated in the very next words.
"And when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went
down thither to him" (1 Sam. 22:1). Ah, true love is unaffected by the
outward circumstances of its object. Where the heart is genuinely knit
to another, a change in his fortunes will not produce a change in its
affections. David might be, in the eyes of the world, in disgrace; but
that made no difference to those who loved him. He might be
languishing in a cavern, but that was all the more reason why they
should show their kindness and demonstrate their unswerving loyalty.
Among other things, this painful trial enabled David to discover who
were, and who were not, his real friends.
If we look beneath the surface here, the anointed eye should have no
difficulty in discerning another striking and blessed type of David's
Son and Lord. First, a type of him when He tabernacled among men, in
"the days of his flesh." How fared it then with the Anointed of God?
By title the throne of Israel was His, for He was born "the King of
the Jews" (Matthew 2:2). That God was with him was unmistakably
evident. He too "behaved Himself wisely in all His ways." He too
performed exploits: healing the sick, freeing the demon possessed,
feeding the hungry multitude, raising the dead. But just as Saul hated
and persecuted David, so the heads of the Jews--the chief priests and
Pharisees--were envious of and hounded Christ. Just as Saul thirsted
for the blood of Jesse's son, the leaders of Israel (at a later date)
thirsted for the blood of God's Son.
The analogy mentioned above might be drawn out at considerable length,
but at only one other point will we here glance, namely, the fact of
the solemn foreshadowment furnished by David as first the friend and
benefactor of his nation, now the poor outcast. Accurately did he
prefigure that blessed One, who when here was "the Man of sorrows and
acquainted with grief." Trace His path as the Holy Spirit has
described it in the New Testament. Behold Him as the unwanted One in
this world of wickedness. Hear His plaintive declaration, "The foxes
have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man
hath not where to lay His head" (Matthew 8:20). Read too, "And every
man went unto his own house; Jesus went unto the mount of Olives"
(John 7:53; 8:1); and it is evident that David's Lord was the Homeless
Outcast in this scene.
But were there none who appreciated Him, none who loved Him, none who
were willing to be identified with and cast in their lot with Him who
was "despised and rejected of men"? Yes, there were some, and these,
we believe, are typically brought before us in the next verse of the
scripture we are now pondering: "And every one that was in distress,
and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented,
gathered themselves unto him" (1 Sam. 22:2). What a strange company to
seek unto God's anointed! No mention is made of the captains of the
army, the men of state, the princes of the realm, coming unto David.
No, they, with all like them, preferred the court and the palace to
the cave of Adullam.
Is not the picture an accurate one, dear reader? Is it not plain again
that these Old Testament records furnished something more than
historical accounts, that there is a typical and spiritual
significance to them as well? If David be a type of Christ, then those
who sought him out during the season of his humiliation, must
represent those who sought unto David's Son when He sojourned on this
earth. And clearly they did so. Read the four Gospels, and it will be
found that, for the most part, those who sought unto the Lord Jesus,
were the poor and needy; it was the lepers, the blind, the maimed and
the halt, who came unto Him for help and healing. The rich and
influential, the learned and the mighty, the leaders of the Nation,
had no heart for Him.
But what is before us in the opening of 1 Samuel 22 not only typed out
that which occurred during the earthly ministry of Christ, but it also
shadowed forth that which has come to pass all through this Christian
era, and that which is taking place today. As the Holy Spirit declared
through Paul, "For ye see your calling brethren, how that not many
wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the
wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world, to confound
the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things
which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to
bring to nought the things which are: That no flesh should glory in
his presence" (1 Cor. 1:26-29).
The second verse of 1 Samuel 22 sets before us a striking gospel
picture. Note, first, that those who came to David were few in number:
"about four hundred." What a paltry retinue! What a handful compared
with the hosts of Israel! But did Christ fare any better in the days
of His flesh? How many friends stood around the Cross, wept at His
sepulcher, or greeted Him as He burst the bars of death? How many
followed Him to Bethany, gazed at His ascending form, or gathered in
the upper room to await the promised Spirit? And how is it today? Of
the countless millions of earth's inhabitants what percentage of them
have even heard the gospel? Out of those who bear His name, how many
evidence that they are denying self, taking up their cross daily, and
following the example which He has left, and thus proving themselves
by the only badge of discipleship which He will recognize? A
discouraging situation, you say. Not at all, rather is it just what
faith expects. The Lord Jesus declared that His flock is a "little
one" (Luke 12:32), that only "few" tread that narrow way which leadeth
unto life (Matthew 7:14).
Second, observe again the particular type of people who sought out
David: they were "in distress, in debt, and discontented." What terms
could more suitably describe the condition they are in when the
redeemed first seek help from Christ! "In debt": in all things we had
come short of the glory of God. In thought, word, and deed, we had
failed to please Him, and there was marked up against us a multitude
of transgressions. "In distress"; who can tell out that anguish of
soul which is experienced by the truly convicted of the Holy Spirit?
Only the one who has actually experienced the same, knows of that
unspeakable horror and sorrow when the heart first perceives the
frightful enormity of having defied the infinite Majesty of heaven,
trifled with His longsuffering, slighted His mercy again and again.
"Discontented." Yes, this line in the picture is just as accurate as
the others. The one who has been brought to realize he is a spiritual
pauper, and who is now full of grief for his sins, is discontented
with the very things which till recently pleased him. Those pleasures
which fascinated, now pall. That gay society which once attracted, now
repels. O the emptiness of the world to a soul which God hath smitten
with a sense of sin! The stricken one turns away with disgust from
that which he had formerly sought after so eagerly. There is now an
aching void within, which nothing without can fill. So wretched is the
convicted sinner, he wishes he were dead, yet he is terrified at the
very thought of death. Reader, do you know anything of such an
experience, or is all this the language of an unknown tongue to you?
Third, these people who were in debt, in distress, and discontented,
sought out David. They were the only ones who did so; it was a deep
sense of need which drove them to him, and a hope that he could
relieve them. So it is spiritually. None but those who truly feel that
they are paupers before God, with no good thing to their credit,
absolutely destitute of any merits of their own, will appreciate the
glad tidings that Christ Jesus came into this world to pay the debt of
such. Only those who are smitten in their conscience, broken in heart,
and sick of sin, will really respond to that blessed word of His,
"Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy-laden, and I will give
you rest. Only those who have lost all heart for this poor world, will
truly turn unto the Lord of glory.
Fourth, the spiritual picture we are now contemplating is not only a
type of the first coming to Christ of His people, but also of their
subsequent going forth "unto Him without the camp" (Heb. 13:13). Those
who sought David in the Cave of Adullam turned their backs upon both
the court of Saul and the religion of Judaism. There was none to pity
them there. Who cared for penniless paupers? Who had a heart for those
in distress? So it is in many churches today. Those who are "poor in
spirit" have nothing in common with the self-satisfied Laodiceans. And
how "distressed" in soul are they over the worldliness that has come
in like a flood, over the crowds of unregenerate members, over the
utter absence of any scriptural discipline? And what is to be the
attitude and actions of God's grieved children toward those having
nothing more than a form of godliness? This "from such turn away" (2
Tim. 3:5). Identify yourself with Christ on the outside; walk alone
with Him.
Fifth, "And he became a captain over them" (1 Sam. 22:2). Important
and striking line in the picture is this. Christ is to be received as
"Lord" (Col. 2:6) if He is to be known as Saviour. Love to Christ is
to be evidenced by "keeping His commandments" (John 14:15). It
mattered not what that strange company had been who sought unto David,
they were now his servants and soldiers. They had turned away from the
evil influence of Saul, to be subject unto the authority of David.
This is what Christ requires from all who identify themselves with
Him. "Take My yoke upon you" is His demand (Matthew 11:29). Nor need
we shrink from it, for He declares "My yoke is easy, and my burden is
light."
Index
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER ELEVEN
His Return to Judea
1 Samuel 22 and 23
_________________________________________________________________
In our last chapter we left David in the Cave of Adullam. An incident
is recorded in 2 Samuel 23 which throws an interesting light on the
spiritual life of our hero at this time. "And three of the thirty
chief went down and came to David in the harvest-time unto the cave of
Adullam: and the troop of the Philistines pitched in the valley of
Rephaim. And David was then in an hold, and the garrison of the
Philistines was then in Bethlehem. And David longed, and said, Oh,
that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem,
which is by the gate! And the three mighty men brake through the hosts
of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that
was by the gate, and took and brought it to David: nevertheless he
would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the Lord. And he said,
Be it far from me, O Lord, that I should do this: is not this the
blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? Therefore he
would not drink of it" (vv. 13-17).
No doubt the trials of his present lot had called to David's mind his
happy life at home. The weather being hot, he expressed a longing for
a drink from the family well of Bethlehem, though with no thought that
any of his men would risk their lives to procure it for him. Yet this
is precisely what happened: out of deep devotion to their outlawed
captain, three of them fought their way through a company of the
Philistines who were encamped there, and returned to David with the
desired draught. Touched by their loyalty, stirred by their
self-sacrifice, David felt that water obtained at such risk was too
valuable for him to drink, and was fit only to be "poured out unto the
Lord" as a "drink-offering." Beautifully has Matthew Henry made
application of this, thus: "Did David look upon that water as very
precious, which was got but with the hazard of these men's blood, and
shall not we much more value those benefits for the purchasing of
which our blessed Saviour shed His blood"?
We quote from another who has commented upon this incident. "There is
something peculiarly touching and beautiful in the above scene,
whether we contemplate the act of the three mighty men in procuring
the water for David, or David's act in pouring it out to the Lord. It
is evident that David discerned, in an act of such uncommon
devotedness, a sacrifice which none but the Lord Himself could duly
appreciate. The odor of such a sacrifice was far too fragrant for him
to interrupt it in its ascent to the throne of the God of Israel.
Wherefore he, very properly and very graciously, allows it to pass him
by, in order that it might go up to the One who alone was worthy to
receive it, or able to appreciate it. All this reminds us, forcibly,
of that beautiful compendium of Christian devotedness set forth in
Philippians 2:17, 18: `Yea, and if I be poured out upon the sacrifice,
and service of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all; for this
cause ye also joy and rejoice with me.' In this passage, the apostle
represents the Philippian saints in their character as priests,
presenting a sacrifice and performing a priestly ministration to God;
and such was the intensity of his self-forgetting devotedness, that he
could rejoice in his being poured out as a drink-offering upon their
sacrifice, so that all might ascend, in fragrant odor to God" (C. H.
M.).
Some commentators have denied that the above touching episode occurred
during that section of David's history which we are now considering,
placing it at a much later date. These men failed to see that 1
Chronicles 11:15 and 2 Samuel 23 recount things out of their
chronological order. If the reader turn back to 1 Samuel 17:1, 19:8,
etc., he will see that the Philistines were quite active in making
raids upon Israel at this time, and that David, not Saul, was the
principal one to withstand them. But now he was no longer in the
position to engage them. Saul, as we shall see in a moment, had
dropped all other concerns and was confining his whole attention to
the capture of David: thus the door was then wide open for the
Philistines to continue their depredations. Finally, be it said, all
that is recorded after David came to the throne, makes it altogether
unlikely that the Philistines were then encamped around Bethlehem,
still less that the king should seek refuge in the cave of Adullam.
"And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said unto the king of
Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, and be
with you, till I know what God will do for me. And he brought them
before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that
David was in the hold" (1 Sam. 22:3, 4). We are convinced that what
has been before us in the above paragraphs supplies the key to that
which is here recorded. In 1 Samuel 22:1 we learn that "all his
family" had come to David in the Cave. From 16:1 we learn that their
home was in Bethlehem: but the Philistines were now encamped there (2
Sam. 23:14), so they could not return thither. David did not wish his
parents to share the hardships involved by his wanderings, and so now
he thoughtfully seeks an asylum for them. Blessed is it to see him, in
the midst of his sore trials, "honoring his father and his mother."
Beautifully did this foreshadow what is recorded in John
While Saul was so bitterly opposed to David, there was no safety for
his parents anywhere in the land of Israel. The deep exercises and
anguish of David's heart at this time are vividly expressed in Psalm
142, the Title of which reads, "A Prayer when he was in the Cave." "I
cried unto the Lord with my voice, with my voice unto the Lord did I
make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before Him: I showed
before Him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then
Thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily
laid a snare for me. I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there
was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my
soul. I cried unto Thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my refuge and my
portion in the land of the living. Attend unto my cry; for I am
brought very low; deliver me from my persecutors, for they are
stronger than I. Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise Thy
name: the righteous shall compass me about; for Thou shalt deal
bountifully with me." Blessed is it to mark the note of confidence in
God in the closing
"And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said unto the king of
Moab, let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, and be
with you." What was it induced David to trust his parents unto the
protection of the Moabites? We quote, in part. from the answer given
by J. J. Blunt in his very striking book, Undesigned Coincidences in
the Old and New Testament, "Saul, it is true, had been at war with
them, whatever he might then be--but so had he been with every people
round about; with the Ammonites, with the Edomites, with the kings of
Zobah. Neither did it follow that the enemies of Saul, as a matter of
course, would be the friends of David. On the contrary, he was only
regarded by the ancient inhabitants of the land, to which ever of the
local nations they belonged, as the champion of Israel; and with such
suspicion was he received amongst them, notwithstanding Saul's known
enmity towards him, that before Achish king of Gath, he was
constrained to feign himself mad, and so effect his escape . . .
"Now what principle of preference may be imagined to have governed
David when he committed his family to the dangerous keeping of the
Moabites? Was it a mere matter of chance? It might seem so, as far as
appears to the contrary in David's history, given in the books of
Samuel; and if the book of Ruth had never come down to us, to accident
it probably would have been ascribed. But this short and beautiful
historical document shows us a propriety in the selection of Moab
above any other for a place of refuge to the father and mother of
David; since it is there seen that the grandmother of Jesse, David's
father, was actually a Moabitess; Ruth being the mother of Obed, and
Obed the father of Jesse. And, moreover, that Orpah, the other
Moabitess, who married Mahlon at the time when Ruth married Chilion
his brother, remained behind in Moab after the departure of Naomi and
Ruth, and remained behind with a strong feeling of affection,
nevertheless, for the family and kindred of her deceased husband,
taking leave of them with tears (Ruth 1:14). She herself then, or at
all events, her descendants and friends might still be alive. Some
regard for the posterity of Ruth, David would persuade himself, might
still survive amongst them . . .
"Thus do we detect, not without some pains, a certain fitness, in the
conduct of David in this transaction which makes it to be a real one.
A forger of a story could not have fallen upon the happy device of
sheltering Jesse in Moab simply on the recollecting of his Moabitish
extraction two generations earlier; or, having fallen upon it, it is
probable he would have taken care to draw the attention of his readers
towards his device by some means or other, lest the evidence it was
intended to afford of the truth of the history might be thrown away
upon them. As it is, the circumstance itself is asserted without the
smallest attempt to explain or account for it. Nay, recourse must be
had to another book of Scripture, in order that the coincidence may be
seen."
Unto the king of Moab David said, "Let my father and my mother, I pray
thee, come forth and be with you, till I know what God will do for
me." Slowly but surely our patriarch was learning to acquiesce in the
appointments of God. Practical subjection unto the Lord is only
learned in the school of experience: the theory of it may be gathered
from books, but the actuality has to be hammered out on the anvil of
our hearts. Of our glorious Head it is declared, "Though He were a
Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered" (Heb.
5:8). This word of David's also indicates that he was beginning to
feel the need of waiting upon God for directions: how much sorrow and
suffering would be avoided did we always do so. His "what God will do
for me," rather than "with me," indicated a hope in the Lord.
"And the prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the hold; depart,
and get thee into the land of Judea. Then David departed, and came
into the forest of Hareth" (v. 5). In the light of this verse, and
together with 22:23, we may see that "the excellent" of the earth (Ps.
16:3) were more and more gathering to him who was a type of Christ in
His rejection. Here we see the prophet of God with him, and shortly
afterwards he was joined by the high priest--solemn it is to contrast
the apostate Saul, who was now deserted by both. David had been
humbled before God, and He now speaks again to him, not directly, but
mediately. Two reasons may be suggested for this: David was not yet
fully restored to Divine communion, and God was honoring His own --the
prophetic office: cf. 1 Samuel 23:9-1l.
"And the prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the hold; depart,
and get thee into the land of Judah." It is quite clear from the
language of this verse that at the time God now spoke to His servant
through the prophet, he had not returned to the Cave of Adullam, but
had sought temporary refuge in some stronghold of Moab. Now he
received a call which presented a real test to his faith. To appear
more openly in his own country would evidence the innocency of his
cause, as well as display his confidence in the Lord. "The steps of a
good man are ordered by the Lord" (Ps. 37:23), yet the path He
appoints is not the one which is smoothest to the flesh. But
"When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with
him, (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear
in his hand, and all his servants standing about him); then Saul said
unto his servants . . . " Here the Spirit takes up again another
leading thread around which the history of 1 Samuel is woven. Having
traced the movements of David since the leaving of his home (19: 11,
12) up to the Cave of Adullam and his now receiving orders to return
to the land of Judea, He follows again the evil history of Saul. The
king had apparently set aside everything else, and was devoting
himself entirely to the capture of David. He had taken up his
headquarters at Gibeah: the "spear in his hand" showed plainly his
blood-thirsty intentions.
The news of David's return to Judea, soon reached the ears of Saul,
and the fact that he was accompanied by a considerable number of men,
probably alarmed him not a little, fearful that the people would turn
to his rival and that he would lose his throne. His character was
revealed again by the words which he now addressed to his servants (v.
7), who were, for the most part, selected from his own tribe. He
appealed not to the honor and glory of Jehovah, but to their cupidity.
David belonged to Judah, and if he became king then those who belonged
to the tribe of Benjamin must not expect to receive favors at his
hands--neither rewards of land, nor positions of prominence in the
army.
"All of you have conspired against me, and there is none that showeth
me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse, and there is
none of you that is sorry for me, or showeth unto me that my son hath
stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day" (v.
8). Here Saul charges his followers with having failed to reveal to
him that which he supposed they knew, and of showing no concern for
the circumstance in which he was then placed; this he construed as a
conspiracy against him. His was the language of ungovernable rage and
jealousy. His son is charged as being ringleader of the conspirators,
merely because he would not assist in the murder of an excellent man
whom he loved! True, there was a covenant of friendship between
Jonathan and David, but no plot to destroy Saul, as he wildly
imagined. But it is the nature of an evil person to regard as enemies
those who are not prepared to toady to him or her in everything.
It was in response to Saul's bitter words to his men, that Doeg the
Edomite made known David's secret visit to Ahimelech, and his
obtaining victuals and the sword of Goliath (vv. 9, 10). Nothing was
mentioned of the high priest being imposed upon, but the impression
was left that he joined with David in a conspiracy against Saul. Let
us learn from this that we may "bear false witness against our
neighbor" as really and disastrously by maliciously withholding part
of the truth, as by deliberately inventing a lie. When called upon to
express our opinion of another (which should, generally, be declined,
unless some good purpose is to be served thereby), honesty requires
that we impartially recount what is in his favor, as well as what
makes against him. Note how in His addresses to the seven churches in
Asia, the Lord commended the good, as well as rebuked that which was
evil.
The terrible sequel is recorded in verses 11-19. Ahimelech and all his
subordinate priests were promptly summoned into the king's presence.
Though he was by rank the second person in Israel, Saul contemptuously
called the high priest "the son of Ahitub" (v. 12). Quietly ignoring
the insult, Ahimelech addressed the king as "my lord," thus giving
honor to whom honor was due--the occupant of any office which God has
appointed is to be honored, no matter how unworthy of respect the man
may be personally. Next, the king charged the high priest with
rebellion and treason (v. 13). Ahimelech gave a faithful and
ungarnished account of his transaction with David (vv. 14, 15). But
nothing could satisfy the incensed king but death, and orders were
given for the whole priestly family to be butchered.
One of the sons of Ahimelech, named Abithai, escaped. Probably he had
been left by his father to take care of the tabernacle and its holy
things, while he and the rest of the priests went to appear before
Saul. Having heard of their bloody execution, and before the murderers
arrived at Nob to complete their vile work of destroying the wives,
children and flocks of the priests, he fled, taking with him the ephod
and the urim and thummim, and joined David (v. 21). It was then that
David wrote the fifty-second Psalm. Three things may be observed in
connection with the above tragedy. First, the solemn sentence which
God had pronounced against the house of Eli was now executed (2:31-36;
3:12-14)--thus the iniquities of the fathers were visited upon the
children. Second, Saul was manifestly forsaken of God, given up to
Satan and his own malignant passions, and was fast ripening for
judgment. Third, by this cruel carnage David obtained the presence of
the high priest, who afterwards proved a great comfort and blessing to
him (23:6, 9-13; 30:7-10)--thus did God make the wrath of man to
praise Him and work together for good unto His own.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER TWELVE
Delivering Keilah
1 Samuel 23
_________________________________________________________________
The first section of 1 Samuel 23 (which we are now to look at)
presents some striking contrasts. In it are recorded incidents
exceedingly blessed, others fearfully sad. David is seen at his best,
Saul at his worst. David humbly waits on the Lord, Saul presumes upon
and seeks to pervert His providences. Saul is indifferent to the
wellbeing of his own subjects, David delivers them from their enemies.
David at imminent risk rescues the town of Keilah from the marauding
Philistines; yet so lacking are they in gratitude, that they were
ready to hand him over unto the man who sought his life. Though the
priests of the Lord, with their entire families, had been brutally
slain by Saul's orders, yet the awful malice of the king was not
thereby appeased: he is now seen again seeking the life of David, and
that at the very time when he had so unselfishly wrought good for the
nation.
It is instructive and helpful to keep in mind the order of what has
been before us in previous chapters, so that we may perceive one of
the important spiritual lessons in what is now to be before us. David
had failed, jailed sadly. We all do; but David had done what many are
painfully slow in doing: he had humbled himself before the Lord, he
had repented of and confessed his sins, in our last chapter, we saw
how that David had been restored, in considerable measure at least, to
communion with the Lord. God had spoken to him through His prophet.
Light was now granted again on his path. The word was given him to
return to the land of Judah (22:5). That word he had heeded, and now
we are to see how the Lord used him again. Strikingly does this
illustrate 1 Peter 5:6: "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty
hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time."
"Then they told David, Behold, the Philistines fight against Keilah,
and they rob the threshingfloors" (1 Sam. 23:1). Here we may see
another reason (more than those suggested at the close of our last
chapter) why God had called David to return to the land of Judah: He
had further work for him to do there. Keilah was within the borders of
that tribe (Josh. l5:21, 44). It was a fortified town (v. 7), and the
Philistines had laid siege to it. The "threshingfloors" (which were
usually situated outside the cities: Judges 6:11, Ruth 3:2, 15) were
already being pilfered by them. Who it was that acquainted David with
these tidings we know not.
"Therefore David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go and smite
these Philistines?" (v. 2). Very blessed is this, and further evidence
does it supply of David's spiritual recovery. Saul was neglecting the
public safety, but the one whom he was hounding was concerned for it.
Though he had been ill treated, David was not sulking over his wrongs,
but instead was ready to return good for evil, by coming to the
assistance of one of the king's besieged towns. What a noble spirit
did he here manifest! Though his hands were full in seeking to hide
from Saul, and provide for the needs of his six hundred men
"Therefore David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go and smite
these Philistines?" This is very beautiful. Having been anointed unto
the throne, David considered himself the protector of Israel, and was
ready to employ his men for the public weal. He had an intense love
for his country, and was desirous of freeing it from its enemies, yet
he would not act without first seeking counsel of the Lord: he desired
that God should appoint his service. The more particularly we seek
direction from God in fervent prayer, and the more carefully we
consult the sacred Scriptures for the knowledge of His will, the more
He is honored, and the more we are benefited.
"And the Lord said unto David, Go, and smite the Philistines, and save
Keilah" (v. 2). Where God is truly sought--that is, sought sincerely,
humbly, trustfully, with the desire to learn and do that which is
pleasing to Him--the soul will not be left in ignorance. God does not
mock His needy children. His Word declares, "In all thy ways
acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths" (Prov. 3:6). So it was
here. The Lord responded to David's inquiry--possibly through the
prophet Gad--and not only revealed His will, but gave promise that he
should be successful.
"And David's men said unto him, Behold, we be afraid here in Judah:
how much more then if we come to Keilah against the armies of the
Philistines?" (v. 3). This presented a real test to David's confidence
in the Lord, for if his men were unwilling to accompany him, how could
he expect to relieve the besieged town? His men were obviously
"afraid" of being caught between two fires. Were they to advance upon
the Philistines and Saul's army should follow them up in the rear,
then where would they be? Ah, their eyes were not upon the living God,
but upon their difficult "circumstances," and to be occupied with
these is always discouraging to the heart. But how often has a man of
God, when facing a trying situation, found the unbelief of his
professed friends and followers a real hindrance. Yet he should regard
this as a test, and not as an obstacle. Instead of paralyzing action,
it ought to drive him to seek succor from Him who never fails those
who truly count upon His aid.
"Then David inquired of the Lord yet again" (v. 4). This is precious.
David did not allow the unbelieving fears of his men to drive him to
despair. He could hardly expect them to walk by his faith. But he knew
that when God works, He works at both ends of the line. He who had
given him orders to go to the relief of Keilah, could easily quiet the
hearts of his followers, remove their fears, and make them willing to
follow his lead. Yes, with God "all things are possible." But He
requires to be "inquired of" (Ezek. 36:37). He delights to be "proved"
(Mal. 3:10). Oft He permits just such a trial as now faced David in
order to teach us more fully His sufficiency for every emergency.
"Then David inquired of the Lord yet again." Yes, this is blessed
indeed. David did not storm at his men, and denounce them as cowards.
That would do no good. Nor did he argue and attempt to reason with
them. Disdaining his own wisdom, feeling his utter dependency upon
God, and more especially for their benefit--to set before them a godly
example--he turned once more unto Jehovah. Let us learn from this
incident that, the most effectual way of answering the unbelieving
objections of faint-hearted followers and of securing their
co-operation, is to refer them unto the promises and precepts of God,
and set before them an example of complete dependency upon Him and of
implicit
"And the Lord answered him and said, Arise, go down to Keilah: for I
will deliver the Philistines into thine hand" (v. 4). How sure is the
fulfillment of that promise, "Them that honor Me, I will honor" (1
Sam. 2:30)! We always lose by acting independently of God, but we
never lose by seeking counsel, guidance and grace from Him. God did
not ignore David's inquiry. He was not displeased by his asking a
second time. How gracious and patient He is! He not only responded to
David's petition, but He gave an answer more explicit than at the
first, for He now assured His servant of entire victory. May this
encourage many a reader to come unto God with every difficulty, cast
every care upon Him, and count upon His succor every hour.
"So David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines,
and brought away their cattle, and smote them with a great slaughter.
So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah" (v. 5). Animated by a
commission and promise from God, David and his men moved forward and
attacked the Philistines. Not only did they completely rout the enemy,
but they captured their cattle, which supplied food for David's men,
food which the men greatly needed. How this furnishes an illustration
of "Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask
or think, according to the power that worketh in us" (Eph. 3:20)! God
not only overthrew the Philistines and delivered Keilah, but as well,
bountifully provided David's army with a supply of victuals.
"And it came to pass, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David
to Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand" (v. 6). This
was a further reward from the Lord unto David for obeying His word. As
we shall see later, the presence of the high priest and his ephod with
him, stood David in good stead in the future. We may also see here a
striking example of the absolute control of God over all His
creatures; it was David's visit to Ahimelech that had resulted in the
slaying of all his family; well then might the only son left, feel
that the son of Jesse was the last man whose fortunes he desired to
share.
"And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul said,
God hath delivered him into mine hand; for he is shut in, by entering
into a town that hath gates and bars" (v. 7). Surely David's signal
victory over the common enemy should have reconciled Saul to him. Was
it not abundantly clear that God was with him, and if He were with
him, who could be against him? But one who is abandoned by the Lord
can neither discern spiritual things nor judge righteously, and
therefore his conduct will be all wrong too. Accordingly we find that
instead of thinking how he might most suitably reward David for his
courageous and unselfish generosity, Saul desired only to do him
mischief. Well might our patriarch write, "They regarded me evil for
good to the spoiling of my soul" (Ps. 35:12).
"And Saul said, God hath delivered him into mine hand; for he is shut
in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars." How easy it is
for a jaundiced mind to view things in a false light. When the heart
is wrong, the providences of God are certain to be misinterpreted.
Terrible is it to behold the apostate king here concluding that God
Himself had now sold David into his hands! That man has sunk to a
fearful depth who blatantly assumes that the Almighty is working to
further his wicked plans. While David was at large, hiding in caves
and sheltering in the woods, he was hard to find; but here in a walled
town, Saul supposed he would be completely trapped when his army
surrounded it.
"And Saul called all the people together to war, to go down to Keilah,
to besiege David and his men" (v. 8). if we omit the last clause and
read on through the next verse, it will be seen that the unscrupulous
Saul resorted to a dishonest ruse. To make war against the Philistines
was the ostensible object which the king set before his men; to
capture David was his real design. The last clause of verse 8 states
Saul's secret motive. While pretending to oppose the common enemy, he
was intending to destroy his best friend. Verily, the devil was his
father, and the lusts of his father he would do.
"And David knew that Saul secretly practiced mischief against him; and
he said to Abiathar, the priest, Bring hither the ephod" (v. 9). Yes,
"the secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him" (Ps. 25:14). Ah,
but only with them that truly "fear" Him. "If any man walk in the day,
he stumbleth not" (John 11:9). "He that followeth Me," said Christ,
"shall not walk in darkness" (John 8:12). O what a blessed thing it
is, dear reader, to have light upon our path, to see the enemy's
snares and pitfalls. But in order to this, there must be a walking
with Him who is "the Light." If we are out of communion with the Lord,
if we have for the moment turned aside from the path of His
commandments, then we can no longer perceive the dangers which menace
us.
"And David knew that Saul secretly practiced mischief against him."
This is very blessed, and recorded for our instruction. We ought not
to be ignorant of Satan's devices (2 Cor. 2:11), nor shall we be if
our hearts are right with God. Observe carefully that this 9th verse
opens with the word "And," which announces the fact that it is
connected with and gives the sequel to what has gone before. And what
had preceded in this case? First, David had sought counsel of the Lord
(v. 2). Second, he had refused to be turned aside from the path of
duty by the unbelieving fears of his followers (v. 3). Third, he had
maintained an attitude of complete dependency upon the Lord (v. 4).
Fourth, he had definitely obeyed the Lord (v. 5). And now God rewarded
him by acquainting him with the enemy's designs upon him. Meet the
conditions, my brother or sister, and you too shall know when the
devil is about to attack you.
David was not deceived by Saul's guile. He knew that though he had
given out to his men one thing, yet in his heart he purposed quite
another. "Then said David, O Lord God of Israel, Thy servant hath
certainly heard that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the
city for my sake" (v. 10). This too is very blessed; once more David
thus turns to the living God, and casts all his care upon Him (1 Peter
5:7). Observe well his words: he does not say "Saul purposeth to slay
me, but he seeketh to destroy the city for my sake," on my account. Is
it not lovely to see him more solicitous about the welfare of others,
than the preserving of his own life!
"Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hands? will Saul come
down, as Thy servant hath heard? O Lord God of Israel, I beseech Thee,
tell Thy servant. And the Lord said, He will come down" (v. 11). It is
to be noted that the two questions here asked by David were not
orderly put, showing the perturbed state of mind he was then in. We
should also observe the manner in which David addressed God, as "Lord
God of Israel" (so too in ver. 10), which was His covenant title. It
is blessed when we are able to realize the covenant-relationship of
God to us (Heb. 13:20, 21), for it is ever an effectual plea to
present before the Throne of Grace. The Lord graciously responded to
David's supplication and granted the desired information, reversing
the order of his questions. God's saying "he (Saul) will come down"
(that is his purpose), here manifested His omniscience, for He knows
all contingencies (possibilities and likelihoods), as well as
actualities.
"Then said David, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into
the hand of Saul?" (v.12). Wise David, He had good cause to conclude
that after so nobly befriending Keilah and delivering it from the
Philistines, that its citizens would now further his interests, and in
such case, he and his own men could defend the town against Saul's
attack. But he prudently refrained from placing any confidence in
their loyalty. He probably reasoned that the recent cruel massacre of
Nob would fill them with dread of Saul, so that he must not count upon
their assistance. Thus did he seek counsel from the Lord. And so ought
we: we should never confide in help from others, no, not even from
those we have befriended, and from whom we might reasonably expect a
return of kindness. No ties of honor, gratitude, or affection, can
secure the heart under powerful temptation. Nay, we know not how we
would act if assailed by the terrors of a cruel death, and left
without the immediate support of divine grace. We are to depend only
upon the Lord for guidance and protection.
"And the Lord said, They will deliver thee up" (v. 12). This must have
been saddening to David's heart, for base ingratitude wounds deeply.
Yet let us not forget that the kindness of other friends whom the Lord
often unexpectedly raises up, counterbalances the ingratitude and
fickleness of those we have served. God answered David here according
to His knowledge of the human heart. Had David remained in Keilah, its
inhabitants would have delivered him up upon Saul's demand. But he
remained not, and escaped. Be it carefully noted that this incident
furnishes a clear illustration of human responsibility, and is a
strong case in point against bald fatalism--taking the passive
attitude that what is to be, must be.
"Then David and his men, which were about six hundred, arose and
departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go. And it
was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah, and he forbare to go
forth. And David abode in the wilderness in strongholds, and remained
in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every
day, but God delivered him not into his hand" (vv. 13, 14). This too
is blessed: David was willing to expose himself and his men to further
hardships, rather than endanger the lives of Keilah! Having no
particular place in view, they went forth wherever they thought best.
The last half of verse 14 shows God's protecting hand was still upon
them, and is Jehovah's reply to Saul's vain and presumptuous
confidence in verse 7.
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
His Sojourn at Ziph
1 Samuel 23
_________________________________________________________________
"Many are the afflictions of the righteous" (Ps. 34:19): some
internal, others external; some from friends, others from foes; some
more directly at the hand of God, others more remotely by the
instrumentality of the devil. Nor should this be thought strange. Such
has been the lot of all God's children in greater or lesser degree.
Nor ought we to expect much comfort in a world which so basely
crucified the Lord of glory. The sooner the Christian makes it his
daily study to pass through this world as a stranger and pilgrim,
anxious to depart and be with Christ, the better for his peace of
mind. But it is natural to cling tenaciously to this life and to love
the things of time and sense, and therefore most of the Lord's people
have to encounter many buffetings and have many disappointments before
they are brought to hold temporal things with a light hand and before
their silly hearts are weaned from that which satisfies not.
There is scarcely any affliction which besets the suffering people of
God that the subject of these chapters did not experience. David, in
the different periods of his varied life, was placed in almost every
situation in which a believer, be he rich or poor in this world's
goods, can be placed. This is one feature which makes the study of his
life of such practical interest unto us today. And this also it was
which experimentally fitted him to write so many Psalms, which the
saints of all ages have found so perfectly suited to express unto God
the varied feelings of their souls. No matter whether the heart be
cast down by the bitterest grief, or whether it be exultant with
overflowing joy, nowhere can we find language more appropriate to use
in our approaches unto the Majesty on High, than in the recorded sobs
and songs of him who tasted the bitters of cruel treatment and base
betrayals, and the sweetness of human success and spiritual communion
with the Lord, as few have done.
Oftentimes the providences of God seem profoundly mysterious to our
dull perceptions, and strange unto us do appear the schoolings through
which He passes His servants; nevertheless Faith is assured that
Omniscience makes no mistakes, and He who is Love causes none of His
children a needless tear. Beautifully did C. H. Spurgeon introduce his
exposition of Psalm 59 by saying, "Strange that the painful events in
David's life should end in enriching the repertoire of the national
minstrelsy. Out of a sour, ungenerous soil spring up the honey-bearing
flowers of psalmody. Had he never been cruelly hunted by Saul, Israel
and the church of God in after ages would have missed this song. The
music of the sanctuary is in no small degree indebted to the trials of
the saints. Affliction is the tuner of the harps of sanctified
songsters." Let every troubled reader seek to lay this truth to heart
and take courage.
"And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a
mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day but
God delivered him not into his hand" (1 Sam. 23:14). It is blessed to
behold David's self-restraint under sore provocation. Though perfectly
innocent, so far as his conduct toward Saul was concerned, that wicked
king continued to hound him without any rest. David had conducted
himself honorably in every public station he filled, and now he has to
suffer disgrace in the eyes of the people as a hunted outlaw. Great
must have been the temptation to put an end to Saul's persecution by
the use of force. He was a skilled leader, had six hundred men under
him (v. 13), and he might easily have employed strategy, lured his
enemy into a trap, fallen upon and slain him. Instead, he possessed
his soul in patience, walked in God's ways, and waited God's time. And
the Lord honored this as the sequel shows.
Ah, dear reader, it is written, "He that is slow to anger is better
than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a
city" (Prov. 16:32). O for more godly self-control; for this we should
pray earnestly and oft. Are you, like David was, sorely oppressed? Are
you receiving evil at the hands of those from whom you might well
expect good? Is there some Saul mercilessly persecuting you? Then no
doubt you too are tempted to take things into your own hands, perhaps
have recourse to the law of the land. But O tried one, suffer us to
gently remind you that it is written, "Avenge not yourselves, but
rather give place unto wrath . . . vengeance is Mine; I will repay,
saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he
thirst, give him drink" (Rom. 12:19,20). Remember too the example left
us by the Lord Jesus, "Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again;
when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that
judgeth righteously" (1 Peter 2:23).
"And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life: and David was
in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood" (v. 15). How this illustrates
what we are told in Galatians 4:29, "But as then he that was born
after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so
it is now"! And let us not miss the deeper spiritual meaning of this:
the opposition which Isaac encountered from Ishmael adumbrated the
lustings of the "flesh" against "the spirit." There is a continual
warfare within every real Christian between the principle of sin and
the principle of grace, commonly termed "the two natures." There is a
spiritual Saul who is constantly seeking the life of a spiritual
David: it is the "old man" with his affections and appetites, seeking
to slay the new man. Against his relentless attacks we need ever to be
on our
"And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life: and David was
in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood." "Ziph" derived its name from a
city in the tribe of Judah: Joshua 15:25. It is surely significant
that "Ziph" signifies "a refining-place": possibly the "mountain"
there (v. 14) was rich in minerals, and at Ziph there was a smelter
and refinery. Be this as it may, the spiritual lesson is here written
too plainly for us to miss. The hard knocks which the saint receives
from a hostile world, the persecutions he endures at the hands of
those who hate God, the trials through which he passes in this scene
of sin, may, and should be, improved to the good of his soul. O may
many of the Lord's people prove that these "hard times" through which
they are passing are a "refining place" for their faith and other
spiritual
"And Jonathan Saul's son arose, and went to David into the wood, and
strengthened his hand in God. And he said unto him, Fear not: for the
hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king
over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my
father knoweth. And they two made a covenant before the Lord: and
David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house" (vv. 16-18).
These verses record the final meeting on earth between David and the
weak, vacillating Jonathan. Attached to David as he was by a strong
natural affection, yet he lacked grace to throw in his lot with the
hunted fugitive. He refused to join with his father in persecuting
David, yet the pull of the palace and the court was too strong to be
resisted. He stands as a solemn example of the spiritual compromiser,
of the man who is naturally attracted to Christ, but lacks a
supernatural knowledge of Him which leads to full surrender to him.
That he "strengthened David's hand in God" no more evidenced him to be
a regenerate man, than do the words of Saul in verse 21. Instead of
his words in verse 17 coming true, he fell by the sword of the
Philistines on Gilboa.
"Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David
hide himself with us in strong holds in the wood, in the hill of
Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon? Now therefore, O King,
come down according to all the desire of thy soul to come down; and
our part shall be to deliver him into the king's hand" (vv. 19, 20).
Alas, what is man, and how little to be depended upon! Here was David
seeking shelter from his murderous foe, and that among the people of
his own tribe, and there were they, in order to curry favor with Saul,
anxious to betray him into the king's hands. It was a gross breach of
hospitality, and there was no excuse for it, for Saul had not sought
unto nor threatened them. It mattered not to them though innocent
blood were shed, so long as they procured the smile of the apostate
monarch. That Day alone will show how many have fallen victims before
those who cared for nothing better than the favor of those in
authority.
"And Saul said, Blessed be ye of the Lord; for ye have compassion on
me" (v. 21). Thankfully did Saul receive the offer of these
treacherous miscreants. Observe well how he used the language of piety
while bent on committing the foulest crime! Oh my reader, for your own
good we beg you to take heed unto this. Require something more than
fair words, or even religious phrases, before you form a judgment of
another, and still more so before you place yourself in his power.
Promises are easily made, and easily broken by most people. The name
of God is glibly taken upon the lips of multitudes who have no fear of
God in their hearts. Note too how the wretched Saul represented
himself to be the aggrieved one, and construes the perfidy of the
Ziphites as their loyalty to the king.
"Go, I pray you, prepare yet, and know and see his place where his
haunt is, and who hath seen him there: for it is told me that he
dealeth very subtly. See therefore, and take knowledge of all the
lurking places where he hideth himself, and come ye again to me with
the certainty and I will go with you: and it shall come to pass, if he
be in the land, that I will search him out throughout all the
thousands of Judah" (vv. 22, 23). Before he journeyed to Ziph, Saul
desired more specific information as to exactly where David was now
located. He knew that the man he was after had a much better
acquaintance than his own of that section of the country. He knew that
David was a clever strategist; perhaps he had fortified some place,
and the king wished for details, so that he might know how large a
force would be needed to surround and capture David and his men.
Apparently Saul felt so sure of his prey, he considered there was no
need for hurried action.
Then news that the Ziphites had proved unfaithful reached the ears of
David, and though the king's delay gave him time to retreat to the
wilderness of Maon (v. 24), yet he was now in a sore plight. His
situation was desperate, and none but an Almighty hand could deliver
him. Blessed is it to see him turning at this time unto the living God
and spreading his urgent case before Him. It was then that he prayed
the prayer which is recorded in Psalm 54, the superscription of which
reads "A Psalm of David, when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, Doth
not David hide himself with us?" In it we are given to hear him
pouring out his heart unto the Lord; and unto it we now turn to
consider a few of its details.
"Save me, O God, by Thy name, and judge me by Thy strength" (Ps.
54:1). David was in a position where he was beyond the reach of human
assistance: only a miracle could now save him, therefore did he
supplicate the miracle-working God. Without any preamble, David went
straight to the point and cried, "Save me, O God." Keilah would not
shelter him, the Ziphites had basely betrayed him, Saul and his men
thirsted for his blood. Other refuge there was none; God alone could
help him. His appeal was to His glorious "Name," which stands for the
sum of all His blessed attributes; and to His righteousness--"judge me
by Thy strength." This signifies, Secure justice for me, for none else
will give it me. This manifested the innocency of his cause. Only when
our case is pure can we call upon the power of divine justice to
vindicate us.
"Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth" (Ps. 54:2).
How we need to remember and turn unto the Lord when enduring the
contradiction of sinners against ourselves: to look above and draw
strength from God, so that we be not weary and faint in our minds.
Well did C. H. Spurgeon write, "As long as God hath an open ear we
cannot be shut up in trouble. All other weapons may be useless, but
all-prayer is evermore available. No enemy can spike this gun." "For
strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my soul:
they have not set God before them. Selah" (Ps. 54:3). Those who had no
acquaintance with David, and so could have no cause for ill-will
against him, were his persecutors; strangers were they to God. In such
a circumstance it is well for us to plead before God that we are being
hated for His sake.
We must not here expound the remainder of this Psalm. But let us note
three other things in it. First, the marked change in the last four
verses, following the "Selah" at the end of verse 3. On that word
"Selah" Spurgeon wrote, "As if he said, `Enough of this, let us
pause.' He is out of breath with indignation. A sense of wrong bids
him suspend the music awhile. It may also be observed, that more
pauses would, as a rule, improve our devotions: we are usually too
much in a hurry." Second, his firm confidence in God and the assurance
that his request would be granted: this appears in verses 4-6,
particularly in the "He shall reward evil unto mine enemies"--the "cut
them off" was not spoken in hot revenge, but as an Amen to the sure
sentence of the just Judge. Third, his absolute confidence that his
prayer was answered: the "hath delivered me" of verse 7 is very
striking, and with it should be carefully compared and pondered, Mark
11:24.
It now remains for us to observe how God answered David's prayer. "And
they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were
in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain of the south of Jeshimon" (v.
24). The term "wilderness" is rather misleading to English ears: it is
not synonymous with desert, but is in contrast from cultivated
farmlands and orchards, often signifying a wild forest. "And when Saul
heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon. And Saul
went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side
of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul;
for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take
them" (vv. 25, 26). How often is such the case with us: some sore
trial presses, and we cry unto God for relief, but before His answer
comes, matters appear to get worse. Ah, that is in order that His hand
may be the more evident.
David's plight was now a serious one, for Saul and his men had
practically enveloped them, and only a "mountain," or more accurately,
a steep cliff, separated them. Escape seemed quite cut off:
out-numbered, surrounded, further flight was out of the question. At
last Saul's evil object appeared to be on the very point of
attainment. But man's extremity is God's opportunity. Beautifully did
Matthew Henry comment, "This mountain (or cliff) was an emblem of the
Divine Providence coming between David and the destroyer, like the
pillar of cloud between the Israelites and the Egyptians." Yet, a few
hours at most, and Saul and his army would either climb or go around
that crag. Now for the striking and blessed sequel.
"But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come;
for the Philistines have invaded the land. Wherefore Saul returned
from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines:
therefore, they called that place The rock of divisions. And David
went up from thence and dwelt in strong holds at Engedi" (vv. 27-29).
How marvelously and how graciously God times things! He who orders all
events and controls all creatures, moved the Philistines to invade a
portion of Saul's territory, and tidings of this reached the king's
ear just at the moment David seemed on the brink of destruction. Saul
at once turned his attention to the invaders, and thus he was robbed
of his prey and God glorified as his (David's) Protector. Thus,
without striking a blow, David was delivered. O how blessed to know
that the same God is for His people today, and without them doing a
thing He can turn away those who are harassing. God does hear and
answer the prayer of faith! David and his little force now had their
opportunity to escape, and fled to the strong holds of Engedi, on the
shore of the Dead Sea.
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Sparing Saul
1 Samuel 24
_________________________________________________________________
We began our last chapter by quoting "many are the afflictions of the
righteous," the remainder of the verse reading "but the Lord
delivereth him out of them all" (Ps. 34:19). This does not mean that
God always rescues the afflicted one from the physical danger which
menaces him. No indeed, and we must be constantly on Our guard against
carnally interpreting the Holy Scriptures. It is quite true that there
are numerous cases recorded in the Word where the Lord was pleased
graciously to put forth His power and extricate His people from
situations where death immediately threatened them: the deliverance of
Israel at the Red Sea, Elijah from the murderous intentions of Ahab
and Jezebel, Daniel from the lions' den, being striking illustrations
in point. Yet the slaying of Abel by Cain, the martyrdom of Zechariah
(Matthew 23:35), the stoning of Stephen, are examples to the contrary.
Then did the promise of Psalm 34:19 fail in these latter instances? No
indeed, they received a yet more glorious fulfillment, for they were
finally delivered out of this world of sin and suffering.
David was the one whose hand was moved by the Holy Spirit to first pen
Psalm 34:19, and signally was it fulfilled in his history in a
physical sense. Few men's lives have been more frequently placed in
jeopardy than was his, and few men have experienced the Lord's
delivering hand as he did. But there was a special reason for that,
and it is this to which we would now call attention. David was one of
the progenitors of Israel's Messiah, and it is indeed striking and
blessed to note the wonderful works of God of old in His miraculously
preserving the chosen seed from which Christ, after the flesh, was to
spring. Indeed it is this more particularly, which supplies the key to
many a divine interposition on behalf of the patriarchs and others,
who were in the immediate line from which Jesus of Nazareth issued.
Strikingly does this appear in the history of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob, who for so many years dwelt in the midst of the Canaanites. The
inhabitants of that land were heathen, and most wicked, as Genesis
15:16 intimates. Abraham and his descendants were exposed to them as
sojourners in the land, and men are most apt to be irritated by the
peculiar customs of strangers. It was, then, a most remarkable
dispensation of Providence which preserved the patriarchs in the midst
of such a people: see Psalm 105:42, "Thus was this handful, this
little root that had the blessing of the Redeemer in it, preserved in
the midst of enemies and dangers which was not unlike to the
preserving of the ark in the midst of the tempestuous deluge"
(Jonathan Edwards). Wondrously too did God preserve the infant nation
of Israel in Egypt, in the wilderness, and on their first entering the
promised land.
Still more arresting is the illustration which this principle receives
in the divine preserving of the life of him who was more immediately
and illustriously the sire of Christ. How often was there but a step
betwixt David and death! His encountering of the lion and bear in the
days of his shepherd life, which, without divine intervention, could
have rent him in pieces as easily as they caught a lamb from his
flock; his facing Goliath, who was powerful enough to break him across
his knee, and give his flesh to the beasts of the field as he
threatened; the exposing of his life to the Philistines, when Saul
required one hundred of their foreskins as a dowry for his daughter;
the repeated assaults of the king by throwing his javelin at him; the
later attempts made to capture and slay him--yet from all these was
David delivered. "Thus was the precious seed that virtually contained
the Redeemer and all the blessings of redemption, wondrously
preserved, when all earth and hell were conspired against it to
destroy it" (Jonathan Edwards).
But we must now turn to our present lesson, a lesson which records one
of the most striking events in the eventful life of David. Well did
Matthew Henry point out, "We have hitherto had Saul seeking an
opportunity to destroy David, and, to his shame, he could never find
it; in this chapter David had a fair opportunity to destroy Saul, and,
to his honour, he did not make use of it; and his sparing Saul's life
was as great an instance of God's grace in him, as the preserving of
his own life was of God's providence over him." Most maliciously had
Saul sought David's life, most generously did David spare Saul's life.
It was a glorious triumph of the spirit over the flesh, of grace over
sin.
"And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the
Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the
wilderness of Engedi" (1 Sam. 24:1). From these words we gather that
Saul had been successful in turning back the invading Philistines.
This illustrates a solemn principle which is often lost sight of:
human success is no proof of divine approbation. The mere fact that a
man is prospering outwardly, does not, of itself, demonstrate that his
life is pleasing unto the Lord. No one but an infidel would deny that
it was God who enabled Saul to clear his land of the Philistines, yet
we err seriously if we conclude from this that He delighted in him. As
oxen are fattened for the slaughter, so God often ripens the wicked
for judgment and damnation by an abundance of His temporal mercies.
The immediate sequel shows clearly what Saul still was.
"And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the
Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the
wilderness of Engedi." This may be regarded as a testing of Saul, for
every thing that happens in each of our lives tests us at some point
or other. Miserably did Saul fail under it. Nothing in the outward
dispensations of God change the heart of man: His chastisements do not
break the stubborn will, nor His mercies melt the hard heart. Nothing
short of the regenerating work of the Spirit can make any man a new
creature in Christ Jesus. The success with which God had just favored
Saul's military enterprise against the Philistines, made no impression
upon the reprobate soul of the apostate king. Pause for a moment, dear
reader, and face this question, Has the goodness of God brought you to
repentance?
"Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went
to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats" (v. 2).
What a terribly solemn illustration does this verse supply of what is
said in Ecclesiastes 8:11, "Because sentence against an evil work is
not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully
set in them to do evil." Wicked men are often interrupted in their
evil courses, yet they return unto them when the restraint is removed,
as if deliverance from trouble were only given that they should add
iniquity unto iniquity. It was thus with Pharaoh: time after time God
sent a plague which stayed that vile monarch's hand, yet as soon as
respite was granted, he hardened his heart again. So Saul had been
providentially blocked while pursuing David, by the invading
Philistines; but now, as soon as this hindrance was removed, he
redoubled his evil efforts. O, unsaved reader, has it not been thus
with you? Your course of self-pleasing was suddenly checked by an
illness, your round of pleasure-seeking was stopped by a sick-bed.
Opportunity was given you to consider the interests of your immortal
soul, to humble yourself beneath the mighty hand of God. Perhaps you
did so in a superficial way, but what has been the sequel? Health and
strength have been mercifully restored by God, but are they being used
for His glory, or are you now vainly pursuing the phantoms of this
world harder than ever?
Ought not the very invasion of the Philistines to have changed Saul's
attitude toward the one whom he was so causelessly and relentlessly
pursuing? Ought he not to have realized now more forcibly than ever,
that he needed David at the head of his army to repulse the common
enemy? And O unbelieving reader, is not the case very much the same
with thee? The faithful servant of God, who has your best interests at
heart, you despise; that Christian friend who begs you to consider the
claims of Christ, the solemnities of an unending eternity, the certain
and terrible doom of those who live only for this life, you regard as
a "kill-joy." Saul is now in the torments of Hell, and in a short time
at most you will be there too, unless you change your course and beg
God to change your heart.
Let us turn our thoughts once more unto David. As we saw at the close
of our last chapter, in answer to believing prayer, God granted him a
striking deliverance from the hand of his enemy. Yet that deliverance
was but a brief one. Saul now advanced against him with a stronger
force than before. Does not every real Christian know something of
this in his own spiritual experience? It is written that "we must
through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22).
Troubles come, and then a respite is granted, and then new troubles
follow on the heels of the old ones. Our spiritual enemies will not
long leave us in peace; nevertheless, they are a blessing in disguise
if they drive us to our knees. Very few souls thrive as well in times
of prosperity as they do in seasons of adversity. Winters' frosts may
necessitate warmer clothes, but they also kill the flies and garden
pests.
David had now betaken himself unto "The rocks of the wild goats."
Thither Saul and his large army follow him. Once more God undertook
for him, and that in a striking way. "And he came to the sheepcotes by
the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and
David and his men remained in the sides of the cave" (v. 3). In that
section of Palestine there are large caves, partly so by nature,
partly so by human labor, for the sheltering of sheep from the heat of
the sun; hence we read in the Song of Solomon 1:7 of "where thou
makest thy flock to rest at noon." In one of these spacious caverns,
David, and some of his men at least, had taken refuge. Thither did
Saul, separated apparently from his men, now turn, in order to seek
repose. Thus, by a strange carelessness (viewed from the human
standpoint), Saul placed himself completely at David's mercy.
"And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the Lord
said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand,
that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee" (v. 4).
David's men at once saw the hand of the Lord in this unexpected turn
of events. So far, so good. None but an infidel believes in things
happening by chance, though there are many infidels now wearing the
name of "Christian." There are no accidents in a world which is
governed by the living God, for "of Him, and through Him, and to Him,
are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36).
Therefore does faith perceive the hand of God in every thing which
enters our lives, be it great or small. And it is only as we recognize
His hand molding all our circumstances, that God is honored, and our
hearts are kept in peace. O for grace to say at all times, "It "(1
Sam. 3:18).
"And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the Lord
said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand,
that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee." It is not
difficult to trace the line of thought which was in their minds. They
felt that here was an opportunity too good to be missed, an
opportunity which Providence itself had obviously placed in David's
way. One stroke of the sword would rid him of the only man that stood
between him and the throne. Not only so, but the slaying of this
apostate Saul would probably mean the bringing back of the whole
nation unto the Lord. How many there are in Christendom today who
believe that the end justifies the means: to get "results" is the
all-important thing with them--how this is done matters little or
nothing. Had such men been present to counsel David they had argued,
"Be not scrupulous about slaying Saul, see how much good it will issue
in!"
"What a critical moment it was in David's history! Had he listened to
the specious counselors who urged upon him to do what Providence,
seemingly, had put in his way, his life of faith would have come to an
abrupt end. One stroke of his sword, and he steps into a throne!
Farewell poverty! Farewell the life of a hunted goat. Reproaches,
sneers, defeat, would cease; adulations, triumphs, riches would be
his. But his at the sacrifice of faith; at the sacrifice of a humbled
will, ever waiting on God's time; at the sacrifice of a thousand
precious experiences of God's care, God's provision, God's guidance,
God's tenderness. No, even a throne at that price is too dear. Faith
will wait" (C. H. Bright).
But there is a deeper lesson taught here, which every Christian does
well to take thoroughly to heart. It is this: we need to be
exceedingly cautious how we interpret the events of Providence and
what conclusions we draw from them, lest we mistake the opportunity of
following out our own inclinations for God's approbation of our
conduct. God had promised David the throne, had His time now come for
removing the one obstacle which stood in his way? It looked much like
it. Saul had shown no mercy, and there was not the least likelihood
that he would do so; then was it God's will that David should be His
instrument for taking vengeance upon him? It seemed so, or why should
He have delivered him into his hand! David had cried to God for
deliverance and had appealed unto divine justice for vindication (Ps.
54:1), had the hour now arrived for his supplication to be answered?
The unexpected sight of Saul asleep at his feet, made this more than
likely. How easy, how very easy then, for David to have made an
erroneous deduction from the event of Providence on this occasion!
God was, in reality, testing David's faith, testing his patience,
testing his piety. The testing of his faith lay in submission to the
Word, which plainly says, "thou shalt not kill," and God had given him
no exceptional command to the contrary. The testing of his patience
lay in his quietly waiting God's time to ascend the throne of Israel:
the temptation before him was to take things into his own hands and
rush matters. The testing of his piety lay in the mortifying of his
natural desires to avenge himself, to act in grace, and show kindness
to one who had sorely mistreated him. It was indeed a very real
testing, and blessed is it to see how the spirit triumphed over the
flesh.
The application of this incident to the daily life of the Christian is
of great practical importance. Frequently God tests us in similar
ways. He so orders His providences as to try our hearts and make
manifest what is in them. How often we are exercised about some
important matter, some critical step in life, some change in our
affairs involving momentous issues. We distrust our own wisdom, we
want to be sure of God's will in the matter, we spread our case before
the Throne of Grace, and ask for light and guidance. So far, so good.
Then, usually, comes the testing: events transpire which seem to show
that it is God's will for us to take a certain step, things appear to
point plainly in that direction. Ah, my friend, that may only be God
trying your heart. If, notwithstanding your praying over it, your
desires are really set upon that object or course, then it will be a
simple thing for you to misinterpret the events of Providence and jump
to a wrong conclusion.
An accurate knowledge of God's Word, a holy state of heart (wherein
self is judged, and its natural longings mortified), a broken will,
are absolutely essential in order to clearly discern the path of duty
in important cases and crises. The safest plan is to deny all
suggestions of revenge, covetousness, ambition and impatience. A heart
that is established in true godliness will rather interpret the
dispensations of Providence as trials of faith and patience, as
occasions to practice self-denial, than as opportunities for
self-indulgence. In any case, "he that believeth shall not make haste"
(Isa. 28:16). "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He
shall bring it to pass . . . Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for
Him" (Ps. 37:5, 7). O for grace to do so; but such grace has to be
definitely, diligently and daily sought for.
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
His Address to Saul
1 Samuel 24
_________________________________________________________________
In our last chapter we left the apostate king of Israel asleep in the
cave of Engedi, the very place which had been made a refuge by David
and his followers. There Saul lay completely at the mercy of the man
whose life he sought. David's men were quick to perceive their
advantage, and said to their master "Behold the day of which the Lord
said unto thee, Behold I will deliver thine enemy into Wine hand, that
thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee" (1 Sam. 24:4).
A real temptation presented itself to the sweet Psalmist of Israel,
and though he was not completely overcome by it, yet he did not emerge
from the conflict without a wound and a stain. "Then David arose, and
cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily." How true it is that "evil
communications corrupt good manners" (1 Cor. 15:33)! Did this incident
come back to his mind when, (probably) at a later date, the Spirit of
God moved him to write, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the
counsel of the ungodly" (Ps. 1:1)? Possibly so; at any rate, we find
here a solemn warning which each of us does well to take to heart.
"And it came to pass afterward that David's heart smote him, because
he had cut off Saul's skirt" (1 Sam. 24:5): which means, his
conscience accused him, and he repented of what he had done. Good is
it when our hearts condemn us for what the world regards as trifles.
Though David had done no harm to the king's person, and though he had
given proof it was in his power to slay him, nevertheless his action
was a serious affront against the royal dignity. No matter what be the
personal character of the ruler, because of his office, God commands
us to "honor the king" (1 Peter 2:17). This is a word concerning which
all of us need reminding, for we are living in times when an
increasing number "despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities"
(Jude 8). God takes note of this!
"David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt." With
this should be compared 2 Samuel 24:10, "And David's heart smote him
after that he numbered the people. And David said unto the Lord, I
have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech Thee, O
Lord, take away the iniquity of Thy servant; for I have done very
foolishly." From these passages it is evident that David was blest
with a tender conscience, which is ever a mark of true spirituality.
In solemn contrast therefrom, we read of those "having their
conscience seared with a hot iron" (1 Tim. 4:2), and of some "being
past feeling" (Eph. 4:19), which is a sure index of those who have
been abandoned by God. David soon regretted his rash action and
realized he had sinned. May God graciously grant unto reader and
writer a sensitive conscience.
"And he said unto his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing
unto my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch Forth mine hand
against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord" (v. 6). How honest
of David! He not only repented before God of his rash conduct, but he
also confessed his wrong-doing unto those who had witnessed the same.
It requires much grace and courage to do this, yet nothing short of it
is required of us. Moreover, we know not to whom God may be pleased to
bless a faithful and humble acknowledgement of our sins. David now let
his men know plainly that he was filled with abhorrence for having so
insulted his sovereign Lord. Observe how that it was his looking at
things from the divine viewpoint which convicted him: he now regarded
Saul not as a personal enemy, but as one whom God had appointed to
reign as long as he lived.
"So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not
to rise against Saul" (v. 7). "Stayed" here signifies, pacified or
quieted them, hindering them from laying rough hands upon the king.
The first word of this verse is deeply significant: "So," in this
manner, by what he had just said--how evident that God clothed his
words with power! Few things have greater weight with men than their
beholding of reality in those who bear the name of the Lord. David had
honored God by calling the attention of his men to the fact that Saul
was His "anointed," and now He honored David by causing his honest
confession to strike home to the hearts of his men. Thus, by
restraining his followers David returned good for evil to him from
whom he had received evil for good.
"But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way" (v. 7).
Utterly unconscious of the danger which had threatened him, the king
awoke, arose, and went forth out of the cave. How often there was but
a step betwixt us and death, and we knew it not. Awake or asleep, our
times are in God's hands, and with the Psalmist faith realizes "Thou
holdest my soul in life" (Ps. 66:9). None can die a moment before the
time his Maker has appointed. Blessed is it when the heart is enabled
to rest in God. Each night it is our privilege to say, "I will both
lay me down in peace, and sleep: for Thou, Lord, only makest me dwell
in safety" (Ps. 4:8). But how unspeakably solemn is the contrast
between the cases of the godly and the wicked: the one is preserved
for eternal glory, the other is reserved unto everlasting fire. Such
was the difference between David and Saul.
"David also arose afterward and went out of the cave, and cried after
Saul, saying, My lord the king" (v. 8). "Though he would not take the
opportunity to slay him, yet he wisely took the opportunity, if
possible, to slay his enmity, by convincing him that he was not such a
man as he took him for" (Matthew Henry). In thus revealing himself to
Saul, David intimated that he still entertained an honorable opinion
of his sovereign: this was further evidenced by the respectful
language which he employed. "And when Saul looked behind him, David
stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed himself." How surprised
the blood-thirsty monarch must have been in hearing himself addressed
by the one whose life he sought! The posture of David was not that of
a cringing criminal, but of a loyal subject. In what follows we have
one of the most respectful, pathetic and forcible addresses ever made
to one of earth's rulers.
"And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men's words, saying,
Behold, David seeketh thy hurt?" (v. 9). It is beautiful to see how
David commenced his speech to the king, wherein he endeavors to show
how much he was wronged in being so relentlessly persecuted, and how
much he desired Saul to be reconciled to him. Most graciously did
David throw the blame upon Saul's courtiers, rather than upon the king
himself. In the question here asked Saul, it was suggested that his
prejudice against David had been provoked by slanderous reports from
others. Herein important instruction is furnished us as to what method
to follow when seeking to subdue the malice of those who hate us:
proceeding on the assumption that it is not the individual's own
enmity against us, but that it has been unjustly stirred up by others.
Particularly does this apply to those in authority: respect is due
unto them, and where they err, due allowance should be made for their
having been ill-informed by others.
It is the practical application of the teaching of Scripture to the
details of our own lives which is so much needed today. Of what real
value is a knowledge of its history or an understanding of its
prophecies, if they exert no vital influence upon our conduct? God has
given us His Word not only for our information, but as a law to walk
by, and every chapter in it contains important rules for us to
appropriate and put into practice. What is before us above supplies a
timely case in point. How often differences arise between men,
breaches between friends, and misunderstandings between
fellow-Christians; and how rarely do we see the spirit displayed by
David unto Saul, exercised now in efforts to effect a reconciliation!
Let us earnestly seek grace to profit from the lovely and lowly
example here set before us.
"Behold, this day, thine eyes have seen how that the Lord had
delivered thee today into mine hand in the cave: and some bade me kill
thee: but mine eyes spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth mine
hand against my lord, for he is the Lord's anointed" (v. 10). First,
David had refrained from reproaching or sharply expostulating Saul,
now he shows that there was no ill-will in his own heart against him.
He appealed to the most decisive proof that he had no intention of
injuring him. The king had been completely at his mercy, and his men
had urged him to dispatch his enemy, but pity for the helpless monarch
had restrained him. Moreover, the fear of God governed him, and he
dared not to lay violent hands upon His "anointed." By such mild
measures did David seek to conciliate his foe. Let us take a leaf out
of his copybook, and seek by acts of kindness to prove unto those that
harbor false thoughts against us that Satan has misled them.
"Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand:
for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know
thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine
hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to
take it" (v. 11). "He produceth undeniable evidence to prove the
falseness of the suggestion upon which Saul's malice against him was
grounded. David was charged with seeking Saul's hurt: `see,' saith he,
`yea, see the skirt of thy robe:' let this be a witness for me, and an
unexceptional witness it is; had that been true which I am accused of,
I had now had thy head in my hand, and not the skirt of thy robe; for
1 could as easily have cut off that as this" (Matthew Henry). Well for
us is it when we can go to one filled with unjust suspicions against
us, and confirm our words with convincing proofs of our good-will.
It is touching to see David here reminding Saul that there was a more
intimate relation between them than that of king and subject; he had
been united in marriage to his daughter, and therefore does he now
address him as "my father" (v. 11). Here was an appeal not only to his
honor, but to his affection: from a monarch one may expect justice,
but from a parent we may surely look for affection. David might have
addressed Saul by a hard name, but he sought to "overcome evil with
good." Blessedly did he here prefigure his Lord, who, at the time of
his arrest in the garden, addressed the treacherous Judas not as
"Betrayer" or "Traitor," but "Friend." Nothing is gained by employing
harsh terms, and sometimes "A soft answer turneth away wrath" (Prov.
15:1).
"The Lord judge between me and thee, and the Lord avenge me of thee:
but mine hand shall not be upon thee" (v. 12). David now appealed unto
a higher court. First, he desires that Jehovah Himself shall make it
appear who was in the right and who in the wrong. Second, he counts
upon the retribution of Heaven if Saul should continue to persecute
him. Third, he affirms his steadfast resolution that no matter what he
might suffer, nor what opportunities might be his to avenge himself,
he would not do him hurt, but leave it with God to requite the evil.
This was indeed a mild method of reasoning with Saul, and the least
offensive way of pointing out to him the injustice of his conduct. If
men would deal thus one with another how much strife could be avoided,
and how many quarrels be satisfactorily ended!
"As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the
wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee" (v, 13), This intimates
that it is permissible for us to make a right use of the wise sayings
of others, particularly of the ancients, even though they are not
directly inspired of God. Such aphorisms as "Look before you leap,"
"Too many cooks spoil the broth," "All is not gold that glitters," are
likely to stand us in good stead if they are stored in the memory and
duly pondered. In days gone by, such proverbs were frequently spoken
in the hearing of children (we are thankful that they were in ours),
and the general absence of them today is only another evidence of the
decadence of
"As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the
wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee." The use which David
here made of this proverb is obvious: he reminds Saul that a man is
revealed by his actions. As a tree is known by its fruits, so our
conduct makes manifest the dispositions of our hearts. It was as
though David said, "Had I been the evil wretch which you have been
made to believe, I would have had no conscience of taking away your
life when it was in my power. But I could not: my heart would not let
me." Though the dog barks at the sheep, the
"After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou
pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea" (v. 14). Here David descends
and reasons with Saul on the lowest grounds: in your own judgment I am
a worthless fellow, then why go to so much trouble over me! Is it not
altogether beneath the dignity of a monarch to take so much pains in
hunting after one who is not worthy of his notice? In likening himself
to a "flea," David, by this simile, depicts not only his own weakness,
but the circumstances he was in: obliged to move swiftly from place to
place, and therefore not easily taken; and if captured, of no value to
the king. Why then be so anxious to give chase to one so
inconspicuous? "To conquer him would not be his honor, to attempt it
only his disparagement. If Saul would consult his own reputation he
would slight such an enemy (supposing he were really his enemy), and
would think himself in no danger from him." If Saul had a spark of
generosity in him, the humble carriage of David here would surely
abate his enmity.
"The Lord therefore be Judge, and judge between me and thee, and see,
and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thine hand" (v. 15). Having
pleaded his case so forcibly, David now solemnly warned his enemy that
Jehovah would judge righteously between them, deliver him out of his
hand, and avenge his cause upon him. When we are innocent of the
suspicions entertained against and preferred upon us, we need not fear
to leave the issue with God. This is what our Lord Himself did: "When
he suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that
judgeth righteously" (1 Peter 2:23). Assured that God would, in due
time, vindicate him, David acted faith upon Him and rested in His
faithfulness. The justice of God should ever be the refuge and comfort
of those who are wrongfully oppressed: the day is coming when the
Judge of all the earth shall recompense every evil-doer, and reward
all the righteous.
A brief analysis of what we may term David's "defense" teaches us what
methods we should follow when seeking to show a person that we have
given no cause for his malice against us. First, David asked Saul if
he had not been unjust in listening to slanders against him (v. 9)?
Second, he pointed out that because the fear of God was upon him, he
dared not sin presumptuously (v. 10). Third, he appealed to his own
actions in proof thereof (v. 11). Fourth, he affirmed he had no
intention to retaliate and return evil for evil (v. 12). Fifth, he
argued that the known character of a person should prevent others from
believing evil reports about him (v. 13). Sixth, he took a lowly
place, shaming pride by humility (v. 14). Seventh, he committed his
case unto the justice of God (v. 15).
Index
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
His Victory Over Saul
1 Samuel 24
_________________________________________________________________
"He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that
ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city" (Prov. 16:32). A man who
is "slow to anger" is esteemed by the Lord, respected by men, is happy
in himself, and is to be preferred above the strongest giant that is
not master of self. Alexander the Great conquered the world, yet in
his uncontrollable wrath, slew his best friends. Being "slow to anger"
is to take time and consider before we suffer our passions to break
forth, that they may not transgress due bounds; and he who can thus
control himself is to be esteemed above the mightiest warrior. A
rational conquest is more honorable to a rational creature than
triumph by brute force.
The most desirable authority is self-government. The conquest of
ourselves and our own unruly passions, requires more regular and
persevering management than does the obtaining of a victory over the
physical forces of an enemy. The conquering of our own spirit is a
more important achievement than the taking of a foe's fortress. He
that can command his temper is superior to him that can successfully
storm a fortified town. Natural courage, skill and patience, may do
the one; but it requires the grace of God and the assistance of the
Holy Spirit to do the other. Blessedly was all this exemplified by
David in that incident which has occupied our attention in the last
two chapters. He had been sorely provoked by Saul, yet when the life
of his enemy was in his hand, he graciously spared him, and returned
good for evil.
"A soft answer turneth away wrath" (Prov. 15:1). Strikingly was this
illustrated in what is now to be before us. A child of God is not to
rest satisfied because he has not originated strife, but if others
begin it, he must not only not continue it, but endeavor to end it by
mollifying the matter. Better far to pour oil on the troubled waters,
than to add fuel to the fire. "The wisdom that is from above is first
pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and
good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy" (James 3:17).
We are to disarm resentment by every reasonable concession. Mild words
and gentle expressions, delivered with kindness and humility, will
weaken bitterness and scatter the storm of wrath. Note how the
Ephraimites were pacified by Gideon's mild answer (Judges 8:1-13). The
noblest courage is shown when we withstand our own corruptions, and
overcome enemies by kindness.
"Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive every one that is indebted
to us" (Luke 11:4). Wherein does this forgiving of others consist?
First, in withholding ourselves from revenge. "Forbearing one another
and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any"
(Col. 3:13): "forbearing and forgiving" are inseparably connected.
Some men will say, We will do to him as he has done to us; but God
bids us, "Say not I will do so to him as he hath done unto me, I will
render to the man according to his work" (Prov. 24:29). Corrupt nature
thirsts for retaliation, and has a strong inclination that way; but
grace should check it. Men think it a base thing to put up with wrongs
and injuries; but this it is which gives a man a victory over himself,
and the truest victory over his enemy, when he forbears to revenge.
By nature there is a spirit in us which is turbulent, revengeful, and
desirous of returning evil for evil; but when we are able to deny it,
we are ruling our own spirit. Failure so to do, being overcome by
passion, is moral weakness, for our enemy has thoroughly overcome us
when his injuring of us prevails to our breaking of God's laws in
order to retaliate. Therefore we are bidden "Be not overcome of evil,
but overcome evil with good" (Rom. 12:21): then is grace victorious,
and then do we manifest a noble, brave and strong spirit. And
wondrously will God bless our exemplifications of His grace, for it is
often His way to shame the party that did the wrong, by overcoming him
with the meekness and generosity of the one he has injured. It was
thus in the case of David and Saul, as we shall now see.
"And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these
words unto Saul, that Saul said, is this thy voice, my son David? And
Saul lifted up his voice, and wept" (1 Sam. 24:16). Though his mind
was so hostile to David, and he had cruelly chased him up and down,
yet when he now saw that the one he was pursuing had forborne revenge
when it was in his power, he was moved to tears. In like manner, when
the captains of the Syrians, whom the prophet had temporarily blinded,
were led to Samaria, fully expecting to be slain there, we are told
that the king "prepared great provisions for them: and when they had
eaten and drunk, he sent them away." And what was the sequel to such
kindness unto their enemies? This; it so wrought upon their hearts,
their bands "came no more into the land of Israel" (2
"And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these
words unto Saul, that Saul said, is this thy voice, my son David? And
Saul lifted up his voice, and wept." Let us pause and adore the
restraining power of God. Filled with wrath and fury, so eager to take
David's life, Saul, instead of attempting to kill him, had stood still
and heard David's speech without an interruption. He who commands the
winds and the waves, can, when He pleases, still the most violent
storm within a human breast. But more; Saul was not only awed and
subdued, but melted by David's kindness. Observe the noticeable change
in his language: before, it was only "the son of Jesse," now he says,
"my son, David." So deeply was the king affected, that he was moved to
tears; yet, like those of Esau, they were not
"And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast
rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil" (v. 17). Saul was
constrained to acknowledge David's integrity and his own iniquity,
just as Pharaoh said, "I have sinned against the Lord your God, and
against you" (Ex. 10:16); and as many today will own their wrong-doing
when shamed by Christians returning to them good for evil, or when
impressed by some startling providence of God. But such admissions are
of little value if there is no change for the better in the lives of
those who make them. Nevertheless, this acknowledgment of Saul's made
good that word of God's upon which He had caused His servant to hope:
"He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment
as the noonday" (Ps. 37:6). They who are careful to maintain "a
conscience void of offense toward God and man" (Acts 24: 16), may
safely leave it unto Him to secure the credit of it.
"This fair confession was sufficient to prove David innocent, even his
enemy himself being judge; but not enough to prove Saul himself a true
penitent. He should have said, `Thou art righteous, and I am wicked,'
but the utmost he will own is this, `Thou art more righteous than I.'
Bad men will commonly go no farther than this in their confessions:
they will own they are not so good as some others are; there are that
are better than they, more righteous" (Matthew Henry). Ah, it takes
the supernatural workings of Divine grace in the heart to strip us of
all our fancied goodness, and bring us into the dust as sell-condemned
sinners, it requires too the continual renewings of the Holy Spirit to
keep us in the dust, so that we truthfully exclaim, "Not unto us, O
Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy mercy and for
Thy truth's sake" (Ps. 115:1).
"And thou hast showed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me:
forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thine hand, thou
killest me not" (v. 18). This is striking: even the most desperate
sinners are sometimes amenable to acts of kindness. Saul could not but
own that David had dealt far more mercifully with him, than he would
have done with David if their position had been reversed. He
acknowledged that he had been laboring under a misapprehension
concerning his son, for clear proof had been given that David was of a
far different stamp than what he had supposed. "We are too apt to
suspect others to be worse affected towards us than they really are,
and than perhaps they are proved to be; and when afterwards our
mistake is discovered, we should be forward to recall our suspicions
as Saul doth "(Matthew Henry).
"And thou hast showed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me:
forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thine hand, thou
killest me not." In view of the later sequel, this is also exceedingly
solemn. Saul not only recognizes the magnanimity of David, but he
perceives too the providence of God: he owns that it was none other
than the hand of Jehovah which had placed him at the mercy of the man
whose life he had been seeking. Thus it was plain that God was for
David, and who could hope to succeed against him! How this ought to
have deterred him from seeking his hurt afterwards; yet it did not:
his "goodness was as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth
away" (Hosea 6:4). Alas, there are many who mourn for their sins, but
do not truly repent of them; weep bitterly for their transgressions,
and yet continue in love and league with them; discern and own the
providences of God, yet do not yield themselves to Him.
"For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away?" (v. 19).
No, this is not the customary way among men. "Revenge is sweet" to
poor fallen human nature, and few indeed refuse to drink from this
tempting cup when it is presented to them. And if there be more lenity
shown unto fallen enemies today than there was in past ages, it is not
to be ascribed unto any improvement in man, but to the beneficent
effects of the spread of Christianity. That this is the case may be
clearly seen in the vivid contrasts presented among nations where the
Gospel is preached, and where it is unknown: the "dark places" of the
earth are still "full of "(Ps. 74:20).
"For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore
the Lord reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day"
(v. 19). Strange language this for a would-be murderer! Yes, even the
reprobate have spurts and flashes of seeming piety at times, and many
superficial people who "believeth every word" (Prov. 14:15) are
deceived thereby. "Seemingly pious" we say, for after all, those fair
words of Saul were empty ones. Had he really meant what he said, would
he not personally and promptly have rewarded David himself? Of course
he would. He was king; he had power to; it was his duty to reinstate
David in the bosom of his family, and bestow upon him marks of the
highest honor and esteem. But he did nothing of the sort. Ah, dear
reader: do not measure people by what they say; it is actions which
speak louder than words.
"And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that
the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand" (v. 20). The
realization that God had appointed David to succeed him on the throne,
was now forced upon Saul. The providence of God in so remarkably
preserving and prospering him, his princely spirit and behavior, his
calling to mind of what Samuel had declared, namely; that the kingdom
should be given to a neighbor of his, better than he (15:18)--and such
David was by his own confession (v. 17); and the portion cut off his
own robe--which must have been a vivid reminder of Samuel rending his
mantle, when he made the solemn prediction; all combined to convince
the unhappy king of this. Thus did God encourage the heart of His
oppressed servant, and support his faith and hope. Sometimes He deigns
to employ strange instruments in giving us a message of cheer.
"Sware now therefore unto me by the Lord, that thou wilt not cut off
my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my
father's house" (v. 21). Under the conviction that God was going to
place David upon the throne of Israel, Saul desired from him the
guaranty of an oath, that he would not, when king, extirpate his
posterity. What a tribute this was unto the reality of David's
profession! Ah, the integrity, honesty, veracity of a genuine child of
God, is recognized by those with whom he comes into contact. They who
have dealings with him know that his word is his bond. Treacherous and
unscrupulous as Saul was, if David promised in the name of the Lord to
spare his children, he was assured that it would be fulfilled to the
letter. Reader, is your character thus known and respected by those
among whom you move?
"Sware now therefore unto me by the Lord, that thou wilt not cut off
my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my
father's house." How tragically this reveals the state of his heart.
Poor Saul was more concerned about the credit and interests of his
Family in this world, than he was of securing the forgiveness of his
sins before he entered the world to come. Alas, there are many who
have their seasons of remorse, are affected by their dangerous
situations, and almost persuaded to renounce their sins; they are
convinced of the excellency of true saints, as acting from superior
principles to those which regulate their own conduct, and cannot
withhold from them a good word; yet are they not thereby humbled or
changed, and sin
"And David sware unto Saul. And Saul went home: but David and his men
gat them unto the hold" (v. 22). David was willing to bind himself to
the promise which Saul asked of him, and accordingly swore to it on
oath. Thus he has left us an example to "be subject unto the higher
powers" (Rom. 13:1). His later history evidences how he respected his
oath to Saul, by sparing Mephibosheth, and in punishing the murderers
of Ishbosheth. It is to be noted that David did not ask Saul to sware
unto him that he would no more seek his life. David knew him too well
to trust in a transient appearance of friendliness, and having no
confidence in his word. Nor should we deliberately place a temptation
in the way of those lacking in honor, by seeking to extract from them
a definite promise.
"And Saul went home; but David and his men gat them up unto the hold."
David did not trust Saul, whose inconstancy, perfidy and cruel hatred,
he full well knew. He did not think it safe to return unto his own
house, nor to dwell in the open country, but remained in the
wilderness, among the rocks and the caves. The grace of God will teach
us to forgive and be kind unto our enemies, but not to trust those who
have repeatedly deceived us; for malice often seems dead, when it is
only dormant, and will ever long revive with double force. "They that,
like David, are innocent as doves, must thus, like David, be wise as
serpents" (Matthew Henry). Note how verse 22 pathetically foreshadowed
John 7:53 and 8:1.
Here then is the blessed victory that David gained over Saul, not by
treacherous stealth, or by brute force but a moral triumph. How
complete his victory was that day, is seen in the extent to which that
haughty monarch humbled himself before David, entreating him to be
kind unto his offspring, when he should be king. But the great truth
for us to lay hold of, the central lesson here recorded for our
learning is that David first gained the victory over himself, before
he triumphed Over Saul. May writer and reader be more diligent and
earnest in seeking grace from God that we may not be overcome by evil,
but that we may "overcome evil with good."
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
His Affront From Nabal
1 Samuel 25
_________________________________________________________________
The incident which is now to engage our attention may seem, at first
sight, to contain in it little of practical importance for our hearts.
If so, we may be sure that our vision is dim. There is nothing trivial
in Holy Writ. Everything which the Spirit has recorded therein has a
voice for us, if only we will seek the hearing ear. Whenever we read a
portion of God's Word, and find therein little suited to our own case
and need, we ought to be humbled: the fault is in us. This should at
once be acknowledged unto God, and a spiritual quickening of soul
sought from Him. There should be a definite asking Him to graciously
anoint our eyes (Rev. 3:18), not only that we may be enabled to behold
wondrous things in His Law, but also that He will make us of quick
discernment to perceive how the passage before us applies to
ourselves--what are the particular lessons we need to learn from it.
The more we cultivate this habit, the more likely that God will be
pleased to open His Word unto us.
It is the practical lessons to be learned from each section that all
of us so much need, and this is uppermost in our mind in the composing
of this present series. What, then, is there here for us to take to
heart? David, in his continued wanderings, applies to a well-to-do
farmer for some rations for his men. The appeal was suitably timed,
courteously worded, and based upon a weighty consideration. The
request was presented not to a heathen, but to an Israelite, to a
member of his own tribe, to a descendant of Caleb; in short, to one
from whom he might reasonably expect a favorable response. Instead,
David met with a rude rebuff and a provoking insult. Obviously, there
is a warning here for us in the despicable meanness of Nabal, which
must be turned into prayer for divine grace to preserve us from being
inhospitable and unkind to God's servants.
But it is with David that we are chiefly concerned. In our last three
chapters we have seen him conducting himself with becoming mildness
and magnanimity, showing mercy unto the chief of his enemies. There we
saw him resisting a sore temptation to take matters into his own
hands, and make an end of his troubles by slaying the chief of his
persecutors, when he was thoroughly in his power. But here our hero is
seen in a different light. He meets with another trial, a trial of a
much milder nature, yet instead of overcoming evil with good, he was
in imminent danger of being overcome with evil. Instead of exercising
grace, he is moved with a spirit of revenge; instead of conducting
himself so that the praises of God are "shown forth" (1 Peter 2:9),
only the works of the flesh are seen. Alas, how quickly had the fine
gold become dim! How are we to account for this? And what are the
lessons to be learned from it?
Is the reader surprised as he turns from the blessed picture presented
in the second half of 1 Samuel 24 and ponders the almost sordid
actions of David in the very next chapter? Is he puzzled to account
for the marked lapse in the conduct of him who had acted so splendidly
toward Saul? Is he at a loss to explain David's spiteful attitude
toward Nabal? If so, he must be woefully ignorant of his own heart,
and has yet to learn a most important lesson: that no man stands a
moment longer than divine grace upholds him. The strongest are weak as
water immediately the power of the Spirit is withdrawn; the most
mature and experienced Christian acts foolishly the moment he be left
to himself; none of us has any reserve strength or wisdom in himself
to draw from: our source of sufficiency is all treasured up for us in
Christ, and as soon as communion with Him be broken, as soon as we
cease looking alone to Him for help, we are helpless.
What has just been stated above is acknowledged as true by God's
people in general, yet many of their thoughts and conclusions are
glaringly inconsistent therewith--or why be so surprised when they
hear of some eminent saint experiencing a sad fall! The "eminent
saint" is not the one who has learned to walk alone, but he who most
feels his need of leaning harder upon the "everlasting arms." The
"eminent saint" is not the one who is no longer tempted by the lusts
of the flesh and harassed by the assaults of Satan, but he who knows
that in the flesh there dwelleth no good thing, and that only from
Christ can his "fruit" be found (Hosea 14:8). Looked at in themselves,
the "fathers" in Christ are just as frail and feeble as the "babes" in
Christ. Left to themselves, the wisest Christians have no better
judgment than has the new convert. Whether God is pleased to leave us
upon earth another year or another hundred years, all will constantly
need to observe that word, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into
temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak"
(Matthew 26:41).
And God has many ways of teaching us the "weakness" of the flesh. One
of these receives striking illustration in the incident to be before
us, and which has no doubt been painfully realized in the experience
of each Christian reader: that in some great crisis we have been
enabled to stand our ground, strong in faith, whereas before some
petty trial we have broken down and acted as a man of the world would
act. It is thus that God stains our pride, subdues our
self-sufficiency, and brings us to the place of more real and constant
dependence upon Himself. It is the "little foxes" (Song of Solomon
2:15) that spoil the vines, and it is our reaction unto the lesser
irritations of everyday life which most reveal us to
ourselves--humbling us through our failures, and fitting us to bear
with more patience the infirmities of our brethren and sisters in
Christ.
Who would have thought that he who had taken so meekly the attacks of
the king upon his life, should have waxed so furious when a farmer
refused a little food for his men! Rightly did Thomas Scott point out,
"David had been on his guard against anger and revenge when most badly
used by Saul, but he did not expect such reproachful language and
insolent treatment from Nabal: he was therefore wholly put off his
guard; and in great indignation he determined to avenge himself." Lay
this well to heart, dear reader: a small temptation is likely to
prevail after a greater has been resisted. Why so? Because we are less
conscious of our need of God's delivering grace. Peter was bold before
the soldiers in the Garden, but became fearful in the presence of a
maid. But it is time for us to consider some of the details of our
passage.
"And Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together and
lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah" (1 Sam. 25:1). How
often will people sorrow outwardly for one when dead to whom they did
not care to listen when living. There had been a time when Samuel was
appreciated by Israel, particularly when they were feeling the
pressure of the Philistine yoke; but more recently he has been
despised (1 Sam. 8). They had preferred a king to the prophet, but now
Saul was proving such a disappointment, and the breach between the
king and David showed no signs of being healed, they lamented the
removal of Samuel.
"And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran" (25:1).
David too was despised by the greater part of the nation. Once he had
been the hero of their songs, hut now he was homeless and outlawed.
Few cared to own him. Learning of Samuel's death, he probably thought
that his danger was greater than ever, for the prophet was more than
friendly disposed toward him. He no doubt concluded that Saul's malice
would be now more unrestrained than ever. Taking advantage of "all the
Israelites" being gathered together, to mourn the death of Samuel, he
left Engedi to sojourn for a while in other parts. But let us note
well the ominous hint given in the words "and went down to the
wilderness of Paran."
We have next presented to our notice the one to whom David made his
appeal (1 Sam. 25:2, 3). From the character given to him by the Holy
Spirit, not much good might be expected from him. His name was "Nabal"
which signifies "a fool," and none is a greater fool than he who
thinks only of number one. He was a descendant of Caleb, which is
mentioned here as an aggravation of his wickedness: that he should be
the degenerate plant of so noble a vine. We are told that this man was
"very great": not in piety, but in material possessions, for he had
very large flocks of sheep and goats. His wife was of a beautiful
countenance "and of good understanding," but her father could not have
been so, or he would not have sacrificed her to a man who had nothing
better to recommend him than earthly wealth. Poor woman! She was tied
to one who was "churlish and evil in his doings": greedy and grasping,
sour and cross-tempered.
"And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep. And
David sent out ten young men, and David said unto the young men, Get
you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name" (vv. 4,
5). The season for shearing the sheep was a notable one, for wool was
a leading commodity in Canaan. With such a very large flock, a
considerable number of extra hands would have to be hired by Nabal,
and a plentiful supply of provisions prepared. From 2 Samuel 13:23 it
appears that it was the custom in those days to combine feasting and
merriment with the shearing: compare also Genesis 38:13. It was a time
when men were generally disposed to be hospitable and kind. As to how
far David was justified in appealing to man, rather than spreading his
need before God alone, we undertake not to decide--it is certainly not
safe to draw any inference from the sequel.
"And thus shall ye say to him that liveth, Peace be both to thee, and
peace be to thine house, and peace be unto all that thou hast. And now
I have heard that thou hast shearers: now thy shepherds which were
with us, we hurt them not, neither was there ought missing unto them,
all the while they were in Carmel. Ask thy young men, and they will
show thee. Wherefore let the young men find favour in thine eyes: for
we come in a good day: give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thine
hand unto thy servants, and to thy son David" (vv. 6-8). The request
to be presented before Nabal was one which the world would call
respectful and tactful. The salutation of peace bespoke David's
friendly spirit. Reminder was given that, in the past, David had not
only restrained his men from molesting Nabal's flocks, but had also
protected them from the depredations of invaders--compare verses
14-17. He might then have asked for a reward for his services, but
instead he only supplicates a favor. Surely Nabal would not refuse his
men a few victuals, for it was "a good day," a time when there was
plenty to hand. Finally David takes the place of a "son," hoping to
receive some fatherly kindness From him.
But as we examine this address more closely, we note the low ground
which was taken: there was nothing spiritual in it! Moreover, we fully
agree with Matthew Henry's comments on the opening words of verse 6,
"Thus shall ye say to him that liveth" . . . "as if those lived indeed
that lived as Nabal did, with abundance of the wealth of this world
about them; whereas, in truth, those that live in pleasure are dead
while they live (1 Tim. 5:6). This was, methinks, too high a
compliment to pass upon Nabal, to call him the man that liveth: David
knew better things--that `in God's favour is life,' not in the world's
smiles; and, by the rough answer, he was well enough served for this
too smooth address to such a muckworm."
"And when David's young men came, they spake to Nabal according to all
those words in the name of David and ceased" (v. 9). This verse serves
to illustrate another important principle: not only are God's children
more or less revealed by their reaction to and conduct under the
varied experiences they encounter, but the presence of God's servants
tests the character of those with whom they come into contact. It was
so here. A golden opportunity was afforded Nabal of showing kindness
to the Lord's "anointed," but he seized it not. Alas, how many there
are who know not the day of their visitation. Nabal had no heart for
David, and clearly was this now made manifest. So too the selfishness
and carnality of professors frequently becomes apparent by their
failure to befriend the servants of God, when chances to do so are
brought right to their door. It is a grand and holy privilege when the
Lord sends one of His prophets into your neighborhood, yet it may
issue in a fearfully solemn sequel.
"And Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David? And who
is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away
every man from his master. Shall I then take my bread, and my water,
and my flesh, that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto
men, whom I know not whence they be?" (vv. 10, 11). What an insulting
answer to return unto so mild a request! To justify a refusal he
stooped to heaping insults on the head of David. It was not a total
stranger who had applied to him, for Nabal's calling him "the son of
Jesse" showed he knew well who he was; but, absorbed with schemes of
selfish acquisition he cared not for him. Let it be duly noted that in
acting in such a heartless manner Nabal clearly disobeyed--Deuteronomy
15:7-11. Nabal's repeated use of the word "my" in verse 11 reminds us
of the other rich "fool" in Luke 12:18-20.
"So David's young men turned their way, and went again, and came and
told him all those sayings" (v. 12). Highly commendable was their
conduct. "Young men" are often hot-blooded and hot-headed, and act
impetuously and rashly; but they admirably restrained themselves. The
language of Nabal had been highly offensive, but instead of returning
railing for railing, they treated him with silent contempt and turned
their backs upon him: such churls are not entitled to any reply. It is
blessed to see they did not use force, and attempt to take what ought
to have been freely given to them. Never are the children of God
justified in so doing: we must ever seek grace to maintain a good
conscience, "in all things willing to live honestly" (Heb. 13:18).
Ofttimes the best way for overcoming a temptation to make a wrathful
reply, is to quietly turn away from those who have angered us.
"And came and told him all those sayings." Here we are shown how the
servants of Christ are to act when abused. Instead of indulging the
spirit of revenge, they are to go and spread their case before their
Master (Luke 14:21). It was thus the perfect Servant acted: of Him it
is written, "Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He
suffered, He threatened not; but committed His cause to Him that
judgeth righteously" (1 Peter 2:23). Ofttimes God brings us into
trying situations to reveal unto us whether we are "acknowledging Him
in all our ways" (Prov. 3:6), or whether there is still a measure of
self-sufficiency at work in our hearts--our response to the trial
makes manifest which be the case.
And what was David's response? How did he now react unto the
disappointing tidings brought back by his men? Did he, as the servant
of God, meekly bear Nabal's taunts and cutting reproach? Did he cast
his burden on the Lord, looking to Him for sustaining grace (Ps.
55:22)? Alas, he acted in the energy of the flesh. "And David said
unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on every
man his sword; And David also girded on his sword" (v. 13). David
neither betook himself to prayer nor reflected upon the matter, but
hurriedly prepared to avenge the insult he had received.
True, the ingratitude which Nabal had shown, and the provoking
language he had used, were hard to endure --too hard for mere flesh
and blood, for human nature ever wants to vindicate itself. His only
recourse lay in God: to see His hand in the trial, and to seek grace
to bear it. But momentarily David forgot that he had committed his
cause unto the Lord, and took matters into his own hands. And why did
God permit this breakdown? That no flesh should glory in His presence
(1 Cor. 1:29). "This must be the reason why such-like episodes are
found in the lives of all the Lord's servants. They serve to
demonstrate that these servants were not any better flesh than other
men, and that it was not more richly endowed brains that gave them
faith of devotedness, but simply the supernatural power of the Holy
Spirit" (C. H. Bright).
Index
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
His Check From Abigail
1 Samuel 25
_________________________________________________________________
In our last chapter we saw how that God submitted David unto a testing
of quite another character and from a different quarter than those he
had previously been tried by. Hitherto, the thorn in his side had been
none other than the king of Israel, to which we may add the callous
indifference toward him of the nation at large. But now he was
unexpectedly rebuffed by an individual farmer, from whom he had sought
some victuals for his men. "His churlish soul, adding insult to
injury, dismissed the messenger of David with contumely and scorn. It
is a hard thing to endure. David had endured, and was enduring much.
He was suffering from the active enmity of Saul, and from the dull
apathy of Israel. But both were great, and so to speak, dignified
enemies. Saul was Israel's king; and Israel were God's people. It
seemed comparatively honourable to be persecuted by them: but it was a
far different thing to endure the reproach of one so despicable as
Nabal. `Surely in vain,' said David, `have I kept all that this fellow
hath in the wilderness'" (B. W. Newton).
What made the trial more poignant to David's soul, was the fact that
he himself had acted honorably and kindly toward Nabal. When, on a
previous occasion, he had sojourned in those parts, he had not only
restrained his own men from preying upon Nabal's flocks, but had been
a defense to them from the wandering bands of the Philistines. It was,
then, the least that this wealthy sheep owner could do, to now show
his appreciation and make present of a little food to David's men.
Instead, he mocked them. Ingratitude is always trying to flesh and
blood, but more so when it is coupled with gross injustice. Yet often
God is pleased to try His people in this way, calling upon them to
receive treatment which they feel is quite "uncalled for," yea,
positively "unjust." And why does God permit this? For various
reasons: among others, to furnish us opportunities to act out what we
profess!
The reaction of David unto this trial is recorded for our learning:
for us to lay to heart, and turn into earnest prayer. "And David said
unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on every
man his sword; and David also girded on his sword" (1 Sam. 25:13).
Well may we ask, Had he been so long in the school of affliction and
not yet learned patience? "He forgot that all suffering, all reproach,
that is for God's sake, is equally honourable, whether it come from a
monarch, or from a churl. His proud spirit was roused, and he who had
refused to lift up his hand against Saul, and had never unsheathed his
sword against Israel: he who was called to fight, not for his own
sake, against his own enemies, but for the Lord's sake against the
Lord's enemies, he--David, forgot his calling, and swore that Nabal
should expiate his offence in blood" (B. W. Newton).
And how are we to account for his lapse? Wherein, particularly, was it
that David failed? In being unduly occupied with the second cause, the
human instrument; his eyes were upon man, rather than upon God. When
his men returned with their disappointing tidings he ought to have
said with Job, "Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we
not receive evil?" (Job 2: 10). Ah, it is easy for us to say what
David ought to have said, but do we act any better when we are
similarly tested? Alas, has not both writer and reader full reason to
bow his head in shame! Far be it from us, who thoroughly deserve them
ourselves, to throw stones at the beloved Psalmist. Nevertheless, the
Holy Spirit has faithfully recorded his failures, and the best way for
us to profit from them is to trace them back to their source, and seek
grace to avoid repeating them.
Above we asked the question, Had David been so long in the school of
affliction and not yet learned patience? This leads us to enquire,
What is patience? Negatively, it is meekly receiving as from God
whatever enters our lives, a saying from the heart, "The cup which my
Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" (John 18:11). Positively,
it is a persevering continuance in the path of duty, not being
overcome by the difficulties of the way. Now to accept as from God
whatever enters our lives requires us to cultivate the habit of seeing
His hand in every thing: just so long as we are unduly occupied with
secondary causes and subordinate agents, do we destroy our peace.
There is only one real haven for the heart, and that is to "rest in
the Lord," to recognize and realize that "of Him, and through Him, and
to Him, are all things" (Rom. 11:36): ever seeking to learn His lesson
in each separate incident.
It is blessed to know that "The steps of a good man are ordered by the
Lord," and that "though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down:
for the Lord upholdeth his hand" (Ps. 37:23, 24). Yes, and ofttimes
though we trip, He keeps us from falling. Where it is the genuine
desire of the heart to please the Lord in all things, He will not let
us go far wrong; where the will is sincerely bent Godwards, He will
not suffer Satan to prevail. Thus it was here with David. To answer
the fool [Nabal] according to his folly (Prov. 26:4) was just what the
devil desired, and momentarily he had gained an advantage over him.
But the eyes of the Lord were upon His tempted servant, and graciously
did He now move one to deter him from accomplishing his vindictive
purpose. Let us admire His providential workings.
First, we are told that, "But one of the young men told Abigail,
Nabal's wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the
wilderness to salute our master; and he railed on them. But the men
were very good unto us, neither missed we any thing, as long as we
were conversant with them, when we were in the fields: They were a
wall unto us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them
keeping the sheep. Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do;
for evil is determined against our master, and against all his
household: for he is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to
him" (vv. 14-17). One of Nabal's servants acquainted his mistress with
what had transpired, confirming, be it noted, what was said, by
David's men in verse 7. He probably drew the logical inference that
David would avenge his insult, and anxious for his own safety, as well
as for the other members of the household, and yet not daring to voice
his fears unto Nabal, he informed Abigail.
How wondrously God makes all things "work together" for the good of
His own. How perfect are His ways: fulfilling His own secret and
invincible designs, yet leaving quite free the instruments, who
unconsciously, fulfill them. The providential machinery to restrain
the impetuous David was now set in motion. A servant of Nabal's, moved
by nothing higher than the instinct of self-preservation (so far as
his consciousness went), warns his mistress of their impending danger.
Now mark, secondly, her response: she did not laugh at the servant,
and tell him his fears were groundless; nor was she suddenly paralyzed
by feminine fright at the alarming tidings. No, a hidden Hand calmed
her heart and directed her mind. Accepting the warning, she acted
promptly, setting out at once with an elaborate present to placate the
angry David; a present that would meet the immediate needs of his
hungry men: see verses 18, 19.
There are some who have criticized this action of Abigail's, dwelling
upon the last clause of verse 19: "But she told not her husband
Nabal." Such a criticism is a very superficial conclusion. What
Abigail did was necessary for the protection of the family. Perceiving
that Nabal's stubbornness would ruin them all, the exigencies of the
situation fully justified her conduct. It is true she owed allegiance
to her husband, but her first and great duty was to take measures to
protect their lives: inferior interests must always be sacrificed to
secure the greater--our property to preserve our lives, our very lives
to preserve our souls. As we shall see, verse 24, 28 make it clear
that she acted from no disloyalty to Nabal. Nevertheless, it is an
extraordinary case which is here before us, and so not to be used as
an example.
And what of David at this time? Was he recovered from his outburst of
anger? No, indeed, or there had been no need for Abigail's mission of
conciliation. The words of Nabal were still rankling within his heart.
Hear him as he petulantly declares, "Surely in vain have I kept all
that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of
all that pertained unto him: and he hath requited me evil for good"
(v. 21). He repented of the kindness shown Nabal, feeling now that it
had been wasted upon him, that he was devoid of gratitude and
incapable of appreciating the good turn shown him. But God is "kind to
the unthankful and to the evil," and bids us "Be ye therefore
merciful" (Luke 6:35, 36). Ah, to cultivate that attitude we must seek
grace to mortify the spirit of pride which desires recognition, and
that bitterness which rises when we are slighted.
Not only was David chafing under the ingratitude and taunts of Nabal,
but he was still bent on revenge: as verse 23 shows, he had determined
to slay every male in Nabal's household. This was unjust and cruel in
the extreme, and if God had suffered him to carry out such a design,
would have greatly sullied his character and given his enemies an
immense advantage against him. So determined was he, that he confirmed
his intention with an oath, which was rash and savored of profanity.
See here, dear reader, what even the child of God is capable of when
grace is not active within him. The realization of this ought to make
us walk softly, and work out our salvation with "fear and trembling."
It is for this reason that God so often withdraws from us the power of
His Spirit: that we may know what is yet in our hearts (2 Chron. 32:3
1), and be humbled before Him.
How blessedly God times His mercies. Here was David premeditating
evil, yea, on the point of carrying out his wicked purpose. But there
was one, sent by the Lord, already on the way to deliver him from
himself. Ah, dear reader, have not you and I often been the recipient
of similar favors from Heaven? Were there not times, be they recalled
to our deep shame, when we had determined upon a course dishonoring to
our Lord; when, all praise unto Him, some one crossed our path, and we
were delayed, hindered, deterred? That some one may not have spoken to
us as definitely as Abigail did unto David: rather perhaps their
errand was of quite another nature, which at the time we may have
resented as a nuisance for interrupting us; but now, as we look back,
do we not see the kind hand of God withholding us from carrying out an
evil purpose!
Apparently David was already on his way to execute his evil intention
when Abigail met him (v. 20). Blessed it is to see the place which she
now took: "When Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the
ass, and fell before David on her face and bowed herself to the
ground; and fell at his feet" (vv. 23, 24). This was not mere
adulation, and it was something more than an oriental salutation: it
was faith's acknowledgment of the "anointed of the Lord." Nabal had
insulted him as a runaway slave, but his wife owns him as a superior,
as her king in the purpose of God. Her address to him on this occasion
(vv. 24-31) is deserving of close study, but we can only offer a few
brief remarks upon it.
It is to be carefully noted that Abigail did not upbraid David for
cherishing the spirit of revenge and tell him that it ill became his
character and calling: that had not been seemly for her to do; rather
did she leave it for his conscience to accuse him. She did not excuse
her husband's conduct, nor did the present case allow her to hide his
infirmity, but she sought to turn his well-known character for
rashness and insolence (v. 25) into an argument with David, why he
should lay aside his resentment. `She intimated that Nabal (whose name
means `folly'), intended no peculiar affront to him, but only spoke in
his usual way of treating those who applied to him; and it was beneath
a person of David's reputation and eminence to notice the rudeness of
such a man" (Thomas Scott).
Abigail's piety comes out clearly in verse 26. Possibly she perceived
a change in David's countenance, or more probably she felt in her
spirit that the object before her was now gained; but instead of
attributing this unto her pleading, or the present she had brought,
she ascribed it solely unto the restraining grace of God: "the Lord
hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from avenging
thyself with thine own hand." Thus alone is God honored and given His
proper place, when we freely impute unto His working all that is good
in and from our fellow-creatures. Beautiful too is it to behold how
she shields her churlish husband: "upon me, my lord, upon me, let this
iniquity be" (v. 24), "I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine hand
maid" (v. 28). She took upon herself the blame for the illtreatment of
his men, and says, If thou wilt be angry, be angry against me, rather
than with my poor husband.
Next, we behold her strong faith: "the Lord will certainly make my
lord a sure house" (v. 28). She makes reference unto the future to
draw his heart from the present. As another has said, "To the heir of
a kingdom, a few sheep could have but little attraction; and one who
knew that he had the anointing oil of the Lord upon his head, might
easily bear to be called a runaway servant." Ah, it is ever the office
of faith to look beyond present circumstances and difficulties, on to
the time of deliverance; only thus do we begin to judge things from
God's viewpoint. Then she pointed out that David was fighting "the
battles of the Lord" (v. 28), and therefore it was not for him to
think of avenging an insult to himself.
Her closing words in verses 29-31 are very beautiful. First, she makes
reference to the relentless persecution of Saul, but in becoming
loyalty to the throne speaks of him as "a man" rather than "the king,"
and assures David in most striking language that his life should be
preserved (v. 29). Second, looking away from his abject condition, she
confidently contemplated the time when the Lord would make him "ruler
over Israel": how heartening was this unto the tried servant of God!
Thus too does God often send us a word of comfort when we are most
sorely tried. Third, she pleaded with David that he would let his
coming glory regulate his present actions, so that in that day, his
conscience would not reproach him for previous follies. If we kept
more before us the judgment-seat of Christ, surely our conduct would
be more regulated thereby. Finally, she besought David to remember
her, his "handmaid," when he should ascend the throne.
"`As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise
reprover upon an obedient ear' (Prov. 25:12). Abigail was a wise
reprover of David's passion, and he gave an obedient ear to the
reproof according to his own principle: `Let the righteous smite me,
it shall be a kindness' (Ps. 141:5): never was such an admonition
either better given or better taken" (Matthew Henry). Herein are the
children of God made manifest; they are tractable, open to conviction,
willing to be shown their faults; but the children of the devil ("sons
of Belial") are like Nabal--churlish, stubborn, proud, unbending. Ah,
my reader, lay this to heart: if we will listen to faithful counselors
now, we shall be delivered from much folly and spared bitter regrets
in the future.
God blessed this word of Abigail's to David, so that he was now able
to view the whole transaction and his own bitter spirit and purpose,
in a true light. First, he praises God for sending him this check in a
sinful course (v. 32): it is a true mark of spirituality when we
discern and own the Lord's hand in such deliverances. Second, he
thanked Abigail for so kindly interposing between him and the sin he
was about to commit (v. 33): ah, we must not only receive a reproof
patiently, but thank the faithful giver of it. Note that instead of
speaking lightly of the evil he premeditated, David emphasized its
enormity. Third, he dismissed her with a message of peace, and
accepted her offering. The whole shows us wise men are open to sound
advice, even though it comes from their inferiors; and that oaths must
not bind us to do that which is evil.
Finally, let us point out for the benefit of preachers, that we have
in the above incident a blessed picture of an elect soul being drawn
to Christ. 1. Abigail was yoked to Nabal: so by nature we are wedded
to the law as a covenant of works, and it is "against us" (Col. 2:
14). 2. She was barren to Nabal (see Rom. 7:1-4). 3. It was tidings of
impending doom which caused her to seek David (v. 17). 4. She took her
place in the dust before him (v, 23). 5. She came to him confessing
"iniquity" (v. 24). 6. She sought "forgiveness" (v. 28). 7. She was
persuaded of David's goodness (v. 28). 8. She owned his exaltation (v.
30). 9. She, like the dying thief, begs to be "remembered" (v. 31).
David granted her request, accepted her person, and said, "Go in
peace" (v. 35)!
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER NINETEEN
His Marriage to Abigail
1 Samuel 25
_________________________________________________________________
"Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more
the wicked and the sinner" (Prov. 11:31). This is a most appropriate
verse with which to introduce the passage that is to engage our
attention, for each of its clauses receives striking illustration in
what is now to be before us. The closing verses of 1 Samuel 25 supply
both a blessed and a solemn sequel to what is found earlier in the
chapter. There we saw the wicked triumphing, and the righteous being
oppressed. There we saw the godly wife of the churl, Nabal, graciously
and faithfully befriending the outcast David. Here we behold the hand
of God's judgment falling heavily upon the wicked, and the hand of His
grace rewarding the righteous.
"Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more
the wicked and the sinner." Of all the hundreds of Solomon's inspired
proverbs this is the only one which is prefaced by the word "Behold."
This at once intimates that a subject of great importance is here in
view, bidding us fix the eyes of our mind upon the same with close and
admiring attention. That subject is the providential dealings of God
in human affairs, a subject which has fallen sadly into disfavor
during the last two or three generations, and one concerning which
much ignorance and error now widely prevails. Three things are clearly
signified by Proverbs 11:31: first, that God disposes the affairs of
all His creatures; second, that He pleads the cause of the innocent
and vindicates His oppressed people; third, that He plagues and
overthrows evildoers.
Practically all professing Christians believe that there is a future
day of retribution, when God shall reward the righteous and punish the
wicked; but comparatively few believe God now does so. Yet the verse
with which we have opened expressly declares that "The righteous shall
be recompensed in the earth." It is impossible to read the Scriptures
with an unprejudiced mind and not see this truth exhibited in the
history of individuals, families and nations. Cain murdered Abel: a
mark was set upon him by God, and he cried, "my punishment is greater
than I can bear." Noah was a just man and walked with God: he and his
family were preserved from the flood. Pharaoh persecuted the Hebrews,
and was drowned at the Red Sea. Saul thirsted for David's life, and
was slain in battle. Of the Lord we must say, "Verily, He is a God
that judgeth in the earth" (Ps. 58:11).
And now comes one with this objection: All that you have said above
obtained during the Old Testament dispensation, but in this Christian
era it is not so; we are shut up to faith. How ridiculous. Has God
vacated His throne? Is He no longer shaping human affairs? Is His
governmental justice no longer operative? Why, the most signal example
in all history of God's "recompensing" the wicked and the sinner in
the earth, has transpired in this Christian dispensation! It was in
A.D. 70 that God publicly executed judgment upon Jerusalem for the
Jews' rejection and crucifixion of their Messiah, and the condition of
that people throughout the earth ever since, has been a perpetual
exemplification of this solemn truth. The same principle has been
repeatedly manifested in the establishment of Christianity upon the
ruins of its oppressors. As to Christians being "shut up to faith," so
were the Old Testament saints just as much as we are: Habakkuk 2:1-4.
But let us notice a more formidable objection. Have there not been
many righteous souls who were falsely accused, fiercely persecuted,
and who were not vindicated on earth by God? Have there not been many
of the wicked who have prospered temporally, and received no
retribution in this life? First, let it be pointed out that God does
not always respond immediately. The writer has lived long enough to
see more than one or two who traded on the Sabbath, oppressed widows,
and despised all religion, brought to want. Second, there is a happy
medium between denying (on the one hand) that God is not now acting at
all in the capacity of Judge, and insisting (on the other hand) that
every man fully reaps in this life what he has sown.
Here, as everywhere, the truth lies between two extremes. If God were
to visibly reward every righteous act and punish every evil-doer in
this life, much of the work pertaining to the great Day of Judgment
would be forestalled. But if God never honors in this world those who
honor Him, or punishes those who openly defy Him, then we should be
without any pre-intimations of that Great Assize, other than what is
revealed in those Scriptures of Truth which very few so much as read.
Therefore, in His providential government of the world, God wisely
gives sufficiently clear manifestations of His love and righteousness
and hatred of unrighteousness, as to leave all without excuse
concerning what may be expected when we stand before Him to be fully
and finally judged. While there are sufficient cases of godliness
apparently passing unrewarded and examples of evil-doers prospering,
as to leave full room for the exercise of faith that the righteousness
of God shall yet be completely vindicated; nevertheless, there are
also a sufficient number of clear demonstrations before our eyes of
God's vengeance upon the wicked to awe us that we sin not.
"And Abigail came to Nabal; and behold, he held a feast in his house,
like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for
he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more
until the morning light" (v. 36). Recall the circumstances. Only a
little while previously Nabal had offered a gross insult to one who
was in dire need, and who had several hundred men under his command.
Measured by the standards of the world that insult called for
retaliation, and so felt the one who had received it. David had sworn
to revenge himself by slaying Nabal and every male member of his
household, and verse 23 makes it plain that he was on his way to
execute that purpose. But for the timely intervention of his wife,
Nabal had been engaged in a hopeless fight to preserve his life; and
here we see him feasting and drunken!
As Abigail furnishes a typical illustration of a needy sinner coming
to Christ and being saved by Him (see close of last chapter), so Nabal
affords us a solemn portrayal of one who despised Christ and perished
in his sins. Let preachers develop the leading points which we here
note down in passing. See the false security of sinners when in dire
danger: Ecclesiastes 8:11. Observe how one who grudges to give to God
for the relief of His poor, will lavishly spend money to satisfy his
lusts or make a fair show in the flesh: Luke 16:19-21. O how many
there are more concerned about having what they call "a good time,"
than they are in making their peace with God: Isaiah 55:2. So sottish
are some in the indulging of their appetites that they sink lower than
the beasts of the field: Isaiah 1:3. It is adding insult to injury
when the sinner not only breaks God's laws but abuses His mercies:
Luke 14:18-20. Remember people are intoxicated with other things
besides "wine"--worldly fame, worldly riches, worldly pleasures.
Yes, the fool Nabal vividly portrays the case of multitudes all around
us. The curse of God's broken law hanging over them, yet "feasting" as
though all is well with their souls for eternity. The sword of divine
justice already drawn to smite them down, yet their hearts "merry"
with "the pleasures of sin for a season." The Water of Life neglected,
but "drunken" with the intoxicating things of this perishing world. A
grave awaiting them in a few days' time, but flirting with death
during the brief and precious interval. In such a benumbed and giddy
state, that it would be the casting of pearls before swine for the
godly to speak seriously unto them. O how securely the devil holds his
victims! O the beguiling and paralyzing effects of sin! O the utterly
hopeless condition of the unbelieving, unless a sovereign God
intervenes, works a miracle of grace, and snatches him as a brand from
the burning!
"But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of
Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died
within him, and he became as a stone" (v. 37). The day of danger had
been spent in reveling, the night in intoxicated stupefaction, and now
he is called, as it were, to account. The sacred narrative records no
reproaches that Abigail made: they were not necessary--the guilty
conscience of Nabal would perform its own office. Instead, she merely
told her husband of what had transpired. Her words at once dispelled
his dreams, shattered his peace, and sank his spirits. Most probably,
he was overcome with fright, that notwithstanding his wife's kindly
overtures, David would swiftly take vengeance upon him. Filled with
bitter remorse, now it was too late to repent, giving way to abject
despair, Nabal's heart "became as stone." See here a picture of the
poor worldling when facing death, and the terrors of the Almighty
overwhelming him. See here the deceitfulness of carnal pleasures:
overnight his heart merry with wine, now paralyzed with horror and
terror. Yes, the "end of that mirth is heaviness" (Prov. 14: 13); how
different the joys which God gives!
"And it came to pass about ten days after, that the Lord smote Nabal,
that he died" (v. 38). What a fearfully solemn termination to a wasted
life! Nabal's course was one of folly, his end was that of "the fool."
Here was a man "very great" (v. 2), who had boastfully spoken of "my
bread, my flesh, my shearers" (v. 11); who had scorned David, and
spent his time in excessive self-gratification now arrived at the
close of his earthly journey, with nothing before him but "the
blackness of darkness forever." He seems to have lain in a senseless
stupor for ten days, induced either by the effects of his
intoxication, or from the horror and anguish of his mind, and this was
completed by the immediate stroke of the power and wrath of God,
cutting him off out of the land of the living. Such is, my reader, the
doom of every one who despises and rejects Christ as Lord and Saviour.
"And it came to pass about ten days after, that the Lord smote Nabal,
that he died." Not only is the case of Nabal a solemn example of a
careless, giddy, reckless sinner, suddenly cut off by God whilst
giving himself up to the indulgence of the flesh, when the sword of
divine judgment was suspended over his head; but we also see in his
death an exhibition of the faithfulness of God, an illustration of
Romans 12:19: "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give
place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,
saith the Lord." Not only is it sinful for the saint to avenge himself
when unjustly insulted and ill treated, but it is quite unnecessary.
In due time Another will do it far more effectually
"And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the
Lord, that has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the land of
Nabal, and hath kept His servant from evil: for the Lord hath returned
the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head" (v. 39). It is not that
David was guilty of unholy glee over the wretched end of one who had
wronged him, but that he rejoiced in the display of God's glory, of
the exercise of divine justice, and the triumphing of piety over
iniquity. Therein lies the real key to a number of passages which many
of our moderns suppose breathe only a vengeful spirit: as though God
erected a lower standard of holiness in Old Testament times than is
now given to us. Such was not the case: the law, equally with the
Gospel, required love for the neighbor.
As this subject has been so sadly wrested by "Dispensationalists," let
us add a few words here. Take for example Psalm 58:10, "The righteous
shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in
the blood of the wicked." Superficial people say, "But that is
altogether contrary to the spirit of this dispensation!" But read on:
"So that a man shall say. Verily there is a reward for the righteous:
verily He is a God that judgeth in the earth" (v. 11). It was not the
exercise of a spirit of malice, which took delight in seeing the
destruction of their foes: no indeed: for in the Old Testament the
divine command was, "Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth" (Prov.
24:17). Instead, it was the heart bowing in worship before the
governmental dealings of God, adoring that Justice which gave unto the
wicked their due. And where the heart is not completely under the
dominion of maudlin sentimentality, there will be rejoicing today when
some notoriously wicked character is manifestly cut down by the holy
hand of God: so it will be at the end of this era: see Revelation
18:20; 19:1, 2.
Ere passing on to the next verses, let us take notice of David's
thankful acknowledgment of God's restraining grace: "Blessed be the
Lord, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of
Nabal, and hath kept His servant from evil" (v. 39). If we carefully
reviewed the details of each day, we should frequently find occasion
to admire the sin-preventing providences of God. We may well adopt the
language of the Psalmist at the close of a beautiful illustration of
the divine mercies: "Whoso is wise, and will observe these things,
even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the Lord" (Ps.
107:43). Let us never miss an opportunity of praising God when He
graciously keeps us from committing any evil we had premeditated.
"And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife.
And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they
spake unto her, saying, David sent us unto thee, to take thee to him
to wife" (vv. 39, 40). The stroke of God's judgment had freed Abigail
from a painful situation, and now the workings of His providence
rewarded her righteousness. God gave her favor in the eyes of His
anointed. David was charmed not only with the beauty of her person and
the prudence of her character, but also with her evident piety--the
most valuable quality of all in a wife. Abigail being now a widow, and
David's own wife living in adultery, be sent messengers with a
proposal of marriage to her. This line in the type is strikingly
accurate: the Lord Jesus does not court His wife immediately, but
employs the ministers of the Gospel, endued with the Holy Spirit, to
woo and win sinners unto Himself.
"And she arose, and bowed herself on her face to the earth and said,
Behold, let thine handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the
servants of my lord" (v. 41). Very beautiful is it to see the great
modesty and humility with which such a wealthy woman received the
advances of David, deeming herself unworthy of such an honor, yea,
having such respect for him that she would gladly be one of the
meanest servants of his household. She accepted his proposal, and
thereby added still another line to this typical picture of
conversion: note how in the margin of 2 Chronicles 30:8 faith is
represented as to "give the hand unto the Lord"!
"And Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five
damsels of hers that went after her; and she went after the messengers
of David, and became his wife" (v. 42). Most blessed is this. At the
time, David was an homeless wanderer, outlawed; yet Abigail was
willing not only to forsake her own house and comfortable position,
but to share his trials and endure hardships for his sake.
Nevertheless, she knew it would be only for a brief season: she
married in faith, assured of the fulfillment of God's promises (v. 30)
and confident that in due course she would "reign with him"! And this
is what true conversion is: a turning of our back upon the old life,
willing to suffer the loss of all things for Christ, with faith
looking forward to the future.
"David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they were also both of them
his wives. But (or "for") Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's
wife, to Phalti the son of Laish, which was of Gallim" (vv. 43, 44).
Polygamy, though not in accord with either the law of nature or the
law of God, was a custom which prevailed in those degenerate days,
which some good men gave in to, though they are not to be commended
for it. In taking Ahinoam of Jezreel to wife (and later several
others: 2 Sam. 3), David followed the corruption of the times, but
from the beginning it was not so, nor is it permissible now since
Christ has ushered in "the times of reformation" (Matthew 19:4-6).
Index
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER TWENTY
His Chastening
1 Samuel 26
_________________________________________________________________
Some of our readers may wonder why we have given to the present
chapter such a title, and what bearing it has upon the contents of 1
Samuel 26; if so, we would ask them to thoughtfully ponder the closing
verses of the preceding chapter. Much is lost by many readers of the
Bible through failing to observe the connection between the ending of
one chapter and the beginning of another; even when incidents which
are totally distinct and different follow each other, a spiritual eye
may often discern an intimate moral relation between them, and therein
many valuable lessons may be learned. Such is the case here. At first
glance there appears to be no logical link uniting the further
uncalled-for attack of Saul upon David, and his having taken unto
himself a wife a little before; but the two things are related as is
effect to cause, and here is to be found the key which opens to us the
Divine significance of what is now to be before us.
"The way of transgressors is hard" (Prov. 13:15). No doubt the primary
reference in these words is to the wicked, yet the principle of them
unquestionably holds good in the case of the redeemed. In the keeping
of God's commandments there is "great reward" (Ps. 19:11), in this
life (1 Tim. 4;8) as well as in that which is to come; but in the
breaking of God's commandments bitter chastening is sure to follow.
Wisdom's ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace
(Prov. 3:17), but he who departs from Wisdom's ways and follows a
course of self-will, must expect to smart for it. So it was now in the
experience of David. It is true that in case of marital infidelity the
Mosaic law permitted the innocent one to obtain a divorce and marry
again; but it made no provision for a plurality of wives, and that was
what David was now guilty of; and for his sin he was sorely chastised.
Ah, my reader, let this truth sink deep into thine heart: God is
exercising a moral government over the believer as well as the
unbeliever, and He will no more wink at the sins of the one than He
will of the other. David was saved by grace through faith apart from
any good works as tile meritorious cause, as truly as we are; but he
was also called to be holy in all manner of conversation or behavior,
as we are. Grace does not set aside the requirements of Divine
holiness, instead, it reigns "through righteousness" (Rom. 5:21). And
when one who has been saved by grace fails to deny "ungodliness and
worldly lusts" (Titus 2: 12), then the chastening rod of God falls
upon him, that he may be a "partaker of His holiness" (Heb. 12:10).
And this, be it noted, is not only a part of the Father's dealings
with His children, but it is also a part of his ways with His subjects
as the Moral Ruler of this world.
As we suggested in the seventh chapter of this hook, it was David's
being united in marriage to the unbelieving Michal which accounts for
the painful experiences he passed through while a member of Saul's
household. Trials do not come upon us haphazardly; no, they come from
the hand of God. Nor does He act capriciously, but according to the
righteous principles of His government. In an earlier chapter we saw
how that God graciously protected David when the devil-driven king
sought his life, and how that He moved him to return home. Why, then,
should His restraining hand be removed, and Saul allowed to go forth
again on a blood-thirsty mission? Why should the brief respite David
had enjoyed now be so rudely broken? The answer is that God was again
using his enemy to chasten David for his recent sin, that he might, by
painful experience, learn anew that the way of transgressors is hard.
"O that thou hadst hearkened to My commandments! then had thy peace
been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea" (Isa.
48:18). What a difference it makes whether the ways of a Christian
please or displease the Ruler of this world: it is the difference of
having God for, or having Him against us--not in the absolute sense,
not in the eternal sense, but in His governmental dealings with us.
When the heart be right with God, then He shows Himself strong on our
behalf (2 Chron. 16:9). When our ways please Him, then He makes even
our enemies to be at peace with us (Prov. 16:7). Then how diligently
should we guard our hearts and ponder the path of our feet (Prov.
4:23, 26). Carelessness invites disaster; disobedience ensures
chastening; sinning will withhold good things from us (Jer. 5:25).
It is very important to see that while the penal and eternal
consequences of the Christian's sins have been remitted by God,
because atoned for by Christ, yet the disciplinary and temporal
effects thereof are not cancelled--otherwise the saints would never be
sick or die. It is not God in His absolute character, acting according
to His ineffably holy nature, but God in His official character,
acting according to the principles of His righteous government, which
deals with the present conduct of His people, rewarding them for their
obedience and chastening for disobedience. Hence, when God makes use
of the devil and his agents to scourge His people, it is not unto
their ultimate destruction, but unto their present plaguing and
disciplining. And this is exactly what we see in our present lesson:
Saul was allowed to disturb David's rest, but not to take his life. In
like manner, the devil is often permitted to whip us, but never to
devour us.
"And the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David
hide himself in the hills of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon?" (1
Sam. 26:1). The reader may remember that the Ziphites had shown
themselves unfriendly towards David on a former occasion. Was it not
then a hazardous thing for him to return unto those parts! How are we
to account for his acting so injudiciously, and thus courting danger?
Ah, let us recall what was pointed out under 21: 1 in Chapter 8 of
this book. When the soul is out of touch with God, when fellowship
with Him has been broken by giving way to the lusts of the flesh, the
judgment is dulled, and imprudent conduct is sure to be the effect. It
is not without reason that godliness is so often designated "wisdom"
(i.e. Ps. 90:12), and that a course of evil doing is "folly."
David had acted imprudently in marrying Abigail; he had committed a
grave sin in taking unto wife Ahinoam. We say he had acted
"imprudently" in marrying Abigail. The time was not propitious for
that. He was then a homeless wanderer, and in no condition to give
unto a wife the care and devotion to which she is entitled. Holy
Scripture declares, "to everything there is a season" (Eccl. 3:1).
While on this point, let it be said that, in the judgment of the
writer, young men who are out of work and have no good prospects of
soon obtaining any, are acting imprudently, yea, rashly, in getting
married. Let them possess their souls in patience (Luke 21:19) and
wait a more favorable season, and not tempt God.
"And the Ziphites came unto Saul of Gibeah, saying, Doth not David
hide himself in the hills of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon?" If
we venture upon the enemy's territory we must expect to be harassed by
him. It is probable these Ziphites were fearful that should David
succeed Saul on the throne, then he would avenge himself upon them for
their previous perfidy: if so, they were now the more anxious that he
should be captured and slain. Afraid to tackle him themselves, they
sent word to the king of David's present whereabouts. Their message
presented a temptation for Saul to return again unto that evil course
which he had abandoned, temporarily at least: thus does one evil-doer
"Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having
three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the
wilderness of Ziph" (v. 2). Poor Saul, his goodness was as a morning
cloud, and as the early dew it vanished away. "How soon do
unsanctified hearts lose the good impressions which their convictions
have made upon them, and return with the dog to their vomit" (Matthew
Henry). O what need has even the Christian to pray earnestly unto God,
that since he still has so much of the tinder of corruption left
within, the sparks of temptation may be kept far from him, lest when
they come together they are "set on fire of hell" (James 3:6). The
providential restraint of God in causing Saul to leave off pursuing
David because the Philistines were invading his territory, had wrought
no change within him: his evil disposition towards God's anointed was
the same as ever; and now that the favorable opportunity to seize
David presented itself, he gladly made the most of it.
The action of Saul here provides a solemn illustration of a well known
principle: if sin be not dethroned and mortified, it will soon recover
its strength, and when a suitable temptation is presented, break out
again with renewed force. How often do the servants of God witness
souls under deep conviction, followed by a marked reformation, which
leads them to believe that a genuine work of grace has taken place
within them; only to see them, a little later, return to their sins
and become worse than ever. So here: upon receiving word from the
Ziphites, Saul's enmity and malice revived, and, like Pharaoh of old,
he again hardened his heart, and determined to make another effort to
remove his rival. And thus it is with many a one who has been sobered
and awed by the Word: after a brief season, Satan and his agents
suggest such thoughts as tend to rekindle the smothered flame, and
then the lusts of the flesh are again allowed free play. O my reader,
beg God to deepen your convictions and write His law on your heart.
"And Saul pitched in the hill Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon, by
the way. But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came
after him into the wilderness. David therefore sent out spies, and
understood that Saul was come in very deed" (vv. 3,4). "David neither
fled, nor went out to meet Saul, when he was fully certified that he
was actually come forth to destroy him! Had a much greater army of
uncircumcised Philistines marched against him, he would doubtless have
forced them with his small company, and trusted in God for the event;
but he would not fight against the `Lord's anointed'" (Thomas Scott).
"David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul was come in
very deed." From the previous verse it would seem David had perceived
that some large force was advancing into that part of the country
where he and his men were now quartered. Though not certain as to who
was at the head of the approaching army, he probably suspected that it
was none other than Saul, and therefore did he now send out spies to
make sure. He would not fully believe that the king had again dealt so
basely with him, till he had the clearest proof of it: thereby does he
set us an example not to believe the worst of our enemies till we are
really forced to do so by incontestable evidence.
"And David arose, and came to the place where Saul had pitched; and
David beheld the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Net, the
captain of his hosts; and Saul lay in the trench, and the people
pitched round about him" (v. 5). Most likely it was in the dusk of the
evening that David now went forward to reconnoiter, surveying from
close range the order of Saul's camp and the strength of its
entrenchments. Though he knew the Lord was his Protector, yet he
deemed it necessary to be upon his guard and make use of means for his
safety. Well for us when we act as wisely as serpents, but as harmless
as doves. It is to be noted that David did not entrust this critical
task unto any of his underlings, but performed it in person. The
leader ought always to take the lead in the most difficult and
dangerous tasks.
"Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai
the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will go down with me
to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee" (v.
6). David now addressed himself unto two of those who were, most
likely, his closest attendants, asking who was bold enough to
volunteer in accompanying him on an exceedingly dangerous
enterprise--that of two men entering a camp of three thousand
soldiers. There is little room for doubt that David was prompted by
the Spirit to act thus, from whom he probably received assurance of
divine protection: thereby he would be afforded another opportunity of
demonstrating to Saul and Israel his innocency. Ahimelech was probably
a proselyted Hittite, and not having that faith in the God of Israel
which such a severe testing called for, held back, but Abishai, who
was David's own nephew (1 Chron. 2: 15, 16), readily agreed to
accompany David.
"So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul
lay sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at
his bolster: but Abner and the people lay around about him" (v. 7).
What an extraordinary situation now presented itself before the eyes
of David and his lone companion? Where was the guard? Had the watchmen
failed at their point of duty? There was none to sound an alarm: the
entire camp was wrapped in slumber so profound that, though the two
uninvited visitors walked and talked in their midst, none was aroused.
Ah, how easily can God render impotent an entire host of enemies! All
the forces of nature are under His immediate control: He can awaken
from the sleep of death, and He can put the living into such a heavy
sleep that none can awaken them. There was Saul and all his forces as
helpless as though they were in fetters of iron.
"Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered thine enemy into thine
hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the
spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second
time" (v. 8). In view of what had transpired in the cave (24:4-6), no
doubt Abishai thought that though David scrupled to kill Saul with his
own hand, yet he would allow one of his officers to slay him: thus
would an end be put to the difficulties and dangers unto himself and
his adherents, by cutting off at one blow their inveterate persecutor;
the more so, since Providence had again placed Saul in their power,
apparently for this very purpose. This illustrates the fact that often
it requires as much godly resolution to restrain the excesses of
zealous but unspiritual friends, as it does to stand firm against the
rage of incensed enemies.
A powerful temptation was here set before David. Had their positions
been reversed, would Saul hesitate to slay him? Why, then, should
David allow sentiment to prevail? Moreover, did it not look as though
God had arranged things to this very end? The previous opportunity was
not nearly so strongly marked as this one: Saul had, as it were,
accidentally wandered into the cave, but here was something
extraordinary--the entire camp was wrapped in a supernatural slumber.
Furthermore, his attendant urges upon him that it was the will of God
to now take things into his own hand. But David was not to be moved
from his loyalty to the throne. First, he told Abishai that it would
be sinful to lay violent hands upon one whose person was sacred (v.
10), for Saul had been appointed by God and anointed for his office.
Second, he declared it was unnecessary: God would, sooner or later,
cut him off (vv. 10, 11). Remembering how the Lord had just before
smitten Nabal, he left it to Him to avenge his cause.
"So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's bolster;
and they gat them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither
awaked; for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from the Lord
was fallen upon them" (v. 12). Here we see David as a type of Christ
in His wonderful forbearance toward His enemies, and in His faith in
God: 1 Peter 2:23. David's procedure was an effective method of
convincing Saul that he could have slain him. And what a proof to the
king that the Lord had departed from him, and was protecting David!
"Thus do we lose our strength and comfort when we are careless and
secure, and off our watch" (Matthew Henry), gives the practical lesson
for us in Saul's losing his spear and cruse of water.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
His Final Words With Saul
1 Samuel 26
_________________________________________________________________
"There are few periods in the life of David in Which his patient
endurance was displayed more conspicuously than in his last interview
with Saul. Saul had once more fallen into his power; but David again
refused to avail himself of the advantage. He would not deliver
himself by means that God did not sanction, nor stretch out his hand
against the Lord's anointed. Recognition of the excellency of David,
and confession of his own sin, was extorted, even from the lips of
Saul" (B. W. Newton).
In the preceding chapter we followed David and his lone attendant as
they entered the camp of Saul, and secured the king's spear and the
cruse of water which lay at his head. Having accomplished his purpose,
David now retired from his sleeping enemies. Carrying with him clear
evidence that he had been in their very midst, he determined to let
them know what had transpired, for he was far from being ashamed of
his conduct--when our actions are innocent, we care not who knows of
them. David now stations himself within hailing distance, yet
sufficiently removed that they could not come at him quickly or
easily. "Then David went over to the other side and stood on the top
of an hill afar off; a great space being between them" (1 Sam. 26:13).
This was evidently on some high point facing the "hill of Hachilah"
(v. 3), a wide valley lying between.
"And David cried to the people, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying,
Answerest thou not, Abner?" (v. 14) David now hailed the sleeping camp
with a loud voice, addressing himself particularly unto Abner, who was
the general of the army. Apparently he had to call more than once
before Abner was fully aroused. "Then Abner answered and said, Who art
thou that criest to the king?" Probably those were words both of anger
and contempt: annoyance at being so rudely disturbed from his rest,
and scorn as he recognized the voice of the speaker. Abner had so
lightly esteemed David and his men, that he had not considered it
necessary to keep awake personally, nor even to appoint sentinels to
watch the camp. The force of his question was, Whom do you think you
are, that you should address the monarch of Israel! Let not the
servants of God deem it a strange thing that those occupying high
offices in the world consider them quite beneath their notice.
"And David said to Abner, art not thou a valiant man? and who is like
to thee in Israel? wherefore then hast thou not kept thy lord the
king? for there came one of the people in to destroy the king thy
lord" (v. 15). David was not to be brow-beaten. "The wicked flee when
no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion" (Prov. 28:1).
Where the fear of God rules the heart, man cannot intimidate. Paul
before Agrippa, Luther before the Diet of Worms, John Knox before the
bloody Queen Mary, are cases in point. My reader, if you tremble
before worms of the dust, it is because you do not tremble before God.
David boldly charged Abner with his criminal neglect. First, he
reminded him that he was a valiant "man," i.e. a man in office, and
therefore duty bound to guard the person of the king. Second, he
bantered him in view of the high position he held. Third, he informed
him of how the king's life had been in danger that night as the result
of his culpable carelessness. It was tantamount to telling him he was
disgraced forever.
"This thing is not good that thou hast done. As the Lord liveth ye are
worthy to die, because ye have not kept your master, the Lord's
anointed" (v. 16). By martial law Abner and his officers had forfeited
their lives. It should be duly noted that David was not here speaking
as a private person to Saul's general, but as the servant and
mouthpiece of God, as is evident from "as the Lord liveth." "And now,
see where the kings spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his
bolster." David continued to banter him: the force of his word was,
Who is really the king's friend--you who neglected him and left him
exposed, or I that spared him when he was at my mercy! You are
stirring up Saul against me, and pursuing me as one who is unfit to
live; but who, now, is worthy to die? it was plainly a case of the
biter being bit.
"And Saul knew David's voice, and said, Is this thy voice, my son
David?" (v. 17) The king at once recognized the voice of him that was
denouncing Abner, and addressed him in terms of cordial friendship.
See here another illustration of the instability and fickleness of
poor fallen man: one day thirsting after David's blood, and the next
day speaking to him in terms of affection! What reliance can be placed
in such a creature? How it should make us the more revere and adore
the One who declares, "I am the Lord, I change not" (Mal. 3:6). "And
David said, it is my voice, my lord, O king" (v. 17). Very beautiful
is this. Though David could not admire the variableness and treachery
of Saul's character, yet he respected his office, and is here shown
paying due deference to the throne: he not only owned Saul's crown,
but acknowledged that he was his sovereign. Tacitly, it was a plain
denial that David was the rebellious insurrectionist Saul had
supposed.
"And he said, Wherefore doth my lord thus pursue after his servant?
for what have I done? or what evil is in mine hand?" (v. 18). Once
more (cf. 1 Sam. 24:11, etc.) David calmly remonstrated with the king:
what ground was there for his being engaged in such a blood-thirsty
mission? First, David was not an enemy, but ready to act as his
"servant' and further the court's interests; thus he suggested it was
against Saul's own good to persecute one who was ready to do his
bidding and advance his kingdom. Equally unreasonable and foolish have
been other rulers who hounded the servants of God: none are more loyal
to the powers that be, none do as much to really strengthen their
hands, as the true ministers of Christ; and therefore, they who oppose
them are but forsaking their own mercies.
Second, by pursuing David, Saul was driving him from his master and
lawful business, and compelling to flee the one who wished to follow
him with respect. Oh, the exceeding sinfulness of sin: it is not only
unreasonable and unjust (and therefore denominated "iniquity"), but
cruel, both in its nature and in its effects. Third, he asked, "What
have I done? or what evil is in mine hand?" Questions which a clear
conscience (and that only) is never afraid of asking. It was the
height of wickedness for Saul to persecute him as a criminal, when he
was unable to charge him with any crime. But let us observe how that
by these honest questions David was a type of Him who challenged His
enemies with "which of you convicteth Me of sin?" (John 8:46), and
again, "If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well,
why smitest thou Me?" (John 18:23).
"Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of
his servant. If the Lord have stirred thee up against me, let Him
accept an offering" (v. 19). It is likely that David had paused and
waited for Saul to make reply to his searching queries. Receiving no
answer, he continued his address. David himself now suggested two
possible explanations for the king's heartless course, First, it might
be that the Lord Himself was using him thus to righteously chastise
His servant for some fault. It was the divine side of things which
first engaged David's mind: "If the Lord hath stirred thee up against
me." This is a likelihood which should always exercise the conscience
of a saint, for the Lord "does not afflict willingly" (Lam. 3:33), but
usually because we give Him occasion to use the rod upon us. Much of
this would be spared, if we kept shorter accounts with God and more
unsparingly judged ourselves (1 Cor. 11:31). It is always a timely
thing to say with Job, "Show me wherefore Thou contendest with me"
(10:2).
Should the Lord convict him of any offense, then "let him accept an
offering": David would then make his peace with God and present the
required sin offering. For the Christian, this means that, having
humbled himself before God, penitently confessed his sins, he now
pleads afresh the merits of Christ's blood, for the remission of their
governmental consequences. But secondly, if God was not using Saul to
chastise David (as indeed He was), then if evil men had incited Saul
to use such violent measures, the divine vengeance would assuredly
overtake them--they were accursed before God. It is blessed to note
the mildness of David on this occasion: so far from reviling the king,
and attributing his wickedness unto the evil of his own heart, every
possible excuse was made for his conduct.
"But if they be the children of men, cursed be they before the Lord;
for they have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance
of the Lord, saying, Go, serve other gods" (v. 19). This was what
pained David the most: not the being deprived of an honorable position
as servant to Saul, not the being driven from home, but being exiled
from Canaan and cut off from the public means of grace. No longer
could he worship in the tabernacle, but forced out into the deserts
and mountains, he would soon be obliged to leave the Holy Land. By
their actions, his enemies were saying in effect, "Go, serve other
gods": driving him into a foreign country, where he would be
surrounded by temptations. It is blessed to see that it was the having
to live among idolaters, and not merely among strangers, which worried
him the more.
Ah, nought but the sufficiency of divine grace working in David's
heart could, under such circumstances, have kept him from becoming
utterly disgusted with the religion which Saul, Abner, and his fellows
professed. But for that, David had said, "If these be `Israelites,'
then let me become and die a Philistine!" Yes, and probably more than
one or two readers of this chapter have, like the writer, passed
through a similar situation. We expect unkind, unjust, treacherous,
merciless, treatment at the hands of the world; but when they came
from those whom we have regarded as true brethren and sisters in
Christ, we were shaken to the very foundation, and but for the mighty
power of the Spirit working within, would have said, "If that is
Christianity, I will have no more to do with it!" But, blessed be His
name, God's grace is sufficient.
"Now therefore let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of
the Lord: for the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as when
one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains" (v. 20). In these words
David completed his address to Saul. First, he gave solemn warning
that if he shed his blood, it would fall before the face of the Lord,
and He would not hold him guiltless. Second, he argued that it was far
beneath the dignity of the monarch of Israel to be chasing the son of
Jesse, whom he here likens unto "a flea"--an insignificant and
worthless thing. Third, he appeals again to the king's conscience by
resembling his case to men hunting a "partridge"--an innocent and
harmless bird, which when attacked by men offers no resistance, but
flies away; such had been David's attitude. Now we are to see what
effect all this had upon the king.
"Then said Saul, I have sinned: return, my son David; for I will no
more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this
day; behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly" (v.
21). This is more than the wretched king had acknowledged on a former
occasion, and yet it is greatly to be feared that he had no true sense
of his wickedness or genuine repentance for it. Rather was it very
similar to the remorseful cry of Judas, when he said, "I have sinned
in that I have betrayed the innocent blood" (Matthew 27: 4). These
words of Saul's were the bitter lament of one who, too late, realized
he had made shipwreck of his life. He owned that he had sinned--broken
God's law--by so relentlessly persecuting David. He besought his son
to return, assuring him that he would do him no more injury; but he
must have realized that his promises could not be relied upon. He
intimated that David's magnanimity had thoroughly melted his heart,
which shows that even the worst characters are capable of recognizing
the good deeds of God's people.
"Behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly." O what a
fool he had been: in opposing the man after God's own heart, in
alienating his own son, in so sorely troubling Israel, and in bringing
madness and sorrow upon himself! And how exceedingly had he "erred":
by driving away from his court the one who would have been his best
friend, by refusing to learn his lesson on the former occasion (1 Sam.
24), by vainly attempting to fight against the Most High! Unbelieving
reader, suffer us to point out that these words, "I have played the
fool, and have erred exceedingly," are the wail of the lost in Hell.
Now it is too late they realize what fools they were in despising the
day of their opportunity, in neglecting their souls' eternal
interests, in living and dying in sin. They realize they "erred
exceedingly" in ignoring the claims of God, desecrating His holy
Sabbaths, shunning His Word, and despising His Son. Will this yet be
your cry?
"And David answered and said, Behold the king's spear! and let one of
the young men come over and fetch it" (v. 22). This at once shows the
estimate which David placed on the words of the king: he did not dare
to trust him and return the spear in person, still less accompany him
home. Good impressions quickly pass from such characters. No good
words or fair professions entitle those to our confidence who have
long sinned against the light. Such people resemble those spoken of in
James 1:23, 24, who hear the word and do it not, and are like unto a
man "beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself,
goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was."
Thus it was with Saul; he now said that he had sinned, played the fool
and erred exceedingly, yet this deterred him not from seeking unto the
witch of Endor!
"The Lord render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness:
for the Lord delivered thee into my hand today, but I would not
stretch forth mine hand against the Lord's anointed" (v. 23). This was
very solemn, David now appealed to God to be the Judge of the
controversy between himself and Saul, as One who was inflexibly just
to render unto every man according to his works. David's conscience is
quite dear in the matter, so he need not hesitate to ask the righteous
One to decide the issue: good for us is it when we too are able to do
likewise. In its final analysis, this verse was really a prayer: David
asked for divine protection on the ground of the mercy which he had
shown to Saul.
"And, behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so
let my life be much set by in the eyes of the Lord, and let Him
deliver me out of all tribulation" (v. 24). It is to be noted that
David made no direct reply to what Saul had said, but his language
shows plainly that he placed no reliance on the king's promises. He
does not say, "As thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so
let my life be much set by in thine eyes," but rather, "in the eyes of
the Lord." His confidence was in God alone, and though further trials
awaited him, he counted upon His power and goodness to bring him
safely through them.
"Then Saul said to David, Blessed be thou, my son David: thou shalt
both do great things, and also shalt still prevail" (v. 25). Such were
the final words of Saul unto David: patient faith had so far prevailed
as to extort a blessing even from its adversary. Saul owned there was
a glorious future before David, for he who humbleth himself shall be
exalted. There was a clear conviction in the king's mind that David
was favored by God, yet that conviction in nowise checked him in his
own downward course: convictions which lead to no amendment only
increase condemnation. "So David went on his way, and Saul returned to
his place" (v. 25). Thus they parted, to meet no more in this world.
Saul went forward to his awful doom; David waited God's time to ascend
the throne.
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
His Unbelief
1 Samuel 27
_________________________________________________________________
After Saul's departure (1 Sam. 26:25), David took stock of his
situation, but unfortunately he left God out of his calculations.
During tedious and trying delays, and especially when outward things
seem to be all going against us, there is grave danger of giving way
to unbelief. Then it is we are very apt to forget former mercies, and
fear the worst. And when faith staggers, obedience wavers, and
self-expedients are frequently employed, which later, involve us in
great difficulties. So it was now with the one whose varied life we
are seeking to trace. As David considered the situation he was still
in, remembered the inconstancy and treachery of Saul, things appeared
very gloomy to him. Knowing full well the king's jealousy, and perhaps
reasoning that he would now regard him with a still more evil eye,
since God so favored him, David feared the worst.
"The moment in which faith attains any triumph, is often one of
peculiar danger. Self-confidence may be engendered by success, and
pride may spring out of honour that humility has won; or else, if
faithfulness, after having achieved its victory, still finds itself
left in the midst of danger and sorrow, the hour of triumph may be
succeeded by one of undue depression and sorrowful disappointment. And
thus it was with David. He had obtained this great moral victory; but
his circumstances were still unchanged. Saul yet continued to be king
of Israel: himself remained a persecuted outcast. As the period, when
he had before spared the life of Saul, had been followed by days of
lengthened sorrow, so he probably anticipated an indefinite
prolongation of similar sufferings, and his heart quailed at the
prospect" (B. W. Newton).
Solemn is it to mark the contrast between what is found at the close
of 1 Samuel 26 and that which is recorded in the opening verses of the
next chapter. To question the faithfulness and goodness of God is
fearful wickedness, though there are some who regard it as a very
trivial offense; in fact, there are those who well-nigh exalt the
doubts and fears of Christians into fruits and graces, and evidences
of great advancement in spiritual experience. It is sad indeed to find
a certain class of men petting and pampering people in unbelief and
distrust of God, and being in this matter unfaithful both to their
Master and to the souls of His saints. Not that we are an advocate for
smiting the feeble of the flock, but their sins we must denounce. Any
teaching which causes Christians to pity themselves for their failings
and falls, is evil, and to deny that doubting the loving kindness of
God is a very heinous offense, is highly reprehensible.
"And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand
of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily
escape into the land of the Philistines" (1 Sam. 27:1). "And yet the
hour of Saul's fall and of his own deliverance was close at hand. The
Lord was about to interfere, and to extricate His faithful servant
from his long and sore afflictions. Almost the very last hour of his
trial under Saul had come, yet at that last moment he failed: so hard
is it for `patience to have her perfect work.' David had just said,
`Let the Lord deliver me out of all tribulation.' It was a strong, and
no doubt a sincere expression of confidence in God; but the feeling of
the heart, as well as the expression of the lips, may often exceed the
reality of our spiritual strength, and therefore, not unfrequently,
when strong expressions have been used, they who have used them are
tested by some peculiar trial; that so, if there be weakness, it may
be detected, and no flesh glory in the presence of God" (B. W.
Newton).
"And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand
of Saul." Such a conclusion was positively erroneous. There was no
evidence in proof thereof: he had been placed in perilous positions
before, but God had never deserted him. His trials had been many and
varied, but God had always made for him "a way to escape" (1 Cor.
10:13). It was therefore contrary to the evidence. Once he had said,
"thy servant slew both the lion and the bear, and this uncircumcised
Philistine shall be as one of them" (1 Sam. 17:36). Why not reason
like that now? and say "Thy servant slew Goliath, was delivered from
the javelin of a madman, escaped the evil devices of Doeg, and so he
shall continue to escape out of the hand of Saul!" Moreover, David's
rash conclusion was contrary to promise: Samuel had poured upon his
head the anointing oil as God's earnest that he should be king--how
then could he be slain by Saul?
How is David's unbelief to be accounted for? "First, because he was a
man. The best of men are men at the best, and man at his best is such
a creature that well might David himself say, `Lord, what is man?' . .
. If faith never gave place to unbelief, we might be tempted to lift
up the believer into a demigod, and think him something more than
mortal. That we might see that a man full of faith is still a man,
that we might glory in infirmities, since by them the power of God is
the more clearly proved, therefore God was pleased to let the
feebleness of man grievously show itself. Ah, it was not David who
achieved those former victories, but God's grace in David; and now,
when that is removed for a moment, see what Israel's champion becomes!
"Second, David had been exposed to a very long trial; not for one
week, but for month after month, he had been hunted like a partridge,
upon the mountains. Now a man could bear one trial, but a perpetuity
of tribulations is very hard to bear. Such was David's trial: always
safe, but always harassed; always secure through God, but always
hunted about by his foe. No place could give him any ease. If he went
unto Keilah, then the citizens would deliver him up; if he went into
the woods of Ziph, then the Ziphites betrayed him; if he went even to
the priest of God, there was that dog of a Doeg to go to Saul, and
accuse the priest; even in Engedi or in Adullam he was not secure;
secure, I grant you, in God, but always persecuted by his foe. Now,
this was enough to make the wise man mad, and to make the faithful man
doubt. Do not judge too harshly of David; at least judge just as
hardly of yourselves.
"Third, David had passed through some strong excitements of mind. Just
a day or so before he had gone forth with Abishai in the moonlight to
the field where Saul and his hosts lay sleeping. They passed the outer
circle where the common soldiers lay, and quietly and stealthily the
two heroes passed without awakening any. They came at last to the spot
where the captains of the hundreds slept, and they trod over their
slumbering bodies without arousing them. They reached the spot where
Saul lay, and David had to hold back Abishai's hand from slaying him;
so he escaped from this temptation, as he had aforetime. Now,
brethren, a man may do these great things helped by God, but do you
know it is a sort of natural law with us, that after a strong
excitement there is a reaction! It was thus with Elijah after his
victory over the prophets of Baal: later, he ran from Jezebel, and
cried `Let me die.'
"But there was another reason, for we are not to exculpate David. He
sinned, and that not merely through infirmity, but through evil of
heart. It seems to us that David had restrained prayer. In every other
action of David you find some hint that he asked counsel of the Lord .
. . But this time what did he talk with? Why, with the most deceitful
thing that he could have found--with his own heart . . . Having
restrained prayer, he did the fool's act: he forgot his God, he looked
only at his enemy, and it was no wonder that when he saw the strength
of the cruel monarch, and the pertinacity of his persecution, he said
`I shall one day fall before him.' Brothers and sisters, would you
wish to hatch the egg of unbelief till it turns into a scorpion?
Restrain prayer! Would you see evils magnified and mercies diminish?
Would you find your tribulations increased sevenfold and your faith
diminished in proportion? Restrain prayer!" (Condensed from C. H.
Spurgeon).
"I shall now perish one day." Ah, has not this been the cry of many a
Satan-harassed saint! He looks within and sees what God has done for
him: that he has desires and aspirations which he never had before
conversion, so that the things he once hated he now loves. He realizes
there has been a radical change, such as mere nature could not
possibly affect, and his spirit rejoices in the hope set before him.
But he also sees so very much corruption within him, and finds so much
weakness that aids and abets that corruption; he sees temptations and
sore trials awaiting him, and cold despondency falls upon his heart,
and doubts and questions vex his mind. He is tripped up and has a bad
fall, and then Satan roars in his ear, "Now God has forsaken thee,"
and he is almost ready to sink into despair.
"And David arose, and he passed over with the six hundred men that
were with him unto Achish, the son of Maoch king of Gath" (v. 2).
Under the pressure of trials, relief is what the flesh most desires,
and unless the mind be stayed upon God, there is grave danger of
seeking to take things into our own hands. Such was the case with
David: having leaned unto his own understanding, being occupied
entirely with the things of sight and sense, he now sought relief in
his own way, and followed a course which was the very opposite to that
which the Lord had enjoined him (1 Sam. 22:5). There God had told him
to depart from the land of Moab and go into the land of Judah, and
there He had marvelously preserved him. How this shows us what poor
weak creatures the best of us are, and how low our graces sink when
the Spirit does not renew them!
In what is here before us (v. 2), we are shown the ill effects of
David's unbelief. "First, it made him do a foolish thing; the same
foolish thing which he had rued once before. Now we say a burnt child
always dreads the flame; but David had been burnt, and yet, in his
unbelief, he puts his hand into the same fire again. He went once to
Achish, king of Gath, and the Philistines identified him, and being
greatly afraid, David feigned himself mad in their hands, and they
drove him away. Now he goes to the same Achish again! Yes, and mark
it, my brethren, although you and I know the bitterness of sin, yet if
we are left to our own unbelief, we shall fall into the same sin
again. I know we have said, `No; never, never; I know so much by
experience what an awful thing this is.' Your experience is not worth
a rush to you apart from the continual restraints of grace. If your
faith fail, everything else goes down with it; and you hoary-headed
professor, will be as a big fool as a very boy, if God lets you alone.
"Second, he went over to the Lord's enemies. Would you have believed
it: he that killed Goliath, sought a refuge in Goliath's land; he who
smote the Philistines trusts in the Philistines; nay, more, he who was
Israel's champion, becomes the chamberlain to Achish, for Achish said,
`Therefore will I make thee keeper of my head forever,' and David
became thus the captain of the body-guard of the king of Philistia,
and helped preserve the life of one who was the enemy of God's Israel.
Ah, if we doubt God, we shall soon be numbered among God's foes.
Inconsistency will win us over into the ranks of His enemies, and they
will be saying, `What do these Hebrews here?' `The just shall live by
faith, but if any man draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure in
him'--the two sentences are put together as if the failure of our
faith would surely lead to a turning back to sin.
"Third, he was on the verge of still worse sin--of overt acts of
warfare against the Lord's people. David's having become the friend of
Achish, when Achish went to battle against Israel, he said to him,
`Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go with me to battle, thou and
thy men'; and David professed his willingness to go. We believe it was
only a feigned willingness; but then, you see, we convict him again of
falsehood. It is true that God interposed and prevented him fighting
against Israel, but this was no credit to David, for you know,
brethren, we are guilty of a sin, even if we do not commit it, if we
are willing to commit it. The last effect of David's sin was this: it
brought him into great trial" (C. H. Spurgeon).
O my readers, what a solemn warning is all of this for our hearts! How
it shows us the wickedness of unbelief and the fearful fruits which
that evil root produces. It is true that David had no reason to trust
Saul, but he had every reason to continue trusting God. But alas,
unbelief is the sin of all others which doth so easily beset us. It is
inherent in our very nature, and it is more impossible to root it out
by any exertions of ours, than it is to change the features of our
countenances. What need is there for us to cry daily, "Lord, I
believe, help Thou mine unbelief" (Mark 9:24). Let me see in David
myself, my very nothingness. O to fully realize that in our best
moments, we can never trust ourselves too little, nor God too much.
"And David arose, and he passed over with the six hundred men that
were with him unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath" (v. 2).
Here we see David not only forsaking the path of duty, but joining
interests with the enemies of God: this we must never do; no, not even
for self-preservation, or out of care for our family. As another has
said, "It is in one sense, a very easy matter to get out of the place
of trial; but then we get out of the place of blessing also." Such is
generally, if not always the case, with the children of God. No matter
how sore the trial, how pressing our circumstances, or how acute our
need, to "rest in the Lord, wait patiently for Him" (Ps. 37:7), is not
only the course which most honors Him, but which, in the long run,
spares us much great confusion and trouble which results when we seek
to extricate ourselves.
"And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with
his household" (v. 3). David's circumstances upon entering into Gath
this time were decidedly different from what they had been on a
previous occasion (1 Sam. 21:10-15): then he entered secretly, now
openly; then as a person unknown, now as the recognized enemy of
Israel's king; then alone, now with six hundred men; then he was
driven hence, now he probably had been invited thither. Apparently he
met with a kindly reception--probably because the king of Gath now
hoped to use him in his own service: either that he could employ David
against Israel, or secure an advantageous alliance with him, if ever
he came to the throne. Thus the plan of David appeared to meet with
success: at least he found a quiet dwelling-place. Providence seemed
to be smiling
"And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with
his household, even David with his two wives: Ahinoam the Jezreelitess
and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's wife" (v. 3). Ah, has not the
Holy Spirit supplied the key (in the second half of this verse) which
explains to us David's sad lapse? It was his "two wives" which had
displeased the Lord! We entitled the last chapter but one David's
"chastening" and sought to point out the connection between what is
found at the end of 1 Samuel 25 and that which is recorded in 1 Samuel
26, namely, the renewed attack of Saul upon him. That divine
"chastening" was now continued, and may be discerned by the
In this chapter we have sought to show the awfulness of unbelief, and
the evil character of the fruits that issue from it; and how that the
graces of the strongest Christian soon became feeble unless they are
renewed by the Spirit. But let it be now pointed out that God does not
act capriciously in this: if our graces be not renewed, the fault lies
in ourselves. It is by working backward from effect to cause, that we
may here learn the most important lesson of all. (1) David sinned
grievously in seeking refuge among the enemies of the Lord. (2) He
went to them without having sought divine guidance. (3) He leaned unto
his own understanding, and reasoned that it was best for him to go to
Gath. (4) He acted thus because he had given way to unbelief. (5) He
gave way to unbelief because his faith was not divinely renewed and
prayer in him had been choked. (6) His faith was not renewed because
the Holy Spirit was grieved over his sin! Re-read these six points in
their inverse order.
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
His Stay at Ziklag
1 Samuel 27
_________________________________________________________________
One of the chief differences between the Holy Spirit's description of
Biblical characters and the delineations in human biographies is, that
the former has faithfully presented their failures and falls, showing[
]us that they were indeed men of "like passions with us"; whereas the
latter (with very rare exceptions) record little else than the fair
and favorable side of their subjects, leaving the impression they were
more angelic than human. Biographies need to be read sparingly,
especially modern ones, and then with due caution (remembering that
there is much "between the lines" not related), lest a false estimate
of the life of a Christian be formed, and the honest reader be driven
to despair. But God has painted the features of Biblical characters in
the colors of reality and truth, and thus we find that "as in water
face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man" (Prov. 27:19).
The practical importance (and it is that which should ever be our
first and chief quest as we read and ponder the Scriptures) of what
has just been pointed out should preserve both preacher and hearer
from a one-sided idea of Christian experience. A saint on earth is not
a sinless being; nor, on the other hand, does sin have complete
dominion over him. In consequence of both the "flesh" and the "spirit"
still indwelling him, in "many things" he offends (James 3:2), and in
many things he pleases God. The "old man" is not only still alive
(though the Christian is to "reckon" it as being judicially dead
before God: Rom. 6:11), but is constantly active; and though divine
grace restrain it from breaking forth into much outward evil, yet it
defiles all our inner being, and pollutes our best endeavors both
Godward and manward (Rom. 7:14-25). Nevertheless, the "new man" is
also active, producing that which is glorifying to God.
It is because of this dual experience of the Christian that we are
ever in danger of concentrating too much on the one aspect, to the
ignoring of the other. Those with a pessimistic turn of mind, need to
watch against dwelling too much on the gloomy side of the Christian
life, and spending too much time in Job and the Lamentations, to the
neglect of the later Psalms and the epistle to the Philippians. In the
past, a certain class of writers occupied themselves almost
exclusively with the contemplation of human depravity and its fearful
workings in the saint, conveying the idea that a constant mourning
over indwelling sin and groaning over its activities was the only mark
of high spiritual experience. Such people are only happy when they are
miserable. We counsel those who have been strongly influenced by such
teaching, to turn frequently to John's Gospel, chapters 14 to 17, and
turn each verse into prayer and praise.
On the other side, those with a buoyant temperament and optimistic
turn of mind need to watch against the tendency to appropriate and
meditate upon the promises to the almost total ignoring of the
precepts of Scripture; to strive against lightness and superficiality,
and to be careful they do not mistake exuberance of natural spirits
for the steadier and deeper flow of spiritual joy. To be all the time
dwelling upon the Christian's standing, his privileges and blessings,
to the neglect of his state, obligations and failures, will beget
pride and self-righteousness. Such people need to prayerfully ponder
Romans 7, the first half of Hebrews 12, and much in 1 Peter. Sinful
self and all its wretched failures should be sufficiently noticed so
as to keep us in the dust before God. Christ and His great salvation
should be contemplated so as to lift us above self and fill the soul
with thanksgiving.
The above meditations have been suggested by that portion of David s
life which is now to engage our attention. The more it be carefully
pondered, the more should we be delivered from entertaining an
erroneous conception of the experience and history of a saint. Not
that we are to seize upon these sad blemishes in David to excuse our
own faults--no indeed, that would be wickedness of the worst kind; but
we are to be humbled by the realization that the same evil nature
indwells us, and produces works in you and me equally vile. Those who
are surprised that the Psalmist should act as he here did, must be
woefully ignorant of the "plague" of their own hearts, and blind unto
sins in their own lives which are just as abominable in the sight of
the Holy One as were those of David's.
In our last chapter we saw that unbelief and fear so gained the upper
hand over David, that he exclaimed, "I shall now perish one day by the
hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should
speedily escape into the land of the Philistines" (1 Sam. 27:1). And
yet, probably only a short while before, this same David had declared,
"Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear:
though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident" (Ps.
27:3). Yes, and has not the reader, when in close communion with the
Lord, and when the sails of faith were fully spread and filled with
the breeze of the Spirit, said or felt the same? And, alas that it
should be so, has not this confidence waned, and then disappeared
before some fresh trial! How these sad lapses should show us
ourselves, and produce real humility and self abasement. How often
expressions from our own lips in the past condemn us in the present!
Then we pointed out that, "under the pressure of trial, relief is what
the flesh most desires." Perhaps the reader may ask, "but is not that
natural?" Yes indeed, but is it spiritual? Our first desire in trial,
as in everything else, should be that God may be honored, and for
this, we should earnestly seek grace to so conduct ourselves that we
may "glorify the Lord in the fires" (Isa. 24:15). Our next concern
should be that our soul may profit from the painful experience, and
for this we should beg the Lord to graciously sanctify it unto our
lasting good. But alas, when unbelief dominates us, God is forgotten,
and deliverance, our own case, obsess the mind; and hence it is
that--unless divine grace interpose--we seek relief in the wrong
quarter and by unspiritual means. Thus it was here with David: he and
his men passed over unto Achish, the king of Gath.
"And David dwelt with Achish, he and his men, every man with his
household" (v. 3). From these words it seems that Achish, the
Philistine, made no demur against David and his men entering his
territory; rather does it look as though he met with a friendly and
kindly reception. Thus, from present appearances--the obtaining, at
last, a quiet dwelling-place--it seemed that the fleshly plan of David
was meeting with real success, that Providence was smiling upon him.
Yes, it is often this way at first when a Christian takes things into
his own hands: to carnal reason the sequel shows he did the right
thing. Ah, but later on, he discovers otherwise. One false step is
followed by another, just as the telling of a lie is usually succeeded
by other lies to cover it. So it was now with David: he went from bad
to worse.
"And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no
more again for him" (v. 4). This too would seem to confirm the thought
that David had acted wisely, and that God was blessing his worldly
scheme, for his family and people now rested safely from the
approaches of their dreaded foe. But when everything is going smoothly
with the Christian, and the enemy ceases to harass him, then is the
time, generally speaking, when he needs to suspect that something is
wrong with his testimony, and beg God to show him what it is. Nor was
Saul's cessation of hostility due to any improvement of character, but
because he dared not to come where David now was. "Thus many seem to
leave their sins, but really their sins leave them; they would persist
in them if they could" (Matthew Henry).
"And David said unto Achish, If I have now found grace in thine eyes,
let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell
there: for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee?"
(v. 5). David knew from experience how jealous were kings and their
favorites, so to prevent the envy of Achish's courtiers he deemed it
well not to remain too near and receive too many favors at his hands.
Probably the idolatry and corruption which abounded in the royal city
made David desirous of getting his family and people removed
therefrom. But in the light of the sequel, it seems that the principle
motive which prompted him to make this request was, that he might have
a better opportunity to fall upon some of the enemies of Israel
without the king of Gath being aware of it. The practical lesson for
us is, that when we forsake the path of God's appointment a spirit of
restlessness and discontent is sure to possess us.
David presented his request to Achish very modestly: "give me a place
in some town in the country that I may dwell there, where they could
enjoy greater privacy and more freedom from the idolatry of the land.
Six hundred men and their families would crowd the royal city, and
might prove quite a burden; while there was always the danger of the
subjects of Achish regarding David as a rival in state and dignity.
But to what a low level had God's anointed descended when he speaks of
himself as the "servant" of Achish! How far from communion with the
Lord was he, when one of the uncircumcised is to choose his
dwelling-place for him! A child of God is "the Lord's free man" (1
Cor. 7:22): yes, but to maintain this in a practical way, he must walk
in faith and obedience to Him; otherwise he will be brought in bondage
to the creature, as David was.
"Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day:" (v. 6). Originally this city
had been given to the tribe of Judah (Josh. 15:31), then to Simeon
(John 19:5), though it seems that neither of them possessed it, but
that it came into the hands of the Philistines. "Wherefore Ziklag
pertained unto the kings of Judah unto this day." Being given unto
David, who shortly after became king, this section was annexed to the
crown-lands, and ever after it was part of the portion of the kings of
Judah: so that it was given to David not as a temporary possession,
but, under God, as a permanent one for his descendants. Truly, the
ways of the Lord are past finding out.
"And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a
full year and four months" (v. 7). "But rest reached by self-will or
disobedience is anything rather than peace to the heart that fears
God, and loves His service. David could not forget that Israel, whom
he had forsaken, were God's people; nor that the Philistines, whom he
had joined, were God's enemies. He could not but remember his own
peculiar relation to God and to His people--for Samuel had anointed
him, and even Saul had blessed him as the destined king of Israel. His
conscience therefore, must have been ill at ease; and the stillness
and rest of Ziklag would only cause him to be more sensible of its
disquietude" (B. W. Newton).
"And David and his men went up, and invaded the Geshurites, and the
Gezrites, and the Amalekites: for those nations were of old the
inhabitants of the land" (v. 8). "When the consciences of God's
servants tells them that their position is wrong, one of their devices
not unfrequently is, to give themselves, with fresh energy, to the
attainment of some right end; as if rightly directed, or successful
energy, could atone for committed evil, and satisfy the misgivings of
a disquieted heart. Accordingly, David, still retaining the
self-gained rest of Ziklag, resolved that it should not be the rest of
inactivity, but that he would thence put forth fresh energies against
the enemies of God and of His people. The Amalekites were nigh. The
Amalekites were they of whom the Lord had sworn that He would have war
with Amalek from generation to generation. David therefore went up
against them, and triumphed" (B. W. Newton).
Those which David and his men invaded were some of the original tribes
which inhabited Canaan, and were such as had escaped the sword of
Saul, and had fled to more distant parts. His attack upon them was not
an act of cruelty, for those people had long before been divinely
sentenced to destruction. Yet though they were the enemies of the Lord
and His people, David's attack upon them was ill timed, and more
likely than not the chief motive which prompted him was the obtaining
of food and plunder for his forces. "Nothing could be more complete
than his success: `He smote the land, and left neither man nor woman
alive; and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the
camels, and the apparel.' Ziklag was enriched with spoil, and that the
spoil of the enemies of the Lord. What prosperity then could be
greater--what apparently more immediately from God?" (B. W. Newton)
A solemn warning, which we do well to take to heart, is pointed for us
in verses 8, 9, namely, not to measure the right or wrong of a course
of conduct by the success which appears to attend it. This principle
is now being flagrantly disregarded, the scripturalness or
unscripturalness of an action concerns few professing Christians
today: so long as it seems to produce good results, this is all that
matters. Worldly devices are brought into the "church," fleshly and
high-pressure methods are adopted by "evangelists," and so long as
crowds are drawn, the young people "held," and "converts" made, it is
argued that the end justifies the means. If "souls are being saved,"
the great majority are prepared to wink at almost anything today,
supposing that the "blessing of God" (?) is a sure proof that nothing
serious is wrong. So the children of Israel might have reasoned when
the waters flowed from the rock which Moses disobediently smote in his
anger. So David might have concluded when such success attended his
attack upon the Amalekites! To judge by visible results is walking by
sight; to measure everything by Holy Writ and reject all that is out
of harmony therewith, is walking by faith.
"And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, and
took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and
the apparel, and returned and came to Achish" (v. 9). Mark well the
closing words of this verse: one had thought that Achish was the last
man whom David would wish to see at this time. It had been far more
prudent had he returned quietly to Ziklag, but as we pointed out in a
previous chapter, when a saint is out of communion with God, and
controlled by unbelief, he no longer acts according to the dictates of
common sense. A striking and solemn illustration of that fact is here
before us. O that writer and reader may lay this well to heart: faith
and wisdom are inseparably linked together. Nothing but folly can
issue from an unbelieving heart, that is, from a heart which has not
been won by divine grace.
"And Achish said, Whither have ye made a road today?" (v. 10). No
doubt the king of Gath was surprised, as he had reason to be, when he
saw David and his men so heavily laden with their booty, and therefore
does he inquire where they had been. Sad indeed is it to hear the
reply given: "And David said, Against the south of Judah, and against
the south of the Jerahmeelites, and against the south of the Kenites."
Though not a downright lie, yet it was an equivocation, made with the
design of deceiving, and therefore cannot be defended, nor is to be
imitated by us. David was not willing that Achish should know the
truth. He did not now play the part of a madman, as he had on a former
occasion, but fearful of losing his self-chosen place of protection,
he dissembled unto the king. The Amalekites were fellow-Canaanites
with the Philistines, and if not in league with them, Achish and his
people would probably be apprehensive of danger by harboring such a
powerful foe in their midst, and would want to expel them. To avoid
this, David resorted to deception. O what need has writer and reader
to pray daily, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil."
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
His Sore Dilemma
1 Samuel 28
_________________________________________________________________
Following his local incursion upon and victory over the Amalekites,
David, instead of quietly making for Ziklag, most imprudently "came to
Achish" (1 Sam. 27:9). Seeing him so heavily laden with the spoils
which had been taken, the king inquired where he had been. David
feared to tell Achish that he had been destroying Israel's enemies and
the Philistines' friends, and therefore returned a misleading answer.
David had taken precaution to cover his tracks, for we are told that
he "saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring tidings to Gath,
saying, Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did David, and so will
be his manner all the while he dwelleth in the country of the
Philistines" (27: 11). Forgetful of God and the many tokens he had
already received of His protecting care, David dissembled. Achish was
thoroughly deceived, for we read, "Achish believed David, saying, He
hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall
be my servant forever" (27: 12).
Probably it was his persuading Jonathan to tell his father that he had
gone about his business, telling Ahimelech an untruth, his
prevarications before Achish, and some other instances, which caused
David, when later he penitently reflected upon them, to pray "Remove
from me the way of lying" (Ps. 119:29). This seems to have been
David's "besetting sin," or the particular inclination of his corrupt
nature. Now when we are foiled by any sin, we should take careful
pains lest we settle into a "way" or course of sinning; for as a brand
which has once been in the flame is now more susceptible to fire, so
the committing of any sin renders us more liable to form a habit of
that evil.
Humiliating as may be the acknowledgment of it, the fact remains that
every one of us needs to cry fervently unto God "Remove from me the
way of lying." Because we are descended from parents who, at the
beginning, preferred the devil's lie to God's truth, we are strongly
inclined unto lying; yea, it is so much a part of our fallen nature
that none but God can remove it from us. How many indulge in
exaggeration, which is a form of lying. How many deceive by gestures
and actions, which is another form of it. How many make promises (in
their letters, for example, vowing they will soon write again) which
they never fulfill. Worse still, how many lie unto God by false
appearances: going through the form of prayer, feigning to be very
pious outwardly, when their hearts and minds are upon the things of
the world. Of old God said, "Ephraim compasseth Me about with lies,
and the house of Israel with deceit" (Hosea 11:12): God sees through
all vain shows, and will not be mocked.
The consequences of David's lie soon became apparent. "And it came to
pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their armies
together for warfare, to fight with Israel. And Achish said unto
David, Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me to battle,
thou and thy men" (1 Sam. 28:1). Probably this was about the last
thing he expected. Poor David! He was indeed in a tight place now, so
tight that it seemed impossible for him to turn either way. On the one
hand, to refuse the king's request would not only be to run the danger
of angering him, with what that would most likely entail, but would
appear the height of ingratitude in return for the kindness and
protection which had been given to him and his people. On the other
hand, to accept Achish's proposal meant being a traitor to Israel.
This sore dilemma in which David found himself, is recorded for our
learning. It is a solemn warning of what we may expect if we forsake
the path of God's precepts. If we enter upon a wrong position, then,
trying and unpleasant situations are sure to arise--situations which
our consciences will sharply condemn, but from which we can see no way
of escape. When we deviate from the path of duty, in the slightest
degree, each circumstance that follows will tend to draw us farther
aside. Once a rock starts downhill, it gains momentum with every bound
that it takes. Then how watchful we need to be against the first false
step; yea, how earnestly should we pray, "Hold thou me up, and I shall
be safe" (Ps. 119:117)! Satan rests not satisfied for the Christian to
yield one "little" point, and knows full well our doing so greatly
lessens our resistance to his next temptations.
For the sake of younger readers, let us enlarge a little more upon
this point. To go anywhere we ought not, will bring us into
temptations that it will be almost impossible to resist. To seek the
society of non-Christians is to play with fire, and to accept favors
from them will almost certainly result in our getting burned. To
compromise one point, will be followed by letting down the bars at
others. For a young lady to accept the attentions of an undesirable
young man, makes it far harder to reject his later advances. Once you
accept a favor--even if it be but a "joy-ride" in an auto--you place
yourself under an obligation, and though you be asked to pay a high
price in return, yet if you demur, "ingratitude" is what you are
likely to be charged with. Then go slow, we beg you, in accepting
favors from any, especially from those who are likely to take an
unfair advantage of you.
David had done wrong in seeking protection from Saul in the land of
the Philistines, and now the king of Gath required service from him in
return. War being determined against Israel, Achish asks the
assistance of David and his men. Yes, when the Christian turns unto
the world for help, he must expect to be asked to pay the world's
price for the same. Needless intimacies with the avowed enemies of
godliness, and the receiving of favors from them, quickly causes us to
be unfaithful to God or ungrateful to our benefactors. To what a
strait had the false position of David reduced him: if he promised to
fight against Israel, and then broke his word, he would be guilty of
treachery; if he fought against Israel, he would alienate the
affections of his own people, and expose himself to the reproach of
having slain Saul. It seemed impossible that he should extricate
himself from this dilemma with a good conscience and clear reputation.
"And David said to Achish, Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can
do" (28:2). Probably David was quite undecided how to act, and
cherished a secret hope that the Lord would help him out of his great
difficulty; yet this by no means excused him for returning an
insincere and evasive answer. "And Achish said to David, Therefore
will I make thee keeper of mine head forever." The king of Gath
understood his reply as a promise of effectual assistance, and so
determined to make him the captain of his bodyguard. At the time David
was too much swayed by the fear of man to refuse attendance upon
flesh.
"Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him
in Ramah, even in his own city" (v. 3). This seems to be brought in
for the purpose of intimating why the Philistines should make an
attack upon Israel at this time: the knowledge of the prophet's death
had probably emboldened them. When death has removed ministers of God,
or persecution has banished them (as it had David), a land is deprived
of its best defense. "And Saul had put away those that had familiar
spirits, and the wizards, out of the land" (v. 3). This is mentioned
as an introduction to what follows unto the end of the chapter: it
serves to emphasize the inconstancy of Saul: it illustrates the
worthlessness of the temporary reformation of professors, who
ultimately return to their wallowing in the mire.
"And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and
pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they
pitched in Gilboa. And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he
was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled" (vv. 4, 5), Had he been in
communion with God, there would be no need for such a fear, but he had
provoked the Holy One to forsake him. Saul's excessive terror arose
chiefly from a guilty conscience: his contempt of Samuel, his
murdering the priests and their families, his malicious persecution of
David. Probably he had a premonition that this attack of the
Philistines foreboded his approaching doom.
"And when Saul enquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not" (v.
6). Unspeakably solemn is this: the case of one abandoned by God. It
was under urgent terror, and not as a preparation for repentance, that
Saul now sought unto the Lord. He did not "inquire" of Him till his
doom was sealed, till it was too late, for God will not be mocked. O
unbelieving reader, heed that call, "seek ye the Lord while He may be
found, call ye upon Him while He is near" (Isa. 55:6); otherwise, God
may yet say of thee, as of those of old, "These men have set up their
idols in their hearts, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity
before their face: should I be inquired of at all by them?" (Ezek.
14:3).
"And when Saul enquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not" (v.
6). Some see a contradiction between this statement and what is said
in 1 Chronicles 10:13, 14, "So Saul died for his transgression which
he committed against the Lord, against the word of the Lord, which he
kept not, and also for asking of a familiar spirit, to enquire; and
enquired not of the Lord." The "literalists" of the day, those who are
incapable of seeing beneath the bare letter of the Word, may well be
tripped up by a comparison of the two passages; but he who is taught
the spiritual meaning of the Scriptures perceives no difficulty. There
is much that passes for "prayer" among men (when they are in great
physical distress) which unto God is no more than the "howling" of
beasts: see Hosea 7: 14. Saul "enquired" in a hypocritical manner,
which the Lord would not regard at all. The ear of the Lord is open
unto none save those of a broken heart and a contrite spirit.
"Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a
familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his
servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar
spirit at Endor" (v. 7). Here we behold the fearful wickedness of one
who was righteously abandoned by God. Fearful presumption was it for
Saul to deliberately and definitely resort unto one who practiced
diabolical arts. Only a little before, he had banished from the land
those who had "familiar spirits" (v. 3), known today as "mediums." It
illustrates the fact that apostates frequently commit those very sins
which they once were most earnest in opposing. We shall not follow
Saul through the remainder of this chapter, but pass on to the
twenty-ninth, where the Holy Spirit continues the narrative about the
Philistines and David.
"Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek; and
the Israelites pitched by a fountain which is in Jezreel. And the
lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by thousands; but
David and his men passed on in the rereward with Achish" (29: 1, 2).
"If David had told the truth, Achish would never have dreamed of
enrolling him amongst the hosts of the Philistines. It was his own
contrivance that had brought him there. He, who so well knew how to
discriminate between the Philistines and the armies of the living God;
and who, on the ground of that distinction, had so often sought and
obtained the assistance of the God of Israel, now found himself
leagued with the enemies of God for the destruction of God's people.
He who had so distinctly refused to stretch out his hand against the
Lord's anointed, was now enrolled with those very hosts who were about
to shed the blood of Saul, and of Jonathan too, upon the mountains of
Gilboa. Such were the terrible circumstances in which David suddenly
found himself. He seems to have looked upon them as hopeless, nor do
we read of his attempting any remedy.
"But David had not ceased to be the subject of care to the great
Shepherd of Israel. He had wandered, and was to be brought back. The
secret providence of God again interfered, and separated him from the
camp of the Philistines" (B. W. Newton). Yes, man's extremities are
(so to speak) God's opportunities, and from the dilemma out of which
David could see no way of escape, He graciously extricated him;
without his having to move a finger, a door was opened for his
deliverance. The means which the Lord employed upon this occasion
should cause us to bow in adoration before the High Sovereign over
all, and deepen our trust in Him.
"Then said the princes of the Philistines, What do these Hebrews here?
And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, is not this
David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, which hath been with me
these days, or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he
fell unto me unto this day?" (v. 3) God has various ways of delivering
His people from their difficulties. While the ungodly pursue their own
purposes and follow out their own plans, God secretly influences them
to such determinations as subserve the good of His saints.
The esteem and affection of the wicked often becomes snares mediate
court of Achish, but lords of other principalities, who were
confederates with him. These now opposed the design of Achish to use
David and his men in the forthcoming
"And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him: and the
princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make this fellow return,
that he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him, and
let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an
adversary to us: for wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his
master? should it not be with the heads of these men? Is not this
David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul slew
his thousands, and David his ten thousands?" (29:4, 5). "Though God
might justly have left David in his difficulty, to chasten him for his
folly, yet because his heart was upright with Him. He would not suffer
him to be tempted above what he was able, but with the temptation made
a way for his escape (1 Cor. 10:13). A door was opened for his
deliverance out of this strait. God inclined the hearts of the
Philistine princes to oppose his being employed in this battle, and to
insist upon him being dishonoured; and thus their enmity befriended
him, when no friend he had was capable of doing him such a kindness"
(Matthew Henry).
The esteem and affection of the wicked often become snares to us; but
reproaches, contempt, injurious suspicions, prove beneficial, and the
ill-usage of the ungodly by which we are driven from them, is much
better for us than their friendship which knits us to them. "When
worldly people have no evil to say to us, but will bear testimony to
our uprightness, we need no more from them; and this we should aim to
acquire by prudence, meekness, and a blameless life. But their
flattering commendations are almost always purchased by improper
compliances, or some measure of deception, and commonly cover us with
confusion. It is seldom prudent to place great confidence in one who
has changed sides, except as the fear of God influences a real convert
to conscientious fidelity" (Thomas Scott). It is striking to note the
particular thing which God made use of to influence those Philistine
lords against David: it was the song which the women of Israel had
sung in David's honor, and which now for the third time brought him
into dishonor--so little are the flatteries of people worth! They stir
up jealousy and hatred in others; yet in the hand of God it became the
instrument of David's deliverance.
Achish now summoned David into his presence and said, Wherefore now
return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the
Philistines" (v. 7). No doubt David secretly rejoiced at this
deliverance from his sore dilemma, yet he was unwilling that the king
of Gath should know it; he prevaricated again, making an appearance of
concern for being so summarily dismissed. "And David said unto Achish,
But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long
as I have been with thee unto this day, that I may not go fight
against the enemies of my lord the king" (v. 8). Sad it is to see the
anointed of God dissembling and speaking in such a manner of His
people. But Achish was not to be moved, and said, "Wherefore now rise
up early in the morning with thy master's servants that are come with
thee; and as soon as ye be up early in the morning and have light,
depart" (v. 10). Marvelous deliverance was this from his ensnaring
service, yet without the slightest credit to David: it was nought but
the sovereign grace of God which freed him from the snare of the
fowler.
Index
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
His Sorrow At Ziklag
1 Samuel 29 and 30
_________________________________________________________________
"Preserve me, O God: for in Thee do I put my trust" (Ps. 16:1). This
is a prayer which, in substance at least, every child of God
frequently puts up to his heavenly Father. He feels his own
insufficiency, and calls upon One who is all-sufficient. He realizes
how incompetent he is to defend and protect himself, and seeks the aid
of Him whose arms are all-mighty. If he is in his right mind, before
starting out on a journey, when any particular danger threatens him,
and ere settling down For the night's repose, he commits himself into
the custody and care of Him who never slumbers or sleeps. Blessed
privilege! Wise precaution! Happy duty! The Lord graciously keep us in
a spirit of complete dependence upon Himself.
"The Lord preserveth all them that love Him" (Ps. 145:20). Most
Christians are readier to perceive the fulfillment of this precious
promise when they have been delivered from some physical danger, than
when they were preserved from some moral evil; which shows how much
more we are governed by the natural than the spiritual. We are quick
to own the preserving hand of God when a disease epidemic avoids our
home, when a heavy falling object just clears our path, or when a
swiftly-moving auto just misses the car we are in; but we ought to be
just as alert in discerning the miraculous hand of God when a powerful
temptation is suddenly removed from us, or we are delivered from it.
"But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from
evil" (2 Thess. 3:3). The Lord's people are surrounded with a variety
of evils within and without. They have sin in them, and it is the
cause and fountain of all the evil and misery which they at any time
feel and experience. There is the evil one without, who endeavors at
times to bring great evil upon them. But the Lord "keepeth His people
from evil," not that they are exempted wholly and altogether from
evil. Yet they are kept from being overcome by and engulfed in it.
Though they fall, they shall not he utterly cast down, for the Lord
upholdeth them with His debt hand.
Wondrous are the ways in which God preserves His saints. Many a one
has been withheld from that success in business on which he had fondly
set his heart: it was God delivering him from those material riches
which would have ruined his soul! Many a one was disappointed in a
love affair: it was God delivering from an ungodly partner for life,
who would have been a constant hindrance to your spiritual progress!
Many a one was cruelly treated by trusted and cherished friends: it
was God breaking what would have proved an unequal yoke! Many a parent
was plunged into grief by the death of a dearly loved child: it was
God, in His mercy, taking away what would have proved an idol. Now we
see these things through a glass darkly, but the Day will come, dear
reader, when we shall perceive clearly that it was the preserving hand
of our gracious God thus dealing with us at those very times when all
seemed to be working against us.
The above meditations have been suggested by what is recorded in 1
Samuel 29. At the close of our last chapter we saw how mercifully God
interposed to deliver His servant from the snare of the fowler.
Through his unbelief and self-will, David found himself in a sore
dilemma. Seeking help from the ungodly, he had placed himself under
obligation to the king of Gath. Pretending to be the friend of the
Philistines and the enemy of his own people, David was called upon by
Achish to employ his men upon the attack which was planned against
Israel. Then it was that the Lord interposed and preserved the object
of His love from falling into much graver evil. He now graciously made
"a way to escape" (1 Cor. 10:13), lest His poor erring child should be
tempted above that which he was able.
And how was that "way to escape" opened for him? Ah, this is the point
to which we wish to particularly direct our attention. It was not by
means of any visible or outward work, but through the inward and
secret operations of His power. The Lord turned against David the
hearts of the other "lords of the Philistines" (1 Sam. 29:3-5); and in
consequence, Achish was obliged to part with his services. Ah, my
reader, how often was the Lord secretly working for you, when He
turned the heart of some worldling against you! If we were more
spiritual, this would be perceived more clearly and frequently by us,
and we should then render unto our gracious Deliverer the praise which
is His due. David's discharge from the service of Achish was just as
much a miracle as was his deliverance from the enmity of Saul; it was
as truly the working of God's preserving power to rouse the jealousy
and enmity of the Philistine lords against David, as it was to shield
him from the javelin which the demon possessed king hurled at him (1
Sam. 18:11).
"So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning to return
into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to
Jezreel" (1 Sam. 29:11). Commanded by the king of Gath so to do (v.
10). there was no other prudent alternative. Thus the snare was
broken, and David was now free to return unto his own city, not
knowing (as yet) how urgently his presence was needed there. Stealing
away amid the shadows of the dawn, the flight of David and his men was
scarcely any less ignominious than was the banishment of backslidden
Abraham from Egypt (Gen. 12:20). Though God often extricates His
people from the dangerous situations which their unbelief brings them
into, nevertheless, He makes them at least taste the bitterness of
their folly. But, as we shall see, the shame which the Philistine
lords put upon David, turned to his advantage in various ways. Thus
does God. sometimes,
"So David and his men rose un early to depart in the morning to return
into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to
Jezreel." Delivered from a sore dilemma, a heavy burden removed from
his shoulders, we may well suppose it was with a light heart that
David now led his men out of the camp of Achish. Blithely unconscious
of the grievous disappointment awaiting them, David and his men
retraced their steps to Ziklag, for it was there he had deposited all
that was chiefly dear to him on earth: his wives and his children were
there, it was there he had formed a rest for himself--but, apart from
God! Ah, how little do any of us know what a day may bring forth: how
often is a happy morning followed by a night of sadness: much cause
have "rejoice with trembling" (Ps. 2:11).
Though David had now been delivered from his false position as an ally
of Achish against Israel, not yet had he been brought back to God.
Deep exercises of heart were required for this, and He who preserveth
His people from fatal backsliding saw to it that His erring servant
should not escape. Though He is the God of all grace, yet His grace
ever reigns "through righteousness," and never at the expense of it.
Though His mercy delivers His saints from the sad pitfalls into which
their folly leads them, usually, He so orders His providences, that
they are made to smart for their wrong-doing; and the Holy Spirit uses
this to convict them of their sins, and they, in turn, condemn
themselves for the same. The means employed by God on this occasion
were drastic, yet surely not more so than the case called for.
"And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on
the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag,
and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire" (30:1). After a three
days' march from the camp of Achish, hoping to find rest in their
homes and joy in the bosom of their families, here was the scene upon
which the eyes of David and his men now fell! What a bitter moment
must this have been for our hero! His little all had vanished: he
returns to the place where his family and possessions were, only to
find the city a mass of smoking ruins, and those whom he loved no
longer there to welcome him. When we leave our families (though it be
for only a few hours) we cannot foresee what may befall them, or
ourselves, ere we return; we ought therefore to commit each other to
the protection of God, and to render unto Him unfeigned thanks when we
meet again in peace and safety.
"And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not
any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their
way" (30:2). Let us learn from this that it is the part of wisdom, on
all occasions, to moderate our expectation of earthly comforts, lest
we should by being over-sanguine, meet with the more distressing
disappointment. Behold here the restraining power of the Lord, in
preventing the Amalekites from slaying the women and children.
"Whether they spared them to lead them in triumph, or to sell them, or
to use them for slaves, God's hand must be acknowledged, who designed
to make use of the Amalekites for the correction, but not for the
destruction, of the house of David" (Matthew Henry). Blessed is it to
know that even in wrath God remembers "mercy" (Hab. 3:2).
"And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not
any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their
way." From this we may also see how sorely David was now being
chastened for being so forward to go with the Philistines against the
people of God. Hereby the Lord showed him he had far better have
stayed at home and minded his own business. "When we go abroad, in the
way of our duty, we may comfortably hope that God will take care of
our families, in our absence, inst not otherwise" (Matthew Henry). No,
to count upon the Lord's protection, either for ourselves or for our
loved ones, when we enter forbidden territory, is wicked presumption
and not faith. It was thus the devil sought to tempt Christ: Cast
Thyself down from the pinnacle of the temple, and the angels shall
safeguard Thee.
"So David and his men came to the city, and behold it was burned with
fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken
captives. Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their
voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep" (vv. 3, 4). Ah,
now he was tasting the bitterness of being without the full protection
of God. As a homeless wanderer, hunted like a partridge upon the
mountains, despised by the Nabals who dwelt at ease in the land, yet
never before had he known the like of this. But now, under the
protection of the king of Gath, and with a city of his own, he learns
that without God's shelter, he is exposed indeed. Learn from this,
dear reader, how much we lose when we enter the path of self-will. In
the first shock of disappointment, David could only weep and wail; all
appeared to be irrevocably lost.
"It was indeed no wonder that David's heart was stricken. He had never
before known what it was to be smitten like this by the chastening
hand of God. Of late he had seemed even more than ordinarily to be the
subject of His care: but now the relation of God seemed suddenly
changed into one of severity and wrath. During the year that David had
watched his father's flock, during his residence in the courts of
Saul, during the time of his sorrowful sojourn in the wilderness,
during his late eventful history in Ziklag, he had never experienced
anything but kindness and preservation from the hand of God. He had
become so long accustomed to receive sure protection from God's
faithful care, that he seems to have calculated on its uninterrupted
continuance. He had lately said. `The Lord render unto every man his
righteousness. . . and let Him deliver me out of all tribulation.' But
now the Lord Himself seemed turned into an enemy, and to fight against
him. Nor could the conscience of David have failed to discern the
reason. It must have owned the justice of the blow. Thus, however, the
bitterness of his agony would be aggravated, not lessened" (B. W.
Newton).
"And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess
and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite" (v. 5). Why did the
historian, after specifically stating in verse 2 that the Amalekites
had "taken the women captives," enter into this detail? Ah, is the
answer far to seek? Is it not the Holy Spirit making known to us the
prime cause of the Lord's displeasure against David? His "two wives"
was the occasion of the severing of his communion with the Lord,
which, as we have seen, was at once followed by Saul's renewed attack
(see 25:43, 44 and 26:1, 2), his unbelieving fear (27:1), and his
seeking help from the ungodly (27:2, 3). We mention this because it
supplies the key to all that follows from 25:44, and so far as we know
no other writer has pointed it out.
"And David was greatly distressed: for the people spake of stoning
him, because the soul of all the people was grieved (bitter), every
man for his sons and for his daughters" (v. 6). Poor David! one
trouble was added to another. Heartbroken over the loss of his family,
and the burning of his city, additional distress was occasioned by the
murmuring and mutiny of his men. They considered the entire blame
rested upon their leader, for having journeyed to Achish and left the
city of Ziklag defenseless, and because he had provoked the Amalekites
and their allies (27:8, 9) by his inroad upon them, who had now
availed themselves of the opportunity to avenge the wrong. "Thus apt
are we, when in trouble, to fly into a rage against those who are in
any way the occasion of our troubles, when we overlook the Divine
providence and have no due regard to God's hand in it" (Matthew
Henry).
"On all past occasions he had ever found some to sympathize with, and
to console him in his afflictions. In the house of Saul, he had had
the affection of Jonathan, and the favor of many beside: even in the
wilderness, six hundred out of Israel had joined him, and had
faithfully struggled with him through many a day of difficulty and
danger: but now, they too abandon him. Enraged at the sudden calamity
(for they also were bereaved of everything)--stung to the quick by a
sense of its bitter consequences--imputing all to David (for it was he
who had guided them to Ziklag)--even they who shrunk not from the
sorrows of the cave of Adullam, and who had braved all the dangers of
the wilderness, forsook him now. They all turned fiercely upon him as
the author of their woe, and spake of stoning him. Thus stricken of
God, execrated by his friends, bereaved of all that he loved, David
drank of a cup which he never tasted before. He had earned it for
himself. It was the fruit of his self-chosen Ziklag" (B. W. Newton).
And what was the Lord's purpose in these sore trials which now came
upon David? It was not to crush him and sink him into despair. No,
rather was it with the design of moving him to "humble himself beneath
His mighty hand" (1 Peter 5:6), confess his wrong-doing, and be
restored to happy fellowship. God's heaviest chastenings of "His own"
are sent in love and for the benefit of their subjects. But to enter
into the good of them, to afterward enjoy "the peaceable fruit of
righteousness" therefrom, the recipient of those chastenings must be
"exercised thereby" (Heb, 12:11): he must bow beneath the rod, yea,
"hear" and "kiss" it, before he will be the spiritual gainer. Thus it
was with the subject of these chapters, as will appear in the
immediate sequel.
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
His Recourse in Sorrow
1 Samuel 30
_________________________________________________________________
In our last we directed attention to the gracious manner in which the
Lord put forth His interposing hand to deliver David from that snare
of the fowler into Which his unbelief and folly had brought him. Ere
passing on to the immediate sequel, let us pause and admire the
blessed way in which God timed His intervention. "To everything there
is a season . . . He hath made everything beautiful in His time"
(Eccl. 3:1, 11): equally so in the spiritual realm as in the natural.
Probably every Christian can look back to certain experiences in life
when his circumstances were suddenly and unexpectedly changed. At the
time, he understood not the meaning of it, but later was able to
perceive the wisdom and goodness of Him who shaped his affairs. There
have been occasions when our situation was swiftly altered, by factors
over which we had no control, which called for us to move on: but the
sequel showed it was God opening our way to go to the help of others
who sorely needed us. So it was now with David.
"My times are in Thy hand" (Ps. 31: 15). Yes, my "times" of tarrying
and my "times" of journeying; my "times" of prosperity and my "times"
of adversity; my "times" of fellowship with the saints and my "times"
of isolation and loneliness; each and all are ordered by God. It is
blessed to know this, and more blessed still when the heart is
permitted to rest thereon. Nothing is more quieting and stabilizing to
the soul than the realization that everything was ordained by
omniscience and is now ordered by infinite love: that He who eternally
decreed the hour of my birth has fixed the day of my departure from
this world; that my "times" of youth and health and my "times" of
infirmity and sickness are equally in God's hands. He knows when it is
best to bring me out of a distressing situation, and His mercy opens
the way when it is His time for me to make a move.
While David and his men were in the camp of Achish, the Amalekites
took advantage of their absence, fell upon the unprotected Ziklag,
burned it, and carried away captive all the women and children. Their
husbands and fathers knew nothing of this: no, but God did, and He had
designs of mercy toward them. Their sad case seemed a hopeless one
indeed, but appearances are deceptive. Though they were unaware of the
fact, God had already set moving the means for their deliverance.
Unlike us, God is never too early, and He is never too late. Had David
and his men been discharged by Achish a week sooner, they had been on
hand to defend Ziklag, and a needed chastisement and a great blessing
from it had been missed! Had they returned home a week later, they had
probably been too late to recover their loved ones. Admire, then, the
timeliness of God's freeing David from the yoke of the Philistines.
"So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned
with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were
taken captives. Then David and the people that were with him lifted up
their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep" (1 Sam.
30:3,4), Observe, there was no turning unto God, or seeking to cast
their care upon Him! They were completely overwhelmed by shock and
grief. Perhaps the reader knows something of such a state from painful
experience. A heavy financial reverse which plunged the soul into dark
gloom; or a sudden bereavement came, and in the bitterness of grief
all seemed to be against you and even the voice of prayer was
silenced. Ah, David and his men are not the only ones who have been
overwhelmed by trouble and anguish.
"And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning
him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his
sons, and every man for his daughters" (v. 6). The turning against him
of his faithful followers was the final ingredient in the bitter cup
which David was now called on to drink. But even this was of God: if
one stroke of His chastening rod avails not, it must be followed by
another; and if necessary, yet others, for our holy Father will not
suffer His wayward children to remain impenitent indefinitely. So it
was here: the sight of Ziklag in ruins and the loss of his family did
not bring David to his knees; so yet other measures are employed. The
anger of his men aroused him from his lethargy, the menacing of his
own life by intimate friends was the way God took to bring him back
"But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God" (v. 6). Here is
where light broke into this dark scene, yet care needs to be taken
lest we make a wrong use of the same. No one sentence in God's Word is
to be interpreted as an isolated unit, but scripture must be compared
with scripture. Much is included in the words now before us, far more
than any human writer is capable of fully revealing. Attention needs
to be directed unto three things: first, what is pre-supposed in
David's "encouraging himself in the Lord"; second, what is signified
thereby; third, what followed the same. If we take into consideration
the real character of David as "the man after God's own heart," if we
bear in mind the whole context recounting his sad lapses, and, above
all, if we view our present verse in the light of the Analogy of
faith, little difficulty should be experienced in "reading between the
lines."
"But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God." Ah, much is
implied here. David could not truly "encourage himself in the Lord"
until there had been previous exercises of heart: conviction,
contrition, confession, necessarily preceded comfort and consolation.
"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and
forsaketh them shall have mercy" (Prov. 28: 13): that enunciates an
unchanging principle in God's governmental dealings, with unconverted
and converted alike. Had there been no repentance on David's part, no
unsparing condemnation of himself, no broken-hearted acknowledgment
unto God of his failures, he would have been "encouraging himself" in
sin and that would be "turning the grace of our God into
lasciviousness." Not only has Christ died to save His people from the
penalty of their sins, but He has also procured the Holy Spirit to
work in them a hatred for the vileness of their sins! And as there is
no forgiveness and cleansing for the saint without confession (1 John
1:9), so there is no acceptable "confession" save that which issues
from a contrite heart.
There is great need today for the above principles to be explained
unto and impressed upon professing Christians. Neither God's glory
will be maintained nor the good of His people promoted, if we conceal
and are silent about the requirements of His righteousness. God's
mercy is exercised in a way of holiness: where there is no repentance,
there is no forgiveness; where there is no turning away from sin,
there is no blotting out of sins. Something more is required than
simply asking God to be gracious unto us for Christ's sake. There are
many who quote "the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from
all sin" (1 John 1:7), but there are few indeed who faithfully point
out that that precious promise is specifically qualified with, "IF we
walk in the light as He is in the light." If we avoid the searching
light of God's holiness, if we hide, excuse, repent not of and refuse
to make daily confession of our sins, then the blood of Christ
certainly does not "cleanse" us from all sin. To insist on the
contrary is grossly dishonoring to the Blood, and is to make Christ
the Condoner of evil!
Weigh well the following: "If they pray toward this place, and confess
Thy name, and turn from their sin, when Thou afflictest them: then
hear Thou in Heaven, and forgive the sin of Thy servants . . . If Thy
people go out to battle against their enemy, whithersoever Thou shalt
send them, and shall pray unto the Lord toward the city which Thou
hast chosen, and toward the house that I have built for Thy name: Then
hear Thou in Heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain
their cause. If they sin against Thee (for there is no man that
sinneth not), and Thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the
enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the
enemy, far or near; Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land
whither they were carried captives, and repent, and make supplication
unto Thee in the land of them that carried them captives, saying, We
have sinned, and have done perversely, we have committed wickedness;
and so return unto Thee with all their heart, and with all their soul,
in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray
unto Thee . . . Then hear Thou their prayer and their supplication in
heaven Thy dwelling-place, and maintain their cause, and forgive Thy
people that have sinned against Thee" (1 Kings 8:35, 36, 44-50). And
God is still the same. No change of "dispensation" effects any
alteration in His character, or in anywise modifies His holy
requirements: with Him there is "no variableness neither shadow of
turning" (James 1:27).
"But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God." Having sought to
indicate what is pre-supposed by those words, let us now briefly
consider what is signified by them. The same Holy Spirit who convicts
the backslidden saint of his sins, works in him a sincere repentance,
and moves him to frankly and freely confess them to God, also gives
him a renewed sense of the abounding mercy of God, strengthens faith
in His blessed promises, and reminds him of His unchanging
faithfulness (1 John 1:9): and thus the contrite heart is enabled to
rest in the infinite grace of God; and being now restored to communion
with Him, the soul "encourages" itself in His perfections. Thus, just
as the Holy Spirit delivers the saint from heeding Satan's counsel to
hide his sins, so also does He rescue him from Satan's attempts to
sink him in despair after he is convicted of his sins.
"But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God." This means that he
reviewed afresh the everlasting covenant which God had made with him
in Christ, that covenant "ordered in all things and sure." It means
that he recalled God's past goodness and mercy towards him, which
reassured his heart for the present and the future. It means that he
contemplated the omnipotency of the Lord, and realized that nothing is
too hard for Him, no situation is hopeless unto His mighty power, for
He is able to overrule evil unto good, and bring a clean thing out of
an unclean. It means that he remembered God's promises to bring him
safely to the throne, and though he knew not how his immediate trouble
would disappear, without doubting, he hoped in God, and confidently
counted upon His undertaking for him. O Christian reader, when we are
at our wit's end, we should not be at faith's end. See to it that all
is right between your soul and God, and then trust in His sufficiency.
When all things were against him, David's faith was stirred into
exercise: he turned unto the One who had never failed him, and from
whom he had so sadly departed. Ah, blessed is the trial, no matter how
heavy; precious is the disappointment, no matter how bitter, that
issues thus. To penitently return unto God means to be back again in
the place of blessing. Better, far better, to be in the midst of the
black ruins of Ziklag, surrounded by a threatening mob, than to be in
the ranks of the Philistines fighting against His people. Have we, in
any way, known what bitter disappointment means? And have we in the
midst of it turned unto Him who has smitten us, and "encouraged"
ourselves in Him? If so, then like David, we may say, "Before I was
afflicted, I went astray; but now have I kept Thy Word" (Ps. 119:67).
O that it may please the Lord to bless this chapter to some sorely
distressed soul, who is no longer enjoying the light of His
countenance, but who is beneath His chastening frowns. You may be
borne down by sorrow and despondency, but no trouble is too great for
you to find relief in God: in the One who has, in righteousness, sent
this sorrow upon you. Humble yourself beneath His mighty hand,
acknowledge to Him your sins, count upon the multitude of His mercies,
and seek grace to rest upon His comforting promises. When faith
springs up amidst the ruins of blighted hopes, it is a blessed thing.
What has just been before us marked a turning-point in David's life;
may it be so in yours. "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall
sustain thee" (Ps. 55:22).
O my reader, be you a believer, or an unbeliever, none but God can do
you good, relieve your distress, remove the load From your heart, and
bring blessing into your life. If you refuse to humble yourself before
Him, lament the course of self-will which you followed, and turn from
the same, you are your own worst enemy and are forsaking your own
mercies. But if you will, take your place before Him in the dust,
repent of your wickedness, and seek grace to live henceforth in
subjection to His will, then pardon, peace, joy, awaits you. No matter
how sadly you have failed in the past, nor what light and favors you
sinned against, if you will own it all in brokenness of heart unto the
Lord, He is ready to forgive.
"And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee,
bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to
David. And David enquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after
this troop? shall I overtake them?" (vv. 7,8). Here we see the first
result which followed David's turning back unto God. It is blessed to
observe that the Holy Spirit has thrown a veil of silence over what
took place in secret between David and the Lord, as He has over
Christ's private interview with Peter (1 Cor. 15: 5). But after
telling us of David's encouraging himself in the Lord, He now reveals
the reformation which took place in his conduct. Nothing was said of
David's seeking counsel from God when he journeyed to Achish (27:2),
but now that he is restored to happy fellowship, he will not think of
taking a step without asking for divine guidance.
Very blessed indeed is what is recorded in verses 7 and 8. Moses had
laid it down as a law that the leader of Israel should "stand before"
(Eleazar) the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment
of Urim before the Lord: at his word shall they go out, and at his
word they shall come in" (Num. 27:21), and in compliance therewith,
David turned to the priest, and bade him seek the mind of the Lord as
to how he should now act in this dire emergency. Learn from this that
obedience to the revealed will of God is the best evidence of having
been restored to communion with Him. Of course it is, for it is the
very nature of love to seek to please its object. Let us test, then,
our practical relation to God, not by our feelings nor by our words,
but by the extent to which we are in actual subjection to Him, and
walking in a spirit of dependency upon Him.
Notice here how indwelling grace triumphed over the promptings of the
flesh. Mere nature would urge that David's only possible course was to
rush after the Amalekites and seek to rescue any of the women and
children who might yet be alive. But David was now delivered from his
impetuous self-confidence; his soul was again "like a weaned child."
God was now to order all the details of his life. Alas, most of us
have to receive many hard knocks in the by-paths of folly, before we
are brought to this place. It is indeed much to be thankful for when
the feverish restlessness of the flesh is subdued, and the soul truly
desires God to lead us step by step: progress may not seem so swift,
but it certainly will be more sure. The Lord graciously lay His
quieting hand upon each of us, and cause us to look unto and rest in
Himself alone.
Index
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
His Pursuit of the Amalekites
1 Samuel 30
_________________________________________________________________
We are now to be engaged with the blessed sequel to David's putting
matters right between his soul and God, and his encouraging himself in
the Lord. At the close of the preceding chapter we saw that the first
result of his returning to God was that he summoned the high priest
with his ephod, and "enquired of the Lord" whether or not he should
pursue after those who had burned Ziklag and carried away his wives
captive. This exemplifies a principle which is ever operative when
there has been a true reformation of heart: our own wisdom and
strength are disowned, and divine help and guidance are earnestly
sought. Herein are we able to check up the state of our souls and
discover whether or not we are really walking with the Lord.
Backsliding and a spirit of independency ever go together;
contrariwise, communion with God and dependence upon Him are never
separated.
As we pointed out in our last, the Mosaic law required that Israel's
ruler should stand before the priest, who would ask counsel for him as
to whether he should go out or no (Num. 27:31). In like manner, the
saint today is bidden to "Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in
Him, and He shall bring it to pass" (Ps. 37:5). No step in life should
be taken, be it great or small, without first waiting upon God for
direction: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth
to all liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him"
(James 1:5). To seek not wisdom from above, is to act in
self-sufficiency and self-will; to honestly and earnestly apply for
that wisdom, betokens a heart in subjection to God, desirous of doing
that which is pleasing to Him.
"In all thy ways acknowledge Him": if this be faithfully done, then we
may be fully assured that "and He shall direct thy paths" (Prov. 3:6).
The serious trouble into which David fell when he sought refuge in the
land of Gath, had arisen immediately from failure to enquire of the
Lord; but now he consulted Him through the high priest: "Shall I
pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them?" (1 Sam. 30:8).
Blessed indeed is this. Would that we might learn to imitate him, for
our fleshly efforts to undo the consequences of our unbelief and folly
only cause us to continue going on in the same path which brought
God's chastening upon us; and this is certain to end in further
disappointment. "Be still, and know that I am God" is the word we need
to heed at such a time: to unsparingly judge ourselves, and suffer the
hand that has smitten to now lead in His path, is the only way to
recovery. Only then do we give evidence that disappointment and sorrow
have been blest to our souls.
Unspeakably precious is it to note the Lord's response to David's
inquiry: "And He answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake
them, and without fail recover all" (v. 8). "See the goodness and
perfectness of the grace of God. There was no delay in this answer--no
reserve--no ambiguity; more even was told than David had asked. He was
told not only that he might pursue, but that he should surely recover
all. In a moment the black cloud of sorrow that had hung so darkly
over David's soul was gone: agony gave place to joy: and he whom his
companions had been dooming to death, stood suddenly before them as
the honoured servant of the Lord his God, commissioned to pursue and
to conquer. He did pursue, and all was as God had said" (B. W.
Newton).
"So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him" (1 Sam.
30:9). The force of this can only be perceived and appreciated by
recalling what was before us in verse 6: "David was greatly
distressed, for the people spake of stoning him"! What a change we
behold now! The enmity of his men has been stilled, and they are again
ready to follow their leader. Herein we see the third consequence of
David's spiritual return and encouraging himself in the Lord. First,
he had submitted to the divine order, and sought guidance from God.
Second, he had promptly received a gracious response, the Lord
granting the assurance he so much desired. And now the power of God
fell upon the hearts of his men, entirely subduing their mutiny, and
making them willing, weary and worn as they were, to follow David in a
hurried march after the Amalekites. O how much do we lose, dear
reader, when we fail
"So David went, he and six hundred men that were with him." Here is
David's response to the word he had received from God through the high
priest. Without taking rest or refreshment, he at once set out in
pursuit of the ravagers. Tired and weak as he well might be, David was
now nerved to fresh endeavors. Ah, is it not written, "They that wait
upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with
wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary: they shall walk,
and not faint" (Isa. 40:31)? So it ever is. If we truly desire
spiritual guidance of the Lord, and humbly and trustfully seek it from
Him, our inner man will be renewed, and we shall be empowered to
follow the path of His ordering.
"And came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind
stayed" (v. 9). This teaches us that when we are in the current of the
revealed will of God, all will not, necessarily, be plain sailing. We
must be prepared to meet with difficulties and obstacles even in the
path of obedience. It was by faith in the word that he had received
from Jehovah that David turned from the ruins of Ziklag, and faith
must be tested. A severe trial now confronted David: fatigued from
their former journey and their spirits further depressed by the sad
scene they had gazed upon, many of his men, though willing, were
unable to proceed farther; and he left no less than two hundred behind
at the brook of Besor.
"But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode
behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook
Besor" (v. 10). Considerate of the state of his men, David would not
drive or force those who were faint to accompany him. Further proof
was this that our hero was now again in communion with God, for "He
knoweth our frame, He remembereth that we are dust" (Ps.
103:14)--alas, how often do those who profess His name seem to forget
this. But though his company was now reduced by one third, and, as
verse 17 plainly intimates, was far inferior to the Forces of the
Amalekites, yet David relied implicitly on the Word of the Lord, and
continued to push forward.
"And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David,
and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water. And
they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins;
and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten
no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights. And David
said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he
said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my
master left me, because three days ago I fell sick. We made an
invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which
belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag
with fire. And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this
company? And he said, Sware unto me by God, that thou wilt neither
kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring
thee down to this company" (vv. 11-15). We shall consider these verses
from two angles: as they add to what has been before us above; as they
contain a lovely gospel picture.
In the verses just quoted we may perceive the seventh consequence
which followed David's righting things with God. First, he encouraged
himself in the Lord: verse 6. Second, he submitted to the divine order
and sought guidance from God: verse 7 and 8. Third, he obtained light
for his path and assurance of God's help: verse 8. Fourth, the power
of God fell upon the hearts of his men, subduing their mutiny: verse 6
and making them willing to follow him on a difficult and daring
enterprise: verse 9. Fifth, the renewing of David's strength, so that
he was able to start out on a forced and swift march: verse 9. Sixth,
grace granted him to overcome a sore trial of faith: verse 10. And now
we are to observe how the Lord showed Himself strong on their behalf
by ordering His providences to work in David's favor. Such are some of
the divine mercies which we may confidently expect when the channel of
blessing between our souls and God is no longer choked by unjudged and
unconfessed sins.
A most remarkable intervention of divine providence is here before us.
David was pursuing the Amalekites, and from this incident we gather
that he knew not in which direction they had gone, nor how far ahead
they were. God did not work a miracle for them, but by natural means
provided him with a needed guide. The men of David came across one,
who was sick and famished, in a field. He turned out to be an Egyptian
slave, whom his master had barbarously abandoned. Upon being brought
to David, he furnished full particulars, and after receiving assurance
that his life should be spared, agreed to conduct David and his men to
the place where the Amalekites were encamped. Let us admire the
various details in this wondrous secret provision which God now made
for David, and the combined factors which entered into it.
First, stand in awe of the high sovereignty of God which suffered this
Egyptian slave to fall sick: verse 13. Second, in permitting his
master to act so inhumanly, by leaving him to perish by the wayside:
verse 13. Third, in moving David's men to spare his life: verse 11,
when they had every reason to believe he had taken part in the burning
of Ziklag. Fourth, in the fact that he was himself an Egyptian and not
an Amalekite: verse 11-- had he been the latter, they were bound to
kill him (Deut. 25:19). Fifth, in moving David to show him kindness:
verse 11. Sixth, in causing the food given to so quickly revive him:
verse 12. Seventh, in inclining him to freely answer David's inquiries
and be willing to lead him to the camp of the Amalekites. Each of
these seven factors had to combine, or the result had never been
reached: God made "all things work together" for David's good. So He
does for us: His providences, day by day, work just as wondrously on
our behalf.
Approaching these verses (11-15) now from another angle, let us see
portrayed in them a beautiful type of a lost sinner being saved by
Christ. There are so many distinct lines in this lovely gospel picture
that we can here do little more than point out each one separately.
1. His citizenship: "And they found an Egyptian in the field" (v. 11).
In Scripture Egypt is a symbol of the world: the moral world to which
the unregenerate belong and in which they seek their satisfaction. As
another has said, "It had its beginning in Cain's day, when he `went
out from the presence of the Lord,' and he and his descendants builded
cities, sought out witty inventions of brass and iron, manufactured
musical instruments, and went in for a good time generally, in
forgetfulness of God. And that continues to this day. The land of
Egypt figures this. There Pharaoh, type of Satan, ruled and
tyrannized."
2. His woeful condition: "I fell sick" (v. 13). Such is the state of
every descendant of fallen Adam. An awful disease is at work in the
unregenerate: that disease is sin, and "sin, when it is finished,
bringeth forth death" (James 1:15). It is sin which has robbed the
soul of its original beauty: darkening the understanding, corrupting
the heart, perverting the will, and paralyzing all our faculties so
far as their exercise Godward is concerned. But not only was this
Egyptian desperately sick, he was starving: he had had nothing to eat
or drink for three days. Well might he cry, "I perish with hunger"
(Luke 15:17).
3. His sad plight: "my master left me, because three days ago I fell
sick" (v; 13). He was a slave, and now that his master thought he
would be of no further use to him, he heartlessly abandoned him and
left him to perish. "And that is the way the devil treats his
servants. he uses them as his tools as long as he can. Then, when he
cannot use them any more, he leaves them to their folly. Thus he
treated Judas, and hosts of others before and since" (C. Knapp).
4. His deliverance: "And brought him to David" (v. 11). No doubt he
was too weak and ill to come of himself; and even had he the ability,
he had never used it thus, for David was an utter stranger to him!
Thus it is with the unregenerate sinner and that blessed One whom
David foreshadowed. Therefore did Christ say, "No man can come to Me,
except the Father which hath sent Me draw him" (John 6:44). Each of
God's elect is "brought" to Christ by the Holy Spirit.
5. His deliverer: No doubt this half-dead Egyptian presented a
woe-begone spectacle, as he was led or carried into the presence of
the man after God's own heart. But his very ruin and wretchedness drew
out the compassion of David toward him. Thus it is with the Saviour:
no matter what ravages sin has wrought, nor how morally repulsive it
has made its victim, Christ never refuses to receive and befriend one
whom the Father draws to Him.
6. His entertainment: "And gave him bread, and he did eat; and they
made him drink water. And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and
two clusters of raisins" (vv. 11, 12). Precious line in our picture is
this of the divine grace which is stored up in Christ. None brought to
Him by the Spirit are ever sent empty away. How this reminds us of the
royal welcome which the prodigal received and the rich fare that was
set before him.
7. His confession: When David asked him to whom he belonged and whence
he came, he gave an honest and straightforward reply: "He said, I am a
young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite" (v. 13). Strikingly did
this adumbrate the fact that when an elect sinner has been brought to
Christ, and been given the bread and water of life, he takes his
proper place, and candidly acknowledges what he was and is by nature.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us" (1
John 1:9).
8. His obligation: "And David said, Canst thou bring me down to this
company?" (v. 15). In this we may see how David pressed his claims
upon the one whom he had befriended, though it is blessed to mark that
it was more in the form of an appeal than a direct command. In like
manner, the word to the believer is, "I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service" (Rom. 12:1).
9. His desire for assurance: "And he said, Sware unto me by God, that
thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master,
and I will bring thee down to this company" (v. 15). There could be no
joy in the service of his new master until assured that he should not
be returned unto the power of his old one. Blessed is it to know that
Christ delivers His people not only from the wrath to come, but also
from the dominion of sin.
10. His gratitude: "And when he had brought him down" (v. 16). He was
now devoted to the interests of David, and did as he requested. So
Christians are told, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus unto good works" (Eph. 2:10). O for grace to serve Christ as
ardently as we did sin and Satan in our unregenerate days.
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
His Recovery of His Wives
1 Samuel 30
_________________________________________________________________
"And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad
upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all
the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines
and out of the land of Judah. And David smote them from the twilight
even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of
them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled"
(1 Sam. 30:16, 17). We resume at the point where we left off in our
last chapter. These verses form a solemn sequel to those previously
pondered, and set before us the other side of the picture which was
then considered.
The Amalekites, in all probability, knew that the Israelites and
Philistines were engaged in fighting each other a considerable
distance away, and supposed that David and his men were assisting the
king of Gath. Deeming themselves secure, they imprudently began to
riot and make merry over the abundance of spoils they had captured,
without so much as placing guards to give notice of an enemy's
approach. They lay not in any regular order, much less in any military
formation, but were scattered in groups, here and there. Consequently,
David and his little force came upon them quite unawares, and made a
dreadful slaughter of them. How often when men say, "Peace and safety,
sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with
child, and they "(1 Thess. 5:3).
Just as the sick and abandoned Egyptian who was befriended by David
typified one of God's elect being saved by Christ, so these
flesh-indulging Amalekites portray careless sinners who will yet be
destroyed by Him. Solemnly is this announced in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9,
"The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,
in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that
obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall be punished
with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from
the glory of His power." And again, "Behold, the Lord cometh, with ten
thousands of His saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince
all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds, which they
had ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly
sinners have spoken against Him" (Jude 14, 15).
Yet, such unspeakably solemn warnings as those which God has given in
His Word have no restraining effect upon the unconcerned and
Satan-drugged world. The vast majority of our fellows live as though
there were no eternity to come, no judgment day when they must appear
before God, give an account of the deeds they have done in the body,
and be sentenced according to their works. They know full well how
brief and uncertain this life is: at short intervals their companions
are cut down by the hand of death, but no lasting serious impressions
are made upon them. Instead, they continue in their pleasure-loving
whirl, impervious to the divine threatenings, deaf to the voice of
conscience, disregarding any entreaties or admonitions which they may
receive from Christian friends or the servants of God.
O how tragically true to the present-day life of the world is the gay
scene presented to us in the verses we are now pondering. Those
care-free Amalekites were "eating and drinking and dancing." In their
fancied security they were having what the young people of this
degenerate age call "a good time." There was an abundance of food to
hand, why then should they deny those lusts of the flesh which war
against the soul? They had been successful in spoiling their
neighbors, why then should they not "celebrate" and make merry? All
were in high spirits, why then should they not fill the air with music
and laughter? Yes, similar is the fatal reasoning of multitudes today.
But mark well the fearful sequel: "And David smote them from the
twilight even unto the evening of the next day." Alas, what was their
carnal security worth!
David was just as truly a type of Christ in his slaying of the
Amalekites as he was in befriending the poor Egyptian. Ah, dear
reader, he who saves those who submit to Him as their Lord and trust
in Him as their Redeemer, shall as surely judge and destroy them who
despise and reject Him. He will yet say, "But those Mine enemies,
which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay
before Me" (Luke 19:27). How will it fare with you in that day? The
answer to this question will be determined by whether or not you have
truly received Him as Prophet to instruct you, as Priest to atone for
your sins, as King to regulate and reign over your heart and life. If
you have not already done so, seek grace from above to throw down the
weapons of your warfare against Him and surrender yourself wholly to
Him.
"The young man of Egypt was with David when he came upon the
Amalekites. He once belonged to their company and was one of them. Had
he not been separated from them he would have surely shared their
fate. If unconverted, you are of that world of sinners `whose judgment
now for a long time lingereth not.' Turn from it now ere the vengeance
of God destroys you with it. God has borne with it long. The sins of
Christendom reach up to heaven, and cry for vengeance. Christ is your
only refuge. Come to Him now, and, like Noah in the ark and Lot in the
mountain, you will be safe from the sweeping storm. Like the young man
of Egypt, you will be taken out of the world and away from this scene
before the stroke descends. You will appear with Christ, along with
those ten thousand holy ones who accompany Him when He comes to earth
to war and judge" (C. Knapp).
Let us now return to our narrative and seek its practical teaching for
the Christian today. "And when he had brought him down, behold, they
were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and
dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the
land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah" (v. 16). How
many miles it was that the befriended Egyptian led David and his men
we do not know, but probably some considerable distance: that they
were supernaturally strengthened for their strenuous exertions after
their previous fatigue, we cannot doubt. Justly did God make use of
this poor Egyptian, basely abandoned, as an instrument of death to the
Amalekites.
"And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the
next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young
men, which rode upon camels and fled. And David recovered all that the
Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives. And
there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither
sons nor daughters, neither spoil nor anything that they had taken to
them: David recovered all" (vv. 17-19). Here is the blessed sequel to
all that has occupied us in the preceding verses of this chapter. What
a proof that David's heart was now perfect toward the Lord, for most
manifestly did He here show Himself strong on his behalf, by granting
such signal success to his endeavors. Ah, when our sins are forsaken
and forgiven, and we act by the Lord's directions, we are just as
likely to recover what we lost by our previous folly.
"And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before
those other cattle, and said, This is David's spoil" (v. 20). The
seeming ambiguity of this language is removed if we refer back to what
is said in verse 16: the Amalekites had successfully raided other
places before they fell upon Ziklag. The spoil they had captured was
kept separate, and the cattle which they had taken in the territory of
Philistia and Judah David claimed for his own portion: the noble use
which he made of the same we shall see in a moment.
"And David came to the two hundred men which were so faint that they
could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide at the brook
Besor: and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that
were with him: and when David came near to the people, he saluted
them" (v. 21). The expression "whom they had made to abide by the
brook Besor" shows plainly that those fatigued men earnestly desired
to follow David further, and had to be constrained not to do so.
Typically, it tells us that all Christians are not equally strong in
the Lord: compare 1 John 2:13. The Hebrew word for "saluted" signifies
"he asked them of peace," which means, he inquired how they did, being
solicitous of their welfare. Though all Christians are not alike
spiritually robust, all are equally dear unto Christ.
"Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that
went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not
give them ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man
his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart"
(v. 22). In the most favored company there will be found selfish men,
who being ungrateful to God for His kindness and favors will desire to
enrich and pamper themselves, leaving their fellows to starve, for all
they care. Even amid David's band, were certain sons of Belial, wicked
men, of a covetous and grasping disposition. No doubt they were the
ones who took the lead in suggesting that David be "stoned" (v. 6).
Their real character was here made quite evident: in their evil
suggestion we may see how the heart of David was tested.
"Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the
Lord hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company
that came against us into our hand" (v. 23). David's reply to the
selfish suggestion of some of his grasping followers was meek, pious
and righteous, and it prevailed unto their silencing. Note how gently
he replied even to the sons of Belial, addressing them as "my
brethren"; but observe that he, at the same time, maintained his
dignity as the general-in-chief, by directly denying their request.
Yet it was not a mere arbitrary assertion of his authority: he
followed his "Ye shall not do so" with powerful reasonings.
First, he reminded these selfish followers that the spoil which had
been taken from the Amalekites was not theirs absolutely, but that
"which the Lord hath given us." Therein David inculcated an important
principle which is to regulate us in the discharge of our Christian
stewardship: freely we have received from God, and therefore freely we
should give unto others. Miserliness in a child of God is a practical
denial of how deeply he is indebted unto divine grace. Second, he
reminded them of how mercifully the Lord had "preserved" them when
they attacked a people who greatly outnumbered them, and how He had
also "delivered" the Amalekites into their hands. They must not
ascribe the victory unto their own prowess, and therefore they could
not claim the booty as wholly belonging unto themselves. It is not a
time to give way to a spirit of greed when the Lord has particularly
manifested His kindness to us.
Third, he pointed out that their evil suggestion most certainly would
not commend itself unto any wise, just and right-thinking people: "For
who will hearken unto you in this matter?" (v. 24). When the people of
God are in the majority, they will vote down the propositions of the
covetous; but when the unregenerate are allowed to outnumber them in
their assemblies, woe unto them. Fourth, David reminded them that
those who tarried at Besor did so out of no disloyalty or
unwillingness: they had fought valiantly in the past, and now they had
faithfully done their part in guarding the "stuff" or baggage, and so
were entitled to a share of the spoils: "But as his part is that goeth
down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff:
they shall part alike" (v. 24).
The whole of the above illustrates the fact that when a backsliding
believer has been restored to communion with God, he is now in a state
of soul to enjoy his recovered possessions: they will no longer be a
snare unto him. When God takes something from us to teach us a needed
lesson, He can, after we have learned that lesson, restore it to us
again. Often, though not always, He does so. Faith is now dominant
again, and receives the recovered blessings from the hand of God. One
who has been truly restored, like David, who knew what his own failure
has been, will permit of no such selfishness as the sons of Belial
advocate. Those who had stayed at home, as it were, should share in
the victory. That was true largeness of heart, which ever marks one
who has learned in God's school.
But there are always some who would wish to stint those possessing
less faith and energy, yet he who realizes something of his own deep
indebtedness to divine grace rejoices to give out to others what he
has gained. When the Lord is pleased to open up some part of His
precious Word unto one of His servants he, with enlarged heart,
welcomes every opportunity to pass on the same to others. But how
often are those who seek to pour cold water on his zeal, urging that
it is not "wise" or "timely," yea, that such teaching may prove
"dangerous." While it is not fitting that we should take the
children's bread and cast it to the dogs, on the other hand it is
sinful to withhold any portion of the Bread of Life from hungry souls.
If God has restored to us any portion of His truth, we owe it to the
whole Household of Faith to impart it unto as many as will receive it.
"And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders
of Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold a present for you of the
spoil of the enemies of the Lord" (v. 26). "David not only distributed
of the spoil to all who had followed him in the wilderness, and shared
his dangers there--he also remembered that there were some, who,
though they had refused to quit their position in Israel, and had
shrunk (as well they might) from the cave of Adullam, did nevertheless
love and favour him. Yet though they had drawn back from following
him, and had declined to partake of his cup of sorrow, David, in the
hour of his triumph, refused not to them participation in his joy.
Such is the liberality of a heart that has sought and found its
portion in grace" (B. W. Newton).
Very blessed is what we find recorded in these closing verses of 1
Samuel 30. Those who view God as the Giver of their abundance will
dispense of it with equity and liberality: they will seek to restrain
injustice in others (v. 23), establish useful precedents (v. 25), and
share with friends (vv. 26-31). The Amalekites had spoiled some of
those parts of Judah mentioned in verses 26-31 (see vv. 14, 16), and
therefore did David now send relief to those sufferers: it was the
part of justice to restore what had been taken from them. Moreover, he
had a grateful remembrance of those friends who secretly favored him
during the time of Saul's persecution, and who had sheltered and
relieved his men in the time of this distress (v. 31). Instead of
selfishly enriching himself, he generously befriended others, and gave
them proof that the Lord was with him.
Fearfully divergent may be the effects produced on different persons
who pass under the same trials and blessings. The "sons of Belial"
companied with David during the night of his sorrow (as Judas did with
Christ), and were also made the recipients of his mercies; yet they
now evidenced a state of soul which marked them in God's sight as
"wicked men" (v. 22). What more abhorrent to God than that which would
narrow the expansiveness of grace: what more hateful in His sight than
a selfishness which sought to extract out of His free favors an excuse
for enriching itself by despising others--cf. John 12:4-6. But how
different with David: from the ruins of Ziklag he rose, step by step,
to a higher faith: manifesting dependency upon God, seeking His
guidance, obtaining energy to pursue the enemy, and exercising
largeness of heart in sharing the spoils with all. Thereby did he
furnish an eminent foreshadowing of Him who `took the prey from the
mighty" (Isa. 49:24), "led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men"
(Eph. 4:8).
Index
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
His Lamentations for Saul
1 Samuel 31 and 2 Samuel 1
_________________________________________________________________
The final chapter of 1 Samuel presents to us an unspeakably solemn and
terrible scene, being concerned not with David, but with the
termination of Saul's earthly life. In these chapters we have said
little about him, but here one or two paragraphs concerning his tragic
career and its terrible close seem in place. A solemn summary of this,
from the divine side, is found in Hosea 13:11, when at a later date,
God reminded rebellious Israel, "I gave them a king in Mine anger, and
took him away in My wrath": the reference being to Saul.
The history of Saul properly begins at the eighth chapter. There we
behold the revolted heart of Israel, which had departed further and
further from Jehovah, desiring a human king in His stead. Though
Samuel the prophet faithfully remonstrated, and space was given them
to repent of their rash decision, it was in vain: they were determined
to have their own way. "Nevertheless the people . . . said, Nay, but
we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations;
and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our
battles" (8:19, 20). Accordingly, God, "in His anger," delivered them
up to their own hearts' lusts and suffered them to be plagued by one
who proved a disappointment and curse to them, until, by his godless
incompetency, he brought the kingdom of Israel to the very verge of
destruction.
From the human side of things, Saul was a man splendidly endowed,
given a wonderful opportunity, and had a most promising prospect.
Concerning his physique we are told, "Saul was a choice young man, and
a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier
person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any
of the people" (9:2). Regarding his acceptability unto his subjects,
we read that when Samuel set him before them, that "all the people
shouted, and said, God save the king" (10:24): more, "there went with
him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched" (10:26), giving the
young king favor in their eyes. Not only so, but "the Spirit of the
Lord came upon Saul" (11:6), equipping him for his office, and giving
proof that God was ready to act if he would submit to His yoke.
Yet notwithstanding these high privileges, Saul, in his spiritual
madness, played fast and loose with them, mined his life, and by
disobeying and defying God, lost his soul. In the thirteenth chapter
of 1 Samuel we find Saul tried and found wanting. The prophet left him
for a little while, bidding him go to Gilgal and wait for him there,
till he should come and offer the sacrifices. Accordingly we are told
"he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had
appointed." And then we read, "but Samuel came not to Gilgal, and the
people were scattered from him"--having lost their confidence in the
king to lead them against the Philistines to victory. Petulant at the
delay, Saul presumptuously invaded the prophet's prerogative and said,
"Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings, And he
offered the burnt offering" (13:9). Thus did he forsake the word of
the Lord and break the first command he received from Him.
In the 15th chapter we see him tested again by a command from the
Lord: "Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did
to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from
Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have,
and spare them not: but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling,
ox and sheep, camel and ass" (vv. 2, 3). But again he disobeyed: "But
Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the
oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and
would not utterly destroy them" (v. 9). Then it was that the prophet
announced, "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken
than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and
stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected
the word of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee from being king" (vv.
22,23). From that point Saul rapidly went from bad to worse: turning
against David and relentlessly seeking his life, shedding the blood of
God's priests (22:18, 19), till at last he scrupled not to seek the
aid of the devil himself (28:7,8).
And now the day of recompense had come, when he who had advanced
steadily from one degree of impiety to another, should miserably
perish by his own hand. The divine account of this is given in 1
Samuel 31. The Philistines had joined themselves against Israel in
battle. First, Saul's own army was defeated (v. 1); next, his sons,
the hopes of his family, were slain before his eyes (v. 2); and then
the king himself was sorely wounded by the archers (v. 3). Fearful
indeed is what follows: no longer able to resist his enemies, nor yet
flee from them, the God-abandoned Saul expressed no concern for his
soul, but desired only that his life might be dispatched speedily, so
that the Philistines might not gloat over him and torture his body.
First, he called upon his armor-bearer to put an end to his wretched
life, but though his servant neither feared God nor death, he had too
much respect for the person of his sovereign to lift up his hand
against him (v. 4). Whereupon Saul became his own murderer: Saul took
a sword and fell upon it"; and his armor-bearer, in a mad expression
of fealty to his royal master, imitated his fearful example. Saul was
therefore the occasion of his servant being guilty of fearful
wickedness, and "perished not alone in his iniquity." As he had lived,
so he died: proud and jealous, a terror to himself and all about him,
having neither the fear of God nor hope in God. What a solemn warning
for each of us! What need is there for both writer and reader to heed
that exhortation, "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an
evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living of God" (Heb.
3:13).
The cases of Ahithophel (2 Sam. 17:23), Zimri (1 Kings 16:18) and
Judas the traitor (Matt. 27:5) are the only other instances recorded
in Scripture of those who murdered themselves. The awful sin of
suicide seems to have occurred very rarely in Israel, and not one of
the above cases is extenuated by ascribing the deed unto insanity!
When the character of those men be examined, we may perceive not only
the enormity of the crime by which they put an end to their wretched
lives, but the unspeakably fearful consequences which must follow the
fatal deed. How can it be otherwise, when men either madly presume on
the mercy of God or despair of it. in order to escape temporal
suffering or disgrace, despise His gift of life, and rush headlong,
uncalled, unto His tribunal? By an act of direct rebellion against
God's authority (Ex. 20:13), and in daring defiance of His justice,
suicides fling themselves on the bosses of Jehovah's buckler, with the
guilt of unrepented sin on their hands.
"And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip
the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount
Gilboa. And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and
sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in
the house of their idols, and among the people. And they put his
armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the
wall of Bethshan" (31 :8-10). Though Saul had escaped torture at their
hands, his body was signally abused--adumbrating, we doubt not, the
awful suffering which his soul was now enduring, and would continue to
endure forever. Saul's self-inflicted death points a most solemn
warning for us to earnestly watch and pray that we may be preserved
from both presumption and despair, and divinely enabled to bear up
under the trials of life, and quietly to hope for the salvation of the
Lord (Lam. 3:26), that Satan may not tempt us to the horrible sin of
self-murder[ ]for which the Scriptures hold out no hope of
forgiveness.
"Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned
from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in
Ziklag" (2 Sam. 1:1). David had returned to Ziklag, where he was
engaged with dividing the spoil he had captured and in sending
presents to his friends (1 Sam. 30:26-31). "It was strange he did not
leave some spies about the camps to bring him early notice of the
issue of the engagement (between the Philistines and the army of
Saul): a sign he desired not Saul's woeful day, nor was impatient to
come to the throne, but willing to wait till those tidings were
brought to him, which many a one would have sent more than half way to
meet. He that believeth does not make haste, takes good news when it
comes, and is not weary while it is in the coming" (Matthew Henry).
"It came even to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out
of the camp from Saul with his clothes rent and earth upon his head:
and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and
did obeisance. And David said unto him, From whence comest thou? And
he said unto him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped. And David
said unto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he
answered, That the people are fled from the battle, and many of the
people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are
dead also" (2 Sam. 1:2-4). This Amalekite presented himself as a
mourner for the dead king, and as a loyal subject to the one who
should succeed Saul. No doubt he prided himself that he was the first
to pay homage to the sovereign-elect, expecting to be rewarded for
bringing such good news (4: 10); whereas he was the first to receive
sentence of death from David's hands.
"And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou
that Saul and Jonathan be dead? And the young man that told him said,
As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon
his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.
And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I
answered, Here am I. And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered
him, I am an Amalekite. And he said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee,
upon me, and slay me, for anguish is come upon me, because my life is
yet whole in me. So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure
that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown
that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have
brought them hither unto my lord" (vv. 5-10). This is one of the
passages seized by atheists and infidels to show that "the Bible is
full of contradictions," for the account here given of Saul's death by
no means tallies with what is recorded in the previous chapter. But
the seeming difficulty is easily solved: 1 Samuel 31 contains God's
description of Saul's death; 2 Samuel 1 gives man's fabrication. Holy
Writ records the lies of God's enemies (Gen. 3:4) as well as the true
From 1 Samuel 31:4 it is definitely established that Saul murdered
himself, and was dead before his armor-bearer committed suicide. That
is the unerring record of the Holy Spirit Himself, and must not be
questioned for a moment. In view of this, it is quite evident that the
Amalekite who now communicated to David the tidings of Saul's death,
lied in a number of details. Finding Saul's body with the insignia of
royalty upon it--which evidenced both the conceit and rashness of the
infatuated king: going into battle with the crown upon his head, and
thus making himself a mark for the Philistine archers--he seized them
(v. 10), and then formed his story in such a way as he hoped to
ingratiate himself with David. Thus did this miserable creature seek
to turn the death of Saul to his own personal advantage, and scrupled
not to depart from the truth in so doing; concluding, from the
wickedness of his own heart, that David would be delighted with the
news he communicated.
By the death of Saul and Jonathan the way was now opened for David to
the throne. "If a large proportion of Israel stood up for the rights
of Ishbosheth, who was a very insignificant person (2 Sam. 2-4),
doubtless far more would have been strenuous for Jonathan. And though
he would readily have given place, yet his brethren and the people in
general would no doubt have made much more opposition to David's
accession to the kingdom" (Thomas Scott). Yet so far was David from
falling into a transport of joy, as the poor Amalekite expected, that
he mourned and wept; and so strong was his passion that all about him
were similarly affected: "Then David took hold on his clothes, and
rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him: And they
mourned and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan
his son, and for the people of the Lord, and for the house of Israel;
because they were fallen by the sword" (vv. 11, 12).
"Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth; and let not thine heart be glad
when he stumbleth" (Prov. 24:17). There are many who secretly wish for
the death of those who have injured them, or who keep them from honors
and estates, and who inwardly rejoice even when they pretend to mourn
outwardly. But the grace of God subdues this base disposition, and
forms the mind to a more liberal temper. Nor will the spiritual soul
exult in the prospect of worldly advancement, for he realizes that
such will increase his responsibilities, that he will be surrounded by
greater temptations and called to additional duties and cares. David
mourned for Saul out of good will, without constraint: out of
compassion, without malice; because of the melancholy circumstances
attending his death and the terrible consequences which must follow,
as well as for Israel's being triumphed over by the enemies of God.
"And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence art thou? And
he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite. And David said
unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to
destroy the Lord's anointed? And David called one of the young men,
and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died.
And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth
hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the Lord's anointed"
(vv. 13-16). As an Amalekite, he was devoted to destruction (Deut. 25:
17-19), and as the elect-king, David was now required
The last nine verses of our chapter record the "lamentation" or elegy
which David made over Saul and Jonathan. Not only did David rend his
clothes, weep, and fast over the decease of his arch-enemy, but he
also composed a poem in his honour: 2 Samuel 1: 17-27. Nor was it mere
sentiment which prompted him: it was also because he looked upon Saul
as Israel's "king," the "anointed" of God (v. 16). This elegy was a
noble tribute of respect unto Saul and of tender affection for
Jonathan. First, he expressed sorrow over the fall of the mighty (v.
19). Second, he deprecated the exultations of the enemies of God in
the cities of the Philistines (v. 20). Third, he celebrated Saul's
valor and military renown (vv. 21,22). Fourth, he touchingly mentioned
the fatal devotion of Jonathan to his father (v. 23). Fifth, he called
upon the daughters of Israel, who had once sung Saul's praises, to now
weep over their fallen leader (v. 24). Sixth, his faults are
charitably veiled! Seventh, nothing could truthfully be said of Saul's
piety, so David would not utter lies--how this puts to shame the
untruthful adulations found in many a funeral oration! Eighth, he
ended by memorializing the fervent love of Jonathan for himself.
Index
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER THIRTY
His Sojourn at Hebron
2 Samuel 2
_________________________________________________________________
The news of Saul's death had been received by the exiled David in
characteristic fashion. He first flamed out in fierce anger against
the lying Amalekite, who had hurried with the tidings, hoping to curry
favor with him by pretending that he had killed Saul on the field of
battle. A short shrift and a bloody end were his, and then the wrath
gave place to mourning. Forgetting the mad hatred and relentless
persecution of his late enemy, thinking only of the friendship of his
earlier days and his official status as the anointed of the Lord, our
hero cast over the mangled corpses of Saul and Jonathan the mantle of
his noble elegy, in which he sings the praise of the one and
celebrates the love of the other. Not until those offices of justice
and affection had been performed, did he think of himself and the
change which had been affected in his own fortunes.
It seems clear that David had never regarded Saul as standing between
himself and the kingdom. The first reaction from his death was not, as
it would have been with a less devout and less generous heart, a flush
of gladness at the thought of the empty throne; but instead, a sharp
pang of grief from the sense of an empty heart. And even when he began
to contemplate his immediate future and changed fortunes he carried
himself with commendable self-restraint. At the time David was still a
fugitive in the midst of the ruins of Ziklag, but instead of rushing
ahead, "making the most of his opportunity," and seizing the empty
throne, he sought directions from the Lord. Ah, we not only need to
turn unto God in times of deep distress, but equally so when His
outward providences appear to be working decidedly in our favour.
David would do nothing in this important crisis of his life--when all
which had for so long appeared a distant hope, now seemed to be
rapidly becoming a present fact--until his Shepherd should lead him.
Impatient and impetuous as he was by nature, schooled to swift
decisions, followed by still swifter actions, knowing that a blow
struck speedily while all was chaos and despair in the kingdom, might
at once set him on the throne; nevertheless, he held the flesh, carnal
policy, and the impatience of his followers in check, to hear what God
would say. To a man of David's experience it must have appeared that
now was the opportune moment to subdue the remaining adherents of the
fallen Saul, rally around himself his loyal friends, grasp the crown
and the scepter, vanquish the gloating Philistines, and secure unto
himself the kingdom of Israel. Instead, he refused to take a single
step until Jehovah had signified His will in the matter.
The manner in which David conducted himself on this occasion presents
an example which we do well to take to heart and punctually emulate.
The important principle of action which was here exemplified has been
well expressed by another: "If we would possess temporal things with a
blessing, we must not eagerly seize upon them, nor be determined by
favorable events or carnal counsel: but we must observe the rules of
God's Word, and pray for His direction; using those means, and those
only, which He has appointed or allowed, and avoid all evil, or
`appearance of evil,' in our pursuit of them: and then whatever else
we fail in, we shall be directed in the way to the kingdom of heaven"
(Thomas Scott). "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not
unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He
shall direct thy paths" (Prov. 3:5,6).
To "acknowledge" the Lord in all our ways means that instead of acting
in self-sufficiency and self-will, we seek wisdom from above in every
undertaking of our earthly affairs, beg God to grant us light from His
Word on our path, and seek His honor and glory in all that we attempt.
Thus it was now with David: "And it came to pass after this, that
David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up into any of the
cities of Judah?" (2 Sam. 2:1). This is very blessed, and should be
linked with all that was before us in 1 Samuel 30:6-31. What is here
recorded of David supplies further proof of his having been restored
from backsliding. Previously he had left the cities of Judah
"inquiring" of his own heart (1 Sam. 27:1), but now he would only
think of returning thither as God might conduct him. Alas, that most
of us have to pass through many painful and humiliating experiences
ere we learn this lesson.
"David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up into any of the
cities of Judah?" Though the Lord had promised him the kingdom, though
he had already been anointed by Samuel unto the same, and though Saul
was now dead, David was not hasty to take matters into his own hands,
but desired to submit himself unto God's directions and act only
according to His revealed will. This evidenced the fact that he really
trusted in Him who had promised him the kingdom, to give it to him in
His own due time and manner; and thus he would possess it with a clear
conscience, and at the same time avoid all those appearances of evil
with which he might know the remaining adherents of Saul would be
ready to charge him. So fully did he fulfill the word of his early
Psalm: "my Strength! upon Thee will I wait" (59:9). We never lose
anything by believing and patiently waiting upon God; but we are
always made to suffer when we take things into our own hands and rush
blindly ahead.
"Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?" David was prepared to
go where the Lord bade him. His particular inquiry about "the cities
of Judah" was because that was his own tribe and the one to which most
of his friends belonged. "And the Lord said, Go up": that is, from
Ziklag into the territory of Judah, though He did not specify any
particular city. This is usually the Lord's method: to first give us a
general intimation of His will for us, and later more specific details
little by little. He does not make known to us the whole path at once,
but keeps us dependent upon Himself for light and strength, step by
step. This is for our good, for our training, though it be a trying of
our patience. Patience is a grace of great price in the sight of God,
and it is only developed by discipline. May grace be diligently sought
and divinely bestowed so that we shall heed that exhortation, "let
patience have her perfect work" (James 1:4).
"And the Lord said unto him, Go up": the absence of anything more
definite was a testing of David. Had the flesh been dominant in him at
this time, he would have eagerly jumped to the conclusion that he was
fully justified in leaving Ziklag immediately and taking prompt
measures to obtain the kingdom. Blessed is it to see how he responded
to the test: instead of rushing ahead, he continued to wait on the
Lord for more explicit instructions, and asked, "Whither shall I go
up?" (v. 1)--to which part of Judah, Jerusalem or where? He had paid
dearly in the past for taking journeys which the Lord had not ordered,
and for residing in places which He had not named for him; and now he
desired to move only as God should appoint. Reader, have you yet
reached this point in your spiritual experience: have you truly
surrendered unto the lordship of Christ, so that you have turned over
to Him the entire government and disposing of your life? If not, you
know not how much peace, joy and blessing you are missing.
"And He said, Unto Hebron" (v. 1). This is recorded for our
encouragement. The Lord is never wearied by our asking! Nay, the more
childlike we are, the better for us; the more we cast all our care
upon Him (1 Pet. 5:7), the more we seek counsel of Him, the more He is
honored and pleased. Has He not told us, "in everything by prayer and
supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto
God" (Phil. 4:6)? That means just what it says, and we are greatly the
losers, and God is dishonored, just in proportion to our disregard of
that privilege and duty. The old hymn is true when it says, "O what
peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we
do not carry, Everything to God in prayer." The readiness of Jehovah
to respond unto David's inquiry, is a sure intimation of His
willingness to hear us; for He is "the same, yesterday, and today, and
forever."
"And He said, Unto Hebron." There is a spiritual beauty in this word
which can only be perceived as we compare scripture with scripture. In
the Old Testament "Hebron" stands typically, for communion. This may
be seen from the first mention of the word: "Then Abram removed his
tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron,
and built there an altar unto the Lord" (Gen. 13:15). Again, "So he
(Jacob) sent him (Joseph, on an errand of mercy to his brethren) out
of the vale of Hebron" (Gen. 37:14)--figure of the Father sending the
Son on a mission of grace unto His elect. "And they gave Hebron unto
Caleb" (Judges 1:20): the place of fellowship became the portion of
the man who followed the Lord "Fully" (Num. 14:24). How fitting, then,
that the restored David should be sent back to "Hebron"--it is ever
back unto communion the Lord calls His wandering child. O how thankful
we should be when the Holy Spirit restores us to communion with God,
even though it be at the cost of disappointment and sorrow (Ziklag) to
the flesh.
"So David went up to Hebron" (2 Sam. 2:2). God had graciously granted
him the needed word of guidance, and he hollowed out the same. O that
all his actions had been controlled by the same rule: how much trouble
and grief he had then escaped. But they were not; and this makes the
more solemn the contrast presented in the next statement: "And his two
wives also, Abinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail, Nabal's wife the
Carmelite" (v. 2). Here was the one blot on the otherwise fair
picture: the lusts of the flesh obtruded themselves; yes, immediately
after his having sought guidance from God!--what a warning for us: we
are never safe a single moment unless upheld by the arm of
Omnipotence. As we have seen in earlier chapters, Divine chastisement
was the sequel to what we read of in 1 Samuel 25:44, so now we may be
assured that his retention of "two wives" omened ill for the future.
"And his men that were with him did David bring up, every man with his
household: and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron" (v. 3). Those who
had been David's companions in tribulation were not forgotten now that
he was moving forward toward the kingdom. Blessed foreshadowment was
this of "If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him" (2 Tim. 2: 12).
"And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over
the house of Judah" (v. 4). David had been privately anointed as
Saul's successor (1 Sam. 16:12,13), now the principal princes in the
tribe of Judah publicly owned him as their king. They did not take it
upon themselves to make him king over all Israel, but left the other
tribes to act for themselves. No doubt in this they acted according to
the mind of David, who had no desire to force himself on the whole
nation at once, preferring to obtain government over them by degrees,
as Providence should open his way. "See how David rose gradually: he
was first appointed king in reversion, then in possession of one tribe
only, and at last over all the tribes. Thus the kingdom of the
Messiah, the Son of David, is set up by degrees: He is Lord of all by
divine designation, but `we see not yet all things put under Him':
Heb. 2:8" (Matthew Henry).
"And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabesh-Gilead, and said
unto them, Blessed be ye of the Lord, that ye have showed this
kindness unto your lord, even unto Saul, and have buried him" (v. 5).
David expressed his appreciation of what the men of Jabesh had done in
rescuing the bodies of Saul and his sons from the Philistines, and for
the kindly care they had taken of them. He pronounced the blessing of
the Lord upon them, which probably means that he asked Him to reward
them. By thus honoring the memory of his predecessor he gave evidence
that he was not aiming at the crown from any principles of carnal
ambition, or from any enmity to Saul, but only because he was called
of God to it.
"And now the Lord show kindness and truth unto you: and I also will
requite you this kindness, because ye have done this thing" (v. 6).
David not only prayed God's blessing upon those who honored the
remains of Saul, but he promised to remember them himself when
opportunity afforded. Finally, he bade them fear not the Philistines,
who might resent their action and seek revenge--especially as they no
longer had a head over them; but he, as king of Judah, would take
their part and assist them: "Therefore now let your hands be
strengthened and be ye valiant: for your master Saul is dead, and also
the house of Judah have anointed me king over them" (v. 7). Thus did
he continue to show his regard for the late king. By sending a
deputation to Jabesh, David instituted a conciliatory measure toward
the remaining adherents of Saul.
"But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host, took Ishbosheth the
son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim" (v. 8). This is a
solemn "But," traceable, we believe, to the "two wives" of verse 2!
David was not to come to the throne of all Israel without further
opposition. Abner was general of the army, and no doubt desired to
keep his position. He took Ishbosheth, apparently the only son of Saul
now left, to Mahanaim, a city on the other side of the Jordan, in the
territory of Gath (Josh. 13:24-26): partly to keep the men of
Jabesh-Gilead in awe and prevent their joining with David, and partly
that he might be at some distance both from the Philistines and from
David, where he might mature his plans. "Ishbosheth" signifies "a man
of shame": he was not considered fit to accompany his father to
battle, yet was now deemed qualified to occupy the throne to the
exclusion of David.
"And made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over
Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel" (v.
9). The nation in general had rejected the "Judges" whom God had
raised up for them, and had demanded a king; and now in the same
rebellious spirit, they refused the prince which the Lord had selected
for them. In type it was Israel preferring Barabbas to Jesus Christ.
Abner prevailed till he got all the tribes of Israel, save Judah, to
own Ishbosheth as their king. All this time David was quiet, offering
no resistance: thus keeping his oath in 1 Samuel 24:21 and 22!
"The believer's progress must be gradual: his faith and his graces
must be proved, and his pride subdued, before he can properly endure
any kind of prosperity: and for these purposes the Lord often employs
the perverseness of his brethren, without their knowledge or contrary
to their intention. In the professing Church few honour those whom the
Lord will honour: before Jesus came, and in each succeeding
generation, the very builders have rejected such as Heaven intended
for eminent situations; and His servants must be conformed to Him.
Ambition, jealousy, envy, and other evil passions, cause men to rebel
against the Word of God, but they generally attempt to conceal their
real motives under plausible pretenses. The believer's wisdom,
however, consists in waiting quietly and silently under injuries, and
in leaving God to plead his cause, except it be evidently his duty to
be active" (Thomas Scott).
Index
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
His Testing
2 Samuel 2
_________________________________________________________________
It is a wonderful thing when a wayward believer is brought back to his
place of fellowship with God, as David had been, though it necessarily
involves added obligations. It is sin which causes us to leave that
place, and though at first sin be a sweet morsel unto the flesh, yet
it soon turns bitter, and ultimately becomes as wormwood and gall unto
him who has yielded to it. "The way of transgressors is hard" (Prov.
13:14): the wicked prove the full truth of that fact in the next
world, where they discover that "the wages of sin is death"--a death
agonizing in its nature and eternal in its duration. But even in this
life the transgressor is usually made to feel the hardness of that way
which his own mad self-will has chosen, and especially is this the
case with the believer, for the harvest of his ill sowings is
reaped--mainly, at least--in this world. The Christian, equally with
the non-Christian, is a subject under the government of God, and
doubly is he made to realize that God cannot be mocked with impugnity.
Strikingly and solemnly was this fact exemplified in the history of
Israel during Old Testament times, this principle supplies the key to
all God's governmental dealings with them. The history of no nation
has been nearly so checkered as theirs: no people was ever so sorely
and so frequently afflicted as the favored descendants of Jacob. From
the death of Joshua unto the days of Malachi we find one judgment
after another sent from God upon them. Famines, pestilence,
earthquakes, internal dissensions and external assaults from the
surrounding nations, followed each other in rapid succession, and were
repeated again and again. There were brief respites, short seasons of
peace and prosperity, but for the most part it was one sore trouble
after another. God did not deal thus with any other nation during the
Mosaic economy. It is true that heathen empires suffered, and
ultimately collapsed under the weight of their lasciviousness, but in
the main God "suffered all nations to walk in their own ways" (Acts
14:16), and "the times of this ignorance God winked at" (Acts 17:30).
Far otherwise was it with His own covenant people. This has surprised
many; yet it should not. Unto Israel God said, "You only have I known
of all the families of the earth." Yes, and that has been commonly
recognized by readers of the Old Testament, but what immediately
follows has very largely been lost sight of--"therefore I will punish
you for all your iniquities" (Amos 3:2). Ah, it was not "You only have
I known of all the families of the earth, therefore will I wink at
your sins, excuse your faults, and pass over your transgressions." No,
no; far from it. It was unto Israel that God had revealed Himself, it
was "in Judah He was known," and therefore would He manifest before
their hearts and eyes His ineffable holiness and inflexible justice.
Where they were loose and lax, despising God's authority, and
recklessly and brazenly breaking His laws, He would vindicate His
honor by making it appear how much He hated sin, and hates it most of
all in those who are nearest to Him! See Ezekiel 9:6!
That is why another of Israel's prophets announced unto those who had,
under a temporal covenant, been taken into a bridal relation to
Jehovah, "she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her
sins" (Isa. 40:2). Does that strike the reader as strange? But why
should it? Are not the sins of the professing people of God doubly
heinous to those committed by them who make no profession at all? What
comparison was there between the sins of the nation of Israel and the
sins of the heathen who were without the knowledge of the true God?
The sins of the former were sins against light, against an open and
written revelation from Heaven, against the abounding goodness and
amazing grace of God toward them; and therefore must He, in His
holiness and righteousness, make the severest example of them. Make no
mistake upon that point: God will either be sanctified by or upon
those who have been taken into a place of (even outward) nearness to
Himself: see Leviticus 10:3.
Thus, Amos 3:3 becomes a prophecy of God's dealings with Christendom.
The great difference which existed between the nations of Israel and
the Gentiles, finds its parallel in this era between Christendom (the
sphere where Christianity is professedly acknowledged) and the heathen
world. But with this additional most solemn consideration: increased
privileges necessarily entail increased responsibilities. Under this
Christian era a far higher and grander revelation of God has been made
in and through and by the Lord Jesus Christ, than ever the nation of
Israel had in Old Testament times. If then Israel's despising of God
in His inferior revelation was followed by such awful consequences to
the temporal welfare of their people under the old covenant, what must
be the consequences of the despising of God in His highest revelation
under the new covenant? "See that ye refuse not Him that speaketh. For
if they escaped not who refused Him that spake on earth, much more
shall not we escape if we turn away from Him that speaketh from
heaven" (Heb. 12:25).
But what has all the above to do with the life of David? Much every
way. God dealt with individual saints, who had been taken into
spiritual nearness to Himself on the same principles, governmentally
(that is, in the ordering of their temporal affairs), as He treated
with the nation as a whole, which enjoyed only outward nearness to
Himself. Hence, as David sowed in his conduct so he reaped in his
circumstances. As we have seen in the last few chapters, God had acted
in marvelous grace with the son of Jesse, and following his repentance
and putting things right with the Lord, had unmistakably shown Himself
strong on his behalf, ending by bringing him to "Hebron" which speaks
of fellowship. Thus, David had now reached the point, where God said
to him, as it were, "sin no more, lest a worse thing came upon thee"
(John 5:14).
Should it be asked, "But what has all of this to do with us? We are
living in the `Dispensation of Grace,' and God deals with people
now--both nations collectively, and saints individually--very
differently from what He did in Old Testament times." That is a great
mistake: a glaring and a horrible one. Glaring it certainly is, for
Romans 15:4 expressly states, "Whatsoever things were written
aforetime were written for our learning": but what could we "learn"
from the ways of God with His people of old if He is now acting from
entirely different principles? Nothing whatever; in fact, in that
case, the less we read the Old Testament, the less we are likely to be
confused. Ah, my reader, in the New Testament also we read that
"judgment must begin at the house of God" (1 Pet. 4:17). Christians
are also warned, "Be not deceived, God is not mocked: for whatsoever a
man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Gal. 6:7). Horrible too is such
teaching, for it represents the immutable God changing the principles
of His government.
What has been pointed out in the above paragraphs is something more
than an interesting and instructive item of historical information,
explaining much that is to be met with in the Old Testament
Scriptures, throwing light upon God's dealings with the nation of
Israel collectively and with its prominent men individually; it is
also of vital moment for Christians today. "Righteousness and judgment
are the habitation" of God's "throne" (Ps. 97:2), and our temporal
affairs are regulated and determined according to the same principles
of God's moral government as were those of His people in by gone ages.
If the distinguishing favors of God do not restrain from sin, they
most certainly will not exempt us from divine chastisement. Nay, the
greater the divine privileges enjoyed by us, the nearer we are brought
unto God in a way of profession and favor, the more quickly will He
notice our inconsistencies and the more severely will He deal with our
sins.
"He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three
witnesses: of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be
thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath
counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an
unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" (Heb.
10:28,29). Here is a statement of the broad principle which we have
been seeking to explicate and illustrate. True, in this particular
passage the application of it is made unto apostates, but the fact is
plainly enough revealed that the greater the privileges enjoyed the
greater the obligations entailed, and the greater the guilt incurred
when those obligations are ignored. The same principle applies (though
the consequences are different) in the contrast between the sins of
the Christian and the non-Christian. The sins of the former are more
heinous than those of the latter. How so? Because God is far more
dishonored by the sins of those who bear His name than by those who
make no profession at all.
The same principle, as it applies to gradation by contrast, holds good
of the individual Christian in different stages of his own life. The
more light God gives him, the more practical godliness He requires
from him; the more favors he receives and privileges he enjoys, the
more responsible is he to bear increased fruit. So too a sin committed
by him may receive comparatively light chastisement; but let it be
repeated and he may expect the rod to fall more heavily upon him. In
like manner, God may bear long with one of his backslidden children,
and though the path of recovery be a thorny one, yet will he exclaim
"I richly deserved far severer treatment." But when the backslider has
been restored and brought back into communion with God, another
departure from Him is likely to be attended with far worse
consequences than the former one was.
"But there is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared" (Ps.
130:4). Yes, "feared," not trifled with, not that we may the more
confidently give free rein to our lusts. A true apprehension of the
divine mercy will not embolden unto sin, but will deepen our hatred of
it, and make us more earnest in striving to abstain from it. A
spiritual apprehension of God's abounding grace toward us, so far from
begetting carelessness, produces increased carefulness, lest we
displease One so kind and good. It is just because the Christian has
been sealed by the Spirit unto the day of redemption, that he is
exhorted to watchfulness lest he "grieve" Him. The more the heart
truly appreciates the infinitude of God's wondrous love unto us, the
more will its language be, "How can I do this great wickedness against
Him!"
"But there is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared." Not
a slavish and servile fear, but the fear of the Lord which is "the
beginning of wisdom": that fear which reverences, loves, worships,
serves and obeys Him. Genuine gratitude for God's pardoning grace will
move the soul unto suitable filial conduct: it works a fear of being
carried away from the heavens of His conscious presence by the
insidious current of worldliness. It is jealous lest anything be
allowed that would mar our communion with the Lover of our souls.
Where the pardoning mercy of God is thankfully esteemed by the soul,
it calls to mind the fearful price which was paid by Christ so that
God could righteously forgive His erring people. and that
consideration melts the heart and moves to loving obedience.
"But there is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared." Yes,
once more we say "feared," and not "trifled with." The word unto
backsliders, who have been pardoned and graciously restored to
fellowship with God, is "Let them not turn again to folly" (Ps. 85:8):
that is, let them beware of any cooling of their affections, and
slipping back into their old ways; let them pray earnestly and strive
resolutely against a sinful trading with God's mercy and a turning of
His grace into lasciviousness. We serve a jealous God, and must needs
therefore be incessantly vigilant against sin. If we are not, if we do
"return again to folly," then most surely will His rod fall more
heavily upon us; and not only will our inward peace be disturbed, but
our outward circumstances will he made to sorely trouble us.
That principle was plainly enunciated in the threatening which the
Lord made unto Israel of old: "And if ye will not be reformed by Me by
these things, but will walk contrary unto Me; then will I also walk
contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins"
(Lev. 26:23,24). If the first sensible tokens of God's displeasure do
not attain their end in the humbling of ourselves beneath His mighty
hand and the reforming of our ways, if His lesser judgments do not
lead to this, then He will surely send sorer judgments upon us. Ezra
recognized this principle when, after the remnant had come out of
Babylon, he said, "After all that is come upon us for our evil deeds,
and for our great trespass, seeing that Thou our God hast punished us
less than our iniquities deserved, and hast given us such deliverance
as this; should we again break Thy commandments, and join in affinity
with the people of these abominations? wouldest not Thou be angry with
us till Thou hast consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor
escaping?" (Ezra 9: 13, 14). Then let us beware of trifling with God,
particularly so after He has recovered us from a season of
backsliding.
Instead of taking up the details of 2 Samuel 2:9-32 (the passage which
immediately follows the verses considered in the preceding chapter),
we felt this topical one would prove much more helpful in paving the
way for those which are to follow. Those verses record an encounter
between the rival factions, The gauntlet was thrown down by Abner, the
general of the followers of Ishbosheth (Saul's son), and the challenge
was accepted by Joab, who headed the military forces of David. Neither
side brought their full army into the field, and the slaughter was but
small (v. 30). The men of Abner, the aggressor, were routed, and at
the close of the day their captain begged for peace (v. 26). Knowing
the pacific intentions of David, and his-loathness to make war upon
the house of Saul, Joab generously called a halt (v. 28); and each
side made their way homeward (vv. 29-32).
And now a word upon the title we have given to this chapter, and we
must close. David was now located at Hebron, which signifies communion
or fellowship. The men of Judah had made him their king (2 Sam. 2:4),
which though a step toward it, was by no means the complete
fulfillment of the promise that he should be king "over Israel" (1
Sam. 16:1, 13). David made kindly overtures unto "the men of
Jabesh-Gilead," the followers of the late Saul (v. 5), expressing the
hope they would now show fealty to him (v. 7). Would the Lord continue
showing Himself strong on his behalf, by turning the hearts of the
rival faction toward him? The need for this was evident (vv. 7-10),
yet it was easy for God to heal that breach and give David favor in
the eyes of all. Would He do so? How far will the present conduct of
David warrant this? for God will not place a premium on sin. David is
now put to the test: how he acquitted himself we must leave for the
next chapter.
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
His Failure
2 Samuel 3 and 4
_________________________________________________________________
In our last chapter (so far as the application of the principles
enunciated therein related to him who is the principal subject of this
book) we endeavored to show that very much hinged on the manner in
which David now conducted himself. A most important crisis had been
reached in his life. The time which he spent at Hebron constituted the
dividing line in his career. On the one side of it was what we may
designate as the period of his rejection, when the great majority of
the people clave unto Saul, who hounded him from pillar to post; on
the other side of it, was the period of his exaltation when he reigned
over the nation. When pondering the different events which happened in
the first stage of his career, we sought to point out the moral
connection between them, seeking to trace the relation between the
personal conduct of David and the various circumstances which the
governmental dealings of God brought about as the sequel. We propose,
by divine aid, to follow a similar procedure in taking up the details
under the second stage of his career.
In chapter twenty we saw how David displeased the Lord by his taking
unto himself two wives (1 Sam. 25:43, 44), and in chapter twenty-two
we noticed how one sin led to another; while in chapter twenty-four we
observed the divine chastisement which followed. In chapter twenty-six
we dwelt upon David's putting things right with God and encouraging
himself in the Lord, following which we traced out the blessed results
which ensued (chapters 27, 28), terminating in his being restored to
full fellowship with the Lord, as was typified by God's directing him
to "Hebron." There he received a "token for good" (Ps. 86: 17) in the
reception which he met with from the men of his own tribe, who came
and "anointed David over the house of Judah" (2 Sam. 2:4): that was
indeed a promising intimation that if his ways continued to please the
Lord, He would make "even his enemies to be at peace with him" (Prov.
16:7). On the other hand, that "token for good" only becomes the more
solemn in the light of all that follows.
How much there is in the later chapters of 2 Samuel which makes such
pathetic and tragic reading. Few men have experienced such sore social
and domestic trials as David did. Not only was he caused much trouble
by political traitors in his kingdom, but, what was far more painful,
the members of his own family brought down heavy grief upon him. His
favorite wife turned against him (6:20-22), his daughter Tamar was
raped by her half brother (13:14), his son Ammon was murdered (13:28,
29). His favorite son Absalom sought to wrest the kingdom from him,
and then he was murdered (18:14). Before his death, another of his
sons, Adonijah, sought to obtain the throne (1 Kings 1:5), and he too
was murdered (1 Kings 2:24,25). Inasmuch as the Lord never afflicts
willingly (Lam. 3:33), but only as our sins occasion it, how are these
most painful family afflictions to be accounted for?
If the Holy Spirit has been pleased to furnish us with any explanation
of the sore trials which David encountered in his later life, or if He
has supplied us with materials that serve to throw light upon what is
recorded in the second half of 2 Samuel, then that explanation must be
sought for or that illuminating material must be inquired after, in
the early chapters of that book. This is a principle of great
importance in order to a right understanding of the Scriptures. As a
general rule, God hangs the key for us right on the door itself: in
other words, the opening chapters (often the first verses) contain a
clear intimation or forecast of what follows. True, in some cases,
this is more apparent than in others, yet concerning each one of the
sixty-six books of the Bible, it will be found that the closer be the
attention given unto its introduction, the easier will it be to follow
the development of its theme. Such is obviously the case here in 2
Samuel.
"Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of
David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul
waxed weaker and weaker" (2 Sam. 3: 1). The battle referred to at the
end of the previous chapter, though it went so greatly in favor of
David, did not put an end to the warfare between him and Ishbosheth.
Though Saul himself was no more, yet his son and subjects refused to
submit quietly to David's scepter. For another five years they
continued to manifest their defiance, and many were the skirmishes
which took place between his men and the loyal subjects of David. The
latter was loath to employ harsh measures against them, and probably
his magnanimity and mildness were mistaken for weakness or fear, and
encouraged his opponents to renew their efforts for his overthrow. But
little by little they were weakened, until Ishbosheth was willing to
make a league with
"Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of
David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul
waxed weaker and weaker." The contents of this verse may well be taken
as a type of the conflict which is experienced in the heart of the
Christian. David, exalted to be king over Judah, may be regarded as a
figure of one of God's elect when he has been lifted out of the miry
clay (into which the fall of Adam plunged him) and his feet set upon
the Rock of ages. As 1 Samuel 2:8 declares, "He raiseth up the poor
out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set
them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory." But
is all now henceforth peace and joy? Far from it. Inward corruption is
there, and is ever assailing the principle of grace which was imparted
at regeneration: "the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit
against the flesh" (Gal. 5:17). What is the outcome? Is the flesh
victorious? No, it may annoy, it may win minor skirmishes, but little
by little the flesh is weakened and the spirit strengthened, until at
the
"Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of
David." Thus the kingdom of Israel was rent asunder by civil war. That
it should last so long, when David was clearly in the right, has
presented quite a problem to the commentators. Personally, we regard
the contents of this verse as a plain intimation that David was
missing God's best. This is an expression we use rather frequently in
these pages, so perhaps a definition of it here will not be amiss. Let
it be pointed out here that it is by no means equivalent to affirming
that God's counsels may be thwarted by us. No indeed, puny man can no
more defeat the eternal purpose of the Almighty than he can cause the
sun to cease from shining or the ocean from rolling. "But our God is
in the heavens: He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased" (Ps. 115:3).
There is a vast difference between the promises of God and His eternal
decrees: many of the former are conditional, whereas the latter are
immutable, dependent upon nothing for their fulfillment save the
omnipotence of God. In saying that many of the divine promises
recorded in Holy Writ are "conditional" we do not mean they are
uncertain and unreliable, no; we mean that they are infallible
declarations of what God will do or give providing we follow a certain
course of conduct: just as the divine threatenings recorded in
Scripture are a declaration of what God will do or inflict if a
certain course be pursued. For example, God has declared "Them that
honour Me, I will honour" (1 Sam. 2:30). But suppose we fail to
"honour" God, suppose we do not obtain that enabling grace which He is
ever ready to give unto those who earnestly seek it in a right
way--what then? The same verse tells us: "And they that despise Me
shall be lightly esteemed."
Take for instance the declaration made in Joshua 1:8, "This book of
the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate
therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all
that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous,
and then thou shalt have good success." First, let it be pointed out
that that verse has nothing whatever to do with the eternal destiny of
the soul; instead, it relates only to the present life of the saint.
In it God tells us that if we give His Holy Word the first place in
our thoughts and affections, and regulate both our inner and outer
life by its teaching, then He will make our way "prosperous" and we
shall have "good success." This does not mean that we shall become
millionaires, but that by heeding the rules of His Word, we shall
escape those rocks upon which the vast majority of our fellows make
shipwreck, and that the blessing of God will rest upon our lives in
all their varied aspects and relations; an all-wise and sovereign God
determining both the kind and measure of the "success" which will be
most for His glory and our highest good.
Nor are the principles enunciated in Joshua 1: 8 to be restricted in
their application to those who lived under the old covenant: inasmuch
as the governmental ways of God remain the same in all ages, those
principles hold good in all dispensations. From the beginning of human
history it has always been true, and to the end of history it will
continue so to be, that "no good thing will He withhold from them that
walk uprightly" (Ps. 84:11). On the other hand, it is equally a fact
that those who are not subject to God's Word, who follow instead the
devices of their own hearts and give way to the lusts of the flesh,
suffer adversity and come under the rod of divine chastisement; of
them it has to be said, "Your sins have withholden good things from
you" (Jer. 5:25). In other words, they have missed God's best: not
that they have failed to obtain any blessing which He had eternally
decreed should be theirs, but they have not entered into the good of
what God's Word promises should be the present portion of those who
walk in obedience thereto.
"O that My people had hearkened unto Me, and Israel had walked in My
ways! I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned My hand
against their adversaries. The haters of the Lord should have
submitted themselves unto Him: but their time should have endured
forever. He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat;
and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee" (Ps.
81:13-16). What could be plainer than that! This passage is not
treating of the eternal counsels of God, but of His governmental
dealings with men in this life.
The key to the above verses is found in their immediate context: "But
My people would not hearken to My voice; and Israel would none of Me.
So I gave them unto their own hearts' lust; and they walked in their
own counsels" (Ps. 81:11, 12). The children of Israel walked
contrary--not to the eternal purpose of Jehovah, but--to His revealed
will. They would not submit to the rules laid down in God's Word, but
in their self-will and self-pleading determined to have their own way;
in consequence, they missed God's best for them in this life, instead
of His subduing their enemies, He allowed those enemies to subdue
them; instead of providing abundant harvests, He sent them famines;
instead of giving them pastors after His own heart, He suffered false
prophets to deceive.
Many more are the passages which might be quoted from the Old and New
Testaments alike, which set forth the same great fact, warning us that
if we walk contrary to the Scriptures we shall certainly suffer for
it, both in soul and body, both in our estate and circumstances, in
this life failing to enter into those blessings--spiritual and
temporal--which the Word promises to those who are in subjection to
it. That is as true today as it was under the old economy, and it
supplies the key to many a problem, and explains much in God's
governmental dealings with us. It certainly supplies the key to
David's life, and explains why the chastening rod of God fell so
heavily upon himself and his family. Bear in mind carefully what has
been said above, read the passage which now follows, and then there is
no reason why we should be surprised at all that is found unto the end
of 2 Samuel.
"And unto David were sons born in Hebron: and his first born was
Ammon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess. And his second, Chileab, of
Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom, the
son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur. And the fourth,
Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of
Abital. And the sixth, Ithream, by Eglah David's wife. These were born
to David in Hebron" (2 Sam. 3:2-5). In the light of all that has been
said in the preceding chapter and in this, there is little need for us
to attempt any lengthy comments upon these unpleasant verses. Here we
see David giving way to the lusts of the flesh, and practicing
polygamy; and as he sowed to the flesh in his family life, so in the
flesh he reaped corruption in his family. Three of the above-mentioned
sons were murdered!
The subject of polygamy as a whole is too large a one for us to deal
with here, nor can we discuss it at length as it bore upon the lives
of the different patriarchs. God's original creation of only one man
and one woman indicates from the beginning that monogamy was the
Divine order for man to heed (Matthew 19:4, 5). The first of whom we
read in Scripture that had more wives than one, was Lamech (Gen.
4:19), who was of the evil line of Cain. And while Moses, because of
the hardness of Israel's heart (Matthew 19:8) introduced the statute
of divorce, yet nowhere did the Mosaic law sanction a plurality of
wives. The limitation of one wife only is plainly suggested by such
scriptures as Proverbs 5:18 and 18:22.
Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the Lord thy God
shall choose; one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over
thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy
brother. But he shall not multiply horses to himself . . . neither
shall he multiply wives of himself, that his heart turn not away"
(Deut. 17:15-17). Here was a definite and express law which the kings
of Israel were required to obey, and thereby set before their subjects
an example of sobriety and marital fidelity. And this was the
commandment which David so flagrantly disobeyed, for no sooner was he
anointed "king over the house of Judah" (2 Sam. 2:4), than he began to
multiply "wives" unto himself (3:2-5). Not only so, but when Abner
sought to make a league with him, David laid it down as a condition
that his first wife, Michal, who had been given to another man (1 Sam.
25:44) must be restored to him (2 Sam. 3:13), which was an open
violation of Deuteronomy 24:1-4.
A little later on we read, "And David took him more concubines and
wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron" (2 Sam. 5:13).
Here, then, was David's besetting sin, to which he yielded so
freely--little wonder that his son Solomon followed in his footsteps!
And a Holy God will not tolerate evil, least of all in those whom He
has made leaders over His people. Though in the main David's life was
pleasing to God, and spiritual excellencies were found in him, yet
there was this one sad weakness. His giving way to it brought down
long and sever chastenings, and the record of it as a whole--the
sowing and the consequent reaping -- is for our learning and warning.
Learn, then, dear reader, that even when restored from backsliding and
brought back to fellowship with God, your only safety lies in
earnestly crying to Him daily "Hold Thou me up, and I shall be safe"
(Ps. 119-117).
Index
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
His Coronation
2 Samuel 5
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Inasmuch as it is not our design to write a verse-by-verse commentary
on the books of Samuel, but rather to study the life of David, we pass
over what is found in the remainder of 2 Samuel 3 and 4 and come to
the opening verses of chapter five. In the interval between what was
before us in our last chapter and the incident we are now to
contemplate, the providence of God has been working on David's behalf.
His principal opponents had met with a summary and tragic end, and the
way was now cleared for the purpose of God concerning our hero, to
receive its accomplishment. Viewing him typically, it is indeed
striking to observe how that David's path to the throne was marked by
bloodshedding. From the human side, Saul, Jonathan, and later,
Ishbosheth, stood in the way, and none of them died a natural death;
by the hand of violence was each one removed!
We cannot regard as accidental, or as a trivial detail, what has just
been pointed out above. There is nothing trivial in the imperishable
Word of God: everything recorded therein has a profound significance,
if only we have eyes to see it. Here, the deeper meaning of these
details is not hard to discern: David, in all the essential features
of his history (his failures excepted), foreshadowed the Lord Jesus,
and, as we know, His path to the throne was along one of
bloodshedding. True, the Lord Jesus was "born King of the Jews," as
David also had been born into the royal tribe of Judah. True, Christ
had been "anointed" (Matthew 3; Acts 10:38), prophet, priest, and
king, years before His coronation; as David also had been "anointed"
to the royal office (1 Sam. 16: 13). Yet, it was not until after His
precious blood was shed at Calvary, that God exalted Christ to be a
"Prince" unto the spiritual "Israel" (Acts 2:36; 5:31): as it was not
until after the blood-shedding of Saul, Jonathan and Ishbosheth, that
David became king.
Upon the death of Abner and Ishbosheth the tribes of Israel were left
without a leader. Having had more than sufficient of the rule of Saul
and Ishbosheth over them, they had no inclination to make a further
experiment by setting another of Saul's family on the throne, and
having observed the prosperous state of Judah under the wise and
benign government of David, they began to entertain higher and more
honorable thoughts of the "man after God's own heart." That
illustrates an important principle in God's dealings with those whom
He has marked out for salvation. There has to be a turning from Satan
unto God, from the service of sin unto subjection to Christ. That is
what true conversion is: it is a change of masters: it is a saying
from the heart, "O Lord our God, other lords besides Thee have had
dominion over us; but by Thee only will we make mention of Thy name"
(Isa. 26:13).
But conversion is preceded by conviction. There is wrought in the soul
a dissatisfaction with the old master, before there is begotten
desires towards the new Master. Sin is made to be realized as a bitter
thing, before there is an hungering and thirsting after righteousness.
The cruel bonds of Satan must be felt, before there is any longing to
be made free by Christ. The prodigal son was made to feel the
wretchedness of the far country, before he had any thought of
journeying toward the Father's house. Clearly is this principle
exemplified and illustrated in the case of these men who now sought
unto David, desiring that he should be king over them. They had had
more than enough of what the prophet Samuel had faithfully warned them
(1 Sam. 8:11-18)! They had no desire for any other of the house of
Saul to reign over them, but were now desirous of submitting
themselves to David's scepter.
Unspeakably blessed, then, is the typical picture here presented to
our view. In the voluntary coming unto David of those men of the
different tribes, following their unhappy lot under the reigns of Saul
and Ishbosheth, we have adumbrated the outcome of the Holy Spirit's
operations in the hearts of God's elect when He draws them to Christ.
He first makes them discontented with their present lot. He gives them
to realize there is no real and lasting satisfaction to be found in
the service of sin and in continuing to follow a course of opposition
to God and His Christ. He creates within the soul an aching void,
before He reveals the One who alone can fill it. In short, He makes us
thoroughly discontented with our present portion before He moves us to
seek the true riches. The Hebrews must be made to groan under their
merciless taskmasters in Egypt, before they were ready to start out
for the promised land.
"Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake,
saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. Also in time past, when
Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in
Israel: and the Lord said to thee, Thou shalt feed My people Israel,
and thou shalt be a captain over Israel. So all the elders of Israel
came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in
Hebron before the Lord: and they anointed David king over Israel" (2
Sam. 5: 1-3). Ah, note well the opening word, "Then": after a period
of no less than seven and a half years since the death of Saul (v. 5).
After the death of the apostate king, and following David's
recognition by the royal tribe, "It might have been expected that all
Israel would have been ready to welcome him. Had it not long ago been
declared by the lips of Samuel, that God had forsaken the house of
Saul? Had not this been acknowledged by Saul himself? Had not God by
the destruction on Gilboa, finally set His seal to the truth of His
denunciations? And was it not evident, that the strength and blessing
that had departed from Saul, had accompanied the dishonored sojourn of
David in the wilderness? The might of Israel was there. There were
they who were able to break through the host of the Philistines, and
to draw from the well of Bethlehem, when Bethlehem and its waters were
in the grasp of the enemy. There too, was the Psalmody of Israel. And
yet, despite every indication that God had given--careless alike of
the tokens of His favor toward David, and of His displeasure toward
themselves--the tribes of Israel continued to reject the chosen
servant of God; and Judah only welcomed him.
"The son of Saul, though feeble and unknown, was preferred to David;
and David left the wilderness, only to be engaged in a long and
destructive struggle with those who should have welcomed him as the
gift of God for their blessing. So slowly does the hand of God
effectuate its purposes--so resolute are men in refusing to recognize
any thing save that which gratifies the tendencies of their nature, or
approves itself to the calculation of their self-interest. For seven
years and six months, Abner and all the tribes of Israel fiercely
assailed David: and yet afterwards, they were not ashamed to confess,
that they knew that David was he whom God had destined to be the
deliverer of Israel. They knew this, and yet for seven years they
sought to destroy him; and no doubt, all the while, spoke of
themselves, and were spoken of by others, as conscientious men
fulfilling an apprehended duty in adhering to the house of Saul. So
easy is it to speak well of evil, and to encourage iniquity by smooth
words of falsehood.
"At last, however, God accomplished the long cherished desire of His
servant's heart--the desire that He had Himself implanted--and David
became the head and governor of Israel" (B. W. Newton). Yes, at last
the hearts of these rebels were subdued; at last they were willing to
submit themselves unto David's scepter. Ah, note well the particular
character in which David was owned by them: "thou shalt be a captain
over Israel." As we have pointed out in the introductory paragraphs,
the surrender of the men of the eleven tribes unto David, was a type
of the sinner's conversion. This presents to us a vital and
fundamental aspect of salvation which has wellnigh disappeared from
modern "evangelism." What is conversion? True and saving conversion,
we mean. It is far, far more than a believing that Jesus Christ is the
incarnate Son of God, and that He made an atonement for our sins.
Thousands believe that who are yet dead in trespasses and sins!
Conversion consists not in believing certain facts or truths made
known in Holy Writ, but lies in the complete surrender of the heart
and life to a divine Person. It consists in a throwing down of the
weapons of our rebellion against Him. It is the total disowning of
allegiance to the old master--Satan, sin, self, and a declaring "we
will have this Man to reign over us" (Luke 19:14). It is owning the
claims of Christ and bowing to His rights of absolute dominion over
us. It is taking His yoke upon us, submitting unto His scepter,
yielding to His blessed will. In a word, it is "receiving Christ Jesus
the Lord" (Col 2:6), giving Him the throne of our hearts, turning over
to Him the control and regulation of our lives. And, my reader,
nothing short of this is a Scriptural conversion: anything else is
make-believe, a lying substitute, a fatal deception.
In the passage now before us, these Israelites, who had for so long
resisted the claims of David, serving under the banner of his
adversary instead, now desired the king of Judah to be their king. It
is evident that a great change had been wrought in them--wrought in
them by God, though He was pleased to use circumstances to incline
toward or prepare for that change: we purposely qualify our terms, for
it should be quite obvious that no mere "circumstances" could have
wrought such a change in their attitude toward the ruler of God's
appointment, unless He had so "used" or influenced them by the same.
So it is in connection with conversion: the distressing
"circumstances" of a sinner may be used of the Spirit to convict him
of the vanity of everything beneath the sun, and to teach him that no
real heart satisfaction is to be found in mere things--even though
those "things" may be an earthly mansion, with every thing in it that
the flesh craves; but He must perform a miracle of grace within the
soul before any descendant of Adam is willing to pay full allegiance
to Christ as King!
"Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh" (v. 1). What a precious line
in our typical picture is this! After conviction and conversion
follows spiritual illumination. The Holy Spirit is given to glorify
Christ: to take of the things concerning Him and reveal them to those
whom He draws to the Saviour (John 14:16). After a soul has been
brought from death unto life by His mighty and sovereign operations,
the Spirit of God instructs him; shows him the marvelous relation
which divine grace has given him to the Redeemer. He discovers to him
the glorious fact of his spiritual union with Christ, for "he that is
joined to the Lord is one spirit" (1 Cor. 6: 17). He reveals to the
quickened children of God's family the amazing truth that they are
members of that mystical Body of which Christ is the Head, and thus we
are "members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones" (Eph. 5:30).
It is precious to see that these words of all the tribes of Israel,
"we are thy bone and thy flesh," were used by them as a plea. They had
long ignored his rights and resisted his claims. They had been in open
revolt against him, and deserved nought but judgment at his hands. But
now they humbled themselves before him, and pleaded their near
relation to him as a reason why he should forgive their ill-usage of
him. They were his brethren, and on that ground they sought his
clemency. And this is the very ground on which the Spirit-instructed
believer sues for mercy from God in Christ. "Forasmuch then as the
children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise
took part of the same . . . Wherefore in all things it behooved Him to
be made like unto His brethren that He might be a merciful and
faithful high priest" (Heb. 2:14, 17). What confidence does the
apprehension of this impart to the penitent heart of the
Satan-harassed and sin-distressed saint!
O dear Christian reader, beg God to make this transcendent and
precious fact more real and moving to thy heart. The Saviour is not
one who, like the cherubim and seraphim, is far removed from thee in
the scale of being. True, He is very God of very God, the Creator of
the ends of the earth, the King of kings and Lord of lords, but He is
also one who was "born of a woman," who became Man, who is bone of thy
bone and flesh of thy flesh, and therefore "He is not ashamed to call
us brethren" (Heb. 2: 11). And for the same reason He can be touched
with the feeling of our infirmities" (Heb. 4:15), and "in that He
Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that
are tempted" (Heb. 2:18). Then hesitate not to approach Him with the
utmost freedom and pour out thy heart unreservedly before Him. He will
not reprove thee any more than David did his erring brethren. Take
full encouragement from this endearing relation: we are the brethren
of Christ; He is our kinsman Redeemed!
"Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that
leddest out and broughtest in Israel; and the Lord said to thee, Thou
shalt feed My people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel"
(v. 2). This too is very blessed when we look through the type to the
antitype. These humbled revolters now praised David for his former
services, which before they had overlooked; and now acknowledged the
Lord's appointment of him, which before they had resisted. So it is in
the experience of the converted. While in the service of Saul (Satan)
we have no appreciation of the work Christ has done and no
apprehension of the position of honor to which God has elevated Him:
the depths of humiliation into which the Beloved of the Father entered
and the unspeakable suffering which He endured on behalf of His
people, melted not our hearts; nor did the scepter which He now wields
bring us into loving subjection to Him. But conversion alters all
this!
But more: "the Lord said to thee, Thou shalt feed My people Israel,
and thou shalt be a captain over Israel." They not only praised David
for his former services, but recognizing him as the divinely appointed
shepherd of Israel they determined to put themselves under his
protection, desiring that he would rule over them in tenderness and
righteousness, for their safety and comfort, and that he would lead
them forth to victory over his enemies. This too finds its counterpart
in the history of those who are truly converted: they realize they
have many foes, both within and without, which are far too powerful
for them to conquer, and therefore do they "commit the keeping of
their souls to Him" (1 Pet. 4: 19), assured that "He is able to keep .
. . against that Day" (2 Tim. 1:12). Yes, He who is bone of our bone
and flesh of our flesh is "mighty to save," "able to save unto the
uttermost them that come unto God by Him" (Heb. 7:25).
1 Chronicles 12:23-40 supplies fuller light upon the opening verses of
2 Samuel 5. There we are shown not only the numbers which came unto
David from each tribe, and with what zeal and sincerity they came, but
also the gracious reception they met with. The one whom they had so
grievously wronged did not refuse to accept them, but instead gave
them a hearty and royal welcome: "And there they were with David three
days (typically, now on resurrection ground), eating and drinking" (v.
39)--at perfect ease in his presence; "for there was joy in Israel"
(v. 40). Blessed be God, the Saviour of sinners has declared, "All
that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me
I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). Hallelujah!
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
His Coronation
(Continued)
2 Samuel 5
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The long-hunted exile has now been elevated to the throne: his
principal enemies are in their graves, and David is exalted over the
kingdom of Israel. There is not a little in the opening chapters of 2
Samuel which we have passed over, as being outside the scope of this
series; yet they record several details that present some lovely
traits in the character of our hero. As we have previously pointed
out, the news of the death of Saul and Jonathan was received by David
with no carnal joy, but instead with magnanimous grief (2 Sam. 1: 17).
He had never regarded the apostate king and his favorite son as
standing between him and the kingdom, and his first feeling on their
fall was not--as it had been in a less generous heart--a flush of
gladness at the thought of the empty throne, but instead a sharp pang
of pain that the anointed of God had been grievously dishonored and
degraded by the enemies of Israel (2 Sam. 1:20).
Even when he began to contemplate his new prospects, there was no
hurried taking of matters into his own hands, but instead, a calm and
reverent inquiring of the Lord (2 Sam. 2:1). He would do nothing in
this crisis of his fortunes, when all which had been so long a hope
seemed to be nearing its realization, until his Shepherd should lead
him. Curbing his naturally impetuous disposition, refusing to take
swift action and subdue his remaining opponents, holding in check the
impatient ambitions of his own loyal followers, he waited to hear what
God had to say. Few men have exercised such admirable self-restraint
as David did under the circumstances which confronted him when his
long-persecuting oppressor was no longer there to contest the field
with him. Blessedly did he fulfill the vow of earlier years: "my
Strength! upon Thee will I wait" (Ps. 59:9).
Even before the death of Saul, the strength of David's forces had been
rapidly increased by a constant stream of fugitives from the confusion
and misery into which the kingdom had fallen. Even Benjamin, Saul's
own tribe, sent him some of its famous archers--a sure token of the
king's waning fortunes. The hardy men of Manasseh and Gad, "whose
faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as roes upon the
mountains" (1 Chron. 12:8) sought his standard; while from his own
tribe recruits "day by day came to David to help him, until it was a
great host like the host of God" (1 Chron. 12:22). With such forces,
it is evident that he could easily and quickly have subdued any
scattered troops of the former dynasty. But he made no such attempt,
and took no measures whatever to advance any claims to the crown. He
preferred God to work out things for him, instead of by him!
When he was settled at Hebron he followed the same trustful and
patient policy, not merely for a few days or weeks, but for a period
of upwards of seven years. The language of the history seems to denote
a disbanding of his army, or at least to their settling down to
domestic life in the villages around Hebron, without any thought of
winning the kingdom by force of arms. His elevation to the partial
monarchy which he at first possessed was not from his own initiative,
but was from the spontaneous act of "the men of Judah" who came to him
and anointed him "king over the house of Judah" (1 Sam. 2:4). Then
followed a feeble hut lingering opposition to David, headed by Saul's
cousin Abner, rallying around the late king's incompetent son
Ishbosheth, whose name significantly means man of shame.
The brief narrative which we have of the seven years spent by the
still youthful David at Hebron, presents him in a very lovable light.
The same gracious temper which had marked his first acts after Saul's
death is strikingly brought out in 2 Samuel 2:2-4. "He seems to have
left the conducting of the (defensive) war altogether to Joab, as
though he shrank from striking any personal blow for his own
advancement. When he did interfere, it was on the side of peace, to
curb and chastise ferocious vengeance and dastardly assassination. The
incidents recorded all go to make up a picture of tare generosity, of
patiently waiting for God to fulfill His purposes, of longing that the
miserable strife between the tribes of God's inheritance should end.
He sends grateful messages to Jabesh-Gilead; he will not begin the
conflict with the insurgents. The only actual fight recorded is
provoked by Abner, and managed with unwonted mildness by Joab.
"The generosity of his nature shines out again in his indignation at
Joab's murder of Abner, though he was too meek to avenge it. There is
no more beautiful picture in his life than that of his following the
bier where lay the bloody corpse of the man who had been his enemy
ever since he had known him, and sealing the reconciliation which
Death even makes in noble souls, by the pathetic dirge he chanted over
Abner's grave (3:31). We have a glimpse of his people's unbounded
confidence in him, given incidentally when we are told that his sorrow
pleased them, `as whatsoever the king did pleased all the people'
(3:36). We have a glimpse of the feebleness of his new monarchy as
against the fierce soldier who had done so much to make it, in his
acknowledgment that he was yet weak (3:39)" (Alexander Maclaren).
The final incident of David's reign over Judah in Hebron was his
execution of summary justice upon the murderers of the poor
puppet-king Ishbosheth (4:12), upon whose death the whole resistance
to David's power collapsed. Immediately after, the elders of all the
tribes came up to Hebron, with the tender of the crown (5:1-3). They
offered it upon the triple grounds of kingship, of his military
service in Saul's reign, and of the divine promise of the throne. A
solemn pact was made, and David was "anointed" in Hebron "king over
Israel": a king not only by divine right, but also a constitutional
monarch, chosen by popular election, and limited in his powers. The
evangelical significance of this event we considered in the preceding
chapter; other points of interest connected therewith are now to
engage our attention.
This crowning of David king over all Israel was, first, the
fulfillment of one of the great prophecies of Scripture. "Judah, thou
art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck
of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee"
(Gen. 49:8). Let it be carefully noted that the clause "thy hand shall
be in the neck of thine enemies" is placed between "thy brethren shall
praise thee" and "thy father's children shall bow down before thee";
and that immediately following this, Judah's victories over the
enemies of God's people is again pointed out: "Judah is a lion's
whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up" (v. 9).
The above prophecy intimated the exalted position which Judah, when
compared with the other tribes, was to occupy: Judah was to be the
fore-champion in Israel's warfare against their enemies, God having
empowered him with conquering power over the foes of his kingdom. The
commencement of this in the life of David is plainly intimated in 2
Samuel 5:1-3. David's hand had been "in the neck of Israel's enemies":
seen in his memorable victory over Goliath, the Philistine giant;
following which we observe the begun-fulfillment of "thy brethren
shall praise thee" in the song of the women, "Saul hath slain his
thousands and David his ten thousands" (1 Sam. 18:6). So also here in
2 Samuel 5 the elders of the eleven tribes "bowed down before him"
when they nominated him their king, and that, specifically, in view of
the fact that he had triumphantly led out and brought in Israel's army
in times past (v. 2)!
This leads us, in the second place, to contemplate the coronation of
David as a blessed foreshadowment of the exaltation of his greater Son
and Lord. This is so obvious that there is little need for us to
amplify it at much length --though the interested reader would find it
profitable to prayerfully trace out for himself other details in it.
The life and activities of David are plainly divided into two main
parts, though the second part was of much longer duration than the
first: thus it is also in the mediatorial work of Him to whom he
pointed. In the first section of his career, he who was born at
Bethlehem (1 Sam. 16: 1) and "anointed" of God (16:13), wrought some
mighty works (1 Sam. 17:34-36,49) which clearly demonstrated that the
Lord was with him (for the antitype see Luke 2:11; Acts 10:38). The
fame of David was sung by many, which stirred up the jealousy and
enmity of the ruling power (1 Sam. 18:7, 8): for the antitype see
Matthew 21:15!
The enmity of Saul against David was exceeding bitter, so that he
thirsted for his blood (1 Sam. 18:29): compare Matthew 12:14. From
that time forth David became a homeless wanderer (1 Sam. 22:1):
compare Matthew 8:20. A little company of devoted souls gathered
around him (1 Sam. 22:2), but the nation as a whole despised and
rejected him: compare John 1:11, 12. This was the period of his
humiliation, when the anointed of God suffered privation and
persecution at the hands of his enemies. True, he could (as we have
seen above) have taken matters into his own hands, and grasped the
kingdom by force of arms; but he steadily refused to do so, preferring
to meekly and patiently wait God's time for him to ascend the throne:
compare Matthew 26:52. In these and many other respects, our hero
blessedly foreshadowed the character and career of his suffering but
greater Son and Lord.
But the time had now arrived when the season of David's humiliation
was over, and when he entered into that position of honor and glory
which God had long before ordained for him: "they anointed David king
over Israel" (2 Sam. 5:3). In his coronation we have a precious
adumbration of the ascension of Christ, and His exaltation unto "the
right hand of the Majesty on high" (Heb. 1:3), when He "took upon Him
the form of a servant" and "made Himself of no reputation" was "highly
exalted" and given "a Name which is above every name" (Phil. 2:7-10).
As we are told in Acts 5:31, "Him hath God exalted with His right hand
to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to (the
spiritual) Israel." The recorded deeds of David after he came to the
throne, which will come before us in the chapters to follow, also
strikingly prefigured the work and triumphs of our exalted and
glorified Redeemer.
And now, in the third place, let us inquire, How did the fugitive bear
this sudden change of fortune? What were the thoughts of David, what
the exercises of his heart, now that this great dignity, which he
never sought, became his? The answer to our question is supplied by
Psalm 18 which (see the superscription) he "spoke in the day that the
Lord delivered him from all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul,"
that is, when the Lord brought to an end the opposition of Saul's
house and followers. In this Psalm the Holy Spirit has recorded the
breathings of David's spirit and graciously permits us to learn of the
first freshness of thankfulness and praise which filled the soul of
the young king upon his accession to the throne. Here we are shown the
bright spiritual beginnings of the new monarchy, and are given to see
how faithfully the king remembered the vows which as an exile had been
mingled with his tears.
"It is one long outpouring of rapturous thankfulness and triumphant
adoration, which streams from a full heart in buoyant waves of song.
Nowhere else, even in the Psalms--and if not there, certainly nowhere
else--is there such a continuous tide of unmingled praise, such
magnificence of imagery, such passion of love to the delivering God,
such joyous energy of conquering trust. It throbs throughout with the
life-blood of devotion. All the terror, and pains, and dangers of the
weary years--the black fuel for the ruddy glow--melt into warmth too
great for smoke, too equable to blaze. The plaintive notes that had so
often wailed from his heart, sad as if the night wind had been
wandering among its chords, have all led up to this rushing burst of
full-toned gladness. The very blessedness of heaven is anticipated,
when sorrows gone by are understood and seen in their connection with
the joy to which they have led, and are felt to be the theme for
deepest thankfulness" (Alexander Maclaren).
It is blessed to note that this eighteenth Psalm is entitled, "A Psalm
of David, the servant of the Lord," upon which C. H. Spurgeon
remarked, "David, although at this time a king, calls himself `the
servant of the Lord,' but makes no mention of his royalty: hence we
gather that he counted it a higher honour to be the Lord's servant
than to be Judah's king. Right wisely did he judge. Being possessed of
poetical genius, he served the Lord by composing this Psalm for the
use of the Lord's house." We cannot here attempt a full analysis of
its contents, but must glance at one or two of its more prominent
features.
The first clause strikes the keynote: "I will love Thee, O Lord, my
strength." "That personal attachment to God, which is so
characteristic of David's religion, can no longer be pent up in
silence, but gushes forth like some imprisoned stream, broad and full
even from its well-head" (Alexander Maclaren). Scholars have pointed
out that the intensity of David's adoration on this occasion moved him
to employ a word which is never used elsewhere to express man's
emotions toward God, a word so strong that its force is but freely
expressed if we render it "from my heart do I love Thee." The same
exalted spiritual fervor is seen again in the loving accumulation of
divine names which follow--no less than eight are used in verse 21--as
if he would heap together in a great pile all the rich experiences of
that God (which all names utterly fail to express) which he had
garnered up in his distresses and deliverances.
In verses 3 and 4 David recalls pathetically the past experiences
when, like an animal caught in the nets, those who hunted him so
relentlessly were ready to close in upon and seize their prey. "In his
distress," he says, "I called upon the Lord and cried unto my God" (v.
4). Though it was but the call of one weak solitary voice, unheard on
earth, it reached Heaven, and the answer shook all creation: "He heard
my voice out of His temple . . . Then the earth shook and trembled"
(vv. 6, 7, etc.). One saint in his extremity put in motion the mighty
powers of Omnipotence: overwhelming is the contrast between cause and
effect. Wonderful as the greatness, equally marvelous is the swiftness
of the answer: "Then the earth shook."
It is blessed to note how David ascribes all to the power and grace of
the Lord. "For by Thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have
I leaped over a wall . . . It is God that girdeth me with strength,
and maketh my way perfect . . . Thou Inst also given me the shield of
Thy salvation: and Thy right hand hath holden me up, and Thy
gentleness hath made me great . . . It is God that avengeth me, and
subdueth the people under me . . . Therefore will I give thanks unto
Thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and sing praises unto Thy name. Great
deliverance giveth He to His king; and showeth mercy to His anointed,
to David, and to his seed for evermore" (vv. 29, 32, 35, 47, 49, 50).
Index
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Capturing Zion
2 Samuel 5
_________________________________________________________________
In 2 Samuel 5:6-9 a brief record is given of David wresting the
stronghold of Zion out of the hands of the Canaanites, and of his
making it the capital of his kingdom. This, it is to be noted, is the
first thing recorded of our hero after all the tribes of Israel had
made him their king. By noting that order we pointed out that the
coronation of David, after the season which is now to be considered by
us. In the previous chapter, we pointed out that the coronation of
David, after the season of his humiliation, was a beautiful
foreshadowing of the exaltation of His Son and Lord, the enthronement
on High of that blessed One who had been, in the main, despised and
rejected by men on earth. It therefore follows that the noble exploits
of David after he came to the throne, strikingly prefigured the work
and triumphs of our ascended and glorified Redeemer. It is thus, by
looking beneath the mere historical upon the pages of the Old
Testament that we discover "in the volume of the Book" it is written
of Christ.
The long-cherished desire of David's heart--implanted there by God
Himself--had been accomplished, and he was now the head and governor
of Israel. His real work had only just commenced, his most glorious
achievements were still to be accomplished. His being crowned king
over all Israel was but preparatory unto the royal conquests he was to
make. His previous exploits only served to manifest his qualifications
for the honored position and the important work which God had
appointed him. So it was with the Antitype. The enthronement of the
Mediator at the right hand of the Majesty on high was but the
introduction to the stupendous undertaking which God had assigned Him,
for "He must reign till He bath put all enemies under His feet" (1
Cor. 15:25)--a very plain intimation that His "reign" has already
commenced. The life-work, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus,
simply laid the foundation upon which His royal conquests are now
being achieved.
It is a great and serious mistake made by many to suppose that the
Lord Jesus is now inactive, and to regard His being "seated" as
denoting a state of inertia--such Scriptures as Acts 7:55 and
Revelation 2:1 ought at once to correct such an idea. The word "sat"
in Scripture marks an end and a beginning: the process of preparation
is ended, and established order is begun (cf. Gen. 2:2; Acts 2:3). We
say again that the real work of Christ (His atonement but laying the
foundation thereof) began only after He was invested with "all power
(i.e. `authority') in heaven and in earth" (Matthew 28:18). This was
plainly announced in the Messianic Psalms: after God has set His king
upon His holy hill of Zion, He was to ask of Him and the heathen would
be given Him for His inheritance, and He would reign over them with a
"rod of iron" (Ps. 2). "Rule Thou in the midst of Thine enemies," was
the Father's word to Him (Ps. 110).
To His chosen servants the Lord Jesus declared "Lo, I am with you
alway, unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:20). On the day of
Pentecost Peter declared, "Therefore being by the right hand of God
exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy
Spirit, He (Jesus) hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear"
(Acts 2:33). Later, we are told, "they went forth, and preached
everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the Word with
signs following" (Mark 16:20). There is much in the book of Revelation
which makes known to us the various activities in which the ascended
Saviour is engaged, into which we cannot enter. But sufficient has
here been produced to show that the King of saints is now wielding His
mighty scepter to good effect.
Most blessedly was that which has been before us above typed out by
the crowned David. Upon his ascension to the throne he was far from
indulging in ease or self-luxuriation. It was now that his best
achievements were accomplished. In that section of 2 Samuel which we
are entering we behold David capturing the stronghold of Zion,
vanquishing the Philistines, providing a resting-place for the holy
ark, and being concerned in building a temple for the worship of
Jehovah. So blessed is each of these incidents, so rich is their
typical and spiritual import, that we purpose, the Lord enabling, to
devote a chapter unto the separate consideration of each of them. May
the Spirit of Truth graciously undertake for both writer and reader,
giving us eyes to see and hearts to appreciate the "wondrous things"
hidden away in this portion of God's Holy Word.
"And the king and his men went to Jerusalem, unto the Jebusites" (v.
6,). "If Salem, the place which Melchizedek was king of, was Jerusalem
(as seems probable from Ps. 76:2), it was famous in Abraham's time;
Joshua in his times found it the chief city of the south part of
Canaan: Joshua 10:1, 3. it fell to Benjamin's lot (Josh. 18:28), but
joined close to Judah's (Josh. 15:8). The children of Judah had taken
it (Judges 1:8), but the children of Benjamin suffered the Jebusites
to dwell among them (Judges 1:21); and they grew so upon them that it
became a city of Jebusites (Judges 19:21). Now the very first exploit
David did after he was anointed king over all Israel, was to gain
Jerusalem out of the hands of the Jebusites; which, because it
belonged to Benjamin, he could not well attempt till that tribe, which
long adhered to Saul's house, submitted to him" (Matthew Henry).
"And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the
inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou
take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither:
thinking, David cannot come in hither" (v. 6). The wording of the
second half of this verse appears rather ambiguous, and we believe the
translation given in the "Companion Bible" is to be preferred, "thou
shalt not come in hither, for the blind and the lame shall drive thee
away." It was the language of utter contempt. The Jebusites were so
assured of the impregnability of their stronghold that they considered
the feeblest of their men would be quite sufficient to defend it
against any attack of David and his army.
The "Jebusites" were Canaanites who inhabited the country surrounding
Jerusalem, and who occupied the fortress of Zion. The tribe of Judah
had once failed to drive them out (Josh. 15:63), and later the
children of Benjamin met with no more success (Judges 1:21). So secure
did they now deem themselves that when David purposed its capture,
they met him with insulting ridicule. In this we have an illustration
of the fact that the enemies of God are often most confident of their
strength when the day of their fall is most imminent. Thus also it
frequently appears in the history of the salvation of God's elect:
their case seems to be the most hopeless immediately before the hand
of divine mercy snatches them as brands from the burning. Thus it was
with the dying thief, delivered at the eleventh hour; with Saul of
Tarsus, as he was persecuting the church; with the Philippian jailor,
as he was on the point of committing suicide. Man's extremity is Gods
opportunity.
"Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion: the same is the city
of David" (v. 7). The literal or material "Zion" was a steep hill
which lay just outside Jerusalem, to the south west, on which had been
built a fortress to protect the city. It had two heads or peaks:
Moriah, on which the temple was afterwards erected, and the other on
which was built the future residence of the kings of Israel. So steep
and inaccessible was Zion that, like a smaller Gibraltar, it had
remained in the hands of Israel's foes. But undeterred by the natural
difficulties and unmoved by the contemptuous confidence of the
Jebusites, David succeeded in wresting it from the enemy, and became
the founder of that Jerusalem which existed from that time onwards.
"Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion: the same is the city
of David." Previously, he had reigned for seven years over Judah "in
Hebron" (v. 5), but now that he had been anointed king over all Israel
he cast his eyes toward Jerusalem, as a preferable metropolis, and a
more suitable seat of his extending empire. But as long as the hill of
Zion was occupied by the military Jebusites, they would retain theft
command of the lower city. His first step, therefore, was, by the help
of God, to dispossess the enemy of their stronghold. There David
henceforth dwelt, as a conqueror, as in a castle (1 Chron. 11:7);
there he fixed his royal abode, and there he swayed his scepter over
the whole land of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba.
"So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David. And
David built round about from Millo and inward" (v. 9), Millo seems to
have been the townhall, or statehouse, a place of public convention
(compare 2 Kings 12:20, 1 Chron. 32:5). Around Millo David erected
such buildings as became his capital or seat of government, for the
reception of the court which he kept. "And David went on and grew
great, and the Lord God of hosts was with him" (v. 10). The tide of
fortune had turned, and the once despised fugitive now waxed great in
power and reputation, in wealth and honor, subduing his enemies, and
enlarging his dominion. But all his success and prosperity was
entirely owing to Jehovah showing Himself strong on his behalf:
without His enablement, none of us can accomplish anything good (John
15:5).
Now there would be little or no difficulty in our perceiving the
typical significance of the above were it not that so many of our
minds have been blinded by the errors of modern "dispensationalism." A
careful study of the connections in which "Zion" is found in the
Psalms and Prophets, makes it clear that "Zion" was the name by which
the Old Testament Church was usually called. "For the Lord hath chosen
Zion; He hath desired it for His habitation. This is My rest forever:
here will I dwell; for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her
provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread. I will also clothe her
priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.
There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp for
Mine Anointed" (Ps. 132:13-17). Let the dubious (and also the
interested) reader ponder such verses as Psalms 74:2; 87:5; 102:13;
128:5; 133:3; Isaiah 51:16.
The Old Testament Church was designated "Zion" after the mount on
which the Temple was built, whither the tribes of Israel went up to
worship Jehovah, who dwelt between the cherubim. This name was duly
transferred to the New Testament Church, which is grafted into the
Old, as the teaching upon the "olive" tree in Romans 11 shows, and as
the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 2:19-22 and 3:6 expressly states. Such
passages as Romans 11:26 (note carefully it is "out of Sion" and not
"unto Sion"); Hebrews 12:22; 1 Peter 2:6; Revelation 14:1, make it
plain that the New Testament Church is denominated "Sion," for the
Church is now God's abode upon earth, His "temple" (2 Cor. 6:16), His
"city" (Eph. 2:19), His "Jerusalem" (Gal. 4:26--"which is above" is
not to be understood astronomically, but means "which excels"). Thus,
all that is spoken of "Zion," of "the city of God," of "Jerusalem" in
the Old Testament in a spiritual way belongs unto Christians now, and
is for their faith to appropriate and enjoy.
The history of Jerusalem and Zion (for they are inseparably connected)
accurately foreshadowed what is found spiritually in the antitype. The
first reference to the same in Scripture presents that city as being
under the benign scepter of Melchizedek (Gen. 14: 18): so, originally,
the Church was blest with all spiritual blessings in Christ (Eph.
1:3). But, next, we see this city no longer in subjection to the
servant of God, but fallen into the hands of the heathen: so the
Church apostatized in Adam, God's elect sinking to the natural level
of the non-elect. Zion now became inhabited by a race who were under
the curse of God (Gen. 9:25): so, in consequence of the Fall, God's
elect were by nature "the children of wrath even as others" (Eph.
2:3). For centuries Zion refused to be subject unto die people of God
(Josh. 15:63, Judges 1:21); so the Gentiles were "aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel" etc. (Eph. 2:11, 12).
But, eventually, Zion was subdued and captured by David, and made his
royal residence, the Temple also being erected upon one of its mounts.
Thus the stronghold of the enemy was converted into a habitation of
God, and became the throne of His government upon earth. Wondrous
figure was this of Christ's conquest of the Gentile Church (Acts
15:14) unto Himself, wresting it out of the hand of the enemy,
bringing it into subjection unto Himself, and setting up His throne in
the hearts of its individual members. Announcement to this effect was
made by the Saviour when He declared, in view of His immediate death
(v. 32), "Now shall the Prince of this world be cast out" (John
12:31). Satan was to be dethroned and driven from his dominion, so
that Christ would "draw" unto Himself many of those over whom the
devil had reigned (Eph. 2:2). It is to. be noted that the tense of the
verb there denotes that the "casting out" of Satan would be as gradual
as the "drawing" (Alford).
At the Cross the Lord Jesus "spoiled principalities and powers," and
at His ascension He "made a show of them openly, triumphing over them
in it" (Col. 2:15 and cf. Eph. 4:8). At Calvary Satan's hold over the
world was broken: "the Prince of this world is judged" (John 16:11).
Then it was that the "strong man" (the devil) was "overcome" by One
stronger than himself, his armor being taken from him, and his
"spoils" (captives) divided (Luke 11:21, 22). And a manifestation of
this fact is made every time an elect soul is "delivered from the
power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son"
(Col. 1:13). Christ's frequent casting out of demons. from the bodies
of men during the days of His flesh presaged His delivering the souls
of His redeemed from the dominion of Satan during this Gospel era.
That which our present type sets forth is not the Lord Jesus paying
the ransom-price for the purchase of His people (particularly, those
among the Gentiles), but His actual redeeming or delivering them from
the power of the enemy. As David's capture of Zion followed his
coronation, so that work his conquest prefigured pointed to the
victorious activities of Christ after His ascension. It is that which
was foretold in Psalm 110: 1-3. First, "Sit Thou at My right hand."
Second, "The Lord shall send the rod of Thy strength (the Gospel in
the power of the Spirit) out of Zion." Third, "Thy people shall be
willing in the day of Thy power." One by one those whom the Father
gave to Christ are subdued by His grace, made willing to throw down
the weapons of their warfare against His Son, and His throne is set up
in their hearts (2 Cor. 10:5).
It is beautiful to note that the meaning of the word Zion is "sunny"
or "shone upon," as facing the south, basking in the rays of the warm
sun. So the spiritual Zion, delivered by Christ (through His
post-ascension activities) from the dominion of Satan, has been
brought into the unclouded favor of God. The type is completed by what
we read of in 2 Samuel 5:11, "And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers
to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons: and they built
David a house." In the sending of those messengers to David by Hiram,
proffering to build him a house, we have the foreshadowment of
Christ's being acknowledged by the Gentiles (cf. Isa. 60:3), and their
being built into His spiritual house (Eph. 2:22; 1 Pet. 2:5).
Index
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
His Victory Over The Philistines
2 Samuel 5
_________________________________________________________________
"But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over
Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David" (2 Sam. 5:17). The
civil war in Israel, which had continued for several years, having
been brought to an end, and the whole nation being now united under
the government of David, he had thereby become much more powerful.
Probably hearing, too, of David's capture of Jerusalem (v. 7) and of
the friendship shown him by Hiram, king of Tyre (v. 11), the
Philistines now thought it was high time to bestir themselves and put
an end to his prowess. Accordingly they assembled a great
The typical significance of the above (by which we mean its prophetic
and dispensational foreshadowings) points to much that is recorded in
the book of Acts, which, in turn, presages that which was to obtain
more or less throughout the whole of this Christian era. As soon as
the kingdom of Christ had been set up in the world, it was vigorously
attacked by the powers of darkness, which, by the combined forces of
Jews and Gentiles, sought to overthrow it. Definite proof of this is
found in Acts 4, where we read of the arrest of Peter and John, their
being summoned before the Sanhedrin, being threatened by them, and
subsequently released. On returning to their own company and reporting
their experiences, they all "with one accord" quoted from the second
Psalm, which some--probably with good reason--conclude was written by
David just after his victory over the Philistines.
That part quoted from the second Psalm was, "Why did the heathen rage,
and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up,
and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against
His Christ" (Acts 4:25, 26). This is a clear intimation from the
Spirit Himself that the substance of these verses is by no means to be
restricted unto the opposition made by the powers of evil (through
their human emissaries) against Christ personally during the days of
his flesh, but include also Christ mystical, His Church, and is a
prophetic intimation of the continuous enmity of the Serpent against
the woman's Seed, i.e., Christ and His people. But as the remainder of
the second Psalm shows, all such opposition will prove futile, for "He
must reign till He hath put all enemies under His feet" (1 Cor.
15:25).
In this chapter, however, we do not propose to develop at length the
prophetic application of David's victories over the Philistines, but
rather shall we endeavor to concentrate upon the spiritual and
practical bearings of the same. Surely this is what our poor hearts
stand most in need of in this "cloudy and dark day"--that which, under
God's blessing, will better equip us to fight the good fight of faith;
that which will instruct and encourage for running the race that is
set before us. There is a "time" and "season" for everything. While it
is our happy privilege to admire and study the handiwork of God in
creation, yet neither the pleasure of beholding the beautiful flowers
nor investigating the mystery of the planets would be in order if an
enemy were at our doors, and we were called upon to defend our lives.
The same principle applies to concentrating upon one or more of the
many different departments of Scripture study.
It was to carry forward the conquest of Canaan--begun by Joshua, but
long interrupted (see Judges 1:21-36) that God had raised up David.
"And Abner had communication with the elders of Israel, saying, Ye
sought for David in times past to be king over you: now then do it;
for the Lord hath spoken of David, saying, By the hand of My servant
David I will save My people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines,
and out of the hand of all their enemies" (2 Sam. 3:17, 18). Chief
among Israel's enemies were the Philistines. They had long been a
serious menace to God's people, and eventually succeeded in slaying
Saul and his sons (1 Sam. 31:1-6). But now the time had come for God
to stain their pride, fight against them, and overthrow their forces.
"The triumphing of the wicked is short" (Job. 20:5); so discovered
Pharaoh, Haman, Rabshakeh, Nero; and so shall it be with those who now
oppose the Lord and His people.
"But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over
Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David" (2 Sam. 5:17).
First of all, let us behold and admire here the providential dealings
of God: "For of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things" (Rom.
11:36). Nothing happens by chance in this world, and the actions of
the wicked are just as truly controlled, yea, and directed, by the
Governor of this world, as are those of the righteous. It was of the
Lord that these Philistines threatened Israel at this time, and
therein we may perceive His grace toward His servant. They were the
enemies of Jehovah, and belonged to the people He had commanded Israel
to destroy. But to take the initiative against them, David might feel
was the height of ingratitude, for on two occasions the Philistines
had given him protection when sorely persecuted by Saul (1 Sam.
27:1-3; 28:1,2). By God's moving the Philistines to take the
initiative, 's scruples were subdued.
Though David had ascended the throne of Israel, this did not deter his
former enemies; rather did it excite their jealousy and stirred them
up to come against him. Therein we may find an illustration of Satan's
ways against the saints. Whenever an advance step is taken for God, or
whenever honor is put upon the true King and Christ is given His
proper place in our arrangements, the enemy is on hand to oppose. Let
Abraham return unto "the place of the altar" and at once there is
strife between his herdsmen and those of Lot (Gen. 13:4-7). Let Joseph
receive a divine revelation in a dream, and immediately the cruel envy
of his brethren is stirred against him (Gen. 37). Let Elijah triumph
over the false prophets upon Carmel, and Jezebel threatens his life.
Many such cases are also found in the book of Acts. These are recorded
for our instruction. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.
Let, then, the attack of the Philistines upon David right after his
coronation warn us against finding security in any spiritual
prosperity with which we may have been blessed. High altitudes are apt
to make the head dizzy. No sooner had David made Zion his own city,
and that to the glory of the Lord, than the Philistines came up
against him. The very next words after the boastful "Lord, by Thy
favour Thou hast made my mountain to stand strong," are, "Thou didst
hide Thy face, and I was troubled" (Ps. 30:7). Our "strength" is to
maintain a conscious weakness (2 Cor. 12:10). Every spiritual advance
needs to be accompanied by watchfulness and prayer. "Let not him that
girdeth on his armour boast himself as he that putteth it off" (1
Kings 20:11)!
"The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of
Rephaim" (v. 18). The valley of Rephaim was but a short distance from
Jerusalem: no doubt the Philistines expected to make themselves
masters of that strategic city before David had time to complete the
fortification of it. In the words "spread themselves" indication is
given that their force was a large one: "all the Philistines" (v. 17)
probably denotes that their five principalities (1 Sam. 6:16,18) were
here combined together. Little did they realize that they were rushing
onward to their destruction, for they knew not the might of David's
scepter nor the power of Jehovah who had exalted him. The Philistines
were unaware of the fact that the living God was for David, as He had
not been for Saul.
Let us now consider David's response unto the threatening presence of
the Philistine hosts. "And David enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I
go up to the Philistines? Wilt Thou deliver them into mine hand?" (v.
19). This is very blessed, accentuated by the final clause in verse
17, which is in marked contrast to what is recorded in verse 18: in
the one we read "and David heard of it, and went down to the hold"; in
the other we are told that the Philistines "came and spread themselves
in the valley of Rephaim." In sharp antithesis from the self-confident
Pharisees, David took a lowly place and evidenced his dependence upon
God. Instead of accepting their challenge and immediately engaging
them in battle, David turned to the Lord and inquired His will for
him. O that writer and reader may cultivate this spirit more and more:
it is written "In all thy ways acknowledge Him," and the promise is,
"and he shall direct thy paths" (Prov. 3:6).
"And David enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up to the
Philistines? wilt Thou deliver them into mine hand"? Not as the mighty
man of valor did he impetuously rush ahead, but as the man submissive
to his God did the king here act: most probably it was through
Abiathar, by means of the urim and thummim in his ephod, that the
Lord's mind was sought. His inquiry was twofold: concerning his duty
and concerning his success: "his conscience asked the former, his
prudence the latter" (Matthew Henry). His first concern was to make
sure he had a divine commission against the Philistines. In view of 2
Samuel 3: 18 his duty seemed clear, but the question was, Is it God's
time for me to act now! His second concern was whether the Lord would
prosper his efforts, for he realized that victory was entirely
dependent upon God--unless He delivered the Philistines into his hand,
all would be in vain.
"And the Lord said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the
Philistines into thine hand" (v. 19). He who has said, "Seek ye My
face" will not mock that soul who sincerely and trustfully responds
with, "my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek" (Ps.
27:8). Gods of wood and stone, the idols of earthly fame and material
wealth, will fail their devotees in the hour of need, but the living
God will not disappoint those who are subject unto Him and seek His
aid in the time of emergency. The Lord is ever "a very present help in
trouble" (Ps. 46: 1), and the sure promise is "Draw nigh to God, and
He will draw nigh to you" (James 4:8). The divine ordering of our
ways, the directing of our steps, is urgently needed by all of us, nor
will it be withheld if sought after the appointed order.
"And the Lord said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the
Philistines into thine hand." This also is recorded for our
instruction and comfort; then let us earnestly seek faith to
appropriate the same and make it our own. Those words were graciously
spoken by the Lord to encourage and nerve David for the battle. We too
are called upon to fight--"fight the good fight of faith." Yes, and it
is only as faith is in exercise, only as the divine promises are
actually laid hold of (expectantly pleaded before God), that we shall
fight with good success. Has not God said to us He will "bruise Satan
under your feet shortly" (Rom. 16:20): how that ought to animate us
for the conflict! If we lay hold of that promise we shall be able to
exclaim, "I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as
one that beateth the air" (1 Cor. 9:26).
"And David came to Baalperazim, and David smote them there, and said,
The Lord hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach
of waters" (v. 20). Here, too, David has left a noble example for us
to follow, and the more closely we do so, the more will God be
honored, and the more will further successes be assured for us. Having
obtained mercy to be dependent, David found grace to be humble, and
ascribed the victory unto its true Author: "The Lord hath broken forth
upon mine enemies before me"--as when a swollen river bursts its banks
and carries all before it. In every forward step, in every resistance
to temptation, in every success in service, learn to acknowledge "yet
not I, but the grace of God which was with me" (1 Cor. 15:10). May
writer and reader be delivered from the self-praising, boastful,
Laodicean spirit of this evil age, saying, "Not unto us, O Lord, not
unto us, but unto Thy name give glory" (Ps. 115:1).
"And there they left their images, and David and his men burned them"
(v. 21). No doubt the Philistines had expected both protection and
help from their idols, but they failed them in the hour of need:
equally vain and impotent will prove any visible or material thing in
which we put our trust. Now they were unwilling to preserve such gods
as were unable to preserve them: "God can make men sick of those
things that they have been most fond of, and compel them to desert
what they doted upon, and cast even the idols of silver and gold to
the moles and bats (Isa. 2:20)" (Matthew Henry). In burning the idols
of the Philistines, David not only made clean work of his victory, but
obeyed God's order in Deuteronomy 7:5: "thou shalt . . . burn their
graven images with fire."
"And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the
valley of Rephaim" (v. 22). Yes, even though we have the promise
"Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7), there is no
assurance given that he will not return. He departed from the Saviour
only "for a season" (Luke 4:13), and thus it is with His followers.
Yet let not his return to the attack discourage us: it is but a
summons to renewed waiting upon God, seeking fresh strength from Him
daily, hourly. "And when David enquired of the Lord, He said" (v. 23).
On this second occasion also David sought Divine guidance: even though
he had been successful in the first battle, he realized that further
victory depended entirely upon the Lord, and for that he must be
completely subject to Him.
"Thou shall not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon
them over against the mulberry trees. And let it be, when thou hearest
the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou
shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the Lord go out before thee, to
smite the host of the Philistines" (vv. 23, 24). This is striking:
here was the same enemies to be met, in the same place, and under the
same Lord of hosts, and yet God's answer now is the very opposite of
the previous one: then it was, "Go up"; now it is "Go not up," but
make for their rear--circumstances may seem identical to human sight,
yet on each occasion God is to be sought unto, trusted and obeyed, or
victory cannot be insured. A real test of obedience was this for
David, but he did not argue or decline to respond; instead, he meekly
bowed to the Lord's will. Here is the man "after God's own heart"--who
waited upon the Lord, and acted by His answer when it was given. Nor
did he lose by it: "The Lord shall go before thee to smite the hosts
of the Philistines": God is ready to do still greater things when we
own what He has already done for us!
"And David did so, as the Lord had commanded him; and smote the
Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer" (v. 25). "David
observed his orders, waited God's motions, and stirred then, and not
till then" (Matthew Henry). Complete success was granted him: God
performed His promise and routed all the enemy's forces. How that
should encourage us! "When the kingdom of the Messiah was to be set
up, the apostles, who were to beat down the devil's kingdom, must not
attempt anything till they receive the promise of the Spirit, who
`came with a sound from Heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind' (Acts
2:2), which was typified by this `sound of a going in the tops of the
mulberry trees'; and when they heard that, they must bestir
themselves, and did so: they went forth conquering and to conquer"
(Matthew Henry).
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Bringing Up The Ark
2 Samuel 5 and 6
_________________________________________________________________
For lack of space we were obliged to omit from the preceding chapter a
number of important points upon the closing verses of 2 Samuel 5; so
we will use them here as the introduction for this one. We saw how
that when the Philistines came up against David (2 Sam. 5: 18), he
"enquired of the Lord" what he should do (v. 19), and God responded
with the gracious assurance that the enemy should be delivered into
his hands; which was accordingly accomplished. Then we saw that other
Philistines came up against him again (v. 22). Taking nothing for
granted, David once more sought unto the Lord for divine instructions.
Therein we are taught the duty of acknowledging God in all our ways
(Prov. 3:6), and His gracious readiness to grant needed light for our
path, for "whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for
our learning" (Rom. 15:4). The whole of that blessed incident reveals
some valuable and precious lessons on the intensely practical subject
of divine guidance.
David did not act mechanically when the Philistines came against him
the second time, and do according as God had instructed him on the
first occasion; instead, he definitely inquired of Him again!
Circumstances may seem identical to our dim vision, nevertheless, it
is our duty and wisdom to wait upon the Lord on all occasions,
trustfully seeking His instructions, implicitly obeying when His will
is made clear to us through His Word. In no other way can victory over
the lusts of the flesh and the subtle wiles of the devil, be insured.
As we saw in our last, the Lord did not give David the same answer on
the second occasion as He had given him in the first. His response was
quite different: the first time He said, "Go up" (v. 21); the second
time He said, "thou shalt not go up, but fetch a compass behind them,"
etc. It is at that point, particularly, that there is important
instruction for us.
On the first occasion the Lord said unto David, "Go up, for I will
doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand" (v. 19). But on the
second, He said, Thou shalt not go up, but fetch a compass behind
them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees. And let it
be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry
trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the Lord go
out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines" (vv. 23, 24).
That made a greater demand upon David's faith, patience and
submission, than the former order did. It was humbling to the pride of
the flesh not to make an open and frontal attack. It called for quite
a march to circle around and get to their rear. And when he got there,
he must wait until he heard a movement in the boughs of the mulberry
trees; and waiting is much harder than rushing ahead. The lesson here
is, that as we grow in grace and progress in practical godliness, the
Lord requires fuller and fuller submission to Himself.
"And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of
the mulberry trees." This was the equivalent of the word that was
given to Israel at the Red Sea, as they saw the Egyptians bearing down
upon them: "Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord." The
mulberry trees could not move of themselves: David was to tarry till a
breath from the Lord stirred them: he was to wait till he heard the
wind (emblem of the Spirit) stirring their leaves. He was not to go to
sleep, but to remain alert for the Lord's signal. The lesson here is,
that while we are waiting for the Lord, we must diligently observe the
providential motions of God: "Continue in prayer, and watch in the
same" (Col. 4:2).
"When thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry
trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself": that is, David was to
respond to the intimation which God had graciously given him. The
practical lesson for us is obvious; when the Lord has made known His
will, prompt action is required. There is a time to stand still, and a
time to move. "Go forward" was the second word to Israel at the Red
Sea. Strange as it may seem, there are many who fail at this very
point. They arrive at some crisis in life: they seek unto the Lord for
directions: His providential "pillar of cloud" goes before them, but
they do not "bestir" themselves and follow it. It is only mocking God
to ask Him for light when we respond not to what He has given. Listen
attentively for His "sound of a going" and when you have heard it,
act.
Observe the blessed and assuring promise which accompanied the
directions to David at that time, "For then shall the Lord go out
before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines" (v. 24). if we
carefully compare that with what is said in verse 20, it will be seen
that the Lord wrought more manifestly on this second occasion than He
did on we first. There we are simply told "and David smote them,"
though he promptly ascribed his victory unto God. But here the Lord
promised that He would smite the Philistines. The comforting lesson
for us is, that if we duly wait upon God, implicitly obey His
instructions--no matter how "unreasonable" they seem, nor how
distasteful; if we diligently watch every movement of His providence,
and "bestir" ourselves when His will is clear, then we may assuredly
count upon Him showing Himself strong on our behalf.
There is a blessed sequel to the above incident recorded in 1
Chronicles 14: 16, 17, which is not mentioned in 2 Samuel, "David
therefore did as God commanded him; and they smote the host of the
Philistines from Gibeon even to Gezer. And the fame of David went out
into all lands; and the Lord brought the fear of him upon all
nations." God will be no man's debtor: He always rewards those who
keep His commandments. He not only enabled David to vanquish the
Philistines, but He also honored the one who had honored Him, by
causing his fame to go abroad, so that all nations were afraid to
attack him. And is it not equally the case now, that where there is a
soul who is fully subject to Himself, He causes even Satan to feel he
is but wasting his time to assail such an one! Compare Proverbs 16:7.
The next thing we are told of David after his triumph over the
Philistines, is the godly concern he now evidenced for the ark. This
is exceedingly beautiful, manifesting as it does the deep spirituality
of our hero, and showing again the propriety of his being designated
"the man after Gods own heart." David's first thought after he was
firmly seated as king over all Israel, was the enthronement in
Jerusalem of the long-forgotten ark, that sacred coffer which held
supreme place among the holy vessels of the tabernacle; that ark
concerning which the Lord had said to Moses, "Thou shalt put the mercy
seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony
that I shall give thee. And there I will commune with thee from above
the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of
the testimony" (Ex. 25:21, 22).
That ancient symbol of the presence of the true King, had passed
through many vicissitudes since the days when it had been carried
around the walls of Jericho. In the degenerate times of the Judges, it
had been superstitiously carried into battle, as though it were merely
a magical mascot, and righteously did God mock their impious
expectations: "the ark of God" fell into the hands of the
uncircumcised. The Philistines carried it in triumph through their
cities, and then housed it in the temple of Dagon. But again Jehovah
vindicated His honor, and the ark was sent back to Israel in dismay.
it had been joyfully welcomed by the inhabitants of Bethshemesh: then,
alas, unholy curiosity moved them to look within the sacred chest, and
the Lord smote them "with a great slaughter" (1 Sam. 6:19).
The ark was then removed to the forest seclusion of Kerjathjearim (the
city or village of the woods) and placed in the house of Abinadab,
where it lay neglected and forgotten for over fifty years. During the
days of Saul, they "enquired not at it" (1 Chron. 13:3). But from his
days as a youth, David was deeply exercised over the dishonor done to
the Lord's throne: "Lord, remember David, and all his afflictions: How
he sware unto the Lord, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob; surely
I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my
bed; I will not give sleep to mine eyes, nor slumber to mine eyelids,
until I find out a place for the Lord, a habitation for the mighty God
of Jacob. Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of
the wood" (Ps. 132:1-6). He had resolved to establish a place where
Jehovah's worship could be celebrated, a house where the symbol of His
presence should be fixed and communion with His people established.
Now that he was established over the kingdom of Israel, David did not
forget his early vows, but forthwith proceeded to put them into
execution. "Again, David gathered together all the chosen men of
Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose, and went with all the people
that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the
ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the Lord of hosts that
dwelleth between the cherubim" (2 Sam. 6:1, 2). No doubt it was with a
full heart that David now acted, with deep longings after God, with
fervent rejoicings in Him (see verse 5). No doubt he painted a bright
picture, as he anticipated the blessings which would follow the ark
being rightfully honored. Alas, how his hopes were dashed to the
ground! Sad indeed was the immediate sequel.
"And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of
the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons
of Abinadab, drave the cart. And they brought it out of the house of
Abinadab which was in Gibeah, accompanying the ark of God: and Ahio
went before the ark. And David and all the house of Israel played
before the Lord on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on
harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on comets, and on
cymbals. And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put
forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen
shook it. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God
smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.
And David was displeased, because the Lord had made a breach upon
Uzzah: and he called the name of the place the breach of Uzzah to this
day" (vv. 3-8). Some exceedingly solemn lessons are pointed in this
passage, and they are recorded for our warning; alas that they are so
widely disregarded in Christendom today.
"To bring back therefore the Ark from the place of its dishonour; to
bring it again into the bosom of Israel; to make it once more that
which Israel should seek unto and enquire at: and above all establish
it in the citadel of Zion, the place of sovereign supremacy and
strength, these were the immediate objects of David's desires. Herein
he was fulfilling his office of king, in giving supremacy to God and
to His truth. But the servants of God have not unfrequently to learn,
that the pursuit of a right end, does not necessarily imply the
employment of right means" (B. W. Newton). This is the first thing
here to take to heart.
"And they set the ark of God upon a new cart." By so doing they were
guilty of a serious error. In the fervency of his zeal, David ignored
the precepts of God. The Lord had given very definite instructions as
to the order which must be followed when the ark was to be moved.
Through Moses Jehovah had said, "When the camp setteth forward, Aaron
shall come, and his sons, and they shall take down the covering veil,
and cover the ark of testimony with it: and shall put thereon the
covering of the badgers' skins, and shall spread over it a cloth
wholly of blue, and shall put in the staves thereof" (Num. 4:5, 6).
The sacred ark was to be duly hidden from the gaze of the curious, but
it does not appear that this detail was attended to by David! Nor was
that all: "And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering
the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward: after that, the sons of
Kohath shall come to bear it" (Num. 4:15); "they should bear upon
their shoulders" (Num. 7:9).
The will of God was plainly revealed: the ark was to be covered,
staves were to be inserted in the rings in its ends, and it was to be
carried on the shoulders of the Kohathites. Nothing had been said
about placing it on "a new cart": that was a human invention, and
contrary to the instructions of the Lard. David's desire was holy, his
motive was pure, but he went about things in a wrong way, and dire
were the consequences. Now there are two ways of doing the work of the
Lord, two ways of acquitting ourselves when engaged in His service:
strictly following what is prescribed for us in the written Word of
God, or following our own ideas and inclinations--or following the
example of other men, which amounts to the same thing. Alas, how much
the latter is now in evidence; how often are right things being done
in a wrong way!
The due order for the removing of the ark had been plainly made known
by God in His written Word. Jehovah had given express command that the
ark should be covered with the sacred curtains, committed to the
charge of a divinely selected set of men, and it must be carried on
their "shoulders," and in no other way. That was God's way: to move it
on a cart drawn by cattle was man's way. Some might think the latter
was to be preferred. Some might consider it was such a "little" matter
as to be of no consequence. Some might conclude that as their object
was right and their motive pure, that even though they ignored the
prescribed mode of performing the duty, they might surely count upon
the divine blessing. What the Lord thought of their procedure is
evidenced in the tragic sequel.
But how are we to account for David's serious failure to heed the
commands of God? What is the explanation of the "confusion" which here
attended his well-meant and praiseworthy effort? Let us go back again
to the beginning of 2 Samuel 6, and read carefully its first three
verses. Notice, dear reader, a very significant omission; observe
closely the solemn contrast between his conduct in 2 Samuel 5:19 and
5:23, and what is said of him here. Each time the Philistines came up
against him, David "inquired of the Lord," but nothing is said of that
now he purposed to conduct the ark unto a suitable habitation for it!
Need we wonder, then, at what follows? If, God's blessing be not
definitely sought, how can it be rightfully expected? If prayer does
not precede and accompany our very best actions, what are they likely
to amount to! If in any of our ways God be not "acknowledged," be not
surprised if they lead to disaster.
"And David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and
with every leader. And David said unto all the congregation of Israel,
If it seem good unto you, and that it be of the Lard our God, let us
send abroad unto our brethren everywhere, that are left in all the
land of Israel, and with them also to the priests and Levites which
are in their cities and suburbs, that they may gather themselves unto
us. And let us bring again the ark of our God to us" (1 Chron. 13:1-3)
Instead of "inquiring of the Lord," David had conferred with his
officers. There was no need whatever for him to "consult" with any
human being, for the will of the Lord was already upon record! And
what was the policy suggested by the "leaders"? Why, to imitate the
ways of the religious world around them! The Philistine "priests" had
counseled that the ark be returned to Israel upon "a new cart" (1 Sam.
5:2-11), and now David--under the advice of his officers--"set the ark
of God upon a new cart" (2 Sam. 6:3)!
Index
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Bring Up the Ark
(Continued)
2 Samuel 6
_________________________________________________________________
Our principal design in this series of chapters is to emphasize the
fact that the Old Testament is far, far more than a historical record
of events which happened thousands of years ago, and to make it
manifest that every part of God's Word is full of important truth
which is urgently needed by us today. The business of a Bible teacher
is twofold: to give an accurate interpretation of the meaning of Holy
Writ, and to make application of its contents to the hearts and lives
of his hearers or readers. By "making application," we mean the
pointing out and the pressing upon ourselves of the practical lessons
which each passage contains, seeking to heed its warnings, appropriate
its encouragements, obey its precepts, and put in a claim to its
promises. Only thus does it become a living and profitable Word to us.
The first verses of 2 Samuel 6 record an incident which needs to be
prayerfully laid to heart by every one whom God has separated unto His
service. It chronicles a most blessed action on the part of David, who
had in view naught but the honor and glory of the Lord. But alas, that
action was sadly marred by permitting the fervency of his zeal to
ignore the precepts of God. He was anxious that the long-neglected and
dishonored Ark should be suitably housed in Zion. His desire was good
and his motive was pure, but his execution of the same met with the
open displeasure of the Lord. It is not sufficient to have a worthy
purpose and a proper spirit: God's work must be performed in the right
way: that is, according to the rules of His prescribing; anything
other than that is but a species of self-will.
There seem to be a great many in Christendom today who are desirous of
doing good, but they are exceedingly lax and careless in the mode and
manner in which their desires are carried out. They act as though the
means used and the methods employed mattered little or nothing, so
long as their aim and end is right. They are creatures of impulse,
following the dictates of mere whim and sentiment, or imitating the
example of others. They seem to have no concern for God's standards
study not His Word diligently to discover what laws and rules the Lord
has given for the regulation of our conduct in His "service."
Consequently, they are governed by the flesh, rather than the Spirit,
so that it frequently happens that they do good things in a wrong way;
yea, in a manner directly opposed to God's way as revealed in His
Word.
There are many who are anxious to see the pews occupied and their
treasury well filled, and so, "socials," "ice-cream suppers," and
other worldly attractions are employed to draw the crowd. There are
many preachers who are anxious to hold the young people, and so
"athletic clubs," social entertainments, are introduced to secure that
end. There are many evangelists who are anxious to "make a good show,"
secure "results," and be able to herald so many hundreds of "converts"
at the close of their "campaigns," and so fleshly means are used, high
pressure methods are employed to bring this about: "decision cards,"
the "sawdust trail," the "penitent form" are called in to their aid.
There are many Sunday school teachers who are anxious to hold the
interest of their class, and so "prizes" are given, "picnics" are
arranged, and other devices are resorted to.
Apparently it does not occur to these "leaders" to challenge their own
actions, to weigh them in "the balances of the sanctuary," to inquire
how near or how far they measure up to the divine standard: so long as
such means and methods seem right to them, or are in general vogue in
other "churches," and so long as they appear to "succeed," nothing
else matters. But in a coming day, God is going to ask of them "who
hath required this at your hand?" (Isa. 1:12)! None of the devices
mentioned by us above have one particle of scriptural authority to
warrant their use; and it is by the Scriptures that each of us will
yet be judged! All things must be done "according to the pattern"
(Heb. 8:5; Ex. 25:40) which God has furnished us; and woe will it yet
be unto us if we have disregarded His "pattern" and substituted
another of our own.
The terrible confusion which now prevails so extensively in
Christendom is no excuse whatever for us falling into line with it:
"Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil" (Ex. 23:1). No matter
how "peculiar" he may be thought, no matter how "unpopular" he may be
because of it, faithfulness is what God requires from each of His
servants (1 Cor. 4:2). And "faithfulness" means doing the work which
God has appointed in the way which He has prescribed. Expediency may
have grasped the helm; compromise may be the order of the day;
principles may he valued because of their "practicability" rather than
because of their scripturalness; but that alters not one whit the
strict discharge of duty which the Lord requires from each of His
servants. Unless that fact be clearly realized, we read in vain the
solemn incident recorded in 2 Samuel 6.
The laxity which now obtains in so many professedly "Christian"
circles is indeed appalling. Unconverted men are allowed to occupy
positions which none but Christ's true servants have any title to
stand in. Human convenience is consulted when the Lord's death is to
be remembered, and His "supper" is changed into the morning "breaking
of bread." Leavened bread, rather than "this bread" (1 Cor. 11:26), is
used to set forth the immaculate person of the Redeemer. And if one
dares to raise a voice in protest against these innovations--no matter
how gently and lovingly--he is called "legalistic" and a "troubler in
Israel," But even that must not move the one who covets his Master's
"Well done."
"And they set the ark of God upon a new cart" (2 Sam. 6:3). In so
doing, David and his counselors (1 Chron. 13:1) committed a serious
fault: they ignored the divinely appointed order and substituted their
own arrangements. The Lord had given express commands in Numbers 4:5,
6, 15; 7:9 as to how the sacred ark was to be carried when it should
be moved from one place to another; and He requires unquestioning
obedience to all His regulations. It is true that David was moved on
this occasion with a deep concern for Jehovah's honor and glory. It is
true that it was the urgings of love for Him which prompted his noble
action; but He has said, "If ye love Me, keep My commandments" (John
14:15)--love must flow in the appointed channels; it must be directed
by the divine precepts, if it is to please its Object.
"God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship in spirit and
in truth" (John 4:24): among other things that means, God must be
worshiped according to the pattern He has given us in His Word. There
are many Protestants who can see clearly the human inventions,
superstitious innovations and unscriptural practices of the Romanists,
in their "elevation of the mass," the vestments of their "priests,"
the burning of incense, the worship of images, and the adoration of
the mother of our Saviour. The unwarrantable introduction of such
devices are patent to multitudes of Protestants, yet they are blind to
their own unscriptural and antiscriptural ways! Listen, my reader:
anything we introduce into "the service of the sanctuary," into the
worship of God, for which we have no "thus saith the Lord," is nothing
but a species of "will worship" (Col. 2:23) and must be abandoned by
us.
As we pointed out in our last chapter, the counsel given to David by
the "leaders" in Israel was patterned after the invention of the
heathen. The "priests" of the Philistines had sent back the ark on "a
new cart" drawn by oxen (1 Sam. 6). And history has repeated itself.
If many of the means and methods which are now used in much so-called
"divine worship" and "Christian work" were challenged, if a reason
were demanded for their employment, the best that could be given would
be, "Others are using them." But no Scriptural authority could be
cited, The "leaders" in Israel might have argued that the device used
by the Philistines "succeeded" and that God "blessed" their
arrangements. Ah, but the Philistines had not God's Word in their
hands; but Israel had! In like manner, many now argue "God blesses"
many things for which we have no "thus saith the Lord." But, as we
shall see, God cursed Israel's flagrant violation of His commands!
The outstanding fact which concerns us as we seek to ponder and profit
from this solemn incident in David's life is, that he acted without
divine orders: he introduced something into the divine worship for
which he had no "thus saith the Lord." And the lesson to be learned
therefrom is to scrutinize rigidly our own actions--the things we do,
the way in which we do them, the means we employ--and ask, Are these
appointed by God? There is much apparent reverence and devotion among
the Papists, but is it acceptable to the Lord? Ah, my readers, if very
much to the "Christian service" of earnest, zealous, enthusiastic
Protestants was weighed in the balances of Holy Writ, it would be
"found wanting": nor am I guiltless if found in association and
fellowship with the same--no, no matter how much I protest against it
all. Individual loyalty to Christ, personal obedience to His commands,
is what is demanded of each one of us.
It may be thought that David was ignorant of what was recorded in
Numbers 4 and 7, and so was not so seriously to blame; but the
validity of such a conclusion is more than doubtful as we shall show
in the next chapter. Again; it may be supposed that David considered
the regulations given in the days of Moses pertained only to Israel
while they were on the march in the wilderness, and did not apply to
his own case; but this defense of David also breaks down before a
passage we hope to consider in our next chapter. Even were the case as
just supposed, his bounden duty would have been to first "ask counsel
of the Lord," and inquire "Whereon shall the ark be placed?" Instead
he conferred with flesh and blood (1 Chron. 13:1) and followed their
advice.
David's efforts proved a failure. And sooner or later all effort on
the part of the "church," or of the individual Christian, which is not
strictly according to the Word of the Lord will prove a failure: it
will be but "wood, hay, stubble" (1 Cor. 3: 12) in the day of divine
testing and reward. God has magnified His Word above all His name (Ps.
138:2), and He demands that His servants shall do all things according
to the plan and manner which He has prescribed. When he commanded
Moses to build the tabernacle, He bade him do so according to the
"pattern" which He showed him in the mount (Ex, 25:40): there was no
room for human opinion or preference. And if we would serve Him
acceptably, then we must go according to His way, not ours. The right
attitude for us was expressed by Peter when he said, "Nevertheless, at
Thy word, I will let down the net" (Luke 5:5): he acted according to
Christ's instruction, and was blessed!
"And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his
hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it" (2
Sam. 6:6). Yes, as the marginal rendering tells us, "the oxen
stumbled." And do you suppose that was an accident? No indeed, there
are no "accidents" in a world which is presided over by the living
God. Not even a hair can Fall from our head till the moment He decreed
for it to happen. But not only is everything directed by God, but
there is also a significance, a meaning, a message, in the smallest
occurrences, had we but eyes to see and hearts to understand. "The
oxen stumbled": of course they did; what else could be expected! There
can be naught but "confusion" when the divine order is departed from.
In the stumbling of those oxen the Lord was making manifest David's
disorder.
"Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it." He
feared it would be overthrown, and so he wished to avert such a
disaster. Like David's design in seeking a honorable habitation for
the ark, Uzzah's purpose was good, and his motive pure; but like
David, he also disregarded God's written law. See here one sin leading
to another! See how David's conferring with flesh and blood, Following
the counsel of the "leaders," and emulating the way of the heathen,
was now succeeded by the priest's son committing an act of sacrilege.
Alas, alas, how much will the present-day "leaders" in Christendom yet
have to answer for, because of their setting such an evil example
before others, and thus encouraging the "young people" to lightly
esteem the holy and authoritative precepts of God.
"And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God smote
him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God" (v. 7),
The Lord God will not be mocked. Plainly had He declared that, even
the Kohathites, who were appointed to carry the ark by staves on their
shoulders, "shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die" (Num.
4:15). God not only keeps His promises, but He also fulfills His
threats! So Uzzah found, and so will every other disregarder of His
commandments yet discover.
"He, whose name is Jealous, was greatly offended. The sincere, the
well-meaning man, having no command, nor any example for what he did,
fell under Jehovah's anger, and lost his life, as the reward of his
officiousness. And as the Holy Spirit has recorded the fact so
circumstantially, we have reason to consider it as a warning to all,
of the danger there is in tampering with positive ordinances; and as a
standing evidence that God will have His cause supported, and His
appointments administered, in His own way. The case of Saul, and the
language of Samuel to that disobedient monarch, inculcate the same
thing: `the people,' said Saul to the venerable prophet, `took of the
spoil, sheep and oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal.
And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and
sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is
better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams': 1 Sam.
15:21-23" (A. Booth, 1813).
It is solemn to recall that no divine judgment fell upon the
Philistines when they placed the holy ark upon a cart and sent it back
to Israel: but "the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah"! How
plainly this shows us that God will suffer from the world what He will
not tolerate in His professing people, who bear His Holy name. That is
why it will be "more tolerable" for Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of
Judgment, than it will be for divinely-enlightened, highly-favored,
and loud-boasting Capernaum. The same principle will obtain when
Christendom comes to be judged. Better to have lived and died in the
ignorance of darkest Africa, than to have had God's Word in our hands
and set at naught its laws!
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Bringing Up The Ark
(Continued)
2 Samuel 6
_________________________________________________________________
As we have seen in the preceding chapters, after his coming to the
throne of Israel and his victories over the Philistines, David
evidenced a godly concern for the holy ark, which had been so
grievously and so long neglected. Zealous of the divine glory, he had
resolved to establish a place where Jehovah's worship should be
celebrated and where the symbol of His presence should be securely
housed. Accordingly, he gathered all the leaders of Israel together to
bring the sacred coffer to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:1). But, alas, instead
of heeding the divinely given instructions for such an occasion and
placing the ark upon the shoulders of the Levites, he followed the
evil example of the heathen and placed it upon a new cart. In so doing
he ignored the plainly revealed will of God, and substituted a human
device. The work which David undertook was indeed a good one, his
motive was pure, and his design was praiseworthy, but it was executed
in a wrong way. He introduced into the divine worship that for which
he had no "Thus saith the Lord."
David did not inquire whether God had any will in the matter and ask,
Whereon shall the holy ark be placed? Rather did he confer with flesh
and blood. It was at that point he made his fatal mistake, and it is
this which we need to take carefully to heart. Instead of consulting
the Holy Scriptures, he sought counsel of men. It is true that he
"consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds and with every
leader" (1 Chron. 13:1), but as Job 32:9 tells us "great men are not
always wise," and so it proved on this occasion. Instead of reminding
David of the instructions which the Lord had given through Moses (Num.
4:5, 6; 15:7, 9), they apparently advised him to follow the way of the
uncircumcised (1 Sam. 6:7, 8). By so doing, David spoiled his fair
enterprise, and incurred the displeasure of God. A good beginning had
a bad ending because of departure from the divinely prescribed rules
of procedure.
The above incident has been recorded for our learning, especially for
those of us who are engaged in the Lord's service. It points a solemn
warning. It shows the imperative need for zeal to be rightly directed,
for there is "a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge" (Rom.
10:2); this is a zeal to further the cause of God and bring glory unto
His name, which is not regulated by that knowledge which His Word
supplies. In our fervency to extend the kingdom of Christ, to spread
His Gospel, to point souls unto Him, we are apt to forget His
precepts, and do His work in our way. The danger is very real, and in
this restless age of great activity not a few are being ensnared by
this very evil. Many are so eager about the quantity of their service,
they pay too little attention to the quality of it: they are anxious
to be active in the Master's vineyard, but they do not sufficiently
consult His guide-book as to how their activities must be conducted.
David's well-meant effort turned out a failure. The Lord manifested
His displeasure. David, accompanied by a large number of musicians,
went before the ark, playing "on all manner of instruments" (2 Sam.
6:5). But when Nachon's threshingfloor was reached, the oxen drawing
the cart on which the sacred chest reposed, stumbled, and Uzzah put
forth his hand to steady it. "And the anger of the Lord was kindled
against Uzzah, and God smote him there for his error; and there he
died by the ark of God" (v. 7). A tragic check was this unto the
joyous procession--one which should have produced deep
heart-searchings and penitential confession of failure. Has not God
said, "Provoke Me not, and I will do you no harm" (Jer. 25:6)?
Therefore, when He does afflict, ought we not to inquire as to wherein
we have "provoked" Him!
Though the displeasure of God was plainly manifested, yet it did not
at first produce the proper effect. "And David was displeased, because
the Lord had made a breach upon Uzzah" (v. 8). Apparently a measure of
self-complacency was at work in David's heart over the important
service he was engaged in--for honoring the ark which had been
neglected for so long. Now that things had gone contrary to his
expectations, he was disconcerted, peeved, "displeased," or as the
Hebrew word really signifies, "angry." His anger was not a righteous
indignation against Uzzah for his affronting God, but because his own
plans had gone awry. His own pride was wounded: the drastic cutting
off of Uzzah by divine judgment would not advance him in the eyes of
his subjects; rather was he now humiliated before them. But the fault
was his own, and he ought to have manfully shouldered the blame, and
not acted like a peeved child.
"And David was displeased (angry) because the Lord had made a breach
upon Uzzah" (v. 8). When the rod of God descends upon us, we are but
adding sin to sin if we become enraged thereby: this is "despising"
the chastening of the Lord, which is expressly forbidden (Heb. 12:5).
"And he called the name of the place Perezuzzah to this day" (v. 8),
which, as the margin tells us, signifies "the breach of Uzzah." Thus
did David memorialize the stroke of God as a warning for posterity to
beware of rashness and irreverence. A solemn contrast may be seen here
from what is recorded in 2 Samuel 5:20, where David changed the name
of "the valley of Rephaim" unto "Baalperazim"--"the place of
breaches"--because "the Lord hath broken forth upon mine enemies." In
the one he was celebrating God's goodness, in the other he was
solemnizing God's judgment.
The conduct of David on this occasion was deplorable, for it is highly
reprehensible to be angered by any of the Lord's dealings. But in the
light of such warnings, our petulancy is far worse. David ought to
have humbled himself beneath the mighty hand of God (1 Peter 5:6),
confessed his failure and corrected his fault (Prov. 28: 13), and
owned God's righteousness in thus taking vengeance on his inventions
(Ps. 99:8). By so doing he would have put the blame where it belonged,
have set a good example before others, and vindicated the Lord.
Instead, his pride was hurt, his temper was inflamed, and blessing was
missed. Alas, how often has writer and reader failed in a similar
manner. How rarely have we heeded that injunction, "Wherefore glorify
ye the Lord in the fires" (Isa. 24:15): one way of doing which is to
judge ourselves unsparingly and own the need of the flames to purge
away our dross.
"And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and said, How shall the
ark of the Lord come to me?" (v. 9). The transition is very easy from
sudden zeal and joy to fretfulness and dejection. We are, naturally,
creatures of extremes, and the pendulum quickly swings from
earnestness to indolence, from jubilation to commiseration. He who
dares one day to face singlehanded the four hundred prophets of Baal,
next day flees from the threat of Jezebel. He who feared not to draw
his sword in the presence of armed soldiers, trembled before a maid.
They who sang so heartily at the Red Sea, murmured a little later when
their food supplies gave out. Few maintain an even keel amid the
varying tides of life. A measure of servile fear now possessed David,
and he would not venture to bring the ark any nearer his own immediate
residence, lest he too should be destroyed. That holy vessel of the
tabernacle which had been
With the death of Uzzah a fear came upon David. This exemplifies an
important principle: fear always follows where faith is not in
exercise. Said the prophet, "I will trust and not be afraid" (Isa.
12:2). When the timorous disciples awoke the Saviour because of their
storm-tossed ship, He said, "Why are ye fearful? O ye of little faith"
(Matthew 8:26). When a spirit of trembling seizes the heart it is a
sure sign that faith is at a low ebb. The promise is, "Thou wilt keep
him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth
in Thee" (Isa. 26:3). Thus, the fear of David on this occasion is
easily accounted for: his faith was eclipsed. Learn this valuable
lesson, dear reader: as soon as you are conscious of sinking of heart,
uneasiness, or alarm, cry unto the Lord for a strengthening of your
faith. Say with the Psalmist, "What time I am afraid, I will trust in
Thee" (Ps. 56:3).
There is another important principle exemplified by David's attitude
on this occasion: his faith was inoperative because his walk was not
according to the revealed will of the Lord. It is true that faith is
the gift of God, and that, unaided, we cannot call it into operation
after it is received. Every exercise of faith, every increase thereof,
is to be ascribed unto the gracious influence of the Holy Spirit. But
let it not be forgotten that He is the Holy Spirit, and will not put a
premium upon wrong-doing. When our ways are contrary to the Rule which
we are to walk by, the Spirit is grieved. When we act in self-will,
and then refuse to judge ourselves under the mark of God's
displeasure, His blessed operations are withheld. Fearfulness is a
sign that faith is inactive, and inactive faith is an evidence that
the Spirit is grieved; and that, in turn, denotes that our walk is
displeasing to God. Learn, then, dear reader, to "Consider your ways"
(Hag. 1:5) when conscious that faith is at a low ebb: clean out the
choked channel and the waters will flow freely again.
"And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and said, How shall the
ark of the Lord come to me?" Does it not seem strange that David
should ask such a question when the Lord had given dear and definite
instructions as to how the ark should be conducted from place to
place? Stranger still, sadder far, that he would not make right the
wrong which he had committed. But alas, it is not easy to condemn
ourselves when we have departed from God's ways: even though the
providential smile of the Lord be changed into a frown, we are loath
to humble ourselves before Him. How this reveals the "desperate
wickedness" which still remains in our hearts, and how the realization
of this ought to remove pride far from us, cause us to marvel
increasingly at God's longsuffering with us, and make us more patient
toward our erring brethren.
"So David would not remove the ark of the Lord unto him, into the city
of David: but David carried it aside into the house of Obededom, the
Gittite" (v. 10). Instead of correcting his fault, we now see David
forsaking his own mercy (Jonah 2:8). The ark was the symbol of the
Lord's manifest presence, and that should be the one thing above all
others desired and cherished by the saint. Moses was deeply conscious
of this when he said, "If Thy presence go not with me, carry us not up
hence" (Ex. 33:15). Ah, but to enjoy the manifest presence of God we
must be in the path of obedience: "he that hath My commandments, and
keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me, and he that loveth Me shall be
loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to
him" (John 14:21). Was it not because he felt he was out of the way of
subjection to God's revealed will that caused David to now abandon his
purpose of bringing up the ark to Jerusalem? It was a guilty
conscience which made him "afraid of the Lord."
There is a fear of God which is becoming, spiritual, excellent; but
there is also a fear of God which is hurtful, carnal, worthless: the
one is servile, the other filial. There is a slavish fear which
springs from hard thoughts of God, and there is a holy and laudable
fear which issues from lofty thoughts of His majesty. The one is a
terror produced in the mind by apprehensions of evil, the other is a
reverential awe of God which proceeds from right views of His infinite
perfections. The one is the fear of wrath, such as Adam had in Eden,
when he was afraid and hid himself; and such as the demons have, who
"believe and tremble" (James 2: 19). The other is a fear of
displeasing One who is gracious, like children have to dear parents.
The one is our treasure, the other our torment; the one drives from
God, the other draws to God; the one leads to despair, the other to
godly activities (Heb. 11:7). The one is the product of a guilty
conscience, the other is the fruit of an enlightened understanding.
There is a natural fear and there is a spiritual fear of God. The one
hates Him, like a slave his cruel master; the other loves God, as a
child respects and reveres his father. The one dreads God because of
His power and wrath; the other venerates God because of His holiness
and sovereignty. The one engenders to bondage; the other conduces to
worship. Perfect love casts out the former (1 John 4: 18);
appropriating God's promises leads to the furtherance of the latter (2
Cor. 7:1). When we are walking with God in the light of His Word, a
filial fear directs our ways; but when we depart from His statutes and
a guilty conscience torments us, then a servile fear possesses our
hearts. Hard thoughts are entertained of God. and we dread His anger.
The soul is no longer at ease in His presence, and instead of viewing
Him as our loving Father, we shrink from Him and regard Him as a hard
Master. Such was the condition of David at this time. Alarmed by the
divine judgment upon Uzzah, he was afraid to have anything more to do
with the ark.
"But David carried it aside into the house of Obededom the Gittite."
That was David's loss; but, as we shall see, it was Obededom's gain.
The ark was both the symbol of God's manifested presence in the midst
of Israel, and a notable type of the person of the Lord Jesus. In the
placing of the ark in the house of Obededom, following the unbelief of
David, there was a prophetic hint given of the Gentiles receiving what
Israel failed to appreciate--so marvelously does God overrule even the
failures of His people. Obededom was a Gittite, and the "Gittites"
were Philistines (Josh. 13:3), the inhabitants of Gath (1 Chron.
20:5), yet many of them were devoted to the person and interests of
David (2 Sam. 5:18-21). Thus it was dispensationally: "It was
necessary that the Word of God should first have been spoken to you
(Jews): but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy
of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles" (Acts 13:46).
"And the ark of the Lord continued in the house of Obededom the
Gittite three months" (v. 11). After the awful death of Uzzah, and the
fear of David to have anything further to do with the ark, it had
scarcely been surprising had this Gittite refused to shelter the
sacred coffer. As a Philistine, it is likely that he was acquainted
with the trouble it had caused in the temple of Dagon (1 Sam. 5:2-4)
and of the plague it brought upon the Ashdodites (1 Sam. 5:6). Anxious
enough were they to get rid of the ark (1 Sam. 6), yet now we find one
of their countrymen providing a home for it in his own house.
Doubtless he had been truly converted unto the Lord, and therefore
esteemed whatever pertained to His worship. It is beautifully
significant that his name "Obed" means servant, and here we find him
rendering a true service unto God.
"And the Lord blessed Obededom, and all his household" (v. 11). Need
we be surprised at this? God will be no man's debtor: as He declared,
"Them that honour Me, I will honour" (1 Sam. 2:30). It is ever so.
After Laban had received the fugitive Jacob into his family, he
acknowledged, "I have learned by experience that the Lord hath blessed
me for thy sake" (Gen. 30:27). When His servant was befriended by
Potiphar, we read, "The Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's
sake" (Gen. 39:5). Through giving shelter unto God's prophet the widow
of Zarephath was rewarded by having her son restored to life (1 Kings
17:23). How much more may we be sure of receiving God's rich blessing
when His dear Son--to --is given the throne of our hearts.
"And the Lord blessed Obededom, and all his household." By the
indwelling Spirit the Lord has promised to manifest Himself to the
believer. The presence of the Lord in our lives and in our homes is
the limitless source, if we will, of divine blessing. The blessing
will depend upon our servant attitude to that Presence or Spirit. If
we take the place of a true "Obed," surrendering ourselves to His
sway, the Lord will make our way prosperous. If in all things we give
Christ the pre-eminence, so far from being the losers thereby, we
shall be immeasurably the gainers, both now and hereafter. O may He
who moved Obed to take in the ark, open our hearts to receive Christ
in all His fulness.
Index
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER FORTY
Bringing Up the Ark
(Continued)
2 Samuel 6
_________________________________________________________________
"And it was told king David, saying, The Lord hath blessed the house
of Obededom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of
God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of
Obededom into the city of David with gladness (2 Sam. 6:12). There are
five things to be observed here. First, the Lord's blessing of a man
is a very real and evident thing. Second, it is so patent that others
take notice thereof. Third, they perceive why it is that the blessing
of God is bestowed. Fourth; so impressed are they therewith, they
mention it to others. Fifth, the effect which the evident blessing of
the Lord of Obededom had upon David. Let us briefly ponder each of
these points, and pray that their distinct messages may find lodgment
in our hearts.
First, the Lord's blessing of a man is a very real and evident thing.
"All these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou
shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God . . . Blessed shall
be thy basket, and thy store; blessing of God is bestowed. Fourth, so
impressed are they thou be when thou goest out" etc. (Deut. 28:2, 5,
6). God's governmental ways are the same in all dispensations. "The
blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He added no sorrow with it"
(Prov. 10:22): for the meaning of the word "rich" see verse 4--in the
former the means is in view, in the latter the Source; in neither
verse does spiritual "riches" exclude material ones. "No good thing
will He withhold from them that walk uprightly" (Ps. 84:11).
Second, God's blessing of a person is so obvious that others are
obliged to take notice thereof. So much so was this the case with
Isaac, that Abimelech and two of his chief men went to him and said,
"We certainly saw that the Lord was with thee" (Gen. 26:28)--what a
testimony was that! Of the one who purchased Joseph it is recorded,
"And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made
all that he did to prosper in his hand" (Gen. 39:3)--do people now see
this is the case with us? "And Saul saw and knew that the Lord was
with David" (1 Sam. 18:28). The wicked may not read God's Word, but
they do read the lives of His people, and are quick to perceive when
His blessing is upon them; and the recognition of that has far more
weight than anything they say!
Third, nor are men ignorant of the reason why the Lord prospers those
with whom He is pleased. This is evident from the case now before us:
"And it was told king David, saying, The Lord hath blessed the house
of Obededom and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of
God." This is very striking: they traced the effect back to the cause:
they recognized that God had honored the one who had honored Him. The
same principle is illustrated again in Acts 4:13, "Now when they saw
the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned
and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them that
they had been with Jesus." The men who drew this deduction were not
regenerate, but the most notorious enemies of Christ; nevertheless
they were right in attributing the spiritual graces of the apostles
unto their fellowship with the Saviour.
Fourth, the recognition of God's evident blessing upon those whose
ways are pleasing in His sight is voiced by men unto their fellows. It
was so in the incident now before us. When it was so apparent that
Obededom was being blessed in all his affairs, some went and informed
the king thereof. Ah, my readers, we little know what impression is
being made upon our neighbors by God's governmental dealings with us,
nor how they speak one to another when it is manifest that His smile
is upon us. How we should plead this before God in prayer, that He
would enable us so to walk that we may not miss His best, and this
that His name may be glorified through those around us taking note of
the fact that "godliness with contentment (Greek "a sufficiency") is
great gain" (1 Tim. 6:6).
Fifth, the effect which this news had upon David. As he had perceived
God's frown in His stroke upon Uzzah, so now he discerned God's smile
in Obededom's prosperity. It was clear to him that the ark was not a
burdensome object, For so far from being the loser, he who had
provided a home for it had been noticeably blest of the Lord. This
encouraged David to resume his original design of bringing the sacred
coffer to Jerusalem: his fears were now stilled, his zeal was
rekindled. "The experience which others have of the gains of
godliness, should encourage us to be religious. Is the ark a blessing
to other's homes? let us bid it welcome to ours" (Matthew Henry). Do
we perceive that those who are most yielded to the Lord make the best
progress spiritually? Then let that be an incentive to fuller
consecration on our part.
"He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness For
His name's sake" (Ps. 23:4). In restoring the souls of His erring
people, God does not act uniformly: according to His lovingkindness,
unerring wisdom, and sovereign pleasure, He is pleased to use and
bless a variety of means. Sometimes it is by a process of
disappointment, withering the gourd under which we luxuriated, blowing
upon that in which we had promised ourselves satisfaction. Sometimes
it is by the application of a verse of Scripture, searching our
conscience or melting our heart. Sometimes it is by a sore calamity,
like the death of a loved one, which casts us back more closely upon
the Lord for strength and comfort. In the case now before us it was
the words of friends, who reported to David the blessing which the
presence of the ark had brought to the family of Obededom.
The effect of David's restoration of soul is seen very blessedly in 1
Chronicles 15:2, 3, 12, 13. "Then David said, None ought to carry the
ark of God but the Levites; for them hath the Lord chosen to carry the
ark of God, and to minister unto Him forever. And David gathered all
Israel together to Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the Lord unto his
place, which he had prepared for it. And said unto them, Ye are the
chief of the fathers of the Levites: sanctify yourselves, both ye and
your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel
unto the place that I have prepared for it. For because ye did it not
at the first the Lord our God made a breach upon us, for that we
sought Him not after the due order." There are several things in these
verses which we do well to note.
First, David now gave the Lord His proper place in his plans and
submitted to the regulations which He had given. He learned from
painful experience that God's work must be done in God's prescribed
way, if His approval and blessing was to rest upon the same. None but
those whom God had specifically appointed must carry the sacred ark:
this was one of the duties assigned the Levites. who had been
definitely set apart unto the Lord's service. The application of this
to our own day is obvious. The ark was a type of Christ: the carrying
of the ark from place to place prefigured the making known of Christ
through the preaching of the Gospel. Only those are to preach the
Gospel whom God has specially called, separated and qualified for His
holy service. For others to invade this sacred office is but to
introduce confusion and incur God's displeasure.
Second, David now realized that suitable preparation must precede holy
activities: "Sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that ye
may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel unto the place that I
have prepared for it": let the reader compare Exodus 19:10-15 and 2
Chronicles 29:5. Those whose carried the ark must cleanse themselves
from all ceremonial pollution and compose themselves for the solemn
service of the Lord: only thus would they strike reverence upon the
people. The same principle holds good in this Christian dispensation:
"The Lord hath made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations .
. . be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord" (Isa. 52: 10, 11).
Those whom God has separated unto the sacred ministry of the Gospel
must be "an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in
love, in spirit, in faith, in purity" (1 Tim. 4:12 and cf. 2 Tim.
2:21, 22)--God's servants today are to "sanctify" themselves for the
discharge of their honorable duties by repentance, confession, faith,
prayer and meditation, availing themselves constantly of that precious
Fountain which has been opened for sin and uncleanness.
Third, David owned his previous failures: "The Lord our God made a
breach upon us, for that we sought Him not after the due order." In
like manner. Daniel acknowledged, "O Lord, righteousness belongeth
unto Thee, but unto us confusion of faces as at this day; to the men
of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel,
that are near, and that are afar off, through all the countries
whither Thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they
have trespassed against Thee" (9:7). "The life of faith is little more
than a series of falls and restorations, errors and corrections
displaying, on the one hand, the sad weakness of man, and on the
other, the grace and power of God" (C. H. M.).
"So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the
ark of the Lord God of Israel. And the children of the Levites bare
the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves thereon, as Moses
commanded according to the word of the Lord" (1 Chron. 15: 14, 15).
All was now carried out "after the due order." God requires obedience
in small things as well as great. And due notice is taken and record
made by Him of all our actions. Blessed is it to behold these Levites
now being governed, in every detail, by the revealed will of the Lord.
"Then we make a good use of the judgments of God on ourselves and
others, when we are awakened by them to reform and amend whatever has
been amiss" (Matthew Henry). O that each of us may have more and more
occasion for saying "Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now
have I kept Thy law" (Ps. 119:67).
"So David, and the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands,
went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the house
of Obededom with joy" (1 Chron. 15:25). That is no small part of the
present reward which God bestows upon His obedient people. Satan would
feign seek to persuade us that a strict compliance with all the
statutes of Holy Writ would be irksome. One of his favorite dogmas is,
Law-keeping brings one into bondage. That is one of his lies. The
Psalmist was better instructed: said he, "And I will walk at liberty,
for I seek Thy precepts" (Ps. 119:45): the more we practice the
precepts of Scripture, the more are we delivered from the dominion of
sin. God fills the heart of the obedient with gladness; hence, the
reason why there is so much gloom and unhappiness among Christians
today is that their obedience is so half-hearted and spasmodic.
"And it came to pass when God helped the Levites that bare the ark of
the covenant of the Lord, that they offered seven bullocks and seven
rams" (1 Chron. 15:26). God is honored when we acknowledge His
assistance--for without Him we can do nothing--even in those things
which fall within the compass of our natural powers. But more
especially should we own His aid in all our spiritual exercises:
"Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day,
witnessing" (Acts 26:22). These Levites were in need of special help,
for remembering the fate of Uzzah, they were likely to tremble when
they took up the ark: but God calmed their fears and strengthened
their faith. God enabled them to discharge their duty decently and in
order,
"And it came to pass when God helped the Levites that bare the ark of
the covenant of the Lord, that they offered seven bullocks and seven
rams." This is wonderful. Everything was changed now: there was no
stumbling, no thrusting forth of presumptuous hands to steady a
shaking ark, no judgment from God; instead, His evident smile was upon
them. It is ever thus: when God's work is done in God's way, we may
confidently count upon His help. Go against the Word of God, and He is
against us, as we shall discover sooner or later; but go according to
the Word and God will bless us. "And they went forth, and preached
everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the Word with
signs following" (Mark 16:20).
"And it was so, that when they that bare the ark of the Lord had gone
six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings" (2 Sam. 6: 13). Probably
David offered this sacrifice unto God with a twofold design: to make
an atonement for his former errors, and as a thank-offering for
present mercies. Great must have been his gratitude and joy when he
perceived that all was now well. "Then we are likely to speed
(prosper) in our enterprises when we begin with God, and give
diligence to make our peace with Him. When we attend upon God in holy
ordinances, our eye must be to the great Sacrifice, to which we owe it
that we are taken into covenant and communion with God" (Matthew
Henry).
"And David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was
girded with a linen ephod" (2 Sam. 6: 14). The ordinances of God are
to be performed with joy as well as reverence. In seeking to preserve
a becoming decorum and sobriety, we need to be on our guard against
lapsing into a cold and stilted perfunctoriness. No doubt there are
certain occasions when higher expressions of joy are more suited than
at others. It was so here. After his previous disappointment David was
now transported with delight. His exultation of mind was manifested in
his leaping for gladness, which he did "with all his might." "We ought
to serve the Lord with our whole body and soul, and with every
endowment or capacity we possess; our religious affections cannot be
too intense, if properly directed; nor our expressions of them too
strong, provided `all be done decently and in order,' according to the
spirit of the dispensation under which we live" (Thomas Scott).
"And David was girded with a linen ephod." On this auspicious
occasion, David laid aside his royal robes, and as taking the lead in
the worship of God he wore a linen ephod. This was the ordinary garb
of the priests when officiating, yet it was also used in religious
exercises by those who were not priests, as the case of Samuel shows:
1 Samuel 2: 18. The Spirit of God has here duly noted the fact that,
though king over all Israel, David deemed it no disparagement to
appear in the clothing of a minister of the ark; yet let it not be
supposed that he was making any attempt to encroach upon the priestly
office. The practical lesson for us in this detail is, that instead of
decking ourselves out in worldly finery, we should be garbed plainly
when we attend the public worship of God.
In conclusion it should be pointed out that the best expositors,
ancient and modern, have regarded Psalm twenty-four as a sacred song
composed by David on the glad occasion of the ark being brought to
Jerusalem. The joy and triumph, the awe and the memories of victory
which clustered around the dread symbol of the presence of the Lord,
are wonderfully expressed in that choral piece. It is divided into two
parts. The first replies to the question, "Who shall ascend into the
hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in His holy place?"--an evident
echo of the terror-stricken exclamation of the Bethshemites (1 Sam.
6:20). The answer is given in a description of the men who dwell with
God. The second half deals with the correlative inquiry "Who is the
King of glory?" And the answer is, The God who comes to dwell with
men.
Inexpressibly blessed is verse 7. As the procession reached the walls
of Jerusalem, and ere the ark--type of Christ--entered, the cry was
made "Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye
everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in." It was as
though their towering portals were too low. How clearly David
recognized his own derived power, and the real Monarch of whom he was
but the shadowy representative! The newly conquered city was summoned
to admit its true Conqueror, whose throne was the ark, which was
expressly named "the glory" (1 Sam. 4:21), and in whose train the
earthly king followed as a subject and a worshiper.
Index
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
His Condemnation by Michal
2 Samuel 6
_________________________________________________________________
In the closing verses of 2 Samuel 6 there is to be seen a mingling of
the lights and shadows; the blessed fruits of the Spirit appear, but
the evil works of Satan are also evident. As it often is in the
natural world, we find it in the moral realm conflicting Forces clash
with each other: sunshine and rain, calm and storm, summer and winter,
constantly alternate. That which is spread before our senses in
nature, is but an external adumbration of what exists in the
invisible: two mighty beings, diametrically opposed to each other, the
Lord God and the devil, are ever at work. Such too is the life of the
individual Christian, for he is a miniature replica of the world: in
him "The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the
flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other, so that ye cannot
do the things that ye would" (Gal. 5:17), and consequently in his
experience there is ever a mingling of the lights and shadows.
Before it ended, the joyful day of David's bringing up of the ark to
Jerusalem was overcast by a domestic cloud. There was one in his own
household who was incapable of entering into the fervor of his heart
toward God, who was irritated by his devotion, and who bitterly
condemned his zeal: one who was near and dear to him railed upon the
king for his earnestness in Jehovah's cause and service. The enmity of
the Serpent was stirred by the honor accorded the holy ark, the
procession of the Levites, the jubilation of Israel's ruler, and the
offerings which had been presented before the Lord. The anointed eye
has no difficulty in discerning behind Michal him who is the
inveterate enemy of God and His people, and in her biting denunciation
of David, the Christian of today may learn what to expect from those
who are not one with him in the Lord.
Our last chapter closed at the verse "So David and all the house of
Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the
sound of the trumpet" (2 Sam. 6: 16). Our present lesson opens with
"and as the ark of the Lord came into the City of David, Michal,
Saul's daughter, looked through a window, and saw king David leaping
and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart" (v.
16), and, as we shall see from the sequel, that secret hatred of David
was shortly after vented in open opposition. Let not those who are
engaged in the happy service of the Lord be surprised when they
encounter antagonism; when, so far from their efforts being
appreciated by all, there will be some who decry and denounce them. It
was so with the prophets; it was so with Christ's fore-runner; it was
so with the Lord of glory Himself; it was so with His apostles; and it
will continue to be so with all His faithful servants unto the end of
time. It cannot be otherwise while Satan is out of the Pit.
"And as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal,
Saul's daughter, looked through a window, and saw king David leaping
and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart" (2
Sam. 6: 16). Saul himself had grievously neglected the public worship
of Jehovah, and his daughter appears to have had no sense of the
importance and value of heavenly things. It could hardly be expected
that a woman who had idols, "teraphim," in her house (1 Sam. 19: 13),
cared anything for the holy ark, and hence she regarded her husband
with scorn as she beheld his gratitude and joy.
Yes, not only is the natural man (the unregenerate) unable to
apprehend the things of the Spirit, but that of which He is the Author
appears as "foolishness" unto him. When the Lord Jesus was so occupied
in ministering unto the needy multitude that He and His disciples
"could not so much as eat bread," we are told that His kinsmen "went
out to lay hold on Him: for they said, He is beside Himself" (Mark
3:21). When the apostles began to "speak with other tongues," the
wondrous works of God, some mocked and said, "These men are full of
new wine" (Acts 2). When Paul reasoned so earnestly with Agrippa, he
answered "thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad"
(Acts 26:24). And, my reader, there is something seriously lacking in
you and me if similar charges are not made against us today!
The world will tolerate religion so long as its carnal repose is not
disturbed; yea, while it provides a garb to hide its shame, the world
approves. But let the high claims of God be pressed, let it be
insisted on that He demands the first place in our affections,
thoughts, and lives, and such a message is at once distasteful. The
professing Christian who attends the church on Sunday and the theatre
during the week, who contributes occasionally to missionary societies
but underpays his servants and overcharges his customers, is commended
for his broad-mindedness and shrewdness. But the real Christian who
lives in the fear of the Lord all the day long, and who conducts
himself as a stranger and pilgrim in this scene, is condemned as a
bigot and puritan. Let the saint weep over the dishonoring of his Lord
by many that bear His name, or leap for joy in his service as David
did, and like David he will be dubbed a fanatic and his
whole-heartedness will be similarly censured.
"And they brought in the ark of the Lord, and set it in his place in
the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it: and David
offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord" (v. 17).
The word "tabernacle" does not signify a building made of wood or
stone, but rather a tent. Joshua had erected such an one centuries
before, but doubtless that had decayed and perished long ago. It is to
be noted that David did not bring the ark into his own residence, but
into a separate curtained canopy, which he had provided for it. in the
days of Solomon a more stately temple was built to house the sacred
coffer. As the ark was so manifestly a figure of Christ, its abiding
first in a lowly tent and then in a magnificent edifice, no doubt
foreshadowed the twofold state of the Saviour: first in humiliation,
and then in glory.
"And David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the
Lord." Now that his noble design had been completely effected, David
presented suitable sacrifices unto the Lord. His object in so doing
was probably twofold: to express his deep gratitude unto God for the
success of his undertaking, and to supplicate a continuance of His
favors. An important lesson for us is therein inculcated: praises are
to mingle with our prayers: God is to be recognized and owned amid our
joys, as well as sought unto under our sorrows. "Is any among you
afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms" (James
5:13): the first is easily remembered, but the latter is often
forgotten. God has appointed "feasts" as well as "fasts," for He is to
be given the first place by us at all times.
"And as soon as David had made an end of offering burnt offerings and
peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. of
Hosts" (v. 18). This seems to have been an official act, consonant
with the position to which God had instated him. The expression occurs
first in Genesis 14: 19, where we find that Melchizedek, priest of the
Most High, "blessed" Abraham. At a later date, Moses (Ex. 39:43),
Joshua (Josh. 22:6), and Solomon (1 Kings 8:14) "blessed the people":
in each case it was their leaders who did so. The added words that
David "blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts" signifies
that he, formally and authoritatively, pronounced His blessing upon
those who had been committed to his care.
As a prophet of God, and as king over the people, it was both David's
privilege and duty to do so, "without all contradiction, the less is
blessed of the better" (Heb. 7:7). In this act we may see David
prefiguring his greater Son and Lord. Of Him it is recorded, "And He
led them out as far as to Bethany, and He lifted up His hands, and
blessed them. And it came to pass, while He blessed them, He was
parted from them, and carried up into heaven" (Luke 24:50, 51). There
we behold Christ as the Prophet unto and the King over the Church,
officially blessing its ministers: that was His final act ere He left
this earth and took His place on high, to administer all the blessings
which He had purchased for His people; and unto the end of the age the
efficacy of His benediction abides. If by grace the writer and reader
be among those whom He has blest, then are we blessed indeed.
"And he dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of
Israel, as well to the women as men, to every one a cake of bread, and
a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine. So all the people
departed every one to his house" (v. 19). Those who accompanied David
on his joyous undertaking were now bounteously feasted: having
presented his thank offerings unto the Lord, presents were now made to
the people. "When the heart is engaged in cheerfulness, that should
open the hand in liberality: as they to whom God is merciful, ought to
exercise bounty in giving" (Matthew Henry). Compare Esther 9:22: the
feast of Purim, celebrating the Jews' deliverance from the plot of
Haman, was observed with "sending portions one to another, and gifts
to the people." By this act David confirmed his interest in the
people, and would endear himself to them, so that they would be
encouraged to attend him again should he have occasion to call them.
The typical significance is obvious.
"Then David returned to bless his household" (v. 20). In attending to
his official duties, David did not overlook his domestic
responsibilities. "Ministers must not think that their public
performances will excuse them from their family worship: but when they
have, with their instructions and prayers, blessed the solemn
assemblies, they must return in the same manner to bless their
households, for with them they are in a particular manner charged"
(Matthew Henry). Nor must they be deterred from the discharge of this
obligation and privilege should there be those under their roof whose
hearts do not accompany them in such holy exercises: God must be
honored by the head of the house and the family altar maintained, no
matter how much Satan may oppose the same.
"And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How
glorious was the king of Israel today, who uncovered himself today in
the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows
shamelessly uncovereth himself!" (v. 20). Being a total stranger to
the zeal for God which filled David, incapable of appreciating his
elevation of heart over the bringing home of the ark, she regarded his
joyous dancing as unbecoming a king, and imagined he was demeaning
himself in the eyes of his subjects. Having no heart herself for God,
she despised the exuberance of one who had. Being obsessed with
thoughts of temporal dignity and glory, she looked upon David's
transports of religious fervor in the midst of his people, as
degrading to his high office. "David the brave captain, leading forth
the people to battle and returning with them in triumph, she admired;
but David the saint, leading the people in the ordinances of God, and
setting before them the example of fervency of spirit in His service,
she despised" (Thomas Scott).
Base ingratitude was this for Michal to thus revile the very one who
had been so devoted to her that he had declined to accept a crown
unless she was restored to him (2 Sam. 3:13). Fearful sin was this to
insult and denounce her lord, whom God required her to reverence.
Having secretly scorned him in her heart, she now openly chides with
her lips, for "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh."
She was highly displeased with his deep veneration for the holy ark,
and basely misrepresented his conduct by charging him with indecent
dancing before it. There can be no doubt that her charge was a false
one, for it is a common thing for those who have no piety themselves
to paint others in false colors and hold them up as the most odious
characters.
But the wicked conduct of Michal is not difficult to account for: at
heart she was a partisan of the fallen house of Saul, and a despiser
of Jehovah and His worship. As she grew older, her character had
hardened in its lines and became more and more like her father's in
its insatiable pride, and in its half dread and half hatred of David.
Now she poured forth her venom in these mocking jibes. Because David
had laid aside his royal robes, and had girded himself in a plain
"linen ephod" (v. 14), she vilely charged him with immodesty. O how
empty professors hate the true pilgrim spirit! Nothing riles them more
than to see the children of God refusing to conform to the extravagant
and flesh-pleasing fashions of the world, and instead, dress and act
as becometh the followers of Him, who, when here, "had not where to
lay His head."
"And David said unto Michal, It was before the Lord, which chose me
before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over
the people of the Lord, over Israel; therefore will I play before the
Lord" (v. 21). David now vindicated himself. He had no reason to be
ashamed of his conduct, for what he had done was only for the glory of
God. No matter through what distorted lens the evil eyes of Michal
might view it, his conscience was clear. If our own hearts condemn us
not, we need not be troubled over the censures of the ungodly.
Moreover, had not God recently elevated him to the throne? Then it was
but fitting that he should show his jubilant gratitude.
"And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own
sight; and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them
shall I be had in honour" (v. 22). David replies to Michal's evil
charge in the language of irony, which was suitably "answering a fool
according to her folly" (Prov. 26:5). The force of his words is, If
because of my setting aside the showy robes of imperial majesty and
clothing myself in plain linen, and dancing before the Ark of God's
glory, I am regarded by you as mean, then I, who am but "dust and
ashes" in the sight of the Almighty, will humble myself yet more
before Him; and so far from the common people despising me for the
same, they will esteem one who takes a lowly place before the Lord.
The more we be condemned for well-doing, the more resolute should we
be in it.
"Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of
her death" (v. 23). Thus did God punish David's wife for her sin. "She
unjustly reproached David for his devotion, and therefore God justly
put her under the perpetual reproach of barrenness. They that honor
God, He will honor; but those that despise Him, and His servants and
service, shall be lightly esteemed" (Matthew Henry). There is a
searching application of this verse which holds good today. We often
hear quoted the first half of 1 Samuel 2:30, but the second half is
not so frequently cited. It is just as true that they who "despise"
the Lord shall be "lightly esteemed" by Him as those who "honour" Him
shall be "honoured" by Him. A solemn example of this is found here: in
mocking David, Michal insulted his Master! Beware how you slight or
speak evil against God's servants, lest spiritual "barrenness" be your
portion!
Index
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
His concern for God's House
2 Samuel 7
_________________________________________________________________
How often has "success" been the ruination of those who have
experienced it! How often has worldly advancement been followed by the
deterioration of spirituality! It is good to see that such was far
from being the case with David. In the thirty-fifth chapter of this
book we called attention to the blessed manner in which David
conducted himself after coining to the throne. So far from indulging
in ease and self-luxuriation, it was now that his best achievements
were accomplished. First, he captured the stronghold of Zion; next he
vanquished the Philistines; then he provided a resting place for the
holy ark; and now he evidenced his deep concern to build a temple for
the worship of Jehovah. So blessed is each of these incidents, so rich
are they in their spiritual and typical import, we proposed to devote
a chapter unto the separate consideration of each of them. By the
Lord's gracious enabling we have accomplished our purpose concerning
the first three, and now we turn to the fourth.
"And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the Lord had
given him rest round about from all his enemies" (2 Sam. 7:1). This
brings before us a restful interlude in the strenuous and eventful
life of our hero. As we have seen in earlier chapters, David had been
called upon to gird on the sword again and again; and as we shall see
in what follows, considerable fighting yet lay before him. Moreover,
little opportunity had been given him in previous years for quietness
and repose: during Saul's life and also under the reign of Ishbosheth,
David was much harried, and forced to move from place to place; so too
in the future, disquieting and distressing experiences lay before him.
But here in 2 Samuel 7 a very different picture
What has been pointed out above finds its counterpart, more or less,
in the lives of all Christians. For the most part, their experience
both outward and inward closely resembles that of David's. Christians
are called upon to wage a warfare against the flesh, the world, and
the devil, to "Fight the good fight of faith." Those inveterate
enemies of the new man give him little rest, and often when he has
been enabled by divine grace to achieve a notable victory, he quickly
discovers that fresh conflicts await him. Yet, amid his outward
troubles and inward strifes, he is occasionally granted a little
breathing-spell, and as he sits in his house it can be said of him,
"The Lord hath given him rest round about from all his enemies."
As it is in nature, so it is in grace: after the storm comes a
peaceful calm. The Lord is merciful and tender in His dealings with
His own. Amid many disheartenings, He grants encouragements along the
way. "There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to
man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above
that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to
escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Cor. 10:13). After the toil
of trying service, He says, "Come ye yourselves apart into a desert
place, and rest awhile" (Mark 6:31). After a long stretch of the
dreary sands of the wilderness, He brings us to some Elim "where are
twelve wells of water, and three score and ten palm trees" (Ex.
15:27). After some unusually fierce conflict with Satan, the Lord
grants a season of peace, and then, as in David's case, we have rest
from all our enemies.
And with what was David's mind employed during the hour of repose? Not
upon worldly trifles or fleshly indulgences, but with the honor of
God: "That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See, now, I dwell in
an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains" (7:2).
This is very blessed and furnishes a true insight to the character of
him whom the Lord Himself declared to be "a man after His own heart."
There are few things which afford a surer index to our
spirituality--Or the lack of it--than how we are engaged in our hours
of leisure. When the conflict is over, and the sword is laid down, we
are very apt to relax and become careless about spiritual concerns.
And then it is, while off our guard, that Satan so often succeeds in
gaining an advantage over us. Far different was it with him whose
history we are here pondering.
"The king said unto Nathan the prophet, See, now, I dwell in a house
of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains." Observe,
first, that in this season of rest David's companion was "the
prophet." Let that speak loudly to us! A godly companion is an
invaluable aid to the preserving of spirituality when we are enjoying
a little rest. Hours of recreation would prove hours of re-creation
indeed, if they were spent in godly converse with someone who lives
near to the Lord. David here supplied proof of his own assertion, "I
am a companion of all that fear Thee, and of them that keep Thy
precepts" (Ps. 119:63). A person is not only known by the company he
or she keeps, but is molded thereby: "He that walketh with wise men,
shall be wise; but a companion of fools shall be destroyed" (Prov.
13:20). Seek as your friends, dear reader, those who are most
Christ-like in their character and conversation.
Next, observe what it was which occupied David's heart while he sat in
his palace in the company of Nathan the prophet: "See, now, I dwell in
an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains." How
this, too, reveals the beatings of David's heart! One cannot but
contrast what we have here with the haughty words of Nebuchadnezzar:
"Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the house of the
kingdom, by the might of my power, for the honour of my majesty?"
(Dan. 4:30). Instead of being occupied with his achievements and
self-satisfied with the position which he now occupied, David was
concerned about the lowly abode of God's ark. Very beautiful indeed is
it to see the recently crowned monarch solicitous, not for the honor
of his own majesty, but, for the glory of Him whom he served.
It is not often that those in high places manifest such interest in
spiritual things: would that more of the Lord's people who are
entrusted with a considerable amount of this world's goods were more
exercised in heart over the prospering of His cause. There are not
many who make conscience over spending far more upon themselves than
they do for furthering the service of God. In this generation, when
the pilgrim character of the saints is well-nigh obliterated, when
separation from the world is so largely a thing of the past, when
self-indulgence and the gratification of every whim is the order of
the day, few find their rest disturbed in the conviction that the
worship is languishing. Thousands of professing Christians think more
about the welfare of their pet dogs than they do in seeing that the
needs of God's servants and impoverished believers are met, and spend
more on the upkeep of their motorcars than they do in the support of
missionaries. Little wonder that the Holy Spirit is quenched in so
many places.
"And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for
the Lord is with thee" (v. 3). A certain class of writers who delight
in criticizing almost everyone and everything, and who pretend unto a
deeper insight of spiritual things than all who went before them,
condemn both David and Nathan on this occasion, which seems to us
close akin to the complaint of Judas when Mary lavished her costly
ointment upon the Saviour. Nothing is said in the record here that
David actually purposed to build Jehovah a temple, but only that he
was troubled because one was not yet erected. Whatever conclusion
Nathan may have drawn therefrom, he was careful to say nothing to
modify David's godly concern, but rather sought to encourage his
spiritual aspirations. Alas, how many today are ready to snub
earnestness, quench zeal, and hinder those who have more love for
perishing souls than they have.
Nathan was better taught in divine things than some of those who have
traduced him. He was quick to perceive that such unselfishness and
godly concern as the king manifested was good evidence that the Lord
was with him, for such spiritual exercises of heart proceed not from
mere nature. Had David been actuated by a "legalistic" spirit as one
of his foolish detractors supposed--deploring it with an "alas,
alas!"--God's faithful servant had promptly rebuked, or at least
corrected him. But instead of so doing, he says? "Go, do all that is
in thine heart; for the Lord is with thee." O that more of this
so-called "legality" were in evidence today--a heart melted by the
Lord's abounding mercies, anxious to express its gratitude by
furthering His cause and service. But it is hardly to be expected that
those who so strenuously oppose the Law's being a rule of life for the
Christian, should have any clear ideas on either grace or what
constitutes "legality."
"And it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came unto
Nathan" (v. 4). In the brief notes on this verse found in "The
Companion Bible" it is there stated that, "After these words (`that
night') all the MSS. (manuscripts) have a hiatus, marking a solemn
pause." The design of the ancient Hebrews may have been to connect
this passage with Genesis 15:12-17, which is another night scene. In
both a wondrous revelation was made by the Lord: in both His great
purpose concerning the Messiah and Mediator received an unfolding: in
both a remarkable adumbration was made respecting the contents of the
Everlasting Covenant.
"Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the Lord, Shalt thou build
Me an house for Me to dwell in?" (v. 5), or, as it is said in 1
Chronicles 17:4, "Thou shalt not build Me an house to dwell in." Some
may suppose that these words make it quite clear that David had
definitely determined to erect a temple unto Jehovah. But we rather
regard these statements as the gracious construction which God placed
upon the holy concern of His servant, just as the Saviour sweetly
interpreted the loving devotion of Mary's anointing as "against the
day of My burying hath she kept this" (John 12:7); and, as in a coming
day He will yet say unto those on His right hand, "I was an hungered,
and ye gave Me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink: I was a
stranger, and ye took Me in" (Matthew 25:35, etc.).
"For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to
that a man bath, not according to that he bath not" (2 Cor. 8:12). It
is the disposition and desire of the heart which God regards, and
sincere intentions to do good are approved by Him, even though His
providences do not permit the execution of them. Thus it was in
David's case. He was concerned that the sacred ark should be under
curtains, while he dwelt in a ceiled house. That holy concern was
tantamount unto a willingness on his part to honor the Lord's worship
by a stately temple, and this is the construction which God graciously
placed upon it, accepting the will for the deed. Though David had not
formally planned to build the temple, God so interpreted the exercises
of his mind; just as when a man looks lustfully upon a woman, Christ
interprets this as "adultery" itself (Matthew 5:28).
We have dwelt the longer upon this point because the commentators have
quite missed the force of it. Not only so, but some teachers, who are
looked upon in certain circles as well nigh infallible in their
expositions, have falsely charged David with "legality." Now that the
Lord had elevated him from the sheepcote to the throne, and had given
him rest from all his enemies, David's concern for the dwelling place
of the ark is twisted into his desire to do something for the Lord as
payment of all He had done for him. Such men err "not knowing the
scriptures." One verse of the Word is sufficient to refute their
childish misconceptions, and establish what we have said above: "And
the Lord said unto David my father, Whereas it was in thine heart to
build an house unto My name, thou didst well [not "thou was moved by a
legalistic spirit"] that it was in thine heart" (1 Kings 8:18).
We do not propose to comment in detail upon the remainder of the
Lord's message through Nathan, but rather will we generalize our
remarks upon the same. First, the Lord made touching mention of His
own infinite condescension in graciously accommodating Himself unto
the stranger and pilgrim character of His people (v. 6). The great
Jehovah had deigned to "walk with the children of Israel." What an
amazing and heart-melting word is that in Leviticus 25:23 "The land
shall not be sold forever: for the land is Mine; for ye are strangers
and sojourners with Me." David himself had laid hold of that word, as
his statement in Psalm 39: 12 clearly shows, "Hold not Thy peace at my
tears: for I am a stranger with Thee, and a sojourner as all my
fathers were." Until Israel were settled in their inheritance an
humble tent had sewed the Lord's requirements. In this He has left us
an example to follow: pomp and parade, extravagance and luxury, ill
become those who have here "no continuing city."
Second, as yet the Lord had given no definite instruction for the
erection of an imposing edifice for His worship (v. 7), and until He
did, a tent of His appointing, was better than a temple of man's
devising. Our desires, even of usefulness, must be governed by His
precepts. Whatever be our spiritual aspirations, they must be
regulated by the revealed will of God. He assigns unto every one his
own work, and each of us should thankfully and faithfully attend to
our own proper business. O to be satisfied with the place which God
has allotted us, to discharge earnestly the duty which He has
appointed us, and leave to other whom He has chosen, the more
honorable work. The temple was to bear the name of Solomon, and not
that of David.
Third, David was reminded of the wondrous things which God had already
wrought for him, so that while he was not called unto the building of
the temple, nevertheless, he was one of the favorites of Heaven (v.
8). Moreover, God had made him signally victorious over all his foes,
and had advanced him unto high honor among the nations (v. 9). Let us
be thankful for the mercies which God has bestowed, and not repine for
any which He sees fit to withhold. Fourth, the happy future of his
people was assured him (v. 10), from which he might well conclude
that, when they were more securely established, then would be the time
for the erection of a permanent house of worship. Finally, God
announces rich blessings as being entailed upon David's family, for
from his seed should issue, according to the flesh, the promised
Messiah and Mediator (vv. 11-16). Thus, instead of David's building
for the Lord a material and temporal house, the Lord would build for
him a spiritual house which would abide "for ever." Thus we see that a
"willing mind" (2 Cor. 8: 12) is not only accepted, but richly
rewarded. "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above
all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
unto Him be glory in the Church, by Christ Jesus throughout all ages,
world without end. Amen." (Eph. 3:20, 21).
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
His Deep Humility
2 Samuel 7
_________________________________________________________________
In the preceding chapter we looked upon David while he was permitted
to enjoy a brief season of repose, following the trying experiences
through which he had passed ere he came to the throne. He might well
have found in the many trials and vicissitudes of his past life an
excuse for luxurious repose now. But devout souls will consecrate
their leisure as well as their toil to God, and will serve with
thank-offerings in peace, Him whom they invoked with earnest
supplication in battle. As another has said, "Prosperity is harmless
only when it is accepted as an opportunity for fresh forms of
devotion, and not as an occasion for idle self-indulgence." Thus it
was with our hero. He was not spoiled by success; his head was not
made giddy by the height he now occupied; the Lord was not forgotten
when prosperity smiled upon him. Instead, he was deeply concerned
about the honor of God, especially at there being no suitable place
for His public worship.
As David sat alone in his palace, meditating, there can be little
doubt that one so conversant with the Scriptures as he was would turn
in thought to the ancient promise, "When He giveth you rest from all
your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety, then there shall
be a place which the Lord your God shall choose to cause His name to
dwell there" (Deut. 12:10, 11). It was that word, we believe, which
caused our hero to say unto Nathan, "See, now, I dwell in a house of
cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains" (2 Sam. 7:2).
Israel's king felt more or less rebuked by his own ease and comfort,
and regarded his tranquility not as a season for selfish indolence,
but rather as a call to serious reflection upon the interests of God's
cause or kingdom. He could not bear the thought of lavishing more upon
self than upon the service of Him to whom he owed everything.
The response made by the Lord unto the spiritual exercises of His
servant was indeed blessed. Through the prophet He gave David a much
fuller revelation of what was in His heart toward him: "I will set up
thy seed after thee . . . I will establish the throne of his kingdom
forever . . . thine house and thy kingdom shall be established
forever" (vv. 10-12). God made known His purpose to confer upon the
posterity of David a special favor, which He had not granted even to
Abraham, Moses, or Joshua, namely, establish them upon the throne of
Israel. Moreover, it was declared of his seed who should be set up
after him, "He shall build an house for My name" (v. 13). This will be
considered in more detail under "The Divine Covenants" (when we reach
the "Davidic"): suffice it now to say, the ultimate reference was a
spiritual one in the person and kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.
While there was much in the revelation now granted to David which was
well calculated to evoke gratitude and praise, yet there was one
omission from it that presented a real test of his submission,
humility and patience. While there was abundant cause for
thanksgiving, that his posterity should continue to occupy the throne,
and his own son build an house for Jehovah's name (and fame), yet that
he was denied this honor, had been resented by one who was proud and
filled with a sense of his own importance. David's longings were not
to be realized during his own lifetime, and though he should be
permitted to gather together much of the material for the future
temple, yet he would not be permitted to see the finished product
itself. Here, then, was a real trying of his character, and it is
blessed to see how he endured and met the same.
How often it falls out that one sows and another reaps: one set of men
labor, and another generation is permitted to enter into the benefits
of their toil. Nor should we complain at this, seeing that our
sovereign and all-wise God has so ordered it. David did not complain,
nor did he manifest any petulant disappointment at the crowning of his
hopes being deferred to a future time. Instead, as we shall see, he
sweetly bowed to God's pleasure and adored Him for the same. Ah, my
readers, our prayers may yet move God to send a gracious revival, yet
that happy event may not come during our lifetime. The faithful labors
of God's servants today may not immediately transform the present
"wilderness" state of Zion into a fruitful garden, yet if they be the
means of plowing and harrowing the ground as a necessary preliminary
thereto, ought we not to gladly acquiesce?
In the passage which is now to be before us, we behold the effects
which God's wondrous revelation through Nathan had upon the soul of
David. "Then went king David in, and sat before the Lord; and he said,
Who am I, O Lord God? and what is my house, that Thou hast brought me
hitherto?" (2 Sam. 7:18). Inexpressibly blessed is this. Such tidings
as had just fallen on his ears would have puffed up many a man, filled
him with a sense of his own importance, and caused him to act
arrogantly toward his fellows. Far otherwise was it with "the man
after God's own heart." Filled with joyful amazement at Jehovah's
infinite condescension, David at once left the royal palace and betook
himself to the humble tent which housed that sacred ark, there to pour
out his heart in adoration and praise. There is nothing like a keeling
sense of God's sovereign, free and rich grace, to melt the soul,
humble the heart, and stir unto true and acceptable worship.
"Then went king David in, and sat before the Lord" (2 Sam. 7:18). This
is in designed contrast from verse 1: there the king "sat in his
house"; here he is seen in the tabernacle, before Jehovah. The word
"sat before the Lord," probably refers to his continuance in the
tabernacle, rather than to the posture in which he prayed. "And he
said, Who am I, O Lord God? and what is my house, that Thou hast
brought me hitherto?" (v. 18). How few kings there are who have such a
realization of their lowliness as this! All sense of personal
greatness vanished when David came into the presence of the great
Jehovah. Ah, my reader, when the Lord is truly before us, "I" sinks
into utter insignificance! But it is only as we are absorbed with His
perfections--His infinitude, His majesty, His omnipotency--that self
will be lost sight of.
"Who am I? O Lord God? and what is my house?" How these words bring
before us the deep humility of David! Truthfully could he say, "Lord,
my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty" (Ps. 131:1). A number of
illustrations of this lovely grace may be cited from the record of
David's life. His being content to follow his mean vocation as a
shepherd, till God called him to a higher office. He never affected
the royal diadem, neither would it have been any grief of heart to him
had God passed him by, and made another king. His words to Abishai
concerning Saul, "Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand
against the Lord's anointed, and be guiltless?" (1 Sam. 26:9), show
plainly that he was not coveting the crown, and was quite content for
the son of Kish to continue occupying the throne of Israel.
It is beautiful to see how often this spirit of lowliness and
self-abnegation appears in "the man after God's own heart." When he
went forth to engage Goliath, it was not in the confidence of his own
skill, but with the holy assurance "This day will the Lord deliver
thee into mine hand" (1 Sam. 17:46). When Saul lay helpless before
him, he took no credit unto himself, but said to the king, "the Lord
had delivered thee today into mine hand" (1 Sam. 24:10). When Abigail
was used to quiet his passionate spirit, he exclaimed, "blessed be the
Lord God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me" (1 Sam.
25:32); and when Nabal was dead, "Blessed be the Lord, that bath
pleaded the cause of my reproach . . . and hath kept His servant from
evil" (v. 39). Alter his notable victory over the Amalekites he said,
"Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the Lord hath given
us, who bath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against
us into our hand" (1 Sam. 30:23). humility is that grace which gives
the Lord His proper place.
Distrusting his own wisdom, we find David "enquiring of the Lord"
again and again (1 Sam. 23:2, 4; 30:8; 2 Sam. 2:1; 5:19; etc.). This
is another sure mark of genuine humility: that spirit which is afraid
to trust in our own knowledge, experience and powers, and seeks
counsel and direction from above. When for his prowess Saul called him
to court and promised to give him Michal to wife, he answered,
"Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a king's son-in-law, seeing
that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?" (1 Sam. 18:23). Note the
love he bore to those who admonished him for his sins: "Let the
righteous smite me: it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it
shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head" (Ps. 141:5):
far meaner people do not take it so kindly! In all his heroical acts
he sought not his own honour, but God's: "Not unto "(Ps. 115:1).
Mark his submission to God under chastisement: "And the king said unto
Zadok, Carry back the ark of God into the city: if I shall find favour
in the eyes of the Lord, He will bring me again, and show me both it,
and His habitation: But if He thus say, I have no delight in thee;
behold, here am I, let Him do to me as seemeth good unto Him" (2 Sam.
15:25, 26). In all his dealings with God, he dared not trust in his
own righteousness, but wholly took refuge in the covenant of grace:
"If Thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?"
(Ps. 130:3). "Enter not into judgment with Thy servant: for in Thy
sight shall no man living be justified" (Ps. 143:2). When a man can
find all this in himself, he may honestly say, "Lord, my heart is not
haughty" (Ps. 131:1). Yet, David was not perfect, and the remains of
pride still indwelt him, as they do each of us--till we get rid of the
flesh, we shall never be completely rid of pride. Psalm 30:6 and 2
Samuel 24:2 show his vainglory creeping out.
We have dwelt the more largely upon David's humility, because in this
day of Laodicean conceit and boasting, it needs to be emphasized that,
as a general rule, those whom God has used most mightily have not been
men who were distinguished for abnormal natural powers or gifts, but
instead by deep humility. See this admirable trait in Abraham: "I am
but dust and ashes" (Gen. 18:27); in Moses, "Who am I, that I should
go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel
out of Egypt?" (Ex. 3: 11); in Christ's forerunner, "He must increase,
but I must decrease" (John 3:30); in Paul, "I am the least of the
apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I
persecuted the church of God" (1 Cor. 15:9). O that Divine grace may
make us "little in our own eyes."
But again we would notice it was while David was "before the Lord"
that he said, "Who am I?" So too it was while he was in the immediate
presence of the Lord that Abraham confessed himself to be "but dust
and ashes." In like manner, it was when the great I Am revealed
Himself at the burning bush that Moses asked, "Who am I that I should
go unto Pharaoh?"! It was when Job could say, "Now mine eye seeth
Thee"--in all Thine awful sovereignty (see context)--that he cried,
"wherefore I abhor myself" (Job 45:5).
"And what is my house, that Thou hast brought me hitherto?" David
continued in the same lowly strain. His "house" pertained to the royal
tribe; he was the immediate descendant of the prince of Judah, so that
he was connected with the most honorable family in Israel; yet such
fleshly distinctions were held lightly by him. The "Thou hast brought
me hitherto"--to the throne, to rest from all his enemies--gave to God
the rightful glory. "It intimates that he could not have reached this
himself by his own management, if God had not brought him to it. All
our attainments must be looked upon as God's vouchsafements" (Matthew
Henry).
"And this was yet a small thing in Thy sight, O Lord God; but Thou
hast spoken also of Thy servant's house for a great while to come. And
is this the manner of man, O Lord God?" (v. 19). Having owned the
goodness of the Lord upon him "hitherto," David now turns to comment
upon the glorious things which God had promised for the future. The
latter so immeasurably outweighed the former, that he sums up his own
establishment over the kingdom as "this was yet a small thing in Thy
sight, O Lord God." We believe this throws light upon the word "sat"
in the previous verse, which has presented a difficulty unto the
commentators--who point out that this is the only place in Scripture
where a saint is represented as being seated while engaged in prayer.
But are we not rather to regard the term as denoting that David was in
an attitude of most carefully surveying the wonderful riches of divine
grace toward him, instead of defining his posture while engaged in his
devotions?
The whole of 2 Samuel 7 is to be viewed as the blessed and instructive
sequel to what is presented to us in the opening verse. God had
tenderly given His servant a season of rest that lie might receive a
fuller revelation of what was in His heart toward him. And now he is
in the sacred tabernacle, pondering over what he had heard through
Nathan. As he meditated, divine light and understanding broke in upon
him, so that he was enabled, in measure at least, to penetrate the
mysterious depths of that wonderful prophecy. The golden future was
now opened to him, shining with more than earthly glory and bliss. "He
beheld in spirit another Son than Solomon, another Temple than that
built of stones and cedar, another Kingdom than the earthly one on
whose throne he sat. He beholds a sceptre and a crown, of which his
own on Mount Zion were only feeble types--dim and shadowy images"
(Krummacher's David and the God man).
Beautifully does this come out in his next words: "And is this the
manner of man, O Lord God? And what can David say more unto Thee? for
Thou, Lord God, knowest Thy servant. For Thy word's sake, and
according to Thine own heart, hast Thou done all these great things,
to make Thy servant know them" (vv. 19-2 1)--in the light of which
knowledge, he no doubt penned the fortieth, forty-fifth and one
hundred tenth Psalms. The last clause of verse 19 should be
translated, more literally, "This is the law of the Man, the Lord
God," namely, "The Man" of Psalm 8;5, 6 and of Psalm 80:17! David was
now given to realize that the blessed promises which had been given to
him through the prophet would be made good in the person of the
Messiah, who should yet issue from his own loins, who would be "The
Man," yet none other than "the Lord God" incarnate. Yes, God reveals
His secrets to the lowly, but hides them from those who are wise and
prudent in their own esteem.
Index
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
His Exemplary Prayer
2 Samuel 7
_________________________________________________________________
The latter part of 2 Samuel 7 contains the prayer made by David in the
tabernacle, following the gracious revelation which he had received
from the Lord through Nathan (vv. 5-16). This prayer is among the
"whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our
learning" (Rom. 15:4). it contains valuable instruction which we do
well to take to heart. It makes known that which is a valuable
preliminary aid unto stimulating the spirit of prayer. It shows us the
attitude of soul which most becomes the creature when desirous of
drawing nigh unto the great Creator. It reveals some of the elements
which are found in those supplications that gain the ear of God and
which "availeth much." If the Christian of today paid more attention
unto the prayers of Scripture, both of the Old and New Testaments
alike, and sought to pattern his invocations after theirs, there is
little doubt they would be more acceptable and effectual.
We pointed out in our last that David's sitting before the Lord
denoted his earnest attention unto the message he had received from
Him, his careful pondering of it, his devout surveying of the riches
of Divine grace which were then spread before his mind's eye. This
preceded his prayer, and supplies a valuable hint for us to heed.
Meditation upon the discoveries which God has made to us of His
goodness, of His bounty, of the glorious things contained in His
covenant, is a wondrous stimulant to the spirit of devotion and a
suitable preparative for an approach unto the Mercy-seat. To review
God's past dealings with us, and to mix faith with His promises for
the future, kindle the fires of gratitude and love. As we attend upon
what God has spoken to us, when our consciences are pricked or our
affections stirred, then is the best time to retire to our closets and
pour out our hearts before Him.
Generally it is but an idle excuse--if not something worse--when the
Christian complains that his heart is cold and the spirit of prayer is
quite inactive within him. Where this be the case, it must be
shamefacedly confessed to God, accompanied by the request that He may
be pleased to heal our malady and bring us back again into communion
with Himself. But better still, the cause of the complaint should be
corrected: nine times out of ten it is because the Word has been
neglected--if read at all, mechanically, without holy reflection and
personal appropriation. The soul is likely to be in a sickly state if
it be not regularly fed and nourished by the Bread of life. There is
nothing like meditating upon Gods promises for warming the heart:
"While I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue" (Ps.
39:3).
We commented in our last upon the deep humility manifested by David on
this occasion. This too is recorded for our learning. If we are
becomingly to approach the Most High, there must be the taking of a
lowly place before Him. This is the chief design of prayer, the prime
reason why God has appointed this holy ordinance: for the humbling of
the soul--to take our proper place in the dust, to kneel before the
Lord as beggars, dependent upon His bounty; to stretch forth empty
hands, that He may fill them. Alas that so often man, in his pride and
perverseness, turns the footstool of mercy into the bench of
presumption, and instead of supplicating becomes guilty of dictating
unto the Almighty. Ah, my readers, take careful note that He who
prayed, "Not as I will, but as Thou wilt," was on His face before the
Father (Matthew 26:39).
Now in seeking to ponder David's pattern prayer--having duly noted
above what preceded it, let us seek to profit from the various
features found in it. First, observe that all is ascribed to free
grace. "And what can David say more unto Thee? for Thou, Lord God,
knowest Thy servant. For Thy word's sake, and according to Thine own
heart, hast Thou done all these great things, to make Thy servant know
them" (vv. 20, 21). David's heart was deeply moved by a sense of God's
sovereign benignity; that such blessings should be bestowed upon him
and his posterity was more than he could understand. He was lost in
wonderment: words utterly failed him, as his "what can David say more
unto Thee?" evidences. And is it not thus, at times, with every true
believer? As he contemplates the abounding of God's mercies, the
richness of His gifts, the supernal future promised him, is he not
moved to exclaim, "What shall I render unto the Lord for all His
benefits toward me?" (Ps. 116:12).
Realizing his own nothingness and unworthiness (v. 18), viewing the
future glories assured him (v. 19), knowing there was nothing in
himself which merited any such blessings, David traces them to their
true causes: "For Thy Word's sake, and according to Thine own heart,
hast Thou done all these great things" (v. 21). It is the personal
"Word" which he had in mind, Him of whom it is declared, "In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God" (John 1:1). It was an acknowledgement--"for Christ's sake" Thou
hast so honored me! "And according to Thine own heart" signifies,
according to His gracious counsels, out of His own mere good pleasure.
Yes, those, and those alone, are the springs of all God's dealings
with us: He blesses His people for the sake of His beloved Son,
"according to the riches of His grace" and "according to His good
pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself" (Eph. 1:7, 9).
Second, the greatness of God is apprehended and extolled. "Wherefore
Thou art great, O Lord God: for there is none like Thee, neither is
there any God beside Thee, according to all that we have heard with
our ears" (v. 22). It is blessed to observe that David's sense of
God's goodness in nowise abated his awesome veneration of the divine
majesty. There is ever a danger at this point: we may be so occupied
with God's love as to forget His holiness, so appreciative of His
tenderness as to ignore His omnipotency. It is most needful that we
should hold the balance here, as everywhere else; hence did the
Saviour instruct us to say, "Our Father, who art in Heaven"--the
latter words reminding us of the exalted dignity of the One who has
deigned to adopt us into His family. Apprehensions of God's amazing
grace toward us must not crowd out the realization of His infinite
exaltation above us.
God's greatness should be duly acknowledged by us when we seek an
audience with the Majesty on high: it is but ascribing to Him the
glory which is His due. Prayer is reduced to a low level if it is to
be confined unto the presenting of requests. The soul needs to be so
absorbed with the divine perfections that the worshiper will exclaim,
"Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the gods? who is like Thee,
glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?" (Ex. 15:11).
God's supreme excellency is to be reverently and freely owned by us.
It was owned by Solomon, "Lord God of Israel, there is no God like
Thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath" (1 Kings 8:23). It was
owned by Jehoshaphat, "O Lord God of our fathers, art not Thou God in
heaven? and rulest not Thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and
in Thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to
withstand Thee?" (2 Chron. 20:6). It was by Jeremiah, "Forasmuch as
there is none like unto Thee, O Lord; Thou art great, and Thy name is
great in might. Who would not fear Thee, O King of nations?" (Jer.
10:6, 7). What examples are these for us to take to heart. The more we
heartily acknowledge God's greatness, the more likely is He to answer
our requests.
Third, The special goodness of God to His people is owned. "And what
one nation in the earth is like Thy people, like Israel, whom God went
to redeem for a people to Himself, and to make Him a name, and to do
for you great things and terrible?" (v. 23). As none of the "gods" of
the heathen could be compared to Jehovah, so none among the people's
of the earth have been so highly favored and so richly blest as His
privileged "Nation" (Matthew 21:43, 1 Peter 2:9). O what praise is due
unto God for His distinguishing mercy and discriminating grace unto
His elect. "We are bound to give thanks always to God for you,
brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning
chosen you to salvation" (2 Thess. 2:13). The special blessings of God
call for special acknowledgment: the "redemption" which we have in and
by Christ Jesus demands our loudest hosannas. There is far too little
praise in our prayers today: its absence denotes a low state of
spirituality--occupation with self, instead of with the Lord. It is
written "whoso offereth praise, glorifieth Me" (Ps. 50:23).
Fourth, the Covenant of Grace is celebrated. "For Thou hast confirmed
to Thyself Thy people Israel to be a people unto Thee forever; and
Thou, Lord art become their God" (v. 24). In the light of the whole
context, it is evident that the spiritual "Israel" is here in view,
contemplated as being taken into covenant relationship with the triune
Jehovah. For, whenever a people is said to be God's people, and He
avows Himself as their God, it is the covenant relationship which is
in view. Thus it was in the promise to Abraham: "And I will establish
My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in their
generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to
thy seed after thee" (Gen. 17:7). Thus it is under the new covenant,
"I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people" (Heb.
8:10). It greatly encourages and emboldens the praying soul to bear
this in mind.
Fifth, a believing pleading of the promises. "And now, O Lord God, the
word that Thou hast spoken concerning Thy servant, and concerning his
house, establish it forever, and do as Thou hast said" (v.25). This is
blessed, and most important for us to emulate. In these words the
faith of David was expressed in two ways: in believing God's word, in
pleading its accomplishment. That should be the very heart of our
petitionary prayers: laying hold of the divine promise, and pleading
for its fulfillment. God is not only a Speaker, but a Doer as well:
"God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He
should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do it? or hath He
spoken, and shall He not make it good?" (Num. 23: 19). Ah, but it is
one thing to assent mentally to such a declaration, but it is quite
another for the heart to be really influenced thereby, and for the
praying soul to appropriate that fact.
True faith looks to a promising God, and expects Him to be a
performing God too: "Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do
it" (1 Thess. 5:4). The business of faith in prayer is to appropriate
God's Word to our own case and beg for it to be made good unto us.
Jacob did this: "And Thou saidest, I will surely do thee good, and
make thy seed as the sand of the sea" (Gen. 32: 10). David is another
notable example: "Remember the word unto Thy servant, upon which Thou
hast caused me to hope" (Ps, 119:49)--"hope" in Scripture signifies
far more than a vague and uncertain longing: it denotes a confident
expectation. That confident expectation was his because his faith
rested upon the sure promise of Jehovah, that promise of which he here
reverently reminds God. Glance through this Psalm, dear reader, and
observe how frequently David requested God to act "according to Thy
Word"--119:25, 28, 41, 58, etc.
"Do as Thou hast said." Faith has no other foundation to rest upon but
the Word of God. One of God's chief ends in giving us His Word was
that His people might appropriate the same unto themselves (John
20:31, 1 John 5:13). Nothing honors Him more than for us to count upon
His making it good to us (Rom. 4:20). Now whatever may be our case,
there is something in the Word exactly suited thereto, and it is our
privilege to lay hold of the same and plead it before God. Are we
groaning under sin's defilement? then plead Isaiah 1:18. Are we bowed
down with a sense of our backslidings? then plead Jeremiah 3:22. Do we
feel so weak as to have no strength for the performance of duty? then
plead Isaiah 40:29-31. Are we perplexed as to our path and in urgent
need of divine guidance? then plead Proverbs 3:6 or James 1:5. Are you
sorely harassed with temptation? then plead 1 Corinthians 10:13. Are
you destitute and fearful of starving to death? then plead Philippians
4:19. Reverently urge that promise and plead "Do as Thou hast said."
Sixth, the supreme desire: that God might be glorified. "And let Thy
name be magnified forever, saying, The Lord of hosts is the God over
Israel: and let the house of Thy servant David be established before
Thee. For Thou, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to Thy
servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hast Thy
servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto Thee" (vv. 26,
27). This must be the supreme desire and the chief end in all our
praying: "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor.
10:31). The prayer which Christ has given for our pattern begins with
"Hallowed be Thy name," and ends with "Thine is the glory." The Lord
Jesus ever practiced what He preached: "Now is My soul troubled, and
what shall I say? . . . Father, glorify Thy name" (John 12:27); so too
at the beginning of His high priestly prayer, "Father, the hour is
come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee" (John
17:1). O that more of His spirit may possess us: that the honor of God
may be our great concern, His glory our constant aim.
Seventh, a final pleading for God to make good His Word. "And now, O
Lord God, Thou art that God, and Thy words be true, and Thou hast
promised this goodness unto Thy servant: therefore now let it please
Thee to bless the house of Thy servant, that it may continue forever
before Thee: for Thou, O Lord God, hast spoken it; and with Thy
blessing let the house of Thy servant be blessed forever" (vv. 28,
29). David built his hopes upon the fidelity of God: "I entreated Thy
favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to Thy Word"
(Ps. 119:58)--I desire no more, I expect no less. We may be bold to
ask for all God has engaged to give. As Matthew Henry said, "It is by
turning God's promises into petitions that they are turned into
performances." Flow necessary it is then that we should diligently
acquaint ourselves with the Scriptures, so that we ask not "amiss"
(James 4:3). How necessary that the Word dwell in us richly, that we
may act in faith, nothing doubting.
Our space is exhausted. Ponder carefully, dear reader, these seven
features or elements in David's God-honoring prayer, and seek the help
of the holy Spirit to pattern your supplications after his.
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
His Conquests
2 Samuel 8
_________________________________________________________________
2 Samuel 8 opens with, "And after this it came to pass, that David
smote the Philistines, and subdued them: and David took Methegammah
out of the hand of the Philistines. And he smote Moab . . . David
smote also Hadadezer" (vv. 1-3). The thoughtful reader may well ask,
What is there here for me? Why are such matters as these recorded in
God's Word, to be read by His people in all generations? Are they
merely a bare account of incidents which happened thousands of years
ago? If so, they can hardly hold for me anything more than what is of
historical interest. But such a conclusion will be far from
satisfactory to a devout inquirer, who is assured there is something
of profit for his soul in every portion of his Father's Word. But how
to ascertain the spiritual value and practical lessons of such verses
is that which sorely puzzles not a few: may it please the Lord now to
enable us to render them some help at this point.
Whilst it be true that none but the One who inspired the Holy
Scriptures can open to any of us their hidden depths and rich
treasures, yet it is also true that He places no premium upon sloth.
It is the prayerful and meditative reader who is rewarded by the Holy
Spirit's illumination of the mind, giving him to behold wondrous
things out of God's Law. "The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath
nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat" (Prov. 13:4).
If, then, any verse of Scripture is really to speak to our hearts,
there has to be not only a crying unto God for the hearing ear, but
there must be a girding up the loins of our minds and a careful
pondering of each word in the verse.
"And after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines and
subdued them: and David took Methegammah out of the hand of the
Philistines. And he smote Moab David smote also Hadadezer." As he
carefully weighs these statements, the spiritually-minded can hardly
fail to discern One more eminent than David, even his greater Son and
Lord. Here we may clearly behold in type the Lion of the tribe of
Judah (to which tribe the son of Jesse belonged!), springing upon and
overcoming His enemies. In figure, it is the Lord as "a man of war"
(Ex. 15:3), going forth "conquering and to conquer" (Rev. 6:2), of
whom it is written "For He must reign till He hath put all enemies
under His feet" (1 Cor. 15:25). Yet, precious as this is, it fails to
direct us to the practical application of the passage unto our
The question, then, returns upon us, What direct message is there in
these verses for the Christian today? Not simply what curious
signification may be found to amuse him during a few minutes'
recreation, but what practical lessons are here inculcated which can
be turned to useful account in his struggle to live the Christian
life? Nothing short of that should be before the Satan-harassed,
sin-afflicted, temptation-tried soul, when he turns to the Word of God
for help, instruction, strength and comfort. Nor will God fail him if
he seeks in the right spirit--confessing his deep need, pleading the
all-prevailing Name of Christ, asking God to grant him for the
Redeemer's sake that wisdom, understanding and faith he sorely craves.
Yet, let us add, prayer is not designed to encourage laziness, for it
is not a substitute for diligent effort: the Scriptures must be
"searched" (John 5:39) and "studied" if they are to yield food to the
soul.
But how is the devout and anxious reader to get at the spiritual
meaning and practical value of the verses quoted above? Well, the
first thing to observe is that the central thing in them is, David
overcoming his enemies. Put in that form, the application to ourselves
is obvious. David is here to be viewed as a type of the Christian who
is menaced by powerful foes both within and without. These are not to
be suffered to lord it over the believer, but are to be engaged in
mortal combat. Second, we note that David is not said to have
exterminated or annihilated those enemies, but to have "subdued" them
(v. 11), which is true to the type, and supplies a key to its
practical interpretation. Third, we must pay due attention unto the
time-mark which is given in the opening verse--"And after this it came
to pass that David smote the Philistines"--for this is another key
which unlocks for us its meaning. It is by attending carefully unto
such details that we are enabled to burrow beneath the surface of a
verse.
"And after this it came to pass that David smote the Philistines."
These words look back to what was before us in 7:1, "And it came to
pass, when the king sat in his house, and the Lord had given him rest
round about from all his enemies." May we not apply these words to the
first coming of a sinner to Christ, heavily laden with a conscious
load of guilt, sorely pressed by the malicious foes of his soul, now
finding spiritual rest in the only One in whom and from whom it is to
be obtained. Hitherto David had been assailed again and again by the
surrounding heathen, but now the Lord granted him a season of repose.
That season had been spent in sweet communion with God, in the Word (2
Sam. 7:4-17) and prayer (2 Sam. 7: 18-29). Blessed indeed is that, but
let it be duly noted that communion with God is intended to animate us
for the discharge of duty. It is not upon flowery beds of ease that
the believer is conducted to Heaven. Being led beside the still waters
and being made to lie down in green pastures is a blissful experience,
yet let it not be forgotten that it is a means to an end--to supply
strength for the carrying out of our obligations.
"And after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines and
subdued them." We may observe a very noticeable change here:
previously the Philistines had been the aggressors. In 2 Samuel 5 we
read, "But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David
king over Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David . . . the
Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim .
. . And the Philistines came up yet again" (vv. 17, 18, 22). "From
their assaults God had graciously given His servant rest" (2 Sam.
7:1). But now he evidently received a commission from the Lord to make
war upon them. Thus it is in the initial experience of the Christian.
It is a sense of sin--its vileness, its filthiness, its guilt, its
condemnation--which drives him to Christ, and coming to Christ, he
finds "rest." But having obtained forgiveness of sins and peace of
conscience, he now learns that be must "strive against sin" (Heb.
12:4) and fight the good fight of faith. Now that the young believer
has been delivered from the wrath to come, he discovers that he must
"endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ" (2 Tim. 2:3),
"And after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and
subdued them." While these words may be legitimately applied to the
initial experience of the believer, they are by no means to be
restricted thereunto. They contain a principle which pertains to the
Christian life as a whole, and to every stage thereof. That principle
is that before we are fitted to engage our spiritual enemies we must
first spend a season in communion with God: only thus and only then
can strength be obtained for the conflict which lies before us.
Renewed efforts to subdue our persistent foes can only be made (with
any degree of success) as we are renewed by the Spirit in the inner
man, and that is only to be obtained by feeding on the Word (2 Sam.
7:4-17) and by prayer (2 Sam. 7:18-29)--the two chief means of
communion with God.
"And David took Methegammah out of the hand of the Philistines." Here
our passage passes from the general to the particular, and a most
important practical truth is here inculcated. This is another case
when Scripture has to be compared with Scripture in order to
understand its terms. 1 Chronicles 18 is parallel with 2 Samuel 8, and
by comparing the language of the opening verse of the former we are
enabled to arrive at the meaning of our text: "Now after this it came
to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them, and took
Gath and her towns out of the hand of the Philistines." Thus
"Methegammah" has reference to "Gath and her towns." Now Gath (with
its suburbs) was the metropolis of Philistia, being a fortified city
on a high hill (2 Sam. 2:24). In our text it is called "Methegammah"
which means "the bridle of the mother city." It had long acted as a
"bridle" or curb upon Israel, serving as a barrier to their further
occupation of Canaan. So much, then, for the etymological and
historical meaning: now for the typical.
What was denoted spiritually by "Gath and her towns"? In seeking the
answer to this question let us carefully bear in mind the three
details mentioned above: Gath occupied a powerful eminence, it was the
metropolis or mother-city, it had served as a "bridle" upon Israel.
Surely the practical application of this to ourselves is not
difficult: is it not some master lust in our souls or dominant sin in
our lives which is here represented?
It is not the eyelashes which require trimming, but the "eye" itself
which must be plucked out; it is not the fingernails which need
paring, but the "right hand" which must be cut off (Matthew 5:29, 30),
if the Christian would make any headway in overcoming his inward
corruptions. It is to his special "besetting sin" he must direct his
attention. No truce is to be made with it, no excuses offered for it.
No matter how firmly entrenched it may be, nor how long it has held
sway, grace must be diligently and persistently sought to conquer it.
That darling sin which has so long been cherished by an evil heart
must be slain: if it be "spared," as Saul spared Agag, it will slay
us. The work of mortification is to begin at the place where sin has
its strongest hold upon us.
The subduing of the Philistines, and particularly the capture of Gath,
was vitally essential if Israel was to gain their rights, for as yet
they were not in full possession of the land to which, by the divine
promise, they were entitled. Canaan had been given to them by God as
their heritage, but valiant effort, hard fighting, was called for, in
order to bring about their occupation of the same. This is a point
which has sorely puzzled many. It is clear from Scripture that the
land of Canaan was a figure of Heaven, but there is no fighting in
Heaven! True, but the believer is not yet in Heaven; nevertheless,
Heaven ought to be in him, by which we mean that even now the believer
should be walking in the daily enjoyment of that wondrous portion
which is now his by having been made a joint heir with Christ. Alas,
how little is this fact appreciated by the majority of God's dear
people today, and how little are they experimentally possessing "their
possessions" (Obadiah 17).
It is greatly to be regretted that so many of the saints relegate to
the future the time of their victory, joy and bliss; and seem content
to live in the present as though they were spiritual paupers. For
example, how generally are the words "For so an entrance shall be
ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:11) regarded as referring to
the time of the believer's glorification. But there is nothing
whatever in the context to warrant such a view, nothing required in it
to understand that "abundant entrance" as belonging to a day to come,
nothing to justify us postponing it at all in our thoughts. Instead,
there is much against it. In the preceding verses the apostle is
exhorting the believer to make his calling and election "sure," and
this by adding to his faith "virtue" etc. (vv. 5-7), assuring him that
by so doing he shall "never fall," and adding "for so an entrance
shall be ministered unto you abundantly."
Legally, the believer has already been "delivered from the power of
darkness and translated into the kingdom of Gods dear Son" (Col.
1:13), but experimentally an "abundant entrance" thereinto is
dependent upon his spiritual growth and the cultivation of his graces.
The believer has already been begotten unto "an inheritance
incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in
Heaven" for him (1 Peter 1:4), but his practical enjoyment thereof
turns upon the exercise of faith. "Abraham," said Christ, "rejoiced to
see My day" (John 8:56): and how did the patriarch "see" it? Why, by
faith, for there was no other way in which he could see it: by the
exercise of faith in the sure promises of God. And what was the effect
upon Abraham of this entrancing vision which faith brought to him?
This, "And he saw it and was glad." In like manner, the believer now
is to use the long distance lens of faith and view his promised
inheritance, and rejoice therein; then will "the joy of the Lord" be
his "strength" (Neh. 8:10).
Israel had a valid title to the land of Canaan: it was theirs by the
gift of God. But enemies sought to prevent their occupation of it: and
enemies seek to hinder the Christian from faith's appropriation and
enjoyment of his "inheritance." And what are those enemies? Chiefly,
the lusts of the flesh, sinful habits, evil ways. Faith cannot be in
healthy exercise while we yield to the lusts of the flesh. How many a
saint is sighing because his faith is so feeble, so spasmodic, so
fruitless. Here is the cause: allowed sin! Faith and sin are
opposites, opponents, and the one cannot flourish until the other be
subdued. It is vain to pray for more faith until we start in earnest
to mortify our lusts, crucify our Christ-dishonoring corruptions, and
wrestle with and overcome our besetting sins; and that can only be
accomplished by fervently and untiringly seeking enabling grace from
on High.
"David smote the Philistines, and subdued them." In figure that
represents the believer waging unsparing warfare upon all within him
that is opposed to God, "denying ungodliness and worldly lusts" in
order mat he may "live soberly, righteously and godly in this present
world" (Titus 2:12). It represents the believer doing what the apostle
speaks of in 1 Corinthians 9:27, "But I keep under my body, and bring
it into subjection:" his "body" there referring not so much to the
physical, as to the "old man" within, the "body of sin" (Rom. 6:6),
"this body of death" (Rom. 7:24 margin); or as it is spoken of
elsewhere as "the body of the sins of the flesh" (Col. 2:11),
Indwelling sin is spoken of in these passages as a "body" because it
has, as it were, a complete set of members or faculties of its own;
and these must be subdued by the Christian: "Casting down
imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5),
"And David took Methegammah out of the land of the Philistines,"
Typically this turns, as we have previously said, from the general
unto the particular--from the work of mortification as a whole to the
crucifying of a special sin which prevails against the saint. In
figure it represents the believer concentrating his attention upon and
conquering his master lust or chief besetting sin, that "mother" evil
which is the prolific source of so many iniquities, that "bridle"
which has for so long hindered his entering into God's best for him.
But our space is exhausted: as the subject is of such vital moment we
will continue it in our next chapter.
Index
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
His Conquests
(Continued)
2 Samuel 8
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In the preceding chapter we pointed out that the central thing in 2
Samuel 8 is David overcoming his enemies, and this, in order that
Israel might enter their rightful portion--occupy and enjoy the
inheritance which God has given them. In order to do this, hard
fighting was entailed. We also called attention to the fact that 2
Samuel 8 opens with the word "And," which requires us to observe what
immediately goes before. In 2 Samuel 7 we find God giving David "rest
round about from all his enemies"^ (v. 1), and that he spent this
season of repose in communion with the Lord--over His Word (vv. 4-17)
and in prayer (vv. 18-29). Following which he evidently received a
commission from on high to attack and conquer his most formidable
foes, for we are next told "And after this it came to pass, that David
smote the Philistines, and subdued them" (v. 1).
The spiritual, application unto the believer of the above is striking
and blessed. The "rest" given to David from those who had assailed him
typifies, first, the initial coming to Christ of a convicted and
sin-weary soul, and finding rest in Him; and second, it typifies the
restraining hand of God laid upon the sinful lusts of the Christian,
granting him a little respite from their assaults. This is necessary
if there is to be sweet and profitable communion with the thrice holy
God, for the soul is in no condition to rejoice in His perfections
while sin is raging within him; therefore does the Lord, in His mercy,
frequently lay His powerful hand upon us, subduing our iniquities
(Micah 7: 19). Then it is we should improve the opportunity by feeding
upon the Word of promise and by pouring out our hearts before God in
thanksgiving, praise and adoring worship. "Thus David used his "rest,"
and so should We; for by so doing new strength will be obtained for
further conflicts.
David's smiting of the Philistines and subduing them is a figure of
the work of mortification to which God calls the Christian: "Mortify
therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication,
uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence and
covetousness" (Col. 3:5). The clear call of God to His people is, "Let
not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in
the lusts thereof" (Rom. 6: 12). The Christian must not suffer his
fleshly lusts to lord it over, him, but is to engage them in mortal
combat, refusing to spare anything in him which is opposed to God.
David's taking of "Methegammah" (which means "the bridle of the
mother") out of the hands of the Philistines, speaks of the believer
devoting his special attention unto his master lust or besetting sin,
for until that be (by grace) conquered there can be no real
experimental progress in spiritual things; "Wherefore putting away
lying, speak every man truth to his neighbor Let him that stole, steal
no more . . . Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth"
(Eph. 4:25, 28, 29).
Now David's subduing of the Philistines and his capture of
Methegammah, their chief stronghold, was imperatively necessary if
Israel was to gain possession and occupy their inheritance, and it is
this fact which we desire to press most upon the reader. The Christian
has been begotten unto a blessed and eternal inheritance in Heaven:
from his eventual entrance into it Satan cannot keep him, but from his
present possession and enjoyment thereof he seeks by might and main to
rob him; and unless the believer be duly instructed and steadfastly
resists him, then the enemy will prove only too successful. Alas that
so few of the Lord's people realize what their present privileges are;
alas that so many of them relegate unto the future what is theirs now
in title; alas that they are so ignorant of Satan's devices and so
dilatory in seeking to resist the great robber of their souls.
The believer has, even now, a rich and wondrous portion in Christ; a
portion which is available and accessible unto faith: "For all things
are yours; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life,
or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; and ye
are Christ's, and Christ is God's" (1 Cor. 3:21-23). But O how little
are we impressed by such glorious declarations as these; how little do
we enter into them in a practical way; how little do we appropriate
them. We are much like the man who died in poverty, knowing not that a
valuable estate had been left to him. Instead of setting our
affections upon things above, we act as though there was nothing there
for us until we pass through the portals of the grave. "In Thy
presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for
evermore" (Ps. 16: 11)--now as well as in the future!
O what a tremendous difference it makes whether or not the Christian
be living in the present enjoyment of his eternal inheritance. What
power could the attractions of this world have for one whose heart is
on high? None at all. Instead, they would appear to him in their true
light, as worthless baubles. How little would he be affected by the
loss of a few temporal things: not making them his "treasure" or chief
good, the loss of them could neither destroy his peace nor kill his
joy--"And took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in
yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance"
(Heb. 10:64). How little would tribulation and suffering move us from
a steady pressing forward along the path of duty: "who for the joy
that was set before Him (by faith) endured the cross, despising the
shame" (Heb. 12:2).
But for the present enjoyment of our eternal inheritance faith must be
in exercise, for "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1). Faith is that which gives
visibility and tangibility to that which is invisible to sight. Faith
is that which gives reality to the things which hope is set upon.
Faith brings near what is far off. Faith lifts the heart above the
things of time and sense:
"By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the
son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with
the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in
Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward" (Heb.
11:24-26). Ah, the "recompense of the reward" was a living reality
unto Moses, and under the elevating power thereof the flesh-inviting
offer of Egypt's princess was powerless to drag him down. And, my
reader, if "our citizenship is in heaven" (Phil 3:20) in a practical
way, so far from the baits of Satan tempting us, they will repel.
But, as we pointed out in the preceding chapter, faith cannot be in
healthy operation while the work of mortification be neglected. If we
yield to the solicitations of our fleshly and worldly lusts, if we
fail to crucify our besetting sins, if any evil be "allowed" by us,
then faith will be suffocated and rendered inactive. Just as both the
Canaanites and the Israelites could not possess the promised land at
one and the same time--one being compelled to yield occupancy to the
other--so neither can faith and sin rule the heart at one and the same
time. The idolatrous Canaanites already had possession of the promised
land when God gave it to them, and only by hard fighting could the
Israelites secure it for themselves. in like manner sinful lusts
originally possess the heart of the Christian, and it is only by hard
fighting that they can be dispossessed and the heart be filled with
heaven.
As the Canaanites were vanquished, the Israelites occupied their
places. Thus it must be spiritually. The mortification of sin is in
order to the vivification of spirituality. The garden plot must first
be clear of weeds and rubbish before it is ready for the vegetables
and flowers to be planted therein. Hence the oft-repeated word is,
"Cease to do evil, Learn to do well" (Isa. 1:16,17), "depart from evil
and do good" (Ps. 34:14), "hate the evil and love the good" (Amos 5:
15)--the second cannot be attended to until the first be accomplished.
"Put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is
corrupt according to the deceitful lusts . . . Put on the new man,
which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness" (Eph.
4:22, 24). That is God's unchanging order throughout: we must "cleanse
ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit," if we
would know "perfect holiness in His fear."
How instructive and how striking is the order in Obadiah 17, "But upon
mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the
house of Jacob shall possess their possessions." First, there is
deliverance upon "mount Zion," which is where Christ is, for in Psalm
2:6 God declares, "Yet have I set My King upon My holy hill of Zion."
Only by Christ can the sin-harassed believer obtain "deliverance" from
those enemies which are ever threatening to destroy his peace, joy and
usefulness. Second, following the "deliverance" is the promise of
"holiness," which is a positive thing, a moral quality of purity, with
the added signification of devotedness unto God. But note this cannot
be before the "deliverance"! Third, there is then the assurance that
God's people shall "possess their possessions," that is, actually
enjoy them, live in the power thereof.
"And he smote Moab" (v. 2). In order to get at the practical
application of this unto ourselves it will be necessary to go back to
earlier scriptures. From Genesis 19:36, 37 we learn that Moab was the
incestuous son of backslidden Lot. Their territory was adjacent to the
land of Canaan, the Jordan dividing them (Num. 22:1; 31:12). It was
Balak the king of the Moabites who hired Balaam to curse Israel (Num.
22:4, 5). Her daughters were a snare to the sons of Israel (Num.
25:1). Her land also proved to be a snare unto Naomi and her family
(Ruth 1:1). God used the Moabites as one of His scourges upon His
wayward people in the days of the Judges (3:12-14). No Moabite was
suffered to enter into the congregation of the Lord unto the tenth
generation (Deut. 23:3). It was foretold that Christ would "smite"
them (Num. 24:17). In the last reference to them in Scripture we read,
"Surely Moab shall be as Sodom" (Zeph. 2:9).
From the above facts it is clear that the Moabites were a menace unto
Israel, and that there should be no fellowship between them. But the
particular point which we need to define is, exactly what do the
Moabites symbolize? The answer to this question is not difficult to
discover: they figured the world away from God, but more particularly,
the world bordering on the domain of faith. It is not the
world-bordering church, but the church-bordering world, ever inviting
the people of God to leave their own heritage and come down to their
level. The Moabites were near to Israel both by birth and locality.
There was a long and a strong border-line between them, namely, the
Jordan, the river of death, and that had to be crossed before the
people of God could enter their domain. Moab, then, typifies the world
near the church; in other words, Moab stands for a mere worldly
profession of the things of God.
"But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the
world" (Gal. 6:14). The Cross of Christ is the antitype of the Jordan.
It is by the Cross the Christian is separated from the world. While
the principle of the Cross--the principle of self-sacrifice, death to
sin--rules the Christian, he is preserved from the blandishments of
the world. But as soon as the principle of the Cross--mortification,
the denying of self--ceases to dominate, we fall victims to the fair
"daughters of Moab," and commit spiritual adultery with them (Num.
25:1); in other words, our testimony degenerates into a mere
profession; we cease to be heavenly pilgrims, and vital godliness
becomes a thing of the past. "Every fair attractive worldly delight
that makes us forget our true Home is a `daughter of Moab'" (F. C.
Jennings).
"And he smote Moab." The spiritual application of this to us today is,
we must be uncompromising in our separation from an apostate
Christendom, and unsparingly mortify every desire within us to flirt
with worldly churches and an empty profession. For a child of God to
come under the power of "Moab" is to have his usefulness, power and
joy, replaced with wretchedness, impotency and dishonor. Hence our
urgent need of obeying that emphatic command, "Having a form of
godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away" (2 Tim.
3:5). It is not that we are called upon to fight against the modern
"Moabites" (as Israel did under the Old Testament dispensation) but to
mortify that within us which lusts after their attractions. In sparing
one third of the Moabites and in receiving "gifts" from them, David
temporized--the sad sequel is found in 2 Kings 3:4, 5 and what
follows.
We do not have sufficient light and discernment to follow out all the
details of 2 Samuel 8 and give the spiritual application of them unto
ourselves, but several other obvious points in the chapter claim our
attention. "David smote also Hadadezer" (v. 3); "David slew of the
Syrians two and twenty thousand men" (v. 5). How numerous are the
(spiritual) enemies which the people of God are called upon to engage!
It is to be carefully noted that David did not quit when he had
subdued the Philistines and the Moabites, but continued to assail
other foes! So the Christian must not become weary in well doing: no
furloughs are granted to the soldiers of Jesus Christ: they are called
on to be "stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the
Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58), i.e. the work or task which the Lord has
assigned them, which, as the immediate context shows, is to gain the
victory over sin.
Let us now anticipate a criticism which some of the Lord's people may
feel ready to make against what we have said in this and the previous
chapter: Have you not been arguing in favor of self-sufficiency and
creature-ability? No, indeed; yet, on the other hand, we are no
advocate for Christian impotency, for there is a vital difference
between the regenerate and unregenerate as to spiritual helplessness.
The way to get more faith and more strength is to use what we already
have. But we are far from affirming that the Christian is able to
overcome his spiritual foes in his own might. So with David.
Considering the vast numbers which composed the ranks of his numerous
enemies, David and his small force could never have won such great
victories had not the Lord undertaken for him.
"And the Lord preserved David whithersoever he went" (v. 6): note the
exact repetition of these words in verse 14. Here is the explanation
of David's success: he fought not in his own strength. So the
Christian, fighting the good fight of faith, though weak in himself,
is energized by divine grace. David's onslaught upon the Philistines
and the Moabites was in line with the promises of God in Genesis 15:18
and Numbers 24:17, and most probably they nerved him for the battle.
Thus it should be with the Christian. It is his privilege and duty to
remind God of His promises and plead them before Him: such promises as
"I will subdue all thine enemies" (1 Chron. 17:10), and "sin shall not
have dominion over you" (Rom. 6:14), O to be able to say "Thou hast
girded me with strength unto the battle: Thou hast subdued under me
those that rose up against me" (Ps. 18:39).
We have space to consider only one point: "Which also king David did
dedicate unto the Lord, with the silver and gold that he had dedicated
of all nations which he subdued" (v. 11). While David destroyed the
idols, he dedicated to God all the vessels of silver and gold which he
took from his enemies. So while the Christian strives to mortify every
lust, he must consecrate unto the Lord all his natural and spiritual
endowments. Whatever stands in opposition to God must be crucified,
but that which may glorify Him must be dedicated to I us service. This
point is a blessed one: David entirely changed the destination of this
silver and gold: what had previously adorned the idolaters, was
afterwards used in the building of the temple. The spiritual
application of this is found in "as ye have yielded your members
servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity, even so now
yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness" (Rom. 6:
19). May the Lord graciously add His blessing unto all that has been
before us.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
His Kindness to Mephibosheth
2 Samuel 9
_________________________________________________________________
2 Samuel 9 presents to us one of the loveliest scenes in the life of
David. To appreciate it properly we need to recall his earlier
experiences, particularly the unkind treatment he received from the
hands of Saul. We will only refer briefly now to the jealousy which
was awakened in that king's heart when he heard the women celebrating
in song the victory of Jesse's youthful son over Goliath. How that
later he sought to kill David again and again by throwing a javelin at
him. Finally, how that David had to flee for his life and how
relentlessly the king pursued him, determining to kill him. But things
had been completely altered. Saul and his sons were slain in battle,
and David had ascended the throne of Israel. A most admirable spirit
did our hero now display: instead of using his royal power
tyrannically or maliciously, he put it to a most noble use: to return
good For evil, to extend pity to the descendant of his foe, to
befriend one who might well have feared death at his hands, was
David's next act.
"And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul,
that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?" (2 Sam. 9:1). First
of all let us observe the pathos of such a question. 1 Chronicles 8:33
furnishes a list of Saul's sons, but now his family had been so
reduced by the judgments of God that inquiry has to be made "is there
yet any that is left of the house of Saul?" How true it is that "the
sins of the fathers are visited upon the children"--O that more
parents would take this to heart. But, second, let us note the
benevolent designed of David: he sought any possible survivor of
Saul's family, not that he might imprison or slay, but that he might
show him "kindness." It was no passing whim which had actuated him.
"Jonathan" was before his heart, and for his "sake" he was determined
to show clemency and display his magnanimity. At length they brought
to David an old retainer of Saul's family, who knew well the sad state
into which it was fallen; and to him also David said, "Is there not
yet any of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God unto
him?" (v. 3).
But beautiful as was David's conduct on this occasion, something yet
more blessed was shadowed forth by it, and upon that we would
particularly concentrate our attention. As other writers on this sweet
incident have pointed out, David as monarch over Israel suggests to us
God upon His throne in heaven: David showing kindness to the family of
his archenemy, foreshadowed God's dealing in grace with sinners. The
name of the one whom David befriended, the place he had hitherto
occupied, the condition he was then in, the wondrous portion he
received, all typified the case of those upon whom God bestows saving
mercy. The picture here presented is perfect in its accuracy in every
detail, and the more closely it be examined, the more clearly will its
evangelical character appear. O that our hearts may be melted by its
exquisite light and shade.
"And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul,
that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?" Let us first
observe that David was the one who here took the initiative. No
overtures were made unto him by the one remaining descendant of Saul;
the king himself was the one to make the advance. So it is in the
antitype: it is not the sinner, but God, who makes the first move.
Through the Gospel He makes overtures of mercy, and in each instance
of salvation He is found of them that seek Him not. "All we like sheep
have gone astray" (Isa. 53:6), and it is the nature of a lost sheep to
wander farther and farther afield. The shepherd must do the seeking,
for sheep astray never go after the shepherd--true alike both
naturally and spiritually. It was God who sought out Abraham in Ur,
Jacob at Bethel, Moses in Midian, Saul of Tarsus on the road to
Damascus, and not they who sought unto Him.
Next, we may notice the object of David's quest. It was not one who
had befriended him during the days of his own dire need. Nor was it
one whom men of the world would call "a deserving case." Nor was it
one from whom David could expect anything again in return. Instead, it
was one immediately descended from his most merciless and implacable
foe; it was one who was hiding away from him; it was one who had
nothing of his own, having lost his heritage. How accurate the picture
The Gospel of God's grace is not seeking those who have something of
their own to commend them unto the Lord, nor does it offer salvation
in return for service to be rendered afterwards. Its inestimable
riches are for worthless wretches, spiritual paupers, lost and undone
sinners; and those riches are freely proffered "without money and
without price."
But let us pay attention to the motive which actuated David. Very
beautiful is this line in our typical picture. "And David said, Is
there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him
kindness for Jonathan's sake." Here was what moved the king to make
overtures of mercy toward the house of his sworn enemy. Though there
was nothing whatever in Saul's survivor to commend him unto the royal
favor, David found a reason outside of him, in that bond of love and
friendship which existed between his own heart and Jonathan. And thus
it is too in the antitype: "For we ourselves also were sometime
Foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures,
living in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. But after that
the kindness and pity of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by
works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy
He saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy
Spirit; which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our
Saviour" (Titus 3:3-6). It is because of Another that God is gracious
to His people: "God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you" (Eph. 4:32).
One more item completes this point, and a very striking one it is.
When Zeba, Saul's servant, had been found and brought to David, the
king asked, "Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may
show the kindness of God unto him?" (v. 3). This language goes further
than his words in the first verse. It takes us back to 1 Samuel 20.
There we find Jonathan acted the part of a mediator between Saul and
David (vv. 27-34). There too we read of a solemn "covenant" (vv. 16,
17, 42) between Jonathan and David, in which the latter swore to show
kindness unto the house of the former forever: "Jonathan caused David
to sware again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his
own soul" (v. 17). It was to that incident the words of David "that I
may show the kindness of God unto him" looked back: it was that
kindness of which God Himself had been the witness; it was covenant
"kindness" which he had promised to exercise.
Thus, the one who here obtained kindness at the hands of the king,
received favor not because of anything he had done, nor because of any
personal worthiness he possessed, but wholly on account of a covenant
promise which had been made before he was born. So it is with those
toward whom God now acts in free and sovereign grace. It is not
because of any personal claims they have upon Him, but because of the
love He bears toward the Mediator, that He shows "kindness." Nor is
that all: long, long before they first saw the light, God entered into
a covenant with Christ, promising to extend mercy unto all who
belonged to His "house": "Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show
unto the heirs of promise, the immutability of His counsel, confirmed
it by an oath: that by two immutable things, in which it was
impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who
have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us" (Heb. 6:
17, 18). It is "through the blood of the everlasting covenant" that
God makes His people "perfect in every good work to do His will" (Heb.
13:20, 21).
Next, let us look more closely at this one to whom David showed "the
kindness of God"--covenant-kindness. First, his name, for no detail
here is meaningless. The son of Jonathan was called "Mephibosheth" (v.
6), which signifies "a shameful thing." How accurately does that
appellation describe the natural man! "We are all as an unclean thing"
(Isa. 64:6) says God's Word--polluted by sin. We are by birth and
practice thoroughly depraved and corrupt. Our understanding is
darkened so that we cannot apprehend spiritual things, our will are
opposed to God's, our hearts are desperately wicked, our consciences
are seared, our strength spent in the service of Satan; and in the
sight of the Holy One our very righteousnesses are "as filthy rags."
"A shameful thing," then, we truly are: "from the sole of the foot
even unto the crown of the head there is no soundness" in us by
nature, but instead "wounds and bruises and putrefying sores" (Isa.
1:6). O what cause have we to cry with the leper "Unclean! unclean!"
and say with Job "I am vile."
Second, Mephibosheth was a fugitive from David. When news reached the
survivors of his family that Saul and his sons had been slain in
battle, and David had ascended the throne, Mephibosheth and his nurse
fled in terror: "he was five years old when the tidings came of Saul
and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled" (2
Sam. 4:4). They were anxious to keep out of David's way. So it is with
the sinner, he is afraid of God, and seeks to banish Him from his
thoughts. The knowledge of God's holiness, power and omniscience fills
him with dismay, and he seeks to have nothing to do with Him. "The
wicked flee when no man pursueth."
Third, Mephibosheth was a cripple. He was "lame of his feet" (2 Sam.
4:4): as the closing words of our chapter states, he "was lame on both
his feet" (v. l3). How accurately that portrays the condition of those
who are out of Christ! The natural man is unable to run m the path of
God's commandments, or tread the narrow way which leadeth unto Life.
He is a spiritual cripple; "without strength" (Rom. 5:6). The utter
inability of the unregenerate to meet God's requirements and walk
acceptably before him, is a truth written plain across the Scriptures,
though it is given little place indeed in much modern preaching. The
greatness of man, the freedom of his will, his ability to accept
Christ any time, is now the sweet opiate which is chloroforming
millions. "No man can come to Me except the Father which hath sent Me
draw him" (John 6:44): how those words of Christ's attest the solemn
fact that the sinner is "lame of bath his feet"!
Fourth, Mephibosheth became a cripple through a fall: "and his nurse
took him up and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee
that he fell, and became lame" (2 Sam. 4:4). What a truly marvellous
book the Bible is! Yet how it needs eyes anointed by the Divine
Inspirer to perceive its wonders and beauties! How obvious it is to
those favored with spiritual discernment that we have here far more
than an historical account pertaining to a single individual: that it
is rather a typical picture having a universal application. Man was
not originally created in the condition he is now in. Man was far from
being "lame on both his feet" when his Maker proclaimed him "very
good." The faculties of mans soul have become spiritually crippled as
the result of the fall--our fall in Adam. In consequence of that fall,
"they that are in the flesh cannot please God" (Rom. 8:8).
Fifth, the place where Mephibosheth resided. It was not at Jerusalem,
no, indeed; none out of Christ live there. Jerusalem signifies "the
foundation of peace" and as Holy Writ truly declares, "There is no
peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked" (Isa. 48:22): how can there be
while they despise Him in whom alone peace is to be found? "But the
wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest" (Isa.
57:20)--discontented, dissatisfied. No, it was not at Jerusalem that
poor Mephibosheth resided. Instead, he dwelt at "Lodebar" (2 Sam.
9:4), which means, "the place of no pasture." What a significant line
in our picture is this, so obviously drawn by more than a human
artist. How aptly does it portray the world in which we live, the
world which is away from God, which lieth in the wicked one. It is a
world which provides no food for the soul: it is a great "howling
wilderness" so far as spiritual provisions are concerned. Yet how
little is that fact realized by those who are in it and of it.
"Lodebar" is written across all the varied fields of this world,
though the great masses of people realize it not. Multitudes are
seeking to find something to fill that void in the heart which God
should occupy. They seek satisfaction in sport, in novel reading, in
an endless round of pleasure, in making money, in fame; but soul
satisfaction is not to be found in such things--things which perish
with the using of them. Despising Him who is "the true Bread," the
"Bread of life," no food is to be found here but "the husks that the
swine" feed upon. The prodigal son discovered that when he left his
patrimony and went into the far country: "I perish with hunger" was
his plaintive cry. Life, peace, joy, satisfaction, are to be found
only in the Lord.
One other point and we must conclude this chapter: the provision David
made for Mephibosheth. There was this poor creature, belonging to a
family that was in rebellion against David, lame in both feet, and
dwelling in the place of no pasture. And here was the king upon his
throne, with purpose of heart to show him kindness for the sake of
another. What, then, was the next move? Did David send a message of
welcome, inviting him to come to Jerusalem? Did he notify Mephibosheth
that if he "did his part" mercy should be accorded him? Did he forward
the cripple a pair of crutches, bid him make use of them, and hobble
to Jerusalem as best he could? No, indeed; had anything like that been
David's policy, our typical picture had failed completely to exhibit
"the kindness of God" unto those on whom He bestows His so great
salvation. God does much more than provide "means of grace."
"Then king David sent and fetched him" (v. 5). This blessed item
shadows forth the efficacious work of the Holy Spirit in those whom
God brings unto Himself. Had He done nothing more than give His Son to
die for sinners, and then sent forth His servants with the gospel
invitation, none had ever been saved. This is clear from the parable
of the Great Supper: men were bade to come and assured that "all
things were now ready." And what was their response? This, "they all
with one consent began to make excuse" (Luke 14:18). But God was not
to be foiled, and said to the servant (the Spirit), "Go out quickly
into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor,
and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind." Thank God for bringing
grace; that He does all, both for and in His people.
`Twas the same grace that spread the feast,
That gently forced me in;
Else I had still refused to taste,
And perished in my sin.
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
His Kindness to Mephibosheth
(Continued)
2 Samuel 9
_________________________________________________________________
Behind the noble magnanimity exercised by David toward the last
descendant of his archenemy Saul, we may perceive the shining forth of
the glory of God's grace unto His fallen and sinful people. Alas, how
feeble are our apprehensions of this wonderful attribute of God, how
altogether inadequate our best efforts to set forth its excellency!
Those who are the most indebted to the divine favor, are most
conscious of the poverty of their language to express the gratitude
and praise, the admiration and adoration which is due from them. When
the poor outcast and crippled son of Jonathan was brought from Lodebar
to Jerusalem, and was received not only with kindness, but accorded a
place in the king's family and given a seat at David's own table, he
must have found words to utterly fail him. And when a slave of sin and
captive of Satan is not only set free by Christ but made a joint heir
with Him, he is lost in wonderment. Eternity will be required to
render unto God that worship to which He is entitled.
Grace is the opposite of justice. Justice gives to each his exact due:
it shows no favor and knows no mercy. It gives impartially to all
precisely by the wages which thy have earned. But grace is free favor,
unwarranted and unmerited by the recipients of it. Grace is the very
last thing to which rebellious sinners are entitled; to talk of
deserving "grace" is a contradiction in terms. Grace is purely a
matter of charity, exercised sovereignly and spontaneously, attracted
by nothing praiseworthy in its object. Divine grace is the free favor
of God in the bestowment of mercies and blessings upon those who have
no good in them, and concerning whom no compensation is demanded from
them. Nay more: divine grace is not only shown to those who have no
merit, but who are full of positive demerit; it is not only bestowed
upon the ill-deserving, but the hell-deserving.
How completely grace sets aside every thought of personal desert, may
be seen from a single quotation of Scripture: "Being justified freely
by His grace" (Rom. 3:24). The word "freely" gives intensity to the
term "grace," though the Greek does not convey the thought of
abundance, but rather emphasizes its gratuitousness. The same word is
rendered "without a cause" in John 15:25. There was nothing whatever
in the Lord Jesus to deserve such vile treatment from the hands of His
enemies, nothing whatever that He had done warranting such awful
enmity on their part. In like manner, there is nothing whatever in any
sinner to call forth the favorable regard of a holy God, nothing done
by him to win His love; instead, everything to the contrary. Grace,
then, is gratis, a free gift.
The very expression "the grace of God" implies and denotes that the
sinner's condition is desperate to the last degree, and that God may
justly leave him to perish; yea, it is a wonder of wonders that he is
not already in hell. Grace is a divine provision for those who are so
depraved they cannot change their own nature, so averse from God they
will not turn to Him, so blind they can neither see their malady nor
the remedy, so dead spiritually that God must bring them out of their
graves on to resurrection ground if ever they are to walk in newness
of life. Grace is the sinner's last and only hope; if he is not saved
by grace, he will never be saved at all. Grace levels all
distinctions, and regards the most zealous religionist on the same
plane as the most profligate, the chaste virgin as the foul
prostitute. Therefore God is perfectly free to save the chiefest of
sinners and bestow His mercy on the vilest of the vile.
In our last, we got as far as Mephibosheth being actually brought into
the presence of David. What a meeting was that! For the first time in
his life this man now sees the one whom his grandfather had so
mercilessly and unrighteously persecuted. "Now when Mephibosheth the
son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his
face, and did reverence" (v. 6). Fitting position was this to take for
one whose very life hung upon the mere mercy of the king. What could
he expect but to hear from his lips the sentence of death! There he
lies, aptly portraying a trembling sinner, who, in his understanding
and conscience, is brought, for the first time, face to face with the
thrice holy God, with the One whom he has so long slighted, so
wickedly ignored, so grievously offended. It was thus with Saul of
Tarsus when the Lord first appeared to him: "he fell to the earth"
(Acts 9:4). Reader, have you ever taken your place before Him in the
dust?
Most probably David had never before seen Mephibosheth, yet he now
addressed him in the most intimate terms: "And David said,
Mephibosheth" (v. 6). It is blessed to see that the king was the first
one to break the silence, showing us in type how God takes the
initiative at every point in connection with the saving of His people.
This recalls to us that word of the apostle to the Galatians, "But
now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God" (4:9).
A single word was all that David yet uttered--"Mephibosheth"-- yet how
much was expressed by it! How it reminds us of that precious
declaration from the lips of the good Shepherd, "He calleth His own
sheep by name" (John 10:3). When, at the burning bush, the Lord first
revealed Himself to Israel's deliverer from Egypt, He said, "Moses,
Moses" (Ex. 3:4). The first word of the Saviour to the one in the
sycamore tree was "Zaccheus" (Luke 19:5). When He made known Himself
unto the tear-blinded seeker at His sepulcher, it was by the single
word, "Mary" (John 20: 16). His first word to the persecutor of His
church was "Saul" (Acts 9:4). Thus it was in our present incident.
"And Mephibosheth answered, Behold thy servant."
But the next word of David's was yet more blessed: "Fear not" (v. 7)
he said to the cripple prostrate before him. There was no rebuke for
his having so long kept away from him, no reproaching him because he
was of the house of Saul; but instead, a word to assure him, to put
him at his ease. O how this should comfort every contrite soul: we
have nothing whatever to fear, once we take our place in the dust
before the Lord. "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the
humble" (James 4:6). Was it not thus with the Father, when the
penitent prodigal cast himself on His mercy! No word of censure left
His lips: instead He quickly assured him of His love. How this "fear
not" of David to Mephibosheth reminds us of the same language found so
often on the lips of the Redeemer when addressing His own! Wondrous is
it to observe that, when the glorified Saviour appeared unto John in
Patmos, when that apostle fell at His feet as dead, it was the same
old familiar "Fear not" (Rev. 1: 17) which reassured him.
Not only did David address Mephibosheth by name, and quiet his heart
with a "Fear not," but he also added, "For I will surely show thee
kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the
land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at My table
continually" (2 Sam. 9:7). This was grace pure and simple, wondrous
grace, the "exceeding riches of grace." There was no contingency here,
no bargain made, no conditions stipulated; but instead "I will surely
show thee kindness." David did not say "If you do this or that" or "if
you will keep your part of the contract, I will adhere to mine." No,
no; it was free favor, gratuitous mercy, unmerited bounty; everything
for nothing. David acted royally, like a king, for it becomes not a
monarch to barter. How much more is this the case with the King of
kings: He is "the God of all grace" (1 Peter 5:10), and eternal life
is a gift (Rom. 6:23) wherever He is pleased to bestow it. To preach
salvation by works is not only to mock impotent sinners, but is to
grossly insult the ineffable Jehovah.
And what effect did this astonishing kindness have upon Mephibosheth?
Did it puff him up with self-importance, and cause him to act as
though he was other than a poor cripple? No, indeed; such is never the
effect of divine grace applied to the heart, though often it is the
ease where airy notions of it sink no deeper than the head. "And he
bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look
upon such a dead dog as I am?" (v. 8). Is not that truly beautiful?
The exceeding kindness of David did not work in him self-elation and
sell-exaltation, but self-abasement: it wrought in him a deeper
consciousness of his utter unworthiness before such un-thought-of
favors. He was amazed that the king should even notice, much less
favorably regard, such a worthless creature as he felt himself to be.
Did he not now conduct himself in suitable accord with his name, when
he called himself "a dead dog;" for "Mephibosheth" signifies "a
shameful thing." And what is the name which Scripture gives to
me?--sinner!: do I, by my attitude, own the truthfulness of it?
This line in our picture calls for particular notice in such a day as
we are living in, wherein there is so much self-esteem, creature
boasting, Laodicean complacency and Pharisaic self-righteousness. O
what a stench in the nostrils of the Almighty must be the reeking
pride of modern Christendom. How little practical exemplification of
that principle, "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but
in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves"
(Phil. 2:3). How few feel, like Paul did, that they are "the chief of
sinners." And why is this? Because the hearts of so very few are
really touched and affected by the grace of God. Grace ever humbles.
The goodness of God leadeth to repentance (Rom. 2:4). Where the
kindness of God is truly felt in the soul we are "little in our own
eyes." Just as the royal magnanimity of David bowed Mephibosheth
before him, causing him to own that he was but "a dead dog," so when
the love of God melts our hard hearts, we realize and own what
unworthy wretches, vile creatures, and corrupt worms we are.
We must now consider the wondrous portion which was bestowed upon
Mephibosheth as the result of the great kindness which David showed
him, for this was a striking figure of the "riches" which divine grace
imparts to those who are blessed with all spiritual blessings in
Christ. First, there was life for him, for the king refused to slay
him when he was in his power. That his life was spared him was a
notable act of clemency on the part of the monarch. Blessedly did this
illustrate the abounding mercy of God unto those who have flouted His
authority, broken His laws, and deserved naught but unsparing judgment
at His hands: though the wages of sin is death, yet the gift of God is
"eternal life" through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Second, there was peace for him: David's "Fear not" was designed to
allay his terror, quiet his heart, and set him at perfect ease in the
presence of the king. So it is with the believer: "Therefore being
justified by faith, we have peace with God" (Rom. 5:1).
Third, there was an inheritance for him. "Then the king called Ziba,
Saul's servant, and said unto him, I have given unto thy master's son
all that pertained to Saul and to all his house" (v. 9). What a truly
wonderful line in our typical picture is that!--one, we are again
constrained to say, which no merely human artist could have drawn. How
it portrays to us the bounty of our God in bestowing upon poor
bankrupt paupers the riches of His grace. Though we come to Him
empty-handed, He does not suffer us to remain so. But there is
something there yet more definite: Mephibosheth had restored to him
the forfeited inheritance. The heritage which had originally belonged
to Saul had been lost to his family. In like manner, through our first
father's apostasy, we lost our primitive heritage, even the life,
image, and blessing of God. Nor could we possibly do anything to
regain it. But as David "for Jonathan's sake" restored unto
Mephibosheth the estate of his father, so God for Christ's sake gives
back to His people all that they lost in Adam.
Fourth, there was a wondrous portion granted him. Said David to
Mephibosheth, "Thou shalt eat bread at my table continually" (v. 7).
What a tremendous contrast was that from being an outcast at
Lodebar--"the place of no pasture": now to feast at the king's own
table, and that, not merely for once, but "continually"! Truly it was
the "kindness of God" which David showed unto him. How forcibly this
reminds us of what we find at the close of the parable of the prodigal
son, when he who, having been "in want" in the far country, after his
return in penitence, is feasted by his Father with the "fatted calf."
Nothing short of giving us His best will satisfy the great heart of
"the God of all grace": and what is His "best" but fellowship with
Himself, of which eating at His table is the symbol.
Fifth, there was an honored position for him: "As for Mephibosheth
said the king, he shall eat at my table, as one of the king's sons"
(v. 11). He eats not as an alien or stranger, but as a member of the
royal family. Not only was he sumptuously fed, but highly honored: a
place in the king's own palace was now his, and that, not as a
servant, but as a son. How this makes us think of "Behold what manner
of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the
sons of God" (1 John 3:1)! O what a marvellous place does divine grace
give unto those that are the objects of it: all believers stand
accepted as the children of God, the subjects of His everlasting
favor. That is something which Saul never enjoyed, but for Jonathan's
sake Mephibosheth now gained more than he had previously lost. So
through Christ the believer obtains far, far more than he lost in
Adam. Where sin abounds, grace does much more abound. "That as sin
hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through
righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 5:21).
Under the king's table the crippled feet of Mephibosheth were lost to
sight: in Christ all our deformities are hid!
There is a sequel, both pathetic and blessed, recorded in the later
chapters of 2 Samuel which we will here briefly notice, for it
provides a lovely completeness to all which has been before us. First,
in 2 Samuel 16:1-4 we learn that when David fled from Absalom, Ziba,
the servant of Mephibosheth, met the king with a liberal provision of
food for his men. When David inquired where Mephibosheth was, Ziba
answered him, "Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem: for he said, Today
shall the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father." This
is one of many warnings given to the saints in Scripture that they
must be prepared for calumny and unkind treatment: often--as was the
case here--by those from whom it should be the least expected.
Second, after Absalom's death, there went forth a company to do honor
to the returned king. Among them was Mephibosheth, of whom it is said,
that he "had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor
washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he
came again in peace" (2 Sam. 19:24). What a lovely picture does that
present to us of a loyal soul, whose heart had remained true to the
(temporarily) rejected king! How clearly Mephibosheth's condition
evidenced where his affections had been during David's absence! David
now repeated the tale which Ziba had told him, and is informed it was
utterly false. Mephibosheth then cast himself on the spiritual
discernment and sovereign pleasure of his royal master (vv. 27, 28).
The king then put his heart to the test, suggesting that the land be
divided between Mephibosheth and his servant--the same in principle as
Solomon's proposal that the living child be divided between the two
women who claimed it as hers.
Had Mephibosheth been the false-hearted wretch which Ziba has painted
him, he had acquiesced promptly to David's suggestion, glad to escape
so easily: "a wise settlement" he would have exclaimed. Instead, he
nobly replied, "Yea, let him take all, forasmuch as my lord the king
is come again in peace unto his own house" (2 Sam. 19:30). How that
gave the lie to Ziba's accusation: how it demonstrated he was clear of
any carnal covetousness. It was not land which he wanted: now that his
beloved master had returned, he was quite satisfied. O how this should
speak to and search us: are our affections set upon the Person of the
absent King? Is it His presence that we long for above everything
else?
Index
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The Life of David, Vol. I.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
His Servants Insulted
2 Samuel 10
_________________________________________________________________
The next incident recorded in the life of David needs to be pondered
from more than one viewpoint. This is intimated to us by the fact that
in 2 Samuel 10 it is given immediately after the account of the grace
which he showed unto Mephibosheth, whereas in 1 Chronicles 19 it is
placed right after a parallel account of what is mentioned to 2 Samuel
8. Yet though the context of 2 Samuel 10 and 1 Chronicles 19 is so
different, each of them opens with the same words: "And (`Now') it
came to pass after this." Thereby it is suggested that inasmuch as
this incident is described at length in almost identical language in 2
Samuel and 1 Chronicles, it, possesses a twofold significance; and
because it is given different settings that it requires to be
considered separately in its relation to each one. We shall endeavor,
then, to follow up this clue, viewing the subject first as it comes
immediately after what was before us in the preceding chapter.
The king of the Ammonites having died, David purposed to express a
neighborly and friendly sympathy for his son. Accordingly, he sent
some of his servants "to comfort him." But instead of this kindly
overture meeting with appreciation, it was regarded with distrustful
suspicion. The princes of the Ammonites imagined that David had evil
designs against their city, and that the men who had ostensibly come
to console their bereaved master, were but spies, seeking information
with a view to their overthrow. Whereupon Hanun the king grievously
insulted his visitors and put them to an open shame. His action was a
declaration of war against David, and so the king of Israel regarded
it. The remainder of the chapter records the fighting to which their
insult gave rise. But it is the typical and spiritual meaning of it
with which we are desirous of being occupied. Nor should this be
difficult to ascertain.
The link of connection between 2 Samuel 9 and 10 is obvious on the
surface: the former opens with "and David said, Is there yet any that
is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness For
Jonathan's sake?" the latter opens with, "And it came to pass after
this, that the king of the children of Ammon died, and Hanun his son
reigned in his stead. Then said David, I will show kindness unto Hanun
the son of Nahash, as his father showed kindness unto me." But with
the exception of the words we have just italicized everything else is
in sharp and solemn contrast. In 2 Samuel 9 David shows kindness to an
Israelite; in 2 Samuel 10 he shows kindness to an Ammonite. In the
Former, it was to the descendant of his archenemy; in the latter, it
was to the son of one who had befriended him. In the one, his gracious
overtures were deeply appreciated; in the other, they were maliciously
resented.
Now as we showed at length in our two chapters upon 2 Samuel 9, that
chapter gives us a most lovely typical picture of the free and
sovereign grace of God unto His elect. What, then, is it which is
distinctively prefigured here in 2 Samuel 10? In seeking the answer to
this question, as we attend closely to each word used in the first
five verses of it, we notice a further contrast: throughout 2 Samuel 9
it is David himself who is prominent; whereas in 2 Samuel 10 it is his
ambassadors who occupy the center of the stage. In verses 2-4 the
servants of David are referred to no less than Four times; whereas his
servants are not mentioned once in the preceding chapter. Here, then,
is the key to our incident; typically, it is the ambassadors of the
Son of David who are in view.
"But after that the kindness and pity (margin) of God our Saviour
toward man appeared" (Titus 3:4). And wherein is that "kindness and
pity of God our Saviour" revealed? In the Gospel. And to whom is His
Gospel to be preached? To "every creature" (Mark 16:15). There are
some of our readers--preachers--who need reminding of this. Christ has
commissioned. His servants to preach the Gospel, to make known His
"kindness and pity," not only to those who give evidence of having
been awakened by the Holy Spirit, but also to the unregenerate. There
is something seriously wrong with any creed or theological system
which cramps and fetters the preacher in his free proclamation of the
Gospel. They who imagine that the Gospel is only for the "elect," err
grievously. On the other hand in order to "do the work of an
evangelist" (2 Tim. 4:5) one does not have to believe either in a
general redemption or in the free will of fallen man.
In the parable of the Sower, Christ makes it clear that He sowed the
seed upon all parts of the field, and not on the "good ground" only.
In the closing parable of Matthew 13, He represents the Gospel "net"
as gathering in fish of all kinds, "bad" as well as "good." In the
parable of the Great Supper, the servant is sent forth to say, "Come,
for all things are now ready," and this, even unto those who "all with
one consent began to make excuse" (Luke 14:17,18). In the closing
section of the parable of the two sons, Christ declared concerning the
elder brother (the self-righteous, hard-hearted Pharisee) "therefore
came his Father out and entreated him" (Luke 15:28). O my dear
brethren in the ministry, seek grace and wisdom to make your ministry
square with that of Christ's! He did not allow the eternal decrees of
God to tie His hands or muzzle His mouth.
It was the same with those that immediately succeeded Christ, It was
to a promiscuous audience (Acts 3:9), to those who were unbelievers
(v. 17), that Peter said, "Repent ye, therefore, and be converted,
that your sins may be blotted out" (Acts 3: 19)! "Then Philip went
down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them" (Acts
8:5): we are not told that it was to a small and picked company, who
had been quickened by the Spirit, but to "the city of Samaria" in
general. And what was the theme of his preaching? Christ!--as an
all-sufficient Saviour for the very chief of sinners. The apostle Paul
was not cramped in his message: "Testifying both to the Jews, and also
to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus
Christ" (Acts 20:21): the impenitent he called upon to repent and the
unbelieving, he bade believe on the Saviour. Are not these very things
recorded For our learning, as a precedent for us to follow!
That which we have sought to emphasize in the last three paragraphs
receives striking illustration and confirmation in the incident we are
here considering. If 2 Samuel 9 supplies a blessed representation of
the kindness of God shown toward one of His elect, our present chapter
gives an equally clear type of the overtures of the Lord's kindness
extended unto the non-elect. Here is the reason why the two incidents
are placed side by side: the one supplements the other. If in the last
chapter we beheld the "kindness" of David manifested unto one with
whom he was in covenant relationship, in the chapter now before us we
see his "kindness" being shown to one who was outside the commonwealth
of Israel, to one who was a heathen. And it is in that particular fact
lies the typical beauty of our passage, and the great evangelical
lesson which we need to learn from it.
"And it came to pass after this, that the king of the children of
Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his stead. Then said David, I
will show kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash" (2 Sam. 10:1,2). It
is only as we attend closely unto each detail here that we can
appreciate the accuracy of our typical picture. Death provided the
dark background for it. It was the decease of Nahash which supplied
the opportunity for David to manifest the kindness of his heart! Once
our minds are definitely focused on this item, what anointed eye can
fail to perceive its spiritual signification? No "comfort" was needed
by man in his unfallen state; the Gospel had been entirely unsuited to
Adam during the brief season that he remained in unclouded communion
with his Maker, But the entrance of sin entirely altered the case.
Adam's transgression cast a pall of blackness over the fair scene of
Eden; nor was its darkness in anywise relieved till the light of the
Gospel (Gen. 3: 15) broke in on it. It is sin which exhibited the need
for a Saviour; it was that spiritual death into which the fall plunged
the whole family, which makes evident the glad tidings of life in
Christ. The whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick.
And it was where sin abounded, that grace did much more abound. The
sin of then brought out the marvellous grace that was in the heart of
God. The Lord had by no means acted unjustly, had He eternally doomed
the whole human race when their father and federal head apostatized
from Him. But He did not do so: in wrath He "remembered mercy."
Here, then, is the first line in our typical picture: death provides
for it a suitable background. The more the awfulness be felt of that
spiritual death which it adumbrated, the more will we appreciate the
blessedness of that wondrous "comfort" which divine mercy hath
provided. The terrible fall which brought in spiritual death was of
such an aggravated nature that it left all whom Adam represented
without excuse. The nature of our spiritual death is described in
Ephesians 4; 18, "Having the understanding darkened, being alienated
from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of
the blindness of their heart." it has wrought in us a carnal mind
which "is enmity" against God (Rom. 8:7). Why, then, should the Lord
have any regard for us? Why should He concern Himself about those who
prefer darkness to light, evil to good, death to life? Had He totally
abandoned us to our ruin and wretchedness, that had been all we
deserved.
"Then said David, I will show kindness unto Hanun" (v. 2). Here is the
second line in our typical picture, pointing us unto the One who is
the Author of all that is good, gentle, sympathetic and unselfish in
His creatures; and is Himself "of great kindness" (Jonah 4:2). O what
kindness did the Lord show when He left Heaven's glory and came down
to this sin curst earth! What kindness for the Lord to take upon
Himself the form of a servant, and minister unto others rather than be
ministered unto. What compassion He exhibited when in the presence of
want, suffering and misery; what kindness when He "healed all manner
of sickness and all manner of disease" (Matthew 4:23). Thus did the
kindness of David shadow forth the infinitely greater kindness of his
Son and Lord.
"And David sent to comfort him by the hand of his servants" (v. 2).
This gives the third line in our typical picture. During the days of
His flesh, Christ announced, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath
sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the
captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them
that are bruised (Luke 4:18), Since His ascension, He has continued
this gracious ministry through His ambassadors and servants: 2
Corinthians 5:20, Mark 16:20. O what a message of "comfort" have
Christ's ministers for every poor sinner that will give ear to them: a
message which makes known a way of escape from the wrath to come, that
tells of how the forgiveness of sins may be obtained; how peace, joy,
everlasting life and bliss may become our portion.
The fourth line in our picture is given in the next words, "And the
servants of David came into the land of the children of Ammon" (v. 2).
These servants of David were not like Jonah, who demurred when called
upon to preach unto the Ninevites. No, they made no objection against
going outside the bounds of God's covenant people, and journeying to a
place of idolaters. As such, they prefigured the obedient servants of
the Son of David, whose commission is "That repentance and remission
of sins should be preached in His name among all nations" (Luke
24:47).
"And the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their Lord,
Thinkest thou that David doth honor thy father, that he hath sent
comforters unto thee? hath not David rather sent his servants unto
thee to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it?" (v.
3). Is any interpreter required here? Is not this next line in our
picture so clear that it speaks for itself! The common experience of
the Christian evangelist is identical in substance with that which
befell the servants of David. Though his intentions are of the best,
they are interpreted as being evil. Though he comes with a message of
true "comfort" the poor blinded dupes of Satan regard him as a
"kill-joy." Though his only object be to make known the "kindness" of
his royal Master, the vast majority of those to whom he comes, resent
his mission. Alas, that now, in many circles of professing Christians,
the true servant of Christ is not wanted, but rather looked upon with
suspicion, as a "self-seeker" or "disturber of the peace."
"Wherefore Hanun took David's servants, and shaved off the one half of
their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their
buttocks, and sent them away" (v. 4). This line in our picture is also
so obvious that it needs little comment from us. It foreshadowed the
treatment which the Son of David's servants would receive from those
whose welfare they sought. Those servants were mocked and insulted:
not wanted, they were "sent away" in shame. Men today have other ways
of insulting and disgracing the ministers of the Gospel beside the
methods used by those Ammonites; but they are just as effective.
Wrongful charges are made against them, false reports are spread, so
that they are excluded from many places.
"When they told it unto David, he sent to meet them, because the men
were greatly ashamed: and the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your
beards be grown, and then return" (v. 5). Here is the sequel to the
unkind treatment they had met with: the servants of David are called
upon to retire from the public eye. They have to spend a season--one
of some months at least--in, seclusion, cut off from fellowship. One
wonders how many today are, like the writer, "tarrying at Jericho"!
Not a few "teachers" are now "removed into a corner" (Isa. 30:20), for
the time hath come "when they will not endure sound doctrine" (2 Tim.
4:3). Concerning Israel of old we read, "But they mocked the
messengers of God, and despised His words, and misused His prophets,
until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was
no remedy" (2 Chron. 36:16)--is this soon to be repeated in the
history of Christendom?
The final line in our typical picture--occupying the remainder of 2
Samuel 10--is a solemn one: David avenged his insulted servants. He
regarded the ignominy heaped on them as a direct affront upon himself.
Thus it is in the antitype. Concerning His ministers, Christ has said,
"He that heareth you, heareth Me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth
Me" (Luke 10:16). He regards the ill-usage of them as a declaration of
war against Himself. He has said, "Touch not Mine anointed, and do My
prophets no harm" (Ps. 105:15), and He will not be disobeyed with
impugnity. Solemn is it to look forward to the time when those who
have despised, slandered, insulted and cast out His servants, will yet
have to answer to the Son of David Himself.
Many and important are the lessons for the servants of Christ in this
incident. Chief among them are: 1. They are to obediently carry out
the orders of their royal Master, no matter how unreasonable they may
appear or how distasteful they be unto themselves. 2. They must be
prepared for their best intentions and kindest actions to expose them
unto the basest suspicions. They must expect ingratitude, contempt and
abuse; but sufficient for the servant to be as his Lord. 3. These
things must not discourage them, for eventually, Christ Himself will
plead their cause! 4. They must not attempt to avenge themselves, but
rather follow the example left by their Master: 1 Peter 2:23. 5. if
now, for a reason, they are required to "tarry at Jericho," they may
take comfort from the fact that it is their Lord who has ordered that
isolated seclusion.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER FIFTY
His Kindness Repulsed
2 Samuel 10
_________________________________________________________________
"I have seen an end of all perfection; but Thy commandment is
exceeding broad" (Ps. 119:96). The Chaldee Paraphrase renders this
verse, "I have seen an end of all things about which I have employed
my care; but Thy commandment is very large." The Syriac version reads,
"I have seen an end of all regions and countries (that is, I have
found the compass of the habitable world to be finite and limited),
but Thy commandment is of vast extent." The contrast drawn by the
Psalmist is between the works of the creature and the Word of the
Creator. The most perfect of worldly things are but imperfect; even
man, at his best estate, is "altogether vanity" (Ps. 39:5). We may
quickly see "the end" or "the bound" of man's works, for the
profoundest product of human wisdom is but shallow, superficial and
having its limits; but it is far otherwise with the Scriptures of
Truth.
"But Thy commandment is exceeding broad." The Word partakes of the
perfections of its divine Author: holiness, inerrancy, infinitude and
eternity, are numbered among its wondrous qualities. God's Word is so
deep that none can fathom it (Ps. 36:6), so high that it is
established in heaven (Ps. 119:89), so long that it will endure
forever (1 Peter 1:23), so exceeding broad that none can measure it,
so full that its contents will never be exhausted. It is such a rich
storehouse of spiritual treasure, that no matter how many draw upon
it, the wealth thereof remains undiminished. It has in it such an
inconceivable vastness of wisdom, that no single verse in it has been
fully fathomed by any man. No matter how many may have previously
written upon a certain chapter, the Spirit can still reveal wonders
and beauties in it never before perceived.
We are now to go over again the same passage which was before us in
our last chapter, but this time it is to be considered from an
entirely different viewpoint. Perhaps some explanatory remarks are
called for at this point, that none of our readers may be confused.
There are many portions of the Word that are not only capable of
several legitimate applications, but which require to be pondered from
distinct and separate angles. Oftentimes the same incident which
manifests the goodness and grace of God, also exhibits the depravity
and sin of man. Many parts of the life of Samson furnish most striking
pre-figurations of Christ, yet at the same time we see in them the
grievous failures of Samson himself. The same dual principle is
exemplified in the lives of other characters prominent in the Old
Testament. Instead of being confused thereby, let us rather admire the
wisdom of Him who has brought together things so diverse.
Moses erred sadly when, instead of trustfully responding promptly unto
the Lord's call for him to make known His request unto Pharaoh, he
gave way to unbelief and voiced one objection after another (Ex. 3 and
4); nevertheless in the same we may perceive a lovely exemplification
of the self-diffidence of those called upon to minister in divine
things, and their personal sense of unfitness and utter unworthiness.
The two things are quite distinct, though they are found in one and
the same incident: the personal failure of Moses, yet his very failure
supplying a blessed type of humility in the true servant of God. That
which is found in 2 Samuel 10 affords a parallel: the action of David
in expressing his condolence to the king of Ammonites supplies a
beautiful type of Christ sending forth His servants with a message of
comfort for sinners; yet, as we shall see, from a personal viewpoint,
David's conduct was to be blamed.
The same thing is seen again in connection with Jonah. We have the
Lord's own authority for regarding him as a type or "sign" of Himself
(Matt. 12:39,40), and marvelously did that prophet foreshadow the
Saviour in many different details. But that in nowise alters or
militates against the fact that, as we read the personal history of
Jonah, we find some grievous sins recorded against him. Let it not
seem strange, then, if our present exposition of 2 Samuel 10 differs
so radically from our treatment of it in our last chapter: there is no
"contradiction" between the two chapters; instead, they approach the
same incident from two widely separated angles. Our justification for
so doing lies in the fact that the incident is described in identical
terms in 1 Chronicles 19, yet its context there is quite different
from 2 Samuel 9.
On this occasion, instead of admiring the lovely typical picture which
2 Samuel 10 sets forth, we shall examine the personal conduct of
David, seeking to take to heart the lessons and warnings which the
same inculcates. "And it came to pass after this, that the king of the
children of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his stead. Then
said David, I will show kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his
father showed kindness unto me. And David sent to comfort him by the
hand of his servants for his father" (vv. 1, 2).
In seeking to get at the practical teaching of these verses, the first
question which needs to be pondered is, why did David send his
servants with a message of comfort to the king of Ammon? What was the
motive which prompted him? It is no sufficient answer to reply, The
kindness of his heart; for that only changes the form of our inquiry
to, Why should he determine to show kindness unto the head of this
heathen tribe? And how are we to discover the answer to our question?
By noting carefully the context: this time, the context of 1
Chronicles 19 which is the same as the remoter context in 2 Samuel for
1 Chronicles 18 is parallel with 2 Samuel 9. And what do we find
there? David engaging in warfare, subduing the Philistines (2 Sam.
8:1), the Moabites (v. 2), Hadadezer (v. 3), the Syrians (v. 5),
placing garrisons in Edom, and setting in order the affairs of his
kingdom (vv. 15-IS).
After engaging in so much fighting, it appears that David now desired
a season of rest. This is borne out by what we are told in the very
first verse of the next chapter: "And it came to pass, after the year
was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David
sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they
destroyed the children of Amman, and besieged Rahbah. But David
tarried still at Jerusalem" (2 Sam. 11:1). Thus, in the light of the
immediate context, both before and after what is recorded in 2 Samuel
10 and 1 Chronicles 19, it seems clear that David's sending a message
of comfort to Hanun after the death of his father was a diplomatic
move on his part to secure peace between the Ammonites and Israel. In
other words, reduced to first principles, it was an attempt to promote
amity between the ungodly and the godly. The Lord blew upon this move,
and caused it to come to nought.
"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of
the world is enmity with God?" (James 4:4). Yes, we may know it in
theory, but alas, how often we disobey it in practice. God requires
His people to be separated from the world, to be strangers and
pilgrims therein, to have no close familiarity with its subjects, to
refuse all "yokes" with them. And is not that both right and
necessary? What fellowship can there be between those who love His Son
and those who hate Him? between those who are subject to His sceptre
and those who are in league with Satan? Yet, self evident as is this
principle, how slow many of us are to conform our ways to its
requirements! How prone we are to flirt with those who are the enemies
of God.
But if we are careless and disobedient, God is faithful. In His love
for us, He often causes worldlings to repulse our friendly advances,
to wrongly interpret our kindly overtures, to despise, mock and insult
us. If we will not keep on our side of the line which God has drawn
between the kingdom of His Son and the kingdom of Satan, then we must
not be surprised if He employs the wicked to drive us out of their
territory. Herein lies the key, my reader, to many a painful
experience which often perplexes the Christian. Why does a righteous
God suffer me to receive such unjust and cruel treatment from those I
wish to be "nice to"? God permits that "enmity" which He has placed
between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman to burst out
against the latter, because they were becoming too intimate with the
former.
It is not only that God rebukes us for disregarding the line which He
has drawn between the world and the Church, but that it is our
spiritual profit which He designs to promote. "We know that all things
work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the
called according to His purpose" (Rom. 8:28). Yes, Christian reader,
and that "all things" includes the present aloofness of some unsaved
people who were once friendly towards you; that "all things" includes
the coldness of Christless relatives, the unkind attitude of
neighbors, the unfriendliness of those who work side by side with you
in the office, store, or workshop. God sees the danger, if you do not!
Because of His love for you, He prevents your becoming drawn into
alliances with those whose influence would greatly hinder your growth
in grace. Then, instead of chafing against the attitude of your
fellows, thank the Lord for His faithfulness.
Against what has been said above it may be objected, But you surely do
not mean that, in his separation from the world, the Christian must be
unsociable and live like a hermit; or that God requires us to be
uncivil and morose toward our fellow-creatures, No, dear Reader, that
is not our meaning. We are required to be "pitiful" and "courteous" (1
Peter 3:8), and to "do good unto all, especially unto them who are of
the household of faith" (Gal. 6:10). Moreover, the Christian must be
watchful against assuming an "I am holier than thou" attitude toward
his fellow men. Nevertheless, there is a real difference between a
respectful and kindly conduct toward the unsaved, and an undue
intimacy with them--making close friends of them.
It may be further objected, But in David's case, it was proper and
needful for him to act as he did, for verse 2 expressly states that
Hanun's father had shown kindness to him. Then would it not have been
rebukable ingratitude if David had failed to make some suitable
return? Exactly what was the nature of that "kindness" which Nahash,
the king of the Ammonites, had shown David, Scripture does not inform
us; and therefore speculation is useless. But if David had sought some
favor from him, as he did from Achish, the son of the king of Gath (1
Sam. 27:1-7), then he was guilty of turning aside from the high
calling and privileged place of one whose dependency should be on the
living God alone. When such is the case, when we place our confidence
in man and lean upon the creature, we must not be surprised if God
rebukes and foils our carnal hopes.
There is a principle involved here which it is important for us to be
clear upon, but the application of which is likely to exercise those
who are of a tender conscience. How far is it permissible for the
Christian to receive favors from unbelievers? Something depends upon
the relation borne to him by the one who proffers them; something upon
the motive likely to be actuating the profferer; something upon the
nature of what is proffered. Obviously, the Christian must never
accept anything from one who has no right to tender it--a dishonest
employee, for example. Nor must he accept anything which the Word of
God condemns--such as an immodest dress, a ticket to the theatre, etc.
Firmly must he refuse any favor which would bring him under obligation
to a worldling: it is at this point that Satan often seeks to ensnare
the believer--by bringing him under the power of the ungodly through
becoming indebted to them.
But though we are not informed of how and when Nahash had befriended
David, the Holy Spirit has placed on record an incident which reveals
the character of this king: "Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and
encamped against Jabeshgilead: and all the men of Jabesh said unto
Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee. And Nahash
the Ammonite answered them, On this condition will I make a covenant
with you, that I may thrust out all your right eyes, and lay it for a
reproach upon all Israel" (1 Sam. 11:1, 2). Why, then, should David
now show respect unto the memory of one who had evidenced himself such
a cruel enemy of the people of God! It could not be any spiritual
principle which actuated Israel's king on this occasion. A clear word
for our guidance concerning those who are the open enemies of God is
given us in, "Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate
the Lord!" (2 Chron. 19:2)
But not only should the evil character of Nahash have restrained David
from showing respect to his memory, but the race to which he belonged
ought to have been a separating barrier. He was an Ammonite, and as
such under the interdict of the Lord, because that nation had refused
to meet the children of Israel "with bread and with water in the way,
when they came forth out of the land of Egypt," and they together with
the Moabites (because they had hired Balaam against them) were
debarred from entering into the congregation of the Lord, even to
their tenth generation (Deut. 23:3, 4). But more: concerning both the
Ammonites and the Moabites God expressly prohibited, "Thou shalt not
seek their peace nor their good all thy days forever" (Deut. 23:6).
David, then, disobeyed a plain command of God on this occasion.
As to whether or not David was personally acquainted with that
particular divine statute, we cannot say. Probably the only thought in
his mind was diplomatically to time his effort to secure peace between
the two nations. But God blew upon his political scheme, and in so
doing gave warning unto His people throughout all generations that
only disappointment and vexation can be expected from their attempts
to court the friendship of the ungodly. "And the princes of the
children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou that David
doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? hath
not David rather sent his servants unto thee, to search the city, and
to spy it out, and to overthrow it?" (2 Sam. 10:3). Treacherous minds
always suspect other people of perfidy.
"Wherefore Hanun took David's servants, and shaved off the one half of
their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their
buttocks, and sent them away" (v. 4). And why did God allow those
princes to wrongly interpret David's kindness, and their king to heed
them and now insult David by thus disgracing his ambassadors? Because
He had far different designs than His servant. These men had filled up
"the measure" of their iniquity (Gen. 15:16; Matthew 23:32): their
hearts were ripe for ruin, and therefore were they hardened to their
destruction (11:1). God had not forgotten what is recorded in 1 Samuel
11:1, 2, though it had taken place many years before. His mills "grind
slowly," yet in the end, "they grind exceeding small."
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
His Fearful Fall
2 Samuel 11
_________________________________________________________________
A difficult and most unwelcome task now confronts us: to contemplate
and comment upon the darkest blot of all in the fair character of
David. But who are we, so full of sin in ourselves, unworthy to
unloose his shoes, to take it upon us to sit in judgment upon the
sweet Psalmist of Israel. Certainly we would not select this subject
from personal choice, for it affords us no pleasure to gaze upon an
eminent saint of God befouling himself in the mire of evil. O that we
may be enabled to approach it with true humility, in tear and
trembling, remembering that "as in water face answereth to face, so
the heart of man to man." Only then may we hope to derive any profit
from our perusal; the same applies to the reader. Before proceeding
further, let each of us ask God to awe our hearts by the solemn scene
which is to be before us.
It must be for God's glory and our profit that the Holy Spirit has
placed on record this account of David's fearful fall, otherwise it
would not have been given a permanent place on the imperishable pages
of Holy Writ. But in order to derive any good from it for our souls,
it is surely necessary that we approach this sad incident with a sober
mind and in a spirit of meekness, "considering ourselves, lest we also
be tempted' (Gal. 6:1). This inspired record is to be regarded as a
divine beacon, warning us of the rocks upon which David's life was
wrecked; as a danger signal, bidding us be on our guard, lest we,
through unwatchfulness, experience a similar calamity. Viewed thus,
there are valuable lessons to be learned, instruction which will stand
us in good stead if it be humbly appropriated.
The fearful fall of David supplies a concrete exemplification of many
solemn statements of Scripture concerning the nature and character of
fallen man. Its teaching in regard to human depravity is very pointed
and unpalatable, and often has it been made a subject of unholy jest
by godless scoffers. Such declarations as, "the imagination of mans
heart is evil from his youth" (Gen. 8:21), "the heart is deceitful
above all things, and desperately wicked" (Jer. 17:9), "in my flesh
dwelleth no good thing" (Rom. 7:18), are highly objectionable to human
pride, yet the truth of them cannot be gainsaid. Fearful and
forbidding as are such descriptions of fallen man, nevertheless their
accuracy is illustrated and demonstrated again and again in the lives
of Bible characters, as well as in the world today.
Rightly has it been said that, "One of the most astounding
demonstrations of the truth of the Bible is its unhesitating
revelation and denunciation of sin, in the professed follower at God.
It conceals nothing; on the contrary, it pulls aside the veil and
discloses all. It condones nothing; instead, it either utters the
terrible wrath of God against the guilty one, or records His judgments
as they fall upon the unhappy sinner, even to the third and fourth
generation (Ex. 34:7).
"It exalts Noah as a preacher of righteousness in an evil and violent
generation; with equal faithfulness it records his drunkenness and
shame (Gen. 9:20, 21). Abraham is set before us as a man of faith. In
the hour of famine, instead of waiting in quietness upon God, he goes
down into Egypt. Once there, he persuades has wife to misrepresent her
relationship to him, and through the acted falsehood imperils his
peace and her own (Gen. 12:12, 13). Lot falls away after his
deliverance from Sodom, and through love of wine is subjected to the
lust of his wanton daughters. Aaron and Miriam are filled with
jealousy and speak evilly against Moses, their brother. Moses speaks
unadvisedly with his lips, and is shut out from the land of promise.
The white light of truth flashes on every page, and the faults, the
follies, the sins and inexcusable iniquities of those who call
themselves the people and servants of God, are seen in all their
repulsive forms" (I. M. H.).
Thus it was in the tragic case now before us. The fearful conduct of
David reveals to us with terrible vividness that not only is the
natural man a fallen and depraved creature, but also that the redeemed
and regenerated man is liable to fall into the most heinous evil; yea,
that unless God is pleased to sovereignly interpose, unwatchfulness on
the part of the believer is certain to issue in consequences highly
dishonoring to the Lord and fearfully injurious to himself. This it is
which above all else makes our present portion so unspeakably solemn:
here we behold the lusts of the flesh allowed full sway not by a man
of the world, but by a member of the household of faith; here we
behold a saint, eminent in holiness, in a unguarded moment, surprised,
seduced and led captive by the devil. The "flesh" in the believer is
no different and no better than the flesh in an unbeliever!
Yes, the sweet Psalmist of Israel, who had enjoyed such long and close
communion with God, still had the "flesh" within him, and because he
failed to mortify its lusts, he now flung away the joys of divine
fellowship, defiled his conscience, ruined his soul's prosperity,
brought down upon himself (for all his remaining years) a storm of
calamities, and made his name and religion a target for the arrows of
sarcasm and blasphemy of each succeeding generation. Every claim that
God had upon him, every obligation of his high office, all the fences
which divine mercy had provided, were ruthlessly trampled under foot
by the fiery lust now burning in him. He who in the day of his
distress cried, "My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God" (Ps.
42:2) now lusted after a forbidden object. Alas, what is man? Truly
"man at his best estate is altogether vanity" (Ps. 39:5).
But how are we to account for David's fearful fall? Why was it that he
succumbed so readily in the presence of temptation? What was it that
led up to and occasioned his heinous sin? These questions are capable
of a twofold answer, according as we view them in the light of the
high sovereignty of God or the responsibility of man; for the present
we shall consider them from the latter viewpoint. And it is here we
should derive the most practical help for our own souls; it is in
tracing the relation between God's chastisements and what occasions
them, between men's sins and what leads up to them, that we discover
what is most essential for us to lay to heart. The reasons why Abraham
"went down to Egypt" are revealed in the context. Peter's denial of
Christ may be traced back to his self-confidence in following his
Master "afar off." And, we shall see, the divine record enables us to
trace David's fall back to the springs which occasioned it.
"And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when
kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with
him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and
besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem. And it came to
pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked
upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman
washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. And
David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this
Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? And
David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he
lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she
returned unto her house" (2 Sam. 11:1-4). We cannot do better than
seek to fill in the outline of Matthew Henry on these verses: first,
the occasions of this
The occasions of or what led up to David's fearful fall are plainly
intimated in the above verses. We begin by noticing the rime mark here
mentioned: "And it came to pass after the year was expired, at the
time when kings go forth to battle" (v. 1), which signifies, at the
season of spring, after the winter is over. Following the period of
enforced inactivity, upon the return of favorable weather, the
military activities against the Ammonites were resumed: Joab and the
army went forth, "But David tarried still at Jerusalem." Ominous
"But," noting the Spirit's disapproval at the king's conduct. Here is
the first key which explains what follows, and we do well to weigh it
attentively, for it is recorded "for our learning" and warning Reduced
to its simplest terms, that which is here signified is David's failure
to follow the path of duty.
It is obvious that at this time the king's place--his accustomed one
hitherto (see 10:17)--was at the head of his fighting men, leading
them to the overthrow of Israel's enemies. Had he been out fighting
the battles of the Lord, he had not been subject to the temptation
which soon confronted him. It may appear a trifling matter in our eyes
that the king should tarry at Jerusalem: if so, it shows we sadly fail
to view things in their proper perspective--it is never a trifling
matter to forsake the post of obligation, be that post the most menial
one. The fact is that we cannot count upon divine protection when we
forsake the path of duty. That was the force of our Saviours reply
when the devil bade Him cast Himself down from the pinnacle of the
temple; that pinnacle lay not in the path of His duty, hence His "thou
shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."
David relaxed when he should have girded on the sword: he preferred
the luxuries of the palace to the hardships of the battlefield. Ah, it
is so easy to follow the line of least resistance. It requires grace
(diligently sought) to "endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus
Christ" (2 Tim. 2:3). Alas that David had failed to profit from a
previous failure along this same line: when he had sought rest among
the Philistines at an earlier date, he fell readily into sin (1 Sam.
21:13); so it was now, when he sought ease in Jerusalem. The important
principle here for the Christian to lay to heart is, David had taken
off his armor, and therefore he was without protection when the enemy
assailed him. Ah, my reader, this world is no place to rest in; rather
is it the arena where faith has to wage its fight, and that fight is
certain to be a losing one if we disregard that exhortation "Put on
the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the
wiles of the devil" (Eph. 6:11).
"And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his
bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house." Here is the second
thing for us to observe: not only had David shunned the post of duty,
but he was guilty of slothfulness. It was not the slumbers of
nighttime which the Spirit here takes notice of, for it was
eveningtide when he "arose"--it was the afternoon which he had wasted
in self-luxuriation. David had failed to redeem the time: he was not
engaged either in seeking to be of use to others, or in improving
himself. Laziness gives great advantage to the tempter: it was "while
men slept" that the enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat"
(Matthew 13:29). It is written, "The hand of the diligent shall bear
rule (in measure, over his lusts): but the slothful shall be under
tribute" (Prov. 12:24).
What a word is this: "I went by the field of the slothful, and by the
vineyard of the man void of understanding; and, lo, it was all grown
over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the
stone wall thereof was broken down" (Prov. 24:30, 31). Does not the
reader perceive the spiritual meaning of this: the "field" is his
life, open before all; the vineyard" (private property) is his heart.
And what a state they are in: through idle neglect, filled with that
which is obnoxious to God and worthless to men. "Then I saw, and
considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction" (v.
32). Do we? Do we lay it to heart and profit therefrom when we behold
so many wrecked and fruitless lives around us--ruined by spiritual
indolence. "Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of
the hands to sleep; So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth;
and thy want as an armed man" (vv. 33, 34)--are not those verses a
solemn commentary on 2 Samuel 11:2!
"And from the roof he saw a woman washing herself, and the woman was
very beautiful to look upon." Here is the third thing: a wandering
eye. In Isaiah 33:15 and 16 we are told concerning the one that
"shutteth his eyes from seeing evil, he shall dwell on the heights,
his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks." Alas, this is
what David did not do: instead, he suffered his eyes to dwell upon an
alluring but prohibited object. Among his prayers was this petition,
"Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity" (Ps. 119:37), but we
cannot expect God to answer us if we deliberately spy upon the privacy
of others. We turn now to consider the actual steps in this fall.
"And David sent and enquired after the woman." He purposed now to
satisfy his lust. He who had once boasted "I will behave myself wisely
in a perfect way. O when wilt Thou come unto me? I will walk within my
house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked thing before mine
eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to
me. A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked
person" (Ps. 101:2-4), now determined to commit adultery. Note the
repeated "I will" in the above passage, and learn therefrom how much
the "will" of man is worth!
"And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not
this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?"
Here was calm deliberation and premeditation on the part of David.
Here too was a merciful interposition on the part of God, for one of
the kings servants dared to remind his royal master that the woman he
was inquiring about was the wife of another. How often does the Lord
in his grace and faithfulness place some obstacle across our path,
when we are planning something which is evil in His sight! It is this
which renders our sin far worse, when we defiantly break through any
hedge which the providence of God places about us. O that we may draw
back with a shudder when such obstacles confront us, and not rush
blindly like an ox to the slaughter.
"And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him,
and he lay with her." The order is very solemn: first "he saw" (v. 2),
then he "sent and inquired" (v. 3), and now "he lay with her." Yet
that does not give us the complete picture: we need to go back to
verse 1 in order to take in the entire scene, and as we do so, we
obtain a vivid and solemn illustration of what is declared in James
1:14, 15. First, David was "drawn away of his lust"--of fleshly ease
and indolence; second, he was then "enticed"--by the sight of a
beautiful woman; third, "then when lust had conceived it brought forth
sin"--that of premeditated adultery; and, as the terrible sequel
shows, "sin when it was finished brought forth death"--the murder of
Uriah her husband.
The aggravations of his sin were marked and many. First, David was no
longer a hot-blooded youth, but a man some fifty years of age. Second,
he was not a single man, but one who already had several wives of his
own--this is emphasized in chapter 12:8, when God sent the prophet to
charge him with his wickedness. Third, he had sons who had almost
reached the age of manhood: what a fearful example for a father to set
before them! Fourth, he was the king of Israel, and therefore under
binding obligation to set before his subjects a pattern of
righteousness. Fifth, Uriah, the man whom he so grievously wronged,
was even then hazarding his life in the king's service. And above all,
he was a child of God, and as such, under bonds to honor and glorify
His name.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER FIFTY TWO
His Terrible Sin
2 Samuel 11
_________________________________________________________________
In the Psalms of David two very different characters come before us
again and again. In some of those Psalms there is expressed the
sorrows of one who is consciously righteous, suffering the reproaches
of the wicked, yet assured of strength in God, and looking forward to
that fulness of joy which is at His right hand. In other Psalms we
hear the sobbings of a convicted conscience, a heart deeply exercised
over personal transgression, seeking after divine mercy, and being
granted a blessed sense of the infinite sufficiency of divine grace to
meet his deep need. Now, those two characters in the Psalms correspond
to the two principal stages in David's life as portrayed,
respectively, in the first and second books of Samuel. In 1 Samuel we
see him brought from obscurity unto honor and peace, upheld by God in
righteousness amid the persecution of the wicked. In the latter we
behold him descending from honor, through sin, into degradation and
turmoil, yet there learning the amazing riches of divine grace to bear
with and pardon one who fell into such deep mire.
Solemn indeed is the contrast presented of David in the two books of
Samuel: in the former he is conqueror of the mighty Goliath: in the
latter he is mastered by his own lusts. Now the sins of God's servants
are recorded for our instruction: not for us to shelter behind and use
for palliating our own offences, but for us to lay to heart and seek
with all our might to avoid. The most effectual means against our
repeating their sins is to keep from those things which lead up to or
occasion them. In the preceding chapter we pointed out that David's
fearful fall was preceded by three things: the laying aside of his
armor at the very time it was his duty to gird on the sword; the
indulging in slothful ease in the palace, when he should have been
enduring hardness as a soldier on the battlefield; the allowing of a
wandering eye to dwell upon an unlawful object, when he should have
turned it away from beholding vanity.
"Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed
is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41). Prayer of itself
is not sufficient: we have not fully discharged our duty when we have
asked God to lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. We
must "watch," be on the alert, noting the direction of our desires,
the character of our motives, the tendency of things which may be
lawful in themselves, the influence of our associations. It is our
inner man which we most need to watch: "Keep thy heart with all
diligence, for out of it are the issues of life" (Prov. 4:23). Then,
if we are faithful and diligent in "watching," out of a sense of our
personal weakness and insufficiency, it is in order to "pray,"
counting on the help of our gracious God to undertake for us. To
"pray" without "watching" is only to mock God, by seeking to shelve
our responsibility.
Prayer was never designed by God as a substitute for personal effort
and diligence, but rather as an adjunct thereto--to seek divine grace
for enabling us to be dutiful and faithful. "Continue in prayer, and
watch in the same with thanksgiving" (Col. 4:2). Not only does God
require us to "watch" before we pray, but we are also to "watch"
immediately after. And again we say, that which we most need to watch
is ourselves. There is a traitor within our own breast, ever ready and
desirous of betraying us if allowed the opportunity of so doing. Who
had thought that such an one as David would ever experience such a
fearful fall as he had! Ah, my reader, not even a close walk with God,
or a long life of eminent piety, will eradicate or even change the
sinful nature which still abides in the saint. So long as we are in
this world we are never beyond the reach of temptation, and nought but
watchfulness and prayer will safeguard us from it.
Nor is it easy to say how low a real child of God may fall, nor how
deeply he may sink into the mire, once he allows the lusts of the
flesh their free play. Sin is insatiable: it is never satisfied. Its
nature is to drag us lower and lower, getting more and more daring in
its opposition to God: and but for His recovering grace it would carry
us down to hell itself. Took at Israel: unbelieving at the Red Sea,
murmuring in the wilderness, setting up the idolatrous calf at Sinai.
Look at the course of Christendom as outlined in Revelation 2 and 3:
beginning by leaving her first love, ending by becoming so mixed up
with the world that Christ threatened to spew her out of His mouth.
Thus it was with David: from laying on his bed to allowing his eves to
wander, from gazing on Bathsheba to committing adultery with her, from
adultery to murder, and then sinking into such spiritual deadness that
for a whole year he remained impenitent, till an express messenger
from God was needed to arouse him from his torpor.
"And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said. I am with
child" (2 Sam. 11:5). Sooner or later the man or the woman who
deliberately defies God and tramples His laws underfoot finds from
painful experience that "the way of transgressors is hard" (Prov.
13:15). It is true that the final punishment of the wicked is in the
next world, and it is true that for years some daring rebels appear to
mock God with impugnity; nevertheless, His government is such that,
even in this life, they are usually made to reap as they have sown.
The pleasures of sin Are but "For a season" (Heb. 11:25), and a very
brief one at that: nevertheless "at the last it biteth like a serpent
and stingeth like an adder" (Prov. 23:32). Make no mistake on that
point, dear reader: "Be sure your sins will find you out" (Num.
32:23). It did so with David and Bathsheba, for now the day of
reckoning had to be faced.
The penalty for adultery was death: "And the man that committeth
adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery
with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and adulteress shall surely
be put to death" (Lev. 20:10). Bathsheba now had good cause to fear
the righteous wrath of her husband, and the enforcing of the dread
sentence of the law. David, too, was faced with serious trouble: the
one with whom he had had illicit intercourse was pregnant, and her own
husband had been away from home for some time. The hidden works of
darkness must soon be forced into the light for when Uriah returned
the unfaithfulness of his wife would be discovered. This would give
him the right to have her stoned, and though David, by virtue of his
high position as king, might escape a similar fate, yet it was likely
that his guilt would be proclaimed abroad and a general revolt be
stirred up against him. But sad as was the predicament in which David
now found himself, still sadder was the measure he resorted to in
seeking to extricate himself.
Before taking up the doleful details in the inspired narrative, let us
first seek to obtain a general idea of what follows--asking the reader
to go over 2 Samuel 11:6-21 ere continuing with our comments. There
was no thirsting for Uriah's blood on the part of David: it was only
after all his carnal efforts had failed to use Uriah in covering his
own sin, that the king resorted to extreme measures. Another before us
has pointed out the awful parallel which here obtains between David
and Pilate. The Roman governor thirsted not for the blood of the
Saviour, rather did he resort to one expedient after another so as to
preserve His life; and only after those had failed, did he give his
official sanction to the crucifying of the Lord Jesus. Alas that the
sweet Psalmist of Israel should here find himself in the same class
with Pilate, but the flesh in the believer is no different from the
flesh in the unbeliever, and when allowed its way it issues in the
same works in both.
But the analogy between David and Pilate is even closer. What was it
that caused David to sacrifice Uriah in order to shield himself? It
was his love of the world, his determination to preserve his place and
reputation among men at all costs. Love of his Fair name in the world,
resolved that under no circumstances would he be branded as an
adulterer, so whatever stood in the way must be removed. He contrived
various expedients to preserve his character, but these were baffled;
so just as the lust of the eye led him to adultery with Bathsheba, now
the pride of life goaded him to the murder of her husband. And was it
not the same with Pilate? He had no murderous designs against Christ,
but he put his own credit in the eyes of men before everything else:
he was Caesar's friend--the world's friend--and rather than risk any
breach in that friendship Jesus must die.
"And David sent to Joab, saying, Send me Uriah the Hittite. And Joab
sent Uriah to David" (v. 6). It was not unto the Lord that David now
turned: He seems not to have been in his thoughts at all. Nor is He
when sin has gained the ascendancy over the saint. Alas that we are so
slow, so reluctant, to put things right with God--by sincere
repentance and humble confession--when we have displeased and
dishonored Him. No, David was far more anxious to conceal his crime
and escape the temporal consequences of it, than he was to seek the
forgiveness of the Lord his God. This, too, is recorded for our
instruction. It is written, "He that covereth his sins shall not
prosper" (Prov. 28:13), and there is no exception to that rule --O
that divine grace would cause each of us to lay it to heart and act
upon it. Only God knows how many of His own people are now under His
chastening rod, are lean in their souls and joyless in their hearts,
because of failure at this very point.
Refusal to put things right with God and our fellows, by confessing
our sins to the One and (so far as lies in our power) making
restitution to the other, gives Satan a great advantage over us. A
guilty conscience estranges the heart from God, so that it is no
longer able to count upon His protection; the Spirit is grieved and
withholds His grace, so that the understanding is unable to see things
in His light. The soul is then in such a state that Satan's lies are
acceptable to it, and then the whole course of conduct is more or less
regulated by him. Carnal scheming takes the place of seeking wisdom
from on high, stealth and trickery supplant openness and honesty, and
self-interests absorb all the energies instead of seeking the glory of
God and the good of others. This comes out plainly in the deplorable
sequel here: all of David's actions now show that he was actuated by
Satan rather than dominated by the Holy Spirit.
"And when Uriah was come unto him, David demanded of him how Joab did,
and how the people did, and how the war prospered" (v. 7). Having been
summoned back from the scene of fighting, Uriah was given an audience
with David under the pretense of supplying his royal master with an
accurate account of how the hostilities were proceeding. In reality,
those inquiries of the king were merely a blind to cover his real
desire in having sent for Bathsheba's husband. Seemingly, David wished
to convey to Uriah the impression that he had more confidence in his
word concerning the progress of the war than that of any one else in
Israel. But it is quite clear from what follows that David had called
Uriah home for a very different purpose. How little we know the
motives of those who ask us questions, and how it behooves us to heed
that exhortation "put not your confidence in princes" (Ps. 146:3).
"And David said to Uriah, Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet" (v.
8). This makes clearer the secret design of the king in summoning
Uriah to Jerusalem. David was determined to spare himself the shame of
its becoming known that he was guilty of adultery with Bathsheba, and
the only way in which that could be avoided was by getting her husband
back to spend a night or two at home, so that the child might be
fathered on him. "And Uriah departed out of the king's house, and
there followed him a mess of meat from the king" (v. 8). David was
anxious that the one whom he designed to act as a cloak for his own
sin should feel free to enjoy to the full the brief furlough now
granted him. Again we say, how ignorant we often are of the subtle
designs
"But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants
of his lord, and went not down to his house" (v. 9). How often the
best-laid schemes of men meet with disappointment. It was so with
Abraham's attempt in getting Sarah to pose as his sister; it was so
with Jonah's efforts to avoid preaching to the Ninevites; it was so
here. David was balked: he had failed to estimate aright the sterling
qualities of the man with whom he was dealing. Uriah was not the one
to give way to self-indulgence while his brethren were enduring the
hardships of a military, campaign. And should not this speak loudly to
our hearts? Are the days in which we are living such that Christians
are justified in seeking ease and fleshly gratification?
"And when they had told David, saying, Uriah went not down unto his
house, David said unto Uriah, Camest thou not from thy journey? Why
then didst thou not go down into thine house?" (v. 10). Instead of
commending Uriah for his noble unselfishness, the king half reproved
him. But David could not approve Uriah's conduct without condemning
his own. Ah, my reader, they who criticize those who live as
"strangers and pilgrims" in this scene (and they are few in number in
this degenerate generation), calling them "strict," "straight-laced,"
"extremists," "puritanic," do but give themselves away. They who
practice self-denial are thorns in the sides of those who wish to
"make the most of both worlds" by pandering to their carnal desires.
"And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in
tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in
the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink,
and to lie with my wife?--as thou livest, and thy soul liveth, I will
not do this thing" (v. 11). What a rebuke was this! The Lord and His
people in the open fields, engaging the foes of Israel; David at home
in his palace, enjoying his ease and indulging the desires of nature.
How those noble words of Uriah should have melted David's heart! How
they should have smitten his conscience for having yielded so vilely
to his sinful passions and for so grievously wronging, in his absence,
such a loyal subject! But alas, where the heart is no longer concerned
for God's glory, it is incapable of receiving correction or rebuke
from a fellow creature. David was filled with pride of reputation and
the fear of man, and was determined to make Uriah serve for him as a
screen from the public eye.
"And David said to Uriah, Tarry here today also, and to morrow I will
let thee depart. So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day, and the morrow"
(v. 12). When the heart is fully set upon doing evil, it refuses to be
daunted by difficulties: if one method of obtaining the coveted end
fails, it will try another. Alas that the same persistent
determination does not characterize us when we are seeking that which
is good: how easily we are discouraged then! Patience is a virtue, but
it is prostituted to a base end when used in an evil course. Thus it
was now: David refused to admit defeat, and hoped that by keeping
"And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before him; and
he made him drunk" (v. 13). To what awful lengths can sin carry a
saint once he enters upon the downward path. The plan which David now
resorted to was horrible indeed, deliberately endeavoring to make the
faithful Uriah break his vow in verse 11. How sad to now see David the
tempter of Uriah unto drunkenness--hoping that while his blood was
heated, he would go home to his wife. But again he failed: "And at
even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but
went not down to his house" (v. 13). How this baffling of his plans
should have aroused David's sleeping conscience, for, manifestly,
God's providences were working against him. Worse was yet to follow:
this we must leave for our next chapter.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
His Terrible Sin
(Continued)
2 Samuel 11
_________________________________________________________________
David's fearful fall into committing adultery with Bathsheba was now
followed by a crime yet more odious. His unlawful child, soon to be
born, he had sought to father upon Uriah; but his efforts had failed.
A desperate situation now confronted him. He knew that if Uriah lived,
he must discover his wife's unfaithfulness, and this the king was
determined to prevent at all costs. Even though it meant adding sin to
sin and sinking more deeply into the mire of evil, David must preserve
his reputation before men, Here, again, we see the likeness between
him and Pilate: each sought to preserve innocent blood and the world
(a position of honor in it) for himself at the same time, and
surrendered the former for the latter when they could not both be
retained--the "pride of life" was so strong that to maintain it, the
death of another was not scrupled against.
Once a man, even though he be a believer, disregards the claims of
God, he is quite liable to ignore the claims of human friendship. It
was so in the sad case here before us. David now shrank not from going
to any length. First, he had tempted Uriah to break his vow (2 Sam.
11:11). Second, he had endeavored to make him drunk (11:13). And now
he deliberately plotted the death of his devoted subject. He had
rather that innocent blood be shed, and his whole army be threatened
with defeat, than that his own good name should be made a scandal. See
to what incredible lengths sin will urge even a child of God once he
yields to its clamorings: adultery now occasioned murder! O my reader,
what real need there is for begging God to enable you to "pass the
time of your sojourning here in fear" (1 Peter 1:17)!
"When a man has so far given place to the devil as not only to commit
scandalous sins, but to use disingenuous and base means of concealing
them, and with sure prospect of having the whole exposed to public
view; what would prevent his being pushed forward, by the same
influence and from the same motives, to treachery, malice and murder,
till crimes are multiplied and magnified beyond computation, and till
every nobler consideration is extinguished?" (Thomas Scott). Thus it
was here: no matter what happened, David was resolved to maintain his
own reputation. Sure proof was this that, at the time, he was
completely dominated by Satan, as is shown by those words "lest being
lifted up with pride, he fall into the condemnation of the devil" (1
Tim. 3:6). How we need to pray that God would mercifully hide pride
from" us (Job 33:17)!
Further proof that David was then thoroughly in the toils of Satan,
may be seen in the subtle and vile tactics to which he now resorted.
Thoroughly determined to cover his awful sin of adultery by committing
still greater wickedness, he resolved to have poor Uriah put out of
the way. "That innocent, valiant, and gallant man, who was ready to
die for his prince's honor must die by his prince's hand" (Matthew
Henry). Yes, but not directly; David was too cunning for that, and too
anxious to preserve his own good name before men. He would not kill
Uriah by his own hand, nor even bid his servants assassinate him, for
his reputation had been destroyed by such a step. He therefore
resorted to a more serpentine measure, which, though it concealed his
own hand, was none the less heinous. The bravery of Uriah and his zeal
for this country, suggested to the king the method of dispatching him.
And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab,
and sent it by the hand of Uriah. And he wrote in the letter saying,
Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye
from him, that he may be smitten, and die" (2 Sam. 11:14, 15). With
cold-blooded deliberation David penned a note to the commander of his
army, commanding him to station his faithful soldier in the place
where he would be the most exposed to the assaults of the foe, and
then leave him to his cruel fate. The king's letter, decreeing his
death, was carried by Uriah himself, and delivered to Joab. The
general did as his master had bidden, and Uriah was slain. David's
abominable plan succeeded, and he whose accusations he so much feared,
now lay silent in death--committed to an honorable grave, while his
murderer's honor was sullied as long as this world lasts.
This terrible sin of David's was more laid to his charge by God than
any other he committed: not only because of its gravity, and because
it has given occasion to so many of His enemies to blaspheme, but also
because it was more a deliberate and premeditated crime than an
involuntary infirmity acting suddenly. How many of his failures are
left on record: his lie to Ahimelech (1 Sam. 21:2), his dissimulation
before the king of Gath (1 Sam. 21:12), his rash vow to destroy Nabal
(1 Sam. 25:33), his unbelieving "I shall one day perish at the hand of
Saul" (1 Sam. 27:1), his injustice in the matter of Mephibosheth and
Ziba (2 Sam. 16:4), his indulgence of Absalom, his numbering of the
people (2 Sam. 24); yet after his death God said, "David did that
which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and turned not aside from any
thing that He commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the
matter of Uriah the Hittite" (1 Kings 15:5).
The immediate sequel is as sad and awful as is what has just been
before us. When he received the tidings that his vile plot had
succeeded, David callously said to the messenger, "Thus shalt thou say
unto Joab, Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword devoureth
one as well as another" (v. 25). There was no compunction that a loyal
supporter had been cruelly murdered, no horror of heart at his own
guilt in connection therewith, no grief that others besides Uriah had
been sacrificed for his crime; instead, he pretended that it was but
"the fortunes of war," and to be taken stoically. Disregarding the
massacre of his soldiers, David complimented Joab on the execution of
his abominable order, and bade the messenger return "and encourage
thou him."
"And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she
mourned for her husband" (v. 26). What a vile mockery! Only God knows
how often the outward "mourning" over the departed is but a
hypocritical veil to cover satisfaction of heart for being rid of
their presence. Even where that be not the case, the speedy remarriage
of weeping widows and widowers indicates how shallow was their grief.
And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his
house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that
David had done displeased the Lord" (v. 27). David had pleased
himself, but he had grievously displeased the Lord! "Let none
therefore encourage themselves in sin by the example of David, for if
they sin as he did, they will fall under the displeasure of God as he
did" (Matthew Henry).
The question has been asked, can a person who has committee such
atrocious crimes, and so long remains impenitent, be indeed a child of
God, a member or Christ, a temple of the Holy Spirit, and an heir of
everlasting glory? Can one spark of divine like exist un-extinguished
in such an ocean of evil?" Were we left to our own unaided judgment to
make reply, most probably every last one of us would promptly answer,
No, such a thing is unthinkable. Yet in the clear light of Holy Writ
it is plain that such things are possible. Later, David made it
manifest that he was a truly regenerated person by the sincerity and
depth of his contrition and confession. Yet, let it be said that, no
man while guilty of such sins, and before he genuinely repents of the
same, can have any warrantable evidence to conclude that he is a
believer; yea, everything points to the contrary. Though grace be not
lost in such an awful case, divine consolation and assurance is
suspended.
But now the question arises, Why did God permit David to fall so low
and sin so terribly? The first answer must be, To display His high and
awe-inspiring sovereignty. Here we approach ground which is indeed
difficult for us to tread, even with unshodden feet. Nevertheless it
cannot be gainsaid that there is a marvellous and sovereign display of
the Lord's grace toward His people in this particular respect, both
before their calling and after. Some of the elect are permitted to sin
most grievously in their unconverted state, whilst others of them,
even in their unregenerate days, are wondrously preserved. Again; some
of the elect after their conversion have been divinely allowed to
awfully fall into the most horrible impieties, whilst others of them
are so preserved as never to sin willfully against their consciences
from the first conviction to the very close of their lives (Condensed
from S. E. Pierce on Hosea 14:1).
This is a high mystery, which it would be most impious for us to
attempt to pry into: rather must we bow our heads before it and say,
"Even so, Father, for so it seemeth good in thy sight." It is a solemn
fact, from which there is no getting away, that some sin more before
their conversion, and some (especially those saved in early life) sin
worse after their conversion. It is also a plain fact that with some
saints God most manifests His restraining grace, and with others his
pardoning grace. Three things are to be steadily borne in mind in
connection with the sins or the saints. God never regards sin as a
trifle: it is ever that abominable thing which He hates (Jer. 44:4).
Second, it is never to be excused or extenuated by us. Third, Gods
sovereignty therein must be acknowledged: whatever difficulties it may
raise before our minds, let us hold last the tact that God does as He
pleases, and "giveth no account" of His actions (Job 33:13).
A second answer to the question, Why did God permit David to fall so
fearfully and sin so grievously? may be: that we might have set before
our eyes the more clearly the awful fact that "the heart is deceitful
above all things, and desperately wicked" (Jer. 17:9). Unmistakably
plain as is the meaning of those words, uttered by him who cannot lie,
yet how very slow we all are to really receive them at their face
value, and acknowledge that they accurately describe the natural state
of every human heart--that of the Man Christ Jesus alone excepted. But
God has done more than make this bare statement: He has placed on
record in His Word illustrations, exemplifications, demonstrations of
its verity--notably so in allowing us to see the unspeakable
wickedness that still remained in the heart of David!
Third, by suffering David to fall and sin as he did, God has
graciously given a most solemn warning to believers in middle
life--and elder Christians also. "Many conquerors have been ruined by
their carelessness after a victory, and many have been spiritually
wounded after great successes against sin. David was so; his great
surprisal into sin was after a long profession, manifold experiences
of God, and watchful keeping himself from his iniquity. And hence, in
particular, hath it come to pass that the profession of many hath
declined in their old age or riper time: they have given over the work
of mortifying sin before their work was at an end. There is no way for
us to pursue sin in its unsearchable habitation but by being endless
in our pursuit. The command God gives in Colossians 3:5 is as
necessary for them to observe who are toward the end of their race, as
those who are but at the beginning of it" (John Owen).
Fourth, the fearful fall of David made way for a display of the
amazing grace of God in recovering His fallen people. If we are slow
to receive what Scripture teaches concerning the depravity of the
human heart and the exceeding sinfulness of sin, we are equally slow
to really believe what it reveals about the covenant-faithfulness of
God, the efficacy of Christ's blood to cleanse the foulest stain from
those for whom it was shed, and the super-abounding grace of Him who
is "the Father of mercies." Had David never sinned so grievously and
sunken so low, he had never known those infinite depths of mercy which
there are in the heart of God. Likewise, had his terrible sin, his
subsequent broken-hearted confession, and his pardon by God, never
been placed upon divine record, not a few of God's people throughout
the centuries had sunk in abject despair.
Fifth, to furnish a fatal stumbling-block to blatant rebels. "It is
certain that thousands through succeeding generations have, by this
fall of `the man after God's own heart,' been prejudiced against true
religion, hardened in infidelity, or emboldened in blasphemy; while
others have thence taken occasion to commit habitual wickedness under
a religious profession, and with presumptuous confidence, to the still
greater discredit of the Gospel. It should, however, be considered,
that all these have been, previously, either open enemies to true
religion, or hypocritical pretenders to it: and it is the righteous
purpose of God, that stumbling-blocks should be thrown in the way of
such men, that they may `stumble, and fall, and be snarled, and taken,
and perish:' It is His holy will thus to detect the secret malignity
of their hearts, and to make way for the display of His justice in
their condemnation. On the other hand, thousands, from age to age,
have by this awful example been rendered more suspicious of
themselves, more watchful, more afraid of temptation, more dependent
on the Lord, and more fervent in prayer; and by means of David's fall,
have, themselves, been preserved from falling" (Thomas Scott).
God, then, had wise and sufficient reasons, both for permitting David
to sin so heinously and for placing the same upon imperishable record.
Nor has any opposer or despiser of the Truth any just ground to
sneeringly ask, Are those the fruits of grace and faith? We answer,
No, they are not; instead, they are the horrible works of the flesh,
the filth which issues from corrupt human nature. How strong must
those inclinations be to evil, when they, at times, succeed in
overcoming the oppositions of truth and grace dwelling in the heart of
an eminent saint of God! And in the light of the context (2 Sam. 11:1,
2) how it behooves us to watch against the beginnings of negligence
and sell-indulgence, and keep at the utmost distance from that
precipice over which David fell; begging God that it may please Him to
deliver us from all forbidden objects.
But this incident presents another difficulty to some, namely, how to
harmonize it with the declaration made in 1 John 3:15: "Ye know that
no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him." It is really surprising
that so many have experienced trouble in reconciling this with the
case of David: as usual, the difficulty is self-created through
ignoring the context. In 1 John 3:11 the apostle takes up the subject
of the Christians' love one for another, whereby they make it manifest
that they are brethren in Christ. The world (1) loves them not (2)
hates them (3) will murder them whenever they dare--as Cain did Abel.
But no real Christian has such a hatred in his heart against any
"brother" in Christ. Nor had David. Uriah was not an Israelite, but an
"Hittite" (2 Sam. 11:3; 1 Kings 15:5)!
In conclusion, let us point out some of the solemn lessons which we
may learn from this sad incident. 1. Beware of the beginnings of sin:
who had imagined that taking his ease when he should have been at the
post of duty on the battlefield, had led to adultery and ended in
murder? 2. See how refusal to put one serious wrong right, preferring
concealment to confession, gives Satan a great advantage over us, to
lead into yet worse evil! 3. Learn therefrom that there is no security
in years, and that no past communion with God will safeguard us
against temptations when we are careless in the present. 4. How fickle
is poor human nature: David's heart smote him when he cut off Saul's
skirt, yet later he deliberately planned the murder of Uriah. 5. Mark
what fearful lengths pride will go to in order to maintain a
reputation before men. 6. Behold how callous the heart will become
once the strivings of conscience are disregarded. 7. Though we may
succeed in escaping the wrath of our fellows, sin always meets with
the displeasure of the Lord.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
His Conviction
2 Samuel 12
_________________________________________________________________
An interval of some months elapsed between what is recorded in 2
Samuel 11 and that which is found at the beginning of chapter 12.
During this interval David was free to enjoy to the full that which he
had acquired through his wrongdoing. The one obstacle which lay in the
way of the free indulgence of his passion was removed; Bathsheba was
now his. Apparently, the king, in his palace, was secure and immune.
So far there had been no intervention of God in judgment, and
throughout those months David had remained impenitent for the fearful
crimes he had committed. Alas, how dull the conscience of a saint may
become. But if David was pleased with the consummation of his vile
plans, there was One who was displeased. The eyes of God had marked
his evil conduct, and the divine righteousness would not pass it by.
"These things hast thou done, and I kept silence," yet He adds "but I
will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes" (Ps.
50:21).
God may suffer His people to indulge the lusts of the flesh and fall
into grievous sin, but He will not allow them to remain content and
happy in such a case; rather are they made to prove that "the way of
transgressors is hard." In Job 20 the Holy Spirit has painted a
graphic picture of the wretchedness experienced by the evil-doer.
"Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his
tongue; though he spare it, and forsake it not; but keep it still
within his mouth: yet his meat in his bowels is turned, it is the gall
of asps within him. He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit
them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly. He shall suck the
poison of asps: the viper's tongue shall slay him . . . It shall go
ill with him that is left in his tabernacle. The heaven shall reveal
his iniquity" (vv. 12-16, 26, 27). Notably is this the case with
backsliders, for God will not he mocked with impugnity.
The coarse pleasures of sin cannot long content a child of God. It has
been truly said that "Nobody buys a little passing pleasure in evil at
so dear a rate, or keeps it so short a time, as a good man." The
conscience of the righteous soon reasserts itself, and makes its
disconcerting voice heard. He may yet be far from true repentance, but
he will soon experience keen remorse. Months may pass before he again
enjoys communion with God, but self-disgust will quickly fill his
soul. The saint has to pay a fearfully high price for enjoying "the
pleasures of sin for a season." Stolen waters may be sweet for a
moment, but how quickly his "mouth is filled with gravel" (Prov.
20:17). Soon will the guilty one have to cry out, "He hath made my
chain heavy . . . He hath made me desolate: He hath filled me with
bitterness . . . Thou hast removed my soul far off from peace" (Lam.
3:7, 11, 15, 17).
Though the inspired historian has not described the wretchedness of
David's soul following his murder of Uriah, yet we may obtain a clear
view of the same from the Psalms penned by him after his conviction
and deep contrition. Those Psalms tell of a sullen closing of his
mouth: "when I kept silence" (32:3). Though his heart must frequently
have smitten him, yet he would not speak to God about his sin; and
there was nothing else he could speak of. They tell of the inward
perturbation and tumult that filled him: "My bones waxed old through
my roaring all the day long" (32:3): groans of remorse were wrung from
his yet unbroken heart. "For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me"
(v. 4)--a sense of the divine holiness and power oppressed him, though
it did not melt him.
Even a palace can afford no relief unto one who is filled with bitter
remorse. A king may command his subjects, but he cannot quiet the
voice of outraged conscience. No matter whether the sun of the morning
was shining or the shades of even were falling, there was no escape
for David. "Day and night" God's heavy hand weighted him down: "my
moisture is turned into the drought of summer" (he declared in v.
4)--it was as though some heated iron was scorching him: all the dew
and freshness of his life was dried up. Most probably he suffered
acutely in both body and soul. "Thus he dragged through a weary
year--ashamed of his guilty dalliance, wretched in his
self-accusation, afraid of God, and skulking in the recesses of his
palace from the sight of the people.
"David learned, what we all learn (and the holier a man is, the more
speedily and sharply the lesson follows on the heels of his sin), that
every transgression is a blunder, that we never get the satisfaction
which we expect from any sin, or if we do, we get something with it
which spoils it all. A nauseous drug is added to the exciting,
intoxicating drink which temptation offers, and though its flavor is
at first disguised by the pleasanter taste of sin, its bitterness is
persistent though slow, and clings to the palate long after that has
faded away utterly" (Alexander Maclaren). With equal clearness does
this appear in Psalm 51: "Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation"
(v. 12) he cries, for spiritual comforts had entirely deserted him. "O
Lord, open Thou my lips: and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise" (v.
15): the dust bad settled upon the strings of his harp because the
Spirit within was grieved.
How could it be otherwise? So long as David refused to humble himself
beneath the mighty hand of God, seeking from Him a spirit of true
repentance, and freely confessing his great wickedness, there could be
no more peace for him, no more happy communion with God, no further
growth in grace. O my reader, we would earnestly press upon you the
great importance of keeping short accounts with God. Let not guilt
accumulate upon thy conscience: make it a point each night of
spreading before Him the sins of the day, and seeking to be cleansed
therefrom. Any great sin lying long upon the conscience, unrepented
of, or not repented of as the matter requires, only furthers our
indwelling corruptions: neglect causes the heart to be hardened. "My
wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness" (Ps. 38:5): it
was his foolish neglect to make a timely application for the cure of
the wounds that sin had made, which he there laments.
At the end of 2 Samuel 11 we read, "But the thing that David had done
displeased the Lord," upon which Matthew Henry says. "One would think
it should have followed that the Lord sent enemies to invade him,
terrors to take hold on, and the messengers of death to arrest him.
No, He sent a prophet to him"--"And the Lord sent Nathan unto David"
(12:1). We are here to behold the exceeding riches of divine grace and
mercy: such "riches" that legal and self-righteous hearts have
murmured at, as a making light of sin--so incapable is the natural man
of discerning spiritual things: they are "foolishness" unto him. David
had wandered far, but he was not lost. "Though the righteous fall,"
yet it is written "he shall not he utterly cast down" (Ps. 37:24). O
how tenderly God watches over His sheep! How faithfully He goes after
and recovers them, when they have strayed! With what amazing goodness
does He heal their backslidings, and continue to love them freely!
"And the Lord sent Nathan unto David" (12:1). It is to be duly noted
that it was not David who sent for the prophet, though never did he
more sorely need his counsel than now. No, it was God who took the
initiative: it is ever thus, for we never seek Him, until He seeks us.
It was thus with Moses when a fugitive in Midian, with Elijah when
fleeing from Jezebel, with Jonah under the juniper tree, with Peter
after his denial (1 Cor. 15:5). O the marvel of it! How it should melt
our hearts. "If we believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot
deny Himself" (2 Tim. 2:13). Though He says, "I will visit their
transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes." it is at
once added, "Nevertheless My lovingkindness will I not utterly take
from him, nor suffer My faithfulness to fail" (Ps. 89:32, 33). So it
was here: David still had an interest in that everlasting covenant
"ordered in all things and sure" (2 Sam. 23:5).
"And the Lord sent Nathan unto David." Probably about a year had
elapsed from what is recorded in the beginning of the preceding
chapter, for the adulterous child was already born (12:14). Rightly
did Matthew Henry point out "Though God may suffer His people to fall
into sin, He will not suffer His people to lie still in it." No, God
will exhibit His holiness. His righteousness, and His mercy in
connection therewith. His holiness, by displaying His hatred of the
same, and by bringing the guilty one to penitently confess it. His
righteousness. in the chastening visited upon it; His mercy, in
leading the backslider to forsake it, and then bestow His pardon upon
him. What a marvellous and blessed exercise of His varied attributes!
"For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I
hid Me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his
heart. I have seen his ways, and will heal him (!!): I will lead him
also and restore comforts unto him" (Isa. 57:17,18).
"And the Lord sent Nathan unto David." The prophet's task was far from
being an enviable one: to meet the guilty king alone, face to face. As
yet David had evinced no sign of repentance. God had not cast off His
erring child, but He would not condone his grievous offences: all must
come out into the light. The divine displeasure must be made evident:
the culprit must be charged and rebuked: David must judge himself, and
then discover that where sin had abounded grace did much more abound.
Wondrous uniting of divine righteousness and mercy--made possible by
the Cross of Christ! The righteousness of God required that David
should be faithfully dealt with; the mercy of God moved Him to send
Nathan for the recovery of His strayed sheep. "Mercy and truth are met
together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other" (Ps. 85:10).
Yes, Nathan might well have quailed before the commission which God
now gave him. It was no easy matter to have to rebuke his royal
master. Varied indeed are the tasks which the Lord assigns His
servants. Often are they sent forth with a message which they well
know will be most unpalatable to their hearers; and the temptation to
tone it down, to take off its sharp edge, if not to substitute another
which will be more acceptable, is both real and strong. Little do the
rank and file even of God's people realize what it costs a minister of
the Gospel to be faithful to his calling. If the apostle Paul felt his
need of requesting prayer "that utterance may be given unto me, that I
may open my mouth boldly" (Eph. 6:18, 19), how much more do God's
servants today need the support of the supplications of their brethren
and sisters in Christ! For on every side the cry now is "speak unto us
smooth things!"
On a previous occasion God had sent Nathan to David with a message of
promise and comfort (7:4, 5, etc.): now he is ordered to charge the
king with his crimes. He did not decline the unwelcome task, but
executed it faithfully. Not only was his mission an unenviable one,
but it was far from easy. Few things are more difficult and trying to
one with a sensitive disposition than to be called upon to reprove an
erring brother. In pondering the method here followed by the
prophet--his line of approach to David's slumbering conscience--there
is valuable instruction for those of us who may be called upon to deal
with similar cases. Wisdom from on High (we do not say "tact," the
world's term, for more often that word is employed to denote the
serpentine subtleties of the serpent than the honest dealings of the
Holy Spirit) is sorely needed if we are to be a real help to those who
have fallen by the wayside--lest we either condone their offenses, or
make them despair of obtaining pardon.
"And the Lord sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said
unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other
poor. The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: but the poor
man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and
nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children:
it did eat of his own meat, and drink of his own cup. and lay in his
bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a traveller unto
the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own
herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took
the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that "(2 Sam. 12:1-4).
Nathan did not immediately charge David with his crimes: instead, he
approached his conscience indirectly by means of a parable--clear
intimation that he was out of communion with God, for He never
employed that method of revelation with those who were walking in
fellowship with Him. The method employed by the prophet had the great
advantage of presenting the facts of the case before David without
stirring up his opposition of self-love and kindling resentment
against being directly rebuked; yet causing him to pass sentence
against himself without being aware of it--sure proof that Nathan had
been given wisdom from above! "There scarcely ever was any thing more
calculated, on the one hand, to awaken emotions of sympathy, and, on
the other, those of indignation, than the case here supposed; and the
several circumstances by which the heart must be interested in the
poor man's case, and by which the unfeeling oppression of his rich
neighbour was aggravated" (Thomas Scott).
The prophet began, then, by giving an oblique representation of the
vileness of David's offence, which was conveyed in such a way that the
king's judgment was obliged to assent to the gross injustice of which
he was guilty. The excuselessness, the heartlessness, and the
abominable selfishness of his conduct was depicted, though Uriah's
loyal service and the king's ingratitude and treachery, and the murder
of him and his fellow-soldiers, was not alluded to-- is there not a
hint here that, when reproving an erring brother we should gradually
lead up to the worst elements in his offense? Yet obvious as was the
allusion in Nathan's parable. David perceived not its application unto
himself--how this shows that when one is out of touch with God, he is
devoid of spiritual discernment: it is only in God's light that we can
see light!
"And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to
Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall
surely die" (v. 5). David supposed that a complaint was being
preferred against one of his subjects. Forgetful of his own crimes, he
was fired with indignation at the supposed offender, and with a solemn
oath condemned him to death. In condemning the rich man, David
unwittingly condemned himself. What a strange thing the heart of a
believer is! what a medley dwells within it, often filled with
righteous indignation against the sins of others, while blind to its
own! Real need has each of us to solemnly and prayerfully ponder the
questions of Romans 2:21-23. Self-flattery makes us quick to mark the
faults of others, but blind to our own grievous sins. Just in
proportion as a man is in love with his own sins, and resentful of
being rebuked, will he be unduly severe in condemning those of his
neighbors.
Having brought David to pronounce sentence upon a supposed offender
for crimes of far less malignity than his own, the prophet now, with
great courage and plainness, declared "Thou art the man" (v. 7), and
speaks directly in the name of God: "Thus saith the Lord God of
Israel." First, David is reminded of the signal favors which had been
bestowed upon him (vv. 7, 8), among them the "wives" or women of
Saul's court, from which he might have selected a wife. Second, God
was willing to bestow yet more (v. 6): had he considered anything was
lacking, he might have asked for it, and had it been for his good the
Lord had freely granted it--cf. Psalm 84:11. Third, in view of God's
tender mercies, faithful love, and all-sufficient gifts, he is asked
"Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil
in His sight?" (v. 9). Ah, it is contempt of the divine authority
which is the occasion of all sin--making light of the Law and its
Giver, acting as though its precepts were mere trifles, and its
threats meaningless.
The desired result was now accomplished. "And David said unto Nathan,
I have sinned against the Lord" (v. 13). Those words were not uttered
lightly or mechanically, as the sequel shows; but this we must leave
till our next chapter.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
His Repentance
2 Samuel 12
_________________________________________________________________
"The emperor Arcadius and his wife had a very bitter feeling towards
Chrysostom, bishop of Constantinople. One day, in a fit of anger, the
emperor said to one of his courtiers, `I would I were avenged of this
bishop!' Several then proposed how this should be done. `Banish him
and exile him to the desert,' said one. `Put him in prison', said
another. `Confiscate his property', said a third. `Let him die,' said
a fourth. Another courtier, whose vices Chrysostom had reproved, said
maliciously, `You all make a great mistake. You will never punish him
by such proposals. If banished the kingdom, he will feel God as near
to him in the desert as here. If you put him in prison and load him
with chains, he will still pray for the poor and praise God in the
prison. If you confiscate his property, you merely take away his goods
from the poor, not from him. If you condemn him to death, you open
Heaven to him. Prince, do you wish to be revenged on him? Force him to
commit sin. I know him; this man fears nothing in the world but sin.'
O that this were the only remark which our fellows could pass on you
and me, fellow-believer" (From the Fellowship magazine).
We recently came across the above in our reading, and thought it would
form a most suitable introduction to this chapter. What cause have we
to fear Sin!--that "abominable thing" which God hates (Jer. 44:4),
that horrible disease which brought death into the world (Rom. 5:12),
that fearful thing which nailed to the Cross the Lord of glory (1
Peter 2:24), that shameful thing which fouls the believer's garments
and so often brings reproach upon the sacred Name which he bears. Yes,
good reason has each of us to fear sin, and to beg God that it may
please Him to work in our hearts a greater horror and hatred of it. Is
not this one reason why God permits some of the most eminent saints to
lapse into outrageous evils, and place such upon record in His Word:
that we should be more distrustful of ourselves, realizing that we are
liable to the same disgracing of our profession; yea, that we
certainly shall fall into such unless upheld by the mighty hand of
God.
As we have seen, David sinned, and sinned grievously. What was yet
worse, for a long season he refused to acknowledge unto God his
wickedness. A period of months went by ere he felt the heinousness of
his conduct. Ah, my reader, it is the inevitable tendency of sin to
deaden the conscience and harden the heart. Therein lies its most
hideous feature and fatal aspect. Sin suggests innumerable excuses to
its perpetrator and ever prompts to extenuation. It was thus at the
beginning. When brought face to face with their Maker, neither Adam
nor Eve evidenced any contrition; rather did they seek to vindicate
themselves by placing the blame elsewhere. Thus it was with each of us
whilst in a state of nature. Sin blinds and hardens, and nought but
divine grace can illumine and soften. Nothing short of the power of
the Almighty can pierce the calloused conscience or break the
sin-petrified heart.
Now God will not suffer any of His people to remain indefinitely in a
state of spiritual insensibility: sooner or later He brings to light
the hidden things of darkness, convicts them of their offenses, causes
them to mourn over the same, and leads them to repentance. God employs
a variety of means in accomplishing this, for in nothing does He act
uniformly. He is limited to no one measure or method, and being
sovereign He acts as seemeth good unto Himself. This may be seen by
comparing some of the cases recorded in the Scriptures. It was a sense
of God's awe-inspiring majesty which brought Job to repent of his
self-righteousness and abhor himself (Job 42:1-6). It was a vision of
the Lord's exalted glory which made Isaiah cry out, "Woe is me for I
am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips" (Isa. 6:1-5). A sight
of Christ's miraculous power moved Peter to cry, "Depart from me, for
I am a sinful man, O Lord" (Luke 5:8). Those on the day of Pentecost
were "pricked in their heart" (Acts 2:37) by hearing the apostle's
sermon.
In the case of David God employed a parable in the mouth of His
prophet to produce conviction. Nathan depicted a case where one was so
vilely treated that any who heard the account of it must perforce
censure him who was guilty of such an outrage. For though it is the
very nature of sin to blind its perpetrator, yet it does not take away
his sense of right and wrong. Even when a man is insensible to the
enormity of his own transgressions, he is still capable of discerning
evil in others; yea, in most instances it seems that the one who has a
beam in his own eye is readier to perceive the mote in his fellow's.
It was according to this principle that Nathan's parable was addressed
to David: if the king was slow to confess his own wickedness, he would
be quick enough to condemn like evil in another. Accordingly the case
was spread before him.
In the parable (2 Sam. 12:1-4) an appeal is made to both David's
affections and his conscience. The position of Uriah and his wife is
touchingly portrayed under the figure of a poor man with his "one
little ewe lamb," which was dear to him and "lay in his bosom." The
one who wronged him is represented as a rich man with "exceeding many
flocks and herds," which greatly heightened his guilt in seizing and
slaying the one lone lamb of his neighbor. The occasion or the
offence, the temptation to commit it, is stated as "there came a
traveller unto the rich man": it was to minister unto him that the
rich man seized upon the poor mans lamb. That "traveller" which came
to him pictures the restless flesh, the active lusts, the wandering
thoughts, the roving eyes of David in connection with Bathsheba. Ah,
my reader, it is at this point we most need to be upon our guard.
"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself
against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every
thought to the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5).
"Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of
life" (Prov. 4:23). Part of that task lies in regulating our thoughts
and repelling unlawful imaginations. True it is that we cannot prevent
wandering thoughts from entering our minds nor evil imaginations from
surging up within us, but we are responsible to resist and reject
them. But this is what David failed to do: he welcomed this
"traveller," he entertained him, he feasted him, and feasted him upon
that which was not lawful--with that which belonged to another:
pictured in the parable by the lamb belonging to his neighbor. And, my
reader, it is when we give place to our sinful lusts, indulge our evil
imaginations, feed our wandering thoughts upon that which is unlawful,
that we pave the way for a sad fall. "Travellers" will come to us--the
mind will be active--and our responsibility is to see that they are
fed with that which is lawful: ponder Philippians 4:8 in this
connection.
Nathan, then, traced the trouble back to its source, and showed what
it was which occasioned and led up to David's fearful fall. The
details of the parable emphasized the excuselessness, the injustice,
the lawlessness, the wickedness of his crime. He already had wives of
his own, why, then, must he rob poor Uriah of his! The case was so
clearly put, the guilt of the offender so evidently established, the
king at once condemned the offender, and said, "The man that hath done
this thing shall surely die" (12:5). Then it was that the prophet
turned and said to him, "Thou art the man." David did not flame forth
in hot resentment and anger against the prophet's accusation; he made
no attempt to deny his grievous transgression or proffer any excuses
for it. Instead, he frankly owned, "I have sinned against the Lord"
(v. 13). Nor were those words uttered mechanically or lightly as the
sequel so clearly shows, and as we shall now see.
David's slumbering conscience was now awakened, and he was made to
realize the greatness of his guilt. The piercing arrow from God's
quiver, which Nathan had driven into his diseased heart, opened to
David's view the awfulness of his present case. Then it was that he
gave evidence that, though woeful had been his conduct, nevertheless,
he was not a reprobate soul, totally abandoned by God. "The dormant
spark of divine grace in David's heart now began to rekindle, and
before this plain and faithful statement of facts, in the name of God,
his evasions vanished, and his guilt appeared in all its magnitude. He
therefore was far from resenting the pointed rebuke of the prophet, or
attempting any palliation of his conduct; but, in deep humiliation of
heart, he confessed, `I have sinned against the Lord.' The words are
few; but the event proved them to have been the language of genuine
repentance, which regards sin as committed against the authority and
glory of the Lord, whether or not it have occasioned evil to any
fellow-creature" (Thomas Scott).
In order fully to obtain the mind of God on any subject treated of in
His Word, Scripture has to be diligently searched and one passage
carefully compared with another--failure to observe this principle
ever results in an inadequate or one-sided view. It is so here.
Nothing is recorded in the historical account of Samuel about the deep
exercises of heart through which David now passed; nothing is said to
indicate the reality and depth of his repentance. For that we must
turn elsewhere, notably to the penitential Psalms. There the Holy
Spirit has graciously given us a record of what David was inspired to
write thereon, for it is in the Psalms we find most fully delineated
the varied experiences of soul through which the believer passes.
There we may find an unerring description of every exercise of heart
experienced by the saint in his journey through this wilderness scene;
which explains why this book of Scripture has ever been a great
favorite with God's people: therein they find their own inward history
accurately described.
The two principal Psalms which give us a view of the heart exercises
through which David now passed are the fifty-first and the
thirty-second. Psalm 51 is evidently the earlier one. In it we see the
fallen saint struggling up out of "the horrible pit and miry clay." In
the latter we behold him standing again on firm ground with a new song
in his mouth, even the blessedness of him "whose sin is covered." But
both of them are evidently to be dated from the time when the sharp
thrust of God's lancet in the band of Nathan pierced David's
conscience, and when the healing balsam of God's assurance of
forgiveness was laid by the prophet upon his heart. The passionate
cries of the sorely stricken soul (Ps. 51) are really the echo of the
divine promise--the efforts of David's faith to grasp and appropriate
the merciful gift of pardon. It was the divine promise of forgiveness
which was the basis and encouragement of the prayer for forgiveness.
It is to be noted that the title affixed to Psalm 51 is "A Psalm of
David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to
Bathsheba." Beautifully did Spurgeon point out in his introductory
remarks, "When the divine message had aroused his dormant conscience
and made him see the greatness of his guilt, he wrote this Psalm. He
had forgotten his psalmody while he was indulging his flesh, but he
returned to his harp when his spiritual nature was awakened, and he
poured out his song to the accompaniment of sighs and tears." Great as
was David's sin, yet he repented, and was restored. The depths of his
anguish and the reality of his repentance are evident in every verse.
In it we may behold the grief and the desires of a contrite soul
pouring out his heart before God, humbly and earnestly suing for His
mercy. Only the Day to come will reveal how many sin-tormented souls
have from this Psalm, "all blotted with the tears in which David
sobbed out his repentance," found a path for backsliders in a great
and howling desert.
"Although the Psalm is one long cry for pardon and restoration, one
can discern an order and progress in its petitions--the order, not of
an artificial reproduction of a past mood of mind, but the instinctive
order in which the emotion of contrite desire will ever pour itself
forth. In the Psalm all begins (v. 1), as all begins in fact, with the
grounding of the cry for favour on `Thy loving-kindness,' `the
multitude of Thy tender mercies'; the one plea that avails with God,
whose love is its own motive and is own measure, whose past acts are
the standard for all His future, whose own compassions, in their
innumerable numbers, are more than the sum of our transgressions,
though these be `more than the hairs of our head.' Beginning with
God's mercy, the penitent soul can learn to look next upon its own sin
in all its aspects of evil" (Alexander Maclaren).
The depth and intensity of the Psalmist's loathing of self is clearly
revealed by the various terms he uses to designate his crime. He
speaks of his "transgressions" (vv. 1, 3) and of his "iniquity" and
"sin" (vv. 2, 3). As another has forcibly pointed out, "Looked at in
one way, he sees the separate acts of which he had been guilty--his
lust, fraud, treachery, murder; looked at in another, he sees them all
knotted together in one inextricable tangle of forked, hissing
tongues, like the serpent-locks that coil and twist round a Gorgon
head. No sin dwells alone; the separate acts have a common root, and
the whole is matted together like the green growth on a stagnant pond,
so that, by whatever filament it is grasped the whole mass is drawn
towards you."
A profound insight into the essence and character of sin is here
exhibited by the accumulated synonyms. It is "transgression," or as
the Hebrew word might be rendered, "rebellion"--not merely the breach
of an impersonal law, but the revolt of a subject's will against its
true King; disobedience to God, as well as contravention of a
standard. It is "iniquity"--perversion or distortion--acting unjustly
or dealing crookedly. It is "sin" or "missing the mark," for all sin
is a blunder, shooting wide of the true goal, whether regard be had
for God's glory or our own well being and happiness. It is pollution
and filth, from which nothing but atoning blood can cleanse. It is
"evil" (v. 4), a vile thing which deserves only unsparing
condemnation. It is a fretting leprosy, causing him to cry, "Purge me
with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than
snow" (v. 7).
"Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Thy
sight" (v. 4). In these words David gives evidence of the sincerity of
his contrition and proof that he was a regenerate man. It is only
those possessing a spiritual nature that will view sin in the presence
of God. The evil of all sin lies in its opposition to God, and a
contrite heart is filled with a sense of the wrong done unto Him.
Evangelical repentance mourns for sin because it has displeased a
gracious God and dishonored a loving Father. David, then, was not
content with looking upon his evil in itself, or in relation only to
the people who had suffered by it. He had been guilty of crimes
against Bathsheba and Uriah, and even Joab whom he made his tool, as
well as against all his subjects; but dark as those crimes were, they
assumed their true character only when seen as committed against God.
"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive
me" (v. 5). Many have been puzzled by this verse in the light of its
setting, yet it should occasion no difficulty. Certainly it was not
said by David in self-extenuation; rather was it to emphasize his own
excuseless guilt. From the second half of verse 4 it is plain that he
was vindicating God: Thou hadst nothing to do with my sin: it was all
mine own--out of the proneness unto evil of my depraved nature. It was
not Thou, but my own evil lusts, which tempted me. David was engaged
in making full confession, and therefore did he acknowledge the
defilement of his very nature. It was to humble himself, clear God,
and magnify the divine grace, that David said verse 5.
In the clear light of Psalm 51 we cannot doubt the reality, the
sincerity, nor the depth of David's repentance and brokenhearted
contrition. We close, then, with a brief quotation from Thomas Scott:
"Let not any vile hypocrite, who resembles David in nothing but his
transgressions, and who adds the habit of allowed sin to all other
aggravations, buoy up his confidence with his example; let him first
imitate David's humiliation, repentance, and other eminent graces,
before he thinks himself, or requires others to consider him, as a
backslider."
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
His Forgiveness
2 Samuel 12
_________________________________________________________________
The inward experience of a believer consists largely of growing
discoveries of his own vileness and of God's goodness, of his own
excuseless failures and of God's infinite forbearance, with a frequent
alternation between gloom and joy, confession and thanksgiving.
Consequently, the more he reads and meditates upon the Word, the more
he sees how exactly suited it is to his case, and how accurately his
own checkered history is described therein. The two leading themes of
the Scriptures are sin and grace: throughout the Sacred Volume each of
these is traced to its original source, each is delineated in its true
character, each is followed out in its consequences and ends, each is
illustrated and exemplified by numerous personal examples. Strange as
it first sounds, yet it is true that, upon these two, sin and grace,
do turn all the transactions between God and the souls of men.
The force of what has just been said receives clear and striking
demonstration in the case of David. Sin in all its hideousness is seen
at work within him, plunging him into the mire; but grace is also
discovered in all its loveliness, delivering and cleansing him. The
one serves as a dark background from which the other may shine forth
the more gloriously. Nowhere do we behold so unmistakably the fearful
nature and horrible works of sin than in the man after God's own
heart, so signally favored and so highly honored, yet failing so
ignominiously and sinking so low. Yet nowhere do we behold so vividly
the amazing grace of God as in working true repentance in this
notorious transgressor, pardoning his iniquity, and restoring him to
communion. King Saul was rejected for a far milder offense: ah, he was
not in the covenant! O the awe-inspiring sovereignty of divine grace.
Not only has the Holy Spirit Faithfully recorded the awful details of
David's sin, He has also fully described the heart-affecting
repentance of the contrite kind. In addition thereto, He has shown us
how he sought and obtained the divine forgiveness. Each of these is
recorded for our learning, and, we may add, for our comfort. The first
shows us the fearful tendency of the flesh which still indwells the
believer, with its proneness to produce the vilest fruit. The second
makes known to us the lamentable work which we make for ourselves when
we indulge our lusts, and the bitter cup we shall then be obliged to
drink. The third informs us that grievous though our case be, yet it
is not hopeless, and reveals the course which God requires us to
follow. Having already considered the first two at some length, we
will now turn to the third.
As it is in the Psalms that the Spirit has recorded the exercises of
David's broken heart, so it is therein we learn of how he obtained the
divine pardon for his aggravated offences. We will begin by turning to
one of the last of the "penitential" Psalms, which we believe was
probably penned by David himself. "Out of the depths have I cried unto
Thee, O Lord" (130:1). There are various "depths" into which God
suffers His people, at times, to fall: "depths" of trial and trouble
over financial losses, family bereavements, personal illness. There
are also "depths" of sin and guilt, into which they may plunge
themselves, with the consequent "depths" of conviction and anguish, of
darkness and despair--through the hidings of God's face--and of
Satanic opposition and despondency. It is these which are here more
particularly in view.
The design of the Holy Spirit in Psalm 130 was to express and
represent in the person and conduct of the Psalmist the case of a soul
entangled in the meshes of Satan, overwhelmed by the conscious guilt
of sin, but relieved by a discovery of the grace of God, with its
deportment upon and participation of that grace. We quote the helpful
paraphrase of John Owen in its opening verses: "O Lord, through my
manifold sins and provocation I have brought myself into great
distresses. Mine iniquities are always before me, and I am ready to be
overwhelmed with them, as with a flood of waters; for they have
brought me into depths, wherein I am ready to be swallowed up. But
yet, although my distress be great and perplexing, I do not, I dare
not, utterly despond and cast away all hopes of relief or recovery.
Nor do I seek unto any other remedy, way, or means of relief, but I
apply myself to Thee, Jehovah, to Thee alone. And in this my
application unto Thee, the greatness and urgency of my troubles makes
my soul urgent, earnest, and pressing in my supplication. Whilst I
have no rest, I can give Thee no rest; oh, therefore, attend and
hearken unto the voice of my crying!"
When the soul is in such a case--in "the depths" of distress and
despondency--there is no relief for it but in God, fully unburdening
the heart to Him. The soul cannot rest in such a state, and no
deliverance is to be obtained from any creature helps. "Asshur shall
not save us; we will not ride upon horses; neither will we say any
more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in Thee the
fatherless (the grief-stricken and helpless) findeth mercy (Hos.
14:3). In God alone is help to be found. The vain things which deluded
Romanists have invented--prayers "to the Virgin," penances, confession
to "priests," fastings, masses, pilgrimages, works of
compensation--are all "cisterns which hold no water." Equally useless
are the counsels of the world to sin-distressed souls--to try a change
of scenery, diversion from work, music, cheerful society, pleasure,
etc. There is no peace but in the God of peace.
Now in his very lowest state the Psalmist sought help from the Lord,
nor was his appeal in vain. And this is what we need to lay hold of
when in similar circumstances; it is recorded to this very end. Dear
Christian reader, however deplorable may be your condition, however
dire your need, however desperate your situation, however intolerable
the load on your conscience, your case is not hopeless. David cried,
and was heard; he sought mercy, and obtained it; and the divine
promise to you and me is "let us therefore come boldly unto the Throne
of Grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of
need" (Heb. 4:16). David was not the only one who cried unto God out
of "the depths." Think of the prophet Jonah: following a course of
self-will, deliberately fleeing from God's commandment, then cast into
the sea and swallowed by the whale: yet of him too we read, "I cried
by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and He heard me; out of
the belly of hell cried I, and Thou heardest my voice" (2:2).
It was his hope in the plenitude of divine grace that moved David to
seek unto the Lord. "If Thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord,
who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest
be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in His word do
I hope" (Ps. 130:3-5). In the third verse he owns that he could not
stand before the thrice Holy One on the ground of his own
righteousness, and that if God were to "mark iniquities," that is,
impute them unto condemnation, then his case was indeed hopeless. In
the 4th verse he humbly reminds God that there was forgiveness with
Him, that He might be revered and adored--not trifled with and mocked,
for divine pardon is not a license for future self-indulgence. In the
fifth verse he hopefully waits for some "token for good" (Ps. 86:17),
some "answer of peace" (Gen. 41:16) from the Lord.
But it is in Psalm 51 that we find David most definitely and most
earnestly suing for God's pardon. The same intensity of feeling
expressed in the use of so many words for sin, is revealed also in his
reiterated synonyms for pardon. This petition comes from his lips
again and again, not because he thought to be heard for his much
speaking, but because of the earnestness of his longing. Such
repetitions are signs of the persistence of faith, while those which
last, like the prayers of Baal's priests "from morning till the time
of evening sacrifice," indicate only the supplicant's doubts. The
"vain repetition" against which the Lord warned, is not a matter of
repeating the same form of request, but of mechanically multiplying
the same--like the Romanist with his "pater noster's"--and supposing
there is virtue and merit in so doing.
David prayed that his sins might be "blotted out" (v. 1), which
petition conceives of them as being recorded against him. He prayed
that he might be "washed" (v. 2) from them, in which they are felt to
be foul stains, which require for their removal hard scrubbing and
beating--for such is, according to some of the commentators, the force
of the Hebrew verb. He prayed that he might be "cleansed" (v. 7),
which was the technical word for the priestly cleansing of the leper,
declaring him clear of the taint. There is a touching appropriateness
in this last reference, for not only lepers, but those who had become
defiled by contact with a dead body, were thus purified (Num. 19); and
on whom did the taint of this corruption cleave as on the murderer of
Uriah? The prayer in the original is even more remarkable, For the
verb is formed from the word for "sin," and if our language permitted
it, would be rendered "Thou shalt un-sin me."
"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within
me" (Ps. 51:10). His sin had made manifest his weakness and
sensuality, but his remorse and anguish evidenced that above and
beyond all other desires was his abiding longing after God. The
petitions of this Psalm clearly demonstrate that, despite his weakness
and Satan's victory over him, yet the root of the divine matter was in
David. In asking God to create in him a clean heart, David was humbly
placing himself on a level with the unregenerate: he realized too his
own utter inability to quicken or renew himself--God alone can create
either a new heart or a new earth. In asking for a right spirit, he
was owning that God takes account of the state of our souls as well as
the quality of our actions: a "right spirit" is a loving, trustful
obedient, steadfast one, that none but God can either impart or
maintain.
In the midst of his abased confessions and earnest cries for pardon,
there comes with wondrous force and beauty the bold request for
restoration to full communion: "Restore unto me the joy of Thy
salvation" (v. 12). How that request evidenced a more than ordinary
confidence in the rich mercy of God, which would efface all the
consequences of his sin! But note well the position occupied by this
petition: it followed his request for pardon and purity--apart from
those, "joy" would be nought but vain presumption or insane
enthusiasm. "And uphold me with Thy free Spirit" (v. 12). First, he
had prayed, "Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me" (v. 11)--an obvious
reference to the awful judgment which fell upon his predecessor, Saul;
here, assured that the previous petition is granted, and conscious of
his own weakness and inability to stand, he asks to be supported by
that One who alone can impart and maintain holiness.
Ere passing on to consider the gracious answer which David received,
perhaps this is the best place to consider the question, Was he
justified in asking God for forgiveness? or to put it in a form which
may better satisfy the critical, Are we warranted in supplicating God
for the pardon of our sins? for there are those today who insist that
we occupy a different and superior relation to God than David did. It
will no doubt surprise some of our readers that we raise such a
question. One would naturally think it was so evident that we ought to
pray for forgiveness, that none would question it; that such a prayer
is so well founded upon Scripture itself, is so agreeable to our
condition as erring believers, and is so honoring to God that we
should take the place of penitent suppliants, acknowledging our
offenses and seeking His pardoning mercy, that no further proof is
required. But alas, so great is the confusion in Christendom today,
and so much error abounds, that we feel obliged to devote one or two
paragraphs unto the elucidation of this point.
There is a group, more or less influential, who argue that it is
dishonoring to the blood of Christ for any Christian to ask God to
pardon his sins, quoting "Having forgiven you all trespasses" (Col.
2:13). These people confuse the impetration of the Atonement with its
application, or in less technical terms, what Christ purchased for His
people, with the Holy Spirit's making good the same to them in the
court of their conscience. Let it be clearly pointed out that, in
asking God for forgiveness, we do not pray as though the blood of
Christ had never been shed, or as though our tears and prayers could
make any compensation to divine justice. Nevertheless, renewed sins
call for renewed repentance: true, we do not then need another
Redeemer, but we do need a fresh exercise of divine mercy toward us
(Heb. 4:16), and a fresh application to our conscience of the
cleansing blood (1 John 1:7, 9).
The saints of old prayed for pardon: "For Thy name's sake, O Lord,
pardon mine iniquity; for it is great" (Ps. 25:11). The Lord Jesus
taught His disciples to pray "Forgive us our debts" (Matthew 6:12),
and that prayer is assuredly for Christians today, for it is addressed
to "Our Father!" In praying for forgiveness we ask God to be gracious
to us for Christ's sake; we ask Him not to lay such sins to our
charge--"enter not into judgment with Thy servant" (Ps. 143:2); we ask
Him for a gracious manifestation to us of His mercy to our
conscience--"Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which
Thou hast broken may rejoice" (Ps. 51:8); we ask Him for the
comforting proofs of His forgiveness, that we may again have "the joy
of His salvation."
Now it is in Psalm 32 that we learn of the answer which "The God of
all grace" (1 Peter 5:10) granted unto His erring but penitent child.
In his introductory remarks thereon Spurgeon said, "Probably his deep
repentance over his great sin was followed by such blissful peace that
he was led to pour out his spirit in the soft music of this choice
song." The word "Maschil" at its head, signifies "Teaching": "The
experience of one believer affords rich instruction to others, it
reveals the footsteps of the flock, and so comforts and directs the
weak." At the close of Psalm 51 David had prayed, "O Lord, open Thou
my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise" (v. 15): here the
prayer has been heard, and this is the beginning of the fulfillment of
his vow.
"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in
whose spirit there is no guile" (Ps. 32:1,2). In the former Psalm
David had begun with the plaintive cry for mercy; here he opens with a
burst of praise, celebrating the happiness of the pardoned penitent.
There we heard the sobs of a man in the agonies of contrition and
abasement; here we have an account of their blessed issue. There we
had the multiplied synonyms for sin and for the forgiveness which was
desired; here is the many-sided preciousness of forgiveness possessed,
which runs over in various yet equivalent phrases. The one is a psalm
of wailing; the other, to use its own words, a "song of deliverance."
The joy of conscious pardon sounds out in the opening "blessed is the
man," and the exuberance of his spirit rings forth in the melodious
variations of the one thought of forgiveness in the opening words. How
gratefully he draws on the treasures of his recent experience, which
he sets forth as the "taking away" of sin--the removal of an
intolerable load from his heart; as the "covering" of sin--the hiding
of its hideousness from the all-seeing Eye by the blood of Christ; as
the "imputing not" of sin--a debt discharged. How blessed the
realization that his own forgiveness would encourage other penitent
souls--"For this shall every one that is godly pray unto Thee" (v. 6).
Finally, how precious the deep assurance which enables the restored
one to say, "Thou art my hiding place; Thou shalt preserve me from
trouble; Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance" (v.
7)!
Here, then, is hope for the greatest backslider, if he will but humble
himself before the God of all grace. True sorrow for sin is followed
by the pardon of sin: "If we confess our sins. He is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1
John 1:9). "Is it possible that such a backslider from God can be
recovered, and admitted afterwards to comfortable communion with Him?
Doubtless it is: `for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there
is plenteous redemption,' and He will never cast out one humble
penitent believer, whatever his former crimes have been, nor suffer
Satan to pluck any of His sheep out of His hand. Let then those who
are fallen return to the Lord without delay, and seek forgiveness
through the Redeemer's atoning blood" (Thomas Scott).
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
His Chastenings
2 Samuel 12
_________________________________________________________________
It may strike some readers as strange that our last chapter upon
David's forgiveness should be immediately followed by one upon his
chastening: surely if God had pardoned his transgressions we would not
expect to hear of His rod now being laid upon him. But there will be
no difficulty if we carefully distinguish between two of the principal
offices which God sustains, namely, the character of moral Ruler of
the world, and that of the Judge of His creatures: the one relating to
His dealings with us in time, the other pertaining to His passing
formal sentence upon our eternal destiny; the one concerning His
governmental actions, the other His penal verdict. Unless this
distinction be plainly recognized and given a constant place in our
thoughts, not only will our minds be clouded with confusion, but our
peace will be seriously undermined and our hearts brought into
bondage; worst of all, shall entertain erroneous ideas of God and
sadly misinterpret His dealings with us in providence. How we need to
pray that "our love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in
all judgment, that we may try things that differ" (Phil. 1:9, 10
margin).
"And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And
Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou
shalt not die. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great
occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that
is born unto thee shall surely die" (2 Sam. 12:13, 14). Here are the
two things to which we have just called attention, and placed moreover
in immediate juxtaposition. The first exhibits to us the Lord in His
character as Judge, declaring that David had been pardoned for his
great transgression--such a word (spoken now by the Spirit in power to
the conscience of a penitent believer) is anticipatory of God's
verdict at the Great Assize. The second manifests the Lord in His
character of Ruler, declaring that His holiness required Him to take
governmental notice of David's wickedness, so that demonstration might
be made that His laws cannot be broken with impugnity. Let us proceed
to follow out this double thought a little further.
"He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according
to our iniquities" (Ps. 103:10). Here is a verse which no believer
will hesitate to set to his seal that it is true, for he has abundant
evidence thereof in his own personal experience, and therefore will he
positively affirm, If I received my just deserts, I had been cast into
hell long ago. Rightly did Spurgeon say on this passage, "We ought to
praise the Lord for what He has not done, as well as for what He has
wrought for us." O what cause has each Christian to marvel that his
perverseness and sottishness have not utterly exhausted God's
patience. Alas that our hearts are so little affected by the infinite
forbearance of God: O that His goodness may lead us to repentance.
Have we not abundant reason to conclude, because of our base
ingratitude and vile behavior, that God would withhold from us the
communications of His Spirit and the blessings of His providence,
cause us to find the means of grace profitless, and allow us to sink
into a state of settled backsliding? Is it not a wonder that He does
not so deal with us? Truly, "He hath not dealt with us after our sins,
nor rewarded us according to our iniquities." And why? Because He
dealt with Another "after our sins" and exacted from Him full
satisfaction to His justice. And payment God cannot twice demand:
first at my bleeding Surety's hand, and then again at mine. God
rewarded Christ according to our iniquities, and now He rewards us
according to Christ's merits. Hallelujah. Heaven be praised for such a
Gospel! May this old, old truth, come with new power and sweetness
unto our souls.
"He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according
to our iniquities." This is true penally (i.e. God's dealings with us
as Judge) and with respect to the eternal consequences of our sins.
Yet this does not mean that the sins believers commit are ignored by
God as the moral Ruler of this world, that He refrains from dealing
with us governmentally. The whole of His dealings with His people
Israel (who were in covenant relationship with Him) shows otherwise.
The New Testament also forbids such a conclusion: see Galatians 6:7; 1
Corinthians 11:29, 30! Yet it must be remembered that God exercises
His sovereignty in this, as in all things: the extent to which and the
manner in which God makes His people smart for their "inventions" is
determined by His own mere good pleasure.
Though God forgives His people their sins, yet He frequently gives
them plain proof of His holy abhorrence of the same, and causes them
to taste something of the bitter fruits which they bring forth.
Another scripture which brings out this dual truth is, "Thou wast a
God that forgavest them, though Thou tookest vengeance of their
inventions" (Ps. 99:8). What could possibly be plainer than this: God
pardoning His people, yet also manifesting His sore displeasure
against their transgressions. A striking case in point--obviously
included in Psalm 99:6-8--is recorded in Exodus 32. There we see
Israel worshiping the golden calf in the lascivious manner of the
heathen. In response to the intercession of Moses, they were forgiven:
"The Lord repented of the evil which He thought to do unto His people"
(v. 14). Nevertheless, God took vengeance of their inventions, "And
the Lord plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron
made" (v. 35).
Another example is seen in the case of the unbelief of Moses and Aaron
at Meribah: though God pardoned the guilt of their anger as to eternal
death, yet He took vengeance by not suffering them to conduct Israel
into the promised land: see Numbers 20:12, 24. And so it is still, as
many a Christian discovers from sorrowful experience when God takes
him to task for his sinful "inventions" and visits upon him His
governmental displeasure. Yet this in nowise clashes with the fact
that "He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us
according to our iniquities." There is mercy in our chastenings, and
no matter how heavily the rod may smite, we have good cause to say,
"And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our
great trespass, seeing that Thou our God hast punished us less than
our iniquities deserve" (Ezra 9:13).
Ere passing on, let us anticipate the objection of some tried saints,
whose case may be quite extreme. There are some who are smarting so
severely beneath the chastening rod of God that to them it certainly
seems that He is dealing with them "after their sins" and rewarding
them "according to their iniquities." The light of His countenance is
withheld from them, His providential dealings wear only a dark frown,
and it appears very much as though He has "forgotten to be gracious."
Ah, dear friend, if your heart is in any measure truly exercised
before God, then your case is far from being hopeless, and to you
apply those words "Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than
thine iniquity deserveth" (Job 11:6). My brother, even your present
sufferings are far, very far from being as great as your sins.
Now what we have sought to bring out above receives striking
exemplification in the case of David. In a very real sense God did not
deal with him after his sins, nor reward him according to his
iniquities; yet in another sense, He did. God sent a prophet to
faithfully rebuke him, He wrought conviction and repentance in David,
He heard his cry, blotted out his transgressions, as Psalm 32 so
blessedly shows. Yet though God pardoned David as to the guilt of
eternal death, saved his soul, and spared his life, yet He "took
vengeance of his inventions." There was a needs-be why sore
afflictions came upon him: the divine holiness must be vindicated, His
governmental righteousness must be manifested, a solemn warning must
be given to wrong-doers, and David himself must learn that "the way of
the transgressor is hard." O that writer and reader may lay this to
heart and profit therefrom.
Through Nathan God said to David, "Wherefore hast thou despised the
commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? thou hast killed
Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy
wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now
therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou
hast despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be
thy wife. Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against
thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine
eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy
wives in the sight of this sun (2 Sam. 12:9-11). What a solemn
exhibition of God's governmental righteousness! David must reap as he
had sown. He had caused Uriah to be slain by the sword, and now God
tells him "the sword shall never depart from tine house"; he had
committed adultery with Bathsheba, and now he hears that his own wives
shall be defiled. How true are those words "For with what judgment ye
judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be
measured to you again" (Matthew 7:2)!
God hath declared that to the froward He will show Himself froward"
(Ps. l6:26), and frequently does He punish sin in its own kind. Upon
the burning lusts of the Sodomites He rained down fire and brimstone
from heaven (Gen. 19:24). Jacob deceived his father by means of the
skin of a kid (Gen. 29:16), and he in turn was thus deceived by his
sons, who brought him Joseph's coat dipped in the blood of a kid (Gen.
37:31), saying he had been devoured by a wild beast. Because Pharaoh
had cruelly ordered that the male infants of the Hebrews should be
drowned (Ex. 1:24), the Egyptian king and all his hosts were swallowed
up by the Red Sea (Ex. 14:26). Nadab and Abihu sinned grievously by
offering "strange fire" unto the Lord, and accordingly they were
consumed by fire from heaven (Lev. 10:1, 2). Adonibezek cut off the
thumbs and toes of the kings he took in battle, and in like manner the
Lord rewarded him (Judges 1:6, 7). Agag's sword made women childless,
and so his own mother was made childless by his being torn in pieces
before the Lord (1 Sam. 15:33).
What proofs are these that "the eyes of the Lord are in every place,
beholding the evil and the good" (Prov. 15:3). What evidences are
these of the inflexible justice of God: none need fear but what the
Judge of all the earth will "do right." What solemn intimations are
they that in the Day to come each one shall be judged "according to
his works." What warnings are these that God is not to be mocked. But
let it not be forgotten that if it is written, "He that soweth to the
flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption": it is also added (though
not nearly so frequently quoted) that "he that soweth to the Spirit
shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting" (Gal. 6:8). The same
principle of God's granting an exact quid pro quo applies to the
service of His ministers: "He which soweth sparingly shall reap also
sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also
bountifully" (2 Cor. 9:6)--the harvest shall not only be answerable to
the seed and the reward to the work, but it will be greater or less
according to the quantity and quality of the work.
Nor does the last-quoted passage mean that God is going to reward His
ministers according to the fruit and success of their work, but rather
according to the labor itself, be it little or much, better or worse:
"Every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour"
(1 Cor. 3:8). God in His sovereignty may set His servant over a blind
and perverse people (as He did Ezekiel), who so far from profiting
from his ministry, add iniquity to their iniquity; nevertheless his
work is with God (Isa. 49:4). So too with the rank and file of
Christians the more bountifully they sow the seeds of good works, the
more shall they reap; and the more sparingly they sow, the less will
be the harvest: "Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the
same shall he receive of the Lord" (Eph. 6:8). What an incentive and
stimulus should that be unto all of us: "Let us not be weary in well
doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not" (Gal. 6:9).
But to return to David. "And Nathan departed unto his house" (v. 15).
The prophet had faithfully delivered his message, and now he withdrew
from the court. It is striking and blessed to see how God honored His
servant: He moved David to name one of his sons "Nathan" (1 Chron.
3:5), and it was from him that Christ, according to the flesh,
descended (Luke 3:31). "And the Lord struck the child that Uriah's
wife bare unto David, and it was very sick" (v. 15). The prophet's
words now began to receive their tragic fulfillment. Behold here the
sovereignty of God: the parents lived, the child must die. See here
too God's respect for His law: David had broken it, but He executes
it, by visiting the sins of the father upon the son.
"David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and
went in, and lay all night upon the earth" (v. 16). It is touching to
see this seasoned warrior so affected by the sufferings of his little
one--proof of a broken heart and a contrite spirit, for the penitent
are pitiful. It is true that the prophet had said, "The child also
that is born unto thee shall surely die" (v. 14), yet David seems to
have cherished the hope that this threat was but a conditional one, as
in the case of Hezekiah: his words "while the child was yet alive I
fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious
to me, that the child may live?" (v. 22) strongly appear to bear this
out. In his fasting and lying all night upon the ground David humbled
himself before the Lord, and evidenced both the sincerity of his
repentance and the earnestness of his supplication. What is recorded
in verse 17 illustrates the fact that the natural man is quite
incapable of understanding the motives which regulate the conduct of
believers.
"And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died" (v. 18).
No detail of Scripture is meaningless. It was on the eighth day that
the male children of the Israelites were to be circumcised (Gen.
17:12, etc.), thus in the death of his son before it could receive the
sign of the covenant a further proof was given David of God's
governmental displeasure! Though it was a mercy to all concerned that
the infant was removed from this world, yet inasmuch as its death had
been publicly announced as a rebuke for their sin (v. 14), its decease
was a manifest chastening from God upon David and Bathsheba.
"Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself,
and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the Lord, and
worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they
set bread before him, and he did eat" (v. 20). This is beautiful,
reminding us of Job's bowing beneath God's chastening rod and
worshiping Him when he received tidings of the death of his children.
How different was this from the disconsolate grief and rebellion
against God which is so often displayed by worldlings when their loved
ones are matched away from them. Weeping should never hinder
worshiping: "Is any among you afflicted? let him pray" (James 5:13).
How the terms of this verse rebuke the personal untidiness of some who
attend public worship!
"And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay
with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the
Lord loved him" (v. 24). Having meekly bowed before God's rod, humbled
himself beneath His mighty hand, and publicly owned Him in worship,
David now received a token of God's favor: "Behold, a son shall be
born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest
from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I
will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days" (1 Chron.
22:9). The birth and name given to Solomon was an evidence that God
was reconciled to David, as it was also an earnest of the tranquility
which would obtain in Israel during his reign. Solomon was also named
"Jedidiah" which signifies "beloved of the Lord"--signal demonstration
of the sovereignty of divine grace!
The chapter closes (vv. 26-31) with a brief account of Israel's
capture of Rabbah, the royal city of the Ammonites. Further proof was
this of God's grace unto David: he prospered his arms notwithstanding
his aggravated sins. The additional chastisements which came upon him
under the governmental dealings of God will be considered by us in the
chapters which follow.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
His Son Absalom
2 Samuel 13
_________________________________________________________________
The chastenings, which were the natural fruits of David's sins,
quickly began to fall upon him. Though God had made with him a
covenant "ordered in all things and sure" (2 Sam. 23:5), and though he
was the man after His own heart, yet He was far from regarding his
sins lightly. The honor of Jehovah's name required that such
transgressions as David's should be marked by no ordinary tokens of
His displeasure. He had "given great occasion to the enemies of the
Lord to blaspheme" (2 Sam. 12:14), and therefore did He proclaim His
disapproval more loudly by suffering David to live and pass through
one tremendous sorrow after another, than had He slain him instantly
after his crime against Uriah. Yet we may also behold therein the
faithfulness, wisdom, and grace of God toward His servant by using
those very sorrows for the renewing of him in holiness; that this was
accomplished appears blessedly in the sequel.
David was now to prove to the full the solemn truth of "Thine own
wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove
thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter that
thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and that My fear is not in thee,
saith the Lord God of hosts" (Jer. 2:19). It was through those nearest
and dearest to himself that David was to experience what "an evil
thing and bitter" it is to depart from the Lord. "Behold, I will raise
up evil against thee out of thine own house" (2 Sam. 12:11) the Lord
had declared. What must have been the feelings of his poor heart with
this dread threat hanging over his family! How often do we moralize
upon the wisdom and mercy of God in withholding from us a knowledge of
the future: how it would spoil our present peace and comfort if we
were acquainted with the trials and sorrows lying ahead of us; the
more so if it were now revealed to us the evils which would yet
overtake the members of our household. But the case was otherwise with
David: he knew that the sore judgments of God were about to fall
within his family circle!
One can readily imagine with what trepidation David would now look
upon his several children, wondering upon which of them the divine
blow would first fall. The death of Bathsheba's infant was but the
prelude of the fearful storm which was about to descend upon his loved
ones. It seems quite clear from all that follows, one of the
family-failings of David was that he had been too easy-going with and
indulgent toward his children, allowing his natural affections to
override his better judgment, instead of (as it should be) the
judgment guiding the affections--it is not without reason and meaning
that the head is set above the heart in our physical bodies! No doubt
the fact that David had several wives made it much more difficult to
rule his offspring as duty required--how one wrong leads to another!
As we have seen in earlier chapters, David was a man of strong natural
passions, and the deep feelings he cherished for his children was in
full accord therewith. The fear of his servants to tell him his infant
was dead (2 Sam. 12:18); the advice of Jonadab to Amnon, who had read
David's disposition aright, to feign himself sick, that "when his
father came to see him" (2 Sam. 13:5) he might proffer his requests;
his "weeping so sore for the death of his son, and then again, his
anguish having subsided, "his soul longing to go forth" to the other
son who had slain him (2 Sam. 13:39); and the final instructions to
his officers touching the safety of Absalom, even when he was in arms
against his father--"deal gently, for my sake, with Absalom" (2 Sam.
18:5)--being far more concerned with the care of his child than the
outcome of the battle; are so many illustrations of this trait.
But that which throws light upon the doting fondness of David for his
children, a fondness which caused him to set aside the clamant calls
of duty, comes out in his failure to punish Amnon for his crime
against Tamar, and his failure to punish Absalom for his murder of
Amnon. What light is thrown upon this infirmity of David's when, in
connection with Adonijah's rebellion, "his father had not displeased
him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so?" (1 Kings 1:6).
Little wonder, then, that his own offspring were made a scourge to
him. Alas, he followed far too closely the evil example of Eli, the
high priest of Israel, of whom it is written, "his sons made
themselves vile, and he restrained them not" (1 Sam. 3:13). Wisely did
Thomas Scott say, "Children are always uncertain comforts, but
indulged children surely prove trials to pious parents, whose foolish
fondness induces them to neglect their duty to God"--who requires them
to duly discipline their offspring.
Yet David's children had been preserved from open wickedness in their
early years: it was not until their father became guilty of aggravated
crimes that the restraining hand of God was removed from them! How
this should speak to the hearts of parents today: if they forsake the
paths of righteousness, there is good reason to believe that God will
chasten them by suffering their offspring to do likewise. Children in
their youth naturally consider the evil example of their parents an
excuse why they may follow in their steps; and grown up ones too are
emboldened and confirmed in sin by the sinful conduct of fathers and
mothers. "Let this be a warning to us to watch and pray against
temptations, lest by the misconduct of one unguarded hour we should
occasion such future consequences to our offspring, and such misery to
ourselves throughout our future lives" (Thomas Scott).
It is both deeply instructive and unspeakably solemn to observe the
method followed by the Lord in the execution of His awful threatenings
through Nathan. It was not that David's palace was now burned by fire
from heaven or razed to the ground by a cyclone. Nor was it that one
of his Sons was killed by a flash of lightning, and another swallowed
up by an earthquake. No, that is not God's customary way: not by
physical miracles, but by the operation of moral laws, is the
retribution meted out by His government conducted. "God denounced the
most grievous afflictions against the house of David on account of his
conduct toward Uriah. Those afflictions were all executed in a way of
Providence . . . Every part of the divine sentence against David was
executed by His providence without a miracle. Who can work like God?"
(Alexander Carson). This exceedingly striking and worthy of our
closest attention, for it casts much light upon God's government over
the world today.
Yes, the manner in which God's awful threatenings were fulfilled is
most noteworthy: it was done in a way of natural consequence from
David's own transgressions. The curse which God pronounced upon him
corresponded exactly to the character of his iniquities. He had
despised the commandment of the Lord (2 Sam. 12:9, namely, "Thou shalt
not commit adultery") by taking to himself the wife of another man,
and now the women of his own household should he defiled. He had
become a man of blood in the butchery of Uriah, and now of blood his
own family should be made to drink. He had yielded to his lusts, and
by that same baneful passion in others was he to be scourged for the
rest of his days. The complexion of his remaining years was set by his
own conduct in the palace at Jerusalem! And though David himself was
spared from the violent hand of the avenger, yet he was long made the
spectacle of righteous suffering before the world.
In marked contrast from the opening of 2 Samuel 11, chapter 12 closes
by showing us David occupying again his proper position. There he
slighted the post of duty, but here he is seen at the head of his
people fighting the battles of the Lord. In the previous case David
was made to pay dearly for his fleshly ease, but here God prospered
his efforts by delivering Rabbah into his hands. After the victory
David and his army returned to Jerusalem, yet only for him to suffer
one calamitous grief after another. The chapter which is now to be
considered by us chronicles two of the most horrible crimes which ever
disrupted the harmony of a family circle. One of David's sons now
dishonors David's daughter, while another of his sons, after biding
his time, revenged the outraged honor of his sister by murdering her
seducer. Thus, lust and fratricide now desolated the king's own
household.
David's children had learned the lesson which the fall of their father
had taught them. Tragic indeed was the harvest the king now reaped,
for a parent can have no sharper pang than the sight of his own sins
reappearing in his children. "David saw the ghastly reflection of his
unbridled passion in his eldest son's foul crime (and even a gleam of
it in his unhappy daughter), and of his murderous craft in his second
son's bloody revenge" (Alexander Maclaren). There is little need for
us to dwell upon the revolting details. First, Amnon had determined to
commit the fearful sin of incest against his half-sister, who was
"fair" or beautiful (2 Sam. 13:1). Ah, how many a young woman has
grieved because she was not pretty: alas, good looks often prove to be
a fatal snare, and those endowed with them need to be doubly cautious.
The most solemn features of this first calamity may be seen in tracing
the workings of God's righteous retribution in it. First, we have the
Spirit's time mark in the opening words of our chapter, "and it came
to pass after this." which, as we have intimated above, was when the
king had returned to Jerusalem--where his own fearful fall had taken
place! Second, Amnon was the king's oldest son (2 Sam. 3:2) and
therefore the one in immediate line for the throne, and probably the
one he loved the most. Third, Amnon was at a loss to think of means
for the gratification of his base desires, but there was at hand a
cunning counselor who promptly devised a plot whereby he succeeded,
and that man was a nephew of David's (v. 3)! Fourth, the workings of
Providence were such that David himself was made an unwilling
accessory to his daughter's ravishment. When the king saw Amnon, who
pretended to be sick, God not only withheld from him a discernment of
his evil designs, but David was the one who sent for Tamar: as poor
Uriah had been deceived by him, now he was deceived by his son!
After gross insult (v. 17) had been added to her grievous injury Tamar
found a home with Absalom, who was her full brother. His question to
her (v. 20) indicates that the character of Amnon was well known,
which renders the more excuseless the king's consenting for his
daughter to visit him. Yet "the counsel of the Lord, that must stand"
(Prov. 19:21), and though it evidenced His "severity" (Rom. 11:22),
nevertheless it was what even this world would designate a case of
"poetic justice," so far as David was concerned. The more closely the
case be examined the more will appear the righteous retribution which
characterizes it. As Joab had been so far from refusing to execute
David's wicked plan, but had been a willing party to the same (2 Sam.
11:15, 16), so Jonadab instead of recoiling with horror from the vile
design of Amnon, helped him to secure it!
"But when king David heard of all these things, he was very wroth" (v.
21). A severe testing of his character was now presented, for it must
be remembered that as king he was the chief magistrate in Israel, and
therefore under the highest obligations to see that the law of God was
impartially enforced. Merely to be "very wroth" by no means met the
requirements of the case: as the head of the nation it was his
bounden, though exceedingly painful, duty, to see that his debauched
son was punished. The law was express concerning such a case (see Lev.
20:17), yet there is no intimation that David inflicted this penalty.
Was it the workings of his own guilty conscience (calling to
remembrance his sin), or parental softness toward his offspring which
deterred him? Whichever it was, a dangerous precedent was set, for
mildness unto transgressors by magistrates only serves to encourage
greater evils. But though the king failed in his public duty, later
on, the Lord dealt with Amnon, and in such a way as to add greatly to
David's domestic trials.
"And Absalom spake unto his brother Amnon neither good nor bad: for
Absalom hated Amnon because he had forced his sister Tamar" (v. 22).
The Holy Spirit now introduces to our notice one of the most
despicable, vile and God-abandoned characters whose record is
chronicled in the Scriptures. The first thing that we learn about
Absalom is his antecedents: he issued From a heathenish stock! His
mother was a Gentile, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur (2 Sam.
3:3). The Geshurites were a fierce and intractable people, and the
strain of their lawlessness passed into his blood. In taking Maacah
unto himself David disobeyed a plain command of the Lord: "Neither
shalt thou make marriages with them: thy daughter thou shalt not give
unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son" (Deut.
7:3). Need we wonder then that, having sown the wind, David was made
to reap the whirlwind? God will not be defied with impugnity.
"To Maacah were born Tamar and Absalom. Both were fair; both
attractive. `In all Israel there was none to be so much praised as
Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of
his head there was no blemish in him.' David probably was proud of the
attractiveness which adorned his house, and was willing to forget the
source from which it sprang. The attractiveness wrought its effects;
and as might be expected from the attractiveness of nature, the
resulting consequences were sin and sorrow. The beauty of Tamar was
the cause of sin and destruction to Amnon, who fell beneath the
revengeful hand of Absalom his brother; and the attractiveness of
Absalom wrought on the hearts of the men of Israel, till they were
drawn away from David and his throne. Such were the results of an
attractiveness derived from sources foreign and forbidden to God's
people" (B. W. Newton).
Little wonder that Mr. Newton went on to ask, "Has Christianity
profited by the lesson, or has it also formed alliances with the
stranger?" Alas, that these questions are so easily answered. One of
the chief reasons why poor Christendom is in such a sad condition
today is because she has been so largely attracted by that which makes
an appeal to the flesh. Nor is this evil by any means restricted to
Rome, with its ornate architecture, imposing ritual, appeal to the
senses. The same thing, in varied forms, now blights the greater part
of Protestantism. The plain exposition of the Scriptures is replaced
by the popular topics of the day, congregational singing has been
pushed into the background by professional vocalists in the choir, and
all sorts of worldly devices are employed to "draw" the young people.
All of this is but the present form of Israel being allured by the
physical attractions of a godless Absalom.
Singularly enough the meaning of "Absalom" is "the father of peace"
but his was the peace of a deceiver. He was the child of him that was
a liar and a murderer from the beginning, and he knew no other
master--there is not a single intimation that God ever had any place
in his thoughts. The deceitfulness and treachery of his character
appears from the beginning. His words to Tamar were "hold now thy
peace, my sister; he (Amnon) is thy brother: regard not this thing. So
Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom's house" (v. 20),
apparently with no suspicion of his murderous intentions. Meanwhile,
"Absalom spake unto his brother neither good nor bad: for Absalom
hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar." The spirit of
revenge consumed him, and he only waited his time for a suitable
opportunity to exercise it. Absalom was the rod appointed by the Lord
for the further chastening of David; a rod, as we have seen, taken out
of his own stem, his own child. "The mills of God grind slowly, but
they grind exceeding small!"
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
His Son Absalom
(Continued)
2 Samuel 13
_________________________________________________________________
Tamar, David's daughter, as we saw in our last, found an asylum in the
home of Absalom, following the vile treatment which she had received
from Amnon--another of David's sons, but by a different wife. Her
brother, we are told, "hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister
Tamar." Nor did Absalom's enmity abate at all with the passing of
time, but merely waited an occasion which he deemed would be most
suitable for taking his revenge. This only served to make more
apparent his real character. There is an anger which is sinless, as is
clear from "When He (Christ) had looked round about on them with
anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts" (Mark 3:5). Yet
there is so much of a combustible nature in the flesh of a Christian
that he needs to turn into earnest prayer that exhortation, "Be ye
angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath" (Eph.
4:26).
But the sun had gone down upon Absalom's wrath: a deadly fire burned
in his heart which two full years had no power to quench, his crafty
soul biding its time until a way opened to let out his rage on its
victim. Implacable hatred burned in Absalom toward his half-brother as
though it had been kindled but yesterday; and now his subtilty devised
a sure passage for it. He was most manifestly a child of the devil,
and the lusts of his father he was ready to willingly execute. The
guile of the "serpent" now ministered unto the fury of the "lion," for
those are the two predominant characteristics in the archenemy of God
and men. This is clear from the tactics he followed with our blessed
Lord. First, we see his venomous guile in the Temptation, and then his
fiendish cruelty at the Cross. Similarly does he work now, and thus it
ever is with those whom he dominates.
"And it came to pass after two full years, that Absalom had
sheepshearers in Baalhazor, which is beside Ephraim: and Absalom
invited all the king's Sons" (2 Sam. 13:23). Corresponding to the old
English custom of "harvest-home," when a time of feasting and
merriment followed the garnering of it, in Palestine the annual
occasion of "sheep shearing" was made an event of festive celebration
and of the coming together of relatives and friends. This is clear
from Genesis 38:12, 13 and 1 Samuel 25:4, 36: for in the one we read,
"and Judah was comforted (after the death of his daughter), and went
up unto his sheepshearers in Timnath, with his friend," while in the
other we are told that "Nabal did shear his sheep . . . and behold, he
held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart
was merry within him, for he was very drunken."
During quite a lengthy interval Absalom had concealed his bitter
hatred against his half-brother under an appearance of indifference,
for we read that he "spake unto him neither good nor bad" (v. 22). But
now Absalom deemed the time ripe for vengeance. To cover his base
design he invites "all the king's sons' to his feast, which he had
purposed should be the place of execution for his unsuspecting victim.
Only the last great Day will reveal how often treacherous designs have
been cloaked by apparent kindness--Judas betrayed his Master not with
a blow, but a kiss!
But Absalom went to yet greater pains to hide his base intention. "And
Absalom came to the king and said, Behold now, thy servant hath
sheepshearers; let the king, I beseech thee, and his servants go with
thy servant" (v. 24). That was downright hypocrisy, for Absalom could
have had no desire that David himself should be on the ground to
witness the treachery against his son. Nor was the success of his
cunning plot endangered by this specious move, for he had good reason
to believe that his father would decline the invitation. Such indeed
was the case: "And the king said to Absalom, Nay my son, let us not
all now go, lest we be chargeable unto thee." How that evidenced one
of the many noble traits of David's character: his unselfish
thoughtfulness of others--his kindly consideration by refusing to put
his son to unnecessary expense. "And he pressed him," yet a little
later sought to turn the hearts of all Israel against him and wrest
the kingdom from his hand! "Howbeit he would not go, but blessed him"
(v.25), that is, pronounced a patriarchal benediction upon him.
"Then said Absalom, If not, I pray thee, let my brother Amnon go with
us" (v.26). Here was the real design of Absalom in pressing the king
to be present himself at the forthcoming family-union and feast:
having considerately declined his son's invitation, it would be doubly
difficult to refuse his second request. Yet how this pretended
deference unto David's parental authority exhibited the perfidy of
Absalom! He was determined to get Amnon into his toils, yet veiled his
bloodthirstiness under a pretense of affection and filial respect.
"And the king said unto him, Why should he go with thee?" (v.26).
David was evidently somewhat uneasy or at least wondered what lay
behind the outward show of Absalom's friendliness toward Amnon. But
"The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water:
He turneth it whithersoever He will" (Prov. 21:1); and so the sequel
clearly demonstrated.
"But Absalom pressed him, that he let Amnon and all the king's sons go
with him" (v. 27). Absalom prevailed against the king's better
judgment. It may be that David yielded to his son's urgency from the
fond hope that a full reconciliation would be effected between the two
brothers, but whether or not that be the case, we must look higher and
behold the over-ruling hand of God accomplishing His own counsel. The
Lord had declared that "the sword shall never depart from `thine
house" and "I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house"
(2 Sam. 12:10, 11), and from the execution of that judgment there was
no escape. Divine providence so directed things that David, by giving
his consent for Amnon to attend the feast, became an unwitting
accessory to Amnon's murder. How much heavier did this make the blow
to the poor king's heart! Yet how absolutely just were the divine
dealings with him!
"Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now when
Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto you, Smite
Amnon; then kill him, fear not: have not I commanded you? be
courageous, and be valiant" (v. 28). Birds of a feather flock
together: Absalom had succeeded in gathering around him unscrupulous
menials who were ready to aid him in any villainy. They knew that the
Lord God had commanded "thou shalt not kill," yet were they ready to
damn their souls to please their wicked master. The vilest characters
are rarely at a loss to find those who will aid them in the blackest
of crimes. The fearful impiety of the reprobate Absalom appears in
"when I say unto you, Smite Amnon, then kill him: fear not"--either
God or man, be regardless of consequences. Such reckless abandon marks
those who are given up by God.
But let us now observe how the righteous retribution of God appears in
every detail of this incident. First, as David's murder of Uriah was
not a sudden surprisal into evil, but a thing deliberately
premeditated in cold blood, so Absalom's removal of Amnon callously
planned beforehand, as verse 28 shows. Second, as the slaying of Uriah
was a means to an end--that David might obtain Bathsheba; so the
killing of Amnon was but a preliminary to Absalom's design of
obtaining the kingdom--by removing his older brother who was heir to
the throne. Third, as David did not slay Uriah by his own hand, but
made Joab an accomplice, so Absalom involved his servants in the guilt
of his crime--instead of striking the fatal blow himself. Fourth, as
David made Uriah "drunk" before his death (11:13), so Amnon was struck
down while "his heart was merry with wine"! Who can fail to see the
superintending government of God here?
"And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded"
(v. 29). How little can we foresee when tragic calamity may smite a
family reunion--"thou knowest not what a day may bring forth" (Prov.
27:1). How lightly we should hold the things of earth, for the most
treasured of them are likely to be rudely snatched from us at any
moment. The predicted "sword" is now drawn in David's house, and the
rest of his sons knew not how soon they might fall victims to
Absalom's bloodthirstiness. Therefore do we read, "Then all the king's
sons arose, and every man gat him upon his mule, and fled" (v. 29).
What an ending to a time of festivity! How vain are the pleasures of
this poor world! How slender is the thread upon which hangs the lives
even of king's sons!
"And it came to pass, while they were in the way, that tidings came to
David, saying, Absalom hath slain all the king's sons, and there is
not one of them left" (v. 30). How often the bearers of evil tidings
make bad matters worse by excuselessly exaggerating them! Things were
now represented unto David as being much blacker than they really
were. There is a warning for us here: not to credit reports of evil
until they are definitely corroborated. "Then the king arose, and tare
his garments, and lay on the earth; and all his servants stood by with
their clothes rent" (v. 31). How ready we are to believe the worst!
Poor David was now as sorely afflicted by the false news brought to
him as though it had been authentic. But alas, how slow we are to
believe the Good News; such is fallen man--ready to receive the most
egregious lie, but rejecting the authority of Divine Truth.
"And Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother, answered and said,
Let not my lord suppose that they have slain all the young men the
king's sons; for Amnon only is dead: for by the appointment of Absalom
this hath been determined from the day that he forced his sister
Tamar" (v. 32). Jonadab appears to have had knowledge from the
beginning that Absalom had definitely purposed to slay his brother,
yet had he refrained from informing the king--so that he might use his
influence to reconcile the two men, or at least take steps to prevent
murder being done. Great indeed was the guilt of Jonadab. But again we
perceive Providence overruling things. God sometimes permits the evil
plots of men to come to light, so that their intended victims receive
timely warnings (Acts 9:23-25), while in other instances He seals the
mouths of those possessing such knowledge;. and this as best subserves
His own inexorable designs.
"But Absalom fled, and went to Talmai, the son of Ammihud, king of
Geshur, and was there three years" (vv. 37, 38). By his foul crime the
land of Israel had been defiled and his own life forfeited (Num.
35:33). He was now a debtor to that Law of which David was the
guardian, for the king held his throne on the terms of reading the Law
continually and obeying the same (Deut. 17: 18-20). It is true that
David had not executed punishment for Amnon's incest, but he could
scarcely expect him to wink at barbarous fratricide. Nor could this
abandoned wretch obtain protection in any of the "cities of refuge,"
for they afforded no shelter unto those who were guilty of willful
murder. Only one alternative, then, was left him, and that was to flee
unto his mother's people; and there it was that he found an asylum.
From the human side of things it seems a great pity that this fugitive
from justice did not continue at Geshur, the place of his heathen
origin; but the sentimental heart of his father yearned after him:
"And the soul of king David longed to go forth unto Absalom: for he
was comforted concerning Amnon" (v. 39). Time is a great healer, and
after three years most of David's horror at Absalom's sin and grief
over Amnon's death had worn off. "At first he could not find in his
heart to do justice on him: now he can almost find in his heart to
take him into his favour again. This was David's infirmity" (Matthew
Henry). One can understand David's attitude, and his subsequent
conduct, from a natural viewpoint; but from the spiritual side it
betokened another sad lapse, for divine holiness requires us to
"Crucify the flesh with the affections and lusts" (Gal. 5:24): yes,
dear reader, its "affections" as well as its "lusts." The claims of
God must prevail over all natural inclinations to the contrary, and
when they do not, we have to pay dearly, as David did.
We read nothing of Absalom pining for a return unto his father, for he
was devoid of even natural affection. Fierce, proud, utterly
unscrupulous, he lacked any of the finer qualities of human nature.
But "David longed to go forth unto Absalom," yet it seemed that this
son on whom he wasted his affections was irredeemably lost to him.
Absalom was guilty of murder, and the unchanging law of God commands,
"Whoso sheddeth man's blood by man shall his blood be shed" (Gen.
9:6). How, then, was it possible for David to restore his erring son
without defying the divine requirements of his maintaining righteous
government in Israel? It is to be duly noted that there is no word
recorded of David seeking unto the Lord at this time. Ominous silence!
The energies of nature now dominated him, and therefore there was no
seeking of wisdom from above. This it is which casts light upon the
dark scenes that follow.
Chapter 14 of 2 Samuel makes known to us how it came to pass that
Absalom was brought back again to Jerusalem. The prime mover was Joab,
who was what would be termed in present-day language an astute
politician--an unprincipled man of subtle expediency. He was the
leader of Israel's armies, and anxious to curry favor both with the
king and his heir apparent. He knew that David doted upon Absalom and
reasoned that any plausible device to bring him back would be
acceptable to the king, and, at the same time, strengthen his own
position in the royal favor. But the problem confronting him was, How
might mercy rejoice against judgment? He knew too that while there
might be a godly remnant who would oppose any open flouting of the
Law, yet he counted on the fact that with the generality of Israel
Absalom was their idol: see verse 25.
Joab therefore resorted to an artful subterfuge whereby David might be
saved from disgracing the throne and yet at the same time regain his
beloved son. He employed a woman to pose as a desolate widow and
relate to the king a fictitious story, getting him to commit himself
by passing judgment there on. She is termed a wise woman" (14:2), but
her wisdom was the guile of the Serpent. Satan has no initiative, but
always imitates, and in the tale told by this tool of Joab we have but
a poor parody of the parable given through Nathan. The case she
pictured was well calculated to appeal to the king's susceptibilities,
and bring to mind his own sorrow. With artful design she sought to
show that under exceptional circumstances it would be permissible to
dispense with the executing of a murderer, especially when the issue
involved the destruction of the last heir to an inheritance.
The story she related was far from being an accurate portrayal of the
real facts of the case relating to Absalom. First, Absalom had not
slain Amnon during a fit of sudden anger, nor had he murdered him when
they were alone together (14:6); instead, he was slain by deliberate
malice, and that, in the presence of his brethren. Second, there was
no cruel persecution being waged against Absalom by those who coveted
his inheritance (v. 7): but the righteous Law of God demanded his
death! Third, Absalom was not the only remaining son of David (12:24,
25), so that there was no immediate danger of the royal line becoming
extinct, as the woman represented (14:7). These half-lies clearly
indicated the source of this woman's "wisdom," and had David been in
communion with God at the time, he had not been imposed upon or
induced to deliver such an unholy judgment.
But apart from these glaring inaccuracies, the tale told by this woman
made a touching appeal to the king's sentiments, and prevailed upon
him. First, he hastily promised to protect her (v. 10), and then
rashly confirmed the same by an oath (v. 11). Then she applied his
concession to the case of Absalom and intimated that David was going
against the interests of Israel (not displeasing God, be it noted!) in
allowing his son to remain in exile (v. 13). Next she argued that
since God in His sovereignty has spared David's life (notwithstanding
his murder of Uriah), it could not be wrong for him to show leniency
unto Absalom (v. 13). Finally, she heaped flattery upon the king (v.
17). The sequel was that David willingly concluded his oath to this
woman obliged him to recall Absalom (v. 21), and accordingly he gave
orders to Joab for him to be brought back.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER SIXTY
His Son Absalom
(Continued)
2 Samuel 14
_________________________________________________________________
It was fleshly sentiment, and not a concern for God's glory, which
moved David to authorize Joab to bring back Absalom. Some of our
readers may regard this as a harsh verdict and say, "Possibly the
writer is not a parent, if he were, perhaps he would better understand
the case before him. Was not David actuated by love for his erring
son? Surely God does not expect His people to be without natural
affection." Ah, dear reader, the claims of the Lord are both high and
comprehensive, and His requirements much more exacting than many like
to recognize. Right eyes are to be plucked out and right hands cut off
(Matthew 5:29,30)--things which are very dear to us--if they prove a
hindrance to our treading the Narrow Way; and that is indeed a painful
sacrifice, is it not?--so painful, that nothing short of the
supernatural but sufficient grace of God can enable any of us
thereunto.
"If any man come to Me," said the Lord Christ, "and hate not his
father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters,
yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:26). No
wonder that He bade intending disciples to "set down first and count
the cost" (Luke 14:28). Christ will be Lord of all, or He will not be
Lord at all. He requires the throne of our hearts, and all other
interests and inclinations must bow before His sovereign will. Alas,
how little are His claims emphasized today! How His holy standard has
been lowered! How His Gospel has been cheapened! How maudlin
sentimentality now ousts the principles of holiness in the great
majority of those who bear His name! How those who endeavor, in their
feeble way, to press the divine requirements are now condemned as
being heartless and censorious.
"But surely a Christian is not required to become an unemotional
stoic, devoid of all natural affection." No, indeed; grace in the
heart does not harden, but softens. Nevertheless, holiness, and not
carnal sentiment, is to dominate the Christian. Natural affections are
not to be granted a lawless license, but are to be regulated by the
precepts of Scripture. A Christian is permitted to lament the death of
a fellow-believer, yet is he bidden to "sorrow not even as others
which have no hope" (1 Thess. 4:13). We are exhorted to mortify
"inordinate affection" (Col. 3:5), that is, lawless and excessive
fondness. And sometimes we have to choose--as David did--between
honoring God by an obedience which requires us to set aside the
yearnings of nature, or dishonor Him by yielding to fleshly emotions:
in such a case self (the natural man) is to be denied.
Take it on its lowest ground. Do not those parents defeat their own
ends who, from a miscalled "love," fail to deal sternly with the
disobedience and defiance of their little ones; and who when their
children are grown up, wink at their sins? How many a shiftless youth,
whose every whim is gratified by his doting mother, develops into a
worthless wastrel! How many a flighty daughter is allowed her own way,
under the pretext of "letting her have a good time," only to end in
her becoming a woman of the streets! Even the natural man is
responsible to bring his affections under the control of his judgment,
and not let his heart run away with his head. But the child of God is
to be regulated by far higher and holier principles, and is to
subordinate the yearnings of nature to the glory of God by obeying His
commandments.
Now in his ordering Joab to Fetch back Absalom from Geshur, David
acted according to the dictates of "natural affection," and not out of
any regard to the honor of the Lord. Joab knew how to work upon his
weakness, as is evident from the success of his scheme through the
woman of Tekoah. She so wrought upon his sentiments that he rashly
gave a verdict in favor of the criminal depicted in her story; and
then she persuaded him to restore his treacherous son. Yet nothing
could possibly justify him in disregarding the divine law, which cried
aloud for the avenging of Amnon. God had given no commandment for his
son to be restored, and therefore His blessing did not attend it.
David paid dearly for his foolish pity, as we shall see from the
sequel; and that is recorded for our learning. God grant that some
parents at least who read these lines will take this solemn lesson to
heart.
"So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see
my face. So Absalom returned to his own house, and saw not the king's
face" (vv. 23, 24). Previously we read that "David mourned for his son
every day" and "the soul of king David was consumed (margin) to go
forth unto Absalom" (13:37, 39), whereas now that he is brought back
to Jerusalem orders are given that he must not see the kings face.
What a strange thing human nature is! What expedients it will resort
to and compromises it will make in order to save its face. Possibly
some of the more godly of David's counselors had demurred at his
Routing of the Law, and maybe his own heart was uneasy over the step
he had taken; and so as a sop to his conscience, and in order to quiet
the censures of others, Absalom was confined to his own private
dwelling.
Some writers are of the opinion that this measure of the king was
designed for the humbling of his son, hoping that he would now be
brought to see the heinousness of his sin and repent for it. But
surely there had been sufficient time for that in his three years'
sojourn in Geshur. No, we believe that what we have pointed out above
is the more likely explanation. By permitting Absalom to return to his
own house David exercised mercy, and by denying him entrance to the
court he made a show of justice, persuading himself by this interdict
he evidenced his abhorrence of Amnon's murder. Nevertheless the fact
remained that, as chief magistrate in Israel, David had set aside the
divine law. Therefore he must not be surprised if his wayward son now
resorts to further lawlessness, for there is no escape from the
outworking of the principle of sowing and reaping.
"But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for
his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head
there was no blemish in him" (v. 25). How this reveals the low state
of the Nation at that time! Absalom was not esteemed for his moral
worth, for he was utterly lacking in piety, wisdom, or justice. His
handsome physique was what appealed to the people. His abominable
wickedness was ignored, but his person was admired--which only served
to increase his arrogance, ending in his utter ruin. Alas, how often a
corrupt mind indwells a sound body. How sad it is to observe our
decadent generation valuing physical beauty and prowess more highly
than moral virtues and spiritual graces. The allowing of his luxuriant
hair to grow to such a length, and then afterwards weighing it (v.
26), shows the pride and effeminacy of the man. The three sons born to
him (v. 27) evidently died at an early age: see 18:18.
"So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king's
face. Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to have sent him to the king;
but he would not come to him, and when he sent again the second time,
he would not come" (vv. 28, 29). In the light of the immediate sequel
it is clear that Absalom was chafing at his confinement (that he "sent
for Joab" indicates he was virtually a prisoner in his own house)
because it interfered with the development of his evil plans, and that
the reason why he was anxious to be reconciled to the king was that he
might obtain his liberty and thus be able to win the Nation over to
himself. Probably this was the reason why Joab declined to visit him:
suspecting his disloyal designs, knowing what a dangerous character he
was to be at large.
"Therefore he said unto his servants, See Joab's field is near mine
and he hath barley there; go and set it on fire. And Absalom's
servants set the field on fire" (v. 30). He was still the same
self-willed character: "who is lord over us?" being the language of
all his actions. The three years he had spent at Geshur and his two
years of isolation in Jerusalem had wrought no change in him: his
heart was not humbled and his pride was not mortified. Instead of
being thankful that his life has been spared, he deems himself sorely
wronged for being secluded from the court. Instead of being grateful
to Joab for bringing him back from Geshur, he now takes a mean revenge
upon him because he refused his present request. Such conduct
displayed a self-will that would brook no denial; a man of violence
ready to go to any lengths in order to have his own way. The fear of
God was not in him, nor had he any respect for his neighbor.
"Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto his house, and said unto
him, Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire?" (v. 31). At
first sight it seems strange after twice refusing to see Absalom, that
now, after being insulted and injured, Joab should grant his request,
and mediate for him with the king; yet a little reflection will make
it clear. Joab was a shrewd politician, with his finger on the
public's pulse, and he knew full well that Absalom stood high in the
favor of the people (v. 25): and now that he had further proof of the
fury and power of the man--his servants being ready at his bidding to
do violence unto the property of the general of the army!--he was
afraid further to cross his will; and probably, with an eye to the
future, he also wished to keep in his good books.
"And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent unto thee, saying. Come
hither, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Wherefore am I come
From Geshur? it had been good for me to have been there still: now
therefore let me see the king's face; and if there be any iniquity in
me, let him kill me" (v. 32). What an arrogant and insolent attitude
to assume toward his royal parent: one which manifested the grossest
ingratitude, a contempt for the king's authority, and a deliberate
challenge for him to enforce the law. Rightly did Matthew Henry point
out, "His message was haughty and imperious, and very unbecoming
either a son or a subject. He undervalued the favour that had been
shown him in recalling him from banishment, and restoring him to his
own house. He denies his own crimes, though most notorious, and will
not own that there was any iniquity in him, insinuating that,
therefore, he had been wronged in the rebukes he had been under. He
defies the king's justice, `Let him kill me, if he can find it in his
heart,' knowing he loved him too well to do it."
"So Joab came to the king, and told him: and when he had called for
Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the
ground before the king; and the king kissed Absalom" (v. 33). Alas,
notwithstanding his insulting rudeness Absalom prevailed upon the king
to yield. His better judgment blinded by intemperate affection for his
son, David invited Absalom to the palace. By prostrating himself
before the king Absalom feigned submission to his authority, yet his
heart was full of base designs to secure the throne for himself. David
sealed his pardon with a kiss, instead of allowing the Law to take its
course. As another has well said. "David's inordinate tenderness only
paved the way for Absalom's open rebellion. Terrible warning! Deal
tenderly with evil, and it will, assuredly, rise to a head and crush
you in the end. On the other hand, meet evil with a face of flint, and
victory is sure. Sport not with the serpent, but at once crush it
beneath your feet."
Whilst all this trouble was brewing around David a strange passiveness
seems to have crept over him, and to have continued till his flight
before Absalom. The narrative is singularly silent about him. He
appears to be paralyzed by the consciousness of his past sins: he
originated nothing. He dared not punish Amnon, and could only weep
when he heard of Absalom's crime. He weakly craved for the return of
the latter, but could not bring himself to send for him till Joab
urged it. A flash of his old kingliness appeared for a moment in his
refusal to see his son, but even that vanished when Joab chose to
insist that Absalom should return to the court. He had no will of his
own, but had become a mere tool in the hands of his fierce
general--Joab having gained this hold over him by his complicity in
Uriah's murder. At every step he was dogged by the consequences of his
own wrong-doings, even though God had pardoned his sins.
Beautifully did Alexander Maclaren, in his little work, "The Life of
David as reflected in his Psalms," throw light upon this particular
stage of his career, and we feel we cannot do our readers a better
service than close this chapter with a rather lengthy quotation
therefrom. "It is not probable that many Psalms were made in those
dreary days. But the forty-first and fifty-fifth are with reasonable
probability, referred to this period by many commentators. They give a
very touching picture of the old king during the four years in which
Absalom's conspiracy was being hatched. It seems from the forty-first
that the pain and sorrow of his heart had brought on some serious
illness, which his enemies had used for their own purposes and
embittered by hypocritical condolences and ill-concealed glee. The
sensitive nature of the Psalmist winces under their heartless
desertion of him, and pours our its plaint in this pathetic lament. He
begins with a blessing on those who `consider the afflicted'--having
reference, perhaps, to the few who were faithful to him in his
languishing sickness. He passes thence to his own case, and, after
humble confession of his sin--almost in the words of the fifty-first
Psalm--he tells how his sick bed had been surrounded by different
visitors.
"His disease drew no pity, but only fierce impatience that he lingered
in life so long. `Mine enemies speak evil of me--when will he die, and
his name have perished?' One of them, in especial, who must have been
a man in high position to gain access to the sick chamber, has been
conspicuous by his lying words of condolence. `If he come to see me,
he speaketh vanity.' The sight of the sick king touched no cord of
affection, but only increased the traitor's animosity--`his heart
gathered evil to itself'--and then, having watched his pale face for
wished-for unfavorable symptoms, the false friend hurries from the
bedside to talk of his hopeless illness--`he goeth abroad, he telleth
it.' The tidings spread, and are stealthily passed from one
conspirator to another: `all that hate me whisper together against
me.' They exaggerate the gravity of his condition, and are glad
because, making the wish the father to the thought, they believe him
dying--`a thing of Belial' (i.e. a destructive disease) say they, `is
poured out upon him, and now that he lieth, he shall rise up no more.
"We should be disposed to refer the thirty-ninth Psalm also to this
period. It, too, is the meditation of one in sickness, which he knows
to be a divine judgment for his sin. There is little trace of enemies
in it; but his attitude is that of silent submission, while wicked men
are disquieted around him--which is precisely the characteristic
peculiarity of his conduct at this period. It consists of two parts
(vv. 1-6 and 7-13), in both of which the subjects of his meditations
are the same, but the tone of them different. His own sickness and
mortality, and man's fleeting, shadowy life, are his themes. The
former has led him to think of the latter.
"It may be observed that this supposition of a protracted illness,
which is based upon these Psalms, throws light upon the singular
passiveness of David during the maturing of Absalom's conspiracy, and
may naturally be supposed to have favoured his schemes, an essential
part of which was to ingratiate himself with suitors who came to the
king for judgment, by affecting great regret that no man was deputed
of the king to hear them. The accumulation of untried causes, and the
apparent disorganization of the judicial machinery, are well accounted
for by David's sickness."
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
His Son Absalom
(Continued)
2 Samuel 15
_________________________________________________________________
"And it came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared him chariots
and horses, and fifty men to run before him" (2 Sam. 15:1). The "after
this" refers to what now followed upon David's receiving back into his
favor the son who had murdered a brother (14:33). If a spark of
gratitude had burned in his breast, Absalom would now have sought to
do all in his power toward forwarding the interests of his indulgent
father. But alas, so far from strengthening the hands of his royal
parent, he sets to work to dethrone him. Absalom was now in the
position to develop his vile plan of deposing David. The methods he
followed thoroughly revealed what a godless and unscrupulous scoundrel
he was. The first thing here recorded of him at once intimated his
utter contempt of God and manifested his affinity with the
Jehovah requires His people to conduct themselves differently from the
idolatrous nations surrounding them, and therefore He gave, among
others, this law for the regulation of Israel's king: But he shall not
multiply horses to himself" (Deut. 17:16). It was in accord with this,
that, when the King of kings formally presented Himself to Israel, He
appeared "meek and sitting upon an ass" (Matthew 21:5), so perfectly
did He honor the Law in every detail. But Absalom was of a totally
different type: arrogant, proud, self-willed. All the other sons of
David rode upon mules (2 Sam. 13:19), but nothing less than "chariots
and horses" would satisfy this wicked aspirant to the kingdom.
The "fifty men to run before him" was a symbol of royalty: see 1
Samuel 8:11; 1 Kings 1:5. In acting thus, Absalom took advantage of
his father's fond attachment and basely traded upon his weakness.
Unauthorized by the king, yet not forbidden by him, he prepared an
imposing retinue, which gave him a commanding status before the
nation. Finding himself unchecked by the king, he made the most of his
position to seduce the hearts of the people. By means of underhand
methods, Absalom now sought to turn toward himself the affection of
his father's subjects. From the employment of force (2 Sam. 14:30), he
resorted to craftiness. As we have said before, these two are the
leading characteristics of the devil: the violence of the "lion" and
the guile of the "serpent," and thus it ever is with those whom he
fully possesses.
"And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate: and
it was so, that when any man that had a controversy came to the king
for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what city art
thou? And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel. And
Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right; but there
is no man deputed of the king to hear thee. Absalom said moreover, Oh
that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit
or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice! And it was
so, that when any man came nigh to him to do him obeisance, he put
forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him. And in this manner did
Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment: so Absalom
stole the hearts of the men of Israel" (2 Sam. 15:2-6).
A few explanatory comments are required upon some of the terms in the
above verses. First, the "way of the gate" was the place of judgment,
that is, of judicial assize (see Gen. 19:1; 23:10, 18; 34:20; Ruth
4:1). "Thy matters" in verse 3 signifies "thy suit or cause" as in
verse 4. The obvious intention of Absalom in stationing himself at
this important center was to ingratiate himself with the people. His
"thy matters are good and right" to all and sundry alike, showed his
determination to win them regardless of the requirements of justice or
the claims of mercy. His "there is no one deputed of the king to hear
thee" was a dastardly attempt to create prejudice and lower the
sovereign in their eyes. His "O that I were made judge in the land"
revealed the lusting of his heart; neither pleasure nor pomp contented
him--he must have power too. His embracing of the common people (v. 5)
was a display of (pretended) humility and geniality.
"So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel," upon which Thomas
Scott well said, "He did not gain their hearts by eminent services, or
by a wise and virtuous conduct. But he affected to look great, as heir
to the crown, and yet to be very condescending and affable to his
inferiors: he pretended a great regard to their interests, and threw
out artful insinuations against David's administration; he flattered
every one who had a cause to be tried, with the assurance that he had
right on his side; that, if it went against him, he might be led to
accuse David and the magistrates of injustice. Though Absalom knew not
how to obey, and deserves to die for his atrocious crime, yet he
expressed a vehement desire to be judge over all the land, and
suggested that suits should not then be so tedious, expensive, and
partially decided as they were. This he confirmed by rising early and
by apparent application; though it was other people's business, and
not his own duty: and by such sinister arts, united with his personal
attractions and address, he imposed upon multitudes all over the land
to prefer so worthless a character to the wise, righteous, and pious
David."
Ere proceeding further let us pause and ask the question, What is
there here for our own souls? This should ever be the principal
concern of our minds as we read the Word of God. Its historical
sections are full of important practical teaching: many valuable
lessons may be learned therefrom if only we have hearts to receive
them. Ah, that is the point on which so much turns. There must be a
readiness and willingness on my part if I am to profit spiritually
from what I peruse; and for that, there must be humility. Only a lowly
heart will perceive that I am likely to be attracted by the same baits
which led to the downfall of others; that I am liable to the same
temptations they met with, and that unless I guard the particular gate
at which the enemy succeeded in gaining an entrance into their souls,
he will just as surely prevail over me. O for grace to heed the solemn
warnings which are found in every incident we ponder.
Now look again at what is recorded here. "Absalom stole the hearts of
the men of Israel." Surely that is the sentence which should speak
most loudly to us. It was not the open enemies of David that he
wrought upon, but his subjects. It was not the Philistines whom he
enlisted but the people of God whom he seduced. Absalom sought to sow
the seeds of discontent in their minds, to alienate their affections
from David, to render them disloyal to their king. Ah, is not the
lesson plain? Is there not one who is ever seeking to seduce the
subjects of Christ? tempting them to revolt from allegiance to His
sceptre, endeavoring to allure them into his service. Learn, then,
dear friend, to look beneath the surface as you read the Holy
Scriptures, to see through the historical details to the underlying
principles that are therein illustrated, to observe the motives which
prompted to action; and then apply the whole to yourself.
What had you done had you been one of those "men of Israel" whose
hearts Absalom was seeking to divorce from David? The answer to that
question would have turned entirely on one thing: was your heart
satisfied with David? Of this tempter we read, "But in all Israel
there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from
the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no
blemish in him" (2 Sam. 14:25), thus there was everything about his
person to appeal to "the lust of the flesh." And as we have seen,
"Absalom prepared him chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before
him," thus there was an appeal to "the lust of the eyes." Moreover, he
promised to further the temporal interests of all who had "a
controversy," that is, of all who considered they had a grievance and
were being hardly dealt with: thus there was an appeal to "the pride
of life" (1 John 2:16). Were those things more than sufficient to
counterbalance the excellencies which David possessed?
Again we say, Look beneath the historical characters and discern those
whom they typified! When Satan comes to tempt the subjects of the
antitypical David he assumes his most alluring character and dangles
before us that which appeals either to the lust of the flesh, the lust
of the eye, or the pride of life. But mark it well, dear reader, that
Satan's baits have no attraction for those who are in communion with
and finding their joy in the Lord. And he knows that full well, and
therefore does he seek to stir up enmity against Him. He knows he
cannot cause a regenerate soul to dislike the person of the Lord, so
he endeavors to create dissatisfaction with His government over us. It
was so in the type: "there is no man deputed of the king to hear
thee." Ah, it is here we most need to be on guard: to resist every
effort of Satan's to bring us to murmur at the Lord's providences. But
we must turn from the spiritual application back again to the
historical.
And what of David during this time? He could hardly have been totally
ignorant of the perfidy of his son: some tidings must have reached him
of the treacherous plot now on foot to dispose him. Yet there is no
hint that he took any steps to thwart Absalom. How, then, shall we
account for his apathy? At the close of our last chapter we dwelt upon
the strange passiveness which characterized David during this stage of
his checkered career, suggesting that the explanation proffered by
Alexander Maclaren was a most likely one and apparently confirmed by
the Scriptures, namely, that during this period the king suffered from
a severe and protracted sickness. That helpful writer called attention
to the fact that many of the best commentators regard Psalms 41 and 55
as being composed by David at this time. Having already given his
brief remarks upon the former, we will now reproduce those upon the
latter; suggesting that Psalm 55 be read through at this point.
"The fifty-fifth psalm gives some very pathetic additional
particulars. It is in three parts: a plaintive prayer and portraiture
of the psalmist's mental distress (vv. 1-8); a vehement supplication
against his foes, and indignant recounting of their treachery (vv.
9-16); and, finally a prophecy of the retribution that is to fall upon
them (vv. 17-23). In the first and second portions we have some points
which help to complete our picture of the man. For instance, his heart
is `sore pained' within him, the `terrors of death' are on him, `fear
and trembling' are come to him, and `horror" has covered him. All this
points, like subsequent verses, to his knowledge of the conspiracy
before it came to a head.
"The state of the city, which is practically in the hands of Absalom
and his tools, is described with bold imagery. Violence and strife in
possession of it, spies prowling about the walls day and night, evil
and trouble in its midst, and destruction, oppression, and deceit--a
goodly company--flaunting in its open spaces. And the spirit, the
brain of the whole, is the trusted friend whom he had made his own
equal, who had shared his secretest thoughts in private, who had
walked next him in solemn processions to the temple. Seeing all this,
what does the king do, who was once so fertile in resource, so
decisive in counsel, so prompt in action? Nothing. His only weapon is
prayer: `As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord will save me.
Evening and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud; and He
shall hear my voice.
"He lets it all grow as it list, and only longs to be out of all the
weary coil of troubles. `O that I had wings like a dove, then would I
fly away and be at rest. Lo, I would flee far off, I would lodge in
the wilderness. I would swiftly fly to my refuge from the raging wind,
from the tempest.' The languor of his disease, love for his worthless
son, consciousness of sin, and submission to the chastisement through
`one of his own house,' which Nathan had foretold, kept him quiet,
though he saw the plot winding its meshes round him. And in this
submission patient confidence is not wanting, though subdued and
saddened, which finds expression in the last words of this psalm of
the heavy laden, "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain
thee . . . I will trust in Thee.'"
Much of what Absalom said to those whose hearts he stole had, no
doubt, a measure of truth in it. The disorders and sorrows of David's
house had borne heavily on the king: his energy flagged, his health
was broken, and the influence of his throne proportionately weakened.
Absalom saw the defects of his father's government, and perceived that
others saw them too, and quickly and meanly he took advantage of the
situation, deprecating David and extolling himself. Yet David idolized
Absalom, indeed, this was one of his chief failures, and bitterly was
he now made to smart for cherishing such a viper in his bosom. He knew
that Absalom was exalting himself. He knew that the calling of God was
not with him, but with Solomon (2 Sam. 7:12; 12:25). He knew that
Absalom was godless, that the flesh ruled him in all his ways; and
yet, knowing all this, he interfered not to restrain him.
"And it came to pass after forty years, that Absalom said unto the
king, I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto
the Lord, in Hebron" (15:7). We are not sure from what point these
forty years date, but certainly not from the time of David's
coronation, for in such a case we would now have arrived at the
closing year of his reign, which is obviously not the case--see 2
Samuel 21:1. Possibly it is to be dated from the time of his first
anointing (1 Sam. 16:13). At any rate, that which is most germane to
our present line of meditation is, Absalom considered that his wicked
plot was ripe for execution, hence he now proceeded to put the
finishing touches to it. Nothing less than the kingdom itself was what
he determined to seize.
"For thy servant vowed a vow while I abode at Geshur in Syria, saying,
If the Lord shall bring me again indeed to Jerusalem, then I will
serve the Lord. And the king said unto him, Go in peace. So he arose,
and went to Hebron" (vv. 8, 9). Absalom's duplicity and hypocrisy
appear in all their hideousness. He cloaked his insurrection under the
guise of offering sacrifice unto Jehovah (Deut. 23:21-23) in
performance of a vow which he pretended to have made. He had no love
for his parent and no fear for his God, for he dared now to mock His
worship with a deliberate lie. He cunningly imposed upon his poor
father's hopes that at last his wayward son was becoming pious. No
doubt David had often prayed for him, and now he supposed that his
supplications were beginning to be answered. How delighted he would be
to hear that Absalom desired to "serve the Lord," and therefore he
readily gave his consent for him to go to Hebron.
"But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying,
As soon as ye hear the sound of the trumpet, then ye shall say,
Absalom reigneth in Hebron" (v. 10). Let this be a warning to parents
not to assume too readily that their children have experienced the new
birth, but wait to see the fruits of the same. Instead of journeying
to Hebron in order to worship Jehovah, Absalom's purpose was to be
acclaimed monarch over Israel. "Hebron" was not only the place where
he was born (2 Sam. 3:2,3) but it was also where David had commenced
his reign (2 Sam. 5: 1-3). These "spies" that he sent forth were
either his own trusted "servants" (14:30) or those whose hearts he had
stolen from David and on whom he could now rely to further his evil
scheme. Those who would hear this proclamation "Absalom reigneth"
might draw whatever conclusion they pleased--that David was dead, or
that he had relinquished the reins of government, or that the Nation
at large preferred his attractive son.
"And with Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem, that were
called, and they went in their simplicity, and they knew not any
thing" (v. 11). No doubt these "two hundred men were persons of rank
and prominence, being summoned to accompany the king's son to a sacred
feast. Absalom's object was to awe the common people and give them the
impression that David's cause was now being deserted at headquarters.
Thus these men unwittingly countenanced Absalom's evil devices, for
their presence signified that they supported his treason. This is a
fair sample of the methods employed by unprincipled politicians to
further their selfish ends, getting many to join their ranks or party
under a complete misconception of the leader's real policy.
"And Absalom sent for Ahithophel, the Gilonite, David's counsellor,
from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the
conspiracy was strong, for the people increased continually with
Absalom" (v. 12). The man whose aid Absalom now sought was a renowned
statesman, apparently no longer on friendly terms with David. He was a
fit tool for the insurrectionist, though in the end God turned his
counsel into foolishness. The sovereignty which God displays in His
providences is as patent as it is awe-inspiring. As He graciously
raises up those to befriend His people in the hour of their need, so
He has appointed those who are ready to help the wicked in the
furthering of their evil plans. As there was an Ittai loyal to David,
so there was an Ahithophel to counsel Absalom.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
His Flight
2 Samuel 15
_________________________________________________________________
There are few incidents in the checkered life of David more pathetic
than the one which is now to engage our attention, illustrating as it
also does the providential ups and downs and the alternating spiritual
prosperity and adversity which is the lot of God's people on this
earth. All is not unclouded sunshine with them, nor is it unrelieved
gloom and storm. There is a mingling of both; joys and sorrows,
victories and defeats, assistance from friends and injuries from foes,
smiles from the Lord's countenance and the hidings of His face. By
such changes opportunities are afforded for the development and
exercise of different graces, so that we may, in our measure, "know
how to be abased and how to abound . . . both to be full and to be
empty" (Phil 4:12); and above all, that we may, amid varying
circumstances, prove the unchanging faithfulness of God and His
sufficiency to supply our every need.
David was called to leave the lowly plains of Bethlehem to participate
in the honors of Saul's palace. From tending the flock he became the
conqueror of Goliath and the popular hero of Israel. But soon Saul's
friendship was changed to enmity, and David had to flee for his life,
and for many weary months he was hunted as a partridge on the
mountains. Subsequently his fortunes were again greatly altered, and
from being an outcast he was crowned king of Israel. Then he was
enabled to capture Jerusalem, the stronghold of Zion, which became
"the city of David" (2 Sam. 5:7). There he established his court and
thither he "brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the
voice of the trumpet" (2 Sam. 6:15). But now we are to behold him
fleeing from Jerusalem and being separated from the holy ark: a
fugitive once more, in humiliation and deep anguish.
Ah, my reader, if you be one of God's elect, expect not a smooth and
easy path down here, but be prepared for varying circumstances and
drastic changes. The Christian's resting place is not in this world,
for "here have we no continuing city" (Heb. 13:14). The Christian is a
"pilgrim," on a journey; he is a "soldier," called on to fight the
good fight of faith. The more this be realized, the less keen will be
the disappointment when our ease is disturbed and our outward peace
rudely broken in upon. "Many are the afflictions of the righteous,"
and if they come not to us in one form, they most certainly will in
another. If we really "appropriate" this promise (!) then we shall not
be so staggered when those afflictions come upon us. It is written
that "we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God"
(Acts 14:22), and therefore we should make up our minds to expect the
same, and to "think it not strange" (1 Peter 4:12) when we are called
upon to pass through "the fiery trial."
Affliction, tribulation and fiery trial were now David's portion. "And
there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts of the men of
Israel are after Absalom" (2 Sam. 15:13). Visualize the sad scene: the
dark clouds of a threatened revolt had been steadily gathering, and
now the storm bursts on the king's head. By this time David was some
sixty years of age, with health and strength greatly impaired.
Ahithophel, his trusted counselor, had deserted him, and Absalom his
favorite son was now risen in rebellion against him. Not only his
throne, but his very life was in danger, together with the lives of
his wives and their little ones--Solomon was scarcely ten years old at
this time. What, then, does the king do? Nothing! There was no calling
of a counsel, no effort made to provision Jerusalem for the
withstanding of a siege, no determination to stand his rightful ground
and resist his lawless son.
"And David said, unto all his servants that were with him at
Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not else escape from
Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly; and bring
evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword" (v. 14).
Now that at last the blow falls, David passively acquiesces in what he
evidently felt to be God's righteous chastisement upon him. When the
awful news arrives that Absalom had set up the standard of revolt at
Hebron, David's only thought was immediate flight. The intrepid
warrior was now almost cowardly in his eagerness to escape, and was
prepared to give up everything without a blow. It seemed as though
only a touch was needed to overthrow his throne. He hurries on the
preparations for flight with nervous haste. He forms no plans beyond
those of his earlier wish to fly away and be at rest.
That David had good reason to conclude the situation which now
confronted him was a just retribution upon his own crimes is quite
evident. First, the Lord had declared, "I will raise up evil against
thee out of thine own house" (2 Sam. 12:1), fulfilled here in the
insurrection of his favorite son. Other evidences thereof will come
before us later, but at this point we will consider, second,
Ahithophel's joining hands with the rebel. No sooner had Absalom
determined to execute his daring plan than he looked to Ahithophel. He
appears, for some reason not specifically mentioned, to have
confidently counted upon his cooperation; nor was he disappointed.
"And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counsellor,
from his city, even from Giloh" (15:12). It is to be carefully noted
that immediately after Ahithophel's coming to Absalom, we are
informed, "And the conspiracy was strong, for the people increased
continually with Absalom" (v. 12)--intimating that Ahithophel was a
host in himself.
"And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, was
as if a man had inquired at the oracle of God: so was all the counsel
of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom" (16:23): in view of
this statement we need not be surprised that his joining heart and
hand with Absalom so greatly strengthened his cause. There is no doubt
that he was the chief instrument in this conspiracy, and the prime
reason why so many in Israel turned from the king to his traitorous
son. His official status and the great influence which he possessed
over the people made Absalom glad to avail himself of his help, both
to sink the spirits of David's party and to inspire his own with
confidence, for Ahithophel was commonly regarded as a prophet. But
what was it that made Ahithophel respond so readily to Absalom's
invitation, and cause him to find still greater favor in the eves of
the people, as one who had been grievously wronged and deserved to be
avenged of his adversity?
To answer this question the Scriptures must be searched and passage
carefully compared with passage. In the second half of 2 Samuel 23 the
names are given of the thirty-seven men who formed the special body
"guard' (v. 23) of David. Among them we find "Eliam the son of
Ahithophel the Gilonite" (v.34) and "Uriah the Hittite" (v. 39). Thus
Eliam and Uriah were fellow-officers and would be much thrown
together. Hence, we need not be surprised to learn that Uriah married
the daughter of Eliam (see 2 Sam. 11:3). Thus Bathsheba, whom David so
grievously wronged, was the grand-daughter of Ahithophel; and Uriah,
whom he so cruelly murdered, was his grandson by marriage! Does not
this fact explain why David's "familiar friend" (Ps. 41:9) became his
deadly foe, and account for his readiness to aid Absalom--thus seeking
to avenge the dishonor brought upon his house.
Some years had passed since this dishonor had come upon the family of
Ahithophel, and during that interval it appears that he had turned his
hack upon David and the court, and had quietly retired to his
birthplace (15:12). Brooding over the grievous wrongs which David had
done to his family, the spirit of revenge would rankle in his heart.
It seems that Absalom was well aware of this, and perceived that
Ahithophel was only waiting for a suitable opportunity to give vent to
his feelings and execute his meditated wrath upon the head of David.
Does not this explain why Absalom approached him with confidence, made
known to him his treason, and counted on him welcoming the news and
becoming his fellow-worker? Does not this also account for so many of
the people transferring their allegiance from a throne which they knew
to be defiled with adultery and murder to the rebellious son?
Not only does Ahithophel's blood-relationship to Bathsheba explain his
readiness to take sides with Absalom against the king, and account for
the common peoples' transference of loyalty, but it also supplies the
key to David's own attitude and conduct at this time. It was
additional evidence to him that God was now dealing with him for his
sins--other proofs of this will come before us later, but we must not
anticipate. And most blessed is it to observe him bowing so meekly to
the divine rod. David felt that to withstand Absalom would be to
resist the Lord Himself; therefore, instead of strengthening his
forces in Jerusalem and maintaining his ground, he flees. We cannot
but admire the lovely fruit brought forth by the Spirit at this time
in David's heart, for to Him, and not to mere nature, must be
attributed that which is here presented to our view.
Long before this we had occasion to admire the beautiful spirit
evidenced by David when suffering for righteousness, now we behold it
again when he was suffering for transgressions. Then we saw him as the
martyr in the days of Saul, bringing forth the fruits of meekness,
patience, and confidence in God, willing to be hounded by Saul day
after day, and refusing to take vengeance into his own hands and smite
the Lord's anointed. But here we see David as the penitent: his sin
has found him out, brought into remembrance before God, and he
submissively bows his head and accepts the consequences of his
wrongdoing. This is quite beautiful, manifesting again the workmanship
of the Spirit of God in David. He alone can quiet the turbulent heart,
subdue the rebellious will, and mortify that innate desire to take
matters into our own hands; as He alone can bring us to humble
ourselves beneath the mighty hand of God, and hold our peace when He
visits our iniquity "with stripes" (Ps. 89:32).
Yes, it is, as we said in our opening paragraphs, changing
circumstances that afford opportunity for the development and exercise
of different graces. Some graces are of the active and aggressive
kind, while others are of a passive order, requiring quite another
setting for their display: some of the traits which mark the soldier
on a battlefield would be altogether out of place were he languishing
on a bed of sickness. Spiritual joy and godly sorrow is equally
beautiful in its season. It would be most incongruous to mourn while
the Bridegroom was present, but it is fitting for the children of the
Bridechamber to fast when He is absent. As there are certain
vegetables, fruits and flowers which cannot be grown in lands which
are unvisited by nipping winds and biting frosts, so there are some
fruits of the Spirit which are only produced in the soil of severe
trials, troubles and tribulations.
"And the king's servants said unto the king, Behold, thy servants are
ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall appoint" (v. 15). What
we have just said above is equally pertinent to this verse: the sad
situation confronting David revealed plainly the state of heart of
those in his immediate employ. The revolt of Absalom and his stealing
the hearts of so many of the people afforded an opportunity for these
servants of David to manifest their unswerving loyalty and deep
devotion to their master. Exceedingly blessed is this, supplying as it
does the sequel to what was before us in verse 6. There we saw that
Absalom was a man well calculated to captivate the multitude. But let
it be duly noted that he possessed no attractions for those who were
nearest to David. That illustrates an important principle: while we
maintain communion with Christ, the antitypical David, the baits of
Satan will have no influence over us!
Let us observe too that changing circumstances are necessary in order
to test the loyalty of those who are on intimate terms with us. Not
only did this revolt of Absalom's provide an occasion for the
manifestation of David's subjection to the will of God, but it also
served to make unmistakably evident who were for and who were against
him. Prosperity is often a mixed blessing, and adversity is far from
being an unmixed calamity. When the sunshine of providence smiles upon
a person, he is soon surrounded by those who profess great attachment
to him; but when the dark clouds of providence cover his horizon, most
of those fawning flatterers will quickly take their departure. Ah, my
reader, it is worth something to discover who really are our friends,
and therefore we should not murmur if it takes the shaking of our nest
and the disrupting of our peace to make this plainly evident to us.
Adversities are a gain when they expose to us the hypocrisy of an
Ahithophel, and still more so when they prove the loyalty and love of
the few who stand by us in the storm.
"And the king went forth, and all his household after him. And the
king left ten women, which were concubines, to keep the house" (v.
16). The writer feels his heart awed as he reads the second half of
this verse--a prosaic statement, yet one possessing depths which no
human mind can fathom. Apparently David acted quite freely when he
made this simple domestic arrangement, yet really he could not do
otherwise, for he was being directed by the unerring and invincible
hand of God, unto the outworking of His own counsels. David's object
in leaving behind the ten concubines was "to keep the house," that is,
to maintain the palace in some order and cleanliness; but God's design
was to make good His own word.
A part of the punishment which the Lord had announced should Fall upon
David for his evildoing was, "I will take thy wives before thine eyes,
and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall be with thy wives in
the sight of this sun. For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this
thing before all Israel" (2 Sam. 12:11, 12). The execution of that
threat is recorded in, "So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of
the house and Absalom went in unto his father's concubines in the
sight of all Israel" (16:22). The connecting link between the two is
seen here in our present passage: "And the king left ten women which
were concubines, to keep the house" (v. 16). Again, we say, David's
object in leaving them behind was that they should "keep the house,"
but God's purpose was that they should be publicly insulted, raped by
Absalom. Unspeakably solemn is this fact: God directs those actions
which eventuate in evil as truly as He does those which terminate in
good. Not only all events, but all persons, and their every action,
are under the immediate control of the Most High.
"For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are, all things; to whom be
glory forever." (Rom. 11:36). Yet this neither makes God the "Author
of sin" nor man an irresponsible creature: God is holy in all His
ways, and man is accountable for all his actions. Whether or not we
perceive the "consistency" of them, each of these basic truths must be
held fast by us; nor must one be so maintained that the other is
virtually negatived. Some will argue, If God has foreordained our
every action, then we are no better than machines; others insist, If
man is a free agent, his actions cannot be directed by God. But Holy
Writ exposes the vanity of such reasonings: so far as David knew it
was a voluntary act on his part when he decided to leave ten of his
concubines in the house, nevertheless he was divinely "constrained" in
it for the accomplishment of God's purpose.
"And the king went forth, and all the people after him, and tarried in
a place that was far off. And all his servants passed on beside him;
and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites,
six hundred men which came after him from Gath, passed on before the
king" (vv. 17, 18). No "fair weather friends" were these. They had
enjoyed with him the calm, they would not desert him in the storm;
they had shared the privileges of Jerusalem, they would not abandon
him now that he had become a fugitive and outcast. It is striking to
note that while Absalom "stole the hearts of the men of Israel," all
the Cherethites, Pelethites, and Gittites remained steadfast to
David--a foreshadowment of Christ, for whereas the Jewish nation
despised and rejected Him, yet God's elect among the Gentiles have not
been ashamed to be His followers.
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http://www.pbministries.org. All rights reserved.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
Crossing Kidron
2 Samuel 15
_________________________________________________________________
The second half of 2 Samuel 15 displays a striking blending of lights
and shadows: in David's darkest hour we not only see the shining forth
of some of his own loveliest virtues, but we also behold his friends
and followers at their best. It is the way of our gracious God to
temper our severest crosses by mingling comforts with them. David's
favorite son and his chief counsellor had both turned traitors against
him, but the loyalty of part of his army, the faithfulness of the
Levites, the sympathy expressed by those of the common people who
witnessed his distress, afforded some real consolation to his stricken
heart. In times of deep distress and seasons of sore despondency we
are apt to imagine that our enemies are more numerous than is actually
the case, and that we have fewer friends than is really so; but David
was now to discover that a goodly number were prepared to cleave to
him at all costs.
It is not so much from the natural (though even here there is much
that is praiseworthy) as the spiritual viewpoint that our passage
needs to be pondered. The key to it lies in the state of David's heart
at this time. He is to be viewed as the penitent soul, as one who
realized that in justice he was being afflicted. He knew that his sin
had found him out, that he was being lovingly yet righteously
chastised for the same. He was filled with godly sorrow and mourned
before Him whose Name had been so dishonored by him. He humbly bows to
God's rod and submissively receives its stroke. In this spirit he
would be alone in his trouble, for he alone had sinned and provoked
Jehovah: therefore does he counsel the Gittites to leave him. In the
same lowly spirit he sends the ark--the symbol of Jehovah's manifested
presence--back to Jerusalem: it was his chief joy, and that he felt he
was not now entitled to taste.
But we will not generalize any further upon our passage, but consider
its details. "Then said the king to Ittai the Gittite. Wherefore goest
thou also with us? return to thy place, and abide with the king
(Absalom, who now usurped the throne): for thou art a stranger, and
also an exile. Whereas thou camest but yesterday, should I this day
make thee go up and down with us? seeing I go hither I may, return
thou, and take back thy brethren: mercy and truth be with thee" (2
Sam. 15:19, 20). What a lovely spirit did the king here evidence: in
the midst of his own deep trouble, his thought and concern was for
those about him, desiring them to escape the hardships and peril which
now lay before him. What a gracious example for us to heed in this
selfish age--that even in our sorest trials we must not impose upon
those who are kind to us and load them with our troubles. "For every
man shall bear his own burden" (Gal. 6:5).
It would appear that Ittai was the leader of the six hundred Gittites
(v. 18). They had thrown in their lot with David while he sojourned in
Gath of the Philistines, and followed him when he returned to the land
of Israel: either because they believed that Philistia was doomed or,
more likely, because they were attracted by David himself. They were
now among the king's most faithful attendants, having accompanied him
as he fled from the royal city. They would be a most useful bodyguard
for him at this time, but in his noble generosity and tender
compassion David desired to spare them the inconveniences and dangers
which were now his portion. How this makes us think of David's Son and
Lord, who, probably, at this identical place, said to those who had
come to arrest Him, "If therefore ye seek Me, let these go their way"
(John 18:8). The Antitype should ever be in mind as we read the Old
Testament Scriptures.
"And Ittai answered the king, and said, As the Lord liveth, and my
lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be,
whether in life or death, even there also will thy servant be" (v.
21). David desired to dismiss them, but their attachment to him and
his cause was much stronger than that of many of the Israelites. Most
blessed and striking is this, for David had nothing to offer them now
save fellowship with him in his rejection and sufferings; yet they
valued his companionship so highly that they refused to leave their
stricken leader. Spiritually, that love of the brethren which is the
fruit of the Spirit of Christ, when it is healthy and vigorous, will
not be deterred through tears of hardship or danger, but will stand by
and render assistance to those in affliction. Antitypically, this
verse teaches us that we should cleave faithfully to Christ no matter
how low His cause in the world may be.
"And David said to Ittai, Go and pass over. And Ittai the Gittite
passed over, and all his men, and all the little ones that were with
him" (v. 22). Such devotion as had been displayed by these loyal
followers must have touched the king's heart, the more so as it
proceeded from those who were of a heathen stock. From Ittai's words,
"as the Lord liveth" (v. 21), it would seem that they were influenced
by David's religion as well as his person; and assuredly he would not
have kept them so near him, or have said "mercy and truth be with
thee" (v. 20), unless they had definitely renounced all idolatry.
There is a seeming ambiguity in his words here "go and pass over," yet
this disappears in the light of the next verse: it was the Kidron they
crossed--thus they were given the place of chief honor, taking the
lead and heading David's present company!
"And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed
over" (v. 23). Though the multitude favored Absalom, yet there were
many who sympathized with David. It must indeed have been a hard heart
which remained unmoved by such an affecting sight: the aged king
forsaking his palace, with but a small retinue, fleeing from his own
son, now seeking shelter in the wilderness! They had been less than
human if they grieved not for poor David. And let it be duly noted
that the Spirit has recorded their weeping, for God is not unmindful
of genuine tears, either of personal repentance or pity for others.
This mention of their weeping plainly teaches that we should feel
deeply for those parents who are abused or ruined by their children.
"The king also himself passed over the brook Kidron, and all the
people passed over, toward the way of the wilderness" (v. 23). This
manifestly foreshadowed one of the most bitter episodes in our Lord's
passion. Not only is this same brook actually mentioned in John
18:1--the slight difference in spelling being due to the change from
the Hebrew to Greek--but there are too many points of analogy between
David's and Christ's crossing of it to miss the merging of the type
into the antitype. But before tracing these striking resemblances, let
us--as its solemn historical interest requires--make a few remarks
upon the brook itself.
Significantly enough "Kidron," or to use the more familiar spelling of
John 18:1 "Cedron," signifies "black." It was aptly named, for it was
a dark rivulet which ran through the gloomy valley of Moriah, which
Josephus tells us was on the east side of Jerusalem. It lay between
the bases of the temple hill and the mount of Olivet. Into this brook
was continually emptied the sewage of the city, as well as the filth
from the temple sacrifices for sin. This was the "unclean place
without the city" (Lev. 14:40, 45), where the excrements of the
offerings were deposited and carried away by the waters of this brook.
In a figure it was the sins and iniquities of the people which were
being washed away from before God's face--from the temple, where He
dwelt in Israel's midst.
It is interesting to note there are other references to "Kidron" in
the Old Testament, and what is recorded in connection therewith is in
striking and solemn harmony with what we have just pointed out above.
This brook not only (later) received the filth of the city and the
refuse from the temple, but into its foul waters the godly kings of
Judah cast the ashes of the idols they had destroyed: see 2 Chronicles
15:16; 30:14; 2 Kings 23:4, 6. Over this unclean brook our blessed
Saviour passed on His dolorous way to Gethsemane, where His holy soul
loathed our iniquities put into His "cup," represented by this filthy
and nasty Cedron. That foul brook served as a suitable reminder of the
deep mire (Ps. 69:2) into which Christ was about to sink. Nothing
could be more repulsive and nauseating than the soil and waters of
this brook, and nothing could be more loathsome to the Holy One than
to be encompassed with all the guilt and filth of sin belonging to His
people.
But let us now consider the points of resemblance between the type and
antitype. First, it was at this brook the humiliating flight of David
began, and the crossing of the same marked the commencement of the
Saviour's "Passion" (Acts 1:3). Second, it was as the despised and
rejected king that David now went forth, and so it was with the
Redeemer as He journeyed to Gethsemane. Third, yet David was not
entirely alone: a little company of devoted followers, still clung to
him; thus it was with the Antitype. Fourth, Ahithophel, his familiar
friend, had now joined forces with his enemies: in like manner, Judas
had gone forth to betray Christ to His foes. Fifth, though the
multitude favored Absalom, some of the common people sympathized with
and "wept" for David; so, while the general cry against the Lord Jesus
was "crucify Him," nevertheless, there were those who wept and
bewailed Him (Luke 23:27).
"And lo Zadok also, and all the Levites were with him, bearing the ark
of the covenant of God: and they set down the ark of God; and Abiathar
went up, until all the people had done passing out of the city" (v.
24). This spoke well for David, that even the Levites, and the high
priest himself, were prepared to throw in their lot with him in the
day of his rejection. Notwithstanding his sad failures, the ministers
of the tabernacle knew full well the affection which the sweet
Psalmist of Israel had for them and their office. The policy which
Absalom had followed in order to curry favor with the people had not
appealed at all to these servants of the Lord, and therefore they
steadfastly adhered to the king, in spite of the drastic change in his
fortunes. Alas, how often has it been otherwise, when the religious
leaders turned traitors at the time the ruling monarch most needed
their support and ministrations.
Ministers of God should always set an example of submission and
loyalty to "the powers that be" (Rom. 13:1), and more especially
should they openly manifest their fealty unto those rulers who have
countenanced and protected them in their pious labors, when those
rulers are opposed by rebellious subjects. "Fear God: honour the king"
(1 Peter 2:17) are joined together in Holy Writ, and if the
ecclesiastical leaders fail to render obedience to this divine
precept, how can we expect that those who are under their charge will
do better? "They that are friends to the ark in their prosperity,
shall find it a friend to them in their adversity. Formerly, David
would not rest till he had found a resting place for the ark (Ps.
132); and now, if the priests may have their mind, the ark shall not
rest till David returns to his resting place" (Matthew Henry).
"And the king said unto Zadok, Carry back the ark of God into the
city; if I shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord, He will bring me
again, and show me both it and His habitation" (v. 25). This too is
very impressive, bringing out as it does the better side of David's
character. The presence of the Levites, and particularly of the ark,
would have considerably strengthened the king's cause. That ark had
figured prominently in Israel's history, and the very sight of it
would hardly have failed to stir the hearts of the people. Moreover,
it was the recognized symbol of God's presence, esteemed by David more
highly than anything else. But the king, like Eli of old, was
extremely solicitous of the welfare of the sacred coffer, and
therefore he refused to expose it to the possible insults of Absalom
and his faction. He "preferred Jerusalem--the honour of the
Lord--above his chief joy" (Ps. 137:6). Furthermore, David knew that
he was under the divine rebuke, and so felt himself to be unworthy for
the ark to accompany him, and therefore while he was being chastised
for his sins, he refused to pretend that God was on his side.
"If I shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord, He will bring me
again, and show me both it and His habitation." Clearly, David
recognized that everything hinged upon the unmerited "favour" of the
Lord. This is a point of considerable importance, for our modern
dispensationalists suppose that Israel was under such a stern regime
of Law that the grace of God was virtually unknown, yea that He did
not exercise it till Christ appeared--a view based on an entirely
erroneous interpretation of John 1:17. This is a great mistake, for
the Old Testament Scriptures make it unmistakably clear that God's
free grace is the foundation of all blessing: see Numbers 14:8;
Deuteronomy 10:15; 1 Kings 10:9; 2 Chronicles 9:8; Acts 7:46. It is
blessed to observe David's "If I shall find favour in the eyes of the
Lord, He will bring me back again and show me (not "my place," but)
both it and His habitation:" he valued the humble tabernacle far more
highly than his own throne and honor!
"But if He thus say, I have no delight in thee: behold, here am I, let
Him do to me as seemeth good unto Him" (v. 26). Precious submission
was this. The Lord was rebuking him for his sins, and he knew not what
would be the outcome. He humbled himself beneath the mighty hand of
God, and left the issue to His sovereign pleasure. He hoped for the
best, but was prepared for the worst. He realized that he deserved to
suffer the continued displeasure of the Holy One, and therefore did he
commit the outcome of his cause unto God's sovereign grace. Mark it
carefully, dear reader, that David saw God's disciplinary hand in this
dark hour of Absalom's revolt, and that preserved him, in measure at
least, both from rebellion against heaven and the fear of man. The
more we discern the controlling hand of the Most High in all events,
the better for our peace of mind.
There is much important and precious instruction for our hearts in
this incident. It is a true act of faith when we yield ourselves to
that sovereign pleasure of God wherein He is gracious to whom He will
be gracious, and will show mercy on whom He will show mercy" (Ex.
33:19); yes, just as truly so as when we appropriate one of God's
promises and plead it before Him. We conceive it was thus that David's
faith now directed him in the sore strait that he was then in. He knew
not how grievously the Lord was provoked against him, nor how things
were now likely to go; so he bowed before His throne and left Hint to
determine the case. Many a sorely-stricken soul has obtained relief
here when all other springs of comfort have completely failed him,
saying with Job, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him" (Job
13:15).
A sin-entangled soul with guilt burdening his conscience, sees that,
in himself, be is unquestionably lost: how the Lord will deal with
him, he knows not. His signs and tokens are completely eclipsed: he
can discern no evidence of God's grace in him, nor of His favor unto
him. What is a guilt-bowed soul to do when he is at such a stand? To
definitely turn his back upon God would be madness, for "Who hath
hardened himself against God and hath prospered?" (Job 9:4). Nor is
there the slightest relief to be obtained for the heart except from
and by Him, for "who can forgive sins, but God only?" The only
recourse, then, is to do as David did: bring our guilty soul into
God's presence, wait upon the sovereign pleasure of His grace, and
gladly acquiesce in His decision.
"If I shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord, He will bring me
again, and show me both it and His habitation. But if He thus say, I
have no delight in thee; behold, here am I, let Him do to me as
seemeth good unto Him." Here is an anchor for a storm-tossed soul:
though it may not (at once) give rest and peace, yet it secures from
the rock of abject despair. To solace the heart with a "who can tell
if God will turn and repent, and turn away from His fierce anger, that
we perish not?" (Jonah 3:9), or a "Who can tell whether God will be
gracious to me?" (2 Sam. 12:22), is far better than giving way to a
spirit of hopelessness. "Who knoweth if He will return and repent, and
leave a blessing behind Him" (Joel 2:14): there the soul must abide
until more light from above break forth upon it.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
Ascending Olivet
2 Samuel 15
_________________________________________________________________
We resume at the point left off in our last. "The king said also unto
Zadok the priest, Art not thou a seer? return into the city in peace,
and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz thy son, and Jonathan the son of
Abiathar. See, I will tarry in the plain of the wilderness, until
there come word from you to certify me" (vv. 27, 28). Though they
could not be permitted to minister unto him in holy things, he does
not disdain their services; they could further his interests by
returning to their post of duty, and from there acquaint him with
developments in Jerusalem. What implicit confidence in them was
evidenced by this experienced strategist, in revealing to them his
immediate plans--the place where he intended to remain for the time
being! O that God's servants today so conducted themselves that those
in trouble would not hesitate to confide in them and seek their
counsel. "Zadok therefore and Abiathar carried the ark of God again to
Jerusalem: and they tarried there" (v. 29). Blessed obedience: sinking
their own wishes, complying with the will of their master.
"And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went
up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot" (v. 39). Let not
the reader forget what was said in the opening paragraphs of the
preceding chapter, where we pointed out that the real key to the whole
of this passage is to be found in the state of David's heart.
Throughout he is to be viewed as the humble penitent. God's rebuke was
heavy upon him, and therefore did he humble himself beneath His mighty
hand. Hence it is that we here see him giving outward expression to
his self-abasement and grief for his sins, and for the miseries which
he had brought upon himself, his family, and his people. Suitable
tokens of his godly sorrow were these, for the covering of his head
was a symbol of self-condemnation, while his walking barefooted
betokened his mourning (cf. Isa. 20:2, 4; Ezek. 24:17).
"And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went
up. How striking is this, coming right after his crossing of the brook
Kidron! In the previous chapter we pointed out five respects in which
that foreshadowed our Lord's crossing that same brook on the night of
His betrayal. Who can fail to see here another unmistakable analogy?
After His crossing of that doleful brook, our Saviour entered
Gethsemane, where His soul was "exceeding sorrowful" and where His
supplications were accompanied with "strong crying and tears" (Heb.
5:7). Yet while observing the comparison, let us not forget the
radical contrast: his own sins were the cause of David's grief, but
the sins of His people occasioned Christ's tears.
"And all the people that were with him covered every man his head, and
they went up weeping as they went up" (v. 30). It is our duty to weep
with those that weep, and those that were with him were deeply
affected by their king's grief. Once again our minds revert to our
Saviour's passion, and discover another resemblance between it and
David's case here, though it has been strangely overlooked by many.
The disciples who accompanied Christ into the Garden failed, it is
true, to "watch with Him" for one hour, yet it most certainly was not
through indifference, nor because they sought fleshly ease in slumber,
for as the Holy Spirit expressly informs us, Christ "found them
sleeping for sorrow" (Luke 22:45). Thus the weeping people who
Followed David up Olivet found its counterpart in the sorrowing of
those disciples who had accompanied the Saviour unto Gethsemane.
"And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with
Absalom" (v. 31). With the exception of his own sons insurrection,
this was the bitterest ingredient in the cup which David was now
having to drink. It was no ordinary blow For him to bear, for
Ahithophel was no ordinary man. He was one whom the king had taken
into his confidence, numbered among his closest friends, and to whom
he had shown much kindness. He not only enjoyed the most intimate
relations with David concerning the affairs of state, but had close
fellowship with him in spiritual things. This is evident from the
Psalmist's own statement "We took sweet counsel together, and walked
unto the house of God in company" (55:14). Fickle and treacherous is
human nature. Our sharpest trials often come from those in whom we
have reposed the most trust and to whom we have shown the greatest
kindness; yet, on the other hand, the most unlikely friends are
sometimes raised up among those from whom we had the least
expectations--as the Gittites attached to
"And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with
Absalom." Troubles rarely come singly: often they crowd one on top of
another, as was the case with Job. This sad news was brought to the
king just when he was being the most severely tried. Absalom had
revolted, and now his "prime minister" turned traitor at the most
crucial moment. It was a vile requital for the king's generosity to
him. Here again we may perceive these historical incidents shadowing
forth events even more solemn and frightful in connection with our
blessed Lord, for Ahithophel is undoubtedly a striking type of Judas,
who, after being admitted to the inner circle of Christ's disciples,
basely turned against Him and went over to the side of His enemies.
Sufficient, then, for the disciple to be as his Master: if His charity
was rewarded with cruel treachery, let us be prepared for similar
treatment.
How keenly David felt the perfidy of Ahithophel is evident from
several statements in the Psalms which obviously refer to him. In
Psalm 41 he mentions one evil after another which afflicted him, and
finishes with "Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which
did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me" (v. 9)--that
was the climax: anything worse could scarcely be imagined, as the
opening "Yea," suggests. Ahithophel had not only forsaken David in his
hour of need, but had gone over to the side of his foe. The "lifted up
his heel against me" is the figure of a horse which has just been
bedded by its master, and then lashing out with his feet, viciously
kicks him. More plainly still is his anguish evidenced in "For it was
not an enemy that reproached me: then I could have borne it; neither
was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me: then I
would have hid myself from him. But it was thou, a man mine equal, my
guide, and mine acquaintance" (55:12, 13).
There is still another reference in the Psalms where David laments,
"For my love they are my adversaries; but I give myself unto prayer.
And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love"
(109:4, 5). This sad trial of David's was illustrative of what is
often the most painful experience of the Church, for her troubles
usually begin at home: her open enemies can do her little or no harm
until her pretended friends have delivered her into their hands. The
statement that David "gave himself to prayer" at once links up with
our passage, for there we read next, "And David said, O Lord, I pray
Thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness" (v. 31). It is
apparent that David was more afraid of Ahithophel's wisdom than he was
of Absalom's daring, for he was a man of experience in statecraft, and
was highly respected by the people (2 Sam. 16:23).
"And David said, O Lord, I pray Thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel
into foolishness." Here again the type points forward to the antitype,
in fact, that is the outstanding feature of our passage. David's
crossing of the Kidron (v. 23), his complete surrender of himself to
the will of God (v. 26), his tears (v. 30), and now his praying,
present one of the most remarkable prefigurations of our Lord's
sufferings to be found anywhere in the Old Testament. In asking the
Lord to defeat the counsel of Ahithophel, David recognized and
acknowledged that all hearts are in His hands, that He can "make the
judges fools" (Job 12:17). There was no suitable opportunity for David
to engage in a lengthy season of prayer, nor was that necessary, for
we are not heard for our much speaking. Apparently, a brief
ejaculation was all that now issued from his heart; but it was heard
on high!
What a blessed and encouraging example David has here left us! Prayer
should ever be the believer's resource, for there is never a time when
it is unseasonable. We too may pray for God to bring to nought the
crafty counsel of the wicked against His people. We too may come to
Him when all appears to be lost, and spread our case before Him. The
effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much, for vain is
all worldly wisdom and power against it. So it proved here: though
David's petition was a brief one, yet it met with an unmistakable
answer as 2 Samuel 17:14 shows, where we are told, "And Absalom and
all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is
better than the counsel of Ahithophel; for the Lord had commanded to
defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the Lord
might bring evil upon Absalom." Let us take encouragement from this
incident, then, and "in every thing by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving, let our requests be made known unto God" (Phil. 4:6).
"And it came to pass, that when David was come to the top of the
mount, where he worshipped God" (v. 32). This is blessed and teaches a
lovely practical lesson: "weeping must never hinder worshipping"
(Matthew Henry). No, why should it? We may worship God in the minor
key as truly as in the major. We may adore the Lord as genuinely in
the valley of humiliation as from the heights of jubilation.
Furthermore, we may worship God as acceptably from the rugged
mountaintop as in the most ornate cathedral. This principle was
clearly apprehended by the spiritually minded in Old Testament times,
as is evident from our passage: though David was away from the
tabernacle, he realized that God was still accessible in spirit. Let
us, then, grasp this fact, that nothing should prevent us worshipping
the Lord, even though we no longer have access to His public
ordinances. How thankful we should be for such a merciful provision in
a day like ours.
"And it came to pass, that when David was come to the top of the
mount, there he worshipped God." There are some who believe--we
consider with good reason--that David sang Psalm 3 as a part of his
worship on this occasion, for it bears the title "a Psalm of David
when he fled from Absalom his son." It has been well said that "Among
all the Psalms of David there is none which more remarkably evidences
the triumph of his faith out of the depths of affliction and
chastisement than this one" (B. W. Newton). There was no shutting or
his eyes to the gravity of his situation, no ignoring the imminency of
his danger, for he said, "Lord, how are they increased that trouble
me! many are they that rise up against me. Many there be which "(Ps.
3:1,2).
David described his foes as being numerous, and as boasting there
would be no deliverance for him by the Lord. As we have seen (2 Sam.
15:12), the revolt had assumed considerable dimensions, and the
conspirators were assured that David's sins had turned away the aid of
heaven from his cause. "But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my
glory, and the lifter up of mine head" (Ps. 3:3): this is most
blessed--he opposes their malicious utterances and confident hatred by
the conviction that admidst real perils Jehovah was still his defence.
With bowed and covered head he had fled from Jerusalem but "Thou art
the lifter up of mine head" was his confidence. "Though the dangers
were still present, yet in faith he speaks of them as past (Hebrew);
the deliverance was yet future, yet he speaks of it as already come"
(B. W. Newton).
"I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and He heard me out of His holy
hill. Selah" (Ps. 3:4). He was an exile from the tabernacle on Zion,
and he had sent back the ark to its rest; but though he had to cry to
God from the mountain side, He graciously answers from "His holy
hill." "He and his men camped admidst dangers, but an unslumbering
Helper mounted guard over the undefended slumberers" (A. Maclaren): "I
laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me" (Ps.
3:5). Such was the calm confidence of David, even while multiplied
perils were still encircling him. Refreshed by the night's repose,
heartened by the divine protection granted while sheltering in caves
or sleeping in the open, the Psalmist breaks forth in triumphant
exclamation: "I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people that
have set themselves against me round about" (Ps. 3:6).
Betaking himself for renewed energy to the weapon of prayer, even
before the battle David sees the victory, but ascribes it solely to
his God. "Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God: for Thou host smitten all
mine enemies upon the cheekbone; Thou host broken the teeth of the
ungodly. Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: Thy blessing is upon Thy
people. Selah" (Ps. 3:7,8). "Nor was his confidence in vain. He was
restored and allowed again to see Israel in peace--again to prove that
God's blessing is upon His people. How precious is the individual use
of such a Psalm as this, to every one who, after having backslidden or
trespassed, has only turned again to the mercies and faithfulness of
God. Even though the tokens of divine rebuke and chastisement be
present on every side, even though every tongue may say `there is no
help for him in God,' such an one may remember David, and again say,
`Thou, O Lord, art a shield for me: my glory, and the lifter up of
mine head.' Thus, even the sins and chastisements of God's servants
are made blessings in result to His people" (B. W. Newton).
"Behold Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat rent, and
earth upon his head" (v. 32). From 1 Chronicles 27:33 we learn that
Hushai was another who had taken a prominent part in the affairs of
state, for there it is recorded, Hushai the Archite was the king's
companion." That Hushai was regarded as a man of wisdom is also
apparent from the fact that, a little later, Absalom applied to him
for advice (2 Sam. 17:5). In the light of what immediately follows, it
seems to us that the coming to David of Hushai is often His way to so
regulate our circumstances as to exhibit the secret workings of our
hearts--that we may, subsequently, be humbled thereby, and brought to
prize more highly that grace which bears so patiently with us.
"Unto whom David said, If thou passest on with me, then thou shalt be
a burden unto me; But if thou return to the city, and say unto
Absalom, I will be thy servant, O king; as I have been thy father's
servant hitherto, so will I now also be thy servant: then mayest thou
for me defeat the counsel of Ahithophel. And hast thou not there with
thee Zadok and Abiathar the priests? therefore it shall be, that what
thing so ever, thou shalt hear out of the king's house, thou shalt
tell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests. Behold, they have there
with them their two sons, Ahimaaz Zadok's son, and Jonathan Abiathar's
son; and by them ye shall send unto me every thing that ye can hear.
So Hushai David's friend came into the city, and Absalom came into
Jerusalem" (vv. 33-37).
"As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man"
(Prov. 27:19). Alas, cannot both writer and reader see in the above
incident a reflection of his own character? Have there not been times
when we confidently committed our cause and case unto the Lord, and
then we saw an opportunity where, by fleshly scheming, we thought that
we could secure the answer to our prayers? It is far easier to commit
our way unto the Lord, than it is to "rest in the Lord and wait
patiently for Him" (Ps. 37:5, 7). It is there that the real test of
faith often lies: whether we leave things entirely in God's hands, or
seek to take matters into our own. Learn, then, that the appearing of
a willing Hushai at the critical moment is often permitted to put us
to the proof--whether or nor our heart be still inclined to lean upon
an arm of flesh.
Various attempts have been made seeking to vindicate David for sending
Hushai to become a spy for him in Absalom's camp. Strategy may be
permissible in warfare, but nothing could justify the king in causing
Hushai to act and utter a lie. It is true that God overruled, and
through Hushai defeated Ahithophel's counsel, but that no more proves
He approved of this deception, than did the flowing of water from the
smitten rock show God's approbation of Moses' anger. The best that can
be said is, "Alas! where shall we find wisdom and simplicity so united
in any mere man that we can perceive nothing which admits of censure
and needs forgiveness?" (Thomas Scott). There has only been One on
this earth in whom there was no spot or blemish.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
Misjudging Mephibosheth
2 Samuel 16
_________________________________________________________________
"It is human to err." True, yet that does not excuse it, especially
here a fellow-mortal is unjustly condemned by us. Appearances are
proverbially deceptive: we need to get beneath the surface in order to
form a right estimate. Gossip is never to be credited, in fact should
not be heeded at all. Only from the mouths of two or more reliable
witnesses is an accusation against another to be given a hearing. Even
then there must be a fair trial accorded, so that the one accused may
know what he is charged with, and have opportunity to defend himself
and refute the charge. Only arrant cowards stab in the back or under
the cover of darkness. A safe rule to be guided by is never to say
anything behind a person's back which you would be afraid to say and
are not prepared to substantiate before his face. Alas, how commonly
is that rule violated in this evil day! How ready people are to
imagine and believe the worst, rather than the best of others--few
have escaped this infection.
"Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment"
(John 7:24). The setting of those words is worthy of note. The Lord
Jesus had healed a man on the Sabbath day, and His enemies--ever
seeking some pretext to condemn Him-- were angry. He had flagrantly
disregarded their dicta: He had acted at complete variance with their
ideas of how the Sabbath should be kept holy. Therefore they at once
jumped to the harsh conclusion that the Redeemer had desecrated the
Sabbath. Christ pointed out that their verdict was both an arbitrary
and superficial one. Circumstances alter cases: as the circumcising of
a child on the Sabbath, if that were the eighth day from its birth,
(v. 23). It is the motive which largely determines the value of an
act, and it is sinful to guess at the motives of others. Moreover, the
reign of law must not be suffered to freeze the milk of human kindness
in our veins, nor make us impervious to human suffering.
"Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment"
(John 7:24). Is not this a word which is much needed today by both
writer and reader? There is a twofold danger to be guarded against.
First, to form too favorable a judgment of people, particularly of
those who profess to be Christians. Words are cheap, and gushiness is
never a mark of reality. That a man calls himself a Christian, and
sincerely thinks himself to be so, does not make him one. The fact
that he is a great reader of the Bible, a regular attender of
religious services, and is sound in his morals, is no proof that he
has been born again. "Lay hands suddenly on no man" (1 Tim. 5:22):
look for the marks of regeneration and be satisfied you have found
them, before you address any one as a Brother or Sister in Christ. It
is our 's clothing.
On the other hand, there is just as real a danger of forming too harsh
a judgment of people, and imputing to hypocrisy what is genuine. A man
is not to be made an offender for a word, nor does he deserve to be
snubbed because he fails to fawn upon and flatter you. We must not
expect everyone to pronounce our shibboleths or see eye to eye with us
in everything. A kindly heart often beats beneath a gruff exterior. A
babbling brook is very shallow, but still waters run deep. Not all are
endowed with five talents. Others may not have had the same
opportunities and privileges you have enjoyed. Let not a single action
alienate a friend: bear in mind the general tenor of his conduct
towards you. Be as ready to forgive as you desire to be forgiven.
Remember there is still much in you which grates upon others. When
wronged pray over it before you pass a verdict. Many a person has
afterwards bitterly regretted a hasty decision. Take all the
circumstances into account and "judge not according to the appearance,
but judge righteous judgment."
We have begun this chapter thus because the passage we are about to
consider (2 Sam. 16:1-4) shows us David grievously misjudging one who
was affectionately attached to him. David was unwarrantably influenced
by "appearances." He gave ear to an unconfirmed slander against an
absent one. He at once believed the worst, without affording the
accused any opportunity to vindicate himself. He was one to whom David
had shown much kindness in the past, and now that a servant brought to
him an evil report, the king accepted the same, concluding that the
master had turned traitor. It is true that human nature is lamentably
fickle, and that kindness is often rewarded with the basest of
ingratitude; yet all are not unthankful and treacherous. We must not
allow the wickedness of some to prejudice us against all. We should
deal impartially and judge righteously of everyone alike: yet only
divine grace-- humbly and earnestly sought--will enable us to remain
just and merciful after we have been deceived and wronged a few times.
Later, David discovered that he had been deceived (2 Sam. 19:24-30)
and was obliged to reverse his harsh verdict; but this did not alter
the fact that he had grievously misjudged Mephibosheth and had
harbored unjust prejudices against him. And this incident, like many
another narrated in Holy Writ, is recorded, my reader, for our
learning and warning. We are prone to misjudge even our friends, and
because of this, are in danger of crediting false reports about them.
But there is no reason why we should be deceived, either for or
against another: "He that is spiritual discerneth all things" (1 Cor.
2:15 margin). Ah, there is the seat of our trouble: it is because we
are so unspiritual that we so often judge according to the appearance,
and not righteous judgment. A jaundiced eye is incapable of seeing
things in their true colors. When the regenerate walk after the flesh,
they are just as liable to be imposed upon as are the unregenerate.
And this, as we shall see, was the cause of David's sad error.
"And when David was a little past the top of the hill, behold, Ziba
the servant of Mephibosheth met him" (2 Sam. 16:1). The topographical
references connects with 15:30 and 32. On leaving Jerusalem David and
his little band had crossed the Kidron, and ascended Olivet. They were
making for Bahurim (v. 5), which was a low-lying village in the
descent from Olivet to the Jordan. Ultimately, they pitched camp at
Mahanaim, on the far side of the Jordan (17:24). Thus it will be seen
that they were passing through that portion of the land which was
allotted to the tribe of Benjamin (see Josh. 18:11-28), which was the
territory of Saul's tribe, and that was surely dangerous ground for
him to tread! This is the first point for us to carefully weigh, for
it is one of the keys which opens to us the inner significance of our
present incident.
There is nothing meaningless in God's Word, even the geographical
details often contain deeply important instruction, pointing valuable
spiritual lessons, if only we take the trouble to search them out.
This is what we have to do here, for the Holy Spirit has given us no
direct hint that the direction which David was now taking furnishes a
clue to his subsequent conduct. In making for the territory of Saul's
tribe, David was (typically) entering upon the enemy's ground should
the reader deem this a rather far-fetched conclusion on our part, we
would ask him to note that in the verse which immediately follows our
present passage, we are plainly told that there came out "a man of the
family of the house of Saul . . . and cursed" David! Surely that was
the devil as a "roaring lion" raging against him. Now to come on to
the enemy's ground, my reader, is to give him an "advantage of us" (2
Cor. 2:11), and that is to come under his power; and when under his
power our judgment is blinded, and we are quite incapable of judging
righteously.
But there is another little detail here, a confirmatory one, which is
necessary for us to observe, if we are to view this incident in its
true perspective. Our passage opens with the word "And," and
common-place and trivial as that may appear, yet it is a vital link in
the chain of thought we are now endeavoring to follow out. That "And"
tells us we must connect what is recorded at the beginning of chapter
16 with that which is narrated at the close of 15. And there, as we
saw in the previous chapter, David was guilty of dishonest subterfuge,
counselling the priests to feign themselves the faithful servants of
Absalom, when in reality they were David's spies. Therein the king was
manifestly acting in the energy of the flesh seeking by his own carnal
efforts to "defeat the counsel of Ahithophel" (15; 34), instead of
leaving it with the Lord to answer his prayer to that end (15:31).
Here, then, is vitally-important practical teaching for you and me,
dear reader. If we are not to be misguided by superficial appearances
and to judge "righteous judgment," then we must avoid these mistakes
that David made. The two small details we have dwelt upon above,
explain why he so grievously misjudged Mephibosheth. If, then, we are
to have clear discernment, which will preserve us from being deceived
by glib-tongued imposters and taken in by apparent acts of kindness
toward us, we must walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh, and
tread the paths of righteousness and not get on to the enemy's
territory. "He that is spiritual discerneth all things" (1 Cor. 2:15):
yes, the "spiritual," and not the carnal. As we have said above, it is
our own fault if we form a wrong judgment of others--due to making the
mistakes David did. "If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body
shall be full of light" (Matthew 6:22).
"And when David was a little past the top of the hill, behold, Ziba
the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of asses saddled;
and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, and a hundred bunches of
raisins, and a hundred of summer fruits, and a bottle of wine" (v. 1).
Those who have not followed us throughout this series of chapters
should turn to 1 Samuel 9, where not a little is recorded of these two
men. Mephibosheth was the grandson of Saul, the archenemy of David,
yet to him David showed great kindness because he was the son of
Jonathan (4:4), with whom David had made a covenant that he would not
cut off his kindness to his house forever (1 Sam. 20:11-17). In 2
Samuel 9 we read, "The king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said
unto him, I have given unto thy master's son all that pertained to
Saul and to all his house. Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy
servants, shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring in the
fruits, that thy master's son may have food to eat: but Mephibosheth
thy master's son shall eat bread always at my table. Now Ziba had
fifteen sons "(vv. 9,10).
Ziba, then, was a man of some importance, for he had twenty servants,
yet both they and his sons were commanded to serve Mephibosheth. This
it is which explains his conduct in our present incident: Ziba was not
content to be manager of the considerable estate of Mephibosheth, but
coveted to be master of it; and covetousness is ever the mother of a
brood of other sins. It was so there: so carried away was he by his
evil lust, Ziba scorned not to resort to the basest treachery. He
concluded that now was a favorable opportunity for furthering his base
design. Having laid his plans with serpentine cunning, he put them
into execution, and apparently with success, But "The triumphing of
the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment"
(Job 20:5), and so it proved in this case.
Ziba was determined to procure from David a royal grant of his
master's estate, and then, whether David or Absalom prevailed in the
present conflict, his desire would be secured. To obtain that grant
two things were necessary: first, Ziba himself, must obtain favor in
the king's eyes; and second, Mephibosheth must be brought into decided
disfavor. The opening verse shows the measure Ziba took to accomplish
the first. He met the fugitive king and his band with an elaborate
present: it was well timed and appropriately selected. Ziba posed as
one who was not only loyal to David's cause, but as very solicitous of
his welfare and comfort. But as Thomas Scott says, "Selfish men are
often very generous in giving away the property of others for their
own advantage." Looking at this detail from the divine side of things,
we may see here the mercy of God in providing for His own, as He ever
does--even though He employs the ravens to feed them!
"And the king said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these?" (v. 2).
David was habitually cautious, and at this critical juncture he had
need to be doubly so. His own spoiled son had risen up against him,
securing a large following, and when such an one as Ahithophel had
gone over to his side, the king knew not whom he could trust. Yet,
while this sad situation warranted the utmost caution, it certainly
did not justify a readiness to believe the worst of everyone--there is
a happy medium between losing all confidence in human nature, and
having such a blind trust in men that any charlatan may impose upon
us. David did not, then, immediately accept Ziba's present but issued
this challenge: was it a subtle trap, or the liberality of a generous
man kindly disposed toward him?
"And Ziba said, The asses be for the king's household to ride on: and
the bread and summerfruit for the young men to eat; and the wine, that
such as be faint in the wilderness may drink" (v. 2). This was the
means used by this wretched Ziba to ingratiate himself with David: "A
man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men"
(Prov. 18:16). Rightly did Matthew Henry ask, "Shall the prospect of
advantage in the world, make men generous to be rich; and shall not
the belief of an abundant recompense in the resurrection of the just,
make us charitable to the poor?" Surely that is the practical lesson
for us in this verse: "And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends
of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive
you into everlasting habitations" (Luke 16:9).
"And the king said, And where is thy master's son? And Ziba said unto
the king, Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem: for he said, To-day shall
the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father" (v. 3).
Having wormed himself into the king's heart--for being so largely
swayed by his emotions, David was peculiarly susceptible to
kindness--Ziba now undertook to blacken the character of his master
and turn David utterly against him. He represents Mephibosheth as
ungrateful, treacherous and covetous. How often masters and mistresses
suffer unjustly from the lies of their servants! "A wicked man taketh
a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment" (Prov.
17:23). "It is true indeed that David did not know that Ziba was
wicked. His unexpected kindness came at a time when almost every other
hand was either paralyzed by terror, or else armed against him in
active enmity. No doubt at such a moment, it required great
self-possession to pause, and to withhold the tongue from rashly
pronouncing judgment. But David was a king, and it behooved him to be
wisely cautious" (B. W. Newton).
"Then said the king to Ziba, Behold thine are all that pertained unto
Mephibosheth" (v. 4). David credited the foul calumny and without
further inquiry or consideration condemns Mephibosheth, seizes his
lands as forfeited, and makes a grant of them to his servant. What a
solemn warning is this for us! What pains we should take to confirm
what we hear, and thus arrive at the real truth of things. As an old
writer quaintly said. "God has given us two ears that we may hear both
sides." But sooner or later the truth will come to light, as it did in
this case. When at last David returned in triumph to Jerusalem,
Mephibosheth met him and had opportunity to vindicate himself. How
bitterly must the king have then regretted his hasty verdict and the
cruel wrong he had done him by crediting such vile reports against
him!
"And Ziba said, I humbly beseech thee that I may find grace in thy
sight my lord, O king" (v. 4). Yes, words are cheap, and backbiters
are generally flatterers. But note well that Ziba did not accompany
the fugitive king! No, he thought too much of his own skin for that,
and was determined to be on the safe side, no matter what should be
the outcome of Absalom's rebellion. "Anxious apparently lest he should
suffer if Absalom were to succeed, he seems to have retired to Shimei
and the Benjamites, to secure his interests with them; for he was
found, when the king returned, in the train of Shimei--that same
Shimei who had cursed David" (B. W. Newton). Thus, when David arrived
back again in Jerusalem, Ziba was in the ranks of the king's
enemies!--whereas Mephibosheth was among his most loyal subjects.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX
Cursed
2 Samuel 16
_________________________________________________________________
In an earlier chapter we emphasized the fact that in his flight from
Jerusalem, David is to be viewed as a contrite penitent. His refusal
to stand his ground when Absalom rose up in rebellion against him is
to be attributed not to moral weakness, but to spiritual strength.
Apparently this had been preceded by a lengthy and debilitating
illness which had hindered him nipping that rebellion while it was in
the bud, but the king bad recovered by the time the conspiracy had
come to a head. No, in his son's rebellion David saw the righteous
retribution of God upon his fearful sins against Bathsheba and Uriah,
and accordingly he bumbled himself beneath His mighty hand. He
recognized the ways of God in His moral government, so instead of
vainly flinging himself against the bosses of Jehovah's buckler
(rebelling and murmuring at His providences), he meekly bowed before
His chastening rod. This was "bringing forth fruits meet for
repentance"--as lovely, and as acceptable to God, as are "the fruits
of righteousness" in their season.
It is, then, in the viewing of David as an humble penitent that we
obtain the key to most of what is recorded in 2 Samuel 15 and 16. His
sin had found him out and brought him to remembrance before the Holy
One of Israel, and he bowed his head and meekly accepted His reproofs.
It was for this reason that he bade his loyal followers go back, and
leave him alone in his trouble. It was in that spirit he had ordered
the priests to carry back the ark to Jerusalem--he felt utterly
unworthy that it should accompany him on his flight. It was in that
same spirit, as an humble penitent, he a crossed the Kidron and
ascended Olivet barefooted and in tears. It was as the mourner before
God that David had now turned his face toward the wilderness. All of
this has been before us on a previous occasion, but we deemed it
necessary to repeat the same, for it explains, as nothing else does,
his amazing attitude in the incident we are about to contemplate.
As the fugitive king and his little following began to descend into
the valley leading to the Jordan, a man who belonged to the family of
the house of Saul came forth, and cursed him, charging him with a
fearful crime he had never committed. Meeting with no opposition, this
wretched creature cast stones at the king and his men. Now David was
not the man, naturally speaking, to suffer such indignities to pass
unnoticed: why, then, did he now endure them in silence? Abishai, one
of the king's followers, asked permission to avenge his master of
these insults by slaying the offender; but David restrained him, and
suffered Shimei to continue his outrageous conduct. But what seems
stranger still, David attributed this humiliating experience unto God
Himself, saying, "The Lord hath said unto him, Curse David"--language
which raises a problem of the first magnitude: the relation of God to
evil; for David was not guilty of speaking rashly and wickedly, but
gave utterance to a most solemn and weighty truth. But to keep to our
main thought:
"He saw God in every circumstance, and owned Him with a subdued and
reverent spirit. To him it was not Shimei, but the Lord. Abishai saw
only the man, and desired to deal with him accordingly. Like Peter
afterwards, when he sought to defend his beloved Master from the band
of murderers sent to arrest Him. Both Peter and Abishai were living
upon the surface, and looking at secondary causes. The Lord Jesus was
living in the most profound subjection to the Father: `the cup which
My Father bath given Me, shall I not drink it?' This gave Him power
over everything. He looked beyond the instrument to God--beyond the
cup to the hand which had filled it. It mattered not whether it were
Judas, Caiaphas, or Pilate; He could say, in all, `My Father's cup.'
Thus, too, was David, in his measure, lifted above subordinate agents.
He looked right up to God, and with unshod feet and covered bead, he
bowed before Him: `The Lord hath said unto him, Curse David.' This was
enough.
"Now, there are, perhaps, few things in which we so much fail as in
apprehending the presence of God, and His dealings with our souls, in
every circumstance of daily life. We are constantly ensnared by
looking at secondary causes; we do not realize God in everything.
Hence Satan gets the victory over us. Were we more alive to the fact
that there is not an event which happens to us, from morning to night,
in which the voice of God may not be heard, the hand of God seen, with
what a holy atmosphere would it surround us! Men and things would then
be received as so many agents and instruments in our Father's hands;
so many ingredients in our Father's cup. Thus would our minds be
solemnized, our spirits calmed, our hearts subdued. Then we shall not
say with Abishai. `Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king?
let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head.' Nor shall we,
with Peter, draw the sword in natural excitement. How far below their
respective masters were both these affectionate though mistaken men!
How must the sound of Peter's sword have grated on his Master's ear
and offended His spirit! And how must Abishai's words have wounded the
meek and submitting David! Could David defend himself while God was
dealing with his soul in a manner so solemn and impressive? Surely
not. He dare not take himself out of the hands of the Lord. He was His
for life or death--as a king or an exile. Blessed subjection!" (C. H.
M.).
"And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, there came out a man of
the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of
Gera, he came forth, and cursed still as he came" (2 Sam. 16:5). What
a contrast is this from what was before us in the preceding verse!
There we saw the hypocritical Ziba fawning upon David, pretending that
he desired to "find grace" in his sight, and addressing him as my
lord, O king." Here we find Shimei "cursing" the king, and denouncing
him as "thou man of Belial." Ziba presented David with an elaborate
present, whereas Shimei threw stones and cast dust at him. Unto the
flatteries of the former David reacted by grievously misjudging
Mephibosheth; whereas to the revilings of the latter, he meekly bowed
before God--ah, my reader, the Christian has good reason to fear the
smiles of the
"And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, there came out a man of
the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of
Gera: he came forth, and cursed still as he came." The first book of
Samuel furnished the background to this dark scene. Saul had been
Israel's king, and upon his death a determined effort had been made to
preserve the throne in his family: see 2 Samuel 2:8-3:2. But the
attempt of Abner and the determination of Ishbosheth to reign as king
over Israel, was in direct defiance of Jehovah's ordination (1 Sam.
16: 1-13; 2 Sam. 2:4). But Shimei disregarded this divine appointment,
and his heart was filled with enmity against David, whom he wrongly
regarded as the usurper of the throne. While David was in power, he
dared not openly anathematize him--though he hated him just the same;
but now that David was fleeing from Absalom, Shimei took the
opportunity to vent his malice, which shows his utter baseness in
taking advantage of the king's trouble at this time.
"And he cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David:
and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right band and
on his left" (v. 6). The rank hatred of Shimei's heart now burst forth
in full force. With savage vehemence be curses the king, and flings
stones and dust in the transports of his fury; stumbling along among
the rocks high up in the glen, he keeps pace with the little band in
the valley below. But ere passing on, let us not overlook the fact
that Bahurim has been mentioned previously in this book: see 2 Samuel
3:16 and context. Did David now recall how the husband from whom he
had torn Michal had followed her to this very place, and then turned
back weeping to his lonely home? We cannot be sure, but the
remembrance of later and more evil deeds now subdued David's spirit,
and caused him to meekly submit to these outrageous insults.
"And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody
man, and thou son of Belial: the Lord hath returned upon thee all the
blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou has reigned; and the
Lord hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son: and,
behold, thou art taken in thy mischief, because thou art a bloody man"
(vv. 7, 8). The different scenes presented in these chapters require
to be viewed from various angles, if their manifold signification is
to be perceived. This we endeavor to bear in mind as we pass from
incident to incident. Shimei is not only to be regarded as the Lord's
instrument for chastening David, as a figure of the devil as "a
roaring lion"--raging against David because he had come into the
enemy's territory (see preceding chapter); but also as a type of those
who slandered and persecuted Christ Himself. It is this many-sidedness
of these historical pictures which gives to them their chief
When the parents of the infant Jesus presented Him to God in the
temple, old Simeon was moved by the Spirit of prophecy to say,
"Behold, this Child is set for the fall and rising again of many in
Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against . . . that the
thoughts of many hearts may be revealed" (Luke 2:34,35). How truly the
terms of this prediction concerning the Antitype were adumbrated in
the type. All through his checkered career, but especially that part
of it we are now considering, David's various experiences served as
occasions that "the thoughts of many hearts might be revealed." Much
that was bidden beneath the surface was forced out into the open.
Those who were loyal to him at heart were now unmistakably manifested
as his staunch supporters and faithful friends: his "mighty men"
continued to cling to him despite the drastic change of his fortunes.
It now became clear who really loved him for his own sake--like Mary
and Martha and the apostles in the Gospels. On the other hand,
hypocrites were exposed (Ahithophel, the forerunner of Judas), and
bitter enemies openly reviled and condemned him--as was the lot of our
Lord.
The conduct of Shimei on this occasion was base and vile to the last
degree. In the first place, it was in direct defiance of the express
commandment of the Lord: "Thou shalt not revile the judge, nor curse
the ruler of thy people" (Ex. 22:28); "Curse not the king, no not in
thy thought" (Eccl. 10:20). Second, it was despicable beyond words
that Shimei should wait to vent his malice upon David till the time
when his cup of sorrow was already full, thus adding to his grief:
"For they persecute him whom Thou hast smitten; and they talk to the
grief of Thy wounded" (Ps. 69:26). Third, the awful charge he now
preferred was absolutely false, and against the plainest evidence: so
far from David having slain Saul, he had again and again spared his
life when he was at his mercy. He was many miles away at the time of
Saul's death, and when the tidings of it reached him, he made
lamentation for him: 2 Samuel 1:12.
"And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody
man, and thou son of Belial: the Lord hath returned upon thee all the
blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and the
Lord hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son: and,
behold, thou art taken in thy mischief, because thou art a bloody man"
(vv. 7, 8). What a solemn case is this of the holy name of the Lord
being found upon the lips of the wicked!--a warning to us that all who
make use of the name of Christ do not "depart from iniquity" (2 Tim.
2:19). Observe too how Shimei undertook to interpret the divine
dispensations toward David, showing us that wicked men are ever ready
to press God's judgments into their service, for they judge right and
wrong by selfish interests. May divine grace preserve both writer and
reader from the folly and sin of attempting to philosophize about
God's dealings with others.
"Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah unto the king, Why should this
dead dog curse my lord the king? let me go over, I pray thee, and take
off his head. And the king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons
of Zeruiah? so let him curse, because the Lord hath said unto him,
Curse David. Who then shall say, Wherefore hast thou done so?" (vv. 9,
10). Here again the type merges into the antitype, and that in two
respects. First, how this well-meant but fleshly suggestion of David's
devoted follower reminds us of that request of Christ's disciples
concerning those who "did not receive Him," namely, "Lord, wilt Thou
that we command fire to come down from Heaven, and consume them, even
as Elijah did?" (Luke 9:54). As Christ answered "Ye know not what
manner of spirit ye are of," so David restrained Abishai--clear proof
he was not the "bloody man" Shimei had called him! Second, David
refused to return railing for railing, reminding us of "when He
(Christ) was reviled, He reviled not again" (1 Peter 2:23), in this
leaving an example for us to follow. But turning from the typical, let
us consider the practical.
Though the blood of Saul did not rest upon David, that of Uriah did;
this he knew full well, and therefore towed to God's righteous
chastisement, and spared Shimei--both Absalom and Shimei were
instruments in the hand of God, justly afflicting him--though the
guilt of their conduct belonged to them. A parallel case is found in
Aaron: the remembrance of his great wickedness in making the golden
calf, composed his mind under the fearful trial of the death of his
sons (Lev. 10:1-3)--knowing he deserved yet sorer judgment, he was
silent.
"And the king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? so
let him curse, because the Lord hath said unto him, Curse David" (v.
10). David saw the hand of God in this experience, afflicting him for
his sins against Bathsheba and Uriah. Shimei had received a commission
from heaven, to curse David, though that no more excused him or took
away his guilt than the crucifers of Christ were guiltless because
they did what God's hand and counsel "determined before to be done"
(Acts 2:23; 4:28). God has foreordained all that comes to pass in this
world, but this does not mean that He regards the wickedness of men
with complacency, or that He condones their evil. No indeed. In their
zeal to clear God of being the Author of sin, many have denied that He
is the Ordainer and Orderer of it. Because the creature cannot
comprehend His ways, or perceive how He is the Author of an act
without being chargeable with the evil of it, they have rejected the
important truth that sin is under the absolute control of God, and is
as much subject to His moral government, as the winds and waves are
directed by Him in the material sphere.
The subject is admittedly a difficult one, and if we are spared, we
hope to write more at length upon it in the future. Meanwhile, we
content ourself by giving a quotation from the Westminster Confession:
"God's providence extendeth itself to all sins of angels and men, and
that not by a bare permission, but such as hath joined with it a most
wise and powerful bounding, and other wise ordering and governing, in
a manifold disposition unto His own holy ends; yet so as the
sinfulness thereof proceedeth only from the creature, and not from
God" (chap. 5). The holiness of God is no more sullied by directing
the activities of evil men, than the beams of the sun are defiled when
they shine upon a filthy swamp. The hatred of his heart belonged to
Shimei himself, but it was God's work that that hatred should settle
so definitely on David, and show itself in exactly the manner and time
it did.
"And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son,
which came forth of my bowels, seeketh my life: how much more now may
this Benjamite do it? let him alone, and let him curse; for the Lord
hath bidden him. It may be that the Lord will look on mine affliction,
and that the Lord will requite me good for his cursing this day" (vv.
11,12). Two further considcrations arc here presented: David calmed
himself under the lesser affliction of Shimei's cursing him, by
reminding himself of the greater trial of Absalom's rising up against
him. And he sought comfort in the possibility that God might yet
overrule this trouble for his own ultimate blessing. The practical
value of this incident is, the valuable teaching it contains on how a
saint ought to conduct and console himself under severe trials. Let us
summarize. First, David comforted himself with the thought that his
sins deserved sorer chastisement than he was receiving. Second, he
looked beyond the afflicting instrument, to the righteous hand of God.
Third, lie considered the minor affliction unworthy of consideration
in view of the major. Fourth, he exercised hope that God would yet
bring "good" out of evil. May grace be granted us to do likewise.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN
Befriended
2 Samuel 16
_________________________________________________________________
Amid much that is saddening in the next two or three chapters there
occasionally shine rays of light through the darkness which
overshadows them. The record is mainly concerned with the deeds of
David's enemies, but here and there we find chronicled some of the
kindly actions of his friends. The depravity of fallen human nature is
exhibited again and again, and we behold what fearful depths of
iniquity men will fall into when not immediately restrained from
above. God righteously permits the devil to work freely in the
children of disobedience (Eph. 2:2), for man at the beginning
deliberately elected to become subject to Satan's scepter rather than
remain in allegiance to his Maker: preferring death to life, darkness
to light, bondage to freedom, he is made to suffer the consequences of
the same. Nevertheless, the Almighty is over Satan and makes his
ragings to subserve His own purpose: "Surely the wrath of man shall
praise Thee: the remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain" (Ps.
76:10)--strikingly illustrated again and again in the various scenes
which are to come before us.
The depravity of fallen human nature is not an attractive subject, yet
it is a solemn fact confronting us daily, both within and without.
Moreover, it explains to us, as nothing else will, the fearful
wickedness which abounds on every hand. A corrupt tree can (of itself)
produce nought but corrupt fruit. That which should really surprise us
is not the bountiful harvest which sin is producing in the human
family, but rather that so many of its foul blossoms and buds are
nipped before they can develop. Now and again God permits some monster
of iniquity to run his race without hindrance, to show us what fearful
evil man is capable of, and what would be a common occurrence were He
to leave Adam's descendants entirely to themselves. The deeds of
Ahithophel and Absalom would be duplicated all around us were it not
that God puts bridles into the mouths of those who hate Him, and
bounds their enmity as truly as He does those of the winds and waves.
But the restraining of man's wickedness is not the sole operation of
the divine government of the human family: from the uncongenial soil
of fallen human nature God is also engaged in producing that which
makes this world a fit place for His people to live in, for He is
doing all things for their sakes (Rom. 8:28)--His glory and their good
being inseparably bound up together. That the saint meets with any
mercy, justice, or kindness at the hands of the unregenerate is due
alone to the grace and power of the Lord. That the believer is at
times befriended by those who have not the love of God in their
hearts, is as much the product and marvel of divine power as His
creating an occasional oasis in the desert. There are times when the
Lord makes the leopard to "lie down with the kid, and the calf and the
young lion and the fatling together" (Isa. 11:6). There are times when
He causes the ravens to feed His servants. Yet, whatever be the
instruments God is pleased to use, the language of the believer should
be "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies"
(Ps. 23:5).
Thus, amid the hardships and sufferings which his enemies inflicted
upon David, we are also to note the reliefs and kindly supplies which
God moved others to furnish him and his men. It was so in the
experience of his blessed Son: if on the one hand we read that He "had
not where to lay His head," on the other hand we are told "And many
others (of the women) which ministered unto Him of their substance"
(Luke 8:3). It was so in the history of the apostle Paul: if on the
one hand he sometimes experienced "hunger and thirst . . . cold and
nakedness" (2 Cor. 11:27), at others it could be recorded "The
barbarous people showed us no little kindness: for they kindled a
fire, and received us everyone, because of the present rain, and
because of the cold . . . who also honoured us with many honours: and
when we departed, they laded us with such things as were necessary"
(Acts 28:2, 10). And has it not been thus in the lives of both writer
and reader? Undoubtedly; sweets and bitters, disappointments and
pleasant surprises, have been intermingled: "In the day of prosperity
be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the
one over against the other" (Eccl. 7:14).
"And the king, and all the people that were with him, came weary, and
refreshed themselves there" (16:14): that is, at Bahurim (v. 5). After
their long and arduous journey from Jerusalem, David and his band of
loyal followers pitched camp and obtained a much-needed rest. At the
same time "Absalom, and all the people of the men of Israel, came to
Jerusalem and Ahithophel with him" (v. 15), David and his retinue
having left the way wide open for Absalom to take possession of the
royal city whenever he pleased. There were none to oppose him.
Accordingly he came, and no doubt felt much elated by this initial
success, promising himself that the whole country would soon be his:
"God suffers wicked men to prosper a while in their wicked plots, even
beyond their expectation, that their disappointment may be the more
grievous and disgraceful" (Matthew Henry).
"And it came to pass, when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, was
come unto Absalom, that Hushai said unto Absalom, God save the king,
God save the king (margin). And Absalom said to Hushai, Is this thy
kindness to thy friend? why wentest thou not with thy friend? and
Hushai said unto Absalom, Nay; but whom the Lord, and this people, and
all the men of Israel, choose, his will I be, and with him will I
abide. And again, whom should I serve? should I not serve in the
presence of his son? as I have served in thy father's presence, so
will I be in thy presence" (vv. 16-19). This is the sequel to what was
before us in 15:32-37: Hushai, at some risk to himself, ventured into
the lion's den, in order to serve and help David. His conduct on this
occasion raises a problem, one which the commentators have differed
widely upon. Some have argued that, on the worldly principle of "all
is fair in love and war," Hushai was fully justified in his
dissimulation: others have condemned him, without qualification, as an
unmitigated liar; while a few have been so puzzled they withheld a
judgment. Let it be pointed out, first, that Hushai did not say "Let
king Absalom live"; and when challenged concerning his infidelity to
David, he did not reply I have done with thy father, and am now
devoted solely to thee and thy cause": his language was ambiguous,
capable of a double construction. While that somewhat modified his
offense it by no means cleared Hushai, for his language was intended
to mislead, and therefore was chargeable with duplicity. That his
intention was a good one, and that his efforts succeeded, by no means
exonerated him. "Results" are not the criterion by which we should
determine the rightness or wrongness of anything. Bear in mind it is
the human side of things we are now considering--from the divine side,
God suffered the pride of Absalom's heart to deceive him: he fondly
imagined that David's best friends were so in love with himself that
they gladly took the present opportunity to flock to his banner; and
therefore he construed Hushai's words in favor of himself.
The above incident is recorded as a warning, and not for our
imitation. It shows that something more than a good motive is
necessary in order for a deed to be right in the sight of God. This is
an important principle for us to weigh, for not a few today excuse
much that is wrong by saying "Well, his intentions were good." While
it be true that the motive often determines the value of an act, yet
other principles and considerations must also regulate us. For
instance, in seeking to carry out our good intensions, we must use the
right means. It is praiseworthy for a parent to seek food for his
hungry children, yet he or she must not steal the same. This was where
Hushai failed: the desire to help David did not warrant his playing
the part of a hypocrite. "For our rejoicing is this: the testimony of
our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with
fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation
in the world" (2 Cor. 1:12) is the Christian's standard. It is never
right to do wrong.
The principal means which the believer should employ in every time of
trouble and emergency, is prayer: presenting his case in humble and
trustful confidence to Him with whom there are no difficulties,
leaving Him to undertake for us as seemeth Him best. This is what
David had done at first (2 Sam. 15:31); but, later, he spoiled it by
resorting to a carnal policy (15:34). Ere passing on let us note how
Absalom's challenge to Hushai may be taken to heart by ourselves in a
higher sense: "Men who admire themselves will be easily deceived by
those who profess an attachment to them; yet they readily discern
those faults in others, of which themselves are far more notoriously
guilty, and are apt to express astonishment at them. If a zealous
disciple of Christ commit evident wickedness, even profligates will
exclaim `Is this thy kindness to thy Friend?' But, alas, how often
might the Saviour Himself address each of us in these words, to our
shame and confusion! And how often should we thus check ourselves, and
remember our ingratitude, to our deep humiliation" (Thomas Scott).
Unfaithfulness to Christ is a species of unkindness to our best
Friend! What a theme that is for a practical sermon!
We have, in a former chapter, already made allusion to the revolting
episode recorded in the closing verses of 2 Samuel 16, so a few brief
remarks on it here will suffice. "Then said Absalom to Ahithophel,
Give counsel among you what we shall do" (v. 20). First, we note that
Absalom did not seek unto the custodians of the ark (which David had
sent back to Jerusalem) for guidance, for he had no concern for the
will of Jehovah: throughout the entire piece he acts as an infidel, a
blatant rebel. Second, the obvious design of Ahithophel in so evilly
advising Absalom--which, as Matthew Henry rightly says was as though
he enquired "at the oracle of Satan" rather than "of God" (v. 21)--was
to get his new master to so conduct and commit himself that all hope
of forgiveness by David would be out of the question. Third, but
behind the scenes, was the overruling hand of God, fulfilling His own
word (2 Sam. 12:11) and chastising David for his wickedness--that he
had these "concubines" in addition to a plurality of wives, is a sad
reflection upon the Psalmist.
"Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve
thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night: And
I will come upon him while he is weary and weak handed, and will make
him afraid: and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I
will smite the king only: and I will bring back all the people unto
thee: the man whom thou seekest is as if all returned: so all the
people shall be in peace" (17:1-3). It may be thought that this vile
suggestion was prompted by the feelings of private animosity, for, as
previously pointed out, Bathsheba was the grand-daughter of
Ahithophel, and therefore he would desire to personally avenge the
wrong done to his family. But whether this be the case or no, as a
politic man Ahithophel would be quick to recognize that delay was
dangerous, and that if Absalom desired the removal of David from his
path, there must be swift action, and a striking while his father and
men were tired and low spirited.
Those who surrounded the wicked Absalom at this time understood
clearly that nothing short of the death of David and the seizing of
the throne for himself would satisfy his covetousness: the only matter
to be determined was the best way in which to accomplish this base
design. Consequently, when Ahithophel voiced his evil counsel, there
were none that raised hands of holy horror, none who so much as
objected to the gross injustice of such a course. Not long ago Absalom
himself had fled for a crime, and David contented himself by allowing
his son to remain in exile, though he deserved death; nay, he craved
his return. But so utterly devoid was Absalom of natural affection, so
incapable of ingratitude, that he thirsted for David's blood. See, my
reader, what human nature is capable of (yours and mine not excepted)
when God leaves us entirely to ourselves. How far, far astray are they
who deny the solemn truth of the total depravity of fallen man!
The scheme propounded by Ahithophel had much to commend itself to a
man of such a designing type as Absalom. It would not serve his
purpose for there to be a wholesale massacre of his subjects--the
Philistines were too near and numerous to unnecessarily weaken his
forces. Let the king himself be smitten, and his followers would
readily capitulate. "Smite the shepherd and the sheep will be
scattered, and be an easy prey to the wolf" was the principle of
Ahithophel's plan. It has been pointed out by others that there was a
close resemblance (if not an actual foreshadowment) here to the policy
suggested by Caiaphas: "Now consider that it is expedient for us that
one man would die for the people, and that the whole nation perish
not" (John 11:50). So too the language of others of Christ's enemies
was "This is the Heir: come, let us kill Him, and the inheritance
shall be ours" (Mark 12:7).
"And the saying pleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel"
(v. 4). The desperate wickedness of the cold-blooded proposal of
Ahithophel to "smite"--slay--God's anointed, so far from filling
Absalom with horror, met with his hearty approval. If "the path of the
just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the
perfect day" (Prov. 4:18), it is equally true that evil men and
seducers wax worse and worse. The falling stone gathers momentum, and
the further it rolls down hill, the greater is its velocity. So it is
with one who has thoroughly sold himself to the devil--he gives his
wretched victims no rest, but urges them on from crime to crime, until
their cup of iniquity is full. Satan is a merciless taskmaster, who
ever demands an increasing tale of bricks from his slaves. How
earnestly we should pray to be delivered from the evil one!
"Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear
likewise what he saith" (v. 5). This is surely striking. In the
previous instance Absalom had acted promptly on the evil counsel of
Ahithophel (16:22), why, then, did he not do so now? The proposal made
had "pleased him well," yet he hesitated and consulted with Hushai,
the secret friend of David. It was not that Hushai took the initiative
and pushed himself forward: it was Absalom himself who sought to know
his mind. What a proof that "the king's heart is in the hand of the
Lord, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will"
(Prov. 21:1). "The Lord had appointed to defeat the good (politic)
counsel of Ahithophel" (v. 14), yet He accomplished this not by
physical force, but by the working of natural laws. Absalom appeared
to act quite freely in following out the thought that had entered his
mind, nevertheless a divine hand was directing him, unknown to
himself. Man is free to act only within the circumference of the
divine decrees.
It was at this critical moment, when the doom of David appeared to be
as good as sealed, that his faithful follower was given the
opportunity of befriending him. How blessedly God times His
interventions. He is never too early, and never too late. It is the
impatience of unbelief and the fretfulness of self-will which so often
makes us think the Lord is tardy. Often God "waits that He may be
gracious" (Isa. 30:18) in order to bring us to the end of ourselves,
and that the deliverance may more evidently appear to be from Himself.
At other times, He delays His intervention on behalf of His own for
the greater chagrin and dismay of their enemies. Hushai did not fail
David at this critical moment, but by clever and plausible arguments
caused Absalom to change his mind, and postpone an immediate attack
upon the fugitive king. This accomplished his object, for any delay on
the part of Absalom afforded David an opportunity to rest his weary
men, add to his forces and station them to best advantage. But more of
that in our next.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT
Befriended
(Continued)
2 Samuel 16 and 17
_________________________________________________________________
In working out His own eternal designs, in ministering to the
spiritual and temporal needs of His people, and in delivering them
from their enemies, God acts as sovereign, employing subordinate
agents or dispensing with them as He pleases. That He is not
restrained by the lack of means is evident from His feeding two
million Israelites in the wilderness for the space of forty years, by
giving them bread from heaven; and from other signal instances
recorded in His Word. Nevertheless, generally, He is pleased to make
use of means in the accomplishment of His everlasting decrees.
Oftentimes those means are feeble ones, altogether inadequate in
themselves for accomplishing the ends they do--to show us that their
sufficiency lies in Him who deigns to make use of them. Where human
agents are employed by God, their unmeetness and unworthiness is often
quite apparent, and this, that we may glory not in them, but in the
One who condescends to place His treasure in earthen vessels. Unless
his principle be clearly recognized by us, we are apt to stumble at
the manifest faults in the instruments God employs.
God has never had but one perfect Servant on this earth, and His
surpassing excellency is made the more conspicuous by the numerous
imperfections of all others. Yet we must not take delight in looking
for or dwelling upon the blemishes of those God made use of--like
unclean birds see in carrion to feed upon. Who are we, so full of sin
ourselves, that we should throw stones at others? On the other hand,
the faults recorded in Scripture of those whom God used in various
ways must not be made a shelter behind which we hide, in order to
excuse our own sins. It is the bearing in mind of these obvious rules
which often occasions a real difficulty to the minister of God,
whether his preaching be oral or written. It is his duty to use as
warnings the faults of Biblical characters; yet, alas, in doing so, he
frequently has occasion to condemn himself; yet that is beneficial if
it truly humbles him before God.
We are now to consider the means used by God in delivering His servant
from the murderous designs of his enemies. If there had been a
Jonathan in Saul's palace to plead his cause and give him intelligence
of his father's plans, so now God raised up an Hushai at the
headquarters of Absalom to render him aid and forward him notice of
what was impending. Reliable messengers to carry these important
tidings from him to David were present in the persons of the two
priests, whom David had sent back to Jerusalem in order to there serve
his interests; though they had been obliged to lodge outside the city
at Enrogel, where a servant-girl communicated, in turn, with them. Yet
one other link in the chain was required in order for the contact to
be established: the two priests were seen as they started out on their
mission, and were pursued by Absalom's men; but a protector was raised
up for them, and they escaped. Thus, in this one instance God made use
of a prominent politician, two priests, a maidservant, and a farmer
and his wife.
"Then said Absalom, call now Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear
likewise what he saith. And when Hushai was come to Absalom, Absalom
spake unto him, saying, Ahithophel hath spoken after this manner:
shall we do after his saying? if not, speak thou" (2 Sam. 17:5,6). Let
it not be forgotten that "the counsel of Ahithophel, which he
counselled in those days, was as if a man had enquired at the oracle
of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with
Absalom" (16:23). Is it not, then, truly remarkable that Absalom did
not act promptly on his advice, instead of now conferring with Hushai;
the more so as the plan propounded by Ahithophel had "pleased Absalom
well, and all the elders of Israel" (v. 4). There is only one
satisfactory explanation: God had decreed otherwise! This is far more,
my reader, than an incident in ancient history: it furnishes an
example of how God regulates the affairs of nations today. Have we not
witnessed individuals as devoid of all natural affections, as godless,
as ruthless, as unscrupulous as was Absalom, who have forced
themselves into the high places of national and international affairs!
Yes, my reader, what the Holy Spirit has recorded here in 2 Samuel 17
is something of much greater importance than an episode which
transpired thousands of years ago. The anointed eye may discern in and
through it the light of heaven being shed upon the political affairs
of earth. God governs as truly in the houses of legislature and in the
secret conferences of rulers and diplomats, as He does the elements
and the heavenly bodies: He it is who rules their selfish schemings
and overrules the counter plans of others. It was so here in Jerusalem
in the long ago; it is so, just as actually now, at London,
Washington, Paris, Moscow, Berlin and Rome. The very reason why the
Spirit has chronicled our incident in the imperishable pages of Holy
Writ is that God's people in all succeeding generations might know
that "the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to
whosoever He will" (Dan. 4:17, 25, 32)-- alas, that through the
ignorance and unfaithfulness of the modern pulpit so many believers
are now deprived of that comforting assurance.
God's Word is a living Word, and not an obsolete history of things
which took place in the far-distant past. It is to our own irreparable
loss if we fail to turn its light upon the mysteries of life and the
"dark places of the earth." And surely there are no darker places than
the conference chambers of politicians and international diplomats:
God "setteth up over the kingdom of men, the basest of men" (Dan.
4:17). where His claims and the interests of His people are either
totally ignored or blatantly defied: yet, even there the Most High is
supreme, and has His way. Only so far are they allowed to go in their
evil schemings and greedy plannings. If on the one hand there is a
bloodthirsty Ahithophel (a military leader) who urges the modern
dictator to the shedding of innocent blood, on the other hand God
raises up an Hushai (though his name may not appear in our
newspapers), who restrains and checks by advising cautious delay, and
his counsel is made (by God) to thwart or modify the more extreme
measures of the former. In the Day to come we shall find that 2 Samuel
17 has often ken duplicated in the politics of this world,
particularly in those of Europe.
"And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath given
is not good at this time" (v. 7). Hushai was put to rather a severe
test. In the first place, Absalom had already evidenced some suspicion
of his loyalty to himself, when he first appeared on the scene
(16:17). In the second place, Ahithophel had just advanced a plan
which met with general approval. And in the third place, to criticize
the scheme of Ahithophel might well be to increase Absalom's suspicion
against himself. But he stood his ground, and at some risk to himself,
did what he could to befriend David. He came right out and boldly
challenged the counsel of his rival, yet he prudently took the edge
off the blow by his modification of "at this time." His language was
skillfully chosen: he did not say "such a course would be downright
madness," but only it "is not good"--it is unwise to employ harsher
language than is absolutely necessary. Thus Absalom discovered that
his counsellors did not agree--it is by diversity of views and
policies that a balance is preserved in the affairs of human
government.
"For, said Hushai, thou knowest thy father and his men, that they be
mighty men, and they be chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of her
whelps in the field: and thy father is a man of war, and will not
lodge with the people" (v. 8). In these words Hushai artfully suggests
that Ahithophel was seriously misjudging the ease of his task. He had
lightly and bumptiously declared "I will smite the king only" (v. 2).
But that was not such a simple task as Ahithophel supposed. David was
something more than a pasteboard monarch: he was a man of great
courage and much experience in the arts of warfare. Moreover, he was
accompanied by valiant warriors, who were in an angry mood over the
shameful necessity of their beloved master's flight from Jerusalem,
and would not stand idly by while he was slaughtered. Absalom had
better pause and face the terribly real difficulties of the situation,
for it is often a fatal mistake to underestimate the strength of an
adversary. To sit down first and count the cost (Luke 14:28) is always
a prudent course to follow rash and ill-considered measures are likely
to meet with failure. But much grace is needed in this feverish age to
act thoughtfully and cautiously, and not rush blindly ahead.
"Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some other place: and it
will come to pass, when some of them be overthrown at the first, that
whosoever heareth it will say, There is a slaughter among the people
that followeth Absalom" (v. 9). The fugitive king was not the type of
man to seek his ease: he "will not lodge with the people," but rather
will he, as a seasoned warrior, resort to subtle strategy, and lie in
a well-chosen ambush, from which he will unexpectedly spring out, and
slay at least the foremost of Ahithophel's men. And that would
seriously prejudice Absalom's cause, for the news would quickly go
forth that David was victor in the field. The practical lesson which
this points for us, is that we must not commit the folly of
underestimating the strength and subtlety of our spiritual enemies,
and that we must carefully consider what are the best ways and means
of overcoming them. Our lusts often secretly hide themselves, and then
spring forth when they are least expected. Satan generally attacks us
from an unlooked-for quarter. He has had far more experience than we,
and we need to tread cautiously if he is not to gain a serious
advantage over us.
"And he also that is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion,
shall utterly melt: for all Israel knoweth that thy father is a mighty
man, and they which be with him are valiant men" (v. 10). Hushai is
here pressing upon Absalom what would inevitably follow if that should
eventuated which he had mentioned in the previous verse. In case David
succeeded in springing a trap and the advance guard of Ahithophel's
proposed expedition were slain, as would most probably happen when
pitted against such a wily antagonist as the conqueror of Goliath,
only one course would surely follow--the entire force sent against
David would be demoralized. The inexperienced men Ahithophel led,
though superior in numbers, would now feel they were no match for the
braves in the king's forces, and they would be utterly dismayed. That
would be fatal to Absalom's cause, as a little reflection must make
apparent. Human nature is fickle, and men in the mass are even more
easily swayed than are individuals: it takes little to turn the tide
of public opinion.
"Therefore I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered unto thee,
from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea for
multitude; and that thou go to battle in thine own person" (v. 11).
This was the only logical inference to draw from the preceding
premises. The "twelve thousand men" Ahithophel asked For (17:1) were
altogether inadequate for success against such a general as David and
against such renowned men as he commanded. Absalom must mobilize the
entire manhood of the nation, and overwhelm his father by sheer force
of numbers.
In counselling Absalom to undertake a general mobilization, or the
gathering together of an overwhelming force, Hushai was obviously
"playing for time." The longer he could induce Absalom to delay taking
military action against the one he was befriending, the better would
his real object be achieved. The slower Absalom was in moving, the
more time would David have for putting a greater distance between
himself and Jerusalem, to increase his own Forces, and to select to
best advantage the site for the coming conflict. The entire design of
Hushai was to counter Ahithophel's proposed "I will arise and pursue
after David this night" (v. 1). To further strengthen his argument
Hushai suggests that Absalom should "go to battle in thine own person"
(v. 11)--take the place of honor, and lead your own men. Indirectly,
he was intimating that Ahithophel's project had only his own ends
(private revenge) and personal glory in view: note his "I will arise,"
"I will come upon him," "I will smite the king" (vv. 1, 2). Hushai
knew well the kind of man he was dealing with, and so appealed to the
pride of his heart.
As we shall see from the sequel, it was this very detail which issued
in Absalom's losing his own life. Had he followed the counsel of
Ahithophel he would have remained at Jerusalem, but by accepting the
advice of Hushai to go to battle in his own person, he went forth to
his death. How true it is that "God taketh the wise in their own
craftiness, and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong" (Job
5:13)! No doubt Absalom was priding himself in his prudence by
obtaining the advice of both these experienced counsellors, yet that
was the very thing that led to his destruction. The suggestion of
Hushai appealed to his personal vanity, and by yielding thereto we are
shown here that "Pride goeth before destruction." If God has placed
you, my reader, in humble circumstances and in a lowly position, envy
not those who take the lead, and aspire not to a place of worldly
dignity and carnal honors.
"So shall we come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and
we will light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground: and of him
and of all the men that are with him there shall not be left so much
as one" (v. 12). This completes the thoughts begun at the start of the
preceding verse: by means of an enormous force we shall be able to
fall upon David and his followers and utterly annihilate them: neither
strategy nor valor will be of any avail against such overwhelming
numbers. Such counsel as this was not only calculated to appeal to
Absalom himself, but also to the unthinking masses: there would be
little danger to themselves; in fact, such a plan seemed to guarantee
success without any risk at all "There is safety in numbers" would be
their comforting slogan. Note Hushai's artful use of the plural
number: "So shall we come upon him" and "we will light upon him" in
sharp contrast from the threefold "I" of Ahithophel.
"Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then shall all Israel bring
ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, until there be
not one small stone found there" (v. 13). Thus Hushai sought to close
the door against every possible objection. Should David and his men
take refuge in some city, and fortify it, instead of hiding in a pit
or wood (v. 9), that would prove no obstacle to such a host as we
should take against him. We will not endanger our men by seeking to
force a way in, but, by main force, drag the city and its people into
the river--this, of course, was not to be taken seriously, but was
intended to raise a laugh. It was simply designed to signify that by
no conceivable means could David either defy or escape them.
"And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the
Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the Lord had
appointed to defeat the good (politic) counsel of Ahithophel, to the
intent that the Lord might bring evil upon Absalom" (v. 14). The
second half of his verse explains the first. The prudent advice of
Ahithophel was rejected, and the plausible but foolish measures of
Hushai were accepted--foolish because they involved so much delay. The
same thing has happened scores of times in the affairs of nations, and
for a similar reason. Folly often prevails over wisdom in the counsels
of princes and in the houses of legislators. Why? Because God has
appointed the rejection of sound counsel in order to bring on nations
the vengeance which their crimes call down from heaven. It is thus
that God rules the world by His providence. See that grave senator, or
that sage diplomat: he rises and proposes a course of wisdom; but if
God has appointed to punish the nation, some prating fanatic will
impose his sophisms on the most sagacious assembly.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE
His Stay at Mahanaim
2 Samuel 17
_________________________________________________________________
We have seen how God made use of Hushai, David's friend to defeat the
counsel which Ahithophel had proposed to Absalom. This meant a short
breathing space was afforded the fugitive king. Hushai at once took
steps to acquaint his master with his success (17:15, 16). The two
priests who served as messengers were obliged to take refuge in a
farmer's house at Bahurim, biding in a well, which his wife
covered--how many strange and unexpected places have sheltered the
servants of God from their enemies only the Day to come will fully
reveal. Incidentally, let us note how this episode teaches us that so
far from acting rashly and presumptuously, we should always avail
ourselves of any lawful means which a merciful providence supplies for
us. True faith never leads to fanaticism or fatalism, but moves us to
act with prudence and with good judgment.
It was well that the two messengers had taken this precaution, for
they were pursued and tracked to the place where they were hiding, but
through the woman's prevarication their enemies were sent on a false
trail. "And it came to pass, after they (the pursuers) were departed,
that they came up out of the well, and went and told king David, and
said unto David, Arise, and pass quickly over the water; for thus hath
Ahithophel counselled against you. Then David arose, and all the
people that were with him, and they passed over Jordan: by the morning
light there lacked not one of them that was not gone over Jordan"
(17:21, 22). "This was a remarkable instance of God's providential
care over His servant and his friends, that not one was lost, or had
deserted, out of the whole company; and he was in this a type of
Christ, who loses none of His true followers" (Thomas Scott). For the
antitype see John 18:8, 9.
It was at this time, most probably, that David wrote Psalms 42 and 43.
They were composed at a season when he was deprived of the benefit and
blessing of the public means of grace. This loss he felt keenly
(42:4), but hoping in God and earnestly supplicating Him, he looked
forward to the time when he would be again permitted to enter His holy
courts with joy and thanksgiving (43:3, 4). These Psalms bring before
is in a most blessed way the exercises of soul through which David
passed at this season, and the persevering efforts he made to retain
his hold upon God. They show us that though a fugitive, pressed almost
beyond endurance by sore trials, nevertheless he maintained his
intercourse with the Lord. They reveal the grand recourse which the
believer has in every time of trouble--something to which the poor
worldling is a complete stranger--namely, the privilege of unburdening
his heart unto One who is of tender mercy, great compassion, and who
has promised to sustain (Ps. 55:22) when we east our burden upon Him.
The first two verses of Psalm 42 express the deep longing of a
spiritual heart for communion with God in the house of worship: it is
only when deprived of such privileges that we come to value them as we
should--just as a parched throat is the one which most relishes a
glass of water. In verse 3 he tells the Lord how keenly he had felt
the mocking jibes of his blasphemous foes. Then he recalls the vivid
contrast from previous experience, when he, though king, had gone with
the multitude to the tabernacle and joined in celebrating God's
praise. Challenging himself for his despondency, he seeks to raise his
spirits. But soon dejection returns and he cries, "O my God, my soul
is cast down within me" (v. 6). Then it was he added "therefore will I
remember Thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the
hill Mizar." Yes, though cut off from the public means of grace,
though plagued with sore trials, he will not forget his best Friend.
In the remaining verses we find the Psalmist freely unburdening
himself to God. As Spurgeon said, "It is well to tell the Lord how we
feel, and the more plain the confession the better: David talks like a
sick child to his mother, and we should seek to imitate him." So
closely is Psalm 43 connected with the one preceding, that in one or
two of the older manuscripts they are coupled together as one: that it
was written during the same period is evident from verse 3, 4. In it
we find David begging God to undertake for him, to "plead his cause
against an ungodly nation," to "deliver him from the deceitful and
unjust man"--the reference to Ahithophel or Absalom, or both. He is
distressed at his own despondency and unbelief, prays for a fresh
manifestation of the divine presence and faithfulness (v. 3), asks for
such a deliverance as would permit his return to God's house, and
closes with an expression of assurance, that, in the end, all would
turn out well for him.
"And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled
his ass, and arose, and gat him home to his house, to his city, and
put his household in order, and hanged himself and died, and was
buried in the sepulchre of his father" (2 Sam. 17:23). Unspeakably
solemn is this. What a contrast is here presented: in the preceding
verse we see the temporal deliverance of David and all his men; here
we behold his chief enemy flinging himself into eternal destruction by
his own mad act. Significantly enough "Ahithophel" signifies "the
brother of a fool," and none exhibit such awful folly as those who are
guilty of self-murder. Ahithophel did not commit this unpardonable
crime on the spur of the moment, but with full deliberation,
journeying to his own home to accomplish it. Nor was he bereft of his
senses, for he first duly settled his affairs and arranged for the
future of his family before destroying himself.
But why should Ahithophel have proceeded to such desperate measures?
Ah, my reader, there is something here which needs to search our
hearts. That upon which he had chiefly doted was now turned to ashes,
and therefore he no longer had any further interest in life: his
household "gods" were, so to speak, stolen from him, his "good thing"
was gone, and therefore his temple lay in ruins. Hitherto his counsel
was regarded "as if a man had enquired at the oracle of God" (16:23),
but the advice of Hushai was now preferred before his. The high esteem
in which he had been held for his political acumen, his wisdom in the
affairs of state, was everything to him, and when Absalom passed his
advice by (17:14) it was more than the pride of his heart could
endure. To be slighted by David's usurper meant that he was now a
"back number"; to be thus treated before the people was too
humiliating for one who had long been lionized by them.
Do we not behold the same Satanic egotism in Saul. When Samuel
announced to him that the Lord had rejected him from being king, what
was his response? Why, this: "Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour
me now, I pray thee, before the leaders of my people, and before
Israel" (1 Sam. 15:30). At, it was the praise of man, and not the
approbation of God, which meant everything to him. Thus it was with
Ahithophel: an intolerable slur had been cast upon his sagacity, and
his proud heart could not endure the idea of having to play second
fiddle to Hushai. What point this gives to that exhortation, "Thus
saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let
the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his
riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth
and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness,
judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I
delight, saith the Lord" (Jer. 9:23, 24). Observe the justice of God
in suffering Ahithophel to come to such an end: he plotted the violent
death of David, and now was fulfilled that word his mischief shall
return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon
his own pate" (Ps. 7:16).
O that we may really take this to ourselves, so that we honestly
examine our hearts, and ascertain upon what it is, really, chiefly
set. What did anything avail Haman, while Mordecai sat at the gate? is
another illustration of the same evil principle. What a solemn lesson
all of this reads to us! Have we, my reader, some earthly idol--be it
riches, honor, fame, or even a loved one--around which the tendrils of
the soul are so entwined that if it be touched, our very life is
touched; if it be taken away, life is for us no longer worth living?
Where is our ruling passion fixed? On what is it centered? Is it some
object of time and sense, or One who is eternal and immutable? What
"treasure" are we laying up day by day? Is it one that the hand of man
or the hand of death may soon take from us, or that which is "eternal
in the heavens"? Seek to answer this question in the presence of the
Lord Himself.
"Then David came to Mahanaim" (v. 24). This was one of the cities of
the Levites in the tribe of Gad (Josh. 13:26). What sacred memories
were associated with this place we may discover by a reference to
Genesis 32. It was at this very place that Jacob had stopped on his
return from sojourning so long with Laban. He was on his way toward
the unwelcome meeting with Esau. But it was there that "the angels of
God met him"! With faith's discernment, Jacob perceived that this was
"a token for good" from the Lord: And when Jacob saw them, he said, I
his is God's host, and he called the name of that place Mahanaim" or
`two hosts"--if God were for him, who could be against him! It was
this place, then, that David now made his headquarters, where he
increased his forces, and gathered together an army with which to
oppose the rebels.
By this time the first force of the disaster bad spent itself, and
when David had succeeded in getting his forces safely across the
Jordan, on the free uplands of Bashan, his spirits rose considerably.
Psalms 42 and 43 reflect the struggle which had taken place within him
between despair and hope, but as we have seen, the latter eventually
triumphed. Now that Mahanaim was reached, he determined to make a
definite stand. No doubt the sacred memories associated with this
place served to further hearten him, and when the news reached him of
Ahithophel's defection from Absalom and his subsequent suicide, he had
good ground to conclude that the Lord was not on the side of his
enemies. As the time went on, it became increasingly evident that the
leaders of the rebellion were lacking in energy, and that every day of
respite from actual fighting diminished their chances of success, as
the astute Ahithophel had perceived.
"And Absalom passed over Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him
. . . so Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead" (vv. 24,
26). At last the perfidious Absalom proceeds to carry out his vile
designs. Not content with having hounded his fond parent from
Jerusalem, and driven him to the utmost corner of his kingdom, nothing
will satisfy him but removing David from the world itself. See to what
fearful lengths Satan will lead one who is fully yielded to his sway.
He was guilty of high treason. With eager mind and brutal heart he
determined to deprive his father of his life. His awful conspiracy had
now reached its consummation. He set his army in battle array against
David. He was willing to play the part of patricide, to stain his
hands with the blood of a loving father who had been too
long-suffering with him.
"And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab: which
Amasa was a mans son, whose name was Ithra an Israelite, that went in
to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab's mother"
(v. 25). Joab, the commander-in-chief of Israel's army (1 Chron.
20:1), had remained loyal to his master, so that Absalom had perforce
to appoint a new general to take charge of his forces: the wicked are
not allowed to have everything their own way--divine providence
generally puts a cog in their wheel. There is some difficulty in
deciphering the details of this verse; as the marginal readings
intimate. The one selected by Absalom as captain of his host was,
originally, "Jether an Ishmaelite," who had seduced the half-sister of
David--suitable character for the present position! Later,[ ]he was
known as "Ithra an Israelite," Matthew Henry suggesting that he had
become such by "some act of state--naturalized." Such a selection on
the part of Absalom was fully in accord with his own rotten character.
"And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the
son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machir the son
of Ammiel of Lodebar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim, brought
beds, and basins, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and
flour, and parched corn, and beans, and lentils, and parched pulse,
and honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for David, and
for all the people that were with him, to eat: for they said, The
people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness" (vv.
27-29). Here the scene changes again, and from the malice of David's
foes our attention is directed to the kindness of his friends. With
what vivid contrasts these chapters abound! And is it not thus in all
earthly life? How can it be otherwise in a world which is ruled by
Satan but overruled by God.
There is something striking and touching in connection with each of
the three men mentioned here, who brought such a lavish present to
David. "Shobi was the brother of him, concerning whom David had said,
"I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash" (10:2) so, with the
measure he had meted out to this Gentile, it is measured to him again.
Ah, has not God promised that he who watereth others, shall himself be
watered! "Machir the son of Ammiel of Lodebar" was the man who had
given shelter to Mephibosheth (9:5): the king had relieved him of this
trust by giving Mephibosheth a place at his own table (9:11), and now
Machir shows his gratitude by providing for David's table. Concerning
"Barzillai" we read that he was "a very aged man, even four score
years old" (19:22), yet he was not too aged to minister now unto
David's needs. He will come before us again in the sequel.
Weary from their long march, ill provisioned for what lay before them
bountiful supplies are now freely given to them. As Matthew Henry
pointed out, "He did not put them under contribution, did not compel
them to supply him, much less plunder them. But, in token of their
dutiful affection to him, their firm adherence to his government, and
their sincere concern for him in his present straits, of their own
good will, they brought in plenty of all that which he had occasion
for. Let us learn hence to be generous and open-handed, according as
our ability is, to all in distress, especially great men, to whom it
is most grievous, and good men, who deserve better treatment.
How often it falls out that God moves strangers to comfort His people
when they are denied it from those much nearer them. There is a law of
compensation which is conspicuously exemplified in the divine
government of human affairs. A balance is strikingly preserved between
losses and gains, bitter disappointments and pleasant surprises. If an
heartless Pharaoh determines to slay the children of the Hebrews, his
own daughter is constrained to care for Moses. If Elijah has to flee
from Palestine to escape the fury of Ahab and Jezebel, a widow at
Zarephath is willing to share her last meal with him. If the parents
of Jesus Christ were poverty stricken, wise men from the East come
with a gift of "gold," which made possible their flight and sojourn in
Egypt. If a man's foes be those of his own household, friends are
raised up for him in the most unexpected quarters. Let us not, then,
dwell unduly upon the former; and let us not fail to be grateful and
return thanks for the latter.
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http://www.pbministries.org. All rights reserved.
Amazon.com Widgets
A. W. Pink Header
The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER SEVENTY
His Son's Death
2 Samuel 18
_________________________________________________________________
"The triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite
but for a moment" (Job 20:5)--often so even when measured by human and
temporal standards: how much more so in the light of eternity! Alas,
that our hearts are so little affected by that unspeakably solemn
consideration--a never-ending future: enjoyed under the blissful
approbation of God, or endured beneath His frightful curse. What are
the smiles and honors of men worth, if their sequel be the everlasting
frown of the Almighty? The pleasures of sin are but "For a season"
(Heb. 11:25), whereas the pleasures which are at God's right hand are
"for evermore" (Ps. 16: 11). Then what shall it profit a man if he
should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Yet how many, like
Esau of old, place more value upon a mess of pottage than the
blessings of heaven. How many, like Ahab, will sell themselves to do
evil in order for a brief moment of pleasure or fame.
"The triumphing of the wicked is short." Yes, and so it proved with
David's wretched son. Absalom had laid his plans carefully, executed
them zealously, and bad carried them out without any compunction (2
Sam. 15:1, 2, 5). He had taken a mean advantage of his father's
indisposition and had stolen the hearts of many of his subjects from
the king. He aspired to the kingdom, and now determined to seize the
throne for himself (15:10). He had assembled his forces at Jerusalem,
and had the powerful Ahithophel to counsel him. He had ruthlessly
determined that his father's life must be sacrificed to his ambition,
and had now gone forth at the head of the army to accomplish his death
(17:24). His triumph seemed to be assured, but unknown and unsuspected
by himself, he was going forth to meet his own tragic but fully
merited
"And David numbered the people that were with him, and set captains of
thousands and captains of hundreds over them" (2 Sam. 18:1). As
Ahithophel had foreseen, the delay of Absalom had afforded David the
opportunity to greatly augment his forces. Though considerable numbers
had joined the rebel, yet there must have been many scattered
throughout Israel who still remained loyal to David, and as the news
of the insurrection spread abroad, no doubt hundreds of them took up
arms and went forth to assist their fugitive king. That his army had,
by this time, been greatly strengthened, is clear from the terms of
this verse. David now proceeded to muster and marshal his
reinforcements so that they might be used to the best advantage. He
girded on the sword with some of the animation of early days, and the
light of trustful valor once more shone in his eyes.
It seems quite clear that, by this time, David had no fear of what the
outcome would be of the coming conflict. He had committed his cause to
God, and looked forward with confidence to the issue of the impending
battle. The striking answer which God had given to his prayer that the
counsel of Ahithophel might be turned to foolishness, must have
greatly strengthened his faith. His language at the close of Psalms 42
and 43 (composed at this period) witness to his hope in the living
God. Yet let it be duly noted that strong faith did not produce either
sloth or carelessness, David acted with diligence and wisdom:
marshalling his forces, putting them in good order, dividing them to
best advantage, and placing them under the command of his most
experienced generals. In order to insure success, our responsibility
is to employ all lawful and prudent means. Declining to do so is
presumption, and not faith.
"And David sent forth a third part of the people under the hand of
Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah,
Joab's brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite"
(v. 2). How true it is that there is nothing new under the sun.
Military tactics were conducted along the same lines then as they are
now: David disposed his forces into a central army, with right and
left protecting flanks. "And the king said unto the people, I will
surely go forth with you myself also" (v. 2). David was not lacking in
courage, and was ready and willing to share any danger with his men.
Yet we believe there was something more than bravery evidenced by
these words: was he not anxious to be on the spot when the crisis
arrived, so that he could protect his wayward son from the fury of his
soldiers! Yes, we see here the father's heart, as well as the king's
nobility.
"And the king said unto the people, I will surely go forth with you
myself also." His desire was still upon Absalom, judging that his
presence might help to shield him, for he was of too soft a heart to
disown the feelings of a father, even toward one who had risen up in
rebellion against him. Yet it seems to us that there was something of
a deeper character which prompted David at this time. He would feign
go forth himself because he realized that it was his sin which had
brought all this trouble upon the land, and he was far too noble
minded to let the risks of battle find any in the foreground but
himself. Let not the reader forget what we pointed out several times
in the preceding chapters, namely, that it is as the humble renitent
David is to be viewed throughout this connection: this it is which
supplies the key to various details in these incidents,
"But the people answered, Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee
away, they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they
care for us: but now thou art worth ten thousand of us, therefore now
it is better that thou succour us out of the city" (v. 3). This is
indeed beautiful. David had shown his affection for his faithful
followers, and now they evidence theirs for him. They would not hear
of their beloved king adventuring himself into the place of danger.
How highly they esteemed him! and justly so: he was not only possessed
of qualities which could well command, but of those which held the
hearts of those who knew him best. The deep veneration in which he was
held comes out again at a later date, when he was hazarding his life
in battle with the Philistines: his men sware to him saying, "Thou
shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the light
of Israel" (21:17). He was their "light": their leader, their
inspirer, their joy, the honored and loved one, in favor with God and
man.
"And the king said unto them, What seemeth you best I will do. And the
king stood by the gate side, and all the people came out by hundreds
and by thousands" (v. 4). "He might be more serviceable to them by
tarrying in the city, with a reserve of his forces there, whence he
might send them recruits--that may be a position of real service,
which yet is not a position of danger. The king acquiesced in their
reasons, and changed his purpose. It is no piece of wisdom to be stiff
in our resolutions, but to be willing to hear reason, even from our
inferiors, and to be overruled by their advice, when it appears to be
for our own good. Whether the people's prudence hid an eye to it or
no, God's providence wisely ordered it, that David should not be in
the field of battle; for then his tenderness had certainly interposed
to 's life, whom God had determined to destroy (Matthew Henry).
Personally, we regard the king's acquiescence as another indication of
his chastened heart. There is nothing that more humbles and meekens
the soul than a spirit of genuine repentance, as nothing more tends to
harden and swell with self-importance than the absence of it. He who
is blind to his own faults and failings, is unprepared to listen to
the counsels of others: an unbroken will is self-assertive and
impervious to either the feelings or wishes of his fellows. But David
was sorrowing over his past sins, and that made him tractable and in a
condition to yield to the desire of his men. As he stood at the gate,
watching his army go forth to the battle of the wood of Ephraim,
victory or defeat would be much the same to him. Whatever the outcome,
the cause must be traced back to his own wrong doing. He must have
stood there with a sad remembrance of that other battle, in which a
devoted servant had fallen, as one murdered by his own hand (2 Sam.
11:24).
"And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal
gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. And all the
people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning
Absalom" (v. 5). So great was David's love for his wayward son that,
even now, he sought to deliver him from the stroke of death. He knew
that Absalom was an excuseless rebel, who sought his life and throne,
who had proven himself to be the very incarnation of iniquitous
ingratitude, of unfeeling cruelty, of unadulterated wickedness, of
Satanic ambition. He was guilty of treason of the vilest sort, and his
life by every law of justice was entirely forfeited; yet in spite of
all, the heart of David remained steadfast unto him. There is nothing
recorded in Holy Writ which exhibits so vividly the depth and power of
human affection, nothing which displays so touchingly love for the
utterly unworthy. Therefore, is it not designed to turn our thoughts
unto a higher and purer Love!
Yes, see this aged parent, driven from his home, humiliated before his
subjects, stricken to the very depths of his heart by the murderous
hatred of the son whom he had forgiven and honored, loving this
worthless and devil-driven youth with an unchanged devotion, that
sought to save him from his just and impending doom. Yet wonderful as
this was, it provides only a faint shadow of the amazing love of
Christ, which moved Him to set His heart upon "His own," even while
they were totally depraved, utterly corrupt, dead in trespasses and
sins. God commended His love toward us by the death of His Son (Rom.
5:8), and it was for the rebellious and the ungodly that He was
crucified. Nor can anything ever separate us from that love: no,
"Having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the
end" (John 13:1). Verily, such love "passeth knowledge."
"So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the battle
was in the wood of Ephraim" (v. 6). This statement has presented quite
a problem to the commentators, some going so far as to (irreverently)
say there was a slip of the historian's pen. As we have seen, both
David and Absalom had crossed the Jordan and were now "in the land of
Gilead" (17:22, 26), which was on the eastward side of the river;
whereas their territory lay wholly on the west of it. How, then, ask
the skeptics, could this battle be said to have taken place in "the
wood of Ephraim"? Did the narrator err in his geography? Certainly
not: it is the critics who display their ignorance of sacred history.
We do not have to go outside of the Scriptures in order to discover
the solution to this "serious difficulty." If we turn back to Judges
12, we discover that an attack was made by "Ephraimites" upon Jephthah
in the land of Gilead, under pretense of a wrong being done them when
they were not invited by the latter to take part in his successful
invasion of Ammon. Jephthah sought to soothe his angry assailants, but
in vain. A battle was fought near "the passages of the Jordan" (Judges
12:5), and Ephraim met with fearful slaughter: in all forty-two
thousand of their men being put to death. Now an event so fearful was
not likely to pass away without some memorial, and what more natural
than to name their grave, the Aceldama of their tribe, by this name
"the wood of Ephraim" in the land of Gilead!
For a short while the battle was furious, but the issue was not long
left in doubt: the rebels suffering a heavy defeat: "The people of
Israel were slain before the servants of David, and there was there a
great slaughter that day of twenty thousand men, For the battle was
here scattered over the face of all the country: and the wood devoured
more people that day than the sword devoured" (vv. 7, 8). "Now they
smarted justly for their treason against their lawful prince, their
uneasiness under so good a government, and their base ingratitude to
so good a governor; and found what it was to take up arms for an
usurper, who with his kisses and caresses had wheedled them into their
own ruin. Now where are the rewards, the preferment's, the golden
days, they promise themselves from him? Now they see what it is to
take counsel against the Lord and His anointed, and to think of
breaking His bands asunder" (Matthew Henry).
Most evident was it on which side the Lord was. All was confusion and
destruction in the ranks of the apostate. The anointed eye may discern
the hand of God as manifest here as, on a former occasion, it has been
at Gideon: as there the "hailstones," so here the "wood" devoured more
than the sword. No details are given so it is useless to conjecture
whether it was pits and bogs or the wild beasts that infested those
forests: sufficient that it was God Himself who fought against
them--conquering them by a much smaller force than their own, and
then, their being pursued by His destructive providences when they
sought to escape the sword. Nevertheless, such wholesale slaughter of
Israel--in view of their surrounding enemies--was a serious calamity
for David's kingdom.
And meanwhile, what of the arch-traitor himself? Ah, he is dealt with
separately, and that, in a manner which still more conspicuously
displayed God's hand: he was "made a show of openly." "And Absalom
rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great
oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between
the heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went away"
(v. 9). Those boughs, like the hands of a giant, gripped him, holding
him fast either by his neck or by his luxuriant hair (2 Sam. 14:26).
His beast continued its progress, leaving him there, as though glad to
be rid of such a burden. There he was suspended, between heaven and
earth, to intimate he was fit for neither. Behold the striking
providence of this: "Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree" (Gal.
3:13)! There he hung as an object of shame, filled with terror,
incapable of delivering himself, unable to either fight or flee. He
remained in this direful situation for some considerable time,
awaiting with horror his merited doom.
Full opportunity was now afforded him to meditate upon his crimes and
make his peace with God. But, alas, so far as the sacred record
informs us, there was no contrition on his part, nothing to intimate
that he now felt unfit to either live or die. As God declared of
Jezebel "I gave her space to repent of her fornication, and she
repented not" (Rev. 2:21), so the life of Absalom was spared a few
more hours, but no hint is given us that he confessed his fearful sins
to God before being summoned into His holy presence. No, God had no
place in his thoughts; as he had lived, so he died--defiant and
impenitent. His father's love, tears and prayers were wasted on him.
Absalom's ease presents to us one of the darkest pictures of fallen
human nature to be met with in the whole of God's Word.
A more melancholy and tragic spectacle can scarcely be imagined than
Absalom dangling from the boughs of that tree. Deserted by his
fellows, for they had one and all left him to his fate; abandoned by
God, now that the cup of his iniquity was filled; a prey to remorse,
for though utterly heartless and conscienceless, his thoughts now must
have been of the gloomiest nature. Quite unable to free himself, he
was compelled to wait, hour after hour, until someone came and put an
end to his wretched life. What an unspeakably solemn object lesson is
this for the young people of our day! how clearly the fearful end of
Absalom demonstrates the Lord's abhorrence of rebellion against
parents! God's Word tells us that it is the fool who "despiseth his
father's instruction" (Prov. 15:5), and that "whoso curseth his Father
or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness" (Prov.
20:20); and again, "The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth
to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and
the young eagles shall eat it" (Prov. 30:17).
The sands of his hour glass had now almost run out. "And a certain man
saw it, and told Joab, and said, Beheld, I saw Absalom hanged in an
oak" (v. 10). This man had beheld Absalom's tragic plight, but had
made no effort to extricate him: instead, he went and reported it to
the general. "And Joab said unto the man that told him, And, behold,
thou sawest him, and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground?
and I would have given thee ten shekels of silver and a girdle. And
the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand shekels of
silver in mine hand, yet would I not put forth mine hand against the
king's son: for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and
Ittai, saying, Beware that none touch the young man Absalom" (vv. 11,
12). And here we must stop. Amidst so much that is revolting, it is a
welcome contrast to behold the obedience of this man to his royal
master.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE
His Son's Death
(Continued)
2 Samuel 18
_________________________________________________________________
In our last we left Absalom caught in an oak, suspended in the air,
unable to free himself. His predicament was indeed a desperate one,
for all his followers had forsaken him. What was to be the sequel?
David had given express instructions to his generals, "Deal gently for
my sake with the young man, even with Absalom" (2 Sam. 18:5). In that
charge we see expressed the weakness of a doting father, rather than
the uncompromising faithfulness of a monarch. It was not for the
interests of his kingdom that such an insurrectionist should be
spared, for none could tell how soon he would occasion further
trouble. Sentiment ought never to override the requirements of
righteousness, yet often it is far from easy to perform the latter
when they come into conflict with the yearnings of the former. By
yielding to his paternal feelings and giving such counsel to his men,
David created a difficulty which should never have been raised.
"And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw
Absalom hanged in an oak" (2 Sam. 18:10). The commentators differ
considerably in their estimations of what is recorded in this verse
and those which immediately follow. Some criticize this man for his
timidity in refusing to take matters into his own hands and rid the
earth of such a wretch; others go to an opposite extreme and blame him
as a sneak for revealing the situation to Joab, knowing that he would
have no scruples against killing Absalom. Personally, we consider he
did the right thing in taking this middle course. It was not for him,
as a private person, to fly in the face of the king's charge, and act
as public executioner; nor was it the thing for him to conceal from
the general-in-charge the helpless position in which the archenemy of
David was now placed: all of which illustrates what was said at the
close of the preceding paragraph.
"And Joab said unto the man that told him, And, behold, thou sawest
him, and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I would
have given thee ten shekels of silver, and a girdle" (v. 11). Those
words were evidently uttered rashly on the spur of the moment, for
when Joab had listened to the man's reply, he did not further upbraid
him. Joab failed to realize the quandary in which David's command had
placed this man, or perhaps he was constitutionally incapable of
appreciating the conscientious scruples which regulated others--which
seems the more likely in the light of what follows. What a coarse and
mercenary spirit his words betrayed! As though a monetary reward
should have been sufficient inducement for anyone to have slain
Absalom in cold blood. One cannot expect such a gross materialist to
value
"And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand
shekels of silver in mine hand, yet would I not put forth mine hand
against the king's son: for in our hearing the king charged thee and
Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that none touch the young man
Absalom. Otherwise I should have wrought falsehood against mine own
life: for there is no matter hid from the king, and thou thyself
wouldest have set thyself against me" (vv. 12, 13). This unnamed man
was not to be intimidated by the fierce Joab, but boldly stood his
ground and frankly avowed the principles which had regulated his
conduct. Though it was not a lawful command which the king had imposed
upon his subjects, yet this one respected the authority of his royal
master. Moreover, as he shrewdly pointed out, what advantage would he
receive from the largest reward if the penalty for his action were the
forfeiting of his own life? That was an argument which admitted no
answer, acknowledged by Joab's abruptly terminating the conversation
under the plea of haste.
"Then said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee. And he took three
darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while
he was yet alive in the midst of the oak" (v. 14). Joab will come
before us again in the chapters that follow, but this seems as good a
place as any to offer some remarks upon his character, it has been
rightly said that "Among the followers and closest adherents of David,
Joab was one. He was early found with David in the cave. Whilst
Jonathan tarried in the court of Saul, Joab was sharing the hardships
and dangers of David in the wilderness. Throughout all his subsequent
dangers, he stood like a lion at his side, and if extent of outward
service were regarded, David perhaps had no such servant as he. Yet in
order to serve David aright, it was necessary to have respect not to
his office merely, but also to appreciate the character of him who
bore that office; to love him for his own as well as for his office
sake, and above all, to remember that no real service could be
rendered to David, except God were reverently regarded and reverently
obeyed" (B. W. Newton).
It is possible for one to serve, because of the dignity of his office,
one whose excellency as an individual we have no regard for. In such
an event, our service, no matter however energetic, will probably have
its springs in self-interest, and its course will be marked by
self-will and pride. Such indeed was the case with Joab: he was
zealous in maintaining the support of David's throne, yet he was ever
alive to the maintenance of his own personal interests. He deemed it
best that the crown should rest on David's brow, because by so doing
his own fortunes were furthered. No matter how definitely or
plaintively David might express his desires, Joab never hesitated,
when the opportunity arose, to outrage the king's feelings or defy his
will if he could thereby gain his own ends without at the same time
compromising the stability of the throne. In such a course, Joab
regarded neither David nor God.
No one can read carefully the sacred narrative without perceiving that
in the latter years of his reign David was little more than a nominal
king. He seems to have come thoroughly under the power of Joab, the
captain of his armies: on the one hand he was too suspicious to trust
him, and on the other too weak to dismiss him. It is both interesting
and instructive to trace out the occasion and cause whereby Joab
established such a despotic control over his royal master. Nor is this
by any means a complicated task: "David wrote a letter to Joab, and
sent it by the hand of Uriah. And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set
ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from
him, that he may be smitten, and die" (2 Sam. 11:14, 15). By making
Joab the partner and secret agent of his guilty plot concerning Uriah,
David sold himself into his hands; in that fatal letter he forfeited
his liberty, surrendering it to this unscrupulous accomplice.
By temperament Joab was a daring and energetic man: a bold fighter in
lawless times. The faction of Saul's house was so strong that at the
beginning of his reign David could scarcely call the throne his own,
or choose his servants according to his own pleasure. Joab was an able
warrior, and though he sometimes avenged his own private quarrels at
the expense of his sovereign's honor, thereby vexing him at heart, yet
he was too strongly entrenched to be displaced. Nevertheless, at that
time David was not afraid to open his mouth and rebuke him for his
slaying of Abner. Nay, be openly asserted his authority by compelling
Joab to rend his clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourn before this very
Abner (2 Sam. 3 :28-31)--a most humiliating experience for one of his
own proud heart, and which made it unmistakably manifest that David
was as yet supreme in his own dominions.
Circumstances might still constrain David to employ this renowned
warrior, and he had not--short as had then been his reign--yielded
himself up to this imperious subject. On the contrary, as his own
cause waxed stronger and stronger, and the remnant of Saul's party
dispersed, he became king of Israel in fact as well as in name, so
that his throne was established not only by law, but by public opinion
too, for we are told that "whatsoever the king did, pleased all the
people" (2 Sam. 3:36). Consequently, he was now in the condition to
rule for himself, and this he did, for a little later we find him
appointing this officer to be the commander of his army by his own
decision, and that simply because Joab was the one who won that rank,
when it was promised by David as the reward to any individual in his
host who should be the first to get up to the gutter and smite
Jebusites at the storming of Zion (2 Sam. 5:8).
We have only to read carefully through 2 Samuel 8 and 10, in which are
narrated the bold achievements of David at this bright period of his
life, his prowess abroad and his strong policy at home, the energy he
instilled into the national character, and the respect he commanded
for it throughout all the surrounding countries, to perceive that he
reigned without restraint and without a rival. But then came his
fearful fall, that evil sowing from which he reaped so bitter a
harvest, From that point onwards we may discern how Joab usurped by
degrees an authority which he had not before. More and more he took
matters into his own hands, executing or disregarding David's orders
as suited his own designs; until finally, we shall see he dared to
conspire against his very throne and the rightful successor of his
line.
An incident recorded in 2 Samuel 14 well illustrates what we have
pointed out above. There we see the hands of David tied, his efforts
to free himself from this oppressor both feeble and ineffectual, and
his punishment of Absalom successfully resisted, for it was Joab,
through the widow of Tekoah, who clamored for the recall of Absalom
from his banishment. The suspicions of the king were aroused, for he
asked, "Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this?" (14:19),
nevertheless, he yielded to his will. It seems that this move on
Joab's part was without any other design than to embarrass the king
and force him to do that which could only lower him in the estimation
of his subjects. Certainly he had no love for Absalom as the sequel
clearly shows.
During Absalom's rebellion, Joab, as might have been expected, was
loyal to the cause of David, for he had no desire to see his
government overthrown and one of another order take its place. Joab
knew full well what was in the heart of Absalom, and therefore he was
prepared to resist him with all his might. He wished to have the
present government of Israel continued, and that in David's own
person, yet it was out of no love for David that he now fought against
Absalom. This is evident from his open defiance of the express charge
which the king had given his generals: "Deal gently for my sake with
Absalom." But Joab heeded not, for he had lost all respect for David's
commands. Nothing could he more deliberate than his infraction of this
one--probably the most imperious which had ever been laid upon him. It
was not in the fury of the fight that he forgot his commission of
mercy, but in cold blood he deliberately went to the place where
Absalom was hanging helpless and slew him.
No, if Joab had loved David and regarded him as his friend, he had
never recklessly despised the anguish of David's heart and made him
cry, "Would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!"
Whatever may be said about his conferring a public benefit by the
removal of this reprobate ringleader, the fact remains that Joab no
longer cared anything for a king whose guilty secret he shared. He
thrust Absalom through the heart with his three darts, and then made
his way, with countenance unabashed, into the chamber of his royal
master, where David was lamenting the death of his son. As we shall
see, the sequel is a piece with what preceded: Joab imperious and
heartless; David, once so regnant, abject in spirit and tame to the
lash. How had the mighty fallen! Into what public humiliation as well
as personal sorrows had his deed of lust and blood now sunk him down?
"And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the wood, and
laid a very great heap of stones upon him: and all Israel fled every
one to his tent" (2 Sam. 18:17). What in ending is this! Hanged in a
tree, abandoned by his followers, dispatched by Joab, and now his body
treated with the utmost contempt. Instead of receiving the honorable
burial of a king's son, he was ignominiously dealt with as a criminal:
the casting of him into a great pit intimated their valuation of his
carcass, while their laying upon him a great heap of stones signified
that he ought to have been stoned to death as a rebellious son (Deut.
21:18, 21).
"Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a
pillar, which is in the king's dale: for he said, I have no son to
keep my name in remembrance: and he called the pillar after his own
name: and it is called unto this day, Absalom's place" (v. 18). What a
striking and solemn contrast do these two verses present, and what a
forcible illustration do they supply of that principle "whosoever
exalteth himself shall be abased" (Luke 14:11); so it was in the
history of Haman and of Nebuchadnezzar, and such was the case here.
Absalom had three Sons (2 Sam. 14:27), but they had predeceased their
father, and therefore he sought to perpetuate his memory by setting up
this pillar to honor his name, by the side of which he doubtless
intended that his body should be interred. Alas, how vain are some men
to attract the note of future generations, who are at no pains to seek
the approbation of God. But even in death Absalom was thwarted: "a
great heap of stones as a monument to his villainy was all that marked
his resting-place.
"Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok, Let me now run, and bear the king
tidings, how that the Lord hath avenged him of his enemies" (v. 19).
Ahimaaz was the son of Zadok the priest (2 Sam. 15:27), who was deeply
devoted to David. He was one of the two men who had endangered their
lives in the king's service by bringing him tidings of Absalom's plans
(17:17-21). That he was a godly soul is intimated by the language
which he used on this occasion, for instead of flattering Joab, by
congratulating him for his bringing the conflict to a triumphant
issue, he ascribes the success to the Lord. How often God is forgotten
in the flush of victory, and instead of exclaiming "His right hand,
and His holy arm, hath gotten Him the victory" (Ps. 98:1), proud man
attributes the defeating of his enemies to his own strength, vigilance
or skill. In such an hour it is for the servant of God to lift up his
voice and make known the truth that the glory belongs to God alone.
"And Joab said unto him, Thou shalt not bear tidings this day, but
thou shalt bear tidings another day: but this day thou shalt bear no
tidings, because the king's sons is dead" (v. 20). In the light of
what follows it is not easy to determine what it was that influenced
Joab to refuse the request of Ahimaaz, for immediately afterward he
bids another man go and tell the king what he had seen, and when
Ahimaaz renewed his request, after a slight demur Joab granted it. It
is possible that Joab feared for the life of Ahimaaz and considered he
was too valuable a man to he thrown away, for the name of the selected
messenger ("Cushi") suggested that he was an Ethiopian--probably an
African slave. Joab knew that David was an impulsive and
quick-tempered man, and remembered the fate which overtook the one who
bore to him the tidings of Saul's death (2 Sam. 1:15), and therefore
he probably thought that a similar vengeance might be visited upon the
one who should inform him 's death.
"Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok yet again to Joab. But howsoever,
let me, I pray thee, also run after Cushi. And Joab said, Wherefore
wilt thou run, my son, seeing that thou hast no tidings ready?" (v.
22). The marginal renderings of this verse seem to decidedly confirm
what we have just said above. The words of Ahimaaz "But howsoever" are
literally "be what may": Whatever be the risk of incurring the king's
fury, I am quite willing to face it. Joab's "Wherefore wilt thou, my
son," indicates that he held Ahimaaz in some esteem, and his "thou
hast no tidings ready" is really "no tidings convenient," which
intimates he sought to discourage him from being the bearer of news
which would be so unwelcomed to David. And why, it may be asked, was
Ahimaaz anxious to serve as messenger on this fateful occasion? We
believe it was because he was so devoted to the king that he wished,
so far as possible, to tactfully lighten the blow. This he did, for
instead of bluntly blurting out that Absalom had been slain he simply
said, "Blessed be the Lord thy God, which hath delivered up the men
that lifted up their hand against my lord the King" (v. 28).
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO
His Inordinate Grief
2 Samuel 18
_________________________________________________________________
Man is a composite creature, possessing a soul as well as a spirit.
God has bestowed upon him an emotional nature as well as a rational
principle. True, in some persons the passions are much stronger, while
in others the intellectual faculty is more prominent; but whichever be
the case, we should seek to preserve the balance between their play
and interplay. The emotions must not be allowed to run away with us,
for if they do we shall be incapacitated for clear thinking and
prudent acting. On the other hand, the emotions are not to be utterly
crushed, or we shall degenerate into callous cynics and cold
intellectual machines. There is a happy medium between epicureanism
and stoicism, yet it can only be attained by constant watchfulness and
self-discipline. The regular management of our unruly passions is
essential if we are to obtain the mastery of them, and not be mastered
by them.
Stoicism or the complete suppression of our emotions receives no
countenance from the teachings of Holy Writ. How could it, seeing that
the Author of Scripture is the One who has endowed us with an
emotional nature! God's Word and His works do not contradict each
other. Let it be remembered that it is recorded of the Perfect Man
that He wept by the graveside of Lazarus and made lamentation over the
doomed city of Jerusalem. He who created muscles in the face which are
only called into action by a hearty laugh and a tear-duct for the eye,
meant that each should be used in their season. They who are
physically incapable of breaking out into a healthy sweat, suffer far
more than those who perspire freely in hot weather; and they who weep
not when a great sorrow overtakes them, incur the danger of something
snapping in their brains. Laughter and tears are nature's safety
valves; they ease nervous tensions, much as an electric storm relieves
a heavily-charged atmosphere.
Nevertheless, it remains that our emotions are to be disciplined and
regulated. "Keep thy heart with all diligence" (Prov. 4:23): an
essential part of the task that involves, is the government of our
passions and emotions--anger is to be curbed, impatience subdued,
covetousness checked, grief and joy tempered. One of the things we are
bidden to mortify is "inordinate affection" (Col. 3:5), and that
includes not only unholy lustings, but also excessive desires after
lawful things. "Set your affection on things above, not on things on
the earth" (Col. 3:2); that does not mean it is wrong for us to have
any love for earthly objects, but it does mean that such love is to be
regulated and subordinated to divine and spiritual things.
Responsibility attaches as much to our inner life as it does to our
outward.
Rejoicing and merrymaking are seasonable at a wedding or a birth,
while grief and lamentation are natural at the death of a loved one;
yet even on such occasions we are required to hold our emotions within
due bounds. If on the one hand we are bidden to "rejoice with
trembling" (Ps. 2:11), on the other hand we are exhorted to "sorrow
not, even as others who have no hope" (1 Thess. 4:13). The subject is
admittedly a delicate one, yet is it one of practical importance.
Intemperate grief is as unjustifiable as is intemperate joy. The hand
of God is to be viewed in that which occasions the one as truly as
that which occasions the other: if He is the One who gives, He is
equally the One who takes away; and the more the heart recognizes
this, the less likely are we to overstep the bounds of propriety by
yielding to uncontrolled passion.
That God takes notice of inordinate grief may be seen from the case of
Samuel mourning for Saul. Samuel is one of the brightest characters of
which we have recorded in Scripture, yet he failed at this point. The
thought of God's having rejected Saul from being king, so moved the
bowels of natural affection in the prophet that he sat up all night
weeping for him (1 Sam. 15:11), yea, he continued mourning until the
reproof of heaven stopped the torrent of his tears. "And the Lord said
unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected
him from reigning over Israel?" (1 Sam. 16:1)--had such grief been
acceptable to God, He surely had not rebuked him for the same! This
incident is recorded for our learning and warning.
The hour of emergency is what usually brings to light that which is to
be found within us. It is not the ordinary routine of life, but the
crises which revealed character: not that the crisis changes or makes
the man, but rather that it affords opportunity to display the
benefits of previous discipline or the evils of the lack of the same.
Therefore it is of little or no use to bid a person control himself or
herself when deeply agitated over an unusual experience, for one who
has never learned to govern himself day by day, cannot begin doing so
under exceptional circumstances. Here, then, is the answer to the
question, How am I, especially if of passionate nature, to avoid
inordinate joy or sorrow? A person cannot change his disposition, but
he can greatly modify it, if he will take pains to that end.
"He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty: and he that
ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city" (Prov. 16:32): it is
this ruling of our spirits which is the subject we are attempting to
develop: the mind perceiving the needs and the will exerting itself to
govern our emotions. Inordinate grief is the outcome of inordinate
love, and therefore we need to watch closely over our affections and
bring reason to bear upon them. We must discipline ourselves daily and
control our emotions over little things, if we are to control
ourselves in the crises of life. As the twig is bent, so the bough
grows. The longer we allow bur passions to run riot, the harder will
it be to gain control of them. Much can be done by parents in training
the child to exercise self-control and be temperate in all things.
Does not the reader now perceive the practical importance of what has
been before us? How many there are who go entirely to pieces when some
grief or calamity overtakes them. And why is this? Because they have
no self-control: they have never learned to govern their emotions. But
can we rule our spirits? Certainly; yet not in a moment, nor by
spasmodic efforts, but only by the practice of daily and strict
self-discipline. From the habit, then, of keeping tab on your desires,
and check them immediately you find they are going out after forbidden
objects. Watch your affections, and bring reason to bear upon them:
see that they do not become too deeply attached to anything down here:
remember the more highly you prize an object, the more keenly will you
feel the loss of it. Seek to cultivate a mild and even disposition,
and when provoked, assure yourself such a trifle is unworthy of
perturbation. Paul could say, "all things are lawful for me, but I
will not be brought under the power of any" (1 Cor. 6:12)--that was
his own determination.
The pertinency of what has been before us will appear as we resume our
consideration of David. The reader will remember that we last viewed
him disposing of his forces, and then commanding his generals, "Deal
gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom" (2 Sam.
18:1-5). Two things are to be noted. First, David was under no qualms
of the issue of the conflict, no fear that the battle would go against
him. As we pointed out in a previous chapter, Psalms 42 and 43
(composed at this time) show that he had overcome his despondency and
doubts, and again had confidence in God. Second, we behold again the
doting father: not only in referring to Absalom as "the young man" (he
had had at least four children: 14:27), but in laying such an unlawful
charge upon his officers he allowed sentiment to override the
requirements of righteousness.
"And David sat between the two gates: and the watchman went up to the
roof over the gate unto the wall, and lifted up his eyes, and looked,
and behold a man running alone" (2 Sam. 18:24). What a pathetic
picture is presented her: the aged king and tender parent anxiously
waiting for news? He must have known, deep down in his heart, that the
providence of God would execute that just punishment which he had been
too weak to inflict upon the evil doer; yet, doubtless, he hoped
against hope that the guilty one would escape. Moreover, as he sat
there with plenty of time for meditation, he must have reflected upon
his own sins, and how they were responsible for this unhappy conflict,
which seriously threatened to permanently split the Nation into two
opposing factions. If only we would look ahead more and anticipate the
consequences of our actions, how often we should be deterred from
entering upon a mad and sinful course.
"And the watchman cried, and told the king. And the king said, If he
be alone, there is tidings in his mouth. And he came apace, and drew
near. And the watchman saw another man running: and the watchman
called unto the porter, and said, "Behold another man running alone.
And the king said, He also bringeth tidings" (vv. 25, 26). Within a
short time at most the king's anxiety was to be relieved, and he would
know the best or the worst. When the watchman upon the walls reported
that a single runner was approaching, followed by another lone
individual, David knew that his forces had not been defeated, for in
that case, his men had fled before the enemy in confusion, and had
come back in scattered groups. These persons were evidently special
messengers, bringing report to the king: God had prohibited the
multiplying
"And the watchman said, Me thinketh the running of the foremost is
like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, He is
a good man, and cometh with good tidings" (v. 27). It will be
remembered that Joab had first dispatched Cushi and then had yielded
to the importunity of Ahimaaz to follow him, but the latter taking a
short cut and being the swifter of the two, "overran Cushi" (v. 23).
Upon hearing that the son of the priest was approaching, David
concluded he was the bearer of favorable news. As other writers have
pointed out, this illustrates an important principle: those who bear
good tidings should themselves be good men. Alas, what incalculable
harm has often been wrought and the Gospel brought into contempt by
the inconsistent and worldly lives of many who proclaim it. How
needful it is that the servants of Christ should practice what they
preach, and secure the confidence of those who hear them by reputation
for integrity and righteousness. "In all things showing thyself a
pattern of good "(Titus 2:7).
"And Ahimaaz called, and said unto the king, All is well. And he fell
down to the earth upon his face before the king, and said, Blessed be
the Lord thy God, which hath delivered up the men that lifted up their
hand against my lord the king" (v. 28). Truly this was "a good man"
indeed, who both feared God and honored the king (1 Peter 2:17).
First, his "all is well" was to assure David that his forces had been
successful; then he rendered obeisance to his royal master, and
honored God by ascribing the victory to Him. This was both pious and
prudent, for his words were calculated to turn David's mind from
Absalom unto the Lord, who had so mercifully interposed to defeat his
counsels. Herein is a most important lesson to be heeded by those who
have to break the news of the death of a loved one: seek to direct the
heart of the grief stricken to Him in whose hands alone the "the
issues from death" (Ps. 68:20).
"And the king said, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Ahimaaz
answered, When Joab sent the king's servant, and me thy servant, I saw
a great tumult, but I knew not what it was. And the king said unto
him, Turn aside, and stand here. And he turned aside, and stood still"
(vv. 29, 30). David's question showed he was more concerned about the
welfare of his wicked son than he was over the well-being of his
kingdom: that was natural no doubt, nevertheless it was a serious
failure--those who serve the public are often called on to set aside
their own private feelings and interests. Ahimaaz avoided giving a
direct reply to the king: he was deeply attached to him, and no doubt
wished to spare his feelings as far as possible; yet that did not
excuse him if he resorted to prevarication. We are never justified in
telling an untruth: no, not even to relieve the suspense of an anxious
soul or to comfort a bereaved one.
"And, behold, Cushi came; and Cushi said, Tidings, my lord the king:
for the Lord hath avenged thee this day of all them that rose up
against thee. And the king said unto Cushi, Is the young man Absalom
safe? And Cushi answered, The enemies of my lord the king, and all
that rise against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is" (vv.
31, 32). The second courier now arrived and confirmed the word of
Ahimaaz that the Lord had graciously undertaken For the king. His
language too was pious, though not so fervent as that of the former.
It was couched also in general terms, so that David had to repeat the
question concerning his son. His query now received a definite reply,
though the harrowing details were wisely withheld. Cushi did not
mention Joab's having thrust the three darts into Absalom's heart, nor
that his body had been contemptuously cast into a pit and covered with
a great heap of stones. Instead, he merely intimated that Absalom was
now safe in the grave, where he could work no more harm against the
kingdom, whither Cushi loyally desired all other traitors might be.
"And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the
gate, and wept; and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom! my
son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son,
my son!" (v. 33). Gratitude that his kingdom had been delivered was
completely submerged by overwhelming grief for his wayward child.
Probably this was one of the most pathetic lamentations that ever
issued from a stricken heart, yet its extravagance and impiety cannot
rightly be defended. David's inordinate affection for Absalom now
found expression in inordinate grief. His passions carried him
completely away, so that he spake unadvisedly, rashly, with his lips.
No doubt his sorrow was made more poignant by the realization that
Absalom's soul was lost, for there is no hint whatever that he sought
to make his peace with God; yet that in nowise warranted such an
inconsiderate outburst.
Matthew Henry ably analyzed and summarized this sin of David's. "He is
to be blamed. 1. For showing so great a fondness for a graceless,
however handsome and witty, son, that was justly abandoned both of God
and of man. 2. For quarreling, not only with Divine Providence, the
disposals of which he ought silently to acquiesce in, but divine
justice, the judgments of which he ought to adore and subscribe to:
see how Bildad argues, `If thy children have sinned against him, and
he hath cast them away in their transgression (thou shouldest submit)
for doth God pervert judgment?' (Job 8:3,4 and compare Lev. 10:3). 3.
For opposing the justice of the Nation, which, as king, he was
entrusted with the administration of, and which, with other public
interests, he ought to prefer before any natural affection, 4. For
despising the mercy of his deliverance, and the deliverance of his
family and kingdom, from Absalom's wicked designs, as if this were no
mercy, nor worth giving thanks for, because it cost the life of
Absalom. 5. For indulging a strong passion, and speaking unadvisedly
with his lips. He now forgot his own reasoning upon the death of
another child (can I bring him back again?) and his own resolution to
keep `his mouth as with bridle when his heart was hot within him'; as
well as his own practice at other times, when he `quieted himself as a
child that was weaned from his mother.'"
The practical warnings from this incident are obvious. David had
allowed his inordinate affection for Absalom to hinder the discharge
of his public duty. First, in failing to inflict the penalty of the
divine law for Absalom's murder of Ammon. Second, in allowing him to
return from banishment. The claims of God must prevail over all
natural inclinations: fleshly sentiment, and not a concern for Gods
glory, moved David to send for his son. As chief magistrate in Israel
he condoned his grievous offences. His inordinate love terminated in
this inordinate grief. How we need to watch and pray against excessive
affection, the indulging of wayward children, and passionate outbursts
in times of stress and strain. Doubly we need to keep a strict guard
upon ourselves when that is removed from us which is very dear to us:
much grace is required to say with Job "Blessed be the name of the
Lord."
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE
His Inordinate Grief
(Continued)
2 Samuel 19
_________________________________________________________________
It will be remembered that in our last we were occupied with the
effects which the advance messengers of Joab had upon David. Those
special couriers informed him of the defeat and death of Absalom (2
Sam. 18), and the king at once broke down and gave way to bitter
lamentations. No doubt this was natural, and to be expected, for the
insurrectionist was his own son, though an utterly unworthy one; yet
while an outburst of sorrow was excusable, inordinate grief was not
so. In writing upon this subject care needs to be taken by us, so as
to prevent the reader, as far as we can, from drawing wrong
conclusions. Inordinate grief is neither the depths to which we may be
shaken nor the copiousness of our tears, for that is largely a matter
of personal temperament and the state of our health.
Inordinate grief is when we so far lose control of ourselves that we
become guilty of hysterical outbursts which ill become a rational
creature, and uttering intemperate expressions, which displease the
Lord and offend those who have His fear upon them. Especially should
the Christian ever seek to set before others an example of sobriety,
checking everything which savors of insubordination to God. Again, we
are guilty of inordinate grief when we allow a sorrow to so overwhelm
us that we are rendered incapable of discharging our duty.
Particularly is this the case with those who occupy a public position,
upon whom others are dependent or influenced thereby. In David's case
he failed at each of these points, being guilty of a violent outburst
of his passions, using intemperate language, and taking issue with
Gods providential will.
In due time Joab and his victorious army arrived at Mahanaim, to
receive the congratulations of the king and wait upon him for further
instructions. But instead of meeting them with warm gratitude for the
signal service they had rendered him and his kingdom, David conducted
himself in such a way as to make the army conclude the sovereign was
filled with regret at their achievements, Consequently, instead of
there being joyous celebrations over the victory, the spirit of the
camp was greatly dampened. Instead of being thankful that his kingdom
had been mercifully delivered, David was completely overwhelmed with
grief over the death of his wayward son, aid all were made to suffer
in consequence. The deplorable effects this produced will now be
considered by us.
"And it was told Joab, Behold, the king weepeth and mourneth for
Absalom. And the victory that day was turned into mourning unto all
the people: for the people heard say that day how the king was grieved
for his son. And the people gat them by stealth that day into the
city, as people being ashamed steal away when they flee in battle. But
the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my
son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!" (2 Sam. 19:1-4). "The
excessive indulgence of any passion (grief by no means excepted), not
only offends God, but betrays men into great imprudences in their
temporal concerns. They who have faithfully served us expect that we
should appear pleased with them, and thankful for their services; and
many will do more for a smile and a kind word from their superiors,
than for a more substantial recompense; and be much grieved and
disheartened if they "(Thomas Scott).
This was no time for David to yield to his private sorrows: public
interests urgently required him to bestir himself and grip the helm of
state with a firm hand. A most serious and critical situation
confronted him, which called for prompt and decisive action. Absalom's
rebellion had rent the kingdom asunder, and only a prudent policy,
swiftly executed, could hope to restore peace and unity again. There
had been a widespread revolt, and David's throne had been shaken to
its very foundations. The king himself had been forced to flee from
Jerusalem and his subjects had become divided in their interests and
loyalty. But God had graciously intervened: the arch-rebel was slain
and his forces utterly routed. This was the hour, then, for David to
assert his authority, press upon the people the honor of Jehovah's
name, take charge of things, and take full advantage of the situation
which had swung things so markedly into his favor.
As soon as he had received confirmation that Absalom and his forces
had been defeated, David's only wise course was to return immediately
to Jerusalem. To set up his court once more in the royal city, while
the rebels were in confusion and before they could rally again, was
but the part of common prudence--how else could the insurrectionists
be cowed and the unity of the nation be restored? But now grief
paralyzed him: beclouding his judgment, sapping his energy, causing
him to conduct himself most injudiciously. Never was there a time when
he more needed to hold the hearts of his soldiers: it was essential to
his royal interests that he should secure their respect and affection;
but by keeping himself in close mourning, he not only dampened the
spirits of his strongest supporters, but acted as though he
disapproved of what they had done.
"And it was told Joab, Behold, the king weepeth and mourneth for
Absalom. And the victory that day was turned into mourning unto all
the people: for the people heard say that day how the king was grieved
for his son." "The people will take particular notice of what their
princes say and do: the more eyes we have upon us, and the greater our
influence is, the more need we have to speak and act wisely, and to
govern our passions strictly" (Matthew Henry). David ought to have
been ashamed of his sorrowing over such a worthless and wicked son,
and done his utmost to subdue and hide it. See how the people reacted:
they "gat them by stealth that day into the city, as people being
ashamed steal away when they flee in battle." Out of respect for their
sovereign they would not rejoice while he continued to mourn, yet they
must have felt deeply how little their efforts on his behalf
"But the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice,
O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!" This was not the initial
outburst of David's anguish, but the prolonged hugging to himself of
his sorrow after the army had returned. The king was quite overcome,
insensible to the pressing requirements of the hour and the needs of
his subjects. This is what inordinate grief produces: it makes one so
self-centered that the interests of others are ignored. It thoroughly
unfits for the discharge of our duties. It so takes the eye off God
that we are wholly occupied with distressing circumstances. It is in
such an hour that we need to take hold of and act out that
oft-repeated injunction, "Be strong and of a good courage." Inordinate
grid will not restore the dead, but it will seriously injure the
living.
David's conduct displeased the Lord, and He used an unwelcome
instrument to bestir the king to a renewed sense of his
responsibility, for it is from this angle that we must first view
Joab's attack upon David. "When a man's ways please the Lord, he
maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him" (Prov. 16:7): yes,
"maketh," for our enemies are as much under the immediate control of
the Most High as are our best friends. True it is that every attack
made upon us by our foes is not, necessarily, an indication that we
have offended God, yet oftentimes it is so, and therefore it is the
part of wisdom for us to always regard the attacks of our enemies as
king God's rod reproving us, and for us to examine our ways and judge
ourselves. Did not God make Abimelech to be at peace with Isaac (Gen.
26:26-30) and Esau with Jacob (Gen. 33)? Then He could have easily
softened the heart of Joab toward David; that He did not do so,
intimates He was displeased with him for his inordinate grief.
"And Joab came into the house to the king, and said, Thou hast shamed
this day the faces of all thy servants, which this day have saved thy
life, and the lives of thy sons and of thy daughters, and the lives of
thy wives, and the lives of thy concubines; In that thou lovest thine
enemies, and hatest thy friends. For thou hast declared this day, that
thou regardest neither princes nor servants: for this day I perceive,
that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had
pleased thee well" (vv. 5, 6) As we have pointed out in a previous
chapter, Joab, during the later years of his life, was far from being
friendly disposed toward David, and though he served at the head of
his army, self-interest and not loyalty to the king was what actuated
him. He was therefore quick to seize this opportunity to assert his
arrogance, and not sparing David's feelings at all, he strongly
berated him for his present selfishness and inertia. True, he was
justified in remonstrating with David on the impropriety of his
conduct, yet that by no means excused his pride and insolence. Though
there was much force in what Joab said, yet he sadly failed to show
that respect which was due his master.
"Now therefore arise, go forth, and speak comfortably unto thy
servants: for I swear by the Lord, if thou go not forth, there will
not tarry one with thee this night: and that will be worse unto thee
than all the evil that befell thee from thy youth until now" (v. 7).
David's duty was here plainly if roughly pointed out to him: he ought
to present himself at once before those faithful troops who had
endangered their lives for the preservation of his. Let the king now
bestir himself and delay no longer, but go forth and publicly
congratulate their success and thank them heartily for their services.
The painful alternative must not be ignored: there was grave danger of
a further and worse revolt. If the king persisted in selfish
ingratitude, he would lose the respect of his staunchest supporters,
and then he would be left without any to further his interests.
Sometimes God makes use of a rough hand to arouse us from our
lethargy, and we should be thankful that He cares sufficiently for us
to do so.
Joab had pressed upon David the claims of his people, and the king was
duly aroused. So far from being angry at and refusing the counsel
which he had received, David acted promptly upon it and took his
proper place. "Then the king arose, and sat in the gate. And they told
unto all the people, saying, Behold, the king doth sit in the gate.
And all the people came before the king: for Israel had fled every man
to his tent (v. 8). A wise man will seek to profit from good advice,
no matter who may proffer it or how unkindly it may be given--shall I
refuse an important letter because I dislike the appearance or manners
of the postman? "When we are convinced of a fault we must amend,
though we are told it by our inferiors, and indecently, or in heat and
passion" (Matthew Henry). Was David looking back to this incident when
he wrote, "Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let
him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my
head" (Ps. 141:5)?
"And all the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of
Israel, saying, The king saved us out of the hand of our enemies, and
he delivered us out of the hand of the Philistines, and now he is fled
out of the land for Absalom. And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is
dead in battle. Now therefore why speak ye not a word of bringing the
king back?" (vv. 9:10). These verses show clearly the timeliness of
Joab's intervention and the deplorable state the kingdom of Israel was
now in. A house divided against itself cannot stand: strong and swift
measures were now called for. Many of the people still desired the
return of their king, though they were too dilatory to do more than
talk, and ask why a message was not sent urging him to come to
Jerusalem. It is generally thus: those who are friendly disposed
toward us lack the energy to act on our behalf.
The tribes of Israel were conscious of their predicament: they were
without a competent head. David undoubtedly possessed the best claims:
he had proved himself a valiant and successful leader, delivering them
from their powerful foes. Yet, when his sons turned traitor and many
of his subjects had joined forces with him, the king fled. But Absalom
was now dead, and his army had been defeated. A "strife" ensued:
probably the people blamed their elders for not taking the initiative
and communicating with David, to assure him of their repentance and
renewed fealty; while the elders threw the blame on the people because
of their recent disloyalty. Mutual recriminations got them no where;
meanwhile no definite steps were taken by them to urge David's return
to the capital.
"And king David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying,
Speak unto the elders of Judah, saying, Why are ye the last to bring
the king back to his house? seeing the speech of all Israel is come to
the king, even to his house. Ye are my brethren, ye are my bones and
my flesh: wherefore then are ye the last to bring back the king?" (vv.
11, 12). When David learned of the favorable sentiment which existed,
generally, throughout Israel toward him, he threw the onus on the
elders of his own tribe. "We do not always find the most kindness from
those whom we have the most reason to expect it" (Matthew Henry).
Alas, how true that is. How often we find that those who are bound to
us by the closest ties and upon whom we have the greatest claims, are
the first to fail and the last to help us. Perhaps one reason why this
incident is recorded is that it may warn us not to expect too much
even from our spiritual brethren--the less we expect, the less will be
our disappointment.
That Judah, David's own tribe, were so lacking in affection or
enterprise, suggests that they too had been seriously implicated in
the recent rebellion; and now they were either too slack to make
suitable overtures to their king, or else they feared they had wronged
him so grievously by siding with Absalom that there was no hope of
regaining his favor. By employing two of the priestly family to
negotiate with the elders of Judah, David evidenced both his prudence
and piety. As God-fearing men, Zadok and Abiathar were trusted by the
king and respected by the best of people, and therefore there would be
no suspicion on either side that they were working from
self-interests. It is always wise and well for us to enlist and aid of
those most looked up to for their uprightness when it becomes
necessary for us to use intermediaries.
"And say ye to Amasa, Art thou not of my bone, and of my flesh? God do
so to me, and more also, if thou be not captain of the host before me
continually in the room of Joab" (v. 13). Though Amasa was the son of
David's sister (1 Chron. 2:17), Absalom had set him over the rebel
army (2 Sam. 17:25), and therefore he was the leader of an influential
party whom David desired to win. Moreover, he was determined to strip
the haughty and intolerable Joab of his power, if that were at all
possible; yet he was unwise in making known his purpose, for though
Amasa accepted David's offer, yet on the very first military
enterprise on which he was dispatched, Joab met and murdered him (2
Sam. 20:10). By singling out Amasa for special notice--owning him as
his kinsman and promising to make him general of all his forces if he
now stood by the king's cause--David gave clear intimation that he was
ready to pardon those who had most grievously wronged him.
"And he bowed the heart of all the men of Judah, even as the heart of
one man; so that they sent this word unto the king, Return thou and
all thy servants" (v. 14). There is some difference of opinion as to
whether the "he" refers to David, Amasa, or the Lord Himself.
Personally, we believe it signifies the latter. First, because "God"
is directly mentioned in verse 13; second, because had the reference
been to David it had said "so they sent this word unto him," etc.;
third, because we have no reason to suppose that Amasa was
sufficiently prominent or powerful to affect "all the men of Israel."
Finally, because it is God's prerogative alone to regulate the heart
(Prov. 21:1). No doubt God, instrumentally, made use of the
persuasions of the priests and of Amasa to influence them;
nevertheless their spontaneity and unanimity must be ascribed unto him
who sways all His creatures.
"So the king returned, and came to Jordan" (v. 15). David did not move
until he was assured that the people really desired his return: he was
unwilling to be king of those who welcomed him not. In this we have
typically illustrated an important truth: "Our Lord Jesus will rule in
those who invite Him to the throne of their hearts, and not till He is
invited. He first bows the heart and makes it willing in the day of
His power, and then rules in the midst of His enemies: Psalm 110:2, 3"
(Matthew Henry).
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR
His Return to Jordan
2 Samuel 19
_________________________________________________________________
What a bewildering maze does the path of life present to many a soul:
its twistings and turnings, its ups and downs, its advances and
retreats are often too puzzling for carnal wisdom to solve. True it is
that the lives of some are sheltered ones, with little of adventure
and still less of mystery in them; yet it is far otherwise for others,
with their journeyings hither and thither. But in the light of
Scripture the latter should not be surprised. One has only to read the
biographies of the patriarchs to discover how often they were called
upon to strike their tents, move from place to place, traverse and
then re-traverse the same path. The experiences of David, then, were
in this respect, far from being exceptional: nor should any child of
God deem it passing strange if he too finds himself retracting his
steps and returning to the same place which he left months or years
ago.
Amid the strange vicissitudes of life how comforting it is for the
saint to be assured that "the steps of a good man are ordered by the
Lord" (Ps. 37:23). Ah, it was David himself, who, by the Spirit of
inspiration originally penned those words. He realized that a
predestinating God had first decreed and then ordered his entire
journey through this world. Happy, thrice happy, the soul who by faith
lays hold of this grand truth. To he fully assured that neither fickle
fortune nor blind fate, but his all-wise and loving Father has mapped
out his course supplies a peace and poise to a believing heart such as
nothing else can give. It softens disappointment, affords comfort in
sorrow, and quiets the storm within; yet it is only as faith is in
exercise that those peaceable fruits of righteousness are produced in
us. An evil heart of unbelief deprives one of such consolation,
placing him on the same level as the poor worldling who has no light
to disperse his gloom.
In previous chapters we spent some little time in dwelling upon the
various sad incidents which marked David's journey from Jerusalem to
the Jordan, and from there to Mahanaim; now we are to contemplate the
brighter side of things as the king retraced his steps. The contrasts
presented are indeed striking, reminding us of the welcome spring and
genial summer after a long and dreary winter. The analogies which
exist between the seasons of the year and the different stages and
experiences of life have often been dwelt upon, yet not too often, for
there are many salutary lessons to be learned therefrom. Some
dyspeptic souls seem more in their element when dwelling upon that
which is sad and somber, just as there are those (because they suffer
from the heat) who are glad when summer is over, Another class
determine to be occupied only with that which is cheerful and gay,
refusing (to their own loss) to face that which is serious, sober and
solemn--just as some people always grumble when the weather is wet,
failing to realize the rain is as needful as the sunshine.
It is much the same with those preachers who attempt to trace out the
experiences of a Christian. Some who delineate the inward history of a
believer, or what they consider it should consist of
disproportionately dwell upon his assurance, peace and joy; while
others overemphasize his painful conflicts and defeats, his doubts and
fears. The one is as harmful as the other, for in either case only a
caricature of the truth is presented. The one would rapidly skim over
the distressing incidents which occasioned David's Right from
Jerusalem to the Jordan, and those which attended him on the way to
Mahanaim; while the other would expatiate fully thereon, but say
little upon his happier lot as he returned from his exile to the
capital. Let us diligently seek to avoid such lopsidedness, and
preserve the balance in all things, so that as we should be equally
thankful for each of the passing seasons of the year, we will endeavor
to profit from the ever-varying circumstances of life through which we
are called upon to pass.
If David had passed through a season of gloom and tragedy, he was now
to encounter some pleasant and gratifying experiences. If he had met
with ingratitude and unjust reproaches from some of his subjects, he
was now to be the recipient of a hearty welcome and the appreciative
homage of others. How the tide of public opinion ebbs and flows: one
moment exclaiming "no doubt this man is a murderer," and the next one
changing their minds and saying "that he was a god" (Acts 28:4-6). How
this should warn us against placing any reliance upon the creature!
How thankful we should be when God is pleased to incline any to be
favorably disposed towards us. On occasions the crowd changes from
friendliness to hostility, at other times the converse is the case. So
it was at the stage we have now reached in our hero's history.
"So the king returned and came to Jordan" (2 Sam. 19:15). What a
change had been wrought since David had last stood on the banks of
this river. Then he was fleeing from Absalom, who had captured the
hearts of many in Judah; now the rebel was dead, and God had so
reinstated David in the affections of the royal tribe, that all men of
Judah had sent word unto him "Return thou, and all thy servants" (v.
14). Assured that God was with him, and that he could rely upon the
loyalty of his people, David left Mahanaim where his temporary camp
had been set up, and betook himself as far as this famous stream. He
had been slow in acting, partly because he wished to make sure of his
ground, by ascertaining whether or no the people still desired him to
reign over them. Not by force of arms, but by the wishes of his
subjects was he determined to hold his position.
"And Judah came to Gilgal to go to meet the king, to conduct the king
over Jordan," (v. 15). It will be recalled that David had sent Zadok
and Abiathar to inquire into the attitude of the elders of Judah
toward him: it seems a pity that there had been no joint conference
with the heads of the other tribes. "It would have been better if they
had conferred with their brethren, and thus acted in concert, as this
would have prevented many bad consequences" (Thomas Scott). Even
though it had involved further delay, joint action on the part of
Israel would have been far more satisfactory. Nothing is gained by
partiality: those slighted nurse their grievance, and sooner or later
express their dissatisfaction and cause trouble. Thus it proved with
the Nation, for less than a century later ten
"And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to conduct the king
over Jordan." The place where the men of Judah now met David was
associated with memorable events. It was there that Joshua had, by the
command of the Lord, circumcised those of Israel who had been born in
the wilderness, so that "the reproach of Egypt" was rolled away from
them (Josh. 5:2-9); and it was from that incident it derived its name,
for Gilgal means "rolling away." How appropriate the chosen venue, for
the reproach of Judah's infidelity was rolled away as they now renewed
their fealty to David. Again, at a later date we read, "Then said
Samuel to the people, Come, and let us go to Gilgal, and renew the
kingdom there" (1 Sam. 11:14)--thus was history now virtually
repeating itself.
"And Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite, which was of Bahurim, hasted
and came down with the men of Judah to meet king David" (v. 16). What
pleasant surprises we sometimes have amid life's disappointments! This
is the last man of all who might have been expected to be among those
who came to welcome the king, for Shimei was the one who had reviled
and cursed him on his outward journey (2 Sam. 16:5, 6). The
commentators attribute Shimei's friendly advances on this occasion to
nothing more than carnal prudence or an instinct of self-preservation,
but this we think is quite a mistake--he seems to have been in no
danger of his life, for the next verse informs us there were a
thousand men of Benjamin with him. No, in the light of verse 14 we
believe this is another instance of God's making his enemies to be at
peace with him when a man's ways please the Lord.
"And there were a thousand men of Benjamin with him, and Ziba the
servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen Sons and his twenty
servants with him; and they went over Jordan before the king" (v. 17).
Well did Matthew Henry suggest, "Perhaps Jordan was never passed with
so much solemnity, nor with so many remarkable occurrences, as it was
now, since Israel passed it under Joshua." It was almost as surprising
for the lying Ziba to present his obeisance to the king on this
occasion, as it was for Shimei, for if the one had reviled him with a
foul tongue, the other, by his wicked imposition (2 Sam. 16:1-4)
abused him with a fair one. No doubt he was anxious to establish
himself more firmly in the king's favor ere Mephibosheth should
undeceive him.
"And there went over a ferry boat to carry over the king's household,
and to do what he thought good" (v. 18). "This is the only place in
which a boat for passing over a river is mentioned. Bridges are not
mentioned in Scripture. Rivers were generally forded at that time"
(Thomas Scott). "And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king,
as he was come over Jordan" (v. 18). See here a signal demonstration
of the power of God: nothing is too hard for Him: He can subdue the
most rebellious heart. What wonders are wrought by the Spirit even in
the reprobate, for upon them too He puts forth both His restraining
and constraining operations: were it not so, the elect could not live
in this world at all. Yet how feebly is this realized today, even by
the saints. How little is the hand of God beheld by them in the
subduing of their enemies' hatred and in making others to be friendly
and kind toward them. A spirit of atheism, which would exclude God
from all human affairs, is more and more infecting this evil
generation.
"And said unto the king, Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me,
neither do thou remember that which thy servant did perversely the day
that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should take
it to his heart. For thy servant doth know that I have sinned:
therefore, behold, I am come the first this day of all the house of
Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king" (vv. 19, 20). Let us see
in this incident a typical picture of the penitent sinner casting
himself upon the mercy of David's greater Son and Lord. This is
exactly what takes place at a genuine conversion: "Let the wicked
forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him
return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God,
for He will abundantly pardon" (Isa. 55:7). This is the course which
Shimei now followed: he ceased his defiant conduct, threw down the
weapons of his warfare against David, acknowledged his grievous
offences, cast himself at the king's feet, thereby avowing his
willingness to be subject to his royal sceptre. Saving mercy is not to
be obtained any other way. There must be a complete right-about-face:
contrition and confession are as imperative as is faith in Christ.
Have you, my reader, really and truly surrendered yourself to the
Lordship of Christ? If you have not, no matter what you believe, or
how orthodox the profession you make, you are yet in your sins and on
your way to eternal perdition. Make no mistake on this point, we
beseech you: as you value your soul, examine thoroughly the
foundations of any hope of salvation which you may cherish. If you are
living a life of self-pleasing, and are not in subjection to the
commandments of Christ, then are you in open revolt against Him. There
must be a complete break from the old life of worldliness and carnal
gratification, and the entering into a new relationship with God in
Christ, namely, a submitting to His holy will and the ordering of all
your conduct thereby. You are either living for self, or striving to
serve and please God; and in your heart you know which course you are
following. Being religious on the Sabbath and irreligious the other
six days will avail you nothing.
"But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, Shall not Shimei be
put to death for this, because he cursed the Lord's anointed?" (v.
21). Abishai was brother to the arrogant Joab and possessed much of
his domineering spirit. He was the one who had offered to slay Shimei
at the time he had reviled David (2 Sam. 16:9): mercy was foreign to
his nature, and even though Shimei now publicly acknowledge his
offence and besought the king's pardon, this son of Zeruiah thirsted
for his blood. May we not consider this line in our typical picture as
illustrative of the principle (cf. Luke 9:42; 15:2, etc.) that there
are some ready to oppose whenever a sinner takes his true place before
God. If there are those who complain that the way of salvation is made
too easy when the grace of God is emphasized, there are others who
argue that salvation by works is being inculcated when the
righteousness of God and the claims of Christ are duly pressed.
"And David said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah, that
ye should this day be adversaries unto me? shall there any man be put
to death this day in Israel? for do not I know that I am this day king
over Israel? Therefore the king said unto Shimei, Thou shalt not die.
And the king sware unto him" (vv. 22, 23). It is indeed blessed to
mark how David's soul loathed the evil suggestion made by Abishai.
That son of Zeruiah--whose heart had never been broken before God, and
therefore was devoid of His compassions--was far too blind to perceive
that this was no time for the enforcing of unmingled justice. But it
was far otherwise with David: "Blessed are the merciful, for they
shall obtain mercy" (Matthew 5:7): he had received wondrous mercy from
the Lord, and now he exercised mercy unto this wretched Shimei, and in
return for this he shall obtain further mercy from God. Let us not
ignore that searching word, "If ye forgive men their trespasses, your
heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if ye forgive not men their
trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Matthew
6:14, 15). God communicates grace to His people in order to make them
gracious--reflectors of Himself.
Feign would we dwell for a moment longer on the lovely spirit which
now actuated our hero. In previous sections of 1 and 2 Samuel we have
beheld the grace of God towards David--electing, exalting, pardoning
and preserving him; so too have we seen the grace of God working in
him. It was the general rule of his life, giving character to his
dealings with others, as it had thus given character to God's dealings
with him. Being called to enter into blessing, he rendered blessing.
When he was reviled, he reviled not again (1 Sam. 17:28); when
persecuted, he threatened not, but suffered it (1 Sam. 19:31). Never
do we read of him seeking his own advancement or honor: when tidings
reached him of the death of Saul, he wept instead of rejoicing; in the
fall of Abner and Ishbosheth, it is only of the sorrow and fasting of
David we hear. So it is, in varying measure, with all Christians:
notwithstanding the detestable workings of the flesh, there are also
the precious fruits of the Spirit--seen and approved of by God, if not
always observable by others or cognizable to ourselves.
This was the man after God's own heart, and in every scene in which he
was called to take a part--save when he was, for a while, turned aside
by Satan--we behold him seeking not his own aggrandizement or even
vindication, but serving in grace and kindness. A most blessed example
of this was before us when pondering 2 Samuel 9. He would be an
emulator or follower of God (Eph. 5:1), as a dear child. So it was
when Abishai was for exacting bare righteousness: but mercy had
rejoiced over judgment towards himself in the heart of the Lord, and
nothing but the same is now beheld in the heart of David. Divine grace
had not only pardoned his grievous sins against Uriah, but had now
delivered him from the murderous designs of Absalom; how, then, could
he consent to the death of even his worst enemy! Ah, my reader, divine
grace not only forgives sins, but it also transforms sinners: taming
the lion, making gentle the wolf. Thereby the divine "workmanship"
(Eph. 2:10) is made manifest.
But let us look again beyond David to that blessed One of whom he was
so eminent a type. In what has just been before us we are presented
with a lovely picture of the Gospel. The grand truth of the Gospel is
that Christ "receiveth sinners." Yes, He not only spares, but welcomes
His worst enemies, and freely pardons them. Nevertheless, they must
seek Him, surrender to His Lordship, take their place before Him in
the dust as penitents, confessing their sins, and casting themselves
on His sovereign mercy. This is what Shimei did. He determined to make
his peace with David, came to him, and did obeisance before him; and
we read that the king said "Thou shalt not die." And this, dear
reader, is what the King of kings will say of you, if you throw down
the weapons of your warfare against Him and exercise faith in Him. May
the Spirit of God graciously cause some unbelieving reader to do so.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE
His Restoration
2 Samuel 19
_________________________________________________________________
We continue to trace out the progress of David on his way back from
Mahanaim to Jordan, and thence to Jerusalem. A number of incidents
occurred which intimated the change in his fortunes. Many of those who
forsook the king in the time of adversity, now flocked around him in
the day of his prosperity. Yet these were not all fair-weather
friends; some had rendered him real service when the storm burst upon
him; others, who had been hindered from so doing, had nevertheless
remained loyal to him and now came to welcome him as he returned from
exile. Each of these incidents possesses a charm all its own. At the
close of our last we viewed the lovely magnanimity of our hero unto
Shimei, the man who had cursed him; next we behold his wisdom and
fidelity.
"And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king, and had
neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his
clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came again in
peace" (2 Sam. 19:24). This is wonderfully touching. Mephibosheth, it
will be remembered, was the grandson of Saul, David's archenemy. For
his father Jonathan's sake, Mephibosheth had received such kindness at
the king's hands that he was accorded a place at his table (2 Sam. 9).
Mephibosheth was practically a cripple, being lame on both his feet (2
Sam. 9:3 and cf. 4:4). In the day of David's sore need, Mephibosheth
had prepared an elaborate and serviceable present, and had ordered his
servant to saddle an ass that he might ride unto the fugitive king.
But instead of obeying orders, the servant, Ziba, had himself ridden
to the king, offered the present as a gift from himself, and had then
grievously slandered and lied about his master (2 Sam. 16:1-4). All
through the time of his absence David had labored under a
misapprehension of the loyalty of Mephibosheth; but now the truth was
to be revealed.
What is recorded about Mephibosheth here in verse 24 clearly denoted
his devotion to David in the hour of his rejection and humiliation. So
real and so great had been his grief at the sorry pass to which the
king had been reduced, that Mephibosheth had utterly neglected his own
person. Instead of seeking to feather his own nest, he had genuinely
mourned David's absence. This is beautiful, and is recorded for our
learning, for everything in the Old Testament has a lesson for us if
only we have eyes to see and a heart to receive. The practical lesson
in this incident for the believer today is found in those words of
Christ's, "The days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from
them, and then shall they fast" (Matthew 9:15)--it becomes us to mourn
during the King's absence! Note how the apostle rebukes the
Corinthians because they were "full," "rich," and had "reigned as
kings" (1 Cor. 4:8).
"The king said unto him, Wherefore wentest not thou with me,
Mephibosheth?" (v. 25). First, let it be noted that David did not turn
away from him in anger or disgust, refusing him a hearing. Probably
the king was surprised to see him at all after the false impression
that Ziba had conveyed to him. But the present condition of
Mephibosheth must have made quite an impression, so the king gave him
opportunity to explain and vindicate himself. An important lesson this
for us to heed. We must ever seek to be fair and impartial, and ready
to hear both sides. It is obviously unjust to give credence to a
report received behind a person's back, and then refuse to hear his
explanation face to face.
Mephibosheth gladly availed himself of the opportunity now given, and
proceeded to make an unvarnished statement of the facts (vv. 25, 26).
He employed the most respectful and effectionate language--an example
we also do well to heed if placed under similar circumstances, for
nothing is gained, and our case is rather weakened than strengthened,
if we hotly condemn our questioner or judge for being so ready to
believe evil of us. "But my lord the king is as an angel of God: do
therefore what is good in thine eyes" (v. 27). Herein Mephibosheth
expressed his confidence in David's wisdom and justice. He was
satisfied that once his royal master heard both parties and had time
to reflect upon the merits of the case, he would not be imposed upon;
and therefore he was not afraid to leave himself in David's hands.
Next, Mephibosheth owned the utter unworthiness of himself and family,
and acknowledged the signal grace that had been shown him. "For all of
my father's house were but dead men before my lord the king, yet didst
thou set thy servant among them that did eat at thine own table. What
right therefore have I yet to cry any more unto the king?" (v. 28).
"This shows that Ziba's suggestion was improbable: for could
Mephibosheth be so foolish as to aim higher, when he fared so easily,
so happily, as he did?" (Matthew Henry). This was powerful reasoning.
By the king's clemency Mephibosheth had already been amply provided
for: why, then, should he aspire unto the kingdom? It was not as
though he bad been slighted and left portionless. Having been adopted
into the king's family circle, it had been utter madness to
deliberately court the king's displeasure. But he would refrain from
any further self-vindication.
"And the king said unto him, Why speakest thou any more of thy
matters? I have said, Thou and Ziba divide the land" (v. 29). it seems
strange that the commentators completely miss the force of this,
considering that David was quite unconvinced by Mephibosheth's
defence, yea, themselves regarding it as weak and unsatisfactory. We
feel, then, we must labor the point a little. First, the words of
David on this occasion cannot possibly mean that his previous decision
remained unaltered, that the verdict he had given in the past must
stand. And for this simple but conclusive reason: David had given no
such orders previously! If we turn back to the occasion when the
servant had deceived the king, we find that he said, "Behold, thine
are all that pertained unto Mephibosheth" (16:4).
But now: since David did not confirm here the order he had given in
16:4, how are we to understand his words? Was he so puzzled by the
conflicting statements of Ziba and Mephibosheth that he knew not which
to believe, and so suggested a division of the land as a fair
compromise? Surely not; for that had been grossly unjust to both of
them. What then? This: David said what he did not in any harshness,
but in order to test Mephibosheth's heart and draw out his affections.
Obviously a false and mercenary Mephibosheth would have cried out,
Yes, yes, that is a very satisfactory settlement. But not such was the
language of the true devoted Mephibosheth.
Have we not a similar case in the puzzling situation presented to
Solomon by the two harlots? Both of those women gave birth to a child:
one overlying and smothering hers, and then stealing the remaining
one. When the two women appeared before the king, each claimed to be
the mother of the surviving child. What did Solomon say? This, "Divide
the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the
other" (1 Kings 3:25)--the very proposal David made unto Mephibosheth!
And how did the suggestion work out? Why, the imposter was quite
willing to the arrangement, but the actual mother of the living child
at once cried out, "O my lord, give her the living child, and in no
wise slay it" (v. 26). And so it was here, as the sequel shows.
"And Mephibosheth said unto the king, Yea, let him take all, forasmuch
as my lord the king is come again in peace unto his own house" (v.
30). How clearly that evidenced the unfeigned and disinterested
character of his love! All he wanted was David's own company. Now that
the king was restored, nothing else mattered. To be in David's own
presence meant far more to Mephibosheth than any houses or lands. A
later incident confirms the fact that Mephibosheth had not been cast
out of the king's favor, for when seven of Saul's descendants were
slain as a satisfaction for his sin in the slaughter of the
Gibeonites, it is expressly recorded that "The king spared
Mephibosheth" (21:7)! And what of the wicked Ziba? He was allowed to
go away unpunished, as Shimei had been, for David marked his
appreciation of his restoration by the gracious remission of the
injuries done to him.
"And Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim, and went over
Jordan with the king, to conduct him over Jordan. Now Barzillai was a
very aged man, even fourscore years old: and he had provided the king
of sustenance while he lay at Mahanaim; for he was a very great man"
(vv. 31, 32). This befriending of the king in the hour of his need
came before us as we pondered the closing verses of chapter 17. There
is no doubt that in ministering so freely to David and his men,
Barzillai had done so at considerable risk to himself, for had Absalom
prevailed there is little doubt that he had been made to suffer
severely for his pains. It is touching to see him here, in his
feebleness, taking such a journey to conduct his beloved monarch
across the Jordan.
"And the king said unto Barzillai, Come thou over with me, and I will
feed thee with me in Jerusalem" (v. 33). Deeply did the king
appreciate the loyalty, generosity and welcome of his aged subject,
and accordingly desired that he should participate in the feast which
was to mark his restoration. But Barzillai had other thoughts. He
felt, and rightly so, that one so near to death should be engaged in
more serious and solemn exercise than festive jollifications. Not but
there is a time to feast as well as a time to fast, yet such was
hardly a suitable occupation for a man so close to the brink of
eternity. The aged should be done with carnal pleasures, and set their
thoughts and affections on something more enduring and satisfying than
the
"But behold thy servant Chimham; let him go over with my lord the
king, and do to him what shall seem good to thee" (v. 37)--apparently
this was one of his sons or grandsons. Barzillai was no austere cynic
who cherished a dog-in-the-manger attitude toward the rising
generation. "They that are old must not begrudge young people those
delights which they themselves are past the enjoyment of, nor oblige
them to retire as they do" (Matthew Henry). If on the one hand those
of experience should do what they can to warn and shield their juniors
from carnal follies and the snares of this world, on the other hand
they must guard against that extreme which would deprive the young of
those lawful pleasures which they themselves once participated in. It
is easy for some dispositions to develop selfishness and crabbedness
under a supposed concern of protecting those under their charge. Such,
we take it, is one of the lessons here inculcated in Barzillai's
response to the king's invitation.
"And the king answered, Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do
to him that which shall seem good unto thee: and whatsoever thou shalt
require of me, that will I do for thee" (v. 38). David at once fell in
with Barzillai's suggestion, for he was anxious to repay his kindness.
It is our duty to do what we can in assisting the children of those
who befriended us, when we were in need. It is beautiful to read how
that when the aged David was giving instruction to Solomon, he made
special mention of the descendants of Barzillai: "But shew kindness
unto the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those
that eat at thy table: for so they came to me when I fled because of
Absalom thy brother" (1 Kings 2:7). Nor was this all that David had
done, as the sequel will show.
In his remarkable little work, "Scripture Coincidences," J. J. Blunt
points out how that Chimham is mentioned by the prophet Jeremiah, and
in that incidental manner common to hundreds of similar allusions in
the Word which so evidently bear the stamp of truth upon them. This
argument for the divine inspiration of the Scriptures produces a
stronger conviction than any external evidence. There is an exact
coincidence observable by allusions to particular facts which
demonstrates perfect consistency without contrivance or collusion. As
we have seen, Chimham accompanied David to Jerusalem, but what the
king did for him, beyond providing a place for him at his table and
recommending him to the care of Solomon, does not appear. Nothing
further is said about him in the historical books of the Old
Testament. But in Jeremiah 41 his name again appears. An account is
there given of the murder of Gedaliah, the officer whom Nebuchadnezzar
had left in charge of Judea as its governor, when he carried away
captive the more wealthy of its inhabitants. The Jews, fearing the
consequences of their crime, and apprehending the vengeance of the
Chaldeans, prepared for flight: "And they departed, and dwelt in the
habitation of Chimham, which is by Bethlehem to go to enter into
Egypt" (Jer. 41:17).
"It is impossible to imagine anything more incidental than the mention
of this estate near Bethlehem, which was the habitation of Chimham;
yet how well does it tally with the spirit of David's speech to
Barzillai some four hundred years before! What can be more probable,
than that David, whose birth-place was this very Bethlehem, and whose
patrimony in consequence lay there, having undertaken to provide for
Chimham, should have bestowed it in whole, or in part, as the most
flattering reward he could confer, a personal, as well as a royal,
mark of favour, on the son of the man who had saved his life, and the
lives of his followers in the hour of their distress; and that, to the
very day when Jeremiah wrote, it should have remained in the
possession of the family of Chimham and be called after his own name"
(J. J. Blunt).
"Then the king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went on with him: and
all the people of Judah conducted the king, and also half the people
of Israel. And, behold, all the men of Israel came to the king, and
said unto the king, Why have our brethren the men of Judah stolen thee
away, and have brought the king, and his household, and all David's
men with him over Jordan?' (vv. 40, 41). By the time that David had
crossed the Jordan many of the elders and people of Israel came to
bring back the king, only to discover they had been anticipated. The
officers of Judah had taken the lead in this, and had failed to notify
the Ten Tribes of their intentions. This omission was strongly
resented, for those of Israel felt they had been slighted, yea, that a
serious reflection was cast upon their loyalty to the king.
"And all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, Because the king
is near of kin to us: wherefore then be ye angry for this matter? have
we eaten at all of the king's cost? or hath he given us any gift? And
the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said, We have ten
parts in the king, and we have also more right in David than ye: why
then did ye despise us, that our advice should not be first had in
bringing back our king? And the words of the men of Judah were fiercer
than the words of the men of Israel" (vv. 42, 43). Alas, what is poor
human nature. If these Israelites were so desirous that the king
should be honored, why be peeved because others had preceded them? O
what mischief issues from pride and jealousy. How quick many are to
take umbrage at the least seeming slight. How we need to watch against
the workings of our own pride, and endeavor to avoid giving offence to
the pride of others. But let us, in closing, contemplate a deeper
significance possessed by the incidents which have been before us.
"But here again some glimpses may be discerned of the glorious
character and kingdom of David's Son and Lord. Being anointed by the
Father to be His King upon His holy hill of Zion, He reigns over a
willing people, who deem it their privilege to be His subjects. Once
indeed they were rebels (and numbers of their associates perish in
rebellion): but when they became sensible of their danger, they were
fearful or reluctant to submit unto Him; till His ministers, by
representing His tender love, and His promises of pardon and
preferment, through the concurring influences of His Spirit, bowed
their hearts to an humble willingness that He should reign over them;
then He readily pardoned and accepted them, and upon no account will
He cast out or cut off the greatest offender who cries for mercy. He
will recompense those, who from love to Him, feed His servants; He
will assign them a place in His holy city. Alas that it must be added,
that while the king himself is so plenteous in mercy, many of His
professed subjects are envious and contentious with each other, and
quarrel about the most trivial concerns, which prevent much good, and
does immense mischief" (Thomas Scott).
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX
His Restoration
(Continued)
2 Samuel 20
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There had been not a little to offset David's grief over the revolt
and death of Absalom. As we have seen, his journey back to Jerusalem
was marked by several incidents which must have brought satisfaction
and joy to the kings heart. The radical change in the attitude of
Shimei toward him, the discovery that after all the heart of
Mephibosheth beat true to him, the affectionate homage of the aged
Barzillai, and the welcome from the elders and men of Judah, were all
calculated to cheer and encourage the returning exile. Things seemed
to have taken a decided turn for the better, and the sun shone out of
a clear sky. Yes, but the clouds have a habit of returning even after
a heavy rain. And so it was here. A dark cloud suddenly appeared on
David's horizon which must have caused him considerable uneasiness,
presaging as it did the gathering of another storm.
The leaders of the Ten Tribes had met David at Gilgal, and a dispute
at once ensued between them and the men of Judah. This was the fly in
the ointment. A foolish quarrel broke out between the two factions
over the matter of bringing back the king. "It was a point of honour
which was being disputed between them, which had most interest in
David. `We are more numerous' say the elders of Israel. `We are nearer
akin to him' say the elders of Judah. Now one would think David very
safe and happy when his subjects are striving which should love him
best, and be most forward to show him respect; yet even that strife
proved the occasion for a rebellion" (Matthew Henry). No sooner was
one of David's trials over than another arises, as it were, out of the
ashes of the former.
Ah, my reader, we must not expect to journey far in this world without
encountering trouble in some form or other; no, not even when the
providence of God appears to be smiling upon us. It will not be long
before we receive some rude reminder that "this is not your rest." It
was thus in the present experiences of our hero: in the very midst of
his triumphs he was forced to witness a disturbance among his leading
subjects, which soon threatened the overthrow of his kingdom. There is
nothing stable down here, and we only court certain disappointment if
we build our hopes on anything earthly or think to find satisfaction
in the creature. Under the sun is but "vanity and vexation of spirit."
But how slow we are to really believe that melancholy truth; yet in
the end we find it is true.
We closed our last chapter with a quotation which called attention to
the typical significance of the incidents recorded in 2 Samuel 19; the
opening verses of chapter 20 may be contemplated as bearing out the
same line of thought. Christ's visible kingdom on earth is entered by
profession, hence there are tares in it as well as wheat, bad fish as
well as good, foolish virgins as well as wise (Matthew 13 and 25).
This will be made unmistakably manifest in the Day to come, but even
in this world God sometimes so orders things that profession is tested
and that which is false is exposed. Such is the dispensational
significance of the episode we are now to consider. The Israelites had
appeared to be loyal and devoted to David, yea, so much so that they
were hurt when the men of Judah had, without consulting them, taken
the lead in bringing back the king.
But how quickly the real state of their hearts was made apparent. What
a little thing it took to cause their affection for David not only to
cool off but to evaporate completely. No sooner did an enemy cry "to
your tents, O Israel," than they promptly responded, renouncing their
professed allegiance. There was no reality to their protestations of
fealty, and when the choice was set before them they preferred a "man
of Belial" rather than the man after God's own heart. How solemnly
this reminds us of the multitudes of Israel at a later date: first
crying out "Hosanna to the Son of David, Blessed is He that cometh in
the name of the Lord" (Mart. 21:9) and a short time after, when the
issue was drawn, preferring Barabbas to Christ. And how often since
then, especially in times of trial and persecution, have thousands of
those who made a loud profession of Christianity preferred the world
or their own carnal safety.
"And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba,
the son of Birchri, a Benjamite: and he blew a trumpet, and said, We
have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of
Jesse; every man to his tents, O Israel" (2 Sam. 20:1). Alas! how
often it appears that in a happy concourse of those who come together
to greet and do homage to David there is "a son of Belial" ready to
sound the trumpet of contention. Satan knows full well that few things
are better calculated to further his own base designs than by causing
divisions among the people of God. Sad it is that we are not more upon
our guard, for we are not ignorant of his devices. And to be on our
guard means to be constantly mortifying pride and jealousy. Those were
the evil roots from which this trouble issued, as is clear from the
"that our advice should nor first be had in bringing back our king"
(19:43).
"And the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the
men of Israel" (19:43). This was only adding fuel to the fire. "A soft
answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger" (Prov.
15:1). If the spirit of jealousy prevailed among the leaders of
Israel, pride was certainly at work in the hearts of the elders of
Judah, and when those two evils clashed, anger and strife quickly
followed. It is solemn to observe that God Himself took notice of and
recorded in His Word the fierceness of the words of the men of
Judah--a plain intimation that He now registers against us that
language which is not pleasing unto Him. How we need to pray that God
would set a watch before our mouths, that the door of our lips may be
kept from allowing evil to pass out.
"And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba,
the son of Birchri, a Benjamite; and he blew a trumpet, and said, We
have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of
Jesse." Sheba belonged to the tribe of Saul, which had bitterly
begrudged the honor done to Judah, when the son of Jesse was elected
king. The Benjamites never really submitted to the divine ordination.
The deeper significance of this is not hard to perceive: there is a
perpetual enmity in the serpent's seed against the antitypical David.
How remarkably was this mysterious yet prominent feature of Christ's
kingdom adumbrated in the continued opposition of the house of Saul
against David: first in Saul himself, then in Ishbosheth (2 Sam. 2:8,
9; 3:1, etc.), and now Sheba. But just as surely as David prevailed
over all his enemies, so shall Christ vanquish all His
"And he blew a trumpet, and said, We have no part in David, neither
have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O
Israel." See how ready is an evil mind to place a false construction
upon things, and how easily this can be accomplished when determined
so to do. The men of Judah had said "the king is near of kin to us"
(19:42), but this son of Belial now perverted their words and made
them to signify "We have no part in David" whereas they intended no
such thing. Then let us not be surprised when those who secretly hate
us give an entirely false meaning to what we have said or written.
History abounds in incidents where the most innocent statements have
been grossly wrested to become the means of strife and bloodshed. It
was so with the Lord Jesus Himself: see John 2:19-21 and compare
Matthew 27, 26:61, 62--sufficient then for the disciple to be as his
Master. But let the Christian diligently see to it that he does not
let himself (or herself) be used as a tool of Satan in this vile work.
"Every man to his tents, O Israel." This call put them to the proof
testing their loyalty and love to David. The sequel at once evidenced
how fickle and false they were. "So every man of Israel went up from
after David, and followed Sheba the son of Birchri" (v. 2). Hardly had
they returned to their allegiance, than they forsook it. How utterly
unreliable human nature is, and how foolish are they who put their
trust in man. What creatures of extremes we be: now welcoming Moses as
a deliverer, and next reviling him because the deliverance came not as
easily and quickly as was expected; how glad to escape from the
drudgery of Egypt, and a little later anxious to return thither. What
grace is needed to anchor such unstable and unreliable creatures.
"So every man of Israel went up from after David, and followed Sheba
the son of Birchri" (v. 2). Nothing is told us as to whether or not
David himself had taken any part in the debate between the elders of
Israel and of Judah, or whether he had made any attempt to pour oil on
the troubled waters. If he did, it appears that he quite failed to
convince the former, for they now not only refused to attend him any
further on his return to Jerusalem, but refused to own him as their
king at all. Nay more, they were determined to set up a rival king of
their own. Thus the very foundations of his kingdom were again
threatened. Scarcely had God delivered David from the revolt of
Absalom. than he was now faced with this insurrection from Sheba. And
is it not thus in the experience of David's spiritual seed? No sooner
do they succeed in subduing one lust or sin, than another raises its
ugly head against them.
"But the men of Judah clave unto their king, from Jordan even to
Jerusalem" (v. 2). It is blessed to find there were some who remained
loyal to David, refusing to forsake him even when the majority of his
subjects turned away from him. Thus, though the test exposed the
false, it also revealed the true. So it ever is. And who were the ones
that remained steadfast to the king? Why, the men of his own tribe,
those who were related to him by blood. The typical significance of
this is obvious. Though in the day of testing there are multitudes who
forsake the royal banner of the anti-typical David, there is always a
remnant which Satan himself cannot induce to apostatize, namely, those
who are Christ's brethren spiritually. How beautifully was that here
illustrated.
"And David came to his house at Jerusalem: and the king took the ten
women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them
in ward, and fed them, hut went not in unto them. So they were shut up
unto the day of their death, living in widowhood" (v. 3). Here we see
one of the gains resulting from the severe chastening that David had
undergone. As we have seen in earlier chapters, David had multiplied
wives and concubines unto himself contrary to the law of God, and they
had proved a grief and a shame to him (15:16; 16:21, 22). God often
has to take severe measures with us ere we are willing to forsake our
idols. It is good to note that from this point onwards we read nothing
more of concubines in connection with David. But how solemn to
discover, later, that this evil example, which he had set before his
family, was followed by his son Solomon--to the drawing away of his
heart from the Lord. O that parents gave more heed to the divine
threat that their sins shall surely be visited upon their descendants.
"Then said the king to Amasa, Assemble me the men of Judah within
three days, and be thou here present" (v. 4). Though the men of Judah
had not followed the evil example of the Ten Tribes in their revolt
against the king, yet it appears from this verse that many of them
were no longer in attendance upon David, having no doubt returned unto
their own homes. Considering the circumstances, it seems that they put
their own comfort and safety first, at a time when their master's
regime was seriously threatened. "Though Forward enough to attend the
king's triumphs, they were backward enough not to fight his battles.
Most love a loyalty, as well as a religion, that is cheap and easy.
Many boast of their being akin to Christ that yet are very loath to
venture for Him" (Matthew Henry). On the other hand let it not be
forgotten that it is not without reason the Lord's people are called
"sheep"--one of the most timid of all animals.
"Then said the king to Amasa, Assemble me the men of Judah within
three days, and be thou here present." This shows the uneasiness of
David at Sheba's rebellion and his determination to take strong and
prompt measures to quell it. Amasa, it may be pointed out, had been
the "captain of the host for Absalom against David (17:25), yet he was
near akin unto the king. He was the one whom David had intended should
replace Joab as the commander of his armies (19:13), and the rebellion
of Sheba now supplied the opportunity for the carrying out of this
purpose. Having received a previous notification of the king's design
may have been the main reason why Amasa, though an Israelite, did not
join forces with the insurrectionists. He saw an opportunity to better
his position and acquire greater military honor. But, as we shall see,
in accepting this new commission, he only signed his own --so insecure
are the honors of this world.
It is very much to be doubted whether David's choice was either a wise
or a popular one. Since Amasa had filled a prominent position under
Absalom, it could scarcely be expected that the man who Joab had
successfully commanded would now relish being placed on subjection to
the man who so recently had been the enemy of their king. It is this
which, most probably, accounts for the delay, or rather Amasa's lack
of success in carrying out the king's orders, for we are told "So
Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah: but he tarried longer than
the set time which he had appointed him" (v. 5). As Scott says, "The
men of Judah seemed to have been more eager in disputing about their
king, than to engage in battle under Amasa." This supplied a solemn
warning for Amasa, but in the pride of his heart he heeded it not.
"And David said to Abishai, Now shall Sheba the son of Birchri do us
more harm than did Absalom: take thou thy lord's servants, and pursue
after him, lest he get him fenced cities, and escape us" (v. 6). It
had already been clearly demonstrated that Sheba was a man who
possessed considerable influence over the men of Israel, and therefore
David had good reason to Fear that if he were allowed to mature his
plans, the most serious trouble would be sure to follow. His order to
Amasa shows that he was determined to frustrate the insurrectionists
by nipping their plans while they were still in the bud, by sending a
powerful force against them. Chafing at the delay occasioned by
Amasa's lack of success in promptly collecting an army, David now gave
orders to Abishai to take command of the regular troops, for he was
determined to degrade Joab.
"And there went out after him Joab's men, and the Cherethites, and the
Pelethites, and all the mighty men: and they went out of Jerusalem, to
pursue after Sheba the son of Birchri" (v. 7). This, we take it,
defines "thy lord's servants" of the previous verse, namely, the
seasoned warriors which Joab had formerly commanded. Though he had no
intention of employing Joab himself on this occasion, David gladly
availed himself of his trained men Abishai was a proved and powerful
officer, being in fact brother to Joab. All seemed to be now set for
the carrying out of David's design, but once more it was to be shown
that though man proposes it is God who disposes. Even great men, yea,
kings themselves, are often thwarted in their plans, and discover they
are subordinate to the will of Him who is the King of kings. How
thankful we should be that this is so, that the Lord in His infinite
wisdom ruleth over all.
"When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa went
before them" (v. 8). It seems this was the appointed meeting-place for
the concentrated forces of David. Amasa now arrived on the scene at
the head of the men which he had mustered, and promptly placed himself
in command of the army. But brief indeed was the moment of his
military glory, for no sooner did he reach the pinnacle of his
ambition than he was brutally dashed therefrom, to lay weltering in
his own blood. "Vain are earthly distinctions and preferments, which
excite so much envy and enmity, without affording any additional
security to mans uncertain life: may we then be ambitious of that
honour which cometh from God only" (Thomas Scott).
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¸ Copyright 2004-2012 Providence Baptist Ministries
http://www.pbministries.org. All rights reserved.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN
His Purpose Thwarted
2 Samuel 20
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In previous chapters it has been pointed out that Joab was a man of a
fierce and intractable spirit, and that be was ungodly and
unscrupulous in principle. Once David had placed himself in his power
(by making him his secret agent in the death of Uriah: 2 Sam. 11:14,
15), he thenceforth took matters more and more into his own hands,
executing or disregarding the king's orders as best suited himself,
Imperious and ruthless to the last degree, Joab would brook no
interference with his own policy. Devoid of natural feeling, fearing
neither God nor man, he hesitated not to slay any who stood in his
way. Fearfully does his arrogance, treachery and brutality appear in
the incident which is to be before us. Feign would we pass by an
episode so revolting, yet it is recorded in Holy Writ, and therefore
it must contain some message that is needed by us.
We have also seen how that, at length, David made a determined effort
to strip Joab of his power, by removing him from the head of the army.
Accordingly Amasa was selected as the one to replace him. But the
king's design was thwarted, frustrated by one of the vilest deeds
chronicled in the Scriptures. Under pretense of paying obeisance to
the new general, Joab thrust him through with the sword. Such an
atrocity staggers the thoughtful, making them to wonder why God
suffers such outrages to be perpetrated. This is indeed one of the
dark mysteries of divine providence--why the Lord permits such
monsters of wickedness to walk the earth. Faith is assured that He
must have some sufficient reason. Though often God giveth "no account
of His matters" (Job 33:13), yet His Word does indicate, more or less
clearly, the general principles which regulate His governmental
dealings.
Much help is afforded upon the mystery of Providence when it is
perceived that God makes "all things work together" (Rom. 8:28). When
incidents are contemplated singly they naturally appear distorted, for
they are viewed out of their proper perspective; but when we are able
to examine them in relation to their antecedents and consequents,
usually their significance is much more evident. The detached
fragments of life are meaningless, bewildering, staggering; but put
them together, and they manifest a design and purpose. Much in the
present finds its explanation in that which preceded it in the past,
while muck' in the present will also become intelligible by the sequel
in the future--"What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know
hereafter" (John 13:7). If these principles were more steadily borne
in mind, we should be less nonplussed by startling occurrences.
Our present incident is a case in point. Viewed by itself apart, the
brutal murder of Amasa is indeed overwhelming, as to why God should
permit him to come to such a fearful end. But viewed in relation to
other things, contemplated in connection with that inexorable but
righteous principle of sowing and reaping, light is cast on that dark
scene. if we take the trouble to go back from effect to cause, we
shall find that God had a just reason for employing Joab to thwart
David's purpose, and that in meeting with such a death Amasa but
received his just deserts. If this can be demonstrated, then we may
perceive much more clearly why this revolting incident is recorded in
Holy Writ; for since it is evident that God had a sufficient reason
for suffering this tragedy to occur, we may rest the better assured
that He has His own wise ends in things which often appear so puzzling
and appalling to us in the world today.
There was a reason why God permitted Jacob to be so basely deceived
about the fate of his beloved Joseph (Gen. 37:31-35): he was but
reaping what he had sown in the deceiving of his father Isaac (Gen.
27). There was a reason why God permitted the Egyptians to treat the
Hebrews with such cruelty and severity (Ex. 1 and 5): they were His
instruments in punishing them for their idolatry and their refusal to
heed the divine call to cast away the heathen abominations with which
they had defiled themselves (Ezek. 20:7, 8). There was a reason why
God permitted Doeg to brutally slay no less than eighty-five of the
priestly family (1 Sam. 22: 18): it was the execution of the solemn
judgment which He pronounced upon the house of Eli (1 Sam, 2:31-36;
3:12-16), the sins of the fathers king visited upon the children.
There is a reason why God has permitted the Jews to be more hated and
persecuted throughout this Christian era than any other people: the
guilt of Christ's crucifixion rests on them and their children
(Matthew 27:25).
"The curse causeless shall not come" (Prov. 26:2). While God is
absolute sovereign and exercises His justice or His mercy as and when
He pleases, yet He acts not arbitrarily: He neither punishes the
innocent, nor does He pardon the guilty without reparation--i.e.
through a substitute. Hence, we may rest assured that when the divine
curse falls upon a person, there is due cause for the same. But let
not the reader misunderstand us: we do not wish to imply that any of
us are capable of ascertaining the reason or reasons which lie behind
any calamity that may overtake either ourselves or any of our fellows.
On the contrary, it lies entirely outside of our province to explain
the mysteries of divine providence, and it would be the height of
presumption to say why an affliction has been sent upon another--the
book of Job warns loudly against such a procedure.
No, what we have been seeking to do is to point out that the most
mysterious of divine providences, the most appalling events in
history--whether involving individuals only or nations--have a
satisfactory explanation, that God has sufficient reason for all that
He does or permits. And in His Word He has graciously made this
evident, by revealing in instance after instance, the obvious
connection between sowing and reaping. True, He has by no means done
so in every case, for God has not written His Word either to vindicate
His own character and conduct or to satisfy our curiosity. Sufficient
is said in His Word to show that God is infinitely worthy of our
utmost confidence, so that we should say with him whose faith was
tried in a way and to an extent that few ever have been, "Though He
slay me, yet will I trust in Him."
We have followed out the present train of thought because some are so
overwhelmed by the shocking things which take place in the world from
time to time, that their faith is shaken. They know that so far from
its affording any solution to the problem, to affirm that God has no
connection with such things, is a serious error--denying His present
government over and control of the wicked. Nay, it is because they
recognize that God actually permits these outrages, that they find it
so difficult to harmonize this with His revealed character. We have
called attention to some outstanding eases because they are to be
regarded as examples of a general principle. Retributive justice is
one of the divine perfections, and though we are often far too
short-sighted to perceive its workings, nevertheless, we may have
implicit confidence in its operations, and as it is regulated by
Omniscience, we know it makes no mistakes.
Resuming now at the point where we left off in our last: "When they
were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa went before them" (2
Sam. 20:8). It will be remembered that in connection with David's
journey back to Jerusalem, upon his crossing of the Jordan, there had
occurred a sharp controversy between the elders of Judah and the
elders of Israel. The old spirit of rivalry and jealousy was stirred
up, and an evil man, Sheba, who belonged to the tribe of Saul, sought
to capitalize the situation, and called upon those belonging to Israel
to abandon the cause of David. In this he was, for the moment,
successful, for we are told, "So every man of Israel went up from
after David, and followed Sheba the son of Birchri" (v. 2). This
threatened the most serious consequences, and unless Sheba's plans
were nipped in the bud, David would be faced with another rebellion.
The king recognized the danger, and at once took measures to meet it.
Now was the opportunity, he felt, to put into execution the plan which
he had formed for the removing of Joab from the head of his forces.
Calling Amasa to him, he said, "Assemble me the men of Judah within
three days, and be thou here present." As we saw, there was some
delay, so "David said to Abishai, Now shall Sheba the son of Birchri
do us more harm than did Absalom: take thou thy lord's servants, and
pursue after him, lest he get him fenced cities, and escape us." Then
we are told, "And there went out after him Joab's men, and the
Cherethites, the Pelethites, and all the mighty men: and they went out
of Jerusalem, to pursue after Sheba." They had some distance to go,
and apparently the great stone in Gibeon was to be the gathering point
of David's forces, for "when they were at the great stone which is in
Gibeon, Amasa went before them." By this we understand that the men
whom Amasa had gathered together came up with those led by Abishai,
and that Amasa, according to David's orders, now took charge of the
entire expedition.
"And Joab's garment that he had put on was girded unto him, and upon
it a girdle with a sword fastened upon his loins in the sheath
thereof; and as he went forth it fell out" (v. 8). It seems from this
that Joab had accompanied the soldiers in a private capacity. He
pretended to gladly submit to the new arrangement, and to be full of
zeal for David's cause, prepared to do his part in preventing another
general uprising. But outward appearances are often deceptive. In
reality, Joab was determined to avenge the dishonor done to him and
assassinate the one who had been appointed to displace him. As he
advanced to greet the new commander-in-chief, his sword fell out of
its sheath, and to prevent its falling to the ground he caught it in
his left hand. It looked as though the sword had become unsheathed by
accident, but the sequel shows it was by design, and was but a subtle
device to cloak his vile purpose.
"And Joab said to Amasa, Art thou in health, my brother? And Joab took
Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. But Amasa took no
heed to the sword that was in Joab's hand: so he smote him therewith
in the fifth rib, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and struck
him not again; and he died" (vv. 9, 10). How the real character of
Joab was here displayed! Treacherous, ruthless, blatant, utterly
hardened. Amasa was his own cousin, yet ties of blood meant nothing to
this callous wretch. Amasa had been definitely appointed by the king
to lead his forces, but the royal authority counted for naught to
Joab. Moreover, it was in front of all the troops that Joab committed
his awful crime, caring not what they thought nor afraid of what they
might do. Thoroughly lawless and defiant, he never hesitated to take
matters into his own hands and crush whoever stood in his way.
Viewed as an isolated event, here was a most appalling crime. A man in
the path of duty brutally murdered without a moment's warning. And yet
a holy God permitted it, for most certainly He could have prevented it
had He so pleased. Why, then, did He suffer David's purpose to be so
rudely thwarted? and why was Joab allowed to slay Amasa? The two
questions are quite distinct, and must be considered separately.
Unspeakably solemn though the subject be, yet earlier events cast
their light on this dark scene. After David's murder of Uriah God had
said, "the sword shall never depart from thine house" (2 Sam. 12:10),
and Amasa was David's own nephew: see 2 Samuel 17:25 and compare 1
Chronicles 2:13, 16. "Be sure your sin will find you out" (Num.
32:23). It found David out: in the death of Bathsheba's child, in the
raping of Tamar, in the murder of Amnon, in the death of Absalom, and
now in the slaying of Amasa.
And what of Amasa himself? Ah, was he one who had served the king with
unswerving loyalty? No indeed, far from it. And what of the stock from
which he came? Were his parents pious, so that the blessing of the
Lord might be expected upon their offspring? And again the answer is
no. "And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab" (2
Sam. 17:25). Thus, Amasa had not only failed David at the most
critical juncture, but he had taken an active and prominent part
against him. And now he was slain, justly slain, by one who had fought
for the king. 2 Samuel 17:25 also tells us, "Which Amasa was a man's
son, whose name was Ithra an Israelite, that went in to Abigail the
daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah, Joab's mother" so that here
again it was a case of the sins of the parent being visited upon the
child. Thus, revolting though this episode be, we may see in it the
righteous judgment of God.
"So Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of
Birchri. And one of Joab's men stood by him, and said, He that
favoreth Joab and be that is for David, let him go after Joab" (vv.
10, 11). This was playing politics with a vengeance, pretending that
fealty to David demanded that the army should follow the leadership of
Joab--how often the people are induced to follow a course which is
evil under the impression that they are furthering a righteous cause!
Why, these soldiers had just seen Joab slay the very man whom the king
had called to head his forces: how, then, could they be for David if
they followed this murderer? But few people think for themselves, and
fewer still are regulated by moral principle. The great majority are
easily imposed upon, accepting what any glib-tongued or forcible
leader tells them.
"And Amasa wallowed in blood in the midst of the highway. And when the
man saw that all the people stood still, he removed Amasa out of the
highway into the field, and cast a cloth upon him, when he saw that
every one that came by him stood still. When he was removed out of the
highway, all the people went on after Joab, to pursue after Sheba the
son of Birchri" (vv. 12, 13). Though none had raised a hand against
the cold-blooded murderer, they had sufficient decency to stand their
ground until the body of his victim was removed from the public
highway and respectfully covered. This done, they unanimously followed
Joab. He might be impetuous and imperious, still he was a valiant
warrior, and in the eyes of these soldiers, that covered a multitude
of sins. Moreover, was he not pursuing Sheba, the enemy of their king;
there could not, then, be anything radically wrong with him. Such has
often been the superficial logic of the multitude, as the testimony of
history abundantly illustrates. Yet faith discerns One behind the
scenes working all things after the counsel of His own will.
Sheba had meanwhile taken refuge in the "city," or fortified town of
Abel. Thither came Joab and his forces to besiege it, battering upon
the outer wall to throw it down. Whereupon a wise woman of the city
expostulated with Joab, protesting against the needless destruction of
the town and the slaying of its inhabitants, reminding him that by so
doing he would "swallow up the heritage of the Lord" (v. 19). Joab at
once made it known that all he was after was the capture of the
arch-rebel against David, assuring the woman that as soon as that son
of Belial was delivered up to him, he and his forces would withdraw.
Accordingly, Sheba was executed and his head thrown over the wall.
Thus perished one more of those who set themselves against the Lord's
anointed. "Evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him" (Ps.
140:1 1).
The readiness of Joab to heed the wise counsel of the woman of Abel is
not to be taken as a redeeming feature on this occasion, still less as
conflicting with what we have said above about his general character.
Joab had no personal grievance against the inhabitants of that city:
had that been the case, it had indeed gone hard with them. Moreover,
to have made a wholesale slaughter of those innocent Israelites, would
obviously have been against the interests of the kingdom at large, and
Joab was too politic to be guilty of so grave a blunder. "And Joab
returned unto Jerusalem unto the king" (v. 22). Unabashed at his
crime, conscious of the guilty hold which he had over him, Joab feared
not to face his royal master. Thus was David's purpose thwarted, and
as though to particularly emphasize the fact, the chapter closes by
saying, "Now Joab was over all the hosts of Israel," etc. (v. 23).
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT
His Honorable Conduct
2 Samuel 21
_________________________________________________________________
There does not seem to be much in common between the murder of Amasa
and the famine which afflicted the land of Israel, yet that the
contents of 2 Samuel 20 and 21 are definitely linked together is
clearly intimated by the opening "Then" of the latter. What that
connection is, a little reflection should make clear: that which is
now to be before us supplies a further illustration of the principal
thought developed in our last. It is the retributive justice of God
which is again seen in exercise. There it had to do with an
individual; here it affected a whole nation. Valuable light is here
shed upon the subject of the Divine government of this world, for we
are not only given to see how that God fully controls even its
physical history, but are also shown something of the moral principles
which regulate His procedure. So far from that government being a
capricious one, it is regulated by definite design and method. It is
the noting of this which supplies the key to the philosophy of
history.
"Then there was a famine in the days of David three years. year after
year" (2 Sam. 21:1). When faced with droughts and famines, the
scientists (so-called) and other wiseacres prate about planetary
disturbances, sun-spots, the recurring of astronomical cycles, etc.,
but the Christian looks beyond all secondary causes and discerns the
Maker of this world directing all its affairs. And thus the simplest
believer has light which the most learned of this world's savants
possess not. They, and all who follow them, leave God out of their
thoughts, and therefore the light which is in them is darkness, and
how great is that darkness. It is only the eye of faith which sees the
hand of the Lord in everything, and where faith is in exercise there
is secured a satisfying resting-place for the heart.
"And David enquired of the Lord" (v. 1). Wise man: he declined to lean
unto his own understanding. Nor did he, like the monarchs of Egypt and
Babylon before him, send for the astrologers and soothsayers. There
was no need to, when he had access to the living God. The pity is that
he did not consult Him earlier, instead of waiting till the situation
got really desperate. By inquiring of the Lord in the time of trouble,
David left us an example which we do well to follow. The Sender of
trouble is the only One who can remove it; and if it be not His
pleasure to remove it, He is the One who can show us how best to meet
it. He did so for David; and He will for us, if we seek Him
aright--that is, with an humble, penitent, yet trustful heart.
Troubles do not come by haphazard. The poor worldling may talk of his
"ill fortune," but the believer ought to employ more God-honoring
language. He should know that it is his Father who orders all his
circumstances and regulates every detail of his life, Therefore, when
famine comes upon him--be it a spiritual or a financial one--it is
both his privilege and his duty to seek unto the Lord and ask, "Show
me wherefore Thou contendest with me" (Job 10:2). When the smile of
God is withdrawn from us we should at once suspect that something is
wrong. True, His favor is not to be measured by His material benefits;
and true also that His withholding of them does not always indicate
His displeasure. No, He may be testing faith, developing patience, or
preparing us for an enlarged trust. Nevertheless, it is always the
part of wisdom to think the worst of ourselves, for the promise is
"seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these
(material) things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33).
"And the Lord answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house
because he slew the Gibeonites" (21:1). The Lord did not turn a deaf
ear unto David's inquiry, even though it was such a tardy one. How
longsuffering He is with His own! How many of us have been like David
in this! smarting under the chastening rod of God, yet allowing a
lengthy interval to pass before we definitely inquired of God as to
its cause. Rightly did the poet say, "O what peace we often forfeit, O
what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry, everything to
God in prayer." Yes, oftentimes they are quite "needless," for if God
show us what is wrong, and we put matters right, His rod will quickly
be removed.
It is solemn to note that the controversy which the Lord had with
Israel at this time was not over some recent thing, but one which had
been committed years previously; yet was it one that had never been
put right. God does not forget, if we do. Many afflictions, both upon
individuals and upon nations, are expressly sent by Him for the
purpose of "bringing to remembrance" the sins of the past. In the case
before us Israel was now suffering because of the transgression of
Saul, for it is an unchanging principle in the divine government that
God deals with nations according to the conduct of their rulers or
responsible heads. No truth is more clearly revealed in Scripture than
this, and the same is plainly exemplified in the history of the world
all through this Christian era. Nor need this fact and principle at
all surprise us, for in the great majority of instances the rulers
follow that policy which will best please their subjects.
The earlier history supplies no record of that which occasioned this
calamity upon the nation. We mention this to correct the assertion
which is often made in some quarters that Scripture always explains
Scripture, by which it is meant that every verse or statement in the
Word may be understood by some other statement elsewhere. As a general
principle this is true, yet it is by no means without exception, and
therefore it needs qualifying. The above is an example of what we
mean: there is no historical account of Saul's slaying the Gibeonites.
Nor is this example by any means an isolated one. Paul said "thrice I
suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have I been in the deep" (2 Cor.
11:25), yet we know not when and where this occurred. In connection
with the giving of the law at Sinai "Moses said, I exceedingly fear
and quake" (Heb. 12:21), but there is no record in the Old Testament
of this. Hebrews 13:23 tells of Timothy being "set at liberty," yet
his imprisonment is nowhere recorded in Scripture.
"Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the
remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto
them" (v. 2). The allusion is to what is found in Joshua 9. It will be
remembered that after Joshua had overthrown Jericho and Ai the
inhabitants of Gibeon were afraid, and resorted to dishonest strategy.
They succeeded in deceiving Joshua. After telling a plausible tale,
the Gibeonites offered to become the servants of Israel. And we are
told "And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to
let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them"
(Josh. 9:15). A little later, Israel learned that they had been
deceived, that instead of the Gibeonites being travelers from a far
country (as they had affirmed) they were really Canaanites. The sequel
is quite striking and contains a lesson which governmental leaders
would do well to take to heart today.
Three days later, as they continued their advance, the Israelites
reached the cities of the Gibeonites, and we are told "And the
children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the
congregation had sworn unto them by the Lord God of Israel" (v. 18).
The heads of the nation respected the solemn treaty into which they
had entered with the Gibeonites. Then they were put to a more severe
test: "And all the congregation murmured against the princes" (v. 18).
The common people urged their leaders to regard that treaty as a scrap
of paper--human nature was just the same then as it is now:
unprincipled, blind to its own highest interests, utterly selfish,
indifferent to the divine approval. But in the merciful providence of
God, Israel at that time was favored with conscientious leaders, who
refused to yield to the popular clamor and do that which they knew was
wrong.
"But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn
unto them by the Lord God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch
them. This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath
be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them" (vv. 19,
20). What mercy it is when the responsible bends of the nation are
God-fearing men, whose word is their bond, who cannot be induced to
forsake the paths of righteousness. And, my reader, how we need to
pray (as we are commanded to do: 1 Tim. 2:1, 2) for all in authority
over us, that God will make them honest, just, truthful, and that He
will keep them steadfast in the performance of duty. Their position is
no easy one: they are in need of divine grace, and prayer is the
appointed channel through which supplies of grace are communicated--to
the ministers of state as truly as to the ministers of the Gospel.
Then instead of criticizing and condemning them, let us hold up their
hands by daily supplication for them.
Joshua confirmed the stand taken by the "princes"--the heads of the
tribes. Calling the Gibeonites unto him, he asked why they had
beguiled him. Whereupon they confessed it was out of fear for their
very lives that they had resorted to the imposture; and then cast
themselves upon his mercy and fidelity. "And so did he unto them, and
delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they
slew them not. And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and
drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the Lord,
even unto this day" (vv. 26, 27). From that time onwards, the
Gibeonites remained in Israel's midst, acting as their servants--a
peaceful and useful people, as Nehemiah 3:7 and other passages
intimate.
"And Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel
and Judah" (2 Sam. 21:2). In utter disregard for the solemn treaty
which guaranteed their security, Saul determined to exterminate these
Gibeonites; but this was done not out of zeal for the Lord, but "in
his zeal to the children of Israel." How perverse human nature is! God
had given Saul no commission to slay the Gibeonites, but He had
commanded him to destroy the Philistines and Amalekites; but this he
left undone. Ah, the extirpation of the Philistines was a difficult
and dangerous task, for they were a well-armed and powerful people,
fully prepared to resist; whereas the Gibeonites were an easy prey.
And is there not much fleshly zeal being displayed in corrupt
Christendom today?--thousands engaged in work to which God has never
called them, whilst neglecting the great task He has assigned them.
What numbers of the rank and file of professing Christians are now
busy in seeking to "win souls to Christ," while neglecting the
mortifying of their fleshly and worldly lusts--ah, the former is far
easier than the latter.
Saul, then, broke public faith with the Gibeonites, for the solemn
covenant entered into with them by Joshua assured their preservation.
This is clear from verse 5, for while verse 2 says only that he
"sought to slay them," here the Gibeonites referred to him as "the man
that consumed us, and that devised against us, that we should be
destroyed from remaining in any of the coasts of Israel," which is an
amplification of the Lord's words, "It is for Saul, and for his bloody
house, because he slew the Gibeonites" (v. 1). This brought down heavy
guilt upon the nation, which had not been expiated by the punishment
of the guilty. The three years' famine which now came upon the land
was proof of this. "It pleased God in this manner, and so long after,
to proceed against the nation for it: to show His abhorrence against
such crimes; to teach rulers to keep at a distance from similar
offences themselves, and to punish them in others; and to intimate the
chief punishment of sin is after the death of the offenders" (Thomas
Scott).
The fact that God waited so many years before He publicly evidenced
His displeasure against Israel for this heinous transgression,
manifested His long sufferance, granting them a lengthy space for
repentance. But they repented not, and now He made them to realize
that He had neither overlooked nor forgotten their crime. Learn then,
my reader, that the passage of time does not remove or lessen the
guilt of sin. Let us also learn what a solemn thing it is for a strong
nation to go back upon its pledged word when they have promised
protection to a weak people.
God made known unto David the reason for his present controversy with
Israel, that he might take proper measures for expiating the national
guilt. As a God-fearing man, David at once recognized the binding
obligation of the league Joshua had made with the Gibeonites, and the
nation's guilt in violating the same. Accordingly "David said unto the
Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make the
atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the Lord" (v. 3). This
was but fair: they were the ones who had been wronged, and therefore
it was but just that they should be given the opportunity for deciding
what form the reparation should take. Incidentally, let it be
carefully noted that this is still another passage which plainly
teaches that "atonement" is made for the express purpose of turning
away the displeasure of the Lord--there is no thought of at-one-ment
or reconciliation here, for the Gibeonites were not alienated from
Him!
"And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of
Saul, nor of his house; neither for us shalt thou kill any man in
Israel" (v. 4). Most generous and noble was their reply. It showed
they were neither mercenary nor spiteful: they neither desired to turn
this situation to their own material advantage, nor did they harbor a
spirit of revenge. For centuries they had acted as servants, and now
that Israel had broken the covenant they might well have demanded
their freedom. How their selfishness puts to shame the greedy,
grasping spirit of this much-vaunted twentieth century! It is not
often that the poor are free from covetousness and avarice--the great
majority are not poor from choice, but from necessity of
circumstances. No wonder the Lord was ready to plead the cause of so
meek and mild a people.
And he said, What ye shall say, that will I do for you. And they
answered the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against
us that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the coasts of
Israel; let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will
hang them up unto the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, whom the Lord did
choose" (vv. 5, 6). Here we perceive their spiritual intelligence and
piety. Their asking for "seven" of the descendants of Saul showed they
understood that number signified completeness. Their suggestion that
these seven men should be "hanged," intimated that they knew this form
of death betokened accursedness (Deut. 21:23). Their words "hang them
up before the Lord in Gibeah" evinced their knowledge that
satisfaction must be offered unto God's justice before His wrath could
be turned away from Israel. Their declaration "Saul, whom the Lord did
choose" was an open acknowledgment of the sovereignty of God. Their
offer we will hang them up unto the Lord" was magnanimous--willing to
spare David, and themselves bear any public criticism which was likely
to be offered.
But let us now notice the nobility of David's conduct in this
connection. First, in his inquiring of the Lord as to the reason why
the famine had been sent on his land. You will recall how often this
grace was seen in him--signal evidence of his piety. Second, in his
readiness to consult with the Gibeonites. How many a man would have
considered it beneath his dignity to hold conference with
menials!--but humility was another grace which shone brightly in
David. Third, in his fairness. An unscrupulous man would have disputed
their claim, saying that the league made in the days of Joshua was
long since obsolete. Fourth, in his consenting to their proposal. We
know from other passages that he was sentimentally attached to the
family of Saul, but with him the claims of justice superseded all
personal considerations. Finally, his fidelity to the promise he had
made to Jonathan: "But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of
Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the Lord's oath that was between
them" (v. 7) and cf. I Samuel 15:20, 42.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE
His Honorable Conduct
(Continued)
2 Samuel 21
_________________________________________________________________
"Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after
year: and David enquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, It is for
Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites" (2
Sam. 21:1). In our last we sought to show that this occurrence
supplies a definite illustration or example of God's governmental ways
with the nations. On this occasion He was dealing with Israel for a
crime which they had committed many years previously. That crime
respected their violation of a treaty which had been entered into
between themselves and the Gibeonites in the days of Joshua. King Saul
had ruthlessly ignored that solemn obligation, and instead of
protecting the weak he had brutally sought to exterminate them, thus
bringing down upon his own house and upon the nation the holy wrath of
the
God does not always manifest His displeasure at once, either against
individuals or nations; instead, He usually gives "space for
repentance" (Rev. 2:21). But alas, so perverse is fallen human nature
that, instead of improving the divine mercy, it perverts the same:
"Let favour be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn
righteousness" (Isa. 26:10). No, instead of "learning righteousness"
man only adds iniquity to iniquity: "Because sentence against an evil
work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men
is fully set in them to do evil" (Eccl. 8:11). Men regard God's
patience as indifference to their sins, thereby emboldening themselves
in their wickedness: "These things hast thou done, and I kept silence:
thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I
will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes" (Ps.
50:21). Yes, sooner or later, God will "reprove"--exhibiting His
holiness, exercising His retributive justice. It was so here. Though
Saul was now dead, yet his house was made to feel God's avenging hand.
When David inquired the reason why God had sent this protracted famine
upon the land of Israel, God made known to him the cause thereof. The
king thereupon entered into a conference with those who had been
wronged, and invited them to state what reparation should be made for
Saul's outrages upon their people. Their response was striking,
illustrating the fact that those from whom it is to be the least
expected often evince much more magnanimity than others who have
enjoyed far greater privileges. The Gibeonites made it known that they
sought no pecuniary gain, being far more concerned that divine justice
should be compensated: "Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto
us, and we will hang them up unto the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, whom the
Lord did choose" (2 Sam. 21:6).
Let it be duly noted, first, that the Gibeonites had for many years
held their peace, neither complaining to David for the unredressed
wrong Saul had done them, nor disturbing the kingdom by their protests
and demands. It was not until the Lord had interposed on their behalf,
and until David himself had inquired what satisfaction should be made
for the grievous wrong which had been done them, that they preferred
the above request. It was in no blood-thirsty and vindictive spirit
they now spoke. Their request was neither unjust nor unreasonable:
they asked for no lives but those of Saul's own family: he had done
the wrong, and therefore it was but right that his house should pay
the price. To this day, the heirs may be lawfully sued for their
parents' debts. True, in the ordinary course of things, children are
not to be slain for the crimes of their father (Deut. 24:16), but the
case of the Gibeonites was altogether extraordinary.
Furthermore, it must be borne in mind that the Lord had definitely
intervened on behalf of these injured ones, and therefore what is here
before us should be considered from the divine viewpoint. However
shocking this incident may appear to us, or however contrary to our
sense of the fitness of things, let us beware of condemning or even
criticizing that which the Most High inspired. "God had made Himself
an immediate party to the cause, and, no doubt, put it into the hearts
of the Gibeonites to make this demand . . . Let parents take heed of
sin, especially the sin of cruelty and oppression, for their
children's sake, who may be smarting for it by the just hand of God,
when they are in their graves. Guilt and a curse are a bad entail on a
family" (Matthew Henry). A most solemn warning was furnished for all
future generations in this tragic incident.
Finally, let it not be overlooked that God owned what was done on this
occasion: "And after that God was entreated for the land" (v. 14).
God's judgments are not subject to those rules which human judgments
are to be regulated by, nor does He stand in need of any apology from
us. Jehovah's actions are not to be measured by our petty tapelines.
Where we cannot understand His ways, we must bow silently before Him,
assured that He will yet fully vindicate Himself and at the finish
close the mouth of every rebel who now quarrels with His providences.
However, it should not be overlooked that, in this particular
punishment which fell upon Saul's descendants, it was by no means a
case of innocent and unoffending members of his house being dealt
with, for God Himself speaks of them as a "bloody house" (v. 1)--they
were actuated by their father's cruel spirit and walked in his steps.
"Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them
up unto the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, whom the Lord did choose" (v. 6).
Notice the "whom we will hang up, which showed their consideration for
the king: they were quite willing to bear the odium of the execution.
As we have already pointed out, this was not for the gratification of
personal revenge--"neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel"
(v. 4). "Hang them up unto the Lord"--as a sacrifice unto His justice,
and also as a warning unto Israel to molest them no more. "In Gibeah
of Saul"--as an object lesson to those who had assisted him in his
persecution and slaughter of the innocent. "And the king said, I will
give them" (v. 6). Obviously David had never consented to their
proposal had it been wrong in the sight of God. Inasmuch as the
selection of these seven men was left to David, opportunity was
afforded him to spare the son of Jonathan (v. 7).
"But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom
she bare unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of
Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel the son of
Barzillai the Meholathite" (v. 8). The first two were Saul's own sons,
which he had by a concubine. The other five were grandsons which his
daughter had borne to Adriel, but who had been brought up by their
aunt: Let it be recalled that the mother of these five men had been
promised to David by her father, but he treacherously gave her to
Adriel, with the intention of provoking the sweet singer of Israel (1
Sam. 18:19). Herein we may perceive more clearly the workings of
divine justice. Commenting on this particular point Joseph Hall said,
"It is a dangerous matter to offer injury to any of God's faithful
ones: if their meekness have easily remitted it, God will not pass it
over without a severe rebuke, though it may be long afterwards."
"And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites" (v. 9). We
are well aware that, in this sentimental age when capital punishment
is being more and more opposed, many will consider David did wrong in
carrying out the wishes of the Gibeonites. Some have so perversely
wrested this incident that they have not hesitated to charge David
with seizing the opportunity to wreak his own spite upon an old enemy.
But surely it is evident to all right-minded people that David could
do no other: it was not from any private animosity which he bore to
the house of Saul, but that obedience to God required his compliance
with the request of the Gibeonites, while his having at heart the good
of the Nation left him no other alternative. "Those executions must
not be complained at as cruel which are become necessary in the public
welfare. Better that seven of Saul's bloody house be hanged, than that
all Israel should be famished" (Matthew Henry).
"And they hanged them in the hill before the Lord: and they fell all
seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest" (v. 9).
"As these persons were hanged by the express appointment of God for an
anathema, an accursed thing, a national atonement to divine justice,
they were left on the tree or gibbet till some tokens of the Lord's
reconciliation were afforded by seasonable rains" (Thomas Scott). Yet
here again we may perceive the absolute sovereignty of Jehovah, and
His superiority to all restrictions. Though He had expressly forbidden
magistrates to slay children in order to avenge the crimes of their
parents (Deut. 24:16), nevertheless, God Himself is bound by no such
limitations. He had also given command to Israel, "If a man have
committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and
thou hang him on a tree: his body shall not remain all night upon the
tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day, for he that is
hanged is accursed of God" (Deut. 21:22, 23); yet here we see the Lord
moving David to do exactly the contrary! Why? if not to make it plain
that He Himself is above all law, free to do just as He pleases.
"And were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in
the beginning of barley harvest" (v. 9). Every detail here evidenced
the superintending hand of the Lord. First, the place appointed for
this execution, namely, in Saul's own city, so that the seven victims
were, practically speaking, put to death on their own doorstep.
Second, the manner of their execution, which was by hanging before the
Lord, to demonstrate they were accursed in His sight. Third, the time
of their execution, namely, "in the days of harvest." Those days were
selected to make it the more manifest that they were being sacrificed
for the specific purpose of appeasing God's wrath, which had for three
years withheld from them harvest mercies, and to obtain His favor for
the present season. Who, then, can reasonably doubt that everything
was here done according to the divine ordering?
But is there not also an important practical lesson for us? Surely
there must be, for the natural ever adumbrates the spiritual. Nor
should it be difficult to ascertain what is here figuratively set
forth. While those bloody sons of Saul were spared, the mercies of God
were withheld; but when they had been hanged, "God was entreated for
the land" (v. 14). And is it not the same with us today individually?
If we fail to deny self, and on the contrary indulge our corruptions,
how can we expect the smile of the Lord to be upon us? "Your
iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have
withholden good things from you" (Jer. 5:25). Do we sufficiently
realize, dear reader, that the One with whom we have to do is the
thrice Holy God? If we play with fire we must expect to get our
fingers burned, and if we trifle with sin and trample upon the divine
precepts, we shall suffer severely.
We are well aware that this aspect of the Truth is not a palatable
one. Those who lead a life of sell-pleasing wish to hear only of the
grace of God. But does not the very grace of God teach us to deny
"ungodliness and worldly lusts" and to "live soberly, righteously, and
godly, in this present world" (Titus 2:12) Grace is given not to
countenance evil doing, but to counteract the workings of an evil
nature. Grace is given to enable its recipient to pluck out right eyes
and cut off right hands: in other words, it is a supernatural
principle which produces supernatural effects. Is it doing so in you
and me? or are we after all our profession, strangers to it? Have we
diligently sought to use the grace already imparted? If not, can we
really expect more grace until we penitently confess our failures and
put right with God what we know to be displeasing in His sight.
We are also well aware that this aspect of the Truth is utterly
ignored by the great majority of preachers and "Bible teachers" today,
who instead of pressing the holy claims of God and rebuking
self-indulgence, are seeking either to amuse or soothe their hearers
in their sins. It is not that we are inculcating a strange doctrine,
introducing that which opposes divine grace. No, those servants of God
in the past who most extolled the grace of God, also maintained the
requirements of His righteousness. As a sample of what we have in mind
take these words of Matthew Henry's on 2 Samuel 21:19, "There is no
way of appeasing God's anger but by mortifying and crucifying our
lusts and corruptions. In vain do we expect mercy from God, unless we
do justice upon our sins. What have we said above which is any
stronger than that? If there was no other way of placating God's wrath
than the slaying of Saul's sons, so now our sins must be put to death
if His approbation is to be enjoyed."
"Then there was a famine in the days of David, three years, year after
year." Is that nothing more than an item of ancient history? Has it no
voice for us today? Does it not accurately describe the actual
experience of many a backslidden Christian? Is it not pertinent to the
case of some of our readers? Has there not long been a famine in your
soul, dear friend? Ah, there is indeed a most important practical
application of the above incident to our own lives. If you are
painfully aware that such is the case with you, are you not desirous
of that famine being removed? Then take to heart what has been before
us above: put matters right with God--banish from your life that which
withholds from you His approval. He that covereth his sins shall not
prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy"
(Prov. 28:13).
"And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her
upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water dropped upon
them out of heaven, and suffered neither the birds of the air to rest
on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night" (v. 10). It is
touching to behold this poor mother keeping so lengthy a vigil over
the corpses of her two sons. True, she made no attempt to cut down the
bodies, thereby evidencing her submission to the righteous judgment of
God; yet was she not guilty of inordinate grief? As Matthew Henry
says, "She indulged her grief, as mourners are apt to do, to no good
purpose. When sorrow, in such cases, is in danger of excess, we should
rather study how to divert and pacify it, rather than humour and
gratify it. Why should we thus harden ourselves in sorrow?"
"And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan
his son from the men of Jabeshgilead, which had stolen them from the
street of Bethshan, where the Philistines had hanged them, when the
Philistines had slain Saul in Gilboa. And he brought up from thence
the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son, and they gathered
the bones of them that were hanged. And the bones of Saul and Jonathan
his son buried they in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the
sepulchre of Kish his father" (vv. 12-14). This respectful interment
of the bones of Saul and his descendants, by the king, is clear proof
that David had not been actuated by a spirit of spite and revenge when
he had delivered them up to the Gibeonites. But what, let us ask, is
the spiritual lesson for us in this detail? If those sons of Saul may
justly be taken as a figure of our sins (that which withholds God's
blessings from us), and if the slaying of them adumbrates the
believer's mortification of his lusts, then surely it is no
far-fetched fantasy to regard the interment of their bones as
indicating we are to bury in oblivion those disgraceful things of the
past: "Never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am
pacified toward thee" (Ezek. 16:63). Instead of holding up to the
public view--under the pretence of "giving your testimony"-- those
things we hope are under the blood, let us draw a veil over them.
The last eight verses of our chapter give a brief summary of the
events which occurred during the closing years of David's reign. That
which is most prominent in them is the further battles which took
place between Israel and the Philistines, and the slaying of certain
antagonistic giants. Here, too, the spiritual application is not
difficult to perceive. There is no furlough in the fight of faith! The
flesh continues to lust against the spirit till the end of our earthly
pilgrimage, and therefore the work of mortification is to go on till
God calls us to our rest. When the seven sons of Saul have been put to
death, other foes (lusts) will seek to prevail against us, and they
too must be resisted, and (by grace) be overcome. Let it be duly noted
that, though David grew old and feeble, he did not grow indolent (vv.
15, 22)! The mention of the "giants" at the close of the chapter,
intimates that the most powerful of our enemies are reserved for the
last great conflict: yet through our "David" we shall be more than
conquerors.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER EIGHTY
His Sacred Song
2 Samuel 22
_________________________________________________________________
2 Samuel 22 opens with the word "And," which at once suggests there is
a close connection between its contents and what was has immediately
preceded. The chapter which is now to be before us records David's
grand psalm of thanksgiving, and, as its opening verse intimates, it
was sung by him in celebration of the signal deliverances which God
had granted him from his many enemies. In the previous chapter we had
an account of the execution of the sons of Saul, followed by a summary
of Israel's victories over the Philistines and the slaying of a number
of their giants. In our last chapter we sought to point out the
spiritual application of these things, as they bear upon the lives of
Christians today, and the same line of thought is to be followed as we
enter the present chapter. It is this looking for the practical
hearing of the Scriptures upon ourselves which is so sorely needed,
and which, alas, is now so much neglected by the present generation;
only thus do we make the Bible a living Book, suited to our present
need.
The spiritual and practical link of connection between 2 Samuel 21 and
22 is not difficult to perceive. As was shown in our last, the
execution of the sons of Saul (seven in number, for the work must be
done completely) is to be regarded as a figure of the believer's
mortifying his lusts, and the conflicts which followed between Israel
and the Philistines, David and the giants, symbolizes the fact that
that warfare with sin which the saint is called upon to wage,
continues till the end of his earthly course. Now the work of
mortification is indeed a painful one, nevertheless it issues in a
joyful sequel. The plucking out of right eyes and the cutting off of
right hands doubtless produces many a groan, yet will they be followed
by melodious thanksgiving. Death figures prominently in 2 Samuel 21,
but 2 Samuel 22 opens with a "Song!" Here, then, is the obvious
connection: when death be written upon our lusts, music will fill the
heart; when that which is displeasing to God has been put away, the
Spirit will tune our souls to sing Jehovah's praise.
It is a most interesting and instructive study to trace out the sacred
"Songs" of Scripture, paving particular attention to their setting.
The first one is recorded in Exodus 15. We read not of the Hebrews
celebrating the Lord's praises while they were in Egypt, but only of
their sighing and groaning (Ex. 2:23. 24). But when they had been
delivered from the house of bondage and their foes had been drowned in
the Red Sea, a song of worship ascended from their heart. Again, we
read of Israel singing when the Lord supplied them with water (Num.
21:17). Moses ended his wilderness wanderings with a song (Deut.
31:22). Upon Israel's victory over the Canaanites they sang a song
(Judges 5:1). Job speaks of God giving "songs in the night" (35:10)--a
real, if a rare, experience, as many saints can testify. The Psalmist
said. "Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage"
(119:54).
There is a most marked similarity between the Song of David in 2
Samuel 22 and Psalm 18 (observe the latter's superscription), indeed
so close is the resemblance that almost all of the commentators have
regarded them as being one and the same, attempting to account for
their verbal variations (which though incidental are by no means few
in number) on the supposition that the latter is a revised edition of
the former. But such an assumption does not seem at all
satisfactory--to us it appears a serious slight upon divine
inspiration: surely the Holy Spirit never needs to make any
emendations! We therefore greatly prefer the view of C. H. Spurgeon:
"We have another form of this eighteenth Psalm with slight variations,
in 2 Samuel 22, and this suggests the idea that it was sung by him on
different occasions when he reviewed his own remarkable history, and
observed the gracious hand of God in it all."
This particular Song of David is no exception to a general if not an
invariable feature which marked all his inspired minstrelsy, in that
we may see in it both a surface and a deeper allusion, both an
historical and a prophetic significance. All doubt upon this point is
definitely removed by the testimony of the New Testament, for there we
find two of its verses quoted From as being the very words of Christ
Himself, thus making it plain that a greater than David is here. In
its deeper meaning it is the utterance of the Spirit of Christ in
David, making special reference to His triumph over death by the
mighty power of God (Eph. 1:19). David thankfully recounts the
glorious actings of God on his behalf, yet in such language as rises
above himself, to his Son and Lord, against whom all the powers of
darkness were concentrated.
"And David spake unto the Lord the words of this song in the day that
the Lord had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out
of the hand of Saul" (2 Sam. 22:1). One of the outstanding features of
the checkered career of David was the large number of his foes, both
from the surrounding nations and among his own people, the chief of
all being Saul--the most formidable, malicious and inveterate. Nor
should this unduly surprise us, even though, as Matthew Henry tersely
expressed it. "David was a man after God's heart, but not after man's
heart: many were those who hated him." Why was this? First, God so
ordered it that he might be an eminent type of Christ, who, throughout
the ages has been "despised and rejected of men." Second. that thereby
God might display the more conspicuously His faithfulness and power in
preserving His own. Third, because this is generally the experience of
the saints.
"And David spake unto the Lord the words of this song in the day that
the Lord had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out
of the hand of Saul." Therefore was he well qualified experimentally
to declare, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord
delivereth him out of them all" (Ps. 34:19). The Lord's "deliverance"
of David from his many foes assumed a great variety of forms:
sometimes in one way, sometimes in another, for the Almighty is not
limited to any particular means or method. On occasions He employs
human instruments; and again, He wrought without them. Let this
encourage the tried and Satan-harassed believer. Though every avenue
of escape seem fast shut to your eyes, yet remember that closed doors
are no barrier to the Lord (John 20:26). When the long drought
completely dried up the water which sustained Elijah at
This too is written for our learning and comfort. As we have traced
the life of David through the two hooks of Samuel, we have seen him in
some sore straits: again and again it looked as though his foes must
surely prevail against him; yea, on one occasion, he himself dolefully
declared, "I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul" (1 Sam.
27:1). Yet he did not! No, One infinitely mightier than Saul was
watching over him. And this is equally the case with you and me, dear
reader, if we belong to Christ: the combined forces of hell shall
never prevail against us; the united assaults of the flesh, the world
and the devil cannot destroy us. Why? "Because greater is He that is
in you, than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4). Then why should we
be so fearful? let us seek grace to rest on that sure promise, "God is
our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Ps. 46:1).
Observe well David's response to these divine interpositions on his
behalf: deliverance calls for thanksgiving. This is the very least we
can render unto the Lord in return for all His benefits. Nor should
there be any tardiness in discharging this delightful obligation:
gratitude must issue promptly in praise. it did so with the sweet
singer in Israel, and it should also with us. Then let us take to
heart this word, "And David spake unto the Lord the words of this song
in the day that the Lord had delivered him." We ought to present unto
God a sacrifice of praise while His mercies are fresh and the heart is
duly affected by them. We are not slow in crying to God when imminent
danger threatens us: then let us be just as prompt in acknowledging
His goodness when His delivering hand is extended to us.
Many of the commentators are of the opinion that this sacred song was
composed by David at an early date in his life, but personally we fail
to sec anything in the Scriptures which supports such a view. The very
fact that the Holy Spirit has expressly told us it was uttered by
David when "The Lord had delivered him out of the hand of all his
enemies," is surely a plain intimation that it was uttered by him late
in life--the added words "and out of the hand of Saul" do not modify
this view when the mention of him is regarded as being intended for
the purpose of emphasis, he being his predominant foe. The main
divisions of the Song are fairly clearly defined. First, is the
preface, in which David is occupied with extolling Jehovah's
perfections: verses 1-4. Second, he magnifies the Lord for His
delivering mercies: verses 5-20. Third, he expresses the testimony of
a clear conscience: verses 21-28. Fourth, he concludes with a
prophetic anticipation of the glorious triumphs of the Messiah: verses
29-45.
"And he said, The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer"
(v. 2). David begins by adoring Jehovah. He does so on the ground of
his personal relation to Him, for all the benefits he had received, he
bases upon his relation to God. Observe that in verses 2 and 3, he
uses the personal pronoun no less than nine times. It is a grand thing
when we have the assurance and can feelingly say, "The Lord is my
Rock." While our enemies are hot upon our heels wounding us sorely,
threatening our very life, we sometimes do not have this blessed
assurance; but when God's delivering grace is experienced afresh by
us, new hope is kindled in the soul. "The Lord is my Rock and my
Fortress." "Dwelling among the crags and mountain fastnesses of Judea,
David had escaped the malice of Saul, and here compares his God to
such a place of concealment and security. Believers are often hidden
in their God from the strife of tongues and the fury of the storm" (C.
H. Spurgeon).
"And he said, The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer."
Let us not miss the connection between this and the preceding verse:
they that trust God in the path of duty, will ever find Him a very
present help in the greatest of dangers. And David had trusted God,
with a faith which wrought miracles. Recall, for example, his
intrepidity in Facing Goliath. All Israel were afraid of the
Philistine giant, so that none--not even Saul--dared to accept his
haughty challenge. Yet David, though then but a youth, hesitated not
to engage him in mortal combat, going forth to meet him without any
material armor, and with naught but a sling in his hand. And wherein
lay his strength? What was the secret of his courage and of his
success? It was at once revealed in the words with which he met the
enemy's champion: "thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear,
and with a shield; but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of
hosts, the God of the armies of Israel" (1 Sam. 17:45)!
And is that, my reader, nothing more than a striking incident of
ancient history? Has it no message for our hearts? Is not God the same
today: ready to respond to a faith that dares! Is it not written "if
thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth"
(Mark 9:23)? Do we really believe this? If so, are we earnestly
begging God to increase our faith? Faith is invincible, because it
lays hold of One who is omnipotent. Faith is the hand which grasps the
Almighty, and is anything too hard for Him! Is it not also written
"according unto your Faith be it unto you" (Matthew 9:29). Ah, does
not that explain why it is we so often meet with defeat, why it is
that our enemies prevail against us? O for faith in the living God,
faith in the efficacy of Christ's mediation, to vanquish our lusts.
Yes, most important is it that we should heed the connection between
the first two verses of our chapter: the deliverances David had from
his enemies, and his implicit confidence in God. Nor was he by any
means alone in this experience. It was by the miracle-working power of
God that the three Hebrews were delivered from Babylon's fiery
furnace. Yes, but that divine power was put forth in response to their
faith: "our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning
fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king" (Dan.
3:17). So again with Daniel himself, yet how often this particular is
overlooked. From early childhood most of us have been familiar with
that divine marvel which preserved the prophet from the lions, but how
many of us have noticed those words, "So Daniel was taken up out of
the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed
in his God" (6:23).
"And he said, The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer"
(v. 2). When almost captured, the Lord's people are rescued from the
hand of the mighty by One who is mightier still. God never fails those
who really exercise faith in Him: He may indeed severely test, but He
will not suffer them to be "utterly cast down." As our "Rock" God is
the strength and support of His people, the One on whom they build
their hopes, the One who affords shade from the burning heat of the
desert. As our "Fortress" God gives His people shelter from their
assailants, supplying protection and security--"The name of the Lord
is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe" (Prov.
18:10). As our "Deliverer" God saves us from ourselves, redeems us
from the damning power of sin, rescues us from the roaring lion,
secures us against
"The God of my rock; in Him will I trust: He is my shield, and the
horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; Thou
savest me from violence" (v. 3). This piling up of metaphors indicates
the strong assurance which David had in the Lord, the realization of
His sufficiency to meet his every emergency and supply his every need.
He saw in God one who was infinitely worthy of his fullest confidence:
no matter how critical his circumstances, how desperate his situation,
how numerous or powerful his foes, and how great his own weakness,
Jehovah was all-sufficient. Such too ought to be our confidence in
God. Yea, we have more ground to rest our faith upon than ever David
had. God is now revealed as the (penitent) sinner's Friend, as He
never was then. In Christ He is revealed as the Conqueror of sin, the
Vanquisher of death, the Master of Satan. Then have we not cause to
exclaim in Him will I trust." O that this may become more and more of
an actuality in the lives of both writer and reader.
"The God of my rock; in Him will I trust: He is my shield, and the
horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; Thou
savest me from violence." These energetic figures of speech, which
rise above the level of ordinary prose, reveal what God is to His
believing people, for only as faith is lively and vigorous is He
viewed thus. He is "my Shield" with which to ward off every attack:
faith interposes Him between our souls and the enemy. He is "the Horn
of my salvation," enabling me to push down my foes, and to triumph
over them with holy exultation. He is "my high Tower": a citadel
placed upon a high eminence, beyond the reach of all enemies, from
which I may look down on them without alarm. He is "my Refuge" in
which to shelter from every storm. He is "my Saviour" from every evil
to which the believer is exposed. What more do we need! what more can
we ask! O for faith's realization of the same in our souls. "Thou
savest me from violence": again we would press the point that this is
in response to faith--"He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save
them, because they trust in Him" (Ps. 37:40).
"I will call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be
saved from mine enemies" (v. 4). As an unknown writer has said, "The
armour of a soldier does him no service except he put it on; so, no
protection from God is to be expected, unless we apply ourselves to
prayer." It is faith which girds on the spiritual armor; it is faith
which finds all its resource in the Lord. "I will call on the Lord,
who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies":
note carefully the words which we have placed in italics. This affords
abundant confirmation of all we have said above: to "call upon the
Lord" is to exercise faith in Him, such faith as praises Him before
the victory--So shall we be saved from our enemies: by God's mighty
power in response to believing prayer and sincere praise.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER EIGHTY-ONE
His Sacred Song
(Continued)
2 Samuel 22
_________________________________________________________________
As pointed out in our last, the main divisions of David's sacred song
in 2 Samuel 22 are more or less clearly marked. In the first (vv. 1-4)
he is occupied with extolling Jehovah's perfections: this section we
have already considered. In the second (vv. 5-20), which is now to be
before us, he magnifies the Lord for His delivering mercies. The
section of the song is couched in highly figurative and poetic
language; which indicates how deeply stirred were the emotions of its
inspired composer. Its contents may be regarded in a threefold way.
First, as depicting the physical dangers to which David was exposed
from his human foes. Second, the deep soul distress which he
experienced from his spiritual enemies. Third, the fearful sufferings
through which Christ passed while acting as the Substitute of His
people, and the awe-inspiring deliverance which God wrought for His
servant. We will endeavor to consider our passage from each of these
viewpoints.
"When the waves (pangs) of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly
men made me afraid; the sorrows (cords) of hell compassed me about;
the snares of death prevented (anticipated) me" (2 Sam. 22:5, 6). Thus
opens this second division: that which it so vividly portrayed is the
large number and ferocity of his enemies, and the desperate danger to
which David was exposed by them. First, he employed the figure of an
angry sea, whose raging waves menaced him from every side, until his
frail craft was in immediate prospect of being swamped by them. Next,
he likened his lot to one who was marooned on some piece of low-lying
ground, and the floods rapidly rising higher and higher, till his
destruction seemed certain. The multitude of the wicked pressed him
sorely on every side. Then he compared his plight to one who had
already been taken captive and bound, so that the very cords of death
seemed to be upon him. Finally, he pictures his case as a bird that
had been caught in the fowler's
The above references were to the attempts made by Saul, Abner and
Absalom to capture and slay David. So fierce were their attacks, so
powerful the forces they employed against him, so determined and
relentless were his foes, that David here acknowledged they "made me
afraid." "The most sea-worthy bark is sometimes hard put to it when
the storm Hood is abroad. The most courageous man, who as a rule hopes
for the best, may sometimes fear the worst" (C. H. Spurgeon). Strong
as his faith generally was, yet on one occasion unbelief prevailed to
such an extent that David said, "I shall now perish one day by the
hand of Saul" (1 Sam. 27:1). When terrors from without awaken fears
within, our case is indeed a miserable one: yet so it was with Moses
when he fled from Egypt, with Elijah when he ran away from Jezebel,
with Peter when he denied his Lord.
But these lamentations of David are also to be construed spiritually:
they are to be regarded as those harrowing exercises of soul through
which he passed in his later years: Psalms 32 and 51 cast light upon
them. "The sorrows (cords) of Hell compassed me about; the snares of
death anticipated me": such was the anguish of his soul under the
lashings of a guilty conscience. "The temptations of Satan and the
consciousness of his sins filled him with fears of wrath and dreadful
apprehensions of future consequences. He felt like a malefactor bound
for execution, whose fetters prevent him from attempting an escape,
for whose body the grave hath certainly opened her mouth, and who is
horribly alarmed lest the pit of bell should swallow up his soul"
(Thomas Scott). Fearful beyond words is the suffering through which
many a backslider has to pass ere he is restored to fellowship with
God--one who has experienced it will not deem the language of these
verses any too strong.
But there is something deeper here than the trials David encountered
either from without or within: in their ultimate sense these verses
articulate the groanings of the Man of sorrows as He took upon Him the
obligations and suffered in the stead of His people. As we pointed out
in our last, two of the verses of this song are quoted in the New
Testament as being the very words of Christ Himself: "In Him will I
trust" (v. 3) is found in Hebrews 2:13, and "I will give thanks unto
Thee O Lord, among the heathen (Gentiles), and I will sing praises
unto Thy name" (v. 50) is found in Romans 15:9. "The Messiah our
Saviour is evidently, over and beyond David or any other believer, the
main and chief subject of this Song; and while studying it we have
grown more and more sure that every line has its deeper and profounder
fulfillment in Him" (C. H. Spurgeon). Let this be kept before us as we
pass from section to section, and from verse to verse.
"When the waves (pangs) of death compassed Me, the floods of ungodly
men made Me afraid; the sorrows (cords) of hell compassed Me about;
the snares of death prevented (anticipated) Me." Here was the Spirit
of Christ speaking prophetically through the Psalmist, expressing the
fierce conflict through which the Redeemer passed. Behold Him in
Gethsemane, in the judgment-halls of Herod and Pilate, and then behold
Him on the Cross itself, suffering horrible torments of body and
anguish of soul, when He was delivered into the hands of wicked men,
encountered the fierce assaults of Satan, and endured the wrath of God
against Him for our sins. It was then that He was surrounded by the
insulting priests and people. His "My soul is exceeding sorrowful,
even unto death" (Matthew 26:38) was but an echo of these words of 's
song.
"In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God: and He
did hear my voice out of His temple, and my cry did enter into His
ears" (v. 7). Here we behold God's suffering servant making earnest
supplication to heaven. The one so sorely pressed by his enemies that
the eye of sense could perceive not a single avenue of escape, yea,
when death itself immediately threatened him, seeks relief from above,
and so it should be with us: "Is any among you afflicted? let him
pray" (James 5:13). Ah, it is then he is most likely to really pray:
cold and formal petitions do not suit one who is in deep trouble--alas
that so often nothing short of painful trial will force fervent
supplications from us. An old writer expressed it, "Prayer is not
eloquence, but earnestness; not the definition of earnestness, but the
feeling of it; it is the cry of faith in the ear of mercy": yet either
pangs of body or of soul are usually needed before we will cry out in
reality.
"In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God: and He
did hear my voice out of His temple, and my cry did enter into His
ears" (v. 7). So many neglect prayer when they are quiet and at ease,
but as the Lord declares, "In their affliction they will seek Me
early" (Hosea 5:15). Yet it is well if we do seek unto God in our
affliction, instead of sulking in rebellion, which is to forsake our
own mercy. The Lord is a very present help in trouble, and it is our
holy privilege to prove this for ourselves. The Hebrew word for
"cried" here is an expressive one, signifying such a cry as issues
from one in a violent tempest of emotion, in the extremity of grief
and anxiety: in fact Alexander Maclaren renders it "shriek." David was
all but sinking and could only give vent to an agonized call or help.
"Prayer is that postern gate which is left open even when the city is
straightly besieged by the enemy: it is that way upward from the pit
of despair to which the spiritual miner flies at once, when the floods
from beneath break forth upon him. Observe that he `calls,' and then
`cries'; prayer grows in vehemence as it proceeds. Note also that he
first invokes his God under the name of Jehovah, and then advances to
a more familiar name, `my God': thus faith increases by exercise, and
he whom we at first viewed as Lord is soon seen to be our God in
covenant. It is never an ill time to pray: no distress should prevent
us from using the divine remedy of supplication" (C. H. Spurgeon).
"In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God." The
fulfillment of these prophetic words in the case of out suffering
Redeemer is well known to all who are acquainted with the four
Gospels. Blessed indeed is it to behold that One, who was supremely
the Man after God's own heart, betaking Himself to prayer while His
enemies were thirsting for His blood. The deeper His distress, the
more earnestly did He call upon God, both in Gethsemane and at
Calvary, and as Hebrews 5:7 tells us, "Who in the days of His flesh,
when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying
and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death, and was heard
in that He feared." Let us not hesitate, then, to follow the example
which He has left us, and no matter how hardly we are pressed, how
desperate be
"And he did hear my voice out of His temple, and my cry did enter into
His ears." This is in explanation of all that follows: the gracious
interpositions of the Lord on David's behalf and the wondrous
deliverances He wrought for him, were in answer to prayer. God's
lending a willing ear to the cry of His distressed child is recorded
for our encouragement. It is indeed deplorable that we are often so
prayerless until pressure of circumstances force supplication out of
us, yet it is blessed to be assured that God does not then (as well He
might) turn a deaf ear unto our calls; nay, such calls have the
greater prevalency, because of their sincerity and because they make a
more powerful appeal unto the divine pity. Let the fearing and
despondent believer read through Psalm 107 and mark how frequently it
is recorded that the redeemed "cry unto the Lord in their trouble,"
and how that in each instance we are told "He delivered them" Then do
you cry unto Him, and be of good courage.
"Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved
and shook, because He was wroth" (v. 8). David's prayer was answered
in a most effectual manner by the providential interpositions which
Jehovah made on his behalf. In a most singular and extraordinary way
the Lord appeared for his relief, fighting for him against his
enemies. Here again David adorned his poem with lively images as he
recorded God's gracious intervention. The mighty power of God was now
exercised for him: such language being employed as to intimate that
nothing can resist or impede Him when He acts for His own. God was now
showing Himself to be strong on behalf of His oppressed but
supplicating servant. See here, dear reader, the response of heaven to
the cry of faith. "Then the earth shook and trembled": let these words
be pondered in the light of "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed . .
. and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations
of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened,
and every one's bands were loosed" (Acts 16:25,26)!
Again we would remind the reader that a greater than David is to be
kept before us as we pass from verse to verse of this Psalm. "Then the
earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook,
because He was wroth:" who can fail to be reminded of the supernatural
phenomena which attended the death and resurrection of David's Son and
Lord? He too had called upon Jehovah in His deep distress, "And was
heard" (Heb. 5:7). Unmistakable was heaven's response: "from the sixth
hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour . . .
Jesus, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the
ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the
top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; and
the graves were opened" (Matthew 27:45, 50-52). Yes, the earth
literally "shook and trembled"! As another has rightly said,
"Tremendous was the scene! Never before and never since was such a
battle fought, or such a victory gained, whether we look at the
contending powers or the consequences resulting Heaven on the one
side, and hell on the other: such were the contending powers. And as
to the consequences resulting, who shall recount them?"
"There went up a smoke out of His nostrils, and fire out of His mouth
devoured: coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and
came down; and darkness was under His feet" (vv. 9, 10). These
expressions are borrowed from the awe-inspiring phenomena which
attended the appearing of Jehovah upon mount Sinai: compare Exodus
19:16-18. It was Jehovah the Avenger appearing to vindicate His
servant and vanquish his enemies. David considered that in his case
the Lord God manifested the same divine perfections which He had
displayed of old at the giving of the Law. We cannot do better here
than quote from Matthew Henry's comments on the spiritual significance
of the vivid imagery which was here employed by the Psalmist.
"These lofty metaphors are used. First, to set forth the glory of God,
which was manifested in his deliverance: His wisdom and power, His
goodness and faithfulness, His justice and holiness, and His sovereign
dominion over all the creatures and all the counsels of men, which
appeared in favour of David, were as clear and bright a discovery of
God's glory to an eye of faith, as those would have been to an eye of
sense. Second, to set forth God's displeasure against his enemies: God
so espoused his cause, that he showed Himself an Enemy to all his
enemies; His anger is set forth by a smoke out of His nostrils, and
fire out of His mouth. Who knows the power and terror of His wrath!
Third, to set forth the vast confusion which his enemies were put into
and the consternation that seized them; as if the earth had trembled
and the foundations of the world had been discovered. Who can stand
before God, when He is angry? Fourth, to show how ready God was to
help him: He `rode upon a cherub, and did fly' (v.11). God hastened to
his succour, and came in to him with seasonable relief."
"And He rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and He was seen upon the
wings of the wind" (v. 11). Though the Lord "wait that He may be
gracious" (Isa. 30:18), and sometimes sorely tries faith and patience,
yet when His appointed time comes, He acts swiftly. "And He made
darkness pavilions round about Him, dark waters and thick clouds of
the skies" (v. 12): just as that pillar of fire which gave light to
Israel was "a cloud and darkness" to the Egyptians (Ex. 14:20), so
were the providential dealings of the Lord unto the enemies of David.
The One who is pleased to reveal Himself unto His own, conceals
Himself from the wicked, and hence the fearful portion of those who
shall be everlastingly banished from the presence of the Lord is
represented as "the blackness of darkness forever."
"Through the brightness before Him were coals of fire kindled. The
Lord thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered His voice. And
He sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning, and discomfited
them. And the channels of the sea appeared, the foundations of the
world were discovered, at the rebuking of the Lord, at the blast of
the breath of His nostrils"(vv. 13-16). All of this is an
amplification of "because He was wroth" (v. 8). Nothing so arouses
Jehovah's indignation as injuries done to His people: he who attacks
them, touches the apple of His eye. True, God is not subject to those
passions which govern His creatures, yet because He hates sin with a
perfect hatred and sorely punishes it, He is often represented under
such poetic imagery as is suited to human understanding. God is a God
to be feared, as those who now trifle with Him shall yet discover. How
shall puny men be able to face it out with the Almighty, when the very
mountains tremble at His presence! Satan-deluded souls may now defy
Him, but their false confidence will not support or shelter them in
the dread day of His wrath.
"He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters; He
delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me: for
they were too strong for me" (vv. 17, 18). Here is the happy issue to
David's prayer and the Lord's response. Observe, first, that David
gives God the glory by unreservedly ascribing his deliverance unto Him
He looked far above his own skill in slinging the stone which downed
Goliath and his cleverness in eluding Saul: "He sent . . . He took me,
He drew me . . . He delivered me" gives all the honor unto Him to whom
it was truly due. Note, second, the particular reason mentioned by
David as to why the Lord had intervened on his behalf: "for they were
too strong for me"--it was his confessed weakness and the strength of
his foes that made such a powerful appeal to God's pity: compare the
effectual plea of Jehoshaphat: "O our God, wilt Thou not judge them?
for we have no might against this great company that cometh against
us" (2 Chron. 20:12). Finally, while the "strong enemy" of verse 18 is
an allusion to either Goliath or Saul, yet David's deliverance from
them but prefigured Christ's victory over death and Satan, and here He
ascribed that victory unto His God.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER EIGHTY-TWO
His Sacred Song
(Continued)
2 Samuel 22
_________________________________________________________________
The second section of David's song glides so smoothly into the third
that there is scarcely a perceptible break between them: in the one he
recounts the Lord's gracious deliverances of him his numerous and
relentless enemies; in the other he states the reasons why He had
intervened on his behalf. A Few more words now on the closing verses
of the former: "He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many
waters; He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated
me: For they were too strong for me" (2 Sam. 22:17,18). Here he Freely
ascribes unto God the glory of his deliverances: extolling His
goodness, power, faithfulness, and sufficiency. If God be for us, it
matters not who be against us. Torrents of evil shall not drown the
one whose God sitteth upon the floods to restrain their Fury. He has
but to speak and the winds are calmed, the downpour ceases, and the
floods subside; true alike physically and morally.
"They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my
stay" (v. 19). This is a parenthetical statement between verses 18 and
20, wherein the writer refers to the determined efforts of his foes to
prevent his escape and insure his destruction. "When David had framed
any plan for secreting or securing himself in the day of his calamity,
his enemies employed every method of treachery and malice to prevent
his success. Thus the men of Keilah were ready to deliver him to Saul
(1 Sam. 23:7-12) and the Ziphites repeatedly informed of him (1 Sam.
26:1, 2): and therefore, notwithstanding his own prudence and
activity, he must have been cut off if the Lord Himself had not
protected him by His own immediate and extraordinary interpositions"
(Thomas Scott). "But (blessed "but!") the Lord was my stay": his
support, the One on whom he rested--nor was his confidence
disappointed. When the enemy rages most fiercely against us, then is
the time to lean most heavily upon the everlasting arms.
"He brought me forth also into a large place: He delivered me, because
He delighted in me" (v. 20). It is here that the third division of
this inspired song really begins, the main purpose of which is to
vindicate David, by showing that he had done nothing to provoke or
deserve the fierce attacks which had been made upon him; and to affirm
that God had acted in righteousness in Favoring him with deliverance.
But before taking up this leading thought, let us observe and admire
the ways of the Lord. God does not leave His work half done, for after
He has defeated the foe, He leads the captive out into liberty. After
pining for years in the prison, Joseph was advanced to the palace;
from the cave of Adullam, David was elevated to the throne. This
illustrates and exemplifies a most important and blessed principle in
the dealings of God with His people, and when laid hold of by faith
and hope it
The prison ever precedes the palace in true spiritual experience, not
only at our first awakening, but repeatedly throughout the Christian
life. The soul is shut up in confinement, before it is brought forth
"into a large place." The spirit of bondage is experienced before we
receive the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry "Abba, Father" (Rom.
8:15). Our frail craft is made to battle long against the angry waves,
before the Lord appears for our relief (Matthew 14:22-33). Bear this
steadily in mind, dear reader, while you are passing through the day
of calamity: "Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath
begun a good work in you, will complete it . . ." (Phil. 1:6).
Enlargement of spirit will be the more appreciated after a season of
sorrowful confinement. Remember, then, that Joseph did not die in
prison, nor did David end his days in the cave of Adullam: "Weeping
may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." Sometimes we
are granted a foretaste of that joy even in this vale of tears; but
even if we are not, all weeping shall end when the night is over.
Once again we would remind ourselves that the antitypical David must
be kept before us as we pass from verse to verse of this song, for the
experiences of the members is identical with those which were endured
by the Head of the mystical Body. Christ too could say, "They
prevented Me in the day of My calamity: but the Lord was My stay" (v.
19). Never forget that the Redeemer Himself passed through a day of
calamity: why, then, should the redeemed think it a strange thing if
they too encounter the same? He was beset by merciless foes: His
liberty was taken away when they arrested Him: He was buffeted and
scourged--sufficient, then, for the disciple to be as his Master. O
that we also may be able to say with Him "but the Lord was My stay."
Yes, He too could say, "He brought Me forth also into a large place:
He delivered Me, because He delighted in Me." Yes, He was delivered
from the grave, removed from this earth, and given the position of
honour and glory at God's right hand; and this, because God delighted
in Him: Isaiah 42:1.
Nevertheless, it is a great mistake to confine our attention, as some
have done, to the antitypical David in this passage. For example, in
his comments upon this portion of David's song, C. H. M. said, "These
verses (21-25) prove that in this entire song, we have a greater than
David. David could not say `The Lord rewarded me according to my
righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands did He
recompense me.' How different is this language from that of Psalm 51.
There it is `Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy
lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies.'
This was suitable language for a fallen sinner, as David felt himself
to be. He dare not speak of his righteousness, which was as filthy
rags; and as to his recompense, he felt that the Lake of Fire was all
that he could in justice claim upon the ground of what he was. Hence,
therefore, the language of our chapter is the language of Christ, who
alone could use it" (The Life and Times of David, King of Israel).
Such confusion of thought is really inexcusable in one who posed as a
teacher of preachers, and who was so fond of criticizing and
condemning the expositions of servants of God which issued from
pulpits in what he dubbed the "sects" and "systems" of Christendom.
One might just as well affirm that "I have fought a good fight, I have
finished my course, I have kept the Faith" (2 Tim. 4:7) is "the
language of Christ, who alone could use it." And then add "how
different is the language of Paul in Philippians 3," "What things were
gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I
count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of
Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things,
and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ. and be found in
Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that
which is through the faith of Christ" (vv. 7-9). The simple fact is
that the apostle was speaking from two radically different viewpoints
in those respective passages: in Philippians 3 he defines the ground
of his acceptance before God, whereas in 2 Timothy 4 he refers to his
ministerial fidelity. It was thus with David: in Psalm 51 he states
the basis on which he sought God's forgiveness; in 2 Samuel 22:21-25
he relates his innocence in connection with his enemies.
We hardly expect one who belonged to the religious school that Mr.
Mackintosh did, to be capable of drawing theological distinctions, but
we are surprised to find such an able exegete as Alexander Maclaren
erring on this same point. He too failed to grasp the Psalmist's scope
or object in the passage which we are now considering, as is clear
from his remarks thereon in his otherwise helpful work on "The Life of
David as reflected in his Psalms." It was his mistaking of the purport
of these verses (20-25--repeated in substance in Psalm 18:19-24) which
caused him to argue that this song (and Psalm) must have been written
before his awful sin in connection with Uriah: "The marked assertion
of his own purity, as well as the triumphant tone of the whole,
neither of which characteristics correspond to the sad and shaded
years after his fall, point in the same direction" (p. 154).
"He brought me forth also into a large place: He delivered me, because
He delighted in me." The "large place" is in designed contrast from
the cramped confinement of the eaves in which David had been obliged
to dwell when his enemies were so hotly pursuing him: it may also
refer to the vast extent of his dominions and the great riches he was
blest with. God not only preserved, but prospered him, granting him
liberty and enlargement. The Lord not only displayed His power on
behalf of His servant, but also manifested His particular favor toward
him: this is intimated in "He delivered me, because He delighted in
me," which signifies that God acted not from His general providence,
but from His covenant love. Should it be asked, How would David know
this? The answer is, by the communications of divine grace and comfort
in his soul which accompanied the deliverances, and by the
"The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the
cleanness of my hands hath He recompensed me" (v. 21). It seems
strange that these words have perplexed anyone with a spiritual mind,
for if they be not strained beyond their original and obvious
intention, there is nothing in them to occasion any difficulty. Let
them be read in the light of their context, and they are plain and
simple. David was alluding to God's delivering of him from Goliath and
Saul, and from others of his foes: what had been his conduct toward
them? Had he committed any serious crimes which warranted their
hostility? Had he grievously wronged any of them? Had they justly or
unjustly sought his life? His own brother preferred a charge against
him (1 Sam. 17:28) just before he engaged Goliath, and from several of
the Psalms there seems to be good ground for concluding that Saul
accused him of pride, covetousness and treachery. But what real basis
was there for such? Read the record of David's life, and where is
there a hint that he coveted the throne or hated Saul?
No, the fact of the matter is that David was entirely innocent of any
evil designs against any of those who persecuted him. Further proof of
this is found in one of his prayers to God: "Let not them that are
mine enemies wrong fully rejoice over me, neither let them wink with
the eye that hate me without a cause (Ps. 35:19). It was because he
had neither given his enemies just cause for their persecution, and
because so far from retaliating, he had borne them no malice, that he
enjoyed the testimony of a good conscience. David's character had been
grievously maligned and many hideous things laid to his charge; but
his conduct had been upright and conscientious to an uncommon degree.
"In all his persecutions by Saul, he would not injure him or his
party; nay, he employed every opportunity to serve the cause of
Israel, though rewarded by envy, treachery and ingratitude" (Thomas
Scott). When maligned and oppressed by men, it is an inestimable
consolation to have the assurance of our own hearts of our innocence
and integrity, and therefore we should spare no pains in exercising
ourselves "to have always a conscience void of offence toward God and
men" (Acts 24:14).
In saying "The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness" David
enunciated one of the principles operative in the divine government of
this world. "Albeit that the dispensations of divine grace are to the
fullest degree sovereign and irrespective of human merit, yet in the
dealings of Providence there is often discernible a rule of justice by
which the injured are at length avenged and the righteous ultimately
delivered" (C. H. Spurgeon). That statement manifests an intelligent
grasp of the viewpoint from which David was writing, namely, the
governmental ways of God in time, and not the ground upon which He
saves eternally. These declarations of the Psalmist had nothing
whatever to do with his justification in the high court of heaven, but
concerned the innocency and integrity of his conduct toward his
enemies on earth, because of which God delivered him from them.
"For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not departed from my
God" (v. 22). We regard David as continuing to refer unto how he had
conducted himself during the time that his life had been in danger.
Certainly his language here is not to be taken absolutely, nor even as
a relative declaration upon his life as a whole. Notwithstanding the
provocations he received from Saul, and later from Absalom, and
notwithstanding the efforts which we doubt not Satan made at such
seasons to make him question God's goodness and faithfulness, tempting
him to cast off allegiance to Him, David persevered in the paths of
righteousness and refused to apostatize. The Psalms written by him at
these trying periods of his life make it unmistakably clear that
David's piety waned not, despite the most aggravating circumstances.
"For all His judgments were before me: and as for His statutes, I did
not depart from them" (v. 23). "His conscience witnessed to him that
he had ever made the Word of God his rule, and had kept to it.
Wherever he was, God's judgments were before him, and his guide;
whithersoever he went, he took his religion along with him; and though
he was forced to depart from his country, and sent, as it were, to
serve other gods, yet, as for God's statutes, he did not depart from
them, but kept the way of the Lord and walked in it" (Matthew Henry).
This was sure evidence of the genuineness of his piety. It is
comparatively easy to discharge the external duties of religion while
we are at home, surrounded by those likeminded, but the real test of
our sincerity comes when we go abroad and sojourn among a people who
make no profession. David not only worshiped God while he abode at
Jerusalem, but also while he tarried in the land of the Philistines.
"I was also upright before Him, and have kept myself from mine
iniquity" (v. 24). This declaration manifestly clinches the
interpretation we have made of the preceding verses: in them he had
referred solely to his conduct unto his enemies which conduct has been
strictly regulated by the divine statutes: particularly had he heeded
"thou shalt not kill" when Saul was entirely at his mercy. Now he
appeals to God Himself, and declares that in His sight too he had
acted blamelessly toward his foes. "Sincerity is here claimed;
sincerity, such as would be accounted genuine before the bar of God.
Whatever evil men might think of him, David felt that he had the good
opinion of God" (C. H. Spurgeon). Various explanations have been given
of "mine iniquity"; but in the light of the context, we regard the
reference as king to David's refusal to slay Saul when in his power.
"Therefore the Lord hath recompensed me according to my righteousness;
according to my cleanness in His eyesight" (v. 25). They greatly err
who suppose that David here gave vent to a boastful spirit: he was
pleading his innocency before the bar of human equity. A man is not
guilty of pride in knowing that he is truthful, honest, merciful; no,
nor when he believes that God rewards him in providence because of
these virtues, for such is a most evident matter of fact. Yea, so
patent is this, that many of the ungodly recognize that honesty is the
best policy for this life. It would he self-righteousness to transfer
such thoughts from the realm of providential government into the
spiritual and everlasting kingdom, for there grace reigns not only
supreme, but alone, in the distribution of divine favors. A godly man
with a clear conscience, who knows himself to be upright, is not
required to deny his consciousness, and hypocritically make himself
out to be worse than he is.
Having shown how the above verses may be understood, relatively, of
David himself, let us briefly point out how they applied to Christ
without any qualification. "I have kept the ways of the Lord": when
tempted to forsake them, He indignantly cried, "get thee hence,
Satan." "And have not wickedly departed from My God": "Which of you
convinceth Me of sin?" (John 8:46) was His challenge to His enemies.
"For all His judgments were before Me": "I have given unto them the
words which Thou gavest Me" (John 17:8) He affirmed. "I was also
upright before Him": "I do always those things that please Him" (John
8:29) was His declaration. "And have kept Myself from Mine iniquity":
so far from slaying those who come to arrest, He healed one of them
(Luke 22:51). "Therefore the Lord hath recompensed Me according to My
righteousness": "Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness:
therefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness
above Thy fellows" (Ps. 45:7) is the Spirit's confirmation.
"With the merciful Thou wilt show Thyself merciful, and with the
upright man Thou wilt show Thyself upright But Thine eyes are upon the
haughty, that Thou mayest bring them down" (vv. 26-28). These verses
announced a general principle in God's government of this world: we
say "general," for God exercises His sovereign discretion in the
actual application of it. If on the one hand we are told that some of
the Old Testament heroes of faith "quenched the violence of fire,
escaped the edge of the sword," etc., yet we also read "others had
trial of cruel mockings . . . were stoned," etc. (Heb. 11:36-37). The
Baptist was beheaded and Stephen stoned, yet Peter and Paul were
miraculously delivered from their enemies until they had served long
and well.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER EIGHTY-THREE
His Sacred Song
(Continued)
2 Samuel 22
_________________________________________________________________
In this song David is celebrating the wondrous deliverances from his
many enemies which he had experienced by the goodness and power of
Jehovah. But unless we carefully bear in mind his particular viewpoint
therein, we shall utterly fail to contemplate those experiences in
their proper perspective. David was not here furnishing an outline of
his entire history, but instead, confines himself to one particular
phase thereof. Because they lay outside his present scope, he says
nothing about his own sad failures and falls, rather does he restrict
himself to what the Lord had wrought for and by him. There are
passages, many of them, both in the historical books, and in the
Psalms, wherein we hear him confessing his sins and bewailing his
transgressions; but in this song he recounts his victories over and
vanquishing of his foes, not by his own prowess, but by divine
enablement.
In what has just been pointed out there is a most important lesson for
the believer to take to heart. If there be times (as there certainly
are) when the Christian may feelingly appropriate to his own use the
mournful language of Psalm 38 and the abasing confessions of Psalm 51,
it is equally true that there are times when he should employ the
triumphant tones of Psalm 18, which is almost identical with 2 Samuel
22. In other words, if there be occasions when the saint can only sigh
and groan, there are also seasons when he should sing and celebrate
his triumphs, for David has left us an example of the one as truly as
he has of the other. Nor should such singing be limited to the days of
our "first love," the joy of our espousal. This song was composed by
David in his declining years: as he reviewed his checkered career,
despite his own failings and falls, he perceived how, after all, he
was "more than conqueror through Him that loved him" (Rom. 8:37).
If on the one hand there be a large class of Satan-deceived professors
who are fond of trumpeting forth their own achievements and of
advertising their fancied victories over sin, there is on the other
hand a considerable proportion of the Lord's people who are so
occupied with their downfalls and defeats, that they are sadly remiss
in recounting the Lord's triumphs in them and by them. This ought not
to be: it is robbing the Lord of that which is His due; it is a
morbidity which causes them to lose all sense of proportion; it
conveys to others an erroneous conception of the Christian life. It is
a false humility which shuts our eyes to the workings of divine grace
within us. It is the presence and exercise of a true humility that
takes notice of our successes and conquests so long as it is careful
to lay all the trophies of them at the Lord's feet, and ascribe to Him
alone the honor and glory of the same.
Let those who are engaged in fighting the good fight of faith remember
that this is not the work of a day, but the task of a lifetime. Now in
a protracted war success does not uniformly attend the efforts of that
side which is ultimately victorious. Far from it. It usually falls out
that many a minor skirmish is lost; yea, and sometimes a major one
too, before the issue is finally determined. At times, even the main
army may have to fall back before the fierce onslaughts of the enemy.
There are severe losses, and disappointments, heavy sacrifices, the
receiving of many wounds, before success is ultimately achieved. Why
do we forget these well known facts when it comes to our spiritual
warfare? They apply with equal force thereto. Even under the inspired
leadership of Joshua, Israel did not conquer and capture Canaan in a
day, nor in a year; nor without drinking the bitters of defeat as well
as tasting the sweets of victory.
We are well aware that one of the principal hindrances against our
rendering to God the praise which is His due, for the victories He has
given us over our enemies, is a sense of present defeat. But if we are
to wait till that be removed, we shall have to wait till we reach
heaven before we sing this song, and obviously that is wrong, for it
is recorded for us to use here on earth. Ah, says the desponding
reader: others may use it, but it is not suitable to such a sorry
failure as I am; it would be a mockery for me to praise God for my
triumphs over the enemy. Not so fast, dear friend: ponder these
questions. Are you not still out of hell?--many of your former
companions are not! Though perhaps tempted to do so, has Satan
succeeded in causing you to totally apostatize from God?--he has many
others! Have you been deceived and carried away by fatal
errors?--millions have! Then what cause have you to thank God for such
deliverances!
As the believer carefully reviews the whole of his career, while on
the one hand he finds much to be humbled at in himself, yet on the
other hand he discerns not a little to be elated over in the Lord.
Thus it was with David. Though there had been tragic failures, there
were also blessed successes, and it was these he celebrated in this
song. After affirming that God had acted righteously in favoring him
as He had (vv. 20-28), the purely personal tone is again resumed and
he bursts forth into joyful strains of praise. The leading difference
between the second half of this song from its first is easily
ascertained by attention to its details: in the former David dwells on
God's delivering him from his enemies (see vv. 3-17), in the latter
half he recounts his victories over his enemies: in each the glory is
ascribed alone to Jehovah. In the first David was passive--God's arm
alone was his deliverance; in the second he is active, the conquering
king, whose arm is strengthened for victory by God.
"For Thou art my lamp, O Lord: and the Lord will lighten my darkness"
(2 Sam. 22:29). This is the verse which links together the two halves
of the song. At first sight the force of its connection is not too
apparent, yet a little reflection will ascertain its general bearing.
David's path had been both a difficult and a dangerous one. At times
it was so intricate and perplexing, he had been quite unable to see
whither it was leading. More than once the shadows had been so dark
that he had been quite at a loss to discern what lay ahead. Once and
again there had been much which tended to cast a heavy gloom upon
David's soul, but the Lord had graciously relieved the tension,
supplying cheer in the blackest hour. It is to be remembered that with
the Orientals the "lamp" is used for comfort as much as for
illumination--many of them will stint themselves of food in order to
buy oil; which helps us to understand the figure here used.
"For Thou art my lamp, O Lord." This is the grand recourse of the
believer in seasons of trial: he can turn unto One to whom the poor
worldling is a total stranger; nor will he turn to Him in vain, for
God is "a very present help in trouble." It is then that the oppressed
and depressed saint proves Him to be "the Father of mercies and the
God of all comfort" (2 Cor. 1:3). Though his night be not turned into
day, yet the welcome radiance of God's countenance affords such cheer
as to sustain the trembling heart in the loneliest and saddest hour.
In the cave of Adullam, in the hold of Rephaim, in the fastnesses of
Mahanaim, the Lord had been his solace and support; and now that old
age drew near, David could bear witness "Thou art my lamp, O Lord."
And is not this the testimony of both writer and
"And the Lord will lighten my darkness." This was the language of
faith and hope: He who had so often done this for David in the past,
would not fail him in the future. No matter how dense the gloom would
be, there should be a break in the clouds. That which is
incomprehensible to the natural man is often made intelligible to the
spiritual. That loss of health, financial disaster, or family
bereavement: yes, but "the secret of the Lord is with them that fear
Him." Divine providence is often a mysterious deep, but God is his own
interpreter, and He will make plain what before was obscure.
Particularly is this the case with the believer's being plagued so
fiercely and so frequently by his enemies. Why should his peace be so
rudely disturbed, his joy dampened, his hopes shattered? Why should
the conflict so often go against him and humiliating defeat be his
portion? Here too we can confidently affirm "the Lord will lighten my
darkness": if not now, in the hereafter.
"For by Thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over
a wall" (v. 30). Occurring as they do in the second half of this
Psalm, we do not (as some) regard these words as referring to David's
escapes from his enemies, but to his vanquishing of them. It was not
that he was almost surrounded by hostile forces and then managed to
find a loophole, or that he was driven into some stockade and then
climbed over it; rather that he successfully attacked them. Instead of
picturing the difficulties from which David extricated himself, we
consider this verse portrays his foes as occupying two different
positions: in the open field, sheltering behind some battlement; and
his prevailing over them in each case. The leading thought seems to be
that the Christian warrior must expect to have a taste of every form
of fighting, for at times he is required to take the offensive, as
well as the defensive. A "troop" of difficulties may impede his
progress, a "wall" of opposition obstruct his success: by divine
enablement he is to master both.
"As for God, His way is perfect" (v. 31). What a glorious testimony
was this from one who had been so severely tried by His adverse
providences! Severely as he had been buffeted, rough as was the path
he often had to tread, David had not a word of criticism to make
against God for the way He had dealt with him; so far from it, he
vindicated and magnified Him. What a resting-place it is for the heart
to be assured that all the divine actions are regulated by unerring
wisdom and righteousness, infinite goodness and patience, inflexible
justice and tender mercy. "The Word of the Lord is tried" like silver
refined in the furnace. Tens of thousands of His people have, in all
ages and circumstances, tested and proved the sufficiency of God's
Word for themselves: they have found its doctrine satisfying to the
soul, its precepts to be their best interests to follow, its promises
absolutely reliable. "He is a buckler to all them that trust in Him"
(v. 31): the covenant-keeping Jehovah is a sure Shield of protection
to His warring people.
"For who is God, save the Lord? and who is a rock, save our God?" (v.
32). There is none to be compared with Him, for there is none like
unto Him: all others worshiped as deities are but counterfeits and
pretenders. "Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the gods? who is
like Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?"
(Ex. 15:11). Who else save the living and true God creates, sustains,
and governs all creatures? He is perfect in every attribute, excellent
in every action. The opening "for" may be connected both with verse 30
and verse 31: "by my God have I leaped over a wall," for there is none
else enables like Him; "He is a buckler to all that trust in Him," for
He, and He alone, is reliable. Where can lasting hopes be fixed? Where
is real strength to be found? Where is refuge to be obtained? In the
Rock of Ages, for He is immovable and immutable, steadfast and strong.
"God is my strength and power: and He maketh my way perfect" (v. 33).
by Him David had been energized and enabled, upheld and preserved,
both as a pilgrim and as a warrior. How often the Christian soldier
has grown weary and faint, when fresh vigor was imparted:
"strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man." How often
the task before us seemed impossible, the difficulties insurmountable,
when such might was ours that we mounted up with wings as eagles and
ran and were not weary. Nor can we take any credit for this to
ourselves: God Himself is our strength and power, both physically and
spiritually. "He maketh my way perfect," by which we understood David
to mean that his course had been successful. There is a real sense in
which each believer may make these words his own: because his steps
are ordered by the Lord and because his path shineth more and more
unto the "perfect day."
"He maketh my feet like hinds' feet; and setteth me upon my high
places" (v. 34). "As hinds climb the craggy rocks and stand firm upon
the slippery summit of the precipice, so David had been upheld in the
most slippery paths and advanced to his present elevated station by
the providence and grace of God" (Thomas Scott). The feet of certain
animals are specially designed and adapted to tricky and treacherous
ground. A threefold line of thought is suggested by the figure of this
verse. First, God fits the believer for the position which He has
appointed him to occupy, no matter how honorable and hazardous.
Second, God furnishes him with alacrity and agility when the King's
business requireth haste, for speed as well as sureness of foot
characterizes the hind. Third, God protects and secures him in the
most dangerous places: "He will keep the feet of His saints" (1 Sam.
2:9).
"He teacheth my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by mine
arms" (v. 35). Whatever skill he possessed in the use of weapons,
David, gratefully ascribed it unto divine instruction. The general
principle here is of wide application: the artisan, the musician, the
housewife, should thankfully acknowledge that it is God who has
imparted dexterity to his or her fingers. In its higher significance
this verse has reference to divine wisdom being imparted to the
Christian warrior in the use of the armor which grace has provided for
him. As it is in the natural, so it is in the spiritual: weapons,
whether the offensive or defensive ones, are of little avail to us
till we know how to employ them to advantage. "Take unto you the whole
armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day" (Eph.
6:13) not only means appropriate to yourself the panoply which God
furnished, but also look to Him for guidance and help in the use of
the same. The second half of our verse seems to indicate that David,
like Samson, was at times endued with more than ordinary strength.
"Thou hast also given me the shield of Thy salvation" (v. 36). Here we
find David looking higher than the material and temporal blessings
which God had so freely granted him, to those special favors reserved
for His own elect. There are common gifts of Providence bestowed upon
the wicked and the righteous alike, but there are riches of grace
communicated only to the high favorites of heaven, that infinitely
surpass the former. What are bodily deliverances worth if the soul be
left to perish! What does protection from human foes amount to, if the
devil be permitted to bring about our eternal destruction! David was
not only granted the former, but the latter also. Here is a plain hint
that we should seek after the higher meaning throughout this song and
interpret spiritually. Let it be noted that this is not the only place
in it where God's "salvation" is referred to: see verses 47, 51.
"And Thy gentleness hath made me great" (v. 36). The Hebrew word which
is here rendered "gentleness," is one or considerable latitude and has
been variously translated. The Septuagint has "Thy discipline," or
Fatherly chastening; another gives "Thy goodness," referring to the
benevolence of God's actions; still another, and more literally, "Thy
condescension." They all amount to much the same thing. This
acknowledgment of David's is blessed: so far was he from complaining
at the divine providences and charging God with having dealt with him
harshly, he extols God's perfections for the pains that bad been taken
with him. David owns that God had acted toward him like a tender
parent, tempering the rod with infinite patience; he affirmed that God
had graciously sanctified his afflictions to him. Though he had been
raised from the sheepcote to the throne and had become great in
prosperity and power, a successful conqueror and ruler, he fails not
to give God all the glory for it.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER EIGHTY-FOUR
His Sacred Song
(Continued)
2 Samuel 22
_________________________________________________________________
If we are now to complete our exposition of this song we must dispense
with our usual introductory remarks: we therefore proceed at once to
our next verse. "Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; so that my feet
did not slip" (2 Sam. 22:37). Here David praises the Lord because He
had not only preserved but prospered him too, blessing him with
liberty and expansion: compare verse 20. From the narrow mountain pass
and the confinement of caves, he had been brought to the spacious
plains, and there too he had been sustained, for the latter has its
dangers as well as the former: "It is no small mercy to be brought
into full Christian liberty and enlargement, but it is a greater
favour still to be enabled to walk worthily in such liberty, not being
permitted to slide with our feet" (C. H. Spurgeon). To stand firm in
the day of adversity is the result of grace upholding, and that aid is
no less needed by us in seasons of prosperity.
"I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them; and turned not again
until I had consumed them" (v. 38). David was here alluding to
occasions like that recorded in 1 Samuel 30: the Amalekites thought
themselves clear away with their booty (v. 2), but when David's God
guided him in pursuit, they were soon overtaken and cut in pieces (vv.
16-18). It is not sufficient that the believer stand his ground and
resist the onslaught of his Foes. There are times when he must assume
the offensive and "pursue" his enemies: yea, as a general principle it
holds good that attack is the best means of defense. Lusts are not
only to be starved, by making no provision For them, they are to be
"mortified" or put to death. God has provided the Christian warrior
with a sword as well as with a shield, and each is to be used in its
season. Observe that verse 38 follows verse 37: there must be an
enlargement and revival before we can be the aggressors and victors.
"And I have consumed them, and wounded them, that they could not
arise: yea, they are fallen under my feet" (v. 39). This calls
attention to the completeness of the victories which the Lord enabled
David to achieve. But does not this present a serious difficulty to
the exercised saint? How far, far short does his actual experience
come of this! So far from his enemies king consumed and under his
feet, he daily finds them gaining the ascendancy over him. True;
nevertheless, there is a real sense in which it is his holy privilege
to make these words his own: they are the language of faith, and not
of sense. The terms of this verse may be legitimately applied to the
judicial slaughter of our foes: we may exult over sin, death, and hell
having been destroyed by our conquering Lord! Forget not His precious
promise, "because I live, ye shall live also" (John 14:19): His
victory in the past, is the sure guarantee of our complete victory in
the future.
"For Thou hast girded me with strength to battle: them that rose up
against me hast Thou subdued under me" (v. 40). David had been both
vigorous and valiant, yet he takes no credit to himself for the same.
He freely acknowledges that it was God who had qualified him for his
warfare, who had given him ability therein, and who had crowned his
efforts with such success. Any measure of liberty from sin and Satan
which we enjoy, any enlargement of heart in God's service, our
preservation in the slippery paths of this enticing world, are cause
for thankfulness, and not ground for glorying in self. It is true that
we have to wrestle with our spiritual antagonists, hut the truth is
that the victory is far more the Lord's than ours. It has long been
the conviction of this writer, both from his own experience and the
close observation of many others, that the principal reason why the
Lord does not grant us a much larger measure of present triumph over
our spiritual foes, is because we are so prone to be self-righteous
over the same. Alas, how deceitful and wicked are our hearts.
"Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies, that I might
destroy them that hate me" (v. 41). There is no doubt that such will
be our peon of praise in heaven in a far fuller sense than ever it is
in this world. Do we not get more than a hint of this in Revelation
15:1-3, where we are told that "those that had gotten the victory over
the Beast," etc. sing "the song of Moses, the servant of God (see Ex.
15) and the song of the Lamb"? Meanwhile, it is our blessed privilege
to rest upon the divine promise: "The God of peace shall bruise Satan
under your Feet shortly" (Rom. 16:20). Rightly did Adams the Puritan
when commenting on this verse in our song, exhort his hearers "Though
passion possess our bodies, let patience possess our souls." In a
protracted warfare patience is just as essential as is valor or skill
to use our weapons. The promise of ultimate salvation is made only
unto those who "endure to the end." In due season we shall reap if we
faint not. The fight may be a long and arduous one, but the victor's
crown will be a grand recompense. Then look above the smoke and din of
battle to the Prince of Peace who waits to welcome thee on High.
"They looked, but there was none to save: even unto the Lord, but He
answered them not" (v. 42). The Companion Bible has pointed out that
there is here a play on words in the Hebrew which may be rendered thus
in English: They cried with fear, but none gave ear. They called both
to earth and heaven For help, but in vain, God heeded them not For
they were His enemies, and sought Him not through the Mediator; being
given up by Him, they fell an easy prey to David's righteous sword.
"Prayer is so notable a weapon that even the wicked will take to it in
their fits of despair. But men have appealed to God against His own
servants, but all in vain: the kingdom of heaven is not divided, and
God never succors His foes at the expense of His friends. There are
prayers to God which are no better than blasphemy, which bring no
comforting reply, but rather provoke the Lord unto greater wrath" (C.
H. Spurgeon).
"Then did I beat them as small as the dust of the earth, I did stamp
them as the mire of the street, and did spread them abroad" (v. 43).
Let not the connection between this and the preceding verse be
missed--emphasized by its opening "Then." It shows us how utterly
helpless are those who are abandoned by God, and how fearful is their
fate--compare the case of King Saul: 1 Samuel 28:6 and 30:3, 4! The
defeat of those nations which fought against David was so entire that
they were like powders pounded in the mortar. Thomas Scott saw in this
verse, and we think rightly so, a reference to "the inevitable
destruction which came upon the Jews for crucifying the Lord of glory
and rejecting the Gospel. They cried, and they still cry, to the Lord
to save them, but refusing to obey His beloved Son, He vouchsafes them
no answer." How accurately did the figures of this verse depict the
tragic history of the fetus: "dust" which is scattered by the wind to
all parts of the earth; "mire" that is contemptuously trampled
underfoot!
"Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my people, Thou
hast kept me to be head of the heathen: a people which I knew not
shall serve me" (v. 44). In the first clause David refers to the
intense strife which had so gravely threatened and menaced his
kingdom. There had been times when internal dissensions had been far
more serious and dangerous than anything which the surrounding nations
threatened; nevertheless God had graciously preserved His servants
from their malice and opposition. Thus it is with the Christian
warrior: though be opposed from without by both the world and the
devil, yet his greatest danger comes from within--his own corruptions
and lusts are continually seeking his overthrow. None but God can
grant him deliverance from his inward foes, but the sure promise is
"He which hath begun a good work in you will finish it" (Phil. 1:6).
The same principle holds true of the minister: his most acute problems
and trials issue not from without the pale of his church, but from its
own members and adherents; and it is a great mercy when God gives
peace within,
"Thou hast kept me to be head of the heathen: a people which I knew
not shall serve me." God's signal preservation of David intimated that
he was designed and reserved for an important and imposing position:
to rule over the twelve tribes of Israel, notwithstanding all the
opposition the Benjamites had made against him, and to be exalted over
heathen nations also: the decisive defeats of the Amalekites and
Philistines were regarded as the pledge of still more notable
triumphs. The practical lesson inculcated therein is one of great
importance: hereby we are taught that the unchanging Faithfulness of
God should encourage us to view all the blessings which we have
received at His hands in the past as the earnest of yet greater favors
in the future. God hath not preserved thee thus far, my faint-hearted
brother, to let thee flounder in the end. He who did sustain thee
through six trials declares "in seven there shall no evil touch thee"
(Job 5:19). Say, then, with the apostle, "Who hath delivered us from
so great a death, and doth deliver; in whom we trust that He will yet
deliver us" (2 Cor. 1:10).
"Strangers shall submit themselves unto me: as soon as they hear, they
shall be obedient unto me" (v. 45). It will be observed that in this
verse, as well as in the second half of the preceding one, our
translators have made a change of tense from the present to the
future. Opinions vary considerably as to where the last section of the
song really commences, in which memory passes into hope, in which the
successes of the past are regarded as the guarantee of still greater
triumphs in the future. God had been David's "buckler" (v. 31), his
"strength and power" (v. 33). His condescension had made him great (v.
36), He had given him the necks of his enemies (v. 41): from all of
which he draws the conclusion that God had still grander blessings in
store for him. There can be little room for doubt that in the verses
we are now pondering David was carried forward by the spirit of
prophecy unto this New Testament era, his own kingdom being the symbol
and portent of the spiritual reign of his Son and Lord.
The only matter on which there is any uncertainty is the precise point
in this song where the historical merges into the prophetical, for the
Hebrew verb does not, as in English, afford us any help here. As we
have seen, Thomas Scott considers that verse 43, at least, should be
included in this category. Alexander Maclaren suggested, "It is
perhaps best to follow many of the older versions, and the valuable
exposition of Hupfield, in regarding the whole section from verse 38
of our translation as the expression of the trust which past
experience had wrought." Personally, we consider that too radical: we
are on much safer ground if we take the course followed by the
American Version and regard verse 44 as the turning point, where it is
evident David was conscious that his kingdom was destined to be
extended further than the confines of Palestine: strange tribes were
to submit unto him and crouch before him in subjection.
Not only were the severe conflicts through which David passed and the
remarkable victories granted to him prefigurations of the experiences
of Christ, both in His sufferings and triumphs, but the further
enlargements which David expected and his being made head over the
heathen, foreshadowed the Redeemer's exaltation and the expansion of
His kingdom far beyond the bounds of Judaism. First, the antitypical
David had been delivered from the strivings of his Jewish people (v.
44), not by being preserved from death, but by being brought
triumphantly through it, for in all things He must have the
preeminence. Second, He had been made Head of the Church, which
comprised Gentiles as well as Jews. Third, those who had been
"strangers" (v. 45) to the commonwealth of Israel, submitted to the
sound of His voice through the Gospel and rendered to Him the
obedience of faith. Fourth, Paganism received its death-wound under
the labors of Paul, its pride being humbled into the dust: such we
take it is the prophetic allusion in v. 46.
"As soon as they hear, they shall be obedient unto Me" (v. 45). "In
many cases the Gospel is speedily received by hearts apparently
unprepared for it. Those who have never heard the Gospel before, have
been charmed by its first message, and yielded obedience to it; while
others, alas! who are accustomed to its joyful sound, are rather
hardened than softened by its teachings. The grace of God sometimes
runs like fire among the stubble, and a nation is born in a day. `Love
at first sight' is no uncommon thing when Jesus is the wooer. He can
write Caesar's message without boasting, `Veni, vidi, vici'; His
Gospel is in some cases no sooner heard than believed. What
inducements to spread abroad the doctrine of the Cross" (C. H.
Spurgeon).
"Strangers shall fade away, and they shall be afraid out of their
close places" (v. 46). "Out of their mountain fastnesses the heathen
crept in fear to own allegiance to Israel's king; and even so, from
the castles of self-confidence and the dens of carnal security, poor
sinners come bending before the Saviour, Christ the Lord. Our sins
which have entrenched themselves in our flesh and blood as in
impregnable forts, shall yet be driven forth by the sanctifying energy
of the Holy Spirit, and we shall serve the Lord in singleness of
heart" (C. H. Spurgeon).
"The Lord liveth: and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of
the rock of my salvation" (v. 47). After offering praise for past
conquests and expressing his confidence in future victories, David
returned to the more direct adoration of God Himself. Some of the
glorious names of deity which he had heaped together at the beginning
of his song, are now echoed at its close. The varied experiences
through which he had passed had brought to the Psalmist a deeper
knowledge of his living Lord: the One who had preserved Noah and
ministered to Abraham long before, was his God too: swift to hear,
active to help. One of the lesser known Puritans commented thus on
this verse: "Honours die, pleasures die, the world dies; but the Lord
liveth. My flesh is as sand, my fleshly life, strength, and glory is
as a word written on sand; but blessed be my Rock. Those are but for a
moment; this stands for ever; the curse shall devour those,
everlasting blessings on the head of these" (P. Sterry).
"It is God that avengeth me, and that bringeth down the people under
me, and that bringeth me forth from mine enemies: Thou also hast
lifted me up on high above them that rose against me: Thou hast
delivered me from the violent man" (vv. 48, 49). Here David recurs to
the dominant sentiment running through this Song: all his help was in
God and from God. To take matters into our own hands and seek personal
revenge, is not only utterly unbecoming in one who has received mercy
from the Lord, but it is grossly wicked, for it encroaches upon a
prerogative which belongs alone to Him. Moreover, it is quite
unnecessary, for in due time the Lord will avenge His wronged people.
Though we may join with Stephen in praying "Lord, lay not this sin to
their charge," yet when divine justice takes satisfaction upon those
who have flouted His law, the devout heart will return thanks. After
the battle at Naseby, in a letter to the Speaker of the House of
Commons, Oliver Cromwell wrote, "Sir, this is none other than the hand
of God, and to Him alone belongs the glory, wherein none are to share
with Him."
"Therefore I will give thanks unto Thee, O Lord, among the heathen,
and I will sing praises unto Thy name" (v. 50). What an example does
David here set us of a holy soul making its boast in God in the
presence of ungodly men. There is a happy medium between an unseemly
parading of our piety before believers and a cowardly silence in their
presence. We must not suffer the despisers of God to shut our mouths
and stifle our praises; especially is it our duty to bow our heads and
"give thanks unto the Lord" before partaking of a meal, even though we
are "among the heathen," Be not ashamed to acknowledge thy God in the
presence of His enemies. This verse is quoted by the apostle and
applied to Christ in Romans 15:9, which affords clear proof that David
had his Antitype before him in the second half of this Song.
"He is the tower of salvation for His king; and showeth mercy to His
anointed, unto David, and to his seed for evermore (v. 51). David
contemplated God not only as "the rock of his salvation"--the One who
undergirded him, the One on whom all his hopes rested--but also as
"the tower of salvation--the One in whom he found security, the One
who was infinitely elevated above him. Though saved, he yet had need
of being shown "mercy"! The last clause indicates that he was resting
on the divine promise of 2 Samuel 7: 15, 16, and supplies additional
evidence that he had here an eye to Christ, for He alone is his "Seed
for evermore."
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER EIGHTY-FIVE
His Last Words
2 Samuel 23
_________________________________________________________________
The passage for our present consideration (2 Sam. 23:1-7) presents
somewhat of a difficulty, especially to those who are not accustomed
to the drawing of distinctions and the taking of words relatively as
well as absolutely. It opens by telling us, "These be the last words
of David," when in fact the close of the patriarch's life was not yet
reached. It seems strange that we should read of this here, when so
much else is recorded in the chapters which follow, for we naturally
associate the "last words" of a person with his closing utterances as
life is expiring. Nor is the difficulty decreased when we note what
vastly different language is upon his lips in 1 Kings 2:9. Thomas
Scott suggested that "perhaps he repeated them in his dying moments as
the expression of his faith and hope and the source of his
consolation." This may be the case, for quite likely such sentiments
were in his heart and mouth again and again during his declining days.
However, it seems to us that 2 Samuel 23 refers to "the last words of
David" not so much as those merely of a man, but rather as being a
mouthpiece of God, thus forming a brief appendix to his Psalms. That
our passage concerns the final inspired utterance of David appears to
be quite plain from the specific terms used in it. First, he makes
definite mention of himself as "the sweet Psalmist of Israel" (v. 1),
which obviously refers to his official character as the Lord's servant
and seer. Second, he states "the Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and
His Word was in my tongue" (v. 2), which language could only be used
of one appointed to formally deliver the oracles of God, of one so
completely controlled by the Holy Spirit that his utterance was a
divine revelation. Third, what he said in verses 3 and 4 looked beyond
himself, being a prophetic announcement concerning the antitypical
`Ruler"--proof that he was "moved by the Holy Spirit." Further, there
is nothing in the chapters following which indicate David was giving
forth a formal utterance by divine revelation.
There is still another distinction which may be drawn, that clears
away any remaining difficulty from our passage. Not only are we to
distinguish between David's utterances as a man and as the mouthpiece
of Jehovah, but also between his acts and words looked at historically
and considered typically. In the course of this lengthy series of
chapters we have pointed out again and again that in many (though by
no means in all) of his experiences David is to be viewed
representatively, as treading the same path and encountering the
temptations and trials common to all the saints as they pass through
this wilderness of sin. 1 Kings 1 gives us the historical close of the
patriarch's life, the last utterance of the aged king being "but his
hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood." "Blood" is the
final word on the lips of the dying warrior, a "man of war" from his
youth, as Philistine enemies and Amalekite foes could testify.
But in 2 Samuel 23 we are permitted to gaze upon the other side of the
picture, a most blessed and refreshing one. Here, the Spirit of God
brings before us not "the man of war" (1 Sam. 16:18), but "the man
after God's own heart," the one who had found favor in His eyes and
had been loved with an everlasting love, and thus the representative
of His chosen people. Here we listen to the holy breathings of the
saint, and the scene becomes to us a "gate of heaven." As the believer
draws near the end of his wilderness journey, like David, he reviews
the Lord's goodness, dwells upon the amazing grace which lifted him
from the dunghill and made him to sit in the heavenlies in Christ (v.
1), and while he laments the spiritual condition of some near and dear
to him and his own failure to grow in grace as he ought, yet he found
unspeakable comfort in the fact that God had made with him an
everlasting covenant.
"Now these be the last words of David" (2 Sam. 23:1). Rightly did
Matthew Henry point out that "When we find death approaching, we
should endeavour both to honour Cod and to edify those about us with
our last words. Let those who have had long experience of God's
goodness and the peacefulness of wisdom's ways, when they come to
finish their course, leave a record of that experience and bear their
testimony to the truth of the promise." It is not all who are granted
a clear token of their approaching dissolution or given a season of
consciousness, so that they may clearly avow their faith and hope; but
when such is afforded, their duty and privilege is plain. David thus
acquitted himself to the glory of God and the comfort of His people,
and everything else being equal, so should we.
"David the son of Jesse, and the man who was raised up on high, the
anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said"
(v. 1). The Hebrew word for "said" (twice used in this verse)
signifies to speak with assurance and authority, thus confirming what
we have pointed out above concerning the divine character of this
utterance. David described himself, first, by the lowliness of his
origin--"the son of Jesse," unknown amongst those arrayed in purple
and fine linen. The stock from which he came was indeed an humble one,
for when it was asked in Saul's court "whose son is he?" the answer
was returned "O king, I cannot tell" (1 Sam. 17:55); and so David had
to answer for himself, "I am the son of thy servant Jesse, the
Bethlehemite"--a small and despised house, and he the least in that
house. Typically speaking, this is the believer owning his humble
origin, looking back to the hole of the pit from which he was digged.
"And the man that was raised up on high": here he makes mention,
secondly, of the dignity of his elevation. Though of such mean
parentage, from one of the humblest of Saul's subjects, yet he found
favor in the sight of the Lord, being exalted to the throne and made
ruler over all Israel. The nearer the believer approaches the close of
his life, the more is his heart made to wonder at the sovereign grace
of God in laying hold of one so utterly unworthy and raising him to a
position of dignity and honor above that occupied by the holy angels.
Third, David described himself as "the anointed of God': as such he
was again the typical believer, for of Christians it is written, "Now
He which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is
God" (2 Cor. 1:21). Finally, "and the sweet psalmist of Israel": that
of course refers to his official character, and yet this too is
representative: though he composed the Psalms, they are for our use
(James 5:13).
"The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and His word was in my tongue"
(v. 2). Though it be useless for us to attempt any explanation of the
rationale of divine inspiration, yet this is one of many statements
found in Holy Writ which serves to define its nature and extent. When
we come face to face with the conjunction of the divine and the human,
we confront that which transcends the grasp of the finite mind;
nevertheless by the aid of what is revealed we may make certain
postulates, so as to guard against terror at either extreme. The
Scriptures are indeed the very Word of God, inerrant and imperishable,
yet the instrumentality of the creature was employed in the
communication and compilation of them. The mouth uttering it was
human, but the message was divine; the voice was that of man, but the
actual words those of God Himself.
"Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Pet.
1:21). those holy men were the actual mouthpieces of the Almighty:
their utterances were so absolutely controlled by Him that what they
said and wrote was a perfect expression of His mind and will. It is
not simply that their minds were elevated or their spirits sublimated,
but that their very tongues were regulated. It was not merely that
their wills received a supernatural impulse or that their minds were
divinely illuminated, but the very words of their message was conveyed
to them. Nothing less than this can be gathered from the verse before
us: when David affirmed God's Word was "in his tongue," far more is
denoted than that a concept was conveyed to his mind and he felt free
to express it in his own language. Nothing less than their verbal
inspiration is predicated of the Scriptures themselves--compare 1
Corinthians 2:13.
"The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that
ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God" (v. 3). The
older writers saw in these verses, and we believe rightly so, a
reference to the blessed Trinity. First, in verse 2 David affirmed
"The Spirit of the Lord spake by me," and that a divine person rather
than a spiritual inflation was denoted is plain from "and His word was
in my tongue." Second, "the God of Israel said": that is, God the
Father spake, as a reference to Hebrews 1:1 and 2 makes clear. Third,
"the Rock of Israel spake to David" alludes to the Son, in His
mediatorial capacity, of whom it was predicted, "And a man shall be as
a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers
of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary
land" (Isa. 32:2). Though a fuller and brighter manifestation of the
Godhead has been made under Christianity, nevertheless the Tri-unity
of God was definitely revealed in the Old Testament Scriptures.
There is a distinction to be drawn between what is recorded in the
verse preceding and in verse 3: there it was "the Spirit of the Lord
spake by me," here "spake to me"--that relates to what he was moved to
record by divine inspiration (principally in the Psalms), this a more
personal message for himself and family. "Let ministers observe that
those by whom God speaks to others are concerned to hear and heed what
the Spirit speaks to themselves. They whose office it is to teach
others their duty, must be sure to learn and do their own" (Matthew
Henry). Particularly must due attention be paid unto these two things:
"He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God." The
immediate reference is to civic leaders, hut the principle applies
strictly to ecclesiastical ones too: impartiality and righteousness
ought ever to characterize both magistrate and minister alike, while
the office of each is to be discharged in the awe of Him to whom an
account will yet have to be rendered.
"And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth,
even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of
the earth by clear shining after rain" (v. 4). Here is the blessing
and prosperity assured to those who faithfully discharge their
obligations, keeping both tables of the Law. "Light is sweet and
pleasant, and he that does his duty shall have the comfort of it; his
rejoicing will be the testimony of his conscience. Light is bright,
and a good prince (or minister) is illustrious; his justice and piety
will be his honor. Light is a blessing, nor are there greater and more
extensive blessings to the public than princes that rule in the fear
of God. It is like `the light of the morning,' which is most welcome
after darkness of the night; so was David's government after Saul's.
It is likewise compared to the tender grass, which the earth produces
for the service of men; it brings with it a harvest of blessings"
(Matthew Henry).
Verses 3 and 4 can also be rightly regarded as a Messianic prophecy,
for the Hebrew may be rendered "There shall be a Ruler over men which
is just, ruling in the fear of God." The qualities essential in the
one who is to rule for God's glory and His people's good, are
righteousness and dependence--found alone in their perfection in that
blessed One who came not to do His own will, but the will of Him who
sent Him. Saul wielded the power for himself; David had to hang his
head and own "my house be not so with God" (v. 5); which requires us
to turn to Christ. He orders the affairs of the Father's kingdom
according to the divine will. He is "as the light of the morning"
because "the Light of the world," and "as the tender grass' because He
is "the Branch of the Lord" and the Fruit of the earth (Isa. 4:2).
"Although my house be not so with God" (v. 5). Here again the
historical merges into the typical. After the prophetic fore-view just
granted him, David turned his reflections upon himself and his own
house, and sorrowed over the state of the same. "By his own
misconduct, his family was much less religious and prosperous than it
might have been expected, and both he and Israel had suffered many
things in consequence. Several grievous and scandalous events had
occurred: matters were not yet as he could wish, and he seems to have
had his fears concerning his descendants, who should succeed him in
the kingdom" (Thomas Scott). Grief, then, was mingled with his joy,
and dismal forebodings cast a dark shadow over his lot.
As the believer nears the end of his course, he not only meditates
upon the lowliness of his original estate and then the elevated
position to which sovereign grace has lifted him, but he also reviews
his follies, bemoans his failures, and sorrows over the wretched
returns he has made unto God's goodness. This is the common experience
of the pious: as they journey through this wilderness they are sorely
tried and exercised, pass through deep waters, experience many sharp
conflicts, and are often at a loss to maintain their faith.
Favour'd saints of God,
His messengers and sears,
Thy narrow path have trod,
`Mid sins, and doubts, and fears.
And at the end they generally have to mourn over the graceless
condition of some that are nearest and dearest to them, and exclaim,
"Although my house be not so with God."
"Yet He hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all
things, and sure" (v. 5). Blessed antithesis. The opening "yet" is
placed over against the "although" at the beginning of the previous
clause: it is the faithfulness of God set in delightful contrast from
David's failures. It illustrates most solemnly the awe-inspiring
sovereignty of God: Divine justice had been meted out to his foes,
divine grace had dealt with himself. At least one of his children had
evidenced himself to be among the reprobate, but God had entered into
an eternal compact of peace with the father. Here was indeed sweet
consolation for his poor heart. The allusion is to that covenant of
grace which God made with all His people in Christ before the
foundation of the world. That covenant is from everlasting in its
contrivance, and to everlasting in its consequences.
That everlasting covenant is so "ordered" as to promote the glory of
God, the honor of the Mediator, and the holiness and blessing of His
people. It is "sure" because its promises are those of Him who cannot
lie, because full provision is made in it for all the failures of
believers, and because its administration is in the hands of Christ.
"For this is all my salvation." David rightly traced his salvation
back to "the everlasting covenant": alas that so many today are
ignorant of this inexhaustible well of comfort. It is not enough that
we go back to the hour when we first believed, nor even to the Cross
where the Saviour paid the price of our redemption; to the everlasting
covenant we must look, and see there God graciously planning to give
Christ to die for His people and impart the Spirit to them for
quickening and the communicating of faith. This is "all our salvation"
for it entirely suffices, containing as it does a draft of all the
salvation-acts of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
In consequence of the nature, fullness and sufficiency of the
everlasting covenant, it must be "all my desire": that is, obtaining
by the Spirit's help an assurance of my personal interest in its grand
promises. "Although He make it not to grow." First, with reference to
his house: "in number, in power; it is God that makes families to
grow, or not to grow (Ps. 107:41). Good men have often the melancholy
prospect of a declining family, David's house was typical of the
Church of Christ. "Suppose this be not so with God as we could wish:
suppose it be diminished, distressed, disgraced, and weakened by
errors and corruptions, yea, almost extinct, yet God has made a
covenant with the church's Head, that He will preserve to Him a seed:
this our Saviour comforted Himself with in His sufferings: Isaiah
53:10, 12" (Matthew Henry). Second, with reference to himself: he had
received the grace of the covenant, but it had not flourished in him
as could be desired--his own neglect being the criminal cause.
David concluded (vv. 6 and 7) with a most solemn reference to the
awful fate awaiting the reprobate. Destitute of faith, self-willed,
unconcerned about God's glory, despising and ill-treating His
servants, righteous retribution shall surely fall upon them. "As
thorns thrust away" is a figure of their rejection by God; ultimately
they shall be "utterly burnt with fire." It was a prediction of the
eternal undoing of all the implacable enemies of Christ's kingdom.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER EIGHTY-SIX
His Mighty Men
2 Samuel 23
_________________________________________________________________
The last thirty-two verses of 2 Samuel 23 have received comparatively
scant attention from those who are accustomed to read the Scriptures,
and even most of the commentators are nearly silent upon them.
Probably the average Christian finds it somewhat difficult to glean
much from them which he feels is really profitable to his soul. A
number of men are enumerated--some of them mentioned in earlier
chapters, but the great majority otherwise quite unknown to us--and
one or two of their deeds are described; and then the second half of
our chapter is taken up with a long list of names, over which most
people are inclined to skip. Nevertheless, these very verses are
included in that divine declaration, "Whatsoever things were written
aforetime were written for our learning" (Rom. 15:4); and it is
therefore to the dishonor of God and to our own real loss if we ignore
this passage.
There is nothing meaningless in any section of Holy Writ: every part
thereof is "profitable" for us (2 Tim. 3:16, 17). Let us therefore
settle it at the outset that this passage contains valuable
instruction for us today, important lessons which we do well to take
to heart. Let us, then, humbly bow before God and beg Him to open our
eyes, that we may behold "wondrous things" in this part of His Law.
Let us gird up the loins of our minds, and seek to reverently ponder
and spiritually meditate upon its contents. Let us bear in mind the
law of the context, and endeavor to ascertain the relation of this
passage to the verses immediately preceding. Let us duly take note of
how these "mighty men of David" are classified, and try to discover
what is suggested thereby. Let us look beyond the historical and trace
out what is typical, at the same time setting bounds to our
imagination and being regulated by the analogy of faith.
Before entering into detail, let us point out some of the general
lessons inculcated--suggested, in part by the brief notes of Matthew
Henry. First, the catalogue which is here given us of the names,
devotion and valor of the king's soldiers is recorded for the honor of
David himself, who trained them in their military arts and exercises,
and who set before them an example of piety and courage. It enhances
the reputation of, as well as being an advantage, when a prince is
attended and served by such men as are here described. So it will be
in the Day to come. When the books are opened before an assembled
universe and the fidelity and courage of God's ministers is
proclaimed, it will be principally for the glory of their Captain,
whom they served and whose fame they sought to spread, and by whose
Spirit they were energized and enabled. Whatever crowns His servants
and saints receive from God, they will be laid at the feet of the
Lamb, who alone is worthy.
Second, this inspired record is made for the honor of those worthies
themselves. They were instrumental in bringing David to the crown, of
settling and protecting him in the throne, and of enlarging his
conquests; and therefore the Spirit has not overlooked them. In like
manner, the faithful ministers of God are instrumental in
establishing, safeguarding and extending the kingdom of Christ in the
world, and therefore are they to be esteemed highly for their works'
sake, as the Word of God expressly enjoins. Not that they desire the
praise of men, but "honor to whom honor is due" is a precept which God
requires His people to ever observe. Not only are the valorous
soldiers of Christ to be venerated by those of their own day and
generation, but posterity is to hold them in high regard: "The memory
of the just is blessed." In the Day to come each of them shall "have
praise of God" (1 Cor. 4:5).
Third, to excite those who come after them to a generous emulation.
That which was praiseworthy in the sires should be practiced by their
children. If God is pleased hereby to express His approbation of the
loyalty and love shown unto David by his officers, we may be sure that
He is pleased now with those who strengthen the hands of His
ministers, be they in the civil or the ecclesiastical realm. Those
alive today should be inspired and encouraged by the noble deeds of
heroes of the past. But to raise the thought to a higher level: if
those men held David in such great esteem that they hesitated not to
hazard their lives for his sake, how infinitely more worthy is the
antitypical David of the most self-denying sacrifices and devotion
from His servants and followers! Alas, how sadly they put most of us
to shame.
Fourth, to show how much genuine religion contributes to the inspiring
men with true courage. David, both by his Psalms, and by his offerings
for the service of the temple, greatly promoted piety among the
grandees of the kingdom (see 1 Chron. 29:6), and when they became
famous for piety, they became famous for bravery. Yes, there is an
inseparable connection between the two things, as Acts 4:13 so
strikingly exemplifies: even the enemies of the apostles "took
knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus" when they "saw their
boldness." He who truly fears God, fears not man. It is written, "The
wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a
lion" (Prov. 28:1). History, both sacred and secular, abounds in
examples of how pious leaders imbued their men with courage: Abraham,
Joshua, Cromwell, being cases in point. From the record of their
exploits courage should be inspired in us.
Let us now inquire, What is the connection between our present portion
and the one preceding it? This is a principle which should never be
neglected, for the ascertaining of the relation of one passage to
another often throws light upon its typical scope, as well as supplies
a valuable key to its interpretation. Such is the case here. The first
seven verses of 2 Samuel 23 are concerned with "the last words of
David," and what follows is virtually an honor role of those who
achieved fame in his service. What a blessed foreshadowment of that
which will occur when the earthly kingdom of the antitypical David
comes to an end. Then shall His servants receive their rewards, for
the righteous Judge will then distribute the crowns of "life" (Rev.
2:10), of "righteousness" (2 Tim. 4:8), and of "glory" (1 Peter 5:4).
Then shall He pronounce His "well done thou good and faithful servant,
enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." Let therefore those now engaged
in fighting the Lord's battles be faithful, diligent and valorous,
assured that in due course they will be richly compensated.
"These be the names of the mighty men whom David had: The Tachmonite
that sat in the seat, chief among the captains; the same was Adino the
Eznite: he lift up his spear against eight hundred, whom he slew at
one time." (2 Sam. 23:8). When God calls a man to perform some special
service in the interests of His kingdom and people, He also graciously
raises up for him those who support his cause and strengthen his hands
by using their influence on his behalf. Some of those helpers obtain
the eye of the public, while others of them are far more in the
background; but at the end each shall receive due recognition and
proportionate honor. It was so here. David could never have won the
victories he did, unless a kind Providence had supplied him with loyal
and courageous officers. Nor had men like Luther and Cromwell
performed such exploits unless supported by less conspicuous souls.
Thus it has ever been, and still is. Even such a trivial work as the
ministry of this magazine is only made possible by the cooperation of
its readers.
The first one mentioned of David's mighty men is Adino the Eznite. He
is described as "The Tachmonite that sat in the seat, chief among the
captains," by which we understand that he presided over the counsels
of war, being the king's chief military adviser. In addition to his
wisdom, he was also endowed with extraordinary strength and valor, for
it is here stated that he "lift up his spear against eight hundred,
whom he slew at one time." His case seems to have been one similar to
that of Samson's--a man endued with supernatural strength. Typically,
he reminds us of Paul, the chief of the apostles, who was not only
enriched with unusual spiritual wisdom, but was mightier than any
other in the pulling down of the strongholds of Satan; but whereas the
one was famous for the taking of life, the other was instrumental in
the communicating of life.
"And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the
three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that
were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were
gone away (v. 9). Here is the second of David's worthies, one who
acquitted himself courageously in an hour of urgent need. Nothing is
said of him elsewhere, save in what some term "the parallel passage"
of 1 Chronicles 11. This son of Dodo was one of the heroic triumvirate
that enabled their royal master successfully to defy the assembled
Philistines, and that at a time when, for some reason or other, the
king's army was "gone away." Eleazar refused to flee before the massed
forces of the enemy, and he not only nobly stood his ground, but took
the offensive, and with his confidence in the living God fell upon and
slew hundreds of them.
The Spirit has placed special emphasis upon the noteworthiness of
Eleazar's prowess by informing us it was exercised on an occasion when
"the men of Israel had gone back." That is the time for true courage
to be manifested. When through unbelief, lack of zeal, or the fear of
man, the rank and file of professing Christians are giving way before
the forces of evil, then is the opportunity for those who know and
trust the Lord to be strong and do exploits. It does not require so
much courage to engage the enemy when all our fellow-soldiers are
enthusiastically advancing against them, but it takes considerable
grit and boldness to attack an organized and powerful foe when almost
all of our companions have lost heart and turned tail.
God esteems fidelity and holy zeal far more highly in a season of
declension and apostasy than He does in a time of revival. A crisis
not only tests, but reveals a man, as a heavy storm will make evident
the trustworthiness or weaknesses of a ship. What is here recorded to
the lasting honor of Eleazar makes us think of the beloved Paul. Again
and again he stood almost alone, yet he never made the defection of
others an excuse for the abating of his own efforts. On one occasion
he had to lament, "This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia
be turned away from me" (2 Tim. 1:15). Later, in the same epistle he
wrote, "At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook
me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.
Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me" (4:16,
17). Let the servants of God today take heart from these blessed
examples.
"He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his
hand clave unto the sword" (v. 10). Let it be duly noted that Eleazar
did not stop when his work was half done, but went on prosecuting the
same as long as he had any strength remaining. "Thus, in the service
of God, we should keep up the willingness and resolution of the
spirit, notwithstanding the weakness and weariness of the flesh;
faint, yet pursuing (Judges 8:4); the hand weary, yet not quitting the
sword" (Matthew Henry). Alas, in this age of ease and flabbiness, how
readily we become discouraged and how quickly we give in to
difficulties! O to heed that emphatic call "Be not weary in well
doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not" (Col. 6:9).
Such incidents as these are recorded not only for our information but
also for our inspiration, that we should emulate their noble examples;
otherwise they will put us to shame in the Day to come.
"And the Lord wrought a great victory that day." It is the daring of
faith which He ever delights to honor, as He had so signally evidenced
a few years previously, when David as a stripling had challenged and
overcome the mighty Goliath. It is the perseverance of faith which the
Lord always rewards, as was strikingly demonstrated after Israel had
marched around the walls of Jericho thirteen times. No doubt God
struck this army of the Philistines with a terror as great as the
courage with which He had endowed this hero. It is ever God's way to
work at both ends of the line: if He raises up a sower He also
prepares the soil; if He inspires a servant with courage He puts fear
into the hearts of those who oppose him. Observe how the glory of the
victory is again ascribed to the Lord, and carefully compare Acts
14:27 and 21:19. "And the people returned after him only to spoil" (v.
10). How like human nature was this: they returned when there was
"spoil" to be had!
"And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the
Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a piece of
ground full of lentiles: and the people fled from the Philistines" (v.
11). This incident concerned an armed force of Israel's enemies who
were out foraging, and who struck such terror into the hearts of the
countryside that the peaceful locals fled. But there was one who
refused to yield unto the marauders, determined to defend the food
supply of his people, and under God, he completely routed them. Here
is another courageous man of whom we know nothing save for this brief
reference: what a hint it furnishes that in the Day to come many a one
will then have honor from God who received scant notice among his
fellows. No matter how obscure the individual, or how inconspicuous
his sphere of labor, nothing that is done in faith, no service
performed for the good of His people, is forgotten by God. Surely this
is one of the lessons written plain across this simple but striking
narrative.
"But he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew
the Philistines: and the Lord wrought a great victory" (v. 12). How
this reminds us of what is recorded in Acts 14:3: "Long time therefore
abode they speaking boldly in the Lord, which gave testimony unto the
Word of His grace and granted signs and wonders to be done by their
hands." Then let us heed that divine injunction, "Be strong in the
Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God,
that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (Eph.
6:10, 11). Let us duly observe how, once more, the victory is ascribed
to the Lord. No matter how great the ability and courage of the
instruments, all praise for the achievement must be rendered alone
unto God. "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the
mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his
riches" (Jer. 9:23), for what has he that he did not first receive
from above! How needful is this exhortation in such a day as ours,
when pride is so much in the saddle and men's persons are "had in
admiration." God is jealous of His glory and will not share it with
the creature, and His Spirit is quenched if we do so.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN
His Mighty Men
(Continued)
2 Samuel 23
_________________________________________________________________
2 Samuel 23 supplies a vivid illustration of the great variety of
spiritual gifts and graces which God bestows upon His people in
general and on His ministries in particular. All are not called upon
to engage in the same specific form of service, and therefore all are
not alike qualified. We see this principle exemplified in the natural
sphere. Some have a sceptical aptitude for certain avocations, while
others are fitted for entirely different ones: those who find it easy
to work a typewriter or keep books, would be quite out of their
element it they attempted to do the work of a farmer or carpenter. So
it is in the spiritual realm: one is called to some particular sphere
and is endowed accordingly, while another is appointed to a different
junction and is suitably equipped for it; and naught but confusion
would follow if the latter attempted to discharge the duties of the
former.
"Every man hath his proper gift of God: one after this manner, and
another after that" (1 Cor. 7:7), but whether our talents be more or
fewer it is our duty to use and improve the same for the good of our
generation. "But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit,
dividing to every man severally as He will" (1 Cor. 12:11), and
therefore we must be content with the gifts and position which God has
allotted us, neither despising those below nor envying those above us.
There are various degrees of usefulness and eminence among Christians,
just as there were different grades of honor among those worthies of
David. Of one of them we read, "Therefore he was their captain,
howbeit he attained not unto the first three" (v. 19), and later in
the chapter we are given a list of another thirty who occupied a yet
lower rank. First in eminence were the apostles; next to them were the
Reformers; and below them are those who have followed during the last
four centuries.
Throughout the long and checkered career of David there were two
things to cheer and comfort him: the unchanging faithfulness of God
and the loving devotedness of his servants. Another has pointed out
that at the close of Paul's career he had the same spring of solace to
draw from. "In his second epistle to Timothy he glances at the
condition of things around him: he sees the `great house,' which
assuredly was not so with God as He required it; he sees all that were
in Asia turned away from him; he sees Hymenaeus and Philetus teaching
false doctrine, and overthrowing the faith of some; he sees Alexander
the coppersmith doing much mischief; he sees many with itching ears,
heaping to themselves teachers, and turning away from the truth to
fables; he sees the perilous times setting in with fearful rapidity;
in a word, he sees the whole fabric, humanly speaking, going to
pieces; but he, like David, resting in the assurance that the
foundation of God standeth sure, and he was also cheered by the
individual devotedness of some mighty man or other, who, by the grace
of God, was standing faithful amid the wreck. He remembered the faith
of a Timothy, the love of an Onesiphorus; and moreover, he was cheered
by the fact there would be a company of faithful men in the darkest
times who would call on the Lord out of a pure heart."
In the preceding chapter we called attention to the logical connection
of 2 Samuel 23 with the previous chapter, where "the last words of
David" (his final inspired and official message) are recorded. We may
also notice that our present passage comes immediately after David's
reference to the "Everlasting Covenant" which Jehovah had made with
him (v. 5). How significant is this, and what blessed instruction it
conveys to us. The two things are intimately, yea inseparably
connected: the eternal counsels of God's grace and His providing us
with all needed assistance while we are in a time state. In other
words, that "Everlasting Covenant" which God made, with His elect in
the person of their Head guarantees the supply of their every need in
this world, the interposition of the Lord on their behalf wherever
required, and the raising up of faithful friends to help in each hour
of emergency. Thus David found it, as the verses before us amply
demonstrate.
If the Spirit of God has been pleased to chronicle some of the bravest
exploits of David himself, He has not been altogether silent upon the
heroic achievements of those who stood loyally by him when he was
menaced by his numerous foes. This too adumbrated something yet more
blessed in connection with the antitypical David and His officers.
Some of their deeds of devotion may not be known among men, or at most
little valued by them, but they are recognized and recorded by God,
and will yet be publicly proclaimed from His throne. We should have
known nothing of these deeds of David's worthies had not the Spirit
here described them. So, many a heart which now throbs with affection
for Christ of which the world is not cognizant, and many a hand which
is stretched forth in service to Him which is unnoticed by the
churches, will not pass unheeded in the Day to come.
In our last chapter we dwelt upon the exploits of the first
triumvirate of David's mighty men--Adino, Eleazar and Shammah (vv.
8-12): our present passage opens with a most touching incident which
records (we believe) another heroic enterprise in which the same three
men acted together. We are told "And three of the thirty chiefs went
down, and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam:
and the troop of the Philistines pitched in the valley of Rephaim" (v.
13). This most probably takes us back to what is narrated in 1 Samuel
22, when the uncrowned son of Jesse was a fugitive from the murderous
designs of King Saul. It was not, then, in the hour of his popularity
and power that these three officers betook themselves unto David, but
in the time of his humiliation and weakness, while taking refuge in a
cave, that they espoused his cause. No fair weather friends were
these, but unselfish supporters.
"And David was then in a hold, and the garrison of the Philistines was
then in Bethlehem" (v. 14). How strangely varied is the lot of those
who are beloved of God! What ups and downs in their experience and
circumstances! Bethlehem was the place where David was born--presaging
the incarnation of his Son and Lord; but now it was occupied by the
enemies of God and His people: how many a dwelling-place which once
gave shelter to an eminent servant of God is now the abode of
worldlings. From the fertility and peacefulness of Bethlehem David was
forced to flee and seek refuge in a cave: then let us not be cast down
if a lowly and uncongenial habitation be our portion. But David was
not forgotten by the Lord, and He graciously moved the hearts of
others to seek him out and proffer their loving service. Take heart,
then, lonesome believer: if God does not raise up earthly friends for
thee, He will doubly endear Himself to thine heart.
"And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the
water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!" (v. 15). Some
of the Puritans believed that David was not here expressing his desire
for literal water, but rather for the Messiah Himself, who was to be
born at Bethlehem. Though this does not appear to be borne out by what
follows, yet it is surely significant that such excellent and
desirable water was to be found there. Bethlehem means "the house of
bread," and as the Lord Jesus declared, He is in His own blessed
person both the Bread of Life and the Water of Life--the sustainer and
refresher of the new man. Personally, we agree with Matthew Henry that
what is recorded in this verse "seems to have been an instance of his
weakness," when he was dissatisfied with what divine providence had
supplied, giving way to inordinate affection and yielding to the
desires of mere nature.
It was summer time, when the weather was hot and trying, and David was
thirsty. Perhaps good water was scarce at Adullam, and therefore David
earnestly cried, "Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the
well of Bethlehem" True, it is natural to hanker after those things
which Providence withholds, and such hankering is often yielded to
even by godly men in an unguarded hour, which leads to various snares
and evils. "David strangely indulged a humour which he could give no
reason for. It is folly to entertain such fancies, and greater folly
to insist upon the gratification of them. "We ought to check our
affections when they go out inordinately toward those things which are
more pleasant and grateful than others" (Matthew Henry). The best way,
and perhaps the only one, of doing this is by heeding that injunction
"giving thanks always for all things unto God" (Eph. 5:20), thereby
evidencing we are content with such things as we have--instead of
lusting after those we have not.
"And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines,
and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and
took it, and brought it to David" (v. 16). What proof this gave of how
highly these brave men valued their leader, and how ready they were to
face the greatest of dangers in his service. It must be remembered
that at this time David was uncrowned, a fugitive from Saul, and in no
position to reward their valorous efforts on his behalf. Moreover, no
command had been issued, no one in particular was commissioned to
obtain the water from Bethlehem: it was enough for them that their
beloved master desired it. How little they feared the Philistines: so
absorbed were they in seeking to please David, that terror of the
enemy had no place in their hearts! Do they not put all of us to
shame? Flow feeble in comparison is our devotedness to the antitypical
David! How trifling the obstacles which confront us from the peril
which menaced them.
"Nevertheless he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the
Lord" (v. 16). Blessed is this, and a lovely sequel to what has just
been before us. Those three men had spontaneously responded to the
known wish of their leader, and, not counting their lives dear unto
themselves, they had--whether by use of the sword or by strategy we
are not told, but most likely the former--obtained and brought back to
David the longed-for refreshment. Such devotion to his person and such
daring on their part was not lost upon David, and being recovered from
his carnal lapse and seeing things now with spiritual discernment, he
deemed that water a sacrifice too costly for any but Jehovah Himself,
and hence he would not suffer the sweet odor of it to be intercepted
in its ascent to the throne of God.
"And he said, Be it far from me, O Lord, that I should do this: is not
this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives?
therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mighty
men" (v. 17). This is ever one of the marks of a gracious man. When he
is conscious of making a mistake or of committing folly, he does not
feign ignorance or innocence, but acknowledges and seeks to correct
the same. The outstanding characteristic of regeneration is that where
this miracle of grace is wrought an honest heart is ever the evidence
of the same. It is those who are under the full sway of Satan who are
crafty, deceitful and serpentine in their ways. Those whom Christ
saves He conforms unto His image, and He was without guile. David was
now ashamed of his inordinate desire and rash wish, and regretted
exposing his brave officers to such a peril on his behalf. This is
another mark of the genuine child of God: he is not wholly wrapped up
in himself.
Sin and self are synonymous terms, for as someone has quaintly pointed
out the center of Sin is "I," that is why when the Church confesses
"all we like sheep have gone astray," she defines it by saying "we
have turned every one to his own way." If sin and selfishness are
synonymous, grace and unselfishness are inseparable, for when the love
of God is shed abroad in the heart there is awakened a genuine concern
for the good of our fellows, and therefore will the Christian seek to
refrain from what would injure them. "Upon reflection and experience,
a wise man will be ashamed of his folly, and will abstain not only
from unlawful indulgences, but from those also which are inexpedient
and might expose his brethren to temptation and danger" (Thomas
Scott).
"And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief among
three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred, and slew
them, and had the name among three" (v. 18). We are not here informed
when or where this extraordinary feat was accomplished, but from the
analogy supplied by the other examples in this chapter, we know it was
performed by divine enablement, for the public good, and in the
service of David. It is solemn to note that Abishai's more famous, and
yet infamous brother, has no place in his role of honor, illustrating
the solemn truth that if "the memory of the just is blessed" yet "the
name of the wicked shall rot." "Was he not most honourable of three?
therefore he was their captain: howbeit he attained not unto the first
three" (v. 19). These degrees of eminence and esteem exemplify the
fact that men are not designed to all occupy a common level: the
theory of "socialism" receives no countenance from Scripture.
"And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man, of
Kabzeel, who had done many acts, he slew two lionlike men of Moab" (v.
20). It is good to see the sons walking in the steps of their sires
when a noble example has been set before them: God takes notice of the
one as much as the other. Those men of Moab might be fierce and
powerful, but nothing daunted, Benaiah went forth and slew them. This
too is recorded for our encouragement: no matter how strong and
furious be our lusts, in the strength of the Lord we must attack and
mortify them. "He went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit
in time of snow" (v. 20). Amid the frosts of winter our zeal is not to
be relaxed. Nor must the soldiers of Christ expect to always have
plain sailing: even when engaged in the best cause of all, formidable
obstacles will be encountered, and the soldiers of Christ must learn
to endure hardness and acquit themselves like men.
"And he slew an Egyptian, a goodly man: and the Egyptian had a spear
in his hand; but he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the
spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear" (v.
21). If his slaying of the lion is a figure of the servant of Christ
successfully resisting the devil (1 Peter 5:8), his vanquishing of
this Egyptian (spoken of in 1 Chron. 11:23 as a "man of great
stature") may well be regarded as a type of the minister of God
overcoming the world, for in Scripture "Egypt" is ever a symbol of
that system which is hostile to God and His people. And how is victory
over the world obtained? We need go no farther than this verse to
learn the secret: by maintaining our pilgrim character, for the
"staff" is the emblem of the pilgrim. If the heart be fixed upon that
fair Land to which we are journeying, then the shows of this "vanity
fair" will possess no attraction for it. The world is overcome by
"faith" (1 John 5:4): a faith which grasps the good of God's promises
enables us to reject the evils of this world.
"These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had the name among
three mighty men. He was more honourable than the thirty, but he
attained not to the first three. And David set him over his guard"
(vv. 22, 23). Once again we are reminded that there is a gradation
among the creatures and servants of God: there is no such thing as
equality even among the angels. How wrong it is, then, for any of us
to be dissatisfied with the status and position which the sovereign
will of God has assigned to us: let us rather seek grace from Him to
faithfully discharge our duties, however exalted or lowly be our
station in life. Our chapter ends with a list of thirty men who were
in the third grade: the first being Asahel (v. 24) and the last Uriah
(v. 39), the former being murdered by Joab and the latter being sent
to his death by David--deliverance from one danger is no guarantee
that we shall escape from another.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER EIGHTY-EIGHT
His Final Folly
2 Samuel 24
_________________________________________________________________
We are about to look at one more of the dark chapters in David's life,
though it has a much brighter ending than had some of the others. It
concerns an episode which though simple and plain in some of its
features, is in other respects shrouded in deep mystery; nor do we
profess to be able to solve it fully. The incident which is narrated
in 2 Samuel 24 concerns the purpose which David formed for numbering
Israel and Judah, in order that be might know the exact fighting
strength of his people. Apparently this was quite an innocent
undertaking, yet it promptly met with disfavor and opposition from the
commander and officers of his army. A little later David himself
acknowledged that therein he had "sinned greatly," and the Lord
Himself manifested His sore displeasure by slaying no less than
seventy thousand of his men by a pestilence.
On two occasions the Lord Himself had directed Moses to number the
people. First in connection with their encampment in the Wilderness
(Num. 1), and later it was enjoined with special reference to the
allotments which the different tribes were to receive in Canaan (Num.
26:2). On each occasion Moses numbered the male Israelites from twenty
years old and upwards, "all that were able to go forth to war"--the
fighting strength of the congregation being thereby ascertained. We
mention this because it would thus appear that David had clear
precedent to warrant his procedure. It is true that after Israel
settled in Canaan God never again issued a command for His people to
be numbered, and while we are not informed that He gave any such order
to our hero at this time, yet we are told that the Lord "moved David
against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah" (v. 1).
We are not left in any doubt that on this occasion David committed a
grave fault, yet wherein lay the evil of it is not so certain. Varied
indeed have been the conjectures formed and the explanations advanced
by different writers thereon. Some have drawn the inference from 1
Chronicles 27:23, 24 that David's sin lay in numbering those who were
under twenty years old (yet sufficiently developed as to be able to
bear arms), and that because his act was thus illegal it was not
formally entered in the state records. Others conclude from the same
passage that he erred in numbering the people at all, that his act
sprang from unbelief in the promises of God to the patriarchs that
their seed should be as innumerable as the sand of the seashore.
Others think that he was guilty of presumption, acting without any
instruction from God. Others think that the fault lay in his failure
to require the half shekel, which was to be paid for the service of
the sanctuary when the people were numbered, as "a ransom for their
souls" (Ex. 30:12).
Now we are not one of those who take pleasure in pitting the
interpretations of one expositor against another, rather do we prefer
to combine them when this seems permissible and helpful. In the
absence of any authoritative word from God as to the precise nature of
David's sin in the case before us, we shall, as we proceed to comment
upon it, bear in mind these several views, which may well supplement
each other. One other explanation has been advanced, which impresses
us personally most strongly of all, namely, that it was pride of heart
which moved Israel's king to here commit such folly. If he was
intoxicated with the successes which heaven had granted to his arms,
and was more occupied with them than their Giver, then that would
readily account for his disastrous lapse, for "pride goeth before
destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."
Some light may be cast on this mysterious episode by taking into
account the relative period in David's history at which it occurred.
As the previous chapters have informed us, the sword of David and of
Israel had been successful over all their enemies. The Philistines had
been subdued, Moab had brought gifts, garrisons had been stationed in
Damascus, and the Syrians as well as the Edomites had become their
servants. To such a remarkable extent had his arms been permitted to
triumph, that we are told, "And the fame of David went out into all
lands; and the Lord brought the fear of him upon all nations" (1
Chron. 14:17). Naught of the good of which Jehovah had spoken to him
had failed. But David was human, a man of like passions with us.
Man--no matter who he be--if left to himself is quite incapable of
holding a blessing, as was clearly demonstrated in Eden at the
beginning. The fuller be our cup of joy, the steadier the hand
required to hold it.
The history of David's sin is stated thus, "And again the anger of the
Lord was kindled against Israel, and He moved David against them to
say, Go, number Israel and Judah" (2 Sam. 24:1), or as 1 Chronicles
21:1 gives it, "And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David
to number Israel." Those two statements are not, as some have
foolishly supposed, contradictory, but are complementary. Though God
is not the Author of sin, and can never be charged with evil, yet as
the Governor of the universe He is the Controller and Director of it,
so that when it serves His righteous purpose even Satan and his hosts
are requisitioned by Him: 1 Kings 22:20-22; Ezekiel 14:9, etc. In this
instance it is clear at least that God permitted Satan to tempt David,
and David being left to himself yielded to the temptation and sinned.
Moreover, the fact that David yielded so readily, and so obstinately
rejected the counsel of his servants, seems to indicate that he had
not been walking with holy watchfulness before God.
It was a remarkable juncture in the history of David. The ancient foes
of Israel, after centuries of conflict, had at last succumbed. Even
the powerful sons of Goliath had been so crushed by his vanquisher
that they no longer made any effort to antagonize. But not only had
the surrounding nations been subdued, they were despoiled, and the
huge quantities of gold which had been taken from them was dedicated
unto the Lord (see 1 Chron. 18:11; 20:4). "Triumphs had been gained
and a rest attained such as Israel had never known before. The sword
was about to be sheathed and the reign of Solomon (the typical Prince
of Peace) was at hand. The Ark of God, ceasing from its lengthy
wanderings, was no longer to dwell in curtains. The Temple was about
to be built. Israel was to be gathered there in solemn and associated
worship, and God's house was to be filled with His glory. It was a
bright and blessed era, but it was only a typical and shadowy one" (B.
W. Newton).
Ah, that was the very point: this wonderful juncture in Israel's
history was but "a typical and a shadowy" one, and therefore it made
all the difference whether it were viewed by the eye of faith or with
the eye of sense. To those who contemplated it with the eye of faith,
and saw therein a blessed foreshadowment of a yet distant future, it
afforded holy encouragement, strengthening them in patient endurance
and hope. But to those who looked upon this successful period with the
eye of sense, it could prove only a snare. As another has pointed out,
"When the Feelings of nature predominate (and they always do
predominate when faith is not in vigorous exercise), triumph or
success even when recognized as a gift of God's undeserved mercy,
will, nevertheless, be so used as to exalt ourselves. As weeds
flourish under sunshine and flowers, so when there is not
watchfulness, the tendencies of our nature germinate under mercies.
This, it seems to us, is the chief practical lesson inculcated by our
present passage. It points a most solemn warning against the dangers
of success. If adversity carries with it a measure of menace to the
spiritual life, the perils of prosperity are far greater. If through
our unwatchfulness the former leads to discontent and murmuring, the
latter will, unless we be doubly on our guard, issue in
self-complacency and self-sufficiency. It is when we are brought low,
by losses and trials, that we are the most cast upon God; as it is
when success crowns our efforts and our barns are well filled, that we
are most apt to walk independently of Him. Little wonder, then, that
the Lord entrusts few of His people with much of this world's goods.
The same applies to spiritual blessings: if earnests of a coming rest
are granted, they will be regarded as realities instead of
foreshadowings, and then we shall rest before our time to rest be
come--instead of continuing to press forward.
It seems likely that David had fallen into this snare, encouraging
imaginations which were completely at variance with the actual facts
of both his own and Israel's actual condition: that is, utterly
inconsistent with the truth that their national prosperity was but
typical and transitory. In the first place, to number the people was
but the natural act of one who had persuaded himself that Israel had
entered upon a period of stable and permanent rest. In the second
place, to number the people was an act indicative of ownership, and it
was obviously wrong for David to regard Israel as though they were his
people, whom it was legitimate to number as his inheritance and
strength. Instead, he should have viewed them as the congregation and
inheritance of Jehovah, to be numbered only when He gave the command.
Finally, he ought to have looked upon them as Jehovah's redeemed
inheritance, and therefore never to be numbered without a typical
ransom for the soul of each being rendered to God.
The divine statute was very definite on this point: "When thou takest
the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they
give every man a ransom for his soul unto the Lord, when thou
numberest them . . . And thou shalt take the atonement money of the
children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the
tabernacle of the congregation, that it may he a memorial unto the
children of Israel before the Lord to make an atonement for your
souls" (Ex. 30:12, 16). "The very mention of the `atonement money' was
sufficient to banish every feeling of pride or independency both from
him who numbered and from those who were numbered amongst the
congregation of Jehovah: for `according to Jehovah's fear so is His
wrath': that is, the nearer we draw to Jehovah to fear and to serve
Him, the more do we supply occasions for His displeasure and wrath,
for the higher and holier the service, the more does our natural
sinful incompetency appear.
"The very fact of being His congregation, appointed to draw nigh to
Him and serve Him in His holiness, must entail chastisement and plague
on all numbered as His people, unless atonement interposed and
provided a ransom for the soul. If David unbidden, and in unholy
elation of heart presumed to number Israel as if there had been in
them a strength that needed not to fear any chastisement, or dread any
abasement, it is no wonder that the atonement money would have been
withheld. It seems to have been utterly forgotten. No mention is made
thereof. He seems not to have recollected the words `that there be no
plague among them when thou numberest them.' Israel was numbered as if
they could forego that protection of grace which the atonement money
signified, and stand firm on the basis of that strength which in their
recent triumphs had been so marvellously exhibited" (B. W. Newton).
But we must now look at this strange and solemn incident from another
angle, from the side presented to us in 1 Chronicles 21:1, where we
are permitted a glimpse behind the veil: "And Satan stood up against
Israel, and provoked David to number Israel." Expositors have pointed
out that these words "stood up" (carefully compare Zech. 3:1) have a
forensic force, being an expression which alludes to the posture of
those who accuse or charge another person with a crime in a court of
law. In Revelation 12:10 Satan is expressly designated "the accuser of
our brethren," which office we behold him discharging in Job 1:9-12.
All these passages are admittedly deeply mysterious, yet in the light
of them it appears that the spiritual condition of Israel at this time
gave the adversary an advantage, and that he promptly used the same by
representing their condition to the Lord as a reason why they should
be punished. This seems to be clearly borne out by the terms of 2
Samuel 24:1.
"And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and He
moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah." "The
Israelites had offended God by their ungrateful and repeated
rebellions against David, by not duly profiting under the means
employed for the revival of religion; and probably by that pride,
luxury and ungodliness, which generally springs from great prosperity.
They had before, in a famine which lasted three years, experienced the
effects of the divine displeasure, and it is likely they had not been
amended by the correction: but some think that the sin immediately
intended was the setting up of Absalom for king, and rebelling against
David. This, David had cordially forgiven; but it was a national
defection from God, which He did not judge it proper to leave
unpunished. So that `again the anger of the Lord was kindled against
Israel,' and He permitted Satan to tempt and prevail against David,
that in chastising him, He might punish them" (Thomas Scott).
The Nation at large was not made up of those who walked by faith and
trod the path of the divine statutes. Very far from it, as is clearly
intimated by David's prayer, "Help Lord, for the godly man ceaseth;
for the faithful fail from among the children of men" (Ps. 12:1). From
2 Samuel 23:6 it is also plain that the "sons of Belial" were strong
and numerous in the midst of Israel, so that we need not be surprised
that the signal triumphs which had been vouchsafed them should have
awakened in the hearts of the majority a proud and self-sufficient
arrogance, which was bound to affect their fellows, and which thus
called forth the sore displeasure of God. Nothing gives Satan so easy
an approach to and such an advantage over us as when we are swelled by
a sense of our self-importance. Few things are more detestable unto
God than a heart that is inflated by egotism: note how the seven
things which He hates is headed by "A proud look" (Prov. 6:16-19). How
urgently we need to heed the exhortation of Christ and take His yoke
upon us and learn of Him who is "meek and lowly in "
It is indeed solemn to see one so near the end of his earthly
pilgrimage, one who had (in the main) for many years walked so closely
with God, now giving place to the devil and being overcome by him.
What proof is this that neither age nor experience is (in itself) any
safeguard against his attacks! As long as the believer is in this
world the great enemy of our souls has access to us, is often
permitted to work upon our corruptions, and under certain restrictions
to tempt us. And therefore it is we are called upon to "Humble
yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt
you in due time: casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for
you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a
roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist
steadfast in the faith" (1 Peter 5:6-8). We have purposely quoted the
whole of that passage because it is imperative that we heed the order
of its several precepts: we cannot obey those in verse 8 unless and
until we respond to those in verses 6 and 7.
There never comes a time, then, when the saint on earth can dispense
with any part of the armor which God has provided, nor when he may
relax his vigilance against his untiring and remorseless adversary. If
the time of youth be dangerous because of hot passions, the season of
old age is imperiled by the surgings of pride: therefore must we watch
and pray always lest we enter into temptation. And, the higher be the
rank of the saint, the more important and influential be the office he
holds, then the greater is his need to be doubly on his guard. It has
ever been Satan's way to level his principal attacks against those who
are eminent for usefulness, knowing full well that if he can encompass
their downfall, many others will be involved either in his sin or in
his sufferings. We must leave for our next other important lessons
taught by this incident.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER EIGHTY-NINE
His Final Folly
(Continued)
2 Samuel 24
_________________________________________________________________
The Word of God supplies us with two separate accounts of David's sin
in numbering the people: one in 2 Samuel 24 and the other in 1
Chronicles 21, and both of them need to be carefully pondered by us if
we are to have the advantage of all the light the Lord has vouchsafed
us on this mysterious incident, infidels have appealed to these two
chapters in an endeavor to show that the Scriptures are unreliable,
but their efforts to do so are utterly vain: what they, in their
blindness, suppose to be discrepancies are in reality supplementary
details, which enable us to obtain a more comprehensive view of the
various factors entering into this incident. Thus once more God taketh
the wise in their own craftiness and makes the wrath of man to praise
Him, for the attempt of His enemies to pit 1 Chronicles against 2
Samuel 24 has served to call the attention of many of His people to a
companion passage which otherwise they had probably overlooked.
The first help which 1 Chronicles 21 affords us is to indicate the
moral connection between David's folly and that which preceded it. 1
Chronicles 21 opens with the word "And," which bids us look at the
immediate context--one which is quite different from that of 2 Samuel
24. 1 Chronicles 20 closes with "These were born unto the giant in
Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his
servants" (v. 8). That closes a record of notable exploits and
victories which David and his mighty men had obtained over their foes.
And then we read, And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked
David to number Israel" (1 Chron. 21:1). Is not the connection
obvious? Flushed with his successes the heart of David was lifted up,
and thus the door was opened for Satan successfully to tempt him. Let
us seek constantly to bear in mind that, the only place where we are
safe from a fall is to lie in the dust before God.
Some have wondered wherein lay David's sin in taking this military
census. But is it not plain that, as king over all Israel and
victorious over all his enemies, he wished to know the full numerical
strength of the Nation? --losing sight of the fact that his strength
lay wholly in that One who had multiplied his power and given him such
success. Would it not also serve to strike terror into the hearts of
the surrounding nations for there to be publicly proclaimed the vast
number of men capable of taking up arms that David had under him? But
if this was one of the motives which actuated the king, it was equally
unnecessary and unworthy of him, for God is well able to cause His
fear to fall upon those who oppose us without any fleshly efforts of
ours to that end--efforts which would deprive Him of the glory were He
to grant them success. What honor does the Lord get as the Protector
of any nation while they boast of and rely on the vastness of their
armaments?
But David was far from being alone in this folly, for as 2 Samuel 24:1
tells us, "And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel,
and He moved David against them." The Lord had a controversy with the
Nation. He had dealt governmentally with David and his house (chaps.
12-21), as He had likewise dealt with Saul and his house (21), and now
His grievance is more immediately with Israel, whom He chastised
through the act of their king--the "again" looks back to 1 Chronicles
21:1. No one particular sin of Israel's is mentioned, but from David's
Psalms we have little difficulty in ascertaining the general state of
his subjects. Ever prone to remove their eyes from Jehovah, there is
little room for doubt that the temporal successes which God had
granted them became an occasion to them of self-congratulation, and
like the children of this world, in the unbelief of self-confidence,
they were occupied with their own resources.
The second help which 1 Chronicles 21 affords us is the information
which it supplies that Satan was instrumental in mowing David to
commit this great folly. Not that this in any wise excused David or
modified his guilt, but because it casts light on the governmental
ways of God. "In the righteous government of God rulers and their
subjects have a reciprocal influence on one another. Like the members
in the human body, they are interested in each other's conduct and
welfare; and cannot sin or suffer without mutually affecting each
other. When the wickedness of nations provokes God, He leaves princes
to adopt pernicious measures, or to commit atrocious crimes, which
bring calamities on the people: and when the ruler commits iniquity,
he is punished by the diminution of his power, and by witnessing the
distresses of his subjects. Instead therefore of mutual recriminations
under public calamities, however occasioned, all parties should be
remanded to repent of their own sins, and to practice their own
duties. Princes should hence be instructed, even for their own sakes,
to repress wickedness and to promote righteousness in their dominions,
as well as to set a good example: and the people, for the public
benefit, should concur in salutary measures, and pray continually for
their rulers" (Thomas Scott).
The solemn principles which are illustrated in the above quotation are
of wide ramification and go far to explain many a painful incident
which often sorely puzzles the righteous. For example, only the Day to
come will reveal how many ministers were permitted by God to fall into
public disgrace because He had a controversy with the churches over
which they were set as pastors. God left David to himself to be
tempted by Satan because He was displeased with his subjects and
determined to chastise them. In like manner, He has left more than one
minister of the Gospel to himself, to be tried and tripped up by the
devil, because He had a grievance against the people he served, so
that in the fall of their leader the pride of the people was
humiliated. Yet, be it said emphatically, this is in nowise a case of
making the innocent suffer because of the guilty: the pride of David's
own heart left him an easy prey to the enemy.
"For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which was with
him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to
Beersheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the number of the
people. And Joab said unto the king, Now the Lord thy God add unto the
people, how many soever they be, an hundredfold, and that the eyes of
my lord the king may see it: but why doth my lord the king delight in
this thing?" (2 Sam. 24:2, 3). From the human side of things, it seems
strange that Joab should have been the one to demur against David's
act of vain glory. As we have seen in earlier chapters, Joab was a man
of blood and eminently one of the children of this world, as the whole
of his career makes plain; yet was he quick to see, on this occasion,
that the step David proposed to take was one fraught with grave
danger, and therefore did he earnestly remonstrate with the king.
It is indeed striking to find that this infatuation of David was met
by an objection from the commander of his army. Not that it was the
ungodliness of David's project which filled Joab with horror: rather
that he realized the impolity of it. As we pointed out in the
preceding chapter, after Israel entered into Canaan God never gave a
command for the numbering of His people, and there was no occasion now
for a military census to be taken. Joab was conscious of that and
expostulated with his master, being wiser in his generation. This
serves to illustrate a solemn principle: many a man of the world
exercises more common sense than does a saint who is out of communion
with God and under the power of Satan. This fact is written large
across the pages of Holy Writ and a number of examples will no doubt
come to mind if the reader meditates thereon.
The force of Joab's objection to David's plan was, why take delight in
such a thing as ascertaining the precise numerical strength of your
army, and thereby run the danger of bringing down divine judgment upon
us? Thus this child of the world perceived what David did not. Most
solemn is the lesson which is here pointed for the Christian. It is in
God's light that we "see light" (Ps. 36:9), and when we turn away from
Him we are left in spiritual darkness. And as the Lord Jesus
exclaimed, "If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how
great is that darkness!" (Matthew 6:23). A believer who is out of
fellowship with the Lord will make the most stupid blunders and engage
in crass folly such as a shrewd unbeliever would disdain. This is part
of the price which he has to pay for wandering from the narrow path.
But we must now look at Joab's opposition to David's plan from the
divine side. Had David been walking with holy watchfulness before the
Lord he had not yielded so readily to Satan's temptation, still less
had he been prepared to act contrary to the express requirements of
Exodus 30:12-16. Nevertheless, God did not now utterly forsake David
and give him up fully to his heart's lusts. Instead, He placed an
obstacle in his path, in the form of Joab's (probably, most
unexpected) opposition, which rebuked his folly, and rendered his sin
still more inexcusable. Behold here, then, the wondrous mingling of
the workings of divine sovereignty and the enforcing of human
responsibility. God decreed that Pilate should pass the death sentence
upon Christ, yet He gave him a most emphatic deterrent through his
wife (Matthew 27:19). In like manner, it was God's purpose to chastise
Israel through the folly of their king, yet so far from approving of
David's act He rebuked him through Joab.
Yes, remarkable indeed are the varied factors entering into this
equation, the different actors in this strange drama. If on the one
hand the Lord suffered Satan to tempt His servant, on the other hand
He caused Joab to deter him. It was David's refusal to listen to
Joab--backed up by his officers (v. 4)-- which rendered his sin the
greater. And is not the practical lesson plain for us! When we are
meditating folly and a man of the world counsels us against it, it is
high time for us to "consider our ways." When the merciful providence
of God places a hindrance in our path, even though it be in the form
of a rebuke from an unbeliever, we should pause in our madness, for we
are in imminent danger to ourselves and probably to others as well.
"Notwithstanding the king's word prevailed against Joab, and against
the captains of the host" (v. 4). Joab perceived that David's purpose
sprang from carnal ambition and that it was against the public
interest, and accordingly he remonstrated with him. When that failed
he summoned to his aid the additional pleas of the captains of the
army. But all in vain. David's mind was fully made up, and in
self-will he committed this grievous sin. "When the mind, instead of
taking a comprehensive view of all the circumstances before it,
persists in viewing them partially in some favorite aspect, it is
astonishing how blind it may become to things obvious as the day to
every one who has no such bias to warp his judgment. David's soul,
whilst absorbed in contemplating the might and triumphs of Israel, had
no desire to consider other circumstances, the consideration of which
would leave on the heart a sense of weakness--not of strength" (B. W.
Newton).
How merciful is God to raise up those who oppose us when we anticipate
doing that which is displeasing to him! Yet how often, in the pride of
our hearts and the stubbornness of our wills, do we resent such
opposition. Everything that enters our lives contains a message from
God if only we will pause and listen to it, and many a thorny path
should we have escaped if only we had heeded that hedge which divine
providence placed in our way. That hedge may take the form of a
friendly word of advice from those around us, and though we are far
from suggesting that we should always follow out the same, yet it is
for our good that we prayerfully weigh it before God. If we do not,
and in our self-will force our way through that hedge, then we must
not be surprised if we get badly torn in the process. How much better
had it been both for David and his subjects to have responded to the
council of Joab and his officers.
"And Joab and the captains of the host went out from the presence of
the king, to number the people of Israel" (v. 4). On other occasions
Joab had lent himself readily to the furthering of the king's evil
designs (2 Sam. 11:16; 14:1, 2), but at this time he carried out his
orders with great reluctance. How strongly he was opposed to David's
policy appears from "the king's word was abominable to Joab" (1 Chron.
21:6). The service on which Joab now embarked was most distasteful to
him, nevertheless he carried it out, for it was "of the Lord" (as
verse 1 shows) that he should do so. Yet that did not excuse him; the
less so when he clearly perceived the wrongfulness of it. What God has
decreed must come to pass, nevertheless the entire guilt of every
wicked deed rests upon him who performs it. It is never right to do
wrong, and Joab certainly ought to have declined having any part in
such an evil course.
Joab commenced his distasteful task in the remotest sections of
Palestine, and took his time about it, perhaps hoping that long ere it
was completed the king would repent him of his folly. The compilers of
the census first numbered the inhabitants of the country to the east
of Jordan, from thence proceeding to the northern part of Canaan, and
finishing up in the region to the west of Jordan (vv. 5-7). They
compiled a complete register of all the men capable of taking up arms,
excepting only the Levites and the Benjamites: the former because
their sacred vocation exempted them from military service: the latter,
probably because they could not yet be relied upon to render
wholehearted devotion to David (compare 2:28; 3:1, etc.). Nearly ten
months were spent on this task: how patient the Lord is and how great
His mercy in giving us "space for repentance--alas, how great is our
madness and sin in refusing to repent.
"So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at
the end of nine months and twenty days. And Joab gave up the sum of
the number of the people unto the king: and there were in Israel eight
hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the men of Judah
were five hundred thousand men" (2 Sam. 24:8, 9). The careful student
will note that the figures given here are different from those found
in 1 Chronicles 21:5--a variation which sceptics are quick to seize
upon as one of the "errors the Bible is full of"; but most deplorable
is it to find that some of the orthodox commentators solve "the
difficulty" by suggesting that the records were "inaccurate." The fact
is that the two classifications are quite different, the one
supplementing the other. It is to be carefully observed that 2 Samuel
24 qualifies the first total by "there were in Israel 800,000 valiant
men," whereas 1 Chronicles only says 1,100,000 "men that drew sword"
in Israel, so that an additional number to the "valiant men" was there
included! Again, in Chronicles the men of Judah "were 470,000 that
drew sword," whereas in 2 Samuel 24 the "men of Judah were
500,000--evidently 30,000 drew not the sword.
It is striking to note that the Hebrews had not multiplied nearly so
much during their five hundred years' residence in Canaan as they did
in their briefer sojourn in Egypt; nevertheless, that such a vast
multitude were sustained in such a narrow territory is clear evidence
of the remarkable fertility of the country--a land flowing with milk
and honey. Whether the total figures which Joab presented to his royal
master reached his expectations, or whether they mortified his pride,
we are not told; but probably his subjects were not so numerous as he
had expected. It usually follows that when we set our hearts upon the
attaining of some earthly object, the actual realization of our quest
proves to be but a chimera. But such disappointments ought only to
serve in weaning our affections from things below, to fix them on
things above which alone can satisfy the soul. Alas, how slow we are
to learn the lesson.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER NINETY
His Wise Decision
2 Samuel 24
_________________________________________________________________
"When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their
number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the
Lord, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them,
when thou numberest them" (Ex. 30:12). In the absence of any
commission From God to do so, David not only did wrong in yielding to
the pride of his heart by insisting that a military census should be
taken of Israel, but he also erred grievously in the way it was
carried out. This it is which explains to us why divine judgment
followed upon his being so remiss, and why that plague fell on all the
nation, for the law laid the responsibility on every individual alike.
The amount of the required "ransom" was so small (a shilling--a
quarter) that it lay within the capacity of the poorest. "The rich
were not allowed to give more, thus teaching us that all mankind are,
in this matter, equal. All had sinned and come short of the glory of
God; therefore all needed, equally needed a ransom.
"This numbering was a solemn ceremonial that could not be done
quickly, as we see by the first chapter in the book called Numbers.
Therefore there was time for the officers to have looked up in the Law
what was required of them. For a man to present himself to God without
a ransom was a solemn and dangerous thing to do. The fact that the
result, which they were warned by this law to avoid, came upon them,
shows us that we are expected to read the Word, and that God will not
contradict His own Word. As Paul warns us, `If we believe not, yet He
abideth faithful; He cannot deny Himself': (2 Tim. 2:13)" (C. H.
Bright). How loudly ought this incident to speak unto us in this
flesh-pleasing and God-defying age: to ignore the requirements of the
divine law is to court certain disaster--true alike for the individual
and for the nation.
"So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at
the end of nine months and twenty days. And Joab gave up the sum of
the number of the people unto the king" (2 Sam. 24:8,9). For nine long
months the pride of David's heart deceived him, as alas, lust had
before dimmed his eyes the same length of time (2 Sam. 11, 12). During
this season his conscience slumbered, and there was no exercise of it
before God over his action--such is ever the case when we are caught
in the toils of Satan. Does it strike us as well-nigh incredible that
one so favored of God and one who had so signally honored Him in the
general course of his life, should now have such a deplorable and
protracted lapse? Let each of us answer the question out of his
checked experience. We doubt not that the majority of our Christian
readers will hang their heads with shame, as they are conscious of
similar backslidings in their own history; and if perchance a minority
have been preserved from such falls, well may they marvel at the
distinguishing mercy which has been vouchsafed them.
"And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people"
(v. 10). This indicated that he was a regenerate soul, for it is ever
one of the marks of a true believer to repent of his misdeeds, for
though on the one hand the flesh lusteth against the spirit, on the
other the spirit (the nature received at the new birth) is contrary to
the flesh, and delights not in its works. For almost a year David
appears to have been indifferent to his sin, but now he is conscious
of his wickedness, without, so far as we are informed, any human
instrument convicting him of the evil which he had done. It is good to
see that though he had remained so long in the path of self-will, yet
his heart was not obdurate: though his conscience had indeed
slumbered, yet it was not dead. It is cause for real thanksgiving when
we
We are not here told what it was that aroused David from his spiritual
stupor and caused his heart to smite him: simply the bare fact is
stated. Here again is where we receive help by comparing the
supplementary account furnished by 1 Chronicles 21, for there we are
told "And God was displeased with this thing; therefore He smote
Israel. And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly" (vv. 7, 8). In
2 Samuel 24 David's confession of his sin (v. 10) followed his
contrition, so that a careful comparison of the two passages enables
us to ascertain that the chiding from his heart was the effect of the
Lord's being displeased at what he had done. This is one of many
illustrations which serves to bring out the characteristic differences
of the two books: the one is mainly exoteric, the other largely
esoteric: that is to say, 1 and 2 Samuel narrates the historical
facts, whereas 1 and 2 Chronicles generally reveals the hidden springs
from which the actions proceed.
"And God was displeased with this thing; therefore He smote Israel" (1
Chron. 21:7). Here we learn how God regarded the policy David had
pursued: He was offended, for His Law had been completely disregarded.
"And He smote Israel": observe particularly that this comes before
David's confession of his sin (v. 8), and before God "sent pestilence
upon Israel" (v. 14). Ere God caused the plague to fall upon the
Nation, He first smote David's heart! He did not turn His back upon
David! As another has pointed out, "The whole system of Israel, by
this national transgression, was now defiled and tainted, and ripe for
severity or judgment: this pride was the giving up of God, and God
would have been dealing righteously had He at once laid Israel aside,
as He did Adam, in such a case." Instead, He acted here in sovereign
grace.
No, the Lord was far from utterly forsaking David. Put together the
two statements, and in this order, "And God was displeased with this
thing; therefore He smote Israel" (1 Chron. 21:7), "And David's heart
smote him after he had numbered the people" (2 Sam. 24:10). Do not
these two statements stand related as cause to effect, the one
revealing the Lord's working, the other showing the result produced in
his servant. God now smote David's heart, making him to feel His sore
displeasure. David, as a child of God, might be tempted, over-taken in
a fault, and thus brought to shame and grief; but could he be left
impenitent? No; no more than Peter was (Luke 22:32). The reprobate are
given up to hardness of heart; but not so the righteous; the Lord
would not suffer David to remain indifferent to his sin, but
graciously wrought conviction and contrition within him. And so far
from David's conscience being as one which had been "seared with a hot
iron" (1 Tim. 4:2), it was sensitive and quick to respond to the
influences of God's Spirit.
"And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people."
What a warning is this for us. How it should speak to our hearts! What
a solemn and salutary lesson does it point: the very thing which David
imagined would bring him pleasure, caused him pain! This is ever the
case: to listen unto Satan's temptations is to court certain trouble,
to be attracted by the gilt on the bait he dangles before us, will be
to our inevitable undoing. It was so with Eve, with Dinah (Gen. 34:1,
2), with Achan. Indulging the pride of his heart, David fondly
supposed that to secure an accurate knowledge of the full military
strength of his kingdom would prove gratifying; instead, he now
grieves over his folly. What insanity it is for us to invest folly
with the garb of satisfaction: not only will a sense of sin dampen the
Christian's carnal joy, but "at the last it biteth like a serpent, and
stingeth like an adder" (Prov. 23:32).
"And David said unto the Lord, I have sinned greatly in that I have
done: and now, I beseech Thee, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Thy
servant, for I have done very foolishly" (v. 10). David had been
convicted by the Spirit, and a heavy sense of guilt oppressed
him--ever an intolerable burden to a renewed soul. Sensible of his
wrongdoing, he earnestly sought forgiveness of the Lord. Where divine
grace possesses the heart, the conscience of a saint, upon reflection,
will reprove him for his transgressions. It is at this point there
appears the great difference between the regenerate and the empty
professor or religious hypocrite. The latter may afterwards have a
realization of his madness and suffer keen remorse therefrom, but he
will not get down in the dust before God and unsparingly condemn
himself; instead, he invariably excuses himself by blaming his
circumstances, his associates, or those lusts which are now his
master. This is one of the outstanding characteristics of depraved
human nature: Adam took not upon himself the blame for his fall, but
sought to throw the onus of it upon his
But it is far otherwise with those who have been made the subjects of
a miracle of grace. One who is born again has been given an honest
heart, and one of the plainest evidences of this is that its possessor
is honest with himself, with his fellows, and above all, with God. An
honest soul is sincere, open, candid, abhorring deception and lies.
Therefore in unmistakable contrast from the hypocrite the genuine
believer will, upon realizing his transgressions, humble himself
before the Lord, and with unfeigned contrition and fervent prayer seek
His forgiveness, sincerely purposing by His grace to return no more to
his folly. Wondrous indeed is the ministry which grace performs,
making our very pride to be an occasion of increasing our humility!
Thus it was with David. The same appears again in the case of
Hezekiah: "Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done
unto him: for his heart was lifted up: therefore was wrath upon him,
and upon Judah and Jerusalem. Notwithstanding, Hezekiah humbled
himself for the pride of his heart" (2 Chron. 32:25, 26).
"And David said unto the Lord, I have sinned greatly in that I have
done: and now, I beseech Thee, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Thy
servant, for I have done very foolishly." It is by the depth of his
conviction, the sincerity of his repentance, and the heartiness of his
confession, that the child of God is identified. So far from making
any attempt to extenuate himself, so far from throwing the blame upon
Satan (who had tempted him), David unsparingly condemned himself. To
others it might seem a small thing that he had done. But David felt he
had "sinned greatly." Ah, he now saw his deed in the light of God's
holiness. In true confession of sin we do not spare ourselves or
minimize our misdemeanors, but frankly and feelingly acknowledge the
enormity of them. "I have done very foolishly," David owned, for what
he had done was in the pride of his heart, and it was veritable
madness for him to be vain of his subjects when they were God's
people, as it is insane for the Christians to be proud of the gifts
and graces which the Spirit has bestowed upon him.
"For (Heb. "And") when David was up in the morning, the word of the
Lord came unto the prophet Gad, David's seer" (v. 11). This seems to
indicate that David's confession had been made during the hours of
darkness. God "giveth His beloved sleep" (Ps. 127:2), and likewise He
withholds it when it serves His purpose. And it is always for our good
(Rom. 8:28) that He does so, whether we perceive it or no. Sometimes
He "giveth songs in the night" (Job 35:10); we read too of "visions of
the night" (Job 4:2, 13); but at other times God removes sleep from
our eyes and speaks to us about our sins. Then it is we can say with
Asaph, "My sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to
be comforted" (Ps. 77:2), and then it is that we have a taste of
David's experience: "I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I
my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears" (Ps. 6:6). But
whatever be God's object in withholding sleep, it is blessed when we
can say, "By night on my bed I sought Him whom my soul loveth" (Song
of Solomon 3:1).
"And when David was up in the morning, the word of the Lord came unto
the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, Go and say unto David, Thus
saith the Lord, I offer thee three things; choose thee one of them,
that I may do it unto thee" (vv. 11, 12). The solemn exercises of
David's heart during the night season were to prepare him for God's
message of judgment. He had been made to taste something of the
bitterness of his folly while others were slumbering, but now he is to
know definitely how sorely displeased God was. When the Lord is about
to send us a special message, be it one of cheer or of reproof. He
first fits the heart to receive it. When the morning broke, the Lord
commissioned Gad to deliver His ultimatum to the king. Gad was a
prophet, and he is here designated "David's seer" because he was one
who, on certain occasions, was wont to counsel him in the things of
God (cf. 1 Sam. 23:5). At this time he had to deliver a
far-from-pleasant message--such often falls to the lot of God's
servants.
His heavenly Father must correct David, yet He graciously gave him
leave to make choice whether it should be by famine, war, or
pestilence: whether it should be a long-protracted judgment or a brief
yet terribly severe one. Matthew Henry suggested that the Lord had a
fourfold design in this. First, to humble David the more for his sin,
which he would see to be exceeding sinful, when he came to consider
that each of the judgments were exceeding dreadful. Second, to upbraid
him for the proud conceit he had entertained of his own sovereignty
over Israel: he had become so great a monarch that he might now do
whatever he would: very well, says God, choose which of these three
things you prefer. Third, to grant him some encouragement under the
chastisement: so far from the Lord having utterly disfellowshiped him,
He let him decide what He should do. Fourth, that he might more
patiently endure the rod seeing it was one of his own selection.
"So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven
years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three
months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be
three days' pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I
shall return to Him that sent me" (v. 13). Here is the third thing
connected with this incident which is apt to greatly puzzle the casual
reader. First, that such an apparently trifling act on David's part
should have so sorely displeased the Lord. Second, that He suffered
Satan to tempt David, and then was angry with him for doing as the
tempter suggested. These we have already considered. And now, after
David had been convicted of his sin, sincerely repented of the same,
had confessed it, and sought the Lord's forgiveness, that judgment
should fall so heavily upon him. It is really surprising that so many
of the commentators when dealing with this "difficulty" fail to bear
in mind the opening sentence of the chapter--the key to all that
follows: "And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel."
God had a controversy with the Nation, and this it is which accounts
for the character of His governmental dealings with them. His judgment
could not be averted, and therefore He punished their pride and
rebellion by leaving them to suffer the consequences of their king's
following out the natural impulse of his heart. But there are several
other aspects of the case which must be borne in mind. David's sin had
not been a private but a public one, and though God forgave him as to
his personal concern, yet he had to be publicly humiliated. Again,
while God remits the penal and eternal consequences of sin unto a
contrite saint, yet even penitents are chastised and often made to
smart severely in this world for their folly. Though God be
long-suffering, He will by no means clear the guilty. True, His gifts
and calling are without repentance (Rom. 11:29), and unto His own His
compassions fail not (Lam. 3:22); yet, the righteousness of His
government must be vindicated.
What has last been pointed out holds good in all dispensations, for
God's "ways" change not. Correction is ever a characteristic of the
Covenant, for whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth" (Heb. 12:6). Had
David walked in his integrity and in humility before God, he would
have been spared severe discipline, but now he must bear the rod.
"Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their
iniquity with stripes; nevertheless My loving kindness will I not
utterly take from him, nor suffer My faithfulness to fail" (Ps. 89:32,
33): that clearly states the principle. "And David said unto Gad, I am
in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of the Lord; for His
mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man" (v. 14).
Here was his wise decision, the meaning and blessedness of which we
must leave for consideration in our next chapter.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER NINETY-ONE
His Wise Decision
(Continued)
2 Samuel 24
_________________________________________________________________
It will be remembered that in the last two chapters upon the life of
David we chose for their title "His Final Folly," but here we are to
be occupied with his wise decision. What a strange mingling there is
in the life of the believer of these two things--clearly exemplified
in the recorded history of both Old and New Testament saints. This it
is which often makes the experiences of a Christian to be so
perplexing to him; yet the explanation thereof is not difficult to
determine. There are two opposing principles operating within him: the
"flesh" and the "spirit,' and if one be essentially evil, it is also
the cause of all his folly; while if the other be intrinsically holy,
it is the spring of all true wisdom. Hence it is that in the
Scriptures (outstandingly so throughout the book of Proverbs) sin and
folly are synonymous terms, while holiness and wisdom are used
interchangeably.
It is only by an unsparing and ceaseless judging of ourselves and by
the maintenance of close and constant fellowship with God, that
indwelling sin can be suppressed and ourselves preserved from deeds of
madness. When communion with the Holy One is broken, we have forsaken
the Fountain of wisdom, and then we are left to follow a course from
which even the "common sense" of the worldling frequently deters him.
We have seen this most solemnly illustrated in the case of David.
First, he had allowed his heart to be lifted up over the strengthening
and extension of his kingdom and by the great successes which had
attended his arms. This led to the folly of his causing a needless
military census to be taken of his subjects, without any divine
authorization. Worse still, he persisted in this mad course against
the express remonstrance of his officers. And worst of all, he failed
to meet the requirements of Exodus 30:12 and provide the necessary
ransom.
Painful as it is to dwell upon the failures of so eminent a servant of
God, yet the same will prove beneficial to us if we duly take to heart
such a solemn warning, and learn therefrom to walk more softly before
God. The same evil tendencies lie within both the writer and the
reader, and it is only as we are truly humbled by such a realization
and are moved to deeper self-distrust and self-loathing, and only as
we are led to more earnestly and definitely seek God's subduing and
preserving grace, that we shall ourselves be kept from falling into
similar evils. These Old Testament histories are not merely given for
information, but for our edification, and growth is possible only by
feeding on God's Word. Feeding on the Word means that we appropriate
and masticate it; taking it unto ourselves and assimilating the same.
But alas, David fell; and so have we. Who amongst us dares to say that
he has never followed a course of folly since he became a Christian?
that he has never been guilty of God-dishonoring acts of madness? But
as we are now to see, David recovered his sanity, and once more acted
wisely. It was what lay between these two things which we would again
call attention to, for it is at this very point that most important
and precious practical instruction is furnished us. Surely those
Christians who have entered the paths of folly desire to tread once
more the ways of wisdom. Does it not behoove us, then, to attend
closely unto our present narrative and observe the several steps by
which the one path is left and the other path returned unto? How
gracious of the Holy Spirit in here revealing to us the way of
recovery and the means of restoration.
And what, my reader, do you suppose is the first step which leads us
back into communion with God? what the particular exercise which
recovers us from the disease of folly? If you have any acquaintance
with divine things the answer will promptly be forthcoming, for the
history of your own experience will prompt it. "And David's heart
smote him after that he had numbered the people" (2 Sam. 24:10). We
have previously commented upon this verse, so our remarks thereon must
be brief. Yet once more we would point out what a mercy it is when an
erring saint finds his heart reproving him for his madness and weighed
down with a sense of guilt, for this is both a mark of regeneration
and a sign that the Lord has not abandoned him--given him up to total
hardness and blindness. But it is as intimating the first step in
David's recovery that we would now particularly consider the verse.
"And David's heart smote him." This is basic and indispensable. There
can be no real restoration to communion with a holy God until we
unsparingly condemn ourselves for the lapse; that thing which broke
the communion must be judged by us. God never forgives, either sinner
or saint, where there is no repentance; and one essential ingredient
in repentance is self-judgment. "If My people, which are called by My
name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn
from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive
their sin, and will heal their land" (2 Chron. 7:14). The first thing,
then, is the humbling of ourselves, and that is what repentance is; it
is the taking of sides with God against ourselves and sorrowing over
our wickedness. Thus it is the tears of contrition which cleanse the
eyes of our hearts from the grit of folly, and enable them once more
to look on things with the vision of prudence.
And what, dear reader, do you suppose is the next step in the return
to the ways of wisdom? And again the answer is very simple, where
there is a true and honest judging of self, there will also be an
humble and contrite owning of the fault to God. Consequently we find
in the passage quoted above (2 Chron. 7:14) that immediately after, If
my people "shall humble themselves" is, "and pray and seek My face."
This is exactly what we find poor David did; "And David said unto the
Lord, I have sinned greatly in that I have done; and now, I beseech
Thee, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Thy servant; for I have done
very foolishly" (v. 10). He made honest confession of his
transgression, emphasizing the greatness of his folly. And this is
what every backslider must do before he can be recovered from his
madness and restored to fellowship with the Lord.
It is to be observed that coupled with David's confession of sin to
the Lord was his request "take away the iniquity of Thy servant." By
that petition at least three things were denoted. First, remit the
guilt of the same, both from before Thine accusing Law and the weight
of the same upon my conscience. Second, cleanse the defilement
thereof, both from before Thy holy sight and in my polluted soul.
Third, cancel or annul the governmental consequences of my crime, so
that I may not be punished for it. We need to be clear upon these
distinctions, for they are something more than mere technicalities.
Now where the holy requirements of God have been duly met and He is
pleased to bestow a pardon, the first two of these elements are always
included; guilt is blotted out and defilement is cleansed. But the
third by no means always obtains.
God ever reserves to Himself the sovereign right to mete out the
governmental consequences of our sins as best sub-serves His glory and
the accomplishment of His eternal purpose. So far as the believer
himself is concerned, those consequences are not penal but
disciplinary, visited upon him not in wrath but in love. Yet it must
not be forgotten that wider interests are involved than our own
personal ones. Were God to remit all the consequences of sin every
time a believer committed a flagrant offence and then sincerely
repented of and confessed-the same, what impression would be received
by men in general! Would not the ungodly draw the conclusion that the
Lord regarded transgressions as trifles and was indifferent to our
conduct? Thus it is that, as the moral Ruler of this world, God often
gives solemn tokens of His disapproval of our sins by making us suffer
some painful effects of them in this life.
Yet it would be a great mistake for an afflicted saint to draw the
inference from what has just been said, that such tokens in his
present life of God's displeasure are so many evidences that the sins
he has penitently confessed are still unpardoned. A striking case in
point occurs in the earlier life of David himself. After he had
transgressed so grievously in the matter of Uriah's wife, the prophet
was sent to charge him with his crime. Whereupon David acknowledged,
"I have sinned against the Lord," and none who have read seriously
Psalm 51 can doubt either the sincerity or the depth of his
repentance. Accordingly Nathan told him "the Lord also hath put away
thy sin; thou shalt not die." Yet he at once added, Howbeit, because
by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord
to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die"
(2 Sam. 12:14).
A much commoner example is met with in the case of those who in their
unregenerate days lived reckless and profligate lives. Upon their
conversion God graciously remits the guilt of their sins, canceling
the penal consequences of the same so far as eternity is concerned, as
He also cleanses them from all the defilements thereof but it is rare
indeed that debauchee is given back again the health and strength
which he had squandered in riotous living; rather is he (in the vast
majority or cases, at least) left to now reap in his body the wild
oats sown in his mad youth. So it was with David in the matter of his
awful crime against Uriah; the "sword" of God's displeasure was not
sheathed, but was used against him and his household during the
remainder of his earthly pilgrimage.
In the instance now before us, the prophet Gad was sent unto David to
say unto him, "Thus saith the Lord, I offer thee three things; choose
thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee. So Gad came to David,
and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto
thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies,
while they pursue thee? or that there be three days' pestilence in thy
land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to Him that sent
me" (2 Sam. 24:12, 13). It must be borne in mind (as we pointed out
more than once in our chapters on the earlier verses of this chapter)
that the Lord had a grievance against Israel, and therefore His
governmental displeasure could not be averted by David's prayer.
Divine judgment must fall upon the Nation which had so grievously
provoked the Lord, but the form in which it was to come lay with David
to choose, though within the prescribed limits.
"And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into
the hand of the Lord" (v. 14). David was now made to taste the
bitterness of his sin, yet it is most blessed to see that he neither
hardened his heart nor murmured against God when he heard the
terrifying message of the prophet. His beautiful response thereto
clearly evidenced the genuineness of his repentance and the sincerity
of his confession. This is another point in our narrative which we do
well to heed, for alas our hearts frequently deceive us therein. How
often have we mourned over our iniquities and acknowledged them unto
the Lord, and then have fretted and fumed when made to feel the
governmental consequences of the same--thereby manifesting the
superficiality of our repentance and the dishonesty of our confession.
As we have said in a previous paragraph, genuine repentance is a
taking sides with God against ourselves. It is not only the unsparing
condemnation of ourselves and a sorrowing for having displeased the
Lord, but it is also a heartfelt acknowledgment that we richly deserve
to receive the due reward of our iniquities. It is the recognition and
acknowledgment that God will be righteous in making us smart severely
under His chastening hand. But it is the sequel which will show how
genuine or else how disingenuous is our confession; it is how we carry
ourselves under the rod itself, whether meekly or rebelliously--that
evidences the reality and depth of our self-judgment. Let us not
forget that Pharaoh, king of Egypt, owned "I have sinned against the
Lord your God" (Ex. 10:16), yet as soon as the plagues of Jehovah
returned to his land, he again hardened his heart.
His heavenly Father must correct David himself, yet He graciously
permitted him to determine whether it should be a long protracted or a
brief yet terribly severe one. "Years of famine he and Israel had
recently experienced. For three years had that scourge prevailed. What
misery would seven years of it inflict on them all. During this period
a Sabbatical year would fall, throughout which the land must rest, and
the Nation would have to pass through it without the gracious
provision of the sixth's years prolific crop. Seven years' famine
would have been a heavy infliction indeed, as the history of such a
scourge in the days of Joseph had made plain. Eight before his enemies
was not an unknown trial to David. Years of harassment at the hands of
Saul he had experienced, and Bight before Absalom he had known. Those
trials, we may be sure, were nor forgotten, though they were ended;
and they must have taught him of what men were capable, if allowed by
God to pursue him" (C. E. Stuart).
In the previous chapter we quoted from Matthew Henry, who pointed out
that the Lord had a fourfold design in presenting unto David the
choice of what particular form His judgment should take,
namely:--First, to humble David for his sin, which he would see to be
exceedingly sinful, when he discovered what dreadful judgment it
entailed. Second, to upbraid him for his pride; he had acted in
self-will, deeming himself so great a monarch that he could do as he
pleased; now he is bidden to exercise his choice in selecting from
these dread alternatives. Third, to grant him some encouragement under
the chastisement; so far from the Lord having totally deserted his
servant, he is granted the power to decide what He should do. Fourth,
that he might more patiently endure the rod, seeing it was one of his
own choosing. To these we would add, fifth, to try out his heart and
give opportunity for the exercise and exhibition of his faith.
"Let us fall now into the hand of the Lord; for His mercies are great:
and let me not fall into the hand of man" (v. 14). What proof was this
that David had recovered his sanity. The wise decision which he now
made clearly demonstrated his recovery from the paths of folly and his
return to the ways of prudence. And how this illustrates once more the
blessed fact that God ever honors those who honor Him. And let it be
clearly grasped by us all, that we do honor God when we humble
ourselves before Him and penitently confess our sins. And one of the
ways in which He honors us in return is to grant us a renewed power of
spiritual discernment, by which our hearts are drawn out to Him in
warmer love and assurance, and by which we obtain a fuller realization
of the greatness of His mercies. How much we miss, dear reader, by
refusing to judge ourselves and take our place in the dust before the
Throne of Grace!
How wondrous are the ways of Jehovah. He had not only dealt with
David's conscience, but He now drew out unto Himself the affections of
his heart! He not only brought him to repentance, but He called forth
the faith of His beloved servant--the order of which is ever the same.
There must be repentance before there can be faith (Mark 1:15; Matt.
21:32) for it is impossible for an hard and impenitent heart to truly
trust in the Lord. Thus we may learn that it is impenitency for our
sins which lies at the root of our wicked unbelief. But after David
had repented, the Lord (as we have said above) granted him the
opportunity to display his faith. And what a grand exhibition of it he
now gave. What acquaintance with and confidence in the divine
character do these words breathe, "Let us fall now into the hand of
the Lord"!
Ah, my reader, even when the Lord is sorely chastening us for our
faults, He is infinitely more gracious, more faithful, more deserving
of our trust than is any creature. "And let me not fall into the hand
of man." Poor David had had abundant experience of what man could do.
His own brethren had been jealous of and had cruelly slandered him (1
Sam. 17:28). Saul had evilly requited him for his kindness. Ahithophel
had basely deceived him and betrayed his trust. His beloved son had
arisen up in rebellion against him and almost succeeded in dethroning
him. Good reason, then, had he to say, "Let me not fall into the hand
of man": unstable, treacherous, cruel man.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER NINETY-TWO
His Prevailing Intercession
2 Samuel 24
_________________________________________________________________
It is both interesting and instructive to note in how many different
characters David is brought before us in 2 Samuel 24. First, as the
proud and haughty one: which may be inferred from the opening "And" of
the chapter (Following upon his remarkable victories, and the
extension of his kingdom), and confirmed in Psalm 30:6, which refers
to this very time, and will be considered by us in a later chapter.
Second. the tempted one, as 1 Chronicles 21:1 more definitely shows.
Third as the foolish one, deciding upon a military census when there
was no need or divine commission For it. Fourth, the intractable one,
when he stubbornly refused to yield unto the counsel of his officers
or listen to their remonstrance (vv. 3, 4), determining to have his
own way. The logical order in these downward steps is apparent on the
surface.
Now on the other side, we behold him, fifth, as the penitent one,
mourning over his sins and confessing the same to God (v. 10). Sixth,
as the submissive one: not murmuring against the severity of God as he
heard the terrible pronouncement of the prophet, but meekly bowing to
the divine verdict. Seventh. the prudent one: preferring[ ]to fall
into the hand of the Lord rather than into the hand of man. Eighth, as
the believing and confident one: recognizing and owning the greatness
of the divine mercies (v. 14). Ninth, as the chastened one: the
judgment of God Falling upon his beloved subjects (v. 15), which he
felt more keenly than had the rod descended upon himself and his own
house. Tenth, as the intercessor before God: stepping into the breach
and making supplication For his afflicted kingdom. Here, too, we may
perceive clearly the logical sequence of these things.
It is, however, in this last character, as the intercessor before God,
that we are now to specially consider David. But we shall miss one of
the most striking points in connection therewith, and one of the most
instructive and valuable lessons for our own hearts therein, if we
fail to observe very particularly the order before us. It is not every
believer who has power with God in prayer. Far from it; rather are
there, alas, only few who can prevail with the Lord in their
supplications on the behalf of others. Nor is the reason for this far
to seek: they possess not the requisite qualifications. They do not
have those marks which fitted David on this occasion. If we are
walking contrary to the divine commandments (1 John 3:22), or there be
un-mourned and unconfessed sin in our lives, then the Lord will not
hear us (Ps. 66:18).
We sincerely trust the reader does not weary of our so often calling
attention to the order of events in a narrative, for often lessons of
fundamental importance are thereby inculcated. It is so in the case
before us. It is by duly noting what preceded David's prevailing
intercession, that we learn how we may become successful supplicants
on behalf of others. First, there must be a putting right of what in
our own lives is displeasing to a holy God: by a genuine contrition
for and humble acknowledgment to Him of our offences. Second, there
must be entire submission beneath His chastening hand, meekly bowing
to His righteous rod. Third, an implicit confidence in His wisdom,
faithfulness, and goodness, so that we freely yield ourselves into His
hands. Fourth, a real persuasion of the greatness of His mercies,
laying hold thereof by faith and pleading the same before Him.
"So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to
the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to
Beersheba seventy thousand men" (2 Sam. 24:16). First of all, let us
note now exactly the punishment answered to the crime! Penitent though
he was, yet David must be corrected; and as his offence had been a
public one, so is the retribution. But it is indeed striking to see
that the rod of God fell in the very place of His servant's
transgression. David had doted upon his thousands, and his thousands
must be drastically reduced! God now numbered to the sword, those whom
David had numbered to his self-complacency--one twentieth (cf. v. 9)
being slain. Clearly, then, it was the pride of David against which
this divine judgment was directed. "Whatever we idolize or grow proud
of, God will generally take from us or else convert it into a cross"
(Thomas Scott).
Yet it is also to be noted that God's scourge fell immediately upon
the people themselves, for it was against them Jehovah bad a
controversy (v. 1). "A solemn time it must have been. Pestilence was
walking in darkness, and destruction was wasting at noonday, The
destroying angel was actively at work, and no man was able to
withstand him. Throughout the length and breadth of the land death was
claiming its victims. Who would next be struck no one could tell. No
remedy availed to cure the sick. No intercession, however urgent,
succeeded in preserving the life of a beloved one. All joy must have
fled: all energy for ordinary pursuits must have been paralyzed. God
was working, and in power. Of old He had laid bare His arm, and worked
in power on behalf of Israel; now His hand was outstretched, but in
this deadly way against them. Could any charge Him with injustice? No.
They deserved the chastisement, though David's act in numbering them
was the proximate cause for this visitation. Helpless, how helpless
were they all. Their only hope was in the mercy of God" (C. F.
Stuart).
Let us see in this solemn incident a demonstration of how easily God
can reduce the haughtiest of sinners; the "day of the Lord" (His
acting in judgment) is ever upon those who are proud and lifted up
(Isa. 2:12). Then how greatly are we indebted daily to His
long-sufferance! Stout-hearted rebels, who carry themselves with such
effrontery against the Most High, little realize how much they owe to
His wondrous patience; but they shall yet discover there are limits
even to that. Some one had pertinently pointed out that, "If the power
of angels be so terrible--a single one smiting with death seventy
thousand Israelites in a single day--what is that of the all-mighty
Creator!" Rightly then does He ask "Can thine heart endure, or can
thine hands be strong, in the day that I shall deal with thee?" (Ezek.
22:14).
"So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel From the morning even to
the time appointed." This expression "the time appointed" can mean
either the close of the third day or, as many think, the season of the
evening sacrifice of the first day. The Hebrew may be literally
rendered "till the time of appointed assembly," that is, the hour set
apart for the meeting together of Israel for the evening worship. The
renowned scholar Hengstenberg remarks as follows: "The calamity
according to 2 Samuel 24: 16 lasted from morning till the time of
meeting, by which we are to understand `the evening religious
assembly'--compare 1 Kings 18:29, 36; 2 Kings 16:15." But altogether
apart from the meaning of the Hebrew, there are two considerations
which seem to require this rendering. First, because the phrase, "till
the time appointed," stands in opposition to "from the morning."
Second, from the statement in the next verse, "The Lord repented Him
of the evil."
The last-quoted clause appears to us to plainly denote that He did not
go to the Full length of the judgment announced. Yet even in that
brief period there fell of Israel seventy thousand, in as many hours
as Joab had taken months in numbering the people. But by the mercy of
God the duration of the awful pestilence was contracted. Judgment is
God's "strange work," for He delighteth in mercy, yet His mercy never
ignores the requirements of His holiness nor sets aside the demands of
His justice. And most blessedly may we perceive here the meeting-place
of these two grand sides of the divine character. It was the sweet
savor of the evening sacrifice which stayed the desolating plague!
What a wondrous foreshadowing was this--brought out still more plainly
in what follows--of that which is set forth without veil or symbol in
the New Testament. The Cross of Christ is where the varied attributes
of God all shine forth in blended harmony.
"And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy
it, the Lord repented Him of the evil" (v. 16). Let us first remove a
misapprehension at this point. Enemies of the Truth have not been slow
to seize upon this reference to the Lord's repenting (and similar
passages, such as Gen. 6:6; 1 Sam. 15:11, etc.), and have drawn the
wicked inference that God is fickle, subject to changes of mind like
the creature is. But nothing is more clearly revealed in Holy Writ
than the immutability of God. "God is not a man, that He should lie;
neither the son of man, that He should repent: hath He said, and shall
He not do it?" (Num. 23:19); "But He is in one mind, and who can turn
Him? and what His soul desireth, even that He doeth" (Job 23: 13);
"For I am the Lord: I change not" (Mal. 3:6); "Every good gift and
every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of
lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning"
(James 1:17). It is impossible For language to be more explicit,
emphatic and unequivocal. If such definite declarations do not mean
what they say and are not to be understood at their face value, then
it is a waste of time to read the Bible.
Now it is quite obvious to any spiritual mind that the Scriptures
cannot contradict themselves, and that there is perfect harmony
(whether we can perceive it or no) between those verses which appear
to conflict with each other. When we are unable to discern their
complete accord then it is the part of wisdom to acknowledge our
ignorance and wait upon God for fuller light. And while so doing,
those passages which perplex us must be subordinated to others which
are plain to us. Thus we may rest assured that those declarations
which so positively affirm God's immutability or unchangeableness are
to be regarded absolutely without any qualification, whereas those
which seem to speak of His changing His mind are to be taken
relatively and figuratively. If some deem this a begging of the
question, then we ask them. Does not the express declaration of 1
Samuel 15:29 oblige us to interpret 1 Samuel 15:11 in a non-natural
sense? Certainly the Holy Spirit would not contradict Himself within
the scope of two verses in the same chapter!
The Fact of the matter is that God often condescends to employ
anthropomorphisms in His Word, that is, He graciously accommodates
Himself to our limited capacities and speaks after the manner of men.
Thus we read of Him being "wearied" (Isa. 42:24; Mal. 2:17), yet in
another place we are told "the Creator fainteth not, neither is weary"
(Isa 40:28). In Deuteronomy 32:27 Jehovah speaks as "fearing the wrath
of the enemy," which is manifestly a figure of speech. Again, in Psalm
78:65 we read. "The Lord awaked as one out of sleep" yet we know full
well that He never slumbers. In Isaiah 59:16 it is said that He
"wondered," yet nothing can take Him by surprise. Jeremiah 7:13
pictures Him as "rising early," to denote His earnestness. And so we
might go on. The "repenting" of the Lord in 2 Samuel 24:16 signifies
no change of mind but intimates an alteration in His outward
course--the cessation of His judgment.
"And when the angel stretched out His hand upon Jerusalem to destroy
it. the Lord repented Him of the evil." Scripture is many-sided and it
is only by carefully comparing one passage with another that we are
enabled to obtain the full light up any given incident. Such is the
case before us here. Above, we have called attention to the
significant and blessed fact that the destructive plague upon Israel
was stayed at the hour of the evening sacrifice. Now we would point
out another and supplementary angle. Of old the Lord had declared
concerning Israel. "If they shall confess their iniquity, and the
iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they have
trespassed against Me, and that also they have walked contrary unto
Me; and that I also have walked contrary unto them . . . If then their
uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the
punishment of their iniquity: then will I remember My covenant with
Jacob. Isaac and Abraham" (Lev. 26:40-42). This was exactly what David
had, in principle, done. He not only confessed his iniquity and
humbled his heart (v. 10), but also bowed to God's rod "accepting the
punishment" (v. 14). So that it was now in covenant faithfulness
Jehovah acted in causing the plague to cease!
"And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy
it, the Lord repented Him of the evil." In the supplementary account
supplied us in 1 Chronicles 21 we are told, "And David lifted up his
eyes, and saw the angel of the Lord stand between the earth and the
heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem"
(v. 16). That "drawn sword" was the emblem of divine justice. How it
reminds us of those solemn words of Jehovah, "Awake, O sword, against
My Shepherd, and against the Man that is My Fellow, saith the Lord of
hosts: smite the Shepherd" (Zech, 13:7). And how striking the contrast
between the two passages. There in Zechariah, the sword was, as it
were, slumbering, and was called to "Awake." Why? because it was
against the Holy One: there was nothing in Him personally with which
the "sword" could find fault! But different far was it here with
guilty Israel: the sword needed no 's hand.
"And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy
it, the Lord repented Him of the evil and said to the angel that
destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand" (v. 16). How
blessedly this presents to us once more the precious truth, which is
the sure ground of all our hopes, that with our God "mercy rejoiceth
against judgment" (James 2:13). The whole system of Israel had exposed
itself to the wrath of the Lord. He might have broken it at once as a
vessel wherein was no pleasure. He might have taken away His vineyard
from His unthankful and wicked husbandmen: but "mercy rejoiceth
against judgment" in the heart of their God, and therefore He
commanded the destroying angel to stay his hand. And why? God's
holiness had been satisfied, His justice had been appeased. "It is
enough: stay now thine hand": how these words remind us of that
blessed utterance of our Saviour's, "It is finished"--proclaiming the
"And David spake unto the Lord when he saw the angel that smote the
people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but
these sheep, what have they done? let Thine hand, I pray Thee, be
against me, and against my father's house" (v. 17). The exact point at
which this intercession occurred is made much plainer in 1 Chronicles
21. There we learn there were two distinct parts or stages to the
divine judgment. First, we are told, "So the Lord sent pestilence upon
Israel: and there were two distinct parts or stages to the divine
judgment. accomplished by angelic agency as is clear from 2 Samuel 24,
and it was terminated at the time of the evening sacrifice, and that,
by the Covenant faithfulness of Jehovah. Second, "And God sent an
angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it" (v. 15)--a separate thing from the
preceding. "And David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord
. . . then David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed in
sackcloth, fell upon their faces. And David said unto God, Is it not I
that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have
sinned and done evil indeed" (vv. 16, 17). It was at that critical
moment he stepped into the breach and made successful intercession.
First, let us notice that David did not here make the fatal mistake of
supplicating the angel: no, he was better instructed than are the poor
deluded Papists of our day. Second, observe that David did not throw
the blame upon the Nation, but criminated himself. "Most people, when
God's judgments are abroad, charge others with being the cause of
them, and care not who falls by them, so they can escape; but David's
penitent and public spirit was otherwise affected" (Matthew Henry).
This is most beautiful and striking. David took the blame entirely
upon himself: "Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered?
even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed"--it was as though
he could not paint his own faults in sufficiently dark colors. "As for
these sheep, what have they done?" How dear were they to his heart! No
charge would he prefer against them. "Let Thine hand, I pray Thee, O
Lord my God, be on me, and on my father's house; but not on Thy
people, that they should be plagued" (v. 17): smite their shepherd,
but spare the flock, O Lord.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER NINETY-THREE
His Grand Reward
2 Samuel 24
_________________________________________________________________
We were obliged to omit several points of importance at the close of
our last chapter, so we will commence here at the stage where we then
left off There we called attention to an essential detail--one which,
so far as we can discover, has escaped the notice of all the
commentators--namely, that God's judgment upon Israel was twofold, or
in two distinct stages; and we would also observe that this
corresponded exactly with David's sin. First we are told, "The Lord
sent pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel seventy thousand
men" (1 Chron. 21:14). In Samuel's account it reads, "there died of
the plague from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men." How
remarkably did the punishment fit the crime, for David had commanded
Joab, "Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to
Beersheba, and number ye the people" (v. 2). It will be remembered
that the account of the census-taking closed by saying, "So when they
had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of
nine months and twenty days."
Second, "And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it" (1 Chron.
21:15). Samuel tells us "and when the angel stretched out his hand
upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord repented Him of the evil" (v.
16), and follows with David's prayer. But the account in Chronicles
evidently observes a closer chronological order, for there we read,
"And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the Lord stand
between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand
stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of Israel, who
were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces. And David said unto
God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered?" (vv. 16,
17). The dreadful spectacle of the avenging angel, about to fall upon
the holy city, deeply affected David. He had previously repented of
and confessed his sin, but the calamity which now threatened the
capital itself, caused him to pour out his heart afresh unto the Lord,
both in humble contrition and earnest supplication.
"And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be
numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed." What
blessed self-abnegation was this. David takes the entire blame unto
himself, adding "but as for these sheep, what have they done?" Rightly
did Matthew Henry answer the question by saying, "Why, they had done
much amiss: it was their sin which had provoked Jehovah to leave David
to himself, as He did." "Let Thine hand, I pray Thee, O Lord my God,
be on me, and on my father's house" (v. 17). How nobly did David here
stand in the breach, and that, at his own cost. He not only shouldered
the guilt, but was willing to bear the retribution.
As we pointed out in our last chapter, it was as though David said,
Smite me, the shepherd, but let the flock be spared. Ah, but that
could not be: God would not allow David to suffer in the stead of all
Israel. No, none could fill that awful and honorable place of
substitution but David's Son and Lord. Nevertheless, we see how
grandly he, in spirit, foreshadowed the good Shepherd, who, that they
might be rich, Himself became poor, and actually took upon Himself the
sins of His sheep and died in their room. "But not on Thy people, that
they should be plagued" (v. 17). Is it not lovely to behold David here
referring to Israel not as "the people," but as "Thy people." In his
folly he had regarded them as his people, but in his wisdom he now saw
them as the Lord's.
Let us point out just here that the confession and prayer of David on
this occasion should be taken to heart by every minister of the
Gospel. In his comments, Thomas Scott applied the principle of David's
heart-exercises to preachers thus, "While ministers mourn over the
state of their congregations, they may sometimes profitably enquire
whether their own supineness, pride, want of zeal and simplicity,
their self-indulgence or conformity to the world, do not bring a
secret blight upon their labors, although more open evils do not bring
a blot upon their profession? and whether the people's souls are not
suffering for their correction, and to bring them to deeper
humiliation, greater fervency in prayer, and a more spiritual frame of
mind and devotedness to God. And surely we should choose to be
chastened in our own persons, rather than that the blessing should be
withheld from our congregations: for though the Lord is righteous in
these dispensations, yet the people have not deserved at our hands,
that we should occasion this evil to them. Grace teaches men to
condemn themselves rather than others, and to seek the interests of
their fellows in many respects before their own: and earnest prayers
offered in this temper of mind, by those who unreservedly cast
themselves on the mercies of the Lord are very prevalent."
Returning now to the case of David, we may observe that his
supplication prevailed with God. Such deep humiliation, such unsparing
acknowledgment of his faults, such utter self-abnegation and such
tender pleading for the people, touched the heart of Him who is filled
with compassion. If the unselfishness of Moses prevailed at another
grave crisis in their history, when he asked God to blot him out of
His book (Ex. 32:32) rather than that the nation should be destroyed;
equally so did the readiness of David for God's judgment to fall upon
himself and his house instead of his subjects, turn the tide; for it
was in direct answer to his pleading that God said to the angel stay
now thine hand." This gives beautiful completeness to our type,
portraying as it does the efficacy of our great High Priest's
intercession on behalf of His people.
There is one other point of deep practical importance to be noted
here. "God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was
destroying, (or as 2 Sam. 24:16 puts it, "when the angel stretched out
his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it"), the Lord beheld, and He
repented Him of the evil" (1 Chron. 21:15). And what was it that He
now "beheld"? Why, David and his servants, "clothed in sackcloth,"
fallen "upon their faces" (v. 16)! It was not simply that He "saw,"
but "beheld"--with concentrated attention. And then follows
immediately David's supplication. Here, then, is the final lesson: it
is the one clothed with sackcloth, on his face in the dust, whose
intercession prevails with God! In other words, it is the one who is
thoroughly humbled, who is brought to the place of self-loathing, and
who takes upon his own spirit the afflictions of others, who alone is
qualified to plead on their behalf.
Were we asked whose prayers we would rather have on our behalf, we
should unhesitatingly reply, Not those who are in raptures on the
mountain top, but those who are mourning before God over their own
sins and the sufferings of others. Personally, we appreciate far more
highly the supplications of those who are (spiritually speaking)
clothed in sackcloth, than those arrayed in their wedding garments. It
is the absence of the "sackcloth" which renders ineffectual the
prayers of so many today. Here, then, is holy encouragement for those
of Gods people who are bowed in the dust before Him: if we have
repented of and confessed our sins, and are truly humbled before Him,
then is the very time to intercede for other tried souls. Finally,
observe the prompt compliance of the angel to the Lords order "stay
thine band": if celestial creatures are so obedient to their Maker's
word, how promptly should we respond to His revealed will.
"And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an
altar unto the Lord in the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite" (2
Sam. 24: 18). If we compare at this point the supplementary account we
learn that, then the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to David,
that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the Lord" (1 Chron.
21:18). The relief, then, for David in this dark hour was announced
(through Gad) by the avenging angel, and thus we may say once more
that the eater himself yielded meat, the strong one sweetness (Judges
14:14). Most blessed was this, for an "altar" calls for an accepted
worshiper, and the Lord would not have given directions for the one,
if He had not provided the other. Thus it was with the very first
worshiper: "And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering"
(Gen. 4:4)--his person was first accepted and then his sacrifice; and
here the Lord's readiness to accept an offering at the
This divine direction for David now to erect an altar, denoted, first,
that God was thoroughly reconciled to him, and therefore might he
infer with Manoah's wife, "If the Lord were pleased to kill us, He
would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our
hands" (Judges 13:23), Secondly, that peace between God and guilty
sinners is effected by sacrifice, and not otherwise than by Christ,
the great Propitiation. Thus, while God's mercy rejoiced against
judgment on this solemn occasion, yet He made it abundantly clear that
His grace reigns through righteousness (Rom. 5:21) and not at the
expense of it. It is the blood which maketh an atonement for the soul
(Lev. 17:11), because it is the blood which placates the retributive
justice of God. Third, that when Gods judgments are graciously stayed,
we ought to acknowledge it with thankfulness to His praise: "I will
praise Thee: though Thou wast angry with me" (Isa. 12:1).
It will be remembered 2 Samuel 24:16 informed us that when the angel
of the Lord stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, he
was "by the threshingfloor of Araunah." The peaceful occupation of
this Gentile (for he was a Jebusite), quietly continuing to thresh his
wheat on the floor of his own isolated garner (1 Chron. 21:20) without
the walls of Jerusalem, stands out in marked contrast from the
troubled scene within the city, where David and the elders of Israel
clothed in sackcloth, fell on their laces. Nevertheless, Araunah too
was threatened, for the avenging angel drew nigh to and stood over the
peaceful threshingfloor itself, and as 1 Chronicles 21 tells us, "Oman
(Araunah) turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons with him
hid themselves" (v. 20). But the angel smote them not: telling us most
blessedly, in figure, that Gentiles as well as Jews are delivered from
judgment on the ground of the Antitypical Sacrifice.
The tranquil plot of ground of Araunah was not to be the scene of
judgment, but was ordained to be the place of grace, forgiveness and
peace. And where was that threshingfloor situated? Most significantly,
on Mount Moriah. We are not left in any doubt upon this point, though
the information is supplied neither in 2 Samuel 24 nor 1 Chronicles
21--not for lazy people is the Bible written! "Then Solomon began to
build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the
Lord appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had
prepared in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite" (2 Chron.
3:1). And Moriah, as its name intimates, was the very place where
Jehovah appeared as "Jehovah-jireh" to Abraham and where--true to His
covenant name--He appeared to meet and provide for the need of David.
How remarkable and inexpressibly blessed: Moriah was and continued to
be the place of sovereign grace!
Moriah was the mount to which Abraham went when commanded to offer up
Isaac. In Genesis 22:14 we read, "And Abraham called the name of the
place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the
Lord it shall be seen," i.e. seen as the Provider, or as Gesenius, the
celebrated Hebraist, renders it "in the mount of Jehovah it shall be
provided." B. W. Newton tells us that Moriah is "a name derived from
the same root, and signifies the place of appearing, i.e. of the
appearance of Jehovah as the Provider. It should be observed that all
the thoughts connected with Moriah and the provision there made, are
to be traced back to the words of Abraham, `my son, God will provide'
(Heb. "for" Himself a lamb for a burnt-offering-- Gen. 22:8)."
But now observe the contrast. Confiding implicitly in God, even when
he understood not the reason of His commands, Abraham went to Moriah
to give full proof of his faith and obedience. Far otherwise was it
with poor David. He went there as one whose disobedience had
encompassed him with sorrow, judgment and death. He came clothed with
sackcloth, bowed down by anguish. He came because he saw the sword of
the avenging angel drawn against him and his people. He came as the
"troubled one," as one who needed to be delivered from "going down to
the pit" (Ps. 30:3). True, Abraham was afflicted, yet how different
was the sorrow of the consciously-obedient Abraham from the
consciously-disobedient David! Nevertheless, David found on Moriah the
same God that there met Abraham. In the very place where Abraham by a
countermand from heaven was stayed from slaying his son, the angel by
a like countermand was stayed from destroying Jerusalem!
"And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an
altar unto the Lord in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite" (v.
18). It is to be duly noted that the "altar" was God's thought and not
David's. This is blessed, telling us that the initiative is ever with
God in all salvation matters. God is the great Provider: our privilege
is to accept His gracious provision. Christ--to whom the altar
pointed--was the gift of God and not the product of man. We love Him
because He first loved us. And how gracious He was not to keep David
in suspense a whole day, nor even hour. No sooner had he sought unto
God, than He immediately responded. The ark was then at Mount Zion and
the tabernacle at Gibeon (2 Chron. 1), but David was bidden to go
neither to the one nor the other.
"And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the Lord
commanded" (v. 19). What beautiful completeness this gives to all that
has been before us. The penitent, prudent, submissive and supplicating
one, is now seen as the obedient one. How could it be otherwise? He
who is, spiritually speaking, clothed with sackcloth, does not follow
a course of self-will and self-pleasing. David made no demur against
being told to see unto this Gentile and ask a favor at his hands. A
truly meek heart neither reasons about nor objects to the divine
demands, but complies promptly. Here, then, is the final mark of the
prevailing intercessor: he who has the power with God in prayer (after
his recovery from folly) is one that now treads the path of obedience.
If God is to respond to our petitions, we must respond to His
precepts.
In closing, let us call attention to one other point of analogy
between the experiences of Abraham and David on this memorable mount,
the one which is most pertinent of all to our present subject--David's
grand reward. God called the patriarch to Moriah not only that he
might there give proof of his faith and obedience, but more especially
that this trial of Abraham might be the occasion of unfolding to him
(and through him, to us) a fuller revelation of His own ways in grace:
for as we now know, the touching drama there enacted provided a
striking adumbration of the Father Himself not sparing His own beloved
Son, but freely delivering Him up for all His people. In like manner,
God not only provided a substitute for David on Moriah, but He there
vouchsafed him a revelation of the counsels of His grace. Moriah was
not only the place where David obtained forgiveness for his sins, but
it was also made to him the place of honor and blessing.
Upon the altar he there erected, David "offered burnt-offerings and
peace-offerings" (1 Chron. 21:26). Nor did he do so in vain: the Lord
"answered him from heaven by fire"--in token of His approval and
acceptance. But more: this was the time when he and the place where he
received commission to prepare for the building of God's House. "Then
David said, This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar
of the burnt-offering for Israel" (1 Chron, 22:1).
Now it was that David learned where was the sacred spot which Jehovah
had chosen for the site of the Temple. This, then, was David's grand
reward: unto him, and not to any of the prophets, nor even to the high
priest, was given the holy privilege of entering into Gods mind
concerning His House and to make provision for the same! How true it
is, dear reader, that God ever honors those that honor Him--even
though it be by appearing before Him in sackcloth: though He does not
always make His approbation so evident to our senses as He did here to
David's.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER NINETY-FOUR
His Fervent Praise
2 Samuel 24
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"And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an
altar unto the Lord in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite. And
David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the Lord commanded"
(2 Sam. 24:18, 19). Here we behold David's trustful and thankful
acceptance of the mercy vouchsafed him. He received not the grace of
God in vain, but complied promptly with His revealed will. To unbelief
it would seem too good to be true that God's displeasure was now
appeased; but faith laid hold of the prophet's word, knowing that an
"altar" spoke of propitiation and acceptance. And this is ever the way
with those who have truly repented of their sins and humbled
themselves before the Lord. Satan may seek to persuade them that they
have transgressed beyond the hope of forgiveness, but sooner or later
the heart of the Christian will turn again to the Antitypical Altar,
and overcome the Adversary with the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 12:11).
How different, for the moment, was the attitude of Araunah, "And
Araunah turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons with him hid
themselves" (1 Chron. 21:20). This is in direct contrast, and presents
to us a most important truth. On the one hand, the case of Araunah
terror-stricken with the sight of the destroying angel, tells us that
no flesh can stand naked, as in its own resources, before the Lord. On
the other hand, David here exemplified the fact that penitent sinners
may confidently draw nigh to Him in the power of simply believing in
His wondrous grace. At this time the greatness of God's mercy had not
been revealed to Araunah: he knew nothing of the "altar" that was to
be set up in his threshingfloor, and therefore, as nakedly a creature
in the sight of God--like Adam before Him in such a case--he hid
himself.
But David had revealed to him the remedy, which mercy rejoicing
against judgment had provided, and therefore he hesitated not. Though
shamed and humbled, he immediately responded to Gad's message, and
"went up"--significant word (cf. Gen. 13:1-3, etc.)--delivered from
the mire into which be bad fallen. The angel's "sword," still
unsheathed, had no alarms for him now, for he goes to the very place
where be stood (1 Chron. 21:16)! Is not this remarkable? The very
spectacle which filled Araunah with fear, had no tenor for David.
Believing, he was neither ashamed not confounded. Consequently we see
in his action here no disturbance of the flesh, but all is quietness
and assurance as he rested on the Word of God. What a lesson is there
here for our needy hearts. Alas, what cowards we are! What trifles we
allow to affright us. O for more confidence in the living God, more
reliance upon His promises; less occupation with what intimidates the
flesh.
"And as David came to Araunah, Araunah looked and saw David, and went
out of the threshingfloor, and bowed himself to David with his face to
the ground" (1 Chron. 21:21). Let us not lose sight of the blessed
humility of David here--ever a prominent spiritual grace in his
character and conduct. Does the reader perceive to what we now call
attention? It is this: David did not treat with Araunah mediately,
through one of his underlings, but directly. Was not this in perfect
keeping with the "sackcloth"? He still took the place of
self-abnegation. Ah, dear friends, it is the emptied vessel which God
fills. Rightly did Matthew Henry declare, "Great men will never be
less respected for their humility, but the more." Those who are
self-important and pompous only display their littleness and meanness.
"And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant?
And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar
unto the Lord, that the plague may be stayed from the people" (2 Sam.
24:21). Here we behold David as the righteous one. Though be was a
king, and though he had received commandment from the Lord to build an
altar at this particular place, nevertheless be insisted upon making
fair payment to this man, even though a Gentile. This is ever a mark
of true spirituality: those who walk with God, are honorable in
dealing with their fellowmen. "Owe no man anything" (Rom. 12:8) is a
necessary application of "thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
Neither high office nor pressure of circumstances can justify one in
taking an unfair advantage of another. Nothing lower than "in all
things willing to live honestly" (Heb. 13:18) must be the Christian's
standard. Those who attended Christ most closely during the days of
His public ministry, neither imposed upon the kindness of others nor
begged favors, but bought their food (John 4:8).
"And Araunah said unto David, let my lord the king take and offer up
what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt-sacrifice,
and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood"
(v. 22). The language of 1 Chronicles 21:23 is yet more definite:
"Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in
his eyes: lo, I give thee the oxen also for burnt-offerings, and the
threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meat-offering; I
give it all." What noble generosity was this! But we prefer to look at
Araunah's liberality from the divine side--when any one befriends us,
we should ever discern the Lord's prompting such kindness, But what we
would particularly emphasize now is, that here we have another
illustration of the principle that when God works, he always works at
both ends of the line. He who wrought in David a readiness to comply
with His request, was the Same as now moved Araunah to meet him more
than half way. If He sends Elijah to Zarephath, He makes a widow
willing to share her portion with him. There is great encouragement in
this if faith lays hold of the same. If God continues to grant us
messages, He will continue to prepare hearts to receive them.
"All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And
Araunah said unto the king, The Lord thy God accept thee" (v. 23).
Some have drawn the conclusion from these words that Araunah himself
was of royal stock, for the Jebusites were the original owners of Zion
(2 Sam. 5:6-9), but there is nothing else in Scripture to support this
view. Rather do we understand our verse to signify that Araunah acted
with royal munificence. A most laudable contention it was between a
good king and a good subject. Since it was to David, and since it was
for the Lord, Araunah would not sell, but give. On the other side,
David, since it was for the Lord, would not take, but pay. So far from
his words "The Lord thy God accept thee" denoting that he was not
himself a believer in and worshiper of Jehovah (as if an idolator had
been permitted to dwell on mount Zion!) they evidence that Araunah was
possessed of faith and spiritual intelligence.
"And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee
at a price: neither will I offer burnt-offerings unto the Lord my God
of that which doth cost me nothing" (v. 24). Here again we should view
things from the standpoint of the divine workings. God's moving
Araunah to act so magnanimously afforded David an opportunity to
display his devotedness to the Lord. A gracious heart will not serve
God with that which costs him nothing, nor will he deem that true
piety which involves no sacrifice. This is the fruit of faith. Carnal
nature begrudges everything, and says with Judas, "To what purpose is
this waste?" but faith will not withhold from God its Isaac (Heb.
11:17). It is also the fruit of love, which deemeth nothing too good
for the Lord--witness the woman with her precious spikenard. The
denial of self and the mortification of his lusts are the unfailing
marks of a genuine saint. How these words of David need to be laid to
heart in this flesh-pleasing age!
"So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of
silver" (v. 24). As usual, infidels have called attention to the
"discrepancy" in 1 Chronicles 21, where we are told, "So David gave to
Araunah for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight" (v. 25).
But two different things are in view. Samuel mentions David buying the
threshingfloor and the oxen, whereas Chronicles refers to his purchase
of "the place," which probably signifies the whole of his land--which
afterwards becomes the extensive site for the temple. It is to be
noticed that for the former David paid in "silver," which speaks of
redemption, whereas for the latter he gave "gold," the emblem of
divine glory. Spiritually speaking we do not learn the value of the
"gold" until we are experimentally acquainted with the "silver." The
amount of the gold was twelve times as great as that of the silver,
showing this was for the complete number of Israel's tribes, and
typifying the entire Body of Christ.
"And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered
burnt-offerings and peace-offerings" (v. 25). This supplies the final
line to our typical picture, for here be behold David as the accepted
worshiper. "Accepted" we say, for 1 Chronicles 21 tells us that the
Lord, "answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of
burnt-offering" (v. 26), which announced that his sacrifice had been
received on High (cf. Lev. 9:24; 1 Kings 18:38, 39; 2 Chron. 7:1-3).
Thus does the God of all grace delight to honor those who confide in
Him, by granting tokens of His approbation. But note well the strength
of David's faith and the heartiness of his thanksgiving: he offered on
that altar not only burnt-offerings, but peace-offerings as well. Now
the "peace-offering" spoke of communion, for (while the burnt-offering
was wholly consumed upon the altar) this was shared in by God, all the
males of the priesthood, and that of the offerer himself (Lev. 7:6,
15)--each had his portion.
"And the Lord commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into
the sheath thereof" (1 Chron. 21:27). "So the Lord was entreated for
the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel" (2 Sam. 24:25). What
a remarkable ending is this to the second book of Samuel! The atoning
sacrifice appeasing the just displeasure of God, the erring one
restored to full communion with Him, and the discovery made to David
of the place where the temple was to be built and the worship of
Israel subsequently to be carried on. Sorrow was turned into joy for
all who had their portion of the peace-offerings that day. What
thoughts must then have occupied their hearts as they partook of that
sacrifice according to divine appointment: they feasted on the very
offering which God had accepted. 2 Samuel, then, closes by showing us
David in full fellowship with the Lord. What a blessed foreshadowment
of eternity! How it reminds us of the closing words of the parable of
the prodigal son: "Bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let
us eat, and he merry" (Luke 15:23)! In addition to the two historical
accounts furnished us by 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21, Psalm 30
(composed very shortly afterwards) throws further light on the
exercises of David's heart at that time. As C. H. Spurgeon pointed out
in his introductory remarks upon Psalm 30, "A Psalm and Song at the
Dedication of the House of David; or rather, A Psalm: a Song of
Dedication for the House. By David." It is "A Song of faith since the
house of Jehovah, here intended, David never lived to see. A Psalm of
praise, since a sore judgment had been stayed and a great sin
forgiven." The translation and punctuation of the title to this Psalm
is definitely settled for us by David's own words in 1 Chronicles 22:
"Then David said, This is the house of the Lord God (referring to
Araunah's threshingfloor) and this is the altar of the burnt offering
for Israel" (v. 1).
"I will extol Thee, O Lord; for Thou hast lifted me up, and hast not
made my foes to rejoice over me" (Ps. 30:1). This Psalm is a song and
not a complaint. An experimental realization of the joy of deliverance
contrasted from previous anguish, is its characteristic note. The
"foes" to which David refers are to be understood of evil spirits as
well as Satan's serfs among men: they are ever ready to rejoice at the
falls, griefs and chastisements of those who fear God. For having
recovered him from his fall and thus saving him from utter
discomfiture before his enemies, David praised God.
"O Lord my God, I cried unto Thee, and Thou hast healed me. O Lord,
Thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: Thou hast kept me alive,
that I should not go down to the pit" (Ps. 30:2, 3). It is beautiful
to see how David had owned Him according to His covenant title, for as
we pointed out in our last, it was in His covenant faithfulness that
Jehovah had acted when He caused the desolating pestilence to cease.
His "I cried unto Thee" tells of the acuteness of his distress: he was
too agitated to pray, yet he poured out his soul unto Him who
understands the language of inarticulate groans. So desperate had been
his plight, and so signal the Lord's intervention in mercy, David felt
as one who had been recovered from the dead.
"Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of His, and give thanks at the
remembrance of His holiness. For His anger endureth but a moment; in
His favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in
the morning" (Ps. 30:4, 5). It was not only in mercy but in holiness
God had acted, as His bidding David to erect an altar clearly
evidenced. Does not the Psalmist teach us here a much-needed lesson?
How often we praise the Lord for His goodness, His long-sufferance,
His restoring grace; but bow rarely we bless Him for His holiness,
which is chief among His perfections! David found cause for rejoicing
in the brevity of the divine judgment: the plague had lasted but a few
hours, but His favor is life everlasting. What a mercy it is that His
chastisements (even if continued to the end of our earthly course) are
but "for a moment" (2 Cor. 4:17), in contrast from the eternity of
bliss which awaits His beloved.
"And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. Lord, by Thy
favour Thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: Thou didst hide Thy
face, and I was troubled" (Ps. 30:6,7). How clearly this confirms the
exposition we gave, tracing back David's folly in numbering the people
to the pride of his heart. Here is plainly revealed to us the secret
of his sad fall. It is true that he had not attributed the success of
his arms to anything in himself, or his men, but rather had freely
ascribed the victories to the Lord's favor (2 Sam. 22:1, 48-50), yet
he fondly imagined that God had made his kingdom invincible, one that
would never he overthrown. And the Lord had hidden His face, as He
always does when we forsake the place of conscious weakness and
dependency upon Him. And poor David was "troubled"--brought to
confusion and dismay, for no "mountain," however firm, can yield a
saint satisfaction when the smile of Jehovah's countenance is
concealed from him. What a warning is there here for us against
cherishing a sense of carnal security.
"I cried to Thee, O Lord; and unto the Lord I made supplication" (v.
8). "Prayer is the unfailing resource of God's people. If they are
driven to their wits' end, they may still go to the mercy-seat. When
an earthquake makes our mountain tremble, the throne of grace still
stands firm, and we may come to it" (C. H. Spurgeon). On a former
occasion at Ziklag, when David was deeply distressed, for the people
had spoken of stoning him, he had "encouraged himself in the Lord" (1
Sam. 30:6); so now he sought for refuge in God, and the divine
faithfulness failed him not. Not in vain do believers commit
themselves into the hands of the Lord.
"What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall
the dust praise Thee? shall it declare Thy truth? Hear, O Lord, and
have mercy upon me: Lord, be Thou my Helper" (Ps. 30:9, 10). The
intensity of David's sufferings are plainly discovered to us here.
Outwardly he was clothed in sackcloth, but that was a feeble
expression of his inward anguish. As the king of Israel, it had
specially devolved upon him to honor the divine statutes, but he had
broken them, and caused his subjects to do so too. Just retribution
had fallen upon his kingdom. Plaintively does he plead with Jehovah:
Would his death promote God's cause on earth? Would it issue in divine
adoration? Let then mercy rejoice against judgment.
"Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: Thou hast put off
my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness: to the end that my glory
may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God. I will give
thanks unto Thee Forever" (Ps. 30:11, 12). Here is further proof (if
any be needed) that this Psalm treats of the same period of David's
life as is before us 2 Samuel 24. And a grand finale do its closing
verses supply. David had begged God to be gracious unto him, and He
was gracious. Such wondrous mercy made "glory" vocal with the voice of
ceaseless thanksgiving, for Glory is to be the dwelling-place of
redeemed and rescued sinners--those who have, like David, proved for
themselves the greatness and sufficiency of the Lord's mercies. "I
will give thanks unto Thee forever": such will be our employ in glow,
and all because of Sacrifice. Verses 11 and 12 are true of Christ
Himself, and therefore of the members of His Body also.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER NINETY-FIVE
His Closing Days
1 Kings 1
_________________________________________________________________
The public life of David had been a stormy one throughout, nor was he
permitted to end his career in tranquility--such is generally the lot
of those in high station, who are ignorantly envied by so many. Even
in his declining days, when the infirmities of old age were upon
David, serious trouble broke our in his kingdom, so that both the
public peace was jeopardized and his own family circle again
threatened by the assassin. Another of his own sons now set himself
not only against the will of his father, but also against the declared
purpose of God; in which he was abetted by those who had long held
positions of honor under the king. No doubt we should look deeper and
see here a setting forth of the conflict which obtains in a higher
realm: the enmity of the Serpent against the woman's Seed and his
opposition to the will of God concerning His kingdom. But it is with
that which refers more immediately to David we shall concern
ourselves.
The record of what we have referred to above is found in 1 Kings 1.
That chapter opens by presenting to us the once virile and active king
now going the way of all the earth: his natural spirits dried up, no
longer able to attend to public affairs. The events chronicled therein
occurred very near the close of David's eventful career. Though not
yet quite seventy he is described as "old and well stricken in years."
Though blest with a vigorous constitution, the king was thoroughly
worn out: among the contributing causes, we may mention the strenuous
life he had lived and the heavy domestic griefs which had fallen upon
him. That he was still dearly beloved by his followers is evident from
their kindly if ill-advised efforts for his comfort (vv. 1-3). David's
falling in with their plan shows him taking the line of least
resistance, apparently out of deference to the wishes of his
attendants. It was a device which has been resorted to in various
climes and ages, yet surely it was one which did not become a child of
God.
Old age as well as youth has its own particular snares, for if the
danger of the latter is to disdain the advice of seniors and be too
self-willed, the infirmities of the former place them more in the
power of their juniors and they are apt to yield to arrangements which
their consciences condemn. It is not easy to deny the wishes of those
who are tending us, and it seems ungrateful to refuse well-meant
efforts to make our closing days more comfortable. But while on the
one hand the aged need to guard against irritability and a domineering
spirit, yet on the other they must not be a willing party to that
which they know is wrong. Legitimate means of restoring health and for
prolonging our days should be employed, but unlawful measures and
anything having the appearance of evil or which may become an occasion
of temptation to us, should be steadfastly refused, no matter by whom
it be proposed.
The Lord's displeasure against David's weakness in consenting to the
carnal counsel of his friends, is plainly marked in the immediate
sequel. Serious trouble now arose from yet another of his sons. It is
true that this was the fruit of his earlier laxity in ruling his
children, for he was much too easy-going with them: yet the time when
this impious insubordination occurred leaves us in no doubt that it is
to be regarded as a divine chastening of David for being a party to
such a questionable procedure as that to which we have briefly alluded
above. "Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I
will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men
to run before him" (1 Kings 1:5). Nothing is more conspicuous
throughout the whole history of David than that, whenever a believer
sows to the flesh, he will most certainly of the flesh reap
corruption; and another solemn example of this is here before us.
David was now stricken in years, and the time for one to succeed him
to the throne had well-nigh arrived. Yet it was for Jehovah alone to
say who that one should be. But Adonijah, the oldest living son,
determined to be that successor. Nor is this to be wondered at, for
"His father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast
thou done so?" (v. 6). David had permitted him to have his own way. He
never crossed his will, never inquired the motive of his actions, nor
at any time rebuked him for his folly. In allowing his son to be
guided by his own unbridled will, David sadly failed to exercise his
parental authority and to fulfill his parental responsibility; and
bitterly did he now pay for his folly, as many since have also been
made to do.
That which immediately follows verse 6 is recorded for our learning,
and a most solemn warning does it point for our own day, when so many
fond parents are allowing their children to grow up with little or no
restraint placed upon them. They are only preparing a rod for their
own backs. God Himself has forbidden parents to refrain from
chastening their children when they need it: "Withhold not correction
from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not
die" (Prov. 23:13). And again, "He that spareth his rod hateth his
son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes" (Prov. 13:24). And
yet again, "Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul
spare for his crying" (Prov. 19:18). Because of his parental neglect
David himself was in large measure responsible for the lawlessness of
his son. Lax and indulgent parents must expect willful and wayward
children, and if they despise the infirmities of their sires and are
impatient to get possession of their estates, that will be all which
they deserve at their hands.
David's unruly son now determined to exalt himself, even though he
certainly knew that Solomon had been appointed by God to succeed David
in the kingdom (2 Sam. 7:12-16; 1 Kings 2:15-18). "Then Adonijah the
son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he
prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him"
(v. 5). In this magnifying of his state, he followed the evil example
of his rebellious brother Absalom (2 Sam. 15:1)--a solemn warning this
for older brothers to set their younger ones a good example. Adonijah
dared to usurp the throne of Israel: he made a feast, gathered the
people about him, and incited them to proclaim him as king (vv. 7-9,
25). In this too he was again following the example of Absalom (2 Sam.
15:10), confident that where his brother had failed, he would now
succeed. But like Absalom before him, Adonijah reckoned without God:
"The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to naught: He maketh the
devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the Lord standeth
forever" (Ps. 33:10, 11).
Nevertheless, for a time it looked as though the daring revolt of
Adonijah would be successful, for both Joab the commander of the army
and Abiathar the priest, threw in their lot with him (v. 7). Thus does
God often allow the wicked to prosper for awhile, yet their triumphing
is but short. Joab, as we have seen in other connections, was a
thoroughly unprincipled and ungodly man, and no doubt the impious
Adonijah was more congenial to his disposition than Solomon would be.
Moreover if this son of Haggith obtained the kingdom, then his own
position would be secure, and he would not be displaced by a successor
to Amasa (2 Sam. 19:13). So too Abiathar the high priest seems to have
been less regarded by David than Zadok was, and probably he feared
that Solomon would set his family aside for the line of Eleazar to
which Zadok belonged (1 Kings 1:25).
Characters like Joab and Abiathar are ever actuated by selfish
motives, though individuals like Adonijah often flatter themselves
that the service of such is rendered out of love or esteem for their
persons, when in reality very different considerations move them.
Disinterested loyalty is a rare thing, and where found it cannot be
valued too highly. Those in eminent positions, whether in church or
state, are surrounded by mercenary sycophants, who are ever eager to
turn to their own advantage everything which transpires. It matters
nothing to Joab and Abiathar that their royal master was a pious and
faithful one, who had steadily sought the good of the kingdom, or that
Adonijah was a grasping and lawless semi-heathen; they were ready to
forsake the one and espouse the other. So it is still: that is why
those in high places are afraid to trust the ones nearest to them in
office.
"There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of
the Lord, that shall stand" (Prov. 19:21). No planning on man's part
can thwart the purpose of the Most High. Saul had proved that; so too
had Absalom; so now shall Adonijah. Yet the Lord is pleased to use
human instruments in bringing His counsel to pass. He always has His
man ready to intervene at the critical moment. In this instance it was
Nathan the prophet: "Wherefore Nathan spake unto Bathsheba the mother
of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of
Haggith doth reign, and David our lord knoweth it not?" (v. 11).
Nathan had been faithful in rebuking David for his sin in former days
(2 Sam. 11:7-12), he was faithful now in recalling to him the promise
he had made concerning Solomon. He interviewed Bathsheba and persuaded
her to go unto David and remind him of his oath (vv. 11-13), and
arranged that while she was speaking to the king, he also would come
into his presence and confirm her testimony (v. 14).
It is blessed, both from the divine and human side, to see how readily
and how graciously Bathsheba responded to Nathan's suggestion. From
the divine side, we may behold how that when God works He works at
both ends of the line: if the prophet gave counsel under divine
prompting, the queen was willing in the day of God's power, as David
also yielded thereto--each acted under divine impulse, yet each acted
quite Freely. From the human side, we may note that Bathsheba made no
demur to Nathan's counsel but readily acquiesced. Though David was her
husband she "bowed and did obeisance to the king" and addressed him as
"my lord" (vv. 16, 17), thereby evidencing that she was a true
daughter of Abraham. First she reminded him of his solemn oath that
Solomon should reign after him (v. 17). Then she acquainted him with
the revolt of Adonijah (v. 18). Next she assured the king that the
Nation awaited an authoritative word from him about the accession; and
ended by warning him that if he failed in his duty she and Solomon
would be in grave danger of their lives
"And, lo, while she yet talked with the king, Nathan the prophet came
in" (v. 22). It was something more than a politic move on Nathan's
part to appear before the king at the psychological moment and second
what Bathsheba had just said. It was an act of obedience to the Word
of God, for the divine law required that matters of solemn moment must
be confirmed by one or more witnesses. "One witness shall not rise up
against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he
sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three
witnesses, shall the matter be established" (Deut. 19:15). The same
principle was insisted upon by Christ on more than one occasion, and
therefore it is binding on us today. Much needless trouble had been
avoided in the church (Matthew 18:16), many a false accusation had
been exposed (John 8:13, 17), many a breach had been healed (2 Cor.
13:1), and many an innocent servant of God had been cleared (1 Tim.
5:19) if only this principle had been duly heeded.
According to his promise to Bathsheba Nathan entered the king's
presence and bore out what she had just told him. The prophet showed
how urgent the situation was. First, he declared that the supporters
of the revolter were so confident of success that they were even now
saying "God save king Adonijah" (v. 25). Second, he pointed out the
ominous fact that neither himself nor Zadok the priest, Benaiah or
Solomon had been invited to the feast (v. 26), which made evident his
lawless designs: neither the will of God nor the desire of his father
were going to be consulted. Third, he endeavored to get the aged David
to take definite action before it was too late. He asks the king point
blank if this thing was being done with his approval (v. 27), to make
him realize the better what blatant insolence Adonijah and his party
were guilty of in thus acting without authority from the crown. Thus
did he make clear to David his public duty.
It was now that the real character of David asserted itself. Weak he
was in the ruling of his own household, but ever firm and fearless
where the interests of God's kingdom were concerned. Nothing could
induce him to resist the revealed will of the Lord for Israel. First,
he now acknowledged again the faithfulness of God unto himself: "And
the king sware, and said, As the Lord liveth, that hath redeemed my
soul out of all distress" (v. 29). The Lord is the Deliverer of all
who put their trust in Him, and repeatedly had He delivered David out
of the hands of his enemies. Second, God's faithfulness to David now
inspired him to be faithful to his covenant promise concerning
Solomon: "Even as I sware unto thee by the Lord God of Israel, saying,
Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon
my throne in my stead; even so will I certainly do this day" (v. 30).
Most blessed is this: whatever danger his own person might be
threatened with, he hesitated not.
In what immediately follows we are informed of the decisive measures
taken by David to overthrow the plot of Adonijah. "Call me Zadok the
priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And
they came before the king. The king also said unto them, Take with you
the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine
own mule, and bring him down to Gihon: and let Zadok the priest and
Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel: and blow ye with
the trumpet and say, God save king Solomon. Then ye shall come up
after him, that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be
king in my stead: and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and
over Judah" (vv. 32-35). Orders were given for the proclaiming of
Solomon: he was to be set upon the royal mule, formally anointed, and
duly proclaimed king. This important transaction was entrusted to men
of God who had proved themselves in His service. Solomon would thus
have the necessary authority for conducting state affairs until
David's decease, after which there would be no uncertainty in the
public mind as to his rightful successor.
"And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, Amen:
the Lord God of my lord the king say so too. As the Lord hath been
with my lord the king, even so be He with Solomon, and make his throne
greater than the throne of my lord king David" (vv. 36, 37). The
measures proposed by the king met with the hearty approval of his
advisers. Speaking in the name of the others, Benaiah expressed their
complete satisfaction in the royal nomination: his "Amen" shows the
original meaning and emphasis of this term--it was faith's
affirmation, assured that God would make good His promise. Benaiah's
language was that of fervent piety, for he realized that the plans of
his master, no matter how wise and good, could not be carried to a
successful conclusion without the blessing of divine providence--alas
that this is so largely lost sight of today. He added the earnest
prayer that God would bless Solomon's reign even more than He had his
father's.
The orders which David had given were promptly executed. Solomon was
brought in state to the place appointed and was duly anointed. This
gave great joy and satisfaction to the people. "And all the people
came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with
great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them" (v. 40):
thereby they evidenced their cheerful acceptance of him as David's
successor. In like manner, all who belong to the true Israel of God
gladly own the Lordship of His Son. The sequel was indeed striking. No
sooner was Solomon acclaimed by the loyal subjects of David, than news
thereof was borne to Adonijah and his fellow conspirators (vv. 41,
42). Instead of ending in joy, the feast of the rebel terminated in
consternation: "And all the guests that were with Adonijah were
afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way. And Adonijah feared
because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns
of the altar" (vv. 49, 50). Thus did the Lord graciously show Himself
strong on David's behalf to the end of his course.
In closing we would call attention to a most blessed typical picture,
in which both David and Solomon are needed to give it
completeness--compare the joint-types supplied by Joseph and Benjamin,
Moses and Aaron, Elijah and Elisha. First, David had been successful
as "a man of war" (1 Chron. 28:3), for by him the Lord so overcame the
enemies of Israel as to "put them under the soles of his feet" (1
Kings 5:3): in like manner the Lord Jesus by His death and
resurrection was victorious over all His foes (Col. 2:14,15). Second,
Solomon had been chosen and ordained to the throne before he was born
(1 Chron. 22:9): so too Christ was the Elect of God "from all
eternity" (Isa. 42:1). Third, Solomon rode on a mule, not as a
warrior, but in lowly guise: so did Christ (Matthew 21:1-9). Fourth,
he was anointed with the sacred oil--type of the Spirit: so Christ
received the Spirit in His fulness at His ascension (Acts 2:23; Rev.
3:1). Finally, rest and quietness was granted unto Israel throughout
Solomon's reign (1 Chron. 22:19): so Christ is now reigning as "the
Prince of peace" over His people.
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The Life of David, Vol. II.
by A. W. Pink
CHAPTER NINETY-SIX
His Closing Days
(Continued)
1 Chronicles 22
_________________________________________________________________
The sand in David's hour-glass was running low; the time appointed for
his departure from this world had almost arrived; yet it is beautiful
to behold him using his remaining strength in the service of God,
rather than rusting out amid the shadows. The sun of his life had
often been temporarily overcast, but it set in golden splendor,
illustrating that word, "Better is the end of a thing than the
beginning thereof" (Eccl. 7:8). The revolt of Adonijah was the last
dark cloud to pass across his horizon, and it was quickly dissolved,
to give place to blue skies of peace and joy. The final scenes are
painted in roseate colors and the exit of our patriarch from this
world was one which well fitted the man after God's own heart. Blessed
is it to see him using his fast-failing energies in setting in order
the affairs of the kingdom and to mark how the glory of the Lord and
the good of his people was that which now wholly absorbed him.
The Holy Spirit has dwelt at quite some length upon the closing acts
of David's reign, supplementing the briefer account given in 1 Kings
by furnishing much fuller details in 1 Chronicles. It is to these
supplementary accounts we now turn. In them we, first, behold him
completing the extensive preparations he had made for the building of
the temple. Second, his giving solemn charge unto Solomon concerning
the erection of the Lord's house, concerning his own personal conduct,
and concerning the removal of his enemies. Third, his charge to the
princes to stand by and assist his son. Fourth, his ordering of the
priesthood in their courses. Fifth, his charge to the officers of the
Nation. Sixth, his entrusting to Solomon the pattern or plan of the
temple which he had received from God. Seventh, his final charge to
the whole congregation. Most carefully did David prepare for the end
of his reign and for the welfare of his successor.
"And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house
that is to be builded for the Lord must be exceeding magnifical of
fame and of glory, throughout all countries: I will therefore now make
preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death" (1
Chron. 22:5). The dearest desire of his heart had been to erect a
permanent house for the worship of God, and a tremendous amount of
materials had he already acquired and consecrated to that end. But his
wish was not granted: another was to have that peculiar honor; yet he
did not, like so many peevish persons when their wills are crossed,
mope and fret, and then lose all interest in the Lord's service; but
readily acquiesced in God's will and continued his preparation. Yea,
so far from advancing age and increasing infirmities deterring him,
they quickened him to increased diligence and effort.
The extent and value of the materials which David had gathered for the
temple may be seen by: "Now, behold, in my trouble I have prepared for
the house of the Lord a hundred thousand talents of gold, and a
thousand thousand talents of silver; and of brass and iron without
weight; for it is in abundance; timber also and stone have I prepared"
(1 Chron. 22:14). These were all ready to hand for his successor, who
made good use of the same. What encouragement is there here for us:
much good may appear after our death, which we were not permitted to
witness during our life. Often we grieve because we see so little
fruit for our labor, yet if we are diligent in preparing materials,
others after us may build therewith. Then let us sow beside all
waters, and confidently leave the outcome with God. Those who are
mature and experienced should consider the younger ones who are to
follow, and furnish all the help they can to make the work of God as
easy as possible for them.
We turn next to the charges which David gave to his son. The first
concerned his building of the temple, for this lay most of all upon
his heart. "Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to
build an house for the Lord God of Israel. And David said to Solomon,
My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build a house unto the name of
the Lord my God. But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Thou
hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not
build a house unto My name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the
earth in My sight" (1 Chron. 22:6-8). Here we see how jealous God was
of His types--as was also evidenced by His displeasure against Moses
for striking the rock (the second occasion) instead of speaking to it;
and by His smiting Gehazi with leprosy for seeking a reward from the
healed Naaman. The erection of the temple was a figure of Christ
building His Church, and this He does not by destroying men's lives,
but by saving them.
Continuing the "word" which David had received from the Lord, he adds,
"Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and
I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name
shall be Solomon (Peaceable), and I will give peace and quietness unto
Israel in his days. He shall build a house for My name; and he shall
be My son, and I will be his Father; and I will establish the throne
of his kingdom over Israel for ever. Now, my son, the Lord be with
thee, and prosper thou, and build the house of the Lord thy God, as He
hath said of thee" (1 Chron. 22:9-11). In what follows David enjoined
his son (v. 13) to keep God's commands and to take heed to his duty in
everything. He must not think that by building the temple he would
secure a dispensation to indulge the lusts of the flesh. Nay, let him
know that though king of Israel, he was himself a subject of the God
of Israel, and would be prospered by Him in proportion as he made the
divine law his rule (cf. Josh. 1:8).
A little later he addressed him thus: "And thou, Solomon my son, know
thou the God of thy father, and serve Him with a perfect heart and
with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts and
understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek Him,
He will be found of thee but if thou forsake Him, He will cast thee
off forever, Take heed now; for the Lord hath chosen thee to build a
house for the sanctuary: be strong and do it" (1 Chron. 28:9, 10). How
concerned David was that his son should be pious. Faithfully did he
set before him the inevitable alternative: blessing if he served the
Lord, woe if he turned away from Him. Here was a case where divine
foreordination had made irrevocably certain the end, and yet where
human responsibility was insisted upon. The perpetuity of God's
kingdom to David's posterity was absolutely assured in Christ, yet the
entail of the temporal kingdom was made contingent on the conduct of
David's descendants: if they were self-willed and remained
disobedient, the entail would be cut off.
The same note of contingency is struck again unmistakably in "If thy
children take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all
their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said
He) a man on the throne of Israel" (1 Kings 2:4). Alas, we know from
the sequel what happened: God punished the idolatry of Solomon by the
defection of the ten tribes from his son, till ultimately the family
of David was deprived of all royal authority. It has been thus all
through the piece: man has utterly failed in whatever trust God has
committed to him: sentence of death was written upon the prophetic,
the priestly, and the kingly office in Israel. Was then the divine
purpose thwarted? No indeed; that could not be: the counsels of God
are made good in the Second Man and not in the first. It is in and by
and through Christ the divine decrees are secured. And as it is in the
Second Man and not in the first, so it is in a heavenly realm and not
in the earthly that the Old Testament promises find their fulfillment.
Christ according to the flesh, was made of the seed of David, and in
Him the kingdom of God is spiritually realized.
"And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and
do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the Lord God, even my God, will
be with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast
finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord" (1
Chron. 28:20). It is noteworthy that that to which David principally
exhorted his son was firmness and boldness. Courage is one of the
graces most needed by the servants of God, for the devil as a roaring
lion will ever seek to strike terror into their hearts. This was the
charge given to Joshua when called to succeed Moses: "Only be thou
strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according
to all the Law" (Josh. 1:7). To His servant the prophet the Lord said,
"Fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a
rebellious house" (Ezek. 3:9): the frowns of those who hate the Truth
are no more to be regarded than the flattery of those who would quench
the Spirit by puffing us up with a sense of our own importance. "Fear
not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but
rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell"
(Matthew 10:28) said Christ to the apostles--gifts are of no avail if
we lack courage to use them.
The charge which David gave to Solomon concerning his old enemies is
recorded in 1 Kings 2. "Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son
of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the--two captains of the host
of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of
Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the
blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his
shoes that were on his feet. Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and
let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace and, behold, thou
hast with thee Shimei . . . which cursed me with a grievous curse . .
. now therefore hold him not guiltless . . ." etc. (vv. 5-9). These
orders are not to be regarded as issuing from a spirit of private
revenge, but rather with a regard for the glory of God and the good of
Israel. Joab had long deserved to die for his cold-blooded murders,
and the part he had recently played in aiding the revolt of Adonijah.
While such men as he and Shimei lived they would be a continual menace
to Solomon and the peacefulness of his reign.
The charge David made to the princes is found in 1 Chronicles 22:
"David also commanded all the princes of Israel to help Solomon his
son, saying, Is not the Lord your God with you? and hath He not given
you rest on every side? for He hath given the inhabitants of the land
into mine hand; and the land is subdued before the Lord, and before
His people. Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your
God. arise therefore, and build ye the sanctuary" (vv. 17-19). Once
more we see how deeply concerned David was that the honour of Jehovah
should be promoted by the erection of a suitable dwelling-place for
His holy ark, and therefore did he command the princes to give
whatever aid they could to his son in this undertaking. Monarchs can
only forward the work of God in their dominions as they are supported
by those nearest to them in high office. David urged upon them their
obligations by insisting that gratitude to God for His abundant
mercies called for generosity and effort on their part. He bids them
be zealous by fixing their eyes on God's glory and making His favor
their happiness. When the Lord truly possesses the heart neither
sacrifice nor service will be begrudged.
From 1 Chronicles 23 and the chanters which follow we learn of the
considerable trouble David went to in fixing the arrangements for the
temple services and putting in order the offices of it, in which he
prepared For the house of God as truly as when he laid up silver and
gold for it. It is noticeable that the tribe of Levi had multiplied
almost fourfold (23:3, and cf. Num. 4:46-48), which was a much greater
increase than in any other tribe. It was for the honor of Jehovah that
so great a number of servants should attend His house--an adumbration
of the countless millions of angels which wait upon the heavenly
throne. A detailed account is supplied of the distribution of the
priests and Levites into their respective classes and of their duties,
such particularization showing us that God is a God of order,
especially in matters pertaining to His worship. The distribution of
the officers was made by lot (24:5, etc.) to show that all was
governed by the divine will (Prov. 16:33). The priesthood was divided
into twenty-four courses (24:18), a figure perhaps of the "twenty-four
elders" of Revelation 4:4.
"Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of
the houses thereof . . . And the pattern of all that he had by the
Spirit, of the courts of the house of the Lord, . . . All this, said
David, the Lord made me understand in writing by His hand upon me,
even all the works of this pattern" (1 Chron. 28:11, 12, 19). David
had received full instructions from God concerning the design of the
temple and how everything was to be ordered in it: nothing was left to
chance or the caprice of man, nor even to the wisdom of Solomon; all
was divinely prescribed. Moses had received a similar pattern for the
building of the tabernacle (Ex. 25:9) both of them being a figure of
Christ and heavenly things. But the worship of God in this Christian
era is in marked contrast from that which obtained under the Mosaic
economy: in keeping with the much greater liberty which obtains under
the New Covenant, precise rules and detailed regulations for the
external worship of God in every circumstance are nowhere to be found
in either the Acts or the Epistles.
The charge which David gave to the congregation was the longest of
any. First, he warned them that Solomon was of tender years--less than
twenty--and therefore very young to assume such heavy responsibilities
(1 Chron. 29:1). Second, he reminded them how he had himself "prepared
with all his might for the house of his God" (v. 2), having "set his
affection" thereon, and urged his hearers to emulate his example by
giving of their substance unto the Lord (v. 5). Both the leaders (vv.
5-8) and the people (v. 9) responded "willingly" and liberally, so
that David "rejoiced with great joy." Then he magnified the Lord in
these notable terms, "Thine. O Lord, is the greatness, and the power,
and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in
the heaven and in the earth is Thine; Thine is the kingdom, O Lord,
and Thou art exalted as Head above all. Both riches and honour come of
Thee, and Thou reignest over all; and in Thine hand is power and
might" (vv. 11, 12).
The deep humility of the man was again evidenced when David added,
"But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer
so willingly after this sort? for all things come of Thee, and of
Thine own have we given Thee. For we are strangers before Thee, and
sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a
shadow, and there is none abiding. O Lord our God, all this store that
we have prepared to build Thee an house for Thine holy name cometh of
Thine hand, and is all Thine own" (vv. 14-16). Beautiful is it to hear
the king in his last words giving honor to whom honor is due. "And
David said to all the congregation, Now bless the Lord your God. And
all the congregation blessed the Lord God of their fathers, and bowed
down their heads, and worshipped the Lord, and the king. And they
sacrificed sacrifices unto the Lord . . . And they did eat and drink
before the Lord on that day with great gladness (vv. 20-22). What a
grand finale was this to the reign of David: the king surrounded by
his subjects engaged in joyfully worshiping the King of kings!
"Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die" (1 Kings 2:1):
not that extreme old age necessitated his demise, but because his
appointed time had arrived. The length of our sojourn on this earth is
not determined by the care we take of our health (though human
responsibility requires that we abstain from all intemperance and
recklessness), nor upon the skill of our physicians (though all lawful
means should be employed), but upon the sovereign decree of God. "Man
that is born of a woman is of few days . . . His days are determined,
the number of his months are with Thee, Thou hast appointed his bounds
that he cannot pass" (Job 14:1, 5). No, when the divinely-ordained
limit is reached, all the doctors in the world cannot prolong our life
a single moment. Thus we are told of Jacob, "The time drew nigh that
Israel must die" (Gen. 47:29)--"must" because God had decreed it. So
it was with David: he had fulfilled God's purpose concerning him, his
course was finished, and he could now enter into his eternal rest.
"And he charged Solomon his son, saying, I go the way of all the
earth" (1 Kings 2:1). He realized that his end was near, yet he was
not diffident to own it nor afraid to speak of dying. He calmly
referred to his decease as a "way": it was not only an exit from this
world, but an entrance into another and better one. He speaks of his
death as "the way of all the earth": from the earth its dwellers are
taken, and to it they return (Gen. 3:19). Even the heirs of heaven
(except those alive at Christ's return: 1 Cor. 15:51) must pass
through the valley of the shadow of death, yet they need fear no evil.
In like manner Paul spoke of his "departure" (2 Tim. 4:6), using a
nautical term which refers to a ship being loosed from its moorings:
so at death the soul is released from the cables which bound it to the
shores of time, and it glides forth into eternity.
David made all the preparations for his departure with unruffled
composure because he knew that death did not end all. He knew that as
soon as he drew his last breath. the angels of God (Luke 16:22) would
convey him into the abode of the redeemed. He knew the moment his soul
was absent from the body, he would be present with the Lord (2 Cor.
5:19). He knew that in the grave his flesh should rest "in hope" (Ps.
16:9), and that in the morning of the resurrection he should come
forth fully conformed to the image of his Saviour (Ps. 17:15). And he
died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honour: and Solomon
his son reigned in his stead" (1 Chron. 29:28). His epitaph was
inscribed by the Holy Spirit: "For David, after he had served his own
generation by the will of God, fell on sleep . . . (Acts 13:36). May
we too be enabled to serve our generation as faithfully as David did
his.
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The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Preface
_________________________________________________________________
From one generation to another, the servants of the Lord have sought
to edify their fellow-believers by commenting on the Old Testament
narrative. In such ministries expositions of the life of Elijah have
always been prominent. His sudden appearance out of complete
obscurity, his dramatic interventions in the national history of
Israel, his miracles, his departure from earth in a chariot of fire,
all serve to captivate the thought of preacher and writer alike. The
New Testament sustains this interest. If Christ Jesus is the Prophet
"like unto Moses," Elijah, too, has his New Testament counterpart in
John--the greatest of the prophets. And even more remarkably, Elijah
himself in living person reappears to view when, with Moses, he stands
on the mount of "the excellent glory," "to speak of the strife that
won our life with the incarnate Son of God." What a superb honour was
this! As Moses and Elijah are the names which shine in dual grandeur
in the closing chapters of the Old Testament, they likewise appear as
living representatives of the Lord's redeemed host--the resurrected
and the translated--on "the holy mount," their theme the exodus which
their Saviour and Lord was to accomplish at the time appointed by the
Father.
It is the "translated" representative, the second of the two marvelous
Old Testament exceptions to the universal reign of death, who is
portrayed in the following pages. "He comes in like a tempest, who
went out in a whirlwind" (says the 17th century Bishop Hall); "the
first that we hear from him is an oath and a threat." His words, like
lightnings, seem to cleave the firmament of Israel. On one famous
occasion, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel answered them by fire
upon the altar of burnt offering. Throughout Elijah's astonishing
career judgment and mercy were mingled. From the moment when he steps
forth, "without father, without mother," "as if he had been a son of
the earth," to the day when his mantle fell from him and he crossed
the river of death without tasting death, he exercised a ministry only
paralleled by that of Moses, his companion on the mount. "He was,"
says Bishop Hall, "the eminentest prophet reserved for the corruptest
age."
It is therefore fitting that the lessons which may legitimately be
drawn from Elijah's ministry should be presented afresh to our own
generation. The agelessness of prophecy is a striking witness to its
divine origin. The prophets are withdrawn but their messages give a
light to each succeeding age. History repeats itself. The wickedness
and idolatry rampant in Ahab's reign live on in our gross 20^th
century profanities and corruptions. The worldliness and ungodliness
of a Jezebel, in all their painted hideousness, have not only intruded
into the present day scene, but have become ensconced in our homes and
our public life.
A. W. Pink (1886-1952), author of this "Life of Elijah," had a wide
experience of conditions in the English-speaking world. Before finally
settling in Britain during the "thirties, he had exercised his
ministry in Australia and the United States of America. Thereafter he
devoted himself to Biblical exposition largely carried on by means of
the magazine which he established. His study of Elijah is particularly
suited to the needs of the present day. Our lot is cast in a time of
widespread and deep departure from the ancient landmarks of the people
of the Lord. Truths which were dear to our forefathers are now trodden
underfoot as the mire of the streets. Many, indeed, claim to preach
and republish truth in a new garb, but the new garb has proved to be
the shroud of truth rather than its authentic "beautiful garments" as
known to the ancient prophets.
Mr. Pink clearly felt called to the task of smiting the ungodliness of
the age with the rod of God's anger. With this object he undertakes
the exposition of Elijah's ministry, applying it to the contemporary
situation. He has a message for his own nation, and also for the
people of God. He shows that the ancient challenge, "Where is the Lord
God of Elijah?" is no mere rhetorical question. Where indeed? Have we
lost our faith in Him? Has effectual fervent prayer no place in our
hearts? Can we not learn from the life of a man subject to like
passions as we are? If we possess the wisdom which is from above we
shall say with Josiah Conder:
"Lord, with this grace our hearts inspire:
Answer our sacrifice with fire;
And by Thy mighty acts declare
Thou art the God who heareth prayer."
If such aspirations are ours, the "Life of Elijah" will fan the sacred
flame. If we lack them, may the Lord use the work to bring conviction
to our sluggish spirits, and to convince us that the test of Carmel is
still completely valid: "The God that answers by fire, let Him by
God.."
S. M. Houghton
January, 1963
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The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 1
Elijah's Dramatic Appearance
_________________________________________________________________
Elijah appeared on the stage of public action during one of the
darkest hours of Israel's sad history. He is introduced to us at the
beginning of 1 Kings 17, and we have but to read through the previous
chapters to discover what a deplorable state God's people were then
in. Israel had grievously and flagrantly departed from Jehovah, and
that which directly opposed Him had been publicly set up. Never before
had the favoured nation sunk so low. Fifty eight years had passed
since the kingdom had been rent in twain following the death of
Solomon. During that brief period no less than seven kings had reigned
over the ten tribes, and all of them without exception were wicked
men. Painful indeed is it to trace their sad course, and still more
tragic to behold how there has been a repetition of the same in the
history of Christendom.
The first of those seven kings was Jeroboam. Concerning him we read
that he "made two calves of gold," and said unto the people, "It is
too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel,
which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And he set the one in
Bethel, and the other put he in Dan. And this thing became a sin: for
the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan. And he made
an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people,
which were not of the sons of Levi. And Jeroboam ordained a feast in
the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the
feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in
Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in
Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made . . ." (1
Kings 12:28-32). Let it be duly and carefully noted that the apostasy
began with the corrupting of the priesthood, by installing into the
Divine service men who were never called and equipped by God!
Of the next king, Nadab, it is said, "And he did evil in the sight of
the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin
wherewith he made Israel to sin," (1 Kings 15:26). He was succeeded on
the throne by the very man who murdered him, Baasha, (1 Kings 15:27).
Next came Elah, a drunkard, who in turn was a murderer, (1 Kings 16:8,
9). His successor, Zimri, was guilty of "treason," (1 Kings 16:20). He
was followed by a military adventurer of the name of Omri, and of him
we are told, "but Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the Lord, and did
worse than all that were before him. For he walked in all the way of
Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to
sin, to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger with their vanities,"
(1 Kings 16:25, 26). The evil cycle was completed by Omri's son, for
he was even more vile than those who had preceded him.
"And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all
that were before him. And it came to pass, as if it had been a light
thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that
he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians,
and went and served Baal, and worshipped him," (1 Kings 16:30, 31).
This marriage of Ahab to a heathen princess was, as might fully be
expected (for we cannot trample God's Law beneath our feet with
impunity), fraught with the most frightful consequences. In a short
time all trace of the pure worship of Jehovah vanished from the land
and gross idolatry became rampant. The golden calves were worshipped
at Dan and Bethel, a temple had been erected to Baal in Samaria, the
"groves" of Baal appeared on every side, and the priests of Baal took
full charge of the religious life of Israel.
It was openly declared that Baal lived and that Jehovah ceased to be.
What a shocking state of things had come to pass is clear from, "And
Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel
to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him," (1 Kings
16:33). Defiance of the Lord God and blatant wickedness had now
reached their culminating point. This is made still further evident
by, "in his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho," (v. 34). Awful
effrontery was this, for of old it had been recorded, "Joshua adjured
them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the Lord, that
riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation
thereof in his firstborn and in his youngest son shall be set up the
gates of it," (Josh. 6:26). The rebuilding of the accursed Jericho was
open defiance of God.
Now it was in the midst of this spiritual darkness and degradation
that there appeared on the stage of public action, with dramatic
suddenness, a solitary but striking witness to and for the living God.
An eminent commentator began his remarks upon 1 Kings 17 by saying,
"The most illustrious prophet Elijah was raised up in the reign of the
most wicked of the kings of Israel." That is a terse but accurate
summing up of the situation in Israel at that time: not only so, but
it supplies the key to all that follows. It is truly saddening to
contemplate the awful conditions which the prevailed. Every light had
been extinguished, every voice of Divine testimony was hushed.
Spiritual death was spread over everything, and it looked as though
Satan had indeed obtained mastery of the situation.
"And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said
unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand,
there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my
word," (1 Kings 17:1). God, with a high hand, now raised up a powerful
witness for Himself. Elijah is here brought to our notice in a most
abrupt manner. Nothing is recorded of his parentage or previous manner
of life. We do not even know to which tribe he belonged, though the
fact that he was "of the inhabitants of Gilead" makes it likely that
he pertained either to Gad or Manasseh, for Gilead was divided between
them. "Gilead lay east of the Jordan: it was wild and rugged; its
hills were covered with shaggy forests; its awful solitudes were only
broken by the dash of mountain streams; its valleys were the haunt of
fierce wild beasts."
As we have pointed out above, Elijah is introduced to us in the Divine
narrative in a strange manner, without anything being told us of his
ancestry or early life. We believe there is a typical reason why the
spirit made no reference to Elijah's origin. Like Melchizedek, the
beginning and close of his history is shrouded in sacred mystery. As
the absence of any mention of Melchizedek's birth and death was
Divinely designed to foreshadow the eternal Priesthood and Kingship of
Christ, so the fact that we know nothing of Elijah's father and
mother, and the further fact that he was supernaturally translated
from this world without passing through the portals of death, mark him
as the typical forerunner of the everlasting Prophet. Thus the
omission of such details adumbrated the endlessness of Christ's
prophetic office.
The fact that we are told Elijah "was of the inhabitants of Gilead" is
no doubt recorded as a sidelight upon his natural training--one which
ever exerts a powerful influence on the forming of character. The
people of those hills reflected the nature of their environment: they
were rough and rugged, solemn and stern, dwelling in rude villages and
subsisting by keeping flocks of sheep. Hardened by an open-air life,
dressed in a cloak of camel's hair, accustomed to spending most of his
time in solitude, possessed of sinewy strength which enabled him to
endure great physical strain, Elijah would present a marked contrast
with the town dwellers in the lowland valleys, and more especially
would he be distinguished from the pampered courtiers of the palace.
What age he was when the Lord first granted Elijah a personal and
saving revelation of Himself we have no means of knowing, as we have
no information about his early religious training. But there is one
sentence in a later chapter which enables us to form a definite idea
of the spiritual caliber of the man--"I have been very jealous for the
Lord God of hosts," (1 Kings 19:10). Those words cannot mean less than
that he had God's glory greatly at heart and that the honour of His
name meant more to him than anything else. Consequently, he must have
been deeply grieved and filled with holy indignation as he became more
and more informed about the terrible character and wide extent of
Israel's defection from Jehovah.
There can be little room for doubt that Elijah must have been
thoroughly familiar with the Scriptures, especially the first books of
the Old Testament. Knowing how much the Lord had done for Israel, the
signal favors. He had bestowed upon them, he must have yearned with
deep desire that they should please and glorify Him. But when he
learned that this was utterly lacking, and as tidings reached him of
what was happening on the other side of the Jordan, as he became
informed of how Jezebel had thrown down God's altars, slain His
servants, and replaced them with the idolatrous priests of heathendom,
his soul must have been filled with horror and his blood made to boil
with indignation, for he was "very jealous for the Lord God of hosts."
Would that more of such righteous indignation filled and fired us
today!
Probably the question which now most deeply exercised Elijah was, How
should he act? What could he do, a rude, uncultured, child of the
desert? The more he pondered it, the more difficult the situation must
have seemed; and no doubt Satan whispered in his ear, "You can do
nothing, conditions are hopeless." But there was one thing he could
do: betake himself to that grand resource of all deeply tried
souls--he could pray. And he did: as James 5:17 tells us, "he prayed
earnestly." He prayed because he was assured that the Lord God lived
and ruled over all. He prayed because he realized that God is almighty
and that with Him all things are possible. He prayed because he felt
his own weakness and insufficiency and therefore turned to One who is
clothed with might and is infinitely self-sufficient.
But in order to be effectual, prayer must be grounded on the Word of
God, for without faith it is impossible to please Him, and "faith
cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God," (Rom. 10:17): Now
there was one particular passage in the earlier books of Scripture
which seems to have been specially fixed on Elijah's attention: "Take
heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn
aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; and then the Lord's
wrath be kindled against you, and He shut up the heaven, that there be
no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit," (Deut. 11:16, 17):
That was exactly the crime of which Israel was now guilty: they had
turned aside to worship false gods. Suppose, then, that this
Divinely-threatened judgment should not be executed, would it not
indeed appear that Jehovah was but a myth, a dead tradition? And
Elijah was "very jealous for the Lord God of hosts," and accordingly
we are told that "he prayed earnestly that it might not rain," (Jas.
5.17): Thus we learn once more what true prayer is: it is faith laying
hold of the Word of God, pleading it before him, and saying, "do as
Thou hast said," (2 Sam. 7:25).
"He prayed earnestly that it might not rain." Do some of our readers
exclaim, "What a terrible prayer"? Then we ask, Was it not far more
terrible that the favoured descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
should despise and turn away from the Lord God and blatantly insult
Him by worshipping Baal? Would they desire the thrice Holy One to wink
at such enormities? Are His righteous laws to be trampled upon with
impunity? Shall He refuse to enforce their just penalties? What
conception would men form of the Divine character if He ignored their
open defiance of Himself? Let Scripture answer: "Because sentence
against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of
the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil," (Eccl. 8:11). Yes,
and not only so, but as God declared, "These things hast thou done,
and I kept silence; thou thoughest that I was altogether such an one
as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before
thine yes," (Ps. 50:21).
Ah, my reader, there is something far more dreadful than physical
calamity and suffering, namely, moral delinquency and spiritual
apostasy. Alas, that this is so rarely perceived today! What are
crimes against man in comparison with high-handed sins against God?
Likewise what are national reverses in comparison with the loss of
God's favour? The fact is that Elijah had a true sense of values: he
was "very jealous for the Lord God of hosts," and therefore he prayed
earnestly that it might not rain. Desperate diseases call for drastic
measures. And as he prayed, Elijah obtained assurance that his
petition was granted, and that he must go and acquaint Ahab. Whatever
danger the prophet might personally incur, both the king and his
subject should learn the direct connection between the terrible
drought and their sins which had occasioned it.
The task which now confronted Elijah was no ordinary one, and it
called for more than common courage. For an untutored rustic of the
hills to appear uninvited before a king who defied heaven was
sufficient to quell the bravest; the more so when his heathen consort
shrank not from slaying any who opposed her will, in fact who had
already put many of God's servants to death. What likelihood, then,
was there of this lonely Gileadite escaping with his life? "But the
righteous are bold as a lion," (Prov. 28:1): they who are right with
God are neither daunted by difficulties nor dismayed by dangers. "I
will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set
themselves against me round about," (Ps. 3:6); "Though a host should
encamp against me, my heart shall not fear," (Ps. 27:3): such is the
blessed serenity of those whose conscience is void of offence and
whose trust is in the living God.
The hour for the execution of his stern task had arrived, and Elijah
leaves his home in Gilead to deliver unto Ahab his message of
judgment. Picture him on his long and lonely journey. What were the
subjects which engaged his mind? Would he be reminded of the similar
mission on which Moses had embarked, when he was sent by the Lord to
deliver his ultimatum to the haughty monarch of Egypt? Well, the
message which he bore would be no more palatable to the degenerate
king of Israel. Yet such a recollection need in nowise deter or
intimidate him: rather should the remembrance of the sequel strengthen
his faith. The Lord God had not failed his servant Moses, but had
stretched forth His mighty arm on his behalf, and in the end had given
him full success. The wondrous works of God in the past should ever
hearten His servants and saints in the present.
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The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 2
The Heavens Shut Up
_________________________________________________________________
"When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord
shall lift up a standard against him," (Isa. 59:19). What is signified
by the enemy coming in "like a flood?" The figure used here is a
graphic and expressive one: it is that of an abnormal deluge which
results in the submerging of the land, the imperiling of property and
life itself, a deluge threatening to carry everything before it. Aptly
does such a figure depict the moral experience of the world in
general, and of specially-favored sections of it in particular, at
different periods in their history. Again and again a flood of evil
has broken lose, a flood of such alarming dimensions that it appeared
as though Satan would succeed in beating down everything holy before
him, when, by an inundation of idolatry, impiety and iniquity, the
cause of God upon earth seemed in imminent danger of being completely
swept away.
"When the enemy shall come in like a flood." We have but to glance at
the context to discover what is meant by such language. "We wait for
light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness.
We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no
eyes . . . For our transgressions are multiplied before Thee, and our
sins testify against us . . . In transgressing and lying against the
Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt,
conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. And
judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for
truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. Yea, truth
faileth; and he that departeth from evil is accounted mad" (Isa.
59:9-15, see margin of v. 15). Nevertheless, when the Devil has
brought in a flood of lying errors, and lawlessness has become
ascendant, the Spirit of God intervenes and thwarts Satan's vile
purpose.
The solemn verses quoted above accurately describe the awful
conditions which obtained in Israel under the reign of Ahab and his
heathen consort, Jezebel. Because of their multiplied transgressions
God had given up the people to blindness and darkness, and a spirit of
falsehood and madness possessed their hearts. In consequence, truth
was fallen in the street--ruthlessly trampled underfoot by the masses.
Idolatry had become the state religion: the worship of Baal was the
order of the day: wickedness was rampant on every side. The enemy had
indeed come in like a flood, and it looked as though there was no
barrier left which could stem its devastating effects. Then it was
that the Spirit of the Lord lifted up a standard against him,
displeased with the sins of the people, and would now visit their
iniquities upon them. That heavenly standard was raised aloft by the
hand of Elijah.
God has never left Himself without witnesses on earth. In the darkest
seasons of human history the Lord has raised up and maintained a
testimony for Himself. Neither persecution nor corruption could
entirely destroy it. In the days of the antediluvians, when the earth
was filled with violence and all flesh had corrupted its way, Jehovah
had an Enoch and a Noah to act as His mouthpieces. When the Hebrews
were reduced to abject slavery in Egypt, the Most High sent forth
Moses and Aaron as His ambassadors, and at every subsequent period in
their history one prophet after another was sent to them. So also has
it been throughout the whole course of Christendom: in the days of
Nero, in the time of Charlemagne, and even in the dark ages--despite
the incessant opposition of the Papacy--the lamp of truth was never
extinguished. And so here in 1 Kings 17 we behold again the unchanging
faithfulness of God to His covenant, by bringing upon the scene one
who was jealous for His glory and who feared not to denounce His
enemies.
Having already dwelt upon the significance of the particular office
which Elijah exercised, and taken a look at his mysterious
personality, let us now consider the meaning of his name. A most
striking and declarative one it was, for Elijah may be rendered "by
God is Jehovah" or "Jehovah is my God." The apostate nation had
adopted Baal as their deity, but our prophet's name proclaimed the
true God of Israel. Judging from the analogy of Scripture we may
safely conclude that this name was given to him by his parents,
probably under prophetic impulse or in consequence of a divine
communication. Nor will this be deemed a fanciful idea by those
acquainted with the Word. Lamech called his son Noah, saying, "This
same shall comfort us (or be a rest to us) concerning our work" (Gen.
5:29)--"Noah" signifying "rest" or "comfort." Joseph gave names to his
sons expressive of God's particular providences to him (Gen. 41:51,
52). Hannah's name for her son (1 Sam. 1:20), and the wife of Phinehas
for hers (1 Sam. 4:19-22), are further illustrations.
We may observe that the same principle holds good in connection with
many of the places mentioned in the Scriptures: Babel (Gen. 11:9);
Beersheba, (Gen. 21:31); Massah and Meribah, (Ex. 17:7); and Cabul (1
Kings 9:13) margin, being cases in point; indeed no one who desires to
understand the sacred writings can afford to neglect a careful
attention to proper names. The importance of this receives
confirmation in the example of our Lord Himself, for when bidding the
blind man to wash in the pool of Siloam it was at once added: "which
is by interpretation, Sent" (John 9:7). Again, when Matthew records
the angel's command to Joseph that the Saviour was to be named Jesus,
the Spirit moved him to add, "All this was done that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold,
a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they
shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with
us," (1:21, 23). Compare also the words, "which is, being interpreted"
(in Acts 4:36; Hebrews 7:1, 2).
It will thus be seen that the example of the apostles warrants us to
educe instruction from proper names (for if not all of them, many
embody important truths), yet this must be done with modesty and
according to the analogy of Scripture, and not with dogmatism or for
the purpose of establishing any new doctrine. How aptly the name
Elijah corresponded to the prophet's mission and message is at once
apparent, and what encouragement every consideration of it would
afford him! We may also couple with his striking name the fact that
the Holy Spirit has designated Elijah "the Tishbite," which
significantly enough denotes the stranger here. And we must also take
note of the additional detail that he was "of the inhabitants of
Gilead," which name means rocky--because of the mountainous nature of
that country. It is ever such a one whom God takes up and uses in a
critical hour: a man who is out and out for Him, in separation from
the religious evil of his day, and who dwells on high; a man who in
the midst of fearful declension carries in is heart the testimony of
God.
"And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said
unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand,
there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word"
(1 Kings 17:1). This memorable event occurred some eight hundred and
sixty years before the birth of Christ. For the dramatic suddenness,
the exceeding boldness, and the amazing character of it, there are few
of a like nature in sacred history. Unannounced and unattended, a
plain man, dressed in humble garb, appeared before Israel's apostate
king as the messenger of Jehovah and the herald of dire judgment. No
one in the court would know much, if anything, about him, for he had
just emerged from the obscurity of Gilead, to stand before Ahab with
the keys of Heaven in his hand. Such are often the witness to His
truth which God has employed. At His bidding they come and go: not
from the ranks of the influential and learned do they issue. They are
not the products of this world system, nor does the world place any
laurels on their brow.
"As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall
not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word." There is
much more in this expression, "the Lord God of Israel liveth," than
meets the eye at first glance. Observe that it is not simply "the Lord
God liveth," but "the Lord God of Israel," which is also to be
distinguished from the wider term, "the Lord of hosts." At least three
things were signified thereby. First, "the Lord God of Israel" threw
particular emphasis upon His special relationship to the favoured
nation: Jehovah was their King, their Ruler, the One with whom they
had to do, the One with whom they had entered into a solemn covenant.
Second, Ahab is thereby informed that He liveth. This grand fact had
evidently been called in question. During the reigns of one king after
another Israel had openly mocked and defied Jehovah, and no dire
consequences had followed; and so the false idea had come to prevail
that the Lord had no real existence. Third, this affirmation, "the
Lord God of Israel liveth," pointed a striking contrast with the
lifeless idols whose impotency should now be made apparent--unable to
defend their deluded votaries from the wrath of God.
Though, for wise reasons of His own, God "endured with much
longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction" (Rom. 9:22),
yet He affords clear and sufficient proof throughout the course of
human history that He is even now the governor of the wicked and the
avenger of sin. Such a proof was then given to Israel. Notwithstanding
the peace and prosperity which the kingdom had long enjoyed, the Lord
was highly incensed at the gross manner in which He had been publicly
insulted, and the time had arrived for Him severely to chasten the
wayward people. Accordingly He sent Elijah to Ahab to announce the
nature and duration of His scourge. It is to be duly noted that the
prophet came with his awe-inspiring message, not to the people, but
the king himself--the responsible head, the one who had it in his
power to rectify what was wrong by banishing all idols from his
dominions.
Elijah was now called upon to deliver a most unpalatable message unto
the most powerful man in all Israel, but conscious that God was with
him he flinched not from such a task. Suddenly confronting Ahab,
Elijah at once made it evident that he was faced by one who had no
fear of him, king though he were. His first words informed Israel's
degenerate monarch that he had to do with the living God. "As the Lord
God of Israel liveth" was an outspoken confession of the prophet's
faith, as it also directed attention to the One whom Ahab had
forsaken. "Before whom I stand": (that is, whose servant I am--cf.
Deut. 10:8; Luke 1:19) in whose Name I approach you, in whose veracity
and power I unquestioningly rely, in whose ineffable presence I am now
conscious of standing, and to whom I have prayed and obtained answer.
"There shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my
word." Frightful prospect was that! From the expression "the early and
the latter rain" (Deut. 11:14; Jer. 5:24), we gather that, normally,
Palestine experienced a dry season of several months' duration: but
though no rain fell then, heavy dews descended at night which greatly
refreshed vegetation. But for neither dew nor rain to fall, and that
for a period of years, was a terrible judgment indeed. That land so
rich and fertile as to be designated one which "flowed with milk and
honey," would quickly be turned into one of drought and barrenness,
entailing famine, pestilence and death. And when God withholds rain,
none can create it. "Are there any among the vanities (false gods) of
the Gentiles that can cause rain?" (Jer. 14:22)--how that reveals the
utter impotency of idols, and the madness of those who render them
homage!
The exacting ordeal facing Elijah in confronting Ahab and delivering
such a message called for no ordinary moral strength. This will be the
more evident if we direct attention to a detail which seems to have
quite escaped the commentators, one which is only apparent by a
careful comparison of Scripture with Scripture. Elijah told the king,
"there shall be no dew nor rain these years," while in 1 Kings 18:1
the sequel says, "And it come to pass after many days, that the word
of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself
unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth" (1 Kings 18:1). On the
other hand, Christ declared "many widows were in Israel in the days of
Elias (Elijah), when the heaven was shut up three years and six
months, when great famine was throughout all the land" (Luke 4:25).
How, then, are we to explain those extra six months? In this way:
there had already been a six months' drought when Elijah visited Ahab:
we can well imagine how furious the king would be when told that the
terrible drought was to last another three years!
Yes, the unpleasant task before Elijah called for no ordinary
resolution and boldness, and well may we inquire, What was the secret
of his remarkable courage, how are we to account for his strength?
Some of the Jewish rabbis have contended that he was an angel, but
that cannot be, for the New Testament expressly informs us that he was
"a man subject to like passions as we are" (Jas. 5:17). Yes, he was
but "a man," nevertheless he trembled not in the presence of a
monarch. Though a man, yet he had power to close heaven's windows and
dry up earth's streams. But the question returns upon us, How are we
to account for the full assurance with which he foretold the
protracted drought, his confidence that all would be according to his
word? How was it that one so weak in himself became mighty through God
to the pulling down of strongholds?
We suggest a threefold reason as to the secret of Elijah's strength.
First, his praying. "Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we
are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it rained not
on the earth by the space of three years and six months" (Jas. 5:17).
Let is be duly noted that the prophet did not begin his fervent
supplications after his appearance before Ahab, but six months before!
Here, then, lies the explanation of his assurance and boldness before
the king. Prayer in private was the source of his power in public: he
could stand unabashed in the presence of the wicked monarch because he
had knelt in humility before God. But let it also be carefully
observed that the prophet had "prayed earnestly": no formal and
spiritless devotion that accomplished nothing was his, but
whole-hearted, fervent and effectual.
Second, his knowledge of God. This is clearly intimated in his words
to Ahab, "As the Lord God of Israel liveth." Jehovah was to him a
living reality. On all sides the open recognition of God had ceased:
so far as outward appearances went there was not a soul in Israel who
believed in His existence. But Elijah was not swayed by public opinion
and practice. Why should he be, when he had within his own breast an
experience which enabled him to say with Job, "I know that my Redeemer
liveth!" The infidelity and atheism of others cannot shake the faith
of one who has apprehended God for himself. It is this which explains
Elijah's courage, as it did on a later occasion the uncompromising
faithfulness of Daniel and his three fellow Hebrews. He who really
knows God is strong (Dan. 11:32), and fears not man.
Third, his consciousness of the Divine presence: "As the Lord God of
Israel liveth, before whom I stand." Elijah was not only assured of
the reality of Jehovah's existence, but he was conscious of being in
His presence. Though appearing before the person of Ahab, the prophet
knew the was in the presence of One infinitely greater than any
earthly monarch, even Him before whom the highest angels bow in
adoring worship. Gabriel himself could not make a grander avowal (Luke
1:19). Ah, my reader, such a blessed assurance as this lifts us above
all fear. If the Almighty was with him, why should the prophet tremble
before a worm of the earth! The Lord God of Israel liveth: "before
whom I stand" clearly reveals the foundation on which his soul rested
as he executed his unpleasant task.
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The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 3
The Brook Cherith
_________________________________________________________________
"Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed
earnestly that it might not rain, and it rained not on the earth by
the space of three years and six months," (Jas. 5:17). Elijah is here
brought before us as an example of what may be accomplished by the
earnest prayers of one "righteous man," (v. 16). Ah, my reader, mark
well the descriptive adjective, for it is not every man, nor even
every Christian, who obtains definite answers to his prayers. Far from
it! A "righteous man" is one who is right with God in a practical way:
one whose conduct is pleasing in His sight, one who keeps his garments
unspotted from the world, who is in separation from religious evil,
for there is no evil on earth half so dishonoring and displeasing to
God as religious evil (see Luke 10:12-15; Rev. 11:8). Such a one has
the ear of Heaven, for there is no moral barrier between his soul and
a sin-hating God. "Whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we
keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His
sight," (1 John 3:22).
"He prayed earnestly that it might not rain." What a terrible petition
to present before the Majesty on high! What incalculable privation and
suffering the granting of such a request would entail! The fair land
of Palestine would be turned into a parched and sterile wilderness,
and its inhabitants would be wasted by a protracted famine with all
its attendant horrors. Then was this prophet a cold and callous stoic,
devoid of natural affection? No indeed! the Holy Spirit has taken care
to tell us in this very verse that he was "a man subject to like
passions as we are," and that is mentioned immediately before the
record of his fearful petition. And what does the description signify
in such a connection? Why, this: that though Elijah was endowed with
tender sensibilities and warm regard for his fellow-creatures, yet in
his prayers he rose above all fleshly sentimentality.
Why was it Elijah prayed "that it might not rain?" Not because he was
impervious to human suffering, not because he took a fiendish delight
in witnessing the misery of his neighbors, but because he put the
glory of God before everything else, even before his own natural
feelings. Recall what has been pointed out in an earlier chapter
concerning the spiritual conditions that then obtained in Israel. Not
only was there no longer any public recognition of God, no, not
throughout the length and breadth of the land, but on every side He
was openly insulted and defied by Baal worshippers. Daily the tide of
evil rose higher and higher, until it had now swept practically
everything before it. And Elijah was "very jealous for the Lord God of
hosts," (1 Kings 19:10), and longed to see His great Name vindicated
and His backslidden people restored. Thus it was the glory of God and
true love for Israel which actuated his petition. And what does that
description signify in such a connection? Why, this: that though
Elijah was endowed with tender sensibilities and warm regard for his
fellow-creatures, yet in his prayers he rose above all fleshly
sentimentality.
Here, then, is the outstanding mark of a "righteous man" whose prayers
prevail with God: though one of tender sensibilities, yet he puts the
honour of the Lord before every other consideration. And God has
promised, "them that honour Me I will honour," (1 Sam. 2:30). Alas,
how frequently these words are true of us: "Ye ask, and receive not;
because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts," (Jas.
4:3). We "ask amiss" when natural feelings sway us, when carnal
motives move us, when selfish considerations actuate us. But how
different was it with Elijah! He was deeply stirred by the horrible
indignities against his Master and longed to see Him given His
rightful place again in Israel. "And it rained not on the earth for
the space of three years and six months." The prophet failed not of
his object. God never refuses to act when faith addresses Him on the
ground of His own glory, and clearly it was on that ground Elijah had
supplicated Him.
"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may
obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need," (Heb. 4:16). It
was there at that blessed throne that Elijah obtained the strength
which he so sorely needed at that time. Not only was he required to
keep his own skirts clear from the evil all around him, but he was
called upon to exercise a holy influence upon others, to act for God
in a degenerate age, to make a serious effort to bring back the people
to the God of their fathers. How essential it was, then, that he
should obtain that grace from Him which alone could fit him for his
difficult and dangerous undertaking: only thus could he be delivered
from evil himself, and only thus could he hope to be instrumental in
delivering others. Thereby equipped for the conflict, he entered upon
his path of service endued with Divine power.
Conscious of the Lord's approbation, assured of the answer to his
petition, sensible that the Almighty was with him, Elijah boldly
confronted the wicked Ahab and announced the Divine judgment on his
kingdom. But let us pause for a moment so that this weighty fact may
sink into our minds, for it explains to us the more-than-human courage
displayed by the servants of God in every age. What was it made Moses
so bold before Pharaoh? What was it that enabled the young David to go
forth and meet the mighty Goliah? What was it that gave Paul such
strength to testify as he did before Agrippa? From whence did Luther
obtain such resolution that "though every tile on the roofs were a
devil" he would continue his mission? In each case the answer is the
same: supernatural strength was obtained from a supernatural source:
only thus can we be energized to wrestle with the principalities and
powers of evil.
"He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He
increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the
young men shall utterly fall: but they that wait upon the Lord shall
renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they
shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint,"
(Isa. 40:29-31). But where had Elijah learned this all-important
lesson? Not in any seminary or bible-training college, for it there
were such in that day they were like some in our own degenerate
time--in the hands of the Lord's enemies. Nor can the schools of
orthodoxy impart such secrets: even godly men cannot teach themselves
this lesson, much less can they impart it to others. Ah, my reader, as
it was at "the backside of the desert," (Ex. 3:1), that the Lord
appeared to and commissioned Moses, so it was in the solitudes of
Gilead that Elijah had communed with Jehovah and had been trained by
Him for his arduous duties: there he had "waited" upon the Lord, and
there had he obtained "strength" for his task.
None but the living God can effectually say unto His servant, "Fear
thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I
will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee
with the right hand of my righteousness," (Isa. 41:10) Thus granted
the consciousness of the Lord's presence, His servant goes forth "as
bold as a lion," fearing no man, kept in perfect calm amid the most
trying circumstances. It was in such a spirit that the Tishbite
confronted Ahab: "as the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I
stand." But how little that apostate monarch knew of the secret
exercises of the prophet's soul ere he thus came forth to address his
conscience! "There shall not be dew nor rain these years, but
according to my word." Very striking and blessed is that. The prophet
spoke with the utmost assurance and authority, for he was delivering
God's message--the servant identifying himself with his Master. Such
should ever be the demeanor of the minister of Christ: "we speak that
we do know, and testify that we have seen."
"And the word of the Lord came unto him," (v. 2). How blessed! yet
this is not likely to be perceived unless we ponder the same in the
light of the foregoing. From the preceding verse we learn that Elijah
had faithfully discharged his commission, and here we find the Lord
speaking anew to His servant: thus we regard the latter as a gracious
reward of the former. This is ever the Lord's way, delighting to
commune with those who delight to do His will. It is a profitable line
of study to trace this expression throughout the scriptures. God does
not grant fresh revelations until there has been a compliance with
those already received: we may see a case of this in the early life of
Abraham. "The Lord had said unto Abraham, Get thee . . . unto the land
that I will show thee," (Gen. 12:1); but instead, he went only half
way and settled in Haran, (11:31), and it was not until he left there
and fully obeyed that the Lord again appeared to him, (12:4-7).
"And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and
turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith," (vv. 2,
3). An important practical truth is hereby exemplified. God leads His
servants step by step. Necessarily so, for the path which they are
called to tread is that of faith, and faith is opposed to both sight
and independency. It is not the Lord's way to reveal to us the whole
course which is to be traversed: rather does He restrict his light to
one step at a time, that we may be kept in continual dependence upon
Him. This is a most salutary lesson, yet it is one that the flesh is
far from relishing, especially in those who are naturally energetic
and zealous. Before he left Gilead for Samaria to deliver his solemn
message, the prophet would no doubt wonder what he should do as soon
as it was delivered. But that was no concern of his, then: he was to
obey the Divine order and leave God to make known what he should do
next.
"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own
understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy
paths," (Prov. 3:5, 6). Ah, my reader, had Elijah then leaned unto his
own understanding, we may depend upon it that hiding himself by the
brook Cherith is the last course he would have selected. Had he
followed his instincts, yea had he done that which he considered most
glorifying to God, would he not have embarked upon a preaching tour
throughout the towns and villages of Samaria? Would he not have felt
it was his bounden duty to do everything in his power calculated to
awaken the slumbering conscience of the public, so that his
subjects--horrified at the prevailing idolatry--would bring pressure
to bear upon Ahab to put a stop to it? Yet that was the very thing God
would not have him to do: what then are reasoning and natural
inclinations worth in connection with Divine things? Nothing.
"And the word of the Lord came to him." Note that it is not said, "the
will of the Lord was revealed to him" or "the mind of God was made
known"; we would particularly emphasize this detail, for it is a point
on which there is no little confusion today. There are numbers who
mystify themselves and others by a lot of pious talk about "obtaining
the Lord's mind" or "discovering God's will" for them, which when
carefully analyzed amounts to nothing better than a vague uncertainty
or a personal impulse. God's "mind" or "will," my reader, is made
known in His Word, and He never "wills" anything for us which to the
slightest degree clashes with that heavenly Rule. Changing the
emphasis, note, "the Word of the Lord came to him:" there was no need
for him to go and search for it! (See Deut. 30:11-14).
And what a "word" it was that came to Elijah! "Get thee hence, and
turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is
before Jordan," (v. 3). Verily God's thoughts and ways are indeed
entirely different from ours: yes, and He alone can "make known," (Ps.
103:7), the same unto us. It is almost amusing to see how commentators
have quite wandered from the track here, for almost all of them
explain the Lord's command as being given for the purpose of providing
protection for His servant. As the death-dealing drought continued,
the perturbation of Ahab would increase more and more, and as he
remembered the prophet's language that there should be neither dew nor
rain but according to his word, his rage against him would know no
bounds: Elijah, then, must be provided with a refuge if his life was
to be spared. Yet Ahab made no attempt to slay him when next they met,
(1 Kings 18:17-20)! Should it be answered, "That was because God's
restraining hand was upon the king," we answer, granted, but was not
God able to restrain him all through the interval?
No, the reason for the Lord's order to His servant must be sought
elsewhere, and surely that is not far to ascertain. Once it be
recognized that next to the bestowment of His Word and the Holy Spirit
to apply the same, the most valuable gift He grants any people is the
sending of His own qualified servants among them, and that the
greatest possible calamity which can befall any land is God's
withdrawal of those whom He appoints to minister unto the soul, then
no uncertainty should remain. The drought on Ahab's kingdom was a
Divine scourge and in keeping therewith the Lord bade his prophet "get
thee hence." The removal of the ministers of His truth is a sure sign
of God's displeasure, a token that He is dealing in judgment with a
people who have provoked Him to anger.
It should be pointed out that the Hebrew word for "hide," (1 Kings
17:3), is an entirely different one from that which is found in Joshua
6:17, 25 (Rahab's hiding of the spies) and in 1 Kings 18:4, 13. The
word used in connection with Elijah might well be rendered "turn thee
eastward and absent thyself," as it is in Genesis 31:49. Of old the
Psalmist had asked, "O God, why hast Thou cast us off for ever? why
doth Thine anger smoke against the sheep of Thy pasture?" (74:1). And
what was it that caused him to make this plaintive inquiry? what had
happened to make him realize that the anger of God was burning against
Israel? This: "They have cast fire into Thy sanctuary . . . they have
burned up all the synagogues of God in the land. We see not our signs:
there is no more any prophet;" (vv. 7-9). It was the doing away with
the public means of grace which was the sure sign of the Divine
displeasure.
Ah, my reader, little as it may be realized in our day, there is no
surer and more solemn proof that God is hiding His face from a people
or nation than for Him to deprive them of the inestimable blessings of
those who faithfully minister His Holy Word to them, for as far as
heavenly mercies excel earthly so much more dreadful are spiritual
calamities than material ones. Through Moses the Lord had declared,
"My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the
dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon
the grass," (Deut. 32:2). And now all dew and rain was to be withheld
from Ahab's land, not only literally so, but spiritually so as well.
Those who ministered His Word were removed from the scene of public
action, (cf. 1 Kings 18:4).
If further proof of the Scripturalness of our interpretation of 1
Kings 17:3 be required, we refer the reader to: "And though the Lord
give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet
shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine
eyes shall see thy teachers," (Isa. 30:20). What could be plainer than
that? For the Lord to remove His teachers into a corner was the sorest
loss His people could suffer, for here He tells them that His wrath
shall be tempered with mercy, that though He gave them the bread of
adversity and the water of affliction yet He would not again deprive
them of those who ministered unto their souls. Finally, we would
remind the reader of Christ's statement that there was "great famine"
in the land in Elijah's time, Luke 4:25, and link up with the same:
"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine
in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of
hearing the words of the Lord: and they shall wander from sea to sea,
and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek
the word of the Lord, and shall not find it," Amos 8:11, 12.
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The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 4
The Trial of Faith
_________________________________________________________________
"And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and
turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is
before Jordan" (1 Kings 17:2, 3). As pointed out in our last chapter,
it was not merely to provide Elijah with a safe retreat, to protect
His servant from the wrath of Ahab and Jezebel, that Jehovah so
commanded the prophet, but to signify His sore displeasure against His
apostate people: the withdrawal of the prophet from the scene of
public action was an additional judgment on the nation. We cannot
forbear pointing out that tragic analogy which now obtains more or
less in Christendom. During the past two or three decades God has
removed some eminent and faithful servants of His by the hand of
death, and not only has He not replaced them by raising up others in
their stead, but an increasing number of those who still remain are
being sent into seclusion by Him.
It was both for God's glory and the prophet's own good that the Lord
bade him "get thee hence . . . hide thyself." It was a call to
separation. Ahab was an apostate, and his consort was a heathen.
Idolatry abounded on every side. Jehovah was publicly dishonored. The
man of God could have no sympathy or communion with such a horrible
situation. Isolation from evil is absolutely essential if we are to
"keep ourselves unspotted from the world" (Jas. 1.27): not only
separation from secular wickedness but from religious corruption also.
"Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness" (Eph.
5:.11), has been God's demand in every dispensation. Elijah stood as
the Lord's faithful witness in a day of national departure from
Himself, and having delivered His testimony to the responsible head,
the prophet must now retire. To turn our backs on all that dishonors
God is an essential duty.
But where was Elijah to go? He had previously dwelt in the presence of
the Lord God of Israel. "Before whom I stand" he could say when
pronouncing sentence of judgment unto Ahab, and he should still abide
in the secret place of the Most High. The prophet was not left to his
own devisings or choice, but directed to a place of God's own
appointing--outside the camp, away from the entire religious system.
Degenerate Israel was to know him only as a witness against
themselves: he was to have no place and take no part in either the
social or religious life of the nation. He was to turn "eastward:" the
quarter from which the morning light arises, for those who are
regulated by the Divine precepts" shall not walk in darkness, but
shall have the light of life" (John 8:12). "By the brook Cherith, that
is before Jordan." Jordan marked the very limits of the land.
Typically it spoke of death, and spiritual death now rested upon
Israel.
But what a message of hope and comfort the "Jordan" contained for one
who was walking with the Lord! How well calculated was it to speak
unto the heart of one whose faith was in a healthy condition! Was it
not at this very place that Jehovah had shown Himself strong on behalf
of His people in the days of Joshua? Was not the Jordan the very scene
which had witnessed the miracle-working power of God at the time when
Israel left the wilderness behind them? It was there the Lord had said
unto Joshua, "This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of
all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be
with thee" (Josh. 3:7). It was there that "the living God" (v.10),
made the waters to "stand upon an heap" (v. 13), so that "all the
Israelites passed over on dry ground" (v. 17). Such are the things
which should and no doubt did fill the mind of the Tishbite when his
Master ordered him to this very place. If his faith was in exercise,
his heart would be in perfect peace, knowing that a miracle-working
God would not fail him there.
It was also for the prophet's own personal good that the Lord now bade
him "hide thyself." He was in danger from another quarter than the
fury of Ahab. The success of his supplications might prove a snare,
tending to fill his heart with pride, and even to harden him against
the calamity then desolating the land. Previously he had been engaged
in secret prayer, and then for a brief moment he had witnessed a good
confession before the king. The future held for him yet more
honourable service, for the day was to come when he should witness for
God not only in the presence of Ahab, but he should discomfit and
utterly rout the assembled hosts of Baal and, in measure at least,
turn the wandering nation back again unto the God of their fathers.
But the time for that was not ripe; neither was Elijah himself.
The prophet needed further training in secret if he was to be
personally fitted to speak again for God in public. Ah, my reader, the
man whom the Lord uses has to be kept low: severe discipline has to be
experienced by him, if the flesh is to be duly mortified. Three more
years must be spent by the prophet in seclusion. How humbling! Alas,
how little is man to be trusted: how little is he able to bear being
put into the place of honour! How quickly self rises to the surface,
and the instrument is ready to believe he is something more than an
instrument! How sadly easy it is to make of the very service God
entrusts us with a pedestal on which to display ourselves. But God
will not share His glory with another, and therefore does He "hide"
those who may be tempted to take some of it unto themselves. It is
only by retiring from public view and getting alone with God that we
can learn our own nothingness.
We see this important lesson brought out plainly in Christ's dealings
with His beloved apostles. On one occasion they returned to Him
flushed with success and full of themselves: they "told Him all
things, both what they had done, and what they had taught" (Mark
6:30). Most instructive is His quiet response: "And He said unto them,
Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while" (v.
31). This is still His gracious remedy for any of His servants who may
be puffed up with their own importance, and imagine that His cause
upon earth would suffer a severe loss if they were removed from it.
God often says to His servants," Get thee hence . . . hide thyself":
sometimes it is by the dashing of their ministerial hopes, sometimes
by a bed of affliction or by a severe bereavement, the Divine purpose
is accomplished. Happy the one who can then say from his heart, "The
will of the Lord be done."
Every servant that God deigns to use must pass through the trying
experience of Cherith before he is ready for the triumph of Carmel.
This is an unchanging principal in the ways of God. Joseph suffered
the indignities of both the pit and the prison before he became
governor of all Egypt, second only to the king himself. Moses spent
one third of this long life at "the backside of the desert" before
Jehovah gave him the honour of leading His people out of the house of
bondage. David had to learn the sufficiency of God's power on the farm
before he went forth and slew Goliath in the sight of the assembled
armies of Israel and the Philistines. Thus it was, too, with the
perfect Servant: thirty years of seclusion and silence before He began
His brief public ministry. So too with the chief of His ambassadors: a
season in the solitudes of Arabia was his apprenticeship before he
became the apostle to the Gentiles.
But is there not yet another angle from which we may contemplate this
seemingly strange order, "Get thee hence . . . hide thyself"? Was it
not a very real and severe testing of the prophet's submissiveness
unto the Divine will? "severe" we say, for to a robust man this
request was much more exacting than his appearing before Ahab: one
with a zealous disposition would find it much harder to spend three
years in inactive seclusion than to be engaged in public service. The
present writer can testify from long and painful experience that to be
removed "into a corner" (Isa. 30:20), is a much severer trail than to
address large congregations every night month after month. In the case
of Elijah this lesson is obvious: he must learn personally to render
implicit obedience unto the Lord before he was qualified to command
others in His name.
Let us now take a closer look at the particular place selected by God
as the one where His servant was next to sojourn: "by the brook
Cherith." Ah, it was a brook and not a river--a brook which might dry
up any moment. It is rare that God places His servants, or even His
people, in the midst of luxury and abundance: to be surfeited with the
things of this world only too often means the drawing away of the
affections from the giver Himself. "How hardly shall they that have
riches enter into the kingdom of God!" It is our hearts God requires,
and often this is put to the proof. The way in which temporal losses
are borne generally makes manifest the difference between the real
Christian and the worldling. The latter is utterly cast down by
financial reverses, and frequently commits suicide. Why? Because his
all has gone and there is nothing left to live for. In contrast, the
genuine believer may be severely shaken and for a time deeply
depressed, but he will recover his poise and say, "God is still my
portion and I shall not want."
Instead of a river, God often gives us a brook, which may be running
today and dried up tomorrow. Why? To teach us not to rest in our
blessings, but in the blesser Himself. Yet is it not at this very
point that we so often fail-- our hearts being far more occupied with
the gifts than with the giver. Is not this just the reason why the
Lord will not trust us with a river? --because it would unconsciously
take His place in our hearts." Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou
art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness;
then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of
his salvation" (Deut. 32:15). And the same evil tendency exists within
us. We sometimes feel that we are being hardly dealt with because God
gives us a brook rather than a river, but his is because we are so
little acquainted with our own hearts. God loves His own too well to
place dangerous knives in the hands of infants.
And how was the prophet to subsist in such a place? Where was his food
to come from? Ah, God will see to that: He will provide for his
maintenance: "And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook" (v.
4). Whatever may be the case with Ahab and his idolators, Elijah shall
not perish. In the very worst of times God will show Himself strong on
the behalf of his own. Whoever starves they shall be fed: "Bread shall
be given him; his waters shall be sure" (Isa. 33:16). Yet how absurd
it sounds to common sense to bid a man tarry indefinitely by a brook!
Yes, but it was God who had given this order, and the divine commands
are not to be argued about but obeyed. Thereby Elijah was bidden to
trust God contrary to sight, to reason, to all outward appearances, to
rest in the Lord Himself and wait patiently for Him.
"I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there" (v. 4). Observe the
word we have placed in italics. The prophet might have preferred many
another hiding-place, but to Cherith he must go if he was to receive
the Divine supplies: as long as he tarried there, God was pledged to
provide for him. How important, then, is the question, Am I in the
place which God has (by His Word or providence) assigned me? If so, He
will assuredly supply my every need. But if like the younger son I
turn my back upon Him and journey into the far country, then like that
prodigal I shall certainly suffer want. How many a servant of God has
laboured in some lowly or difficult sphere with the dew of the Spirit
on his soul and the blessing of Heaven on his ministry, when there
came an invitation from some other field which seemed to offer a wider
scope (and a larger salary!), and as he yielded to the temptation, the
Spirit was grieved and his usefulness in God's kingdom was at an end.
The same principle applies with equal force to the rank and file of
God's people: they must be "in the way" (Gen. 24:27), of God's
appointing if they are to receive Divine supplies. "Thy will be done"
precedes "Give us this day our daily bread." But how many professing
Christians have we personally known who resided in a town whither God
sent one of His own qualified servants, who fed them with "the finest
of the wheat," and their souls prospered. Then came a tempting
business offer from some distant place, which would improve their
position in the world. The offer was accepted, their tent was removed,
only to enter a spiritual wilderness where there was no edifying
ministry available. In consequence their souls were starved, their
testimony for Christ ruined, and a period of fruitless backsliding
ensued. As Israel had to follow the cloud of old in order to obtain
supplies of manna, so must we be in the place of God's ordering if our
souls are to be watered and our spiritual lives prospered.
Let us next view the instruments selected by God to minister unto the
bodily needs of His servant. "I have commanded the ravens to feed
thee." Various lines of thought are hereby suggested. First, see here
both the high sovereignty and the absolute supremacy of God; His
sovereignty in the choice made, His supremacy in His power to made it
good. He is a law unto Himself: "Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did
He in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep place" (Ps.
135:6). He prohibited His people from eating ravens, classifying them
among the unclean, yea, to be "an abomination" to them (Lev. 11:15;
Deut. 14:14). Yet He Himself made use of them to carry food unto His
servant. How different are God's ways from ours! He employed Pharaoh's
own daughter to succour the infant Moses, and a Balaam to utter one of
His most remarkable prophecies. He used the jawbone of an ass in the
hand of Samson to slay the Philistines, and a sling and stone to
vanquish their champion.
"I have commanded the ravens to feed thee." O what a God is ours! The
fowls of the air and the fishes of the sea, the wild beasts of the
field, yea, the very winds and waves obey Him. Yes, "Thus saith the
Lord, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;
which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power . .
. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye
not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in
the desert. The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and
the owls--yes, and the ravens too! --because I give waters in the
wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people"
(Isa. 43: 16-20). Thus the Lord caused birds of prey, which lived on
carrion, to feed the prophet.
But let us also admire here the wisdom as well as the power of God.
Elijah's fare was provided for partly in a natural and partly in a
supernatural way. There was water in the brook, so he could easily go
and fetch it. God will work no miracles to spare a man trouble, or
that he should be listless and lazy, making no effort to procure his
own sustenance. But there was no food in the desert: how is he to get
that? God will furnish this in a miraculous manner: "I have commanded
the ravens to feed thee." Had human beings been used to take him food,
they might have divulged his hiding-place. Had a dog or some domestic
animal gone each morning and evening, people might have seen this
regular journeying to and fro, carrying food, and so been curious, and
investigated the same. But birds flying with flesh into the desert
would arouse no suspicion: it would be concluded they were taking it
to their young. See then how careful God is of His people, how
judicious in the arrangements He makes for them. He knows what would
endanger their safety and provides accordingly.
"Hide thyself by the brook Cherith . . . I have commanded the ravens
to fee thee there." Go immediately, without entertaining any doubts,
without any hesitation. However contrary to their natural instincts,
these birds of prey shall obey the Divine behest. Nor need this appear
in the least unlikely. God Himself created them, gave them their
peculiar instinct, and He knows how to direct and control the same. He
has power to suspend or check it, according to His good pleasure.
Nature is exactly what God made it, and entirely dependent upon Him
for its continuance. He upholds all things by the word of His power.
In Him and by Him the birds and beasts, as well as man, love, move and
have their being; and therefore He can, whenever He thinks fit, either
suspend or alter the law which He has imposed upon any of His
creatures. "Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that
God should raise the dead?"(Acts 26:8).
There in his lowly retreat the prophet was called upon to sojourn many
days, yet not without a precious promise guaranteeing his sustenance:
the supply of needed provision was Divinely assured him. The Lord
would take care of His servant while hid from public view, and would
daily feed him by His miracle-working power. Nevertheless, it was real
testing of Elijah's faith. Whoever heard of such instruments being
employed--birds of prey bringing food in a time of famine! Could the
ravens be depended upon? Was it not far likely that they would devour
the food themselves than bring it to the prophet? Ah, his trust was
not to be in the birds, but in the sure word of Him that cannot lie:
"I have commanded the ravens." It was the Creator and not the
creature, the Lord Himself and not the instruments, Elijah's heart was
to be fixed upon. How blessed to be lifted above "circumstances" and
in the inerrant promise of God have a sure proof of His care.
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The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 5
The Drying Brook
_________________________________________________________________
"Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook
Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink
of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to fee thee there" (1
Kings 17:3, 4). Notice well the order here: first the Divine command,
and then the precious promise: Elijah must comply with the Divine
behest if he was to be supernaturally fed. Most of God's promises are
conditional ones. And does not this explain why many of us do not
extract the good of them, because we fail to comply with their
stipulations? God will not put a premium on either unbelief or
disobedience. Alas, we are our own worst enemies, and lose much by our
perversity. We sought to show in our last chapter that the
arrangements here made by God displayed His high sovereignty, His
all-sufficient power, and His blessed wisdom; as it also made a demand
upon the prophet's submissiveness and faith. We turn now to the
sequel.
"So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went
and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan" (v. 5). Not
only did God's injunction to Elijah supply a real test of his
submission and faith, but it also made a severe demand upon his
humility. Had pride been in the ascendant he would have said, "Why
should I follow such a course? It would be playing the coward's part
to "hid" myself. I am not afraid of Ahab, so I shall not go into
seclusion." Ah, my reader, some of God's commands are quite
humiliating to haughty flesh and blood. It may not have struck His
disciples as a valorous policy to pursue when Christ bade them "when
they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another" (Matthew
10:23); nevertheless, such were His orders, and He must be obeyed. And
why should any servant of His demur at such a command as "hide
thyself," when of the Master Himself we read the "Jesus hid Himself"
(John 8:59). Ah, He has left us an example in all things.
Furthermore, compliance with the Divine command would be quite a tax
on the social side of Elijah's nature. There are few who can endure
solitude: to be cut off from their fellows would indeed prove a severe
trial to most people. Unconverted men cannot live without company: the
conviviality of those like-minded is necessary if they are to silence
an uneasy conscience and banish troublesome thoughts. And is it much
different with the great majority even of professing Christians? "Lo,
I am with you always" has little real meaning to most of us. How
different the contentment, joy, and usefulness of Bunyan in prison and
Madam Guyon in her solitary confinement! Ah, Elijah might be cut from
his fellows, but not from the Lord Himself. "So he went and did
according unto the word of the Lord." Without hesitation or delay the
prophet complied with God's command. Blessed subjection to the Divine
will was this: to deliver Jehovah's message unto the king himself, or
to be dependent upon ravens, he was equally ready. However
unreasonable the precept might appear or however unpleasant the
prospect, the Tishbite promptly carried it out. How different was this
from the prophet Jonah, who fled from the word of the Lord; yes, and
how different the sequel--the one imprisoned for three days and nights
in the whale's belly, the other, at the end, taken to Heaven without
passing through the portals of death! God's servants are not all
alike, either in faith, obedience or fruitfulness. O that all of us
may be as prompt in our obedience to the Lord's Word as Elijah was.
"So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord." The prophet
neither delayed in complying with the Divine directions nor did he
doubt that God would supply all his need. Happy it is when we can obey
Him in difficult circumstances and trust Him in the dark. But why
should we not place implicit confidence in God and rely upon His word
of promise? Is anything too hard for the Lord? Has His word of promise
ever failed? Then let us not entertain any unbelieving suspicions of
His future care of us. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but not so
His promises. God's dealings with Elijah have been recorded for our
instruction: O that they may speak loudly to our hearts, rebuking our
wicked distrust and moving us to cry in earnest, "Lord, increase our
faith." The God of Elijah still lives, and fails none who count upon
His faithfulness.
"So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord." Elijah not
only preached God's Word, but he practiced it. This is the crying need
of our times. There is a great deal of talking, but little of walking
according to the divine precepts. There is much activity in the
religious realm, but only too often it is unauthorized by, and in
numerous instances contrary to, the Divine statutes. "But be ye doers
of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" (Jas.
1:22), is the unfailing requirement of Him with whom we have to do! To
obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
"Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness
is righteous" (1 John 3:7). Alas, how many are deceived at this very
point: they prate about righteousness, but fail to practice it. "Not
every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom
of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven"
(Matthew 7:21).
"And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread
and flesh in the evening, and he drank of the brook" (v. 6). What
proof was this that "he is faithful that promised" (Heb. 10:23)! All
nature shall change her course rather than one of his promises fail. O
what comfort is there here for trusting hearts: what God has promised,
He will certainly perform. How excuseless is our unbelief, how
unspeakably wicked our doubtings. How much of our distrust is the
consequence of the Divine promises not being sufficiently real and
definite unto our minds. Do we meditate as we ought upon the promises
of the Lord? If we were more fully "acquainted" with Him (Job 22:21),
if we "set Him" more definitely before our hearts (Ps. 16:8), would
not His promises have far more weight and power with us?
"My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by
Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19). It is profitless to ask, How? The Lord has
ten thousand ways of making good His word. Some reader of this very
paragraph may be living from hand to mouth, having no stock of money
or store of victuals: yea, not knowing where the next meal will come
from. But if you be a child of His, God will not fail you, and if your
trust be in Him, it shall not be disappointed. In some way or other
"The Lord will provide." "O fear the Lord, ye His saints: for there is
no want to them that fear Him. The young lions do lack, and suffer
hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing"
(Ps. 34:9, 10); "seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his
righteousness; and all these things (food and clothing) shall be added
unto you" (Matthew 6:33). These promises are addressed to us, to
encourage us to cleave unto God and do His will.
"And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread
and flesh in the evening." Had He so pleased, the Lord could have fed
Elijah by angels rather than by ravens. There was then in Israel a
hospitable Obadiah, who kept a secret table in a cave for a hundred of
God's prophets (18:4). Moreover, there were seven thousand faithful
Israelites who had not bowed the knee to Baal, any one of whom would
have doubtless deemed himself highly honored to have sustained so
eminent a one as Elijah. But God preferred to make use of fowls of the
air. Why? Was it not so as to give both the Tishbite and us a signal
proof of His absolute command over all creatures, and thereby of His
worthiness to be trusted in the greatest extremities? And what is the
more striking is this: that Elijah was better fed than the prophets
who were sustained by Obadiah, for they had only "bread and water"
(18:4), whereas Elijah had meat also.
Though God may not employ literal ravens in ministering unto His needy
servants and people today, yet He often works just as definitely and
wondrously in disposing the selfish, the covetous, the hard-hearted,
and the grossly immoral to render assistance to His own. He can and
often does induce them, contrary to their natural dispositions and
miserly habits, to deal kindly and liberally in ministering to our
necessities. He has the hearts of all in His hand and turneth them
withersoever He will (Prov. 21:1). What thanks are due unto the Lord
for sending His provisions by such instruments! We doubt not that
quite a number of our readers could bear similar testimony to that of
the present writer when he says: How often in the past did God in the
most unlooked-for-manner provide for our necessities: we had as soon
expected ravens to bring us food as that we should receive from those
who actually bestowed it.
"And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread
and flesh in the evening." Observe, no vegetables, fruit, or sweets
are mentioned. There were no luxuries, but simply the bare
necessities. "Having food and raiment let us be therewith content," (1
Tim. 6:8). but are we? Alas, how little of this godly contentment is
now seen, even among the Lord's people. How many of them set their
hearts upon the things which the godless make idols of. Why are our
young people dissatisfied with the standard of comfort which sufficed
their parents? Self must be denied if we are to show ourselves
followers of Him who had not where to lay His head.
"And he drank of the brook" (v. 6). Let us not overlook this clause,
for no detail in Scripture is meaningless. Water in the brook was as
truly and as definitely a provision of God's as the bread and meat
which the ravens brought. Has not the Holy Spirit recorded this detail
for the purpose of teaching us that the common mercies of providence
(as we term them) are also the gift of God. If we have been supplied
with what is needful to sustain our bodies, then gratitude and
acknowledgment are due to our God. And yet how many there are, even
among professing Christians, who sit down to their meals without first
asking God's blessing, and rising up therefrom without thanking Him
for what they had had. In this matter, too, Christ has left us an
example, for on the occasion of His feeding the multitude, we are told
that "Jesus took the loaves; and when He had given thanks, He
distributed to the disciples" (John 6:11). Then let us not fail to do
the same.
"And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because
there had been no rain in the land" (v. 7). Weigh attentively these
five words: "And it came to pass." They mean far more than that it
merely happened: they signify that the Divine decree concerning the
same was now fulfilled. "It came to pass" in the good providence of
God, who orders all things after the counsel of His own will, and
without whose personal permission nothing occurs, not even the falling
of a sparrow to the ground (Matthew 10:29). How this should comfort
the children of God and assure them of their security. There is no
such thing as chance with reference to God--wherever this term occurs
in the Bible it is always in connection with man, referring to
something taking place without his design. Everything which occurs in
this world is just as God ordained from the beginning (Acts 2:23).
Endeavour to recall that fact, dear reader, the next time you are in
difficulty and distress. If you are one of God's people He has
provided for every contingency in His "Everlasting covenant" and His
mercies are "sure" (2 Sam. 23:5; Isa. 55:3).
"And after a while" or (margin) "at the end of days." By this
expression Lightfoot understood "after a year," which is frequently
the sense of that phrase in Scripture. However this may be, after an
interval of some duration the brook dried up. Krummacher declares that
the very name Cherith denotes "drought," as though it usually dried up
more quickly than any other brook. Most probably it was a mountain
stream, which flowed down a narrow ravine. Water was supplied it by
the way of nature or ordinary providence, but the course of nature was
now altered. The purpose of God was accomplished and the time of the
prophet's departure unto another hiding place had arrived. The drying
up of the brook was a forceful reminder to Elijah of the
transitoriness of everything mundane. "The fashion of this world
passeth away" (1 Cor. 7:31), and therefore "here have we no continuing
city" (Heb. 13:14). Change and decay is stamped upon everything down
here: there is nothing stable under the sun. We should therefore be
prepared for sudden changes in our circumstances.
The ravens, as heretofore, brought the prophet flesh and bread to eat
each morning and evening, but he could not subsist without water. But
why should not God supply the water in a miraculous way, as He did the
food? Most certainly He could have done so. He could have brought
water out of the rock, as He did for Israel, and for Samson out of a
jawbone (Judges 15:18, 19). Yes, but the Lord is not confined to any
one method, but has a variety of ways in brining the same end to pass.
God sometimes works one way and sometimes another, employing this
means today and that tomorrow, in accomplishing His counsels. God is
sovereign and acts not according to rule and rote. He ever acts
according to His own good pleasure, and this He does in order to
display His all-sufficiency, to exhibit His manifold wisdom, and to
demonstrate the greatness of His power. God is not tied and if He
closes one door He can easily open another.
"That the brook dried up." Cherith would not flow for ever, no, not
even for the prophet. Elijah himself must be made to feel the
awfulness of that calamity which he had announced. Ah, my reader, it
is no uncommon thing for God to suffer His own dear children to become
enwrapped in the common calamities of offenders. True, He makes a real
difference both in the use and the issue of their stripes, but not so
in the infliction of them. We are living in a world which is under the
curse of a Holy God, and therefore "man is born unto trouble as the
sparks fly upward." Nor is there any escape from trouble so long as we
are left in this scene. God's own people, though the objects of the
everlasting love, are not exempted, for "many are the afflictions of
the righteous." Why? For various reasons and with various designs: one
of them being to wean our hearts from things below and cause us to set
our affection on things above.
"The brook dried up." To outward appearance that would have seemed a
real misfortune, to carnal reason and actual calamity. Let us
endeavour to visualize Elijah there at Cherith. The drought was
everywhere, the famine throughout the whole land: and now his own
brook began to dry up. Day by day its waters gradually lessened unto
soon there was barely a trickle, and then it entirely ceased. Had he
grown increasingly anxious and gloomy? Did he say, What shall I do?
Must I stay here and perish? Has God forgotten me? Did I take a wrong
step, and after all, in coming here? It all depended upon how steadily
his faith remained in exercise. If faith was active, then he admired
the goodness of God in causing that supply of water to last so long.
How much better for our souls, if instead of mourning over our losses,
we praise God for continuing His mercies to us so long--especially
when we bear in mind they are only lent to us, and that we deserve not
the least of them.
Though dwelling in the place of God's appointing, yet Elijah is not
exempted from those deep exercises of soul which are ever the
necessary discipline of a life of faith. True, the ravens had, in
obedience to the Divine command, paid him their daily visits,
supplying him with food morning and evening, and the brook had flowed
on its tranquil course. But faith must be tested--and developed. The
servant of God must not settle down on his lees, but pass from form to
form in the school of the Lord; and having learned (through grace) the
difficult lessons of one, he must now go forward to grapple with
others yet more difficult. Perhaps the reader may now be facing the
drying brook of popularity, of failing health, of diminishing
business, of decreasing friendships. Ah, a drying brook is a real
trouble.
Why does God suffer the brook to dry up? To teach us to trust in
Himself, and not in His gifts. As a general rule He does not for long
provide for His people in the same way and by the same means, lest
they should rest in them and expect help from them. Sooner or later
God shows us how dependent we are upon Himself even for supplies of
every-day mercies. But the heart of the prophet must be tested, to
show whether his trust was in Cherith or in the living God. So it is
in His dealings with us. How often we think we are trusting in the
Lord, when really we are resting on comfortable circumstances; and
when they become uncomfortable, how much faith have we?
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The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 6
Directed to Zarephath
_________________________________________________________________
"He that believeth shall not make haste" (Isa. 28:16). This is a rule
which it is both our wisdom and welfare to heed in all the varied
details of our lives--never more needed by God's people than in this
mad age of speed and hurry. Most profitably may we apply it to our
reading and study of God's Word. It is not so much the amount of time
we spend upon the Scriptures, as the measure in which we prayerfully
meditate upon that which is immediately before us, that so largely
determines the degree of benefit the soul receives therefrom. By
passing too quickly from one verse to another, by failing to picture
vividly before our minds the details before us, and by not taking
pains to discover the practical lessons which may be drawn from
historical events, we are greatly the losers. It is by putting
ourselves in the position of the one we are reading about and thinking
what we would most likely have done in such circumstances, that we
receive the most help.
An illustration of what we have in view in the above paragraph is
supplied by the stage we have now reached in the life of Elijah. At
the close of our last chapter we had arrived at the point where, "It
came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up: let us not be in
too big a hurry to turn unto what follows: rather should we endeavour
to visualize the prophet's situation and ponder the trial which
confronted him. Picture the Tishbite there in his lowly retreat. Day
by day the water in the brook steadily diminished: did his hopes do
likewise? Did his songs of worship become feebler and less frequent as
the streamlet rolled less noisily over its rocky bed? Was his harp
hung upon the willows as he gave himself up to anxious thought and
restlessly paced to and fro? There is nothing in Scripture to intimate
any such thing. God keeps in perfect peace the one whose mind is
stayed upon Himself. Yes, but in order thereto, the heart must
steadfastly confide in Him.
Ah, that is the very point: do we trust the Lord in trying
circumstances, or are we merely "fair-weather Christians"? It is much
to be feared that had we been there by the drying brook, our minds had
been distracted, and instead of waiting patiently for the Lord, had
fretted and schemed, wondering what we had better do next. And then
one morning Elijah awoke to find the brook altogether dried up and his
supply of sustenance completely cut off! What then should he do? Must
he remain there and perish? for he could not expect to live long
without something to drink. Must he not now take matters into his own
hands and do the best he could for himself? Would it not be better to
retract his steps and risk the vengeance of Ahab than remain where he
was and die of thirst? Can we doubt that Satan plied him with such
temptations in his hour of testing?
The Lord had ordered him, "hide thyself by the brook Cherith," adding,
"I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there"; and it is striking
and blessed to see that he remained there even after his supply of
water had ceased. The prophet did not move his quarters until he
received definite instruction from the Lord to do so. It was thus with
Israel of old in the wilderness, as they journeyed to the promised
land: "At the commandment of the Lord the children of Israel
journeyed, and at the commandment of the Lord they pitched: as long as
the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents. And
when the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, then the
children of Israel kept the charge of the Lord, and journeyed not. And
so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle;
according to the commandment of the Lord they abode in their tents,
and according to the commandment of the Lord they journeyed. And so it
was, when the cloud abode from even unto the morning, and that the
cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed: whether it was
by day or by night . . . two days, or a month, or a year . . . the
children of Israel abode in their tents and journeyed not" (Num.
9:18-22). And that is expressly recorded for our instruction and
comfort, and it is both our wisdom and welfare to heed the same.
"And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to
Zarephath," (1 Kings 17:8, 9). Did not this show plainly how worthless
and needless was any carnal scheming on the part of the prophet, had
he indulged in such? God had not "forgotten to be gracious," nor would
He leave His servant without the needed direction or guidance when His
time had arrived to grant the same. How loudly ought this to speak
unto our hearts--we who are far too full of our own plans and
devisings. Instead of heeding that injunction, "My soul, wait thou
only upon God," we contrive some way of getting out of our
difficulties and then ask the Lord to prosper the same. If a Samuel
does not arrive just when we expect, then we try to force things (1
Sam. 13:12).
Let is be duly noted, however, that before God's word came afresh to
Elijah both his faith and his patience had been put to the proof. In
going to Cherith the prophet had acted under Divine orders, and
therefore was he under God's special care. Could he, then, come to any
real harm under such guardianship? He must therefore remain where he
is until God directs him to leave the place, no matter how unpleasant
conditions may become. So with us. When it is clear that God has
placed us where we are, there we must, "Abide," (1 Cor. 7:20), even
though our continuance in it be attended with hardships and apparent
hazard. If, on the other hand, Elijah, had left Cherith of his own
accord, how could he count upon the Lord being with him both to
provide for his wants and to deliver him from his enemies? The same
applies to us with equal force today.
We are now to consider the further provision which the Lord graciously
made for His servant in his retirement. "And the word of the Lord came
unto him." How often has His word come to us: sometimes directly,
sometimes through one of His servants, and we have wickedly refused to
obey it. If not in actual words, our ways have been like that of the
rebellious Jews, who in response to the affectionate remonstrance of
Jeremiah replied, "As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in
the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee" (44:16). On other
occasions we have been like those spoken of in Ezekiel 33:21, 32,
"They sit before thee as My people, and they hear thy words, but they
will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their
heart goeth after their covetousness. And lo thou art unto them as a
very lovely song, of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well
on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not." And
why? Because the Word of God crosses our perverse wills and requires
what is contrary to our natural inclinations.
"And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to
Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there" (vv. 8, 9). This
meant that Elijah must be disciplined by still further trials and
humblings. First of all, the name of the place to which God ordered
His servant to go is deeply suggestive, for "Zarephath" means
"refining," coming from a root that signifies a crucible--the place
where metals are melted. There lay before Elijah not only a further
testing of this faith, but also the refining of it, for a "crucible"
is for the purpose of separating dross from the fine gold. The
experience which now confronted our prophet was a very trying and
distasteful one to flesh and blood, for to go from Cherith to
Zarephath involved a journey of seventy-five miles across the desert.
Ah, the place of refining is not easily reached and involves that from
which all of us naturally shrink.
It is also to be carefully noted that Zarephath was "in Zidon": that
is to say, it was in the territory of the Gentiles, outside the land
of Palestine. Our Lord threw emphasis on this detail (in His first
recorded public address) as being one of the earliest intimations of
the favors which God purposed to extend unto the Gentiles, saying,
"there were many widows in Israel" at that time (Luke 4:25, 26), who
might (or might not) have gladly sheltered and succoured the prophet;
but unto none of them was he sent--what a severe reflection on the
chosen nation, to pass them by! But what is yet more remarkable is the
fact the "Zidon" was the very place from which Jezebel, the wicked
corrupter of Israel, had come (1 Kings 16:31)! How passing strange are
the ways of God, yet ever ordered by infinite wisdom! As Matthew Henry
says, "To show Jezebel the impotency of her malice, God will find a
hiding-place for His servant even in her country."
Equally striking is it to observe the particular person whom God
selected to entertain Elijah. It was not a rich merchant or one of the
chief men of Zidon, but a poor widow--desolate and dependent--who was
made both willing and able to minister unto him. It is usually God's
way, and to His glory, to make use of and place honour upon "the weak
and foolish things of the world." In commenting upon the "ravens"
which brought bread and flesh to the prophet while he sojourned by the
brook, we called attention to the sovereignty of God and the
strangeness of the instruments He is pleased to employ. The same truth
is vividly illustrated here: a poor widow! a Gentile! dwelling in
Zidon, the original home of Jezebel! Think it not strange then, my
reader, if God's dealings with you have been the very opposite of what
you had expected. The Lord is a law to Himself, and implicit trust and
unreserved submission is what He requires from us.
"Behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee" (v. 9).
Man's extremity is God's opportunity: when Cherith is dried up then
shall Zarephath be opened. How this should teach us to refrain from
carking care about the future. Remember, dear reader, that tomorrow
will bring with it tomorrow's God. "Fear thou not; for I am with thee;
be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will
help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My
righteousness" (Isa. 41:10): make these sure and certain promises--for
they are the Word of Him that cannot lie--the stay of your soul; make
them your reply to every question of unbelief and every foul aspersion
of the Devil. Observe that once more God sent Elijah not to a river
but a "brook" --not to some wealthy person with great resources, but
to a poor widow with scanty means. Ah, the Lord would have His servant
remain a pensioner upon Himself and as much dependent on His power and
goodness as before.
This was indeed a severe testing of Elijah, not only to take a long
journey through the desert but to enter into an experience which was
entirely opposed to his natural feelings, his religious training and
spiritual inclinations--to be made dependent upon a Gentile in a
heathen city. He was required to leave the land of his fathers and
sojourn at the headquarters of Baal-worship. Let us duly weigh this
truth that God's plan for Elijah demanded from him unquestioning
obedience. They who would walk with God must not only trust Him
implicitly but be prepared to be entirely regulated by His Word. Not
only must our faith be trained by a great variety of providences, but
our obedience by the Divine commandments. Vain is it to suppose that
we can enjoy the smile of Jehovah unless we be in subjection to His
precepts. "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken
than the fat of rams" (1 Sam. 15:22). Directly we become disobedient
our communion with God is broken and chastisement becomes our portion.
Elijah must go and dwell at Zarephath. But how could he subsist there
when he knew no one in that place? Why, the same One who had given him
this order had also made arrangements for his reception and
maintenance. "Behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain
thee." This does not necessarily mean that the Lord had acquainted her
with His mind--the sequel plainly shows otherwise. Rather do we
understand these words to signify that God had appointed it in His
counsels and would effect it by His providences--compare His "I have
commanded the ravens to feed thee" (v. 4). When God calls any of His
people to go to a place, they may rest assured that He has fully
provided for them in His fore-determined purpose. God secretly
disposed this widow to receive and sustain His servant. All hearts are
in the Lord's hand and He turneth them withersoever He pleases. He can
incline them to show us favour and do us acts of kindness, even though
we be entire strangers to them. Many times, in widely different parts
of the world, has this been the experience of the writer.
Not only was the faith and obedience of Elijah tested by God's call
for him to go to Zarephath, but his humility was also put to the
proof. He was called to receive charity at the hands of a desolate
widow. How humbling to pride to be made dependent upon one of the
poorest of the poor. How withering to all self-confidence and
self-sufficiency to accept relief from one who did not appear to have
sufficient for her own urgent needs! Ah, it takes pressure of
circumstances to make us bow to what is repugnant to our natural
inclinations. More than once in the past did we feel it acutely to
receive gifts and succour from those who had little of this world's
goods, but we were comforted by the word, "And certain women, which
had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities . . . and many others
which ministered unto Him of their substance" (Luke 8:2, 3). The
"widow" speaks of weakness and desolation: Israel was widowed at this
time and therefore Elijah was made to feel it in his own soul.
"So he arose and went to Zarephath" (v. 10). In this Elijah gave proof
that he was indeed the servant of God, for the path of a servant is
the path of obedience: let him forsake that path and he ceases to be a
servant. The servant and obedience are as inseparably linked together
as the workman and work. Many today talk about their service for
Christ, as though He needed their assistance, as though His cause
would not prosper unless they patronized and furthered it-- as though
the holy ark must inevitably fall to the ground unless their unholy
hands uphold it. This is all wrong, seriously wrong--the product of
Satan-fed pride. What is so much needed (by us!) is service to Christ,
submission to His yoke, surrender to His will, subjection to His
commandments. Any "Christian service" other than walking in His
precepts is a human invention, fleshly energy, "strange fire."
"So he arose and went to Zarephath." How can I minister the holy
things of God unless I be myself treading the path of obedience? The
Jew of Paul's day was very self-important, yet he brought no glory
unto God. "And art confident that thou thy self art a guide of the
blind, a light of them which are in darkness, an instructor of the
foolish" (Rom. 2:19, 20). And then the apostle puts him to the test:
"Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself?
thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?"( v. 21).
The principle there enunciated is a searching one of wide application.
By it each of us who preach the Gospel should diligently measure
himself. Thou that preachest that God requireth truth in the inward
parts, art thou a man of thy word? Thou that teachest we should
provide things honest in the sight of all men, hast thou any unpaid
debts? Thou that exhortest believers to be importunate in prayer,
spendest thou much time in the secret place? If not, be not surprised
if they sermons meet with little response.
From the pastoral peace of Gilead to the exacting ordeal of
confronting the king: from the presence of Ahab to the solitude of
Cherith: from the dried-up brook to Zarephath. The disturbances and
displacements of Providence are a necessity if our spiritual lives are
to prosper. "Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath
settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel"
(Jer. 48:11). The figure used here is suggestive. Because Moab had
long been at peace she had become lethargic and flabby. Or, like grape
juice unrefined, she had been spoiled. God was emptying Elijah "from
vessel to vessel" so that the scum might rise to the surface and be
removed. This stirring of our nest, this constant changing of our
circumstances, is not a pleasant experience, but it is essential if we
are to be preserved from "settling on our lees." but alas, so far from
appreciating the gracious designs of the Refiner, how often we are
petulant, and murmur when He empties us from vessel to vessel.
"So he arose and went to Zarephath." He made no demur, but did as he
was bid. He made no delay, but set off on his long and unpleasant
journey at once. He was as ready to go on foot as though God had
provided a chariot. He was as ready to cross a desert as if God had
bidden him luxuriate in a shady garden. He was as ready to apply for
succour from a Gentile widow as if God had told him to return to his
friends in Gilead. It might appear to carnal reason that he was
putting his head into the lion's mouth--courting certain disaster by
making for the land of Zidon, where the agents of Jezebel would be
numerous. But since God had bidden him to go, it was right for him to
comply (and wrong not to do so), and therefore he could count upon the
Divine protection.
Let it be duly noted that the Lord gave Elijah no more information as
to his future residence and maintenance than that it was to be at
Zarephath and by a widow. In a time of famine we should be profoundly
thankful that the Lord provides for us at all, and be quite content to
leave the mode of doing so with Him. If the Lord undertakes to guide
us in our life's journey, we must be satisfied with His doing it step
by step. It is rarely His way to reveal to us much beforehand. In most
cases we know little or nothing in advance. How can it be otherwise if
we are to walk by faith! We must trust Him implicitly for the full
development of His plan concerning us. But if we are really walking
with God, taking heed to our ways according to His Word, He will
gradually make things plain. His providences will clear up our
difficulties, and what we know not now we shall know hereafter. Thus
it was with Elijah.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 7
A Widow's Extremity
_________________________________________________________________
"And the Lord of the Lord came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to
Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have
commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee" (1 Kings 17:8, 9).
Notice carefully the connection between these two verses. The
spiritual significance of this may be the more apparent to the reader
if we state it thus: our actions must be regulated by the Word of God
if our souls are to be nourished and strengthened. That was one of the
outstanding lessons taught Israel in the wilderness: their food and
refreshment could only be obtained so long as they traveled in the
path of obedience, (Num. 9:18-23)--observe well the seven-fold "at the
commandment of the Lord" in that passage). God's people of old were
not allowed to have any plans of their own: the Lord arranged
everything for them--when they should journey and when they should
encamp. Had they refused to follow the cloud there had been no manna
for them.
Thus is was with Elijah, for God has given the same rule unto His
ministers as to them unto whom they minister: they must practice what
they preach, or woe be unto them. The prophet was not allowed to have
any will of his own, and to say how long he should remain at Cherith
or whither he should go from there. The Word of Jehovah settled
everything for him, and by obeying the same he obtained sustenance.
What searching and important truth is there here for every Christian:
the path of obedience is the only one of blessing and enrichment. Ah,
may we not discover at this very point the cause of our leanness and
the explanation of our unfruitfulness? Is it not because we have been
so self-willed that our soul is starved and our faith weak? Is it not
because there has been so little denying of self, taking up the cross
and following Christ, that we are so sickly and joyless?
Nothing so ministers to the heath and joy of our souls as being in
subjection to the will of Him with whom we have to do. And the
preacher must heed this principle, too, as well as the ordinary
Christian. The preacher must himself tread the path of obedience if he
would be used by the Holy One. How could Elijah have afterwards said
with so much assurance on mount Carmel, "If the Lord be God, follow
Him," if he had previously followed a course of self-pleasing and
insubordination? As we pointed out in our last chapter, the
correlative of "service" is obedience. The two things are indissolubly
joined together: as soon as I cease to obey my Master, I am no longer
His "servant." In this connection let us not forget that one of the
noblest titles of our King was "The Servant of Jehovah." None of us
can seek to realize a grander aim than that which was the inspiration
of His heart: "I come to do Thy will, O My God."
But let it be frankly pointed out that the path of obedience to God is
far from being an easy one to nature: it calls for the daily denying
of self, and therefore it can only be traversed as the eye is fixed
steadily on the Lord and the conscience is in subjection to His Word.
It is true that in keeping His commandments there is "great reward"
(Ps. 19:11), for the Lord will be no man's debtor; nevertheless it
calls for the setting aside of carnal reason, and to take his place by
Cherith and there be fed by ravens--how could a proud intellect
understand that? And now he was bidden to journey to a far distant and
heathen city, there to be sustained by a desolate widow, who was
herself on the point of starvation. Ah, my reader, the path of faith
is utterly opposed to what we call "common sense," and if you suffer
from the same spiritual disease as this writer, then you often find it
harder to crucify reason than you do to repudiate the filthy rags of
self-righteousness. "so he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he
came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there
gathering of sticks" (v. 10). She was so poor that she was without any
fuel, or any servant to go and obtain a few sticks for her. What
encouragement could Elijah derive from appearances? None whatever:
instead, there was everything which was calculated to fill him with
doubts and fears if he was occupied with outward circumstances. "And
he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a
vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch it, he called
to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine
hand. And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but
a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and,
behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for
me and my son, that we may eat it, and die" (vv. 10-12): that was what
confronted the prophet when he arrived at his Divinely appointed
destination! Put yourself in his place, dear reader, and would you not
have felt that such a prospect was a gloomy and disquieting one?
But Elijah "conferred not with flesh and blood," and therefore he was
not discouraged by what looked so unpromising a situation. Instead,
his heart was sustained by the immutable Word of Him that cannot lie.
Elijah's confidence rested not in favourable circumstances or "a
goodly outlook," but in the faithfulness of the living God; and
therefore his faith needed no assistance from the things around him.
Appearances might be dark and dismal, but the eye of faith could
pierce the black clouds and see above them the smiling countenance of
his provider. Elijah's God was the Almighty, with whom all things are
possible. "I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee": that
was what his heart was resting on. What is yours resting on? Are you
being kept in peace in this ever-changing scene? Have you made one of
His sure promises your own? "Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt
thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed" (Ps. 37:3). "God
is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore
will not we fear, though the earth be removed" (Ps. 46:1, 2).
But let us return to the outward circumstances which confronted Elijah
upon his approach to Zarephath. "When he came to the gate of the city,
behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks. God had told
His servant to go there and had promised a widow should sustain him,
but what her name was, whereabout was her house, and how he was to
distinguish her from others, he was not informed. He trusted God to
give him further light when he arrived there; nor was he disappointed.
He was speedily relieved of any suspense as to the identical person
who was to befriend him. Apparently this meeting was quite casual, for
there was no appointment between them. "Behold (ponder and admire) the
widow woman was there"; see how the Lord in His providence overrules
all events, so that this particular woman should be at the gate at the
very time the prophet arrived!
Behold! here she comes forth as if on purpose to meet him: yet he did
not know her, nor she him. It has all the appearance of being
accidental, and yet it was decreed and arranged by God so as to make
good His word to the prophet. Ah, my reader, there is no event in this
world, however great or however small, which happens by chance. O
Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man
that walketh to direct his steps" (Jer. 10:23). How blessed to be
assured that "the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord" (Ps.
37:23). It is sheer unbelief which disconnects the ordinary things of
life from God. All our circumstances and experiences are directed by
the Lord, for "of Him and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to
whom be glory for ever. amen," (Rom. 11:36). Cultivate the holy habit
of seeing the hand of God in everything that happens to you.
"When he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was
there." How this illustrates once more a principle to which we have
frequently called the attention of the reader, namely, that when God
works He always works at both ends of the line. If Jacob sends his
sons down into Egypt seeking food in time of famine, Joseph is moved
to give it unto them. If Israel's spies enter Jericho, there is a
Rahab raised up to shelter them. If Mordecai is begging the Lord to
come to the deliverance of His threatened people, King Ahasuerus is
rendered sleepless, made to search the state records and befriend
Mordecai and his fellows. If the Ethiopian eunuch is desirous of an
understanding of God's Word, Philip is sent to expound it to him. If
Cornelius is praying for an opening up of the Gospel, Peter is charged
to preach it to him. Elijah had received no intimation as to where
this widow resided, but Divine providence timed her steps so that she
encountered him at the entrance to the city. What encouragements to
faith are these!
Here, then, was the widow: but how was Elijah to know she was the one
whom God had ordained should befriend him? Well he must try her, as
the servant of Abraham did Rebekah when he was sent to fetch a wife
for Isaac: Eliezer prayed that the damsel to whom he should say, "Let
down thy pitcher," and she should answer, "Drink, and I will give thy
camels drink also; let the same be she whom Thou hast appointed for
Isaac" (Gen. 24). Rebekah came forth and fulfilled these conditions.
So here: Elijah tests this woman to see if she is kind and benevolent:
"Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink."
Just as Eliezer considered that only one possessed of kindness would
be a fit companion for his master's son, so Elijah was convinced that
only a liberal-minded person would be likely to sustain him in a time
of famine and drought.
"He called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in
a vessel, that I may drink." Observe the gracious and respectful
demeanor of Elijah. The fact that he was a prophet of Jehovah did not
warrant him to treat this poor widow in a haughty and overbearing
manner. Instead of commanding, he said, " Pray thee." What a rebuke
does that contain for those who are proud and officious. Civility is
due to every one: "be courteous" (1 Pet. 3:8), is one of the Divine
precepts given to believers. And what a severe test it was to which
Elijah submitted this poor woman: to fetch him a drink of water! Yet
she made no demur nor did she demand a high price for what had become
a costly luxury; no, not even though Elijah was a complete stranger to
her, belonging to another race. Admire here the moving power of God,
who can draw out the human heart to acts of kindness unto His
servants.
"And as she was going to fetch it." Yes, she left off gathering sticks
for herself, and at the first request of this stranger started for the
drink of water. Let us learn to imitate her in this respect, and be
always ready to perform an act of kindness toward our fellow
creatures. If we do not have the wherewithal to give to the
distressed, we should be the more ready to work for them, (Eph. 4:28).
A cup of cold water, though it cost us nothing more than the trouble
of fetching it, shall in no wise lose its reward. "And as she was
going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee,
a morsel of bread in thine hand" (v. 11). This the prophet requested
in order to test her still further--and what a test: to share her very
last meal with him--and also to pave the way for a further discourse
with her.
"Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand." What a
selfish request this seemed! How likely it was that human nature would
resent such a demand upon her slender resources. Yet in reality it was
God that was meeting with her in the hour of her deepest need.
"Therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and
therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for the
Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for Him"
(Isa. 30:18). But this widow must first be proved, as later another
Gentile woman was proved by the Lord incarnate (Matthew 15). God would
indeed supply all her need, but would she trust Him? So often He
allows things to get worse before there is any improvement. He "waits
to be gracious." Why? To bring us to the end of ourselves and of our
resources, till all seems lost and we are in despair: that we may more
clearly discern His delivering hand.
"And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a
handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and behold,
I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my
son, that we may eat it, and die" (v. 12). The effects of the terrible
famine and drought in Palestine were also felt in the adjacent
countries. In connection with "oil" being found in this widow's
possession at Zarephath in Zidon, J. J. Blunt in his admirable work,
"Undesigned Coincidences in the Old and New Testament," has a helpful
chapter. He points out that on the division of Canaan the district of
Zidon fell to the lot of Asher (Josh. 19:28). Then he turns the reader
back to Deuteronomy 33, reminding him that when Moses blessed the
twelve tribes he said, "Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be
acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil" (v.
24)--indicating the fertility of that district and the character of
its principal product. Thus, after a long spell of famine, oil was
most likely to be found there. Hence by comparing scripture with
Scripture we see their perfect harmony.
"Behold, I am gathering two sticks that I may go in and dress it for
me and my son, that we may eat it, and die." Poor soul: reduced to the
last extremity, with nothing but a most painful death staring her in
the face! Hers was the language of carnal reason and not of faith, of
unbelief and not of confidence in the living God; yes, and quite
natural in the circumstances. As yet she knew nothing of that word to
Elijah, "Behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee"
(v. 9). No, she thought the end had come. Ah, my reader, how much
better is God than our fears. The unbelieving Hebrews imagined they
would starve in the wilderness, but they did not. David once said in
his heart," I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul" (1 Sam.
27:1), but he did not. The apostles thought they would drown in the
stormy sea, but they did not.
"Were half the breath in sorrow spent
To Heaven in supplication sent,
Our cheerful song would oftener be
Hear what the Lord hath done for me."
"And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an
handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse; and, behold,
I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my
son, that we may eat it, and die," (v. 12). To natural sight, to human
reason, it seemed impossible that she could sustain anyone. In abject
poverty, the end of her provisions was now in sight. And her eyes were
not on God (any more than ours are till the Spirit works within us!)
but upon the barrel, and it was now failing her; consequently there
was nothing before her mind except death. Unbelief and death are
inseparably joined together. This widow's confidence lay in the barrel
and the cruse, and beyond them she saw no hope. As yet her soul knew
nothing of the blessedness of communion with Him to whom alone belong
the issues from death (Ps. 68:20). She was not yet able "against hope
to believe in hope" (Rom. 4:18). Alas, what a poor tottering thing is
that hope which rests on nothing better than a barrel of meal.
How prone we all are to lean on something just as paltry as a barrel
of meal! And just so long as we do so our expectations can only be
scanty and evanescent. Yet, on the other hand, let us remember that
the smallest measure of meal in the hand of God is to faith as
sufficient and effectual as "the cattle upon a thousand hills." But
alas, how rarely is faith in healthy exercise. Only too often we are
like the disciples when, in the presence of the hungry multitude, they
exclaimed, "There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and
two small fishes: but what are they among so many?" (John 6:9)--that
is the language of unbelief, of carnal reason. Faith is not occupied
with difficulties, but with Him with whom all things are possible.
Faith is not occupied with circumstances, but with the God of
circumstances. Thus it was with Elijah as we shall see when we
contemplate the immediate sequel.
And what a test of Elijah's faith was now supplied by those doleful
words of the poor widow. Consider the situation which now confronted
his eyes. A widow and her son starving: a few sticks, a handful of
meal, and a little oil between them and death. Nevertheless God had
said to him, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee."
How many would exclaim, How deeply mysterious, what a trying
experience for the prophet! Why, he needed to help her rather than
become a burden upon her. Ah, but like Abraham before him, "He
staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong
in faith." He knew that the Possessor of heaven and earth had decreed
she should sustain him, and even though there had been no meal or oil
at all, that had in no wise dampened his spirits or deterred him. O my
reader, if you know anything experimentally of the goodness, the power
and faithfulness of God, let your confidence in Him remain unshaken,
no matter what appearances may be.
"He who hath helped three hitherto,
Will help thee all thy journey through;
And give thee daily cause to raise
New Ebenezers to His praise."
"Behold, I am gathering two sticks that I may go in and dress it for
me and my son, that we may eat it, and die." Let it be duly noted that
this woman did not fail to discharge her responsibility. Up to the
very end she was industrious, making used of the means to hand.
Instead of giving way to utter despair, sitting down and wringing her
hands, she was busily occupied, gathering sticks for what she fully
believed would be her last meal. This is not an unimportant detail,
but one which we need to take to heart. Idleness is never justified,
least of all in an emergency: nay, the more desperate the situation
the greater the need for us to bestir ourselves. To give way to
dejection never accomplishes any good. Discharge your responsibility
to the very end, even though it be in preparing for your final meal.
Richly was the widow repaid for her industry. It was while she was in
the path of duty (household duty!), that God, through His servant, met
with and blessed her.
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The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 8
The Lord Will Provide
_________________________________________________________________
In that which is now to be before us we are to behold how the prophet
conducted himself in quite different surroundings and circumstances
from those which have previously engaged our attention. Hitherto we
have seen something of how he acquitted himself in public: his courage
and spiritual dignity before Ahab; and also how he acted in private:
his life in secret before God by the brook--obedient unto the word of
the Lord, patiently waiting His next marching orders. But here the
Spirit grants us a view of how Elijah conducted himself in the home of
the widow at Zarephath, revealing as it does most blessedly the
sufficiency of Divine grace for God's servants and people in every
situation in which they may find themselves. Alas, how often the
servant of God who is uncompromising in public and faithful in his
secret devotions, fails lamentably in the domestic sphere, the family
circle. This should not be; nor was it so with Elijah.
That to which we have just alluded calls perhaps for a few remarks,
which we offer not by way of extenuation but of explanation. Why is it
that the servant of God is often seen to far less advantage in the
home than he is in the pulpit or the closet? In the first place, as he
goes forth to discharge his public duties, he is keyed up to do battle
against the enemy; but he returns home with his nervous energy spent,
to relax and recuperate. Then it is that he is more easily upset and
irritated by comparative trifles. In the second place, in his public
ministry he is conscious that he is opposing the powers of evil, but
in the family circle he is surrounded by those who love him, and is
more off his guard, failing to realize that Satan may use his friends
to gain an advantage over him. Third, conscious faithfulness in public
may have stimulated his pride, and a thorn in the flesh--the painful
realization of sad failure in the home--may be necessary to humble
him. Yet there is no more justification for God-dishonoring conduct in
the domestic circle than in the pulpit.
In our last chapter we reached the point where Elijah--in response to
Jehovah's orders--had left his retirement at Cherith, had crossed the
desert and had duly arrived at the gates of Zarephath, where the Lord
had (secretly) commanded a widow woman to sustain him. He encountered
her at the entrance of the town, though in circumstances which
presented a most unpromising appearance to carnal sight. Instead of
this woman joyfully welcoming the prophet, she dolefully spoke of the
impending death of herself and her son. Instead of being amply
furnished to minister unto Elijah, she tells him that "a handful of
meal and a little oil in a cruse" was all she had left. What a testing
of faith! How unreasonable it seemed that the man of God should expect
sustenance upon her roof. No more unreasonable than that Noah should
be required to build an ark before there was any rain, still less any
signs of a flood; no more unreasonable than that Israel should be
required simply to walk round and round the walls of Jericho. The path
of obedience can only be trodden as faith is in exercise.
"And Elijah said, Fear not: go and do as thou hast said" (1 Kings
17:13). What a gracious word was this to quiet the poor widow's heart!
Be not afraid of the consequences, either to yourself or to your son,
in making use of the means to hand, scant though they be. "But make me
thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for
thee and for thy son (v. 13). What a severe testing was this! Was ever
a poor widow so sorely tried before or since? To make him a cake
"first" was surely in her extreme circumstances one of the hardest
commands ever given. Did it not appear to issue from the very essence
of selfishness? Did either the laws of God or of man require a
sacrifice like this? God has never bidden us do more than love our
neighbour as ourselves, nowhere has He bidden us to love him better.
But here "make me a cake first"!
"For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not
waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the
Lord sendeth rain upon the earth" (v. 14). Ah, that made all the
difference: that removed the sting from the request, showing there was
no selfishness inspiring the same. She was asked for a portion of that
little which she had remaining, but Elijah tells her she need not
hesitate to bestow it, for although the case seemed desperate God
would take care of her and of her son. Observe with what implicit
confidence the prophet spoke: there was no uncertainty, but positive
and unwavering assurance that their supply should not diminish. Ah,
Elijah had learned a valuable lesson at Cherith--learned it
experimentally: he had proved the faithfulness of Jehovah by the
brook, and therefore was he now qualified to quiet the fears and
comfort the heart of this poor widow--compare 2 Corinthians 1:3, 4,
which reveals the secret of all effective ministry.
Observe the particular title here accorded Deity. The woman had said,
"As the Lord thy God liveth" (v. 12), but this was not sufficient.
Elijah declared, "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel": this Gentile
must be made to realize the humbling truth that "salvation is of the
Jews" (John 4:22). "The Lord God of Israel": of whose wondrous works
you must have heard so much: the One who made a footstool of the
haughty Pharaoh, who brought His people through the Red Sea dry-shod,
who miraculously sustained them for forty years in the wilderness, and
who subdued the Canaanites for them. Such a One may surely be trusted
for our daily bread. The "Lord God of Israel" is He whose promise
never fails, for "the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for
He is not a man, that He should repent" or change His mind (1 Sam.
15:29). Such a One may be safely relied upon.
"For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not
waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the
Lord sendeth rain upon the earth" (v. 14). God gave her His word of
promise to rest upon: could she rely upon it? would she really trust
Him? Note how definite was the promise: it was not barely, God will
not suffer thee to starve, or will surely supply all your need; rather
was it as though the prophet had said, The meal in thy barrel shall
not diminish nor the oil in thy cruse dry up. And if our faith be a
Divinely-sustained one it will cause us to trust in God's promise, to
commit ourselves unreservedly to His care, and to do good unto our
fellow-creatures. But observe how faith must continue in exercise: no
new barrel of meal was promised or furnished: just an undiminished
"handful"--seemingly an inadequate quantity for the family, but quite
sufficient with God. "Until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon
the earth" evidenced the firm faith of the prophet himself.
"And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and
he, and her house, did eat many days" (v. 15). Who can forebear
exclaiming, O woman, great is thy faith! She might have advanced many
excuses to the prophet's request, especially as he was a stranger to
her, but great as the test was, her faith in the Lord was equal to it.
Her simple trust that God would take care of them overcame all the
objections of carnal reason. Does she not remind us of another Gentile
woman, the Syro-Phoenician, a descendant of the idolatrous Canaanites,
who long afterwards welcomed the appearance of Christ to the borders
of Tyre, and who sought His aid on behalf of her demon-distressed
daughter? With astonishing faith she overcame every obstacle, and
obtained a portion of the children's bread in the healing of her
daughter (Matthew 15). Would that such cases moved us to cry from our
hearts, "Lord, increase our faith," for none but He who bestows faith
can increase it.
"And she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. And the barrel of
meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the
word of the Lord which He spake by Elijah" (vv. 15, 16). She was no
loser by her generosity. Her little supply of meal and oil was but
sufficient for a single meal and then she and her son must die. But
her willingness to minister unto God's servant brought her sufficient,
not only for many days, but until the famine ended. She gave Elijah of
the best she had, and for her kindness to him God kept her household
supplied throughout the famine. How true it is that "He that receiveth
a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward"
(Matthew 10:41). But all of God's people are not granted the privilege
of succouring a prophet, yet they may succour God's poor. It is not
written, "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and
that which he hath given will He pay again" (Prov. 19:17)? And again,
"Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in
time of trouble" (Ps. 41:1). God will be no man's debtor.
"And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and
he, and her house, did eat many days. And the barrel of meal wasted
not, neither did the cruse of oil fail." Here again we have
exemplified the fact that the receiving of God's blessing and
obtaining of food (in figure, spiritual food) is the result of
obedience. This woman complied with the request of God's servant and
great was her reward. Are you, my reader, fearful of the future?
Afraid that when strength fails and old age comes you may be left
without the necessities of life? Then suffer us to remind you that
there is no need whatever for such fears. "seek ye first the kingdom
of God, and His righteousness; and all these things (temporal
necessities) shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33). "O fear the
Lord, ye His saints: for there is no want to them that fear Him" (Ps.
34:9). "No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly"
(Ps. 84:11). But note well that each of these promises is conditional
: your business is to give God the first place in your life, to fear,
obey and honour Him in all things, and in return He guarantees your
bread and water shall be sure.
Is there a reader inclined to reply, "such wholesome counsel if easier
to receive than to act on. It is simpler to be reminded of God's
promises than to rely upon the same"? Someone else may be disposed to
say," Ah, you know not how distressing are my circumstances, how dark
the outlook, how sorely Satan is injecting doubts into my mind." True,
yet however desperate your case may be, we would earnestly beg you to
think upon the widow of Zarephath: it is most unlikely that your
situation is as extreme as hers, yet she perished not of starvation.
He who puts God first will always find Him with him at the last.
Things which seem to be acting against us, work together for our good
in His wondrous hands. Whatever be your need, dear friend, forget not
Elijah's God. "And she, and he, and her house, did eat many days."
Here we see Elijah dwelling safely in the humble abode of this poor
widow. Though the fare was frugal, yet it was sufficient to preserve
life in the body. There is no hint that God provided any variation of
diet during those "many days," nor any intimation that the prophet
became dissatisfied with being required to eat the same kind of food
over so long a period. This is where we obtain our first glimpse of
how he conducted himself within the family circle. Blessedly did he
exemplify that Divine precept, "Having food and raiment let us be
therewith content" (1 Tim. 6:8). And from whence does such contentment
proceed? From a submissive and peaceful heart which rests in God:
subjection to His sovereign pleasure, satisfaction with the portion He
is pleased to allot us, seeing His hand both in providing and in
withholding.
"And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil
fail." Certainly the widow had no cause to complain of the severe
testing to which her faith had been put. God, who sent His prophet to
board with her, paid well for his table--by providing her family with
food while her neighbours were starving, and by granting her the
company and instruction of His servant. Who can tell what blessing
came to her soul under the edifying conversation of Elijah and from
the efficacy of his prayers? She was of a humane and generous
disposition, ready to relieve the misery of others and minister to the
needs of God's servants; and her liberality was returned to her a
hundredfold. Unto the merciful God shows mercy. "For God is not
unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have
shewed toward His name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and
do minister" (Heb. 6:10).
"And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil
fail." Let us now endeavour to look higher, lest we miss the lovely
type which is to be found here. The "meal" is certainly a
Divinely-selected figure of Christ, the "corn of wheat" hat died (John
12:24), being ground between the upper and nether millstones of Divine
judgment that He might be unto us the "Bread of life." This is clear
from the first few chapters of Leviticus, where we have the five great
offerings appointed for Israel, which set forth the person and work of
the Redeemer; the Meal offering of "fine flour" (Lev. 2), portraying
the perfections of His humanity. It is equally clear that the "oil" is
an emblem of the Holy Spirit in His anointing, enlightening and
sustaining operations. It is a most blessed line of study to trace
through the Scriptures the typical references to the "oil".
As the little family of Zarephath was not sustained by meal or oil
alone, but the two in conjunction, so the believer is not sustained
spiritually without both Christ and the Holy Spirit. We could not feed
upon Christ, yea, we would never feel our need of so doing, were it
not for the gracious influence of the Spirit of God. The one is as
indispensable to us as the other: Christ for us, the Spirit in us; the
One maintaining our cause on high, the Other ministering to us down
here. The Spirit is here to "testify" of Christ (John 15:26), yea to
"glorify" Him (John 16:14), and therefore did the Saviour add, "He
shall receive of Mine, and shall shew it unto you." Is not this why
the "meal"(three times over) is mentioned first in the type? Nor is
this the only passage where we see the two types combined: again and
again in the beautiful prefigurations of the Old Testament we read of
the "oil" being placed upon the blood (Ex. 29:21; Lev. 14:14, etc).
"And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil
fail." There was a steady increase and supply of both according to the
mighty power of God working a continuous miracle: is there not a close
parallel between this and the Saviour's supernatural increasing of the
five barley loaves and the two small fishes, while the disciples were
distributing and the multitude eating (Matthew 14:19, 20)? but again
we would look from the type to the Antitype. The meal continued
undiminished, the supply unabated, and the meal pointed to Christ as
the nourisher of our souls. The provision which God has made for His
people in the Lord Jesus remains the same throughout the centuries: we
may come to Him again and again, and though we receive from Him "grace
for grace" yet His "fulness" (John 1:16), continues the same
"yesterday, and today, and for ever." "Neither did the cruse of oil
fail" foreshadowed the grand truth that the Holy Spirit is with us to
the very end of our pilgrimage (Eph. 4:30).
But let us point out again that God did not give a new barrel of meal
and cruse of oil unto this family at Zarephath, nor did He fill to the
brim the old one. There is another important lesson for us in this.
God gave them sufficient for their daily use, but not a whole year's
supply in advance or even a week's provision all at once. In like
manner, there is no such thing as our laying up for ourselves a stock
of grace for future use. We have to go constantly to Christ for fresh
supplies of grace. The Israelites were expressly forbidden to hoard up
the manna: they had to go out and gather it anew each morning. We
cannot procure sufficient sustenance for our souls on the Sabbath to
last us throughout the week, but must feed on God's Word each morning.
So too, though we have been regenerated by the Spirit once and for
all, yet He renews us in the inner man "day by day" (2 Cor. 4:16).
"According to the word of the Lord, which He spake by Elijah (v. 16).
This was illustrative and demonstrative of a vital principle: no word
of His shall fall to the ground, but all things "which God hath spoken
by the mouth of all His Holy prophets since the world began" (Acts
3:21), shall surely be accomplished. This is both solemn and blessed.
Solemn, because the treatenings of Holy Writ are not idle ones, but
the faithful warnings of Him that cannot lie. Just as surely as
Elijah's declaration, "There shall not be dew nor rain these years,
but according to my word" (v. 1), was fulfilled to the letter, so will
the Most High make good every judgment He has denounced against the
wicked. Blessed, because as truly as the widow's meal and oil failed
not according to His word through Elijah, so shall every promise made
to His saints yet receive its perfect accomplishment. The
unimpeachable veracity, unchanging faithfulness and almighty power of
God to make good His Word, is the impregnable foundation on which
faith may securely rest.
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The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 9
A Dark Providence
_________________________________________________________________
"Change and decay in all around I see." We live in a mutable world
where nothing is stable, and where life is full of strange
vicissitudes. We cannot, and we should not, expect things to go on
smoothly for us for any length of time while we are sojourning in this
land of sin and mortality. It would be contrary to the present
constitution of our lot as fallen creatures, for "man is born unto
trouble as the sparks fly upward"; neither would it be for our good if
we were altogether exempted from affliction. Though we be the children
of God, the objects of His special favour, yet this does not free us
from the ordinary calamities of life. Sickness and death may enter our
dwellings at any time: they may attack us personally or those who are
nearest and dearest to us, and we are obliged to bow to the sovereign
dispensations of Him who ruleth over all. These are commonplace
remarks, we know, nevertheless they contain a truth of
which--unpalatable though it be--we need constant reminding.
Though we are quite familiar with the fact mentioned above, and see it
illustrated daily on every side, yet we are reluctant and slow to
acknowledge its application to ourselves. Such is human nature: we
wish to ignore the unpleasant, and persuade ourselves that if our
present lot be a happy one it will remain so for some time to come.
But no matter how healthy we be, how vigorous our constitution, how
well provided for financially, we must not think that our mountain is
so strong it cannot be moved (Ps. 30:6, 7). Rather must we train
ourselves to hold temporal mercies with a light hand, and use the
relations and comforts of this life as though we had them not, I Cor.
7.30, remembering that "the fashion of this world passeth away." Our
rest is not here, and if we build our nest in any earthly tree it
should be with the realization that sooner or later the whole forest
will be cut down.
Like many a one both before and since, the widow of Zarephath might
have been tempted to think that all her troubles were now over. She
might reasonably expect a blessing from entertaining the servant of
God in her home, and a real and liberal blessing she received. In
consequence of sheltering him, she and her son were supplied by a
Divine miracle in a time of famine for "many days"; and from this she
might draw the conclusion that she had nothing further to fear. Yet
the next thing recorded in our narrative is, "And it came to pass
after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the
house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no
breath left in him" (1 Kings 17:17). The language in which this
pathetic incident is couched seems to denote that her son was stricken
suddenly, and so sorely that he expired quickly, before there was
opportunity for Elijah to pray for his recovery.
How deeply mysterious are the ways of God! The strangeness of the
incident now before us is the more evident if we link it with the
verse immediately preceding: "The barrel of meal wasted not, neither
did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord which He
spake by Elijah. And it came to pass after these things that the son
of the woman . . . fell sick," etc. Both she and her son had been
miraculously fed for a considerable interval of time, and now he is
drastically cut off from the land of the living, reminding us of those
words of Christ concerning the sequel to an earlier miracle: "Your
fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and are dead" (John 6:49).
Even though the smile of the Lord be upon us and He is showing Himself
strong on our behalf, this does not grant us an immunity from the
afflictions to which flesh and blood is the heir. As long as we are
left in this vale of tears we must seek grace to "rejoice with
trembling" (Ps. 2:11).
On the other hand, this widow had most certainly erred if she
concluded from the snatching away of her son that she had forfeited
the favour of God and that this dark dispensation was a sure mark of
His wrath. Is it not written, "For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth,
and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth" (Heb. 12:6)? Even when we
have the clearest manifestations of God's good will--as this woman had
in the presence of Elijah under her roof and the daily miracle of
sustenance--we must be prepared for the frowns of Providence. We ought
not to be staggered if we meet with sharp afflictions while we are
treading the path of duty. Did not Joseph do so again and again? Did
not Daniel? Above all, did not the Redeemer Himself? --so too with His
apostles. "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial
which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you"
(1 Pet. 4:12).
Let it be duly noted that this poor soul had received particular marks
of God's favour before she was cast into the furnace of affliction. It
often happens that God exercises His people with the heaviest trials
when they have been the recipients of His richest blessing. Yet here
the anointed eye may discern His tender mercies. Does that remark
surprise you, dear reader? Do you ask, How so? Why, the Lord, in His
infinite grace, often prepares His children for suffering by
previously granting them great spiritual enjoyments: giving them
unmistakable tokens of His kindness, filling their hearts with His
love, and diffusing an indescribable peace over their minds. Having
tasted experimentally of the Lord's goodness, they are better fitted
to meet adversity. Moreover, patience, hope, meekness and the other
spiritual graces, can only be developed in the fire: the faith of this
widow then, must needs be tried yet more severely.
The loss of her child was a heavy affliction for this poor woman. It
would be so to any mother, but it was more especially severe on her,
because she had previously been reduced to widowhood, and there would
now be none left to support and comfort her declining years. In him
all her affections were centered, and with his death all her hopes
were destroyed: her coal was now indeed quenched (2 Sam. 14:7), for
none remained to preserve the name of her husband on the earth.
Nevertheless, as in the case of Lazarus and his sisters, this heavy
blow was "for the glory of God" (John 11:4), and was to afford her a
still more distinguishing mark of the Lord's favour. Thus it was, too,
with Joseph and Daniel to whom we have alluded above: Severe and
painful were their trails, yet subsequently God conferred yet greater
honour upon them. O for faith to lay hold of the "afterward" of
Hebrews 12:11!
"And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of
God? Art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay
my son?" (v. 18). Alas, what poor, failing sinful creatures we are!
How wretchedly we requite God for His abundant mercies! When His
chastening hand is laid upon us, how often we rebel instead of meekly
submitting thereto. Instead of humbling ourselves beneath God's mighty
hand and begging Him to show wherefore He is contending with us (Job
10:2), we are far readier to blame some other person as being the
cause of our trouble. Thus it was with this woman. Instead of
entreating Elijah to pray with and for her--that God would enable her
to understand wherein she had "erred" (Job 6:24), that He would be
pleased to sanctify this affliction unto the good of her soul, and
enable her to glorify Him "in the fires" (Isa. 24:15)--she reproached
him. How sadly we fail to use our privileges.
"And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of
God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay
my son?" This is in striking contrast with the calmness she had
displayed when Elijah first encountered her. The swift calamity which
had befallen her had come as a sore surprise, and in such
circumstances, when trouble overtakes us unexpectedly, it is hard to
keep our spirits composed. Under sudden and severe trails much grace
is needed if we are to be preserved from impatience, petulant
outbursts, and to exercise unshaken confidence in and complete
submission to God. Not all of the saints are enabled to say with Job,
"shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive
evil? . . . the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be
the name of the Lord" (Job 2:10; 1:21). But so far from such failure
excusing us, we must judge ourselves unsparingly and contritely
confess such sins unto God.
The poor widow was deeply distressed over her loss, and her language
to Elijah is a strange mixture of faith and unbelief, pride and
humility. It was the inconsistent outburst of an agitated mind as the
disconnected and jerky nature of it intimates. First, she asks him,
"What have I to do with thee?"--what have I done to displease thee?
wherein have I injured thee? She wished that she had never set eyes on
him if he was responsible for the death of her child. Yet second, she
owns him as "thou man of God"--and who was separated unto the Divine
service. She must have known by this time that the terrible drought
had come upon Israel in answer to the prophet's prayers, and she
probably concluded her own affliction had come in a similar way.
Third, she humbled herself, asking, "Art thou comes to me to call my
sin to remembrance?--possibly a reference to her former worship of
Baal.
It is often God's way to employ afflictions in bringing former sins to
our remembrance. In the ordinary routine of life it is so easy to go
on from day to day without any deep exercise of conscience before the
Lord, especially so when we are in the enjoyment of a replenished
barrel. It is only as we are really walking closely with Him, or when
we are smitten with some special chastisement of His hand that our
conscience is sensitive before him. But when death entered her family
the question of sin came up, for death is the wages of sin (Rom.
6:23). It is always the safest attitude for us to assume when we
regard our losses as the voice of God speaking to our sinful hearts,
and diligently to examine ourselves, repent of our iniquities, and
duly confess them unto the Lord, that we may obtain His forgiveness
and cleansing (1 John 1:9).
It is at this very point that the difference between an unbeliever and
a believer so often appears. When the former is visited with some sore
trouble or loss, the pride and self-righteousness of his heart is
quickly manifested by his, "I know not what I have done to deserve
this: I always sought to do what is right; I am no worse than my
neighbors who are spared such sorrow--why should I be made the subject
of such a calamity?" But how different is it with a person truly
humbled. He is distrustful of himself, aware of his many shortcomings,
and ready to fear that he has displeased the Lord. Such a one will
diligently consider his ways (Hag. 1:5), reviewing his former manner
of life and carefully scrutinizing his present behavior, so as to
discover what has been or still is amiss, that it may be set right.
Only thus can the fears of our minds be relieved and the peace of God
confirmed in our souls.
It is this calling to mind our manifold sins and judging ourselves for
them which will make us meek and submissive, patient and resigned. It
was thus with Aaron who, when the judgment of God fell so heavily upon
his family, "held his peace" (Lev. 10:3). It was thus with poor old
Eli who had failed to admonish and discipline his sons, for when they
were summarily slain, he exclaimed, "it is the Lord: let Him do what
seemeth Him good" (1 Sam. 3:18). The loss of a child may sometimes
remind parents of sins committed with respect to it long previously.
So it was with David when he lost his child by the hand of God smiting
it for his wickedness (2 Sam. 12). No matter how heavy the loss, how
deep his grief, when in his right mind the language of the saint will
ever be, "I know, O Lord, that Thy judgments are right, and that Thou
in faithfulness hast afflicted me" (Ps. 119:75).
Though the widow and her son had been kept alive for many days,
miraculously sustained by the power of God, whilst the rest of the
people had suffered, yet she was less impressed by the Divine
beneficence than by His taking away her child: "What have I to do with
thee, O thou man of God? Art thou come unto me to call my sin to
remembrance, and to slay my son?" While she seems to acknowledge God
in the death of her son, she cannot shake off the thought that the
prophet's presence was responsible for it. She attributes her loss to
Elijah: as though he had been commissioned to go to her for the
purpose of inflicting punishment upon her for her sin. As he had been
sent to Ahab to denounce the drought upon Israel for their sin, so now
she was afraid of his presence, alarmed at the very sight of him.
Alas, how ready we are to mistake the grounds of our afflictions and
ascribe them to false causes.
"And he said unto her, Give my thy son" (v. 19). In the opening
paragraph of our last chapter we pointed out how the second half of 1
Kings 17 presents to us a picture of the domestic life of Elijah, his
deportment in the widow's home at Zarephath. First, he evidenced his
contentment with the humble fare, expressing no dissatisfaction with
the unvarying menu day after day. And here we behold how he conducted
himself under great provocation. The petulant outburst of this
agitated woman was a cruel a one to make unto the very man who had
brought deliverance to her house. Her "Art thou come to call my sin to
remembrance, and to slay my son?" was uncalled for and unjust, and
might well have prompted a bitter reply. It had undoubtedly done so
had not the subduing grace of God been working with him, for Elijah
was naturally of a warm temper.
The wrong construction which the widow placed upon Elijah's presence
in her home was enough to shake any person. Blessed is it to observe
there was no angry reply made to her inconsiderate judgment, but
instead a "soft answer" to turn away her wrath. If one speaks to us
unadvisedly with his lips that is no reason why we should descend to
his level. The prophet took no notice of her passionate inquiry and
thereby evidenced that he was a follower of Him who is "meek and lowly
in heart," of whom we read "Who, when He was reviled, reviled not
again" (1 Pet. 2:23). "Elijah saw that she was in extreme distress and
that she spoke as one in great anguish of spirit; and therefore,
taking no notice of her words, he calmly said to her "Give me thy
son"; leading her at the same time to expect the restoration of her
child through his intercession" (J. Simpson).
It may be thought that the last words cited above are entirely
speculative: personally we believe that they are fully warranted by
Scripture. In Hebrews 11:35 we read, "Women received their dead raised
to life again." It will be remembered that this statement is found in
the great faith chapter, where the Spirit has set forth some of the
wondrous achievements and exploits of those who trust the living God.
One individual case after another is mentioned, and then there is a
grouping together and generalizing: "who through faith subdued
kingdoms . . . women received their dead raised to life again." There
can be no room for doubt that the reference here is to the case now
before us and the companion one in that of the Shunammite (2 Kings
4:17-37). Here, then, is where the New Testament again throws its
light upon the earlier Scriptures, enabling us to obtain a more
complete conception of that which we are now considering.
The widow of Zarephath, though a Gentile, was a daughter of Sarah, to
whom had been committed the faith of God's elect. Such a faith is a
supernatural one, its author and object being supernatural. When this
faith was first born within her we are not told--very likely while
Elijah was sojourning in her home, for "faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17). The supernatural character
of her faith was evidenced by its supernatural fruits, for it was in
response to her faith (as well as to Elijah's intercession) that her
child was restored to her. What is the more remarkable is that, so far
as the Word informs us, there has been no previous case of the dead
being brought back again to life. Nevertheless, He who had caused a
handful of meal to waste not and a little oil in a cruse to fail not
while it sustained three people for "many days," surely He also could
quicken the dead. Thus does faith reason: nothing is impossible to the
Almighty.
It may be objected that there is no hint in the historical narrative
of the widow's faith as to the restoring of her son to life, but
rather a hint to the contrary. True, yet this in no wise makes against
what has been pointed out above. Nothing is said in Genesis about
Sarah's faith to conceive seed, but instead her skepticism is
mentioned. What is there in Exodus to suggest that the parents of
Moses were exercising faith in God when they placed their son in the
ark of bulrushes?--yet see Hebrews 11:23. One would be hard put to it
to find anything in the book of Judges which suggests that Samson was
a man of faith, yet it is clear from Hebrews 11:32 that he was. But if
nothing is said in the Old Testament of her faith, we may also note
that the unkind words of the widow to Elijah are not recorded in the
New Testament--any more than the unbelief of Sarah or the impatience
of Job--because they are blotted out by the blood of the Lamb.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 10
"Women received Their Dead Raised To Life Again"
_________________________________________________________________
We are now to consider one of the most remarkable incidents recorded
in the Old Testament, namely, the restoring to life of the widow's son
at Zarephath. It is an incident staggering to unbelief, yet he who has
any experimental acquaintance with the Lord finds no difficulty
therein. When Paul was making his defense before Agrippa the apostle
asked him, "Why should it be thought a thing incredible (not simply
that a deceased person should be restored to life, but) that God
should raise the dead?" Acts 26.8. Ah, there is where the believer
throws all the emphasis: upon the absolute sufficiency of the One with
whom he has to do. Bring into the scene the living God, and no matter
how drastic and desperate be the situation, all difficulties at once
disappear, for nothing is impossible to Him. He who first implanted
life, He who now holdeth our souls in life (Ps. 66.9), can re-vivify
the dead.
The modern infidel (like the Sadducees of old) may scoff at the
Divinely-revealed truth of resurrection, but not so the Christian. And
why? Because he has experienced in his own soul the quickening power
of God: he has been brought from death unto life spiritually. Even
though Satan should inject vile doubts into his mind, and for a while
shake his confidence in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, yet he
will soon recover his pose; he knows the blessedness of the grand
verity, and when grace has again delivered him from the power of
darkness, he will joyfully exclaim with the apostle "Christ liveth in
me." Moreover, when he was born again, a supernatural principle was
planted within his heart--the principle of faith--and that principle
causes him to receive the Holy Scriptures with full assurance that
they are indeed the Word of Him that cannot lie, and therefore does he
believe all that the prophets have spoken.
Here is the reason why what which staggers and stumbles the wise of
this world is plain and simple to the Christian. The preservation of
Noah and his family in the ark, Israel's passing through the Red Sea
dry-shod, the survival of Jonah in the whale's belly, present no
difficulty to him at all. He knows that the Word of God is inerrant,
for the truth thereof has been verified in his own experience. Having
proved for himself that the Gospel of Christ is "the power of God unto
salvation," he has no reason to doubt anything recorded in Holy Writ
concerning the prodigies of His might in the material realm. The
believer is fully assured that nothing is too hard for the Maker of
heaven and earth. It is not that he is an intellectual simpleton,
credulously accepting what is altogether contrary to reason, but that,
in the Christian, reason is restored to its normal functioning:
predicate a God who is almighty, and the supernatural working of His
hand necessarily follows.
The entire subject of miracles is hereby reduced to its simplest
factor. A great deal of learned jargon has been written on this theme:
the laws of nature, their suspension, God's acting contrary thereto,
and the precise nature of a miracle. Personally we would define a
miracle as something which none but God Himself can perform. In so
doing we are not under-estimating the powers possessed by Satan, or
overlooking such passages as Revelation 16:14 and 19:20. It is
sufficient for the writer that Holy Writ affirms the Lord to be "He
who alone doeth great wonders" (Ps. 136:4). As for the "great signs
and wonders" shown by false christs and false prophets, their nature
and design is to "deceive" (Matthew 24:24), for they are "lying
wonders" (2 Thess. 2:9), just as their predictions are false ones.
Here we rest: God alone doeth great wonders, and being God this is
just what faith expects from Him.
In our last chapter we were occupied with the sore affliction which
came upon the Zarephath widow in the sudden death of her son, and the
immediate effect which it had upon her. Stirred to the depths, she
turned to Elijah and accused him of being the occasion of her heavy
loss. The prophet made no harsh reply to the unkind and unjust charge,
but instead, quietly said, "Give me thy son." Observe that he did not
autocratically lay hands upon the corpse, but courteously requested
that the body should be turned over to him. We believe that Elijah's
design therein was to still her passion and cause her "against hope to
believe in hope" (Rom. 4:18), as long before Abraham had done, when he
"believed God who quickeneth the dead," for it was (in part) in
response to her faith that she "received her dead restored to life
again" (Heb. 11:35).
"And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft,
where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed" (1 Kings 17:19). This
was evidently an upper room reserved for the prophet's personal use,
as Elisha had his in another place 2 Kings 4:10. Thither he now
retired for privacy, as Peter to the house-top and Christ into the
garden. The prophet himself must have been quite oppressed and
disconcerted by the sad event which had overtaken his hostess. Stern
as Elijah might be in the discharge of duty, yet he possessed a tender
spirit underneath (as such stern men usually do), full of benignity
and sensitive to the misery of others. It is quite evident from the
sequel, Elijah grieved that one who had been so kind to him should be
so heavily afflicted since he had come to her hospitable abode, and it
would add to his distress that she should think he was responsible for
her loss.
It must not be lost sight of that this dark dispensation occasioned a
real testing of Elijah's faith. Jehovah is the God of the widow and
the rewarder of those who befriend his people, especially of those who
show kindness to His servants. Why, then should such evil now come
upon the one who was affording him shelter? Had he not come by the
Lord's own appointment as a messenger of mercy to her house? True, he
had proved himself to be such; but this was forgotten by her under the
stress for the present trail, for he is now regarded as the emissary
of wrath, an avenger of her sin, the slayer of her only child. Worst
of all, would he not feel that the honour of his Master was also
involved? that the name of the Lord would be scandalized! Might the
widow not ask, Is this how God repays those who befriend His servants?
Blessed is it to observe how Elijah reacted to this trail. When the
widow asked if the death of her son was due to his presence, he
indulged in no carnal speculations, making no attempt to solve the
deep mystery which now confronted himself as well as her. Instead he
retires to his chamber that he may get alone with God and spread his
perplexity before Him. This is ever the course we should follow, for
not only is the Lord "a very present help in trouble," but His Word
requires that we should seek Him first (Matthew 6:33). "My soul, wait
thou only upon God," applies with double force in times of perplexity
and distress. Vain is the help of man; worthless are carnal
conjectures. In the hour of His acutest trial the Saviour Himself
withdrew from His own disciples and poured out His heart unto the
Father in secret. The widow was not allowed to witness the deepest
exercises of the prophet's soul before his Master.
"And he cried unto the Lord" (v. 20). As yet Elijah apprehended not
the meaning of this mystery, but he well understood what to do in his
difficulty. He betook himself unto his God and spread his complaint
before Him. He sought relief with great earnestness and importunity,
humbly reasoning with Him regarding the death of the child. But note
well his reverent language: he did not ask, Why hast Thou inflicted
this dismal dispensation upon us? But instead, "O Lord my God, hast
Thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying
her son?" (v. 20). The why of it was none of his business. It is not
for us to call into question the ways of the Most High nor to inquire
curiously into His secret counsels. Sufficient for us to know that the
Lord makes no mistakes, that He has a good and sufficient reason for
all He does, and therefore should we meekly submit to His sovereign
pleasure. Man's "Why doth He?" and "Why hast Thou?" is designated a
"replying against God" (Rom. 9:19, 20).
In Elijah's address unto God we may note, first, how that he fell back
upon the special relation which He sustained to him: "O Lord, my God,"
he cried. This was a pleading of his personal interest in God, for
these words are always expressive of covenant relationship. To be able
to say "O Lord, my God" is worth more than gold or rubies. Second, he
traced the calamity back to its original source: "Hast Thou also
brought evil upon the widow?" (v. 20)--he saw death striking by Divine
commission: "shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done
it?" (Amos 3:6). What a comfort when we are enabled to realize that no
evil can befall God's children but such as He brings upon them. Third,
he pleaded the severity of the affliction: this evil has come upon,
not simply the woman nor even the mother, but "the widow"--whom Thou
dost specially succour. Moreover, she it is "with whom I sojourn": my
kind benefactor.
"And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto
the Lord" (v. 21). Was this proof of the prophet's humility? How
remarkable that so great a man should spend so much time and thought
on that slender form, and bring himself into immediate contact with
that which ceremonially defiled! Was this act indicative of his own
affection for the child, and to show how deeply he was stirred by his
death? Was it a token of the fervency of his appeal unto God, as
though he would, if he could, put life into his body from the life and
warmth of his own? Does not his doing this three times over so
intimate? Was it a sign of what God would do by His power and
accomplish by His grace in the brining of sinners from death unto
life, the Holy Spirit overshadowing them and imparting His own life to
them? If so, is there not more than a hint here that those whom He
employs as instruments in conversion must themselves become as little
children, bringing themselves to the level of those to whom they
minister, and not standing on a pedestal as though they were superior
beings.
"Cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, I pray Thee, let this
child's soul come into him again" (v. 21). What a proof is this that
Elijah was accustomed to expect wondrous blessings from God in
response to his supplications, accounting that nothing was too hard
for Him to do, nothing too great for Him to bestow in answer to
prayer. Undoubtedly this petition was prompted by the Holy Spirit, yet
it was a marvelous effect of the prophet's faith to anticipate the
restoration of the child to life, for there is no record in Scripture
that anyone had been raised from the dead before this time. And
remember, Christian reader, that this is recorded for our instruction
and encouragement: the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man
availeth much. At the throne of grace we approach unto a great King,
so let us bring large petitions with us. The more faith counts upon
the infinite power and sufficiency of the Lord, the more is He
honored.
"And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child
came into him again, and he revived" (v. 22). What a proof was this
that "the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are
open unto their prayer" (1 Pet. 3:12). What a demonstration of the
potency and efficacy of prayer! Ours is a prayer-hearing and a
prayer-answering God: to Him therefore let us have recourse whatever
be our distress. Hopeless as our case may be to all human help, yet
nothing is too hard for the Lord. He is able to do far more exceeding
abundantly above all that we ask or think. But let us "ask in faith,
nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea
driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he
shall receive anything of the Lord" (Jas. 1:6, 7). "This is the
confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to
his will, He heareth us" (1 John 5:14). Surely we have need, all of
us, to cry more earnestly, "Lord, teach us to pray." Unless this be
one of the effects produced by pondering the incident now before us,
our study of the same has availed us little.
It is now sufficient for us to cry, "Lord, teach us to pray!",
however, we must also carefully ponder those portions of His Word
which chronicle cases of prevailing intercession, that we may learn
the secrets of successful prayer. In this instance we may note the
following points. First, Elijah's retiring to his own private chamber,
that he might be alone with God. Second, his fervency: he "cried unto
the Lord"--no mere lip-service was this. Third, his reliance upon his
own personal interest in the Lord, avowing his reliance upon his own
personal interest in the Lord, avowing his covenant relationship: "O
Lord, my God." Fourth, his encouraging himself in God's attributes:
here, the Divine sovereignty and supremacy--"hast Thou also brought
evil upon the widow." Fifth, his earnestness and importunity:
evidenced by his "stretching himself upon the child" no less than
three times. Sixth, his appeal to God's tender mercy: "the widow with
whom I sojourn." Finally, the definiteness of his petition: "Let this
child's soul come into him again."
"And the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived" (v.
22). These words are important for clearly establishing the definite
distinction which there is between the soul and the body, a
distinction as real as that which exists between the house and its
inhabitant. Scripture tells us that, in the day of his creation, the
Lord God first formed man's body out of "the dust of the ground," and,
second, that He "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life," and
only then did he become "a living soul" (Gen. 2:7). The language
employed on this occasion affords clear proof that the soul is
distinct from the body, that is does not die with the body, that it
exists in a separate state after the death of the body, and that none
but God can restore it to its original habitat (compare Luke 8:55).
Incidentally we may observe that this request of Elijah's and the
Lord's response make it quite clear that the child was actually dead.
Relatively speaking, though in a very real sense nevertheless, the age
of miracles has ceased, so that we cannot expect to have our dead
supernaturally restored to us in this life. Yet the Christian may and
ought to look forward with certain assurance to meeting again with
those beloved relatives and friends who departed hence in Christ.
Their spirits are not dead, not even sleeping as some erroneously
assert, but have returned to God who gave them (Eccl. 12:7), and are
now in a state that is "far better" (Phil. 1:23), which could not be
were they deprived of all conscious communion with their Beloved.
Being absent from the body they are "present with the Lord" (2 Cor.
5:8), and in His presence is "fulness of joy" (Ps. 16:11). As to their
bodies they await that great Day when they shall be fashioned like
unto Christ's glorious body.
"And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber
into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said,
See, thy son liveth" (v. 23). What joy must have filled the prophet's
heart as he witnessed the miraculous answer to his intercession! What
fervent ejaculations of praise must have issued from his lips unto God
for this additional manifestation of His goodness in delivering him
from his grief. But it was no time for delay: the sorrow and suspense
of the poor widow must now be allayed. Elijah therefore promptly took
the child downstairs and gave him to his mother. Who can imagine her
delight as she saw her child restored to life again? How the prophet's
procedure on this occasion reminds us of our Lord's action following
upon the miracle of restoring to life the only son of the widow of
Nain, for no sooner did he sit up and speak than we are told that the
Saviour "delivered him to his mother" (Luke 7:15).
"And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man
of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth" (v. 24).
Very blessed is this. Instead of giving vent to her natural emotions
she appears to have been entirely absorbed with the power of God which
rested upon His servant, which now firmly established her conviction
of his Divine mission and assurance in the truth which he proclaimed.
Full demonstration had been given her that Elijah was indeed a prophet
of the Lord and that his witness was true. It must not be forgotten
that he had first presented himself to her as a "man of God" (note her
words in v. 18), and therefore it was essential he should establish
his claim to that character. And this was done by the restoration of
her child to life. Ah, my reader, we avow ourselves to be the children
of the living God, but how are we making good our profession? There is
only one conclusive way of so doing, and that is by walking in
"newness of life," evidencing that we are new creatures in Christ.
Now, let us observe how that which has been before us supplies yet
another feature of Elijah's domestic life. In considering how he
conducted himself in the widow's home, we noted first his contentment,
murmuring not at the humble fare which was placed before him. Second,
his gentleness, in refusing to reply to her unkind words with an angry
retort. And now we behold the blessed effect upon his hostess of the
miracle wrought in answer to his prayers. Her confession, "By this I
know thou art a man of God," was a personal testimony to the reality
and power of a holy life. O to live in the energy of the Holy Spirit
so that those who come into contact with us may perceive the power of
God working in and through us! Thus did the Lord overrule the widow's
grief unto her spiritual good, by establishing her faith in the
veracity of His word.
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The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 11
Facing Danger
_________________________________________________________________
To one filled with such zeal for the Lord and love for His people the
prolonged inactivity to which he was forced to submit must have proved
a severe trail to Elijah. So energetic and courageous a prophet would
naturally be anxious to take advantage of the present distress of his
countrymen: he would desire to awaken them to a sense of their
grievous sins and urge them to return unto the Lord. Instead--so
different are God's ways from ours--he was required to remain in
complete seclusion month after month and year after year.
Nevertheless, his Master had a wise and gracious design in this trying
discipline of His servant. Throughout his long stay by the brook
Cherith, Elijah proved the faithfulness and sufficiency of the Lord,
and he gained not a little from his protracted sojourn at Zarephath.
As the apostle reveals, both in 2 Corinthians 6:4 and 12:12, the first
mark of an approved servant of Christ is the grace of spiritual
"patience," and this is developed by the trials of faith, (Jas. 1:3).
The years spent by Elijah at Zarephath, were far from being wasted,
for during his stay in the widow's home he obtained confirmation of
his Divine call, by the remarkable seal which was there given to his
ministry. Thereby he approved himself to the conscience of his
hostess: "Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the
word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth," (17:24). It was highly
important that the prophet should have such a testimony to the Divine
source of his mission before entering upon the more difficult and
dangerous part of it which yet lay before him. His own heart was
blessedly confirmed and he was enabled to start afresh upon his public
career with the assurance that he was a servant of Jehovah and that
the Word of the Lord was indeed in his mouth. Such a seal to his
ministry (the quickening of the dead child) and the approving of
himself in the conscience of the mother was a grand encouragement for
him as he set out to face the great crisis and conflict at Carmel.
What a message is there here for any ardent ministers of Christ whom
Providence may fro a season have laid by from public service! They are
so desirous of doing good and promoting the glory of their Master in
the salvation of sinners and the building up of their Master in the
salvation of sinners and the building up of His saints, that they feel
their enforced inactivity to be a severe trial. But let them rest
assured that the Lord had some good reason for laying this restraint
upon them, and therefore they should earnestly seek grace that they
may not be fretful under it, nor take matters into their own hands in
seeking to force a way out of it. Ponder the case of Elijah! He
uttered no complaints nor did he venture out of the retirement into
which God had sent him. He waited patiently for the Lord to direct
him, to set him at liberty, and to enlarge his sphere of usefulness.
Meanwhile, by fervent intercession, he was made a great blessing unto
those in the home.
"And it came to pass after many days," (1 Kings 18:1). Let us attend
to this expression of the blessed Spirit's. It is not "after three
years" (as was indeed the case), but "after many days." There is here
an important lesson for our hearts if we will heed it: we should live
a day at a time, and count our lives by days. "Man that is born of a
woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a
flower, and is cut down," (Job. 14:1,2). Such was the view of life
taken by the aged Jacob: for when pharaoh asked the patriarch, "How
old are thou?" he answered "the days of the years of my pilgrimage are
a hundred and thirty years," (Gen. 47:9). Happy are they whose
constant prayer is "so teach us to number our days, that we may apply
our hearts unto wisdom," (Ps. 90:12). Yet how prone we are to count by
years. Let us endeavour to live each day as though we knew it was our
last.
"And it came to pass": that is, the predetermined counsel of Jehovah
was now actualized. The fulfillment of the Divine purpose can neither
be retarded nor forced by us. God will not be hurried either by our
petulance or our prayers. We have to wait His appointed hour, and when
it strikes, He acts--it "comes to pass" just as He had foreordained.
The precise length of time His servant is to remain in a certain place
was predestined by Him from all eternity. "It came to pass after many
days": that is, over a thousand since the drought had commenced, "that
the word of the Lord came to Elijah." God had not forgotten His
servant. The Lord never forgets any of His people, for has He not
said, "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands; thy
walls are continually before Me." Isa. 49.16? O that we might never
forget Him, but "set the Lord always before us," (Ps. 16.8)!
The word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go,
shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth," (1 Kings
18:1). So that we may better understand the tremendous test of the
prophet's courage which this command involved, let us seek to obtain
some idea of what must now have been that state of that wicked king's
mind. We commenced this study of the life of Elijah by pondering the
words, "And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead,
said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand,
there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my
word," (17:1). Now we are to consider the sequel to this. We have seen
how it fared with Elijah during the lengthy interval, we must now
ascertain how things were going with Ahab, his court, and his
subjects. Dreadful indeed must be the state of things on earth when
the heavens are shut up and no moisture is given for three years.
"There was a sore famine in Samaria," (18:2).
"And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of
water and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the
horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts," (v. 5). The
barest possible outline is here presented, but it is not difficult to
fill in the details. Israel had sinned grievously against the Lord,
and so they were made to feel the weight of the rod of His righteous
anger. What a humbling picture of God's favored people, to behold
their king going forth to seek grass, if perchance he could find a
little somewhere so that the lives of those beasts which remained
might be saved. What a contrast with the abundance and glory of
Solomon's days! but Jehovah had been grossly dishonored, His truth had
been rejected. The vile Jezebel had defiled the land by the
pestilential influence of her false prophets and priests. The altars
of Baal had supplanted that of the Lord, and therefore, as Israel had
sown the wind, they must now be made to reap the whirlwind.
And what effect had the severe judgment of Heaven produced upon Ahab
and his subjects? "And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land unto
all fountains of water and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find
grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the
beasts." There is not a single syllable here about God! not a word
about the awful sins which had called down His displeasure upon the
land! Fountains, brooks and grass were all that occupied Ahab's
thoughts--relief from the divine affliction was all he cared about. It
is ever thus with the reprobate. It was so with Pharaoh: as each fresh
plague descended upon Egypt he sent for Moses and begged him to pray
for its removal, and as soon as it was removed he hardened his heart
and continue to defy the most High. Unless God is pleased to sanctify
directly to our souls His chastisements, they profit us not. No matter
how severe His judgments or how long they be protracted, man is never
softened thereby unless God performs a work of grace within him. "And
they gnawed their tongues for pain, and blasphemed the God of heaven
because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their
deeds," (Rev. 16:10,11).
Nowhere is the awful depravity of human nature more grievously
displayed than at this very point. First, men look upon a prolonged
dry season as a freak of nature which must be endured, refusing to see
the hand of God in it. Later, if it be borne in upon them that they
are under a divine judgment, they assume a spirit of defiance, and
brazen things out. A later prophet in Israel complained of the people
in his day for manifesting this vile temper: "O Lord, are not Thine
eyes upon the truth? Thou hast stricken them, but they have not
grieved; Thou has consumed them, but they have refused to receive
correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock," (Jer.
5:3). From this we may see how utterly absurd and erroneous are the
teachings of Romanists on purgatory and of Universalists on hell. "The
imagined fire of purgatory or the real torments of Hell possess no
purifying effect, and the sinner under the anguish of his sufferings
will continually increase in wickedness and accumulate wrath to all
eternity" (Thomas Scott).
"And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of
water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the
horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts. So they
divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way
by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself," (vv. 5, 6). What
a picture do these words present! Not only had the Lord no place in
his thoughts, but Ahab says nothing about his people, who next to God
should have been his chief concern. His evil heart seemed incapable of
rising higher than horses and mules: such was what concerned him in
the day of Israel's dire calamity. What a contrast between the low
groveling selfishness of this wretch and the noble spirit of the man
after God's own heart. "And David spake unto the Lord when he saw the
angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have
done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let Thine hand, I
pray Thee, be against me, and against my father's house," (2 Sam.
24:17): that was the language of a regenerate king when his land was
trembling beneath God's chastening rod because of his sin.
As the drought continued and the distressing effects thereof became
more and more acute we can well imagine the bitter resentment and hot
indignation borne by Ahab and his vile consort against the one who had
pronounced the terrible interdict of no dew nor rain. So incensed was
Jezebel that she had "cut off (slain) the prophets of the Lord," (v.
4), and so infuriated was the king that he had sought diligently for
Elijah in all the surrounding nations, requiring an oath from their
rulers that they were not providing asylum for the man whom he
regarded as his worst enemy, and cause of all his trouble. and now the
Word of the Lord came to Elijah saying, "Go, show thyself unto Ahab!"
If much boldness had been required when he was called upon to announce
the awful drought, what intrepidation was needed for him now to face
the one who sought him with merciless rage.
It came to pass after many days that the word of the Lord came to
Elijah in the third year, saying go, show thyself to Ahab." The
movements of Elijah were all ordered of God: he was "not his own" but
the servant of another. When the Lord bade him "hide thyself," (17:3),
he must retire at His orders, and when He said "Go, show thyself" he
must comply with the divine will. Elijah's courage did not fail him,
for "the righteous are bold as a lion," (Prov. 28:1). He declined not
the present commission but went forth without murmur or delay. Humanly
speaking, it was highly dangerous for the prophet to return unto
Samaria, for he could not expect any welcome from the people who were
in such sore straits nor any mercy from the king. But with the same
unhesitating obedience as had previously characterized him, so now he
complied with his Master's orders. Like the Apostle Paul he counted
not his life dear unto himself, but was ready to be tortured and slain
if that was the Lord's will for him.
"And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him," (v. 7). A few
extremists ("separatists") have grossly traduced the character of
Obadiah, denouncing him as an unfaithful compromiser, as one who
sought to serve two masters. But the Holy Spirit has not state he did
wrong in remaining in Ahab's employ, nor intimated that his spiritual
life suffered in consequence: instead, He has expressly told us that
"Obadiah feared the Lord greatly," (v. 3), which is one of the highest
encomiums which could be paid him. God has often given His people
favour in the sight of heathen masters (as Joseph and Daniel), and has
magnified the sufficiency of His grace by preserving their souls in
the midst of the most unpromising environments. His saints are found
in very unlikely places--as in "Caesar's household," (Phil. 4:22).
There is nothing wrong in a child of God holding a position of
influence if he can do so without the sacrifice of principle. And
indeed, it may enable him to render valuable service to the cause of
God. Where would Luther and the Reformation have been, humanly
speaking, had it not been for the Elector of Saxony? And what would
have been the fate of our own Wycliffe if John of Gaunt had not
constituted him his ward? As the governor of Ahab's household Obadiah
was undoubtedly in a most difficult and dangerous position, yet so far
from bowing his knee to Baal he was instrumental in saving the lives
of many of God's servants. Though surrounded by so many temptations he
preserved his integrity. It is also to be carefully noted that when
Elijah met him he uttered no word of reproach unto Obadiah. Let us not
be too hasty in changing our situation, for the Devil can assail us in
one place just as easily as in another.
As Elijah was on his way to confront Ahab, he met the pious governor
of the king's household, "And as Obadiah was in the way, behold,
Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art
thou that my lord Elijah?"(v. 7). Obadiah recognized Elijah, yet he
could scarcely believe his eyes. It was remarkable that the prophet
had survived the merciless onslaught of Jezebel on the servants of
Jehovah: it was still more incredible to see him here, alone,
journeying into Samaria. Most diligent search had long been made for
him, but in vain, and now he comes unexpectedly upon him. who can
conceive the mixed feelings of awe and delight as Obadiah gazed upon
the man of God, by whose word the awful drought and sore famine had
almost completely desolated the land? Obadiah at once showed the
greatest respect for him and did obeisance to him. "As he had showed
the tenderness of a father to the sons of the prophets, so he showed
the reverence of a son to the father of the prophets, and by this made
it appear he did indeed fear the Lord greatly" (Matthew Henry).
"And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is
here," (v. 8). The prophet's courage did not fail him. He had received
orders from God to "show himself unto Ahab," and therefore he made no
attempt to conceal his identity when interrogated by the governor: let
us shrink not boldly to declare our Christian discipleship when
challenged by those who meet us. It is also to be duly notes that
Elijah honored Ahab, wicked though he was, by speaking of him to
Obadiah as "thy lord," It is the duty of inferior to show respect to
their superiors: of subjects concerning their sovereign, of servants
concerning their master. We must render to all, that to which their
office or station entitles them. It is no mark of spirituality to be
vulgar in our conduct or brusque in our speech. God commands us to
"Honour the king," (1 Pet. 2.17) --because of his office--even if he
be an Ahab or a Nero.
"And he answered him, I am: go tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.
And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy
servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me?" (vv. 8, 9). It was only
natural that Obadiah should wished to be excused from so perilous an
errand. First, he asks wherein he had offended either the Lord or His
prophet that he should be asked to be the messenger of such
distasteful tidings to the king--sure proof that his own conscience
was clear! Second, he lets Elijah know of the great pains which his
royal master had taken in endeavoring to track down the prophet and
discover his hiding place: "As the Lord thy God liveth, there is no
nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee," (v.
10.). Yet in spite of all their diligence they were not able to
discover him: so effectually did God secure him from their malice.
Utterly futile is it for man to attempt to hid when the Lord seeks him
out: equally useless is it for him to seek when God hides anything
from him.
"And now thou sayest, go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here," (v.
11.). Surely you are not serious in making such a request. Do you not
know the consequences will be fatal to me if I am unable to make good
such a declaration! "And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone
from thee, that the Spirit of the Lord shall carry thee whither I know
not ; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he
shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the Lord from my youth," (v.
12). He was afraid that Elijah would again mysteriously disappear, and
then his master would likely be enraged because he had not arrested
the prophet, and certainly he would be furious if he found himself
imposed upon by discovering no trace of him when he duly arrived at
this spot. Finally, he asks, "Was it not told my lord what I did when
Jezebel slew the prophets of the Lord, how I hid a hundred men of the
Lord's prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
(v. 13). Obadiah made reference to these noble and daring deeds of
his, not in any boastful spirit, but for the purpose of attesting his
sincerity. Elijah reassured him in God's name, and Obadiah obediently
complied with his request: "And Elijah said, As the Lord of hosts
liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him today.
So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet
Elijah," (vv. 15, 16).
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 12
Confronting Ahab
_________________________________________________________________
In previous chapters we have seen Elijah called suddenly out of
obscurity to appear before the wicked king of Israel and deliver unto
him a fearful sentence of judgment, namely, that "there shall not be
dew nor rain these years but according to my word" (1 Kings 17:1).
Following the pronouncement of this solemn ultimatum the prophet, in
obedience to his Master, retired from the stage of public action and
went into seclusion, spending part of the time by the brook Cherith
and part in the humble home of the widow at Zarephath, where in each
place his needs were miraculously supplied by God, who suffers none to
be the loser by complying with His orders. But now the hour had
arrived when this intrepid servant of the Lord must issue forth and
once more face Israel's idolatrous monarch: "the word of the Lord came
to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab" (1
Kings 18:1).
In our last chapter we contemplated the effect which the protracted
drought had upon Ahab and his subjects, an effect which made sadly
evident the depravity of the human heart. It is written, "The goodness
of God leadeth thee to repentance" (Rom. 2:4); and again, "when Thy
judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn
righteousness" (Isa. 26:9). How often do we find these sentences cited
as though they are absolute and unqualified statements, and how rarely
are the words quoted which immediately follow them: in the one case
"But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto
thyself wrath against the day of wrath, and in the other "Let favour
be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the
land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the
majesty of the Lord." How are we going to understand these passages,
for to the natural man they appear to cancel themselves, the second
part of the Isaiah reference seeming flatly to contradict the former.
If Scripture be compared with Scripture it will be found that each of
the above declarations receives clear and definite exemplification.
For example, was it not a sense of the Lord's goodness--His
"lovingkindness" and "the multitude of His tender mercies"--which led
David to repentance and made him to cry, "Wash me thoroughly from mine
iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin" (Ps. 51:1, 2)? and again, was it
not his realization of the Father's goodness--the fact that there was
"bread enough and to spare" in His house--which led the prodigal son
to repentance and confession of his sins? so also when God's judgments
were in the earth, to such an extent that we are told, In those times
there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but
great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries. And
nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city: for God did vex them
with all adversity" (2 Chron. 15:5, 6), did Asa and his subjects (in
response to the preaching of Azariah) "put away the abominable idols
out of all the land, and renewed the altar of the Lord . . . and they
entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all
their heart" (vv. 8-12). See also Revelation 11:15.
On the other hand, how many instances are recorded in Holy Writ of
individuals and of peoples who were the subjects of God's goodness to
a marked degree, who enjoyed both His temporal and spiritual blessings
in unstinted measure, yet so far were those privileged persons from
being suitably affected thereby and led to repentance, their hearts
were hardened and God's mercies were abused: "Jeshurun waxed fat, and
kicked" (Deut. 32:15 and cf. Hosea 13:6). So, too, how often we read
in Scripture of God's judgments being visited upon both individuals
and nations, only for them to illustrate the truth of that word,
"Lord, when Thy hand is lifted up, they will not see" (Isa. 26:11). A
conspicuous example is Pharaoh, who after each plague hardened his
heart afresh and continued in his defiance of Jehovah. Perhaps even
more notable is the case of the Jews, who century after century have
been inflicted with the sorest judgments from the Lord, yet have not
learned righteousness thereby.
Ah, have we not witnessed striking demonstrations of these truths in
our own lifetime, both on the one side and on the other? Divine favors
were received as a matter of course, yea, were regarded far more as
the fruits of our own industry than of Divine bounty. The more the
nations were prospered the more God faded from view.
How, then, are we to understand these Divine declarations: "The
goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance"; "When Thy judgments are
in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness"?
Obviously they are not to be taken absolutely and without
modification. They are to be understood with this proviso: if a
sovereign God is pleased to sanctify them unto our souls. It is God's
ostensible (we say not, His secret and invincible) design that
displays of His goodness should lead men into the paths of
righteousness: such is their natural tendency, and such ought to be
their effect upon us. Yet the fact remains that neither prosperity nor
adversity by themselves will produce these beneficent results, for
where the Divine dispensations are not expressly sanctified unto us,
neither His mercies nor His chastisements avail to work any
improvement in us.
Hardened sinners "despise the Lord's goodness and long-suffering,"
prosperity rendering them the less disposed to receive the
instructions of righteousness, and where the means of grace (the
faithful preaching of God's Word) are freely afforded among them, they
continue profane and close their eyes to all the discoveries of Divine
grace and holiness. When God's hand is lifted up to administer gentle
rebukes, it is despised; and when more terrible vengeance is
inflicted, they steel their hearts against the same. It has always
been thus. Only as God is pleased to work in our hearts, as well as
before our eyes, only as He deigns to bless unto our souls His
providential dealings, is a teachable disposition wrought in us, and
we are brought to acknowledge His justice in punishing us and to
reform our evil ways. Whenever Divine judgments are not definitely
sanctified to the soul, sinners continue to stifle conviction and rush
forward in defiance, until they are finally swallowed up by the wrath
of a holy God.
Does someone ask, What has all the above to do with the subject in
hand? The answer is, much every way. It goes to show that the terrible
perversity of Ahab was no exceptional thing, while it also serves to
explain why he was quite unaffected by the sore visitation of God's
judgment on his dominions. A total drought which had continued for
upwards of three years was upon the land, so the "there was a sore
famine in Samaria" (1 Kings 18:2). This was indeed a Divine judgment:
did, then, the king and his subjects learn righteousness thereby? Did
their ruler set them an example by humbling himself beneath the mighty
hand of God, by acknowledging his vile transgressions, by removing the
altars of Baal and restoring the worship of Jehovah? No! So far from
it, during the interval he suffered his wicked consort to "cut off the
prophets of the Lord" (18:4), thus adding iniquity to iniquity and
exhibiting the fearful depths of evil into which the sinner will
plunge unless deterred by God's restraining power.
"And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all foundations of
water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the
horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts" (1 Kings
18:5). As a straw in the air reveals the direction of the wind so
these words of Ahab indicate the state of his heart. The living God
had no place in his thoughts, nor was he exercised over the sins which
had called down His displeasure on the land. Nor does he seem to have
been the least concerned about his subjects, whose welfare--next to
the glory of God--should have been his chief concern. No, his
aspirations do not appear to have risen any higher than fountains and
brooks, horses and mules, that the beasts which yet remained might be
saved. This is not evolution but devolution, for when the heart is
estranged from its Maker its direction is ever lower and lower.
In the hour of his deep need Ahab turned not in humility unto God, for
he was a stranger to Him. Grass was now his all-absorbing object -
provided that could be found, he cared nothing about anything else. If
food and drink were obtainable then he could have enjoyed himself in
the palace and been at ease among Jezebel's idolatrous prophets, but
the horrors of famine drove him out. Yet instead of dwelling upon and
rectifying the causes thereof, he seeks only a temporary relief. Alas,
he had sold himself to work wickedness and had become the slave of a
woman who hated Jehovah. And, my reader, Ahab was not a Gentile, a
heathen, but a favoured Israelite; but he had married a heathen and
become enamoured with her false gods. He had made shipwreck of the
faith and was being driven to destruction. What a terrible thing it is
to depart from the living God and forsake the Refuge of our fathers!
"So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab
went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself" (v.
6). The reason for this procedure is obvious: by the king going in one
direction and the governor of his household in another, twice as much
ground would be covered as if they had remained together. But may we
not also perceive a mystical meaning in these words: "Can two walk
together, except they be agreed?" (Amos 3:3). And what agreement was
there between these two men? No more than there is between light and
darkness, Christ and Belial, for whereas the one was an apostate, the
other feared the Lord from his youth (v. 12). It was meet, then, they
should separate and take opposite courses, for they were journeying
unto entirely different destinies eternally. Let not this suggestion
be regarded as "far fetched," but rather let us cultivate the habit of
looking for the spiritual meaning and application beneath the literal
sense of Scripture.
"And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him" (v. 7). This
certainly appears to confirm the mystical application made of the
previous verse, for there is surely a spiritual meaning in what we
have just quoted. What was "the way" which Obadiah was treading? It
was the path of duty, the way of obedience to his master's orders.
True, it was a humble task he was performing: that of seeking grass
for horses and mules, yet this was the work Ahab had assigned him, and
while complying with the king's word he was rewarded by meeting
Elijah! A parallel case is found in Genesis 24:27, where Eliezer in
compliance with Abraham's instructions encountered the damsel whom the
Lord had selected as a wife for Isaac: "I being in the way, the Lord
led me to the house of my master's brethren." So also it was while she
was in the path of duty (when gathering of sticks) that the widow of
Zarephath met with the prophet.
We considered in our last chapter the conversation which took place
between Obadiah and Elijah, but would just mention here that mixed
feelings must have filled the heart of the former as his gaze
encountered such an unexpected but welcome sight. Awe and delight
would predominate as he beheld the one by whose word the fearful
drought and famine had almost completely desolated the land: here was
the prophet of Gilead, alive and well, calmly making his way, alone,
back into Samaria. It seemed too good to be true and Obadiah could
scarcely believe his eyes. Greeting him with becoming deference, he
asks, "Art thou that my lord Elijah?" Assuring him of his identity,
Elijah bids him go and inform Ahab of his presence. This was an
unwelcome commission, yet it was obediently discharged: "so Obadiah
went to meet Ahab, and told him" (v. 16).
And what of Elijah while he awaited the approach of the apostate king:
was his mind uneasy, picturing the angry monarch gathering around him
his officers ere he accepted the prophet's challenge, and then
advancing with bitter hatred and murder in his heart? No, my reader,
we cannot suppose so for a moment. The prophet knew full well that the
One who had watched over him so faithfully, and supplied his needs so
graciously during the long drought, would not fail him now. Had he not
good reason to recall how Jehovah had appeared to Laban when he was
hotly pursuing Jacob: "And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by
night, and said unto him, Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob from
good to bad" (Gen. 31:24 [margin]). It was a simple matter for the
Lord to over-awe the heart of Ahab and keep him from murdering Elijah,
no matter how much he desired to do so. Let the servants of God
fortify themselves with the reflection that He has their enemies
completely under His control, He has His bridle in their mouths and
turns them about just as He pleases, so that they cannot touch a hair
of their heads without His knowledge and permission.
Elijah then waited with dauntless spirit and calmness of heart for the
approach of Ahab, as one who was conscious of his own integrity and of
his security in the Divine protection. Well might he appropriate to
himself those words: "In God have I put my trust: I will not fear what
flesh can do unto me." Different far must have been the state of the
king's mind as "Ahab went to meet Elijah" (v. 16). Though incensed
against the man whose fearful announcement had been so accurately
fulfilled, yet he must have been half afraid to meet him. Ahab had
already witnessed his uncompromising firmness and amazing courage, and
knowing that Elijah would not now be intimidated by his displeasure,
had good reason to fear that his meeting would not be honourable unto
himself.
The very fact that the prophet was seeking him out, yea had sent
Obadiah before him to say, "Behold, Elijah is here," must have
rendered the king uneasy. Wicked men are generally great cowards:
their own consciences are their accusers, and often cause them many
misgivings when in the presence of God's faithful servants, even
though these occupy an inferior position in life to themselves. Thus
it was with King Herod in connection with Christ's forerunner, for we
are told, "Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an
holy" (Mark 6:20). In like manner, Felix, the Roman governor, trembled
before Paul (though he was his prisoner) when the apostle "reasoned of
righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come" (Acts 24:25). Let not
the ministers of Christ hesitate boldly to deliver their message, nor
be afraid of the displeasure of the most influential in their
congregations.
"And Ahab went to meet Elijah." We might have hoped that, after
proving from painful experience that the Tishbite was no deceiver, but
a true servant of Jehovah whose word had accurately come to pass, Ahab
had now relented, been convinced of his sin and folly, and become
ready to turn to the Lord in humble repentance. But not so: instead of
advancing toward the prophet with a desire to receive spiritual
instruction from him or to request his prayers for him, he fondly
hoped that he might now avenge himself for all that he and his
subjects had suffered. His opening salutation at once revealed the
state of his heart: "Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth
Israel?" (v. 17)--what a contrast from the greeting given Elijah by
the pious Obadiah! No word of contrition fell from Ahab's lips.
Hardened by sin, his conscience "seared as with a hot iron," he gave
vent to his obduracy and fury.
"Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?" This is not
to be regarded as an unmeasured outburst, the petulant expression of a
sudden surprisal, but rather as indicating the wretched state of his
soul, for "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." It
was the avowed antagonism between evil and good: it was the hissing of
the Serpent's seed against one of the members of Christ: it was the
vented spite of one who felt condemned by the very presence of the
righteous. Years later, speaking of another devoted servant of God,
whose counsel was demanded by Jehoshaphat, this same Ahab said, "I
hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil,"
(22:8). So far, then, from this charge of Ahab's making against the
character and mission of Elijah, it was a tribute to his integrity,
for there is no higher testimony to the fidelity of God's servants
than their evoking of the hearty hatred of the Ahabs around them.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 13
The Troubler of Israel
_________________________________________________________________
"And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him,
Art thou he that troubleth Israel? (1 Kings 18:17). How the words of
our lips betray the state of our hearts! Such language from the king
after the sore judgment which God had sent upon his dominion revealed
the hardness and impenitency of his heart. Consider the opportunities
which had been given him. He was warned by the prophet of the certain
consequences that would follow his continuance in sin. He had seen
that what the prophet had announced surely came to pass. It had been
demonstrated before his eyes that the idols which he and Jezebel
worshipped could not avert the calamity nor given the rain which was
so urgently needed. There was everything to convince him the "the Lord
God of Elijah" was the sovereign Ruler of heaven and earth, whose
decree none can disannul and whose almighty arm no power can
withstand.
Such is the sinner who is left to himself. Let Divine restraint be
removed from him and the madness which possesses his heart will burst
forth like a broken dam. He is determined to have his own way at all
costs. No matter how serious and solemn be the times in which his lot
is cast, he is unsobered thereby. No matter how gravely his country be
imperiled, nor how many of his fellows be maimed and killed, he must
continue to take his fill of the pleasures of sin. Though the
judgments of God thunder in his ears louder and louder, he
deliberately closes them and seeks to forget unpleasantries in a whirl
of gaiety. Though the country be at war, fighting for its very
existence, "night life" with its "bottle parties" goes on unabated. If
air raids compel munitions workers to seek refuge in underground
shelters, then their eyes (in one shelter at least) are greeted with
notices on its walls, "Cards and gambling encouraged." What is this
but a strengthening themselves "against the Almighty," a flinging of
themselves "upon the thick bosses of His bucklers" (Job. 15:25, 26)?
Yet, while writing the above lines, we are reminded of those searching
words, "Who maketh thee to differ from another?" (1 Cor. 4:7). There
is but one answer: a sovereign God, in the plenitude of His amazing
grace. And how the realization of this should humble us into the dust,
for by nature and by practice there was no difference between us and
them: "Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this
world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit
that now worketh in the children of disobedience: among whom also we
all had our conversation (manner of life) in times past in the lusts
of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind"
(Eph. 2:2, 3). It was distinguishing mercy which sought us out when we
were "without Christ." It was distinguishing love which quickened us
into newness of life when we were "dead in trespasses and sins." Thus
we have no cause for boasting and no ground for self-complacency.
Rather must we walk softly and penitently before Him who has saved us
from ourselves.
"And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him,
Art thou he that troubleth Israel?" Elijah was the one who above all
others stood out against Ahab's desire for uniting Israel in the
worship of Baal: and thus, as he supposed from effecting a peaceful
settlement of the religion of the nation. Elijah was the one who in
his view had been responsible for all the distress and suffering which
filled the land. There was no discernment of God's hand in the
drought, nor any compunction for his own sinful conduct: instead, Ahab
seeks to transfer the onus to another and charges the prophet with
being the author of the calamities which had befallen the nation. It
is always the mark of an unhumbled and unjudged heart for one who is
smarting beneath the righteous rod of God to throw the blame upon
someone else, just as a sin-blinded nation which is being scourged for
its iniquities will attribute its troubles to the blunders of its
political rulers.
It is no unusual thing for God's upright ministers to be spoken of as
troublers of peoples and nations. Faithful Amos was charge with
conspiring against Jeroboam the second, and told that the land was not
able to bear all his words (Amos 7:10). The Saviour Himself was
accused of "stirring up the people" (Luke 23:5). It was said of Paul
and Silas at Philippi that they did "exceedingly trouble the city"
(Acts 16:20), and when at Thessalonica they were spoken of as having
"turned the world upside down" (Acts 17:6). There is therefore no
higher testimony to their fidelity than for the servants of God to
evoke the rancor and hostility of the reprobate. One of the most
scathing condemnations that could be pronounced on men is contained in
those terrible words of our Lord to His unbelieving brethren: "The
world cannot hate you: but Me it hateth, because I testify of it, that
the works thereof are evil" (John 7:7). But who would not rather
receive all the charges which the Ahabs can heap upon us than incur
that sentence from the lips of Christ!
It is the duty of God's servants to warn men of their danger, to point
out that the way of rebellion against God leads to certain destruction
and to call upon them to throw down the weapons of their revolt and
flee from the wrath to come. It is their duty to teach men that they
must turn from their idols and serve the living God, otherwise they
will eternally perish. It is their duty to rebuke wickedness wherever
it be found and to declare that the wages of sin is death. This will
not make for their popularity, for it will condemn and irritate the
wicked, and such plain speaking will seriously annoy them. Those who
expose hypocrites, resist tyrants, oppose the wicked, are ever viewed
by them as troublemakers. But as Christ declared, "Blessed are ye,
when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner
of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceedingly
glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the
prophets which were before you" (Matthew 5:11, 12).
"And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy
father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord,
and thou hast followed Baalim" (18:18). Had Elijah been one of those
cringing sycophants which are usually found in attendance upon kings,
he had thrown himself at Ahab's feet, suing for mercy, or rendering
mean submission. Instead, he has the ambassador of a greater King,
even the Lord of hosts: conscious of this, he preserved the dignity of
his office and character by acting as one who represented a superior
power. It was because Elijah realized the presence of Him by whom
kings reign, who can restrain the wrath of man and make the remainder
thereof to praise Him, that the prophet feared not the face of
Israel's apostate monarch. Ah, my reader, did we but realize more of
the presence and sufficiency of our God, we should not fear what
anyone might do unto us. Unbelief is the cause of our fears. O to be
able to say "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be
afraid" (Isa. 12:2).
Elijah was not to be intimidated by the wicked aspersion which had
just been cast upon him. With undaunted courage, he first denies the
foul charge: "I have not troubled Israel." Happy for us if we can
truthfully make the same claim: that the chastisements which Zion is
now receiving at the hands of a holy God have not been caused in any
measure by my sins. Alas, who among us could affirm this? Second,
Elijah boldly returns the charge upon the king himself, placing the
blame where it duly belonged: "I have not troubled Israel, but thou
and thy father's house." See here the fidelity of God's servant: as
Nathan said to David, so Elijah unto Ahab, "Thou art the man." A truly
solemn and heavy charge: that Ahab and his father's house were the
cause of all the sore evils and sad calamities which had befallen the
land. The Divine authority with which he was invested warranted Elijah
thus to indict the king himself.
Third, the prophet proceeded to supply proof of the charge which he
had made against Ahab: "in that ye have forsaken the commandments of
the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim." So far from the prophet
being the enemy of his country he sought only its good. True, he had
prayed for and called down God's judgment for the wickedness and
apostasy of the king and nation, but this was because he desired they
should repent of their sins and reform their ways. It was the evil
doings of Ahab and his house which had called down the drought and
famine. Elijah's intercession had never prevailed against a holy
people: "the curse causeless shall not come" (Prov. 26:2). The king
and his family were the leaders in rebellion against God, and the
people had blindly followed: here then was the cause of the distress:
they were the reckless "troublers" of the nation, the disturbers of
its peace, the displeasers of God.
Those who by their sins provoke God's wrath are the real troublers,
and not those who warn them of the dangers to which their wickedness
exposes them. "Thou and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken
the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim." It is
quite plain even from the comparatively brief record of Scripture that
Omri, the father of Ahab, was one of the worst kings that Israel ever
had, and Ahab had followed in the wicked steps of his father. The
statues of those kings were the grossest idolatry. Jezebel, Ahab's
wife, had no equal for her hatred of God and His people and her zeal
for the worship of debased idols. So powerful and persistent was their
evil influence that it prevailed some two hundred years later (Micah
6:16), and drew down the vengeance of Heaven upon the apostate nation.
"In that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord." Therein lies
the very essence and heinousness of sin. It is a throwing off of the
Divine yoke, a refusing to be in subjection to our Maker and Governor.
It is a willful disregard of the Lawgiver and rebellion against His
authority. The law of the Lord is definite and emphatic. Its first
statute expressly forbids our having any other gods than the true God;
and the second prohibits our making of any graven image and bowing
down ourselves before it in worship. These were the awful crimes which
Ahab had committed, and they are in substance those which our own evil
generation is guilty of, and that is why the frown of Heaven now lies
so heavily upon us. "Know therefore and see that it is an evil thing
and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and that My fear
is not in thee, saith the Lord God of hosts" (Jer. 2:19). "and thou
hast followed Baalim": when the true God is departed from, false ones
take His place--"Baalim" is in the plural number, for Ahab and his
wife worshipped a variety of false deities.
"Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel,
and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of
the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table" (v. 19). Very
remarkable is this: to behold Elijah alone, hated by Ahab, not only
charging the king with his crimes, but giving him instructions,
telling him what he must do. Needless to say, his conduct on this
occasion did not furnish a precedent or set an example for all God's
servants to follow under similar circumstances. The Tishbite was
endowed with extraordinary authority from the Lord, as is intimated by
that New Testament expression, "the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke
1:17). Exercising that authority Elijah demanded there should be a
convening of all Israel at Carmel, and that thither should also be
summoned the prophets of Baal and Ashtaroth, who were dispersed over
the country at large. More strange still was the preemptory language
used by the prophet: he simply issued his orders without offering any
reason or explanation as to what was his real object in summoning all
the people and prophets together.
In the light of what follows, the prophet's design is clear: what he
was about to do must be done openly and publicly before impartial
witnesses. The time had now arrived when things must be brought to a
head: Jehovah and Baal come face to face as it were, before the whole
nation. The venue selected for the test was a mountain in the tribe of
Asher, which was well situated for the people to gather there from all
parts--it was, be it noted, outside the land of Samaria. It was on
Carmel that an altar had been built and sacrifices offered on it unto
the Lord (see v. 30), but the worship of Baal had supplanted even this
irregular service of the true God--irregular, for the Law prohibited
any altars outside those in the temple at Jerusalem. There was only
one way in which the dreadful drought and its resultant famine could
be brought to an end and the blessing of Jehovah restored to the
nation, and that was by the sin which had caused the calamity being
dealt with in judgment, and for that Ahab must gather all Israel
together on Carmel.
"As Elijah designed to put the worship of Jehovah on a firm
foundation, and to restore the people to their allegiance to the God
of Israel, he would have the two religions to be fairly tested, and by
such a splendid miracle as none could question: and as the whole
nation was deeply interested in the issue, it should take place most
publicly, and on an elevated spot, on the summit of lofty Carmel, and
in the presence of all Israel. He would have them all to be convened
on this occasion, that they might witness with their own eyes both the
absolute power and sovereignty of Jehovah, whose service they had
renounced, and also the entire vanity of those idolatrous systems
which had been substituted for it" (John Simpson). Such ever marks the
difference between truth and error: the one courts the light, fearing
no investigation; whereas error, the author of which is the prince of
darkness, hates the light, and thrives most under cover of secrecy.
There is nothing to indicate that the prophet made known unto Ahab his
intention: rather does he appear to have summarily ordered the king to
summon together the people and the prophets: all concerned in the
terrible sin--leaders and led--must be present. "So Ahab sent unto all
the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount
Carmel." And why did Ahab comply so meekly and promptly with Elijah's
demand? The general idea among the commentators is that the king was
now desperate, and as beggars cannot be choosers he really had no
other alternative than to consent. After three and a half years"
famine the suffering must have been so acute that if the sorely-needed
rain could be obtained in no other way except by being beholden to the
prayers of Elijah, then so be it. Personally, we prefer to regard
Ahab's acquiescence as a striking demonstration of the power of God
over the hearts of men, yea, even over the king's, so that "He turneth
it withersoever He will," Prov. 21.1.
This is a truth--a grand and basic one--which needs to be strongly
emphasized in this day of skepticism and infidelity, when attention is
confined to secondary causes and the prime mover is lost to view.
Whether it be in the realm of creation or providence, it is the
creature rather than the Creator who is regarded. Let our fields and
gardens bear good crops, and the industry of the farmer and the skill
of the gardener are praised; let them yield poorly, and the weather or
something else is blamed: neither God's smile nor His frown is owned.
So too in political affairs. How few, how very few acknowledge the
hand of God in the present conflict of the nations. And let it be
affirmed that the Lord is dealing with us in judgment for our sins,
and even the majority of professing Christians are angered by such a
declaration. But read through the Scriptures and observe how
frequently it is there said, the Lord "stirred" up the spirit of a
certain king to do this, "moved" him to do that, or "withheld" him
from doing the other.
As this is so rarely recognized and so feebly apprehended today we
will cite a number of passages in proof. "I also withheld thee from
sinning against me" (Gen. 20:6). "I will harden his (Pharaoh's) heart,
that he shall not let the people go" (Ex. 4:21). "The Lord shall cause
thee to be smitten before thine enemies" (Deut. 28:25). "And the
Spirit of the Lord began to move him; (Judges 13:25). "And the Lord
stirred up an adversary unto Solomon" (1 Kings 11:14). "And the God of
Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria" (1 Chron. 5:26).
"The Lord stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistine" (2
Chron. 21:16). "The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of
Persia, that he made a proclamation" (Ezra 1:1). "Behold, I will stir
up the Medes against them" (Isa. 13:17). "I have caused thee to
multiply as the bud of the field" (Ezek. 16:7). "Behold, I will bring
upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the
north, with horses, and with chariots" (Ezek. 26:7).
"So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel and gathered the
prophets together unto mount Carmel." In the light of the above
scriptures, what believing heart will doubt for a moment that it was
the Lord who made Ahab willing in the day of His power, willing to
obey the one whom he hated above all others! And when God works, He
works at both ends of the line: He who inclined the wicked king to
carry out Elijah's instructions, moved not only the people of Israel
but also the prophets of Baal to comply with Ahab's proclamation, for
He controls His foes as truly as He does His friends. Possibly the
people in general assembled together under the hope of beholding the
rain fall at the call of Elijah while the false prophets probably
looked with contempt upon their being required to journey unto Carmel
at the demand of Elijah through Ahab.
Because the Divine judgment had been inflicted on account of the
apostasy of the nation and especially as a testimony against its
idolatry, the nation must be (outwardly and avowedly at least)
reclaimed before the judgment could be removed. The lengthy drought
had wrought no change, and the consequent famine had not brought the
people back to God. So far as we can gather from the inspired
narrative, the people were, with few exceptions, as much wedded to
their idols as ever; and whatever may have been either the convictions
or the practices of the remnant who bowed not their knee to Baal, they
were so afraid publicly to express themselves (lest they be put to
death) that Elijah was unaware of their very existence. Nevertheless,
till the people were brought back unto their allegiance to God, no
favour could be expected from Him.
"They must repent and turn themselves from their idols, or nothing
could avail to avert God's judgment. Though Noah and Samuel and Job
had made intercession, it would not have induced the Lord to withdraw
from the conflict. They must forsake their idols and return to
Jehovah." Those words were written almost a century ago, yet they are
as true and pertinent now as they were then, for they enunciate an
abiding principle. God will not wink at sin or gloss over evil doing.
Whether He be dealing in judgment with an individual or with a nation,
that which has displeased Him must be rectified before there can be a
return of His favour. It is useless to pray for His blessing while we
refuse to put away that which has called down His curse. It is vain to
talk about exercising faith in God's promises until we have exercised
repentance for our sins. Our idols must be destroyed ere God will gain
accept of our worship.
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The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 14
The Call to Carmel
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"So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the
prophets together unto mount Carmel" (1 Kings 18:20). Let us endeavour
to picture the scene. It is early morning. From all sides the eager
crowds are making their way toward this spot, which from remotest
times has been associated with worship. No work is being done
anywhere: a single thought possesses the minds of young and old alike
as they respond to their king's summons to gather together for this
might concourse. Behold the many thousands of Israel occupying every
foot of vantage ground from which they could obtain a view of the
proceedings! Were they to witness a miracle? Was an end now to be put
unto their sufferings? Was the long hoped-for rain about to fall? A
hush descends upon the multitude as they hear the tread of marshaled
men: conspicuous with the sun-symbols flashing on their turbaned
heads, sure of court favour and insolently defiant, come the four
hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. Then, through the crowds, is
carried a litter of the king, on the shoulders of his guard of honour,
surrounded by his officers of state. Something like that must have
been the scene presented on this auspicious occasion.
"And Elijah came unto all the people" (v. 21). Behold the sea of
upturned faces as every eye is focused on this strange and stern
figure, at whose word the heavens had been as brass for the last three
years. With what intense interest and awe must they have gazed upon
this lone man of sinewy build, with flashing eyes and compressed lips.
What a solemn hush must have fallen upon that vast assembly as they
beheld one man pitted against the whole company. With what malignant
glances would his every movement be watched by the jealous priests and
prophets. As one commentator puts it, "No tiger ever watched its
victim more fiercely! If they may have their way, he will never touch
yonder plain again," As Ahab himself watched this servant of the Most
High, fear and hatred must have alternated in his heart, for the king
regarded Elijah as the cause of all his troubles, yet he felt that
somehow the coming of rain depended upon him.
The stage was now set. The huge audience was assembled, the leading
characters were about to play their parts, and one of the most
dramatic acts in the whole history of Israel was about to be staged.
There was to be a public contest between the forces of good and evil.
On the one side was Baal with his hundreds of prophets, on the other
Jehovah and His lone servant. How great was the courage of Elijah, how
strong his faith, as he dared to stand alone in the cause of God
against such powers and numbers. But we need not fear for the intrepid
Tishbite: he needs no sympathy of ours. He was consciously standing in
the presence of One to whom the nations are but as a drop in the
bucket. All Heaven was behind him. Legions of angels filled that
mountain, though they were invisible to the eye of sense. Though he
was but a frail creature like ourselves, yet Elijah was full of faith
and spiritual power, and by that faith he subdued kingdoms, wrought
righteousness, escaped the edge of the sword, waxed valiant in fight
and turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
"Elijah stands forth before them all with a confident and majestic
mien, as the ambassador of heaven. His manly spirit, emboldened by the
consciousness of the Divine protection, inspired with courage, and
awed all opposition. But what an awful and loathsome sight presented
itself to the man of God, to see such a gathering of Satan's agents
who had withdrawn the people of Jehovah from His holy and honorable
service, and had seduced them into the abominable and debasing
superstitions of the Devil! Elijah was not a kindred spirit with those
who can see with composure their God insulted, their fellow-countrymen
degrading themselves at the instigation of wily men, and destroying
their immortal souls through the gross impositions practiced upon
them. He could not look with a placid eye upon the four hundred and
fifty vile impostors, who made it their business, for filthy lucre or
for courtly favour, to delude the ignorant multitude to their eternal
destruction. He looked upon idolatry as a crying shame: as nothing
better than evil personified, the Devil deified, and Hell formed into
a religious establishment; and he would regard the abettors of the
diabolical system with abhorrence" (John Simpson).
It seems reasonable to conclude that Ahab and his assembled subjects
would expect Elijah on this occasion to pray for rain, and that they
would now witness the sudden end of the long drought and its attendant
famine. Had not the three years of which he had prophesied (1 Kings
17:1), run their weary course? Was mourning and suffering now to give
place to joy and plenty again? Ah, but there was something else
besides praying that the windows of Heaven might be opened, something
of much greater importance which must first be attended to. Neither
Ahab nor his subjects were yet in any fit state of soul to be made the
recipients of His blessings and mercies. God had been dealing with
them in judgment for their awful sins, and thus far His rod had not
been acknowledged, nor had the occasion of His displeasure been
removed. As Matthew Henry pointed out, "God will first prepare our
hearts, and then cause His ear to hear: will first turn us to Him and
then turn to us (Ps. 10:17). Deserters must not look for God's favors
till they return to their allegiance."
"And Elijah came unto all the people, and said," The servant of God at
once took the initiative, being in complete command of the situation.
It is unspeakably solemn to note that he said not a single word to the
false prophets, making no attempt to convert them. They were devoted
to destruction (v. 40). No, instead he addressed himself to the
people, of whom there was some hope, saying, "How long halt ye between
two opinions?" (v. 21). The word for "halt" is totter : they were not
walking uprightly. Sometimes they tottered over to the side of the God
of Israel, and then they lurched like an intoxicated person over on
the side of the false gods. They were not fully decided which to
follow. They dreaded Jehovah, and therefore would not totally abandon
Him; they desired to curry favour with the king and queen, and so felt
they must embrace the religion of the state. Their conscience forbade
them to do the former, their fear of man persuaded them to do the
latter; but in neither were they heartily engaged. Thus Elijah
upbraided them with their inconstancy and fickleness.
Elijah made a demand for definite decision. It is to be borne in mind
that Jehovah was the name by which the God of the Israelites had
always been distinguished since their coming out of Egypt. Indeed, the
Jehovah-God of their fathers was the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of
Jacob (Ex. 3:15, 16). "Jehovah" signifies the self-existent,
omnipotent, immutable, and Eternal Being, the only God, beside whom
there is none else. "If Jehovah be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then
follow him." There was no "if" in the mind of the prophet: he knew
full well that Jehovah was the one true and living God, but the people
must be shown the untenability and absurdity of their vacillation.
Religions which are diametrically opposed cannot both be right: one
must be wrong, and as soon as the true is discovered, the false must
be cast to the winds. The present-day application of Elijah's demand
would be this: if the Christ of Scripture be the true Saviour, then
surrender to Him; if the christ of modern Christendom, then follow
him. One who demands the denying of self, and another who allows the
gratifying of self, cannot both be right. One who requires the
uncompromising mortification of sin, and another who suffers you to
trifle with it, cannot both be the Christ of God.
There were times when those Israelites attempted to serve both God and
Baal. They had some knowledge of Jehovah, but Jezebel with her host of
false prophets had unsettled their minds. The example of the king
misled them and his influence corrupted them. The worship of Baal was
popular and his prophets feted; the worship of Jehovah was
discountenanced and His servants put to death. This caused the people
in general to conceal any regard they had for the Lord. It induced
them to join in the idolatrous worship in order to escape ill-will and
persecution. Consequently they halted between the two parties. They
were like "lame persons" unsteady, limping up and down. They
vacillated in their sentiments and conduct. They thought so to
accommodate themselves to both parties as to please and secure the
favour of both. There was no evenness in their walk, no steadiness in
their principles, no consistency in their conduct. Thus they both
dishonored God and debased themselves by this mongrel kind of
religion, wherein the "feared the Lord, and served other gods" (2
Kings 17:33). But God will not accept a divided heart: He will have
all or none.
The Lord is a jealous God, demanding our whole affection, and will not
accept a divided empire with Baal. You must be for Him or against Him.
He will permit of no compromise. You must declare yourself. When Moses
saw the people of Israel dancing around the golden calf, after
destroying the idol and rebuking Aaron, he stood in the gate of the
camp and said," Who is on the Lord's side? let him come unto me" (Ex.
32:26). O my reader, if you have not already done so, resolve with
godly Joshua, "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord"
(Josh. 24:15). Ponder these solemn words of Christ: "He that is not
with Me is against Me; and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth
abroad" (Matthew 12:30). Nothing is so repulsive to Him as the
lukewarm professor: "I would thou wert cold or hot" (Rev. 3:15)--one
thing or the other. He has plainly warned us that "no man can serve
two masters." Then "How long halt ye between two opinions?" Come to
some decision one way or the other, for there can be no compromise
between Christ and Belial.
There are some who have been brought up under the protection and
sanctifying influence of a godly home. Later, they go out into the
world, and are apt to be dazzled by its glittering tinsel and carried
away by its apparent happiness. Their foolish hearts hanker after its
attractions and pleasures. They are invited to participate, and are
sneered at if they hesitate. And only too often, because they have not
grace in their hearts, nor strength of mind to withstand the
temptations, they are drawn aside, heeding the counsel of the ungodly
and standing in the way of sinners. True, they cannot altogether
forget their early training, and at times an uneasy conscience will
move them to read a chapter out of the Bible and to say their prayers;
and so they halt between two alternatives and vainly attempt to serve
two masters. They will not cleave to God alone, relinquish all for Him
and follow Him with undivided hearts. They are halters, borderers, who
love and follow the world, and yet retain something of the form of
godliness.
There are others who cling to an orthodox creed, yet enter into the
gaieties of the world and freely indulge the lusts of the flesh. "They
profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him" (Titus 1:16).
They attend religious services regularly, posing as worshippers of God
through the one Mediator and claiming to be indwelt by that Spirit
through whose gracious operations the people of God are enabled to
turn from sin and to walk in the paths of righteousness and true
holiness. But if you entered their homes, you would soon have reason
to doubt their pretensions. You would find no worship of God in their
family circle, perhaps none, or at best a mere formal worship in
private; you would hear nothing about God or His claims in their daily
conversation, and see nothing in their conduct to distinguish them
from respectable worldlings; yea, you would behold some things which
the more decent non-professors would be ashamed of. There is such a
lack of integrity and consistency in their characters as renders them
offensive to God and contemptible in the eyes of men of understanding.
There are yet others who must also be classed among those who halt and
hesitate, being inconstant in their position and practice. This is a
less numerous class, who have been brought up in the world, amid its
follies and vanities. But by affliction, the preaching of God's Word,
or some other means, they have been made sensible that they must turn
to the Lord and serve Him if they are to escape the wrath to come and
lay hold on eternal life. They have become dissatisfied with their
worldly life, yet, being surrounded with worldly friends and
relatives, they are afraid of altering their line of conduct, lest
they should give offense to their godless companions and bring down
upon them their scoffs and opposition. Hence they make sinful
compromises, trying to conceal their better convictions but neglecting
many of God's claims upon them. Thus they halt between two opinions:
what God will think of them, and what the world will think of them.
They have not that firm reliance on the Lord which will lead them to
break from His enemies and be out and out for Him.
There is one other class which we must mention, who, though they
differ radically from those which we have described above, yet must be
regarded as proper subjects to ask, "How long halt ye between two
opinions?" While they are certainly to be pitied, yet they must be
reproved. We refer to those who know that the Lord is to be loved and
served with all the heart and in all the He commands, but for some
reason or other they fail to avow themselves openly on His side. They
are outwardly separated from the world, taking no part in its empty
pleasures, and none can point to anything in their conduct which is
contrary to the Scriptures. They honour the Sabbath day, attend
regularly the means of grace, and like to be in the company of God's
people. Yet they do not publicly take their place among the followers
of Christ and sit down at His table. Either they feel too unworthy to
do so, or fear they might bring some reproach on His cause. But such
weakness and inconsistency is wrong. If the Lord be God, follow Him as
He bids, and trust Him for all needed grace.
"If Jehovah be God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him." The
double minded man is unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8). We must be
as decided in our practice as in our opinion or belief, otherwise--no
matter how orthodox our creed--our profession is worthless. It was
evident there could not be two supreme Gods, and therefore Elijah
called upon the people to make up their minds which was really God;
and as they could not possibly serve two masters, let them give their
whole hearts and undivided energies to that Being whom they concluded
to be the true and living God. And this is what the Holy Spirit is
saying to you, my unsaved reader: weigh the one against the other--the
idol you have been giving your affections unto and Him whom you have
slighted; and if you are assured that the Lord Jesus Christ be "the
true God" (1 John 5:20), then choose Him as your portion, surrender to
Him as your Lord, cleave to Him as your all in all. The Redeemer will
not be served by halves or with reserves.
"And the people answered him not a word" (v. 21): either because they
were unwilling to acknowledge their guilt, and thereby offend Ahab; or
because they were unable to refute Elijah, and so were ashamed of
themselves. They did not know what to say. Whether convicted or
confused, we know not; but certainly they were confounded--incapable
of finding an error in the prophet's reasoning. They seem to have been
stunned that such alternatives should be presented to their choice,
but they were neither honest enough to own their folly nor bold enough
to say they had acted in compliance with the king's command, following
a multitude to do evil. They therefore sought refuge in silence, which
is to be much preferred to the frivolous excuses proffered by most of
such people today when they are rebuked for their evil ways. There can
be little doubt but what they were awed by the searching questions of
the prophet.
"And the people answered him not a word." O for that plain and
faithful preaching which would so reveal to men the unreasonableness
of their position, which would so expose their hypocrisy, so sweep
away the cobwebs of their sophistry, which would so arraign them at
the bar of their own consciences that their every objection would be
silenced, and they would stand self-condemned. Alas, on every side we
behold those who are seeking to serve both God and mammon, attempting
to win the smile of the world and to earn the "well done" of Christ.
Like Jonathan of old, they wish to retain their standing in Saul's
palace and yet keep in with David. And how many professing Christians
there are in these days who can hear Christ and His people reviled,
and never open their mouths in reprimand--afraid to stand up boldly
for God, ashamed of Christ and His cause, though their consciences
approve of the very things for which they hear the Lord's people
criticized. O guilty silence, which is likely to meet with a silent
Heaven when they are pleased to cry for mercy.
Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of
the Lord; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Let them
therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for
themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire
under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put
no fire under. And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call
on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let Him
by God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken" (vv.
22-24). This was an eminently fair challenge, because Baal was
supposed to be the fire god, or lord of the sun. Elijah gave the false
prophets the preference, so that the outcome of the contest might be
the more conspicuous to the glory of God. The proposal was so
reasonable that the people at once assented to it, which forced their
seducers out into the open: they must either comply with the challenge
or acknowledge that Baal was an impostor.
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The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 15
Elijah's Challenge
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"Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of
the Lord; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men" (1 Kings
18:22). The righteous are bold as a lion: undeterred by difficulties,
undismayed by the numbers which are arrayed against difficulties,
undismayed by the numbers which are arrayed against them. If God be
for them (Rom. 8:31), it matters not who be against them, for the
battle is His and not theirs. True, there were "a hundred men of the
Lord's prophets" hidden away in a cave (v. 13), but what were they
worth to His cause? Apparently they were afraid to show their faces in
public, for there is no hint that they were present here on Carmel.
Out of the four hundred and fifty-one prophets assembled on the mount
that day, Elijah only was on the side of Jehovah. Ah, my readers,
truth cannot be judged by the numbers who avow and support it: the
Devil has ever had the vast majority on his side. And is it any
otherwise today? What percentage of present-day preachers are
uncompromisingly proclaiming the truth, and among them how many
practice what they preach?
"Let them therefore give us two bullocks, and let them choose one
bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and
put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on
wood, and put no fire under: and call ye on the name of your gods, and
I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by
fire, let him by God" (vv. 23, 24). The time had now arrived when
things must be brought to a head: Jehovah and Baal brought face to
face as it were before the whole nation. It was of the utmost
importance that the people of Israel should be roused from their
ungodly indifference and that it should be incontrovertibly settled
who was the true God, entitled to their obedience and worship. Elijah
therefore proposed to put the matter beyond dispute. It had already
been demonstrated by the three years" drought, at the word of the
prophet, that Jehovah could withhold rain at His pleasure, and that
the prophets of Baal could not reverse it or produce either rain or
dew. Now a further test shall be made, a trial by fire, which came
more immediately within their own province, since Baal was worshipped
as the lord of the sun, and his devotees consecrated to him by
"passing through the fire" (2 Kings 16:3). It was therefore a
challenge which his prophets could not refuse without acknowledging
they were but impostors.
Not only was this trial by fire on which forced the prophets of Baal
out into the open and therefore made manifest the emptiness of their
pretensions, but it was one eminently calculated to appeal to the
minds of the people of Israel. On how many a glorious occasion in the
past had Jehovah "answered by fire!" That was the sign given to Moses
at Horeb, when "the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of
fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and behold, the bush
burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed" (Ex. 3:2). This was
the symbol of His presence with His people in their wilderness
wanderings: "The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud,
to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them
light" (Ex. 13:21). Thus it was when the covenant was made and the Law
was given, for "mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the
Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the
smoke of a furnace" (Ex. 19:18). This too was the token He gave of His
acceptance of the sacrifices which His people offered upon His altar:
"there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the
altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw,
they shouted, and fell on their faces" (Lev. 9:24). So it was in the
days of David: (see 1 Chron. 21:26). Hence the descent of supernatural
fire from heaven on this occasion would make it manifest to the people
that the Lord God of Elijah was the God of their fathers.
The God that answereth by fire." How strange! Why not "The God that
answereth by water?" That was what the land was in such urgent need
of. True, but before the rain could be given, something else had to
intervene. The drought was a Divine judgment upon the idolatrous
country and God's wrath must be appeased before His judgment could be
averted. And this leads us to the deeper meaning of this remarkable
drama. There can be no reconciliation between a holy God and sinners
save on the ground of atonement, and there can be no atonement or
remission of sins except by the shedding of blood. Divine justice must
be satisfied: the penalty of the broken law must be inflicted--either
on the guilty culprit or upon an innocent substitute. And this grand
and basic truth was unmistakably set before the eyes of that assembled
host on Mount Carmel. A bullock was slain, cut in pieces, and laid
upon wood, and He who caused fire to descend and consume that
sacrifice avouched Himself to be the true and only God of Israel. The
fire of God's wrath must fall either on the guilty people or on a
sacrificial substitute.
As we have pointed out above, the descent of fire from Heaven on the
vicarious victim (1 Chron. 21:26), was not only the manifestation of
God's holy wrath, consuming that upon which sin was laid, but it was
also the public attestation of His acceptance of the sacrifice, as it
ascended to Him in the smoke as a sweet-smelling savor. It was
therefore an evident proof that sin had been dealt with, atoned for,
put away, Divine holiness now being vindicated and satisfied.
Therefore it was that on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit
descended, appearing as "cloven tongues like as of fire," Acts 2.3. In
his explanation of the phenomena of that day, Peter said, "This Jesus
hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by
the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the
promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath shed forth this, which ye now see
and hear," and again, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know
assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified,
both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:32, 33, 36). The gift of the Spirit as
"tongues like as of fire" evidenced God's acceptance of Christ's
atoning sacrifice, testified to His resurrection from the dead, and
affirmed His exaltation to the Father's throne.
"The God that answereth by fire." Fire, then, is the evidence of the
Divine presence (Ex. 3:2): it is the symbol of His sin-hating wrath
(Mark 9:43-49): it is the sign of His acceptance of an appointed and
substitutionary sacrifice, (Lev. 9:24): it is the emblem of the Holy
Spirit (Acts 2:3), who enlightens, inflames and cleanses the believer.
And it is by fire that He shall yet deal with the unbeliever, for when
the despised and rejected Redeemer returns, it will be "in flaming
fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the
Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with
everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord" (2 Thess. 1:8,
9). And again it is written, the Son of man shall send forth His
angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that
offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace
of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 13:41,
42). Unspeakably solemn is this: alas that the unfaithful pulpit now
conceals the fact that "our God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29). O
what a fearful awaking there will yet be, for in the last day it shall
appear that "whosoever was not found written in the book of life was
cast into the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:15).
"Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one
bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood,
and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it
on wood, and put no fire under. And call ye on the name of your gods,
and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by
fire, let Him by God." It will thus be seen that the test submitted by
Elijah was a threefold one: it was to center around a slain sacrifice;
it was to evidence the efficacy of prayer; it was to make manifest the
true God by the descent of fire from Heaven, which in its ultimate
significance pointed to the gift of the Spirit as the fruit of an
ascended Christ. And it is at these same three points, my reader, that
every religion--our religion--must be tested today. Does the ministry
you sit under focus your mind upon, draw out your heart unto, and
demand your faith in, the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ? If
it fails to do so, you may know it is not the gospel of God. Is the
One you worship a prayer-answering God? If not, either you worship a
false god, or you are not in communion with the true God. Have you
received the Holy Spirit as a sanctifier? If not, your state is no
better than that of the heathen.
It must of course be borne in mind that this was an extraordinary
occasion, and that Elijah's procedure supplies no example for Christ's
ministers to follow today. Had not the prophet done according to
divine commission, he had acted in mad presumption, tempting God, by
demanding such a miracle at His hands, placing the truth at such
hazard. But it is quite clear from his own statement that he acted on
instructions from Heaven: "I have done all these things at Thy Word"
(v. 36). That, and nothing else but that, is to regulate the servants
of God in all their undertakings: they must not go one iota beyond
what their Divine commission calls for. There must be no
experimenting, no acting in self-will, no following of human
traditions; but a doing of all things according to God's Word. Nor was
Elijah afraid to trust the Lord as to the outcome. He had received his
orders, and in simple faith had carried them out, fully assured that
Jehovah would not fail him, and put him to confusion before that great
assembly. He knew that God would not place him at the front of the
battle, and then desert him. True, a wondrous miracle would have to be
wrought, but that occasioned no difficulty to one who dwelt in the
secret place of the Most High.
"And the god that answereth by fire, let Him by God," let Him be
accounted and owned as the true God: followed, served and worshipped
as such. Since He has given such proofs of His existence, such
demonstrations of His mighty power, such manifestations of His
character, such a revelation of His will, all unbelief, indecision and
refusal to give Him His rightful place in our hearts and lives is
utterly inexcusable. Then let Him by your God, by surrendering
yourself to Him. He does not force Himself upon you, but condescends
to present Himself to you: deigns to offer Himself to your acceptance,
bids you choose Him by an act of your own will. His claims upon thee
are beyond dispute. It is for thine own good that thou shouldest make
Him thy God--thy supreme good, thy portion, thy King. It is thine
irreparable loss and eternal destruction if thou failest to do so.
Heed, then, that affectionate invitation of His servant: "I beseech
you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your
reasonable service" (Rom. 12:1).
"And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken" (v. 24).
They were agreed that such a proposal should be made, for it struck
them as an excellent method of determining the controversy and
arriving at the truth as to who was the true God and who was not. This
would be a demonstration to their senses, the witnessing of a miracle.
The word which Elijah had addressed to their conscience had left them
silent, but an appeal to their reason was at once approved. Such a
supernatural sign would make it evident that the sacrifice had been
accepted of God, and they were eagerly anxious to witness the unique
experiment. Their curiosity was all alive, and they were keen to
ascertain whether Elijah or the prophets of Baal should obtain the
victory. Alas, such is poor human nature; ready to witness the
miracles of Christ, but deaf to His call to repentance; pleased with
any outward show that appeals to the senses, but displeased with any
word that convicts and condemns. Is it thus with us?
It is to be noted that Elijah not only gave his opponents choice of
the two bullocks, but also conceded them the stage for the first
trial, that they might, if they could, establish the claims of Baal
and their own power, and thus settle the dispute without any further
action: yet knowing full well they would be foiled and confused. In
due course the prophet would do, in every respect, what they had done,
so that there should be no difference between them. Only one
restriction was placed upon them (as also on himself) namely, "put no
fire under" (v. 23), the wood--so as to prevent any fraud. But there
was a deeper principle involved, one which was to be unmistakably
demonstrated that day on Carmel--man's extremity is God's opportunity.
The utter impotency of the creature must be felt and seen before the
power of God could be displayed. Man has first to be brought to the
end of himself ere the sufficiency of Divine grace is appreciated. It
is only those who know themselves to be undone and lost sinners who
can welcome One who is mighty to save.
"And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, choose you one bullock for
yourselves, and dress it first; for yet are many; and call on the name
of your gods, but put no fire under. And they took the bullock which
was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal
from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was
no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which
was made" (vv. 25, 26). For the first time in their history these
false priests were unable to insert the secret spark of fire among the
faggots which lay upon their altar. They were compelled, therefore, to
rely on a direct appeal to their patron deity. And this they did with
might and main. Round and round that altar they went in their wild and
mystic dance, breaking rank now and again to leap up and down on the
altar, all the while repeating their monotonous chant, "O Baal, hear
us, O Baal hear us"--send down fire on the sacrifice. They wearied
themselves with going through the various exercises of their
idolatrous worship, keeping it up three whole hours.
But notwithstanding all their importunity with Baal, "There was no
voice nor any that answered." What a proof that idols are but "the
work of men's hands." "They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have
they, but they see not: . . . they have hands, but they handle not:
feet have they, but they walk not . . . they that make them are like
unto them; so is everyone that trusteth in them" (Ps. 115:4-8). "No
doubt Satan could have sent fire (Job. 1:9-12), and would, if he might
have done it; but he could do nothing except what is permitted him
(Thomas Scott). Yes, we read of the second beast of Revelation 13 that
"he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven
on the earth in the sight of men" (v. 13). But on this occasion the
Lord would not suffer the Devil to use his power, because there was an
open trial between Himself and Baal.
"But there was no voice nor any that answered." The altar stood cold
and smokeless, the bullock unconsumed. The powerlessness of Baal and
the folly of his worshippers was made fully apparent. The vanity and
absurdity of idolatry stood completely exposed. No false religion, my
reader, is able to send down fire upon a vicarious sacrifice. No false
religion can put away sin, bestow the Holy Spirit, or grant
supernatural answers to prayer. Tested at these three vital points
they one and all fail, as Baal's worship did that memorable day on
Carmel.
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The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 16
Ears That Hear Not
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"And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry
aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he
is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked," (1
Kings 18:27). Hour after hour the prophets of Baal had called upon
their god to make public demonstration of his existence by causing
fire to come down from heaven and consume the sacrifice which they had
placed upon his alter; but all to no purpose: "there was no voice, nor
any that answered." And now the silence was broken by the voice of the
Lord's servant, speaking in derision. The absurdity and fruitlessness
of their efforts richly merited this biting sarcasm. Sarcasm is a
dangerous weapon to employ, but its use is fully warranted in exposing
the ridiculous pretensions of error, and is often quite effective in
convincing men of the folly and unreasonableness of their ways. It was
due unto the people of Israel that Elijah should hold up to contempt
those who were seeking to deceive them.
"And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them." It was at
midday, when the sun was highest and the false priests had the best
opportunity of success, That Elijah went near them and in ironical
terms bade them increase their efforts. He was so sure that nothing
could avert their utter discomfiture that he could afford to ridicule
them by suggesting a cause for the indifference of their god:
"Peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked." The case is so urgent,
your credit and his honour are so much at stake, that you must arouse
him: therefore shout louder, for your present cries are too feeble,
they are not heard, your voice does not reach his remote dwelling
place: you must redouble your efforts in order to gain his attention.
Thus did the faithful and intrepid Tishbite pour ridicule on their
impotency and hold up to contempt their defeat. He knew it would be
so, and that no zeal on their part could change things.
Is the reader shocked at these sarcastic utterances of Elijah on this
occasion? Then let us remind him that it is written in the Word of
Truth, "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall
have them in derision" (Ps. 2:4). Unspeakably solemn is this, yet
unmistakably just: they had laughed at God and derided His warnings
and threatenings, and now He answers such fools according to their
folly. The Most High is indeed longsuffering, yet there is a limit to
His patience. He calls unto men, but they refuse; He stretches out His
hand unto them, but they will not regard. He counsels them, but they
set it all at nought; He reproves, but they will have none of it.
Shall, then, He be mocked with impunity? No, He declares, "I also will
laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; when your
fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind;
when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon
Me, but I will not answer; they shall seek Me early, but they shall
not find Me" (Prov. 1:24-28).
The derision of Elijah upon Mount Carmel was but a shadowing forth of
the derision of the Almighty in the day when He deals in judgment. Is
our own lot now cast in such a day? "For that they hated knowledge,
and did not choose the fear of the Lord: they would none of my
counsel: they despised all My reproof." Who, with any spiritual
discernment, can deny that those fearful words accurately describe the
conduct of our own generation? Is then the awful sentence now going
forth, "Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be
filled with their own devices. For the ease of the simple shall slay
them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them" (Prov. 1:29-32
[margin])? If so, who can question the righteousness of it? How
blessed to note that this unspeakably solemn passage ends with--"but
whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from
fear of evil." That is a precious promise for faith to lay hold of, to
plead before God, and to expect an answer thereto, for our God is not
a deaf or impotent one like Baal.
One would have thought those priests of Baal had perceived that Elijah
was only mocking them while he lashed them with such cutting irony,
for what sort of a god must he be which answered to the prophet's
description! Yet so infatuated and stupid were those devotees of Baal
that they do not appear to have discerned the drift of his words, but
rather to have regarded them as containing good advice. Accordingly,
they roused themselves to yet greater earnestness, and by the most
barbarous measures strove to move their god by the sight of the blood
which they shed out of love to him and zeal in his service, and in
which they supposed he delighted. What poor, miserable slaves are
idolaters, whose objects of worship can be gratified with human gore
and with the self-inflicted torments of their worshippers! It has even
been true, and still is today, that "the dark places of the earth are
full of the habitations of cruelty" (Ps. 74:20). How thankful we
should be if a sovereign God has mercifully delivered us from such
superstitions.
"And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with
knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them" (v. 28). What
a concept they must have held of their deity who required such cruel
lacerations at their hands! Similar sights may be witnessed today in
heathendom. The service of Satan, whether in the observance of
idolatrous worship or in the practice of immoralities, whilst it
promises indulgence to men's lusts is cruel to their persons and tends
to torment them in this world. Jehovah expressly forbade His
worshippers to "cut themselves" (Deut. 14:1). He indeed requires us to
mortify our corruptions, but bodily severities are no pleasure to Him.
He desires only our happiness, and never requires one thing which has
not a direct tendency to make us more holy that we may be more happy,
for there cannot be any real happiness apart from holiness.
"And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until
the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was
neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded" (v. 29). Thus
they continued praying and prophesying, singing and dancing, cutting
themselves and bleeding, until the time when the evening sacrifice was
offered in the temple at Jerusalem, which was at 3 p.m. For six hours
without intermission had they importuned their god. But all the
exertions and implorings of Baal's prophets were unavailing: no fire
came down to consume their sacrifice. Surely the lengths to which they
had gone was enough to move the compassion of any deity! And since the
heavens remained completely silent, did it not prove to the people
that the religion of Baal and his worship was a delusion and a sham?
"There was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded."
How this exposed the powerlessness of false gods. They are impotent
creatures, unable to help their votaries in the hour of need. They are
useless for his life; how much more so for the life to come! Nowhere
does the imbecility which sin produces more plainly evidence itself
than in idolatry. It makes utter fools of its victims, as was manifest
there on Carmel. The prophets of Baal reared their altar and placed
upon it the sacrifice, and then called upon their god for the space of
six hours to evidence his acceptance of their offering. But in vain.
Their importunity met with no response: the heavens were as brass. No
tongue of fire leaped from the sky to lick up the flesh of the slain
bullock. The only sound heard was the cries of anguish from the lips
of the frantic priests as they maltreated themselves till their blood
gushed forth.
And my reader, if you be a worshipper of idols, and continue so, you
shall yet discover that your god is just as impotent and disappointing
as was Baal. Is your belly your god? Do you set your heart upon
enjoying the fat of the land, eating and drinking not to live, but
living to eat and drink? Does your table groan beneath the luxuries of
the earth, while many today are lacking its necessities? Then know you
that, if you persist in this wickedness and folly, the hour is coming
when you shall discover the madness of such a course.
Is pleasure your god? Do you set your heart upon a ceaseless whirl of
gaiety--rushing from one form of entertainment to another, spending
all your available time and money in visiting the garish shows of
"Vanity Fair?" Are your hours of recreation made up of a continual
round of excitement and merriment? Then know you that, if you persist
in this folly and wickedness, the hour is coming when you shall taste
of the bitter dregs which lie at the bottom of such a cup.
Is mammon your god? Do you set your heart upon material riches,
bending all your energies to the obtaining of that which you imagine
will give you power over men, a place of prominence in the social
world, and enable you to procure those things which are supposed to
make for comfort and satisfaction? Is it the acquisition of property,
a large bank-balance, the possession of stocks and shares, for which
you are bartering your soul? Then know you that, if you persist in
such a senseless and evil course, the time is coming when you shall
discover the worthlessness of such things, and their powerlessness to
mitigate your remorse.
O the folly, the consummate madness of serving false gods! From the
highest viewpoint it is madness, for it is an affront unto the true
God, a giving unto some other object that which is due unto Him alone,
an insult which He will not tolerate or pass by. But even on the
lowest ground it is crass folly, for no false god, no idol, is capable
of furnishing real help at the time man needs help most of all. No
form of idolatry, no system of false religion, no god but the true
One, can send miraculous answers to prayer, can supply satisfactory
evidence that sin is put away, can give the Holy Spirit, who, like
fire, illumines the understanding, warms the heart and cleanses the
soul. A false god could not send down fire on Mount Carmel, and he
cannot do so today. Then turn to the true God, my reader, while there
is yet time.
Ere passing on, there is one other point which should be noted in what
has been before us, a point which contains an important lesson for
this superficial age. Let us state it thus: the expenditure of great
earnestness and enthusiasm is no proof of a true and good cause. There
is a large class of shallow-minded people today who conclude that a
display of religious zeal and fervour is a real sign of spirituality,
and that such virtues fully compensate for whatever lack of knowledge
and sound doctrine there may be. "Give me a place," say they, "where
there is plenty of life and warmth even though there be no depth to
the preaching, rather than a sound ministry which is cold and
unattractive." Ah, my reader, all is not gold that glitters. Those
prophets of Baal were full of earnest zeal and fervour, but it was in
a false cause, and brought down nothing from Heaven! Then take warning
therefrom, and be guided by God's Word and not by what appeals to your
emotions or love of excitement.
"And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the
people came near unto him" (v. 30). Clearly evident was it that
nothing could be gained by waiting any longer. The test which had been
proposed by Elijah, which had been approved by the people, and which
had been accepted by the false prophets, had convincingly demonstrated
that Baal could have no claim to be the (true) God. The time had thus
arrived for the servant of Jehovah to act. Remarkable restraint had he
exercised all through those six hours while he had allowed his
opponents to occupy the stage of action, breaking the silence only
once to goad them on to increased endeavor. But now he addressed the
people, bidding them to come near unto himself, that they might the
better observe his actions. They responded at once, no doubt curious
to see that he would do and wondering whether his appeal to Heaven
would be more successful than had been that of the prophets of Baal.
"And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down" (v. 30).
Mark well his first action, which was designed to speak unto the
hearts of those Israelites. Another has pointed out that here on
Carmel Elijah made a threefold appeal unto the people. First, he had
appealed to their consciences, when he asked and then exhorted them:
"How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow
Him: but if Baal, then follow him" (v. 21). Second, he had appealed to
their reason, when he had proposed that trial should be made between
the prophets of Baal and himself that "the god that answereth by fire,
let Him be God" (v. 24). And now, by "repairing the altar of the
Lord," he appealed to their hearts. Therein he has left an admirable
example for the servants of God in every age to follow. The ministers
of Christ should address themselves unto the consciences, the
understandings and the affections of their hearers, for only thus can
the truth be adequately presented, the principal faculties of men's
souls be reached, and a definite decision for the Lord be expected
from them. A balance must be preserved between the Law and the Gospel.
Conscience must be searched, the mind convinced, the affections
warmed, if the will is to be moved unto action. Thus it was with
Elijah on Carmel.
"And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the
people came near unto him." How strong and unwavering was the
prophet's confidence in God. He knew full well what his faith and
prayer had obtained from the Lord, and he had not the slightest fear
that he would now be disappointed and put to confusion. The God of
Elijah never fails any who trust in Him with all their hearts. But the
prophet was determined that this answer by fire should be put beyond
dispute. He therefore invited the closest scrutiny of the people as he
repaired the broken altar of Jehovah. They should be in the nearest
proximity so that they might see for themselves there was no trickery,
no insertion of any secret spark beneath the wood on which the slain
bullock was laid. Truth does not fear the closet investigation. It
does not shun the light, but courts it. It is the evil one and his
emissaries who love darkness and secrecy, and act under the cloak of
mysticism.
"And he repaired the alter of the Lord that was broken down" (v. 30).
There is far more here than meets the eye at first glance. Light is
cast thereon by comparing the language of Elijah in 19:10--"The
children of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, thrown down Thine
altars." According to the Mosaic law there was only one altar upon
which sacrifices might be offered, and that was where the Lord had
fixed His peculiar residence--from the days of Solomon, in Jerusalem.
But before the tabernacle was erected, sacrifices might be offered in
any place, and in the previous dispensation altars were built wherever
the patriarchs sojourned for any length of time, and it is probably
unto them that Elijah alluded in 19:10. This broken altar, then, was a
solemn witness that the people had departed from God. The prophet's
repairing of the same was a rebuking of the people for their sin, a
confession of it on their behalf, and, at the same time, bringing them
back to the place of beginning.
And reader, this is recorded for our instruction: Elijah began by
repairing the broken altar. And that is where we must begin if the
blessing of Heaven is to come again on the churches and on our land.
In many a professing Christian home there is a neglected altar of God.
There was a time when the family gathered together and owned God in
the authority of His Law, in the goodness of His daily providence, in
the love of His redemption and continuing grace, but the sound of
united worship no longer is heard ascending from that home.
Prosperity, worldliness, pleasure, has silenced the accents of
devotion. That altar has fallen down: the dark shadow of sin rests on
that house. And there can be no approach to God while sin is
unconfessed. They who hide sin cannot prosper (Prov. 28:13). Sin must
be confessed before God will respond with holy fire. And sin must be
confessed in deed as well as in word: the altar must be set up again.
The Christian must go back to the place of beginning. (See Gen. 13:
1-4; Rev. 2. 4, 5).
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 17
The Confidence of Faith
_________________________________________________________________
"And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes
of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying,
Israel shall be thy name" ( Kings 18:31). This was striking and
blessed, for it was taking the place of faith against the evidence of
sight. There were present in that assembly only the subjects of Ahab,
and consequently, members of none but the ten tribes. But Elijah took
twelve stones to build the altar with, intimating that he was about to
offer sacrifice in the name of the whole nation (cf. Josh. 4:20; Ezra
6:17). Thereby he testified to their unity, the union existing between
Judah and the ten tribes. The Object of their worship had originally
been one and the same and must be so now. Thus Elijah viewed Israel
from the Divine standpoint. In the mind of God the nation had appeared
before Him as one from all eternity. Outwardly they were now two. But
the prophet ignored that division: he walked not by sight, but by
faith (2 Cor. 5:7). This is what God delights in. Faith is that which
honours Him, and therefore does He ever own and honour faith wherever
it is found. He did so here on Carmel, and He does so today. "Lord,
increase our faith.
And what is the grand truth that was symbolized by this incident? Is
it not obvious? Must we not look beyond the typical and natural Israel
unto the antitypical and spiritual Israel, the Church which is the
Body of Christ? Surely! Then what? This: amid the widespread
dispersion which now obtains--the "children of God" which are
"scattered abroad" (John 11:52)--amid the various denominations, we
must not lose sight of the mystical and essential oneness of all the
people of God. Here too we must walk by faith and not by sight. We
should view things from the divine standpoint: we should contemplate
that Church which Christ loved and for which He gave Himself as it
exists in the eternal purpose and everlasting counsels of the blessed
Trinity. We shall never see the unity of the Bride, the Lamb's wife,
visibly manifested before our outward eyes until we behold her
descending out of Heaven "having the glory of God." But meanwhile it
is both our duty and privilege to enter into God's ideal, to perceive
the spiritual unity of His saints, and to own that unity be receiving
into our affections all who manifest something of the image of Christ.
Such is the truth inculcated by the "twelve stones" used by Elijah.
"And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes
of the sons of Jacob." Let us also take notice how Elijah was
regulated here by the Law of the Lord. God had given express
directions about His altar: "If thou wilt make Me an altar of stone,
thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool
upon it, thou hast polluted it. Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto
Mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon" (Ex. 20: 25,
26). In strict accordance with that Divine statute, Elijah did not
send for stones that had been quarried and polished by human art, but
used rough and unhewn stones which lay upon the mountain side. He took
what God had provided and not what man had made. He acted according to
the Divine pattern furnished him in the Holy Scriptures, for God's
work must be done in the manner and method appointed by God.
This too is written for our learning. Each several act on this
occasion, every detail of Elijah's procedure, needs to be noted and
pondered if we would discover what is required from us if the Lord is
to show Himself strong on our behalf. In connection with His service
God has not left things to our discretion nor to the dictates of
either human wisdom or expediency. He has supplied us with a "pattern"
(compare Heb. 8:5), and He is very jealous of that pattern and
requires us to be ordered by the same. Everything must be done as God
has appointed. The moment we depart from God's pattern, that is, the
moment we fail to act in strict conformity to a "thus saith the Lord,"
we are acting in self-will, and can no longer count upon His blessing.
We must not expect "the fire of God" until we have fully met His
requirements.
In view of what has just been pointed out, need we have any difficulty
in discovering why the blessing of God has departed from the churches,
why His miracle-working power is no longer seen working in their
midst? It is because there has been such woeful departure from His
"pattern," because so many innovations have come in, because they have
employed carnal weapons in their spiritual warfare, because they have
wickedly brought in worldly means and methods. In consequence, the
Holy Spirit is grieved and quenched. Not only must the occupant of the
pulpit heed the Divine injunction and preach "the preaching that I bid
thee" (Jonah 3.2), but the whole service, discipline and life of the
church must be regulated by the directions God has given. The path of
obedience is the path of spiritual prosperity and blessing, but the
way of self-will and self-seeking is one of impotency and disaster.
"And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord: and he
made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures
of seed" (v. 32). Ah, take note of that: "He built and altar in the
name of the Lord": that is, by His authority, for His glory. And thus
should it ever be with us: "Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all
in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Col. 3.17). This is one of the basic
rules for the governance of all our actions. O what a difference it
would make if professing Christians were regulated thereby. How many
difficulties would be removed and how many problems solved. The young
believer often wonders whether this or that practice is right or
wrong. Let it be brought in this touchstone: Can I ask God's blessing
upon it? Can I do it in the name of the Lord? If not, then it is
sinful. Alas, how much in Christendom is now being done under the Holy
Name of Christ which He has never authorized, which is grievously
dishonoring to Him, which is a stench in His nostrils. "Let everyone
that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity" (2 Tim. 2:19).
"And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid
him on the wood" (v. 33). And here again observe how strictly Elijah
kept to the "pattern" furnished him in the Scriptures. Through Moses
the Lord had given orders in connection with the burnt offering that,
"he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces. And the
sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the
wood in order upon the fire: and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall lay
the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood" (Lev.
1:6-8). Those details in the conduct of Elijah are the more noteworthy
because of what is recorded of the prophets of Baal on this occasion:
nothing is said of their "putting the wood in order" or of "cutting
the bullock in pieces and laying him on the wood," but merely that
they "dressed it and called on the name of Baal" (v. 26). Ah, it is in
these "little things" as men term them, that we see the difference
between the true and false servants of God.
"And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid
him on the wood," And is there not here also important instruction for
us? The work of the Lord is not to be performed carelessly and
hurriedly, but with great precision and reverence. Think of whose
service we are engaged in if we be the ministers of Christ. Is He not
richly entitled to our best? How we need to "study to show ourselves
approved unto God" if we are to be "workmen that needeth not to be
ashamed" (2 Tim. 2:15). What a fearful word is that in Jeremiah 48:10
[margin]: "Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord negligently":
then let us seek grace to heed this malediction in the preparing of
our sermons (or articles) or whatsoever we undertake in the name of
our Master. Searching indeed is that declaration of Christ's, "He that
is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much" (Luke
16:10). Not only is the glory of God immediately concerned, but the
everlasting weal or woe of immortal souls is involved when we engage
in the work of the Lord.
"And he made a trench . . . and said, Fill four barrels with water,
and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. And he said, Do
it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do
it the third time. And they did it the third time. And the water ran
round about the alter; and he filled the trench also with water" (vv.
32-35). How calm and dignified was his manner! There was no haste, no
confusion: everything was done "decently and in order." He did not
labour under the fear of failure, but was certain of the outcome. Some
have wondered where so much water could be obtained after three years"
drought, but it must be remembered that the sea was near by, and
doubtless it was from it the water was brought--twelve barrels in all,
again corresponding to the number of Israel's tribes!
Ere passing on, let us pause and behold here the strength of the
prophet's faith in the power and goodness of his God. The pouring of
so much water upon the altar, the flooding of the offering and the
wood beneath it, would make it appear utterly impracticable and
unlikely for any fire to consume it. Elijah was determined that the
Divine interposition should be the more convincing and illustrious. He
was so sure of God that he feared not to heap difficulties in His way,
knowing that there can be no difficulty unto One who is omniscient and
omnipotent. The more unlikely the answer was, the more glorified
therein would be his Master. O wondrous faith which can laugh at
impossibilities, which can even increase them so as to have the joy of
seeing God vanquish them! It is the bold and venturesome faith which
He delights to honour. Alas, how little of this we now behold. Truly
this is a day of "small things." Yea, it is a day when unbelief
abounds. Unbelief is appalled by difficulties, and schemes to remove
them, as though God needed any help from us!
"And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening
sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near" (v. 36). By waiting
until the hour when "the evening sacrifice" was offered (in the
temple), Elijah acknowledged his fellowship with the worshippers at
Jerusalem. And is there not a lesson in this for many of the Lord's
people in this dark day? Living in isolated places, cut off from the
means of grace, yet they should recall the hour of the weekly
preaching-service, and the prayer-meeting, and at the same hour draw
near unto the Throne of Grace and mingle their petitions with those of
their brethren away yonder in the church of their youth. It is our
holy privilege to have and maintain spiritual communion with saints
when bodily contact with them is no longer possible. So, too, may the
sick and the aged, though deprived of public ordinances, thus join the
general chorus of praise and thanksgiving. Especially should we attend
to this duty and enjoy this privilege during the hours of the Lord's
Day.
"And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening
sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near." But something else,
something deeper, something more precious was denoted by Elijah's
waiting until that particular time. That "evening sacrifice" which was
offered every day in the temple at Jerusalem, three hours before
sunset, pointed forward to the antitypical burnt offering, which was
to be slain when the fulness of time should come. Relying on that
great sacrifice for the sins of God's people which the Messiah would
offer at His appearing on earth, his servant now took his place by an
altar which pointed forward to the Cross. Elijah, as well as Moses,
had an intense interest in that great sacrifice, as was clear from the
fact that they "spake of His decease which He should accomplish at
Jerusalem" when they appeared and talked with Christ on the mount of
transfiguration (Luke 9.30, 31). It was his faith depending upon, not
the blood of a bullock, but the blood of Christ, that Elijah now
presented his petitions unto God.
"And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening
sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near": that is, unto the altar
which he had built and on which he had laid the sacrifice. Yea, "came
near," though expecting an answer by fire! yet not in the least
afraid. Again we say, what holy confidence in God! Elijah was fully
assured that the One whom he served, whom he was now honoring, would
not hurt him. Ah, his long sojourn at the brook Cherith and the
lengthy days spent in his upper room in the widow's house at Zarephath
had not been wasted. He had improved the time by spending it in the
secret place of the Most High, abiding under the shadow of the
Almighty, and there he had learned precious lessons which none of the
schools of men can impart. Fellow minister, suffer us to point out
that power from God in public ordinances can only be acquired by
drawing upon the power of God in private. Holy boldness before the
people must be obtained by prostration of soul at the footstool of
mercy in the secret place.
"And said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel" (v. 36). This
was far more than a reference to the ancestors of his people or the
founders of his nation. It was something more than either a patriotic
or sentimental utterance. It gave further evidence of the strength of
his faith and made manifest the ground upon which it rested. It was
the owning of Jehovah as the covenant God of His people, and who as
such had promised never to forsake them. The Lord had entered into
solemn covenant with Abraham (Gen. 17:7, 8), which he had renewed with
Isaac and Jacob. To that covenant the Lord made reference when He
appeared unto Moses at the burning bush (Ex. 3:6 and cf. 2:24). When
Israel was oppressed by the Syrians in the days of Jehoahaz we are
told that, "The Lord was gracious unto them, and had compassion upon
them, and had respect unto them, because of His covenant with Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob" (2 Kings 13:23). Elijah's acting faith on the
covenant in the hearing of the people reminded them of the foundation
of their hope and blessing. O what a difference it makes when we are
able to plead "the blood of the everlasting covenant" (Heb. 13:20).
"Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day
that Thou are God in Israel" (v. 36). This was Elijah's first
petition, and mark well the nature of it, for it makes clearly
manifest his own character. The heart of the prophet was filled with a
burning zeal for the glory of God. He could not bear to think of those
wrecked altars and martyred prophets. He could not tolerate the land
being defiled with the God-insulting and soul-destroying idolatry of
the heathen. It was not himself that he cared about, but the horrible
fact that the people of Israel were entertaining the idea that the God
of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had abdicated in favour of Baal. His
spirit was stirred to its depths as he contemplated how blatantly and
grievously Jehovah was dishonored. O that we were more deeply moved by
the languishing state of Christ's cause upon earth today, by the
inroads of the enemy and the awful desolation he has wrought in Zion!
alas that a spirit of indifference, or at least of fatalistic
stoicism, is freezing so many of us.
The chief burden of Elijah's prayer was that God should vindicate
Himself that day, that He would make known His mighty power, that He
would turn the people's heart back unto Himself. It is only when we
can look beyond personal interests and plead for the glory of God that
we reach the place where He will not deny us. Alas, we are so anxious
about the success of our work, the prosperity of our church or
denomination, that we lose sight of the infinitely more wonderful
matter of the vindication and honour of our Master. Is it any wonder
that our circle enjoys so little of God's blessing? Our blessed
Redeemer has set us a better example: "I seek not Mine own glory"
(John 8: 50), declared that One who was "meek and lowly in heart."
"Father, glorify Thy name" (John 12:28), was the controlling desire of
His heart. When longing for His disciples to bear fruit, it was that
"herein is My Father glorified" (John 15:8). "I have glorified Thee on
the earth" (John 17:4), said the Son at the completion of His mission.
And now He declares, "whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I
do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son" (John 14:13).
"Let it be known this day that Thou art God in Israel, and that I am
Thy servant," How blessed to behold this man, by whose word the
windows of heaven were closed, at whose prayers the dead was restored
to life, before whom even the king quailed--how blessed, we say, to
see him taking such a place before God. "Let it be known . . . that I
am thy servant." It was the subordinate place, the lowly place, the
place where he was under orders. A "servant" is one whose will is
entirely surrendered to another, whose personal interests are
completely subservient to those of his master, whose desire and joy it
is to please and honour the one who employs him. And this was the
attitude and habitude of Elijah: he was completely yielded unto God,
seeking His glory and not his own. "Christian service" is not doing
something for Christ, it is doing those things which He has appointed
and assigned us.
Fellow ministers, is this our character? Are our wills so surrendered
to God that we can truly say, "I am Thy servant?" But note another
thing here. "Let it be known that . . . I am Thy servant": own me as
much by the manifestation of Thy power. It is not enough that the
minister of the Gospel be God's servant, it must be made manifest that
he is such. How? by his separation from the world, by his devotedness
to his Master, by his love for and care of souls, by his untiring
labours, his self-denial and self-sacrifice, by spending himself and
being spent in ministering to others; and, by the Lord's seal on his
ministry. "By their fruits ye shall know them": by the holiness of
their character and conduct, by the working of God's Spirit in and
through them, by the walk of those who sit under their ministry. How
we need to pray, "let it be known that I am The servant.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 18
Effectual Prayer
_________________________________________________________________
At the close of our last chapter we were occupied with the prayer
offered by Elijah on Mount Carmel. This supplication of the prophet
requires to be examined attentively, for it was a prevalent one,
securing a miraculous answer. There are two chief reasons why so many
of the prayers of God's people are unavailing: first, because they
fail to meet the requirements of acceptable prayer; second, because
their supplications are unscriptural, not patterned after the prayers
recorded in Holy Writ. It would take us too far afield to enter into
full detail as to what requirements we must meet and what conditions
have to be fulfilled by us in order to obtain the ear of God, so that
He will show Himself strong on our behalf; yet we feel this is a
suitable place to say something on this highly important and most
practical subject, and at least mention some of the principal
requirements for success at the throne of grace.
Prayer is one of the outstanding privileges of the Christian life. It
is the appointed means for experimental access to God, for the soul to
draw nigh unto its Maker, for the Christian to have spiritual
communion with his Redeemer. It is the channel through which we are to
seek all needed supplies of spiritual grace and temporal mercies. It
is the avenue through which we are to make known our need unto the
Most High and look for Him to minister to the same. It is the channel
through which faith ascends to Heaven and in response thereto miracle
descends to earth. But if that channel be choked, those supplies are
withheld; if faith be dormant, miracles do not take place. Of old, God
had to say of His people, "Your iniquities have separated between you
and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will
not hear" (Isa. 59:2). And is it any different today? Again He
declared, "Your sins have withholden good things from you" (Jer.
5:25). And is not this the case with most of us now? Have we not
occasion to acknowledge, "We have transgressed and have rebelled: Thou
hast not pardoned. Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our
prayer should not pass through" (Lam. 3:42, 44). Sad, sad, indeed when
such be the case.
If the professing Christian supposes that, no matter what the
character of his walk may be, he has but to plead the name of Christ
and his petitions are assured of an answer, he is sadly deluded. God
is ineffably holy, and His Word expressly declares, "If I regard
iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me" (Ps. 66:18). It is
not sufficient to believe in Christ, or plead His name, in order to
ensure answers to prayer: there must be practical subjection to and
daily fellowship with Him: "If ye abide in Me and My words abide in
you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you" (John
15:7). It is not sufficient to be a child of God and call upon our
heavenly Father: there must be an ordering of our lives according to
His revealed will: "Whatsoever we ask we receive of Him, because we
keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His
sight" (1 John 3:22). It is not sufficient to come boldly unto the
throne of grace: we must "draw near with a true heart in full
assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water" (Heb. 10:22)--that
which defiles being removed by the cleansing precepts of the Word (see
Ps. 119:9).
Apply the principles briefly alluded to above and mark how those
requirements were met and those conditions fulfilled in the case of
Elijah. He had walked in strict separation from the evil which
abounded in Israel, refusing to compromise or have any fellowship with
the unfruitful works of darkness. In a day of spiritual degeneracy and
apostasy he had maintained personal communion with the Holy One, as
his "The Lord God of Israel . . . before whom I stand, (1 Kings 17:1),
clearly attested. He walked in practical subjection to God, as his
refusing to move until the "word of the Lord came unto him" (17:8),
bore definite witness. His life was ordered by the revealed will of
his Master, as was manifested by his obedience to the Divine command
to dwell with a widow woman in Zarephath. He shrank not from
discharging the most unpleasant duties, as was plain from his prompt
compliance with the Divine order, "Go, show thyself to Ahab" (18:1).
And such a one had the ear of God, had power with God.
Now, if what has just been pointed out serves to explain the
prevalency of Elijah's intercession, does it not (alas) also furnish
the reason why so many of us have not the ear of God, have not power
with Him in prayer? It is "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous
man" which "availeth much" with God (Jas. 5:16), and that signifies
something more than a man to whom the righteousness of Christ has been
imputed. Let it be duly notes that this statement occurs not in Romans
(where the legal benefits of the atonement are chiefly in view), but
in James, where the practical and experimental side of the Gospel is
unfolded. The "righteous man" in James 5:16 (as also throughout the
book of Proverbs, and likewise the "just") is one who is right with
God practically in his daily life, whose ways, "please the Lord." If
we walk not in separation from the world, if we deny not self, strive
not against sin, mortify not our lusts, but gratify our carnal nature,
is there any wonder that our prayer-life is cold and formal and our
petitions unanswered?
In examining the prayer of Elijah on Mount Carmel we have see that,"
first, at the time of the evening sacrifice "the prophet came near":
that is, unto the altar on which the slain bullock lay: "came near,"
though expecting an answer by fire! There we behold his holy
confidence in God, and are shown the foundation on which his
confidence rested, namely, an atoning sacrifice. Second, we have heard
him addressing Jehovah as the covenant God of His people: "Lord God of
Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel." Third, we have pondered his first
petition: "Let it be known this day that Thou art God in Israel," that
is, that He would vindicate his honour and glorify His own great name.
The heart of the prophet was filled with a burning zeal for the living
God and he could not endure the sight of the land being filled with
idolatry. Fourth, "and that I am Thy servant," whose will is entirely
surrendered to Thee, whose interests are wholly subordinated to Thine.
Own me as such by a display of Thy mighty power.
These are the elements, dear reader, which enter into the prayer which
is acceptable to God and which meets with a response from Him. There
must be more than going through the motions of devotion: there must be
an actual drawing near of the soul unto the living God, and for that,
there must be a putting away and forsaking of all that is offensive to
Him. It is sin which alienates the heart from Him, which keeps the
conscience at a guilty distance from Him; and that sin must needs be
repented of and confessed if access is to be ours again. What we are
now inculcating is not legalistic; we are insisting upon the claims of
Divine holiness. Christ has not died in order to purchase for His
people an indulgence for them to live in sin: rather did He shed His
precious blood to redeem them from all iniquity and "purify unto
Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works" (Titus 2:14), and
just so far as they neglect those good works will they fail to enter
experimentally into the benefits of His redemption.
But in order for an erring and sinful creature to draw near the thrice
Holy One with any measure of humble confidence, he must know something
of the relation which he sustains unto Him, not by nature but by
grace. It is the blessed privilege of the believer--no matter how
great a failure he feels himself to be (provided he is sincere in
mourning his failures and honest in his endeavors to please his
Lord)-- to remind himself that he is approaching One in covenant
relationship with him, yea, to plead that covenant before Him.
David--despite all his falls--acknowledged "He hath made with me an
everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure" (2 Sam. 23:5),
and so may the reader if he grieves over sins as David did, confesses
them as contritely, and has the same pantings of heart after holiness.
It makes a world of difference in our praying when we can "take hold
of God's covenant," assured of our personal interest in it. When we
plead the fulfillment of covenant promises (Jer. 32:40, 41; Heb.
10:16, 17), for example, we present a reason God will not reject, for
He cannot deny Himself.
Still another thing is essential if our prayers are to meet with the
Divine approval: the motive prompting them and the petition itself
must alike be right. It is at this point so many fail: as it is
written, "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may
consume it upon your lusts" (Jas. 4:3). Not so was it with Elijah: it
was not his own advancement or aggrandizement he sought, but the
magnifying of his Master, and vindication of His holiness, which had
been so dishonored by His people's turning aside to Baal worship. We
all need to test ourselves here: if the motive behind our praying
proceeds from nothing higher than self, we must expect to be denied.
Only when we truly as for that which will promote God's glory, do we
ask aright. "This is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we
ask anything according to His will, He heareth us" (1 John 5:14), and
we ask "according to His will" when we make request for what will
bring honour and praise to the Giver. Alas, how carnal much of our
"praying is!
Finally, if our prayers are to be acceptable to God they must issue
from those who can truthfully declare, "I am Thy servant"--one
submissive to the authority of another, one who takes the place of
subordination, one who is under the orders of his master, one who has
no will of his own, one whose constant aim is to please his master and
promote his interests. And surely the Christian will make no demur
against this. Is not this the very place into which his illustrious
Redeemer entered? Did not the Lord of glory take upon Him "the form of
a servant" (Phil. 2:7), and conduct Himself as such all the days of
His flesh? If we maintain our servant character when we approach the
throne of grace we shall be preserved from the blatant irreverence
which characterizes not a little so-called "praying" of today. In
place of making demands or speaking to God as though we were His
equals, we shall humbly present our "requests." And what are the main
things a "servant" desires? A knowledge of what his master requires,
and needed supplies so that his orders may be carried out.
"And that I have done all these things at Thy word" (1 Kings 18:36).
"And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening
sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of
Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that Thou art
God in Israel, and that I have done all these things at Thy word."
This was advanced by the prophet as an additional; plea: that God
would send down fire from heaven in answer to his supplications, as an
attestation of his fidelity to his Master's will. It was in response
to Divine orders that the prophet had restrained rain from the earth,
had now convened Israel and the false prophets together, and had
suggested an open trail or contest, that by a visible sign from heaven
it might be known who was the true God. All this he had done not of
himself, but by direction from above. It adds great force to our
petitions when we are able to plead before God our faithfulness to His
commands. Said David to the Lord, "Remove from me reproach and
contempt; for I have kept Thy testimonies," and again, "I have stuck
unto Thy testimonies: O Lord, put me not to shame" (Ps. 119:22, 31).
For a servant to act without orders from his master is self-will and
presumption.
God's commands "are not grievous" (to those whose wills are
surrendered to Him), and "in keeping of them there is great reward"!
(Ps. 19:11)--in this life as well as in the next, as every obedient
soul discovers for himself. The Lord has declared, "them that honour
Me, I will honour" (1 Sam. 2:30), and He is faithful in making good
His promises. The way to honour Him is to walk in His precepts. This
is what Elijah had done, and now he counted upon Jehovah honoring him
by granting this petition. When the servant of God has the testimony
of a good conscience and the witness of the Spirit that he is acting
according to the Divine will, he may rightly feel himself to be
invincible--that men, circumstances, and Satanic opposition, are of no
more account than the chaff of the summer threshing-floor. God's Word
shall not return unto Him void: His purpose shall be accomplished
though heaven and earth pass away. This, too, was what filled Elijah
with calm assurance in that crucial hour. God would not mock one who
had been true to Him.
"Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that Thou art the
Lord God" (v. 37). How those words breathed forth the intensity and
vehemency of the prophet's zeal for the Lord of hosts. No mere formal
lip service was this, but real supplication, fervent supplication.
This repetition intimates how truly and how deeply Elijah's heart was
burdened. He could not endure the dishonor done to his Master on every
side: he yearned to see Him vindicate himself. "Hear me, O Lord, hear
me," was the earnest cry of a pent-up soul. How his zeal and intensity
puts to shame the coldness of our prayers! It is only the genuine cry
of a burdened heart that reaches the ear of God. It is "the effectual
fervent prayer of a righteous man" that "availeth much." Oh, what need
we have to seek the aid of the Holy Spirit, for He alone can inspire
real prayer within us.
"That this people may know that Thou art the Lord God." Here was the
supreme longing of Elijah's soul: that it might be openly and
incontrovertibly demonstrated that Jehovah, and not Baal or any idol,
was the true God. That which dominated the prophet's heart was a
yearning that God would be glorified. And is it not thus with all His
genuine servants? They are willing to endure any hardships, glad to
spend themselves and be spent, if so be that their Lord is magnified.
"For I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for
the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 21:13): how many since the apostle
have actually died in His service and for the praise of His holy name!
Such, too, is the deepest and most constant desire of each Christian
who is not in a backslidden condition: all his petitions issued from
and center in this--that God may be glorified. They have, in their
measure, drunk of the spirit of their Redeemer: "Father, glorify thy
son, that Thy son also may glorify Thee" (John 17:1): when such is the
motive behind our petition it is certain of an answer.
"And that Thou hast turned their heart back again" (v. 37)--back from
wandering after forbidden objects unto Thyself, back from Baal to the
service and worship of the true and living God. Next to the glory of
his Master, the deliverance of Israel from the deceits of Satan was
the deepest longing of Elijah's heart. He was no selfish and
self-centered individual who was indifferent to the fate of his
fellows: rather was he anxious that they should have for their portion
and supreme good that which so fully satisfied his own soul. And again
we say, is not the same thing true of all genuine servants and saints
of God? Next to the glory of their Lord, that which lies nearest their
hearts and forms the constant subject of their prayers is the
salvation of sinners that they may be turned from their evil and
foolish ways unto God. Note well the two words we place in italics:
"that Thou hast turned their hearts back again"--nothing short of the
heart being turned unto God will avail anything for eternity, and
nothing short of God's putting forth His mighty power can effect this
change.
Having considered in detail and at some length each petition in
Elijah's prevailing prayer, let us call attention to one other feature
which marked it, and that is its noticeable brevity. It occupies but
two verses in our Bibles and contains only sixty-three words in the
English translation: still fewer in the original Hebrew. What a
contrast is this from the long-drawn-out and wearisome prayers in many
pulpits today! "Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be
hasty to utter anything before God: for God is in heaven, and thou
upon earth: therefore let thy words be few" (Eccl. 5:2). Such a verse
as this appears to have no weight with the majority of ministers. One
of the marks of the scribes and Pharisees was, that they "for a
pretense (to impress the people with their piety) make long prayers"
(Mark 12:40). We would not overlook the fact that when the Spirit's
unction is enjoyed, the servant of Christ may be granted much liberty
to pour out his heart at length, yet his is the exception rather than
the rule, as God's Word clearly proves.
One of the many evils engendered by lengthy prayers in the pulpit is
the discouraging of simple souls in the pew: they are apt to conclude
that if their private devotions are not sustained at length, then the
Lord must be withholding from them the spirit of prayer. If any of our
readers be distressed because of this, we would ask them to make a
study of the prayers recorded in Holy Writ--in Old and New Testaments
alike--and they will find that almost all of them are exceedingly
short ones. The prayers which brought such remarkable responses from
Heaven were like this one of Elijah's: brief and to the point, fervent
but definite. No soul is heard because of the multitude of his words,
but only when his petitions come from the heart, are prompted by a
longing for God's glory, and are presented in childlike faith. The
Lord mercifully preserve us from hypocrisy and formality, and make us
feel our deep need of crying to Him, "Teach us ( not how to, but) to
pray."
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The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 19
The Answer by Fire
_________________________________________________________________
In our last chapter we sought to make practical application unto
ourselves of the prayer that was offered unto God by Elijah upon Mount
Carmel. It has been recorded for our learning (Rom. 15:4), and
encouragement, and many valuable lessons are contained therein, if
only we have hearts to receive them. With rare exceptions the modern
pulpit furnishes little or no help on this important matter, rather is
it a stumbling block to those desirous of knowing the way of the Lord
more perfectly. If young Christians are anxious to discover the
secrets of acceptable and effectual prayer, they must not be guided by
what they now hear and see going on in the religious world: instead,
they must turn to that Divine revelation which God has graciously
designed as a lamp unto their feet and a light unto their path. If
they humbly seek instruction from God's Word and trustfully count upon
His Holy Spirit's aid, they will be delivered from that anomaly which
is now called prayer.
On the one hand, we need to be delivered from a cold, mechanical and
formal type of praying which is merely a lip service, in which there
is no actual approach unto the Lord, no delighting of ourselves in
Him, no pouring out of the heart before Him. On the other hand, we
need to be preserved from that unseemly, wild and fanatical frenzy
which in some quarters is mistaken for spiritual warmth and
earnestness. There are some who too much resemble the worshippers of
Baal when they pray, addressing God as though He were deaf. They seem
to regard excitement of their animal spirits and violent contortions
of body as the essence of supplication, and despise those who speak
unto God in a calm and composed, meet and orderly manner. Such
irreverent frenzy is even worse than formality. Noise is not to be
mistaken for fervour, nor raving for devotion. "Be ye therefore sober,
and watch unto prayer" (1 Pet. 4:7), is the Divine corrective for this
evil.
Now we turn to and consider the remarkable sequel to the beautiful but
simple prayer of Elijah. And again we would say to the reader, let us
attempt to visualize the scene, and as far as we can, take our place
on Carmel. Cast your eye over the vast concourse of people there
assembled. View the large company of the now exhausted and defeated
priests of Baal. Then seek to catch the closing words of the
Tishbite's prayer: "Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may
know that Thou art the Lord God, and that Thou hast turned their heart
back again" (1 Kings 18:37). What an awful moment follows! What
intense eagerness on the part of the assembled multitude to behold the
issue! What breathless silence must there have been! What shall be the
outcome? Will the servant of Jehovah be baffled as had been the
prophets of Baal? If no answer follow, if no fire come down from
Heaven, then the Lord is no more entitled to be regarded as God than
Baal. Then all that Elijah had done, all his testimony to his Master
being the only true and living God, would be looked upon as a
delusion. Solemn, intensely solemn moment!
But the short prayer of Elijah had scarcely ended when we are told,
"Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and
the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that
was in the trench" (v. 38). By that fire the Lord avouched Himself to
be the only true God, and by it He bore witness to the fact that
Elijah was His prophet and Israel His people. Oh, the amazing
condescension of the Most High in repeatedly making demonstration of
the most evident truths concerning His being, perfections, the Divine
authority of His Word, and the nature of His worship. Nothing is more
wonderful than this, unless it be the perverseness of men who reject
such repeated demonstrations. How gracious of God to furnish such
proofs and make all doubting utterly unreasonable and excuseless!
Those who receive the teachings of Holy Writ without a question are
not credulous fools, for so far from following cunningly devised
fables, they accept the unimpeachable testimony of those who were the
eye-witnesses of the most stupendous miracles. The Christian's faith
rests upon a foundation that need not fear the closet investigation.
"Then the fire of the Lord fell." That this was no ordinary but rather
supernatural fire was plainly evident from the effects of it. It
descended from above. Then it consumed the pieces of the sacrifice,
and then the wood on which they had been laid--this order making it
clear that it was not by means of the wood the flesh of the bullock
was burnt. Even the twelve stones of the altar were consumed, to make
it further manifest this was no common fire. As though that were not
sufficient attestation of the extraordinary nature of this fire, it
consumed "the dust and licked up the water that was in the trench,"
thus making it quite obvious that this was a fire whose agency nothing
could resist. In each instance the action of this fire was downwards,
which is contrary to the nature of all earthly fire. No trickery was
at work here, but a supernatural power that removed every ground of
suspicion in the spectators, leaving them face to face with the might
and majesty of Him they had so grievously slighted.
"Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice."
Exceedingly blessed, yet unspeakably solemn was this. First, this
remarkable incident should encourage weak Christians to put their
trust in God, to go forth in His strength to meet the gravest dangers,
to face the fiercest enemies, and to undertake the most arduous and
hazardous tasks to which He may call them. If our confidence be fully
placed in the Lord Himself, he will not fail us. He will stand by us,
though no others do; He will deliver us out of the hands of those who
seek our hurt; He will put to confusion those who set themselves
against us; and He will honour us in the sight of those who have
slandered or reproached us. Look not on the frowning faces of
worldlings, O trembling believer, but fix the eye of faith upon Him
who has all power in heaven and in earth. Be not discouraged because
you meet with so few who are like-minded, but console yourself with
the grand fact that if God be for us it matters not who is against us.
How this incident should cheer and strengthen the tried servants of
God! Satan may be telling you that compromise is the only wise and
safe policy in such a degenerate day as this. He may be moving you to
ask yourself the question, What is to become of me and my family if I
preserve in preaching what is so unpopular? Then recall the case of
the apostle, and how he was supported by the Lord in the most trying
circumstances. Referring to his being called upon by that monster Nero
to vindicate his conduct as a servant of Christ, he says, "At my first
answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that
is may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding, the Lord stood
with me, and strengthened me: that by me the preaching might be fully
known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out
of the mouth of the lion. and the Lord shall deliver me from every
evil work, and will preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom: to whom be
glory for ever and ever. Amen" (2 Tim. 4:16-18). And the Lord has not
changed! Put yourself unreservedly in His hands, seek only His glory,
and He will not fail you. Trust Him fully as to the outcome, and he
will not put you to confusion, as this writer has fully proved.
How blessedly this incident exemplifies the power of faith and the
efficacy of prayer. We have already said quite a little upon the
prayer offered by Elijah on this momentous occasion, but let us call
attention to one other essential feature that marked it, and which
must mark our prayers if they are to call down responses from Heaven.
"According to your faith be it unto you" (Matthew 9:29), is one of the
principles which regulates God's dealings with us. "If thou canst
believe, all things are possible to him that believeth" (Mark 9:23).
Why? Because faith has to do directly with God: it brings Him into the
scene, it puts Him upon His faithfulness, laying hold of His promises
and saying, "Do as Thou hast said" (2 Sam. 7:25). If you want to see
some of the marvels and miracles which faith can bring to pass, read
slowly through Hebrews 11.
And prayer is the principal channel through which faith is to operate.
To pray without faith is to insult and mock God. It is written, "The
prayer of faith shall save the sick" (Jas. 5:15). But what is it to
pray in faith? It is for the mind to be regulated and the heart to be
affected by what God has said to us: it is a laying hold of His Word
and then counting upon Him to fulfill His promises. This is what
Elijah had done, as is plain from his "I have done all these things at
Thy word" (v. 36). Some of those things appeared utterly contrary to
carnal reason--such as his venturing into the presence of the man who
sought his life and ordering him to convene a vast assembly on Carmel,
his pitting himself against the hundreds of false prophets, his
pouring water on the sacrifice and the wood; nevertheless, he acted on
God's Word and trusted Him as to the outcome. Nor did God put him to
confusion: He honored his faith and answered his prayer.
Once again we would remind the reader: this incident is recorded for
our learning and for our encouragement. The Lord God is the same today
as He was then--ready to show Himself strong on the behalf of those
who walk as Elijah and trust Him as he did. Are you faced with some
difficult situation, some pressing emergency, some sore trial? Then
place it not between yourself and God, but rather put God between it
and you. Meditate afresh on His wondrous perfections and infinite
sufficiency; ponder His precious promises which exactly suit your
case; beg the Holy Spirit to strengthen your faith and call it into
action. So too with God's servants: if they are to accomplish great
things in the name of their Master, if they are to put to confusion
His enemies and gain the victory over those who oppose, if they are to
be instrumental in turning the hearts of men back to God, then they
must look to Him to work in and by them, they must rely on His
almighty power both to protect and carry them fully through the
discharge of arduous duties. They must have a single eye to God's
glory in what they undertake, and give themselves to believing and
fervent prayer.
"Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice." As
we have said above, this was not only exceedingly blessed, but also
unspeakably solemn. This will be the more evident if we call to mind
those awful words: "our God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:19). How
rarely is this text quoted, and more rarely still is it preached upon!
The pulpit often declares that "God is love," but maintains a guilty
silence upon the equally true fact that He is "a consuming fire." God
is ineffably holy, and therefore does His pure nature burn against
sin. God is inexorably righteous, and therefore He will visit upon
every transgression and disobedience "a just recompense of reward"
(Heb. 2:2). "Fools make a mock at sin" (Prov. 14:9), but they shall
yet discover that they cannot mock God with impunity. They may defy
His authority and trample upon His laws in this life, but in the next
they shall curse themselves for their madness. In this world God deals
mercifully and patiently with His enemies, but in the world to come
they shall find out to their eternal undoing that He is "a consuming
fire."
There upon Mount Carmel God made public demonstration of the solemn
fact that He is "a consuming fire." For years past He had been
grievously dishonored, His worship being supplanted by that of Baal;
but here before the assembled multitude He vindicated His holiness.
That fire which descended from heaven in response to the earnest
supplication of Elijah was a Divine judgment: it was the execution of
the sentence of God's outraged Law. God has sworn that "the soul that
sinneth it shall die," and He will not belie Himself. Sin's wages must
be paid, either to the sinner himself or to an innocent substitute,
which takes his place and endures his penalty. Side by side with the
moral law there was the ceremonial law given unto Israel, in which
provision was made whereby mercy could be shown the transgressor and
yet at the same time the claims of divine justice be satisfied. An
animal, without spot or blemish, was slain in the sinner's stead. Thus
it was here on Carmel: "The fire of the Lord fell and consumed the
burnt sacrifice," and so the idolatrous Israelites were spared.
O what a wondrous and marvelous scene is presented to us here on Mount
Carmel! A holy God must deal with all sin by the fire of His judgment.
And here was a guilty nation steeped in evil which God must judge.
Must then the fire of the Lord fall immediately upon and consume that
disobedient and guilty people? Was no escape possible? Yea, blessed be
God, it was. An innocent victim was provided, a sacrifice to represent
that sin-laden nation. On it the fire fell, consuming it, and the
people were spared. What a marvelous foreshadowing was that of what
took place almost a thousand years later upon another mount, even
Calvary. There the Lamb of God substituted himself in the place of His
guilty people, bearing their sins in His own body on the tree (1 Pet.
2.24). There the Lord Jesus Christ suffered, the Just for the unjust,
that He might bring them to God. There He was made a curse (Gal.
3:13), that eternal blessing might be their portion. There "the fire
of the Lord" fell upon His sacred head, and so intense was its heat,
He cried "I thirst."
"And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they
said, The Lord, He is the God; the Lord, He is the God," (v. 39).
"They could no longer doubt the existence and the omnipotence of
Jehovah. There could be no deception as to the reality of the miracle:
they saw with their own eyes the fire come down from heaven and
consume the sacrifice. And whether they had respect to the greatness
of the miracle itself, or to the fact of its having been foretold by
Elijah and wrought for a special purpose; or whether they contemplated
the occasion as being one worthy of the extraordinary interposition of
the supreme Being, viz., to recover His people who had been seduced
into apostasy by the influence of those who were in authority, and to
prove himself to be the God of their fathers; all these things
combined to demonstrate its divine Author and to establish the
commission of Elijah" (John Simpson).
"And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they
said, "The Lord, He is the God." The Lord is known by His ways and
works: He is described as "glorious in holiness, fearful in praises,
doing wonders." Thus the controversy was settled between Jehovah and
Baal. But the children of Israel soon forgot what they had seen and--
like their fathers who had witnessed the plagues upon Egypt and the
overthrow of Pharaoh and his hosts in the Red Sea--they soon relapsed
into idolatry. Awful displays of the Divine justice may terrify and
convince the sinner, may extort confessions and resolutions, and even
dispose to many acts of obedience, while the impression lasts: but
something more is needed to change his heart and convert his soul. The
miracles wrought by Christ left the Jewish nation still opposed to the
truth: there must be a supernatural work within him for man to be born
again.
"And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of
them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the
brook Kishon, and slew them there" (v. 40). Very solemn is this:
Elijah had not prayed for the false prophets (but for "this people"),
and the sacrificed bullock availed not for them. So too with the
atonement: Christ died for His people, "the Israel of God," and shed
not His blood for reprobates. God has caused this blessed truth--now
almost universally denied--to be illustrated in the types as well as
expressed definitely in the doctrinal portions of His Word. The
paschal lamb was appointed for and gave shelter to the Hebrews, but
none was provided for the Egyptians! And, my reader, unless your name
is written in the Lamb's book of life there is not the slightest ray
of hope for you.
There are those actuated by false notions of liberality, who condemn
Elijah for his slaying of Baal's prophets, but they err greatly, being
ignorant of the character of God and the teachings of his Word. False
prophets and false priests are the greatest enemies a nation can have,
for they bring both temporal and spiritual evils upon it, destroying
not only the bodies but the souls of men. To have permitted those
prophets of Baal an escape would have licensed them as the agents of
apostasy, and exposed Israel to further corruption. It must be
remembered that the nation of Israel was under the direct government
of Jehovah, and to tolerate in their midst those who seduced His
people into idolatry, was to harbor men who were guilty of high
treason against the majesty of heaven. Only by their destruction could
the insult to Jehovah be avenged and His holiness vindicated.
Degenerate times call for witnesses who have in view the glory of God
and are not swayed by sentimentality, who are uncompromising in
dealing with evil. Those who consider Elijah carried his sternness to
an extreme length, and imagine he acted in ruthless cruelty by laying
the false prophets, know not Elijah's God. The Lord is glorious in
holiness, and He never acts more gloriously than when He is "a
consuming fire" to the workers of iniquity. But Elijah was only a man!
True, yet he was the Lord's servant, under bonds to carry out His
orders, and in slaying these false prophets he did what God's Word
required: (see Deut. 13:1-5; 18:20, 22). Under the Christian
dispensation we must not slay those who have deceived others into
idolatry, for "the weapons of our warfare are not carnal" (2 Cor.
10:4). The application to us today is this: we must unsparingly judge
whatever is evil in our lives and shelter in our hearts no rivals to
the Lord our God--"let not one of them escape!"
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 20
The Sound of Abundance of Rain
_________________________________________________________________
Not a little is said in the Scriptures about rain, yet is such
teaching quite unknown today even to the vast majority of people in
Christendom. In this atheistic and materialistic age God is not only
not accorded his proper place in the hearts and lives of the people,
but He is banished from their thoughts and virtually excluded from the
world which He has made. His ordering of the seasons, His control of
the elements, His regulating of the weather, is now believed by none
save an insignificant remnant who are regarded as fools and fanatics.
There is need then for the servants of Jehovah to set forth the
relation which the living God sustains to His creation and His
superintendence of and government over all the affairs of earth, to
point out first that the Most High foreordained in eternity past all
which comes to pass here below, and then to declare that He is now
executing His predetermination and working "all things after the
counsel of His own will."
That God's foreordination reaches to material things as well as
spiritual, that it embraces the elements of earth as well as the souls
of men, is clearly revealed in Holy Writ. "He made a decree (the same
Hebrew word as in Ps. 2:7) for the rain" (Job 28:26)--predestinating
when, where and how little or how much it should rain: just as "he
gave to the sea His decree, that the waters should not pass His
commandment," (Prov. 8:29), and He hath "placed the sand for the bound
of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though
the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail" (Jer.
5:22). The precise number, duration and quantity of the showers have
been eternally and unalterably fixed by the Divine will, and the exact
bounds of each ocean and river expressly determined by the fiat of the
Ruler of heaven and earth. In accordance with His foreordination we
read the God "prepareth rain for the earth" (Ps. 147:8). "I will cause
it to rain" (Gen. 7:4), says the King of the firmament, nor can any of
His creatures say Him nay. "I will give you rain in due season" (Lev.
26:4), is His gracious promise, yet how little is its fulfillment
recognized or appreciated. On the other hand, He declares "I have
withholden the rain from you . . . I caused it to rain upon one city,
and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained
upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered" (Amos 4:7 and
cf. Deut. 11:17); and again, "I will also command the clouds that they
rain no rain" (Isa. 5:6), and all the scientists in the world are
powerless to reverse it. And therefore does He require of us, "Ask ye
of the Lord rain" (Zech. 10:1), that our dependence upon Him may be
acknowledged.
What has been pointed out above receives striking and convincing
demonstration in the part of Israel's history which we have been
considering. For the space of three and a half years there had been no
rain or dew upon the land of Samaria, and that was the result neither
of chance nor blind fate, but a Divine judgment upon a people who had
forsaken Jehovah for false gods. In surveying the drought-stricken
country from the heights of Carmel it would have been difficult to
recognize that garden of the Lord which had been depicted as "a land
of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys
and hills; a land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees; a
land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not
lack anything in it" (Deut. 8:7-9). but it had also been announced,
And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth
that is under thee shall be iron. The Lord shall make the rain of thy
land power and dust" (Deut. 28:23, 24). That terrible curse had been
literally inflicted, and therein we may behold the horrible
consequences of sin. God endures with much longsuffering the
waywardness of a nation as He does of an individual, but when both
leaders and people apostatize and set up idols in the place which
belongs to Himself alone, sooner or later He makes it unmistakably
evident that He will not be mocked with impunity, and "indignation and
wrath, tribulation and anguish" become their portion.
Alas that those nations which are favored with the light of God's Word
are so slow to learn this salutary lesson: it seems that the hard
school of experience is the only teacher. The Lord had fulfilled His
awful threat by Moses and had made good His word through Elijah (1
Kings 17:1). Nor could that fearful judgment be removed till the
people at least avowedly owned Jehovah as the true God. As we pointed
out at the close of a previous chapter, till the people were brought
back into their allegiance to God no favour could be expected from
Him; and in another chapter, neither Ahab nor his subjects were yet in
any fit state of soul to be made the recipients of his blessings and
mercies. God had been dealing with them in judgment for their awful
sins, and thus far His rod had not been acknowledged, nor had the
occasion of His displeasure been removed.
But the wonderful miracle wrought on Carmel had entirely changed the
face of things. When the fire fell from heaven in answer to Elijah's
prayer, all the people "fell on their faces, and they said, The Lord,
He is the God; the Lord, He is the God," And when Elijah ordered them
to arrest the false prophets of Baal and to let not one of them
escape, they promptly complied with his orders, nor did they or the
king offer any resistance when the Tishbite brought them down to the
brook Kishon and slew them there (1 Kings 18:39, 40). Thus was the
evil put away from them and the way opened for God's outward blessing.
He graciously accepted this as their reformation and accordingly
removed His scourge from them. This is ever the order: judgment
prepares the way for blessing; the awful fire is followed by the
welcome rain. Once a people take their place on their faces and render
to God the homage which is His due, it will not be long ere refreshing
showers are sent down from heaven.
As Elijah acted the part of executioner to the prophets of Baal who
had been the principal agents in the national revolt against God, Ahab
must have stood by, a most unwilling spectator of that fearful deed of
vengeance, not daring to resist the popular outburst of indignation or
attempting to protect the men whom he had introduced and supported.
And now their bodies lay in ghastly death before his eyes on the banks
of the Kishon. When the last of Baal's prophets had bitten the dust,
the intrepid Tishbite turned to the king and said, "Get thee up, eat
and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain" (1 Kings 18:41).
What a load would his words lift from the heart of the guilty king! He
must have been greatly alarmed as he stood helplessly by, watching the
slaughter of his prophets, tremblingly expecting some terrible
sentence to be pronounced upon him by the One whom he had so openly
despised and blatantly insulted. Instead, he is allowed to depart
unharmed from the place of execution; nay, bidden to go and refresh
himself.
How well Elijah knew the man he was dealing with! He did not bid him
humble himself beneath the mighty hand of God, and publicly confess
his wickedness, still less did he invite the king to join him in
returning thanks for the wondrous and gracious miracle which he had
witnessed. Eating and drinking was all this Satan-blinded sot cared
about. As another has pointed out, it was as though the servant of the
Lord had said, "Get thee up to where thy tents are pitched on yon
broad upland sweep. The feast is spread in thy gilded pavilion, thy
lackeys await thee; go, feast on thy dainties. But "be quick" for now
that the land is rid of those traitor priests and God is once more
enthroned in His rightful place, the showers of rain cannot be longer
delayed. Be quick then! Or the rain my interrupt thy carouse." The
appointed hour for sealing the king's doom had not yet arrived:
meanwhile he is suffered, as a beast, to fatten himself for the
slaughter. It is useless to expostulate with apostates; compare John
13:27.
"For there is a sound of abundance of rain." It should scarcely need
pointing out that Elijah was not here referring to a natural
phenomenon. At the time when he spoke, a cloudless sky appeared as far
as the eye could reach, for when the prophet's servant looked out
towards the sea for any portent of approaching rain, he declared
"there is nothing" (v. 43), and later when he looked a seventh time
all that could be seen was "a little cloud." When we are told that
Moses "endured as seeing Him who is invisible" (Heb. 11:27), it was
not because he beheld God with the natural eye, and when Elijah
announced "there is a sound of abundance of rain," that sound was not
audible to the outward ear. It was by "the hearing of faith" (Gal.
3:2), that the Tishbite knew the welcome rain was nigh at hand. "The
Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His
servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7), and the Divine revelation now made
known to him was received by faith.
While Elijah yet abode with the widow at Zarephath the Lord had said
to him, "Go show thyself to Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth"
(18:1), and the prophet believed that God would do as He had said, and
in the verse we are considering he speaks accordingly as if it were
now being done, so certain was he that his Master would not fail to
make good His word. It is thus that a spiritual and supernatural faith
ever works: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1). It is the nature of this
God-given grace to bring distant things close to us: faith looks upon
things promised as though they were actually fulfilled. Faith gives a
present subsistence to things that are yet future: that is, it
realizes them to the mind, giving a reality and substantiality to
them. Of the patriarchs it is written, "These all died in faith, not
having received the promises, but having seen them afar off" (Heb.
11:13): though the Divine promises were not fulfilled in their
lifetime, yet the eagle eyes of faith saw them, and it is added they
"were persuaded of them and embraced them"--one cannot "embrace"
distant objects, true, but faith being so sure of their verity makes
them nigh.
"There is a sound of abundance of rain." Does not the reader now
perceive the spiritual purport of this language? That "sound" was
certainly not heard by Ahab, nor even by any other person in the vast
concourse on Mount Carmel. The clouds were not then gathered, yet
Elijah hears that which shall be. Ah, if we were more separated from
the din of this world, if we were in closer communion with God, our
ears would be attuned to his softest whispers: if the Divine Word
dwelt in us more richly, and faith was exercised more upon it, we
should hear that which is inaudible to the dull comprehension of the
carnal mind. Elijah was as sure that promised rain would come as if he
now heard its first drops splashing on the rocks or as if he saw it
descending in torrents. O that writer and reader may be fully assured
of God's promises and embrace them: living on them, walking by faith
in them, rejoicing over them, for He is faithful who has promised.
Heaven and earth shall pass away before one word of His shall fail.
"So Ahab went up to eat and to drink"(v. 42). The views expressed by
the commentators on this statement strike us as being either carnal or
forced. Some regard the king's action as being both logical and
prudent: having had neither food nor drink since early morning, and
the day being now far advanced, he naturally and wisely made for home,
that he might break his long fast. But there is a time for everything,
and immediately following a most remarkable manifestation of God's
power was surely not the season for indulging the flesh. Elijah, too,
had had nothing to eat that day, yet he was far from looking after his
bodily needs at this moment. Others see in this notice the evidence of
a subdued spirit in Ahab: that he was now meekly obeying the prophet's
orders. Strange indeed is such a concept: the last thing which
characterized the apostate king was submission to God or His servant.
The reason why he acquiesced so readily on this occasion was because
compliance suited his fleshly appetites and enabled him to gratify his
lusts.
"So Ahab went up to eat and to drink." Has not the Holy Spirit rather
recorded this detail so as to show us the hardness and insensibility
of the king's heart? For three and a half years drought had blighted
his dominions and a fearful famine had ensued. Now that he knew rain
was about to fall, surely he would turn unto God and return thanks for
His mercy. Alas! he had seen the utter vanity of his idols, he had
witnessed the exposure of Baal, he had beheld the awful judgment upon
his prophets, but no impression was made upon him: he remained
obdurate in his sin. God was not in his thoughts: his one idea was,
the rain is coming, so I can enjoy myself without hindrance;
therefore, he goes to make merry. While his subjects were suffering
the extremities of the Divine scourge he cared only to find grass
enough to save his stud (18:5), and now that his devoted priests have
been slain by the hundreds, he thought only of the banquet which
awaited him in his pavilion. Gross and sensual to the last degree,
though clad with the royal robes of Israel!
Let is not be supposed that Ahab was exceptional in his sottishness,
but rather regard his conduct on this occasion as an illustration and
exemplification of the spiritual deadness that is common to all the
unregenerate - devoid of any serious thoughts of God, unaffected by
the most solemn of His providences or the most wondrous of His works,
caring only for the things of time and sense. We have read of
Belshazzar and his nobles feasting at the very hour that the deadly
Persians were entering the gates of Babylon. We have heard of Nero
fiddling while Rome was burning, and even of the royal apartment of
Whitehall being filled with a giddy crowd that gave itself up to
frivolity while William of Orange was landing at Tor Bay. And we have
lived to behold the pleasure-intoxicated masses dancing and carousing
while enemy planes were raining death and destruction upon them. Such
is fallen human nature in every age: if only they can eat and drink,
people act regardless of the judgments of God and are indifferent to
their eternal destiny. Is it otherwise with you, my reader? Though
preserved outwardly, is there any difference within?
"And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down
upon the earth, and put his face between his knees" (v. 42). Does not
this unmistakably confirm what has been said above? How striking the
contrast here presented: so far from the prophet desiring the
convivial company of the world, he longed to get alone with God; so
far from thinking of the needs of his body, he gave himself up to
spiritual exercises. The contrast between Elijah and Ahab was not
merely one of personal temperament and taste, but was the difference
there is between life and death, light and darkness. But that radical
antithesis is not always apparent to the eye of man: the regenerate
may walk carnally, and the unregenerate can be very respectable and
religious. It is the crises of life which reveal the secrets of our
hearts and make it manifest whether we are really new creatures in
Christ or merely white-washed worldlings. It is our reaction to the
interpositions and judgments of God which brings out what is within
us. The children of this world will spend their days in feasting and
their nights in revelry though the world be hastening to destruction;
but the children of God will betake themselves to the secret place of
the Most High and abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
"And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down
upon the earth, and put his face between his knees." There are some
important lessons here for ministers of the Gospel to take to heart.
Elijah did not hang around that he might receive the congratulations
of the people upon the successful outcome of his contest with the
false prophets, but retired from man to get alone with God. Ahab
hastens to his carnal feast, but the Tishbite, like his Lord, has
"meat to eat" which others knew not of (John 4:32). Again, Elijah did
not conclude that he might relax and take his ease following upon his
public ministrations, but desired to thank his Master for His
sovereign grace in the miracle He had wrought. The preacher must not
think his work is done when the congregation is dismissed: he needs to
seek further communion with God, to ask His blessing upon his labours,
to praise Him for what He has wrought, and to supplicate Him for
further manifestations of His love and mercy.
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The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 21
Persevering in Prayer
_________________________________________________________________
"And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down
upon the earth, and put his face between his knees" (1 Kings 18:42).
We closed our last chapter by pointing out that this verse sets forth
some important lessons which ministers of the Gospel do well to take
to heart, the principal of which is the importance and need of their
retiring from the scene of their ministry that they may commune with
their Lord. When public work is over they need to betake themselves to
private work with God. Ministers must not only preach, but pray; not
only before and while preparing their sermons, but afterwards. They
must not only attend to the souls of their flock, but look after their
own souls also, particularly that they may be purged from pride or
resting on their own endeavors. Sin enters into and defiles the best
of our performances. The faithful servant, no matter how honored of
God with success in his work, is conscious of his defects and sees
reason for abasing himself before his Master. Moreover, he knows that
God alone can give the increase to the seed he has sown, and for that
he needs to supplicate the throne of grace.
In the passage which is now to be before us there is most blessed and
important instruction not only for ministers of the Gospel but also
for the people of God in general. Once again it has pleased the Spirit
here to let us into the secrets of prevailing prayer, for it was in
that holy exercise the prophet was now engaged. It may be objected
that it is not expressly stated in 1 Kings 18:42-46 that Elijah did
any praying on this occasion. True, and here is where we discover
afresh the vital importance of comparing Scripture with Scripture. In
James 5 we are told "Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we
are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not
on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed
again, and the heaven gave rain" (vv. 17, 18). The latter verse
clearly has reference to the incident we are now considering: as truly
as the heavens were closed in response to Elijah's prayer, so were
they now opened in answer to his supplication. Thus we have before us
again the conditions which must be met if our intercessions are to be
effectual.
Once more we emphasize the fact that what is recorded in these Old
Testament passages is written both for our instruction and consolation
(Rom. 15:4), affording as they do invaluable illustrations,
typifications and exemplifications of what is stated in the New
Testament in the form of doctrine or precept. It might be thought that
after so recently devoting almost the whole of two chapters in this
book on the life of Elijah to showing the secrets of prevailing
intercession there was less need for us to take up the same subject
again. But it is a different aspect of it which is now in view: in 1
Kings 18:36, 37 we learn how Elijah prayed in public, here we behold
how he prevailed in private prayer, and if we are really to profit
from what is said in verses 42-46 we must not skim them hurriedly, but
study them closely. Are you anxious to conduct your secret devotions
in a manner that will be acceptable to God and which will produce
answers of peace? Then attend diligently to the details which follow.
First, this man of God withdrew from the crowds and "went up to the
top of Carmel." If we would hold audience with the Majesty on high, if
we would avail ourselves of that "new and living way" which the
Redeemer has consecrated for His people, and "enter into the holiest"
(Heb. 10:19, 20), then we must needs retire from the mad and
distracting world around us and get alone with God. This was the great
lesson laid down in our Lord's first word on the subject before us:
"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou
hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy
Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly" (Matthew 6:6).
Separation from the godless, and the shutting out of all sights and
sounds which take the mind off God is absolutely indispensable. But
the entering of the closet and the shutting of its door denotes more
than physical isolation: it also signifies the calming of our spirit,
the quieting of our feverish flesh, the gathering in of all wandering
thoughts, that we may be in a fit frame to draw nigh unto and address
the Holy One. "Be still, and know that I am God" is His unchanging
requirement. How often the failure of this "shut door" renders our
praying ineffectual! The atmosphere of the world is fatal to the
spirit of devotion and we must get alone if communion with God is to
be enjoyed.
Second, observe well the posture in which we now behold this man of
God: "And he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face
between his knees" (v. 42). Very, very striking is this! As one has
put it: "We scarcely recognize him, he seems so to have lost his
identity. A few hours before, he stood erect as an oak of Bashan: now
he is bowed as a bulrush." As he confronted the assembled multitude,
Ahab, and the hundreds of false prophets, he carried himself with
majestic mien and becoming dignity; but now he would draw nigh unto
the King of kings, the utmost humility and reverence marks his
demeanor. There as God's ambassador he had pleaded with Israel, here
as Israel's intercessor he is to plead with the Almighty. Facing the
forces of Baal he was as bold as a lion; alone with God most high, he
hides his face and by his actions owns his nothingness. It has ever
been thus with those most favored of Heaven: Abraham declared "Behold
now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust
and ashes" (Gen. 18:27). When Daniel beheld an anticipation of God
incarnate, he declared, "my comeliness was turned in me into
corruption" (Dan. 10:8). The seraphim veil their faces in His presence
(Isa. 6:2).
That to which we are now directing attention is greatly needed by this
most irreverent and blatant generation. Though so highly favored of
God and granted such power in prayer, this did not cause Elijah to
take liberties with Him or approach Him with indecent familiarity. No,
he bowed his knees before the Most High and placed his head between
his knees, betokening his most profound veneration for that infinitely
glorious Being whose messenger he was. And if our hearts be right, the
more we are favored of God the more shall we be humbled by a sense of
our unworthiness and insignificance, and we shall deem no posture too
lowly to express our respect for the Divine Majesty. We must not
forget that though God be our Father He is also our Sovereign, and
that while we be His children we are likewise His subjects. If it be
an act of infinite condescension on His part for the Almighty even to
"behold the things which are in heaven and in earth" (Ps. 113:6), then
we cannot sufficiently abase ourselves before Him.
How grievously have those words been perverted: "Let us therefore come
boldly unto the Throne of grace" (Heb. 4:16)! To suppose they give
license for us to address the Lord God as though we were His equals is
to put darkness for light and evil for good. If we are to obtain the
ear of God then we must take our proper place before Him, and that is,
in the dust. "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of
God, that He may exalt you in due time" comes before "Casting all your
care upon Him, for He careth for you" (1 Pet. 5:6, 7). We must abase
ourselves under a sense of our meanness. If Moses was required to
remove his shoes ere he approached the burning bush in which the
Shekinah glory appeared, we too must conduct ourselves in prayer as
befits the majesty and might of the great God. It is true that the
Christian is a redeemed man and accepted in the Beloved, yet in
himself he is still a sinner. As another has pointed out, "The most
tender love which casts out the fear that hath torment, begets a fear
that is as delicate and sensitive as that of John's, who, though he
had laid his head on the bosom of Christ, scrupled too hastily to
intrude upon the grave where He had slept."
Third, note particularly that this Prayer of Elijah's was based upon a
Divine promise. When commanding his servant to appear again before
Ahab, the Lord had expressly declared, "And I will send rain upon the
earth" (18:1). Why then, should he now be found earnestly begging Him
for rain? To natural reason a Divine assurance of anything seems to
render asking for it unnecessary: would not God make good His word and
send the rain irrespective of further prayer? Not so did Elijah
reason: nor should we. So far from God's promises being designed to
exempt us from making application to the throne of grace for the
blessings guaranteed, they are designed to instruct us what things to
ask for, and to encourage us to ask for them believingly, that we may
have their fulfillment to ourselves. God's thoughts and ways are ever
the opposite of ours--and infinitely superior thereto. In Ezekiel
36:24-36 will be found a whole string of promises, yet in immediate
connection therewith we read, "I will yet for this be inquired of by
the house of Israel, to do it for them" (v. 37).
By asking for those things which God has promised, we own Him as the
Giver, and are taught our dependence upon Him: faith is called into
exercise and we appreciate His mercies all the more when they are
received. God will do what He undertakes, but He requires us to sue
for all which we would have Him do for us. Even to His own beloved Son
God says, "Ask of Me, and I shall give Thee the heathen for Thine
inheritance" (Ps. 2:8): His reward must be claimed. Even though Elijah
heard (by faith) "a sound of abundance of rain," nevertheless he must
pray for it (Zech. 10:1). God has appointed that if we would receive,
we must ask; that if we would find, we must seek; that if we would
have the door of blessing opened, we must knock; and if we fail so to
do, we shall prove the truth of those words, "ye have not, because ye
ask not" (Jas. 4:2). God's promises then are given us to incite to
prayer, to become the mould in which our petitions should be cast, to
intimate the extent to which we may expect an answer.
Fourth, his prayer was definite or to the point. Scripture says, "Ask
ye of the Lord rain" (Zech. 10:1), and for that very thing the prophet
asked: he did not generalize but particularized. It is just here that
so many fail. Their petitions are so vague they would scarcely
recognize an answer if it were given: their requests are so lacking in
precision that the next day the petitioner himself finds it difficult
to remember what he asked for. No wonder such praying is profitless to
the soul, and brings little to pass. Letters which require no answer
contain little or nothing in them of any value or importance. Let the
reader turn to the four Gospels with this thought before him and
observe how very definite in his requests and detailed in describing
his case was each one who came to Christ and obtained healing, and
remember they are recorded for our learning. When His disciples asked
the Lord to teach them to pray He said, "Which of you shall have a
friend and shall go to him at midnight and say unto him; Friend, lend
me three loaves" (Luke 11:5)--not simply "food," but specifically
"three loaves!"
Fifth, his prayer was fervent: "he prayed earnestly" (Jas. 5:17). It
is not necessary for a man to shout and scream in order to prove he is
in earnest, yet on the other hand cold and formal askings must not
expect to meet with any response. God grants our requests only for
Christ's sake, nevertheless unless we supplicate Him with warmth and
reality, with intensity of spirit and vehemency of entreaty, we shall
not obtain the blessing desired. This importunity is constantly
inculcated in Scripture, where prayer is likened unto seeking,
knocking, crying, striving. Remember how Jacob wrestled with the Lord,
and how David panted and poured out his soul. How unlike them is the
listless and languid petitioning of most of our modems! Of our blessed
Redeemer it is written that He "offered up prayers and supplications
with strong crying and tears" (Heb. 5:7). It is not the half-hearted
and mechanical asking which secures an answer, but "the effectual
fervent prayer of a righteous man (that) availeth much" (Jas. 5:16).
Sixth, note well Elijah's watchfulness in prayer: "And said to his
servant, Go up now, look toward the sea" (v. 43). While we are instant
in prayer and waiting for an answer, we must be on the look-out to see
if there be any token for good. Said the Psalmist, "I wait for the
Lord, my soul doth wait, and in His Word do I hope. My soul waiteth
for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more
than they that watch for the morning" (Ps. 130:5, 6). The allusion is
to those who were stationed on the watch-tower gazing eastward for the
first signs of the break of day, that the tidings might be signaled
(trumpeted) to the temple, so that the morning sacrifice might be
offered right on time. In like manner the suppliant soul is to be on
the alert for any sign of the approach of the blessing for which he is
praying. "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving"
(Col. 4:2). Alas, how often we fail at this very point, because hope
does not hold up the head of our holy desires. We pray, yet do not
look out expectantly for the favors we seek. How different was it with
Elijah!
Seventh, Elijah's perseverance in his supplication. This is the most
noticeable feature about the whole transaction and it is one which we
need particularly to heed, for it is at this very point most of us
fail the worst. "And he said to his servant, Go up now, look toward
the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing."
"Nothing": nothing in the sky, nothing arising out of the sea to
intimate the approach of rain. Does not both writer and reader know
the meaning of this from personal experience? We have sought the Lord,
and then hopefully looked for His intervention, but instead of any
token from Him that He has heard us, there is "nothing"! And what has
been our response? Have we petulantly and unbelievingly said, "Just as
I thought," and ceased praying about it? If so, that was a wrong
attitude to take. First make sure your petition is grounded upon a
Divine promise, and then believingly wait God's time to fulfil it. If
you have no definite promise, commit your case into God's hands and
seek to be reconciled to His will as to the outcome.
"And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing." Even Elijah
was not always answered immediately, and who are we to demand a prompt
answer to our first asking? The prophet did not consider that because
he had prayed once and there was no response, therefore he need not
continue to pray; rather did he persevere in pressing his suit until
he received. Such was the persistency of the patriarch Jacob, "I will
not let Thee go except Thou bless me" (Gen. 32:26). Such was the
Psalmist's mode of praying: "I waited patiently for the Lord; and He
inclined unto me, and heard my cry" (40:1)."And he said, Go again
seven times" (v. 43), was the prophet's command to his servant. He was
convinced that sooner or later God would grant his request, yet he was
persuaded he should "give Him no rest" (Isa. 62:7). Six times the
servant returned with his report that there was no portent of rain,
yet the prophet relaxed not his supplication. And let us not be
faint-hearted when no immediate success attends our praying, but be
importunate, exercising faith and patience until the blessing comes.
To ask once, twice, thrice, nay six times, and then be denied, was no
slight test of Elijah's endurance, but grace was granted him to bear
the trial. "Therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto
you" (Isa. 30:18). Why? To teach us that we are not heard for our
fervour or urgency, or because of the justness of our cause: we can
claim nothing from God--all is of grace, and we must wait His time.
The Lord waits, not because He is tyrannical, but "that He may be
gracious." It is for our good that He waits: that our graces may be
developed, that submission to His holy will may be wrought in us; then
He lovingly turns to us and says, "Great is thy faith, be it unto thee
as thou wilt" (Matthew 15:28). "This is the confidence that we have in
Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us:
and if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we
have the petitions that we desired of Him" (John 5:14, 15). God cannot
break His own Word, but we must abide His time and, refusing to be
discouraged, continue supplicating Him until He appears on our behalf.
"And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there
ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand" (v. 44). The
prophet's perseverance in prayer had not been in vain, for here was a
token from God that he was heard. God does not often give a full
answer to prayer all at once, but a little at first and then gradually
more and more as He sees that to be good for us. What the believer has
now is nothing to what he shall yet have if he continues instant in
prayer, believing and earnest prayer. Though God was pleased to keep
the prophet waiting for a time, He did not disappoint his expectation,
nor will He fail us if we continue in prayer and watch in the same
with thanksgiving. Then let us be ready to receive with cheerfulness
and gratitude the least indication of an answer to our petitions,
accepting it as a token for good and an encouragement to persevere in
our requests till there be full accomplishment of those desires which
are grounded upon the Word. Small beginnings often produce wonderful
effects, as the parable of the grain of mustard seed clearly teaches
(Matthew 13:31, 32). The feeble efforts of the apostles met with
remarkable success as God owned and blessed them. We regard the words,
"like a man's hand," as possessing a symbolic meaning: a man's hand
had been raised in supplication and had, as it were, left its shadow
on the heavens!
"And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot and get thee
down, that the rain stop thee not" (v. 44). Elijah did not disdain the
significant omen, little though it was, but promptly took
encouragement from the same. So convinced was he that the windows of
heaven were about to be opened and plentiful showers given that he
sent his servant with an urgent message to Ahab, that he should get
away at once ere the storm burst and the brook Kishon be so swollen
that the king would be prevented from making his journey homeward.
What holy confidence in a prayer-hearing God did that display! Faith
recognized the Almighty behind that "little cloud." A "handful of
meal" had been sufficient under God to sustain a household for many
months, and a cloud "like a man's hand" could be counted upon to
multiply and furnish an abundant downpour. "And it came to pass in the
meanwhile, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there
was a great rain" (v. 45). Should not this speak loudly to us? O
sorely-tried believer, take heart from what is here recorded: the
answer to your prayers may be much nearer than you think.
"And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel" (v. 45). The king had responded
promptly to the prophet's message. How much sooner are the ministers
of the Lord attended to when giving temporal advice than they are when
offering spiritual counsel. Ahab had no doubt now that the rain was
about to fall. He was satisfied that He who answered Elijah with fire
was on the point of answering him with water; nevertheless, his heart
remained as steeled against God as ever. O how solemn is the picture
here presented: Ahab was convinced but not converted. How many like
him there are in the churches today, who have religion in the head but
not in the heart: convinced that the Gospel is true, yet rejecting it;
assured that Christ is mighty to save, yet not surrendering to Him.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 22
In Flight
_________________________________________________________________
In passing from 1 Kings 18 to 1 Kings 19 we meet with a sudden and
strange transition. It is as though the sun was shining brilliantly
out of a clear sky and the next moment, without any warning, black
clouds drape the heavens and crashes of thunder shake the earth. The
contrasts presented by these chapters are sharp and startling. At the
close of the one "the hand of the Lord was on Elijah" as he ran before
Ahab's chariot: at the beginning of the other he is occupied with self
and "went for his life." In the former we behold the prophet at his
best: in the latter we see him at his worst. There he was strong in
faith and the helper of his people: here he is filled with fear and is
the deserter of his nation. In the one he confronts the four hundred
prophets of Baal undaunted: in the other he flees panic-stricken from
the threats of one woman. From the mountain top he betakes himself
into the wilderness, and from supplicating Jehovah that He would
vindicate and glorify His great name to begging Him to take away his
life. Who would have imagined such a tragic sequel?
In the startling contrasts here presented we have a striking proof of
the Divine inspiration of the Scriptures. In the Bible human nature is
painted in its true colors: the characters of its heroes are
faithfully depicted, the sins of its noteworthy persons are frankly
recorded. True, it is human to err, but equally true it is human to
conceal the blemishes of those we most admire. Had the Bible been a
human production, written by uninspired historians, they had magnified
the virtues of the most illustrious men of their nation, and ignored
their vices, or if mentioned at all, glossed over them and made
attempts to extenuate the same. Had some human admirer chronicled the
history of Elijah, his sad failure would have been omitted. The fact
that it is recorded, that no effort is made to excuse it, is evidence
that the characters of the Bible are painted in the colors of truth
and reality, that they were not sketched by human hands, but that the
writers were controlled by the Holy Spirit.
"And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins,
and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel" (1 Kings 18:46). This
is most blessed. The "hand of the Lord" is often used in Scripture to
denote His power and blessing. Thus Ezra said, "the hand of our God
was upon us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy" (8:31);
"The hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and
turned unto the Lord (Acts 2:21). This word coming in here points an
instructive sequel to what was before us in verse 42: there we beheld
the prophet cast down on the earth in self-abasement before God, here
we see God honoring and miraculously sustaining His servant--if we
would have the power and blessing of God rest upon us, we must take a
lowly place before Him. In this instance the "hand of the Lord"
communicated supernatural strength and fleetness of foot to the
prophet, so that he covered the eighteen miles so swiftly as to
overtake and pass the chariot: thus did God further honour the one who
had honored Him and at the same time supply Ahab with yet another
evidence of Elijah's Divine commission. This was illustrative of the
Lord's way: where there is a man who takes his place in the dust
before the Most High, it will soon be made apparent before others that
a power beyond his own energizes him.
"And he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of
Jezreel." Each detail contains an important lesson for us. The power
of God resting upon Elijah did not render him careless and negligent
of his own duty: he gathered up his garment so that his movements
might be unimpeded. And if we are to run with patience the race that
is set before us we need to "lay aside every weight" (Heb. 12:1). If
we are to "stand against the wiles of the Devil" we must have our
"loins girt about with truth" (Eph. 6:14). By running "before Ahab"
Elijah took the lowly place of a common footman, which should have
shown the monarch that his zeal against idolatry was prompted by no
disrespect for himself, but actuated only by jealousy for God. The
Lord's people are required to "honour the king" in all civil matters,
and here too it is the duty of ministers to set their people an
example. Elijah's conduct on this occasion served as another test of
Ahab's character: if he had had any respect for the Lord's servant he
would have invited him into his chariot, as the eminent Ethiopian did
Philip (Acts 8:31), but it was far otherwise with this son of Belial.
Onward sped the wicked king toward Jezreel where his vile consort
awaited him. The day must have been a long and trying one for Jezebel,
for many hours had passed since her husband had gone forth to meet
Elijah at Carmel. The peremptory command he had received from
Jehovah's servant to gather all Israel together unto that mount, and
the prophets of Baal as well, intimated that the crisis had been
reached. She would therefore be most anxious to know how things had
gone. Doubtless she cherished the hope that her priests had triumphed,
and as the rain clouds blotted out the sky would attribute the welcome
change to some grand intervention of Baal in response to their
supplications. If so, all was well: her heart's desire would be
realized, her scheming crowned with success, the undecided Israelites
would be won over to her idolatrous regime and the last vestiges of
the worship of Jehovah would be stamped out. For the troublesome
famine Elijah was solely to blame; for the ending thereof she and her
gods should have the credit. Probably such thoughts as these occupied
her mind in the interval of waiting.
And now the suspense is over: the king has arrived and hastens to make
report to her. "And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and
withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword" (19:1). The
first thing which strikes us about these words is their noticeable
omission: the Lord Himself was left out entirely. Nothing is said of
the wonders He had wrought that day, how that He had not only caused
fire to come down from heaven, and consume the sacrifice, but even the
very stones of the altar, and how it had licked up great quantities of
water in the trench around it; and how in response to the prayer of
His servant, rain was sent in abundance. No, God has no place in the
thoughts of the wicked, rather do they put forth their utmost efforts
to banish Him from their minds. And even those who, from some form of
self-interest, take up with religion, and make a profession and attend
the public services, yet to talk of God and His wondrous works with
their wives in their homes, is one of the last things we should find
them doing. With the vast majority of professors, religion is like
their Sunday clothes--worn that day and laid by for the rest of the
week.
"And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done." As God is not in the
thoughts of the wicked so it is the way of unbelief to fix upon
secondary causes or attribute unto the human instrument what the Lord
is the doer of. It matters not whether He act in judgment or in
blessing, God himself is lost sight of and only the means He employs
or the instruments He uses are seen. If a man of insatiable ambition
be the Divine instrument for chastising nations laden with iniquity,
that instrument becomes the object of universal hatred, but there is
no humbling of the nations before the One who wields that rod. If a
Whitefield or a Spurgeon be raised up to preach the Word with
exceptional power and blessing, he is worshipped by the religious
masses and men talk of his abilities and his converts. Thus it was
with Ahab: first he ascribed the drought and famine to the
prophet--"art thou he that troubleth Israel!" (18:17), instead of
perceiving that it was the Lord who had a controversy with the guilty
nation and that he was the one mainly responsible for its condition;
and now he is still occupied with what "Elijah had done."
"And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done." He would relate how
Elijah had mocked her priests, lashed them with his biting irony, and
held them up to the scorn of the people. He would describe how he had
put them to confusion by his challenge, and how he, as if by some
spell or charm, had brought down fire from heaven. He would enlarge
upon the victory gained by the Tishbite, of the ecstasy of the people
thereon, how they had fallen on their faces, saying, "Jehovah, He is
the God; Jehovah, He is the God." That he recounted these things unto
Jezebel, not to convince her of her error, but rather to incense her
against God's servant, is clear from his designed climax: "and withal
how he had slain all the prophets with the sword." How this revealed
once more what an awful character Ahab was! As the protracted drought
with the resultant famine had not turned him unto the Lord, so this
Divine mercy of sending the rain to refresh his dominions led him not
to repentance. Neither Divine judgments nor Divine blessings will of
themselves reclaim the unregenerate nothing but a miracle of sovereign
grace can turn souls from the power of sin and Satan unto the living
God.
It is not difficult to imagine the effect which would be produced upon
the haughty, domineering and ferocious Jezebel when she heard Ahab's
report: it would so hurt her pride and fire her furious temper that
nothing but the speedy dispatch of the object of her resentment could
pacify it. "Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let
the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life
of one of them by tomorrow about this time" (v. 2). If Ahab's heart
was unaffected by what had transpired on Carmel, remaining steeled
against God, still less was his heathen consort softened thereby. He
was sensual and materialistic, caring little about religious matters:
so long as he had plenty to eat and drink, and his horses and mules
were cared for, he was content. But Jezebel was of a different type,
as resolute as he was weak. Crafty, unscrupulous, merciless, Ahab was
but a tool in her hands, fulfilling her pleasure, and therein, as
Revelation 2:20 intimates, she was a fore-shadowing of the woman
riding the scarlet-colored beast (Rev. 17:3). The crisis was one of
gravest moment, and policy as well as indignation prompted her to act
at once. If this national reformation were permitted to develop it
would overthrow what she had worked for years to establish.
"So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as
the life of one of them (her slain prophets) by tomorrow." Behold the
implacable and horrible enmity against God of a soul that has been
abandoned by Him. Utterly incorrigible, her heart was quite insensible
of the Divine presence and power. Behold how that awful hatred
expressed itself: unable to hurt Jehovah directly, her malice vents
itself on His servant. It has ever been thus with those whom God has
given up to a reprobate mind. Plague after plague was sent upon Egypt,
yet so far from Pharaoh throwing down his weapons of rebellion, after
the Lord brought His people out with a high hand, that wretch
declared. "I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my
lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall
destroy them" (Ex. 15:9). When the Jewish council beheld Stephen and
"saw his face as it had been the face of an angel," irradiated with
heavenly glory, instead of receiving his message when they heard his
words "they were cut to the heart and they gnashed on him with their
teeth," and like so many raging maniacs "cried out with a loud voice,
and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, and cast him
out of the city, and stoned him" (Acts 7. 54-58).
Beware of resisting God and rejecting His Word, lest you be abandoned
by Him and He suffers your madness to hasten your destruction. The
more it was manifest that God was with Elijah, the more was Jezebel
exasperated against him. Now that she learned he had slain her
priests, she was like a lioness robbed of her cubs. Her rage knew no
bounds; Elijah must be slain at once. Boastful of the morrow, swearing
by her gods, she pronounced a fearful imprecation upon herself if
Elijah does not meet the same end. The resolution of Jezebel shows the
extreme hardness of her heart. It solemnly illustrates how wickedness
grows on people. Sinners do not reach such fearful heights of defiance
in a moment, but as conscience resists convictions, as light is again
and again rejected, the very things which should soften and humble
come to harden and make more insolent, and the more plainly God's will
be set before us, the more will it work resentment in the mind and
hostility in the heart; then it is but a short time until that soul is
consigned to the everlasting burnings.
But see here the overruling hand of God. Instead of ordering her
officers to slay the prophet forthwith, Jezebel sent a servant to
announce her sentence upon him. How often mad passions defeat their
own ends, fury blinding the judgment so that prudence and caution are
not exercised. Possibly she felt so sure of her prey that she feared
not to announce her purpose. But future events lie not at the disposal
of the sons of men, no matter what positions of worldly power be
occupied by them. Probably she thought that Elijah was so courageous,
there was no likelihood of his attempting an escape: but in this she
erred. How often God takes "the wise in their own craftiness" (Job
5:13), and defeats the counsels of the wicked Ahithophels (2 Sam.
15:31)! Herod had murderous designs on the infant Saviour, but "being
warned of God in a dream," His parents carried Him down to Egypt
(Matthew 2:12). The Jews "took counsel" to kill the apostle Paul, but
"their laying wait was known to him" and the disciples delivered him
out of their hands (Acts 9:23). So here: Elijah is given warning
before Jezebel wreaks her vengeance on him.
This brings us to the saddest part of the narrative. The Tishbite is
notified of the queen's determination to slay him: what was his
response thereto? He was the Lord's servant, does he then look unto
his Master for instructions? Again and again we have seen in the past
how "the Word of the Lord came" to him (17:2, 8; 18:1), telling him
what to do: will he now wait upon the Lord for the necessary guidance?
Alas, instead of spreading his case before God, he takes matters into
his own hands; instead of waiting patiently for Him, he acts on hasty
impulse, deserts the post of duty, and flees from the one who sought
his destruction. "And when he saw that, he arose and went for his
life, and came to Beersheba which belongeth to Judah, and left his
servant there" (v. 3). Notice carefully the "when he saw, he arose and
went for his life." His eyes were fixed on the wicked and furious
queen: his mind was occupied with her power and fury, and therefore
his heart was filled with terror. Faith in God is the only deliverer
from carnal fear: "Behold, God is my salvation: I will trust, and not
be afraid"; "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed
on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee," (Isa. 12:2; 26:3). Elijah's
mind was no longer stayed upon Jehovah, and therefore fear took
possession of him.
Hitherto Elijah had been sustained by faith's vision of the living
God, but now he lost sight of the Lord and saw only a furious woman.
How many solemn warnings are recorded in Scripture of the disastrous
consequences of walking by sight. "Lot lifted up his eyes and beheld
all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere" (Gen.
13:10), and made choice thereof: but very shortly after it is recorded
of him that he "pitched his tent toward Sodom !" The majority-report
of the twelve men sent by Moses to spy out the land of Canaan was, "we
saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants; and we
were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight
(Num. 13:33). In consequence of which "all the congregation lifted up
their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night." Walking by
sight magnifies difficulties and paralyses spiritual activity. It was
when Peter "saw the wind boisterous" that "he was afraid and began to
sink (Matthew 14:30). How striking the contrast between Elijah here
and Moses, who "By faith forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the
king: for he endured, as seeing Him who is invisible" (Heb. 11:27),
and nothing but the eye of faith fixed steadily upon God will enable
anyone to "endure."
"And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life"--not for God,
nor for the good of His people; but because he thought only of self.
The man who had faced the four hundred and fifty false prophets, now
fled from one woman; the man who hitherto had been so faithful in the
Lord's service now deserted his post of duty, and that at a time when
his presence was most needed by the people, if their convictions were
to be strengthened and the work of reformation carried forward and
firmly established. Alas, what is man! As Peter's courage failed him
in the presence of the maid, so Elijah's strength wilted before the
threatenings of Jezebel. Shall we exclaim, "How are the mighty
fallen!"? No, indeed, for that would be a carnal and erroneous
conception. The truth is that "It is only as God vouchsafes His grace
and Holy Spirit that any man can walk uprightly. Elijah's conduct on
this occasion shows that the spirit and courage he had previously
manifested were of the Lord, and not of himself: and that those who
have the greatest zeal and courage for God and His truth, if left to
themselves, become weak and timorous" (John Gill).
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The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 23
In the Wilderness
_________________________________________________________________
The lot of God's people is a varied one and their case is marked by
frequent change. We cannot expect that it should be otherwise while
they are left in this scene, for there is nothing stable here:
mutability and fluctuation characterizes everything under the sun. Man
is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward, and the common
experience of saints is no exception to this general rule. "In the
world ye shall have tribulation" (John 16:33), Christ plainly warned
His disciples: yet He added, "but be of good cheer; I have overcome
the world," and therefore ye shall share in My victory. Yet though
victory be sure, they suffer many defeats along the way. They do not
enjoy unbroken summer in their souls; nor is it always winter with
them. Their voyage across the sea of life is similar to that
encountered by mariners on the ocean: "They mount up to the heaven,
they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of
trouble. . . Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and He
bringeth them out of their distresses" (Ps. 107:26, 28).
Nor is it any otherwise with God's public servants. True, they enjoy
many privileges which are not shared by the rank and file of the
Lord's people, and for these they must yet render an account.
Ministers of the Gospel do not have to spend most of their time and
strength amid the ungodly, toiling for their daily bread; instead they
are shielded from constant contact with the wicked, and much of their
time may be and should be spent in quiet study, meditation and prayer.
Moreover, God has bestowed special spiritual gifts on them: a larger
measure of His Spirit, a deeper insight into His Word, and therefore
they should be better fitted to cope with the trials of life.
Nevertheless, "tribulation" is also their portion while left in this
wilderness of sin. Indwelling corruptions give them no rest day or
night and the Devil makes them the special objects of his malice, ever
busy seeking to disturb their peace and impair their usefulness,
venting upon them the full fury of his hatred.
More may rightly be expected from the minister of the Gospel than from
others. He is required to be "an example of the believers in word, in
conversation (behavior), in charity (love), in spirit, in faith, in
purity" (1 Tim. 4:12); "in all things showing thyself a pattern of
good works; in doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity"
(Titus 2:7). But though a "man of God," he is a "man" and not an
angel, compassed with infirmity and prone to evil. God has placed His
treasure in "earthen vessels"--not steel or gold--easily cracked and
marred, worthless in themselves: "that" adds the apostle, "the
excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us" (2 Cor. 4:7):
that is, the glorious Gospel proclaimed by ministers is no invention
of their brains, and the blessed effects which it produces are in no
wise due to their skill. They are but instruments, weak and valueless
in themselves; their message is God-given and its fruits are entirely
of the Holy Spirit, so that they have no ground whatever for
self-glorification, nor have those who are benefited by their labours
any reason to make heroes out of them or look up to them as a superior
order of beings, who are to be regarded as little gods.
The Lord is very jealous of His honour and will not share His glory
with another. His people profess to believe that as a cardinal truth,
yet they are apt to forget it. They, too, are human, and prone to
hero-worship, prone to idolatry, prone to render unto the creatures
that to which the Lord alone is entitled. Hence it is they so
frequently meet with disappointment, and discover their beloved idol
is, like themselves, made of clay. For his own people, God has chosen
"the foolish things of this world," the "weak things," the "base
things" and "things which are not" (mere "nobody's"), "that no flesh
should glory in His presence" (1 Cor. 1:27-29). And he has called
sinful though regenerated men, and not holy angels, to be the
preachers of His Gospel, that it might fully appear that "the
excellency of the power" in calling sinners out of darkness into His
marvelous light lies not in them nor proceeds from them, but that He
alone gives the increase to the seed sown by them: "so then neither is
he that planteth (the evangelist) anything, neither he that watereth
(the teacher), but God" (1 Cor. 3:7).
It is for this reason that God suffers it to appear that the best of
men are but men at the best. No matter how richly gifted they may be,
how eminent in God's service, how greatly honored and used of Him, let
His sustaining power be withdrawn from them for a moment and it will
quickly be seen that they are "earthen vessels." No man stands any
longer than he is supported by Divine grace. The most experienced
saint, if left to himself, is immediately seen to be as weak as water
and as timid as a mouse. "Man at his best estate is altogether vanity"
(Ps. 39:5). Then why should it be thought a thing incredible when we
read of the failings and falls of the most favored of God's saints and
servants? Noah's drunkenness, Lot's carnality, Abraham's
prevarications, Moses" anger, Aaron's jealousy, Joshua's haste,
David's adultery, Jonah's disobedience, Peter's denial, Paul's
contention with Barnabas, are so many illustrations of the solemn
truth that "there is not a just man upon earth that doeth good, and
sinneth not" (Eccl. 7:20). Perfection is found in Heaven, but nowhere
on earth except in the Perfect Man.
Yet let it be pointed out that the failures of these men are not
recorded in Scripture for us to hide behind, as though we may use them
to excuse our own infidelities. Far from it: they are set before us as
so many danger signals for us to take note of, as solemn warnings for
us to heed. The reading thereof should humble us, making us more
distrustful of ourselves. They should impress upon our hearts the fact
that our strength is found alone in the Lord, and that without Him we
can do nothing. They should be translated into earnest prayer that the
workings of pride and self-sufficiency may be subdued within us. They
should cause us to cry constantly, "Hold Thou me up, and I shall be
safe" (Ps. 119:117). Not only so, they should wean us from undue
confidence in the creatures and deliver us from expecting too much of
others, even of the fathers in Israel. They should make us diligent in
prayer for our brethren in Christ, especially for our pastors, that it
may please God to preserve them from everything which would dishonor
His name and cause His enemies to rejoice.
The man at whose prayers the windows of heaven had been fast closed
for three and a half years, and at whose supplication they had again
been opened, was no exception: he too was made of flesh and blood, and
this was permitted to be painfully manifest. Jezebel sent a message to
inform him that on the morrow he should suffer the same fate as had
overtaken her prophets. "And when he saw that, he arose and went for
his life." In the midst of his glorious triumph over the enemies of
the Lord, at the very time the people needed him to lead them in the
total overthrow of idolatry and the establishment of true worship, he
is terrified by the queen's threat, and flees. It was "the hand of the
Lord" which had brought him to Jezreel (1 Kings 18:46), and he
received no Divine intimation to move from there. Surely it was both
his privilege and duty to look unto his Master to protect him from
Jezebel's rage as He had before done from Ahab's. Had he committed
himself into the hands of God He had not failed him and great good had
probably been accomplished if he now remained at the post where the
Lord had put him.
But his eyes were no longer fixed upon God, instead they saw only a
furious woman. The One who had miraculously fed him at the brook
Cherith, who had so wondrously sustained him at the widow's home in
Zarephath, and who so signally strengthened him on Carmel, is
forgotten. Thinking only of himself he flees from the place of
testimony. But how is this strange lapse to be accounted for?
Obviously his fears were excited by the queen's threat coming to him
so unexpectedly. Was there not good reason for him now to be
anticipating with great joy and exultation the cooperation of all
Israel in the work of reformation? Would not the whole nation, who had
cried, "Jehovah, He is the God," be deeply thankful for his prayers
having procured the much-needed rain? And in a moment his hope seemed
to be rudely shattered by this message from the incensed queen. Had he
then lost all faith in God to protect him? Far be it from us so to
charge him: rather does it seem that he was momentarily overwhelmed,
panic- stricken. He gave himself no time to think: but taken
completely by surprise, he acted on the spur of the moment. How that
gives point to "he that believeth shall not make haste" (Isa. 28:16).
While what has been pointed out above accounts for Elijah's hurried
action, yet it does not explain his strange lapse. It was the absence
of faith which caused him to be filled with fear. But let it be stated
that the exercise of faith lies not at the disposal of the believer,
so that he may call it into action whenever he pleases. Not so: faith
is a Divine gift and the exercise of it is solely by Divine power, and
both in its bestowment and its operations God acts sovereignly. Yet
though God ever acts sovereignly, He never acts capriciously. He
afflicts not willingly, but because we give Him occasion to use the
rod; He withholds grace because of our pride, withdraws comfort
because of our sins. God permits His people to experience falls along
the road for various reasons, yet in every instance the outward fall
is preceded by some failure or other on their part, and if we are to
reap the full benefit from the recorded sins of such as Abraham,
David, Elijah and Peter, we need to study attentively what led up to
and was the occasion of them. This is generally done with Peter's
case, yet rarely so with the others.
In most instances the preceding contexts give plain intimation of the
first signs of declension, as a spirit of self-confidence signally
marked the approaching fall of Peter. But in the case before us the
previous verses supply no clue to the eclipse of Elijah's faith, yet
the verses which follow indicate the cause of his relapse. When the
Lord appeared unto him and asked, "What doest thou here, Elijah?"
(19:9), the prophet answered, "I have been very jealous for the Lord
God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant,
thrown down Thine altars, and slain Thy prophets with the sword; and
I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life to take it away." Does
not that tell us, first, that he had been entertaining too great a
regard of his own importance; second, that he was unduly occupied with
his service: "I, even I only am left"--to maintain Thy cause; and
third, that he was chagrined at the absence of those results he had
expected? The workings of pride--his three fold "I"--choke the
exercises of faith. Observe how Elijah repeated those statements (v.
14), and how God's response seems by His very corrective to specify
the disease--Elisha was appointed in his stead!
God then withdrew His strength for the moment that Elijah might be
seen in his native weakness. He did so righteously, for grace is
promised only to the humble (Jas. 4:6). Yet in this God acts
sovereignly, for it is only by His grace that any man is kept humble.
He gives more faith to one than to another, and maintains it more
evenly in certain individuals. How great the contrast from Elijah's
flight was Elisha's faith: when the king of Syria sent a great host to
arrest the latter and his servant said, "Alas, my master! how shall we
do?" the prophet answered, "Fear not: for they that be with us are
more than they that be with them" (2 Kings 6:15, 16). When the Empress
Eudoxia sent a threatening message to Chrysostom, he bade her officer,
"Go tell her I fear nothing but sin." When the friends of Luther
earnestly begged him not to proceed to the Diet of Worms to which he
had been summoned by the Emperor, he replied, "Though every tile on
the houses of that city were a devil I will not be deterred," and he
went, and God delivered him out of his enemies" hands. Yet the
infirmities of Chrysostom and Luther were manifested on other
occasions.
It was his being occupied with circumstances which brought about
Elijah's sad fall. It is a dictum of the world's philosophy that "man
is the creature of his circumstances." No doubt this is largely the
case with the natural man, but it should not be true of the Christian,
nor is it so while his graces remain in a healthy condition. Faith
views the One who orders our circumstances, hope looks beyond the
present scene, patience gives strength to endure trials, and love
delights in Him whom no circumstances affect. While Elijah set the
Lord before him he feared not though a host encamped against him. But
when he looked upon the creature and contemplated his peril he thought
more of his own safety than of God's cause. To be occupied with
circumstances is to walk by sight, and that is fatal both to our peace
and spiritual prosperity. However unpleasant or desperate be our
circumstances, God is able to preserve us in them, as He did Daniel in
the lion's den and his companions in the fiery furnace; yea, He is
able to make the heart triumph over them, as witness the singing of
the apostles in the Philippian dungeon.
Oh, what need have we to cry, "Lord, increase our faith," for we are
only strong and safe while exercising faith in God. If He be forgotten
and His presence with us be not realized at the time when great
dangers menace us, then we are certain to act in a manner unworthy of
our Christian profession. It is by faith we stand (2 Cor. 1:24), as it
is through faith we are kept by the power of God unto salvation (1
Pet. 1:5). If we truly set the Lord before us and contemplate Him as
being at our right hand, nothing will move us, none can make us
afraid; we may bid defiance to the most powerful and malignant. Yet as
another has said, "But where is the faith that never staggers through
unbelief? the hand that never hangs down, the knee that never
trembles, the heart that never faints?" Nevertheless, the fault is
ours, the blame is ours. Though it lies not in our power to strengthen
faith or call it into exercise, we may weaken it and can hinder its
operations. After saying, "Thou standest by faith," the apostle at
once added, "Be not high- minded, but fear" (Rom. 11:20)--be
distrustful of self, for it is pride and self-sufficiency which stifle
the breathings of faith.
Many have thought it strange when they read of the most note worthy of
Biblical saints failing in the very graces which were their strongest.
Abraham is outstanding for his faith, being called "the father of all
them that believe"; yet his faith broke down in Egypt when he lied to
Pharaoh about his wife. We are told that "Moses was very meek, above
all the men who were upon the face of the earth" (Num. 12:3), yet he
was debarred from entering Canaan because he lost his temper and spoke
unadvisedly with his lips. John was the apostle of love, yet in a fit
of intolerance he and his brother James wanted to call down fire from
heaven so that the Samaritans be destroyed, for which the Saviour
rebuked them (Luke 9:54, 55). Elijah was renowned for his boldness,
yet it was his courage which now failed him. What proofs are these
that none can exercise those graces which most distinguish their
characters without the immediate and constant assistance of God, and
that, when in danger of being exalted above measure, they are often
left to struggle with temptation without their accustomed support.
Only by conscious and acknowledged weakness are we made strong.
A few words only must suffice in making application of this sad
incident. Its outstanding lesson is obviously a solemn warning unto
those occupying public positions in the Lord's vineyard. When He is
pleased to work through and by them there is sure to be bitter and
powerful opposition stirred up against them. Said the apostle, "A
great and effectual door is opened unto me, and there are many
adversaries" (1 Cor. 16:9)--the two ever go together; yet if the Lord
be our confidence and strength, there is nothing to fear. A heavy and
well nigh fatal blow had been given to Satan's kingdom that day on
Carmel, and had Elijah stood his ground, would not the seven thousand
secret worshippers of Jehovah have been emboldened to come forth on
his side, the language of Micah 4:6 and 7, been accomplished, and the
captivity and dispersion of his people spared? Alas, one false step
and such a bright prospect was dashed to the ground, and never
returned. Seek grace, O servant of God, to "withstand in the evil day,
and having done all, to stand" (Eph. 6:13).
But does not this sad incident also point a salutary lesson which all
believers need take to heart? This solemn fall of the prophet comes
also immediately after the marvels which had been accomplished in
response to his supplications. How strange! Rather, how searching! In
the preceding chapters we emphasized that the glorious transactions
wrought upon Mount Carmel supply the Lord's people with a most blessed
illustration and demonstration of the efficacy of prayer, and surely
this pathetic sequel shows what need they have to be on their guard
when they have received some notable mercy from the Throne of Grace.
If it was needful that the apostle should be given a thorn in the
flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet him, lest he should be
"exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations"
vouchsafed him (2 Cor. 12:7), then what need have we to "rejoice with
trembling" (Ps. 2:11), when we are elated over receiving answers to
our petitions.
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The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 24
Dejected
_________________________________________________________________
We are now to behold the effects which Elijah's giving way to fear had
upon him. The message which had come from Jezebel, that on the morrow
she would take revenge upon him for his slaying of her prophets,
rendered the Tishbite panic-stricken. For the moment God saw fit to
leave him to himself, that we might learn the strongest are weak as
water when He withholds His support, as the powerful Samson was as
impotent as any other man as soon as the Spirit of the Lord departed
from him. It matters not what growth has been made in grace, how well
experienced we may be in the spiritual life, or how eminent the
position we have occupied in the Lord's service, when He withdraws His
sustaining hand the madness which is in our hearts by nature at once
asserts itself, gains the upper hand, and leads us into a course of
folly. Thus it was now with Elijah. Instead of taking the angry
queen's threat unto the Lord and begging Him to undertake, he took
matters into his own hands and "went for his life" (1 Kings 19:3).
In the preceding chapter we intimated why it was that the Lord
suffered His servant to experience a lapse at this time: in addition
to what was there said we believe the prophet's flight was a
punishment on Israel, for the insincerity and inconstancy of their
reformation. "One would have expected after such a public and sensible
manifestation of the glory of God, and such a clear decision of the
contest pending between him and Baal, to the honour of Elijah, the
confusion of Baal's prophets, and the universal satisfaction of the
people, after they had seen both fire and water come from heaven at
the prayer of Elijah, and both in mercy to them: the one as a sign of
the acceptance of their offering, the other as it refreshed their
inheritance, that they should now all as one man have returned to the
worship of the God of Israel and taken Elijah for their guide and
oracle, that he should henceforth have been their prime minister of
state and his directions laws both to king and kingdom. But it is
quite otherwise: he is neglected whom God honored; no respect is paid
to him nor any use made of him; on the contrary, the land of Israel to
which he had been and might yet have been a great blessing, is soon
made too hot for him" (Matthew Henry). His departure from Israel was a
judgment upon them.
In the Scriptures God's children are exhorted again and again not to
fear: "Neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid" (Isa. 8:12). But how
are weak and trembling souls to render obedience to this precept? The
very next verse tells us: "sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself, and let
Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread." It is the fear of the
Lord in our hearts which delivers from the fear of man: the filial awe
of displeasing and dishonoring Him who is our refuge and strength, a
very present help in trouble. "Be not afraid of their faces," said God
to another of His servants, adding, "for I am with thee to deliver
thee, saith the Lord" (Jer. 1:8). Ah, it is the consciousness of His
presence which faith must realize if fear is to be stilled. Christ
admonished His disciples for their fear: "Why are ye fearful, O ye of
little faith?" (Matthew 8:26). "Be not afraid of their terror, neither
be troubled" (1 Pet. 3:14), is the word which we are required to take
to heart.
In connection with Elijah's flight from Jezebel we are told first that
he "came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah" (1 Kings 19:3). There
it might be thought a safe asylum would be secured, for he was now
outside the territory governed by Ahab, but it was only a case (as the
old saying goes) of "jumping out of the frying pan into the fire." For
at that time the kingdom of Judah was ruled over by Jehoshaphat, and
his son had married "the daughter of Ahab" (2 Kings 8:18), and so
closely were the two houses of Jehoshaphat and Ahab united that when
the former was asked to join the latter in an expedition against
Ramoth-gilead, Jehoshaphat declared, "I am as thou art, my people as
thy people, my horses as thy horses" (1 Kings 22:4). Thus Jehoshaphat
would have had no compunction in delivering up the one who had fled to
his land as soon as he received command from Ahab and Jezebel to that
effect. So tarry in Beersheba Elijah dare not, but flees yet farther.
Beersheba lay towards the extreme south of Judea, being situated in
the inheritance of Simeon, and it is estimated that Elijah and his
companion covered no less than ninety miles in their journey thither
from Jezreel. Next we are told that he "left his servant there." Here
we behold the prophet's thoughtfulness and compassion for his lone
retainer: anxious to spare him the hardships of the dreary wilderness
of Arabia, which he now proposed to enter. In this considerate act the
prophet sets an example for masters to follow, who should not require
their dependents to encounter unreasonable perils nor perform services
above their strength. Moreover, Elijah now wished to be alone with his
trouble and not give vent to his feelings of despair in the presence
of another. This, too, is worthy of emulation: when fear and unbelief
fill his heart and he is on the point of giving expression to his
dejection, the Christian should retire from the presence of others
lest he infect them with his morbidity and petulance--let him unburden
his heart to the Lord, and spare the feelings of his brethren.
"But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness" (v. 4). Here
we are given to see another effect of fear and unbelief: it produces
perturbation and agitation, so that a spirit of restlessness seizes
the soul. And how can it be otherwise? Rest of soul is to be found
nowhere but in the Lord, by communing with and confiding in Him. "The
wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest" (Isa. 57:20):
necessarily so, for they are utter strangers to the Rest-Giver--"the
way of peace have they not known" (Rom. 3:17). When the Christian is
out of fellowship with God, when he takes matters into his own hands,
when faith and hope are no longer in exercise, his case is no better
than that of the unregenerate, for he has cut himself off from his
comforts and is thoroughly miserable. Contentment and delighting in
the Lord's will is no longer his portion: instead, his mind is in a
turmoil, he is thoroughly demoralized, and now vainly seeks to find
relief in a ceaseless round of diversions and the feverish activities
of the flesh. He must be on the move, for he is completely
discomposed: he wearies himself in vain exercises, till his natural
strength gives out.
Follow the prophet with your mind's eye. Hour after hour he plods
along beneath the burning sun, his feet blistered by the scorching
sands, alone in the dreary desert. At last fatigue and anguish
overcame his sinewy strength and he "came and sat under a juniper tree
and requested for himself that he might die" (v. 4). The first thing
we would note in this connection is that, disheartened and despondent
as he was, Elijah made no attempt to lay violent hands on himself.
Though now for a season God had withdrawn His comforting presence, and
in a measure withheld His restraining grace, yet He did not and never
does wholly deliver one of His own into the power of the Devil.
And he requested for himself that he might die." The second thing we
would note is the inconsistency of his conduct. The reason why Elijah
left Jezreel so hurriedly on hearing of Jezebel's threat was that he
"went for his life," and now he longs that his life might be taken
from him. Herein we may perceive still another effect when unbelief
and fear possess the heart. Not only do we then act foolishly and
wrongly, not only does a spirit of unrest and discontent take
possession of us, but we are thrown completely off our balance, the
soul loses its poise, and consistency of conduct is at an end. The
explanation of this is simple: truth is uniform and harmonious,
whereas error is multiform and incongruous; but for the truth to
control us effectually faith must be in constant exercise-- when faith
ceases to act we at once become erratic and undependable and, as men
speak, we are soon a "bundle of contradictions." Consistency of
character and conduct is dependent upon a steady walking with God.
Probably there are few of God's servants but who at some time or other
are eager to cast off their harness and cease from the toils of
conflict, particularly when their labours seem to be in vain and they
are disposed to look upon themselves as cumberers of the ground. When
Moses exclaimed, "I am not able to bear all this people alone, because
it is too heavy for me," he at once added, "And if Thou deal thus with
me, kill me, I pray Thee, out of hand" (Num.11:14, 15). So, too, Jonah
prayed, "Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech Thee, my life from me;
for it is better for me to die than to live" (4:3). Nor is a longing
to be removed from this world of trouble peculiar to the ministers of
Christ. Many of the rank and file of His people also are at times
moved to say with David, "Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then
would I fly away, and be at rest" (Ps. 55:6). Short as is our sojourn
down here, it seems long, too long for some of us, and though we
cannot vindicate Elijah's peevishness and petulance, yet this writer
can certainly sympathize with him under the juniper tree, for he has
often been there himself.
It should, however, be pointed out that there is a radical difference
between desiring to be delivered from a world of disappointment and
sorrow and a longing to be delivered from this body of death in order
that we may be present with the Lord. The latter was the case with the
apostle when he said, "Having a desire to depart, and to be with
Christ; which is far better" (Phil. 1:23). A desire to be freed from
abject poverty or a bed of languishing is only natural, but a yearning
to be delivered from a world of iniquity and a body of death so that
we may enjoy unclouded communion with the Beloved is truly spiritual.
One of the greatest surprises of our own Christian life has been to
find how few people give evidence of the latter. The majority of
professors appear to be so wedded to this scene, so in love with this
life, or so fearful of the physical aspect of death, that they cling
to life as tenaciously as do non-professors. Surely Heaven cannot be
very real to them. True, we ought submissively to wait God's time, yet
that should not preclude or override a desire to "depart, and be with
Christ."
But let us not lose sight of the fact that in his dejection Elijah
turned to God and said, :It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life;
for I am not better than my fathers: (v. 4). No matter how cast down
we be, how acute our grief, it is ever the privilege of the believer
to unburden his heart unto that One who "sticketh closer than a
brother," and pour out our complaint into His sympathetic ear. True,
He will not wink at what is wrong, nevertheless He is touched with the
feeling of our infirmities. True, He will not always grant us our
request, for oftentimes we "ask amiss" (Jas. 4:3), yet if He withholds
what we desire it is because He has something better for us. Thus it
was in the case of Elijah. The Lord did not take away his life from
him at that time: He did not do so later, for Elijah was taken to
Heaven without seeing death. Elijah is one of the only two who have
entered Heaven without passing through the portals of the grave.
Nevertheless, for God's chariot Elijah had to wait God's appointed
time.
"It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better
than my fathers." He was tired of the ceaseless opposition which he
encountered, weary of the strife. He was disheartened in his labours,
which he felt were of no avail. I have striven hard, but it has been
in vain; I have toiled all night and caught nothing. It was the
language of disappointment and fretfulness: "It is enough"--I am
unwilling to fight any longer, I have done and suffered sufficient:
let me go hence. We are not sure what he signified by his "I am not
better than my fathers." Possibly he was pleading his weakness and
incapacity: I am not stronger than they, and no better able to cope
with the difficulties they encountered. Perhaps he alluded to the lack
of fruit in his ministry: nothing comes of my labours, I am no more
successful than they were. Or maybe he was intimating his
disappointment because God had not fulfilled his expectations. He was
thoroughly despondent and anxious to quit the arena.
See here once more the consequences which follow upon giving way to
fear and unbelief. Poor Elijah was now in the slough of despond, an
experience which most of the Lord's people have at some time or other.
He had forsaken the place into which the Lord had brought him, and now
was tasting the bitter effects of a course of self-will. All pleasure
had gone out of life: the joy of the Lord was no longer his strength.
O what a rod do we make for our backs when we deliberately depart from
the path of duty. By leaving the paths of righteousness we cut
ourselves off from the springs of spiritual refreshment, and therefore
the "wilderness" is now our dwelling-place. And there we sit down in
utter dejection alone in our wretchedness, for there is none to
comfort us while we are in such a state. Death is now desired that an
end may be put to our misery. If we try to pray it is but the
murmurings of our hearts which find expression: my will, and not
Thine, be done being the substance thereof.
And what was the Lord's response? Did He turn with disgust from such a
sight and leave His erring servant to reap what he had sown and suffer
the full and final deserts of his unbelief? Ah, shall the good
Shepherd refuse to take care of one of His strayed sheep, lying
helpless by the wayside? Shall the great Physician refuse assistance
to one of His patients just when he needs Him most? Blessed be His
name, the Lord is "long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any
should perish." "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord
pitieth them that fear Him" (Ps. 103:13). Thus it was here: the Lord
evidenced His pity for His overwrought and disconsolate servant in a
most gracious manner, for the next thing that we read of is that he
"slept under a juniper tree" (v. 5). But the force of that is apt to
be lost upon us, in this God-dishonoring day, when there are few left
who realize that "He giveth His beloved sleep" (Ps. 127:2). It was
something better than "nature taking its courses: it was the Lord
refreshing the weary prophet.
How often is it now lost sight of that the Lord cares for the bodies
of His saints as well as for their souls. This is more or less
recognized and owned by believers in the matter of food and clothing,
health and strength, but it is widely ignored by many concerning the
point we are here treating of. Sleep is as imperative for our physical
well-being as is food and drink, and the one is as much the gift of
our heavenly Father as is the other. We cannot put ourselves to sleep
by any effort of will, as those who suffer with insomnia quickly
discover. Nor does exercise and manual labour of itself ensure sleep:
have you ever lain down almost exhausted and then found you were "too
tired to sleep"? Sleep is a Divine gift, but the nightly recurrence of
it blinds us to the fact.
When is so pleases Him, God withholds sleep, and then we have to say
with the Psalmist, "Thou holdest mine eyes waking" (77:4). but that is
the exception rather than the rule, and deeply thankful should we be
that it is so. Day by day the Lord feeds us, and night by night He
"giveth His beloved sleep." Thus in this little detail--of Elijah's
sleeping under the juniper tree--which we are likely to pass over
lightly, we should perceive the gracious hand of God ministering in
tenderness to the needs of one who is dear unto Him. Yes, "the Lord
pitieth them that fear Him," and why? "for He knoweth our frame; He
remembereth that we are dust" (Ps. 103:14). He is mindful of our
frailty, and tempers His winds accordingly; He is aware when our
energies are spent, and graciously renews our strength. It was not
God's design that His servant should die of exhaustion in the
wilderness after his long, long flight from Jezreel, so he mercifully
refreshes his body with sleep. And thus compassionately does He deal
with us.
Alas, how little are we affected by the Lord's goodness and grace unto
us. The unfailing recurrence of His mercies both temporally and
spiritually inclines us to take them as a matter of course. So dull of
understanding are we, so cold our hearts Godward, it is to be feared
that most of the time we fail to realize whose loving hand it is which
is ministering to us. Is not this the very reason why we do not begin
really to value our health until it is taken from us, and not until we
spend night after night tossing upon a bed of pain do we perceive the
worth of regular sleep with which we were formerly favored? And such
vile creatures are we that, when illness and insomnia come upon us,
instead of improving the same by repenting of our former ingratitude,
and humbly confessing the same to God, we murmur and complain at the
hardness of our present lot and wonder what we have done to deserve
such treatment. O let those of us who are still blessed with good
health and regular sleep fail not daily to return thanks for such
privileges and earnestly seek grace to use the strength from them to
the glory of God.
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The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 25
Refreshed
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"There hath no temptation (trial: whether in the form of seductions or
afflictions, solicitations to sin, or hardships) taken you but such as
is common to man" (1 Cor. 10:13). There hath no trial come upon you
but such as human nature is liable unto and has often been subject to:
you have not been called upon to experience any super-human or
unprecedented temptation. But how generally is this fact lost sight of
when the dark clouds of adversity come our way! Then we are inclined
to think, none was ever so severely tried as I am. It is well at such
a moment to remind ourselves of this truth and ponder the records of
those who have gone before us. Is it excruciating suffering of body
which causes you to suppose your anguish is beyond that of any other?
Then recall the case of Job "with sore boils from the sole of his foot
unto his crown"! Is it bereavement, the unexpected snatching away of
loved ones? Then remember also that Job lost all his sons and
daughters in a single day. Is it a succession of hardships and
persecutions encountered in the Lord's service? Then read 2
Corinthians 2:24-27 and note the multiplied and painful experiences
through which the chief of the apostles was called upon to pass.
But perhaps that which most overwhelms some reader is the shame he
feels over his breakdown under trials. He knows that others have been
tried as severely as he has, yea, much more severely, yet they bore
them with courage and composure, whereas he has been crushed by them:
instead of drawing comfort from the Divine promises, he has given way
to a spirit of despair; instead of bearing the rod meekly and
patiently, he has rebelled and murmured; instead of plodding along the
path of duty, he has deserted it. Was there ever such a sorry failure
as I am? Is now his lament. Rightly should we be humbled and mourn
over such failures to quit ourselves "like men" (1 Cor. 16:13)
contritely should we confess such sins unto God. Yet we must not
imagine that all is now lost. Even this experience is not unparalleled
in the lives of others. Though Job cursed not God, yet he did the day
of his birth. So, too, did Jeremiah, (20:14). Elijah deserted his post
of duty, lay down under the juniper tree and prayed for death. What a
mirror is Scripture in which we may see ourselves!
"But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that
ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape,
that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Cor. 10:13). Yes, God is faithful
even if we are faithless: He is true to His covenant engagements, and
though He visits our iniquities with stripes, yet His loving kindness
will He never utterly take from one of His own (Ps. 89:32, 33). It is
in the hour of trial, just when the clouds are blackest and a spirit
of dejection has seized us, that God's faithfulness appears most
conspicuously. He knows our frame and will not suffer us to be unduly
tried, but will "with the temptation also make a way to escape." That
is to say, He will either lighten the burden or give increased
strength to bear it, so that we shall not be utterly overwhelmed by
it. "God is faithful": not that He is engaged to secure us if we
deliberately plunge into temptations. No, but rather, if we seek to
resist temptation, if we call upon Him in the day of trouble, if we
plead His promises and count upon Him to undertake for us, He most
certainly will not fail us. Thus, though on the one hand we must not
presume and be reckless, on the other hand we should not despair and
give up the fight.--Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in
the morning.
How strikingly and how blessedly was 1 Corinthians 10:13, illustrated
and exemplified in the case of Elijah! It was a sore temptation or
trial, when after all his fidelity in the Lord's service his life
should be threatened by the wicked Jezebel, and when all his efforts
to bring back Israel to the worship of the true God seemed to be
entirely in vain. It was more than he could bear: he was weary of such
a one-sided and losing fight, and he prayed to be removed from the
arena. But God was faithful and with the sore temptation "also made a
way to escape" that he might be able to bear it. In Elijah's
experience, as is so often the case with us, God did not remove the
burden, but He gave fresh supplies of grace so that the prophet could
bear it. He neither took away Jezebel nor wrought a mighty work of
grace in the hearts of Israel, but He renewed the strength of His
overwrought servant. Though Elijah had fled from his post of duty, the
Lord did not now desert the prophet in his hour of need. "If we
believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself" (2 Tim.
2:13). O what a God is ours! No mere fair-weather friend is the One
who shed his blood to redeem us, but a Brother "born for adversity"
(Prov. 17:17). He has solemnly sworn "I will never leave thee nor
forsake thee," and therefore may we triumphantly declare, "The Lord is
my Helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me" (Heb. 13:5,
6).
As we pointed out in our last chapter, the first thing which the Lord
did in renewing the strength of Elijah was to give His beloved sleep,
thereby refreshing his weary and travel-worn body. How inadequately do
we value this Divine blessing, not only for the rest it brings to our
physical frames but for the relief it affords to a worried mind! What
a mercy it is for many harassed souls that they are not awake the full
twenty-four hours! Those who are healthy and ambitious may begrudge
the hours spent in slumber as so much "necessary waste of time," but
others who are wracked with pain or who are distressed must regard a
few hours of unconsciousness each night as a great boon. None of us
are as grateful as we should be for this constantly recurring
privilege, nor as hearty in returning thanks unto its Bestower. That
this is one of the Creator's gifts unto us is seen from the very first
occurrence of the word in Scripture: "The Lord caused a deep sleep to
fall upon Adam" (Gen. 2:21).
"And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then, an angel
touched him" (1 Kings 19:5). Here was the second proof of the Lord's
tender care for His servant and an inexpressibly blessed one was it.
Each separate word calls for devout attention. "Behold:" a note of
wonderment to stimulate our interest and stir us to reverent
amazement. "Behold" what? Some token of the Lord's displeasure, as we
might well expect: a drenching rain for example, to add to the
prophet's discomfort? No, far otherwise. Behold a grand demonstration
of that truth, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are
your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than
the earth so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than
your thoughts" (Isa. 55:8, 9). These verses are often quoted, yet few
of the Lord's people are familiar with the words which immediately
precede them and of which they are an amplification: "Let us return to
the Lord and He will have mercy upon us, and to our God for He will
abundantly pardon." Thus it is not the loftiness of his wisdom but the
infinitude of his mercy which is there in view.
"Behold then." This time-mark gives additional emphasis to the amazing
phenomenon which is here spread before our eyes. It was not on the
summit of Carmel, but here in the wilderness that Elijah received this
touching proof of his Master's care. It was not immediately after his
conflict with the prophets of Baal, but following upon his flight from
Jezreel that he received this distinguishing favour. It was not while
he was engaged in importunate prayer, begging God to supply his need,
but when he had petulantly asked that his life should be taken from
him, that provision was now made to preserve it. How often God is
better to us than our fears. We look for judgment, and behold mercy!
Has there not been just such a "then" in our lives? Certainly there
has been--more than once in the writer's experience; and we doubt not
in each of our Christian reader's. Well, then, may we unite together
in acknowledging, "He hath not dealt with us after our sins, not
rewarded us according to our iniquities" (Ps. 103:10). Rather has He
dealt with us after His covenant faithfulness and according to His
knowledge-passing love.
"Behold, then an angel touched him." It was not a fellow-traveler
whose steps God now directed toward the juniper tree and whose heart
He moved to have compassion unto the exhausted one who lay beneath it.
That had been a signal mercy, but here we gaze upon something far more
amazing. God dispatched one of those celestial creatures who surround
His throne on high to comfort the dejected prophet and supply his
wants. Verily this was not "after the manner of men," but blessed be
His name it was after the manner of Him who is "the God of all grace"
(1 Pet. 5:10). And grace, my reader, takes no account of our
worthiness or unworthiness, of our undeservedness, or
ill-deservedness. No, grace is free and sovereign and looks not
outside itself for the motive of its exercise. Man often deals harshly
with his fellows, ignoring their frailty and forgetting that he is
liable to fall by the wayside as they are, and therefore he frequently
acts hurriedly, inconsistently, and unkindly towards them. But not so
did God: He ever deals patiently with His erring children, and shows
the deepest pity and tenderness.
"Behold, then an angel touched him," gently rousing him from his
sleep, that he might see and partake of the refreshment which had been
provided for him. How this reminds us of that word, "are they not all
(the holy angels) ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them
who shall be heirs of salvation?" (Heb. 1:14). This is something about
which we hear little in this materialistic and skeptical age, but
concerning which the Scriptures reveal much for our comfort. It was an
angel who came and delivered Lot from Sodom ere that city was
destroyed by fire and brimstone (Gen. 19:15, 16). It was an angel
which "shut the lions" mouths" when Daniel was cast into their den
(6:22). It was angels who conveyed the soul of the beggar into
"Abraham's bosom" (Luke 16:22). It was an angel which visited Peter in
the prison, smote the chains from his hands, caused the iron gate of
the city to "open of his own accord" (Act 12:7, 10), and thus
delivered him from his enemies. It was an angel who assured Paul that
none on the ship should perish (Acts. 27:23). Nor do we believe for a
moment that the ministry of angels is a thing of the past, though they
no longer manifest themselves in visible form as in Old Testament
times--Hebrews 1:14, precludes such an idea.
"Then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he
looked, and behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse
of water at his head" (vv. 5, 6). Here was the third provision which
the Lord so graciously made for the refreshment of His exhausted
servant. Once more we note the thought-provoking "behold." And well
may we ponder this sight and be moved to wonderment at it--wonderment
at the amazing grace of Elijah's God, and our God. Twice before, the
Lord provided sustenance for the prophet in a miraculous manner; by
the ravens at the brook Cherith, by the widow woman at Zarephath; but
here none less than an angel ministered to him! Behold the constancy
of God's love, which all Christians profess to believe in but few seem
to realize in moments of depression and darkness. As another has said,
"It is not difficult to believe that God loves us when we go with the
multitude to the house of God with joy and praise and stand in the
sunlit circle: but it is hard for us to believe that He feels as much
love for us when, exiled by our sin to the land of Jordan and of the
Hermonites our soul is cast down within us, and deep calls to deep and
His waves and billows surge around.
"It is not difficult to believe that God loves us when, like Elijah at
Cherith and Carmel, we do his commandments hearkening unto the voice
of His Word; but it is not so easy when, like Elijah in the desert, we
lie stranded, or as dismantled and rudderless vessels roll in the
trough of the waves. It is not difficult to believe in God's love
when, like Peter, we stand on the mount of glory and in the rapture of
joy propose to share a tabernacle with Christ for evermore; but it is
well-nigh impossible when, with the same apostle, we deny our Master
with oaths, and are abashed by a look in which grief masters rebuke."
Most necessary is it for our peace and comfort to know and believe
that the love of God abides unchanging as Himself. What proof did
Elijah here receive of the same! Not only was he not forsaken by the
Lord, but there was no upbraiding of him nor word of reproach upon his
conduct. Ah, who can fathom, yea even understand, the amazing grace of
our God: the more sin abounds the more does His grace superabound!
Not only did Elijah receive unmistakable proof of the constancy of
God's love at this time, but it was manifested in a specially tender
manner. He had drunk of the brook Cherith, but never of water drawn by
angelic hands from the river of God. He had eaten of bread foraged for
him by ravens and of meal multiplied by a miracle, but never of cakes
manufactured by celestial fingers. And why these special proofs of
tenderness? Certainly not because God condoned His servant, but
because a special manifestation of love was needed to assure the
prophet that he was still the object of Divine love, to soften his
spirit and lead him to repentance. How this reminds us of that scene
portrayed in John 21, where we behold a breakfast prepared by the
risen Saviour and a fire of coals to warm the wet seamen; and He did
this for the very men who, on the night of His betrayal, all forsook
Him and fled, and who refused to believe in His triumph when the women
told them of the empty tomb and of His appearing unto them in tangible
form!
"And he looked, and behold, there was a cake baken on the coals and a
cruse of water at his head." Not only does this "behold" emphasize the
riches of God's grace in ministering to His wayward servant, but it
also calls attention to a marvel of His power. In their petulance and
unbelief, Israel of old had asked, "Can God furnish a table in the
wilderness?" (Ps. 78:19); yea, they affirmed, "It had been better for
us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness"
(Ex. 14:12). And here was Elijah, not merely on the fringe of this
desolate and barren wilderness but "a day's journey" into its
interior. Nothing grew there save a few shrubs, and no stream
moistened its parched sands. But adverse circumstances and
unpropitious conditions present no obstacles to the Almighty. Though
means be wanting to us, the lack of them presents no difficulty to the
Creator; He can produce water from the flinty rock and turn stones
into bread. Therefore no good thing shall they lack whom the Lord God
has engaged to provide for: His mercy and His power are equally
pledged on their behalf. Remember then, O doubting one, the God of
Elijah still lives and whether thy lot be cast in a time of war or
famine, thy bread and thy water are sure.
"And he looked, and behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a
cruse of water at his head." There is yet another direction to which
this "behold" points us, which seems to have escaped the notice of the
commentators, namely, the kind of service which the angel here
performed. What an amazing thing that so dignified a creature should
be engaged in such a lowly task: that the fingers of a celestial being
should be employed in preparing and baking a cake! It would appear a
degrading task for one of those exalted beings which surround the
throne of the Most High to minister unto one who belonged to an
inferior and fallen race, who was undutiful and out of temper: to
leave a spiritual occupation to prepare food for Elijah's body - how
abasing! Well may we marvel at such a sight, and admire the angel's
obedience in complying with his Master's order. But more, it should
encourage us to heed that precept and "condescend to men of low
estate" (Rom. 12:16), to regard no employment beneath us by which we
may benefit a fellow creature who is dejected in mind and whose spirit
is overwhelmed within him. Despise not the most menial duty when an
angel disdained not to cook food for a sinful man.
"And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again" (v. 6). Once again
it is evident that these narratives of Holy Writ are drawn by an
impartial hand and are painted in the colors of truth and reality. The
Holy Spirit has depicted the conduct of men, even of the most eminent,
not as it should have been but as it actually was. That is why we find
our own path and experiences therein so accurately depicted. Had some
religious idealist invented the story, how had he portrayed Elijah's
response to this amazing display of the Lord's grace, of the constancy
of His love, and of the special tenderness now shown him? Why
obviously he would have pictured the prophet as overwhelmed by such
Divine favour, thoroughly melted by such loving kindness, and
prostrated before Him in adoring worship. How different the Spirit's
description of fact! There is no intimation that the petulant prophet
was moved at heart, no mention of his bowing in worship, not so much
as a word that he returned thanks: merely that he ate and drank and
laid himself down again.
Alas, what is man? What is the best of men looked at apart from
Christ? How does the maturest saint act the moment the Holy Spirit
suspends His operations and ceases to work in and through him? Not
differently from the unregenerate, for the flesh is no better in him
than in the former. When he is out of communion with God, when his
will has been crossed, he is as peevish as a spoiled child. He is no
longer capable of appreciating Divine mercies, because he considers
himself hardly dealt with, and instead of expressing gratitude for
temporal favors he accepts them as a matter of course. If the reader
feels we are putting an unwarranted construction on this silence of
the narrative, that we should not assume Elijah failed to return
thanks, we would ask him to read the sequel and ascertain whether or
not it shows that the prophet continued in a fretful mood. The
omission of Elijah's worship and giving thanks for the refreshment is
only too sadly true to life. How this should rebuke us for similar
omissions! How this absence of praise should remind us of our
ingratitude at Divine favors when our wills are crossed, and humble us
at the recollection thereof.
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The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 26
The Cave in Mount Horeb
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Two things are made prominent in the opening verses of 1 Kings 19, the
one serving to enhance the other: the bitter fruits of the prophet's
panic and the superabounding grace of the Lord unto his erring
servant. The threatening message sent by the furious Jezebel had
filled Elijah with consternation, and in his subsequent actions we are
given to behold the effects which follow when the heart is filled with
unbelief and fear. Instead of spreading the queen's message before his
Master, Elijah took matters into his own hands; instead of waiting
patiently for Him, he acted on hasty impulse. First, he deserted his
post of duty and fled from Jezreel, whither "the hand of the Lord" had
brought him. Second, occupied solely with self, he "went for his
life," being no longer actuated by the glory of God nor the good of
His people. Third, folly now possessed him, for in rushing to
Beersheba he entered the territory of Jehoshaphat, whose son had
married "the daughter of Ahab"--not even does "common sense" regulate
those who are out of fellowship with God.
Elijah dare not remain at Beersheba, so he goes "a day's journey into
the wilderness," illustrative of the fact that when unbelief and fear
take possession, a spirit of restlessness fills the soul so that it is
no longer capable of being still before God. Finally, when his
feverish energy had spent itself, the prophet flung himself beneath a
juniper tree and prayed for death. He was now in the slough of
despond, feeling that life was no longer worth living. And it is on
that dark background we behold the glories of Divine grace which now
shone forth so blessedly. In the hour of his despair and need, the
Lord did not forsake His poor servant. No, first He gave His beloved
sleep, to rest his jaded nerves. Second, He sent an angel to minister
unto him. Third, He provided refreshments for his body. This was grace
indeed; not only undeserved but entirely unsought by the Tishbite.
Wondrous indeed are the ways of Him with whom we have to do, who is
"longsuffering to us-ward."
And what was Elijah's response to these amazing overtures of God's
mercy? Was he overwhelmed by the Divine favour? melted by such
lovingkindness? Cannot the reader, yea the Christian reader, supply
the answer from his own sad experience? When you have wandered from
the Lord and forsaken the paths of righteousness, and He has borne
with your waywardness, and instead of visiting your transgressions
with the rod has continued to shower His temporal blessings upon you,
has a sense of His goodness led you to repentance, or while still in a
backslidden state have you not rather accepted God's benefits as a
matter of course, unmoved by the most tender mercies? Such is fallen
human nature the world over, in every age: "As in water face answereth
to face, so the heart of man to man" (Prov. 27:19). And Elijah was no
exception, for we are told "he did eat and drink, and laid him down
again" (v. 6), --no sign of repentance for the past, no hint of
gratitude for present mercies, no exercise of soul about future duty.
Ah, in this line of the picture we are shown yet another effect which
follows upon the heart's giving way to unbelief and fear, and that is
insensibility of soul. When the heart is estranged from God, when self
becomes the center and circumference of our interests, a hardness and
deadness steals over us so that we are impervious unto the Lord's
goodness. Our vision is dimmed, so that we no longer appreciate the
benefits bestowed upon us. We become indifferent, callous,
unresponsive. We descend to the level of the beasts, consuming what is
given us with no thought of the Creator's faithfulness. Does not this
short sentence sum up the life of the unregenerate: "They eat and
drink and lie down again"--without any regard for God, care for their
souls, or concern for eternity? And my reader, that is the case with a
backsliding believer: he comes down to the level of the ungodly, for
God no longer has the chief place in his heart and thoughts.
And what was the Lord's response to such gross ingratitude on the part
of His servant? Did He now turn from him in disgust, as deserving no
further consideration from Him? Well He might, for despising grace is
no ordinary sin. Yet while grace does not make light of sin--as the
sequel here will make evident--yet if sin were able to thwart grace it
would cease to be grace. As grace can never be attracted by
"well-desert" so it is never repelled by "ill-desert." And God was
dealing in grace, sovereign grace, with the prophet. Wherefore we
read, "And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and
touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great
for thee" (1 Kings 19:7). Truly we must exclaim with the Psalmist, "He
hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted,
neither hath He hid his face from him" (22:24). And why? Because God
is love, and love "suffereth long and is kind . . . is not easily
provoked . . . beareth all things" (1 Cor. 13:4-7).
"And the angel of the Lord came again the second time," How wondrous
is the Lord's patience! "God hath spoken once" and that should be
sufficient for us, yet it rarely is so, and therefore is it added
"twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God" (Ps. 62:11).
The first time the cock crew Peter paid no heed to it, but "the second
time it crew" he "called to mind the word which Jesus said unto him .
. . and when he thought thereon, he wept" (Mark 14:72). Alas, how slow
we are to respond to the Divine advances: "And the voice spake unto
him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou
common" (Acts 10:15). "Rejoice in the Lord always:" surely the
Christian needs not to have such a word repeated! The apostle knew
better: "Again I say, Rejoice!" is added (Phil. 4:4). What dull
scholars we are: "When for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have
need that one teach you again" (Heb. 5:12), and thus it has to be
"line upon line, precept upon precept."
"And the angel of the Lord came again the second time." It seems most
probable that it was evening when the angel came to Elijah the first
time and bade him arise and eat, for we are told he had gone "a day's
journey into the wilderness" before he sat down under the juniper
bush. After he had partaken of the refreshment provided by such august
hands, Elijah had lain him down again and night had spread her
temporary veil over the scorched sands. When the angel came and
touched him the second time, day had dawned: through the intervening
hours of darkness the celestial messenger had kept watch and ward
while the weary prophet slept. Ah, the love of God knows no change--it
fainteth not, neither is object from it. Unfailing love watches over
the believer during the hours when he is insensible to its presence.
"Having loved His own which were in the world He loved them unto the
end"--unto the end of all their wanderings and unworthiness.
"And said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee,"
May we not perceive here a gentle rebuke for the prophet? "The journey
is too great for thee." What journey? He had not been directed to take
any! It was a journey undertaken of his own accord, a devising of his
own self-will. It was a journey away from the post of duty, which he
ought, at that hour, to have been occupying. It was as though this
heavenly messenger said to the prophet: See what comes of your
self-will; it has reduced you to weakness and starvation. Nevertheless
God has taken pity on you and furnished refreshment: He will not break
the bruised reed nor quench the smoking flax. The Lord is full of
kindness: He foresees the further demands which are going to be made
upon your frame, so "Arise and eat." Elijah had fixed his mind on the
distant Horeb, and so God anticipates his needs, even though they were
the needs of a truant servant and rebellious child. O what a God is
ours!
But there is a practical lesson here for each of us, even for those
whom grace hath preserved from backsliding. "The journey is too great
for thee." Not only life's journey as a whole, but each daily segment
of it will make demands above and beyond our own unaided powers. The
faith required, the courage demanded, the patience needed, the trials
to be borne, the enemies to be overcome, are "too great" for mere
flesh and blood. What then? Why, begin the day as Elijah began this
one: "Arise and eat." You do not propose to go forth to a day's work
without first supplying your body with food and drink, and is the soul
more able to do without nourishment? God does not ask you to provide
the spiritual food, but has graciously placed it by your side. All He
asks is, "Arise and eat:" feed on the heavenly manna that your
strength may be renewed; begin the day by partaking of the Bread of
Life, that you may be thoroughly furnished for the many demands that
will be made upon your graces.
"And he arose, and did eat and drink" (v. 8). Ah, though his case was
such a sad one, yet "the root of the matter" was in him. He did not
scorn the provision supplied him nor despise the use of means. Though
there is yet no sign of gratitude, no returning of thanks to the
gracious Giver, yet when bidden to eat, Elijah obediently complied.
Though he had taken matters into his own hands, he did not now defy
the angel to his face. As he had refused to lay violent hands upon
himself, asking the Lord to take his life from him, so now he did not
deliberately starve himself but ate the food set before him. The
righteous may fall, yet he will not be "utterly cast down." The flax
may not burn brightly, yet smoke will evidence that it has not quite
gone out. Life in the believer may wane to a low ebb, yet sooner or
later it will give proof that it is still there.
"And went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights
unto Horeb the mount of God" (v. 8). In His grace the Lord passes over
the infirmities of those whose hearts are upright with Him and who
sincerely love Him, though there still be that in them which ever
seeks to oppose His love. Very blessed is the particular detail now
before us: God not only reviewed the flagging energy of His servant
but He caused the food which he had eaten to supply him with strength
for a long time to come. Should the skeptic ask, How could that single
meal nourish the prophet for almost six weeks? It would be sufficient
answer to bid him explain how our food supplies us with energy for a
single day! The greatest philosopher cannot explain the mystery, but
the simplest believer knows that it is by the power and blessing of
God upon it. No matter how much food we eat, or how choice it be,
unless the Divine blessing attend it, it nourishes us not a single
whit. The same God who can make a meal energize us for forty minutes
can make it do so for forty days when He so pleases.
"Horeb the mount of God" was certainly a remarkable place for Elijah
to make for, for there is no spot on earth where the presence of God
was so signally manifested as there, at least in Old Testament times.
It was there that Jehovah had appeared unto Moses at the burning bush
(Ex. 3:1-4). It was there the Law had been given to Israel, (Deut.
4:15), under such awe-inspiring phenomena. It was there that Moses had
communed with Him for forty days and nights. Yet, though Israel's
prophets and poets were wont to draw their sublimest imagery from the
splendors and terrors of that scene, strange to say there is no record
in Scripture of any Israelite visiting that holy mount from the time
the Law was given until Elijah fled there from Jezebel. Whether it was
his actual intention to proceed thither when he left Jezreel we know
not. Why he went there we cannot be sure. Perhaps, as Matthew Henry
suggested, it was to indulge his melancholy, saying with Jeremiah, "O
that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I
might leave my people, and go from them!" (9:2).
Strangely enough there are some who think that the prophet wended his
way across the wilderness to Horeb because he had received
instructions from the angel to do so. But surely this view is
negatived by the sequel: the Lord had not twice uttered that searching
and rebuking, "What doest thou here, Elijah?", had he come thither in
obedience to the celestial messenger. That his steps were Divinely
guided thither we doubt not, for there was a striking propriety that
he who was peculiarly the legal reformer should meet with Jehovah in
the place where the Law had been promulgated--compare Moses and Elijah
appearing with Christ on the mount of transfiguration. Though Elijah
came not to Horeb by the command of God, he was directed there by the
secret providence of God: "A man's heart deviseth his way, but the
Lord directeth his steps" (Prov. 16:9). And how? By a secret impulse
from within which destroys not his freedom of action. "The king's
heart is in the hand of the Lord as the rivers of water: He turneth it
whithersoever He will" (Prov. 21:1),--the waters of a river flow
freely, yet is their course determined by Heaven!
"And he came thither into a cave, and lodged there" (v. 9). At last
the prophet was contented with the distance he had put between himself
and the one who had sworn to avenge the death of her prophets: there
in that remote mountain, concealed in some dark cave amid its
precipices, he felt secure. How he now employed himself we are not
told. If he tried to engage in prayer we may be sure he had no liberty
and still less delight therein. More probably he sat and mused upon
his troubles. If His conscience accused him that he had acted too
hastily in fleeing from Jezreel, that he ought not to have yielded to
his fears, but rather put his trust in God and proceeded to instruct
the nation, yet the sequel indicates he would have stifled such
humiliating convictions instead of confessing to God his failure. "The
backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways" (Prov. 14:15):
in the light of such a scripture who can doubt that Elijah was now
engaged in pitying and vindicating himself, reflecting on the
ingratitude of his fellow-countrymen and aggrieved at the harsh
treatment of Jezebel?
"And, behold, the word of the Lord came to him" (v. 9). God had spoken
to him personally on previous occasions. The word of the Lord had
ordered him to hide by the brook Cherith (17:2, 3). It had come to him
again, bidding him betake himself to Zarephath (17:8, 9). And yet
again it had commanded him to show himself unto Ahab (18:1). But it
seems to the writer that here we have something different from the
other instances. As the fugitive lurked in the cave, we are told,
"and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him." That expressive term
does not occur in any of the previous passages and its employment here
is the Spirit's intimation that something extraordinary is before us.
On this occasion it was something more than a Divine message which was
communicated to the prophet's ear, being nothing less than a visit
from a Divine person which the prophet now received. It was none other
than the second Person of the Trinity, the Eternal "Word" (John 1:1),
who now interrogated the erring Tishbite. This is unmistakably clear
from the next clause: "and He said unto him." Very remarkable, very
solemn is this.
"And He said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?" (v. 9). Elijah
had turned aside from the path of duty, and his Master knew it. The
living God knows where His servants are, what they are doing and not
doing. None can escape His omniscient gaze, for His eyes are in every
place (Prov. 15:3). The Lord's question was a rebuke, a searching word
addressed to his conscience. As we do not know which particular word
the Lord accentuated, we will emphasize each one separately. "What
doest thou?": is it good or evil, for totally inactive, in either mind
or body, man cannot be. "What doest thou?": art thou employing thy
time for the glory of God and the good of His people, or is it being
wasted in peevish repinings? "What doest thou?": thou who art the
servant of the Most High who hast been so highly honored, who hast
received such clear tokens of His aid and depended upon the Almighty
for protection! "What doest thou here?": away from the land of Israel,
away from the work of reformation.
"And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for
the children of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, thrown down Thine
altars, and slain Thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am
left; and they seek my life, to take it away" (v. 10). As we ponder
these words we find ourselves out of accord with the commentators,
most of whom severely criticize the prophet for seeking to excuse
himself and throw the blame on others. That which impresses the writer
first is the ingenuousness of Elijah: there were no evasions and
equivocations, but a frank and candid explanation of his conduct.
True, what he here advanced furnished no sufficient reason for his
flight, yet it was the truthful declaration of an honest heart. Well
for both writer and reader if he can always give as good an account of
himself when challenged by the Holy One. If we were as open and frank
with the Lord as Elijah was, we could expect to be dealt with as
graciously as he was; for note it well, the prophet received no rebuke
from God in answer to his outspokenness.
"I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts" was a statement
of fact: he had not shrunk from the most difficult and dangerous
service for his Master and his people. It was not because his zeal had
cooled that he had fled from Jezreel. "For the children of Israel have
forsaken Thy covenant, thrown down Thine altars, and slain Thy
prophets with the sword." Elijah had been deeply distressed to behold
how grievously the Lord was dishonored by the nation which was called
by His name. God's glory lay very near his heart, and it affected him
deeply to see His laws broken, His authority flouted, His worship
despised, the homage of the people given to senseless idols and their
tacit consent to the murder of His servants. "And I, even I only, am
left." He had, at imminent peril of his life, laboured hard to put a
stop to Israel's idolatry and to reclaim the nation; but to no
purpose. So far as he could perceive, he had laboured in vain and
spent his strength for nought. "And they seek my life, to take it
away:" what then is the use of my wasting any more time on such a
stiffnecked and unresponsive people!
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 27
A Still Small Voice
_________________________________________________________________
"And He said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And,
behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the
mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord
was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord
was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but the
Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice," (1
Kings 19:11, 12). Elijah was now called upon to witness a most
remarkable and awe-inspiring display of God's power. The description
which is here given of the scene, though brief, is so graphic that any
words of ours would only serve to blunt its forcefulness. What we
desire to do is rather to ascertain the meaning and message of this
sublime manifestation of God: its message to Elijah, to Israel, and to
ourselves. Oh, that our eyes may be anointed to discern, our heart so
affected as to appreciate, our thoughts controlled by the Holy Spirit,
and our pen directed unto the glory of the Most High and the blessing
of His dear people.
In seeking to discover the spiritual significance of what the prophet
here witnessed upon the mount, we must ponder the scene in connection
with what has preceded it both in the history of Israel and in the
experience of Elijah himself. Then we must consider it in relation to
what immediately follows, for there is undoubtedly a close connection
between the startling scenes depicted in verses 11 and 12 and the
solemn message contained in verses 15 to 18, the latter serving to
interpret the former. Finally, we need to examine this striking
incident in the light of the analogy of faith, the Scriptures as a
whole, for one part of them serves to explain another. It is as we
become better acquainted with the "ways" of God, as revealed in His
Word, that we are able to enter more intelligently into the meaning of
His "acts" (Ps. 103:7).
How then are we to consider this manifestation of God upon the mount
with regard to Elijah himself? First, as the Lord's dealing with him
in grace. This should be evident from the context. There we have seen
the touching response which God made to His servant's failure. So far
from forsaking him in his hour of weakness and need, the Lord had
ministered most tenderly to him, exemplifying that precious promise,
"Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that
fear Him" (Ps. 103:13). And Elijah did fear the Lord, and though his
faith was for the moment eclipsed, the Lord did not turn His back upon
him on that account. Sleep was given to him; an angel supplied him
with food and drink; supernatural strength was communicated to his
frame, so that he was enabled to do without any further nourishment
for forty days and nights. And when he reached the cave, Christ
Himself, the eternal "Word" had stood before him in theophanic
manifestation. What high favors were those! What proofs that we have
to do with One who is "the God of all grace"!
Of what has just been pointed out it may be said, True, but then
Elijah slighted that grace: instead of being suitably affected thereby
he remained petulant and peevish; instead of confessing his failure he
attempted to justify the forsaking of his post of duty. Even so, then
what? Why, does not the Lord here teach the refractory prophet a
needed lesson? Does He not appear before him in a terrifying manner
for the purpose of rebuking him? Not so do we read this incident.
Those who take such a view must have little experimental acquaintance
with the wondrous grace of God. He is not fickle and variable as we
are: He does not at one time deal with us according to His own
compassionate benignity and at another treat with us according to our
ill deserts. When God begins to deal in grace with one of His elect,
He continues dealing with him in grace, and nothing in the creature
can impede the outflow of His lovingkindness.
One cannot examine the wonders which occurred here on Horeb without
seeing in them an intended reference to the awful solemnities of Sinai
with its "thunders and lightnings," when the Lord "descended upon it
in fire" and the whole mount "quaked greatly" (Ex. 19:16, 18). Yet we
miss the force of the allusion unless we heed carefully the words,
"the Lord was not in the wind," "the Lord was not in the earthquake,"
"the Lord was not in the fire." God was not dealing with Elijah on the
ground of the legal covenant. That threefold negative is the Spirit
saying to us, Elijah had "not come unto the mount that might be
touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness,
and tempest" (Heb. 12:18). Rather was the prophet addressed by the
"still small voice," which was plain intimation that he had "come unto
mount Zion" (Heb. 12:22)--the Mount of grace. That Jehovah should
reveal Himself thus to Elijah was a mark of Divine favour, conferring
upon him the same sign of distinction which He had vouchsafed unto
Moses in that very place, when He showed him His glory and made all
His goodness pass before him.
Second, the method which the Lord chose to take with His servant on
this occasion was designed for his instruction. Elijah was dejected at
the failure of his mission. He had been jealous for the Lord God of
hosts, but what had come of all his zeal? He had prayed as probably
none before him had ever prayed, yet though miracles had been wrought
in answer thereto, that which lay nearest to his heart had not been
attained. Ahab had been quite unaffected by what he had witnessed. The
nation was not reclaimed unto God. Jezebel was as defiant as ever.
Elijah appeared to be entirely alone, and his utmost efforts were
unavailing. The enemy still triumphed in spite of all. The Lord
therefore sets before His servant an object lesson. By solemn
exhibitions of His mighty power He impressively reminds Elijah that He
is not confined to any one agent in the carrying out of His designs.
The elements are at His disposal when He is pleased to employ them: a
gentler method and milder agent if such be His will.
It was quite natural that Elijah should have formed the conclusion
that the whole work was to be done by himself, coming as he did with
all the vehemence of a mighty wind; that under God all obstacles would
be swept away--idolatry abolished and the nation brought back to the
worship of Jehovah. The Lord now graciously makes known unto the
prophet that He has other arrows in His quiver which He will discharge
in due time. The "wind," the "earthquake," "the fire," should each
play their appointed part, and thereby make way more distinctly and
effectively for the milder ministry of the "still small voice." Elijah
was but one agent among several. "One soweth, and another reapeth"
(John 4: 37), Elijah had performed his part and soon would he be
grandly rewarded for his faithfulness. Nor had he labored in vain, yet
another man and not himself should enter into his labours. How
gracious of the Lord thus to take His servants into His confidence !
"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto
His servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7). This is exactly what occurred
there on Horeb. By means of what we may term a panoramic parable God
revealed the future unto Elijah. Herein we may discover the bearing of
this remarkable incident upon Israel. In the immediate sequel we find
the Lord bidding Elijah anoint Hazael over Syria, Jehu over Israel,
and Elisha prophet in his own room, assuring him that "it shall come
to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay,
and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay" (v.
17). In the work of those men we may perceive the prophetic meaning of
the solemn phenomena Elijah beheld--they were symbols of the dire
calamities with which God would punish the apostate nation. Thus the
strong "wind" was a figure of the work of judgment which Hazael
performed on Israel, when he "set their strongholds on fire and slew
their young men with the sword" (2 Kings 8:12); the "earthquake," of
the revolution under Jehu, when he utterly destroyed the house of Ahab
(2 Kings 9:7-10); and the "fire," the work of judgment completed by
Elisha.
Third, the incident as a whole was designed for the consolation of
Elijah. Terrible indeed were the judgments which would fall upon
guilty Israel, yet in wrath Jehovah would remember mercy. The chosen
nation would not be utterly exterminated, and therefore did the Lord
graciously assure His despondent servant, "Yet will I leave Me seven
thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal and
every mouth which hath not kissed him" (v. 18). As the "strong wind,"
the "earthquake," and the "fire" were emblematic portents of the
judgments which God was shortly to send upon His idolatrous people, so
the "still small voice" which followed them looked forward to the
mercy He had in store after His "strange work" had been accomplished.
For we read that, after Hazael had oppressed Israel all the days of
Jehoahaz, "the Lord was gracious unto them, and had respect unto them
because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and would not
destroy them, neither cast He them from His presence as yet" (2 Kings
13:23). Once again we say, how gracious of the Lord to make known unto
Elijah "things to come," and thus acquaint him with what should be the
sequel to his labors.
If we consider the remarkable occurrences of Horeb in the light of the
Scriptures as a whole, we shall find they were indicative and
illustrative of one of the general principles in the Divine government
of this world. The order of the Divine manifestations before Elijah
was analogous to the general tenor of the Divine proceedings. Whether
it be with regard to a people or an individual, it is usual for the
bestowment of Divine mercies to be preceded by awe-inspiring displays
of God's power and displeasure against sin. First the plagues upon
Egypt and the destruction of Pharaoh and his hosts at the Red Sea, and
then the deliverance of the Hebrews. The majesty and might of Jehovah
exhibited on Sinai and then the blessed proclamation, "The Lord, the
Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in
goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity
and transgression and sin" (Ex. 34:6, 7).
Fourth, the method followed by the Lord on this occasion was meant to
furnish Elijah for further service. The "still small voice," speaking
quietly and gently, was designed to calm and sooth his ruffled spirit.
It evidenced afresh the kindness and tenderness of the Lord, who would
assuage Elijah's disappointment and cheer his heart. Where the soul is
reassured of His Master's love the servant is nerved to face fresh
dangers and oppositions for His sake and to tackle any task He may
assign him. It was thus also He dealt with Isaiah: first abasing him
with a vision of His glory, which made the prophet conscious of his
utter sinfulness and insufficiency, and then assuring him of the
remission of his sins: and in consequence Isaiah went forward on a
most thankless mission (Isa. 6:1-12). The sequel here shows the Lord's
measures were equally effective with Elijah; he received a fresh
commission and obediently he discharged it.
"And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his
mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave" (v.
13). This is remarkable. So far as we can gather from the inspired
record, Elijah stood unmoved at the varied displays of Jehovah's
power, fearful as they were to behold--surely a clear intimation that
his conscience was not burdened by guilt! But when the still small
voice sounded, he was at once affected. The Lord addressed His
servant, not in an angry and austere manner, but with gentleness and
tenderness, to show him what a compassionate and gracious God he had
to do with, and his heart was touched. The Hebrew word for "still" is
the one employed in Psalm 107:29, "He maketh the storm a calm." The
wrapping of his face in his mantle betokened two things: his reverence
for the Divine majesty and a sense of his own unworthiness--as the
seraphim are represented as covering their faces in the Lord's
presence, (Isa. 6:2, 3). When Abraham found himself in the presence of
God, he said, "I am dust and ashes" (Gen. 18). When Moses beheld Him
in the burning bush, he "hid his face" (Ex. 3).
Many and profitable are the lessons for us in this remarkable
incident. First, from it we may perceive it is God's way to do the
unexpected. Were we to put it to a vote as to which they thought the
more likely, for the Lord to have spoken to Elijah through the mighty
wind and earthquake or the still small voice, we suppose the great
majority would say the former. And is it not much the same in our own
spiritual experience? We earnestly beg Him to grant us a more definite
and settled assurance of our acceptance in Christ, and then look for
His answer in a sort of electric shock imparted to our souls or in an
extraordinary vision; when instead, it is by the still small voice of
the Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are the children of
God. Again, we beseech the Lord that we may grow in grace, and then
expect His answer in the form of more conscious enjoyment of His
presence; whereas He quietly gives us to see more of the hidden
depravity of our hearts. Yes, God often does the unexpected in His
dealings with us.
Second, the pre-eminence of the Word. Reduced to a single word we may
say that the varied phenomena witnessed by Elijah upon the mount were
a matter of the Lord speaking to him. When it is said, "The Lord was
not in" the wind, the earthquake, and the fire, we are to understand
it was not through them He addressed Himself to the prophet's heart;
rather was it by the "still small voice." In regarding this last agent
as the emblem of the Word, we find confirmation in the striking fact
that the Hebrew word for "small" is the self-same one used in "a small
round thing" in Exodus 16:14, and we need hardly add, the manna
whereby the Lord fed Israel in the wilderness was a type of the food
He has provided for our souls. Though the wondrous wisdom and potent
power of God are displayed in creation, yet it is not through nature
that God may be understood and known, but through the Word applied by
His Spirit.
Third, in the phenomena of the mount we may perceive a striking
illustration of the vivid contrast between the Law and the Gospel. The
rock-rending wind, the earthquake and the fire figured the
terror-producing Law (as may be seen from their presence at Sinai),
but the "still small voice" was a fit emblem of "the Gospel of peace"
which soothes the troubled breast. As the plough and the harrow are
necessary in order to break up the hard earth and prepare it for the
seed, so a sense of the majesty, holiness and wrath of God is the
harbinger which prepares us to appreciate truly His grace and love.
The careless must be awakened, the soul made sensible of its danger,
the conscience convicted of the sinfulness of sin, ere there is any
turning unto God and fleeing from the wrath to come. Yet those
experiences are not saving ones: they do but prepare the way, as the
ministry of John the Baptist fitted men to behold the Lamb of God.
Fourth, thus we may see in this incident a figure of God's ordinary
manner of dealing with souls, for it is customary for Him to use the
Law before the Gospel. In spite of much which is now said to the
contrary, this writer still believes that it is usual for the Spirit
to wound before He heals, to shake the soul over hell before He
communicates a hope of heaven, to bring the heart to despair before it
is brought to Christ. Self-complacency has to be rudely shattered and
the rags of self-righteousness torn off if a sense of deep need is to
fill the heart. The Hebrews had to come under the whip of their
masters and to be made to groan in the brick kilns before they longed
to be delivered from Egypt. A man must know himself to be utterly lost
before he will crave salvation. The wind and fire must do their work
before we can appreciate the "joyful sound" (Ps. 89:15). Sentence of
death has to be written upon us ere we turn to Christ for life.
Fifth, this is often God's method of answering prayer. Christians are
very apt to look for God to respond unto their petitions with striking
signs and spectacular wonders, and because these are not given in a
marked and permanent form they conclude He heeds them not. But the
presence and power of God are not to be gauged by abnormal
manifestations and extraordinary visitations. The wonders of God are
rarely wrought with noise and vehemence. Whose ear can detect the
falling of the dew? Vegetation grows silently but none the less
surely. In grace as in nature God usually works gently, softly,
unperceived, except through the effects produced. The greatest
fidelity and devotion to God are not to be found where excitement and
sensationalism hold forth. The blessing of the Lord attends the
unobtrusive and persevering use of His appointed means which attracts
not the attention of the vulgar and carnal.
Sixth, this scene on Horeb, contains a timely message for preachers.
How many ministers of the Gospel have become thoroughly discouraged,
though with far less provocation than Elijah. They have been untiring
in their labours, zealous for the Lord, faithful in preaching His
Word, yet nothing comes of it, there is no response, all appears to be
in vain. Even so, granted that such be the case, then what? Seek to
lay hold afresh on the grand truth that the purpose of the Lord shall
not fail, and that purpose includes tomorrow as well as today! The
Most High is not confined to any one agent. Elijah thought the whole
work was to be accomplished through his instrumentality, but was
taught that he was only one factor among several. Do your duty where
God has stationed you: plough up the fallow ground and sow the seed,
and though there be no fruit in your day, who knows but an Elisha may
follow you and do the reaping.
Seventh, there is a solemn warning here to the unsaved. God will not
be mocked with impunity. Though He be longsuffering, there is a limit
to His patience. Those who improved not the day of their visitation
and opportunity under the ministry of Elijah were made to feel what a
terrible thing it is to flout the Divine warnings. Mercy was followed
by judgment, drastic and devastating. The strongholds of Israel were
overthrown and their young men slain by the sword. Is this to be the
awful fate of the present generation? Is it devoted by God to
destruction? It looks more and more like it. The masses are given up
to a spirit of madness. The most solemn portents of the approaching
storm are blatantly disregarded. The words of God's servants fall upon
deaf ears. O my unsaved readers, flee to Christ without further delay
ere the flood of God's wrath engulfs you.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 28
Elijah's Recovery
_________________________________________________________________
The failure of Elijah had been of a different character from that of
Jonah. It does not appear that he had done any moral wrong in quitting
Jezreel; rather was his conduct in line with Christ's direction to His
disciples: "But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into
another" (Matthew 10:23). They were not to expose themselves rashly to
danger, but if they could do so honorably, avoid it and thus preserve
themselves for future service--as numbers of our Reformers and members
of their flocks took refuge on the Continent in the days of wicked
Queen Mary. God had given Elijah no express order to remain at Jezreel
and continue the work of reformation, and "where no law is, there is
no transgression" (Rom. 4:15). It was more a case of the Lord's
testing His servant with "circumstances," leaving him to himself, to
show us what was in his heart, allowing him to exercise his own
judgment and follow his own inclinations. Had there been something
more involved than this, had the prophet been guilty of deliberate
disobedience, the Lord's dealings with
What has been said above is not for the purpose of excusing Elijah,
but to view his fault in a fair perspective. Some have unfairly
magnified his failure, charging him with that which can not justly be
laid to his account. We certainly believe he made a lamentable mistake
in deserting the post of duty to which "the hand of the Lord" had
brought him (1 Kings 18:46), for he received no word from his Master
to leave there. Nor can we justify his petulancy under the juniper
tree and his request for the Lord to take away his life--that is for
Him to decide, and not for us at any time. Moreover, the question put
to him twice at Horeb, "What doest thou here, Elijah?" evidently
implied a gentle rebuke: yet it was more an error of judgment which he
had committed than a sin of the heart. He had felt at liberty to
exercise his own discretion and to act according to the dictates of
his own feelings. God permitted this that we might know the strongest
characters are as weak as water the moment He withdraws His
We have already seen how tenderly Jehovah dealt with His erring
servant in the wilderness, let us now admire the grace He exercised
toward him at Horeb. That which is to be before us reminds us much of
the Psalmist's experience: the Lord who was his Shepherd had not only
made him to lie down in green pastures, but "He restoreth my soul"
(23: 2, 3), he acknowledged. The One who had refreshed and fed His
servant under the juniper tree now recovers him from his useless
repinings, reclaims him from his wanderings, and raises him to a
position of honour in His service. Elijah was incapable of restoring
himself, and there was no human being who could have delivered him
from the slough of despond, so when there was none other eye to pity
him the Lord had compassion upon him. And is it not thus, at some time
or other, in the experience of all God's servants and people? He who
first delivered us from a horrible pit continues to care for us, and
when we wander from Him He
"And the Lord said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness
of Damascus" (1 Kings 19:15). "The prophet was bemoaning the failure
of all his efforts to glorify God, and the obstinate determination of
his people to continue in their apostasy. It was thus he spent his
time in the cave at Horeb, brooding over his disappointment, and
lashing himself, by reflecting upon the conduct of the people. A
solitary place, with nothing to do, might be congenial with such a
disposition; it might foster it, but would never heal it: and thus
Elijah might have succumbed to a settled melancholy or raving madness.
The only hope for persons in such circumstances is to come out from
their lonely haunts, and to be actively employed in some useful and
benevolent occupation. This is the best cure for melancholy: to set
about doing something which will require muscular exertion, and which
will benefit others. Hence God directed Elijah to quit this present
lonely abode, which only increased the sadness and irritation of his
spirit; and so He gave him "(John Simpson).
"And the Lord said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness
of Damascus" (v. 15). This is the course God takes when He restores
the soul of one of His erring people, causing him to retrace his steps
and return to the place of duty. When Abraham left Egypt - whither he
had gone "down" in the time of famine: Genesis 12:10--we read that "he
went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place
where his tent had been at the beginning" (Gen. 13: 3). When the
church at Ephesus "left her first love," Christ's message to her was
"Remember from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first
works" (Rev. 2:4). So now Elijah is required to go back the way he had
come, through the wilderness of Arabia, which was part of the course
he would traverse on his way to Damascus. This is still God's word to
His strayed sheep: "Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord; I
will not cause Mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful" (Jer.
When Peter repented for his great sin, the Lord not only for gave him,
but recommissioned His servant: "Feed My sheep" (John 21:16). So here,
the Lord not only restored the prophet's soul, but appointed him to
fresh work in His service. "And when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be
king over Syria" (v. 15). This was a high honour for Jehovah to confer
upon Elijah, such as He had bestowed upon Samuel (1 Sam 16:13). How
gracious is our God! How patiently He bears with our infirmities!
Observe how these passages teach that it is not by the people but by
God that kings reign (Prov. 8:15). "There is no power but of God: the
powers that be are ordained of God," and therefore does He require of
us, "let every soul be subject unto the higher powers" (Rom. 13:1). In
this "democratic" age it is necessary that ministers of the Gospel
should press this truth: "submit yourselves to every ordinance of man
for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto
governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of
evildoers" (1 Pet. 2:13, 14). Said the apostle to Titus, "Put them in
mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey "(3:1).
"And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel"
(v. 16). None can reign except those whom God makes kings, and they
only so long as He pleases. This "anointing" or unction proclaimed
their Divine designation to this office and the qualification with
which they should be endowed for their work. The Lord Jesus, who was
"anointed with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 10:38), united in Himself the
offices of prophet, priest and king: the only persons ordered to be
anointed in the Scriptures. Infidels have raised an objection against
our present verse by pointing out that Jehu was anointed, not by
Elijah, but by a young prophet under the direction of Elisha (2 Kings
9:1-6). This objection may be disposed of in two ways. First, Jehu may
have been anointed twice, as David was (1 Sam. 16:13; 2 Sam. 2:4); or,
as "Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, though Jesus
Himself baptized not, but His disciples" (John 4:1, 2), so Jehu is
said to be anointed by Elijah because what took place in his orders.
"And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shalt thou anoint to be
prophet in thy room" (v. 16). Here was an additional favour bestowed
upon Elijah, that he should have the almost unique honour of ordaining
his successor. That which had so quenched the Tishbite's spirit was
the failure which attended his efforts: no impression seemed to be
made on the idolatrous nation, he alone appeared to be concerned about
the glory of the Lord God, and now his own life was imperiled. How his
heart must have been comforted by the Divine assurance that another
was appointed to carry on the mission he had prosecuted so zealously!
Hitherto there had been none to help him, but in the hour of his
despondency God provides him with a suitable companion and successor.
It has ever been a great consolation to godly ministers and their
flocks to think that God will never lack instruments to conduct His
work, that when they are removed others will be brought for ward to
carry on. One of the saddest and most solemn features of this
degenerate age is that the ranks of the righteous are so depleted and
scarcely any are being raised up to fill their places. It is this
which makes the outlook
"And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael
shall Jehu slay, and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall
Elisha slay" (v. 17). Elijah had wrought faithfully, but Israel had to
be dealt with by other agents too: the three men whom he was bidden to
anoint would in their turn bring down judgment upon the land. God was
infinitely more jealous of His own honour than His servant could be,
and He would by no means desert His cause or suffer His enemies to
triumph as the prophet feared. But mark the variety of the instruments
which God was pleased to employ: Hazael, king of Syria; Jehu, the rude
captain of Israel; and Elisha, a young farmer--great differences here!
And yet each one was needed for some special work in connection with
that idolatrous people at that time. Ah, "the eye cannot say to the
hand, I have no need of thee; nor again the head to the feet, I have
no need of you" (1 Cor. 12:21). Yea, as some of the smaller and
frailer members of the body perform the most useful--and essential
offices, so it is often by the most unlettered and apparently
We may also perceive here how God exercises His high sovereignty in
the instruments He employs. Neither Hazael nor Jehu was a pious man:
the former came to the throne by foully murdering his predecessor (2
Kings 8:15), while of the latter we read, "But Jehu took no heed to
walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart: for he
departed not from the sins of Jeroboam" (2 Kings 10:31). It is often
His way to make use of wicked men to thrash those who have enjoyed but
spurned particular favors at His hands. It is indeed remarkable how
the Most High accomplishes His purpose through men whose only thought
is to gratify their own evil lusts. True, their sin is neither
diminished nor condoned because they are executing the decrees of
Heaven; indeed, they are held fully accountable for the evil, yet they
do only that which God's hand and counsel determined before to
"And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael
shall Jehu slay, and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall
Elisha slay." Unspeakably solemn is this. Though God bears "with much
longsuffering" the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction, yet there
is a limit to His patience; "He that being often reproved hardeneth
his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy" (Prov.
29:1). Long had God endured that horrible insult to His majesty, but
the worshippers of Baal should shortly discover that His wrath was as
great as His power. They had been faithfully warned: for three and a
half years there had been a fearful drought and famine upon their
land. A notable miracle had been wrought on Carmel, but only a
fleeting impression had been made on the people. And now God announces
that the "sword" shall do its fearful work, not mildly but thoroughly,
until the land was completely purged of this great evil. And this is
placed on record for all succeeding generations to ponder! The Lord
has not changed: even as we write, His judgments are upon most of
"Yet I will leave Me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which
have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him"
(v. 18). On this verse we take decided exception to the interpretation
given by the great majority of the commentators, who see in it a
Divine rebuke unto the prophet's dark pessimism, supposing it was
God's reply to his despondent "I only am left," when in reality there
was a multitude in Israel who refused to join in the general idolatry.
For several reasons we cannot accept any such view. Is it thinkable
that there could actually be thousands in Israel who remained loyal to
Jehovah and yet the prophet be totally unaware of their existence? It
is not surprising to find one writer of note saying, "It has often
been a subject of wonder to me how those seven thousand secret
disciples could keep so close as to be unknown by their great leader:
attar of roses will always betray its presence, hide it as we may" -
but he creates his own difficulty. Moreover, such a view is quite out
of harmony with the context: why, after bestowing honour upon the
The careful reader will observe that the marginal reading opposite
"Yet I have left Me seven thousand" is, "Yet I will leave me seven
thousand." The Hebrew allows of either, but we much prefer the latter,
for it not only removed the difficulty of Elijah's ignorance (which
the former necessarily involves), but it accords much better with the
context. The Lord was graciously comforting His despondent servant.
First, the Lord informed the prophet that another should take his
place and carry on his mission. Next He declared He was by no means
indifferent to the horrible situation, but would shortly make quick
work of it in judgment. And now He assures him that, though summary
judgment should be visited upon Israel, yet He would not make a full
end of them, but would preserve a remnant for Himself. Nor does Romans
11:4 in anywise conflict with this, providing we change the word
"answer" to "oracle" (as the Greek requires!), for God was not
replying to an objection, but making known to
It will thus be seen that we take an entirely different view from the
popular interpretation not only of verse 18, but of the whole passage.
Every writer we have consulted regards these verses as expressing the
Lord's displeasure against a refractory servant, that He dealt with
him in judgment, setting him aside from the honored position he had
occupied by appointing Elisha in his stead. But apart from the gentle
rebuke implied in His question, "What doest thou here, Elijah?", there
is nothing to signify the Lord's displeasure, but much to the
contrary. Rather do we regard these verses as a record of God's
comforting answer to the prophet's despondency. Elijah felt that the
forces of evil had triumphed: the Lord announces that the worship of
Baal should be utterly destroyed (v. 17 and cf. 2 Kings 10:25-28).
Elijah grieved because he "only was left": the Lord declares "I will
leave Me seven thousand in Israel." So desperate was the situation,
they sought to take the life of Elijah: The Lord promises that Elisha
shall complete his mission. Thus did Jehovah most
With the verses which have been before us, we like to link those words
of Christ to His apostles, "Henceforth I call you not servants; for
the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you
friends; for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made
known unto you" (John 15:15)--indicative of the intimate fellowship
they enjoyed with Him. Thus it was with Elijah. The Lord of hosts had
condescended to make known unto him things to come, which certainly
had not been the case if he were estranged from Him. It was like what
we read of in Genesis 18:17, "And the Lord said, Shall I hide from
Abraham that thing which I do?" No, He did not, for Abraham was "the
friend of God" (Jas. 2:23). Blessed indeed is it to see how the Lord
had restored Elijah's soul to the most intimate communion with
Himself: recovering him from his gloom and
"So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was
plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth:
and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him" (v. 19). Here
is good evidence that the Lord had restored the soul of His servant.
Elijah raised no objection, made no delay, but responded promptly.
Obedience must ever be the test of our relations with God: "If ye love
Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15). In this instance it involved a
difficult journey of some one hundred and sixty miles--the distance
between Horeb and Abel-meholah (v. 16 and cf. 4:12)--most of it across
the desert; but when God commissions it is for us to comply. There was
no jealous resentment that another should fill his place: as soon as
Elisha was encountered Elijah cast his mantle upon him--indicative of
his investiture with the prophetic office and a sign of friendship
that he would take him under his care and tuition. So indeed the young
farmer understood it, as is evident from his response. And he left the
oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my
father and my mother, and then I will follow thee" (v. 20). The Spirit
of God moved him to accept the call, so that he at once relinquished
all his worldly expectations. See how easily the Lord can stir men up
to undertake His work in the face of great discouragements. "Had he
consulted with flesh and blood, he would have been very unwilling to
be in Elijah's situation, when thus hunted in those dangerous times,
and when there was nothing but persecution to be expected. Yet Elisha
chose to be a servant to a prophet rather than master of a large farm,
and cheerfully resigned all for God. The prayer of Divine grace can
remove every objection and conquer every prejudice" (Robert Simpson).
"And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee?"
(v. 20). Very beautiful is this: there was no self-importance, but
rather total self-renunciation. Like John the Baptist (who came in his
spirit: Luke 1:17) he was sent to usher in another, and his language
here was tantamount to "he must increase, I must decrease." Blessed
"And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slew them,
and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto
the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah and
ministered unto him" (v. 21). What a lovely finishing touch to the
picture! Certainly Elisha did not look upon Elijah as one who had been
set aside by the Lord! What comfort for the Tishbite now to have for
his companion one of so dutiful and affectionate disposition; and what
a privilege for this young man to be under so eminent a tutor! And
what is the next reference to him in Scripture? This, "And the word of
the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Go down to meet Ahab
king of Israel" (1 Kings 21:17, 18): how completely that disposes of
the popular idea that God had discarded him from His service. Plainly
he had been thoroughly reinstated and was back again on the same old
terms with his Master. That is why we have entitled this chapter
"Elijah's Recovery."
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The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 29
Naboth's Vineyard
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The contents of 1 Kings 20 have presented quite a problem to most of
those who have written thereon. It opens with the statement, "And
Benhadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and there
were thirty and two kings with him, and horses and chariots: and he
went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it." So confident of
victory was he that he sent messengers to Ahab saying, "Thy silver and
thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children" (v. 3). Having seen
something of the accumulated and aggravated sins of Ahab, we might
well suppose the Lord would give success to this enterprise of
Benhadad's and use him to humiliate and punish Ahab and his apostate
consort. But this expectation is not realized. Strange as that
appears, our surprise is greatly increased when we learn that a
prophet came unto Ahab saying, "Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou seen
all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thine hand
this day; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord" (v. 13). In the
immediate sequel we behold the fulfilment of that prediction: "The
king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew
the Syrians with a great slaughter" (v. 21): thus the victory was not
with Benhadad but with Ahab.
Nor does the above incident stand alone, for the next thing we read of
is: "And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him,
Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the
return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee" (v.
22). This seems passing strange: that the Lord should come to the help
of such a one as Ahab. Again the prediction was fulfilled, for
Benhadad came with such immense forces that the army of Israel
appeared "like two little flocks of kids, but the Syrians filled the
country" (v. 27). Once more, a prophet came to Ahab saying, "Thus
saith the Lord, Because the Syrians have said, The Lord is God of the
hills, but He is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all
this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that am the
Lord" (v. 28). The outcome was that "The children of Israel slew of
the Syrians a hundred thousand footmen in one day" (v. 29). But
because he allowed Benhadad to go free, another prophet announced unto
Ahab, "Thy life shall go for his life" (v. 42).
God's time to destroy Ahab and all who followed him in idolatry had
not yet come. It was through Hazael and not Benhadad the Divine
vengeance was to be wrought. But if the hour of retribution had not
then arrived, why was Benhadad permitted thus to menace the land of
Samaria? Ah, it is the answer to that question which casts light upon
the above problem. The "day of the Lord" is deferred because God is
long-suffering to His elect, "not willing that any should perish, but
that all should come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9, 10). Not until Noah
and his family were safely in the ark did the windows of heaven open
and pour down their devastating flood. Not until Lot was delivered
from Sodom did fire and brimstone fall upon it: "I cannot do anything
(said the destroying angel) till thou be come thither" (Gen. 19: 22).
And so it was here: not until Elijah and his helper had completed
their work, not until all the "seven thousand" whom Jehovah reserved
for Himself had been called, would the work of judgment be effected.
Following upon the account of Elisha's call to the ministry the
inspired narrative supplies us with no description of the activities
in which they engaged, yet we may be sure that they redeemed the time.
Probably in distant parts of the land they sought to instruct the
people in the worship of Jehovah, opposing the prevailing idolatry and
general corruption, laboring diligently though quietly to effect a
solid reformation. It would seem that, following the example of Samuel
(1 Sam. 10:5-10; 19:20), they established schools here and there for
fitting young men unto the prophetic office, instructing them in the
knowledge of God's Law and preparing them to become expounders of it
unto the people, and also to lead in psalmody--an important service
indeed. We base this view on the mention of "the sons of the prophets
that were at Bethel" and "at Jericho" (2 Kings 2:3, 5). Thus it was
that Elijah and Elisha were able to proceed for a year or two
unmolested in their work, for being engaged in defending himself and
his kingdom from powerful enemies, Ahab was too fully occupied to
interfere with them. How wondrous are God's ways: kings and their
armies are but pawns to be moved here and there as He pleases.
In what has been before us we may see what varied means the Lord
employs to protect His servants from those who would injure them. He
knows how to ward off the assaults of their enemies, who would oppose
them in their pious efforts to be good. He can make all things smooth
and secure for them, that they may proceed without annoyance in
discharging the duties which He has assigned them. The Lord can easily
fill the heads and hands of their opponents with such urgent business
and solicitations that they have enough to do to take care of
themselves without harassing His servants in their work. When David
and his men were hard pressed in the wilderness of Maon and it
appeared they were doomed, "There came a messenger unto Saul, saying,
Haste thee, and come; for the Philistines have invaded the land.
Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against
the Philistines" (1 Sam. 23:27, 28). How incapable we are of
determining why God permits one nation to rise up against another,
against this one rather than that!
The two prophets continued their work in preaching to the people and
instructing their younger brethren for some time, and in view of the
promise in 19:18 we may conclude the blessing of the Lord rested upon
their labors, and that not a few were converted. Gladly would they
have remained in this quiet and happy occupation, only too glad to
escape the notice of the court. But the ministers of God are not to
expect a smooth and easy life. They may be thus indulged for a brief
season, especially after they have been engaged in some hard and
perilous service, yet they must hold themselves in constant readiness
to be called forth from their tranquil employment to fresh conflicts
and severer duties, which will try their faith and demand all their
courage. So it was now with Elijah. A fresh trial awaited him, a real
ordeal, nothing less than being required to confront Ahab again, and
this time pronounce his doom. But before considering the same we must
look at that which occasioned it.
"And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and
would eat no bread" (1 Kings 21:4). The reference is unto Ahab. Here
lay the king of Israel in a room of the palace, in a fit of dejection.
What had occasioned it? Had some invader overcome his army? No, his
soldiers were still flushed with victory over the Syrians. Had his
false prophets suffered another massacre? No, the worship of Baal had
now recovered from the terrible disaster of Carmel. Had his royal
consort been smitten down by the hand of death? No, Jezebel was still
very much alive, about to lead him into further evil. What then had
brought about his melancholy? The context tells us. Adjoining the
royal residence was a vineyard owned by one of his subjects. A whim
suddenly possessed the king that this vineyard must become his, so
that it might be made an attractive extension to his own property, and
he was determined to obtain it at all costs. The wealthy are not
satisfied with their possessions but are constantly lusting after
more.
Ahab approached Naboth, the owner of this vineyard, and offered to
give him a better one for it or to purchase it for cash. Apparently
that was an innocent proposal: in reality it was a subtle temptation.
"The land shall not be sold forever (outright): for the land is Mine"
(Lev. 25:23); "so shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel
remove from tribe to tribe: for every one of the children of Israel
shall keep himself to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers"
(Num. 36:7). Thus it lay not within the lawful power of Naboth to
dispose of his vineyard. But for that, there could have been no harm
in meeting the equitable offer of Ahab, nay it had been discourteous,
even churlish, to refuse his sovereign. But however desirous Naboth
might be of granting the king's request, he could not do so without
violating the Divine Law which expressly forbade a man's alienating
any part of the family inheritance. Thus a very real and severe test
was now presented to Naboth: he had to choose between pleasing the
king and displeasing the King of kings.
There are times when the believer may be forced to choose between
compliance with human law and obedience to the Divine Law. The three
Hebrews were faced with that alternative when it was demanded that
they should bow down and worship an image set up by Nebuchadnezzar
(Dan. 3:14, 15). Peter and John were confronted with a similar
situation when the Sanhedrin for bade them preach any more in the name
of Jesus (Acts 4:18). When the government orders any of God's children
to work seven days in the factories, they are being asked to disobey
the Divine statute, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." While
rendering to Caesar the things which Caesar may justly require, under
no circumstances must we fail to render unto God those which He
demands of us, and if we should be bidden to rob God, our duty is
plain and clear: the inferior law must yield to the higher--loyalty to
God takes precedence over all other considerations. The examples of
the three Hebrews and the apostles leave no room for doubt on this
point. How thankful we should be that the laws of our country so
rarely conflict with the Law of God.
"And Naboth said to Ahab, The Lord forbid it me, that I should give
the inheritance of my fathers unto thee," 21. 3. He started back with
horror from such a proposal, looking upon it with alarm as a
temptation to commit a horrible sin. Naboth took his stand on the
written Word of God and refused to act contrary thereto, even when
solicited to do so by the king himself. He was one of the seven
thousand whom the Lord had reserved unto Himself, a member of the
"remnant according to the election of grace." Hereby do such identify
themselves, standing out from the compromisers and temporizers. A
"Thus saith the Lord" is final with them: neither monetary inducements
nor threats of punishment can move them to disregard it. "Whether it
be right in the sigh: of God to hearken unto you more than unto God,
judge ye" (Acts 4:19), is their defence when browbeaten by the powers
that be. Settle it in your mind, my reader, it is no sin, no wrong, to
defy human authorities if they should require of you anything which
manifestly clashes with the Law of the Lord. On the other hand, the
Christian should be a pattern to others of a law-abiding citizen, so
long as God's claims upon him be not infringed.
Ahab was greatly displeased by Naboth's refusal, for in the thwarting
of his desire his pride was wounded, and so vexed was he to meet with
this denial that he sulked like a spoiled child when his will is
crossed. The king so took to heart his disappointment that he became
miserable, took to his bed and refused nourishment. What a picture of
the poor rich! Millionaires and those in high office are not to be
envied, for neither material wealth nor worldly honours can bring
contentment to the heart. Solomon proved that: he was permitted to
possess everything the natural man craved, and then found it all to be
nothing but "vanity and vexation of spirit." Is there not a solemn
warning here for each of us? How we need to heed that word of
Christ's, "Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life
consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth"
(Luke 12:15). Coveting is a being dissatisfied with the portion God
has given me and lusting after something which belongs to my
neighbour. Inordinate desires always lead to vexation, unfitting us to
enjoy what is ours.
"But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy
spirit so sad that thou eatest no bread? And he said unto her, Because
I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy
vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee
another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my
vineyard" (vv. 5, 6). How easy it is to misrepresent the most upright.
Ahab made no mention of Naboth's conscientious grievance for not
complying with his request, but speaks of him as though he had acted
only with insubordination and obstinacy. On hearing that statement,
Jezebel at once revealed her awful character: "Dost thou now govern
the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be
merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth" (v. 7). As Matthew
Henry expressed it, "Under pretence of comforting her afflicted
husband, she feeds his pride and passion, blowing the coals of his
corruptions." She sympathized with his unlawful desire, strengthened
his feeling of disappointment, tempted him to exercise an arbitrary
power, and urged him to disregard the rights of another and defy the
Law of God. Are you going to allow a subject to balk you? Be not so
squeamish: use your royal power: instead of grieving over a repulse,
revenge it.
The most diabolical stratagem was now planned by this infamous woman
in order to wrest the inheritance of Naboth from him. First, she
resorted to forgery, for we are told "she wrote letters in Ahab's
name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the
elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth"
(v. 8). Second, she was guilty of deliberate hypocrisy. "Proclaim a
fast" (v. 9), so as to convey the impression that some horrible
wickedness had been discovered, threatening the city with Divine
judgment unless the crime were expiated--history contains ample proof
that the vilest crimes have often been perpetrated under the cloak of
religion. Third, she drew not the line at out-and-out perjury,
suborning men to testify falsely: "set Naboth on high among the people
(under color of giving him a fair trial by legal prosecution), and set
two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him,
saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king" (v. 10)--thus even in
"the place of judgment wickedness was there," Eccl. 3. 16.
Here was a woman who sowed sin with both hands. She not only led Ahab
deeper into iniquity, but she dragged the elders and nobles of the
city into the mire of her Devil-inspired crime. She made the sons of
Belial, the false witnesses, even worse than they were before. She
became both a robber and a murderess, filching from Naboth both his
good name and heritage. The elders and nobles of Israel were base
enough to carry out her orders--sure sign was this that the kingdom
was ripe for judgment: when those in high places are godless and
conscienceless, it will not be long ere the wrath of the Lord falls on
those over whom they preside. At the instigation of those nobles and
elders, Naboth was "carried forth out of the city and stoned with
stones that he died" (v. 13)--his sons also suffering a similar fate
(2 Kings 9:26), that the entail might be cut off.
Let it be well attended to that this unprincipled woman, so full of
limitless ambition and lust of power, is not only an historical
personage, but the predictive symbol of a nefarious and apostate
system. The letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 supply
a prophetic outline of the history of Christendom. That of Thyatira,
which portrays Romanism, makes mention of "that woman Jezebel" (2:20),
and striking are the parallels between this queen and the monstrous
system which has its headquarters at the Vatican. Jezebel was not a
Jewess, but a heathen princess, and Romanism is not a product of
Christianity but of paganism. Scholars tell us her name has a double
meaning (according to its Zidonian and Hebrew significations): "a
chaste virgin"--which is what Rome professes to be: and "a
dunghill"--what Rome is in God's sight. She reigned in power as
Israel's queen, Ahab being merely her tool: kings are the puppets of
Rome. She set up an idolatrous priesthood. She slew the Lord's
servants. She employed dishonest and fiendish methods to obtain her
ends. She met with a terrible end.
As Jezebel was a prophetic symbol of that Satanic system known as the
Papacy, Naboth was a blessed type of the Lord Jesus. First, he
possessed a vineyard: so also did Christ (Matthew 21:33). Second, as
Naboth's vineyard was desired by one who had no respect for God's Law
so was Christ's (Matthew 21:38). Third, each was tempted to disobey
God and part with his inheritance (Matthew 4:9). Fourth, each refused
to heed the voice of the Tempter. Fifth, each was falsely accused by
those who sought his death. Sixth, each was charged with "blaspheming
God and the king" (Matthew 26:65; Luke 23:1, 2). Seventh, each was put
to death by violent hands. Eighth, each was slain "outside" the city
(Heb. 13:12-14). Ninth, the murderers of each were charged with their
crime (1 Kings 21:19; Acts 2:22, 23). Tenth, the murderers of each
were destroyed by Divine judgment (1 Kings 21:19-23; Matthew 21:41;
22.7).
"And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and
was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the
vineyard of Naboth the Jezreeite, which he refused to give thee for
money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead. And it came to pass, when
Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the
vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it" (vv. 15,
16). Jezebel was permitted to carry out her vile scheme and Ahab to
acquire the coveted vineyard. By his action he testified his approval
of all that had been done, and thus became sharer of its guilt. There
is a class of people who refuse personally to commit crime, yet
scruple not to use their employees and hired agents to do so, and then
take advantage of their villainies to enrich themselves. Let such
conscienceless rascals and all who consider themselves shrewd in
sharing unrighteous gains know that in God's sight they are partakers
of the sins of those who did the dirty work for them and will yet be
punished accordingly. Many another since the days of Ahab and Jezebel
has been allowed to reach the goal of his lusts even at the price of
fraud, lying, dishonesty and cruel bloodshed. But in due course each
shall discover that "The triumphing of the wicked is short, and the
joy of the hypocrite but for a moment" (Job. 20:5).
Meanwhile the Lord God had been a silent spectator of the whole
transaction with respect to Naboth. He knew its atrocity, however
disguised by the impious semblance of religion and law. As He is
infinitely superior to kings and dictators, so He is qualified to call
them to account; and as He is infinitely righteous, He will execute
judgment upon them without respect to persons. Scarcely had that
horrible crime been committed than Ahab is reckoned with. "And the
word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Arise, go down
to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the
vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it. And thou
shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou killed,
and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus
saith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth
shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine" (vv. 17-19). Here was the
prophet's ordeal: to confront the king, charge him with his
wickedness, and pronounce sentence upon him in God's name.
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http://www.pbministries.org. All rights reserved.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 30
The Sinner Found Out
_________________________________________________________________
"And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab
rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take
possession of it," (1 Kings 21:16). The coveted object (see v. 2)
should now be seized. Its lawful owner was dead, brutally murdered by
Ahab's acquiescence, and being king, who was there to hinder him
enjoying his ill-gotten gain? Picture him delighting himself in his
new acquisition, planning how to use it to best advantage, promising
himself much pleasure in this extension of the palace grounds. To such
lengths are men allowed to go in their wickedness that at times
onlookers are made to wonder if there be such a thing as justice, if
after all might be not right. Surely, if there were a God who loved
righteousness and possessed the power to prevent flagrant
unrighteousness, we should not witness such grievous wrongs inflicted
upon the innocent, and such triumphing of the wicked. Ah, that is no
new problem, but one which has recurred again and again in the history
of this world, a world which lieth in the Wicked One. It is one of the
mystery elements arising out of the conflict between good and evil. It
supplies one of the severest tests of our faith in God and His
government of this earth.
Ahab's entering into possession of Naboth's vineyard reminds us of a
scene described in Daniel 5. There we behold another king, Belshazzar,
surrounded by the nobility of his kingdom, engaged in a great feast.
He gives orders that the golden and silver vessels which his father
had taken out of the temple of Jerusalem should be brought to him. His
command was obeyed and the vessels were filled with wine, his wives
and concubines drinking from them. Think of it: the sacred utensils of
Jehovah's house being put to such a use! How passing strange that a
worm of the dust should be suffered to go to such fearful lengths of
presumption and impiety! But the Most High was neither ignorant of nor
indifferent unto such conduct. Nor can a man's rank exempt him from or
provide him any protection against the Divine wrath when God is ready
to exercise it. There was none in Samaria who could pre vent Ahab's
taking possession of Naboth's vineyard, and there was none in Babylon
who could hinder Belshazzar desecrating the sacred vessels of Israel's
temple, but there was One above who could and did bring each of them
to judgment.
"Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily,
therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do
evil" (Eccl. 8:11). Since retribution does not promptly overtake evil
doers, they harden their hearts still further, becoming increasingly
reckless, supposing that judgment will never fall upon them. Therein
they err, for they are but treasuring up unto themselves "wrath
against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of
God" (Rom. 2:5). Note well that word, "revelation." The "righteous
judgment of God" is now more or less in abeyance, but there is a set
time, an appointed "Day," when it shall be made fully manifest. The
Divine vengeance comes slowly, yet it comes none the less surely. Nor
has God left Himself without plain witness of this. Throughout the
course of this world's history He has, every now and then, given a
clear and public proof of His "righteous judgment," by making an
example of some notorious rebel and evidencing His abhorrence of him
in the sight of men. He did so with Ahab, with Belshazzar, and with
others since then, and though in the great majority of instances the
heavens may be silent and apparently impervious, yet those exceptions
are sufficient to show "the heavens do rule," and should enable the
wronged to possess their souls in patience.
"And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Arise,
go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he
is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it"
(vv. 17, 18). A living, righteous and sin-hating God had observed the
wickedness to which Ahab had been a willing party, and determined to
pass sentence upon him, employing none other than the stern Tishbite
as His mouthpiece. In connection with matters of less moment, junior
prophets had been sent to the king a short time before (20:13, 22,
28), but on this occasion none less than the father of the prophets
was deemed a suitable agent It called for a man of great courage and
undaunted spirit to con front the king, charging him with his horrid
crime and denouncing sentence of death upon him in God's name. Who so
well qualified as Elijah for this formidable and perilous undertaking?
Herein we may perceive how the Lord reserves the hardest tasks for the
most experienced and mature of His servants. Peculiar qualifications
are required for special and important missions, and for the
development of those qualifications, a rigid apprenticeship has to be
served. Alas, that these principles are so little recognized by the
churches today.
But let us not be misunderstood at this point. It is not natural
endowments, intellectual powers, and educational polish we make
reference to. It was vain for David to go forth against the Philistine
giant clad in Saul's armor: he knew that, and so discarded it. No, it
is spiritual graces and ministerial gifts of which we speak. It was
strong faith and the boldness it imparts which this severe ordeal
called for: faith not in himself but in his Master. Strong faith, for
no ordinary had sufficed. And that faith had been tried and
disciplined, strengthened and increased in the school of prayer and on
the battlefield of experience. In the wilds of Gilead, in the
loneliness of Cherith, in the exigencies of Zarephath, the prophet had
dwelt much in the secret place of the Most High, had learned to know
God experimentally, had proved His sufficiency. It was no untried
novice that Jehovah called upon to act as His ambassador on this
solemn occasion, but one who was "strong in the Lord and in the power
of His might."
On the other hand, we must be careful to place the crown where it
properly belongs and ascribe unto God the honour of furnishing and
sustaining His servants. We have nothing but what we have received, (1
Cor. 4:7), and the strongest are as weak as water when He withdraws
His hand from them. He who calls us must also equip, and extraordinary
commissions require extraordinary endowments, which the Lord alone can
impart. Tarry ye in Jerusalem, said Christ to the apostles "until ye
be endued with power from on high" Luke 24:49). Bold sinners need to
be boldly reproved, but such firmness and courage must be sought from
God. Said He to another of His prophets, "All the house of Israel are
impudent and hard-hearted. Behold, I have made thy face strong against
their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads. As an
adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not,
neither be dismayed at their looks" (Ezek. 3:7-9). Thus, if we behold
Elijah complying promptly with this call, it was because he could say,
"But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, and of
judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob (Ahab) his
transgression" (Micah 3:8).
"Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria:
behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to
possess it." Ahab was not in his palace, but God knew where he had
gone and the business with which he would be engaged. The eyes of the
Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good" (Prov.
15:3): nothing can be concealed from Him. Ahab might pride himself
that none should ever reprove him for his diabolical conduct, and that
now he could enjoy his spoils without hindrance. But sinners, whether
of the lowest or the highest rank, are never secure. Their wickedness
ascends before God, and He often sends after them when they least
expect it. Let none flatter themselves with impunity because they have
succeeded in their iniquitous schemes. The day of reckoning is not far
distant, even though it should not overtake them in this life. If
these lines should be read by one who is far from home, no longer
under the eye of loved ones, let him know that he is still under the
observation of the Most High. Let that consideration deter him from
sinning against Him and against his neighbour. Stand in awe of God's
presence, lest some fearful sentence from Him be pronounced upon you,
and be brought home to your conscience with such power that you will
be a terror to yourself and to all around you.
"And thou shat speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou
killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him,
saying, Thus saith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood
of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine" (v. 19). With no
smooth and soothing message was the prophet now sent forth. It was
enough to terrify himself: what then must it have meant to the guilty
Ahab! It proceeded from Him who is King of kings and Lord of lords,
the supreme and righteous Governor of the universe, whose omniscient
eye is witness to all events and whose omnipotent arm shall arrest and
punish all evil doers. It was the word of Him who declares, "Can any
hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the
Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth?" (Jer. 23:24). For "His eyes are
upon the ways of man, and He seeth all his goings. There is no
darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide
them selves" (Job 34:21, 22). It was a word of denunciation, bringing
to light the hidden things of darkness. It was a word of accusation,
boldly charging Ahab with his crimes. It was a word of condemnation,
making known the awful doom which should surely overtake the one who
had blatantly trampled upon the Divine Law.
It is just such messages which our degenerate age calls for. It is the
lack of them which has brought about the terrible condition which the
world is now in. Mealy-mouthed preachers deceived the fathers, and now
their children have turned their backs on the churches. "Behold, a
whirlwind of the Lord is gone forth in fury, even a grievous
whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked" (Jer.
23:19). The figure is an awful one: a "whirlwind uproots trees, sweeps
away houses, and leaves death and desolation in its wake. Who among
God's people can doubt that such a whirlwind is now going forth? "The
anger of the Lord shall not return, until He have executed, and till
He have performed the thoughts of His heart: in the latter days ye
shall consider it perfectly" (23:20). And why? What is the root cause
thereof? This: "I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have
not spoken to them, yet they prophesied" (v. 21): false prophets,
preachers never called of God, who uttered "lies" in His name (v. 25).
Men who rejected the Divine Law, ignored the Divine holiness, remained
silent about Divine wrath. Men who filled the churches with
unregenerate members and then amused them with speculations upon
prophecy.
It was false prophets who wrought such havoc in Israel, who had
corrupted the throne and called down upon the land the sore judgment
of God. And throughout the past century the false prophets have
corrupted Christendom. As far back as fifty years ago Spurgeon lifted
up his voice and used his pen in denouncing the "Downgrade movement"
in the churches, and withdrew his tabernacle from the Baptist Union.
After his death things went rapidly from bad to worse and now "a
whirlwind of the Lord" is sweeping away the flimsy structures the
religious world erected. Everything is now in the melting pot and only
the genuine gold will survive the fiery trial. And what can the true
servants of God do? Lift up their voices, "Cry aloud, and spare not"
(Isa. 58:1). Do as Elijah did: fearlessly denounce sin in high places.
A message pleasant to deliver? No, far from it. A message likely to be
popular with the hearers? No, the very reverse. But a message sorely
needed and criminally neglected. Did the Lord Jesus preach a sermon in
the temple on the love of God while its sacred precincts were being
made a den of thieves? Yet this is what thousands of those who pose as
His servants have been doing for the last two or three generations.
With flaming eye and scourge in hand, the Redeemer drove out from His
Father's House the traffickers who deified it. Those who were the true
servants of Christ refused to use carnal methods for adding numbers of
nominal professors to their membership. Those who were the true
servants of Christ proclaimed the unchanging demands of a holy God,
insisted on the enforcing of a Scriptural discipline, and resigned
their pastorates when their flocks rebelled. The religious
powers-that-be were glad to see the back of them, while their
ministerial brethren, so far from seeking to strengthen their hands,
did all they could to injure them and cared not if they starved to
death.
But those servants of Christ were few in number, a negligible
minority. The great bulk of "pastors" were hirelings, time-servers,
holders of an easy and lucrative job at any price. They carefully
trimmed their sails, and deliberately omitted from their preaching
anything which would be distasteful unto their ungodly hearers. The
people of God in their congregations were famished, though few of them
dared to take their pastors to task, following the line of least
resistance. And the very passage from which we have quoted above
declares, "but if they had stood in My counsel, and had caused My
people to hear My words, then they should have turned them from their
evil way, and from the evil of their doings" (Jer. 23:22). But they
did not, and therefore "a whirlwind of the Lord is gone forth in fury,
even a grievous whirlwind." Can we wonder at it? God will not be
mocked. It is the churches who are responsible for it, and there is no
denomination, no party, no circle of fellowship that can plead
innocence.
"And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?" (v. 20).
With what consternation must the king have beheld him! The prophet
would be the last man he wished or expected to see, believing that
Jezebel's threat had frightened him away so that he would be troubled
by him no more. Perhaps Ahab thought that he had fled to some distant
country or was in his grave by this time: but here he stood before
him. The king was evidently startled and dismayed by the sight of
Elijah. His conscience would smite him for his base wickedness, and
the very place of their present meeting would add to his discomfort.
He therefore could not look on the Tishbite without terror and fearful
foreboding that some dire threat of vengeance was at hand from
Jehovah. In his fright and annoyance he cried, "Hast thou found me?"
Am I now tracked down? A guilty heart can never be at peace. Had he
not been conscious of how ill he deserved at the hands of God, he
would not have greeted His servant as "O mine enemy." It was because
his heart condemned him as an enemy of God that he was so disconcerted
at being confronted by His ambassador.
"And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?" Such a
reception is all that the faithful servant of God must expect at the
hands of the wicked, especially from unregenerate religious
professors. They will regard him as a disturber of the peace, a
troubler of those who wish to be comfortable in their sins. They who
are engaged in evil-doing are annoyed at him who detects them, whether
he be a minister of Christ or a policeman. The Scriptures are detested
because they denounce sin in every form. Romanism hates the Bible
because it exposes her hypocrisies. The impenitent look upon those as
their friends who speak smooth things to them and help them to deceive
themselves. "They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor
him that speaketh uprightly" (Amos 5:10). Hence it was that the
apostle declared, "If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant
of Christ" (Gal. 1:10)-- how few servants of Christ are left! The
minister's duty is to be faithful to his Master, and if he pleases
Him, what matter it though he be despised and detested by the whole
religious world? Blessed are they whom men shall revile for Christ's
sake.
At this point we would say to any young man who is seriously
contemplating entering the ministry, Abandon such a prospect at once
if you are not prepared to be treated with contempt and made "as the
filth of the world, the off-scouring of all things" (1 Cor. 4:13). The
public service of Christ is the last place for those who wish to be
popular with their fellows. A young minister once complained to an
older one, "My church is making a regular door-mat of me," to which he
received the reply, "If the Son of God condescended to become the Door
surely it is not beneath you to be made a door mat." If you are not
prepared for elders and deacons to wipe their feet on you, shun the
ministry. And to those already in it we would say, Unless your
preaching stirs up strife and brings down persecution and contumacy
upon you, there is something seriously lacking in it. If your
preaching is the enemy of hypocrisy, of carnality, of worldliness, of
empty profession, of all that is contrary to vital godliness, then you
must be regarded as the enemy of those you oppose.
"And he answered, I have found thee." Elijah was not a man who wore
his heart on his sleeve. It took a good deal more than a frown to
deter, or an angry word to peeve him. So far from being "hurt" and
turning away to sulk, he replied like a man. He took up Ahab on his
own terms and said, "Yes, I have found thee." I have found thee as a
thief and murderer in another's vineyard. It is a good sign when the
self-convicted one denounces God's servant as his "enemy," for it
shows the preacher has hit the mark, his message has gone home to the
conscience; "Be sure your sin will find you out" (Num. 32:23), says
God, and so Adam, Cain, Achan, Ahab, Gehazi, Ananias proved. Let none
think they shall escape Divine retribution: if punishment be not
inflicted in this life, it most certainly will be in the next, unless
we cease fighting against God and flee to Christ for refuge. "Behold,
the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment
upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their
ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard
speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him" (Jude 14, 15).
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 31
A Dreadful Message
_________________________________________________________________
"And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he
answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work
evil in the sight of the Lord" (1 Kings 21:20). We have already
considered Ahab's question and the first part of the prophet's reply;
we turn now to look at the solemn charge which he preferred against
the king. "Because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of
the Lord." Here we may observe how essential it is that we note
particularly each word of Holy Writ, for if we read this verse
carelessly we shall fail to distinguish sharply between it and an
expression used in the New Testament, which, though similar in sound,
is vastly different in sense. In Romans 7:14 we find the apostle
declares, "But I am carnal, sold under sin." That statement has
puzzled quite a few, and some have so misunderstood its force that
they have confounded it with the prophet's terrible indictment against
Ahab. It may be somewhat of a digression, yet numbers of our readers
will probably welcome a few expository comments upon the difference in
meaning of these two expressions.
It will be noted that Romans 7:14 begins with the affirmation, "For we
know that the Law is spiritual," which among other things means, it
legislates for the soul as well as the body, its demands reaching
beyond the mere outward act to the motive which prompted it and the
spirit in which it is performed; in a word, it requires inward
conformity and purity. Now as the apostle measured himself by the high
and holy requirements of God's law, he declared, "but I am carnal."
That was not said by way of self-extenuation, to excuse his coming so
far short of the Divine standard set before us, but in
self-condemnation because of his lack of conformity thereto. That is
the sorrowful confession of every honest Christian. "I am carnal"
expresses what the believer is in himself by nature: though born from
above, yet the "flesh" in him has not been improved to the slightest
degree. Nor is that true of the believer only when he has suffered
some fall: he is always "carnal," for there is no getting rid of the
old nature; though he is not always conscious of this humiliating
fact. The more the Christian grows in grace the more does he realize
his carnality - that the "flesh" pollutes his holiest exercises and
best performances.
"Sold under sin." This does not mean that the saint gives up himself
to be the willing slave of sin, but that he finds himself in the case
or experience of a slave, of one whose master requires him to do
things against his own inclinations. The literal rendering of the
Greek is "having been sold under sin," that is, at the Fall, in which
condition we continue to the end of our earthly course. "Sold" so as
to be under the power of sin, for the old nature is never made holy.
The apostle speaks of what he finds himself, what he is before God,
and not of what he appeared in the sight of men. His "old man" was
thoroughly opposed to God's Law. There was an evil principle in him
against which he struggled, from which he longed to be delivered, but
which continued to exert its fearful potency. Notwithstanding the
grace he had received, he found himself far, far from being perfect,
and in all respects unable to attain thereunto, though longing after
it. It was while measuring himself by the Law, which requires perfect
love, that he realized how far short he came of it.
"Sold under sin": indwelling corruption holds the believer back. The
more spiritual progress he is enabled to make, the more he discovers
his handicap. It is like a man journeying uphill with a heavy load on
his back: the farther he proceeds the more conscious does he become of
that burden. But how is this to be harmonized with "sin shall not have
dominion over you" (Rom. 6:14)? Thus: though indwelling sin tyrannizes
the believer, it by no means prevails over him totally and completely.
Sin reigns over the sinner, having an absolute and undisputed dominion
over him, but not so with the saint. Yet it so far plagues as to
prevent his attaining unto perfection, which is what he craves: (see
Phil. 3:12). From the standpoint of the new nature and as God sees him
in Christ, the believer is spiritual; but from the standpoint of the
old nature and as God sees him in himself, he is "carnal." As a child
of Adam he is "sold under sin," as a child of God he "delights in the
Law of God after the inward man" (Rom. 7:22). The acts of a slave are
indeed his own acts, yet not being performed with the full consent of
his will and delight of his heart they are not a fair test of his
disposition and desires.
Vastly different was the case of Ahab from that which we have briefly
sketched above: so far from being brought into captivity against his
will, he had "sold himself to work evil in the sight of the Lord."
Deliberately and without limit, Ahab wholly gave himself up unto all
manner of wickedness in open defiance of the Almighty. As Balaam
"loved the wages of unrighteousness" (2 Pet. 2:15), and therefore
freely hired himself unto Balak to curse the people of God, as Judas
coveted the silver of the chief priests, sought them out and
covenanted to betray the Saviour unto them (Matthew 26:14, 15), so
this apostate king "sold himself to work evil" without compunction or
reserve. His horrible crime in respect of Naboth was no detached act
contrary to the general tenor or course of his life, as David's sin in
the matter of Uriah had been, but was simply a specimen of his
continual rebellion against God. "Having sold himself to work evil in
the sight of the Lord, as if in contempt and defiance of Him, he was
openly, constantly, and diligently employed in it as a slave in his
master's business," (Thomas Scott).
"Thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord." His
downward course commenced when he married Jezebel (v. 25), a heathen,
an idolater, and the consequences of that horrible union are recorded
for our learning. They stand out as a red light, a danger signal, a
solemn warning to the people of God today. The Law expressly forbade
an Israelite to marry a Gentile, and the New Testament just as
definitely prohibits a Christian from marrying a worldling. "Be ye not
unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath
righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with
darkness?" (2 Cor. 6:14). It is at his or her peril that any Christian
willfully treads under foot this Divine commandment, for deliberate
disobedience is certain to incur the marked displeasure of God. For a
child of His to enter the state of wedlock with an unbeliever is to
make Christ have concord with Belial (2 Cor. 6:15). When a Christian
man marries a worldling, a son of God becomes united to a daughter of
Satan. What a horrible combination!
In no uncertain tones did Elijah denounce Ahab for his defiant union
with Jezebel and all the evils it had brought in its train. "Thou hast
sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord." That is the prime
business of God's servant: to make known the indignation and judgment
of Heaven against sin. God is the enemy of sin. He is "angry with the
wicked every day" (Ps. 7:11). His wrath is revealed against all
ungodliness and unrighteousness of men (Rom. 1:18). That wrath is the
antagonism of holiness to evil, of consuming fire to that which is
incapable of sustaining it. It is the business of God's servant to
declare and make known the awful case and course of the sinner, that
those who are not for Christ are against Him, that he who is not
walking with God is fighting against Him, that he who is not yielding
himself to His service is serving the Devil. Said the Lord Jesus,
"Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin" (John 8:34),
complying with the orders of his master, the slave of his lusts, yet
the willing slave, delighting therein. It is not a service which has
been forced upon him against his desires, but one into which he has
voluntarily sold himself and in which he voluntarily remains. And
therefore it is a criminal servitude for which he must be judged.
This, then, was the ordeal which confronted Elijah, and in essence it
confronts every servant of Christ today. He was the bearer of an
unwelcome message. He was required to confront the ungodly king and
tell him to his face precisely what he was in the sight of a
sin-hating God. It is a task which calls for firmness of mind and
boldness of heart. It is a task which demands that the glory of God
shall override all sentimental considerations. It is a task which
claims the support and co-operation of all God's people. Let them do
and say nothing to discourage the minister in the faithful discharge
of his office. Let them be far from saying, "Prophesy not unto us
right things: speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits" (Isa.
30:10). Rather, let the people of God pray earnestly that the spirit
of Elijah may rest upon their ministers, that they may be enabled to
open their mouths "with all boldness" (Acts 4:29), that they may keep
back nothing which is profitable, that they may shun not to declare
all the counsel of God (Acts 20:20, 27). Let them see to it that there
be no failure to hold up their hands in the day of battle (Ex. 17:12).
Ah, my reader, it makes a tremendous difference when the minister
knows he has the support of a praying people. How far is the pew
responsible for the state of the pulpit today?
"Behold, I will bring evil upon thee" (v. 21). It is the business of
God's servant not only to paint in its true colors the course which
the sinner has chosen to follow, but to make known the inevitable
consequence of such a course. First and negatively, they who have sold
themselves to work evil in the sight of the Lord "have sold themselves
for nought" (Isa. 52:3). Satan has assured them that by engaging in
his service they shall be greatly the gainers, that by giving free
rein to their lusts they shall be merry and enjoy life. But he is a
liar, as Eve discovered at the beginning. Of those who sell themselves
to work evil it may be inquired, "Wherefore do ye spend money for that
which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not?"
(Isa. 55:2). There is no contentment of mind, no peace of conscience,
no real joy of heart to be obtained by indulging the flesh, but rather
the wrecking of health and the storing up of misery. Oh, what a
wretched bargain is this: to sell ourselves "for nought"! To squander
our substance in riotous living and then come to woeful want. To
render full obedience to the dictates of sin and receive only kicks
and cuffs in return. What madness to serve such a master!
But the servant of God has a still more painful duty to perform, and
that is to announce the positive side of the consequences of selling
ourselves to work evil in the sight of the Lord. Sin pays terrible
wages, my reader. It is doing so at this present moment in the world's
history. The horrors of war, with all the untold suffering and anguish
they entail, is the wages of sin now being paid out to the nations,
and those nations which have sinned against the greatest light and
privileges are the ones receiving the heaviest installments. And is it
not meet it should be so? Yes, a "just recompence of reward" (Heb.
2:2), is what the Word of Truth designates it. And identically the
same principle pertains to the individual: unto every one who sells
himself to work evil in the sight of the Lord His rejoinder is,
"Behold, I will bring evil upon thee," dire judgment which shall
overwhelm and utterly consume. This, too, is the duty of God's
servant: solemnly to declare unto every rebel against God,
irrespective of his rank, "O wicked man, thou shalt surely die" (Ezek.
33:8), and that same verse goes on to tell us that God will yet say
unto the watchman that failed in his duty, "his blood will I require
at thine hand." Oh, to be able to say with Paul, "I am pure from the
blood of all men" (Acts 20:26).
"And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of
Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the
provocation wherewith thou has provoked Me to anger, and made Israel
to sin. And of Jezebel also spake the Lord, saying, The dogs shall eat
Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the
dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the
air eat" (vv. 22-24). The mills of God grind slowly but they grind
exceeding small. For many years Ahab defied Jehovah but now the day of
reckoning was nigh at hand, and when it dawned, Divine judgment would
fall not only upon the apostate king and his vile consort but upon
their family as well; so that his evil house should be utterly
exterminated. Is it not written, "the name of the wicked shall rot"
(Prov. 10:7)? We are here supplied with an awe-inspiring illustration
of that solemn principle in the governmental dealings of God:
"visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children" (Ex. 20:5).
Behold here the justice of God in making Ahab reap as he had sown: not
only had he consented unto the death of Naboth (21:8), but the sons of
Naboth also had been slain (2 Kings 9:26), hence Divine retribution
was visited not only upon Ahab and Jezebel but on their children too.
"And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of
Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah." In declaring
that He would make the house of Ahab like unto that of two other
wicked kings who preceded him, God announced the total destruction of
his descendants, and that by a violent end. For the house of
Jeroboam-- whose dynasty lasted barely twenty-four years--we read, "He
smote all the house of Jeroboam: he left not to Jeroboam any that
breathed, until He had destroyed him (1 Kings 15:29); while of
Baasha--whose dynasty lasted only just over a quarter of a century--we
are told, "He left him not one male, neither of his kinsfolks, nor of
his friends" (1 Kings 16:11). Probably one reason why the fearful doom
which overtook the families of his predecessors as here specifically
mentioned, was to emphasize still further the enormity of Ahab's
conduct--that he had failed to take to heart those recent judgments of
God. It greatly aggravates our sins when we refuse to heed the solemn
warnings which history records of the unmistakable judgments of God
upon other evildoers, as the guilt of our generation is so much the
greater through disregarding the clarion call made by the war of
1914-18 for the nations to turn from their wickedness and return to
the God of their fathers.
And what was the effect produced upon Ahab by this message from
Jehovah? Disconcerted and displeased he was on first beholding the
prophet, yet when he heard the awful sentence he was deeply affected:
"he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted,
and lay in sackcloth, and went softly" (v. 27). He made no effort to
silence Elijah by self-vindication. His conscience smote him for
approving the murderous act, for seizing the booty though not killing
the owner thereof. He knew well that connivance at wickedness by those
in authority, who ought to restrain it, is justly visited upon
themselves as their own deed; that the receiver of stolen goods is as
bad as the thief. He was abashed and abased. God can make the stoutest
sinner to tremble and the most arrogant humble himself. But all is not
gold that glitters. There may be a great outward show of repentance
without the heart being changed. Many have been made afraid of God's
wrath who would not part with their sins. It is to be carefully noted
there is no hint that Ahab put away Jezebel or restored the worship of
the Lord.
That which is recorded here of Ahab is both solemn and instructive.
Solemn, because it sounds a warning against being deceived by
appearances. Ahab made no effort to justify his crimes nor did he lay
violent hands on Elijah. Nay more: he humbled himself, and by his
outward acts acknowledged the justice of the Divine sentence. What
more could we ask? Ah, that is the all-important point. External
amendment of our ways, though good in itself, is not sufficient: "rend
your heart, and not your garments" (Joel 2:13), is what a holy God
requires. A hypocrite may go far in the outward performance of holy
duties. The most hardened sinners are capable of reforming for a
season: (Mark 6:20; John 5:35). How many wicked persons have, in times
of danger and desperate illness, abased themselves before God, but
returned to their evil ways as soon as restored to health. Ahab's
humiliation was but superficial and transient, being occasioned by
fear of judgment and not a heart hatred of his sins. Nothing is said
of his restoring the vineyard to Naboth's heirs or next of kin, and
where righting of wrongs is absent we must always seriously suspect
the repentance. Later we find him saying of a servant of God, "I hate
him" (22:8), which is clear proof that he had undergone no change of
heart.
Instructive also is the case of Ahab, for it throws light on God's
governmental dealings with individuals in this life. Though the king's
repentance was but superficial, yet inasmuch as it was a public or
visible humbling of himself before God, He was so far owned and
honored, and an abatement of His sentence was obtained: "Because he
humbleth himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days, but
in his son's days" (v. 29)--he was spared the anguish of witnessing
the slaughter of his children and the complete extermination of his
house. But there was no repeal of the Divine sentence upon himself.
Nor was the king able to avoid God's stroke, though he made attempt to
do so (22:30). The Lord had said "in the place where dogs licked the
blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood" (21: 19), and we are told
"so the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the
king in Samaria. And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria;
and the dogs licked up his blood; and they washed his armor, according
unto the word of the Lord" (vv. 37, 38). He who sells himself to sin
must receive the wages of sin. For the doom which overtook Ahab's
family (see 2 Kings 9:25; 10:6, 7, 13, 14, 17).
"And of Jezebel also spake the Lord, saying. The dogs shall eat
Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel" (21:23). No vain threats were those
which the prophet uttered, but announcements of Divine judgment which
were fulfilled not long after. Jezebel outlived her husband for some
years but her end was just as Elijah had foretold. True to her
depraved character we find that on the very day of her death "she
painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window" to
attract attention (2 Kings 9:30). It is solemn to observe that God
takes note of such things, not with approbation but abhorrence; and it
is equally solemn to learn from this passage that those women who
paint their faces and go to so much trouble in artificially dressing
their hair and seeking to make themselves conspicuous, belong to the
same class as this evil queen or "cursed" creature (v. 34). She was
thrown out of the window by some of her own attendants, her blood
sprinkling the wall, and her corpse being ruthlessly trampled under
foot. A short time after, when orders were given for her burial, so
thoroughly had the dogs done their work that naught remained but "the
skull and the feet and the palms of her hands" (2 Kings 9:35). God is
as faithful and true in making good His threatenings as He is in
fulfilling His promises.
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The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 32
Elijah's Last Task
_________________________________________________________________
After the death of Ahab the judgments of God began to fall heavily
upon his family. Of his immediate successor we are told, "Ahaziah the
son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth year
of the reign of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years over
Israel. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the
way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of
Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin: For he served Baal,
and worshipped him, and provoked to anger the Lord God of Israel,
according to all that his father had done" (1 Kings 22:51-53).
Unspeakably solemn is that. The three and a half years" famine, the
exposure of Baal's impotence, the slaying of his prophets there on
Carmel, and the awe-inspiring dealings of God with his father, were
all known to Ahaziah, but they produced no salutary effect upon him,
for he refused to take them to heart. Heedless of those dire warnings
he went on recklessly in sin, continuing to "serve Baal and worship
him." His heart was fully set in him to do evil, and therefore was he
cut off in his youth; nevertheless even in his case mercy was mingled
with justice, for "space for repentance" was granted him ere he was
removed from this scene.
"Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab" (2 Kings
1:1). In fulfillment of Balaam's prophecy (Num. 24:17), David had
conquered the Moabites so that they became his "servants" (2 Sam.
8:2), and they continued in subjection to the kingdom of Israel until
the time of its division, when their vassalage and tribute was
transferred to the kings of Israel, as those of Edom remained to the
kings of Judah--the tribute which the Moabites rendered unto the king
of Israel being "a hundred thousand lambs and a hundred thousand rams
with their wool" (2 Kings 3:4). But after the death of Ahab they
revolted. Therein we behold the Divine providence crossing Ahaziah in
his affairs. This rebellion on the part of Moab should be regarded in
the light of "when a man's ways please the Lord, He maketh even his
enemies to be at peace with him" (Prov. 16:17)--but when our ways
displease Him, evil from every quarter menaces us. Temporal as well as
spiritual prosperity depends entirely on God's blessing. When any
behave ill to us it should make us at once examine our conduct toward
God. To make His hand more plainly apparent, He frequently punishes
the wicked after the similitude of their sins. He did so to Ahab's
son. As he had turned from the Lord, Moab was moved to rebel against
him.
What has just been pointed out concerns the governmental dealings of
God and illustrates an important principle in His "ways" with a
nation: by which we mean, it treats of that which relates to time and
not to eternity, to the workings of Divine providence and not to the
sphere of salvation. Nations as such have only a temporal existence,
though the individuals which comprise them have an eternal destiny.
The prosperity or adversity of a nation is determined by its attitude
and conduct toward God: directly so by those who have His living
Oracles in their hands, indirectly so with the heathen--in their case
being determined by their conduct toward His people. The Old Testament
supplies us with so many examples of this that he who runs may read.
The attitude of a nation towards God is to be gauged not so much by
the general deportment of its people as by the character of its
governors or government. The two are of course intimately related, for
where a majority of the subjects are pious, they will not tolerate
wickedness in high places, and on the other hand, when those who lead
and rule set an evil example, it cannot be expected that those who
follow will excel them in righteousness. Whatever be the particular
form of government in a country, or whichever party be in power, it is
the character and enactments of its executives that are the deciding
factor, for they are the ones holding the positions of chief
responsibility in the sight of God.
In avowedly "Christian" countries like Great Britain and the U.S.A.,
it is the churches which regulate the pulse of the nation. They act as
the "salt" upon the corporate body, and when their ways please the
Lord, He gives them favour in the eyes of those round about them. When
the Holy Spirit is unhindered, His power is manifested, not only in
calling out the elect, but in subduing sin in the non-elect and by
causing the machine of state to support godliness, as was more or less
noticeably the case a hundred years ago. But when error comes into the
churches and discipline is relaxed, the Spirit is grieved and His
power is withheld, and the evil effects of this become more and more
apparent in the country by a rising tide of lawlessness. If the
churches persist in a downward course, then the Spirit is quenched and
"Ichabod" is written over them, as is the case today. Then it is that
the restraining hand of God is removed and an orgy of licentiousness
comes in. Then it is the government becomes an empty tide, for those
in power have no power except what the people have delegated to them,
and therefore they act in accord with the depraved desires of the
masses. This then is ever the order: turning from the true God,
turning to false gods, and then the disturbance of the peace--either
social revolution or international war.
Ahaziah "served Baal and worshipped him and provoked to anger the Lord
God of Israel." The Lord God is a jealous God, jealous of His truth,
jealous of His honour, and when those calling themselves His people
turn unto other gods, His wrath is kindled against them. How many
false gods have been worshipped in Christendom during the last few
decades! What a travesty of the Divine character has been set forth by
the major portion of Protestantism--a "god" whom no one fears. What a
mangling of the Gospel has there been in the "orthodox" sections of
Christendom, whereby "another Jesus" (2 Cor. 11:4), has displaced the
Christ of Holy Writ. Little wonder that, in the inevitable reaction,
the multitudes have made gods of mammon and pleasure and that the
nation puts its trust in its armed forces instead of the arm of the
Lord. Here and there was an Elijah who raised his voice in testimony
to the living God and in denouncing modern forms of Baal worship, but
who gave ear to them? Certainly not the churches, for they closed
their pulpits against them so that, like the Tishbite of old, they
were forced into isolation and virtual retirement; and now it seems
their last task before God calls them hence is to pronounce sentence
of death upon the whole apostate system.
"And provoked to anger the Lord God of Israel. . . Then Moab rebelled
against Israel." Though those two statements are separated by the
ending of the first book of Kings and the beginning of the second, yet
the connection between them is too obvious to be missed. It is the
connection of cause and effect, the latter making manifest the former.
For many years Moab had been tributary to Israel but now it threw off
the yoke. And have we not lived to witness a similar thing with the
British Empire? One country after another has severed ties with
Britain and become independent. The Bible is no defunct book recording
historical events of the remote past, but a living book, enunciating
vital principles applicable to every age and describing things as they
are today. History repeats itself, not only because human nature is
fundamentally the same in all ages, but also because the "ways" of
God, the principles of His government, remain unchanged. As the Lord
God was provoked by Ahaziah, so He has been provoked by the churches,
the politicians and the people of Great Britain, and as His anger was
evidenced by His moving Moab to seek her independence, so His
displeasure is now seen in His causing one dependency after another to
break away from the "Mother country."
"And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was
in Samaria, and was sick" (v. 2). First, we would note that this verse
opens with the word "And," which appears to intimate the king's
response or rather lack of response to what is recorded in the
previous verse. What is not found here is solemn and informative,
revealing as it does the character of Ahaziah. There was no turning to
the Lord for guidance and help. There was no humbling of himself
before God and inquiring why this disturbance had entered his realm.
Nothing happens by chance, and the curse causeless does not come
(Prov. 26:2), therefore the king's duty was to fast and pray and
ascertain what it was that had displeased the Lord. No, we take that
back: it would have been downright mockery for him to have done any
such thing. There was no need to inquire of the Lord: the king knew
quite well what was wrong--he was serving and worshipping Baal, and
until his idols were abolished it would be nothing but play-acting, a
pious farce, for him to call upon the name of the Lord. Does the
reader agree? Does he? Does she? If not, carefully re-read this
paragraph. If you concur, is not the application to our own national
situation clearly apparent? Unspeakably solemn--yes; indescribably
awful--yes. But if we face facts, things as they really are, the
conclusion is unescapable.
Let us call attention to another factor which is absent from verse 2.
Ahaziah not only failed spiritually but naturally too. What ought to
have been his reaction to this revolt of Moab? Why, to have dealt with
it with a firm hand and nipped it in the bud. That was obviously his
duty as king. Instead he followed the line of least resistance and
devoted himself to pleasure. Instead of taking his place at the head
of his army and putting down this rebellion by force, he seems to have
luxuriated in the palace. Must we not say in such circumstances, that
God had given him up to a spirit of madness! He shrank in cowardly
fear from the camp and the dangers of the field, and leaving Moab to
do as she pleased, with out attempting her re-subjugation, led a life
of self-indulgence. Perhaps he recalled the fate which had so recently
overtaken his father on the battlefield and decided that "discretion
is the better part of valour." But there is no escaping the hand of
God when He is determined to smite: we are just as liable to meet with
an "accident" in the shelter of our home as if we were exposed to the
deadliest weapons on the battlefield.
"And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was
in Samaria, and was sick." Here was where mercy was mingled with
justice: here was where "space for repentance" was granted the
idolatrous king. O how long-suffering is God! Ahaziah's fall did not
prove immediately fatal, though it placed him on a bed of sickness,
where he had opportunity to "consider his ways." And how often the
Lord deals thus, both with nations and with individuals. The Roman
empire was not built in a day, nor was it destroyed in a day. Many a
blatant rebel against Heaven has been pulled up suddenly in his evil
career. An "accident" over took him, and though it may have deprived
him of a limb, yet not of his life. Such may have been the experience
of someone who reads these lines. If so, we would say to him with all
earnestness, Redeem the time that is now left you. You might now be in
hell, but God has given you a further season (brief at the most) to
think of eternity and prepare for it. O that His goodness may lead you
to repentance! Today, if ye will hear His voice, harden not your
heart. Throw down the weapons of your warfare against Him and be
reconciled to Him, for how shall you escape the everlasting burnings
if you neglect His so-great salvation?
"And he sent messengers and said unto them, Go, inquire of Baal-zebub
the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease" (v. 2).
First, God had crossed him in his affairs, and then He smote him in
his body. We have called attention to what this evil king did not do,
now we turn to consider the course which he actually followed. Neither
of those judgments softened him, and having lived without God in
prosperity, so in adversity he despised His chastening hand. Saul in
his extremity had inquired of a witch, only to hear of his immediate
doom. So Ahaziah now had recourse to the demon-gods of the heathen. He
was evidently uneasy at the present state of his health, so sent some
of his servants to ascertain of an idolatrous oracle whether or no he
should recover from this affliction--proof that his soul was in a
worse state than his body. The "Baalim" was a general epithet for the
false gods, each having his own peculiar office and district, hence
the distinguishing titles of Baal-zebub, Baal-peor, Baal-zephon,
Baal-berith. "Baal-zebub" was the idol of Ekron, a city of Philistia,
a country noted for "sooth-sayers" (Isa. 2:6).
This "Baal-zebub" signifies "The lord of a fly or flies," probably
because, since their country was infested with flies (as modern
travelers still report), they supposed he protected them from the
diseases which they spread. In Matthew 12:24 we find our Lord terming
Beelzebub (the Greek form of spelling) "the prince of the demons,"
which intimates that under various names and images evil spirits were
actually worshipped as gods by the heathen--as is plainly stated in 1
Corinthians 10:20: "the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they
sacrifice to demons and not to God." It would appear that at the time
of Ahaziah the priests of Baa1 had through their incantations of evil
spirits acquired celebrity for their knowledge of future events, much
as the oracle of Delphi was held in high repute in Greece some years
later. Believing that the idol at Ekron could foresee and foretell
things to come, Ahaziah paid him homage. The exceeding sinfulness of
such practices is placed beyond dispute by such passages as Leviticus
20:6, 27; Deuteronomy 18:10; 1 Chronicles 10:13. Thus those who
consult fortune-tellers, astrologers and "spiritualists" are guilty of
a fearful sin, and expose themselves unto the powers of evil.
"When a king of Israel sent to inquire of a heathen oracle, he
proclaimed to the Gentiles his want of confidence in Jehovah: as if
the only nation favoured with the knowledge of the true God had been
the only nation in which no God was known. This was peculiarly
dishonorable and provoking to Jehovah" (Thomas Scott). The action of
Ahaziah was indeed a deliberate and public rejection of the Lord, a
defiant choice of those ways which had called down the wrath of Heaven
upon his father. It could not pass unnoticed, and accordingly He who
is King of kings, as well as the God of Israel, specifically calls him
to account. Elijah was sent to meet the king's messengers as they went
speeding on their way from Samaria, with the announcement of certain
death: "But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise,
go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto
them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel that ye go to
inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron?" (v. 3). Nothing escapes the
observation of Him with whom we have to do. His eyes are ever upon all
the ways of men, whether they be monarchs or menials: none are too
high or independent to be above His control, and none are too low or
insignificant to be overlooked by Him. All we do or say or think is
perfectly known to the Lord, and in that Day we shall be called upon
to render a full account.
"But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up
to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is
it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to inquire of
Baal-zebub the god of Ekron" (v. 3). The Hebrew is more expressive and
emphatic than the English: "Is it because there is no God, none in
Israel" that you turn for information to the emissaries of Satan? Not
only had the true and living God made Himself known to Israel, but He
was in covenant relationship with them. This it is which explains "the
angel of the Lord" addressing Himself to Elijah on this occasion,
emphasizing as it did that blessed relationship which the king was
repudiating--it was the Angel of the Covenant (Ex. 23:23, etc). As
such, Jehovah had given clear demonstration of Himself to Ahaziah in
his own lifetime.
"Now therefore thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not come down from that
bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die" (v. 4). Having
reproved the awful sin of Ahaziah, the servant of God now pronounces
judgment on him. Here then was the last and solemn task of Elijah, to
pass the capital sentence upon the apostate king. Unto the widow of
Zarephath God had made him "the savour of life unto life," but unto
Ahab and now to his son he became "the savour of death unto death."
Varied indeed are the tasks assigned unto the ministers of the Gospel,
according as they are called upon to comfort God's people and feed His
sheep, or warn the wicked and denounce evildoers. Thus it was with
their great Exemplar: both benedictions and maledictions were found on
His lips; though most congregations are far more familiar with the
former than the latter. Yet it will be found that His "Blesseds" in
Matthew 5 are balanced by an equal number of "Woes" in Matthew 23. It
should be duly noted that those "woes" were uttered by the Lord Jesus
at the close of His public ministry, and though the end of the world
may not be at hand (no one on earth knows) yet it seems evident that
the end of the present "order" of things, "civilization," is imminent,
and therefore the servants of Christ have a thankless task before them
today. O that grace may preserve them "faithful unto death"!
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 33
The Minister of Vengeance
_________________________________________________________________
"And Elijah departed" (2 Kings 1:4). At his Master's bidding, the
prophet had gone forth to meet the servants of Ahaziah and delivered
what the Lord had commissioned him, and had sent them back with this
message to their king, and then took his leave of them. His departure
was not for the purpose of concealing himself but to return to his
communion with God. It was to "the top of a hill" (v. 9), that he
retired: typically it spoke of moral separation from, and elevation
above, the world. We have to betake ourselves to "the secret place of
the Most High"--and this is not to be found near the giddy and
bustling crowds--if we are to "abide under the shadow of the Almighty"
(Ps. 91:1); it is from the mercy seat His voice is heard speaking
(Num. 7:89). On a previous occasion we have seen Elijah making for the
mountaintop as soon as his public work was completed (1 Kings 18:42).
What an object lesson is there here for all the servants of Christ:
when they have delivered their message, to retire from the public eye
and get alone with God, as their Saviour before them was wont to do.
The "top of the hill" is also the place of observation and vision: O
to make spiritual observatories of our private rooms!
There is nothing in the sacred narrative which indicates the
nationality of these messengers of Ahaziah. If they were Israelites
they could scarcely be ignorant of the prophet's identity when he so
suddenly accosted them and so dramatically announced the doom of their
master. If they were foreigners, imported from Tyre by Jezebel, they
were probably ignorant of the mighty Tishbite, for some years had
elapsed since his last public appearance. Whoever they were, these men
were so impressed by that commanding figure and his authoritative
tone, so awed by his knowledge of their mission and so terrified by
his pronouncement, that they at once abandoned their quest and
returned to the king. He who could tell what Ahaziah thought and said
could evidently foretell the outcome of his sickness: they dared not
proceed on their journey to Ekron. That illustrated an important
principle. When a servant of God is energized by an ungrieved Spirit,
his message carries conviction and strikes terror into the hearts of
his hearers: just as Herod "feared" John the Baptist (Mark 6:20), and
Felix "trembled" before Paul (Acts 24:25). But it is not talking to
the wicked about the love of God which will produce such effects, nor
will such conscience-soothers be owned of Heaven. Rather is it those
who declare, as Elijah of Ahaziah, "Thou shalt surely die."
"And when the messengers turned back unto him, he said unto them, Why
are ye now turned back?" (v. 5). It must have been both a surprise and
a shock to the king when his servants returned unto him so quickly,
for he knew that sufficient time had not elapsed for them to have
journeyed to Ekron in Philistia and back again. His question expresses
annoyance, a reprimand for their being remiss in discharging his
commission. Kings in that day were accustomed to receive blind
obedience from their subjects, and woe be unto those who crossed their
imperial wills. This only serves to emphasize the effect which the
appearance and words of Elijah made upon them. From the next verse we
learn that the prophet had bidden them, "Go turn again unto the king
that sent you" and repeat my message unto him. And though their so
doing meant placing their lives in jeopardy, nevertheless they carried
out the prophet's order. How they put to shame thousands of those
professing to be the servants of Christ who for many years past have
studiously withheld that which their auditors most needed to hear and
criminally substituted a message of "Peace, peace" when there was no
peace for them, and that in days when a faithful proclamation of the
truth had not endangered their persons. Surely these messengers of
Ahaziah will yet rise up in judgment against all such faithless
time-servers.
"And they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us and said unto
us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you and say unto him, Thus
saith the Lord, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel that
thou sendest to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou
shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt
surely die" (v. 6) From their omission of his name and by referring to
Elijah simply as "a man it seems clear that these messengers of the
king were ignorant of the prophet's identity. But they had been so
overawed by his appearance and the solemnity of his manner, and were
so convinced his announcement would be verified, that they deemed
themselves warranted in abandoning their journey and returning to
their master. Accordingly they delivered a plain straightforward
account of what had occurred and faithfully reported Elijah's
pronouncement. They knew full well that such a message must prove most
unwelcome to the king, yet they made no attempt to alter its tone or
soften it down. They shrank not from telling Ahaziah to his face that
sentence of death had gone out against him. Again we say, How these
men put to shame the temporizing, cowardly and pew-flattering
occupants of the pulpit. Alas, how often is more sincerity and
fidelity to be found among open worldlings than in those with the
highest spiritual pretensions.
"And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to
meet you and told you these words?" (v. 7). No doubt the king was
fairly well convinced as to who it was that had dared to cross their
path and send him such a message, but to make quite sure he bids his
servants describe the mysterious stranger: what was his appearance,
how was he clothed, and in what manner did he address you? How that
illustrates one of the chief traits of the unregenerate: it was not
the message which Ahaziah now inquired about, but the man who uttered
it--yet surely his own conscience would warn him that no mere man
could be the author of such a message. And is not this the common
tendency of the unconverted: that instead of taking to heart what is
said, they fix their attention on who says it. Such is poor fallen
human nature. When a true servant of God is sent and delivers a
searching word, people seek to evade it by occupying themselves with
his personality, his style of delivery, his denominational
affiliation-- anything secondary as long as it serves to crowd out
that which is of supreme moment. Yet when the postman hands them an
important business letter they are not concerned about his appearance.
"And they answered him, He was a hairy man, and girt with a girdle of
leather about his loins" (v. 8). We do not regard this as a
description of his person so much as of his attire. Concerning John
the Baptist, who came "in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17),
it is recorded that he "had his raiment of camel's hair and a leathern
girdle about his loins" (Matthew 3:4). Thus we understand that the
outward garment of Elijah was made of skins (cf. Heb. 11:37), girded
about by a strip of undressed leather. That the prophets had some such
distinguishing garb is clear from Zechariah 13:4, by the false
prophets assuming the same in order to beguile the people: "a garment
of hair to deceive." In that era when instruction was given to the eye
as well as the ear, by symbols and shadows, that uncouth dress denoted
the prophet's mortification to the world, and expressed his concern
and sorrow for the idolatry and iniquity of his people, just as the
putting on of "sackcloth" by others signified humility and grief. For
other references to the symbolic meaning of the prophet's dress and
actions compare 1 Kings 11:28 -31; 22.11; Acts 21: 10, 11.
"And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite" (v. 8). There could be no
mistake: the king knew now who it was that had sent such a solemn
message to him. And what effect was produced upon him? Was he awed and
humbled? Did he now bewail his sins and cry unto God for mercy? Far
from it. He had learned nothing from his father's awful end. The
severe affliction under which he was suffering softened him not. Even
the near approach of death made no difference. He was incensed against
the prophet and determined to destroy him. Had Elijah sent him a lying
and flattering word, that had been acceptable, but the truth he could
not bear. How like the degenerate generation in which our lot is cast,
who had rather be bombed to death in places of amusement than be found
on their faces before God. Ahaziah was young and arrogant, not at all
disposed to receive reproof or endure opposition to his will, no
matter from what quarter it proceeded, no, not even from Jehovah
Himself. The message from Elijah, though in God's name and by His
express command, enraged the monarch beyond measure, and instantly he
resolves on the death of the prophet, though he had done nothing more
than his duty.
"Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he
went up to him: and behold, he sat on the top of a hill. And he spake
unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down" (v. 9).
Ahaziah was at no loss to find wicked men ready to execute the most
desperate and impious orders. This company of soldiers went forth
promptly to seize the Lord's servant. They found him sitting
composedly upon an eminence. The spirit of the captain evidenced that
his heart was thoroughly in his task, for he insolently addressed
Elijah as "thou man of God," which was by way of derision and insult.
It was as though he had said, Thou claimest Jehovah as thy Master, we
come to thee in the name of a greater than he: King Ahaziah says, Come
down! Fearful effrontery and blasphemy was that! It was not only an
insult to Elijah, but to Elijah's God, an insult which was not
suffered to go unchallenged. How often in the past have the wicked
made a mock at sacred things and turned the very terms by which God
designates His people into epithets of reproach, sneeringly dubbing
them "the elect," "saints," etc. That they do so no longer is because
the fine gold has become dim; godliness is no more a reality and a
rebuke to the impious. Who would think of designating the average
clergyman a "man of God?" Rather does he wish to be known as "a good
mixer," a man of the world.
"And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man
of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy
fifty" (v. 10). There was no personal vindictiveness in the terrible
reply of Elijah, but a consuming zeal for the glory of God, which had
been so blatantly insulted by this captain. The king's agent had jibed
at his being a "man of God," and now he should be furnished with
summary proof whether or no the Maker of heaven and earth owned the
prophet as His servant. The insolence and impiety of this man who had
insulted Jehovah and His ambassador should meet with swift judgment.
"And there came down fire from heaven and consumed him and his fifty"
(v. 10). Sure sign was this that Elijah had not been actuated by any
spirit of revenge, for in such a case God had not responded to his
appeal. On an earlier occasion the "fire of the Lord" had fallen upon
and consumed the sacrifice (1 Kings 18:38), but here it falls on
sinners who had slighted that sacrifice. So shall it again be when
"the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,
in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that
obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thess. 1:7, 8).
Surely so manifest an interposition of God would serve as a deterrent,
if not to the abandoned king yet to his servants, so that no further
attempt would be made to apprehend Elijah. But no: "Again also he sent
unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and
said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down
quickly" (v. 11). It is hard to say which, on this occasion, was the
more remarkable, the madness of the wounded Ahaziah when the report of
the awful event reached him, or the presumption of this officer and
his soldiers. This second captain took no warning from what had
befallen the first and his soldiers. Was the calamity which overtook
them attributed to chance, to some lightning or fireball happening to
consume them, or was he recklessly determined to brave things out?
Like his predecessor he addressed the prophet in the language of
insulting derision, though using more peremptory terms than the
former: "Come down quickly." See once more how sin hardens the heart
and ripens men for judgment. And who maketh thee to differ? To what
desperate lengths might the writer and the reader have gone if the
mercy of God had not interposed and stopped us in our mad career! 0
what praise is due unto sovereign grace which snatched me as a brand
from the burning!
"And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let
fire come down from heaven and consume thee and thy fifty" (v. 12).
Proof had already been given that Jehovah was omniscient (v. 4), now
they should know He is omnipotent. What is man in the hands of his
Maker? One flash of lightning and fifty-one of His enemies become
burnt stubble. And if all the hosts of Israel, yea the entire human
race, had been assembled there, it had needed no other force. Then
what folly it is for him whose breath is in his nostrils to contend
with the Almighty: "Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker" (Isa.
45:9). Some have blamed Elijah for destroying those men, overlooking
the fact that he could no more bring down fire from heaven than they
can. Elijah simply announced on these occasions what God had Himself
determined to do. Nor was it to please the prophet that the Lord
acted, or to gratify any vindictive passion in Himself, but to show
forth His power and justice. It cannot be said the soldiers were
innocent, for they were performing no military duty, but openly
fighting against Heaven as the language of the third captain
indicates. This has been recorded as a lasting warning for all ages,
that those who mock at and persecute God's faithful ministers will not
escape His punishment. On the other hand, those who have befriended
them shall by no means lose their reward.
"And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty" (v.
53). What fearful obstinacy is there here. Deliberately hardening his
heart, Ahaziah strengthened himself against the Almighty and makes one
more attempt to do the prophet harm. Though on his death-bed, and
knowing the Divine judgment which had befallen two companies of his
soldiers (as v. 54 intimates), yet he persists in stretching forth his
hand against Jehovah's anointed, and exposes to destruction another of
his captains with his body of men. So true are those words of Holy
Writ, "Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with
a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him" (Prov. 27:22).
And why is this? Because "the heart of the sons of men is full of
evil, and madness is in their heart while they live" (Eccl. 9:3). In
view of such unerring declarations, and with such examples as Pharaoh,
Ahab and Ahaziah before us, we ought not to be in the least surprised
or startled by what we see and read of what is taking place in the
world today. Saddened and solemnized we should be, but not staggered
and nonplussed.
"And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his
knees before Elijah, and besought him and said unto him, O man of God,
I pray thee, let my life and the life of these fifty thy servants be
precious in thy sight. Behold, there came fire down from heaven and
burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties:
therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight" (vv. 53, 54). This
man was of a different disposition from the two who had preceded him:
even in the military forces God has a remnant according to the
election of grace. Daring not to attempt anything against Elijah, he
employed humble submission and fervent entreaties, with every
expression of respect. It was an affecting appeal, a real prayer. He
attributed the death of the previous companies to its true cause and
appears to have had an awful sense of the justice of God. He owns that
their lives lay at the prophet's mercy and begs they may be spared.
Thus did Jehovah provide not only for the security but also the honour
of Elijah, as He did for Moses when Pharaoh had threatened to put him
to death (Ex. 11:8). The appeal of this captain was not in vain. Our
God is ever ready to forgive the humble suppliant, how ever rebellious
he may have been, and the way to prevail with Him is to bow before
Him.
"And the angel of the Lord said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not
afraid of him" (v. 15). This clearly demonstrates that Elijah waited
for the Divine impulse and was entirely guided by it in the former
instances of severity. Neither God nor His servant could have any
pleasure in taking away the lives of those who approached them in a
becoming manner. It was to punish them for their scorn and impiety
that the others had been slain. But this captain came with fear and
trembling, not with ill-will to the prophet nor contempt for his
Master. Accordingly he found mercy and favour: not only were their
lives preserved, but the captain succeeds in his errand--Elijah shall
go with him to the king. Those who humble themselves shall be exalted,
whereas those who exalt themselves shall be abased. Let us learn from
Elijah's example to deal kindly toward those who may have been
employed against us, when they evidence their repentance and entreat
our clemency. Mark it was "the angel of the Lord" who again addressed
the prophet: but what a test of his obedience and courage! The
Tishbite had greatly exasperated Jezebel and her party, and now her
reigning son must have been furious at him. Nevertheless he might
safely venture into the presence of his raging foes seeing that the
Lord had bidden him do so, with the assurance, "Be not afraid." They
could not move a finger against him without God's permission. God's
people are quite safe in His hands, and faith may ever appropriate the
triumphant language of Psalm 27:1-3.
"And he arose and went down with him unto the king" (v. 15), readily
and boldly, not fearing his wrath. He made no objection and indicated
no fear for his safety: though the king was enraged and would be
surrounded by numerous attendants, he committed himself to the Lord
and felt safe under His promise and protection. What a striking
instance of the prophet's faith and obedience to God. But Elijah did
not go to confront the king until bidden by the Lord to do so,
teaching His servants not to act presumptuously by recklessly and
needlessly exposing themselves unto danger: but as soon as He required
it he went promptly, encouraging us to follow the leadings of
Providence, trusting God in the way of duty and saying, "The Lord is
my helper, I will not fear what man shall do unto me" (Heb. 13:6).
"And he said unto him, Thus saith the Lord," etc. (v. 16). Elijah now
repeats to the king, without any alteration, what he had said to his
servants. Without fear or mincing the matter, the prophet spoke God's
word plainly and faithfully to Ahaziah; in the name of Him in whose
hands are both life and death, he reproved the monarch for his sin and
then pronounced sentence on him. What an awful message for him to
receive: that he should go from his bed to hell. Having discharged his
commission, the Tishbite departed without molestation. Enraged as were
Jezebel and her party, the king and his attendants, they were as meek
as lambs and as silent as statues. The prophet went in and out among
them with perfect safety, receiving no more harm than Daniel when cast
into the lions" den, because he trusted in God. Let this cause us to
go forth firmly but humbly in the discharge of our duty. "So he died
according to the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken" (v. 57).
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 34
Elijah's Departure
_________________________________________________________________
The departure of Elijah from this world was even more striking and
remarkable than had been his entrance upon the stage of public action,
yet the supernatural character of his exit was but the fitting finale
to such a meteoric course. No ordinary career was his, and no
commonplace end to it would have seemed suitable. Miracle had attended
him wherever he had gone, and a miracle brought about his departure
from this scene. He had ministered during stormy times; again and
again did he call down Divine judgments upon the heads of evil-doers,
and at the last a "whirlwind" carried him away from this earth. In
answer to his prayer "the fire of the Lord" had fallen upon Mount
Carmel, and again on those who sought to take his life, (2 Kings
1:12), and at the close "a chariot of fire and horses of fire" parted
him asunder from Elisha. At the beginning of his dramatic career he
declared, "The Lord God of Israel, before whom I stand" (1 Kings
17:1), and at its conclusion he was mysteriously rapt into His
immediate presence without passing through the portals of death.
Before looking more closely at that startling exit, let us briefly
review his life, summarize its principal features, and seek to mark
its leading lessons.
The life of Elijah was not the career of some supernatural being who
tabernacled among men for a brief season: he was no angelic creature
in human form. It is true that nothing is recorded of his parentage,
his birth or early life, but the concept of any super human origin is
entirely excluded by that expression of the Holy Spirit's, "Elijah was
a man, subject to like passions as we are" (Jas. 5:17). He, too, was a
fallen descendant of Adam harassed by the same depraved inclinations,
subject to the same temptations, annoyed by the same devil, meeting
with the same trials and oppositions as both writer and reader
experience. Yet did he trust in the same Saviour, walk by the same
faith, and have all his needs supplied by the same gracious and
faithful God as it is our privilege to do. A study of his life is
particularly pertinent today, for our lot is cast in times which
closely resemble those which he encountered. Varied and valuable are
the lessons which his life illustrated and exemplified, the chief of
which we have sought to point out in this book. Our present task is to
summarize the leading points among them.
1. Elijah was a man who walked by faith and not by sight, and walking
by faith is not a mystical or nebulous thing but an intensely
practical experience. Faith does more than rest upon the bare letter
of Scripture: it brings the living God into a scene of death, and
enables its possessor to endure by "seeing Him who is invisible."
Where faith is really in exercise, it looks beyond distressing and
distracting circumstances and is occupied with Him who regulates all
circumstances. It was faith in God which enabled Elijah to sojourn by
the brook Cherish, there to be fed by the ravens. The skeptic supposes
that faith is mere credulity or a species of religious fanaticism, for
he knows not of the sure foundation on which it rests. The Lord had
told His servant, "I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there,"
and the prophet "judged Him faithful who had promised," and therefore
he was not put to confusion. And that is recorded for our
encouragement. Faith looks beyond the promise to the Promiser, and God
never fails those who trust alone in Him and rely fully upon Him.
It was faith which had moved Elijah to sojourn with the desolate widow
of Zarephath, when she and her son were at the point of starvation. To
natural instincts it seemed cruel to impose himself upon her, to
carnal reason it appeared a suicidal policy. But Jehovah had said "I
have commanded a widow woman to sustain thee there" and the prophet
"staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief." An, faith
looks to and counts upon the living God with whom nothing is too hard.
Nothing, my reader, honours God so much as faith in Himself, and
nothing so dishonors Him as our unbelief. It was by faith that Elijah
returned to Jezreel and bearded the lion in his den, telling Ahab to
his face his impending doom, and announcing the awful judgment which
would surely seize upon his wife. "Faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:57): Elijah heard, believed and
acted. Yes, acted, for a faith without works is but a dead and
worthless one. Obedience is nothing but faith in exercise, directed by
the Divine authority, responding to the Divine will.
2. Elijah was a man who walked in manifest separation from the evil
around him. Alas, the policy prevailing in Christendom today is to
walk arm in arm with the world, to be a "goodmixer" if you wish to win
the young people. It is argued that we cannot expect them to ascend to
the spiritual plane, so the only way for the Christian to reach and
help them is by descending to theirs. But such reasoning as "Let us do
evil that good may come" finds no support in the Word of God, but
rather emphatic refutation and condemnation. "Be not unequally yoked
together with unbelievers" (2 Cor. 6:14), "have no fellowship with the
unfruitful works of darkness" (Eph. 5:11), are the peremptory demands.
"Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?
whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God"
(Jas. 4:4)--as true in this twentieth century as in the first, for it
is never right to do wrong. God has not called His people to "win the
world to Christ": rather does He require them, by their lives, to
witness against it.
Nothing is more marked about Elijah than his uncompromising separation
from the abounding evil all around him. We never find him fraternizing
with the people of his degenerate day, but constantly reproving them.
He was indeed a "stranger and pilgrim" here. No doubt many considered
him selfish and unsociable, and probably charged him with assuming an
"l am holier than thou" attitude. Ah, Christian reader, you must not
expect mere religionists, empty professors, to appreciate your motives
or understand your ways: "the world knoweth us not" (1 John 3:1). God
leaves His people here to witness for Christ, and the only way to do
that is to walk with Christ. Thus we are bidden to "go forth therefore
unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach" (Heb. 13:13): we
cannot walk with Christ except we be where His Spirit is--outside the
apostate mass, apart from all that dishonors and disowns the Lord
Jesus; and that inevitably involves "bearing His reproach."
3. Elijah was a man of marked elevation of spirit. Possibly that
expression is a new one to some of our readers, yet its meaning is
more or less obvious. That which we make reference to was symbolized
by the fact that the prophet is seen again and again "on the mount."
The first mention of him (1 Kings 17:1), tells us that he was "of the
inhabitants of Gilead," which was a hilly section of the country. His
memorable victory over the false prophets of Baal was upon mount
Carmel. After his slaughter of them at the brook Kishon, and his brief
word to the king, we are told that "Ahab went up to eat and drink"
whereas Elijah "went up to the top of Carmel" (18:42)--which at once
revealed their respective characters. When the Lord recovered him from
his lapse we read that he "went in the strength of that meat forty
days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God" (1 Kings 19:8).
After he had delivered his message to Ahaziah, it is recorded,
"behold, he sat on the top of a hill" (2 Kings 1:9). Thus Elijah was
markedly the man of the mount. Now there is a mystical or spiritual
significance in that, apparent unto an anointed eye, which we have
termed elevation of spirit.
By elevation of spirit we mean heavenly-mindedness, the heart being
raised above the poor things of this world, the affections being set
upon things above. This is ever one of the effects or fruits of
walking by faith, for faith has God for its object, and He dwells on
high. The more our hearts are occupied with Him whose throne is in
heaven, the more are our spirits elevated above the earth. The more
our minds are engaged with the perfections of Him who is altogether
lovely, the less will the things of time and sense have power to
attract us. The more we dwell in the secret place of the Most High,
the less will the baubles of men charm us. The same feature comes out
prominently in the life of Christ: He was pre eminently the Man of the
Mount. His first sermon was delivered from one. He spent whole nights
there. He was transfigured upon "the holy mount." He ascended from the
mount of Olives. "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their
strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles" (Isa.
40:31)--their bodies on earth, their hearts in heaven.
4. Elijah was a mighty intercessor. Let it be pointed out that none
but one who walks by faith, who is in marked separation from evil
around him, and who is characterized by elevation of spirit or
heavenly-mindedness, is qualified for such holy work. The prevalency
of Elijah's intercession is recorded not only for our admiration but
emulation. Nothing is more calculated to encourage and embolden the
Christian in his approaches to the throne of grace than to mark and
recall how frail mortals like himself, unworthy and unprofitable
sinners, supplicated God in the hour of need and obtained miraculous
supplies from Him. God delights for us to put Him to the test, and
therefore has He said, "All things are possible to him that believeth"
(Mark 9:23). Wondrously was that exemplified in the life of Elijah,
and so should it be in ours too. But we shall never have power in
prayer while we give way to an evil heart of unbelief, or fraternize
with religious hypocrites, or while we are absorbed with the things of
time and sense. Faith, fidelity and spirituality are necessary
qualifications.
In answer to the intercession of Elijah the heavens were shut up for
three years and a half, so that it rained not at all. This teaches us
that the supreme motive behind all our supplications must be the glory
of God and the good of His people--the chief lessons inculcated by
Christ in the family prayer. It also teaches that there are times when
the servant of God may request his Master to deal in judgment with his
enemies. Drastic diseases call for drastic remedies. There are times
when it is both right and necessary for a Christian to ask God to
bring down His chastening rod on His backslidden and wayward people.
We read that Paul delivered unto Satan certain ones who had made
shipwreck of the faith that they might learn not to blaspheme (1 Tim.
1:20). Jeremiah called on the Lord to "Pour out Thy fury upon the
heathen that know Thee not, and upon the families that call not on Thy
name" (10:25).The Lord Jesus interceded not only for "His own," but
also against Judas and his family (Ps. 109).
But there is a brighter side to the efficacy of Elijah's intercession
than the one contemplated in the preceding paragraph. It was in answer
to his prayer that the widow's son was restored to life (1 Kings
17:19, 22). What a proof was that that nothing is too hard for the
Lord: that in response to believing supplication He is able and
willing to reverse what unto sight seems the most hopeless situation.
What possibilities to trustful and importunate prayer does that
present! Man's extremity is indeed God's opportunity--to show Himself
strong on our behalf. But let it not be forgotten that behind the
prophet's intercession there was a higher motive than the comforting
of the widow's heart: it was that his Master might be
glorified--vindicated in the claims made by His servant. Ah, that is
so important, though generally overlooked. Christian parents reading
this chapter are most desirous that their children should be saved,
and pray daily for that end. Why? Is it only that they may have the
comforting assurance their loved ones have been delivered from the
wrath to come? Or, is it that God may be honored by their
regeneration?
It was in response to Elijah's intercession that the fire came down
from heaven and consumed the sacrifice. Here, too, his petition was
based on the plea for the Lord to vindicate His great and holy name
before the vast assembly of His vacillating people and the heathen
idolaters: "let it be known this day that Thou art God in Israel" (1
Kings 18:36). As we pointed out in an earlier chapter, that "fire of
the Lord" was not only a solemn type of the Divine wrath smiting
Christ when bearing the sins of His people, but it was also a
dispensational foreshadowing of the public descent of the Holy Spirit
on the day of Pentecost attesting God's acceptance of the sacrifice of
His Son. Thus the practical lesson for us is believingly to pray for
more of the Spirit's power and blessing, that we may be favored with
further manifestations of His presence with and in us. That we are
warranted in so making request is evidenced by that word of our Lord,
"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your
children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy
Spirit to them that ask Him?" (Luke 11:13). Pray for faith to lay hold
of that promise.
So, too, it was in answer to the prophet's intercession that the
terrible drought was ended: "He prayed again, and the heaven gave
rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit" (Jas. 5:18). The
spiritual meaning and application of that is obvious. For many years
past the churches have been in a parched and languishing condition.
This was evident from the varied expedients they resorted to in the
attempt to "revive" and strengthen them. Even where carnal means were
not employed with the object of attracting outsiders, religious
"specialists" in the form of "successful evangelists" or "renowned
Bible teachers" were called in to aid in extra meetings--as sure a
sign of the churches" ill-health as the summoning of a doctor. But
artificial stimulants soon lose their efficacy, and unless his health
is restored by ordinary means, leave the patient worse than before. So
it has been with the churches, until their dry and dead condition is
apparent even to themselves. Yet, unless the end of the world be upon
us, showers of blessing will yet descend (though possibly in different
parts of the earth than formerly), and they will come (at their
appointed time) in answer to some Elijah's prayer!
5. Elijah was a man of intrepid courage, by which we mean not a
natural bravery but spiritual boldness. That distinction is an
important one, yet it is rarely recognized. Few today seem capacitated
to discriminate between what is of the flesh and what is wrought by
the Spirit. No doubt the prevailing habit of defining Bible terms by
the dictionary rather than from their usage in Holy Writ, adds much to
the confusion. Take for example the grace of spiritual patience: how
often is it confounded with an even and placid temperament, and
because they possess not such a natural disposition, many of the
Lord's people imagine they have no patience at all. The patience of
which the Holy Spirit is the Author is not a calm equanimity which
never gets irritated by delays, nor is it that gentle graciousness
which bears insults and injuries with out retaliation or even
murmuring--rather is that much closer akin to meekness. How many have
been puzzled by those words, "Let us run with patience the race set
before us" (Heb. 21:1)? They create their own difficulty by assuming
that "patience" is a passive rather than an active grace.
The "patience" of Christians is not a passive virtue but an active
grace, not a natural endowment but a supernatural fruit. It signifies
endurance: it is that which enables the saints to persevere in the
face of discouragements, to hold on his way despite all opposition. In
like manner, Christian "courage" is not a constitutional endowment but
a heavenly enduement: it is not a natural quality but a supernatural
thing. "The wicked flee when no man pursueth (a guilty conscience
filling them with terror), but the righteous are bold as a lion"
(Prov. 28:1). He who truly fears God is fearless of man. That
spiritual courage or boldness has shone forth in many a weak, timid,
shrinking woman. Those who would have trembled at the prospect of
walking alone through a cemetery on a dark night, shrank not from
confessing Christ when a fiery death was the certain sequel. The
boldness of Elijah in denouncing Ahab to his face, and in confronting
single-handed his army of false prophets, must not be attributed to
his natural constitution but ascribed to the operations of the Holy
Spirit.
6. Elijah was a man who experienced a sad fall, and this also is
recorded for our instruction: not as an excuse for us to shelter
behind, but as a solemn warning to take to heart. Few indeed are the
recorded blemishes in Elijah's character, yet he did not attain to
perfection in this world. Remarkably as he was honored by his yet sin
had not been eradicated from his being. Glorious was the "treasure"
which he bore about, nevertheless God saw fit to make it manifest that
an "earthen vessel" carried the same. Strikingly, it was in his faith
and courage he failed, for he took his eye off the Lord for a brief
season and then fled in terror from a woman. What force does that give
to the exhortation, "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take
heed lest he fall" (1 Cor. 10:12)! We are just as dependent upon God
for the maintenance of our spiritual graces as we are for the
bestowment of them. But though he fell, Elijah was not utterly cast
down. Divine grace sought him, delivered him from his despondency,
restored him to the paths of righteousness, and so renewed him in the
inner man that he was as faithful and courageous afterward as he had
been formerly.
7. Elijah was a man who had a supernatural exit from this world. As
this will be the subject of the closing chapter, we will not now
anticipate our remarks thereon.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of Elijah
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 35
The Chariot of Fire
_________________________________________________________________
After Elijah's interview with king Ahaziah we read no more of him till
we come to the closing scene of his earthly career, but from the hints
conveyed by the Divine record in 2 Kings 2 we gather that his last
days here were not idle ones. If not engaged in anything spectacular
and dramatic, he was employed in doing what was good and useful. It
would seem that both he and Elisha not only instructed the people in
private but also founded and superintended seminaries or schools of
the prophets in various parts of the land. By training them to read
and teach the Word of God, those young men were prepared for the
ministry and to carry on the work of reformation in Israel, and
therein the prophets were well employed. Such sacred activity, though
less striking to the senses, was of far greater importance, for the
effect produced by witnessing supernatural wonders, though stirring at
the time, soon wears away, whereas the truth received in the soul
abides for ever. The time spent by Christ in training the apostles
produced more lasting fruit than the prodigies He performed in the
presence of the multitudes.
Elijah had now almost finished his course. The time of his departure
was at hand, how then does he occupy his last hours? what does he do
in anticipation of the great change impending? Does he shut himself up
in a cloister that he may not be disturbed by the world? Does he
retire to his chamber that he may devote his last moments to devout
meditation and fervent supplication, making his peace with God and
preparing to meet his Judge? No, indeed, he had made his peace with
God many years before and had lived in blessed communion with Him day
after day. As for getting ready to meet his Judge, he had not been so
mad as to postpone that all-important task till the last. He had, by
Divine grace, spent his life in walking with God, in performing His
bidding, in trusting in His mercy, and in experiencing His favour.
Such a man is always getting ready for the great change. It is only
the foolish virgins that are without oil when the Bridegroom comes. It
is only the worldling and ungodly who put off preparation for eternity
till their last moments.
"Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" (Gen. 3:19): out of
the ground was man's body taken, and because of sin, unto the ground
it shall revert. More than three thousand years had passed since that
sentence was pronounced against the fallen race, and Enoch had been
the only person who was exempted from it: why he, rather than Noah,
Abraham, Samuel, should have been so honored we know not, for the Most
High does not always deign to give a reason in explanation of His
conduct. He ever does as He pleases, and the exercise of sovereignty
marks all His ways. In the saving of souls--exempting sinners from
merited condemnation and conferring unmerited blessings--He divideth
"to every man severally as He will" (1 Cor. 12:11), and none can say
Him nay. Thus it is in connection with those whom He spares from the
grave. Another was now on the point of being transported bodily to
Heaven, but why such peculiar honour should be conferred upon Elijah
rather than any other of the prophets we cannot say, and it is idle to
speculate.
"And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven
by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal" (2 Kings
2:1). That the prophet had received previous notification of the
Lord's gracious intention to give him a supernatural exit from this
world appears by his conduct in going from place to place by Divine
direction. "Gilgal" marked the starting-point of his final journey,
and most suitably so. It had been the first stopping-place of Israel
after they crossed the Jordan and entered the land of Canaan (Joshua
4:19). It was there the children of Israel pitched their camp and set
up the tabernacle. It was there they had "kept the passover" and "did
eat of the old corn of the land" instead of the manna on which they
had so long been miraculously fed (Joshua 5:10-12). And Elijah said
unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to
Bethel" (2:2). Various conjectures have been made as to why Elijah
would have Elisha now part company with him: that he wished to be
alone, that modesty and humility would hide from human eyes the great
honour to be bestowed upon him, that he would spare his companion the
grief of final departure, that he would test the strength of his
attachment and faith--we incline to this last.
"And Elisha said unto him, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth,
I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel" (v. 2). When first
called by Elijah he had declared, "I will follow thee" (1 Kings
19:20). Did he really mean it? Would he cleave to the prophet unto the
end? Elijah tried his faith, to determine whether his avowal was
actuated by a fleeting impulse or if it were a steadfast resolution.
Elisha had meant what he said, and refused now to forsake his master
when given the opportunity to do so. He was determined to have the
benefit of the prophet's company and instruction as long as he could,
and have to him probably in hope of receiving his parting blessing.
"So they went down to Bethel," which means "the house of God." This
was another place of hallowed memory, for it was the spot where
Jehovah had first appeared unto Jacob and given him the vision of the
mystic ladder. Here the "sons of the prophets" at the local school
came and informed Elisha that the Lord would remove his master that
very day. He told them he knew that already, and bade them hold their
peace (v. 3), for they were intruding.
"And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the
Lord hath sent me to Jericho" (v. 4). As the Saviour "made as though
He would have gone further" (Luke 24:28), when putting to the proof
the affection of His disciples on the way to Emmaus, so the prophet
told his companion to "tarry ye here," at Bethel--the place of such
sacred memories. But as the two disciples had "constrained" Christ to
abide with them, so nothing could tempt Elisha to forsake his master.
"So they came to Jericho," which was on the border of the land from
which Elijah was departing. And the sons of the prophets that were at
Jericho came to Elisha and said unto him, "Knowest thou that the Lord
will take away thy master from thy head today? and he answered, Yea, I
know it; hold ye your peace" (v. 5). The force of this seems to be:
What is the use of clinging so tenaciously to your master? He will be
taken from you on the morrow, why not stay here with us! But like the
great apostle at a later date, Elisha "conferred not with flesh and
blood," but adhered to his resolution. Oh, that like grace may be
granted both writer and reader when tempted to follow not the Lord
fully.
"And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the Lord hath
sent me to Jordan" (v. 6). Much ground had now been covered; was
Elisha tiring of the journey or would he continue to the end? How many
run well for awhile and then grow weary of well-doing? Not so Elisha.
"And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not
leave thee. And they two went on" (v. 6). How that reminds us of
Ruth's decision: when Naomi bade her, "Return thou after thy
sister-in-law," she replied, "Intreat me not to leave thee, or to
return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go;
and where thou lodgest, I will lodge" (1:16). "And they two went on,"
leaving the school of the prophets behind them. The young believer
must not suffer even happy fellowship with the saints to come in
between him and his own individual communion with the Lord. How richly
Elisha was rewarded for his fidelity and constancy we shall see in the
sequel.
"And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view
afar off: and they two stood by Jordan" (v. 7), probably because they
expected to witness Elijah's translation into heaven, a favour,
however, which was granted only to Elisha. Nevertheless they were
permitted to witness a remarkable miracle: the dividing asunder of the
waters of Jordan so that the prophet and his companion passed over
dryshod. How the sovereignty of God is displayed everywhere! The
multitudes witnessed Christ's miracle of multiplying the loaves and
the fishes, but not even all of the twelve beheld His transfiguration
on the mount. It had pleased God to make these young prophets
acquainted with the supernatural exit of His servant from this world,
yet they were not permitted to be actual spectators of the same. Why,
we know not, but the fact remains, and from it we should take
instruction. It illustrates a principle which is revealed on every
page of Holy Writ and is exemplified all through history: that God
makes distinction not only between man and man but also between His
saints, between one of His servants and another, distributing His
favors as it pleases Him. And when any dare to challenge His high
sovereignty, His answer is, "Is it not lawful for Me to do what I will
with Mine own?" (Matthew 20:15).
"And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the
waters and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went
over on dry ground" (v. 8). This dividing of the Jordan was a fitting
prelude to the prophet's rapture on high. As Matthew Henry pointed
out, it was "the preface to Elijah's translation into the heavenly
Canaan, as it had been to the entrance of Israel into the earthly
Canaan" (Joshua 3:15-17). Elijah and his companion might have crossed
the river by ferry, as other passengers did, but the Lord had
determined to magnify His servant in his exit from the land, as He had
Joshua in his entrance thereto. It was with his rod Moses had divided
the sea (Ex. 14:16), here it was with his mantle Elijah divided the
river--each the insignia or badge of his distinctive office. That
there is a deeper meaning and broader application to this remarkable
incident scarcely admits of a doubt. The "Jordan" is the well-known
figure of death: Elijah is here a type of Christ, as Elisha is to be
regarded as representative of all who cleave to and follow Him. Thus
we learn that a safe and comfortable way through death has been
provided for His people by the Lord Jesus Christ.
"And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto
Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from
thee," v. 9. Here is proof that Elijah had been testing his companion
when he bade him "tarry" at the previous stopping places, for
certainly he had not offered such an invitation as this had he been
contravening his express desire. The prophet was so pleased with
Elisha's affection and attendance that he determined to reward him
with some parting blessing. And what a testing of his character was
this, "Ask what I shall do for thee"! One of the Puritans has called
attention to the significance of Elijah's "before I be taken from
thee," for it had been useless for Elisha to invoke his master
afterward. "He was not to be prayed unto as a "mediator of
intercession" as Papists blasphemously teach concerning saints and
angels." Christ is the only one in heaven who intercedes for God's
people on earth. How attentively we need to read the language of Holy
Writ: that single word "before" gives the lie to one of the cardinal
errors of Rome.
"And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be
upon me" (v. 9). Here was his noble answer to Elijah's "What shall I
do for thee?" Rising above both the lusts and sentiments of the flesh,
he asked not anything nature might have coveted, but that which was
spiritual, seeking not his own aggrandizement but the glory of God. We
do not think he asked for something superior to what his master had
enjoyed, but a portion "double" that which was communicated to the
other prophets. He was to take Elijah's place on the stage of public
action: he was to be the leader of "the sons of the prophets" (as v.
15 intimates), and therefore he wished to be equipped for his mission.
Rightly did he "covet earnestly the best gifts": he asked for a double
portion of the spirit of prophecy--of wisdom and grace, of faith and
strength--that he might be "thoroughly furnished unto all good works."
"And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing" (v. 10). Elisha had asked
not for riches or glory, wisdom or power, but for a double portion of
the spirit that rested on and wrought through his master. In terming
it "a hard thing" Elijah appears to have emphasized the great value of
such a bestowment: it was as though he said, That is much for you to
expect. We regard Matthew Henry's comment as a pertinent one: "Those
are best prepared for spiritual blessings that are most sensible of
their worth and their own unworthiness to receive." Elisha felt his
own weakness and utter insignificance for such a work as that to which
he was called, and therefore he desired to be qualified for his
eminent office. "Nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from
thee, it should be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so" (v.
10). This is very blessed: his request would be granted and he was to
know it by the sign mentioned: a sight of Elijah's translation would
be the proof that his request was agreeable to the will of God and a
pledge of his desire being gratified: but in order thereto his eye
must continue fixed upon his master! Chronologists reckon that the
ministry of Elisha lasted at least twice the length of his
predecessor's and apparently he wrought double the number of miracles.
The grand moment had arrived. Elijah had fully discharged the
commission God had given him. He had preserved his garments from being
spotted by the apostate religious world. Now his conflict was over,
his course run, his victory won. He had no home or resting place here,
so he pressed onward to his heavenly rest. "And it came to pass, as
they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot
of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah
went up by a whirlwind into heaven" (v. 11). It is to be carefully
noted that God did not send His chariot for Elijah while he was in
Samaria. No, the land of Israel was polluted and Ichabod was written
over it. It was on the far side of Jordan, in the place of separation,
that this signal honour was conferred upon the prophet. As the souls
of the saints are conveyed to Paradise by the angels (Luke 16:22), so
we believe it was by celestial beings, the highest among them, that
Elijah was taken to heaven. "seraphim" signifies "fiery," and God is
said to make His angels "a flaming fire" (Ps. 104:4), while "cherubim"
are called "the chariots of God" (Ps. 68:57 and cf. Zech. 1:8; 6:1) .
"Elijah was to remove to the world of angels, and so angels were sent
to conduct him thither" (Matthew Henry), that he might ride in state
and triumph to the skies like a conqueror.
In the translation of Elijah we have clear testimony to the fact that
there is a reward for the righteous. Often this appears to be flatly
contradicted by the experiences of this life. We behold the wicked
flourishing like the green bay-tree, while the child of God has a bare
temporal subsistence; but it shall not always be thus. Elijah had
peculiarly honored God in a day of almost universal apostasy, and now
God was pleased highly to honour him. As he had taught men, at the
constant hazard of his life, the knowledge of the only true God, so he
would now teach them by his being taken alive into heaven that there
is a future state, that there is a world beyond the skies into which
the righteous are admitted, where they shall henceforth dwell with God
and all the angelic hosts in glory everlasting. Future bliss shall
infinitely compensate present sacrifices and sufferings: he that
humbleth himself shall be exalted. Elijah's supernatural exit from
this world also demonstrated the fact that the human body is capable
of immortality! It could not witness to the truth of resurrection, for
he never died; but his corporeal removal to Heaven furnished
indubitable evidence that the body is capable of being immortalized
and of living in celestial conditions.
In the translation of Elijah we see how much better are God's ways
than ours. In an hour of despondency the prophet had wanted to leave
this world before God's time had come for him to do so, and by a way
far inferior to that which He had appointed: under the juniper tree he
had requested that he might die, saying, "It is enough; now, O Lord,
take away my life" (1 Kings 19:4). Had he been granted his desire, how
much he had lost! How much better than to be taken away by death in a
fit of impatience! And this is recorded for our instruction, pointing
as it does a lesson we all need take to heart. It is the part of
wisdom to leave ourselves and all our affairs in God's gracious hands,
trusting Him fully and being willing for Him to use His own measures
and methods with us. We are certain to sustain serious loss if we
determine to have our own way: "He gave them their request; but sent
leanness into their soul" (Ps. 106:15). The mature Christian will
assure his younger brethren that today he thanks God for refusing the
answers he once craved. God denies thy request now because He has
ordained something better for thee.
In the translation of Elijah we have both a pledge and a type of the
supernatural exit from this world which every child of God
experiences. In the course of these chapters we have pointed out again
and again that though in certain respects the character and career of
Elijah was an extraordinary one, yet in its broad outlines he is to be
regarded as a representative saint. Thus it was in connection with the
final event. No ordinary departure from this world was his, and vastly
different from the common end to earthly existence experienced by the
wicked is that of the righteous. Death as the wages of sin has been
abolished for the redeemed. For them physical dissolution is but the
body being put to sleep: as for the soul it is conveyed by angels into
God's immediate presence, (Luke 16:22), which is certainly a
supernatural experience. Nor shall all God's people even "sleep" (1
Cor. 15:22). That generation of them alive on the earth at the return
of the Saviour shall have their bodies "changed," that they may be
"fashioned like unto His glorious body" (Phil. 3:21), and shall be
caught up together with the resurrected saints to "meet the Lord in
the air," (1 Thess. 4:17). Thus a supernatural exit from this world is
assured to all the ransomed hosts of God.
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The Life of Faith
by Arthur W. Pink
Introduction
_________________________________________________
The best of Arthur W Pink's writings are those in which he explains
the practical aspects of the Christian life. He was aware that the
interest of many professing Christians during the period in which he
lived focused on doctrinal matters, in particular, unfulfilled
prophecy. In addition he regarded much of the practical teaching that
was given as shallow and not coming up to scriptural demands. To
combat this he emphasized in his magazine, Studies in the Scriptures,
the fact that believers are to live according to the Scriptures as
well as believe the truth taught in them.
There are several books by Pink available today, of which perhaps his
best known work is The Sovereignty of God. Most of them are articles
taken from his magazine. He wrote on a wide variety of topics
including the attributes of God, the person and work of Christ, the
Holy Spirit, communion with God, spiritual growth and biblical
characters. Some other articles from Studies in the Scriptures have
never been reprinted.
This publication entitled The Life of Faith is a selection drawn from
published books and magazine articles. The intention is to stress
Pink's main emphases, beginning with what God has done for his people
and then focusing on certain aspects of the Christian life.
Chapter 1 shows the design of God in purposing the death of Christ on
behalf of his people. Chapter 2 unfolds the work of the Spirit in the
Christian Dispensation; while chapter 3, clearly states the nature of
Christian assurance.
The remaining chapters concentrate on different aspects of the
Christian life. Chapter 4 stresses the need for spiritual development,
and Pink makes interesting observations on the meaning of progressive
sanctification. In Chapter 5, Pink brings together two important
individual spiritual disciplines, Bible reading and prayer. Chapter 6
outlines the believer's relationship to God's moral law, summarized in
the Ten Commandments.
In Chapter 7 Pink examines a common feature of Christian
experience--backsliding and restoration as seen in the life of David.
Chapter 8 also looks at an individual, Elisha, to see the way
believers, and in particular, ministers can be tested by God.
Christian submission is the theme of chapter 9--an attitude to be
worked out in all relationships of life. The final selection, Grace
Preparing For Glory, is an exhortation to live appropriately in the
light of tile Second Coming of Jesus.
The overall theme is one of providing a balanced approach to living in
a Christian way.
A small amount of editing has been done but each selection is
essentially as Pink originally wrote it.
Original source of selected chapters:
Chapter 1: The Satisfaction of Christ (1930-31)
Chapter 2: The Holy Spirit (1933-37)
Chapter 3: The Holy Spirit (1933-37)
Chapter 4: Spiritual Growth (1944-46)
Chapter 5: Profiting from the Word (1930-32)
Chapter 6: Gleanings in Exodus (1924-29)
Chapter 7: The Life of David (1932-39)
Chapter 8: The Life of Elisha (1943-45)
Chapter 9: Studies in the Scriptures 1946
Chapter 10: Studies in the Scriptures 1936
_________________________________________________
Contents | Introduction | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
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The Life of Faith
by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 1
The Design of the Atonement
_________________________________________________
What was the purpose of the Eternal Three in sending Christ Jesus into
this world? What was the incarnation of the Son of God intended to
accomplish? What were his sufferings and obedience ordained to effect?
Concerning this all-important matter the most erroneous ideas have
been entertained, ideas at direct variance with Holy Scripture, ideas
most dishonoring to God. Even where these awful errors have not been
fully espoused, sufficient of their evil leaven has been received to
corrupt the pure truth which many good men have held. In other
instances, where this great subject has been largely neglected, only
the vaguest and haziest conceptions are entertained. Sad it is to see
what small place this vital theme now has in most pulpits, and in the
thoughts and studies of the majority of professing Christians.
"Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world"
(Acts 15:18). Everything God does is according to design: all is the
working out of "the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus
our Lord" (Eph. 3:11). God had a design in creation (Rev. 4:10). He
has a design in providence (Rom. 8:28). And he has a design or purpose
in the Satisfaction which was wrought by Christ (1 Pet. 1:20). What,
then, was that purpose? This is not a speculative question, but one of
the utmost moment. Surely the right answer to it must be the one which
upholds the glory of God. Therefore any answer which carries with it
the inevitable corollaries of a dishonored Father, a disgraced Saviour
and a defeated Holy Spirit, cannot be the right one. Redemption is the
glory of all God's works, but it would be an everlasting disgrace of
them if it should fail to effect whatsoever it was ordained to
accomplish.
One conception, now widely held, is that Christ came here to remove
certain barriers which stood in the way of God's grace flowing forth
to fallen creatures. This theory is that Christ's death took away that
hindrance which the Divine justice interposed to mercy being extended
to transgressors of the law. Holders of this view suppose the great
Atonement was merely the procuring unto God a right for his pardoning
of sin. The words of Arminius are: "God had a mind and will to do good
to humankind, but could not by reason of sin, his justice being in the
way; whereupon he sent Christ to remove that obstacle, so that he
might, upon the prescribing of what condition he pleased, and its
being by them fulfilled, have mercy on them." Sad it is to find so
many today echoing the errors of this misguided man.
The error in the above theory is easily exposed. If it were true that
the design of Christ's satisfaction was to acquire a right unto his
Father, that notwithstanding his justice he might save sinners, then
did he rather die to redeem a liberty unto God, than a liberty from
evil unto his people; that a door might be opened for God to come out
in mercy to us, rather than that a way should be opened for us to go
in unto him. This is certainly a turning of things upside down. And
where, we may ask, is there a word in Scripture to support such a
grotesque idea? Does Scripture declare that God sent his Son out of
love to himself or out of love unto us? Does Scripture affirm that
Christ died to procure something for God, or for his people? Does
Scripture teach that the obstacles were thrown out by Divine justice
or that our sins were what Christ came here to remove? There can be
only one answer to these questions.
Again: this theory would reduce the whole work of Christ to a costly
experiment which might or might not succeed, inasmuch as according to
this conception, there is still some condition which the sinner
himself must fulfil ere he can be benefited by that mercy which God
would bestow upon him. But that is a flat denial of the fatal effects
of the Fall, a repudiation of the total depravity of man. Those who
are spiritually dead in sins are quite incapable of performing any
spiritual conditions. As well offer to a man who is stone blind a
thousand dollars on condition that he sees, as offer something
spiritual to one who has no capacity to discern it: see John 3:3, 1
Corinthians 2:14. Such a view as this is as far removed from the truth
as is light from darkness. Such a view, reduced to plain terms, comes
to this: if the sinner believes, then Christ died for him; if the
sinner does not believe, then Christ did not die for him; thus the
sinner's act is made the cause of its own object, as though his
believing would make that to be which otherwise was not. To such
insane absurdities are the opposers of grace driven.
How different the plain teaching of the Word! Christ came here to
fulfil his agreement in the Everlasting Covenant. In that covenant a
certain work was prescribed. Upon his performance of it a certain
reward was promised. That work was that Christ should make a perfect
satisfaction unto God on behalf of each and all of his people. That
reward was that all the blessings procured and purchased by him should
be infallibly bestowed on each and all of his people.
God out of his infinite love to his elect, sent his dear Son in the
fullness of time, whom he had promised in the beginning of the
world; to pay a ransom of infinite value and dignity, for the
purchasing of eternal redemption, and bringing unto himself all and
every one of those whom he had before ordained to eternal life, for
the praise of his own glory. So that freedom from all the evil from
which we are delivered, and an enjoyment of all the good things
that are bestowed onus, in our traduction from death to life, from
hell and wrath to heaven and glory, are the proper issues and
effects of the death of Christ, as the meritorious cause of them
all (John Owen).
We are now ready to answer our opening question. The design of
Christ's Satisfaction was
1. That God Might be Magnified.
"The Lord hath made all things for himself" (Prov. 16:4). The great
end which God has in all his works is the promotion of his own
declarative glory: "For of him, and through him, and to him, are all
things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36). It must be so.
There is nothing outside himself which can possibly supply any motive
for him to act. To assert the contrary would be to deny his
self-sufficiency. The aim of God in creation, in providence, and in
redemption, is the magnifying of himself Everything else is
subordinate to this paramount consideration. We press this, because we
are living in an age of infidelity and practical atheism.
God predestinated his people unto "the glory of his grace" (Eph. 1:6).
Christ has "received us to the glory of God" (Rom. 15:7). All the
Divine promises for us are in Christ "Amen, to the glory of God" (2
Cor. 1:20). The inheritance which we have obtained in Christ is in
order that "we should be to the praise of his glory" (Ephesians 1:12).
The Holy Spirit is given us as the earnest of our inheritance "unto
the praise of his glory" (Eph. 1:14). The very rejoicing of the
believer is "in hope of the glory of God" (Rom. 5:2). Our thanksgiving
is that it may "redound to the glory of God" (2 Cor. 4:15). This is
the one design of all the benefits which we obtain from the
Satisfaction of Christ, for "we are filled with the fruits of
righteousness which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of
God" (Phil. 1:11). While very tongue shall yet "confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:11).
God had both a subservient and a supreme design in sending Christ into
this world: the supreme design was to display his own glory, the
subservient design was to save his elect unto his own glory. The
former was accomplished by the manifestation of his blessed
attributes, which is the chief design in all his works, pre-eminently
so in his greatest and grandest work of all. The remainder of the
chapter might well be devoted to the extension of this one thought.
Through Christ's obedience and death God magnified his law (Isa.
42:21). The law of God was more honored by the Son's subjection to it,
than it was dishonored by the disobedience of all of Adam's race. God
magnified his love by sending forth the Darling of his bosom to redeem
worthless worms of the earth. He magnified his justice, for when sin
(by imputation) was found upon his Son, he called for the sword to
smite him (Zech. 13:7). He magnified his holiness: his hatred of sin
was more clearly shown at the Cross than it will be in the lake of
fire. He magnified his power by sustaining the Mediator under such a
load as was laid upon him. He magnified his truth by fulfilling his
covenant engagements and bringing forth from the dead the great
Shepherd of the sheep (Heb. 13:20). He magnified his grace by imputing
to the ungodly all the merits of Christ. This, then, was the prime
purpose of God in the Atonement: to magnify himself.
2. That The God-Man Might be Glorified.
Christ is the Center of all the counsels of the Godhead. He is both
the Alpha and Omega of their designs. All God's thoughts concerning
everything in heaven and in earth begin and end in Christ. "God
created all things by Jesus Christ" (Eph. 3:9), and all things were
created "for him" (Col. 1:16). As Mediator he is the only medium of
union and communion between God and the creature. "That in the
dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one
all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on
earth; in him" (Eph. 1:10). Christ is the one universal head in which
God has summed up all things. Therefore was the stupendous work of
redemption given to him that he might reconcile all things in heaven
and earth unto himself, and this, that a revenue of glory might come
to him.
The man Christ Jesus was taken up into union with the essential and
eternal Word, God the Son, so that he might be Jehovah's "Fellow"
(Zech. 13:7). The man Christ Jesus was predestinated unto the
ineffable honour of union with the second person in the Trinity. As
such he is the head of he whole election of grace, called by the
Father, "Mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth" (Isa. 42:1). As the
God-man, the Father covenanted with him, appointed him as Surety, and
assigned him his work. As God-man, he had a covenant subsistence
before he became incarnate. This is clear from John 6:62: "What and if
ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?" It was as
the God-man the Father "sent" forth Christ on his errand of mercy, and
that for his personal glory.
As Judas went out to betray him, Christ said, "Now is the Son of man
glorified" (John 13:31). Within a few hours his stupendous undertaking
would be accomplished. The Mediator was honored, supremely honored, by
God's having committed to his care the mightiest work of all, a work
which none other was capable of performing. To him was entrusted the
task of glorifying God here on earth; of vanquishing his arch-enemy,
the Devil; of redeeming his elect. To this he makes reference in John
17:4, "I have glorified thee on the earth; I have finished the work
which thou gayest me to do." He had completed God's vast design,
executed his decrees, fulfilled all his will.
Having so gloriously glorified the Father, the Father has
proportionately glorified the Mediator. He has been exalted high above
"all principality and power, and might and dominion, and every name
that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to
come" (Eph. 1:21). He has been elevated to "the right hand of the
Majesty on high" (Heb. 1:3). He has been given all authority in heaven
and in earth (Matthew 28:18). He has been given "power over all flesh,
that he should give eternal life to as many as the Father hast given
him" (John 17:2). He has been given a name which is above every name,
before which name every knee shall yet bow (Phil. 2:11). Speaking of
Christ's finished work and the Father's rewarding thereof, the
Psalmist said, "His glory is great in thy salvation: honour and
majesty hast thou laid upon him. For thou hast made him most blessed
forever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance" (Ps.
21:5, 6). This was the grand design of the Trinity: that the God-man
should thus be glorified.
3. That God's Elect Might be Saved.
"For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost"
(Luke 19:10). How different is this plain, positive and unqualified
statement from the tale which nearly all preachers tell today! The
story of the vast majority is that Christ came here to make salvation
possible for sinners: he has done his part, now they must do theirs.
To reduce the wondrous, finished, and glorious work of Christ to a
merely making salvation possible is most dishonoring and insulting to
him.
Christ came here to carry into effect God's sovereign purpose of
election, to save a people already "his" (Matthew 1:2 1) by covenant
settlement. There are a people whom God hath "from the beginning
chosen unto salvation" (2 Thess. 2:13), and redemption was in order to
the accomplishing of that decree. And if we believe what Scripture
declares concerning the person of Christ, then we have indubitable
proof that there can be no possible failure in connection with his
mission. The Son of man, the Child born, was none other than "the
mighty God" (Isa. 9:6). Therefore is he omniscient, and knows where to
look for each of his lost ones; he is also omnipotent, and so cannot
fail to deliver when they are found.
Observe that Luke 19:10 does not say that Christ came here to seek and
to save all the lost. Of course it does not. Two thirds of human
history had already run its course before Jesus was born. Half the
human race was already in hell when he entered Bethlehem's manger. It
was "the lost" (see Greek) for which he became incarnate. That is the
awful condition in which God's elect are by nature. Lost! They have
lost all knowledge of the true God, all liking for him, all desires
after him. They have lost his image in which they were originally
created, and have contracted the image of Satan. They have lost all
knowledge of their own actual condition, for their understanding is
darkened (Eph. 4:18), they are spiritually dead in trespasses and sins
(Eph. 2:1). Totally unconscious of their terrible state they neither
seek Christ nor realize their need of him.
Christ did not come here to see if there were any who would seek after
him. Of course not. Romans 3:11 emphatically declares "there is none
that seeketh after God". Christ is the seeker. Beautifully is that
brought out by him in his parable of the lost sheep. A strayed dog or
a lost horse will usually find its way back home. Not so a sheep: the
longer it is free, the farther it strays from the fold. Hence, if that
sheep is ever to be recovered, one must go after it. This is what
Christ did, and which by his Spirit he is still doing. As Luke 15:4
declares, he goes "after that which is lost until he find it". But
more: Christ came here not only to seek and find, but also to save.
His words are, "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that
which was lost." Note it is not merely that he offers to, nor helps
to, but that he actually saves. Such was the emphatic and unqualified
declaration of the angel to Joseph, "Thou shalt call his name Jesus,
for he shall save his people from their sins"--not try to, not half do
so, but actually save them.
Christ came here with a definitely defined object in view, and being
who he is there is no possible room for any failure in his mission.
Hence, before he came here, God declared that he should "see of the
travail of his soul and be satisfied" (Isa. 53:10). As the Mediator he
solemnly covenanted with the Father to save his people from their
sins. He actually purchased them with his blood (Acts 20:28). He has
wrought out for them a perfect salvation, therefore is he "mighty to
save" (Isa. 63:1). Blessedly is this illustrated in the immediate
context of Luke 19:10. To Zacchaeus he said, "Make haste, and come
down; for today I must abide at thy house... This day is salvation
come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham" (vv.
5,9). Yes, "a son of Abraham", one of the elect seed. Therefore we
boldly say to the reader, If you belong to the sheep of Christ, you
must be saved, even though now you may be quite unconscious of your
lost condition. Though, like Saul of Tarsus, you may yet "kick against
the pricks", invincible grace shall conquer you, for it is written,
"Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power" (Ps. 110:3).
"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more
abundantly. I am the good Shepherd: the good Shepherd giveth his life
for the sheep" (John 10:10,11). Here again we have clearly defined the
design of Christ's mission and satisfaction. His sheep once possessed
"life", possessed it in their natural head, Adam. But when he fell,
they fell; when he died, they died. As it is written, "In Adam all
die" (1 Cor. 15:22). But by Christ, through his work, and in him their
spiritual head, they obtain not only "life", but "more abundant" life;
that is, a "life" which as far excels what they lost in their first
father, as the last Adam excels in his Person, the first Adam.
Therefore it is written, "The first Adam was made a living soul; the
last Adam a quickening spirit" (1 Cor. 15:45).
"As the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to
have life in himself (John 6:26), which speaks of Christ as the
God-man, the Mediator, as is clear from the words "given to". But that
"life" had to be "laid down" (John 10:17) and received again in
resurrection before it could be, efficaciously, bestowed on his people
(John 12:24). It was as the Risen One that Christ was made "a
quickening spirit". The first Adam was "made a living soul" that he
might communicate natural life to his posterity; the last Adam was
"made a quickening spirit" that he might impart spiritual life to all
his seed. As the soul dwelling in Adam's body animated it and so made
him to be a "living soul", so the man Christ Jesus being united to the
second Person of the Trinity, has constituted him a "quickening
spirit", i.e. quickening his mystical body, both now and hereafter.
The life of the head is the life of his members.
The Christian first has a federal life in Christ before he has a vital
life from Christ. Being legally one with Christ, this must be so. When
Christ died his people died, when Christ was quickened his people were
quickened "together with" him (Eph. 2:5). It is to this union with the
life of Christ that Romans 5:17 refers: "For if by one man's offence
death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace
and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus
Christ." Yes, there is a "much more": the abundance of grace is
greater than the demerits of sin, and the gift of righteousness
exceeds that which was lost in Adam. The righteousness of God's elect
far surpasses that which they possessed in innocence by the first
Adam, for it is the righteousness of Christ, who is God. To this,
neither the righteousness of Adam nor of angels can be compared. Those
redeemed by Christ are not only recovered from the fall, but they are
made to "reign in life" to which they had no title in their first
parent. Since Christ is King, his people are made "kings" too (Rev.
1:6).
The same aspect of truth is brought before us again in 2 Corinthians
5:14, 15: "For the love of Christ constraineth us: because we thus
judge that if one for all died, then all died. And for all he died,
that they who live no longer to themselves should live, but to him who
for them died and was raised again" (Bagster's Interlinear). Many have
supposed that the last clause of verse 14 refers to those who are
"dead in sins", but that was true apart from the death of Christ! Nor
does the spiritual death of Adam's fallen descendants render them
capable of "living unto" Christ, but the very reverse. No, it is, "If
one for all died" (i.e. for all his people), then they all died in
him. Then in verse 15 we have stated the consequence and fruit of
this: as the result of his rising from the dead, they "live". His act
was, representatively, their act. The atoning death of Christ, on the
ground of federal union and substitution, was also our death; see
Galatians 2:20. So too his resurrection was, representatively, our
resurrection: see Colossians 3:1. Thus, in Christ, God's elect have a
"more abundant" life than they ever had in unfallen Adam.
The same truth is set before us in 1 Peter 2:24, "Who his own self
bare our sins in his body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins,
should live unto righteousness." The second half of it expresses the
Divine design in appointing Christ to be federally and vicariously the
Bearer of his peoples' sins. Christ's death was their death: they are
"dead to sins", not to "sinning"! Let the reader compare Romans 6:2
and the apostle's exposition in the next nine verses. Further,
Christ's resurrection was their resurrection: they "live", legally and
representatively, "unto righteousness" in Christ their risen head, of
whom it is written "he liveth unto God" (Rom. 6:10). We quote below
from John Brown's lucid exposition of 1 Peter 2:24.
To be "dead to sins" is to be delivered from the condemning power
of sin; or, in other words, from the condemning sentence of the
law, under which, if a man lies, he cannot be holy; and from which,
if a man is delivered, his holiness is absolutely secured. To "live
unto righteousness" is plainly just the positive view of that, of
which "to be dead unto sins" is the negative view. "Righteousness",
when opposed to "sin", in the sense of guilt or liability to
punishment, as it very often is in the writings of the apostle
Paul, is descriptive of a state of justification. A state of guilt
is a state of condemnation by God; a state of righteousness is a
state of acceptance with God. To live unto righteousness is in this
case to live under the influence of a justified state, a state of
acceptance with God; and the apostle's statement is: Christ Jesus,
by his sufferings unto death, completely answered the demands of
the law on us by bearing away our sins, that we, believing in him,
and thereby being united to him, might be as completely freed from
our liabilities to punishment, as if we, in our own person, not he
himself in his own body, had undergone them; and that we might as
really be brought into a state of righteousness, justification,
acceptance with God, as if we, not he, in his obedience to death,
had magnified the law and made it honorable.
"God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin,
condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be
fulfilled in us" (Rom. 8:3,4). Here again the design of Christ's
mission is clearly stated. God sent his Son here in order that (1) the
punishment of his peoples" guilt should be inflicted upon their head,
(2) that the righteous requirements of the law--perfect
obedience--might be met by him for us. This righteousness is said to
be "fulfilled in us" because representatively, we were "in Christ" our
Surety: he obeyed the law not only "for" our good, but so that his
obedience should become actually ours by imputation; and thus Christ
purchased for us a title to heaven.
A parallel passage to Romans 8:3,4 is found in 2 Corinthians 5:21,
"For he hath made him sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be
made the righteousness of God in him." The purpose of Christ's
vicarious life and death was that a perfect righteousness should be
wrought out for his people and imputed to them by God, so that they
might exclaim, "In the Lord have I righteousness" (Isa. 45:24). The
righteousness of the believer is wholly objective; that is to say, it
is something altogether outside of himself. This is clear from the
antithesis of 2 Corinthians 5:21. Christ was "made sin" not
inherently, but imputatively, by the guilt of his people being legally
transferred to him. In like manner, they are "made the righteousness
of God in him", not "in themselves", by Christ's righteousness being
legally reckoned to their account. In the repute of God, Christ and
his people constitute one mystical person, hence it is that their sins
were imputed to him, and that his righteousness is imputed to them,
and therefore we read: "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness
to every one that believeth" (Rom. 10:4).
"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust,
that he might bring us to God" (1 Pet. 3:18). This wondrous
declaration gives us a remarkably clear view of the substitutionary
punishment which Christ endured, with the design thereof, namely, to
restore his people to priestly nearness and service to God. Four
things in it are worthy of our most close attention.
First, Christ "suffered". Sin was the cause of his suffering. Had
there been no sin, Christ had never suffered. To "suffer" means "to
bear punishment", as in ordinary speech we say, a child suffers for
the sins of its parents. Christ suffered for "us", the whole election
of grace: it was for their sin he was penalized.
Second, he suffered "once". This must not be understood to signify
that his suffering was confined to the three hours of darkness, but
means "once for all" as in Hebrews 9:27,28. The "suffering" which
pervaded the whole of Christ's earthly life culminated at the Cross.
That suffering was final. His all-sufficient Atonement possesses
eternal validity.
Third, Christ himself was personally sinless: it was the "Just" or
"Righteous" One who suffered. To affirm that he was "righteous" means
that he was approved of God as tested by the standard of the law. He
was not only sinless, but one whose life was adjusted to the Divine
requirements. As such, he suffered, the pure for the impure, the
innocent for the guilty. His sufferings were not on his own account,
nor were they from the inevitable course of events or laws of evil in
a sinful world; but they were the direct and necessary consequence of
his vicariously taking the place of his guilty people. Christ received
the punishment they ought to have suffered. He was paid sin's wages
which were due them.
Fourth, the end in view of Christ's substitutionary sufferings was to
bring his people to God. This was only possible by the removal of
their sins, which separated them from the thrice Holy One (Isa. 59:2).
By his sufferings, Christ has procured for us access to God. "But in
Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off, are made nigh by the blood
of Christ" (Eph. 2:13). "That he might bring us to God" is the most
comprehensive expression used in Scripture for stating the design of
Christ's Satisfaction. It includes the bringing of his people out of
darkness into marvelous light: out of a state of alienation, misery
and wrath into one of grace, peace and eternal communion with God. By
nature they were in a state of enmity, but Christ has reconciled them
by his death (Rom. 5:10). By nature they were "children of wrath"
(Eph. 2:3), obnoxious to God's judicial displeasure; but by grace they
have been accepted into his favour (Rom. 5:2). By nature they were
spiritual lepers, but by one offering Christ hath "perfected forever
them that are sanctified" (Heb. 10:14).
Here then, in brief, is the Divine design in the Satisfaction of
Christ; that God himself might be honored; that Christ might be
glorified; that the elect might be saved by their sins being put away,
an abundant life being given them, a perfect righteousness imputed to
them, and their being brought into God's favour, presence and
fellowship.
_________________________________________________
Contents | Introduction | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of Faith
by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 2
The Advent of the Spirit
_________________________________________________
It is highly important we should closely observe how that each of the
Eternal Three has been at marked pains to provide for the honour of
the other Divine Persons, and we must be as particular to give it to
them accordingly. How careful was the Father to duly guard the
ineffable glory of the Darling of his bosom when he laid aside the
visible insignia of his Deity and took upon him the form of a servant:
his voice was then heard more than once proclaiming, "This is my
beloved Son". How constantly did the incarnate Son divert attention
from himself and direct it unto the one who had sent him. In like
manner, the Holy Spirit is not here to glorify himself, but rather him
whose Vicar and Advocate he is (John 16:14). Blessed is it then to
mark how jealous both the Father and the Son have been to safeguard
the glory and provide for the honour of the Holy Spirit.
If I go not away, the Comforter will not come" (John 16:7); he will
not do these works while I am here, and I have committed all to
him. As my Father hath visibly "committed all judgment unto the
Son; that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the
Father" (John 5:22, 23), so I and my Father will send him having
committed all these things to him, that all men might honour the
Holy Spirit, even as they honour the Father and the Son. Thus wary
and careful are every one of the Persons to provide for the honour
of each other in our hearts (Thomas Goodwin, 1670).
The public advent of the Spirit, for the purpose of ushering in and
administering the new covenant, was second in importance only unto the
incarnation of our Lord, which was in order to the winding up of the
old economy and laying the foundations of the new. When God designed
the salvation of his elect, he appointed two great means: the gift of
his Son for them, and the gift of his Spirit to them; thereby each of
the Persons in the Trinity being glorified. Hence, from the first
entrance of sin, there were two great heads to the promises which God
gave his people: the sending of his Son to obey and die, the sending
of his Spirit to make effectual the fruits of the former. Each of
these Divine gifts was bestowed in a manner which suited both to the
august Giver himself and the eminent nature of the gifts. Many and
marked are the parallels of correspondence between the advent of
Christ and the advent of the Spirit.
1. God appointed that there should be a signal coming accorded unto
the descent of each from heaven to earth for the performance of the
work assigned them. Just as the Son was present with the redeemed
Israelites long before his incarnation (Acts 7:37, 38; 1 Cor. 10:4),
yet God decreed for him a visible and more formal advent, which all of
his people knew of; so though the Holy Spirit was given to work
regeneration in men all through the Old Testament era (Neh. 9:20,
etc.), and moved the prophets to deliver their messages (2 Pet. 1:21),
nevertheless God ordained that he should have a coming in state, in a
solemn manner, accompanied by visible tokens and glorious effects.
2. Both the advents of Christ and of the Spirit were the subjects of
Old Testament prediction. During the past century much has been
written upon the Messianic prophecies, but the promises which God gave
concerning the coming of the Holy Spirit constitute a theme which is
generally neglected. The following are among the principal pledges
which God made that the Spirit should be given unto and poured out
upon his saints: Psalm 68:18; Proverbs 1:23; Isaiah 32:15; Ezekiel
36:26,39:29; Joel 2:28; Haggai 2:9. In them the descent of the Holy
Spirit was as definitely announced as was the incarnation of the
Savior in Isaiah 7:14.
3. Just as Christ had John the Baptist to announce his incarnation and
to prepare his way, so the Holy Spirit had Christ himself to foretell
his coming, and to make ready the hearts of his own for his advent.
4. Just as it was not until "the fullness of time had come" that God
sent forth his Son (Gal. 4:4), so it was not until "the day of
Pentecost was fully come" that God sent forth his Spirit (Acts 2:1).
5. As the Son became incarnate in the holy land, Palestine, so the
Spirit descended in Jerusalem.
6. Just as the coming of the Son of God into this world was
auspiciously signalized by mighty wonders and signs, so the descent of
God the Spirit was attended and attested by stirring displays of
Divine power. The advent of each was marked by supernatural phenomena:
the angel choir (Luke 2:13) found its counterpart in the `sound from
heaven" (Acts 2:1), and the Shekinah "glory" (Luke 2:9) in the
"tongues of fire" (Acts 2:3).
7. As an extraordinary star marked the "house" where the Christ-child
was (Matthew 2:9); so a Divine shaking marked the "house" to which the
Spirit had come (Acts 2:2).
8. In connection with the advent of Christ there was both a private
and a public aspect to it: in like manner too was it in the giving of
the Spirit. The birth of the Saviour was made known unto a few, but
when he was to "be made manifest to Israel" (John 1:31), he was
publicly identified, for at his baptism the heavens were opened, the
Spirit descended upon him in the form of a dove, and the voice of the
Father audibly owned him as his Son. Correspondingly, the Spirit was
communicated to the apostles privately, when the risen Saviour
"breathed on, and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit" (John
20:22); and later he came publicly on the day of Pentecost when all
the great throng then in Jerusalem were made aware of his descent
(Acts 2:32-36).
9. The advent of the Son was in order to his becoming incarnate, when
the eternal Word was made flesh (John 1:14); so too the advent of the
Spirit was in order to his becoming incarnate in Christ's redeemed: as
the Saviour had declared to them, the Spirit of truth `shall be in
you" (John 14:17). This is a truly marvelous parallel. As the Son of
God became man, dwelling in a human "temple" (John 2:19), so the third
person of the Trinity took up his abode in men, to whom it is said,
"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God
dwelleth in you"?" (1 Cor. 3:16). As the Lord Jesus said to the
Father, "A body hast thou prepared me" (Heb. 10:5), so the Spirit
could say to Christ, "A body hast thou prepared me" (see Eph. 2:22).
10. When Christ was born into this world, we are told that Herod "was
troubled and all Jerusalem with him" (Matthew 2:3); in like manner,
when the Holy Spirit was given we read, "And there were dwelling at
Jerusalem, Jews, devout men out of every nation under heaven. Now when
this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were troubled
in mind" (Acts 2:5, 6).
11. It had been predicted that when Christ should appear he would be
unrecognized and unappreciated (Isa. 53), and so it came to pass; in
like manner, the Lord Jesus declared, "The Spirit of truth, whom the
world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him"
(John 14:17).
12. As the Messianic claims of Christ were called into question, so
the advent of the Spirit was at once challenged: "They were all
amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?"
(Acts 2:12).
13. The analogy is yet closer: as Christ was termed "a winebibber"
(Matthew 11:19), so of those filled with the Spirit it was said,
"These men are full of new wine" (Acts 2:13)!
14. As the public advent of Christ was heralded by John the Baptist
(John 1:29), so the meaning of the public descent of the Spirit was
interpreted by Peter (Acts 2:15-36).
15. God appointed unto Christ the executing of a stupendous work, even
that of purchasing the redemption of his people; even so to the Spirit
has been assigned the momentous task of effectually applying to his
elect the virtues and benefits of the atonement.
16. As in the discharge of his work the Son honored the Father (John
14:10), so in the fulfillment of his mission the Spirit glorifies the
Son (John 16:13, 14).
17. As the Father paid holy deference unto the Son by bidding the
disciples, "Hear ye him" (Matthew 17:5), in like manner the Son shows
respect for his Paraclete by saying, "He that hath an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches" (Revelation 2:7).
18. As Christ committed his saints into the safekeeping of the Holy
Spirit (John 16:7; 14:16), so the Spirit will yet deliver up those
saints unto Christ, as the word "receive" in John 14:3 plainly
implies. We trust that the reader will find the same spiritual delight
in perusing this chapter as the writer had in preparing it.
At Pentecost the Holy Spirit came as he had never come before.
Something then transpired which inaugurated a new era for the world, a
new power for righteousness, a new basis for fellowship. On that day
the fearing Peter was transformed into the intrepid evangelist. On
that day the new wine of Christianity burst the old bottles of
Judaism, and the Word went forth in a multiplicity of Gentile tongues.
On that day more souls seem to have been truly regenerated, than
during all the three and one half years of Christ's public ministry.
What had happened? It is not enough to say that the Spirit of God was
given, for he had been given long before, both to individuals and the
nation of Israel (Neh. 9:20; Haggai 2:5); no, the pressing question
is, In what sense was he then given? This leads us to carefully
consider the meaning of the Spirit's advent.
1. It was the Fulfillment of the Divine Promise.
First, of the Father himself. During the Old Testament dispensation,
he declared, again and again, that he would pour out the Spirit upon
his people (see Prov. 1:23; Isa. 32:15; Joel 2:28, etc.); and now
these gracious declarations were accomplished.
Second, of John the Baptist. When he was stirring the hearts of the
multitudes by his call to repentance and his demand of baptism, many
thought he must be the long expected Messiah, but he declared unto
them, "I indeed baptize you with water, but one mightier than I
cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he
shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (Luke 3:15, 16).
Accordingly he did so on the day of Pentecost, as Acts 2:32, 33
plainly shows.
Third, of Christ. Seven times over the Lord Jesus avowed that he would
give or send the Holy Spirit: Luke 24:49; John 7:37-39; 14:16-19;
14:26; 15:26; 16:7; Acts 1:5, 8. From these we may particularly
notice, "When the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from
the Father... he shall testify of me" (John 15:26): "It is expedient
for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not
come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you" (John 16:7).
That which took place in John 20:22 and in Acts 2 was the fulfillment
of those promises. In them we behold the faith of the Mediator: he had
appropriated the promise which the Father had given him, "Therefore
being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the
Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he hath shed forth this, which
ye now see and hear" (Acts 2:33)--it was by faith's anticipation the
Lord spoke as he did in the above passage.
The Holy Spirit was God's ascension gift to Christ, that he might be
bestowed by Christ, as his ascension gift to the church. Hence Christ
had said, "Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you." This was
the promised gift of the Father to the Son, and the Saviour" s
promised gift to his believing people. How easy now to reconcile the
apparent contradiction of Christ's earlier and later words: "I will
pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter"; and then,
afterward, "If I depart, I will send him unto you." The Spirit was the
Father's answer to the prayer of the Son; and so the gift was
transferred by him to the mystical body of which he is the head (A. T.
Pierson in The Acts of the Holy Spirit).
2. It was the fulfillment of an important Old Testament type.
It is this which explains to us why the Spirit was given on the day of
"Pentecost", which was one of the principal religious feasts of
Israel. Just as there was a profound significance to Christ's dying on
Passover Day (giving us the antitype of Ex. 12), so there was in the
coming of the Spirit on the fiftieth day after Christ's resurrection.
The type is recorded in Leviticus 23, to which we can here make only
the briefest allusion. In Leviticus 23:4 we read, "These are the
feasts of the Lord." The first of them is the Passover (v. 5) and the
second "unleavened bread" (v. 6 etc.). The two together speaking of
the sinless Christ offering himself as a sacrifice for the sins of his
people. The third is the "wave sheaf (v. 10 etc.) which was the "first
fruits of the harvest" (v. 10), presented to God "on the morrow after
the (Jewish) Sabbath" (v 11), a figure of Christ's resurrection (1
Cor. 15:23).
The fourth is the feast of "weeks" (see Ex. 34:22; Deut. 16:10, 16)
so-called because of the seven complete weeks of Leviticus 23:15; also
known as "Pentecost" (which means "Fiftieth) because of the "fifty
days" of Leviticus 23:16. It was then the balance of the harvest began
to be gathered in. On that day Israel was required to present unto God
"two wave loaves", which were also designated "the first: fruits unto
the Lord" (Lev. 23:17). The antitype of which was the saving of the
three thousand on the day of Pentecost: the "first fruits" of Christ's
atonement (compare Jam. 1:18). The first loaf represented those
redeemed from among the Jews, the second loaf was anticipatory and
pointed to the gathering in of God's elect from among the Gentiles,
begun in Acts 10.
3. It was the beginning of a new dispensation.
This was plainly intimated in the type of Leviticus 23, for on the day
of Pentecost Israel was definitely required to offer a "new meal
offering unto the Lord" (v. 16). Still more clearly was it
fore-announced in a yet more important and significant type, namely,
that of the beginning of the Mosaic economy, which took place only
when the nation of Israel formally entered into covenant relationship
with Jehovah at Sinai. Now it is exceedingly striking to observe that
just fifty days elapsed from the time when the Hebrews emerged from
the house of bondage till they received the law from the mouth of
Moses. They left Egypt on the fifteenth of the first month (Num.
33:3), and arrived at Sinai on the first of the third month (Ex. 19:1,
note "the same day"), which would be the forty-sixth. The next day
Moses went up into the mount, and three days later the law was
delivered (Ex. 19:11)! And just as there was a period of fifty days
from Israel's deliverance from Egypt until the beginning of the Mosaic
economy, so the same length of time followed the resurrection of
Christ (when his people were delivered from hell) to the beginning of
the Christian economy!
That a new dispensation commenced at Pentecost further appears from
the "tongues like as of fire" (Acts 2:1). When John the Baptist
announced that Christ would baptize "with the Holy Spirit and with
fire", the last words might have suggested material burning to any
people except Jews, but in their minds far other thoughts would be
awakened. To them it would recall the scene when their great
progenitor asked the God who promised he should inherit that land
wherein he was a stranger, "Lord, Go whereby shall know that I shall
inherit it?" The answer was, "Behold a smoking furnace and a burning
lamp. . ." (Gen. 15:17). It would recall the fire which Moses saw in
the burning bush. It would recall the "pillar of fire" which guided by
night, and the Shekinah which descended and filled the tabernacle.
Thus, in the promise of baptism by fire, they would at once recognize
the approach of a new manifestation of the presence and power of God!
Again, when we read that "there appeared unto them cloven tongues like
as of fire, and it sat upon each of them" (Acts 2:2), further evidence
is found that a new dispensation had now commenced.
The word, sat, in Scripture marks an ending and a beginning. The
process of preparation is ended and the established order has
begun. It marks the end of creation and the beginning of normal
forces. "In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and
all that in them is, and rested the seventh day." There is no
weariness in God. He did not rest from fatigue: what it means is
that all creative work was accomplished. The same figure is used of
the Redeemer. Of him it is said "when he had made purification for
sins (be) sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high". No
other priesthood had sat down. The priests of the Temple ministered
standing because their ministry was provisional and preparatory, a
parable and a prophecy. Christ's own ministry was part of the
preparation for the coming of the Spirit. Until he `sat down" in
glory, there could be no dispensation of the Spirit. . . When the
work of redemption was complete, the Spirit was given, and when he
came he sat. He reigns in the Church as Christ reigns in the
heavens.
There are few incidents more illuminating than that recorded in
"the last day of the feast" in John 7:37-39. The feast was that of
Tabernacles. The feast proper lasted seven days, during which all
Israel dwelt in booths. Special sacrifices were offered and special
rites observed. Every morning one of the priests brought water from
the pool of Siloam, and amidst the sounding of trumpets and other
demonstrations of joy, the water was poured upon the altar. The
rite was a celebration and a prophecy. It commemorated the
miraculous supply of water in the wilderness, and it bore witness
to the expectation of the coming of the Spirit. On the seventh day
the ceremony of the poured water ceased, but the eighth was a day
of holy convocation, the greatest day of all.
On that day there was no water poured upon the altar, and it was on
the waterless day that Jesus stood on the spot and cried, saying:
"If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink." Then he added
those words: "He that believeth on me, as the scripture has said,
from within him shall flow rivers of living water." The apostle
adds the interpretative comment: "But this spake he of the Spirit,
which they that believe on him were to receive: for the Spirit was
not given because Jesus was not yet glorified."
"As the scripture hath said." There is no such passage in the
Scripture as that quoted, but the prophetic part of the water ceremony
was based upon certain Old Testament symbols and prophecies in which
water flowed forth from Zion to cleanse, renew, and fructify" the
world. A study of Joel 3:18 and Ezekiel 47 will supply the key to the
meaning both of the rite and our Lord's promise. The Holy Spirit was
"not yet given", but he was promised, and his coming should be from
the place of blood, the altar of sacrifice. Calvary opened the
fountain from which poured forth the blessing of Pentecost (Samuel
Chadwick The Way to Pentecost)).
We have considered the meaning of the Spirit's descent, and pointed
out that it was the fulfillment of Divine promise, the accomplishment
of Old Testament types, and the beginning of a new dispensation. It
was also the Grace of God flowing unto the Gentiles. But first let us
observe and admire the marvelous grace of God extended unto the Jews
themselves. In his charge to the apostles, the Lord Jesus gave orders
that "repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name
among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem" (Luke 24:47), not because
the Jews had any longer a covenant standing before God - for the
Nation was abandoned by him before the crucifixion--see Matthew
23:38--but in order to display his matchless mercy and sovereign
benignity. Accordingly, in the Acts we see his love shining forth in
the midst of the rebellious city. In the very place where the Lord
Jesus had been slain the full gospel was now preached, and three
thousand were quickened by the Holy Spirit.
But the gospel was to be restricted to the Jews no longer. Though the
apostles were to commence their testimony in Jerusalem, yet Christ's
glorious and all efficacious Name was to be proclaimed "among all
nations". The earnest of this was given when "devout men out of every
nation under heaven" (Acts 2:5) exclaimed, "How hear we every man in
his own tongue?" (v. 8). It was an entirely new thing. What occurred
in Acts 2 was a part reversal and in blessed contrast from what is
recorded in Genesis 11. There we find "the tongues were divided to
destroy an evil unity, and to show God's holy hatred of Babel's
iniquity. In Acts 2 we have grace at Jerusalem, and a new and precious
unity, suggestive of another building (Matthew 16:18), with living
stones--contrast the "bricks" of Genesis 11:3 and its tower" (P.W.
Heward). In Genesis lithe dividing of tongues was in judgment; in Acts
2 the cloven tongues was in grace; and in Revelation 7:9, 10 we see
men of all tongues in glory.
We next consider the purpose of the Spirit's descent.
1. To witness unto Christ's exaltation.
Pentecost was God's seal upon the Messiahship of Jesus. In proof of
his pleasure in and acceptance of the sacrificial work of his Son, God
raised him from the dead, exalted him to his own right hand, and gave
him the Spirit to bestow upon his Church (Acts 2:33). It has been
beautifully pointed out by another that, on the hem of the ephod worn
by the high priest of Israel were golden bells and pomegranates (Ex.
28:33, 34). The sound of the bells (and that which gave them sound was
their tongues) furnished evidence that he was alive while serving in
the sanctuary. The high priest was a type of Christ (Heb. 8:1); the
holy place was a figure of heaven (Heb. 9:24); the `sound from heaven"
and the speaking "in tongues" (Acts 2:2, 4) were a witness that our
Lord was alive in heaven, ministering there as the High Priest of his
people.
2. To take Christ's place.
This is clear from his own words to the apostles, "And I will pray the
Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide
with you forever" (John 14:16). Until then, Christ had been their
"Comforter", but he was soon to return to heaven; nevertheless, as he
went on to assure them, "I will not leave you orphans, I will come to
you" (marginal rendering of John 14:18); he did "come" to them
corporately after his resurrection, but he "came" to them spiritually
and abidingly in the person of his Deputy on the day of Pentecost. The
Spirit, then, fills the place on earth of our absent Lord in heaven,
with this additional advantage, that, during the days of his flesh the
Saviour's body confined him unto one location, whereas the Holy
Spirit--not having assumed a body as the mode of his incarnation--is
equally and everywhere resident in and abiding with every believer.
3. To further Christ's Cause.
This is plain from his declaration concerning the Comforter: "He shall
glorify me" (John 16:14). The word "Paraclete" (translated "Comforter"
all through the gospel) is also rendered "Advocate" in 1 John 2:1, and
an "advocate" is one who appears as the representative of another. The
Holy Spirit is here to interpret and vindicate Christ, to administer
for Christ in his Church and Kingdom. He is here to accomplish his
redeeming purpose in the world. He fills the mystical Body of Christ,
directing its movements, controlling its members, inspiring its
wisdom, supplying its strength. The Holy Spirit becomes to the
believer individually and the church collectively all that Christ
would have been had he remained on earth. Moreover, he seeks out each
one of those for whom Christ died, quickens them into newness of life,
convicts them of sin, gives them faith to lay hold of Christ, and
causes them to grow in grace and become fruitful.
It is important to see that the mission of the Spirit is for the
purpose of continuing and completing that of Christ's. The Lord Jesus
declared, "I am come to send fire on the earth: and what will I, if it
be already kindled? But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how
am I straitened till it be accomplished!" (Luke 12:49, 50). The
preaching of the gospel was to be like "fire on the earth", giving
light and warmth to human hearts; it was "kindled" then, but would
spread much more rapidly later. Until his death Christ was
"straitened": it did not consist with God's purpose for the gospel to
be preached more openly and extensively; but after Christ's
resurrection, it went forth unto all nations. Following the ascension,
Christ was no longer `straitened" and the Spirit was poured forth in
the plenitude of his power.
4. To endue Christ's servants.
"Tarry ye in Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high"
(Luke 24:49) had been the word of Christ to his apostles. Sufficient
for the disciple to be as his Master. He had waited, waited till he
was thirty, ere he was "anointed to preach good tidings" (Isa. 61:1).
The servant is not above his Lord: if he was indebted to the Spirit
for the power of his ministry, the apostles must not attempt their
work without the Spirit's unction. Accordingly they waited, and the
Spirit came upon them. All was changed: boldness supplanted fear,
strength came instead of weakness, ignorance gave place to wisdom, and
mighty wonders were wrought through them.
Unto the apostles whom he had chosen, the risen Saviour "commanded
them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the
promise of the Father", assuring them that "Ye shall receive power
after that the Holy Spirit is come unto you; and ye shall be witnesses
unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Samaria, and unto the uttermost
parts of the earth" (Acts 1:2, 4, 8). Accordingly, we read that, "And
when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one
accord in one place" (Acts 2:1): their unity of mind evidently looked
back to the Lord's command and promise, and their trustful expectancy
of the fulfillment thereof. The Jewish "day" was from sunset unto the
following sunset, and as what took place here in Acts 2 occurred
during the early hours of the morning--probably soon after sunrise--we
are told that the day of Pentecost was "fully come.
The outward marks of the Spirit's advent were three in number: the
`sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind", the "cloven tongues
as of fire", and the speaking "with other tongues as the Spirit gave
them utterance". Concerning the precise signification of these
phenomena, and the practical bearing of them on us today, there has
been wide difference of opinion, especially since the beginning of
this century. Inasmuch as God himself has not seen fit to furnish us
with a full and detailed explanation of them, it behooves all
interpreters to speak with reserve and reverence. According to our own
measure of light, we shall endeavour briefly to point out some of
those things which appear to be most obvious.
First, the "rushing mighty wind" which filled all the house was the
collective sign, in which, apparently, all the hundred and twenty of
Acts 1:15 shared. This was an emblem of the invincible energy with
which the Third Person of the Trinity works upon the hearts of men,
bearing down all opposition before him, in a manner which can not be
explained (John 3:8), but which is at once apparent by the effects
produced. Just as the course of a hurricane may be clearly traced
after it has passed, so the transforming work of the Spirit in
regeneration is made unmistakably manifest unto all who have eyes to
see spiritual things.
Second, "there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and
it sat upon each of them" (Acts 2:3), that is, upon the Twelve, and
upon them alone. The proof of this is conclusive. First, it was to the
apostles only that the Lord spoke in Luke 24:49. Second, to them only
did he, by the Spirit, give commandments after his resurrection (Acts
1:2). Third, to them only did he give the promise of Acts 1:8. Fourth,
at the end of Acts I we read "he (Matthias) was numbered with the
eleven apostles". Acts 2 opens with "And" connecting it with 1:26 and
says, "they (the twelve) were all with one accord in one place" and on
them the Spirit now `sat" (Acts 2:3). Fifth, when the astonished
multitude came together they exclaimed, "Are not all these which speak
Galileans?" (Acts 2:7), namely, the "men" (Greek, "males") of Galilee"
of 1:11! Sixth, in Acts 2:14, 15 we read, "But Peter standing up with
the eleven lifted up his voice and said to them, Ye men of Galilee and
all ye that dwell in Judea, be this known unto you and hearken unto my
words: For these are not drunk" - the word "these" can only refer to
the "eleven" standing up with Peter!
These "cloven tongues like as of fire" which descended upon the
apostles was the individual sign, the Divine credential that they were
the authorized ambassadors of the enthroned Lamb. The baptism of the
Holy Spirit was a baptism of fire.
Our God is a consuming fire. The elect sign of his presence is the
fire unkindled of earth, and the chosen symbol of his approval is
the sacred flame: covenant and sacrifice, sanctuary and
dispensation were sanctified and approved by the descent of fire.
"The God that answereth by fire, he is the God" (1 Kings 18:24).
That is the final and universal test of Deity. Jesus Christ came to
bring fire on the earth. The symbol of Christianity is not a Cross,
but a Tongue of Fire (Samuel Chadwick).
Third, the apostles `speaking with other tongues" was the public sign.
1 Corinthians 14:22 declares "tongues are for a sign, not to them that
believe, but to them that believe not", and as the previous verse
(where Isa.28:11 is quoted) so plainly shows, they were a sign unto
unbelieving Israel. A striking illustration and proof of this is found
in Acts 11, where Peter sought to convince his skeptical brethren in
Jerusalem that God's grace was now flowing forth unto the Gentiles; it
was his description of the Holy Spirit's falling upon Cornelius and
his household (Acts 11:15-18 and cf. 10:45, 46) which convinced them.
It is highly significant that the Pentecostal type of Leviticus 23:22
divided the harvest into three degrees and stages: the "reaping" or
main part, corresponding to Acts 2 at Jerusalem; the "corners of the
field" corresponding to Acts 10 at "Caesarea Philippi" which was in
the corner of Palestine; and the "gleaning" for "the stranger"
corresponding to Acts 19 at Gentile Ephesus! These were the only three
occasions of "tongues" recorded in Acts.
It is well known to some of our readers that during the last
generation many earnest souls have been deeply exercised by what is
known as "the Pentecostal movement" and the question is frequently
raised as to whether or not the strange power displayed in their
meetings, issuing in unintelligible sounds called "tongues", is the
genuine gift of the Spirit. Those who have joined the movement - some
of them godly souls, we believe - insist that not only is the gift
genuine, but it is the duty of all Christians to seek the same. But
surely such seem to overlook the fact that it was not any "unknown
tongue" which was spoken by the apostles: foreigners who heard them
had no difficulty in understanding what was said (Acts 2:8).
If what has just been said be not sufficient, then let our appeal be
unto 2 Timothy 3:16, 17. God has now fully revealed his mind to us:
all that we need to "thoroughly furnish" us "unto all good works" is
already in our hands! Personally the writer would not take the trouble
to walk into the next room to hear any person deliver a message which
he claimed was inspired by the Holy Spirit; with the completed
Scriptures in our possession, nothing more is required except for the
Spirit to interpret and apply them. Let it also be duly observed that
there is not a single exhortation in all the Epistles of the New
Testament that the saints should seek "a fresh Pentecost", no, not
even to the carnal Corinthians or the legal Galatians.
As a sample of what was believed by the early "fathers" we quote the
following:
Augustine saith, Miracles were once necessary to make the world
believe the gospel, but he who now seeks a sign that he may believe
is a wonder, yea a monster." Chrysostom concludeth upon the same
grounds that, "There is now in the Church no necessity of working
miracles", and calls him a "false prophet" who now takes in hand to
work them (William Perkins, 1604).
In Acts 2:16 we find Peter was moved by God to give a general
explanation of the great wonders which had just taken place. Jerusalem
was, at this time of the feast, filled with a great concourse of
people. The sudden sound from heaven "as of a rushing mighty wind's
filling the house where the apostles were gathered together, soon drew
thither a multitude of people; and as they, in wonderment, heard the
apostles speak in their own varied languages, they asked, "What
meaneth this?" (Acts 2:12). Peter then declared, "This is that which
was spoken of by the prophet Joel." The prophecy given by Joel
(2:28-32) now began to receive its fulfillment, the latter part of
which we believe is to be understood symbolically.
And what is the bearing of all this upon us today"? We will reply in a
single sentence: the advent of the Spirit followed the exaltation of
Christ: if then we desire to enjoy more of the Spirit's power and
blessing, we must give Christ the throne of our hearts and crown him
the Lord of our lives.
_________________________________________________
Contents | Introduction | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of Faith
by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 3
The Spirit Assuring
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We do not propose to treat of the Spirit assuring in a topical and
general way, but to confine ourselves to his inspiring the Christian
with a sense of his adoption into the family of God, limiting
ourselves to two or three particular passages which treat specifically
thereof. In Romans 8:15 we read, "For ye have not received the spirit
of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption,
whereby we cry, Abba, Father." The eighth chapter of Romans has ever
been a great favorite with the Lord's people, for it contains a wide
variety of cordials for their encouragement and strengthening in the
running of that heavenly race which is marked out and set before them
in the Word of God. The apostle is there writing to such as have been
brought, by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit, to know and
believe on the Lord Jesus, and who by their communion with him are led
to set their affection upon things above.
First, let us observe that Romans 8:15 opens with the word, "For,"
which not only suggests a close connection with that which precedes,
but intimates that a proof is now furnished of what had just been
affirmed. In verse 12, the apostle had said, "Therefore, brethren, we
are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh": the
"Therefore" being a conclusion drawn from all the considerations set
forth in verses 1-11. Next, the apostle had declared, "For if ye live
after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify
the deeds of the body, ye shall live" (v 13); which means, first, ye
shall continue to "live" a life of grace now; and second, this shall
be followed by a "life" of glory throughout eternity. Then the apostle
added, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons
of God" (v 14), which is a confirmation and amplification of verse 13:
none live a life of grace save those who are "led by the Spirit of
God"--are inwardly controlled and outwardly governed by him: for they
only are "the sons of God".
Delivered from bondage
Now, in verse 15, the apostle both amplifies and confirms what he had
said in verse 14: there he shows the reality of that relationship with
God which our regeneration makes manifest--obedient subjection to him
as dear children; here he brings before us further proof of our Divine
sonship--deliverance from a servile fear, the exercise of a filial
confidence. Let us consider the negative first: "For ye have not
received the spirit of bondage again to fear." By nature we were in
"bondage" to sin, to Satan, to the world; yet they did not work in us
a spirit of "fear", so they cannot be (as some have supposed) what the
apostle had reference to: rather is it what the Spirit's convicting us
of sin wrought in us. When he applies the law to the conscience our
complacency is shattered, our false peace is destroyed, and we are
terrified at the thought of God's righteous wrath and the prospect of
eternal punishment.
When a soul has received life and light from the Spirit of God, so
that he perceives the infinite enormity and filthiness of sin, and the
total depravity and corruption of every faculty of his soul and body,
that spirit of legality which is in all men by nature, is at once
stirred up and alarmed, so that the mind is possessed with secret
doubts and suspicions of God's mercy in Christ to save; and thereby
the soul is brought into a state of legal bondage and fear. When a
soul is first awakened by the Holy Spirit, it is subject to a variety
of fears; yet it does not follow from thence that he works those fears
or is the author of them: rather are they to be ascribed to our own
unbelief. When the Spirit is pleased to convict of sin and gives the
conscience to feel the guilt of it, it is to show the sinner his need
of Christ, and not to drive him unto despair.
No doubt there is also a dispensational allusion in the passage we are
now considering. During the Mosaic economy, believing Israelites were
to a considerable extent under the spirit of legal bondage, because
the sacrifices and ablutions of the Levitical institutions could not
take away sins. The precepts of the ceremonial law were so numerous,
so various, so burdensome, that the Jews were kept in perpetual
bondage. Hence, we find Peter referring to the same as "a yoke which
neither our fathers nor we were able to bear" (Acts 15:10). Much under
the Old Testament dispensation tended to a legal spirit. But
believers, under the gospel, are favored with a clearer, fuller, and
more glorious display and revelation of God's grace in the person and
work of the Lord Jesus Christ, the evangel making known the design and
sufficiency of his finished work, so that full provision is now made
to deliver them from all servile fear.
An eternal relationship
Turning now to the positive side: believers have "received the Spirit
of adoption, whereby they cry, Abba, Father": they have received that
unspeakable Gift which attests and makes known to them their adoption
by God. Before the foundation of the world God predestinated them
"unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself (Eph. 1:5).
But more: the elect were not only predestinated unto the adoption of
children - to actually and openly enjoy this inestimable favour in
time - but this blessing was itself provided and bestowed upon them in
the Everlasting Covenant of grace, in which they not only had promise
of this relationship, but were given in that covenant to Christ under
that very character. Therefore does the Lord Jesus say, "Behold I and
the children which God hath given me" (Heb. 2:13).
It is to be carefully noted that God's elect are spoken of as
"children" previous to the Holy Spirit's being sent into their hearts:
"Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into
your hearts" (Gal. 4:6). They are not, then, made children by the new
birth. They were "children" before Christ died for them: "he
prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; and not for that
nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the
children of God that were scattered abroad" (John 11:51, 52). They
were not, then, made children by what Christ did for them. Yea, they
were "children" before the Lord Jesus became incarnate: "Forasmuch
then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself
likewise took part of the same" (Heb. 2:14). Thus it is a great
mistake to confound adoption and regeneration: they are two distinct
things; the latter being both the effect and evidence of the former.
Adoption was by an act of God's will in eternity; regeneration is by
the work of his grace in time.
Had there been no adoption, there would be no regeneration: yet the
former is not complete without the latter. By adoption the elect were
put into the relation of children; by regeneration they are given a
nature suited to that relation. So high is the honor of being taken
into the family of God, and so wondrous is the privilege of having God
for our Father, that some extraordinary benefit is needed by us to
assure our hearts of the same. This we have when we receive the Spirit
of adoption. For God to give us his Spirit is far more than if he had
given us all the world, for the latter would be something outside
himself, whereas the former is himself. The death of Christ on the
cross was a demonstration of God's love for his people, yet that was
done without them; but in connection with what we are now considering
"the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which
is given unto us" (Rom. 5:5).
It is a wondrous and blessed fact that God manifests his love to the
members of his Church in precisely the same way that he evidenced his
love to its head when he became incarnate, namely, by the transcendent
gift of his Spirit. The Spirit came upon Jesus Christ as the proof of
God's love to him and also as the visible demonstration of his
Sonship. The Spirit of God descended like a dove and abode upon him,
and then the Fathers s voice was heard saying, "This is my beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased" (compare John 3:34,35). In fulfillment
of Christ's prayer, "I have declared to them thy name, and will
declare it; that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them"
(John 17:26), the Spirit is given to his redeemed, to signify the
sameness of the Father's love to his Son and to his sons. Thus, the
inhabitation of the Spirit in the Christian is both the surest sign of
God's fatherly love and the proof of his adoption.
"Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into
your hearts, crying, Abba, Father" (Gal. 4:6). Because they had been
eternally predestinated unto the adoption of sons (Eph. 1:4, 5);
because they were actually given to Christ under that character in the
Everlasting Covenant (John 11:52; Heb. 2:13), at God's appointed time
the Holy Spirit is sent into their hearts to give them a knowledge of
the wondrous fact that they have a place in the very family of God and
that God is their Father. This it is which inclines their hearts to
love him, delight in him, and place all their dependence on him. The
great design of the gospel is to reveal the love of God to his people,
and thereby recover their love to God, that they may love him again
who first loved them. But the bare revelation of that love in the Word
will not secure this, until "the love of God is shed abroad in our
hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us" (Rom. 5:5).
It is by the gracious work of the Holy Spirit that the elect are
recovered from the flesh and the world unto God. By nature they love
themselves and the world above God; but the Holy Spirit imparts to
them a new nature, and himself indwells them, so that they now love
God and live to him. This it is which prepares them to believe and
appropriate the gospel. The effects of the Spirit's entering as the
Spirit of adoption are liberty, confidence and holy delight. As they
had "received" from the first Adam "the spirit of bondage"--a
legalistic spirit which produced "fear", their receiving the Spirit of
adoption is all the more grateful: liberty being the sweeter because
of the former captivity. The law having done its work in the
conscience, they can now appreciate the glad tidings of the
gospel--the revelation of the amazing love and grace of God in Jesus
Christ. A spirit of love is now bred in them by the knowledge of the
same.
A filial spirit
The blessed fruit of receiving the Spirit of adoption is that there is
born in them a childlike affection towards God and a childlike
confidence in him: "Whereby we cry, Abba, Father." The apostle employs
in the original two different languages. "Abba", being Syrian, and
"Father" being Greek, the one familiar to the Jews, the other to the
Gentiles. By so doing he denotes that believing Jews and Gentiles are
children of one family, alike privileged to approach God as their
Father.
Christ, our peace, having broken down the middle wall of partition
between them; and now, at the same mercy seat, the Christian Jew
and the believing Gentile, both one in Christ Jesus, meet, as the
rays of light converge and blend in one common center--at the feet
of the reconciled Father (Octavius Winslow).
As the Spirit of adoption, the Holy Spirit bestows upon the quickened
soul a filial spirit: he acts in unison with the Son and gives a sense
of our relationship as sons. Emancipating from that bondage and fear
which the application of the law stirred up within us, he brings us
into the joyous liberty which the reception of the gospel bestows. 0
the blessedness of being delivered from the Covenant of Works! 0 the
bliss of reading our sentence of pardon in the blood of Immanuel! It
is by virtue of our having received the Spirit of adoption that we cry
"Father! Father!" It is the cry of our own heart, the desire of our
soul going out to God. And yet our spirit does not originate it:
without the immediate presence, operation and grace of the Holy Spirit
we neither would nor could know God as our "Father". The Spirit is the
Author of everything in us which goes out after God.
This filial spirit which the Christian has received is evidenced in
various ways. First, by a holy reverence for God our Father, as the
natural child should honour or reverence his human parent. Second, by
confidence in God our Father, as the natural child trusts in and
relies upon his earthly parent. Third, by love for our Father, as the
natural child has an affectionate regard for his parent. Fourth, by
subjection to God our Father, as the natural child obeys his parent.
This filial spirit prompts him to approach God with spiritual freedom,
so that he clings to him with the confidence of a babe, and leans upon
him with the calm repose of a little one lying on its parent's breast.
It admits to the closest intimacy. To God as his "Father "the
Christian should repair at all times, casting all his care upon him,
knowing that he careth for him (1 Peter 5:7). It is to be manifested
by an affectionate subjection (obedience) to him "as dear children"
(Ephesians 5:1).
The Spirit of adoption is the Spirit of God, who proceedeth from
the Father and the Son, and who is sent by them to shed abroad the
love of God in the heart, to give a real enjoyment of it, and to
fill the soul with joy and peace in believing. He comes to testify
of Christ; and by taking of the things which are his, and showing
them to his people, he draws their heart to him; and by opening
unto them the freeness and fullness of Divine grace, and the
exceeding great and precious promises which God has given unto his
people, he leads them to know their interest in Christ; and helps
them in his name, blood, and righteousness, to approach their
heavenly Father with holy delight (S. E. Pierce).
John Gill observes that the word "Abba" reads backwards the same as
forwards, implying that God is the Father of his people in adversity
as well as prosperity. The Christian's is an inalienable relationship:
God is as much his "Father" when he chastens as when he delights, as
much so when he frowns as when he smiles. God will never disown his
own children or disinherit them as heirs. When Christ taught his
disciples to pray he bade them approach the mercy seat and say, "Our
Father which art in heaven". He himself, in Gethsemane, cried, "Abba,
Father" (Mark 14:36) --expressive of his confidence in and dependency
upon him. To address God as "Father" encourages faith, confirms hope,
warms the heart, and draws out its affections to him who is Love
itself.
Let it next be pointed Out that this filial spirit is subject to the
state and place in which the Christian yet is. Some suppose that if we
have received the Spirit of adoption there must be produced a steady
and uniform assurance, a perpetual fire burning upon the altar of the
heart. Not so. When the Son of God became incarnate, he condescended
to yield unto all the sinless infirmities of human nature, so that he
hungered and ate, wearied and slept. In like manner, the Holy Spirit
deigns to submit himself to the laws and circumstances which
ordinarily regulate human nature. In heaven the man Christ Jesus is
glorified; and in heaven the Spirit in the Christian will shine like a
perpetual star. But on earth, he indwells our hearts like a flickering
flame; never to be extinguished, but not always bright, and needing to
be guarded from rude blasts, or why bid us "quench not the Spirit" (1
Thess. 5:19)?
The Spirit, then, does not grant the believer assurance irrespective
of his own carefulness and diligence. "Let your loins be girded, your
lights burning" (Luke 12:35): the latter being largely determined by
the former. The Christian is not always in the enjoyment of a
childlike confidence. And why? Because he is often guilty of
"grieving" the Spirit, and then he withholds much of his comfort.
Hereby we may ascertain our communion with God and when it is
interrupted, when he be pleased or displeased with us--by the motions
or withdrawing of the Spirit's consolation. Note the order in Acts
9:31, "Walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy
Spirit"; and again in Acts 11:24, "he was a good man and full of the
Holy Spirit". Hence, when our confidence toward "the Father" is
clouded, we should search our ways and find out what is the matter.
Empty professors are fatally deluded by a false confidence, a
complacent taking for granted that they are real Christians when they
have never been born again. But many true possessors are plagued by a
false diffidence, a doubting whether they be Christians at all. None
are so inextricably caught in the toils of a false confidence as they
who suspect not their delusion and are unconscious of their imminent
danger. On the other hand, none are so far away from that false
confidence as those who tremble lest they be cherishing it. True
diffidence is a distrust of myself True confidence is a leaning wholly
upon Christ, and that is ever accompanied by utter renunciation of
myself. Self-renunciation is the heartfelt acknowledgment that my
resolutions, best efforts, faith and holiness, are nothing before God,
and that Christ must be my All.
In all genuine Christians there is a co-mingling of real confidence
and false diffidence, because as long as they remain on this earth
there is in them the root of faith and the root of doubt. Hence their
prayer is, "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief (Mark 9:24). In
some Christians faith prevails more than it does in others; in some
unbelief is more active than in others. Therefore some have a stronger
and steadier assurance than others. The presence of the indwelling
Spirit is largely evidenced by our frequent recourse to the Father in
prayer--often with sighs, sobs, and groans. The consciousness of the
Spirit of adoption within us is largely regulated by the extent to
which we yield ourselves to his government.
_________________________________________________
Contents | Introduction | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of Faith
by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 4
The Necessity of Spiritual Growth
_________________________________________________
None can possibly make any progress in the Christian life unless he
first be a Christian. It is indeed striking to note that this title is
used by the Holy Spirit in a twofold way: primarily it signifies an
"anointed one"; subordinately it denotes a "disciple of Christ".
Thereby there are brought together in a truly wonderful manner both
the Divine and the human sides. Our "anointing" with the Spirit is
God's act, wherein we are entirely passive; but our becoming
"disciples of Christ" is a voluntary and conscious act of ours,
whereby we freely surrender to Christ's lordship and submit to his
sceptre. It is by the latter that we obtain evidence of the former.
None will yield to the flesh-repellent terms of Christian
"discipleship" save those in whom a Divine work of grace has been
wrought, but when that miracle has occurred conversion is as certain
to follow as a cause will produce its effects. One made a new creature
by the Divine miracle of the new birth desires and gladly endeavors to
meet the holy requirements of Christ.
Here, then, is the root of spiritual growth: the communication to the
soul of spiritual life. Here is what makes possible Christian
progress: a person's becoming a Christian, first by the Spirit's
anointing and then by his own choice. This twofold signification of
the term "Christian" is the principal key which opens to us the
subject of Christian progress or spiritual growth, for it ever needs
to be contemplated from both the Divine and human sides. It requires
to be viewed both from the angle of God's operations and from that of
the discharge of our responsibilities. The twofold meaning of the
title "Christian" must also be borne in mind under the present aspect
of our subject, for on the one hand progress is neither necessary nor
possible, while in another very real sense it is both desirable and
requisite. God's "anointing" is not susceptible of improvement, being
perfect; but our "discipleship" is to become more intelligent and
productive of good works. Much confusion has resulted from ignoring
this distinction, and we shall devote the first half of this chapter
to the negative side, pointing out those respects in which progress or
growth does not obtain.
1. Christian progress does not signify advancing in God's favour.
The believer's growth in grace does not further him one iota in God's
esteem. How could it, since God is the Giver of his faith and the one
who has "wrought all our works in us" (Isa. 26:12)! God's favorable
regard of his people originated not in anything whatever in them,
either actual or foreseen. God's grace is absolutely free, being the
spontaneous exercise of his own mere good pleasure. The cause of its
exercise lies wholly within himself. The purposing grace of God is
that good will which he had unto his people from all eternity: "Who
hath saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according to our
works, but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us
in Christ Jesus before the world began" (2 Tim. 1:9). And the
dispensing grace of God is but the execution of his purpose,
ministering to his people: thus we read "God giveth more grace," yea,
that "he giveth more grace" (Jam. 4:6). It is entirely gratuitous,
sovereignly bestowed, without any inducement being found in its
object.
Furthermore, everything God does for and bestows on his people is for
Christ's sake. It is in nowise a question of their deserts, but of
Christ's deserts or what he merited for them. As Christ is the only
way by which we can approach the Father, so he is the sole channel
through which God's grace flows unto us. Hence we read of the "grace
of God, and the gift of grace (namely, justifying righteousness) by
one man, Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:15); and again, "the grace of God which
is given you by Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 1:4). The love of God toward us
is in "Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:39). He forgives us "for
Christ's sake" (Eph. 4:32). He supplies all our need "according to his
riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19). He brings us to heaven
in answer to Christ's prayer (John 17:24). Yet though Christ merits
everything for us, the original cause was the sovereign grace of God.
Although the merits of Christ are the (procuring) cause of our
salvation, yet they are not the cause of our being ordained to
salvation. They are the cause of purchasing all things decreed unto
us, but they are not the cause which first moved God to decree
these things unto us (Thomas Goodwin).
The Christian is not accepted because of his "graces", for the very
graces (as their name connotes) are bestowed upon him by Divine
bounty, and are not attained by any efforts of his. And so far from
these graces being the reason why God accepts him, they are the fruits
of his being "chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world"
and, decretively, "blessed with all spiritual blessings in the
heavenlies in Christ" (Eph. 1:3, 4). Settle it then in your own mind
once for all, my reader, that growth in grace does not signify growing
in the favour of God. This is essentially a Popish delusion, and
though creature-flattering it is a horribly Christ-dishonoring one.
Since God" select are "accepted in the beloved" (Eph. 1:6), it is
impossible that any subsequent change wrought in or attained by them
could render them more excellent in his esteem or advance them in his
love. When the Father announced concerning the incarnate Word, "This
is my beloved Son (not "with whom" but) in whom I am well pleased", he
was expressing his delight in the whole election of grace, for he was
speaking of Christ in his federal character, as the last Adam, as head
of his mystical body.
The Christian can neither increase nor decrease in the favour of God,
nor can anything he does or fails to do alter or affect to the
slightest degree his perfect standing in Christ. Yet let it not be
inferred from this that his conduct is of little importance or that
God's dealings with him have no relation to his daily walk. While
avoiding the Romish conceit of human merits, we must be on our guard
against Antinomian licentiousness. As the moral Governor of this world
God takes note of our conduct, and in a variety of ways makes manifest
his approbation or disapprobation: "No good thing will he withhold
from them that walk uprightly" (Ps. 84:11), yet to his own people God
says, "Your sins have withholden good things from you" (Jer. 5:25).
So, too, as the Father he maintains discipline in his family, and when
his children are refractory he uses the rod (Ps. 89:3-33). Special
manifestations of Divine love are granted to the obedient (John 14:21,
23), but are withheld from the disobedient and the careless.
2. Christian progress does not denote that the work of regeneration
was incomplete.
Great care needs to be taken in stating this truth of spiritual growth
lest we repudiate the perfection of the new birth. When a normal child
is born into this world naturally the babe is an entire entity,
complete in all its parts, possessing a full set of bodily members and
mental faculties. As the child grows there is a strengthening of its
body and mind, a development of its members and an expansion of its
faculties, with a fuller use of the one and a clearer manifestation of
the other; yet no new member or additional faculty is or can be added
to him. It is precisely so spiritually. The spiritual life or nature
received at the new birth contains within itself all the `senses"
(Heb. 5:14) and graces, and though these may be nourished and
strengthened, and increased by exercise yet not by addition, no, not
in heaven itself. "I know that whatsoever God doeth it shall be
forever: nothing can be put to it nor anything taken from it" (Eccl.
3:14). The "babe" in Christ is just as truly and completely a child of
God as the most matured "father" in Christ.
Regeneration is a more radical and revolutionizing change than
glorification. The one is a passing from death unto life, the other an
entrance into the fullness of life. The one is a bringing into
existence of "the new man which after God is created in righteousness
and true holiness" (Eph. 4:22). the other is a reaching unto the full
stature of the new man. The one is a translation into the kingdom of
God's dear Son (Col. 1:13), the other an induction into the higher
privileges of that kingdom. The one is the begetting of us unto a
living hope (1 Pet. 1:3), the other is a realization of that hope. At
regeneration the soul is made a "new creatures in Christ, so that "old
things are passed away, behold, all things are become new" (2 Cor.
5:17). The regenerate soul is a partaker of every grace of the Spirit
so that he is "complete in Christ" (Col. 2:10), and no growth on earth
or glorification in heaven can make him more than complete.
3. Christian progress does not procure a title for heaven.
The perfect and indefeasible title of every believer is in the merits
of Christ. His vicarious fulfilling of the law, whereby he magnified
and made it honorable, secured for all in whose stead he acted the
full reward of the law. It is on the all-sufficient ground of Christ's
perfect obedience being reckoned to his account that the believer is
justified by God and assured that he shall "reign in life" (Rom.
5:17). If he had lived on earth another hundred years and served God
perfectly it would add nothing to his title. Heaven is the "purchased
possession" (Eph. 1:14), purchased for his people by the whole
redemptive work of Christ. His precious blood gives every believing
sinner the legal right to "enter the holiest" (Heb. 10:19). Our title
to glory is found alone in Christ. Of the redeemed now in heaven it is
said, they have "washed their robes and made them white in the blood
of the Lamb: therefore are they before the throne of God and serve him
day and night in his temple" (Rev. 7:14, 15).
It has not been sufficiently realized that God's pronouncement of
justification is very much more than a mere sense of acquittal or
non-condemnation. It includes as well the positive imputation of
righteousness. As James Hervey so beautifully illustrated it: "When
yonder orb makes his first appearance in the east, what effects are
produced? Not only are the shades of night dispersed, but the light of
day is diffused. Thus it is when the Author of salvation is manifested
to the soul: he brings at once pardon and acceptance." Not only are
our "filthy rags" removed, but the "best robe" is put upon us (Luke
15:22) and no efforts or attainments of ours can add anything to such
a Divine adornment. Christ not only delivered us from death, but
purchased life for us; he not only put away our sins but merited an
inheritance for us. The most mature and advanced Christian has nought
to plead before God for his acceptance than the righteousness of
Christ: that, nothing but that, and nothing added to it, as his
perfect title to Glory.
4. Christian progress does not make us meet for heaven.
Many of those who are more or less clear on the three points
considered above are far from being so upon this one, and therefore we
must enter into it at greater length. Thousands have been taught to
believe that when a person has been justified by God and tasted the
blessedness of "the man whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is
covered" that much still remains to be done for the soul before it is
ready for the celestial courts. A widespread impression prevails that
after his justification the believer must undergo the refining process
of sanctification, and that for this he must be left for a time amid
the trials and conflicts of a hostile world; yea, so strongly held is
this view that some are likely to take exception to what follows.
Nevertheless, such a theory repudiates the fact that it is the new
creative work of the Spirit which not only capacitates the soul to
take in and enjoy spiritual things now (John 3:3, 5), but also fits it
experimentally for the eternal fruition of God.
One had thought that those laboring under the mistake mentioned above
would be corrected by their own experience and by what they observed
in their fellow Christians. They frankly acknowledge that their own
progress is most unsatisfactory to them, and they have no means of
knowing when the process is to be successfully completed. They see
their fellow Christians cut off apparently in very varied stages of
this process. If it be said that this process is completed only at
death, then we would point out that even on their death-beds the most
eminent and mature saints have testified to being most humiliated over
their attainments and thoroughly dissatisfied with themselves. Their
final triumph was not what grace had made them to be in themselves,
but what Christ was made to be unto them. If such a view as the above
were true, how could any believer cherish a desire to depart and be
with Christ (Phil. 1:23) while the very fact that he was still in the
body would be proof (according to this idea) that the process was not
yet complete to fit him for his presence!
But, it may be asked, is there not such a thing as "progressive
sanctification"? We answer, it all depends on what is signified by
that expression. In our judgment it is one which needs to be carefully
and precisely defined, otherwise God is likely to be grossly
dishonored and his people seriously injured by being brought into
bondage by a most inadequate and defective view of sanctification as a
whole. There are several essential and fundamental respects in which
sanctification is not "progressive", wherein it admits of no degrees
and is incapable of augmentation, and those aspects of sanctification
need to be plainly stated and clearly apprehended before the
subordinate aspect is considered. First, every believer was
decretively sanctified by God the Father before the foundation of the
world (Jude 1). Second, he was meritoriously sanctified by God the Son
in the redemptive work which he performed in the stead of and on the
behalf of his people, so that it is written "by one offering he hath
perfected forever them that are sanctified" (Heb. 10:14). Third, he
was vitally sanctified by God the Spirit when he quickened him into
newness of life, united him to Christ, and made his body his temple.
If by "progressive sanctification" be meant a clearer understanding
and fuller apprehension of what God has made Christ to be unto the
believer and of his perfect standing and state in him; if by it be
meant the believer living more and more in the enjoyment and power of
that, with the corresponding influence and effect it will have upon
his character and conduct; if by it be meant a growth of faith and an
increase of its fruits, manifested in a holy walk; then we have no
objection to the term. But if by "progressive sanctification" be
intended a rendering of the believer more acceptable unto God, or a
making of him more fit for the heavenly Jerusalem, then we have no
hesitation in rejecting it as a serious error. Not only can there be
no increase in the purity and acceptableness of the believer's
sanctity before God, but there can be no addition to that holiness of
which he became the possessor at the new birth, for the new nature he
then received is essentially and impeccably holy.
"The babe in Christ, dying as such, is as capable of as high
communion with God as Paul in the state of glory" (S. E. Pierce).
Instead of striving after and praying that God would make us more fit
for heaven, how much better to join with the apostle in "giving thanks
unto the Father who hath made us meet to be partakers of the
inheritance of the saints in light" (Col. 1:12), and then seek to walk
suitably unto such a privilege and dignity! That is for the saints to
"possess their possessions" (Obadiah 17); the other is to be robbed of
them by a thinly-disguised Romanism. Before pointing out in what the
Christian's meetness for heaven consists, let us note that heaven is
here termed an "inheritance". Now an inheritance is not something we
acquire by self-denial and mortification, nor purchase by our own
labours or good works; rather it is that to which we lawfully succeed
in virtue of our relationship to another. Primarily, it is that to
which a child succeeds in virtue to his relationship to his father, or
as the son of a king inherits the crown. In this case, the inheritance
is ours in virtue of our being sons of God.
Peter declares that the Father hath "begotten us unto a living hope. .
.to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not
away" (1 Pet. 1:4). Paul also speaks of the Holy Ghost witnessing with
our spirit that we are the children of God, and then points out: "and
if children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ"
(Rom. 8:16, 17). If we inquire more distinctly, what is this
"inheritance" of the children of God"? Colossians 1:13 tells us that
it is the kingdom of God's dear Son. Those who are joint-heirs with
Christ must share his kingdom. Already he has made us "kings and
priests unto God" (Rev. 1:5), and the inheritance of kings is a crown,
a throne, a kingdom. The blessedness which lies before the redeemed is
not merely to be subjects of the King of kings, but to sit with him on
his throne, to reign with him for ever (Rom. 5:17; Rev. 22:4). Such is
the wondrous dignity of our inheritance: as to its extent, we are
joint-heirs with him whom God "hath appointed heir of all things"
(Heb. 1:2). Our destiny is bound up with his. O that the faith of
Christians would rise above their "feelings", "conflicts", and
"experiences", and possess their possessions.
The Christian's title to the inheritance is the righteousness of
Christ imputed to him; in what, then, consists his "meetness"? First,
since it be meetness for the inheritance, they must be children of
God, and this they are made at the moment of regeneration. Second,
since it is the "inheritance of saints", they must be saints, and this
too they are the moment they believe in Christ, for they are then
sanctified by that very blood in which they have forgiveness of sins
(Hebrews 13:12). Third, since it is an inheritance "in light", they
must be made children of light, and this also they become when God
called them "out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Pet. 2:9).
Nor is that characteristic only of certain specially favored saints;
"ye are all the children of light" (1 Thess. 5:5). Fourth, since the
inheritance consists of an everlasting kingdom, in order to enjoy it
we must have eternal life; and that too every Christian possesses: "he
that believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting life" (John 3:36).
"For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus" (Gal.
3:26). Are they children in name but not in nature? What a question!
It might as well be supposed they have a title to an inheritance and
yet be without meetness for it, which would be saying that our sonship
was a fiction and not a reality. Very different is the teaching of
God's Word: it declares that we become his children by being born
again (John 1:13). And regeneration does not consist in the gradual
improvement or purification of the old nature, but the creation of a
new one. Nor is becoming children of God a lengthy process at all, but
an instantaneous thing. The all-mighty agent of it is the Holy Spirit,
and obviously that which is born of him needs no improving or
perfecting. The "new many is itself "created in righteousness and true
holiness" (Eph. 4:22) and certainly it cannot stand in need of a
"progressives work to be wrought in him! True, the old nature opposes
all the aspirations and activities of this new nature, and therefore
as long as the believer remains in the flesh he is called upon
"through the Spirit to mortify the deeds of the body", yet in spite of
the painful and weary conflict, the new nature remains uncontaminated
by the vileness in the midst of which he dwells.
That which qualifies the Christian or makes him meet for heaven is the
spiritual life which he received at regeneration, for that is the life
or nature of God (John3:5; 2 Pet. l:4).That new life or nature fits
the Christian for communion with God, for the presence of God--the
same day the dying thief received it, he was with Christ in Paradise!
It is true that while we are left here its manifestation is obscured,
like the sunbeam shining through opaque glass. Yet the sunbeam itself
is not dim, though it appears so because of the unsuitable medium
through which it passes; but let that opaque glass be removed and it
will at once appear in its beauty. So it is with the spiritual life of
the Christian: there is no defeat whatever in the life itself but its
manifestation is sadly obscured by a mortal body; all that is
necessary for the appearing of its perfections is deliverance from the
corrupt medium through which it now acts. The life of God in the soul
renders a person meet for glory: no attainment of ours, no growth in
grace we experience, can fit us for heaven any more than it can
entitle us to it.
If the regeneration of Christians be complete, if their effectual
sanctification be effected, if they are already fitted for heaven,
then why does God still leave them here on earth? Why not take them to
his own immediate presence as soon as they be born again?
Our first answer is, there is no "if" about it. Scripture distinctly
and expressly affirms that even now believers are "complete in Christ"
(Col. 2:10), that he has "perfected forever them that are sanctified"
(Heb. 10:14), that they are "made meet for the inheritance of the
saints in light" (Col. 1:12). and more than "complete", "perfect" and
"meet" none will ever be. As to why God--generally, though not
always--leaves the babe in Christ in this world for a longer or
shorter period: even if no satisfactory reason could be suggested,
that would not invalidate to the slightest degree what has been
demonstrated, for when any truth is clearly established a hundred
objections cannot set it aside. However, while we do not pretend to
fathom the mind of God, the following consequences are more or less
obvious.
By leaving his people here for a season opportunity is given for:
1. God to manifest his keeping power: not only in a hostile world, but
sin still indwelling believers.
2. To demonstrate the sufficiency of his grace: supporting them in
their weakness.
3. To maintain a witness for himself in a scene which lieth in the
Wicked One.
4. To exhibit his faithfulness in supplying all their need in the
wilderness before they reach Canaan.
5. To display his manifold wisdom unto angels (1 Cor. 4:9; Eph. 3:10).
6. To act as `salt" in preserving the race from moral suicide: by the
purifying and restraining influence they exert.
7. To make evident the reality of their faith: trusting him in
sharpest trials and darkest dispensations.
8. To give them an occasion to glorify him in the place where they
dishonored him.
9. To preach the gospel to those of his elect yet in unbelief.
10. To afford proof that they will serve him amid the most
disadvantageous circumstances.
11. To deepen their appreciation of what he has prepared for them.
12. To have fellowship with Christ who endured the cross before he was
crowned with glory and honour.
Before showing why Christian progress is necessary let us remind the
reader once more of the double significance of the term "Christian",
namely, "an anointed one" and "a disciple of Christ," and how this
supplies the principal key to the subject before us, intimating its
twofoldness. His "anointing" with the Spirit of God is an act of God
wherein he is entirely passive, but his becoming a "disciple of
Christ" is a voluntary act of his own, wherein he surrenders to
Christ's Lordship and resolves to be ruled by his sceptre. Only as
this is duly borne in mind shall we be preserved from error on either
side as we pass from one aspect of our theme to another. As the double
meaning of the name "Christian" points to both the Divine operations
and human activity, so in the Christian's progress we must keep before
us the exercise of God's sovereignty and the discharge of our
responsibility. Thus from one angle growth is neither necessary nor
possible; from another it is both desirable and requisite. It is from
this second angle we are now going to view the Christian, setting
forth his obligations therein.
Let us illustrate what has been said above on the twofoldness of this
truth by a few simple comments on a well-known verse: "So teach us to
number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Ps. 90:12).
First, this implies that in our fallen condition we are wayward at
heart, prone to follow a course of folly; and such is our present
state by nature. Second, it implies that the Lord's people have had a
discovery made to them of their woeful case, and are conscious of
their sinful inability to correct the same; which is the experience of
all the regenerate. Third, it signifies an owning of this humiliating
truth, a crying to God for enablement. They beg to be "so taught", as
to be actually empowered. In other words, it is a prayer for enabling
grace. Fourth, it expresses the end in view: "that we may apply our
hearts unto wisdom"--perform our duty, discharge our obligations,
conduct ourselves as "Wisdom's children." Grace is to be improved,
turned to good account, traded with.
We all know what is meant by a person's "applying his mind" to his
studies, namely, that he gathers his wandering thoughts, focuses his
attention on the subject before him, concentrates thereon. Equally
evident is a person's "applying his hand" to a piece of manual labour,
namely, that he get down to business, set himself to the work before
him, earnestly endeavour to make a good job of it. In either case
there is an implication: in the former, that he has been given a sound
mind, in the latter that he possesses a healthy body. And in
connection with both cases it is universally acknowledged that the one
ought to so employ his mind and the other his bodily strength. Equally
obvious should be the meaning of and the obligation to "apply our
hearts unto wisdom": that is, diligently, fervently, earnestly make
wisdom our quest and walk in her ways. Since God has given a "new
heart" at regeneration, it is to be thus employed. If he has quickened
us into newness of life then we ought to grow in grace. If he has made
us new creatures in Christ we are to progress as Christians.
Because this will be read by such widely-different classes of readers
and we are anxious to help all, we must consider here an objection,
for the removal of which we quote the renowned John Owen.
It will be said that if not only the beginning of grace,
sanctification, and holiness be/mm God, but the carrying of it on
and the increase of it also be from him, and not only so in
general, but that all the actings of grace, and every act of it, be
an immediate effect of the Holy Spirit, then what need is there
that we should take any pains in this thing ourselves, or use our
own endeavors to grow in grace and holiness as we are commanded? If
God worketh all himself in us, and without his effectual operation
in us we can do nothing, there is no place left for our diligence,
duty, or obedience.
Answer: (1) This objection we must expect to meet withal at every
turn. Men will not believe there is a consistency between God's
effectual grace and our diligent obedience; that is, they will not
believe what is plainly, clearly, distinctly, revealed in the
Scripture, and which is suited unto the experience of all that
truly believe, because they cannot, it may be, comprehend it within
the compass of carnal reason.
(2) Let the apostle answer this objection for this once: "his
Divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life
and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to
glory and virtue; whereby are given unto us exceeding great and
precious promises that by these we might be partakers of the Divine
nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through
lust" (2 Pet. 1:3,4). If all things that pertain unto life and
godliness, among which doubtless is the preservation and increase
of grace, be given unto us by the power of God; if from him we
receive that Divine nature, by virtue whereof our corruptions are
subdued, then I pray what need is there of any endeavors of our
own? The whole work of sanctification is wrought in us, it seems,
and that by the power of God: we, therefore, may let it alone and
leave it unto him whose it is, whilst we are negligent, secure and
at ease. Nay, says the apostle, this is not the use which the grace
of God is to be put unto. The consideration of it is, or ought to
be, the principal motive and encouragement unto all diligence for
the increase of holiness in us. For so he adds immediately: "But
also for this cause" (Greek) or because of the gracious operations
of the Divine power in us; "giving all diligence, add to your faith
virtue", etc. (v 5).
These objectors and this apostle were very diversely minded in
these matters: what they make an insuperable discouragement unto
diligence in obedience, that he makes the greatest motive and
encouragement thereunto.
(3) I say, from this consideration it will unavoidably follow that
we ought continually to wait and depend on God for supplies of his
Spirit and grace without which we can do nothing; that God is more
the Author by his grace of the good we do than we are ourselves
(not I, but the grace of God that was with me); that we ought to be
careful that by our negligences and sins we provoke not the Holy
Spirit to withhold his aids, and assistances, and so to leave us to
ourselves, in which condition we can do nothing that is spiritually
good; these things. I say, will unavoidably follow on the doctrine
before declared; and if any one be offended at them it is not in
our power to render them relief.
Coming now more directly to the needs-be for spiritual growth or
Christian progress. This is not optional but obligatory, for we are
expressly bidden to "Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18)--grow from infancy to the
vigor of youth, and from the zeal of youth to the wisdom of
maturity. And again, to be "building up yourselves in your most
holy faith" (Jude 2l). It is not sufficient to be grounded and
established in the faith, for we must grow more and more therein.
At conversion we take upon us the "yoke" of Christ, and then his
word is "learn of me", which is to be a lifelong experience. In
becoming Christ's disciples we do but enter his school: not to
remain in the kindergarten but to progress under his tuition. "A
wise man will hear and increase learning" (Prov. 1:5), and seek to
make good use of that learning. The believer has not yet reached
heaven: he is on the way, journeying thither, fleeing from the city
of destruction. That is why the Christian life is so often likened
unto a race, and the believer unto a runner: "forgetting those
things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which
are before, I press toward the mark for the prize" (Phil. 3:13,
14).
1. Only thus is the triune God glorified.
This is so obvious that it really needs no arguing. It brings no glory
to God that his children should be dwarfs. As sunshine and rain are
sent for the nourishment and fructification of vegetation so the means
of grace are provided that we may increase in our spiritual stature.
"As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the Word that ye may grow
thereby" (1 Pet. 2:2)--not only in the intellectual knowledge of it,
but in a practical conformity thereunto. This should be our chief
concern and be made our principal business: to become better
acquainted with God, to have the heart more occupied with, and
affected by his perfections, to seek after a fuller knowledge of his
will, to regulate our conduct thereby, and thus `show forth the
praises of him who hath called us out of darkness into his marvelous
light" (1 Pet. 2:9). The more we evidence our sonship, the more we
conduct ourselves as becometh the children of God before a perverse
generation, the more do we honour him who has set his love upon us.
That our spiritual growth and progress is glorifying unto God appears
plainly from the prayers of the apostles, for none were more concerned
about his glory than they, and nothing occupied so prominent a place
in their intercession as this. One or two quotations here must
suffice. For the Ephesians Paul prayed, "that ye might be filled with
all the fullness of God" (3:19). For the Philippians, "that your love
may abound yet more and more, in knowledge and in all judgment. . .
being filled with the fruits of righteousness" (1:9-1 1). For the
Colossians, "that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing,
being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of
God" (1:10, 11). From which we learn that it is our privilege and duty
to obtain more spiritual views of the Divine perfections, begetting in
us an increasing holy delight in him, making our walk more acceptable.
There should be a growing acquaintance with the excellency of Christ,
advancing in our love of him, and the more lively exercises of our
graces.
2. Only thus do we give proof of our regeneration.
"Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit: so shall ye
be my disciples" (John 15:8). That does not mean we become the
disciples of Christ as a result of our fruitfulness, but that we make
manifest we are his by our fruit-bearing. They who bear no fruit have
no vital union with Christ, and like the barren fig-tree, are under
his curse. Very solemn is this, and by such a criterion each of us
should measure himself. That which is brought forth by the Christian
is not to be restricted unto what, in many circles, is called
`service" or "personal work", but has reference to that which issues
from the exercise of all the spiritual graces. Thus: "Love your
enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you and
pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you; that ye
may be the children of your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:44,
45), that is, that you may make it evident to yourself and fellows
that you have been made "partaker of the Divine nature".
"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these," etc., "but
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance" (Gal. 5:19, 22,
23). The reference is not directly to what the Holy Spirit produces,
but rather to that which is born of the `spirit" or new nature of
which he is the Author (John 3:6). This is evident from its being set
over against the "works of the flesh" or old nature. It is by means of
this "fruit", these lovely graces, that the regenerate make manifest
the presence of a supernatural principle within them. The more such
"fruit" abounds, the clearer our evidence that we have been born
again. The total absence of such fruit would prove our profession to
have been an empty one. It has often been pointed out by others that
what issues from the flesh is designated "works", for a machine can
produce such; but that which the `spirit" yields is living "fruit" in
contrast from "dead works" (Heb. 6:1; 9:14). This fruit-bearing is
necessary in order to evidence the new birth.
3. Only thus do we certify that we have been made partakers of an
effectual call and are among the chosen of God.
"Brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure" (2
Pet. 1:10) is the Divine exhortation--one which has puzzled many. Yet
it should not: it is not to secure it Godward (which is impossible),
but to make it more certain to yourselves and your brethren. And how
is this to be accomplished?" Why, by acquiring a clearer and fuller
evidence of the same: by spiritual growth, for growth is proof that
life is present. This interpretation is definitely established by the
context. After enumerating the bestowments of Divine grace (vv. 3, 4)
the apostle says, now here is your responsibility: "And besides this,
giving all diligence, add to your faith (by bringing it into exercise)
virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to
temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness
brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness love" (vv. 5-7). Faith
itself is ever to be operative, but according to different occasions
and in their seasons let each of your graces be exercised, and in
proportion as they are, the life of holiness is furthered in the soul
and there is a proportionate spiritual growth (cf. Col. 3:12, 13).
4. Only thus do we adorn the doctrine we profess.
The truth we claim to have received into our hearts is "the doctrine
which is according to godliness" (1 Tim. 6:3), and therefore the more
our daily lives be conformed thereto the clearer proof do we give that
our character and conduct is regulated by heavenly principles. It is
by our fruits we are known (Matthew 7:16), for "every good tree
bringeth forth good fruit". Thus, it is only by our being "fruitful in
every good work" (Col. 1:10) that we make it manifest that we are the
"trees of the Lord" (Ps. 104:16). "Now are ye light in the Lord, walk
as children of light" (Eph. 5:8). It is not the character of our walk
which qualifies us to become the children of light, but which
demonstrates that we are such. Because we are children of him who is
light (1 John 1:5) we must shun the darkness. If we have been
`sanctified in Christ Jesus" (1 Cor. 1:2) then only that should
proceed from us which "becometh saints" (Eph. 5:3). The more we
progress in godliness the more we adorn our profession.
5. Only thus do we experience more genuine assurance.
Peace becomes more stable and joy abounds in proportion as we grow in
grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and
become more conformed practically to his holy image. It is because so
many become slack in using the means of grace and are so little
exercised about growing up into Christ "in all things" (Eph. 4:16)
that doubts and fears possess their hearts. If they do not "give all
diligence to add to their faith" (2 Pet. 1:5) by cultivating their
several graces, they must not be surprised if they are far from being
`sure" of their Divine calling and election. It is "the diligent
soul", and not the dilatory, who `shall be made fat" (Prov. 13:4).
It is the one who makes conscience of obedience and keeps Christ's
commandments who is favored with love-tokens from him (John 14:21).
There is an inseparable connection between our being "led (forward) by
the Spirit of God" --which intimates our voluntary concurrence--and
his "bearing witness with our spirit" (Rom. 8:14, 16).
6. Only thus are we preserved from grievous backsliding.
In view of much that has been said above this should be quite obvious.
The very term "backsliding" denotes failure to make progress and go
forward. Peter's denial of Christ in the high priest's palace was
preceded by his following him "afar off" (Matthew 26:5 8), and that
has been recorded for our learning and warning. The same principle is
illustrated again in connection with the awful fall of David. Though
it was "at the time when kings go forth to battle" he was selfishly
and lazily taking his ease, and while so lax succumbed to temptation
(1 Sam. 11:1, 2). Unless we "follow on to know the Lord" and learn to
make use of the armor which he has provided, we shall easily be
overcome by the enemy. Only as our hearts are kept healthy and our
affections set upon things above shall we be impervious to the
attractions of this world. We cannot be stationary: if we do not grow,
we shall decline.
7. Only thus shall we preserve the cause of Christ from reproach.
The backsliding of his people makes his enemies to blaspheme--how many
have taken occasion to do so from the sad case of David! When the
world sees us halting, it is gratified, being bolstered up in their
idea that godliness is but a pose, a sham. Because of this, among
other reasons, Christians are bidden to "be blameless and harmless,
the sons of God, without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse
nation, among whom shine ye as lights in the world" (Phil. 2:15). If
we go backward instead of forward--and we must do one or the
other--then we greatly dishonor the name of Christ and fill his foes
with unholy glee. Rather is it "the will of God that with well-doing
we put to silence the ignorance of foolish men" (1 Pet. 2:15). The
longer they remain in this world, the more apparent should be the
contrast between the children of light and those who are the subjects
of the Prince of darkness. Very necessary then, from many
considerations, is our growth in grace.
_________________________________________________
Contents | Introduction | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
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A. W. Pink Header
The Life of Faith
by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 5
The Scriptures and Prayer
_________________________________________________
A prayerless Christian is a contradiction in terms. Just as a
still-born child is a dead one, so a professing believer who does not
pray is devoid of spiritual life. Prayer is the breath of the new
nature in the saint, as the Word of God is its food. When the Lord
would assure the Damascus disciple, Ananias, that Saul of Tarsus had
been truly converted, he told him, "Behold, he prayeth" (Acts 9:11).
On many occasions had that self-righteous Pharisee bowed his knees
before God and gone through his "devotions", but this was the first
time he had ever really prayed. This important distinction needs
emphasizing in this day of powerless forms (2 Tim. 3:5). They who
content themselves with formal addresses to God know him not; for "the
spirit of grace and supplications" (Zech. 12:10) are never separated.
God has no dumb children in his regenerated family: `shall not God
avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him?" (Luke 18:7).
Yes, "cry" unto him, not merely `say" their prayers.
But will the reader be surprised when the writer declares it is his
deepening conviction that, probably, the Lord's own people sin more in
their efforts to pray than in connection with any other thing they
engage in? What hypocrisy there is, where there should be reality!
What presumptuous demands, where there should be submissiveness! What
formality, where there should be brokenness of heart! How little we
really feel the sins we confess, and what little sense of deep need
for the mercies we seek! And even where God grants a measure of
deliverance from these awful sins, how much coldness of heart, how
much unbelief, how much self-will and self-pleasing have we to bewail!
Those who have no conscience upon these things are strangers to the
spirit of holiness.
Now the Word of God should be our directory in prayer. Alas, how often
we have made our own fleshly inclinations the rule of our asking. The
Holy Scriptures have been given to us "that the man of God may be
perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim. 3:17).
Since we are required to "pray in the Spirit" (Jude 20), it follows
that our prayers ought to be according to the Scriptures, seeing that
he is their Author throughout. It equally follows that according to
the measure in which the Word of Christ dwells in us "richly" (Col.
3:16)or sparsely, the more or the less will our petitions be in
harmony with the mind of the Spirit, for "out of the abundance of the
heart the mouth speaketh" (Matthew 12:34). In proportion as we hide
the Word in our hearts, and it cleanses, moulds and regulates our
inner man, will our prayers be acceptable in God's sight. Then shall
we be able to say, as David did in another connection, "Of thine own
have we given thee" (1 Chron. 29:14).
Thus the purity and power of our prayer-life are another index by
which we may determine the extent to which we are profiting from our
reading and searching of the Scriptures. If our Bible study is not,
under the blessing of the Spirit, convicting us of the sin of
prayerlessness, revealing to us the place which prayer ought to have
in our daily lives, and actually bringing us to spend more time in the
secret place of the Most High; unless it is teaching us how to pray
more acceptably to God, how to appropriate his promises and plead them
before him, how to appropriate his precepts and turn them into
petitions, then not only has the time we spend over the Word been to
little or no soul enrichment, but the very knowledge that we have
acquired of its letter will only add to our condemnation in the day to
come. "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your
own selves" (Jam. 1:22) applies to its prayer-admonitions as to
everything else in it. Let us now point out seven criteria.
1. We are profited from the Scriptures when we are brought to realize
the deep importance of prayer. It is really to be feared that many
present-day readers (and even students) of the Bible have no deep
convictions that a definite prayer-life is absolutely essential to a
daily walking and communing with God, as it is for deliverance from
the power of indwelling sin, the seductions of the world, and the
assaults of Satan. If such a conviction really gripped their hearts,
would they not spend far more time on their faces before God? It is
worse than idle to reply, "A multitude of duties which have to be
performed crowd out prayer, though much against my wishes." But the
fact remains that each of us takes time for anything we deem to be
imperative. Who ever lived a busier life than our Saviour? Yet who
found more time for prayer? If we truly yearn to be suppliants and
intercessors before God and use all the available time we now have, he
will so order things for us that we shall have more time.
The lack of positive conviction of the deep importance of prayer is
plainly evidenced in the corporate life of professing Christians. God
has plainly said, "My house shall be called the house of prayer"
(Matthew 21:13). Note, not "the house of preaching and singing", but
of prayer. Yet, in the great majority of even so-called orthodox
churches, the ministry of prayer has become a negligible quantity.
There are still evangelistic campaigns, and Bible-teaching
conferences, but how rarely one hears of two weeks set apart for
special prayer! And how much good do these "Bible conferences"
accomplish if the prayer-life of the churches is not strengthened? But
when the Spirit of God applies in power to our hearts such words as,
"Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation" (Mark 14:38), "In
every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your
requests be made known to God" (Phil. 4:6), "Continue in prayer, and
watch in the same with thanksgiving" (Col. 4:2), then are we being
profited from the Scriptures.
2. We are profited from the Scriptures when we are made to feel that
we know not how to pray. "We know not what we should pray for as we
ought" (Rom. 8:26). How very few professing Christians really believe
this! The idea most generally entertained is that people know well
enough what they should pray for, only they are careless and wicked,
and so fail to pray for what they are fully assured is their duty. But
such a conception is at direct variance with this inspired declaration
in Romans 8:26. It is to be observed that that flesh-humbling
affirmation is made not simply of men in general, but of the saints of
God in particular, among which the apostle did not hesitate to include
himself: "We know not what we should pray for as we ought." If this be
the condition of the regenerate, how much more so of the unregenerate!
Yet it is one thing to read and mentally assent to what this verse
says, but it is quite another to have an experimental realization of
it, for the heart to be made to feel that what God requires from us he
must himself work in and through us.
I often say my prayers.
But do I ever pray?
And do the wishes of my heart
Go with the words I say?
I may as well kneel down
And worship gods of stone,
As offer to the living God
A prayer of words alone.
It is many years since the writer was taught these lines by his
mother--now "present with the Lord"--but their searching message still
comes home with force to him. The Christian can no more pray without
the direct enabling of the Holy Spirit than he can create a world.
This must be so, for real prayer is a felt need awakened within us by
the Spirit, so that we ask God, in the name of Christ, for that which
is in accord with his holy will. "If we ask any thing according to his
will, he heareth us" (1 John 5:14). But to ask something which is not
according to God's will is not praying, but presuming. True, God's
revealed will is made known in his Word, yet not in such a way as a
cookery book contains recipes and directions for preparing various
dishes. The Scriptures frequently enumerate principles which call for
continuous exercise of heart and Divine help to show us their
application to different cases and circumstances. Thus we are being
profited from the Scriptures when we are taught our deep need of
crying "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1), and are actually
constrained to beg him for the spirit of prayer.
3. We are profited from the Scriptures when we are made conscious of
our need of the Spirit's help. First, that he may make known to us our
real wants. Take, for example, our temporal needs. How often we are in
some external strait; things from without press hard upon us, and we
long to be delivered from these trials and difficulties. Surely here
we "know" of ourselves what to pray for. No, indeed; far from it! The
truth is that, despite our natural desire for relief, so ignorant are
we, so dull is our discernment, that (even where there is an exercised
conscience) we know not what submission unto his pleasure God may
require, or how he may sanctify these afflictions to our inward good.
Therefore, God calls the petitions of most who seek for relief from
external trials "howlings", and not a crying unto him with the heart
(see Hos. 7:14). "For who knoweth what is good for man in this life?"
(Eccl. 6:12). Ah, heavenly wisdom is needed to teach us our temporal
"needs" so as to make them a matter of prayer according to the mind of
God.
Perhaps a few words need to be added to what has just been said.
Temporal things may be scripturally prayed for (Matthew 6:11, etc.),
but with this threefold limitation. First, incidentally and not
primarily, for they are not the things which Christians are
principally concerned with (Matthew 6:33). It is heavenly and eternal
things(Col. 3:1) which are to be sought first and foremost, as being
of far greater importance and value than temporal things. Second,
subordinately, as a means to an end. In seeking material things from
God it should not be in order that we may be gratified, but as an aid
to our pleasing him better. Third, submissively, not dictatorially,
for that would be the sin of presumption. Moreover, we know not
whether any temporal mercy would really contribute to our highest good
(Ps. 106:18), and therefore we must leave it with God to decide.
We have inward wants as well as outward. Some of these may be
discerned in the light of conscience, such as the guilt and defilement
of sin, of sins against light and nature and the plain letter of the
law. Nevertheless, the knowledge which we have of ourselves by means
of the conscience is so dark and confused that, apart from the Spirit,
we are in no way able to discover the true fountain of cleansing. The
things about which believers do and ought to treat primarily with God
in their supplications are the inward frames and spiritual
dispositions of their souls. Thus, David was not satisfied with
confessing all known transgressions and his original sin (Ps. 51:1-5),
nor yet with an acknowledgment that none could understand his errors,
whence he desired to be cleansed from `secret faults" (Ps. 19:12); but
he also begged God to undertake the inward searching of his heart to
find out what was amiss in him (Ps. 139:23, 24), knowing that God
principally requires "truth in the inward parts" (Ps. 51:6). Thus, in
view of 1 Corinthians 2:10-12, we should definitely seek the Spirit's
aid that we may pray acceptably to God.
4. We are profited from the Scriptures when the Spirit teaches us the
right end in praying. God has appointed the ordinance of prayer with
at least a threefold design. First, that the great triune God might be
honored, for prayer is an act of worship, a paying homage; to the
Father as the Giver, in the Son's name, by whom alone we may approach
him, by the moving and directing power of the Holy Spirit. Second, to
humble our hearts for prayer is ordained to bring us into the place of
dependence, to develop within us a sense of our helplessness, by
owning that without the Lord we can do nothing, and that we are
beggars upon his charity for everything we are and have. But how
feebly is this realized (if at all) by any of us until the Spirit
takes us in hand, removes pride from us, and gives God his true place
in our hearts and thoughts. Third, as a means or way of obtaining for
ourselves the good things for which we ask.
It is greatly to be feared that one of the principal reasons why so
many of our prayers remain unanswered is because we have a wrong, an
unworthy end in view. Our Saviour said, "Ask, and it shall be given
you" (Matthew 7:7): but James affirms of some, "Ye ask, and receive
not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts"
(Jam. 4:3). To pray for anything, and not expressly unto the end which
God has designed, is to "ask amiss", and therefore to no purpose.
Whatever confidence we may have in our own wisdom and integrity, if we
are left to ourselves our aims will never be suited to the will of
God. Unless the Spirit restrains the flesh within us, our own natural
and distempered affections intermix themselves in our supplications,
and thus are rendered vain. "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of
God" (1 Cor. 10:31), yet none but the Spirit can enable us to
subordinate all our desires unto God's glory.
5. We are profited from the Scriptures when we are taught how to plead
God's promises. Prayer must be in faith (Rom. 10:14), or God will not
hear it. Now faith has respect to God's promises (Heb. 4:1; Rom.
4:21); if, therefore, we do not understand what God stands pledged to
give, we cannot pray at all. The promises of God contain the matter of
prayer and define the measure of it. What God has promised, all that
he has promised, and nothing else, we are to pray for "secret things
belong unto the Lord our God" (Deut. 29:29), but the declaration of
his will and the revelation of his grace belong unto us, and are our
rule. There is nothing that we really stand in need of but God has
promised to supply it, yet in such a way and under such limitations as
will make it good and useful to us. So too there is nothing God has
promised but we stand in need of it, or are some way or other
concerned in it as members of the mystical body of Christ. Hence, the
better we are acquainted with the Divine promises, and the more we are
enabled to understand the goodness, grace and mercy prepared and
proposed in them, the better equipped are we for acceptable prayer.
Some of God's promises are general rather than specific; some are
conditional, others unconditional; some are fulfilled in this life,
others in the world to come. Nor are we able of ourselves to discern
which promise is most suited to our particular case and present
emergency and need, or to appropriate by faith and rightly plead it
before God. Wherefore we are expressly told, "For what man knoweth the
things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him"? Even so the
things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have
received, not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God;
that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God" (1
Cor. 2:11,12). Should someone reply, If so much be required unto
acceptable praying, if we cannot supplicate God aright without much
less trouble than you indicate, few will continue long in this duty,
then we answer that such an objector knows not what it is to pray, nor
does he seem willing to learn.
6. We are profited from the Scriptures when we are brought to complete
submission unto God. As stated above, one of the Divine designs in
appointing prayer as an ordinance is that we might be humbled. This is
outwardly denoted when we bow the knee before the Lord. Prayer is an
acknowledgment of our helplessness, and a looking to him from whom all
our help comes. It is an owning of his sufficiency to supply our every
need. It is a making known our "requests" (Phil. 4:6) unto God; but
requests are very different from demands. "The throne of grace is not
set up that we may come and there vent our passions before God"
(William Gurnall). We are to spread our case before God, but leave it
to his superior wisdom to prescribe how it shall be dealt with. There
must be no dictating, nor can we "claim" anything from God, for we are
beggars dependent upon his mere mercy. In all our praying we must add,
"Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt."
But may not faith plead God's promises and expect an answer"?
Certainly; but it must be God's answer. Paul besought the Lord thrice
to remove his thorn in the flesh; instead of doing so, the Lord gave
him grace to endure it (2 Cor. 12). Many of God's promises are
promiscuous rather than personal. He has promised his Church pastors,
teachers and evangelists, yet many a local company of his saints has
languished long without them. Some of God's promises are indefinite
and general rather than absolute and universal; as, for example
Ephesians 6:2, 3. God has not bound himself to give in kind or specie,
to grant the particular thing we ask for, even though we ask in faith.
Moreover, he reserves to himself the right to determine the fit time
and season for bestowing his mercies. `seek ye the Lord, all ye meek
of the earth... it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's
anger" (Zeph. 2:3). Just because it "may be" God's will to grant a
certain temporal mercy unto me, it is my duty to cast myself upon him
and plead for it, yet with entire submission to his good pleasure for
the performance of it.
7. We are profited from the Scriptures when prayer becomes a real and
deep joy. Merely to `say our prayers" each morning and evening is an
irksome task, a duty to be performed which brings a sigh of relief
when it is done. But really to come into the conscious presence of
God, to behold the glorious light of his countenance, to commune with
him at the mercy seat, is a foretaste of the eternal bliss awaiting us
in heaven. The one who is blessed with this experience says with the
Psalmist, "It is good for me to draw near to God" (Ps. 73:28). Yes,
good for the heart, for it is quietened; good for faith, for it is
strengthened; good for the soul, for it is blessed. It is lack of this
soul communion with God which is the root cause of our unanswered
prayers: "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the
desires of thine heart" (Ps. 37:4).
What is it which, under the blessing of the Spirit, produces and
promotes this joy in prayer"?
First, it is the heart's delight in God as the Object of prayer, and
particularly the recognition and realization of God as our Father.
Thus, when the disciples asked the Lord Jesus to teach them to pray,
he said, "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in
heaven." And again, "God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into
your hearts, crying, Abba (the Hebrew for "Father"), Father" (Gal.
4:6), which includes a filial, holy delight in God, such as children
have in their parents in their most affectionate addresses to them. So
again, in Ephesians 2:18, we are told, for the strengthening of faith
and the comfort of our hearts, "For through him (Christ) we both have
access by one Spirit unto the Father." What peace, what assurance,
what freedom this gives to the soul: to know we are approaching our
Father!
Second, joy in prayer is furthered by the heart's apprehension and the
soul's sight of God as on the throne of grace--a sight or prospect,
not by carnal imagination, but by spiritual illumination, for it is by
faith that we `see him who is invisible" (Heb. 11:27); faith being the
"evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1), making its proper object
evident and present unto them that believe. Such a sight of God upon
such a "throne" cannot but thrill the soul. Therefore are we exhorted,
"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may
obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16).
Thirdly, and drawn from the last quoted Scripture, freedom and delight
in prayer are stimulated by the consciousness that God is, through
Jesus Christ, willing and ready to dispense grace and mercy to
suppliant sinners. There is no reluctance in him which we have to
overcome. He is more ready to give than we are to receive. So he is
represented in Isaiah 30:18, "And therefore will the Lord wait, that
he may be gracious unto you." Yes, he waits to be sought unto; waits
for faith to lay hold of his readiness to bless. His ear is ever open
to the cries of the righteous. Then "let us draw near with a true
heart in hill assurance of faith" (Heb. 10:22); "in every thing by
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made
known unto God", and we shall find that peace which passes all
understanding guarding our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus
(Phil. 4:6, 7).
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The Life of Faith
by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 6
The Ten Commandments
_________________________________________________
Much confusion prevails today among those who speak of "the law". This
is a term which needs to be carefully defined. In the New Testament
there are three expressions used which require to be definitely
distinguished. First, there is "the law of God" (Rom. 7:22, 25, etc.).
Second, there is "the law of Moses" (John 7:2; Acts 13:39,
15:5,etc.).Third, there is "the law of Christ" (Gal. 6:2). Now these
three expressions are by no means synonymous, and it is not until we
learn to distinguish between them, that we can hope to arrive at any
clear understanding on the subject of "the law".
The "law of God" expresses the mind of the Creator, and is binding
upon all rational creatures. It is God's unchanging moral standard for
regulating the conduct of all men. In some places the "law of God" may
refer to the whole revealed will of God, but usually it has reference
to the Ten Commandments, and it is in this restricted sense we shall
here use the term. The law was impressed on man's moral nature from
the beginning, and though now fallen, he still shows the work of it
written on his heart. This law has never been repealed, and, in the
very nature of things, cannot be. For God to abrogate the moral law
would be to plunge the whole universe into anarchy. Obedience to the
law of God is man's first duty. This is why the first complaint that
Jehovah made against Israel after they left Egypt was "How long refuse
ye to keep my commandments and my laws?" (Ex. 16:2, 27). That is why
the first statutes which God gave to Israel after their redemption
were the Ten Commandments, i.e. the moral law. That is why in the
first discourse of Christ recorded in the New Testament, he declared,
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am
not come to destroy, but to fulfill" (Matthew 5:17), and then
proceeded to expound and enforce the moral law. And that is why in the
first of the Epistles, the Holy Spirit has taught us at length the
relation of the law to sinners and saints, in connection with
salvation and the subsequent walk of the saved: the word "law" occurs
in Romans no less than seventy-five times, though, of course, not
every reference is to the law of God. And that is why sinners (Rom.
3:19) and saints (Jam. 2:12) shall be judged by this law.
The "law of Moses" is the entire system of legislation, judicial and
ceremonial, which Jehovah gave to Israel during the time they were in
the wilderness. The "law of Moses", as such, is binding upon none but
Israelites. The "law of Moses" has not been repealed, for it will be
enforced by Christ during the Millennium. "Out of Jerusalem shall go
forth the Law, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem" (Isa. 2:3).
That the "law of Moses" is not binding on Gentiles is clear from Acts
15.
The "law of Christ" is God's moral law in the hands of a Mediator. It
is the law that Christ himself was "made under" (Gal. 4:4). It is the
law which was "in his heart" (Psalm 40:8). It is the law which he came
to "fulfill" (Matthew 5:17). The "law of God" is now termed "the law
of Christ" as it relates to Christians. As creatures we are under
bonds to `serve the law of God" (Rom. 7:25): as redeemed sinners we
are "bondslaves of Christ" (Eph. 6:6) and as such it is our bounden
duty to `serve the Lord Christ" (Col. 3:2b). The relation between
these two appellations, "the law of God" and "the law of Christ" is
clearly intimated in 1 Corinthians 9:21, where the apostle states that
he was not "without law to God" for he was "under the law to Christ".
The meaning of this is very simple. As a human creature, the apostle
was still under obligations to obey the moral law of God, his Creator;
but as a saved man he now belongs to Christ, the Mediator by
redemption. Christ had purchased him, he was his, therefore was under
the "law of Christ". The "law of Christ" then, is just the moral law
of God now in the hands of the Mediator--cf. Exodus 34:1 and what
follows!
Should any one object against our definition of the distinction drawn
between God's moral law and "the law of Moses" we request them to
attend closely to what follows. God took special pains to show us the
clear line of demarcation which he himself has drawn between the two.
The moral law became incorporated in the Mosaic law, yet was it
sharply distinguished from it.
In the first place, the Ten Commandments and they alone of all the
laws which God gave unto Israel, were promulgated by the voice of God,
amid the most solemn manifestations and tokens of the Divine presence.
Second, the Ten Commandments and they alone of all Jehovah's statutes
to Israel, were written directly by the finger of God, written upon
tables of stone, and written thus to denote their lasting and
imperishable nature. Third, the Ten Commandments were distinguished
from all the other laws which had merely a local application to Israel
by the fact that they alone were laid up in the ark. A tabernacle was
prepared by the special direction of God, and within it an ark was
placed, in which the two tablets of stone were deposited. The ark,
formed of the most durable wood, was overlaid with gold within and
without. Over it was placed the mercy seat, which became the throne of
Jehovah in the midst of his redeemed people. Not until the tabernacle
had been erected and the law placed in the ark, did Jehovah take up
his abode in Israel's midst. Thus did the Lord signify to Israel that
the moral law was the basis of all his governmental dealings with
them!
It is therefore clear beyond room for doubt that the Ten Commandments
are to be sharply distinguished from the "law of Moses". The "law of
Moses", excepting the Moral Law incorporated therein, was binding upon
none but Israelites or Gentile proselytes. But the "law of God" unlike
the Mosaic, is binding upon all men. Once this distinction is
perceived, many minor difficulties are cleared up. For example:
someone says, if we are to keep the Sabbath-day holy, as Israel did,
why must we not observe the other "sabbaths"--the Sabbatic year, for
instance"? The answer is, Because the moral law alone is binding upon
Gentiles and Christians. But why, it may be asked, does not the death
penalty attached to the desecration of the Sabbath day (Ex. 31:14,
etc.) still obtain"? The answer is, Because though that was a part of
the Mosaic law, it was not a part of the moral law, i.e. it was not
inscribed on the tables of stone: therefore it concerned none but
Israelites. Let us now consider separately, but briefly, each of the
Ten Commandments.
The order of the Commandments is most significant. The first four
concern human responsibility Godwards; the last five our obligations
manwards: while the fifth suitably bridges the two, for in a certain
sense parents occupy to their children the place of God. We may also
add that the substance of each commandment is in perfect keeping with
its numerical place in the Decalogue. One stands for unity and
supremacy so in the first commandment the absolute sovereignty and
pre-eminency of the Creator is insisted upon. Since God is who he is,
he will tolerate no competitor or rival: his claims upon us are
paramount.
The first commandment
If this first commandment received the respect it demands, obedience
to the other nine would follow as a matter of course. "Thou shalt have
no other gods before me" means, thou shalt have no other object of
worship: thou shalt own no other authority as absolute: thou shalt
make me supreme in your hearts and lives. How much this first
commandment contains! There are other "gods" besides idols of wood and
stone. Money, pleasure, fashion, fame, gluttony, and a score of other
things which make self supreme, usurp the rightful place of God in the
affections and thoughts of many. It is not without reason that even to
the saints the exhortation is given, "Little children, keep yourselves
from idols" (1 John 5:21).
The second commandment
Two is the number of witness, and in this second commandment man is
forbidden to attempt any visible representation of Deity, whether
furnished by the skill of the artist or the sculptor. The first
commandment points out the one only object of worship: the second
tells us how he is to be worshipped--in spirit and in truth, by faith
and not by images which appeal to the senses. The design of this
commandment is to draw us away from carnal conceptions of God, and to
prevent his worship being profaned by superstitious rites. A most
fearful threat and a most gracious promise are attached. Those who
break this commandment shall bring down on their children the
righteous judgment of God: those who keep it shall cause mercy to be
extended to thousands of those who love God. How this shows us the
vital and solemn importance of parents teaching their children the
unadulterated truth concerning the Being and Character of God!
The third commandment
God requires that the majesty of his holy name be held inviolably
sacred by us. His name must be used neither with contempt,
irreverently, or needlessly. It is striking to observe that the first
petition in the prayer the Lord taught his disciples is, "Hallowed be
thy name"! The name of God is to be held profoundly sacred. In our
ordinary speech and in our religious devotions nothing must enter that
in any wise lowers the sublime dignity and the high holiness of that
Name. The greatest sobriety and reverence is called for. It needs to
be pointed out that the only time the word "reverend" is found in the
Bible is in Psalm 111:9 where we read "Holy and reverend is his name".
How irreverent then for preachers to style themselves "reverend"!
The fourth commandment
There are two things enjoined here: first, that man should work six
days of the week. The same rule is plainly enforced in the New
Testament: "And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own
business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you" (1
Thess. 4:11). "For even when we were with you this we commanded you,
that if any would not work, neither should he eat" (2 Thess. 3:10)!
The second thing commanded is that on the seventh day all work must
cease. The Sabbath is to be a day of rest. Six days work: one day for
rest. The two must not be separated: work calls for rest: rest for
work.
The next thing we would observe is that the Sabbath is not here termed
"the seventh day of the week". Nor is it ever so styled in Scripture!
So far as the Old Testament is concerned any day which was used for
rest, and which was followed by six days of work was a Sabbath! It is
not correct then, to say that the `sabbath" can only be observed on a
Saturday. There is not a word of Scripture to support such a
statement.
In the next place, we emphatically deny that this Sabbath law has ever
been repealed. Those who teach it has, are guilty of the very thing
which the Saviour so pointedly condemns in Matthew 5:19. There are
those who allow that it is right and proper for us to keep the other
nine Commandments, but they insist that the Sabbath has passed away.
We fully believe that this very error was anticipated by Christ in
Matthew 5:19: "Whosoever shall break one (not "any one") of these
least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the
least in the kingdom of heaven". Hebrews 4:9 tells us that
Sabbath-keeping remains: it has not become obsolete.
The Sabbath (like all the other Commandments) was not simply for
Israel but for all men. The Lord Jesus distinctly declared "the
Sabbath was made for man" (Mark 2:27) and no amount of quibbling can
ever make this mean Jews only. The Sabbath was made for man: for man
to observe and obey; also for man's well-being, because his
constitution needed it. One day of rest each week is requisite for
man's physical, mental and spiritual good.
But we must not mistake the means for the end. We must not think
that the Sabbath is just for the sake of being able to attend
meetings. There are some people who think they must spend the whole
day at meetings or private devotions. The result is that at
nightfall they are tired out and the day has brought them no rest.
The number of church services attended ought to be measured by the
person's ability to enjoy them and get good from them, without
being wearied. Attending meetings is not the only way to observe
the Sabbath. The Israelites were commanded to keep it in their
dwellings as well as in holy convocation. The home, that center of
so great influence over the life and character of the people, ought
to be made the scene of true Sabbath observance (D L Moody).
The fifth commandment
The word "honour" means more than obey, though obedience is
necessarily included in it. To "honour" a parent is to give him the
place of superiority, to hold him or her in high esteem, to reverence
him. The Scriptures abound with illustrations of Divine blessing
coming upon those who honored their parents, and the Divine curse
descending on those who honored them not. The supreme example is that
of the Lord Jesus. In Luke 2:52, we read, "And he went down with them
and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them". On the Cross we see
the Saviour honoring his mother by providing a home for her with his
beloved disciple John.
It is indeed sad to see the almost universal disregard of this fifth
Commandment in our own day. It is one of the most arresting of the
many `signs of the times". Eighteen hundred years ago it was foretold,
"In the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers
of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemous,
disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection"
(2 Tim. 3:1, 3). Unquestionably, the blame for most of this lies upon
the parents, who have so neglected the moral and spiritual training of
their children that (in themselves) they are worthy of neither respect
nor honor. It is to be noted that the promise attached to the
fulfillment of this Commandment as well as the command itself is
repeated in the New Testament (see Eph. 6:1, 3).
The sixth commandment
The simple force of this is, thou shalt not murder. God himself has
attached the death-penalty to murder. This comes out plainly in
Genesis 9:5,6. "And surely your blood of your lives will I require: at
the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at
the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. Whoso
sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed, for in the image
of God made he man." This statute which God gave to Noah has never
been rescinded. In Matthew 5:21, 22, we have Christ's exposition of
this sixth commandment: he goes deeper than the letter of the words
and gives the spirit of them. He shows that murder is not limited to
the overt act, but also pertains to the state of mind and the angry
passion which prompts the act (cf. 1 John 3:15).
In this sixth Commandment, God emphasizes the sacredness of human life
and his own sovereignty over it--he alone has the right to say when it
shall end. The force of this was taught Israel in connection with the
cities of refuge. These provided an asylum from the avenger of blood.
But they were not to shelter murderers, but only those who had killed
"unwittingly" (RV). It was only those who had unintentionally taken
the life of a fellow-creature who could take refuge therein! And this,
be it observed, was not regarded as a light affair: even the man who
had taken life "unawares" was deprived of his liberty until the death
of the high priest!
The seventh commandment
This respects the marriage relationship which was instituted in Eden:
"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall
cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh" (Gen. 2:24). The
marriage-relationship is paramount over every other human obligation.
A man is more responsible to love and care for his wife than he is to
remain in the home of his childhood and take care of his father and
mother. It is the highest and most sacred of human relations. It is in
view of this relationship that the seventh Commandment is given. "Thou
shalt not commit adultery" means, thou shalt not be unfaithful to the
marriage obligations.
Now in Christ's exposition of this Commandment we find him filling it
out and giving us its deeper meaning: "I say unto you, That whosoever
looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her
already in his heart" (Matthew 5:18). Unfaithfulness is not limited to
the overt act, but reaches to the passions behind the act. In Christ's
interpretation of the law of divorce he shows that one thing only can
dissolve the marriage relationship, and that is unfaithfulness on the
part of the husband or the wife. "I say unto you, Whosoever shall put
away his wife, except for fornication, and shall marry another,
committeth adultery and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth
commit adultery" (Matthew 19:9). Fornication is the general term;
adultery the specific: the former includes the latter. 1 Corinthians
7:15 supplies no exception: if one depart from the other, except it be
on the ground of unfaithfulness, neither is free to marry again.
Separation is not divorce in the scriptural sense. "If she depart, let
her remain unmarried" (1 Cor. 7:11).
The eighth commandment
The design of this Commandment is to inculcate honesty in all our
dealings with men. Stealing covers more than pilfering. "Owe no man
anything" (Rom. 13:8). "Providing for honest things, not only in the
sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men" (2 Cor. 8:2 1). I may
steal from another by fraudulent means, without using any violence. If
I borrow a book and fail to return it, that is theft--it is keeping
what is not my own. How many are guilty here! If I misrepresent an
article for sale, the price which I receive over and above its fair
market value is stolen! The man who obtains money by gambling receives
money for which he has done no honest work, and is therefore a thief!
Parents are woefully lax in their condemnation and punishment of
the sin of stealing. The child begins by taking sugar, it may be.
The mother makes light of it at first and the child's conscience is
violated without any sense of wrong. By and by it is not an easy
matter to check the habit, because it grows and multiplies with
every new commission (D L Moody).
The ninth commandment
The scope of these words is much wider than is generally supposed. The
most flagrant form of this sin is to slander our neighbors--a lie
invented and circulated with malicious intentions. Few forms of injury
done by one man to another is more despicable than this. But equally
reprehensible is tale bearing where there has been no careful
investigation to verify the evil report. False witness may be borne by
leaving a false impression upon the minds of people by a mere hint or
suggestion. "Have you heard about Mr. so-and-so"?" "No." "Ah! Well,
the least said the soonest mended." Again, when one makes an unjust
criticism or charge against another in the hearing of a third party,
and that third party remains silent, his very silence is a breach of
this ninth Commandment. The flattering of another, exaggerated eulogy,
is a false witness. Rightly has it been said, "There is no word of the
Decalogue more often and more unconsciously broken than this ninth
Commandment, and men need perpetually and persistently to pray, Set a
watch, O Lord, before my mouth: keep the door of my lips."
The tenth commandment
This Commandment differs from all the others in that while they
prohibit the overt act, this condemns the very desire to act. The word
"covet" means desire, and the Commandment forbids us to covet any
thing that is our neighbor's. Clear proof is this that these
Commandments are not of human origin. The tenth Commandment has never
been placed on any human statute book! It would be useless to do so,
for men could not enforce it. More than any other, perhaps, does this
Commandment reveal to us what we are, the hidden depths of evil
within. It is natural to desire things, even though they belong to
others. True; and that only shows the fallen and depraved state of our
nature. The last Commandment is especially designed to show men their
sinfulness, and their need of a Saviour. Believers, too, are exhorted
to "beware of covetousness" (Luke 12:15). There is only one exception,
and that is stated in 1 Corinthians 12:3 1: "Covet earnestly the best
gifts".
May the Holy Spirit of God fasten these Commandments upon the memory
of both writer and reader, and may the fear of God make us tremble
before them.
_________________________________________________
Contents | Introduction | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
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The Life of Faith
by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 7
The Restoration of David
_________________________________________________
His Conviction
An interval of some months elapsed between what is recorded in 2
Samuel 11 and that which is found at the beginning of chapter 12.
During this interval David was free to enjoy to the full that which he
had acquired through his wrongdoing. The one obstacle which lay in the
way of the free indulgence of his passion was removed; Bathsheba was
now his. Apparently, the king, in his palace, was secure and immune.
So far there had been no intervention of God in judgment, and
throughout those months David had remained impenitent for the fearful
crimes he had committed. Alas, how dull the conscience of a saint may
become. But if David was pleased with the consummation of his vile
plans, there was one who was displeased. The eyes of God had marked
his evil conduct, and the Divine righteousness would not pass it by.
"These things hast thou done, and I kept silence", yet he adds, "but I
will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes" (Ps. 50:2
1).
God may suffer his people to indulge the lusts of the flesh and fall
into grievous sin, but he will not allow them to remain content and
happy in such a case: rather are they made to prove that "the way of
transgressors is hard". In the 20th chapter of Job, the Holy Spirit
has painted a graphic picture of the wretchedness experienced by the
evil-doer. "Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it
under his tongue; though he spare it, and forsake it not, but keep it
still within his mouth; yet his meat in his bowels is turned, it is
the gall of asps within him. He hath swallowed down riches, and he
shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly. He
shall suck the poison of asps: the viper's tongue shall slay him... It
shall go ill with him that is left of his tabernacle. The heavens
shall reveal his iniquity" (vv. 12-16, 26, 27). Notably is this the
case with backsliders, for God will not be mocked with impugnity (to
be attacked as false).
The coarse pleasures of sin cannot long content a child of God. It has
been truly said that "Nobody buys a little passing pleasure in evil at
so dear a rate, or keeps it so short a time, as a good man." The
conscience of the righteous soon reasserts itself, and makes its
disconcerting voice heard. He may yet be far from true repentance, but
he will soon experience keen remorse. Months may pass before he again
enjoys communion with God, but self-disgust will quickly fill his
soul. The saint has to pay a fearfully high price for enjoying "the
pleasures of sin for a season". Stolen waters may be sweet for a
moment, but how quickly his "mouth is filled with gravel" (Prov.
20:17). Soon will the guilty one have to cry out, "he hath made my
chain heavy.., he hath made me desolate: he hath filled me with
bitterness. . . thou has removed my soul far off from peace" (Lam.
3:7, 11, 15, 17).
Though the inspired historian has not described the wretchedness of
David's soul following his murder of Uriah, yet we may obtain a clear
view of the same from the Psalms penned by him after his conviction
and deep contrition. Those Psalms tell of a sullen closing of his
mouth: "when I kept silence" (32:3). Though his heart must frequently
have smitten him, yet he would not speak to God about his sin; and
there was nothing else he could speak of. They tell of the inward
perturbation and tumult that filled him: "my bones waxed old through
my roaring all the day long" (32:3): groans of remorse were wrung from
his yet unbroken heart. "For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me"
(v. 4)--a sense of the Divine holiness and power oppressed him, though
it did not melt him.
Even a palace can afford no relief unto one who is filled with bitter
remorse. A king may command his subjects, but he cannot calm the voice
of an outraged conscience. No matter whether the sun of the morning
was shining or the shades of even were falling, there was no escape
for David. "Day and night" God's heavy hand weighed him down: "my
moisture is turned into the drought of summer", he declared (v. 4)--it
was as though some heated iron was scorching him: all the dew and
freshness of his life was dried up. Most probably he suffered acutely
in both body and soul.
Thus he dragged through a weary year--ashamed of his guilty
dalliance, wretched in his self-accusation, afraid of God, and
skulking in the recesses of his palace from the sight of the
people.
David learned, what we all learn (and the holier a man is, the more
speedily and sharply the lesson follows on the heels of his sin), that
every transgression is a blunder, that we never get the satisfaction
which we expect from any sin, or if we do, we get something with it
which spoils it all. A nauseous drug is added to the exciting,
intoxicating drink which temptation offers, and though its flavor is
at first disguised by the pleasanter taste of sin, its bitterness is
persistent though slow, and clings to the palate long after that has
faded away utterly (Alexander Maclaren).
With equal clearness does this appear in the 51st Psalm. "Restore unto
me the joy of thy salvation" (v. 12) he cries, for spiritual comforts
had entirely deserted him. "O Lord, open thou my lips: and my mouth
shall show forth thy praise" (v. 15): the dust had settled upon the
strings of his harp because the Spirit within was grieved.
How could it be otherwise? So long as David refused to humble himself
beneath the mighty hand of God, seeking from him a spirit of true
repentance, and freely confessing his great wickedness, there could be
no more peace for him, no more happy communion with God, no further
growth in grace. O my reader, we would earnestly press upon you the
great importance of keeping short accounts with God. Let not guilt
accumulate upon thy conscience: make it a point each night of
spreading before him the sins of the day, and seeking to be cleansed
therefrom. Any great sin lying long upon the conscience, unrepented
of, or not repented of as the matter requires, only furthers our
indwelling corruptions: neglect causes the heart to be hardened. "My
wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness" (Ps. 38:5): it
was his foolish neglect to make a timely application for the cure of
the wounds that sin had made, which he there laments.
At the end of 2 Samuel 11 we read, "But the thing that David had done
displeased the Lord", upon which Matthew Henry says, "One would think
it should be followed that the Lord sent enemies to invade him,
terrors to take hold on, and the messengers of death to arrest him.
No, he sent a prophet to him" --"And the Lord sent Nathan unto David"
(12:1). We are here to behold the exceeding riches of Divine grace and
mercy: such "riches" that legal and self-righteous hearts have
murmured at, as a making light of sin--so incapable is the natural man
of discerning spiritual things: they are "foolishness" unto him. David
had wandered far, but he was not lost. "Though the righteous fall",
yet it is written "he shall not be utterly cast down" (Ps. 37:24). O
how tenderly God watches over his sheep! How faithfully he goes after
and recovers them, when they have strayed! With what amazing goodness
does he heal their backslidings and continue to love them freely!
"And the Lord sent Nathan unto David" (12:1). It is to be duly noted
that it was not David who sent for the prophet, though never did he
more sorely need his counsel than now. No, it was God who took the
initiative: it is ever thus, for we never seek him, until he seeks us.
It was thus with Moses when a fugitive in Midian, with Elijah when
fleeing from Jezebel, with Jonah under the juniper tree, with Peter
after his denial (1 Cor. 15:5). O the marvel of it! How it should melt
our hearts. "If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot
deny himself (2 Tim.2:13). Though he says, "I will visit their
transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes", it is at
once added, "Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take
from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail" (Ps. 89:32,33). So it
was here: David still had an interest in that everlasting covenant
"ordered in all things and sure" (2 Sam. 23:5).
"And the Lord sent Nathan unto David." Probably about a year had
elapsed from what is recorded in the beginning of the preceding
chapter, for the adulterous child was already born (12:14). Rightly
did Matthew Henry point out, "Though God may suffer his people to fall
into sin, he will not suffer his people to lie still in it". No, God
will exhibit his holiness, his righteousness, and his mercy in
connection therewith. His holiness, by displaying his hatred of the
same, and by bringing the guilty one to penitently confess it. His
righteousness, in the chastening visited upon it; his mercy, in
leading the backslider to forsake it, and then bestow his pardon upon
him. What a marvelous and blessed exercise of his varied attributes!
"For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I
hid me, and was wroth, and he went frowardly in the way of his heart.
I have seen his ways, and will heal him(!!): I will lead him also and
restore comforts unto him" (Isa. 58:17, 18).
"And the LORD sent Nathan unto David." The prophet's task was far from
being an enviable one: to meet the guilty king alone, face to face. As
yet David had evinced no sign of repentance. God had not cast off his
erring child, but he would not condone his grievous offences: all must
come out into the light. The Divine displeasure must be made evident:
the culprit must be charged and rebuked: David must judge himself, and
then discover that where sin had abounded grace did much more abound.
Wondrous uniting of Divine righteousness and mercy--made possible by
the cross of Christ! The righteousness of God required that David
should be faithfully dealt with; the mercy of God moved him to send
Nathan for the recovery of his strayed sheep. "Mercy and truth are met
together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other" (Ps. 85:10).
Yes, Nathan might well have quailed before the commission which God
now gave him. It was no easy matter to have to rebuke his royal
master. Varied indeed are the tasks which the Lord assigns his
servants. Often are they sent forth with a message which they well
know will be most unpalatable to their hearers; and the temptation to
tone it down, to take off its sharp edge, if not to substitute another
which will be even more acceptable, is both real and strong. Little do
the rank and file even of God's people realize what it costs a
minister of the gospel to be faithful to his calling. If the apostle
Paul felt his need of requesting prayer "that utterance may be given
unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly" (Eph. 6:18, 19), how much
more do God's servants today need the support of the supplications of
their brethren and sisters in Christ! For on every side the cry now is
"speak unto us smooth things"!
On a previous occasion God had sent Nathan to David with a message of
promise and comfort (7: 4, 5 etc.); now he is ordered to charge the
king with his crimes. He did not decline the unwelcome task, but
executed it faithfully. Not only was his mission an unenviable one,
but it was far from easy. Few things are more difficult and trying to
one with a sensitive disposition than to be called upon to reprove an
erring brother. In pondering the method here followed by the
prophet--his line of approach to David's slumbering conscience--there
is valuable instruction for those of us who may be called upon to deal
with similar cases. Wisdom from on High (we do not say "tact", the
worlds term, for more often that word is employed to denote the
serpentine subtleties of the serpent than the honest dealings of the
Holy Spirit) is sorely needed if we are to be a real help to those who
have fallen by the wayside--lest we either condone their offences, or
make them despair of obtaining pardon.
Nathan did not immediately charge David with his crimes: instead, he
approached his conscience indirectly by means of a parable--clear
intimation that he was out of communion with God, for he never
employed that method of revelation with those who were walking in
fellowship with him. The method employed by the prophet had the great
advantage of presenting the facts of the case before David, without
stirring up his opposition of self-love and kindling resentment
against being directly rebuked; yet causing him to pass sentence
against himself without being aware of it--sure proof that Nathan had
been given wisdom from above!
There scarcely ever was any thing more calculated, on the one hand,
to awaken emotions of sympathy, and, on the other, those of
indignation, than the case here supposed; and the several
circumstances by which the heart must be interested in the poor
man's case, and by which the unfeeling oppression of his rich
neighbor was aggravated (Thomas Scott).
The prophet began, then, by giving an oblique representation of the
vileness of David's offence, which was conveyed in such a way that the
king's judgment was obliged to assent to the gross injustice he was
guilty of. The excuselessness, the heartlessness, and the abominable
selfishness of his conduct was depicted, though Uriah's loyal service
and the king's ingratitude and treachery, and the murder of him and
his fellow-soldiers, was not alluded to--is there not a hint here
that, when reproving an erring brother we should gradually lead up to
the worst elements in his offence? Yet obvious as was the allusion in
Nathan's parable, David perceived not its application unto himself--
how this shows that when one is out of touch with God, he is devoid of
spiritual discernment: it is only in God's light that we can see
light!
"And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to
Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall
surely die" (v. 5). David supposed that a complaint was being
preferred against one of his subjects. Forgetful of his own crimes, he
was fired with indignation at the supposed offender, and with a solemn
oath condemned him to death. In condemning the rich man, David
unwittingly condemns himself. What a strange thing the heart of a
believer is! What a medley dwells within it! Often filled with
righteous indignation against the sins of others, while blind to its
own! Real need has each of us to solemnly and prayerfully ponder the
questions of Romans 2:21-23. Self-flattery makes us quick to mark the
faults of others, but blind to our own grievous sins. Just in
proportion as a man is in love with his own sins and resentful of
being rebuked, will he be unduly severe in condemning those of his
neighbors.
Having brought David to pronounce sentence upon a supposed offender
for crimes of far less malignity than his own, the prophet now, with
great courage and plainness, declared, "Thou art the man" (v. 7), and
speaks directly in the name of God: "Thus saith the LORD God of
Israel". First, David is reminded of the signal favors which had been
bestowed upon him (vv. 7, 8), among them the "wives" or women of
Saul's court, from which he might have selected a wife. Second, God
was willing to bestow yet more (v. 8): had he considered anything was
lacking, he might have asked for it, and had it been for his good the
Lord had freely granted it--cf. Psalm 84:11. Third, in view of God's
tender mercies, faithful love and all-sufficient gifts, he is asked
"Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil
in his sight"?" (v. 9). Ah, it is contempt of the Divine authority
which is the occasion of all sin--making light of the Law and its
Giver, acting as though its precepts were mere trifles, and its
threats meaningless.
The desired result was now accomplished. "And David said unto Nathan,
I have sinned against the Lord" (v. 13). Those words were not uttered
lightly or mechanically, as the sequel shows.
His Repentance
The emperor Arcadius and his wife had a very bitter feeling towards
Chrysostom, bishop of Constantinople. One day, in a fit of anger,
the emperor said to one of his courtiers. "I would I were avenged
of this bishop!" Several then proposed how this should be done.
"Banish him and exile him to the desert," said one. "Put him in
prison," said another. "Confiscate his property," said a third.
"Let him die," said a fourth. Another courtier, whose vices
Chrysostom had reproved, said maliciously, "You all make a great
mistake. You will never punish him by such proposals. If banished
the kingdom, he will feel God as near to him in the desert as here.
If you put him in prison and load him with chains, he will still
pray for the poor and praise God in the prison. If you confiscate
his property, you merely take away his goods from the poor, not
from him. If you condemn him to death, you open heaven to him.
Prince, do you wish to be revenged on him"? Force him to commit
sin. I know him: this man fears nothing in the world but sin." O
that this were the only remark which our fellows could pass on you
and me, fellow-believer (From the Fellowship magazine).
We recently came across the above in our reading, and thought it would
form a most suitable introduction to this section. What cause have we
to fear SIN!--that "abominable thing" which God hates (Jer. 44:4),
that horrible disease which brought death into the world (Rom. 5:12),
that fearful thing which nailed to the cross the Lord of glory (1 Pet.
2:24), that shameful thing which fouls the believers s garments and so
often brings reproach upon the sacred Name which he bears. Yes, good
reason has each of us to fear sin, and to beg God that it may please
him to work in our hearts a greater horror and hatred of it. Is not
this one reason why God permits some of the most eminent saints to
lapse into outrageous evils, and place such upon record in his Word:
that we should be more distrustful of ourselves, realizing that we are
liable to the same disgracing of our profession: yea, that we
certainly shall fall into such unless upheld by the mighty hand of
God.
As we have seen David sinned, and sinned grievously. What was yet
worse, for a long season he refused to acknowledge unto God his
wickedness. A period of months went by ere he felt the heinousness of
his conduct. Ah, my reader, it is the inevitable tendency of sin to
deaden the conscience and harden the heart. Therein lies its most
hideous feature and fatal aspect. Sin suggests innumerable excuses to
its perpetrator and ever prompts to extenuation. It was thus at the
beginning. When brought face to face with their Maker, neither Adam
nor Eve evidenced any contrition; rather did they seek to vindicate
themselves by placing the blame elsewhere. Thus it was with each of us
whilst in a state of nature. Sin blinds and hardens, and naught but
Divine grace can illumine and soften. Nothing short of the power of
the Almighty can pierce the calloused conscience or break the
sin-petrified heart.
Now God will not suffer any of his people to remain indefinitely in a
state of spiritual insensibility: sooner or later he brings to light
the hidden things of darkness, convicts them of their offences, causes
them to mourn over the same, and leads them to repentance. God employs
a variety of means in accomplishing this, for in nothing does he act
uniformly. He is limited to no one measure or method, and being
sovereign he acts as seemeth good unto himself. This may be seen by
comparing some of the cases recorded in the Scriptures. It was a sense
of God's awe-inspiring majesty which brought Job to repent of his
self-righteousness and abhor himself (Job 42:1-6). It was a vision of
the Lord's exalted glory which made Isaiah cry out, "Woe is me! for I
am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips" (Isa. 6:1-5). A sight
of Christ's miraculous power moved Peter to cry, "Depart from me, for
I am a sinful man, O Lord" (Luke 5:8). Those on the day of Pentecost
were "pricked in their heart" (Acts 2:37) by hearing the apostle's
sermon.
In the case of David, God employed a parable in the mouth of his
prophet to produce conviction. Nathan depicted a case where one was so
vilely treated that any who heard the account of it must perforce
censure him who was guilty of such an outrage. For though it is the
very nature of sin to blind its perpetrator, yet it does not take away
his sense of right and wrong. Even when a man is insensible to the
enormity of his own transgressions, he is still capable of discerning
evil in others: yea, in most instances it seems that the one who has a
beam in his own eye is readier to perceive the mote in his fellow's.
It was according to this principle that Nathan's parable was addressed
to David: if the king was slow to confess his own wickedness, he would
be quick enough to condemn like evil in another. Accordingly the case
was spread before him.
In the parable (2 Sam. 12:1-4), an appeal is made to both David's
affections and his conscience. The position of Uriah and his wife is
touchingly portrayed under the figure of a poor man with his "one
little ewe lamb", which was dear to him and "lay in his bosom". The
one who wronged him is represented as a rich man with "exceeding many
flocks and herd" which greatly heightened his guilt in seizing and
slaying the one lone lamb of his neighbor. The occasion of the
offence, the temptation to commit it, is stated as "there came a
traveler unto the rich man": it was to minister unto him that the rich
man seized upon the poor man's lamb. That "traveler" which came to him
pictures the restless flesh, the active lusts, the wandering thoughts,
the roving eyes of David in connection with Bathsheba. Ah, my reader,
it is at this point we most need to be upon our guard. "Casting down
imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5).
"Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out o it are the issues of
life" (Prov. 4:23). Part of that task lies in regulating our thoughts
and repelling unlawful imaginations. True it is that we cannot prevent
wandering thoughts from entering our minds nor evil imaginations from
surging up within us, but we are responsible to resist and reject
them. But this is what David failed to do: he welcomed this
"traveler", he entertained him, he feasted him, and feasted him upon
that which was not lawful--with that which belonged to another:
pictured in the parable by the lamb belonging to his neighbor. And, my
reader, it is when we give place to our sinful lusts, indulge our evil
imaginations, feed our wandering thoughts upon that which is unlawful,
that we pave the way for a sad fall. "Travelers" will come to us--the
mind will be active--and our responsibility is to see that they are
fed with that which is lawful: ponder Philippians 4:8 in this
connection.
Nathan, then, traced the trouble back to its source, and showed what
it was which occasioned and led up to David's fearful fall. The
details of the parable emphasized the excuselessness, the injustice,
the lawlessness, the wickedness of his crime. He already had wives of
his own, why, then, must he rob poor Uriah of his! The case was so
clearly put, the guilt of the offender so evidently established, the
king at once condemned the offender, and said, "The man that hath done
this thing shall surely die" (12:5). Then it was that the prophet
turned and said to him, "Thou art the man". David did not flame forth
in hot resentment and anger against the prophet's accusation: he made
no attempt to deny his grievous transgression or proffer any excuses
for it. Instead, he frankly owned, "I have sinned against the Lord"
(v. 13). Nor were those words uttered mechanically or lightly as the
sequel so clearly shows, and as we shall now see.
David's slumbering conscience was now awakened, and he was made to
realize the greatness of his guilt. The piercing arrow from God's
quiver, which Nathan had driven into his diseased heart, opened to
David's view the awfulness of his present case. Then it was that he
gave evidence that, though woeful had been his conduct, nevertheless,
he was not a reprobate soul, totally abandoned by God.
The dormant spark of Divine grace in David's heart now began to
rekindle, and before this plain and faithful statement of facts, in
the name of God, his evasions vanished, and his guilt appeared in
all its magnitude. He therefore was far from resenting the pointed
rebuke of the prophet, or attempting any palliation of his conduct:
but, in deep humiliation of heart, he confessed, "I have sinned
against the Lord". The words are few: but the event proved them to
have been the language of genuine repentance, which regards sin as
committed against the authority and glory of the Lord, whether or
not it has occasioned evil to any fellow-creature (Thomas Scott).
In order to fully obtain the mind of God on any subject treated of in
his Word, Scripture has to be diligently searched and one passage
carefully compared with another--failure to observe this principle
ever results in an inadequate or one-sided view. It is so here.
Nothing is recorded in the historical account in 2 Samuel about the
deep exercises of heart through which David now passed; nothing is
said to indicate the reality and depth of his repentance. For that we
must turn elsewhere, notably to the penitential Psalms. There the Holy
Spirit has graciously given us a record of what David was inspired to
write thereon, for it is in the Psalms we find most fully delineated
the varied experiences of soul through which the believer passes.
There we may find an unerring description of every exercise of heart
experienced by the saint in his journey through this wilderness scene;
which explains why this book of Scripture has ever been a great
favorite with God's people; therein they find their own inward history
accurately described.
The two principal Psalms which give us a view of the heart exercises
through which David now passed are the 51st and the 32nd. The 51st is
evidently the earlier one. In it we see the fallen saint struggling up
out of "the horrible pit and miry clay". In the latter we behold him
standing again on firm ground with a new song in his mouth, even the
blessedness of him "whose sin is covered". But both of them are
evidently to be dated from the time when the sharp thrust of God's
lancet in the hand of Nathan pierced David's conscience, and when the
healing balsam of God's assurance of forgiveness was laid by the
prophet upon his heart. The passionate cries of the sorely-stricken
soul (Ps. 51) are really the echo of the Divine promise--the efforts
of David's faith to grasp and appropriate the merciful gift of pardon.
It was the Divine promise of forgiveness which was the basis and
encouragement of the prayer for forgiveness.
It is to be noted that the title affixed to the 51st Psalm is "A Psalm
of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in
to Bathsheba." Beautifully did Spurgeon point out in his introductory
remarks, "When the Divine message had aroused his dormant conscience
and made him see the greatness of his guilt, he wrote this Psalm. He
had forgotten his psalmody while he was indulging his flesh, but he
returned to his harp when his spiritual nature was awakened, and he
poured out his song to the accompaniment of sighs and tears." Great as
was David's sin, yet he repented, and was restored. The depths of his
anguish and the reality of his repentance are evident in every verse.
In it we may behold the grief and the desires of a contrite soul
pouring out his heart before God, humbly and earnestly suing for his
mercy. Only the Day to come will reveal how many sin-tormented souls
have from this Psalm--"all blotted with the tears in which David
sobbed out his repentance"--found a path for backsliders in a great
and howling desert.
Although the psalm is one long cry for pardon and restoration, one
can discern an order and progress in its petitions--the order, not
of an artificial reproduction of a past mood of mind, but the
instinctive order in which the emotion of contrite desire will ever
pour itself forth. In the psalm all begins (v. 1), as all begins in
fact, with the grounding of the cry for favour on "thy
loving-kindness", the multitude of thy tender mercies"; the one
plea that avails with God, whose love is its own motive and its own
measure, whose past acts are the standard for all his future, whose
own compassions, in their innumerable numbers, are more than the
sum of our transgressions, though these be "more than the hairs of
our head". Beginning with God's mercy, the penitent soul can learn
to look next upon its own sin in all its aspects of evil (Alexander
Maclaren).
The depth and intensity of the Psalmist's loathing of self is clearly
revealed by the various terms he uses to designate his crime. He
speaks of his "transgressions" (vv. 1, 3), and of his "iniquity" and
"sin" (vv. 2, 3). As another has forcibly pointed out, "Looked at in
one way, he sees the separate acts of which he had been guilty--his
lust, fraud, treachery, murder; looked at in another, he seems them
all knotted together in one inextricable tangle of forked, hissing
tongues, like the serpent--locks that coil and twist round a Gorgon
head. No sin dwells alone; the separate acts have a common root, and
the whole is matted together like the green growth on a stagnant pond,
so that, by whatever filament it is grasped the whole mass is drawn
toward you."
A profound insight into the essence and character of sin is here
exhibited by the accumulated synonyms. It is transgression, or as the
Hebrew word might be rendered "rebellion" --not merely the breach of
an impersonal law, but the revolt of a subject's will against its true
King; disobedience to God, as well as contravention of a standard. It
is iniquity--perversion or distortion--acting unjustly or dealing
crookedly. It is sin or "missing the mark", for all sin is a blunder,
shooting wide of the true goal, whether regard be had for God's glory
or our own wellbeing and happiness. It is pollution and filth, from
which nothing but atoning blood can cleanse. It is evil (v. 4), a vile
thing which deserves only unsparing condemnation. It is a fretting
leprosy, causing him to cry, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be
clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow" (v. 7).
"Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy
sight" (v. 4). In these words David gives evidence of the sincerity of
his contrition and proof that he was a regenerate man. It is only
those possessing a spiritual nature that will view sin in the presence
of God. The evil of all sin lies in its opposition to God, and a
contrite heart is filled with a sense of the wrong done unto him.
Evangelical repentance mourns for sin because it has displeased a
gracious God and dishonored a loving Father. David, then, was not
content with looking upon his evil in itself, or in relation only to
the people who had suffered by it. He had been guilty of crimes
against Bathsheba and Uriah, and even Joab whom he made his tool, as
well as against all his subjects; but dark as these crimes were, they
assumed their true character only when seen as committed against God.
"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive
me" (v. 5). Many have been puzzled by this verse in the light of its
setting, yet it should occasion no difficulty. Certainly it was not
said by David in self-extenuation; rather was it to emphasize his own
excuseless guilt. From the second half of verse 4 it is plain that he
was vindicating God: thou hadst nothing to do with my sin: it was all
mine own--out of the proneness unto evil of my depraved nature. It was
not thou, but my own evil lusts, which tempted me. David was engaged
in making full confession, and therefore did he acknowledge the
defilement of his very nature. It was to humble himself, clear God,
and magnify the Divine grace, that David said verse 5.
In the clear light of Psalm 51 we cannot doubt the reality, the
sincerity, nor the depth of David's repentance and brokenhearted
contrition. We close this section with a brief quotation from Thomas
Scott:
Let not any vile hypocrite, who resembles David in nothing but his
transgressions, and who adds the habit of allowed sin to all other
aggravations, buoy up his confidence with his example: let him
first imitate David's humiliation, repentance, and other eminent
graces, before he thinks himself, or requires others to consider
him as a backslider.
His Forgiveness
The inward experience of a believer consists very largely of growing
discoveries of his own vileness and of God's goodness, of his own
excuseless failures and of God's infinite forbearance, with a frequent
alternation between gloom and joy, confession and thanksgiving.
Consequently, the more he reads and meditates upon the Word, the more
he sees how exactly suited it is to his case, and how accurately his
own checkered history is described therein. The two leading themes of
Scriptures are sin and grace: throughout the Sacred Volume each of
these is traced to its original source, each is delineated in its true
character, each is followed out in its consequences and ends, each is
illustrated and exemplified by numerous personal examples. Strange as
it first sounds, yet it is true that, upon these two, sin and grace,
do turn all the transactions between God and the souls of men.
The force of what has just been said receives clear and striking
demonstration in the case of David. Sin in all its hideousness is seen
at work within him, plunging him into the mire; but grace is also
discovered in all its loveliness, delivering and cleansing him. The
one serves as a dark background from which the other may shine forth
the more gloriously. Nowhere do we behold so unmistakably the fearful
nature and horrible works of sin than in the man after God's own
heart, so signally favored and so highly honored, yet failing so
ignominiously and sinking so low. Yet nowhere do we behold so vividly
the amazing grace of God as in working true repentance in this
notorious transgressor, pardoning his iniquity, and restoring him to
communion. King Saul was rejected for a far milder offence: Ah, he was
not in the covenant! O the awe-inspiring sovereignty of Divine grace.
Not only has the Holy Spirit faithfully recorded the awful details of
David's sin. He has also fully described the heart-affecting
repentance of the contrite king. In addition thereto, he has shown us
how David sought and obtained the Divine forgiveness. Each of these is
recorded for our learning, and, we may add, for our comfort. The first
shows us the fearful tendency of the flesh which still indwells the
believer, with its proneness to produce the vilest fruit. The second
makes known to us the lamentable work which we make for ourselves when
we indulge our lusts, and the bitter cup we shall then be obliged to
drink. The third informs us that grievous though our case be, yet it
is not hopeless, and reveals the course which God requires us to
follow. Having already considered the first two at some length, we
will now turn to the third.
As it is in the Psalms that the Spirit has recorded the exercises of
David's broken heart, so it is therein we learn of how he obtained the
Divine pardon for his aggravated offences. We will begin by turning to
one of the last of the "penitential" Psalms, which we believe was
probably penned by David himself. "Out of the depths have I cried unto
thee, O Lord" (130:1). There are various "depths" into which God
suffers his people, at times, to fall: "depths" of trial and trouble
over financial losses, family bereavements, personal illness. There
are also "depths" of sin and guilt, into which they may plunge
themselves, with the consequent "depths" of conviction and anguish, of
darkness and despair--through the hidings of God's face, and of
Satanic opposition and despondency. It is these which are here more
particularly in view.
The design of the Holy Spirit in this 130th Psalm was to express and
represent in the person and conduct of the psalmist the case of a soul
entangled in the meshes of Satan, overwhelmed by the conscious guilt
of sin, but relieved by a discovery of the grace of God, with its
deportment upon and participation of that grace. We quote the helpful
paraphrase of John Owen in its opening verses:
O Lord, through my manifold sins and provocation I have brought
myself into great distresses. Mine iniquities are always before me,
and I am ready to be overwhelmed with them, as with a flood of
waters; for they have brought me into depths, wherein I am ready to
be swallowed up. But yet, although my distress be great and
perplexing, I do not, I dare not, utterly despond and cast away all
hopes of relief or recovery. Nor do I seek unto any other remedy,
way, or means of relief, but I apply myself to thee, Jehovah, to
thee alone. And in this my application unto thee, the greatness and
urgency of my troubles makes my soul urgent, earnest, and pressing
in my supplication, whilst I have no rest, I can give thee no rest;
oh, therefore, attend and hearken unto the voice of my crying!
When the soul is in such a case--in the "depths" of distress and
despondency--there is no relief for it but in God, fully unburdening
the heart to him. The soul cannot rest in such a state, and no
deliverance is to be obtained from any creature helps. "Asshur shall
not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any
more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the
fatherless (the grief-stricken and helpless) findeth mercy" (Hosea
14:3). In God alone is help to be found. The vain things which deluded
Romanists have invented--prayers "to the Virgin", penances, confession
to "priests," fastings, masses, pilgrimages, works of
compensation--are all "cisterns which hold no water". Equally useless
are the counsels of the world to sin-distressed souls--to try a change
of scenery, diversion from work, music, cheerful society, pleasure,
etc. There is no peace but in the God of peace.
Now in his very lowest state the Psalmist sought help from the Lord,
nor was his appeal in vain. And this is what we need to lay hold of
when in similar circumstances: it is recorded to this very end. Dear
Christian reader, however deplorable may be your condition, however
dire your need, however desperate your situation, however intolerable
the load on your conscience, your case is not hopeless. David cried,
and was heard; he sought mercy, and obtained it; and the Divine
promise to you and me is, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the
Throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in
time of need" (Heb. 4:16). David was not the only one who cried unto
God out of "the depths". Think of the prophet Jonah: following a
course of self-will, deliberately fleeing from God's commandment, then
cast into the sea and swallowed by the whale: yet of him too we read,
"I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me;
out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice" (2:2).
It was his hope in the plenitude of Divine grace that moved David to
seek unto the Lord. "If thou, Loan, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord,
who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest
be feared. I wait for the Loan, my soul doth wait, and in his word do
I hope" (Ps. 130:3-5). In the third verse he owns that he could not
stand before the thrice Holy One on the ground of his own
righteousness, and that if God were to "mark iniquities", that is,
impute them unto condemnation, then his case was indeed hopeless. In
the fourth verse he humbly reminds God that there was forgiveness with
him, that he might be revered and adored--not trifled with and mocked,
for Divine pardon is not a license for future self-indulgence. In the
fifth verse he hopefully waits for some "token for good" (Ps. 86:17),
some "answer of peace" (Gen. 41:16) from the Lord.
But it is in the 51st Psalm that we find David most definitely and
most earnestly suing for God's pardon. The same intensity of feeling
expressed in the use of so many words for sin, is revealed also in his
reiterated synonyms for pardon. This petition comes from his lips
again and again, not because he thought to be heard for his much
speaking, but because of the earnestness of his longing. Such
repetitions are signs of the persistence of faith, while those which
last, like the prayers of Baal's priests "from morning till the time
of evening sacrifice", indicate only the supplicant's doubts. The
"vain repetition" against which the Lord warned, is not a matter of
repeating the same form of request, but of mechanically multiplying
the same--like the Romanist with his "pater nosters (our fathers)"
--and supposing there is virtue and merit in so doing.
David prayed that his sins might be b otted out (v. 1), which petition
conceives of them as being recorded against him. He prayed that he
might be washed (v. 2) from them, in which they are felt to be foul
stains, which require for their removal hard scrubbing and
beating--for such is, according to some of the commentators, the force
of the Hebrew verb. He prayed that he might be cleansed (v. 7) which
was the technical word for the priestly cleansing of the leper,
declaring him clear of the taint. There is a touching appropriateness
in this last reference, for not only lepers, but those who had become
defiled by contact with a dead body, were thus purified (Num. 19); and
on whom did the taint of this corruption cleave as on the murderer of
Uriah? The prayer in the original is even more remarkable, for the
verb is formed from the word for "sin", and if our language permitted
it, would be rendered, "thou shalt un-sin me."
"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within
me" (Ps. 51:10). His sin had made manifest his weakness and
sensuality, but his remorse and anguish evidenced that above and
beyond all other desires was his abiding longing after God. The
petitions of this Psalm clearly demonstrate that, despite his weakness
and Satan's victory over him, yet the root of the Divine matter was in
David. In asking God to create in him a clean heart, David was humbly
placing himself on a level with the unregenerate: he realized too his
own utter inability to quicken or renew himself--God alone can create
either a new heart or a new earth. In asking for a right spirit, he
was owning that God takes account of the state of our souls as well as
the quality of our actions: a "right spirit" is a loving, trustful,
obedient, steadfast one, that none but God can either impart or
maintain.
In the midst of his abased confessions and earnest cries for pardon,
there comes with wondrous force and beauty the bold request for
restoration to full communion: Restore unto me the joy of thy
salvation" (v. 12). How that request evidenced a more than ordinary
confidence in the rich mercy of God, which would efface all the
consequences of his sin! But note well the position occupied by this
petition: it followed his request for pardon and purity--apart from
these, "joy" would be nought but vain presumption or insane
enthusiasm. "And uphold me by thy free Spirit" (v. 12). First, he had
prayed, "Take not thy Holy Spirit from me" (v. 11)--an obvious
reference to the awful judgment which fell upon his predecessor, Saul;
here, assured that the previous petition is granted, and conscious of
his own weakness and inability to stand, he asks to be supported by
that One who alone can impart and maintain holiness.
Ere passing on to consider the gracious answer which David received,
perhaps this is the best place to consider the question, Was he
justified in asking God for forgiveness? Or to put it in a form which
may better satisfy the critical, Are we warranted in supplicating God
for the pardon of our sins? For there are those today who insist that
we occupy a different and superior relation to God than David did. It
will no doubt surprise some of our readers that we raise such a
question. One would naturally think it was so evident that we ought to
pray for forgiveness that none would question it; that such a prayer
is so well founded upon Scripture itself, is so agreeable to our
condition as erring believers, and is so honoring to God that we
should take the place of penitent suppliants, acknowledging our
offences and seeking his pardoning mercy, that no further proof is
required. But alas, so great is the confusion in Christendom today,
and so much error abounds, that we feel obliged to devote one or two
paragraphs unto the elucidation of this point.
There is a group, more or less influential, who argue that it is
dishonoring to the blood of Christ for any Christian to ask God to
pardon his sins, quoting "having forgiven you all trespasses" (Col.
2:13). These people confuse the impetration of the Atonement with its
application, or in less technical terms, what Christ purchased for his
people with the Holy Spirit's making good the same to them in the
court of their conscience. Let it be clearly pointed out that, in
asking God for forgiveness, we do not pray as though the blood of
Christ had never been shed, or as though our tears and prayers could
make any compensation to Divine justice. Nevertheless, renewed sins
call for renewed repentance: true, we do not then need another
Redeemer, but we do need a fresh exercise of Divine mercy toward us
(Heb. 4:16), and a fresh application to our conscience of the
cleansing blood (1 John 1:7, 9).
The saints of old prayed for pardon: "For thy name's sake, O Lord,
pardon mine iniquity: for it is great" (Ps. 25:11). The Lord Jesus
taught his disciples to pray "Forgive us our debts" (Matthew 6:12),
and that prayer is assuredly for Christians today, for it is addressed
to "our Father"! In praying for forgiveness we ask God to be gracious
to us for Christ's sake; we ask him not to lay such sins to our
charge--"And enter not into judgment with thy servant" (Ps. 143:2); we
ask him for a gracious manifestation to us of his mercy to our
conscience--"Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which
thou hast broken may rejoice" (Ps. 51:8); we ask him for the
comforting proofs of his forgiveness, that we may again have "the joy
of his salvation".
Now it is in the 32nd Psalm that we learn of the answer which "the God
of all grace" (1 Pet. 5:10) granted unto his erring but penitent
child. In his introductory remarks thereon Spurgeon said, "Probably
his deep repentance over his great sin was followed by such blissful
peace that he was led to pour out his spirit in the soft music of this
choice song." The word "Maschil" at its head signifies "Teaching".
"The experience of one believer affords rich instruction to others, it
reveals the footsteps of the flock, and so comforts and directs the
weak." At the close of the 51st Psalm David had prayed, "O Lord, open
thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise" (v. 15): here
the prayer has been heard, and this is the beginning of the
fulfillment of his vow.
"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in
whose spirit there is no guile" (Ps. 32:1, 2). In the former Psalm
David had begun with the plaintive cry for mercy; here he opens with a
burst of praise, celebrating the happiness of the pardoned penitent.
There we heard the sobs of a man in the agonies of contrition and
abasement; here we have an account of their blessed issue. There we
had the multiplied synonyms for sin and for the forgiveness which was
desired; here is the many-sided preciousness of forgiveness possessed,
which runs over in various yet equivalent phrases. The one is a psalm
of wailing; the other, to use its own words, a "song deliverance".
The joy of conscious pardon sounds out in the opening "Blessed is the
man", and the exuberance of his spirit rings forth in the melodious
variations of the one thought of forgiveness in the opening words. How
gratefully he draws on the treasures of his recent experience, which
he sets forth as the taking away of sin--the removal of an intolerable
load from his heart; as the covering of sin--the hiding of its
hideousness from the all-seeing Eye by the blood of Christ; as the
imputing not of sin--a debt discharged. How blessed the realization
that his own forgiveness would encourage other penitent souls--"For
this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee" (v. 6). Finally,
how precious the deep assurance which enables the restored one to say,
"Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou
shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance" (v. 7)!
Here, then, is hope for the greatest backslider, if he will but humble
himself before the God of all grace. True sorrow for sin is followed
by the pardon of sin: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1
John 1:9).
Is it possible that such a backslider from God can be recovered,
and admitted afterwards to comfortable communion with him?
Doubtless it is: "for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him
there is plenteous redemption", and he will never cast out one
humble penitent believer, whatever his former crimes have been, nor
suffer Satan to pluck any of his sheep out of his hand. Let then
those who are fallen return to the Lord without delay, and seek
forgiveness through the Redeemer's atoning blood (Thomas Scott).
_________________________________________________
Contents | Introduction | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
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The Life of Faith
by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 8
Elisha's Testings
_________________________________________________
The peculiar relation which existed between Elijah and Elisha
foreshadowed that which pertains to Christ and his servants, and the
early experiences through which Elisha passed are those which almost
every genuine minister of the gospel is called upon to encounter. All
the preliminary details recorded of the prophet before his mission
commenced must have their counterpart in the early history of any who
are used of God in the work of his kingdom. Those experiences in the
case of Elisha began with a definite call from the Lord, and that is
still his order of procedure. That call was followed by a series of
very real testings, which may well be designated as a preliminary
course of discipline. Those testings were many and varied. There were
seven in number, which at once indicates the thoroughness and
completeness of the ordeals through which Elisha went and by which he
was schooled for the future.
(1) The testing of his affections
This occurred at the time he received his call to devote the whole of
his time and energies to the service of God and his people. A stem
test it was. Elisha was not one who had failed in temporal matters and
now desired to "better his position", nor was he deprived of those who
cherished him and was therefore anxious to enter a more congenial
circle. Far from it. He was the son of a well-to-do farmer, living
with parents to whom he was devotedly attached. Response to Elijah's
casting of the prophetic mantle upon him meant not only the giving up
of favorable worldly prospects, but the severing of happy home ties.
The issue was plainly drawn: which should dominate--zeal for Jehovah
or love for his parents? That Elisha was very far from being one of a
cold and unfeeling disposition is clear from a number of things. When
Elijah bade him remain at Bethel, he replied, "I will not leave thee"
(2 Kings 2:2); and when his master was caught away from him, he
evidenced his deep grief by crying out, "My father! My father!" and by
rending his garments asunder (v. 12).
No, Elisha was no stoic, and it cost him something to break away from
his loved ones. But he shrank not from the sacrifice demanded of him.
He "left the oxen" with which he had been ploughing and "ran after
Elijah" asking only, "Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my
mother, and I will follow thee" (1 Kings 19:20). When permission was
granted, a hasty farewell speech was made and he took his departure;
and the sacred narrative contains no mention that he ever returned
home even for a brief visit. Dutiful respect, yea, tender regard, was
shown for his parents, but he did not prefer them before God. The Lord
does not require his servants to callously ignore their filial duty,
but he does claim the first place in their hearts. Unless one who is
contemplating an entrance into the ministry is definitely prepared to
accord him that, he should at once abandon his quest. No man is
eligible for the ministry unless he is ready to resolutely subordinate
natural ties to spiritual bonds. Blessedly did the spirit prevail over
the flesh in Elisha's response to this initial trial.
(2) The testing of his sincerity
This occurred at the outset of the final journey of the two prophets.
"And it came to pass when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by
a whirlwind that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. And Elijah said
unto Elisha, Tarry here I pray thee" (2 Kings 2:1-2). Various reasons
have been advanced by commentators as to why the Tishbite should have
made such a request. Some think it was because he wished to be alone,
that modesty and humility would not suffer that his companion should
witness the very great honour which was about to be bestowed upon him.
Others suppose it was because he desired to spare Elisha the grief of
a final leave-taking. But in view of all that follows, and taking this
detail in connection with the whole incident, we believe these words
of the prophet bear quite a different interpretation, namely, that
Elijah was now making proof of Elisha's determination and attachment
to him. At the time of his call Elisha had said, "I will follow thee",
and now he was given the opportunity to go back if he were so
disposed.
There was one who accompanied the apostle Paul for a while, but later
he had to lament, "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present
world, and is departed unto Thessalonica" (2 Tim. 4:10). Many have
done likewise. Daunted by the difficulties of the way, discouraged by
the unfavorable response to their efforts, their ardor cooled, and
they concluded they had mistaken their calling; or, because only small
and unattractive fields opened to them, they decided to better
themselves by returning to worldly employment. To what numbers do
those solemn words of Christ apply: "No man, having put his hand to
the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke
9:62). Far otherwise was it with Elisha. No fleeting impression had
actuated him when he declared to Elijah, "I will follow thee." And
when he was put to the test as to whether or not he was prepared to
follow him to the end of the course, he successfully gave evidence of
his unwavering fidelity. "As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth,
Twill not leave thee" was his unflinching response. Oh for like
stability.
(3) The testing of his will or resolution
From Gilgal, Elijah and his companion had gone on to Bethel, and there
he encountered a subtle temptation, one which had prevailed over any
whose heart was not thoroughly established. "And the sons of the
prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha and said unto him,
Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head
today?" (2 Kings 2:3). Which was as much as saying, Why think of going
on any further, what is the use of it, when the Lord is on the point
of taking him from you? And mark it well, they who here sought to make
him waver from his course were not the agents of Jezebel but those who
were on the side of the Lord. Nor was it just one who would deter
Elisha, but apparently the whole body of the prophets endeavoured to
persuade him that he should relinquish his purpose. It is in this very
way God tries the mettle of his servants: to make evident to
themselves and others whether they are vacillating or steadfast,
whether they are regulated wholly by his call and will or whether
their course is directed by the counsels of men.
A holy independence should mark the servant of God. Thus it was with
the chief of the apostles: "I conferred not with flesh and blood"
(Gal. 1:16). Had he done so, what trouble would he have made for
himself; had he listened to the varied advice the other apostles would
offer, what a state of confusion his own mind would have been in! If
Christ is my Master, then it is from him, and from him alone, I must
take my orders. Until I am sure of his will I must continue to wait
upon him; once it is clear to me, I must set out on the performance of
it, and nothing must move me to turn aside. So it was here. Elisha had
been Divinely called to follow Elijah, and he was determined to cleave
to him unto the end, even though it meant going against well-meant
advice and offending the whole of his fellows. "Hold ye your peace"
was his reply. This was one of the trials which this writer
encountered many years ago, when his pastor and Christian friends
urged him to enter a theological seminary, though they knew that
deadly error was taught there. It was not easy to take his stand
against them, but he is deeply thankful he did so.
(4) The testing of his faith
"And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the
Lord hath sent me to Jericho" (2 Kings 2:4). "Tarry here." They were
at Bethel, and this was a place of sacred memories. It was here that
Jacob had spent his first night as he fled from the wrath of his
brother. Here he had been favored with that vision of the ladder whose
top reached unto heaven and beheld the angels of God ascending and
descending on it. Here it was Jehovah had revealed himself and given
him precious promises. When he awakened, Jacob said, "surely the Lord
is in this place... this is none other but the house of God and this
is the gate of heaven" (Gen. 28). Delectable spot was this: the place
of divine communion. Ah, one which is supremely attractive to those
who are spiritually minded, and therefore one which such are entirely
loath to leave. What can be more desirable than to abide where such
privileges and favors are enjoyed! So felt Peter on the holy mount. As
he beheld Christ transfigured and Moses and Elijah talking with him,
he said, "Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt let us make
here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses and one for
Elijah." Let us remain and enjoy such blessing. But that could not be.
God still tests his servants at this very point. They are in some
place where the smile of heaven manifestly rests upon their labours.
The Lord's presence is real, his secrets are revealed to them, and
intimate communion is enjoyed with him. If he followed his own
inclinations he would remain there, but he is not free to please
himself: he is the servant of another and must do his bidding. Elijah
had announced, "The Lord hath sent me to Jericho" and if Elisha were
to "follow" him to the end then to Jericho he too must go. True,
Jericho was far less attractive than Bethel, but the will of God
pointed clearly to it. It is not the consideration of his own tastes
and comforts which is to actuate the minister of Christ but the
performance of duty, no matter where it leads to. The mount of
transfiguration made a powerful appeal unto Peter, but at the base
thereof there was a demon-possessed youth in dire need of deliverance!
(Matthew 17:14-18). Elisha resisted the tempting prospect, saying
again, "I will not leave thee." Oh, for such fidelity!
(5) The testing of his patience
This was a twofold test. When the two prophets arrived at Jericho, the
younger one suffered a repetition of what he had experienced at
Bethel. Once again "the sons of the prophets" from the local school
accosted him, saying, "Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy
master from thy head today?" Elijah himself they left alone, but his
companion was set upon by them. It is the connection in which this
occurs that supplies the key to its meaning. The whole passage brings
before us Elisha being tested first in one way and at one point and
then at another. That he should meet with a repetition at Jericho of
what he had encountered at Bethel is an intimation that the servant of
God needs to be especially on his guard at this point. He must not put
his trust even in "princes", temporal or spiritual, but cease entirely
from man, trusting in the Lord and leaning not on his own
understanding. Though it was annoying to be pestered thus by these
men, Elisha made them a courteous reply, yet one which showed them he
was not to be turned away from his purpose: "Yea, I know it, hold ye
your peace."
"And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the Lord hath
sent me to Jordan." This he said to prove him, as the Saviour tested
the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, when he "made as though he
would have gone further" (Luke 24:28). Much ground had been traversed
since they had set out together from Gilgal. Was Elisha growing tired
of the journey, or was he prepared to persevere to the end"? How many
grow weary of well doing and fail to reap because they faint. How many
fail at this point of testing and drop out when Providence appears to
afford them a favorable opportunity of so doing. Elisha might have
pleaded, "I may be of some service here to the young prophets, but of
what use can I be to Elijah at the Jordan?" Philip was being greatly
used of God in Samaria (Acts 8:12) when the angel of the Lord bade him
arise and go south "unto Gaza, which is desert" (v. 26). And he arose
and went, and God honored his obedience. And Elisha said to his
master, "I will not leave thee," no, not at the eleventh hour; and
great was his reward.
(6) The testing of his character
"And it came to pass, when they were gone over (the Jordan), that
Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be
taken away from thee" (2 Kings 2:9). Here is clear proof that Elijah
had been making trial of his companion when he had at the different
stopping places, bade him "Tarry here" or remain behind, for certainly
he would have extended no such an offer as this had Elisha been
disobedient and acting in self-will. Clearly the Tishbite was so well
pleased with Elisha's devotion and attendance that he determined to
reward him with some parting blessing: "Ask what I shall do for thee."
If this was not the most searching of all the tests, certainly it was
the most revealing. What was his heart really set upon? What did he
desire above all else? At first glance it seemed surprising that
Elijah should fling open so wide a door and offer to supply anything
his successor should ask. But not only had they spent several years
together; Elisha's reaction to the other testings convinced him that
this faithful soul would ask nothing which was incongruous or which
God could not give.
"And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be
upon me." He rose above all fleshly and worldly desires, all that the
natural heart would crave, and asked for that which would be most for
the glory of God and the good of his people. Elisha sought neither
wealth nor honours, worldly power nor prestige. What he asked for was
that he might receive that which marked him out as Elijah's firstborn,
the heir of his official patrimony (Deut. 21:17). It was a noble
request. The work to which he was called involved heavy
responsibilities and the facing of grave dangers, and for the
discharge of his duties he needed to be equipped with spiritual power.
That is what every servant of God needs above everything else: to be
"endued with power from on high". The most splendid faculties, the
ablest intellect, the richest acquirements, count for nothing unless
they be energized by the holy one.
The work of the ministry is such that no man is naturally qualified
for it; only God can make any meet for the same. For that endowment
the apostles waited upon God for ten days. To obtain it Elisha had to
successfully endure the previous testings, pass through Jordan and
keep his eye fixed steadily upon his master.
(7) The testing of his endowment
When we ask God for something it is often his way to test our
earnestness and importunity by keeping us waiting for it, and then
when he grants our request, he puts our fidelity to the proof in the
use we make of it.
If it is faith that is bestowed, circumstances arise which are apt to
call into exercise all our doubts and fears. If it is wisdom which is
given, situations soon confront us where we are sorely tempted to give
way to folly. If it is courage which is imparted, then perils will
have to be faced which are calculated to make the stoutest quake. When
we receive some spiritual gift, God so orders things that opportunity
is afforded for the exercise of it.
It was thus with Elisha. A double portion of Elijah's spirit was
granted him, and the prophetic mantle of his master fell at his feet.
What use would he make of it? Suffice it now to say that he was
confronted by the Jordan--he was on the wrong side of it, and no
longer was there any Elijah to divide asunder its waters!
We turn now from the testings to which Elisha was subjected unto the
course which he had to take. The spiritual significance of his journey
has also to receive its counterpart in the experiences of the servant
of Christ.
That journey began at Gilgal (2 Kings 2:1), and none can work
acceptably in the kingdom of God until his soul is acquainted with
what that place stands for. It was the first stopping-place of Israel
after they entered Canaan, and where they were required to tarry
before they set out on the conquest of their inheritance (Josh. 5:9).
It was there that all the males who had been born in the wilderness
were circumcised.
Now "circumcision" speaks of separation from the world, consecration
to God, and the knife's application to the flesh. Figuratively it
stood for the cutting off of the old life, the rolling away of "the
reproach of Egypt". There is a circumcision "of the heart" (Rom.
2:29), and it is that which is the distinguishing mark of God's
spiritual children, as circumcision of the flesh had identified his
earthly people.
Gilgal, then, is where the path of God's servant must necessarily
begin. Not until he unsparingly mortifies the flesh, separates from
the world, and consecrates himself unreservedly to God is he prepared
to journey further.
From Gilgal Elisha passed on to "Bethel", which means "the house of
God". As we have seen, it was originally the place of hallowed
memories, but in the course of time it had been grievously defiled.
Bethel had been horribly polluted; for it was there that Jeroboam set
up one of his golden calves, appointed an idolatrous priesthood, and
led the people into terrible sin (1 Kings 12:28, 33). Elisha must
visit this place so that he might be suitably affected with the
dishonor done unto the Lord.
History has repeated itself. The house of God, the professing church,
is defiled, and the servant of Christ must take to heart the apostate
condition of Christendom today if his ministry is to be effective.
From Bethel they proceeded to Jericho, a place that was under God's
curse (Josh. 6:26). The servant of God needs to enter deeply into the
solemn fact that this world is under the curse of a holy God. And what
is that "curse"? Death (Rom. 6:23), and it is of that the Jordan (the
final stopping-place) speaks. That too must be passed through in the
experience of his soul if the minister is to be effective.
_________________________________________________
Contents | Introduction | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
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The Life of Faith
by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 9
Christian Submission
"submitting yourselves one to another, in the fear of God" (Ephesians
5:21).
_________________________________________________
This is a general exhortation which sums up much of what has been set
forth in the fourth and fifth chapters of this epistle. It is founded
upon the grand truth of the unity of the mystical Body of Christ,
being addressed to the saints in whom, as living members of that Body,
in the building up of which they are both individually interested and
personally responsible, according to the measure of grace bestowed
upon each (4:1-7, 16). When bidding them "speak every man truth with
his neighbor", it was at once added "for we are members one of
another" (4:25). Holding firmly to the head by faith, they were to
walk in the power of that Spirit who secured them in Christ for
salvation and joined them to each other in his love (5:18-20). Above
all, it was to be kept in their remembrance that corporately they were
God's "temple" (2:19-21) and individually his "children" (5:1), and so
were exhorted to "walk in love" (5:2) and "in the fear of God".
Therefore they should submit themselves not only to God in their
individual relation to him, but also to one another.
Ephesians 5:21 is also to be regarded as standing at the head of that
section of the epistle which runs on to the end of 6:9, enunciating
the general principle which is illustrated by the details of the
verses that follow. "Submitting yourselves one to another" certainly
does not signify that true Christianity is a species of spiritual
communism, which reduces all to one common level. So far from breaking
up the ordinary relations of life and producing disorder, lawlessness
and insubordination, it confirms every legitimate authority and makes
each just yoke lighter.
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no
power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God... Render
therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute, custom to
whom custom, fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour (Rom. 13:1,
7).
Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves, for they
watch for your souls, that they may give account, that they may do it
with joy and not with grief (Heb. 13:17).
Fear God, honour the king (1 Pet. 2:17).
"Submitting yourselves one to another": according to your different
situations and relations in the church and in the community, and that
subjection which is established by God's Word and ordered by his
providence.
This call to mutual subjection then, not only crowns the series of
precepts going before, but is also made the foundation of an
exposition of Christian deportment in those natural and social
relations to which special obligations belong, and in which Christians
are likely to find themselves placed. The gospel does not abolish
civil distinctions, but binds the believer unto a keeping of the order
set up by God.
In the light of what immediately follows, where wives are enjoined to
be in subjection to their husbands, children to their parents, and
servants to their masters, some have concluded that "submitting
yourselves one to another" signifies nothing more than "render
obedience unto whom it is due". But it is an unwarrantable narrowing
of its scope to restrict it unto the duty of inferiors to superiors,
for the terms of this injunction are not qualified. Nor does such a
limitation accord so well with other Scriptures. But more: such an
interpretation is not in keeping with what follows, for husbands,
parents, masters, are also addressed and their duties pressed upon
them.
While the duty of the wife's subjection to her husband is insisted
upon, yet the obligations of the husband to his wife are also
enforced. If children be there required to render obedience to their
parents, the responsibility of fathers is also stated. While servants
are instructed how to conduct themselves unto their masters, the
latter are taught to treat their employees with due consideration and
kindness. There too the balance is blessedly preserved. Power is not
to be abused. Authority must not degenerate into tyranny. Law is to be
administered mercifully. Rule is to be regulated by love. Government
and discipline must be maintained in the state, the church, and the
home; yet governors are to act in the fear of God, and instead of
domineering over their subjects, seek their good and serve their
interests.
Christians are not to aspire after dominance but usefulness.
Self-denial rather than self-assertiveness is the badge of Christian
discipleship. Saints are likened unto sheep and not goats or wolves.
Submitting yourselves one to another means mutually serving one
another, seeking each other's well-being and advantage in all things.
"Sin is the transgression of the law" (1 John 3:24): that is to say,
sin is a revolt against God's authority, a defying of him, a species
of self-will. Sin chafes at any restraints, determined to have its own
way. Sin is self-centered, imperious, indifferent to the welfare of
others. Yokes and restrictions are intolerable unto sin, and every
attempt to enforce them meets with opposition. That resistance is
evinced from earliest infancy, for a thwarted babe will cry and kick
because not suffered to have its own way. Because all are born in sin
the world is filled with strife and contention, crime and war. But at
regeneration a principle of grace is communicated, and though sin be
not annihilated, its dominion is broken. The love of God is shed
abroad in the renewed heart to counteract its native selfishness. The
yoke of Christ is voluntarily assumed by the believer and his example
becomes the rule of his daily walk. Made a member of Christ's body, he
is henceforth to lay himself out in promoting the interests of his
brethren and sisters. He is under bonds to do good unto all men,
especially to those who belong to the Household of Faith.
It is because sin indwells the Christian, he needs to have this
injunction "submitting yourselves one to another" frequently pressed
upon him. Such is poor human nature that when a man is elevated to a
position of honour, even though it be a regenerate man who is called
to serve as a deacon, he is prone to lord it over his brethren. A most
solemn warning against this horrible proclivity is found in Luke
22:24. "And there was also a strife among them, which of them should
be accounted the greatest." That strife was among the twelve apostles,
while they sat in the Saviour's presence, after the Supper! Alas, how
little has that warning been heeded! How many since then have aspired
for the same precedence. How often a spirit of envy and strife has
been engendered by those who strove for superiority in the churches.
How few realize that doing good is better than being great, or rather,
that the only true and noble greatness consists in being good and
doing good - to spend and be spent in the service of others. Greatness
is not being toadied unto, but ministering to those less favored.
Nevertheless, there is a subordination and condescension appointed by
God which we are required to observe. This is true of ecclesiastical
power. God has ordained that there shall be teachers and taught,
governors and governed. He raises up those who are to have the
supervision of others, and they are required to subordinate themselves
to their authority (Heb. 13:17). But their rule is administrative and
not legislative, directive more than authoritative, and "managed by a
council rather than a court" as Manton expresses it.
Here too there must be mutual submission, for in both governors and
governed there is mutual service. The governors themselves are but
"ministers" (1 Cor. 4:1): they have indeed an honorable office, yet
they are only servants (2 Cor. 4:5), whose work is to feed the flock,
to act as directors or guides by word and example (1 Tim. 4:12).
Though they "are over you in the Lord" (1 Thess. 5:12), yet not "as
being lords over God's heritage" (1 Pet. 5:5) but as motivated by love
for souls, seeking their edification, gently endeavoring to persuade
rather than compelling and tyrannizing.
There is also a political power, or governmental authority, in the
civil state, which is God's ordinance and unto which his people must
yield for his sake. "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for
the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king as supreme; or unto
governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of
evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well" (1 Pet. 2:12, 13).
Thus there is an obligation of conscience to submit unto our civil
governors, both unto the supreme and the subordinate magistrate, the
only exception being when they require something from me which clashes
with God's Rule, for to act contrary to that would be defiance of
Divine authority, and therefore would be for the Devil's sake rather
than the Lord's. Honour, subordination, obedience is due unto the
ministers of state, nevertheless they in turn are under the Divine
dominion, "for he is the minister of God to thee for good" (Rom.
13:4). The magistrate, the member of the cabinet (or senate), the king
himself, is but the servant of God, to whom he must yet render an
account of his stewardship; in the meantime, he must perform his duty
for the good of the commonwealth, serving the interests of those under
him.
So too of the economical power, that of the husband. parent, master.
There are not only duties pertaining to those relations, but mutual
obligations wherein the power of the superior is to be subordinated to
the interests of the inferior. The husband is the head of the wife and
she is required to own him as her lord (1 Pet. 3:6), but that gives
him no right to act as a tyrant and make her the slave of his lusts.
He is under bonds to love and cherish her, to give honour to her as
unto the weaker vessel, to seek her happiness and do all in his power
to lighten her burden.
Parents are to govern their children and not to tolerate
insubordination, yet they must not provoke them to wrath by brutal
treatment, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the
Lord, teaching them to be truthful, industrious, honest, looking after
the good of their souls as well as bodies.
Masters are bidden to give unto their servants "that which is just and
equal, knowing that they have a Master in heaven" (Col. 4:1) who will
sanction no injustice and condone no harshness. God has so tied us one
to another that everyone is to do his part in promoting the common
good.
Power is bestowed upon men by God not for the purpose of their
self-exaltation but for the benefit of those they rule. Power is to be
exercised with goodwill and benevolence, and deference is to be
rendered by the subordinate - not sullenly, but freely and gladly, as
unto God. "Brethren, ye have been called unto liberty: only use not
liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another"
(Gal. 5:13) interprets for us "submitting yourselves one to another".
It is the mutual submission of brotherly love which is there enjoined,
of that love which "seeketh not her own", but ever labours for the
good of its objects.
It is that mutual subjection which one Christian owes to another, not
seeking to advance himself above his fellows and domineer over them,
but which is selfless, bearing one another's burdens. It is in the
exercise of that spirit we please God, adorn the gospel, and make it
manifest that we are the followers of him who was meek and lowly in
heart. It is by mortifying our pride and selfishness, by the exercise
of mutual affection, by discharging the office of respect and kindness
unto the children of God, we show forth that we have passed from death
unto life.
"Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love, in honour
preferring one another" (Rom. 12:10). The Greek word there for
"preferring" signifies to take the lead or set an example. Instead of
waiting for others to honour or minister unto me, I should be
beforehand in deferring unto them. Where Christian love be cultivated
and exercised there is a thinking and acting respectfully unto our
brethren and sisters. "In lowliness of mind let each esteem other
better than themselves" (Phil. 2:3).
That does not mean the father in Christ is to value the opinions of a
spiritual babe more than his own, still less that he is to feign a
respect for the spirituality of another which he does not honestly
feel; but it does signify that if his heart be right, he will so
discern the image of Christ in his people as to make deference in love
to them both an easy and pleasant duty, putting their interests before
his own; and judging himself faithfully, he will discover that "the
least of all saints" suits no man better than himself. The exercised
and humble believer will rather put honour on his brethren than seek
it for himself.
If then God has called you into the ministry, it is not that you may
ape the peacock or set yourself up as a little pope. You are not
called to lord it over God's vineyard but to labour in it, to minister
unto his people. The greatest of the apostles declared, "Though I be
free from all, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might
gain the more" (1 Cor. 9:19). But one infinitely greater than Paul is
your pattern. Behold him humbling himself to perform the most menial
office, as he girded himself with a towel, stooped down and washed the
feet of his disciples! And remember it is unto the ministers of his
gospel that he said:
"If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also
ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example,
that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto
you, The servant is not greater than his Lord; neither he that is
sent greater than he that sent him" (John 13:14-16).
A haughty and arrogant spirit ill becomes his servants.
That holy balance between "call no man your father upon the earth" and
"submitting yourselves one to another" was perfectly exemplified by
the Lord Jesus, who though God incarnate was also Jehovah's Servant.
If on the one hand we find that he refused to be in bondage to the
doctrines and commandments of the Pharisees (Luke 11:38; Matthew
15:2), and overrode their traditions with his authoritative "I say
unto you" (Matthew 5:21,22 etc.), on the other hand we behold him
submitting unto every ordinance of God and perfectly exemplifying
every aspect of lowly submission. As a child he was "subject unto" his
parents (Luke 2:51). Ere he began his ministry he submitted to be
baptized of John, saying "thus it becometh us to fulfill all
righteousness" (Matthew 3:15). He sought not his own glory (John 8:50)
but rather the glory of the one who sent him (John 7:18). He denied
himself food and rest that he might minister to others (Mark 3:20).
The whole of his time was spent in "going about doing good" (Acts
10:38). He bore patiently and tenderly with the dullness of his
disciples, and broke not the bruised reed nor quenched the smoking
flax (Matthew 12:20). And he has left us an example that we should
follow his steps.
Submitting ourselves one to another means according to each the right
of private judgment and respecting his convictions. It imports a
readiness to receive counsel and reproof from my brethren, as David
did when he was king (Ps. 141:5). It connotes a cheerful denying of
self as I seek their good. It signifies doing all in my power to
minister unto their holiness and happiness. As one of the old worthies
put it, "The saints are trees of righteousness whose fruit is to be
eaten by others; candles, which spend themselves in giving light and
comfort to those about them".
To obey this precept we require to be clothed with humility: it is the
proud who cannot endure subjection, and who consider it beneath them
to lend a helping hand to those less favored. Love must be warm and
active if superiors and inferiors are to treat one another with
kindness and respect. Where love reigns none will be disdained or
slighted. "In the fear of God" this submission is to be rendered: in
conscience to his command, with a regard for his glory.
_________________________________________________
Contents | Introduction | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
____________________________________________________
About Us
What's New
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Baptist History
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The Life of Faith
by Arthur W. Pink
Chapter 10
Grace Preparing for glory
_________________________________________________
"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all
men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we
should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the
great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:11-13).
The opening "For" looks back to verse 10. In the immediate context the
apostle had exhorted servants to walk amiably and faithfully, so that
they "adorned the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things". It is
deeply important that we should be sound in doctrine, for error acts
upon the soul the same as poison does upon the body. Yes, it is very
necessary that we be sound in the Faith, for it is dishonoring to God
and injurious to ourselves to believe the Devil's lies, for that is
what false doctrine is. Then let us not despise doctrinal preaching,
for "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine" (2 Tim. 3:16).
But there is something else which is equally important as being sound
in doctrine, namely, that we adorn it by our conduct. The sounder I am
in doctrine, the more loudly I advertise my orthodox views, the more
do I bring that doctrine into reproach if my life be worldly and my
walk carnal. How earnestly we need to pray for Divine enablement that
we may "adorn the doctrine in all things". We need the doctrine of
Scripture written upon our hearts, moulding our character, regulating
our ways, influencing our conduct. We "adorn" the doctrine when we
"walk in newness of life", when we live each hour as those who must
appear before the judgment seat of Christ. And we are to "adorn the
doctrine in all things": in every sphere we occupy, every relation we
sustain, every circle God's providence brings us into.
The apostle now enforces what he had said in verse 10 by reminding us
that "the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all
men". This is in blessed contrast from the law, which brings naught
but "condemnation". But the grace of God bringeth salvation, and that
in a twofold way: by what Christ has done for his people, and by what
he works in them. "He shall save his people from their sins" (Matthew
1:21): save from the guilt and penalty of sin, and from the love or
power of sin. This grace of God "hath appeared": it has broken forth
like the light of the morning after a dark night. It has "appeared"
both objectively and subjectively--in the gospel and in our hearts:
"when it pleased God. . . to reveal his Son in me" (Gal. 1:16); "God
who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our
hearts" (2 Cor. 4:6).
The grace of God--his lovingkindness, his goodwill, his free
favor--hath appeared "to all men". That expression is used in
Scripture in two different senses: sometimes it means all without
exception, as in "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God".
In other passages it signifies all without distinction, as it does
here--to the bondmen, as well as the free, to the servant as the
master, to the Gentiles as to the Jews; to all kinds and conditions of
men. But how may I know that the grace of God which bringeth salvation
has appeared to me? A vitally important question is that, one which
none who really values the eternal interests of his or her soul will
treat lightly or take for granted. There are many who profess to be
"saved" but they give no evidence of it in their lives. Now here is
the inspired answer.
"Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts." Divine
grace teaches its favored recipients subjectively as well as
objectively, effectually as well as theoretically. Grace in the heart
prevents us from abusing grace in the head: it delivers us from making
grace the lackey of sin. Where the grace of God brings salvation to
the soul, it works effectually. And what is it that grace teaches?
Practical holiness. Grace does not eradicate ungodliness and worldly
lusts, but it causes us to deny them. And what but "Divine grace" can?
Philosophy cannot, or ethics, nor any form of human education or
culture. But grace does, by the impulsive power of gratitude, by
love's desire to please the Saviour, by instilling a determination to
walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called".
Alas, many who are glad to hear of the grace which brings salvation
become restless when the preacher presses the truth that God's grace
teaches to deny. That is a very unpalatable word in this age of
self-pleasing and self-indulgence; but turn to Matthew 16:24, "Then
said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him
deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me". And again,
"Whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my
disciple" (Luke 14:27): that is the unceasing demand of Christ, and
naught but Divine grace working within can enable any one to meet it.
Grace teaches negatively: it teaches us to renounce evil. Dagon must
first be cast down before the ark of God can be set up. The leaven
must be excluded from our houses before the Lamb can be fed upon. The
old man has to be put off if the new man is to be put on. Grace
teaches a Christian to mortify his members which are upon the earth:
"to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts". Grace teaches the believer to
resist these evils, by preventing the flesh from ruling over him, and
that, by refusing to allow sin to dominate his heart.
"Ungodliness" is failing to give God his due place in our hearts and
lives. It is disregarding his precepts and commands. It is having
preference for the creature, loving pleasure more than holiness; being
unconcerned whether my conduct pleases or displeases the Lord. There
are many forms of "ungodliness" besides that of open infidelity and
the grosser crimes of wickedness. We are guilty of "ungodliness" when
we are prayerless. We are guilty of "ungodliness" when we look to and
lean upon the creature; or when we fail to see God's hand in
providence--ascribing our blessings to "luck" or "chance". We are
guilty of "ungodliness" when we grumble at the weather.
"And worldly lusts": these are those affections and appetites which
dominate and regulate the man of the world. It is the heart craving
worldly objects, pleasures, honours, riches. It is an undue absorption
with those things which serve only a temporary purpose and use.
"Worldly lusts" cause the things of heaven to be crowded out by the
interests and concerns of earth. This may be done by things which are
quite lawful in themselves, but through an immoderate use they gain
possession of the heart. "Worldly lusts" are "the lusts of the flesh,
and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1 John 2:16).
Now Divine grace is teaching the Christian to "deny ungodliness and
worldly lusts". It does this by putting upon him "the fear of the
Lord", so that he departs from evil. It does this by occupying the
heart with a superior Object: when Christ was revealed to the heart of
the Samaritan woman she "left her waterpot" (John 4:28). It does this
by supplying the powerful motives and incentives to personal holiness.
It does this by the indwelling Spirit resisting the flesh (Gal. 5:17).
It does this by causing us to subordinate the interests of the body
unto the higher interests of the soul.
Grace teaches positively. It is not sufficient that we "deny
ungodliness and worldly lusts", we must also "live soberly,
righteously, and godly, in this present world".
"Soberly" comes first because we cannot live righteously or godly
without it: he who takes to himself more than is due or meet will not
give men or God their portion. Unfortunately the word "sober" is now
generally restricted to the opposite of inebriation, but the Christian
is to be sober in all things. Sobriety is the moderation of our
affections in the pursuit and use of earthly things. We are to be
temperate in eating, sleeping, recreation, dress. We need to be
sober-minded, and not extremists. Only Divine grace can effectually
teach sobriety, and if I am growing in grace, then I am becoming more
sober. Grace does not remove natural inclinations and affections, but
it governs them--it bridles their excess. The first thing, then, that
grace teaches us positively is self-control. "He that is slow to anger
is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that
taketh a city" (Prov. 16:32).
"Righteously." This concerns our dealings with our fellows. It is
giving to each his due, dealing honorably with all; injuring none,
seeking the good of all. To live "righteously" is doing unto others as
we would have them do unto us; it is being truthful, courteous,
considerate, kind, helpful. "Do good unto all men, especially unto
those who are of the household of faith", must be our constant aim.
This is the second half of the law's requirement, that we should "love
our neighbor as ourselves". Only Divine grace can effectually "teach"
us this. Naught but Divine Grace can counteract our innate
selfishness.
"Godly." This is the attitude of our hearts towards God, ever seeking
his glory. Godliness is made up of three ingredients, or more
accurately, it issues from three springs: faith, fear, love. Only by
faith can we really apprehend God: "Take heed, brethren, lest there be
in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living
God" (Hebrews 3:12). Forty years ago we often heard the expression so
and so is a God-fearing man": the fact we rarely hear this now is a
bad sign. But there are two kinds of fear, a servile and a filial--a
dread of God and an awe of God. The first kind was seen in Adam when
he was afraid of the Lord and hid himself. The second kind was
exemplified by Joseph when tempted by the wife of Potiphar:
reverential fear restrained him. Only Divine grace can "teach" us
this. While love constrains unto obedience: "If ye love me, keep my
commandments" (John 14:15). It is only love's obedience which is
acceptable unto God: the heart melted by his goodness, now desiring to
please him.
"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the
great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." Now this must not be divorced
from its context, for there we are shown the necessary
prerequisite--Grace preparing for Glory. The passage as a whole is
made up of three parts: in the past, the grace of God brought
salvation to the believer; in the present, Divine grace is teaching
him, both negatively, and positively, how to live acceptably unto God;
third, in the future, the work of Divine grace will be perfected in
the believer, at the return of Christ.
Verse 13, then, is the necessary sequel to what has been before us in
verses 11 and 12. My head may be filled with prophecy, I maybe an
ardent premillennarian, I may think and say that I am "looking for
that blessed Hope" but, unless Divine grace is teaching me to deny
"ungodliness and worldly lusts" and to "live soberly, righteously, and
godly, in this present world", then I am deceiving myself Make no
mistake upon that point. To be truly "looking for that blessed hope"
is a spiritual attitude: it is the longing of those whose hearts are
right with God. Thus, our text may be summed up in three words: grace,
godliness, glory.
Now our "hope" is something more than a future event, concerning the
details of which there may be room for considerable difference of
opinion. Our hope is something more than the next item on God's
prophetic program. It is something more than a place in which we are
going to spend eternity. The Christian's hope is a person. Have you
noticed how prominently and emphatically that fact is presented in the
Scriptures? "I will come again, and receive you unto myself (John
14:3); "This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall
so come in like manner" (Acts 1:11); "We look for the Saviour" (Phil.
3:20); "The coming of the Lord draweth nigh" (Jam. 5:8)-- not even the
Great Tribulation draweth nigh, not the Millennium draweth nigh, nor
even the Rapture draweth nigh, but the coming of the Lord. It is with
his own blessed person that our poor hearts need to be occupied.
Here is a poor wife whose husband has been away for many months in
distant lands, whose duty required him to go there. News arrives that
he is coming back home: the devoted wife is filled with joy at the
prospect of the return of her husband. Is she puzzling her brains as
to what will be his program of action after he arrives? No, the
all-absorbing thing for her is himself--her beloved is soon to appear
before her.
Now do not misunderstand me: I am not saying that the plan of prophecy
holds little of interest, or that it matters nothing to us what course
Christ will follow; but that which I am seeking to emphasize is that
the primary and grand point of the whole subject is having our
prepared hearts fixed upon Christ himself. God would have us occupied
not so much with prophetic details, as with the blessed person of his
dear Son.
That "blessed hope", then, which the Christian is "looking for" is not
an event, but a Person: Christ himself. "And this is his name whereby
he shall be called, the Lord of righteousness" (Jer. 23:6)--the Lord
is our righteousness. "For he is our peace" (Eph. 2:13)--the Lord is
our peace. "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear" (Col.
3:4)--the Lord is our life. "By the commandment of God our Saviour,
and Lord Jesus Christ, who is our hope" (1 Tim. 1:1)--the Lord is our
hope.
To me "that blessed hope" is summed up in three things. First, that
Christ is coming to receive me unto himself. Second, that Christ will
then make me like himself--for nothing less than that will satisfy him
or the renewed heart. Third, that Christ is going to have me forever
with himself an eternity of bliss spent in his own immediate presence.
Then will be answered his prayer " Father, I will that they also, whom
thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my
glory" (John 17:24).
Now "looking for that blessed Hope", for Christ himself, is an
attitude of heart. The Christian "looks" with the eyes of faith, and
faith always rests alone upon God and his Word. Faith is not
influenced by sensational items from the newspapers about the latest
doings of Hitler and Mussolini etc. Scripture says, "The coming of the
Lord draweth nigh", and faith believes it. The Christian "looks" with
the eyes of hope, joyously anticipating perfect fellowship with its
Beloved. The Christian "looks" with the eyes of love, for nothing but
his personal presence can satisfy him. It is an attitude of
anticipation: Christ has given his sure promise that he is coming, but
the exact time is withheld--that we may be in constant readiness. It
is an attitude of expectation, for we do not "look for" something we
know will never happen. It is an attitude of supplication, the heart's
response is, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus."
A final word upon Christ's title here: "The glorious appearing of the
great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ", or as Bagster's Interlinear
more correctly renders it, "And appearing of the glory, the great God
and Saviour, of our Lord Jesus Christ". Three things are suggested to
us by Christ's being here called "the great God". First, it points a
contrast from his first advent, when he appeared in humiliation and
lowliness as the "servant". Second, it shows us he is called "God" not
by way of courtesy, but by right of his Divine nature. Third, it
evidences the fact that the Saviour is in no wise inferior to the
Father, but his coequal, "the great God".
_________________________________________________
Contents | Introduction | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
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The Lord's Prayer by A.W. Pink
Introduction
_________________________________________________________________
After all that has been spoken and written by godly men on prayer, we
need something better than that which is of mere human origin to guide
us if we are to perform aright this essential duty. How ignorant and
sinful creatures are to endeavor to come before the Most High God, how
they are to pray acceptably to Him and to obtain from Him what they
need, can be discovered only as the great Hearer of prayer is pleased
to reveal His will to us. This He has done: (1) by opening up a new
and living way of access into His immediate presence for the very
chief of sinners; (2) by appointing prayer as the chief means of
intercourse and blessing between Himself and His people; and (3) by
graciously supplying a perfect pattern after which the prayers of His
people are to be modeled. Note the wise instruction of the Westminster
divines: "The whole Word of God is of use to direct us in prayer, but
the special rule of direction is that form of prayer which Christ
taught His disciples, commonly called The Lord's Prayer" (The
Westminster Shorter Catechism).
From earliest times it has been called "the Lord's Prayer," not
because it is one that He Himself addressed to the Father, but because
it was graciously furnished by Him to teach us both the manner and
method of how to pray and the matters for which to pray. It should
therefore be highly esteemed by Christians. Christ knew both our needs
and the Father's good will toward us, and thus He has mercifully
supplied us with a simple yet comprehensive directory. Every part or
aspect of prayer is included therein. Adoration is found in its
opening clauses and thanksgiving in the conclusion. Confession is
necessarily implied, for that which is asked for supposes our weakness
or sinfulness. Petitions furnish the main substance, as in all
praying. Intercession and supplication on behalf of the glory of God
and for the triumph of His Kingdom and revealed will are involved in
the first three petitions, whereas the last four are concerned with
supplication and intercession concerning our own personal needs and
those of others, as is indicated by pronouns in the plural number.
This prayer is found twice in the New Testament, being given by Christ
on two different occasions. This, no doubt, is a hint for preachers to
reiterate that which is of fundamental importance. The variations are
significant. The language of Matthew 6:9 intimates that this prayer is
given to us for a model, yet the words of Luke 11:2 indicate that it
is to be used by us as a form. Like everything in Scripture, this
prayer is perfect--perfect in its order, construction, and wording.
Its order is adoration, supplication, and argumentation. Its petitions
are seven in number. It is virtually an epitome of the Psalms and a
most excellent summary of all prayer. Every clause in it occurs in the
Old Testament, denoting that our prayers must be Scriptural if they
are to be acceptable. "And this is the confidence that we have in Him,
that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us" (1
John 5:14). But we cannot know His will if we are ignorant of His
Word.
It has been alleged that this prayer was designed only for the
temporary use of Christ's first disciples, until such time as the New
Covenant was inaugurated. But both Matthew and Luke wrote their
Gospels years after the Christian dispensation had commenced, and
neither of them gives any intimation that it had become obsolete and
no longer of service to Christians. It is contended by some that this
prayer is not suitable for believers now, inasmuch as the petitions in
it are not offered in the name of Christ, and contain no express
reference to His atonement and intercession. But this is a serious
misconception and mistake; for by parity of reasoning, none of the Old
Testament prayers, indeed none of the Psalms, could be used by us! But
the prayers of Old Testament believers were presented to God for His
name's sake; and Christ was the Angel of the Covenant of whom it was
said, "My name is in Him" (Ex. 23:20, 21). Not only is the Lord's
Prayer to be offered in reliance upon Christ's mediation, but it is
that which He specially directs and authorizes us to offer.
In more recent times, certain "students of prophecy" have objected to
the use of this prayer on dispensational grounds, arguing that it is
exclusively a Jewish prayer and legalistic in its tenor. But this is
nothing more nor less than a blatant attempt of Satan to rob God's
children of a valuable portion of their birthright. Christ did not
give this prayer to Jews as Jews, but to His disciples. It is
addressed to "Our Father," and is therefore to be used by all the
members of His family. It is recorded not only in Matthew but also in
Luke, the Gentile Gospel. Christ's injunction, after His resurrection,
for His disciples to teach believers to observe all things whatsoever
He had commanded them (Matthew 28:20) includes His commandment in
Matthew 6:9-13. There is nothing whatever in this prayer unsuited to
the Christian today, and everything in it is needed by him.
It has long been a matter of dispute, which has given rise to much
acrimonious controversy, whether the Lord's Prayer is to be regarded
as a form to be used or a pattern to be imitated. The right answer to
this question is that it is to be considered as both. In Matthew it is
manifestly brought forward as an example or pattern of the kind of
prayer that is to be offered under the new economy. "After this manner
therefore pray ye." We are to pray "with that reverence, humility,
seriousness, confidence in God, concern for His glory, love to
mankind, submission, moderation in temporal things, and earnestness
about spiritual things which it inculcates" (Thomas Scott). But in
Luke 11:2 we find our Lord teaching this: "When ye pray, say. . . ,"
that is, we are to use His words as a formula. It is, then, the duty
of Christ's disciples in their praying both to use the Lord's Prayer
continually as a pattern and sometimes as a form.
As for those who object to the using of any form of prayer, let us
remind them that God Himself often puts into the mouths of His needy
people the very language that they are to employ in approaching Him.
For example, the Lord says to Israel, "Take with you words, and turn
to the Lord: say unto Him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us
graciously" (Hos. 14:2). Doubtless, we need to be much on our guard
against merely formal, and still more so against a superstitious,
observance of the Lord's Prayer. Nevertheless, we must as sedulously
avoid going to the opposite extreme and never employing it at all. In
the opinion of this writer, it ought to be reverently and feelingly
recited once at every public service and used daily at family worship.
That it has been perverted by some, whose too frequent use thereof
seems to amount to the "vain repetitions" that the Savior prohibited
(Matthew 6:7), is no valid reason why we should be altogether deprived
of offering it at the Throne of Grace in the spirit that our Lord
inculcated and in the very words that He dictated.
In every expression, petition, and argument of this prayer, we see
Jesus: He and the Father are one. He has a "Name" given Him which
is above every name. He is the blessed and only Potentate, and His
"Kingdom" ruleth over all. He is the "living bread" which came down
from Heaven. He had power on earth to "forgive sins." He is able to
succour them that are "tempted." He is the Angel that "redeems from
all evil." The Kingdom, power, and glory pertain unto Him. He is
the fulfillment and confirmation of all Divine promises and
gracious assurances. Himself "the Amen, and faithful Witness." Well
did Tertullian term the Lord's Prayer "The Gospel abbreviated." The
more clearly we understand the Gospel of the grace of God, "the
Gospel of the glory of Christ," the more shall we love this
wonderful prayer, and glorying in the Gospel which is "the power of
God and the wisdom of God" to them that believe, we shall rejoice
with joy unspeakable as we offer the Divinely prescribed petitions
and expect gracious answers (Thomas Houston).
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
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About Us
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The Lord's Prayer by A.W. Pink
Chapter 1 - The Address
"Our Father which art in heaven" Matthew 6:9
_________________________________________________________________
This opening clause is a suitable preface to all that follows. It
presents to us the great Object to whom we pray, teaches us the
covenant office that He sustains to us, and denotes the obligation
imposed upon us, namely, that of maintaining toward Him a filial
spirit, with all that that entails. All real prayer ought to begin
with a devout contemplation and to express an acknowledgment of the
name of God and of His blessed perfections. We should draw near unto
the Throne of Grace with suitable apprehensions of God's sovereign
majesty and power, yet with a holy confidence in His fatherly
goodness. In these opening words we are plainly instructed to preface
our petitions by expressing the sense we have of the essential and
relative glories of the One whom we address. The Psalms abound in
examples of this. See Psalm 8:1 as a case in point.
"Our Father which art in heaven." Let us first endeavor to ascertain
the general principle that is embodied in this introductory clause. It
informs us in the simplest possible manner that the great God is most
graciously ready to grant us an audience. By directing us to address
Him as our Father, it definitely assures us of His love and power.
This precious title is designed to raise our affections, to excite us
to reverent attention, and to confirm our confidence in the efficacy
of prayer. Three things are essential to acceptable and effectual
prayer: fervency, reverence, and confidence. This opening clause is
designed to stir up each of these essential elements within us.
Fervency is the effect of our affections being called into exercise;
reverence will be promoted by an apprehension of the fact that we are
addressing the heavenly throne; confidence will be deepened by viewing
the Object of prayer as our Father.
In coming to God in acts of worship, we must "believe that He is, and
that He is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him" (Heb. 11:6).
What is more calculated to deepen our confidence and to draw forth the
strongest love and earnest hopes of our hearts toward God, than
Christ's presenting Him to us in His most tender aspect and endearing
relation? How we are here encouraged to use holy boldness and to pour
out our souls before Him! We could not suitably invoke an impersonal
First Cause; still less could we adore or supplicate a great
abstraction. No, it is to a person, a Divine Person, One who has our
best interests at heart, that we are invited to draw near, even to our
Father. "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us,
that we should be called the sons of God" (1 John 3:1).
God is the Father of all men naturally, being their Creator. "Have we
not all one Father? hath not one God created us?" (Mal. 2:10). "But
now, O Lord, Thou art our Father; we are the clay, and Thou our
Potter; and we all are the work of Thy hand" (Isa. 64:8). The fact
that such verses have been grossly perverted by some holding erroneous
views on "the universal fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man,"
must not cause us to utterly repudiate them. It is our privilege to
assure the most ungodly and abandoned that, if they will but throw
down the weapons of their warfare and do as the prodigal did, there is
a loving Father ready to welcome them. If He hears the cries of the
ravens (Ps. 147:9), will He turn a deaf ear to the requests of a
rational creature? Simon Magus, while still "in the gall of
bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity," was directed by an apostle
to repent of his wickedness and to pray to God (Acts 8:22, 23).
But the depth and full import of this invocation can be entered into
only by the believing Christian, for there is a higher relation
between him and God than that which is merely of nature. First, God is
his Father spiritually. Second, God is the Father of His elect because
He is the Father of their Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:3). Thus Christ
expressly announced, "I ascend unto My Father, and your Father; and to
My God, and your God" (John 20:17). Third, God is the Father of His
elect by eternal decree: "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of
children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of
His will" (Eph. 1:5). Fourth, He is the Father of His elect by
regeneration, wherein they are born again and become "partakers of the
Divine nature" (2 Pet. 1:4). It is written, "And because ye are sons,
God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying,
Abba, Father" (Gal. 4:6).
These words "Our Father" not only signify the office that God sustains
to us by virtue of the everlasting covenant, but they also clearly
imply our obligation. They teach us both how we ought to dispose
ourselves toward God when we pray to Him, and the conduct that is
becoming to us by virtue of this relationship. As His children we must
"honor" Him (even more than our human parents; see Ex. 20:12; Eph.
6:1-3), be in subjection to Him, delight in Him, and strive in all
things to please Him. Again, the phrase "Our Father" not only teaches
us our personal interest in God Himself, who by grace is our Father,
but it also instructs us of our interest in our fellow Christians, who
in Christ are our brethren. It is not merely to "my Father" to whom I
pray, but to "our Father." We must express our love to our brethren by
praying for them; we are to be as much concerned about their needs as
we are over our own. How much is included in these two words!
"Which art in heaven." What a blessed balance this gives to the
previous phrase. If that tells us of God's goodness and grace, this
speaks of His greatness and majesty. If that teaches us of the
nearness and dearness of His relationship to us, this announces His
infinite elevation above us. If the words "Our Father" inspire
confidence and love, then the words "which art in heaven" should fill
us with humility and awe. These are the two things that should ever
occupy our minds and engage our hearts: the first without the second
tends toward unholy familiarity; the second without the first produces
coldness and dread. By combining them together, we are preserved from
both evils; and a suitable equipoise is wrought and maintained in the
soul as we duly contemplate both the mercy and might of God, His
unfathomable love and His immeasurable loftiness. Note how the same
blessed balance was preserved by the Apostle Paul, when he employed
the following words to describe God the Father: "the God of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of glory" (Eph. 1:17).
The words "which art in heaven" are not used because He is confined
there. We are reminded of the words of King Solomon: "But will God
indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens
cannot contain Thee; how much less this house that I have builded?" (1
Kings 8:27). God is infinite and omnipresent. There is a particular
sense, though, in which the Father is "in heaven," for that is the
place in which His majesty and glory are most eminently manifested.
"Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My
footstool" (Isa. 66:1). The realization of this should fill us with
the deepest reverence and awe. The words "which art in heaven" call
attention to His providence, declaring the fact that He is directing
all things from on high. These words proclaim His ability to undertake
for us, for our Father is the Almighty. "But our God is in the
heavens: He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased" (Ps. 115:3). Yet
though the Almighty, He is "our Father." "Like as a father pitieth his
children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him" (Ps. 103:13). "If ye
then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how
much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that
ask Him?" (Luke 11:13). Finally, these blessed words remind us that we
are journeying thither, for heaven is our home.
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
____________________________________________________
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The Lord's Prayer by A.W. Pink
Chapter 2 - The First Petition
"Hallowed be Thy name" Matthew 6:9
_________________________________________________________________
"Hallowed be Thy name" is the first of the petitions of Christ's
pattern prayer. They are seven in number, and are significantly
divided into two groups of three and four respectively: the first
three relate to the cause of God; the last four relate to our own
daily concerns. A similar division is discernible in the Ten
Commandments: the first five teach us our duty toward God (in the
fifth, the parents stand to the child in the place of God); the last
five teach us our duty toward neighbors. Our primary duty in prayer is
to disregard ourselves and to give God the preeminence in our
thoughts, desires, and supplications. This petition necessarily comes
first, for the glorifying of God's great name is the ultimate end of
all things. All other requests must be subordinate to this one and be
in pursuance of it. We cannot pray aright unless the glory of God be
dominant in our desires. We are to cherish a deep sense of the
ineffable holiness of God and an ardent longing for the honoring of
it. Therefore, we must not ask God to bestow anything that would
contradict His holiness.
"Hallowed be Thy name." How easy it is to utter these words without
any thought of their solemn import! In seeking to ponder them, four
questions are naturally raised in our minds. First, what is meant by
the word hallowed? Second, what is signified by God's name? Third,
what is the import of "hallowed be Thy name?" Fourth, why does this
petition come first?
First, the word hallowed is a term from Middle English used here to
translate a form of the Greek verb hagiazo. This term is frequently
translated "sanctified." It means to set apart for a sacred use."
Thus, the words "hallowed be Thy name" signify the pious desire that
God's matchless name might be reverenced, adored, and glorified, and
that God might cause it to be held in the utmost respect and honor,
that its fame might spread abroad and be magnified.
Second, the name of God stands for God Himself, calling to the mind of
the believer all that He is. We see this in Psalm 5:11: "Let them also
that love Thy name [that is, Thyself] be joyful in Thee." In Psalm
20:1 we read, "The name of the God of Jacob defend thee," that is, may
the God of Jacob Himself defend thee. "The name of the Lord is a
strong tower" (Prov. 18:10), that is to say, Jehovah Himself is a
strong tower. The name of God stands for the Divine perfections. It is
striking to observe that when He "proclaimed the name of the Lord" to
Moses, God enumerated His own blessed attributes (see Ex. 34:5-7).
This is the true significance of the assertion that "they that know
Thy name [that is, Thy wondrous perfections] will put their trust in
Thee" (Ps. 9:10). But more particularly, the Divine name sets before
us all that God has revealed to us concerning Himself. It is in such
appellations and titles as the Almighty, the Lord of hosts, Jehovah,
the God of peace, and our Father that He has disclosed Himself to us.
Third, what thoughts did the Lord Jesus intend for us to entertain in
our hearts when He taught us to pray, "Hallowed be Thy name"? First,
in the widest sense, we are to plead thereby that God, "by His
overruling providence, direct and dispose of all things to His own
glory" (The Westminster Larger Catechism). Hereby we pray that God
Himself sanctify His name--that He cause it, by His providence and
grace, to be known and adored through the preaching of His Law and
Gospel. Furthermore, we pray that His name might be sanctified and
magnified in and by us. Not that we can add anything to God's
essential holiness, but we can and should promote the manifestative
glory of His holiness. That is why we are exhorted thus: "Give unto
the Lord the glory due unto His name" (Ps. 96:8). We do not have the
power within ourselves to hallow the name of our God. Yet Christ
instructs us, by putting an imperative, passive verb in our mouths, to
command our Father, saying, "Let Thy name be hallowed!" In this
mandatory petition, we are taught to call upon our Father to do what
He must do, according to the tenor of the words that He spoke through
Isaiah: "And concerning the work of My hands command ye Me" (Isa.
45:11)! It is because God's name must be hallowed among His creatures
that our Master instructs us so to pray. "And this is the confidence
that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will,
He heareth us" (1 John 5:14). Since our God has so clearly stated His
mind, every true believer must desire the hallowing of God's name
among men and must be determined to advance the revealed glory of God
on the earth. We are to do this especially by prayer, since the power
to accomplish this great end resides only in God Himself. By prayer we
receive the empowering of the Holy Spirit to hallow and glorify God in
our own thoughts, words, and deeds.
By praying, "hallowed be Thy name," we beg that God, who is most holy
and glorious, might enable us to acknowledge and honor Him as such. As
Manton forcefully expressed it,
In this petition the glory of God is both desired and promised on our
part; for every prayer is both an expression of a desire and also an
implicit vow or solemn obligation that we take upon ourselves to
prosecute what we ask. Prayer is a preaching to ourselves in God's
hearing: we speak to God to warn ourselves--not for His information,
but for our edification.
Alas, that this necessary implication of prayer is not more insisted
upon in the pulpit today, and more clearly perceived in the pew! We
but mock God if we present to Him pious words and have no intention of
striving with our might to live in harmony with them.
For us to hallow or sanctify His name means that we give God the
supreme place, that we set Him above all else in our thoughts,
affections, and lives. This high purpose of life is antithetical to
the example of the builders of the tower of Babel, who said, "Let us
make us a name (Gen. 11:4), and of Nebuchadnezzar, who said, "Is not
this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by
the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?" (Dan. 4:30).
The Apostle Peter commands us to "sanctify the Lord God in [our]
hearts" (1 Pet. 3:15). An awe of His majesty and holiness should so
fill our hearts that our whole inner beings bow in entire and willing
subjection to Him. For this we must pray, striving to obtain right
views and a deeper knowledge of Him, that we may worship Him aright
and serve Him acceptably.
This petition not only expresses the desire that God sanctify Himself
in and through us, enabling us to glorify Him, but it also voices our
longing that others may know, adore, and glorify Him.
In the use of this petition we pray that the glory of God may be more
and more displayed and advanced in the world in the course of His
providence, that His Word may run and be glorified in the conversion
and sanctification of sinners, that there may be an increase of
holiness in all His people, and that all profanation of the name of
God among men may be prevented and removed (John Gill).
Thus, this petition includes the asking of God to grant all needed
effusions of the Spirit, to raise up faithful pastors, to move His
churches to maintain a Scriptural discipline, and to stir up the
saints to an exercise of their graces.
Fourth, it is now obvious why this is the first petition in the Lord's
Prayer, for it provides the only legitimate basis for all our other
requests. The glory of God is to be our chief and great concern. When
we offer this petition to our heavenly Father, we are saying,
"Whatever comes to me, however low I may sink, no matter how deep the
waters be through which I may be called to pass, Lord, magnify Thyself
in and through me." Mark how blessedly this spirit was exemplified by
our perfect Savior: "Now is My soul troubled; and what shall I say?
Father, save Me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this
hour. Father, glorify Thy name" (John 12:27, 28). Though it was
necessary for Him to be baptized with the baptism of suffering, yet
the Father's glory was Christ's great concern.
The following words beautifully summarize the meaning of this
petition:
O Lord, open our eyes that we may know Thee aright and may discern Thy
power, wisdom, justice, and mercy; and enlarge our hearts that we may
sanctify Thee in our affections, by making Thee our fear, love, joy,
and confidence; and open our lips that we may bless Thee for Thine
infinite goodness; yea, O Lord, open our eyes that we may see Thee in
all Thy works, and incline our wills with reverence for Thy name
appearing in Thy works, and grant that when we use any one of them,
that we may honour Thee in our sober and sanctified use thereof (W.
Perkins).
In conclusion, let us point out very briefly the uses to be made of
this petition. (1) Our past failures are to be bewailed and confessed.
We are to humble ourselves for those sins whereby we have hindered
God's manifestative glory and profaned His name, such as pride of
heart, coldness of zeal, stubbornness of will, and impiety of life.
(2) We are to earnestly seek those graces whereby we may hallow His
name: a fuller knowledge of Himself, an increase of holy fear in our
hearts; increased faith, hope, love, and worship; and the right use of
His gifts. (3) Our duties are to be faithfully practiced, that there
may be nothing in our conduct that would cause His name to be
blasphemed by unbelievers (Rom. 2:24). "Whether therefore ye eat, or
drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor.
10:31).
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Chapter 3 - The Second Petition
"Thy Kingdom come" Matthew 6:10
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The second petition is the most brief and yet the most comprehensive
one contained in our Lord's Prayer. Nevertheless, it is strange and
sad that, in some circles, it is the least understood and the most
controverted. The following questions call for careful consideration.
First, what is the relationship between this petition and the one
preceding it? Second, whose Kingdom is here in view? Third, exactly
what is meant by the words, "Thy Kingdom"? Fourth, in what sense or
senses are we to understand the words, "Thy Kingdom come"?
The first petition, "Hallowed be Thy name," concerns God's glory
itself, whereas the second and third have respect to the means whereby
His glory is to be manifested and promoted on earth. God's name is
manifestatively glorified here only in the proportion in which His
Kingdom comes to us and His will is done by us. The relationship
between this petition and the former one, then, is quite apparent.
Christ teaches us to pray first for the sanctifying of God's great
name; then He directs us to pray subsequently for the means thereto.
Among the means for promoting God's glory, none is so influential as
the coming of His Kingdom. Hence we are exhorted, "But seek ye first
the Kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33). But though
men ought to glorify God's name upon earth, yet of themselves they
cannot do so. God's Kingdom must first be set up in their hearts. God
cannot be honored by us until we voluntarily submit to His rule over
us.
"Thy Kingdom come." Whose Kingdom is being referred to here?
Obviously, it is that of God the Father, yet it is not to be thought
of as something separate from the Kingdom of the Son. The Father's
Kingdom is no more distinct from Christ's than "the Church of the
living God" (1 Tim. 3:15) is something other than the Body of Christ,
or than the "Gospel of God" (Rom. 1:1) is something different from
"the Gospel of Christ" (Rom. 1:16), or than "the Word of Christ" (Col.
3:16) is to be distinguished from the Word of God. But Christ does
mean, by the words "Thy Kingdom," to distinguish sharply the Kingdom
of God from the kingdom of Satan (Matthew 12:25-28), which is a
kingdom of darkness and disorder. Satan's kingdom is not only opposite
in character, but it also stands in belligerent opposition to the
Kingdom of God.
The Father's Kingdom is, first and more generally, His universal rule,
His absolute dominion over all creatures and things. "Thine, O Lord,
is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and
the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is Thine;
Thine is the Kingdom, O Lord, and Thou art exalted as Head above all"
(1 Chron. 29:11). Second, and more specifically, it is the external
sphere of His grace on earth, where He is ostensibly acknowledged (see
Matthew 13:11 and Mark 4:11 in their contexts). Third, and more
definitely still, it is God's spiritual and internal Kingdom, which is
entered by regeneration. "Except a man be born of water and of the
Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God" (John 3:5).
Now as the Father and the Son are one in nature, so is Their Kingdom
the same; and thus it appears in each of its aspects. Concerning the
aspect of providence, we read, "My Father worketh hitherto, and I
work" (John 5:17), signifying cooperation in the government of the
world (Heb. 1:3). Christ now holds the mediatorial office of a King by
virtue of His Father's appointment (Luke 22:29) and establishment (Ps.
2:6). When the Kingdom is viewed very specifically as a reign of grace
set up in the hearts of God's people, it is rightly called both "the
Kingdom of God" (1 Cor. 4:20) and "the Kingdom of His dear Son" (Col.
1:13). Viewing the Kingdom in regard to its ultimate eternal glory,
Christ says that He shall drink the fruit of the vine with us "in
[His] Father's Kingdom" (Matthew 26:29), yet it is also called "the
everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Pet.
1:11). Thus it should seem perfectly natural to us when we read these
words: "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our
Lord, and of His Christ" (Rev. 11:15).
One may ask, "Which aspect of the Kingdom is here prayed for as yet
future? Certainly not its providential aspect, since that has existed
and continued from the beginning. The Kingdom must, then, be future in
the sense that God's reign of grace is to be consummated in the
eternal glory of His Kingdom in the new heavens and new earth (2 Pet.
3:13). There is to be a voluntary surrender of the whole man--spirit
and body--to the revealed will of God, so that His rule over us is
entire. But if we are to experience and enjoy the eternal glory of
God's Kingdom, we must personally submit to His gracious reign in this
life. The nature of this reign is summed up in three characteristics:
"the Kingdom of God is... righteousness, and peace, and joy in the
Holy Ghost" (Rom. 14:17). A person experiencing this present reign of
grace is characterized by righteousness in that the righteousness of
Christ is imputed to him as one who, by faith, has become His willing
subject; furthermore, he also possesses the righteousness of a good
conscience because the Holy Spirit has sanctified him, that is, has
set him apart to a new life of holiness to the glory of God. Such a
person is also characterized by peace: peace of conscience toward God,
peaceful relations with God's people, and the pursuit of peace with
all his fellow creatures (Heb. 12:14). This personal, godly peace is
maintained by attention to all the duties of love (Luke 10:27; Rom.
13:8). As the result of righteousness and peace, such a person is also
characterized by joy in the Holy Spirit, a delighting in God in all
the states and vicissitudes of life (Phil. 4:10-14; 1 Tim. 6:6-10).
There is a threefold application when we pray, "Thy Kingdom come."
First, it applies to the external sphere of God's grace here on earth:
"Let Thy Gospel be preached and the power of Thy Spirit attend it; let
Thy Church be strengthened; let Thy cause on earth be advanced and the
works of Satan be destroyed!" Second, it applies to God's internal
Kingdom, that is, His spiritual reign of grace within the hearts of
men: "Let Thy throne be established in our hearts; let Thy laws be
administered in our lives and Thy name be magnified by our walk."
Third, it applies to God's Kingdom in its future glory: "Let the Day
be hastened when Satan and his hosts shall be completely vanquished,
when Thy people shall be done with sinning forever, and when Christ
shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied"' (Isa.
53:11).
God's Kingdom comes progressively to individuals in the following
degrees or stages: (1) God gives to men the outward means of salvation
(Rom. 10:13-17); (2) the preached Word enters the mind, so that the
mysteries of the Gospel are understood (Matthew 13:23; Heb. 6:4-6;
10:32); (3) the Holy Spirit regenerates men, so that they enter the
Kingdom of God as willing subjects of His gracious reign (John 1:12,
13; 3:3, 5); (4) at death, the spirits of the redeemed are freed from
sin (Rom. 7:24, 25; Heb. 12:23); and (5) at the resurrection, the
redeemed shall be fully glorified (Rom. 8:23).
O Lord, let Thy Kingdom come to us who are strangers and pilgrims
here on earth: prepare us for it and conduct us into it, that be
yet outside of it; renew us by Thy Spirit that we may be subject to
Thy will; confirm us who are in the way, that our souls after this
life, and both soul and body in the Day of Judgment, may be fully
glorified: yea, Lord, hasten this glorification to us and all Thine
elect (W. Perkins).
We say again that, though this is the most brief of the petitions, it
is also the most comprehensive. In praying, "Thy Kingdom come," we
plead for the power and blessing of the Holy Spirit to attend the
preaching of the Word, for the Church to be furnished with God-given
and God-equipped officers, for the ordinances to be purely
administered, for an increase of spiritual gifts and graces in
Christ's members, and for the overthrow of Christ's enemies. Thus we
pray that the Kingdom of grace may be further extended till the whole
of God's elect are brought into it. Also, by necessary implication, we
pray that God will wean us more and more from the perishing things of
this world.
In conclusion, let us point out some of the uses to which this
petition should be put. First, we ought to bewail and confess our own
failures to promote the Kingdom of God, and those of others. It is our
duty to confess before God our wretched, natural depravity and the
awful proclivity of our flesh to serve sin and the interests of Satan
(Rom. 7:14-24). We ought to mourn the sad state of the world and its
woeful transgressions of God's Law, by which God is dishonored and the
kingdom of Satan furthered (Ps. 119:136; Mark 3:5). Second, we are to
earnestly seek those graces that will make our lives a sanctifying
influence in the world, in order that God's Kingdom might be both
built and maintained. We are to endeavor to so subject ourselves to
the commandments of Christ that we are wholly ruled by Him, always
ready to do His bidding (Rom. 6:13). Third, having prayed for God's
enabling, we are to perform all the duties appointed to us by God,
bringing forth the fruits that pertain to God's Kingdom (Matthew
21:43; Rom. 14:17). This we are to do with all diligence (Eccl. 9:10;
Col. 3:17), using all the Divinely appointed means for the furthering
of God's Kingdom.
This second petition is well summarized in The Westminster Shorter
Catechism:
In the second petition. . . we pray, that Satan's kingdom may be
destroyed; and that the Kingdom of grace may be advanced, ourselves
and others brought into it, and kept in it; and that the Kingdom of
glory may be hastened.
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Chapter 4 - The Third Petition
"Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven"
Matthew 6:10
_________________________________________________________________
The connection between this third petition and the preceding ones is
not difficult to trace. The first concern of our hearts, as well as
our prayers, must be for God's glory. Longings after God's Kingdom
naturally follow, as do honest endeavors to serve Him while we remain
on this earth. The glory of God is the great object of our desires.
The coming and enlargement of His Kingdom are the chief means by which
God's glory is manifestatively secured. Our personal obedience makes
it manifest that His Kingdom has come to us. When God's Kingdom really
comes to one's soul, he must, of necessity, be brought into obedience
to its laws and ordinances. It is worse than useless to call God our
King if His commandments are disregarded by us. Broadly speaking,
there are two parts to this petition: (1) a request for the spirit of
obedience; and (2) a statement of the manner in which obedience is to
be rendered.
"Thy will be done." This clause may present a difficulty to a few of
our readers, who may ask, "Is not God's will always done?" In one
respect it is, but in another respect it is not. Scripture presents
the will of God from two distinct viewpoints: His secret will and His
revealed will, or His decretive and His preceptive will. His secret or
decretive will is the rule of His own actions: in creation (Rev.
4:11), in providence (Dan. 4:35), and in grace (Rom. 9:15). That which
God has decreed is always unknown to men until revealed by prophecies
of things to come or by events as they transpire. On the other hand,
God's revealed or preceptive will is the rule for our actions, God
having made known in the Scriptures that which is pleasing in His
sight.
The secret or decretive will of God is always done, equally on earth
as in heaven, for none can thwart or even hinder it. It is equally
evident that God's revealed will is violated every time one of His
precepts is disobeyed. This distinction was clearly drawn when Moses
said to Israel, "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God; but
those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for
ever, that we may do all the words of this Law" (Deut. 29:29). This
distinction is also found in the use of the word counsel. "My counsel
[God's eternal decree] shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure"
(Isa. 46:10), says Jehovah. But in Luke 7:30 we read that "the
Pharisees and lawyers rejected [that is, frustrated] the counsel [or
revealed will] of God" as to themselves, being not baptized by John.
On the one hand we read, "For who hath resisted His will?" (Rom.
9:19). On the other hand we are told, "For this is the will of God,
even your sanctification" (1 Thess. 4:3). The revealed or preceptive
will of God is stated in God's Word, defining our duty and making
known the path in which we should walk. God has provided His Word as
the appointed means for the renewing of our minds. A laying up of
God's precepts in the heart (Ps. 119:11) is essential to the
transforming of one's character and conduct; this vital discipline is
an absolute prerequisite to our proving, in our own Christian
experience, "what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of
God" (Rom. 12:2).
The will of God, then, is a phrase that, taken by itself, may express
either what God has purposed to do or what He has commanded to be done
by us. With regard to the will of God in the first sense, it always
is, always has been, and ever shall be done upon earth as it is in
heaven, for neither human policy nor infernal power can prevent it.
The text now before us contains a prayer that we might be brought into
complete accord with God's revealed will. We do the will of God when,
out of a due regard for His authority, we regulate our own thoughts
and conduct by His commandments. Such is our bounden duty, and it
should ever be our fervent desire and diligent endeavor so to do. We
mock God if we present this request and then fail to make the
conforming of ourselves to His revealed will our main business. Ponder
our Lord's solemn warning in Matthew 15:1-9 (cf. Matthew 25:31-46 and
Luke 6:46-49).
"Thy will be done in earth." The one who sincerely prays this
necessarily intimates his unreserved surrender to God; he implies his
renunciation of the will of Satan (2 Tim. 2:26) and of his own corrupt
inclinations (1 Pet. 4:2), and his rejection of all things opposed to
God. Nevertheless, such a soul is painfully conscious that there is
still much in him that is in conflict with God. He therefore humbly
and contritely acknowledges that he cannot do His Father's will
without Divine assistance, and that he earnestly desires and seeks
enabling grace. Possibly the meaning and scope of this petition will
best be opened up if we express it thus: O Father, let Thy will be
revealed to me, let it be wrought in me, and let it be performed by
me.
From a positive perspective, when we pray, "Thy will be done," we beg
God for spiritual wisdom to learn His will: "Make me to understand the
way of Thy precepts. . . . Teach me, O Lord, the way of Thy statutes
(Ps. 119:27, 33). Also, we beg God for spiritual inclination toward
His will: "I will run the way of Thy commandments, when Thou shalt
enlarge my heart.... Incline my heart unto Thy testimonies" (Ps.
119:32, 36). Furthermore, we beg God for spiritual strength to perform
His bidding: "Quicken Thou me according to Thy Word. . . .strengthen
Thou me according unto Thy Word" (Ps. 119:25, 28; cf. Phil. 2:12, 13;
Heb. 13:20, 21). Our Lord teaches us to pray, "Thy will be done in
earth," because this is the place of our discipleship. This is the
realm in which we are to practice self-denial. If we do not do His
will here, we never shall in heaven.
"As it is in heaven." The standard by which we are to measure our
attempts at doing God's will on earth is nothing less than the conduct
of the saints and angels in heaven. How is God's will done in heaven?
Certainly it is not done reluctantly or sullenly, nor is it done
hypocritically or Pharisaically. We may be sure that it is executed
neither tardily nor fitfully, neither partially nor fragmentarily. In
the heavenly courts, God's will is performed gladly and joyfully. Both
the four living creatures (not beasts) and the twenty-four elders in
Revelation 5:8-14 are depicted as rendering worship and service
together. Yet heavenly adoration and obedience are rendered humbly and
reverently, for the seraphim veil their faces before the Lord (Isa.
6:2). There God's commands are executed with alacrity, for Isaiah says
that one of the seraphim flew to him from the Divine presence (Isa.
6:6). There God is lauded constantly and untiringly. "Therefore are
[the saints] before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in
His temple" (Rev. 7:15). The angels obey God promptly, wholly,
perfectly, and with ineffable delight. But we are sinful and full of
infirmities. With what propriety, then, can the obedience of celestial
beings be proposed as a present example for us? We raise this question
not as a concession to our imperfections, but because honest souls are
exercised by it.
First, this standard is set before us to sweeten our subjection to the
Divine will, for we on earth are set no more demanding task than are
those in heaven. Heaven is what it is because the will of God is done
by all who dwell there. The measure in which a foretaste of its bliss
may be obtained by us upon earth will be determined largely by the
degree to which we perform here the Divine bidding. Second, this
standard is given to show us the blessed reasonableness of our
obedience to God. "Bless the Lord, ye His angels, that excel in
strength, that do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His
Word" (Ps. 103:20). Then can God require less of us? If we are to have
communion with the angels in glory, then we must be conformed to them
in grace. Third, it is given as the standard at which we must ever
aim. Paul says, "For this cause we... do not cease to pray for you. .
. That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing. . . , that
ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God" (Col. 1:9,
10; 4:12). Fourth, this standard is given to teach us not only what to
do, but how to do it. We are to imitate the angels in the manner of
their obedience, though we cannot equal them in measure or degree.
"Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." Weigh this
attentively in the light of what precedes. First, we are taught to
pray, "Our Father which art in heaven"; then should we not do His
will? We must, if we are His children, for disobedience is that which
characterizes His enemies. Did not His own dear Son render Him perfect
obedience? And it should delight us to strive to render Him the
quality of devotion to which He is accustomed in the place of His
peculiar abode, the seat of our future bliss. Second, since we are
taught to pray, "Hallowed be thy name," does not a real concern for
God's glory oblige us to make a conformity to His will our supreme
quest? We certainly must if we desire to honor God, for nothing
dishonors Him more than self-will and defiance. Third, since we are
instructed to pray, "Thy Kingdom come," should we not seek to be in
full subjection to its laws and ordinances? We must, if we are
subjects thereof, for it is only alienated rebels who despise His
scepter.
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Chapter 5 - The Fourth Petition
"Give us this day our daily bread"
Matthew 6:11
_________________________________________________________________
We turn our attention to those petitions that more immediately concern
ourselves. The fact that our Lord placed three petitions that relate
directly to God's legitimate interests first should sufficiently
indicate to us that we must labor in prayer to promote the
manifestative glory of God, to advance His Kingdom, and to do His will
before we are permitted to supplicate for our own needs. These
petitions that more immediately concern ourselves are four in number,
and in them we may clearly discern an implied reference to each of the
Persons of the blessed Trinity. Our temporal needs are supplied by the
kindness of the Father. Our sins are forgiven through the mediation of
the Son. We are preserved from temptation and delivered from evil by
the gracious operations of the Holy Spirit. Let us carefully note the
proportion that is observed in these last four petitions: one of them
concerns our bodily needs; three relate to the concerns of the soul.
This teaches us that in prayer, as in all other activities of life,
temporal concerns are to be subordinated to spiritual concerns.
"Give us this day our daily bread." Perhaps it will be helpful if we
begin by raising a number of questions. First, why does this request
for the supply of bodily needs come before those petitions that
concern the needs of the soul? Second, what is signified by, and
included in, the term bread? Third, in what sense may we suitably beg
God for our daily bread when we already have a supply on hand? Fourth,
how can bread be a Divine gift if we earn the same by our own labors?
Fifth, what is our Lord inculcating by restricting the request to "our
daily bread"? Before attempting to answer these queries let us say
that, with almost all of the best of the commentators, we regard the
prime reference as being to material bread rather than to spiritual.
Matthew Henry has astutely pointed out that the reason this request
for the supply of our physical needs heads the last four petitions is
that "our natural [well being] is necessary [for] our spiritual
well-being in this world." In other words, God grants to us the
physical things of this life as helps to the discharge of our
spiritual duties. And since they are given by Him, they are to be
employed in His service. What gracious consideration God shows toward
our weakness: we are unapt and unfit to perform our higher duties if
deprived of the things needed for the sustenance of our bodily
existence. We may also rightly infer that this petition comes first in
order to promote the steady growth and strengthening of our faith.
Perceiving the goodness and faithfulness of God in supplying our daily
physical needs, we are encouraged and stimulated to ask for higher
blessings (cf. Acts 17:25-28).
"Our daily bread" refers primarily to the supply of our temporal
needs. With the Hebrews, bread was a generic term, signifying the
necessities and conveniences of this life (Gen. 3:19; 28:20), such as
food, raiment, and housing. Inherent in the use of the specific term
bread rather than the more general term food is an emphasis teaching
us to ask not for dainties or for riches, but for that which is
wholesome and needful. Bread here includes health and appetite, apart
from which food does us no good. It also takes into account our
nourishment: for this comes not from the food alone, nor does it lie
within the power of man's will. Hence God's blessing on it is to be
sought. "For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused,
if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the Word
of God and prayer" (1 Tim. 4:4, 5).
In begging God to give us our daily bread, we ask that He might
graciously provide us with a portion of outward things such as He sees
will be best suited to our calling and station. "Give me neither
poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be
full, and deny Thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and
steal, and take the name of my God in vain" (Prov. 30:8, 9). If God
grants us the superfluities of life, we are to be thankful, and must
endeavor to use them to His glory; but we must not ask for them. "And
having food and raiment let us be therewith content" (1 Tim. 6:8). We
are to ask for "our daily bread." It is to be obtained not by theft,
nor by taking by force or fraud what belongs to another, but by our
personal labor and industry. "Love not sleep, lest thou come to
poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread"
(Prov. 20:13). "She looketh well to the ways of her household, and
eateth not the bread of idleness" (Prov. 31:27).
How can I sincerely ask God for this day's bread when I already have a
good supply on hand? First, I may ask this because my present temporal
portion may speedily be taken from me, and that without any warning. A
striking and solemn illustration of this is found in Genesis 19:15-25.
Fire may burn down one's house and everything in it. So by asking God
for the daily supply of our temporal needs, we acknowledge our
complete dependency upon His bounty. Second, we should plead this
petition every day, because what we have will profit us nothing unless
God deigns also to bless the same to us. Third, love requires that I
pray this way, because this petition comprehends far more than my own
personal needs. By teaching us to pray, "Give us this day our daily
bread," the Lord Jesus is inculcating love and compassion toward
others. God requires us to love our neighbor as ourselves, and to be
as solicitous about the needs of our fellow Christians as we are of
our own needs (Gal. 6:10).
How can God be said to give us our daily bread if we ourselves have
earned it? Surely such a quibble scarcely needs reply. First, God must
give it to us because our right to it was forfeited when we fell in
Adam. Second, God must bestow it because everything belongs to Him.
"The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof, the world, and they
that dwell therein" (Ps. 24:1). "The silver is Mine, and the gold is
Mine, saith the Lord of hosts" (Haggai 2:8). "Therefore will I return,
and take away My corn in the time thereof, and My wine in the season
thereof" (Hosea 2:9). Therefore we hold in fee from our Lord (that is,
on condition of homage and service) the portion He bestows. We are but
stewards. God grants us both possession and use of His creation, but
retains to Himself the title. Third, we ought to pray this way because
all that we have comes from God. "These wait all upon Thee; that Thou
mayest give them their meat in due season. That Thou givest them they
gather: Thou openest Thine hand, they are filled with good" (Ps.
104:27, 28; cf. Acts 14:17). Although by labor and purchase things may
be said to be ours (relatively speaking), yet it is God who gives us
strength to labor.
What is Christ inculcating by restricting the request to "our daily
bread"? First, we are reminded of our frailty. We are unable to
continue in health for twenty-four hours, and are unfit for the duties
of a single day, unless constantly fed from on high. Second, we are
reminded of the brevity of our mundane existence. None of us knows
what a day may bring forth, and therefore we are forbidden to boast
ourselves of tomorrow (Prov. 27:1). Third, we are taught to suppress
all anxious concern for the future and to live a day at a time. "Take
therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought
for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof"
(Matthew 6:34). Fourth, Christ inculcates the lesson of moderation. We
are to stifle the spirit of covetousness by forming the habit of being
contented with a slender portion. Finally, observe that our Lord's
words, "Give us this day our daily bread," are appropriate for use
each morning, whereas the expression He teaches in Luke 11:3, "Give us
day by day our daily bread," ought to be our request every night.
In summary, then, this petition teaches us the following indispensable
lessons: (1) that it is permissible and lawful to supplicate God for
temporal mercies; (2) that we are completely dependent upon God's
bounty for everything; (3) that our confidence is to be in Him alone,
and not in secondary causes; (4) that we should be grateful, and
return thanks for material blessings as well as for spiritual ones;
(5) that we should practice frugality and discourage covetousness; (6)
that we should have family worship every morning and evening; and (7)
that we should be equally solicitous on behalf of others as for
ourselves.
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The Lord's Prayer by A.W. Pink
Chapter 6 - The Fifth Petition
"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" Matthew 6:12
_________________________________________________________________
At the outset of our consideration of this fifth petition, it is vital
that we give due attention to the fact that it begins differently than
the first four. For the first time in our Lord's Prayer we encounter
the word and. The fourth petition, "Give us this day our daily bread,"
is followed by the words, "And forgive us our debts," indicating that
there is a very close connection between the two petitions. It is true
that the first three petitions are intimately related, yet they are
quite distinct. But the fourth and fifth petitions are to be
especially linked in our minds for several practical reasons. First,
we are taught that without pardon all the good things of this life
will benefit us nothing. A man in a cell on death row is fed and
clothed, but what is the daintiest diet and the costliest apparel
worth to him as long as he remains under sentence of imminent death?
"Our daily bread doth but fatten us as lambs for the slaughter if our
sins be not pardoned" (Matthew Henry). Second, our Lord would inform
us that our sins are so many and so grievous that we deserve not one
mouthful of food. Each day the Christian is guilty of offenses that
forfeit even the common blessings of life, so that he should ever say
with Jacob, "I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies. . .
which Thou hast shewed unto Thy servant (Gen. 32:10). Third, Christ
would remind us that our sins are the great obstacle to the favors we
might receive from God (Isa. 59:2; Jer. 5:25). Our sins constrict the
channel of blessing, and therefore as often as we pray, "Give us," we
must add, "And forgive us." Fourth, Christ would encourage us to go on
in faith from strength to strength. If we trust God's providence to
provide for our bodies, should we not trust Him for the salvation of
our souls from the power and dominion of sin and from sin's dreadful
wages?
"Forgive us our debts." Our sins are here viewed, as in Luke 11:4,
under the notion of debts, that is, undischarged obligations or
failures to render to God His lawful due. We owe to God sincere and
perfect worship together with earnest and perpetual obedience. The
Apostle Paul says, "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the
flesh, to live after the flesh" (Rom. 8:12), thus stating the negative
side. But positively, we are debtors to God, to live unto Him. By the
law of creation, we were made not to gratify the flesh but to glorify
God. "When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded
you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was
our duty to do" (Luke 17:10). Failure to discharge our debt of worship
and obedience has entailed guilt, bringing us into debt to Divine
justice. Now when we pray, "Forgive us our debts," we do not ask to be
discharged from the duties we owe to God, but to be acquitted from our
guilt, that is, to have the punishment due us remitted.
"There was a certain creditor which had two debtors" (Luke 7:41).
Here, in our text, God is set forth under the figure of a creditor,
partly in view of His being our Creator, and partly as being our
Lawgiver and Judge. God not only has endowed us with talents,
obligating us to serve and glorify our Benefactor, but also has placed
us under His Law, so that we are condemned for our defaults. And as
Judge, He will yet call upon each of us to render a full account of
our respective stewardships (Rom. 14:12). There is to be a great Day
of Reckoning (Luke 19:15), and those who have failed to repent of and
bewail their debts and to take refuge in Christ will be eternally
punished for their defaults. Alas, that so very few conduct themselves
in the conscious realization of that solemn Assize.
Not only does this metaphor of creditor and debtors apply to our ruin,
but, thank God, it applies equally to the remedy for our recovery. As
insolvent debtors, we are completely undone and must forever lie under
the righteous judgment of God, unless full compensation be made to
Him. But we are powerless to pay Him that compensation, for, morally
and spiritually speaking, we are undischarged bankrupts. Deliverance,
then, must come from outside ourselves. Here is where the Gospel
speaks relief to the sin-burdened soul: another, even the Lord Jesus,
took upon Himself the office of Sponsor, and rendered full
satisfaction to Divine justice on behalf of His people, making
complete compensation to God for them. Hence, in this connection,
Christ is called the "Surety of a better testament" (Heb. 7:22), as He
affirmed prophetically through His father David: "Then I restored that
which I took not away" (Ps. 69:4). God declares concerning His elect,
"Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have a found a ransom" (Job
33:24).
"And forgive us our debts." Strange to say, some experience a
difficulty here. Seeing that God has already forgiven the Christian
"all trespasses" (Col. 2:13), is it not needless, they ask, for him to
continue to beg God for forgiveness? This difficulty is self-created,
through a failure to distinguish between the purchase of our pardon by
Christ and its actual application to us. True, full atonement for all
our sins was made by Him, and at the cross their guilt was canceled.
True, all our old sins are purged at our conversion (2 Pet. 1:9).
Nevertheless, there is a very real sense in which our present and
future sins are not remitted until we repent and confess them to God.
Therefore, it is both necessary and proper that we should seek pardon
for them. (1 John 1:6-10). Even after Nathan administered assurance to
David, saying, "The Lord also hath put away thy sins" (2 Sam. 12:13),
David begged God's forgiveness (Ps. 51:1).
What do we ask for in this petition? First, we ask that God will not
lay to our charge the sins we daily commit (Ps. 143:2). Second, we
plead that God will accept the satisfaction of Christ for our sins and
look upon us as righteous in Him. Some may object, "But if we be real
Christians, He has already done so." True, yet He requires us to sue
for our pardon, just as He said to Christ, "Ask of Me, and I shall
give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance" (Ps. 2:8). God is ready
to forgive, but He requires us to call upon Him. Why? That His saving
mercy may be acknowledged, and that our faith may be exercised! Third,
we beseech God for the continuance of pardon. Though we be justified,
yet we must continue to ask; as with our daily bread, though we have a
goodly store on hand, yet we beg for the continuance of it. Fourth, we
plead for the sense of forgiveness or assurance of it, that sins may
be blotted out of our conscience and from God's book of remembrance.
The effects of forgiveness are inner peace and access to God (Rom.
5:1, 2).
Forgiveness is not to be demanded as something due us, but requested
as a mercy. "To the very end of life, the best Christian must come for
forgiveness just as he did at first, not as a claimant of a right but
as a suppliant of a favour" (John Brown). Nor is this anywise
inconsistent with, or a reflection upon, our complete justification
(Acts 13:39). It is certain that the believer "shall not come into
condemnation" (John 5:24); yet instead of this truth leading him to
the conclusion that he need not pray for the remission of his sins, it
supplies him with the strongest possible encouragement to present such
a petition. Likewise, the Divine assurance that a genuine Christian
shall persevere to the end, instead of laying a foundation for
carelessness, is a most powerful motive to watchfulness and
faithfulness. This petition implies a felt sense of sin, a penitent
acknowledgement thereof, a seeking of God's mercy for Christ's sake,
and the realization that He can righteously pardon us. Its
presentation should ever be preceded by self-examination and
humiliation.
Our Lord teaches us to confirm this petition with an argument: as we
forgive our debtors." First, Christ teaches us to argue from a like
disposition in ourselves: whatever good there be in us must first be
in God, for He is the sum of all excellency; if, then, a kindly
disposition has been planted in our hearts by His Holy Spirit, the
same must be found in Him. Second, we are to reason with God from the
lesser to the greater: if we, who have but a drop of mercy, can
forgive the offenses done to us, surely God, who is a veritable Ocean
of mercy, will forgive us. Third, we are to argue from the condition
of those who may expect pardon: we are sinners who, out of a sense of
God's mercy to us, are disposed to show mercy to others; hence, we are
morally qualified for more mercy, seeing that we have not abused the
mercy we have already received. They who would rightly pray to God for
pardon must pardon those who wrong them. Joseph (Gen. 50:14-21) and
Stephen (Acts 7:60) are conspicuous examples. We need to pray much for
God to remove all bitterness and malice from our hearts against those
who wrong us. But to forgive our debtors does not exclude our rebuking
them, and, where public interests are involved, having them
prosecuted. It would be my duty to hand over a burglar to a policeman,
or to go to law against one who was able but who refused to pay me
(Rom. 13:1-8). If a fellow citizen is guilty of a crime and I do not
report it, then I become an accessory to that crime. I thus betray a
lack of love for him and for society (Lev. 19:17, 18).
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The Lord's Prayer by A.W. Pink
Chapter 7 - The Sixth Petition
"And lead us not into temptation"
Matthew 6:13
_________________________________________________________________
This sixth petition also begins with the word and, requiring us to
mark closely its relationship with the preceding petition. The
connection between them may be set forth thus. First, the previous
petition concerns the negative side of our justification, while this
one has to do with our practical sanctification; for the two blessings
must never be severed. Thus we see that the balance of truth is again
perfectly preserved. Second, past sins being pardoned, we should pray
fervently for grace to prevent us from repeating them. We cannot
rightly desire God to forgive us our sins unless we sincerely long for
grace to abstain from the like in the future. We should therefore make
it our practice to beg earnestly for strength to avoid a repetition of
them. Third, in the fifth petition we pray for the remission of the
guilt of sin; here we ask for deliverance from its power. God's
granting of the former request is to encourage faith in us to ask Him
to mortify the flesh and to vivify the spirit.
Before proceeding further, it may be best to clear the way by
disposing of something that is a real difficulty to many. "Let no man
say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted
with evil, neither tempteth He any man" (Jas. 1:13). There is no more
conflict between the words "And lead us not into temptation" and the
expression "neither tempteth He any man than there is the slightest
opposition between the teaching that "God cannot be tempted with evil"
and the recorded fact that Israel "turned back and tempted God" (Ps.
78:41). That God tempts no man means that He neither infuses evil into
anyone nor is in any wise a partner with us in our guilt. The
criminality of our sins is to be wholly attributed to ourselves, as
James 1:14, 15, makes clear. But men deny that it is from their own
corrupt natures that such and such evils proceed, blaming their
temptations. And if they are unable to fix the evil on those
temptations, then they seek to excuse themselves by throwing the blame
upon God, as Adam did: "The woman whom Thou gayest to be with me, she
gave me of the tree, and I did eat" (Gen. 3:12).
It is important to understand that the word tempt has a twofold
significance in Scripture, though it is not always easy to determine
which of the two applies in a particular passage: (1) to try (the
strength of), to put to the test; and (2) to entice to do evil. When
it is said that "God did tempt Abraham" (Gen. 22:1), it means that He
tried him, putting to the test his faith and fidelity. But when we
read that Satan tempted Christ, it signifies that Satan sought to
bring about His downfall, morally impossible though it was. To tempt
is to make trial of a person, in order to find out what he is and what
he will do. We may tempt God in a legitimate and good way by putting
Him to the test in a way of duty, as when we await the fulfillment of
His promise in Malachi 3:10. But, as is recorded for our admonition in
Psalm 78:41, Israel tempted God in a way of sin, acting in such a
manner as to provoke His displeasure.
"And lead us not into temptation." Note the truths that are clearly
implied by these words. First, God's universal providence is owned.
All creatures are at the sovereign disposal of their Maker; He has the
same absolute control over evil as over good. In this petition an
acknowledgment is made that the ordering of all temptations is in the
hands of our all-wise, omnipotent God. Second, God's offended justice
and the evil we deserve are avowed. Our wickedness is such that God
would be perfectly just if He should now allow us to be completely
swallowed up by sin and destroyed by Satan. Third, His mercy is
recognized. Though we have so grievously provoked Him, yet for
Christ's sake He has remitted our debts. Therefore, we plead that He
will henceforth preserve us. Fourth, our weakness is acknowledged.
Because we realize that we are unable to stand against temptations in
our own strength, we pray, "And lead us not into temptation."
How does God lead us into temptation? First, He does so objectively
when His providences, though good in themselves, offer occasions
(because of our depravity) for sin. When we manifest
self-righteousness, He may lead us into circumstances something like
Job experienced. When we are self-confident, He may be pleased to
suffer us to be tempted as Peter was. When we are self-complacent, He
may bring us into a situation similar to the one Hezekiah encountered
(2 Chron. 32:27-31; cf. 2 Kings 20:12-19). God leads many into
poverty, which though a sore trial is yet, under His blessing, often
enriching to the soul. God leads some into prosperity, which is a
great snare to many. Yet if sanctified by Him, prosperity enlarges one
s capacity for usefulness. Second, God tempts permissively when He
does not restrain Satan (which He is under no obligation to do).
Sometimes God suffers him to sift us as wheat, just as a strong wind
snaps off dead boughs from living trees. Third, God tempts some men
judicially, punishing their sins by allowing the Devil to lead them
into further sin, to the ultimate destruction of their souls.
But why does God tempt His people, either objectively by His
providences, or subjectively and permissively by Satan? He does so for
various reasons. First, He tries us in order to reveal to us our
weakness and our deep need of His grace. God withdrew His sustaining
arm from Hezekiah in order "that he might know all that was in his
heart" (2 Chron. 32:31). When God leaves us to ourselves, it is a most
painful and humiliating discovery that we make. Yet it is needful if
we are to pray from the heart, "Hold Thou me up, and I shall be safe"
(Ps. 119:117). Second, He tests us in order to teach us the need of
watchfulness and prayer. Most of us are so stupid and unbelieving that
we learn only in the hard school of experience, and even its lessons
have to be knocked into us. Little by little we discover how dearly we
have to pay for rashness, carelessness, and presumption. Third, our
Father subjects us to trials in order to cure our slothfulness. God
calls out, "Awake thou that sleepest" (Eph. 5:14), but we heed Him
not; and therefore He often employs rough servants to rudely arouse
us. Fourth, God puts us to the test in order to reveal to us the
importance and value of the armor He has appointed (Eph. 6:11-18). If
we heedlessly go forth to battle without our spiritual panoply, then
we must not be surprised at the wounds we receive; but they shall have
the salutary effect of making us more careful for the future!
From all that has been said above, it should be clear that we are not
to pray simply and absolutely against all temptations. Christ Himself
was tempted by the Devil, and was definitely led into the wilderness
by the Spirit for that very end (Matthew 4:1; Mark 1:12). Not all
temptations are evil, regardless of the aspect in which we view them:
their nature, their design, or their outcome. It is from the evil of
temptations that we pray to be spared (as the next petition in the
prayer indicates), yet even in that we pray submissively and with
qualification. We are to pray that we may not be led into temptation;
or, if God sees fit that we should be tempted, that we may not yield
thereto; or if we yield, that we be not totally overcome by the sin.
Nor may we pray for a total exemption from trials, but only for a
removal of the judgment of them. God often permits Satan to assault
and harass us, in order to humble us, to drive us to Himself, and to
glorify Himself by manifesting more fully to us His preserving power.
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience" (Jas.
1:2, 3).
In conclusion, a few remarks upon our responsibility in connection
with temptation are appropriate. First, it is our bounden duty to
avoid those persons and places that would allure us into sin, just as
it is always our duty to be on the alert for the first signs of
Satan's approach (Ps. 19:13; Prov. 4:14; 1 Thess. 5:22). As an unknown
writer has said, "He who carries about with him so much inflammable
material would do well to keep the greatest possible distance from the
fire." Second, we must steadfastly resist the Devil. "Take us the
foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines" (Song of Sol. 2:15). We
must not yield a single inch to our enemy. Third, we are to go to God
for grace submissively, for the measure He grants us is according to
His own good pleasure (Phil. 2:13).
You are to endeavour, indeed, to pray, and use all good means to come
out of temptation; but submit, if the Lord be pleased to continue His
exercise upon you. Nay, though God should continue the temptation, and
for the present not give out those measures of grace necessary for
you, yet you must not murmur, but lie at His feet; for God is Lord of
His own grace (Thomas Manton).
Thus we learn that this petition is to be presented in subservience to
God's sovereign will.
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The Lord's Prayer by A.W. Pink
Chapter 8 - The Seventh Petition
"But deliver us from evil"
Matthew 6:13
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This seventh petition brings us to the end of the petitionary part of
our Lord's Prayer. The four requests that are for the supply of our
own needs are for providing grace ("give us"), pardoning grace
("forgive us"), preventing grace ("lead us not into temptation"), and
preserving grace ("deliver us"). It is to be carefully noted that in
each case the pronoun is in the plural number and not the singular--us
and our, not me and my. For we are to supplicate not for ourselves
only, but for all the members of the household of faith (Gal. 6:10).
How beautifully this demonstrates the family character of truly
Christian prayer. For our Lord teaches us to address "our Father" and
to embrace all His children in our requests. On the high priest's
breastplate were inscribed the names of all the tribes of Israel--a
symbol of Christ's intercession on high. So, too, the Apostle Paul
enjoins "supplication for all saints" (Eph. 6:18). Self-love shuts up
the bowels of compassion, confining us to our own interests; but the
love of God shed abroad in our hearts makes us solicitous on behalf of
our brethren.
"But deliver us from evil." We cannot agree with those who restrict
the application of the word evil here to the Devil alone, though
doubtless he is principally intended. The Greek may, with equal
propriety, be rendered either the evil one or the evil thing; in fact,
it is translated both ways.
We are taught to pray for deliverance from all kinds, degrees, and
occasions of evil; from the malice, power, and subtlety of the powers
of darkness; from this evil world and all its allurements, snares,
tempers, and deceits; from the evil of our own hearts, that it may be
restrained, subdued, and finally extirpated; and from the evil of
suffering. . . (Thomas Scott).
This petition, then, expresses a desire to be delivered from all that
is really prejudicial to us, and especially from sin, which has no
good in it.
It is true that in contradistinction to God, who is the Holy One,
Satan is designated "the wicked [or evil] one" (Eph. 6:16; 1 John
2:13, 14; 3:12; 5:18, 19). Yet it is also true that sin is evil (Rom.
12:9), the world is evil (Gal. 1:4), and our own corrupt nature is
evil (Matthew 12:35). Moreover, the advantages that the Devil gains
over us are by means of the flesh and the world, for they are his
agents. Thus, this is a prayer for deliverance from all our spiritual
enemies. It is true that we have been delivered from "the power of
darkness" and translated into the Kingdom of Christ (Col. 1:13), and
that, as a consequence, Satan no longer has any lawful authority over
us. Nevertheless, our adversary wields an awesome and oppressive
power: though he cannot rule us, he is permitted to molest and harass
us. He stirs up enemies to persecute us (Rev. 12, 13), he inflames our
lusts (1 Chron. 21:1; 1 Cor. 7:5), and he disturbs our peace (1 Pet.
5:8). It is therefore our constant need and duty to pray for
deliverance from him.
Satan's favorite device is to incite or to deceive us into a prolonged
self-indulgence in some one sin to which we are particularly inclined.
Therefore, we need to be in constant prayer that our natural
corruptions may be mortified. When he cannot cause some gross lust to
tyrannize a child of God, he labors to get him to commit some evil
deed whereby the name of God will be dishonored and His people
offended, as he did in the case of David (2 Sam. 11). When a believer
has fallen into sin the Devil seeks to make him easy therein, so that
he has no remorse for it. When God chastens us for our faults, Satan
strives to make us fret against our Father's chastening or else to
drive us to despair. When he fails in these methods of attack, then he
stirs up our friends and relatives to oppose us, as in the case of
Job. But whatever be his line of assault, prayer for deliverance must
be our daily recourse.
Christ Himself has left us an example that should encourage us to
offer this petition, for in His intercession on our behalf we find Him
saying, "I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world,
but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil" (John 17:15). Observe
how this explains to us the connection between the clause we are now
considering and the one that precedes it. Christ did not pray
absolutely that we should be exempted from temptation, for He knew
that His people must expect assaults both from within and from
without. Therefore, He asked not that we should be taken out of this
world, but that we be delivered from the evil. To be kept from the
evil of sin is a far greater mercy than to be kept from the trouble of
temptation. But how far, it may be asked, has God undertaken to
deliver us from evil? First, He keeps us from evil so far as it would
be hurtful to our highest interests. It was for Peter's ultimate good,
and the good of God's people, that he was suffered to fall temporarily
(Luke 22:31-34). Second, God prevents evil from gaining full dominion
over us, so that we shall not totally and finally apostatize. Third,
He rescues us from evil by an ultimate deliverance, when He removes us
to heaven.
"But deliver us from evil." This is a prayer, first, for Divine
illumination, so that we may be able to detect Satan's devices (2 Cor.
2:11). He who can transform himself into an angel of light (2 Cor.
11:14) is far too subtle for human wisdom to cope with. Only as the
Spirit graciously enlightens can we discern his snares. Second, this
is a prayer for strength to resist Satan's attacks, for he is much too
powerful for us to withstand in our own might. Only as we are
energized by the Spirit shall we be kept from willfully yielding to
temptation or from taking pleasure in the sins we commit. Third, it is
a prayer for grace to mortify our lusts, for only to the degree that
we put to death our own internal corruptions shall we be enabled to
refuse external solicitations to sin. We cannot justly throw the blame
on Satan while we give license to the evil of our hearts. Salvation
from the love of sin always precedes deliverance from its dominion.
Fourth, this is a prayer for repentance when we do succumb. Sin has a
fatal tendency to deaden our sensibilities and to harden our hearts
(Heb. 3:13). Naught but Divine grace can free us from unabashed
indifference and work in us a godly sorrow for our transgressions. The
very words "deliver us" imply that we are as deeply plunged into sin
as a beast that is stuck in the mire and must be forcibly dragged out.
Fifth, it is a prayer for the removal of guilt from the conscience.
When true repentance has been communicated, the soul is bowed down
with shame before God; there is no relief till the Spirit sprinkles
the conscience afresh with the cleansing blood of Christ. Sixth, it is
a prayer that we may be so delivered from evil that our souls are
restored again to communion with God. Seventh, it is a prayer that He
will overrule our falls for His glory and for our lasting good. To
have a sincere desire for all these things is a signal favor from God.
What we pray for we must endeavor to practice. We do but mock God, if
we ask Him to deliver us from evil and then trifle with sin or
recklessly rush into the place of temptation. Prayer and watchfulness
must never be severed from each other. We must make it our special
care to mortify our lusts (Col. 3:5; 2 Tim. 2:22), to make no
provision for the flesh (Rom. 13:14), to avoid every appearance (or
form) of evil (1 Thess. 5:22), to resist the Devil steadfastly in the
faith (1 Pet. 5:8, 9), to love not the world, neither the things that
are in it (1 John 2:15). The more our character is formed and our
conduct regulated by the holy Word of God the more we shall be enabled
to overcome evil with good. Let us labor diligently to maintain a good
conscience (Acts 24:16). Let us seek to live each day as though we
knew it was our last one on earth (Prov. 27:1). Let us set our
affection on things above (Col. 3:2). Then may we sincerely pray, "But
deliver us from evil."
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The Lord's Prayer by A.W. Pink
Chapter 9 - The Doxology
"For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.
Amen"
Matthew 6:13
_________________________________________________________________
This model for Divine worshipers concludes with a doxology or
ascription of praise to the One addressed, evidencing the completeness
of the prayer. Christ here taught His disciples not only to ask for
the things needful to them, but to ascribe unto God that which is
properly His. Thanksgiving and praise are an essential part of prayer.
Particularly should this be borne in mind in all public worship, for
the adoration of God is His express due. Surely if we ask God to bless
us, the least we can do is to bless Him. "Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ!" exclaims Paul (Eph.
1:3). To pronounce blessing upon Cod is but the echo and reflex of His
grace toward us. Devout praise, as the expression of elevated
spiritual affections, is the proper language of the soul in communion
with God.
The perfections of this prayer as a whole and the wondrous fullness of
each clause and word in it are not perceived by a rapid and careless
glance, but become apparent only by a reverent pondering. This
doxology may be considered in at least a threefold way: (1) as an
expression of holy and joyful praise; (2) as a plea and argument to
enforce the petitions; and (3) as a confirmation and declaration of
confidence that the prayer will be heard. In this prayer our Lord
gives us the quintessence of true prayer. In the Spirit-indited
prayers of the Old Testament Psalter, prayer and praise are
continually joined together. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul
gives the following authoritative instruction: "Be careful for
nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God" (Phil. 4:6).
All the prayers of eminent saints, recorded in the Bible, are
intermingled with the adoration of Him who inhabits the praises of
Israel (Ps. 22:3).
In this pattern prayer, God is made both the Alpha and the Omega. It
opens by addressing Him as our Father in heaven; it ends by lauding
Him as the glorious King of the universe. The more His perfections are
before our hearts, the more spiritual will be our worship and the more
reverent and fervent our supplications. The more the soul is engaged
in contemplation of God Himself, the more spontaneous and sincere will
be its praise. "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with
thanksgiving" (Col. 4:2). Is it not our failure at this point that is
so often the cause of blessing being withheld from us? "Let the people
praise Thee, O God; let all the people praise Thee. Then shall the
earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us"
(Ps. 67:5, 6). If we do not praise God for His mercies, how can we
expect Him to bless us with His mercies?
"For Thine is the Kingdom." These words set forth God's universal
right and authority over all things, by which He disposes of them
according to His pleasure. God is Supreme Sovereign in creation,
providence, and grace. He reigns over heaven and earth, all creatures
and things being under His full control. The words "and the power"
allude to God's infinite sufficiency to execute His sovereign right
and to perform His will in heaven and earth. Because He is the
Almighty, He has the ability to do whatsoever He pleases. He never
slumbers nor wearies (Ps. 121:3, 4); nothing is too hard for Him
(Matthew 19:26); none can withstand Him (Dan. 4:35). All forces
opposed to Him and to the Church's salvation He can and will
overthrow. The phrase "and the glory" sets forth His ineffable
excellency: since He has absolute sovereignty over all and
commensurate power to dispose of all, He is therefore all-glorious.
God's glory is the grand goal of all His works and ways, and of His
glory He is ever jealous (Isa. 48:11, 12). To Him belongs the
exclusive glory of being the Answerer of prayer.
Let us next notice that the doxology is introduced by the conjunction
for, which here has the force of because or on account of the fact
that Thine is the Kingdom, etc. This doxology is not only an
acknowledgement of God's perfections, but a most powerful plea as to
why our petitions should be heard. Christ is here teaching us to
employ the for of argumentation. Thou art able to grant these
requests, for Thine is the Kingdom, etc. While the doxology
undoubtedly belongs to the prayer as a whole and is brought in to
enforce all seven petitions, yet it seems to us to have a special and
more immediate reference to the last one: "but deliver us from evil:
for Thine is the Kingdom. . . ." O Father, the number and power of our
enemies are indeed great, and they are rendered the more formidable
because of the treachery of our own wicked hearts. Yet we are
encouraged to implore Thy assistance against them, because all the
attempts made by sin and Satan against us are really assaults upon Thy
sovereignty and dominion over us and the promotion of Thy glory by us.
"For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory." What
encouragement is here! Two things especially inspire confidence
towards God in prayer: the realization that He is willing and that He
is able. Both are here intimated. That God bids us, through Christ His
Son, to address Him as our Father is an indication of His love and an
assurance of His care for us. But God is also the King of kings,
possessing infinite power. This truth assures us of His sufficiency
and guarantees His ability. As the Father, He provides for His
children; as the King, He will defend His subjects. "Like as a father
pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him" (Ps.
103:13). "Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob"
(Ps. 44:4). It is for God's own honor and glory that He manifests His
power and shows Himself strong on behalf of His own. "Now unto Him
that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or
think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto Him be glory in
the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.
Amen" (Eph. 3:20, 21).
What instruction is here! First, we are taught to enforce our
petitions with arguments drawn from the Divine perfections. God's
universal kingship, His power, and His glory are to be turned into
prevailing pleas for obtaining the things we need. We are to practice
what Job sought to do: "I would order my cause before Him, and fill my
mouth with arguments" (Job 23:4). Second, we are clearly directed to
join petition and praise together. Third, we are taught to pray with
the utmost reverence. Since God is so great and powerful a King, He is
to be feared (Isa. 8:13). Hence it follows that we are to prostrate
ourselves before Him in complete submission to His sovereign will.
Fourth, we are instructed to make a full surrender and subjection of
ourselves to Him; otherwise we do but mock God when we acknowledge
verbally His dominion over us (Isa. 29:13). Fifth, by praying thus, we
are trained to make His glory our chief concern, endeavoring so to
walk that our lives show forth His praise.
"For ever." How marked is the contrast between our Father's Kingdom,
power, and glory and the fleeting dominion and evanescent glory of
earthly monarchs. The glorious Being whom we address in prayer is
"from everlasting to everlasting. . . God" (Ps. 90:2). Christ Jesus,
in whom He is revealed and through whom prayer is offered, is "the
same yesterday, and today, and for ever (Heb. 13:8). When we pray
aright, we look beyond time into eternity and measure present things
by their connection with the future. How solemn and expressive are
these words for ever! Earthly kingdoms decay and disappear. Creaturely
power is puny and but for a moment. The glory of human beings and of
all mundane things vanishes like a dream. But the Kingdom and power
and glory of Jehovah are susceptible to neither change nor diminution,
and they shall know no end. Our blessed hope is that, when the first
heaven and earth have passed away, the Kingdom and power and glory of
God will be known and adored in their wondrous reality through all
eternity.
"Amen." This word intimates the two things required in prayer, namely,
a fervent desire and the exercise of faith. For the Hebrew word Amen
(often translated "verily" or "truly" in the New Testament) means "so
be it" or "it shall be so." This twofold meaning of supplication and
expectation is plainly hinted at in the double use of Amen in Psalm
72:10: "And blessed be His glorious name for ever: and let the whole
earth be filled with His glory; Amen, and Amen." God has determined it
shall be so, and the whole Church expresses its desire: "So be it."
This "Amen" belongs and applies to each part and clause of the prayer:
"Hallowed be Thy name. Amen"--and so forth. Uttering the Amen, both in
public and private prayers, we express our longings and affirm our
confidence in God's power and faithfulness. It is itself a condensed
and emphatic petition: believing in the verity of God's promises and
resting on the stability of His government, we both cherish and
acknowledge our confident hope in a gracious answer.
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
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The Prophetic Parables of Matthew 13
by A.W. Pink
Forward.
_________________________________________________________________
There is little room for wonder, though there is much for humiliation,
at the widespread ignorance and error that now obtains among the
people of God on many of the leading subjects of Prophecy. For almost
fourteen centuries, as "Church-history" clearly shows, prophecy was
neglected. Those known as the "Church fathers," with only one or two
exceptions, like Origen, devoted their time to wrangling over
doctrines and the ordinances; while prophecy was ignored. In view of 2
Peter 1:19--"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye
do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark
place"--and the general neglect of prophecy for fourteen hundred
years, those centuries have very aptly been termed "The Dark
Ages"--dark because the light from the lamp of prophecy did not
illumine them.
Nor was it much better when the Reformers came on the scene. God
forbid that we should utter one word of criticism against those
honored men of God, but their hands were more than full in preaching
the Gospel to a people who were utterly ignorant of it, in translating
the Scriptures into their own mother-tongues, and in expounding the
great fundamentals of the Christian faith. So busily occupied were
they in those good works, they had little or no time to give to the
real study of prophecy itself. As a matter of fact, practically all
that the Reformers saw in the prophetical portions of Scripture was
the foretold judgment of God upon the Satanic system of the Papacy,
out of which they had been mercifully delivered.
Those who have any knowledge at all of human nature can readily
understand how it would be with men who had been cradled in Romanism
and who later had, by the grace of God, been enabled to see its
blasphemous errors. When they came to the prophecies of Scripture,
their thinking was colored by Romanism, and consequently when they met
with an object which was the predicted subject of God's judgment, they
viewed it through colored glasses. "Babylon'' was the Papacy; the "Man
of Sin" was the Pope; the "Beast" was Rome, and so on. The sad thing
is that most of those who have followed the Reformers, instead of
studying the prophecies of God's Word for themselves, have done little
more than echo what the Reformers before them said. In consequence,
little or no advance has been made, and God's people at large today
have very little more light upon prophecy than had their forefathers
of three hundred years ago.
There is, therefore, pressing need for all Christians to give at least
part of the time they spend in reading the Scriptures to studying its
predictions. We purpose giving a series of studies on the thirteenth
chapter of Matthew, which, in the writer's judgment, is, from the
standpoint of prophecy, the most important chapter of all the New
Testament. There is much in God's prophetic program which must
necessarily remain dark until the parables of this chapter are
thoroughly mastered. At present they are much misunderstood and
misinterpreted.
It will be found that in Matthew 13:10, 11 the Lord Jesus has
designated these seven parables "mysteries of the kingdom of heaven."
This expression "the kingdom of heaven" comprehends in a brief form
the contents of the whole chapter. This will be seen by a reference to
verses 24, 31, 33, etc., where it will be found that each of the last
six parables begin with "the kingdom of heaven is like unto." What is
meant by this expression? There is perhaps no term in Scripture used
so extensively, but which is so little understood. Though it is found
in Matthew's Gospel only, yet it occurs there no less than thirty-two
times. Thus our interpretation of this expression affects a great deal
of Scripture, and a correct definition of it supplies the first key to
the understanding of Matthew 13; for it should be obvious to all that
none can begin to understand its seven parables until they have
obtained a right definition of that term.
There is the utmost confusion today and a fearful amount of
misunderstanding concerning the scriptural purport of this expression,
"the kingdom of heaven." There are some who think that it refers to
Heaven itself. There are others who understand it refers to that
Church of which Christ is the Head. But there is one scripture in the
New Testament which conclusively refutes both of these definitions. In
Matthew 16:19 we find the Savior saying to Peter, "I will give unto
thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven." Most assuredly Christ did not
give to Peter the keys of the Church; still less did He give to him
the keys of Heaven itself. Then of what did He give Peter the keys?
What does the reader understand by "the keys of the kingdom of
heaven"? Could you give a simple and satisfactory explanation of this
verse to a Romanist who came to you desiring help upon it? We have
raised this point in order to show what a need there is for a careful
inquiry and a close study of what this particular expression does not
connote and what it does signify.
It is because the great majority of Christians, including most of
their leaders and teachers, have no right understanding of this
term--"the kingdom of heaven"--that they encounter so much in
Matthew's Gospel which is perplexing and puzzling to them. Let us
refer to one other passage where this expression occurs so as to make
more manifest the prevailing ignorance. In the opening verse of
Matthew 22 we read, "And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by
parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king
which made a marriage for his son," etc. Now go down to verse 11: "and
when the king came in to see the guests he saw there (at the banquet
itself) a man which had not on a wedding garment: and he said unto
him, Friend, how camest thou in hither, not having a wedding garment?
And he was speechless. Then said the king, Bind him hand and foot,"
etc. How many of our readers are really satisfied with the
explanations which they have heard or read of this passage? Our only
object in calling attention to it now is to point out that it is one
of the parables relating to "the kingdom of heaven," and to show that
until we obtain a correct definition of this expression there is not a
little in Scripture which we shall never begin to understand.
Before we are ready to take up in detail the subject of "the kingdom
of heaven" we need first to weigh the wider expression of "the kingdom
of God," and in considering this we must begin where Scripture begins,
and that is in the Old Testament. In the remainder of this article we
shall attempt nothing more than an outline of "the kingdom of God" in
the Old Testament.
In contemplating "the kingdom of God" in the O. T. Scriptures great
care must be taken to distinguish between two aspects of it. First,
Scripture speaks of an unlimited kingdom of God, namely the sovereign
rule of the Most High over all His vast dominions. Such scriptures as
Daniel 4:34,35 refer to this aspect of His kingdom: "And I blessed the
Most High, and I praised and honored Him that lives forever, whose
dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from
generation to generation. And all the inhabitants of the earth are
reputed as nothing: and He does according to His will in the army of
heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay His
hand, or say unto Him, What doest Thou?" This rule of God over all His
creatures is universal, absolute, and eternal. But Scripture also
speaks of a limited kingdom, which is restricted both in its scope and
time, which is neither eternal nor universal; and it is not until we
learn to distinguish between these two separate aspects of the
"kingdom of God" that we rightly divide the Word of truth and secure
the key which unlocks quite a little of the Old Testament.
This second aspect of God's kingdom is what may be termed the
dispensational one: it is localized and temporal. This is God's
kingdom on earth, where His rule is publicly manifested over and is
owned by men. It was first established among the children of Israel,
when the Lord Himself was in their midst, when He made the mercy seat
upon the ark His throne, and dwelt between the cherubim. That was
God's "kingdom" on earth. In Joshua 3:11, 13--a passage which takes us
back to a point not long after Jehovah took up His dwelling in
Israel's midst--occurs a striking expression: "Behold the ark of the
covenant of the Lord of all the earth passes over before you into
Jordan ...... and it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the
feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the
earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan
shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they
shall stand upon an heap." It is to be carefully noted that here is
the first time in Scripture that God assumed this title, and that here
it was connected with the ark, and was assumed on the occasion of
Israel's passing through the Jordan: it was Jehovah formally taking
possession of that land which He had given to His people. Had Israel
remained in subjection to their King and obeyed His laws, not only
would He have continued in their midst, but through them He would have
governed the whole earth--as He will yet do in the Millennium. Proof
of this is found in the fact that during the brief seasons they
remained obedient, He overthrew their enemies and subdued the
surrounding Gentiles.
But Israel waxed disobedient and rebelled against Jehovah their King.
"And the Lord said unto Samuel, `Hearken unto the voice of the people
in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but
they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them'" (1 Sam.
8:7). For centuries after this the long sufferance of God continued to
bear with them, but in the days of Ezekiel the Shekinah-glory--His
manifested presence in their midst--departed. This is referred to in
Ezekiel 10:18, "Then the glory of the Lord departed from off the
threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim;" and Ezekiel
11:23, "and the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city,
and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city."
First the Shekinah-glory left the ark in the holy place, then
gradually receding, it left the temple, then going farther away it
stood over the Mount of Olives, until it vanished from their sight.
God had forsaken His earthly throne and dwelling-place.
Now at this point, God, in a dispensational way, assumed a new title.
In 2 Chronicles 36:23 we read, "Thus saith Cyrus, king of Persia, all
the kingdoms of the earth has the Lord God of heaven given me." So in
the opening verses of Ezra we are told that this same Cyrus made a
proclamation saying, "The Lord God of heaven has given me all the
kingdoms of the earth, and He has charged me to build Him an house at
Jerusalem." These are the first occurrences of this Divine title in
Scripture. It is no mere casual expression, but the employment of it
marked a great crisis and denoted a radical change in God's dealings
with the earth. It will be found that this is a characteristic title
of God in those books which treat of the captivity of Israel. It
emphasized the fact that, while His eternal throne can never be given
up, God's dispensational throne upon earth had been forsaken.
In the stead of His visible throne in Israel's midst, God set up
another throne upon earth, a throne which He delegated to men, and
which was to continue throughout the times of the Gentiles--an
expression which concerns the interval during which the Gentiles have
dominion over Jerusalem. This is the theme and subject which is
developed in the book of Daniel. In its second chapter, where we have
recorded Nebuchadnezzar's dream and the Divine interpretation thereof,
we find that the prophetic significance of the great image furnished
an outline of the history of the times of the Gentiles and the
character of their rule over this earth (see vv. 37-39).
The prophetic dream of Nebuchadnezzar looked forward not only to the
end of the four Gentile world-empires, but also beyond them,
contemplating another and a future empire which would be totally
different in character. In verse 44 we are told, "And in the days of
these kings (the "kingdom" before referred to) shall the God of heaven
set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom
shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and
consume all the kingdoms, and it shall stand forever." This was the
fifth kingdom, the promised kingdom of Messiah. Further details
concerning it are given in Daniel 7:13, 14, "I saw in the night
visions, and, behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of
heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought Him near
before Him. And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a
kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him;
His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away,
and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed"-- compare Luke
19:12, 15.
After Daniel, the voice of prophecy was soon silenced, and for four
hundred years the people of Israel remained in a state of eager
expectation, waiting for God to fulfill His promises. Next appeared
John the Baptist, who took up the kingdom message just where the O. T.
prophets had dropped it. In Matthew 3:1, 2 we read, "In those days
came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and
saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand--it was "at
hand," because the King Himself was about to appear in the midst of
the Jews. When John said, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand," what do
you suppose his Jewish hearers understood by that expression? They had
the whole of the O. T. in their hands, but that is all which they then
had. Obviously, all their thoughts would naturally turn to that
kingdom which the Son of Man was to receive in heaven at the hands of
the Ancient of days.
It is to be noted that the Baptist's preaching was "in the wilderness
of Judea." The position occupied by the Messiah's forerunner was a sad
portend of the outcome of his mission. John appeared outside the
temple, away from Jerusalem. And his message, "Repent ye," bore
witness to Israel's sad spiritual condition--I do not need to say
"Repent ye" to a people who are walking in communion with God. "Repent
ye" was a word for those who were away from God.
Then appeared the One whom John heralded. The King Himself once more
drew near to Israel on earth. He who had of old vacated His earthly
throne and who had in the days of Ezekiel retired to heaven, and who
from that time onwards became known as "The Lord God of heaven," had
in matchless grace incarnated Himself in human form, and because He
was now once more upon earth, because the King Himself was present in
Israel's midst, the Kingdom was "at hand." Therefore, we are told in
Matthew 4:17, "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say,
Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Both the "signs"
(Matthew 11:4; 16:3) and the "powers" (Heb. 2:3; 6:5) of the
kingdom--the Messianic, earthly one --.were displayed by Christ.
Humanly speaking, everything was ready for the establishment of that
which had been promised by Daniel. Nothing was wanting but this--loyal
hearts to welcome and receive the Divine-King. But, alas! this was
lacking: "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not" (John
1:11).
The steps of the Messiah's rejection are traced in Matthew 12, which
we shall take up in our next chapter. Because Israel rejected their
King, He temporarily rejected them, and therefore the setting up of
His Messianic kingdom on this earth was postponed. The King would
depart from this world and be absent for a lengthy season, before He
returned again and set up His kingdom--see Luke 19:12, 15. In the
interval of His absence the "kingdom" takes another form. It is now
His kingdom among the Gentiles, and is found wherever His authority if
publicly owned; it is the sphere of Christian profession: in a word,
Christendom.
_________________________________________________________________
Index
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The Prophetic Parables of Matthew 13
by A.W. Pink
Introduction.
_________________________________________________________________
The thirteenth chapter of Matthew opens with these words "The same day
went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the seaside." This statement
clearly looks back to the preceding chapter, where the Holy Spirit has
traced for us the various steps in Israel's rejection of their King.
At the beginning of Matthew 12 we find the Pharisees challenging the
disciples of Christ because they had plucked the ears of corn on the
Sabbath day, which is followed by the Lord's vindication of them. Next
we are told, "Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against
Him, how they might destroy Him" (v. 14). This is the first time that
we read of anything like this in Matthew's Gospel.
Next in vv. 22-24 we are told, "Then was brought unto Him one
possessed with a demon, blind, and dumb; and He healed him, insomuch
that the blind and dumb both spake and saw." Up to that point this was
the most remarkable miracle that the Lord Jesus had performed, in
fact, it was three miracles in one. Such an impression was produced
upon those who witnessed it that we are told, "and all the people were
amazed, and said, Is not this the Son of David ?"--not "is not this
the Son of God ?" but "the Son of David," i.e., the Messiah Himself.
Following this we are told, "But when the Pharisees heard it, they
said, This fellow doth not cast out demons, but by Beelzebub the
prince of the demons"--there they committed the sin for which there
was no forgiveness.
Following our Lord's sentence upon the Pharisees for their
unpardonable blasphemy, we are next told, "Then certain of the scribes
and the Pharisees answered, Master, we would see a sign from Thee" (v.
38). His response was that the only sign which should be given to that
evil and unfaithful generation should be that of "the sign of the
prophet Jonah"--i.e., that after three days in the place of death the
Servant of God should come forth and go unto the Gentiles. Following
this, the Lord solemnly pronounced the coming judgment of Heaven upon
that wicked generation, so that their last state should be worse than
the first (vv. 43-45).
The chapter closes by telling us that while Christ yet talked to the
people one said unto Him, "Behold, Thy mother and Thy brethren stand
without, desiring to speak with Thee." in reply, He asked, "Who is My
mother? and who are My brethren?" Then He stretched forth His hand
toward His disciples and said, "Behold My mother and My brethren! For
whosoever shall do the will of My Father which is in Heaven, the same
is My brother and sister, and mother" (vv. 46-50). This was a severing
oœ fleshly ties: it denoted the Savior's break with Israel: it
announced that henceforth He would only own as His kinsmen those who
did the will of His Father which was in Heaven.
It will thus be seen that the opening words of Matthew 13 supply the
first key to the interpretation of what follows. The parables of this
chapter were spoken by Christ "the same day" as when the Pharisees had
taken council together to destroy Him, as when they had committed the
unpardonable sin, as when He had pronounced solemn judgment upon the
Nation, and as when He had severed the fleshly ties which united Him
to the Jews and had intimated that henceforth there should be a people
united to Him by spiritual bonds. Thus the relation between Matthew 12
and Matthew 13 is that of cause to effect; in other words, Matthew 12
makes known the cause which led up to Christ's acting as He did in the
thirteenth chapter: that cause was Israel's rejection of their King
and His rejection of them. His action in Matthew 13:1 was indicative
of a great dispensational crisis, it was an anticipation of what is
found developed at length in the books of Acts--God, temporarily,
turning away from the Jews and turning unto the Gentiles.
"The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the seaside,"
The "house" is the place of ordered relationship and natural ties.
This was now left, Jesus "went out" of it! Symbolically, it was a
confirmation of His own words at the close of Matthew 12: the link
which had bound Him to the Jews was now severed. Christ's next act was
to take His place by the seaside. This also had a deep symbolical
significance for those who had eyes to see. The "sea" speaks of fallen
man in the restlessness and barrenness of nature, of man apart from
God, and thus of the Gentiles (F. W. G.). If the reader will turn to
Daniel 7:1, 2; Revelation 17:15, etc., he will there find this figure
defined.
"And He spoke many things unto them in parables" (Matthew 13:3). This
marked a new departure in Christ's method of teaching. The first
twelve chapters of this Gospel will be searched in vain for any
parables. Hitherto Christ had instructed the people in plain language,
using simple terms of speech; but now His message was veiled and His
meaning hidden. This explains what we are told in the tenth verse:
"And the disciples came, and said unto Him, Why speakest Thou unto
them in parables?" The disciples were surprised: not being accustomed
to this form of teaching, they were at a loss to account for it here.
The Lord's answer to their question confirmed what we have said on
verse 1. His answer is recorded in verses 11-15: our Lord's quotation
there of the solemn words from Isaiah 6 supplied further proof that
the Nation had rejected their King. In consequence of this rejection
He had taken a place of distance from them, as this new form of
teaching plainly evidenced. It is a principle exemplified all through
the Scriptures that, wherever parables or symbolic utterances were
employed they are addressed to a people estranged from God--hence the
absence of them in the Epistles.
Turning once more to Matthew 13:11, we find here the second important
key which unlocks the contents of our present chapter. The Lord
Himself there designates the seven parables "mysteries of the kingdom
of heaven." But before we proceed further let it be pointed out that
the word "kingdom" does not primarily refer to territory. Webster's
first meaning of this word is "royal authority, sovereign power, rule,
dominion." The term "kingdom" refers, directly, not to territory but
authority, not to a locality but to sovereignty. Let us borrow a
simple illustration. France was once a "kingdom," but today it is a
"republic." Yet there has been no territorial change: the country is
the same, and it is inhabited by the same race of people. It is no
longer a "kingdom" for the simple reason that it no longer
acknowledges the sovereign authority of any king; instead, it is
governed by the public, and is therefore a "republic." The public are
the rulers, authority being vested in those whom they elect to office.
Thus it will be seen from this simple illustration that the term
"kingdom" looks not to a localized sphere of territory, but refers to
the form of its government and speaks of the sovereignty of its ruler.
Therefore the "kingdom of heaven" is not heaven itself, but a people
who own the sovereign authority of heaven.
Further proof of what has been said above will be found in the
Savior's words to Peter as recorded in Matthew 16:19: "And I will give
unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven." "Keys" speak of two
things: they are the symbol of authority and they are for the purpose
of opening something and giving admission and access. When I give to
some person the key to my house he has the right of authority to enter
it. In Revelation 1:18 Christ is spoken of as having "the keys of
death and hades," which means that He has complete authority over
them. Now to Peter were "given" the keys of the kingdom of heaven, a
delegated authority being in view. In the book of Acts the meaning of
the Lord's words to Peter are made plain.
In the second chapter of the Acts we find Peter using those "keys" on
the day of Pentecost--opening the door of the kingdom to the Jews. In
Acts 10 we find Peter using those "keys" again--giving admission to
the Gentiles into the kingdom. It is very striking to weigh the
details in the last mentioned: the particular Gentiles referred to
were Cornelius and his household. Now in Acts 9 we read of the
conversion of Saul of Tarsus, and, as we know, he was the apostle to
the Gentiles. Yet, when the Lord appeared to Cornelius and told him to
send for one of His servants, it was not Paul but Peter that was
invited, for it was the latter and not the former who held the "keys"!
That which Peter gave admission into was not heaven nor was it the
Church, but the sphere of Christian profession. Thus the language of
Matthew 13:11 assures us that the parables which follow have respect
unto Christendom, i.e., that sphere where the authority of heaven and
the sovereignty of Christ are professedly owned. Before leaving
Matthew 16:19, we may add that a successional and vested right in "St.
Peter's keys" is a manifest absurdity; for this reason: Peter left the
door of the kingdom wide open!
The eleventh verse of Matthew 13 supplies yet another key, in the word
"mysteries of the kingdom of heaven." In Scripture the term "mystery"
signifies a Divine secret made known by the Holy Spirit. This is
confirmed by what is told us in verse 35, namely, that Christ was here
uttering "things which have been kept secret from the foundation of
the world." Thus, in these parables, Christ was making known that
which was outside the scope of O.T. prediction, something which God
had not made known to Israel through the prophets. This needs to be
carefully noted, for it refutes the popular interpretation of these
parables.
There are many who regard the parables of Matthew 13 as containing
predictions of the ushering in of the Millennium: those of the
Mustard-tree and the Leaven are regarded as being parallel with the
promise that "the knowledge of the glory of the Lord shall cover the
earth as the waters cover the sea." But that statement is found in
Isaiah 11:9: that was no "secret" in O.T. times! Therefore, none of
the parables in Matthew 13 can be treating of the same subject as
Isaiah 11:9, or what is stated in verse 35 would not be true. No;
Matthew 13 deals with something nowhere revealed in the O.T.; it is an
entirely new revelation.
The number of parables here, seven, intimates that they furnish a
complete outline or setting forth of something, and that something is
the History of Christendom. What is in view in the first four parables
is the sphere of human responsibility, and hence it is a picture of
failure that is presented to us. In the first, only one out of the
four castings of the good Seed yields any fruit. In the second, the
crop as a whole is spoiled by the mingling of the tares among the
wheat. In the third, the little mustard-seed develops into a great
tree, whose branches afford shelter for the agents of Satan. In the
fourth, the three measures of meal are, ultimately, completely
corrupted by means of the leaven surreptitiously introduced into them.
Look where you will in Scripture, and it is the same: whenever God has
committed anything to man as a responsible creature, he has failed.
God placed Adam in Eden on the ground of human responsibility and he
fell. God gave to Noah the sword of magisterial authority and he
failed to govern himself. God gave to Israel the law, and they broke
it: before Moses came down from the mount they were worshipping the
golden calf. God instituted priesthood in Israel, and Aaron and his
sons were duly consecrated to their office; but on the very first day,
two of them offered strange fire and judgment fell upon them. God
instituted kingship in Israel and failure was written large upon this.
God endowed Nebuchadnezzar with power, but he became so bloated with
self-importance that he made an image to himself and demanded that all
should worship it. Nor has the Christian profession proven any
exception. "Grievous wolves shall enter the flock after my departure,"
said the apostle Paul (Acts 20), and they did. The evil introduced by
Satan at the beginning of this dispensation has never been eradicated,
nor will it be till the harvest-time. Instead of things getting
better, they will get worse--until Christ spews out (Rev. 3:16) the
whole system which bears His name. But, blessed be His name, there is
no failure with God. In spite of man's failure and Satan's opposition,
He has been slowly but surely working out His eternal purpose. Acts
15:18 declares, "Known unto God are all His works from the beginning
of the world," and a clear proof of this is given us in the
unmistakable fulfillment of the prophetical parables of Matthew 13.
The seven parables of Matthew 13 divide into four and three, which is
the usual division of a septenary series. The first four were spoken
to the multitude on the seashore, the last three to the disciples
inside the house. Hence, the first four give us the external view in
the history of Christendom, while the last three portray that which is
more internal and spiritual. The first four are arranged in two pairs:
the first--the wheat and the tares--giving us individual aspects; the
second pair--the mustard-tree and the corrupted meal--set forth the
corporate view. Again: the first parable shows us a sowing, while the
fifth and sixth show the resultant crop. The second parable also shows
us a sowing, while the third and fourth give us the resultant crop. If
it is asked, Why is the "crop" of the second sowing given before the
harvest from the first? the answer is, It is ever the order of
Scripture to give us first that which is natural, then that which is
spiritual. In our next article we shall take up the parable of the
Sower.
N
.B.--For not a little in this chapter we are indebted to the writings
of the late F. W. Grant.
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The Prophetic Parables of Matthew 13
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 1:
The Parable of the Sower.
_________________________________________________________________
"And He spoke many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a
sower went forth to sow." The careful reader will notice an omission
here, namely, that this parable does not begin with the words "the
kingdom of heaven is like unto." This cannot be without some good
reason, for that which is omitted from Holy Writ is oftentimes as
meaningful as what is recorded. Each of the six parables which follow
do begin with this clause. The reason why it is left out at the
beginning of the first is not difficult to account for. As we have
shown in a previous article, "the kingdom of heaven" is an expression
which, in the present dispensation, has reference to Christendom--the
sphere of Christian profession, that circle where the sovereignty of
Christ is publicly owned. But the "kingdom of heaven" did not assume
this form until after Christ had returned to the Father. Thus, because
this first parable contemplates the period of time covered by our
Lord's earthly ministry these words are appropriately omitted. The
first parable forms an introduction to those which follow: it
describes the work of Christ preparatory to the establishment of His
kingdom among the Gentiles, though the principle of it is of wider
application.
"Behold, a sower went forth to sow." In Mark 4:3 we find that this
same parable is introduced by the words, "Hearken, behold, there went
out a sower to sow." This word "hearken" indicated that the Savior was
about to communicate something of unusual importance. The figure He
was using was so simple as to be almost unimpressive, so that there
was a danger of His hearers regarding it as of little account;
therefore the "Hearken!" "Behold" was also designed to arrest
attention; it was a word bidding us to carefully ponder what follows.
The action of Christ at the beginning of this parable was both tragic
and blessed. Speaking from the human side, it ought to have been, "A
Reaper went forth to reap," or "An Husbandman went forth to gather
fruit." For fifteen hundred years there had been a liberal sowing of
the Seed in Israel, by Moses, David, the prophets, and last of all
John the Baptist. But harvest for Jehovah there was not. Touchingly is
this brought out in Isaiah 5: "My well-beloved has a vineyard in a
very fruitful hill: And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones
thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine and built a tower in
the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and He looked that
it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes" (vv.
1, 2).
The blessedness of Christ's action here is to be seen in His wondrous
condescension and grace in stooping so low as to take the humble place
of a "Sower," hence the "Behold." The words "went forth to sow," or as
Mark's Gospel puts it "went out" were indicative of the great
dispensational change which was soon to be introduced. There was no
longer to be a planting of vines or fig-trees in Israel, but a going
out of the mercy of God unto the Gentiles; therefore what we have here
is the broadcast sowing of the Seed in the field at large, for as
verse 38 tells us "the field is the world."
One great design of this opening parable is to teach us the measure of
success which the Gospel would receive among the Gentiles. In other
words, we are shown what the results of this broadcast sowing of the
Seed would be. First of all, most of the ground upon which it fell
would prove unfavorable: the hard, shallow, and thorny soils were
uncongenial to productiveness. Second, external opposition would be
encountered: the birds of the air would come and catch it away. Third,
the sun would scorch, and that which was lacking in moisture at its
roots would wither away. Only a fractional part of the Seed sown would
yield any increase, and thus all expectations for the ultimate
universal triumph of the Gospel were removed.
The plain teaching of our present parable should at once dissipate the
optimistic but vain dreams of post-millennarians. It answers clearly
and conclusively the following questions: What is to be the result of
the broadcast sowing of the seed? Will all the world receive it and
every part of the field produce fruit? Will the seed spring up and
bear a universal harvest, so that not a single grain of it is lost?
Our Savior explicitly tells us that the greater part of the seed
produces no fruit, so that no world-wide conquests by the Gospel, in
the Christianizing of the race, are to be looked for. Nor was there
any hint that, as the age progressed, there would be any change, and
that later sowers would meet with greater success, so that the
wayside, stony, and thorny ground hearers would cease to exist or
would rarely be found. Instead of that, the Lord Himself has plainly
warned us that instead of the fruitage from the Gospel showing an
increase, there would be a marked decrease; for when speaking of the
fruit borne He said, "which also bears fruit, and brings forth, some
an hundred fold, some sixty, some thirty" (v. 23). These words are too
plain to be misunderstood. We believe that the "hundred fold" had
reference to the yield borne in the days of the apostles; the "sixty"
at the time of the Reformation; the "thirty" the days in which we are
now living. The history of the last nineteen centuries has witnessed
the fulfillment of Christ's prediction; only a fractional percentage
in any land, city or village has responded to the Gospel !
Most of the details of this parable are concerned not with the Sower
or the Seed, but with the various soils in which the Seed fell. In His
interpretation the Lord Jesus explained the different soils as
representing various classes of those who hear the Word. They are four
in number, and may be classified as hard-hearted, shallow-hearted,
half-hearted, and whole-hearted. It is important to see that in the
parable Christ is speaking not from the standpoint of the divine
counsels--for there can be no failure there--but from that of human
accountability. What we have here is the Word of the kingdom addressed
to man's responsibility, the effect it has on him, and his response.
Let us now look briefly at each class separately:
1. The wayside hearers. "And when He sowed, some fell by the wayside,
and the fowls came and devoured them up . . . when any one hears the
word of the kingdom and understands it not, then comes the wicked one,
and catches away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which
received Seed by the wayside" (vv. 4, 19). Here, the heart which
receives the Seed is unreceptive and unresponsive. It is like the
public highway, hardened by the constant traffic of the world. Though
the Word is said to be "sown in his heart" it finds no real lodgment
in it, and this is what makes it so solemn. The "engrafted word" is
that which is received "with meekness," and for this there must be a
laying aside of "all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness" (James
1:21). It is at this point that the individual's accountability comes
in, the responsibility of the one who hears the Word.
It is to be noted that it is "when anyone hears the word of the
kingdom and understands it not, then comes the wicked one and catches
away that which was sown in his heart." Those who hear the Word are
responsible to "understand" it. It is true that the natural man
receives not the things of the Spirit of God, but he ought to; and
that they are "foolishness unto him," but it ought not so to be. As we
are told in 1 Corinthians 8:2, "if any man think that he knows
anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know." Understanding of
the Word is obtained from God alone, and it is the responsibility of
all who bear and read His Word to cry unto Him, "That which I see not,
teach Thou me" (Job 34:32). His promise is "the meek will He teach His
way" (Ps. 25:9). But if there is no humbling of the heart before God,
no seeking wisdom from above, then will there be no "understanding" of
the Word; and the Devil will "catch away" that which we have heard or
read: but we shall have only ourselves to blame!
2. The stony-ground hearers. "Some fell upon stony places, where they
had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no
deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and
because they had no root, they withered away . . . He that received
the seed into stony places, the same is he which hears the Word, and
anon with joy receives it; yet has he not root in himself, but endures
for awhile: for when tribulation or persecution arises because of the
Word, by and by he is offended" (vv. 5, 6, 20, 21). The type of ground
that is here referred to, is that where the bed is of rock, with only
a thin layer of earth over it. In this shallow soil the seed is
received, but the growth is but superficial. Our Lord's interpretation
at once identifies the particular class of hearers which are here in
view. At first they promise well, but later prove very disappointing.
What we have here is lack of depth. The emotions have been moved, but
the conscience has not been searched; there is a natural "joy" but no
deep conviction or true repentance. When a Divine work of grace is
wrought in a soul, the first effects of the Word upon it are not to
produce peace and joy, but contrition, humility and sorrow.
The sad thing is, that today almost everything connected with modern
evangelistic (?) effort is calculated to produce just this very type
of hearer. The "bright singing," the sentimentality of the hymns (?),
the preacher's appeals to the emotions, the demand of the churches for
visible and quick "results," produce nothing but superficial returns.
Sinners are urged to make a prompt "decision," are rushed to the
"penitent form," and then assured that all is well with them; and the
poor deluded soul leaves with a false and evanescent "joy." And the
deplorable thing is that many of the Lord's own people are supporting
and fellow-shipping this Christ-dishonoring and soul-deceiving
burlesque of true Gospel ministry.
"But endures for awhile." "This is the flesh at its fairest; capable
of coming so near to the kingdom of God, and all the more manifesting
its hopeless nature. There is the unbroken rock behind that never
yields to the Word, and gives it no lodgment; and the class of hearers
pictured here are born of the flesh only. Let things be outwardly
favorable to profession, it is plain that the number of these may
multiply largely, and may stick like dead leaves to a tree that has
had no rough blast to shake them off. But life is none the more in
them" (The Numerical Bible).
3. The thorny-ground hearers. "And some fell among thorns; and the
thorns sprung up, and choked them... He also that received seed among
the thorns is he that hears the Word; and the care of this world, and
the deceitfulness of riches, choke the Word, and he becomes
unfruitful" (vv. 7, 22). In Mark 4:9 the "lusts of other things
entering in" and in Luke 8:14 the "pleasures of this life" are named
as additional hindrances represented by the "thorns." Here it is not
so much inward causes as it is external snares that render the third
class of hearers unfruitful.
Thus the Lord has here made known what it is that, from the human
side, makes so much of the Seed sown, unproductive. The reasons why
the preaching of the Word does not produce a spiritual harvest in all
who hear it are, first, the natural hardness of man's heart and the
resultant opposition of Satan; second, the superficiality of the
flesh; third, the attractions and distractions of the world. These are
the things which produce barrenness, and they are recorded for the
Christian's learning and warning. Thus too are the servants of Christ
instructed what to expect, and informed what it is which will oppose
their labors--the Devil, the flesh and the world.
4. The good-ground hearers. "But other fell into good ground and
brought forth fruit... He that received seed into the good ground is
he that hears the Word, and understands it; which also bears fruit,
and brings forth, some an hundred fold, some sixty, some thirty" (vv.
8,23). It is to be carefully noted that when He was defining the
good-ground hearer, Christ did not say "this is he in whom a Divine
work of grace has been wrought," or "whose heart has been made
receptive by the operation of the Holy Spirit." True it is that this
must precede any sinner's receiving the Word so that he becomes
fruitful, yet, this is not the particular aspect of the Truth with
which Christ is here dealing. As already stated, He is speaking here
not of the accomplishment of God's counsels, but from the standpoint
of human responsibility.
What the Lord is here making known is, that which the hearer of the
Word must himself seek grace to do, if he is to be fruitful. The
supplementary accounts given of this parable by Mark and Luke must be
carefully compared. In Luke 8:15 we are told, first, that that Word
must be received "in an honest and good heart." Second, that they
"keep it." And third, "bring forth fruit with patience." Such are the
conditions of fruitfulness: an unprejudiced mind and an open heart;
understanding the Word received; holding it fast, perseverance.
In closing let us call attention to one or two practical lessons
inculcated by this parable.
First, the preciousness of the Seed. If there were only one grain of
wheat left in the world today, and it was lost, all the efforts of man
could not reproduce it. Thus it is with the Word: were it taken from
us all the wit and wisdom of man could not replace it. Then let us
value, love, and. study it more.
Second, the inconspicuousness of the Sower. Scarcely anything at all
is told us in the parable about Him, beyond the simple fact that He
actually sowed the Seed. The emphasis is upon the Seed, the various
kinds of soil and the obstacles to and conditions of fruitfulness. Why
is this? Because the personality of the sower and the method of sowing
are of secondary importance. A little child may drop a seed as
effectively as a man; the wind may carry it, and accomplish as much as
though an angel had planted it! All--not merely preachers only--may be
"sowers."
Third, the conditions of fruitfulness. There is much "rocky ground" in
the garden of each of our souls: then despise not God's hammer and
ploughshare. There are many "thorns" in each of our lives which must
be plucked up if there is to be more room for fruit! Finally, there
needs to be much prayer for "understanding," "patience," and hiding of
the Word in our hearts so that we shall "keep" it.
Fourth, the fullness of the parable. There are some who decry the idea
that we should seek for a meaning to every detail in our Lord's
parables, and tell us we should be content with discovering its
general significance. But such a loose conception is manifestly
condemned by Christ's own example. In His interpretation He gave a
meaning to every detail; not only so, but by comparing the three
accounts of this parable, we learn that the "thorns" represent at
least four distinct things! How this shows us the need of carefully
studying and prayerfully meditating upon every jot and tittle of Holy
Writ!
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The Prophetic Parables of Matthew 13
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 2:
The Parable of the Tares.
_________________________________________________________________
This parable forms the second of the series, and its substance
corresponds with the meaning of this numeral. One is the number of
unity, for it stands alone, excluding all difference. But with two
there is a difference, another. This other may be either for good or
evil. In its evil sense two stands for difference, contrast, and so,
enmity. Two is the first number which may be divided, and hence it
stands for division, conflict. If we refer back to the opening chapter
of Scripture we find that it was on the second day's work that God
"divided the light from the darkness, and the waters under the
firmament from the waters above it." The second in any number of
things generally has evil and enmity stamped upon it. Take the second
statement in the Bible: the first one is "In the beginning God created
the heavens and the earth," but the second statement tells us "and the
earth became without form and void." Thus it is with the seven
parables of Matthew 13: the first one describes the work of Christ;
the second the work of Satan!
The Parable of the Tares supplies an explanation of Christendom as it
has existed all through these nineteen centuries, and as it is today;
a mixed state of affairs; the true and the false side by side; Rome
and her daughters masquerading under the guise of Christianity. The
"field" represents the religious world, in which the wheat and the
tares "grow together''. This mixed state of affairs has resulted from
the work of the enemy at the beginning of this dispensation, the
effects of which are with us till this day.
This parable, like the former, also supplies a most conclusive
refutation of the unscriptural dreams of post-millenniarians. They
believe that, through the preaching of the Gospel (under the blessing
of God), the cause of Christ will extend, until the whole earth is
filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover
the sea. But Christ here explicitly declared that the wheat and the
tares should "grow together until the harvest," which He defined as
"the end of the age." He gave no hint that the "tares" would gradually
die out, or that they would decrease in numbers; but announced that,
at the end, they would be found in such quantity as to need binding
"in bundles."
The connection between this parable and the former one is most marked.
The Sower of the good seed is the same, "the Son of Man;" the "field"
is the same, "the world" (v. 38), i.e. the religious world. But there
is one thing said about the "seed" here which is very striking. In
verse 19 it is called "the word of the kingdom," while in verse 38 we
read "the good seed are the children of the kingdom." Like produces
like: the word of the kingdom produces sons of the kingdom: the fruit
is according to the Seed!
The prominent thing in this second parable of the series is the Enemy
and his work. Let us consider:
1. The Time when he worked.
This was "while men slept" (v. 25); that is, at nighttime. In other
words, it was under cover of the darkness that the Devil sowed his
tares! This is characteristic of Satan, for he hates the light:
secrecy, stealth, dishonesty, are his favorite tactics. But mark you,
the Sower Himself did not sleep: He slumbers not, neither is weary.
Nor does Satan. He is ever on the alert, going about, "seeking whom he
may devour." He is the personification of perpetual motion.
"While men slept." The reference is to the unwatchful condition which
soon developed among the Lord's people. The presence of the "tares"
among the wheat was evidenced at a very early date. To the
Thessalonians the apostle declared, "The mystery of iniquity does
already work"(2 Thess. 2:18). John had to say, "You have heard that
Antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists" (1 John
2:18). Jude wrote, "There are certain men crept in unawares, who were
before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the
grace of our God into lasciviousness" (v. 4). To the Church at
Pergamos Christ said, "I have a few things against thee, because thou
hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam . . . . so hast thou
also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans which thing I
hate" (Rev. 2:14, 15).
2. The Method he employed.
First, we are told that the Son of Man sowed good seed in His field
(vv. 24, 37)- Then we are informed that the Devil turned farmer (v.
25). Satan is no originating genius, but is ever an imitator. He
produces counterfeits of the works of God. It is important for
Christians to know this, so that they may be on their guard. If we
study Scripture we shall not be ignorant of his devices (2 Cor. 2:11).
It is to be carefully noticed that as the Enemy mimicked Christ he
sowed neither thorns nor thistles--had he done so his work had been
easily detected, and there had been no difficulty in distinguishing
the false from the true. No, he sowed "tares," or better, "darnel."
This is a degenerate wheat, and so closely resembles the genuine
article that the one cannot be distinguished from the other until
harvest-time. That the "servants of the householder" recognized the
tares as soon as they sprang up does not conflict with our last
statement, for it is the apostles who are here in view, and they were
specially endowed with the Holy Spirit, and so had a greater measure
of discernment than any since.
These "tares" are spurious Christians. When the "servants" first
discovered what the enemy had done, they wanted to root out the tares
(v. 28). But the Master forbade them, saying, "Nay; lest while you
gather up the tares, you root up also the wheat with them" (v. 29). It
is only when they are both fully ripe that the farmer can with safety
separate them, for it is not until then that it is seen there is no
grain in the ears of the tares. Until the harvest time the tares
present a fair picture to the eye. As these imitation blades, green
and flourishing, grow side by side with the real wheat, there is every
prospect of a bountiful yield. But appearances are deceptive, and much
of the product will prove only a disappointment and mockery to those
who have spent so much time and labor on their cultivation. "All is
not gold that glitters." At the Harvest-time there is going to be a
great disillusionment. Then it will appear that Christ's flock is a
"little" one.
This parable, then, gives a remarkable expose of the methods employed
by Satan. He seeks to destroy God's testimony on earth by introducing
a spurious Christianity, a clever imitation of the real thing. And
this parable reveals that he works from within: he sowed the "tares"
among the wheat! Satan has an imitation Gospel. This is clearly
implied in the solemn warning given in Galatians 1:7-9. It is more
plainly intimated in 2 Corinthians 11, where we are told "false
apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles
of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an
angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also
be transformed as the ministers of righteousness" (vv. 13-15). The
principal agents of Satan are to be found, not in the drinking-houses
or race-courses, etc., but in our seminaries and in the pulpits! These
are not advocating lawlessness, but are preaching "righteousness;" but
"being ignorant of God's righteousness" they are "going about to
establish their own righteousness" (Rom. 10:3). It is a mingling of
Law and Gospel, and multitudes are deceived thereby.
Satan has an imitation Church. Christ is now building His Church, a
Church which will include all the saved of this present dispensation,
and none who are not members thereof will be saved. The Devil has
caricatured this also. Romanism professes itself to be the "spouse of
Christ," and her ministers insist there is no salvation to be found
outside of their pale. They profess the name of Christ, and hold some
of the great fundamentals of His teaching. But artfully mingled with
these are the deadly errors of Paganism. But so clever is the
imitation, so subtly are the Scriptures appealed to in support of
their pretentions, that millions are deluded by their soul-destroying
system. "There is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end
thereof are the ways of death" (Prov. 14:12).
Satan will yet be permitted to bring forth an imitation Christ. This
will be his masterpiece. Much is said in Scripture concerning him. He
is the great antichrist. He will have power to work miracles; he will
at first claim to be the true Christ come back to earth. Multitudes
will be deceived by him so that all the world will wander after him
(Rev. 13:4). Yes, the Devil sows "tares," imitation wheat--not thorns
and thistles.
3. The Enemy's Success.
It is to be observed that in this parable we do not read of any
opposition or hindrances to the growth of the tares, like we did in
the first parable concerning the wheat. No mention is here made of any
soil uncongenial to the Devil's seed. There is no "wayside" ground,
too hard for them to penetrate. There are no "thorns" to choke them,
for they will thrive anywhere. There is no mention made of "fowls of
the air" coming to catch them away. All external conditions and
circumstances are favorable to the growth of this seed. No cultivation
is needed; they will grow of themselves.
The enemy's success is plainly intimated by the prominence given to
the "tares" in this parable. This comes out very clearly and most
solemnly in verse 36. When Jesus had sent the multitude away, and had
gone into the house with His disciples, they said, "Declare unto us
the parable of the tares of the field," not "the parable of the good
seed and the tares" (see vv. 24, 25). It is the tares and not the
wheat which predominate and occupy the larger portion of the field.
The mention of "bundles" in verse 30 bears out the same thought.
The Owner of the field forbade any interference with the tares. This
is a point which has perplexed many. Why did the Lord permit the Enemy
to sow his "tares"? And why has He permitted them for so long, to
occupy the principal part of the field? In other words, Why has God
allowed the Devil such long-continued freedom? This is not so
difficult to answer as many may suppose. They overlook the fact that
the leaders of this world rejected its rightful Sovereign; that the
Jews preferred Barabbas. Having chosen a murderer in preference to the
Lord of Life, both Jews and Gentiles have reaped what they sowed. The
Devil was "a murderer from the beginning" (John 8:14), and having
refused the Savior, this great soul-destroyer has ruled over them ever
since!
The time for this to be "the end of the world" (v. 39)--There is no
difficulty in this expression if we bear in mind that there is a world
of time, as well as a world of matter. But if we understand it to
signify the "end of the earth," or "world-system," then it is
manifestly erroneous. Personally, we much prefer the marginal
rendering of the R. V.--"consummation of the age." The Greek word is
not "kosmos," as in John 1:10, but "aion." To show that we are not
altering the translation in order to suit our own views, turn to
Hebrews 9:26: "But now once in the end of the world" has He appeared
to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself." What can be made of
that? If by "world" be understood the earth, or the world-system, then
it is a manifest absurdity, for that certainly did not "end" at the
crucifixion of Christ. But if "aion" be rendered "age," there is no
difficulty. Thus Matthew 13:39 should read, "The harvest is the end of
the age;" there is another Age to follow this, namely, the Millennium.
Further proof that the "harvest" referred to in Matthew 13:39 takes
place at the end of this age, rather than at the end of time, is found
in Revelation 14:14, 15, which synchronizes. After Revelation 14 is
fulfilled comes Revelation 20:1-6, which treats of the Millennium.
Let us note now the order of its procedure. "In the time of harvest I
will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind
them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into My barn" (v.
30). The tares are gathered into "bundles" before the wheat is
actually garnered. In spite of their promising and attractive
appearance, everything which has not sprung from the Seed sown by the
Son of man is ultimately to be consigned to the everlasting burnings:
as He Himself declared, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not
planted, shall be rooted up" (Matthew 15:13). But what we would
particularly direct attention to is the "gathering together" of the
tares into bundles. There is no actual casting of them into the fire
at this preliminary stage, no removal of them from the field. It is
the separation of the tares in the field, so as to leave the "wheat"
distinct, and ready for garnering. The wheat is gathered into the Barn
before the tares are "burned"--sure proof of the removal of the saints
from this scene prior to the descent of God's judgment of the world.
The gathering of the wheat corresponds with 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17.
As we survey current events in the light of Matthew 13:30 it is
abundantly clear that the process of binding the tares into bundles is
proceeding in various directions, and proceeding with amazing
rapidity. In fact it is one of the most prominent of the "signs of the
times."
Take the commercial world. The individual is fast becoming a
non-entity, as most business men know to their sorrow. Co-operation,
organization, amalgamation, are the order of the day. Trusts,
combines, syndicates, unions, are the "bundles" into which the
interests of industry are now being bound. "Gather the tares into
bundles;" the Divine command has already gone forth !
Take the social world. Clubs, guilds, fraternities, are multiplied on
every side. "Class distinctions" are more and more resented by the
masses. Social barriers which have existed for centuries are rapidly
being broken down; whilst in many countries, socialism and
bolshevism--which aim at the destruction of individual enterprise--are
seeking to gather all into one great State "bundle." Yes, the word
"gather" the tares into bundles has already gone forth!
In the ecclesiastical sphere the same thing is equally noticeable and
prominent. Interdenominational efforts and movements are multiplying.
Only last week in this city, on what is known as "good Friday,"
members and preachers from churches of four or five denominations met
together, and held what they term the celebration of "the Lord's
Supper"--and this in a church whose pastor is a pronounced modernist.
What a farce! If some noted Evangelist comes to the city a "combined"
meeting must be held. The unification of Christendom is the ideal of
many, and the goal for which her leaders are aiming. Protestantism is
virtually a spent force, and the hindrances and obstacles against the
Papacy yet gathering all Christendom under her wings are rapidly
disappearing. Those who understand prophecy know well that it will not
be long ere she attains that ambition for which she has so long
worked, and that one huge ecclesiastical "bundle" will be formed. Yes,
the command to "gather" the tares has gone forth!
The same principle is more and more regulating the diplomatic affairs
of the earth. The leading "Powers" are working increasingly in
conjunction and co-operation. Witness the demands for concerted action
in connection with the ultimatum to China. The League of Nations is
another movement in the direction of forming one more great "bundle."
Yes, my readers, unless we are blind--and blind we certainly are, if
we cannot see it--the binding of the tares into "bundles" is already
going on before our very eyes: it has not only commenced, but is far
advanced. Prophecy is daily becoming history. The next thing will be
the removal of the wheat!
Let us now draw a few practical conclusions from this parable. First,
see here the worthlessness of "reform" movements and efforts. It is an
idle dream that we can improve the world by gathering out noxious
weeds--banish drunkenness and immorality, purify politics, etc. Men
might as well attempt to purify the waters of the Dead Sea! The Lord
has said, "Let both grow together till the harvest." Then do not waste
your time on the cultivation of the tares. "Preach the Gospel" is our
marching orders.
Second, what a solemn warning is here against unwatchfulness! It was
"while men slept" that the Enemy came and sowed his tares. Beware of
sloth and the relaxation of vigilance. Remember the words of Christ to
His disciples, "What I say unto you, I say unto all, Watch" (Mark
13:37). Heed the warning of Romans 13:11, 12,--it is high time to
awake out of sleep!
Third, mark Christ's love for His own. When forbidding the servants to
root up the tares, He said, "Nay, lest while you gather up the tares,
you root up also the wheat with them" (v. 29). How much He must think
of the "wheat": he had rather the "tares" grow, than that a single
blade of the wheat be injured!
Fourth, how terrible is our Lord's description of the ultimate doom of
the wicked! "And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall
be wailing and gnashing of teeth" (v. 42). The "Furnace of Fire" is no
mere superstition of the "dark ages," but a dread reality, as
multitudes now living will yet discover to their eternal misery, it is
the certain portion of all who continue to reject the Lord Jesus
Christ. It is unspeakably solemn to note that the most awe-inspiring
descriptions of Hell, to be found anywhere in the Bible, came from the
lips of Love incarnate! It is to be carefully noted that whilst Christ
interpreted every figure in this parable, see verses 38-40, the "fire"
He did not explain. It is literal! O my reader, if you have not
already done so, "Flee from the wrath to come" ere it be too late.
Flee to Christ for refuge.
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The Prophetic Parables of Matthew 13
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 3:
The Parable of the Mustard-Seed.
_________________________________________________________________
"Another parable put He forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven
is like to a grain of mustard-seed, which a man took, and sowed in His
field: Which, indeed, is the least of all seeds; but when it is grown,
it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds
of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof" (vv. 31, 32).
It should be evident to all, that our understanding of this parable
hinges upon a correct interpretation of its three central figures: the
mustard-seed, the great tree which sprang from it, and the "birds of
the air" which came and lodged in its branches. What does each
represent ?
Now there are few passages of Scripture which have suffered more at
the hands of commentators than the third and fourth parables of
Matthew 13. They have been turned completely upside down; that is to
say, they have been made to mean the very opposite of what the Lord
Jesus taught. The main cause of this erroneous interpretation may be
traced back to a wrong understanding of the expression "kingdom of
heaven." Those who have failed in their definition of this term are,
necessarily, all at sea, when they come to the details of these
parables.
The popular and current explanation of these parables is that they
were meant to announce the glorious success of the Gospel. Thus, that
of the mustard-seed is regarded as portraying the rapid extension of
Christianity and the expansion of the Church of Christ. Beginning
insignificantly and obscurely, its proportions have increased
immensely, until ultimately it shall cover the earth. Let us first
show how untenable and impossible this interpretation is:
First, it must be steadily borne in mind that these seven parables
form part of one connected and complete discourse whose teaching must
necessarily be consistent and harmonious throughout. Therefore, it is
obvious that this third one cannot conflict with the teaching of the
first two. In the first parable, instead of drawing a picture of a
field in which the good Seed took root and flourished in every part of
it, our Lord pointed out that most of its soil was unfavorable, and
that only a fractional proportion bore an increase. Moreover, instead
of promising that the good-ground section of the field would yield
greater and greater returns, He announced that there would be a
decreasing harvest--"some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.''
In the second parable, our Lord revealed the field as over-sown with
"tares," and declared that these should continue until the
harvest-time, which He defined as "the end of the age." This fixes
beyond all doubt the evil consequences of the Enemy's work, and
positively forbids the expectation of a world won to Christ during
this present dispensation, Christ plainly warned us that the evil
effects of the Devil's labors at the beginning of the age would never
be repaired. The crop as a whole is spoiled! Thus this third parable
cannot teach that the failure of things in the hands of men will be
removed and reversed.
Second, the figure here selected by Christ should at once expose the
fallacy of the popular interpretation. Surely our Lord would never
have taken a mustard-seed. which afterwards became a "tree," ever
rooting itself deeper and deeper in the earth, to portray that people
whose calling, hope, citizenship, and destiny is heavenly. Again and
again He affirmed that His people were "not of the world." Again, a
great tree with its towering branches speaks of prominence and
loftiness, but lowliness and suffering, not prominence and exaltation,
are the present portion of the New Testament saints. The more any
church of Christ climbs the ladder of worldly fame the more it sinks
spiritually. That which is represented by this "tree" is not a people
who are "strangers and pilgrims" down here, but a system whose roots
lie deeply in the earth and which aims at greatness and expansion in
the world.
Third, that which Christ here describes is a monstrosity. We are aware
that this is denied by some, but our Lord's own words are final. He
tells us that when this mustard-seed is grown it is the "greatest
among herbs, and becomes a tree" (v. 32). "Herbs" are an entirely
different specie from trees. That which distinguished them is that
their stems never develop woody tissue, but live only long enough for
the development of flowers and seeds. But this "herb" became a "tree;"
that is to say, it developed into something entirely foreign to its
very nature and constitution. How strange that sober men should have
deemed this unnatural growth, this abnormal production, a fitting
symbol of the saints of God in their corporate form!
Some tell us that the soil of Palestine is a most congenial one for
the growth of mustard, and that it is quite common for it to develop
into goodly-sized shrubs. But cannot the very ones who advance this as
an objection to the pre-millennial interpretation of this parable see
that it forms an argument against what they contend for? Clearly the
"field," all through Matthew 13, is the world. Is, then, "the world" a
favorable place for the growth of that kingdom which Christ solemnly
and expressly said was "not of this world" (John 18:36)? Is this
world, where the flesh and the Devil unite in opposing all that
concerns Christ and His interests, a congenial soil for Christianity?
Either the world must cease to be what it is--"the enemy of God"--or
the Seed must change its character, before the one will be favorable
to the other. And this is just what our parable does teach: the "herb"
becomes a "tree."
Fourth, the "birds" lodging in the branches of this tree makes
altogether against the current interpretation. If Scripture be
compared with Scripture it will be found that these "birds" symbolize
Satan and his agents. Let not the reader be turned aside by the fact
that the "dove," and in some passages the "eagle," represents that
which is good. That which we must now attempt to define is the actual
word "birds," or better, "fowls"--as the Greek word is rendered in
verse 4. In Genesis 15:11 we are told that the "fowls came down upon
the carcasses" (the bodies of the sacrifices) and that "Abram drove
them away." Here, beyond doubt, they prefigure the efforts of Satan to
render null and void the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus; but this, the
Father (foreshadowed in Abraham) has prevented.
Again, in Deuteronomy 28, where we have the curses which were to come
upon Israel for their disobedience, we are told, "And thy carcass
shall be meat unto all fowls of the air" (v. 26). The last time the
term occurs in Scripture is in Revelation 18:2, where we are told that
fallen Babylon becomes the "habitation of demons, and the hold of
every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird."
But we do not have to go outside of Matthew 13 itself to discover what
Christ referred to under the figure of these "birds." The Greek word
in verse 32 is precisely the same as that which is rendered "fowls" in
verse 4, which are explained in verse 19 as "the wicked." How, then,
can this great "tree" represent the true Church of Christ, while its
branches afford shelter for the Devil and his emissaries?
Coming now to the positive side, if we let Scripture interpret
Scripture, the great "tree" is easily identified. in Daniel 4:10-12 we
read, "I saw, and behold a tree was in the midst of the earth, and the
height thereof was great. The tree grew, and was strong, and the
height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the ends
of all the earth: The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof
much, and in it was meat for all: the beasts of the field had shadow
under it, and the fowls of the heavens dwelt in the boughs thereof,
and all flesh was fed of it." Who cannot fail to see that we have in
this vision of Nebuchadnezzar the key to our parable? In Daniel
4:20-22 we have the inspired interpretation of the vision: "The tree
that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong . . . it is thou, O king,
that art grown and become strong, for thy greatness is grown, and
reaches unto heaven, and thy dominion to the ends of the earth." Thus,
the "tree" was a figure of a mighty earthly kingdom or empire.
Again, in Ezekiel 31 we have the same figure used: "Behold the
Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a
shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the
thick boughs. The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high
with her rivers running round about his plants, and sent out her
little rivers unto all the trees of the field. Therefore, his height
was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were
multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of
waters, when he shot forth. All the fowls of heaven made their nests
in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field
bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations"
(vv. 3-6). Thus a "tree," whose wide-spreading branches afforded
lodgment for birds, was a familiar Old Testament figure for a mighty
kingdom which gave shelter to the nations. So it is in our parable.
The "tree" symbolizes earthly greatness, worldly prominence, giving
shelter to the nations.
The history of Christendom clearly confirms this. At the beginning,
those who bore the name of Christ were but a despised handful. Judged
by worldly standards, Christianity was unimportant and unworthy of
serious consideration. Speaking generally, its adherents were not men
of renown, culture, or worldly influence. There were few among the
Lord's "little flock" of outstanding genius or social prominence; for
the most part, they were unlettered, obscure, and poor. For, "God has
chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God
has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which
are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are
despised, has God chosen, and things which are not, to bring to nought
the things that are; that no flesh should glory in His presence" (1
Cor. 1:27-29).
Nevertheless, though at first the cause of Christ on earth was so
un-influential and insignificant, it was an object of intense hatred
to Satan. Against Christianity he vented the full force of his
fiendish malignity. Every weapon in his arsenal was employed in the
effort to exterminate it. He stirred up men in authority and moved
emperors to issue cruel edicts. Property was confiscated, Christians
captured, imprisoned, fined, tortured, slain. Mercilessly and
ceaselessly did the Devil seek to blot out the name of Christ from the
earth. But the more it was persecuted, the more Christianity
flourished. As one of the early "fathers" put it, "The blood of the
martyrs was the seed of the Church."
Finding that force was of no avail, the Enemy changed his tactics.
Failing to intimidate as the roaring lion, he now sought to insinuate
as the subtle serpent. Ceasing to attack from without, he now worked
from within. In the first parable the assault was from without--the
fowls of the air catching away the Seed. In the second parable his
activities were from within--he sowed his tares among the wheat. In
the third parable we are shown the effects of this. Satan now moved
worldly men to seek membership in the churches of God. These soon
caused the Truth to be watered down, discipline to be relaxed, that
which repelled the world to be kept in the background, and what would
appeal to the carnal mind to be made prominent. Instead of affections
being set upon things above, they were fixed on things below. Soon
Christianity ceased to be hated by the unregenerate: the gulf between
the world and the "Church" was bridged.
Persecution ceased, and the professed cause of the despised and
rejected Savior became popular. The distinctive truths of Christianity
were abandoned, the Gospel was adulterated, the pilgrim character of
professing saints ceased. More and more the wise and great of this
world were attracted. By the fourth century the heads of the Roman
Empire, instead of hating Christianity, perceived that it was a power
for moral good in the governing of men, and so espoused it. In the
days of Constantine the so-called Church and the State united, and
became a vast political-religious system. Mind you, the courts of
Caesar had not changed their character, nor become like the little
"upper room" in Jerusalem, where the lowly church of Christ, small as
a grain of mustard, first assembled. It was professing Christianity
which had changed. The lowly upper room had long been forsaken, and
the honors of kings' courts coveted. And God granted their fleshly
desire--just as long before He had given Saul to apostate Israel when
they forsook the path of separation and wished to be like the
surrounding nations.
Under these changed circumstances professing Christianity soon became
great in the earth. Caves and caverns as places of worship gave place
to costly church-houses and ornate cathedrals. The ritual was
celebrated with a corresponding pomp. Its gorgeous vestments, its
imposing ceremonies, its pompous priesthood, all lured the
unregenerate; and multitudes applied for baptism. More and more the
leaders sought after temporal power, and more and more were their
longings gratified. In consequence, worldly-minded men were the ones
who sought after and secured the highest offices. Hence we find the
"birds," the agents of Satan, lodging in the branches of the "tree;"
they secured the positions of power and directed the activities of
Christendom.
Thus we may discern in the first three parables of Matthew 13 a
striking and sad forecast of the development of evil. In the first,
the Devil caught away part of the good Seed. In the second, he is seen
engaged in the work of imitation. Here, in the third, we are shown a
corrupted Christianity affording him shelter.
N
. B.--Several thoughts and expressions in this chapter have been
borrowed from one by the late F. W. Grant.
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The Prophetic Parables of Matthew 13
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 4:
The Parable of the Leaven.
_________________________________________________________________
"Another parable spoke he unto them: The kingdom of heaven is like
unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal,
till the whole was leavened" (v. 33).
In the mercy of God we are not left to any human opinions or
authority, nor is the meaning of the parables of Matthew 13 open to
argument. Christ Himself explained for us the first two and the
seventh, and it is obvious that the intervening four must be
interpreted in strict accord with them. There is an unmistakable unity
underlying the whole chapter. As there is a noticeable connection
between the first two parables in relation to the beginning of the
kingdom of heaven in its present form, so there is a close relation
between the third and fourth which treat of its extension and
corruption. The third gives us the external aspect or outward growth
of the kingdom, the fourth reveals its internal aspect and secret
corruption.
The popular interpretation of this parable regards the "leaven" as
representing the Gospel and its power, the "woman" the Church. Here
are the words of Dr. John Gill: "Leaven is everywhere else used in a
bad sense . . . here it seems to be taken in a good sense, and the
Gospel to be compared unto it." The "woman," he tells us, is "the
church" or the ministers of the Gospel. Calvinists understand the
"three measures of meal" to represent God's elect; Arminians
understand them to prefigure all mankind. The latter expound the
parable as follows: As the result of the Gospel, and by means of its
assimilating power, the mass of humanity is ultimately to be
penetrated, affected, and blest. So firmly is this belief embedded in
the minds of church-goers that it is hard for them to tear loose from
it.
It is apparent at once that our understanding and interpretation of
this parable turns upon a correct definition of the "leaven." If this
is a figure of the Gospel, and if the meal represents the human race,
then it necessarily follows that, ultimately, all must be regenerated
or at least reformed by the Evangel. But if the "leaven" is the symbol
of corrupting evil, and the meat stands for the pure truth of God, and
that this parable also supplies a picture of the Christian profession,
then it necessarily follows that, ultimately, the truth of God is to
be corrupted throughout Christendom. How are we to find out which of
these is true? Only from the Holy Scriptures. Let us now examine the
current interpretation of this parable in the light of the Word:
1. If the popular view is correct then, in this chapter, Christ flatly
contradicts Himself. What He has said in the first three parables is
dead against world-conversion or even world-reformation by means of
Gospel preaching. In the first parable, instead of our Lord teaching
that the good Seed would bear fruit in every part of the field, He
declared that most of its ground would prove uncongenial and
unproductive. Nor was there any hint that later "sowers" would find
conditions improved; rather did He intimate that things would get
worse. In the second parable the picture which He drew of the coming
Harvest expressly forbids such a thought, and positively excludes the
idea of world-conversion in this Age. In the third parable He
predicted that Christendom would develop into such a monstrosity that
the Devil's agents would be afforded shelter in it and would rule over
it. How then can this fourth parable teach the very opposite?
2. The post-millennial interpretation of this parable is flatly
contradicted by what we are told in verses 11, 35 of Matthew 13. There
we learn that these parables are "mysteries of the kingdom of heaven,"
"things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world."
Dr. Gill echoes the teaching of the Reformers, and they have been
re-echoed by later Calvinists, affirming that the "leaven" represents
the Gospel. But that cannot be. Whatever may or may not be prefigured,
the "Gospel" is the last thing which could possibly be in view. For
this reason: the Gospel was not an unrevealed secret in O.T. times.
Galatians 3:8 declares that the Gospel was "preached unto Abraham."
3. If the "leaven" represents the Gospel and the "meal" the human
race, or, as Dr. Gill teaches, God's elect in their natural condition,
then the figure which Christ here employed is a faulty one. And this
in three different respects. First, in the way it works. How does
"leaven" act? Why, it is simply placed in meal, and then it works of
itself! That is all: just place it there, leave it alone, and it is
bound to leaven the whole lump. But is that the way the Gospel works?
Certainly not. Multitudes have received the Gospel, but it has had no
effect upon them!
Second, in the actor here mentioned. It is a "woman'' who places the
leaven in the meal. But the Lord Jesus Christ has not committed His
Gospel into the hands of women. There were none among the twelve, nor
among the seventy whom he chose and sent forth. The preaching of the
Gospel is a man's job. The part allotted to the sisters, and an
important part it is, is to hold up the hands of their ministering
brethren by prayer and supplication.
Third, in the effects it produces. When leaven is placed into meal it
causes it to swell, it puffs it up! Is that what the Gospel does when
it enters human hearts? No indeed. It produces the very opposite
effect. It humbles, it abases.
4. The popular interpretation is contradicted by the plain facts of
history and by present-day experience. Were the current explanations
true, then we should be forced to acknowledge that this prediction of
Christ's has failed in its accomplishment. The Gospel has now been
preached for nineteen centuries, yet not a single nation or state, no,
nor even city. town or village, has been completely evangelized--let
alone won to Christ! If the popular view is the correct one, then the
Gospel is a colossal and tragic failure.
5. To make the "leaven" a figure of the Gospel and its power, of that
which is good, is to contradict every other passage in Scripture where
this figure is used. Christ was speaking to a Jewish audience, and
with their knowledge of the O.T. Scriptures none of them would ever
dream that He had reference to something that was good. With the Jews
"leaven" was ever a figure of evil.
The first time that "leaven," in its negative form, occurs in the
Bible is in Genesis 19:3, where we are told that Lot "did bake
un-leavened bread" for the angels, and that "they did eat." No doubt
leavened bread was a common commodity in the wicked city of Sodom. Why
then did not righteous Lot place some of it before the angels? Because
he knew better. He must have known that they, like Peter, allowed
"nothing common or unclean" to pass their lips. They would receive
nothing with the least semblance of evil in it. Many congregations
today are not nearly so careful about their food--their soul-food.
They will readily swallow any rubbish that is handed them from the
pulpit, and the sad thing is that they will do so without any protest.
Why do they not go to the preacher and say, Why don't you give us the
Bread of life?
In Exodus 12 it will be found that Jehovah commanded the Israelites to
rigidly purge their houses of all "leaven'' at the Passover season.
Why was this if "leaven" is a type of that which is good? Exodus 34:25
tells us that God prohibited any "leaven" from accompanying offerings
of blood. Leviticus 2:11 informs us that "leaven" was also excluded
from every offering of the Lord made by fire.
This parable in Matthew 13 is not the only occasion when the Lord
Jesus employed this figure. How did He use it elsewhere? In Matthew
16:11 we find Him saying to the disciples, "Beware of the leaven of
the Pharisees and the Sadducees." There, it is plainly a figure of
that which is evil. So in Luke 12:1 He said, "Beware ye of the leaven
of the Pharisees which is hypocrisy." Would He then deliberately
confuse His disciples by using it as the figure of good in Matthew 13?
The Holy Spirit has also used this same figure through the apostle
Paul. In what manner? In 1 Corinthians 5:6, 7 we read, "Know ye not
that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the
old leaven, that ye may be a new lump." Would they be told to "purge
out" that which was good? The last passage in the N.T. in which
"leaven" is mentioned is Galatians 5:7-9. Note there three things:
first, it is called a "persuasion"--something which exerts a powerful
and moving influence. Second, it hinders men "from obeying the truth."
Third, it is expressly said to be "not from Him which calleth you."
Thus, that which is a thing of fermentation--really, incipient
putrefaction--is, throughout Scripture, uniformly a figure of
corruption---evil. It is remarkable that the word "leaven" occurs just
thirteen times in the N.T., a number always associated with evil and
the work of Satan.
Objectors have appealed to two passages in the O.T. where "leaven" is
employed in a good sense. But when examined it will be found that they
are only seeming exceptions. The first is in Leviticus 23:17. The two
loaves presented unto the Lord at the Feast of Weeks were to be baked
"with leaven." But there is no difficulty here. The Feast of Weeks
foreshadowed what is recorded in Acts 2, where the "first fruits" of
this dispensation are seen. The two "loaves" prefigured saved Jews and
Gentiles. Inasmuch as the old nature remains in those who are born
again, the "leaven" was needed in the loaves which represented these
believers. Whenever the typical bread represented Christ it must be
unleavened, wherever it typified His people it must be leavened.
The second passage is in Amos 4:5, "Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving
with leaven." This was the language of irony, which means it has a
meaning the very opposite of what is said. You will sometimes hear a
parent say to a willful child, You do that and I will deal with you!
Does he mean for the child to actually do it? No, the very reverse. So
it is in Amos 4:5: the preceding verse proves it--"Come to Bethel, and
transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifice
every morning." Clearly it is the language of irony.
6. Let us now consider the "three measures of meal."
Post-millennarians say that they represent the human race among whom
the Gospel is working. If so, the "meal" is a figure of that which is
evil. The human race is fallen, sinful, depraved; "the whole world
lies in the Wicked one" (1 John 5:19). Nor is the usual explanation
supplied by Calvinistic commentators any better. They say the "meal"
stands for God's elect in their natural state. But the analogy of
faith is against them. Let our appeal be to the Scriptures.
"And Abram hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready
quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the
hearth" (Gen. 18: 6). Did Abraham prepare for the Lord and His angels
food out of that which symbolized evil? Note what is said in 1 Kings
17:14-16. God does not feed His servants on that which speaks of evil!
Now where does "meal" for bread come from? Any child can answer: not
from evil tares, but from good wheat. It is the product of the good
Seed. Then that which is good, wholesome, nutritious, pure, can never
be a figure of fallen and corrupt humanity.
In Genesis 18:6 the "three measures of meal" are a figure of Christ's
person, just as the "tender calf" in verse 7 which was killed and
dressed prefigured His work. The meal is a type of Him who is the Corn
of wheat (John 12:24) and the Bread of life. And thus in the language
of N.T. symbolry the "meal" stands for the doctrine, of Christ.
7. The action of the "woman" in our parable exposes the error of the
common interpretation. She "took," not "received;" and hid the leaven
in the meal. Is this the way in which the servants of God preach His
Gospel? Is the evangel something to be whispered in secret? Does God
bid His servants act stealthily? No. The Lord has said to them, "What
I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in
the ear, that preach ye upon the housetop" (Matthew 11:27).
Writing to the Corinthians, and describing the character of his own
ministry, the apostle Paul said, "We faint not, but have renounced the
hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling
the Word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth
commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God" (2
Cor. 4:2). But in our parable, the woman is acting dishonestly and
deceitfully: she stealthily introduced a foreign and corrupting
element into the meal. Her object was to effect its deterioration. If
the reader will turn to Leviticus 2:11 he will find that this "woman"
was doing the very thing which the Word of God forbade her; and he
will also observe that she left out the oil, which was the very thing
the Scriptures enjoined!
Let us now turn, briefly, to the positive side, and give what we
believe is the true interpretation. As already stated, the "three
measures of meal" stand for Christ as the food of His people: Christ
as presented in the written Word, therefore, the doctrine of Christ.
The "woman" refers, primarily, to the Papacy, and generally, to all
corrupters of God's truth. Romanism has many "daughters." It is most
significant that the leading false cults in Christendom were
originated by women. Modern Spiritualism was started in Boston,
U.S.A., in 1848 by the Fox sisters. Seventh Day Adventism was founded
by Mrs. White. Christian Science was organized by Mrs. Eddy. Theosophy
was devised by Madame Blavatsky, and is now engineered by Mrs. Besant.
The "leaven" symbolizes the corrupting of God's truth by the
introduction of evil doctrine--compare Matthew 16:12. The
unadulterated truth of God is too heavy for the natural man: the
sovereignty of God, the helplessness of man, the awfulness of sin, the
totality of human depravity, the eternal punishment of the wicked, are
indigestible to the carnal mind. Therefore, Rome and her "daughters"
have introduced the lightening "leaven," so as to make, what they hand
out, more palatable to their dupes. And thus has history repeated
itself. Of old God complained to Israel, "Ye offer polluted bread upon
Mine altar" (Mal. 1:7). So today priestcraft and clericalism have
corrupted the bread of God.
It is to be noted that the "three measures of meal" were not removed,
nor was something else substituted in their place. Instead, a foreign
element was mingled with it, an element which has slowly and gradually
corrupted it. In 2 Thessalonians 2:4 the apostle Paul declared, "The
mystery of iniquity does already work." The leaven had started to act
even then, and, as our Savior declared, it would work till "the whole
was leavened." How nearly this is the case today the majority of our
readers are sadly aware. There are but few places to which an hungry
child of God can now go and receive pure Bread. But thank God there
are still a few such places. While the Holy Spirit remains on earth
amongst the saints, God's truth will be proclaimed. While He is here,
there is a hindering cause, preventing the "whole" from being
"leavened." But at the Rapture the Hinderer will be "taken out of the
way" (2 Thess. 2:7), and then the "whole" will be completely leavened.
The "salt" will be removed, and nothing will be left to stay universal
corruption.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Prophetic Parables of Matthew 13
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 5:
The Parable of the Hid Treasure.
_________________________________________________________________
"Again the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field;
that which when a man has found, he hides, and for joy thereof goes
and sells all that he has, and buys that field" (Matthew 13:44).
The common interpretation of this parable, both by Calvinists and
Arminians, is as far removed from what I am fully assured is its true
meaning as is the explanation they give of the earlier ones in Matthew
13. Dr. John Gill tells us that the treasure in this parable is "the
Gospel," that the field in which the treasure is hidden is "the
Scriptures," and that the man who sought and found the treasure is "an
elect and awakened sinner." It is amazing how such an exegete of the
Scriptures, and a man so deeply taught of God, could wander so far
astray when he came to this parable. In the first place, the "field"
is mentioned in two of the preceding parables--the field in which the
good Seed was sown, and the field that was over-sown by tares; and in
verse 38 of this very chapter Christ has told us the field is the
world Then why should it be supposed that the field means something
entirely different in this fifth parable of the same chapter? Again,
we have already had a "man" before us in the first two parables--a man
who sowed good Seed in his field (v. 24). The Lord Jesus Himself has
told us who that man is: "He that sows the good seed is the Son of
man" (v. 37). If, then, the man in the second parable represents the
Son of man, why, in this fifth parable, without any word to the
contrary, are we to understand Him to point to someone entirely
different?
Against the popular interpretation of the parable we advance these
objections: First, if in this parable the Lord Jesus was setting forth
the way of salvation, teaching that earnestness and diligence are
needed on the part of an awakened sinner if he is to reach the
treasure and make it his own (which treasure is hidden from the
dilatory and careless), then how strange it is that it was not spoken
in the hearing of the multitude! Instead, we are told that Christ had
sent the multitude away, had entered the house and spoke this parable
to His disciples only. Second, in this parable the treasure is hid in
"the field," and, as we have seen, the field is the "world." In what
possible sense is Christ or the Gospel hidden in the world? In the
third place, when the man had found this treasure he hid it again:
"the which when a man has found, he hides." If the treasure represents
the Gospel and the field be the world, and if the man who is seeking
the treasure be an awakened sinner, then our parable teaches that God
requires the awakened sinner, after he has found peace and obtained
salvation, to go out and hide it in the world! How absurd! Christ
plainly told His disciples to let their light, so shine that men might
see their good works and glorify their Father which is in heaven. In
the fourth place, in the parable we are told that after this man had
found the treasure and then hid it again, that he went and "sold all
that he had" and "bought it." What does an awakened sinner have to
sell, and what is it that he purchases? Surely not the world! Such a
loose interpretation may suit and satisfy lazy people who are too
dilatory to carefully examine the parable for themselves, but it
certainly will not do for those who, by the grace of God, have become
prayerful and diligent students of the Word. We need hardly say that
any interpretation that contains such absurdities must be promptly
dismissed.
Now the first key to this parable is found in the fact that it was
spoken by Christ after He had dismissed the multitudes and had taken
His disciples into the house. This parable, unlike the four which
precede it, was spoken to the disciples only. Those disciples must
have been perplexed and dismayed at the gloomy picture which Christ
had drawn of the form which His kingdom was going to assume in this
world after His departure. He told them, or at least He had said in
their hearing, that they would go forth and scatter the good Seed
broadcast, but, with meager results. The sowing which had been begun
by Him was to be continued by them, and He had warned them that,
though there should be a broadcast sowing throughout the field, only a
fractional portion of the good Seed would take root and bear fruit.
Second, He had said that the Devil would turn farmer and over-sow the
field with tares. And they were forbidden to pluck them up: the tares
and the wheat were to grow side by side until the harvest, and then
the tares would be found in such quantities it would be necessary to
bind them in "bundles!" Third, He had warned them that His professing
cause on earth would develop so extensively and rapidly that it would
be like a little mustard-seed growing up into a herb, ultimately
becoming a tree, with wide spreading branches; but that the Devil and
his agents would find shelter in them; Fourth, He announced that into
the meal, which was the emblem of His pure truth, a foreign and
corrupting element would be introduced, stealthily and secretly, and
the outcome should be that ultimately the whole of the meal would be
leavened.
Yes, there was every reason for the poor disciples to be perplexed and
dismayed. Then the Lord Jesus (it was just like Him), took them apart,
and in the parables of the treasure and pearl He spoke words to
reassure their hearts. He made known to them that, though the outward
professing cause of Christianity upon earth would develop so
tragically, yet there will be no failure on the part of God. He tells
them there are two bodies, two elect peoples, who are inexpressibly
precious in His sight, and that through them He will manifest the
inexhaustible riches of His grace and glory--and that, in the two
realms of His dominion--on the earth and in heaven. Two distinct elect
companies, one the "treasure" hid in the field, symbolizing the
literal nation of Israel; the other, the one "pearl," symbolizing the
one body which has a heavenly calling, destiny, citizenship, and
inheritance. The order of these next two parables is this: "To the Jew
first, and also to the Greek." Therefore, the hidden treasure in the
field, the symbol of Israel, is given before the pearl, which is the
figure of the Church.
The second key which unlocks the parable before us, and the two which
follow, is indicated in the way in which the Lord divided the whole
series. There are seven parables in all, and He divided them into four
and three: the four being spoken by the seaside in the hearing of the
multitudes, the last three being spoken inside the house to the
disciples only. Four is the number of the earth, the world. God has
stamped "four" upon it. There are four points to the compass; four
seasons to earth's year, and so on. Four then, is the number of the
earth or the world; hence in the first four parables of Matthew 13
Christ has described the kingdom of heaven as it appears in the world,
as it is manifested here on earth. Three is the number of the Holy
Trinity, and therefore in the last three parables the kingdom is
looked at from God's viewpoint. We have God's thoughts upon it, we are
shown what God has in the kingdom--a hidden treasure, a pearl of great
price.
With this somewhat lengthy introduction, let us take up the parable in
detail. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a
field." If scripture is allowed to interpret scripture there will be
no difficulty whatever in discovering what this "hid treasure"
actually and definitely signifies. Go back to Exodus 19:5, "Now
therefore, if ye will obey My voice--it was the house of Jacob, the
children of Israel that was addressed--and keep My covenant, then ye
shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the
earth is Mine"--corresponding with "the field" in which the "treasure"
is found! Again "For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God and
the Lord has chosen thee to be a peculiar treasure unto Himself"
(Deut. 14:2). The Hebrew in this verse is the same as in Exodus 19:5.
Again, "When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance
(that means their earthly portion), when He separated the sons of
Adam, He set the bounds of the people according to the number of the
children of Israel. For the Lord's portion is His people; Jacob is the
lot of His inheritance" (Deut. 32:8): that is. here, on earth, for the
context is speaking solely about earthly things--the apportioning of
the earth to the nations. Once more: "For the Lord has chosen Jacob
unto Himself, and Israel for His peculiar treasure" (Ps. 135:4). These
passages have no reference at all to the saints of this present
dispensation, or to the church which is the body of Christ, but speak
of the earthly Israel according to the flesh. They are God's treasure
on earth, His earthly elect people. Confirmation of this definition of
the "treasure" in our parable, is found in the fact that never once in
the twenty-one Epistles in the New Testament is the word "treasure"
used of the Church! It is never applied to the saints of this present
dispensation.
Now the first thing we are told in Matthew 13:44 about this treasure
is that it was hid in a field, and the field was "the world" (see v.
38). This is precisely the condition in which God's earthly elect
people were found at the beginning of His dealings with them. The
parable starts with the treasure hid in the field, and the Old
Testament begins with Israel hidden in the field! Who was the father
of Israel according to the flesh? Abraham. Go back to the
starting-point in Abraham's life. Where was he when God's hand was
first laid upon him? Was he living in separation from the idolatrous
people around him? No, he was hidden away among them--one of them!
Take a later point in their early history. After Abraham came Isaac,
and after Isaac Jacob, for Esau was not in the elect line. Look at
Jacob, away from the promised land, an exile in Padan-aram, working
for an unprincipled godless Gentile--for that is virtually what he
was. Look at Jacob there among all the servants of Laban,
hidden--nothing to indicate that he was one of the high favorites of
God.
Proceed a little further. Abraham's and Jacob's descendants have
become a numerous progeny, until they number some two million souls.
Where are they to be found? Working in the brick-kilns of Egypt, a
company of slaves. What was there to distinguish them? What was there
to denote that they were God's peculiar treasure? Nothing, indeed: the
treasure was "hidden." That is where the parable begins, and that is
where their history as a nation began--buried, as it were, amid the
rubbish of Egypt. That is why we read. "And it shall be, when thou art
come in unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an
inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein; that thou shalt
take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt
bring of thy land that the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shall put it
in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall
choose to place His name there . . . And thou shalt speak and say
before the Lord thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father"
(Deut. 26:1, 5). Yes, the treasure was hidden in the field at the
beginning. From Isaiah 51:1,2, we learn how, at a later point in the
history of Israel, God reminded them of their lowly origin, of the
humble start that they had as a people: "Hearken to Me, you that
follow after righteousness, you that seek the Lord: look unto the rock
whence you are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence you are digged.
Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bear you." One
other passage on this point: "For the Lord's portion is His people;
Jacob is the lot of His inheritance. He found him in a desert land,
and in the waste howling wilderness" (Deut. 32:10). There is their
lowly origin mentioned again: the treasure was "hid," buried in the
field.
Coming back to our text let us turn to the second detail in it:
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field;
the which when a man has found." That is the next point, the finding
of the treasure. That is so very simple it needs no interpretation.
The "man" here is Christ Himself--as the "man" is Christ in verse 24,
see verse 37; and in the parable that follows, verse 45. The "finding"
of the "treasure" by Christ refers to the days of His earthly
ministry. We are told in John 1:11, "He came unto His own;" that does
not mean His own spiritually, for we read that "His own received Him
not." It was His own people according to the flesh. As He said to the
Canaanitish woman in Matthew 15:24, "I am not sent but unto the lost
sheep of the house of Israel." Christ, the Man, came to Israel, the
Jews. His ministry was confined unto them. The "treasure" was
"found"--it was no longer hidden when Christ came here. The Jewish
nation was not as it was in the days of Moses in Egypt. The sons of
Jacob were in their own land. They had their own temple; the
priesthood was still intact. And it was to them, this Man, Christ,
came.
"Again the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the
which when a man has found, he hides." There is a distinct step in
each clause. He "hides" it. That is the most solemn word in the
chapter, with the one exception of the furnace of fire. Remember what
was before us in the 12th of Matthew, which furnishes the key to the
13th. In Matthew 12 Christ presented Himself to the Jews and the Jews
rejected Him, and because of their rejection He rejected them,
pronounced sentence of doom upon them--the evil spirit coming back and
taking with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, "Even so
shall it be also unto this wicked generation." Then at the close of
the chapter Christ intimated He would no longer acknowledge any bond
or tie, any kinship except a spiritual one--"Whosoever shall do the
will of My Father": it was Christ severing the link which, according
to the flesh, bound Him to Israel. So here in the parable: first we
have the treasure hid in the field: that was Israel's condition at the
beginning of their national history in Old Testament times. Second, we
have the Man coming to the treasure: that was the earthly ministry of
Christ. Third, we have the treasure hid once more: that was Christ's
rejection of Israel. The "hiding" of the treasure referred to the last
dispersion and scattering of the Jews throughout the whole earth. And,
so effectually has He "hidden" the treasure that ten out of the twelve
tribes are still lost! Yes, they are hidden, so securely hidden that
no man to this day knows where they are!
One passage of Scripture in proof of what we have said above on
Christ's "hiding" Israel: "For they are a nation void of counsel,
neither is there any understanding in them. O that they were wise,
that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end"
(Deut. 32:28,29). How often is a sermon preached on this as though it
applied to every man on earth, and his "latter end" is made to mean
his deathbed! But the "latter end" here is of the nation of Israel,
and it is the latter end of their history on this earth. Now read the
next verse: "How shall one chase a thousand and two put ten thousand
to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the Lord had shut them
up!" Yes, they "sold" Him for thirty pieces of silver. But "whatsoever
a man sows that shall he also reap," and God delivered them into the
hands of the Gentiles! Their Rock "sold" them, and "the Lord shut them
up." That is parallel with the treasure "hidden" again. They are "shut
up." When a thing is shut up you cannot see it, it is hidden from
sight.
Consider now the fourth point in our text: which is the most puzzling
detail in the parable. Look at it closely: "Again, the kingdom of
heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man has
found, he hides, and for joy thereof goes and sells all that he has,
and buys that field." The purchase is made after the treasure had been
"hidden," and, as we have seen, the hiding of the treasure had respect
to Christ's judgment upon Israel and His dispersion of them throughout
the earth. Turn now to John 11:51, 52: "And this he spoke not of
himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied." What did he
prophesy? "That Jesus should die for"--for whom?--"for that nation,
and not for that nation only, but that He also should gather together
in one the children of God that are scattered abroad." Now what could
be plainer than that? We have two distinct objects there, two distinct
companies--"that nation" and also the gathering together in one of
"the children of God" that are scattered abroad. The gathering
together in one of the children of God that are scattered abroad is
what God is doing in this present dispensation, taking out of the
Gentiles a people for His name, and gathering them together into one
Body. That is what we have in the sixth parable--one pearl. But before
that, we are told here in John 11:51, He also died for "that nation."
This is what you have in the fifth parable, the earthly people, hid in
the field, the world, the earth. This is God's earthly elect, "that
nation." In the sixth parable, the pearl, you have His heavenly elect
people, the one body. But we are told in the parable that "for joy
thereof He goes and sells all that He has and buys that field." Turn
to 2 Peter 2:1, "But there were false prophets also among the people,
even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall
bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them."
These false teachers are reprobates, yet this very verse says the Lord
bought them. Many have created their own difficulty there in failing
to distinguish between ransoming and redeeming. The Lord has "bought"
the world, but He has not "redeemed" the world. There is a big
difference between the two things. The first Adam was placed at the
head of the world: God said "Have thou dominion over all": and he lost
it, he forfeited it; the Devil wrested it from his hands: and the last
Adam, as man--"the second Man front heaven"--needed to purchase that
which Adam had lost; therefore He bought the field. He has bought the
whole world, but He has not redeemed it. Particular redemption is for
God's elect only, but ransoming, purchasing, is much wider. He bought
the field--"Denying the Lord that bought them"---you cannot get away
from it. Now, then, He bought the field also because of the treasure
that was hidden in it. The treasure in the field is Israel. The man in
the parable is Christ. He went and sold all that He had. He who was
rich became poor, and bought the field. Now that is mentioned after
the re-hiding of the treasure in the field for this reason: the Jews
do not enter into the value and the benefits of Christ's atonement
until after this age is over. It is not until the Millennium that
Israel will enjoy the benefits of that purchase of His. He bought the
field because of the treasure that was in it, and that is why the
purchasing of the field is mentioned after the re-hiding of the
treasure in it.
To summarize. First, we have the treasure hid in the field: that takes
us back to the beginning of Israel's history as a nation. Second, we
have the Man finding that treasure; that is Christ coming to this
earth and confining His message to the Jews in Palestine. Third, we
have the Man hiding the treasure; that is Christ's judgment upon
Israel because of their rejection of Him referring to their dispersion
abroad throughout the earth. Fourth, we have the Man purchasing the
treasure and the whole field in which it was found, referring to the
death of Christ. Now, have you noticed there is a fifth point
omitted?--the logical completion of the parable would be the Man
actually possessing the treasure that He purchased. He hid it, then He
purchased it. Logically, the parable needs this to complete it--the
Man owning and possessing the treasure. Why is that left out? Because
it lies outside the scope of Matthew 13. This chapter, dealing with
the "mysteries of the kingdom of heaven," has to do with the history
of Christendom. It describes the cause of Christ on this earth during
the period of His absence, and therefore there is nothing in this
parable about the restoration of Israel and the Lord possessing His
earthly treasure, because that comes after this dispensation is over,
after the history of Christendom has been wound up, after the new age
has been inaugurated, namely, the Millennium! How perfect is Scripture
in its omissions! For passages treating of Christ's recovery and
possession of the treasure see Amos 9:14, 15; Acts 15:17. In due time
the Jews shall be manifested as God's peculiar "treasure'' on
"earth"--see Isaiah 62:1-4.
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The Prophetic Parables of Matthew 13
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 6:
The Parable of the Pearl.
_________________________________________________________________
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking
goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went
and sold all that he had, and bought it" (Matthew 13:45,46).
First of all, let us deal briefly with the popular and current
interpretation of this parable. When we say "popular" we mean,
particularly, that which has been given out principally (though not
exclusively) by Arminians. The general conception of its meaning is
this! Christianity is likened unto one who earnestly desired and
diligently sought salvation. Ultimately his efforts were rewarded by
his finding Christ, the Pearl of great price. Having found Him, as
presented in the Gospel, the sinner sold all that he had: that is to
say, he forsook all that the flesh held dear, he abandoned his worldly
companions, he surrendered his will, he dedicated his life to God; and
in that way, secured his salvation. The awful thing is that this
interpretation is the one which, substantially, is given out almost
everywhere throughout Christendom today. That is what is taught in the
great majority of the denominational Sunday School periodicals. During
the last twenty years I have examined scores of Sunday School
teachers' aids in which an exposition of this parable has been found.
The one which I have just given is an outline of that which has
commonly been advanced.
Now, against that popular interpretation let us name three or four
objections which are fatal to it. First, we are told this parable
teaches that the sinner earnestly and diligently seeks salvation. But
the truth is there has never been a single sinner on this earth who
took the initiative in seeking salvation. The sinner ought to seek
salvation, for he needs it badly enough. He ought to seek it, for God
commands him so to do: "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the
unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord." "Seek
ye the Lord while He may be found," is His command; but fallen man,
the sinner in his natural state, never does and never will seek the
Lord or His salvation.
How was it with the first sinner? When Adam sinned, and in the cool of
the evening of that first awful day, the voice of the Lord was heard
rolling down the avenues of Eden; what did he do? Did he hasten to the
Lord and cast himself at His feet and cry for mercy? No, he did not
seek the Lord at all; he fled. The first sinner did not "seek"
God--the Lord sought him: "Adam, where art thou?" And it has ever been
thus. How was it with Abraham? There is nothing whatever in Scripture
to indicate that Abraham sought God; there is not a little to the
contrary. He himself was a heathen, his parents idolaters worshiping
other gods--as the last chapter of Joshua tells us--and the Lord
suddenly appeared to him in that heathen city. Abraham had not been
seeking God; it was God who sought him. And thus it has been all
through the piece. When the Savior came here He declared, "The Son of
Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10).
But perhaps there are some saying in themselves, "I cannot deny my own
experience; I know quite well there was as a time when `I sought the
Lord.'" We do not deny it; what we would call attention to is, there
was something before that. What caused you to "seek" the Lord? Ah, the
truth is, you sought Him because He first sought you--just as truly as
you love Him because He first loved you. It is not the sheep that
seeks the Shepherd; it is the Shepherd who seeks the sheep; and having
sought the sheep, He creates in the heart of that sheep a desire after
Himself, then it begins to seek Him.
Thus, to make this parable teach that the natural man, an unconverted
sinner, is seeking Christ, "the Pearl of great price," is to repudiate
Scripture and to dishonor the grace of God. In Romans 3:11 are these
words, and they are final: "There is none that seeks after God." No,
there is not one. There are multitudes that seek after pleasure, and
seek after wealth, but there is none that seeks after "God." He is the
great Seeker. Oh that He may seek out some poor, needy souls now, and
show them their need of Him, and create in their hearts a longing
after Himself. O Spirit of God seek out Thine own.
In the second place, we are told in the popular interpretation of this
parable that, having sought and found Christ, the Pearl of great
price, the sinner sells all that he has and buys it, But that cannot
be, because the sinner has nothing to sell! Righteousness he has none,
for Isaiah 64:6 says that all our righteousnesses are as "filthy
rags." Goodness he has none, for Romans 3:12 tells us "There is none
that doeth good, no, not one." Faith he has none, for that is God's
"gift" (Eph. 2:8). The sinner has nothing to sell. The popular view of
this parable turns God's truth upside down, for He declares that
salvation is without money and without price (Isa. 55:1).
In the third place, to say that the sinner sells all that he has and
buys the one pearl of great price--buys Christ--is positively awful!
What a travesty! What a blasphemy! If there is one thing taught more
clearly than anything else in Holy Writ, it is that salvation cannot
be purchased by man: "Not by works of righteousness which we have
done, but according to His mercy He saved us" (Titus 3:5). "The gift
of God is eternal life" (Rom. 6:23'). If it is a "gift" it is not to
be sold or bartered.
Let us give now what we believe is the true interpretation of this
parable. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchantman."
The "man" referred to is Christ, as He is all through this chapter.
The "man" that sowed the good Seed in the field in the first parable
is Christ. The "man" referred to in verse 24 at the beginning of the
second parable is Christ, and the "man" in this parable, the
"merchantman," is the Lord Jesus. Now, notice five things concerning
this "man."
First, he desired this goodly pearl: "the kingdom of heaven is like
unto a merchantman seeking goodly pearls: who when he had found one
pearl of great price went and sold all that he had, and bought it."
The parable begins by intimating that the Merchantman had set His
heart upon this pearl. The pearl represents His church in its
entirety, and that people, that church, the Lord Jesus desired. This
is something which altogether passes our comprehension. What was there
in us poor, fallen, depraved, sinful creatures to awaken His desire?
"What was there in us
That could merit esteem,
Or give the Creator delight?
`Twas even thus, Father!
We ever must sing,
For so it seemed good in Thy sight."
That
is the only reason.
Now let us turn to two or three scriptures which bear out this
thought--Christ's desire for a people. "So shall the King greatly
desire thy beauty" (Ps. 45:11). O wonder of wonders, that He, the
King, should greatly desire poor, sinful worms of the earth! In the
light of that, recall those blessed words of His in John 14--how they
lay bare the very heart of the Savior--"Let not your heart be
troubled: you believe in God believe also in Me. In My Father's house
are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to
prepare a place for you." How that speaks forth His love for His own
people! How precious they must be in His sight! "I go to prepare a
place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
again"--beautiful as that place may be, perfect as that place is, it
does not satisfy the longing of His heart until that place is occupied
by those for whom it is prepared. "I will go and prepare a place for
you, and if I go . . . I will come again, and receive you unto Myself;
that where I am, there you may be also." How that tells out the
intense desire of the heart of Christ which will not be satisfied
until He has His own blood-bought people around Himself! Compare
Ephesians 5:25; Revelation 3:20! The parable then begins by intimating
the desire of Christ for this "pearl."
The second thing is that He regarded this pearl as being of "great
price." That is what has staggered so many of the commentators. Even
Mr. Spurgeon used to think that such language could never be true of
poor sinners of the earth, that it could only be appropriate of the
Christ of God. It is staggering--that not only should Christ desire
you and me, but that we should be of "great price" in His sight! It
only illustrates what we are told in Isaiah 55: "My thoughts are not
your thoughts . . . as the heavens are higher than the earth . . . so
are My thoughts than your thoughts." Yes, they are. Would any redeemed
sinner have formed such a conception in his own mind if God's Word had
never so told us--that we were of "great price" in His sight? No, I am
sure none of us would; for God's people are not of "great price" in
their own sight, let alone the sight of the Lord Himself. O think of
it, that we were of "great price" in His sight! There is an intimation
of this in that wonderful 8th chapter of Proverbs, where we are taken
back into the eternal counsels of God, and are permitted to witness
something of the relationship that existed between the Father and the
Son before earth's foundations were laid: "Then I was by Him as One
brought up with Him: And I was daily His delight." And then in the
31st verse we read the words of Christ, spoken prophetically or in
anticipation: "My delights were with the children of men." "My
delights": O my brethren and sisters in Christ, not only were we
present in His thoughts, not only did we stand before His mind in the
eternity of the past, but His heart was fixed on us; His affections
went out to us. We were His "delights" even then. "My delights are
with the sons of men." It may be asked, "Can you understand that?" And
we say, No, dear friends, we cannot: our poor little minds are
altogether inadequate for rising to such a level: we can only bow in
wonderment and worship where we cannot understand.
In the third place, we are told that the Merchantman not only desired
this pearl, and esteemed it of so great value, but He sold all that He
had--words easily uttered, I am afraid sometimes glibly spoken. If our
minds were incapable of rising to the level of the thought that has
just been expressed, who amongst us is capable of gauging what it
meant for the Lord of glory, the Creator of the universe, to sell all
that He had? He who was rich for your sakes became poor--poorer than
any of us have ever been; much poorer. So poor that He occupied a
manger--that one day we might occupy a mansion. So poor that He had
not where to lay His head--in order that you and I, who are amongst
His favored ones, might rest our heads forever on His sacred bosom.
"He who was rich for your sakes became poor, that you through His
poverty might be rich."
In the fourth place, this Merchantman sought the pearl. "The kingdom
of heaven is like unto a merchantman seeking." This points a contrast
from what was before us in the preceding parable. In the fifth parable
the treasure was "found": in the case of the pearl it was "sought."
The distinction appropriately expresses the difference between God's
earthly election, the Jews; and God's heavenly election, which are,
for the most part, gathered out from the Gentiles (Acts 15:14). Turn
to Ephesians 2:17; "And came and preached peace to you which were afar
off, and to them that were nigh." Were not all sinners "far off" from
Him? Were there any sinners that were "nigh" to Him? In one sense, No.
In another sense, Yes. Spiritually all of Adam's race were "far off"
from Him, yet dispensationally the Jews were "nigh," and the Gentiles
were "far off"; but they both needed the word of peace preached to
them. He preached "peace to you which were far off (that is, the
Gentiles) and to them that were nigh" (that is, the Jews). Hence, in
the first of these two parables the treasure was "found"; it did not
need "seeking!" It was already in the land when the Christ of God
became incarnate: the Jews were already there in outward covenant
relationship with God--with the Word of God in their hands, the temple
of God in their midst, and so on. But in the next parable, where the
Gentiles are in view, they not only had to be "found," but they needed
to be "sought!" They were "afar off" from God in every way. O the
minute accuracy of Scripture!
Now notice in the next place, the Merchantman bought the "pearl."
There is no need to enlarge on that, except perhaps to quote 1 Peter
1:18, 19. " . . .not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and
gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your
fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot." It was at the Cross that He bought the
pearl, and the price that He paid was His own precious blood.
Let us now consider the "pearl" itself, and admire the accuracy,
beauty, and fullness of this figure that Christ selected for
portraying His Church. First, notice its unity. "A Merchantman was
seeking goodly pearls, and when he had found one pearl of great
price." Let us observe, however, that this Merchantman had several
pearls. He was seeking goodly pearls, and, of course, if He sought
them He found each one. Yes, Christ has several pearls. There are
quite a number of distinct companies among His redeemed. The Old
Testament saints is one, and so on. But attention is here focussed on
"one pearl" in particular: the unity of God's saints of this present
dispensation is what is referred to. "In Christ there is neither Jew
nor Greek, bond nor free, male nor female, for we are all one" (Gal.
3:28). Now, it is a significant fact that a pearl is the only gem
whose unity cannot be broken without destroying it. I may take a
diamond and cut it into two, then I have two diamonds. I may take a
lump of gold and divide it into two, and I have two lumps of gold. But
if I take a pearl and cut it into two, I have nothing: I have
destroyed it! A pearl significantly stands for the unity of the saints
of this present dispensation.
In the second place, a pearl is the product of a living creature, and
it is the only gem that is. Not only so, but it is the result of
suffering. Away down in the ocean's depths there lives a little animal
encased in a shell; we call it an oyster. One day a foreign substance,
a grain of sand, intrudes, and pierces its side. Now, God has endowed
that animal with the faculty of self-preservation, like He has all
others of His creatures, and it throws out, exudes, a slimy substance
called nacre and covers the wound, repeating the process again and
again. One layer after another of that nacre or mother-of-pearl is
cast out by that little animal on the wound in its side, until
ultimately there is built up what eventuates in a pearl. So that a
pearl is the product of suffering. How wonderful the figure! How
accurate the emblem! The Church, the saints of this dispensation, are
the fruitage of the travail of Christ's soul. The pearl, we may say,
is the answer to the injury that was inflicted upon the animal. In
other words, it is the offending particle that ultimately becomes the
object of beauty: that which injured the oyster becomes the precious
gem. The very thing that injured the animal, the little grain of sand
that intruded, is ultimately clothed with a beauty that is not its own
and covered with the comeliness of the one that it injured. How
manifestly is the Author of the Bible and the Savior of our souls the
Regulator of everything in nature. Yes, He saw to it, when He created
the oyster, that it should furnish an appropriate type and figure of
His Church.
In the third place, the pearl is an object that is formed slowly and
gradually. It does not come into existence in a single day. There is a
tedious process of waiting while the pearl is being slowly but surely
formed. And so it has been with the Church. For nineteen centuries now
that, of which the pearl is the figure and type, has been in process
of formation by the power and grace of God. Just as the oyster covered
the wound in its side and that which pierced it with one layer after
another of the beautiful nacre, constantly repeating the process, so
out of each generation of men on earth God has called a few and added
them to that Church which He is now building for His Son.
In the fourth place, notice the lowly origin of that which is a type
of the Church. That beautiful pearl originally had its home in the
depths of the sea, amid its mire and filth, for that is where oysters
congregate. They are the scavengers of the ocean. Down in the ocean's
depths, amidst the mire, is that precious gem being formed. What a
lowly origin! Yes, and that is to remind us, and to humble us with the
remembrance of it, that we, who have by sovereign grace been made
members of Christ, had by nature our origin in the filth and mire and
ruin of the fall. Compare Ephesians 2:11, 12.
In the fifth place, the pearl, as it is being formed down there in the
ocean's depths, is not seen by the eye of man. It is a secret
formation; none but God witnesses its building up. In like manner,
that Church which Christ is now building, that body of His which is
now in process of formation, is unknown and unseen by the world. I am
not speaking of the visible churches, I am talking about that Church,
which is now being built (see Ephesians 2:21; 4:16, etc.), and which
as it is being formed, like the oyster, is unseen by the eye of man.
Your life is hid with Christ in God (Col. 3:3). Significant, too, is
the fact that just as the pearl is found not in the mines of earth,
but in the sea, so the Church of this dispensation is composed mainly
of Gentiles--the "waters" figuring such, see Revelation 17:15.
In the sixth place, we learn from this figure that in the eyes of God
that Church is an object of value and beauty. That little object,
hidden from the eyes of men, is being fashioned into a precious gem,
which shall yet reflect the light of heaven and become an object of
beauty and admiration in the eyes of all who see it. Turn to 2
Thessalonians 1:10, "When He shall come to be glorified in His saints
(not only in Himself), and to be admired in all them that believe."
That is speaking in the language of the pearl. First, the Lord Jesus
will "present to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or
wrinkle, or any such thing; but it shall be holy and without blemish"
(Eph. 5:27); second, when He returns to the earth itself, He will
bring with him His complete and beautified Church and it will be an
object of admiration to all who behold it. To a wondering universe
Christ will yet display His glorified Church.
In the seventh place, see how in the figure Christ here selected, we
have an intimation of the honorable and exalted future that the Church
is yet to enjoy. That little object in the ocean's depths, unseen by
the eye of men, which is being gradually built up, ultimately has a
position and a place in the diadem of the king. That is the destiny of
the pearl of great price: it becomes the jewel of royalty; for this it
has been made. And so we are told, "When Christ, our life, shall
appear, then shall you also appear with Him in glory" (Col. 3:4). And
again, "That in the ages to come (that is yet future) He might show
the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us" (Eph.
2:7). Ah, my friends, many of God's people today may be poor and
despised and hated by the prominent and great of this world, but just
as surely as the pearl of great price of lowly origin ultimates in a
position of dignity and honor and glory, so those who now are last
shall be first.
In closing, let me sum up in two words of practical application.
First, to the unconverted. O my unsaved friend, let this parable show
you once and for all the utter impossibility and the needlessness of
attempting to purchase your salvation, of seeking to win God's
approval by some works and doings of your own. The pearl in this
parable is not a Savior whom the sinner has to "buy." "By grace are
you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of
God . . . not of works lest any man should boast."
And what is the word to those of us who by the grace of God have been
saved? This: the pearl has been purchased by Christ: we are the
purchased property of another! You are not your own, but "bought with
a price" (1 Cor. 6:20). To what extent is that Divine truth regulating
our lives? How far is that fact dominating our daily walk? We are not
our own; we belong to Christ! Do we realize that? Are we living day by
day as though we realized it? Does our walk manifest it? Not our
own--the property of another! Then should we not say, "For me to live
is Christ?" Can any of us truthfully say it? "For me to live is
Christ?" Is it true that I have only one aim, only one desire, only
one ambition; all my efforts concentrated on the honoring, obeying,
magnifying of Christ? O my friends, the poor preacher cannot honestly
say it. By the grace of God he may say that is his desire. But O how
far short he comes of attaining to it in his daily life. May God help
all His people to realize in their souls that they are not their own:
no longer free, no longer have the right to plan their own life, to
say what they will do or what they will not do: no longer any
whatever--the purchased property of Another. Our answer to that ought
to be, "For to me to live is Christ." O may Divine, enabling grace be
granted to us so to live!
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The Prophetic Parables of Matthew 13
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 7:
The Parable of the Dragnet.
_________________________________________________________________
"Again the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into
the sea, and gathered of every kind" (Matthew 13:47-50)
We have previously pointed out that it is of first importance to
carefully note the manner and method in which these seven parables are
arranged, for their order supplies a key to their interpretation. The
first one stands by itself, being distinguished from the other six
which follow by the omission of the opening clause "the kingdom of
heaven is like unto." The first parable is not a similitude of the
kingdom of heaven; the last six are. The first parable treats of a
preparatory work, done prior to the introduction of the kingdom of
heaven in its present form; that introductory work being the broadcast
sowing of the seed. first by the Lord Himself, afterwards by the
apostles.
The six parables which follow are plainly divided into two threes. The
first three were spoken by the Lord from the ship in the hearing of
the multitude by the seaside, and therefore they give us the more
public aspect of the kingdom of heaven in its present form--the
kingdom of heaven in this world as it is seen by men. The last three
parables were not spoken to the multitude nor were they uttered by the
seashore, but were spoken by the Lord to the disciples only, and that
within the house; intimating that they treat of the internal and
hidden aspects of the kingdom of heaven, that which is not manifested
before men in this world. So that the last three parables speak from
the standpoint of God's counsels.
The first of the last three is the parable of the treasure hid in the
field, a man for joy thereof buying the field--principally for the
sake of the treasure that was hidden therein. The next parable, that
of the pearl, also sought, desired, and purchased by the same man, the
merchantman. Those two objects, the treasure and the pearl, intimate
that there are two elect companies, dear unto God and precious unto
His Son, purchased by Him: one an earthly people, the other a
heavenly; through whom the wondrous riches of Divine grace and glory
will yet be made manifest in the two great divisions of God's
dominions--heaven and earth. The earthly people, spoken of under the
figure of the treasure. being Israel, the literal Israel; the heavenly
people, spoken of under the figure of the pearl, looking forward to
the time when the body of Christ will be completed and He shall
present to Himself a glorious Church. The order of these two parables,
then, is, "to the Jew first and also to the Greek"--the treasure
coming before the pearl.
But if these seven parables give us a prophetical outline of the
course of Christendom, that is the history of the Christian profession
throughout this dispensation, during the time of Christ's absence from
the earth, one more parable is needed to complete the picture. The
last parable is in one sense an amplification of the sixth. In the
sixth parable there is only one man at work, one agent acting--the
Merchant-man. He is the one who does all in connection with the pearl.
But while it is true the Merchant-man, the Lord Jesus Christ. is the
principal worker in connection with the gathering out of the saints
during this dispensation, in His condescending grace He does not work
alone. He has been pleased to call His own saints to have a part with
Him in the prosecution of this work, in the accomplishing of God's
counsels, in the gathering out of His elect people. Consequently. when
we come to this seventh parable, for the first time, the number of the
pronoun is changed. Notice this in verse 47: "Again the kingdom of
heaven is like unto a net. that was cast into the sea, and gathered of
every kind: which, when it was full, they drew to shore"--not "he" but
"they." That is the first time we have "they" in the parables.
Illustrations of what is thereby denoted are found in the Gospels in
connection with Christ's miracles.
Take the first one that He performed--the turning of water into wine.
This is a sermon in action. His mother came to Him and said, "They
have no wine." Their own wine had given out. Now "wine" in Scripture
is the symbol of joy--not exclusively, but that is one of its
essential significations. "They have no wine." Christ alone can impart
real joy to the heart; but in the working of the miracle He used
servants. He said to the servants, "Fill the waterpots." He said to
the servants, "Draw it forth." He said to the servants, Convey it to
"the master of the feast." He deigned to use them, and in their
obedience they became workers together with Him in the performing of
that miracle.
Take again the feeding of the multitude. There was the famishing
crowd: they had no food. Here was the Lord Jesus Christ. A few loaves
and fishes were placed in His hands, and under His miraculous
working-power those loaves and fishes were made to feed the hungry
multitude. But what was the method that He followed? He did not hand
the food directly to the crowd; He first gave to the disciples, and
they distributed to the multitude. So that (we say it reverently)
between the Lord Jesus Christ and the multitudes, and the wine and
food, there is need of consecrated servants, to first receive from Him
and then to hand out to others. Therefore we may see that if these
seven parables furnish an outline of the history of this present
dispensation, it is necessary to complete the picture by showing us
that the Lord Jesus, in His condescending grace, uses others to the
accomplishing of God's purpose and the executing of His counsels.
Now the details of this parable are so few in number and so simple
that it seems they hardly call for explanation. First of all, there is
the "net." Second, there is the "sea" into which the net is cast.
Third, there are the "fishermen" themselves--they gather in. And
fourth, there are the "fish" that are enclosed in the net. It should
be plain to all that the "net" itself is a symbol of the Gospel, the
proclaiming and presenting Christ to the responsibility of men.
Second, the "sea" into which the net is cast has the same meaning that
it has in the first verse of the chapter: it stands for the nations as
such, the Gentiles, and that is why the "sea" is here once more
mentioned--because that which is specially characteristic of the
present dispensation, in contradistinction from the dispensation that
preceded it and the one which shall yet follow, is God's mercy turning
unto the Gentiles: therefore we have the figure of the "sea" once
more. The "fishermen," those who cast the net into the sea, are the
Lord's gospellers, the evangelists, the preachers of the Word. That is
clear by comparing Scripture with Scripture: in Matthew 4:19 and in
Luke 5 the Lord Jesus said to His first disciples, "Follow Me and I
will make you fishers of men," it is His own figure for His
evangelists.
Now very briefly let us call attention to seven things connected with
the parable. The first thing that has impressed us in studying it is
this: the inconspicuousness of the fishermen. Observe that in the 47th
verse they are not even mentioned: "The kingdom of heaven is like unto
a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind," while
in the 48th verse Christ just refers to them as "they": "Which when it
was full, they drew to shore." That is all that is said about them.
How inconspicuous they are! In other words, those who have been so
highly honored by God, and (it is an infinitely higher honor to be a
servant of Christ than to be King of the British Empire) to have a
part in the casting of this net into the sea, are here hidden from
view, nothing is said about them, except they are just referred to
once as "they." O how that rebukes and condemns the preacher-worship
of the day! Turn for a moment to 1 Corinthians 3: beginning at verse
4:--"For while one says, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos,
are you not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but
ministers by whom you believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I
have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then
neither is he that plants anything neither he that waters." Do we
realize that, my brethren? Do you realize that the one whom God has
called to minister to you, is himself nothing--nothing at all, merely
an empty vessel, that, unless the Lord comes, will soon crumble away
to dust! But He, the One who deigns to bless, who places His treasure
in earthen vessels, He is everything. O my brethren and sisters, it
has impressed me deeply in studying this parable that the fishermen
are hidden from sight. They are inconspicuous, they are mere nothings
that God can dispense with as easily as He can use them. Do not
imagine that the prosperity of any church depends upon the presence of
some particular man in the pulpit. The Lord is not only able to
continue and prosper His work, but to do so a hundredfold more without
the most gifted preacher if He so pleases. The instrument is nothing.
How that rebukes the preacher-worship of the day! May Almighty God
deliver His people from it. May God in His grace (for He is a jealous
God, who will not share His glory with another), preserve His people
from giving any of the honor and glory to the mere instrument, the
whole of which is due and belongs alone to Him. Just as surely as you
begin to honor and glorify the instrument, the blessing of God will
depart. Heed well this first point in our parable: the fishermen were
hidden from sight. May they be hidden from sight in all the churches
of God.
Secondly, the object before the fishermen in casting the net into the
sea and drawing it forth again. This was simply to gather good fish.
That was their one aim and design, the 48th verse shows that--"which
when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the
good fish into vessels." It is true there were also some bad fish in
the net, but these they cast away. It is the good fish they were out
for. Now, while it is true the servant of God is under marching orders
to "preach the gospel to every creature," nevertheless, that which he
must ever keep steadily before him, those whom he must perseveringly
seek out, and those he is called to minister unto, are God's elect.
Though the servant of God is sent forth to preach the Gospel to all
who come under the sound of his voice, yet he is not sent to draw a
bow at a venture. God has not sent him forth so that the success of
his labors is made dependent upon the caprice of man or the response
of his will. No, the primary purpose of God in raising up His servants
and sending them forth is, the good of His own elect. And that end is
to be kept in view by those whom God calls upon to engage in His
service, whether that work be in the mission-field or in the Sunday
School class or in district visitation. God has called you to seek out
those whom He has marked out from all eternity--the "good fish".
There are two Scriptures I want to refer to from the Epistles of Paul
which bring both of these aspects before us. First, 1 Corinthians
9:22, "I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save
some." In a general way that means this: Paul was carrying out his
Divinely given commission and preaching the Gospel to every
creature--the net was cast into the sea at large. Paul was made all
things to all men. He welcomed an opportunity to preach the Gospel to
the poor; but he did not miss an opportunity to preach God's Word to
the prominent and eminent as well. He was primarily, "the apostle to
the Gentiles" (Rom. 11:13), yet how often he preached to the Jews! He
was made all things to all men. That is one side: that is the casting
of the net "into-the-sea" aspect.
Now turn to 2 Timothy 2:10, which is a verse many Arminians do not
seem to know is in the Bible at all; those who have been brought up
under "Freewill" teaching need to look at it closely. These were the
words of the apostle Paul in connection with his own ministry:
"Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sake, that they may
also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus." That was the
object before the apostle's heart, that was the goal that he had in
view. That was the aim of his ministry, that was what enabled him to
endure such a great fight of afflictions. He endured all things "for
the elect's sake." How that gives the aspect of the Gospel work
portrayed in our parable! There is first the broadcasting of the net
into the sea at large, and there is secondly the particular design in
so doing. The purpose of it is to gather out the "good fish." So while
you and I are called upon to preach the Gospel to every creature, let
us not lose sight of the fact that God's purpose and our submission to
it is the seeking out of the good fish, praying that God will use us
to find His hidden ones. For, observe that, at first, God's elect are
hidden from His servants, like the "good fish" in the sea; but as we
labor in the Gospel they become manifest--they are seen in the "net!"
In the third place, we are told that the net gathered in of every
kind. Coming back to Matthew 13:47, the last part of the verse: "that
was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind." Others besides
"good fish" were enclosed. This reminds us once more that the main
thing which is in view in our chapter is the Christian profession.
Here we are shown the effects of Gospel preaching. Here we behold the
results of the net being cast into the sea at large--the world-wide
proclamation of the Gospel and the universal presentation of Christ
unto men. The result is that there is a mixed profession. The net
gathers in "of every kind." Just as at the beginning of the age there
were the wheat and tares, so at the end of the age (to which this
parable conducts us) there are bad fish as well as good.
Now in the fourth place, the fact that this net gathered in bad fishes
as well as good ones was no reflection upon the skill of the
fishermen. But on the other hand, they were responsible to distinguish
between the good and the bad fish after they had entered the net, and
they were responsible to separate the one from the other. That is an
essential and important part of the work and duty of God's
servants--to discriminate, to distinguish between the good and the bad
fish. Mark it carefully: "which when it was full, (that is, the net)
they drew to shore, and (what?) sat down" (v. 8). They sat down before
they did anything with the fish. Before they attempted to do any
sorting out and separating, they sat down: which indicates that this
aspect of their work requires time, care, deliberation!
Now notice also in verse 48: "They gathered the good fish into
vessels, but cast the bad away." That is all that the fishermen did
with the bad; just cast them away. They had got into the net, but they
were rejected. They would have nothing further to do with them.
Nothing else is required of the fishermen, but just to cast them away.
Such was Christ's word in Matthew 15:13, where the disciples came to
Him and were speaking about the Pharisees, He said, "Every plant which
My heavenly Father has not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them
alone." It is not our business to do the rooting up; just leave them
alone, that is all; have no fellowship with them. Turn to Romans
16:17, "Now I beseech you brethren, mark them which cause divisions
and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned"--
imprison them, torture them, burn them? No, God has never told His
people, or His professing people, to do any such thing. Even if Rome
were right in her doctrines, Scripture absolutely condemns her
practices. How has she acted towards those who have differed from her
doctrine? Here is what Scripture says, "Brethren mark them which cause
divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have
learned; and avoid them." That is all! Give them a wide berth;
separate yourselves from them; have nothing to do with them, avoid
them. Do you avoid them? If some man comes to the City with a great
reputation, and the newspapers announce that he is teaching this,
that, and the other and huge crowds are being drawn, and a lot of
people tell you he is such a nice man, yet you know he is teaching
contrary to the doctrine that you have received; what do you do? Do
you "avoid" him? I am afraid some of you don't. Many need this word.
"Avoid them!" See also 2 John 10!
In the fifth place. These fishermen were to distinguish and
discriminate between the good and the bad fish. Though they are not to
be blamed for the entrance of the "bad" fish into the "net"--being
under the waters they could not see what sort of fish entered; yet
they have a responsibility concerning them once the net is drawn to
land: then they are exposed to sight. It is not long before a
professing Christian makes it manifest whether or not he has been
really born again. It is concerning this God holds His servants
responsible.
Perhaps some will ask, How are they able to do it? In what way are
God's servants to distinguish the good fish from the bad? Has God left
them to their own discretion in the matter? No, my friends. We need
not lean unto our own understanding in anything. The Scriptures have
been given that the man of God may be thoroughly furnished unto all
good works, and in them God Himself has described the very marks by
which we can distinguish good fish from bad!
Turn for a moment to Leviticus 11:9, "These shall you eat of all that
are in the waters, whatsoever has fins, and scales, in the waters, in
the seas, and in the rivers, them shall you eat. And all that have not
fins and scales in the seas and in the rivers, of all that move in the
waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be
an abomination unto you." Do you suppose that these verses contain
nothing more than instructions to the Hebrews about their diet 3,000
years ago? Do you imagine that God has recorded in His eternal Word
something with no other significance and importance than the mere
regulating of the table of the Israelites in the past? I trust that by
this time most of you have learned that there is a spiritual
significance and value to everything in Scripture. There is not time
now to expound this, but concerning the good fish there were two
things, fins and scales--fins to propel them through the waters and
aid their motion; scales to protect, to shield them from the pressure
and action of the waters as they passed swiftly through them. Can you
interpret it? God has given His people two things: armor to protect
them, and also an inward power to propel them through the waters of
this world. Those who give evidence of having on them the armor of
light (Rom. 13:12; Ephesians 6:13-17), corresponding to the "scales;"
and those who make it manifest they are swimming against (instead of
floating down with) the tide of this world, furnish proof that they
are "good fish."
In the sixth place, it should be carefully noted that the work of the
fishermen did not cease when they drew the net to land. Something else
yet remained for them to do. Look again at the parable: "Which when it
was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good fish
into"--a vessel? It does not say so; but "they gathered the good fish
into vessels." Why? The work of the fishermen was not completed when
they gathered the fish into the net, nor was it finished when they had
separated the good from the bad: the good ones must be gathered into
"vessels." Surely that does not need interpreting. The "good" fish
represent believers; their being "gathered" speaks of association
together--fellowship; while the "vessels" tell of separation from the
world.
I have only time now to mention the last point without elaborating--If
this parable is studied closely it will be found that verses 49 and 59
present two difficulties--those who have not studied it, will not have
felt their force: "So shall it be at the end of the world (or of the
age): the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the
just." In the parable itself the work is done by the fishermen: but in
the interpretation of the parable the work is done by "angels." Again,
in the parable itself the good fish are separated from the bad, but
when you come to the interpretation, the order is reversed: "they
shall sever the wicked from among the just." So that in the
interpretation the bad are separated from the good--the very opposite
of the order in verse 48. For the present we leave these two points
with you.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Prophetic Parables of Matthew 13
by A.W. Pink
Chapter 8:
Review.
_________________________________________________________________
We have endeavored to show in our exposition of Matthew 13 that the
prophetic parables found therein contain an outline sketch of the
history of Christendom, i.e., the circle of profession, that sphere
where the authority of Christ is nominally owned. That which is in
view, particularly in the first four parables, is the circle of human
responsibility, and therefore it is a picture of failure which is
presented to us. Look where you will, it is always the same; whenever
God has committed anything to man as a responsible creature, he has
failed in his trust.
God placed Adam in Eden on the ground of human responsibility--that
is, on probation; and he fell. God gave to Noah the sword of
magisterial authority, but he failed to govern himself. God committed
to Israel the law, and they broke it: before Moses came down from the
mount they had set up the calf and were worshipping it. God instituted
priesthood in Israel, in the tribe of Levi, and Aaron and his sons
were duly consecrated to their office; yet on the very next day two of
Aaron's sons offered strange fire, and judgment fell upon them. God
instituted kingship in Israel, and that also was a sorry failure, as
the books of Kings and Chronicles bear witness. God endowed
Nebuchadnezzar with great power and it turned his head: he became so
bloated with his own self-importance that he made an image to himself
and demanded that all should worship it.
And the Christian profession has been no exception. Paul announced
that after his departure "grievous wolves should enter the flock," and
they did. The evil introduction by Satan at the beginning of this
dispensation has never been eradicated, nor will it be till
harvest-time. Instead of things getting better, Scripture explicitly
declares they will become "worse and worse"; until Christ will "spew
out" the whole system that bears His name.
The seven parables of Matthew 13 divide into four and three, the usual
division of a septenary series. The first four were spoken to the
multitude on the seashore; the last three to the disciples within the
house. Hence, the first four give us the external view of the history
of Christendom; the last three treating of that which is internal or
spiritual. The first four are arranged in two pairs, the first two
giving us the individual aspect of things, the wheat and tares. The
second pair set forth that which is collective and corporate, the
mustard-tree and the leaven.
Again: the first parable shows us a "sowing"; the fifth and sixth
reveal the resultant crop. In like manner, the second parable also
shows us a "sowing," while the third and fourth describe the harvest
which springs from it. Should it be asked, Why is the crop from the
second sowing mentioned before that of the first? The answer is, this
is in keeping with God's invariable method: "Howbeit, that was not
first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward
that which is spiritual" (1 Cor. 15:46). Cain was born before Abel,
Ishmael before Isaac, Esau before Jacob. The nation of Egypt existed
before Israel; Saul came to the throne before David, and so on.
Let us now briefly review the details of these parables. The first
represents our Lord still here upon earth, in Servant-form, scattering
broadcast the Seed of the kingdom. It intimates the ratio of the
Gospel's success, and forewarns us that only a fractional portion
thereof produces abiding results. It makes known, from the human side,
the various hindrances which render most of the Seed unfertile. Thus,
this parable plainly repudiates the popular delusion which supposes
that this age will yet witness a universal reception of the Gospel; it
positively forbids any expectation of a millennium brought about by
human enterprise or the labors of Christ's servants. It declares that
as the result of the opposition of the devil, the flesh and the world,
most of the Seed is either caught away or choked, and general
barrenness is the result. Nor is there any hint at the close of the
parable that such opposition would cease or that the yield would
increase; instead, the Lord affirmed that it would decrease from an
hundred-fold down to thirty-fold. The history of the last nineteen
centuries has fully corroborated the teaching of this parable and made
manifest the fulfillment of Christ's prediction. Only a fractional
proportion of people in any land, state, city, or village really
receive the Gospel! Not only is this true in general throughout the
world, but it applies with equal force to the religious sphere. Where
is the church to-day which can carry on its work if the faithful
minority were removed?
The second parable carries us forward to a point after Christ's
ascension, and shows us dual forces at work in Christendom. These
"dual forces" are named in verses 24, 25. They are Christ (through His
servants) sowing His "good Seed" and the Devil sowing his "tares."
Through the unwatchfulness of the Lord's servants, while "men slept,"
the Enemy got in his work, and as the result the crop in the field, as
a whole, is spoiled, and is to continue thus to the end of the age.
Some have experienced a difficulty in verse 27. In view of the fact
that the "tares" so closely resemble the wheat that the one cannot be
distinguished from the other till harvest-time, how was it that their
presence was detected at such an early date? The difficulty is more
imaginary than real. Note the difference between what is said in verse
25 and verse 27: in the former it was "men" that slept: in the latter,
it was the "servants'' who discovered the presence of the tares. These
"servants" obviously refer to the apostles, who were endowed with the
Holy Spirit to an extent that none others have been, and therefore
possessed a discernment which none others have had since then.
But though the "tares" were detected, orders were given that they must
not be removed; they were to "grow together" with the wheat until the
harvest. It is a great pity that many with more zeal than knowledge
have ignored this command of Christ's. This word of His at once
exposes the uselessness, worthlessness, and unscripturalness of
"reform" movements and efforts. Men have indulged the idle dream that
they could improve the world by ridding it of noxious weeds: in other
words, by the banishment of drunkenness and immorality, and the
purifying of politics-as well might they attempt to purify the waters
of the Dead Sea! Christ said, "Let both grow"; do not waste time in
seeking to get rid of the "tares." "Preach the Gospel to every
creature" is our marching-order, and due attention to it will leave no
time for seeking to root up weeds! Finally, it is blessed to note that
the Enemy can neither injure the wheat nor prevent the garnering of
it. The sowing of his tares was by God's permission.
The third parable carries us beyond the days of the apostles and
anticipated the time when the outward character of professing
Christianity underwent a radical change. That which had hitherto been
despised, had become popular; that which was so insignificant in the
world, assumed huge proportions. But instead of this being a great
blessing, it was a fearful curse. So far from its being a triumph for
the Gospel, it evidenced a victory of Satan. The little mustard-seed
developed into a monstrosity, and produced that which gave shelter for
the agents of the Devil. Instead of living as strangers and pilgrims
here, professing Christians took part in politics and sought to reform
the State. Instead of having as their hope the returning Christ, they
sought to improve the world, and to such an extent did they imagine
they had succeeded, it was announced that the millennium had
commenced.
The parable of the leaven presents to us something still more tragic.
Just as the mustard-tree depicted the outward corruption of the
Christian profession, this fourth parable shows us the inward
corruption of it. Into the "meal," which represents the pure doctrine
of Christ, a foreign element was stealthily introduced. This was
designed to make the food of God's people lighter and more palatable
to the world; but it corrupted the same. The Lord announced that this
evil process would continue until the whole was leavened. This cannot
be completely realized while the Holy Spirit remains on earth; but how
nearly this prophecy has become history shows us how very close at
hand must be the time when He will take His departure.
But though these four parables give us a sad picture of the
unfaithfulness of men, there has been no failure with God. That cannot
be. In spite of all the breakdown in human responsibility, and
notwithstanding Satan's opposition, God has been slowly but surely
working out His "eternal purpose." "Known unto God are all His works
from the beginning of the world," says Acts 15:18, and clear and
abundant proof of this is furnished here in Matthew 13.
The fifth and the sixth parables bring before us the gracious and
blessed work of Christ, securing for Himself two Objects which are
inexpressibly precious to Him, namely, the "treasure" hid in the field
and the "pearl" from the sea; which represent redeemed Israel and the
Church of the present dispensation. This gives us the brighter side of
things, and shows that, notwithstanding Satan's Divinely-permitted
success, Christ shall yet "see of the travail of His soul and be
satisfied" (Isa. 53:11).
In connection with the next parable there remain two points to be
considered: first, Christ's interpretation of it, which is found in
verses 49, 50. The careful reader will observe that this contains a
principle similar to that found in connection with the interpretation
of the second parable which is given in verses 41-43. In the parable
(itself) of the tares Christ went no farther than what actually takes
place here on earth, see verse 30; the state in the next world of
those represented by the tares is not revealed. But in the
interpretation of this parable, which Christ gave to His disciples,
their future destiny was made known, see verses 39-43. Thus the
interpretation carries us farther than do the details of the parable
itself. This principle is also exemplified in a number of symbolic
prophecies: Daniel 7 supplies a notable illustration--the explanations
there given going beyond the symbols used.
It is thus in the seventh parable. In verses 47, 48 the final destiny
of neither the good nor the bad fish is given. Neither in the parable
of the Tares nor of the Net does the execution of judgment form part
of the parable itself. The reason of this is not far to seek. These
parables all treat of the present dispensation. while the churches are
on earth: God's judgment will descend after they have gone. Hence. in
the parable itself the "tares" are left in the field (v. 30); and in
the last parable the "bad fish" are left on the shore. that is. on
earth (v. 48). This is clear from the fact that the "vessels" into
which the "good fish are gathered" are on earth. The execution of
judgment upon the "tares" and on the "bad fish" occurs at a later
date, and this was indicated by Christ Himself, in His giving the
interpretation separately and after the parable itself.
In further confirmation of what has just been said. it is to be noted
that, the fishermen have nothing to do with the work of judgment. As
Christ declared "at the end of the age (which will be more than seven
years after the Rapture) the angels shall come forth." etc. (v. 49).
Thus it is the "angels" who execute God's judgment--compare carefully
Revelation 7:1, 8:1, 16:1, etc.
One other point connected with the last parable must be noted. In
verse 49 we are told that "the angels shall come forth, and sever the
wicked from among the just." This is the very opposite of what the
fishermen do in verse 48: they, first, gather the good fish into
vessels, and then cast the bad away. In both the parable of the Tares
and of the Net the "angels" are occupied with the wicked. The "just"
in verse 49 refer to the godly Jewish remnant who will be on earth,
after the Church has been removed just before at the end of this age.
The very fact that Matthew 13 contains seven parables intimates that
we have here a complete something, and that is, the history of the
Christian profession on earth. In the prophetic outline presented by
Christ, the salient points and principal epochs in this history are
noticed. In the first, which is introductory, the earthly ministry of
Christ is in view. The second, describes what took place in the days
of the apostles. The third, brings us down to the fourth century, when
the little mustard-seed became a great "tree," which pointed to the
union between the State and professing Christianity in the days of
Constantine. The fourth takes us to the end of the sixth century, and
forecast the rise of the Papacy, the woman corrupting the meal.
After the fourth parable there is a manifest break: the Lord leaving
the seaside and retiring within the house: thus He was hidden from the
multitude! Marvelously and accurately does this correspond with the
history of Christendom, for, following the establishment of Romanism,
came the Dark Ages, when the multitudes were forsaken by Christ. After
the break, come the next two parables spoken to the disciples only.
These forecast the great Reformation in the days of Luther, Calvin,
etc. Most significant is it that the central object in each is Christ
seeking that which was hidden and bringing it to light. That which He
first unearthed was the "treasure" hid in a field. How manifestly this
found its parallel in the recovery of the precious Word of God which
had for so long been kept back from the people! The parable of the
"one pearl" anticipated the recovery of the blessed truth of the
oneness in Christ of all God's people.
The seventh parable, as its position in the series indicates, treats
of conditions at the close of this dispensation. In the light of this,
how very significant are the words at the end of verse 47: "A net that
was cast into the sea and gathered of every kind." No efforts are now
being spared to attract fish of "every kind" into the various
denominational "nets," and everything that would tend to frighten or
keep away worldlings is carefully avoided. In modern "church" (?)
services there is something to suit the tastes and meet the needs of
all, except the true children of God! Social, economic, and diplomatic
problems and issues are discussed to satisfy the political mind.
Worldly amusements are introduced to attract the lovers of pleasure.
Grand organs are put in and professional vocalists engaged to soothe
and charm the aesthetic. Dramatic speakers, so-called "Evangelists,"
who are but religious showmen, are employed to please the
sensation-monger. In short, everything that can please the flesh has
been brought into the churches (?) to draw the crowds and thus catch
fish of "every sort." Sad it is that so much time, money, and energy
are wasted in such misguided and God-dishonoring efforts. Sinners do
not need amusing and cheering, but showing their lost condition. The
business of the ministers of the Gospel is not to tickle ears, but to
preach that which, by the Spirit's application, will touch hearts and
search consciences. Their duty is to make manifest the character of
God, the awfulness of sin, the certainty of its punishment, and to bid
their perishing hearers, "Flee from the wrath to come."
The next thing to happen will be the removal of God's saints from the
earth, and their translation to heaven: see 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17.
Following this, after a brief interval, God will pour out His
judgments upon the wicked, and then shall "the angels come forth, and
sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into a
furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth" (vv.
49, 50). These verses will then receive a solemn and literal
fulfillment. After this "then shall the righteous shine forth as the
sun in the kingdom of their Father" (v. 43), i.e., the upper or
heavenly department of Christ's millennial kingdom--John 1:51 implies
the two spheres of the Messiah's Kingdom. May the Lord grant that each
reader of these articles shall "find mercy of the Lord in that day" (2
Tim. 1:18).
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The Prophetic Parables of Matthew 13
Chapter 9:
The Prophetic Scope of Matthew 24.
_________________________________________________________________
The prophetic discourse of Christ found in Matthew 24 and 25 was
delivered by Him in private to a few of His disciples less than a week
before the Crucifixion. He had left the Temple for the last time. His
public ministry was completed. He had announced to the leaders of the
nation that, "your house is left unto you desolate," and had declared,
"You shall not see Me henceforth, till you shall say, Blessed is He
that comes in the name of the Lord."
As Christ left the Temple, accompanied by His disciples, they, no
doubt, awed and puzzled by what He had just said, directed His
attention to the magnificent buildings of the Temple, particularly to
the massive stones of which they were constructed, saying, "Master,
see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!" (Mark 13:1 and
compare John 2:20). To which He responded, "See ye not all these
things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone
upon another, that shall not be thrown down" (Matthew 24:2). Then, as
He sat upon the Mount of Olives, in full sight of the City and Temple,
the disciples asked, "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what
shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world ?"
(Matthew 24:3).
Each of the first three Gospels supply us with an inspired account of
our Lord's prophetic discourse, but it is only by diligently comparing
them and noting their differences that we can discover the scope and
design of each, for there is no mere repetition in Scripture. Luke's
account differs from Matthew's and Mark's in two important
respects--what is related and what is omitted. Matthew's account is
based upon a threefold question, see Matthew 24:3; whereas Luke's is
based upon a twofold question, see Luke 21:7. It is most important
that the student should carefully note the omission of any reference
to Christ's "coming" in Luke's account. The second main difference is
connected with the time for "fleeing". In Matthew 24:15, 16 we read,
"When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of
by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let
him understand), then let them which be in Judea flee into the
mountains." Whereas in Luke 21:20, 21 we read. "And when ye shall see
Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof
is nigh. Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains." That
part of our Lord's prophetic discourse recorded in Luke 21 (to the
middle of v. 24) was all fulfilled by the year A.D. 70. First,
Jerusalem was invested by Cestius Gallus, who was repulsed. Later, it
was attacked by Titus, the emperor's son, who was successful. But
between the two besiegements, there is good reason to believe that,
all Christians "fled," and that none of them perished in Jerusalem.
Luke's "sign" is past, Matthew's is yet future. It is most important
to observe that in Matthew 24 no reference is made to the destruction
of Jerusalem after verse 2; while, on the other hand, in Luke 21 no
reference at all is made to "the abomination of desolation.''
Now the first thing to do in taking up the study of Matthew 24 is to
pay careful attention to its context, namely chapter 23. There, a
sevenfold "woe" is uttered, and solemn sentence of doom is pronounced
by the Lord Jesus upon the apostate nation of Israel. This is found in
verses 34-38, closing with those fearful words, "Behold, your house is
left unto you desolate." Then the Lord added, "For I say unto you, you
shall not see Me henceforth, till you shall say, Blessed is He that
comes in the name of the Lord" (v. 39). This last verse is most
important. The "coming" of Christ which is there referred to is not
His descent into the air to catch up the Church, but His return to the
earth unto the people of Israel. It is this which supplies the key to
Matthew 24:3, and shows that everything in.Matthew 24 is yet future
and is wholly Jewish.
"And Jesus went out, and departed from the Temple" (v 1). Mark the
first word of this verse: the "and" denotes that what follows gives a
continuation, without any break, of that which is recorded in the
closing verses of chapter 23. It supplies a solemn confirmation of
what was there announced: "Your house is left unto you desolate" is
verified by the words "And Jesus went out, and departed from the
temple."
"And His disciples came to Him for to show Him the buildings of the
temple. And Jesus said unto them, see ye not all these things? verily
I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another,
that shall not be thrown down" (vv. 1, 2). This foretold the
destruction of Jerusalem, or more specifically, the razing of the
Temple. It is most important to observe that this was said before the
prophetic discourse of Christ's which is recorded in Matthew 24:4 and
onwards.
"And as He sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto Him
privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be?" (v. 3). That
this question was asked separately from "And what shall be the sign of
Thy coming, and of the end of the world?" or "age," shows plainly that
the "when shall these things be?" referred specifically to the
overthrow of the Temple, which implied the destruction of the City. It
is to be noted that only Luke records Christ's answer to that
question, see Luke 21:20-24. This part of our Lord's prediction
Matthew was guided to omit.
"And what shall be the sign of Thy coming?" (v. 3). What did the
disciples have in mind when they asked this question? Surely there
cannot be the slightest difficulty for us now to discover the true
answer. So far as the inspired records go, up to this point the Lord
had said nothing whatever to His disciples about His going to the
Father's house to prepare a place for His people, and of His coming
again to receive them "unto Himself." No hint whatever had been given
of His future descent into the air for the purpose of removing His
saints from this earth. Therefore this aspect of the Lord's "coming"
could not have been in the mind of the disciples at that time. It
should be obvious to every honest heart and impartial mind that when
they asked, "What shall be the sign of Thy coming ?" they had before
them what He had just said to the nation of Israel, namely, "You shall
not see Me henceforth, till you shall say, Blessed is He that comes in
the name of the Lord" (Matthew 21:9); which was His coming back to the
earth,. One other thing enables us to fix the meaning of this question
of the disciples, "What shall be the sign of Thy coming?" No "signs"
are now given to or for those whose calling is a heavenly one. How
could there be, when of them it is written, "we walk by faith, not by
sight"? (2 Cor. 5:7). God's people today are not to be looking for
"signs," but listening for a sound, namely, the "shout" of the Lord (1
Thess. 4:16)!
"And of the end of the age?" To what "age" did the disciples refer?
Surely there can be only one answer: that associated with Christ's
"coming" to the earth itself. It should be carefully borne in mind
that this question was asked by the disciples, as Jews, before the
Cross, before the Christian dispensation began. It is of the greatest
importance that this fact should be kept before us, for a mistake on
that point necessarily involves an erroneous interpretation of what
follows. If we remember that at this time the apostles had no thought
of (or, at any rate, no real belief in) Christ's death and
resurrection, it should help us to see that the Christian "age" could
not have been in their minds. They were Jews, in spirit, hopes,
expectations--the very first verse of Matthew 24 (following right
after Matthew 23:38) more than hints at that. It is failure at this
very point which has led so many to imagine that Matthew 24 teaches
that "the Church" will pass through the great Tribulation.
It is to be carefully observed that in His answer the Lord referred
the disciples to Daniel: "When you therefore shall see the abomination
of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy
place" (v. 15). It is interesting to note that the expressions "the
end" or "time of the end" occur in Daniel just thirteen times, and
that they are found nowhere else in the Old Testament. These
expressions refer to the unfulfilled 70th "week" of Daniel 9:24-27,
which brings to a close Israel's national servitude under Gentile
domination. The new "Age" will be introduced by the second advent of
the Messiah to this earth and the consequent placing of Israel at the
head of the nations. References to that "Age" are found in Hebrews
2:5, 6:5. Thus the disciples rightly connected the "end of the age"
with the "Coming" of Christ; for His return to this earth and the
ending of the "Age," i.e., the "Times of the Gentiles" synchronize.
What is so important to note is that in Matthew 23:39 Christ did not
connect His "coming" with the destruction of Jerusalem and the
overthrow of the Temple, but with the glorious epoch of Israel's
national conversion.
"And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive
you. For many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and shall
deceive many" (vv. 4, 5). The Lord was here addressing His disciples
as the representatives of the godly Jewish remnant of the future.
Matthew does not record Christ's answer to their first question, that
being given in Luke. There is nothing at all in Matthew 24 parallel
with Luke 21:20. Nor is there anything in it which falls, directly,
within the scope of the Christian dispensation. The whole of this
parenthetical dispensation is ignored, coming in as it does between
the 69th and 70th "weeks" of Daniel 9. Verses 4-14 of Matthew 24 treat
of the first half of the 70th "week"; verses 15-30 of its second half.
Though verses 4-7 describe conditions which have obtained, more or
less, all through the centuries of this Christian era, yet will they
appear in a much more intensified form during the Tribulation period.
Fuller and further details concerning the time covered by Christ's
prophetic discourse in Matthew 24 are furnished in the Revelation, the
major portion of that book treating of the same period. At the close
of this present dispensation Christendom is spewed out (Rev. 3), the
saints are raptured (Rev. 4:1), and then the united company of the
redeemed are seen in Heaven worshipping God (Rev. 4:4-11). Following
this, the Lamb as the "Lion" of the "tribe of Judah" takes "the book"
(Rev. 5), and Israel at once appears on the scene. As soon as the
"seals" of that book are broken we find that which corresponds exactly
with what we have in Matthew 24. Marvelous, minute, and many are the
parallels between the two chapters. At a few of them only shall we now
glance.
"And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive
you. For many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and shall
deceive many" (Matthew 24:4, 5). This was the first part of the Lord's
reply to the questions asked by His disciples. "And I saw when the
Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of
thunder, one of the four living creatures saying, Come and see. And I
saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a
crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to
conquer" (Rev. 6:1, 2). These words picture the Anti-christ deceiving
men, posing as the true Christ--of. Revelation 19:11.
"And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not
troubled: for all must come to pass, but the end (i.e. of the 70th
"week") is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom
against kingdom" (Matthew 24:6, 7). "And when He had opened the second
seal I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out
another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat
thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one
another: and there was given unto him a great sword" (Rev. 6:3,4).
Thus the contents of the second seal correspond exactly with the
second part of Christ's prophecy.
"And there shall be famines" (Matthew 24:7). "And when he had opened
the third seat, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I
beheld, and lo a black horse (the color of famine, see Lamentations
4:8; 5:10); and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
And I heard a voice in the midst, of the four living creatures say, A
measure of wheat for a penny (a day's wage, see Matthew 20:2) and
three measures of barley for a penny" (Rev. 6:5, 6).
"And pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places" (Matthew 24:7).
"And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the
fourth living creature say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a
pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed
with Him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the
earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with
the beasts of the earth" (Rev. 6:7,8).
"All these are the beginnings of sorrows" or "birth-pangs" (Matthew
24:8). These "birth-pangs" are the travail which shall yet precede the
birth of a regenerated Israel. If the reader desires to trace out the
remaining correspondences between the two chapters let him compare
Matthew 24:8-28 with Revelation 6:9-11; and then Matthew 24:29,30 with
Revelation 6:12-17.
Passing on now to verse 15: "When you therefore shall see the
abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in
the holy place, whoso readeth let him understand." This is the point
which marks the division between the two halves of the 70th "week";
compare Daniel 9:27. These words were addressed by Christ to His
apostles, but the "ye" need occasion no difficulty. The Lord was
speaking to them as Jews, as the representatives of those who shall be
on earth at the time these things are fulfilled. That this is not a
"begging of the question" should be clear by a reference to Matthew
23:39: the word "Ye" there was spoken to the scribes and pharisees as
the representatives of the Nation both present and future, that is, of
the nation as a unit. A similar instance is found in 1 Thessalonians
4:17, "Then we which are alive." The apostle did not say "they," but
addressed those Thessalonian saints, including himself, as the
representatives of all believers who shall be alive on the earth at
the Lord's coming in the air.
The "abomination of desolation" is the image of Anti-christ (Rev. 13)
which will yet be set up in the re-built Temple at Jerusalem. The
reference here in Matthew 24:15 is not to the defiling of the Temple
by Titus, as Daniel 9:27, 11:31, 12:11 clearly show. It is in "the
midst of the week" that "sacrifice and oblation'' are made to cease.
It is then that the pseudo-Christ will throw off his mask and appear
as an opposing Christ, demanding that Divine honors shall be paid to
him alone: an Old Testament type of this is found in Daniel 3:1-7.
"For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the
beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except
those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but
for the elect's sake (i.e. the sake of the godly Jewish remnant) those
days shall be shortened" (Matthew 24:21, 22) The double reference to
"those days," and there is a third one in verse 19, finds its
interpretation in the "when you therefore shall see the abomination of
desolation" of verse 15. It was not the destruction of Jerusalem by
Titus of which Christ here spoke. His words in verse 22 are clearly
parallel with Daniel 12:1, "And at that time shall Michael stand up,
the great prince which stands for the children of thy people: and
there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a
nation, even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be
delivered, everyone that shall be found written in the book" i.e.,
God's "elect" among the Jews. Thus the "great tribulation" of Matthew
24:21 instead of referring to the time when Jerusalem was destroyed
and Israel dispersed, speaks of that which shall immediately precede
the day when they shall be "delivered."
"Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there,
believe not" (Matthew 24:23). This has in view the time when the Man
of Sin shall sit in the Temple of God "showing himself that he is God"
(2 Thess. 2:3, 4).
"For as the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even unto the
west; so shall the coming of the Son of man be" (Matthew 24:27). Never
once is this title of Christ's used in any of the Pauline (Epistles
which are addressed to the members of the Body of Christ. We are
waiting the call of "God's Son" (1 Thess. 1:9, 10).
"For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered
together" (Matthew 24:28). The "carcass" refers to the apostate mass
of Israel; the "eagles" are the symbols of Divine judgment: see
Deuteronomy 28:26, Ezekiel 39: 17, Revelation 19:17.
"Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these
things be fulfilled" (Matthew 24:34). With this should be carefully
compared Matthew 12:43-45. Not only would not the Jewish nation
("generation") pass away, but it would not cease as a "wicked
generation." But when Matthew 24 has been completely fulfilled then
that "wicked generation" shall "pass away," and be followed by a new
Nation: see Psalm 22:30, 31; 102:18; Deuteronomy 32:5, 20.
The reference to "the days of Noah" in verses 37-39 are in striking
accord with the rest of this prophetic discourse, and at once fix the
scope thereof. First, Noah lived at the very close of the antediluvian
age: so Matthew 24 describes conditions at the very end of the Jewish
age. Second, Noah and his house were saved through a great and sore
judgment of God: so an elect Jewish remnant will be preserved through
the great Tribulation (Rev. 12:6, 14). Third, Noah and his house came
forth from the ark on to an earth which had been swept clean by the
besom of destruction, and entered into a new Age: so the godly Jewish
remnant pass through the great tribulation, and from them will spring
millennial Israel. Fourth, judgment consumed the ungodly: "So shall
also the coming of the Son of man be." But how blessed for the
Christian to remember that before the Flood began, Enoch--type of the
Church--was translated! May this blessed hope be the stay of our
hearts, and the purifying power for our walk. May we, instead of
looking for "signs," be listening for that Sound of all sounds;
instead of dreading the swiftly approaching Tribulation, be found
praising God that we shall be high above it all; instead of studying
the character of Mussolini or others to find in them marks of the Man
of Sin, may we be "looking for that blessed hope and the glorious
appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13).
_________________________________________________________________
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The Redeemer's Return
by Arthur W. Pink
Forward
____________________________________________________
This book is designed mainly for those who are beginners in the study
of prophetic and dispensational truth, though should it fall into the
hands of those who are "looking for that blessed hope and the glorious
appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" and who have,
perhaps for years, been giving earnest heed to the "more sure Word of
prophecy," we trust that it will afford meat in due season and
stimulate praise to God for the marvelous and blessed prospect which
His Word sets before us.
Many books have already appeared before the public presenting in clear
and Scriptural language the various aspects of the subject of our
Lord's Return, and we hesitated long before we decided to add one more
to the number. The different chapters in this volume have been given
by the writer in sermon and lecture form to numerous audiences both in
this country and in England, and it is only the repeated requests of
many of those who have heard these addresses which has caused us to
now set them down in writing, so that they may be preserved in a more
permanent form and obtain a still wider hearing. They are sent forth
with the prayer that the God of all grace will condescend to use them
in blessing to His dear people and in the conversion of lost sinners
even more widely than in their oral delivery.
While it is true that many books which treat of the Redeemer's Return
have been issued and widely circulated, yet, there are still great
numbers of the Lord's people who know next to nothing about this
precious theme. Notwithstanding the fact that the Second Coming of
Christ occupies a prominent place in the Holy Scriptures,
nothwithstanding the fact that this subject is a most practical one
having, as it does, some bearing on every phase of our present and
future life, and notwithstanding that it is calculated to awaken a
deep interest in "things to come" and lead to definite
heart-searching, nevertheless, the vast majority of our pulpits
entirely ignore the subject and in consequence great numbers of our
church-members are in almost total ignorance concerning those things
which God's Word declares will shortly come to pass. It is with the
earnest desire to reach a few of these that this book has been
prepared and is now sent forth.
We wish it to be clearly understood that there is nothing in these
pages except that which we have ourselves first received. We lay no
claim at all to originality. We have read diligently many works on
prophetic themes and have sought to "prove all things" and to "hold
fast that which is good." It is impossible for us now to do more than
make this general acknowledgment of our indebtedness to other students
of the Word. We have gleaned in many fields, gathering a fragrant
flower here and there, and all that we now attempt is to arrange these
in simple form, leaving our readers to admire the products of the
labors of others into which we have entered.
____________________________________________________
Contents | Forword | Preface | Intro
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Conclusion | Appendix
____________________________________________________
About Us
What's New
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The Redeemer's Return
by Arthur W. Pink
Preface
____________________________________________________
It is a joy to us to present herewith a reprint of what we consider
the greatest book ever written on the return of our Lord.
This book will make sad all the A-Millennialists and the
Post-Millennialists. However, the lovers of Pre-Millennialism, which
is the truth of the Scripture, will he happy to see this book again in
print.
It is true that after writing this book Mr. Pink swerved in his
doctrinal position and all the A-Millennialists make much of the fact
that he, as they say, repudiated this book. It so happens that the
writer was a personal friend of Mr. Pink and knew him well. He is one
of the few individuals who is living today who knew Mr. Pink and he
happens to know that had Mr. Pink lived he would have doubtlessly
repudiated his "repudiation." He had been influenced by the writings
of another individual, which caused him to temporarily turn from
Pre-Millennialism. At the time of his death he was on the verge of
turning back to embrace his original position as set forth in this
book.
We do not say that we agree fully with Mr. Pink in all his
conclusions, yet with minor differences we believe this to be an
outstanding book. Mr. Pink was interested in teaching babes in Christ
the doctrine of Christ's return. This is our desire today that we
might teach these glorious Pre-Millennial truths to all babes in
Christ and thus we have reprinted the book.
This book was originally produced in 1918 under the shadows of World
War I. We did not change nor filter the text, but have reproduced the
book as it was originally printed. The reader should take this into
consideration in view of some statements found herein.
May The Lord richly bless this book for His own glory.
John R. Gilpin, Pastor
Calvary Baptist Church
Ashland, Kentucky
____________________________________________________
Contents | Forword | Preface | Intro
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Conclusion | Appendix
____________________________________________________
About Us
What's New
Audio Works
Baptist History
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The Redeemer's Return
by Arthur W. Pink
Introduction
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The Redeemer's Return! Here is a theme which in this day is regarded
by many well-meaning people as an ideal of visionaries or as the pet
hobby of certain cranks. So grievously has the study of Prophecy been
ignored, so little place is given in the modern pulpit to the
exposition of eschatology, and so generally is the daily reading of
the Bible neglected by those in the pew, that it is an easy matter to
persuade the average church-goer that the subject of the Second Coming
of Christ is impractical and one that had better be left alone.
Moreover, this subject has suffered so grievously at the hands of
those who are the enemies of the Cross, that many Christians have been
prejudiced against it. Satan has not been slow to avail himself of the
wild and unscriptural teaching of such men as Irving and Joseph Smith,
and more recently, Dowie and Pastor (?) Russell; nay, he has employed
them to cast reproach on those who do seek to search and interpret the
Prophetic Scriptures. Yet, notwithstanding, it is the imperative duty
of every believer to seriously and prayerfully examine the Scriptures
for himself and see what the Word of God has to say about Coming
Events. In that Word we are plainly warned that in the "last days" (of
this age) there should arise those who ridicule and mock at the very
doctrine of which we are now speaking (see 2 Peter 3:3, 4). Therefore
we need not be surprised if we hear and read of those who seek to cast
reproach upon this blessed theme; instead, as the Dispensation draws
to a close, we should expect just what we now hear and see on every
side.
The Redeemer's Return! Is there anything that can be compared with
this momentous and stupendous prospect? Excepting the Cross of
Calvary, the greatest event of all in the past history of the world
was the Advent of God's Son to our earth. The Divine Incarnation was
the theme of Old Testament prophecy. The very first promise ever given
to fallen man was that the woman's Seed should come and bruise the
Serpent's head (Gen. 3:15). When the Divine revelation was committed
to writing, numerous passages recorded the promised descent of God's
Son to this earth. The prophets of Israel made known the fact that the
Coming One was to be of the stock of Abraham and a lineal descendant
of David, and thus for fifteen centuries the Hope of Israel was the
Messianic Hope. And, when the fullness of time was come God sent forth
His Son born of a woman.
It is impossible for us to fully estimate the tremendous importance of
the first Advent of Christ to this earth, The Divine Incarnation is
without a parallel in the annals of the human race. Heaven itself was
stirred at the miraculous birth of the God-Man. Unto the angels was
entrusted the honorous commission of announcing the birth of the
Savior. Heathendom was affected, the good news being conveyed to
Chaldea by means of a mysterious "star" which heralded the birth of
the King of the Jews. The Coming of Christ to this world changed its
chronology, for all civilized time is now by common consent dated from
the Bethlehem manger. As the result of the first Advent a new era was
inaugurated, a new prospect was set before the sons of men, the door
of mercy was flung wide open, and command was given that the glad
tidings should be made known to every creature.
But wondrous and blessed as was the first Advent of our Lord in many
respects, His Second Coming will be even more momentous. At His first
appearing He was here in weakness and humiliation, but at His second
He shall come in power and glory. When He was here before He was
"despised and rejected of men," but when He comes back again every
knee shall bow before Him and every tongue confess His Lordship. When
He was here before He paid tribute to Caesar, but when He returns He
shall reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. When He was here
before His personal ministry was confined to the land of Palestine,
but when He returns "the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of
the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" (Hab. 2:14). Who
can comprehend or enumerate the blessings which shall attend the
Return of our Redeemer! Then will it be that the "dead in Christ"
shall be raised from their graves and the living saints "changed," so
that every believer will then be "conformed to the image of God's
Son." Then it will be that the Lord's servants will be rewarded for
their labors and those that wets despised and hated by the world shall
be recognized and honored by the Christ of God. Then it will be that
Israel shall repent of their sins, receive Christ as their Messiah and
Savior, and be restored to the Holy Land. Then will the promise made
to the patriarchs be literally and completely fulfilled. Then it will
be that that old Serpent the Devil shall be removed from these scenes
where he has wrought such havoc and produced such misery, to be
chained for a thousand years in the Bottomless Pit. Then it will be
that a groaning Creation shall be delivered from its present bondage,
when the Curse which now rests upon all Nature shall be removed, and
when the wilderness and the solitary place shall be made glad; and the
desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose (Isa. 35:1). And, best of
all, then it shall be that Christ Himself shall enter into His
blood-bought inheritance, when He shall see of the travail of His soul
and be satisfied. Therefore, ought not such a subject, which presents
such a glorious prospect, gladden our hearts and secure our most
diligent attention!
God does not desire His dear people to remain in ignorance of His
future purposes concerning them, concerning His Son, and concerning
this earth. Said the apostle as he was moved by the Holy Spirit, "We
have also a more sure Word of Prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye
take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day
dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts" (2 Pet. 1:19). If then we
give diligent heed to the Prophetic Word, if we will prayerfully study
that which God has been pleased to reveal unto us concerning things to
come, and if we will believe in our hearts all that the prophets have
spoken, then shall we be like the Thessalonians of whom it could be
said--"But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need
that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the Day of
the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say,
Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail
upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren,
are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye
are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not
of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do
others, but let us watch and be sober" (1 Thess. 5:1-6).
The Redeemer's Return! This was the great hope of the early
Christians. In the first century of the Christian era it was the
normal and regular thing to find that the expectation of a returning
Savior filled the vision and hearts of His followers. The apostles
themselves taught their converts to look for the appearing of Christ.
Writing to the Thessalonian saints the apostle Paul reminded them how
they had "turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;
and to wait for His Son from heaven" (1 Thess. 1:9, 10), Writing to
the twelve tribes scattered abroad, the apostle James bade them be
patient and stablish their hearts, basing his exhortation on the fact
that "The Coming of the Lord draweth nigh" (James 5:8). Writing to
"the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia,
and Bithynia "who were in heaviness through manifold temptations," the
apostle Peter expressed the wish that the trial of their faith "might
be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus
Christ" (1 Pet. 1:7). Writing to his "little children" (a term of
endearment) the apostle John lovingly exhorted them to abide in Christ
so that when He should appear they might have confidence and "not be
ashamed before Him at His coming" (1 John 2:28). Writing of the
apostasy which was to come, the apostle Jude quoted the prophecy of
Enoch, who declared, "Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of
His saints, to execute judgment upon all" (Jude 1:14,15). Thus we find
that it was the uniform practice of the apostles to hold up a
returning Savior before the children of God.
Right at the close of the first century A. D. when the time had come
for the Sacred Canon to be completed, our Lord Himself sent His angel
to communicate a special message to each of the seven Churches which
were in Asia, and in five of them, namely, in the Epistles addressed
to the Churches in Ephesus, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis and
Philadelphia (see Revelation 2:5, 16, 25; 3:3, 11) Christ makes
distinct reference to His imminent appearing; while His last words to
His loved disciple were, "Surely I come quickly" (Rev. 22:20).
We have thus shown that this Age began with a ringing testimony to the
truth of our Lord's Return. Each of the apostles of whose writings we
have any inspired record, taught their converts to look for their
Savior's appearing. Alas! that this testimony was not maintained.
Alas! that this Blessed Hope should ever have become dim. Alas! that
it should, for more than a thousand years, have been almost totally
lost to the Lord's people. Yet so it was. The immediate successors of
the apostles turned their attention to other things: as it was with
the Pharisees in the days of our Lord, so these tithed anise and mint
but "omitted the weightier matters." Instead of expounding the
Prophetic Scriptures and setting before the Church its one great Hope,
the early "Church fathers," for the most part, spent their time in
wrangling among themselves. Even before the apostles themselves had
left the earth, false teachers crept in and began to devour the flock,
and within three centuries the whole professing Church had become
Paganized. Then followed the Dark Ages--aptly named, for the lamp of
Prophecy had ceased to shine and the prospect of the speedy return of
the Morning Star had completely disappeared. As our Lord Himself had
foretold, the virgins all slumbered and slept: no longer were His
people looking for the Coming of the Bridegroom. (No doubt the parable
of the Bridegroom in Matthew 25 refers primarily to the Jewish remnant
in the tribulation period as its opening word "Then" indicates, but,
like all prophecy, this has a double fulfillment and unquestionably
applies to the Christian profession.)
We need not remind our readers it was during this period known as the
Dark Ages that the Roman Catholic Church sprang into prominence and
power, holding sway over all Europe and binding burdens on the souls
of men which were grievous to be borne. The Bible was withheld from
the laity and the vain traditions of men were substituted for the
living Oracles of God. Instead of proclaiming salvation by the
finished work of Christ, the multitudes were taught that heaven could
only be obtained by penance, legal works, priestly mediation, and
purgatorial fires. Instead of teaching her people that the hope of the
saints was the appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
Rome taught that the hope of humanity lay in the subjugation of the
entire world to the imperial rule of the Pope. Instead of exhorting
believers to "look up" (Luke 21:28), the Roman Pontiff sought to
dazzle the eyes of his devotees with the gorgeous ceremonialism of an
earthly ritual.
After a thousand years of spiritual darkness the Sun of Righteousness
shone forth over Europe with healing in His beams. During the
sixteenth century God raised up a number of mighty men who, by the
power of His Spirit, were delivered from the iron shackles of the
Papacy and made to rejoice in the freedom into which the Lord Jesus
brings His people. Under God, these men brought about what is known as
the great Reformation. During this Reformation the Holy Scriptures
were restored to the people and given to them in their own native
tongues. The glorious doctrine of Justification by Faith alone, was
sounded forth throughout Germany, Switzerland, Italy and the British
Isles, and multitudes were "added unto the Lord." Many precious
truths, which for long centuries had lain buried beneath the rubbish
heap of human traditions, were recovered and given out to the masses.
But the Reformation, glorious as it was, witnessed only a partial
recovery of long lost truths. The Hope of the Church was not yet
restored! The prospect of a soon returning Redeemer was not yet set
before God's people again. Three more centuries passed by before the
third part of our Lord's prophecy in the Parable of the Virgins
received its fulfillment. It was not until the nineteenth century that
the midnight cry arose "Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to
meet Him" (Matthew 25:6). Then it was that God raised up another baud
of witnesses, sent forth by Him to herald the approach of His Son. The
result has been that an ever increasing number of the saints have
given studious attention to the prophetic portions of the Word, until,
today, in every, section of Christendom, there are companies of
believers who are eagerly waiting for the Shout of the Lord which
shall call them away from this earth to be for ever with Him. It is
our humble desire to unite with these witnesses of God in testifying
that the Coming of the Lord "draweth nigh." The Signs of the times
speak plainly to those who have ears to hear, and singly and
collectively bear witness to the fact that this Dispensation of Grace
is now almost ended. The prophecies of the New Testament show clearly
that we are living in the "last days" of this Age, and by the help of
the Spirit of Truth we would herein call attention to those Scriptures
which make known to us the stupendous events which shall surely and
shortly come to pass.
____________________________________________________
Contents | Forword | Preface | Intro
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Conclusion | Appendix
____________________________________________________
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The Redeemer's Return
by Arthur W. Pink
The Necessity of the Redeemer's Return
Chapter 1
"We have also a more sure Word of Prophecy; whereunto ye do well
that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until
the Day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts" 2 Pet. 1:19
____________________________________________________
Is there any real need for Christ to return? So far as God's children
are concerned only one answer is possible to this question. There is.
Christians of every shade of religious belief are agreed that there is
an imperative need for our Lord to come back again. As to the precise
character of that need, as to the particular urgency of that need,
opinions may vary, but concerning the need itself this is universally
admitted. Even post-millenarians teach that Christ must come back at
the end of time to judge the wicked and reward the righteous. But we
hope to show that the need for His return is much deeper and much
wider than the reason put forth by the post-millenarians.
Suppose Christ never returns--then what? Has this alternative been
weighed as it deserves? The present order of things cannot continue
indefinitely; such a supposition is unthinkable. No one is satisfied
with present conditions. Even those who despise the teachings of God's
Word, hope for a better day, a Golden Age, an era of blessedness such
as this earth has never yet witnessed. And pre-millenarians believe
that this Golden Age can be ushered in by nothing short of the
personal return of Christ Himself. Here then, in general, is the
reason why we believe the Redeemer must come back again. We say "in
general," for in the remainder of this chapter we shall seek to show
there is at least a tenfold necessity for our Lord's Second Advent.
I. The Redeemer's Return Is Necessitated By The Declarations Of Old
Testament Prophecy.
It is very apparent to any one who has read thoughtfully through the
Old Testament that the First Advent of our Lord did not exhaust the
burden and scope of the numerous predictions which had been made
concerning Him. Many of the things foretold of Israel's Messiah were
not accomplished during the days when He tabernacled among men. Many
of the promises found in God's Word connected with the Person of
Christ still await their ratification. While it is true that the First
Advent of the Lord Jesus literally and remarkably fulfilled many of
the Old Testament prophecies concerning Him, yet, it is also true that
many others were not then fulfilled, (1t is this very thing which has
proven such a stumbling-block to the Jews and, humanly speaking, has
been the reason why so many of them have failed to sea in "Jesus of
Nazareth" the Messiah of Israel. But, as we shall show, those
Messianic prophecies found in the Old Testament which were not
fulfilled at His First Advent will be fulfilled at His Second.) To
several of these we shall now call our readers' attention.
"And I will put enmity between thee (the "serpent") and the woman, and
between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou
shalt bruise his heel" (Gen. 3:15). There is much in this remarkable
verse which we cannot now consider in detail, yet we will endeavor to
present an outline of its contents. This is not a single prophecy but
a compound one and at least seven separate predictions are included in
it:--
First, the woman is to have a seed: as we know, this pointed forward
to our Lord's humanity. Second, He was to be peculiarly the woman's
"seed," not the man's, hence we read, "When the fullness of time was
come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman" (Gal. 4:4, Greek).
Third, the woman's "Seed" was to bruise the Serpent: in other words,
Satan was to be His particular antagonist. Fourth, He was to bruise
the Serpent's head. Fifth, He Himself was to be bruised in the "heel"
by the Serpent; and hence it is written, He was "bruised for our
iniquities" (Isa. 53:5). Sixth, there was to be "enmity" between the
Serpent and the one who gave birth to the "Seed," namely Israel (cf.
Revelation 12:1-6). And then after making mention of the enmity
between the Serpent and the woman, we read, Seventh, "And between thy
seed--the Serpent's "seed," i. e., the Son of Perdition--and her
"Seed." In other words, this age-long "enmity" was to head up in a
conflict between the Antichrist and the true Christ. For our present
purpose it is sufficient to single out the fourth and fifth of the
above items, which, in their historical order, have been reversed.
"Thou shalt bruise His heel." That old Serpent the Devil was to be
permitted to attack and wound the only vulnerable part of our Lord's
person--His humanity, here intimated by the word "heel." How this
portion of the prophecy was fulfilled our readers will know. No sooner
was the Lord Jesus born in Bethlehem of Judaea than the "Dragon"
sought to encompass His destruction (Rev. 12:4). Immediately following
His baptism, which was the inauguration of His public ministry, He was
tempted or "tried" by the Devil for forty days (Mark 1:13). On the eve
of His crucifixion our Lord expressly declared, "This is your hour,
and the Power of Darkness" (Luke 22:53). Thus was Satan allowed to
bruise the "heel" of the woman's Seed.
But we also read, "It shall bruise thy head," that is, Christ shall
bruise Satan's "head." The head is the seat and source of power, and
in the Scripture we are now considering is placed in sharp antithesis
with the "heel" of the woman's Seed. Stripped of its prophetic
symbolism, it can only mean that Christ is to depose Satan and reduce
him to a state of impotency. This interpretation is fully confirmed in
Revelation 20 where we learn that a day is coming when the Devil shall
be bound and cast into the Bottomless Pit to remain there securely
confined throughout the Millennial Era. What we now desire to
emphasize particularly is, that, this part of the Edenic prophecy was
not fulfilled when our Lord was upon earth before, and has not yet
been fulfilled. Therefore, if this prediction is to be realized our
Lord must return to this earth and deprive the Devil of his power, for
He alone is competent for such a task.
Again; we read in Isaiah 9:6, 7, "For unto us a Child is born, unto us
a Son is given; and the government shall, be upon His shoulder: and
His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the
Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His
government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David,
and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment
and with justice from henceforth even for ever." Here again we meet
with a prophecy which has already received a partial fulfillment, but
which has not yet been completely realized. Unto Israel a Child was
"born," unto Israel a Son was "given;" but, during the days of His
First Advent the "government" was not "upon His shoulder" for He
Himself paid tribute to Caesar (Matthew 17:27), nor did He rule in
"peace" for He declared "I came not to send peace, but a sword"
(Matthew 10:34). Nor has He yet assumed the "government'' for He is
not yet seated upon His own "throne" (see Revelation 3:21). Observe
particularly that, above, it is repeated "of the increase of His
government and peace there shall be no end." His "government" and
"peace" are inseparably connected. The latter part of this prophecy
therefore looks forward to the time of His Second Advent, for "When
the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with
Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory" (Matthew 25:31).
Then will it be that He shall inaugurate a Reign of Peace, for then it
shall be (and not till then) that "He shall judge among many people,
and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords
into ploughshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall
not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any
more" (Mic. 4:3). Thus we see that the declarations of the Prophetic
Word require and necessitate the personal return of Christ to this
earth, for only thus and only then will they be literally and
completely fulfilled. Many other Old Testament predictions could be
cited to the same effect, but one more must suffice.
"Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a
righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall
execute judgment and justice in the earth. In His days Judah shall be
saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is His name whereby He
shall be called, the Lord our Righteousness. Therefore, behold the
days come, saith the Lord, that they shall no more say, the Lord
liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of
Egypt; But, the Lord liveth, which brought up and which led the seed
of the house of Israel out of the North country, and from all
countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own
land" (Jer. 23:5-8). In the first place, observe, here, that unto
David (Israel) God promised to raise up a King who should reign and
prosper. Without a doubt this prophecy refers to our Lord Jesus Christ
who was born "King of the Jews" (Matthew 2:2), for it was uttered
shortly after the Jews were carried down into Babylon, since which
they have had no human King. It needs no argument to prove that the
terms of this prophecy were certainly not fulfilled at the time of our
Lord's First Advent, for then, the Jews would not own Him, but
demanded His death, and when Pilate inquired of them, "Shall I crucify
your King?" (John 19:15), the leaders of the nation answered, "We have
no king but Caesar." Furthermore, this prophecy was not fulfilled when
our Lord took His seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high, for
note, it says that Israel's King shall "execute judgment and justice
in the earth," not "from the heavens." Again; we observe that it
declares, "In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel (the ten
tribes) shall dwell safely" which certainly did not come to pass
during the days of our Lord's humiliation. No; this prophecy, like
scores of other Messianic predictions recorded in the Old Testament
looks forward to the time of our Lord's Second Advent to the earth,
which Advent is imperative if the terms of this prophecy are to be
realized.
II. The Redeemer's Return Is Necessitated By His Own Affirmations.
During the course of His public ministry our Lord made frequent
reference to His Second Coming. When we consider how few of His
discourses have been transmitted to us and how brief is the inspired
record of His teachings as found in the New Testament Scriptures, we
are deeply impressed with the importance of Our present inquiry as we
note how much there is in the Gospel narratives which relates to our
Redeemer's Return. Not only do we find main incidental references, but
most of His "parables" treat of these things which have to do with His
Second Advent, and, furthermore, several whole chapters in the Gospels
are devoted to a fuller setting forth of the same great event. Unto
our Lord's own teaching, then, upon His Second Coming we turn our
attention. We cannot now review all that He said upon the subject, but
must content ourselves with singling out two or three of His
utterances thereon.
In Matthew 24 and 25 we have two whole chapters occupied with this
theme, and in them we find that again and again our Lord made mention
of His Return--"For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and
shineth even unto the west: so shall also the coming of the Son of man
be" (24:27), which means that our Lord's Return to this earth will be
visible, public, and attended with awe-inspiring glory. The same ideas
are presented in the 30th verse of the same chapter--"And then shall
appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the
tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in
the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." Further down in the
chapter, our Lord bids His people make preparation for His appearing
because He may return at any moment. "Therefore be ye also ready: for
in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh" (vs. 44). In
the next chapter, in the Parable of the Virgins the subject of the
Bridegroom's Coming is again brought before us, while the closing
verses furnish us with a detailed description of His judgment of the
living nations which introduces the setting up of His Millennial
Kingdom--"When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the
holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory:
and before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate
them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the
goats" (Matthew 25:31, 32).
In the nineteenth of Luke we have the Parable of the Nobleman which is
very plain and pointed: "He said therefore, A certain nobleman went
into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
And He called His ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and
said unto them, Occupy till I come. But his citizens hated Him, and
sent a message after Him, saying, We will not have this man to reign
over us. And it came to pass, that when He was returned, having
received the kingdom, then He commanded these servants to be called
unto Him, to whom He had given the money, that He might know how much
every man had gained by trading" (Luke 19:12-15). The "Nobleman" is
the Lord Jesus. The "journey into the far country" was His Ascension
to heaven. The "Kingdom" which He went to "receive" is His Millennial
Kingdom for which He taught His disciples to pray. The "return" is His
Second Advent to this earth. The "servants" are believers. The "money"
(marg. "silver," which in Scripture symbolizes redemption) seems to
typify the Gospel, which has been committed into our hands to proclaim
to a lost world. The "occupying till He comes" is the faithful giving
out of the Gospel and the daily witnessing for Him during the time of
His absence. The "message" sent by "His citizens" refers to the
continued rejection of Christ and His Gospel by the Jews during the
days of the apostles and particularly under the ministry of Stephen.
The rewarding of the servants at the time of His Return, is the
allotting to them of places of honor in His Millennial Kingdom. That
to which we would specially call attention is the fact that our Lord
here expressly declares He will "return," come back again to this
earth.
Perhaps the most explicit of all the statements which the Lord Jesus
made upon our present theme is that recorded in the opening verses of
John 14. Our Lord was alone with His disciples. He was about to be
separated from them. For three years they had companied with Him, but
now the cross with all its sufferings and shame lay athwart His path.
The realization of His approaching death had filled His followers with
fear and anguish. Their hearts were heavy and sad. Turning to them in
their grief, the Master speaks words of solace and cheer--"Let not
your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In My
Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told
you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I
am, there ye may be also" (John 14:1-3). These words of our Lord can
have only one possible meaning: He was going away, but He would return
again, return in person to receive His own unto Himself. Such was His
positive and unconditional promise. Thus we see that the fulfillment
of His promises, the keeping of His Word, necessitates the personal
Return of our blessed Redeemer.
The testimony of our Lord given while He was here upon earth was
confirmed, and rendered even more unequivocal, if that were possible,
by His post-ascension utterances. Fifty years after He had returned to
Heaven the Lord Jesus sent His angel to the beloved John on the Isle
of Patmos to give unto him "The Revelation" and in it we hear our Lord
saying, no less than six times, "Behold, I come quickly." This is His
last promise, His final word to His people now on earth. He is coming
back again. He Himself has said so. He said so repeatedly during the
days of His earthly ministry. He said so in language about which there
was no ambiguity whatsoever. He said so both to His friends and to His
enemies. He said so again fifty years after His ascension to Heaven.
And He cannot lie. He is Himself the "Truth"--the truth incarnate. He
is "The Faithful and True Witness," therefore He must keep His Word,
fulfill His promises, and return in person.
III. The Redeemer's Return Is Necessitated By The Ratification Of The
Holy Spirit.
While our Lord was here upon earth and on the eve of His crucifixion,
He promised to send His disciples another Comforter, even the Spirit
of Truth. He further promised the apostles that, when the Spirit came
to them, He would guide them "into all truth." Therefore, it is to the
Divinely inspired writings of these apostles we must turn if we would
learn all that God has been pleased to reveal concerning our present
inquiry.
As we read the Epistles of the New Testament it is highly important
for us to keep in mind the fact that we have in them not the
suppositions and speculations of their human writers but reliable and
authoritative information communicated by the Holy Spirit Himself, for
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God" (2 Tim. 3:16). As we
turn to the Epistles we find that each writer made some contribution
to our present theme: Peter and Paul, James, John, and Jude all
referred to the prospect and certainty of the Return of our Redeemer.
The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian saints, "I thank my God
always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by
Jesus Christ; that in every thing ye are enriched by Him, in all
utterance, and in all knowledge; even as the testimony of Christ was
confirmed in you. So that ye come, behind in no gift; waiting for the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall also confirm you unto the
end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1
Cor. 1:4-8). To the Philippian saints he wrote, "For our citizenship
is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus
Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like
unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able
even to subdue all things unto Himself" (Phil. 3:20, 21). To the
Colossians he wrote, "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then
shall ye also appear with Him in glory" (Col. 3:4). To the
Thessalonians he wrote, "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of
rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at
His coming?" (1 Thess. 2:19). To the Hebrews he wrote, "So Christ was
once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him
shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation" (9:28).
The apostle James wrote, "Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the
coming of the Lord. Behold, the husband-man waiteth for the precious
fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive
the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts:
for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh" (5:7, 8).
The apostle Peter wrote, "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be
sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto
you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:13). "And when the
Chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that
fadeth not away" (1 Pet. 5:4).
The apostle John wrote, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it
doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall
appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And every
man that hath this hope in Him putifieth himself, even as He is pure"
(1 John 3:2, 3). And again, "For many deceivers are gone forth into
the world, even they that confess not that Jesus Christ cometh in the
flesh" (2 John 7, R.V.).
The apostle Jude wrote, "Keep yourselves in the love of God. looking
for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life" (vs. 21).
Here then is an argument simple but conclusive. Each Epistle writer of
the New Testament makes mention of the Redeemer's Return. These men
were not hallucinated. They were not giving expression to
impracticable ideals which would never be realized. Their writings
were Divinely inspired. These holy men were "moved by the Holy Spirit"
and recorded truth "not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but
which the Holy Spirit teacheth" (1 Cor. 2:13). The very fact, then,
that the Holy Spirit of God has, through the apostles, testified again
and again, ratifying the declarations of Old Testament prophecy and
the affirmations of Christ Himself, necessitates and demands the
personal Return of our Lord.
IV. The Redeemer's Return Is Necessitated By The Humiliation Of The
Cross.
The degradation which the Lord Jesus endured when He was here upon
earth before, requires that He shall come back again in power and
glory in order to vindicate Himself. Is it reasonable to suppose that
the last view which this world shall have of our blessed Lord before
He takes His seat upon the Great White Throne to judge the wicked
dead, shall be that of the "lowly Nazarene"? Surely not. Need we
remind our readers of the depths of humiliation into which our
Redeemer descended? Born in a manger, with the beasts of the field for
His first companions, and a bed of straw for His cradle! Sharing the
home of humble Jewish peasants and spending His youth and early
manhood at the carpenter's bench! During His public ministry, so poor
and so lightly esteemed that the common courtesies of hospitality were
denied Him--"He had not where to lay His head!" Despised and rejected
of men; the butt of Pharisaic contempt and the center of Jewish
ridiculer His life seemingly ending in defeat as He hung helpless upon
the cross, enduring the shame of a criminal's execution and taunted by
his heartless enemies! Is this the only sight which the earth is to
have of the Lord of Glory? Is the Son of God to retire from this world
in apparent defeat without any subsequent opportunity for vindicating
Himself? Surely not. Is it not evident then that He who was here
before in humiliation must yet come back to be glorified in His saints
and to be admired in all them that believe? Does not the very fitness
of things, do not the claims of equity and righteousness, insist, that
He who was the willing Victim shall yet return as the triumphant
Victor? Does not the Cross of Calvary necessitate that our Lord shall
vet come back to our earth in order to substantiate His claims and
ratify His promises?
"For dogs have compassed Me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed
Me: they pierced My hands and My feet. I may tell all My bones: they
look and stare upon Me. They part My garments among them, and cast
lots upon My vesture" (Ps. 22:16-18); Such was the picture that was
painted by prophecy. But this scene was not to be the finale. In this
very same Psalm we read, "All the ends of the earth shall remember and
turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship
before Thee. For the kingdom is the Lord's: and He is the Governor
among the nations" (vv. 27, 28).
"And they that had laid hold on Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas the
high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled" (Matthew
26:57). See our blessed Lord standing there before the Jewish
Sanhedrin, arraigned before His own creatures! Mark Him as He offers
no defense in response to the false witnesses that testified against
Him, and then ask, Is this to be the last thing? Is there to be no
sequel to this? We do not have to seek far for an answer, for on this
very occasion the Redeemer declared, "Nevertheless I say unto you,
Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of
power, and coming in the clouds of heaven" (Matthew 26:64). And again,
it is written, "Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see
Him, and they also which pierced Him." Yes, the Crucified Savior is
coming back again, coming back to vindicate Himself in a world where
He once endured the contradiction of sinners against Himself, and,
coming back to rule and reign as He first appeared in order to suffer
and die.
V. The Redeemer's Return Is Necessitated By The Present Exaltation Of
Satan.
One of the greatest, mysteries in all God's creation is the Devil. For
any reliable information concerning him we are shut up to the Holy
Scriptures. It is in God's Word alone that we can learn anything about
his origin, his personality, his fall, his sphere of operations, and
his approaching doom. One thing which is there taught us about the
great Adversary of God and man, and which observation and experience
fully confirms, is, that he is a being possessing mighty power. It
would appear from a study of the Bible, that Satan is the most
powerful creature (not "Being") in all the Universe. He has access to
the Heaven of heavens and appears before God day and night to accuse
His saints (Rev. 12:10). In Old Testament prophecy he is denominated
"The anointed Cherub" (Ezek. 28:14) and from other Scriptures we learn
that the "cherubim" are the highest order among the celestial
hierarchies. Satan is represented as being at the head of an organized
kingdom of evil, with hosts of wicked spirits ever ready to perform
the bidding of their mighty chief. He is likened to a "roaring
lion"--the King of the beasts--going about seeking whom he may devour
(1 Pet. 5:8). When our Lord was here upon earth, Satan had the power
to carry Him to a pinnacle of the Temple and to "shew unto Him all the
kingdoms of the world in a moment of time" (Luke 4:5). From the
Epistle of Jude we learn that, "Michael the archangel, when contending
with the Devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring
against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee"
(Jude 1:9). Sufficient has been said to show that Satan is a creature
wielding tremendous power.
But not only does God's Word enlighten us upon the great power which
our Enemy possesses, it also informs us about the sphere in which he
works and makes known the location of his kingdom. In the very first
mention in Scripture of that old Serpent, the Devil, he is seen in
Eden having unbarred access to our first parents. In the next
reference, we read of him coming before the Lord, as one who came
"From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in
it" (Job 1:7). This earth of ours is the scene of his present
activities. Milton's conception of Satan now seated upon a throne in
Hell is altogether lacking in Scriptural verification. The New
Testament is in perfect agreement with the Old. In his conflict with
our Lord, the Devil declared that all the kingdoms of the world had
been delivered unto him (Luke 4:6) and Christ never repudiated or even
challenged his claim, nay, He three times acknowledged that Satan is
"The Prince of this world" (John 12:31, etc.). In 2 Corinthians 4:4 he
is termed the "god of this age" (Greek), that is, the director of its
false religions and the object worshipped by their devotees--compare 1
Corinthians 10:20. While in 1 John 5:19, R.V. we are told, "The whole
world lieth in the Evil One."
We have thus seen that Satan is an exalted creature possessing and
wielding prodigious power and that this world of ours is his present
kingdom. For six thousand years he has been the avowed enemy of God
and man. But are things going to continue thus throughout all time? Is
Satan to be allowed "free rein" for ever? Surely there will yet be an
end made to his power and dominion. But what and who is going to
depose him? Humanity is helpless before him. Man is unable to chain
him. The Church, cannot dethrone him, or it would have done so long
ago. Legislation is impotent, for human governments cannot Vote him
out of the world. Who then shall Overthrow the Kingdom of Darkness?
There is only one answer possible. There is only One sufficient for
such a task, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, the very
tact of Satan's present exaltation and man's utter inability to
overthrow him, demands and necessitates the personal Return of our
Redeemer to vanquish the Devil and imprison him in the Bottomless Pit.
VI. The Redeemer's Return Is Necessitated By The Present
Disorganization Of Israel.
Israel--the mystery and miracle of history! Israel--about whom more
than half the Bible is concerned! Israel--to whom God gave the Land of
Palestine. Israel--concerning whom it is written, "And the Lord hath
avouched thee this day to be His peculiar people, as He hath promised
thee, and that thou shouldest keep all His commandments. And to make
thee high above all nations which He hath made, in praise, and in
name, and in honor; and that thou mayest be a holy people unto the
Lord thy God as He hath spoken" (Deut. 26:18, 19). Israel--from whom,
according to the flesh, Christ came!
Of old, Israel was honored of God as was no other nation. To them were
entrusted the Holy Oracles, to them was given the Holy Law, to them
came the Holy One. But look at Israel today and what do we see? Ten of
their Tribes "lost;" and those who compose the remaining two, more
despised and hated than any other people upon earth. Instead of being
a blessing to all people, Israel seems to be a curse. Instead of
enjoying the inheritance of the Promised Land they are homeless
wanderers, while Jerusalem is trodden down by the Gentiles. Instead of
rejoicing in God their Savior Israel knows Him not, a "veil" being
over their hearts.
But God's purposes in connection with Israel have not yet been fully
realized. A wonderful history lies behind them and a wonderful history
stretches before them. True, their sorrow is not yet ended. True, a
dark valley yet lies before them. True, they must yet pass through the
time of Jacob's trouble (Jer. 30:7). True, God has not yet fully
avenged the Crucifixion of His beloved Son. But, ere long He will have
done so and then shall they be brought back again into favor with Him.
Many are the promises which speak of Israel's restoration. In Isaiah
14:1, 2 we read, "For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet
choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall
be joined with them and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. And
the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the
house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord for
servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose
captives they were: and they shall rule over their oppressors." Again,
in Jeremiah 16:14-16 we are told, "Therefore, behold, the days come,
saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that
brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, the
Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of
the north, and from all lands whither He had driven them: and I will
bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers."
But, how are the above promises to be realized? When shall these
prophecies be fulfilled? The answer is, at the Second Advent of
Christ. He declared, "For I say unto you, Ye shall not see Me
henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name
of the Lord" (Matthew 23:39). And a day is coming when Israel will say
this. As it is written, "And I will pour upon the house of David, and
upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of
supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and
they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall
be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his
firstborn. In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem,
as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon" (Zech.
12:10,11). Then, and thus, shall Israel repent for their awful sin of
rejecting and crucifying their own Messiah.
"Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to
take out of them a people for His name. And to this agree the words of
the prophets; as it is written, after this, I will return, and will
build again the tabernacle of David (Israel) which is fallen down: and
I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up" (Acts
15:14-16). And again, we read in Romans 11:26, "And so all Israel
shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the
Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob" (Rom. 11:26).
It is to be observed that in these two Scriptures Israel's restoration
is linked to the Return of their Messiah. Here then is a further
necessity for the Second Advent of Christ--the present humiliation and
disorganization of Israel and the promises of God to restore and
rehabilitate them, requires that our Lord shall come back again to
this earth.
VII. The Redeemer's Return Is Necessitated By The Present Degradation
And Desolation Of The World.
Here is a reason which ought to carry conviction to every mind. If
there is anything which imperatively needs our Redeemer to Return it
is surely this poor sin-cursed world of ours! Look at it and what do
we see? A world everywhere racked with suffering and out of joint. A
world convulsed with misery entailed by the Fall. A world now in its
very death-throes with hope almost completely gone. Everything that
man could devise to better conditions and make this world a happier
place has been tested and proven a failure. Every possible form of
human government has been tried, each new one being as unsuccessful as
the previous ones. Theocracy, democracy, and mobocracy (the French
Revolution, and Russia today) have each been weighed in the balances
and found wanting. Legislation, education and civilization have all
been built upon, only to find in the day of testing that they were
merely foundations of sand. Look where you will, on land or sea, in
the air or beneath the waters, and you witness sin and death holding
high carnival. The world is dying for want of a competent Ruler.
On all sides iniquity is abounding more and more. Crime is increasing,
morality is decreasing; godlessness and lawlessness are growing apace;
while over all, hangs the dreadful pall of world-war. In the physical
world, despite all our enlightenment, modern discoveries and the
organized activities of medical science, disease is carrying off an
ever increasing multitude year by year. The educational world is
mainly under the control of infidels and agnostics, raider whose
leadership the rising generation is taught that the faith once for all
delivered to the saints is an idle superstition. or at best a
religious garment which we have now outgrown. In the economic world
greed and dishonesty are rapidly eating out the very vitals of
commercial stability, while the fight between, capital and labor
threatens a revolution such as this world has not witnessed since the
days when the streets of Paris ran with blood. In the political realm
there is so much chicanery, and "graft" and "party" principles are so
selfishly pursued, that the self-respecting man is becoming loath to
get mixed up with such filth and rottenness. Each "party" is as
corrupt as the other, and the believer in Christ who is subject to
God's Word will not hesitate to separate himself from that which
offers his Lord no place and has no concern for His glory. In the
moral realm, decay and putrefaction are witnessed upon all sides.
Temperance Reform Societies, Purity-campaigns and Civic-righteousness
Leagues are powerless to stem the tide of evil. The Drink-Bill of
every civilized (?) nation is growing heavier every year. Immorality,
both among the masses and those in high places, prevails to such a
fearful extent, that our large cities are modem Sodoms and Gomorrahs.
In the religious world, we gaze upon an apostate Christendom. Our
Theological Seminaries, with very rare exceptions, are teaching
Darwinianism and Higher Criticism, while our pulpits are busily
occupied with `echoing" these God-dishonoring and Scripture-denying
heresies, and on all sides the Gospel is supplanted by political
harangues or moral essays. The majority of our churches are more than
half empty, while the mid-week prayer meeting is .almost entirely a
thing of the past. The few faithful servants of God that are left on
earth are boycotted, maligned and persecuted. The Lord's Day has
become a day of pleasure-seeking and now, Sabbath-desecration, in the
form of seven days a week work on the farms and in the munition
factories, has been legalized by every nation that is now at war. And,
as we have said, over all hangs the dreadful pall of this World War!
Literally millions of men in the prime of their manhood have already
been slaughtered, while millions more have been maimed for life in the
vain effort to destroy militarism and establish a lasting peace.
Innumerable homes have been plunged into grief, and there is no
guarantee or even prospect but what millions more will suffer a like
fate.
Today the world stands helpless before the inrushing tide of evil
which threatens to decimate almost half of the human race, and in its
impotency a grief-stricken humanity is everywhere lifting up piteous
hands to Heaven as it cries for a Deliverer. True, the cry may not
always be articulated,--yet it is audible nevertheless. True, the
world, as a whole, is blind to its spiritual wretchedness and apostate
condition. True, the carnal mind is still enmity against God, yet,
intelligent men realize that the present order of things is a complete
failure and are ready and longing for a New Order. The world cries for
deliverance, what shall be Heaven's response? Again we say that only
one answer is possible. While the Holy Scriptures reveal the fact that
the severest of God's judgments have not yet been poured upon this
world, which has so long lived in pleasure and wantonness; while the
Holy Scriptures reveal the fact that the darkest hour of the night of
earth's sufferings and sorrows has not yet arrived; yet, they also
teach, that at the close of this night, the Sun of Righteousness shall
arise with healing in His wings (Mal. 4:2). "Say to them that are of a
fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with
vengeance, even God with a recompense; He will come and save you. Then
the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall
be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue
of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and
streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and
the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where
each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. And a highway shall be
there, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness; the
unclean, shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the
wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be
there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be
found there: but the redeemed shall walk there: And the ransomed of
the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs, and everlasting
joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow
and sighing shall flee away" (Isa. 35:4-10). That will be Heaven's
response to earth's agonized cry! Therefore we say that the present
degradation and desolation of the world necessitates our Redeemer's
Return to take the government upon His shoulder and to rule and reign
in righteousness, for then, and not till then, will every world
problem find its solution.
VIII. The Redeemer's return is necessitated by the lamentation of all
creation.
The effects of the Fall have been far-reaching--"By one man sin
entered the world" (Rom. 5:12). Not only was the entire human family
involved but the whole "Kosmos" was affected. When Adam and Eve
sinned, God not only pronounced sentence upon them and the Serpent but
He cursed the ground as well--"And unto Adam He said, Because thou
hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree,
of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it, Cursed is
the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days
of thy life: thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee"
(Gen. 3:17, 18). These words suggest a solemn and far-reaching line of
thought--Sin not only brings punishment to the actual transgressor but
it also involves others in its terrible consequences. The punishment
which was meted out to the antediluvians was not limited to the human
family, it fell upon the lower orders of creation as well--all were
swept away by the flood! The judgments which God sent upon the haughty
Pharaoh extended to the fishes in the rivers and the cattle in the
fields as well as to all his subjects! When the Angel of Death passed
through the land of the Nile, he slew all the first-born of beasts as
well as the first-born of the Egyptians (Ex. 12:12). When Jehovah's
wrath visited the land of Palestine in the days of Israel's apostasy
it descended upon the animal kingdom as well as the human for we read
"How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because
they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate"
(Joel 1:18). And again, "How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs
of every field wither for the wickedness of them that dwell therein?
the beasts are consumed, and the birds; because they said, He shall
not see our last end" (Jer. 12:4).
To what extent the entire universe has suffered the evil consequences
of sin it is impossible to say, but certain it is that they are not
limited to our earth. Adam was not the first offender, for before his
fall Satan also had apostatized from his Maker. What other worlds were
affected by Satan's fall Scripture does not inform us, yet we may
infer from these principles which are revealed in God's Word that the
awful consequences of Satan's rebellion were far-reaching in their
scope. Astronomical observation reveals the fact that there are
numbers of far-distant worlds upon which no life exists, while
Scripture speaks of "wandering stars." The moon is a ruined planet
where Death holds absolute sway and death is the wages of sin. If then
Adam's transgression brought down upon the earth which he inhabited a
curse from God, may we not soberly conclude that the fall of the
highest of all God's creatures brought down a Divine curse upon those
worlds over which he may have exercised a delegated rulership? Be this
as it may, Scripture does reveal the fact that the consequences of sin
have reached far beyond the four corners of our earth. We read "The
heavens are not clean in His sight" (Job 15:15), and again, in Romans
8:22 we are told, "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and
travaileth in pain together until now."
In the last mentioned Scripture we learn that the whole creation is in
pain and misery. Surely this is abnormal. Surely things were not like
this at the beginning, nor were they; and sorely things will not
continue thus for ever, nor will they. We quote now the entire passage
in which the above statement is found--"For I reckon that the
sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the
glory which shall be revealed to usward. For the earnest expectation
of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the Sons of God. For the
creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but by reason
of Him who subjected it in hope that the creation itself also shall be
delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory
of the children of God" (Rom. 8:18-21, R.V.). The order of thought
here appears to be as follows:--The whole of God's creation, which is
directly concerned and connected with our earth, (the "whole creation"
can not be taken absolutely for the unfallen angels must be excluded)
suffered the consequences of Adam's sin, being brought under the
bondage of corruption as the direct result. But this "bondage" is not
to last for ever. A hope is set before creation: a promise has been
given that it shall be "delivered" and in expectation of the
fulfillment of this promise and the realization of this hope creation
now "waits." The "hope" of creation is linked with "the manifestation
of the sons of God" and "the liberty of their glory." The sons of God
will be manifested or revealed with their Redeemer at the time of His
Return for it is written "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear,
then shall ye also appear with Him in glory" (Col. 3:4). It is at the
Second Coming of Christ, His return in "glory" that His people shall
enter into the liberty of their glory. Then will it be that creation
shall be delivered from its present bondage of corruption. Thus we
learn that though the whole creation has suffered in consequence of
sin, yet shall it soon share in the glorious benefits of the Death of
Christ who came to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. How clear
then is the need of our Redeemer's Return! None but creation's Creator
(John 1:3) can emancipate it from its sufferings. Hence we say that
the present lamentations of Creation necessitate and demand the
personal Return of our Lord.
IX. The Redeemer's return is necessitated by the supplications of the
church.
While our Lord was here upon earth He gave His disciples a pattern
prayer saying, "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which
art in heaven. Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come" (Matthew 6:9,
10). The Redeemer taught His saints to look forward to the future, to
be occupied with God's interests and purposes, and to pray for the
coming of His Kingdom, i. e., the Millennial Kingdom. Thus we learn
that our hope has to do, not with the present kingdoms of this world,
but with the coming Kingdom of God, which hope will be realized at the
return of the Redeemer Himself. It is clear from a number of
Scriptures that the coming of God's Kingdom synchronizes with the
Return of Christ (see Luke 19:12; Revelation 11:15, etc.). The Hope of
the Church centers in Christ and has to do with the future rather than
with the present, for "hope" always looks forward. Therefore it is
that the prayers of the Church must conform to and correspond with its
hope.
The last promise ever made by our Lord, made some fifty, or sixty
years after His ascension, given to the beloved John on the Isle of
Patmos but recorded for the encouragement and joy of all His people
throughout the Christian dispensation, was "Surely I come quickly"
(Rev. 22:20). The response to this promise is the prayer inspired by
the Holy Spirit, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus." As this dispensation
draws to its dose and as the Return of Christ is daily coming nearer,
the Holy Spirit is causing many to make this prayer their own. As the
result of the recovery of the "Blessed Hope" which throughout the Dark
Ages was lost to the Church, and as the result of the proclamation
which is now being sounded forth far and wide, "Behold, the Bridegroom
cometh, go ye out to meet Him," companies of God's saints all over the
earth are now daily crying, "Even so Come Lord Jesus." And our God is
a prayer-hearing and a prayer-answering God! He who has inspired this
hope within the bosom of the Church, He who has taught so many of its
members to long and pray for the Return of their Savior must satisfy
that longing and answer that prayer. Therefore we say that the
expectations and supplications of the Church of God which He purchased
with His own Blood necessitate the personal Return of our Redeemer.
X. The Redeemer's Return Is Necessitated By The Expectation Of The
Dead In Christ.
This argument may be summarized thus:--The Intermediate state into
which the souls of the redeemed pass at death is not the perfect
state, it is but an `unclothed" (2 Cor. 5:1-3) condition. Like their
brethren who are still upon earth, those now in Paradise are "waiting
for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body" (Rom. 8:23). A
countless multitude of those who fell asleep in Jesus are yet in the
disembodied state, and in that state they are "waiting," waiting for
the time when this corruptible shall put on incorruption and when this
mortal shall put on immortality. Those, who while on earth, looked and
longed for the Return of their Redeemer, and who are still waiting
that blest event shall not wait thus for ever, as it is written, "For
the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in
Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the
air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:16, 17). In
the last Book of the Bible, where the veil that separates between the
present and the future and between this world and the next is pulled
aside, we find a Scripture that bears closely upon the point now under
consideration. We refer to Revelation 6:9, 10--"And when he had opened
the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were
slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held. And
they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true,
dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the
earth?" This passage, stripped of its symbolism, signifies that
martyred believers now in the Intermediate state are waiting with
eager expectation the time when God shall avenge their death, which
time is reached immediately before our Lord returns to this earth.
That which we wish to specially emphasize is the fact that souls now
in Paradise are here represented as crying "How long?" Thus we learn
that those "present with the Lord," as well as believers still "in the
body," are eagerly expecting and waiting for the time of their
Redeemer's Return. The answer made to these disembodied "souls" is
very striking: "And white robes were given unto every one of them; and
it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season,
until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, that should be
killed as they were, should be fulfilled" (Rev. 6:11).
The "dead in Christ" are waiting in hope, waiting for the fulfillment
of that promise, "So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown
in corruption; it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor;
it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.
It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body" (1 Cor.
15:42-44). Is their hope nothing more than an idle dream? Are they to
wait thus for ever? No, blessed be God. His Word declares that at the
time of our Redeemer's Return, "Them also which sleep in Jesus will
God bring with Him" (1 Thess. 4:14). Therefore we say that the present
unclothed condition of the dead in Christ with their expectation of
the Resurrection morn requires and necessitates the personal Return of
our Lord.
To sum up. At least ten reasons require that Christ shall come back
again--the declarations of Old Testament prophecy; the affirmations of
our Lord Himself; the ratification of the Holy Spirit through the
writers of the New Testament Epistles; the humiliation of the Cross,
requiring a corresponding vindication of Christ in power and glory;
the present disorganization of Israel; the exaltation of Satan and the
powerlessness of man to depose him; the degradation and desolation of
the world; the lamentations of a Creation waiting to be delivered from
its bondage of corruption; the supplications of the Church crying
"Even so, come, Lord Jesus;" and the expectation of the dead in Christ
waiting for their glorification, singly and collectively necessitate
and demand the personal Return of our Redeemer.
____________________________________________________
Contents | Forword | Preface | Intro
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Conclusion | Appendix
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A. W. Pink Header
The Redeemer's Return
by Arthur W. Pink
The Hope of the Redeemer's Return
Chapter 2
"Looking for that Blessed Hope and appearing of the glory
of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ" Titus 2:13
____________________________________________________
In 1 Corinthians 13:13 we learn there are three cardinal Christian
graces namely, faith, hope and love. Concerning the first and third of
these, believers generally are well informed, but regarding the
second, many of the Lord's people have the vaguest conceptions. When
Christians are questioned upon the subject of Faith they are, for the
most part, able to answer promptly and intelligently; but interrogate
the average church-member about the believer's Hope, and his replies
are indistinct and uncertain. Let Christian Love come up for
discussion and we all feel that we are upon solid ground, but when
asked to pursue the theme of Christian Hope many step cautiously and
hesitatingly.
That there is the greatest confusion of thought and belief among
Christians concerning their Hope may readily be proven by questioning
a number regarding the nature of their hope. Ask the average
church-goer what his hope is, and he will say, Salvation--he hopes to
be saved when he comes to die. Ask another and he will tell you that
Death is his hope, for it is then that he will be released from all
the sufferings of the flesh. Ask a third and he would say that Heaven
was his hope. Perhaps this last reply would better express the common
and popular belief than either of the others. But to say that our hope
is future happiness, is to say no more than any heathen would say.
There are several Scriptures which distinguish between Heaven and the
believer's Hope, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again
unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not
away, reserved in heaven for you" (1 Pet. 1:3, 4). Here the "living
hope" unto which we have been begotten is separated in thought from
the "inheritance" which is "reserved in heaven" for us. Though closely
connected, Heaven and the believer's Hope are certainly not synonymous
as is clear from Colossians 1:5 where they are again
distinguished--"For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven,
whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the Gospel."
Heaven is not here said to be the believer's hope, for the hope is
"laid up" for him "in heaven." What then is our Hope?
It is strange that there should be such ignorance and confusion upon
this subject for Hope is made almost as prominent in the New Testament
as is either Faith or Love. The Church epistles have much to say upon
the subject. In the epistle to the Romans when setting forth the
consequences or results of justification, the apostle wrote,
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this
grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God"
(5:1). And again in 8:24, 25-- For in hope were we saved: but hope
that is seen is not hope: for who hopeth for that which he seeth? But
if we hope for that which we see not, then do we with patience wait
for it" (R.V.). To the Corinthians Paul wrote, "If in this life only
we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable" (1 Cor.
15:19). To the Galatians he wrote, "For we through the Spirit wait for
the hope of righteousness by faith" (5:5). For the Ephesians he prayed
that the eyes of their understanding might be enlightened, and that
they might know "what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches
of the glory of His inheritance in the saints" (Eph. 1:18), and in
setting forth the sevenfold Unity of the Spirit he declared, "There is
one body and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your
calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all"
(4:4-6), and there can no more be two different hopes than there can
be two Lords, or two faiths.
To the Thessalonian saints the apostle Paul wrote, "Sorrow not, even
as others which have no hope" (1 Thess. 4:13), and again, "Now our
Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved
us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through
grace" (2 Thess. 2:16). Unto Titus he wrote "For the grace of God that
bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying
ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously,
and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and
the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ"
(Titus 2:11-13). And unto the Hebrews he said, "And we desire that
every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of
hope unto the end. That by two immutable things, in which it was
impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who
have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: which
hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and
which entereth into that within the veil" (6:11, 18, 19).
The apostle Peter found cause for rejoicing in that God had "according
to His abundant mercy, begotten us again unto a living hope by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Pet. 1:3). and again,
he exhorted his readers to "Be ready always to give an answer to every
man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness
and fear" (1 Pet. 3:15).
The apostle John wrote, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it
doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall
appear we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every
man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure"
(1 John 3:2, 3); Thus we see that the New Testament abounds in
passages which speak of the believer's "hope."
In all ages God's people have had a hope set before them, and that
hope has always centered in Christ. In Eden God gave to Adam the
promise that the woman's Seed should come and bruise the Serpent's
head and the anticipation of the fulfillment of this promise
constituted the hope of the saints in those far-off days. Said Jacob,
"I have waited for Thy salvation, O Lord" (Gen. 49:18). The Hope that
God set before Abram was that his "Seed" should be a blessing unto all
nations, which hope, as we learn from Galatians 3:16, had particular
reference to Christ. The Hope which God set before Moses was expressed
as follows, "I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren,
like unto thee, and will put My words in His mouth; and He shall speak
unto them all that I shall command Him" (Deut. 18:18). For the
fulfillment of this prophecy see John 12:49; 14:10, etc. The Hope
which God set before David was stated as follows, "And when thy days
be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy
Seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will
establish His Kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will
stablish the throne of His Kingdom for ever" (2 Sam. 7:12, 13). And
later, through His prophets, God again and again set before Israel the
Hope of the appearing of their Messiah. This leads us to inquire now
into --
I. The character of our hope.
As there is so much confusion and uncertainty respecting this branch
of our subject, and in order to clear away the rubbish which human
devisings have gathered around it, we will deal first with the
negative side of the character of our Hope.
1. Our Hope is not the Conversion of the World.
We pray that these pages may be read by many who will be startled by
the above statement. A world which shall eventually be saved by the
preaching of the Gospel has been the expectation of almost all
Christendom. That the Gospel shall yet triumph over the world, the
flesh, and the Devil is the belief of the great majority of those who
profess to be the Lord's people. In the seminaries, in the pulpits, in
the Christian literature of the day, and in the great missionary
gatherings where placards bearing the words "The world for Christ" are
prominently displayed, has this theory been zealously heralded. It is
supposed that anything short of a converted "world" is a concept
dishonoring and derogatory to the Gospel. We are told the Gospel
cannot fail because it is the power of God, and though the Church has
failed, yet, a day is surely coming when this captivating ideal shall
be realized. To believe other than this, is to be dubbed a
"pessimist," yea, it is to be looked upon as a hinderer and traitor to
the cause of Christ. But what are the plain facts?
The Lord Jesus Christ preached the Gospel, preached it faithfully,
lovingly, zealously and untiringly. But with what results? Was the
world "converted" under His preaching? Should it he said this question
is not a fair one because He preached only locally, we accept the
correction, but ask further, Was Palestine converted under His
preaching? We have only to glance at the four Gospels to find an
answer. In the sermon on the Mount, our Lord declared that the "many"
were on the broad road that leadeth to destruction and that only a
"few" were on the narrow path that leadeth unto life. In the Parable
of the Sower He announced that out of four castings of the flood seed
from His hand three of them fell upon unfruitful ground. Again, we are
told, "He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the
world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him
not" (John 1:10, 11). No, the Gospel as preached by the Son of God
Himself held out no promise of a world converted by the proclamation
of it, for after three and a half years' ministry such as this world
has never witnessed before or since, there was but a handful who
responded to the gracious appeals of the Gospel from His lips--there
were but one hundred and twenty all told that Waited in the upper room
for the coming of the Holy Spirit which He had promised to send to His
followers (Acts 1:15).
How was it in the days of the apostles? During the first generation of
the Church's history, wonderful things happened which were well
calculated to convert the world if anything could. Eleven men who had
been trained by our Lord Himself were now sent forth to herald the
glad tidings of salvation. The Holy Spirit was poured forth upon them,
and in addition to the Eleven, Saul of Tarsus was miraculously saved
and sent forth as the apostle to the Gentiles. But what success
attended their efforts? How were they received by the world? Again we
have but to turn to the New Testament Scriptures to find our answer.
Like their Master, they, too, were despised and rejected of men. The
apostles were everywhere spoken against and regarded as the
offscouring of the earth. Some of them were cast into prison, others
were slain by the sword. One suffered death by crucifixion and the
last of the little band was banished to the Isle of Patmos. True it is
that their labors were not entirely in vain. True it is that God
honored His own Word and numbers were saved, and here and there
churches were organized. But the multitudes, the great masses, both of
Jews and Gentiles, remained unmoved and unconverted. The actual
conditions, in the days of the apostles then, gave no promise of a
world converted by the Gospel.
How is it in our own day? "Ah!" it will be said, "times have changed
since then: Christ and His apostles lived in the days of paganism and
barbarism, but under the enlightenment of our modern civilization this
twentieth century is far otherwise." Yes, but all is not gold that
glitters. We do not deny, we praise God for the fact, that today there
are far more Christians upon earth than there were in the first
century. But there are far more sinners tool What we are discussing
now is the Conversion of the world. Has the growth of the Church of
God kept pace with the increase of the earth's population? We trow
not. Today there are probably 1,000,000,000 souls on earth who have
never even heard the name of Christ! How then can we talk about a
converted world when upwards of two-thirds of humanity is destitute of
the Gospel? Moreover, what of Christendom itself? How much of that
which bears the name of Christ is truly Christian? What proportion of
those who term themselves the children of God are really entitled to
that name? More than half of professing Christendom is found within
the pales of the Greek and Roman Catholic Churches! And what of
Protestantism itself? What of the evangelical churches filled with
their worldly, pleasure-loving, theater-going, Sabbath-desecrating,
prayer-meeting-neglecting members? No; my reader, be not deceived with
appearances or high-sounding phrases. God's flock is only a "little
flock" (Luke 12:32). There is but a "remnant according to the election
of grace" (Rom. 11:5).
Has the Gospel failed? Have God's purposes been defeated? Certainly
not. The Gospel was never designed to convert the world. God never
purposed to regenerate all humanity in this dispensation, any more
than He did under the Mosaic economy, when He suffered the nations to
walk in their own ways. God's purpose for this Age is clearly defined
in Acts 15:14--"Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit
the Gentries, to take out of them a people for His name." In full
harmony with this the apostle Paul declared. "I am made all things to
all men, that I might by all means save some" (1 Cor. 9:22). Clearly
then, the Hope of the Church is not the Conversion of the World.
Having dwelt at some length upon the general, let us now come to the
particular--
2. Our Hope is not the Salvation of the Soul.
In the New Testament the word "Salvation" has a threefold scope--past,
present and future, which, respectively, has reference to our
deliverance from the penalty, the power, and the presence of sin. When
we say above, that our Hope is not the Salvation of the soul, we mean
that it is not our deliverance from the wrath to come which is the
prospect God sets before His people. To certain of our readers it may
appear almost a wearisome waste of time for us to discuss these
points, but for the sake of the class for which this work is specially
designed we would ask them to bear with us in patience. In these days
when the Bible is so grievously neglected both in the pulpit and in
the pew, we cannot afford to take anything for granted. Multitudes of
those in our churches are ignorant of the most elementary truths of
the Christian faith. Experience shows that comparatively few people
are clear about even the A. B. C. of the Gospel. Talk to the average
church-member, and only too often it will be found that he has nothing
more than a vague and uncertain hope about his personal salvation. He
is "trying to live up to the light that he has," he is "doing his
best," and he hopes that, somehow, everything will come out right in
the end. He does not dare to say I know I have passed from death unto
life, but he hopes to go to Heaven at the last.
Nowhere does Scripture present the Salvation of the soul as the
believer's hope. Salvation from the guilt, the penalty, the wages, of
sin is something for which believers thank God even now. Said our Lord
to His disciples, "Rejoice, because your names are written in heaven"
(Luke 10:20). The present-tense aspect of our salvation is presented
in many Scriptures--"Verily, verily, I say unto you. He that heareth
My word and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and
shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life"
(John 5:24). How simple and definite this is! Eternal life is
something which every believer in Christ already possesses, and for
him there is no possibility of future condemnation in the sense of
having to endure God's wrath. Again we read, "Beloved now are we the
sons of God" (1 John 3:2). We do not have to obey God's commandments,
walk worthy, and serve the Lord, in order to become God's children, we
are to do these things because we are, already, members of the
household of faith. The salvation or redemption of our bodies is
future, for it will not be until our Savior's return that He "shall
change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious
body" (Phil. 3:21). But the salvation of the soul, deliverance from
the wrath to come, is an accomplished fact for every sinner, that has
received the Lord Jesus Christ as his or her personal Savior. All such
have been accepted in the Beloved" (Eph. 1:6). All such have been
"made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light"
(Col. 1:12). All such have been "perfected for ever" (Heb. 10:14) so
far as their standing before God is concerned.
As another has said, "Salvation is not away off yonder at the gates of
Heaven; salvation is at the cross. The grace of God that bringeth
salvation hath appeared, and it brings salvation all the way down to
where the sinner is--right there. You know our Lord's own picture of
it. It is the illustration of the good Samaritan. You know how
beautifully that shadows out this blessed truth; that just as the good
Samaritan went down the Jericho road and ministered to the wretch who
lay there half dead, pouring oil into his wounds right there where he
lay, lust so the grace of God, that brings salvation, has come to the
sinner in the place where he lies in his sins. No matter how great a
sinner he may be, if he can be persuaded to turn the eye of faith
toward the cross, there salvation comes" (Dr. C. I. Scofield). Again--
3. Our Hope is not Death.
Of all the extravagant and absurd interpretations of Scripture which
have found a place among sober expositors is the belief that Death is
the Hope which God has set before the believer. How it ever came to
find acceptance it is difficult to say. It is true that there are a
number of passages which speak of the Lord returning suddenly and
unexpectedly, but to make the words "At such an hour as ye think not
the Son of man cometh" and "Behold I come as a thief in the night"
mean that death may steal in upon the believer without warning is to
reduce the Word of God to meaningless jargon and is to make sane
exposition impossible. Scripture says what it means, and means what it
says. True there are Parables in the Bible; true there are stone
passages which are highly symbolical; but where this is the case the
context usually gives clear intimation to that effect, and where it
does not, the plain and literal force should always be given to the
language of Holy Writ. In Scripture "death" means death, and the
coming again of the Son of man means His coming, and the two
expressions are not synonymous. As we have said, the Return of Christ
and death (sometimes) each, alike, come suddenly and unexpectedly, but
there all analogy between them ends.
It is passingly strange that Bible teachers should have confounded
Death with the Second Coming of Christ. The former is spoken of as an
"Enemy" (1 Cor. 15:26), whereas the latter is termed "that blessed
hope" (Titus 2:13), and surely these two terms cannot refer to the
same thing. At the Return of our Lord we shall be made like Him (1
John 3:2), but believers are not made like Him at death, for death
introduces them into a disembodied state. That "death" is not the
believer's Hope is clear from many Scriptures. In 1 Peter 1:3 the
apostle returns thanks because we have been begotten again "unto a
living hope." The saint of God has a living hope in a dying scene: a
glorious prospect beyond this vale of tears. In 2 Timothy 4:8 the
apostle Paul reminds us that there is laid up a crown of righteousness
unto all them that love Christ's "appearing," which is further proof
that death is not the Second Coming of Christ, for who is there that
"loves" death? Death is my going to Christ, but His Return is Christ
coming to me. Death is a cause of sadness and sorrow, but the Return
of the Lord is a cause of joy and comfort--"Wherefore comfort one
another with these words" 1 Thess. 4:18, see context). Death lays the
body in the dust, but at the Return of our Redeemer His people arise
from the dust--"the dead in Christ shall rise first" (1 Thess. 4:17).
Death is the "wages of sin," which means that death is the penalty of
sin, but so completely has that penalty been borne by our Savior that
we read, "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and
unto them that look for Hint shall He appear the second time without
sin unto salvation" (Heb. 9:28). Death was certainly not the hope of
the early Christians as is clear from 1 Thessalonians 1:9, 10 where we
read, "Ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,
and to wait for His Son from heaven"--these Thessalonian saints were
looking for Christ not death. Finally; death cannot be our Hope, for
death will not be the portion of all believers as is clear from the
language of 1 Corinthians 15:51, "We shall not all sleep." What then
is our Hope? We answer --
4. Our Hope is the personal Return of our Redeemer.
"Jesus Christ our hope" (1 Tim. 1:1). Jesus Christ is the believer's
"all in all" (Col. 3:11). He is "our peace" (Eph. 2:14) He is "our
life" (Col. 3:14). He is "made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctification, and redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30). And, we repeat, He is
"our Hope." But hope always looks forward. Hope has to do with the
future. "We are saved in hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for
what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we
see not, then do we with patience wait for it" (Rom. 8:24,25). This
means that what we hope for is that which we do not yet possess. In
Scripture, "hope" is something more than desire or longing: it is a
joyous expectation, a definite assurance. Faith is that which lays
holds of God's promises; hope is that spiritual grace which sustains
the heart until the promise is "received." As another has said "Man
was not made for the present, and the present was not intended to
satisfy man. It is for the future, not the present, that man exists"
(W. Trotter).
The Hope of the believer is clearly set forth in Titus 2:13--"Looking
for that blessed hope and appearing of the glory, of the great God and
our Savior Jesus Christ" (R. V.). Our Hope is the personal Return of
Christ when He shall come back again to receive us unto Himself. Our
Hope is to be taken out of this scene of sin and suffering and sorrow
to be where Christ is (John 14:1-13). Our Hope is to be caught up to
meet the Lord in the air and be for ever "with the Lord" (1 Thess.
4:16, 17). Our Hope is to be "made like" Him, and this hope will be
realized when "we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2). This is the
"one hope" of our calling" (Eph. 4:4). This is the only Hope for
everything else has failed.
The hope of Philosophy has failed. Philosophy was the beautiful ideal
of the ancients. When Greece and Rome were the leading nations of the
earth, the goal of every ambitious young man's desire was to become a
philosopher. Philosophers were respected and honored by all.
Philosophy set out to solve the riddle of the universal and to explain
the rationale of all creation. It was expected that philosophy would
find a solution to every problem and devise a remedy for every ill.
But what were its fruits? "The world by wisdom knew not God" (1 Cor.
1:21). When the apostle Paul came to Athens--one of the principal
centers of philosophic culture--he found an altar erected to "The
Unknown God" (Acts 17:23). The only place the word "philosophy" is
found in the Scriptures is in Colossians 2:8, where we read "Beware
lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the
tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after
Christ." Philosophy proved a will-o'-the-wisp. Never was philosophy so
thoroughly systematized and so ably expounded as it was in the days of
Socrates, and never was society more corrupt. The ruins of ancient
Greece bear witness to the failure and inadequacy of philosophy.
The hope of Legislation has failed. It was the dream of the celebrated
Plato that he could establish an ideal Republic by compiling and
enforcing a perfect code of laws. But a perfect Code of Law was
compiled a thousand years before Plato was born. God Himself gave to
Israel a Code of Law on Mount Sinai--with what results? No sooner was
that Law given than it was broken. The children of Israel declared,
"All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient" (Ex. 24:7),
but their words were an empty boast. The truth is that imperfect
creatures cannot keep a perfect law, nor can imperfect men be induced
to administer and enforce it. There is not a land in all the world
where all the statutes of the State, or nearly all, are rigidly
enforced. What then is the use of electing worthy and able legislators
and for them to enact righteous laws if their successors refuse to
enforce them? The present universal failure to do this testifies to
the impotency of Law while it is left in human hands.
The hope of human Government has failed. The Roman Empire experimented
for many centuries and tried no less than seven different forms of
government, but each in turn failed to accomplish the desired effects,
and the last state of that Empire was worse than the first. Everything
from absolute monarchy to absolute Socialism has already been weighed
in the balances and found wanting. Revolting at the tyrannical yokes
imposed upon their subjects by the European rulers, our forefathers in
this country sought to establish a free Republic, a democratic form of
government, a government managed by the people and for the people.
What have been its fruits? Are economic conditions in the United
States better than those in England or Italy? Are relations between
Capital and Labor more amicable and satisfactory? Is there less
political corruption in high places, and fairer representation of the
oppressed? Are moral conditions better here: have we, proportionately,
fewer thieves, fewer drunkards, fewer murderers? Is there more
contentment and satisfaction among the masses? We fear not. When we
witness the methods employed in the average political campaign, when
we read through the reports of the police courts, when we behold the
strikes and lock-outs in every part of the country, when we peer
beneath the surface and gaze upon the moral state of the masses, and
when we hear the angry cries of the poor laborer and his half-starved
family, we discover that the only hope for America as well as Europe
is that our Lord shall come back again and take the government upon
His shoulder.
The hope of Civilization has failed. How much all of us have heard of
`the march and progress of Civilization' during the past two
generations! What an Utopia it was going to create! The masses were to
be educated and reformed, injustices were to cease, war was to be
abolished, and all mankind welded into one great Brotherhood living
together in peace and good will. Civilization was to be the agency for
ushering in the long-looked-for Millennium. Any one who dared to
challenge the claims made on behalf of the enlightenment of our
twentieth century, or called into question the transformation which
the upward march of Civilization was supposed to be effecting, was
regarded as an `old fogey' who was not abreast of the times, or, as a
`pessimist' whose vision was blinded by prejudice. Was not "Evolution"
an established fact of science and did not the fundamental principle
of Evolution--progress and advancement from the lower to the
higher--apply to nations and the human race as a whole; if so, we
should soon discover that we had outgrown all the barbarities of the
past. War was now no longer to be thought of, for those cultured
nations within the magic pale of civilization would henceforth settle
their differences amicably by means of arbitration. It was true that
the great Powers continued building enormous armies and navies, but
these, we were told, would merely be used to enforce Peace, But oh!
what a madman's dream it has all proven. The Hope of Civilization,
like every other hope which has not been founded upon the sure and
certain Word of God, has also proved to be nothing more than an
entrancing mirage, a tragic delusion. The great World War, with all
its unmentionable horrors, its inhumanities, its barbaric
ruthlessness, has rudely wakened a lethargic humanity to the utter
insufficiency of all merely human expediencies, and has demonstrated
as clearly as anything has ever been demonstrated that "Civilization"
is nothing more than a high-sounding but empty title.
We repeat again, the ONLY hope of the Church is the personal Return of
the Redeemer to remove His people from these scenes of misery and
bloodshed to be for ever with Himself; and the ONLY hope for this poor
sin-cursed and Satan-dominated world is the Second Advent of the Son
of Man to rule and reign over the earth in righteousness and peace.
This is the world's LAST hope, for every other hope has failed it! We
turn now to consider --
II. The authorization of our hope.
The insufficiency and failure of the various hopes of the world
reviewed above, serve only to furnish a background upon which, by way
of contrast, may shine forth more prominently and gloriously the
certainty and sufficiency of our hope. Every hope of man which
originates in his own mind and heart is doomed to end in
disappointment. If men refuse the light which is furnished by Divine
revelation then they must expect to remain in darkness, and, as our
Lord said, "If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness how
great is that darkness!" (Matthew 6:23). The value of a hope lies in
the authorization of it, what then are the grounds for our hope?
What warrant have we for expecting the Return of the Redeemer? After
all that has been said in the previous pages and in view of the
various Scriptures therein cited, a lengthy reply to this question is
not necessary. In brief, it may be said, the inspired and infallible
Word of Him who cannot lie is our warrant and authorization for
looking for that Blessed Hope. But, briefly, to particularize.
1. We have the Promise of the Lord Jesus Himself.
We have already quoted from John 14 in other connections but we now
refer to it again. On the eve of His crucifixion our Savior turned to
His disciples and said, "I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go
and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto
Myself; that where I am there ye may be also" (John 14:23). Here is an
assertion about which there is no ambiguity whatever. Here is a
promise that is positive and unequivocal. Here is a word of comfort
from the lips of Truth incarnate. The Lord who has gone away from this
earth to prepare a place for His people is coming back again for them,
coming back in person, coming to receive them to Himself that they may
be with Him for evermore.
2. We have the word of God's messengers at the time of His Son's
Ascension.
These words are recorded in the first chapter of the Acts which
presents a Scene of unusual interest and importance. Our Lord's
sojourn upon earth was now to terminate. The time of His departure was
at hand. The great purpose of the Divine incarnation had been
accomplished. The cross and the empty sepulcher lay behind, and now
the Savior of sinners was to be exalted to the right hand of the
Majesty on high. Together with a few of His disciples He went as far
as Bethany, and lifting up His hands He blessed them, and while in the
act of blessing them He was "parted from them, and went up into
heaven" (Luke 24:50,51). And a cloud received Him out of their sight,
and then we are told, "While they looked stedfastly toward heaven as
He went up, two men stood by them in white apparel: which also said,
Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same
Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like
manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven" (Acts 1:10, 11). Here again
is a statement that is clear and simple. Here again is a promise that
is plain and positive. The Lord Jesus has gone up into heaven, but He
is not to remain there for ever. The "same Jesus" which ascended is to
descend: the "same Jesus" which was seen retiring from this earth
shall yet be seen returning to this earth. The absent One is coming
back, coming back in person in "like manner" as He went away.
3. We have the inspired testimony of the apostles.
We have already shown in a previous chapter that each of the apostles
bore witness to the Second Coming of Christ. Their testimony is clear,
full, and uniform. At this point we shall select but a single passage,
a familiar one, from the epistles of the apostle Paul. In 1
Thessalonians 4:13-18 we read, "But I would not have you to be
ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow
not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus
died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God
bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that
we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not
prevent (i. e., "go before") them which are asleep. For the Lord
Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall
rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up
together With them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so
shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with
these words."
The above passage is the most comprehensive statement upon the
Redeemer's Return which is to be found in the apostolic writings. The
importance of the communication contained therein is intimated by the
prefatory clause--"This we say unto you by the word of the Lord," an
expression which is always reserved for those passages of Divine
revelation which are of peculiar importance or solemnity. Here again
we learn that Christ is going to return in person--"The Lord Himself."
Here again we have a positive promise--"The Lord Himself shall
descend." And here again, the Second Coming of Christ is presented as
the "blessed hope" of the Church--"comfort one another with these
words." We reserve further comment upon this passage for a later
chapter.
4. Finally, We have the Promise of the Lord, given from the Throne.
We have previously pointed out that, some fifty or sixty years after
His ascension to the right hand of God, Christ sent His angel to the
beloved John on the Isle of Patmos saying, "Surely I come quickly"
(Rev. 22:20). This was our Lord's last promise to His people, as
though to intimate that He would have them continually occupied with
His imminent Return. Perhaps this will be the best place to meet an
objection that is frequently made by those who seek to find flaws in
the Word of God. It is said that the Lord Jesus here made a mistake.
He declared that He was coming quickly and more than eighteen
centuries have passed since then and yet He has not returned!
The explanation of this supposed difficulty is very simple. When the
Lord Jesus said, "Surely I come quickly," He spoke from Heaven, and
Heaven's measurement of time is very different from earth's. Never
once while He was here upon earth did the Savior say or even hint that
He would return "quickly." On the contrary He gave plain intimation
that after His departure a lengthy interval would have to pass ere He
came back again. In the Parable of the Nobleman He spoke of Himself as
One taking a journey into "a far country" (Luke 19:12). On another
occasion He represented an evil servant saying, during the time of His
absence, "My Lord delayeth His coming" (Matthew 24:28). While in the
Parable of the Talents He openly declared that "After a long time the
Lord of those servants cometh and reckoneth with them" (Matthew
25:19). What we would here press upon the attention of our readers is,
that, each of these utterances were made by our Lord during the time
when He was still upon earth and therefore they must be considered
from earth's viewpoint; but when the Lord Jesus said "Surely I come
quickly" He spoke from Heaven and concerning Heaven's measurement of
time we need to bear in mind that word "Beloved, be not ignorant of
this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and
a thousand years as one day"
(2 Pet. 3:8). In the light of the last quoted Scripture it is easy to
understand Revelation 22:20--if our Lord returns before the present
century terminates He will have been away but two days!
"Surely I come quickly." These are the words of our ascended Lord.
This is His promise, sent from the very Throne of Heaven. This is His
final word to His people before they hear His "shout" calling them to
be with Himself. This, then, is the warrant, the ground, the
authorization of our Hope. Let us now consider --
III. The blessedness of our hope.
It is both interesting and profitable to notice the several adjectives
which are used in connection with the believer's Hope. In 2
Thessalonians 2:16 it is termed a "good hope." In Hebrews 6:19 it is
described as a hope "both sure and stedfast." In 1 Peter 1:3 it is
denominated "a living hope." In Ephesians 4:4 it is styled the "one
hope" of our calling. While in Titus 2:13 it is spoken of as "that
blessed hope." The blessedness of our Hope is that which is now
particularly to engage our attention. In what respects is our hope a
"blessed'? one? We answer --
1. Because of its bearing upon Israel.
Israel's future blessings wait for the Return of their Messiah. When
He was here before He was despised and rejected by His brethren
according to the flesh but when He comes back again to this earth they
shall welcome and worship Him. That prophecy of Zechariah's `which
received a partial fulfillment when He was here before, is yet to
receive a further and complete fulfillment, in the days of His Second
Advent. This is clear from the words which immediately follow these
which had reference to His entry into Jerusalem a few days before His
crucifixion--"Rejoice greatly. O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter
of Jerusalem; behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and
having salvations; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the
foal of an ass. And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the
horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off; and He
shall speak peace unto the heathen: and His dominion shall be from sea
even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth" (Zech.
9:9, 10). And note further the closing verses of the same
chapter--"And the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the
flock of His people; for they shall be as the stones of a crown,
lifted up as an ensign upon His land. For how great is His goodness,
and how great His beauty! corn shall make the young men cheerful, and
new wine the maids" (vv. 16, 17). The real "Triumphal Entry into
Jerusalem" is yet future. Our Lord is to enter the royal city again
and at the time of His return He shall enter it as King in fact and in
full manifestation of that fact. Then it is that Zion's King shall
come to her "having salvation," and then it is that Israel shall
marvel at His grace and at His excellency; and then it will be that
the daughter of Jerusalem shall be exalted and be once more owned and
blessed by Jehovah. It is on the return of Christ to this earth that
Israel shall enter into the enjoyment of that inheritance which was
given unto their fathers, and under the reign of their Messiah shall
become a blessing to all nations. Again; the Redeemer's Return is a
blessed Hope.
2. Because of its bearing upon the Gentiles.
This aspect of our subject has not received the attention which it
deserves. It has been assumed by some that the present dispensation is
the time when God is blessing the Gentiles and that in the Millennium
the Jews will be the special objects of God's favor. It is true that
in the Millennium Israel shall enter into the enjoyment of their
inheritance and that at that time they shall occupy the chief
position, governmentally, among the nations, but it is a mistake to
suppose that the Gentiles will receive less notice from God then than
they do now. During this age God is merely taking out of the Gentiles
a people for His name, and hence it is that the vast majority of them
are still living amid the darkness of heathendom. But it will not
always be thus. The restoration of Israel to God's favor will result
in wide blessing to the Gentiles.
In the eleventh chapter of Romans, where the apostle is showing that
Israel's present `"blindness" is not to continue forever, he declares,
"I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid; but
rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to
provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them (Israel) be the
riches of the world (i.e., the enrichment of the Gentiles by the
Gospel) and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how
much more their fullness? (that is, How much more will Israel's
latter-day blessing enrich the Gentiles). For if the casting away of
them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them
be, but life from the dead?" (vv. 11, 12, 15). How clear it is from
these verses that, universal blessings for mankind are not to be
brought about by the indefinite prolongation of this present
dispensation and the preaching of the Gospel, but by the restoration
of Israel, after Christendom has been cut off for its non-continuance
in God's goodness. As another has said, "The end of apostate Judaism
was judgment: the end of apostate Gentile Christianity will be
judgment also. But just as blessing came to us when judgment fell upon
the Jew, so when judgment falls upon Christendom, blessing will be
restored to Israel, and Israel's restoration will bring still fuller
blessing to the world than any it has had during the present
dispensation; it will be as life from the dead'!" (W. Trotter).
The words of Simeon recorded in Acts 15 are in perfect agreement with
the teaching of Romans 11--"Simeon hath declared how God at the first
did visit the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. And
to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, after this,
I will return and will build again the tabernacle of David (i. e.,
Israel), which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins
thereof, and I will set it up; that the residue of men might seek
after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom My name is called,
saith the Lord, who doeth all these things" (vv. 14-17). It is to be
noted that here again the "seeking of the Lord" by the "residue of men
and all the Gentiles" is subsequent to the restoration of Israel.
There are many prophecies in the Old Testament which speak of the
Millennial blessedness of the Gentiles. We single out one or two
without commenting extensively upon them. "And the glory of the Lord
shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth
of the Lord hath spoken it" (Isa. 40:5). "O sing unto the Lord a new
song; for He hath done marvelous things: His right hand, and His holy
arm, hath gotten Him the victory, The Lord hath made known His
salvation: His righteousness hath He openly shewed in the sight of the
heathen. He hath remembered His mercy and His truth toward the house
of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our
God" (Ps. 98:1-3). Once more the order is the same: God's
righteousness is displayed before the "heathen" and His salvation is
made known to the ends of the earth following God's dealing in mercy
with Israel.
One more quotation must suffice: "And ye shall know that I am in the
midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and
My people shall never be ashamed. And it shall come to pass afterward,
that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh" (Joel 2:27, 28). Like
all prophecy, this one receives a double fulfillment. It is to be
observed that when Peter quoted from Joel on the Day of Pentecost he
did not say, "And now is fulfilled that which was spoken by the
prophet," but "This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel"
(Acts 2:16), because the words of Joel quoted above will not be
fulfilled until the Millennium, then and not till then, will God's
Spirit be poured out upon "all flesh"--for that glad day, the earth
waits the Second Advent of our Lord. Thus we see that the Return of
Christ to this earth to usher in the Millennium will be attended with
gracious and wide blessing to the Gentiles, for then it will be that
"The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as
the waters cover the sea" (Isa. 11:9). Again, the Return of the
Redeemer is a Blessed Hope --
3. Because of its bearing upon the Church.
Concerning this point we shall here merely generalize, for this
precious aspect of our subject will come up for consideration again in
a later chapter. In a word, we may say that, the Hope of the Church
lies in the future and not in the present, is heavenly and not
earthly. To His disciples our Lord said, "In the world ye shall have
tribulation" (John 16:30). This is the present portion of the Church
which is His body: this is all that the believer is to expect from the
world in which he is now living. We are not to be surprised if the
world "hates" us, because it first hated our Divine Master. Said the
apostle, "Unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to
believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake." Yea, we are assured
that "all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer
persecution." The Lord's path to the Throne was via the Cross, and we
are called to "follow His steps." The Hope of the Church then lies not
in this world, but above it; not in the present, but in the future.
At first sight it may appear strange, especially to unbelievers, that
the Christian should speak of his hope. In contrast to the wicked who
have "no peace," the saint has a satisfying portion. The believer has
already drunk of that "living water" of which those who drink shall
"never thirst." The believer is already in possession of "eternal
life," but he has not yet entered into the full and unhindered
enjoyment of it--that is still before him as the object of his hope.
In one sense then, the Christian is satisfied, in another sense he is
not. The believer already knows One, yea, is now indwelt by One who
can satisfy him. He knows Christ, possesses Christ, enjoys Christ;
but, as yet, he has not seen Christ; It is by faith (not feelings)
that we know and enjoy Christ, but the more we know and enjoy Him
thus, the more we long to behold Him--"Whom having not seen, ye love;
in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy
unspeakable and full of glory; receiving the end of your faith, even
the salvation of your soul"' (1 Pet. 1:8, 9).
"Yes, my brethren, believing in Christ, whom we have not seen, we love
Him; we rejoice in Him with unspeakable joy; we receive the salvation
of our souls. But to see Christ--to have the salvation which He
wrought out on the cross applied to our bodies as well as to our
souls--to have it perfected in our experience even as it respects our
souls--to have it consummated thus in all who are fellow-partakers
with us of Christ--to be with Him, and with them, in our Father's
house--to behold His glory which the Father has given Him--to appear
with Him in glory when He appears--to reign with Him over a ransomed
and redeemed and happy creation--to fulfill our part in the universal
harmony of all in heaven and all in earth, when all shall bow the knee
to Jesus, when every tongue shall own Him Lord, and all voices shall
join to, celebrate His praise--this, and far more than this--far more
than heart can conceive or tongue explain, is what we wait for; and,
above all, we wait for Him whose return shall introduce us to all this
perfect blessedness--we `wait for God's Son from heaven, whom He
raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to
come.' He Is Our Hope. We know Him now by faith as our Savior, our
Lord, our life, our peace, our joy, our all. And He Is Our Hope. He is
plainly said to be so in 1 Timothy 1:1--`Paul an apostle of Jesus
Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior, and Lord Jesus Christ
Our Hope.' And what He is thus in so many plain words expressly
declared to be in this passage, He is shown to be by the uniform,
unvarying testimony of Gospels, Acts, Epistles, and Revelation"
("Plain Papers on Prophetic Subjects' by W. Trotter). Again, the
Redeemer's Return is a "Blessed Hope" --
4. Because of its bearing upon Christ Himself.
Our Lord Himself is waiting that blest moment when He shall rise from
the Father's Throne, descend to the air and catch up His loved and
redeemed ones to be forever with Himself. What other meaning can
possibly be given to that remarkable word recorded in Revelation
1:9--"I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation,
and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ."
And again we read, "But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice
for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God. From henceforth
expecting till His enemies be made His footstool" (Heb. 10:12, 13).
Yes, for well nigh two thousand years, our Lord has patiently waited
for the last predestined member to be added to the Church which is His
body. Nay, may we not go further, and reverently say, from all
eternity the Lord Jesus has been waiting to possess that people given
to Him by the Father before the foundation of the world! It was for
this "joy" that was set before Him that He despised the cross and
endured its shame (Heb. 12:2). It was for this "one pearl" which He
esteemed of "great price" --oh! wondrous thought--that He went and
sold all that He had to buy it (Matthew 13:46). It is for this
blood-purchased people that He has been interceding on high since the
day of His ascension. And at His Second Advent the time of waiting,
the long interval of His "patience," will be ended. Then it will be
that He shall come to receive us unto Himself. Then it will be that He
shall present the Church to Himself "a glorious church, not having
spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and
without blemish" (Eph. 5:27). Then it will be that "He shall see of
the travail of His soul and be satisfied" (Isa. 58:11). O blessed
Hope. Well may we cry "Even so, come, Lord Jesus." For Him, too, as
well as for us, this is "that blessed hope."
And now, dear reader, What is your hope? What is it that is occupying
your heart and filling your vision? Is it the prospect of a speedily
returning Redeemer? If you are truly the Lord's then do you not yearn
to see Him face to face? Do you not long to fall at His feet and say
"my Lord and my God"? Surely you do, for you cannot be fully satisfied
in this world. How could you be? How can you find satisfaction-in a
world from which your Savior is absent? "Earth is a wilderness, not
merely (no, nor chiefly) because of its trials and its hardships, its
sorrows and its pangs, its disappointments and reverses, but because
He is not here. Heaven would not be heaven to the saint if Jesus were
not there. He, His presence (as that which introduces us to it), His
coming is our hope--the hope of the Christian, the hope of the Church.
May our hearts cherish it as we have never done! May its brightness so
attract us that earth's fairest, loveliest, most enchanting scenes may
be weariness itself to our hearts, as detaining us from the object of
our hopes! May that object so animate us that earth's heaviest
afflictions--the narrowest, most rugged, and most thorny portions of
the narrow way--may be welcome to us, as the path that leads us onward
to the goal of our expectations, the home of our hearts, the Jesus
whose presence makes it what it is, whose love made Him tread a
narrower and a darker path than this, and whose smile of ineffable
satisfaction shall crown the faith that has trusted Him, the love that
has followed Him, and the patience of hope which has waited for Him,
throughout this dreary Journey, along this narrow way, amid the
darkness and solitude of this long and dismal night" (W. Trotter).
____________________________________________________
Contents | Forword | Preface | Intro
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Conclusion | Appendix
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A. W. Pink Header
The Redeemer's Return
by Arthur W. Pink
The Fact of the Redeemer's Return
Chapter 3
"I will come again and receive you unto Myself;
that where I am there ye may be also" John 14:3
____________________________________________________
It has been pointed out by another that the New Testament is concerned
mainly with the presentation of three great facts: first, that the Son
of God has been to the earth but has gone away; second, that the Holy
Spirit has come down to this earth and is still here; third, that the
Son of God is coming back again to this earth. To quote--"These are
the three great subjects unfolded in the New Testament Scriptures; and
we shall find that each of them has a double bearing: it has a bearing
upon the world, and a bearing upon the church; upon the world as a
whole, and upon each unconverted man, woman, and child in particular;
upon the church as a whole, and upon each individual member thereof,
in particular. It is impossible for any one to avoid the bearing of
these three grand facts upon his own personal condition and future
destiny" ("Papers on the Lord's Coming" by C. H. M.) A few words now
on each of these facts.
First; the Son of God has been to this earth but has gone away. Here
is a fact marvelous in its nature and far-reaching in its effects.
This world has been visited by its Creator. The very feet of the Lord
of Glory have trod this earth on which we now dwell. From heaven's
throne there descended the Only-begotten of the Father, and for
upwards of thirty years tie tabernacled here among men. His appearing
was not attended with regal pomp and outward splendor. His glory was
veiled and His Divine prerogatives were laid aside. He who was in the
form of God took upon Himself the form of a servant. He who thought it
not robbery to be equal with God, was made in the likeness of men. He
who had received the worship of angels was born in a manger. What an
infinite stoop! What amazing condescension! What matchless grace! Were
it not that we had grown so familiar with the recital of these things,
were it not that our cold hearts had lost their sense of wonderment,
we should be overwhelmed with adoring gratitude. Were it not that we
were so occupied with the things of this world and our own interests
we should prostrate ourselves before God in worship and cry, "Worthy
is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom,
and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing" (Rev. 5:12). Here
then is the first great fact presented in the New Testament--the Son
of God came clown to this earth.
How was He received? What welcome did He meet with? What effect did
the coming of the "Mighty God" (Isa. 9:6) have upon the world? What
effect would we suppose it to have had? Should we expect to learn that
the birth of the God-man was hailed as the most wondrous and blessed
event in all history? Should we expect to find the rulers of the earth
casting their scepters at His feet? Should we expect to find Him an
Object of universal worship? Such expectations would but betray our
ignorance of the depths of human depravity. Of sinners it is written
"They did not like to retain God in their knowledge" (Rom. 1:28). And
why? Because "the carnal mind is enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7)--such
it was demonstrated to be when God was manifested in the flesh. "There
was no room for them in the inn" (Luke 2:7) sums up the whole tragic
story. The Christ of God was not wanted. His ineffable holiness
condemned the vile wickedness of sinners. He came here to "heal the
broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering
of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised," but
the world hated Him, "hated" Him "without a cause" (John 15:25). Men
said, "This is the heir; come, let us kill him" (Mark 12:7), and no
ordinary death would suffice and appease the hatred of their wicked
hearts. He must die the death of a criminal, He must be crucified--a
form of punishment reserved for slaves who were guilty of the vilest
crimes (Josephus). By wicked hands He was "crucified and slain" (Acts
2:20).
"Where sin abounded grace did much more abound" (Rom. 5:20). Marvelous
are the ways of God. He maketh even the "wrath of man" to praise Him
(Ps. 76:10). Those wicked hands of men which nailed to the Cross the
Lord of Glory, were but fulfilling, unknown to themselves, the eternal
purposes of Jehovah. The Lord Jesus was "delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2:23). These words bring
before us the Divine side of that mysterious transaction. As He hung
there on the Cross the Lord Jesus suffered not only at the hands of
man, but He was also smitten by the hand of God (Isa. 58:4, 10)
because it was then and there that He "bare our sins in His own body
on the tree" (1 Pet. 2:24). On the Cross, our blessed Savior who knew
no sin was "made sin for us" (2 Cor. 5:21). It was because He hung
there as the Sin-Bearer that Jehovah said, "Awake, O sword, against My
shepherd, and against the man that is My Fellow, saith the Lord of
hosts: smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered" (Zech.
13:7). Thus, the Death of Christ must be viewed from two great
standpoints. From the side of the world His death was a deliberate,
cold-blooded murder; from the side of God it was a satisfaction
rendered unto His justice and holiness which had been outraged by sin.
From the side of the world, the Cross was the climacteric display of
its sin and guilt; from the Divine side it was God's provision to
remove the sin and guilt of all who believe. From man's side, the
world has yet to account to God for the death of His Son. Therefore it
is that God has a "controversy" with the nations. My reader, you are
living in a world over which hangs the judgment of God! And the day of
His vengeance draws near. God has yet to reckon with a world that is
stained with the blood of His beloved Son and soon will His fearful
wrath be poured out upon it. How rarely, in these days, is this side
of the Cross pressed upon men's consciences and hearts. The Death of
the Lamb of God secured our salvation, but it consummated the world's
guilt. Christ is absent. Why? Because the world rejected Him. Yet, if
the world disowned Him, the heavens received Him. If men despised Him,
God hath highly exalted Him, and given Him the name which is above
every name. We shall consider now, though, more briefly, the second
great fact.
God the Holy Spirit has come down to this earth and is still here.
This, also, is an amazing and stupendous fact. God did not abandon the
world to which in love He sent His Son, even though that love was
requited by the crucifixion of the Holy One. How strictly just it
would have been had God then and there entirely deserte this
rebellious race of ours! He "spared not" the angels that sinned but
"cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness,
to be reserved unto judgment" (2 Pet. 2:4), why then should He
continue to deal in mercy with a race that had committed a crime which
far surpassed in wickedness any sin of which the angels could have
been guilty? Ah! God's ways are "past finding out." Where sin abounded
grace did much more abound. The day of God's wrath was postponed. A
world guilty of murdering God's beloved Son was granted a reprieve. In
marvelous long-sufferance God gave the world an opportunity, a
protracted opportunity, to repent and thus reap the benefits of the
Death Divine.
The Holy Spirit has come down to this earth. Here is an amazing fact
of stupendous magnitude. There is a Divine person on earth today. He
has been here, now, for eighteen centuries unseen, unknown, and
unappreciated by the world, yet here, nevertheless. Like the absence
of the Lord Jesus Christ, the presence of the Holy Spirit has a double
bearing--a bearing upon the world, and a bearing upon the Church. His
relation to the world is a solemn and an awful one. The Holy Spirit is
here to convict the world of its terrible crime in rejecting and
crucifying the Son of God. This is clear from the language of John
16--"When He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of
righteousness, and of judgment. Of sin, because they believe not on
Me. Of righteousness bemuse I go to My Father, and ye see Me no more;
Of judgment because the prince of this world is judged" (vv. 8-11).
These verses do not refer to the work of the Holy Spirit in individual
sinners, but speaks of the consequences of His presence on earth
toward the world. It is true that by His gracious operations the Holy
Spirit brings sinners to repentance, but this is not the subject of
the above verses: there, as we have said, we have set forth the
relation of the Holy Spirit toward the "world" in general. The above
quotation brings before us the significance of the Spirit's presence
on earth rather than defines the character of His work. In the sense
that He is now here, the Holy Spirit would not be present at all if
the Lord Jesus had not been cast out by the world. The Holy Spirit is
here to fill the place of an absent Christ. The presence of the Holy
Spirit is the demonstration of the fact that Christ is absent.
Therefore it is that His presence here "reproves the world," reproves
the world "of the cause" of Christ's absence, reproves the "world" of
its awful crime in putting to death the Lord of Glory. He reproves the
world of "sin." Furthermore the presence here of the Holy Spirit
reproves the world of "righteousness," of righteousness because Christ
has gone to the Father and the world sees Him no more, nor will it see
Him until He returns in judgment. The "righteousness" of which the
Spirit reproves or convicts the world is the righteousness of God the
Father in His exaltation to His own right hand of the One cast out by
the world. Finally, the presence here of the Holy Spirit convicts the
world of "judgment" because Satan, the prince of this world, is
already judged, though the sentence has not yet been executed. So much
then for the world-ward bearing of the fact of the Holy Spirit's
presence on earth.
Like the fact of our Lord's rejection by the world, the presence of
the Holy Spirit on earth also has a bearing upon the Church--a blessed
bearing. God has overruled the issues of this second great fact.
Though the presence here of the Holy Spirit condemns the world, it
involves infinite blessing for the Church. Churchward, the Holy Spirit
is here to take the place of our absent Savior. He is here to
"quicken" (John 8:6) as Christ quickened (John 5:21). He is here to
"teach" (John 14:26) as Christ taught (Matthew 7-29). He is here to
"comfort" (John 16:7) as Christ comforted (John 14:1). In short, the
Holy Spirit is here to do for God's people what Christ would have done
for them had He remained on the earth. The consequences, then, of the
presence here of God the Holy Spirit are unspeakably solemn as regards
the world, but infinitely precious as regards the saints.
We are now prepared to consider the third great fact which is
presented to our notice in the New Testament scriptures, that fact
which forms the subject of this chapter--the fact of the Redeemer's
Return. And--
1. The Statement of this Fact.
To state in the fewest possible words the broad fact itself--the Lord
Jesus is coming back again. As we have seen, He has gone away from
this world. He ascended on high. But heaven is not to retain Him
forever. Scripture declares that He is to vacate His Father's throne
where He is now seated, that He will descend to the air and receive
His people unto Himself, and, that subsequently, He will return to the
earth to set up His Millennial Kingdom.
The fact of our Lord's Return is set forth in the New Testament as
clearly and as fully as either of the other two facts to which we have
referred. The fact and truth of the second advent of Christ occupies a
commanding position in the New Testament. In our Lord's tender
farewell address to His disciples (John 14-16) the prospect and
promise of His Return was the first subject to which He directed their
attention (John 14:1-13). After He had left His disciples, yea, while
in the very act of ascending, He sent two of His angels to tell them
"This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so
come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11).
In the first Epistle which the apostle Paul was inspired to write,
namely, the "Thessalonian," he referred in every chapter to the
Redeemer's Return. In his instructions to the Corinthians concerning
their celebration of the Lord's Supper, he wrote, "As often as ye eat
this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till He
come" (1 Cor. 11:26). As we have already stated in another connection,
the first promise that was given to fallen man was that the woman's
Seed should come and bruise the Serpent's head--a prophecy which will
not receive its fulfillment until the time of the Lord's Return. The
last recorded words of our blessed Savior, found in the closing
chapter of the Bible, were "Surely I come quickly" (Rev. 22:20). Thus
we see that at the beginning and also at the end of the Sacred Volume,
the Blessed Hope is given prominence, while between these two
utterances of God Himself are literally hundreds of verses which bear
directly upon this precious theme. The same Book which tells us that
our Lord came to this earth and went away; the same Book which tells
us that God the Spirit is now present on the earth, also declares that
the Lord Jesus is coming back again, and, as another has said, "If we
admit one fact we must admit all: if we deny one, we must deny all;
inasmuch as all rest upon precisely the same authority. They stand or
fall together."
The fact of our Lord's' Return is stated in the most positive,
emphatic, and unequivocal language. "I will come again" (John 14:3).
He did not say "I may come again," or "I intend to come again," but "I
will come again." Moved by the Holy Spirit the apostle Paul wrote,
"The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven" etc. (1 Thess. 4:16). The
apostle did not say "We shall go to the Lord," or "The Lord will send
for us" but "The Lord Himself shall descend." The fact of our Lord's
Return is not set forth in mysterious and obscure figures of speech,
but is stated in language so plain and simple that he who runs may
read and is expressed in terms of finality, beyond which there is no
appeal. "For yet a little while and He that shall come will come, and
will not tarry" (Heb. 10:37). And again, "Surely I come quickly (
Revelation 22:20).
2. The Interpretation of this Fact.
This third great fact which is presented to our notice in the New
Testament must be interpreted on precisely the same lines and by the
same canons as the other two Facts, i. e., the Scriptures which set
forth the Second Advent of Christ must be received just as we receive
those statements which tell us of His first advent and of the descent
to earth of the Holy Spirit. Those verses which treat of the
Redeemer's Return must be taken at their face value: they must be
received by faith just as they read: they must be understood
literally. We press this point upon our readers because there have
been many teachers who have sought to spiritualize the Scriptural
references to our Lord's second coming and who have treated them as
though their language must be regarded as figurative and symbolical.
Just as the Lord Jesus came to the earth the first time in person so
will lie come the second time. Our Redeemer is to return bodily and
visibly. The language of Holy Writ gives as much reason for believing
in a literal and personal return of Christ as it did for His First
Advent. "Occupy till I come." "If I will that he tarry till I come."
"Ye do shew the Lord's death till He come" "Ye turned to God from
idols to serve the living and true God; and to wait for His Son from
heaven." These are representative passages, and no one reading them
for the first time without theological bias would ever think that they
meant anything else than a literal, personal Advent. And yet the plain
language of the Word has been twisted and distorted and made to teach
almost anything and everything other than its obvious signification.
We shall not weary our readers by examining and refuting at length
every forced and fanciful interpretation which has been indulged in by
various commentators; such a task is unnecessary and would be
unprofitable. Those theories which have gained the most adherents may
be grouped into three classes.
First; there, is a class of commentators who regard the coming of the
Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost as the fulfillment of Christ's
promise to return. This view is based upon our Lord's Word in John 14
where, after declaring to His disciples that He would give them
"Another Comforter" who would abide with them forever, He immediately
added, "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you" (vs.
18). But to regard me descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost as the
accomplishment of Christ's promise "I will come again" is to confuse
the Persons of the Holy Trinity. A sufficient refutation of this error
is found in the fact that the Epistles which were all of them written
alter Pentecost contain numerous references to and promises concerning
the personal return of Christ.
Second; another class of commentators regard the destruction of
Jerusalem by the Roman armies in A.D. 70 as the fulfillment of our
Lord's promise to come back to the earth and, untenable as this theory
is, strange to say, it has met with a very wide acceptation among
Christian theologians. This theory is based upon a careless exposition
of Matthew 24. At the beginning of this chapter we learn that His
disciples asked our Lord three questions: First, "Tell us, when shall
these things be?" The "these things" look back to the previous verse
where Christ had foretold the destruction of the temple. Second, "And
what shall be the sign of Thy coming?" Third, "And of the end of the
age?" Now in order to understand our Lord's complete answer to these
three questions it is necessary to pay close attention to the parallel
passages found in Mark 13 and Luke 21. A careful comparison of these
chapters will make plain the different answers which our Lord returned
to His disciples' questions. In His answers tie made a clear
distinction between the destruction of Jerusalem and His subsequent
personal return, though we must remember that as "history repeats
itself" some of the signs which heralded the approach of each event
were common to both. When speaking of the former He said, "When ye
shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the
desolation thereof is nigh" (Luke 21:20); but when referring to the
latter He declared, "And there shall be signs in the sun and in the
moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with
perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them
with fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the
earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they
see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory, And
when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up
your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh" (Luke 21:25-28). That
the destruction of Jerusalem did not exhaust the predictions made by
our Lord with reference to His own return is evident from the fact
that in the book of Revelation--written at least twenty years after
the destruction of Jerusalem--He promises, no less than six times, to
"come again."
Third; another class of commentators regard the death of the believer
as the fulfillment of our Lord's promise to come back again and
receive His own unto Himself. This error has already been refuted in
an earlier chapter so that nothing further needs now to be said
concerning it.
In Acts 3:18 we have enunciated a principle which supplies a sure and
certain key to prophetic interpretation--"But those things, which God
before had shewed by the mouth of all His prophets, that Christ should
suffer, He hath so fulfilled." The important words here are "so
fulfilled." How had the Old Testament prophecies concerning the
"sufferings" of Christ been "fulfilled"? The answer is literally. And,
in like manner, will be accomplished those unfulfilled prophecies
which speak of the coming "glory" of Christ. Just as those predictions
which made it known that Christ should be sold for "thirty pieces of
silver," that His hands and His feet should be "pierced," that He
should be given "vinegar, mingled with gall" to drink,--just as these
were fulfilled to the letter, so the Scriptures which declare that He
shall descend from heaven with a shout," that "every eye shall see
Him" when He comes back to earth, that He shall return in power and
great glory and shall be accompanied by "ten thousands of His
saints"--just so shall these predictions be fulfilled to the very
letter.
3. The twofold bearing of this Fact.
We come now to a point concerning which it behooves believers,
particularly young believers and beginners in the study of prophecy,
to be quite clear upon. Like the other two great Facts which we have
reviewed--the First Advent of our Lord to this earth and His going
away, and the presence now of the Holy Spirit upon this earth--this
third great fact of the Redeemer's Return also has a double bearing, a
bearing upon the Church and a bearing upon the world. The Second
Coming of Christ will occur in two stages. Just as a man living in New
York might take a railroad journey to California, and while enroute
break his journey at Chicago, so Christ will break His journey from
heaven to earth. He is now in heaven; He will return to the earth. His
ultimate destination is the Mount of Olives (Zech. 14:4), but He first
breaks His journey in the air (1 Thess. 4:16). It is highly important
to the understanding of unfulfilled prophecy that these two stages in
the Return of Christ should be clearly distinguished; failure to do so
will inevitably result in the utmost confusion. There are not yet to
be two Returnings of Christ, but one Return in two stages.
The two stages in the Return of Christ are clearly distinguished in
the New Testament. We now call attention to some of the leading
differences between them. 1. The first stage will be in grace, the
second will be in judgment. 2. The first stage will reach no farther
than the air, the second will reach to the earth itself. 3. The first
stage is when the Redeemer returns to catch up the saints unto
Himself, the second is when He returns to the earth to rule it with a
iron. 4. The first stage will be secret unseen by the world, the
second will be public and seen by every eye. 5. The stage is Christ
returning as "The Morning Star" (Rev. 22:16), the second is His
appearing as "The Sun of Righteousness" (Mal. 4:2). 6. At the first
stage He comes for His saints (John 14:3), at the second He returns
with His saints (Jude 1:4), 7. The first stage, His secret coming for
His saints, it not the subject of a single Old Testament prophecy, the
second stage, when He returns to the earth, is referred to in numerous
Old Testament predictions. 8. The first stage of Christ's Return will
be followed by God's Judgments being poured forth on the earth, the
second will be followed by God's blessings being poured upon the
earth, and by the Holy Spirit being poured out upon all flesh. 9. The
first stage will be followed by Satan coming down to this earth in
great wrath (Rev. 12:9), the second will be followed by Satan being
removed from the earth for a thousand years (Rev. 20:2, 3). 10.
Between the present hour and the first stage of Christ's Return
nothing intervenes, no prophecy needs first to be fulfilled, for our
Lord may return at any moment; but before the second stage of Christ's
Return can occur many prophecies must first be fulfilled. 11.
Concerning the first stage of our Lord's Return we "wait for God's Son
from heaven" (1 Thess. 1:10), whereas the second stage is
distinguished as "the coming of the Son of Man." 12. The first stage
was typified by the translation of Enoch to heaven (Heb. 11:5), the
second was foreshadowed by Elijah who has yet to return to this earth
to herald the judgments of the great and terrible day of the Lord
(Mal. 4:5). 13. The first stage is our Lord's Coming as our Savior
(Heb. 9:28), the second is His return to earth as King (Rev. 19:11,
16). 14. The first stage will be followed by the saints coming before
the "judgment-seat" (Bema) of Christ to be judged according to their
works and rewarded for their service (2 Cor. 5:10), the second will be
followed by the "Throne of glory" upon which shall set the Son of Man
who will judge the nations that are upon earth at the beginning of His
millennial reign and apportion them their positions in His Kingdom
(Matthew 25:31-46). Here then is the double bearing of the Fact of the
Redeemer's Return--it respects first His own people and then the whole
world.
These two stages in the Redeemer's Return are in strict accord with
the order of events which transpired at His First Advent. At the first
coming of the Lord Jesus there was a secret or private manifestation
of Himself, and subsequently a public revelation. The newly-born
Savior was actually seen by very few. The shepherds in the field, the
wise men from the East. Anna and Simeon in the temple saw the Redeemer
in the days of His infancy, but Herod and Pilate, the scribes and the
Pharisees--the unbelieving civic and religious heads--saw Him not!
After His return from Egypt on the death of Herod, He retired to
Nazareth and it was not until an interval of nearly thirty years had
passed that He was publicly manifested. Thus will it be at His second
coming. First there will be the secret manifestation (in the air) unto
His own people, and then after an interval of seven years or more He
will be publicly revealed to the world.
4. The Fact of the Redeemer's Return was typified in the lives of
Joseph and Solomon.
In the Old Testament there are numerous references to the Second
Coming of Christ, references both direct and typical, but in every
instance it was His return to the earth which was in view. The secret
coming of Christ into the air, to catch up the saints to Himself, was
an event quite unknown to the Old Testament prophets, an event kept
secret until revealed by God to the apostle Paul who, when writing to
the Corinthians upon this particular aspect of our subject, said,
"Behold, I show you a mystery (In Scripture the word "mystery"
signifies "a previously hidden truth, now Divinely revealed, but in
which a supernatural element still remains despite the revelation."
--Scofield.); We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump! for the trumpet
shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall
be changed" (1 Cor. 15:51, 52).
Many of the Old Testament characters were remarkable types of Christ:
In Adam we see Christ's headship; in Abel, Christ put to death by His
own brethren according to the flesh; in Enoch, Christ's ascension to
heaven; in Noah, Christ providing a "refuge" for His own; in
Melchizedek, Christ's Kingship; in Abraham, Christ's Nazariteship; in
Isaac, Christ the willing Sacrifice; in Jacob, Christ toiling for a
"bride;" in Moses, Christ the faithful Servant; in Aaron, Christ the
great High Priest; in Joshua, Christ conducting His people into their
inheritance. And so we might continue right through the Old Testament.
Foremost among the typical personages of the Old Testament is Joseph.
In almost every detail of his life we see Christ typified. The son of
his father's love, yet the object of his brethren's bitter, hatred.
His very name meaning "adding" as Christ is adding to the inhabitants
of Heaven by the seed which issues from His travail. Sent by his
father to inquire after his brethren's welfare, he is despised and
rejected by them. They plot against his life and sell him into the
hands of strangers. While yet in his youth he was carried down into
Egypt. In Egypt he entered into the degradation of slavery and
rendered faithful service to his master. He was sorely tempted yet
sinned not, but though innocent he was falsely accused and cast into
prison. While in prison--the place of shame--he was associated with
two others, one of whom--the butler--heard from his lips a message of
cheer telling of his restoration to the king's favor, the other the
baker--receiving the sentence of death. So, when the Lord Jesus hung
upon the Cross--the place of shame--two malefactors were crucified
with Him one of whom heard from His lips a message of cheer telling of
his restoration to God's favor, while the other died in his sins.
Surely such perfect typification of Christ, such numerous points of
analogy are not so many coincidences, but are a Divine delineation of
the person and work of the Redeemer--a picture drawn by the hand of
the Holy Spirit Himself. If then the type is perfect, if the picture
be complete, ought we not to look for something in it which
foreshadowed our Lord's exaltation and coming glory? Assuredly. Nor do
we look in vain--The sequel to Joseph's humiliation clearly pointed
forward to the Return of our Lord to this earth in power and majesty.
Above, we followed the typical history of Joseph to the point where
he, through no fault of his own, was sentenced to suffer the shame of
being cast into an Egyptian prison. But at this point of Joseph's life
there was a dramatic change. Joseph's history did not terminate in
shame and suffering but in power and glory. From the dungeon he was
exalted to Egypt's throne! And, mark, his sovereignty was foretold
years before he entered into the enjoyment of it. As a boy he dreamed
of seeing the other sheaves all bowing down before his, which
signified that his brethren would yet pay homage to him. So the
prophetic Scriptures bear witness to the coining sovereignty of our
Lord over this earth many centuries before He actually takes the
scepter in His hands. After his elevation to the Throne of Egypt
Joseph's sovereignty was publicly recognized and acknowledged, for all
men were compelled to "bow the knee" before him (Gen. 41:48), and thus
will it be with our Savior when He takes unto Himself His power and
sits upon the Throne of His Glory. To complete the picture, we find
that after Joseph's exaltation his brethren were reconciled to him,
and then in wondrous grace they are given a land in which to
dwell--the land of Goshen, the best in all Egypt; so when Christ
returns to earth His brethren according to the flesh--Israel--shall be
reconciled to Him and receive from Him the land of Palestine in which
to dwell throughout His beneficent reign. Thus, as Joseph was exalted
to power and glory after the period of his humiliation was ended, so
shall our blessed Redeemer yet return to earth to reign as King of
Kings and Lord of Lords.
In the glorious reign of Solomon which followed the checkered career
of David we have another striking type of the position which the
Redeemer shall occupy during the Millennium. This is one of the
composite types of Scripture. There are a number such where two or
more objects or persons were necessary in order to give a complete
picture. For example: in the great Levitical offerings (Lev. 1-6) we
find five--the Burnt, the Meal, the Peace, the Sin, and the Trespass
offerings--were required to give a complete foreshadowing of the
person and work of the Redeemer. In the Tabernacle, no less than seven
pieces of furniture in addition to its structure and materials, were
needed to set forth fully the varied glories of Christ. So it was with
reference to living persons. Enoch and Noah, Moses and Aaron, Elijah
and Elisha supplemented each other in their typical characteristics.
Thus it was with David and Solomon--the latter was the complement of
the former and the two must be studied together in order to secure a
complete picture David was a type of Christ in His humiliation,
Solomon foreshadowed Christ in His glorification. David pointed to
Christ at His First Advent, Solomon looked forward to Christ at His
Second Advent.
In many particulars David typified the humiliation of his "greater
son." He was born in Bethlehem of Judea. He is described as "of a
beautiful countenance, and goodly to look upon," thus reminding us of
Him who "increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and
man," and who to the believer is the Fairest among ten thousand and
the altogether Lovely One. By occupation he was a "shepherd," and
during his shepherd life he repeatedly entered into conflict with wild
beasts. He was pre-eminently a man of prayer and is the only one in
all Scripture termed a "man after God's own heart." He was the tree
who slew Goliath--the opposer of God's people and type of Satan,
foreshadowing the conflict between the Serpent and the woman's Seed
who, by His death, delivered God's people from the toils of their
great Enemy. When his arch-enemy Saul was in his power he acted in
great mercy by sparing his life, just as in Gethsemane our blessed
Lord refused to summon the angels to destroy His foes and as on the
Cross lie prayed for the forgiveness of His murderers. He was a man of
sorrows and acquainted with grief, suffering chiefly from those of His
own household.
After David came Solomon who foreshadowed the glory and the millennial
reign of Christ. The word "Solomon" means "Peaceable" and thus his
name suggests the Kingdom of Christ over which He shall rule as the
"Prince of Peace." He was "anointed" some time before he was crowned:
so the Lord Jesus was "anointed with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 10:38) at
His baptism but is yet awaiting the day of His coronation. Gentiles
took part in the crowning of Solomon (1 Kings 1:38, 39). typifying the
universal homage which Christ shall receive during the Millennium. At
the time of his coronation, Solomon was followed by an army of
soldiers (the Cherethites and the Pelethites) (1 Kings 1:38), just as
our returning King shall be accompanied by "the armies in heaven"
(Rev. 19:14). Solomon was not only King of Israel but, like the One he
foreshadowed, he was King of Kings (see 1 Kings 4:21, 24). During his
reign "Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and
under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, all the days of
Solomon" (1 Kings 4:25): so it will be with Israel again during the
Millennium (see Jeremiah 23:6). Solomon was the builder of Israel's
Temple, so also we read of Christ that He will "return and will build
again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down" (Acts 15:16); and
again, "Behold the Man whose name is the Branch; and He shall grow up
out of His place, and He shall build the temple of the Lord" (Zech.
6:12). At the dedication of the Temple, Solomon was the one who
offered up the sacrifices to God (1 Kings 8:36), thus foreshadowing
the One who shall be "a priest upon His throne" (Zech. 6:18).
Solomon's fame spread abroad far and wide so that "all the earth
sought to Solomon" (1 Kings 10:23) and came up to Jerusalem to pay him
homage, and thus will it be with David's "son" and Lord--"It shall
come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which
came against Jerusalem, shall even go up from year to year to worship
the King, the Lord of hosts" (Zech. 14:16). During Solomon's reign,
for the first and last time until the Millennium, all Palestine rested
in peace. The glory and majesty of Solomon's reign has never been
equaled before or since--"King Solomon exceeded all the Kings of the
earth for riches and for wisdom" (1 Kings 10:28); "And the Lord
magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed
upon him such royal majesty as had not been on any King before him in
Israel" (1 Chron. 29:25). Thus we see that the peaceful,
international, and glorious reign of Solomon, following the death of
David, typified the millennial reign of the Redeemer.
5. The Fact of the Redeemers Return was foreshadowed in the Ritual on
the annual day of Israel's Atonement.
The order of events on the Day of Atonement are described in Leviticus
16, a chapter which is exceedingly rich in its typical signification.
The Day of Atonement had to do with the putting away of Israel's sins,
therefore, its dispensational application refers mainly to Israel
though, as we shall see, the Church was also typically represented. We
shall not now attempt anything more than a bare outline of the
happenings of that most memorable, day on Israel's sacred calendar.
The order of its ritual was as follows:
First, Aaron washed in water and then attired himself in the holy
linen garments. It is to be noted that Aaron was provided with two
sets of garments--those which were "for glory and for beauty" (Ex.
28:2), and the plain linen garments which were used when he offered
sacrifice to God: the change from the latter into the former is
referred to in Leviticus 16:23, 24, it was the plain, linen garments
which were worn by the high priest on the Day of Atonement, because,
clad thus in robes of spotless white he prefigured the sinlessness of
the One who came to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
Second, Aaron offered "a bullock of the sin-offering" to "make an
atonement for himself and for his house" (vs. 6). Our Great High
Priest was without sin, He "knew no sin," yet He became so identified
with His people that God "made Him to be sin for us" (2 Cor. 5:20),
hence in the type Aaron makes atonement not only for his "house" but
for "himself" as well. But observe particularly "and for his house."
That is where the Church is seen, the Church which by Peter is termed
"a spiritual house, a holy priesthood" (1 Pet. 2:5 --cf. Hebrews 8:6).
Third, Aaron took two goats and presented them before the Lord at the
door of the tabernacle where he cast lots upon them "one lot for the
Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat" (vv. 7,8). The two goats
bring before us the two great sides of Christ's cross-work, namely,
the Divine and the human. The death of the Lord Jesus not only
provided a salvation for lost sinners but it also vindicated and
glorified God Himself. On the Cross Christ met the claims of God's
justice, satisfied the demands of His holiness, vindicated His
governmental rights and publicly exemplified His righteousness. "One
lot for the Lord" then, is what God obtained in the death of His
beloved Son.
Fourth, the goat of the sin-offering was killed and its blood brought
within the veil and sprinkled both upon and before the mercy-seat (vs.
15). The mercy-seat was God's "throne" in Israel. Observe that the
blood was sprinkled but once upon the mercy-seat and seven times
before it (vv. 14,15). Once was sufficient to meet all the claims of
God, for that which the blood of the goat typified--the "precious
blood" of Christ--was of infinite value in the sight of heaven, but
seven times it needed to be sprinkled to meet our deep, deep need in
order to provide tot us a perfect standing ground before God!
Fifth, after making atonement for the holy place and the
altar--showing there is that, even in our communion with and worship
of God, which needs cleansing--Aaron laid both his hands on the head
of the second, live goat, and confessed over him "all the iniquities
of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their
sins, and putting them upon the head of the goat" and sending him away
into the wilderness, into "a land not inhabited" (vv. 21, 22). Just as
the first goat represented the great troth of propitiation, the Divine
side of Christ's cross-work, the satisfying and glorifying of God, so
this second goat represented the other great truth of substitution,
the manward side of Christ's cross-work, the acting of the Lord Jesus
as the Surety of His people and bearing away their sins "as far as the
east is from the west." The laying on of the priest's lands upon the
head of the innocent goat signified an act of identification, the
counterpart of which now enables us to say by faith "I was crucified
with Christ" (Gal. 2:20--Greek). The confession of Israel's iniquities
over its head, intimated the transference of guilt, pointing forward,
as it did, to Christ bearing "our sins in His own body on the tree" (1
Pet. 2:24). The thrice repeated "all" evidenced the completeness of
the atonement there made, and thus it was with the Antitype "who gave
Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity" (Titus
2:14). The sending away of the goat bearing Israel's sins into "a land
not inhabited," typified the complete removal of sin; and blessed be
God our sins have all been completely taken away so that it is written
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ
Jesus" (Rom. 8:1).
Sixth, after atonement had been effected, the high priest came out of
the Holy of Holies, attired himself in his robes of beauty and glory
and returned to the waiting Congregation in the outer court (vv. 23,
24). It is in this last act of Aaron that we arrive at the point which
is specially germane to our present study. The Antitype, our great
High Priest, has already made atonement and has passed through the
veil into the Holy of Holies on high `now to appear in the presence of
God for us," but soon He shall divest Himself of the sacrificial
garments and attired in robes of glory and beauty He shall come forth
to His waiting people whose sins and iniquities shall be remembered
"no more for ever." It is to this coming forth of our High Priest that
Hebrews 9:28 (speaking in the very language of the above type)
refers--"So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto
them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin
(our sins gone) unto salvation." Thus we see that the Ritual of
Israel's annual Day of Atonement foreshadowed not only the cross-work
of Christ and His present session at God's right hand but that it also
typified and looked forward to His return in glory.
6. The fact of the Redeemer's Return is illustrated in the Gospel
narratives.
We refer now to the incident of Christ walking over the water to the
aid of His storm-tossed disciples, the dispensational significance of
which has already been pointed out by several writers. Immediately
after our Lord had fed the five thousand, He retired into a mountain
while His disciples went down unto the sea, and entering into a ship,
they essayed to journey to Capernaum. But as they rowed "the sea arose
by reason of a great wind that blew." It was dark, and Jesus was not
come to them, and all the progress they had made after hours of hard
rowing was "twenty-five or thirty furlongs." Then it was that Jesus
drew nigh, and with a gracious "It is I; be not afraid" He stilled
their fears. The statement that follows is a remarkable one--"Then
they willingly received Him into the ship: and immediately the ship
was at the land whither they went" (John 6:15-21). At the risk of
being considered "fanciful" we shall attempt to expound the typical
and dispensational bearings of the above incident.
Christ on the mount, praying, points to His present position on high
where He is interceding for us at the right hand of God. The restless,
tossing sea, aptly figures the world's unrest in its opposition to
God. The ship in the midst of the sea represents the Church which is
in the world but not of it. The storm beating down upon the ship
caused by the "great wind" that blew, prefigures the attacks and
assaults upon the Church by the "Prince of the power of the air,"
seeking to destroy it during the time of Christ's absence. The rowing
of the disciples and their failure to make headway against the storm,
shows the powerlessness of the Church to improve the world as such.
Nineteen centuries of Gospel preaching and Christian witnessing have
failed to effect any real change in the world at large. The unrest of
the world still continues, its hostility while not so open is yet just
as real, and Christ is "hated" as bitterly as ever. The Church may
pull at its oars, but it cannot still the sea--the storm will not be
hushed until the Lord Jesus appears! All that the disciples could do
was to keep the ship from sinking, and in that they were successful.
There again our type is perfect. The world may be hostile to the
Church and Satan may fling his angry winds and waves against it, but
as its Founder declared, His church is built upon the Rock and "the
gates of Hades shall not prevail against it," and blessed be God they
have not. After almost two thousand years of human and Satanic
opposition, after every conceivable weapon has been employed to
encompass its destruction, Christ's Church still survives. And in the
midst of the storm; at the darkest hour, in the fourth watch, Christ
came to the deliverance of His disciples. So it will be at His Second
Advent: He will come back to and for the Church which He ransomed with
His own blood. He came to His disciples and, be it noted, He appeared
not with a word of reproach but with a message of cheer--"It is I; be
not afraid." Thus will it be at the Redeemer's Return: He will descend
from heaven with a shout of welcome, bringing joy and gladness to the
hearts of His own. Observe the blessed sequel--"and immediately the
ship was at the land whither they went." The typical meaning of this
is obvious: when our Lord comes back again the Church's conflicts will
be over, its journey is then completed, its voyage ended, its destined
harbor is safely reached. "Even so, come, Lord Jesus."
"For the coming of the Bridegroom,
Whom, the' yet unseen, we love;
For the King of saints returning
In His glory from above;
For the shout that shakes the prison,
For the trumpet loud and clear,
For the voice of the archangel,
The Church is waiting here.
For the light beyond the darkness,
When the reign of sin is done;
When the storm has ceased its raging,
And the haven has been won;
For the joy beyond the sorrow,
Joy of the eternal year,
For the resurrection splendor,
We are waiting, waiting here."
7. The Fact of the Redeemer's Return had a spectacular setting forth
on the Mount of Transfiguration.
The Transfiguration of Christ is perhaps as familiar as any of the
leading events recorded in the four Gospels, yet is it less understood
than the other great crises in His blessed life. The purpose and
meaning of the Transfiguration is defined in the closing verse of
Matthew 16--"Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which
shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming in His
Kingdom." This is the verse which has puzzled many Bible readers, yet
its meaning is simple if we pay heed to its exact wording. Observe
that Christ did not here say, "There be some standing here which shall
not taste of death till the Son of man come in His Kingdom." but
"until they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom." The word "See"
furnishes the key to the above declaration. Observe further, that our
Lord said to the disciples, "There be some standing here, which shall
not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming in His
Kingdom."
The above verse is the closing one of Matthew 16 and it is exceedingly
unfortunate that a chapter division has been made to immediately
follow it and thus obscure its real meaning to many readers. What
follows in the next chapter is the fulfillment of Christ's promise to
the disciples as is clear from its opening statement--"And after six
days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth
them up into a high mountain apart, and was transfigured before
them"--the "And" connecting Matthew 17 with chapter 16, the "after six
days" dating from the promise given the disciples, and the "some"
finding its fulfillment in "Peter, James, and John." Here then is the
key to the significance of the Transfiguration scene--it was the
disciples, seeing "the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom:" it was a
pattern and sample of the glory in which our Lord shall return to the
Mount of Olives; it was a visible representation, a spectacular
setting forth of each of the leading elements which shall be found in
Christ's Millennial Kingdom. To particularize.
"And after six days"--"about an eight days after" (Luke). Every detail
in the description of this remarkable event is worthy of our closest
study. A careless and flippant reader might ask, "Why are we told that
our Lord was transfigured just six days after He had given His promise
to the disciples?--What does it matter to us whether it was six or
sixteen days?" But the reverent student of Holy Scripture has learnt
that everything in God's Word has a meaning and value. "Six days
after," then it was a seventh-day scene, a Sabbatical scene, in a
word--a Millennial scene. Some students will differ from us upon this
point, but we record it as our belief that the above words furnish
Scriptural verification of a view which was commonly held by the
ancients, by the Rabbis and by the Church "Fathers," namely, that in
line with the statement found in 2 Peter 8:8--"One day is with the
Lord as a thousand years"--the seven days of Genesis one are to be
regarded as a definition of the duration of earth's history, i. e.,
six thousand years of toil and labor followed by a thousand years of
rest and peace, the Sabbath-day thus pointing forward to the
Millennium.
"And His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the
light" (Matthew 17:2). With this statement should be compared Peter's
inspired commentary--"For we have not followed cunningly devised
fables, when we make known unto you the power and coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received
from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to
Him from the excellent Glory (i. e., the Shekinah Glory), This is My
beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. And this Voice which came from
heaven we heard, when we were with Him in the holy mount" (2 Pet.
1:16-18). During the days of Christ's humiliation when He endured the
contradiction of sinners against Himself, we are told, "His visage was
so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men"
(Isa. 52:14), but here on the Mount of Transfiguration "His face did
shine as the sun." The disciples were favored with a glimpse of Christ
in His resurrection glory! It is thus He now appears in Heaven as is
evident from the blinding effects of Christ's glory as manifested to
Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus road. And it is thus He will appear
when He shall return to this earth, arising as "The Sun of
righteousness with healing in His wings" (Mal. 4:2).
"And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elijah talking with
Him" (vs. 3). From the fact that Moses (representative of the Law) and
Elijah (standing for the Prophets) were with Christ at this time we
may learn that the Old Testament saints shall have their part and
place with Christ in His Millennial Kingdom. There is also another
fact revealed here--precious thought!--when our Lord returns to the
earth He will be accompanied by two classes of saints here represented
by Moses and Elijah namely, those who have passed through death and
those who have been "changed" and raptured to heaven without seeing
death. The three disciples--Peter, James, and John--may be regarded as
representatives of the Church, not, of course, the Church in its
Divine unity, but in individual capacity.
"While He yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and
behold a voice out of the cloud which said, This is My beloved Son, in
whom I am well pleased, hear ye Him" (vs. 5). The mention of the
"bright cloud" here is deeply significant, the more so as it was out
of it that the Voice of God was heard speaking. This was the "Cloud"
which had been withdrawn from Israel centuries before but which now
suddenly appeared again. This was the "Cloud" in which Jehovah
appeared of old--the Cloud of the Shekinah glory. It was the "Cloud"
which filled the Tabernacle--"Then a cloud covered the tent of the
congregation, and the Glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle" (Ex.
40:34). This was the "Cloud" which guided Israel throughout their
wilderness wanderings--"And when the cloud was taken up from over the
tabernacle, the children of Israel went forward in all their journeys:
but if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the
day that it was taken up" (Ex. 40:36, 37). This was the "Cloud" in
which Jehovah appeared in the Holy of Holies upon the mercy-seat (Lev.
16:2). This was the "Cloud" which, filled the Temple of Solomon (1
Kings 8:10). Little wonder then that the disciples "fell on their
faces and were sore afraid" (vs. 7)! The appearing of the Shekinah
"Cloud" on the mount of transfiguration was the intimation that it
shall be visible to Israel again in the Millennial Kingdom. That it
will be is further evident from the prophecy of Isaiah 4:5--"And the
Lord will create upon every dwelling-place of Mount Zion, and upon her
assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming
fire by night: for above all the glory shall be a defense"--the
context here, shows that this has reference to the Millennium. See
further Ezekiel 43.
"And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus
only" (vs. 8). This touch to the picture is a very beautiful one. It
tells us that in the Millennium our blessed Lord shall be exalted high
above all, that He shall occupy the position of pre-eminency, that all
human glories shall pale and disappear before His. As it is written,
"And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of
men shall be made low; and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that
day" (Isa. 2:17).
The hour when the Transfiguration occurred is significant. From Luke's
account we gather that it happened at night, for we read, "But Peter
and they that were with him were heavy with sleep'' (Luke 9:82). Thus
will it be at the close of the long, dark night of Israel's
dispersion--they shall look up and behold their Messiah returning in
power and glory, accompanied by ten thousands of His saints who shall
be on such terms of holy familiarity with Him (compare "Moses and
Elijah talking with Him") that the world shall marvel at that wondrous
grace which made them "joint-heirs with Christ."
The Transfiguration also revealed the blessedness of that time when
Christ shall set up His millennial Kingdom. "Lord, it is good for us
to be here" (vs. 4) was the exclamation that fell from the lips of the
astonished Peter. Thus will it be in the Millennium. "Lord, it is good
for us to be here" will well express the contentment and the joy of
those who will be upon earth in those days. O! what a time that will
be. Satan removed, the Antichrist destroyed, and all that opposes the
Gospel swept from the face of the earth. Israel penitent and restored,
the heathen nations then completely evangelized, and creation itself
delivered from its bondage of corruption. The saints "with Christ,"
wearing their glorified bodies and participating in His reign over an
earth full of the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. Christ Himself
on the throne, the Holy Spirit poured out upon all flesh, and
outwardly, God's will done upon the earth, as it is in heaven. Yes,
then indeed, shall it be said, "Lord, it is good to be here."
Striking indeed was the vision vouchsafed to the three favored
disciples. Remarkably full was that manifestation of the glory of
Messiah's coming Kingdom. But the sequel to the Transfiguration was
equally wonderful in its typical signification, and was needed to
complete this spectacular setting forth of the Redeemer's Return to
the earth.
"And when they were come to the multitude, there came to Him a certain
man, kneeling down to Him, and saying, Lord have mercy on my son: for
he is a lunatic, and sore vexed: for oftentimes he falleth into the
fire, and oft into the water. "And Jesus rebuked the demon: and he
departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour" (vv.
14, 15, 18). What a sight was this which confronted our Lord and His
disciples as they came down from the "holy mount"! What a picture of
Israel in particular and of the world in general! Thus will it be at
the time of our Lord's Return to this earth. The first thing which the
Savior did after He had given the disciples a vision of His glory in
the coming Kingdom, was to cast out a demon; and the first thing He
will do when He returns to the earth, will be to cast out the Devil
and secure him for a thousand years in the Bottomless Pit (Rev. 20:2,
3). God hasten that blessed day!
Thus we see that the Fact of the Redeemer's Return not only occupies a
prominent position in the didactic instruction of the Church Epistles,
but that it was also the subject of Old Testament prophecy and
typology, was pictorially illustrated in the miracles recorded in the
Gospels, and received a spectacular setting forth in the wonderful
scene which was enacted upon the Mount of Transfiguration.
____________________________________________________
Contents | Forword | Preface | Intro
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Conclusion | Appendix
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A. W. Pink Header
The Redeemer's Return
by Arthur W. Pink
The Time of the Redeemer's Return
Chapter 4
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be
darkened
and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from
heaven,
and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear
the
sign of the Son of Man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the
earth
mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of
heaven
with power and great glory" Matthew 24:29, 30
____________________________________________________
Having shown the Necessity of Christ's Return, having dwelt upon the
Hope of His appearing, having pondered some of the bearings and types
of the Fact of His Advent, we are now ready to discuss the Time of His
Return and to consider the question--When is our Lord coming back
again? By the "Time" of the Redeemer's Return we do not mean the date,
but the position which this great event occupies in God's
dispensational program. Concerning this phase of our subject there is
wide difference of opinion. Two positions have been taken and the
advocates of each appeal to the Scriptures in support of their
conflicting views. These two positions are known as Pre-millennialism
and Post-millennialism. The word "millennium" means a thousand years,
and "pre" means before and "post" means after. One school of
theologians believe and teach that the Lord Jesus will return before
the Millennium, another school insists that He will not come back
again until the close of the Millennium, in fact not until the end of
the world, the end of time itself. As the point at issue between these
schools is of great importance and as this book may fall into the
hands of a number of people who are bewildered by this contradictory
testimony and who are anxious to know what the Scriptures really say
upon the matter, we have decided to devote a separate chapter to the
examination of the question--Will Christ return before or after the
Millennium?
When is our Lord coming back again? In seeking a satisfactory and
authoritative answer to this question our first need is a candid mind,
an unprejudiced heart, a teachable spirit. It is impossible for us to
grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord while we cling to our
own pre-conceptions. The initial requirement in every student of Holy
Scriptures is that he shall bow to the authority of the Word and
submissively receive at its face value all that God has revealed. We
need to approach the Sacred Volume in the attitude of learners,
willing to have our own ideas of Truth corrected, and prepared to have
our beliefs formed and molded by the teaching of Holy Writ. Such an
assertion may perhaps appear a platitude, yet we are fully assured
that it is a timely reminder. One of the main hindrances which
prevents many of God's children apprehending Divine truth is that they
read the Bible through the eyes of others; they read it with opinions
already firmly formed, they read it with prejudicial interest. This is
largely true with reference to the subject of our present inquiry.
People have been taught by some "Doctor of Divinity," or Seminary
professor that the world is growing better, that the Gospel will
eventually win all men to Christ, and that the Millennium is to be
ushered in by the efforts of the church. It is difficult for those who
have been taught thus to set aside the effects of such teaching and
come to the study of the Bible to find out exactly what it says
concerning these things. Yet we must do so if we would learn God's
mind on the matter. It is "What saith the Scriptures?" not What does
our church teach? not What does our Creed or Catechism say? not what
did my godly parents tell me? but--What saith the Scriptures? We
repeat, in seeking an answer to the question--When will our Lord
return? Before or after the Millennium? we need to approach the Bible
with an open mind, willing to be instructed by the One who inspired
it, and coming to it in the spirit of the child Samuel saying, "Speak,
Lord, for Thy servant heareth."
What is the Time of our Lord's Return? As stated above, two general
answers are returned to this question. One class of theologians argue
that our Lord will not come back again until after the Millennium;
another class declare that He will return before the Millennium. In
order to be fair to each of these schools we will first give a brief
description of their respective positions.
I. Post and Pre-Millennialism defined.
1. The position of Post-millennialism.
Post-millennialists teach that the great purpose of the Divine
incarnation was that the Lord Jesus through His death and resurrection
should found and establish a spiritual Kingdom. They tell us that the
Jews who expected their Messiah to set up a material and visible
Kingdom on the earth were mistaken. They insist that the only Kingdom
Christ has or will ever have is an unseen, spiritual and heavenly
Kingdom, the subjects of which are the members of His Church, in whose
hearts Christ now rules. They declare that the Redeemer is even now
reigning, reigning as King over this earth and that He will continue
thus to reign, unseen, until He has overcome all enmity and opposition
and won His very enemies unto Himself. The instrument by which He is
to achieve this glorious victory is the church, and the Church, we are
told, is here to civilize as well as evangelize the earth.
Post-millennialists teach that while the Church is an institution and
organization separate from the State, yet it is interested in the
welfare of the State and that it is the duty of Christ's followers to
take part in polities and see to it that the best men securable are
elected to office and that they must be encouraged to frame and
enforce laws which make for civil righteousness.
In present-day conditions post-millenarians see the fulfilling of
their hopes and the promise of a speedy success crowning their
efforts. They regard the multiplication of educational advantages,
`the discoveries and inventions of modern science, the improvements in
hygenic and sanitary conditions, the growing demand for nation-wide
prohibition, the increasing number of hospitals and agencies to
relieve suffering, the modern trend toward inter-denominationalism and
religious, unionism, as so many heralds of the near approach of the
Millennium. They believe that the utilization and perfecting of such
agencies will usher in the Golden Age, an age of world peace and
prosperity, an age when all will know the Lord from the least to the
greatest. It is not until the close of this Millennium that they look
for Christ to return: then it is they expect Him to come back and
`wind up' all things, judge the human race and settle the eternal
destiny of every individual of it. Post-millenarians believe in a
general resurrection and a general judgment at the end of time. Such
in brief and in general is the position and belief held by
post-millennialists. We turn now to
2. The position of Pre-millennialism.
At every point the teaching of pre-millenarians is diametrically
opposed to that of the post-millennialists. Pre-millenarians regard
the Jewish expectation of a literal, visible, material Kingdom as
being set up in the earth by their Messiah as a hope authorized by the
Word of God because clearly revealed and expressly foretold by the Old
Testament prophets. They believe this Messianic Kingdom is now in
abeyance but will yet be established. They do not hold that Christ is
now reigning as King, on the contrary, they look upon Him as at
present exercising His high-priesthood, and they do not expect Him to
enter into the office of His Kingship until He returns to the earth
and sits upon the throne of His father David.
Pre-millennialists do not believe that it is the mission of the Church
to civilize the world, but instead, they are deeply impressed that the
great duty and business of the Church is to evangelize the nations.
While recognizing that civilization is a byproduct of evangelism, yet
they insist that their marching orders are contained in Christ's
mandate--Go, preach the Gospel to every creature. Believing this, and
realizing that a full obedience to their Lord's command will require
all their strength, time and talents, they (or, at least, an
increasing number of them) look upon politics, social-reform
movements, humanitarian efforts, etc. as outside of their own
jurisdiction, as something which is an integral part of that world
from which their Master was cast out, the "friendship" of which is
expressly declared to be "Enmity with God" (James 4:4). While they
rest with unshaken confidence upon the Divine promise that God's Word
shall not return unto Him void but that it shall accomplish that which
He pleases and prosper in the thing whereto He sends it, and while
they go forth preaching the Gospel in the assurance that the Holy
Spirit will use and bless it to the conversion of many of those that
hear it, yet pre-millennialists can find no promise anywhere in the
New Testament that the world as a whole shall improve during the time
of Christ's absence from it; on the contrary, they read that "In the
last days perilous times shall come" and that "Evil men and seducers
shall wax worse and worse" (2 Tim. 3:1, 13).
Pre-millennialists do not believe there can be any Millennium until
Christ returns to the earth, takes its government upon His shoulder
and reigns in power over it. They do not believe that there can be any
real improvement in moral and spiritual conditions down here while
Satan is free, and realizing the utter impotency of man to cope with
his powerful Enemy they recognize that the only hope for this poor
world is the Second Advent of Christ to it and His removal of Satan
from it. They believe that before this can happen Christ will first
come for His Church and instead of interposing a thousand years
between the present and this blessed event, they are looking for Him
to return at any moment. Such in brief and in general is the belief
and position of pre-millennialism.
Now it is very evident that both of these positions cannot be sound
and tenable, that one of them must be false and unscriptural.
Post-millennialism and pre-millennialism cannot both be right, one of
them is most certainly wrong. Which of them is in error? Again we
would urge upon our readers the need of drawing near to God and
praying Him for a teachable spirit and asking Him to enable them to
approach the examination of this issue with an unprejudiced mind and
an open heart.
II. Post and Pre-Millennialism Examined
1. An examination of Post-millennialism.
Post-millennialists teach that the only Kingdom over which Christ will
ever reign is a spiritual and celestial one. They say that those Jews
who expected their Messiah to set up a visible and material Kingdom on
the earth are mistaken, that they erred in the interpretation of their
prophetic Scriptures and cherished a carnal and unworthy hope. Let us
examine this assertion in the light of God's Word. In Psalm 132:11 we
read: "The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David; He will not turn from
it: Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne."
This was one of many Messianic prophecies scattered throughout the Old
Testament Scriptures. it is a prophecy which has never yet been
fulfilled. When our Lord Jesus was here upon earth He did not sit upon
any "throne," instead of occupying a Throne He was nailed to a cross.
True, He is now seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high, but
this is not the fulfillment of what Jehovah "swore in truth." David
never occupied a heavenly throne; his throne was an earthly one, he
reigned in Jerusalem; and God has declared that the Lord Jesus shall
sit upon David's throne. This Old Testament prophecy was confirmed in
New Testament times. In Luke one we learn that an angel appeared unto
Mary and said, "Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God.
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son,
and shalt call His name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called
the Son of the "Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the
throne of His father David: and He shall reign over the house of Jacob
for ever; and of His Kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke 1:30-33).
The above is not a single prophecy but a compound one. It is made up
of five separate items. Mary, the "virgin," was to conceive and bring
forth a son; her son's name was to be called "Jesus"; Jesus was to
become great and recognized as the Son of God; the Lord promised to
give unto Him the "throne of David," and over the "House of Jacob" He
was to reign forever. Utterly unlikely as it appeared to human wisdom
at the time, part of this prophecy has already been
fulfilled--literally fulfilled. There was a literal birth, Mary's son
was literally named "Jesus," and a literal "greatness" has become His
portion; by what sleight of hand then can the exegetical knife be run
through this prophecy and a literal "Throne of David" and a literal
reign over the "House of Jacob" be denied?
Post-millennialists teach that Christ is reigning as King today and
that He will continue to reign thus, unseen, until He has subdued and
won all His enemies. But the first part of this assertion is
altogether lacking in scriptural authority. Nowhere in the New
Testament are we told that Christ has already begun His Kingly reign,
and nowhere in the Epistles is He denominated the "King of the
Church." It is true that Christ is now seated upon a "throne," but not
upon His own Throne. Christ is seated on the Throne of His Father, but
His own Throne and the Father's Throne are clearly distinguished in
Scripture --"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me in My
Throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His
Throne" (Rev. 3:21).It is not until after He has vacated His Father's
throne and returns to this earth that He will occupy His own throne as
is clear from Matthew 25:31 --"When the Son of Man shall come in His
glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the
Throne of His glory."
Post-millennialists teach that the world is to be conquered by the
Church. Their favorite slogan is "The world for Christ." It is
supposed that in order to capture the world the Church must make
concessions to and compromises with the world. Post-millennialists
insist that it is the bounden duty of all Christians to help forward
every movement which makes for civic and social righteousness. But of
such it may be said, yea, it has been said by the Holy Spirit Himself
--"For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to
establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto
the righteousness of God" (Rom. 10:3). The New Testament knows no
righteousness apart from the Cross and places no value upon a
reformation which is divorced from regeneration. Post-millennialists
argue that believers ought to take part in politics and that it is
their business to look after the regulation of legislation. But
politics give Christ no place and where Christ has no place His
followers must have none. The Lord Jesus has left us an example that
we should follow His steps, but we search the records of His earthly
life in vain to discover any mention of Him taking any part in the
politics of Palestine in His day.
Post-millennialists teach that the Gospel is yet to convert the world
and that before Christ returns to earth all men will know Him from the
least unto the greatest. A captivating concept surely, but upon what
is it based? Certainly not upon the declarations of the New Testament.
We are commanded to preach the Gospel to every creature, but nowhere
is there a promise that the time will come when every creature will
believe the Gospel. The Lord Jesus taught that "As the days of Noah
were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be" (Matthew 24:37).
What were the conditions in Noah's days? Did all men then receive the
messages of God's servants? Nay verily: On another occasion Christ
said, "Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they
drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the
same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from
heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be when the Son of
Man is revealed" (Luke 17:28-30)--do these words present the picture
of our Lord returning to a world which has been won by the Gospel? Nay
verily. Our Lord very plainly intimated that He did not expect to
return to a world where Christianity had universally triumphed: "When
the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8).
Post-millennialists teach that our Lord will not return until the
close of the Millennium and that then there will be a general
resurrection of the dead, followed by a general judgment, at which
every member of the human race will stand before the great Judge to
have his eternal destiny decided. Such a conception is anti-scriptural
in every part of it. In the nineteenth chapter Of Revelation we see
heaven opened and the Lord Jesus coming forth seated on a white horse
and with Him are the "armies which are in heaven." Accompanied by His
saints the King of kings and Lord of lords returns to this earth as is
evident from the next verse for there we are told that He shall "smite
the nations and rule them with a rod of iron." In Revelation 19 Christ
is seen making a footstool of His enemies preparatory to the
inauguration of His reign of blessing, and in the next chapter we
read, "And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the
bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the
dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him
a thousand years. And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him
up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no
more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled" (Rev. 20:1-3). In
the verses that follow we are told that those who have part in the
first resurrection shall reign with Christ throughout the thousand
years. Thus we learn that Christ leaves heaven and returns to the
earth before the Millennium commences. The concept of a general
resurrection and a general judgment is equally unscriptural as we
shall show later.
2. An examination of Pre-millennialism.
Pre-millennialists, as their name indicates, are looking for their
Redeemer to return before the Millennium begins, looking for Him to
introduce and usher in the Millennium itself. To them a Millennium
without Christ is unthinkable. From their cradles they have been
taught to pray, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is
done in heaven," and they cannot conceive of a Kingdom without a King.
The Millennium is the time when men's desire for a Golden Age will be
realized, but that Golden Age cannot dawn until the Sun of
righteousness arises with healing in His wings. The Millennium is the
time when the sword shall be made into a ploughshare and the spear
into a pruning-hook, when for a thousand years there shall be no war,
but earth-wide peace will only be made possible by the return and
personal presence of the Prince of Peace.
Pre-millennialists believe that in the Millennium Christ will set up
on the earth a visible, material Kingdom, that He will occupy the
literal throne of David and reign from Jerusalem as the King of the
Jews. They base their belief upon many plain declarations in Scripture
to that effect. Isaiah predicted it--"And it shall come to pass in
that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that
are on high, and the Kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall
be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall
be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.
Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord
of hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His
ancients gloriously." Ezekiel foretold it--"And He said unto me, Son
of man, the place of My throne, and the place of the soles of My feet,
where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever,
and My holy name shall the House of Israel no more defile by their
abominations that they have committed" (Ezek. 43:7),while at the close
of his prophecy he says of Jerusalem in the Millennium, "And the name
of the city from that day shall be, The Lord is there" Zephaniah
heralded it--"Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and
rejoice with the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord hath taken
away thy judgments, He hath cast out thine enemy: the King of Israel,
even the Lord, is in the midst of thee' (Zeph. 3:14-17). Zechariah
announced it, "Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; for, lo, I come,
and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. And many
nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be My
people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know
that the Lord of hosts hath sent Me unto thee. And the Lord shall
inherit Judah His portion in the holy land and shall choose Jerusalem
again" (Zech. 2:10-12, and see further 8:8, 23 and 14:16).
Pre-millennialists believe that the Messianic reign and Kingdom of the
Lord Jesus are yet future. They believe that Christ Himself so taught.
In the Parable of the Nobleman, He declared, "A certain nobleman went
into a far country to receive for Himself a Kingdom, and to return.
And it came to pass, that when He was returned, having received the
kingdom, then He commanded the servants to be called unto Him, to whom
He had given the money, that He might know how much every man had
gained by trading" (Luke 19:12, 15). Here we learn that Christ's
return and His reception of the "Kingdom" are inseparably connected
together. Not only do the Scriptures plainly refute the assertion that
Christ is now reigning, but existing conditions cannot be made to
square with this belief. How absurd it is to say that Christ is now
reigning over the earth when His authority is despised and rejected by
the whole of the unbelieving world! No Christ-rejector can be termed a
follower of the Lamb, and if he is not a "follower" then he is not
subject to the will and rule of the Lord Jesus, and if he is not
subject to Christ, then in no sense is Christ his "King." Moreover,
the conditions which prevail upon earth today repudiate the idea that
Christ is even now reigning over it. The scepter which the first man
lost has never been restored, the "Curse" has not yet been removed,
and Satan is still at large! But all things will be changed when the
Lord Jesus takes the government upon His shoulder and reigns in power
and righteousness.
Pre-millennialists believe that it is God's purpose in this Age to
take out of the nations "a people for His name" (Acts 15:14). To
effect this the Gospel has been given and the Holy Spirit has come
down to this earth. As the Gospel is preached, as many as are ordained
to eternal life believe (Acts 18:48), for though "many be called,"
there are "but few chosen" (Matthew 20:16). God's purpose in this
dispensation is an Elective one, and let it be said with emphasis,
God's purpose has not failed, is not failing, will not fail--"Remember
the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am
God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning,
and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My
counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure" (Isa. 46:9, 10).
The Gospel is not a failure, the Holy Spirit has not failed in His
mission, it is theologians who have failed--failed to understand the
purpose of God and to read aright His present program.
III. Post-Millennialism Refuted.
The post-millennial position rests largely upon a mistranslation. In
Matthew 13:89 we read "The harvest is the end of the world," and again
in Matthew 24:8--"And as He sat upon the Mount of Olives, the
disciples came unto Him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these
things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of
the world?" Now the Greek word which is used in the above passages is
entirely different from the one found in John 3:16--"God so loved the
Kosmos." In the verses quoted above the word is not "Kosmos" but aion
and ought to have been rendered "age"--"the harvest is the end of the
age." In the marginal rendering of the R. V. Matthew 13:39 reads "The
harvest is the consummation of the age." Both of the Greek words which
are translated "world" in the King James Version occur in Hebrews
9:26--"For then must He often have suffered since the foundation of
the Kosmos: but now once in the end of the aion hath He appeared to
put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself." Here it is evident that
"aion" cannot mean "world." The Lord Jesus was offered as a sacrifice
for sin more than eighteen hundred years ago, and the end of the
"world" has not come yet. It was at the consummation or end of the
Mosaic age that our Lord appeared and died upon the cross in order to
effect our salvation. So, in the above instances read, "The harvest is
the end of the age," the present age and not the end of time, for just
as the Mosaic age was followed by the Christian age, so the present
Dispensation shall be followed by the Millennium. That the "harvest"
referred to by our Lord in the Parable of the Tares takes place at the
end of this age rather than at the end of the "world," is further seen
by a comparison of Joel 3:13-17 and Revelation 14:14-20 which refer to
the same "harvest" and where this harvest is definitely placed at the
commencement and not at the consummation of Messiah's reign. That our
Lord will return before the Millennium rather than at its close is
clear from many considerations.
1. The condition of the world when our Lord returns proves that His
Second Advent cannot be post-millennial.
God's Word makes known the exact conditions which are to obtain here
immediately preceding the Redeemer's Return. The Holy Spirit has given
a number of graphic portrayals of the world as it will exist when our
Lord comes back to it. One of these pictures is to be found in Isaiah
2--"For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is
proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be
brought low: And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and
lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan. And upon all the high
mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up. And upon every
high tower, and upon every fenced wall, and upon all the ships of
Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures. And the loftiness of man
shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low; and
the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. And the idols He shall
utterly abolish. And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and
into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory
of His majesty, when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth. In that
day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which
they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the
bats; to go into the clefts of the rocks, for fear of the Lord, and
for the glory of His majesty, when He ariseth to shake terribly the
earth." Do these verses picture a world ready to receive a returning
Christ? No; they tell us that in "the Day of the Lord"--that which
immediately follows the present "Day of Salvation"--men will be "proud
and lofty"; it intimates that idolatry shall prevail universally; it
tells us that instead of men coming forward to welcome the Lord Jesus,
they shall flee from Him in terror.
Another passage which describes the conditions which are to prevail on
earth at the time of our Lord's Return is found in 2 Thessalonians
1:7-9--"And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus
shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire
taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the
Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with
everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the
glory of His power; when He shall come to be glorified in His Saints,
and to be admired in all them that believe." Observe that here we are
expressly told that our Lord comes back again to take vengeance on
"them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel." It is utterly
impossible to make this statement harmonize with the concept of Christ
returning to a world which had previously been won to Him by the
Gospel.
Again, in 2 Peter 3:3, 4 we read, "Knowing this first, that there
shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers
fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of
the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of." Observe that
the apostle is describing conditions that are to obtain in "the last
days," i. e., the last days of this present dispensation. Here again
we learn then, that instead of this Age closing with the universal
acceptation of the Gospel, instead of the last days witnessing a world
reconciled to God, instead of the Christian era dosing with earth-wide
prayer for the Coming of the King, we are told that, "there shall come
in the last days scoffers," a class of people who have no concern for
God's glory but who walk after their own lusts; and further, we are
told that these "scoffers" shall mock at those who are looking for the
appearing of our Savior and that the "ignorance" of these scoffers is
due to a wilful and deliberate rejection of God's revealed truth.
Putting together the above pictures we learn that in the days which
precede Christ's Second Advent the earth will be filled with proud
idolaters, with those that know not God and obey not the Gospel, and
with those who mock and scoff at the prospect of a speedily returning
Redeemer. Further; we learn that the actual return of Christ is
introduced not by Gospel successes but by Divine judgments. Thus we
say that the condition of the world when our Lord comes back to it
proves that His Second Advent occurs not at the close of an era of
Millennial blessedness, but at the end of a dispensation wherein God
has dealt with infinite long-sufferance with a race of rebels, and
that at His coming He takes "vengeance" on His enemies ere setting up
His Messianic Kingdom.
2. The Teaching of Matthew 13 proves that no era of Millennial
blessing precedes Christ's Second Advent.
In Matthew 13 we have the record of seven parables--the number of
completeness--which our Lord uttered consecutively. These parables are
prophetic in their significance and scope. They deal with conditions
which are to obtain here during the time of our Lord's absence. They
are concerned with the visible profession of Christianity and they
look forward to the closing scenes of the present dispensation. As
there is much in them upon which we cannot now comment at length we
shall content ourselves with singling out only that which bears upon
our present inquiry.
The chapter opens with the well-known Parable of the Sower who went
forth to sow. It pictures the broad-cast sowing of the good Seed by
the Savior Himself, and in His interpretation of the parable we learn
that the "Seed" is the Word of God. The parable sets before us the
beginning of the Christian dispensation and makes known to us the
manner and extent of the reception of the Redeemer's mission and
message. It gives us the ratio of the Gospel's success and forewarns
us that all men are not going to receive God's Word, that the majority
will not, that only a fractional minority will. It shows us that the
proclamation of the Word is to encounter Satanic opposition, yea, that
the world, the flesh, and the Devil, will combine in their efforts to
prevent it bringing forth fruit.
The result of the sowing is plainly stated. Three castings out of four
were fruitless! Most of the seed fell upon barren ground. The greater
part of the field which, in our Lord's interpretation, we learn is
"the world," completely failed to bring forth any increase. Some of
the seed fell by the wayside and the fowls of the air picked it up;
some fell upon the rocks and the sun burnt it up; some fell among
thorns and it was choked. Only one-fourth of it fell upon "good
ground" and even there the fruitage varied and decreased in its yield
from a hundredfold to thirty-fold (see vs. 23). In His interpretation,
the Lord tells us that the different kinds of ground on which the Seed
fell represents various classes of people who hear the Word.
Now what light does the above parable throw upon our present inquiry?
It throws a clear light and in its light we discover the fallacy of
the post-millennial position. There is no hint whatever in this
parable that a time was to come when the whole of the field would be
covered with waving wheat, instead, the only possible inference which
can be drawn from it daffy repudiates such a conception. Who would
dare to suggest that the Divine Sower Himself, the "Lord of the
harvest" would be followed by other sowers who should prove more
successful titan He? The results of our Lord's own sowing were
prophetic of the history of the entire Christian dispensation. In no
period of tills Age has the whole field--the world--been receptive to
the Seed, in no period have more than a fractional minority received
the Word and brought forth fruit unto perfection. In every generation,
from the time when our Lord walked the earth in the days of His flesh
until now, the emissaries of Satan and the cares and riches of the
world have combined to choke and make unfruitful the Word of God. From
this parable then it is impossible to deduce any promise of a world
ultimately converted by the Gospel.
The second of the parables found in Matthew 13--that of the Wheat and
the Tares--brings out even more forcibly than the previous one the
fact that there can be no Millennium of earth-wide blessedness before
our Lord's return. The Parable of the Tares is also prophetic in its
bearing. It makes known to us that which succeeded our Lord's own
ministry. Immediately following the Divine Sower's scattering of the
good Seed, an Enemy came and sowed evil seed in the same field. The
Enemy was "the Wicked One" and it is to be particularly noted that he
sowed neither thorns nor thistles but "tares" --a bastard wheat--which
so closely resembles the genuine article that the one cannot be
distinguished from the other until the time of harvest. Here then is
seen the efforts of the Evil One to neutralize the gracious work of
the Son of God. The interpretation of this parable was supplied by the
Lord Himself: just as the wheat represents the "children of the
Kingdom," so the tares symbolize the "children of the Wicked One? Let
it be noted, however, that the "tares" do not represent wicked men as
such, but "the ministers of Satan," "false apostles, deceitful
workers" (2 Cor. 11:13) who were secretly introduced by the Enemy
amongst God's people just as the tares were sown among the wheat.
Part of this parable began to be fulfilled in the days when the New
Testament was written. In the false teachers who harassed the early
disciples we may see the mingling of the taxes with the Wheat. The
"children of the Wicked One" were the Judaizers who entered in among
the churches of Galatia and who taught that salvation could not be
secured by faith alone, that Circumcision was also necessary. The
"tares" may be seen in Hymeneus and Philetus of whom we read, "who
concerning the Truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past
already; and overthrow the faith of some" (2 Tim. 2:17, 18). The
apostle Peter referred to the same class when he wrote, "But there
were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be
false teachers among you, who privily ("secretly") shall bring in
damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring
upon themselves swift destruction"
(2 Pet. 2:1). Jude, likewise, had reference to such when he declared,
"For there are certain men crept in unawares (as the "tares" were sown
secretly among the wheat), who were before of old ordained to this
condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into
lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus
Christ" (Jude 4). Thus we see that at a very early date the tares were
mingled with the wheat.
Again we ask, What light does this parable throw upon the point now
under discussion? And once more the answer is, much every way. In our
Lord's declaration that the tares should grow together with the wheat
until the time of harvest, which He expressly declares is the end of
the age, we discover how preposterous, erroneous, and unscriptural is
the teaching that the Gospel will yet win the world to Christ. At the
time of harvest the world is still a mixed field, and this fact cuts
away all ground for supposing that before our Lord returns the tares
will be all rooted up or changed into wheat. Instead of the tares
being transformed into wheat before the Millennium is ushered in, we
are told that at the time of harvest the tares are bound into bunches
and afterward cast into the fire--a very different picture that from
the children of the Wicked One being reconciled to God! In the words
"Let both grow together till the harvest" two solemn facts are
revealed--first, Satan shall continue to hinder the success of the
Gospel without interruption till the end of the age; and second, the
Christian profession once corrupted shall continue thus to the close
of the dispensation. And thus it has proven. Finally, be it observed,
that in the casting of the tares--the children of the Wicked One--into
the furnace of fire, we learn once more that the Age closes not with
the universal reception of the Gospel but with Divine judgment upon
the wicked!
The third parable of Matthew 13--that of the Mustard-seed--differs
from the former ones in that it was not interpreted by our Lord.
Post-millennialists have taken advantage of this fact and have made it
teach that which gives countenance to their own pre-conceived
theories. In this parable they see the promise of a world conquered by
the Gospel. Now, whatever this parable may or may not signify, it
certainly must not be made to contradict the teaching of the two which
have gone before it. As already stated, the seven parables recorded in
Matthew 13 form part of one connected discourse by our Lord and are so
many prophetic representations of the development of the Christian
profession during the time of His absence. This third parable then
cannot set forth the universal diffusion of the Truth because the
previous ones show that this is prevented by the opposition of Satan,
which opposition is to continue until the end of the age. What then
does this third parable teach?
The position which this parable occupies in the series is one of the
keys to its interpretation. The first parable is concerned with the
beginning of this dispensation, the time when our Lord was here upon
the earth. The second deals, prophetically, with conditions that
obtained in the lifetime of the apostles, showing us the false
teachers--the children of the Wicked One--who crept in among God's
people in their day. This third parable then looks forward to a later
period and presents a prophetic picture which saw its materialization
in the fourth century of our era. The growth of the little
mustard-seed into a great tree represents the development of the
Christian profession from an insignificant commencement into a system
of imposing proportions. In the fourth century A. D., Christianity was
popularized by Constantine who adopted it as the State religion and
compelled more than a million of his subjects to be baptized at the
point of the sword. The parable of the Tares shows us Christianity
corrupted by the insidious introduction of the children of the Wicked
One among the children of God: the parable of the mustard-seed
forecasted the growth and spread of a corrupted Christianity. This
assertion of ours may easily be verified by the details of the parable
itself.
The mustard-seed developed into a great tree--an abnormal thing in
itself, nay, a monstrosity--so the popularization of Christianity in
the days of Constantine produced an unnatural and ungainly system
which was foreign to its spirit and nature. Observe that the "fowls of
the air" came and lodged in the branches of the great tree. In the
first parable of the series the Lord Himself tells us that the birds
of the air represent the emissaries of Satan. The great tree then,
stands for a nominal and national Christianity, a monstrous,
world-system, that which in our day is the aggregate of the so-called
"Christian nations." In a word, the great tree symbolizes Christendom
which in Revelation 18 is said to be the "hold of every foul spirit
and a cage for every hateful bird."
Further confirmation of our assertion above, that the great tree which
issued from the mustard-seed represents the abnormal growth of a
corrupted Christianity is furnished in Daniel 4 where we have recorded
a dream which came to the first head of the Gentile powers. In his
dream Nebuchadnezzar also saw a "great tree," and in the fate which it
met with we learn the end which is appointed to the tree of the
parable. To quote--"I saw, and behold a tree in the midst of the
earth, and the height thereof was great. The tree grew, and was
strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight
thereof to the end of all the earth: The leaves thereof were fair, and
the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all: the beasts of the
field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the
boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it. I saw in the visions of
my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and a holy one came down
from heaven; He cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut
off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit; let the
beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from his branches" (Dan.
4:10-14).
To sum up our comments upon this parable. Instead of lending favor to
the position of post-millennialism, its teaching--viewed in the light
of Daniel 4--absolutely shatters the foundation of that system.
Instead of teaching that the professing Church shall conquer the
world, it shows that the world has conquered the professing Church.
The mustard-seed symbolizes the outward character of the Christian
profession at the beginning of this dispensation, when its devotees
were few in number, poor in this world's goods, and despised by the
great ones of the earth. In the third century A.D., the professing
Church was like unto a humble little seed, unpretentious in appearance
and insignificant in its dimensions. But in the fourth century there
was a dramatic change. Constantine became a nominal Christian and
adopted Christianity as the State religion. Then it was that the
"tree" grew and became strong in the earth, putting out its branches
in all directions. But then it was, also, that the fowls of Satan
found shelter within its imposing boughs. However, great as the tree
has become, its end is sure. Just as we learnt in the previous parable
that the tares shall yet be consigned to the fire, so shall this great
"tree" yet be cut down and brought to nought.
We turn now to the fourth parable of Matthew 13--the parable of the
Leaven, the leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of
meal till the whole was leavened. This parable is one of the
foundation passages of post-millennialists. In it they see clear proof
that the Reign of Righteousness, the Golden Age, is to be brought
about by the efforts of the Church. The woman, we are told, symbolizes
the Church, the three measures of meal the human race, and the leaven
the Gospel, which, working silently but surely shall yet permeate the
whole of humanity and influence all men Godward and heavenward. But
the assumption that the leaven here signifies the influence and power
of the Gospel will not stand the test of the Scriptures, for in the
Word of God "leaven" is uniformly employed as a figure of that which
is evil. The Israelites in Egypt were commanded to put away all leaven
from their houses on the night of the Passover, and to eat the lamb
with un-leavened bread. Leaven was rigidly excluded from every one of
the Levitical offerings which typified Christ. When our Lord was here
upon earth He bade His disciples "Beware of the leaven of the
Pharisees and of the Sadducees" (Matthew 16:11). Writing to the
Corinthians the apostle exhorted them to "Purge out therefore the old
leaven, that ye may be a new lamp, as ye are unleavened. For even
Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: therefore let us keep the
feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and
wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1
Cor. 5:7, 8). Thus we see that, in harmony with its nature, leaven, is
uniformly used as a figure of evil. How strange then that sober
expositions should ever have regarded sour dough--a form of incipient
putrefaction--as a symbol of the unadulterated Word of God working in
the hearts of men!
What then is the meaning of the parable of the Leaven? We answer that
just as the former one brings before us the external development of a
corrupted Christianity, so this one shows us the internal working of
corruption within the Christian profession. The third parable brings
us, historically, to the time of Constantine; the fourth carries us
forward to the time of the rise and growth of the Roman Catholic
Church. The "woman" in our parable figures the "mother of harlots and
abominations of the earth" (Rev. 17:5)--"that woman Jezebel, which
calleth herself a prophetess" (Rev. 2:20). Her act in "hiding" the
leaven comports well with the secrecy and stealth which has ever
characterized the methods of the Roman hierarchy. The action of the
woman is further evidence that the post-millennial interpretation of
this parable is erroneous, for there is nothing secret about the
proclamation and spread of the Gospel. Said our Lord to His disciples,
"What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear
in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops" (Matthew 10:27); and
wrote the apostle, "But having renounced the hidden things of
dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, not handling the Word of God
deceitfully" (2 Cor. 4:2). But both "craftiness" and "deceit" did mark
this woman's action. She stealthily introduced into the meal a
corrupting element, and though the resulting bread might be rendered
more palatable, nevertheless it had been polluted. The three measures
of meal stand for the whole of Christendom, and as Dr. Haldeman has
pointed out, it is very remarkable that there are just three great
divisions in Christendom, namely, the Roman Catholic, the Greek, and
the Protestant Churches. And how true it is that these three divisions
of the meal have each and all been thoroughly corrupted by the leaven
introduced by the "woman"! Everywhere there are relics of Romanism,
even in all the so-called Protestant churches.
To say that this parable teaches that the Gospel is to win the whole
world to Christ is to put light for darkness and is to make error
equal truth. If the leaven represents the Gospel, the woman the
church, and the meal the entire human race, then we have to confess
that our Lord erred in His judgment and entirely over-estimated the
power of the Gospel to find a response in the hearts of men, for after
eighteen centuries of Gospel preaching we cannot point to a single
country where all its subjects make even a profession of Christianity;
nay, the world over, we cannot find a single city, town, or hamlet
where everyone of its inhabitants is a believer in the Lord Jesus. No;
this parable shows us the secret working of a putrefying element which
spreads nought but corruption,--Can then the Millennium be introduced
by the universal diffusion of a corrupted Christianity!
In these four parables we discover the methods used by Satan to hinder
the work of true Christianity. At the beginning he sought to oppose by
catching away the Seed, which method was pursued throughout the first
century when the Devil endeavored to exterminate and annihilate the
Word of God by means of the sword and the bonfire. In the second
parable we see him changing his tactics, aiming to destroy
Christianity by mingling his own children among the people of God. In
the third we see how by a master-stroke of the Enemy the Christian
profession was Paganized and as the result the world was won over by
dazzling the eyes of men with a gorgeous ritual, with imposing
architecture, and with the sanction and approval of the Roman Emperors
themselves. In the fourth we discover how he succeeded in corrupting
the doctrines and practices of Christianity by introducing into its
midst a foreign and putrefying element which has resulted in the
leavening of the entire mass.
We shall not tarry long with the last three parables of this series.
There is nothing at all in them, any more than in those already
considered, which confirms and establishes the post, millennial
teaching. A treasure buried in the field (which is "the world") can
scarcely figure the universal success of the Gospel. A "pearl"--which
is an object taken out of the "sea" (symbol of the nations) is no
picture of a world won to Christ. While the Drag-net--the last of the
series--enclosing as it does "every `kind" of fish, the "bad" as well
as the good, surety refutes the assertion that at the close of time
Christ will return to find all men reconciled to Himself.
3. Our Lord's Olivet discourse shows that there is no universal
triumph of the Gospel before His Second Advent.
The Olivet Discourse of our Lord is recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13,
and Luke 21. We cannot now attempt a detailed exposition of these
highly interesting and important chapters, but would simply single out
from them a few things which throw light upon our present inquiry. At
the beginning of Matthew 24 we find that three of His disciples asked
our Lord, "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the
sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the age?" (v. 3). What then was
the answer which our Savior returned to these questions? Did He reply
saying that the Age would end with the universal triumph of the
Gospel? Did He tell them that the Sign of His coming would be a
converted world that would be eagerly awaiting His return to it? If
so, this clearly decides the issue once for all, for there can be no
appeal against the declarations of the One who was the truth
incarnate.
As we read the verses which record our Lord's reply to the questions
of His disciples we find that instead of Him painting a picture in
bright and attractive colors, He portrayed a set of conditions which
were pathetic and tragic in their bearing and nature. Instead of
intimating that things on earth would improve during the time of His
absence, He showed that they would get worse and worse. Instead of
promising an era of peace and prosperity, He predicted a time of
blood-shed and famine, instead of telling the disciples that truth
would be universally diffused and received, He forewarned them of the
coming of false prophets who should deceive many. Instead of teaching
that His followers would grow more zealous and faithful to Him, He
announced that because iniquity should abound the love of many would
"wax cold." Instead of saying that He should come back here to be
received with an open-armed welcome, He predicted that on His return
"all the tribes of the earth shall mourn." It is true that He said,
"This Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a
witness unto all nations," yet a little further down in the same
chapter He very plainly intimated that it should meet with an almost
universal rejection--"For as the days of Noah were, so shall also the
coming of the Son of Man be," proves this.
It is therefore well nigh impossible for us to imagine anything more
directly opposed to the post-millennial theory than what we find here
in this address of our Lord's. It would appear from His utterances as
if He, with omniscient vision, foresaw the very teaching which is so
common in our day and that He designedly and deliberately anticipated
and repudiated it. In verses 29 and 30 of Matthew 24 we read,
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be
darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall
fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And
then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven: and then shall
all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man
coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."
The "tribulation" here spoken of is described in verses 21 and 22 of
this same chapter--"For then shall be great tribulation, such as was
not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall
be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh
be saved." How different this from the glowing pictures painted by the
post-millennialists! That the things here mentioned cannot possibly
have reference to the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus is evident
from the fact that "immediately after the tribulation" of those days
the sun was not "darkened," the moon did not "cease to give her
light," and the Son of Man was not seen "coming in the clouds of
heaven." No; these verses describe conditions which are to prevail at
"the end of the Age." Observe particularly that it is said,
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be
darkened" etc., and that "then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn
and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven." The
conditions then which are to immediately precede the Second Advent of
Christ are not those of Millennial blessedness but those of
unparalleled tribulation.
4. The present working of the Mystery of Iniquity proves that there
can be no Millennium before the Redeemer's Return.
"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come
except there come a falling away first, and that Man of Sin be
revealed, the Son of Perdition" (2 Thess. 2:3). In the first Epistle
to the Thessalonians the apostle makes mention of the Second Coming of
Christ in every chapter, and in the first chapter of the second
Epistle he recurs again to the same theme--"The Lord Jesus shall be
revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking
vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of
our Lord Jesus Christ"
(vv. 7, 8). Then, at the opening of chapter two in the Second Epistle
he further says, "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him, that ye be
not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by
word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand."
Observe that here the apostle speaks of "The Day of Christ" which is
different from "The Coming of Christ." The "day of Christ" signifies
the Millennium and is used in contrast with "Man's day" (1 Cor. 4:3,
margin) which denominates the dispensation in which we are now living.
Here then the apostle expressly states that "that day (the Day of
Christ) shall not come except there come a falling away first, and
that Man of Sin be revealed, the Son of Perdition."
The "Man of Sin" is the Antichrist who at the very close of this Age
will oppose and exalt himself "above all that is called God, or that
is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing
himself that he is God" (2 Thess. 2:4). In the seventh verse of this
same chapter the apostle tells us "For the mystery of iniquity doth
already work: only He who now letteth (hindereth) will let (hinder),
until He be taken out of the way." Notice that the "Mystery of
Iniquity" was said to "work" referring to the action of the leaven
which was corrupting the meal even in the apostle's own lifetime. That
which has `hindered" the full development of the Mystery of Iniquity"
and which now prevents the revelation of the Antichrist is the
presence on earth of God the Holy Spirit. But He is to be "taken out
of the way"--removed from the earth when the saints are raptured to
heaven. Then will the Devil be allowed `free rein' and the Son of
Perdition will be publicly manifested. In the days of Antichrist God
will send men strong delusion "that they should believe a lie: that
they all might be damned, who believed not the truth, but had pleasure
in unrighteousness" (v. 12). The career of the Antichrist will be cut
short by the return of our Redeemer to the earth--"whom the Lord shall
consume with the Spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the
brightness of His coming" (v. 8). The "Mystery of Iniquity" then, will
be brought to a conclusion only by the Return of Christ in judgment
which is another proof that there can be no Millennium before the
Second Coming of Christ.
To sum up the teaching of 2 Thessalonians 1:6-2:12. The testimony of
this passage is in perfect accord with the declarations of the Lord
Jesus in Matthew 24. Instead of teaching that before Christ returns
all men will be converted by the Gospel, it distinctly affirms that
the Day of Christ (the Millennium shall not come "except there come a
falling away first" (Greek "apostasy"). Instead of teaching that this
Age will close by witnessing a universal turning unto the Truth, it
explicitly states that it will terminate with God giving up multitudes
"that they should believe a lie." Instead of teaching that this
Dispensation will end with Christ exalted in the hearts of all, it
declares that it will close with the manifestation and exaltation of
the Antichrist and with the Lord coming back in judgment to destroy
the Wicked One and to take vengeance on those that know not God and
have scorned the Gospel of His Son.
IV. Pre-Millennialism Established.
1. Christ does not "receive the Kingdom" until the time of His Second
Advent.
We must quote once more a passage that has already engaged our
attention in another connection, namely, the Parable of the Nobleman.
Before quoting from it, however, we would first observe that this
parable was uttered by our Lord in order to correct a mistaken notion
that was being entertained by certain of His auditors: "And as they
hoard these things, He added and spake a parable, because He was nigh
to Jerusalem, and because they thought the kingdom of God should
immediately appear" (Luke 19:11). Here is further proof that the
"Kingdom," referred to subsequently by our Lord was not a spiritual
Kingdom instituted by Him just after His death and resurrection, but
was a Kingdom which was not to "appear" for a considerable length of
time, in tact not until He returned again to the earth. To quote once
more from this parable--
"He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to
receive for Himself a Kingdom and to return. And it came to pass, that
when He was returned having received the Kingdom, then He commanded
these servants to be called unto Him, to whom He had given the money,
that He might know how much every man had gained by trading" (Luke
19:12, 15). Thus we see that our Lord's receiving of the Kingdom and
His return synchronize. The Kingdom to which our Lord here referred
was the Messianic Kingdom which was the subject of numerous Old
Testament prophecies. It was the "Kingdom" mentioned in Daniel 7:13,
14 of his prophecy--"And I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one
like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the
Ancient of days, and they brought Him near before Him. And there was
given Him (compare "received" in the above parable) dominion, and
glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages, should
serve Him." As the context here shows, the time when the Son of Man is
"given" this Kingdom is immediately following the destruction of the
Gentile powers which from the Book of Revelation, we know will occur
just prior to the Millennium. If further proof be needed that Christ's
"receiving of the Kingdom" takes place before and not after the
Millennium it is furnished by 1 Corinthians 15:24 where we are told
that at the close of the Millennium--which is the time when He shall
have "put down all rule and all authority and power"--He shall
"deliver up the Kingdom to God, even the Father." If then Christ
"delivers up" the Kingdom to the Father at the close of the Millennium
then the conclusion is irresistible that He "receives" the Kingdom at
the beginning of the Millennium.
2. The "Times of Restitution" can be ushered in only by the Second
Advent of Christ.
"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted
out, when the Times of Refreshing shall come from the presence of the
Lord; And He shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto
you: Whom the heaven must receive until the Times of Restitution of
all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy
prophets since the world began" (Acts 3:19-21). The "Times of
Restitution" here promised to Israel on the condition of their
national repentance is one of the names of the Millennium itself. It
is termed thus because at that tame Israel shall be restored to favor
with God again. It is termed thus because at that time Palestine shall
be restored, restored to its original fertility, when it shall again
be "a land that floweth with milk and honey." It is termed thus
because at that time the animal creation shall be restored, restored
to Edenic conditions, when once again "the wolf also shall dwell with
the lamb." It is termed thus because at that time Creation shall be
restored and delivered from its present bondage of corruption,
restored to its original freedom and glory. The "Times of Restitution"
is defined in the very passage where this expression occurs, defined
in the previous words "the Times of Refreshing" which shall come from
"the presence of the Lord." Note particularly that these "Times of
Restitution" cannot come until Christ Himself comes back again. This
is expressly affirmed in the words "Whom the heaven must receive
until." Observe it does not say "Whom the heaven must receive or
retain during the Times of Restitution," still less until the end of
the Times of Restitution"--which it most certainly would say were the
teaching of post-millennialism true--but "until the Times of
Restitution," that is, until those times arrive. When these "Times"
come then shall the Lord return, and when He returns then shall come
"Times of Refreshment" for His people on earth.
Observe, further, that we are told, these "Times of Restitution" were
spoken of by all Gods holy prophets. Of what "Times of Restitution"
then did the Old Testament prophets speak? We answer, of Millennial
"Times," when all the nations of the earth shall be brought beneath
the sway of Messiah's scepter. The Old Testament prophets uniformly
connect the Times of "Restitution" with the Coming of Christ to the
earth and they certainly knew of no Kingdom being brought in by the
efforts of the Church. The above declaration of Peter then proves two
things: First, that until the Times of Restitution the Heaven must
retain our Lord; second, that as soon as these "Times" arrive, Christ
shall assuredly return. Hence, there can be no Millennium until Christ
comes back again to the earth, but as soon as He does come back again
the Millennium will be inaugurated.
3. The Restoration of Israel is only made possible by the Second
Advent of Christ.
Under this head we shall seek to prove briefly three things--that
Israel as a nation will be restored, that Israel's restoration occurs
at the Return of Christ, that Israel's restoration will result in
great blessing to the whole world.
That Israel as a nation will be actually and literally restored is
declared again and again in the Word of God. We quote now but two
prophecies item among scores of similar ones:--"Behold, the days come,
saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a
King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice
in the earth. In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell
safely: and this is His name whereby He shall be called, The Lord our
righteousness. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that
they shall no more say, The Lord liveth which brought up the children
of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, The Lord liveth, which
brought up and which led the seed of the House of Israel out of the
north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and
they shall dwell in their own land" (Jer. 23:5-8). Again; "Thus saith
the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among
the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side,
and bring them into their own land: And I will make them one nation in
the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one King shall be King to
them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be
divided into two kingdoms any more at all: Neither shall they defile
themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable
things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out
of all their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, and will
cleanse them: so shall they be My people, and I will be their God. And
David My Servant shall be King over them; and they all shall have one
shepherd: they shall also walk in My judgments, and observe My
statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have
given unto Jacob My servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they
shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their
children's children forever: and My Servant David shall be their
prince forever. Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it
shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and
multiply them, and will set My sanctuary in the midst of them for
evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their
God, and they shall be My people. And the heathen shall know that I
the Lord do sanctity Israel, when My sanctuary shall be in the midst
of them for evermore" (Ezek. 37:21-28).
That Israel's restoration synchronizes with our Lord's Return to the
earth may be seen from the following Scriptures:--"And it shall be
said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him; and He
will save us: This is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be
glad and rejoice in His salvation" (Isa. 25:10 and read on to the end
of the following chapter). See further the whole of Isaiah 60 which
follows the opening verse--"Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and
the glory of the Lord is risen upon them." In Acts 3 we learned that
Peter declared to Israel that if they would "Repent and be converted"
that God would "send Jesus Christ unto them" and that following
Christ's Return there would be the "Times of Restitution," even the
Times of Refreshing which should "come from the presence of the Lord"
(Acts 3:19-21). In Acts 15:16 we read, "After this, I will return and
will build again the tabernacle of David which is fallen down." And in
Romans 11:25, 26 we are told, "Blindness in part is happened to
Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all
Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion
the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob."
That Israel's restoration results in great blessing to the whole world
may be seem from the following quotations--"And the remnant of Jacob
shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the Lord, as the
showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the
sons of men" (Mic. 5:7). "Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the
face of the world with fruit" (Isa. 27:6). While in Romans 11 we are
told that the restoration of Israel will bring even greater blessing
to the world than did their casting away--"If the fall of them
(Israel) be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the
riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fullness! If the casting
away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving
of them be, but life from the dead!" (Rom. 11:11, 15).
4. A groaning Creation can be delivered only by the Second Advent of
Christ.
The difference in belief between post and pre-millennialists
concerning this point is as great as the difference between light and
darkness. Post-millennialists believe that Christ will not return
until the end of time and that then He will come to judge the human
race. As to what is going to happen at the end of time Scripture does
not leave us in ignorance. Says the apostle Peter, "But the day of the
Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall
pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent
heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned
up" (2 Pet. 3:10). Post-millennialists then look for the world (the
Kosmos) to be "burned up" and for "the heavens" to "pass away" at the
time of Christ's Return; in other words, they look for the destruction
of the old creation as the consequent of the Second Advent. But
pre-millennialists look for the emancipation of all creation from its
present bondage as one of the glorious results of our Redeemer's
Return. They base this belief on the teaching of Romans 8:18-24, a
passage which has already been examined in an earlier chapter. Without
again entering upon a detailed exposition of the entire passage, let
us seek to summarize its contents.
"The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until
now" (v. 22). This is the lot of all Nature today. The world groans
beneath an accumulating load of sin and wretchedness. Man groans: his
soul groans, and so does his body. Animals groan. The earth itself
groans, sometimes Like a great giant in awful pain. How then can the
world enjoy a thousand years of rest and peace and blessedness whilst
the whole creation is in travail? The whole creation is here
personified and represented as sending up to heaven a loud and
agonizing groan. And God in heaven hears it: His ear is not heavy that
it cannot hear, nor is His arm shortened that it cannot save. A day of
liberation for the groaning creation hastens on. It is announced in
the very passage we are now reviewing. The day when this groaning
creation will be delivered is the day when Christ returns to usher in
the Millennium and when the saints shall be revealed in glory with
Him. The time of creation's deliverance is here said to be at "the
manifestation of the sons of God" (v. 19 and compare Colossians 3:3).
This manifestation of God's; sons is in verse 23 denominated "The
Adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body" which has reference to
the "first resurrection"--the "resurrection of the just." A groaning
creation then is waiting for the Return of Christ and with Him the
Saints manifested in glory, for then, and not until then, will it be
emancipated from its present thraldom.
Here then is the answer to our question--What is the time of the
Redeemer's Return? He shall return before the Millennium. He shall
come back to usher in the Millennium and set up His Messianic Kingdom,
restore Israel, and deliver a groaning creation. As to how near His
pre-millennial coming may be we leave for consideration in the next
two chapters.
____________________________________________________
Contents | Forword | Preface | Intro
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Conclusion | Appendix
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A. W. Pink Header
The Redeemer's Return
by Arthur W. Pink
The Imminency of the Redeemer's Return
Chapter 5
"For yet a little while, and He that shall come
will come, and will not tarry" Hebrews 10:37
____________________________________________________
In the previous chapter we sought to do nothing more than prove that
our Redeemer would return before the Millennium, the date of His
return, either the approximate or the precise date, we did not touch
upon. Nowhere in the Bible is the actual time of the Second Advent
made known, instead, it is presented as an event which may occur at
any hour; or, in other words, the Fact of the Saviors appearing is
invariably set forth in the language of Imminency, When we say that
the Redeemer's Return is an imminent event, we do not mean it will
occur immediately, but that He may come back in our own lifetime, that
He may come back this year; yet, we cannot say that He will do so. The
Fact of the Second Advent is certain because expressly revealed in
Holy Writ; the Date of the Second Advent is uncertain because it has
not been made known by God. Here then we have a truth which is simple
to grasp, yet one which is of fundamental importance and great
practical value. The majority of the errors and heresies which have
gathered around this subject are directly traceable to the ignoring of
this elementary consideration. For example: if the Lord's people had
given due heed to the fact that Scripture presents the Second Coming
of Christ as something which may happen at any hour, then the
post-millennial teaching that our Lord will not come back again for
more than a thousand years, would never have obtained the hearing and
acceptance which it has received. Furthermore, if the wondrous truth
that our Redeemer might return today once took firm hold on our
hearts, it would revolutionize our lives and provide us with a
spiritual dynamic which is incalculable in its reach and incomparable
in its value. Without expatiating any further upon the general
bearings of this aspect of our theme, let us now proceed to show
that--
1. Our Lord Himself spoke of His Return in the language of Imminency.
In the Olivet discourse where the Master replied to the inquiries of
His disciples concerning the Sign of His Coming and of the End of the
Age, He said--"Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord
doth come. But know this that if the good man of the house had known
in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would
not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also
ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh. Who
then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord hath made ruler
over His household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that
servant, whom his Lord when He cometh shall find so doing. Verily I
say unto you, That He Shall make him ruler over all His goods. But and
if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My Lord delayeth His
coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow-servants, and to eat and
drink with the drunken; the Lord of that servant shall come in a day
when he looketh not for Him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the
hypocrites; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew
24:42-51.) This Scripture refers primarily to our Lord's Return to the
earth, as is evident item the fact that He here styles Himself "The
Son of Man;" yet like all prophecy it has at least a double bearing
and therefore may properly be applied to His secret Coming in the air.
An analysis of the above passage reveals the following important
truths. First: the "hour" of our Lord's Return is unknown to His
people. Second; because we know not the exact time of His appearing,
we must be in an attitude of constant expectation and watchfulness.
Third; the Lord will return unexpectedly, even in such an hour as His
own people "think not." Fourth; the faithful and wise servant is he
who shall give meat in due season to those of the Lord's household
during the time of Christ's absence, and the one who is found so
occupied at the time of His appearing shall be richly rewarded. Fifth;
the one who shall say in his heart "My Lord delayeth His coming" is an
"evil servant," and such an one shall receive a portion of shame and
suffering at our Lord's Return.
The Parable of the Ten Virgins intimates that the Lord Jesus desired
His people to maintain an attitude of constant readiness for the
appearing of the Bridegroom. At the beginning of the parable He
pictures all of the "virgins" taking their lamps and going forth to
"meet" Him. The interpretation of this part of the parable is very
simple. In the early days after our Lord's departure from the earth,
His followers detached themselves from all worldly interests and set
their affections on Christ--His return being their one hope and great
desire. But while the Bridegroom tarried the expectation of His
appearing disappeared, and spiritual sloth and sleep was the
inevitable consequence, and this condition prevailed until the
midnight cry arose--"Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet
Him." The effect of this cry is seen in the arousing of both the wise
and the foolish virgins. The need of preparation and watchfulness is
disclosed in the doom that overtook those who had no oil in their
vessels. The practical application of the whole parable was made by
the Lord Himself--"Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor
the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh (Matthew 25:18).
At the close of St. Mark's account of the Olivet discourse he records
at greater length than does St. Matthew our Lord's command to his
disciples to watch for His return--Take ye heed, watch and pray; for
ye know not when the time is. For the Son of Man is as a man taking a
far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants,
and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye
therefore: for ye know not when the Master of the house cometh, at
even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest
coming suddenly He find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say
unto all, Watch" (Mark 13:33-37). A careful reading of these verses
makes it apparent that the design of the Master was to impress upon
His disciples two things: first, that while it was certain He would
return, yet it was uncertain when He would appear; second, that in
view of the uncertainty of the exact hour of His second coming the
Lord's followers must maintain an attitude of constant watchfulness,
looking for Him to return at any moment.
On another occasion the Lord said to His disciples, "Let your loins be
girded about, and your lights burning: and ye yourselves like unto men
that wait for their Lord, when He will return from the wedding: that
when He cometh and knocketh, they may open unto Him immediately.
Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when He cometh shall find
watching: verily I say unto you, that He shall gird Himself, and make
them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if
He shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and
find them so, blessed are those servants" (Luke 12:35-38). The
comparison is a very impressive one. The believer is exhorted to be
like a faithful servant, standing on the threshold with loins girded
and his lamp lighted, peering through the darkness for the first sight
of his returning Master and listening eagerly with attentive ear for
the first sounds of His approaching steps.
"For even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the
house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the
field, let him likewise not return back. I tell you in that night
there shall be two men in one bed: The one shall be taken, and the
other left. Two woman shall be grinding together: the one shall be
taken and the other left" (Luke 17:30-35). The force of this passage
is in full harmony with the others already considered. The Lord's
appearing is to be unannounced and unexpected. It will occur while men
are busy at their daily vocations, and therefore it behooves us to be
constantly on the qui vive. In passing, we may observe how the last
quoted Scripture brings out the marvelous scientific accuracy of the
Bible. We are told in verse 31 above, that it shall be "day" (1n one
part of the earth) at the time Christ is "revealed," while in verse 34
we learn it will be "night" (In another part of the earth), thus
anticipating a comparatively recent discovery of science and
demonstrating that the Lord Jesus was perfectly cognizant of the
rotundity and rotation of the earth!
"And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be
overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life,
and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come
on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye
therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape
all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son
of Man" (Luke 21:34-36). Mark particularly, above, the words, "lest at
any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting (self-indulgence)
and so that day come upon you unawares." Daily, nay hourly, readiness
is required of us. Language could not be more explicit. Let those who
speak so disparagingly of the "any moment theory" weigh the words "at
any time" and remember they were uttered by the Lord Himself. The
precise Date of the Second Advent has been designedly withheld from us
in order that we should maintain our attitude of watchfulness and that
we remain on the very tiptoe of expectation.
Just here we must take note of an objection that is brought against
the position we are now advocating, namely, In view of the tact that
in the above quotations it is clear that our Lord taught His disciples
to look for His Return in their own lifetime, how can we harmonize
this with His teaching in Matthew 13 where we found He foretold that
certain conditions must arise before the end of this age could arrive?
How call we square the presentation of the Redeemer's Return in the
language of imminency with the predictions that before He came back
the little mustard-seed must grow into a great tree and the whole of
the three measures of meal be completely leavened? At first sight this
appears a real difficulty, but further reflection will show it is more
apparent than actual.
When we examine the parables of Matthew 13 in the presence of the
above objection our first question must be, What impression were these
parables calculated to make upon the minds of the apostles, or on
Christians in apostolic days? That these parables contain prophetic
pictures which it has taken many centuries to fully develop is evident
to intelligent believers living now, but we insist that these
predictions were couched in such terms that there was nothing in their
surface and obvious signification which forbade the apostles and their
converts looking for the Redeemer to return in their own lifetime. In
other words, there was nothing direct in these parables which argued
the inevitable postponement of the Second Advent until a long interval
of time had lapsed after they were uttered by the Lord Jesus. In our
exposition of Matthew 13 (see the previous chapter) we showed how,
very early in the apostolic era, these parables began to receive their
fulfillment, and, as we would now point out, they were fulfilled to
such an extent that as a matter of fact they presented no necessary
obstacles to the first century saints who believed in the Imminent
appearing of the Savior.
The first parable need not here detain us, for, the Sowing of the Seed
was done by Christ Himself while He was here in person on the earth.
Concerning the parable of the Tares it is sufficient to say that
within the lifetime of the apostles themselves, long before the end of
the first century was reached, Satan had succeeded in covertly
introducing his children among the people of God. It is true the
parable teaches that the wheat and the tares were to grow together
until the harvest and that the harvest would not be until the end of
the age, but there is nothing in the parable which intimated that a
protracted interval lay between the sowing and the harvest, nay, there
was nothing in it which discouraged the belief that the crop might
hasten rapidly and the harvest occur in the lifetime of the apostles
themselves.
The third parable foretold that the little mustard-seed was to become
a great tree and, as we saw, it was the growth of Christianity
(previously corrupted) which was thus symbolized. But let it be
carefully noted that nothing at all was said in the parable as to how
great the "tree" was to become. Furthermore, we know that even in the
days of the apostles Christianity had made marvelous progress and had
spread through extensive regions. At the time our Lord uttered the
parable His followers were but a mere handful and there is nothing to
indicate that up to the hour of His ascension His flock was anything
more than a "little" one. But contrast the conditions that we read of
in the Book of Acts. Mark the three thousand which were converted on
the day of Pentecost. Take note of such expressions as, "And believers
were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women"
(Acts 5:14); "Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and
preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed
unto those things which Philip spake when they believed Philip
preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of
Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women" (8:5, 6, 12);
"And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were
come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus,
And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed,
and turned unto the Lord. Then tidings of these things came unto the
ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth
Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch. Who, when he came, and
had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with
purpose ot heart they would cleave unto the Lord. For he was a good
man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith: and much people was
added unto the Lord" (11:20-24).
Take into consideration the churches which were planted in Galatia,
Corinth, Thessalonians, Ephesus, Philippi, Colosse, Babylon (1 Pet.
5:18), Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, and
then it will be seen that the predicted growth of the mustard-seed
could present no obstacle to the disciples' continual expectancy of
Christ's appearing. And if it be further objected that our parable
foretold the corruption as well as the growth of Christianity, the
answer is that the apostolic Epistles record the fulfillment of this
part of the parable too. Read such passages as Philippians 3:18, 19,
where the apostle says, "For many walk, of whom I have told you often,
and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the Cross
of Christ; whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and
whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things;" and "For the
mystery of iniquity doth already work" (2 Thess. 2:7) and from such
Scriptures we may discover how extensively the meal had been
"leavened" in that early day. Thus the parables of the mustard-seed
and the Leaven had been so far fulfilled in the lifetime of the
apostles themselves that none could say the end of the age might not
even then be near at hand.
One other Scripture needs to be noted in this connection ere we turn
to our next point. It has often been objected by post-millennialists
that in view of our Lord's declaration "This gospel of the kingdom
shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and
than shall the end come" (Matthew 24:14), that it was impossible for
the apostles to be expecting Christ to return in their own lifetime,
But this objection is disposed of by several passages recorded in the
New Testament itself. In Acts 19:10 we read, "And this continued by
the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the
word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks." And again, in
Colossians 1:5, 6 we are told, "For the hope which is laid up for you
in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the
Gospel: which is come unto you, as it is in all the world" and in
verse 23 of the same chapter "be not moved away from the hope of the
Gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature
which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister." From these
passages thou it is abundantly clear that no such formidable hindrance
as imagined by post-millennialists interposed between the apostles and
the hope of the imminent return of the Redeemer. Scripture thus
affords positive evidence that the Gospel had been so widely diffused
by the apostles themselves that nothing further necessarily and
inevitably intervened between them and the realization of their hope.
Having thus, we trust, satisfactorily, disused of the most plausible
and forcible objection which can be brought against the pre-millennial
and imminent Return of our Lord, let us now consider--
2. The Apostles referred to in the language of Imminency.
"Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for
now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far
spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of
darkness, and let us put on the armor of light" (Rom. 13:11,12). The
"salvation," to which the apostle here refers is the completing and
consummating of our salvation, when we shall, in spirit and soul and
body, be fully conformed to the image of God's Son. The time when this
will be realized is the time of our Redeemer's Return, for, "when He
shall appear we shall be like Him" (1 John 3:2). That time will be the
believer's "day," that "perfect day" unto which the path of the just
"shineth more and more" (Prov. 4:18). The "night," spoken of above, is
the present period during which the Light of the world is absent.
Observe that the apostle, under the Holy Spirit, regarded the night as
"far spent," and the day as "at hand!"
"And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly"
(Rom. 16:20). The reference here is to Genesis 3:15 where we have
recorded Jehovah's promise to our first parents that the woman's Seed
should bruise the head of the Serpent. As believers will, in the
coming day, rule and reign "with Christ" (see Revelation 3:21; 19:14;
20:4) it is here said "The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your
feet." In the use of the word "shortly" we learn that the apostle did
not regard, the fulfillment of this promise as something which lay in
the far distant future, but rather as that which was even then
impending.
"I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is
given you by Jesus Christ; That in everything ye are enriched by Him,
in all utterance, and in all knowledge, even as the testimony of
Christ was confirmed in you; So that ye come behind in no gift;
waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 1:4-7). From
this passage we learn: first, that these Corinthian saints were
"waiting" for the Coming of the Lord Jesus, which proves they were
looking for Him to return in their generation; second, that the
apostle commended them for their attitude, yea, "thanked God always on
their behalf;" third, that this expectation on the part of these
Corinthian believers was the very summum bonum of Christian
experience, inasmuch as it is said, they "came behind in no gift," and
then as a climax it is added--"Waiting for the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ."
"Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of
some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see
the Day approaching" (Heb. 10:24, 25). The coming "Day" with its
glories and blessedness was that which filled the apostle's vision.
The promised "Day"--the Day of Christ--which was to follow this dark
night of sorrow when the Bridegroom is absent, was the hope which
stayed his heart. He could "see," by faith, that day was approaching,
and on the fact of its imminency he bases an exhortation to those who
are partakers of the heavenly calling to conduct themselves in the
present in a manner befitting those who are the children of light.
Again, in this same chapter the apostle says, "For yet a little while,
and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry" (vs. 37.) How
clear it is from these words that the Holy Spirit desired the first
century believers to be `looking for that blessed hope and the
glorious appearing of the great God and Savior, Jesus Christ"!
So real was the hope of the Redeemer's Return to the heart of the
apostle Paul and so imminent did this event appear to him that we find
he included himself among those who might not fall asleep but be among
the living saints when the Assembling Shout should be heard. Said he
"Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall
all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye" (1 Cor. 15:51,
52). Again, "For our citizenship is in heaven; from whence also we
look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our (not
"your") vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious
body" (Phil. 3:19, 20). Once more, "For the Lord Himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the
trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we (not
"ye") which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them
in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be
with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:16, 17). The enemies of the faith have
seized upon these very statements to show that the apostle Paul was in
error, that he wrote by unaided human wisdom, that he merely recorded
in his Epistles his own beliefs, and that in some of these he was
clearly mistaken. But such an objection is quite pointless to the
saints who believe that "All Scripture is given by inspiration of
God." We hope to show further on in this chapter why the Holy Spirit
moved the apostles to write of the Second Advent of Christ as an event
which might take place in their own day.
The apostle Paul was not alone in this regard: we find that the other
apostles also regarded the Return of our Lord as something which might
occur at any time. The apostle James wrote, "Be ye also patient;
stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." (Jam.
5:8). There is no ambiguity about this language: such a statement not
only argued the pre-millennial Coming of Christ, inasmuch as His
Coming could not be said to have "drawn nigh" if a whole Millennium
intervened, but it also announced the imminency of His
return--something which might be expected at any time. The apostle
Peter declared, "But the end of things (all things connected with this
present regime) is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and Watch unto
prayer" (1 Pet. 4:7). The apostle was expecting the speedy winding up
of this present economy and the introduction of a new order of things
when his Lord returned and took the government upon His shoulder. The
apostle John said, "Little children it is the last time: and as ye
have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many
antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time" (1 John 2:18).
The "last time" or "last hour" (Greek hora) must be distinguished from
"the last days" (2 Tim. 3:1) and "the last day" (Greek hemera--John
6:39). The "last days" refer to the closing decades of this present
dispensation. The "last day" looks forward to the Millennium when the
saints shall participate in the "first resurrection"--it is the last
Day of God's dispensational week, foreshadowed by the Sabbath. The
"last hour" is connected with the Antichrist. It is the "last hour" of
Satan's freedom for, excepting the "little-season" referred to in
Revelation 20, after this dispensation Satan will be for ever banished
from these scenes. This dispensation then is Satan's "last hour" as
the "Prince of this world" and it is during the closing moments of
this "last hour" that the Antichrist shall be revealed. The force then
of the apostle's statement was to the effect that though the personal
Antichrist had not appeared up to the time when he wrote his. epistle,
yet, the saints must not conclude from this that the Second Coming of
Christ was necessarily a long way off. No; even then there were many
Anti-christs by which they were to know it was the "last time." Thus
we see that the testimony of the apostles was uniform and explicit.
They were looking for their Lord to return at any time. Such ought to
be our attitude too.
"Let not my eyes with tears be dim,
Let joy their upward glance illume;
Look up, and watch, and wait for Him--
Soon, soon the Lord will come.
Soon will that star-paved milky way,
Soon will that beauteous azure dome,
Glories, ne'er yet conceived display --
Soon, soon the Lord will come.
Changed in the twinkling of an eye,
Invested with immortal bloom,
I shall behold Him throned on high,
And sing, `The Lord is come!'
One beam from His all-glorious face
These mortal garments will cousume,
Each sinful blemish will efface--
Lord Jesus: quickly come!
What will it be with Thee to dwell,
Thyself my everlasting Home!
Oh, bliss--Oh, joy ineffable!
Lord Jesus, quickly come!"
3. Why was the fact of our Lord's Return presented in the language of
Imminency and the exact date withheld?
At first sight it may appear strange that our Lord has not made known
to us the precise date of His appearing. He has caused many details
concerning the Blessed Hope to be recorded in the Word. He has made
known many things which are to transpire at His second advent, and in
view of the fact that so much has been revealed it may strike us as
peculiar that the very point upon which human curiosity most desires
enlightenment should have been left undefined. We need hardly say that
it was not ignorance on our Lord's part which caused Him to leave the
hour of His second coming undetermined, though some of His enemies
have dared to charge this against Him, basing their evil indictment
upon Mark 13:32--"But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no,
not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father."
These words need occasion no difficulty if we pay due attention to the
particular Gospel in which they are found, namely, Mark's--the Gospel
of the Servant of Jehovah, The purpose of Mark's Gospel is to present
the Lord Jesus as the perfect Servant, the obedient Servant, the
Servant whose meat it was to do the will of Him that sent Him, and,
"the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth" (John 15:15). Mark 13:32
does not call into question our Lord's omniscience but asserts that,
as a Servant, He waited Another's will. A little reflection will
reveal the perfect wisdom of our Lord in concealing the exact date of
His Return. One reason was that He desired to keep His people on the
very tiptoe of expectation, continually looking for Him.
Again, this question needs to be pondered in the light of the Unity of
Christ's church. The tendency with all of us is to regard believers as
so many detached individuals, instead of viewing the saints as "one
body" (1 Cor. 12:13) "members one of another" (Rom. 12:5). The church
is not an organization, it is a living organism, a "body" of which
Christ is the "head." Hence, the Imminency of the Redeemer's return is
to one member precisely what it is to all the members, and therefore
it is that first century believers were just as truly and just as much
interested in the appearing of the Savior as are believers now living
in the twentieth century. The object of hope then is the object of
hope now, for the Body is one, and conversely, the object of hope now
must necessarily have been the object of hope then. Consequently, the
early Christians, by virtue of the Unity of the saints, were exhorted
to walk in the light and blessing of a hope which is common to the
entire church.
The Return of our Lord might not have been revealed at all, but in
that case a most powerful dynamic to godly living would have been
withheld from the church. The Imminency of the Redeemer's second
advent was revealed as an incentive to watchfulness and preparedness.
If then the fact of our Lord's return had not been presented in the
New Testament as something which might occur at any time, but,
instead, had been expressly postponed and fixed to happen in some
particular and distant century, then all believers who lived in the
centuries preceding that one would have been robbed of the comfort
which is to be found in the assurance that Christ may return at any
hour and would have lost the purifying effects which such a prospect
is calculated to produce. As it has been well remarked, "It is not
that He desires each succeeding generation to believe that He will
certainly return in their time, for He does not desire our faith and
our practice to be founded on an error, as, in that case, the faith
and practice of all generations except the last would be. But it is a
necessary element of the doctrine concerning the second coming of
Christ, that it should be possible at any time, that no generation
should consider it improbable in theirs" (Archbishop Trench).
Here then is the simple but sufficient answer to our question. The
second coming of Christ is presented in the language of imminency
because of the far-reaching effects it is designed to exert on those
who lay hold of the promise, "Surely I come quickly." The imminent
return of the Redeemer is a practical hope. It is the commanding
motive of the New Testament. The Holy Spirit has linked it with every
precept and practice of Christian character and conduct. As another
has so well expressed it: "It arms admonitions, it points appeals, it
strengthens arguments, it enforces commands, it intensifies
entreaties, it arouses courage, it rebukes fear, it quickens
affection, it kindles hope, it inflames zeal, it separates from the
world, it consecrates to God, it dries tears, it conquers death"
(Brookes). To amplify this statement in detail --
The hope of our Lord's second advent produces loyalty and faithfulness
to Christ, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his Lord
shall make ruler over His household, to give them their portion of
meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when He
cometh shall find so doing. Of a truth, I say unto you, that He will
make him ruler over all that He hath. But and if that servant say in
his heart, My Lord delayeth His coming; and shall begin to beat the
menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; The
Lord of that Servant will come in a day when he looketh not for Him,
and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and
will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers" (Luke 12:42-46).
The moral purpose of this parable (see context of above quotation) is
apparent. While the steward maintained an attitude of watchfulness he
was faithful and sober, but when he said in his heart "my Lord
delayeth His coming" he began to beat his fellow-servants and to eat
and drink and be drunken. Watching for the Lord then is an incentive
to loyalty and fidelity, while unwatchfulness results in worldliness
of heart, carelessness of walk and carnality of life.
The Return of our Lord is presented as a motive to brotherly
love--"And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward
another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To the end He
may stablish your hearts unblamable in holiness before God, even our
Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints" (1
Thess. 3:12, 13). In view of the fact that our Lord may return at any
hour, how awful are divisions between the Lord's own people. Soon
shall each of us appear before the Bema of Christ where every wrong
will be righted and every misunderstanding cleared up. The Lord is at
hand, therefore let us sink our petty differences, forgive one another
even as God hath for Christ's sake forgiven us, and increase and
abound in love one toward another.
The perennial hope of Christ's second advent is used as a call to a
godly walk--"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath
appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly
lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present
world. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of
the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:11-13). How clear
it is from these words that the Blessed Hope is intended to cheek the
spirit of self-pleasing and self-seeking in the believer and to
promote holiness in the daffy life. As says the apostle John, "He that
hath this hope in Him purifieth himself even as He is pure" (1 John
3:3).
The return of our Lord is designed to comfort bereaved hearts--"For I
would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are
asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if
we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which
sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by
the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the
coming of the Lord shall not prevent (go before) them which are
asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the
dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain,
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord
in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort
one another with these words" (1 Thess. 4:13-18). Those to whom the
apostle was writing were sorrowing over the loss of loved ones. But
observe, he does not seek to solace by telling them that shortly they
would die and join the departed in heaven. No; he held up before them
the prospect of a returning Savior who would bring back the sleeping
saints with Him.
The promise of the Redeemer's return is calculated to develop the
grace of patience--"Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of
the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the
earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and
the latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the
coming of the Lord draweth nigh" (Jam. 5:7, 8). These words were
addressed to saints who were poor in this world's goods and who were
groaning beneath the oppression of unrighteous employers. How timely
is this word of exhortation to many a twentieth--century saint! How
many of God's poor are now crying unto the Lord for deliverance from
pecuniary difficulties, from tyranny and injustice! These cries have
reached the ears of the Lord of hosts, and just as He intervened of
old on behalf of Israel in Egypt, so will He speedily come and remove
His people from their present cruel task-masters. In the meantime, the
word is, "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the
Lord."
The hope of our Lords return is the antidote for worry--"Let your
forebearance be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. In nothing be
anxious" (Phil. 4:5, 6, R. V.). Brethren in Christ, why be so fearful
about meeting next year's liabilities? Why be anxiously scheming and
fretting about the future? Why be worrying about the morrow? Tomorrow
you may be in heaven. Before tomorrow dawns the assembling Shout may
be given. At any hour thy Savior may come. The Lord is at hand and His
appearing will mean the end of all your trials and troubles. Look not
then at your dangers and difficulties, but for your Redeemer. In
nothing be anxious.
The prospect of a speedily returning Savior is employed to stimulate
sobriety and vigilance--"Knowing the time, that now it is high time to
awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we
believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore
cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light"
(Rom. 13:11, 12). As we have shown in a previous chapter the
"salvation" here spoken of is that mentioned in Hebrews 9:28 ("unto
them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin
unto salvation") which salvation is brought to us at Christ's second
advent. Note, particularly, that this salvation is not presented as a
distant hope, to be realized at some remote period, but is set forth
as that which is nigh at hand. Ere closing this chapter one other
question claims our attention--
4. Why is it that our Lord has tarried till now?
Why has not the Redeemer returned long ere this? At first sight
perhaps this inquiry might appear almost irreverent and some may feel
inclined to remind us that "secret things belong unto the Lord." In
response we would say, It is not in any spirit of idle curiosity nor
is it to indulge an inquisitive speculation that we take up this
question, but simply because we believe that a humble examination of
it will prove profitable to our souls, inasmuch as the answer to our
inquiry demonstrates the wisdom and grace of Him with whom we have to
do.
Of old, the mother of Sisera cried concerning her son, "Why is his
chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the wheels of his chariot?"
(Judg. 5:28). We might well appropriate these words to our present
inquiry. On the eve of His death, the Lord Jesus said, "I go to
prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come again and receive you unto Myself, that where I am there ye
may be also," but eighteen centuries have run their weary course since
then and He has not yet returned! Is not this deeply mysterious? A
world in which iniquity abounds more and more; an Israel without a
home and without a king; a church rent by divisions and, like Samson,
shorn of its power; a groaning creation and a war-stricken earth, all
unite in crying with the souls under the altar "How long, O Lord!"
(Rev. 6:10).
Why then such delay? Why has the millennial era of blessedness been
thus postponed? Why has not the Redeemer returned to enter into His
blood-bought inheritance long ere this? Stupendous questions surely.
Questions which sometime or other exercise the hearts of all the
saints of God. Is it possible to discover a satisfactory answer? A
complete answer--No; for now we "know in part." But an answer--yes, an
answer that will at least enable us to see, even though it be through
a glass darkly, something of the meaning of our Lord's delay. Why this
protracted interval since the time of His departure? Why has He not
returned long ere this? We answer--
First, because God would give man full opportunity to develop his
schemes and thereby demonstrate the world's need of a competent Ruler.
Man cannot complain that God has not allowed him full opportunity to
experiment and test his own plans. Man has been permitted to do his
utmost in ruling and regenerating the world. God, as it were, has put
the reins of government into his hands, and withdrawn for a season.
Why? To show whether man was sufficient for these things. To show
whether or not man was capable of governing himself. To show whether
man was competent to grapple successfully with the powers of evil
which war upon his soul.
Throughout the ages man's efforts have been directed toward ruling and
regenerating the world. Man has been given full scope. With what
results? With the result that the incurable hatred of the human heart
to God and the utter depravity of human nature have been fully
displayed. How has man used the freedom, the opportunities, the
privileges, the relents with which his Maker has endowed him? To what
profit has he turned them? Have they been used with the purpose of
glorifying God or of deifying himself? To ask the question is quite
enough. Loud have been man's boasts. Lofty have been his claims.
Pretentious his vauntings. Such terms as improvement, advancement,
enlightenment, evolution, civilization, have been his favorite
slogans. But the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, and the
folly of the world's wisdom and the vanity of man's claims are now
displayed before our eyes What has `civilization' effected? With all
our so-called enlightenment and progress unto what have we attained?
Let the records of our Law-courts tell us. Let the columns of the
daily newspapers make response. Let the economic, political and moral
conditions of the clay make answer. Let the world war with all its
inhumanities, its barbarities, its fiendish atrocities, give reply.
And mark, it cannot be said that these things are clue to man's
ignorance and inexperience. Man is not just starting out to make
history. We are now living in the twentieth century of the Christian
era. Man then cannot--complain that God has not given him plenty of
time to mature his plans. No; God has given ample time, time enough to
show that he is an utter failure, time enough to demonstrate that he
is totally incapable of governing himself, time enough to prove that
if relief comes at all it must come from outside of himself.
Here then is the first part of our answer. Christ's return has been
delayed in order to provide opportunity for man's plans to fully
develop. God waits till harvest-time. He has been waiting for the
harvest time of man's schemes and efforts. He has been waiting
patiently with sickle in hand, and as soon as the crops of human
industry have fully matured, the word will go forth--"Thrust in thy
sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the
harvest of the earth is ripe" (Rev. 14:15).
Why has not our Lord returned long ere this?--We answer--Second, in
order that God might fully display His long-sufferance.
"But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with
the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand yeas as one day. The Lord
is not slack concerning His promise as some men count slackness; but
is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but
that all should come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:8, 9). All through these
nineteen centuries the Lord has been saying, "Come unto Me all ye that
labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." Ever since the
Savior left the earth, God has been dealing with the world in mercy
instead of visiting it with judgment. God's patience toward our wicked
race has been truly marvelous. Wonderful it is that the vials of His
wrath have not been emptied upon the nations long ere this, What
long-sufferance Jehovah hath shown in bearing with such rebels thee
twenty centuries! Why is it that the Day of Salvation has lasted until
it now exceeds in length every dispensation that has preceded it? Why
is it that the door of mercy still stands open wide and God is yet be,
seeking sinners to be reconciled to Himself? Why is it that Christ has
not long, long ago returned in flaming fire to take vengeance an them
that know not God and obey not His Gospel? Why is it that He is not
avon now seated upon the Throne of His Glory and saying to His
enemies, "Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared
for the devil and his angels"? Why? Ah! why? Because the Lord God is
longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish. Suppose
that Christ had returned five, ten, twenty, fifty years ago, then, in
such case, how many who read these lines rejoicing that they have been
accepted in the Beloved, would have perished in their sins! Join,
then, with the writer in returning thanks for the marvelous
longsufferance of our gracious God.
Why has not the Lord returned long ere this? We answer--
Third, in order that God might fully test the faith of His own people.
This has ever been His way. Why those years of waiting before Abraham
received Isaac? Why that protracted bondage in Egypt, when the chosen
people groaned beneath the burdens imposed on them by their cruel
task-masters? Why those four centuries of silence between the
ministries of Malachi and John the Baptist? Why a four thousand years
interval from the giving of the promise of the woman's Seed until its
realization? Why?--to test the faith of His people, to demonstrate the
reality of their confidence in Him. So in this dispensation. Why has
our Lord tarried so long in the Father's house? Why these eighteen
centuries for His church to journey through the wilderness of the
world? Why is it that the first, the second, and the third "watch" has
passed and yet our Lord has not come? Why did God permit the Blessed
Hope to be recovered almost a hundred years ago, and still the
Bridegroom tarries? Why this earnest expectation on the part of His
own for three generations past and even now the heavens are silent?
Why tarry the wheels of His chariot? Why?--because God would fully
test the faith of His people. Why is He pleased to do this? To the
praise of the glory of His grace. Perhaps to demonstrate to the
angels, to whom we are "made a spectacle" (1 Cor. 4:9), that God has a
people who by His grace can trust Him even amid the darkness of a
profound mystery! Wonderful are the ways of our God. Scoffers may cry,
"Where is the promise of His coming?" Evil servants may exclaim "my
Lord delayeth His coming," and our own wicked hearts may sometimes be
tempted to murmur against the long delay, nevertheless, it shall yet
be seen that He "doeth all things well."
____________________________________________________
Contents | Forword | Preface | Intro
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Conclusion | Appendix
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A. W. Pink Header
The Redeemer's Return
by Arthur W. Pink
The Beneficiaries of the Redeemer's
Return or The Scope of the Rapture
Chapter 7
"The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints." 1 Thess.
3:13
____________________________________________________
We Come now to a phase of our subject which has given rise to much
controversy. Sad it is that the "Blessed Hope" should have been an
occasion for contention. But, just as men have divided into different
camps over every fundamental doctrine of Scripture, so have sides been
taken in regard to various points which bear upon our Lord's Return.
Alas! "What is man?" Surely "an enemy hath done this." One of the
points upon which Bible teachers and students are divided is that of
the scope of the Rapture. Some have taught that at our Lord's descent
into the air all of His saints will be caught up to meet Him; while
others insist that only a small part of the Church will be removed
from the earth at that time--that part which is obedient, faithful,
spiritual. Thus, translation to heaven at the second coming of Christ
is made a matter of merit and reward.
What saith the Scriptures? Do they teach a partial or a total rapture
of the Church which is Christ's body? Do they declare that all
believers will be removed from earth at the time Lord descends from
His Father's throne, or, that only a of them will? Clearly, they
cannot teach both, and surely matter of such moment is not left
indeterminable. We believe that a question of such importance is left
an open one. Yet, we are not unmindful of the fact that the advocates
of each position referred to above, appeal to the Word in support of
their views. But just here we would ask, Are the Scriptures pressed
into service really relevant to the point at issue, and will they
actually bear the interpretation which is given them?
What saith the Scriptures? and particularly, What is the explicit
teaching of the Church Epistles? If we are seeking to find the
inspired answer to the question, Will the whole Church or only a part
of it, escape the judgments of the Great Tribulation? then, surely, it
is to the Church Epistles we must turn for information. We are not
here arguing that there are no Scriptures which treat of the first
stage of Christ's second coming outside of the Church Epistles, for
doubtless there are--for example John 14:1-3--yet, we repeat, If the
question before us concerns the Church, then the testimony of the
Church Epistles must decide the dispute. If this much be granted--and
personally we do not see why it should not--then the range of our
inquiry is narrowed down and the issue is simplified. It is highly
significant that almost all of the passages which are in dispute (as
to interpretation) between the advocates of the conflicting schools
are outside of the Church Epistles: in other words, the verses which
are made the occasion for controversy are found, for the most part, in
the Gospels, in Hebrews, or in the Apocalypse.
To one who is a beginner in the study of Dispensational troth and is
unacquainted with human writings upon the second coming of Christ, the
teaching of the Church Epistles on this subject appears to be simple
and harmonious Those passages which deal at greatest length with the
return of our Lord and the taking of His people to be with Himself,
seem to set forth no limitations in regard to the number of the saints
which shall be translated. Such expressions as, "The dead in Christ
shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught
up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air." (1
Thess. 4:16, 17); "They that are Christ's at His coming" (1 Cor.
15:23); and "We shall all, be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of
an eye" (1 Cor. 15:51); certainly appear to teach the rapture of the
entire Church, and, ought not we be very slow to accept any
conflicting line of teaching which would compel us to abandon the
obvious meaning of these verses, and instead, have to give them a
strained interpretation so as to harmonize them with something which
is foreign to their plain signification? Yea, is it not evident that
any system of teaching which would compel us to do this carries with
it its own condemnation?
What then saith the Scriptures and what is the testimony of the Church
Epistles? The present writer believes there can be only one answer to
this question, namely, that every member of Christ's body will be
raptured at the time our great Head comes to conduct His blood-bought
people to His Father's House. We believe this, not only because a
number of Scriptures expressly affirm it, but also because some of the
great basic principles which underlie both the Gospel, and what is
known as "Church truth," demand this conclusion and repudiate the
other alternative. We would now humbly submit to the prayerful and
careful attention of our readers some of the grounds for our belief in
a total rather than in a partial rapture of the Church which in
faithfulness to our apprehension of God's Truth on this subject, we
must denominate the partial-rapture theory.
1. Because GRACE is that which characterizes all God's dealings with
His own during this dispensation and grace, necessarily. eliminates
all distinction of personal merits.
The advocates of the partial-rapture theory declare that only those
who are intelligently and eagerly looking for the Lord will be caught
up at His return. They affirm that none save those who are walking
worthily and who are faithful to the end will be taken to be with the
Lord when He descends into the air, and that only such, will,
subsequently, "reign" with Him during the millennial era. They teach
that all unspiritual believers will be left behind on earth to suffer
the judgments of the Great Tribulation. As a consequence, not a few of
the Lord's people have been harassed and distressed, fearful lest they
should be among the number who are rejected by the Lord at His coming.
We are told that none but those who attain some high standard of
spirituality will be raptured, but when we ask for a precise
definition of this standard none can enlighten us; where we inquire,
How faithful and how worthy we must be in order to be among the select
company who shall be taken to the Father's House, none can give us a
satisfactory reply. Hence, instead of the Return of our Lord being a
blessed hope it becomes a source of bewilderment and anxiety.
It appears to the writer that there is one Scripture which simply and
satisfactorily disposes of every objection which can be brought
against the affirmation that the entire Body of Christ will be
raptured at the appearing of our great Head. We refer to 2
Thessalonians 2:16--"Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even
our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting
consolation, and good hope through grace." Here we learn that the
"Hope" which has been given to God's people in this Age, like every
other blessing we enjoy, is "a good hope through grace," hence, all
questions of worthiness, merit, desert, are forever ruled out. Let us
settle it once for all that the Dispensation in which we are living is
a unique one, that it is fundamentally different from all that have
preceded it and from that which is to follow it--the Millennium. This
is the Dispensation of Grace, and grace obliterates all distinctions,
grace eliminates all questions of merits; grace makes every blessing a
Divine and free gift. But, the human heart is essentially legalistic.
Man wishes to have a hand in his own salvation and desires to
contribute something to the price of his redemption. When, by grace,
the Holy Spirit has taught a soul that the Finished Work of Christ is
the sole ground of our justification before God, when he has learnt
from the Scripture of Truth that the Blood of the Cross cannot be
plussed by anything from the creature, then it is that the Enemy comes
to that heart and seeks to disturb its peace and rob it of the liberty
wherewith it has been made free, by insisting that faith in Christ
merely puts us in a salvable condition, that believing the Gospel
simply places us on an extended probation, and that only if we obey
God's commands and walk worthily before Him shall we be taken to
Heaven at the close of our earthly pilgrimage. This is Law mingled
with Grace; thus is the precious Blood supplemented by human works.
Instead of realizing that good works flow from a heart that is filled
with gratitude to God and which are constrained by the love of Christ,
the believer is led so believe that good works must be performed by
him as a condition of his eternal salvation. But, even when the
believer has been delivered from this error, the legalistic tendency
of the human heart still seeks an outlet, and in our day it is
manifested in reference to the Blessed Hope of the believer. The
saints are now taught that their Rapture and Glorification are not
"through grace" but will be the result of personal effort and
attainment. Thus does the leaven of legalism work to the robbing of
God of His glory and the believer of his peace.
Again we say, let us settle it once for all that we are living in the
Dispensation of Grace (John 1:17; Eph. 3:2) and that every blessing we
enjoy is a gift of Divine clemency. We are justified by grace (Rom.
3:24). We are saved by grace (Eph. 2:8). The Holy Scriptures are
refined "The Word of His Grace" (Acts 20:32). The Third Person of the
Holy Trinity is denominated "The Spirit of Grace" (Heb. 10:29). God is
seated upon a Throne of Grace (Heb. 4:16). And, the Good Hope which is
given us is "through grace" (2 Thess. 2:16). It is all of Grace from
first to last. It is all of Grace from beginning to end. It was grace
that predestined us before the world began (2 Tim. 1:9), and it will
be grace that makes us like Christ at the consummation of our
salvation. Thank God for such a "Blessed Hope."
2. Because the Rapture is the CONSUMMATION OF OUR SALVATION and
therefore, being an integral and essential part of our salvation it
cannot, in anywise, be determined by our personal worthiness.
Our salvation will not be complete until the Return of the Lord Jesus
Christ. In the New Testament "salvation" is threefold in its
scope--past, present, and future; and it is threefold in its
character--from the penalty of sin, from the power of sin, and from
the presence of sin. Every believer has been saved from the penalty of
sin. The penalty of sin is "death" (separation from God), and we are
delivered from it because, our Substitute died for us on the
Cross--"Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree" (1
Pet. 2:24). But while ever), believer has been completely and
eternally saved from the penalty of sin--from the wrath to come--while
it is true that there is no sin ON us (all our iniquities were "laid"
on Christ--Isa. 53:6), yet, sin is still IN us. The evil nature
remains even in the one who has been born again. Yet, notwithstanding
this, Christ also indwells each of His own people and from Him may be
drawn grace and strength and thus, day by day, we are being saved from
the power of sin. But we shall yet be saved from the very presence of
sin--"For our citizenship is in heaven; item whence also we look for
the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who shall change our vile body,
that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the
working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself"
(Phil. 3:20, 21). At our Lord's return we shall be completely
emancipated from the dominion and pollution of sin. It was this the
apostle Paul had before him when he wrote--"And the very God of peace
sanctity you wholly--completely, i.e. in each part of our threefold
being--and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved
blameless unto (at) the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess.
5:23).
We have thus shown that our salvation will not be consummated until
the Return of our blessed Savior, that not until then shall we be
completely "conformed" to the image of God's Son (Rom. 8:29). It is
not until Christ's second advent that the purpose of our
predestination will be fully realized, for it is not until then we
shall be "glorified" (Rom. 8:30). If then salvation is by grace and it
Christ is our Savior--our Savior from the presence of sin as well as
from its penalty and power--then our own works (our obedience,
faithfulness, service etc.) are not the determining factor, nor even a
contributing factor. Salvation is not partly of grace and partly of
works; if it were we should have ground for "boasting" and Christ
would be robbed of at least a part of His glory. Once we see that the
time of our Lord's Return is the time when our salvation is
consummated and once we see that salvation is by grace, through faith,
and not of works, then it will be clear that it cannot, in anywise, be
determined by our personal worthiness.
3. Because to make our Rapture dependent upon anything in us is to
attack the Finished Work of Christ.
We do not charge the advocates of the partial-rapture theory with
intentionally doing this, nay we are fully satisfied that most if not
all of them would shrink back in horror from wittingly committing such
a sin. Yet, we do say that this is the logical and actual outcome of
their teaching. A long drawn-out argument is not needed to prove this
after what we have said above under the first two heads. If the
Rapture is the consummation of the application of our salvation then
anything which makes that salvation, or any part thereof, dependent
upon anything in or from us, necessarily attacks the Finished Work of
Christ upon which alone our salvation rests.
As we have already said, the Rapture is the time when Christ returns
to conduct His blood-bought people to the Father's House (John
14:1-3). What then is it that gives title and fitness for the Father's
House? Surely there can be only one answer to this question. Surely
none but those who are ignorant of the character and contents of the
Gospel of God would declare that our wretched works are needed to
supplement the Cross-Work of Christ. But, blessed be God, the point we
are now considering is not left to be determined by logical
deductions, but is the express subject of Divine revelation. In
Colossians 1:12 we are exhorted to give thanks unto the Father "which
hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in
light." The "inheritance of the saints in light" is not a matter of
attainment as certain teachers are today affirming, but is an occasion
of thanksgiving to God, because it is due solely to His grace. Observe
carefully the tense of the verb here: it is not we are "being made
meet," still less that we are making ourselves meet, but "which HATH
made us meet." Again we ask, What is it that gives us title to the
inheritance of the saints in light? And we reply, Nought but the
precious blood and infinite merits of our. great God and Savior Jesus
Christ. What was it that qualified the "Prodigal" for a place at the
Father's table? Did he have to submit to a lengthy probation after he
returned home and before he was permitted to feast with the Father?
No; the "best robe"--which speaks of "the robe of righteousness" (Isa.
61:10) which is the portion of every believer--was all that was
needed. Was not the "Repentant Thief" made meet for the inheritance of
the saints in light the same hour in which he believed?
Unquestionably, for our Lord assured him, "Today shalt thou be with Me
in Paradise." If then the "best robe" was all that the Prodigal needed
to fit him for a place at the Father's table, and if repentance toward
God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ was sufficient to translate the
Dying Thief to Paradise, is it not clear that nothing further will, be
demanded of those whom the Lord shall conduct to the Father's House at
the time of His Return?
4. Because the Rapture of a part of the Church truly, would leave the
remainder of it still upon the earth and that prevent the
manifestation of the Man of sin.
The picture that is presented in 2 Thessalonians 2 is an exceedingly
solemn one. There we learn that the mystery of iniquity which was at
work even in the days of the apostle Paul and which has been hindered
from coming to complete fruition will yet head up in the appearing of
the Man of Sin, the Son of Perdition. The coming of this Devil-Man
will be "after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying
wonders and with all deveivableness of unrighteousness in them that
perish." Then it will be that the Devil is allowed "free rein." Then
it is that, through the Antichrist, Satan will deceive the whole
world. There will be many on earth at that time who in former days had
listened unmoved to the preaching of the Gospel had treated with scorn
or indifference its gracious offers. Hence "because they loved not the
truth, that they might be saved God shall send them strong delusion,
that they should believe a lie that they all might be damned who
believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness."
We have said above that 2 Thessalonians 2 pictures a time when the
Devil will be allowed "free rein." This will be the season when all
his diabolical scheming will attain its full development in the
manifestation of the Son of Perdition. Today it is otherwise. In this
Dispensation, Satan is held in check, and his plans are not permitted
to fully materialize. Today it is impossible for the Man of Sin to
appear on the stage of this world as the above passage clearly
intimates. Says the apostle, "Remember ye not, that, when I was yet
with you, I told you these things? And now ye know that which
restraineth, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season. For
the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: only there is one that
restraineth now until He be taken out of the way." (2 Thess. 2:5-7,
R.V.).
The "mystery of lawlessness" (in contrast to "the mystery of
godliness," i.e. "God manifest in the flesh"--1 Timothy 3:16) will
terminate in the Satanic parody of the Divine incarnation--the
bringing forth by Satan of the Man of Sin, the Son of Perdition. This
Man of Sin will be revealed "in his own season." That "season" has not
yet arrived. The reference is to the Great Tribulation period. There
are two entities which are now preventing the appearing of the
Antichrist. They are referred to in 2 Thessalonians 2 as "that which
restraineth" and there is "One that restraineth now until He be taken
out of the way." The former is the Church which is the body of Christ;
the latter is the Holy Spirit Himself. The Church which is indwelt and
energized by the Holy Spirit is now hindering and preventing the full
development of the Mystery of Lawlessness and the consequent appearing
of the Lawless One. Not until the whole of the Church and the Holy
Spirit leave this earth ("until He be taken out of the way") can the
Man of Sin appear.
Here then is a simple but conclusive argument which all should be able
to grasp. Passing by the question of--How would it be possible for the
Holy Spirit to be "taken out of the way" while many of those whom He
indwells are left behind on the earth--we would point out the obvious
fact that no part of the Church can be left behind on earth at the
Return of Christ into the air, or, otherwise, there would still be a
hindrance to the consummating of the Mystery of Lawlessness. Christ
declared that His disciples were "the salt of the earth." They are
God's preservative. They are His instrument of preventing everything
on earth going to utter decay and rottenness. But in the Tribulation
period everything on earth will have gone to utter corruption as is
clear from the words of our Lord--"For wheresoever the carcase is,
there will the eagles be gathered together" (Matthew 24:28)--a
prophetic utterance which will receive its fulfillment at the very
season of which we are now treating. We are told that in the days
which immediately preceded the Flood "All flesh had corrupted his way
upon the earth" (Gen. 6:12) and our Lord declared, "But as the days of
Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be" (Matthew
24:37) i.e.--His coming back to the earth: the conditions which He
will find prevailing here at that time.
We repeat, at the Rapture and during the Tribulation period everything
on earth will be morally and spiritually rotten. Even God's judgments
at that time will have no other effect than to cause earth's-dwellers
to "blaspheme God" (Rev. 16:11 etc.) Hence, is it not evident that the
whole of the salt (except that which has "lost its savor," i.e.,
formal professors) must have first been removed: that the church and
the Holy Spirit which now make impossible this total corruption must
first be "taken out of the way"!
5. Because for the believer there is "no judgment" and all upon earth
during the Tribulation period are unquestionably the subjects of God's
judgments.
One of the most blessed, most remarkable and most far-reaching
utterances which fell from our Lord's lips while He tabernacled among
men is that recorded in John 5:24, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He
that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath eternal
life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed out of death into
life." Nothing could be simpler than this. The one who has received
Christ as his or her Savior is for ever beyond the reach of Divine
"judgment." We quote this verse from the Gospels because the same
assurance is given to us in the Church Epistles. There, also, we read,
"There is therefore now no judgment to them which are in Christ Jesus"
(Rom. 8:1).
In the above verses an unequivocal assertion is made which requires no
great learning to understand. Every believer has been justified by God
Himself, justified eternally, justified "from all things" (Acts
13:39). The result of this decision in the High Court of Heaven for
those who have been pronounced righteous is that there is for them "no
judgment." Hence it ought to be clear that no believing sinner who has
been "accepted in the Beloved" can possibly be left on earth during
the Great Tribulation, for at that time God's sore "judgments will be
on earth." That then will be the time when God's Judgments are let
loose needs no arguing--the last book in the Bible makes that
abundantly clear. The "seven golden vials" in which are stored up the
concentrated and long suppressed "wrath of God" (Rev. 15) will then be
poured forth upon the world which crucified the Lord of Glory. To
teach then, that any of the members of Christ's body will be left
behind on earth to suffer these judgments is to repudiate the express
testimony of our Lord to the contrary, is to undermine the glorious
doctrine of Justification, and is to make God's children the subjects
of His "wrath" instead of the objects of His love and grace.
6. Because nothing can separate believers from the Love of Christ.
To those that believe perhaps the most precious and amazing truth in
all God's Word is Christ's Love for His own. Unlike human love, His
love is lavished upon the unlovely and unworthy. Unlike human love,
His love knows no change. Unlike human love, nothing can separate us
from His love--"Who (or "what") shall separate us from the love of
Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For Thy sake we are
killed all the day long: we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that
loved us" (Rom. 8:85-37).
The time when our Lord's Love will be fully exhibited and publicly
displayed (before all Heaven's inhabitants) is that time when He shall
rise up from the Father's Throne where He is now seated. Then it will
be that He shall descend from heaven with a "shout." What will
occasion this "shout"? What is it that He is descending for? Is it
that He may return to the earth and take its government upon His
shoulder? Is it that He may be coronated the King of kings? Is it that
He may vanquish His blatant enemies? Is it that He may bind that old
Serpent. the Devil? No; important as these may be, there is something
else which must take the precedence; there is something else which
lies much nearer to His blessed heart. He descends to receive to
Himself His blood-bought people. Why? Because He loves them. He comes
for that Church which He loved, and for which He gave Himself in order
"that He might present it (not a part of it) to Himself a glorious
church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing: but that it
should be holy and without blemish" (Eph. 5:27). Ah! this will be the
time when "He shall see of the travail of His soul and be satisfied,"
and think you He would be "satisfied" by seeing an incomplete Church?
To teach then that a part of the Church will be left behind when our
Lord comes back again to receive His people: unto Himself is to
declare that something (unfaithfulness or unworthiness) will separate
some of the saints from their Redeemer's Love and thus Romans 8:35 is
repudiated. Moreover, it is to deny the comforting declaration of John
13:1--"Having loved His own which were, in the world, He loved them to
the end." --Therefore, we say, Because nothing shall or can separate
any believer from the Love. of Christ, not one shall be left behind
when He returns to take unto Himself His blood-washed people. As it
was declared of Israel of old in connection with their leaving Egypt
(type of the world)--"There shall not an hoof be left behind" (Ex.
10:26).
7. Because the inevitable tendency of the partial-rapture theory is to
get believers occupied with themselves instead of with Christ.
We shall not now attempt to argue at length what is a matter of common
observation. One of the favorite devices of the Enemy is to get the
believer occupied with something other than Christ who is "Our Hope."
And, let us say it with emphasis, Satan cares not what that
"something" may be, providing that it shuts out our blessed Lord. This
is his favorite device for the sinner. While ever the sinner is taken
up with his own works of righteousness, the Finished Work of Christ is
excluded from His vision. So it is with the believer. We are hidden to
"Seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right
hand of God" (Col. 3:1). But to hinder him from doing this, Satan is
ever seeking to get the believer concerned with something else. With
some it is "the mammon of unrighteousness;" with others it is "the
care of this world." With some it is politics and civic affairs; with
others it is Temperance reform work and Social-uplift activities. With
some it is an intellectual study of doctrine or prophecy divorced from
heart-occupation with Christ; with others it is their own experiences
and attainments.
The life-task of the believer--blessed privilege--was defined by the
Lord Himself in that word to Martha, "But one thing is needful" (Luke
10:42)--i.e., to sit at His feet and find our delight in Him. O that
we might come to the place where we can say actually and
experimentally, "Thou O Christ art all I want, more than all in Thee I
find." But, as we have said, this is exactly what Satan seeks to
prevent, and one of his "wiles" for preventing it (so it appears to
the writer) is the partial-rapture theory which today is unsettling so
many of the Lord's dear people. Teach that participation in the
Rapture is a reward for faithfulness, and at once, the eyes are turned
from Christ to self. Necessarily so; for immediately, I shall be
occupied with my faithfulness, my obedience, my diligence, my service,
the effect of which will be the drawing of invidious distinctions and
the cultivating of an I-am-holier-than-thou spirit. But teach that the
Rapture is "a good hope through grace" and I shall be occupied with my
returning Lord. The Holy Spirit is here to glorify Christ and not to
magnify personal attainments, and whether or not a line or system of
teaching proceeds from Him may be judged by its logical and actual
tendency to glorify Christ by getting His people occupied with their
Lord.
8. Because the partial-rapture theory introduces a situation that is
full of Confusion.
The leading advocates of the partial-rapture theory teach that all
believers who fail to come up to the standard necessary for
participation in the Rapture will not only be left behind on earth to
suffer the judgments of the Great Tribulation but that such will have
no part or place in the Millennial Kingdom, and therefore that they
wilt not be raised from the dead until after the thousand years. Now
apart from the fact that there is no Scripture which teaches a
resurrection of saints at the close of the Millennium, we affirm that
such a theory as the above involves confusion of the worst kind. We
are told that certain saints (many of them) because of their
unfaithfulness or failure to "look" for their returning Savior will
not be raptured at the time our Lord descends to the air, in fact will
not be "glorified" until the close of the thousand years.
Unquestionably there have been many saints all through this
Dispensation who failed to measure up to the standard fixed by
partial-raptureists and yet, dying hundreds of years ago, they have
during all the intervening centuries been "present with the Lord" (2
Cor. 5:8). What absurdity is it then which teaches that these saints
who have been with the Lord all these centuries, will nevertheless, be
separated from Him during the Millennium!
Again. During the Tribulation period there will be on earth a Jewish
remnant who will cry unto God in the language of the Imprecatory
Psalms. These Jews, harassed by the Antichrist and persecuted by his
followers, will cry--"Consume them in wrath, consume them that they
may not be: and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends
of the earth" (Ps. 59:13). They will exclaim: --"Keep not Thou
silence, O God: hold not Thy peace, and be not still, O God. For, lo,
Thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate Thee have lifted up
the head. They have taken crafty counsel against Thy people, and
consulted against Thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us
cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no
more in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one
consent: they are confederate against Thee. O my God, make them like a
wheel; as the stubble before the wind. As the fire burneth a wood, and
as the flame setteth the mountains on fire; so persecute them with Thy
tempest, and make them afraid with Thy storm. Let them be confounded
and troubled forever; yea let them be put to shame and perish." (Ps.
83:1-5, 13-15,17). Now could such prayers as these, ascend from the
lips of the members of the body of Christ who have been saved by
grace! The above are inspired prayers which the Jews will appropriate
to themselves in the time of "Jacob's Trouble," but who can imagine
Christians praying such prayers? We have been instructed to be "kind
one to another, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake
hath forgiven you" (Eph. 4:32). The saints of this Dispensation are
told "Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not" (Rom.
12:14). The requirement of the Church Epistles is, "See that none
render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good,
both among yourselves, and to all men" (1 Thess. 5:15). If then a part
of the Church were on earth during the Tribulation period we should
have the following strange anomoly--The Jews praying to God to take
vengeance upon their enemies and Christians praying to God to
"forgive" these same foes! Surely a theory which involves such
confusion as this cannot be according to the Scriptures.
The truth is that partial-raptureists confound entrance into the
Kingdom with position of honor in it. All believers who belong to this
Dispensation will partake of the blessedness of the Millennial era and
will reign with Christ throughout it, but all will not be on the same
level. Special positions of honor will be allotted to those who have
qualified themselves for such (Luke 19:17, etc.). Special "prizes"
await those who shall win these marks of distinction. But this is
quite another thing from entrance into the Millennial Kingdom itself.
Entrance into that Kingdom is solely a matter of Divine grace, but an
"abundant entrance" into it is conditional upon our present fidelity
to the Lord. New birth admits us into the Kingdom of God (John 3:5),
but diligent service, faithfulness unto death, and loving the
appearing of Christ are the several conditions for the "crowns."
9. Because the Church Epistles plainly teach that ALL believers will
be raptured at the time of our Lord's Return.
In Romans 8:30 we read, "Whom He justified, them He also glorified."
Glorification is co-extensive with justification. This is admitted by
all: the point at issue is--Will all be glorified at the same time? We
answer, assuredly they will. Do we not read "We shall all be changed
in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye" (1 Cor. 15:51,52)? "We shall
all be changed" at the same moment, for the passage continues "At the
last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we (all living believers) shall be changed."
In 1 Corinthians 15:22, 23 we read, "For as in Adam all die, even so
in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order:
Christ rite firstfruits: afterward they that are Christ's at His
coming." Note particularly the words. "They that are Christ's at His
coming." How simple! how all-inclusive! how blessed! It is not "They
that are faithful or worthy." It is not "they that have attained some
high standard of moral excellence." It is not "they that have been
unusually diligent and successful in service." But "They that are
Christ's." That is all. It is simply a question of belonging to
Christ, being one of His is people.
In 2 Corinthians 5:10 we are told "For we must all appear before the
judgment-seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in
his body, according, to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."
That unfaithful believers are not excluded from this appearing before
the Bema of Christ is clear from 1 Corinthians 3--"Every man's work
shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall
be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what
sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he
shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall
suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire" (1 Cor.
3:13-15). There will be some in that day who will "suffer loss,"
nevertheless, they will be present at the Bema with their
fellow-believers and furthermore, they will he "saved." How remarkable
it is that these comprehensive assurances are found in the Corinthian
Epistles--addressed to a church whose moral condition was the worst of
all the churches addressed by the apostle Paul, as if to anticipate
this modern heresy of limiting the Rapture to spiritual believers!
In 1 Thessalonians 4:16 we read, "For the Lord Himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the arch-angel, and with
the tromp of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we
which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in
the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with
the Lord." The dead "in Christ." Here again it is simply a question of
being "in Christ." There is no third position: it is out of Christ, or
in Christ. In God's sight every person that is now on the earth is
either in Adam or in Christ. All who were "in Christ" when they died
shall be raised from the dead at the time of His return. This is sure,
and it is equally sure that every believer who is alive on the earth
at that blest day shall be caught up together with all the resurrected
saints to meet our Lord in the air and be forever with Him.
In 2 Thessalonians 1:7,10 we read, "And to you who are troubled rest
with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His
mighty angels when He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to
be admired in all them that believe." Observe once more the
universality of such a promise, and note, too, its simplicity and how
it turns back to first principles. Our Lord is to be admired in all
them that believe. All is traced back to simple faith. It is not at
all a question of worthiness or attainments. The same simple heart
trust in Christ which delivered us from the wrath to come, shall most
certainly secure for every saint a participation in the Rapture and a
place in the Millennial Kingdom, for this last quoted passage carries
us forward to the Millennium itself.
10. Because there is not a single Scripture in the Church Epistles
which, rightly interpreted, teaches a partial rapture.
How could there be? Scripture cannot contradict itself. If the Pauline
Epistles explicitly teach and expressly affirm that "all shall be
changed in a moment," that "they that are Christ's at His coming shall
be raised from the dead," that "we must all appear before the
judgment-seat of Christ" and that when our Lord returns to the earth
to be glorified in His saints He shall be "admired in all them that
believe" then these same Church Epistles can not teach that a part of
the Church only shall be taken to be with the Lord, that merely a
favored selection from among His people shall be conducted by Him to
the Father's House, and that the remainder shall be left behind on the
earth to suffer the judgments of the Great Tribulation or be left in
their grave until the close of the Millennium. Even though there
should be certain passages which seem to teach or imply a partial
rapture we. know that it cannot be so, and that it is we who fail to
expound these passages in harmony with those which positively teach a
total rapture of the Church.
It is a fundamental principle of Scriptural interpretation that
whenever God's Word speaks plainly and emphatically on any subject
that obscure passages which treat of the same theme must be explained
in accord with those passages, about which there is no dubiety. For
example, when we hear our Lord saying "My sheep shall never perish"
etc. then we know that in such passages as those of Hebrews 6 and 10,
which treat of the irrecoverable doom of apostates, the apostle must
have had before him professors and not persons who had been born
again. In a like manner when we find a passage which appears to bear
upon the Rapture and which is in anywise ambiguous then we must not
make it teach that which would conflict with other passages which deal
with the Blessed Hope and which are plain and positive.
"That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the
fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death;
If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead"
(Phil. 3:10,11). These words, "If by any means I might attain unto the
out-resurrection from among the dead" (Greek) are understood by
partial-raptureists to refer to a select resurrection from among the
dead at the time of our Lord's Return, and hence, they conclude that
as the resurrection referred to is spoken of; as a matter of
attainment, then, only select company of believers will participate
therein. But let ask the question, Does the apostle here refer to a
physical resurrection? In the New Testament the reruns "death" and
"resurrection" have a fourfold scope, viz.:--physical death and
resurrection, spiritual death and resurrection, judicial death and
resurrection, and experimental death and resurrection. We need not
submit proof texts for the first, but we will do so with reference to
the last three.
In John 5:24-26 we read, "Verily, verily, I say unto the, He that
heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting
life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death
unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now
is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they
that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in Himself; so hath
He given to the Son to have life in Himself." Now the words "death"
and "life" in this passage can only refer to spiritual death,
spiritual life, and spiritual resurrection--"passed from death unto
life." By nature we are spiritually dead--"dead in trespasses and
sins" (Eph. 2:1), but by the new birth we pass from death unto life.
Regeneration is therefore a spiritual resurrection.
Further. In Romans 6:2 we read, "How shall we that died to sin
(Greek), live any longer therein?" and in Colossians 3:1--"If then ye
be risen with Christ seek those things which are above." These two
verses refer to the believer's judicial death and resurrection. This
side of the truth is little known or understood, but we cannot now
dwell upon it at any length. One word sums it all up--identification.
On the Cross there was a double identification--all believers
understand the first side of it, but few are clear upon the second. In
the reckoning of God and in the eye of the Law Christ was identified
with us as lost sinners. He took our place and bore our sins. He
endured the full penalty of the broken law in our stead. But further,
(and it is deeply important that we should apprehend this) in the
reckoning of God and in the eye of the Law all believers were
identified with Christ. Hence, every believer can say "I was crucified
(Greek) with Christ" (Gal. 2:20). In the sight of God I died on the
Cross because Christ hung there as my substitute and what a substitute
does or suffers is imputed to the account of the one on whose behalf
he is acting. Hence, we repeat, in God's sight, when Christ died I
died, "died to sin," died to the law, died to the world, died to
everything that had to do with my old standing in Adam.
But further still. Death did not retain Christ. He rose again, and in
the reckoning of God I rose too, for all believers were identified
(reckoned one with) with Christ in His resurrection, so that it is
written, "But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith
He loved us, even when we were dead in sins (spiritually, and
therefore, judicially), hath quickened (made alive) us. together with
Christ" (Eph. 2:4,8). It is not our individual spiritual quickening
(the new birth) that is here in view, but our judicial identification
with Christ--"together with Christ." The next verse goes raft, her
still and informs us that, in the reckoning of God, all believers were
identified with Christ in His ascension--"And hath raised us up
together (Christ and His people), and made us sit together in the
Heavenlies (Greek) in Christ Jesus." Observe that this is "in Christ
Jesus" which refers to our position before God (compare "in Christ
Jesus" Romans 8:1) and is not at all, a question of experience or
attainment. We are now prepared to consider the fourth aspect of
"death" and "resurrection."
Every believer in Christ has "died to sin," died judicially not
experimentally, died in the sight of God because he was "crucified
with Christ." Here then is where faith comes in. God says I am "dead
to sin" (Rom. 6:2), but "I don't feel dead to sin: my experience shows
me otherwise," says one. Beloved, it is not a question of "feelings"
or "experience" but of believing the testimony of God. Hear Him:
"Reckon ye also yourselves to have died indeed unto sin (Greek) and to
be alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:11). Here
then is the experimental death and resurrection. By faith I am to
translate into my practical life what is true of me judicially.
Believing God's Word which tells me I have died unto sin and that I am
alive unto God through (or rather "IN") Jesus Christ our Lord, I am
now to live in the realization and power o[that truth. This is what
the apostle had reference to when he said, "Mortify (put to death)
therefore your members which are upon the earth" (Col. 3:5): the
"therefore" looking back to the previous verses where he had been
discussing the believer's judicial death and resurrection. It was as
though he said, See to it that yore practical state corresponds with
the standing which you have before God "in Christ."
Returning now to Philippians 3. Here Paul is speaking "resurrection"
but, as we have seen, the New Testament treats of four different
orders of resurrection, to which of them then is the apostle here
referring? Is he here speaking of physical resurrection, spiritual
resurrection, judicial resurrection, or perimental resurrection? The
context must decide. A close reading of the entire passage will make
it evident that it is experimental resurrection which the apostle had
before him. The whole passage refers to his practical experience and
is a biographical amplification of Romans 6:11. Beginning at the
seventh verse he says--"But what things were gain to me, those I
counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but
loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for
whom I have suffered the loss of all things (how evident it is that
the apostle is here recounting a practical experience!, and do count
them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in Him, not having
mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through
the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That
I may know Him (the Greek word here is "ginosko" and means know
intimately), and the power of His resurrection" (vv. 3 to 10). The
apostle yearned to live as one who had been raised from the dead. He
longed to walk in "newness of life." He desired that .he should no
longer "serve sin." "And the fellowship of His sufferings, being made
comformable unto His death" The apostle longed to tread the same path
his Lord had trod, to be baptized with the baptism He had been
baptized with, and to drink of the cup which He drank (Mark 10:38,
39).
"If by any means I might attain unto the out-resurrection frown among
the dead" (Phil. 3:11), that is, if, by any means I might experience
the full and blessed effects of complying completely with the terms of
Romans 6:11--reckon myself indeed to have died unto sin and be alive
unto God. The apostle longed to apprehend or lay hold of that for
which he had been apprehended, namely, to be "conformed to the image
of God's Son." What he desired above every thing else for himself, was
that he might realize practically in his daily life, that which was
true of him judicially in regard to his standing before God. But had
the apostle fully achieved his ambition? Had he arrived at the place
where he was now beyond the reach of the lusts of the "old man"? Did
he never yield to temptation? Was he delivered from the very presence
of sin? Nay, verily. The language of the next verse is very
emphatic--"Not as though I had already attained, either were already
perfect" (v. 12). Here is proof positive that in the previous verse
the apostle was not writing about a future resurrection of the body,
for if participation in the first resurrection (or of an eclectic
resurrection at the return of Christ) is the reward for a life of
exceptional spirituality, the apostle here acknowledges that he
himself did not measure up to the required standard--and if he did
not, who has? No, this passage proves too much for the
partial-raptureist, for in making the resurrection of believers a
matter of spiritual attainment he excludes the Apostle Paul himself!
It should be evident that the apostle is here referring to an
experimental resurrection, something which had to do with his
practical everyday life. Someone once said to an Irish brother, "Pat,
you are, dead to sin: Your old man was crucified with Christ." "Yes,"
was the reply "but, I'm frequently troubled with my ghost." Says the
apostle, "I count not myself to have apprehended: but lifts one thing
I do, forgetting those things which are behind (his successes and his
failures; his attainments and his sins), and reaching forth unto those
things which are before, I press toward the mark (goal) for the prize
of the high calling (or "vocation") of God in Christ" (vv. 13,14). A
further word on this last verse.
Note the apostle speaks of: "the prize of the high calling" which is
quite distinct from the "high-calling" itself. The "high-calling of
God in Christ Jesus" is the judicial position which is occupied by
every believer. It is to this the apostle referred when he said, "I
therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy
of the vocation (the "high-calling") wherewith ye are called" (Eph.
4:1), and for those who do "walk worthy" there is a "prize." Did the
apostle succeed in winning it? We certainly believe so. 2 Timothy 4 is
the SEQUEL to Philippians 3! Listen to the beloved apostle as he has
arrived at the close of his earthly pilgrimage--"I am now ready to be
offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good
fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness (the "prize" he so
earnestly revered), which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me
at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His
appearing"
(2 Tim. 4:6-8). May grace be given both reader and writer to fight the
good fight of faith, to finish our course with joy, and to contend
earnestly for the faith once for all delivered unto the saints.
____________________________________________________
Contents | Forword | Preface | Intro
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Conclusion | Appendix
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A. W. Pink Header
The Redeemer's Return
by Arthur W. Pink
The Churchward Results of
the Redeemer's Return
Chapter 8
"I shall be satisfied, when I awake with Thy likeness." Ps. 17:15
____________________________________________________
What will take place when our Lord comes back again to receive His
blood-bought people unto Himself? What will be His portion and what
will be their portion in that happy day? What will be the results of
Christ's second advent insofar as they affect the Church?" We say "the
Church," though it would be more accurate to speak of the saints, for
Old Testament believers equally with New Testament believers, will
share in the wondrous blessings and glories of that glad occasion. How
then will the Redeemer's return affect the redeemed? We leave for
consideration in our next chapter the question of the worldward
results of Christ's second advent. For the present, we confine
ourselves to the results, Churchward, of the Savior's appearing. What
will these be? What will be the order of events? Surely these
questions are of entrancing interest and profound importance. And,
blessed be God, they are not left unanswered. It is true that the Holy
Scriptures were not written to gratify an idle curiosity, and that
many questions which engage our minds are passed over in silence;
nevertheless, upon everything that concerns our vital interests
sufficient has been revealed to satisfy every trusting heart.
Were we to attempt an exhaustive reply to the questions asked above,
we should be carried far beyond the limits of a comparatively brief
chapter. All we shall now essay will be to present to our readers an
outline which sets forth the most prominent features of this phase of
our subject as they are unfolded in the Word of God. Seven items will
engage our attention, namely:--The descent from Heaven of the Lord
Himself, The Resurrection of the sleeping saints, the Translation of
living believers, the Transformation of every saint into the image of
our glorified Savior, the Examination and Rewarding of our works, the
Presentation of the Church by Christ unto Himself, and the
Manifestation of the Church with Christ in glory. May the One who has
been given to take of the things of Christ and shew them unto us,
illumine our understandings and draw out our hearts in adoring
worship.
The one Scripture which sets forth more fully than any other the order
of events which shall occur at the Redeemer's return for His saints,
is found in 1 Thessalonians 4. In the course of these pages we have
had occasion to refer to this passage a number of times in various
connections, but we would ask our readers to bear with us while we
quote it once more. "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of
God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive
and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to
meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord!" (1
Thess. 4:16,17). In this passage three things claim special notice:
first, the descent of the Lord Himself; second, the resurrection of
the sleeping saints; third, the translation to heaven of those
believers which shall be alive on the earth at that time. Before we
enlarge upon these, we would first call attention to the close
relation the above passage bears to our Lord's words as recorded in
the opening verses of John 14--"Let not your heart be troubled: ye
believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many
mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a
place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you. I will come
again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be
also"' (John 14:1-3). There is a four-fold correspondence between
these two passages: the Savior said, "I will come again;" the apostle
wrote, "The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven." The Savior
avowed, `"I will receive you unto Myself;" the apostle declared that
the saints shall be "caught up together to meet the Lord in the air."
The Savior promised, "Where I am, there ye may be also;" the apostle
assures us, "So shall we ever be with the Lord." The Savior prefaced
His gracious promises by saying, "Let not your heart be troubled;" the
apostle concludes by saying "Wherefore comfort one another with these
words." To borrow the language of T. B. Baines, "There can surely be
no questions that these passages, running so closely parallel relate
to the same event." How wonderful is the verbal agreement of Holy
Writ! How the comparison of one passage with another, brings out the
unmistakable unity of the Scriptures! And how this demonstrates the
fact that behind all the human amanuenses there was One superintending
and controlling Mind! Verily our faith rests upon an impregnable rock!
But to return to 1 Thessalonians 4. Let us view
1. The Lord's descent from Heaven.
"The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout." The Lord
Himself--who had compassion on the multitude, shed tears at the
graveside of Lazarus, and wept over Jerusalem; who healed the sick,
cleansed the leper, and restored the dead to life; who stilled the
angry waves, cast out demons, and emancipated the captives of Satan;
who was despised and rejected of men, condemned to a malefactor's
death, and was crucified on the accursed tree; who rose again on the
third day, ascended to heaven, and took His place at the right hand of
the Majesty on high; who has been given the Name which is above ever),
name, at which Name every knee shall yet bow, "of things in heaven,
and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every,
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
the Father." Yes, "this same Jesus" shall descend from heaven with a
shout.
Forty days after our Crucified Savior had risen from the tomb, He
ascended into Heaven "far above all principality, and power, and
might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this
world, but also in that which is to come," and took His seat upon the
Father's Throne. There He has remained throughout this dispensation
waiting, patiently waiting for the promised harvest. As He declared,
"Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth
alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (John 12:24). The
Lord Jesus was the "Corn of Wheat" that died, and the Church which is
His body is the "much fruit" that will be the immediate issue out of
that death; we say the "immediate issue," for in the Millennium many
others shall then also enter into the salvation whirls was purchased
upon the cross.
For nineteen long centuries has the Christ of God waited for the fruit
of His travail. As the apostle James says, "Behold, the husbandman
waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience
for it" (Jam. 5:7). Long indeed has the Lord of the harvest waited.
Thus, too, we read of "The kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ" (Rev.
1:9). Slowly but surely has the Church which is His body been growing,
growing "till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of
the stature in the fullness of Christ." (Eph. 4:13). And now the time
of waiting is over. The last member has been added to the Body; the
last living stone has been fitted into that Temple which the Holy
Spirit is now building (Eph. 2:21); the last moments of the
dispensation of grace have run out. Now has come that hour for which
the Redeemer has waited so long. Now has come the time for the Head to
be united to the Body. Now it is that the Savior is to see of the
travail of His soul and be satisfied.
"The Lord Himself shall descend." Unspeakably precious is this word to
the hearts of His own. Christ is coming in person to effect the object
which He has in view. The joy of welcoming His blood-bought people
must be exclusively His own. Angels cannot be commissioned to perform
it, as will be the case when He gathers His scattered people Israel
(see Matthew 24:31). Gabriel was granted the honorous privilege of
announcing to Mary the first advent of Christ, yet not even to him
will be entrusted this work. Christ Himself shall give the gathering
shout. The Lord Himself shall descend, "I will come again" was His
promise, The same blessed Lord Jesus who loved His own unto death, and
who has gone to prepare a place for them, is the very One who has.
pledged His word to return for them. He will not send a representative
to receive His people. He will not send the arch-angel to conduct us
to the Father's House. No; the Lord Himself is the One who shall
descend, "descend from Heaven with a shout"--with a "shout" of
triumph, with a "shout" of joy, with a "shout" of welcome. That Voice
which summoned Lazarus from the tomb, shall again be heard calling the
sleeping saints forth from their graves. That Voice of the Shepherd
who addresseth His own sheep by name, shall then be heard calling His
"little flock" from the valley of the shadow of death unto pastures
ever green. That Voice which is "as the sound of many waters" (Rev.
1:15) shall then be heard summoning His people Home. "The Voice of my
Beloved; behold, He cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon
the hills" (Song 2:8). And what is it that the Voice of the Beloved
shall say? "My `Beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, My love, My
fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over
and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of
birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; the
fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender
grape give a good smell. Arise, My love, My fair one, and come away"
(vv. 10-18). We turn now to consider--
2. The Resurrection of the sleeping saints.
"And the dead in Christ shall rise first." This is the second blessed
event which shall occur at the Redeemer's return--the sleeping saints
will be awakened and raised. This brings us to a branch of our subject
upon, which there is much ignorance and confusion in Christendom,
generally. The idea which popularly obtains is that of a general
resurrection at the end of time. So deeply rooted is this belief and
so widely is it held that to declare there will be two
resurrections--one of saints and another of sinners, the two being
separated by a thousand years--is to be regarded as a setter forth, of
strange ideas and extravagant fancies. Nevertheless, the teaching, of
Scripture upon this point is exceedingly plain and explicit. Probably
many of those who will read these pages are already dear upon this
distinction, but for the sake of those who are not we must briefly
outline the teaching of God's Word upon this subject, first quoting,
however, from one whose writings have been justly esteemed by
Christians of every shade of thought.
John Bunyan who was certainly a close student of the Divine Oracles
wrote, "Now when the saints that sleep shall be raised thus
incorruptible, powerful, glorious and spiritual; and also those that
then shall be found alive, made like them; then forthwith, before the
unjust are raised, the saints shall appear before the judgment-seat of
the Lord Jesus Christ, there to give an account to their Lord the
Judge of all things they have done; and to receive a reward for their
good according to their labor. They shall rise, I say, before the
wicked, they being themselves the proper `children of the
resurrection,' that is, those that must have all the glory of it, both
as to pre-eminency, and sweetness; and, therefore, they are said, when
they rise, to rise from the dead; that is, in their rising, they leave
the reprobate world behind them. And it must be so, because also the
saints will have done their account, and beset upon the throne with
Christ as kings and priests with Him to judge the world, when the
wicked world are raised."
But without citing human testimony any further, let us turn to the
teaching of Christ and the inspired writings of His apostles. On one
occasion the Lord said, "But when thou makest a feast, call the poor,
the maimed, the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; for they
cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the
resurrection of the just" (Luke 14:13,14). Now if there is to be but
one resurrection--a general resurrection of all the dead--then why did
our Lord make the above distinction and qualification of the
resurrection of the just"? Again, in Luke 20:34, 35 we read, "The
children of this world marry, and are given in marriage. But they
which shall be accounted worthy, to obtain that world, and the
resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage."
What can be the meaning of such words as "they which shall be
accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the
dead" if all the dead alike are sure of participating in an
indiscriminate resurrection. Worthiness to obtain the resurrection
from the dead certainly implies there will be some who are not
esteemed worthy, and hence will not be partakers of the resurrection
here mentioned; therefore, the conclusion is irresistible that there
must be two distinct resurrections. That there will be is further seen
from the language of John 5:28, 29--"Marvel not at this: for the hour
is coming, in the which, all that are in the graves shall hear His
voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the
resurrection of life: and they that have done evil, unto the
resurrection of damnation." Here the two resurrections ate sharply
distinguished both as to name and participants, and as we shall see,
there is to be a long interval of time between them.
The testimony of the apostolic Epistles is in strict harmony with the
teaching of our Lord recorded in the four Gospels. In 1 Corinthians
15:21-23 we read, "For since by man came death, by man came also the
resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ
shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the
firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at His coming." It is
important to notice that ,the resurrection of the wicked is not
contemplated in this chapter at all, but is strictly limited to the
resurrection of Christ and His saints. The words "all be made alive"
are qualified by the clause which immediately precedes them. It has
reference solely to those who are "in Christ." Christ Himself is the
"firstfruits" (the reference is to the type of Lev. 23:10) and the
harvest that is garnered at His return are "they that are Christ's."
Again, we are told that the people of God in Old Testament times who
refused to accept deliverance from death at the hands of their
persecutors, did so "that they might obtain a better resurrection"
(Heb. 11:35) which expression is quite meaningless if there is but one
general resurrection in which saints and sinners shall alike
participate.
One other Scripture yet remains to be considered, namely Revelation
20:4-6 "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was
given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for
the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not
worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark
upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned
with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again
until the thousand years were finished. This is the first
resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first
resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall
be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand
years." Here we learn not only that the resurrection of the saints is
quite distinct from that of the wicked, but we are also expressly told
that an interval of a thousand years lies between the two. It were
meaningless to speak of the resurrection of the "blessed and holy" as
the "first resurrection" if there is no second resurrection of the
wicked to follow. The righteous shall all be raised before the
Millennium begins, but the lost shall not be raised until its close.
Thus we see that the uniform teaching of the New Testament respecting
the resurrection of sleeping believers is in perfect accord with our
Thessalonian Scripture--"The dead in Christ shall rise first." None
but the "dead in Christ" will come forth from their graves in response
to the assembling shout of our descending Lord at the time of His
second advent. But now consider,
3. The Translation of living believers.
"Then we which are alive and remain (on the earth) shall be caught up
together with them (the resurrected ones) in the clouds, to meet the
Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." In connection
with this statement we would call attention to another Scripture which
at first sight appears to have no bearing upon it at all. We refer, to
the words of our Lord recorded in John 12:23--"And I, if I be lifted
up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me." We hesitate to set
forth our own understanding of this passage because it differs widely
from the generally received interpretation of it. It is from no desire
to pander to the modern and miserable craving for novel expositions of
Scripture that we advance our own view, but simply because necessity
is laid upon us. "I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all
unto Me"--the word "men" inserted in italics has no equivalent in the
original, and hence we must understand the "all" to refer to all
believers. The question we would now raise is, What does the "drawing
unto Christ" here have reference to? Personally, we do not think it
has any reference to salvation, for where coming to Christ for
salvation is in view it is the "Father" who is said to do the
"drawing." This may be verified by a reference to John 6:44, where we
read, "No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me
draw him." Therefore we submit that our Lord's words here point to the
catching up of the saints at the time of His return, that it is then
He will "draw" them all "unto Himself." The words "I will draw all
unto Me" correspond very closely with that other word of His which has
reference to this same event--"I will receive you unto Myself" (John
14:3). We would further suggest that the reason why this "drawing of
all believers unto Himself at the time of His return is linked with
His "lifting up" is to show us that this consummating blessing, like
every other we enjoy, is based upon His cross-work for us. Finally; it
is highly significant, and seems to corroborate our interpretation,
that in the verse immediately preceding the one now under
consideration, our Lord said, "Now is the judgment of this world: now
shall the prince of this world be cast out." It was then--"now"--at
the Cross, that the Divine sentence was passed but it will not be
until the Rapture that it will receive its execution. It is
immediately following the "catching up" of the saints, their "drawing"
to Christ, that God's "judgment" will fall upon "this world," as it is
then also that its "prince"--"Satan"--will be "cast out" of his
present domains (see Rev. 12:7-9). Who are the ones that shall be
"drawn" unto Christ at that day?)The answer is found in our
Thessalonian Scripture--"Then we which are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the
air." We have already contemplated the resurrection of the sleeping
saints, let us now say a few words concerning those believers who
shall be alive on earth at that time.
It is often said, "There are many things in this life which are
uncertain, but one thing is sure: we must all die; we must all pay
nature's debt." Nothing is more common than to hear such affirmations
as those which set death before the believer as his inevitable
prospect. Such assertions are regarded as axiomatic. Frequently they
are repeated from the pulpit. But not so do the Scriptures teach. The
Word of God distinctly declares, "We shall not all sleep, but we shall
all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye" (1 Cor.
15:51,52). So that instead of it being certain that all will die, it
is absolutely certain that all believers will not die. A whole
generation of Christians, namely, those that are alive upon the earth
when our Lord descends from Heaven, will be "changed in a moment," and
without passing through death at all, shall be caught up together with
the resurrected saints to meet the Lord in the air.
The prospect which God's Word sets before every believer is the
imminent return of Christ. Not a dread anticipation of death, but
"looking for the Savior" is to be our daily occupation. Translation to
Heaven and not the grave is our goal. That is why it is termed "that
blessed hope," and that is why we are said to be "begotten again unto
a living hope"--a living hope in a dying scene. This hope was active
in the hearts of the first-century saints. The Thessalonians had
"turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to
wait for His Son from heaven." They were waiting for Christ not death.
Observe that in our text the apostle includes himself among the number
of those who might be alive on the earth at the time of Christ's
second advent--"Then we (not "ye") which are alive and remain shall be
caught up;" and again, "We shall not all sleep." The beloved apostle
was not looking for `the king of terrors' but for "the King of Glory."
Lord, `tis for Thee, for THY coming we wait;
The sky not the grave is our goal:
The rapture, not death, we gladly await,
Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, O my soul.
A striking illustration and type of the removal to heaven of those
believers which shall be on the earth at the time of our Lord's return
is found in the rapture of Enoch, "By faith Enoch was translated that
he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated
him" (Heb. 11:5). Here was a man of like passions with us, who was
raptured to Heaven without seeing death. Such is the blessed prospect
which Scripture sots before the Christian as his present hope. We
repeat, that all believers on earth at the time of our Lord's descent
into the air, shall altogether escape the gloomy portals of the tomb
and be translated to Heaven to meet the Lord and be for ever with Him.
This will be the fulfillment of our Lord's promise "I will come again
and receive you unto Myself." Observe that our Lord does not say, "I
will come again and take you unto Myself." but "I will come again and
receive you unto Myself." The thought suggested by this distinction is
exceedingly precious. "Taking" is an action confined to myself. I may
enter an empty room and take a book from the table. But receiving is
an action that brings in another. If I "receive" a book the necessary
inference is that someone handed it to me. Exactly so will it be at
the Rapture. The sailors of God are not left alone in this cold
wilderness-world. The "other Comforter, even the Spirit of truth" has
come to take up His abode in the Church, and it is from Him that the
Lord Jesus will "receive" it. (For this beautiful thought I am
indebted to George Hucklesby's book "Surely I come quickly.") And
observe further that our Lord did not say "to Heaven," or "to the
Father's House," but "unto Myself." The person of Christ is to be the
Object before the eye and heart. Thus it was with the martyr
Stephen--"Lord Jesus receive my spirit." Thus it was with the apostle
Paul--"To depart and be with Christ which is far better;" and again,
"absent from the body, present with the Lord." The heart occupied with
Him.
"To meet the Lord in the air." Why should the Church meet the Lord in
"the air," rather than on the earth? We would suggest a twofold
reason. First, Because the Church is heavenly not earthly. It is
heavenly in its origin (1 Cor. 15:48). It is heavenly in its calling
(Heb. 3:1). It is heavenly in its citizenship (Phil. 3:20). It is
heavenly in its blessings (Eph. 1:3). It is heavenly in its destiny (1
Pet. 1:4). Therefore will the Church meet its Head in the "air"--the
atmospheric heavens. Second; I believe this joyous meeting between the
Lord and His blood-bought people is to be in the air, rather than in
the Heaven of heavens, for the purpose of privacy. The eyes of the
world shall not gaze upon that holy scene, nor will even the angels
(so far as Scripture indicates) witness that first moment when the
Redeemer shall meet the redeemed.
"And so shall we ever be with the Lord," which, as we have seen,
corresponds with His own blessed promise, "That where I am there ye
may be also." Wondrous privilege! Marvelous prospect! Truly, such love
"passeth knowledge." The place which is due to the Semi is the same
place wrier shall be accorded the sons. We are made "joint-heirs with
Christ." His inheritance and blessedness shall be shared with His
redeemed. He shall come Himself to conduct us to His place! But are
we, shall we be, lit, to dwell in such a realm? The answer to this
question leads us to consider,
4. The Transformation of each believer into the Image of our glorified
Savior.
In the beginning, man was made in the image and likeness of God, but
sin came in and as the consequence that image has been defaced and
that likeness marred. Has then the purpose of Jehovah been thwarted?
Not so: "The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever" (Ps. 33:11).
Therefore it is written, "For whom He did foreknow, He also did
predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son" (Rom. 8:29). The
time when this purpose and promise of God will be realized is at the
Return of His Son. It is then that God's elect will be completely
"conformed to the image of His Son." It is then that they shall "be
changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye." It is then that
"this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put
on immortality." But to particularize.
In Romans 7:24 the question is asked, "O wretched man that I am! who
shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Part of the answer to
this interrogation is recorded in Romans 8:11--"But if the Spirit of
Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up
Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His
Spirit that dwelleth in you." This Scripture has been the occasion of
considerable controversy of late and some wild fancies have been
indulged concerning it, yet its meaning is quite simple. The
"quickening of our mortal bodies" does not refer to resurrection, nor
to "healing," but to that "change" which shall take place in the
physical beings of those believers on earth at the Redeemer's return.
Here, as everywhere, the apostle has the "blessed hope" before his
heart and he would interpose nothing between (not even death and
resurrection) the present moment and the realization of that hope. The
"quickening of our mortal bodies," the "changing" of them in a moment,
is described in Philippians 3:20,21--"For our citizenship is in
heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus
Christ; Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like
unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able
even to subdue all things unto Himself." These present corruptible
bodies of ours shall be transformed into bodies like unto that
glorious body now worn by our Lord. That is, like His body as it
appeared on the mount of transfiguration--dazzling in its splendor;
like onto His body as it appeared unto Saul as he journeyed to
Damascus--scintillating with a brilliancy which surpassed the shining
of the midday sun. What a glorious transformation that will be! Each
saint will be given a body of glory fitted to and for the scene to
which he shall go, as his present body is fitted to this earth.
Scientists tell us that the little sparkling diamond which we admire
so much, was once a piece of carbon, a fragment of charcoal which has
undergone a marvelous transformation, converting the little piece of
black charcoal into the resplendent jewel. This, perhaps, is Nature's
type of the glorious transformation that awaits us, when the Savior
shall take our present mortal body and fashion it like unto His
glorious body.
Physical transformation is not all that awaits the believer. At our
Lord's return there will be a mental, moral and spiritual
transformation too. In 1 John 3:2 we are told, "Beloved, now are we
the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we
know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall
see Him as He is." The emphasis here is often thrown upon the wrong
words. Some read this verse as though it had reference to present
ignorance of our future condition, the clause "it doth not yet appear
what we shall be," being understood to signify "We don't really know
now what we shall yet be." But this is a mistake, for we do "know" as
this very verse informs us--"we know that, when He shall appear, we
shall be like Him. The emphatic words are "It doth not yet appear what
we shall be." What we are really going to be like awaits its
manifestation till our Lord's appearing. Let us illustrate. I hold in
my hand a small seed: it is unlovely in appearance and gives no
promise at all of what it will ultimately become. It doth not yet
appear what it shall be. But I plant that seed in the ground, and a
few weeks later it has become a strong plant, and one morning I wake
and find it covered with the most beautiful flowers. Now the
potentialities of that little seed are fully manifested. So it is with
the believer. He looks at his own heart and wonders if after all he is
a child of God. His body is just the same as the bodies of
unbelievers, and viewed by the eye of sense he seems to be no
different from them in anywise. No; because his real "life is hid with
Christ in God" (Col. 3:3)--it doth not yet appear what he shall be,
nevertheless he knows (by faith) that when Christ shall appear, he
shall be like Him, for he shall see Him as He is.
"We shall be like Him." Who dare limit this exceeding great and
precious promise? "Like Him" physically, for our vile body shall then
be "fashioned like unto His glorious body." "Like Him" mentally! Today
we are very unlike Him mentally: our minds now are often harassed with
evil thoughts, they are clouded and darkened by the effects of the
Fall, and are subject of too many limitations; but when Christ
appears, that which is "perfect'' shall come and then, no longer shall
we see through a glass darkly and know in part, but we shall know as
we are known. We shall be "like Him" morally and spiritually. Sin will
be erased from our being; every trace and effect of the Fall shall be
eradicated from our persons. Then will God's predestinating purpose be
fully realized. Then shall we be completely "conformed to the image of
His Son." Blessed transformation! Glorious prospect! We shall be like
Him.
"High in the Father's house above
My mansion is prepared,
There is the home, the rest I love,
And there my bright reward.
With Him I love, in spotless white,
In glory I shall shine;
His blissful presence my delight,
His love and glory mine.
All taint of sin shall be removed,
All evil done away;
And I shall dwell with God's Beloved
Through God's eternal day."
5. The Examination and Rewarding of the believer's works.
"Behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give every man
according as his work shall be" (Rev. 22:12). If it is true that the
general teaching of Christendom upon the subject of the Resurrection
is unscriptural, the popular conception of future judgment is still
more erroneous. It is generally believed that at the end of time
saints and sinners shall all stand before the judgment-bar of God;
that they will be divided into two great classes--"the sheep and the
goats;" that those whose names are found written in the book of life
will pass into Heaven, and that the wicked will be consigned to the
Lake of Fire. For this conception (excepting the last clause) there is
not a single verse of Scripture when rightly interpreted. So far as
believers are concerned the Sin question has been closed for ever, for
their sins were all judged at the Cross where their Substitute
died--the Just for the unjust. Consequently, all who have believed in
the Lord Jesus Christ are for ever beyond the Curse of the Law. This
is clear from our Lord's own words--"Verily, verily, I say unto you,
He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath
everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation," or as the
Revised Version more correctly renders it, "shall not come into
judgment" (John 5:24). How erroneous then the prevailing conception;
and how absurd! Shall the apostle Paul who has already been in Heaven
for more than eighteen hundred years, yet have to appear before the
judgment-bar of God, in order to ascertain whether he shall spend
eternity in Heaven or in the Lake of Fire? How could this be, when we
are distinctly told "There is therefore now no condemnation (judgment)
to them which are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1). Furthermore, observe
that it is said of the sleeping saints they are "raised in glory" (1
Cor. 15:43). How then could a glorified saint be consigned to the Lake
of Fire? And if there is no possibility of him going there, then what
need is there for any Assize to decide his eternal destiny? No; the
judgment of the Great White Throne concerns the wicked only.
But are we not told in 2 Corinthians 5:10 "We must all appear before
the judgment-seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things
done in his body; according to that he hath done, whether it be good
or bad"? Yes, we are. Let us then examine this Scripture. First, it is
to be remarked that the Greek word which is here translated
"judgment-seat" is "Bema." At the time the New Testament was written
the Bema was not a judicial bench upon which a judge sat, pissing
sentence upon criminals (an entirely different word was used for it),
but was throne from which the judge distributed prizes to the victors
in the games. Such will be the Bema of Christ.
In the second place, the purest of the appeasing of believers "before
the Bema of Christ" is not to test their title and fitness for Heaven,
but in order that their works may be examined and their service
rewarded. A Scripture which throws much light upon this is to be found
in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, "For other foundation can no man lay than
that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this
foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every
man's work shall be made fire: for the day will declare it: because it
shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of
what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereon,
he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall
suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire." we
learn that the foundation of the believer's salvation is Jesus Christ
Himself and that his subsequent works and service likened to a
building which he erects upon this foundation. different kinds of
works which the believer performs--good and bad--are regarded as two
classes of materials which he employs in the building he is erecting.
In the day of Christ's appearing his building is to be tested by fire,
which means that his works will be examined and the motives which
produced them carefully scrutinized. Those works which will endure the
searching precis will be rewarded, thee which are worthless will and
in the latter instance, the individual, though saved, will "suffer
loss."
When the Lord returns, every servant will be called upon to give an
account of his stewardship. Notice will be taken of how our talents
were employed and how our time was redeemed. The whole life of the
believer will be examined in detail in the light of the Throne and his
deeds measured by the Divine standard. Words spoken now and actions
performed in this world will then be weighed in the Balances of the
Sanctuary. Things will then be seen in their true colors and labeled
at their real worth by the impartial hand of the Omniscient Christ.
The difference between the two classes of materials mentioned in the
above Scripture points to a most solemn truth. "Gold, silver, precious
stones" are of intrinsic value, whereas "wood, hay, stubble" are a
natural growth. In Scripture "gold" symbolizes the Divine nature,
"silver" Divine redemption, and "precious stones" the Divine glory.
Those works of the believer which have issued from the Divine nature
within us, are based upon Christ's redemption, and have been performed
for God's glory, will receive a reward; but those which were wrought
by those who felt they must do something, those performed in the
energy of the flesh, those done merely for self-aggrandizement will
all be burned up. What a conflagration there will be in that day! What
surprises there will be at the Bema of Christ! An hundred-dollar
subscription, given to got a name, will be ashes in the day; while a
dime given to help the poor for the Lord's sake will receive an
imperishable reward.
"Deeds of merit as we thought them
He will show us were but sin:
Little acts we had forgotten
He will tell us were for Him."
No work done out of love for Christ will lose its reward. "For God is
not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have
shewed toward His name, in that ye have ministered to the saints"
(Heb. 6:10). All that endures the test of that day will be publicly,
abundantly and eternally rewarded. There, before His Father and in the
presence of the holy angels, our gracious Redeemer will delight to say
to the rewarded one, "Well done, good and faithful servant; thou bast
been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many
things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord" (Matthew 25:23).
The subject of rewards is a wide one and we can only deal briefly with
it here. Four crowns are mentioned in the New Testament the
Incorruptible crown (1 Cor. 9:25), which is the reward for faithful
service; the crown of Righteousness (2 Tim. 4:8), which is given to
those who love Christ's appearing; the crown of Glory (1 Pet. 5:4),
which is reserved for faithful pastors who have tended the flock; and
the crown of Life (Rev. 2:10), which is a special reward reserved for
martyrs. Each crown is conditional, conditional upon faithfulness to
an absent Christ. But to return now to 2 Corinthians 5:10.
The prospect of our manifestation before the Bema of Christ is both
joyous and solemn. It is "joyous" because it is then that everything
will come oat into the light and all misunderstandings will be cleared
up; because everything which will not endure the Divine test will be
"burned up;" and because every work which was done with an eye single
to God's glory will receive commendation from our blessed Lord
Himself. It is "solemn" because then it will be seen how much of our
work was nothing but "wood, hay, and stubble;" because we shall then
discover how sadly we had failed to "redeem the time;" and because we
shall "suffer loss." Ah! my brethren it behooves us to live in the
light of that day now so near at hand. Let our chief ambition be that
all we say and do shall meet with the approval of our Lord at the
Bema. Yes, the contemplation of the Bema is solemn and searching. He
who has lived in selfish ease and carnal gratification will be the
loser throughout all eternity. But he who has "denied himself" out of
love for and gratitude to the Savior, shall yet hear His "Well done"
and enter into His joy.
6. The Presentation of the Church by Christ to Himself.
When every saint of God shall have been made like Christ, made "like
Him" physically, mentally, morally and spiritually, and after each
individuals life and works have been examined before the Bema, then is
the Church publicly presented and Ephesians 5:25-27 is
fulfilled--"Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for it;
That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the
Word, That He might present it to Himself a glorious Church, not
having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy
and without blemish." The word "present" here means "to set alongside
of." Christ is yet going to set the Church alongside of Himself. The
Church will share His glory and reign with Him throughout the
Millennium. As saith the Scriptures--"To him that overcometh will I
grant to sit with Me in My throne" (Rev. 3:21). The Church will then
have been fitted for this exalted position, for observe that Christ
presents the Church to Himself "a glorious Church." In that day none
of the defiling "spots" of sin shall be found in the Church, and not a
"wrinkle"--the mark of age and corruption--shall mar its beauty, but
with youth eternally renewed the Church shall then perfectly reflect
the glory of Christ. Then shall He be able to say, "Thou art all fair,
My love; there is no spot in thee" (Song of Sol. 4:7).
Another Scripture which tell of the presentation of the Church is to
be found in Jude 24--"Now unto Him that is able to keep you from
falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory
with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and
majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." We believe the
reference here to the "exceeding joy" is that of Christ Himself. This
was "the joy" that was set before Him when He endured the Cross and
despised the shame (Heb. 12:2).
Closely connected with the public Presentation of the Church is,
7. The Manifestation of the Church with Christ.
The last time the world saw the Lord Jesus He was alone--alone in
death. But when He returns to this earth He will not be alone. His
saints will accompany Him. He is the "Firstborn among many brethren"
(Rom. 8:29), and when He appears again they will be with Him. "He that
goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come
again with rejoicing, bringing His sheaves with Him" (Ps. 126:6). Yes,
that blessed One who humbled Himself to become the Sower shall return
with "His sheaves"--"Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of His
saints" (Jude 1:14).
"The Spirit Himself beareth Witness with our spirit, that we are the
children of God: And if children, theft heirs; heirs of God, and
joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may
be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this
present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall
be revealed in us" (Rom. 8:16-18). Observe that "the glory" here
mentioned is to be revealed, and revealed in us; and further, that it
is a glory which we shall share with Christ glorified together". When
will this glory be "revealed in us" together with Christ? The answer
is at the time of His return to this earth, far "When Christ, who is
our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory"
(Col. 3:4)--"in glory" for before this, our present bodies will have
been `fashioned like unto His glorious body." It is in connection with
this appearing of Christ with His saints in glory that we read, "For
the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the manifestation
of the sons of God" (Rom. 8:19). In that day the sons of God--whose
life is now "hid with Christ in God"--will be manifested, manifested
with Christ in glory. Then will our Lord's prayer be fully
answered--"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which
shall believe on Me through their word; That they all may be one; as
Thou, Father, art in Me:, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in
Us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me. And the glory
which Thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as
we are one" (John 17:20-22).
"Soon shall come that glorious day
When, seated on Thy throne,
Thou shalt to wondering world's display
That Thou with us art One."
These are the Results of the Redeemer's Return as they affect the
Church-results in part for the half hath not been told. The Lord
Himself descends from Heaven with a shout, awakening the sleeping
saints and translating them together with living believers, to meet
Him in the air. Then, all are conformed to the image of God's Son and
made "like Him." Next, the saints appear before the Bema that their
works may be examined and their service rewarded. Finally, as Christ
prepares to return to the earth, He sets the Church, now glorious
within and without, alongside of Himself, and as He appears before the
eyes of the world the Church appears with Him, to be the object of
never-ending wonderment and admiration as it is seen what great things
the Lord hath wrought for those who were by nature children of wrath
and deserving of nought but eternal condemnation. In view of such a
prospect must we not long for God to hasten the glad day of our Lord's
return, and are we not compelled to cry "Even so, Come Lord Jesus"!
____________________________________________________
Contents | Forword | Preface | Intro
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Conclusion | Appendix
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A. W. Pink Header
The Redeemer's Return
by Arthur W. Pink
The Worldward Results of
the Redeemer's Return
Chapter 9
"For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the
beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except
those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but
for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." Matthew 24:21, 22
____________________________________________________
In the last chapter we considered seven of the Churchward Results of
the Redeemer's Return. We saw that the One who left His disciples
almost nineteen centuries ago, is coming back again, that the Lord
Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout; that this Shout will
be heard by all the saints whether alive on the earth or asleep in
their graves, and that at the time He gives this Shout our Lord will
exert a miraculous "drawing" power which shall "catch up" His people
unto Himself so that they meet Him in the air, after which they come
before the Bema in order that their works may be examined and their
service rewarded; subsequently, after an interval of seven years or
more, the Lord returns to the earth accompanied by His people in
glory. It is concerning the Interval which follows the Rapture and
some of the things which shall occur during this period of time which
are now to engage our attention. What is to take place on earth after
the Church has been removed from it? What are the conditions that will
obtain in this world during the interval which divides the two stages
in the second advent of Christ? What is the course of events which
shall culminate in the Return of the Redeemer to the Mount of Olives
to usher in the long-promised Millennium? The Scriptures which make
answer to these questions are exceedingly numerous and our chief
difficulty is to select and classify.
What will occur on earth after the saints have been removed? In
seeking to summarize the predictions which bear upon this time, we
shall confine ourselves again to seven of the most prominent items,
namely, the Consternation of the world at the removal of the Church,
the Hopeless condition of those left behind, God's dealings with the
earth in judgment, the character and career of the Antichrist, the
situation of the Jews during this period, the Battle of Armageddon,
and the Return of Christ to the earth itself. Before we study these
seriatim, a further word or two is necessary to prepare the reader for
what follows.
The length of time which separates between the secret coming of Christ
to the air for the purpose of catching up His people and His
subsequent and public return to the earth itself is not clearly
defined in Scripture. It is certain, however, that this interval will
last at least seven years and if, as the writer believes and an
increasing number of prophetic students conclude, a goodly proportion
of the Jews are to return to Palestine, if their Temple in Jerusalem
is to be re-built, if Babylon is to be restored until it becomes again
the metropolis of the world, then it will last much longer, possibly
seventy years in all. For the sake of convenience we shall refer to
this interval as the Tribulation period, though to be strictly
accurate the "great Tribulation" is but three and a half years in
length, the final three and a half years before the Lord Jesus returns
to the earth.
Anyone who has given himself at all seriously to the study of Prophecy
will immediately recognize the difficulty of seeking to arrange in
chronological order the things which are shortly coming to pass.
Concerning the exact sequence of details we cannot be absolutely
dogmatic, but so far as the general outline is in question that is
plain. With these explanatory remarks let us now turn directly to the
subject before us. And,
1. The World's Consternation at the sudden and secret Removal of the
Church.
One can better imagine than describe the awe-inspiring effect upon the
world which will be occasioned by the secret removal of the Church. We
say "secret removal" for we know of nothing in Scripture which
intimates that our Lord's Shout shall be heard by any save His own
people, and judging from the analogies furnished by the oases of the
translation of Enoch and Elijah nothing will be known of the Church's
rapture until after it has occurred. That the world will not witness
the catching up of believers to meet their Savior in the air seems to
be further borne out by the fact that their translation and
transformation will be so swiftly accomplished that it is all said to
occur "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye." We take it then that
the removal of the Church will be both sudden and secret.
Some day in the near future, how near none can say, but probably in
the lifetime of the present generation, the world will awaken to find
that a most startling phenomenon has occurred. A large number of their
fellow-men and women will have mysteriously disappeared, leaving no
traces behind them! In many a home there will be more than one vacant
chair. In many an office and store there will be vacant stools. From
every walk of life there will be taken those who "Chose rather to
suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures
of sin for a season: esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches
than the treasures of the world: for they had respect unto the
recompence of the reward" (Heb. 11:25, 26). Possibly some seats in the
Senate and some thrones will be vacant, for God's children are
"scattered abroad" (John 11:52) in many spheres and callings. The
phenomenon of the missing ones will be no local one, but earth-wide in
its range. It is highly probable that from every village, town, and
city in this land, there shall be taken those who are caught up to
meet the Lord in the air. Imagine then the amazement, the
consternation,, the commiseration of those that are left behind!
Imagine the panic which shall seize their hearts. If they search,
their search will be in vain. No trace of the missing ones will be
forth-coming. Imagine again the dismay and the awe, as the news is
received from other lands that this same mysterious phenomenon has
occurred there too! Will it take the left-behind ones very long to
find a solution to the mystery? Will it be very difficult for them to
find an explanation which will account for the disappearance of God's
people from the earth? We believe not. The imminent coming of Christ
has been so widely proclaimed both by voice and pen that there are now
comparatively few people who are in complete ignorance upon this
subject. Today the wise of this world may sneer and scoff at the truth
that the coming of the Lord draweth nigh, but then, when it is too
late to profit from the witness that is now being borne, it shall be
seen that those who were looking for that blessed hope and the
glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ were no
mere visionaries and fanatics, but sober men and women whose faith was
founded upon the unerring Word of God. O what anguish will fill those
who gave no heed to the faithful warning of their godly friends! And
here we would pause a moment and ask, Reader, How is it with you?
Suppose that Christ should come today--and He may--in which class
would you be found? Would you be among the "wise" virgins who are
ready for the Bridegroom's appearing, or would you be numbered among
the "foolish" virgins who had made no adequate preparation for this
great event? Pass not this question lightly by. It is now the most
momentous question which can possibly engage your attention. You say,
you hope you would be among those that are ready. But you cannot
afford to be uncertain upon this matter, the issues are far too
serious and solemn. Stop right here we beseech you and honestly
examine yourself and see whether you be in the faith. Do you know
within your heart that you are unprepared, that all your efforts have
been directed toward the securing for yourself a comfortable position
in this world? Then, let us ask, "What shall it profit a man, if he
shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Do you say, I have
already faced that question and I know not how to make the necessary
preparation. Are you constrained to ask, "What must I do to be saved?"
Then the answer, God's own answer, is ready to hand--"Believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." Appropriate the provision
which Divine grace has made for lost sinners. Flee to Christ while
there is yet time. Turn away from self with all its resolutions and
failures, its doings and its sins and cast yourself on the Lord Jesus.
Heed that pressing word, "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold now
is the day of salvation." Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou
knowest not what a day may bring forth. Tomorrow may be too late.
Before tomorrow the Lord may have come, and then the door of mercy
will be closed against you. And this leads us to consider,
2. The Hopeless condition of the left-behind ones.
What will happen where Christendom awakens to the solemn fact that the
real Church, the Church of God, has been removed from this earth and
taken to be with the Lord? Again we say, it is not difficult for our
imagination to supply the answer. But we are not left to the exercise
of our imagination; the Holy Scriptures contain a plain and full reply
to our inquiry. The Word of God intimates that following the Rapture
of the saints many of the left-behind ones will earnestly seek the
salvation of their souls. Multitudes of men and women will, for the
first time in their lives, call upon the name of the Lord and cry unto
Him for mercy. But their cry will not be heard. Their seeking will be
in vain, because they have delayed the all-important matter of their
salvation until it is too late. The door of mercy will then be closed,
for the Day of Salvation will have ended. Often had these left-behind
ones been warned, but in vain. Servants of God had faithfully set
before them their imperative need of fleeing from the wrath to come;
knowing the terror of the Lord, they had sought to persuade their
unsaved hearers to be reconciled to God, only to be laughed at for
their pains. And now the tables will be turned. God will laugh at
them, laugh at their calamity and mock at their fear. Listen to the
solemn declaration of Holy Writ--"Because I have called, and ye
refused; I have stretched out My hand, and no man regarded; But ye
have set at nought all My counsel, and would none of My reproof; I
also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a
whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then they shall
call upon Me, but I will not answer; they shall seek Me early, but
they shall not find Me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not
choose the fear of the Lord. They would none of My counsel: they
despised all My reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of
their own way, and be filled with their own devices" (Prov. 1:24-31).
Unspeakably solemn words are these--words which ought to be thundered
forth from every pulpit in the land. Many the time had these same
people heard the Gospel preached, but they had deliberately hardened
their hearts. Many the time had they been urged to "Seek ye the Lord
while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near" (Isa. 55:6),
but they despised the invitations of Divine grace. Now they shall reap
as they have sown. Hitherto they had mocked God; now God shall mock
them. Hitherto God had called to them, but they had refused to attend;
now shall they call upon God and He will decline to answer them.
Parallel with this solemn declaration in the Old Testament Scriptures
we find our Lord Himself testified, "Strive to enter in at the strait
gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not
be able when once the Master of the house is risen up, and hath shut
to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door,
saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and He shall answer and say unto
you, I know ye not whence ye are" (Luke 13:24,25). These words contain
an amplification of His utterance concerning the "foolish
virgins"--"Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord,
open to us. But He answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know
you not" (Matthew 25:11,12). Whoever the "great multitude" of
Revelation 7 may be, it is certain that none in Christendom who have
rejected the Gospel during the present dispensation will be among that
number. 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 is equally explicit. The Antichrist
shall come "with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that
perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they
might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong
delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they ALL might be
damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness." Let it then be distinctly understood that, there
will be no "`second chance" for present-day Christ rejectors left
behind on the earth after the removal of the Church, for when the
Church goes the Holy Spirit, too, is taken away. Knocking and crying
then will be useless. The door has been closed. The Day of Salvation
is over. An angry God shall then mock those who have mocked Him. As it
was with Israel of old, so shall it then be with a God-forsaken
Christendom--"Therefore will I also deal in fury: Mine eye shall not
spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in Mine ears with
"loud voice, yet will I not hear them" (Ezek. 8:18). Unsaved reader,
consider thy peril. The Lord is at hand, and if you are not among the
number caught up to meet Him in the air, then your doom will be
eternally sealed. "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life:
and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of
God abideth on him" (John 3:36). But not only shall the left-behind
ones seek the Lord in vain, but they shall be the objects of His
wrath. This leads us to consider--
3. God's dealings with the earth during the Tribulation period.
The interval of time which separates the removal of the Church from
the earth to the return of Christ to it, is variously designated in
the Word of God. It is spoken of as "the day of Vengeance" (Isa.
61:2). It is called "the time of Jacob's trouble" (Jer. 30:7). It is
the "hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world" (Rev.
8:10). It is denominated "the great day of the Lord" (Zeph. 1:14). It
is termed "the great tribulation" (Matthew 24:21). It is the time of
God's "controversy with the nations" (Jer. 25:31). In Daniel 12:1 it
is described as "a time of trouble, such as never was since there was
a nation even to that same time." Our Lord referred to this same
period when He said, "For in those days shall be affliction, such as
was not from the beginning of the creation, which God created unto
this time, neither shall be. And except that the Lord had shortened
those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom
He hath chosen, He hath shortened the days" (Mark 13:19,20). As one
reads these unspeakably solemn Scriptures the question naturally
occurs to our minds, Why will this period be visited with sorer
afflictions than any season which has preceded it since the
commencement of human history? The answer is, Because this will be the
time when the thrice holy God avenges the Death of His blessed Son.
God has a "controversy with the nations," observe "the nations" not
"nation" for the Gentiles, equally with the Jews, shared in the awful
crime of the Crucifixion. It is written in Romans 12:19, "Dearly
beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for
it is written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, saith the Lord." And,
as in everything, so here, the Holy One sets us a perfect
example--"Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He
suffered, He threatened not, but committed Himself to Him that judgeth
righteously" (1 Pet. 2:28). Yes, He committed Himself unto Him that
judgeth righteously, and now the time will have come when His cause
shall be espoused and when the righteous Judge shall exact full
satisfaction for that awful crime perpetrated nineteen centuries ago.
On the Cross, the Smitten One cried, "Pour out Thine indignation upon
them, and let Thy wrathful anger take hold of them. Let their
habitation be desolate; and let none dwell in their tents. For they
persecute Him whom Thou hast smitten; and they talk to the grief of
Thy wounded" (Ps. 69:24-26). Then will be the time when God answers
that prayer.
Yes, my reader, you are living in a world which is stained with the
blood of God's own Son, and which in the sight of Heaven now lies
beneath the guilt of that terrible crime, a crime which each new
generation since then has perpetuated by "Crucifying to themselves the
Son of God afresh and putting Him to an open shame" (Heb. 6:6). Long
have God's judgments been withheld. Long has His grace been displayed.
But soon shall this dispensation of grace close, and then shall the
Lord God make answer to His Son's cry and "pour out His indignation"
upon the world which murdered the Lord of Glory. This "pouring out of
God's indignation" is described in numerous passages. We read in
Zephaniah 1:14-18, "The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and
hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man
shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble
and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and
gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet
and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. And
I will bring distress upon men, because they have sinned against the
Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as
the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver
them in the day of the Lord's wrath; but the whole land shall be
devoured by the fire of His jealousy: for He shall make even a speedy
riddance of all them that dwell in the land." Again we read, "Behold,
the whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with fury, a continuing
whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked. The
fierce anger of the Lord shall not return, until He have done it, and
until He have performed the intents of His heart: in the latter days
ye shall consider it" (Jer. 30:23,24). And once more we are told,
"For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the
proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day
that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall
leave them neither root nor branch" (Mal. 4:1).
No less than thirteen chapters--6 to 19--in the last book of the Bible
are devoted to a description of the terrible judgments which God will
pour upon the earth during the tribulation period. We cannot now
review all of these chapters, but will confine ourselves to a brief
examination of a portion of the sixth. "And there went out another
horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to
take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and
there was given unto him a great sword" (Rev. 6:4). The symbolism here
is easily interpreted. The "red horse" denotes the blood-shed and
slaughter. Peace is taken "from the earth" not merely from one
country, or even from a whole continent, but from the earth itself.
The fulfillment of this is yet future. But coming events cast their
shadows before them, and the length, of the shadows which are even now
cast across the earth, shows how near we have approached to the dread
reality itself. Today, the saints of God are "the salt of the earth,"
preserving the human race from going to utter corruption, and the Holy
Spirit who is now here exerts a restraining influence upon the powers
of evil. But in the day contemplated by Revelation 6 the Holy Spirit
will have gone, the Church will have been removed, and then will the
wildest passions of men be let loose and a time of mutual slaughter
and universal carnage shall ensue.
"And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair
of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four
living creatures say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three
measures of barley for a penny" (Rev. 5:5, 6). The "black horse"
symbolizes lamentation and mourning: the "balances" that which will be
employed for carefully weighing out the cereals: the "penny" is a
day's wage (see Matthew 20:2). Added to the horrors of universal war,
depicted by the previous "seal" judgment, there will be an
unparalleled scarcity of food, and the very necessaries of life will
be sold at famine prices. For centuries God has blessed the earth with
abundant crops, but His mercies have been received without
thanksgiving. But in that day there shall be a general scarcity of
food and multitudes will die of starvation.
"And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him
was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given unto them
over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with
hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth" (Rev. 6:8).
As it was in connection with His plagues upon Egypt of old, so during
the Tribulation period God's judgments will increase in severity. The
"pale horse" signifies Death, and his rider is thus denominated. Death
is accompanied by Hades: the former seizing the body, the latter
claiming the soul. In this one judgment no less than a fourth of
earth's inhabitants will be slain by God's avenging agents, while
those that are left will be tormented by the pangs of hunger and
terrified by wild beasts.
"And I beheld when he opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a
great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and
the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell upon the earth,
even as a figtree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a
mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled
together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their
places" (Rev. 6:12-14). In addition to the horrors of war, famine, and
wild beasts, there will follow the most fearful convulsions of Nature.
First, there is a "great earthquake," an earthquake unparalleled in
the history. of man, and beside which the destruction of Pompeii and
the catastrophe at San Francisco will, by comparison, fade away into
utter insignificance. God Himself terms this a great
earth-quake--great in its severity and great in its reach, far it will
shake the entire earth and even the mountains and islands of the sea
will be moved out of their places. Next, we are told that, to add to
the sufferings of earth's afflicted inhabitants, the "sun" will be
darkened, as though it were reluctant to shine upon such a scene of
judgment and death. Furthermore; the moon will be transformed into an
object of horror. Long had men despised the precious blood which the
Lamb of God shed upon the Cross. Instead of seeking its cleansing they
had scorned it. But now the day will have come when God will compel
all men to look upon blood. Now that it is too late for the blood of
Christ to save them, God will mock them by turning the moon into
blood, so that it shall no longer shed its silvery light as hitherto,
but will then cast a crimson glow upon the scene of God's judgments.
As though this were not enough, the heavens will exhibit their wrath
upon the earth which crucified their Creator, and will cast their
stars upon it. All nature will be convulsed and all the earth will be
encompassed by those unparalleled plagues.
A similar picture of the Divine judgments which will be inflicted at
this time is furnished by the prophet Isaiah, "Behold the day of the
Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land
desolate. And He shall utterly destroy the sinners out of it. For the
stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their
light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon
shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for
their evil, and due wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the
arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of
the terrible. I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a
man than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the
heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of
the Lord of hosts, and in the day of His fierce anger" (Isa. 13:9-13).
These words are to be taken at their face value and understood
literally.
What shall be the effect of all this? Let us return to Revelation 6
and read the Holy Spirit's own description of the consternation of
mankind at that time. "And the kings of the earth, and the great men,
and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and
every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in
the rocks of the mountains; And they said to the rocks and the
mountains, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth
on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of
His wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?" (Rev. 6:15-17). A
prayer-meeting is convened--one unrivalled for size and earnestness,
and one to which all classes and conditions of men assemble. Kings and
rulers will be present. Hitherto they were more often found at
Race-meetings than Prayer-meetings. All classes of men will be there.
Many an opportunity for prayer had they missed in the past. Many the
time they had lain down at night upon a prayer-less bed. They had
regarded prayer as a profitless occupation, as so much time wasted, as
an exercise fit only for women and children. But now they fall
prostrate on their faces. When prayer would have availed, they scorned
it; now that it is useless they go at it with a will. Such is the
depravity and folly of human nature. But note the object of their
prayers! They pray not to the living God, but in the inanimate rocks
and mountains. They cannot pray to the Lord God for they never learned
how to address Him, and now it will be too late to learn for the Holy
Spirit, who is the inspirer of all real prayer, has been "taken out of
the way." They pray not to the Rock, but to the rocks. They had made
material things their gods, and so to these they now address their
petitions. Note, too, the burden of their prayers! They ask to be
hidden from the face of God and from the wrath of the Lamb. When they
had opportunity, they refused to acknowledge His Love, they slighted
the overtures of His Mercy, so now they have to endure His Wrath. To
see God's face is the deepest longing of His people: to be "hid from
His face" will be the one desire of those left behind for judgment.
Above, we have reviewed only down to the end of the sixth "Seal"
judgment. There is a seventh which is itself divided into the seven
"Trumpet" judgments, the seventh of which is again divided, divided
into the seven "Vial" judgments. Little does the world dream of what
is coming upon it. The present war with all its horrors gives but a
faint conception of whist will shortly come to pass on this earth. Not
only will peace be entirely removed from the earth, not only will all
Nature be convulsed by the outpouring of God's wrath, but the
Bottomless Pit will be opened and out of it shall issue two hundred
millions of supernatural locusts, having tails like scorpions and
stings in their tails, and for five months they will "torment" those
who have not been destroyed by the previous plagues. The torment
inflicted by these infernal creatures will be so unendurable, that we
are told "And in those days shall men seek death." But mark the still
more awful sequel--"And shall not find it: and shall desire to die,
and death shall flee from them" (Rev. 9:6). At a later stage, earth's
inhabitants will be "scorched with great heat" and so terrible will be
their suffering and so incurable is the wickedness of their hearts as
it will then be manifested, that we read, "and they gnawed their
tongues for pain, and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their
pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds" (Rev.
16:9-11). Such will be a part of the "indignation" which God will yet
pour out upon this guilty world as His response to that cry made by
His beloved Son as He hung upon the Cross. But we must turn now and
consider another prominent feature of the Tribulation period, namely,
4. The revelation and career of the Antichrist.
Who is the Antichrist? Varied and wild have been the answers returned
to this question. In pre-Christian times there were many who regarded
Antiochus Epiphanes as the one whom Daniel and the other prophets
described. At the beginning of this dispensation Nero was looked upon
as the predicted Man of Sin. After the Reformation the Papacy was
selected as the fulfiller of the prophecies given through the Patmos
seer. And in our day there have been those who consider the Kaiser to
be the Son of Perdition. It cannot be denied that each of these
infamous characters have manifested various characteristics which will
yet be fully displayed by the Antichrist, yet, they none of them match
completely the delineation of the Man of Sin which is given in the
prophetic word. There is one Scripture which is quite sufficient to
prove that none of those mentioned above are the Antichrist, a
Scripture, moreover, which makes it certain that he has not yet been
revealed, and cannot be revealed until after the Rapture of the
Church. We refer to 2 Thessalonians 2:7,8--"For the mystery of
lawlessness doth already work: only there is One that restraineth now,
until He be taken out of the way. And then shall be revealed the
Lawless One" (R. V.). The One who now "restrains" is the Holy Spirit,
and the time when He is "taken out of the way" is at the removal of
the Church which is His "temple." Here then is a conclusive argument:
the Antichrist cannot be "revealed" or publicly manifested while God
the Spirit is on the earth.
Who is the Antichrist? Having shown who cannot have been the
Antichrist, let us now consider the positive answer to our question.
In the first place, he will be a man, a real man, just as truly man as
the Son of God was the Son of Man. The Antichrist is termed "The Man
of Sin" (2 Thess. 2:3). In the second place, he will be a Jew, if he
were not he would be unable to make good his claims to be the real
Christ; if he were not a Jew he could not deceive the Jews. That he
will be a Jew, seems clear from Daniel 11:37. In the third place, he
will be the Super-man, he will be a supernatural character, he will be
the Son of the Devil. It is clear from Revelation 20:10 that there is
an Evil Trinity, as there is the Holy Trinity. The Antichrist will be
the second person of the Evil Trinity as the Lord Jesus is the Second
Person of the Holy Trinity. As Jesus Christ was the God-Man, so the
Antichrist will be the Devil-Man.
There are at least three Scriptures which prove the superhuman
character of the Antichrist. The first is found in Genesis 3:15. In
this verse there is a double "enmity" spoken of: God says, "I will put
enmity between thee and the woman," that is between Satan and Israel,
for Israel was the woman that bore Christ (see Revelation 12); "And
between thy seed and her seed." Observe particularly that two "seeds"
are here spoken of, thy seed (the antecedent is plainly the "Serpent")
and "her seed" the woman's Seed. The woman's "Seed" was Christ, the
Serpent's "Seed" will be the Antichrist. The Antichrist then, will be
more than a man, he will be the actual and literal Seed of that old
Serpent the Devil, as (Christ was, according to the flesh, the actual
and literal Seed of the woman. "Thy seed," Satan's seed, refers to a
specific individual, just as "her Seed" refers to a specific
Individual.
The second Scripture which proves that the Antichrist will be
super-human, the offspring of Satan, is found in John 8:44--"Ye are of
your father the Devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was
a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because
there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his
own; for he is a liar, and the father of it." In the Greek there is
the definite article before "lie"--the lie, "The Lie." There is but
one other passage in the New Testament where "The Lie" is mentioned
and that is in 2 Thessalonians 2:11 where again the definite article
is found in the Greek, and here the reference to the Antichrist is
unmistakable. A threefold reason may be suggested as to why the
Antichrist should be termed `The Lie." First, because his fraudulent
claim to be the real Christ will be the greatest falsehood palmed upon
humanity. Second, became he is the direct antithesis of the real
Christ who is `The Truth" (John 14:6). Third, because he is the Son of
Satan who is the arch-Liar. But to return to John 8:44--`When he (the
Devil) speaketh (concerning) The Lie, he speaketh of his own." His
"own" what? His "own" Son--the reminder of the verse makes this very
plain--"for he (the Devil) is a Liar and the father of it" i. e., of
"The Lie." The Lie then is Satan's "Son"! The third Scripture which
proves that the Antichrist will be super-human is even still plainer.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:3 he is expressly said to be `The Son of
Perdition."
Who is the Antichrist? He will be a man, a Jew, a supernatural being,
the "Seed" of the Serpent, the Son of Perdition. Where is he today? It
is possible that even now he may be on the earth, though personally we
hardly think this is likely. But if he is not yet born then the
unequivocal answer is, He is in the Abyss or Bottomless Pit (Rev.
11:7). This Scripture contains the first reference to "the Beast" in
the Revelation. The question naturally arises, How did he get there?
and when was he sent there? In answering this question we are well
aware that we shall call down upon us the criticism and censure of
brethren that we honor and love, yet, notwithstanding, we must again
be true to our convictions and faithful in presenting what we believe
to be the teaching of Holy Scripture on this solemn and mysterious
subject. When was the "Beast" consigned to the Bottomless Pit? We
answer, when Judas Iscariot died. The Antichrist will be Judas
Iscariot re-incarnated. The proof for this startling assertion (we may
say, a by no means novel one, though our study of this point has been
conducted independently) will now be humbly submitted to the critical
attention of our readers.
Who was Judas Iscariot? He was the one by whom the Lord of Glory was
betrayed. He was a "man" (Matthew 26:24). But was he more than a man?
Let Scripture make answer. In John 6:73 we read, "Have not I chosen
you twelve, and one of you is a Devil?" It is hardly necessary to say
that in the Greek there are two different words for "Devil" and
"demon." There are many demons but only one Devil. Further, in no
other passage is the word "Devil" applied to anyone but to Satan
himself. Now here in John 6:70 our Lord says of Judas that he is "ho
diabolos" not "daimonizomai": the definite article is employed--one of
you is "the Devil." Judas then was the Devil incarnate, just as the
Lord Jesus was God incarnate. Christ Himself said so, and we dare not
doubt His word. Again, in John 17:12 He said, "Those that Thou gavest
Me I have kept, and none of them is lost but the Son of Perdition."
Here then is the answer of Scripture itself. Who was Judas Iscariot?
He was the Devil incarnate; he was the Son of Perdition.
Now let us see how Scripture connects the Antichrist with Judas and
shows that they are one and the same person. In the first place, as we
have already pointed out, the first reference to "the Beast" (the
Antichrist) in the Revelation is 11:7, where we read of "the Beast
that ascendeth out of the Bottomless Pit." We asked, How and when did
he go there? And we answered, at the death of Judas. Have we any
Scripture which supports this assertion? We believe so. Mark the
language used in Acts 1:25, "That he may take part of this ministry
and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might
go to his own place." Of no one else in all the Bible is it said that
at death he went "to his own place." Put these two Scriptures
together--Judas went "to his own place," the Beast ascends out of the
Abyss. Again, in Revelation 17:8 we read, "The Beast that thou sawest
was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the Bottomless Pit, and go
into perdition." This verse is generally understood to refer to the
revived Roman Empire and with this interpretation we are in accord,
but we believe it is a mistake to limit it to this. In the Apocalypse,
the Roman Empire and its final and Satanic Emperor are very closely
connected, so much so, that at times it is difficult to distinguish
between them. But in Revelation 17 they are distinguishable. In verse
8 we are told that the Beast "shall ascend out of the Bottomless Pit,
and that he shall "go into perdition." In verse 11 we are told, "And
the Beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the
seven, and goeth into perdition" Now nearly all expositors are agreed
that the Beast of verse eighth (head, and form of government of the
Roman Empire) is the Antichrist himself; then why not admit the same
of verse 8? In both, the designation is the same--the Beast; and in
both, we are told he "goeth into perdition." We take it, then, that
what is predicted of the "the Beast" in 17:8 is true of both the Roman
Empire and of its last head or Emperor (the Antichrist)--of the
former, in the sense that it is infernal in its character. Viewing it
now as a declaration of the Antichrist, what does it tell us about
him? Four things. First, he "was." Second, he "is not." Third, he
shall "ascend out of the Bottomless Pit." Fourth, he shall "go into
perdition" The various time marks here concern the Beast in his
relation to the each. First, he "was" i.e., on the earth. Second, he
"is not" i.e. now on the earth (cf. Genesis 5:24, "Enoch was not for
God took him," i.e. "was not," any longer on the earth). Third, he
shall "ascend out of the Bottomless Pit" (where he now is) which
agrees with 11:7. Fourth, he shall "go into perdition." We learn then
from this Scripture that at the time the Apocalypse was written that
the Beast "was not" then on the earth, but that he had been on it
formerly. Further, we learn that in John's day the Beast was then in
the Bottomless Pit but should yet ascend out of it. Here then is
further evidence that the Antichrist who is yet to appear has been on
earth before! If this is not sufficient to prove that the Antichrist
will be a re-incarnation of Judas our next Scripture ought to decide
the matter. As we have seen in John 17:12 Christ termed Judas "the Son
of Perdition" and in 2 Thessalonians 2:8 we find that the Man of Sin
is similarly designated "that Man of Sin be revealed, the Son of
Perdition." These are the only two places in all the Bible where this
name occurs, is it not clear then that Judas and the Man of Sin are
one and the same person? What other conclusion can a simple and
unprejudiced reader of the Bible come to?
It is further to be noted that the Antichrist is twice termed "Death
and Hades" (Isa. 28:18; Revelation 6:8) as if to intimate he came from
Hades the place which receives the souls of the dead.
Who is the Antichrist? We have dwelt upon his mysterious person, and
we would now call attention to a number of passages in Scriptures
(which the reader will do well to look up and prayerfully study) in
which he is variously denominated and described. He is the "bloody and
deceitful man" of Psalm 5:6. He is "the man of the earth" of Psalm
10:18. He is the "Head over many countries" of Psalm 110:7. He is the
"little horn" of Daniel 7:20-27; 8:9-12. He is "the prince that shall
come" of Daniel 9:27."He is the "vile person" of Daniel 11:21. He is
the "proud man" of Habakkuk 2:5. He is the rider on the four horses in
Revelation 6. He is the "fallen star" of Revelation 9:1, He is "the
Beast" of Revelation 18:1-8. He is the "Lawless One" of 2
Thessalonians 2:8, 9.
As can be well imagined the Scriptures draw a sharp contrast between
Christ and the pseudo Christ. It is remarkable how complete the
antithesis is. We give a twelvefold contrast between their various
designations. The one is called the Christ (Matthew 16:16), the other
the Antichrist (1 John 4:13). The one is called "the Man of Sorrows"
(Isa. 53:3, the other "the Man of Sin" (2 Thess. 2:13). The one is
called "the Son of God" (John 1:34), the other "the Son of Perdition"
(2 Thess. 2:13). The numerical value (the gematria) of the name Jesus
is 888, the number of the Antichrist's name is 666 (Rev. 13:18) The
one is called the "Seed of the woman" (Gen. 3:15), the other the "Seed
of the Serpent" (Gen. 3:15). The one is called "the Lamb" (Isa. 53:7),
the other "the Beast" (Rev. 11:7). Christ is called "the Holy One"
(Mark 1:24), the Antichrist is termed "the Wicked One" (2 Thess. 2:8).
The one is called "the Truth" (John 14:6), the other "the Lie" (John
8:44). The one is called "the Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6), the other
"the Profane Prince" (Ezek. 21:25). The one is called "the Glorious
Branch" (Isa. 4:2), the other "the Abominable Branch" (Isa. 14:19).
The one is called "the Good Shepherd" (John 10:11), the other "the
Idol Shepherd" (Zech. 11:17), The one is called "the Mighty Angel'"
(Rev. 10:1), the other "the Angel of the Bottomless Pit" (Rev. 9:11).
Not only do the Scriptures point a complete contrast between Christ
and the Antichrist in their several names and titles but the same is
true in regard to their respective characters and careers. Christ came
down from heaven (John 8:15), but the Antichrist comes up out of the
Bottomless Pit (Rev. 11:7). Christ came in Another's name (John 5:48),
but the Antichrist will come in his own name (John 5:48). Christ came
to do the Father's will (John 6:88), but the Antichrist will do his
own will (Dan. 11:86). Christ wrought in the power of the Holy Spirit
(Luke 4:14), but the Antichrist will be energized by Satan (Rev.
18:4). Christ submitted Himself to God (John 5:30), but the Antichrist
will defy God (2 Thess. 2:4). Christ "humbled" Himself (Phil. 2:8),
but the Antichrist will "exalt" himself (Dan. 11:86). Christ honored
the God of His fathers (Luke 4:16), but the Antichrist will refuse to
do so (Dan. 11:37). Christ cleansed the Temple (John 2:14-16), but the
Antichrist will defile the temple (Matthew 24:15). Christ ministered
to the needy (Luke 4:18), but the Antichrist will refuse to do so
(Zech. 11:16). Christ was rejected of men (Isa. 58:8), but the
Antichrist will be accepted by all the world (Rev. 18:4). Christ
"leadeth" His flock (John 10:3), but the Antichrist will "leave" his
flock (Zech. 11:17). Christ was slain for the people (John 11:51), but
the Antichrist will slay the people (Dan. 11:44). Christ glorified God
(John 17:4), but the Antichrist will blaspheme God (Rev. 15:6). Christ
was received up into Heaven (Luke 24:51), but the Antichrist goes down
into Hell (Rev. 19:20).
The remarkable career of the Antichrist is sketched in a number of
different Scriptures, some of which we shall now briefly consider. In
Daniel 7 the prophet is given a vision of the four great
world-empires--Babylonish, Medo-Persian, Grecian and Roman--which are
symbolized by as many "beasts." The fourth beast is described in verse
7--"After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast,
dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron
teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces (referring to the conquests
under the Caesars), and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and
it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it (entirely
different in its form of government); and it had ten horns." In verse
24 these "ten horns" are said to be "ten kings that shall arise" which
corresponds with Revelation 17:12 where the Roman Empire revived and
in its final form is again in view. In Daniel 7:8 we read, "I
considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another
little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked
up by the roots: and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a
man, and a mouth speaking great things." The "little horn," which
occupies a prominent place in this chapter, symbolizes the Antichrist
who will be the Head of the revived Roman Empire. The part that he
will play is described in verses 20 to 26 in this same; chapter. "And
of the ten horns that were in his head (i. e., of the beast which
represents the Roman Empire), and of the other (the Antichrist) which
came up, and before whom three tell (three of the ten kings); even of
that horn that had eyes (symbol of intelligence), and a mouth that
spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. I
beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed
against them; until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given
to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints
possessed the kingdom (which looks forward to the Millennium). Thus he
said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom on earth (i. e.,
the fourth universal kingdom after the Times of the Gentiles had
begun), which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the
whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the
ten horns are ten kings that shall arise (in the Tribulation period):
and another shall rise after them: and he shall be diverse from the
first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words
against the Most High, and shall wear out the Saints of the Most High,
and think to change times and laws: and they (the "times and laws")
shall be given into his hand until a time (a year) and times (two
years) and the dividing of time (half a year--three and a half years
in all). But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his
dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end." Here we are
told, First, that the Antichrist will "have a mouth speaking very
great things" which we know from 2 Thessalonians 2 refers to his
audacious claim to be God Himself. Second, that he will "make war with
the saints." These "saints'' are the godly Jewish remnant which will
refuse to render him homage and in consequence will be slain (cf. Rev.
20:4). Third, he will "speak great words against the Most High" which
clearly identifies him with the Man of Sin. Fourth, he will "think
(purpose) to change times and laws," the reference being to the
religious feasts and festivals of Israel which the Antichrist will
abolish, for everything which bears testimony to God he will seek to
destroy. Fifth, his "dominion" shall be taken away from him, for at
the close of the Tribulation period he will be cast into the Lake of
Fire (Rev. 19:20).
In Daniel 8 the "little horn" is mentioned again. Many regard this
"little horn" as symbolizing a different personage from the one
brought before us in the previous chapter, and this, because here he
is said to arise out of the third kingdom (Greece), whereas in chapter
7 he is seen coming up out of the fourth (the Roman Empire). But this
we regard as a mistake. To us, this method of interpretation appears
very much like the reasoning of the Jews who of old denied that their
Messiah could come out of Nazareth because it was written that He
should be born in Bethlehem. Or, to make these two "little horns"
separate characters seems to us like the device of the ancient Rabbis
who taught there would be two Messiahs, the one a suffering Messiah
and the other a triumphant Messiah. No; rather do we regard each of
the "little horns" as representing the same person, but viewing him in
different connections and relationships. That each of the "little
horns" do point to the Antichrist seems clear from a comparison of
what is predicated of them with what is said of the Antichrist in
other places.
To quote now from Daniel 8: "And out of one of them came forth a
little horn which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward
the east, and toward the pleasant land (Palestine). And it waxed
great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host
and of the stars to the ground and stamped upon them (probably a
symbolical reference to his deposing of certain rulers, corresponding
with the plucking up of the "three kings" in the previous chapter).
Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him
the daily sacrifice was taken away (which action dearly identifies him
with the Antichrist), and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.
And a host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of
transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it
practiced and prospered" (vv. 9-12). Here again the Antichrist is seen
subduing governmental powers and enlarging his own kingdom. Here again
we see him inflated with egotism--"magnifying himself," which is a
characteristic mark of all the prophecies which describe the
Antichrist, a mark by which we are enabled to identify him. And here
again we see him opposing the Jews, and destroying that which bears
witness to God--"taking away the daily sacrifice."
In Daniel 11:36-45 we have another prophetic picture of the character
and career of the Antichrist. We do not quote the whole of this
passage but merely the first two and last verses of it. "And the king
shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and
magnify himself (the last two words showing that he is the same
character as symbolized by the "little horn"--compare 8:11) above
every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods
(cf. 7:25), and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished:
for that that is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the
God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for
he shall magnify himself above all. And he shall plant the tabernacles
of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he
shall came to his end, and none shall help him." Here we are told the
Antichrist will be a "king." He will be king of the Jews and king over
the restored Roman Empire in its ten-kingdomed form. He will be a king
of kings. His blatant impiety is pointed out in the words "he shall
exalt himself, and magnify himself against every god." The words
"Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers" call attention to his
Jewish nationality. "Nor the Desire of women" (cf. Haggai 2:7) is a
Hebraism for the Messiah. The birth of the Messiah was the great hope
of Israel and every Jewish maiden desired above everything else to
have the honor of being the mother of the promised One. The Antichrist
then will deny both the Father and the Son (see 1 John 2:22). The
closing verse refers to his destruction.
In 2 Thessalonians 2 we also read, "Let no man deceive you by any
means: for that day (the day of Christ--the Millennium) shall not
come, except there come a falling away first, and that Man of Sin be
revealed, the Son of Perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself
above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God
sitteth in the Temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. For the
Mystery of Iniquity doth already work: only He who now letteth
(restraineth) will let (restrain), until He (the Holy Spirit) be taken
out of the way. And then shall that Wicked One be revealed, whom the
Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy
with the brightness of His coming (to the earth itself) even him,
whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs
and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in
them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth,
that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them
strong delusion, that they should believe the Lie: that they all might
be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness" (vv. 3, 4, 7-12). Incredible as it may seem, Satan
will be permitted to travesty the miracle of Bethlehem. Observe that
the incarnation of the Son of God is termed "the mystery of godliness"
(1 Tim. 3:16) while, above, the incarnation of the Son of Perdition is
styled "the mystery of iniquity." Satan is going to send forth his own
son into this world, born under supernatural circumstances and
combining in his person the human and Satanic natures. The daring
blasphemy of the coming Antichrist is also mentioned again. He will
"sit in the Temple" a re-built Temple in Jerusalem "shewing himself
that he is God." He will assume the place and prerogatives Of the true
Christ, will in fact claim to be Christ Himself. His audacious claim
will be supported by imposing credentials, for he will work miracles
by which he will deceive the whole world. Apostate Christendom,
previously "spued out" by Christ (Rev. 3:16) will be given over by God
to believe the Lie, that is, they will be completely deceived and will
readily accept the Antichrist as the Lord Jesus. But his end is sure.
The Lord shall "consume him with the spirit of His mouth, and destroy
him with the brightness of His coming."
One other Scripture must suffice. In Revelation 13 we read, "And I
stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the
sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns,
and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw
was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and
his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the Dragon (the Devil) gave him
(the Antichrist) his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I
saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound
was healed: and all the world wondered after the Beast. And they
worshipped the Dragon which gave power unto the Beast: and they
worshipped the Beast, saying, Who is like unto the Beast? who is able
to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking
great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue
forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against
God, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in
heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints and to
overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues,
and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him,
whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from
the foundation of the world" (vv. 1-8).
The last quoted Scripture is a case in point where it is difficult to
distinguish between the kingdom and its king, the empire and its
emperor. The "beast" which is here seen rising out of the "sea"
symbolizes the revival and restoration of the old Roman Empire and
corresponds with Daniel's fourth beast. In Scripture the "sea" figures
the restless nations away from God. Revelation 13 contemplates a time
of political upheaval and social disturbance. Out of revolutionary
conditions will issue the revived Roman Empire, the last head of which
will be the Antichrist. Many students of prophecy regard the head of
this Empire as another person than the Antichrist. It is supposed
there will be two men on earth at this time, the one controlling
political affairs, the other dominating the religious realm. But we
fail to see anything in Scripture which justifies this distinction, On
the contrary, it seems most in accord with analogy to believe that
just as the Lord, Jesus will yet combine these offices and functions,
so the pseudo christ will fill this double role. It is true there will
be two Satanic characters on the earth during the Tribulation period
and the second of these is brought before us in the second "Beast" of
Revelation 13. This second Beast we regard as the "False Prophet" of
Revelation 19:20; 20:10. He is the third person in the Trinity of
Evil. That the Second Beast of Revelation 13 is Satan's parody of the
Holy Spirit (the Third Person in the Holy Trinity) rather than of
Christ Himself, seems clear from what is here predicted of him. Just
as the Holy Spirit "speaks not of Himself" (John 16:13) but is here to
glorify Christ, so the second Beast causes men to worship the first
Beast. And just as the advent of the Holy Spirit was accompanied by
the descent of tongues of fire (Acts 2:3), so this second Beast
"maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men:"
(13:13). Finally, that the second Beast (and not the first) is the
"False Prophet" is abundantly clear from Revelation 19:20 where we are
told, "And the Beast was taken, and with him the False Prophet that
wrought miracles before him with which he deceived them that had
received the mark of the Beast, and them that worshipped his image."
The marks of identity here are so plain that it seems impossible to
mistake them. In Revelation 13 it is the Second Beast that "deceiveth
them that dwell on the each by the means of those miracles which he
had power to do in the sight of the Beast;" and here in Revelation 19
it is the False Prophet that is said to have "wrought miracles before
him" with which he deceived the Beast's worshippers. Hence we
unhesitatingly affirm that the False Prophet is the Second Beast of
Revelation 13.
We do not now attempt a full interpretation of the symbolical
description of the Antichrist contained in what is said above of the
first Beast, a hint here and there is all we shall essay. The
Antichrist will combine in his personality the characteristics of the
leopard (beauty and subtlety) of the bear (strength and cruelty), and
of the lion (boldness and ferocity). He will be vested with full power
and authority from Satan as the Lord Jesus was full of the Holy
Spirit. He will compel the admiration of the whole world and will be
universally worshipped He will be a warrior of international renown
and none will be able to resist his terrible power. But his career
will be cut short: after his rise to full power only forty-two months,
or three and a half years, will be allowed him by God.
Putting together the various Scriptures at which we have little more
than glanced, we learn that the Antichrist will be a supernatural
being--the Son of Perdition; that he will be revealed subsequent to
the departure of the Holy Spirit from the earth (which occurs at the
Rapture of the saints); that he will be the greatest soul-destroyer
chat has ever trod this earth. He will be the Super-Man for whom the
world is already looking. He will personify all the godless culture of
the last days, and will be endowed with a supernatural wisdom. He will
be the consummation of vileness--"the Wicked One;" he will be the
personification of evil--"the Man of Sin;" he will be the incarnation
of the Devil--"the Son of Perdition." He will pose as the Christ of
God and will substantiate his claims by performing wonderful miracles.
He will be welcomed and cordially received by all Christendom. He will
utterly deceive the majority of the Jews who will hail him as their
long-expected Messiah. He will rule over a restored Roman Empire thus
travestying Christ who, in the Millennium, will sit as a priest upon
His throne. He will be a warrior of world-wide renown, a statesman of
unrivalled skill, a man of transcendent genius, before whom the
exploits of Caesar, Charlemagne and Napoleon will appear trifling.
Kings will be his toys and thrones his playthings. Toward the close of
his reign he will throw, off his mask, no longer assuming to be the
real Christ, but standing forth in his own colors he will deny both
God the Father and God the Son, will seek to exterminate the Jews and
everything else which bears witness to the living God; will set up his
own image in the rebuilt: Temple at Jerusalem, and under pain of death
will compel all to worship it and receive his mark upon their bodies.
But he will meet with summary judgment at the end, as we shall yet
see. We turn now to consider,
5. The Situation of the Jews during this Period.
As we have seen in earlier chapters, the declarations of Holy Writ
make it very clear that Israel will yet be restored to God's favor and
be rehabilitated in Palestine, But before that glad time arrives, the
Jews have to pass through a season of sore trouble and affliction,
during which God severely chastises them for their sins and punishes
them for the rejection and crucifixion of their Messiah. Fearful
indeed have been the past experiences of `the nation of the weary
feet' but a darker path than ever yet lies before them. Their cruel
bondage in Egypt, their captivity in Babylon, and their grievous
handling by Titus, were but faint foreshadowings of what they shall
yet be called upon to undergo. In Jeremiah 30:4-7 we read--"And these
are the words that the Lord spake concerning Israel and concerning
Judah. For thus saith the Lord; We have heard a voice of trembling, of
fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail
with child? Wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins,
as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas!
For that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the Time of
Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it." This Time of
Jacob's Trouble was described in part when, in answer to His
disciples' question concerning the end of the age, our Lord said,
"Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you:
and ye shall be hated of all nations for My name's sake. And then
shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate
one another. And many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive
many. And because iniquity. shall abound, the love of many shall wax
cold. But he that shall endure unto the end (of the Tribulation period
which terminates the Age), the same shall be saved" (Matthew 24:9-13).
It has also been pointed out that considerable numbers of the Jews
have recently turned their faces Zionward and returned to the land of
their fathers, but before the revelation and rise of the Antichrist to
temporal power, many others will also have returned to Palestine. This
is clear from Daniel 9:27, where we learn that Antichrist (the
"prince" or head of the restored Roman Empire) will ratify a treaty
with Israel for seven years, under which he guarantees them protection
and allows them to rebuild their Temple and restore its ancient
ritual. It is to this Covenant between Antichrist and the Jews that
Isaiah 28:18 refers, "And your covenant with Death (a title of
Antichrist, in contradistinction to the true Christ who is "the Life")
shall be disannulled, and your agreement with Hell shall not stand;
when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be
trodden down by it (probably a reference to Zechariah 14:1,2). For the
Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, He shall be wroth as in the
valley of Gibeon, that He may do His work, His strange work; and bring
to pass His act, His strange act." It is to be noted that this
"Covenant" between Antichrist and Israel is established during the
early part of his reign, or certainly, at the very commencement of
Daniel's seventieth week (see Daniel 9:24-27--a most important
passage), while he is posing as the true Christ and before he throws
off his mask and denies both the Father and the Son. It is in the
midst of this final seven years that he openly defies heaven and
earth, breaks his covenant with the Jews in Palestine, causes their
sacrifices to cease and in their place demands that they shall set up
an image to himself which, like Nebuchadnezzar and his image, he will
require to be worshipped by all under pain of death. It is to the
setting up of this "image" in the Temple that our Lord had reference
when He said, "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of
desolation (for the meaning of "abomination" see 1 Kings 11:5-7--it is
an "image" to a false god), spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in
the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand). Then let them
which be in Judea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the
housetop not come down to take anything out of his house: Neither let
him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe
unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those
days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on
the Sabbath day: For then shall be (the) great Tribulation, such as
was not from the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever
shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no
flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake (i. e. for the sake of the
godly Jewish remnant) those days shall be shortened." The above
Scripture is a warning from our Lord to the godly Jews who will be on
earth subsequent to the Rapture of the Church, and who are informed
that when they see Antichrist's image set up in their re-built Temple
then let them know the time for the outpouring of God's wrath is at
hand. The part of wisdom for them in that day will be to flee from
Jerusalem lest they share its judgment. Be it noted it is those who
read--i.e., the Holy Scriptures, and particularly Daniel and the
Revelation--who will "understand." Following this timely warning--by
which, doubtless, many godly Jews will profit in that day--our Lord
continues, "Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or
there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs and false
prophets (observe false "prophets" as well as false Christs; and note
the order--false Christs which is headed up in the Antichrist the
first "beast" of Revelation 13, and "false prophets" which is headed
up in the False Prophet the second "beast" of Revelation 13!), and
shall show great signs and wonders (even make the "image" speak, see
Revelation 13:15); insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall
deceive the very elect (but it will not be possible, for the elect
will "read" and "understand''). Behold, I have told you before" (vv.
23-25).
A small minority of the Jews (typified by the three "Hebrew children"
in the days of Nebuchadnezzar), a godly remnant, will refuse to
receive the Beast and worship his image and, in consequence, will be
subjected to fierce persecution. This pious "remnant" forms the
subject of numerous Old Testament prophecies. We single out but
one--"In that day (the Tribulation period) shalt thou not be ashamed
for all thy doings, wherein then hast transgressed against Me: for
then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in
thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty because of My holy
mountain. I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor
people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. The remnant of
Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies (profess allegiance to
The Lie); neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth:
for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid"
(Zech. 3:11-15, and cf. Isaiah 10:20, 21; Joel 2:32; 3:1, 2 etc.).
Many of the Jews who comprise this remnant will be slain by the
Antichrist, but at least 144,000 of them (see Revelation 7) will be
miraculously preserved by God. Jehovah will undertake for them as He
did for the three "Hebrew children" of old. Then it shall be seen that
"He that dwelleth in the secret place (compare Revelation 12:6!!) of
the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." Then will
they find the Lord their "refuge" and "fortress." And then will be
fulfilled His promise--"Surely He shall deliver thee from the Snare of
the Fowler (the Antichrist), and from the noisome pestilence. He shall
cover thee with His feathers and under His wings shalt thou trust."
And then will they behold with their eyes and "see the reward of the
Wicked One" (see the whole of Psalm 91). Many of the Psalms record the
experiences and prayers of the godly Jewish remnant during this
period: see Psalms 10 (which vividly pictures the Antichrist), 87
(which contains words of admonition and encouragement for them; see
especially verse 10!), 48 (note verse l!), 44 (which reveals their
hope in God), 55 (and note particularly verses 20, 21!!), 74 (and note
verse 10!), 80 (their cry for deliverance, etc.). We may add that many
of the later Psalms view Israel in the Millennium.
It is during the Tribulation period Chat Elijah the prophet returns to
the earth and Malachi 4:5, 6 is fulfilled--"Behold, I will send you
Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of
the Lord (i.e., before the final three and a half years); and he shall
turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the
children to their fathers." Doubtless Elijah is one of the "two
witnesses" of Revelation 11 who testily for God twelve hundred and
sixty days in Jerusalem; after which they are slain, resurrected, and
translated to heaven. At the close of the Tribulation period
Antichrist marshals his forces and goes up to besiege Jerusalem, and
this leads us to consider,
6. The Battle of Armageddon.
The Battle of Armageddon! What extravagant speculations have been
indulged concerning it! What unscriptural theories have been
entertaining respecting it! To begin with, this appears from the term
employed. Nowhere in the Bible do we read of "The Battle of
Armageddon." The Scriptural expression is "The Battle of that great
day of God Almighty" (Rev. 16:14). This Battle of the great day of God
Almighty will bring the Tribulation period to a close and will witness
the return of Christ to the earth to usher in the Millennium. This
"Battle" is the subject of numerous prophecies, several of which we
shall briefly examine.
The Battle of that great day of God Almighty will terminate the most
blatant movement of all in the impious career of the Antichrist. After
he has thrown off the mask, denied both the Father and the Son and
openly defied Heaven, he will seek to exterminate everything which
either directly or indirectly, witnesses to God. His first effort in
this direction is brought before us in Revelation 17:16--"And the ten
horns which thou sawest upon the Beast (the "ten kings" vs. l2), these
shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall
eat her flesh, and burn her with fire:--in other words, completely
abolish her. Who this "whore" is we learn in the previous verses. It
is "Mystery, Babylon the Great, The Mother of harlots and abominations
of the earth" (v. 5). It is the Papacy, which before this time will
have succeeded in gathering within its fold the whole of apostate
Christendom. After the Rapture of the Church, the whole of Christendom
will render allegiance to the Pope who will still claim to be Christ's
"vicar" on earth. Then it is that "the whole" of the three measures of
meal will be completely leaven (Matthew 13:88). At first, Christendom
(the "Whore") will be supported by the Beast (Rev. 17:3), but at the
end he will turn against her and cause his ten satellites to bring
about her destruction. Having accomplished the destruction of the one
system in Europe which still professed the name of Christ, the Son of
Perdition will then turn his attention toward Palestine where the last
witness of God on earth will be round. The godly remnant of the Jews
will still refuse to worship him. This enrages the Beast and he
gathers together his forces and leads them against the Holy Land in a
determined attempt to annihilate those who dare to defy him, in fact
it would seem from several Scriptures that the Gentiles headed by the
Man of Sin will aim at the complete destruction of all of David's
descendants. Unknown to himself, however, he will be but carrying out
the eternal purpose of God--"Now also many nations are gathered
against thee (the daughter of Zion), that say, Let her be defiled, and
let our eye look upon Zion. But they know not the thoughts of the
Lord, neither understand they His counsel, for He shall gather them as
the sheaves into the floor" (Mic. 4:11,12). The time for God to take
vengeance on the nations who have flocked to the banner of the
Antichrist has come, and He employs the Beast to concentrate his
forces so that He may pour out His wrath upon them--"Proclaim ye this
among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the
men of war draw near; let them come up: Beat your ploughshares into
swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am
strong. Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather
yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come
down, O Lord. Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of
Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round
about. Put ye in the sickle for the harvest is ripe: come, get you
down: for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness
is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision. The sun
and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their
shining. The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter His voice
from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the
Lord wilt be the hope of His people, and the strength of the children
of Israel. So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in
Zion, My holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall
no strangers pass through her any more" (Joel 3:9-17).
But to go back a little. Unknown to himself, it is the Lord, who shall
cause the Antichrist to assemble his forces in Palestine where they
shall both meet their just doom. But at first the evil project of the
Beast will appear to succeed. He besieges Jerusalem and captures
it--"Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be
divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against
Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses
rifled, and the women ravished: and hall of the city shall go forth
into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off
from the city" (Zech. 14:1,2). Jerusalem falls and its people are led
forth captives. The success of the Antichrist seems complete. The last
witness against the Beast now appears to be silenced. But his triumph
will be short-lived. As the above prophecy continues, "Then shall the
Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when He fought in
the day of battle. And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount
of Olives, which is before Jerusalem" (v. 3, 4). The Antichrist has
now to meet One with whom he cannot cope, yet, incredible as it may
appear, he will make the attempt. Just as of old, Pharaoh gathered his
chariots together and went forth against Israel, though he knew that
Jehovah was with them, so shall his great Anti-type gathers his forces
to "make war with the Lamb" (Rev. 17:14). The last desperate movement
of the Beast will be a determined effort to prevent the Lord Jesus
returning to the earth itself. It is to this Psalm 2 refers--"Why do
the nations tumultuously assemble, and the people meditate a vain
thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take
counsel together, against the Lord, and against His Christ, saying,
Let us break their bands asunder, and east away Their cords from us.
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them
in derision. Then shall He speak unto them in His wrath, and vex them
in His sore displeasure. Yet have I set My King upon My holy hill of
Zion," (vv. 1-6). God is about to set His King upon Mount Zion, and
the Antichrist will gather all of his `forces together in the vain
attempt to frustrate the Divine purpose. At the head of his armies,
the Beast marches forth in open hostility against God--"And he
gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue
Armageddon" (Rev. 10:16) which is explained in Revelation 19:19--"And
I saw the Beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies,
gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and
against His army." The daring challenge of the Beast is accepted. The
heavens open and Christ appears in flaming fire (cf. Matthew 24:27)
ready to take vengeance. As it is written, "in that day will I make
Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden
themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of
the earth be gathered together against it. In that day, saith the
Lord, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with
madness: and I will open Mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will
smite every horse of the people with blindness. In that day shall the
Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem (i. e., the "residue" of
14:2); and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David;
and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord
before them. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek
to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem" (Zech. 12:3,4,
6-9). How all this will be accomplished we shall see under our last
heading, namely.
7. The Return of Christ to the earth itself.
If today the presence of the Lord on earth is urgently needed, how
much greater will be this need at the close of the Tribulation period!
The Antichrist in full power, openly blaspheming and blatantly defying
God! All the world worshipping this Son of Perdition and branded with
his mark on their foreheads or in their hands as token of their
allegiance to him! The godly remnant of the Jews in the very last
extremity and crying, "Keep not Thou silence, O God: hold not Thy
peace, and be not still O God. For, lo, Thine enemies make a tumult:
and they that hate Thee have lifted up the head. They have taken
crafty counsel against Thy people, and consulted against Thy hidden
ones (the remnant in the "secret place" of Psalm 91:1; the "prepared
place" of Revelation 12:6). They have said, Come, and let us cut them
off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in
remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent: they
are confederate against Thee" (Ps. 83:1-5)! All the forces of the
Beast gathered together in a last daring effort to prevent the Lord
Jesus coming back to this earth and entering into His inheritance! But
now has struck the appointed hour of retribution. Now shall the Lord
come "with ten thousands of His saints to execute judgment upon all"
(Jude 14, 15). Yes, "the Lord shall be revealed from heaven with His
mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not
God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall
be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the
Lord, and from the glory of His power" (2 Thess. 1:7-9).
A full length picture of our returning Lord is found in Revelation 19,
a picture awful in its solemnity and fearful in its vividness. Let us
sit down before it and study it in detail. "And I saw Heaven opened,
and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful
and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war" (Rev.
19:11). Every word here calls for close attention.
Our Lord comes seated upon a "white horse."
The Greek word intimates a war-horse or "charger." Note its color. In
Scripture, colors are used emblematically. Here, "white" is the
fitting emblem of the Rider's spotless purity and unsullied holiness.
Everything in the passage we are now examining is in marked contrast
to our Lord's first Advent. Then He was seen, meek and lowly, seated
upon the back of an ass. But now He is coming back to the earth for a
different work from that which He performed when He was here before.
He returns now for the purpose of subduing wickedness, to destroy
evildoers, to overthrow Antichrist and to remove Satan from these
scenes. Hence, in keeping with His mission, He appears seated upon a
white war-charger! "Gird Thy sword upon Thy thigh, O most Mighty, with
Thy glory and Thy majesty. And in Thy majesty ride prosperously,
because of troth and meekness and righteousness; and Thy right hand
shall teach thee terrible things. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart
of the King's enemies; whereby the people fall under Thee. Thy throne,
O God, is for ever and ever: the scepter of Thy Kingdom is a right
scepter" (Ps. 45:3-6).
He comes as the "Faithful and True."
This is in vivid contrast from the abounding unfaithfulness of men. He
comes now faithful to His promises and true to His threatenings.
Today, men may single out those parts of His teachings which accord
with their own sentiments, and reject and deny His solemn threatenings
of judgment against the unbelieving; but, in that day, it shall be
seen that He is Faithful and True to every word He uttered, whether of
promise or of threatening.
He comes back again as "Judge."
Here we have another striking contrast. When he was here before,
wicked men dared to arraign Him. He was brought before the
judgment-bar of Caiaphas, Pilate, and Herod. But now the, tables shall
be turned, He Himself shall be the Judge. God hath "appointed a day in
the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He
hath ordained" (Acts 17:31). And now the appointed "Day" (the
Millennium) has dawned; the ordained Man at hand. Observe it is said,
"In righteousness He doth judge" (Rev. 19:11). This also points a
contrast. He was judged unrighteously. No charge could be preferred
against Him. He was guiltless; even His judge had to acknowledge "I
find no fault in Him;" and yet he sentenced Him to death! How
unrighteous! But in marked contrast, our Lord shall judge "in
righteousness:" nought but Justice shall He dispense.
He comes to make war!
Ah! once our blessed Lord ministered to the needy, fed hungering
multitude, healed the sick, gave peace to the burdened conscience.
Before-time, He invited the heavy-laden to come to Him for rest. But
here all is changed. Now He comes seated upon a war-charger, and with
the express purpose of making war. At the Red Sea, where Jehovah
destroyed Pharaoh, and his hosts, Israel sang "The Lord is a Man of
War" (Ex. 15:8), and now has struck the hour when this shall be
demonstrated as never before. He reds to earth with the deliberate
design of shedding the blood of His enemies.
"And His eyes were a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns;
and He had a name written that no man knew, but He Himself. And He was
clothed in a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called the Word
of God" (Rev. 19:12,13).
He comes with flashing and flaming eyes.
When He was upon earth before, those eyes had ofttimes shone with
tenderness, as when the children were attracted to Him; had glowed
with compassion, as when a single look upon guilty Peter melted his
heart and caused him to go out and weep bitterly; yea, they had been
filled with tears, as when He stood by the graveside of Lazarus and
when He wept over the Jerusalem which had rejected Him. But here they
flash and flame like fire. Now shall they be seen as the eyes of One
who is thoroughly aroused with holy indignation. But not only do those
flaming eyes express His anger, they also show forth His omniscience.
Those flaming eyes shall pierce through every veil of hypocrisy and
scorch into the very souls of His enemies. They will act as a
veritable searchlight, penetrating to the thoughts' and intents. of
the heart.
He comes with head decked with many crowns.
This, again, is in vivid contrast to the days of old. Once that holy
brow was covered with sweat of agony so intense that it was as it were
great drops of blood. Once that head was crowned with thorns--the
symbol of the Curse. But here it shall be crowned with glory and
honor. He comes forth now, not as the lowly Sufferer, but as the
victorious Conqueror vested with complete authority. "Many crowns"
observe, for in that day He shall be King not only of the Jews, but
King of the Gentiles as well--King of kings. All the world shall then
be compelled to bow before Him and submit to His universal
sovereignty.
He comes with a Name Known to none save Himself.
In Scripture names express nature--what a person or thing is. So here.
Christ has a name which no creature can fathom. That is to say, His
Person is incomprehensible; there are mysterious depths in Him which
no finite mind can grasp.
He comes with a vesture dipped in blood.
At first sight this seems to suggest a comparison rather than a
contrast, but the verses which follow show that it is another of those
sharp antitheses with which this passage abounds. Once His raiment had
been crimsoned by the flowing of His own blood, but now, alas! it is
from the blood of others. He was lifted up that men might shed His
blood, but now He descends that He might shed their blood.
He comes, denominated the Word of God.
We are told this so that there may be no possibility of mistaking Him.
This title serves to identify Him, and connects the two Advents. He is
here designated by His Eternal and Divine name. "In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1).
He is no longer called by His name "Jesus" which means "Savior," but
is termed "the Word of God" which points to the dignity, majesty, and
glory of His Person. The use of this Divine title in the present
connection is deeply significant. When He was here before He came in
weakness and shame: it was His Humanity that was most prominent; but
when He comes back again to this earth, He shall return in
irresistible power and great glory, and His Deity will be most
conspicuous.
"And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should
smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He
treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, King of
Kings and Lord of Lords" (Rev. 19:15,16).
He comes to smite the nations with a Sword that goeth out of His
mouth.
Here again we have another contrast. When He was here before, He spoke
words of blessing to cheer: He came not to judge the world, but that
the world through Him might be saved. But now all is changed. The
"Sword" which proceedeth out of His mouth is the Word of God (Heb.
4:12). Throughout the centuries of this Dispensation He has sent forth
His Word that it may slay sin in men, but in the days of His
humiliation His mouth was opened to bless men, now it shall be opened
to curse and slay them. It is the fulfillment of Isaiah 11:1--"And He
shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath
of His lips shall He slay the wicked." It marks the ease with which He
performs His purposes: He speaks, and it is done; He gives the
command, and it is accomplished. Something of this was pre-intimated
on the occasion of His arrest in the Garden (John 18). When the
soldiers came to take Him, He said, "Whom seek ye?' and they replied,
"Jesus of Nazareth," and we read, "Jesus said unto them. I am and as
soon as He had said unto them I am, they went backward and fell to the
ground"! If so mild an utterance prostrated His enemies then, what
will it be when He girds Himself for judgment!
He comes to rule the nations with a Rod of Iron.
How different this is to the popular conception of the "Gentle Jesus"!
Human sentimentality has pictured our blessed Lord as being so tender
that He will never find in His heart to punish sin and slay the
workers of iniquity. For the most part, the world today hears from the
pulpit only a one-sided presentation of the character of God--that
side which is most agreeable to man in his fallen condition. But God
is not only Love, He is Light; not only is He Merciful; He is Holy and
Righteous. Because He is Holy He cannot ignore sin, yea, "He can by no
means clear the guilty." The claims of His Throne must be. maintained,
even though a thousand worlds be destroyed. Long has God dealt with
our race in wondrous grace and infinite patience, and evilly have men
repaid Him. But when Christ returns to the earth, the Dispensation of
grace will have ended and He comes back, no longer inviting voluntary
allegiance, but to compel obedience. The insignia the returning Lord
shall be the Iron Rod. Iron was the symbol and emblem of the Roman
Empire, and stood for resistless power, rigid rule, and indomitable
government. History shows us what it meant to be crushed beneath "the
iron heel of the Romans." And "iron," the Iron Rod and rule, will be
the fitting emblem of Christ's government in that day when He returns
to crush the head of the Serpent, subdue His enemies and put down all
opposition.
He comes to tread the Winepress of the fierceness and wrath of
Almighty God.
This is the fulfillment of the prophetic word of Isaiah--"Who is this
that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is
glorious in His apparel, travelling in the greatness of His strength?
I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art Thou red
in Thine apparel, and Thy garments like Him that treadeth the
winepress? I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there
was none with Me: for I will tread them in Mine anger, and trample
them in My fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon My garments,
and I will stain all My raiment. For the day of vengeance is in Mine
heart, and the year of My redeemed is come. And I will tread down the
people in Mine anger, and make them drunk in My fury, and I will bring
down their strength to the earth" (Isa. 63:1-6). Unspeakably dreadful
will be the carnage for we are told, "The winepress was trodden
without the city (Jerusalem) and blood came out of the winepress, even
unto the horses bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred
furlongs" (that is, 200 miles!) (Rev. 14:20). Yes, terrible shall be
the slaughter, but who shall say it was not fully merited and
demanded. Mercy had been slighted and abused. A "murderer" had again
been preferred above the Lord of life. God Himself was being openly
blasphemed. And now the Executioner steps forth. This is the hour
promised Him by the Father, that His enemies shall be made His
"footstool" (Ps. 110:1)!
He comes followed by "armies."
"And the armies which were in Heaven followed Him upon white horses
clothed in fine linen, white and dean" (Rev. 9:14). The "armies" that
follow the Divine Warrior will be made up by both the Old Testament
and New Testament saints. Those armies are not "angels" as some teach,
though these "armies" will certainly be accompanied by angels as we
learn from 2 Thessalonians 1:7. That the "armies" are not angels
appears from Jude 14, where those who accompany the Captain of their
salvation .are denominated "saints" a term which is never applied to
angels; and also from Revelation 17:14, where those that are "with
Him" are styled "called and chosen and faithful"--language which is
applicable to none save the children of God. The saints who are one
with Christ, then made "like Him," will fully share His feelings and
participate in His victory, though He alone will do the fighting.
He comes to overthrow the Antichrist and his legions.
The issue of this battle, the Battle of that great day of God Almighty
(popularly but unscripturally called "Armageddon") is never in doubt.
Its issue is fore-announced. A call is given to the fowls of the air
to devour the carcasses of the slain before the battle begins--"And I
saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice
saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and
gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye
may eat the flesh of Kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh,
of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them,
and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great"
(Rev. 19:17,18). It is to this same terrible event the prophet Ezekiel
bore witness, "Thus saith the Lord God; Speak unto the feathered fowl,
and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather
yourselves on every side to My slaughter that I do sacrifice for you,
even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat
flesh and drink blood. Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink
the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of
goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan. And ye shall eat
fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of My
sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. Thus ye shall be filled at
My table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men
of war, saith the Lord God. And I will set My glory among the heathen,
and all the heathen shall see My judgment that I have executed, and My
hand that I have laid upon them. So the house of Israel shall know
that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward" (Ezek.
39:17-22). But to continue, and complete our review of Revelation 19.
"And I saw the Beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies,
gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and
against His army. And the Beast was taken, and with him the False
Prophet that wrought miracles before, him, and with which he deceived
them that had received the mark of the Beast, and them that worshipped
his image. Those both were cast alive into the Lake of Fire burning
with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of Him that
sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth: and all
the fowls were filled with their flesh" (Rev. 19:19-21). Comment is
needless. The Antichrist and the False Prophet are both cast into the
Lake of Fire where, a thousand years later, Satan shall join them.
During the Millennium Satan is secured in the Bottomless Pit. The
awful but richly deserved fate which overtakes the armies of the
Antichrist is dramatically portrayed in Zechariah 14--"And this shall
be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have
fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they
stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their
holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. And it
shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord
shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one the hand of his
neighbor" (vv. 12,13). Thus will end the present Age. What a
termination! What a climax! What consummation of wickedness! This is
the goal--now so near at hand--toward which all our boasted
enlightenment, progress, and civilization is headed. The end will
witness all Christendom (minus the Body of Christ, previously
raptured) in organized and open revolt and rebellion against Almighty
God, to be utterly destroyed at the Redeemer's Return.
____________________________________________________
Contents | Forword | Preface | Intro
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Conclusion | Appendix
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A. W. Pink Header
The Redeemer's Return
by Arthur W. Pink
The Consummation of the Redeemer's
Return or The Millennial Reign
Chapter 10
"And the Lord shall be King over all the earth: in that day
shall there be one Lord, and His name one." Zech. 14:9
____________________________________________________
It should now be evident to every unprejudiced reader that there are
two distinct stages in the Second Coming of Christ:--His coming in the
air, and His coming to the earth; His coming for the saints, and His
coming with the saints. The first great purpose before Him in
connection with His return is to receive His people unto Himself. Just
as of old God translated Enoch to Heaven before He sent the Deluge
upon the ungodly, so will the Church be removed frown this earth
before the vials of His wrath are poured out upon it. The second great
purpose before the Lord Jesus will be to return to the earth itself,
there to set up His Kingdom and reign in righteousness, and it is the
nature, the scope, the blessedness, and the duration of this
Kingdom-reign which is now to engage our attention.
In popular parlance the era of the Messiah's reign is referred to as
the "Millennium" which is a compound word signifying a thousand years.
From the remotest antiquity men have longed for and talked of a Golden
Age, of an age in which righteousness and peace should prevail, and
oppression and war should cease. Poets have sung of it, politicians
have dreamed about it, and inspired prophets have described it. This
era of blessedness is variously denominated in the Scriptures. It is
termed "the Regeneration" (Matthew 10:28); the "Last Day" (John 6:40);
the "Times of Refreshing" (Acts 3:19); the "Times of Restitution"
(Acts 3:21); the "Kingdom" (1 Cor. 15:24); the "Day of Christ" (Phil.
1:6); the "Dispensation of the Fullness of Times" (Eph. 1:10).
There are more Scriptures which treat of the Millennium or Kingdom-age
than perhaps any other one subject in the Bible. The difficulty is to
classify them all. For purpose of simplification we shall now consider
the Millennium under seven heads, namely, the Millennium in relation
to Satan, to Christ, to the Church, to Israel, to the World, to
Creation, and to Sin.
1. The Millennium in relation to Satan.
In our last chapter we saw that Christ descends from Heaven to find an
organized effort to prevent Him coming back to the earth. Under the
leadership of Anti-Christ, the kings of the earth with their armies
assemble together at Armageddon with the express purpose of making war
upon the Lamb (Rev. 17:14). It is in connection with this impious
revolt that we read, "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh" (Ps.
2:4), laugh at their folly and madness, "The Lord shall have them in
derision." As well might a worm seek to resist the tread of an
elephant as the creature hope to succeed against the Almighty. As well
attempt to roll back the ocean as aim to frustrate the counsels of the
Most High. "For the Lord of hosts hath purposed and who shall disannul
it? and His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?" (Isa.
14:27). A short work will our Lord make of the proud rebels--"And the
Beast was taken, and with him the False Prophet that wrought miracles
before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of
the Beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast
alive into the Lake of Fire burning with brimstone" (Rev. 19:19). This
accounts for two of the persons in the Trinity of Evil. But one other
still remains to be dealt with. Before the Messiah's Kingdom can be
set up, the great Usurper must first be cast out.
There can be no thousand years of righteousness and peace on earth
while the great Enemy of God and man is at large. Post-millenarians,
who expect the Kingdom to be brought in by the preaching of the Gospel
and the activities of the Church, and Peace-idealists and
Social-reformers who look for a Golden Age to be brought about by
legislation and civilization, all leave out of their schemes and
considerations one dominating factor, namely, the Devil. Behind all
anti-Christian systems, back of all the inveterate opposition to the
Gospel, beneath all the evil and wickedness which stalks rampant
through the earth, is that old Serpent, the Devil. And nothing finite
can remove him. Nothing human can disturb him. None on earth can bind
him. Man is incompetent to cope with his mighty adversary. Legislation
cannot reach him, and the Church is powerless to rid the world of his
awful presence. The only One who is mightier than he, is God-the
Almighty, and there can be no Millennium, no era of righteousness, and
peace, no Golden Age, until the Son of God Himself returns in person
and removes and imprisons the Arch-Foe.
The removal of Satan from this earth is described in Revelation
20:1-3, "And I saw an angel (We believe this "angel" to be the Lord
Jesus Himself--the uncreated Angel of the Covenant (Mal. 3:1). If it
should be asked, Why term Him an angel? the answer is, To connect Him
with Israel, the covenant and earthly people. See Genesis 22:15, 16;
48:16; Exodus 3:2; and compare Revelation 7:2, 8:3; 10:1) come down
from heaven, having the key of the Bottomless Pit and a great chain in
his hand. And he laid hold on the Dragon, that old Serpent, which is
the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him
into the Bottomless Pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him,
that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years
shall be fulfilled." Satan will be "bound" which is the fulfillment of
our Lord's word in Matthew 12:29--"How can one enter a "strong man's
house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and
then he will spoil his house." The "strong man" is our Adversary, the
Devil; his "house" is the children of this world, in contradistinction
to the children of God who are the "House" of Christ (Heb. 3:6); the
"binding" of the Strong Man is described in the Passage quoted above
from Revelation 20; the "spoiling of his house" is the delivering of
his captives (see Isaiah 42:7). Satan will be "cast into the
Bottomless Pit" which is the fulfillment of Isaiah 14--"How art thou
fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut
down to the ground which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said
in thine heart, I will ascend into Heaven, I will exalt my throne
above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the
congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the
heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High. Yet thou shalt be
brought down to Hell, to the sides of the Pit" (vv. 12-15). Satan will
be shut up in the Bottomless Pit and a "seal" shall be set upon him,
which is God's answer to that which we read of in Matthew 27:66, "So
they went and made the sepulcher sure, sealing the stone, and setting
a watch"--what he has sown that shall be also reap. Thus will
terminate that struggle which has lasted for six thousand years, a
struggle which has been waged for the dominion of the earth.
At last the "roaring lion" (1 Pet. 5:8) will have been overcome,
overcome by the Lion of the tribe of Judah. The Man with the bruised
heel will have crushed the Serpent's head, and the word spoken in Eden
will then be fully accomplished. And who can describe or even imagine
the blessed consequences! No more shall the brethren be accused before
God (Rev. 12:10). No more shall the daughters of Abraham be "bound,
lo, these eighteen years" (Luke 13:16). No more shall Satan tempt and
try, harass and hinder the saints of God. For a thousand years the
earth shall be rid of the Evil One and in his place there shall come
"Times of Refreshing from the presence of the Lord" And this leads us
to consider,
2. The Millennium in relation to Christ.
It has been divinely ordained that our Lord should fill three great
offices--the Prophetic, the Priestly, and the Kingly. As Prophet, He
acts as God's Spokesman: revealing God's mind, communicating God's
will, unveiling God's heart. As Priest, He acts as Mediator between
God and men, and by means of His atoning sacrifice He reconciles
believers to God, represents His peoples' interests before God,
interceding for them and pleading their cause. As King, He will reign
over men, enforcing God's laws, and upholding on earth the claims of
His Throne. It is of Christ as King we shall now speak.
Toward the dose of David's reign, the word of the Lord came to Nathan,
bidding him go to the king and, among other things, tell him, "And
when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I
will set up thy Seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy
bowels, and I will establish His kingdom. He shall build an house for
My name and I will establish the throne of His Kingdom for ever" (2
Sam. 7:12,13). At a later date, in one of the great Messianic
prophecies, it was announced concerning our Lord that "His name shall
be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, the everlasting
Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and
peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His
Kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with
justice from henceforth even for ever" (Isa. 9:6,7). Hence it is that
the very first verse of the New Testament reads, "The Book of the
generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, (thus linking Him with
Israel's throne) the son of Abraham."
Just before our Lord was born, an angel appeared unto Mary and said,
"And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son,
and shalt call His name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called
the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the
throne of His father David: and He shall reign over the House of Jacob
for ever: and of His Kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke 1:30-33).
Sometime during our Lord's infancy certain wise men, who were led by a
star, came to Jerusalem (the royal city), asking, "Where is He that is
born King of the Jews?" (Matthew 2:2). Our Lord, then, was born King
of the Jews, but as the inspired Word informs us, "He came unto His
own, and His own received Him not" (John 1:11). Israel would not own
Him; instead, they cried, "We have no king but Caesar" (John 19:15).
And when Pilate wrote an inscription and placed it over the
Cross--"This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews," they desired
him to alter it and substitute, "He said I am King of the Jews" (John
19:21), which is further proof that the Jews had rejected Him as their
King.
It was announced then, in Old Testament prophecy, and confirmed by the
angel to Mary, that our Lord should occupy the throne of David. In
order to the fulfillment of this, our Lord, according to the flesh,
sprang from one who was a lineal descendant of David, and therefore,
He was born "King of the Jews." But as we have seen, Israel rejected
their King and crucified Him. And what we now desire to emphasize is,
that, Jesus Christ has never yet assumed the Kingship! On the
contrary, He taught His disciples to pray, "Thy Kingdom come."
Furthermore, He said, "A certain nobleman went into a far country to
receive for Himself a Kingdom, and to return. And it came to pass that
when He was returned, having received the Kingdom" etc. (Luke
19:12,15). Christ's receiving of the Kingdom and His return
synchronize (cf. 2 Timothy 4:1). Christ, then, is not King today, for
He has not yet received the Kingdom, nor has He yet occupied the
throne of His father David. Nowhere in the Epistles do we find Him
denominated "The King of the Church." Jesus Christ is Savior of the
Church, Lord of the Church, Head of the Church, but He is not King of
the Church, for He has not yet entered upon His Kingly office, and He
will not do so until the beginning of the Millennium. In the
Millennium Christ will rule and reign over the earth, not only as King
of the Jews, but as King of kings and Lord of lords. It is then that
the prophecy of Zechariah shall be fulfilled--"And the Lord shall be
King over all the earth: in that day (a yet future day--see the
context) shall there be one Lord, and His name one" (Zech. 14:9). Our
Lord's Kingship over all the earth leads us to the consideration of
another important line of truth.
When Adam was created God said, "Let us make man in our image, and let
them have dominion." At the beginning, earth's scepter was committed
into the hands of man (see Psalm 8:4-8). But right on the scene of his
creation came one who disputed Adam's right to earth's sovereignty,
and who succeeded in wresting the scepter from his hands. Satan
brought to bear upon him a diabolical temptation: Adam succumbed, and
falling, he forfeited his dominion over the earth. As the consequence,
Satan became "The Prince of this world," and as such approached our
Lord in the temptation, when he took Him up into an exceeding high
mountain, and "sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the
glory of them; And saith unto Him, All these things will I give Thee,
if Thou wilt fall down and worship me" (Matthew 4:8,9). But on the
Cross, the Lord Jesus regained the scepter which Adam lost; and here
is the key to Revelation 5.
In the fifth chapter of the Apocalypse a remarkable scene is brought
before us. The beloved apostle sees a book--"written within and on the
back side, sealed with seven seals"--in the right hand of Him that sat
on the Throne. Then he hears an angel saying, "Who is worthy to open
the book, and to loose the seals thereof?" Next we are told, "And no
man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open
the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was
found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon."
Many have been the conjectures concerning this mysterious "blink," but
by comparing Scripture with Scripture we think there can be no doubt
as to what is here in view. In Jeremiah 32:6-15 we read of a field
being bought, and the receipt (the "evidence") of the purchase is
termed a "book," and this book was "sealed." It is to a similar
transaction that Revelation 5 refers. The book seen by the apostle
contains the title deeds to this earth. These title deeds which Adam
lost have been recovered by Christ. They have been recovered by
"purchase," and the price paid was the precious blood of the Lamb. In
Matthew 13:44 we read of a Man who "goeth and selleth all that He
hath, and buyeth that field" and in verse 38 of the same chapter we
are told "The field is the world." Hence it is that the apostle was
told, "Weep not: behold, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of
David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals
thereof" (Rev. 5:5). What is seen in vision in Revelation 5 becomes
actual fact when the Lord Jesus returns to the earth. It will be at
that time the "purchased possession"--the earth--is "redeemed" (Eph.
1:14). Hence, when he comes back, His first act will be to eject Satan
from it, establish His Kingdom upon it, and exercise "dominion" over
it.
Another Scripture which throws light upon the Millennium in relation
to Christ is 1 Peter 1:13. Here the second coming of our Lord (to the
earth) is termed, "The Revelation of Jesus Christ." This is in
contrast to the first advent. When He was here before, His Divine
glory was veiled and much of His power and majesty were concealed. But
when He comes back again His Divine glory shall be fully manifested,
instead of appearing as the gentle Lamb, He will come as the Lion of
the Tribe of Judah. Instead of standing before human tribunals to be
judged of men, He will summon all nations before Him and sit in
judgment upon them. Instead of appearing in humiliation, weakness, and
shame, He will be revealed in regal power and majesty. Instead of
coming to be the Victim, He will return as the Victor, to sit upon the
Throne of His Glory. So, then, the Millennium is the time when our
Lord enters into the exercise of His Kingly office, when He will reign
in power and exercise dominion over all the earth, and when His
personal Glory shall be fully manifested. We turn now to consider,
3. The Millennium in relation to the Church.
As we have seen in previous chapters, it is at the first stage of
Christ's second coming that the Church is removed from the earth. At
the Redeemer's descent from Heaven, the Church, like Enoch and Elijah,
is miraculously caught up, caught up to meet the Lord in the air and
evermore shall it be with its glorious Head. Therefore, when the
Savior returns to the earth, the Church will accompany Him. This is
clear from Colossians 3:4 and Jude 14, so often quoted in these pages.
Exactly what part the Church will play during the Millennium it is not
easy to say. Few details are revealed. A moment's reflection will show
why this is the case. It is in the Old Testament that the Millennium
receives the fullest consideration, whereas the Church is the subject
of New Testament revelation. Moreover, we must remember that the
Millennium is the time when God's Kingdom is revealed on earth,
whereas the Church is a Heavenly creation, and has a heavenly
citizenship and destiny (Phil. 3:20; 1 Peter 1:4). Nevertheless, one
or two things are sure. The Church will be with Christ throughout the
Millennium, and not only so, the saints will reign with Him--"And they
sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the brook, and to
open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain, and has redeemed us to
God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and
nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall
reign on (or "over") the earth (Rev. 5:9, 10). And again we read,
"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on
such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God
and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years" (Rev. 20:6).
Who can picture the blessed accomplishment of this promise! For two
thousand years the saints have (more or less) lived as strangers and
pilgrims on the earth. Many of them have been maligned, ostracized,
persecuted and martyred. They went forth unto Christ "without the
camp, bearing His reproach" (Heb. 13:18). But now shall they be richly
rewarded. They suffered "with Him" and now shall they be also
"glorified together" (Rom. 8:17). And then will it be fully manifested
that "the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be
compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Rom. 8:18).
In the Parable of the Pounds we have a Scripture which sets forth one
aspect of the reward which shall he enjoyed by the faithful in that
day. "And He (Christ) said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because
thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten
cities" (Luke 19:17). This Scripture seems to intimate that during the
Millennium the saints will occupy a prominent part in the government
of the world. Yea, it is written, "Do ye not know that the saints
shall judge the world?" (1 Cor. 6:2). Ah! how different things will
then be. The first shall be last, and the last first. Positions shall
be completely reversed. Today the children of God (that is, those who
really walk as such) are despised and hated by the world. This is the
promise of our Lord: "And he that overcometh, and keepeth My works
unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: and he shall
rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be
broken to shivers: even as I received of My Father" (Rev. 2:26, 27).
Yes, Christ's position. Christ's power, Christ's prerogatives, shall
be shared by His people, for He and they are one.
Again, it is during the Millennium that the Unity of the Church--in
contradistinction to the innumerable sects in Christendom which now
divide believers--will be fully manifested, and our Lord's prayer of
John 17:22, 23 fulfilled-- "And the glory which Thou gavest Me I have
given them; that they may be one, even as We are One: I in them, and
Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world
may know that Thou has sent Me, and hast loved thrum, as Thou hast
loved Me." Not until the "Day of Christ" will the world "know" these
`things, for then it is that we shall all have come "in the unity of
the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man,
unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Eph.
4:18). Yes, and then it is, also that Christ shall come "to be
glorified in His saints and admired in all them that believe" (2
Thess. 1:10). In that day, the Church will be an object of beauty,
wonderment, and admiration to all the world. It will then be fully
seen what great things the Lord hath done for His Church, in giving it
a higher place--a place nearer to Himself than that which even the
holy angels will occupy. We turn now to consider,
4. The Millennium in relation to Israel.
"And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark,
behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those
pieces. In that same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram,
saying,--Unto thy seed have I given this land" (Gen. 15:17,18). Here
the two great periods of Israel's history were made known to Abram in
figure. The vision of the smoking furnace and the burning lamp
intimated that the history of Abraham's descendants was to be a
checkered one. It was a prophecy in symbolic action; and like all
prophecy was to have a double fulfillment. The order was first the
sorrow and suffering, and then the glory and joy. There was first the
smoking furnace of Egyptian bondage, and titan the burning lamp which
typified the brilliant reign of Solomon. After which there was the
furnace, again, the furnace of the Babylonian captivity, and since
Israel crucified her Messiah the furnace has been seven times hotter
than ever before. Yet is it written, "For Zion's sake I will not hold
My peace, for Jerusalem's sake 1 will not rest, until the
righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation
thereof as a lamp that burneth" (Isa. 62:1).
A remarkable statement is found in Deuteronomy 32:8 which antedates
the actual history of the Jews. "When the Most High divided to the
nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of Adam, He set
the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of
Israel." Israel is here seen to be present before the mind of God six
hundred years before they had any national standing in the earth, and
two hundred years before the birth of their father Abraham. Yet, even
at that remote period, God assigned to the descendants of the then
scattered sons of Adam, their position in the earth according to the
number of that people which was not then born. Here, then, we learn
God's purpose concerning the chosen nation--Israel is God's earthly
center.
In Genesis 13:14,15, we read "And the Lord said unto Abram, after that
Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes and look from the
place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and
westward. For all the land which thou seest to thee will I give it,
and to thy seed forever." And again in Genesis 15:18 we are told, "In
that same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto they
seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great
river, the river Euphrates." The land of Palestine has been given
unconditionally to Abraham and his descendants, "For the gifts and
calling of God are without repentance" (Rom. 11:29). But these Divine
promises have never received anything more than a partial fulfillment.
The patriarchs themselves were but sojourners in a strange country, so
much so, they needed to purchase a burying ground it for their dead.
It is true that in the days of Joshua, Israel entered into possession
of the Promised Land, but it is to be particularly noted that they
entered Canaan under the Covenant of Law (see Deuteronomy 27:1-3,
8-10; 28:1 etc.), and hence their continued tenure of it was
conditioned upon their obedience to Jehovah. But, as is well known,
they failed to walk in the Divine statutes, and turned aside after
false gods. And long did Jehovah bear with their waywardness. Prophet
after prophet was sent unto them, calling them to forsake their sins
and return unto the Lord and He would abundantly pardon. But in vain.
Ultimately the point was reached when God's patience became exhausted,
and in judgment upon them He sent them into captivity, from whence
nothing more than a remnant has ever returned to their own land. It
was to be descendants of this remnant that the Lord Jesus came. To the
"lost sheep of the house of Israel" He was sent (Matthew 10:5-7;
15:24). But He received no better treatment at their hands than did
the prophets who were before him--"He came unto His own and His own
received Him not."--He was despised and rejected of men, and Israel
disowned their King and put Him to a shameful death. While their
Messiah was hanging upon the Cross, "All the people said, His blood be
on us, and on our children" (Matthew 27:25), and God took them at
their word! A few years later Jerusalem was besieged, captured and
destroyed by the armies of Titus; hundreds of thousands of Jews were
slain, and the remainder of them carried away into captivity. Since
that time they have been a homeless nation, and wanderers on the face
of the earth. Literally has the prophecy of Hosea been fulfilled, "For
the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king" (Hos.
3:4). And yet, in spite of all, they have preserved their national
individuality, and have never been absorbed by the other nations.
Now, it is evident that the nation of Israel has been preserved for a
purpose, and what that purpose is, God's Word makes known. A marvelous
future yet awaits these descendants of Abraham. Jerusalem is now
trodden down of the Gentiles, but it is only to continue thus "Until
the Times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" (Luke 21:24). The tabernacle
of David, now fallen down, is to be restored (Acts 15:16), and the one
who has been for so long the sport of the nations shall yet become its
"head" (Deut. 28:13).
The restoration of Israel occupies a most prominent place in the
Scriptures of truth and three things should be particularly noted in
connection therewith. First, the restoration of Israel cannot take
place until after the Church has been removed from the earth. Second,
the restoration of the entire nation will be a gradual one. Third,
restored Israel will occupy a much more exalted and glorious position
than any it has held in the past, not excepting the reign of Solomon.
The first of these three statements is based upon Acts 15:14-17 where
we are expressly told that it is not until "after" God has taken out
of the Gentiles a people for His name that He will return and build
again the tabernacle of David. The second and third statement, above,
will now be considered at more length.
In Zechariah 12:9,10 we are told, "And I will pour upon the House of
David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and
supplication: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierce, and
they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son and shall
be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his
firstborn." Here is the starting-point of Israel's moral restoration,
namely the repentance of Judah. Be it noted that this prophecy
contemplates the House of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem only,
for it is not until a later date that God deals with the Ten Tribes.
With the above Scripture should be linked 2 Corinthians 3:15, 16--"But
even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart.
Nevertheless when it (Israel) shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall
be taken away." One of the first consequences of Judah's turning unto
the Lord in repentance will be the removal of the veil now upon their
heart.
The restoration of the Ten Tribes is brought before us in Ezekiel
34--the whole chapter should be read-- "For thus saith the Lord God;
behold, I, even I, will both search My sheep, and seek them out. As a
shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that He is among his sheep
that are scattered; so will I seek out My sheep, and will deliver them
out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and
dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them
from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed
them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the
inhabited places of the country. I will teed them in a good pasture,
and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall
they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the
mountains of Israel. I will feed My flock, and I will cause them to
lie down, saith the Lord God" (vv. 11-15). The Ten Tribes restored to
Palestine shall be united to the House of Judah and the two Houses
become one again--"Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the
Children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and
will gather them on every side and bring them into their own land: And
I will make them a nation in the land, upon the mountains of Israel;
and one King shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two
nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at
all: Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols,
nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their
transgressions: but I will save them out in all their dwelling-places,
wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so they shall be My
people, and I will be their God. And David My Servant shall be King
over them; and they all shall have one Shepherd: they shall also walk
in My judgments, and observe My statutes, and do them. And they shall
dwell in the land which I have given unto Jacob My Secant, wherein
your father have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and
their children, and their children's children for ever: and My Secant
David shall be their Prince for ever. Moreover I will make a covenant
of peace with them: it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and
I will place them, and will multiply them, and will set My sanctuary
in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with
them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And the
heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctity Israel, when My
sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore" (Ezek.
37:21-28).
With the restored and re-united twelve tribes God will make a new
covenant--"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a
new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers, in the
day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of
Egypt; which My covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto
them, saith the Lord: but this shall be the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel; after those days, saith the Lord, I will put
My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will
be their God, and they stroll be My people. And they shall teach no
more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know
the Lord: for they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the
greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity,
and I will remember their sin no more" (Jer. 31:3l-34; cf. 32:37-40's;
Isaiah 59:20, 21).
Early in the Millennium Jerusalem will be rebuilt: "Thus saith the
Lord; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob's tents, and
have mercy on his dwelling-places; and the city shall be builded upon
her own little hill, and the palace shall remain after the manner
thereof (Jer. 30:18, cf. 31:38-40). Furthermore, the Temple itself
will be re-built, built under the immediate supervision of the Lord
Himself--"Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the mart
whose name is The BRANCH; and He shall grow up out of His place, and
He shall build the Temple of the Lord: Even He shall build the Temple
of the Lord: and He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon
His throne; and He shall be a priest upon His throne: and the counsel
of peace shall be between them both and they that are far off shall
come and build in the Temple of the Lord, and ye shall know that the
Lord of Hosts hath sent Me unto you." (Zech. 6:12-15). This Temple,
which is fully described in Ezekiel 40 and 41, will be an imposing
structure of vast dimensions, upwards of a mile in extent. The
Shekinah Glory shall enter it and from it radiate the whole
earth--"And behold the Glory of God of Israel (i. e., the Shekinah
Glory, see 11:23), came from the way of the east: and His voice was
like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with His glory"
(Ezek. 43:2). The Old Testament ritual (with a few minor
modifications) will be employed in this re-built Temple--see Ezekiel
46 etc.--and as of old the sacrifices and feasts were anticipative, so
those offered up and celebrated in the Millennium will be
commemorative.
During the Millennium the land of Palestine will be apportioned
equally among the Twelve Tribes--see Ezekiel 47 and 48--and upon
thrones shall sit the twelve apostles judging the twelve tribes of
Israel--"And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye
which have followed Me; in The Regeneration (i. e., the Millennium)
when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also
shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel"
(Matthew 19:28). Apparently, it was to this Isaiah referred when he
wrote--"Behold, a King shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall
rule in judgment" (Isa. 32:1).
Many are the passages which describe Israel's millennial glory and
blessedness. The last six chapters of Isaiah are occupied more or less
with this theme, and from them we quote a few portions. After speaking
of the Redeemer's return to Zion (Isa. 59:20,21), the prophet
cries--"Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord
is risen upon thee" (Isa. 60:1). The prophet continues--"And the
Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of try
rising. Surely the isles shall wait for Me, and the ships of Tarshish
first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with
them, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and the Holy One of Israel,
because He hath glorified thee. And the sons of strangers shall build
up try walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in My
wrath I smote thee, but in My favor have I had mercy on thee.
Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut
day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the wealth of the
Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. For the nation and
kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish: yea, those nations
shall be utterly wasted. The sons also of them that afflicted thee
shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall
bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call
thee, The city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through
thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many
generations. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon
withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and
the days of thy mourning shall be ended. Thy people also shall be all
righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of My
planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified" (Isa. 60:3,
9-12, 14, 15, 20, 21). The Lord shall "appoint unto them that mourn in
Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning,
the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be
called Trees of Righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He might
be glorified. And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up
the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the
desolations of many generations. And strangers shall stand and feed
your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your ploughmen and
your vinedressers. But ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men
shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of
the Gentiles, and in their glory, shall ye boast yourselves" (61:3-6).
And again; "And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all
kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the
mouth of the Lord shall name. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in
the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Thou
shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be
termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah (My delight is in
her), and thy land Beulah (Married): for the Lord delighteth in thee,
and thy land shall be married" (62:2-4). Not only will Israel enjoy
glorious blessings themselves, but, in the Millennium, they shall be a
blessing to "all families of the earth" (Gen. 12:3). Then will be
fulfilled that word, "He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take
root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world
with fruit" (Isa. 27:6). And further we are told, "And the remnant of
Jacob shall be in the midst of man), people as a dew from the Lord, as
the showers upon the grass"(Micah 5:7).
We turn now to consider,
5. The Millennium in relation to the World.
The Millennium will be the time, when, instead of Satan being the
world's "Prince," the Christ of God shall be its King. The form of His
government will be theocratic not democratic--"And the Lord shall be
King over all the earth" (Zech. 14:9). The scope or range of His
government will be world-wide. All nations will be subject to His
rule, and the uttermost parts of the earth shall be possessed by Him.
"He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river unto the
ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before
Him; and His enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of
the isles shall bring present: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer
gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before Him: all nations shall
serve Him" (Ps. 72:8-11). This is what is in view in Revelation
11:15--"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in
heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdom of
our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever."
Perhaps at this point it would be well if we endeavored to meet a
difficulty which many inquirers experience in connection with the
Millennium. It may be stated thus. If the saints are all caught up to
meet the Lord at His descent into the air, and the wicked are all
destroyed during the Tribulation period, who will be left to inhabit
the earth during the Kingdom age? The answer is simple. It is a
mistake to suppose that all who are left behind at the Rapture will be
subsequently destroyed by God's judgments. It is true that "the slain
of the Lord will be many," yet the earth will not be entirely
depopulated. This is evident from Matthew 25:31. It is also true that
"all" who now believe not the truth will "perish" during the Day of
God's vengeance--2 Thessalonians 2, yet many of the children of these
unbelievers will be spared. Not all of those who will be gathered
together for the battle of that great day of God Almighty will be
slain, as is clear from Isaiah 66:19, where we read of "those that
escape." The slaughter at Armageddon will be inconceivably dreadful,
for from that battlefield will flow a river of blood two hundred miles
in length and several feet in depth, yet we know from Zechariah 14:16
that a "remnant" will be spared--"And it shall come to pass, that
every one that is left of all the nations which came against
Jerusalem, shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the
Lord of hosts." Finally; there will be a Jewish remnant miraculously
preserved by God (Rev. 12) and these together with their resurrected
brethren who were slain by the Antichrist (Rev. 20:4) will form the
nucleus from which will spring the Millennial Israel.
The seat of Christ's government will be Jerusalem, the royal city,
"And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the
mountain of the Lord, to the House of the God of Jacob; and He will
teach us of His ways, and we will walk His paths, for out of Zion
shall go forth the law, and the word the Lord from Jerusalem" (Isa.
2:3).
The character of Messiah's government is brought before us in Isaiah
11:3-5, "And He shall not judge after the sight of His eyes, neither
reprove after the hearing of His ears: but with righteousness shall He
judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and
He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the
breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked. And righteousness shall
be the girdle of His loins, and faithfulness the girdle of His reins."
During the Kingdom age--in contradistinction to the present
dispensation of Grace wherein God endures with much long-suffering the
vessels of wrath fitted to destruction--wickedness shall be promptly
dealt with and evil doers will meet with swift judgment: "Whoso
privily slandereth his neighbor, him will I cut off: him that hath a
high look and a proud heart will not I suffer. Mine eyes shall be upon
the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with Me: he that walketh
in a perfect way, he shall serve Me. He that worketh deceit shall not
dwell within My house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in My
sight. I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut
off all wicked-doers from the city of the Lord" (Ps. 101:5-8).
We turn now to some of the results of Christ's government. During the
Millennium our Lord will rule as "The Prince of Peace." For the first
time since the flood, the earth will be completely delivered from the
horrors of war. Then it will be seen that "He maketh wars to cease
unto the ends of the earth" (Ps. 46:9). The. Kingdom age will be a
time of universal peace "And they shall beat their swords into
ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not
lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more"
(Isa. 2:4).
During the Millennium there shall also be universal blessing. An
exceedingly sublime picture of the conditions that will then obtain is
to be found in Isaiah 35:5-10, "Then the eyes of the blind shall be
opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the
lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the
wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the
parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of
water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass
with reeds and rushes. And an highway shall be there, and a way, and
it shall be called the way of holiness: the unclean shall not pass
over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools,
shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast
shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there. And the ransomed of
the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs, and everlasting
joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow
and sighing shall flee away."
At the beginning of the Millennium there shall be a universal worship
of Christ--"And it shall come to pass that everyone that is left of
all the nations which came against Jerusalem, shall even go up from
year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts" (Zech. 14:16).
What a glorious time the Millennium will be for our poor sin-cursed
earth! Universal righteousness, universal peace, universal blessing,
and universal worship! Surely we have reason to pray "Thy kingdom
come." And now,
6. The Millennium in relation to Creation.
The blessings which will be brought to the world upon the
establishment of the Messianic Kingdom will not be confined to the
human family but will be extended to all creation. As we have shown in
earlier chapters, the Curse which was pronounced by God upon the
ground in the day of Adam's fall, and which resulted in a creation
that has groaned and travailed ever since, is yet to be revoked.
Creation is not to remain in bondage for ever. God has set a hope
before it, a hope, which like ours, centers in the personal return of
Christ. "For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the
revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to
vanity, not of its own will, but by reason of Him who subjected it in
hope; that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the
bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of
God" (Rom. 8:19-21, R.V.). A passage closely connected with the one
just quoted is found in the ninety-sixth Psalm--"Let the heavens
rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fullness
thereof. Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall
all the trees of the wood rejoice. Before the Lord: for He cometh, for
He cometh to judge the earth: He shall judge the world with
righteousness, and the people with His truth" (vv. 11-13). These
verses picture the joy of all Nature consequent upon the advent of its
Creator to the earth.
One striking effect of Creation's deliverance from its present bondage
is described in Isaiah 30:26--"Moreover the light of the moon shall be
(in the Millennium) as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun
shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the
Lord bindeth up the breach of His people, and healeth the stroke of
their wound." An illustration of the Curse being removed from the
"ground" is found in Isaiah 35:1. When the Times of Refreshing shall
come from the presence of the Lord then shall "the desert rejoice and
blossom as the rose." This is further amplified in Isaiah
41:17-20--"When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and
their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God
of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places,
and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness
a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will plant in
the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the
oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the
box tree together: That they may see, and know, and consider, and
understand together, that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the
Holy One of Israel hath created it."
Not the least of the beneficent changes introduced during the
Millennium will be the restoration of the animal kingdom to its Edenic
state. The present ferocity of the wild beast is abnormal and due to
the fall of man. It is very dear from Genesis 2 that, originally, man
had full dominion over all the animal kingdom, but this was forfeited
when he rebelled against his Maker. In the kingdom age--the Times of
the Restitution of all things spoken of by the prophets--the fierce
nature of the beasts will be subdued, for in that day, "The wolf also
shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the
kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a
little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed;
their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw
as the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice, den. They
shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain: for the earth
shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the
sea" (Isa. 11:6-9).
By comparing Scripture with Scripture it would appear that, during the
Millennium, there will be no earthquakes, no tornadoes, no storms at
sea, but all Nature will be at rest and share in the general blessing
which the personal, presence of Christ shall bring. And yet, there
will be droughts and plagues upon the rebellious and disobedient (see
Zechariah 14:18,19), which leads us to consider,
7. The Millennium in relation to Sin.
In spite of the fact that Satan will have been removed from the earth,
and that Christ reigns in person over it, yet conditions here will not
be perfect even in the Millennium. Unregenerate human nature will
remain unchanged. Sin will still be present, though much of its
outward manifestation will be restrained. Discontent and wickedness
will not be eradicated from the hearts of men, but will be kept
beneath the surface by means of the Iron Rod. Multitudes will yield to
Christ nothing but a "feigned obedience (Ps. 18:44, margin). This
"feigned obedience" will be, the product of power not grace; it will
be the fruit of fear not love. In Psalm 72, which gives a graphic
picture of millennial conditions, we read, "They that dwell in the
wilderness shall bow before Him; and His enemies shall lick the dust"
(vs. 9). Again, we are told in Psalm 110:2 that the Lord shall rule in
the midst of "enemies." In Psalm 149, wherein the children of Zion are
bidden to "be joyful in their King," we are told that His saints shall
"execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people;
To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of
iron; To execute upon them the judgment written: this honor have all
His saints. Praise ye the Lord" (vv. 7-9). In Micah 5, where we have
another description of the judgments which the remnant of Jacob will
execute upon the Gentiles, we are told, "And the remnant of Jacob
shall be in the midst of many people, as a lion among the beasts of
the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go
through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can
deliver. Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all
thine enemies shall be cut off" (vv. 8-10). These verses do not
conflict with those Scriptures which speak of great blessings,
spiritual as well as temporal, coming upon the Gentiles during the
Millennium, but warn us that the Kingdom age is not the Perfect State,
and that while most if not all will worship outwardly, yet at heart
many are still the enemies of the Lord.
At the close of the Millennium Satan will be temporarily released from
his prison in order to test humanity: "And when the thousand years are
expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to
deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog
and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as
the sand of the sea. And they went upon the breadth of the earth, and
compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city" (Rev.
20:7-9). Thus will be fully and fiscally demonstrated the incurable
evil of the human heart. Even a thousand years of millennial
blessedness, with Satan away from the earth, will not effect any
change in man. Let Satan be loosed and allowed to go forth once more
and deceive the nations, and it shall be seen that the carnal mind is
still enmity against God, and prefers a Murderer to the Lord Jesus.
Nothing avails short of a new creation. Miracles, a beneficent
environment, temporal blessings--nothing without, can alter fallen and
depraved human nature. "Except a man be born of water (the Word) and
of the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God" (John 3:5).
The final revolt of man under the leadership of the Devil will meet
with swift judgment--"And fire came down front God out of heaven and
devoured them" (Rev. 20:9). What follows is told us in few words.
Satan himself is cast into the Lake of Fire where the Beast and the
False Prophet are, and all of the unsaved dead from Cain onwards will
be raised from their graves, to stand before the great white Throne
and be judged according to their works. The purpose of this judgment
is to determine their respective sentences, for there will be degrees
of punishment among the lost, as there will be degrees of glory among
the redeemed. "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life
was cast into the fire." (Rev. 20:15). Oh, my reader, is your name
written in the book of life? If it is not, there is nothing before you
but a hopeless and endless eternity of suffering, of suffering so
fearful that no human pen or tongue can adequately depict it.
"And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into
the Lake of Fire." Unsaved reader, what an awful prospect is thine!
The day on reckoning fast hastens on God is yet going to call you to
account and take full satisfaction to His justice. Long have you
defied Him, but soon He will put forth His power and deal with you in
judgment. What He has threatened that will He most surely perform. The
lake of Fire! Eternal suffering! Tormented day and night for ever and
ever! Such a portion will be unendurable, and yet it will have to be
endured by every Christ-rejector, and endured for ever and ever. Can
thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I
shall deal with thee? I the Lord have spoken it, and will do it"
(Ezek. 22:14).
Following the great white Throne judgment and the casting of the lost
into the Lake of Fire, Christ will deliver up the kingdom to God, even
the Father, "when He shall have put down all rule, and all authority,
and power. For He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His
feet. And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the
Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him,
that God may be all in all" (1 Cor. 15:24,25,28; and see further
Revelation 21:1-5).
____________________________________________________
Contents | Forword | Preface | Intro
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Conclusion | Appendix
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A. W. Pink Header
The Redeemer's Return
by Arthur W. Pink
Conclusion
____________________________________________________
As we take up our pen to write these closing paragraphs, we do so
conscious that we have merely skimmed, here and there, the surface of
a vast ocean of truth. Though upwards of five hundred Scriptures have
been referred to in these pages yet, hundreds more could have been
cited in support of the positions which we have advanced. An
exhaustive classification and examination of all the passages which
are connected, directly or indirectly, with the subject of the
Redeemer's Return, would necessitate many volumes rather than one. Our
opponents greatly err who suppose that pre-millennialism rests upon a
few doubtful and obscure passages. The texts upon which we rely are
neither few nor ambiguous, and their testimony is neither scanty nor
uncertain. No other doctrine of Scripture can produce a larger, more
distinct and more vigorous testimony in its favor. The Coming and
Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ is a theme which pervades the Bible
from Genesis to Revelation. It is the central burden of prophecy. It
is the grand solution to the mystery of Divine Providence. It is the
one great hope of the Church, of Israel, and of creation.
The personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ to set up His Kingdom on
the earth and reign over it in power and glory is no novelty of a
feverish age, no hasty conjecture caught up at random without
consideration and unsupported by reliable evidence. It is no fable of
romance, but sober, Scriptural reality, though far beyond what fancy
ever painted. It is no creation of a disordered mind, but the Golden
Milestone of Scripture to which all lines of prophecy are rapidly
converging. It is no pet theory of certain religious fanatics, but the
approaching Climax of all history. It is no mere dream of idealists,
but the promised consummation and glorious issue of all the confusion
and change, the sin and sorrow, the disease and death which have
desolated the earth for six thousand years. It is the divinely
ordained Remedy for those deep and manifold evils under which humanity
now groans and which men are so earnestly, yet vainly, seeking to
cure.
Had we followed the inclinations of our own heart, we should have
devoted a chapter to the history of Millenarianism. We might have
quoted from the early Church "fathers" and shown that during the first
three centuries of the Christian era it prevailed universally, its
only opponents being the Gnostics. We might have referred to the
writings of the Reformers, and shown how they one and all looked for
the imminent coming of Christ. We might have inserted citations from
modern authors whose piety and scholarship are unquestioned. But we
had no desire to buttress our position by human authority even of the
most ancient and honorable mind. Let not our faith stand in the wisdom
of men, but in the power of God. Unless our theses can he
unequivocally maintained from Holy Scripture, it were vain to call in
human witnesses however numerous or however venerable.
The saddest thing of all in connection with our subject is that
Christian theologians have divided into opposite camps. And yet it
need not surprise us that the Second Coming of Christ is a
controverted doctrine--what doctrine of Scripture is not?
Nevertheless, it is the bounden duty of every lover of the Lord's
appearing to pray earnestly that it may please God to lead out a
greater number of His children into the light, and that there may be a
more harmonious and united testimony borne to this most important of
all truths. We fervently trust that one result of our humble labors
will be that many who read these pages will go forth crying "Behold,
the Bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet Him." That the masses will
give neither heed nor credit to the alarm is only to be expected. When
Lot warned his sons-in-law of the impending doom of Sodom "he seemed
as one that mocked" (Gen. 19:14). When Israel's prophets forewarned
the nation of coming judgments, the people clamored for those who
would speak unto them "smooth things" (Isa. 30:10). And when our
Savior announced the destruction of Jerusalem, His words fell upon
ears which skepticism had closed. But, notwithstanding, our duty is
plain. Results belong unto God; our business is to sound the alarm and
"to exhort one another: and so much the more, as we see the Day
approaching (Heb. 10:25).
Brethren, the end of the Age is upon us. All over the world,
reflecting minds are discerning the fact that we are on the very eve
of another of those far-reaching crises which make the history of our
race. Their sense of justice tells them that the unbridled lust, the
increasing oppression, the unparalleled bloodshed, have defied Heaven
long enough and that the Judge of all the earth must soon rise in His
wrath to make "a short work" (Rom. 9:28) of it all. Those who look out
on present conditions are forced to conclude that the consummation of
this dispensation is at hand. But it is only they who give diligent
heed to the study of the prophetic Word that have "understanding of
the times" (1 Chron. 12:32). Let the believer ask, Watchman what of
the night? and the infallible answer is, "The night cometh"! And it
never appeared so nigh. Everywhere the shadows are gathering deeper
and broader, lengthening out and falling with ominous gloom all over
the earth. The world's night is at hand.
The sands in the hour glass of this Day of Salvation have almost run
out. The signs of the Times demonstrate it. "But," it may be asked,
"Have not other ages, as well as the present, been crowded with signs
of distress?" Undoubtedly. We read, "The thing that hath been, it is
that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be
done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there anything
whereof it may be said, See, this is new? It hath been already of old
time" (Eccl. 1:9,10)! Many of the Signs which now appear in the sky
have been visible to former generations, yet, today, they shine out
more clearly and more prominently than ever before. "But," it may be
objected, "Have there not always been pessimists who interpreted
gloomily the events of their day? Have not others, again and again,
written in similar strain, only to be shamed and discredited?" Be it
so. But were they not wise men who took the earliest alarm, even
though their fears were not immediately realized! They read evil in
the Signs of their Times and gave utterance to their convictions so
that their fellow-men might be aroused; and surely that was not folly.
They unduly magnified the evil, and erred in their calculations, yet
it cannot be denied that their warning was beneficial in its results
even though it was premature. But today, the Signs are so plain they
cannot be mis-read, though the foolish may close their eyes and refuse
to examine them. What these Signs are we have shown at length in
chapter six and if the evidence there furnished has not convinced the
reader that the Lord is at hand, then there is little hope that any
further arguments drawn from Scripture will do so. Notwithstanding, we
digress for a moment in order to call attention to one other Sign
entirely different from those previously mentioned. In Nahum 2:3, 4 we
read, "The chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of His
preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken. The chariots
shall rage in the streets, they shall justle one against another in
the broad ways: they shall seem like torches, they shall run like the
lightnings." What an accurate description of the conditions which now
prevail in every city and along every public high-way throughout the
land! The enormous increase in the number of automobiles, so that such
a congestion of street traffic is produced it may literally be said
"They justle one against another in the broad ways;" their glaring
head-lights at night time when they appear as "flaming torches;" and
their high rate of speed so that they "run like the lightnings," are
here accurately depicted. What is to be particularly noted is that
this phenomenon is peculiar to this present generation, and that we
are expressly told it is to be a characteristic of "The Day of His
Preparation."
"But," it may be asked again, "Why is it that so few of our religious
leaders and teachers are heralding the approach of Christ?" The answer
is, Because many of them are blind themselves--"blind leaders of the
blind." As the Word declares, they are "ever learning and never able
to come to the knowledge of the truth." (2 Tim. 3:7). It is greatly to
be feared that the majority of our preachers are following the
traditions of the elders rather than studying the Scriptures for
themselves. Their prophetical views were formed under Seminary
interpretations of eschatology and the Seminaries, in turn, are
committed to some system of theology, a system formulated in most
cases by men who lived centuries ago. While the Church is deeply
indebted, under God, to such men as Luther and Calvin, Wesley and
Whitefield, yet, it must be borne in mind that they lived in an age
when Prophecy was almost entirely neglected. It was not until last
century that the Holy Spirit stirred up the people of God to the deep
importance of studying prophetic and dispensational truth: Previous to
the nineteenth century all teaching which had reference to the Second
Coming of Christ was, with very rare exceptions, merely traditional,
that is to say, it was nothing more than what had been handed down
from one generation to another, it was merely the reciting of the
dreams of others who had gone before. We say "the dreams," for after
the Hope of the Redeemer's Return was lost--while the Bridegroom
tarried--all the virgins slumbered and slept, and while they slept
they dreamed, and wild and weird were their dreams. They dreamt that
the Church was to conquer the Devil and that the Gospel would win the
world to Christ. This dream captivated the minds of theologians of
every shade of religious belief. Each succeeding generation recounted
this dream in still more glowing language, until the climax was
reached some four years ago. How much we heard of religious progress,
of the march of civilization, and of the "good time" that was coming!
The horrible arts of war were to be nothing more than humbling
memories of the past. The labors of our politicians and the activities
of the Church would soon produce an era wherein the universal rights
of mankind were freely recognized, when tyranny and injustice would be
overthrown, and when culture and virtue would reign supreme. Christian
and secular philanthropists congratulated each other in view of the
Golden Age which their joint efforts were hastening on. But the
happenings of the last three years have rudely dissipated this dream.
The dreadful War has shown that much which went under the name of
civilization was nothing but veneered barbarism. The battle fields of
Europe bear witness to the fact that the optimistic and jubilant
spirit which possessed our church leaders a few years ago was nothing
more than Laodicean self-complacency, saying "I am rich, and increased
with goods, and have need of nothing," when in reality Christendom was
"wretched, and miserable and poor, and blind, and naked" (Rev. 3:17).
The blood-soaked earth of today exposes the utter vanity of the
delusive hope cherished by the post-millenarians and gives fulfillment
to God's Word which declares "For when they shall say, Peace and
safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them" (1 Thess. 5:3).
Unless men had been strangely blinded, the analogy, of the past ought
to have corrected the blind optimism of which we have just spoken.
Every previous dispensation has ended in human failure and Divine
judgment! The Edenic dispensation saw the fall of man and his
expulsion from the garden of Eden. At the close of the Noahic
dispensation "God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt,
for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto
Noah, The end of all flesh is come before Me; for the earth is filled
with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the
earth" (Gen. 6:12,13). The Patriarchal dispensation, when the sword of
the magistrate was committed into the hands of man, witnessed the
revolt and overthrow of the Tower of Babel and the destruction of
Sodom and Gomorrah by fire from heaven. The Abrahamic dispensation
ended with the people of God in the iron furnace of Egypt and with the
overthrow of Pharaoh and his hosts at the Red Sea. The dispensation of
the Wilderness wanderings terminated with the disobedience and death
of Moses. The dispensation of the Judges closed with "every man doing
that which was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25). The dispensation
of the kings ended with God selling His apostate people into the hands
of Nebuchadnezzar. The dispensation of the Divine Incarnation closed
with the crucifixion of the Lord of Glory. Why then should this
dispensation prove an exception to the general rule? Why is it that
men are so loath to acknowledge that under man's pilotage everything
drifts to shipwreck? Why, except for the pride of the human heart!
According to the inspired declarations of Holy Writ, this
dispensation, so far from closing like a brilliant sunset in a sky
from which every cloud shall have passed away, will expire in a
storm-burst of Divine fury, in which the brightest hopes of the flesh
will perish like cobwebs in a flame.
Unspeakably sad have been, and still are, the pernicious effects of
the post-millennial teaching. Instead of listening to the voice of
Divine truth many of the professed followers of the Lamb have heeded
the siren voices of the earth which have drawn them into entangling
alliances with the world, deceiving them as to their prospects here
and persuading them to substitute carnal policy for spiritual energy
and time-serving expediencies for sell-denying faith. O that the
children of God would hold themselves aloof from the world's plans of
social amelioration and political aggrandizement, and take up their
cross and follow their despised and repotted Lord, remembering that
"the friendship of the world is enmity with God" (Jam. 4:4). Christ
has not left His Church here to "make the world a better world for
the. natural man to live in, nor to make the natural man a better man
to live in the world" (Haldeman). No; Christ has left His Church here
to preach a Gospel which shall result in the formation of a new man, a
"perfect man" made meet to live in the world to come. So far as this
world is concerned, nothing awaits it but Divine judgment. Men may
busy themselves with their own plans and think to evolve a lasting
good and peace out of the present confusion and strife, but their hope
of setting the world right is built upon the sand. Yet, as we have
seen, there will shortly be manifested a pseudo Prince of Peace who
will inaugurate a false millennium and thus deceive the whole world.
This Imposter will gain the confidence of and obtain dominion over all
Christendom. Nor should this strike us as incredible or impossible.
History records how in a few short years a young lieutenant rose out
of comparative obscurity and had Europe at his feet, and in Napoleon
Bonaparte we have a foreshadowing of what is yet going to be when
God's time is ripe.
"But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake
you as a thief" (1 Thess. 5:4). No; the things which are hidden from
the wise and prudent are revealed to babes in Christ. As the humble
believer marks with what readiness educated people accept the most
absurd crudities offered to them in the name of religion; as he
observes on every side, thrones and republics creaking and crumbling;
as he gazes upon immorality which has come in like a flood that is
ever swelling and widening in its course; as he beholds the increasing
numbers of those who have a form of godliness but deny its power; as
he looks in vain for any deep sense of sin, for courageous faith, for
an unworldly walk, in the majority of those who bear the name of
Christ; as he takes knowledge of the despised Jew coming into
remembrance, and the nations of the earth taking more and more notice
of this strange people; as he hears men of the world, who pay no heed
to the Word of God, acknowledging that present conditions cannot
continue much longer, and predicting that a momentous crisis is at
hand; and, as he is painfully conscious that there is much to show
that the Holy Spirit has already begun to retire from the earth,--he
lifts up his head, knowing that his redemption is nigh at hand, yea,
that the Redeemer Himself is at the door.
At the door! What a prospect! To look at the present frailty,
suffering, and groaning of our vile bodies, and then to anticipate the
moment when they shall be fashioned like unto Christ's glorious body;
to read the histories and biographies of the apostles, of the early
Christian martyrs, of the spiritual giants of the Reformation, of the
choicest saints of the ages, and then to anticipate the time when we
shall meet them, converse with them, and gather together around our
blessed Lord; to anticipate that glad hour when everlasting joy shall
be upon our heads and when sorrow and sighing shall flee away; When
the joy of meeting shall be spoiled by no fear of separation, and the
beauty of holiness shall be defiled by no stain of sin--this is a hope
which may well endure all trials and stay the heart in these days of
tragedy and anguish. Amidst the increasing darkness and gathering
storms of these last days, we do not stand bewildered and dejected.
But, with the blessed promise "Surely, I come quickly" ringing in our
ears, love responds, "Come out of Thy royal chambers, O Prince of all
the kings of the earth; put on the robes of Thy imperial majesty;
reach forth Thy hand and grasp the scepter of universal sovereignty,
for the voice of Thy Church calls for Thee, and all creation sighs to
be renewed."
"The dawn of day is breaking,
Behold! it streaks the sky,
And hearts for Him are waking,
Who soon shall fill each eye;
Soon! Soon! in brightness beaming,
"The day-star" shall appear,
With glory round Him streaming,
Our eyes are looking onward,
To see the One we love;
Our feet are pressing forward,
To tread those courts above;
Our hearts do leap with pleasure,
As nearer comes the day
When love, beyond all measure,
Shall beckon us away.
There "face to face," beholding
The One who came to die,
His glory all unfolding
Before each raptured eye,
With nothing there to hinder
But all to call forth wonder,
And ceaseless bursts of joy.
There on His bosom resting,
Oh! deep and full repose,
No more a time of testing--
No more to meet our foes;
But there, in brightest glory,
To gaze upon His face,
And ever tell that story--
"The glory of His grace."
____________________________________________________
Contents | Forword | Preface | Intro
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The Redeemer's Return
by Arthur W. Pink
Appendix
____________________________________________________
There has been considerable difference of opinion among Bible students
as to which of the two "beasts" of Revelation 13 is the Antichrist. On
the one side are those who regard the first beast as the revived Roman
empire with the Antichrist as its head, and the second beast as the
False Prophet--the third person in the Trinity of Evil. On the other
side are those who view the first beast as the revived Roman empire
with a man (a Gentile) energized by Satan as its political head, and
the second beast, the Antichrist (a Jew) as its ecclesiastical or
religious head, thus making the Antichrist and the False Prophet one
and the same person, The advocates of these two views are about
equally divided. Eminent names might be cited on either side. We shall
not here quote from the writings of others, but will give as concisely
as possible our own reasons for identifying the Antichrist with the
first "beast" of Revelation 13. We write now for the student, not the
popular reader.
In the first place, to regard the Antichrist as limited to the
religious realm and divorced from the political seems to us to leave
out entirely an essential and fundamental element of his character and
career. The Antichrist will claim to be the true Christ, the Christ of
God. Hence, it would seem that he will present himself to the Jews as
their long-expected Messiah--the One foretold by the Old Testament
prophets--and that to apostate Christendom, given over by God to
believe the Lie, he will pose as the returned Christ. Therefore, must
we not predicate as an inevitable corollary that the pseudo Christ
will usher in a false millennium and rule over a mock messianic
kingdom? That this conclusion is fully borne out by Scripture we shall
show in a moment.
Why was it, (from the human side) that, when our Lord tabernacled
among men, the Jews rejected Him as their Messiah? Was it not because
He failed to fulfill their expectations that He, would take the
government upon His shoulder and wield the royal scepter as soon as He
presented Himself to them? Was it not because they looked for Him to
restore the kingdom to Israel there and then? Is it not therefore
reasonable to suppose that when the Antichrist presents himself to
them that he will wield great temporal power, and rule over a vast
earthly empire? It would certainly seem so. Happily we are not left to
logical deductions and conclusions. We have a "Thus saith the Lord" to
rest upon. In Daniel 11:36--a Scripture upon which all are agreed
concerning its application--the Antichrist is expressly termed "The
King (which) shall do according to his will." Here then is unequivocal
proof that the Antichrist will exercise political or governmental
power. He will be a king--"the king"--and if a king he must be at the
head of a kingdom.
In the second place, if the Antichrist is to be a perfect counterfeit
of the true Christ, if he is to ape the millennial Christ as set forth
in Old Testament prophecy--for, of course, he will not ape the
"suffering" Christ of the first advent--then it necessarily follows
that he will fill the role of king, yea, that he will reign as a, King
of kings, as Satan's parody of the Son of Man seated upon "the throne
of His glory." That the Antichrist will also be at the head of the
religious world, that he will demand and receive Divine honors is
equally true. Just as in the Millennium the Lord Jesus will "be a
priest upon His throne" (Zech. 6:13) so, we believe, the Antichrist
will combine in his person the headships of both the political and
religious realms. And just as the Son of Man will be the Head of the
fifth world-empire (Dan. 2:44) so, we believe, the Man of Sin will be
the Head of the revived fourth world-empire (Dan. 2:40).
In the third place, to make the Antichrist and "the False Prophet" one
and the same person is to involve us in a difficulty for which there
seems to be no solution. In Revelation 19:20 we read "And the Beast
was taken, and with him the False Prophet that wrought miracles before
him. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with
brimstone." Now if the "False Prophet" is the Antichrist, then who is
"the Beast" that is cast with him into the lake of fire? The Beast
here can not be the Roman empire, for no member of the human race (as
such) is cast into the Lake of Fire until after the Millennium (see
Revelation 20), That "the Beast" is a separate entity, another
individual than the "False Prophet" is also clear from Revelation
20:10--"And the Devil that deceived them was cast into the Lake of
fire and brimstone, where the Beast and the False Prophet are." In
this last quoted Scripture, each of the three persons in the Trinity
of Evil is specifically mentioned, and if "the Beast" is not the
Antichrist, the Son of Perdition, the second person in the Trinity of
Evil, who is he?
In the fourth place, what is predicated of the first "Beast"' in
Revelation 13 comports much better with what is elsewhere revealed
concerning the Antichrist, than what is here said of the second
"Beast." In proof of our assertion we submit the following:
Points of resemblance between the first Beast of Revelation 13 and the
Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2 --
1. The first Beast receives his power, seat, and great authority from
the Dragon, Revelation 1-3:2. Compare 2 Thessalonians 2:9--"Him, whose
coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and
lying wonders."
2. "All the world" wonders after the first Beast, Revelation 13:3.
Compare 2 Thessalonians 2:11,12--"And for this cause God shall send
them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie; that they all
might be damned" etc.
3. The first Beast is "worshipped" Revelation 13:4. Compare 2
Thessalonians 2:4--"he as God sitteth in the temple of God."
4. The first Beast has a mouth "speaking great things" Revelation
13:5. Compare 2 Thessalonians 2:4--"who exalteth himself above all
that is called God."
5. The first Beast makes war upon the saints Revelation 13:7. Compare
2 Thessalonians 2:4--"Who opposeth all that is called God," that is,
he will seek to exterminate and obliterate everything on earth which
bears God's name.
From these five points of analogy it seems dear that the first Beast
of Revelation 13 and the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2 are one and
the same person.
In the fifth place, that the second "Beast" is not "the Man of Sin"
appears from the fact that the second Beast causeth the earth to
worship the first Beast (Rev. 13:12), whereas the Man of Sin "exalteth
himself" (2 Thess. 2:4), and compare Daniel 11:36--"And he exaltheth
himself."
Again; it has been generally recognized by prophetic students that our
Lord referred to the Antichrist when He said, "I am come in My
Father's name; and ye receive Me not: if another shall come in his own
name, him ye will receive (John 5:43). If the one here mentioned as
coming "in his own name" is the Antichrist then it is certain that the
second Beast of Revelation 13 cannot be the Antichrist for he does not
come "in his own name." On the contrary, the second Beast comes in the
name of the first Beast as is clear from Revelation 13:12-15. Just as
the Holy Spirit--the third person in the Holy Trinity--speaks "not of
Himself" (John 16:13) but is here to glorify Christ, so the second
Beast--the third person in the Evil Trinity--seeks to glorify the
first Beast, the Antichrist.
If it should be objected that the second Beast is represented as
working miracles (Rev. 13:13,14) and that as the Man of Sin is also
said to come "after the working of Satan with all power and signs and
lying wonders" (2 Thess. 2:9) therefore the second Beast must be the
Antichrist, the answer is, This by no means follows. The power to work
miracles is common to each person in the Trinity of Evil. Just as God
the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, each perform
miracles, so does the Dragon, the Beast, and the False Prophet. Three
things are said in connection with the second Beast which correspond
closely with the work of the Holy Spirit. First, "he maketh fire come
down from heaven" (Rev. 13:13), compare Acts 2:1-4. Second, "he had
power to give life unto the image of the Beast" (Rev. 13:15), compare
John 3:6--"born of the Spirit." Third, he causeth all both small and
great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right
hand, or in their foreheads" (Rev. 13:16), compare Ephesians
4:30--"Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto
the day of redemption."
Finally; the second Beast is clearly subordinate to the first Beast.
But would the Jews receive as their Messiah and King one who was
himself the vassal of a Roman? Was not this the very reason why the
Jews of old rejected the Lord Jesus, i.e., Because He was subject to
Caesar and because He refused to deliver the Jews from the Romans!
In the sixth place, as we have seen, in Daniel 11:36 the Antichrist is
termed "the king" and if a king he must possess a kingdom, and can
there be any doubt as to the identity of this kingdom? Will not
Antichrist's kingdom be the very one which Satan offered in vain to
Christ? namely, "all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them"
(Matthew 4:8). That the kingdom of the Antichrist will be much wider
than Palestine appears from Daniel 11:40-42--"And at the time of the
end shall the king of the south push at him (the Antichrist): and the
king of the north shall come against him (the Antichrist) like a
whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and
he (the Antichrist) shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow
and pass over. He (the Antichrist) shall enter also into the glorious
land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape
out of his (the Antichrist's) hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the cider
of the children of Ammon (compare other Old Testament prophecies
concerning these three powers). He (the Antichrist) shall stretch
forth his hand upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not
escape." From this Scripture it is also clear that the Antichrist will
be at the head of a great army and therefore a political ruler as well
as a religious chief.
In the seventh place, it is generally agreed among those students of
prophecy who. belong to the Futurist school that the rider upon the
four horses of Revelation 6 is the Antichrist. If this be the case
then we have further proof that the Antichrist and the Head of the
revived Roman empire is one and the same person. This may be seen by
comparing three Scriptures. In Revelation 6:8, of the rider on "the
pale horse," we read, "His name that sat on him was Death and Hell
followed with him." In Isaiah 28:18, those who will be in Jerusalem
during the Tribulation period are addressed by Jehovah as follows:
"And your covenant with Death shall be disannulled, and your agreement
with Hell shall not stand." What "covenant" can this be except the one
mentioned in Daniel 9:27 where we read of the Roman Prince (the Head
of the revived Roman empire) confirming the covenant with the many for
seven years. Now reverse the order of these three passages, and what
do we learn? In Daniel 9:27 we learn that the Head of the Roman empire
makes a "covenant" with the Jews. In Isaiah 28:18 this "covenant" is
said to have been made with "Death and Hell." While in Revelation 6:8
the rider on the pale horse (which it is generally admitted is the
Antichrist) is named "Death and Hell." Hence, from whatever angle we
approach the subject it is seen that the Antichrist is the Head of the
fourth world-kingdom.
Finally, we wish to call attention to the employment of the definite
article in connection with the two "Beasts" of Revelation 13. Wherever
we read of the Beast, it is the Antichrist who is in view. In 13:1 we
read, "And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up
out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns
ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy"--this is the
empire itself with its seven mountains and ten kings (see 17:9, 12).
But from 13:2-8 it is always "the Beast," the Head of the empire, the
Antichrist. So in 19:20 and 20:10. The Antichrist is termed The Beast
in contradistinction to Jesus Christ who is denominated "The Lamb."
____________________________________________________
Contents | Forword | Preface | Intro
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Conclusion | Appendix
____________________________________________________
About Us
What's New
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The Satisfaction of Christ
Studies in the Atonement
by A. W. Pink
1. Introduction
_________________________________________________________________
The death of Christ, the incarnate Son of God, is the most remarkable
event in all history. Its uniqueness was demonstrated in various ways.
Centuries before it occurred it was foretold with an amazing fullness
of detail, by those men whom God raised up in the midst of Israel to
direct their thoughts and expectations to a fuller and more glorious
revelation of Himself. The prophets of Jehovah described the promised
Messiah, not only as a person of high dignity and as one who should
perform wondrous and blessed miracles, but also as one who should be
"despised and rejected of men," and whose labors and sorrows should be
terminated by a death of shame and violence. In addition, they
affirmed that He should die not only under human sentence of
execution, but that "it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; HE hath put
Him to grief" (Isa. 53:10), yea, that Jehovah should cry, "Awake, O
sword, against My Shepherd, and against the man that is My Fellow,
saith the Lord of hosts: smite the Shepherd" (Zech. 13:7).
The supernatural phenomena which attended Christ's death clearly
distinguishes it from all other deaths. The obscuration of the sun at
midday without any natural cause, the earthquake which clove asunder
the rocks and laid open the graves, and the rending of the veil of the
temple from top to bottom, proclaimed that He who was hanging on the
Cross was no ordinary sufferer.
So too that which followed the death of Christ is equally noteworthy.
Three days after His body had been placed in Joseph's tomb and the
sepulcher securely sealed, He, by His own power (John 2:19; 10:18),
burst asunder the bonds of death and rose in triumph from the grave,
and is now alive forevermore, holding the keys of death and hades in
His hands. Forty days later, after having appeared again and again, in
tangible form before His friends, He ascended to heaven from the midst
of His disciples. Ten days after, He poured out the Holy Spirit, by
whom they were enabled to publish to men out of every nation in their
respective languages, the wonders of His death and resurrection.
As another has said, "The effect was not less surprising than the
means employed to accomplish it. The attention of Jews and Gentiles
was excited; multitudes were prevailed upon to acknowledge Him as the
Son of God, and the Messiah; and a church was formed, which,
notwithstanding powerful opposition and cruel persecution, subsists at
the present hour. The death of Christ was the great subject on which
the apostles were commanded to preach, although it was known
beforehand that it would be offensive to all classes of men; and they
actually made it the chosen theme of their discourses. 'I determined,'
Paul said, 'not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him
crucified' (1 Cor. 2:2). . . In the New Testament, His death is
represented as an event of the greatest importance, as a fact on which
Christianity rests, as the only ground of hope to the guilty, as the
only source of peace and consolation, as, of all motives, the most
powerful to excite us to mortify sin and devote ourselves to the
service of God" (Dr. John Dick).
Not only was the death and resurrection of Christ the central theme of
apostolic preaching and the principal subject of their writings, but
it is remembered and celebrated in heaven: the theme of the songs of
the redeemed in glory is the person and blood of the Savior: "Saying
with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power,
and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and
blessing" (Rev. 5:12). "The Atonement made by the Son of God, is the
beginning of the ransomed sinner's hope, and will be the theme of his
exultation, when he shall cast his crown before the throne, singing
the song of Moses and of the Lamb" (James Haldane).
Now it is evident from all these facts that there is something
peculiar in the death of Christ, something which unmistakably
separates it from all other deaths, and therefore renders it worthy of
our most diligent, prayerful and reverent attention and study. It
behooves us by all that is serious, solemn and salutary, to have just
and right conceptions of it; by which is meant not merely that we
should know when it happened, and with what circumstances it was
attended, but that we should most earnestly endeavor to ascertain what
was the Savior's design in submitting to die upon the Cross, why it
was that Jehovah smote Him, and exactly what has been accomplished
thereby.
But as we attempt to approach a subject so important, so wonderful,
yet so unspeakably solemn, let us remember that it calls for a heart
filled with awe, as well as a sense of our utter unworthiness. To
touch the very fringe of the holy things of God ought to inspire
reverential fear, but to take up the innermost secrets of His
covenant, to contemplate the eternal counsels of the blessed Trinity,
to endeavor to enter into the meaning of that unique transaction at
Calvary, which was veiled with darkness, calls for a special degree of
grace, fear and humility, of heavenly teaching and the humble boldness
of faith. Our prayerful hope is that He who is pleased to use ciphers
(1 Cor. 1:28) to promote His glory, may condescend to grant us now a
special measure of the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and deign to bless
this book to not a few of those whom God has loved with an everlasting
love.
What has Christ done in order to secure the salvation of sinners? What
is the import of that death of His on which salvation hinges? In the
outset we may be fairly warned of what must be the consequences of
submitting the question to human reason or of bringing the world's
wisdom into the inquiry. "The preaching of the Cross is to them that
perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it is the power of
God" (1 Cor. 1:18). To which the apostle added, "But we preach Christ
crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks
foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks,
Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God." In view of these
statements, it was an easy matter for bygone generations of the saints
to anticipate what would be the inevitable result when the wisdom of
the world, which was fully arrayed against the Gospel which Paul
preached, should be constituted its interpreter, or should presume to
accommodate it to worldly principles.
Sixty years ago Mr. James Inglis, writing in "The Waymarks of the
Wilderness" on "The Atonement," said, "There is one question which
underlies all theological controversy: and as we approach the crisis,
it is coming more and more to the surface. The question in it all
really is: whether God or man is to be the supreme; whether the glory
of God or the supposed interest of man is the center around which all
is to revolve; whether the will of God is to be supreme and
unquestioned, or whether every expression of it is to be brought to
the bar of human reason; and whether everything in theology, as in
morals, is to be judged by its reasonableness and its apparent
usefulness to man. Those who claim to be the most advanced theologians
and moralists, exalt human nature to the place of the sovereign
arbitrator of truth and right, and seek to apply their favorite maxim
regarding earthly governments to the Divine government also: that it
exists only for the sake-as yet they would scarcely have the hardihood
to say by the consent - of the governed.
"This fundamental question of Divine or human supremacy underlies the
views men adopt of the inspiration and authority of Scripture. On one
side the question is simply, What is written? On the other side a
right is claimed to decide what ought to be written-the very
presumption which Satan taught our first parents regarding what God
had said. When this claimed right is exercised, little of revelation
is left unmodified. One of the first points on which proud reason
comes into conflict with what is written, is the natural condition of
man. Nor need we be surprised if it should revolt against the Divine
estimate of fallen man, and against the sentence under which he lies
as by nature a child of wrath, dead in trespasses and sins, vile,
polluted, helpless and hopeless in himself. It is only the Spirit of
God that can convince a man of sin in the Scriptural sense; and so
long as the appeal is to human reason, the Scriptural view of man's
condition must be rejected. Though it cannot be denied that the facts
in the case, whether in the history of an individual or of mankind,
most painfully corroborate the Scriptural view, and though the most
humbling descriptions of human depravity in the Word of God seem to be
only history condensed, there is a wonderful facility in offsetting
these sad realities by an ideal excellence, and in covering them up by
glowing delineations of the possibilities of human progress. The power
of self-deception and self-flattery in the human heart is amazing. The
admirable sentiments which are elegantly expressed in the writings of
men whose lives were very far from exemplifying them, serve to cover
up the deep and general depravity of the age in which they lived.
Their modern admirers estimate themselves rather by their admiration
of these virtuous sentiments, than by what they know themselves to be
in life and character. Never is this power of self-deception and
self-flattery more signally illustrated than when it comes into the
sphere of Christianity, substituting the Sermon on the Mount for the
discourses of heathen moralists, and reckoning all the graces of the
renewed man, if not the living perfections of the Word made flesh,
among the possibilities of human cultivation. That man is fallen, may
not be denied; but we are taught that the evil is incidental, not
inherent, and may be traced to physical degeneracy, the influence of a
disordered world, of bad example, and defective education. While
undeveloped and dormant in the soul, there is inherent nobility, the
germ of all excellence, which only needs to be aroused and cherished,
until it expands into a perfection which renders it meet for
inheritance of the saints in light.
"Such views of the natural condition of man lead to a corresponding
modification of the Scriptural doctrine of regeneration, which,
according to our liberal theologians, is but the awakening of the
dormant excellence of man, giving a new turn to misdirected affections
and powers, and is the first step in the development of his inherent
nobility. The testimony of Scripture as to the utter ruin of man, and
the necessity of being born again, in the singularly emphatic terms
used with reference to the one as well as the other, might seem to
present an insuperable objection to the self-exalting scheme; but an
evasion of the objection has already been provided for in a theory of
inspiration which permits everything in the Scriptures which is
irreconcilable with their theology, to be explained away as the
exaggeration of enthusiasts or the daring imagery of Eastern poets.
"In such a system of doctrine the mission of Christ can have no place,
except as it provides for this moral development, or aids it. For,
first of all, in the daring exaltation of man, the revealed character
of God is tampered with; His perfections are rendered tributary to the
supposed interest of His creatures; His righteousness, holiness and
truth are resolved into benevolence; so that there are no claims of
justice to be satisfied, no holiness and truth to be vindicated, and
sin is only to be taken cognizance of in so far as it may interfere
with the well-being of the creature. The humiliation, suffering and
death of the Son of God furnished but an impressive spectacle, by
which the evil effects of an unconditional pardon of sin might be
averted, and by which the heart of the sinner might be melted and
conciliated. The life and death of Christ, in short, are the moral
influences by which the dormant excellence of the soul is aroused,
love to God and man engendered, and by which the wanderer is to be won
into the path of virtue. The 'influence' of the Holy Spirit, rather
than His personal agency, now comes in to give effect to the truth and
to aid the moral development, just as in the natural world the
influence of the sun's rays change the desolation of winter into the
verdure of spring."
When we remember that the Atonement is the most important subject
which can engage the minds of either men or angels: that it not only
secures the eternal happiness of all God's elect, but also gives to
the universe the fullest view of the perfections of the Creator: that
in it are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, while by it
are revealed the unsearchable fiches of Christ: that through the very
Church which has been purchased thereby is being made known to
principalities and powers in the heavenlies the manifold wisdom of God
(Eph. 3:10)-then of what supreme moment must it be to understand it
aright! But how is fallen man to apprehend these truths to which his
depraved heart is so much opposed? All the force of intellect is less
than nothing when it attempts, in its own strength, to comprehend the
deep things of God. Since a man can receive nothing except it be given
him from heaven (John 3:27), much more is a special enlightenment by
the Holy Spirit needed if he is to enter at all into this highest
mystery.
"Great is the mystery of godliness" (1 Tim. 3:16). Amazing beyond all
finite conception is that transaction which was consummated at
Golgotha. There we behold the Prince of Life dying. There we gaze upon
the Lord of Glory made a spectacle of unutterable shame. There we see
the Holy One of God made sin for His people. There we witness the
Author of all blessing made a curse for worms of the earth. It is the
mystery of mysteries that He who is none other than Immanuel, should
stoop so low as to join together the infinite majesty of Deity with
the lowest degree of abasement that was possible to descend into. He
could not have gone lower and be God. Well did the Puritan Sibbes say,
"God, to show His love to us, showed Himself God in this: that He
could be God and go so low as to die" (Vol. 5, p. 327).
To what source then can we appeal for light, for understanding, for an
explanation and interpretation of the Cross? Human reasoning is
futile, speculation is profane, the opinions of men are worthless.
Thus, we are absolutely shut up to what God has been pleased to make
known to us in His Word. If it be true that we can know nothing about
the origin of the old creation save what the Holy Scriptures reveal -
the wild and conflicting guesses of science "falsely so called" (1
Tim. 6:20) only serving to make this the more evident - then much more
are we entirely dependent upon the teaching of Holy Writ concerning
the foundation on which the new creation rests. In his splendid work
on "The Atonement" (1867) Dr. A. A. Hodge rightly affirmed, "I insist
that, as the Gospel is wholly a matter of Divine revelation, the
answer to the question, What did Christ do on earth in order to
reconcile us to God? be sought exclusively in a full and fair
induction from all the Scriptures that teach upon the subject. From a
survey of all the matter revealed on the subject, what, in the
judgment of a mind unprejudiced by theories, did the sacred writers
intend us to believe? The result of such an examination, unmodified by
philosophy or secular analogies, is alone, we insist, the true
redemptive work of Christ."
Well did this deeply-taught servant of God say, "unmodified by secular
analogies." The truth of God has been grossly perverted, the honor of
Christ grievously sullied, and the people of God (who were too lazy to
diligently study the Scriptures for themselves) have often been misled
by the superficial efforts of irreverent preachers, who sought
"Illustrations" from the imaginary analogies in human relations. For
example: the case of a criminal is cited, in whose character there is
no redeeming trait, who is condemned to death for his aggravated
crimes. When he stands upon the scaffold, the Queen of England is
supposed to send her son and heir to die in the villain's stead, that
he may again be turned loose upon society. Yet this monstrous and
revolting supposition was offered last century as an illustration of
John 3:16 in the discourse of a popular preacher of wide reputation.
"The plan of redemption, the office of our Surety, and the
satisfaction which He rendered to the claims of justice against us,
have no parallel in the relations of men to one another. We are
carried above the sphere of the highest relations of created beings
into the august counsels of the eternal and independent God. Shall we
bring our own line to measure them? We are in the presence of Father,
Son and Holy Spirit; one in perfection, will and purpose, If the
righteousness of the Father demands a sacrifice, the love of the
Father provides it. But the love of the Son runs parallel with that of
the Father; and not only in the general undertaking, but in every act
of it, we see the Son's full and free consent. In the whole work we
see the love of the Father as clearly displayed as the love of the
Son: and again, we see the Son's love of righteousness and hatred of
iniquity as clearly displayed as the Father's, in that work of which
it were impossible to tell whether the manifestation of love or
righteousness is most amazing. In setting out upon the undertaking we
hear the Son say with loving delight, 'Lo, I come to do Thy will'; as
He contemplates its conclusion, we hear Him say, 'Therefore doth My
Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it
again.' They are one in the glorious manifestation of common
perfections, and in the joy of all the blessed results. The Son is
glorified by all that is for the glory of the Father. And while, in
the consummation of this plan, the wisdom of God-Father, Son and Holy
Spirit-shall be displayed, as it could not otherwise have been, to the
principalities and powers in heavenly places, ruined man will, in
Christ, be exalted to heights of glory and bliss otherwise
unattainable."
But while no parallel to the great transaction of the Atonement, or to
the relations of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as to its
accomplishment, can be found in any of the relations of mere creatures
to one another, God has graciously adopted a series of types,
historical and ceremonial, to the illumination of His great plan, and
especially to the illustration of the various aspects of the offices
and work of Christ. In these, Divine wisdom is signally displayed. By
means of the typical system God was educating men for the "good things
to come," and preparing human language to be a fitting medium for the
revelation of His grace in Christ. By introducing the Levitical system
God has shown us the sense in which such words (in the New Testament)
as sacrifice, priesthood, propitiation and redemption, are to be
understood. We cannot here give an exposition of these types, our
purpose in referring to them here simply being to call attention to
the fact that they supply the needed key to unlock this New Testament
mystery.
That which is outstandingly prominent in the typical sacrifices of the
Old Testament is, first, that they were offered to God, having Him for
their object and end, instead of being pageants for making impressions
on men. Second, that they are expiatory, atoning for sin, blotting out
iniquities. Third, that just as the sins of the offerer were imputed
to the victim, so the excellency of the victim was ascribed to the
offerer. Fourth, that something more was effected by these offerings
than an atonement being made for sins-a satisfaction was offered to
God's holiness and justice. This leads us to call attention to the
title for this book, and here we cannot do better than give below a
digest from Dr. Hodge's able comments on this point: -During the
latter part of the nineteenth century the word "Atonement" became
commonly employed to express that which Christ wrought for the
salvation of His people. But before then, the term used since the days
of Anselm (1274), and habitually employed by all the Reformers, was
"Satisfaction." The older term is much to be preferred, first, because
the word "Atonement" is ambiguous. In the Old Testament it is used for
an Hebrew word which signifies "to cover by making expiation." In the
New Testament it occurs but once, Romans 5:11, and there it is given
as the rendering for a Greek word meaning "reconciliation." But
reconciliation is the effect of the sin-expiating and God-propitiating
work of Christ. On the other hand, the word "Satisfaction" is not
ambiguous. It always signifies that complete work which Christ did in
order to secure the salvation of His people, as that work stands
related to the will and nature of God.
Again: the word "Atonement" is too limited in its signification for
the purpose assigned to it. It does not express all that Scripture
declares Christ did in order to meet the complete demands of God's
law. It properly signifies the expiation of sin, and nothing more. It
points to that which Christ rendered to the justice of God, in
vicariously bearing the penalty due the sins of His people; but it
does not include that vicarious obedience which Christ rendered to the
precepts of the law, which obedience is imputed to all of the elect.
On the other hand, the term "Satisfaction" naturally includes both of
these. "As the demands of the law upon sinful men are both preceptive
and penal-the condition of life being 'do this and live,' while the
penalty denounced upon disobedience is, 'the soul that sinneth it
shall die' - it follows that any work which shall fully satisfy the
demands of the Divine law in behalf of men must include (1) that
obedience which the law demands as the condition of life, and (2) that
suffering which it demands as the penalty of sin."
May the Lord graciously fit both writer and reader to contemplate and
apprehend this wondrous theme in such a way that much fruit may issue
to His glory and praise.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Satisfaction of Christ
Studies in the Atonement
by A. W. Pink
2. Its Source
_________________________________________________________________
"In approaching this solemn and sacred mystery we should do so with
awe and reverence, remembering it is rather a subject of faith and
adoration than of reasoning and arguing; a sanctuary open indeed to
the meek and sorrowful, to the earnest and contrite, but always to be
approached with solemnity and godly fear" (A. Saphir). It is written,
"The meek will he guide in judgment; and the meek will he teach his
way" (Ps. 25:9). The "meek" are they who have no confidence in the
flesh, who lean not unto their own understanding, whose dependence is
in and upon God alone.
The source of the Atonement or Satisfaction of Christ is God. This of
necessity, for only God can produce that which satisfies Himself. Men
can no more provide that which will meet the requirements of God's
holiness and justice against their sins than they can create a
universe: "None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give
a ransom for him" (Ps. 49:7). A perfect law can only be kept by a
perfect creature. One who has been rendered impotent by sin is
"without strength" (Rom. 5:6) to do anything that is good; therefore
deliverance must come from without himself: "For what the law could
not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son
in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the
flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us"
(Rom. 8:3,4).
"In the beginning, God" (Gen. 1:1). Such words at the commencement of
Holy Writ are worthy of their Divine Author. God is both the Alpha and
Omega. He is the Beginning and the End of everything, for "of him, and
through him, and to him, are all things" (Rom. 11:36). Nothing can
exist apart from God. In creation, in providence, and in redemption,
God is the Beginning. But for God, not a creature would have had
being. But for God, not a creature could continue for a moment, for
"in Him we live, and move, and have our being." But for God's direct
permission, sin could not have entered the world; and but for His will
in determining, His grace in providing, His power in securing, His
Spirit in applying, there bad been no satisfaction made for the failed
responsibilities of His people.
Yes, God and God alone is the Source of the great and glorious
Atonement. His will was the determining factor, His love the
motive-spring, His righteousness the incentive, His manifested glory
the end. In humbly attempting to amplify the several members of the
preceding sentence, we earnestly cry with one of old, "That which I
see not teach thou me" (Job 34:32). May it please the God of all grace
to prepare the hearts of both writer and reader to contemplate the
supernal glories of the Divine character.
1. THE WILL OF GOD
Of necessity this must be the starting-point when considering the
ultimate source of anything, for God "worketh all things after the
counsel of his own will" (Eph. 1:11). It is nowhere said that He
worketh all things according to "the requirements of His holiness,"
though God does not and cannot do that which is unholy. There is no
conflict between the Divine will and the Divine nature, yet it needs
to be insisted upon that God is a law unto Himself. God does what He
does, not simply because righteousness requires Him so to act, but
what God does is righteous simply because He does it. All the Divine
works issue from mere sovereignty.
"Creation could be nothing else but a sovereign act. To deny
sovereignty here, would be to deny sovereignty altogether: for, if the
created universe came into being, and is what it is, as a necessary
consequence of a 'First Cause,' that first cause could not be a
person, could not be endowed with freedom of will, could not be God.
Besides, if the existence of this first cause necessitated the
existence of the universe, it must have done so from all eternity.
There could have been no beginning of the created universe.
"Redemption, as well as creation, must also be a purely sovereign
determination of the Divine will. This is required by the necessities
of the case, as well as plainly declared in Scripture. No doctrine of
Redemption that in any way casts the slightest shadow over the high
mountain of Divine Sovereignty can be tolerated for a moment. All
theologies that in any manner teach or imply that there was any
obligation upon God to do this or that for fallen, rebellious subjects
of law, are unscriptural, unreasonable, if not blasphemous. Divine
sovereignty is to be recognized as determined to save any fallen ones,
in determining who should be saved, in 'choosing,' raising up,' and
'delivering up' the Savior, and in the Savior's giving of Himself; but
this Sovereign Redemption once determined, was wrought out under law,
and in exact accordance with law" (Dr. J. Armour, "Atonement and Law,"
1917).
What follows may be deemed to savor of metaphysics, yet do we feel it
to be called for in view of modem slanderers of God. Even some who are
regarded as quite orthodox have drawn a broad distinction, almost a
gulf, between the nature of God and the will of God, failing to
perceive that God's will is an essential part of His nature. Some have
descended so low as to affirm there is in the very nature of things a
standard of right which exists independently and apart from God,
according to which He Himself acts, must act. Such a conception is not
only degrading, but blasphemous. Others who have not adopted this
insulting figment, have, nevertheless, been injuriously infected by
it, and suppose that God's nature, as quite distinct from His will, is
what determines His actions.
There is nothing determined by the nature of God which is not
determined by the will of God. "When we affirm that God is holy, we do
not mean that He makes right right, by simply willing it, but that He
wills it because it is right. There must be, therefore, some absolute
standard of righteousness" -is how a so-called Bible teacher has
recently expressed himself. Even if it be said that the "absolute
standard of righteousness" is the Divine nature, if by this be meant
God's nature as separate from His determining will, the expression is,
to say the least, faulty and misleading. The will of God is an
essential part of His nature, and therefore His will is "the absolute
standard of right." The will of God is not something related,
dependent and determined; but is sovereign, imperial, regnant.
God Himself is the ultimate and absolute standard of righteousness.
Man is commanded to recognize a standard of righteousness outside of
and above himself, and his will and conduct must conform thereto. That
standard of righteousness is the revealed will of God. But shall we
reason from this that God also recognizes a standard of righteousness
to which His will must be conformed, a standard which makes right
right, and right being made right, He wills it because it is right?
No, indeed. The truth is, that we best discover what the nature of God
requires Him to do, by noting what He, by His will, actually does.
When God says, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy" (Rom.
9:15), He assuredly sets before us His will, in its utmost freedom and
sovereignty. But this supreme act of sovereign grace is the act of God
Himself, an act into which the whole nature of God (His will being
included in that nature) moved Him.
We fail to trace anything to its original source unless we track it
right back to the sovereign will of God. This is true alike of
creation, of providence, and of redemption. God was not obliged to
have created this world; He did so simply because it so pleased Him
(Rev. 4:10). Having created it, when Adam fell, He could have well
left the whole race to perish in its sins, and would have done so,
unless His sovereign will had, previously, determined otherwise.
Justice did not require Him to intervene in mercy, for as the
righteous Governor of the world, He might have proceeded to uphold the
authority of His law by exacting its penalty upon all the disobedient,
and thus have given to the unfallen angels a further example of His
awful vengeance. Nor did His goodness require that He should rescue
any of His rebellious subjects from the misery, which they had brought
upon themselves, for He had already given a complete display of that
in creation. Nor did His love, abstractly considered, demand that a
Savior should be provided; had that been the case one must also have
been given to the angels which fell.
It needs to be pointed out that the manifestative glory of God does
not depend upon the display of any particular attribute, but rather
upon the exhibition of them all, in full harmony, and on proper
occasions. He is glorified when He bestows blessings upon the
righteous, and is equally glorified when He inflicts Punishment on the
wicked. God's manifestative glory consists in the revelation of His
character to His creatures; yet this is purely optional on His part:
it is quite voluntary, and contributes nothing to His happiness, and
might have been withheld had He so pleased. Yet, as God always acts
consistently with Himself, if He shows Himself at all to His
creatures, the discovery will ever correspond to the greatness and
excellency of His nature.
That the atoning death of Christ had its source in the will of God, is
plainly declared in Acts 2:23, "Him being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God." Though accomplished in the fullness
of time, it was resolved upon before time, decreed and enacted in
heaven by the Eternal Three. Therefore do we read in Revelation 13:8
of "The Lamb slain from the foundation [or "founding"] of the earth."
Christ was "the Lamb slain" determinately, in the counsel and decree
of God (Acts 2:23); promissorily, in the word of God passed to Adam
after the fall (Gen. 3:15); typically, in the sacrifices appointed
immediately after the promise of redemption (Gen. 3:21; 4:4);
efficaciously, in regard of the merit of it, applied by God to
believers before the actual sufferings of Christ (Rom. 3:25; Heb.
9:15).
"He [God] made him [Christ, the Mediator] to be sin for us (2 Cor.
5:21): "made" or "constituted" by a Divine statute (i.e., He was
ordained to enter the place of the penal condition of sinners). Had
not God appointed it, the death of Christ had had no meritorious
value. Once more in Hebrews 10 the efficacy of Christ's sacrifice unto
the elect is traced back and directly ascribed to the eternal and
sovereign will of God. In verse 7, we find Christ Himself saying, as
He was about to become incarnate and enter this world, "Lo, I come to
do thy will, O God"; while in verse 10 we are told, "by the which will
we are sanctified [consecrated to God] through the offering of the
body of Jesus Christ once for all." That which saves, or sanctifies,
us is not simply the offering of Christ-for that had availed us nought
if it had not been Divinely appointed-but the "will" and decree of the
Eternal Three concerning that offering.
2. THE LOVE OF GOD
Love was, or better is, the motive-spring of all God's goodness and
grace toward His people. He has for them an "everlasting love" (Jer.
31:3). It was "in love" that He "predestinated us unto the adoption of
children by Jesus Christ to Himself" (Eph. 1:5). Proof of this is,
that, from all eternity He, "accepted us in [not "in Christ," but] the
Beloved" (Eph. 1:6)-note carefully that this declaration is given
before reference is made to the forgiveness of our sins in verse 7.
Had it so pleased God, He could have prevented the entrance of sin
into this world, He could have restricted the progeny of Adam to the
persons of His elect, and He could have taken them to heaven without
their having been polluted by sin and redeemed from it, there to enjoy
eternal bliss forever. That would have been an astonishing
demonstration of His love for us. Yet it pleased God to grant unto His
people still further, fuller, deeper, higher, manifestations of His
love to and for them.
God loved His people in ordaining them to eternal life (Acts 13:48;
Rom. 9:11-13), but He gave yet grander proof by suffering them to fall
into a state of spiritual death, and then sending His own dear Son to
redeem them out of it. Three hundred years ago Dr. Thomas Goodwin, in
his incomparable exposition of Ephesians 1, pointed out that, "Had we
at first been brought to that communion with Christ which we shall
have in heaven after the day of judgment, without having known either
sin or misery, it had been a good and blessed condition indeed; we
should have infinitely rejoiced in it, and had reason to so have done.
But certainly heaven will be sweeter to us by reason of our having
once fallen into sin and misery, and then having a Redeemer that came
and freed us from all, and then brought us to heaven. Oh, how sweet
will this make heaven to be unto you!...
"I would have you observe this that it may mightily and wonderfully
instance the love of God toward us. The last words of Ephesians 1:6
are that God hath accepted us in His Beloved, while the first of verse
7 are 'In whom we have redemption through his blood.' What! Was He
God's Beloved, and have you redemption in Him too? Shall God sacrifice
His Beloved! God chose us to be holy in heaven with Himself (v. 4), to
be sons with Him there (v. 5), to delight in us there (v. 6)! Let that
purpose stand: let them never come to be sinful, let Me have them up
in heaven presently with My Son. One would have thought God might have
said this. No, God would commend His love yet further. He would let
them fall into sin; to redeem them. He would sacrifice this Beloved.
He had so much love in His heart that He could commend it to us no way
but by sacrificing His Beloved. How wondrously has He displayed His
love!"
That love was the motive-spring which caused God to provide for His
people an atoning sacrifice for their sins, is clear from the
well-known words of John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he
gave his only begotten Son." So too in 1 John 4:9, 10, "In this was
manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only
begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is
love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to
be the propitiation for our sins." Thus the sacred oracles celebrate
the work of redemption as the highest and most remarkable instance and
exhibition of Divine love, and direct us to behold it acted out in the
highest degree and to the utmost advantage, to be seen and admired by
all the elect as an exhaustless and endless source of gratitude and
praise. The more unworthy and ill-deserving the objects of that love
were in themselves - sinners, enemies (Rom. 5:7-10) - the more amazing
that love. The greater the deliverance effected by it, and the
costlier the sacrifice to procure that deliverance, the more is such
love crowned. The greater the difficulties to be overcome - sin,
death, the-grave - the more was that love magnified. The greater the
blessings bestowed - justification, sanctification, glorification -
the more is that love to be adored.
"Herein was the emphasis of Divine love to us, that 'He sent His Son
to be the propitiation for our sins' (1 John 4:10). It was love that
He would restore men after the Fall; there was no more necessity of
doing this than of creating the world. As it added nothing to the
happiness of God, so the want of it had detracted nothing from it.
There was no more absolute necessity of setting up man again after his
breaking with God, than a new repair of the world after the
destructive deluge. But that He might wind up His love to the highest
pitch, He would not only restore man, but rather than let him lie in
his deserved misery, would punish His own bowels to secure man from
it. It was purely His grace [which is love bestowing favors on the
hell-deserving - A.W.P.] which was the cause that His Son 'tasted
death for every' son, Hebrews 2:9" (S. Charnock, 1635).
3. THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD
The Atonement of Christ directs our thoughts toward God as One whose
governmental holiness demanded satisfaction, whose inflexible justice
insisted that its claim be fully met, and whose righteous law must be
magnified and made honorable, before any resultant blessings could
flow to His elect, considered as the guilty and depraved children of
Adam. God can "by no means clear the guilty" (Exodus 34:7). Unlike so
much that passes for it in the human realm, the love of God is not
lawless; it is not exercised in defiance of righteousness. God is
"light" (1 John 1:5), as well as love; and because He is such, sin
cannot be ignored, its heinousness minimized, nor its guilt cancelled.
True it is that, where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. Yet
grace did not abound at the expense of righteousness, rather does
"grace reign through righteousness'' (Rom. 5:21).
But could not God remit the sins of His people without an atoning
satisfaction? This question is explicitly and authoritatively answered
for us in Hebrews 9:22, "Without shedding of blood is no remission."
Commenting on this in his remarkable book "The Atonement" (1871), the
late Hugh Martin said, "No doubt, at first sight, this seems merely to
allege a fact, without assigning a reason. It seems to intimate
nothing more than the historical truth, that in point of fact God
never has remitted the sins of men without shedding of blood. But if
emphasis is placed on the word remission, and if a true idea is
entertained of the transaction which that word represents, the
proposition, 'without shedding of blood is no remission,' will be
found not merely to allege the fact, but also assign a reason for that
fact - to embody not only the historical verity, but the underlying
principle which justifies it, and which only needs to be carefully
investigated and apprehended to furnish a satisfactory answer to the
question, Why should not God remit the sins of men without an
Atonement?
"For, when the inspired writer affirms that without shedding of blood
is no remission, it is as if he had said: You may imagine a
forgiveness without shedding of blood, if you will; you may
conjecture, or conjure up, some other scheme or principle of pardon;
you may conceive of God as dealing with the sinner, and delivering him
from the punishment due to his iniquities, without these iniquities
being expiated, without the penalty incurred by them being exacted,
without the law of which they are transgressors being relieved from
the stain of dishonor which they had cast upon it, without any costly
sacrifice, any solemn propitiation, any priceless ransom. But whatever
this transaction might be, it would not be remission. Granting that it
were quite possible for God to let the sinner off; to wipe out, by a
mere arbitrary decree, and without any satisfaction to divine justice,
the debt which the sinner had contracted; to cease from His anger
toward His enemies and return to a state of friendship; to say, Your
sins be forgiven you, you have nothing now to fear; all this, 'without
shedding of blood,' without any sacrifice, or atonement, or expiation:
still all this, whatever it might amount to, does not amount to
remission. Call it what you please: be it what it may; it is not
remission. It may be held up as an equivalent for it; it may be in
room and lieu of it; it may be all that multitudes care to inquire
after, or have ever felt the need of, or troubled themselves to seek.
But, however possible it might be on God's part, however satisfactory
it might be on their part, it is not remission. It may look like it.
It may seem to carry with it all that the unenlightened have any
thought of when thinking of remission; but real remission it is not.
Without shedding of blood it is not remission.
"What the enlightened conscience of an anxious inquirer longs for is
'remission' -remission of sin. And what is that? It is removal of
guilt; removal of liability to the wrath of God; removal of
Criminality or ill-desert. It is a sentence of 'Not Guilty.' It is a
recognition of blamelessness before the Holy One of Israel; a position
and relation toward God, therefore, in which His wrath would be undue,
unrighteous, impossible. That would be Remission."
We must not anticipate the ground which we hope to cover in later
chapters, except to say here that, the great problem which confronted
God, and which we make so bold as to say could never have been solved
by either human or angelic intelligence, was, How mercy might act
freely without justice being insulted, or how justice might exact its
full due without mercy's hands being tied. A marvelous, perfect and
completely satisfactory solution to this problem has been found and
furnished in the Satisfaction made to God by the mediatorial Redeemer.
It is in this satisfaction that "Mercy and truth are met together;
righteousness and peace have kissed each other" (Ps. 85:10). It is
this satisfaction which has enabled God to be "just, and the Justifier
of him which believeth in Jesus" (Rom. 3:26).
4. THE GLORY OF GOD
Rightly has it been said that "The ultimate reason and motive of all
God's actions are within Himself. Since God is infinite, eternal and
unchanging, that which was His first motive in creating the universe
must ever continue to be the ultimate motive or Chief end in every act
concerned in its preservation and government. But God's first motive
must have been just the exercise of His own essential perfections, and
in their exercise the manifestation of their excellence. This was the
only end which could have been chosen by the Divine mind in the
beginning, before the existence of any other object" (The Atonement,
Dr. A. A. Hodge). The Scriptures are very explicit on this point, "The
Lord hath made all things, for himself" (Prov. 16:4). "For of him, and
through him, and to him, are all things" (Rom. 11:36). "Thou hast
created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created"
(Rev. 4:11).
The ultimate motive, therefore, which moved God to ordain Christ as
Satisfaction for the failed responsibilities of His people must have
been the Divine glory, and not the effects intended to be produced in
the creature. But glory is manifested excellence, and moral excellence
is manifested only by being exercised. The infinite justice and love
of God both find their highest conceivable exercise in the sacrifice
of His own Son as the Substitute of guilty men. God did ordain to have
other sons beside Christ (Rom. 8:29), but it was in order that they
might behold His glory (John 17:24), and that He might "be glorified
in them" (John 17:10). To ordain Christ to come into this world as
Man, only upon the occasion of man's sin and for the work of
redemption, would be to subject Christ unto us, and to make our good
the "end" of God's action. Such a conception is not only extremely
absurd, but terribly impious. Adam was not made for Eve, but Eve for
Adam; and as the woman is "the glory of the man" (1 Cor. 11:7) so the
saints are called "the glory of Christ" (2 Cor. 8:23); and as the
saints are Christ's, so is Christ, the Mediator, "God's" (1 Cor.
3:23).
5. THE COVENANT OF GOD
Though we have made this a heading distinct from the preceding four,
yet we would point out that it is in the Everlasting Covenant we find
the will, the love, the righteousness, the glory of God, united, as
the moving cause or causes of the perfect provision found in the
Satisfaction of Christ.
As we have insisted in previous paragraphs, had God so pleased He
might never have created a single being to admire His perfections.
When creatures were admitted to that wondrous spectacle, and then
became guilty of dishonoring Him, He might have further revealed
Himself only in wrath, pouring out the vials of His indignation upon
the spot which they inhabited, and turning it into a scene of
desolation. What would be the loss of a world to Him in whose eyes it
is as nothing, yea, less than nothing and vanity (Isa. 40:17)?
It follows from these premises, the truth of which cannot be gainsaid,
that the plan which God designed for the salvation of His elect, who
by nature also shared in the ruins of Adam's fall, originated not only
in His sovereign grace, but was determined solely by His own imperial
will. Therefore, in contemplating the work of redemption we need to
ascend to its source, and begin with the consideration of that eternal
agreement between the Persons of the Godhead, on which the whole
dispensation of grace to fallen men is founded. That agreement is
spoken of in the Scripture as "The everlasting covenant" (Heb. 13:20).
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A. W. Pink Header
The Satisfaction of Christ
Studies in the Atonement
by A. W. Pink
3. Its Necessity
_________________________________________________________________
In employing this term, the necessity of the Atonement, we are making
use of an expression which calls for careful definition and
explanation. Unfortunately, many writers have failed to perform this
duty, with the consequence that loose and, oftentimes, most
God-dishonoring views are entertained upon this aspect of our subject.
To say that God must or must not do certain things is the language of
fearful impiety, unless expressly warranted by the very words of Holy
Writ. We are living in a day which is strongly marked by irreverence,
and the most degrading views of the Almighty are now entertained by
some who imagine their views of the Almighty are quite orthodox. It
would be a simple matter for us to give illustrations and proofs of
this, but we refrain from defiling our readers (1 Cor. 15:33). Suffice
it now to point out, once more, that never was there a time when Gods
people more earnestly needed to heed that word, "Prove all things" (1
Thess. 5:21).
"The Lord of hosts is excellent in counsel and excellent in working"
(Isa. 28:29). Infinite wisdom never acts aimlessly. God, who is
perfect in knowledge, does nothing without good reason. All His works
are proportioned according to His unerring designs. This is true alike
in His acts of creation, providence and grace. At the close of the six
days' work we read, "And God saw everything that He had made, and
behold, it was very good" (Gen. 1:31). Concerning His government over
us, "We know that all things work together for good to them that love
God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Rom. 8:28).
And as for the operation of His grace, faith unhesitatingly affirms
"He hath done all things well" (Mark 7:37).
Now the most wondrous of all God's works is that which was performed
by His Son here upon earth. When we attempt to contemplate what that
Work involved, we are lost in amazement. When we seriously endeavor to
gauge the depths of unutterable shame and humiliation into which the
Beloved of the Father entered, we are awed and staggered. That the
eternal Son of God should lay aside the robes of His ineffable glory
and take upon Him the form of a servant, that the Ruler of heaven and
earth should be "made under the law" (Gal. 4:4), that the Creator of
the universe should tabernacle in this world and "have not where to
lay His head" (Matthew 8:20), is something which no finite mind can
comprehend; but where carnal reason fails us, a God-given faith
believes and worships.
As we trace the path which was trod by Him who was rich yet for our
sake became poor, we cannot but feel that we are entering the realm of
mystery; the more so when we learn that every step in His path had
been ordered in the eternal counsels of the Godhead. Yet, when we find
that path entailing for the One in whom the Father was well pleased,
immeasurable sorrow, unutterable anguish, ceaseless ignominy,
bitterest hatred, relentless persecution, both from men and Satan, we
are made to marvel. And, when we find that path leading to Calvary,
and there behold the Holy One nailed to the Cross, our wonderment
deepens. But, when Scripture itself declares that God not only
delivered up Christ into the hands of earth's vilest wretches to be
reviled and blasphemed, that God Himself was not merely a spectator of
that awful scene, that He not only beheld the sufferings of Heaven's
Darling, but that HE also smote Him, scourged Him with the rod of His
indignation, and called upon the sword to smite His "Fellow" (Zech.
13:7), we are moved to reverently inquire into the needs-be for such
an unparalleled event.
That the incarnation, humiliation and crucifixion of the Son of God
were necessary, no one who (by grace) bows implicitly before the Word
of Truth can doubt for a moment. The language of Christ Himself on
this point is too plain to be misunderstood. To Nicodemus He said, "As
Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of
man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have eternal life" (John 3:14, 15). To His disciples He declared,
"how that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the
elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised
again the third day" (Matthew 16:21). So too on the day of His
resurrection, He asked, "Ought not Christ to have suffered these
things, and to enter into his glory?" (Luke 24:26). Nevertheless,
plain and positive as is the language of these verses, we need to be
much upon our guard lest we draw from them a conclusion which will
clash with other scriptures and lead us to a most dishonoring
conception of God.
From the passages just quoted, and others of a similar character, not
a few good men have drawn the inference that the sufferings of Christ
were an absolute necessity, that the very nature of God rendered them
so indispensable that apart from them the salvation of sinners was
impossible; yea, that no other possible alternative presented itself
to the omniscience of God. To such assertions we cannot assent, for
they go beyond the express language of Holy Writ. However plausible
the reasoning may be, however logical the deduction, we must, where
Scripture is silent, resist a conclusion so momentous. To say that the
all-wise God Himself could find no other way of saving sinners,
consistently with His holiness and justice, than the one He has, is
highly presumptuous. To declare that Omniscience was helpless, that
God was obliged to adopt the means which He did, is perilously nigh
unto blasphemy.
To affirm that God has selected the best possible way to magnify all
His perfections in the redemption of His people, is to affirm that
which is honoring to Deity, but to assert that this was the only way,
is going beyond what Scripture declares. That supremest wisdom and
supremest love would seek the noblest means to achieve the most
glorious ends, we firmly believe; but to conclude that God was unable
to contrive any other method is mere fatalism, and, we might add,
semi-atheism. According to the theorizing of some theologians we ought
to change Ephesians 1:11 so that it reads, "He worketh all things
after the necessities of His own nature." Not so did Christ reason in
Gethsemane: He did not accept the bitter cup because of the
inexorableness of God's nature, but out of Submission to His will.
From the words of our Savior in the Garden, "If it be possible let
this cup pass from me," it has been inferred that it was impossible it
should do so. In one sense that is true: God had ordained that Christ
should die, the terms of the everlasting covenant required it, the
will of God demanded it; so die He must. But this is a very different
thing from saying that when the Godhead held Their councils no other
alternative could be devised, that the death of Christ was an absolute
and unavoidable necessity. It is indeed most striking to note, and
worthy of our most reverent attention, that at the very time our
agonizing Savior presented His petition, He said, "Abba, Father, all
things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me:
nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt" (Mark 14:36).
In summing up this point, let us never forget that the Atonement
originated in the mere good pleasure of God. He was not obliged to
save any sinners; He was under no obligations to provide a Redeemer at
all. That He did so, was purely a matter of grace, and, in the very
nature of things, the bestower of "grace" is free, absolutely free, to
bestow or withhold it, otherwise it would cease to be "grace," and
become a debt owed to its recipient. As to the method by which God
chose to manifest His grace, we can only say that the appointed
Mediator has answered to every perfection of God and superlatively
magnified all His attributes; and that this Savior is both the gift of
His love, and the appointment of His will.
Once again we would remind ourselves that we are within the realm of
mystery, mystery deep and insolvable to finite intelligence. The
entrance of sin into the world, God's infinite abhorrence of it, the
moral requirements of His government concerning its punishment, the
saving of His own people from it, the magnifying of His own name by
it, are some of the principal elements entering into this mystery; and
the relation which the whole mediatorial scheme of Divine grace has
there unto, is what is now to engage our attention. Conscious of our
utter incapacity to even grapple with, much less solve, a problem so
profound; conscious that reasoning thereon is worse than futile, we
would prayerfully turn, in humble dependence upon the Spirit of Truth,
to the Holy Scriptures, to ascertain what light God has been pleased
to throw upon this mystery of mysteries.
1. THE ATONEMENT WAS NECESSITATED BY THE WILL OF GOD
Unless this be our starting point we are certain to err. God's Word
implicitly declares that He "worketh all things after the counsel of
his own will" (Ephesians 1:11). The whole extent of this passage
contains a revelation of God's eternal counsels concerning His own
people. It takes us back before the foundation of the world to the
time when He chose them in Christ. While it makes known that it was in
love He predestinated them unto the adoption of children by Jesus
Christ unto Himself, it at once adds, that this purpose was "according
to the good pleasure of his will" (v. 5).It is in Christ that we have
"redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to
the riches of His grace" (v. 7), yet right after we are told, "Having
made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good
pleasure which he hath purposed in himself" (v. 9).
The above passage ought to make it abundantly plain to every impartial
mind that the Atonement or Redemption which God has so graciously
provided for His elect, sprang from no obligation either in His own
nature or from any claims which His creatures had upon Him. There have
been not a few writers and preachers who have blasphemously asserted
that the fall of man obliged God to provide a Redeemer. They have had
the effrontery to affirm that since the Creator permitted Adam to
bring ruin upon himself and his descendants, the least He could do was
to raise up a Restorer. They say the exigencies of the situation which
sin introduced into the world, required that some remedy be given that
would neutralize its baneful effects. In short, these traducers of the
Most High have argued that the Atonement was imperative, if God was to
justify His creation of man and vindicate Himself for allowing him to
lose his original uprightness. It is to such arrogant rebels that Jude
1:10 refers: "But these speak evil of those things which they know
not."
Others, who gave vent to the enmity of the carnal mind against God in
a more moderated form, have insisted that the benevolence of God
required Him to provide a Savior for sinners. While allowing that man
himself is to shoulder the full blame for the condition in which he
now finds himself, while granting that God has justly punished the
disobedience of our first parents in ordaining that all their
descendants shall taste the bitterness of sin's wages, yet they
imagine that God's pity for Adam's fallen children obliged Him to
provide a Savior for sinners. A sufficient refutation of this
widely-held error is found in the Creator's treatment of the angels
that fell: no Savior was provided for them! "God spared not the angels
which sinned" (2 Pet. 2:4). There is plain proof that the benevolence
of God did not render the Atonement imperative.
Whatever claims an unfallen creature may have upon God, certainly a
rebel against Him is entitled to nothing but summary judgment. Nor can
offenders against His moral government by anything they perform, lay
Him under obligation to furnish them with a legal ground of
deliverance from sin. To say that they can, would be investing guilty
sinners with the power to control the Divine Lawgiver, and would
completely divest God's grace of its character of sovereign, free, and
unmerited favor. No, there was nothing either in the perfections of
God's character nor in the claims of His creatures, which rendered the
Atonement an absolute necessity. God's purpose to save a remnant
according to the election of grace arose solely out of His own free
and sovereign will: the provision of a Savior to save His people from
their sins sprang from naught but God's own determination.
2. THE ATONEMENT WAS NECESSITATED BY THE LAW OF GOD
In saying that the Atonement was necessitated by the Law, we are not
contradicting what has been said above, as will plainly appear if
close attention be given to the sentences immediately following. The
sovereign will of God was exercised in at least two things with
respect to the Atonement: first, in His original purpose to save
sinners, for that was solely His mere good pleasure; second, in the
process decreed whereby they should be saved, namely, through the
vicarious work of a Redeemer. Having purposed to save His people from
the wrath to come, it pleased God to resolve that their sins should be
remitted in a way whereby His Law should be honored and magnified. But
let it be carefully remembered that in this too God acted quite
freely, and not from any constraint. The Law itself is of His own
appointment, and not something superior to Himself. Having purposed to
save, the Everlasting Covenant was drawn up, and the Mediator having
freely accepted its terms and having voluntarily placed Himself under
the Law, thenceforward all was done in obedience to the Law. Thus, the
Eternal Three having elected that redemption should be effected under
the Law, all was wrought out in perfect accordance with the Law.
It is in the light of these facts that the passages quoted in an
earlier paragraph, respecting the relative necessity of the Atonement,
are to be interpreted. "As Moses lifted up the serpent... so must the
Son of man be lifted up." There was no absolute necessity in either
case. It was sovereign grace, pure and simple, which provided a way of
life for the guilty Israelites who were dying in the wilderness. It
was by Divine appointment that both the brazen serpent and the
Antitype were "lifted up." So of Matthew 16:21: Christ "must" go up to
Jerusalem and be killed. Why? Because God had so ordained, because the
terms of the Everlasting Covenant so required. So it was not possible
for the "cup" to pass from the agonizing Savior. Why? Because God had
willed that salvation should come to His people via His drinking it;
thus it had been unalterably determined. "Without shedding of blood
there could have been no remission" is what Scripture nowhere affirms.
But under the regime God has instituted, "without shedding of blood is
no remission" (Heb. 9:22).
It has been well said that "The work of redemption as well as the
course of Nature proceeds in accordance with a predetermined plan, and
under absolute and invariable law, law quite as exact as that which
governs the material universe. Every end contemplated by the divine
mind in the realm of the spiritual, and all means for its attainment
under the reign of absolute law, were determined, with infinite
exactness, from the beginning" (Dr. J. Armour).
The analogies between the reign of law in the natural and in the moral
spheres are both close and numerous, the former serving to adumbrate
the latter. For example, first, every law in the natural world, such
as that of the recurring seasons or of gravitation, has been ordained
and imposed by the Creator according to His own sovereign will. So too
has every law in the moral realm, as that of sowing and reaping, sin
and its punishment, been appointed by God. Second, the reign of law,
as such, is invariable and inexorable: it knows of no exceptions. If
the dearest child on earth drinks poison by mistake, it produces
precisely the same effects as though the vilest wretch had
deliberately taken it to end his earthly existence. Third, yet, though
law and its demands cannot be defied with impunity, a higher law may
be set in motion reversing the action of an inferior. Poisons have
their antidotes. The law of gravity may be overcome by lifting an
object from the ground. Law is never suspended, but higher power may
intervene and deliver from the effects of a lower by magnifying a
superior law. This was the case with the Atonement.
Law requires conformity to its precepts. The more perfect a law, the
greater the obligations to respect it. Given a law which is "holy and
just and good" (Rom. 7:12), and obedience to it becomes imperative.
For God to repeal or even suspend it would be tantamount to
acknowledging there was some defect in it. This could never be.
Therefore, creatures made under that law must, of necessity, render
obedience to it. In case of their failure, then, before it were
possible to justify them, that is, pronounce them righteous, up to the
required standard, another must fulfill that law on their behalf, and
his righteousness or obedience be imputed to their account. This has
actually been done. Christ was "made under the law" (Gal. 4:4),
"fulfilled" it (Matthew 5:17), and His obedience has been placed to
the legal credit of all His people (Rom. 5:19), so that they are now
made "the righteousness of God in him" (2 Cor. 5:21).
The law not only requires obedience to its precepts, but demands the
punishment of its transgressors. Its invariable sentence is "The soul
that sinneth, it shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4). Inasmuch as God Himself
declared this, and He "cannot lie," it inevitably ensues that wherever
sin is found, death with all that it includes, must certainly follow.
The Lord has expressly affirmed that He "will by no means clear the
guilty" (Exodus 34:7). The only way of escape for law's transgressors
is for Another to suffer the penalty in their stead. Under the regime
which God has instituted, were He to pardon without satisfaction made
to His broken law by a Substitute being paid sin's wages, then, God
would not only trample upon His own law, but disregard His solemn
threatening, and Scripture says "He cannot deny himself" (2 Tim.
2:13). Therefore did God Himself provide that wondrous sacrifice upon
which the righteous penalty of the law fell.
To understand aright the work of Redemption, it is all-important that
we should hold correct views of the law of God under which man has
transgressed, and the state into which he, by rebellion, has fallen.
The law of God points out the duty of man, requiring from him that
which is right and just. It cannot be altered in the least degree to
exact more or less. It is therefore an unalterable rule of
righteousness. This law necessarily implies, as essential to it, a
sanction and a penalty - a penalty exactly fitted to the magnitude of
the crime in transgressing it. Every creature who is under this law is
bound by infinite obligations to obey it, without the slightest
deviation from it throughout the whole of his existence. But by
transgressing it, man has righteously incurred its penalty and fallen
under its curse: "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all
things which are written in the book of the law to do them" (Gal.
3:10).
Now the curse under which sinners have fallen, cannot be removed nor
the transgressor released until full satisfaction has been made to it.
Such satisfaction the sinner himself is utterly unable to render: "By
the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight"
(Rom. 3:20). Because the law of God is an unalterable expression of
His will and moral character, neither its demands nor threatenings can
be abated. The authority of the law must be maintained. To pardon
without a satisfaction would be acting contrary to law. This
insuperable barrier in the way of the sinner's deliverance is what
underlies the relative necessity for the Mediator and Deliverer.
In order for the curse of the law to be removed from him who had
incurred its anathema, it must fall upon another who is made a curse
in his stead. It is at this point the amazing riches of Divine grace
have been displayed. Not only was the Christ of God "made under the
law," not only did He render perfect obedience to its precepts, but in
addition - O wonder of wonders - He was "made a curse for us" (Gal.
3:13). Him did God Himself foreordain to be "a propitiation through
faith in His blood to declare His righteousness... that He might be
[not merely "merciful," but] just, and the Justifier of him which
believeth in Jesus" (Rom. 3:25,26).
3. THE ATONEMENT WAS NECESSITATED BY SIN
In asserting that the Atonement was necessitated by sin, let it not be
supposed for a moment that the entrance of sin into this world was a
calamity unanticipated by the Creator, and that the Atonement is His
means of remedying a defect in His handiwork. Far, far from it. So far
from man's fall being unforeseen by God, the Lamb was "foreordained
before the foundation of the world" (1 Peter 1:19, 20). The tragedy of
Eden was no unlooked - for catastrophe, but foreknown and permitted by
God for His own wise reasons. No, we employ the term used in this
third heading in the sense of a conditional necessity. As we sought to
show in the previous chapter, the ultimate reason and motive of all
God's acts are found within Himself, and that reason and motive is
ever His own glory. But "glory" is manifested excellency, therefore
God magnifies His manifestative glory by the exercise and exhibition
of His manifold perfections.
Wondrously has God used sin as an occasion for displaying His own
attributes. He has employed it as a dark background from which has
shone forth the more resplendently the beauties of His wisdom, His
holiness, His faithfulness, His grace. Thus He has made the very wrath
of man to "praise him" (Ps. 76:10). God is ineffably holy. As such, He
is absolutely free from every vestige of moral pollution. He delights
in whatever is pure, and therefore He hates whatever is impure: "Thou
art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity"
(Hab. 1:13). Now sin is directly opposed to the holiness of God, for
it is essentially impure, filthy, abominable; therefore is it the
object of His unceasing detestation. How then shall God's abhorrence
of sin be manifested but by His punishment of it?
The Atonement relatively necessitated by sin is obvious from other
considerations. Had the creature never fallen, he had never merited
sin's wages. Had he never transgressed against God's law, no
satisfaction had been required for its outraged honor. Sin being
obnoxious to both the nature and the law of God renders those who have
committed it subject to His displeasure. Again; sin is a grievous
dishonor to the manifested glory of God (Rom. 3:22), a direct insult
offered to the high Majesty of Heaven, and were sin pardoned without
an adequate satisfaction, it would be tantamount to saying that God
may be insulted with impunity. But if the holiness of God requires
that sin shall be punished, if the law of God requires a satisfaction
should be rendered its honor, how can its transgressors possibly
escape? Sin has imposed a gulf between the thrice holy One and those
who have rebelled against Him (Isaiah 59:2). Man is utterly incapable
of filling up that gulf or of passing over it.
Well might Job exclaim, "For He is not a man, as I am, that I should
answer Him, and we should come together in judgment. Neither is there
any Daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both"
(9:32,33). Ah, a "Daysman," a Mediator, one able to come "betwixt," is
what was so urgently required. And what the terrible condition of
fallen sinners needed, the matchless grace of God freely provided.
Christ is the Divine answer to the Devil's overthrow of our first
parents. And in Christ, and by Christ, every attribute of God has been
glorified and every requirement of His law satisfied. Through the
incarnation, life and death, of His blessed Son, God has shown to all
created intelligences what a terrible thing sin is, what a dreadful
breach it had made between Himself and His creatures, how impartial is
His justice, what an ocean of love is in His heart to promote the
happiness of His people, and above all, He has secured and advanced
His own manifestative glory by the honoring of all His attributes.
Through the Atonement God has been vindicated.
But let the final thought of our chapter be this: it was sin which
required the Atonement. Let each truly Christian reader make it
individual: it was my sins that brought down the eternal Son of God to
this world of darkness and death. Had there been no other sinner on
earth but me, Christ had certainly come here. Yes, it was my dreadful
and excuseless sins which caused the Lord of glory to become "the Man
of Sorrows." It was my sins which required the Beloved of the Father
to descend into such unfathomable depth of shame and suffering. It was
for me the ineffably Holy One was "made a curse." It was for me He
endured the Cross, suffered separation from God, and tasted the
bitterness of death. O may the realization of this make me hate sin,
and cry daily to God for complete deliverance from it. May the
realization of grace so amazing constrain me to live only for Him "who
loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).
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A. W. Pink Header
The Satisfaction of Christ
Studies in the Atonement
by A. W. Pink
4. Its Pre-requisites
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Before we are in the position to discern what was required in order
for an atonement to be made for the sins of believers, or more
specifically, what were the qualifications which must be possessed by
him who should render an acceptable satisfaction to God, it is
essential that we should know something of the actual nature of the
Atonement itself. This we shall endeavor to define at length in the
chapters which are to immediately follow; but, to pave the way for a
more intelligent consideration of the perfections of the Mediator, let
us briefly state what it was that Christ came here to do. The Son of
God became the Son of man in order that sons of men might become sons
of God. But these sons of men were not merely creatures, they were
fallen and sinful creatures, and, as such, hateful to God, and under
the condemnation of His inexorable law.
Sin has produced a tremendous gulf between the thrice holy God and the
rebellious children of Adam. Man has no ability whatever to fill in or
pass over that gulf. Not only is he alienated from his Maker (Eph.
4:18), but that law which he has broken insists upon full reparation,
and this, man is incompetent to render. Thus, his case is desperate
indeed. His only hope, as we sought to show near the close of our last
chapter, lies in a mediator espousing his cause, a mediator acceptable
to that God whom man has so grossly and grievously offended, a
mediator both willing and qualified to undertake for him. But where
was such an one to be found? where was one who could bridge the awful
gulf sin had made, who was fitted to be entrusted with the interests
of the Godhead, and who was capable of representing those who were, in
the scale of being, so far, far below Him?
"Although man had remained immaculately innocent, yet his condition
would have been too mean for him to approach to God without a
Mediator. What, then, can he do, after having been plunged by his
fatal fall into death and hell, defiled with so many blasphemies,
putrefying in his own corruptions; in a word, overwhelmed by every
curse? Since our iniquities, like a cloud, intervene between us and
God, entirely alienating us from heaven, no one that could not
approach to God could be a mediator for the restoration of peace. But
who could have approached Him? Could any of the children of Adam? No;
they, with their first parent, dreaded the Divine presence. What,
then, could be done? Our situation was truly deplorable, unless the
Divine majesty itself would descend to us; for we could not ascend to
it. Thus it was necessary (as arising from the heavenly decree) that
the Son of God should become Immanuel, that is, God with us" (Calvin's
Institutes, Book 2, Chap. 12).
Yet instead of removing, this only seems to increase, the difficulty.
As we have pointed out above, atonement could only be effected by a
full satisfaction rendered to the Law; and this involved two things:
first, a perfect obedience given to all its precepts; second, a full
endurance of its unrelenting punishment. But how could a Divine Person
enter the place of subserviency and become subject to the Law's
demands? And again, how could a Divine Person suffer and die? This
seems an insolvable problem, yet Divine wisdom provided a glorious
solution. One of the Eternal Three, without in anywise ceasing to be
God, took upon Him the form of a Servant and became Man. The Divine
incarnation was undertaken in order to accomplish sin's expiation. The
eternal Word's becoming flesh was a gracious means to a glorious end:
it was that He might mediate between God and His people.
A mediator is one who intervenes between two parties at variance and
makes peace. He must of necessity be a different person from each of
the parties whom it is his design to reconcile; he can neither be the
party which is offended, nor the party which has given offense. The
party offended may forgive the offender; but in such a case, a
mediator is not wanted. The party offending may be sorry for his
conduct, and earnestly desire that peace be made; but he may have no
access to the party offended, or the latter may reject his advances,
because he does not deem the proffered satisfaction to be adequate. In
this case a third party may interpose to adjust the difference, by the
proposal of terms in which both will acquiesce.
What has just been pointed out raises a further difficulty: was not
God the Son the party offended by the sinner, equally with the Father
and the Spirit? Assuredly, for in His essential being, He is one with
Them. But the Scriptures not only reveal the absolute unity of nature
and essence in the three Persons of the Godhead, they also make known
an economy or arrangement among those Persons, by which different
characters and offices were assigned to each, and new relations are
sustained by Them toward one another and toward us. In the economy of
Redemption and its connection with the world, the Father appeals in
the character of the Supreme Governor of heaven and earth, the Son as
Mediator, and the Spirit as the Applier of Redemption. In His office
of Mediator, Christ does not press the claims of justice against
sinners, but stands forth as their Friend, rescuing them from their
perilous situation by rendering satisfaction for them to their
offended Sovereign.
"The necessity of the mediation of Christ arises from the existence of
sin; which being contrary to the nature and revealed will of God,
renders those who have committed it obnoxious to His displeasure. As
they had no means of appeasing His anger, the interposition of another
person was requisite to atone for their guilt, and lay the foundation
of peace. This is the great design of His office; but it extends to
all the acts, by which sinners are actually brought into a state of
reconciliation, are fitted for holding communion with God, and are
raised to perfection and immutable felicity in the world to come. It
comprehends the particular offices which our Savior is represented as
sustaining, the prophetical, the sacerdotal, and the regal; and it is
by executing these that He completely performs the duties, and
realizes the character of a Mediator" (Dr. J. Dick). Let us now
particularize by endeavoring to point out what was required in the one
who should make atonement for sinners to God.
1. THE MEDIATOR MUST BE MAN
"The mediator between God and men cannot be God only, or man only.
This is taught in Galatians 3:20: 'A mediator is not of one, but God
is one.' A mediator supposes two parties between whom he intervenes;
but God is only one party. Consequently, the Mediator between God and
men must be related to both, and be the equal of either. He cannot be
simply God, who is only one of the parties, and has only one nature.
Therefore the eternal Word must take man's nature into union with
Himself if He would be a mediator between God and men. The same truth
is taught in 1 Samuel 2:25, 'For if one man sin against another, the
judge shall judge him; but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall
intreat for him?' 'Therefore when He [the mediator] cometh into the
world, He saith, A body hast Thou prepared me' (Heb. 10:5)" (Dr. J.
Shedd).
Relationship of nature to those for whom Atonement was made is an
essential element in its validity. Christ was required to be real and
proper man, as well as true God. To qualify Him for the work of
redemption, He needed to possess opposite attributes: a frail and
mortal nature, combined with ineffable dignity of person. Humanity was
requisite to fit the Messiah for suffering, to render Him susceptible
of pain and death, to make it possible for Him to offer Himself as a
sacrifice. Equally so was the possession of human nature required in
order to impart validity to what He did, to give to His obedience and
sufferings an essential value in the estimation of God's law. The work
of our redemption being a moral satisfaction to the law of God for the
sins of men, there existed a moral fitness that the satisfaction
should be made by one in the nature of those who had sinned. It is
striking to note in the types how that redemption had to be effected
by a near kinsman (Lev. 25:25-27; Ruth 4:7).
Unless the Redeemer Himself possesses the nature of those to be
redeemed the moral government of God had not been vindicated, nor the
glory of the Divine Lawgiver been maintained, nor the principles of
the law been upheld. The law in its precept was suited to man, and in
its curse had a claim upon man. Its requirements were such as man only
could fulfill; its penalty such as one possessing the nature of man
only could bear. The penalty was suffering unto death; and no angel
could die (Luke 20:36). The death only of a man could possess a moral
and legal congruity to the cause of a law given to man and broken by
man. Thus, it was not only to qualify Him for suffering that the
Messiah took upon Him the nature of man, but to qualify Him for such
sufferings as should possess validity in the eye of the Divine law.
"For both He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified, are all of
one. . . Wherefore in all things it behooved Him to be made like unto
His brethren... to make propitiation for the sins of the people" (Heb.
2:11, 17). "Since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection
of the dead" (1 Cor. 15:21).
The law required that its subject should love God with all his soul
and serve Him with all the members of his body, seeing both are God's.
Now none can do this but man, who consists of soul and body. Again;
the law required the love of our neighbor, but none is our neighbor
but man, who is of the same blood with us: hence the force of those
words - "that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh" (Isa. 58:7).
Hence our Surety must cherish us, as one does his own flesh, and
consequently we have to be "members of His body, of His flesh, and of
His bones" (Eph. 4:30). Therefore has the Holy Spirit joined together
these two things about Christ: "made of a woman, made under the law"
(Gal. 4:4), intimating that the principal end of his incarnation was
that He might be subject to the law.
"It is not without reason that Paul, when asked to exhibit Christ in
the character of a Mediator, expressly speaks of Him as a man: 'There
is one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus' (1 Tim.
2:5). He might have called Him God, or might indeed have omitted the
appellation of man, as well as that of God; but because the Spirit,
who spake by him knew our infirmity, He has provided a very suitable
remedy against it, by placing the Son of God familiarly amongst us
(Christians, A.W.P.) as though He were one of us. Therefore, that no
one may distress himself where he is to seek the Mediator or in what
way he may approach Him, the apostle, by denominating Him a man,
apprizes us that He is near, and even close to us, since He is our own
flesh. He certainly intends the same in Hebrews 4:15" (J. Calvin).
2. THE MEDIATOR MUST BE SINLESS
He who makes atonement for others must himself be entirely free from
that which renders the atonement necessary. That which made atonement
necessary was sin. The redeemer must be sinless, otherwise he would
require redeeming. A sinner cannot expiate his own sins, still less
can he be a savior of others. Thus it was a prime prerequisite that
the substitutionary victim should himself be undefiled, pure. This was
plainly foreshadowed in the types. The lamb used in sacrifice must be
"without blemish." The red heifer must not only be flawless, but also
one "upon which never came yoke" (Num. 19:2). The Levitical high
priest was required to possess a high degree of ceremonial purity.
"Legal obligation to the curse may arise from one or both of two
things: either from being born under the curse, that is to say, from
original sin; or from becoming exposed to the penalty in consequence
of a personal breach of its requirements, that is by actual
transgression. Infants of the human family are under it in the former
way; adults in both; but Jesus was neither the one nor the other" (Dr.
W. Symington on The Atonement, 1854). Jesus was never under the Adamic
covenant, and therefore the sin of our first father was never imputed
to Him. He was supernaturally conceived of a virgin, and therefore,
the virus of sin never entered His veins.
3. THE MEDIATOR MUST BE HOLY
More than a sinless nature was required by the Redeemer. Satan was,
originally, created without sin; yet he fell. Adam had no impurity in
his nature when he left His Maker's hands, yet he transgressed. But
Jesus Christ was not merely negatively sinless, He was, in His very
humanity, positively holy - "that holy thing, which shall be born of
thee" (Luke 1:35) were the words of God to His mother. It is striking
and blessed to note that when the Holy Spirit exhibits, from the human
side, the personal perfections of our High Priest, He speaks of Him
first as "holy," which refers to the intrinsic excellency of His
nature; then as "harmless" which speaks of His entire freedom from
evil in respect to conduct; "undefiled," which denotes the absolute
purity of His official qualification and administration (Heb. 7:26).
The intrinsic and unsullied purity of the Mediator was necessary to
the acceptance of His services.
Beautifully has Dr. Dick pointed out, "This primitive purity He
retained during the course of His life, conversing and familiarly
associating with sinners, but not learning their ways. He died,
indeed, as a criminal, but He died for sins not His own: He 'suffered,
the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God' (1 Pet. 3:18).
Nay, He was not only free from actual transgression, He was incapable
of sin; so fortified against temptation, that He could not be
seduced... He stood firm in the severest trial. No argument, however
subtle, could perplex His reason; no solicitation, however powerful,
could seduce His affections. Satan exhausted his arts against Him in
vain." To which we may add: He touched the leper, but was
uncontaminated. He came into contact with death, but remained
undefiled. He bare our sins in His own body on the tree, yet it was
the "Holy One," unsullied, that was laid in the grave (Ps. 16:10).
4. THE MEDIATOR MUST BE MASTER OF HIMSELF
The one whose work it is to reconcile two parties at variance must not
be under personal obligations to either. None could offer a
satisfaction to law if he himself owed a debt unto it. A mediator must
be independent, having full power over himself, possessing complete
right to act on the part of others. Those who are subject to the
authority of another cannot dispose of themselves and their services
without his consent. Now angels and men are the absolute property of
their Creator, and must wait His command before they may venture to
engage in any enterprise not comprehended in the original law of their
nature. The life of man is God's gift, and must not be thrown away nor
surrendered, no matter what good might be anticipated from the
sacrifice, without the direct permission of the Giver. In a word, a
Mediator between God and men must have full power over His own life,
to lay it down and take it again.
"It is not enough that the substitute be innocent, is free from the
claims of the law for which he gives satisfaction to others. He may be
under obligations to another law, the fulfillment of whose demand may
render it impossible to occupy the place of surety. His whole time and
energies may be thus, as it were, previously engaged, so as to put it
out of his power to make a transfer of any part of them for the behalf
of others. This is, indeed, the case with all creatures. Whatever
service they are capable of performing, they owe originally and
necessarily to God. They are, from their very nature, incapable of
meriting for themselves, much less for others. The right of
self-disposal belongs not to creatures. Themselves and all that
pertains to them, are the property of Him who made and preserves the
same. They are under law to God. They are not under the covenant which
God made with man, to be sure; but the law under which they exist
demands all their energies, it has a claim upon them for the full
amount of the service which they are capable of performing, and thus
denies them all right of giving satisfaction to another law, in behalf
of a different order of creatures" (Dr. W. Symington).
5. THE MEDIATOR MUST ACT VOLUNTARILY
This is so self-evident it should need no arguing. Without this
qualification, all others would be worthless. Let an appointed
mediator be ever so dignified in his person, let him be most
intimately related to man, let him be entirely free from all moral
contamination, let him be completely at his own disposal; yet, it is
manifest that, unless he choose actually to dispose of himself for the
good of others, no validity could attach to what be did. Vicarious
satisfaction can never be compulsory: willingness enters into its very
essence. To compel one to suffer for another would be the height of
injustice. Moreover, God will not accept any sacrifice which is
reluctantly offered to Him: the heart must be in it: "My son, give me
thine heart" (Prov. 23:26) is His first request from His children, for
when He has that, He has everything.
Inexpressibly blessed is it to observe how plainly and how frequently
this very element is seen in the great Mediator. To the proposal in
the eternal covenant He gave His cheerful consent: "Lo, I come: in the
volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my
God" (Ps. 40:7, 8). In all that He did to make atonement for sin, the
Lord Jesus manifested no degree of reluctance. His meat was to do the
Father's will (John 4:34). He was "led [not "driven"] as a lamb to the
slaughter" (Acts 8:32); He "gave His back to the smiters, and His
cheeks to them that plucked off the hair" (Isa. 50:6). "He poured out
His soul unto death" (Isa. 53:12); He "gave up the spirit" (John
19:30). Let the interested reader turn to the Song of Solomon and
behold how blessedly He is there represented as "leaping" and
"skipping" over the mountains of separation as He hastens to His
people!
6. THE MEDIATOR MUST BE FEDERALLY UNITED TO HIS PEOPLE
In his defense of the Satisfaction of Christ, Turretin pointed out how
that there are three kinds of union known to us in human relations
which justifies the imputation of sin one to another; natural, as
between a father and his child; moral and political, as between a king
and his subjects; voluntary, as between friends, or between an
arraigned criminal and his sponsor. But the union of Christ with His
people rests on far stronger ground than any of these considered
alone. It was voluntary on His part, for He spontaneously assumed all
the obligations He bore. But it was also a covenant ordinance, decreed
by the three Divine persons in counsel, whose behests are alone the
foundation of all law, all rights, and of all obligations. "The
Scriptures plainly teach that God has established between Christ and
His people a union sui-generis, transcending all earthly analogies in
its intimacy of fellowship and reciprocal co-partnership both federal
and vital" (Dr. C. Hodge).
The mediatorial position assumed by Christ and the redemptive work
which He performed cannot be rightly understood till they are viewed
in connection with the Everlasting Covenant. It is not difficult to
see that the death on the Cross was only made possible for the Son of
God by His becoming Man. But we need to go farther back and ask, What
was the relation between Christ and His people that made it meet for
Him to become incarnate and die for them? It is not enough to say that
He was their Surety, and Substitute. True, blessedly true, He wrought
and suffered for them because He was their Surety to the offended
Law-giver and Judge. But what rendered it proper that He should occupy
such a place? No satisfactory answer can be given till we go right
back to the counsels of the Godhead. Covenant oneness accounts for
all, vindicates all, explains all.
Christ was substituted for His people because He was and is one with
them-identified with us and we with Him; not merely as decreed by the
sovereign authority of the Godhead, but as covenanted between the
eternal Father and the eternal Son. Christ "bore the sins of many"
because in His covenant identification with them, their sins became
sinlessly but truly His sins; and unto the sons and daughters of the
covenant, the Father imputes the righteousness of His Son, because, in
their covenant oneness with Him, His righteousness is undeservedly but
truly their own righteousness. This alone explains all Christ's
history as the incarnate Son of God; all His interposition as the
Savior of His people; and it places the career of Christ on earth in
its true relation to the eternal purpose of God. In its completeness,
as bearing on the covenant-clients as well as the covenant-Head, it is
the formal instrument by which faith comes into sure possession of
Christ Himself and the benefits of redemption.
Christ is expressly denominated "the last Adam" (1 Cor. 15:45), and
therefore are we told that the first Adam was "the figure of Him that
was to come" (Rom. 5:14). Adam was a "figure" of Christ in quite a
number of ways, but supremely in this, that he stood as the federal
head of a race. God entered into a covenant with him (Hosea 6:6,
margin), and therefore he stood and fell as the legal representative
of all his family: when he sinned, they sinned; when he died, they
died (Rom. 5:12-19). So was it with the "last Adam": He stood as the
covenant Head and federal Representative of all His people, being
legally one with them, so that He assumed and discharged all their
responsibilities. The birth of Christ was the begun manifestation of
the eternal union between Him and His people.
In the Covenant, Christ had said to the Father, "I will declare thy
name unto my brethren, in the midst of the Church will I sing praise
unto thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I
and the children which God hath given me" (Hebrews 2:12, 13). Most
blessedly is this explained in what immediately follows: "Forasmuch
then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself
likewise took part of the same," and therefore "He is not ashamed to
call them brethren." Federation is the root of this amazing mercy,
covenant - identification is the key which explains it. Christ came
not to strangers, but to "brethren"; He came here not to procure a
people for Himself, but to secure a people already His (Eph. 1:4;
Matthew 1:21).
Since such a union has existed between Christ and His people from all
eternity, it inevitably followed that, when He came to earth, He must
bear their sins, and now that He has gone to heaven they must be
clothed (Isa. 61:10) with all the rewardableness of His perfect
obedience. This is the strongest buttress of all in the walls of
Truth, yet the one which has been most frequently assailed by its
enemies. Men have argued that the punishment of the Innocent as though
He were guilty was an outrage upon justice. In the human realm, to
punish a man for something of which he is neither responsible nor
guilty, is, beyond question, unjust. But this principle did not apply
to Christ, for He had voluntarily identified Himself with His people
in such an intimate way that it could be said, "For both He that
sanctifieth, and they who are sanctified, are all of one" (Heb. 2:11).
When we say that the union between Christ and His people is a federal
one, we mean that it is of such a nature as to involve an
identification of legal relations and reciprocal obligations and
rights: "By the obedience of One shall many be made [legally
constituted] righteous" (Rom. 5:19). God's elect were "chosen in
Christ" (Ephesians 1:4). They are "created in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians
2:10). They were circumcised in Him (Colossians 2:11). They are "made
the righteousness of God in him" (2 Corinthians 5: 21). In view of
this ineffable union, Scripture does not hesitate to say, "We are
members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones" (Ephesians 4:30).
7. THE MEDIATOR MUST BE DIVINE
Think of the work the Mediator had to perform. He was to restore to
Divine favor those who were under the curse. He had to render unto the
law an obedience which one created sinless (Adam) had failed to
perform. He was required to present unto God a satisfaction possessing
infinite merits, which procured infinite blessings for His people.
This a finite creature could not do. He was to endure the full weight
of God's outpoured wrath upon all the sins of His people, as they were
concentrated upon the Surety. He was to vanquish the Devil, so as to
deliver his captives. He was to overcome sin, so that its sting was
destroyed. He was to swallow up death and bestow eternal life on all
those the Father had given him. Finally, He was to give the Holy
Spirit unto His people, who would apply to them the redemption
purchased. Who but a Divine person was competent for such an
undertaking?
Again; think of what has been effected by the Mediator's work. It has
restored God's people to true liberty (Gal. 5:1). Now as Witsius
rightly pointed out, if any mere creature, however exalted, had
redeemed us, we should have become the personal property of that
creature, for he who sets us free makes a purchase of us for his
possession (1 Cor. 6:19, 20). But it is a manifest contradiction to be
freed and be free, and yet at the same time be the property of any
creature, for true liberty consists in subjection alone. Thus, our
Lord says, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free
indeed" (John 8: 36). Again; for the redeemed to glory in anyone as
their Savior, to say to Him, thou art our Lord, to render to Him
adoring homage, is an honor to which no mere creature could have the
slightest claim. Thus, the Mediator must be a Divine person.
"It is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away
sins" (Heb. 10:4). Why? In the first place, those typical sacrifices
could not, in the nature of them, magnify the precepts of the law:
they were totally incapable of rendering that perfect obedience which
was required. Nor, secondly, could they endure the full penalty of the
law: "Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof for a
burnt offering" (Isa. 40:16). The fires of God's wrath had utterly
annihilated the cattle upon a thousand hills, and would still wait for
something else to consume. Therefore did God "lay help upon one that
is mighty" (Ps. 89:19). Christ was able not only to perfectly keep the
law, but to suffer the full extent of its unabated curse.
It is "the altar that sanctifieth the gift" (Matthew 23:19), the
reference being to the type of Exodus 29:37: "it shall be an altar
most holy; whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy." Upon this Dr.
T. Ridgley (1815) well said, "From whence it is inferred, that the
altar was more holy than the gift which was laid upon it, and it
signifies, that the altar on which Christ was offered, added an
excellency to His offering. Now nothing could be said to do so, but
His divine nature's being personally united to His humanity, which
rendered it infinitely valuable." For this reason, the mercy seat was
made not of wood, but of "pure gold" (Ex. 25:17).
How often does the Holy Spirit give supreme emphasis to this fact.
Before He tells us in Hebrews 1 that Christ has "by himself purged our
sins," He first presents this vicarious Sufferer as God's "Son," the
"Heir of all things" the "brightness of God's glory," yea, the
"express image of his person"! So in Philippians 2, the One who
"humbled himself and became obedient unto death" is first set before
us as Him who subsisted "in the form of God," and "thought it not
robbery to be equal with God." So again in Colossians 1 He is
described as the Creator of all things (v. 16), ere we read of the
peace which He made by the blood of His Cross. It is because Christ
was who He was which gave an infinite value to what He did.
We close this somewhat lengthy chapter with the concluding words of
Dr. Symington on this enthralling subject: "From the perfection of His
atonement, arising out of the circumstances specified above, does it
proceed, that He makes intercession for us within the veil of the
upper sanctuary, that He dispenses with a munificent hand the gifts of
His purchase and causes the prey of a great spoil to be divided. And
pardon and peace, redemption and holiness, eternal glory and bliss
are, among the rich fruits of the royal and triumphal conquest He
achieved, when by His infinitely meritorious death, He spoiled
principalities and powers, and made a show of them openly. With the
most entire confidence, then, may the needy sinner, smitten with the
deepest sense of conscious unworthiness, rely for salvation on this
all-sufficient atonement."
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A. W. Pink Header
The Satisfaction of Christ
Studies in the Atonement
by A. W. Pink
5. Its Nature
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An inadequate conception of the terrible enormity of sin necessarily
results in a faulty view of the Atonement. In reading through scores
of books which were written at varying intervals during the last four
hundred years, we have been struck by the fact that side by side with
the modifying of the immeasurable heinousness of sin there has been a
whittling down of the most essential features comprised in the
character of Christ's redemptive work. The more lightly sin be
regarded, the less will appear the need for such a stupendous
undertaking as that which the Son of God entered upon and triumphantly
carried through. Sin is an evil of infinite magnitude, for it is
committed against an infinite Person, unto whom every creature is
under infinite obligations of rendering unceasing and joyful
obedience. This is why God's punishment of sin unatoned for will be
eternal: necessarily so, for nothing less will fit the case, nothing
less will satisfy Divine justice. And this is why God could receive no
satisfaction to His broken law save from one that possessed infinite
merits.
Romans 3:22 defines sin as a "coming short of the glory of God," i.e.,
His manifestative or declarative glory. Sin is failing to render unto
God that to which His high honor is entitled, namely, implicit,
perfect, constant homage and service. God's essential blessedness
cannot be affected by the creature: were He to so please, He has
merely to utter the words and every rebel throughout the entire
universe would immediately cease to exist. But His declarative glory
can be affected, yea, is so, by our sins. Sin dishonors God, and
fallen man is utterly unable to restore His honor, yet this inability
so to do is criminal and increases his guilt. Not only does sin
dishonor God, but it cannot be remitted by Him and the transgressor
pardoned, till every claim of His law has been met. This the creature
cannot do. As we showed in our last chapter, none but a mediator who
was Divine as well as human, was competent to render full satisfaction
unto God. This is what Christ has done: His Atonement has brought back
to God's declarative glory that revenue of honor and praise to which
He is entitled.
Now the life and death of Christ are historical facts which are,
practically, universally admitted, but the "word of the cross" (1 Cor.
1:18, R.V.), i.e., the scriptural explanation of His atoning work is
purely a matter of Divine revelation, and is to be received with
uncavilling humility and rested upon with peaceful assurance, simply
because it is made known to us on the authority of God. Reasoning
thereon is utterly vain, and speculating thereabout is profane.
Moreover, as we stated in the opening chapter, all attempts to
illustrate from supposed analogies in human relations dishonor God and
grossly pervert His Truth. The atoning work of Christ is unique. It
stands alone in its solitary grandeur. There is nothing in all history
which in anywise resembles it. When a preacher attempts to "simplify"
the mystery of the three Persons of the Godhead by some illustration
from "nature," he only exhibits his own foolishness, and helps no one.
So too every effort to explain the Atonement with what is outside
Scripture, is only turning from light to darkness. Divine mysteries
cannot be understood by means of those things which come within the
range of our physical senses.
It has been rightly said that "accuracy of terms clarifies thought,"
to which we may add, Accuracy of thought is essential to right views
of any portion of the Truth, and right views of the Truth are honoring
to God. Therefore, no effort should be spared in seeking to attain
unto the utmost possible precision of language when seeking to set
forth the things of God. Many a reader has obtained only a cloudy view
of a subject because the writer confused effects with the nature of
the thing he was dealing with. For example, assurance of salvation is
one of the fruits of faith (as well as a gift of the Spirit), yet it
has often been regarded as an essential element of faith itself. In
consequence, because they lacked assurance, some real Christians have
been plunged into what Bunyan termed the Slough of Despond, because
they imagined they were not saved at all. In like manner, many writers
on the Atonement have carelessly jumbled together some of its leading
effects and fruits with the nature of it.
A pertinent example of what we have just said is seen in the now
almost current idea that the Atonement of Christ signifies
"at-one-ment," the bringing of God and the sinner together. But that
is not the meaning of the term at all, either as used in Scripture or
as employed in sound theology. Reconciliation is one of the many
effects or fruits of Christ's Atonement, but was not part of the work
He did. Many others have failed to distinguish between the Atonement
of Christ and the Redemption which is one of its fruits. It is vitally
important to distinguish between what Christ did and that which has
resulted therefrom. To understand what He did, let us now attempt to
define the nature of His Atonement.
1. IT WAS A FEDERAL WORK
By the term "federal" we mean that there was an official oneness
existing between the Mediator and those for whom He mediated, or in
simpler language, that there is a legal union between Christ and His
people. "When, in the Old Testament, the elect are spoken of as the
party with whom God makes a covenant, they are viewed as in Christ and
one with Him. The covenant is not made with them as alone and apart
from Christ. This is taught in Galatians 3:16: 'To Abraham and his
seed were the promises made,' but this seed 'is Christ.' The elect are
here (as also in 1 Cor. 12:12) called 'Christ,' because of the union
between Christ and the elect. And in like manner, when Christ, as in
Isaiah 42:1-6, is spoken of as the party with whom the Father
covenants, the elect are to be viewed as in Him. As united and one
with Him, His atoning suffering is looked upon as their atoning
suffering: 'I am crucified with Christ' (Gal. 2:20)" (Wm. Shedd,
1889).
"Christ is not only the Substitute but the Surety of His people. The
Gospel is founded on the fact Adam and Christ are covenant heads and
representatives of their respective families. Hence they are termed
'the first man' and 'the second man' (1 Cor. 15:47), as if there had
been none other but themselves, for the children of each were entirely
dependent on their head. In Adam all die; in Christ all are made alive
(1 Cor. 15:22). The first all includes every individual of mankind,
the last all is explained by the apostle to mean 'they that are
Christ's' (1 Cor. 15:23)" (James Haldane, Doctrine of the Atonement).
It was as the Head of His elect that God covenanted with Christ, so
that, in a very real sense, that covenant was made with them. This it
is which explains all those passages that speak of the saints' oneness
with Christ, as that, they were "crucified with Christ" (Gal. 2:20),
"died with Him" (Rom. 6:8), were "buried with Him" as scriptural
baptism symbolizes (Rom. 6:4), were "quickened" with Him (Col. 2:12),
"raised with Him" (Eph. 2:6), and made to "sit together in the
heavenlies in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:6). So they were legally one with
Him, and He with them, in all that He did in rendering a full
Satisfaction to God. On this vitally important point we cannot do
better than give a synopsis of the last section from chapter two of H.
Martin's invaluable work:
"How are we to formulate and establish the relation subsisting between
Christ and His, as Redeemer and redeemed, unless we fall back upon the
doctrine of the Covenant? Some relation, it is evident, must be
acknowledged as subsisting between Christ and those on whose behalf He
dies, else we do not even come within sight of the idea of a vicarious
sacrifice. The possibility of real atonement absolutely postulates and
demands a conjuncture between Him who atones and those for whom His
atonement is available. This is beyond the need of proof. And as there
is an absolute and obvious necessity for some conjuncture or relation,
so in searching for the conjunction or relation which actually
subsists, our search cannot terminate satisfactorily till we reach and
recognize the covenant oneness. The same reason that demands a
relation, remains unsatisfied till it meets with this relation."
It does not meet the necessities of the case to refer to the union
between Christ and His people which is effected in their regeneration
by the agency of the Holy Spirit and the instrumentality of that faith
which is His gift. True, this is indispensable before any can enjoy
any of the blessings of His purchase. But there must have been a
relation between Christ and His people before He ransomed them. Nor
are the necessities of the case met by a reference to the Incarnation.
True, the Redeemer must take upon Him flesh and blood before He could
redeem, yet there must be a bond of union more intimate than that
which Christ holds alike to the saved and the unsaved. He took hold of
"the seed of Abraham" (Heb. 2:16), not the "seed of Adam"! Nor is it
sufficient to say that the relation is that of suretyship and
substitution, for the question still calls for answer, What rendered
it fit and righteous that the Son of God should suffer for others, the
Holy One be made sin? It is to this point the inquiry must be
narrowed.
Christ was the Surety of His people because He was their Substitute.
He acted on their behalf because He stood in their room. The relation
of a substitute justifies the suretyship; but what shall justify the
substitution? There is the hinge upon which everything turns. We
heartily concur with Dr. Martin when he says, "We can obtain no
satisfaction on this point, no sufficient answer to this question, and
therefore no satisfactory conclusion to our whole line of
investigation, till the doctrine of the everlasting covenant-oneness
comes into view. That is the grand underlying relation. That is the
grand primary conjunction between the Redeemer and the redeemed, which
alone bears up and accounts for all else in respect of relation which
can be predicated as true concerning them. 'Both He that sanctifieth
and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause He is not
ashamed to call them brethren' (Heb. 2:11). He is substituted for us,
because He is one with us - identified with us and we with Him."
Promoted by infinite love, Christ, as the God-man, freely accepted the
terms of the Everlasting Covenant which had been proposed to Him, and
voluntarily assumed all the legal responsibilities of His people. As
their Head He came down to this earth, lived, wrought and died as
their vicarious Representative. He obeyed and suffered as their
Substitute. By His obedience and sufferings He discharged all their
obligations. His sufferings remitted the penalty of the law, and His
obedience merited infinite blessings for them. Romans 5:12-19
explicitly affirms that the elect of God are, legally, "made
righteous" on precisely the same principle by which they were first
"made sinners." "Our union with Christ is of the same order, and
involves the same class of effects, as our union with Adam. We call it
a union both federal and vital. Others may call it what they please,
but it will nevertheless remain certain that it is of such a nature as
to involve an identity of legal relations and reciprocal obligations
and rights" (A. A. Hodge). "For as by one man's disobedience many were
made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous"
(Rom. 5:19) - "made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Cor. 5:21).
More than a thousand years ago, Augustine remarked, "Such is the
ineffable closeness of this transcendental union, that we hear the
voice of the members suffering, when they suffered in their Head, and
cried through the Head on the cross, 'My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me?' And, in like manner, we hear the voice of the Head
suffering, when He suffered in His members, and cried to the
persecutor on the way to Damascus 'Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou
me?' (Acts 9:4)."
The federal relation of Christ to His people was a real one, upon
which the infallible God deemed it just to punish Christ for the sins
of His people, and to credit them with His righteousness, and thus
completely satisfy all the demands of His law upon them. As the result
of that union, Christ was in all things "made like unto his brethren"
(Heb. 2:17), being "numbered (reckoned one) with transgressors" (Isa.
53:12); and they, in turn, are "members of His body, of His flesh, and
of His bones" (Eph. 5:30). In consequence of this federal union,
Christ is also made "a quickening Spirit" (1 Cor. 15:45) so that, in
due time, each of His people becomes a living and vital member of that
spiritual body of which He is the Head (Eph. 1:19-23).
The relation between Christ and those who benefit from His Atonement
was, therefore, no vague, indefinite, haphazard one, but consisted of
an actual covenant oneness, legal identity, vital union. Suretyship
presupposes it. Strict substitution demands it. Real imputation
proceeds upon it. The penalty Christ endured could not otherwise have
been inflicted. They for whom Satisfaction was made do, by inevitable
necessity, share its benefits and receive what was purchased for them.
This alone meets the objection of the injustice of the Innocent
suffering for the guilty, as it alone explains the transfer of
Christ's sufferings and merits to the redeemed.
2. IT WAS A SUBSTITUTIONARY WORK
The terms "substitutionary" and "vicarious" are often used very
loosely. Many who have sought to gain a reputation for orthodoxy and
thereby ingratiate themselves into the confidence of God's people have
made use of the bare terms, yet intended by them nothing more than
that Christ suffered on the behalf of others, for the benefit of
others. But that is only a half truth, and therefore close akin to a
lie. Vicarious suffering or punishment is more than suffering endured
for the good of others. The suffering of martyrs for the good of their
cause, of patriots for their country, of philanthropists for mankind,
are not "vicarious," for they are not substitutionary. Vicarious
suffering is suffering endured not only on behalf of others, but in
the stead of others, in the actual place of others. It therefore
carries with it the exemption of the party in whose place the
suffering is endured. What a substitute does for the person whose
place he fills, absolves that person from the need of himself doing or
suffering the same thing. Thus, when we affirm that the sufferings of
Christ were vicarious" we mean that He substituted Himself in the room
of sinners and satisfied the law in their behalf, and that, in such a
way, the law can now make no claim whatever upon them. Christ's
sufferings were "vicarious" in identically the same way that the death
of animals in the Old Testament sacrifices was in lieu of the death of
the transgressor offering them.
The Scriptures teach that Christ was in a strict and exact sense the
Substitute of His people, i.e., that by Divine appointment and of His
own free will, He assumed all their liabilities, took their law-place,
and bound Himself to do in their stead all that the law demanded,
rendering to it that obedience upon which their wellbeing depended,
and suffering its penalty which their sins deserved. Christ became
their vicarious Sponsor, assuming their obligations and undertaking to
satisfy Divine justice on their behalf. So real was His substitution
in their place, that what He did and suffered for them precluded all
necessity of their meeting the demands of the law in their own
persons. Thus, the Satisfaction which Christ made was far more than an
expedient for "removing those obstacles" which prevented God from
justifying the ungodly: it was that which required Justice to remit
the sins of all for whom it was made. The Satisfaction of Christ was
infinitely more than a means for "opening a way" whereby the grace of
God could flow forth: it was that which necessitated all for whom it
was made being vested with all its meritorious efficacy.
In becoming the Substitute of His people, in placing Himself under
their liabilities, in engaging to discharge all their
responsibilities, Christ was, necessarily, "made under the law" (Gal.
4:4), so that He might keep its statutes, fulfill its requirements,
and thus "magnify" and render it "honorable" (Isa. 42:21). The
Scriptures plainly teach that Christ's obedience was as truly
"vicarious" as was His suffering, and that He reconciled the elect to
God by the one as well as the other - that is why we insist on using
the wider term "the Satisfaction of Christ," for "atonement," strictly
speaking, covers only the expiation of our guilt by His vicarious
suffering. The active obedience of Christ to the law was required as
the meritorious condition upon which the Divine favor and the promised
reward of the Covenant might come upon all whose Surety He was. We
must never attempt to separate between the active obedience and the
passive sufferings of Christ, either when contemplating His
mediatorial work, or when considering the effect of that work upon the
covenant-standing of His people. Christ's vicarious obedience is an
intrinsic part of that "righteousness" which He wrought in our stead,
and which is imputed to us as the ground of our justification. All
that Christ did on earth He did as Mediator. He was acting in our
stead just as truly when He was obeying God as when He was enduring
His wrath. It is in reference to both of these conjointly that He is
designated "the Lord our righteousness" (Jer. 23:6).
It needs to be pointed out that the "obedience" of Christ is not to be
restricted to what He wrought prior to the Cross, nor are His
"sufferings" to be limited to what He endured during the crucifixion
and immediately preceding it. No, He suffered all through His life,
and obeyed throughout His dying. "The whole earth life of Christ,
including His birth itself, was one continued self-emptying, even unto
death. His birth, and every moment of His life, in the form of a
servant, was of the nature of holy sufferings. Every experience of
pain during the whole course of His life, and eminently in His death
on the cross, was, on His part, a voluntary and meritorious act of
obedience. He lived His whole life, from His birth to His death, as
our Representative, obeying and suffering in our stead, and for our
sakes; and during this whole course, all His suffering was obedience,
and all His obedience was suffering. The righteousness which He
wrought out for His people consisted precisely in this suffering and
obedience. The righteousness of Christ, which is imputed severally to
each believer, as the ground of his justification, consists precisely
of this suffering and obedience. His earth life as suffering cancels
the penalty, and as obedience, fulfills the precepts and secures the
promised reward of the law; but the suffering and the obedience were
not separated in fact, and are inseparable in principle, and equally
necessary to satisfy the law of the covenant and to secure the
salvation of the elect" (A.A. Hodge).
The law, as a covenant of life, was accompanied by two sanctions.
First, the promise of "life" or Divine favor and eternal well-being,
conditioned upon perfect obedience: see Leviticus 18:5; Matthew 19:17;
Romans 10:5; Galatians 3:12. Second, the penalty of "death" suspended
on disobedience. Now the object for which Christ became incarnate was
"that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us" (Rom.
8:4), and therefore is Christ declared to be "the end of the law for
righteousness to every one that believeth" (Rom. 10:4). And this was
only made possible by His fulfilling all the law's conditions. Had not
Christ vicariously obeyed the law, had He merely suffered its penalty,
due our sins, then we should be destitute of any positive
righteousness, and would be left just where Adam was before he fell.
But the Scriptures emphatically affirm that Christ saved by His
obedience as well as by His sufferings: "For as by one man's
disobedience, many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One shall
many be made righteous" (Rom. 5:19) - Christ's "obedience" is to be
interpreted here in the same natural and obvious way as the
"disobedience" of Adam. Thus our twofold obligation to God, as
creatures and as sinners, was met and discharged by Christ.
"As our Representative, He bore in the union of His divine personality
our nature impersonally, 'a true body and a reasonable soul,' in order
that He might thus be made vicariously under the law, to the end that
by His purely vicarious obedience He might 'redeem them that are under
the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons' (Gal. 4:4,5).
This means necessarily (a) that Christ was made under the law, that He
did not belong there naturally, but was transferred to that position
by an act of divine sovereignty; (b) that He was placed there, not for
Himself but in our stead; (c) that He was made under the law for the
purpose of securing for us not only the remission of sins, but also
the adoption of sons, whereby we become 'heirs of God through Christ'
(Gal. 4:7); all of which is conditioned not upon suffering but upon
obedience. All that Christ did on earth He did as our Mediator, and
all that He did as Mediator, He did in the stead of those for whom He
acted as Mediator. Therefore He said (Matthew 3:15), 'for thus it
becometh us to fulfill all righteousness,' that is, all that God
requires of His people" (A.A. Hodge).
In Romans 8:3 (the context should be carefully weighed) we read of
"what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh."
That which the law was unable to do was justify the ungodly. The
reason for this was that the law demands perfect obedience, and this
the flesh, because of sin, makes it impossible for the sinner to
render. In view of this, God sent His own Son in the likeness of
sinful flesh and for sin. Sent Him into the law-place of His people
and by His executing the penalty upon Him "condemned sin in the
flesh," and by accepting His vicarious obedience the "righteousness of
the law" is fulfilled in us. The phrase "the righteousness of the law"
is used in the New Testament to express the totality of that which the
law demands as the condition of favor. In Adam, before he fell, the
righteousness of the law was perfect obedience. In the case of all his
descendants, it is perfect obedience plus the suffering of its
penalty; hence the impossibility of our achieving a legal
righteousness by our own personal agency.
Now "the righteousness of the law" is placed in antithesis from "the
righteousness of faith" (Rom. 10:5,6). That is to say (see context)
the futile attempts of the sinner to satisfy the requirements of the
law in his own person, is contrasted from the vicarious satisfaction
of Christ which faith apprehends and appropriates. "To them that have
obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of our
God and Savior Jesus Christ"
(2 Pet. 1:1). To the same effect our worthless righteousness is
contrasted from God's perfect righteousness in Christ: see Romans
3:20-26. Obedience is therefore the essence of righteousness, and that
obedience, the obedience of Christ. Therefore we read that He is "made
unto us wisdom and righteousness" (1 Cor. 1:30). And therefore Paul
declares his desire to "be found in him, not having mine own
righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the
faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith" (Phil.
3:9). The endurance of penalty by Christ demanded that our sins should
be remitted; the performing of obedience by Christ demanded that His
righteousness be imputed to us and that we should be eternally
established in God's favor.
In the above passage (Rom. 8:3) we are told that God sent His own Son
"in the likeness of sinful [literally "sin's"] flesh." This remarkable
expression needs to be carefully investigated, lest we err by
overstatement, or come short of its meaning by defective statement.
First, it affirms the reality of Christ's humanity. Second, inasmuch
as that humanity was united to. Godhead, it must be sinless humanity:
generated by the Holy Spirit it was pure and holy. This was secured by
the fact that though He took flesh from Adam through the Virgin, He
was not in Adam's covenant. Third, its "likeness" or appearance was
after the order of "sin's flesh": between Him and sinful men there was
no perceptible difference that could be traced: in weariness and
exhaustion, sorrow and heaviness, Christ was in all respects "made
like unto his brethren." But toil and sorrow, weakness and pain, came
not on Him as the inevitable consequence of the Incarnation, but
resulted from His coming here as the Surety of His people.
Christ was personally exempt from all the consequences of Adam's sin,
but officially He was subject to them. Personally, He was a Divine
person assuming a sinless humanity, and had He not come here as the
Head of God's elect (considered as fallen creatures), He had doubtless
appeared in a humanity as glorious as that of unfallen Adam's. But
officially He assumed "the likeness of sin's flesh," an expression
referring to the effects of which sin was the cause: namely, subject
to suffering and mortality and this from the moment of His birth. O
infinite stoop! O marvel of condescensions! He bore in His body the
weight of imputed sin, a body bearing the sad marks of sin, for "His
visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the
sons of men" (Isa. 52:14). There was no perceptible difference between
His humanity and ours, not because precisely the same flesh had been
transmitted to Him from Adam, but because as our Sin-bearer He
voluntarily assumed the burden of imputed guilt, which carried with it
abasement and degradation, suffering and death: it was officially
assumed, not personally inherited.
Christ came in the likeness of sin's flesh "for sin" (Rom. 8:3), i.e.,
on account of sin: that is why God "sent" Him. "Condemned sin in the
flesh": sin is still personified, as in Romans 5, 6, 7: see 5:21;
6:14, etc. - the potentate having men in bondage. God "condemned sin"
speaks of sin as a person judged before the highest tribunal and
righteously condemned. In consequence of God's judgment, sin has no
further claim on those over whom he had tyrannized: they are set free.
"Condemned sin in the flesh" means condemned it in Christ's humanity,
as the sinless Sin-offering - cf. 2:1; 5:18 - a condemnation freeing
His people from condemnation: 8:1. Christ was "condemned," visited
with penal suffering, because He appeared before God only in the guise
of our accursed sins. And, this, in order that "the righteousness of
the law might be fulfilled in us," i.e., as if we personally had done
it.
Rightly did Mr. J. Inglis point out, "The fact that God sent forth His
Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, intimates that He
entered into the condition of His people, which, with all its evils,
is the consequence of sin. If we find Him poor and despised, hungry
and thirsty, subject to toil and fatigue, a man of sorrows and
acquainted with grief, not exempt from the fear of death nor from
actual mortality, to say nothing of all else that He endured at the
hands of Satan and of man; all these are indubitably the consequences
of sin, and He could be exposed to them only as He represented
sinners" (Waymarks, Vol. 10).
A fuller light shines forth from the four Gospels when we perceive
that they are not the biography of a private individual, but the
history of the Surety of God's people. Christ was the Representative
Head of an elect company: from Bethlehem to Calvary He was their
vicarious Victim. The appearing of the Son of God on earth was the
direct consequence of sin. The Incarnation and the Cross are
inseparable; both were a means to an end - the vindication of Divine
justice, the expiation of sin, the rendering of meritorious obedience
to the law. We cannot survey the meanness of His birth, made lower
than the angels; the poverty of His condition, His manual occupation,
earning His bread by the sweat of His brow, according to the curse
upon His people; His temptation by Satan; His privations, the enduring
of hunger and thirst and public execution; these, we say, cannot be
contemplated without the firm conviction that they were all included
in our guilt and related to our punishment.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Satisfaction of Christ
Studies in the Atonement
by A. W. Pink
6. Its Nature-Continued
_________________________________________________________________
The particular aspect of the Satisfaction of Christ which is now
before us leads into the very heart of this wondrous theme. It is most
important for the honoring of God and the establishing of our souls in
the Truth that the nature of the Atonement should be scripturally and
clearly defined. Mistake at this point is fatal. Until we apprehend
aright what it was that Christ did, we are not prepared to contemplate
the design, the efficacy, the extent, or the fruits and results of it,
and still less are we equipped to proclaim and expound it. For these
reasons we must proceed slowly and endeavor to make quite sure of our
ground. The great majority of the errors of men upon the Atonement are
the consequences of an unscriptural conception of the nature of it. We
would therefore beg the reader to prayerfully and patiently read and
re-read what we are writing on this vital phase of our subject,
testing all by God's Word.
In our last chapter we pointed out that the atoning work of Christ
was,
First, a federal one: that there was an official union existing
between the Mediator and those for whom He mediated, that there is a
legal oneness between Christ and His people. Before the foundation of
the world God's elect were "chosen in Christ" (Ephesians 1:4),
"promised" eternal life (Titus 1:2), and were "given" grace in Him (2
Tim. 1:9). It was therefore as their covenant Head, and because of
this, as their covenant Surety, that when the fullness of time was
come God sent forth His Son to transact on their behalf. All that
Christ did and all that He suffered was as their legal Representative.
Unless this be firmly grasped as what lies at the very foundation of
the redemptive sacrifice of Christ, we are certain to err when
attempting to interpret its scope and application. Christ and His
people together formed one mystical Person in the repute of God.
Second, the atoning work of Christ was a substitutionary one. What
Christ did and suffered was not only on the behalf of others, but it
was also expressly in the stead of others. True, blessedly true, that
His obedience and His sufferings have benefited others, but it needs
to be emphatically said and firmly held that His obedience was
performed and His sufferings were endured in the actual room of
others. Christ took the law-place of His people, assumed their
liabilities, became their Sponsor, and undertook to satisfy Divine
justice for them. This Christ engaged to do when He accepted the terms
of the Everlasting Covenant. This Christ came to do when He became
incarnate. From Bethlehem to Calvary He is to be regarded as having
taken the place of His guilty people, suffering and doing, doing and
suffering, what the righteous law of God required at their hands.
"When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made
of a woman, made under the law" (Galatians 4:4), Christ's derivation
of real humanity through His mother is no unimportant matter,
concerning the Atonement, for His fraternity, as our kinsman Redeemer,
absolutely depends upon the fact that He derived His humanity from the
substance of His mother; for without this He would neither possess the
natural nor legal union with His people, which must be at the
foundation of His representative character. To be our Redeemer His
humanity could neither be brought from heaven, nor immediately created
by God, but derived as ours is, from a human mother; but with this
difference, His humanity never existed in Adam's covenant, to entail
either guilt or taint. He must be within the pale of mankind.
Nevertheless, Christ was "made under the law" not by the condition of
creaturehood, but for the ends of Suretyship: hence the imputative
value of His obedience. (Condensed from George Smeaton.)
The words "made under the law" need to be carefully defined. "Christ
became subject to the law by a special Divine constitution. He was not
born under it as all men are; their subjection to the law follows upon
their being the natural descendants of Adam, to whom the law was
originally given, and his being to them a representative. But Christ
was not a natural descendant of Adam, nor was the first Adam a
representative of the second Adam, for He was the Lord from heaven.
His obligation to the law ariseth not from His birth, but He was made
under it by an appointment peculiar to Himself, to answer a specific
end, viz., the redemption of sinful men. And therefore what the law
required of them, either in a way of suffering or obedience, He became
obliged by this Divine constitution to undergo and perform" (John
Brine, 1743, The Certain Efficacy of the Death of Christ).
Christ was both "born" and "given" to the people of God (Isa. 9:6),
and that with a view to their salvation: what He did and suffered was
for the sake of and in the room of those on whose account He came into
the world. Some have sought to evade the vicarious character of His
obedience by arguing that as Man, Christ was under obligation to keep
the law. But this is to deny, if not implicitly yet explicitly that He
was the Son of God. Great care needs to be exercised at this point.
The humanity of Christ, as such, was impersonal, and therefore owed no
obedience to the law. The God-man is not two persons in one: He is one
person with two natures. As the Son of God He was a person before He
became incarnate. In becoming incarnate He took to Himself humanity,
but not a second personality. Therefore the manhood of Christ being
united to the Son of God, He was not and could not be obligated to
obey the law. It was by a Divine constitution, by covenant agreement,
that He was "made under the law," with a view to the redemption and
justification of God's elect.
Now the moment Christ was "made under the law" He entered the place
occupied by His people, considered as fallen creatures. This alone
explains the experiences He encountered, the degradation He suffered,
the injustice He met with at the hands of men, and the punishment He
received from God Himself. We harbor the most dishonoring and
degrading views of God if we imagine for a moment that He would allow
an innocent person to suffer, still less so that He would permit His
beloved Son to unrighteously suffer at the hands of human wretches. We
shall never view aright the manger-cradle, the necessity for the
flight into Egypt, the laboring at the carpenter's bench, the having
not where to lay His head, the horrible indignities He endured from
His enemies, and the wicked treatment He received from those who
passed sentence of death upon Him, till we recognize that from
Bethlehem to Calvary He was the vicarious Victim of His people, that
He was bearing their sins, and suffering the due rewards of their
inquities.
"No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly" (Ps.
84:11). But as the descendants of fallen Adam, God's people, in their
unregenerate days, did the very reverse from walking uprightly. They
forsook the way of God's commandments and followed a course of
self-will, and that, not occasionally, but constantly. In consequence,
many good things were withheld from them. Though addressed directly to
Israel, the words of Jeremiah 5:25 contain a principle of wide
application: "Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your
sins have withholden good things from you. Therefore, when Christ came
here as the Sinbearer of His people, Divine justice required that He
should be deprived of many "good things."
As a wanderer from the Father's house (Luke 15:13), man has forfeited
all right to so much as an earthly abode, hence we find Christ taking
the place of the homeless Stranger here. Inasmuch as fallen man
prefers the "world" to anything that God sets before him, we find
Christ carried down into Egypt (the outstanding symbol of "the world"
in Scripture), and therefore did God say "Out of Egypt have I called
my Son" (Matthew 2:15). In consequence of the Fall, God pronounced the
following curse upon man, "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat
bread" (Gen. 3:19), therefore do we find Christ toiling for His (Mark
6:3). Because the elect in their unregenerate days failed to love
their neighbors, we find Christ experiencing the hatred of men.
Because we have been guilty of gluttony, He was made to hunger.
Because we have been intemperate in drinking, He thirsted. Because we
have misused our money, He was penniless (Matthew 17:27). Because we
have spoken ill of God, He was spoken against; because we have denied
Him, He was denied. "Not one throb of pain did He feel, not one pang
of sorrow did He experience, not one sigh of anguish did He heave, not
one tear of grief did He shed, for Himself. All were for men; all were
for us. If not one of His sufferings was personal, it follows that
they were all substitutionary, that they were all, of course, included
in the matter or substance of His atoning sacrifice. During the whole
period of His mortal life the victim was a-slaying. At the moment of
His birth, the sword of justice was unsheathed against the man who is
Jehovah's fellow, and returned not to its scabbard till it had been
bathed in the blood of Calvary.
"It may be deemed at variance with this view of the subject, that the
redemption of man is sometimes in Scripture ascribed simply to the
blood of Christ, or to His death alone. But such language is not to be
understood as limiting the Atonement of Christ to the simple act of
dying, or to those sufferings in which there was an effusion of
literal blood. The bloody agony of the garden, and the accursed death
of the Cross, were prominent and concluding parts of His sufferings,
and, by a common figure, so to speak, the completion of His
humiliation, without which all that went before must have been in
vain; and may be regarded as having procured salvation, in the same
way as that last installment of a sum which is paid by degrees, may be
supposed to cancel the debt and procure a discharge. But, as when
Christ is said to have been 'obedient unto death,' we are to
understand the phrase, not of a single act, but of the duration of His
obedience throughout the whole period of His life, so may it be said
that He suffered unto death, as expressive of the duration of His
suffering throughout the whole of His earthly course" (W. Symington).
It is in the closing scenes of "the days of His flesh" that we may the
more fully discover Christ occupying the place of His sinful people,
and receiving from God that which was due them. Even where we behold
Him before men, that which transpired is to be read and interpreted in
the light of His vicarious position and His complete identification
with His guilty people. What took place here on earth was but the
visible adumbration of the trial and verdict of the Higher Court. Take
His appearance before Caiaphas and Pilate. We venture to say that all
the annals of human history will be searched in vain not only for a
parallel but for anything approaching a resemblance. Nevertheless, the
deeper meaning of the unprecedented treatment meted out to Christ has
been perceived by but few. Here, as almost everywhere else, men have
been occupied with the human instead of with the Divine side of
things. Many a writer has marveled at the iniquitous conduct of
Israel's high priest and Judea's Roman governor, and have scathingly
condemned their unrighteous actions; but apparently it never occurred
to them to ask, Why did God not only suffer, but ordain it all? (Acts
4:27,28).
The Romans were renowned for their respect for the law, the equity of
their dealings, the generosity with which they treated those whom they
conquered. How then is Pilate's unjust treatment of Christ to be
accounted for? True, from the human side, he feared that if he
resisted the demands of the Jewish leaders, a complaint would be made
to Caesar, and then he would probably lose his position. Nevertheless,
this still leaves unsolved the deeper and more important question: Why
should God require His Son to be mocked by submitting to a trial which
appears to us worse than a farce, really, a travesty of justice? We
submit that one consideration alone supplies the key to this mighty
problem, and that, the two fold relation which Christ sustained:
personally innocent, officially guilty; in Himself, without sin; by
virtue of His identification with His people, "made sin." It was the
Sinner who was arraigned for sentence. "He was [judicially] reckoned
[by God] among the transgressors" (Luke 22:37): this applies equally
to His trial, His buffetings in the judgment-hall, and His actual
crucifixion. John 18:8 proves this: If the Representative be seized,
then those whom He represented must go free.
As the Substitute of His sinful people, Christ had to be found
innocent and yet pronounced guilty! Though personally spotless, Divine
justice required that He should be dealt with as officially deserving
of condemnation. What occurred in Jerusalem was but the visible
expression of the great Assize which had been held in Heaven. The
sentence pronounced by the human judges was but the intimation or
announcement of the sentence which had been passed by the Divine Judge
upon the Sin-bearer. Christ hid not His face from shame and spitting.
Why? Because as guilty criminals, as convicted outlaws, as the vilest
of wretches, that is what our sins deserved. When before His accusers
He was "dumb," making no reply to the charges brought against Him
(Matthew 26:60). Why? Because though personally innocent, He occupied
the place of guilty sinners, therefore was there nothing which He
could adduce in extenuation.
A marvelous flood of light does this throw upon the Gospel narratives.
The charge which was laid against Christ as He stood before the
Sanhedrin, as brought against those whom He represented was not false!
Guilty of blasphemy against God each of us most certainly is.
Therefore as the official Representative of His sinful people, the
Lord Jesus stood silent, putting in no plea to arrest judgment. So
true was the accusation against us, there was no need of witnesses
(Matthew 26:65)! We say again, the earthly court, dealing with the
charge of blasphemy, or dishonor done to the Name and Word of God, and
in sentencing to death our Surety, was the pronouncement on our sins,
much in the same way as the shadow on the sundial registers the
movements which are taking place in another sphere! Christ's holy
Person was there in the room of guilty persons, and the human judge
but expressed the verdict of the Divine Judge! It was the Sinner who
was arraigned for sentence. At the beginning, the Judge of all the
earth had formally pronounced sentence, "Thou shalt surely die," and
that sentence was now fully and finally executed, vicariously, on
elect sinners.
It were an insult to His moral government to suppose for a moment that
the inflexibly righteous and ineffably holy God would permit a
perfectly innocent and pure Man to endure the indignities, the
sufferings, and the sentence which Christ received. His own infallible
Word assures us, "When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even
his enemies to be at peace with him" (Prov. 16:7). Ah, it was no
innocent person that stood before Caiaphas and Pilate; instead, it was
the sinner who was on trial - there in the person of his sinless and
immaculate Substitute. The earthly court of judgment was but the
foreground; in reality it was the Bearer of sin making a real
appearance before the Bar of God! Hence, there could only be one
decision possible: though personally sinless He was officially guilty,
and nothing remained but sentence of condemnation and the prompt
execution of it. Thus may we, and thus should we admire the
over-ruling providence of God, which caused the lower court on earth
to shadow forth so clearly the action of the Supreme Court on High.
What we have attempted to bring out above is so little apprehended,
yea is so completely unknown to almost all of our readers - so
superficial to the last degree are the pulpit-ministrations of the
best today! - that we trust they will bear with our repetitions, and
even go to the trouble of re-reading what has been written. So we say
again, that there is no possible explanation of that (seemingly)
anomalous trial, which passed through the due forms of law and order,
unless we recognize that it was a symbolical representation, yea, a
Divinely-arranged tableau, of a spiritual mystery, setting forth the
altogether unique, because dual, relation which Christ occupied. Thus
was Pilate obliged to affirm to absolute innocence of that blessed One
who stood before him: seven times over he declared "I find no fault in
Him." Nevertheless, he sentenced Him to death! Christ was personally
innocent, yet as the vicarious Victim, as the Representative of His
criminal people, He was officially guilty. Thus, Christ was
righteously pronounced personally spotless, but officially condemned
to death. That is why God caused His beloved to endure such mockery,
ignominy and suffering.
"Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood,
Hallelujah! what a Savior."
The passages of Scripture which expressly set forth the vicarious
character of Christ's atoning work are so numerous that we can here
but make a selection from them. It was predicted that, "After three
score and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for Himself"
(Dan. 9:26). Then for whom was He "cut off"? Hear the answer of God's
Spirit-taught people, "He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised
for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and
with His stripes we are healed" (Isa. 53:5). From His own declarations
we may cite the following. "The Son of man came not to be ministered
unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many"
(Matthew 20:28); "The Good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep"
(John 10:11). From the writings of the apostles, the following may be
taken as samples: "Christ died for the ungodly" (Rom. 5:6); "Christ
also hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust" (1 Pet.
3:18); "God... sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins"
(1 John 4:10).
Enemies of the Truth, anxious to repudiate the substitutionary nature
of Christ's obedience and death have pointed out the word "for" is not
conclusive. It may signify "in the stead of," or it may also mean only
"on the behalf of." Thus: the soldier dies "for," or on behalf of his
country, The sufficient answer to this is that though in some passages
the Greek preposition "huper" is used, which also has the same double
meaning as our English "for," yet there are other passages where the
Holy Spirit has employed the term "and" and this cannot signify
anything else than "in the stead of." This is the word used in Mark
10:41, "This is My body which is given for (and) you."
In the Septuagint Greek translation of the Old Testament the word
"anti" is used to express the setting of one thing or person over
against another. This may be seen by a reference to the following
passages, where "anti" is used for the words we place in italic type:
"God hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel"
(Gen. 4:25). "Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses and flocks
and cattle" (Gen. 47:17). "Aaron died, and Eli his son ministered in
the priest's office in his stead" (Deut. 10:6). These passages are so
clear and the scope of the preposition is so obvious that comment
thereon would be superfluous.
This Greek preposition is also used in the New Testament in passages
other than where Christ is in view, which define its meaning
unequivocally. Take the following instances where "anti" is the Greek
equivalent for the English words placed in italic type: "Archelaus
reigned in Judea in the room of his father Herod" (Matthew 2:22). "Ye
have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a
tooth" (Matthew 5:38). "If he ask for a fish, will he for a fish give
him a serpent?"(Luke 11:11). "Recompense no man evil for evil" (Rom.
12:17). In none of these passages can "and" possibly mean "on behalf
of." No, it has - except in those cases where it is used in the sense
of against, as in "anti-christ" - the uniform significance of "in the
stead of."
Thus, after a minute examination of the passages where this Greek
preposition is found, we are thoroughly satisfied that we are fully
warranted in saying with A. A. Hodge, "If the Holy Spirit intended us
to understand that Christ was strictly substituted in the Law-place of
His people, He could have used no language more exactly adapted to
express His meaning. If this were not His meaning, we may well despair
of arriving at the understanding of His meaning on the subject through
the study of His words in any department of Scripture."
Though the Greek preposition "huper" has the double meaning which our
English "for" possesses, that is no reason for allowing the enemies of
Truth to wrest from our hands those passages which treat of Christ's
Atonement, where this particular term occurs. That "huper" sometimes
has the same force as "and" no honest scholar will deny. That we are
obliged to understand it as signifying "in the stead of" in many
places, may be clearly shown and definitely established by various
considerations. Take just one passage' "For the love of Christ
constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if One died for (huper)
all, therefore all died" (2 Cor. 5:14 R. V.). Here the fact of
substitution is plain; since Christ died in the room and place of the
"all," then the "all" are legally regarded as having died too. In
other words, the vicarious atonement of Christ is reckoned as the
personal atonement of the believer. It would be mere nonsense to say,
"If one died for the benefit of all, then all died." Should it be
asked, Why has the Holy Spirit used the somewhat ambiguous "huper" in
some passages rather than the unequivocal "and," the answer is,
Because Christ not only died in His people's stead, but also for their
benefit!
Summing up what has been before us under this second division of the
nature of Christ's Satisfaction, we would say: The sufferings to which
the Lord Jesus was exposed, from the hour of His birth until He
committed His spirit into the hands of the Father, were strictly and
definitely vicarious, borne as the Substitute of His people-not only
for their advantage, but actually in their room and stead. He came
here as their Representative and federal Head, undertaking and
discharging all their obligations, receiving in His spirit and soul
and body, all that was due them. He was their Ransom, paying their
debts. He was their Mediator, coming in between God and them,
receiving from Him and rendering to Him, whatever was due to and from
them. He was their High Priest offering for them. He was abased
because of our pride. He was made poor to atone for our covetousness.
He was an hungered because we, in Adam, eat of the forbidden fruit. He
thirsted, because we have drunken from forbidden fountains. He died,
because we were dead in sins.
Though it be an anticipation of what belongs, strictly speaking, to a
later aspect of our theme, we cannot close this chapter without
calling attention to the clear, inescapable, and inexpressibly blessed
implication of what has been before us. Christ not only died in our
stead, He died to secure our salvation. He not only died in our room,
He died for our benefit. Because He became poor, we are enriched.
Because He was forsaken of God, we are reconciled to God. Because He
was stripped of His garments, we are clothed with the robe of His
righteousness. He was abased that we might be exalted. He came to
earth that we might go to heaven. He became servant that we might be
"made free." He was troubled that we might be comforted. He was
tempted that we might triumph. He was scourged that we might be
healed. He was dishonored that we might be glorified. And there is no
contingency or uncertainty about it. That His people should reap the
benefits of Christ's satisfaction is not made dependent on their
fulfilling any conditions. Repentance and faith were purchased by
Christ for every one for whom He obeyed and suffered. Divine justice
requires that Christ shall see of the travail of His soul and be
satisfied. The law of God demands that its reward should be bestowed
on all for whom Christ obeyed it. The very righteousness and
faithfulness of God insist that, because the Captain of their
salvation was made perfect through suffering, He shall bring the "many
sons to glory."
"Payment God cannot twice demand,
First at my bleeding Surety's hand
And then again at mine.
"Complete atonement Thou hast made,
And to the utmost farthing paid
What e'er Thy people owed.
"Flow then can wrath on me take place
If sheltered in Thy righteousness
And sprinkled with Thy blood?
"Turn, then, my soul, unto thy rest,
The merits of thy Great High Priest
Speak peace and liberty.
"Trust in His efficacious blood,
Nor fear thy banishment from God
Since Jesus died for thee." (Toplady)
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A. W. Pink Header
The Satisfaction of Christ
Studies in the Atonement
by A. W. Pink
7. Its Nature-Continued
_________________________________________________________________
Rightly has it been said that, "The doctrine of the Atonement is put
in its proper light only when it is regarded as the central truth of
Christianity, the great theme of Scripture. The principal object of
Revelation was to unfold this unique method of reconciliation by which
men, once alienated from God, might be restored to a right relation,
and even to a better than their previous standing. But the doctrine is
simply revealed,or in other words, is taught us by Divine authority
alone" (George Smeaton). If it be a fact that the great Atonement is
the central luminary in the firmament of God's truth, it is equally
true that the nature of the Atonement is the very heart of this vital
subject. Therefore it behooves us to give it our most prayerful and
careful consideration.
In seeking to set forth the nature of the Satisfaction which the
Mediator rendered to God on behalf of His people, we have seen, first,
that His work was a federal one: that Christ entered this world not as
a private individual, but in an official character, as the
covenant-Head of God's elect, as their legal Representative.
Remarkably does this appear in His first ministerial utterance. In
Luke 2:49 we have the first personal word which Scripture records as
proceeding from those lips into which grace had been "poured" (Ps.
45:2), viz., "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?"
There He expressed His relation to God,to the One who had sent Him: He
had come here to do that business or work the Father had assigned Him.
Those words were uttered by Him as a Boy of twelve. An interval of
eighteen years pass before we hear another utterance from Him who
spake as never man did, viz., "Suffer it to be so now: for thus it
becometh us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:15). Here He
expresses His relation to His people,to those on whose behalf He was
sent.
The Savior had now come forth from the seclusion of Nazareth and
presented Himself for baptism at the hands of His forerunner. John is
to be regarded as the living expression and culminating point of the
law and the Prophets (Luke 16:16). who had for long centuries
witnessed to the coming of Messiah, and which now, by their great
representative (Matthew 11:11), was to induct Christ into His office
(John 1:31). As Christ recognized them (by coming to John), so they
(in Him, their representative) were to authenticate Him as the truth
of the Prophets and the substance of the law's types. At first John
demurred, and Christ said "suffer it to be so now."In the Greek the
"now" is emphatic: suffer it in My present state of humiliation, as an
act suited to My office as Substitute.The reason given was: "for thus
it becometh US"not "Me" personally, but "us" - Christ one with those
whom He had come to save! There is the federal relationship seen from
the beginning!
"Thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness." Those words are
not to be limited to the act of baptism' the language is more general
in its scope, though particular in its terms. The words "becometh"
signified, It is not unworthy of the Son of God to stoop so low, for
"righteousness" requires it. His language intimated, It is suitable
that I should appear in the "likeness of sin's flesh," identifying
Myself with them in "confessing their sins" (Mark 1:5). It was
becoming that He should be immersed in that river which spoke of death
(Jer. 12:5) at the very outset of His public ministry, for it
symbolized that "baptism" of suffering which He would undergo (Luke
12:50). and showed His willingness to endure it. Passing beneath the
waters of Jordan was a fitting emblem of all those "waves and billows"
(Ps. 42:7) of God's wrath which would shortly break over Him. It was
meet that He should "fulfill all righteousness," submit to all that
the law had foreshadowed and the prophets predicted, and thus meet all
the demands of God upon His people.
Second, we have seen that the Satisfaction which Christ rendered unto
God was a vicarious one. Now as the Substitute of His people the law
exacted two things from Christ: first, that He should render that
obedience which was required from them as creatures; second, that He
should endure that penalty which they merited as sinners. Thus, the
mediatorial work Which was given to Christ to perform involved two
things, which though inseparably connected, yet are clearly separable
in thought, namely a work of obedience distinguished from the
sufferings He bore. In all His obedience He suffered; in all His
sufferings He obeyed. Hence, it is of first importance to recognize
that throughout His earthly course Christ sustained a twofold relation
to the law: personally sinless, officially under its curse. The very
fact of His putting on "the likeness of sin's flesh" (Rom. 8:3)
evidences that sin had been transferred to Him from the moment He was
conceived in the Virgin's womb. Nevertheless, He who "bore sin" all
through the days of His flesh, was also the sinless Doer of a Divine
work.
The very sinlessness of Christ was the necessary basis of His work of
sin-bearing (2 Cor. 5:21). He must be innocent to stand for the
guilty; He must be holy to take the place of the unholy, otherwise He
too had needed a Savior. It was the Just who suffered for the unjust
(1 Peter 3:18). Thus the wondrous life of Christ is far more than a
spectacle to be gazed at in admiration, and more than an example for
His people to follow (1 Pet. 2:21); it must be regarded as the work of
one for the many.Unique, glorious, perfect, was His lovely life. "I
seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me"
(John 5:30), sets forth the guiding principle which ever regulated
Him- cf. John 4:34. "I do always those things that please Him" (John
8:29). His was a life of constant service to God: uninterrupted in
duration, perfect in degree, flawless in its balance. One grace
neither excluded nor marred another: all was there, all was perfectly
blended. Such a life, such obedience, such service, merited reward,and
is actually bestowed on all He represented, on all whose substitute He
was. We are now ready to contemplate:
3. IT WAS A PENAL WORK
Scripture plainly teaches that God is both holy and righteous, and
that "justice and judgment" (not "love and pity") are the
establishment of God's "throne" (Ps. 89:14). Thus there is that in the
Divine Essence which abhors sin for its intrinsic sinfulness, both in
its respect of pollution and in its aspect of guilt. The perfections
of God are therefore displayed both by forbidding and punishing the
same. He has pledged Himself that "the soul that sinneth, it shall
die" (Ezek. 18:4). Therefore, in order for a full Satisfaction to be
rendered unto God, sin must be punished, the penalty of the law must
be enforced. Consequently, as Savior of His Church, Christ had to
vicariously suffer the infliction of the law's curse.
What we shall now seek to show is that the sufferings and death of
Christ were a satisfaction to Divine justice on behalf of the sins of
His people. In case any should object against our use of the term
"satisfaction," let us point out that this very word is found in our
English Bibles, being given by the translators as the equivalent for
the Hebrew word which is ordinarily rendered "Atonement": "Moreover ye
shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty
of death: but he shall surely be put to death. And ye shall take no
satisfaction for him that is fled to the city of his refuge, that he
should come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest"
(Num. 35:31, 32).
The deep humiliation to which the Son of God was subjected in taking
upon Him the form of a servant, and being made "in the likeness of
sin's flesh," was a judicial infliction imposed upon Him by the
Father, yet voluntarily submitted to by Himself. The very purpose of
His humiliation, His obedience, His Sufferings, makes them penal,for
they were unto the satisfying of the claims of God's law upon His
people. In being "made under the law" (Gal. 4:4) Christ became subject
to all that the law enjoins: "Now we know that what things soever the
law saith, it saith to them who are under the law" (Rom. 3:19), which
means the law calls for the fulfillment of its terms. "Christ in our
room and stead, did both by doing and suffering, satisfy Divine
justice,both the legislatory, the retributive, and the vindictive, in
the most perfect manner, fulfilling all the righteousness of the law,
which the law otherwise required of us, in order to impunity, and to
our having a right to eternal life" (H. Witsius, 1693).
"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust"
(1 Pet. 3:18). The reference here must not be restricted to what
Christ endured at the hands of God while He hung upon the Cross, nor
to all He passed through during that day and preceding night. Beware
of limiting the Word of God! No; the entirety of His humiliation is
here included. The whole life of Christ was one of sufferings,
therefore was He designated "the Man of sorrows," not simply,
"sorrow". From His birth to His death, suffering and sorrow marked Him
as their legitimate Victim. While yet an infant He was driven into
exile, to escape the fury of those who sought His life. That was but
the prophetic fore runner of His whole earthly course. The cup of woe,
put to His lips at Bethlehem, was never removed till He drained its
bitter dregs at Calvary.
Every variety of suffering was experienced by Him. He tasted poverty
in its severest rigor. Born in a stable, owning no property on earth,
dependent upon the charity of others (Luke 8:3), oftentimes being
worse situated than the inferior orders of creation: (Matthew 8:20).
He suffered reproach in all its bitterness. The most malignant
accusations, the vilest aspersions, the most cutting sarcasm, were
directed against His person and character. He was taunted with being a
glutton, a winebibber, a deceiver, a blasphemer, a devil. Therefore do
we hear Him crying, "Reproach hath broken my heart" (Ps. 69:20). He
experienced temptation in all its malignity. The Prince of darkness
assailed Him with all his ingenuity and power, causing his infernal
legions to attack Him, coming against Him like "strong bulls of
Bashan," gaping on Him with their mouths like ravening and roaring
lions (Ps. 22:12, 13). Above all, He suffered the wrath of God, so
that He was "exceeding sorrowful, even unto death" (Matthew 26:38), in
"an agony" (Luke 22:44), and ultimately, "forsaken of God."
What then is the explanation of these unparalleled "sufferings"? Why
was the most perfect obedience followed by the most terrible
punishment? Why was unsullied holiness visited with unutterable
anguish? David declared, "Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken"
(Ps. 37:25); why, then was the Righteous One abandoned by God? Only
one answer is possible; only one answer fully meets all the facts of
the case; only one answer clears the government of God. In taking the
place of offending sinners, Christ became obligated to discharge all
their liabilities, and this involved bearing their sins, being charged
with their guilt, suffering their punishment. Accordingly, God dealt
with Him as the Representative of His criminal people, inflicting upon
Him all that their sins merited. As the sin-bearing Substitute of His
people, Christ was justly exposed to all the dreadful consequences of
God's manifested displeasure.
Of old the question was asked, "Who ever perished being innocent?"
(Job 4:7), to which we may, without the slightest hesitation, answer,
None. God never has and never will smite the innocent. Therefore
before His punitive wrath could fall upon Christ, the sins of His
people must first be transferred to Him, and this is precisely what
Scripture affirms. Remarkably was this foreshadowed of old in the
great type of Israel's annual Day of Atonement, "And Aaron shall lay
both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him
all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their
transgressions with all their sins, putting them upon the head of the
goat" (Lev. 16:21). So too was it plainly prophesied, "The Lord hath
laid on Him the iniquity of us all. . . He bare the sin of many" (Isa.
53:6, 12). So also is it expressly affirmed in the New Testament, "So
Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many" (Heb. 9:28). Once
again we would point out there is not a hint in these passages that
Christ bore the sins of His people only while He was hanging upon the
Cross. We are aware that many have so affirmed, but in doing so they
have not only been guilty of adding to the Word of God, but also of
flatly contradicting it.
We have already pointed out that the expression of Romans 8:3, "made
in the likeness of sin's flesh," clearly presupposes the transfer of
His people's sins to Christ, and that what happened immediately after
His birth was in full keeping with this fact, and cannot be understood
apart from it. That He was "circumcised" (Luke 2:21) not only proved
that He had been "made in the likeness of men" (Phil. 2:7), but also
evidenced that He had been made "in the likeness of sin's flesh."So
too the ceremonial "purification" of His mother (Luke 2:22) and her
presentation of a "sin-offering" (Leviticus 12:2, 6), was in perfect
keeping with the fact that, though His humanity was immaculate, yet He
had entered this world officially guilty.
As little children we sinned - "the wicked are estranged from the
womb; they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies" (Ps.
58:3) - and therefore as a child Christ suffered, suffered not only as
our Substitute, but because our sins had been transferred to Him. In
our youth we sinned, and as a youth Christ suffered, and suffered at
the hands of God, as His own words clearly testify: "I am afflicted
and ready to die from youth up: I suffer Thy terrors, I am distracted"
(Ps. 88:15). In the prime of our manhood, we sinned, and in the prime
of His manhood Christ suffered. Let us refer once more to His being
assailed by Satan. Hebrews 2:18 tells us that He "suffered being
tempted," and that very suffering was penal.That Christ's "suffering"
under Satan was designed and appointed as an infliction from God,is
proved by the statement that "Jesus was led up of the Spirit into the
wilderness to be tempted of the Devil" (Matthew 4:1).
Man having allowed himself to be overcome by Satan, God has, by a just
sentence, delivered him up as a slave to his tyranny; therefore was it
necessary that Christ, as His sinful people's Substitute, should be
exposed to the harrassings of the Devil, that in this respect also He
might satisfy Divine justice. Most assuredly Satan and his agents
could never have assailed Christ had He not been so (legally) charged
with the guilt of our crimes, that God righteously exposed Him to
injuries from them (Acts 2:23). The elect themselves, as sinners, were
subject to Satan's power (Col. 1:13), and that by the righteous
sentence of the Judge of all the earth; therefore were they not only
the "prey of the mighty," but also were "lawful captives" (Isa.
49:24). Therefore, as Christ came here as Surety in their room, He, by
virtue of God's sentence, also became subject to the buffetings of
Satan.
"Christ's passive, or suffering obedience, is not to be confined to
what He experienced in the garden and on the cross. This suffering was
the culmination of His piacular sorrow, but not the whole of it.
Everything in His human and earthly career that was distressing
belongs to His passive obedience. It is a true remark of Jonathan
Edwards, that the blood of Christ's circumcision was as really a part
of His vicarious atonement, as the blood that flowed from His pierced
side. And not only His suffering proper, but His humiliation, also,
was expiatory" (W. Shedd). "The satisfaction or propitiation of Christ
consists either in His suffering evil, or His being subject to
abasement. . . Whatever Christ was subject to which was the judicial
fruit of sin, had the nature of satisfaction for sin. But not only
proper suffering, but all abasement and depression of the state and
circumstances of mankind (human nature) below its primitive honor and
dignity, such as His body remaining under death, and body and soul
remaining separate, are the judicial fruits of sin" (Jon. Edwards,
1743).
When the Scriptures speak of the Satisfaction of Christ, they ascribe
it to His sufferings in general, as Isaiah 53:4, "Surely He hath borne
our griefs and carried our sorrows," that is, He suffered all the
pains and sorrows due to us from sin. It is to be most carefully noted
that the inspired declaration "the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity
of us all" (Isaiah 53:6) comes before "He was oppressed" and before
"He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter"; as it was at the
commencement of His public ministry, and not while He hung upon the
Cross that God moved one of His servants to cry, "Behold the Lamb of
God" which taketh away the sin of the world. Christ was brought "to
the slaughter" before the three hours of darkness, yet even then
"affliction" lay upon Him, and our iniquity was exacted of Him. So too
this very chapter (Isaiah 53) ascribes our "healing" to the stripes
which He received from men as plainly as other passages attribute our
being delivered from the curse of the law through God's visiting Him
with its curse.
"For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for
us, leaving us an example" (1 Pet. 2:21). "To suffer here denotes to
be in affliction: for all those sufferings are here intended, in which
Christ has left us an example of patience. These sufferings he affirms
to be for us, that is, undergone as well in our stead, as for our
good. For this is ordinarily the signification of the word huper,and
that this is the true meaning of Peter. We conclude hence, that in
3:18 he says, 'Christ suffered for sins',namely, that He might be the
propitiation for our sins" (H. Witsius).
When the sovereign rights of God are emphasized there is generally
raised the objection that we are hereby "reducing man to a mere
machine." Many are they who are prepared to hold a brief for human
responsibility. But rare indeed is it that we ever hear anything about
transferred responsibility.Yet it is at this point lies one of the
chief wonders and glories of the Gospel. The responsibility of God's
people was transferred to Christ: He assumed their liabilities, made
Himself chargeable with their debts, answerable to every demand of the
law against them. Had this not been the case, how could God have
righteously laid the iniquities of His people upon the head of His
Holy Son? Still less could He have called for the sword of Justice to
smite Him. It was because Christ was "made sin"for us, that He was
also "made a curse" for us: the latter could not be without the
former. As this is a point of such vital importance we must amplify a
little further.
Hebrews 7:22 declares that Christ is "Surety of a better covenant": He
was the Sponsor of His people, as Judah undertook to be for Benjamin.
"I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him; if I
bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the
blame for ever" (Gen. 43:9). Or, as Paul was for Onesimus, "If he hath
wronged thee, or oweth ought, put that on mine account;I Paul have
written it with mine own hand, I will repay it" (Philemon 1:18, 19).
Just so did Christ engage Himself unto His Father for us: reckon to Me
whatever they owe Thee, and I will satisfy for it. "A surety, whose
name is put into a bond, is not only bound to pay the debt, but he
makes it his own debt also, even as well as it is the principal's, so
that he may be sued and charged for the debt. So Christ, when He once
made Himself a Surety, He so put Himself in the room of sinners, that
what the law could lay to their charge, it might lay to His" (T.
Goodwin, 1680).
Christ must take on Him the guilt of our transgressions before He
could take our punishment upon Him, and so satisfy Divine justice on
our behalf. That He did so,is demonstrated by His own words. It is
indeed remarkable to find how that Christ actually owned our sins as
being His.First, in the 40^th Psalm. That this Psalm is a Messianic
one we know from its quotation in Hebrews 10. That it contains the
very words of Christ, is plainly evident from verses 7-11. He is still
the Speaker in verse 12, where He declared "For innumerable evils have
compassed me about: Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I
am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head:
therefore my heart faileth me." What a proof that the sins of His
people had been transferred to Him! Second, in the 69th, another great
Messianic Psalm. There too we find Him saying, "O God, Thou knowest my
foolishness; and my sins are not hid from Thee" (v. 5). How
unmistakably do those words show our sins had been reckoned to Him!
Those sins were His not by perpetration, but by imputation.
"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on [to] the tree" (1
Pet. 2:24). "'Our sins' here are our liabilities to punishment on
account of our violations of the Divine law, and the necessary
consequences of those liabilities; in other words, guilt in the sense
of binding over to punishment, and punishment itself" (J. Brown).
Those sins Christ "bare," endured as a heavy load. The prime meaning
of the Greek verb is "to carry up," the allusion being to the typical
animal which was carried up to the altar, which was always erected on
an elevated place. The margin gives the preferable rendering - "to the
tree": the preposition is the same as in the next verse, "ye are
returned to the Shepherd." The reason why the Cross is here termed
"the tree" we will state a little later.
There was a needs be for Christ taking on Him the guilt of our
transgressions in order for Divine justice to punish Him, for "we are
sure that the judgment of God is according to truth" (Rom. 2:2).
Whomsoever God punishes for sin must be guilty of sin. Therefore we
read, "For He hath made Him sin for us, who knew no sin" (2 Cor.
5:21). Each word here calls for a separate paragraph. The opening
"for" assigns the ground on which the message of reconciliation (vv.
19, 20) rests: verse 19 states that God does not impute trespasses
unto His people; verse 21 tells us why: because they were imputed to
Christ. Here the Atonement is traced back to its source. "God was in
Christ reconciling": He made Christ to be sin - when? In the
everlasting covenant, by the mutual agreement of the Father and the
Son. Then we beheld the fitness of Christ to make atonement: He was
personally sinless, it was God who so adjudged Him! "Who knew no sin"
is the negative way of saying that His obedience was perfect. The law
had no fault against Him, either of omission or commission.
Nevertheless, "He [God] made him [legally constituted Christ] to be
sin for us," not in mere semblance, but in awful reality, and this,
from the moment of His incarnation.
In entering the law place of His people, Christ became answerable to
the righteousness of God on their behalf: whatever they owed, must be
exacted from their Sponsor: He must pay their debts, suffer the full
penalty of their iniquities, receive sin's wages in their room. Christ
now became exposed to all that the holiness of God must inflict upon
sin. Therefore we read, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the
law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one
that hangeth on a tree" (Gal. 3:13). "The cross was accursed, not only
in the opinion of men, but by the decree of the Divine law. Therefore
when Christ was lifted up upon it, He rendered Himself obnoxious to
the curse" (Calvin).
The very mode of death which God appointed for His Son reveals to us
the penal nature of it. The Cross was no mere "accident," as though it
made no difference what form His death took. Fundamental reasons
rendered it expedient and necessary that the Surety should die a death
which was accursed of God;hence the frequent reference in the New
Testament to the "cross" and the "tree"-cf. John 12:32, 33. At Calvary
God's terrible curse on sin was publicly displayed, of which the cross
was not the cause but the symbol: cf. John 3:14. Under the Mosaic law
(to which the apostle refers in Gal. 3:13), hanging on a tree was a
death reserved for great criminals. Hence the force of the word "tree"
in 1 Peter 2:24. Christ hanging upon the tree was the public testimony
to God's curse on Him. "The cause of the curse was not the hanging on
the tree, but the sin with which He was charged; and that mode of
punishment exhibited that He was the object of God's holy displeasure;
not indeed because He was suspended on the tree, but because He was
the sin bearer, and the punishment of the offenses for which that
ignominious penalty was allotted was then inflicted. Divine wisdom
appointed that He who bore the sin of the world should be exposed as a
curse, for the Divine displeasure was there most awfully displayed"
(G. Smeaton).
As to why this means and method of death was selected by God out of
all others possible - poisoning, stoning, beheading, etc,-Genesis 3
supplies the answer: "As the fatal sin which diffused the curse over
the human race was connected with the forbidden 'tree,' God wisely
ordered that the last Adam should expiate sin by being suspended on a
tree: and He appointed in the law (Deut. 21:22, 23) such a symbol of
the curse as reminded all men of the origin of the Divine curse on the
world. He would not have the curse removed in any other way" (G.
Smeaton). Among the Romans, death by crucifixion was the deepest
possible humiliation. It was the most degrading of punishments,
inflicted only on slaves and the lowest of the people, and if freemen
were at any time subjected to crucifixion for great crimes, such as
robbery, high treason, or sedition, the sentence could not be executed
till they were put into the catalogue of slaves, and that, by the
utmost humiliation. Their liberty was taken from them by servile
stripes and scourging, as was done to Christ. Thus the curse of God's
law was executed upon the Head and Substitute of His people. To
"preach Christ crucified" (1 Cor. 1:23) is to proclaim and expound His
being "made a curse for us."
Because Christ was "made sin" and "made a curse" for His people, the
wrath of God's holiness flamed against Him and the sword of His
justice pierced Him. "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the
man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd"
(Zech. 13:7), and cf. Matthew 26:31. God inflicted punishment on
Christ as if He had been the personal offender. "It pleased the Lord
to bruise him; He hath put him to grief: when Thou shalt make his soul
an offering for sin" (Isa. 53:10). As all the sufferings of men,
whether inflicted immediately by God or mediately by Satan or men
(Jer. 2:15-17), arise from the demerits of sin; so all the sufferings
of Christ, from man, Satan, God, arose from the demerits of His
peoples' sins imputed to their Substitute.
The punishment which God meted out to Christ was the very punishment
which was due His people. That He was accursed of God is seen from His
hanging on the tree. That He received sin's wages was evidenced by
God's forsaking Him. That He was numbered with transgressors was
exhibited by His dying between two thieves. True, He did not suffer
eternally, for the eternity of our punishment was only a circumstance
arising from our incapacity to suffer the whole weight of God's wrath
in a brief season, and therefore the brevity of duration of Christ's
sufferings is no valid objection against the identity of penalty which
He received. Moreover, the infinite dignity of His person more than
compensated the law. "To the enlightened eye, there is found on the
cross another inscription besides that which Pilate ordered to be
written there: The Victim of guilt. The Wages of sin" (J. Brown).
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A. W. Pink Header
The Satisfaction of Christ
Studies in the Atonement
by A. W. Pink
8. Its Nature-Concluded
_________________________________________________________________
We have pointed out in the preceding chapters that the particular
aspect of Christ's Satisfaction which is now before us constitutes the
very heart of this mighty subject. As the physical heart is to the
human body, so is the nature of the Atonement to the whole of this
wondrous theme. When a man's heart becomes seriously affected, the
whole of his constitution suffers. In like manner, when we err in our
views of the precise character of Christ's obedience and sufferings,
the whole of our system of truth suffers injury in exact proportion.
The acid test of a theologian's views and a preacher's capability to
expound the Gospel, is his orthodoxy at this particular point. Hence,
because, this part of the Truth is of such vital importance we have
prayerfully sought to examine it with sevenfold thoroughness, and set
before our readers at some length the results of our investigation.
First, we have shown that the work of Christ was federal in its
character: that is, Christ became legally one of His people. He came
here not to strangers, but to His "brethren" (Heb. 2:12). He came here
not to procure a people for Himself, but to secure a people already
His (Eph. 1:4; Matthew 1:21). The place we occupied was "under the
law." We were placed under it at creation, and perfect obedience was
made the condition of our well-being. By our fall in Adam we became
incapable of obeying the demands of the law and subject to its
unrelaxable penalty. The law remained over us, therefore, as an
inexorable taskmaster, demanding the impossible, and as the organ of
immutable justice, insisting upon our death. Therefore to be our
Savior the Son of God was "made under the law" (Gal. 4:4): He was, by
God's ordination, transferred to that position. Thus, the place He
took was our law-place. In taking that place He necessarily assumed
all our responsibilities: obedience as a condition of life, suffering
as a penal consequence of disobedience.
Second, we have shown that the work of Christ was vicarious in its
character. Substitution has been thus defined: "A 'substitute' is one
who does or suffers the same thing which the person or persons for
whom he is substituted would have done or suffered." The Scriptures
teach us plainly that Christ's obedience was as truly vicarious as was
His suffering, and that He reconciled us to the Father by the one as
well as the other. It is for this reason we have chosen the term
"Satisfaction" in preference to the more popular "Atonement." "The
word Atonement signifies only the expiation of our guilt by Christ's
vicarious sufferings, but expresses nothing concerning the relation
which His obedience sustains to our salvation, as that meritorious
condition upon which the Divine favor and the promised reward have by
covenant been suspended. On the other hand, the word Satisfaction
exactly expresses all that Christ has done as our Substitute, in our
stead, and for our sakes, to the end of satisfying in our behalf the
federal demands of the law, and of securing for us the rewards
conditioned upon their fulfillment. His whole work was of the nature
of a satisfaction" (A. A. Hodge).
Third, we have shown that the work of Christ was penal in its
character. This follows of inevitable necessity. In becoming one with
His criminal people, Christ entered their law place before God. In
acting as the Substitute of His people, Christ must receive that which
was due them from God. Because the sins of His Church were transferred
to Christ, He must be paid their wages. Because He took our law place,
the curse of the law must fall upon Him. Because He was "made sin" for
us, the sword of Divine justice must smite Him. As 1 Corinthians 15:3
declares, the God- man not only died "for us," but "Christ died for
our sins,"which was only made possible by our sins having been
federally placed upon Him. Because our sins were imputed to Him, the
wrath of God fell upon Him, and He was visited with all that our sins
merited. We are now ready to show -
4. IT WAS A SACRIFICIAL WORK
From the many passages which set forth this aspect of Christ's
redemption, we may cite the following. "When thou shalt make his soul
an offering for sin" (Isa. 53:10). "Christ our passover is sacrificed
for us" (1 Cor. 5:7). "Christ also hath loved us, and hath given
himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling
savor" (Eph. 5:2). "Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to
offer up sacrifice... for this he did once, when he offered up
himself"(Heb. 7:27). "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who
through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge
your conscience from dead works to serve the living God" (Heb. 9:14).
Ere attempting to define the character of Christ's sacrifice, let us
first remind ourselves that He presented Himself a sacrifice to God by
covenant agreement.As we are told in Romans 3:25, "Whom God hath
foreordained a propitiation through faith in his blood." God can be
pleased only with that which He has appointed. The Everlasting
Covenant furnishes the key to many a verse of Scripture. For instance,
when Christ was about to go to the Cross, He said, "Now is the Son of
Man glorified"(John 13:31). But how could that be? Was it not rather
His degradation? No, for the eternal Three had assigned to the God man
the work of mediation, and that was a high honor. So the Son of man
viewed it. It is our "glory" too to bow to God's will and keep His
appointments.
Second, though Christ offered Himself a sacrifice according to Divine
appointment, it was also by His own free consent.As in all our
obedience there are two principal ingredients to the true and right
constitution of it, namely, the matter of the obedience itself, and
the principle or fountain of it in us; in other words, the deed, and
the will behind it - which latter God accepts in us, oftentimes
without (2 Cor. 8:12) and always more than the outward deed - so in
Christ's obedience, which is both the pattern and measure of ours,
there are these two eminent parts which complete it - the obedience
itself, His willingness thereto. First, Christ was willing from all
eternity. This is clear from the Covenant, for that is a mutual
agreement between two parties. It is also necessarily implied in His
being made "a Surety" (Heb. 7:22), an undertaking on His part: a
surety is a plighter of his troth, by "striking hands" as the phrase
is in the original: Proverbs 22:26. Again; His willingness from
everlasting unto the time of His incarnation is evidenced from
Proverbs 8:30, which shows in what or whom He delighted all that
while.
Again: His willingness is seen in those words "He humbled Himself"
(Phil. 2:8) actively, not "He was humbled," passively. Remarkably and
blessedly is this also brought out in Hebrews 10:5-7. There we find
His dedication of Himself unto His great work. "When He cometh into
the world, He saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a
body hast thou prepared me. . . Lo, I come. . . to do thy will, O
God." Here is the remarkable thing: the Holy Spirit has here been
pleased to make known to us (as the great Secretary of the Covenant)
the very words the Son used as He left the Father's presence to come
to earth. To which we may add - amazing, heart-thrilling fact - the
Holy Spirit has also been pleased to reveal to us the first words
which were uttered by the Father when His Son returned to Him, "The
Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand" (Ps. 110:1).
The point we are now dealing with is so precious that we would feign
dwell upon it. There was no constraint laid upon Christ: all that He
did was done freely and gladly. From the beginning of the days of His
flesh He said, "Thou art my God from my mother's belly" (Ps. 22:9),
and that, by His perfect choice. So too as He neared the end He could
say, "I was not rebellious neither turned away back. I gave my back to
the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid
not my face from shame and spitting" (Isa. 50:5,6). Yes, Christ "gave
Himself" (Gal. 2:20) for us.
Third, as it was of the Father's appointment, and the God man's
willing consent that He presented Himself a sacrifice, so also was it
by the Spirit's agency."How much more shall the blood of Christ, who
through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God" (Heb.
9:14). The discharge of His entire Messianic office was by the
enduement of the Holy Spirit. The very title, "Christ," means "the
anointed One," and was given to Him because of the peculiar unction of
the Spirit conferred upon Him, an unction which was unique in nature
and degree. At the beginning of His public ministry He declared, "The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me" (Isa. 61:1). He was "full of the Holy
Spirit" (Luke 4:1), and the same Spirit which led Him into the
wilderness (Matthew 4:1) also led Him as a willing Victim to the
Cross. We shall now take note of the various characteristics of
Christ's sacrifice:
A. Christ's Sacrifice Was a Ransoming One
"There are three several generic forms of conception under which the
work wrought by Christ for the salvation of men is set forth. These
are (a) that of an expiatory offering for sin: (b) that of the
redemption of the life and liberty of a captive by the payment of a
ransom in his stead, and (c) the satisfaction of the law by the
vicarious fulfillment of its demands. These different conceptions are
designed both to limit and to supplement each other in a manner
strictly analogous to the combination of the different perceptions of
the same object by the different bodily senses. The sense of sight,
although when educated in connection with the concurrent and mutually
limiting and supplementing perceptions of the organs of touch and
hearing, is unmatched as to the extent and accuracy of its
information, yet would, if left to itself never have risen beyond an
infant's vague perception of a surface variously shaded, without any
sense of relation in space.
"All our knowledge of the material world, considered as an object of
sense, arises from the education of our minds in the use of our bodily
senses in combination,and the habits of judgment and inference to
which are thus produced. Men learn to interpret the impressions made
upon them through their eyes by means of other impressions made upon
them in connection with the same object, through the senses of touch
and hearing, and vice versa. In like manner our knowledge of the true
nature of the work of Christ and its bearing upon us results from all
the various forms in which the Scriptures set it forth in
combination,each at once limiting, modifying and supplementing all the
others.
"It should be noticed, moreover, that the Scriptures do not present
these several views as different sides of the same house to be taken
in succession, but habitually present them in combination, as lights
and shades blend together in the same picture in producing the same
intelligible expression. Thus, in the same sentences it is said, 'We
are redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot.' 'Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of
the law being made a curse for us' (Gal. 3:13). That is, He redeems us
not in the sense of making a pecuniary payment in cancellation of our
debts, but by His vicarious suffering, like the bleeding sacrifices of
the Mosaic ritual, of the penalty due our sins."
"The fact here noticed, that the same inspired sentences represent
Christ at the same instance and in the same relations as a 'ransom'
and as a 'sin-offering,' and as made to endure 'the curse of the law'
for us, is worthy of careful study. The teaching of Scripture is not
that Christ is a sacrifice, and a ransom, and a bearer of the curse of
the law, but it is that He is that particular species of sacrifice
which is a ransom; that His redemption is of that nature which is
effected by His bearing the curse of the law in our stead, and that He
redeems us by offering Himself a bleeding sacrifice to God. Thus, the
teaching of the Holy Spirit is as precise as any ecclesiastical theory
of Atonement. Christ saves us by being a sacrifice. He is specifically
a sin offering in the Jewish sense. More specifically yet, the
offering of Himself a ransom for us, and to His bearing the curse of
the law in our stead, and the design and effects of this
ransom-paying, curse bearing sacrifice of His, that He redeems us from
the curse of the law. It is not any kind of a sacrifice, but a ransom
paying, curse-bearing sacrifice. It is not any kind of redemption, but
a sacrificial redemption" (A. A. Hodge).
That the sacrifice of Christ was a ransoming one is clear, first, from
Matthew 20:28, "Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto
but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." This
remarkable declaration calls for our closest attention. Christ came
here not to be ministered unto as the Lord of all, but to give His
life, not only in and by dying, but throughout the whole course of His
earthly service.The word "give" emphasizes the fact that He acted
voluntarily, without compulsion of any kind. The reason for His saying
that He came to give His "life" or "soul" appears from the sacrificial
language of Leviticus 17:11, "For the life of the flesh is in the
blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for
your souls." The life of the typical sacrifice represented the life of
its offerer: the death-sentence executed on the former was what the
latter had incurred. That was the fundamental idea of all the Old
Testament sacrifices.
Christ came here to give His life "a ransom." This term necessarily
connotes that the many for whom the ransom was paid were captives,in
bondage, the slaves of sin (Titus 3:3), and as such, obnoxious to
God's holy displeasure. There is an important distinction between
"ransom" and "redemption": the former is the price paid to secure the
latter. The first mention of a "ransom" in Scripture is in Exodus
21:30, where a valuable price was required for the deliverance of one
who, through guilt, was worthy of death, cf. Exodus 30:12, etc.
Christ's ransom was paid to satisfy God's justice: a life for a life;
the ransom being a penal infliction. Christ gave His life a "ransom
for many": the Greek preposition is "and" which, except in the few
instances where it means "against," is always used in a
substitutionary sense. His life was not "given" in any vague,
indefinite way for the good of others, but was a specific quid pro
quo, dying in the very room of His people. The "many" is in contrast
from the one life.
"The church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood" (Acts
20:28). The prominent idea of "ransom" is that of payment, of
vicarious substitution, of one thing standing in the place of another.
No figure can so fully convey this idea as of one drawn from purchases
with money. The very idea of purchase necessarily involves that of
substitution. I go into a shop and ask the price of a book. It is one
dollar. I put down the money, and I am at liberty at once to take up
the book. It is mine. On what principle? Of substitution. I substitute
the money for the book. In this way Christ bought His people. To the
Corinthian saints Paul wrote, "Ye are not your own; for ye are bought
with a price" (1 Cor. 6:19,20).
"Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold. . .
but with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Pet. 1:18, 19). Sinners are
the prisoners of Divine justice. True, they are the captives of the
Devil; but who delivered them up to him? The Lord: Satan is but the
executioner of His righteous sentence. And their salvation is not a
simple discharge without compensation. Neither is the salvation of
guilty sinners an act of power only, effected by the interposition of
an arm full of might to secure their escape. Gratuitous favor and all
mighty power are both concerned in it, but there is more: there is a
price paid, a ransom laid down, every way equivalent to the redemption
for which it is offered; and that price was Christ's satisfaction.
B. Christ's Sacrifice Was a Priestly One
This has been denied by Socinians, and it is sad to see those who
believe in the Deity of Christ adopting this vain reasoning upon the
sacerdotal nature of our Savior's oblation. Through a misunderstanding
of Hebrews 8:4, they insist that Christ only entered upon His priestly
office consequent upon His ascension. That Christ was High Priest and
acted as such while He was here on earth is abundantly plain from
Hebrews 2:17, for He made "propitiation" for the sins of His people on
the Cross! It is true that others besides priests offered sacrifices
to God in Old Testament times, but the New Testament represents Christ
not only as Priest, but as the great "high Priest" of His people, and
if the character, purpose and scope of that office be interpreted (as
it must be) in the light of the inspired types, then there is no room
left for doubt as to the meaning of the anti type. Israel's high
priest represented the people before God. Taken from among men, he was
ordained to act in the behalf of men in those matters which related to
God, so that he might bring near to God both gifts and sacrifices
(Heb. 5:1). As the general character of the prophet was that of one
qualified and authorized to speak from God to men, so the general idea
of the priest is that of one qualified and authorized to treat in
matters of men with God. The high priest was he in whom the entire
priesthood culminated, and he, especially, acted in all respects as
the literal representative of the entire holy (separated) nation.
First, he bore the names of each tribe graven on the stones on his
shoulders, and on the breastplate over his heart (Exodus 28:9-29).
Second, he made atonement in behalf of all the people, confessing over
the head of the scapegoat all their sins (Leviticus 16:15-21). Third,
if he sinned, it was regarded as the sin of all the people (Leviticus
4:3). His chief function was to offer bleeding sacrifices for
propitiation and to make intercession for the people. The antitypical
fulfillment of this is shown us in the epistle to the Hebrews, where
Christ is called Priest six times, and high Priest twelve times. Let
us, very briefly, point out the several details of this.
First, in Hebrews 2:17, 18 we are told that Christ became incarnate
"That he might be a merciful and faithful high Priest," etc. Second,
in 5:4-6 we learn that Christ was chosen by God to this office.Third,
5:7; 8:3; 9:11-15, 25-28; 10:12-19, etc., show that Christ literally
discharged the functions of a priest, offering to God a sacrifice for
all His people, which, through God's acceptance thereof, brought to an
end all the typical offerings. Conclusive proof of this was furnished
by God in rending the veil of the temple, thereby setting aside the
whole system of the Levitical priesthood. The priestly sacrifice of
Christ had now superseded theirs.
That Christ was high Priest on earth is also clear from Hebrews 4:14:
"Seeing then we have a great high Priest, that is passed into the
heavens" etc. Aaron was high priest when he entered the holy of
holies, yet he was also a high priest before,or he could not have
entered at all. If Christ be a priest He must have a sacrifice, for
the very nature of the sacerdotal office required it. The entire
employment of the high priest, as priest, consisted in offering
sacrifice, with the performance of those things which did necessarily
precede and follow it. Now Christ was both Priest and Sacrifice. He
offered Himself to God. What could be plainer than Ephesians 5:2,
"Christ. . . hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to
God for a sweet-smelling savor"? He had to do with God as He stood in
the relation and respect of a "sacrifice." In His dual person He was
Priest: in His human nature, He was the sacrifice offered. In the term
"flesh" - "condemned sin in the flesh" (Rom. 8:3) - the Holy Spirit
refers to the whole manhood of Christ, and it was the "sacrifice" for
sin by which sin was "condemned."
"For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices:
wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to
offer" (Heb. 8:3). And what was it that He did "offer"? His "own
blood" (Heb. 9:12), His "body" (Heb. 10:10), His "soul" or "life"
(Isa. 53:10), "Himself" (Heb. 9:14). In Christ's sacrifice there was
an "altar" too, namely, His Godhead: "The altar that sanctifieth the
gift" (Matthew 23:19). The Deity of Christ not only sustained and
strengthened His human nature in being a sacrifice therein, but it
also gave merit and efficacy to His sacrifice. How did that one
sacrifice avail for all the sins of all God's people, but from the
fact that He who offered up Himself was God as well as man! Christ
abides in His office of priesthood (Heb. 8:1), not to offer fresh
sacrifice (10:12), but to intercede (7:25).
C. Christ's Sacrifice Was a Propitiatory One
By Adam's fall a sad breach was made between God and man. Sin greatly
incensed the holy God against His rebellious creatures, nay, there was
a mutual enmity constrained between them. On the one hand, we read of
God, "Thou hatest all workers of iniquity" (Ps. 5:5), "But they
rebelled, and vexed His Holy Spirit: therefore He was turned to be
their enemy,He fought against them" (Isa. 63:10). Of man we read, "The
carnal mind is enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7); "You that were
sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now
hath He reconciled" (Col. 1:21). Now Christ came here to effect
reconciliation between these alienated parties, to bring God and men
together again in amity and love. By His bloodshedding, Christ
appeased the righteous wrath of God. By His sacrifice, He pacified the
claims of Divine justice. Some have asked, How could the elect be "by
nature the children of wrath"(Eph. 2:3), seeing that God always loved
them (Jer. 31:3)? In the language of John Owen we reply, "He loved us,
in respect of the free purpose of His will to send Christ to redeem us
and satisfy for our sins; He was angry with us, in respect of His
violated law, and provoked justice by sin."
The leading New Testament scriptures which present this particular
aspect of Christ's sacrifice are the following: "Whom God hath
foreordained a propitiation through faith in His blood to declare His
righteousness" (Rom. 3:25). "For if, when we were enemies, we were
reconciled to God [not by the Holy Spirit's work in us, nor by our
laying down the weapons of our warfare but] by the death of his
Son"(Rom. 5:10). We were "reconciled" through Christ's averting God's
anger from us and procuring our acceptance in His legal favor. "All
things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ"
(2 Cor. 5:18). "And having made peace through the blood of his cross"
(Col. 1:20). "That he might be a merciful and faithful high Priest in
things pertaining to God to make propitiation for the sins of the
people" (Heb. 2:17). "If any one sin, we have an Advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our
sins" (1 John 2:2).
Now the above passages are best understood in the light of the Old
Testament types. There we read, "And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a
censer, put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and
go quickly unto the congregation and make an atonement for them: For
there is wrath gone out from the Lord; the plague is begun. And Aaron
took as Moses commanded. . . and made an atonement for the people. . .
and the plague was stayed" (Numbers 16:46-48). Again, we read, "Lord
said to the Temanite My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy
two friends... therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven
rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt
offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I
accept," etc. (Job 42:7-9). What could be plainer? The wrath of God
was appeased by bloodshedding! It remains to be pointed out that the
Hebrew word for "atonement" and the Greek word for "propitiation" are
one and the same.
D. Christ's Sacrifice Was an Expiatory One
The whole of Christ's humiliation and suffering from His birth to the
Cross were invested with a priestly and sacrificial character, as
constituting His once-offering up of Himself a sacrifice, as
propitiatory of God and expiatory of His people's sins; yet the
emphasis of Scripture shows that Christ's oblation of Himself as
victim was principally manifested and concentrated in His pouring out
of His soul unto death. Faith is directed to the Cross, as presenting
not merely the historical terminus and climax, but the logical and
indispensable completion of all that preceded, for sin not only
entails suffering but death.
"Propitiation" defines the bearing which Christ's sacrifice had
Godwards:it placated Him. "Expiation" has reference to the bearing
which Christ's sacrifice had manwards:it removed the sins of His
people.
"This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the
remission of sins" (Matthew 26:28). "Remission" is a judicial term,
and signifies the annulling of guilt, the removal of all ground of
punishment. "Once in the end of the age hath He appeared to put away
sin by the sacrifice of himself" (Heb. 9:26). Christ has so "put away"
all the sin of His people that they are perfectly and finally
acquitted in the high court of God, so that no charge can evermore be
laid against them (Rom. 8:33). Blessedly and gloriously has the Old
Testament type been fulfilled, "On that day shall the priest make an
atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your
sins before the Lord"(Lev. 16:30). Thus are God's believing children
able to say, "The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all
sin"(1 John 1:17).
This was one of the chief ends of Christ's Satisfaction saint wards:
to take upon Him the sins of His people, and so atone for them that an
end was made of them. Those who are not sheltered beneath the precious
blood of Christ have to say, "Thou hast set our iniquities before
Thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance" (Ps. 90:8). But
they who, by marvelous sovereign grace, have been brought to trust in
the Lamb, may exclaim, "As far as the east is from the west, so far
hath he removed our transgressions from us" (Ps. 103:12). Our guilt
has all been annulled. We have been completely freed from a deserved
punishment. No longer is there a single charge on God's docket against
us. Proof of this is that, "This man, after he had offered one
sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God" (Heb.
10:12). Therefore "unto them that look for Him shall he appear the
second time without sin unto salvation" (Heb. 9:28). Hallelujah!
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A. W. Pink Header
The Satisfaction of Christ
Studies in the Atonement
by A. W. Pink
9. Its Design
_________________________________________________________________
What was the purpose of the Eternal Three in sending Christ Jesus into
this world? What was the incarnation of the Son of God intended to
accomplish? What were His sufferings and obedience ordained to effect?
Concerning this all important matter the most erroneous ideas have
been entertained, ideas at direct variance with Holy Scripture, ideas
most dishonoring to God. Even where these awful errors have not been
fully espoused, sufficient of their evil leaven has been received to
corrupt the pure truth which many good men have held. In other
instances, where this great subject has been largely neglected, only
the vaguest and haziest conceptions are entertained. Sad it is to see
what small place this vital theme now has in most pulpits, and in the
thoughts and studies of the majority of professing Christians.
"Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world"
(Acts 15:18). Everything God does is according to design: all is the
working out of "the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus
our Lord" (Eph. 3:11). God had a design in creation: (Rev. 4:10). He
has a design in providence: (Rom. 8:28). And He has a design or
purpose in the Satisfaction which was wrought by Christ: (1 Pet.
1:20). What, then, was that purpose? This is not a speculative
question, but one of the utmost moment. Surely the right answer to it
must be the one which upholds the glory of God. Therefore any answer
which carries with it the inevitable corollaries of a dishonored
Father, a disgraced Savior and a defeated Holy Spirit, cannot be the
right one. Redemption is the glory of all God's works, but it would be
an everlasting disgrace of them if it should fail to effect whatsoever
it was ordained to accomplish.
One conception, now widely held, is that Christ came here to remove
certain barriers which stood in the way of God's grace flowing forth
to fallen creatures. This theory is that Christ's death took away that
hindrance which the Divine justice interposed to mercy being extended
to transgressors of the law. Holders of this view suppose the great
Atonement was merely the procuring unto God a right for His pardoning
of sin. The words of Arminius are: "God had a mind and will to do good
to humankind, but could not by reason of sin, His justice being in the
way; whereupon He sent Christ to remove that obstacle, so that He
might, upon the prescribing of what condition He pleased, and its
being by them fulfilled, have mercy on them." Sad it is to find so
many today echoing the errors of this misguided man.
The error in the above theory is easily exposed. If it were true that
the design of Christ's satisfaction was to acquire a right unto His
Father, that notwithstanding His justice He might save sinners, then
did He rather die to redeem a liberty unto God,than a liberty from
evil unto His people; that a door might be opened for God to come out
in mercy to us, rather than that a way should be opened for us to go
in unto Him. This is certainly a turning of things upside down. And
where, we may ask, is there a word in Scripture to support such a
grotesque idea? Does Scripture declare that God sent His Son out of
love to Himself or out of love unto us? Does Scripture affirm that
Christ died to procure something for God, or for His people? Does
Scripture teach that the obstacles were thrown out by Divine justice
or that our sins were what Christ came here to remove? There can be
only one answer to these questions.
Again: this theory would reduce the whole work of Christ to a costly
experiment which might or might not succeed, inasmuch as according to
this conception, there is still some condition which the sinner
himself must fulfill ere he can be benefited by that mercy which God
would bestow upon him. But that is a flat denial of the fatal effects
of the Fall, a repudiation of the total depravity of man. Those who
are spiritually dead in sins are quite incapable of performing any
spiritual conditions. As well offer to a man who is stone blind a
thousand dollars on condition that he sees, as offer something
spiritual to one who has no capacity to discern it: see John 3:3; 1
Corinthians 2:14. Such a view as this is as far removed from the truth
as is light from darkness. Such a view, reduced to plain terms, comes
to this; if the sinner believes, then Christ died for him; if the
sinner does not believe, then Christ did not die for him; thus the
sinner's act is made the cause of its own object, as though his
believing would make that to be which otherwise was not. To such
insane absurdities are the opposers of grace driven.
How different the plain teaching of the Word! Christ came here to
fulfill His agreement in the Everlasting Covenant. In that covenant a
certain work was prescribed. Upon His performance of it a certain
reward was promised. That work was that Christ should make a perfect
satisfaction unto God on behalf of each and all of His people. That
reward was that all the blessings procured and purchased by Him should
be infallibly bestowed on each and all of His people. "God out of His
infinite love to His elect, sent His dear Son in the fullness of time,
whom He had promised in the beginning of the world; to pay a ransom of
infinite value and dignity, for the purchasing of eternal redemption,
and bringing unto Himself all and every one of those whom He had
before ordained to eternal life, for the praise of His own glory. So
that freedom from all the evil from which we are delivered, and an
enjoyment of all the good things that are bestowed on us, in our
traduction from death to life, from hell and wrath to heaven and
glory, are the proper issues and effects of the death of Christ, as
the meritorious cause of them all" (John Owen). We are now ready to
answer our opening question. The design of Christ's Satisfaction was
1. THAT GOD MIGHT BE MAGNIFIED
"The Lord hath made all things for himself" (Prov. 16:4). The great
end which God has in all His works is the promotion of His own
declarative glory: "For of him, and through him, and to him,are all
things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36). It must be so.
There is nothing outside Himself which can possibly supply any motive
for Him to act. To assert the contrary would be to deny His self
sufficiency. The aim of God in creation, in providence, and in
redemption, is the magnifying of Himself.Everything else is
subordinate to this paramount consideration. We press this, because we
are living in an age of infidelity and practical atheism.
God predestinated His people unto "the glory of His grace" (Eph. 1:6).
Christ has "received us to the glory of God" (Rom. 15:7). All the
Divine promises for us are in Christ "Amen, to the glory of God" (2
Cor. 1:20). The inheritance which we have obtained in Christ is in
order that "we should be to the praise of His glory" (Eph. 1:12). The
Holy Spirit is given us as the earnest of our inheritance "unto the
praise of his glory" (Eph. 1:14). The very rejoicing of the believer
is "in hope of the glory of God" (Rom. 5:2). Our thanksgiving is that
it may "redound to the glory of God" (2 Cor. 4:15). This is the one
design of all the benefits which we obtain from the Satisfaction of
Christ, for "we are filled with the fruits of righteousness which are
by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God" (Phil. 1:11). While
every tongue shall yet "confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory
of God the Father" (Phil. 2:11).
God had both a subservient and a supreme design in sending Christ into
this world: the supreme design was to display His own glory, the
subservient design was to save His elect unto His own glory. The
former was accomplished by the manifestation of His blessed
attributes, which is the chief design in all His works, pre-eminently
so in His greatest and grandest work of all. The remainder of the
chapter might well be devoted to the extension of this one thought.
Through Christ's obedience and death God magnified His law: (Isa.
42:21). The law of God was more honored by the Son's subjection to it,
than it was dishonored by the disobedience of all of Adam's race. God
magnified His love by sending forth the Darling of His bosom to redeem
worthless worms of the earth. He magnified His justice,for when sin
(by imputation) was found upon His Son, He called for the sword to
smite Him: (Zech. 13:7). He magnified His holiness:His hatred of sin
was more clearly shown at the Cross than it will be in the lake of
fire. He magnified His power by sustaining the Mediator under such a
load as was laid upon Him. He magnified His truth by fulfilling His
covenant engagements and bringing forth from the dead the great
Shepherd of the sheep: (Heb. 13:20). He magnified His grace by
imputing to the ungodly all the merits of Christ. This, then, was the
prime purpose of God in the Atonement: to magnify Himself.
2. THAT THE GOD MAN MIGHT BE GLORIFIED
Christ is the Center of all the counsels of the Godhead. He is both
the Alpha and Omega of their designs. All God's thoughts concerning
everything in heaven and in earth begin and end in Christ. "God
created all things by Jesus Christ" (Eph. 3:9), and all things were
created "for Him" (Col. 1:16). As Mediator He is the only medium of
union and communion between God and the creature. "That in the
dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one
all things in Christ,both which are in heaven, and which are on earth;
in him" (Eph. 1:10). Christ is the one universal Head in which God has
summed up all things. Therefore was the stupendous work of redemption
given to Him that He might reconcile all things in heaven and earth
unto himself, and this, that a revenue of glory
The man Christ Jesus was taken up into union with the essential and
eternal Word, God the Son, so that He might be Jehovah's "Fellow"
(Zech. 13:7). The man Christ Jesus was predestinated unto the
ineffable honor of union with the second person in the Trinity. As
such He is the Head of the whole election of grace, called by the
Father, "Mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth" (Isa. 42:1). As the
God man, the Father covenanted with Him, appointed Him as Surety, and
assigned Him His work. As God man, He had a covenant subsistence
before He became incarnate. This is clear from John 6:62: "What and if
ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?" It was as
the God man the Father "sent" forth Christ on His errand of mercy, and
that for His personal glory.
As Judas went out to betray Him, Christ said, "Now is the Son of man
glorified" (John 13:31). Within a few hours His stupendous undertaking
would be accomplished. The Mediator was honored, supremely honored, by
God's having committed to His care the mightiest work of all, a work
which none other was capable of performing. To Him was entrusted the
task of glorifying God here on earth; of vanquishing His arch enemy,
the Devil; of redeeming His elect. To this He makes reference in John
17:4, "I have glorified thee on earth; I have finished the work which
thou gavest me to do." He had completed God's vast design, executed
His decrees, fulfilled all His will.
Having so gloriously glorified the Father, the Father has
proportionately glorified the Mediator. He has been exalted high above
"all principality and power, and might and dominion, and every name
that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to
come" (Eph. 1:21). He has been elevated to "the right hand of the
Majesty on high" (Heb. 1:3). He has been given all authority in heaven
and in earth (Matthew 28:18). He has been given power over all flesh,
that He should give eternal life to as many as the Father hast given
him" (John 17:2). He has been given a name which is above every name,
before which name every knee shall yet bow (Phil. 2:11). Speaking of
Christ's finished work and the Father's rewarding thereof, the
Psalmist said, "His glory is great in thy salvation: honor and majesty
hast thou laid upon him. For thou hast made him most blessed forever:
Thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance" (Ps. 21:5,6).
This was the grand design of the Trinity: that the God man should thus
be glorified.
3. THAT GOD'S ELECT MIGHT BE SAVED
"For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost"
(Luke 19:10). How different is this plain, positive and unqualified
statement from the tale which nearly all preachers tell today! The
story of the vast majority is that Christ came here to make salvation
possible for sinners: He has done His part, now they must do theirs.
To reduce the wondrous, finished, and glorious work of Christ to a
merely making salvation possible is most dishonoring and insulting to
Him.
Christ came here to carry into effect God's sovereign purpose of
election, to save a people already "His" (Matthew 1:21) by covenant
settlement. There are a people whom God hath "from the beginning
chosen unto salvation" (2 Thess. 2:13), and redemption was in order to
the accomplishing of that decree. And if we believe what Scripture
declares concerning the person of Christ, then we have indubitable
proof that there can be no possible failure in connection with His
mission. The Son of man, the Child born, was none other than "the
mighty God" (Isa. 9:6). Therefore is He omniscient, and knows where to
look for each of His lost ones; He is also omnipotent, and so cannot
fail to deliver when they are found.
Observe that Luke 19:10 does not say that Christ came here to seek and
to save all the lost. Of course it does not. Two thirds of human
history had already run its course before Jesus was born. Half the
human race was already in Hell when He entered Bethlehem's manger. It
was "the lost" (see Greek) for which He became incarnate. That is the
awful condition in which God's elect are by nature. Lost! They have
lost all knowledge of the true God, all liking for Him, all desires
after Him. They have lost His image in which they were originally
created, and have contracted the image of Satan. They have lost all
knowledge of their own actual condition, for their understanding is
darkened (Eph. 4:18), they are spiritually dead in trespasses and sins
(Eph. 2:1). Totally unconscious of their terrible state they neither
seek Christ nor realize their need of Him.
Christ did not come here to see if there were any who would seek after
Him. Of course not. Romans 3:11 emphatically declares "there is none
that seeketh after God." Christ is the seeker. Beautifully is that
brought out by Him in His parable of the lost sheep. A strayed dog or
a lost horse will usually find its way back home. Not so a sheep: the
longer it is free, the farther it strays from the fold. Hence, if that
sheep is ever to be recovered, one must go after it. This is what
Christ did, and which by His Spirit He is still doing. As Luke 15:4
declares, He goes "after that which is lost until He find it." But
more: Christ came here not only to seek and find, but also to save.His
words are, "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which
was lost." Note it is not merely that He offers to, nor helps to, but
that He actually saves.Such was the emphatic and unqualified
declaration of the angel to Joseph, "Thou shalt call his name Jesus,
for he shall save his people from their sins" - not try to, not half
do so, but actually save them.
Christ came here with a definitely defined object in view, and being
who He is there is no possible room for any failure in His mission.
Hence, before He came here, God declared that He should "see of the
travail of his soul and be satisfied"(Isa. 53:10). As the Mediator He
solemnly covenanted with the Father to save His people from their
sins. He actually purchased them with His blood (Acts 20:28). He has
wrought out for them a perfect salvation, therefore is He "mighty to
save" (Isa. 63:1). Blessedly is this illustrated in the immediate
context of Luke 19:10. To Zacchaeus He said, "Make haste, and come
down; for today I must abide at thy house... This day is salvation
come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham" (vv.
5,9). Yes, "a son of Abraham," one of the elect seed. Therefore we
boldly say to the reader, If you belong to the sheep of Christ, you
must be saved, even though now you may be quite unconscious of your
lost condition. Though, like Saul of Tarsus, you may yet "kick against
the pricks," invincible grace shall conquer you, for it is written,
"Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power" (Ps. 110:3).
"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more
abundantly. I am the good Shepherd: the good Shepherd giveth his life
for the sheep" (John 10:10, 11). Here again we have clearly defined
the design of Christ's mission and satisfaction. His sheep once
possessed "life," possessed it in their natural head, Adam. But when
he fell, they fell; when he died, they died. As it is written, "In
Adam all die" (1 Cor. 15:22). But by Christ, through His work, and in
Him their spiritual Head, they obtain not only "life," but "more
abundant" life; that is, a "life" which as far excels what they lost
in their first father, as the last Adam excels in His Person, the
first Adam. Therefore is it written, "The first Adam was made a living
soul; the last Adam a quickening spirit" (1 Cor. 15:45).
"As the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to
have life in himself" (John 6:26), which speaks of Christ as the
God-man, the Mediator, as is clear from the words "given to." But that
"life" had to be "laid down" (John 10:17) and received again in
resurrection before it could be, efficaciously, bestowed on His
people: John 12:24. It was as the Risen One that Christ was made "a
quickening spirit." The first Adam was "made a living soul" that he
might communicate natural life to his posterity; the last Adam was
"made a quickening spirit" that He might impart spiritual life to all
His seed. As the soul dwelling in Adam's body animated it and so made
him to be a "living soul," so the man Christ Jesus being united to the
second of the Trinity, has constituted Him a "quickening spirit,"
i.e., quickening His mystical body, both now and hereafter. The life
of the Head is the life of His members.
The Christian first has a federal life in Christ before he has a vital
life from Christ. Being legally one with Christ, this must be so. When
Christ died His people died, when Christ was quickened His people were
quickened "together with" Him (Eph. 2:5). It is to this union with the
life of Christ that Romans 5:17 refers: "For if by one man's offense
death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace
and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus
Christ." Yes, there is a "much more": the abundance of grace is
greater than the demerits of sin, and the gift of righteousness
exceeds that which was lost in Adam. The righteousness of God's elect
far surpasses that which they possessed in innocence by the first
Adam, for it is the righteousness of Christ, who is God. To this,
neither the righteousness of Adam nor of angels can be compared. Those
redeemed by Christ are not only recovered from the fall, but they are
made to "reign in life" to which they had no title in their first
parent. Since Christ is King, His people are made "kings" too (Rev.
1:6).
The same aspect of truth is brought before us again in 2 Corinthians
5:14, 15: "For the love of Christ constraineth us: because we thus
judge that if one for all died, then all died. And for all He died,
that they who live no longer to themselves should live, but to Him who
for them died and was raised again" (Bagster's Interlinear). The
American Version is misleading here. Many have supposed that the last
clause of verse 14 refers to those who are "dead in sins," but that
was true apart from the death of Christ! Nor does the spiritual death
of Adam's fallen descendants render them capable of "living unto"
Christ, but the very reverse. No, it is, "If one for all died" (i.e.,
for all His people), then they all died in Him.Then in verse 15 we
have stated the consequence and fruit of this: as the result of His
rising from the dead, they "live." His act was, representatively,
their act. The atoning death of Christ, on the ground of federal union
and substitution, was also our death; see Galatians 2:20. So too His
resurrection was, representatively, our resurrection: see Colossians
3:1. Thus, in Christ, God's elect have a "more abundant" life than
The same truth is set before us in 1 Peter 2:24, "Who his own self
bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to
sins, should live unto righteousness." The first part of this verse
has been before us in a previous chapter. The second half of it
expresses the Divine design in appointing Christ to be federally and
vicariously the Bearer of His peoples' sins. Christ's death was their
death: they are "dead to sins," not to "sinning"! Let the reader
compare Romans 6:2 and the apostle's exposition in the next nine
verses. Further, Christ's resurrection was their resurrection: they
"live," legally and representatively, "unto righteousness" in Christ
their risen Head, of whom it is written "He liveth unto God" (Rom.
6:10). We quote below from John Brown's lucid exposition of 1 Peter
2:24.
"To be 'dead to sins' is to be delivered from the condemning power of
sin; or, in other words, from the condemning sentence of the law,
under which, if a man lies, he cannot be holy; and from which, if a
man is delivered, his holiness is absolutely secured. To 'live unto
righteousness' is plainly just the positive view of that, of which 'to
be dead to sins' is the negative view. 'Righteousness,' when opposed
to 'sin,' in the sense of guilt or liability to punishment, as it very
often is in the writings of the apostle Paul, is descriptive of a
state of justification. A state of guilt is a state of condemnation by
God; a state of righteousness is a state of acceptance with God. To
live unto righteousness, is in this case to live under the influence
of a justified state, a state of acceptance with God; and the
apostle's statement is: Christ Jesus, by His sufferings unto death,
completely answered the demands of the law on us by bearing away our
sins, that we, believing in Him, and thereby being united to Him,
might be as completely freed from our liabilities to punishment, as if
we, in our own person, not He Himself, in His own body, had undergone
them; and that we might as really be brought into a state of
righteousness, justification, acceptance with God, as if we, not He,
in His obedience to death, had magnified the law and made it
honorable."
"God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin,
condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be
fulfilled in us" (Rom. 8:3, 4). Here again the design of Christ's
mission is clearly stated. God sent His Son here in order that (1) the
punishment of His peoples' guilt should be inflicted upon their Head,
(2) that the righteous requirements of the law - perfect obedience -
might be met by Him for us. This righteousness is said to be
"fulfilled in us" because representatively, we were "in Christ" our
Surety: He obeyed the law not only "for" our good, but so that His
obedience should become actually ours by imputation; and thus Christ
purchased for us a title to Heaven.
A parallel passage to Romans 8:3, 4 is found in 2 Corinthians 5:21,
"For he hath made him sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be
made the righteousness of God in him." The purpose of Christ's
vicarious life and death was that a perfect righteousness should be
wrought out for His people and imputed to them by God, so that they
might exclaim, "In the Lord have I righteousness" (Isa. 45:24). This
will come before us more fully when we take up the results of Christ's
Satisfaction, yet a few words upon it are here in place. The
righteousness of the believer is wholly objective;that is to say, it
is something altogether outside of himself. This is clear from the
antithesis of 2 Corinthians 5:21. Christ was "made sin" not
inherently, but imputatively, by the guilt of His people being legally
transferred to Him. In like manner, they are "made the righteousness
of God in Him",not "in themselves," by Christ's righteousness being
legally reckoned to their account. In the repute of God, Christ and
His people constitute one mystical person, hence it is that their sins
were imputed to Him, and that His righteousness is imputed to them,
and therefore we read: "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness
to every one that believeth" (Rom.
"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust,
that he might bring us to God" (1 Pet. 3:18). This wondrous
declaration gives us a remarkably clear view of the substitutionary
punishment which Christ endured, with the design thereof, namely, to
restore His people to priestly nearness and service to God. Four
things in it are worthy of our most close attention. First, Christ
"suffered." Sin was the cause of His suffering. Had there been no sin,
Christ had never suffered. To "suffer" means "to bear punishment," as
in ordinary speech we say, a child suffers for the sins of its
parents. Christ suffered for "us," the whole election of grace: it was
for their sin He was penalized. Second, He suffered "once." This must
not be understood to signify that His suffering was confined to the
three hours of darkness, but means "once for all" as in Hebrews 9:27,
28. The "suffering" which pervaded the whole of Christ's earthly life
culminated at the Cross. That suffering was final. His all-sufficient
Atonement possesses eternal validity.
Third, Christ Himself was personally sinless: it was the "Just" or
"Righteous" One who suffered. To affirm that He was "righteous" means
that He was approved of God as tested by the standard of the law. He
was not only sinless, but One whose life was adjusted to the Divine
requirements. As such, He suffered, the pure for the impure, the
innocent for the guilty. His sufferings were not on His own account,
nor were they from the inevitable course of events or laws of evil in
a sinful world; but they were the direct and necessary consequence of
His vicariously taking the place of His guilty people. Christ received
the punishment they ought to have suffered. He was paid sin's wages
which were due them.
Fourth, the end in view of Christ's substitutionary sufferings was to
bring His people to God.This was only possible by the removal of their
sins, which separated them from the thrice Holy One: (Isa. 59:2). By
His sufferings Christ has procured for us access to God. "But in
Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off, are made nigh by the blood
of Christ" (Eph. 2:13). "That he might bring us to God" is the most
comprehensive expression used in Scripture for stating the design of
Christ's Satisfaction. It includes the bringing of His people out of
darkness into marvelous light: out of a state of alienation, misery
and wrath, into one of grace, peace and eternal communion with God. By
nature they were in a state of enmity, but Christ has reconciled them
by His death (Rom. 5:10). By nature they were "children of wrath"
(Eph. 2:3), obnoxious to God's judicial displeasure; but by grace they
have been accepted into His favor (Rom. 5:2). By nature they were
spiritual lepers, but by one offering Christ hath "perfected forever
them that are sanctified" (Heb. 10:14).
Here then, in brief, is the Divine design in the Satisfaction of
Christ; that God Himself might be honored; that Christ might be
glorified; that the elect might be saved by their sins being put away,
an abundant life being given them, a perfect righteousness imputed to
them, and their being brought into God's favor, presence and
fellowship.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Satisfaction of Christ
Studies in the Atonement
by A. W. Pink
10. Its Efficacy
_________________________________________________________________
In our last chapter we considered the Divine design in Christ's
Satisfaction; in this we propose to show from Scripture that that
design must be accomplished. Two widely differing views have been
taken concerning the effectuation of what the mediatorial work of the
Lord Jesus was meant to achieve. Some have affirmed that the Atonement
possesses only a conditional efficacy, others that it is vested with
an infallible efficacy. These two views are known as the Arminian and
the Calvinistic interpretations. They are completely antagonistic and
utterly irreconcilable. The difference between them is that of Truth
and error, Light and darkness, Jehovah and Baal, God and the Devil.
Before attempting to set forth some of the sure grounds on which rests
the certain accomplishment of God's purpose in the obedience and
suffering of Christ, we will first glance briefly at the contrary view
and expose its fallacy.
It is high time that some voice was raised in protest against the
fearful perversions of Divine truth which are now being given out by
many, who, though posing as the champions of orthodoxy, are nothing
more than wolves in sheep's clothing, blind, leading those who follow
their pernicious heresies into the ditch. The omnipotency of God is
now frittered down to a persuasive power which He brings to bear upon
sinners, but which is so feeble that it fails to move the great
majority who are subject to it: more than this "persuasion" must not
be affirmed, lest man be reduced to a "mere machine." The
all-efficacious Atonement, which has actually redeemed everyone for
whom it was made, is degraded to a "remedy" which sin-sick souls may
use if they feel disposed to. The invincible work of the Holy Spirit
is supposed to be nothing more than an "offer" of the Gospel which
sinners may accept or reject as they please. That such frightful
errors should now be accepted in "churches" calling themselves
"Fundamentalists," only shows how far the Apostasy has advanced.
The horrible and blasphemous idea of Arminians is that the wondrous
and perfect Atonement of Christ has made sure and certain the
salvation of none, that it has only made possible the salvation of all
who hear the Gospel. When this "possibility" is carefully examined it
is found to be an impossibility! The supposed "possibility" is that
fallen man, while dead in trespasses and sins, must fulfill a certain
condition, must of himself perform a certain act which God is said to
require of him, before the sacrifice of Christ can be of any avail.
That "condition" is faith; that "act" is that he must believe. Now to
reduce the "great salvation" which Christ procured and secured to a
bare possibility, as something which is available for everyone but
sure for no one, is to say that Christ did no more for Peter and Paul
than He did for Pilate and Judas. Everything is thus left to chance
and uncertainty.
To make the efficacy of Christ's Atonement depend upon an act of man's
will is highly dishonoring to our blessed Savior. To say that the
success of the greatest of all God's works is left contingent upon the
creature's pleasure is most insulting to the Almighty, impeaching as
it does His wisdom, goodness and justice. To teach that salvation lies
within the sinner's own power to secure, is to flatly deny Christ when
He said "with men this is impossible"(Matthew 19:26). Alas, nearly all
preachers today speak of faith in Christ as a comparatively easy
matter, as though it were well within the range of the sinner's own
ability. But the Scriptures teach far otherwise. They teach that man
by nature is spiritually bound with fetters, such as none hut God can
break (Gal. 5:1), that he is shut up in darkness (Eph. 4:18), and is
in a prison house (Isa. 61:1). The salvation of no man is "possible"
apart from the effectual operations of God's invincible grace.
To affirm the "possibility" of an unregenerate sinner believing in
Christ to the saving of his soul, is to deny that "men loved darkness
rather than light" (John 3:19), that "they that are in the flesh
cannot please God" (Rom. 8:8), that the "carnal mind is enmity against
God." In short, it is to repudiate the fact that man is, by nature, a
fallen creature, dead in trespasses and sins. Carnality cannot thirst
after holiness. An evil tree cannot produce good fruit. A corpse
cannot quicken itself. Man's will, like all his other faculties, has
been disabled by the fall. His only hope is the intervention of
sovereign and omnipotent grace: that God will perform upon and within
him a miracle of mercy: that Divine power will lift him out of the
grave of sin and make him a new creature in Christ Jesus. Until he is
born again he can no more love God, savingly believe in Christ, or
walk in the Spirit, than he can create a world.
We have not said that faith is unnecessary, nor that God does not call
on man to believe the Gospel. What we do say is that faith is God's
gift, that this gift was purchased by Christ for all for whom He died,
and that in due time this gift is imparted to them. As this will come
before us again we shall say no more upon it now; instead, we proceed
to call attention to some of the many infallible proofs which
demonstrate the certain efficacy of Christ's Satisfaction.
1. THE PURPOSE OF GOD
All the designs of a Being possessed of infinite wisdom and almighty
power must be fulfilled. It is impossible that they should be
frustrated. In Ephesians 3:11 we read of "the eternal purpose which He
purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." The context shows what that
"eternal purpose" concerned. It was a "dispensation of the grace of
God" (v. 2) toward poor sinners. It was that elect Jews and elect
Gentiles should be "fellow heirs and of the same body, and partakers
of His promise in Christ by the gospel" (v. 6). It was that these
should be partakers of "the unsearchable riches of Christ" (v. 8). It
was that by means of the Church the "manifold wisdom of God" should be
exhibited (v. 10). This same "eternal purpose" of God is revealed in 1
Thessalonians 5:9, "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to
obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ."
Now the purpose of God is absolutely certain of fulfillment. He
Himself emphatically declares, My counsel shall stand, and I will do
all my pleasure" (Isa. 46:10). e insists that, "There is no wisdom nor
understanding nor counsel against the Lord" (Prov. 21:30). Neither the
malice of man nor the enmity of Satan can prevent the infallible
accomplishment of whatsoever God hath ordained. To affirm the contrary
is blasphemy. In Proverbs 19:21 we are told that "there are many
devices in a man's heart, nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that
shall stand." There were many "devices" in the heart of Pharaoh
against Jehovah and His people, nevertheless the "counsel'' of the
Lord stood fast. There were many "devices" in the heart of Saul of
Tarsus against Christ and His church, and though he kicked against the
pricks, nevertheless, the "counsel" of the Lord was accomplished.
"The counsel of the Lord standeth forever, the thoughts of his heart
to all generations" (Ps. 33:11). This is the firm and glorious
confidence of His saints. No ingenuity of man and no plotting of the
Devil can overthrow it, no, nor so much as hinder it. "Our God is in
the heavens: He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased" (Ps.115:3). Hath
He "from the beginning chosen us unto salvation"? (2 Thessalonians
2:13) Then saved we must be. Hath He redestinated us unto the adoption
of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure
of His will"? (Eph. 1:5) Then that will must be fulfilled. God's
purpose is immutable (Heb. 6:17), invincible (Ps. 2:6), triumphant
(Isa. 14:26, 27). Before there can be the slightest failure in the
accomplishment of the Divine design in the Atonement of Christ, God
must cease to be! But this is impossible.
2. THE COVENANT OF GOD
Now it is obviously impossible to have any clear views of what the
Lord Jesus died to achieve, if we have no real knowledge of the
Eternal Agreement between the Father and the Son in fulfillment of
which His death took place. Yet, today, deplorable to say, even the
great majority of those considered evangelical - to mention no others
- have scarcely any such knowledge. The very fact that that Covenant
was proposed, accepted and drawn up before the foundation of the
world, proves beyond all shadow of doubt that it was unconditional so
far as man is concerned, for he then had no existence! Therefore he
cannot be a party to it, even though his eternal well-being is the
object of it.
It must be admitted that, in effecting salvation, God acts agreeably
to a preconceived plan or designed arrangement. We say "must;" - for
to deny this is to impute to the infinitely wise God conduct such as
is found only among the most thoughtless and foolish among men,
conduct such as is exemplified in no other department of His works,
for in all of them we discover such order and regularity as clearly
evince the existence of an original plan or design. Hence, to direct
attention to the Everlasting Covenant is but to show that God is now
working according to an eternal purpose. The Scriptures plainly
represent the Divine persons as entering into a federal agreement for
the salvation of men. In that covenant the Father is the
representative of the Godhead, and the Son the representative of those
who are to be redeemed. He is, on that account, called the "Surety"
(Heb. 7:22) and "Mediator" (Heb. 8:6) of the covenant. Whatever He did
as Surety or Mediator must, therefore, have been done in connection
with the covenant.
The great Architect of the universe drew up His plans before ever a
creature was brought into existence. Everything concerning Christ and
His Church was firmly settled beyond possibility of alteration. All
that concerns the being and well-being of His people is done according
to God's covenant-enactment. As Ephesians 1:11 declares, God "worketh
all things after the counsel of His own will." Yes, "He will ever be
mindful of His covenant" (Ps. 111:5). There were no contingencies, no
uncertainties, no peradventures. All the affairs of the elect were
settled by the mutual consent of all the persons of Deity. The Father
made choice of the elect (Eph. 1:4), the Son accepted that choice
(John 17:10), the Spirit recorded it in the Lamb's book of life (Rev.
13:8). The Father decreed salvation, the Son consented to purchase it,
the Spirit pledged Himself to the communication of it.
Now as stated in an earlier chapter, a covenant is an agreement
between two parties who are under mutual engagements. Something is to
be done by one of the parties, in consequence of which the other party
binds himself to do something in return. When a master, for example,
enters into an agreement or covenant with a servant, he prescribes
certain duties to be performed by the servant and promises to
recompense him with suitable wages. By consenting to the compact, the
servant becomes bound to perform the stipulated work, and the master
is bound to bestow the reward when the term of labor is finished. Such
an agreement, such a compact, was entered into between the Father and
the Son before the foundation of the world. Clear proof of this is
found in Isaiah 49:1-19; 2 Timothy 1:9. In Isaiah 53:10-12 we have
recorded the promises which God made to the Mediator. In John 17:24 we
hear Christ putting in His claim to the fulfillment of that promise.
The covenant is "ordered in all things and sure" (2 Sam. 23:5). It is
"sure" in its ordinations, operations, communications, preservations,
and consummations. Yes, it is a salvation worthy of God!Well might the
late Joseph Irons say, "O the vast importance of getting at and
possessing an infallible Christianity! The Devil knew well of what
worth and importance that word was, and, therefore, he carried it off
to Rome, that the vilest of wretches might claim it as theirs and talk
about infallible heads, and infallible decrees, and infallible
councils and infallible vicars of Christ. I wonder the earth does not
swallow them up as it did Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; It is such
blasphemous presumption. They talk about infallibility, and then run
away to Gaeta to take care of it; they talk about infallibility, and
then are obliged to have an army of infidels from France to
reestablish and to preserve it. I would not give a straw for such
infallibility. I want the infallibility of the throne of God, the
infallibility of the existence of Deity, the infallibility that is
sworn to by the Persons of Godhead, that is ratified in the oaths of
His Word, embraced and enjoyed in my own soul; all the members of
Christ secure in His hands, so that none shall pluck them thence; all
the purposes of grace infallibly settled; and all that the Father gave
Him be infallibly brought home, to behold His glory and see Him as He
is."
The Satisfaction of Christ was the one and only "condition" of the
Covenant. It was stipulated as the condition of His having a seed to
serve Him, that He should make His soul an offering for sin, that He
should bear their iniquities, that He should pour out His soul unto
death. In reference to this, we find Him saying to His apostles on the
eve of His crucifixion, "This is my blood of the new covenant,which is
shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:28). The blood of
Christ was not shed by accident, nor was it poured out at random or on
a venture. No, He laid down His life by commandment: He had received
orders from His Father so to do: John 10:18. The blood of Christ was
the sealing of the Covenant, and by it He has actually purchased to
Himself the Church of God: Acts 20:28.
At the close of His earthly career we find Christ saying to the
Father, "I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work
which thou gavest me to do" (John 17:4). On the ground of this He
prays, "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self" (v.
5). Furthermore He said, "Father I will that they may behold my glory"
(v. 24). Having faithfully discharged His part of the Contract, the
Father is now in honor bound to bring to Heaven every one for whom
Christ died. So far as the elect are concerned, the design of the
Mediator's work was not that God might, if He would, but that He
should,by virtue of His engagement with the Surety, actually bestow on
the Church all that He merited for it. Therefore we boldly affirm
that, before there can be the slightest failure in the Divine design
of the Atonement, the Father must betray the Son's confidence in Him
and prove false to His own stipulation with Him. That is impossible.
3. THE VERACITY OF GOD
In the past eternity the Father made definite promises to the
Mediator. From these we may cite the following: "I the Lord have
called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep
thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the
Gentiles; To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the
prison" (Isa. 42:6,7). "In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel
[namely "the Israel of God", Gal. 6:16] be justified, and shall glory"
(Isa. 45:25). "Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, his Holy
One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a
servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall
worship, because of the Lord that is faithful"(Isa. 49:7). "He shall
see of the travail of his soul, and be satisfied: by his knowledge
shall my righteous servant justify many: for he shall bear their
iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and
he shall divide the spoil with the strong" (Isa. 53:11, 12). "Ask of
me, and I shall give the heathen for thine inheritance, and the
uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession (Ps. 2:8). In view of
these promises, Christ had a joy "set before him," for which joy he
endured the Cross and despised the shame (Heb. 12:2).
Now if one man enters into a solemn engagement with another which is
duly ratified, signed, sealed and witnessed to, for him to attempt to
break it would be to violate his honor, forfeit his good name, and
make him an object of contempt to all righteous people. But the man
who is honorable and upright, respects his pledges: his word is his
bond. Infinitely more so does all this hold good of Him who is the God
of Truth. "God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the Son of
man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or
hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" (Num. 23:19). God not
only entered into formal covenant with Christ, not only made Him
definite promises, but solemnly placed Himself on oath to the certain
fulfillment of them: "My covenant will I not break; nor alter the
thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness
that I will not lie unto the beloved" (Ps. 89:34, 35).
Here then is another sure and unchanging ground of confidence. The
very perfections of Deity stand pledged unto the triumphant issue of
Christ's Satisfaction. The honor of God is involved in it. His
faithfulness is at stake. His veracity is eternally pledged for the
fulfillment of every iota of the grand Charter between Himself and the
Mediator of His people. Therefore not a promise can fail, not one
elect vessel of mercy be cast out. There can be no failure, for
nothing is left contingent on the creature. As Psalm 111:5 declares
"He will ever be mindful of His covenant." Here is security indeed.
God will not change His mind, revoke His choice, or violate His
pledge. Therefore we boldly affirm that, before there can be the
slightest failure in the Divine design concerning the Atonement, the
Father would have to falsify His promises, lie to His Son, and go back
upon His most solemn oath. Such is utterly impossible.
4. THE POWER OF GOD
The work of Christ, of itself, never did, never will, and never can,
save a single soul. God must carry that death into effect. If the
efficacy of Christ's sacrifice should be left for men to receive or
reject, men to help forward or impede the prosperity thereof, then His
death would be utterly in vain. But the Lord Jesus did not leave the
virtues of His Atonement to depend upon the creature. No, He committed
His cause and interests unto the Father. Hear Him saying. "And now I
am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to
thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast
given me, that they may be one, as we" (John 17:11). Unto the keeping
power of the Father did Christ entrust those for whom He died.
We have shown in previous chapters that Christ died not as a private
person, but as the federal head of the whole election of grace;
therefore His final act on the Cross must be understood as signifying
"Father, into thy hands I commend my [mystical] spirit" (Luke 23:46).
And what was the Father's response? Psalm 110 tells us. The Father not
only exalted Christ to His own right hand, but solemnly assured Him
that, "The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion... thy
people shall be willing in the day of thy power" (v. 2, 3). Thereby He
promised to make the preaching of the Gospel successful unto the
saving of His "people." Invincible grace should open hearts to the
reception of its message (Acts 16:14), and they should be "kept by the
power of God through faith unto salvation" (1 Peter 1:5). Therefore we
boldly say that, before there can be the slightest failure in the
Divine design concerning the Atonement, God must be stripped of His
omnipotence. But that is impossible.
5. THE JUSTICE OF GOD
"There are many who plead for the atonement of Christ, who, in effect,
deny it, as well as its open opposers. They suppose that it is a
conditional atonement, of efficacy only to those who comply with
certain terms. It is evident, however, that a conditional atonement is
no atonement in the proper sense of the word; for an atonement must
expiate the sins atoned for, just as a payment cancels a debt. Where,
then, there has been an actual atonement made, the sins atoned for
never can be punished again, any more than a debt once paid can be
charged a second time. It would be unjust in God to charge the debt to
the account of man that was fully paid by man's Surety. It may be
alleged that one man may pay another man's debt upon certain
conditions; and that if those conditions are not fulfilled, the debt
will be still chargeable upon the debtor. But it is evident that, in
such a case, the surety either does not actually pay the debt till the
conditions are fulfilled, or if he has conditionally paid it, he is
refunded before it is chargeable upon the debtor. In every such case,
the debt is not really paid. But Jesus has paid the debt. He has
already made atonement; and if they for whom He died are not absolved,
the debt is charged a second time. Christ can never be refunded.His
blood has been shed; and there is no possibility that what He suffered
can be now either more or less. They, then, who suspend the efficacy
of the atonement of Christ upon conditions to be complied with by man,
in effect deny that atonement has been truly made" (Alex. Carson,
1847).
Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? Assuredly. His very
perfections move Him to give every one His due. This principle is
exemplified time after time in Holy Writ. Then shall God make an
exception of His Son? No, indeed. God ever acts sovereignly, but He
never acts unrighteously. Just as He will not, cannot (Exodus 34:7),
remit sin without satisfaction, so He will not, cannot (Job 4:7),
punish sin where satisfaction has been received. To condemn one for
whom an atonement has been accepted, would be as incompatible with
perfect equity as to ignore sin without an atonement. If the
punishment of sin has been borne, the remission of the offense
follows, of course. God never punishes twice for the same crime. Thus,
inasmuch as the oblation of Christ was a legal satisfaction for sin,
all for whom it was offered must enjoy the remission of their
transgressions.
It is a matter of bare justice that those blessings which Christ
intended to procure for His people should be actually bestowed upon
them. First, because this was promised Him as the reward of His
obedience and sufferings; that reward has been fully earned. Second,
because He actually purchased salvation for them. The enmity of the
carnal mind may object that such a conception is a "commercializing"
of Divine love, but Scripture does not hesitate to employ pecuniary
terms: "Ye are bought with a price" (1 Cor. 6:20). What has been paid
for, the purchaser has a right to. To deny that to him would be
unjust. Again, the Word speaks of our sins as "debts" (Matthew 6:12):
if then Christ has discharged them, He has the right to demand the
exemption of all for whom He acted as Sponsor. Therefore we boldly
affirm that, before there can be the slightest failure in the Divine
design of the Atonement, God must cease to hate iniquity, and love
righteousness. But that is impossible.
6. THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD
The law of substitution, which is a principle appointed by the Divine
government, requires the salvation of all those whom Christ
represented. "Perfect suretyship, whether we regard the supreme
instance and exemplification of it in the work of Christ in our
behalf, or the most common and familiar instances of it as exemplified
among men, is always and manifestly suretyship which, in its own
nature, secures and necessitates,the reinstatement of every one in
whose behalf it is undertaken" (John Armour). Now as Christ fully met
every demand of the Law, both preceptive and penal, against His
people, its claims having been satisfied, cannot be again enforced.
In the fifth chapter of this series we sought to define with care the
meaning of the term "substitution." We pointed out that
substitutionary suffering is that which is endured in the stead of
others, in their actual place. Such suffering inevitably carries with
it the exemption of the party or parties in whose room it is endured.
What is done or suffered by a substitute, completely absolves those
whom he represents from doing or suffering the same thing. Christ so
satisfied the law of God in behalf of His people that the law can now
make no claim whatsoever upon them. The death of Christ was as truly
and actually a substitutionary one as was the death of those animals
sacrificed in Old Testament times in lieu of the death of the
transgressor offering them. Thus the substitutionary satisfaction of
Christ requires Divine justice to remit the sins and to reinstate in
Divine favor all for whose sake it was made.
Substitution necessarily involves two parties: an offender and one who
takes his place, a debtor and one who discharges it for him. It is
equally self-evident that substitution involves a two-fold effect; the
position of each is changed in relation to the law. The one who before
was innocent now becomes guilty, and the one who before was guilty now
becomes innocent. This is a palpable fact and not a fine-spun theory.
If then Christ bore the sins of His people, no sin can rest on them.
If on their behalf He was made a curse, the law cannot now curse them.
With the apostle we triumphantly exclaim, "Who shall lay anything to
the charge of God's elect? - God that justifieth! Who is he that
condemneth? - Christ that died" (Rom. 8:33, 34). Therefore we boldly
affirm that, before there can be the least failure in the Divine
design of Christ's Atonement, the Throne of God, which is founded upon
"righteousness and judgment" (Ps. 97:2), must be overturned. But that
is impossible.
7. THE GLORY OF GOD
No lengthy argument is needed to establish the fact that the glory of
God requires the mediatorial work of Christ should be completely
efficacious, i.e., that it should infallibly accomplish all it was
designed to effect. If there were any failure in the fruits or results
of the Atonement, then the purpose of God would be foiled, His
covenant broken, His veracity forfeited, His power defeated, His
justice sullied, and His glory dishonored. Few seem to realize the
fearful implications which necessarily follow the principles they hold
and advocate. To predicate an Atonement which fails to atone, a
Redemption which does not redeem, a Sacrifice which secures not the
actual remission of sins, is a horrible reflection upon all the
attributes of God. To make the efficacy or success of the greatest of
all God's works dependent upon the choice of fallen and depraved
creatures, is to magnify man at the cost of dethroning his Maker.
The manifestative glory of God is bound up in the person and work of
Christ. Our Lord Jesus revealed this plainly when, facing the crucial
hour, He cried, "Father glorify thy name" (John 12:28). Again He
declared, "Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in
him"(John 13:31). Compare also John 14:13. If Christ be dishonored,
God is dishonored. But if Christ be glorified by the Father's
acceptance of His work and by the Spirit's infallible application
thereof, so that every effect is produced which it was intended to
bring forth, then is God supremely glorified. Therefore we boldly
declare that, before there can be the slightest failure in the Divine
design of the Atonement, God must cease to have any respect for His
own honor. But that can never be.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Satisfaction of Christ
Studies in the Atonement
by A. W. Pink
11. Its Application
_________________________________________________________________
"If the righteous scarcely [literally "with difficulty"] be saved
where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" (1 Pet. 4:18). It
seems that comparatively few of the Lord's people have an adequate
conception of the obstacles in the way of their salvation, of all that
is involved in God's overcoming of them, and of the manner in which
His salvation becomes theirs. Rightly did John Owen affirm, "So great
and glorious is the work of saving believers unto the utmost, that it
is necessary that the Lord Christ should lead a mediatory life in
heaven, for the perfecting and accomplishment of it." Yet how few
today recognize the needs be for this. There has been such a one sided
emphasis laid upon the death of Christ, that the relation of His
resurrection, ascension and intercession to the salvation of His
people is now little understood even in orthodox circles.
If it were more clearly grasped that the redemptive work of Christ is
a strictly priestly one, and if His priestly work were interpreted in
the light of the Old Testament types we should experience less
difficulty in perceiving the necessity, the meaning and the value of
His present intercession on High. At the Cross Christ offered Himself
to God, in all the merits of His life of perfect obedience, as a
Satisfaction for His failing people. But what Christ did for His
people, and their actual entering into the good of what He did for
them, are two totally different things. That which He purchased for
them has to be applied to them. It is at this point that so much
confusion exists in the minds of many. God has left nothing uncertain,
nor is anything contingent on the creature.Full provision was made by
the wisdom of God for securing the results or fruitage of His Son's
work: "He shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be
satisfied"(Isa. 53:11) guarantees this. It is by the present ministry
of Christ on High and by the operations of His Spirit on earth that
this is attained. The first of these will now engage our attention.
The offices of Christ, the great Mediator between God and men, are the
foundation of our hopes and the spring of our peace and joy, His
priestly office particularly so. The exercise of His priestly office
concerns two principal parts: His making full satisfaction to God by
dying for His people, and His intercession at the right hand of God.
"To offer and to intercede, to sacrifice and to pray, are both acts of
the same sacerdotal office, and both required of him who is high
priest, so that if he omit either of these, he cannot be a faithful
priest for them; if either he doth not offer for them, or not
intercede for the access of his oblation on their behalf, he is
wanting in the discharge of this office by him undertaken" (John
Owen). To which we may add that the third act of the high priest is
his coming forth to "bless" those for whom he has offered an
atonement: (Lev. 9:22; 1 Chron. 23:13; Heb. 9:28).
But, as we have said above, through a one sided conception of the
death of Christ many fail to see the need for His present intercession
as being requisite to their salvation.Their difficulty may be
expressed thus: If our salvation was secured by the "one offering" of
Christ, why must He now intercede for us? On the other hand, if our
salvation "unto the uttermost" (Heb. 7:25) be obtained by Christ's
intercession, what need was there for His atonement? We will answer in
the words of H. Martin, "Apparently they mutually exclude each other,
because they do really mutually and reciprocally include each other.
The offering by which alone we are perfected is not passive endurance
or suffering of the cross, but that active priestly offering of the
cross which is prolonged without suffering into the function of
intercession. And the Intercession, by which alone we are saved even
unto the uttermost, is just the perpetual presentation of the
'continual burnt offering' of Calvary, which, as an active
offering,subsists in perpetuity, and belongs to eternity, while the
suffering of the cross belongs to the history of the past, and the
Atonement, had it been mere suffering would have belonged to the past
too."
The last quotation places the emphasis where it rightfully belongs.
Had the Satisfaction of Christ consisted merely of His passively
enduring the wrath of God, then everything required of Him as Mediator
had been accomplished when He died. But in such case the "much more"
of Romans 5:10 and the "yea rather" of Romans 8:34 had been rendered
nugatory. Moreover, the sacrificial types of the Old Testament had
been emptied of their meaning. Yea, the whole plan devised by God for
the glorifying of Himself and the saving of His elect had been thrown
into confusion. But allow that the Satisfaction of Christ is a
priestly work, in which He is active throughout, and these
difficulties are at once removed, for the types and the exposition of
them in the epistle to the Hebrews show plainly enough that the work
of atonement is not, in all respects, completed at the death of the
victim. The intercession of Christ is just as requisite, just as
vitally necessary, in order to save His people, as were His
incarnation, obedience and death.
In support of what has just been said, we would call careful attention
to one or two of the details found in Leviticus 16, where we have the
fullest Old Testament type of Christ's high priestly office and work.
As we hope to devote a separate chapter to the subject, in a later one
of this book, we shall now confine ourselves to that which bears
immediately upon the present aspect of our theme. First, in 5:11 we
read of Aaron killing the bullock for a sin-offering, then, in 5:14,
of taking its blood within the veil and sprinkling it upon the mercy
seat. In like manner, in 5:15 we find the goat treated in the same
way; something more than its blood being shed at the altar, namely
brought within the veil. The antitype of this is found in Hebrews
9:12, where we read of Christ entering heaven "by his own blood," and
in 9:24, where we are told that He has gone there "to appear in the
presence of God for us."
Again, "The two altars of Sacrifice and of Incense were combined and
correlative instruments of official action to the priest in the one
complete office of his priesthood; and they constituted component and
indispensable factors of one complete act of sacrificial worship. The
same functionary or officebearer transacted at both: he transacted for
the self same person or persons; the blood of the self-same sacrifice
that he had slain and offered on the altar, he sprinkled or put upon
the horns of the other. To dislocate or derange this coordination
would be to negate his official action in its intrinsic import, to
annihilate the gracious results of his priestly intervention, and
indeed to evert his office utterly. His action at the altar of
Atonement was pre-requisite to his approach to the altar of Incense:
and the successful achievement which signalized his action at the
latter, revealed beyond the possibility of doubt the nature and
efficacy of the services which he had accomplished at the former;
while only in virtue of the two, in their combination and synthesis,
was Aaron's priesthood a real priesthood at all" (H. Martin).
The intimate relation which existed between the brazen and the incense
altars of Israel may be seen from their being linked together (Ps.
84:3): "Thine altars,O Lord of hosts." The close connection between
them is revealed in a number of Scriptures. For instance, we gather
from Leviticus 16:12, 13, and Numbers 16:46 that the fire on which the
incense was laid upon the golden altar, was taken from the brazen
altar, where the sin-offering was consumed. Thus, the activities of
the one were based upon those of the other, the incense being kindled
by that fire which had first fed upon the sacrifice; thus identifying
the priest's service at both. This, in figure, tells us that our great
High Priest pleads for no blessings which His blood has not purchased,
and asks pardon from Divine justice for no sins for which He did not
atone. The measure of the blessings for which Christ pleads is God's
estimate of the life which He gave.
The wondrous scene portrayed in Isaiah 6 shows us again the
inseparable connection between the two altars. There the prophet
beheld the Lord of hosts, in His ineffable majesty and exalted glory,
seated upon the throne in His heavenly temple, above which stood the
seraphim, with veiled faces, crying, "Holy, holy, holy." What he saw
and heard was so overwhelming that he said, "Woe is me for I am
undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst
of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the
Lord of hosts" (v. 5). Blessed is it to mark the sequel: "Then flew
one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he
had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my
mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is
taken away, and thy sin purged" (vv. 6, 7). As another remarked, "The
emblem of Divine holiness had already consumed the sacrifice and was
also consuming the sweet incense. Thus, symbolically, the prophet's
lips were cleansed according to God's estimate of the value of the
sacrifice and person of our Lord."
1. THE NATURE OF HIS INTERCESSION
"Christ maketh intercession, by His appearing in our nature,
continually before the Father in heaven, in the merit of His obedience
and sacrifice on earth, declaring His will to have it applied to all
believers, answering all accusations against them, procuring for them
quiet of conscience, notwithstanding daily failure, access with
boldness to the throne of grace, and acceptance of their persons and
sacrifices" (T. Ridgley). This definition seems to embody the
essential features of the present intercession of our great High
Priest. Having done everything on earth which God required from the
Surety of our salvation, both in the removing of what would hinder it
(sins and the curse) and procuring what would effect it (perfect
obedience or righteousness), He has now gone into heaven, there "to
appear in the presence of God for us" (Heb. 9:24).
First, He "appears" in our nature. The Mediator is "the Man Christ
Jesus" (1 Tim. 2:5) and to "intercede" is to mediate.He did not cast
off the human nature when He left this earth, but carried it into
heaven, retaining the same body, though glorified, as He had in the
day of His humiliation. The same body in which He offered Himself as a
sacrifice to God, He now presents in heaven - "a Lamb as it had been
slain" (Rev. 5:6). The apostle does not say in Hebrews 9:24 that
Christ entered heaven, to appear there in glory and majesty, as if His
appearance there had been for Himself only; but "to appear in the
presence of God for us."As He was born, lived and died for us, so He
ascended to heaven and appears in our nature at the right hand of God
for us (cf. Heb. 6:20).
Second, He appears as our "Advocate" to present His people and their
cause unto God. When Aaron was to enter the most holy place to
intercede for Israel, he was to bear the names of the twelve tribes
upon his heart and shoulders (Ex. 28:12, 29): thus he went there not
in his own name, but in the name and behalf of His people. As our
Advocate (1 John 2:1) Christ replies to the accusations of Satan (Rev.
12:10). A typical adumbration of this is found in Zechariah 3, where
we see Joshua-type of the Church-charged by Satan. Christ, "the Lord,"
by His intercession with the Father, pleads that instead of Joshua,
his accuser might be rebuked and confounded; acquitting and justifying
the accused. No charge will have any better success which is formed
against those for whom Christ appears as Advocate: see Romans 8:33,
34.
Third, He presents His meritorious sacrifice to God, pointing to His
obedience and death in the stead of His people, to His blood which was
shed for them. The typical high priest, when he was to mediate for
Israel before God, brought in the blood of sacrifice and solemnly
presented it (Heb. 9:7); so Christ, "by His own blood" has gone into
heaven, thereby to "make intercession for the transgressors" (Isa.
53:12). Christ's blood "speaketh better things than Abel" (Heb.
12:24), crying for mercy, as Abel's did for vengeance. Its efficacy is
so potent, and has as much the virtue of intercession, as if it had an
articulate voice. The virtue of Christ's blood is still as fresh and
powerful as if it were but just now shed - note "new and living" in
Hebrews 10:20.
Fourth, He presents His will and desire that His people might have all
which He purchased for them: the will of the Divine nature as He is
God, the desires of His human nature as He is man. This is revealed to
us most fully in that wondrous 17th of John, where we are permitted to
hear the breathings of our great High Priest. There we find Him asking
of the Father those things which are most requisite for His people in
their time-state. There we behold Him putting in His claim on their
behalf: "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be
with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast
given me" (John 17:24).
Fifth, by the intercession of Christ access to the throne of grace is
obtained for His people. Though they have been delivered from the
curse of the law, the flesh still remains within them, daily producing
its evil fruit, defiling their service and interrupting their
communion. As the conscience is made aware of this, the thought of
drawing nigh unto the ineffably holy God would terrify, were it not
that the Scriptures assure us we have One at His right hand pleading
our cause. It is the realization of this blessed fact that gives us
"boldness to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus" (Heb.
10:19). Imperfect as are our approaches, unworthy as we are in
ourselves, feeble though our petitions be, yet, there is One on High
who has been given "much incense" and that "that He should add it to
the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the
throne" (Rev. 8:3). Thus may we "offer up spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God by Jesus Christ"(1 Pet. 2:5).
2. THE NECESSITY OF HIS INTERCESSION
In an humble endeavor to ascertain the reasons why God has appointed
the intercession of Christ, respect should be had unto the Divine
honor, the Mediator's glory, and His people's peace and security.
Underlying the whole plan of redemption God has determined that we
should be saved in a way and manner which most contributed to His own
honor and praise, in a way which would most glorify His Son, and in a
way which should make our salvation most sure and steadfast. Let us
seek, then, to reverently ponder the needs be for our Savior's present
mediation in the light of these basic considerations.
The first reason, then, respects God Himself. "In general, God will be
dealt with withal like Himself, in and throughout the whole way of our
salvation, from first to last, and carry it all along as a superior
wronged, and so keep a distance between Himself and sinners; who still
are to come to Him by a Priest and a Mediator (Heb. 7:25), upon whose
mediation and intercession their salvation doth depend; and therefore
through Christ, in His dispensation of all to us downward doth carry
it as a king,as one having all power to justify and condemn, yet
upward toward God,He carries it as a priest,who still must intercede
to do all that which He has power to do as king. Therefore, in the 2nd
Psalm after that God has set Him as 'King upon his holy hill' (v. 6),
namely, in heaven, and so has committed all power in heaven and earth
to Him; then He must yet 'ask' all that He would have done - 'Ask of
me and I will give thee' (v. 8) God says to Him; for though He be a
king, yet He is God's king - 'I have set my King,' and by asking from
Him God will be acknowledged to be above Him - i.e., above Him as
Mediator.
"More particularly, God hath two attributes which He would have most
eminently appear in their highest glory by Christ's effecting our
salvation, namely, justice and free grace; and therefore hath so
ordered the bringing about of our salvation, as that Christ might
apply Himself in a more especial manner unto each of them, by way of
satisfaction to the one, of entreaty to the other. Justice will be
known to be justice, and dealt with upon its own terms; and grace will
be acknowledged to be free grace, throughout the accomplishment of our
salvation. You have both of them joined together in Romans 3:24, 26:
'Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in
Christ Jesus; that He might be just,and the justifier of him that
believeth.' Here is highest justice and freest grace both met to save
us, and both ordered by God to be 'declared' and 'set forth.'
"Our salvation depending and being carried on, even in the application
of it, by a continuation of grace in a free way, notwithstanding
satisfaction unto justice, therefore His free grace must be sought to,
and treated with like itself, and applied upon in all, and the
sovereignty and freeness of it acknowledged in all, even as well as
God's justice had the honor to be satisfied by a price paid to it,
that so the severity of it might appear and be held forth in our
salvation. Thus God having two attributes eminently to be dealt with,
His justice and His free grace, it was meet that there should be two
eminent actions of Christ's priesthood, wherein He should apply
Himself to each, according to their kind, and as the nature and glory
of each doth require. And accordingly in His death He deals with
justice, by laying down a sufficient price; and in His intercession He
entreateth free grace, and thus both come to be alike acknowledged"
(T. Goodwin).
What has been said above supplies the key which unlocks the blessed
meaning of Hebrews 4:16, where Christians are encouraged to "come
boldly to the throne of grace," and that, because they have "a great
High Priest that is passed into the heavens," the "therefore" of 5:16
looking back to what is said there in 5:14. Observe well that it is
called "the throne of grace"at which our High Priest now officiates:
it is so designated because it is chiefly "grace" which His sacerdotal
office now deals with and sues unto: therefore does He there treat
with God by way of intercession. Of this throne of grace in heaven the
mercy seat in the holy of holies was the type, and as Aaron brought
the blood and the mercy seat together (Lev. 16:14), so has Christ. But
more: Aaron not only entered the holiest with blood, but with incense
too (Lev. 16:12) - the figure of prayer (Revelation 8:3) - to show
that heaven is opened unto God's people not by mere justice
(bloodshedding), but by grace also, yet grace which must be entreated.
Thus it is that there is the unfinished work of Christ in heaven, as
well as His finished work on earth. In the one He dealt with justice
here below, in the other He is treating with mercy in heaven. All the
grace which Christ now bestows on His people He first receives from
God, and that, in answer to His petitions. In Acts 2:33 it is said
that, consequent upon His ascension, "He received of the Father the
promise of the Holy Spirit, which He [Christ] hath shed forth,"
namely, on the day of Pentecost. Yet, if we go back to John 14:16 we
learn that Christ received the Spirit (that as Mediator He might send
Him forth) in answer to His intercession: "And I will pray the Father,
and He shall give you another Comforter." So too in Ephesians 4:11 we
read that the ascended Christ "gave" gifts unto His Church, but, if we
go back to Psalm 68:18, we learn that He "received [from the Father
those] gifts for men," and that, as the fruit of His intercession.
In the second place, God had respect unto the glory of His beloved
Son. In ordering our salvation to be accomplished by His work of
intercession, God had in view the honor and praise of Christ too, that
"all might honor the Son even as they honor the Father" (John 5:23).
Thus, for the maintaining of His honor and the manifestation of His
glory, it was appointed that He should continue to intercede. None of
His offices were to lie idle. All offices have work assigned them, and
all work (properly done) has honor as its reward. When, then, Christ
had finished His work here upon earth, as pertained to the meriting of
our salvation, God appointed this perpetual work in heaven for the
applying and bringing His people into possession of His salvation, and
that, as a Priest, by praying in the virtue of the one oblation of
Himself: see Hebrews 7:24.
For the same reason it became Him that the whole work of salvation
from first to last, in every step and degree of its accomplishment,
should be so ordered that Christ would still continue to have as great
a hand in its application and consummation as He had in laying the
first foundation thereof. This we have expressed in Hebrews 12:2,
"Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith." In what
immediately follows, two things are said of Him, as the two causes of
two effects, concerning each of which faith needs to be "looking unto"
Him. First, He is to be "looked" at as dying - "enduring the cross";
second, as "set down at the right hand of the Majesty on high," there
interceding. We need to look to Him as dying as the "Author," or
"beginning of our faith," and at His sitting at God's right hand as an
Intercessor, for the "finishing of our faith," and so of our final
salvation. Christ is both the Alpha and Omega.
In the third place, God had respect unto the comfort and security of
His people. "God would have our salvation made sure, and us saved all
manner of ways, over and over. First, by ransom and price (as captives
are redeemed), which was done by His death, which of itself was
enough. Second, by power and rescue; so in His resurrection,
ascension, and sitting at God's right hand, which also was sufficient.
Third, by intercession, a way of favor and entreaty, and this likewise
would have been enough, but God would have all things concur in it,
whereof notwithstanding not one could fail; a threefold cord, whereof
each strand was strong enough, but all together must of necessity
hold" (T. Goodwin).
The whole application of Christ's Satisfaction, both in justifying and
saving us, first and last, has a special dependence upon His
intercession. The leading difference between the influence of His
death, and that of His intercession, unto our salvation, is this: the
one was the means of procuring or obtaining it for us, the other the
means of securing and applying it unto us. Christ purchased salvation
by the one, but we are possessed of it by the other. It was not until
Christ was "perfected through suffering" that He became "the Author
[or "applying cause"] of eternal salvation" (Heb. 5:7). The two things
were united at the cross: "He bore the sins of many and made
intercession for the transgressors" (Isa. 53:12). That while the death
of Christ procured our salvation, it did not (of itself) secure it,
seems very evident from 1 Corinthians 15:17: "If Christ be not raised
your faith is vain, ye are yet in your sins."
Those for whom Christ intercedes are they whose sin He bore (Isa.
53:12), namely, those given to Him by the Father (John 17:9). That for
which He intercedes is what He purchased for them by His Satisfaction,
namely, "eternal redemption" (Heb. 9:12), which includes the gift of
the Holy Spirit to apply unto them all the virtues of His perfect
work. That which the Holy Spirit communicates to them is life, light,
love, faith, repentance and perseverance in obedience. As we shall
devote the whole of the next chapter to an amplification of this
deeply important yet greatly neglected aspect of our theme, only the
briefest statement thereon can now be made. By His death Christ
meritoriously procured for all of His people an actual participation
in the blessings of redemption, and this is infallibly applied to them
by His Spirit. By the operations of the Spirit the elect are brought
to saving faith and repentance, so that every requirement of God's
government is fully met.
3. THE EFFICACY OF HIS INTERCESSION
First, this is fully assured by the fact that Christ's petitions are
grounded upon indisputable merit,and therefore must prevail in the
high court of Justice. His obedience unto death was infinitely
meritorious and did deserve for His people that which, as Intercessor
on their behalf, He pleads for. He fully satisfied every demand of the
law, Perfectly performed the work which He came to do, paid to the
last mite all His people owed, and therefore, because of the intrinsic
value of what He did, He must, in very righteousness, be granted that
which He purchased.
Second, the success of Christ's intercession is fully assured by the
fact that He sues only for that which is agreeable to His Father, and
therefore is the Father entirely ready to grant His requests. He
pleads for nothing but what is according to the will of God: Hebrews
10:7-9. God's will was that Christ should be a sacrifice, and it is
upon the ground of having perfectly performed His will, that His plea
proceeds; such being the ground, it must prevail. Were it not
effectual, the will of God were ineffectual. But, it is God that
justifieth, so as none can condemn. How so? It is Christ that maketh
the intercession: Romans 8:33, 34.
Third, the success of Christ's intercession is fully assured because
it is a commemoration of His sacrifice. That which Christ pleads
before God is His own blood, which is "precious" in His sight. The
sacrifice of Christ is a "sweet-smelling savor" unto God (Eph. 5:2).
He is infinitely pleased with it, and in view of it He cannot but
grant Christ, upon His personal application, that which it was offered
to procure. If the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an
heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctified to the purifying of the
flesh, "how much more shall the blood of Christ" prevail as He pleads
its merits before God (Heb. 9:12,13)!
Fourth, the success of Christ's intercession is fully assured by the
fact that He is the Beloved of the Father. In Him the Father is so
well pleased that He can deny Him naught that He asks. Christ Himself
declared, "Thou hearest me always" (John 11:42). When Esther appeared
before King Ahasuerus to intercede for her people condemned to
destruction, he gave her this assurance, "What is thy request? it
shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom" (5:3). Christ was
given still greater assurance before He entered upon His sacrificial
work, "Ask of me," God said, "and I will give thee the Gentiles for
thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy
possessions" (Ps. 2:8). This is the greatest thing for which Christ
does ask, the sum of all He intercedes for.
Finally, the success of Christ's intercession is fully assured by the
fact that nothing, in, of, from, or by His people can possibly
countervail it. "Wherefore He is able also to save them to the
uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make
intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25). If Christ has once taken a person
into His prayers, He will never, under any circumstances, cast him
out. A man may be cast out of good men's hearts and prayers as Saul
was out of Samuel's, and apostate Israel was out of Jeremiah's, but no
man was ever cast out of Christ's prayers when He once took him in.
The only possible danger could be through sinning,but Christ's prayers
see to it and prevail and prevent them from apostatizing (John 17:15),
which is the only sin for which there is no forgiveness. "If any one
[of the family] sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ
the righteous" (1 John 2:1).
How infallibly certain it is, then, that Christ shall "see of the
travail of his soul and be satisfied"(Isa. 53:11). He sees to it
Himself that nothing which He purchased by His obedience unto death
shall be lost. The application of His Satisfaction is as sure as the
impetration of it. He is Himself constantly engaged in maintaining the
interests of those for whom He died. There is not only an "access"
into the grace of God "through our Lord Jesus Christ," but there is
also a standing in the same (Rom. 5:1,2), and that continued
"standing" is expressly attributed to His "life" (Rom. 5:10), which,
as it is interpreted for us in Hebrews 7:25, means His ever living to
intercede. "We owe our standing in grace every moment to His sitting
in Heaven and interceding every moment. There is no fresh act of
justification going forth, but there is a fresh act of intercession.
And as though God created the world once for all, yet every moment He
is said to create, every new act of Providence being a new creation;
so likewise is Jesus continually, through His continuing out free
grace to justify us at the first, and this Christ doeth by continuing
His intercessions; He continues 'a Priest forever,' and so we continue
to be justified for ever" (T. Goodwin).
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A. W. Pink Header
The Satisfaction of Christ
Studies in the Atonement
by A. W. Pink
12. Its Application-Concluded
_________________________________________________________________
We cannot do better than begin this chapter by transcribing the
opening words from chapter 1, book 3 of Calvin's Institutes."We are
now to examine how we obtain the enjoyment of those blessings which
the Father has conferred on His only begotten Son, not for His own
private use, but to enrich the poor and needy. And first it must be
remarked, that as long as there is a separation between Christ and us,
all that He suffered and performed for the salvation of mankind is
useless and unavailing to us. To communicate what He received from the
Father, He must, therefore, become ours, and dwell in us... The sum of
all is this - that the Holy Spirit is the bond by which Christ
efficaciously unites us to Himself."
The Satisfaction of Christ rendered absolutely certain the salvation
of those for whom He transacted, whose federal Head He was. Yet
something further was necessary to make His people the actual
participants of it: in the language of Acts 26:18 the Holy Spirit must
be sent to "open their eyes, to turn from darkness to light, and the
power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins,
and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith." The
beneficiaries of Christ's mediatorial work enter this world in a state
of guilt and depravity, and it is the peculiar office of the Holy
Spirit to bring them into a state of life and liberty. The Persons of
the Godhead have shared and distributed the whole work of the
salvation of the elect amongst themselves unto three several parts:
election is appropriated to the Father, redemption to the Son, the
application of both election and redemption to the Spirit. Here again
we reach a vitally important aspect of truth concerning which few
today have any light.
We showed in chapter 10, conclusively we hope, that the efficacy of
the Atonement has not been left an open question, that the full
accomplishing of God's design therein is not in any wise dependent
upon man. What we would now press upon the reader is that the same God
who ordained the end, also ordained all the means whereby that end is
infallibly reached. The end God had before Him was the salvation of
His people, their ultimate glorification, their being fitted to spend
eternity in His holy presence. The means whereby that end was to be
reached are the mediatorial work of Christ and the operations of the
Holy Spirit. As the three Persons of the ever-blessed Trinity are
undivided in their essence, so they are perfectly unanimous in their
will and workings. Therefore those who have an interest in the good
will of the Father, and the redemption of the Son, are likewise the
subjects of the Spirit's gracious influence.
It is a great mistake and a serious error to separate the present
mission and ministry of the Holy Spirit from the Atonement of Christ,
just as it is to contemplate the sacrifice of the Son apart from the
purpose of the Father. All of the Three Divine persons concurred in
the terms and arrangements of the Everlasting Covenant. It is the
special work of the Spirit to make effectual unto the souls of God's
elect the gracious purpose of the Father and the meritorious purchase
of the Son. That which Christ did for His people, the Spirit stands
pledged to make good in them. The Holy Spirit has been sent here to
free those captives for whose liberty Christ paid the Father the
ransom-price. This the Father promised His Son on condition of His
performing the work assigned Him. It needs to be steadily borne in
mind that "all the promises in Him [i.e. in Christ] are yea, and in
him amen" (2 Cor. 1:20), and therefore that the promises made to
Christ's seed, recorded in Scripture, are but the transcripts of the
promises which God first made to their Head-cf. Titus 1:2! Let such
passages as Isaiah 44:3; Ezekiel 36:25-27; Joel 2:18 be read in that
light.
"Salvation is of the Lord" (Jonah 2:9), entirely so, from beginning to
end. It is God's "great salvation," in its origination, in its
effectuation, in its application and in its consummation. Man
contributes nothing to it whatsoever. All the Trinity are concerned
and engaged in it. The Father is the Author of salvation from sin,
Christ the Purchaser, the Spirit the Conveyor. It is the Father who
begets the elect (Jam. 1:17, 18); yet, they are declared to be the
"seed" of Christ (Isa. 53:10), while they are "born" of the Spirit
(John 3:6). Though it has many aspects, and may be considered from
various angles, nevertheless, it is one and the same salvation. It is
the third aspect of it we are here contemplating, namely, the
Satisfaction of Christ made efficacious by the infallible application
thereof to God's elect. To take this up in detail, let us note:
1. THE HOLY SPIRIT'S OFFICE
What we wish to look at now is the particular relation which the Holy
Spirit sustains to the economy of Redemption. In this He is
subordinate to Christ the Mediator. There are a number of passages
which clearly teach this. John the Baptist declared concerning Christ,
"He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit" (Mark 1:8). The
communication of the Spirit was to be the distinguishing mark of the
Savior's ministry, in respect of which He would prove to be greater
and mightier than the herald who was sent to prepare His way. In John
20:22 we find the risen Redeemer imparting this Divine gift to His
apostles: "He breathed on, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy
Spirit." In Revelation 3:1 He is spoken of as "He that hath the seven
Spirits of God." These, and other passages which might be quoted, show
that, in the administration of the Everlasting Covenant, the Spirit is
now subject to Christ. Hence is He called, "The Spirit of Christ"
(Rom. 8:9).
That the Holy Spirit should be subject to Christ, that the Savior
should direct the Spirit's operations, was promised Him in the
Everlasting Covenant. In Acts 1:4 He is referred to as "The promise of
the Father." Observe now when John the Baptist's prediction was
fulfilled and Christ baptized His people with the Holy Spirit, Peter
explained the supernatural phenomena attending it, by saying,
"Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received
of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He hath shed forth this,
which ye now see and hear" (Acts 2:33)! So again in Galatians 3:14 we
read, "That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through
Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through
faith." So too we read that believers are "sealed with that Holy
Spirit of promise"(Eph. 1:13).
In the next place, we would point out how that Christ has actually
purchased the gift of the Holy Spirit for His people, that His coming
to the redeemed is one of the consequences or fruits of Christ's
Atonement. First, this is clearly implied in John 7:39: "But this
spake He of the Spirit which they that believe on Him should receive:
for the Holy Spirit was not (given) because that Jesus was not yet
glorified." Whether we understand the "glorified" as referring to
Christ's death (John 13:31) or to His exaltation (1 Tim. 3:16), the
coming of the Spirit is clearly a result thereof; by this we are to
understand that the obedience of Christ was the meritorious cause of
God's sending His Spirit to indwell His people. Again; we may note
that Christ's communication of the Spirit to His apostles in John
20:22 was not till after His blood had been shed. Again, observe the
double "that" in Galatians 3:14 following Christ's being made a curse
for us in verse 13; it is the relation of cause to effect.
"But when the fullness of the time was come God sent forth his Son,
made of a woman, made under the law. To redeem them that were under
the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye
are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts"
(Gal. 4:4-6). Here we have three things: the Son's being sent forth to
redeem God's elect; this, that they might receive the adoption of
sons; in consequence thereof the Spirit's being sent into their
hearts. The elect were adopted into God's family before the foundation
of the world (Eph. 1:4-5), hence they "are sons" (Gal. 4:6), and this
before they received the Spirit. The Spirit is not given to make them
sons, for all the members of Christ were written in the book of life
as sons and daughters before sin existed or time began. No, the Spirit
was given to them because they are sons, and that, as the meritorious
gift of Christ, purchased by His redemption.
To sum up this point. This choicest benefit we receive from God could
not have come unless His justice had been fully satisfied, and His
favor procured by a sufficient sacrifice. It was the death of Christ
which appeased the anger of His holy Father, and opened those
treasures of grace which by reason of our sins had otherwise been shut
up from us. Wondrously is this brought out in the Old Testament types:
the Rock (Christ) must be smitten before the Water (the Spirit) could
flow forth unto God's people (Ex. 17:6). The very design of the Spirit
is to make manifest the fullness of God's love to His people, and how
could that be until God had demonstrated it at the Cross: Romans 5:8!
The Spirit is here to declare the means of salvation, and they are the
obedience, death and resurrection of Christ.
We are now to consider the teaching of Christ in His paschal discourse
on this most sacred and blessed subject. "But the Comforter, the Holy
Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name" (John 14:26). Christ
keeps the treasury of Grace in His own hands. He is so choice of it
that He would not entrust its administration to angels. Angels were
employed to strengthen Him, both at His temptation and in His agony in
Gethsemane: and they are ministering spirits for the heirs of
salvation, but they have not the custody of that which brings them
into heirship. Christ employs none but the Spirit to be His Attorney
and Deputy in this world. The Spirit is sent in His name: "But when
the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father"
(John 15:26).
"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into
all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall
hear, shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall
glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show unto you"
(John 16:13, 14). There are three things in these verses which need to
be particularly noted in this connection.
First, the Spirit would not speak of Himself, but only that which He
should hear. He was to come as the Representative of Christ, and
therefore He would reveal none other truth and communicate none other
grace than what is in and by and from Christ Himself. Just as Christ
declared, "I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I
speak these things... I speak that which I have seen with my Father"
(John 8:28, 38), so the Spirit would set His seal upon what Christ had
taught. The Spirit was an equal participant in the councils of the
Father and Son, being thoroughly cognizant of all that passed between
them in the Everlasting Covenant. He has an infinite knowledge of
their designs, for He "searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of
God" (1 Cor. 2:10); therefore does He make intercession for the saints
"according to God" (Rom. 8:27).
Second, "He shall glorify me," that is, the Lord Jesus. As Christ
sought not His own glory, but ever had the glory of the Father before
Him in all that He did, so the Spirit seeks not His own glory, but
that of Him whom He now represents. This is the mission of the Holy
Spirit, the design of His being sent here, the work He has come to do.
"As the work of the Son was not His own work, but rather that of the
Father who sent Him (John 5:17), and in whose name He performed it
(Luke 2:49); so the work of the Spirit is not His own work, but rather
the work of the Son who sent him, and in whose name He doth accomplish
it" (John Owen).
"He shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." The things of
Christ may be reduced to two heads: "grace and truth" (John 1:17).
From Christ the Spirit receives these; to His redeemed He effectually
communicates grace and personally reveals the truth. Just as Christ
declared "The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into
his hand" (John 3:35), so hath Christ delivered all His interests into
the Spirit's hand. Two great things accrue to us by Christ:
acquisition of redemption, application of redemption. The one is
wrought by His death, the other by His resurrection life; the one was
procured by Him immediately, the other is secured by the Spirit
mediately.
2. THE SPIRIT REGENERATING
"That which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6). And, what is
it to be born of the Spirit? It is to be vitally united to Christ, so
that "he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit"(1 Cor. 6:17).
Therefore it is to be made the recipient of "eternal life" for "God
hath given to us eternal life and this life is in His Son" (1 John
5:11). And this is given to us on the ground of Christ's Satisfaction.
This is brought out plainly in John 3, though nearly all writers on
that chapter have quite missed the point. There we find our Lord
pressing upon Nicodemus the imperative necessity of the new birth:
"Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." The
Pharisee was quite non-plussed, and asked, "How can these things be?"
Christ's reply is found in verses 14-16.
Now to say Christ here taught that regeneration is effected by faith
in Him as "lifted up," is to miss the main point in His words. The key
to those verses lies in connecting the "must" of verse 14 with the
"must" of verse 7. To be born again is to be made partaker of a new
life: it is to have "eternal life." Now the very design of Christ's
being "lifted up" and of God's love in "giving" Him was, "that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal
life"(v. 15). But no man could be born again, none could have eternal
life, save as the result of a full satisfaction having been made to
the claims of a holy and righteous God. Except the corn of wheat "fall
into the ground and die, it abideth alone" (John 12:24). The Holy
Spirit could not regenerate except on the ground of the atoning death
of Christ. Let us present some further proofs of
"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free
from the law of sin and death" (Rom. 8:2). In verse 1 we read that
believers are exempt from all condemnation because of their legal
union with Christ. In verse 2 we are shown the fruit of this: the Holy
Spirit makes it good to the soul in a vital way. The "law" of the
Spirit refers both to His authority and power. But what we would call
special attention to is that, in the economy of redemption, the
authority and power of the Spirit is "of life in Christ Jesus."In
other words, the Spirit communicates to God's elect the very life
which is in the Mediator. "The gift of God is eternal life through [or
"in"] Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:23). In Christ "dwelleth all the
fullness of the Godhead" (Colossians 2:9) therefore the Spirit both
resides "in" and is dispensed "by" Him!
"And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the
spirit is life because of righteousness" (Rom. 8:10). Because of our
union with Christ, the whole body of sin (cf. 6:6; 7:24) is legally
"dead." The "spirit" here refers to that which is born of the Spirit,
and that is "life," and it is a life "because of righteousness,"
namely, the righteousness of Christ. The meritorious ground on which
the Spirit imparts "life" to us is the Satisfaction of Christ. I live
because Christ died and rose again for me.
"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to
his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of
the Holy Spirit; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ
our Savior; That being justified by his grace we should be made heirs
according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:5-7). Nothing could be
plainer. Here, the ground on which the Spirit regenerates is clearly
referred to as the Redeemer's mediation. Many have wondered how it was
possible for the Holy Spirit to take up His abode in a fallen and
depraved creature. He could not do so but for one thing, namely, that
the depraved creature has been legally cleansed by the precious blood
of Christ. Beautifully was this foreshadowed in the Old Testament
types. The "oil" (emblem of the Spirit: 1 John 2:20, 27) was always
placed upon the "blood": see Leviticus 14:14-17.
Another beautiful type is found in Psalm 133:2, "Like the precious
ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, Aaron's beard:
that went down to the skirts of his garments." Here Aaron foreshadowed
our great High Priest receiving such a plenitude of that which spoke
of the Holy Spirit, that all the members of His mystical body partake
of the same. It is to this that Hebrews 1:9 refers, "Therefore God,
Thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy
fellows." Here the Mediator is in view, as the words "Thy God" plainly
show. Though He, by virtue of His humanity being taken up into union
with the second person of the Godhead, has been anointed "above" His
fellows, yet they as His "fellows" receive the same gracious and holy
unction as He did.
"How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal
Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from
dead works to serve the living God" (Heb. 9:14). This verse brings
before us another aspect of the believer's regeneration, namely, the
purging of his conscience, so that he may worship God. It is the
Spirit who removes from the conscience the intolerable load of guilt,
by giving him to see that Christ bore it away from Him. But what we
would here emphasize is that this gracious operation of the Spirit is
attributed to, is based upon, or is one of the fruits of, the "blood
of Christ."
Now Christ, as Mediator, obtained for Himself a right to all the
elect: "All mine are thine, and thine are mine"(John 17:10). They are
His "peculiar people" (Titus 2:14). Thus, at God's appointed hour
Christ is entitled to claim each of them for Himself. This right He
exercises. "When, according to the determinate counsel of God, the
time of the gracious visitation of every one of the elect is come, He
actually delivers them, as His property, by an outstretched arm. And
why should He not, seeing He can easily effect it by the power of the
Holy Spirit, turning and inclining their heart? Is it credible that He
should suffer those who are His lawful right, to be, to remain, the
slaves of Satan? Shall He suffer any of those to perish whom He
purchased for His own possession by His precious blood? Christ Himself
has taught us thus to reason: 'Other sheep I have, which are not of
this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice' (John
10:16). Because these sheep were of right His property, it therefore
becomes Him actually to lay hold of them as His own, and bring them
into His fold" (H. Witsius). This is done by the Spirit.
To sum up this point. The coming of the Spirit in regenerating power
to God's elect is both a Covenant-promise and an Atonement-purchase.
The cause of the Spirit's working is jointly from the Father and the
Son. Only as this is maintained do we ascribe the glory which belongs
to both by virtue of the Spirit's operations. The Spirit works from
the Father's decree (2 Thess. 2:13), and the Son's redemption; in
other words, He is sent to effectuate what was determined upon in the
Everlasting Covenant. To all the Father elected, and to all for whom
Christ died, the Spirit is given. "The Holy Spirit is the bond of
union between us and Christ. We are united to Him because we have the
same Spirit Christ had; there is the same Spirit in Head and members,
and therefore He will work like effects in Him and in you. If the Head
rise, the members will follow after, for His mystical body was
appointed to be conformed to their Head: Romans 8:29." (T. Manton,
1660).
3. FAITH IMPARTED
That faith is, in some sense, essential unto salvation, it would, with
an open Bible before us, be worse than idle to deny. But the important
question is, Did Christ purchase the gracious operations of the Spirit
and all His fruits for those for whom He died? Or, did He effect by
His sacrifice nothing more than the removal of legal impediments out
of the way of salvation, leaving them to provide their own faith and
repentance? That Christ must have purchased these should be clear from
the fact that, in their natural condition, the elect have no power to
furnish any spiritual graces. It has been rightly pointed out that,
"The Scriptures everywhere ascribe the whole ground and cause of our
salvation to Christ. But if the differentiating grace which
distinguishes the believer from the unbeliever is to be attributed to
any cause external to Christ's mediation, then that cause, and not His
redemption, is the real cause of salvation" (A. A. Hodge).
That faith is necessary in order to salvation is clear from such
verses as Acts 16:31; Romans 1:16, etc. God never gives the one
without the other, therefore both are inseparably connected in His
eternal purpose thereunto: "God hath from the beginning chosen you to
salvation through sanctification of the Spirit [the new birth] and
belief of the truth" (2 Thess. 2:13). Yet it is a mistake to say that
faith is a "condition" of salvation in the sense of my paying for an
article is the condition of obtaining the same. Every condition to the
right of salvation has been fulfilled for us by Christ. Faith is
rather the connection between the soul and God's salvation in Christ,
and that connection is made by the Holy Spirit. The various steps in
the outworking of God's eternal purpose are set forth in Romans 8:29,
30. The actual application of redemption commences with the effectual
call of the Spirit, by which the elect are brought out of a state of
nature into a state of grace.
There are two chief errors in connection with saving faith. The first
is that fallen man is the author of it, that it is the product of the
creature's will. This is a horrible delusion which must be firmly
withstood. A dead man cannot believe. Believing in Christ in a
spiritual and saving way is the result and fruit of "life"
communicated to the heart. Christ declared that "No man can come to
me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him" (John 6:44): this
is accomplished in and by the Spirit's regeneration. It should be
noted that John 1:12 is explained in 1:13, as that John 3:15, 16 are
preceded by John 3:6, 7. Those who are born again believe. Those who
believe have been born again: "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the
Christ is begotten of God" (1 John 5:1 R. V.).
The second error is in separating the Spirit's communication of faith
from the merits of Christ's sacrifice. "Why did we at first believe?
Why do we still exercise that faith and walk by it? Only because it
was covenanted for on our behalf when Christ undertook to die for us.
It should help us to pray better, 'Lord, increase our faith' when we
remember at what a cost that faith was procured for us. And certainly
this alone will keep us from one of the subtlest of all Satan's
snares, pride of faith. . . . How easy it is to live proudly on faith!
Faith will do as well as works for Satan's purpose of leading us to
give to man the glory that is Christ's" (From Papers of the Sovereign
Grace Union Conference, 1923).
In order that Christ may have all the glory even for our believing in
Him, it is most necessary to recognize that faith is not only God's
gift, Ephesians 2:8, 9 (and therefore while we are saved "through"
faith, we are not saved for faith), and that this faith is "of the
operation of God" (Colossians 2:12), i.e. of the Spirit's working, but
also that the Spirit imparts it on the ground of Christ's redemption,
i.e. that Christ merited it for us. It is because Christ appeased
God's wrath and removed the obstacles from the outflow of His mercy
toward us, that the Spirit is free to work in us. This is clearly
stated in 2 Peter 1:1, "To them that have obtained a like precious
faith with us in the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ"
(R. V.). God has treasured up all the store of grace and gifts in
Christ, and it is out of His "fullness" the Spirit takes (John 16:14)
and we "receive" (John 1:16). Only as this is held fast is the
righteousness of Christ exalted and magnified.
In Ephesians 1:3 we are told that God "hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ,"and not the least of
these is faith!In Romans 8:32 the question is asked, "He that spared
not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not
with him also freely give us all things?" Yes, "with" Christ, God
freely bestows on us the Spirit, faith, repentance and all that is
needed for time and eternity. In Philippians 1:29 we read, "For unto
you it is given in the behalf of Christ not only to believe on him,
but also to suffer for his sake." In 1 Peter 1:3 it is said, "Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his
abundant mercy hath begotten us."
It is as "the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" that God begets us!
Salvation and all the blessings accompanying it were purposed,
promised and purchased long before writer and reader first saw the
light of day. Those for whom Christ died have an indefeasible right to
what He bought for them, and that, long before they come into actual
possession of the same. If it be asked, This being so, why do not the
elect enter upon the enjoyment thereof as soon as they are born into
this world? The answer is, because God has reserved to Himself the
right and liberty to discharge the debtor when and as He pleases. As
in the parable: some are called at the first hour, some at the third,
sixth, ninth, and some at the eleventh (Matthew 20).
4. REPENTANCE GIVEN
"Him hath God exalted with His right hand a Prince and a Savior for to
give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins"(Acts 5:31).
Impenitence and unbelief are the thick clouds which dissolve under the
blessed beams of the Sun of Righteousness.
Every spiritual gift and blessing we receive argues or presupposes the
vicarious work of Christ. The grace of God is "given you by Jesus
Christ" (1 Cor. 1:4). It is by His having given Himself for our sins
that we are delivered from "this present evil world" (Galatians 1:4).
It is "in him also we have obtained an inheritance" (Eph. 1:11).
Christ died to procure for us a subjective as well as an objective
sanctification, which is accomplished by His Spirit's indwelling us:
Titus 2:14; Ephesians 5:26, 27. It is because He has washed us from
our sins in His own blood that "He hath made us kings and priests unto
God and his Father" (Rev. 1:5, 6). God makes us "perfect in every good
work to do His will, working in us that which is well-pleasing in his
sight, through Jesus Christ"(Heb. 13:21).
Thus, all the graces of the Christian character and all the virtues of
the Christian life which are wrought in us by the agency of the Holy
Spirit, are imparted through Christ and received out of His
meritorious fullness. Then, well may we join the saints in heaven in
saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain" (Rev.
5:12).
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A. W. Pink Header
The Satisfaction of Christ
Studies in the Atonement
by A. W. Pink
13. Its Results
_________________________________________________________________
Having sought to show from Scripture the nature of the Satisfaction
which the Mediator offered unto God, and, by virtue of His acceptance
of the same, its certain efficacy to procure and secure all that it
was ordained to accomplish, we are now ready to contemplate in fuller
detail some of the results which it has actually effected. By the
"results" we mean the consequences which have flowed to the elect in
their relation to God and His law. These are so many and so
diversified that we shall not here presume an attempt to even
enumerate them. Instead, following the emphasis of Scripture, we seek
to direct attention unto the principle effects only. Once the Lord
permits the regenerated soul to obtain a clear grasp of these, little
difficulty should be experienced in apprehending the minor corollaries
with which they are accompanied.
God Himself had a specific end in view when appointing the great
Atonement, and in consequence of its having been made, certain things
are effectually fulfilled and accomplished by it. As we sought to show
in the 9th chapter of this book, the supreme aim of God in the
Satisfaction of Christ is the advancement of His own declarative
honor, and that by the manifestation of His glorious attributes
therein. God's subordinate aim in Christ's Satisfaction, which aim is
subservient to and is effectual unto His ultimate intendment, is the
deliverance of His people from the curse and the restoring of them to
His image and fellowship. To effect this, God has to be propitiated,
sin expiated, and the elect sinner reinstated in the Divine favor.
Perhaps the most comprehensive single statement in Scripture upon the
design and result of the Satisfaction of Christ is found in 1 Peter
3:18. There we read that "Christ hath also once suffered for sins, the
just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God."Bringing us to God
is a general expression for the accomplishment of the whole work of
our salvation, both in the removal of all hindrances and in the
bestowal of all requisites. More specifically, in order for the elect
- viewed as fallen in Adam - to be brought unto God, it was necessary
that all enmity between them should be removed; in other words, that
reconciliation should be effected. So too it was necessary that the
guilt of all their transgressions should be cancelled; in other words,
that they should receive remission of sin. Further, it was necessary
that they should be delivered from all bondage; in other words, that
they should be redeemed.Finally, it was necessary that they should be
made, both legally and experimentally, righteous.
In the four words emphasized in the closing sentences of the last
paragraph we have summed up the essential results which have accrued
from the Satisfaction of Christ. As those results bear upon sin, it
has been expiated; as they bear upon the elect, they have been
emancipated; as they bear upon God, He has been propitiated. Lest this
statement should create a false impression, let us at once add that
the Atonement produced no actual change in God, any more than do His
acts of creation or providence. The efficient purpose existed in the
Divine mind from all eternity. He acted upon it from the fall of Adam,
as though the atonement was actually accomplished. The infinite
justice and the infinite love which were exercised in the sacrifice of
Christ, were in the Divine mind from the beginning. The effect of
Christ's Satisfaction was to render possible the concurrent exercise
of Justice and Love in their treatment of the same persons. As these
four "results" named are of such incalculable value and importance we
shall devote a separate chapter to the consideration of each one.
1. RECONCILIATION
In 2 Corinthians 5, the Gospel of grace which God has called His
servants to proclaim is spoken of thus: "And hath given to us the
ministry of reconciliation" (v 18), and "hath committed to us, the
word of reconciliation" (v. 19). This at once shows the great
importance of having clear and Scriptural views upon this mighty
subject, for otherwise it is impossible to honor God in our preaching
(which should ever be our first and chief concern), or to edify His
people with wholesome doctrine. A mistake at this point seriously
injures the whole of our evangelical ministrations and causes us to
set forth a perverted presentation of God's saving truth. The
realization of this ought to bow every minister of the Gospel before
God in deep humility, earnestly entreating Him for Divine light and
wisdom, that he may be so taught of the Lord that the Gospel trumpet
may give forth no uncertain sound when it is placed to his lips. Far
better not to preach at all, than to preach that which is contrary to
Scripture, dishonoring to God, and injurious to souls. Let us now
consider -
A. Its Nature
The word "reconcile" means to bring together again those who are
alienated, to re-unite those who are at variance, to restore to amity
and concord by removing that which hinders agreement and fellowship.
It is most important to observe at the outset that the term
"reconciliation" is itself objective in its signification. That is to
say, reconciliation terminates upon the object, and not upon the
subject. This is clear from Matthew 5:23, 24, where our Lord said, "If
thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy
brother hath ought against thee;leave there thy gift before the altar,
and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother." This is the first
mention of the word in the New Testament. Here the offender is not
bidden to reconcile himself, but the person whom he has offended. The
person who has done the injury is to make up the difference. He is to
propitiate or reconcile his brother to himself, by a compensation of
some kind. Christ did not say, Conciliate thy own displeasure towards
thy brother, but remove his displeasure against thee.
The teaching of Matthew 5:23, 24 is of basic importance in connection
with our present inquiry. Its plain meaning is that the one who has
offended should go and seek to appease the anger of the one who has
been offended, obtaining his forgiveness, regaining his favor and
friendship, by humbling himself before him, asking his pardon, and
satisfying him for any injury which may have been done him. In like
manner when Scripture speaks of God's having reconciled us to Himself
by the blood of Christ's Cross (Col. 1:20) it does not refer to a
subjective change which has been wrought in our hearts, producing our
laying down of all enmity against God and our turning to Him in loving
obedience; but it expresses one of the cardinal effects or results of
His having graciously provided and accepted an atonement for us, so
that instead of inflicting upon us the punishment we so richly
deserve, we are, instead, received into His full favor on Christ's
account.Thus we read in Romans 11:15, "For if the casting away of them
be the reconciling of the world": here the reconciling of the world is
contrasted from the rejection of the Jews, which must evidently be
understood as signifying the extension of God's favor unto the
Gentiles.
In the application of the term to God, "reconciliation" has to do with
that which is forensic.That is to say, it contemplates God in His
character as the Judge of all the earth, as the moral Governor of the
universe, administering law and maintaining order. It concerns our
relationship to Him not as our Creator, nor as our Father, but as our
King. Thus, to affirm that through Christ God is now reconciled to His
people, does not mean that there has been any change in either His
nature, will, or disposition - to so affirm would be blasphemy. No,
"reconciliation" means that transgressors of the Divine law have been
restored to the judicial favor of God, through Christ's having closed
the breach which sin had made between them. Reconciliation effects no
change in God Himself, but it does in the administration of His
government. His law now regards with approbation those against whom it
was formerly hostile. There has been a change of relation between
those for whom Christ died and the Judge of all. As this point is so
little understood today, even by those claiming to be orthodox, we
must amplify it a little further.
There is great need for exercising caution here, as in everything
which pertains to our conceptions of the great God. Unless we are on
our guard, our thought of Him will be but carnal. When one human being
is reconciled to another there is an inward change: ill feelings are
removed and good will is restored. But it is not so with the Lord God.
It is greatly dishonoring to Him if we think of Him as possessing
anything which corresponds to human passions. Reconciliation with God
does not mean a change of heart in Him from an angry disposition to a
friendly affection. Rather does it refer to an effect which has
followed from that proper and full satisfaction which Christ offered
to the violated law and offended justice of God. We repeat, it is God
in His character of Judge, who insisting upon an atonement, has now no
further demand to make, and therefore is most properly said to be
appeased or reconciled to His sinful people. In order to understand
this the better, let us next consider -
B. Its Implications
Conciliation is a state of peace, the mutual enjoyment of friendship.
Reconciliation presupposes alienation and dis-fellowship. There is no
occasion for reconciliation between parties who are in perfect accord
with each other; but where that exists not, where instead there is
discord and enmity, then the need for them to be reconciled is real.
Thus, we say that the first implication in the term "reconciliation"
is, that there has previously been a state of alienation. The second
equally clear implication is that there was harmony before the
discord; that, originally, peace and amity existed before strife and
enmity broke it, for reconciliation is the renewal of lost friendship,
the re-uniting of those who have been at variance. Thus, this one word
"reconciliation" comprehends by implication the threefold relation
which has existed between the elect and God, considered as their
Governor or Judge. First, they were in happy fellowship together.
Second, that fellowship was disrupted by the fall, and sin produced
mutual alienation. Third, as the result of Christ's Satisfaction
enmity is removed, peace is restored, and God and His people are
re-united.
"Godand man were once dear friends. Adam was the Lord's favorite. Till
man was made, it was said of every rank and species of earthly
creatures, 'God saw that it was good.' But when man was made, 'God saw
every thing He had made, and behold, it was very good' (Gen. 1:31).
God expressed more of His favor to him than to any other creature,
except the angels: man was made after His own image (Gen. 1:26). He
was fitted to live in delightful communion with his Maker. Man was His
viceroy (Gen. 1:27). God entrusted him with the care, charge, and
dominion over all the creatures; yea, he was capable of loving,
knowing, or enjoying God. Other creatures were capable of glorifying
God - of setting forth His power, wisdom, and goodness - objectively
and passively; but man, of glorifying God actively" (T. Manton, Vol.
13, p. 255). Let it be carefully borne in mind that in Eden Adam stood
not merely as a private person but as the representative of the race,
and that the elect were all in him.
The condition of Adam was happy, yet mutable. Though created sinless,
yea, "upright" (Eccl. 7:29), yet was he capable of falling. Alas how
quickly he fell. God had forbidden him to eat of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil, and warned him that in the day he did so,
he would surely die. But he heeded not. He apostatized. He disobeyed
his Maker, and dragged down all his posterity with him (Rom. 5:12). By
his fall, all his spiritual privileges were forfeited: he lost the
image, favor and fellowship of God. God drove him out of Eden and
stationed the cherubim at its entrance with flaming sword to bar his
return. Thus sin separated between man and God (Isa. 59:2). He, and
all God's elect in him, were "alienated from the life of God" (Eph.
4:18).
As the consequence of the fall and man's becoming by practice a sinful
creature, there was a mutual antagonism between God and man. Of man it
is written, "the carnal mind is enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7). Of
Christians in their unregenerate state it is said, "and you, that were
sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works" (Col.
1:21). The hatred of the sinner's heart for God was fully manifested
when He became incarnate. Though He was full of grace and truth, went
about doing good, preaching the Gospel, healing the sick, yet men
despised and rejected Him, and were not satisfied until they hounded
Him to death. Nor has the human heart changed one iota since then.
Sin has placed God and man apart from one another, so that all the
harmony there was between them has been completely destroyed. By his
sin man incurred the righteous hatred and wrath of God, which is
"revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of
men" (Rom. 1:18). That God is alienated from the sinner and
antagonistic to him is as clearly taught in the Scripture as is man's
enmity against God. "Thou hatest all workers of iniquity" (Ps. 5:5).
"God is angry with the wicked every day" (Ps. 7:11). "Though the Lord
be high, yet hath he respect to the lowly, but the proud he knoweth
afar off"(Ps. 138:6). "But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit:
therefore he was turned to be their enemy,and he fought against them"
(Isa. 63:10). Herein then lay the need for reconciliation: that the
breach which sin had made should be healed, the anger of God appeased,
and peace and amity be restored. We are now ready to consider -
C. Its Effectuation
Many will not have it that the reconciliation is mutual;but God has
been reconciled to His people, as truly as they to Him. Both there
must be, for the alienation was mutual. God was angry with us, and we
hated Him. As we have shown above, the Scriptures not only speak of
enmity on man's part, but also of wrath on God's part, and that, not
only against sin, but sinners themselves; and not only against the
non-elect, but the elect too, for we "were by nature the children of
wrath, even as others" (Eph. 2:3). Sin placed God and His people at
judicial variance. We are the parties offending, God the party
offended. Thus the alienation was on both sides, yet with this
difference, that we were alienated in respect of affection, which is
the ground and cause of Divine wrath; God in respect of the effects
and issue of enmity and anger.
Now for Christ to make perfect conciliation it was required that He
turn away the judicial wrath of God from His people. For this it was
necessary for Christ to offer Himself a propitiatory sacrifice to God,
Himself bearing that wrath which was due the sins of His people. This
great fact was plainly typed out in the Old Testament again and again.
For example, when Israel sinned so grievously in the making of the
golden calf, we find Jehovah saying to Moses, "Now therefore let me
alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume
them" (Exodus 32:10). But the immediate sequel shows us most blessedly
how that the typical mediator interposed between the righteous anger
of the Lord and His sinning people, turning away His wrath from them
(vv. 11-14). Again, we read in Numbers 16 that upon the rebellion of
Korah and his company, the Lord said unto Moses, "Get thee up from
among the congregation that I may consume them" (v. 5). Whereupon
Moses said unto Aaron, "Take a censer, and put fire therein from off
the altar. and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation,
and make an atonement for them; for there is wrath gone out from the
Lord, the plague is begun." Aaron did so, and we are told, "he stood
between the dead and the living, and the plague was stayed" (v. 48)!
Nothing could be plainer than the above cases, to which many others
might be added. All through the patriarchal and Mosaic economies we
find that sacrifices were offered for the specific purpose of
pacifying God's righteous vengeance on sin, appeasing His judicial
displeasure, and turning away His wrath; the effect of which was
expressly termed a "reconciliation": see Leviticus 16:20; 2 Chronicles
29:24; etc. Surely none is so mad as to suppose that Israelites
offered sacrifices to turn away their own anger from God. Then,
inasmuch as those Old Testament sacrifices were foreshadowings of
Christ's Sacrifice, how can it be said that the great end of His work
was to divert man's enmity from God, rather than to divert His wrath
from us? But rather than rely upon mere reasoning, let us appeal to
the clear teaching of the New Testament upon this vital point.
In Romans 3:25 we read, "Whom God hath set forth a propitiation
through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness." Now a
"propitiation" is that which placates or appeases by satisfying
offended justice. Nor is the force of this verse in any wise weakened
by the fact that the Greek word for "propitiation" is rendered
"mercy-seat" in Hebrews 9:5, for the mercy-seat was a blood-sprinkled
one!It was the place where the high priest applied the atoning
sacrifice for the satisfying of God's justice against the sins of His
people. The Hebrew word for "mercy-seat" signifies a "covering," and
it was so designated for a double reason. First, because it hid from
view the condemning law - the table of stone beneath it. Second,
because the blood sprinkled upon it, covered the offenses of Israel,
from the eye of offended justice by an adequate compensation. That
which it was fitly designed to typify was the averting of deserved
vengeance by means of a substitutionary interposition.
Again in Romans 5:10 we are told, "For if, when we were enemies, we
were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being
reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." We were "enemies," God's
enemies, obnoxious to His righteous judgments. This word denotes the
relation in which we stood to God as the objects of His displeasure,
subject to the hostility of His law. We were "reconciled," that is,
brought back again into His favor. And that, not by the Spirit's work
in us, but "by the death," the propitiatory sacrifice, "of His Son."
That this statement refers to the averting of God's anger from us, and
the restoring of us to His favor, may be seen by the following
considerations:
First, in that the immediate context is commending the amazing love of
God to us (v. 8), whereof "reconciliation" is one of the highest
proofs or manifestations. But if verse 10 were referring to the laying
down of our enmity to God, it would rather be an instance of our love
for Him, than of His for us.
Second, in that the terms of verse 10 are unmistakably parallel with
those of verses 8, 9, and there we read, "while we were yet sinners
Christ died for us," which can only mean, Christ died for us as
"ungodly," to deliver us from the death which God's holiness required
(vv. 6, 7), and died thus to bring us into favor of God.
Third, in that "reconciled to God by the death of His Son" is only
another description of "being justified by His blood" in verse 9. Now
to be "justified" is God's reconciliation to us, His acceptance of us
into His favor, and not our conversion to Him; and that was in order
that we should be "saved from wrath"(v. 9).
Fourth, in that in the following verse we are said to have "received
the reconciliation" (v. 11), which cannot be meant of the laying down
of our arms of rebellion: we cannot be said to "receive" our
conversion;but we can that which Christ's sacrifice has procured for
us.
"Allthings are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus
Christ" (2 Cor. 5:18). As this passage will come before us again in a
later chapter, only a few words upon it can now be offered. "Who hath
reconciled us." When did God do so? At the Cross, as verse 21 clearly
enough shows. By whom were we reconciled? Not by the work of the
Spirit within, subduing our enmity, but "by Jesus Christ." How were we
reconciled? By Christ's being "made sin for us" (v. 21), and thus
receiving in Himself the penalty of the law, and thereby appeasing
God's justice. It was by His sacrifice that the Lord Jesus reconciled
us to God, for the design of a sacrifice was to propitiate God, and
not to reform the offerer.
"Andthat He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross,
having slain the enmity thereby" (Eph. 2:15, 16). This important verse
really calls for an exposition of its whole context, but we must
content ourselves with a few brief words only. A careful analysis of
verses 11-15 reveals the fact that both a double alienation and a
double reconciliation is under discussion. There is first an
antagonism between Jews and Gentiles, verses 11, 12. Second, there is
a separation between God and His people, verses 12, 13. Conversely,
through the Satisfaction which Christ has made unto God, elect Jews
and elect Gentiles have been united in "one new man" (v. 15), and both
have been reconciled unto God (v. 16). Thus, the "Christ is our peace"
of verse 14 is amplified as: between ourselves mutually (v. 15),
between us and God (v. 16); and in consequence there from "Through him
we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father" (v. 18). "That he,"
that is, the incarnate Son of God, "Might reconcile," that is, restore
to God's judicial favor. "Both," that is, elect Jews and elect
Gentiles. "Unto God," that is, considered as the moral Governor of the
universe. "In one body" that is, Christ's humanity - cf. Colossians
1:22. "In the body of his flesh." Our Lord's humanity is here
designated "one body," because the Spirit is emphasizing the One for
the many, as in Romans 5:17-19. It is the representative character of
Christ's satisfaction which is here in view - Christ sustaining the
responsibilities of all His people. It was in His humanity that He
rendered obedience unto God; as it was His deity which gave value to
all that He did. "Having slain the enmity thereby," that is, God's
holy wrath, the hostility of His law. It should be carefully noted
that the "enmity" of verse 16 cannot refer to that which existed
between Jews and Gentiles, for that has been disposed of in verses 14,
15. "Enmity" is here personified ("slain"), as "sin" is in Romans 8:3.
Thus, the verse means that all the sins of God's people met upon
Christ, and Divine justice took satisfaction from Him: in consequence,
God's "enmity" has ceased, and they are restored to His favor. While
the gracious provision originated in the love of God, the Atonement
was the righteous means of removing His holy hatred against us.
Though the precise expression of "Godbeing reconciled to us" is not
found in so many words in Scripture, phrases of precisely equivalent
import most certainly are. Thus, "O Lord, I will praise thee: though
thou wast angry, with me, thine anger is turned away"(Isa. 12:1).
"Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord; I will not cause
mine anger to fall upon thee, for I am merciful, saith the Lord; I
will not keep anger forever" (Jer. 3:12). "And I will establish my
covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: That thou
mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more
because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou
hast done, saith the Lord God" (Ezek. 16:63). To merely present a God
who is willing to be reconciled to sinners is a wretched and wicked
perversion of the Gospel.
Should it be humbly inquired, Why does Scripture throw the main
emphasis on our being reconciled to God, we answer in the words of the
Puritan, Thomas Manton, "First, because we are involved. It is the
usual way of speaking amongst men: he that offendeth is said to be
reconciled, because he was the cause of the breach; he needeth to
reconcile himself and to appease him whom he hath offended, which the
innocent party needeth not - he needeth only to forgive, and to lay
aside his just anger. We offended God, not He us; therefore the
Scripture usually saith, We are reconciled to God. Second, we have the
benefit.It is no profit to God that the creature enters into His
peace; He is happy within Himself without our love or service; but we
are undone if we are not upon good terms with Him."
For Christ to make perfect reconciliation it was required that He
should turn away the wrath of God from His people by removing their
sin from before His face by means of a propitiatory sacrifice, as also
that we should be brought to turn away from all our opposition to God
and brought into voluntary and joyful obedience to Him. Until both of
these are effected, reconciliation is not perfected. The one is
secured by Christ's satisfaction, the other is accomplished by His
sending His Spirit to renew us (Titus 3:5). A disposition must be
produced in the rebel to return unto God and desire restoration to
holiness and happiness in God, for "Can two walk together, except they
be agreed?" (Amos 3:3). Hence the servants of God are bidden to go
forth and beseech sinners to be reconciled to Him (2 Cor. 5:20),
obedience to which consists of faith's entrance into the peace which
Christ has made (Colossians 1:20); yet this will not be, till we cease
from all fighting against God. When they do so, they are said to "have
now received the reconciliation" (Rom. 5:11).
D. Its Author
This is the Father Himself. We do not entertain the idea for a moment
that Christ died in order to render God compassionate toward His
people. Not so; it was the love of God which gave His Son to die for
them. The satisfaction of Christ was in order to the removal of those
legal obstacles which our sins had interposed against God's love
flowing out to us in a way consistent with the honor of His justice.
Reconciliation was not the procurement of God's grace, but an effect
thereof. God's reconciling us to Himself does not imply any change
either in His will or disposition toward us. His infinite displeasure
with sin, His disapprobation of our persons considered as offenders,
and the engagement of Divine justice against us as transgressors, are
perfectly consistent with His everlasting love to us and with His
eternal and immutable approbation of our persons as viewed in Christ.
If we distinguish sharply between personal resentment and judicial
condemnation, all difficulty at this point vanishes. "God loved us, in
respect of the free purpose of His will to send Christ to redeem us
and to satisfy for our sins; He was angry with us, in respect of His
violated law and provoked justice by sin" (John Owen, Vol. 9, p. 172).
That the Father is the Author of reconciliation is plain from 2
Corinthians 5:19, "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto
Himself." After many hours of concentrated study upon it, we give it
as our matured conviction that this expression covers the whole of our
reconciliation, from its conception in the mind of God before the
foundation of the world, till our final glorification in heaven. This
expression "God was in Christ [a name of office, not of nature]
reconciling" expresses the agency of the Father in the entire work of
reconciliation. First, in choosing and appointing Christ for this
work: Isaiah 42:1; Romans 3:25. Second, in the covenant and agreement
with Him: Isaiah 49:3-6; Psalm 89:3, 4. Third, in calling and sending
Christ into this world: John 10:36; Hebrews 5:4,5. Fourth, in fitting
Christ for this stupendous undertaking: Hebrews 10: 5; Isaiah 11:1-3;
John 3:34: Fifth, in His dealings with Christ at the Cross: Isaiah
53:4,5. Sixth, in accepting His expiatory sacrifice: Romans 4:24; 6:4.
Seventh, in glorifying Christ: Matthew 28:18; Psalm 2:8.
E. Its Scope
"Godwas in Christ, reconciling a world unto Himself" (2 Cor. 5:19). In
2 Peter 2:5 we read of "the world of the ungodly." Here in 2
Corinthians 5:19 it is the world of the godly or elect (as in John
6:33) - there is no "the" in the Greek. The expression is indefinite,
though not universal. First, the "world" to show that men, and not
angels (2 Pet. 2:4), are intended - the sinning angels had neither
Mediator nor Reconciler. Second, to show the amplitude of God's grace:
confined not to the Jews - cf. Romans 11:15. Third, to denote the
ground of the Gospel tender. All who are concerned, should be awakened
to seek after this privilege. The Gospel offer is made indefinitely to
all sorts and conditions of men. The added words in 2 Corinthians
5:19, "not imputing their trespasses unto them," is proof positive
that all mankind are not included in the "world," for God does impute
trespasses unto the wicked: Ephesians 5:5, 6, etc.
"Andhaving made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to
reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him whether things in earth, or
things in heaven" (Col. 1:20). The key to this verse lies in noting
the particular epistle in which it is found. Here the apostle was
refuting a false gnosticism with angelolatry and spirit emanations,
which had been introduced by human philosophy to depose Christ as the
only Mediator between God and men - see 2:18, etc. The Holy Spirit
here shows the true relation of angels to Christ: they were created by
Him (1:15,16). Further, they too were the gainers by His Satisfaction
(1:19-21). There had once been a union between angels and man, as
fellow-citizens in one vast empire of God. But sin had dissolved that
union. Sin is rebellion against God, and loyal angels could have no
fellowship with sinners. But the great Atonement has restored the
happy relationship between holy angels and God's elect: Ephesians
1:10. They too have gained by it. Christ has restored the disrupted
harmony of the universe. A clear proof and blessed illustration of
this is found in Revelation 22:9, where an angel, speaking of himself
to John, says, "Iam thy fellow-servant!"
It may help some if we give a summary of the whole subject. 1. Its
Origin was the love of God: Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:18. 2. Its
Basis was the everlasting covenant, the "counsel of peace:" Zechariah
6:13. 3. Its Procuring-cause was the satisfaction of Christ (Rom.
5:10), which has "made peace:" Colossians 1:20. 4. Its Occasion was
the legal alienation between God and His people through sin: Ephesians
2:16. 5. Its Need lay in a satisfaction being required by Divine
justice: Romans 5:9, 10. 6. Its Nature is a restoring to God's
judicial favor: Colossians 1:21, 22. 7. Its Communicator is the Holy
Spirit: Romans 14:17. 8. Its Requirement is that sinners be reconciled
to God (2 Cor. 5:20), which means the embracing of His offer of
reconciliation through Christ, and this, by ceasing all opposition to
Him: Psalm 2:12. 9. Its Reception is by faith: Romans 5:1, 11. 10. Its
Consequence is sins remitted (2 Cor. 5:19) and access to God:
Ephesians 2:18. 11. Its Publication is by "the Gospel of peace":
Ephesians 6:15. 12. Its Extent is the re-uniting of all holy beings in
the universe: Ephesians 1:10.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Satisfaction of Christ
Studies in the Atonement
by A. W. Pink
14. Its Results-Continued
_________________________________________________________________
At the beginning of our last chapter we pointed out that the principle
results secured by the Satisfaction which Christ offered unto God, may
be summed up in these four words: reconciliation, remission,
redemption and righteousness. It is indeed remarkable, and calls for
our profoundest admiration, that God caused each of them to be
shadowed forth on this earth-plane at the very time of our Lord's
passion. Just as the nature of that unparalleled transaction which was
taking place in the unseen between the Judge of all the earth and the
Mediator was outwardly adumbrated in all the details of Christ's
"trial" before Caiaphas, Herod and Pilate, so also were the leading
effects secured by that transaction illustrated in concrete and
visible form. A wonderful field of study, which has been entered by
scarcely any, is here opened for our reverent exploration. Perhaps the
few hints now dropped will be sufficient to bestir some to prayerfully
investigate it.
Reconciliation is the bringing together again of two parties who have
been alienated. Christ has, by His Satisfaction, reunited the Governor
of the, universe unto His sinning people. Strikingly was this
adumbrated by what we read in Luke 23: 10, 11, "And Herod with his men
of war set him at nought, and mocked and arrayed him in a gorgeous
robe, and sent him again to Pilate. And the same day Pilate and Herod
were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between
themselves." Why has the Holy Spirit recorded this detail? Is it
nothing more than a mere historical allusion? Of what interest to us
is the relation which existed between Pilate and Herod? Why introduce
this statement in verse 12 right after what is said in verse 11? For
what reason does the Spirit emphasize "the same day"? The
spiritually-minded should have no difficulty in supplying answers to
these questions. It was God causing the glorious consequence of 's
death to be tangibly imaged before the eyes of men.
Remission is the cancellation of guilt. Christ has, by His
Satisfaction, propitiated the offended justice of God. He has made
complete amends to the law for every injury which the sins of His
people had wrought. He has, by His sacrifice, perfectly healed the
breach which our transgressions had made. Christ has repaid all the
wrongs which the iniquities of His people had done to the
manifestative holiness of God: "I restored that which I took not away"
(Psalm 69:4). In the light of this fact read what is recorded in Luke
22:50, 51, "And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and
cut off his right ear. And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus
far. He touched his ear and healed him." What a picture of Christ, on
the very eve of His death, neutralizing the damage
Redemption is the liberating of sin's captives. Christ has, by His
Satisfaction, emancipated those who were slaves of sin, the helpless
serfs of Satan. He has delivered from prison those who were bound. He
has brought from death unto life those who were cast in the sepulcher
by Adam's transgression. "By one man sin entered into the world, and
death by sin; and so death passed upon all men" (Rom. 5:12). From that
dreadful state Christ has freed His people. God caused this too to be
adumbrated in connection with Calvary, for in Matthew 27: 50-52 we
read, "Jesus, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up
the spirit. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from
the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
and the and many bodies of the saints which slept arose."
Righteousness is that which qualifies the saint to stand in the
presence of the thrice holy God. It is that which fits him for the
Court of Heaven. As we read in Isaiah 61:10, "I will greatly rejoice
in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me
with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of
righteousness." Such a righteousness cannot be wrought out by man,
therefore was it secured for His people by the perfect obedience of
Christ. This is the "best robe" of Luke 15:22, namely, the
righteousness of Christ imputed. This also was shadowed forth on earth
at the time our Savior died. The soldiers took His garments. Among
them was His coat, "without seam, woven from the top throughout" -
emblem of the flawless unity of His life, lived out by power from
above. That perfect robe became the property of one whose wicked acts
were instrumental in crucifying the Lord of glory (John 19:23, 24). O
my readers, what a truly marvelous book is the Bible! Having
previously considered the first of the four consequences of Christ's -
2. REMISSION
That reconciliation and remission of sins are closely connected is
clear from 2 Corinthians 5:19, "God was in Christ, reconciling the
world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." That
which was the ground of reconciliation is equally the ground of
pardon. Necessarily so. Reconciliation implies in its very nature a
release from the punishment of sin: on God's part it is the laying
aside of His anger, and that was possible only because our sins were
put away; on our part, of laying aside enmity and disobedience, which
is possible only by an utter renunciation of sin. Again; the fruit of
reconciliation is fellowship, and that is only promoted by the
remission of sins, for two cannot walk together except they be agreed.
In taking up this most blessed subject of remission, let us consider -
A. Its Nature
Remission is the sovereign prerogative of God as Judge, whereby He
acquits the believing sinner from all liability to suffer punishment
as a satisfaction to His law, and that on account of the Satisfaction
of Christ, applied by the Spirit and appropriated through repentance
and faith. Remission is God's declining to deal with His people
according as justice required for their sins, and that because He has
received full compensation for them from Christ in their stead.
Because the Divine Creditor has received full payment from their
Surety, the debtors are discharged. Thus, remission of sins is a
cancellation of their guilt, a legal discharge, a removal of
obligation to suffer the wrath of God. It is the verdict of the
Lawgiver; a sentence of "not guilty."
The Greek word for remission, "aphesis," signifies "a sending away."
It is translated "deliverance" and "liberty" in Luke 4:18, and
"forgiveness" in Acts 13:38; Ephesians 1:7, etc. Thus remission of
sins means that God refuses to charge them to the account of him who
truly believes in Christ. It is a deliverance from the curse of the
law, which holds us fast under its death-sentence until Divine grace
revokes it. It is the privative or negative side of justification,
whereby the sinner who flees to Christ for refuge is delivered from
every claim which Divine justice had upon him. This is clear from
Romans 4, where the apostle is expounding the truth of justification
before God, and, after citing the case of Abraham, he appeals to the
language of David in further proof: "Blessed are they whose iniquities
are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom
the Lord will not impute sin" (vv. 7, 8).
There are other expressions used in the New Testament of equivalent
import. Thus, "When he had by himself purged our sins" (Hebrews 1:3).
The word "purged" is here used in a sacrificial way, and refers to the
removal of them from before the face of the Judge: cf. Psalm 51:7 and
its context. Again, in Hebrews 10:10 we read, "By the which will we
are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once
for all," and cf. 13:12. Here, too, "sanctified" is used in a
sacrificial sense. "The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us
from all sin" (1 John 1:7). By contracting guilt, the sinner is
defiled, and becomes unclean in the sight of an holy God; but when his
guilt is removed, he is said to be "cleansed."
It is important to note that 1 John 1:7 has no reference whatever to
the purifying of the unholy nature which still remains within the
believer: this is quite clear from the next verse. No, it predicates
the taking off of the guilt of sin and our obligation unto wrath. Sin
is the whole cause of God's displeasure against us, and that which
makes us odious in His sight. Therefore when we are freed from sin by
faith's appropriation of the death of Christ, we are said to be
"cleansed." The same term was used in connection with Israel's annual
day of atonement: "On that day shall the priest make an atonement for
you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before
the Lord" (Leviticus 16:30). Most certainly that does not and cannot
mean that any internal purification was effected in their souls
through Aaron's offering.
Three things are to be considered, and sharply distinguished, in
connection with sin. First, its fault. This consists of a criminal
action, a failing to render unto God that which is due Him, a
transgression of His law. Now this is not taken away by the blood of
Christ, nor, in the nature of the case, could it be. That which is
done, cannot be undone. The sins we have committed, cannot be
uncommitted. But though our sins as faulty and criminal actions are
not annihilated, they are - blessed be God! - "passed over" (Rom.
3:25, margin) and "passed by" (Micah 7:18) as the ground of guilt.
That is to say, God no longer imputes them to the believer.
Second, its guilt. This is the condemnation of the law. Sin is "sin"
simply because the law of God forbids it; when committed, it entails
"guilt" because the law must punish it. Guilt is the law binding its
transgressor to suffer its righteous penalty. Now remission does not
mean that the offender is made intrinsically innocent, for having
committed offenses he is still an offender. God never reputes a sinner
to be in himself one who never omitted a duty or committed a
transgression. Thus, guilt is not a quality, but a relation and
obligation to punishment which the law has made the sinner's due, but
which relation and obligation ceases when his sins are remitted.
Third, its punishment. When the believing sinner is pardoned neither
his criminal actions themselves are destroyed, nor his personal desert
of punishment removed, but because of Christ's sacrifice he is
discharged from all obligation to punishment. Sin is no longer imputed
unto condemnation. Nay more, the offender is dealt with (not
"regarded") before the tribunal of the Divine Judge as if he were pure
from all sin. He still deserves (in himself) to be accursed, but the
penitent and broken-hearted culprit is accepted unto pardon and
exempted from eternal punishment. He that heareth my word, and
believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not
come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life" (John
5:24).
Neither the root nor the being of sin is removed from the believer
when God pronounces sentence of forgiveness upon him. It is simply the
guilt or obligation to punishment which is remitted; it is the
revoking of the law's sentence against the sinner. He is legally
discharged. And this because God is "not imputing their trespasses
unto them" (2 Cor. 5:19). This expression "not imputing" means that
God is not laying them to the charge of His people, not reckoning them
to their account. It is a metaphor taken from commercial transactions.
Sin is a debt: Matthew 6:12. God is yet going to call sinners to
account (Rom. 14: 12), and charge their debt upon them: Matthew 25:19.
Yes, people may now be gay and careless, but a day of reckoning lies
ahead of them. But in that day of accounts, God will not impute the
trespasses of them who are reconciled to Him by Christ -"Blessed is
the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity" (Ps. 32:2).
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ
Jesus" (Rom. 8:1). "Condemnation" here means the damnatory sentence of
the law. It is not a question of our hearts not condemning us (1 John
3:21), nor of us finding nothing within which is worthy of
condemnation; instead it is the far more blessed fact that God Himself
condemns not the one who has trusted in Christ to the saving of his
soul. Because, by faith, they are in Christ, having fled to Him for
refuge (Heb. 6:18), they shall never be adjudged guilty, nor shall a
sentence of eternal death be passed upon them, for sins being remitted
(guilt removed), no ground remains for it. "Asfar as the east is from
the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from "(Ps.
103:12).
B. Its Ground
As the moral Governor of His universe, it becomes God's justice to
deal with sin according to its deserts. Thus He spared not the angels
that sinned, but "cast them down to hell and delivered them into
chains of darkness" (2 Pet. 2:4). Now all of God's elect are sinners:
they were so in Adam, they have been and are so in themselves. How
then shall Divine justice deal with them? Shall it ignore their sins
and acquit them from punishment? Where then would be that inflexible
righteousness which banished our first parents from Eden? What would
become of God's own declaration that He "will by no means clear the
guilty" (Ex. 34:7)? On the other hand, if they receive their due
reward and are punished, how shall grace be shown them? On what ground
are their sins remitted? Not on the basis of a belated reformation,
for that would be no atonement for their past crimes. Not because of
their repentance, for if sins could be pardoned at so cheap a rate
then was there no need for Christ to die. "He that believeth not is
condemned already" (John 3:18). Condemnation is a word of tremendous
import, and the better we understand it, the more shall we appreciate
the wondrous grace which has delivered us from its power. In the halls
of a human court the sentence "condemned to death" falls with a
dreadful knell upon the ear of a convicted murderer, and fills the
spectators with sadness and horror. But in the Court of Divine Justice
it is vested with a meaning and content infinitely more solemn and
awe-inspiring. And to that Court every member of Adam's fallen race is
cited. "Conceived in sin and shapen in iniquity" each one enters this
world under condemnation - an indicted criminal, a rebel manacled. How
then is it possible for anyone to escape the execution of the dread
sentence? There was only one way, and that was by the removal from us
of that which called forth the sentence.
That which entailed and demanded the sentence of the curse was the
guilt which was inseparable from our sins. Let the guilt be removed
and there could be no condemnation. But how could guilt be "removed"?
Only by its being legally transferred to another. Divine holiness
could not ignore it, but Divine grace could and did transfer it. As we
are told, "The Lord hath laid on him [the Surety and Substitute of His
people] the iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53:6). The punishment due His
Church was visited upon its Sponsor. Christ, by virtue of His federal
union with His people, which of His own accord He entered into, was
dealt with by Divine wrath as though He had personality been the
transgressor. God charged upon Christ and imputed unto Him all the
sins of His elect, and proceeded against Him accordingly.
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ
Jesus" (Rom. 8:1). The "therefore" here is an inspired and infallible
inference drawn from the whole of the apostle's preceding discussion.
Because Christ has been "set forth a propitiation through faith in his
blood" (Rom. 3:25), because He was "delivered [to justice] for our
offenses, and was raised again for our justification" (Rom. 4:25),
because by "the obedience of One, many [saints of all ages] are made
righteous," legally constituted so (Rom. 5:19), because they have
"judicially," "died to sin" (Rom. 6:2), and "died" to the condemning
power of the law (Rom. 7:4), there is therefore no condemnation
resting upon them. This is further opened in Romans 8:3: "God sending
his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned
sin in the flesh." That which was the cause of condemnation is now
condemned. The "no condemnation" of verse 1 is explained by the
"condemned" of verse 3. Both must not be condemned: if sin itself be
judged, punished, the believing sinner shall not be.
How marvelous are the ways of God! As death was destroyed by death,
the death of Christ, so sin by sin. By the greatest sin that was ever
committed - the murder of the Son of God - sin itself was put away. By
God's imputing the trespasses of His people unto their Surety, Christ
was condemned so that they might be acquitted. Christ first took our
guilt upon Him, and then He bore its punishment, for guilt is
obligation unto punishment. This is the very nature of suretyship: he
takes the debt of another upon himself, and upon the debtor's
insufficiency, becomes liable to payment thereof. By Christ's offering
up of Himself in the stead of believers, all their sins were expiated.
In consequence thereof we are able to triumphantly exclaim, "Who shall
lay anything to the charge of God's elect?" (Rom. 8:33).
Just as Romans 8:1 is explained in 8:3, so 2 Corinthians 5:19 is
amplified in 5:21. "Godwas in Christ reconciling the world unto
himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." And why? Because
"Hehath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be
made the righteousness of God in Him." The non-imputation of sin to
the believer is not only a consequent result of Christ's sacrifice,
but was the cause of His death. Trespasses are not imputed to the
members of His body, because they were imputed to the Head. "He," that
is God the Mediator, "made him sin," legally constituted Him so, in
accordance with the mutual agreement between them in the everlasting
covenant. "Made him sin" means, appointed Him as the great Sinbearer,
officially liable to wrath. Christ was "made sin for us" by the
reckoning of our guilt to His account, not in mere semblance, but in
dread reality. Because of this, Divine Justice took satisfaction from
Him; because of this He died "the "
Throughout His life and His death, the Lord Jesus was repaying all
that injury which the sins of His people had done unto the
manifestative justice of God. Therefore God now remits the sins of His
believing people because He has received a vicarious but full
satisfaction for them from the person of their Surety. Through Christ
we are delivered from the wrath to come. Necessarily so, for an
accepted Sacrifice obtained (not merely "made possible"), purchased,
the remission of sins. Vividly and blessedly was this typified in
Leviticus 5:5, 6, 10, "When he shall be guilty in one of these things,
that he shall confess that he hath sinned in that thing: and he shall
bring his trespass offering unto the Lord for his sin which he hath
sinned. . . and the priest shall make an atonement for him, concerning
his sin. . . and it shall be forgiven him." So Christ's blood was shed
"for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:28).
To this great and grand truth all the prophets bore witness (Acts
10:43). In Christ every claim of the law against the believer has been
perfectly met. Thus grace reigns not at the expense of righteousness,
but "through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord"
(Rom. 5:21). Hallelujah!
C. Its Scope
"Who his own self bear our sins in his own body on the tree" (1 Pet.
2:24). Whose sins? Believers'. Which sins? Not a few of them, not the
majority of them, but every one which was on the docket against them.
"Having forgiven you all trespasses" (Col. 2:13). Christ came here to
"finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make
reconciliation for iniquity" (Dan. 9:24). Rightly did James Wells say,
"There is no mischief that sin hath done which He hath not repaired;
there is no debt that sin has incurred that He has not paid; there is
no foe under which sin has brought us that He hath not conquered;
there is no fiery wrath which sin hath lighted up which He hath not
quenched; there is no curse which sin hath entailed that He hath not
borne: there is no mountain that sin hath rolled in upon us which He
has not overturned; there is no distance between us and God which He
has not filled up."
"There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus" (Rom.
8:1). "Thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of
corruption: for Thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back" (Isa.
38:17) - as we turn our backs upon anything which we do not wish to
behold. All our sins have been removed from the judicial eyes of God.
God Himself declares that He "will not remember thy sins" (Isa.
43:25). Here our sins are likened unto a debt which has been
cancelled; an act of oblivion has been passed upon them. "Ihave
blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud,
thy sins" (Isa. 44:22). Just as a dark cloud empties itself upon the
earth and then melts away under the rays of the sun, so our sins have
been dried up by Divine mercy, following the storm of judgment which
"Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by
the transgression of the remnant of His heritage. . . and Thou wilt
cast all their sins into the depths of the sea" (Micah 7:18, 19) - as
the Egyptians were drowned in the Red Sea. God lays not aside our sins
gently, but flings them away with violence, as things which He cannot
endure the sight of, and which He is resolved never to take note of
any more. Observe, "into the depths of the sea." Things cast into the
depths of the ocean never appear again! Rivers may be turned and
dried, but who could lave out the ocean? So Christ hath appeared
"Toput away sin by the sacrifice of himself" (Heb. 9:26). "Asfar as
the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions
from us" (Ps. 103:12).
D. Its Application
This brings us to the most difficult aspect of our subject. When were
the Christian's sins put away? This question is capable of more than
one answer, according as it is viewed from different standpoints.
Vicariously his sins were remitted when his Surety was raised from the
dead. At His birth Christ assumed the full burden of His people's
liabilities and responsibilities and He was not released from the same
until God delivered Him from the grave. But personally we are not
forgiven till we believe. We need to distinguish sharply between the
results secured by Christ's death for God's elect, and their being,
individually, made partakers of those effects. Christ purchased and
procured a right unto our receiving forgiveness, but we do not enter
into the enjoyment of this blessing until our faith is placed in Him.
This may be illustrated by a young man who has been left an estate,
but who cannot enter into possession of the same until he is thirty.
Prior to that age he has a legal title to it, but he is not permitted
to receive his inheritance: cf. Galatians 4:1-7.
"Theblood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin"(1 John
1:7). The blood of Christ needs to be considered three ways: as shed,
as pleaded, as sprinkled. As shed. This was necessary by way of
satisfaction and merit, to obtain for us God's pardon of our sins, for
"without shedding of blood is no remission of sins" (Hebrews 9:22). It
is pleaded by Christ in heaven. This is the very basis of His
intercession. "By his own blood he entered in once into the holy
place" (Heb. 9:12), and its merits He continually presents to the
Father. It is also to be pleaded by us when we beg any blessing,
especially the pardon of our sins: "Having therefore, brethren,
boldness to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus" (Heb.
10:19). But it is not enough that His blood be shed and pleaded, it
must be actually sprinkled or applied to our conscience: "The blood of
sprinkling which speaketh better things than that of Abel" (Heb.
12:24).
We must also distinguish between the general pardon received the
moment we believed, and the specific forgiveness which we stand in
need of repeatedly. To say that there is no need for Christians to
pray for forgiveness because all their sins were atoned for at the
Cross, betrays great confusion of thought and flatly contradicts
Scripture. As well might an Israelite have argued against the offering
of the daily lamb, because all his iniquities were remitted on the
annual day of atonement (Lev. 16:21). So far as the Satisfaction of
Christ has been offered once for all and is eternally valid before
God, it allows of no repetition or addition. But considering
forgiveness as the act of God as the moral Governor of the world, it
is continuous unto the same persons. In the nature of the case sin
cannot be formally pardoned before it is committed. As we daily commit
trespasses, we are to daily ask for their forgiveness: Matthew 6:11,
12 - note the "And"at the beginning of verse 12!
"Sins to come cannot be properly said to be pardoned, for till they
are committed we are not guilty of them. This would not be so much a
pardon as an indulgence and license to sin. . . Thus a man once
converted could no otherwise than frivolously pray 'Forgive us our
sin.' It would take away care of avoiding sin to come, and repentance
for what is past. Daily sins displease God, and deserve death" (T.
Manton, vol. 22, p. 52). At conversion we receive the Divine
forgiveness of all our past sins (2 Pet. 1:9) but forgiveness of
present sins must be sued for daily. Keep short accounts with God,
Christian reader! Constantly plead the promise of 1 John 1:9, "Ifwe
confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
E. Its Requirements
First, turning from sin unto God: "Let the wicked forsake his way, and
the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord,
and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will
abundantly pardon" (Isaiah 55:7). God will not remit the guilt while a
man's heart remains in love with sin and he continues in the practice
of it; if He did, He would compromise His holiness and encourage us in
evil doing. "Christdied not to reconcile God to our sins, or to pardon
our sins while we remain in them, but to bring us back again to the
service and enjoyment of God" (T. Manton). The prodigal must leave the
far country ere he can turn his face toward the
Second, repentance: "Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray
God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee" (Acts
8:22). Repentance toward God signifies a willingness to return to the
duty, love and obedience which we owe Him as our Creator, and from
whence we have fallen by our folly and sin. "Him hath God exalted with
His right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, for to give repentance to
Israel and forgiveness of sins" (Acts 5:31): as we must distinguish
between God's viewing His elect in the purpose of His grace and in the
sentence of His law, so we must between Christ's, having purchased
pardon and His now dispensing it according to the laws of His
mediatorial kingdom.
Third, faith. The price of our forgiveness was paid when Christ died,
but our actual admission into and possession of the privilege is not
ours until we are planted into Him by a living faith. "Whosoever
believeth in him shall receive remission of sins" (Acts 10:43): cf.
13:38, 39; 26:18. "By faith alone we obtain and receive the
forgiveness of sin; for notwithstanding any antecedent act of God
concerning us in and for Christ, we do not actually receive a
soul-freeing discharge until we believe" (John Owen). Faith is as
necessary in an instrumental way as Christ's satisfaction was in a
meritorious way. Faith is the link of connection between the blessings
purchased by Christ and the soul's enjoyment of them. Faith is that
which appropriates the benefits of Christ unto itself.
What are the marks, or true evidences, of a pardoned man? First,
genuine affection for God and Christ: "her sins, which are many, are
forgiven; for she loved much" (Luke 7:47): the latter was the effect
of the former. Second, a reverential awe for God: "There is
forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared" (Ps. 130:4): a
pardoned soul will no longer rush heedlessly into sin. Third, a spirit
without guile (Ps. 32:2), that is, a heart that is sincere in seeking
the glory of God and desires to please Him in all things - cf.
Ephesians 6:24. Where God pardons, He places His law in the heart
(Heb. 8:10-12). Fourth, mourning for sin: where the heart is unbroken
and unmelted, the condemnation of God rests upon it: cf. Luke 7:38.
Fifth, the power of indwelling sin is broken: "He will subdue our
iniquity, and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the
sea" (Micah 7:19): God never does the one without the other -
justification and sanctification are inseparable. Sixth, praise and
thanksgiving unto God: "Bless the Lord, O my soul. . . who forgiveth
all thine iniquities" (Ps. 103:2, 3). Seventh, a genuine spirit of
forgiveness toward those who wrong us: "Forgive us our sins, for we
also forgive every one that is indebted to us" (Luke 11:4).
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A. W. Pink Header
The Satisfaction of Christ
Studies in the Atonement
by A. W. Pink
15. Its Results-Continued
_________________________________________________________________
In previous chapters we have pointed out the importance of
distinguishing between the work which Christ performed and the results
which that work produced. The need for so doing is great if we are to
obtain anything more than a confused view of it. Unfortunately many
have sadly failed at this point, so that neither they nor their
readers have been able to apprehend separately the various parts of
the vast whole. Noticeably has this been the case with that aspect of
our theme which is now to be before us. Though the work of the Lord
Jesus was one and indivisible, yet, as we saw when pondering its
nature, it needs to be viewed from various angles. For this reason,
among others, the typical altar of sacrifice was not round, but
foursquare (Ex. 27:1). In like manner, though the result secured by
Christ's work was also one and indivisible, namely, securing the
eternal salvation of all for whom He transacted, yet that composite
"result," that glorious "salvation," can best be understood when we
contemplate its several sides. We now take up -
3. REDEMPTION
Not a few have regarded "atonement" and "redemption" as being
synonymous terms, but they are not so. Though closely, yea inseparably
connected, they are, nevertheless, capable of being considered
separately; the one being the cause, of which the other is the effect.
Because Christ offered unto God a full and accepted satisfaction, the
redemption of His people is the certain fruit, consequence and reward
of the same. The "result" of Christ's mediation and the character of
the salvation which He secured for God's elect can be most easily
grasped when set out under these four words: reconciliation,
remission, redemption, righteousness. By saying above that the
"result" of Christ's satisfaction is as indivisible as the work
itself, we mean that when one of these blessings is imparted, the
other three always accompany it.
Near the beginning of our last chapter we pointed out how close is the
connection between reconciliation and remission of sins (2 Cor. 5:19),
and to link up this one with the preceding, we would note how intimate
is the relation existing between remission and redemption. In
Ephesians 1:7 we read, "In whom we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins." Sins are "forgiven" or "remitted" by the
redeeming blood. The preposition should be duly noted here: it is not
"through whom we have redemption" (which presents another phase
altogether), but "in whom." Redemption was the Christian's right, not
only when the Spirit applied it to him at his regeneration, but also
when Christ died. Just as we had condemnation in Adam before we were
born into this world, so the elect have redemption in Christ since the
time that He was raised from the dead: note that "believing" is not
mentioned in Ephesians 1 till verse 12! "Redemption through his blood"
is our forgiveness. Not that we are actually pardoned in the blood of
His Cross before we believe, but that the pardon was procured by the
redeeming blood, the grant of it was then sealed, and security given
that it should in due time be made unto us.
The greatness of redemption may best be perceived by contemplating the
person of the Redeemer. To none other than the Son of God was
entrusted that work which was to secure redemption for His people. The
greater the person who is employed in a work, the greater is that
work; it is thus in the reckoning and ways of men, how much more shall
it be so in the wisdom and ways of God! Kings do not send their sons
out on petty errands or trivial services, but only upon that which is
high and weighty; and can it be imagined that the King of kings would
send forth His Son to redeem, unless that had involved a work of
transcendent magnitude? The creating of the universe was a vast
enterprise, but God dispatched it with a single fiat: He spake and it
was done (Ps. 33:9). But to effect redemption, God sent His own Son
from heaven to earth, to live and die. O how great a work was this;
the greatest that Himself ever undertook. In approaching this blessed
subject of redemption, let us consider,
A. Its Signification
"The term redemption is borrowed from certain pecuniary transactions
among men, as the release of an imprisoned debtor by liquidating his
debt, or the deliverance of a captive by paying a ransom. These are
transactions with which mankind in general, and especially the Jews
and primitive Christians, have been perfectly familiar. Accordingly,
both in the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures, the deliverance of man from
sin is frequently represented by language borrowed from such
negotiations. The term before us is of this nature. It involves all
the ideas included in atonement. It supposes sin, which is the cause
of imprisonment or captivity. It supposes deliverance by a substitute,
the captive or debtor being unable to effect his own escape. And, of
course, it supposes also a clear emancipation or restoration as the
result of the ransom being paid" (W. Symington).
The terms "ransom" and "redemption" when used in connection with the
work of Christ are correlative in their import, the former denoting
the price paid for the liberation of a prisoner, the latter marking
the deliverance which is thus effected. The use of them in connection
with our salvation, shows that this is brought about by the
interposition of a Substitute, who procures the emancipation of the
captive by the tendering of his ransom. By their sins men are brought
under obligation to the law and justice of God, which He will not
gratuitously fail to demand, and which they are quite incapable of
discharging. To the law of God they are debtors; to the justice of God
the prisoners. Their deliverance or salvation is not a manumission
without price, that is, a simple discharge without compensation. Their
salvation is not by an act of power only, effected by the intervention
of an arm full of might to secure their escape. Both gratuitous favor
(grace) and power are concerned, yet there was more. A price had to be
paid, a ransom laid down, every way equivalent to the redemption for
which it was offered.
Thus, "redemption" is deliverance by ransom.It is possible to conceive
(in human affairs) of a price being paid and then, through some
miscarriage of justice the prisoner not being freed; but in that case
it would not be a "redemption," even though a ransom had been
accepted. So also we may suppose a case where a captor, moved by
compassion, freed his prisoner; yet though emancipated, he could not
be said to have been "redeemed." Two things are absolutely necessary
to a "redemption," a ransom paid, and the setting free of the subject
or person purchased. The two things, though intimately related, are
clearly distinguished in Jeremiah 31:11, "For the Lord hath redeemed
Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than
he." And again, "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I
will redeem them from death" (Hosea 13:14).
Thus, we say again, Redemption is the payment of a ransom and the
release of the ransomed. Hence it is strictly limited to the people of
God.In no sense are the reprobate "redeemed." Election and redemption
are of the same extent: they relate to the same individuals, to all
such, and to none else. To affirm that any whom Christ redeemed are
now in Hell is a flat contradiction in terms, for Hell is a prison
(Matthew 5:25; 1 Pet. 3:19).
The deliverance or redemption which the ransom-price paid by Christ to
Divine justice has effected, consists of three parts. First, there is
a complete delivering of His people from the guilt or penalty of sin.
This is their Justification. This is set forth in such Scriptures as
the following: "Being justified freely by his grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:24), "Christ hath redeemed
us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us" (Gal. 3:13).
Second, there is, in this life, a blessed deliverance from the
dominion and bondage of sin. This is their Sanctification. This is set
forth in such passages as these: "Who gave himself for our sins, that
he might deliver us from this present evil world" (Gal. 1:4),
"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible
things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation... but with
the precious blood of Christ" (1 Pet. 1:18,19).
Third, there is, at the second coming of Christ, final deliverance
from the very presence of sin. This is their Glorification. This is
contemplated in Luke 21:28, "Lift up your heads, for your redemption
draweth nigh," and "waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our
body" (Rom. 8:23).
Redemption is the setting free of those who have been ransomed. The
Greek word for "redemption" is actually rendered "delivered" in
Hebrews 11:35: "Not accepting deliverance," which means, they refused
to accept release from their afflictions on the terms offered by their
persecutors, namely, upon the condition of renouncing their faith.
Christ is therefore denominated not only "the Redeemer," but "the
Deliverer" (Rom. 11:26). That from which He has emancipated His people
is set forth in the following passages: "Christ hath redeemed us from
the curse of the law" (Galatians 3:13). "Who hath delivered us from
the power of darkness" (Col. 1:13). "Which delivered us from the wrath
to come" (1 Thess. 1:10). "That through death He might destroy him
that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who
through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage"
(Heb. 2:14, 15). Let us next consider -
B. Its Implication
Redemption necessarily supposes previous possession.It denotes the
restoring of something that has been lost, and that by the paying of a
price. Thus we find Christ saying by the Spirit of prophecy, "I
restored that which I took not away" (Ps. 69:4)! This was strikingly
illustrated in the history of Israel, who, on the farther shores of
the Red Sea, sang, "Thou in thy mercy hast led forth thy people which
thou hast redeemed"(Exodus 15:13). First, in the book of Genesis, we
see the descendants of Abraham sojourning in the land of Canaan; cf.
Hebrews 11:9. Later, we see the chosen race in cruel servitude, in
bondage to the Egyptians, groaning amid the brick-kilns under the whip
of their taskmasters. Then a ransom was provided in the blood of the
pascal lamb, following which, the Lord by His mighty hand brought them
out of serfdom and brought them into the promised inheritance.
In the above type we see three things: a people who were the Lord's; a
people in bondage, lost to Him; a people recovered and restored to
Him. Says someone, "But how can all these things hold good in the
antitype? I can see that Christians were once the Devil's captives,
now freed by Christ; but how were they His before He freed them?"
Scripture supplies a satisfactory explanation. The type is just as
true and accurate in the first point, as it is in the second and
third. The redeemed belonged to Christ long before He shed His
precious blood to ransom them. They were His by the eternal election
of God, His by the Father's love gift: "Thine they were and thou
gavest them me" (John 17:6). Yes, they were "chosen in him before the
foundation of the world" (Eph. 1:4). But, "in Adam all died" (1 Cor.
15:22), therefore did He come "to seek and to save that which was
lost"(Luke 19:10). But through His blood He recovered them: "The
church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood" (Acts
20:28).
Thus, the implication of "redemption" is a double one. First, all the
members of Christ's Church belonged to Him in eternity past. Second,
through the Fall, they were brought into bondage. All men in their
unrenewed state are slaves to sin and Satan, and under the wrath of
God. "Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin" (John 8:34). Ere
Christians were regenerated, "serving divers lusts and pleasures"
(Titus 3:3) described their awful state. In the bondage of our
ignorance, we supposed that we were free, imagining that liberty
consisted of the power to do as we liked, instead of as we ought.
Little did we dream that we were in the "snare of the Devil, who are
taken captive by him at his will" (2 Tim. 2:26). Nor could we free
ourselves. Sin's chains were far too strong for human might to snap.
Satan saw to it that we should not break out of his prisonhouse.
Man as a fallen creature is no more a "free agent" than he is a
sinless being. "If the Son therefore shall make you free ye shall be
free indeed" (John 8:36) would be quite meaningless, if the natural
man already possessed liberty. But people will no more bow to this
flesh-humbling truth today than they would when Christ Himself uttered
it - "we be Abraham's seed and were never in bondage to any man" (John
8:33) was the haughty but lying boast of the Jews. Hence it is that so
few seek the redemption which is in Christ Jesus: knowing not that
they are bound, they suppose they are already free. This is one of the
outstanding marks of these Laodicean days: men boasting that they are
rich and increased with goods, and in need of nothing, knowing not
that they are "wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked"
(Rev. 3:17). Yes, redemption presupposes bondage; happy the one who
has had his or her eyes opened to see the need for a mightier hand
than their own striking off the shackles of self-will, self-love and
self-righteousness, which, by nature, bound and held them fast. We now
turn to consider -
C. Its Effectuation
Sin is a debt, whereof God is the Creditor: Matthew 6:12. Debts render
men liable to imprisonment for non-payment, so sin has caused God to
"shut them all up in unbelief" (Rom. 11:32), nor can any escape till
the uttermost farthing has been paid (Matthew 5:26). Man, by his
disobedience to God, has been brought into a state of abject
wretchedness, such wretchedness as Scripture often expresses by
captivity (Isa. 61:1; Ps. 126:4; 2 Tim. 3:6). The Lord, because of our
rebellion, both in Adam and personally, did, as the supreme Judge and
Governor, deliver us unto Satan, and left us under the power of sin
and death. Satan, as the jailor, led us captive at his will, making
use of sin and the world as fetters to increase and continue our
misery: "Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of
this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the
spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: among whom
also we all had our conversation in time past in the lusts of our
flesh" (Eph. 2:2, 3). From this dreadful state none but Christ could
deliver us.
In every place in Scripture where our redemption in and by Christ is
mentioned, there is an allusion to the law of redemption among the
Jews. This law is set forth, most fully, in Leviticus 25, where we
find regulations laid down for a two-fold redemption, of persons and
possessions. None had a right to redeem but either the person himself,
who had made the alienation, or some other that was near of kin to
him. But inasmuch as none of Adam's race ever was, or ever will be,
able to redeem himself, Another must interpose on his behalf if ever
he is to be delivered. This is expressly affirmed by God: "None of
them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for
him" (Ps. 49:7). Thus, poor sinners were entirely shut up to the
merciful intervention of Christ. It was by Him and Him alone, this
blessed promise was to be fulfilled: "Thus saith the Lord, Even the
captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the
terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that
contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children" (Isa. 49:25).
The Redeemer must be Kinsman:"The man is near of kin to us, one that
hath the right to redeem" (Ruth 2:20 margin). Thus the
covenant-oneness of Christ and His people underlies the truth of
redemption. "For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified
are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them
brethren" (Heb. 2:11) - one from all eternity, one by Him having been
appointed their Head. But not only must the Redeemer be federally
united to those He redeems, but He must also take upon Him their
nature and enter their circumstances, therefore are we told,
"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He
also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He
might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the Devil; and
deliver them" (Heb. 2:14, 15). So we read again, "Godsent forth His
Son made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were
under the law" (Gal. 4:4, 5).
The incarnation of the Son of God most strikingly fulfilled another
Old Testament type of redemption. The Mosaic law provided that, in
case any person was found murdered, then the nearest to him in blood
was to prosecute the murderer and bring him to justice, and this
nearest relation, thus avenging the murder, is called by the name of
(Ga'al) redeemer,rendered "revenger" in Numbers 25:19. "Satan was the
murderer from the beginning (John 8:44) who had given both body and
soul a mortal wound of sin, which was certain death and eternal
misery, and the Redeemer came to avenge the murder. He took our cause
in hand, as being our nearest kinsman, and it cost Him His own life to
avenge ours" (Wm. Romaine, 1750). To which we may add, through His
death, Christ "destroyed [rendered null] him that had the power of
death" (Heb. 2:14).
Having accepted the office of Redeemer, having become one with His
people in taking upon Him their nature, it was required that He should
pay the ransom-price which Divine justice required. Now a "ransom" is
something given in the stead of what is ransomed, and this was the
vicarious life and death of the Lord Jesus: "The Son of man came, to
give his life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28). Redemption views
Christ as our "Surety" (Heb. 7:22), taking upon Him the liabilities of
God's elect, and paying to God the price of their remission. Christ is
the great Paymaster of His people's debts: "That by means of death,
for the redemption of the transgressions under the first testament,
they which are called might receive the promise of eternal
inheritance" (Heb. 9:15). "Being justified freely by His grace through
the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:24): in the first
clause the inestimable blessing of justification is ascribed to the
free grace of God, being altogether apart from our works, either
before or after faith; in the second clause it is attributed to
Christ's "redemption": though we are justified gratuitously, yet it is
through the purchase of the Son of God.
Believers are said to have been "bought with a price" (1 Cor. 6:20).
To whom was the ransom-price paid? It seems strange that any Christian
should experience difficulty in answering such a question, yet even
some able Bible students have erred seriously on this point. Arguing
that sinners were never in bondage to God, and that they are the
captives of the Devil, a theory has been invented that the price of
our ransom was paid to Satan himself, which theory can only be rightly
denominated "diabolical redemption." Once this theory is held up in
its naked hideousness, every renewed soul ought to shrink from it in
horror. Surely there is a vast difference between sinners being the
captives of the Devil, and his having any legitimate property-rights
over them. That man is a slave of Satan is only a secondary result of
his bondage. Who delivered him over to Satan, on account of his sins?
Only one answer is possible: God Himself.
It is by Divine justice that the sinner is bound over to punishment.
The Devil is only the executioner of God's righteous sentence. It is
to God Himself the debt of obedience and suffering is due. It is God
alone who has the right to detain him in prison. The detaining power
is the equity of the Divine law and government, but for which, Satan
could not hold him in thraldom a single moment. Therefore it was to
God,to His inflexible justice, that Christ paid the ransom-price. Man
had not sinned against Satan, but against the Divine Lawgiver, to whom
alone it belongs to condemn or absolve. And God being satisfied, the
Devil has no power over the redeemed, but is put out of office, as the
executioner has nothing to do when the judge and the law is satisfied.
To say that Christ offered Himself a ransom unto Satan is the most
horrible blasphemy. Satan was to be conquered, not satisfied. Our
enslaving foe was but the subordinate instrument of God's righteous
judgment; why, he cannot so much as tempt men without the immediate
permission of God, how much less could he demand from God the
precious, precious blood of Christ.
The ransom which was paid for our redemption was the blood of Christ
(1 Pet. 1:19): this is sometimes set forth as a "price," sometimes as
a "sacrifice." These are but one and the same thing under several
notions. Now as the "sacrifice" was offered unto God (Eph. 5:2), so
was the "price" paid to God, paid to His justice, paid to Him in His
character of Judge and Governor. "Who hath delivered us from the power
of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
in whom we have redemption through his blood" (Col. 1:13, 14). The
latter verse explains the particular nature of the "deliverance" in
the previous one. It is not a mere release, as of a slave liberated by
the compassion of his master, nor that of a debtor set free at his
constant entreaties by his creditor; nor by the exercise of force
only, as Abraham delivered Lot and David his followers from the
Amalekites at Ziklag. But this "deliverance" from Satan's dominion is
a redemption,a discharge by a ransom-price paid down; there was a
rendering all that was due the law by a Substitute and Surety. The
shedding of His blood was the last and greatest act of His mediatorial
work on earth.
Thus Christ purchased His people out of the hands of vindictive
Justice. Thereby He fulfilled that remarkable Messianic prophecy in
Isaiah 45:13, "I have raised Him up in righteousness, and I will
direct all His ways: He shall build my city, and he shall let go my
captives, not for price nor reward, saith the Lord of hosts": the last
clause signifies, it was not for personal gain that Christ did this:
it was not "for price," though He effected it by price. Because Christ
"bought" us (1 Cor. 6:20), we are out of debt, free. There is not a
single charge on the heavenly docket against any of His people. No
debtor's prison now awaits them. "Thou shalt by no means come out
thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing" (Matthew 5:26):
these terrible and hope-destroying words shall never be spoken to any
of the redeemed.
Because the Representative of God's people was seized by the law,
those whom Christ represented must go free. Beautifully was this
adumbrated in John 18:8: "Iftherefore ye seek me, let these go their
way." Christ's death was the believer's discharge: "Who is he that
condemneth? It is Christ that died"(Rom. 8:33). "Onthat day shall the
priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean
from all your sins before the Lord" (Lev. 16:30): if the typical blood
so effectively cleansed the people ceremonially, how much more must
the antitypical Sacrifice perfectly and eternally deliver from sin!
The outcome of the ransom-price paid by Christ is the certain and
actual redemption of His people.
There is no unavailing redemption in any of the Old Testament types.
If land was "redeemed," restoration to its original owner was the
certain outcome; if persons were "redeemed," then liberty was actually
enjoyed by them. "Deliver him from going down to the pit, I have found
a ransom"(Job 33:24), is God's authoritative fiat. Payment God cannot
twice demand, first at my bleeding Surety's hand, and then again at
mine. Because Christ paid to the full the whole debt which His people
owed, Justice demands that the debtors should be liberated. Therefore
the unqualifying word goes forth, "And the ransomed of the Lord shall
return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their
heads" (Isa. 35:10).
D. Its Application
"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he hath visited and redeemed
his people"(Luke 1:70). "The Church of God which he hath purchased
with his own blood" (Acts 20:28). It is never said in Scripture that
Christ died to purchase "salvation": it is always His flock, His
people, His Church. "The Lord's portion is His people, Jacob is the
lot of His inheritance" (Deut. 32:9), and the elect are not only God's
inheritance, but His "purchased possession" (Eph. 1:14). By His death
Christ paid the ransom-price, and made His people, whom sin had taken
prisoners, His own. Therefore does the Father say to Him, "As for
thee, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out
of the pit wherein is no water" (Zech. 9:11). Christ has a legal right
to their persons, and therefore does God, by His strong arm (in His
own appointed time), bring them forth. "He sent redemption unto His
people" (Ps. 111:9).
Redemption is unto an inheritance:Galatians 4:5-7; Ephesians 1:14. Now
just as an earthly parent reserves to himself the right to say (in his
will) at what age his heir shall enter upon his estate, so God has
appointed the time when each of His redeemed ones shall be freed from
the dominion of sin, and when the whole election of grace shall enter
their inheritance. As we have seen, the deliverance which Christ has
procured for His people is threefold, so also is its application.
First, they are freed from the guilt of sin when the Spirit first
works faith in them and they are enabled to believe in Christ
(Galatians 5:1). Second, they are gradually delivered from the power
of indwelling sin, as through the Spirit they are led to "mortify the
deeds of the body" (Rom. 8:13). Third,they are completely emancipated
from the presence of sin when "there shall come out of Zion the
Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob" (Rom. 11:26,
etc.). Each of these is redemption by power, in contrast from by
price: cf. Exodus 6:6; Nehemiah 1:10; Psalm 77:15; for the same reason
the resurrection of the body, by an act of Divine power, is called a
"redemption" (Rom. 8:23).
E. Its Manifestation
Redemption is unto a life of godliness."Being now made free from sin,
and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the
end everlasting life" (Rom. 6:22). Those whom Christ has ransomed are
given grace to live a holy life, freed from the bondage of their
former corruptions: "redeemed. . . from your vain conversation... with
the precious blood of Christ" (1 Pet. 1:18). Those who are not
delivered from their previous vain manner of life are not redeemed
from hell and damnation, unless God gives them repentance. Let every
reader test himself or herself by this sure and certain rule: you have
not savingly believed that Christ laid down His life for you, unless
you are now yielding up your life to Him: note the words, "in time
past" in Ephesians 2:2. Christ has redeemed none that they might
continue in a course of self-pleasing.
"That we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve
Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him, all the
days of our life" (Luke 1:74, 75). "Whenever God pardons sin, He
subdues it (Micah 7:19). Then is the condemning power of sin taken
away, when the commanding power of it is taken away. If a malefactor
be in prison, how shall he know that his prince hath pardoned him? If
a jailor come and knock off his chains and fetters, and let him out of
prison, then he may know that he is pardoned: so if we walk at liberty
(Ps. 119:45) in the ways of God, this is a blessed sign He has
pardoned us" (Thos. Watson, 1690).
Let none make any mistake on this point. Scripture says "who gave
himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil
world" (Gal. 1:4). If, then, you are still in love with the world, a
slave to its fashions, a follower of its ways, a companion of its
people, you are yet in your sins. "Christ gave himself for us that he
might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar
People, zealous of good works"(Titus 2:14). Christ offers Himself to
none as a Savior who are unwilling to submit to Him as their Lord.
True, He has redeemed us from the "curse of the law," but most
certainly not from the righteous requirements of the law. The people
of God have been redeemed from their misery, but not from their duty.
We have been redeemed "to God"(Rev. 5:9). Renunciation of the world,
denial of self, and a daily walk to the glory of God, are the sure
marks of all the "redeemed."
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A. W. Pink Header
The Satisfaction of Christ
Studies in the Atonement
by A. W. Pink
16. Its Results-Continued
_________________________________________________________________
Numerous and fearful have been the errors into which many have fallen
when treating of the results of the perfect Satisfaction which Christ
offered unto God on behalf of His people. Reconciliation has, on the
one hand, been restricted to sinners throwing down the arms of their
rebellion, whereas Scripture also plainly speaks of Christ's having
"slain the enmity" of the Divine justice (Eph. 2:16); while on the
other hand, some affirm that all (including the Devil himself) have
been reconciled to God, when the Word declares there are many who
shall be "punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of
the Lord" (2 Thess. 1:9). The remission of sins which Christ actually
obtained for all He represented, has been whittled down to a mere
possibility of forgiveness, which may or may not be procured by men
according as their wills shall determine. While so terribly has the
glorious truth of redemption been perverted that thousands believe
there are multitudes in Hell for whom Christ shed His precious blood
as a ransom-price. May it please the Lord to use the preceding
chapters to dissipate the fogs of heresy from the minds of many of our
readers.
4. RIGHTEOUSNESS
This is, perhaps, the most wonderful of all the "results" obtained by
the arduous Work of our blessed Savior. Yet is it today, in most
professing Christian circles, the least understood. If it be true that
the blessed truths of reconciliation, remission and redemption have
been grievously and grossly misrepresented by many who have posed as
teachers sent from God, that which is now to be before us has been
flatly denied, held up to ridicule, and branded as a serious error, by
not a few of those who wished to be regarded as the champions of
orthodoxy. It is indeed painful to find the writings of men who
staunchly upheld the Divine inspiration of the Scriptures, the deity
of Christ, His virgin birth and substitutionary death, defiled by a
vicious repudiation of the principal consequence of His atoning
sacrifice. But Satan is subtle, and the higher the reputation of a man
for soundness in the faith, the happier is the enemy to employ him in
his awful work of opposing God.
But today that inestimably blessed truth which we now desire to set
before the reader (as the Lord is pleased to enable), is not so much
denied, as it is ignored.That which is the crowning glory of the
Gospel (Rom. 1:17), that by which God has supremely displayed His
infinite wisdom (1 Cor. 2:7), that which should most of all render the
Redeemer precious to His people (Ps. 71:14-16), and that which ought
to be the chief object of the believer's joy (Isa. 61:10), is now left
out of almost all so-called evangelical ministry. Even where Christ is
presented as the sinner's only hope, and His blood as the only
cleanser of sin, that which secures a title for Heaven, that which
alone can render a sinner acceptable before the Judge of all the
earth, that which is the ground upon which He pronounces the ungodly
justified,is missing from the best preaching and writings of this
degenerate age. At best, only a half Gospel is being proclaimed, only
the negative side of what Christ earned for His people is being set
before them. Whether or not this criticism be too sweeping we leave
the reader to decide after he has read the remainder of this chapter.
A. Its Nature
Following our usual custom, let us first show the connection between
our present theme and that which was before us in our last chapter.
"Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in
Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:24): here we are shown the intimate relation
which exists between the believer's righteousness and his redemption.
To "justify" is the opposite of to "condemn": see Deuteronomy 25:1;
Romans 8:33, 34; etc. Now to "condemn" a man is not to infuse evil
into him, but is to pronounce him a transgressor. As the condemning of
a man does not make him guilty, but simply announces that he is so, to
"justify"man is not to make him good, nor to infuse goodness into him,
but is to declare that he is "just." Justification is that formal
sentence of the Divine Judge whereby He pronounces the one before Him
righteous. The ground upon which God pronounces this sentence is the
"redemption which is in Christ Jesus."
As we showed in the last chapter, redemption is the consequence of a
ransom-price having been paid. The ransom-price which the Lord Jesus
offered unto the justice of God was that perfect Satisfaction which He
gave to the Divine law, which consisted of the entire course of His
virtuous and meritorious life, culminating in the laying down of His
life at the Cross in obedience to His Father's command: John 10:18;
14:31. Christ, then, "magnified the law and made it honorable" (Isa.
42:21), by keeping it in heart and life, in thought and word and deed;
and therefore God, in His character of Law-administrator, the Judge of
all the earth, has imputed the Savior's obedience to all who believe
on Him; and because they have that reckoned to their account, they are
"justified," declared righteous in the High Court of heaven. The
Christian is justified freely by God's "grace," because it was
sovereign benignity which provided the Mediator and His ransom; yet
that justification is not at the price of setting aside the claims of
the law, but "through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Thus,
grace reigns not at the expense of righteousness, but "through
righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 5:21).
Old Testament prophecy not only announced that the Messiah and
Mediator should "make reconciliation for iniquity," but also that He
would "bring in everlasting righteousness" (Daniel 9:24). The two were
equally needed by us: the one to deliver from Hell, the other to
entitle unto Heaven. The taking away of our sins was not sufficient.
In this world offenders are sometimes pardoned, so as to be no longer
liable to punishment, yet without being at the same time received into
favor, admitted to fellowship, and placed in a position of honor and
privilege. But not so is it when a believing sinner is justified
"through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus": he obtains not only
pardon from God, but favor and acceptance; not only exemption from the
penalty of sin, but a title to the reward of righteousness.
Accordingly it is written, "Therefore being justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we
have access by faith into this grace [favor] wherein we stand"(Rom.
5:1, 2). And again, "That being justified by his grace, we should be
made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:7).
Two things were required in order for our acceptance by God: the
removal of our sins, the making us righteous in the sight of His law.
Man was impotent to effect the one as much as the other. We were no
more able to get rid of our guilt, than the Ethiopian can change his
skin or the leopard his spots. Equally powerless were we to render
unto God that perfect obedience which His justice demands, and that
because of the weakness ("without strength" Romans 5:6) of the flesh
(Rom. 8:3). "Therefore by the deeds of the law (that is, our own
performances) shall no flesh be justified in his sight" (Rom. 3:20).
Hence, if ever we were to be saved, One must come here and meet both
these needs on our behalf: not only suffer the penalty which our
transgressions entailed, but also render to the law active and passive
obedience so as to merit righteousness for us. It is of the utmost
importance to understand the distinction between obeying the law and
enduring punishment. The mere suffering its penalty can never bring in
righteousness, as the damned in Hell shall discover to their eternal
anguish.
Christ, in the room and stead of His people, lived here a life of
complete obedience to every demand of that law which they were
responsible to keep, and then, in His death, He paid the full and
entire penalty of that law which they had broken; and in this way He
wrought out a complete righteousness for His church. Thus the
authority of the law was fully vindicated, and its breach was fully
avenged. There is a double exchange of place: Christ took ours, and we
are given His. "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that,
though He was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through
his poverty might be rich" (2 Cor. 8:9). There was therefore a
two-fold identification: Christ was made one with us (Heb. 2:11, 14),
we are made one with Him (Eph. 5:30). We had no righteousness of our
own; now, as believers, we have received a perfect righteousness, by
imputation, from Christ. "Their righteousness is of me,saith the Lord"
(Isa. 54:17).
To affirm that the suffering of Christ was all that Divine justice
required in order to redeem His people is blankly to deny the force
and teaching of many Scriptures. For example, "As by one man's
disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One shall
many be made righteous" (Rom. 5:19). Just as light and heat are always
united in the sun, so the righteousness of Christ's life and the
efficacy of His death are conjoined in our justification. The blood of
Christ ought never to be thought of as independent of or detached from
His life of obedience: it was their united value which purchased our
redemption. In their agency they were inseparable, though in our
meditation, distinguishable. Christ yielded perfect obedience to the
preceptive part of the law, and full satisfaction to its penal, on
purpose that the merit of all might be made over to them who believe.
This is the distinguishing glory of the Gospel: the blessed truth of
free justification through the righteousness of Christ. Just as God
transferred the guilt of His people to Christ, so does He transfer His
obedience to them. Christ has not only made us accepted, but
acceptable to God (Heb. 10:19) - accepted, because acceptable.
B. Its Necessity
"The claims of God's holy government in relation to man were made
known at Sinai. There He promulgated His law, a law whose claims
cannot be remitted or lowered, because they are founded on His own
essential and unchanging holiness. The great mandatory commandment of
that law is, Thou shalt love God perfectly, and manifest that love in
thought and action. Perfectly and always. The great prohibitory
commandment is, Thou shalt not covet (Rom. 7:7) - that is, thou shalt
not desire anything of evil, anything that is forbidden by God.
"The law pronounced blessing and eternal life on any who should keep
it; but it pronounced curse and judgment on all who should violate it
even once, if only in thought. 'Cursed is every one that continueth
not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them'
(Gal. 3:10). From Mount Gerizim was pronounced the blessing; from
Ebal, the curse. The law cannot remit or lower its claims; for its
claims are founded on the essential and unchanging holiness of God.
And the law having been promulgated, must be fulfilled: 'Verily I say
unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or tittle shall in no
wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled'(Matthew 5:18).
"The law demanded: 1. The absence of all willful transgression. 2. The
absence of sins of ignorance. 3. Perfectness in the inner man. 4.
Perfectness of developed character in unreserved and unremitting
devotedness to God. But we naturally have none of these things.
Instead of being without willful transgressions, and without sins of
ignorance, in both we abound. Instead of perfectness in the inner man,
unfathomable depths of corruption are therein. Instead of perfectness
of character, the things that ought to be absent are present, and the
things that ought to be present are absent. Instead of being
unreservedly devoted to God, we are unreservedly devoted to ourselves.
Such is our condition. And all this moral leprosy has come upon us as
the result of the Fall. It is the result of Adam's first sin, for with
him we had, by God's appointment, a legal oneness.He sinned, and his
transgression brought upon him and upon us 'judgment unto
condemnation': - one of the first and chief results of that judgment
being the presence and dominance in us of indwelling sin, whereby all
power of doing good is supplanted by the abiding presence of energetic
evil. Who can tell the thrill of anguish and horror that must come on
the soul, when, in eternity, it too late discovers the truth of these
things?
"Weare thus shut up into utter hopelessness. We find ourselves heirs
of wrath, strong for evil, powerless for good. 'The law worketh
wrath.' 'If there had been a law which could have given life.... But
Scripture hath concluded all under sin'(Gal. 3:21, 22). The law can
stir up the working of sin within us: it can work 'all manner of
concupiscence' (Rom. 7); but it cannot deliver from those workings.
'The law entered that the offense might abound.' 'By the law is the
knowledge of sin.' It is the prerogative of God alone to determine,
and by His law to make known unto us, what is, and what is not, sin.
Man is full of sin, yet he knows it not. 'I had not known sin but by
the law, for I had not known lust (concupiscence, or desire) except
the law had said, thou shalt not covet' (Rom. 7:7). In our flesh there
is nothing but evil desire: 'the flesh lusteth against the Spirit,'
and that evil desire is sin. Men refuse to acknowledge this. Willful
disobedience is the only form of sin they recognize.
"There never could have been any hope for such as we if God, in the
infinitude of His grace, had not been pleased to declare that His holy
courts admitted the principle of substitutionary service.For He
announces that He has appointed for all 'who are of faith' a Surety or
Sponsor,who, undertaking all their responsibilities is their alter
ego,their other self, and accepted in their stead all that is needed
to supply a valid and sure title of life and glory" (from Atonement
Saveth,by B. W. Newton). Here then was the desperate need. The law
could not abate its demand: flawless and continuous obedience. We have
no ability to meet its demand: "There is none righteous, no not one"
(Rom. 3:10), sounds the doom of the most punctilious moralist, equally
as it does the most abandoned profligate. Therefore, if ever
rebellious and guilty criminals were to be saved, it could only be by
Another assuming their responsibilities and satisfying the law in
their stead. This brings us to consider -
C. Its Procurement
"Atonement Saveth. The truth expressed by these words is the great
keystone of our hopes for time and eternity. Atonement brings to all
those who are under it (not salvability, but) salvation.All who are of
the family of faith are under it. What then do we mean by Atonement?
Atonement, or appeasement, is a priestly work of the Lord Jesus
directed toward God, whereby, by one obligation, finished on the
Cross, He has settled forever the claims of the Divine Government and
procured for all His believing people, not only pardon, but
acceptableness and rewardableness according to the value of His own
meritorious obedience, which has been presented to God, and accepted
by God for them...
"The eternal Son voluntarily undertook to be the Sponsor of His
people. Humbling Himself to be born of a woman and made under the law
(that so He might fulfill the Law), He formally assumed the
responsibilities of all the family of faith, engaging to do everything
and to suffer everything that was necessary Godward,in order to
deliver them from wrath and secure to them an inalienable title to
life and glory. His appointment to this Suretyship was founded upon
the Justice of God, which required that all sin must be punished; and
it was founded also on the Love of God, which determined not only to
deliver from wrath, but to bring also to His own bosom and into His
glory, those who personally deserved wrath. It was necessary,
therefore, that the Substitute should, in the stead of His people
(even all who should believe), meet every requirement of God's law,
which demanded perfectness of obedient service; and likewise that He
should bear all the penalties appointed to Him as the Substitute,
because of our disobedience; for we owe unto God a double debt - a
debt of obedience, and because of failure in that, a debt of penal
suffering. Both must be paid. The penalty must be borne; and the
perfect obedience rendered, otherwise, there could be no Atonement,
and, in consequence, no salvation" (B. W. Newton, from Atonement
Saveth).
The above quotation contains a succinct statement upon this important
aspect of our theme. In seeking to amplify it a little, let us
emphasize the fact that when the Beloved of the Father became Surety
for us insolvent wretches, He made Himself subject to the whole law of
God. Though its threatenings were set in terrible array, and though
its commands peremptorily insisted on the very perfection of
obedience, He asked for no mitigation of its severity, nor any
abatement of its demands; but instead, with full but joyous submission
to the Judge of all, He cried, "Lo, I come. . . I delight to do thy
will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart" (Ps. 40:7,8) - yes,
"come" to pay the uttermost farthing of their debt, and to perform
every jot and tittle of their duty. That perfect righteousness imputed
to them, which is the ground upon which God justifies believing
sinners, was inaugurated when God sent forth His son to be born under
the law (Gal. 4:4); it was perpetuated throughout the whole course of
the Savior's life, when He did always those things which pleased the
Father (John 8:29); it was consummated when Immanuel bowed His blessed
head and cried with triumphant voice, "It is finished" (John 19:30).
Let us examine this in fuller detail.
"What the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God
sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin,
condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be
fulfilled in us" (Rom. 8:3, 4). The last clause quoted states the
ultimate end God had in view (so far as His elect were concerned) in
sending His Son here, namely, that "the righteousness of the law," its
holy and just demands, should be fulfilled for us in the person of our
Representative, so that in the accounting of God they had themselves
fulfilled it. "Righteousness" is a judicial term, and refers not to a
state of mind or disposition of heart, but instead, to a legal status
before the tribunal of God. The "righteousness of the law" signifies
the full answering of all the requirements of the law, coming up to a
perfect conformity to it, and that, by doing all it enjoins. It is
this alone which gives title to enjoy its reward, namely, life
everlasting. This "righteousness of the law" was and is "fulfilled in
us" as we were and are viewed in Christ,just as verse 1 affirms,
"there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ
Jesus!"
Now in order for this "righteousness" to be wrought out for us by
Christ it was necessary that He should, first, be "made under the law"
(Gal. 4:4). "Christ was holy and righteous not as a private person,
not for Himself alone, but for us sinners and our justification"(R.
Haldane). Yet at this point great caution needs to be exercised lest
we sully the honor and glory of the Mediator. There have been those
who most erroneously affirmed that when the Son of God became
incarnate it was obligatory upon Him to fulfill the law, that as Man,
this was His personal duty. Not so. Had that been the case, His
obedience had been of such a character that its merit could not have
been imputed to others, for He would merely have been paying His own
creature-debt to the law. Such is horrible blasphemy, proceeding from
an altogether inadequate and faulty view of our Lord's manhood. As
this error is now so fearfully prevalent, even in circles where few
would expect to find it, something further needs to be said in order
to its refutation.
The manhood of Christ never had an existence separate from the Godhead
of the Son. When the "Word became flesh" (John 1:14), the second
person of the adorable Trinity took into union with Himself an
immaculate human nature, consisting of spirit and soul and body. We
say "an immaculate human nature"for it was not a human person;
instead, it was a Divine person who assumed that human nature.
Carefully has the Holy Spirit guarded this very point in Luke 1:35,
where it was said unto Mary, "...that holy thing which shall be born
of thee shall be called the Son of God" - so denominated because that
just as when a woman is united to a man in marriage she takes his
name, so the humanity of the Savior being taken into union with the
second person of the Trinity, is called "the Son of God." Thus,
because the holy manhood of the Redeemer became a part of the person
of the Lord of glory, He was not only exempted from the common
condemnation of all other men (inherent sin as the result of the
Fall), but He was not obligated to be in subjection to the law as all
other men are.
Let it be said with all possible emphasis that it was not as a private
person, but as the public and official Representative of His people
that the God-man was "made under the law." It was purely a voluntary
act on His part, and in no sense compulsory. Therefore was His
obedience infinitely meritorious, and capable of being imputed to His
people. True, His being subject to the law and meeting its every
requirement had been proposed to Him by the Father in the everlasting
covenant, yet it must be expressly insisted upon that it was by His
own free consent that those terms were accepted by Him. It was for the
sake of His people, and not for Himself, that He became under the law.
Even after He had become incarnate, the Savior explicitly declared,
"The Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath" (Mark 2:28), and if Lord
of the Sabbath, therefore "Lord"of the whole law. The law had no
claims upon Him.That obedience which He rendered to it was entirely
voluntary, free, and on the behalf of and in the stead of His
insolvent people.
"Andbeing found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became
obedient" (Philippians 2:8). Weigh well these momentous words, and
stand in awe at the amazing phenomenon which they present. Who
"humbled" Himself? None other than the Maker of heaven and earth. When
did He "humble' Himself? First, when He left the glory of heaven and
entered into the virgin's womb. Unparalleled stoop was this;
unprecedented condescension was that. But more; having assumed human
nature unto Himself, He "humbled" Himself still further, and "became
obedient." Notice the active, rather than the passive voice: it is not
"he was humbled," but "he humbled himself." It was an act of His own,
a voluntary act, not a duty, compulsorily laid upon Him! He "became
obedient." Why? To render to God and His law that perfect service
which was required in order to our being (legally) "made righteous."
But not until we rightly estimate the surpassing dignity and
excellency of the Surety's person shall we be able to value aright the
worth of His obedience.
Think of whose obedience it is! "The obedience of CHRIST - obedience
of Him who walketh in the circuit of the skies (Job 22:14), and all
the kingdoms of the world are reputed as nothing before Him! The
obedience of Him who doeth according to His will in the army of heaven
and among the inhabitants of the earth (Daniel 4:35). The obedience of
Him who is Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the ending, which is,
and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty (Rev. 1:8).
Doubtless, such obedience must be deserving, of all that Grace and
Glory which are, and will be communicated to His people, in every
period of time and throughout all ages of eternity. Worthy is the Lamb
that was slain. No wonder that such obedience shall 'justify the
ungodly' (Rom. 4:5); should make us poor fallen creatures righteous -
perfectly righteous in the sight of God - without the concurrence of
any good works or any holy duties of our own.
"The infinitely most noble obedience of Jesus Christ.To this obedience
I would have our thoughts continually directed. This surpasses the
services of both angels and men, in all their various and wonderful
orders. 'Tis true, compared with our duties, Abraham's obedience is
like Saul's stature, who, from his shoulders upward, was higher than
any of the people. But when the righteousness of Christ comes into
view, it is somewhat like that magnificent Personage described in
Revelation 10. Should such a sublime and majestic Being appear amidst
an assembly of the most renowned monarchs of the world, how would
their splendor be eclipsed, and all their grandeur dwindle into
meanness! Before such an illustrious Potentate of heaven, who would
take notice of Caesar, or bestow a look upon Alexander? So the
righteousness of Christ,being the righteousness of Him who lay in the
bosom of the Father from eternity, the righteousness of Him who now
sits on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
this righteousness, being in itself most consummately perfect, and
unspeakably ennobled by the dignity of the Performer, all other kinds,
degrees, or forms of righteousness, shrink before it into the
littleness of pygmies, of worms, of mites. Could they speak, the
language of each would be, 'Look not upon me for I am dim, yea, I am
black. But look upon your Lord,for His works are marvelous, and He is
glorious in His holiness'" (James Hervey, Vol. 4, 1750, A.D.).
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am
not come to destroy, but to fulfill" (Matthew 5:17).
As in Romans 8:3,4, here again we are informed concerning the great
objective before the Son of God in coming into this world. Having
been, by His own free consent, "made under the law" (Gal. 4:4) not
only to undergo its penalty and bear its curse, but also to keep its
precepts (which is the principal part of it), Christ Himself here
announces that He came to "fulfill" it. But the enemies of the truth
have struggled hard, though quite unsuccessfully, to evacuate the
meaning of that important word. They have affirmed that this term
"fulfill" simply means Christ "filled out," or brought to light the
hidden depths of the law's meaning, and revealed its searching
holiness. But let it be duly noted that Christ here spoke of both the
"law" and the "prophets" - did He "fill out" them? No, He
"fulfilled"them!
Others say that Christ "fulfilled" the law in that He expounded it,
which is contradicted by the whole tenor of His ministry: see
particularly John 1:17. No, "fulfill" is here to be taken in its
strict and obvious sense: just as "he that loveth another has
fulfilled the law" (Rom. 13:8) means, he has met its requirements, he
has kept its precepts. It is to be noted that Christ did not say,
"Think not I am come to destroy the law and the prophets," but "the
law or the prophets... but to fulfill." Two separate and distinct
things were here predicated by Christ. Its obvious meaning was, the
Old Testament, in all its parts and elements, referred to Himself and
was accomplished by and in Himself. Thus, "the law" here stands for
the whole Jewish law (including its types - the sacrifices of the
law), though having primary reference to the moral law, as is
unmistakably clear from the next twenty-seven verses. To obey its
commands, to keep them in thought, word and deed, was the great end
for which Christ became incarnate. This was man's duty, our duty; but
we had failed to perform it, therefore did Christ come and discharge
it for us.
In Matthew 5:20-42 Christ's main purpose was not to teach His people
"Christian ethics" (that we have in the Epistles), but to arouse the
consciences of His legalistic hearers. In this section of the Sermon
on the Mount, our Lord expounded the law with the object of making men
to see their need of a perfect righteousness (cf. Matthew 19:17), a
righteousness which would fully meet the requirements of the thrice
holy God, a righteousness in which His piercing eye could discern no
flaw or blemish. It was ignorance of the law which was the real source
of Phariseeism, for they claimed to fulfill it in the outward letter;
therefore would Christ awaken their conscience by pressing its true
inner import and exacting holy demands. It will be found that the
"Sermon" perpetually returns to one main thought, applied with various
modifications and peculiar terms; to awaken in men a sense of their
depravity, to shut them up to the righteousness of God:see especially
verses 28, 44!
Matthew 5:20 is the sum and substance of all that follows to the end
of that chapter. What then is the "righteousness" there spoken of? It
is that justifying righteousness of God which fully meets the need of
a divinely-convicted sinner. Its owning "for" plainly points back to
verse 17. That "righteousness" which exceeded the punctilious outward
performances of the scribes and Pharisees is what the incarnate Son of
God, acting as the Surety of His people, vicariously wrought out for
them, and which upon their believing, is imputed to them; so that the
flawless obedience of Christ to the whole will of God is reckoned to
their account in such a way that they are legally regarded as having
perfectly fulfilled the law in their own persons. God did not recede
from His rights, but enforced them. The law has been fulfilled, by our
Sponsor, and the transcendent merits of "the just" (Acts 3:14) are
transferred to each of those for whom He acted. This is the "best
robe" with which the returning prodigal is clothed! This is the
"Court-dress" which fits for the King's palace. Thus can every true
Christian not only say, "the blood of Christ has cleansed me from all
sin," but also "in the Lord have I righteousness"(Isa. 45:24).
Hallelujah! Much more remains yet to be said, but we must leave it for
the next chapter.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Satisfaction of Christ
Studies in the Atonement
by A. W. Pink
17. Its Results-Righteousness Continued
_________________________________________________________________
In our last chapter we sought to show that in order to the
justification of His people God required from Christ something more
than a sacrifice which would blot out their sins. It has been rightly
said that, "There are few questions of more importance than the one
which has reference to the way in which a sinner becomes perfectly
righteous before God. If he be not completely righteous, he cannot
enter heaven" (J. C. Carson). When man fell from his sinless condition
he was no more able to procure for himself a righteousness which would
meet the inflexible demands of God's justice and holiness, than he
could eradicate the sinful nature which now vitiates all his
faculties. His only hope lay in a substitution who was able both to
keep the law for him and to suffer the penalty for his breach of it.
Both of these were indispensable if sinners were to be saved from hell
and given a valid title to heaven. "Ifthou wilt enter into life, keep
the commandments" (Matthew 19:17). Life is not to be obtained unless
all is done that the law requires: it must be kept either by us or a
surety.
"There is the same need of Christ's obeying the law in our stead, in
order to the reward, as of His suffering the penalty of the law in our
stead to our escaping the penalty; and the same reason why one should
be accepted on our account, as the other. This is certain, that that
was the reason why there was need that Christ should suffer the
penalty for us, even that the law might be answered; for this the
Scripture plainly teaches. This is given as the reason why Christ was
made a curse for us, that the law's threatening a curse to us:
Galatians 3:10, 13. But the same law that fixes the curse of God as
the consequence of not continuing in all things written in the law to
do them (v. 10), has as much fixed doing those things as an antecedent
of living in them (v. 12). There is as much of a connection
established in one place as in the other. . . We have not eternal life
merely on the account of being void of guilt, but on the account of
Christ's activeness in obedience and doing well" (Jonathan Edwards,
Vol. 4, p. 92).
"Iam not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the power of God
unto salvation to every one that believeth. . . For therein is the
righteousness of God revealed" (Rom. 1: 16, 17). It is indeed pitiable
to discover the evasive subterfuges to which men have resorted in
their unworthy efforts to rob the Gospel of its distinguishing glory.
Many who ought to have known better (some we fear, did) defined this
expression as "God's method of justifying sinners." That the Gospel
reveals the consummate wisdom of God in devising a way whereby all His
attributes are illustriously displayed in the saving of His people, is
perfectly true. That the Gospel exhibits the perfect consistency
between the grace and righteousness of God, His mercy and justice, is
a most blessed fact. Yet, this is not at all the meaning of that
expression "the righteousness of God."Let such a definition be applied
to 2 Corinthians 5:21 and its fallacy is at once exposed: "Hehath made
him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made God's
method of justification in him!"
"Therighteousness of God. This is one of the most important
expressions in the Scriptures. It frequently occurs both in the Old
Testament and in the New; it stands connected with the argument of the
first five chapters of the Roman epistle, and signifies that
fulfillment of the law which God has provided, by the imputation of
which sinners are saved" (Robt. Haldane). We are bold to affirm that
the competency or incompetency of a man to expound the epistle to the
Romans largely turns upon his understanding of this key expression. If
he errs in his apprehension of "the righteousness of God,"his whole
scheme of interpretation is bound to be faulty and erroneous. Nor can
any man fully preach the Gospel, so as to exalt Christ as He ought to
be exalted, while he fails to unfold the blessedness of this vitally
important term. Nor can any believer be fully established in the
faith, nor is he capable of rendering to God that praise which is His
due, while he remains ignorant of what is meant by "even the
righteousness of God by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all
them that believe" (Rom. 3:22). What then, is meant by this
expression?
The "righteousness of God" is that perfect conformity to the Divine
law in heart and life which the holiness of God requires, which the
grace of God has provided, which the incarnate Son of God has wrought
out, and which the justice of God imputes to every one that believes.
Let us enlarge upon this statement. First, the "righteousness of God"
is that perfect conformity to the law in heart and life which the
holiness of God requires. God cannot relinquish His rights, nor recede
from His just claims. For Him to set aside the demands of the law for
full obedience to it, would be as much as saying He had given a law
which was not "holy and just and good" (Rom. 7:12). This could never
be. Divine love gave the law; Divine wisdom drew it up; Divine justice
requires the perfect performance of it. Therefore, second, Divine
grace provided a satisfaction unto its righteous claims. Unfallen man
failed to keep it; fallen man cannot keep it; so the God-man - forever
be His name praised - came here to keep it in the stead of and in the
behalf of His people.
It was by a special Divine constitution that Christ became subject to
the law. Men are born under the law as the natural descendants of
Adam. But not so the Lord Jesus Christ. As His humanity was produced
in a supernatural manner (that is, not according to the settled order
of nature, but by the intervention and power of the Holy Spirit), so
He was "made under the law" (Gal. 4:4) by a special Divine
appointment. Christ, as Man, by virtue of the personal union of His
manhood with the second person of the Godhead, was raised high above
the condition and state of a mere creature. "Being found in fashion as
a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death" (Phil. 2:8).
He was under no personal obligation to the law, but voluntarily placed
Himself under it, that He might work out for His people a perfect and
vicarious righteousness. May our hearts truly be drawn out to Him in
profoundest admiration and adoration for such an amazing
condescension.
The unremitting and perfect obedience which Christ rendered unto the
law proceeded from supreme love to God and unfeigned affection to men.
"His delight in God was conspicuous even from His early years. The
sacred solemnities of a sanctuary were more engaging to His youthful
mind than all the entertainment of a festival. When He entered upon
His ministry, whole nights were not too long for His copious
devotions. The lonely retirements of the desert, as affording
undisturbed communion with God, were more desirable to Christ than the
applause of an admiring world. So ceaseless and transcendent was His
love to God, that He never sought any separate pleasure of His own,
but always did those things which were pleasing in His Father's sight.
'Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?' was the rule
of His childhood and the leading maxim of His whole life. In doing
this, He was absolutely indefatigable. It was His 'meat and drink,'
refreshing as the richest food, delightful as royal dainties, to
finish the work that was given Him to do (John 4:34).
"How wakeful and jealous was His concern for the divine honor! I hear
the vilest reproaches cast upon His own character. I see the most
horrible indignities possible to His own person. Yet no resentful
emotion reddened in His cheek; nor one angry syllable starts from His
mouth. But when mercenary wretches profaned the Temple, and turned His
'Father's house' into a den of thieves, then His bosom throbs with
zeal, then He makes His tongue like a sharp sword, and having first
severely rebuked, afterwards resolutely expels, the sacrilegious
intruders. Indeed, His zeal for the house of the Lord and for the
purity of His ordinances, is represented by the evangelical historian
as eating Him up (John 2:17). Like a heavenly flame glowing in His
breast, it sometimes fired Him with a graceful indignation, sometimes
melted Him to godly sorrow, always broke forth and exerted itself in a
variety of vigorous efforts, till it even consumed His vital spirit. .
.
"Who can declare the charity of Jesus Christ?It was ardent, it was
unintermitted, it was unbounded. Though always serene and serious, He
was never sullenly grave. His conversation was affability itself, and
the law of kindness dwelt on His lips. What fretted and chagrined the
disciples, made not the least ruffling impression on their Lord.The
rude and troublesome behavior of some, the weak and impertinent talk
of others, served only to display the unalterable mildness of His
temper. Nothing could embitter His spirit. Even the wicked and
unthankful were partakers, ample partakers of His benevolence. Whoever
applied to Him in vain? When did He dismiss any needy petitioner
without the desired blessing? What heavy burden did He not unloose?
What afflictive evil did He not relieve? He even 'took our infirmities
and bare our sicknesses' (Matthew 8:17). In all their afflictions He
was afflicted.
"He not only relieved when His aid was implored, but anticipated the
expectations of the distressed. He 'went about doing good' (Acts
10:38), seeking the afflicted and offering His assistance. With great
fatigue (John 4:6) He traveled to remote cities; with no less
condescension, He visited the meanest villages, that all might have
the honor and benefit of His healing Presence and heavenly
instructions. He gave sight to the blind, health to the diseased. He
delivered the wretched soul from the dominion of darkness and from the
tyranny of sin. He made His followers partakers of a divine nature,
and prepared them for a state of never-ending bliss. Nor were these
righteous acts His 'strange work,' but His repeated, His hourly, His
almost incessant employ. When ridiculed and affronted, He kindly bore
and kindly overlooked the insult. When contradicted by petulant and
presumptuous sinners, He endured, with the utmost serenity of temper,
their unreasonable cavils and their obstinate perverseness.
"When His bloody sweat tinged the stones, when His bitter cries
pierced the clouds, and were enough to awaken the very rocks into
compassion, His disciples slept, stupidly and repeatedly slept. But
did their Divine but slighted Master resent the unkindness? Did He
refuse to admit an excuse for their disobedience and neglect? Nay; He
made their excuse, and that the most tender and gracious imaginable:
The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak' (Matthew 26:41).
When His enemies had nailed Him to the cross, as the basest slave and
most flagitious malefactor, when they were glutting their malice with
His sorrows, His torments, and His blood: nay, when they spared not to
insult and revile Him, even in His last expiring agonies; far, very
far from being exasperated, this Hero of heaven repaid all their
contempt and barbarity with the most fervent supplications in their
behalf: 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do' (Luke
23:34) was His plea. Divine, adorable compassion" (Jas. Hervey).
Now as the Christian bows in admiration and adoration before the Holy
Spirit's description of the exquisitely lovely ways of our Lord, let
him not miss that which is most evangelical of all in the four
Evangelists, namely, that the perfect life of Christ was not only, nor
even primarily, a pattern for our imitation,but was also, and
supremely, in order to our justification.To present to a ruined and
impotent creature the flawless life of the Holy One of God, is no
"glad tidings," but as another has said, "only a consummate Copy for a
withered hand to transcribe." But O my brethren, when our faith is
enabled to lay hold of the blissful fact that, from Bethlehem to
Calvary, Christ acted as our Surety and Representative, that by all He
did He wrought out for us a perfect righteousness, which in the
construction and judgment of the law is really ours;that God Himself
imputes that righteousness to us, and will forever deal with us
according to its deserts, then we behold the light of the glorious
Gospel and enter into the "unsearchable riches of Christ."
"Andis this righteousness designed for us? Is this to be our
wedding-dress, this our beautiful array, when we enter the regions of
eternity? Unspeakable privilege! Is this what God has provided, to
more than supply our loss in Adam? Boundless benignity! Shall we be
treated by the Judge of the world as if we had performed all this
unsinning and perfect obedience? Well might the prophet cry out, like
one in astonishment, 'How great is His goodness!' How great indeed!
Since all that the Lord Jesus did and suffered, was doing and
suffering for us men and our salvation, is imputed to us for
righteousness, and is the sole and infinitely sufficient cause of our
justification; is not your heart enamoured with a view of this
incomprehensibly rich grace? What so excellent, what so comfortable,
what so desirable, as this gift of a Savior's righteousness? Though
delineated by this feeble pen, methinks it has dignity and glory
enough to captivate our hearts and fire our affections: fire them with
ardent and inextinguishable desire after a personal interest and
propriety in it? O may the eternal Spirit reveal our Redeemer's
righteousness in all its heavenly beauty and divine luster. Then, I am
persuaded, we shall esteem it above everything. Weshall regard it as
the 'one thing needful.' We shall count all things in comparison of
it, worthless as the chaff, empty as the wind (Jas. Hervey).
It is that perfect obedience which Christ rendered to God, His
absolute conformity to the law, which makes Him competent to save.
Thus saith the Lord God, He shall "justify many." On what
consideration? Why this: because He is "My righteous Servant" (Isa.
53:11). It is because of His perfect obedience in life and in death
that "Judah shall be saved" from eternal damnation, and "Israel shall
dwell safely," having been given an indefeasible title to life and
glory; for it is on this very account, namely, that God raised unto
David "a righteous Branch" and that He is owned as "the Lord our
righteousness" (Jer. 23:5, 6). It is this which renders His
intercession so prevalent. He is an Advocate, a successful Advocate,
with the Father. Why? Because He is "Jesus Christ the righteous"(1
John 2:1)! Has the Lord Jesus risen on His people with "healing in his
wings?" It is because He is "the Sun of righteousness"(Mal. 4:2). So
various, so efficacious, so extensive, are His beneficent influences,
that like a "sun"(the monarch of the material creation), He enlightens
and enlivens; like "wings," He cherishes and protects; like an all
powerful remedy, He "heals" and restores. And all this by virtue of
His righteousness.
Pitiable indeed, though perhaps needful it is, that we should now turn
away from this glorious object, and briefly look at some of the
objections which a carping unbelief has brought against it. Not a few
who have been looked upon as exceptionably able students of the Word,
have dogmatically affirmed that "the righteousness of Christ" is an
expression of human invention, and is nowhere to be found in Holy
Scriptures. It is sufficient refutation to quote 2 Peter 1:1 - "to
those who have obtained like precious faith with us in the
righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ" (R. V. and also
margin of A. V.)! This inspired sentence is the key to all those texts
in the New Testament and many in the Old, which mention the
"righteousness of God."It is not the essential righteousness of an
absolute God, but the vicarious righteousness of an incarnate God!
Just as "the Church of God which He hath purchased with His own blood"
(Acts 20:28) means, and can only mean, that the church of God who
became incarnate, the church of Christ.
It has been objected that God would have been unjust to require Christ
to perfectly obey the law, and after having done so, inflict upon Him
the penalty which the law enforces upon the disobedient.Such an
objection had held good if Christ acted only in the capacity of a
private person, that is, as a single or isolated individual. But He
did not. He came here as the federal Head of His people (Rom. 5:14
last clause; 1 Cor. 15:45, 47), made one with them (Heb. 2:11, 14). To
say that the law requires no man to obey and die too, is specious
reasoning, quite beside the point at issue. The real question is, Did
the law require a transgressor to obey and die? There is a twofold
debt which sinners owe to God: as creatures,perfect obedience to the
law; as criminals,liability to suffer its punishment. The claims of
the law cannot be relaxed at either point. In coming here as the
Sponsor of His people, Christ assumed all their debts, and discharged
their full responsibilities both as creatures and criminals. It needs
to be steadily borne in mind that Christ was "made under" (Gal. 4:4) a
broken law, and consequently, under its curse: therefore justice
required that He should not only fulfill its precepts, but suffer its
penalty.
Had the Surety died only, He had delivered us from punishment, but
that would have afforded no claim to "life," no title to the "reward"
(Rom. 10:5). Scripture declares of the Divine commands that "in
keeping of them there is great reward"(Ps. 19:11), but it nowhere
affirms that in undergoing their curse there is the same reward. God's
elect, fallen in Adam, not only needed to be made negatively
guiltless, but positively righteous. To "reign in life" (Rom. 5:15),
to be entitled to the "crown" (2 Tim. 4:8), required the obedience of
Christ to be imputed to us. Just as in sanctification there is both
the putting off the "old man" and the putting on of the "new man"
(Eph. 4:22-24), so the Divine sentence of justification proceeds on
the double basis that there is "no condemnation" resting upon those in
Christ, and also that His righteousness has been "imputed" to their
account (Rom. 4:11). Romans 4:25 unites the two: Christ was "delivered
[to death] for our offenses [remission] and was raised again for our
justification" - righteousness."This is the heritage of the servants
of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me,saith the Lord" (Isa.
54:17).
John Bunyan, in the account which he gave of the Lord's dealings with
him, recorded with artless simplicity the establishment of his soul in
this most glorious truth. "Now I saw that Christ Jesus was looked upon
by God, and should be looked upon by us, as the common or public
person, in whom all the whole body of His elect are always to be
considered and reckoned: that we fulfilled the law by Him,died by Him,
rose from the dead by Him, got the victory over sin, death, the devil,
and hell, by Him; when He died we died; and so of His resurrection,"
etc. (Grace Abounding).May it please the Lord to grant a like precious
faith unto many readers of this book. To have the heart established in
this blessed truth is worth infinitely more than the riches, honors,
pleasures of this perishing world.
Let us return now to the objections which Satan has moved men to make
against this precious truth. One of the favorite "arguments" of the
Romanists against the teachings of the Reformers upon this subject
was: If God has transferred the righteousness of Christ to believers
then they are sinless, holy, righteous in their own persons, as
righteous as Christ is righteous. But this is a confounding of things
that differ. The saints of God may be considered either as to what
they still are in themselves or as justified in Christ.That this
distinction is not of human invention, is capable of being established
from many scriptures. Take one passage only from either Testament:
"Iam black, but comely" (Song of Sol. 1:5). Yes, "black"in myself, as
a fallen descendant of Adam, and such I continue to the end of my
earthly course; but "comely," as I am in Christ (Col. 2:10). "Purge
out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be [experimentally] a new
lump, as ye are [judicially, in Christ] unleavened" (1 Cor. 5:7). They
who make not this distinction are ignorant of "the mystery of the
Gospel" (Eph. 6:19).
Others have objected - though it is not likely many will echo it in
these days of lawlessness - that if Christ has fully kept the law for
His people, then they are freed from all obligation to personally keep
it. The answer is, True, God does not require His people to keep the
law for the same ends and upon the same accounts that Christ fulfilled
it, namely, to satisfy Divine justice and purchase a title to
everlasting life and an inheritance in heaven. But for other ends, God
does require His people to obey the law, namely, as creatures in
subjection to His holy will, and out of loving gratitude for all He
has done for them. Christ kept the law to earn eternal life for us -
carefully ponder Romans 5:21; 1 John 4:9; Christians are to keep it
from a desire to please Christ: "If ye love me, keep my commandments"
(John 14:15). Nor do we have to keep the law by our own power: "In the
Lord have I righteousness and strength" (Isa. 45:24).
Again, it has been objected that such a thing as vicarious
obedience,the transferring of moral merits from one to another, is
quite unknown in human history. What of that? That only goes to prove
the uniqueness of Christ's work. Many things which are impossible to
man are possible to God. Those who refuse to believe in the vicarious
obedience of Christ (most probably to their own eternal damnation)
because of its unprecedented character, have the same ground for
rejecting His miraculous birth, His impeccability (incapableness of
yielding to temptation), His unique life, His raising Himself from the
dead; for none of these have any parallel in human history either! But
this particular objection overlooks entirely the unique relation which
existed between Christ and His people, namely, their federal union: in
the eyes of God's law, what Christ did His people did.
"For as by one man's disobedience, many were made [legally
constituted, as in 2 Cor. 5:21] sinners, so by the obedience of One
shall many be made [legally constituted] righteous" (Rom. 5:19). One
had thought this was plain enough for any who profess to bow to
Scripture, yet there have been those who, doing manifest violence to
the Greek (see Bagster's Interlinear), have insisted it should be
rendered "one obedience," which they limit to Christ's willingness to
be crucified. As though anticipating this very perversion, in
Philippians 2:8 the Spirit has expressly declared that, Christ "became
obedient unto death," not merely "indeath." Death was the final act of
His obedience, referring us back to all the previous virtues and
duties of His righteous walk. Just as Jehovah's promise. "and even to
hoar hairs will I carry you" (Isa. 46:4) does not exclude God's
sustaining grace in youth and manhood, so "obedient unto death" does
not exclude the vicarious obedience of Christ's life.In like manner,
"justified by His blood" (Rom. 5:9) was the climax or consummation of
the complete satisfaction which Christ offered to God. Let us now
briefly consider -
D. Its Typification
The double value of Christ's Word was shadowed forth as soon as sin
entered the world: See Genesis 3:21. Two things are to be noted there.
To procure those "skins" blood must be shed, life must have been
taken. Very, very striking was this. The first blood ever spilt on
this earth, was shed not by the hand of man, but by the hand of God!
The first life taken in this world was not Abel's (as many suppose),
but that of sinless sacrifices. Their blood pointed forward to that of
Christ's which cleanseth the believer from all sin. But more: the
skins taken from those slain animals "clothed"Adam and Eve, thereby
foreshadowing that "robe of righteousness" (Isa. 61:10) with which the
believer is covered.
"The name of Christ not only cancels the sin; it supplies in the place
of that which it has cancelled, its own everlasting excellency. We
cannot have its nullifying power only: the other is the sure
concomitant. So was it with every typical sacrifice in the law. It was
striken; but as being spotless it was also burned on the altar for a
sweet-smelling savor. That savor ascended as a memorial before God: it
was accepted for, and its value was attributed or imputed to, him who
had brought the vicarious victim. If, therefore, we reject the
imputation of righteousness, we reject sacrifice as revealed in
Scripture; for Scripture knows of no sacrifice whose efficacy is so
exhausted in the removal of guilt, as to leave nothing to be presented
in acceptableness before God" (B. W. Newton).
How beautifully was the imputation of the perfect righteousness of
Christ to all whom He represented typified by what is recorded in
Psalm 132:2. The costly and fragrant unguent which was poured upon
Aaron's head and which ran down his beard, descended to the very
skirts of his clothes. So the merits of our great High Priest have
passed to and upon all who are members of His mystical Body. Again;
when Aaron (as the representative) presented the names of the children
of Israel before God, he did not barely present them, but he bore
their names on his breastplate, engraved on precious stones (Exodus
28:17-20), thereby adumbrating, as far as earthly things can, the
splendid and exalted nature of the Redeemer's righteousness in which
we are presented to God.
Let the reader carefully and prayerfully ponder the wonderful incident
portrayed in Zechariah 3:1-5. There we behold a "brand plucked out of
the fire" (v. 2). Observe particularly the two things done for and to
him. First the command is, "Take away the filthy garments from him"
(v. 4), figuring the removal of our sins. Second, "they set a fair
miter upon his head and clothed him with garments" (v. 5),
emblematizing that vicarious and immaculate righteousness of Christ,
which is not only "unto" but also "uponall them that believe" (Rom.
3:22).
E. Its Imputation
"To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the
ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness" (Rom. 4:5). Here
again the enemies of the truth have fought hard to rob God's children
of the comfort and assurance which the blessed teaching of this
chapter is designed to give them. Many have argued that God imputes to
faith itself an intrinsic value which He accepts in lieu of perfect
obedience to His law. But this is a most horrible perversion. Faith is
an emptying thing, which causes the pauper to gladly receive God's
gracious gift, and possesses no more merit than does the appeal of a
beggar for charity. The "his faith is counted for righteousness" does
not mean "in the stead of" for the Greek preposition is "eis" and not
"and," and signifies "unto" as in Romans 10:10: "with the heart man
believeth unto righteousness."
Our Surety gave full satisfaction to the law, but we are not credited
with this by God's gracious imputation until we have faith in Christ.
"The righteousness of God by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon
all them that believe"(Rom. 3:22). "For Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to everyone that believeth"(Rom. 10:4). Therefore is
this righteousness also called "the righteousness of faith" (Rom.
4:13). It is denominated the "righteousness of God" because God
required, ordained, provided, accepted and imputed it. It is a
righteousness which exalts God's justice, magnifies His law, manifests
His grace, and displays all His awful and lovely attributes in their
full luster. It is designated the "righteousness of Christ" (2 Pet.
1:1), because He wrought it out without the co-operation of His
creatures. It is the "righteousness of faith" because faith apprehends
it.
From the way in which certain men have spoken of "the imputation of
righteousness" many have deemed them orthodox on this vital subject,
but their blank denial of the imputation of Christ's righteousness
thoroughly exposes their heterodoxy, to all who bow to the authority
of Holy Writ. "That righteousness might be imputed to them" (Rom.
4:11). What righteousness? Whose righteousness? The only possible
Scriptural answer is: that perfect satisfaction which Christ rendered
to all the demands of the law, and which God places to the credit of
every true believer in Him. So truly is Christ's righteousness placed
to their account, it is said to be "upon all them that believe" (Rom.
3:22). Such persons actually possess it. They wear it as their "robe"
(Isa. 61:10).
"That we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21).
Yes, in Him,as our Proxy and Head, and this because He wrought out a
justifying-righteousness not only in our nature, but in our name, not
only as our Benefactor, but as our Representative. "In the Lord[not in
themselves] shall all the seed of Israel be justified" (Isa. 45:25).
In the Lord Jesus, believers have a righteousness without spot or
blemish, perfect and all glorious; a righteousness which has not only
expiated all their sins, but satisfied every requirement of the law's
precepts. "That I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine
own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through the
faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith" (Phil.
3:9, 10).
God's imputation of Christ's righteousness to the believer, is not in
esteeming him to be righteous when really he is not so. Nor is it a
naked pronunciation of any one to be righteous without a just and
sufficient foundation for the judgment of God declared therein. God
pronounces none righteous who are not so. Nor is it a transfusion of
Christ's righteousness unto those who are to be justified, so that
they should be inherently righteous thereby. No; it is a Divine and
legal grant whereby God, out of His mere love and grace, on the simple
consideration of the whole mediation of Christ, makes an effectual
donation of a real and true righteousness, even that of Christ
Himself, unto all who believe; and so accounting it as theirs,on His
own gracious act, as not only to absolve them from all sin, but
granting them the fight to eternal life and the title to an
everlasting inheritance in heaven. The meritorious obedience of Christ
is so truly transferred to believers that they are called "the
righteous" (Matthew 25:40). Surely the Christian has cause to say, "my
mouth shall show forth thy righteousness, thy salvation all the day"
(Ps. 71:15) - the one being founded upon the other, the latter
deriving its origin from the former; there could be no "salvation"
without a proper, real, law-fulfilling righteousness.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Satisfaction of Christ
Studies in the Atonement
by A. W. Pink
18. Its Effects
_________________________________________________________________
Having dwelt at length upon the principle "results" which the
Satisfaction of the Mediator has secured, we turn now to look at some
of its leading "effects." The distinction we have in mind is not very
clearly intimated by these two terms, so we must define what we intend
by their use. In treating of the "results" we have almost (though not
quite) confined our attention to the objective or external benefits
which Christians derive from the work of their great High Priest.
Here, we desire to point out the subjective or internal blessings
which accrue to us from it. In this chapter we shall endeavor to take
up and follow out in fuller detail what was briefly touched upon in
Chapter 12, division 2, where, under the "Application" of the
Atonement we mentioned, The Spirit Regenerating.
That aspect of Truth which is now to be before us has received but
scant notice even by many who wrote most helpfully upon the true
nature and character of the Satisfaction of Christ. There has been a
sad failure to duly hold the balance of Truth. Not a few have so
stressed the legal results secured by our Savior's sacrifice, and have
so failed to proportionately emphasize the experimental effects which
it purchased, that it is greatly to be feared multitudes have been
deceived into supposing that they had a saving interest therein, when,
in fact, they lacked the Scriptural marks of those who have passed
from death unto life. Christ died to "save his people from their sins"
(Matthew 1:21): not only from the guilt and penalty of them, but also
from their pollution and power.
It is because there has been such a one-sided calling unto faith
without an equal insistence for repentance, and because there has been
such an emphasis laid upon the Grace which is revealed in the Gospel
without a proportionate exposition of its Holiness, that ground has
been given for the enemies of the Truth to charge the Gospel with
immoral tendencies, to affirm that it encourages careless living and
releases men from the due performance of their duties, that it is
unfriendly to the producing of good works. And the deplorable thing is
that the lives of many who profess to have been saved by grace through
the righteousness of Christ, have tended to confirm their contentions,
until not a few who have had dealings with professing Christians, have
said (and with much cause), "If that is what Christianity produces I
want nothing to do with it!"
It needs to be loudly affirmed, trumpeted forth from every "orthodox"
pulpit in the land, that the mediatorial work and sufferings of the
Lord Jesus not only obtained for God's people redemption from the
penal consequences of their sins, but has also secured their personal
sanctification.Well did Thomas J. Crawford say,in his splendid work
The Doctrine of Holy Scripture Respecting the Atonement (1874), "In
speaking or thinking of the 'salvation' which Christ has purchased,
there are many who seem to attach to it no farther idea than that of
mere deliverance from condemnation.They forget that deliverance from
sin -the cause of condemnation - is a no less important blessing
comprehended in it. Assuredly it is just as necessary for fallen
creatures to be delivered from the pollution and moral impotency which
they have contracted, as it is to be exempted from the penalties which
they have incurred; so that, when reinstated in the favor of God, they
may at the same time be made capable of loving, serving, and enjoying
Him forever. And in this respect the remedy which the Gospel reveals
is fully suited to the exigencies of our sinful state, providing for
our complete redemption from sin itself, as well as from the penal
liabilities it has brought upon us.
"Nay, it would seem as if the former of these deliverances - that is
to say, our deliverance from sin itself - were represented in some
passages of Scripture as the grand and ultimate consummation of
redeeming grace, to which the latter, though in itself inestimably
precious and important, is preparatory. Witness these plain and
forcible declarations: 'He died for all, that they who live should not
henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him who died for them and
rose again' (2 Cor. 5:15). 'Christ also loved the Church, and gave
himself for it, that he might sanctify it and cleanse it with the
washing of water by the Word, and that he might present it to himself
a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but
that it should be holy and without blemish' (Eph. 5:25-27). 'He gave
himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify
unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works'(Titus 2:14).
'The blood of Jesus, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself
without spot unto God, should purge your conscience from dead works,
to serve the living God'(Heb. 9:14). These statements seem to indicate
that our redemption from the guilt and penal consequences of sin was
intended to be the means to an ulterior end - that end being our
personal sanctification."
Certain it is that the inestimable blessings of justification and
sanctification are represented in the Word of God as inseparable
results of the Savior's mediation. Nor ought we to have any difficulty
in apprehending how the Satisfaction of Christ, in obtaining for us
the former blessing, should thereby secure our attainment of the
latter. For our redemption by the blood of Christ binds us to His
service as a purchased or peculiar people: "Yeare not your own, for ye
are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in
your spirit, which are God's"
(1 Cor. 6:19, 20). Furthermore, it has (as we have shown in Chapter
12) procured for the redeemed the grace of the Holy Spirit "which he
shed on us abundantly" (Titus 3:6), and by which His purchased people
are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled
more and more to die unto sin and to live unto righteousness.
The sanctifying power of "the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" is
practically displayed in and by the character and conduct of true
believers. There is as marked a difference between the children of God
and the children of this world, as there is between light and
darkness. There is as real a distinction, outwardly manifested,between
the blood-bought and the blood-washed people of Christ and those whose
iniquities are not purged, as there is between life and death. Even in
this life, according to the measure of their growth in grace, those
who have been born again are witnesses to the present efficacy of
Christ's Satisfaction. Still more so will they be in the life to come,
when they are freed from all those infirmities and blemishes which now
cleave to them.
"Never, then," (to quote again from T. Crawford) "was there a more
unfounded calumny than the assertion that personal holiness is
disparaged or dispensed with in the scheme of our redemption. So far
from being so, it is magnified and honored. True, it is not the
foundation on which we are called to build; but it is a prominent part
of the stately edifice,for the erection of which that foundation has
been laid. It is not our remedy,but it is the completion of the actual
cure which that remedy is designed to accomplish. It is not in any
respect or in any degree the means of salvation,but it is one of the
most essential and most precious elements of salvation itself"
What is that salvation which Christ has purchased for His people? Of
what does it consist? What are its prime elements? Someone answers,
Deliverance from the everlasting burnings, which our sins justly
deserved. True, yet that is only one part of the answer. A valid title
to everlasting bliss in Heaven, says another. Equally true, yet that
answer also fails to cover all the ground. What about the present!What
is the precious portion which the redeemed enjoy even now? Or, suppose
we put it another way. Many profess to have been saved by Christ, yet,
though quite sincere in their profession, when measured by the
Scriptures, it is evident that they are mistaken. How, then, may the
writer and the reader he sure that he is not mistaken? Who are the
legitimate claimants of this privileged state? Salvation is an
experience, a personal experience, which is begun in this life. And it
is this we shall now seek to describe.
1. EMANCIPATION
"Ifthe Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed"
(John 8:36). Free from what?First, from the power of indwelling
sin.Not that the sinful nature is eradicated or even slain, but that
the heart is delivered from its dominion. "Being now made free from
sin" (Rom. 6:22). That which was once loved, is now hated. Those
solicitations which were gladly heeded, are now resisted. "The fear of
the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Prov. 9:10). None have been made
wise unto salvation (2 Tim. 3:15) unless there has been implanted in
their hearts a filial respect for God. And, "the fear of the Lord is
to hate evil" (Prov. 8:13), and "by the fear of the Lord men depart
from evil" (Proverbs 16:6). The heart of a saved person is set upon
pleasing God.
Second, the Christian is delivered from the power of the world."The
friendship of the world is enmity with God, whosoever therefore will
be a friend of the world is the enemy of God" (Jam, 4:4). The
friendship of the world consists of indulging worldly lusts, following
worldly vanities, fellowshipping with worldlings. It is for the heart
to find its satisfaction in the perishing things of time and sense.
From this the grace of God delivers its favored subjects, by fixing
their heart upon One who is "altogether lovely." Before Christ saves
him, a man seeks happiness in the pleasures, honors, or riches of this
world; but when He delivers "from this present evil world" (Gal. 1:4),
his affections are drawn unto things above. "For whatsoever is born of
God overcometh the world" (1 John 5:4). The heart of a saved person
finds its delight in God.
Third, the Christian is delivered from the power of the Devil.For this
purpose did Christ leave Heaven: "toproclaim liberty to the captives
and the opening of the prison to them that are bound" (Isa. 60:1), and
when the Spirit of God applies the Gospel in power to the heart, then
is that individual "delivered from the power of darkness and
translated into the kingdom of His dear Son" (Col. 1:13). It was "in
time past"that Christians "walked according to the course of this
world, according to the prince of the power of the air" (Eph. 2:2)
When Christ saves a soul, He breaks Satan's chains, delivers his
captive, and brings him into the place of liberty. True, the Devil
still tempts, harasses and wounds the Christian, but destroy him or
take him prisoner again he cannot. Concerning all God's children it is
written, "they overcame him [the Devil] by the blood of the Lamb"
(Rev. 12:11). The heart of a saved person is occupied with serving
God.
"That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk
not after the flesh, but after the spirit" (Rom. 8:4). The first part
of this verse has been before us in previous chapters, the second half
is what we will now consider. There we have described those unto whom
God imputed the righteousness of Christ. It is by these marks they may
be clearly identified: they walk not after the flesh, they walk after
the spirit. A course of godly living, of spiritual behavior, is both
the inseparable concomitant of union with Christ and an infallible
evidence thereof. The "walk" is that which is open to the observation
of others, and is plainly seen by them. It is not any particular act
which is here specified, but the general course and uniform tenor of
the life that is referred to.
"Who walk not after the flesh." The principle of evil is still within,
active, powerfully opposing (Gal. 5:17); nevertheless, the Christian
has been freed from its dominion, so that it is no longer the
controlling power in his heart and life. The best of God's children
offend in many things (Jam. 3:2), yet the prayer of their heart is,
"Ordermy steps in thy Word: and let not any iniquity have dominion
over me" (Ps. 119:133). Sometimes real saints have sad falls into
outward and open sins, yet they do not continue therein, but are
brought to repent of and forsake them. To walk after the flesh is to
follow a course of self-will, self-pleasing, self-gratification (Isa.
53:6), and this no saved person does or can do.
They walk "after the spirit." This gives us the positive side, for
when grace works within the heart its subject is enabled to "overcome
evil with good." When God saves a sinner he is not only so far
delivered from the power of indwelling sin that his walk - his regular
course of conduct - is no longer controlled by fleshly principles and
lustings, but he is also enabled to live a spiritual and godly life.
Christians are not only effectually taught to deny "ungodliness and
worldly lusts" but also to "live soberly, righteously, and godly, in
this present world" (Titus 2:12). To "walk after the spirit" is to
respond unto the prompting of that new nature received at
regeneration; it is to be controlled by new and unworldly principles;
it is for a person to be dominated by the Holy Spirit, so that he
loves God, serves God, and glorifies God. How this is brought about we
shall now see under -
2. REGENERATION
As we wish to be as concise as possible we shall here limit ourselves
to one aspect of this miracle of grace, namely, the Holy Spirit
reversing that depraved state of soul spoken of in Romans 8:7, "The
carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of
God, neither indeed can be." When God renews His people He deals
directly with the will, powerfully bringing it into a conscious
subjection to His will. There is what may be called a transfer of the
moral law from the tables of stone to the fleshly tables of the heart:
"I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts"
(Heb. 8:10). God secures the intelligent acquaintance of the Christian
with His law and a cordial acquiescence in it. But let it be
emphatically affirmed that this transfer is not of such a nature that
the law of God is no more to be found outside and above the will of
the Christian.
At regeneration the law of God does not disappear as an authoritative
code of duty, because it has become the desire of the Christian's
heart and the purpose of his will to please God. Not so: that which
the Holy Spirit has secured is a changed heart, which lives in the
recognition of God's authority, and is able to say, "I delight in the
law of God after the inward man" (Rom. 7:22). Instead of salvation
having freed its subjects from subjection to God, from obedience to
Him, from obligation to keep His law, it has subdued his enmity
against God's law and bestowed a love for it - a love that finds
expression not only in endearing words, but in practical submission to
the authority of the Ruler of heaven and earth.
It is at this very point that the modern Antinomians have erred.
Infected by that spirit of lawlessness which is so rife in the world,
and misled by an erroneous conception of the nature of spiritual
"liberty," they have insisted that Christians are entirely delivered
from the claims of God's law. They suppose that an inward consent to
the holiness of His commands presents a higher ideal of spiritual
freedom, than subjection to an external code. But the reverse is the
fact. The withdrawal of objective law is really the denial of
responsibility, and liberty is infringed, when responsibility is
infringed. Spiritual liberty is not the power to do as we please (that
is licentiousness), but the power to do as we ought;it is the being
delivered from the bondage of sin which prevented us from serving God.
The true nature of spiritual liberty is clearly enough defined in
Psalm 119:45: "Iwill walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts."
When a sinner is regenerated, he is made "willing" (Ps. 110: 3) to be
under the law of God, to be in subjection, to his Maker. The obedience
of the Christian is not that of a slave, for the law of God is within
his heart in the character of a holy tendency, as well as standing
over him with its commandments. Nor is his obedience the operation of
a mere mental tendency or spiritual mechanism working out its own bias
- as of a vessel languidly drifting with the stream. No, it is the
obedience of a loving and loyal subject,adoring his King and saying,
"Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" It is the renewed heart gladly
owning the rightful authority and supremacy of its Maker. And this is
the highest ideal of liberty that can be framed. It is the liberty of
Heaven itself, for there God does not abdicate His throne,nor cease to
issue His commands (Ps. 103:20).
It is equally vain to assert that a subjective view of the Law - love
in the heart dispensing with the need of external commands - presents
a higher ideal of Grace. Grace is not a species of lawlessness, or
mercy dispensed by ignoring the claims of justice. Grace reigns
through righteousness (Rom. 5:21), and that at every stage. Not only
has Christ met every claim of the law against His people, but, by the
workings of His Spirit, He places in their hearts a new principle,
which causes them to cry, "Ohow love I thy law" (Ps. 119:97). The
triumph of Grace is that it effects a reconciliation between the
blatant rebel and the righteous Governor of all, and makes an
insurrectionist a loyal subject. Well might the apostle say, "Dowe
then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish
the law" (Rom. 3:31).
3. SANCTIFICATION
This is another fruit of the Cross of Christ. The Lord Jesus not only
rendered a perfect obedience unto the law for the justification of His
people, but He also merited and procured for them those supplies of
His Spirit which were essential unto their sanctification. To deliver
us from the guilt of sin is an unspeakable mercy, yet would it not be
a perfect favor unless He also purged us from the venom of sin which
has infected our nature. Had the believer been pardoned without being
"purified" (1 Pet. 1:22), he had still been unfit for converse with
God. But God not only satisfied His justice in the sacrifice of
Christ, but also magnified His holiness by providing for the renewing
of His people in His own image. Personal holiness is just as essential
a part of "salvation" as is forgiveness. Therefore did the
sanctification of our Surety not only secure for His people a perfect
legal standing before God, but also provided for their perfect
experimental fitness for His presence.
To "sanctify" is to set apart unto, to dedicate or devote to, God.
Where polluted man is concerned, he must be purified (both judicially
and experimentally) before he is meet for the Lord's use (2 Tim.
2:21): note how in Ephesians 5:26 "sanctify" is defined by "cleanse."
Now there is a double sanctification pertaining to the Christian:
judicial and experimental. Christ is the believer's sanctification as
truly as He is his righteousness, see I Corinthians 1:30; but unless
such a bare statement be defined and amplified, it conveys no definite
concept to us. The satisfaction of Christ is the meritorious cause of
the Christian's sanctification, but the work of the Spirit is the
efficacious cause thereof, hence we read of the "sanctification of the
Spirit" (2 Thess. 2:13). That takes place at the new birth, when the
regenerated soul is set apart unto God, separated from those dead in
sin. That aspect of our experimental sanctification is absolute and
complete. But there is another side to the Christian's experimental
sanctification which is relative or progressive, and which, because of
sin indwelling us, is never perfected in this life.
This practical (in contrast from positional) and progressive (in
contrast from absolute) sanctification consists of two branches:
mortification and renovation. A complete summary of these is given to
us in Titus 2:12. There, mortification is comprehended under two
words, answering to the two tables of the law: denying "ungodliness,"
which comprehends the first four commandments; denying "worldly lusts"
which covers the last six commandments. Then, that renovation which
the grace of God produces is to "live soberly," which respects
ourselves; "righteously" or "justly" in all our dealings with our
neighbors; and "godly" in connection with God. When Divine grace
"brings" salvation to a person, his heart is inclined unto obedience,
and he is made fruitful in his life unto the glory of God.
Now the heart of the Christian is made holy by regenerating grace
purifying it from the pollution (not presence) of sin, implanting a
hatred of and a striving against it; and by renewing us after God's
image. In that spiritual life which was communicated at the new birth,
there is contained in embryonic form all spiritual graces and fruits
which, by the operations of the Spirit through the Word, are developed
and matured. By the Spirit, the renewed heart is kept under the
influence of efficacious grace, and it is disposed and enabled to fear
the Lord, walk in His statutes, and be conformed to His law. The more
the Christian feels his own utter inability to serve God acceptably,
and the more earnestly and constantly he beseeches Him to work in him
"both to will and to do of his good pleasure," the clearer evidence
has he of his experimental and progressive sanctification, and in this
way is he assured of his justification.
As the Christian finds that he is becoming less and less disposed to
confer with flesh and blood (either his own wisdom or that of others),
and more and more consults the Holy Scriptures, because he is desirous
of learning his duty; as he denies self, takes up his cross, and seeks
to follow Christ; as every fresh discovery of God's will commands his
attention and fills him with holy reverence; as he is more ready, more
cheerful, more determined in his obedience; as his supreme desire is
really to glorify God, and this becomes the prevailing state of his
heart and mind; then, though he is increasingly conscious of the
plague of his own heart, and mourns more deeply and frequently than
ever his many failures, both of omission and commission; nevertheless,
it is evident that the work of sanctification is advancing in his
soul.
The rule of our sanctification is God's written Word (John 17:17), for
by it alone does the Spirit work, forming in the saint those
dispositions which it both promises and requires. The Holy Scriptures
are the one rule by which all of our conduct is to be regulated.
Practical holiness is a personal conformity of heart and life to what
God's Word enjoins. The "commandments of men" (Matthew 15:9) are of no
weight or value whatsoever. Their "touch not, taste not, handle not"
(Col. 2:21) are to be resolutely refused. No creature is to be allowed
to dictate unto the Lord's freeman. Our one concern must be to obey,
serve and please God.
To sum up this division. Sanctification may be considered, First,as an
act of God the Spirit (1 Pet. 1:2) already completed, when the
Christian is set apart unto God by His life-giving operation, by His
begetting us with the Word of truth (James 1:18), from which root the
fruits of practical holiness grow. Second,as the state of acceptance
with God, into which salvation brings us: 1 Corinthians 6:11. Third,as
a growth,an increasing conformity to God in heart, mind, and life: 2
Corinthians 7:1. Fourth,as a longing,an (as yet) unrealized desire, a
panting after and praying for complete conformity to the image of
God's son: 1 Thessalonians 5:23; which desire is realized at the
moment of the soul's entrance into Heaven, and consummated at the
resurrection of his glorified body. Each and all of these four aspects
of one sanctification are the fruits of Christ's satisfaction -
purchased for His people. By that perfect sacrifice which He offered
unto God, the Lord Jesus procured for us all that we need for time and
eternity, and He is only fully honored when we perceive that every
gift, operation, blessing and fruit of the Holy Spirit comes to us on
the ground of the Redeemer's merits.
4. PRESERVATION
This too is another of the precious fruits produced by the tree of
Calvary. "Byone offering he hath perfected forever them that are
sanctified" (Heb. 10:14). Herein lies one of the main differences
between the perfect satisfaction of Christ and the typical offerings
under the law. The atonement made by Israel's high priests availed
only for one year: twelve months later it must needs be repeated. But
the sacrifice of Christ was once for all: its virtue and efficacy is
eternal. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in
Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1), nor can anything ever separate His people
from the love of God (Rom. 8:35-39). Wherefore he is able also to save
them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth
to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25). A perfect, unforfeitable,
eternal salvation has Christ procured for His own.
Yet on this point also we need to carefully remember that the Lord
does not deal with us as sticks and stones, but as rational creatures;
not as irresponsible automatons, but as accountable beings. He
preserves His people through means which He inspires them to use. He
preserves in the path of practical godliness, not in a course of
carnal carelessness. The hearts of believers are like gardens, wherein
there are not only flowers, but weeds also; and as the former must be
watered and cherished, so the latter must be curbed and nipped. If
nothing but the dews and showers of God's promises fell on our hearts,
though they tend to the nourishing of our graces, yet the weeds of
corruption would grow with them, and in the end choke them, unless
they be nipped by the severity of the Divine threatenings.
Although God has pledged Himself to secure those for whom Christ died,
and that in the use of means, therefore they cannot apostatize;
nevertheless, He has plainly warned us that there is an infallible
connection between sin and destruction (1 Cor. 6:9), and that the one
must be avoided, if the other is to be escaped. We must "watch and
pray" if temptations are to be escaped from. We are "kept by the power
of God through faith"(1 Pet. 1:5). We are not only saved by faith at
the outset of our spiritual career, but we are supported and sustained
by it through all our consequent experience: "the just shall live by
faith" (Heb. 10:38). As it is by faith we enter that narrow way which
leadeth unto life, so it must be by faith we walk all the journey
through, for it is only "through faith and perseverance" that we
"inherit the promises" (Heb. 6:12).
The life of the Christian, between his being delivered from Hell and
his actual entrance into Heaven, is not a picnic, but a warfare. There
is armor to be put on, weapons to be used, enemies to be vanquished,
if the fight is to be won. Therefore are we bidden to make our
"calling and election sure"(2 Pet. 1:10), and that, by adding to our
faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, perseverance, godliness,
brotherly-kindness and love. Therefore are we required to "show the
same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end"(Heb. 6:11).
God calls His people unto glory and eternal bliss via a path of
self-denial and holy obedience. If we neglect our duties, there is no
promise that God will perfect that which concerneth us. They who deny
not the flesh, who refuse not the friendship of the world, who press
not forward along the highway of practical holiness, evidence that
they have no spiritual life, no matter what their profession may be.
But they who deny self, take up their cross, and follow Christ, no
matter how weak and unprofitable they may feel, are assured that He
who has begun a good work in them "will finish it" (Phil. 1:6).
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A. W. Pink Header
The Satisfaction of Christ
Studies in the Atonement
by A. W. Pink
19. Its Extent
_________________________________________________________________
Considering all the ground which has already been carefully gone over,
there really ought to be no need for a separate discussion of this
phase of our subject. The question, For whom did Christ make
satisfaction - for whose sins did He atone? has been clearly
anticipated and definitely answered in almost every aspect of our
theme which has been before us. If we go back to the very foundation,
namely, the everlasting covenant, there we find that the Father
promised the Son a specific reward (Isa. 53:10-12) upon His
performance of the work assigned Him. The Son perfectly accomplished
that work (John 17:4), therefore He must "see of the travail of his
soul and be satisfied." If a single one of those for whom He died be
not regenerated, justified, sanctified and glorified by God, then the
Father's promise to His Son would be nullified.
The nature of Christ's satisfaction determines to a demonstration
those who are the beneficiaries of it. First, it was a federal work.
There was a legal oneness between Christ and those for whom He acted.
The Savior stood as the Surety, and if a single one whose debts He
paid receive not a full discharge from the law, then Divine justice
would be reduced to a farce. Second, it was a substitutionary work.
Christ acted not only on the behalf of, but in the stead of, those who
had been given to Him by the Father; hence all whose sins He bore must
of necessity have their sins remitted - God cannot punish twice, once
the Substitute and then again the subject. Third, it was a penal work:
every requirement of the law, both preceptive and punitive, was
fulfilled by Christ, therefore all for whom He acted must receive the
reward of His obedience, which is everlasting life. Fourth, it was a
priestly work: His sacrifice being accepted by God, its efficacy and
merits must beimputed to all those for
The design of Christ's satisfaction as made known in Scripture reveals
its scope. To suppose that the greatest and grandest of all God's
works was without design would be to be guilty of blasphemous
thoughts. That design was framed by infinite wisdom, so that there can
be no flaw or failure in it. That design is executed by omnipotence,
so that it is impossible to thwart it. What that design was, has been
shown (in part) in the 9th chapter of this series. It was not an
indefinite and undefined one. Scripture has made known in plain and
unmistakable terms that the mediatorial work of Christ was in order to
God's being magnified, the God-man glorified, and God's elect saved.
The eternal Son of God became incarnate in order to "save His people
from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).
But without reviewing any further the preceding chapters, let us now
say why we deem it expedient to devote a separate chapter to the more
specific stating and proving of what has come before us previously in
only a more or less incidental or subordinate way. It is because a
right (Scriptural) view of this point is absolutely essential, if God
is to be honored and Christ is to be glorified by us therein. The
enmity of the Serpent against the Seed of the woman has been
inveterate throughout the ages, and perhaps at no other one point has
he so persistently attacked the glory of Christ. While it is
impossible for Satan to either undo the finished work of the Savior,
or to destroy any of its fruits, yet he is permitted to misrepresent
it, and nowhere has his subtlety been more exercised and manifested
than in the means employed here. He has indeed appeared as an "angel
of light." His very attempts to discredit the satisfaction of Christ
have been made under the guise of magnifying it, and that is why he
has succeeded in getting many men reputed as "orthodox" to do some of
his foul work for him.
Perhaps it will enable most of our readers to grasp more readily what
we have just referred to in the above paragraph, if we frame the
following questions. Which seems to have the greater tendency to exalt
Christ: to say that He died because He desired and sought to make
possible the salvation of all mankind or to say that He died only for
God's elect, the "little flock"? Which seems to display the more His
compassion for sinners? Which seems to bring out the more the value of
His blood: to say that it avails only for the "few"? or to say that
its merits are so infinite that every member of Adam's race would be
redeemed did he or she put their trust in it? The very fact that every
one of us would answer the question in the wrong way until we are
taught aright from Scripture, not only evidences the worthlessness of
carnal reasoning upon spiritual things, but also shows to what a
terrible extent our minds have been poisoned by the venom of the
Serpent. If it can yet be clearly shown that, in reality,the wider
view actually dishonors Christ, then the consummate guile and malice
of the Devil therein should be plainly apparent.
Before exposing the futility of the above reasoning, let us prepare
the way by giving other illustrations or examples of our inability to
think aright where spiritual things are concerned. Does it not seem to
us that a greater revenue of glory had accrued to God had sin never
invaded His dominions and corrupted His creatures? Yet He deemed
otherwise, or else He had not suffered it so to be. Again; does it not
seem to the Christian, every Christian, that he could glorify God more
in this present life if the sinful nature were eradicated from his
being? Yet if this were so, God would take the "flesh" completely out
of our beings when He regenerated us. And does it not seem to many a
reader that he or she could accomplish more for Christ, if better
health, different circumstances and surroundings, or more money, were
given to them by God? And so we might continue. The fact is that the
wisest Christian is utterly incapable of thinking rightly about Divine
things until his thoughts ore formed by Scripture.
But coming now to a closer answering of the questions raised above.
First, many imagine the glory of God is exceedingly exalted by
affirming that He truly desires the salvation of every member of
Adam's fallen race, and that they who teach that His free grace is
restricted to the elect, grievously dishonor His benevolence. Now to
maintain aright the glory of God we must speak in the language of His
Word. Only that is glorious in God which He ascribes unto Himself.
"Our inventions, though ever so splendid in our own eyes, are unto Him
an abomination, a striving to pull Him down from His eternal
excellency, to make Him altogether like unto us" (J. Owen). "God is
dishonored by that honor which is ascribed to Him beyond His own
prescription" (Jerome). To assign unto God any thing which He has not
assumed, is only to deify our own imaginations.
Many objects present a fair appearance when viewed at a distance, but
their defects become apparent when examined at close quarters. So it
is here. The assertion that God's design in sending His Son to this
earth was that every sinner might be saved by Him, may at first glance
seem to conduce unto the magnifying of His goodness and grace, but a
little reflection thereon should quickly show the contrary. It
certainly is not to the glory of God to suppose that the success of
Christ's costly undertaking should be left contingent on the
creature's will - that can never be the measure of His honor. And it
certainly is not to the glory of God to suppose that He designed to
save any that perish, for that would show His benevolent purpose was
frustrated and would proclaim a disappointed and defeated Deity. The
truth is that theglory of God's grace consists not in the number of
objects to whom it is shown, but in its being free and undeserved,thus
tending to lay the highest of all obligations on those who are
concerned therein.
The fact is that those who advocate the scheme of a general
redemption, are so far from magnifying the grace of God, that they,
really, degrade both Divine grace and Christ's sacrifice. For
according to their theory God has only provided a precarious
salvation, which is offered to the caprice of man's acceptance, a mere
possibility, which can only become actual through the sinner's
compliance with certain conditions; a possibility, which when properly
examined, is seen to be an impossibility. How vast the difference
between a precarious salvation, and an infallible one! How
immeasurably superior a redemption which secures the certain salvation
of every one for whom it was made, and a suppositionary redemption
which guarantees the salvation of none,leaving everything uncertain,
dependent upon fickle man! How infinitely greater the glory which
comes to God by that plan, through which grace efficaciously works in
and applies the saving benefits to all for whom Christ died, than a
method which would exalt the power of the creature and set the crown
upon his free-will!
If it be still contended that we magnify the grace of God far more by
proclaiming its universality rather than by insisting upon its
particularity, by affirming that it extends to all mankind rather than
to an elect remnant, then to carry out such an argument to its logical
conclusion, we should be obliged to believe that God will save all,for
He certainly will do that which is for His highest glory - this being
the paramount consideration before Him in all that He does: see Psalm
29:9; Proverbs 16:4; Revelation 4:11. Moreover, such an argument would
require, yea demand, that Divine grace be extended unto the fallen
angels as well as to all mankind. Will men pretend to reflect on God's
goodness because He has not extended His grace to all who might have
been the objects of it had He so pleased? Has He not a right to do
what He wills with His own?
Which exalts Christ the more? which demonstrates the more the value
and efficacy of His atonement: that which effectually secures the
actual salvation of every one for whom it was made? or that which ends
in the great majority of those for whom He shed His precious blood
being eternally punished in hell? Surely none with any spiritual
discernment can fail to see which view is more glorifying to the
Redeemer. And if we call to mind the nature of His satisfaction, that
it was a specific bearing of the sins of definite persons, that it was
a paying of their debts, a suffering the law's curse in their stead,
in order that they might go free; and when we remember that the Judge
of all accepted this atonement, was satisfied with the price the
Sponsor paid - then, where would be God's honor, His justice, His
faithfulness, were He, notwithstanding, to yet punish millions of
those for whom His Son bled and died? If Christ died for all men
universally, then all men universally must be saved.There is not other
possible alternative, except to say that God will punish twice,first
in the person of the Surety,
We sincerely trust that neither writer no reader is lacking in
compassion to his fellow-creatures, yet we must not allow our pity for
men to lead us to adopt any principle which is dishonoring to the
Divine perfections and subversive of Christ's satisfaction. Others may
speak for themselves, but the writer would not dare to trust his
salvation to a Savior who was unable to save those for whom He died.
If it were true that Christ shed His blood for those who are now in
hell, what guarantee would be left me that I shall not go there? An
atonement, that fails to atone, a sacrifice which fails to deliver, is
worthless. To say that salvation is possible to all, if all would
receive Christ, is to ignore those unequivocal words of the Savior in
John 6:44, "No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me
draw him." To say that salvation turns upon the sinner's own
acceptance of Christ would be like offering a sum of money to a blind
man upon the condition that he would see, or offering to ransom a
prisoner on the proviso that he burst his way out of his steel-walled
cell.
"Many divines say that Christ did something when He died that enabled
God to be just and yet the Justifier of the ungodly. What that
something is they do not tell us. They believe in an atonement made
for everybody; but then, their atonement is just this; that Judas was
atoned for as much as Peter, that the damned in hell were as much an
object of Jesus Christ's satisfaction as the saved in heaven. Though
they do not say it in proper words they must mean that, in the case of
multitudes, Christ died in vain, for they say He died for all, and yet
so ineffectual was His dying for them, that many are damned
afterwards. Now, such an atonement I despise-Ireject it. I had rather
believe a limited atonement that is efficacious for all for whom it
was intended, than an universal atonement that is not efficacious for
anybody, except the will of man be joined with it. Why, my brethren,
if we were only so far atoned for by the death of Christ that any one
of us might afterwards save himself, Christ's atonement were not worth
a farthing, for there is no man of us can save himself - no, not under
the Gospel" (C. H. Spurgeon on Isa. 53:10).
But is not a true believing on the Lord Jesus Christ required in order
to a receiving of God's great salvation? Certainly it is, but it is
the office of the Holy Spirit to give saving faith to every one of
those for whose sins Christ atoned. There is an infallible connection
insured between the one and the other. The costly price of redemption
was far too precious in the sight of God for it to be cast away on
souls that perish. Therefore did He predestinate that the Spirit
should communicate life to all for whom Christ died. "Who was
delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our
justification" (Rom. 4:25): that is clear enough - all whose
"offenses" Christ bore, must be "justified"! There are inseparable and
saving benefits bestowed upon all them whom Christ loved and gave
Himself for. "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God
by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be
saved by his life" (Rom. 5:10): these go together, hence, as the
greater part of men are not "saved" by His life, that is proof
positive that they were not "reconciled by His death."
"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law. . . That we might
receive the promise of the Spirit through faith" (Gal. 3:13, 14): to
each of those whom He redeemed, Christ gives His Spirit. "For he hath
made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him" (2 Cor. 5:21): as inevitably as Christ
was "made sin" for those for whom He died, so inevitably must those
for whom He was made sin be "made the righteousness of God in him"!
"Hethat spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how
shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Rom. 8:32): if
God delivered up Christ for all mankind, then He will, He must to make
good His word here, freely bestow (not "offer," but actually
"give")repentance, faith and every spiritual blessing to all mankind.
It is this sure and certain connection between Christ's purchase of
salvation and the actual enjoyment thereof by those for whom it was
wrought, which the advocates of a universal redemption lose sight of.
Hear that prince of the Puritans, John Owen.
"Redemption is the freeing of a man from misery by the intervention of
a ransom. Now, when a ransom is paid for the liberty of a prisoner,
does not justice demand that he should have and enjoy the liberty so
purchased for him by a valuable consideration? If I should pay a
thousand pounds for a man's deliverance from bondage to him that
detains him, who hath power to set him free, and is contented with the
price I give, were it not injurious to me and the poor prisoner that
his deliverance be not accomplished? Can it possibly be conceived that
there should be a redemption of men, and those men not redeemed? that
a price should be paid, and the purchase not consummated? Yet all this
must be made true, and innumerable other absurdities, if universal
redemption be asserted. A price would be paid for all, yet few
delivered; the redemption of all consummated, yet few of them
redeemed; the judge satisfied, the jailer conquered, and yet the
prisoners enthralled!"
The difference then, between truth and error on this vital subject,
lies in the returning of scriptural answers to these questions: What
was the purpose of God in the mission of Christ? Was it to make the
salvation of all Adam's race possible? or was it to make the salvation
of His own people certain? Was it simply to remove those "obstacles"
which stood in the way of the Divine righteousness pardoning any one?
or was it to remove the sins of those whom God had predestinated unto
eternal glory? Was it simply to "open a way" whereby sinners may
approach unto the Holy One? or did Christ die the Just for the unjust
that "Hemight bring us to God"(1 Pet. 3:18)? That the second of each
of
1. THE PURCHASE OF CHRIST
By the term "purchase" Scripture signifies that Christ meritoriously
procured for His people the actual bestowment upon them of all those
good things which He earned for them, which may be summed up under
"life," "salvation," and an "eternal inheritance." Now these blessings
were not purchased for His people "conditionally," but absolutely,just
as when a surety pays a debt, the debtor is necessarily discharged, or
as when a ransom is given for the redeeming of a captive, the captive
must be freed. Christ's work was not of such a nature that the will of
God is still conditional as to whether or not the reward of His
satisfaction should be bestowed upon certain ones. No, He has
absolutely obtained for His people peace with God and the remission of
their sins, and that by purchasing for them that very faith with which
they believe, appropriate and enjoy the salvation which He wrought out
for them.
Scripture is most explicit in demonstrating that Christ's purchase and
the Spirit's application of the purchased blessings have for their
objects the same individuals: that for whomsoever Christ obtained any
spiritual blessings by His death, unto them it shall most certainly be
communicated. For whomsoever He wrought reconciliation with God, in
them doth He (by His Spirit) work reconciliation unto God. The one is
not extended to any to whom the other does not reach. It is true that
no sinner obtains any of the saving benefits of Christ's satisfaction
until he repents and believes, but it is equally true that Christ has
purchased these very graces for His people, and is now exalted on High
to administer them: Acts 5:31, etc. The Scriptures perpetually conjoin
together the benefits purchased by Christ and the benefits bestowed on
those for whom they were purchased, so that we cannot sever the one
from the other. "The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with
his stripes we are healed" (Isa. 53:5): His chastisement and our
peace, His wounding and our healing, are inseparably associated.
Thus the design of Christ's satisfaction is infallibly made known by
the results of it. The intendment of God in the atonement is plainly
evident through what is accomplished by it, for whatsoever He has
purposed must be effected (Isa. 46:10); hence, what is secured by the
sacrifice of Christ makes manifest what God planned it should procure.
"If there be anything plainly taught in Scripture, it is that the
sacrifice of Christ was made for those only who shall eventually be
saved by it. If the wisdom of men cannot reconcile this with their
views of what is right, let them be prepared to dispute the matter
with the Almighty in the day of Judgment" (Alex. Carson).
2. THE RECTITUDE OF THE DIVINE CHARACTER
God's justice indispensably requires that all the benefits of Christ's
sacrifice should be imputed and imparted to every one for whom it was
offered and accepted. "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"
A God of truth, and without iniquity, just and right is He. The
Supreme Being gives to every one his due. This principle cannot be
violated in a single instance. He cannot, according to this, either
remit sin without satisfaction, or punish sin where satisfaction for
it has been received. The one is as inconsistent with perfect equity
as the other. If the punishment for sin has been borne, the remission
of the offense follows of course. The principles of rectitude suppose
this, nay peremptorily demand it: justice could not be satisfied
without it. Agreeably to this it follows that, the death of Christ
being a legal satisfaction for sin, all for whom He died must enjoy
the remission of their offenses.
"It is as much at variance with strict justice or equity that any for
whom Christ has given satisfaction should continue under condemnation,
as that they should have been delivered from guilt without
satisfaction being given for them at all. But it is admitted that all
are not delivered from the punishment of sin, that there are many who
perish in final condemnation. We are therefore compelled to infer,
that for such no satisfaction has been given to the claims of infinite
justice - no atonement has been made. If this is denied, the monstrous
impossibility must be maintained, that the infallible Judge refuses to
remit the punishment of some for whose offenses He has received a full
compensation; that He finally condemns some, the price of whose
deliverance from condemnation has been paid to Him; that, with regard
to the sins of some of mankind, He seeks satisfaction in their
personal punishment after having obtained satisfaction for them in the
sufferings of Christ; that is to say, that an infinitely righteous God
takes double payment for the same debt, double satisfaction for the
same offense, first from the Surety, and then from those for whom the
Surety stood. It is needless to add that these conclusions are
revolting to every right feeling of equity, and must be totally
inapplicable to the procedure of Him who loveth righteousness and
hateth wickedness" (W. Symington).
Christ made full satisfaction unto the law of God (Matthew 5:17; Gal.
4:4,5), but how could He have made satisfaction for the sins of those
on whom the law will take satisfaction for ever? How can the justice
of God have been appeased in the case of those against whom its
flaming sword will awake to all eternity? Christ expiated offenses
(Rom. 4:25), but how can those offenses for which the guilty
perpetrators shall suffer endlessly, have been expiated? How did
Christ redeem from the curse of the law (Gal. 3:13) those who are to
be kept in everlasting thraldom and misery? This scheme postulates a
Savior of those who are never saved, a Redeemer of those who are never
redeemed, a Deliverer of millions who are never delivered.
To reply to the above by saying that, Christ made a sufficient
atonement for the sins of all men universally, but that many are not
saved by it because they trust not in it, is to lose sight of the fact
that half of the human race have never heard the Gospel, and so could
not believe it! Whatever blame may rest upon Christians for their
dilatoriness and selfishness, the Holy Spirit would most certainly
have stirred up some to carry the glad tidings to those who have
perished in heathen darkness had Christ purchased their salvation. To
say otherwise would be rank blasphemy. The special mission of the
Spirit is to apply the saving benefits of Christ's salvation to all
for whom it was made. The One who is able to "raise up children" out
of "stones" (Matthew 3:9) cannot be checkmated by the coldheartedness
of His people.
3. THE DECLARATIONS OF HOLY WRIT
As we have shown in previous chapters, the Satisfaction of Christ had
its origin in the sovereign will of God, hence His mere good pleasure
decided and determined who should be saved by it. A favored section of
Adam's race were chosen to be its beneficiaries: herein, we behold the
"goodness" of God. Fallen angels and the remainder of Adam's family
were not to be redeemed by it, but were predestinated to suffer the
due reward of their iniquity: therein we behold the "severity of God"
(Rom. 11:22)! The same contrastive principles are adumbrated in the
material creation: nature, no more than Scripture, knows anything of a
God who is mighty to save and yet not mighty also to destroy - witness
tidal waves, tornadoes, earthquakes, famines and pestilences.
In keeping with what has just been said, we find that Scripture
divides mankind into two classes: the Church and the world, the
"friends" of God and His "enemies," the "sheep" and the "goats." And
let it be properly noted that whatever is affirmed distinctly of the
one class, is implicitly denied of the other. Every assertion that
Christ died for "His people," is a repudiation of the theory that He
died for all mankind. Just as when it is said that a certain man toils
to provide food for his family, no one is foolish enough to conclude
that he is also laboring to provide food for all mankind; so when the
Word declares that Christ "loved the Church and gave himself for it"
(Eph. 5:25), all should see that such discriminative language is
meaningless, if He also loved and gave Himself for the entire human
race.
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in
heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out demons? and in
thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them,
I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matthew
7:21-23). Here a broad line of distinction is drawn between two
classes of the human family, with respect to one of which the Savior
makes the solemn affirmation, "I never knew you." The import of those
words, according to Scripture usage, is too plain to be misunderstood;
the antithetical "The Lord knoweth them that are his"(2 Tim. 2:19),
shows that He never had a saving cognizance of those to whom He shall
say "depart from me."
"Our Lord speaking of those for whom He died, calls them sheep: 'I lay
down my life for the sheep' (John 10:15). He explains who His sheep
are by saying that they are such persons as 'hear his voice and follow
him' (vv. 3, 4), and He adds, 'I give unto them eternal life, and they
shall never perish.' Does it not plainly follow from His words that
those for whom He died shall be saved, that He died for none but those
upon whom the gift of faith should be bestowed? And does He not
signify, by particularizing them as the persons for whom He laid down
His life, that He did not die for others of an opposite character? If
He died for all, there would be no meaning in saying that He died for
His 'sheep,' because in this case there would be nothing peculiar to
them,nothing by which they were distinguished from any other
description of men" (J. Dick, 1850). To this we may add, the name
"sheep" is synonymous with "elect," for such are "sheep" before they
believe, yea, before they are born (see John 10:16); and that in this
very same passage Christ affirmed there were some who are not His
"sheep" - see 10:26.
"Allthat the Father giveth me shall come to me" (John 6:37): but this
would not be true if the enmity of the carnal mind, the stubbornness
of the unrenewed will, or the oppositions of Satan, were able
successfully to resist the "drawing" (John 6:44) of the Father! Christ
expressly said, "I pray not for the world" (John 17:9), therefore He
died not for the world, for His sacrifice and His intercession have
the same objects: (Rom. 8:34). "Feed the Church of God which He hath
purchased with His own blood" (Acts 20:28): if the atonement be of
universal extent, if Christ's blood be shed for all, then such
discriminating language would not only be unnecessary, but altogether
misleading. "The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to
minister, and to give His life a ransom for many"(Matthew 20:28): no
satisfactory reason can be given why Christ should say only "many" if
all mankind were also included: cf. Hebrews 9:28. "Who gave himself
for us,that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto
himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works" (Titus 2:14): those
for whom Christ died are "a peculiar people,"and not the whole Adamic
race indiscriminately.
Those passages which are appealed to by those who advocate the
doctrine of universal redemption will be carefully considered in the
next chapter.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Satisfaction of Christ
Studies in the Atonement
by A. W. Pink
20. Its Extent-Concluded
_________________________________________________________________
That aspect of our subject which is now before us has been a vexing
question among theologians, especially so during the last century, for
Christ's death for God's people only was never denied till the basic
truth of Election was rejected; and that rejection only became common
about one hundred and fifty years ago. Were it not so vitally
important that we should be quite clear about this branch of our
theme, we should avoid the discussion of it as too controversial. But
inasmuch as the extent of the Atonement depends upon its nature,and
directly concerns the honor of God and the glory of His Son, we feel
called upon to give our best attention to the same.
In our last chapter we endeavored to present some of the evidences
which prove that the atonement of Christ was a real one, a definite
one, an efficacious one, that whatsoever it was designed to effect
must be accomplished. Appeal too was made to some of those Scriptures
which expressly make known for whom Christ died, namely, His "Church,"
His "people,"the "sheep." Yet clear and plain, full and frequent, as
are the declarations of Holy Writ concerning the purpose and design of
God in the death of Christ, so that he who runs ought to be able to
read, yet, scarcely any truth of Scripture is now more frequently
called into question than is this one. A theory diametrically opposed
thereto has been advanced by the enemies of the Truth, and, sad to
say, is now being promulgated by many who imagine they are the friends
of Christ - as to whether or not they are, God alone can infallibly
determine.
On practically every side where there is any pretense of honoring
Christ today, it is taught that the love of God extends to all
mankind, that Christ gave Himself a ransom for the whole human race,
and that the Holy Spirit is now seeking to woo and win every sinner to
Him. So uniform has this preaching become, so fervently has it been
advocated, so widely has it been accepted, that for any one to affirm
the contrary, is to be looked upon as a setter forth of "novelties,"
and for him to press the same, is to invite his being denounced as a
narrow-minded and harsh-hearted bigot, a heretic of the worst sort.
Yet such an one can always console himself with, "IfI yet pleased men,
I should not be the servant of Christ" (Gal. 1:10).
Ere we turn and examine those passages which are appealed to by those
who proclaim a universal redemption, three things should be carefully
considered. First, since all of Adam's race are not pardoned and
saved, and never will be, then Christ cannot have made an atonement
for their sins: this was shown at length in our last chapter. Second,
the Holy Scriptures cannot contradict themselves. Being the inspired
Word of God, there cannot be any inconsistencies in them: they cannot
teach that Christ died for God's elect only, and also affirm that He
died for all mankind as well: one or the other is an erroneous
deduction which men have drawn from them. Third, seeing they
explicitly teach the former, then there must be some honest and
legitimate way of interpreting those passages which may, at first
glance, seem to teach the latter.
Now the Word of God does not yield up its meaning to lazy people.
Salvation is free; but "Truth" has to be "bought" (Prov. 23:23); yet
few indeed are willing to pay its stipulated price. Not only do the
Scriptures have to be "searched" (John 5:39), and searched "daily"
(Acts 17:11); not only does passage have to be carefully compared with
passage (1 Cor. 2:13); not only must all this be done in meekness (Ps.
25:9) and complete dependency upon God (Prov. 3:6); but there must be
a fervent crying "after knowledge" and an importunate "lifting up of
the voice for understanding," and seeking her "as silver" (which
entails hard labor and diligent perseverance), yea, a searching for
her as for "hid treasure" (Prov. 2:1-5).
It is at the above point that so many have failed. The meaning of
God's Word cannot be ascertained as easily as can that of a newspaper
article, nor can any enter into the "mystery of the Gospel" (Eph.
6:19) as readily as one may solve a problem in mathematics. If a
person approaches Holy Writ with prejudice, his mind is closed against
its teachings. If he regards any passage as plain and simple and is
satisfied that he already understands it, he is not likely to cry unto
God for or receive light from it. If he assumes that he is now in
possession of practically all that the Bible teaches on a subject
(contrary to 1 Cor. 8:2), or blindly follows some man unto whom he
credits the same thing, then God will take the wise in their own
craftiness (1 Cor. 3:19) and suffer them to remain in darkness. It is
because of this that so many are misled by the mere sound of certain
words.
Our last statement has received many a solemn illustration. Take the
controversy which has been waged in certain quarters as to whether or
not man remains in a state of consciousness after he passes out of
this world. How many who deny that he does so, have appealed to such
passages as "the dead praise not the Lord" (Ps. 115:17), "the dead
know not any thing" (Eccl. 9:5). But the matter cannot be settled so
easily. Those passages must be studied in the light of their contexts,
the dispensation under which they were given, and then interpreted in
harmony with other passages of a different, but not conflicting,
nature. Take again the great controversy between the Reformers on
transubstantiation: how easy it was to be deceived by the mere sound
of those words, "This is my body!" The same principle applies to our
present subject. This issue cannot be settled by an appeal to such
words as "God so loved the world"and Christ "died for all"(2 Cor.
5:15). Such expressions need to be studied and interpreted in keeping
with the Analogy of Faith.
Incalculable damage has been wrought by unequipped men undertaking to
preach the "simple (?) Gospel" and expound the Holy Scripture. There
has been a zeal which was not proportioned with spiritual knowledge.
Men with the merest smattering of Scripture consider themselves
qualified to pass judgment on the teachings and writings of those who
have devoted a lifetime to the continuous and concentrated study of
God's Word. To a multitude of evangelists and preachers of today, we
would say, "O that ye would altogether hold your peace! and it should
be your wisdom" (Job 13:5). Rightly has it been said, "Modern theology
is largely based upon the sound rather than the sense of Scripture.
And it is an everyday practice for men to expound texts who cannot
even quote - much less expound - the contexts" (J. M. Sangar). "Not a
novice" (1 Tim. 3:6) has been deliberately ignored, and "Be not many
of you teachers" (Jam. 3:1, R. V.) has been defiantly disobeyed.
When men say that God has provided an atonement which is designed for
all mankind, they need to be asked, Do you mean that Christ's
sacrifice procured for all sinners that quickening grace of the Holy
Spirit which is indispensably needed to bring men to a cordial and
saving reception of the atonement? Do you mean that an atonement has
been made by Christ so as to infallibly secure that all shall be saved
by it? If so, be honest, and declare yourself a "Universalist." But if
you do not mean this, then cease using empty words which can only
deceive souls and dishonor Christ. The real issue is not so much upon
the scope of the atonement, as it is upon the efficacy of it!
Let us now briefly set forth that position which is popularly
maintained in these degenerate times. We are told that there is such a
fullness in the atonement, that the value of Christ's sacrifice is
sufficient for the salvation of the entire race, were all men to
believe in Him. But this means that the sufficiency of the atonement
is a conditional one - conditional upon the whole world believing. But
that "condition" is not so easily performed. Almost all preachers
today speak of faith in Christ as a comparatively easy matter, but the
Scriptures teach quite otherwise: see Matthew 19:25,26; John 5:44;
6:44; Ephesians 1:19; 1 Peter 4:18. The Word of God represents the
fallen children of Adam as being spiritually bound with chains, shut
up in death, securely held in prison, so that nothing short of a
miracle of grace, the putting forth of Divine omnipotence can free
them. In his masterly treatise on "Particular Redemption" W. Rushton
(1831) illustrated this conditional sufficiency of the atonement thus:
"Awealthy and philanthropic individual visits Algiers and approaches a
dungeon in which a wretched captive lies bound with chains and
fetters, and strongly secured within walls and doors and bars. He
proclaims aloud to the captive that he has brought gold sufficient for
a ransom, on condition that the captive will liberate himself from his
chains, burst open his prison doors and come forth. Alas, exclaims the
wretched man, your kindness does not reach my case. Unless your gold
can effect my deliverance, it can be of no service to me. To offer it
on such terms can do me no good. Now man by nature is spiritually as
unable to believe in Christ, as the Algerian captive is physically
unable to break his chains and the prison doors; so that all this
boasted sufficiency of the atonement is only an empty offer of
salvation on certain terms and conditions; and such an atonement would
be much too weak to meet the desperate case of a lost sinner.
"But how different is the salvation of God!'By the blood of thy
covenant, I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no
water' (Zech. 9:11). The Lord Jesus, by His death, hath paid the
ransom, and made the captive His own. Therefore He has a legal right
to their persons, and with His own right arm He brings them forth. It
is His glory 'to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them
that sit in darkness out of the prison house' (Isa. 42:6,7)." Yes,
Scripture affirms that "He sent [not 'offered!'] redemption unto his
people" (Ps. 111:9).
Turning now to the principal passages to which holders of this view,
appeal, let us begin with John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that
he gave his only begotten Son," etc. To a superficial mind this
declaration appears to settle the controversy once for all. We do not
use that term "superficial" in any invidious sense, but common honesty
will not allow us to substitute another for it. Anyone who has
examined a concordance and looked up the passages where "world"
occurs, soon discovers that this word is used in the New Testament in
quite a number of ways and with widely different latitudes, so that
nothing can be determined for certain by the occurrence of this term
in John 3:16. Sometimes the "world" signifies the unbelieving as in
John 15:18, in others it includes none but believers as in Romans
11:12, etc. Sometimes the "world" denotes the material system, created
by Christ (John 1:10), in others it is applied to a mere handful of
people as in John 7:4 and 12:19. In the great majority of instances it
is a general and indefinite expression which has reference to the
Gentiles in contradistinction from Israel after the flesh.
Now it is a fundamental and unvarying rule of interpretation that both
definite and indefinite phrases or terms must be understood and
defined in strict accordance with the subject about which they are
employed. So it is with John 3:16. The subject of that verse is the
love of God,to which the indefinite expressions "world" and
"whosoever" are joined. Therefore, if we would discover to a certainty
who are the objects of God's love, we have to diligently compare and
examine other, passages where the love of God is mentioned. Then we
learn that His love is eternal:Jeremiah 31:3; Ephesians 1:4,5. That it
is uninfluenced.Nothing in its object calls it into exercise, prompts
or attracts it (Deut. 7:7,8): it proceeds simply from the spontaneous
will of God. It is immutable or unchanging (Song of Sol. 8:6,7). Those
whom God loves, He loves forever (John 13:1), nothing can ever
separate from it, nothing can ever cause God to cease loving those on
whom He set His love (Rom. 8:35-38). It is sovereign (Rom. 9:13):
there was no more cause in Jacob why he should be the object of the
Divine love, than there was in Esau.
The love of God is known by its manifested effects. There is an
infallible connection (as there is between cause and effect) between
the love of God and His ordination of its objects to life and
salvation: hence we read, "Weare bound to give thanks always to God
for you, brethren beloved of the Lord,because God hath from the
beginning chosen you to salvation"(2 Thess. 2:13). So also, those whom
God loves, He regenerates. "Behold, what manner of love the Father
hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God" (1
John 3:1)- making them "sons" is the certain effect of His having
loved them from all eternity. Those whom God loves, He "draws" to
Himself (Jer. 31:3). Those whom God loves, He "chastens" (disciplines)
so that they become actual partakers of his holiness" (Heb. 12:6, 10).
It therefore follows that those who are not made His "sons," who are
not made "partakers of his holiness," were never the objects of His
love.
The same love of God which was the cause of sending Christ to die for
the salvation of His people, is also the same cause which "freely
gives" all things with Christ (Rom. 8:32), i.e., the Spirit to
regenerate, faith to receive Him, love to be devoted to Him: compare 2
Peter 1:3. Were it otherwise, God's love would be incomplete,
inadequate, deficient, unefficacious. God's love for me would be vain,
if it did not actually save me, deliver me, and win my heart to Him.
John 3:16 simply states that design of God's love, and that is, that
all who believe in Christ should be saved by Him, which believers, in
their unbelieving state, are found "scattered abroad" (John 11:52)
throughout the earth, among the Gentiles as well as the Jews.
The popular interpretation of John 3:16 is repudiated by all the facts
of history. First, take the history of the human race before Christ
was born. Unnumbered millions lived and died "without God and without
hope" (Ps. 9:17). If God "loved" them,where is the least evidence of
it? He "suffered all nations to walk in their own ways" (Acts 14:16).
He "gave them over to a reprobate mind" (Rom. 1:28). He announced to
Israel "you only have I known of all the families of the earth" (Amos
3:2). Second, take the history of the race since Christ was born.
Remember the "dark ages" which lasted not for a few days, but for a
thousand years, when the Papacy dominated almost all Christendom and
the Bible was withheld from the peoples. And since the great
Reformation, what untold millions have died in heathendom without ever
hearing of Christ! It would be inexplicably strange if God should
"love" multitudes to whom He never so much as signified His love -
leaving them in entire ignorance of the Son of His love! Third, take
the coming Day of Judgment. To whom will God's love then be exercised?
To sum up our comments on John 3:16. We understand "the world" here to
mean men of all nations,with an especial reference to the Gentiles,
whom Nicodemus (as all Jews) considered to be accursed. To those who
reject this explanation, and say, We keep by the plain declaration
"Godso loved the world," we ask them to apply the same principle to
the following passages: "on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift
of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 10:45), "Godalso to the Gentiles granted
repentance unto life" (Acts 11:18), "declaring the conversion of the
Gentiles"(Acts 15:3). Is that expression "the Gentiles" in these
passages a general and indefinite one, or a universal and specific
one? is it a relative or an absolute one? That is, does it take in
all,or refer only to some?Acts 15:44 answers the question: "Godhas
visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for his name!"
The last clause of 2 Peter 3:9 is frequently quoted, but without any
attention being given to the first part of it. Is that honest? The
"any"whom the Lord is "not willing" should perish, is clearly defined:
verse 8 shows that it is God's "beloved" who are here addressed and
referred to. The "promise" which He is "not slack" in fulfilling, has
reference to the return of Christ (v. 4), which "scoffers" (v. 3)
suppose will never be fulfilled. The great reason why God has not yet
sent back His Son is because the last of His elect have not been
regenerated: all of them shall come to repentance before human history
can be wound up and verse 10 fulfilled. Thus, the "any" looks back to
the "us-ward" in the previous part of the verse!
"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John
1:29). John the Baptist was the herald of a new dispensation. One of
the leading distinctions between the Old and New Testament
dispensations was with regard to its scope.The former was greatly
restricted, being, for two thousand years, almost exclusively confined
to a single nation; and to that limitation the members of the Church
had become thoroughly accustomed. But the new dispensation possessed
an opposite character. At the cross, the "middle wall of partition,"
by which the Jews were kept separate from all other nations, was
broken down, so that henceforth there should be no difference between
Jew and Gentile, bond and free. But the previous regime had given rise
to a deeply-seated prejudice in favor of exclusive privilege, which it
was no easy matter to uproot.
Although the Savior had manifested a regard for a Roman centurion, a
woman of Samaria, and had even plainly declared "other sheep I have
which are not of this fold" (John 10:16), still the exclusive
sentiment retained a firm hold even upon the minds of His disciples.
They were Jews, and were manifestly reluctant to descend to a common
level with others, in regard to the enjoyment of religious privilege.
Clear proof of this is seen in the case of Peter (Acts 10:14): God had
to work a miracle before he was willing to preach the Gospel to
Cornelius. The jealous antipathy of the Jews comes out even more
noticeably in 1 Thessalonians 2:15, 16. This one consideration
accounts for and throws much light upon the use of terms of an
extensive import when speaking of the new economy. To mark the
contrast from Judaism, the strongest language that could be used
became necessary: hence the employment of "the world" and "all men" to
denote men in general without regard to national distinction.
From what has been said above, it is not to be surmised that the Holy
Spirit moved men to employ language which was not strictly true or
accurate. Far from it. Nothing is more common, either in the writings
of men or in the Word of God, than to use a general designation when
it is intended to express a general principle, but which does not
include every individual comprehended in the general designation
employed. When we read that a certain city is smitten with a small-pox
epidemic, no one concludes that every individual in it has contracted
that disease. So when we read in Exodus 9:6 that "all the cattle of
Egypt died," we must not take those words absolutely, as Exodus
9:9,19,25 plainly show.
A critical examination of the terms of John 1:29 obliges us to take
into account the undeniable fact that a very considerable portion of
the human race was already in hell when the Son of God became
incarnate. This one consideration is sufficient to show that we are
compelled to understand that the "world" here is far less extensive in
its scope than the whole human family. Again, that Christ did not
"take away the sin of," bear the guilt of, suffer for, the iniquities
of all alive on earth in His own day, is abundantly clear from His own
words to the Pharisees, "Ye shall die in your sins" (John 8:24 and cf.
9:41). The best commentary upon John 1:29 is the song of the redeemed,
"Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of
every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation" (Rev. 5:9)!
"Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time" (1
Tim. 2:6). What has been said above concerning the signification of
the term "world" when used in connection with the objects of God's
love or the subjects of Christ's redemption, applies with equal force
and pertinency to the word "all." That Christ gave Himself a ransom
for "all" without distinction of nationality, social status, age or
sex, is blessedly true; but to say that He died in the stead of "all"
without exception cannot be maintained without involving the most
palpable absurdities and contradictions. Nor is there anything
elsewhere in Scripture which obliges us to give to "all" in this and
similar verses an absolute and unlimited meaning.
The word "all" is employed in Scripture with considerable latitude and
variety of meaning; very rarely indeed is it used without limitation.
Mark 1:5 says that "allthe land of Judea and they of Jerusalem were
all baptized" of John, yet Luke 7:30 shows the Pharisees and lawyers
were "not baptized of him." When the Savior told His disciples that
"yeshall be hated of all men for my name's sake" Matthew 10:22), it is
obvious that those who believed on Him must be excluded. When we read
that "allmen came unto" Christ (John 3:26), we can only understand
that many of the Jews attended upon His ministry. When Christ declared
He would "draw all unto" Himself (John 12:32), He had in mind the "all
that the Father giveth me" of John 6:37. So here in 1 Timothy 2:6 the
"ransom for all" is defined by the "ransom for many" of Matthew 20:28.
The "all" of 1 Timothy 2:4 and 6 is simply emphasizing the contrast
from the Jewish nation only.
1 John 2:2. Here again many have been deceived by the mere sound of
terms. The very first word of this verse shows that Christ is the
"propitiation" of those only for whom He is an "Advocatewith the
Father," and John 17:9 proves that He prays for none but the elect.
Again, if the closing words of this verse expressed an unlimited
universality, then the previous clause would be quite superfluous: if
the "whole world" takes in all the race, then it would be meaningless
to say that Christ is the propitiation "for our sins" and also for
every body's - the "our" would be included. Instead, the "our" refers
to Jewish Christians, for John was an apostle to the "circumcision"
(Gal. 2:9) and his epistle was written (first) to such (see 2:7); the
"whole world" signifies God's elect scattered among the Gentiles.
Romans 3:25 shows that Christ's "propitiation" is limited to those who
put their faith in it.
Scripture always interprets Scripture: if the reader really desires to
know the meaning of 1 John 2:2 let him compare John 11:51,52 and
17:20, carefully noting the "also." That this expression the "whole
world" is not an unlimited one, is clear from the last clause of
Revelation 13:3, compared with Revelation 20:4; or Revelation 12:9
with Matthew 24:24. To affirm that Christ shed His blood for the sins
of all mankind, is to be guilty of charging Him with rebellion against
the sovereign will of God. But how far from the truth is such a
concept! "Every part of our Lord's conduct on earth was an act of
obedience to the Father's will (John 6:38). How then could He lay down
His life for any but those who were given Him of the Father to be
redeemed from among men? Had He laid down His life for all mankind, He
would have gone beyond His commission" (James Haldane).
It remains to be pointed out that there is a (relative) universality
to Christ's sacrifice in three respects. First, in time:its efficacy
was not limited to one generation or dispensation. Being "foreordained
before the foundation of the world" (1 Pet. 1:20), His merits extended
to all believers from Abel onwards. Second, in place:the efficacy of
Christ's death was not to be limited to any one nation: Revelation
5:9. Third, in virtue:"The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us
from all sin" (1 John 1:7). Christ's sacrifice made atonement for
Noah's drunkenness, Lot's incest, David's murder, Peter's denial,
Paul's persecution of the Church. In these three respects there is no
limitation to His sacrifice.
Luke 19:41-44. Christ's weeping over Jerusalem is often regarded as
His lamentation over lost sinners. Such was not the case. Verses 43,
44 show plainly that He had before Him the destruction of the city. As
He foresaw the awful siege and contemplated the unparalleled temporal
calamities, He was deeply moved. As a nation, the doom of the Jews was
sealed: the things belonging to their civic peace were now hid from
their eyes. But so far from their spiritual state being hopeless, or
Christ bewailing that,He knew full well that in a few weeks at most
thousands of them would believe to the saving of their souls!
Space will only allow us to notice briefly a few more texts. The "all
men" of Romans 5:18 is explained by 1 Corinthians 15:22. 1 Corinthians
8:11 asks a question, not states a fact: it warns against the evil
tendency of uncharitable conduct. The "all" for whom Christ died (2
Cor. 5:15) are in that same verse said to "live unto. . . him which
died for them." The "world" of 2 Corinthians 5:19 are those unto whom
God is "not imputing their trespasses," and that is certainly not the
"world of the ungodly" (2 Pet. 2:5). The "living God" of 1 Timothy
4:10 is the Father (see Matthew 16:16), and "Savior" there means
Preserver - in a temporal way. Christ "tasted death for every" (Heb.
2:9): there is no word for "man" in the Greek, and the next verse
shows it is "every" son.That some whom the Lord "bought" (2 Pet. 2:1)
shall be damned, presents no difficulty: He bought "the field"
(Matthew 13:43,44), but "redeemed" only His people; as Man (Acts
17:31) He has acquired the right to judge and dispose of all.
To reason as some have done from the second half of Hebrews 9:26 that
Christ made atonement for no man's sins in particular, but only for
sin in general, is really too puerile for serious consideration. Yet
this is what is being taught in many places today. The Cross is looked
upon as little more than an honoring of the moral government of God, a
satisfying of His justice abstractly considered. Such a theory
involves this absurdity: that Christ died not for sinners,but for
sin.Sufficient to point out in refutation that "sin" has no existence
apart from sinners!Sin is not a mere non-entity, or metaphysical
abstraction, but a moral agent to which it belongs. Separate sin from
sinners and it ceases to be. Surely the Son of God died for something
else than a mere abstraction!
To say that in the atonement of Christ God has laid a sufficient and
suitable basis for the salvation of all men, if so be they would avail
themselves of it, may sound very plausible, yet is it, in reality,
meaningless jargon. Such an assertion ignores the eternal and
sovereign election of the Father. It dissevers the work of the Spirit
from the work of Christ. It repudiates the lost condition of man.
While professing to widen the extent of the atonement, it compromises
its reality and efficacy. To say that everything turns on the sinner's
acceptance, is to affirm that Christ did nothing more for those who
are saved than He did for those who are lost. It is not faith which
gives Divine efficacy to the blood; it was the blood which
efficaciously purchased faith. To make the eternal salvation of
sinners turn upon an act of their own wills, would not only be leaving
the success of the redemptive work of Christ, contingent upon the
fickle caprice of men, but would allow them to divide the honors with
Christ!
To talk of God's "offering assistance to sinners" while He leaves them
in a state of un-regeneracy, is the veriest trifling. To say that
Christ died for all the sins of all who hear the Gospel, and that the
only thing which can now damn them is their unbelief, is to fly in the
face of Ephesians 5:5, 6, etc. Moreover, such a statement is, really,
a contradiction in terms. Either their unbelief is a sin,or it is not.
If not,then why are they punished for it? If it be,then, according to
their own affirmation, Christ atoned for it, and there is nothing more
in their unbelief than there is in their other sins to hinder them
from partaking of the fruits of Christ's sacrifice. Let such choose
which horn of the dilemma they please.
Seeing that Christ died for the elect only, how is the Gospel to be
preached to sinners indiscriminately? This question will be carefully
considered and answered at length in a following chapter.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Satisfaction of Christ
Studies in the Atonement
by A. W. Pink
21. Its Typification
_________________________________________________________________
Christ has been greatly dishonored and His atonement grievously
misrepresented by the attempts which have often been made to
illustrate it from supposed analogies in human relations. Rightly has
it been said that, "The plan of redemption, the office of our Surety,
and the satisfaction which He rendered to the claims of justice
against us, have no parallel in the relations of men to one another.
We are carried above the sphere of the highest relations of created
beings into the august counsels of the eternal and independent God.
Shall we bring our own line to measure them?We are in the presence of
Father, Son and Holy Spirit; one in perfections, will and purpose. If
the righteousness of the Father demands a sacrifice, the love of the
Father provides it. But the Love of the Son runs parallel with that of
the Father; and not only in the general undertaking, but in every act
of it we see the Son's full and free consent" (Waymarks in the
Wilderness,Vol. 6).
But while no parallel to the Great Transaction, or to the relation of
the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to its accomplishment, can be found in
any of the relations of mere creatures to one another, God has
graciously adapted a series of types,historical and ceremonial, to the
illustration of His wondrous plan, and especially to portray the
various aspects of the office and work of Christ. In them the Divine
wisdom is signally displayed, and it is the part of human wisdom to
devote our closest attention to the same. By the typical system, God
was not only educating His people for the "goodthings to come," but
was also preparing human language to be a fit medium for the
revelation of His grace in Christ. It is to the types we must turn if
we would define aright the sacrificial terms of the New Testament.
But an impression obtains in some quarters that instruction by the
types belongs to an inferior dispensation, and was only designed for
the Church in the days of its infancy. Scripture teaches otherwise. It
is true that "the typology of the Pentateuch is the Divine
kindergarten," yet it is also true that "Whatsoever things were
written aforetime were written for our learning" (Rom. 15:4), and that
God's dealings with Israel were "ourtypes" (1 Cor. 10:6 margin). Yea,
so far from the study of the types being an elementary one, Hebrews
5:10-12 shows that they furnish our "strong meat."
While it is true that the "typology of the Pentateuch is the Divine
kindergarten," this does not mean either that the teaching of the
types is to be lightly esteemed, or that the instruction which they
furnish is inferior in quality to that which is given in the Epistles.
No schoolchild is really qualified to take in the teaching of the
higher grades until he is thoroughly familiar with and has more or
less mastered the lessons of the lower grades. So none are fully
equipped to receive the evangelical teachings of the New Testament, if
the key-phrases of the Old Testament types are neglected. Not only has
the sacrificial work of Christ as many aspects as there are great
sacrifices in the Pentateuch, but the doctrinal statements of the
Epistles are frequently couched in the language of the types, and can
only be rightly interpreted in the light which they furnish.
"A typeis something emblematic or symbolic, used to express, embody,
represent or forecast, some person, truth or event. It is an image or
similitude of something else, sustaining to doctrinal teaching some
such relation as a picture does to a precept or promise, representing
to the eye or imagination a concept addressed to the ear or
understanding. It is one of the most frequent forms of figurative
teaching in Scripture, but being sometimes more obscure than obvious
demands keener insight and closer study" (A. T. Pierson). The types
were prophecies, forecasts of things to come, and therefore do they
furnish one of the most striking and conclusive proofs of the Divine
inspiration of the Scriptures, for only He who knew the end from the
beginning could have so accurately, so fully, and so marvelously
anticipated and adumbrated Calvary thousands of years before Christ
died.
"The Old Testament types were a mode of instruction of the way in
which God was to be approached, and were peculiarly suited to the
human mind struggling with a sense of guilt; and they have furnished
to the Church of all times, a vocabulary or nomenclature, without
which men could not with sufficient precision have been able to hold
intercourse with each other on the subject of the Atonement. It
deserves special notice that prophecy and the sacrifices are always
found together, and throw light upon each other; and that they run in
parallel lines through the entire Old Testament economy. Nay, the
sacrifices may be regarded as a sort of prophecy, or a guarantee to
which the veracity of God was pledged, for the shadow must one day be
a reality" (Geo. Smeaton). "Atype is a prophetic symbol,and since
prophecy is the prerogative of Him who sees the end from the
beginning, a real type, implying as it does a knowledge of the
Reality, can only proceed from God" (Liddon's Bampton Lectures).
The Old Testament types supply incontrovertible evidence that the
Gospel was no novel invention of New Testament times. When the risen
Savior would make known to His disciples the meaning of His death, we
read that, "Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto
them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself" (Luke
24:27). So far from the evangel of the apostle's being any
(absolutely) new thing, every element in it was revealed long
centuries before their birth, not only in words, but in visible
representations: there was both a wondrous anticipation of and
preparation for the Gospel. Thus a reverent contemplation of the types
supplies a blessed confirmation of faith, for they attest the Divine
authorship of both Testaments. Moreover, they stimulate adoration;
even when we know a person, we enjoy looking at his picture; so here.
It is Christ that is before us in them.
The Divine origin of sacrifice is self-evident. Whoever would have
dreamed of the device of offering animal sacrifices to God as a method
of acceptable worship? That Abel should have "brought of the
firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof" (Gen. 4:4), can only
be satisfactorily accounted for on the ground that he knew this was
what God required from him. And this is precisely what the New
Testament affirms: Hebrews 11:4 declares that it was "by faith" that
Abel offered his sacrifice, and Romans 10:17 says "faith cometh by
hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Thus, Abel had received a
revelation from God, and believing what he had "heard," acted
accordingly. Moreover, the acceptance of Abel's sacrifice by a Divine
testimony of approval (Gen. 4:4), which, no doubt, was given by the
descent of consuming fire from heaven - Leviticus 9:24; Judges 6:21; 1
Kings 18:38 - intimate the same thing. That solemn testimony of
reception would only have terrified the offerer, had he himself
invented this mode of worship! "The lightning shooting round the
altar, and consuming the victim, would have conveyed the impression of
an angry God: how, then, could they have apprehended by this means
that they were reconciled? How could they have known without a Divine
revelation that this consuming fire was a token of Divine
acceptance?"(G. Smeaton).
The great sacrifice of Christ was foreshadowed from the beginning. He
who predestinated the salvation of His elect, did also appoint the
means thereto: the Lamb was "foreordained before the foundation of the
world" (1 Pet. 1:20). Then what memorial could be devised more
opposite than that of animal sacrifices? By such a means was
exemplified the death which had been denounced upon man's
disobedience, and in the shedding of the victim's blood and the
violent character of its death, was portrayed something of the
awfulness of that death which was the "wages of sin." At the same time
a fit representation was also made of that death that was to be
undergone by the Redeemer, and thus there was connected in one view
the two cardinal facts in the history of men - the fall and recovery
from it. The Old Testament sacrifices were a "showing forth of the
Lord's death" till He came.
It is both important and blessed to note that the Gospel-covenant was
revealed by God immediately after the Fall. The promise that the
woman's Seed should bruise the serpent's head (Gen. 3:15) and the
institution of the types (Gen. 3:21), were to the very end that faith
and hope might be preserved in what God had so graciously purposed.
God did not leave even our first parents in ignorance of His merciful
designs, but made known the nature of His eternal counsels. Soon
after, a further revelation was made unto Cain and Abel, and still
later to others. The infinite wisdom of God so contrived the types
that they might in the most intelligible manner (that material things
can describe spiritual) signify the Redeemer, and life and salvation
through Him. "From the time of the Fall, there has been but one way
open to Heaven, and that was through Christ; and all believers, before
and under the law, hoped for pardon of sin and salvation through Him.
In hopes of that pardon and salvation they observed the typical
services" (W. Romaine).
That the Old Testament saints perceived something at least of the
mystical and spiritual meaning of the types is clear from a number of
passages; that they had a much clearer and fuller apprehension of them
than is commonly supposed, is the writer's firm conviction. The Lord
Jesus declared that "Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw, and
was glad" (John 8:56) Hebrews 11:13 tells us that the patriarchs
confessed themselves to be "strangers and pilgrims on the earth,"
which shows they knew that their true "inheritance" was in Heaven;
while Hebrews 11:14, 16 expressly states they sought and desired "an
heavenly" country. Job said, "I know that my Redeemer liveth" (19:25),
and the Hebrew word there for "Redeemer" signifies one who is a
redeemer by right of affinity or kinship - not only a Redeemer in act,
but in office. So also David acknowledged, "my flesh longeth for thee.
. . to see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the
sanctuary" (Ps. 63:2), that is, by means of the figures and shadows of
the vessels of the tabernacle and the Levitical services and
sacrifices.
"First the blade, then the ear and then the full corn in the ear"
enunciates one of the principles of Divine work in everything, the
types not excepted. The further we proceed, the profounder their
meaning, and the fuller their detail. In the Divine clothing of our
first parents with "coats of skins" (Gen. 3:21), there were
illustrated the facts that: fallen man needed an external covering to
fit him to stand before God; that he could not produce this by his own
labors; that the life of an innocent victim must be taken, in order to
provide a suitable covering for him; that God Himself must provide it.
In the offering of Abel and God's acceptance of the same (Gen. 4:4),
we learn that God can only regard any sinner with favor by virtue of
his acceptance in Christ. The Divine origin of sacrifices is again
intimated in that before flesh was eaten by man, the distinction
between clean and unclean animals was quite familiar (Gen. 8:20). The
power of an accepted sacrifice to remove the Divine curse was plainly
signified in Genesis 8:21. The principle of substitution was
strikingly manifested in Genesis 22:13.
What may be termed the first great sacrifice was the "Passover,"
recorded in Exodus 12. There we behold the efficacy of the Lamb's
precious blood to deliver those sheltering beneath it from that
judgment of God which their sins deserved. What virtue, an infidel
might ask, had the blood of a poor animal to secure the life of
Israel's first-born from the sword of a mighty and invisible angel?
Was the blood on the door a necessary mark for the angel, because he
had not understanding enough to distinguish between the houses of
Egyptians and Israelites? Could not God have signified His pleasure to
the angel without such a mark as that? The answer to these, and all
such questions is, God's design was to furnish a type of Christ,and
instruct the faith of His people in things to come.
The following is a bare outline of the point in the Passover-type
which may be profitably studied by the reader. First, Divine judgment
was pronounced: "all the firstborn [the representative of the family]
in [not 'of] the land of Egypt shall die" (Ex. 11:5). Second, God "put
a difference between the Egyptians and Israel" so that not one of His
own people were hurt (Ex. 11:7). Third, not by Israel's choice or
Moses recommendation, but by Divine appointment every Israelitish
household was to take an unblemished lamb, kill it, and apply its
blood to the outside of his house (Ex. 12:3-7). Fourth, the Divine
promise was, "when I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Ex. 12:13).
Fifth, the angel entered not such houses, for death had already done
its work there - a substitute had been slain. Here is
redemption;deliverance from judgment.
At Sinai God made known His will much more fully respecting the
sacrifices which He required. A great deal of instruction therein is
to be found in the first seven chapters of Leviticus, into most of
which we cannot now enter: much deeply important teaching is to be
found therein in a typical form. The Levitical sacrifices emphasized
the enormity of sin and the punishment which must be visited upon it,
as well as set forth the dependence of the forgiving grace of God on
an expiatory offering. Under the Mosaic economy an elaborate system
was developed to show that in many ways man offends God and is worthy
of death. The sacrifices vividly evidenced the fact that the Divine
punishment incurred was inevitable, yet that that punishment could be
borne by a substitute, and on that ground the offender could be
restored to favor. The principal thing they were designed to exhibit
was the indispensable necessity of atonement by vicarious expiation:
the one great truth they illustrated was that God could not sacrifice
His holiness to His love.
That the Mosaic sacrifices all pointed forward to Christ and had their
end in Him, was evidenced by the fact that very soon after He had come
and shed His blood, God caused the shadows to pass away. Within a very
few years the temple was destroyed, and with it all the Jewish
sacrifices ceased. And though a century or two later Julian the
Apostate gave the Jews permission to rebuild their temple, and that
for the very purpose of restoring the ancient rites, yet God from
Heaven blasted all their attempts in a miraculous and extraordinary
manner.
The Levitical sacrifices made clear to men the ground on which the
Divine pardon could be obtained. It was not an act of absolute mercy,
nor was it bestowed on the sole condition of penitence, but on the
consideration of something quite distinct from both. "And it shall be,
when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that he shall confess
that he hath sinned in that thing. And he shall bring his trespass
offering unto the Lord for his sin. . . and the priest shall make an
atonement for him concerning his sin. . . and it shall be forgiven
him" (Lev. 5:5,6, 10). If we compare these verses with Leviticus
17:11, which informs us that "itis the blood which maketh an atonement
for the soul," then the proof is conclusive that the sacrifice
presented by the offender was the appointed means of obtaining
forgiveness for his transgression.
The burnt offering (Lev. 1) and the sin offering (Lev. 4) claim
particular attention, for not only were they the most important
sacrifices of the Levitical dispensation (as Psalm 40:6 intimates),
but they represented the sufferings of our great High Priest under two
distinct aspects. The burnt offering principally shows Christ as He
was to God, the sin offering as He is to men. In both He was
represented as a sin-bearer, for in both of these sacrifices transfer
was made of sin by the priest laying his hand on the head of the
victim (Lev. 1:4; 4:4); in both the victim's blood was shed and
sprinkled (Lev. 1:5; 4:4-6); in both atonement was made for sin (1:4;
4:20); and both were burnt, either wholly or in part upon the altar
(1:9; 4:9, 10). These points of union were sufficiently close to show
that they corresponded in representing the sacrifice offered by our
High Priest on the cross.
But there were also distinctive differences between them of a
character sufficiently marked to show that they represented Christ's
sacrifice under different aspects. Thus, the burnt offering was
voluntary (Lev. 1:2,3), the sin offering compulsory (Lev. 4:2,3). The
burnt offering was flayed, cut into pieces, and the inwards and legs
washed in water; but none of these three things were required of the
sin offering. The blood of the burnt offering was merely sprinkled
round about upon the altar (1:11), but the blood of the sin offering
was put upon the horns of the altar, sprinkled seven times before the
Lord, before the veil of the sanctuary, and poured out at the bottom
of the altar of burnt offering (4:6,7). Other differences we now pass
over, desiring to direct attention merely to the first one mentioned.
The voluntariness of Christ's death is clearly brought out in Psalm
40:7,8 and Ephesians 5:25; John 10:17,18 also shows He freely laid
down His life for His sheep. But, when in the councils of eternity,
ratified by the everlasting covenant "ordered in all things and sure,"
Christ had undertaken to be our Surety, then what was before purely
free and voluntary became in a sense compulsory.Just as when God binds
Himself by oath, He is obliged to fulfill His word, so Christ once He
had bound Himself to stand in His peoples' place and stead, was no
longer free - though, not that He wished to be free. Just as the type
was bound with cords "unto the horns of the altar" (Ps. 118:27), so
Christ was held fast to the Cross not only by love to His people,
which floods could not quench, but by His own eternal
covenant-engagement.
The substitution of Christ in the sinner's place was most distinctly
shown in the types, particularly in the sin offering. Before the
animal was slaughtered, the sacrificing priest laid his hand upon its
head (Lev. 4:3,4). That act represented the transferring of sin from
the transgressor to the victim (Lev. 16:21): it identified the one
with the other. It showed the substitution of the victim for the
offender, and declared by a visible sign that it bare his sins and
endured his death-penalty. In this way was the solemn yet blessed
truth of imputation foreshadowed. It was because God transferred to
Christ the guilt of His elect, constituting Him "sin for us," that the
sword of Divine justice smote Him as He bare our sins in His own body
on (or "to") the tree.
The most important of all the types is that which is found in
Leviticus 16: the appointed ritual for the great day of atonement. The
type of Leviticus 16 goes much farther than does the one in Exodus 12:
the Passover illustrated the redemptive character of Christ's
sacrifice; that of Leviticus 16 its propitiatory nature. In Exodus 12
we see the blood sheltering from judgment those who are under it; in
the early chapters of Leviticus, we see the power of the blood
restoring to communion the penitent transgressor; but in Leviticus 16
we behold the blood opening a way into the very presence of God,
entitling the penitent and believing worshipper to come with boldness
unto His very throne.
By a careful comparison of Deuteronomy 27 and Leviticus 16 we may
discover how the law was, and still is, a "schoolmaster" unto Christ
(Gal. 3:24). In the former chapter, we see that the law demanded
implicit and complete obedience to its demands (v. 10); and how that
the Levites pronounced with "aloud voice" a curse on the transgressor
of it (vv. 14, 15). That curse was repeated twelve times, according to
the number of Israel's tribes, and on each pronouncement thereof "all
the people" were required to say "Amen": the final word being "Cursed
be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them" (v.
26)- cf. Galatians 3:10. The law required sinless perfection under the
penalty of eternal damnation, and thus it revealed the imperative need
of an atonement.While in Leviticus 16 we see how that law by its great
sin-offering, with its blood of atonement, pointed forward to Christ.
The sacrificial system of Judaism reached its climax on the great day
of atonement. As the ark was the chief object in the tabernacle, so
the annual Day of propitiation was the chief one in Israel's religious
calendar. On that auspicious occasion the high priest divested himself
of his robes of "glory and beauty" (Exodus 28), and put on "the holy
linen" garments (Lev. 16:4). The spotless white in which he was
clothed spoke of the perfect righteousness of Christ, which, tested as
it was both by man (John 8:46) and Satan (John 14:30), and then
passing through the infinitely searching scrutiny of God under the
fiery trial of the cross, insured the Divine acceptance of that
satisfaction which He made to God on behalf of His people.
Two young goats were selected "for a sin-offering;" though there were
two animals, it was but one offering. Two goats were selected in order
that a fuller representation might be given: the one being designed
more expressly to exhibit the means,the other the effect of the
atonement. They were brought and presented together before the Lord
(v. 7), the Lord determining by lot which of them was to be slain. The
other animal stood by and was atoned for (Hebrew of verse 10) by the
dying victim, and then bore away the sins laid upon it into the land
of eternal forgetfulness (vv. 21,22): a blessed figure of that
remission of our sins when we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ unto
salvation.
Passing by what was done with the bullock, we confine our attention
unto the two goats. After the one had been killed, the high priest
took its blood within the veil and sprinkled it upon the mercy-seat
not once, but seven times "before" Him to provide a perfect standing
ground for His people. The antitype of this is seen in Hebrews 9:12,
"But by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having
obtained eternal redemption" (Heb. 9:12). The consequence of this is
that "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest
by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he hath
consecrated for us" (Heb. 10:19, 20).
After the high priest had finished his work inside the sanctuary, we
are told, "he shall bring the live goat, and Aaron shall lay both his
hands upon the head of the live goat and confess over him all the
iniquities of the children of Israel... and shall send him away by the
hand of a fit man into the wilderness: and the goat shall bear upon
him all their iniquities into a land not inhabited" (vv. 20-22).That
was a continuation and completion of the ceremony concerning the
sin-offering, so that this symbolic transfer of their sins to the head
of the scapegoat, which bore them away, plainly signified that the
atonement effected by the sacrifice of the first goat was the complete
removal of all their transgressions from before the face of God.
"And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and
shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into
the holy place, and shall leave them there" (Lev. 16:23). Why? To
denote that his work was finished.The blessed antitype of this we see
in Luke 24:12: on the resurrection morning, those who came to Christ's
empty sepulcher "beheld the linen clothes"lying there, a token that He
was risen from the dead, and so of atonement completed, and accepted
by God.
One other important feature in the types, often overlooked, claims our
notice, namely, the burning of the victim's body on the altar (Lev.
1:10 etc.). The animal was first slain as a just judgment for the sin
which had been transferred to it by the laying on its head of the hand
of the offerer; and then, after guilt had been borne, its flesh was
laid on the altar and burned, and went up with acceptance unto God, a
"sweet-smelling savor." In this was represented the glorious truth
that, not only was Christ our sin-bearer, but that He is also our
righteousness before God (Jer. 23:6; 2 Cor. 5:21). We are identified
with Him not only in His death for us, but also in the fragrance of it
before God.
In Numbers 19 there is yet another most important type upon which we
can only now say a few words. In it we see how the death of Christ has
made full provision for those defilements which His people contract
while passing through this evil world. In it too we behold again the
steady progress in the types, and the deeper instruction which God
gave to Israel from time to time. They were yet in the land of Pharaoh
when the passover was instituted: the doom of Egypt and their own
deliverance therefrom were the thoughts then presented to their souls.
Later, they were brought nigh to God, Himself tabernacling in their
midst, and in Leviticus 16 they are shown the high demands of His
holiness. Now in Numbers 19, they are taught that even the unavoidable
contact with death (the world lying in the Wicked one) defiles. But
God has provided cleansing from it.
In closing, we call attention to one other deeply important value of
the types and the use to which they may be put: they furnish an
infallible rule by which can be tested any man's (our own included)
interpretation of the New Testament Scriptures concerning the
Atonement! He who denies the penal and vicarious nature of Christ's
death, repudiates the clear testimony of the types; he who sets aside
the efficacy of His sacrifice by reducing it to a merely "making
possible" the salvation of men does likewise, for the types know
nothing of an ineffectual sacrifice. So too in them we see plainly the
limitation of God's love to His elect people, for no lamb was provided
for the Egyptians, nor did Aaron make any atonement for the sins of
the Midianites and Ammonites!
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A. W. Pink Header
The Satisfaction of Christ
Studies in the Atonement
by A. W. Pink
22. Its Proclamation
_________________________________________________________________
We have now arrived at what is, from some standpoints, the most
difficult aspect of our subject. Exactly what is it which the servant
of God ought to preach? Or, more specifically, what constitutes the
main item in his message to the unsaved, and in what is he to instruct
the saints? To many it appears that he who clearly apprehends the
limitation of God's love to His elect, and the satisfaction of Christ
being made for them only, is to be fettered in the preaching of the
Gospel; yea, not a few suppose that if a preacher really believes such
doctrines as these, he will have no message at all for the unsaved.
But such is far from being the case: those who draw such conclusions
err grievously. No honest mind can ponder the epistles of Paul without
seeing that he believed firmly in the sovereign love and
discriminating grace of God, and the restricted design of the
atonement; yet none can read through the Acts without discovering that
the same Paul was a most zealous evangelist and preached a Gospel
which was as free as the air we breathe.
That Christ died only for those who shall be infallibly saved, is a
doctrine which seems to have an adverse bearing 'towards the world at
large, and to embarrass the free proclamation of the Gospel. A feeling
arises that there is something very much like an inconsistency or
incompatibility between the restricted design and efficacy of the
Great Propitiation to a predetermined and limited number of the race,
and the commission which Christ has given to His servants. In seeking
to grapple with this difficulty, let us begin by inquiring, Is an
unlimited atonement necessary in order to warrant ministers of the
Gospel tendering Divine pardon to all men without exception, and
inviting and exhorting them to come to Christ? In seeking answer to
this question, it should be evident that our conduct in preaching the
Gospel and addressing our fellowmen with a view to their salvation,
should not be regulated by any inferences of our own from the nature
and extent of the provision actually made for saving them, but is to
be governed solely by the instructions which God has given.It is not
for us to reason and argue, but to obey.
The commission which Christ has given to His servants is too plain to
be misunderstood. They are commanded to "preach the Gospel to every
creature" (Mark 16:15). They are required to proclaim to their
fellow-men, of whatever character, and in all variety of
circumstances, glad tidings of great joy. They are bidden to preach
"repentance and remission of sins" in His name "among all nations"
(Luke 24:47). They are enjoined to say, "Allthings are ready, come
unto the marriage," and to go forth into the very highways, and as
many as they shall find "bid to the marriage" (Matthew 22:4,9). They
are to invite men to come to Christ, and beseech their hearers to be
"reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:20). They are to freely announce that,
"TheGospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to every one
that believeth"(Rom. 1:16), and that "whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom. 10:13). Nothing could be
clearer than this, and no philosophical reasonings or theological
sophistries must be allowed to negative their marching-orders.
God's revealed will is our only rule to walk by, and must ever be held
as sufficient warrant for all that we do. In seeking to know our duty
as to whom we should preach and as to what we are to say unto our
fellow-men, Holy Writ is to be our sole guide and authority.
Denominational customs, creedal prejudices, the example of eminent
preachers, are no criterion at all. "Tothe Law and to the Testimony"
(Isa. 8:20), must be our one and only recourse. Our business is to
"preach the Word" (2 Tim. 4:2), leaving God to apply it according to
His eternal purpose. We are to "sowbeside all waters" (Isa. 32:20).
Thus our duty is clearly defined. Like the Sower in the parable
(Matthew 13), we are to scatter the Seed on the stony as well as on
the good ground.
The servants of God are to "preach the Gospel" (Mark 16:15), which is
a proclamation of mercy through Christ. The Gospel is a Divine
revelation of the way of salvation by free grace through the Lord
Jesus. It announces deliverance from condemnation and the bestowment
of eternal life upon all who comply with its terms. The Gospel
presents not a system of philosophy, but the person of the God-man as
the Object of faith.It makes known how the thrice holy God may be just
and yet the Justifier of lawbreaking sinners. The things of our
eternal concernment are therein proposed to us. A compliance with this
Divine revelation is made of "repentance toward God and faith toward
our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21). Remission of sins is freely
promised to all who thus comply with it. But it also implies and
denounces tidings of the very opposite nature to all who neglect it:
"he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:16); "the Lord Jesus
shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire
taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the
Gospel"(2 Thess. 1:7, 8).
Now in preaching the Gospel to a single individual (which is, usually,
more difficult than preaching to a crowd) it is in nowise necessary to
say to him, Christ died for you, He bore your sins on the Cross.
Neither the Lord Jesus nor the apostles adopted such a mode of
procedure. Take one pertinent illustration from each of them. In His
discourse to Nicodemus, Christ did not say, "As Moses lifted up the
serpent in the wilderness even so shall the Son of man be lifted up
for you, "but" even so shall the Son of man be lifted up that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish" (John 3:14), thus
pressing the responsibility of His hearer. So too when the Philippian
jailer cried, "What must I do to be saved?" Paul said, "Believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ," but he did not add "who died for you."It is not
until after we have truly believed, that we learn we are among that
favored company for whom the incarnate Son shed His precious blood.
The Gospel declares that "Christ died for the ungodly" (Rom. 5:6), and
that the most ungodly wretch there is out of Hell who repents and
believes shall be saved. "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all
acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"(1
Tim. 1:15), yea, even the "chief" of sinners. That great fact supplies
a warrant to preach the Gospel unto all men, but it is only as the
individual sinner believes on Christ it becomes known that Christ died
for him.Thus, to preach the Gospel to every creature and call on them
to believe and be saved, is quite consistent, for it is a
Divinely-revealed truth that "whosoever believeth" shall be saved! Any
man who experiences a difficulty in freely preaching the Gospel
because he cannot announce that Christ died for every individual of
the human race, does not clearly understand what the "Gospel"is. The
Gospel message is that Christ died for the most guilty who repent and
believe.
Nor is God guilty of the slightest deception in sending forth His
servants to tender salvation to all sinners on the terms that they
repent and believe, for He is true to His Word. He does save every
sinner who complies with His terms; nor does He withhold His Spirit
from any who truly desire Him to work in them a saving repentance and
faith.
The ground on which a sinner is bidden to believe unto the saving of
his soul is neither God's decree of election, nor that Christ died for
him in particular, but the plain declaration of the Gospel itself,
namely, "hethat believeth and is baptized shall be saved" (Mark
16:16). It cannot be said too emphatically that the only warrant for
personal faith in Christ which any man has, is that which the
indiscriminate commands, invitations and promises of the Gospel hold
forth. If we were assured of the absolute universality of redemption,
or if we were permitted to read every name recorded in the Lamb's book
of life, the case would be no plainer and more certain than it now is.
The One who "cannot lie" most solemnly declares that "whosoever
believeth" in His Son shall not perish, but have everlasting life.
Christ Himself expressly announces, "him that cometh unto me I will in
no wise cast out" (John 6:37). Any other warrant than this would be
entirely inconsistent with the nature of faith:to demand it is sheer
rebellion.
Neither God's sovereign foreordination of an elect company unto
salvation, nor the limitation of Christ's atonement to that company,
in anywise alters the fact or militates against the truth of the
indiscriminate tender of pardon which is made by and through the
Gospel. It is every man's duty to "repent and believe the Gospel." It
is God's gracious purpose to receive and save all who do thus repent
and believe. The proclamation which God is making through the Gospel
is real and sincere. The reason why so many do not benefit from that
proclamation and avail themselves of its proffered mercy, is their own
willful refusal of it. The door of Divine mercy stands wide open: over
its portals stands written "whosoever will may come." If those invited
insist upon making "excuse" then their blood is upon their own heads.
Their very refusal to come to Christ that they "might have life" (John
5:40) only makes manifest the inveteracy of their sin, and will yet
most fully justify the righteous judgment of God in the day to come -
Psalm 51:4; Matthew 22:12; Romans 3:19.
"Anindiscriminate offer of an interest in the Atonement has been made
for two thousand years since Christ died. But remember that the same
indiscriminate offer was made for four thousand years before He died!
The offer then was that if men would 'believe' upon a Christ to be
sacrificed hereafter they should be saved. Now, is it sense or
nonsense to believe that at the end of those four thousand years
Christ died for the purpose of saving those who had already rejected
Him, and who had consequently gone to their own place? Would it not
have met the precise case of all who lived on earth before His advent
if He had promised them that at the end of time He would die to save
all those who had previously believed? Would there have been any
propriety in His promising to die also for those who had previously
rejected His kind offers and been lost? As far as the design of the
Atonement, the purpose to be attained by His death, is concerned, what
conceivable difference does it make whether the sacrifice of Christ be
offered at the beginning, the middle, or the end of human history? If
He had died at the end, He certainly could not die for those who had
previously rejected His offers and perished therefore. And since He
did die in the middle, why may not the Gospel be offered on the same
terms to all men, as well after as before His death?
"The only difficulty lies in the fact that finite creatures are
utterly unable to comprehend the sovereign will and the unchangeable
all-knowledge of God, which absolutely shuts out all contingency in
relation to the hopes, the fears, the doubts, the responsibilities,
the struggles, of human beings. Events are contingent in themselves.
But there is no contingency in relation to the Divine purpose. One
event is conditioned in the Divine decree. God's purpose, His design
of redemption, like every other Divine purpose, is timeless. What has
been and what will be, who have believed and who will believe, are all
the same to Him. To Him the believers and the elect are identical. His
design in the Atonement may with absolute indifference be stated
either as a design to save the elect, or as a design to save all who
have believed or who would believe on His Son" (A. A. Hodge).
"The preachers of the Gospel in their particular congregations, being
utterly unacquainted with the purpose and secret counsel of God, being
also forbidden to pry or search into it (Deuteronomy 29:29) may from
hence justifiably call upon every man to believe, with assurance of
salvation to every one in particular upon his so doing, knowing and
being fully persuaded of this, that there is enough in the death of
Christ to save every one that shall so do; leaving the purpose and
counsel of God, on whom He will bestow faith, and for whom in
particular Christ died (even as they are commanded), to Himself" (J.
Owen).
Nothing but confusion can disturb our minds if we fail to distinguish
sharply between God's eternal purpose and man's present duty: the two
things are quite distinct, and have no connection between them. The
purpose or decree of God is not the rule of our duty, nor is the
performance of our duty in doing what we are commanded any declaration
of God's eternal counsels that it should be done. There is no sequel
between the universal precepts of the Word and God's purpose in
Himself concerning specific persons. The business of the preacher is
to urge the fact that God "nowcommandeth all men every where to
repent" (Acts 17:30), leaving it with the Spirit to work a saving
repentance in whom He pleases. When I tell an individual sinner,
"Thisis His command, that we should believe on the name of His Son
Jesus Christ" (1 John 3:23), I know not whether God has decreed to
work a saving faith in him, nor is that any of my business; my duty is
to discharge the commission Christ has given me, and the duty of my
hearers is to comply with God's demands. God Himself will see to the
accomplishment of His foreordination.
Coming now to a closer answer to the questions raised at the beginning
of this chapter: the supreme business of God's servants is to preach
Christ.Now to do this there must be a Scriptural setting forth of His
glorious person, as the eternal Son, the Maker of heaven and earth.
There must be an exposition of His two natures: His absolute Deity,
His holy humanity. There must be an explanation of His offices: a
Prophet to reveal the will of God, a Priest to offer Himself a
sacrifice to God, a King to rule over the people of God. There must be
a declaration of the two states in which He exercises His offices.
First of humiliation: His condescension in becoming flesh, the reasons
for this, and the glorious consequences of it. Second, His
glorification: His exaltation to the right hand of God, His headship
over the Church, His intercessory ministry. But supremely, there must
be the preaching of His obedience to the law, His perfect
righteousness, His vicarious death, the all-sufficiency of His merits
to those who trust in Him.
"Idetermined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and
him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2). We are not only to open up the mystery of
His person, the manifold glories of His many offices, the perfections
of His character, but, above all, we are to expound the meaning of the
Cross. It is only by dwelling much on the varied significations of
Calvary that the truth can be fully told out, whether the sinfulness
of man's sin, or the greatness of God's love. To illustrate the
various aspects of the sacrificial work of the Redeemer, a close study
needs to be given to and then a free use made of the Old Testament
types.
But it is not sufficient to barely "preach" Christ, there must also be
an application,made of what is revealed in Scripture concerning Him to
the use of God's people, that their hearts may be drawn out to Him,
and that they may see their interest in Him. To "preach" is to woo.The
servant of God is not only an advocate pleading his Master's cause,
refuting the objections of opposers, but he also is a witness, telling
out of his own experience the preciousness of Christ. Thus he is to
attract, allure and win souls to Him. That which best fits any
minister to "preach" Christ is to himself walk and commune with Him!A
part of some of the typical sacrifices was reserved as a feast for the
offerer and his friends. So we must teach the saints to look away from
self to Christ, to feed on Him, to live by Him, to be occupied with
His perfections.
Because men are by nature opposed to Christ, the servant of God must
needs begin with the Law,so as to discover to them the dreadful state
they are in. The claims of God upon us as His creatures must be
pressed. The perfect and constant obedience which He requires from man
must be clearly set forth. Then the utter failure of man to meet God's
righteous claims upon him, and the exceeding sinfulness of his
disobedience. A way must be made for the Gospel, by showing and
convincing people that they are out of Christ, under the condemnation
of a holy God, and of themselves utterly unable to liquidate their
debts. The ministry of John the Baptist must precede that of Christ!
The contents of Romans 1:18 to 3:20 must be stressed before the good
news of Romans 3:21-26 is proclaimed. What need of a physician till we
know we are sick? What need of a Savior till we know we are lost? What
need of Christ to cleanse till we see our filthy defilement?
At the outset, the preacher needs to recognize and realize that "The
carnal mind is enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7). No arguments of his can
overcome, no inducements melt the heart of stone. Paul may plant, and
Apollos may water, but God only can give the "increase." Nothing short
of the supernatural working of the Spirit can bring a sinner to
Christ. Therefore both the preacher and his Christian hearers need to
be much in prayer, seeking the Holy Spirit's grace and power to
quicken, convict and convert the lost. We are fully assured that one
principal reason why there are so few genuine conversions today, is
because there is so little real and importunate praying unto God.
"We are to dwell largely on the being and perfections of God, and our
original obligations to Him, who is by nature our Creator. We are
particularly to explain the nature and reasonableness of the Divine
law, and to answer the sinner's objections against it. We are to
exhibit to his view the sin which he stands charged with in the Divine
law, and the curse he is under for it, and the only way of obtaining
pardon through the blood of Christ. In a word, we are to open to his
view the whole plan of the Gospel, the infinite riches of God's grace,
the nature and sufficiency of Christ's atonement, the readiness of God
to forgive repenting sinners who come to Him in the name of Christ,
the calls and invitations of the Gospel, the dreadfulness of eternal
misery in the lake of fire and brimstone; the glory and blessedness of
the heavenly state, the shortness and uncertainty of time, the worth
of his soul, the dangers which attend him, from the world, the flesh
and the devil, the inexcusable guilt of final impenitence," etc. (Jos.
Bellamy, 1759).
It is most important for us to recognize and constantly bear in mind
the fact that the Gospel is addressed to the sinner's
responsibility.It is true from one viewpoint that the Gospel comes to
men who are not on probation, but under God's condemnation, yet from
another viewpoint (equally true) it is delivered to their
accountability. It bids men to be reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:20), by
which is meant, the throwing down of the weapons of their warfare
against Him. It calls upon them to "forsake" their way and thoughts
and return unto the Lord, and announces to all who do so that He will
"have mercy upon" them (Isa. 55:7). It bids them "Repent and be
converted," which means a right-about-face, a turning from sin and
self-pleasing unto God, and this, in order that their "sins may be
blotted out" (Acts 3:19). It commands all men to believe in Christ and
receive Him as their Lord. It announces that failure to believe is
adding sin to sin and increasing their condemnation (John 3:18).
The preaching of the Gospel is both a declaration of God's revealed
will to pardon all who comply with its terms, and an insistence upon
the duty devolving on all who hear it. The business of Christ's
servants is to present what Scripture teaches concerning the salvation
of men and the way which God has ordained in order to their obtaining
of it. We are constantly to press the fact that God has inseparably
connected salvation with repentance and faith. Many today are laboring
under the delusion that the only relation between God and men is that
of Creditor and debtors, and that Christ paid the whole debt, and
therefore none are under any obligations of duty,and that all God now
requires from any sinner is for him to believe that Christ has done
all, and that faith is merely and simply a resting and relying in that
fact. But such a concept is a fatal delusion, and grossly dishonoring
to God.
The God of the New Testament is not another God from Him who is
revealed in the Old Testament! God is there set forth as the Lawgiver,
as the Ruler over all, requiring perfect conformity to His demands.
Now those requirements of God were neither unjust nor tyrannical, but
instead, righteous and merciful. Nor did Christ come here to abrogate
the law, but rather to "magnify the law, and make it honorable" (Isa.
42:21). And when the Holy Spirit begins a saving work in the soul, He
presses the requirements of God's law, convicts of failure to meet
those requirements, and produces a deep and lasting sorrow for such
failure. Further, He creates in the heart which He renews a love for
the law (Rom. 7:22) and a holy longing and determination to please and
serve God. Thus, the work of the Spirit in those who are truly saved
is not to the setting aside of that duty which every man owes to God -
his Maker, Sustainer, and Governor - but is the imparting of a delight
unto and power for the performance of that duty!
Thus the first duty of the evangelist is to call upon all men to
repent:see Mark 1:15. This is his very commission from Christ: see
Luke 24:47. It was thus that Peter (Acts 2:38; 3:19) and Paul
evangelized: see Acts 17:30; 20:21. Our business is to show why God
requires this repentance, namely, for us to acknowledge the
righteousness of His claims upon us. Our business is to show what
repentance consists of: see Proverbs 28:13; Acts 3:19; 1 Thessalonians
1:9; etc. Our business is to emphasize the fact that God never has and
never will pardon any sinner until he does repent: see Leviticus
23:29; 26:40-42; 1 Kings 8:46-50; Psalm 32:3-5; Jeremiah 4:4; Ezekiel
18:30-32; Luke 5:32; 13:3; Acts 3:19; 11:18; 2 Corinthians 7:10.
The next great duty of the evangelist is to call on his hearers to
"believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." That this call may be something
much more than a mere uttering of the word "Believe!", "Believe!" we
must carefully define and explain what saving faith consists of. That
it is, First, a sincere renunciation of all other ways and means of
salvation: Acts 4:12. Second, that it is the free and full consent of
the heart to God's way of salvation: Romans 10:9. Third, that it is a
personal trusting in Christ and relying upon the sufficiency of His
satisfaction unto God: Acts 16:31. Saving faith is more than a bare
belief of the Truth. The dying Israelites might have been fully
assured that a look at the brazen serpent would give healing, but
until they actually "looked," in full confidence in God's promise,
they had not benefited one whit!
None receive a soul-freeing discharge from the power and penalty of
sin till they believe in Christ. Though the law of God has been
satisfied and every demand of His justice met as to the sins of the
elect, yet this has not hindered God from ascribing such a way for
their coming to Him as is suited to the exalting of His glory and the
honor of Christ. This the Spirit accomplishes by preparing the soul of
the sinner for the enjoyment of God, and that, by the "law of faith."
The benefits of Christ's death are only applied when we believe. The
personal state of those for whom He shed His blood is not actually
changed by His death itself, for they still lie under the curse whilst
they are unregenerate (Eph. 2:3). That which Christ has procured for
His own is left in the hands of the Father, for Him to bestow when He
sees fit. Repentance and faith are necessary not to add anything to
Christ's atonement, nor to merit forgiveness, but only to the actual
receiving of it.
That which God calls the sinner to "believe" is the Gospel.The first
act of faith does not consist in believing that Christ died for me,
but that He died for sinners.Christ is presented as an Object of
faith. TheGospel announces that the Lord Jesus stands ready to receive
every sinner who will throw down the arms of his rebellion, and trust
in Him alone for salvation. As I do this, and am saved by Him, I
obtain clear evidence of my election unto salvation: John 6:37; 2
Thessalonians 2:13. The business of the preacher is not to "offer"
Christ to sinners, but to "preach"Him, expounding the doctrine of the
Gospel. Our duty is to give the general call; the Holy Spirit will see
to its effectual application unto God's elect.
The Gospel is a Divine fan: by it the wheat is separated from the
chaff. "The Gospel is addressed equally to the seed of the woman and
the seed of the serpent. To the one it is the savor of life - to the
other the savor of death; hence it is depicted as a two-edged sword,
proceeding out of the Redeemer's mouth. It resembles the pillar
interposed between the Egyptians and Israel: 'It was a cloud and
darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these.' 'If our
Gospel,' says the apostle, 'be hid, it is hidden to them that are
lost'; if men receive not the atonement made upon Calvary, as the only
ground of their hope - if they do not take shelter under the Savior's
wings, then 'there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain
fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation,' which shall
devour them as the implacable enemies of God" (James Haldane).
While pressing on all their bounden duty to repent and believe, let
not the servant of God be slack in plainly teaching that both
repentance and faith are Divine gifts:Ephesians 2:8,9; Acts 5:31. The
natural man can no more savingly repent and believe than he can create
a world. John 6:44. "Wemay as well melt a flint, or turn a stone to
flesh, as repent in our own strength. It is far above the power of
nature, nay, most contrary to it. How can we hate sin, which naturally
we love above all? forsake that which is as dear as ourselves? it is
the almighty power of Christ which only can do this: we must rely on,
seek to Him for it: Jeremiah 31:18; Lamentations 5:21" (D. Clarkson,
1690).
Finally, let the servant of God see to it that his zeal in preaching
the Gospel to the unsaved, does not cause him to withhold from "the
children" their needed bread.The reprobate may vomit it out, but the
regenerate will be nourished thereby. Every preacher is under bonds to
see to it that, at the close of his pastorate he can say, "Ihave not
shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God" (Acts 20:27). Only
by so doing will he fulfill his commission, preserve the balance of
Truth, establish God's saints in the faith, and glorify his Master.
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The Satisfaction of Christ
Studies in the Atonement
by A. W. Pink
23. Its Reception
_________________________________________________________________
"What must I do to be saved?" is the earnest and urgent inquiry of one
who has been truly awakened by the Holy Spirit and made to feel his
lost condition and deserts of eternal punishment. Where such an
inquiry is sincerely made, the comforting answer furnished by the
Scripture is simple and plain: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
thou shalt be saved." Yet this does not mean that the preaching of the
Gospel is an easy matter, for which every Christian is qualified. Far,
far from it. From the Divine side, none but those called of God and
supernaturally taught by Him are fitted for such a blessed and solemn
task; from the human side, a life's constant study is required to
prepare a servant of Christ for proclaiming His "unsearchable riches."
Incalculable damage has been wrought by novices running into
evangelical activities without being sent of God. To all such we would
say, "Othat ye would altogether hold your "(Job 13:5).
In the last chapter we sought to indicate, though in little more than
outline form, something of what is comprehended by or included in the
proclamation of the Atonement. Briefly stated it is this: an
exposition and explanation of the teaching of Scripture concerning the
wondrous person of the God-man, of His relation to the Church as
Sponsor and Surety, of His varied offices, of His perfect work; freely
setting Him forth as an all-sufficient Savior, ready to receive any
who truly feel their need of Him and who trust in Him. In this chapter
our aim is to set forth how the virtue of His sacrifice actually
becomes ours, in what way we are made the recipients of those
priceless blessings which He purchased for His people. O may the
Spirit so guide us into the Truth that we may be enabled to treat of
this important section of our subject in such a way as to truly honor
God, edify His people, and help exercise souls.
In taking up the reception of the Atonement two things need to be kept
quite distinct and treated of separately, namely, the operation of the
Spirit, and the act of the awakened sinner. Some of the older writers
distinguished these two things by employing the terms, the application
of the Atonement and the appropriation of it: probably we cannot
improve upon them. The one speaks of the benefits of Christ's
satisfaction being brought to those for whom it was made; the other,
having reference to us laying hold of them and making them ours. It is
much like the two-fold mention of the tabernacle's furniture in
Exodus, or the order of the five great offerings in the opening
chapter of Leviticus. God began with the "ark" (Ex. 25:10), then the
"mercy-seat" (25:17), the "table" (25:23), the "candlestick" (25:31),
and then the "brazen altar" (27:1); but it was the very opposite with
Aaron (the representative of the people): he had to commence at the
altar of sacrifice, and came last of all to the ark. So the Divine
order of the offerings was the burnt, meat, peace, and the sin and
trespass; but as men used them (according to their needs) they had to
begin with the sin-offering.
The great Satisfaction or Atonement originated in the mind of God, and
was formulated in the terms of the everlasting covenant, which was
drawn up between the Father and the Mediator. It was accomplished here
on earth by Christ, the incarnate Son, who by His perfect obedience
and sufferings met every demand of the law and procured the eternal
salvation for that people which had been given to Him and whose
Sponsor He was. It is proclaimed and propounded in the Gospel, and is
expounded by the true servants of the Lord Jesus. The particular
aspect of this mighty theme which is now to engage our attention is,
How is the Atonement made good to those for whom it was offered?
Through what Divinely-appointed channel do the virtues of Christ's
redemptive work actually reach the individual soul? In other words,
what is required before a sinner today Personally receives the saving
benefits of that wondrous transaction which was consummated at the
Cross almost two thousand years ago?
The answer which is now generally returned to this question is, that
it is by means of the Gospel salvation is conveyed to the soul. But
obviously this answer is quite inadequate, for the great majority of
those who hear the glad tidings which are published by the servants of
Christ, are not saved thereby. To some the Gospel is "asavor of life
unto life," to others it is "asavor of death unto death." What, then,
is it which makes the difference? To the Thessalonians Paul wrote,
"For our Gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power,and
in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance"(1 Thess. 1:5). The
reference here is to the gracious and invincible operations of the
third Person of the Trinity. God the Father is the Author of our
salvation; God the Son is the
The imperative need for the work of the Spirit in order to make
effectual the Atonement unto the actual saving of sinners is little
perceived in these degenerate times, even by professing Christians.
That man is a fallen creature is still allowed in some circles, nor
has the term "total depravity" entirely disappeared from present-day
preaching; yet as to the terrible consequences which sin has wrought
in the human constitution, scarcely any now have more than the vaguest
conceptions. So long as a man obeys the laws of his country,
discharges with measurable faithfulness his human obligations, and
does not grossly defy the commandments of God, it is popularly assumed
that there is little wrong with him. That his heart is desperately
wicked, that his mind is filled with enmity against God, that his will
is antagonistic to Him, that he is altogether unconscious of the
deadly virus of sin which has corrupted every part of his inner being,
and which has completely unfitted him for any communion with the
thrice Holy One, is something which is altogether unknown to the vast
majority of those now bearing the name of Christian.
The truth is that the natural man is dead in trespasses and sins.
Because of this he is oblivious to the righteous claims of God upon
him, and therefore knows not that in view of his failure to meet those
claims the wrath of God abides upon him. Because there is no spiritual
life within him, he has no spiritual relish of or appetite for Divine
things, though he may (through religious education) have an
intellectual and theoretical interest in them. Because the natural man
is alienated from the life of God, he is completely under the dominion
of sin, so that the pleasing of self (having his own way) is the
governing principle of his whole life. Tell him that he is on his way
to the everlasting burnings, and that they are his just due, and he
believes it not. Either he thinks that he has done nothing which
deserves such terrible punishment, or he supposes that he has been
"delivered from the wrath to come." Having no spiritual perception,
his understanding being "darkened" (Eph. 4:18), it is impossible that
he should be conscious of his dreadful condition or see his dire need.
Only the Spirit of God can awaken any sinner from the sleep of death:
only He can impart spiritual life to the soul, supernatural light to
the understanding, and sight to the eyes of the heart. This is what He
is sent to do. He is "the Servant" of the Godhead who is here to bring
in "the poor, the maimed, the halt, and the blind." He is the One who
has been given to "compel to come in" that the Father's House may be
filled with the appointed guests (Luke 14:21,23). He compels by His
sweet constraints, making the unwilling willing, creating in their
heart a desire for the Feast, making them to be conscious of their
deep need of the Bread of life. The Holy Spirit is the One who shines
into the sin-darkened mind so that it is made conscious of its
vileness. He is the One who so searches the conscience that the
individual is made to feel he is the greatest sinner out of Hell. He
is the One who subdues the principle of self-love and self-will, so
that the soul is brought into subjection to God. He is the One who
communicates faith, so that the heart is enabled to embrace Christ as
a Personal Lord and Savior.
"The Holy Spirit is as indispensable to your believing, as is Christ
in order to your being pardoned. The Holy Spirit's work is direct and
powerful; and you will not rid yourself of your difficulties by trying
to persuade yourself that His operations are all indirect, and merely
those of a Teacher presenting truth to you. Salvation for the sinner
is Christ's work; salvation in the sinner is the Spirit's work. Of
this internal salvation He is the beginner and the ender. He works in
you, in order to your believing, as truly as He works in you after you
have believed.
"This doctrine, instead of being a discouragement, is one of
unspeakable encouragement to the sinner; and he will acknowledge this,
if he knows himself to be the thoroughly helpless being which the
Bible says he is. If he is not totally depraved, he will feel the
doctrine of the Spirit's work a hindrance, and an insult, no doubt,
just as an able-bodied traveler would feel that you were both
hindering and insulting him, if you told him that he cannot set out on
his journey without taking your arm. But as, in that case, he will be
able to save himself without much assistance, he might just set aside
the Spirit altogether, and work his way to heaven alone! The truth is,
that without the Spirit's direct and almighty help, there could be no
hope for a totally depraved being at all. . .
"If you understand the genuine Gospel in all its freeness, you will
feel that the man who tries to persuade you that you have strength
enough left to do without the Spirit, is as great an enemy of the
cross, and of your soul, as the man who wants to make you believe that
you are not altogether guilty, but have some remaining goodness, and
therefore do not need to be wholly indebted for pardon to the blood
and righteousness of Immanuel. 'Without strength' is as literal a
description of your state, as 'without goodness.' If you understand
the Gospel, the consciousness of your total helplessness would just be
the discovery that you are the very sinner to whom the great salvation
is sent; that your inability was all foreseen and provided for, and
that you are in the very position which needs, which calls for, and
which shall receive, the aid of the Almighty Spirit.
"Till you feel yourself in this extremity of weakness, you are not in
a condition (if I may say so) to receive the heavenly help. Your idea
of remaining ability is the very thing that repels the help of the
Spirit, just as any idea of remaining goodness thrusts away the
propitiation of the Savior. It is your not seeing that you have no
strength that is keeping you from believing. So long as you think you
have some strength, in doing something - and especially in performing,
to your own and Satan's satisfaction, that great act or exercise of
soul called 'faith.' But when you find out that you have no strength
left you will, in blessed despair, cease to work - and (ere you are
aware) - believe! For, if believing be not a ceasing from work, it is
at least the necessary and immediate result of it. You expended your
little stock of imagined strength in holding fast the ropes of
self-righteousness, but now, when the conviction of having no strength
at all is forced upon you, you drop into the arms of Jesus. But this
you will never do so long as you fancy that you have strength to
believe" (From God's Way of Peace by H. Bonar).
O that there were many preachers today honoring the third person of
the Trinity by thus magnifying and emphasizing His part in the work of
salvation. O that the modern evangelist would faithfully press upon
his unsaved hearers their utter powerlessness to turn unto God of
themselves, and their inability to receive Christ as their Lord and
Savior until a miracle of Divine grace has been wrought in them. The
Lord Jesus (our Exemplar) did not hesitate to plainly say to a
promiscuous crowd, "No man can come to me, except the Father which
sent me draw him" (John 6:44). The Father draws to Christ by the
operation of the Spirit. It is written, "Not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the
washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit"(Titus 3:5).
Believing is necessary, indispensably necessary, before any sinner
receives Divine forgiveness. But Scripture is very emphatic in
declaring that no sinner can savingly believe apart from the powerful
operations of the Holy Spirit. A miracle of grace has to be wrought in
his heart before he is capacitated to lay hold of Christ. This must be
so, for the human heart is fast closed against Him and will not come
to Him that it might have life (John 5:40). The eyes of our
understanding are blind, so that we see in Christ no beauty that we
should desire Him. It is with the heart that man believeth unto
righteousness (Rom. 10:10), and the heart must first be wooed and won
by Christ (through the Spirit's operations) before it will turn to
Him. "The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit"
(Rom. 5:5). Until this takes place, the Lord has to say of us all, "I
know you, that ye have "(John 5:42).
In the application of the Atonement to the elect, each of them is
entirely passive. Until the Holy Spirit has performed His initial work
of grace in the soul, not only is each individual utterly incapable of
seeking after Christ (see Romans 3:11), but he has no desire toward
Him and no sense of his real need of Him. Not until he has been
Divinely quickened and brought out of that grave into which the fall
of Adam brought us all (Rom. 5:12), is any man capable of performing
any spiritual actions. There cannot be the manifestations of life
before life itself is imparted. A bitter fountain cannot send forth
sweet waters, neither can a corrupt heart delight in a holy object. An
evil tree cannot bring forth good fruit, neither can the unregenerate
hate sin or love God. "It is the Spirit that quickeneth, the flesh
profiteth nothing" (John 6:63).
For one who by sinful instinct loved and idolized self, making
everything subservient to having his own way, to be brought to deny
and loathe himself (Job 42:6), and to forsake his own ways (Isa.
55:7), is something which nothing short of Omnipotence can bring
about. For one who naturally hates God (desiring rather to think about
and be occupied with any one or any thing else) to be brought to love
Him and delight in Him - love Him with all the heart and delight in
Him supremely - is indeed a miracle of grace. Yet, let it be pointed
out that true love to God is not begotten by fears of Hell nor by
hopes of Heaven - the promptings of self-preservation will produce the
one, as the workings of self-love will inspire the other. No, unless I
love God for what He is in Himself,I do not love Him at all, but only
lie to Him with my lips. Yet it is only the Spirit who can cause any
soul to say from the heart, "Who is like unto thee, O Lord. . . "(Ex.
15:11)
Thus, each person of the Godhead is due His own particular praise. The
Father for having chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the
world, and predestinated us unto the adoption of children. The Son for
having served as our Surety, fulfilled our obligations, and paid our
debts. The Spirit for having brought us from death unto life,
convicted us of our lost condition, awakened us to our need of Christ,
and drawn us to Him. If the Father is to be adored because of His
predestination, and the Son because of His propitiation, equally so is
the Spirit for His regeneration. We are indebted to the One as much as
to the Others. The work of Christ had been in vain, were it not for
the work of the Spirit in us. "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable
gift" (2 Cor. 9:15) applies as much to the Comforter as it does to the
Redeemer.
The embracing of Christ by faith presupposes both a true knowledge of
ourselves and of the Savior Himself. There has to be a Divine
conviction given to us of that sin and wretchedness, thraldom and
bondage, unto which we are reduced by the Fall. The law must be our
schoolmaster unto Christ. Without a discovery to us of sin and misery
by the law, the sinner will never flee unto Him who is "the end of the
law for righteousness" (Rom. 10:4). A man at sea sailing in a
shattered boat close unto a great rock, will refuse to leave his boat
and cast himself upon the rock for safety, so long as he believes his
boat is strong enough to carry him to land. But when the winds and
waves beat into his frail craft and break her in pieces, and not till
then, will he be glad to avail himself of the rock. So while the poor
sinner imagines that his own doings and good intentions are sufficient
to carry him through to Heaven, he will never betake himself to the
Rock of ages.
The powerful wind of the Spirit is needed to demolish that "refuge of
lies" (Isa. 28:17) in which the sinner shelters, if ever he is to
perceive, that a continuing to rest upon his own fancied goodness and
righteousness must inevitably sink him into Hell. Not until the Spirit
strips him of his own worthless doings, and makes him to stand naked
in all his shame and filthiness before God, will he truly cry, "What
must I do to be saved?" As the apostle declared, "I was alive [in my
own estimation] without the law once, but when the commandment came
[when God applied it in power unto my understanding and conscience,
and showed me how far short I came of its righteous demands] sin
revived [I then had a real apprehension of the exceeding sinfulness of
sin and of my utter unfitness to stand for a moment before the thrice
holy God], and I died" - saw myself as utterly lost (Rom. 7:9).
Until the Spirit does press upon the soul the claims of God and its
lifelong disregard of the same, until He applies to us that holy
standard which bids us love God with all our heart, mind and strength,
and our neighbor as ourselves, and convicts us of the fact that not
only have we made no honest attempt to do so, but have had no sincere
desire to keep it, we are utterly blind to our dreadful sins of
omission,Until the Spirit brings home to the heart our true state,
notwithstanding all our selfish wishes to be delivered from Hell and
taken to Heaven, yet the heart remains blind to the glory of God and
what is due Him from us. So far from the unregenerate sinner being
willing to repent of his sins, he knows nothing whatever about the
worst of his sins. So far from desiring to humble himself before God,
he is totally ignorant of the reason why he should humble himself. So
far from being anxious to be made spiritually alive, he is quite
oblivious to the fact that he is spiritually dead. And so far from
seeking the gracious enablement of the Spirit to reconcile him to God,
he is quite unaware that he is the enemy of God. But all of this is
well-nigh wholly lost sight of today by preachers and evangelists. The
general assumption is (even though it be not plainly formulated),
there is so little wrong with the fallen descendants of Adam that all
they need to do is read the Bible and hear the Gospel preached, and
they will easily be turned to Christ. A little information, plus a
little earnest persuasion, and almost anyone can be induced to sign a
card and "accept Christ as his personal Savior." Consequently, the
humble, dependent, fervent, united and patient waiting upon God for
the power of His Spirit is a thing of the past; and so too (with very
rare exceptions) are genuine miracles of grace. This Laodicean age
"has need of nothing" (Rev. 3:17), least of all does it feel its dire
and desperate need of the Spirit of God to awaken the dead, to pull
down strongholds and cast down every high thing that exalteth itself
against the knowledge of God (2 Cor. 10:4,5).
Not until the sinner has been emptied of his self-sufficiency,
convicted that he is an outlaw against God, and brought into the dust
before Him, is he ready to appreciate Christ. Nor will he, nor can he,
savingly embrace the Redeemer until the Spirit has revealed Christ in
him. (Gal. 1:16). None can trust in a Savior they know not; and to
know Christ as a living reality is a vastly different thing from
having heard about Him from the pulpit, or even to have read of Him
through the Scriptures. "For God who commanded the light to shine out
of darkness hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor.
4:6): this is what must take place before any soul truly trusts Him.
Have you,my reader, experienced this supernatural revelation of Christ
to your heart?Once the Holy Spirit really reveals Christ to the soul,
he needs no urging to receive Him: "They that know thy name will put
their trust in thee" (Ps. 9:10).
Now it is not only the Spirit's province to apply the law, convict of
sin, empty of pride, break down self-will, subdue self-love, but it is
also His blessed office to take of the things of Christ and show them
unto (John 16:14) those for whom He died. He is here to teach those
whom He awakens from the sleep of spiritual death who the Redeemer is,
the wondrous offices which He sustains, the great purpose for which He
came into the world. He is here to slay their enmity against Christ,
to destroy their unbelief, and to impart a saving faith. He is here to
bring them into a saving knowledge of the truth: as the Lord Himself
declared, "Theyshall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that
hath heard, and hath learned of the Father [by the Spirit] cometh unto
me" (John 6:45). The Spirit is here not to magnify Himself, but to
glorify the Redeemer (John 16:14). He is here to reveal His lovely
perfections unto God's elect, to win their hearts to Him, to conform
them unto His blessed image.
Various motives have induced us to dwell at length upon the
application of the Atonement as it is received by men. First, because
this is the side of the Truth which most honors God, inasmuch as it
gives to Him His proper place in the saving of sinners. Second,
because of the appalling ignorance thereon which now so widely
prevails. Third, so that the Christian reader may the better perceive
how much he owes to the gracious operations of the Spirit. Fourth, to
make clear to preachers and evangelists the urgent need of using the
plough of the law before they attempt to sow the seed of the Gospel.
It is of no avail to keep on saying to people "Believe on Christ"
until you have employed that Scriptural material which the Spirit can
use to convict souls of their awful need of Christ.
We turn now to consider, very briefly, the appropriation of the
Atonement, or the sinner's own act in becoming a personal partaker of
the saving virtues of Christ's satisfaction. As we showed in our last
chapter, the Gospel is addressed to human responsibility: "This is a
faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation,that Christ Jesus came
into the world to save sinners" (1 Tim. 1:15). The business of God's
servants is to preach and press the righteous demands of the Divine
law, to call upon sinners to repent of their transgressions and turn
from their wicked ways; to present Christ as a Savior from the curse
of the law, and bid their hearers lay down the weapons of their
warfare against Him, and receive Him as their Lord and Savior. Not
until Christ is cordially received as Prophet, Priest and King, is
forgiveness of sins to be obtained. As Prophet, to reveal to us the
righteousness and grace of God. As Priest, who offered a sacrifice,
the blood of which is sufficient to cleanse the foulest who trusts in
it. As King, to rule over us.
The object or design in our first coming to Christ is to be saved by
Him, to be saved from self,to be delivered from rebelling against God.
He is the great Physician, and can allay the fever and cleanse the
leprosy, of sin. He who comes to Christ without a disposition to be
reconciled to God, is only seeking deliverance from Hell, and does not
desire that salvation which the Gospel proclaims, namely, deliverance
from the power and condemnation of sin.Saving faith implies in its
very nature both repentance and conversion, or a "turning to God from
idols to serve the living and true God"
A mediator must be accepted by both parties that are at variance, and
each must stand to what He doth. God has declared Himself fully
satisfied; it rests now with the individual sinner to also give the
assent of his heart to Christ's dying in the stead of the ungodly and
rest upon the sufficiency of His sacrifice. Saving faith is that act
of the soul whereby one who is hopeless, helpless and lost in himself,
does in a way of expectancy and trust seek for all help and relief in
Christ alone. Faith is a going out of ourselves unto God in Christ,
finding in Him all that we need for time and eternity. Faith is the
one link between the sinner and the Sin-bearer. Faith is a receiving
into our hearts the testimony of God concerning His Son, and a setting
to our seal that He is true (John 3:33).
Should these lines be read by a sin-burdened soul, distressed by the
plague of his own heart, and fearful that he or she has sinned beyond
the hope of Divine pardon, we would point you to Him who is "mighty to
save." Christ died not for righteous people, but for the ungodly (Rom.
5:6). He came here to save the lost (Luke 19:10). His promise is, "him
that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). "He is able
to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him" (Heb. 7:25).
Then look away from your ruined self, fly to Christ for refuge, trust
in His precious blood and He will save you with an everlasting
salvation.
_________________________________________________________________
Index
A.W. Pink Archive
____________________________________________________
About Us
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_________________________________________________________________
¸ Copyright 2004-2012 Providence Baptist Ministries
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A. W. Pink Header
The Satisfaction of Christ
Studies in the Atonement
by A. W. Pink
24. Its Rejection
_________________________________________________________________
All the race of Adam are guilty before God, and, consequently, none of
them can by any works of their own find acceptance with Him. Almost
every page of Scripture bears testimony to this truth. The whole
scheme of revelation takes it for granted. The plan of salvation
taught in the Word could have no place on any other supposition. The
Son of man came here to save that which was lost.Were we not exposed
to danger, there could be no salvation. When the Lord Jesus called
Paul and sent him forth to preach to men, it was "toopen their eyes,"
and "toturn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan
unto God" (Acts 26:18). Here we have the character of the whole
Gentile world: they are as ignorant of the true character of God and
of the way of acceptance with Him, as blind men are ignorant of the
real nature of the objects of sight. They walk, "Inthe vanity of their
mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life
of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness
of their heart" (Eph. 4:17,18).
That the world is guilty before God, is not only declared by
Scripture, but is also to be seen by the present state of man with
regard to happiness. It is obvious to any impartial observer that the
human race is miserable,even amidst its mirth and dissipation. Men are
seeking happiness (a proof that they do not have it) from the
enjoyment of earthly things, according to their various tastes and
appetites; but they find it not. From the highest to the lowest, there
is that which mars their peace and enjoyment. The very things which
the poor regard as evidences of the happiness of the rich, are but so
many devices to drive away sorrow. If they would honestly express
themselves, the millionaire in his mansion and the king on his throne
would declare, "allis vanity and vexation of spirit." True happiness
is to be found in God alone.
In such a state of guilt and misery is placed the whole human race. It
is indeed a melancholy truth, but one which is altogether
incontestible. Instead, then, of disputing the Divine testimony, let
us inquire from the same authority, whether there be any way of
escape. Is the fate of fallen men as hopeless as that of fallen
angels? No, blessed be God, it is not. The same Word of Truth which
tells of man's ruin, announces the Divine remedy; the same Book which
describes human guilt and wretchedness, tells of a way of deliverance
therefrom. The One, who, in the exercise of His high sovereignty,
reserved the sinning angels in everlasting chains of darkness unto the
judgment of the great day, has, in His abounding mercy, provided
salvation for undone sinners of Adam's race.
The Divine way of salvation is the most stupendous monument of Divine
wisdom and grace, of sovereignty and power, of justice and mercy, that
ever was exhibited in this world. God has provided a Savior, who, by
His virtuous life and vicarious death, has made atonement for sin, by
which all His people obtain eternal life. The whole scope of
revelation, from the first intimation made in Eden (Gen. 3:15) to the
end of the New Testament, bears witness to this marvelous and precious
way of salvation. The Divine promises declared it, the types
illustrated it, the prophets foretold it. When the Son of man was
here, He announced that He "came to give His life a ransom for many"
(Matthew 20:28): almost everyone knows that a "ransom"is a price paid
for the recovery of anything that is lost to its original owner. The
uniform teaching of the Epistles is, that "Christ Jesus came into this
world to save sinners."
The Scriptures are both full and clear in making known the way in
which guilty sinners are interested in the atonement of Christ. "Even
the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all
and upon all them that believe:for there is no difference; for all
have sinned and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely
by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus: whom God
hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to
declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past,
through the forbearance of God; to declare at this time his
righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which
believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what
law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith"(Rom. 3:22-27). In this
passage the apostle not only establishes the guilt of man and the
atonement of Christ, but also clearly asserts that faith is the medium
through which sinners are interested in the work of Christ.
"But to him that worketh not,but believeth on him that justifieth the
ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness" (Rom. 4:5). Can any
thing be more explicit? Can any thing be more directly to the point?
Salvation must be given gratuitously, that no flesh may glory in God's
presence. The "reward" of the man that "worketh," the apostle says, is
not of "grace," but of "debt." It therefore follows that works of no
kind whatever can give a title to the atonement of Christ or the favor
of God.
But let it be said with emphasis that a saving reception of Christ's
atonement is by such a faith which effectually changes the heart and
the mind, so that the desires and pursuits of its recipient are
entirely different than formerly. There has ever been a need to press
this fact, for the enemies of the Gospel charge it as unfriendly to
good works. But in these terrible days, when multitudes who profess to
be saved by grace through the redemption of Christ, are giving the lie
to their profession by continuing in a course of self-will and
self-indulgence, the need for making clear this fact is doubly
evident. Saving faith is that which "purifieth the heart" (Acts 15:9).
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things
are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Cor. 5:17).
Formerly, the Christian sought for happiness in the pleasures, honors,
or riches of this world; now he seeks it in those things which are
above. He abhors the things in which he once delighted, and delights
in what he once abhorred. "For I delight in the law of God" says the
apostle, "after the inward man" (Rom. 7:22). Many things in the
commandments of Jesus Christ are so disagreeable to flesh and blood,
that they are (figuratively) called the cutting off of a right hand,
or the plucking out of a right eye: yet the Christian not only
acquiesces, but finds pleasure in yielding obedience to Christ in such
things. True, he still has a corrupt nature to struggle against, yet
his delight is decidedly in the law of his God. Saving faith is that
which "overcometh the world" (1 John 5:4). But we must now make a
closer approach to our immediate theme.
The proclamation of mercy through the atonement of the incarnate Son
of God is called the Gospel, or good news, because it announces
deliverance from condemnation and eternal life to every believer. But
it also necessarily implies and plainly denounces tidings of a very
opposite nature to all who reject it, and in general to all the
workers of iniquity. If it proclaims life to those who receive it,
then death must be the portion of all who neglect it. This solemn fact
is made prominent throughout the New Testament in the most awful and
striking manner. Many are sheltering behind a profession of
Christianity, and fondly hope that there is a sort of general
impugnity in sin on account of the death of Christ; but all such are
fatally deluded, for the Gospel denounces wrath against all who do not
receive it, and against all evil-doers.
In the great commission which our Lord gave first to His apostles, He
asserted as expressly that they who believed the Gospel shall be
saved, as that they who believed it not shall be damned (Mark 16:16).
What the Gospel is was shown in our last chapter, and Galatians 1:8
announces that any deviation from that Gospel, any substitution of
another brings down the curse of Heaven upon the one who proclaims it,
and by parity of reason, on those who accept it. What would be thought
of this by those who pride themselves on their liberality of
sentiment? who make the belief or rejection of the Truth a matter of
trifling consideration? Here is the Truth, God's Truth: the rejection
of the Gospel means the perdition in Hell of both soul and body
forever.
"Iam not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God
unto salvation to every one that believeth. . . for therein is the
righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. . . for the wrath
of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men" (Rom. 1:16-18). If the whole of these three
verses be read attentively, it will be seen that the Gospel contains
both a revelation of the "righteousness" of God and also of His
"wrath." In like manner, the same chapter which tells us that "God so
loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John
3:16), also declares, "He that believeth not the Son shall not see
life, but the wrath of God abideth on him" (v. 36).
The condemnation of all who are ignorant of the, true God and who
reject the Gospel of Christ, is made known in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9,
"the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that
obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished
with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from
the glory of His power." This language is so terrible and decisive
that nothing but the blindness and hardness of a depraved heart could
defy it. To know God and receive His Son is "eternal life" (John
17:3), but to be ignorant of the true character of God and reject His
Gospel entails eternal damnation.
"Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which
we have heard lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the
word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and
disobedience received a just recompense of reward: How shall we escape
if we neglect so great salvation" (Heb. 2:1-3). Let those who trifle
with their souls and refuse to seriously attend unto the Gospel, learn
from this that God is in earnest in what He declares in the
Scriptures. It seems incredible that people can hear and read unmoved
the awful denunciations which the Word of Truth hurls against them.
They surely cannot believe that such threatenings proceed from Him who
cannot lie. Too late shall they discover that every word in them shall
be faithfully executed.
Perhaps some are inclined to ask at this point, How can God justly
punish men for rejecting a Savior who never died for them?Many have
regarded this as an insoluble problem; yet it is capable of a simple
solution. First, let us duly attend to the plain and solemn
declaration of Christ Himself: "He that believeth on him is not
condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he
hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John
3:18). Nothing could be plainer than that: if any find it difficult to
fit that verse into their theology, then something is wrong with their
theology - Christ is "despised and rejected of men."
It is quite true that every man lies under the condemnation of God
before the Gospel first comes to him: the judgment for Adam's offense
rests upon him (Rom. 5:12-19), to which is added the guilt of his own
transgressions. But it is also true that additional guilt and
condemnation comes to those who spurn the advances of Divine mercy
made unto them through the Gospel. There are degrees of criminality,
as there will be of punishment. Clear proof is furnished in those
solemn words of Christ's: "And thou Capernaum, which art exalted unto
heaven, shalt be brought down to hell. . . It shall be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee"
(Matthew 11:23,24). So too, more tolerable shall it be in the Day of
Judgment for the unevangelized section of Heathendom, than it will for
multitudes in Christendom who refuse to obey the Gospel.
Christendom's sins are going to be punished (the more severely) for
having scorned that glad tidings which was "worthy of (entitled to)
all acceptation." And let us emphasize once more the fact that the
Gospel message is not that Christ died for me,,but that He died for
sinners.The Gospel is addressed to human responsibility, and presents
a Savior who is ready to save all who will comply with its terms. If
men will not come to Christ that they "might have life" (John 5:40),
then their blood is upon their own heads. Therefore will God yet say
to them, "Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out
my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought all my
counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your
calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as
desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress
and anguish cometh upon you. Then they shall call upon me, but I will
not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: for
that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord"
(Prov. 1:24-29).
The preaching of the Gospel unto men at large becomes a searching test
of their state of heart. It ought to have a powerful influence upon
them in breaking their hearts on account of sin. Why did the Son of
God leave His heavenly glory and enter a life of unspeakable
humiliation here on earth? Why did He suffer such frightful
indignities at the hands of men, so that His face was spat upon, His
hair plucked out, His back scourged? Why was He nailed to the Cross of
woe, where His life's blood was poured out? The answer is, for sin.And
can that be thought upon with any seriousness, and the heart not be
broken before God? What will melt the hard heart of man and thaw it
into godly sorrow for sin, if the contemplation of Christ's sacrifice
will not do it?
O my readers, the shedding of the precious blood of Immanuel ought
surely to melt the most adamant heart that is yet out of Hell. Would
men but ponder the Savior's passion, both in the character and degree
of it, viewing its bitter ingredients and heightened circumstances,
and then also consider that it was human transgressions which brought
Him to Calvary, surely they would be far more deeply affected for sin
than they now are. It is written, "they shall look upon me whom they
have pierced" and what follows? This: "and they shall mourn for him as
one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him"
(Zech. 12:10). Ah, that is true penitence - a broken heart from
viewing the broken body of Christ. What then must be the state, and
what must be the punishment, of them concerning whom the Savior has to
ask, "Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if
there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow" (Lam. 1:12).
Again; the proclamation of the Gospel and the serious consideration of
the Savior's sufferings ought to have a powerful effect in turning men
from sin.Behold, my reader, the Lord of glory dying as a sacrifice,
making His soul "anoffering for sin" (Isa. 53:10). Will you
deliberately elect to continue living in that for which the Son of God
died? Will you regard as a "sweet morsel" that which was more bitter
than gall to the Beloved of the Father? God Himself condemned sin at
the Cross (Rom. 8:3). Dare you, then, approve of it? O will you not
condemn it too, repudiate it, turn from it in loathing, and seek grace
from above to have nothing more to do with it? When you are tempted to
sin, recall the bleeding wounds of the suffering Savior. Nothing is
more calculated to slay our love for sin than a contemplation of the
awful wages which it paid to the Redeemer.
O what an indescribably dreadful state must they be in (as the writer
and the Christian reader once were!) who turn a deaf ear to God's call
through the Gospel, and in so doing "despise and reject" His Son! What
a dreadful and unmistakable evidence is this that "the carnal mind is
enmity against God" (Rom. 8:7)! Ah, that explains why it is that all
men "make excuse" (Luke 14:18) when they are bid to come to the rich
feast that Divine mercy has spread. It is not carelessness or
indifference; no, the real root of the trouble lies much deeper: it is
a desperately wicked heart (Jer. 17:9) which is opposed to the thrice
holy God, that is the source of impenitence and unbelief. Men prefer
material and temporal things to spiritual and eternal ones, the
"pleasures of sin for a season" (Heb. 11:25), rather than those
"pleasures for evermore" (Ps. 16:11) which are at God's right hand.
What has just been said above is no theoretical reasoning of ours, but
the plain teaching of Christ Himself. After He had so solemnly
declared, "hethat believeth not is condemned already because he hath
not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (John 3:18),
He at once (by way of explanation) added, "And this is the
condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved
darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every
one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light,
lest his deeds should be reproved" (vv. 19,20). No matter what
(seemingly) plausible "excuses" men and women may make for their
present rejection of the Gospel, He who cannot err insists that behind
those excuses is a love of darkness (sin) and a hatred of the Light!
Let men say what they will with respect to their rejection of the
Gospel, all their objections are founded in their disaffection to
truth and holiness.They may claim to respect and believe God's Word,
and that they want to be saved, or profess they are saved, but in
truth they "hate the light because their deeds are evil." They will
not part with their idols. They will not forsake that pleasant but
Broad Road which leadeth to destruction. They will not deny "self,"
and submit to Christ as their Lord.They are willing to be saved their
own way, but not God's. They wish to serve two masters, and make the
best of both worlds. They may be good members of society, and be
virtuous and pious, but the real language of their hearts is "wewill
not have this Man to reign over us" (Luke 19:14).
When people are told that they despise as well as "reject" Christ,
they feel the charge is not true of them. When it is insisted upon
that they hate Christ (John 15:18), they suppose the indictment is far
too severe. Nay, they imagine they have a high estimate of Christ,
that they sincerely own Him to be the most excellent One that has ever
walked this earth, and that they are earnestly desirous of being saved
by Him. But a "deceived heart has turned them aside" (Isa. 44:20). Had
the Jewish nation been told one year before Christ began His public
ministry that they would not only scorn Him, but put Him to death,
would not they have indignantly denied such a charge? Most assuredly,
they would. They would have answered: All our hopes center in Him, we
are eagerly awaiting His promised advent, and shall gladly receive Him
the moment He appears. And in so speaking, they would have been
perfectly sincere. Yet God's infallible Word declares that Christ was
the one "whom the nation abhorreth"(Isa. 49:7). And why did they?
Because when He stood before them, He was different from what they
expected.
Ah, my reader, in what has just been said above, we have the Divine
explanation to the solemn situation which is confronting us today.
History has repeated itself. The Jews would have willingly received a
Messiah patterned after their own carnal desires. Had Christ presented
Himself only as a Deliverer from their temporal troubles, gratified
their fleshly lusts, and not interfered with their selfish plans, He
had received a royal welcome from them. But for the Holy One of God
they had no heart. For One who required repentance, for One who came
to save them from the present dominion of sin, for One who demanded
unqualified submission to God's will, for One who must be received as
Lord and Master,they had no love. To forsake all and follow Him,
suited them not. To abandon their idols, mortify the flesh, and enter
the path of obedience to His commands and precepts, was altogether
foreign to their every thought and desire.
And is it any different today? Not a whit. Present to men One who was
filled with compassion for the suffering, who ministered to the needy,
fed the poor, healed the sick, and, as a public Benefactor and
Philanthropist, He is universally admired. Or, proclaim Him as a
Deliverer from the wrath to come, as One who is willing to save from
Hell and take to Heaven, and the movings of self-interest will induce
multitudes to welcome Him as such. But, my reader, the Lord Jesus
Christ cannot be halved in any such manner as this. He must be
received just as He is, a whole Christ as the Scriptures present Him
to us. As a Prophet to reveal God's will, and that, in order for us to
walk therein. As a Priest to mediate, offering Himself as a sacrifice
to God, presenting our sacrifices of praise to Him. As a King to
occupy the throne of our hearts, to rule us by His precepts, to subdue
our enemies. But as such the unregenerate see in Him no beauty that
they should desire Him.
Thousands of professing Christians are willing to believe in Christ
for salvation, but not to conform to Him in obedience. They desire the
"rest" which He gives, but not His "yoke" - just as of old the
multitudes sought Him for the loaves and fishes, yet had no heart for
His searching teachings. People want the justification which the
Gospel proclaims, but not the mortification of the old man which it
enjoins. But this cannot be. In order to "come" to Christ, the sinner
must turn from sin and all else that competes for his heart. The truth
is that the vast majority of those now bearing His name love their
worldly and fleshly lusts far more than they do Christ.
"Thus it is now with the carnal professors of the Gospel: because
Christ answers not their expectation, they entertain prejudice against
Him as represented in the Gospel, and are unwilling to come to Him.
They want a Savior that will let them live quietly in their sins, be
indulgent to them in their fleshly courses, and yet bring them to
heaven when they can live in sin no longer. But when the Gospel
represents Christ as One who requires strictness and holiness in all
of His followers, who calls for separation from the world in all that
come to Him, who tells them they must suffer any evil rather than sin,
and take up the cross if they will have Him for their Christ; when the
Gospel offers One whom nothing will please but that holiness and
strictness which the world derides; One whom persecutions and
reproaches will attend all His followers; then prejudice seizes on
their souls. Thus we see why so many will not come to Christ, and who
they are" (D. Clarkson, 1680).
And "what shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel of God?"
(1 Pet. 4:17). What can it be? What must be the portion of those who
love darkness and hate the Light? Only one answer is possible. And
Scripture does not leave us in ignorance thereof. "Ifthey escaped not
who refused Him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if
we turn away from Him that speaketh from Heaven" (Heb. 12:25). Escape
they shall not. The Angel that hath a rainbow about His head, hath
pillars of fire for His feet (Rev. 10:1) to consume them who refuse
His peace. "Hehath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the
world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained" (Acts
17:31). And in that Day He shall say, "But those mine enemies, which
would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay before
me" (Luke 19:27).
Oh, my reader, if you value your soul at all, weigh thoroughly what
has just been before you. Pass it not on to some one else, but take it
home to thyself. Christ cannot be imposed upon, and soon it will be
too late to undeceive yourself. "Adiabolical life and a believing
heart are contradictions. No man can with any reason lay claim to a
faith in Christ who prefers the pleasures of the world before the
sweetness of a Redeemer, that which is an offense to Him before that
which is His delight. How can they believe in Christ that are carried
down with the violent current of their own lusts, and regard not one
tittle of His law? If faith be full of good works, then the lack of
such clearly implies the absence of faith" (S. Charnock, 1680). May
the Lord deign to add His blessing to these pages for His name's sake.
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A. W. Pink Header
The Seven Sayings of the
Saviour on the Cross
by A.W. Pink
Introduction
_________________________________________________________________
THE DEATH OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST is a subject of never-failing
interest to all who study prayerfully the scripture of truth. This is
so, not only because the believer's all both for time and eternity
depends upon it, but also, because of its transcendent uniqueness.
Four words appear to sum up the salient features of this mystery of
mysteries: the death of Christ was natural, unnatural, preternatural,
and supernatural. A few comments seem called for by way of definition
and amplification.
First: the death of Christ was natural. By this we mean that it was a
real death. It is because we are so familiar with the fact of it that
the above statement appears simple and commonplace, yet, what we here
touch upon is to the spiritual mind one of the main elements of
wonderment. The one who was "taken, and by wicked hands" crucified and
slain was none other than Jehovah's "Fellow". The blood that was shed
on the accursed tree was divine - "The church of God which he
purchased with his own blood" (Acts 20:28). As says the apostle, "God
was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself" (2 Cor. 5:19).
But how could Jehovah's "Fellow" suffer? How could the eternal one
die? Ah, he who in the beginning was the Word, who was with God, and
who was God, "became flesh" . He who was in the form of God took upon
him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men; "and
being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:8). Thus
having become incarnate the Lord of glory was capable of suffering
death, and so it was that he "tasted" death itself. In his words,
"Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit", we see how natural his
death was, and the reality of it became still more apparent when he
was laid in the tomb, where he remained for three days.
Second: the death of Christ was un-natural. By this we mean that it
was abnormal. Above we have said that in becoming incarnate the Son of
God became capable of suffering death, yet it must not be inferred
from this that death therefore had a claim upon him; far from this
being the case, the very reverse was the truth. Death is the wages of
sin, and he had none. Before his birth it was said to Mary, "that Holy
Thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God"
(Luke 1:35). Not only did the Lord Jesus enter this world without
contracting the defilement attaching to fallen human nature, but he
"did no sin" (1 Pet. 2:22), had "no sin" (1 John 3:5), "knew no sin"
(2 Corinthians 5:21). In his person and in his conduct he was the Holy
One of God "without blemish and without spot" (1 Pet. 1:19). As such
death had no claim upon him. Even Pilate had to acknowledge that he
could find in him "no fault". Hence we say, for the Holy One of God to
die was un-natural.
Third: the death of Christ was preter-natural. By this we mean that it
was marked out and determined for him beforehand. He was the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). Before Adam was
created the Fall was anticipated. Before sin entered the world,
salvation from it had been planned by God. In the eternal counsels of
Deity, it was fore-ordained that there should be a Saviour for
sinners, a Saviour who should suffer the just for the unjust, a
Saviour who should die in order that we might live. And "because there
was none other good enough to pay the price of sin" the only-Begotten
of the Father offered himself as the ransom.
The preternatural character of the death of Christ has been well
termed the "undergirding of the Cross". It was in view of that
approaching death that God "justly passed over the sins done
aforetime" (Rom. 3:25 RV). Had not Christ been, in the reckoning of
God, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, every sinning
person in Old Testament times would have gone down to the pit the
moment he sinned!
Fourth: the death of Christ was super-natural. By this we mean that it
was different from every other death. In all things he has the
pre-eminence. His birth was different from all other births. His life
was different from all other lives. And his death was different from
all other deaths. This was clearly intimated in his own utterance upon
the subject: "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my
life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay
it down of myself. I have power to take it again" (John 10:17, 18). A
careful study of the gospel narratives which describe his death
furnish a sevenfold proof and verification of his assertion.
(1) That our Lord "laid down his life", that he was not powerless in
the hands of his enemies comes out clearly in John 18 where we have
the record of his arrest. A band of officers from the chief priests
and Pharisees, headed by Judas, sought him in Gethsemane. Coming
forward to meet them, the Lord Jesus asks, "Whom seek ye?" The reply
was, "Jesus of Nazareth" and then our Lord uttered the ineffable title
of deity, that by which Jehovah had revealed himself of old to Moses
at the burning bush - "I am". The effect was startling. These officers
were awestruck. They were in the presence of incarnate deity, and were
overpowered by a brief consciousness of divine majesty. How plain it
is then that had he so pleased our blessed Saviour could have walked
quietly away, leaving those who had come to arrest him prostrate on
the ground! Instead, he delivers himself up into their hands and is
led (not driven) as a lamb to the slaughter.
(2) Let us now turn to Matthew 27:46 - the most solemn verse in all
the Bible - "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice,
saying, Eli, Eli, lama, sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God,
why hast thou forsaken me?" The words which we would ask the reader to
observe carefully are here placed in italics. Why is it that the Holy
Spirit tells us that the Saviour uttered that terrible cry "with aloud
voice"? Most certainly there is a reason for it. This becomes even
more apparent when we note that he has repeated them four verses lower
down in the same chapter - "Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud
voice, yielded up the spirit" (Matthew 27:50). What then do these
words indicate? Do they not corroborate what has been said in the
above paragraphs? Do they not tell us that the Saviour was not
exhausted by what he had passed through? Do they not intimate that his
strength had not failed him? That he was still master of himself, that
instead of being conquered by death, he was but yielding himself to
it? Do they not show us that God had "laid help upon one that was
mighty" (Ps. 89:19)!
(3) We call attention next to his fourth utterance on the Cross - "I
thirst". This word, in the light of its setting, furnishes a wonderful
evidence of our Lord's complete self-possession. The whole verse reads
as follows: "After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now
accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, I thirst"
(John 19:28). Of old, it had been predicted that they should give the
Saviour to drink, vinegar mingled with gall. And in order that this
prophecy might be fulfilled, he cried, "I thirst". How this evidences
the fact that he was in full possession of his mental faculties, that
his mind was unclouded, that his terrible sufferings had neither
deranged nor disturbed it. As he hung on the cross, at the close of
the six hours, his mind reviewed the entire scope of the prophetic
word, and checked off one by one those predictions which had reference
to his passion. Excepting the prophecies which were to be fulfilled
after his death, but one remained un-fulfilled, namely, "They gave me
also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink"
(Ps. 69:21), and this was not overlooked by the blessed sufferer.
"Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the
scripture (not "scriptures", the reference being to Psalm 69:2 1)
might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst." Again, we say, what proof is
here furnished that he laid down his life of himself!
(4) The next verification the Holy Spirit has supplied of our Lord's
words in John 10:18 is found in John 19:30, "When Jesus had received
the vinegar, he said, It is finished; and he bowed his head, and gave
up the spirit." What are we intended to learn from these words? What
is here signified by this act of the Saviour? Surely the answer is not
far to seek. The implication is clear. Previous to this our Lord's
head had been held erect. It was no impotent sufferer that hung there
in a swoon. Had that been the case his head had lolled helplessly on
his chest, and it would have been impossible for him to "bow" it. And
mark attentively the verb used here: it is not his head "fell", but
he, consciously, calmly, reverently, bowed his head. How sublime was
his carriage even on the tree! What superb composure did he evidence.
Was it not his majestic bearing on the cross that, among other things,
caused the centurion to cry, "Truly this was the Son of God" (Matthew
27:54)!
(5) Look now at his last act of all: "And when Jesus had cried with a
loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and
having said this, he gave up the spirit" (Luke 23:46). None else ever
did this or died thus. How accurately these words agree with his own
statement, so often quoted by us, "I lay down my life, that I might
take it again. No man taketh it from me, but flay it down of myself
(John 10:17, 18). The uniqueness of our Lord's action may be seen by
comparing his words on the cross with those of dying Stephen. As the
first Christian martyr came to the brink of the river, he cried, "Lord
Jesus, receive my spirit" (Acts 7:59). But in contrast with this
Christ said, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. Stephen's
spirit was being taken from him. Not so with the Saviour. None could
take from him his life. He "gave up" his spirit.
(6) The action of the soldiers in regard to the legs of those on the
three crosses gives further evidence of the uniqueness of Christ's
death. We read, "The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation,
that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day,
(for that Sabbath day was an high day) besought Pilate that their legs
might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then came the
soldiers and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was
crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was
dead already, they brake not his legs" (John 19:31-33). The Lord Jesus
and the two thieves had been crucified together. They had been on
their respective crosses the same length of time. And now at the close
of the day the two thieves were still alive, for as it is well known
death by crucifixion though exceedingly painful was usually a slow
death. No vital member of the body was directly affected and often the
sufferer lingered on for two or three days before being completely
overcome by exhaustion. It was not natural, therefore, that Christ
should be dead after but six hours on the cross. The Jews recognized
this, and requested Pilate that the legs of all three be broken and
death be thus hastened. In the fact, then, that the Saviour was "dead
already" when the soldiers came to him, though the two thieves yet
lived, we have additional proof that he had voluntarily "laid down his
life of himself", that it was not "taken from him".
(7) For the final demonstration of the super-natural character of
Christ's death, we turn to note the wonderful phenomena that
accompanied it. "And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain
from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks
rent: and the graves were opened" (Matthew 27:51,52). That was no
ordinary death that had been witnessed on the summit of Golgotha's
rugged heights, and it was followed by no ordinary attendants. First,
the veil of the temple was rent in twain from top to bottom, to show
that a hand from heaven had torn asunder that curtain which shut out
the temple-worshipper from the earthly throne of God - thus signifying
that the way into the holiest was now made plain and that access to
God himself had been opened up through the broken body of his Son.
Next, the earth did quake. Not, I believe, that there was an
earthquake, nor even a "great earthquake", but the earth itself, the
entire earth was shaken to its very foundation, and rocked on its
axis, as though to show it was horrified at the most awful deed that
had ever been perpetrated on its surface. "And the rocks rent" - the
very strength of nature gave way before the greater power of that
death. Finally, we are told, "the graves were opened", showing that
the power of Satan, which is death, was there shivered and shattered -
all the outward attestations of the value of that atoning death.
Putting these together: the manifest yielding up of himself into the
hands of those who arrested him; the crying with a "loud voice",
denoting his retained vigor; the fact that he was in full and
unimpaired possession of his mentality, evidenced by the "knowing that
all things were now accomplished"; the "bowing" of the erect head; the
deliberate "committing" of his spirit into the hands of the Father;
the fact that he was "dead already" when the soldiers came to break
his legs; all furnished proof that his life was not "taken from him",
but that he laid it down of himself and this, together with the
tearing of the temple veil, the quaking of the earth, the rending of
the rocks, and the opening of the graves, all bore unmistakable
witness to the supernatural character of his death; in view of which
we may well say with the wondering centurion, "Truly this was the Son
of God".
The death of Christ, then, was unique, miraculous, supernatural. In
the chapters which follow we shall hearken to the words which fell
from his lips while he hung upon the cross - words which make known to
us some of the attendant circumstances of the great tragedy; words
which reveal the excellencies of the one who suffered there; words in
which is wrapped up the gospel of our salvation; and words which
inform us of the purpose, the meaning, the sufferings, and the
sufficiency of the death divine.
Introduction | Forgiveness | Salvation | Affection
Anguish | Suffering | Victory | Contentment
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A. W. Pink Header
The Seven Sayings of the
Saviour on the Cross
by A.W. Pink
1. The Word Of Forgiveness
_________________________________________________________________
"Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they
do"
Luke 23:34
MAN HAD DONE HIS WORST. The one by whom the world was made had come
into it, but the world knew him not. The Lord of glory had tabernacled
among men, but he was not wanted. The eyes which sin had blinded saw
in him no beauty that he should be desired. At his birth there was no
room in the inn, which foreshadowed the treatment he was to receive at
the hands of men. Shortly after his birth Herod sought to slay him,
and this intimated the hostility his person evoked and forecast the
cross as the climax of man's enmity. Again and again, his enemies
attempted his destruction. And now their vile desires are granted
them. The Son of God had yielded himself up into their hands. A mock
trial had been gone through, and though his judges found no fault in
him, nevertheless, they had yielded to the insistent clamoring of
those who hated him as they cried again and again "Crucify him".
The fell deed had been done. No ordinary death would suffice his
implacable foes. A death of intense suffering and shame was decided
upon. A cross had been secured: the Saviour had been nailed to it. And
there he hangs - silent. But presently his pallid lips are seen to
move - is he crying for pity? No. What then? Is he pronouncing
malediction upon his crucifiers? No. He is praying, praying for his
enemies - "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them: for they know not
what they do" (Luke 23:34).
This first of the seven cross-sayings of our Lord presents him in the
attitude of prayer. How significant! How instructive! His public
ministry had opened with prayer (Luke 3:21), and here we see it
closing in prayer. Surely he has left us an example! No longer might
those hands minister to the sick, for they are nailed to the cross; no
longer may those feet carry him on errands of mercy, for they are
fastened to the cruel tree; no longer may he engage in instructing the
apostles, for they have forsaken him and fled. How then does he occupy
himself? In the ministry of prayer! What a lesson for us.
Perhaps these lines may be read by some who by reason of age and
sickness are no longer able to work actively in the Lord's vineyard.
Possibly in days gone by, you were a teacher, you were a preacher, a
Sunday-school teacher, a tract-distributor: but now you are
bed-ridden. Yes, but you are still here on earth! Who knows but for
what God is leaving you here a few more days is to engage in the
ministry of prayer -and perhaps accomplish more by this than by all
your past active service. If you are tempted to disparage such a
ministry remember your Saviour. He prayed, prayed for others, prayed
for sinners, even in his last hours.
In praying for his enemies not only did Christ set before us a perfect
example of how we should treat those who wrong and hate us, but he
also taught us never to regard any as beyond the reach of prayer. If
Christ prayed for his murderers then surely we have encouragement to
pray now for the very chief of sinners! Christian reader, never lose
hope. Does it seem a waste of time for you to continue praying for
that man, that woman, that wayward child of yours? Does their case
seem to become more hopeless every day? Does it look as though they
had gone beyond the reach of divine mercy? Perhaps that one you have
prayed for so long has been ensnared by one of the Satanic cults of
the day, or he may now be an avowed and blatant infidel, in a word, an
open enemy of Christ. Remember then the cross. Christ prayed for his
enemies. Learn then not to look on any as beyond the reach of prayer.
One other thought concerning this prayer of Christ. We are shown here
the efficacy of prayer. This cross-intercession of Christ for his
enemies met with a marked and definite answer. The answer is seen in
the conversion of the three thousand souls on the day of Pentecost. I
base this conclusion on Acts 3:17 where the apostle Peter says, "And
now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also
your rulers." It is to be noted that Peter used the word "ignorance"
which corresponds with our Lord's "they know not what they do". Here
then is the divine explanation of the 3,000 converted under a single
sermon. It was not Peter's eloquence which was the cause but the
Saviour's prayer. And, Christian reader, the same is true of us.
Christ prayed for you and me long before we believed in him. Turn to
John 17:20 for proof. "Neither pray I for these (the apostles) alone,
but for them also which shall believe on me through their word" (John
17:20). Once more let us profit from the perfect exemplar. Let us too
make intercession for the enemies of God, and if we pray in faith we
also shall pray effectively unto the salvation of lost sinners.
To come now directly to our text:
"Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they
do."
1. Here we see the fulfillment of the prophetic word.
How much God made known before hand of what should transpire on that
day of days! What a complete picture did the Holy Spirit furnish of
our Lord's Passion with all the attendant circumstances! Among other
things it had been foretold that the Saviour should "make intercession
for the transgressors" (Isaiah 53:12). This did not have reference to
the present ministry of Christ at God's right hand. It is true that
"he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by
him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Hebrews
7:25), but this speaks of what he is doing now for those who have
believed on him, whereas Isaiah 53:12 had reference to his gracious
act at the time of his crucifixion. Observe what his intercession for
the transgressors is there linked with - "and he was numbered with the
transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for
the transgressors."
That Christ should make intercession for his enemies was one of the
items of the wonderful prophecy found in Isaiah 53. This chapter tells
us at least ten things about the humiliation and suffering of the
Redeemer. It declared that he should be despised and rejected of men;
that he should be a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; that he
should be wounded, bruised and chastised; that he should be led,
unresistingly, to slaughter; that he should be dumb before his
shearers; that he should not only suffer at the hands of man but also
be bruised by the Lord; that he should pour out his soul unto death;
that he should be buried in a rich man's tomb; and then it was added,
that he would be numbered with transgressors; and finally, that he
should make intercession for the transgressors. Here then was the
prophecy - "and made intercession for the transgressors"; there was
the fulfillment of it - "Father, forgive them, for they know not what
they do". He thought of his murderers. He pleaded for his crucifiers;
he made intercession for their forgiveness.
"Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they
do."
2. Here we see Christ identified with his people.
"Father, forgive them." On no previous occasion did Christ make such a
request of the Father. Never before had he invoked the Father's
forgiveness of others. Hitherto he forgave himself. To the man sick of
the palsy he had said, "Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven
thee" (Matthew 9:2). To the woman who washed his feet with her tears
in the house of Simon, he said, "Thy sins are forgiven" (Luke 7:48).
Why then should he now ask the Father to forgive, instead of directly
pronouncing forgiveness himself?
Forgiveness of sin is a divine prerogative. The Jewish scribes were
right when they reasoned "Who can forgive sins but God only?" (Mark
2:7). But you say, Christ was God. Truly; but man also - the God-man.
He was the Son of God that had become the Son of Man with the express
purpose of offering himself as a sacrifice for sin. And when the Lord
Jesus cried "Father, forgive them" he was on the cross, and there he
might not exercise his divine prerogatives. Mark carefully his own
words, and then behold the marvellous accuracy of scripture. He had
said, "The Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins" (Matthew
9:6). But he was no longer on earth! He had been "lifted up from the
earth" (John 12:32)! Moreover, on the cross he was acting as our
substitute; the just was about to die for the unjust. Hence it was
that hanging there as our representative, he was no longer in the
place of authority where he might exercise his own divine
prerogatives, therefore takes he the position of a suppliant before
the Father. Thus we say that when the blessed Lord Jesus cried,
"Father, forgive them", we see him absolutely identified with his
people. No longer was he in the position "on earth" where he had the
"power" or "right" to forgive sins; instead, he intercedes for sinners
- as we must.
"Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they
do."
3. Here we see the divine estimate of sin and its consequent guilt.
Under the Levitical economy God required that atonement should be made
for sins of ignorance.
"If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy
things of the Lord; then he shall bring for his trespass unto the Lord
a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by
shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass
offering: And he shall make amends for the harm that he hath done in
the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto
the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the
ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him" (Lev.
5:15, 16).
And again we read:
"And if ye have erred, and not observed all these commandments, which
the Loan hath spoken unto Moses, even all that the Lord hath commanded
you by the hand of Moses, from the day that the Lord commanded Moses,
and henceforward among your generations; Then it shall be, if ought be
committed by ignorance without the knowledge of the congregation, that
all the congregation shall offer one young bullock for a burnt
offering, for a sweet savour unto the Loan, with his meat offering,
and his drink offering, according to the manner, and one kid of the
goats for a sin offering. And the priest shall make an atonement for
all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be
forgiven them; for it is ignorance: and they shall bring their
offering, a sacrifice made by tire unto the Loan, and their sin
offering before the Lord, for their ignorance" (Num. 15: 22-25).
It is in view of such scriptures as these that we find David prayed,
"Cleanse thou me from secret faults" (Ps. 19:12).
Sin is always sin in the sight of God whether we are conscious of it
or not. Sins of ignorance need atonement just as truly as do conscious
sins. God is holy, and he will not lower his standard of righteousness
to the level of our ignorance. Ignorance is not innocence. As a matter
of fact, ignorance is more culpable now than it was in the days of
Moses. We have no excuse for our ignorance. God has clearly and fully
revealed his will. The Bible is in our hands, and we cannot plead
ignorance of its contents except to condemn our laziness. God has
spoken and by his word we shall be judged.
And yet the fact remains that we are ignorant of many things, and the
fault and blame are ours. And this does not minimize the enormity of
our guilt. Sins of ignorance need the divine forgiveness as our Lord's
prayer here plainly shows. Learn then how high is God's standard, how
great is our need, and praise him for an atonement of infinite
sufficiency, which cleanseth from all sin.
"Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they
do."
4. Here we see the blindness of the human heart.
"They know not what they do." This does not mean that the enemies of
Christ were ignorant of the fact of his crucifixion. They did know
full well that they had cried out "Crucify him". They did know full
well that their vile request had been granted them by Pilate. They did
know full well that he had been nailed to the tree for they were
eye-witnesses of the crime. What then did our Lord mean when he said,
"They know not what they do"? He meant they were ignorant of the
enormity of their crime. They "knew not" that it was the Lord of glory
they were crucifying. The emphasis is not on "They know not" but on
"they know not what they do".
And yet they ought to have known. Their blindness was inexcusable. The
Old Testament prophecies which had received their fulfillment in him
were sufficiently plain to identify him as the Holy One of God. His
teaching was unique, for his very critics were forced to admit "Never
man spake like this man" (John 7:46). And what of his perfect life! He
had lived before men a life which had never been lived on earth
before. He pleased not himself. He went about doing good. He was ever
at the disposal of others. There was no self-seeking about him. His
was a life of self-sacrifice from beginning to end. His was a life
ever lived to the glory of God. His was a life on which was stamped
heaven's approval, for the Father's voice testified audibly, "This is
my beloved Son, in whom I am wellpleased" . No, there was no excuse
for their ignorance. It only demonstrated the blindness of their
hearts. Their rejection of the Son of God bore full witness, once for
all, that the carnal mind is "enmity against God".
How sad to think this terrible tragedy is still being repeated!
Sinner, you little know what you are doing in neglecting God's great
salvation. You little know how awful is the sin of slighting the
Christ of God and spurning the invitations of his mercy. You little
know the deep guilt which is attached to your act of refusing to
receive the only one who can save you from your sins. You little know
how fearful is the crime of saying, "We will not have this man to
reign over us". You know not what you do. You regard the vital issue
with callous indifference. The question comes today as it did of old,
"What shall I do with Jesus which is called Christ?" For you have to
do something with him: either you despise and reject him, or you
receive him as the Saviour of your soul and the Lord of your life.
But, I say again, it seems to you a matter of small moment, of little
importance, which you do. For years you have resisted the strivings of
his Spirit. For years you have shelved the all-important
consideration. For years you have steeled your heart against him,
closed your ears to his appeals, and shut your eyes to his surpassing
beauty. Ah! you know not WHAT you do. You are blind to your madness.
Blind to your terrible sin. Yet are yov not excuseless? You may be
saved now if you will. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou
shalt be saved." 0 come to the Saviour now and say with one of old,
"Lord, that I might receive my sight."
"Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they
do."
5. Here we see a lovely exemplification of his own teaching.
In the Sermon on the Mount our Lord taught his disciples, "Love your
enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and
pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you" (Matthew
5:44). Above all others Christ practiced what he preached. Grace and
truth came by Jesus Christ. He not only taught the truth but was
himself the truth incarnate. Said he, "I am the way, the truth and the
life" (John 14:6). So here on the cross he perfectly exemplified his
teaching of the mount. In all things he has left us an example.
Notice Christ did not personally forgive his enemies. So in Matthew
5:44 he did not exhort his disciples to forgive their enemies, but he
does exhort them to "pray" for them. But are we not to forgive those
who wrong us? This leads us to a point concerning which there is much
need for instruction today.
Does scripture teach that under all circumstances we must always
forgive? I answer emphatically, it does not. The word of God says, "If
thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent,
forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times a day, and
seven times in a day turn again to thee saying, 1 repeat, thou shalt
forgive him" (Luke 17:3,4). Here we are plainly taught that a
condition must be met by the offender before we may pronounce
forgiveness. The one who has wronged us must first "repent", that is,
judge himself for his wrong and give evidence of his sorrow over it.
But suppose the offender does not repent? Then 1 am not to forgive
him.
But let there be no misunderstanding of our meaning here. Even though
the one who has wronged me does not repent, nevertheless, I must not
harbor ill-feelings against him. There must be no hatred or malice
cherished in the heart. Yet, on the other hand, I must not treat the
offender as if he had done no wrong. That would be to condone the
offence, and therefore I should fail to uphold the requirements of
righteousness, and this the believer is ever to do. Does God ever
forgive where there is no repentance? No, for scripture declares, "If
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). One thing
more. If one has injured me and repented not, while I cannot forgive
him and treat him as though he had not offended, nevertheless, not
only must! hold no malice in my heart against him, but I must also
pray for him. Here is the value of Christ's perfect example. If we
cannot forgive, we can pray for God to forgive him.
"Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they
do."
6. Here we see man's great and primary need.
The first important lesson which all need to learn is that we are
sinners, and as such, unfit for the presence of a Holy God. It is in
vain that we select noble ideals, form good resolutions, and adopt
excellent rules to live by, until the sin-question has been settled.
It is of no avail that we attempt to develop a beautiful character and
aim to do that which will meet with God's approval while there is sin
between him and our souls. Of what use are shoes if our feet are
paralyzed. Of what use are glasses if we are blind. The question of
the forgiveness of my sins is basic, fundamental, vital. It matters
not that I am highly respected by a wide circle of friends if! am yet
in my sins. It matters not that I have made good in business if I am
an unpardoned transgressor in the sight of God. What will matter most
in the hour of death is, Have my sins been put away by the Blood of
Christ?
The second all-important lesson which all need to learn is how
forgiveness of sins may be obtained. What is the ground on which a
Holy God will forgive sins? And here it is important to remark that
there is a vital difference between divine forgiveness and much of
human forgiveness. As a general rule human forgiveness is a matter of
leniency, often of laxity. We mean forgiveness is shown at the expense
of justice and righteousness. In a human court of law, the judge has
to choose between two alternatives: when the one in the dock has been
proven guilty, the judge must either enforce the penalty of the law,
or he must disregard the requirements of the law - the one is justice,
the other is mercy. The only possible way by which the judge can both
enforce the requirements of the law and yet show mercy to its
offender, is by a third party offering to suffer in his own person the
penalty which the convicted one deserves. Thus it was in the divine
counsels. God would not exercise mercy at the expense of justice. God,
as the judge of all the earth, would not set aside the demands of his
holy law. Yet, God would show mercy. How? Through one making full
satisfaction to his outraged law. Through his own Son taking the place
of all those who believe on him and bearing their sins in his own body
on the tree. God could be just and yet merciful, merciful and yet
just. Thus it is that "grace reigns through righteousness".
A righteous ground has been provided on which God can be just and yet
the justifier of all who believe. Hence it is we are told:
Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise
from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission
(forgiveness) of sins should be preached in his name among all
nations, beginning at Jerusalem (Luke 24:46,47).
And again:
Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this
man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that
believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be
justified by the law of Moses (Acts 13:38, 39).
It was in view of the blood he was shedding that the Saviour cried,
"Father, forgive them". It was in view of the atoning sacrifice he was
offering, that it can be said "without shedding of blood is no
remission".
In praying for the forgiven ess of his enemies Christ struck right
down to the root of their need. And their need was the need of every
child of Adam. Reader, have your sins been forgiven? that is, remitted
or sent away. Are you, by grace, one of those of whom it is said, "In
whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of
sins" (Col. 1:14)"?
"Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they
do."
7. Here we see the triumph of redeeming love.
Mark closely the word with which our text opens: "Then". The verse
which immediately precedes it reads thus, "And when they were come to
the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the
malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left". Then,
said Jesus, Father, forgive them. "Then" - when man had done his
worst. "Then" - when the vileness of the human heart was displayed in
climacteric devilry. "Then" - when with wicked hands the creature had
dared to crucify the Lord of glory. He might have uttered awful
maledictions over them. He might have let loose the thunderbolts of
righteous wrath and slain them. He might have caused the earth to open
her mouth so that they had gone down alive into the pit. But no.
Though subjected to unspeakable shame, though suffering excruciating
pain, though despised, rejected, hated; nevertheless, he cries,
"Father, forgive them". That was the triumph of redeeming love. "Love
suffereth long, and is kind . . . beareth all things . . . endureth
all things" (1 Cor. 13). Thus it was shown at the cross.
When Samson came to his dying hour he used his great strength of body
to encompass the destruction of his foes; but the perfect one,
exhibited the strength of his love by praying for the forgiveness of
his enemies. Matchless grace! "Matchless," we say, for even Stephen
failed to fully follow out the blessed example set by the Saviour. If
the reader will turn to Acts 7 he will find that Stephen's first
thought was of himself, and then he prayed for his enemies - "And they
stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay
not this sin to their charge" (Acts 7:59,60). But with Christ the
order was reversed: he prayed first for his foes, and last for
himself. In all things he has the pre-eminence.
And now one concluding word of application and exhortation. Should
this chapter have been read by an unsaved person we would earnestly
ask him to weigh well the next sentence - How dreadful must it be to
oppose Christ and his truth knowingly! Those who crucified the Saviour
"knew not what they did". But, my reader, there is a very real and
solemn sense in which this is not true of you. You know you ought to
receive Christ as your Saviour, that you ought to crown him the Lord
of your life, that you ought to make it your first and last concern to
please and glorify him. Be warned then; your danger is great. If you
deliberately turn from him, you turn from the only one who can save
you from your sins, and it is written, "For if we sin wilfully after
that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no
more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment
and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries" (Heb.
10:26, 27).
It only remains for us to add a word on the blessed completeness of
divine forgiveness. Many of God's people are unsettled and troubled
upon this point. They understand how that all the sins they had
committed before they received Christ as their Saviour have been
forgiven, but oftentimes they are not clear concerning the sins which
they commit after they have been born again. Many suppose it is
possible for them to sin away the pardon which God had bestowed upon
them. They suppose that the blood of Christ dealt with their past
only, and that so far as the present and the future are concerned,
they have to take care of that themselves. But of what value would be
a pardon which might be taken away from me at any time? Surely there
can be no settled peace when my acceptance with God and my going to
heaven is made to depend upon my holding on to Christ, or my obedience
and faithfulness.
Blessed be God, the forgiveness which he bestows covers all sins -
past, present and future. Fellow-believer, did not Christ bear your
"sins" in his own body on the tree? And were not all your sins future
sins when he died? Surely, for at that time you had not been born, and
so had not committed a single sin. Very well then: Christ bore your
"future" sins as truly as your past ones. What the word of God teaches
is that the unbelieving soul is brought out of the place of
unforgiveness into the place to which forgiveness attaches. Christians
are a forgiven people. Says the Holy Spirit: "Blessed is the man to
whom the Lord will not impute sin" (Romans 4:8). The believer is in
Christ, and there sin will never again be imputed to us. This is our
place or position before God. In Christ is where he beholds us. And
because I am in Christ I am completely and eternally forgiven, so much
so that never again will sin be laid to my charge as touching my
salvation, even though I were to remain on earth a hundred years. I am
out of that place for evermore. Listen to the testimony of scripture:
"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your
flesh, hath he (God) quickened together with him (Christ), having
forgiven you all trespasses" (Col. 2:13). Mark the two things which
are here united (and what God hath joined together let no man put
asunder) - my union with a risen Christ is connected with my
forgiveness! If then my life is "hid with Christ in God" (Colossians
3:3), then I am forever out of the place where imputation of sin
applies. Hence it is written, "There is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1) - how could there be
if "all trespasses" have been forgiven? None can lay anything to the
charge of God's elect (Romans 8:33). Christian reader, join the writer
in praising God because we are eternally forgiven everything.*
*It should be added by way of explanation, that it is the judicial
aspect we have dealt with. Restorative forgiveness - which is the
bringing back again into communion of a sinning believer -dealt with
in 1 John 1:9 - is another matter altogether.
Introduction | Forgiveness | Salvation | Affection
Anguish | Suffering | Victory | Contentment
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A. W. Pink Header
The Seven Sayings of the
Saviour on the Cross
by A.W. Pink
2. The Word Of Salvation
_________________________________________________________________
"And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me
when thou comest into thy kingdom.
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee,
Today shalt thou be with me in paradise"
Luke 23:42, 43
THE SECOND OF CHRIST'S cross-utterances was spoken in response to the
request of the dying thief. Ere considering the words of the Saviour
we shall first ponder what occasioned them.
It was no accident that the Lord of glory was crucified between two
thieves. There are no accidents in a world that is governed by God.
Much less could there have been any accident on that day of days, or
in connection with that event of all events - a day and an event which
lie at the very centre of the world's history. No, God was presiding
over that scene. From all eternity he had decreed when and where and
how and with whom his Son should die. Nothing was left to chance or
the caprice of man. All that God had decreed came to pass exactly as
he had ordained, and nothing happened save as he had eternally
purposed. Whatsoever man did was simply that which God's hand and
counsel "determined to be done" (Acts 4:28).
When Pilate gave orders that the Lord Jesus should be crucified
between the two malefactors, all unknown to himself, he was but
putting into execution the eternal decree of God and fulfilling his
prophetic word. Seven hundred years before this Roman officer gave his
command, God had declared through Isaiah that his Son should be
"numbered with the transgressors" (Isa. 53:12). How utterly unlikely
this appeared, that the Holy One of God should be numbered with the
unholy; that the very one whose finger had inscribed on the tables of
stone the Sinaitic Law should be assigned a place with the lawless;
that the Son of God should be executed with criminals - this seemed
utterly inconceivable. Yet, it actually came to pass. Not a single
word of God can fall to the ground. "Forever, O Lord, thy word is
settled in heaven" (Ps. 119:89). Just as God had ordained, and just as
he had announced, so it came to pass.
Why did God order it that his beloved Son should be crucified between
two criminals? Certainly God had a reason; a good one, a manifold one,
whether we can discern it or not. God never acts arbitrarily. He has a
good purpose for everything he does, for all his works are ordered by
infinite wisdom. In this particular instance a number of answers
suggest themselves to our inquiry. Was not our blessed Lord crucified
with the two thieves to fully demonstrate the unfathomable depths of
shame into which he had descended? At his birth he was surrounded by
the beasts of the field, and now, at his death, he is numbered with
the refuse of humanity.
Again, was not the Saviour numbered with transgressors to show us the
position he occupied as our substitute? He had taken the place which
was due us, and what was that but the place of shame, the place of
transgressors, the place of criminals condemned to death!
Again, was he not deliberately humiliated thus by Pilate to exhibit
man's estimate of the peerless one - "despised" as well as rejected!
Again, was he not crucified with the two thieves, so that in those
three crosses and the ones who hung upon them we might have a vivid
and concrete representation of the drama of salvation and man's
response thereto - the Saviour's redemption; the sinner repenting and
believing; and the sinner reviling and rejecting?
Another important lesson which we may learn from the crucifixion of
Christ between the two thieves, and the fact that one received him and
the other rejected him, is that of the sovereignty of God. The two
malefactors were crucified together. They were equally near to Christ.
Both of them saw and heard all that transpired during those fateful
six hours. Both were notoriously wicked; both were suffering acutely;
both were dying, and both urgently needed forgiveness. Yet one of them
died in his sins, died as he had lived - hardened and impenitent;
while the other repented of his wickedness, believed in Christ, called
on him for mercy and went to Paradise. How can this be accounted for
except by the sovereignty of God!
We see precisely the same thing going on today. Under exactly the same
circumstances and conditions, one is melted and another remains
unmoved. Under the same sermon one man will listen with indifference,
while another will have his eyes opened to see his need and his will
moved to close with God's offer of mercy. To one the gospel is
revealed, to another it is "hidden". Why? All we can say is, "Even so,
Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight." And yet God's sovereignty
is never meant to destroy human responsibility. Both are plainly
taught in the Bible, and it is our business to believe and preach both
whether we can harmonize or understand them or not. In preaching both
we may seem to our hearers to contradict ourselves, but what matters
that?
Said the late C H Spurgeon, when preaching on 1 Timothy 2:3, 4, "There
stands the text, and I believe that it is my Father's wish that "All
men should be saved, and come unto the knowledge of the truth". But!
know, also, that he does not will it, so that he will save any one of
them, unless they believe in his Son; for he has told us over and over
again that he will not. He will not save any man except he forsakes
his sins, and turns to him with full purpose of heart: that I also
know. And I know, also, that he has a people whom he will save, whom
by his eternal love he has chosen and whom by his eternal power he
will deliver. I do not know how that squares with this, that is
another of the things I do not know." And said this prince of
preachers, "I will just stand to what! ever shall and always have
preached, and take God's word as it stands, whether! can reconcile it
with another part of God's word or not."
We say again, God's sovereignty is never meant to destroy man's
responsibility. We are to make diligent use of all the means which God
has appointed for the salvation of souls. We are bidden to preach the
gospel to "every creature". Grace is free; the invitation is broad
enough to take in "whosoever believeth". Christ turns away none who
come to him. Yet, after we have done all, after we have planted and
watered, it is God who "giveth the increase", and this he does as best
pleaseth his sovereign will.
In the salvation of the dying thief we have a clear view of victorious
grace such as is to be found nowhere else in the Bible. God is the God
of all grace, and salvation is entirely by his grace. "By grace are ye
saved" (Eph. 2:8), and it is "by grace" from beginning to end. Grace
planned salvation, grace provided salvation, and grace so works on and
in his elect as to overcome the hardness of their hearts, the
obstinacy of their wills, and the enmity of their minds, and thus
makes them willing to receive salvation. Grace begins, grace
continues, and grace consummates our salvation.
Salvation by grace - sovereign, irresistible, free grace - is
illustrated in the New Testament by example as well as precept.
Perhaps the two most striking cases of all are those of Saul of Tarsus
and the Dying Robber. And the case of the latter is even more
noteworthy than the former. In the case of Saul, who afterwards became
Paul the apostle to the Gentiles, there was an exemplary moral
character to begin with. Writing years afterwards of his condition
before his conversion, the apostle declared that as touching the
righteousness of the law he was "blameless" (Phil. 3:6). He was a
"Pharisee of the Pharisees": punctilious in his habits, correct in his
deportment. Morally, his character was flawless. After his conversion
his life was one of gospel-righteousness. Constrained by the love of
Christ he spent himself in preaching the gospel to sinners and in
labouring to buildup the saints. Doubtless our readers will agree with
us when we say that probably Paul came nearest to attaining the ideals
of the Christian life, and that he followed after his Master more
closely than any other saint has since.
But with the saved thief it was far otherwise. He had no moral life
before his conversion and no life of active service after it. Before
his conversion he respected neither the law of God nor the law of man.
After his conversion he died without having opportunity to engage in
the service of Christ. I would emphasize this, because these are the
two things which are regarded by so many as contributing factors to
our salvation. It is supposed that we must first fit ourselves by
developing a noble character before God will receive us as his sons;
and that after he has received us, tentatively, we are merely placed
on probation, and that unless we now bring forth a certain quality and
quantity of good works we shall "fall from grace and be lost". But the
dying thief had no good works either before or after conversion. Hence
we are shut up to the conclusion that if saved at all he was certainly
saved by sovereign grace.
The salvation of the dying thief also disposes of another prop which
the legality of the carnal mind interposes to rob God of the glory due
unto his grace. Instead of attributing the salvation of lost sinners
to the matchless grace of God, many professing Christians seek to
account for them by human influences, instrumentalities and
circumstances. Either the preacher or providential and propitious
circumstances or the prayers of believers, are looked to as the main
cause. Let us not be misunderstood here. It is true that often God is
pleased to use means in the conversion of sinners; that frequently he
condescends to bless our prayers and efforts to point sinners to
Christ; that many times he causes his providences to awaken and arouse
the ungodly to a realization of their state. But God is not shut up to
these things. He is not limited to human instrumentalities. His grace
is all powerful, and when he pleases, that grace is able to save in
spite of the lack of human instrumentalities, and in the face of
unfavorable circumstances. So it was in the case of the saved thief.
Consider:
His conversion occurred at a time when to outward appearance Christ
had lost all power to save either himself or others. This thief had
marched along with the Saviour through the streets of Jerusalem and
had seen him sink beneath the weight of the cross! It is highly
probable that as one who followed the occupation of a thief and robber
this was the first day he had ever set eyes on the Lord Jesus, and now
that he did see him it was under every circumstance of weakness and
disgrace. His enemies were triumphing over him. His friends had mostly
forsaken him. Public opinion was unanimously against him. His very
crucifixion was regarded as utterly inconsistent with his
Messiah-ship. His lowly condition was a stumblingblock to the Jews
from the very first, and the circumstances of his death must have
intensified it, especially to one who had never seen him except in
this condition. Even those who had believed on him were made to doubt
by his crucifixion. There was not one in the crowd who stood there
with out-stretched finger and cried, "Behold the Lamb of God which
taketh away the sin of the world!" And yet, notwithstanding these
obstacles and difficulties in the way of his faith, the thief
apprehended the Saviour-hood and Lordship of Christ. How can we
possibly account for such faith and such spiritual understanding in
one circumstanced as he was? How can we explain the fact that this
dying thief took a suffering, bleeding, crucified man for his God! It
cannot be accounted for apart from divine intervention and
supernatural operation. His faith in Christ was a miracle of grace!
It is also to be remarked that the thief s conversion took place
before the supernatural phenomena of that day. He cried, "Lord,
remember me" before the hours of darkness, before the triumphant cry,
"It is finished", before the rending of the temple veil, before the
quaking of the earth and the shivering of the rocks, before the
centurion's confession "Truly this was the Son of God". God purposely
set his conversion before these things so that his sovereign grace
might be magnified and his sovereign power acknowledged. God
designedly chose to save this thief under the most unfavorable
circumstances that no flesh should glory in his presence. God
deliberately arranged this combination of unpropitious conditions and
surroundings to teach us that "Salvation is of the Lord"; to teach us
not to magnify human instrumentality above divine agency; to teach us
that every genuine conversion is the direct product of the
supernatural operation of the Holy Spirit.
We shall now consider the thief himself, his various utterances, his
request of the Saviour, and our Lord's response.
"And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy
kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt
thou be with me in paradise" Luke 23:42, 43
1. Here we see a representative sinner.
We shall never get to the heart of this incident until we regard the
conversion of this man as a representative case, and the thief himself
as a representative character. There are those who have sought to show
that the original character of the repenting thief was nobler and
worthier than that of the other who repented not. But this is not only
not true to the facts of the case but it serves to efface the peculiar
glory of his conversion and takes away from the wonderment of God's
grace. It is of great importance to see that prior to the time when
the one repented and believed there was no essential difference
between the two thieves. In nature, in history, in circumstances they
were one. The Holy Spirit has been careful to tell us that they both
reviled the suffering Saviour:
"Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and
elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the
King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will
believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will
have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. The thieves also, which
were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth" (Matthew
27:41-44).
Terrible indeed was the condition and action of this robber. On the
very brink of eternity he unites with the enemies of Christ in the
awful sin of mocking him. This was unparalleled turpitude. Think of it
- a man in his dying hour deriding the suffering Saviour! 0 what a
demonstration of human depravity and of the native enmity of the
carnal mind against God! And reader, by nature there is the same
depravity inhering within you, and unless a miracle of divine grace
has been wrought upon you there is the same enmity against God and his
Christ present in your heart. You may not think so, you may not feel
so, you may not believe so. But that does not alter the fact. The word
of him who cannot lie declares, "The heart is deceitful above all
things, and desperately wicked" (Jer. 17:9). That is a statement of
universal application. It describes what every human heart is by
natural birth. And again the same scripture of truth declares, "The
carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of
God, neither indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7). This, too, diagnoses the state
of every descendant of Adam. "For there is no difference for all have
sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:22, 23).
Unspeakably solemn is this: yet it needs to be pressed. It is not
until our desperate condition is realized that we discover our need of
a divine Saviour. It is not until we are brought to see our total
corruption and unsoundness that we shall hasten to the great
physician. It is not until we find in this dying thief a portrayal of
ourselves that we shall join in saying, "Lord, remember me".
We have to be abased before we can be exalted. We have to be stripped
of the filthy rags of our self-righteousness before we are ready for
the garments of salvation. We have to come to God as beggars,
empty-handed, before we can receive the gift of eternal life. We have
to take the place of lost sinners before him if we would be saved.
Yes, we have to acknowledge ourselves as thieves before we can have a
place in the family of God. "But," you say, "I am no thief! I
acknowledge I am not all I ought to be. I am not perfect. In fact,!
will go so far as to admit I am a sinner. But I cannot allow that this
thief represents my state and condition." Ah, friend, your case is far
worse than you suppose. You are a thief, and that of the worst type.
You have robbed God! Suppose that a firm in the East appointed an
agent to represent them in the West, and that every month they
forwarded to him his salary. But suppose also at the end of the year
his employers discovered that though the agent had been cashing the
cheques they sent him, nevertheless, he had served another firm all
that time. Would not that agent be a thief? Yet this is precisely the
situation and state of every sinner. He has been sent into this world
by God, and God has endowed him with talents and the capacity to use
and improve them. God has blessed him with health and strength; he has
supplied his every need, and provided innumerable opportunities to
serve and glorify him. But with what result? The very things God has
given him have been misappropriated. The sinner has served another
master, even Satan. He dissipates his strength and wastes his time in
the pleasures of sin. He has robbed God. Unsaved reader, in the sight
of Heaven your condition is as desperate and your heart is as wicked
as that of the thief. See in him a picture of yourself.
2. Here we see that man has to come to the end of himself before he
can be saved.
Above we have contemplated this dying robber as a representative
sinner, a sample specimen of what all men are by nature and practice -
by nature at enmity against God and his Christ; by practice robbers of
God, misusing what he has given us and failing to render what is due
him. We are now to see that this crucified robber was also a
representative case in his conversion. And at this point we shall
dwell simply upon his helplessness.
To see ourselves as lost sinners is not sufficient. To learn that we
are corrupt and depraved by nature and sinful transgressors by
practice is the first important lesson. The next is to learn that we
are utterly undone, and that we can do nothing whatever to help
ourselves. To discover that our condition is so desperate that it is
entirely beyond human repair, is the second step toward salvation -
looking at it from the human side. But if man is slow to learn that he
is a lost sinner and unfit for the presence of a holy God, he is
slower still to recognize that he can do nothing towards his
salvation, and is unable to work any improvement in himself so as to
be fit for God. Yet, it is not until we realize that we are "without
strength" (Rom. 5:6), that we are "impotent" (John 5:3), that it is
not by works of righteousness which we do, but by his mercy God saves
us (Titus 3:5), not until then shall we despair of ourselves, and look
outside of ourselves to the one who can save us.
The great scripture type of sin is leprosy, and for leprosy man can
devise no cure. God alone can deal with this dreadful disease. So it
is with sin. But, as we have said, man is slow to learn his lesson. He
is like the prodigal son, who when he had squandered his substance in
the far country in riotous living and began to be "in want", instead
of returning to the father straightaway, he "went and joined himself
to a citizen of that country" and went to the fields to feed swine; in
other words he went to work. Likewise the sinner who has been aroused
to his need, instead of going at once to Christ, he tries to work
himself into God's favour. But he will fare no better than the
prodigal - the husks of the swine will be his only portion. Or again,
like the woman bowed down with her infirmity for many long years. She
tried many physicians before she sought the great physician: so the
awakened sinner seeks relief and peace in first one thing and then
another, until he completes the weary round of religious performances,
and ends by being "nothing bettered, but rather grows worse" (Mark
5:26). No, it is not until that woman had "spent all she had" that she
sought Christ: and it is not until the sinner comes to the end of his
own resources that he will betake himself to the Saviour.
Before any sinner can be saved he must come to the place of realized
weakness. This is what the conversion of the dying thief shows us.
What could he do? He could not walk in the paths of righteousness for
there was a nail through either foot. He could not perform any good
works for there was a nail through either hand. He could not turn over
anew leaf and live a better life for he was dying. And, my reader,
those hands of yours which are so ready for self-righteous acting, and
those feet of yours which are so swift to run in the way of legal
obedience, must be nailed to the cross. The sinner has to be cut off
from his own workings and be made willing to be saved by Christ. A
realization of your sinful condition, of your lost condition, of your
helpless condition, is nothing more or less than old-fashioned
conviction of sin, and this is the sole prerequisite for coming to
Christ for salvation, for Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners.
3. Here we see the meaning of repentance and faith.
Repentance may be considered under various aspects. It includes in its
meaning and scope a change of mind about sin, a sorrowing for sin, a
forsaking of sin. Yet there is more in repentance than these. Really,
repentance is the realization of our lost condition, it is the
discovery of our ruin, it is the judging of ourselves, it is the
owning of our lost estate. Repentance is not so much an intellectual
process as it is the conscience active in the presence of God. And
this is exactly what we find here in the case of the thief. First he
says to his companion, "Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the
same condemnation?" (Luke 23:40). A short time before he had mingled
his voice with those who were reviling the Saviour. But the Holy
Spirit had been at work upon him, and now his conscience is active in
the presence of God. It was not, "Dost not thou fear punishment?" but,
"Dost not thou fear God?" He apprehends God as judge.
And then, in the second place he adds, "And we indeed justly; for we
receive the due reward of our deeds" (Luke 23:41). Here we see him
acknowledging his guilt and the justice of his condemnation. He passes
sentence upon himself. He makes no excuses and attempts no
extenuation. He recognized he was a transgressor, and that as such he
fully deserved punishment for his sins, yea, that death was his due.
Have you taken this position before God, my reader? Have you openly
confessed your sins to him? Have you passed judgment upon yourself and
your ways? Are you ready to acknowledge that death is your "due"?
Whether you palliate sin or prevaricate about it, you are shutting
yourself out from Christ. Christ came into the world to save sinners -
self-confessed sinners, sinners who really take the place of sinners
before God, sinners who are conscious that they are lost and undone.
The thief's "repentance toward God" was accompanied with "faith toward
our Lord Jesus Christ". In contemplating his faith we may notice first
that it was an intelligent head faith. In the earlier paragraphs of
this chapter we have called attention to the sovereignty of God and
his irresistible and. victorious grace which were exhibited in the
conversion of this thief. Now we turn to another side of the truth,
equally necessary to press, a side which is not contradictory to what
we have said previously, but rather, complementary and supplementary.
Scripture does not teach that if God has elected a certain soul to be
saved that that person will be saved whether they believe or not. That
is a false conclusion drawn by those who reject the truth. No,
scripture teaches that the same God who predestined the end also
predestined the means. The God who decreed the salvation of the dying
thief fulfilled hi s decree by giving him a faith with which to
believe. This is the plain teaching of 2 Thessalonians 2:13 (and other
scriptures): "God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation
through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth".
This is just what we see here in connection with this robber. He
"believed the truth." His faith took hold of the word of God. Over the
cross was the superscription, "This is Jesus the King of the Jews".
Pilate had placed it there in derision. But it was the truth
nevertheless, and after he had written it, God would not allow him to
alter it. The board bearing this superscription had been carried in
front of Christ through the streets of Jerusalem and out to the place
of crucifixion, and the thief had read it, and divine grace and power
had opened the eyes of his understanding to see it was the truth. His
faith grasped the kingship of Christ, hence his mention of "when thou
comest into thy kingdom". Faith always rests on the written word of
God.
Before a man will believe that Jesus is the Christ he must have the
testimony before him that he is the Christ. Distinction is often made
between head faith and heart faith, and properly so, for the
distinction is real, and vital. Sometimes head faith is decried as
valueless, but this is foolish. There must be head faith before there
can be heart faith. We must believe intellectually before we can
believe savingly in the Lord Jesus. Proof of this is seen in
connection with the heathen: they have no head faith and therefore
they have no heart faith. We readily grant that head faith will not
save unless it be accompanied by heart faith, but we insist that there
is no heart faith unless there has first been head faith. How can they
believe in him of whom they have not heard? True, one may believe
about him without believing in him, but one cannot believe in him
without first believing about him. So it was with the dying thief. In
all probability he had never seen Christ before this day of his death,
but he had seen the written superscription testifying to his kingship
and the Holy Spirit used this as the basis of his faith. We say then
that his was an intelligent faith: first, an intellectual faith, the
believing the written testimony submitted to him; second, a heart
faith, the resting in confidence on Christ himself as the Saviour of
sinners.
Yes, this dying robber exercised a heart faith which rested savingly
on Christ. We shall try to be very simple here. A man may have head
faith in the Lord Jesus and be lost. A man may believe about the
historic Christ and be no better for it, just as he is no better for
believing about the historic Napoleon. Reader, you may believe all
about the Saviour - his perfect life, his sacrificial death, his
victorious resurrection, his glorious ascension, his promised return -
but you must do more than this. Gospel faith is a confiding faith.
Saving faith is more than a correct opinion or a train of reasoning.
Saving faith transcends all reason. Look at this dying thief! Was it
reasonable that Christ should notice him? A crucified robber, a
self-confessed criminal, one who a few minutes ago had been reviling
him! Was it reasonable that the Saviour should take any notice of him?
Was it reasonable to expect that he should be transported from the
very brink of the pit into Paradise? Ah, my reader, the head reasons,
but the heart does not. And this man's petition came from his heart.
He had not the use of his hands and feet (and they are not needed for
salvation: they rather impede) but he had the use of his heart and
tongue. They were free to believe and confess - "For with the heart
man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is
made unto salvation" (Rom. 10:10).
We may also notice his was a humble faith. He prayed with becoming
modesty. It was not "Lord, honour me", or "Lord, exalt me", but Lord,
if thou wilt but think of me! If thou wilt only look on me - "Lord,
remember me". And yet that word "remember" was wonderfully full and
appropriate. He might have said, Pardon me, Save me, Bless me; but
"remember" included them all. An interest in Christ's heart will
include an interest in all his benefits! Moreover this word was well
suited to the condition of the one who uttered it. He was an outcast
from society - who would remember him! The public would think no more
of him. His friends would be glad to forget him as having disgraced
his family. But there is one with whom he ventures to lodge this
petition - "Lord, remember me".
Finally, we may notice that his was a courageous faith. Perhaps this
is not apparent at first sight, but a little consideration will make
it plain. He who hung on the central cross was the one on whom all
eyes were turned and toward whom all the vile mockery of a vulgar mob
was directed. Every faction of that crowd joined in jeering at the
Saviour. Matthew tells us that "they that passed by reviled him", that
"likewise also the chief priests mocked, with the elders and scribes".
While Luke informs us "the soldiers also mocked him" (23:36). It is
therefore easy to understand why the thieves should also take up the
taunting cry. No doubt the priests and scribes smiled benignly upon
them as they did so. But suddenly there was a change. The repenting
thief instead of continuing to sneer and jibe at Christ, turns to his
companion and openly rebukes him in the hearing of the spectators
gathered around the crosses, crying, "This man hath done nothing
amiss." Thus he condemned the whole Jewish nation! But more; not only
does he bear testimony to Christ's innocency, but he also confessed
his kingship. And thus by a single stroke he cuts himself off from the
favour of his companion and of the crowd as well! We talk today of the
courage which is needed to openly witness for Christ, but such courage
in these days pales into utter insignificance before the courage
displayed that day by the dying thief.
4. Here we see a marvellous case of spiritual illumination.
It is perfectly wonderful the progress made by this man in those few
dying hours. His growth in grace and in the knowledge of his Lord was
amazing. From the brief record of the words that fell from his lips we
may discover seven things which he had learned under the tuition of
the Holy Spirit.
First, he expresses his belief in a future life where retribution
would be meted out by a righteous and sin-avenging God. "Dost not thou
fear God")" proves this. He sharply reprimands his companion, and as
much as says, How dare you have the temerity to revile this innocent
man? Remember, that shortly you will have to appear before God and
face a tribunal infinitely more solemn than the one which sentenced
you to be crucified. God is to be feared, so be silent.
Second, as we have seen, he had a sight of his own sinfulness - "Thou
art in the same condemnation. And we indeed justly; for we receive the
due reward of our deeds" (Luke 23:40, 41). He recognized that he was a
transgressor. He saw that sin merited punishment, that "condemnation"
was just. He owned that death was his "due". This was something that
his companion neither confessed nor recognized.
Third, he bore testimony to Christ's sinlessness - "This man hath done
nothing amiss" (Luke 23:41). And here we may mark the pains God took
to guard the spotless character of his Son. Especially is this to be
seen toward the end. Judas was moved to say, "I have betrayed innocent
blood." Pilate testified, "I find no fault in him." Pilate's wife
said, "Have nothing to do with this just man." And now that he hangs
on the cross, God opens the eyes of this robber to see the
faultlessness of his beloved Son, and opens his lips so that he bears
witness to his excellency.
Fourth, he not only witnessed to the sinless humanity of Christ but he
also confessed his Godhead - "Lord, remember me," he said. A
marvellous word was that. The Saviour nailed to the tree, the object
of Jewish hatred and the butt of a vulgar mob's ridicule. This thief
had heard the scornful challenge of the priests: "If thou be the Son
of God come down from the cross", and no response had been given. But
moved by faith and not by sight he recognizes and owns the deity of
the central sufferer.
Fifth, he believed in the saviour-hood of the Lord Jesus. He had heard
Christ's prayer for his enemies, "Father, forgive them . . ." and to
one whose heart the Lord had opened, that short sentence became a
saving sermon. His own cry, "Lord, remember me" included within its
scope, "Lord, save me", which therefore implies his faith in the Lord
Jesus as Saviour. In fact he must have believed that Jesus was a
Saviour for the chief of sinners or how could he have believed that
Christ would "remember" such as he!
Sixth, he evidenced his faith in Christ's kingship - "when thou comest
into thy kingdom". This too, was a wonderful word. Outward
circumstances all seemed to belie his kingship. Instead of being
seated on a throne, he hung upon a cross. Instead of wearing a royal
diadem, his brow was encircled with thorns. Instead of being waited
upon by a retinue of servants, he was numbered with transgressors.
Nevertheless, he was king - King of the Jews (Matthew 2:2).
Finally, he looked forward to the second coming of Christ - "when thou
comest". He looked away from the present to the future. He saw beyond
the "sufferings", the "glory". Over the cross the eye of faith
detected the crown. And in this he was before the apostles, for
unbelief had closed their eyes. Yes, he looked beyond the first advent
in shame to the second advent in power and majesty.
And how can we account for the spiritual intelligence of this dying
robber? Whence did he receive such insight into the things of Christ?
How comes it that this babe in Christ made such amazing progress in
the school of God? It can be accounted for only by divine influence.
The Holy Spirit was his teacher! Flesh and blood had not revealed
these things unto him but the Father in heaven. What an illustration
that divine things are hidden from "the wise and prudent" and are
revealed to "babes"!
5. Here we see the Saviour-hood of Christ.
The crosses were only a few feet apart and it did not take the Saviour
long to hear this cry of the penitent thief. What was his response
thereto? He might have said, You deserve your fate: you are a wicked
robber and have merited death. Or, he might have replied, You have
left it till too late; you should have sought me sooner. Ah! but had
he not promised, "Him that cometh to me! will in no wise cast out"! So
it proved here.
Of the reproaches which were cast on him by the crowd the Lord Jesus
took no notice. To the insulting challenge of the priests to descend
from the cross, he made no response. But the prayer of this contrite,
believing thief arrested his attention. At the time he was grappling
with the powers of darkness and sustaining the awful load of his
people's guilt, and we should have thought he might be excused from
attending to individual applications. Ah! but a sinner can never come
to Christ in an unacceptable time. He gives him an answer of peace and
that without delay.
The salvation of the repentant and believing robber illustrates not
only Christ's readiness but also his power to save sinners. The Lord
Jesus is no feeble Saviour. Blessed be God he is able to "save unto
the uttermost" them that come unto God by him. And never was this so
signally displayed as when on the cross. This was the time of the
Redeemer's "weakness" (2 Cor. 13:4). When the thief cried, "Lord,
remember me", the Saviour was in agony on the accursed tree. Yet even
then, even there, he had power to redeem this soul from death and open
for him the gates of Paradise! Never doubt then, or question the
infinite sufficiency of the Saviour. If a dying Saviour could save how
much more he who rose in triumph from the tomb, never more to die! In
saving this thief Christ gave an exhibition of his power at the very
time when it was almost clouded.
The salvation of the dying thief demonstrates that the Lord is willing
and able to save all who come to him. If Christ received this
penitent, believing thief, then none need despair of a welcome if they
will but come to Christ. If this dying robber was not beyond the reach
of divine mercy then none are who will respond to the invitations of
divine grace. The Son of Man came "to seek and to save that which was
lost" (Luke 19:10), and none can sink lower than that. The gospel of
Christ is the power of God "to every one that believeth" (Romans
1:16). 0 limit not the grace of God. A Saviour is provided for the
very "chief of sinners" (1 Tim. 1:15), if only he will believe. Even
those who reach the dying hour yet in their sins are not beyond hope.
Personally I believe that very, very few are saved on a deathbed, and
it is the height of folly for any man to postpone his salvation till
then, for there is no guarantee that any man will have a death-bed.
Many are cut off suddenly, without any opportunity to lie down and
die. Yet, even one on a death-bed is not beyond the reach of divine
mercy. As said one of the Puritans, "There is one such case recorded
that none need despair, but only one, in scripture, that none might
presume".
Yes, here we see the Saviour-hood of Christ. He came into this world
to save sinners, and he left it and went to Paradise accompanied by a
saved criminal - the first trophy of his redeeming blood!
6. Here we see the destination of the saved at death.
In his splendid book, The Seven Sayings of Christ on the Cross, Dr
Anderson-Berry has pointed out that the word "Today" is not correctly
placed in the rendering of our King James version, and that the
designed correspondence between the thief's request and Christ's
response requires a different construction of the latter. The form of
Christ's reply is evidently designed to match in its order of thought
the robber's petition. This will be seen if we arrange the two in
parallel couplets thus:
And he said unto Jesus
And Jesus said unto him
Lord
Verily I say unto thee
Remember me
Shalt thou be with me
When thou comest
Today.
Into thy kingdom
In paradise.
By arranging the words thus we discover the correct emphasis. "Today"
is the emphatic word. In our Lord's gracious response to the thief's
request we have a striking illustration of how divine grace exceeds
human expectations. The thief prayed that the Lord would remember him
in his coming kingdom, but Christ assures him that before that very
day had passed he should be with the Saviour. The thief asks to be
remembered in an earthly kingdom, but Christ assures him of a place in
Paradise. The thief simply asks to be "remembered" ,but the Saviour
declared he should be "with him". Thus doeth God abundantly above all
that we ask or think.
Not only does Christ's reply signify the survival of the soul after
the death of the body, but it tells us that the believer is with him
during the interval which divides death from the resurrection. To make
this the more emphatic, Christ prefaced his promise with the solemn
but assuring words "Verily I say unto you". It was this prospect of
going to Christ at death which cheered the martyr Stephen in his last
hour and therefore did he cry, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" (Acts
7:59). It was this blessed expectation which moved the apostle Paul to
say, I have a "desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far
better" (Phil. 1:23). Not unconsciousness in the grave, but with
Christ in Paradise is what awaits every believer at death. Every
"believer" I say, for the souls of unbelievers, instead of going to
Paradise, pass to the place of torments, as is clear from our Lord's
teaching in Luke 16. Reader, whither would your soul go, if this
moment you were dying?
How hard Satan has striven to hide this blessed prospect from the
saints of God! On the one hand he has propagated the doleful dogma of
soul-sleep, the teaching that believers are in a state of
unconsciousness between death and the resurrection; and on the other
hand, he has invented a horrible purgatory, to terrify believers with
the thought that at death they pass into fire, necessary to purify and
fit them for heaven. How thoroughly the word of Christ to the thief
disposes of these God-dishonoring delusions! The thief went straight
from the cross to Paradise! The moment a sinner believes, that moment
is he "made meet to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in
light" (Col. 1:12). "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever
them that are sanctified" (Heb. 10:14). Our fitness for Christ's
presence, as well as our title, rests solely on his shed blood.
7. Here we see the longing of the Saviour for fellowship.
In fellowship we reach the climax of grace and the sum of Christian
privilege. Higher than fellowship we cannot go. God has called us
"unto the fellowship of his Son" (1 Cor. 1:9). We are often told that
we are "saved to serve", and this is true, but it is only a part of
the truth and by no means the most wondrous and blessed part of it. We
are saved for fellowship. God had innumerable "servants" before Christ
came here to die - the angels ever do his bidding. Christ came not
primarily to secure servants but those who should enter into
fellowship with himself.
That which makes heaven superlatively attractive to the heart of the
saint is not that heaven is a place where we shall be delivered from
all sorrow and suffering, nor is it that heaven is the place where we
shall meet again those we loved in the Lord, nor is it that heaven is
the place of golden streets and pearly gates and jasper walls - no,
blessed as those things are, heaven without Christ would not be
heaven. It is Christ the heart of the believer longs for and pants
after - "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth
that I desire beside thee" (Ps. 73:25). And the most amazing thing is
that heaven will not be heaven to Christ in the highest sense until
his redeemed are gathered around him. It is his saints that his heart
longs for. To come again and "receive us unto himself" is the joyous
expectation set before him. Not until he sees of the travail of his
soul will he be fully satisfied.
These are the thoughts suggested and confirmed by the words of the
Lord Jesus to the dying thief. "Lord, remember me" had been his cry.
And what was the response? Note it carefully. Had Christ merely said,
"Verily I say unto thee, Today thou shalt be in Paradise" that would
have set at rest the fears of the thief. Yes, but it did not satisfy
the Saviour. That upon which his heart was set was the fact that that
very day a soul saved by his precious blood should be with him in
Paradise! We say again, this is the climax of grace and the sum of
Christian blessing. Said the apostle, "I have a desire to depart, and
to be with Christ" (Phil. 1:23). And again, he wrote, "Absent from the
body" - free from all pain and care? No. "Absent from the body" -
translated to glory? No. "Absent from the body... present with the
Lord" (2 Cor. 5:8). So, too, with Christ. Said he, "In my Father's
house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I
go to prepare a place for you"; yet, when he adds, "I will come again"
he does not say "And conduct you unto the Father's house", or "I will
take you to the place! have prepared for you", but "I will come again
and receive you unto myself (John 14:2, 3). To be "for ever with the
Lord" (1 Thess. 4:17) is the goal of all our hopes; to have us for
ever with himself is that to which he looks forward with eager and
gladsome expectation. Thou shalt be with me in Paradise!
Introduction | Forgiveness | Salvation | Affection
Anguish | Suffering | Victory | Contentment
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A. W. Pink Header
The Seven Sayings of the
Saviour on the Cross
by A.W. Pink
3. The Word Of Affection
_________________________________________________________________
Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother When Jesus therefore
saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith
unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple,
Behold thy mother!
John 19:25, 26
"NOW THERE STOOD by the cross of Jesus his mother" (John 19:25). Like
her Son, Mary was not un acquainted with grief. At the beginning we
are told, "And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that
art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among
women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast
in her mind what manner of salutation this should be" (Luke 1:28, 29).
This was but the forerunner of many troubles: Gabriel had come to
announce to her the fact of the miraculous conception, and a moment's
reflection will show us that it was no light matter for Mary to become
the mother of our Lord in this mysterious and unheard of way. It
brought with it, no doubt, at a distant date, great honour, but it
brought with it for the present no small danger to Mary's reputation,
and no small trial to her faith. It is beautiful to observe her quiet
submission to the will of God: "And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of
the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word" (Luke 1:38) was her
response. This was lovely resignation. Nevertheless, she was
"troubled" at the Annunciation and, as we have said, this was but the
precursor of many trials and sorrows.
What sorrow it must have caused her when, because there was no room in
the inn, she had to lay her new-born babe in the manger! What anguish
must have been hers when she learned of Herod's purpose to destroy her
infant's life! What trouble was given her when she was forced on his
account to flee into a foreign country and sojourn for several years
in the land of Egypt! What piercings of soul must have been hers when
she saw her Son despised and rejected of men! What grief must have
wrung her heart as she beheld him hated and persecuted by his own
nation! And who can estimate what she passed through as she stood
there at the cross? If Christ was the man of sorrows, was she not the
woman of sorrows?
"There stood by the cross of Jesus his mother" John 19:25
1. Here we see the fulfillment of Simeon's prophecy.
In accordance with the requirements of the Mosaic law, the parents of
the child Jesus brought him to the temple to present him to the Lord.
Then it was that old Simeon, who waited for the Consolation of Israel,
took him into his arms and blessed God. After saying:
"Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy
word: for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared
before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and
the glory of thy people Israel" (Luke 2:29-32)
he now turned to Mary and said:
"Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in
Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword
shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many
hearts may be revealed" (Luke 2:34, 35).
A strange word was that! Could it be that hers, the greatest of all
privileges was to bring with it the greatest of all sorrows? It seemed
most unlikely at the time Simeon spoke. Yet how truly and how
tragically did it come to pass! Here at the cross was this prophecy of
Simeon fulfilled.
"Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother" (John 19:25). After
the days of his infancy and childhood, and during all the public
ministry of Christ, we see and hear so little of Mary. Her life was
lived in the background, among the shadows. But now, when the supreme
hour strikes of her Son's agony, when the world has cast out the child
of her womb, she stands there by the cross! Who can fitly portray such
a picture? Mary was nearest to the cruel tree! Bereft of faith and
hope, baffled and paralyzed by the strange scene, yet bound with the
golden chain of love to the dying one, there she stands! Try and read
the thoughts and emotions of that mother's heart. O what a sword it
was that pierced her soul then! Never such bliss at a human birth,
never such sorrow at an inhuman death.
Here we see displayed the Mother-heart. She is the dying man's mother.
The one who agonizes their on the cross is her child. She it was who
first planted kisses on that brow now crowned with thorns. She it was
who guided those hands and feet in their first infantile movements. No
mother ever suffered as she did. His disciples may desert him, his
friends may forsake him, his nation may despise him, but his mother
stands there at the foot of his cross. Oh, who can fathom or analyze
the Mother-heart.
Who can measure those hours of sorrow and suffering as the sword was
slowly drawn through Mary's soul! Hers was no hysterical or
demonstrative sorrow. There was no show of feminine weakness; no wild
outcry of uncontrollable anguish; no fainting. Not a word that fell
from her lips has been recorded by either of the four evangelists:
apparently she suffered in unbroken silence. Yet her sorrow was none
the less real and acute. Still waters run deep. She saw that brow
pierced with cruel thorns, but she could not smooth it with her tender
touch. She watched his pierced hands and feet grow numb and livid, but
she might not chafe them. She marks his need of a drink, but she is
not allowed to slake his thirst. She suffered in profound desolation
of spirit.
"There stood by the Cross of Jesus his mother" (John 19:25). The
crowds are mocking, the thieves are taunting, the priests are jeering,
the soldiers are callous and indifferent, the Saviour is bleeding,
dying - and there is his mother beholding the horrible mockery. What
wonder if she had swooned at such a sight! What wonder if she had
turned away from such a spectacle! What wonder if she had fled from
such a scene!
But no! There she is: she does not crouch away, she does not faint,
she does not even sink to the ground in her grief - she stands. Her
action and attitude are unique. In all the annals of history of our
race there is no parallel. What transcendent courage. She stood by the
cross of Jesus - what marvellous fortitude. She represses her grief,
and stands there silent. Was it not reverence for the Lord which kept
her from disturbing his last moments?
"When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by
whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then
saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that
disciple took her unto his own home" John 19:26, 27
2. Here we see the perfect man setting example for children to honour
their parents.
The Lord Jesus evidenced his perfection in the manner in which he
fully discharged the obligations of every relationship that he
sustained, either to God or man. On the cross we behold his tender
care and solicitude for his mother, and in this we have the pattern of
Jesus Christ presented to all children for their imitation, teaching
them how to acquit themselves toward their parents according to the
laws of nature and grace.
The words which the finger of God engraved on the two tables of stone,
and which were given to Moses on Mount Sinai, have never been
repealed. They are in force while the earth lasts. Each of them is
embodied in the preceptive teaching of the New Testament. The words of
Exodus 20:12 are reiterated in Ephesians 6:1-3: "Children, obey your
parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother;
which is the first commandment with promise; that it maybe well with
thee, and that thou mayest live long on the earth."
The commandment for children to honour their parents goes far beyond a
bare obedience to this expressed will though, of course, it includes
that. It embraces love and affection, gratitude and respect. It is too
often assumed that this fifth commandment is addressed to young folks
only. Nothing can be further from the truth. Unquestionably it is
addressed to children first, for in the order of nature children are
always young first. But the conclusion that this commandment loses
force when childhood is left behind is to miss at least half of its
deep significance. As intimated, the word "honour" looks beyond
obedience, though that is its first import. In the course of time the
children grow to manhood and womanhood, which is the age of full
personal responsibility, the age when they are no longer beneath the
control of their parents, yet has not their obligations to them
ceased. They owe their parents a debt which they can never fully
discharge. The very least they can do is to hold their parents in high
esteem, to put them in the place of superiority, to reverence them. In
the perfect Exemplar we find both obedience and esteem manifested.
The fact that the last Adam came into this world not as did the first
Adam - in full possession of the distinguishing glories of humanity:
fully developed in body and mind - but as a babe, having to pass
through the period of childhood, is a fact of tremendous importance
and value in the light it casts on the fifth commandment. During his
early years the boy Jesus was under the control of Mary his mother and
Joseph his legal father. This is beautifully displayed in the second
chapter of Luke.
Arrived at the age of twelve, Jesus is taken by them to Jerusalem at
the feast of the Passover. The picture presented is deeply suggestive
if due attention is paid to it. At the close of the feast Joseph and
Mary depart for Nazareth, accompanied by their friends and supposing
that Jesus is with them. But, instead, he had remained behind in the
royal city. After a day's journey his absence is discovered. At once
they turn back to Jerusalem, and there they find him in the temple.
His mother interrogates him thus: "Son, why hast thou thus dealt with
us? Behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing" (Luke 2:48).
The fact she had sought him "sorrowing" strongly implies that he had
hardly ever been outside the immediate sphere of her influence. Not to
find him at hand, was to her a new and strange experience, and the
fact that she, assisted by Joseph, had sought him "sorrowing" reveals
the beautiful relationship existing between them in the home at
Nazareth! The answer that Jesus returned to her inquiry, when rightly
understood, also reveals the honour in which he held his mother. We
quite agree with Dr Campbell Morgan that Christ does not here rebuke
her. It is largely a matter of finding the right emphasis: "Wist ye
not?" As the aforementioned expositor well says, "It was though he had
said: `Mother, surely you knew me well enough to know that nothing
could detain me but the affairs of the Father.'" The sequel is equally
beautiful, for we read, "And he went down with them, and came to
Nazareth, and was subject unto them" (Luke 2:51). And thus for all
time the Christ of God has set the example for children to obey their
parents.
But more. As it is with us, so it was with Christ: the years of
obedience to Mary and Joseph ended, but not so the years of "honour".
In the last and awful hours of his human life, amid the infinite
sufferings of the cross, the Lord Jesus thought of her who loved him
and whom he loved; thought of her present necessity and provided for
her future need by committing her to the care of that disciple who
most deeply understood his love. His thought for Mary at that time and
the honour he gave her was one of the manifestations of his victory
over pain.
Perhaps a word is called for in connection with our Lord's form of
address - "Woman". So far as the record of the four gospels go, never
once did he call her "Mother". For us who live today, the reason for
this is not hard to discern. Looking down the centuries with his
omniscient foresight, and seeing the awful system of Mariolatry so
soon to be erected, he refrained from using a word which would in any
wise countenance this idolatry - the idolatry of rendering to Mary the
homage which is due alone her Son; the idolatry of worshipping her as
"The Mother of God".
Twice over in the gospel records do we find our Lord addressing Mary
as "Woman", and it is most noteworthy that both of these are found in
John's gospel which, as is well known, sets forth our Saviour's deity.
The synoptists set him forth in human relationships; not so the fourth
gospel. John's gospel presents Christ as the Son of God, and as Son of
God he is above all human relationships, and hence the perfect
consonance of presenting the Lord Jesus here addressing Mary as
"Woman".
Our Lord's act on the cross in commending Mary to the care of his
beloved apostle is better understood in the light of his mother's
widowhood. Though the gospels do not specifically record his death,
there is little doubt but that Joseph died some time before the Lord
Jesus began his public ministry. Nothing is seen of Mary's husband
after the incident recorded in Luke 2 when Christ was a boy of twelve.
In John 2 Mary is seen at the Cana marriage, but no hint is given that
Joseph was present. It was in view, then, of Mary's widowhood, in view
of the fact that the time had now arrived when he might no longer be a
comfort to her by his bodily presence, that his loving care is
manifested.
Permit just a brief word of exhortation. Probably these lines may be
read by numbers of grown-up people who still have living fathers and
mothers. How are you treating them? Are you truly "honouring" them?
Does this example of Christ on the cross put you to shame? It may be
you are young and vigorous, and your parents gray-headed and infirm;
but saith the Holy Spirit, "Despise not thy mother when she is old"
(Pro. 23:22). It may be you are rich, and they are poor; then fail not
to make provision for them. It may be they live in a distant state or
land, then neglect not to write them words of appreciation and cheer
which shall brighten their closing days. These are sacred duties.
"Honour thy father, and thy mother."
3. Here we see that John had returned to the Saviour's side.
Excepting, of course, the suffering of Christ at the hand of God,
perhaps the bitterest dreg of all in the cup which he drank was the
forsaking of him by the apostles. It was bad enough and sad enough
that his own people, the Jews, should despise and reject him; but it
was far worse that the Eleven, who had accompanied so long with him,
should desert their Lord in the hour of crisis. One would have thought
that their faith and their love was equal to any shock. But it was
not. "They all forsook him, and fled" (Matthew 26:56) reads the sacred
narrative. Unspeakably tragic was this. Their failure to "watch" with
him for one hour in the Garden well nigh paralyses our minds, but
their turning away from him at the time of his arrest almost baffles
comprehension. Almost, we say, for have we not learned from bitter
experience the deceitfulness of our hearts, how feeble our faith is,
how lamentably weak we are in the hour of trial and testing! But for
the grace of God the veriest trifle is sufficient to overturn us. Let
the restraining and upholding power of God be withdrawn from us, and
how long would we stand?
The Lord Jesus had solemnly warned these disciples of their
approaching cowardice: "Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be
offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the
shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad"
(Matthew 26:31). And not Peter only but all of the apostles affirmed
their determination to stand by him:
"Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not
deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples" (Matthew 26:35).
Nevertheless, his word proved true, and they all basely deserted him.
And how this reflected upon his glory! By their sinful flight they
exposed the Lord Jesus to the contempt and scoffs of his enemies. It
was because of this we read, "The high priest then asked Jesus of his
disciples" (John 18:19). It is not difficult to fill in the blanks.
Doubtless Caiaphas inquired how many disciples he had, and what was
become of them now? And what was the reason they had forsaken their
Master, and left him to shift for himself when danger appeared? But
observe that to this question, the Saviour made no reply. He would not
accuse them to the common enemy though they had deserted him!
They forsook him because they were "offended" at him: "All ye shall be
offended because of me this night" (Matthew 26:31): the Greek word
here translated "offended" might well be rendered "scandalized". They
were ashamed to be found in his company. They deemed it no longer safe
to remain with him. As he gave himself up, they considered it
advisable to provide as well as they might for themselves, and
somewhere or other take refuge from the present storm which had
overtaken him. This from the human side.
From the divine side their forsaking of Christ was due to the
suspension of God's preserving and upholding grace. They were not
accustomed to forsake him. They never did so afterwards. They would
not have done so now had there been influences of power, zeal and love
from heaven upon them. But then how could Christ have borne the burden
and heat of the day? How should he have trod the winepress alone? How
should his sorrows have been unmitigated if they had adhered
faithfully to him? No, no, it must not be. Christ must not have the
least relief or comfort from any creature, and therefore that he might
be left alone to grapple with the wrath of God and man, the Lord for a
time withholds his strengthening influences from them; and then like
Samson, when he was shorn of his locks, they were as weak as other
men. "Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might" says the
apostle - if that be withheld our purposes and resolutions melt away
before temptation like snow before the sun.
Yet mark that the cowardice and infidelity of the apostles was only
temporary. Later, they sought him at the appointed place in Galilee
(Matthew 28:16). But is it not cheering to know that one of the eleven
did seek him out before he rose in triumph from the tomb? Yea, sought
him while he yet hung on the cross of shame! And who might it be
supposed this one was? Which of the little band of apostles shall
demonstrate the superiority of his love? Even if the sacred narrative
had concealed his identity, it would not have been a difficult task to
supply his name. The fact that the scripture we are now considering
shows us John at the foot of the cross is one of the silent yet
sufficient witnesses to the divine inspiration of the Bible. It is one
of those undesigned harmonies of the word which attests the
super-human origin of the scriptures. There is no hint that any other
of the eleven were around the cross, but the thoughtful reader would
expect to find there "the disciple whom Jesus loved". And there he
was. John had returned to the Saviour's side, and there receives from
him a blessed commission. How artless and how perfect are the silent
harmonies of scripture!
And now, once more, a brief word of exhortation. Is there one who
reads these lines that has wandered away from the side of the Saviour,
who is no longer enjoying sweet communion with him; who is, in a word,
a backslide,"? Perhaps in the hour of trial you denied him. Perhaps in
the time of testing you failed. You have given more thought to your
own interests than his. The honour of his name which you bear has been
lost sight of. 0 may the arrow of conviction now enter your
conscience. May divine grace melt your heart. May the power of God
draw you back to Christ, where alone your soul can find satisfaction
and peace. Here is encouragement for you. Christ did not rebuke John
on returning; instead, his wondrous grace bestowed on him an
unspeakable privilege. Cease then your wanderings and return at once
to Christ, and he will greet you with a word of welcome and cheer; and
who knows but what he has some honorous commission awaiting you!
4. Here we discover an illustration of Christ's prudence.
We have already seen how the act of Christ in committing Mary into the
hands of his disciple was an expression of his tender love and
foresight. For John to take charge of the widowed mother of the
Saviour was a blessed commission, and albeit, a precious legacy. When
Christ said to him, "Behold thy mother", it was as though he had said,
Let her be to thee as thine own mother: Let thy love for me be now
manifested in thy tender regard for her. Yet there was far more behind
this act of Christ than that.
Of old it had been predicted that the Lord Jesus should act wisely and
discreetly. Through Isaiah God had said, "Behold, my servant shall
deal prudently" (52:13). In commending his mother to the care of his
loved apostle the Saviour displayed wise discrimination in his choice
of the one who was henceforth to be her guardian. Perhaps there was
none who understood the Lord Jesus so well as his mother, and it is
almost certain that none had apprehended his love so deeply as had
John. We see therefore how they would befit companions for each other,
inasmuch as there was an intimate bond of common sympathy uniting them
together and uniting them to Christ! Thus there was none other so well
suited to take care of Mary, none whose company she would find so
congenial, and on the other hand, there was none whose fellowship John
would more enjoy.
Furthermore, it needs to be borne in mind that a wondrous and honorous
work was waiting for John. Years later, the Lord Jesus was to reveal
himself to this apostle in glorious apocalypse. How better, then,
could he equip himself for this than by being constantly with her who
had lived in closest intimacy and intercourse with the Saviour during
the thirty years he had waited for the time to come when his work
should begin! We can therefore see how that there was a significant
appropriateness in bringing these two - Mary and John - together.
Admire then the prudence of Christ's election of a home for Mary, and
at the same time providing a companion for the disciple whom he loved
with whom he might have blessed spiritual fellowship.
Ere passing to our next point we may remark that this taking of Mary
into his home throws light on an incident recorded in the next chapter
of John's gospel. In John 20 we learn of the visit of Peter and John
to the empty sepulcher. John outran his companion and arrived first at
the tomb, but went not in. Peter, characteristically, goes into the
sepulcher, and notes the orderly arrangement of the clothes. Then
enters John and he sees and "believed" for up to this time their faith
had not grasped the promises of Christ's resurrection. Consequent on
John's believing, we read, "Then the disciples went away again unto
their own home" (John 20:10). We are not told why they did this, but
in view of John 19:27 the explanation is obvious. There we are told
that, "from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home", and
now that he has learned the Saviour is risen from the dead, he hastens
back "home" to tell her the good news! Who more than she would rejoice
at the glad tidings! This is another example of the silent and hidden
harmonies of scripture.
5. Here we see that spiritual relationships must not ignore the
responsibilities of nature.
The Lord Jesus was dying as the Saviour for sinners. He was engaged in
the most momentous and the most stupendous undertaking that this earth
ever has or ever will witness. He was on the point of offering
satisfaction to the outraged justice of God. He was just about to do
that work for which the world had been made, for which the human race
had been created, for which all the ages had waited, and for which he,
the eternal Word, had become incarnate. Nevertheless, he does not
overlook the responsibilities of natural ties; he fails not to make
provision for her who, according to the flesh, was his mother.
There is a lesson here which many need to take to heart in these days.
No duty, no work, however important it may be, can excuse us from
discharging the obligations of nature, from caring for those who have
fleshly claims upon us. They who go forth as missionaries to labour in
heathen lands, and who leave their children behind, or who send them
back to the homeland to be cared for by strangers, are not following
the steps of the Saviour. Those women who spend most of their time at
public meetings, even though they be religious meetings, or who go
down into the slums to minister to the poor and needy, to the neglect
of their own family at home, do but bring reproach upon the name and
cause of Christ. Those men, even though they stand at the forefront of
Christian work, who are so busy preaching and teaching that they have
no time to discharge the obligations that they owe to their own wives
and children, need to study and practice the principle exemplified
here by Christ on the cross.
6. Here we see a universal need exemplified.
How different is the Mary of scripture from the Mary of superstition!
She was no proud Madonna but, like each of us, a member of a fallen
race, a sinner both by nature and practice. Before the birth of Christ
she declared, "My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath
rejoiced in God my Saviour" (Luke 1:46,47). And now at the death of
the Lord Jesus she is found before the cross. The word of God presents
not the mother of Jesus as the queen of angels decked with diadem, but
as one who herself rejoiced in a Saviour. It is true she is "blessed
among (not `above') women", and that by virtue of the high honour of
being the mother of the Redeemer; yet was she human, a real member of
our fallen race, a sinner needing a Saviour.
She stood by the cross. And as she stood there, the Saviour exclaimed,
"Woman, behold thy Son!" (John 19:26). There, summed up in a single
word, is expressed the need of every descendant of Adam - to turn the
eye away from the world, off from self, and to look by faith to the
Saviour that died for sinners. There is the divine epitome of the Way
of Salvation. Deliverance from the wrath to come, forgiveness of sins,
acceptance with God, is obtained not by deed of merit, not by good
works, not by religious ordinances; no, salvation comes by beholding -
"Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world". Just
as the serpent-bitten Israelites in the wilderness were healed by a
look, by a look at that which Jehovah had appointed to be the object
of their faith, so today, redemption from the guilt and power of sin,
emancipation from the curse of the broken law and from the captivity
of Satan, is to be found alone by faith in Christ, "As Moses lifted up
the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted
up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
eternal life" (John 3:14, 15). There is life in a look. Reader, have
you thus beheld that divine Sufferer? Have you seen him dying on the
cross the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God? Mary the
mother of Christ needed to "behold" him, and so do you. Then look,
look unto Christ and be ye saved.
7. Here we see the marvellous blending of Christ's perfections.
This is one of the greatest wonders of his person - the blending of
the most perfect human affection with his divine glory. The very
gospel which most of all shows him to be God is here careful to prove
he was man - the Word made flesh. Engaged as he was in a divine
transaction, making atonement for all the sins of all his people,
grappling with the powers of darkness, yet amid it all, he has still
the same human tenderness, which shows the perfection of the man Jesus
Christ.
This care for his mother in his dying hour was characteristic of all
his conduct. Everything was natural and perfect. The unstudied
simplicity about him is most marked. There was nothing pompous or
ostentatious. Many of his mightiest works were done on the highway, in
the cottage, or among a little group of sufferers. Many of his words,
which today are still unfathomable and exhaustless in their wealth of
meaning, were uttered almost casually as he walked with a few friends.
So it was at the cross. He was performing that mightiest work of all
history. He was engaged in doing that, which in comparison, the
creating of a world fades into utter insignificance, yet he forgets
not to make provision for his mother -much as he might have done had
they been together in the home at Nazareth. Rightly was it said of
old, "His name shall be called Wonderful" (Isa. 9:6). Wonderful he was
in all that he did. Wonderful he was in every relationship that he
sustained. Wonderful he was in his person, and wonderful he was in his
work. Wonderful was he in life, and wonderful was he in death. Let us
wonder and adore.
Introduction | Forgiveness | Salvation | Affection
Anguish | Suffering | Victory | Contentment
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A. W. Pink Header
The Seven Sayings of the
Saviour on the Cross
by A.W. Pink
4. The Word Of Anguish
_________________________________________________________________
4. The Word Of Anguish
"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli,
Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me?"
Matthew 27:46
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
THESE ARE WORDS OF STARTLING IMPORT. The crucifixion of the Lord of
glory was the most extraordinary event that has ever happened on
earth, and this cry of the suffering one was the most startling
utterance of that appalling scene. That innocence should be condemned,
that the guiltless should be persecuted, that a benefactor should be
cruelly put to death, was no new event in history. From the murder of
righteous Abel to that of Zecharias there was a long list of
martyrdoms. But he who hung on this central cross was no ordinary man,
he was the Son of Man, the one in which all excellencies met - the
Perfect One. Like his robe, his character was "without seam, woven
from the top throughout".
In the case of all other persecuted ones there were demerits and
blemishes which might afford their murderers something to blame. But
the judge of this one said, "I find no fault in him".
And more. This Sufferer was not only perfect man, but he was the Son
of God. Yet, it is not strange that man should wish to destroy God.
"The fool hath said in his heart - no God" (Ps. 14:1) such is his
wish. But it is strange that he who was God manifest in the flesh
should allow himself to be so treated by his enemies. It is exceeding
strange that the Father who delighted in him, whose own voice had
declared from the opened heavens, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I
am well pleased" should deliver him up to such a shameful death.
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
These are words of appalling woe. The very word, "forsaken" is one of
the most tragic in all human speech. The writer will not readily
forget his sensation as he once passed through a town deserted of all
its inhabitants - a forsaken city. What calamities are conjured up by
this word - a man forsaken of his friends, a wife forsaken by her
husband, a child forsaken by its parents! But a creature forsaken by
its Creator, a man forsaken of God -O this is the most frightful of
all. This is the evil of all evils. This is the climacteric calamity.
True, fallen man, in his unrenewed condition, does not so deem it. But
he, who in some measure at least, has learned that God is the sum of
all perfection, the fount and goal of all excellency, he whose cry is
"As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after
thee, O God" (Ps. 42:1), is ready to endorse what has just been said.
The cry of saints in all ages has been, "Forsake us not, O God". For
the Lord to hide his face from us but for a moment is unbearable. If
this is true of renewed sinners, how infinitely more so of the beloved
Son of the Father!
He who hung there on the accursed tree had been from all eternity the
object of the Father's love. To employ the language of Proverbs 8, the
suffering Saviour was the one who "was by him, as one brought up with
him", he was "daily his delight". His own joy had been to behold the
Father's countenance. The Father's presence had been his home, the
Father's bosom his dwelling-place, the Father's glory he had shared
before ever the world was. During the thirty and three years the Son
had been on earth he enjoyed unbroken communion with the Father. Never
a thought that was out of harmony with the Father's mind, never a
volition but what originated in the Father's will, never a moment
spent out of his conscious presence. What then must it have meant to
be "forsaken" now by God! Ah, the hiding of God's face from him was
the most bitter ingredient of that cup which the Father had given the
Redeemer to drink.
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
These are words of unequalled pathos. They mark the climax of his
sufferings. The soldiers had cruelly mocked him: they had arrayed him
with the crown of thorns, they had scourged and buffeted him, they
even went so far as to spit upon him and pluck off his hair. They
despoiled him of his garments and put him to an open shame. Yet he
suffered it all in silence. They pierced his hands and his feet, yet
did he endure the cross, despising the shame. The vulgar crowd taunted
him, and the thieves which were crucified with him flung the same
taunts into his face; yet he opened not his mouth. In response to all
that he suffered at the hands of men, not a cry escaped his lips. But
now, as the concentrated wrath of heaven descends upon him, he cries,
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Surely this is a cry that
ought to melt the hardest heart!
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
These are words of deepest mystery. Of old the Lord Jehovah forsook
not his people. Again and again he was their refuge in trouble. When
Israel was in cruel bondage they cried unto God, and he heard them.
When they stood helplessly before the Red Sea, he came to their aid
and delivered them from their enemies. When the three Hebrews were
cast into the fiery furnace, the Lord was with them. But here, at the
cross, there ascends a more plaintive and agonizing cry than ever went
up from the land of Egypt, yet was there no response! Here was a
situation far more alarming than the Red Sea crisis: enemies more
relentless beset this one, yet was there no deliverance! Here was a
fire that burned infinitely fiercer than Nebuchadnezzar's furnace, but
there was no one by his side to comfort! He is abandoned by God!
Yes, this cry of the suffering Saviour is deeply mysterious. At first
he had cried, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do",
and this we can understand, for it well accords with his compassionate
heart. Again had he opened his mouth, to say to the repentant thief,
"Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise", and
this too, we can well understand, for it was in full keeping with his
grace towards sinners. Once more his lips moved - to his mother,
"Woman, behold thy son"; to the beloved John, "Behold thy mother" -and
this also we can appreciate. But the next time he opens his mouth a
cry is made which startles and staggers us. Of old David said, "I have
never seen the righteous forsaken" but here we behold the Righteous
One forsaken.
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
These are words of profoundest solemnity. This was a cry which made
the very earth tremble, and that reverberated throughout the entire
universe. Ah, what mind is sufficient for contemplating this wonder of
wonders! What mind is capable of analyzing the meaning of this amazing
cry which rent the awful darkness! "Why hast thou forsaken me?" are
words which conduct us into the Holy of Holies. Here, if anywhere, it
is supremely fitting that we remove the shoes of carnal
inquisitiveness. Speculation were profane; we can but wonder and
worship.
But though these words are of startling import, appalling woe, deepest
mystery, unique pathos, and profound solemnity, yet are we not left in
ignorance as to their meaning. True, this cry was deeply mysterious,
yet it is capable of most blessed solution. The Holy Scriptures leave
it impossible to doubt that these words of unequalled grief were both
the fullest manifestation of divine love and the most awe-inspiring
display of God's inflexible justice. May every thought be now brought
into captivity to Christ and may our hearts be duly solemnized as we
take a closer view of this fourth utterance of the dying Saviour.
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
1. Here we see the awfulness of sin and the character of its wages.
The Lord Jesus was crucified at mid-day, and in the light of Calvary
everything was revealed in its true character. There the very nature
of things was fully and finally exhibited. The depravity of the human
heart - its hatred of God, its base ingratitude, its loving of
darkness rather than light, its preference of a murderer for the
Prince of life - was fearfully displayed. The awful character of the
devil - his hostility against God, his insatiable enmity against
Christ, his power to put it into the heart of man to betray the
Saviour - was completely exposed. So, too, the perfections of the
divine nature - God's ineffable holiness, his inflexible justice, his
terrible wrath, his matchless grace - was fully made known. And there
it was also, that sin - its baseness, its turpitude, its lawlessness -
was plainly exhibited. Here we are shown the fearful lengths to which
sin will go. In its first manifestation it took the form of suicide,
for Adam destroyed his own spiritual life; next we see it in the form
of fratricide - Cain slaying his own brother; but at the cross the
climax is reached in deicide - man crucifying the Son of God.
But not only do we see the heinousness of sin at the cross, but there
we also discover the character of its awful wages. "The wages of sin
is death" (Rom. 6:23). Death is the entail of sin. "By one man sin
entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all
men, fort hat all have sinned" (Rom. 5:12). Had there been no sin
there would have been no death. But what is "death"? Is it that
dreadful silence which reigns supreme after the last breath is drawn
and the body lies motionless? Is it that ghastly pallor which comes
over the face as the blood ceases to circulate and the eyes remain
expressionless? Yes, it is that, but much more. Something far more
pathetic and tragic than physical dissolution is contained in the
term.
The wages of sin is spiritual death. Sin separates from God who is the
fount of all life. This was shown forth in Eden. Previous to the Fall,
Adam enjoyed blessed fellowship with his Maker, but in the early eve
of that day that marked the entrance of sin into our world, as the
Lord God entered the Garden and his voice was heard by our first
parents, the guilty pair hid themselves among the trees of the garden.
No longer might they enjoy communion with him who is always Light,
instead, they are alienated from him. So, too, was it with Cain: when
interrogated by the Lord he said, "From thy face shall I be hid"
(Genesis 4:14). Sin excludes from God's presence. That was the great
lesson taught Israel. Jehovah's throne was in their midst, yet it was
not accessible. He abode between the cherubim in the holy of holies
and into it none might come, saving the high priest, and he but one
day in the year bearing blood with him. The veil which hung both in
the tabernacle and in the temple, barring access to the throne of God,
witnessed to the solemn fact that sin separates from him.
The wages of sin is death, not only physical but spiritual death; not
merely natural but essentially, penal death. What is physical death"?
It is the separation of soul and spirit from the body. So penal death
is the separation of the soul and spirit from God. The word of truth
speaks of her that lives in pleasure as being "dead while she liveth"
(1 Tim. 5:6). Note, too, how that wonderful parable of the prodigal
son illustrates the force of the term "death". After the return of the
prodigal the father said, "This my son was dead, and is alive again;
he was lost, and is found" (Luke 15:24). While he was in the "far
country" he had not ceased to exist; no, he was not dead physically,
but spiritually - he was alienated and separated from his father!
Now on the cross the Lord Jesus was receiving the wages which were due
his people. He had no sin of his own, for he was the Holy One of God.
But he was bearing our sins in his own body on the tree (1 Peter
2:24). He had taken our place and was suffering the Just for the
unjust. He was bearing the chastisement of our peace; and the wages of
our sins, the suffering and chastisement which were due us, was
"death". Not merely physical but penal; and, as we have said, this
meant separation from God, and hence it was that the Saviour cried,
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
So, too, will it be with the finally impenitent. The awful doom
awaiting the lost is thus set forth - "Who shall be punished with
everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the
glory of his power" (2 Thess. 1:9). Eternal separation from him who is
the fount of all goodness and the source of all blessing. Unto the
wicked Christ shall say, "Depart from me, ye cursed" - banishment from
his presence, an eternal exile from God, is what awaits the damned.
This is the reason why the Lake of Fire - the eternal abode of those
whose names are not written in the book of life - is designated "The
Second Death" (Rev. 20:14). Not that there will be extinction of
being, but everlasting separation from the Lord of Life, a separation
which Christ suffered for three hours as he hung in the sinner's
place. At the cross, then, Christ received the wages of sin.
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
2. Here we see the absolute holiness and in flexible justice of God.
The tragedy of Calvary must be viewed from at least four different
viewpoints. At the cross man did a work: he displayed his depravity by
taking the Perfect One and with "wicked hands" nailing him to the
tree. At the cross Satan did a work: he manifested his insatiable
enmity against the woman's seed by bruising his heel. At the cross the
Lord Jesus did a work: he died the Just for the unjust that he might
bring us to God. At the cross God did a work: he exhibited his
holiness and satisfied his justice by pouring out his wrath on the one
who was made sin for us.
What human pen is able or fit to write about the unsullied holiness of
God! So holy is God that mortal man cannot look upon him in his
essential being, and live. So holy is God that the very heavens are
not clean in his sight. So holy is God that even the seraphim veil
their faces before him. So holy is God that when Abraham stood before
him, he cried, "I am but dust and ashes" (Genesis 18:27). So holy is
God that when Job came into his presence he said, "Wherefore I abhor
myself" (Job 42:6). So holy is God that when Isaiah had a vision of
his glory he exclaimed, "Woe is me! for I am undone . . . for mine
eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts" (Isa. 6:5). So holy is God
that when Daniel beheld him in theophanic manifestation he declared,
"there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me
into corruption" (Dan. 10:8). So holy is God that we are told, he is
"of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity"
(Hab. 1:13). And it was because the Saviour was bearing our sins that
the thrice holy God would not look on him, turned his face from him,
forsook him. The Lord made to meet on Christ the iniquities of us all:
and our sins being on him as our substitute, the divine wrath against
our offences must be spent upon our sin-offering.
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" That was a question which
none of those around the cross could have answered; it was a question
which, at the time, none of the apostles could have answered; yea, it
was a question which had puzzled the angels in heaven to make reply
to. But the Lord Jesus had answered his own question, and his answer
is found in Psalm 22. This psalm furnished a most wonderful prophetic
foreview of his sufferings. The psalm opens with the very words of our
Saviour's fourth cross-utterance, and it is followed by further
agonizing sobs in the same strain till, at verse 3, we find him saying
- "But thou art holy" . He complains not of injustice, instead he
acknowledges God's righteousness - thou art holy and just in exacting
all the debt at my hand which I am surety for; I have all the sins of
all my people to answer for, and therefore I justify thee, O God, in
giving me this stroke from thine awakened sword. Thou art holy: thou
art clear when thou judgest.
At the cross, then, as nowhere else, we see the infinite malignity of
sin and the justice of God in the punishment thereof. Was the old
world over-flown with water? Were Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed by a
storm of fire and brimstone? Were the plagues sent upon Egypt and were
Pharaoh and his hosts drowned in the Red Sea? In these may the demerit
of sin and God's hatred thereof be seen; but much more so here is
Christ forsaken of God. Go to Golgotha and see the Man that is
Jehovah's Fellow drinking up the cup of his Father's indignation,
smitten by the sword of divine justice, bruised by the Lord himself,
suffering unto death, for God "spared not his own Son" when he hung in
the sinner's place.
Behold how nature herself had anticipated the dreadful tragedy - the
very contour of the ground is like unto a skull. Behold the earth
trembling beneath the mighty load of outpoured wrath. Behold the
heavens as the sun turns away from such a scene, and the land is
covered with darkness. Here may we see the dreadful anger of a
sin-avenging God. Not all the thunderbolts of divine judgment which
were let loose in Old Testament times, not all the vials of wrath
which shall yet be poured forth on an apostate Christendom during the
unparalleled horrors of the Great Tribulation, not all the weeping and
wailing and gnashing of teeth of the damned in the Lake of Fire ever
gave, or ever will give such a demonstration of God's inflexible
justice and ineffable holiness, of his infinite hatred of sin, as did
the wrath of God which flamed against his own Son on the cross.
Because he was enduring sin's terrific judgment he was forsaken of
God. He who was the Holy One, whose own abhorrence of sin was
infinite, who was purity incarnate (1 John 3:3) was "made sin for us"
(2 Cor. 5:2 1); therefore did he bow before the storm of wrath, in
which was displayed the divine displeasure against the countless sins
of a great multitude whom no man can number. This, then, is the true
explanation of Calvary. God's holy character could do no less than
judge sin even though it be found on Christ himself. At the cross then
God's justice was satisfied and his holiness vindicated.
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
3. Here we see the explanation of Gethsemane.
As our blessed Lord approached the cross the horizon darkened for him
more and more. From earliest infancy he had suffered from man; from
the beginning of his public ministry he had suffered from Satan; but
at the cross he was to suffer at the hand of God. Jehovah himself was
to bruise the Saviour, and it was this which overshadowed everything
else. In Gethsemane he entered the gloom of the three hours of
darkness on the cross. That is why he left the three disciples on the
outskirts of the garden, for he must tread the winepress alone. "My
soul is exceeding sorrowful," he cried. This was no shrinking horror
in anticipation of a cruel death. It was not the thought of betrayal
by his own familiar friend, nor of desertion by his cherished
disciples in the hour of crisis, nor was it the expectation of the
mockings and revilings, the stripes and the nails, that overwhelmed
his soul. No, all of this keenest anguish as it must have been to his
sensitive spirit, was as nothing compared with what he had to endure
as the Sin Bearer.
"Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith
unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while! go and pray yonder. And he
took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be
sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is
exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with
me. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed,
saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me:
nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matthew 26:36-39).
Here he views the black clouds arising, he sees the dreadful storm
coming, he premeditated the inexpressible horror of that three hours
of darkness and all they held. "My soul is exceeding sorrowful" he
cries. The Greek is most emphatic. He was begirt with sorrow. He was
plunged over head and ears in the anticipated wrath of God. All the
faculties and powers of his soul were wrung with anguish.
St Mark employs another form of expression - "He began to be sore
amazed" (14:33). The original signifies the greatest extremity of
amazement, such as makes one's hair, stand on end and their flesh to
creep. And, Mark adds, "and to be very heavy", which denotes there was
an utter sinking of spirit; his heart was melted like wax at sight of
the terrible cup.
But the evangelist Luke uses the strongest terms of all: "And being in
an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great
drops of blood falling down to the ground" (Luke 22:44). The Greek
word for "agony" here, means to be engaged in a combat. Before, he had
combated the oppositions of men and the oppositions of the devil, but
now he faces the cup which God gives him to drink. It was the cup
which contained the undiluted wrath of a sin-hating God. This explains
why he said, "If it be possible let this cup pass from me". The "cup"
is the symbol of communion, and there could be no communion in his
wrath, but only in his love. Notwithstanding, though it means being
cut off from communion he adds, "Nevertheless not as I will, but as
thou wilt". Yet so great was his agony that "his sweat was as it were
great drops of blood falling down to the ground".
We think that there can be little doubt that the Saviour shed actual
drops of blood. There would belittle meaning in saying that his sweat
resembled blood, but was not really that. It seems to us the emphasis
is on the word "blood". He shed blood - just like great beads of water
in ordinary cases. And here we see the fitness of the place chosen to
be the scene of this terrible but preliminary suffering. Gethsemane -
ah, thy name betrayeth thee! It means the olive-press. It was the
place where the life-blood of the olives was pressed out drop by drop!
The chosen place was well named then. It was indeed a fit footstool to
the cross, a footstool of agony unutterable and unparalleled. On the
cross then, Christ drained the cup which was presented to him in
Gethsemane.
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
4. Here we see the Saviour's unswerving fidelity to God.
The forsaking of the Redeemer by God was a solemn fact, and an
experience which left him nothing but the supports of his faith. Our
Saviour's position on the cross was absolutely unique. This may
readily be seen by contrasting his own words spoken during his public
ministry with those uttered on the cross itself. Formerly he said,
"And I knew that thou hearest me always" (John 11:42); now he cries,
"O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not" (Ps. 22:2)!
Formerly he said, "And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not
left me alone" (John 8:29); now he cries, "My God, my God, why hast
thou FORSAKEN me?" He had absolutely nothing now to rest upon save his
Father's covenant and promise; and in his cry of anguish his faith is
made manifest. It was a cry of distress but not of distrust. God had
withdrawn from him, but mark how his soul still cleaves to God. His
faith triumphed by laying hold of God even amid the darkness. "My God"
he says, "My God", thou with whom is infinite and everlasting
strength; thou who hast hitherto supported my manhood, and according
to thy promise upheld thy servant - O be not far from me now. My God,
I lean on thee. When all visible and sensible comforts had
disappeared, to the invisible support and refuge of his faith did the
Saviour betake himself.
In the twenty-second psalm the Saviour's unswerving fidelity to God is
most apparent. In this precious psalm the depths of his heart are told
out. Hear him:
Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver
them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee,
and were not confounded. But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of
men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to
scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted
on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he
delighted in him. But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou
didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts. I was cast
upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly (Ps.
22:4-10).
The very point his enemies sought to make against him was his faith in
God. They taunted him with his trust in Jehovah - if he really trusted
in the Lord, the Lord would deliver him. But the Saviour continued
trusting though there was no deliverance, trusted though forsaken for
a season! He had been cast upon God from the womb and he is still
found cast upon God in the hour of his death. He continues:
Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
Many bulls have encompassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me
round. They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a
roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of
joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my
jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. For dogs have
compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they
pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and
stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my
vesture. But be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste
thee to help me. Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the
power of the dog (Ps. 22:11-20).
Job had said of God, "Though he slay me yet will I trust him", and
though the wrath of God against sin rested upon Christ, still he
trusted. Yea, his faith did more than trust, it triumphed - "Save me
from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the
unicorns" (Ps. 22:2 1).
O what an example has the Saviour left his people! It is comparatively
easy to trust God while the sun is shining, the test comes when all is
dark. But a faith that does not rest on God in adversity as well as in
prosperity is not the faith of God's elect. We must have faith to live
by - true faith - if we would have faith to die by. The Saviour had
been cast upon God from his mother's womb, had been cast upon God
moment by moment all through those thirty-three years, what wonder
then that the hour of death finds him still cast upon God.
Fellow-Christian all may be dark with thee, you may no longer behold
the light of God's countenance. Providence seems to frown upon you,
notwithstanding, say still, Eli, Eli, My God, My God.
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
5. Here we may see the basis of our salvation.
God is holy and therefore he will not look upon sin. God is just and
therefore he judges sin wherever it is found. But God is love as well:
God delighteth in mercy, and therefore infinite wisdom devised a way
whereby justice might be satisfied and mercy left free to flow out to
guilty sinners. This way was the way of substitution, the just
suffering for the unjust. The Son of God himself was the one selected
to be the substitute, for none other would suffice. Through Nahum, the
question had been asked, "Who can stand before his indignation"? and
who can abide in the fierceness of his anger?" (1:6). This question
received its answer in the adorable person of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ. He alone could "stand". One only could bear the curse
and yet rise a victor above it. One only could endure all the avenging
wrath and yet magnify the law and make it honourable. One only could
suffer his heel to be bruised by Satan and yet in that bruising
destroy him that had the power of death. God laid hold upon one that
was "mighty" (Ps. 89:19). One who was no less than the Fellow of
Jehovah, the radiance of his glory, the exact impress of his person.
Thus we see that boundless love, inflexible justice and omnipotent
power all combined to make possible the salvation of those who
believe.
At the cross all our iniquities were laid upon Christ and therefore
did divine judgment fall upon him. There was no way of transferring
sin without also transferring its penalty. Both sin and its punishment
were transferred to the Lord Jesus. On the cross Christ was making
propitiation, and propitiation is solely Godwards. It was a question
of meeting the claims of God's holiness; it was a matter of satisfying
the demands of his justice. Not only was Christ's blood shed for us,
but it was also shed for God: he "hath given himself for us an
offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour"
(Ephesians 5:2). Thus it was foreshadowed on the memorable night of
the Passover in Egypt: the lamb's blood must be where God's eye could
see it - "When I see the blood, I will pass over you!"
The death of Christ on the cross was a death of curse: "Christ hath
redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for
it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree" (Gal.
3:13). The "curse" is alienation from God. This is apparent from the
words which Christ will yet speak to those that shall stand on his
left hand in the day of his power - "Depart from me, ye cursed" he
will say (Matthew 25:41). The curse is exile from the presence and
glory of God.
This explains the meaning of a number of Old Testament types. The
bullock which was slain on the annual Day of Atonement, after its
blood had been sprinkled upon and before the mercy-seat, was removed
to a place without (outside) the Camp" (Leviticus 16:27) and there its
entire carcass was burned. It was in the centre of the camp that God
had his dwelling-place, and exclusion from the camp was banishment
from the presence of God. Thus it was, too, with the leper. "All the
days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is
unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation
be" (Lev. 13:46) - this was because the leper was the embodied type of
the sinner. Here also is the anti-type of the "brazen serpent". Why
did God instruct Moses to set a "serpent" on a pole, and bid the
bitten Israelites look upon it? Imagine a serpent as a type of Christ
the Holy One of God! Yes, but it represented him as "made a curse for
us", for the serpent was the reminder of the curse. On the cross then
Christ was fulfilling these Old Testament foreshadowings. He was
"outside the camp" (compare Hebrews 13:12) - separated from the
presence of God. He was as the "leper" - made sin for us. He was as
the "brazen serpent" - made a curse for us. Hence too, the deep
meaning of the crown of thorns - the symbol of the curse! Lifted up,
his brow encircled with thorns, to show he was bearing the curse for
us.
Here, too, is the significance of the three hours darkness which lay
over the land as a pall of death. It was supernatural darkness. It was
not night for the sun was at its zenith. As Mr. Spurgeon well said,
"It was midnight at midday". It was no eclipse. Competent astronomers
tell us that at the time of the crucifixion the moon was at her
farthest from the sun. But this cry of Christ's gives the meaning of
the darkness, as the darkness gives us the meaning of that bitter cry.
One thing alone can explain this darkness, as one thing alone can
interpret this cry - that Christ had taken the place of the guilty and
lost ones, that he was in the place of sin-bearing, that he was
enduring the judgment due his people, that he who knew no sin was
"made sin" for us. That cry was uttered that we might be allowed to
know of what passed there. It was the manifestation of atonement, so
to speak for three (three hours) is ever the number of manifestation.
God is light and the "darkness" is the natural sign of his turning
away. The Redeemer was left alone with the sinner's sin: that was the
explanation of the three hours darkness. Just as there will rest upon
the damned a twofold misery in the lake of fire, namely, the pain of
sense and the pain of loss; so upon Christ answerably, he suffered the
outpoured wrath of God and also the withdrawal of his presence and
fellowship.
For the believer the cross is interpreted in Galatians 2:20, "I am
crucified with Christ". He was my substitute; God reckoned me one with
the Saviour. His death was mine. He was wounded for my transgressions
and bruised for my iniquities. Sin was not pushed away but put away.
As another has said, "Because God judged sin on the Son, he now
accepts the believing sinner in the Son". Our life is hid with Christ
in God (Col. 3:3). I am shut up in Christ because Christ was shut out
from God.
He suffered in our stead, he saved his people thus;
The curse that fell upon his head, was due by right to us.
The storm that bowed his blessed head, is hushed for ever now
And rest Divine is mine instead, while glory crowns his brow.
Here then is the basis of our salvation. Our sins have been borne.
God's claims against us have been fully met. Christ was forsaken of
God for a season that we might enjoy his presence for ever. "My God,
my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Let every believing soul make
answer: he entered the awful darkness that I might walk in the light;
he drank the cup of woe that I might drink the cup of joy; he was
forsaken that I might be forgiven!
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
6. Here we see the supreme evidence of Christ's love for us.
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for
his friends" (John 15:13). But the greatness of Christ's love can be
estimated only when we are able to measure what was involved in the
"laying down" of his life. As we have seen, it meant much more than
physical death, even though that be of unspeakable shame, and
indescribable suffering. It meant that he had to take our place and be
"made sin" for us, and what this involved can only be judged in the
light of his person.
Picture a perfectly honourable and virtuous woman compelled to endure
for a season association with the vilest and impurest. Imagine her
shut up in a den of iniquity, surrounded by the coarsest of all men
and women, and with no way of escape. Can you estimate her abhorrence
of the foul-mouthed oaths, the drunken revelry, the obscene
surroundings? Can you form an opinion of what a pure woman would
suffer in her soul amid such impurity? But the illustration falls far
short, for there is no woman absolutely pure. Honourable, virtuous,
morally pure, yes, but pure in the sense of being sinless, spiritually
pure, no. But Christ was pure; absolutely pure. He was the Holy One.
He had an infinite abhorrence of sin. He loathed it. His holy soul
shrank from it. But on the cross our iniquities were all laid upon
him, and sin - that vile thing - enwrapped itself around him like a
horrible serpent's coils. And yet, he willingly suffered for us! Why?
Because he loved us: "Having loved his own which were in the world, he
loved them unto the end" (John 13:1).
But more: the greatness of Christ's love for us can be estimated only
when we are able to measure the wrath of God that was poured upon him.
This it was from which his soul shrank. What this meant to him, what
it cost him, may be learned in part by a perusal of the Psalms in
which we are permitted to hear some of his pathetic soliloquizing and
petitions to God. Speaking anticipatively, the Lord Jesus himself by
the Spirit cried through David:
"Save me, O God: for the waters are come in unto my soul. I sink in
deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters,
where the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying: my throat is
dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.
Deliver me out of the mire, and Let me not sink: let me be delivered
from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters. Let not the water
flood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the
pit shut her mouth upon me.
Hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble: hear me
speedily. Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it: deliver me because of
mine enemies. Thou hast known my reproach, and my shame, and my
dishonour: mine adversaries are all before thee. Reproach hath broken
my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take
pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none." (Ps.
69:1-3, 14, 15, 17-20)
And again, "Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts:
all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me" (Ps. 42:7). God's
abhorrence of sin swept forth and broke like a descending deluge upon
the Sin-Bearer. Looking forward to the awful anguish of the cross, he
cried through Jeremiah, "Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by?
behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is
done unto me, wherewith the LORD hath afflicted me in the day of his
fierce anger" (Lam. 1:12). These are a few of the intimations we have
by which we can judge of the unspeakable horror with which the Holy
One contemplated those three hours on the cross, hours into which was
condensed the equivalent of an eternal hell. The beloved of the Father
must have the light of God's countenance hidden from him; he must be
left alone in the outer darkness.
Here was love matchless and unmeasured. "If it be possible let this
cup pass from me," he cried. But it was not possible that his people
should be saved unless he drained that awful cup of woe and wrath; and
because there was none other who could drink it, he drained it.
Blessed be his name! Where sin had brought men, love brought the
Saviour.
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
7. Here we see the destruction of the "larger hope".
This cry of the Saviour's foretells the final condition of every lost
soul - forsaken of God! Faithfulness compels us to warn the reader
against the false teachings of the day. We are told that God loves
everybody, and that he is too merciful to ever carry out the
threatenings of his word. This is precisely how the old serpent argued
with Eve. God had said, "In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt
surely die." The serpent said, "Ye shall not surely die." But whose
word proved true? Not the devil's for he is a liar from the beginning.
God's threat was fulfilled, and our first parents died spiritually in
the day that they disobeyed his command. Thus will it prove in a
coming day.
God is merciful; the fact that he has provided a Saviour, reader,
proves it. The fact that he invites you to receive Christ as your
Saviour evidences his mercy. The fact that he has been so
longsuffering with you, has borne with your stubborn rebellion till
now, has prolonged your day of grace to this moment, proves it. But
there is a limit to God's mercy. The day of mercy will soon be ended.
The door of hope will soon be closed fast. Death may speedily cut thee
off, and after death is "the judgment". And in the Day of Judgment God
will deal injustice and not in mercy. He will avenge the mercy you
have scorned. He will execute the sentence of condemnation already
passed upon you: "He that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:16).
We will not repeat again what has already been said at length;
sufficient now to remind the reader once more how this cry of Christ's
witnesses to God's hatred of sin. Because he is holy and just, God
must judge sin wherever it is found. If then God spared not the Lord
Jesus when sin was found upon him, what possible hope is there,
unsaved reader, that he will spare thee when thou standest before him
at the great white throne with sin upon thee? If God poured out his
wrath on Christ while he hung as surety for his people, be assured
that he will most certainly pour out his wrath on you if you die in
your sins. The word of truth is explicit: "he that believeth not the
Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John
3:36). God "spared not" his own Son when he took the sinner's place,
nor will he spare him who rejects the Saviour. Christ was separated
from God for three hours, and if you finally reject him as your
Saviour you will be separated from God for ever - "Who shall be
punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord"
(2 Thess. 1:9).
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
Here was a Cry of Desolation -
Reader, may you never echo it.
Here was a Cry of Separation -
Reader, may you never experience it.
Here was a Cry of Expiation -
Reader, may you appropriate its saving virtues.
Introduction | Forgiveness | Salvation | Affection
Anguish | Suffering | Victory | Contentment
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A. W. Pink Header
The Seven Sayings of the
Saviour on the Cross
by A.W. Pink
5. The Word Of Suffering
_________________________________________________________________
"Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished,
that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst"
John 19:28
"I THIRST." These words were spoken by the suffering Saviour a little
before he bowed his head and gave up the spirit, They are recorded
only by the evangelist John and, as we shall see, it is fitting they
should have a place in his gospel for they not only evidence his
humanity but bring out his divine glory too.
"I thirst." What a text for a sermon! A short one it is true, yet how
comprehensive, how expressive, and how tragic! The Maker of heaven and
earth with parched lips! The Lord of glory in need of a drink! The
Beloved of the Father crying "I thirst!" What a scene! What a word is
this! Plainly, no uninspired pen drew such a picture.
Of old the Spirit of God moved David to say of the coming Messiah,
"They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me
vinegar to drink" (Ps. 69:21). How marvelously complete was the
prophetic foreview! No essential item was missing from it. Every
important detail of the great tragedy had been written down
beforehand. The betrayal by a familiar friend (Ps. 4 1:9), the
forsaking of the disciples through being offended at him (Ps. 31:11),
the false accusation (Ps. 35:11), the silence before his judges (Isa.
53:7), the being proven guiltless (Isa. 53:9), the numbering of him
with transgressors (Isa. 53:12), the being crucified (Ps. 22:16), the
mockery of the spectators (Ps. 109:25), the taunt of non-deliverance
(Ps. 22:7, 8), the gambling for his garments (Ps. 22:18), the prayer
for his enemies (Isa. 53:12), the being forsaken of God (Ps. 22:1),
the thirsting (Ps. 69:2 1), the yielding of his spirit into the hands
of the Father (Ps. 3 1:5), the bones not broken (Ps. 34:20), the
burial in a rich man's tomb (Isa. 53:9); all plainly foretold
centuries before they came to pass. What a convincing evidence of the
divine inspiration of the scriptures! How firm a foundation ye saints
of the Lord, is laid for your faith in his excellent word!
"I thirst." The fact that this is recorded as one of the seven
cross-utterances of our Lord intimates that it is a word of precious
meaning, a word to be treasured up in our hearts, a word deserving of
prolonged meditation. We have seen that each of the previous sayings
of the suffering Saviour have much to teach us, surely this one can be
no exception. What then are we to gather from it? What are the lessons
which this fifth cross-word teaches us? May the Spirit of truth
illumine our understanding as we endeavour to fix our attention upon
it.
"I thirst"
1. Here we have an evidence of Christ's humanity.
The Lord Jesus was very God of very God, but he was also very man of
very man. This is something to be believed and not for proud reason to
speculate upon. The person of our adorable Saviour is not a fit object
for intellectual diagnosis; rather must we bow before him in worship.
He himself warned us, "No man knoweth the Son, but the Father"
(Matthew 11:27). And again, the Spirit of God through the apostle Paul
declares, "Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God
was manifest in the flesh" (1 Tim. 3:16). While then there is much
about the person of Christ which we cannot fathom with our own
understanding, yet there is everything about him to admire and adore:
foremost are his deity and humanity, and the perfect union of these
two in one person. The Lord Jesus was not a divine man, nor a
humanized God; he was the God-man. Forever God, and now forever man.
When the Beloved of the Father became incarnate he did not cease to be
God, nor did he lay aside any of his divine attributes, though he did
strip himself of the glory which he had with the Father before the
world was. But in the incarnation the Word became flesh and
tabernacled among men. He ceased not to be all that he was previously,
but he took to himself that which he had not before - perfect
humanity.
The deity and the humanity of the Saviour were each contemplated in
Messianic prediction. Prophecy represented the coming one sometimes as
divine, sometimes as human. He was the Branch "of the Lord" (Isa.
4:2). He was the Wonderful Counsellor, the mighty God, the Father of
the ages (Hebrews), the "Prince of peace" (Isa. 9:6). The one who was
to come forth out of Bethlehem and be ruler in Israel, was one whose
goings forth had been from the days of eternity (Micah 5:2). It was
none less than Jehovah himself who was to come suddenly to the temple
(Mal. 3:1). Yet, on the other hand, he was the woman's "seed" (Gen.
3:15); a prophet like unto Moses (Deut. 18:18); a lineal descendant of
David (2 Sam. 7:12, 13). He was Jehovah's "servant" (Isa. 42:1). He
was "the man of sorrows" (Isa. 53:3). And it is in the New Testament
we see these two different sets of prophecy harmonized.
The one born at Bethlehem was the divine Word. The Incarnation does
not mean that God manifested himself as a man. The Word became flesh;
he became what he was not before, though he never ceased to be all he
was previously. He who was in the form of God and thought it not
robbery to be equal with God "made himself of no reputation, and took
upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men"
(Phil. 2:6, 7). The babe of Bethlehem was Immanuel - God with us -he
was more than a manifestation of God, he was God manifest in the
flesh. He was both Son of God and Son of Man. Not two separate
personalities, but one person possessing two natures - the divine and
the human.
While here on earth the Lord Jesus gave full proof of his deity. He
spake with divine wisdom, he acted in divine holiness, he exhibited
divine power, and he displayed divine love. He read men's minds, moved
men's hearts, and compelled men's wills. When he was pleased to exert
his power all nature was subject to his bidding. A word from him and
disease fled, a storm was stilled, the devil left him, the dead were
raised to life. So truly was he God manifest in the flesh, he could
say, "he that hath seen me, hath seen the Father."
So, too, while he tabernacled among men, the Lord Jesus gave full
proof of his humanity - sinless humanity. He entered this world as a
babe and was "wrapped in swaddling clothes" (Luke 2:7). As a child, we
are told, he "increased in wisdom and stature" (Luke 2:52). As a boy
we find him "asking questions" (Luke 2:46). As a man he was "wearied"
in body (John 4:6). He was "an hungered" (Matthew 4:2). He "slept"
(Mark 4:38). He "marvelled" (Mark 6:6). He "wept" (John 11:35). He
"prayed" (Mark 1:35). He "rejoiced" (Luke 10:21). He "groaned" (John
11:33). And here in our text he cried, "I thirst". That evidenced his
humanity. God does not thirst. The angels do not. We shall not in
glory: "they shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore" (Revelation
7:16). But we thirst now because we are human and living in a world of
sorrow. And Christ thirsted because he was man: "Wherefore in all
things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren" (Heb. 2:17).
"I thirst"
2. Here we see the intensity of Christ's sufferings.
Let us first consider this cry of the Saviour's as an expression of
his bodily suffering. To realize something of what lay behind these
words of his we must recall and review what preceded them. After
instituting the Supper in the upper room, followed by the lengthy
paschal discourse to his apostles, the Redeemer adjourned to
Gethsemane, and there for an hour he passed through the most
excruciating agony. His soul was exceeding sorrowful. As he
contemplated the awful cup he shed not beads of perspiration but great
drops of blood.
His wrestling in the Garden was terminated by the appearing of the
traitor accompanied by the band who had come to arrest him. He was
brought before Caiaphas, and middle of the night though it was, he was
examined and condemned. The Saviour was held until early morning, and
after the weary hours of waiting were over, was brought before Pilate.
Following a lengthy trial, orders were given for him to be scourged.
Next he was led, perhaps right across the city, to Herod's
judgment-hall, and after a brief appearance before this Roman prelate,
he was delivered into the hands of the brutal soldiers. Again he was
mocked and scourged, and again he was led across the city, back to
Pilate. Once more there was the weary delay, the formalities of a
trial, if such a farce deserves the name, followed by the passing
sentence of death.
Then, with bleeding back, carrying his cross under the heat of the now
almost midday sun, he journeyed up the rugged heights of Golgotha.
Reaching the appointed place of execution, his hands and feet were
nailed to the tree. For three hours he hung there with the pitiless
rays of the sun beating down on his thorn-crowned head. This was
followed by the three hours of darkness, now over.
That night and that day were hours into which an eternity was
compressed. Yet during it all not a single word of murmuring passed
his lips. There was no complaining, no begging for mercy. All his
sufferings had been borne in majestic silence. Like a sheep dumb
before her shearers, so he opened not his mouth. But now, at the end,
his whole body wracked with pain, his mouth parched, he cries, "I
thirst". It was not an appeal for pity, nor a request for the
alleviation of his sufferings; it gave expression to the intensity of
the agonies he was undergoing.
"I thirst." This was more than ordinary thirst. There was something
deeper than physical sufferings behind it. A careful comparison of our
text with Matthew 27:48 shows these words "I thirst" followed on
immediately after the fourth of our Saviour's cross-utterances - "Eli,
Eli, lama, sabachthani" - for while the soldier was pressing the
sponge of vinegar to the sufferer's lips, some of the spectators cried
out, "Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him". We all
know the internal trials of the soul react upon the body, rending its
nerves and affecting its strength - "A broken spirit drieth the bones"
(Pro. 17:22); "When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my
roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon
me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer" (Ps. 32:3,4).
The body and the soul sympathize with each other. Let us remember that
the Saviour had just emerged from the three hours of darkness, during
which God's face had been turned away from him as he endured the
fierceness of his out-poured wrath. This cry of bodily suffering tells
us, then, of the severity of the spiritual conflict through which he
had just passed! Speaking anticipatively by the mouth of Jeremiah of
this very hour, he said, "Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by?
behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is
done upon me, wherewith the Lord bath afflicted me in the day of his
fierce anger. From above hath he sent fire into my bones, and it
prevaileth against them: he bath spread a net for my feet, he bath
turned me back: he hath made me desolate and faint" (Lam. 1:12, 13).
His "thirst" was the effect of the agony of his soul in the fierce
heat of God's wrath. It told of the drought of the land where the
living God is not. But more: it plainly expressed his yearning for
communion with God again, from whom for three hours he had been
separated. Was it not Christ himself who said by the spirit of
prophecy, said it now, immediately he emerged from the darkness: "As
the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after
thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall
I come and appear before God?" Do not the words which follow identify
the speaker and reveal the time that longing and "panting" was
expressed? "My tears have been my meat day and night, while they
continually say unto me, Where is thy God?" (Ps. 42:1-3).
"I thirst"
3. Here we see our Lord's deep reverence for the scriptures.
How constantly the Saviour's mind turned toward the sacred oracles! He
lived indeed by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. He
was the "Blessed Man" that meditated in God's law "day and night" (Ps.
1). The written word was that which formed his thoughts, filled his
heart, and regulated his ways. The scriptures are the transcript of
the Father's will, and that was ever his delight. In the temptation
that which was written was his defence. In his teaching the statutes
of the Lord were his authority. In his controversies with the scribes
and Pharisees, his appeal was ever to the law and the testimony. And
now, in his death-hour his mind dwelt upon the word of truth.
In order to get the primary force of this fifth cross-utterance of the
Saviour we must note its setting: "Jesus knowing that all things were
now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I
thirst" (John 19:28). The reference is to Psalm 69 - another of the
Messianic psalms which describes so graphically his passion. In it the
spirit of prophecy had declared, "They gave me also gall for my meat;
and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink" (v. 21). This remained
yet unaccomplished. The predictions of the previous verses had already
received fulfillment. He had sunk in the "deep mire" (v. 2); he had
been "hated without a cause" (v. 4); he had "borne reproach and shame"
(v. 7); he had "become a stranger unto his brethren" (v. 8); he had
become "a proverb" to his revilers, and "the song of the drunkards"
(vv. 11, 12); he had "cried unto God" in his distress (vv. 17-20) -
and now there remained nothing more than the offering him the drink of
vinegar and gall, and in order to fulfill this he cried "I thirst".
"Jesus knowing that ALL things were now accomplished, that the
scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst." How completely
self-possessed the Saviour was! He had hung on that cross for six
hours and had passed through unparalleled suffering, yet is his mind
clear and his memory unimpaired. He had before him, with perfect
distinctness, the whole truth of God. He reviewed the entire scope of
Messianic prediction. He remembers there is one prophetic scripture
unaccomplished. He overlooked nothing. What a proof is this that he
was divinely superior to all circumstances!
Ere passing on we would briefly point an application to ourselves. We
have remarked how the Saviour bowed to the authority of scripture both
in life and death; Christian reader, how is it with thee? Is the book
divine the final court of appeal with you? Do you discover in it a
revelation of God's mind and will concerning you? Is it a lamp unto
your feet? That is, are you walking in its light? Are its commands
binding on you?
Are you really obeying it? Can you say with David, "I have chosen the
way of truth: thy judgments have I laid before me. I have stuck unto
thy testimonies... I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy
testimonies. I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments"
(Ps. 119:30,31,59,60)? Are you, like the Saviour, anxious to fulfill
the scriptures? O may writer and reader seek grace to pray from the
heart, "Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do
I delight. Incline my heart unto thy testimonies... Order my steps in
thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me" (Ps. 119:35,
36, 133).
"I thirst"
4. Here we see the Saviour's submission to the Father's will.
The Saviour thirsted, and he who thirsted thus, remember, possessed
all power in heaven and earth. Had he chosen to exercise his
omnipotency, he could have readily satisfied his need. He that of old
had caused the water to flow from the smitten rock for the refreshment
of Israel in the wilderness, had the same infinite resources at his
disposal now. He who turned the water into wine at a word, could have
spoken the word of power here, and met his own need. But he never once
performed a miracle for his own benefit or comfort. When tempted by
Satan to do this he refused. Why did he now decline to satisfy his
pressing need? Why hang there on the cross with parched lips? Because
in the volume of the book which expressed God's will, it was written
that he should thirst, and that thirsting he should be "given" vinegar
to drink. And he came here to do God's will, and therefore did he
submit.
In death, as in life, scripture was for the Lord Jesus the
authoritative word of the living God. In the temptation he had refused
to minister to his need apart from that word by which he lived, and so
now he makes known his need, not that it might be ministered unto, but
that scripture might be fulfilled. Mark he does not himself fulfill
it, God can be trusted to take care of that; but he gives utterance to
his distress so as to provide occasion for the fulfillment. As another
has said, "The terrible thirst of crucifixion is upon him, but that is
not enough to force those parched lips to speak; but it is written: In
my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink - this opens them" (F W
Grant). Here then, as ever, he shows himself in active obedience to
the will of God, which he came to accomplish. He simply says, "I
thirst"; the vinegar is tendered, and the prophecy is fulfilled. What
perfect absorption in his Father's will!
Again we pause to point an application to ourselves - a double one.
First, the Lord Jesus delighted in the Father's will even when it
involved the suffering of thirst. Are we so resigned to him? Have we
sought grace to say, "Not my will, but thine, be done"? Can we
exclaim, "Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight"? Have
we learned in whatever state we are in "therewith to be content"
(Phil. 4:11)?
But now mark a contrast. The Son of God was denied a draught of cold
water to relieve his suffering - how different with us! God has given
us a variety of refreshments to relieve us, yet how often are we
unthankful! We have better things than a cup of water to delight us
when thirsty, yet often we are not grateful. O if this cry of Christ's
were but believingly considered, it would make us bless God for what
we now almost despise, and beget contentment in us for the most common
mercies. The Lord of glory cried "I thirst" and had nothing in his
extremity to comfort him, and dost thou, who hast a thousand times
forfeited all right to temporal as well as spiritual mercies, slight
the common bounties of providence! What! grumble at a cup of water,
who deservest but a cup of wrath. O lay it to heart and learn to be
contented with what you have, though it be but the very barest
necessaries for life. Complain not if you dwell in but a humble hovel,
for your Saviour had not where to lay his head! Complain not if you
have nought but bread to eat, for your Saviour lacked that for forty
days! Complain not if you have only water to drink, for your Saviour
was denied even that in the hour of death!
"I thirst"
5. Here we see how Christ can sympathize with his suffering people.
The problem of suffering has ever been a perplexing one. Why should
suffering be necessary in a world that is governed by a perfect God? A
God who not only has the power to prevent evil, but who is love. Why
should there be pain and wretchedness, sickness and death? As we look
out on the world and take cognizance of its countless sufferers, we
are bewildered. This world is but a vale of tears. A thin veneer of
gaiety scarcely succeeds in hiding the drab facts of life.
Philosophizing about the problem of suffering brings scant relief.
After all our reasonings we ask, Does God see? Is there knowledge with
the Most High? Does he really care? Like all questions, these must be
taken to the cross. While they do not find there a complete answer,
nevertheless they do meet that which satisfies the anxious heart.
While the problem of suffering is not fully solved there, yet the
cross does throw sufficient light upon it to relieve the tension. The
cross shows us that God is not ignorant of our sorrows, for in the
person of his Son he has himself "borne our griefs and carried our
sorrows" (Isa. 53:4)! The cross shows us God is not unmindful of our
distress and anguish, for becoming incarnate, he suffered himself! The
cross tells us God is not indifferent to pain for in the Saviour he
experienced it!
What then is the value of these facts? This: "For we have not an high
priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities;
but was in all points tempted (or tried) like as we are, yet without
sin" (Heb. 4:15). Our Redeemer is not one so removed from us that he
is unable to enter, sympathetically, into our sorrows, for he was
himself "the Man of Sorrows". Here then is comfort for the aching
heart. No matter how despondent you maybe, no matter how rugged your
path and sad your lot, you are invited to spread it all before the
Lord Jesus and cast all your care upon him, knowing that "he careth
for you" (1 Peter 5:7). Is your body wracked with pain? So was his!
Are you misunderstood, misjudged, misrepresented? So was he! Have
those who are nearest and dearest turned away from you? They did from
him! Are you in the darkness? So was he for three hours! "Wherefore in
all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he
might be a merciful and faithful high priest" (Heb. 2:17).
"I thirst"
6. Here we see the expression of a universal need.
Whether he articulates it or not the natural man, the world over, is
crying "I thirst". Why this consuming desire to acquire wealth? Why
this craving for the honours and plaudits of the world? Why this mad
rush after pleasure, the turning from one form of it to another with
persistent and unwearied diligence? Why this eager search for wisdom -
this scientific inquiry, this pursuit of philosophy, this ransacking
of the writings of the ancients, and this ceaseless experimentation by
the moderns? Why the insane craze for that which is novel? Why?
Because there is an aching void in the soul. Because there is
something remaining in every natural man that is unsatisfied. This is
true of the millionaire as much as of the country rustic who has never
been outside the bounds of his native country: traveling from one end
of the earth to the other and back again, fails to discover the secret
of peace. Over all the cisterns of this world's providing is written
in letters of ineffaceable truth, "Whosoever drinketh of this water
shall thirst again" (John 4:13). So it is also with the religious man
or woman: we mean, the religious without Christ. How many there are
who go the weary round of religious performances, and find nothing to
meet their deep need! They are members of an evangelical denomination,
they attend church regularly, contribute of their means to the
pastor's support, read their Bibles occasionally, and sometimes pray,
or, if they use a "prayer-book" say their prayers every night. And
yet, after it all, if they are honest, their cry is still "I thirst".
The thirst is a spiritual one: that is why natural things cannot
quench it. Unknown to themselves their soul "thirsteth for God" (Ps.
42:2). God made us, and he alone can satisfy us. Said the Lord Jesus,
"Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never
thirst" (John 4:14). Christ alone can quench our thirst. He alone can
meet the deep need of our hearts. He alone can impart that peace which
the world knows nothing of and can neither bestow nor take away. O
reader, once more I would address myself to your conscience. How is it
with thee? Have you found that everything under the sun is only vanity
and vexation of spirit? Have you discovered that the things of earth
are unable to satisfy your heart"? Is your soul-cry "I thirst"? Then,
is it not good news to hear there is one who can satisfy you? One we
say, not a creed, not a form of religion, but a person - a living,
divine person. He it is who says, "Come unto me, all ye that labour
and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). Heed
then that sweet invitation. Come to him now, just as you are. Come in
faith, believing he will receive you; and then shall you sing:
I came to Jesus as I was,
Weary, and worn, and sad;
I found in him a resting place,
And he has made me glad.
O come to Christ. Delay not. You are "thirsty"? Then you are the one
he is seeking for: "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after
righteousness: for they shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6).
Unsaved reader, reject not the Saviour, for if you die in your sins
your eternal cry will be "I thirst". This is the moan of the damned.
In the lake of fire the lost suffer amid the flames of God's wrath for
ever and ever. If Christ cried "I thirst" when he suffered the wrath
of God for but three hours, what is the state of those who have to
endure it for all eternity! When millions of years have gone, ten
millions more lie ahead. There is an everlasting thirst in hell which
admits of no relief. Remember the awful words of the rich man: "And he
cried, and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus,
that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue;
for I am tormented in this flame" (Luke 16:24). O think, my reader. If
physical thirst in the extreme is insufferable even now when endured
but a few short hours, what will that thirst be which is infinitely
beyond any present thirst, and which shall never be quenched! Say not
it is cruel of God to deal thus with his erring creatures. Remember to
what he exposed his own dear Son, when sin was imputed to him - surely
the one who despises Christ is deserving of the hottest place in hell!
Again we say, Receive him now as yours. Receive him as your Saviour,
and submit to him as your Lord.
"I thirst"
7. Here we see the enunciation of an abiding principle.
There is a sense, a real one, in which Christ still thirsts. He is
thirsting for the love and devotion of his own. He is yearning for
fellowship with his blood-bought people. Here is one of the great
marvels of grace - a redeemed sinner can offer that which satisfies
the heart of Christ! I can understand how I ought to appreciate his
love, but how wonderful that he - the all-sufficient one - should
appreciate my love! I have learned how blessed to my own soul is
communion with him, but who would have supposed that my communion was
blessed to Christ! Yet it is. For this he still "thirsts". Grace
enables us to offer that which refreshes him. Wondrous thought!
Have you ever noticed in John 4 that though Christ said to the woman
who came to the well, "Give me to drink" - for he sat there "wearied"
from the journey and heat - that he never took a drink of water? In
the salvation and faith of that Samaritan woman he found that which
refreshed his heart! Love is never satisfied till there is a response
and love in return! So with Christ. Here is the key to Revelation
3:20: "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my
voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with
him, and he with me".
This is often applied to the unsaved, but its primary reference is to
the Church. It pictures Christ seeking the fellowship of his own. He
speaks of "supping" and in scripture supping is ever symbolic of
communion, just as the Lord's Supper is a special season of communion
between the Saviour and the saved. And observe in this passage Christ
speaks of a double supping - "I will come in to him, and sup with him,
and he with me". Not only is it our unspeakable privilege to sup with
him, and to commune with him, to delight ourselves in him, but he
"sups" with us. He finds in our communion something for his heart to
feed upon, something which refreshes him, and that something is our
devotion and love. Yes, the Christ of God still "thirsts", thirsts for
the affection of his own. O will you not offer that which will satisfy
him? Respond then to his own call - "Set me as a seal upon thine
heart" (Song of Solomon 8:6).
Introduction | Forgiveness | Salvation | Affection
Anguish | Suffering | Victory | Contentment
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A. W. Pink Header
The Seven Sayings of the
Saviour on the Cross
by A.W. Pink
6. The Word Of Victory
_________________________________________________________________
"When Jesus therefore had received
the vinegar, he said, It is finished"
John 19:30
OUR LAST TWO STUDIES have been occupied with the tragedy of the cross;
we turn now to its triumph. In his words, "My God, my God, why hast
thou forsaken me?" we beard the Saviour's cry of desolation; in his
words "I thirst" we listened to his cry of lamentation; now there
falls upon our ears his cry of jubilation - "It is finished". From the
words of the victim we turn now to the words of the victor, It is
proverbial that every cloud has its silver lining: so had the darkest
cloud of all. The cross of Christ has two great sides to it: it showed
the profound depths of his humiliation, but it also marked the goal of
the Incarnation, and further, it told the consummation of his mission,
and it forms the basis of our salvation.
"It is finished." The ancient Greeks boasted of being able to say much
in little - "to give a sea of matter in a drop of language" was
regarded as the perfection of oratory. What they sought is here found.
"It is finished" is but one word in the original, yet in that word is
wrapped up the gospel of God; in that word is contained the ground of
the believer's assurance; in that word is discovered the sum of all
joy, and the very spirit of all divine consolation.
"It is finished." This was not the despairing cry of a helpless
martyr; it was not an expression of satisfaction that the termination
of his sufferings was now reached; it was not the last gasp of a
worn-out life. No, rather was it the declaration on the part of the
divine Redeemer that all for which he came from heaven to earth to do,
was now done; that all that was needed to reveal the full character of
God had now been accomplished; that all that was required by law
before sinners could be saved had now been performed: that the flail
price of our redemption was now paid.
"It is finished." The great purpose of God in the history of man was
now accomplished - accomplished de jure as it will yet be de facto.
From the beginning, God's purpose has always been one and indivisible.
It has been declared to men in various ways: in symbol and type, by
mysterious hints and by plain intimations, through Messianic
prediction and through didactic declaration. That purpose of God may
be summarized thus: to display his grace and to magnify his Son in the
creating of children in his own image and glory. And at the cross the
foundation was laid which was to make this possible and actual.
"It is finished." What was finished? The answer to this question is a
very full one, though a number of excellent expositors have sought to
limit the scope of these words and to confine them strictly to a
single application. We are told it was the prophecies concerning the
sufferings of the Saviour which were finished, and that he referred
only to this. It is readily granted that the immediate reference was
to the Messianic predictions, yet we think there are good and
sufficient reasons for not confining our Lord's words here to them.
Yea, to us it seems certain that Christ referred specially to his
sacrificial work, for all scripture concerning his suffering and shame
was not fulfilled. There still remained the dismissal of his spirit
into the hands of the Father (Ps. 3 1:5); there still remained the
"piercing" with the spear (Zech. 12:10: and note that the word used
for the piercing of his hands and feet - the act of crucifixion - in
Ps. 22:16 is a different one); there still remained the preserving of
his bones unbroken (Ps. 34:20), and the burial in the rich man's grave
(Isaiah 53:9).
"It is finished." What was finished? We answer, his sacrificial work.
It is true there yet remained the act of death itself, which was
necessary for the making of atonement. But, as is so often the case
here in John's Gospel - wherein our text is found - (cf.: John
12:23,31; 13:31; 16:5; 17:4),the Lord here speaks anticipatively of
the completion of his work, Moreover, it must be remembered that the
three hours darkness was already past, the awful cup had already been
drained, his precious blood had already been shed, the outpoured wrath
of God had already been endured; and these are the primary elements in
the making of propitiation. The sacrificial work of the Saviour, then,
was completed, excepting only the act of death which followed
immediately. But, as we shall see, the completing of the sacrificial
work made an end of a number of things, and to them we shall now turn
our attention.
"It is finished"
1. Here we see the accomplished fulfillment of all the prophecies
which had been written of him ere he should die.
This is the immediate thought of the context: "When Jesus therefore
had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished" (John 19:30).
Centuries beforehand, the prophets of God had described step by step
the humiliation and suffering which the coming Saviour should undergo.
One by one these had been fulfilled, wonderfully fulfilled, fulfilled
to the very letter. Had prophecy declared that he should be the
"woman's seed" (Gen. 3:15): then he was "born of a woman" (Gal. 4:4).
Had prophecy announced that his mother should be a "virgin" (Isa.
7:14): then was it literally fulfilled (Matthew 1:18). Had prophecy
revealed that he should be of the seed of Abraham (Gen. 22; 18): then
mark its fulfillment (Matthew 1:1). Had prophecy made it known that he
should be a lineal descendant of David (2 Sam. 7:12, 13): then such he
actually was (Rom. 1:3). Had prophecy said that he should be named
before he was born (Isa. 49:1): then so it came to pass (Luke
1:30,31). Had prophecy foretold that he should be born in Bethlehem of
Judea (Mic. 5:2): then mark how this very village was actually his
birthplace. Had prophecy forewarned that his birth should entail
sorrowing for others (Jer. 31:15): then behold its tragic fulfillment
(Matthew 2:16-18). Had prophecy foreshown that the Messiah should
appear before the scepter of tribal ascendancy had departed from Judah
(Genesis 49:10): then so he did, for though the ten tribes were in
captivity. Judah was still in the land at the time of his advent. Had
prophecy referred to the flight into Egypt and the subsequent return
into Palestine (Hosea 11:1 and cf. Isa. 49:3, 6): then so it came to
pass (Matthew 2:14, 15).
Had prophecy made mention of one going before Christ to make ready his
way (Malachi 3:1): then see its fulfillment in the person of John the
Baptist. Had prophecy made it known that at the Messiah's appearing
that "then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the
deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and
the tongue of the dumb sing" (Isa. 35:5,6): then read through the four
gospels and see how blessedly this proved to be true. Had prophecy
spoken of him as "poor and needy" (Ps. 40:17 - see beginning of
psalm): then behold him not having where to lay his head. Had prophecy
intimated that he should speak in "parables" (Ps. 78:2): then such was
frequently his method of teaching. Had prophecy depicted him stilling
the tempest (Ps. 107:29): then this is exactly what he did. Had
prophecy heralded his "triumphal entry" into Jerusalem (Zech. 9:9):
then so it came to pass.
Had prophecy announced that his person should be despised (Isa. 53:3);
that he should be rejected by the Jews (Isa. 8:14); that he should be
"hated without a cause" (Ps. 69:4): then sad to say, such was
precisely the case. Had prophecy painted the whole picture of his
degradation and crucifixion - then was it vividly reproduced. There
had been the betrayal by a familiar friend, the forsaking by his
cherished disciples, the being led to the slaughter, the being taken
to judgment, the appearing of false witnesses against him, the refusal
on his part to make defense, the establishing of his innocency, the
unjust condemnation, the sentence of capital punishment passed upon
him, the literal piercing of his hands and feet, the being numbered
with transgressors, the mockery of the crowd, the casting lots for his
garments - all predicted centuries beforehand, and all fulfilled to
the very letter. The last prophecy of all which remained ere he
committed his spirit into the hands of his Father had now been
fulfilled. He cried "I thirst" and after the tendering of the vinegar
and gall all was now "accomplished"; and as the Lord Jesus reviewed
the entire scope of the prophetic word and saw its full realization,
he cried, "It is finished"!
It only remains for us to point out that as there was a complete set
of prophecies which had to do with the first advent of the Saviour, so
also is there a complete set of prophecies which have to do with his
second advent - the latter as definite, as personal, and as
comprehensive in their scope as the former. Just as we see the actual
fulfillment of those which had to do with his first coming to the
earth, so we may look forward with absolute confidence and assurance
to the fulfillment of those which have to do with his second coming.
And, as we have seen that the former set of prophecies were fulfilled
literally, actually, personally, so also must we expect the latter set
to be. To grant the literal fulfillment of the former, and then to
seek to spiritualize and symbolize the latter, is not only grossly
inconsistent and illogical, but is highly injurious to us and deeply
dishonoring to God and to his word.
"It is finished"
2. Here we see the completion of his sufferings.
But what tongue or pen can describe the sufferings of the Saviour? O
the unutterable anguish, physical, mental, and spiritual which he
endured! Appropriately was he designated "the Man of Sorrows."
Sufferings at the hands of men, at the hands of Satan, and at the
hands of God. Pain inflicted upon him by enemies and friends alike.
From the beginning he walked amid the shadows which the cross cast
athwart his path. Hear his lament: "I am afflicted and ready to die
from my youth up" (Ps. 88:15). What a light this throws on his earlier
years! Who can say how much is contained in those words? For us, an
impenetrable veil is cast over the future; none of us know what a day
may bring forth. But the Saviour knew the end from the beginning!
One has only to read through the gospels to learn how the awful cross
was ever before him. At the marriage-feast of Cana, where all was
gladness and merriment, he makes solemn reference to "his hour" not
yet come. When Nicodemus interviewed him at night the Saviour referred
to the "lifting up of the Son of man". When James and John came to
request from him the two places of honour in his coming kingdom, he
made mention of the "cup" which he had to drink and of the "baptism"
wherewith he must be baptized. When Peter confessed that he was the
Christ, the Son of the living God, he turned to his disciples and
began to show unto them "how that he must go unto Jerusalem and suffer
many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be
killed, and be raised again the third day" (Matthew 16:21). When Moses
and Elijah stood with him on the mount of transfiguration it was to
speak of "his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem."
If it is true we are quite unable to estimate the sufferings of Christ
due to the anticipation of the cross, still less can we fathom the
dread reality itself. The physical sufferings were excruciating, but
even this was as nothing compared with his anguish of soul. To a
considering of these sufferings we have already devoted several
paragraphs in previous chapters, yet we make no apology in turning to
them again. We cannot contemplate too often what the Saviour endured
in order to secure our salvation. The better we are acquainted with
his sufferings, and the more frequently we meditate thereon, the
warmer will be our love and the deeper our gratitude.
At last the closing hours have come. There had been the terrible
experience in Gethsemane followed by the appearings before Caiaphas,
before Pilate, before Herod, and back again before Pilate. There had
been the scourging and mocking by the brutal soldiers; the journey to
Calvary; the fastening of his hands and feet to the cruel tree. There
had been the reviling of the priests, the crowd, and the two thieves
crucified with him. There had been the callous indifference of a
vulgar mob, among whom "none took pity" and none spoke a word of
"comfort" (Ps. 69:20). There had been the awful cloud that hid from
him the Father's face, which wrung from him the bitter cry, "My God,
my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" There had been the parched lips
which drew from him the exclamation "I thirst". There had been the
fearful conflict with the power of darkness as the serpent "bruised"
his heel. Well might the sufferer ask, "Is it nothing to you, all ye
that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my
sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in
the day of his fierce anger" (Lam. 1:12).
But now the suffering is ended. That from which his holy soul shrank
is over. The Lord has bruised him; man and devil have done their
worst. The cup has been drained. The awful storm of God's wrath has
just spent itself. The darkness is ended. The sword of divine justice
is sheathed. The wages of sin have been paid. The prophecies of his
sufferings are all fulfilled. The cross has been "endured". Divine
holiness has been fully satisfied. With a cry of triumph - a loud cry,
a cry which reverberated throughout the entire universe - the Saviour
exclaims, "It is finished". The ignominy and shame, the suffering and
agony are past. Never again shall he experience pain. Never again
shall he endure the contradiction of sinners against himself. Never
again shall he be in the hands of Satan. Never again shall the light
of God's countenance be hidden from him. Blessed be God, all that is
finished!
The head that once was crowned with thorns, is crowned with glory now;
A royal diadem adorns the mighty Victor's brow.
The highest place that Heaven of fords is his by Sovereign right,
The King of kings and Lord affords. and Heaven's eternal Light.
The Joy of all who dwell above, the Joy of all below,
To whom he manifest his love, and Grant his name to know.
"It is finished"
3. Here we see the goal of the Incarnation is reached.
Scripture indicates there is a special work peculiar to each of the
divine persons, though, like the persons themselves, it is not always
easy to distinguish between their respective works. God the Father is
specially concerned in the government of the world. He ruleth over all
the works of his hands. God the Son is specially concerned in the work
of redemption: he was the one who came here to die for sinners. God
the Spirit is specially concerned with the scriptures: he was the one
who moved holy men of old to speak the messages of God, as he is the
one who now gives spiritual illumination and understanding, and guides
into the truth. But it is with the work of God the Son we are here
particularly concerned.
Before the Lord Jesus came to this earth a definite work was committed
to him. In the volume of the book it was written by him, and he came
to do the recorded will of God. Even as a boy of twelve the "Father's
business" was before his heart and occupied his attention. Again, in
John 5:36, we find him saying, "But I have greater witness than that
of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the
same works that I do". And on the last night before his death, in that
wonderful high-priestly prayer we find him saying, "I have glorified
thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to
do" (John 17:4).
In his book on the seven sayings of Christ on the cross, Dr
Anderson-Berry makes use of an illustration from history which by its
striking antithesis shows up the meaning and glory of the finished
work of Christ. Elizabeth, Queen of England, the idol of society and
the leader of European fashion, when on her death-bed turned to her
lady-in-waiting, and said: "O my God! It is over. I have come to the
end of it - the end, the end. To have only one life and to have done
with it! To have lived, and loved, and triumphed; and now to know it
is over! One may defy everything else but this." And as the listener
sat watching, in a few moments more, the face whose slightest smile
had brought her courtiers to their feet, turned into a mask of
lifeless clay, and returned the anxious gaze of her servant with
nothing more than a vacant stare. Such was the end of one whose
meteoric course had been the envy of half the world. It could not be
said that she had "finished" anything, for with her all was "vanity
and vexation of spirit". How different was the end of the Saviour - "1
have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou
gavest me to do."
The mission upon which God had sent his Son into the world was now
accomplished. It was not actually finished till he breathed his last,
but death was only an instant ahead, and in anticipation of it he
cries, "It is finished". The difficult work is done. The
divinely-given task is performed. A work more honourable and momentous
than ever entrusted to man or angels has been completed. That for
which he had left heaven's glory, that for which he had taken upon him
the form of a servant, that for which he had remained upon earth for
thirty-three years to do, was now consummated. Nothing remained to be
added. The goal of the Incarnation is reached. With what joyous
triumph must he here have viewed the arduous and costly work which
committed to him had now been perfected!
"It is finished." The mission upon which God had sent his Son into the
world was accomplished. That which had been eternally purposed had
come to pass. The plan of God had been fully carried out. It is true
that the Saviour had been by "wicked hands crucified and slain", yet
was he "delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God"
(Acts 2:23). It is true that the kings of the earth stood up, and the
rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his
Christ; nevertheless, it was but for to do what God's hand and God's
counsel "determined before to be done" (Acts 4:28). Because he is the
Most High, God's secret will cannot be thwarted. Because he is
supreme, God's counsel must stand. Because he is Almighty, God's
purpose cannot be overthrown. Again and again the scriptures insist
upon the irresistibility of the pleasure of the Lord God. Because this
truth is now so generally called into question we subjoin seven
passages which affirm it:
But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul
desireth, even that he doeth (Job 23:13).
I know that thou canst do everything, and that no thought of thine can
be hindered (Job 42:2).
But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased
(Ps. 115:3).
There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord
(Pro. 21:30).
For the Lord of hosts bath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and
his hand is stretched out, and Who shall turn it back? (Isa. 14:27).
Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none
else; I am Clod, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the
beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done,
saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure (Isa.
46:9, 10).
And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he
doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the
inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him,
What doest thou? (Dan. 4:35).
And, in the triumphant cry of the Saviour - "It is finished" - we have
a prophecy and pledge of the ultimate carrying out of God's plan
completely and irresistibly. At the end of time, when everything is
wound up, and God's purpose has been fully consummated, when
everything has been done which he before determined should be done,
then shall it be said again, "It is finished".
"It is finished"
4. Here we see the accomplishment of the atonement.
Above we have spoken of Christ reaching the goal of the Incarnation,
and of the consummation of his mission to the earth; what that goal
and mission were, the scriptures plainly reveal. The Son of Man came
here "to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). Christ
Jesus came into the world "to save sinners" (1 Tim. 1:15). God sent
forth his Son, born of a woman, "to redeem them that were under the
law" (Galatians 4:4). He was manifested "to take away our sins" (1
John 3:5). And all this involved the cross. The "lost" which he came
to seek could only be found there - in the place of death and under
the condemnation of God. Sinners could be "saved" only by one taking
their place and bearing their iniquities. They who were under the law
could be "redeemed" only by another fulfilling its requirements and
suffering its curse. Our sins could be "taken away" only by their
being blotted out by the precious blood of Christ. The demands of
justice must be met: the requirements of God's holiness must be
satisfied: the awful debt we incurred must be paid. And on the cross
this was done; done by none less than the Son of God; done perfectly;
done once for all.
"It is finished." That to which so many types looked forward, that
which so much in the tabernacle and its ritual foreshadowed, that of
which so many of God's prophets had spoken, was now accomplished. A
covering from sin and its shame - typified by the coats of skin with
which the Lord God clothed our first parents - was now provided. The
more excellent sacrifice - typified by Abel's lamb - had now been
offered. A shelter from the storm of divine judgment- typified by the
ark of Noah was now furnished. The only-begotten and well-beloved Son
- typified by Abraham's offering up of Isaac - had already been placed
upon the altar. A protection from the avenging angel - typified by the
shed blood of the Passover lamb was now supplied. A cure from the
serpent's bite -typified by the serpent of brass upon the pole - was
now made ready for sinners. The providing of a life-giving fountain
-typified by Moses striking the rock - was now effected.
"It is finished." The Greek word here, teleo, is various translated in
the New Testament. A glance at some of the different renderings in
other passages will enable us to discern the fullness and finality of
the term used by the Saviour. In Matthew 11:1, teleo is rendered as
follows: "When Jesus had made an end of commanding His twelve
disciples, He departed thence". In Matthew 17:24 it is rendered, "They
that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your
Master pay tribute?" In Luke 2:39 it is rendered, "And when they had
performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned
into Galilee". In Luke 18:31 it is rendered, "All things that are
written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be
accomplished." Putting these together we learn the scope of the
Saviour's sixth cross-utterance, "It is finished." He cried: it is
"made an end of; it is "paid"; it is "performed"; it is
"accomplished". What was made an end of? Our sins and their guilt.
What was paid? The price of our redemption. What was performed? The
utmost requirements of the law. What was accomplished? The work which
the Father had given him to do. What was finished? The making of
atonement.
God has furnished at least four proofs that Christ did finish the work
which was given him to do. First, in the rending of the veil, which
showed that the way to God was now open. Second, in the raising of
Christ from the dead, which evidenced that God had accepted his
sacrifice. Third, the exaltation of Christ to his own right hand,
which demonstrated the value of Christ's work and the Father's delight
in his person. Fourth, the sending to earth of the Holy Spirit to
apply the virtues and benefits of Christ's atoning death.
"It is finished." What was finished? The work of atonement. What is
the value of that to us? This: to the sinner, it is a message of glad
tidings. All that a holy God requires has been done. Nothing is left
for the sinner to add. No works from us are demanded as the price of
our salvation. All that is necessary for the sinner is to rest now by
faith upon what Christ did. "The gift of God is eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:23). To the believer, the knowledge
that the atoning work of Christ is finished brings a sweet relief over
against all the defects and imperfections of his services. There is
much of sin and vanity in the very best of our efforts, but the grand
relief is that we are "complete" in Christ (Col. 2:10)! Christ and his
finished work is the ground of all our hopes.
Upon a Life I did not live,
Upon a Death I did not die,
Another's death Another's life
I cast my soul eternally
Bold shall I stand in that great day,
For who, aught to my charge can lay?
Fully absolved by Christ I am,
From sin's tremendous curse and blame.
"It is finished"
5. Here we see the end of our sins.
The sins of the believer - all of them - were transferred to the
Saviour. As saith the scripture, "The Lord hath laid on him the
iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53:6). If then God laid my iniquities on
Christ, they are no longer on me. Sin there is in me, for the old
Adamic nature remains in the believer till death or till Christ's
return, should he come before I die, but there is no sin on me. This
distinction between sin IN and sin ON is a vital one, and there should
be little difficulty in apprehending it. Were I to say the judge
passed sentence on a criminal, and that he is now under sentence of
death, everyone would understand what I meant. In like manner,
everyone out of Christ has the sentence of God's condemnation resting
upon him. But when a sinner believes in the Lord Jesus, receives him
as his Lord and Master, he is no longer "under condemnation" - sin is
no longer on him, that is, the guilt, the condemnation, the penalty of
sin, is no longer upon him. And why? Because Christ bore our sins in
his own body on the tree (1 Pet. 2:24). The guilt, condemnation and
penalty of our sins, was transferred to our substitute. Hence, because
my sins were transferred to Christ, they are no more upon me.
This precious truth was strikingly illustrated in Old Testament times
in connection with Israel's annual Day of Atonement. On that day,
Aaron, the high priest (a type of Christ), made satisfaction to God
for the sins which Israel had committed during the previous year. The
manner in which this was done is described in Leviticus 16. Two goats
were taken and presented before the Lord at the door of the
tabernacle: this was before anything was done with them: it
represented Christ presenting himself to God, offering to come into
this world, and be the Saviour of sinners. One of the goats was then
taken and killed, and its blood was carried into the tabernacle.
within the veil, into the Holy of Holies. and there it was sprinkled
before and upon the mercy-seat - foreshadowing Christ offering himself
as a sacrifice to God, to meet the demands of his justice and satisfy
the requirements of his holiness.
Then we read that Aaron came out of the tabernacle and laid both his
hands upon the head of the second (living) goat - signifying an act of
identification by which Aaron, the representative of the whole nation,
identified the people with it, acknowledging that its doom was what
their sins merited, and which, today, corresponds with the hands of
faith laying hold of Christ and identifying ourselves with him in his
death. Having laid his hands on the head of the live goat, Aaron now
confessed over him "all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and
all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head
of the goat" (Lev. 16:21). Thus were Israel's sins transferred to
their substitute. Finally we are told, "And the goat shall bear upon
him all their iniquities into a land not inhabited: and he shall let
go the goat in the wilderness" (Lev. 16:22). The goat bearing Israel's
sins was taken into an uninhabited wilderness, and the people of God
saw him and their sins no more! In type this was Christ taking our
sins into that desolate land where God was not, and there making an
end of them. The cross of Christ then is the grave of our sins!
"It is finished"
6. Here we see the fulfillment of the law's requirements.
"The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just and good" (Rom.
7:12). How could it be anything less when Jehovah himself had framed
and given it! The fault lay not in the law but in man who, being
depraved and sinful, could not keep it. Yet that law must be kept, and
kept by a man, so that the law might be honoured and magnified, and
its giver vindicated. Therefore we read, "For what the law could not
do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in
the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in (not "by") us,
who walk not after flesh, but after the Spirit" (Rom. 8:3, 4). The
"weakness" here is that of fallen man. The sending forth of God's Son
in the likeness of sin's flesh (Greek) refers to the Incarnation: as
we read in another scripture, "God sent forth his Son, born of a
woman, born under the Law, that he might redeem them that were under
the law" (Gal. 4:4, 5 RV). Yes, the Saviour was born "under the law",
born under it that he might keep it perfectly in thought, word and
deed. "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I
am not come to destroy. but to fulfill" (Matthew 5:17); such was his
claim.
But not only did the Saviour keep the precepts of the law, he also
suffered its penalty and endured its curse. We had broken it, and
taking our place, he must receive its just sentence. Having received
its penalty and endured its curse the demands of the law are fully met
and justice is satisfied. Therefore is it written of believers,
"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse
for us" (Gal. 3:13). And again, "For Christ is the end of the law for
righteousness to every one that believeth" (Rom. 10:4). And yet again,
" For ye are not under the law, but under grace" (Romans 6:14).
Free from the law, O happy condition!
Jesus hath blest and there is remission.
Cursed by the law and dead by the fall,
Grace hath redeemed us once for all.
"It is finished"
7. Here we see the destruction of Satan's power.
See it by faith. The cross sounded the death-knell of the devil's
power. To human appearances it looked like the moment of his greatest
triumph, yet in reality, it was the hour of his ultimate defeat. In
view of the cross (see context) the Saviour declared, "Now is the
judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast
out" (John 12:31). It is true that Satan has not yet been chained and
cast into the bottomless pit, nevertheless, sentence has been passed
(though not yet executed); his doom is certain; and his power is
already broken so far as believers are concerned.
For the Christian the devil is a vanquished foe. He was defeated by
Christ at the cross - "that through death he might destroy him that
had the power of death, that is, the devil" (Heb. 2:14). Believers
have already been "delivered from the power of darkness" and
translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son (Col. 1:13). Satan,
then, should be treated as a defeated enemy. No longer has he any
legitimate claim upon us. Once we were his lawful "captives" but
Christ has freed us. Once we walked "according to the Prince of the
power of the air"; but now we are to follow the example which Christ
has left us. Once Satan "worked in us"; but now God worketh in us both
to will and to do of his good pleasure. All that we now have to do is
to "Resist the devil", and the promise is, "he will flee from you"
(James 4:7).
"It is finished." Here was the triumphant answer to the rage of man
and the enmity of Satan. It tells of the perfect work which meets sin
in the place of judgment. All was completed just as God would have it,
just as the prophets had foretold, just as the Old Testament
ceremonial had foreshadowed, just as divine holiness demanded, and
just as sinners needed. How strikingly appropriate it is that this
sixth cross-utterance of the Saviour is found in John's gospel - the
gospel which displays the glory of Christ's deity! He does not here
commend his work to the approval of God, but seals it with his own
imprimatur, attesting it as complete, and giving it the all-sufficient
sanction of his own approval. None other than the Son of God says "IT
IS finished" - who then dare doubt or question it.
"It is finished." Reader, do you believe it? or, are you trying to add
something of your own to the finished work of Christ to secure the
favour of God? All you have to do is to accept the pardon which he
purchased. God is satisfied with the work of Christ, why are not you?
Sinner, the moment you believe God's testimony concerning his beloved
Son, that moment every sin you have committed is blotted out, and you
stand accepted in Christ! O would you not like to possess the
assurance that there is nothing between your soul and God? Would you
not like to know that every sin had been atoned for and put away? Then
believe what God's word says about Christ's death. Rest not on your
feelings and experiences but on the written word. There is only one
way of finding peace, and that is through faith in the shed blood of
God's Lamb.
"It is finished." Do you really believe it? Or, are you endeavouring
to add something of your own to it and thus merit the favour of God?
Some years ago a Christian farmer was deeply concerned over an unsaved
carpenter. The farmer sought to set before his neighbour the gospel of
God's grace, and to explain how that the finished work of Christ was
sufficient for his soul to rest upon. But the carpenter persisted in
the belief that he must do something himself. One day the farmer asked
the carpenter to make for him a gate, and when the gate was ready he
carried it away to his wagon. He arranged for the carpenter to call on
him the next morning and see the gate as it hung in the field. At the
appointed hour the carpenter arrived and was surprised to find the
farmer standing by with a sharp axe in his hand. "What are you going
to do?" he asked. "I am going to add a few cuts and strokes to your
work," was the response. "But there is no need for it," replied the
carpenter, "the gate is all right as it is. I did all that was
necessary to it." The farmer took no notice, but lifting his axe he
slashed and hacked at the gate until it was completely spoiled. "Look
what you have done!" cried the carpenter. "You have ruined my work!"
"Yes," said the farmer, "and that is exactly what you are trying to
do. You are seeking to nullify the finished work of Christ by your own
miserable additions to it!" God used this forceful object lesson to
show the carpenter his mistake, and he was led to cast himself by
faith upon what Christ had done for sinners. Reader, will you do the
same?
Introduction | Forgiveness | Salvation | Affection
Anguish | Suffering | Victory | Contentment
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A. W. Pink Header
The Seven Sayings of the
Saviour on the Cross
by A.W. Pink
7. The Word Of Contentment
_________________________________________________________________
"And when Jesus had cried with a loud
voice, he said, Father, into thy hands
I commend my spirit: and having said
thus, he gave up his spirit"
Luke 23:46
"AND WHEN JESUS HAD cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy
hands I commend my spirit, and having said thus, he gave up the
spirit" (Luke 23:46). These words set before us the last act of the
Saviour ere he expired. It was an act of contentment, of faith, of
confidence and of love. The person to whom he committed the precious
treasure of his spirit was his own Father. Father is an encouraging
and assuring title: well may a son commit any concern, however dear,
into the hands of a father, especially such a Son into the hands of
such a Father. That which was committed into the hands of the Father
was his "spirit" which was on the point of being separated from the
body.
Scripture reveals man as a tripartite being: "spirit and soul and
body" (1 Thess. 5:23). There is a difference between the soul and the
spirit, though it is not easy to predicate wherein they are
dissimilar. The spirit appears to be the highest pan of our complex
being. It is that which particularly distinguishes man from the
beasts, and that which links him to God. The spirit is that which God
formeth within us (Zech. 12:1); therefore is he called "The God of the
spirits of all flesh" (Num. 16:22). At death the spirit returns to God
who gave it (Eccl. 12:7).
The act by which the Saviour placed his spirit into the hands of the
Father was an act of faith - "I commend". It was a blessed act
designed as a precedent for all his people. The last point observable
is the manner in which Christ performed this act: he uttered those
words "with a loud voice". He spoke that all might hear, and that his
enemies who judged him destitute and forsaken of God might know it was
not so any longer; but instead, that he was dear to his Father still,
and could put his spirit confidently into his hands.
"Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." This was the last
utterance of the Saviour ere he expired. While he hung upon the cross,
seven times his lips moved in speech. Seven is the number of
completeness or perfection. At Calvary then, as everywhere, the
perfections of the Blessed One were displayed. Seven is also the
number of rest in a finished work: in six days God made heaven and
earth and in the seventh he rested, contemplating with satisfaction
that which he had pronounced "very good". So here with Christ: a work
had been given him to do, and that work was now done. Just as the
sixth day brought the work of creation and reconstruction to a
completion, so the sixth utterance of the Saviour was "It is
finished." And just as the seventh day was the day of rest and
satisfaction, so the seventh utterance of the Saviour brings him to
the place of rest - the Father's hands.
Seven times the dying Saviour spoke. Three of his utterances concerned
men: to one he gave the promise that he should be with him that day in
Paradise; to another he confided his mother; to the mass of spectators
he made mention of his thirst. Three of his utterances were addressed
to God: to the Father he prayed for his murderers; to God he uttered
his mournful plaint; and now into the hands of the Father he commends
his spirit. In the hearing of God and men, angels and devil, he had
cried in triumph, "It is finished".
"Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." It is noteworthy that
this closing cry of the Saviour had been uttered by the spirit of
prophecy long centuries before the Incarnation. In the thirty-first
psalm we hear David's Son and Lord saying, anticipatively:
In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver
me in thy righteousness. Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me
speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me.
For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake
lead me, and guide me. Pull me out of the net that they have laid
privily for me: for thou art my strength. Into thy hand I commend my
spirit thou hast redeemed me, O Low God of truth" (vv. 1-5)!
In connection with each one of our Saviour's cross-utterances a
prophecy was fulfilled. Firstly, he cried, "Father, forgive them, for
they know not what they do", and this fulfilled Isaiah 53:12 - "made
intercession for the transgressors". Secondly, he promised the thief,
"Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise", and this was a fulfillment
of the prophecy of the angel to Joseph - "thou shalt call his name
Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).
Thirdly, to his mother he said, "Woman, behold thy Son", and this
fulfilled the prophecy of Simeon - "A sword shall pierce through thy
own soul also" (Luke 2:35). Fourthly, he had asked, "My God, my God,
why hast thou forsaken me?" and these were the identical words of
Psalm 22:1. Fifthly, he exclaimed, "I thirst", and this was in
fulfillment of Psalm 69:21 - "In my thirst they gave me vinegar to
drink". Sixthly, he shouted in triumph "It is finished", and these are
almost the very words with which that wonderful twenty-second psalm
concludes - "He hath done", or, as Hebrew might well be rendered, "He
bath, finished", the context showing what he had done, namely, the
work of atonement. Finally, he prayed, "Father, into thy hands I
commend my spirit", and, as we have shown beforehand, he was but
quoting as it had been written of him beforehand in Psalm 31. O the
wonders of the cross! We shall never reach the end of them.
"Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit"
1. Here we see the Saviour back again in communion with the Father.
This is exceedingly precious. For a while that communion was broken -
broken outwardly - as the light of God's holy countenance was hidden
from the Sin-Bearer, but now the darkness had passed and was ended for
ever. Up to the cross there had been perfect and unbroken communion
between the Father and the Son. It is exquisitely lovely to mark how
the awful "Cup" itself had been accepted from the Father's hand:
"The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" (John
18:11). On the cross, at the beginning, the Lord Jesus is still found
in communion with the Father, for had he not cried, "Father, forgive
them!" His first cross-utterance then, was "Father forgive" and now
his last word is, "Father into thy hands I commend my spirit". But
between those utterances he had hung there for six hours: three spent
in sufferings at the hands of man and Satan; three spent in suffering
at the hand of God, as the sword of divine justice was "awakened" to
smite Jehovah's Fellow. During those last three hours, God had
withdrawn from the Saviour, evoking that terrible cry, "My God, my
God, why hast thou forsaken me?" But now all is done. The cup is
drained: the storm of wrath has spent itself: the darkness is past,
and the Saviour is seen once more in communion with the Father - never
more to be broken.
"Father." How often this word was upon the Saviour's lips! His first
recorded utterance was, "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's
business?" In what was probably his first formal discourse - the
"sermon on the mount" - he speaks of the "Father" seventeen times.
While in his final discourse to the disciples, the "paschal discourse"
found in John 14-16, the word "Father" is found no less than
forty-five times! In the next chapter, John 17, which contains what is
known as Christ's great high-priestly prayer, he speaks to and of the
Father six times more. And now the last time he speaks ere he lays
down his life, he says again. "Father, into thy hands I commend my
spirit."
And how blessed it is that his Father is our Father! Ours because his.
How wonderful this is! How unspeakably precious that I can look up to
the great and living God and say, "Father," my Father! What comfort is
contained in this title! What assurance is conveyed! God is my Father,
then he loves me, loves me as he loves Christ himself! (John 17:23).
God is my Father and loves me, then he careth for me. God is my Father
and careth for me, then he will "supply all my need" (Phil. 4:19). God
is my Father, then he will see to it that no harm shall betide me,
yea, that all things shall be made to work together for my good. O
that his children entered more deeply and practically into the
blessedness of this relationship, then would they joyfully exclaim
with the apostle, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath
bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God" (1
John 3:1)!
"Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit"
2. Here we see a designed contrast.
For more than twelve hours Christ had been in the hands of men. Of
this had he spoken to his disciples when he forewarned them that "the
Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: and they shall
kill him" (Matthew 17:22, 23). Of this had he made mention amid the
awful solemnities of Gethsemane: "Then cometh he to his disciples, and
saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is
at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners"
(Matthew 26:45). To this the angels made reference on the resurrection
morning, saying to the women, "He is not here, but is risen: remember
how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of
man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified,
and the third day rise again" (Luke 24:6, 7). This received its
fulfillment when the Lord Jesus delivered himself up to those who came
to arrest him in the Garden. As we saw in an earlier chapter, Christ
could have easily avoided arrest. All he had to do was to leave the
officers of the priests prostrate on the ground, and walk quietly
away. But he did not do so. The appointed hour had struck. The time
when he should submit himself to be led as a lamb to the slaughter had
arrived. And he delivered himself into "the hands of sinners". How
they treated him is well known; they took full advantage of their
opportunity. They gave full vent to the hatred of the carnal heart for
God. With "wicked hands" (Acts 2:23) they crucified him. But now all
is over. Man has done his worst. The cross has been endured; the
appointed work is finished.
Voluntarily had the Saviour delivered himself into the hands of
sinners, and now, voluntarily he delivers his spirit into the hands of
the Father. What a blessed contrast! Never again will he be in the
"hands of men". Never again will he be at the mercy of the wicked.
Never again will he suffer shame. Into the hands of the Father he
commits himself, and the Father will now look after his interests. We
need not dwell at length on the blessed sequel. Three days later the
Father raised him from the dead. Forty days after that the Father
exalted him high above all principalities and powers and every name
that is named, and set him at his own right hand in the heavens. And
there he now sits on the Father's throne (Revelation 3:21), waiting
till his enemies be made his footstool. For one day, ere long, the
tables shall be turned. The Father will send back the one whom the
world cast out: send him back in power and glory: send him back to
rule and reign over the whole earth with a rod of iron. Then shall the
situation be reversed. When he was here before man dared to arraign
him, but then shall he sit and judge them. Once he was in their hands,
then they shall be in his. Once they cried "Away with him", then shall
he say, "Depart from me". And in the meantime, he is in the Father's
hands, seated on his throne, awaiting his pleasure!
"Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he
gave up the spirit."
3. Here we see Christ's perfect yieldedness to God.
How blessedly he evidenced this all the way through! When his mother
sought him in Jerusalem as a boy of twelve, he said, "Wist ye not that
I must be about my Father's business?" When an hungered in the
wilderness after a forty-days fast and the devil urged him to make
bread out of stones, he lived by every word of God. When the mighty
works which he had performed and the message he had delivered failed
to move his auditors, he submitted to the one who had sent him,
saying, "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because
thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast
revealed them unto babes" (Matthew 11:25). When the sisters of Lazarus
sent to the Saviour to acquaint him with the sickness of their
brother, instead of hurriedly going to Bethany, he abode two days
still in the place where he was, saying, "This sickness is not unto
death but for the glory of God". It was not natural affection which
moved him to action, but the glory of God! His meat was to do the will
of the one who sent him. In all things he submitted himself to the
Father. See him in the morning, "rising up a great while before day"
(Mark 1:35), in order that he might be in the presence of the Father.
See him anticipating every great crisis and preparing himself for it
by pouring out his heart in supplication. See him spending the very
last hour before his arrest on his face before God. How fitly might he
say, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for lam meek and lowly
in heart." And as he had lived, so he died - yielding himself into the
hands of the Father. This was the last act of the dying Saviour. And
how exquisitely beautiful. How thoroughly in keeping with the whole of
his life! It manifested his perfect confidence in the Father. It
revealed the blessed intimacy there was between them. It exhibited his
absolute dependency upon God.
Truly, in all things he has left us an example. The Saviour committed
his spirit into the hands of his Father in death, because it had been
in the Father's hands all through his life! Is this true of you, my
reader? Have you as a sinner committed your spirit into the hands of
God? If so, it is in safekeeping. Can you say with the apostle, "I
know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep
that which I have committed unto him against that day" (2 Tim. 1:12)?
And have you as a Christian fully yielded yourself to God? Have you
heeded that word, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies
of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Rom. 12:1)?
Are you living for the glory of him who loved you and gave himself for
you? Are you walking in daily dependence upon him, knowing that
without him you can do nothing (John 15:5), but learning that you can
do all things through Christ that strengtheneth you (Phil. 4:13)! If
your whole life is yielded up to God, and death should overtake you
before the Saviour returns to receive his people unto himself, it will
then be easy and natural for you to say, "Father, into thy hands I
commend my spirit." Balaam said, "Let me die the death of the
righteous" (Num. 23:10). Ah, but to die the death of the righteous,
you must live the life of the righteous, and that consists in absolute
submission to and dependency upon God.
"Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit"
4. Here we see the absolute uniqueness of the Saviour.
The Lord Jesus died as none other ever did. His life was not taken
from him; he laid it down of himself. This was his claim: "Therefore
doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take
it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself I have
power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again" (John 10:17,
18). The various proofs that Christ's life was not taken from him have
been set before the reader in the Introduction of this book. The most
convincing evidence of all was seen in the committal of his spirit
into the hands of the Father. The Lord Jesus himself said, "Father,
into thy hands I commend my spirit", but the Holy Spirit, in
describing the actual laying down of his life, has employed three
different expressions which bring out very forcibly the fact that we
are now considering, and the various words used by the Spirit are most
appropriate to the respective gospels in which they are found.
In Matthew 27:50 we read, "Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud
voice, yielded up his spirit." But this translation fails to bring out
the proper force of the original: the meaning of the Greek is he
"dismissed his spirit". This expression is most appropriate in
Matthew, which is the kingly gospel, presenting our Lord as "The Son
of David; the King of the Jews". Such a term is beautifully suited in
the royal gospel, for the Lord's act connotes one of authority, as of
a king dismissing a servant. The word used in Mark - which presents
our Lord as the perfect servant - is the same as in our text -taken
from Luke, the gospel of Christ's perfect manhood - and signifies, he
"breathed out his spirit". It was his passive endurance of death. In
John, which is the gospel of Christ's divine glory, another word is
employed by the Holy Spirit: "He bowed his head and gave up the
spirit" (John 19:30), or delivered up would perhaps be more exact.
Here the Saviour does not "commend" his spirit to the Father as in the
gospel of his humanity but, in keeping with his divine glory, as one
who has full power over it, he "delivers up" his spirit!
Two things were necessary in order to the making of propitiation:
first, a complete satisfaction must be offered to God's outraged
holiness and offended justice and this, in the case of our substitute,
could only be by him suffering the outpoured wrath of God. And this
had been borne. Now there remained only the second thing, and that was
for the Saviour to taste of death. "It is appointed unto men once to
die, but after this the judgment" (Heb. 9:27). With the sinner it is
death first, and then the judgment; with the Saviour the order was, of
course, reversed. He endured the judgment of God against our sins and
then died.
The end was now reached. Perfect master of himself, unconquered by
death, he cries with a loud voice of unexhausted strength, and
delivers up his spirit into the hands of his Father, and in this his
uniqueness was manifested. None else ever did this or died thus. His
birth was unique. His life was unique. His death also was unique. In
"laying down" his life, his death was differentiated from all other
deaths. He died by an act of his own volition! Who but a divine person
could have done this? In a mere man it would have been suicide: but in
him it was a proof of his perfection and uniqueness. He died like the
Prince of Life!
"Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit"
5. Here we see the place of eternal security.
Again and again the Saviour spoke of a people which had been "given"
to him (John 6:37 etc.), and at the hour of his arrest he said, "Of
them which thou gayest me have I lost none" (John 18:9). Then is it
not lovely to see that in the hour of death the blessed Saviour
commends them now into the safe-keeping of the Father! On the cross
Christ hung as the representative of his people, and therefore we view
his last act as a representative one. When the Lord Jesus commended
his spirit into the hands of his Father, he also presented our spirits
along with his, to the Father's acceptance. Jesus Christ neither lived
nor died for himself, but for believers: what he did in this last act
referred to them as much as to himself. We must look then on Christ as
here gathering all the souls of the elect together, and making a
solemn tender of them, with his own spirit, to God.
The Father's hand is the place of eternal security. Into that hand the
Saviour committed his people, and there they are forever safe. Said
Christ, referring to the elect, "My Father, which gave them me, is
greater than all: and none is able to pluck out of my Father's hand"
(John 10:29). Here then is the ground of the believer's confidence.
Here is the basis of our assurance. Just as nothing could harm Noah
when Jehovah's hand had secured the door of the ark, so nothing can
touch the spirit of the saint which is grasped by the hand of
omnipotence. None can pluck us thence. Weak we are in ourselves, but
"kept by the power of God" is the sure declaration of holy writ: "kept
by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed
in the last time" (1 Pet. 1:5). Formal professors who seem to run well
for a while may grow weary and abandon the race. Those who are moved
by the fleshly excitement of a "revival meeting" endure only for a
time, for they have "no root in themselves". They who rely upon the
power of their own wills and resolutions, who turn over a new leaf and
promise to do better, often fail, and their last state is worse than
the first. Many who have been persuaded by well meaning but ignorant
advisers to "join the church" and "live the Christian life" frequently
apostatize from the truth. But every spirit that has been born again
is eternally safe in the Father's hand.
"Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit"
6. Here we see the blessedness of communion with God.
What we have reference to particularly is the fact that communion with
God may be enjoyed independently of place or circumstances. The
Saviour was on the cross, surrounded by a taunting crowd, his body
suffering intense agony, nevertheless, he was in fellowship with the
Father! This is one of the sweetest truths brought out by our text. It
is our privilege to enjoy communion with God at all times,
irrespective of outward circumstances or conditions. Communion with
God is by faith, and faith is not affected by the things of sight. No
matter how unpleasant your outward lot may be, my reader, it is your
unspeakable privilege to enjoy communion with God. Just as the three
Hebrews enjoyed fellowship with the Lord in the midst of the fiery
furnace, as Daniel did in the lion's den, as Paul and Silas did in the
Philippian jail, as the Saviour did on the cross, so may you wherever
you are! Christ's head rested on a crown of thorns, but beneath were
the Father's hands!
Does not our text teach very pointedly the blessed truth and fact of
communion with the Father in the hour of death! Then why dread it,
fellow Christian? If David under the Old Testament dispensation could
say, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I
will fear no evil :for thou art with me" (Psalm 23:4), why should
believers now fear, after that Christ has extracted the sting out of
death! Death may be "King of terrors" to the unsaved, but to the
Christian, death is simply the door which admits into the presence of
the Well-beloved. The motions of our souls in death, as in life, turn
instinctively to God. "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit"
will be our cry, if we are conscious. While we tabernacle here we have
no rest but in the bosom of God; and when we go hence, our expectation
and earnest desires are to be with him. We have cast many a longing
look heavenwards, but when the soul of the saved nears the parting of
the ways, then it throws itself into the arms of love, just as a river
after many turnings and windings pours itself into the ocean. Nothing
but God can satisfy our spirits in this world, and none but he can
satisfy us as we go hence.
But reader, only believers are warranted and encouraged thus to
commend their spirits into the hands of God at the dying hour; how sad
is the state of all dying unbelievers. Their spirits, too, will fall
into the hands of God, but this will be their misery and not their
privilege. These will find it is a fearful thing to fall into the
hands of the living God" (Heb. 10:31). Yes, because instead of falling
in the arms of love, they will fall into the hands of justice.
"Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit"
7. Here we see the heart's true haven.
If the closing utterance of the Saviour expresses the prayer of dying
Christians it shows what great value they place on their spirits. The
spirit within is the precious treasure, and our main solicitude and
chief care is to see it secured in safe hands. "Father, into thy hands
I commend my spirit." These words then may be taken to express the
believer's care for his soul, that it may be safe, what ever becomes
of the body. God's saint who has come nigh to death exercises few
thoughts about his body, where it shall be laid, or how it shall be
disposed of; he trusts that into the hands of his friends. But as his
care all along has been his soul, so he thinks of it now, and with his
last breath commits it to the custody of God. It is not, "Lord Jesus
receive my body, take care of my dust;" but "Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit" - Lord, secure the jewel when the casket is broken.
And now a brief word of appeal in conclusion. My friend, you are in a
world that is full of trouble. You are unable to take care of yourself
in life, much less will you be able to do so in death. Life has many
trials and temptations. Your soul is menaced from every side. On every
hand are dangers and pitfalls. The world, the flesh and the devil are
combined against you; they are too much for your strength. Here then
is the beacon of light amid the darkness. Here is the harbor of
shelter from all storms. Here is the blessed canopy which protects
from all the fiery darts of the evil one. Thank God there is a refuge
from the gales of life and from the tenors of death - the Father's
hand - the heart's true haven.
Introduction | Forgiveness | Salvation | Affection
Anguish | Suffering | Victory | Contentment
____________________________________________________
About Us
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_________________________________________________________________
¸ Copyright 2004-2012 Providence Baptist Ministries
http://www.pbministries.org. All rights reserved.
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THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
FOREWORD TO THE FIRST EDITION
_________________________________________________________________
In the following pages an attempt has been made to examine anew in the
light of God's Word some of the profoundest questions which can engage
the human mind. Others have grappled with these mighty problems in
days gone by and from their labors we are the gainers. While making no
claim for originality the writer, nevertheless, has endeavored to
examine and deal with his subject from an entirely independent
viewpoint. We have studied diligently the writings of such men as
Augustine and Acquinas, Calvin and Melancthon, Jonathan Edwards and
Ralph Erskine, Andrew Fuller and Robert Haldane.* And sad it is to
think that these eminent and honored names are almost entirely unknown
to the present generation. Though, of course, we do not endorse all
their conclusions, yet we gladly acknowledge our deep indebtedness to
their works. We have purposely refrained from quoting freely from
these deeply taught theologians, because we desired that the faith of
our readers should stand not in the wisdom of men but in the power of
God. For this reason we have quoted freely from the Scriptures and
have sought to furnish proof-texts for every statement we have
advanced.
It would be foolish for us to expect that this work will meet with
general approval. The trend of modern theology--if theology it can be
called--is ever toward the deification of the creature rather than the
glorification of the Creator, and the leaven of present-day
Rationalism is rapidly permeating the whole of Christendom. The
malevolent effects of Darwinianism are more far reaching than most are
aware. Many of those among our religious leaders who are still
regarded as orthodox would, we fear, be found to be very heterodox if
they were weighed in the balances of the Sanctuary. Even those who are
clear, intellectually, upon other truth, are rarely sound in doctrine.
Few, very few, today, really believe in the complete ruin and total
depravity of man. Those who speak of man's "free will," and insist
upon his inherent power to either accept or reject the Saviour, do but
voice their ignorance of the real condition of Adam's fallen children.
And if there are few who believe that, so far as he is concerned, the
condition of the sinner is entirely hopeless, there are fewer still
who really believe in the absolute Sovereignty of God.
In addition to the widespread effects of unscriptural teaching, we
also have to reckon with the deplorable superficiality of the present
generation. To announce that a certain book is a treatise on doctrine
is quite sufficient to prejudice against it the great bulk of
church-members and most of our preachers as well. The craving today is
for something light and spicy, and few have patience, still less
desire, to examine carefully that which would make a demand both upon
their hearts and their mental powers. We remember, also, `how that it
is becoming increasingly difficult in these strenuous days for those
who are desirous of studying the deeper things of God to find the time
which such study requires. Yet, it is still true that "Where there's a
will, there's a way," and in spite of the discouraging features
referred to, we believe there is even now a godly remnant who will
take pleasure in giving this little work a careful consideration, and
such will, we trust, find in it "Meat in due season."
We do not forget the words of one long since passed away, namely, that
"Denunciation is the last resort of a defeated opponent." To dismiss
this book with the contemptuous epithet--"Hyper-Calvinism"! will not
be worthy of notice. For controversy we have no taste, and we shall
not accept any challenge to enter the lists against those who might
desire to debate the truths discussed in these pages. So far as our
personal reputation is concerned, that we leave our Lord to take care
of, and unto Him we would now commit this volume and whatever fruit it
may bear, praying Him to use it for the enlightening of His own dear
people (insofar as it is in accord with His Holy Word) and to pardon
the writer for and preserve the reader from the injurious effects of
any false teaching that may have crept into it. If the joy and comfort
which have come to the author while penning these pages are shared by
those who may scan them, then we shall be devoutly thankful to the One
whose grace alone enables us to discern spiritual things.
June 1918.
ARTHUR W. PINK.
*Among those who have dealt most helpfully with the subject of God's
Sovereignty in recent years we mention Dr. Rice, J. B. Moody, and
Bishop, from whose writings we have also received instruction.
FOREWORD TO THE SECOND EDITION
_________________________________________________________________
It is now two years since the first edition of this work was presented
to the Christian public. Its reception has been far more favorable
than the author had expected. Many have notified him of the help and
blessing received from a perusal of his attempts to expound what is
admittedly a difficult subject. For every word of appreciation we
return hearty thanks to Him in Whose light we alone "see light." A few
have condemned the book in unqualified terms, and these we commend to
God and to the Word of His grace, remembering that it is written, "a
man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven" (John
3:27). Others have sent us friendly criticisms and these have been
weighed carefully, and we trust that, in consequence, this revised
edition will be unto those who are members of the household of faith
more profitable than the former one.
One word of explanation seems to be called for. A number of respected
brethren in Christ feel that our treatment of the Sovereignty of God
was too extreme and one-sided. It has been pointed out that a
fundamental requirement in expounding the Word of God is the need of
preserving the balance of Truth. With this we are in hearty accord.
Two things are beyond dispute: God is sovereign, and man is a
responsible creature. But in this book we are treating of the
Sovereignty of God, and while the responsibility of man is readily
owned, yet, we do not pause on every page to insist on it; instead, we
have sought to stress that side of the Truth which in these days is
almost universally neglected. Probably 95 per cent. of the religious
literature of the day is devoted to a setting forth of the duties and
obligations of men. The fact is that those who undertake to expound
the Responsibility of man are the very ones who have lost `the balance
of Truth' by ignoring, very largely, the Sovereignty of God. It is
perfectly right to insist on the responsibility of man, but what of
God ?--has He no claims, no rights! A hundred such works as this are
needed, ten thousand sermons would have to be preached throughout the
land on this subject, if the `balance of Truth' is to be regained. The
`balance of Truth' has been lost, lost through a disproportionate
emphasis being thrown on the human side, to the minimizing, if not the
exclusion, of the Divine side. We grant that this book is one-sided,
for it only pretends to deal with one side of the Truth, and that is,
the neglected side, the Divine side. Furthermore, the question might
be raised: Which is the more to be deplored--an over emphasizing of
the human side and an insufficient emphasis on the Divine side, or, an
over emphasizing of the Divine side and an insufficient emphasis on
the human side? Surely, if we err at all it is on the right side.
Surely, there is far more danger of making too much of man and too
little of God, than there is of making too much of God and too little
of man. Yea, the question might well be asked, Can we press God's
claims too far? Can we be too extreme in insisting upon the
absoluteness and universality of the Sovereignty of God?
It is with profound thankfulness to God that, after a further two
years diligent study of Holy Writ, with the earnest desire to discover
what almighty God has been pleased to reveal to His children on this
subject, we are able to testify that we see no reason for making any
retractions from what we wrote before, and while we have re-arranged
the material of this work, the substance and doctrine of it remains
unchanged. May the One Who condescended to bless the first edition of
this work be pleased to own even more widely this revision.
1921 Swengel, Pa.
ARTHUR W. PINK
FOREWORD TO THE THIRD EDITION
_________________________________________________________________
That a third edition of this work is now called for, is a cause of
fervent praise to God. As the darkness deepens and the pretentions of
men are taking on an ever-increasing blatancy, the need becomes
greater for the claims of God to be emphasized. As the twentieth
century Babel of religious tongues is bewildering so many, the duty of
God's servants to point to the one sure anchorage for the heart, is
the more apparent. Nothing is so tranquilizing and so stabilizing as
the assurance that the Lord Himself is on the Throne of the universe,
"working all things after the counsel of His own will".
The Holy Spirit has told us that there are in the Scriptures "some
things hard to be understood", but mark it is "hard" not "impossible"!
A patient waiting on the Lord, a diligent comparison of scripture with
scripture, often issues in a fuller apprehension of that which before
was obscure to us. During the last ten years it has pleased God to
grant us further light on certain parts of His Word, and this we have
sought to use in improving our expositions of different passages. But
it is with unfeigned thanksgiving that we find it unnecessary to
either change or modify any doctrine contained in the former editions.
Yea, as time goes by, we realize (by Divine grace) with
ever-increasing force, the truth, the importance, and the value of the
Sovereignty of God as it pertains to every branch of our lives.
Our hearts have been made to rejoice again and again by unsolicited
letters which have come to hand from every quarter of the earth,
telling of help and blessing received from the former editions of this
work. One Christian friend was so stirred by reading it and so
impressed by its testimony, that a check was sent to be used in
sending free copies to missionaries in fifty foreign countries, "that
its glorious message may encircle the globe"; numbers of whom have
written us to say how much they have been strengthened in their fight
with the powers of darkness. To God alone belongs all the glory. May
He deign to use this third edition to the honour of His own great
Name, and to the feeding of His scattered and starved sheep.
1929 Morton's Gap, Kentucky.
ARTHUR W. PINK
FOREWORD TO THE FOURTH EDITION
___________________________________
It is with profound praise to God "most high" that another edition of
this valuable and helpful book is now called for. Though its teaching
runs directly counter to much that is being promulgated on every hand
today, yet we are happy to be able to say that its circulation is
increasing to the strengthening of the faith, comfort and hope of an
increasing number of God's elect. We commit this new edition to Him
whom we "delight to honour," praying that He may be pleased to bless
its circulation to the enlightening of many more of His own, to the
"praise of the glory of His grace," and a clearer apprehension of the
majesty of God and His Sovereign mercy.
1949 I. C. Herendeen
Index
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THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
INTRODUCTION
_________________________________________________________________
Who is regulating affairs on this earth today--God, or the Devil? That
God reigns supreme in Heaven, is generally conceded; that He does so
over this world, is almost universally denied--if not directly, then
indirectly. More and more are men in their philosophizing and
theorizing, relegating God to the background. Take the material realm.
Not only is it denied that God created everything, by personal and
direct action, but few believe that He has any immediate concern in
regulating the works of His own hands. Everything is supposed to be
ordered according to the (impersonal and abstract) "laws of Nature".
Thus is the Creator banished from His own creation. Therefore we need
not be surprised that men, in their degrading conceptions, exclude Him
from the realm of human affairs. Throughout Christendom, with an
almost negligible exception, the theory is held that man is "a free
agent", and therefore, lord of his fortunes and the determiner of his
destiny. That Satan is to be blamed for much of the evil which is in
the world, is freely affirmed by those who, though having so much to
say about "the responsibility of man", often deny their own
responsibility, by attributing to the Devil what, in fact, proceeds
from their own evil hearts (Mark 7 :21-23).
But who is regulating affairs on this earth today--God, or the Devil?
Attempt to take a serious and comprehensive view of the world. What a
scene of confusion and chaos confronts us on every side! Sin is
rampant; lawlessness abounds; evil men and seducers are waxing "worse
and worse" (2 Tim. 3:13). Today, everything appears to be out of
joint. Thrones are creaking and tottering, ancient dynasties are being
overturned, democracies are revolting, civilization is a demonstrated
failure; half of Christendom was but recently locked-together in a
death grapple; and now that the titanic conflict is over, instead of
the world having been made "safe for democracy", we have discovered
that democracy is very unsafe for the world. Unrest, discontent, and
lawlessness are rife every where, and none can say how soon another
great war will be set in motion. Statesmen are perplexed and
staggered. Men's hearts are "failing them for fear, and for looking
after those things which are coming on the earth" (Luke 21:26). Do
these things look as though God had full control?
But let us confine our attention to the religious realm. After
nineteen centuries of Gospel preaching, Christ is still "despised and
rejected of men". Worse still, He (the Christ of Scripture) is
proclaimed and magnified by very few. In the majority of modern
pulpits He is dishonored and disowned. Despite frantic efforts to
attract the crowds, the majority of the churches are being emptied
rather than filled. And what of the great masses of non-church goers?
In the light of Scripture we are compelled to believe that the "many"
are on the Broad Road that leadeth to destruction, and that only "few"
are on the Narrow Way that leadeth unto life. Many are declaring that
Christianity is a failure, and despair is settling on many faces. Not
a few of the Lord's own people are bewildered, and their faith is
being severely tried. And what of God? Does He see and hear? Is He
impotent or indifferent? A number of those who are regarded as leaders
of Christian-thought told us that, God could not help the coming of
the late awful War, and that He was unable to bring about its
termination. It was said, and said openly, that conditions were beyond
God's control. Do these things look as though God were ruling the
world?
Who is regulating affairs on this earth today--God, or the Devil? What
impression is made upon the minds of those men of the world who,
occasionally, attend a Gospel service? What are the conceptions formed
by those who hear even those preachers who are counted as "orthodox"?
Is it not that a disappointed God is the One whom Christians believe
in? From what is heard from the average evangelist today, is not any
serious hearer obliged to conclude that he professes to represent a
God who is filled with benevolent intentions, yet unable to carry them
out; that He is earnestly desirous of blessing men, but that they will
not let Him? Then, must not the average hearer draw the inference that
the Devil has gained the upper hand, and that God is to be pitied
rather than blamed?
But does not everything seem to show that the Devil has far more to do
with the affairs of earth than God has? Ah, it all depends upon
whether we are walking by faith, or walking by sight. Are your
thoughts, my reader, concerning this world and God's relation to it,
based upon what you see? Face this question seriously and honestly.
And if you are a Christian, you will, most probably, have cause to bow
your head with shame and sorrow, and to acknowledge that it is so.
Alas, in reality, we walk very little "by faith". But what does
"walking by faith" signify? It means that our thoughts are formed, our
actions regulated, our lives molded by the Holy Scriptures, for,
"faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Rom.
10:17). It is from the Word of Truth, and that alone, that we can
learn what is God's relation to this world.
Who is regulating affairs on this earth today--God or the Devil? What
saith the Scriptures? Ere we consider the direct reply to this query,
let it be said that, the Scriptures predicted just what we now see and
hear. The prophecy of Jude is in course of fulfillment. It would lead
us too far astray from our present inquiry to fully amplify this
assertion, but what we have particularly in mind is a sentence in
verse 8--"Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, despise
dominion and speak evil of dignities." Yes, they "speak evil" of the
Supreme Dignity, the "Only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of
lords." Ours is peculiarly an age of irreverence, and as the
consequence, the spirit of lawlessness, which brooks no restraint and
which is desirous of casting off everything which interferes with the
free course of self-will, is rapidly engulfing the earth like some
giant tidal wave. The members of the rising generation are the most
flagrant offenders, and in the decay and disappearing of parental
authority we have the certain precursor of the abolition of civic
authority. Therefore, in view of the growing disrespect for human law
and the refusal to "render honor to whom honor is due," we need not be
surprised that the recognition of the majesty, the authority, the
sovereignty of the Almighty Law-giver should recede more and more into
the background, and that the masses have less and less patience with
those who insist upon them. And conditions will not improve; instead,
the more sure Word of Prophecy makes known to us that they will grow
worse and worse. Nor do we expect to be able to stem the tide--it has
already risen much too high for that. All we can now hope to do is
warn our fellow-saints against the spirit of the age, and thus seek to
counteract its baneful influence upon them.
Who is regulating affairs on this earth today--God, or the Devil? What
saith the Scriptures? If we believe their plain and positive
declarations, no room is left for uncertainty. They affirm, again and
again, that God is on the throne of the universe; that the sceptre is
in His hands; that He is directing all things "after the counsel of
His own will". They affirm, not only that God created all things, but
also that God is ruling and reigning over all the works of His hands.
They affirm that God is the "Almighty", that His will is irreversible,
that He is absolute sovereign in every realm of all His vast
dominions. And surely it must be so. Only two alternatives are
possible: God must either rule, or be ruled; sway, or be swayed;
accomplish His own will, or be thwarted by His creatures. Accepting
the fact that He is the "Most High", the only Potentate and King of
kings, vested with perfect wisdom and illimitable power, and the
conclusion is irresistible that He must be God in fact, as well as in
name.
It is in view of what we have briefly referred to above. that we say,
Present-day conditions call loudly for a new examination and new
presentation of God's omnipotency, God's sufficiency, God's
sovereignty. From every pulpit in the land it needs to be thundered
forth that God still lives, that God still observes, that God still
reigns. Faith is now in the crucible, it is being tested by fire, and
there is no fixed and sufficient resting-place for the heart and mind
but in the Throne of God. What is needed now, as never before, is a
full, positive, constructive setting forth of the Godhood of God.
Drastic diseases call for drastic remedies. People are weary of
platitudes and mere generalizations--the call is for something
definite and specific. Soothing-syrup may serve for peevish children,
but an iron tonic is better suited for adults, and we know of nothing
which is more calculated to infuse spiritual vigor into our frames
than a scriptural apprehension of the full character of God. It is
written, "The people that do know their God shall be strong and do
exploits" (Dan. 11:32).
Without a doubt a world-crisis is at hand, and everywhere men are
alarmed. But God is not! He is never taken by surprise. It is no
unexpected emergency which now confronts Him, for He is the One who
"worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (Eph. 1:11).
Hence, though the world is panic-stricken, the word to the believer
is, "Fear not"! "All things" are subject to His immediate control:
"all things" are moving in accord with His eternal purpose, and
therefore, "all things" are "working together for good to them that
love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." It
must be so, for "of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things"
(Rom. 11:36). Yet how little is this realized today even by the people
of God! Many suppose that He is little more than a far-distant
Spectator, taking no immediate hand in the affairs of earth. It is
true that man has a will, but so also has God. It is true that man is
endowed with power, but God is all-powerful. It is true that, speaking
generally, the material world is regulated by law, but behind that law
is the law-Giver and law-Administrator. Man is but the creature. God
is the Creator, and endless ages before man first saw the light "the
mighty God" (Isa. 9:6) existed, and ere the world was founded, made
His plans; and being infinite in power and man only finite, His
purpose and plan cannot be withstood or thwarted by the creatures of
His own hands.
We readily acknowledge that life is a profound problem, and that we
are surrounded by mystery on every side; but we are not like the
beasts of the field--ignorant of their origin, and unconscious of what
is before them. No: "We have also a more sure Word of Prophecy", of
which it is said ye do well that ye "take heed, as unto a light that
shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in
your hearts" (2 Pet. 1:19). And it is to this Word of Prophecy we
indeed do well to "take heed," to that Word which had not its origin
in the mind of man but in the Mind of God, for, "the prophecy came not
at any time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake moved by the
Holy Spirit." We say again, it is to this "Word" we do well to take
heed. As we turn to this Word and are instructed there, we discover a
fundamental principle which must be applied to every problem: Instead
of beginning with man and his world and working back to God, we must
begin with God and work down to man--"In the beginning God"! Apply
this principle to the present situation. Begin with the world as it is
today and try and work back to God, and everything will seem to show
that God has no connection with the world at all. But begin with God
and work down to the world and light, much light, is cast on the
problem. Because God is holy His anger burns against sin; because God
is righteous His judgments fall upon those who rebel against Him;
because God is faithful the solemn threatenings of His Word are
fulfilled; because God is omnipotent none can successfully resist Him,
still less overthrow His counsel; and because God is omniscient no
problem can master Him and no difficulty baffle His wisdom. It is just
because God is who He is and what He is that we are now beholding on
earth what we do--the beginning of His out-poured judgments: in view
of His inflexible justice and immaculate holiness we could not expect
anything other than what is now spread before our eyes.
But let it be said very emphatically that the heart can only rest upon
and enjoy the blessed truth of the absolute sovereignty of God as
faith is in exercise. Faith is ever occupied with God. That is the
character of it: that is what differentiates it from intellectual
theology. Faith endures "as seeing Him who is invisible" (Heb. 11:27)
: endures the disappointments, the hardships, and the heart-aches of
life, by recognizing that all comes from the hand of Him who is too
wise to err and too loving to be unkind. But so long as we are
occupied with any other object than God Himself, there will be neither
rest for the heart nor peace for the mind. But when we receive all
that enters our lives as from His hand, then, no matter what may be
our circumstances or surroundings--whether in a hovel, a
prison-dungeon, or a martyr's stake--we shall be enabled to say, "The
lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places" (Ps. 16:6). But that is
the language of faith, not of sight or of sense.
But if instead of bowing to the testimony of Holy Writ, if instead of
walking by faith, we follow the evidence of our eyes, and reason
therefrom, we shall fall into a quagmire of virtual atheism. Or, if we
are regulated by the opinions and views of others, peace will be at an
end. Granted that there is much in this world of sin and, suffering
which appalls and saddens us; granted that there is much in the
providential dealings of God which startle and stagger us; that is no
reason why we should unite with the unbelieving worldling who says,
"If I were God, I would not allow this or tolerate that" etc. Better
far, in the presence of bewildering mystery, to say with one of old,
"I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because Thou didst it" (Ps. 39:9).
Scripture tells us that God's judgments are "unsearchable", and His
ways "past finding out" (Rom. 11:33). It must be so if faith is to be
tested, confidence in His wisdom and righteousness strengthened, and
submission to His holy will fostered.
Here is the fundamental difference between the man of faith and the
man of unbelief. The unbeliever is "of the world," judges everything
by worldly standards, views life from the standpoint of time and
sense, and weighs everything in the balances of his own carnal making.
But the man of faith brings in God, looks at everything from His
standpoint, estimates values by spiritual standards, and views life in
the light of eternity. Doing this, he receives whatever comes as from
the hand of God. Doing this, his heart is calm in the midst of the
storm. Doing this, he rejoices in hope of the glory of God.
In these opening paragraphs we have indicated the lines of thought
followed out in this book. Our first postulate is that because God is
God, He does as He pleases, only as He pleases, always as He pleases;
that His great concern is the accomplishment of His own pleasure and
the promotion of His own glory; that He is the Supreme Being, and
therefore Sovereign of the universe. Starting with this postulate we
have contemplated the exercise of God's Sovereignty, first in
Creation, second in Governmental Administration over the works of His
hands, third in the Salvation of His own elect, fourth in the
Reprobation of the wicked, and fifth in Operation upon and within men.
Next we have viewed the Sovereignty of God as it relates to the human
will in particular and human Responsibility in general, and have
sought to show what is the only becoming attitude for the creature to
take in view of the majesty of the Creator. A separate chapter has
been set apart for a consideration of some of the difficulties which
are involved, and to answering the questions which are likely to be
raised in the minds of our readers; while one chapter has been devoted
to a more careful yet brief examination of God's Sovereignty in
relation to prayer. Finally, we have sought to show that the
Sovereignty of God is a truth revealed to us in Scripture for the
comfort of our hearts, the strengthening of our souls, and the
blessing of our lives. A due apprehension of God's Sovereignty
promotes the spirit of worship, provides an incentive to practical
godliness, and inspires zeal in service. It is deeply humbling to the
human heart, but in proportion to the degree that it brings man into
the dust before his Maker, to that extent is God glorified.
We are well aware that what we have written is in open opposition to
much of the teaching that is current both in religious literature and
in the representative pulpits of the land. We freely grant that the
postulate of God's Sovereignty with all its corollaries is at direct
variance with the opinions and thoughts of the natural man, but the
truth is, we are quite unable to think upon these matters: we are
incompetent for forming a proper estimate of God's character and ways,
and it is because of this that God has given us a revelation of His
mind, and in that revelation He plainly declares, "My thoughts are not
your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as
the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your
ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts" (Is. 55:8,9). In view of
this scripture, it is only to be expected that much of the contents of
the Bible conflicts with the sentiments of the carnal mind, which is
enmity against God. Our appeal then is not to the popular beliefs of
the day, nor to the creeds of the churches, but to the Law and
Testimony of Jehovah. All that we ask for is an impartial and
attentive examination of what we have written, and that, made
prayerfully in the light of the Lamp of Truth. May the reader heed the
Divine admonition to "prove all things; hold fast that which is good"
(1 Thess. 5:21).
Index
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THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
Chapter 1
GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY DEFINED
"Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and
the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the
earth is Thine; Thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and Thou art exalted as
Head above all"
1 Chronicles 29:11
_________________________________________________________________
The Sovereignty of God is an expression that once was generally
understood. It was a phrase commonly used in religious literature. It
was a theme frequently expounded in the pulpit. It was a truth which
brought comfort to many hearts, and gave virility and stability to
Christian character. But, today, to make mention of God's sovereignty
is, in many quarters, to speak in an unknown tongue. Were we to
announce from the average pulpit that the subject of our discourse
would be the sovereignty of God, it would sound very much as though we
had borrowed a phrase from one of the dead languages. Alas! that it
should be so. Alas! that the doctrine which is the key to history, the
interpreter of Providence, the warp and woof of Scripture, and the
foundation of Christian theology, should be so sadly neglected and so
little understood.
The sovereignty of God. What do we mean by this expression? We mean
the supremacy of God, the kingship of God, the godhood of God. To say
that God is sovereign is to declare that God is God. To say that God
is sovereign is to declare that He is the Most High, doing according
to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the
earth, so that none can stay His hand or say unto Him what doest Thou?
(Dan. 4:35). To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is the
Almighty, the Possessor of all power in heaven and earth, so that none
can defeat His counsels, thwart His purpose, or resist His will (Ps.
115:3). To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He is "The
Governor among the nations" (Ps. 22:28), setting up kingdoms,
overthrowing empires, and determining the course of dynasties as
pleaseth Him best. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that He
is the "Only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords" (1 Tim.
6:15). Such is the God of the Bible.
How different is the God of the Bible from the God of modern
Christendom! The conception of Deity which prevails most widely today,
even among those who profess to give heed to the Scriptures, is a
miserable caricature, a blasphemous travesty of the Truth. The God of
the twentieth century is a helpless, effeminate being who commands the
respect of no really thoughtful man. The God of the popular mind is
the creation of a maudlin sentimentality. The God of many a
present-day pulpit is an object of pity rather than of awe-inspiring
reverence.[1]
To say that God the Father has purposed the salvation of all mankind,
that God the Son died with the express intention of saving the whole
human race, and that God the Holy Spirit is now seeking to win the
world to Christ; when, as a matter of common observation, it is
apparent that the great majority of our fellow-men are dying in sin,
and passing into a hopeless eternity: is to say that God the Father is
disappointed, that God the Son is dissatisfied, and that God the Holy
Spirit is defeated. We have stated the issue baldly, but there is no
escaping the conclusion. To argue that God is "trying His best" to
save all mankind, but that the majority of men will not let Him save
them, is to insist that the will of the Creator is impotent, and that
the will of the creature is omnipotent. To throw the blame, as many
do, upon the Devil, does not remove the difficulty, for if Satan is
defeating the purpose of God, then, Satan is Almighty and God is no
longer the Supreme Being.
To declare that the Creator's original plan has been frustrated by
sin, is to dethrone God. To suggest that God was taken by surprise in
Eden and that He is now attempting to remedy an unforeseen calamity,
is to degrade the Most High to the level of a finite, erring mortal.
To argue that man is a free moral agent and the determiner of his own
destiny, and that therefore he has the power to checkmate his Maker,
is to strip God of the attribute of Omnipotence. To say that the
creature has burst the hounds assigned by his Creator, and that God is
now practically a helpless Spectator before the sin and suffering
entailed by Adam's fall, is to repudiate the express declaration of
Holy Writ, namely, "Surely the wrath of man shall praise Thee: the
remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain" (Ps. 76:10). In a word, to
deny the sovereignty of God is to enter upon a path which, if followed
to its logical terminus, is to arrive at blank atheism.
The sovereignty of the God of Scripture is absolute, irresistible,
infinite. When we say that God is sovereign we affirm His right to
govern the universe, which He has made for His own glory, just as He
pleases. We affirm that His right is the right of the Potter over the
clay, i.e., that He may mould that clay into whatsoever form He
chooses, fashioning out of the same lump one vessel unto honor and
another unto dishonor. We affirm that He is under no rule or law
outside of His own will and nature, that God is a law unto Himself,
and that He is under no obligation to give an account of His matters
to any.
Sovereignty characterizes the whole Being of God. He is sovereign in
all His attributes. He is sovereign in the exercise of His power. His
power is exercised as He wills, when He wills, where He wills. This
fact is evidenced on every page of Scripture. For a long season that
power appears to be dormant, and then it is put forth in irresistible
might. Pharaoh dared to hinder Israel from going forth to worship
Jehovah in the wilderness--what happened? God exercised His power, His
people were delivered and their cruel task-masters slain. But a little
later, the Amalekites dared to attack these same Israelites in the
wilderness, and what happened? Did God put forth His power on this
occasion and display His hand as He did at the Red Sea? Were these
enemies of His people promptly overthrown and destroyed? No, on the
contrary, the Lord swore that He would "have war with Amalek from
generation to generation" (Ex. 17:16). Again, when Israel entered the
land of Canaan, God's power was signally displayed. The city of
Jericho barred their progress--what happened? Israel did not draw a
bow nor strike a blow: the Lord stretched forth His hand and the walls
fell down flat. But the miracle was never repeated! No other city fell
after this manner. Every other city had to be captured by the sword!
Many other instances might be adduced illustrating the sovereign
exercise of God's power. Take one other example. God put forth His
power and David was delivered from Goliath, the giant; the mouths of
the lions were closed and Daniel escaped unhurt; the three Hebrew
children were cast into the burning fiery furnace and came forth
unharmed and unscorched. But God's power did not always interpose for
the deliverance of His people, for we read: "And others had trial of
cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and
imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted,
were slain with the sword; they wandered about in sheepskins and
goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented" (Heb. 11:36, 37).
But why? Why were not these men of faith delivered like the others?
Or, why were not the others suffered to be killed like these? Why
should God's power interpose and rescue some and not the others? Why
allow Stephen to be stoned to death, and then deliver Peter from
prison?
God is sovereign in the delegation of His power to others. Why did God
endow Methuselah with a vitality which enabled him to outlive all his
contemporaries? Why did God impart to Samson a physical strength which
no other human has ever possessed? Again; it is written, "But thou
shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is He that giveth thee power
to get wealth" (Deut. 8:18), but God does not bestow this power on all
alike. Why not? Why has He given such power to men like Morgan,
Carnegie, Rockefeller? The answer to all of these questions, is,
Because God is Sovereign, and being Sovereign He does as He pleases.
God is sovereign in the exercise of His mercy.
Necessarily so, for mercy is directed by the will of Him that showeth
mercy. Mercy is not a right to which man is entitled. Mercy is that
adorable attribute of God by which He pities and relieves the
wretched. But under the righteous government of God no one is wretched
who does not deserve to be so. The objects of mercy, then, are those
who are miserable, and all misery is the result of sin, hence the
miserable are deserving of punishment not mercy. To speak of deserving
mercy is a contradiction of terms.
God bestows His mercies on whom He pleases and withholds them as
seemeth good unto Himself. A remarkable illustration of this fact is
seen in the manner that God responded to the prayers of two men
offered under very similar circumstances. Sentence of death was passed
upon Moses for one act of disobedience, and he besought the Lord for a
reprieve. But was his desire gratified? No; he told Israel, "The Lord
is wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the Lord
said unto me, Let it suffice thee" (Deut. 3:26). Now mark the second
case
those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the
son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set
thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. Then he turned
his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying, I beseech
Thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before Thee in truth and
with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in Thy sight.
And Hezekiah wept sore. And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out
into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying,
Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the
Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have
seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt
go up unto the house of the Lord. And I will add unto thy days fifteen
years" (2 Kings 20:1-6). Both of these men had the sentence of death
in themselves, and both prayed earnestly unto the Lord for a reprieve:
the one wrote: "The Lord would not hear me," and died; but to the
other it was said, "I have heard thy prayer", and his life was spared.
What an illustration and exemplification of the truth expressed in
Romans 9:15!--"For He saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will
have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have
compassion."
The sovereign exercise of God's mercy--pity shown to the wretched--was
displayed when Jehovah became flesh and tabernacled among men. Take
one illustration. During one of the Feasts of the Jews, the Lord Jesus
went up to Jerusalem. He came to the Pool of Bethesda, where lay "a
great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting
for the moving of the water." Among this "great multitude" there was
"a certain man which had an infirmity thirty and eight years." What
happened? "When Jesus saw hint lie, and knew that he had been now a
long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?
The impotent man answered Him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is
troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another
steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed,
and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed,
and walked" (John 5:3-9). Why was this one man singled out from all
the others? We are not told that he cried "Lord, have mercy on me."
There is not a word in the narrative which intimates that this man
possessed any qualifications which entitled him to receive special
favor. Here then was a case of the sovereign exercise of Divine mercy,
for it was just as easy for Christ to heal the whole of that "great
multitude" as this one "certain man." But lie did not. He put forth
His power and relieved the wretchedness of this one particular
sufferer, and for some reason known only to Himself, He declined to do
the same for the others. Again, we say, what an illustration and
exemplification of Romans 9:15!--"I will have mercy on whom I will
have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have
compassion."
God is sovereign in the exercise of His love.
Ah! that is a hard saying, who then can receive it? It is written, "A
man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven" (John
3:27). When we say that God is sovereign in the exercise of His love,
we mean that He loves whom He chooses. God does not love everybody;[2]
if He did, He would love the Devil. Why does not God love the Devil?
Because there is nothing in him to love; because there is nothing in
him to attract the heart of God. Nor is there anything to attract
God's love in any of the fallen sons of Adam, for all of them are, by
nature, "children of wrath" (Eph. 2:3). If then there is nothing in
any member of the human race to attract God's love, and if,
notwithstanding, He does love some, then it necessarily follows that
the cause of His love must be found in Himself, which is only another
way of saying that the exercise of God's love towards the fallen sons
of men is according to His own good pleasure.[3]
In the final analysis, the exercise of God's love must be traced back
to His sovereignty, or, otherwise, He would love by rule; and if He
loved by rule, then is He under a law of love, and if He is under a
law of love then is He not supreme, but is Himself ruled by law.
"But," it may be asked, "Surely you do not deny that God loves the
entire human family?" We reply, it is written, "Jacob have I loved,
but Esau have I hated" (Rom. 9:13). If then God loved Jacob and hated
Esau, and that before they were born or had done either good or evil,
then the reason for His love was not in them, but in Himself.
That the exercise of God's love is according to His own sovereign
pleasure is also clear from the language of Ephesians 1:3-5, where we
read, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in
Christ: According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of
the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him. In
love having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus
Christ to Himself according to the good pleasure of His will." It was
"in love" that God the Father predestined His chosen ones unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself,
"according"--according to what? According to some excellency He
discovered in them? No. What then? According to what He foresaw they
would become? No; mark carefully the inspired answer--"According to
the good pleasure of His will."
God is sovereign in the exercise of His grace.
This of necessity, for grace is favor shown to the undeserving, yea,
to the Hell-deserving. Grace is the antithesis of justice. Justice
demands the impartial enforcement of law. Justice requires that each
shall receive his legitimate due, neither more nor less. Justice
bestows no favors and is no respecter of persons. Justice, as such,
shows no pity and knows no mercy. But after justice has been fully
satisfied, grace flows forth. Divine grace is not exercised at the
expense of justice, but "grace reigns through righteousness" (Rom.
5:21), and if grace "reigns", then is grace sovereign.
Grace has been defined as the unmerited favor of God;[4]
and if unmerited, then none can claim it as their inalienable right.
If grace is unearned and undeserved, then none are entitled to it. If
grace is a gift, then none can demand it. Therefore, as salvation is
by grace, the free gift of God, then He bestows it on whom He pleases.
Because salvation is by grace, the very chief of sinners is not beyond
the reach of Divine mercy. Because salvation is by grace, boasting is
excluded and God gets all the glory.
The sovereign exercise of grace is illustrated on nearly every page of
Scripture. The Gentiles are left to walk in their own ways, while
Israel becomes the covenant people of Jehovah. Ishmael the firstborn
is cast out comparatively unblessed, while Isaac the son of his
parents' old age is made the child of promise. Esau the
generous-hearted and forgiving-spirited is denied the blessing, though
he sought it carefully with tears, while the worm Jacob receives the
inheritance and is fashioned into a vessel of honor. So in the New
Testament. Divine truth is hidden from the wise and prudent, but is
revealed to babes. The Pharisees and Sadducees are left to go their
own way, while publicans and harlots are drawn by the cords of love.
In a remarkable manner Divine grace was exercised at the time of the
Saviour's birth. The incarnation of God's Son was one of the greatest
events in the history of the universe, and yet its actual occurrence
was not made known to all mankind; instead, it was specially revealed
to the Bethlehem shepherds and wise men of the East. And this was
prophetic and indicative of the entire course of this dispensation,
for even today Christ is not made known to all. It would have been an
easy matter f or God to have sent a company of angels to every nation
and announced the birth of His Son. But He did not. God could have
readily attracted the attention of all mankind to the "star;" but He
did not. Why? Because God is sovereign and dispenses His favors as He
pleases. Note particularly the two classes to whom the birth of the
Saviour was made known, namely, the most unlikely classes--illiterate
shepherds and heathen from a far country. No angel stood before the
Sanhedrin and announced the advent of Israel's Messiah! No "star"
appeared unto the scribes and lawyers as they, in their pride and
self-righteousness, searched the Scriptures! They searched diligently
to find out where He should be born, and yet it was not made known to
them when He was actually come. What a display of Divine
sovereignty--the illiterate shepherds singled out for peculiar honor,
and the learned and eminent passed by! And why was the birth of the
Saviour revealed to these foreigners, and not to those in whose midst
He was born? See in this a wonderful foreshadowing of God's dealings
with our race throughout the entire Christian dispensation--sovereign
in the exercise of His grace, bestowing His favors on whom He pleases,
often on the most unlikely and unworthy.[5]
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] Some years ago an evangelical (?) preacher of nation-wide
reputation visited the town in which we then were, and during the
course of his address kept repeating, "Poor God! Poor God!" Surely it
is this "preacher" who needs to be pitied.
[2] John 3:16 will be examined in Appendix III.
[3] We are not unmindful of the fact that men have invented the
distinction between God's love of complacency and His love of
compassion, but this is an invention pure and simple. Scripture terms
the latter God's "pity" (see Matt. 18:33), and "He is kind unto the
unthankful and the evil" (Luke 6:35).
[4] An esteemed friend who kindly read through this book in its
manuscript form, and to whom we are indebted for a number of excellent
suggestions, has pointed out that, grace is something more than
"unmerited favor." To feed a tramp who calls on me is "unmerited
favor," but it is scarcely grace. But suppose that after robbing me I
should feed this starving tramp--that would be "grace." Grace, then,
is favor shown where there is positive de-merit in the one receiving
it.
[5] It has been pointed out to us that God's sovereignty was signally
displayed in His choice of the place where His Son was born. Not to
Greece or Italy did the Lord of Glory come, but to the insignificant
land of Palestine! Not in Jerusalem--the royal city--was Immanuel
born, but in Bethlehem, which was "little among the thousands (of
towns and villages) in Judah" (Micah 5:2)! And it was in despised
Nazareth that He grew up!! Truly, God's ways are not ours.
Index
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THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
Chapter 2
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD IN CREATION
"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honor, and power: for
Thou hast created all things, and
for Thy pleasure they are and were created
"
Revelation 4:11
_________________________________________________________________
Having shown that sovereignty characterizes the whole Being of God,
let us now observe how it marks all His ways and dealings.
In the great expanse of eternity, which stretches behind Genesis 1:1,
the universe was unborn and creation existed only in the mind of the
great Creator. In His sovereign majesty God dwelt all alone. We refer
to that far distant period before the heavens and the earth were
created. There were then no angels to hymn God's praises, no creatures
to occupy His notice, no rebels to be brought into subjection. The
great God was all alone amid the awful silence of His own vast
universe. But even at that time, if time it could be called, God was
sovereign. He might create or not create according to His own good
pleasure. He might create this way or that way; He might create one
world or one million worlds, and who was there to resist His will? He
might call into existence a million different creatures and place them
on absolute equality, endowing them with the same faculties and
placing them in the same environment; or, He might create a million
creatures each differing from the others, and possessing nothing in
common save their creaturehood, and who was there to challenge His
right? If He so pleased, He might call into existence a world so
immense that its dimensions were utterly beyond finite computation;
and were He so disposed, He might create an organism so small that
nothing but the most powerful microscope could reveal its existence to
human eyes. It was His sovereign right to create, on the one hand, the
exalted seraphim to burn around His throne, and on the other hand, the
tiny insect which dies the same hour that it is born. If the mighty
God chose to have one vast gradation in His universe, from loftiest
seraph to creeping reptile, from revolving worlds to floating atoms,
from macrocosm to microcosm, instead of making everything uniform, who
was there to question His sovereign pleasure?
Behold then the exercise of Divine sovereignty long before man ever
saw the light. With whom took God counsel in the creation and
disposition of His creatures. See the birds as they fly through the
air, the beasts as they roam the earth, the fishes as they swim in the
sea, and then ask, Who was it that made them to differ? Was it not
their Creator who sovereignly assigned their various locations and
adaptations to them!
Turn your eye to the heavens
and observe the mysteries of Divine sovereignty which there confront
the thoughtful beholder: "There is one glory of the sun, and another
glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star
differeth from another star in glory" (1 Cor. 15:41). But why should
they? Why should the sun be more glorious than all the other planets?
Why should there be stars of the first magnitude and others of the
tenth? Why such amazing inequalities? Why should some of the heavenly
bodies be more favorably placed than others in their relation to the
sun? And why should there be "shooting stars," "falling stars,"
"wandering stars" (Jude 13), in a word, ruined stars? And the only
possible answer is, "For Thy pleasure they are and were created" (Rev.
4:11).
Come now to our own planet.
Why should two thirds of its surface be covered with water, and why
should so much of its remaining third be unfit for human cultivation
or habitation? Why should there be vast stretches of marshes, deserts
and ice-fields? Why should one country be so inferior,
topographically, from another? Why should one be fertile, and another
almost barren? Why should one be rich in minerals and another own
none? Why should the climate of one be congenial and healthy, and
another uncongenial and unhealthy? Why should one abound in rivers and
lakes, and another be almost devoid of them? Why should one be
constantly troubled with earthquakes, and another be almost entirely
free from them? Why? Because thus it pleased the Creator and Upholder
of all things.
Look at the animal kingdom
and note the wondrous variety. What comparison is possible between the
lion and the lamb, the bear and the kid, the elephant and the mouse?
Some, like the horse and the dog, are gifted with great intelligence;
while others, like sheep and swine, are almost devoid of it. Why? Some
are designed to be beasts of burden, while others enjoy a life of
freedom. But why should the mule and the donkey be shackled to a life
of drudgery, while the lion and tiger are allowed to roam the jungle
at their pleasure? Some are fit for food, others unfit; some are
beautiful, others ugly; some are endowed with great strength, others
are quite helpless; some are fleet of foot, others can scarcely
crawl--contrast the hare and the tortoise; some are of use to man,
others appear to be quite valueless; some live for centuries, others a
few months at most; some are tame, others fierce. But why all these
variations and differences?
What is true of the animals is equally true of the birds and fishes.
But consider now the vegetable kingdom. Why should roses have thorns,
and lilies grow without them? Why should one flower emit a fragrant
aroma and another have none? Why should one tree bear fruit which is
wholesome and another that which is poisonous? Why should one
vegetable be capable of enduring frost and another wither under it?
Why should one apple tree be loaded with fruit, and another tree of
the same age and in the same orchard be almost barren? Why should one
plant flower a dozen times in a year and another bear blossoms but
once a century? Truly, "whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did He in
heaven, and in the earth, in the seas, and all deep places" (Ps.
135:6).
Consider the angelic hosts.
Surely we shall find uniformity here. But no; there, as elsewhere, the
same sovereign pleasure of the Creator is displayed. Some are higher
in rank than others; some are more powerful than others; some are
nearer to God than others. Scripture reveals a definite and
well-defined gradation in the angelic orders. From arch-angel, past
seraphim and cherubim, we come to "principalities and powers" (Eph.
3:10), and from principalities and powers to "rulers" (Eph. 6:12), and
then to the angels themselves, and even among them we read of "the
elect angels" (1 Tim. 5:21). Again we ask, Why this inequality, this
difference in rank and order? And all we can say is "Our God is in the
heavens, He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased" (Ps. 115:3).
If then we see the sovereignty of God displayed throughout all
creation why should it be thought a strange thing if we behold it
operating in the midst of the human family? Why should it be thought
strange if to one God is pleased to give five talents and to another
only one? Why should it be thought strange if one is born with a
robust constitution and another of the same parents is frail and
sickly? Why should it be thought strange if Abel is cut off in his
prime, while Cain is suffered to live on for many years? Why should it
be thought strange that some should be born black and others white;
some be born idiots and others with high intellectual endowments; some
be born constitutionally lethargic and others full of energy; some be
born with a temperament that is selfish, fiery, egotistical, others
who are naturally self-sacrificing, submissive and meek? Why should it
be thought strange if some are qualified by nature to lead and rule,
while others are only fitted to follow and serve? Heredity and
environment cannot account for all these variations and inequalities.
No; it is God who maketh one to differ from another. Why should He?
"Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight" must be our
reply.
Learn then this basic truth, that the Creator is absolute Sovereign,
executing His own will, performing His own pleasure, and considering
nought but His own glory. "The Lord hath made all things for Himself"
(Prov. 16:4). And had He not a perfect right to? Since God is God, who
dare challenge His prerogative? To murmur against Him is rank
rebellion. To question His ways is to impugn His wisdom. To criticize
Him is sin of the deepest dye. Have we forgotten who He is? Behold,
"All nations before Him are as nothing; and they are counted to Him
less than nothing, and vanity. To whom then will ye liken God ?" (Isa.
40:17, 18).
Index
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THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
Chapter 3
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD IN ADMINISTRATION
"The Lord hath prepared His Throne in the heavens; and His Kingdom
ruleth over all"
Psalm 103:19
_________________________________________________________________
First, a word concerning the need for God to govern the material
world. Suppose the opposite for a moment. For the sake of argument,
let us say that God created the world, designed and fixed certain laws
(which men term "the laws of Nature"), and that He then withdrew,
leaving the world to its fortune and the out-working of these laws. In
such a case, we should have a world over which there was no
intelligent, presiding Governor, a world controlled by nothing more
than impersonal laws--a concept worthy of gross Materialism and blank
Atheism. But, I say, suppose it for a moment; and in the light of such
a supposition, weigh well the following question:--What guaranty have
we that some day ere long the world will not be destroyed? A very
superficial observation of "the laws of Nature" reveals the fact that
they are not uniform in their working. The proof of this is seen in
the fact that no two seasons are alike. If then Nature's laws are
irregular in their operations, what guaranty have we against some
dreadful catastrophe striking our earth? "The wind bloweth where it
listeth" (pleaseth), which means that man can neither harness nor
hinder it. Sometimes the wind blows with great fury, and it might be
that it should suddenly gather in volume and velocity, until it became
a hurricane earth-wide in its range. If there is nothing more than the
laws of Nature regulating the wind, then, perhaps tomorrow, there may
come a terrific tornado and sweep everything from the surface of the
earth! What assurance have we against such a calamity? Again; of late
years we have heard and read much about clouds bursting and flooding
whole districts, working fearful havoc in the destruction of both
property and life. Man is helpless before them, for science can devise
no means to prevent clouds bursting. Then how do we know that these
bursting-clouds will not be multiplied indefinitely and the whole
earth be deluged by their downpour? This would be nothing new: why
should not the Flood of Noah's day be repeated? And what of
earthquakes? Every few years, some island or some great city is swept
out of existence by one of them--and what can man do? Where is the
guaranty that ere long a mammoth earthquake will not destroy the whole
world? Science tells us of great subterranean fires burning beneath
the comparatively thin crust of our earth, how do we know but what
these fires will not suddenly burst forth and consume our entire
globe? Surely every reader now sees the point we are seeking to make:
Deny that God is governing matter, deny that He is "upholding all
things by the word of His power" (Heb. 1:3), and all sense of security
is gone!
Let us pursue a similar course of reasoning in connection with the
human race. Is God governing this world of ours? Is He shaping the
destinies of nations, controlling the course of empires, determining
the limits of dynasties? Has He described the limits of evil-doers,
saying, Thus far shalt thou go and no further? Let us suppose the
opposite for a moment. Let us assume that God has delivered over the
helm into the hand of His creatures, and see where such a supposition
leads us. For the sake of argument we will say that every man enters
this world endowed with a will that is absolutely free, and that it is
impossible to compel or even coerce him without destroying his
freedom. Let us say that every man possesses a knowledge of right and
wrong, that he has the power to choose between them, and that he is
left entirely free to make his own choice and go his own way. Then
what? Then it follows that man is sovereign, for he does as he pleases
and is the architect of his own fortune. But in such a case we can
have no assurance that ere long every man will reject the good and
choose the evil. In such a case we have no guaranty against the entire
human race committing moral suicide. Let all Divine restraints be
removed and man be left absolutely free, and all ethical distinctions
would immediately disappear, the spirit of barbarism would prevail
universally, and pandemonium would reign supreme. Why not? If one
nation deposes its rulers and repudiates its constitution, what is
there to prevent all nations from doing the same? If little more than
a century ago the streets of Paris ran with the blood of rioters, what
assurance have we that before the present century closes every city
throughout the world will not witness a similar sight? What is there
to hinder worldwide lawlessness and universal anarchy? Thus we have
sought to show the need, the imperative need, for God to occupy the
Throne, take the government upon His shoulder, and control the
activities and destinies of His creatures.
But has the man of faith any difficulty in perceiving the government
of God over this world? Does not the anointed eye discern, even amid
much seeming confusion and chaos, the hand of the Most High
controlling and shaping the affairs of men, even in the common
concerns of every day life? Take for example farmers and their crops.
Suppose God left them to themselves: what would then prevent them, one
and all, from grassing their arable lands and devoting themselves
exclusively to the rearing of cattle and dairying? In such a case
there would be a world-famine of wheat and corn! Take the work of the
post-office. Suppose that everybody decided to write letters on
Mondays only, could the authorities cope with the mail on Tuesdays?
and how would they occupy their time the balance of the week? So again
with storekeepers. What would happen if every housewife did her
shopping on Wednesday, and stayed at home the rest of the week? But
instead of such things happening, farmers in different countries both
raise sufficient cattle and grow enough grain of various kinds to
supply the almost incalculable needs of the human race; the mails are
almost evenly distributed over the six days of the week; and some
women shop on Monday, some on Tuesday, and so on. Do not these things
clearly evidence the overruling and controlling hand of God!
Having shown, in brief, the imperative need for God to reign over our
world, let us now observe still further the fact that God does rule,
actually rule, and that His government extends to and is exercised
over all things and all creatures. And,
1. God Governs Inanimate Matter.
That God governs inanimate matter, that inanimate matter performs His
bidding and fulfils His decrees, is clearly shown on the very
frontispiece of Divine revelation. God said, Let there be light, and
we read, "There was light." God said, "Let the waters under the heaven
be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear," and
"it was so." And again, "God said, Let the earth bring forth grass,
the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his
kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so." As the
Psalmist declares, "He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it
stood fast."
What is stated in Genesis one is afterwards illustrated all through
the Bible. After the creation of Adam, sixteen centuries went by
before ever a shower of rain fell upon the earth, for before Noah
"there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of
the ground" (Gen. 2:6). But, when the iniquities of the antediluvians
had come to the full, then God said, "And, behold, I, even. I, do
bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein
is the breath of life, from under heaven; and everything that is in
the earth shall die;" and in fulfillment of this we read, "In the six
hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth
day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great
deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain
was upon the earth forty days and forty nights" (Gen. 6:17 and 7:11,
12).
Witness God's absolute (and sovereign) control of inanimate matter in
connection with the plagues upon Egypt. At His bidding the light was
turned into darkness and rivers into blood; hail fell, and death came
down upon the godless land of the Nile, until even its haughty monarch
was compelled to cry out for deliverance. Note particularly how the
inspired record here emphasizes God's absolute control over the
elements--"And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the
Lord sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground;
and the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt." So there was hail,
and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none
like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the
hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field,
both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and
brake every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the
children of Israel were, was there no hail" (Ex. 9:23-26). The same
distinction was observed in connection with the ninth plague: "And the
Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there
may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be
felt. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was
a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: They saw not one
another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the
children of Israel had light in their dwellings" (Ex. 10:21-23).
The above examples are by no means isolated cases. At God's decree
fire and brimstone descended from heaven and the cities of the Plain
were destroyed, and a fertile valley was converted into a loathsome
sea of death. At His bidding the waters of the Red Sea parted asunder
so that the Israelites passed over dry shod, and at His word they
rolled back again and destroyed the Egyptians who were pursuing them.
A word from Him, and the earth opened her mouth and Korah and his
rebellious company were swallowed up. The furnace of Nebuchadnezzar
was heated seven times beyond its normal temperature, and into it
three of God's children were cast, but the fire did not so much as
scorch their clothes, though it slew the men who cast them into it.
What a demonstration of the Creator's governmental control over the
elements was furnished when He became flesh and tabernacled among men!
Behold Him asleep in the boat. A storm arises. The winds roar and the
waves are lashed into fury. The disciples who are with Him, fearful
lest their little craft should founder, awake their Master, saying,
"Carest Thou not that we perish?" And then we read, "And He arose, and
rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind
ceased, and there was a great calm" (Mark 4:39). Mark again, the sea,
at the will of its Creator, bore Him up upon its waves. At a word from
Him the fig-tree withered; at His touch disease fled instantly.
The heavenly bodies are also ruled by their Maker and perform His
sovereign pleasure. Take two illustrations. At God's bidding the sun
went back ten degrees on the dial of Ahaz to help the weak faith of
Hezekiah. In New Testament times, God caused a star to herald the
incarnation of His Son--the star which appeared unto the wise men of
the East. This star, we are told, "went before them till it came and
stood over where the young Child was" (Matt. 2:9).
What a declaration is this--"He sendeth forth His commandment upon
earth: His word runneth very swiftly. He giveth snow like wool: He
scattereth the hoar frost like ashes. He casteth forth His ice like
morsels: who can stand before His cold? He sendeth out His word, and
melteth them: He causeth His wind to blow, and the waters flow" (Ps.
147:15-18). The mutations of the elements are beneath God's sovereign
control. It is God who withholds the rain, and it is God who gives the
rain when He wills, where He wills, as He wills, and on whom He wills.
Weather Bureaus may attempt to give forecasts of the weather, but how
frequently God mocks their calculations! Sun `spots,' the varying
activities of the planets, the appearing and disappearing of comets
(to which abnormal weather is sometimes attributed), atmospheric
disturbances, are merely secondary causes, for behind them all is God
Himself. Let His Word speak once more: "And also I have withholden the
rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I
caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon
another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereon it
rained not withered. So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to
drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned
unto Me, saith the Lord. I have smitten you with blasting and mildew:
when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive
trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them: yet have ye not
returned unto Me, saith the Lord. I have sent among you the pestilence
after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword,
and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your
camps to come up into your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto Me,
saith the Lord" (Amos 4:7-10).
Truly, then, God governs inanimate matter. Earth and air, fire and
water, hail and snow, stormy winds and angry seas, all perform the
word of His power and fulfil His sovereign pleasure. Therefore, when
we complain about the weather, we are, in reality, murmuring against
God.
2. God Governs Irrational Creatures.
What a striking illustration of God's government over the animal
kingdom is found in Genesis 2:19! "And out of the ground the Lord God
formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and
brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever
Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof." Should
it be said that this occurred in Eden, and took place before the fall
of Adam and the consequent curse which was inflicted on every
creature, then our next reference fully meets the objection: God's
control of the beasts was again openly displayed at the Flood. Mark
how God caused to "come unto" Noah every specie of living creature "of
every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring
into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and
female. Of fowls after their kind, of every creeping thing after his
kind: two of every sort shall come unto thee" (Gen. 6:19, 20)--all
were beneath God's sovereign control. The lion of the jungle, the
elephant of the forest, the bear of the polar regions; the ferocious
panther, the untameable wolf, the fierce tiger; the high-soaring eagle
and the creeping crocodile--see them all in their native fierceness,
and yet, quietly submitting to the will of their Creator, and coming
two by two into the ark!
We referred to the plagues sent upon Egypt as illustrating God's
control of inanimate matter, let us now turn to them again to see how
they demonstrate His perfect ruler-ship over irrational creatures. At
His word the river brought forth frogs abundantly, and these frogs
entered the palace of Pharaoh and the houses of his servants and,
contrary to their natural instincts, they entered the beds, the ovens
and the kneadingtroughs (Ex. 8:13). Swarms of flies invaded the land
of Egypt, but there were no flies in the land of Goshen! (Ex. 8:22).
Next, the cattle were stricken. and we read, "Behold, the hand of the
Lord is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon
the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there
shall be a very grievous murrain. And the Lord shall sever between the
cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die
of all that is the children's of Israel. And the Lord appointed a set
time, saying, Tomorrow the Lord shall do this thing in the land. And
the Lord did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt
died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one" (Ex.
9:3-6). In like manner God sent clouds of locusts to plague Pharaoh
and his land, appointing the time of their visitation, determining the
course and assigning the limits of their depredations.
Angels are not the only ones who do God's bidding. The brute beasts
equally perform His pleasure. The sacred ark, the ark of the covenant,
is in the country of the Philistines. How is it to be brought back to
its home land? Mark the servants of God's choice, and how completely
they were beneath His control: "And the Philistines called for the
priests and the diviners saying, What shall we do to the ark of the
Lord? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place. And they said.
. . . Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on which
there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their
calves home from them: And take the ark of the Lord, and lay it upon
the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which ye return Him for a
trespass offering, in a coffer by the side thereof, and send it away
that it may go. And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to
Bethshemesh, then He hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we
shall know that it is not His hand that smote us; it was a chance that
happened to us." And what happened? How striking the sequel! "And the
kine took the straight way to the way of Bethshemesh, and went along
the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right
hand or to the left" (1 Sam. 6:12). Equally striking is the case of
Elijah: "And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Get thee
hence, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have
commanded the ravens to feed thee there." (1 Kings 17:2-4). The
natural instinct of these birds of prey was held in subjection, and
instead of consuming the food themselves, they carried it to Jehovah's
servant in his solitary retreat.
Is further proof required? then it is ready to hand. God makes a dumb
ass to rebuke the prophet's madness. He sends forth two she-bears from
the woods to devour forty and two of Elijah's tormentors. In
fulfillment of His word, He causes the dogs to lick up the blood of
the wicked Jezebel. He seals the mouths of Babylon's lions when Daniel
is cast into the den, though, later, He causes them to devour the
prophet's accusers. He prepares a great fish to swallow the
disobedient Jonah and then, when His ordained hour struck, compelled
it to vomit him forth on dry land. At His bidding a fish carries a
coin to Peter for tribute money, and in order to fulfil His word He
makes the cock to crow twice after Peter's denial. Thus we see that
God reigns over irrational creatures: beasts of the field, birds of
the air, fishes of the sea, all perform His sovereign bidding.
3. God Governs the Children of Men.
We fully appreciate the fact that this is the most difficult part of
our subject, and, accordingly, it will be dealt with at greater length
in the pages that follow; but at present we consider the fact of God's
government over men in general, before we attempt to deal with the
problem in detail.
Two alternatives confront us, and between them we obliged to choose:
either God governs, or He is governed: either God rules, or He is
ruled; either God has His way, or men have theirs. And is our choice
between these alternatives hard to make? Shall we say that in man we
behold a creature so unruly that he is beyond God's control? Shall we
say that sin has alienated the sinner so far from the thrice Holy One
that he is outside the pale of His jurisdiction? Or, shall we say that
man has been endowed with moral responsibility, and therefore God must
leave him entirely free, at least during the period of his probation?
Does it necessarily follow because the natural man is an outlaw
against heaven, a rebel against the Divine government, that God is
unable to fulfil His purpose through him? We mean, not merely that He
may overrule the effects of the actions of evil-doers, nor that He
will yet bring the wicked to stand before His judgment-bar so that
sentence of punishment may be passed upon them--multitudes of
non-Christians believe these things--but, we mean, that every action
of the most lawless of His subjects is entirely beneath His control,
yea that the actor is, though unknown to himself, carrying out the
secret decrees of the Most High. Was it not thus with Judas? and is it
possible to select a more extreme case? If then the arch-rebel was
performing the counsel of God is it any greater tax upon our faith to
believe the same of all rebels?
Our present object is not philosophic inquiry nor metaphysical
causistry, but to ascertain the teaching of Scripture upon this
profound theme. To the Law and the Testimony, for there only can we
learn of the Divine government--its character, its design, its modus
operandi, its scope. What then has it pleased God to reveal to us in
His blessed Word concerning His rule over the works of His hands, and
particularly, over the one who originally was made in His own image
and likeness?
"In Him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28). What a
sweeping assertion is this! These words, be it noted, were addressed,
not to one of the churches of God, not to a company of saints who had
reached an exalted plane of spirituality, but to a heathen audience,
to those who worshipped "the unknown God" and who "mocked" when they
heard of the resurrection of the dead. And yet, to the Athenian
philosophers, to the Epicureans and Stoics, the apostle Paul did not
hesitate to affirm that they lived and moved and had their being in
God, which signified not only that they owed their existence and
preservation to the One who made the world and all things therein, but
also that their very actions were encompassed and therefore controlled
by the Lord of heaven and earth. Compare Dan. 5:23, last clause!
"The disposings (margin) of the heart, and the answer of the tongue is
from the Lord" (Prov. 16:1). Mark that the above declaration is of
general application--it is of "man," not simply of believers, that
this is predicated. "A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord
directeth his steps" (Prov. 16:9). If the Lord directs the steps of a
man, is it not proof that he is being controlled or governed by God?
Again; "There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the
counsel of the Lord, that shall stand" (Prov. 19:21). Can this mean
anything less than, that no matter what man may desire and plan, it is
the will of his Maker which is executed? As an illustration take the
"Rich Fool" The "devices" of his heart are made known to us--"And he
thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no
room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will
pull down my barns, and build greater; and there I will bestow all my
fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much
goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be
merry." Such were the "devices" of his heart, nevertheless it was "the
counsel of the Lord" that stood. The "I will's" of the rich man came
to nought, for "God said unto him, Thou fool, this night shall thy
soul be required of thee" (Luke 12:17-20).
"The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water:
He turneth it whithersoever He will" (Prov. 21:1). What could be more
explicit? Out of the heart are "the issues of life" (Prov. 4:23), for
as a man "thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Prov. 23:7). If then the
heart is in the hand of the Lord, and if "He turneth it whithersoever
He will," then is it not clear that men, yea, governors and rulers,
and so all men, are completely beneath the governmental control of the
Almighty!
No limitations must be placed upon the above declarations. To insist
that some men, at least, do thwart God's will and overturn His
counsels, is to repudiate other scriptures equally explicit. Weigh
well the following: "But He is in one mind, and who can turn Him? and
what His soul desireth, even that He doeth" (Job 23:13). "The counsel
of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of His heart to all
generations" (Ps. 33:11). "There is no wisdom nor understanding nor
counsel against the Lord" (Prov. 21:30). "For the Lord of hosts hath
purposed, and who shall disannul it? And His hand is stretched out,
and who shall turn it back?" (Isa. 14:27). "Remember the former things
of old: for I am God, and there is none else! I am God, and there is
none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient
times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall
stand, and I will do all My pleasure" (Isa. 46:9, 10). There is no
ambiguity in these passages. They affirm in the most unequivocal and
unqualified terms that it is impossible to bring to naught the purpose
of Jehovah.
We read the Scriptures in vain if we fail to discover that the actions
of men, evil men as well as good, are governed by the Lord God. Nimrod
and his fellows determined to erect the tower of Babel, but ere their
task was accomplished God frustrated their plans. God called Abraham
"alone" (Isa. 51:2), but his kinsfolk accompanied him as he left Ur of
the Chaldees. Was then the will of the Lord defeated? Nay, verily.
Mark the sequel. Terah died before Canaan was reached (Gen. 11:31),
and though Lot accompanied his uncle into the land of promise, he soon
separated from him and settled down in Sodom. Jacob was the child to
whom the inheritance was promised, and though Isaac sought to reverse
Jehovah's decree and bestow the blessing upon Esau, his efforts came
to naught. Esau again swore vengeance upon Jacob, but when next they
met they wept for joy instead of fighting in hate. The brethren of
Joseph determined his destruction, but their evil counsels were
overthrown. Pharaoh refused to let Israel carry out the instructions
of Jehovah and perished in the Red Sea for his pains. Balak hired
Balaam to curse the Israelites, but God compelled him to bless them.
Haman erected a gallows for Mordecai but was hanged upon it himself.
Jonah resisted the revealed will of God, but what became of his
efforts?
Ah, the heathen may "rage" and the people imagine a "vain thing"; the
kings of the earth may "set themselves", and the rulers take counsel
together against the Lord and against His Christ, saying, "Let us
break Their bands asunder, and cast away Their cords from us" (Ps.
2:1-3). But is the great God perturbed or disturbed by the rebellion
of His puny creatures? No, indeed: "He that sitteth in the heavens
shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision" (v. 4). He is
infinitely exalted above all, and the greatest confederacies of
earth's pawns, and their most extensive and vigorous preparations to
defeat His purpose are, in His sight, altogether purile. He looks upon
their puny efforts, not only without any alarm, but He "laughs" at
their folly; He treats their impotency with "derision." He knows that
He can crush them like moths when He pleases, or consume them in a
moment with the breath of His mouth. Ah, it is but "a vain thing" for
the potsherds of the earth to strive with the glorious Majesty of
Heaven. Such is our God; worship ye Him.
Mark, too, the sovereignty which God displayed in His dealings with
men! Moses who was slow of speech, and not Aaron his elder brother who
was not slow of speech, was the one chosen to be His ambassador in
demanding from Egypt's monarch the release of His oppressed people.
Moses again, though greatly beloved utters one hasty word and was
excluded from Canaan; whereas Elijah, passionately murmurs and suffers
but a mild rebuke, and was afterwards taken to heaven without seeing
death! Uzzah merely touched the ark and was instantly slain, whereas
the Philistines carried it off in insulting triumph and suffered no
immediate harm. Displays of grace which would have brought a doomed
Sodom to repentance, failed to move an highly privileged Capernaum.
Mighty works which would have subdued Tyre and Sidon, left the
upbraided cities of Galilee under the curse of a rejected Gospel. If
they would have prevailed over the former, why were they not wrought
there? If they proved ineffectual to deliver the latter then why
perform them? What exhibitions are these of the sovereign will of the
Most High!
4. God Governs Angels: Both Good and Evil Angels.
The angels are God's servants, His messengers, His chariots. They ever
hearken to the word of His mouth and do His commands. "And God sent an
angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, the Lord
beheld, and He repented Him of the evil, and said to the angel that
destroyed, It is enough, Stay now thine hand. . . .And the Lord
commanded the angel; and he put his sword again into the sheath
thereof" (1 Chron. 21:15, 27). Many other scriptures might be cited to
show that the angels are in subjection to the will of their Creator
and perform His bidding--"And when Peter was come to himself, he said,
Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent His angel, and hath
delivered me out of the hand of Herod" (Acts 12:11). "And the Lord God
of the holy prophets sent His angel to shew unto His servants the
things which must shortly be done" (Rev. 22:6). So it will be when our
Lord returns: "The Son of Man shall send forth His angels and they
shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which
do iniquity" (Matt. 13:41). Again, we read, "He shall send His angels
with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His
elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other" (Matt.
24:31).
The same is true of evil spirits: they, too, fulfil God's sovereign
decrees. An evil spirit is sent by God to stir up rebellion in the
camp of Abimelech: "Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and
the men of Shechem,. . . which aided him in the killing of his
brethren" (Judges 9:23). Another evil spirit He sent to be a lying
spirit in the mouth of Ahab's prophets--"Now therefore, behold, the
Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets,
and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee" (1 Kings 22 :23). And
yet another was sent by the Lord to trouble Saul--"But the Spirit of
the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled
him" (1 Sam. 16:14). So, too, in the New Testament: a whole legion of
the demons go not out of their victim until the Lord gave them
permission to enter the herd of swine.
It is clear from Scripture, then, that the angels, good and evil, are
tinder God's control, and willingly or unwillingly carry out God's
purpose. Yea, Satan himself is absolutely subject to God's control.
When arraigned in Eden, he listened to the awful sentence, but
answered not a word. He was unable to touch Job until God granted him
leave. So, too, he had to gain our Lord's consent before he could
"sift" Peter. When Christ commanded him to depart-- "Get thee hence,
Satan"--we read, "Then the Devil leaveth Him" (Matt. 4:11). And, in
the end, he will be cast into the Lake of Fire, which has been
prepared for him and his angels.
The Lord God omnipotent reigneth. His government is exercised over
inanimate matter, over the brute beasts, over the children of men,
over angels good and evil, and over Satan himself. No revolving world,
no shining of star, no storm, no creature moves, no actions of men, no
errands of angels, no deeds of Devil--nothing in all the vast universe
can come to pass otherwise than God has eternally purposed. Here is a
foundation for faith. Here is a resting place for the intellect. Here
is an anchor for the soul, both sure and steadfast. It is not blind
fate, unbridled evil, man or Devil, but the Lord Almighty who is
ruling the world, ruling it according to His own good pleasure and for
His own eternal glory.
"Ten thousand ages ere the skies
Were into motion brought;
All the long years and worlds to come,
Stood present to His thought:
There's not a sparrow nor a worm,
But's found in His decrees,
He raises monarchs to their thrones
And sinks as He may please."
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THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
Chapter 4
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD IN SALVATION
"O the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out"
Romans 11:33
_________________________________________________________________
"Salvation is of the Lord" (Jonah 2:9); but the Lord does not save
all. Why not? He does save some; then if He saves some, why not
others? Is it because they are too sinful and depraved? No; for the
apostle wrote, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all
acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of
whom 1 am chief" (1 Tim. 1:15). Therefore, if God saved the "chief" of
sinners, none are excluded because of their depravity. Why then does
not God save all? Is it because some are too stony-hearted to be won?
No; because of the most stony-hearted people of all it is written,
that God will yet "take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will
give them a heart of flesh" (Ezek. 11:19). Then is it because some are
so stubborn, so intractable, so defiant that God is unable to woo them
to Himself? Before we answer this question let us ask another; let us
appeal to the experience of the Christian reader.
Friend; was there not a time when you walked in the counsel of the
ungodly, stood in the way of sinners, sat in the seat of the scorners,
and with them said, "We will not have this Man to reign over us" (Luke
19:14)? Was there not a time when you "would not come to Christ that
you might have life" (John 5:40)? Yea, was there not a time when you
mingled your voice with those who said unto God, "Depart from us; for
we desire not the knowledge of Thy ways. What is the Almighty, that we
should serve Him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto
Him?"
(Job 21:14, 15)? With shamed face you have to acknowledge there was.
But how is it that all is now changed? What was it that brought you
from haughty self-sufficiency to a humble suppliant, from one that was
at enmity with God to one that is at peace with Him, from lawlessness
to subjection, from hate to love? And, as one `born of the Spirit,'
you will readily reply, "By the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Cor.
15:10). Then do you not see that it is due to no lack of power in God,
nor to His refusal to coerce man, that other rebels are not saved too?
If God was able to subdue your will and win your heart, and that
without interfering with your moral responsibility, then is He not
able to do the same for others? Assuredly He is. Then how
inconsistent, how illogical, how foolish of you, in seeking to account
for the present course of the wicked and their ultimate fate, to argue
that God is unable to save them, that they will not let Him. Do you
say, "But the time came when I was willing, willing to receive Christ
as my Saviour"? True, but it was the Lord who made you willing (Ps.
110:3; Phil. 2:13) why then does He not make all sinners willing? Why,
but for the fact that He is sovereign and does as He pleases! But to
return to our opening inquiry.
Why is it that all are not saved, particularly all who hear the
Gospel? Do you still answer, Because the majority refuse to believe?
Well, that is true, but it is only a part of the truth. It is the
truth from the human side. But there is a Divine side too, and this
side of the truth needs to be stressed or God will be robbed of His
glory. The unsaved are lost because they refuse to believe; the others
are saved because they believe. But why do these others believe? What
is it that causes them to put their trust in Christ? Is it because
they are more intelligent than their fellows, and quicker to discern
their need of salvation? Perish the thought--"Who maketh thee to
differ from another? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive?
Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst
not received it?" (1 Cor. 4:7). It is God Himself who maketh the
difference between the elect and the non-elect, for of His own it is
written, "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us
an understanding, that we may know Him that is true" (1 John 5:20).
Faith is God's gift, and "all men have not faith" (2 Thess. 3:2);
therefore, we see that God does not bestow this gift upon all. Upon
whom then does He bestow this saving favor? And we answer, upon His
own elect--"As many as were ordained to eternal life believed" (Acts
13:48). Hence it is that we read of "the faith of God's elect" (Titus
1:1). But is God partial in the distribution of His favors? Has He not
the right to be? Are there still some who `murmur against the Good-Man
of the house'? Then His own words are sufficient reply--"Is it not
lawful for Me to do what I will with Mine own?" (Matt. 20:15). God is
sovereign in the bestowment of His gifts, both in the natural and in
the spiritual realms. So much then for a general statement, and now to
particularize.
1. The Sovereignty of God the Father in Salvation.
Perhaps the one Scripture which most emphatically of all asserts the
absolute sovereignty of God in connection with His determining the
destiny of His creatures, is the ninth of Romans. We shall not attempt
to review here the entire chapter, but will confine ourselves to
verses 21-23--"Hath not the potter power over the clay of the same
lump, to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor? What
if God, willing to show His wrath, and to make His power known,
endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to
destruction: And that He might make known the riches of His glory on
the vessels of mercy, which He had afore prepared unto glory?" These
verses represent fallen mankind as inert and as impotent as a lump of
lifeless clay. This Scripture evidences that there is "no difference,"
in themselves, between the elect and the non-elect: they are clay of
"the same lump," which agrees with Ephesians 2:3, where we are told,
that all are by nature "children of wrath." It teaches us that the
ultimate destiny of every individual is decided by the will of God,
and blessed it is that such be the case; if it were left to our wills,
the ultimate destination of us all would be the Lake of Fire. It
declares that God Himself does make a difference in the respective
destinations to which He assigns His creatures, for one vessel is made
"unto honor and another unto dishonor;" some are "vessels of wrath
fitted to destruction," others are "vessels of mercy, which He had
afore prepared unto glory."
We readily acknowledge that it is very humbling to the proud heart of
the creature to behold all mankind in the hand of God as the clay is
in the potter's hand, yet this is precisely how the Scriptures of
Truth represent the case. In this day of human boasting, intellectual
pride, and deification of man, it needs to be insisted upon that the
potter forms his vessels for himself. Let man strive with his Maker as
he will, the fact remains that he is nothing more than clay in the
Heavenly Potter's hands, and while we know that God will deal justly
with His creatures, that the Judge of all the earth will do right,
nevertheless, He shapes His vessels for His own purpose and according
to His own pleasure. God claims the indisputable right to do as He
wills with His own.
Not only has God the right to do as He wills with the creatures of His
own hands, but He exercises this right, and nowhere is that seen more
plainly than in His predestinating grace. Before the foundation of the
world God made a choice, a selection, an election. Before His
omniscient eye stood the whole of Adam's race, and from it He singled
out a people and predestinated them "unto the adoption of children,"
predestinated them "to be conformed to the image of His Son,"
"ordained" them unto eternal life. Many are the Scriptures which set
forth this blessed truth, seven of which will now engage our
attention.
"As many as were ordained to eternal life, believed" (Acts 13:48).
Every artifice of human ingenuity has been employed to blunt the sharp
edge of this Scripture and to explain away the obvious meaning of
these words, but it has been employed in vain, though nothing will
ever be able to reconcile this and similar passages to the mind of the
natural man. "As many as were ordained to eternal life, believed."
Here we learn four things: First, that believing is the consequence
and not the cause of God's decree. Second, that a limited number only
are "ordained to eternal life," for if all men without exception were
thus ordained by God, then the words "as many as are a meaningless
qualification. Third, that this "ordination" of God is not to mere
external privileges but to "eternal life," not to service but to
salvation itself. Fourth, that all--"as many as," not one less--who
are thus ordained by God to eternal life will most certainly believe.
The comments of the beloved Spurgeon on the above passage are well
worthy of our notice. Said he, "Attempts have been made to prove that
these words do not teach predestination, but these attempts so clearly
do violence to language that I shall not waste time in answering them.
I read: `As many as were ordained to eternal life believed', and I
shall not twist the text but shall glorify the grace of God by
ascribing to that grace the faith of every man. Is it not God who
gives the disposition to believe? If men are disposed to have eternal
life, does not He--in every case--dispose them? Is it wrong for God to
give grace? If it be right for Him to give it, is it wrong for Him to
purpose to give it? Would you have Him give it by accident? If it is
right for Him to purpose to give grace today, it was right for Him to
purpose it before today--and, since He changes not--from eternity."
"Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according
to the election of grace. And if by grace, then it is no more of
works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then
is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work" (Rom. 11:5, 6).
The words "Even so" at the beginning of this quotation refer us to the
previous verse where we are told, "I have reserved to Myself seven
thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal." Note particularly
the word "reserved." In the days of Elijah there were seven
thousand--a small minority--who were Divinely preserved from idolatry
and brought to the knowledge of the true God. This preservation and
illumination was not from anything in themselves, but solely by God's
special influence and agency. How highly favored such individuals were
to be thus "reserved" by God! Now says the apostle, Just as there was
a "remnant" in Elijah's days "reserved by God", even so there is in
this present dispensation.
"A remnant according to the election of grace." Here the cause of
election is traced back to its source. The basis upon which God
elected this "remnant" was not faith foreseen in them, because a
choice founded upon the foresight of good works is just as truly made
on the ground of works as any choice can be, and in such a case, it
would not be "of grace;" for, says the apostle, "if by grace, then it
is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace;" which means
that grace and works are opposites, they have nothing in common, and
will no more mingle than will oil and water. Thus the idea of inherent
good foreseen in those chosen, or of anything meritorious performed by
them, is rigidly excluded. "A remnant according to the election of
grace," signifies an unconditional choice resulting from the sovereign
favor of God; in a word, it is absolutely a gratuitous election.
"For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after
the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath
chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God
hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which
are mighty: and base things of the world, and things which are
despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to
nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in His presence" (1
Cor. 1:26-29). Three times over in this passage reference is made to
God's choice, and choice necessarily supposes a selection, the taking
of some and the leaving of others. The Choser here is God Himself, as
said the Lord Jesus to the apostles, "Ye have not chosen Me, but I
have chosen you" (John 15:16). The number chosen is strictly
defined--"not many wise men after the flesh, not many noble," etc.,
which agrees with Matthew 20:16, "So the last shall be first, and the
first last; for many be called, but few chosen." So much then for the
fact of God's choice; now mark the objects of His choice.
The ones spoken of above as chosen of God are "the weak things of the
world, base things of the world, and things which are despised." But
why? To demonstrate and magnify His grace. God's ways as well as His
thoughts are utterly at variance with man's. The carnal mind would
have supposed that a selection had been made from the ranks of the
opulent and influential, the amiable and cultured, so that
Christianity might have won the approval and applause of the world by
its pageantry and fleshly glory. Ah! but "that which is highly
esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God" (Luke 16:15).
God chooses the "base things." He did so in Old Testament times. The
nation which He singled out to be the depository of His holy oracles
and the channel through which the promised Seed should come, was not
the ancient Egyptians, the imposing Babylonians, nor the highly
civilized and cultured Greeks. No; that people upon whom Jehovah set
His love and regarded as `the apple of His eye', were the despised,
nomadic Hebrews. So it was when our Lord tabernacled among men. The
ones whom He took into favored intimacy with Himself and commissioned
to go forth as His ambassadors, were, for the most part, unlettered
fishermen. And so it has been ever since. So it is today: at the
present rates of increase, it will not be long before it is manifested
that the Lord has more in despised China who are really His, than He
has in the highly favored U. S. A.; more among the uncivilized blacks
of Africa, than He has in cultured (?)
Germany! And the purpose of God's choice, the raison d'etre of the
selection He has made is, "that no flesh should glory in His
presence"--there being nothing whatever in the objects of His choice
which should entitle them to His special favors, then, all the praise
will be freely ascribed to the exceeding riches of His manifold grace.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath
blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ:
According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him; In love
having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ
to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. . . .In whom
also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to
the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own
will" (Eph. 1:3-5, 11). Here again we are told at what point in
time--if time it could be called--when God made choice of those who
were to be His children by Jesus Christ. It was not after Adam had
fallen and plunged his race into sin and wretchedness, but long ere
Adam saw the light, even before the world itself was founded, that God
chose us in Christ. Here also we learn the purpose which God had
before Him in connection with His own elect: it was that they "should
be holy and without blame before Him;" it was "unto the adoption of
children;" it was that they should "obtain an inheritance." Here also
we discover the motive which prompted Him. It was "in love that He
predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
Himself"--a statement which refutes the oft made and wicked charge
that, for God to decide the eternal destiny of His creatures before
they are born, is tyrannical and unjust. Finally, we are informed
here, that in this matter He took counsel with none, but that we are
"predestinated according to the good pleasure of His will."
"But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren
beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to
salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the
truth" (2
Thess. 2:13). There are three things here which deserve special
attention. First, the fact that we are expressly told that God's elect
are "chosen to salvation." Language could not be more explicit. How
summarily do these words dispose of the sophistries and equivocations
of all who would make election refer to nothing but external
privileges or rank in service! It is to "salvation" itself that God
hath chosen us. Second, we are warned here that election unto
salvation does not disregard the use of appropriate means: salvation
is reached through "sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the
truth." It is not true that because God has chosen a certain one to
salvation that he will be saved willy-nilly, whether he believes or
not: nowhere do the Scriptures so represent it. The same God who
predestined the end, also appointed the means; the same God who "chose
unto salvation", decreed that His purpose should be realized through
the work of the Spirit and belief of the truth. Third, that God has
chosen us unto salvation is a profound cause for fervent praise. Note
how strongly the apostle expresses this--"we are bound to give thanks
always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath
from the beginning chosen you to salvation," etc. Instead of shrinking
back in horror from the doctrine of predestination, the believer, when
he sees this blessed truth as it is unfolded in the Word, discovers a
ground for gratitude and thanksgiving such as nothing else affords,
save the unspeakable gift of the Redeemer Himself.
"Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according
to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was
given us in Christ Jesus before the world began" (2
Tim. 1:9). How plain and pointed is the language of Holy Writ! It is
man who, by his words, darkeneth counsel. It is impossible to state
the case more clearly, or strongly, than it is stated here. Our
salvation is not "according to our works;" that is to say, it is not
due to anything in us, nor the rewarding of anything from us; instead,
it is the result of God's own "purpose and grace;" and this grace was
given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. It is by grace we are
saved, and in the purpose of God this grace was bestowed upon us not
only before we saw the light, not only before Adam's fall, but even
before that far distant "beginning" of Genesis 1:1. And herein lies
the unassailable comfort of God's people. If His choice has been from
eternity it will last to eternity! "Nothing can survive to eternity
but what came from eternity, and what has so come, will" (G. S.
Bishop).
"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through
sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the
blood of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:2).
Here again election by the Father precedes the work of the Holy Spirit
in, and the obedience of faith by, those who are saved; thus taking it
entirely off creature ground, and resting it in the sovereign pleasure
of the Almighty. The "foreknowledge of God the Father" does not here
refer to His prescience of all things, but signifies that the saints
were all eternally present in Christ before the mind of God. God did
not "foreknow" that certain ones who heard the Gospel would believe it
apart from the fact that He had "ordained" these certain ones to
eternal life. What God's prescience saw in all men was, love of sin
and hatred of Himself. The "foreknowledge" of God is based upon His
own decrees as is clear from Acts 2:23--"Him, being delivered by the
determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by
wicked hands have crucified and slain"--note the order here: first
God's "determinate counsel" (His decree), and second His
"foreknowledge." So it is again in Romans 8:28, 29, "For whom He did
foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His
Son," but the first word here, "for," looks back to the preceding
verse and the last clause of it reads, "to them who are the called
according to His purpose"--these are the ones whom He did "foreknow
and predestinate." Finally, it needs to be pointed out that when we
read in Scripture of God "knowing" certain people, the word is used in
the sense of knowing with approbation and love: "But if any man love
God, the same is known of Him" (1 Cor. 8:3). To the hypocrites Christ
will yet say "I never knew you"--He never loved them. "Elect according
to the foreknowledge of God the Father" signifies, then, chosen by Him
as the special objects of His approbation and love.
Summarizing the teaching of these seven passages we learn that, God
has "ordained to eternal life" certain ones, and that in consequence
of His ordination they, in due time, "believe;"
that God's ordination to salvation of His own elect, is not due to any
good thing in them nor to anything meritorious from them, but solely
of His "grace;" that God has designedly selected the most unlikely
objects to be the recipients of His special favors, in order that "no
flesh should glory in His presence;" that God chose His people in
Christ before the foundation of the world, not because they were so,
but in order that they "should be, holy and without blame before him";
that having selected certain ones to salvation, He also decreed the
means by which His eternal counsel should be made good; that the very
"grace" by which we are saved was, in God's purpose, "given us in
Christ Jesus before the world began;" that long before they were
actually created, God's elect stood present before His mind, were
"foreknown" by Him, i.e., were the definite objects of His eternal
love.
Before turning to the next division of this chapter, a further word
concerning the subjects of God's predestinating grace. We go over this
ground again because it is at this point that the doctrine of God's
sovereignty in predestining certain ones to salvation is most
frequently assaulted. Perverters of this truth invariably seek to find
some cause outside God's own will, which moves Him to bestow salvation
on sinners; something or other is attributed to the creature which
entitles him to receive mercy at the hands of the Creator. We return
then to the question, Why did God choose the ones He did?
What was there in the elect themselves which attracted God's heart to
them? Was it because of certain virtues they possessed? because they
were generous-hearted, sweet tempered, truth-speaking? in a word,
because they were "good," that God chose them? No; for our Lord said,
"There is none good but one, that is God" (Matt. 19:17). Was it
because of any good works they had performed? No; for it is written,
"There is none that doeth good, no, not one" (Rom. 3:12). Was it
because they evidenced an earnestness and zeal in inquiring after God?
No; for it is written again, "There is none that seeketh after God"
(Rom. 3:11). Was it because God foresaw they would believe? No; for
how can those who are "dead in trespasses and sins" believe in Christ?
How could God foreknow some men as believers when belief was
impossible to them? Scripture declares that we "believe through grace"
(Acts 18:27).
Faith is God's gift, and apart from this gift none would believe. The
cause of His choice then lies within Himself and not in the objects of
His choice. He chose the ones He did simply because He chose to choose
them.
"Sons we are by God's election
Who on Jesus Christ believe,
By eternal destination,
Sovereign grace we now receive,
Lord Thy mercy,
Doth both grace and glory give!"
2. The Sovereignty of God the Son in Salvation.
For whom did Christ die? It surely does not need arguing that the
Father had an express purpose in giving Him to die, or that God the
Son had a definite design before Him in laying down His life--"Known
unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world" (Acts
15:18). What then was the purpose of the Father and the design of the
Son? We answer, Christ died for "God's elect."
We are not unmindful of the fact that the limited design in the death
of Christ has been the subject of much controversy--what great truth
revealed in Scripture has not? Nor do we forget that anything which
has to do with the person and work of our blessed Lord requires to be
handled with the utmost reverence, and that a "Thus saith the Lord"
must be given in support of every assertion we make. Our appeal shall
be to the Law and to the Testimony.
For whom did Christ die? Who were the ones He intended to redeem by
His blood-shedding? Surely the Lord Jesus had some absolute
determination before Him when He went to the Cross. If He had, then it
necessarily follows that the extent of that purpose was limited,
because an absolute determination or purpose must be effected. If the
absolute determination of Christ included all mankind, then all
mankind would most certainly be saved. To escape this inevitable
conclusion many have affirmed that there was no such absolute
determination before Christ, that in His death a merely conditional
provision of salvation has been made for all mankind. The refutation
of this assertion is found in the promises made by the Father to His
Son before He went to the Cross, yea, before He became incarnate. The
Old Testament Scriptures represent the Father as promising the Son a
certain reward for His sufferings on behalf of sinners. At this stage
we shall confine ourselves to one or two statements recorded in the
well known fifty-third of Isaiah. There we find God saying, "When Thou
shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed," that
"He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied," and
that God's righteous Servant "should justify many" (vv. 10 and 11).
But here we would pause and ask, How could it be certain that Christ
should "see His seed," and "see of the travail of His soul and be
satisfied," unless the salvation of certain members of the human race
had been Divinely decreed, and therefore was sure? How could it be
certain that Christ should "justify many," if no effectual provision
was made that any should receive Him as their Saviour? On the other
hand, to insist that the Lord Jesus did expressly purpose the
salvation of all mankind, is to charge Him with that which no
intelligent being should be guilty of, namely, to design that which by
virtue of His omniscience He knew would never come to pass. Hence, the
only alternative left us is that, so far as the pre-determined purpose
of His death is concerned, Christ died for the elect only. Summing up
in a sentence, which we trust will be intelligible to every reader, we
would say, Christ died not merely to make possible the salvation of
all mankind, but to make certain the salvation of all that the Father
had given to Him. Christ died not simply to render sins pardonable,
but "to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself" (Heb. 9:26). As to
who's "sin" (i.e., guilt, as in 1 John 1:7, etc.) has been "put away,"
Scripture leaves us in no doubt--it was that of the elect, the "world"
(John 1:29) of God's people!
(1.) The limited design in the Atonement follows, necessarily, from
the eternal choice of the Father of certain ones unto salvation. The
Scriptures inform us that, before the Lord became incarnate He said,
"Lo, I come, to do Thy will O God" (Heb. 10:7), and after He had
become incarnate He declared, "For I came down from heaven, not to do
Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me" (John 6:38). If then
God had from the beginning chosen certain ones to salvation, then,
because the will of Christ was in perfect accord with the will of the
Father, He would not seek to enlarge upon His election. What we have
just said is not merely a plausible deduction of our own, but is in
strict harmony with the express teaching of the Word. Again and again
our Lord referred to those whom the Father had "given" Him, and
concerning whom He was particularly exercised. Said He, "All that the
Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in
no wise cast out. . . . And this is the Father's will which hath sent
Me, that of all which He hath given Me I should lose nothing, but
should raise it up again at the last day" (John 6:37, 39). And again,
"These words spake Jesus, and lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said,
Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may
glorify Thee; As Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He
should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him. . . .I
have manifested Thy name unto the men which Thou gavest Me out of the
world: Thine they were, and Thou gayest them Me; and they have kept
Thy Word. . . . I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for
them which Thou hast given Me; for they are Thine. . . . Father, I
will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am;
that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me: for Thou
lovest Me before the foundation of the world" (John 17:1, 2, 6, 9,
24).
Before the foundation of the world the Father predestinated a people
to be conformed to the image of His Son, and the death and
resurrection of the Lord Jesus was in order to the carrying out of the
Divine purpose.
(2.) The very nature of the Atonement evidences that, in its
application to sinners, it was limited in the purpose of God. The
Atonement of Christ may be considered from two chief
viewpoints--Godward and manward. Godwards, the Cross-work of Christ
was a propitiation, an appeasing of Divine wrath, a satisfaction
rendered to Divine justice and holiness; manwards, it was a
substitution, the Innocent taking the place of the guilty, the Just
dying for the unjust. But a strict substitution of a Person for
persons, and the infliction upon Him of voluntary sufferings, involve
the definite recognition on the part of the Substitute and of the One
He is to propitiate of the persons for whom He acts, whose sins He
bears, whose legal obligations He discharges. Furthermore, if the
Law-giver accepts the satisfaction which is made by the Substitute
then those for whom the Substitute acts, whose place He takes, must
necessarily be acquitted. If I am in debt and unable to discharge it
and another comes forward and pays my creditor in full and receives a
receipt in acknowledgment, then, in the sight of the law, my creditor
no longer has any claim upon me. On the Cross the Lord Jesus gave
Himself a ransom, and that it was accepted by God was attested by the
open grave three days later; the question we would here raise is, For
whom was this ransom offered? If it was offered for all mankind then
the debt incurred by every man has been cancelled. If Christ bore in
His own body on the tree the sins of all men without exception, then
none will perish. If Christ was "made a curse" for all of Adam's race
then none are now "under condemnation." "Payment God cannot twice
demand, first at my bleeding Surety's hand and then again at mine."
But Christ did not discharge the debt of all men without exception,
for some there are who will be "cast into prison" (cf. 1 Pet. 3:19
where the same Greek word for "prison" occurs), and they shall "by no
means come out thence, till they have paid the uttermost farthing"
(Matt. 5:26), which, of course, will never be. Christ did not bear the
sins of all mankind, for some there are who "die in their sins" (John
8:21), and whose "sin remaineth" (John 9:41). Christ was not "made a
curse" for all of Adam's race, for some there are to whom He will yet
say, "Depart from Me ye cursed" (Matt. 25:41). To say that Christ died
for all alike, to say that He became the Substitute and Surety of the
whole human race, to say that He suffered on behalf of and in the
stead of all mankind, is to say that He "bore the curse for many who
are now bearing the curse for themselves; that He suffered punishment
for many who are now lifting up their own eyes in Hell, being in
torments; that He paid the redemption price for many who shall yet pay
in their own eternal anguish `the wages of sin, which is death'" (G.
S. Bishop). But, on the other hand, to say as Scripture says, that
Christ was stricken for the transgressions of God's people, to say
that He gave His life for the sheep, to say that He gave His life a
ransom for many, is to say that He made an atonement which fully
atones; it is to say He paid a price which actually ransoms; it is to
say He was set forth a propitiation which really propitiates; it is to
say He is a Saviour who truly saves.
(3.) Closely connected with, and confirmatory of what we have said
above, is the teaching of Scripture concerning our Lord's priesthood.
It is as the great High Priest that Christ now makes intercession. But
for whom does He intercede? for the whole human race, or only for His
own people? The answer furnished by the New Testament to this question
is clear as a sunbeam. Our Saviour has entered into heaven itself "now
to appear in the presence of God for us" (Heb. 9:24), that is, for
those who are "partakers of the heavenly calling" (Heb. 3:1). And
again it is written, "Wherefore He is able also to save them to the
uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make
intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25). This is in strict accord with the
Old Testament type. After slaying the sacrificial animal, Aaron went
into the holy of holies as the representative and on behalf of the
people of God: it was the names of Israel's tribes which were engraven
on his breastplate, and it was in their interests he appeared before
God. Agreeable to this are our Lord's words in John 17:9--"I pray for
them: I pray not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given Me;
for they are Thine." Another Scripture which deserves careful
attention in this connection is found in Romans 8. In verse 33 the
question is asked, "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's
elect?" and then follows the inspired answer-- "It is God that
justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea,
rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who
also maketh intercession for us." Note particularly that the death and
intercession of Christ have one and the same objects! As it was in the
type so it is with the antitype--expiation and supplication are
co-extensive. If then Christ intercedes for the elect only, and "not
for the world," then He died for them only. And observe further, that
the death, resurrection, exaltation and intercession of the Lord
Jesus, are here assigned as the reason why none can lay any "charge"
against God's elect. Let those who would still take issue with what we
are advancing weigh carefully the following question--If the death of
Christ extends equally to all, how does it become security against a
"charge," seeing that all who believe not are "under condemnation"?
(John 3:18).
(4.) The number of those who share the benefits of Christ's death is
determined not only by the nature of the Atonement and the priesthood
of Christ but also by His power. Grant that the One who died upon the
cross was God manifest in the flesh, and it follows inevitably that
what Christ has purposed that will He perform; that what He has
purchased that will He possess; that what He has set His heart upon
that will He secure. If the Lord Jesus possesses all power in heaven
and earth, then none can successfully resist His will. But it may be
said, This is true in the abstract, nevertheless, Christ refuses to
exercise this power, inasmuch as He will never force anyone to receive
Him as their Saviour. In one sense that is true, but in another sense
it is positively untrue. The salvation of any sinner is a matter of
Divine power. By nature the sinner is at enmity with God, and naught
but Divine power operating within him, can overcome this enmity; hence
it is written, "No man can come unto Me, except the Father which hath
sent Me draw him" (John 6:44). It is the Divine power overcoming the
sinner's innate enmity which makes him willing to come to Christ that
he might have life. But this "enmity" is not overcome in all--why? Is
it because the enmity is too strong to be overcome? Are there some
hearts so steeled against Him that Christ is unable to gain entrance?
To answer in the affirmative is to deny His omnipotence. In the final
analysis it is not a question of the sinner's willingness or
unwillingness, for by nature all are unwilling. Willingness to come to
Christ is the finished product of Divine power operating in the human
heart and will in overcoming man's inherent and chronic "enmity," as
it is written, "Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power"
(Ps. 110:3). To say that Christ is unable to win to Himself those who
are unwilling is to deny that all power in heaven and earth is His. To
say that Christ cannot put forth His power without destroying man's
responsibility is a begging of the question here raised, for He has
put forth His power and made willing those who have come to Him, and
if He did this without destroying their responsibility, why "cannot"
He do so with others? If He is able to win the heart of one sinner to
Himself, why not that of another? To say, as is usually said, the
others will not let Him is to impeach His sufficiency. It is a
question of His will. If the Lord Jesus has decreed, desired, purposed
the salvation of all mankind, then the entire human race will be
saved, or, otherwise, He lacks the power to make good His intentions;
and in such a case it could never be said, "He shall see of the
travail of His soul and be satisfied." The issue raised involves the
deity of the Saviour, for a defeated Saviour cannot be God.
Having reviewed some of the general principles which require us to
believe that the death of Christ was limited in its design, we turn
now to consider some of the explicit statements of Scripture which
expressly affirm it. In that wondrous and matchless fifty-third of
Isaiah God tells us concerning His Son, "He was taken from prison and
from judgment: and who shall declare His generation? for He was cut
off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of My people
was He stricken" (v. 8). In perfect harmony with this was the word of
the angel to Joseph, "Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall
save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21) i.e. not merely Israel,
but all whom the Father had "given" Him. Our Lord Himself declared,
"The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and
to give His life a ransom for many" (Matt. 20:28), but why have said
"for many" if all without exception were included? It was "His people"
whom He "redeemed" (Luke 1:68). It was for "the sheep," and not the
"goats", that the Good Shepherd gave His life (John 10:11). It was the
"Church of God" which He purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28).
If there is one Scripture more than any other upon which we should be
willing to rest our case it is John 11:49-52. Here we are told, "And
one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year,
said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is
expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the
whole nation perish not. And this spake he not of himself: but being
high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that
nation; And not for that nation only, but that also He should gather
together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad." Here
we are told that Caiaphas "prophesied not of himself," that is, like
those employed by God in Old Testament times (see 2 Pet. 1:21), his
prophecy originated not with himself, but he spake as he was moved by
the Holy Spirit; thus is the value of his utterance carefully guarded,
and the Divine source of this revelation expressly vouched for. Here,
too, we are definitely informed that Christ died for "that nation,"
i.e., Israel, and also for the One Body, His Church, for it is into
the Church that the children of God--"scattered" among the
nations--are now being "gathered together in one." And is it not
remarkable that the members of the Church are here called "children of
God" even before Christ died, and therefore before He commenced to
build His Church! The vast majority of them had not then been born,
yet were they regarded as "children of God;"
children of God because they had been chosen in Christ before the
foundation of the world, and therefore "predestinated unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself" (Eph. 1:4, 5). In
like manner, Christ said, "Other sheep I have (not "shall have") which
are not of this fold" (John 10:16).
If ever the real design of the Cross was uppermost in the heart and
speech of our blessed Saviour it was during the last week of His
earthly ministry. What then do the Scriptures which treat of this
portion of His ministry record in connection with our present inquiry?
They say, "When Jesus knew that His hour was come that He should
depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own which
were in the world, He loved them unto the end" (John 13:1). They tell
us how He said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay
down His life for His friends" (John 15:13). They record His word,
"For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also might be sanctified
through the truth" (John 17:19); which means, that for the sake of His
own, those "given" to Him by the Father, He separated Himself unto the
death of the Cross. One may well ask, Why such discrimination of terms
if Christ died for all men indiscriminately?
Ere closing this section of the chapter we shall consider briefly a
few of those passages which seem to teach most strongly an unlimited
design in the death of Christ. In 2
Corinthians 5:14 we read, "One died for all." But that is not all this
Scripture affirms. If the entire verse and passage from which these
words are quoted be carefully examined, it will be found that instead
of teaching an unlimited atonement, it emphatically argues a limited
design in the death of Christ. The whole verse reads, "For the love of
Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if One died for
all, then were all dead." It should be pointed out that in the Greek
there is the definite article before the last "all," and that the verb
here is in the aorist tense, and therefore should read, "We thus
judge: that if One died for all, then they all died." The apostle is
here drawing a conclusion as is clear from the words "we thus judge,
that if . . . then were." His meaning is, that those for whom the One
died are regarded, judicially, as having died too. The next verse goes
on to say, "And He died for all, that they which live should not
henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and
rose again." The One not only died but "rose again," and so, too, did
the "all" for whom He died, for it is here said they "live." Those for
whom a substitute acts are legally regarded as having acted
themselves. In the sight of the law the substitute and those whom he
represents are one. So it is in the sight of God. Christ was
identified with His people and His people were identified with Him,
hence when He died they died (judicially) and when He rose they rose
also. But further we are told in this passage (v. 17), that if any man
be in Christ he is a new creation; he has received a new life in fact
as well as in the sight of the law, hence the "all" for whom Christ
died are here bidden to live henceforth no more unto themselves, "but
unto Him which died for them, and rose again." In other words, those
who belonged to this "all" for whom Christ died, are here exhorted to
manifest practically in their daily lives what is true of them
judicially: they are to "live unto Christ who died for them." Thus the
"One died for all" is defined for us. The "all" for which Christ died
are the they which "live," and which are here bidden to live "unto
Him." This passage then teaches three important truths, and the better
to show its scope we mention them in their inverse order: certain ones
are here bidden to live no more unto themselves but unto Christ; the
ones thus admonished are "they which live," that is live spiritually,
hence, the children of God, for they alone of mankind possess
spiritual life, all others being dead in trespasses and sins; those
who do thus live are the ones, the "all," the "them," for whom Christ
died and rose again. This passage therefore teaches that Christ died
for all His people, the elect, those given to Him by the Father; that
as the result of His death (and rising again "for them") they
"live"--and the elect are the only ones who do thus "live;" and this
life which is theirs through Christ must be lived "unto Him," Christ's
love must now "constrain" them.
"For there is one God, and one Mediator, between God and men (not
"man", for this would have been a generic term and signified mankind.
O the accuracy of Holy Writ!), the Man Christ Jesus; who gave Himself
a ransom for all, to be testified in due time" (1 Tim. 2:5, 6). It is
upon the words "who gave Himself a ransom for all" we would now
comment. In Scripture the word "all" (as applied to humankind) is used
in two senses--absolutely and relatively. In some passages it means
all without exception; in others it signifies all without distinction.
As to which of these meanings it bears in any particular passage, must
be determined by the context and decided by a comparison of parallel
Scriptures. That the word "all" is used in a relative and restricted
sense, and in such case means all without distinction and not all
without exception, is clear from a number of Scriptures, from which we
select two or three as samples. "And there went out unto him all the
land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in
the river Jordan, confessing their sins" (Mark 1:5). Does this mean
that every man, woman and child from "all the land of Judea and they
of Jerusalem" were baptized of John in Jordan? Surely not. Luke 7:30
distinctly says, "But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel
of God against themselves, being not baptized of him." Then what does
"all baptized of him" mean? We answer it does not mean all without
exception, but all without distinction, that is, all classes and
conditions of men. The same explanation applies to Luke 3:21. Again we
read, "And early in the morning He came again into the Temple, and all
the people came unto Him; and He sat down, and taught them" (John
8:2); are we to understand this expression absolutely or relatively?
Does "all the people" mean all without exception or all without
distinction, that is, all classes and conditions of people? Manifestly
the latter; for the Temple was not able to accommodate everybody that
was in Jerusalem at this time, namely, the Feast of Tabernacles.
Again, we read in Acts 22:15, "For thou (Paul) shalt be His witness
unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard." Surely "all men" here
does not mean every member of the human race. Now we submit that the
words "who gave Himself a ransom for all" in 1 Timothy 2:6 mean all
without distinction, and not all without exception. He gave Himself a
ransom for men of all nationalities, of all generations, of all
classes; in a word, for all the elect, as we read in Revelation 5:9,
"For Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of
every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation." That this is not
an arbitrary definition of the "all" in our passage is clear from
Matthew 20:28 where we read, "The Son of Man came not to be ministered
unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many", which
limitation would be quite meaningless if He gave Himself a ransom for
all without exception. Furthermore, the qualifying words here, "to be
testified in due time", must be taken into consideration. If Christ
gave Himself a ransom for the whole human race, in what sense will
this be "testified in due time"? seeing that multitudes of men will
certainly be eternally lost. But if our text means that Christ gave
Himself a ransom for God's elect, for all without distinction, without
distinction of nationality, social prestige, moral character, age or
sex, then the meaning of these qualifying words is quite intelligible,
for in "due time" this will be "testified" in the actual and
accomplished salvation of every one of them.
"But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the
suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that He by the grace
of God should taste death for every man" (Heb. 2:9).
This passage need not detain us long. A false doctrine has been
erected here on a false translation. There is no word whatever in the
Greek corresponding to "man" in our English version. In the Greek it
is left in the abstract--"He tasted death for every." The Revised
Version has correctly omitted "man" from the text, but has wrongly
inserted it in italics. Others suppose the word "thing" should be
supplied--"He tasted death for every thing" --but this, too, we deem a
mistake. It seems to us that the words which immediately follow
explain our text: "For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by
whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the
captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." It is of
"sons" the apostle is here writing, and we suggest an ellipsis of
"son"--thus: "He tasted death for every"--and supply son in italics.
Thus instead of teaching the unlimited design of Christ's death,
Hebrews 2:9, 10 is in perfect accord with the other Scriptures we have
quoted which set forth the restricted purpose in the Atonement: it was
for the "sons" and not the human race our Lord "tasted death" (1 John
2:2 will be examined in detail in Appendix 4).
In closing this section of the chapter let us say that the only
limitation in the Atonement we have contended for arises from pure
sovereignty; it is a limitation not of value and virtue, but of design
and application. We turn now to consider--
3. The Sovereignty of God the Holy Spirit in Salvation.
Since the Holy Spirit is one of the three Persons in the blessed
Trinity, it necessarily follows that He is in full sympathy with the
will and design of the other Persons of the Godhead. The eternal
purpose of the Father in election, the limited design in the death of
the Son, and the restricted scope of the Holy Spirit's operations are
in perfect accord. If the Father chose certain ones before the
foundation of the world and gave them to His Son, and if it was for
them that Christ gave Himself a ransom, then the Holy Spirit is not
now working to "bring the world to Christ." The mission of the Holy
Spirit in the world today is to apply the benefits of Christ's
redemptive sacrifice. The question which is now to engage us is not
the extent of the Holy Spirit's power--on that point there can be no
doubt, it is infinite--but what we shall seek to show is that, His
power and operations are directed by Divine wisdom and sovereignty.
We have just said that the power and operations of the Holy Spirit are
directed by Divine wisdom and indisputable sovereignty. In proof of
this assertion we appeal first to our Lord's words to Nicodemus in
John 3:8--"The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the
sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it
goeth; so is every one that is born of the Spirit." A comparison is
here drawn between the wind and the Spirit. The comparison is a double
one: first, both are sovereign in their actions, and second, both are
mysterious in their operations. The comparison is pointed out in the
word "so." The first point of analogy is seen in the words "where it
listeth" or "pleaseth"; the second is found in the words "canst not
tell." With the second point of analogy we are not now concerned, but
upon the first we would comment further.
"The wind bloweth where it pleaseth . . . so is every one that is born
of the Spirit." The wind is an element which man can neither harness
nor hinder. The wind neither consults man's pleasure nor can it be
regulated by his devices. So it is with the Spirit. The wind blows
when it pleases, where it pleases, as it pleases. So it is with the
Spirit. The wind is regulated by Divine wisdom, yet, so far as man is
concerned, it is absolutely sovereign in its operations. So it is with
the Spirit. Sometimes the wind blows so softly it scarcely rustles a
leaf; at other times it blows so loudly that its roar can be heard for
miles. So it is in the matter of the new birth; with some the Holy
Spirit deals so gently, that His work is imperceptible to human
onlookers; with others His action is so powerful, radical,
revolutionary, that His operations are patent to many. Sometimes the
wind is purely local in its reach, at other times wide-spread in its
scope. So it is with the Spirit: today He acts on one or two souls,
tomorrow He may, as at Pentecost, "prick in the heart" a whole
multitude. But whether He works on few or many, He consults not man.
He acts as He pleases. The new birth is due to the sovereign will of
the Spirit.
Each of the three Persons in the blessed Trinity is concerned with our
salvation: with the Father it is predestination; with the Son
propitiation; with the Spirit regeneration. The Father chose us; the
Son died for us; the Spirit quickens us. The Father was concerned
about us; the Son shed His blood for us, the Spirit performs His work
within us. What the One did was eternal, what the Other did was
external, what the Spirit does is internal. It is with the work of the
Spirit we are now concerned, with His work in the new birth, and
particularly His sovereign operations in the new birth. The Father
purposed our new birth; the Son has made possible (by His "travail")
the new birth; but it is the Spirit who effects the new birth--"Born
of the Spirit" (John 3:6).
The new birth is solely the work of God the Spirit and man has no part
or lot in it. This from the very nature of the case. Birth altogether
excludes the idea of any effort or work on the part of the one who is
born. Personally we have no more to do with our spiritual birth than
we had with our natural birth. The new birth is a spiritual
resurrection, a "passing from death unto life" (John 5:24)
and, clearly, resurrection is altogether outside of man's province. No
corpse can reanimate itself. Hence it is written, "It is the Spirit
that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing" (John 6:63). But the
Spirit does not "quicken" everybody--why? The usual answer returned to
this question is, Because everybody does not trust in Christ. It is
supposed that the Holy Spirit quickens only those who believe. But
this is to put the cart before the horse. Faith is not the cause of
the new birth, but the consequence of it. This ought not to need
arguing. Faith (in God) is an exotic, something that is not native to
the human heart. If faith were a natural product of the human heart,
the exercise of a principle common to human nature, it would never
have been written, "All men have not faith" (2 Thess. 3:2). Faith is a
spiritual grace, the fruit of the spiritual nature, and because the
unregenerate are spiritually dead--"dead in trespasses and sins"--then
it follows that faith from them is impossible, for a dead man cannot
believe anything. "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please
God" (Rom. 8:8)--but they could if it were possible for the flesh to
believe. Compare with this last-quoted Scripture Hebrews 11:6--"But
without faith it is impossible to please Him." Can God be "pleased" or
satisfied with any thing which does not have its origin in Himself?
That the work of the Holy Spirit precedes our believing is
unequivocally established by 2 Thessalonians 2:13--"God hath from the
beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit
and belief of the truth." Note that "sanctification of the Spirit"
comes before and makes possible "belief of the truth." What then is
the "sanctification of the Spirit"? We answer, the new birth. In
Scripture "sanctification" always means "separation," separation from
something and unto something or someone. Let us now amplify our
assertion that the "sanctification of the Spirit" corresponds to the
new birth and points to the positional effect of it.
Here is a servant of God who preaches the Gospel to a congregation in
which are an hundred unsaved people. He brings before them the
teaching of Scripture concerning their ruined and lost condition; he
speaks of God, His character and righteous demands; he tells of Christ
meeting God's demands, and dying the Just for the unjust, and declares
that through "this Man" is now preached the forgiveness of sins; he
closes by urging the lost to believe what God has said in His Word and
receive His Son as their own personal Saviour. The meeting is over;
the congregation disperses; ninety-nine of the unsaved have refused to
come to Christ that they might have life, and go out into the night
having no hope, and without God in the world. But the hundredth heard
the Word of life; the Seed sown fell into ground which had been
prepared by God; he believed the Good News, and goes home rejoicing
that his name is written in heaven. He has been "born again," and just
as a newly-born babe in the natural world begins life by clinging
instinctively, in its helplessness, to its mother, so this newborn
soul has clung to Christ. Just as we read, "The Lord opened" the heart
of Lydia "that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul"
(Acts 16:14), so in the case supposed above, the Holy Spirit quickened
that one before he believed the Gospel message. Here then is the
"sanctification of the Spirit:" this one soul who has been born again
has, by virtue of his new birth, been separated from the other
ninety-nine. Those born again are, by the Spirit, set apart from those
who are dead in trespasses and sins.
A beautiful type of the operations of the Holy Spirit antecedent to
the sinner's "belief of the truth", is found in the first chapter of
Genesis. We read in verse 2, "And the earth was without form, and
void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep." The original Hebrew
here might be literally rendered thus: "And the earth had become a
desolate ruin, and darkness was upon the face of the deep." In "the
beginning" the earth was not created in the condition described in
verse 2.
Between the first two verses of Genesis 1 some awful catastrophe had
occurred [the Gap Theory-ed.]--possibly the fall of Satan--and, as the
consequence, the earth had been blasted and blighted, and had become a
"desolate ruin", lying beneath a pall of "darkness." Such also is the
history of man. Today, man is not in the condition in which he left
the hands of his Creator: an awful catastrophe has happened, and now
man is a "desolate ruin" and in total "darkness" concerning spiritual
things. Next we read in Genesis 1 how God refashioned the ruined earth
and created new beings to inhabit it. First we read, "And the Spirit
of God moved upon the face of the waters." Next we are told, "And God
said, Let there be light; and there was light." The order is the same
in the new creation: there is first the action of the Spirit, and then
the Word of God giving light. Before the Word found entrance into the
scene of desolation and darkness, bringing with it the light, the
Spirit of God "moved." So it is in the new creation. "The entrance of
Thy words giveth light" (Ps. 119:130), but before it can enter the
darkened human heart the Spirit of God must operate upon it. [1]
To return to 2 Thessalonians 2:13: "But we are bound to give thanks
always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath
from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of
the Spirit and belief of the truth." The order of thought here is most
important and instructive. First, God's eternal choice; second, the
sanctification of the Spirit; third, belief of the truth. Precisely
the same order is found in 1 Peter 1:2--"Elect according to the
foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit,
unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ." We take
it that the "obedience" here is the "obedience of faith" (Rom. 1:5),
which appropriates the virtues of the sprinkled blood of the Lord
Jesus. So then before the "obedience" (of faith, cf. Heb. 5:9), there
is the work of the Spirit setting us apart, and behind that is the
election of God the Father. The ones "sanctified of the Spirit" then,
are they whom "God hath from the beginning chosen to salvation" (2
Thess. 2:13), those who are "elect according to the foreknowledge of
God the Father" (1 Pet. 1:2).
But, it may be said, is not the present mission of the Holy Spirit to
"convict the world of sin"? And we answer, It is not. The mission of
the Spirit is threefold; to glorify Christ, to vivify the elect, to
edify the saints. John 16:8-11 does not describe the "mission" of the
Spirit, but sets forth the significance of His presence here in the
world. It treats not of His subjective work in sinners, showing them
their need of Christ, by searching their consciences and striking
terror to their hearts; what we have there is entirely objective. To
illustrate. Suppose I saw a man hanging on the gallows, of what would
that "convince" me? Why, that he was a murderer. How would I thus be
convinced? By reading the record of his trial? by hearing a confession
from his own lips? No; but by the fact that he was hanging there. So
the fact that the Holy Spirit is here furnishes proof of the world's
guilt, of God's righteousness, and of the Devil's judgment.
The Holy Spirit ought not to be here at all. That is a startling
statement, but we make it deliberately. Christ is the One who ought to
be here. He was sent here by the Father, but the world did not want
Him, would not have Him, hated Him, and cast Him out. And the presence
of the Spirit here instead evidences its guilt. The coming of the
Spirit was a proof to demonstration of the resurrection, ascension,
and glory of the Lord Jesus. His presence on earth reverses the
world's verdict, showing that God has set aside the blasphemous
judgment in the palace of Israel's high priest and in the hall of the
Roman governor. The "reproof" of the Spirit abides, and abides
altogether irrespective of the world's reception or rejection of His
testimony.
Had our Lord been referring here to the gracious work which the Spirit
would perform in those who should be brought to feel their need of
Him, He had said that the Spirit would convict men of their
unrighteousness, their lack of righteousness. But this is not the
thought here at all. The descent of the Spirit from heaven establishes
God's righteousness, Christ's righteousness. The proof of that is,
Christ has gone to the Father. Had Christ been an Imposter, as the
religious world insisted when they cast Him out, the Father had not
received Him. The fact that the Father did exalt Him to His own right
hand, demonstrates that He was innocent of the charges laid against
Him; and the proof that the Father has received Him, is the presence
now of the Holy Spirit on earth, for Christ has sent Him from the
Father (John 16:7)! The world was unrighteous in casting Him out, the
Father righteous in glorifying Him; and this is what the Spirit's
presence here establishes.
"Of judgment, because the Prince of this world is judged" (v. 11).
This is the logical and inevitable climax. The world is brought in
guilty for their rejection of, for their refusal to receive, Christ.
Its condemnation is exhibited by the Father's exaltation of the
spurned One. Therefore nothing awaits the world, and its Prince, but
judgment. The "judgment" of Satan is already established by The
Spirit's presence here, for Christ, through death, set at nought him
who had the power of death, that is, the Devil (Heb. 2:14).
When God's time comes for the Spirit to depart from the earth, then
His sentence will be executed, both on the world and its Prince. In
the light of this unspeakably solemn passage, we need not be surprised
to find Christ saying, "The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot
receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him". No, the world
wants Him not; He condemns the world.
"And when He is come, He will reprove (or, better, "convict"--bring in
guilty) the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of
sin, because they believe not on Me; Of righteousness, because I go to
My Father, and ye see Me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of
this world is judged" (John 16:8-11). Three things, then, the presence
of the Holy Spirit on earth demonstrates to the world: first, its sin,
because the world refused to believe on Christ; second, God's
righteousness in exalting to His own right hand the One cast out, and
now no more seen by the world; third, judgment, because Satan the
world's prince is already judged, though execution of his judgment is
yet future. Thus the Holy Spirit's presence here displays things as
they really are.
The Holy Spirit is sovereign in His operations and His mission is
confined to God's elect: they are the ones He "comforts," "seals,"
guides into all truth, shews things to come, etc. The work of the
Spirit is necessary in order to the complete accomplishment of the
Father's eternal purpose. Speaking hypothetically, but reverently, be
it said, that if God had done nothing more than given Christ to die
for sinners, not a single sinner would ever have been saved. In order
for any sinner to see his need of a Saviour and be willing to receive
the Saviour he needs, the work of the Holy Spirit upon and within him
were imperatively required. Had God done nothing more than given
Christ to die for sinners and then sent forth His servants to proclaim
salvation through Christ, leaving sinners entirely to themselves to
accept or reject as they pleased, then every sinner would have
rejected, because at heart every man hates God and is at enmity with
Him. Therefore the work of the Holy Spirit was needed to bring the
sinner to Christ, to overcome his innate opposition, and compel him to
accept the provision God has made. We say "compel" the sinner, for
this is precisely what the Holy Spirit does, has to do, and this leads
us to consider at some length, though as briefly as possible, the
parable of the "Marriage Supper."
In Luke 14:16 we read, "A certain man made a great supper, and bade
many." By comparing carefully what follows here with Matthew 22:2-10
several important distinctions will be observed. We take it that these
passages are two independent accounts of the same parable, differing
in detail according to the distinctive purpose and design of the Holy
Spirit in each Gospel. Matthew's account--in harmony with the Spirit's
presentation there of Christ as the Son of David, the King of the
Jews--says, "A certain king made a marriage for his son." Luke's
account--where the Spirit presents Christ as the Son of Man--says, "A
certain man made a great supper and bade many." Matthew 22:3 says,
"And sent forth His servants;" Luke 14:17 says, "And sent His
servant." Now what we wish particularly to call attention to is, that
all through Matthew's account it is "servants," whereas in Luke it is
always "servant." The class of readers for whom we are writing are
those that believe, unreservedly, in the verbal inspiration of the
Scriptures, and such will readily acknowledge there must be some
reason for this change from the plural number in Matthew to the
singular number in Luke. We believe the reason is a weighty one and
that attention to this variation reveals an important truth. We
believe that the "servants" in Matthew, speaking generally, are all
who go forth preaching the Gospel, but that the "Servant" in Luke 14
is the Holy Spirit Himself. This is not incongruous, or derogatory to
the Holy Spirit, for God the Son, in the days of His earthly ministry,
was the Servant of Jehovah (Isa. 42:1). It will be observed that in
Matthew 22
the "servants" are sent forth to do three things: first, to "call" to
the wedding (v. 3); second, to "tell those which are bidden . . . all
things are ready: come unto the marriage" (v. 4); third, to "bid to
the marriage" (v. 9); and these three are the things which those who
minister the Gospel today are now doing. In Luke 14 the Servant is
also sent forth to do three things: first, He is "to say to them that
were bidden, Come: for all things are now ready" (v. 17) ; second, He
is to "bring in the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind"
(v. 21); third, He is to "compel them to come in" (v. 23), and the
last two of these the Holy Spirit alone can do!
In the above Scripture we see that "the Servant," the Holy Spirit,
compels certain ones to come in to the "supper" and herein is seen His
sovereignty, His omnipotency, His Divine sufficiency. The clear
implication from this word "compel" is, that those whom the Holy
Spirit does "bring in" are not willing of themselves to come. This is
exactly what we have sought to show in previous paragraphs. By nature,
God's elect are children of wrath even as others (Eph. 2:3), and as
such their hearts are at enmity with God. But this "enmity" of theirs
is overcome by the Spirit and He "compels" them to come in. Is it not
clear then that the reason why others are left outside, is not only
because they are unwilling to go in, but also because the Holy Spirit
does not "compel" them to come in? Is it not manifest that the Holy
Spirit is sovereign in the exercise of His power, that as the wind
"bloweth where it pleaseth", so the Holy Spirit operates where He
pleases?
And now to sum up. We have sought to show the perfect consistency of
God's ways: that each Person in the Godhead acts in sympathy and
harmony with the Others. God the Father elected certain ones to
salvation, God the Son died for the elect, and God the Spirit quickens
the elect. Well may we sing,
Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him all creatures here below,
Praise Him above ye heavenly host,
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] The priority contended for above is rather in order of nature than
of time, just as the effect must ever be preceded by the cause. A
blind man must have his eyes opened before he can see, and yet there
is no interval of time between the one and the other. As soon as his
eyes are opened, he sees. So a man must be born again before he can
"see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). Seeing the Son is necessary to
believing in Him. Unbelief is attributed to spiritual blindness--those
who believed not the "report" of the Gospel "saw no beauty" in Christ
that they should desire Him. The work of the Spirit in "quickening"
the one dead in sins, precedes faith in Christ, just as cause ever
precedes effect. But no sooner is the heart turned toward Christ by
the Spirit, than the Saviour is embraced by the sinner.
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THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
Chapter 5
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD IN REPROBATION
"Behold therefore the goodness and the severity of God"
Romans. 11:22
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In the last chapter when treating of the Sovereignty of God the Father
in Salvation, we examined seven passages which represent Him as making
a choice from among the children of men, and predestinating certain
ones to be conformed to the image of His Son. The thoughtful reader
will naturally ask, And what of those who were not "ordained to
eternal life?" The answer which is usually returned to this question,
even by those who profess to believe what the Scriptures teach
concerning God's sovereignty, is, that God passes by the non-elect,
leaves them alone to go their own way, and in the end casts them into
the Lake of Fire because they refused His way, and rejected the
Saviour of His providing. But this is only a part of the truth; the
other part--that which is most offensive to the carnal mind--is either
ignored or denied.
In view of the awful solemnity of the subject here before us, in view
of the fact that today almost all--even those who profess to be
Calvinists--reject and repudiate this doctrine, and in view of the
fact that this is one of the points in our book which is calculated to
raise the most controversy, we feel that an extended enquiry into this
aspect of God's Truth is demanded. That this branch of the subject of
God's sovereignty is profoundly mysterious we freely allow, yet, that
is no reason why we should reject it. The trouble is that, nowadays,
there are so many who receive the testimony of God only so far as they
can satisfactorily account for all the reasons and grounds of His
conduct, which means they will accept nothing but that which can be
measured in the petty scales of their own limited capacities.
Stating it in its baldest form the point now to be considered is, Has
God fore-ordained certain ones to damnation? That many will be
eternally damned is clear from Scripture, that each one will be judged
according to his works and reap as he has sown, and that in
consequence his "damnation is just" (Rom. 3:8), is equally sure, and
that God decreed that the non-elect should choose the course they
follow we now undertake to prove.
From what has been before us in the previous chapter concerning the
election of some to salvation, it would unavoidably follow, even if
Scripture had been silent upon it, that there must be a rejection of
others. Every choice, evidently and necessarily implies a refusal, for
where there is no leaving out there can be no choice. If there be some
whom God has elected unto salvation (2 Thess. 2:13), there must be
others who are not elected unto salvation. If there are some that the
Father gave to Christ (John 6:37), there must be others whom He did
not give unto Christ. If there are some whose names are written in the
Lamb's book of Life (Rev. 21:27), there must be others whose names are
not written there. That this is the case we shall fully prove below.
Now all will acknowledge that from the foundation of the world God
certainly fore-knew and fore-saw who would and who would not receive
Christ as their Saviour, therefore in giving being and birth to those
He knew would reject Christ, He necessarily created them unto
damnation. All that can be said in reply to this is, No, while God did
foreknow these ones would reject Christ, yet He did not decree that
they should. But this is a begging of the real question at issue. God
had a definite reason why He created men, a specific purpose why He
created this and that individual, and in view of the eternal
destination of His creatures, He purposed either that this one should
spend eternity in Heaven or that this one should spend eternity in the
Lake of Fire. If then He foresaw that in creating a certain person
that that person would despise and reject the Saviour, yet knowing
this beforehand He, nevertheless, brought that person into existence,
then it is clear He designed and ordained that that person should be
eternally lost. Again; faith is God's gift, and the purpose to give it
only to some, involves the purpose not to give it to others. Without
faith there is no salvation--"He that believeth not shall be damned"--
hence if there were some of Adam's descendants to whom He purposed not
to give faith, it must be because He ordained that they should be
damned.
Not only is there no escape from these conclusions, but history
confirms them. Before the Divine Incarnation, for almost two thousand
years, the vast majority of mankind were left destitute of even the
external means of grace, being favored with no preaching of God's Word
and with no written revelation of His will. For many long centuries
Israel was the only nation to whom the Deity vouchsafed any special
discovery of Himself--"Who in times past suffered all nations to walk
in their own ways" (Acts 14:16)--"You only (Israel) have I known of
all the families of the earth" (Amos 3:2). Consequently, as all other
nations were deprived of the preaching of God's Word, they were
strangers to the faith that cometh thereby (Rom. 10:17). These nations
were not only ignorant of God Himself, but of the way to please Him,
of the true manner of acceptance with Him, and the means of arriving
at the everlasting enjoyment of Himself.
Now if God had willed their salvation, would He not have vouchsafed
them the means of salvation? Would He not have given them all things
necessary to that end? But it is an undeniable matter of fact that He
did not. If, then, Deity can, consistently, with His justice, mercy,
and benevolence, deny to some the means of grace, and shut them up in
gross darkness and unbelief (because of the sins of their forefathers,
generations before), why should it be deemed incompatible with His
perfections to exclude some persons, many, from grace itself, and from
that eternal life which is connected with it? seeing that He is Lord
and sovereign Disposer both of the end to which the means lead, and
the means which lead to that end?
Coming down to our own day, and to those in our own country--leaving
out the almost innumerable crowds of unevangelized heathen--is it not
evident that there are many living in lands where the Gospel is
preached, lands which are full of churches, who die strangers to God
and His holiness? True, the means of grace were close to their hand,
but many of them knew it not. Thousands are born into homes where they
are taught from infancy to regard all Christians as hypocrites and
preachers as arch-humbugs. Others, are instructed from the cradle in
Roman Catholicism, and are trained to regard Evangelical Christianity
as deadly heresy, and the Bible as a book highly dangerous for them to
read. Others, reared in "Christian Science" families, know no more of
the true Gospel of Christ than do the unevangelized heathen. The great
majority of these die in utter ignorance of the Way of Peace. Now are
we not obliged to conclude that it was not God's will to communicate
grace to them? Had His will been otherwise, would He not have actually
communicated His grace to them? If, then, it was the will of God, in
time, to refuse to them His grace, it must have been His will from all
eternity, since His will is, as Himself, the same yesterday, and today
and forever. Let it not be forgotten that God's providences are but
the manifestations of His decrees: what God does in time is only what
He purposed in eternity--His own will being the alone cause of all His
acts and works. Therefore from His actually leaving some men in final
impenitency and unbelief we assuredly gather it was His everlasting
determination so to do; and consequently that He reprobated some from
before the foundation of the world.
In the Westminster Confession it is said, "God from all eternity did
by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and
unchangeably foreordain whatsoever comes to pass". The late Mr. F. W.
Grant--a most careful and cautious student and writer--commenting on
these words said: "It is perfectly, divinely true, that God hath
ordained for His own glory whatsoever comes to pass." Now if these
statements are true, is not the doctrine of Reprobation established by
them? What, in human history, is the one thing which does come to pass
every day? What, but that men and women die, pass out of this world
into a hopeless eternity, an eternity of suffering and woe. If then
God has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass then He must have
decreed that vast numbers of human beings should pass out of this
world unsaved to suffer eternally in the Lake of Fire. Admitting the
general premise, is not the specific conclusion inevitable?
In reply to the preceding paragraphs the reader may say, All this is
simply reasoning, logical no doubt, but yet mere inferences. Very
well, we will now point out that in addition to the above conclusions
there are many passages in Holy Writ, which are most clear and
definite in their teaching on this solemn subject; passages which are
too plain to be misunderstood and too strong to be evaded. The marvel
is that so many good men have denied their undeniable affirmations.
"Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. There was not a
city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the
inhabitants of Gibeon: all other they took in battle. For it was of
the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel
in battle, that He might destroy them utterly, and that they might
have no favour, but that He might destroy them, as the Lord commanded
Moses" (Josh. 11:18-20). What could be plainer than this? Here was a
large number of Canaanites whose hearts the Lord hardened, whom He had
purposed to utterly destroy, to whom He showed "no favour". Granted
that they were wicked, immoral, idolatrous; were they any worse than
the immoral, idolatrous cannibals of the South Sea Islands (and many
other places), to whom God gave the Gospel through John G. Paton!
Assuredly not. Then why did not Jehovah command Israel to teach the
Canaanites His laws and instruct them concerning sacrifices to the
true God? Plainly, because He had marked them out for destruction, and
if so, that from all eternity.
"The Lord hath made all things for Himself: yea, even the wicked for
the day of evil." (Prov. 16:4). That the Lord made all, perhaps every
reader of this book will allow: that He made all for Himself is not so
widely believed. That God made us, not for our own sakes, but for
Himself; not for our own happiness, but for His glory; is,
nevertheless, repeatedly affirmed in Scripture--Revelation 4:11. But
Proverbs 16:4 goes even farther: it expressly declares that the Lord
made the wicked for the Day of Evil: that was His design in giving
them being. But why? Does not Romans 9:17 tell us, "For the Scripture
saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this purpose have I raised thee up, that
I might shew My power in thee, and that My name might be declared
throughout all the earth"! God has made the wicked that, at the end,
He may demonstrate "His power"--demonstrate it by showing what an easy
matter it is for Him to subdue the stoutest rebel and to overthrow His
mightiest enemy.
"And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: Depart from Me,
ye that work iniquity" (Matt. 7:23). In the previous chapter it has
been shown that, the words "know" and "foreknowledge" when applied to
God in the Scriptures, have reference not simply to His prescience
(i.e. His bare knowledge beforehand), but to His knowledge of
approbation. When God said to Israel, "You only have I known of all
the families of the earth" (Amos 3:2), it is evident that He meant,
"You only had I any favorable regard to." When we read in Romans 11:2
"God hath not cast away His people (Israel) whom He foreknew," it is
obvious that what was signified is, "God has not finally rejected that
people whom He has chosen as the objects of His love--cf. Deuternomy
7:7, 8. In the same way (and it is the only possible way) are we to
understand Matthew 7:23. In the Day of Judgment the Lord will say unto
many, "I never knew you". Note, it is more than simply "I know you
not". His solemn declaration will be, "I never knew you"--you were
never the objects of My approbation. Contrast this with "I know (love)
My sheep, and am known (loved) of Mine" (John 10:14). The "sheep", His
elect, the "few", He does "know"; but the reprobate, the non-elect,
the "many" He knows not--no, not even before the foundation of the
world did He know them--He "NEVER" knew them!
In Romans 9 the doctrine of God's sovereignty in its application to
both the elect and the reprobate is treated of at length. A detailed
exposition of this important chapter would be beyond our present
scope; all that we can essay is to dwell upon the part of it which
most clearly bears upon the aspect of the subject which we are now
considering.
Verse 17: "For the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same
purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show My power in thee, and
that My name might be declared throughout all the earth." These words
refer us back to verses 13 and 14. In verse 13 God's love to Jacob and
His hatred to Esau are declared. In verse 14 it is asked "Is there
unrighteousness with God?" and here in verse 17 the apostle continues
his reply to the objection. We cannot do better now than quote from
Calvin's comments upon this verse. "There are here two things to be
considered,--the predestination of Pharaoh to ruin, which is to be
referred to the past and yet the hidden counsel of God,--and then, the
design of this, which was to make known the name of God. As many
interpreters, striving to modify this passage, pervert it, we must
first observe, that for the word `I have raised thee up', or stirred
up, in the Hebrew is, `I have appointed', by which it appears, that
God, designing to show that the contumacy of Pharaoh would not prevent
Him to deliver His people, not only affirms that his fury had been
foreseen by Him, and that He had prepared means for restraining it,
but that He had also thus designedly ordained it and indeed for this
end,--that he might exhibit a more illustrious evidence of His own
power." It will be observed that Calvin gives as the force of the
Hebrew word which Paul renders "For this purpose have I raised thee
up,"--"I have appointed". As this is the word on which the doctrine
and argument of the verse turns we would further point out that in
making this quotation from Exodus 9:16 the apostle significantly
departs from the Septuagint--the version then in common use, and from
which he most frequently quotes--and substitutes a clause for the
first that is given by the Septuagint: instead of "On this account
thou hast been preserved", he gives "For this very end have I raised
thee up"!
But we must now consider in more detail the case of Pharaoh which sums
up in concrete example the great controversy between man and his
Maker. "For now I will stretch out My hand, that I may smite thee and
thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth.
And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in
thee My power; and that My name may be declared throughout all the
earth" (Ex. 9:15, 16). Upon these words we offer the following
comments:
First, we know from Exodus 14 and 15 that Pharaoh was "cut off", that
he was cut off by God, that he was cut off in the very midst of his
wickedness, that he was cut off not by sickness nor by the infirmities
which are incident to old age, nor by what men term an accident, but
cut off by the immediate hand of God in judgment.
Second, it is clear that God raised up Pharaoh for this very end--to
"cut him off," which in the language of the New Testament means
"destroyed." God never does anything without a previous design. In
giving him being, in preserving him through infancy and childhood, in
raising him to the throne of Egypt, God had one end in view. That such
was God's purpose is clear from His words to Moses before he went down
to Egypt, to demand of Pharaoh that Jehovah's people should be allowed
to go a three days' journey into the wilderness to worship Him--"And
the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see
that thou do all these wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in
thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the
people go" (Ex. 4:21). But not only so, God's design and purpose was
declared long before this. Four hundred years previously God had said
to Abraham, "Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a
land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict
them four hundred years; and also that nation, whom they shall serve,
will I judge" (Gen. 15:13, 14). From these words it is evident (a
nation and its king being looked at as one in the O. T.) that God's
purpose was formed long before He gave Pharaoh being.
Third, an examination of God's dealings with Pharaoh makes it clear
that Egypt's king was indeed a "vessel of wrath fitted to
destruction." Placed on Egypt's throne, with the reins of government
in his hands, he sat as head of the nation which occupied the first
rank among the peoples of the world. There was no other monarch on
earth able to control or dictate to Pharaoh. To such a dizzy height
did God raise this reprobate, and such a course was a natural and
necessary step to prepare him for his final fate, for it is a Divine
axiom that "pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before
a fall." Further,--and this is deeply important to note and highly
significant--God removed from Pharaoh the one outward restraint which
was calculated to act as a check upon him. The bestowing upon Pharaoh
of the unlimited powers of a king was setting him above all legal
influence and control. But besides this, God removed Moses from his
presence and kingdom. Had Moses, who not only was skilled in all the
wisdom of the Egyptians but also had been reared in Pharaoh's
household, been suffered to remain in close proximity to the throne,
there can be no doubt but that his example and influence had been a
powerful check upon the king's wickedness and tyranny. This, though
not the only cause, was plainly one reason why God sent Moses into
Midian, for it was during his absence that Egypt's inhuman king framed
his most cruel edicts. God designed, by removing this restraint, to
give Pharaoh full opportunity to fill up the full measure of his sins,
and ripen himself for his fully-deserved but predestined ruin.
Fourth, God "hardened" his heart as He declared He would (Ex. 4:21).
This is in full accord with the declarations of Holy Scripture--"The
preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is
from the Lord" (Prov. 16:1); "The king's heart is in the hand of the
Lord, as the rivers of water, He turneth it whithersoever He will"
(Prov. 21:1). Like all other kings, Pharaoh's heart was in the hand of
the Lord; and God had both the right and the power to turn it
whithersoever He pleased. And it pleased Him to turn it against all
good. God determined to hinder Pharaoh from granting his request
through Moses to let Israel go, until He had fully prepared him for
his final overthrow, and because nothing short of this would fully fit
him, God hardened his heart.
Finally, it is worthy of careful consideration to note how the
vindication of God in His dealings with Pharaoh has been fully
attested. Most remarkable it is to discover that we have Pharaoh's own
testimony in favor of God and against himself! In Exodus 9:15 and 16
we learn how God had told Pharaoh for what purpose He had raised him
up, and in verse 27 of the same chapter we are told that Pharaoh said,
"I have sinned this time: the Lord is righteous, and I and my people
are wicked." Mark that this was said by Pharaoh after he knew that God
had raised him up in order to "cut him off", after his severe
judgments had been sent upon him, after he had hardened his own heart.
By this time Pharaoh was fairly ripened for judgment, and fully
prepared to decide whether God had injured him, or whether he had
sought to injure God; and he fully acknowledges that he had "sinned"
and that God was "righteous". Again; we have the witness of Moses who
was fully acquainted with God's conduct toward Pharaoh. He had heard
at the beginning what was God's design in connection with Pharaoh; he
had witnessed God's dealings with him; he had observed his
"long-sufferance" toward this vessel of wrath fitted to destruction;
and at last he had beheld him cut off in Divine judgment at the Red
Sea. How then was Moses impressed?
Does he raise the cry of injustice? Does he dare to charge God with
unrighteousness? Far from it. Instead, he says, "Who is like unto
Thee, O Lord, among the gods? "Who is like Thee, glorious in holiness,
fearful in praises, doing wonders!" (Ex. 15:11).
Was Moses moved by a vindictive spirit as he saw Israel's arch-enemy
"cut off" by the waters of the Red Sea? Surely not. But to remove
forever all doubt upon this score, it remains to be pointed out how
that saints in heaven, after they have witnessed the sore judgments of
God, join in singing "the song of Moses the servant of God, and the
song of the Lamb saying, Great and marvelous are Thy works, Lord God
Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of Nations" (Rev.
15:3). Here then is the climax, and the full and final vindication of
God's dealings with Pharaoh. Saints in heaven join in singing the Song
of Moses, in which that servant of God celebrated Jehovah's praise in
overthrowing Pharaoh and his hosts, declaring that in so acting God
was not unrighteous but just and true. We must believe, therefore,
that the Judge of all the earth did right in creating and destroying
this vessel of wrath, Pharaoh.
The case of Pharaoh establishes the principle and illustrates the
doctrine of Reprobation. If God actually reprobated Pharaoh, we may
justly conclude that He reprobates all others whom He did not
predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son. This inference
the apostle Paul manifestly draws from the fate of Pharaoh, for in
Romans 9, after referring to God's purpose in raising up Pharaoh, he
continues, "therefore". The case of Pharaoh is introduced to prove the
doctrine of Reprobation as the counterpart of the doctrine of
Election.
In conclusion, we would say that in forming Pharaoh God displayed
neither justice nor injustice, but only His bare sovereignty. As the
potter is sovereign in forming vessels, so God is sovereign in forming
moral agents.
Verse 18: "Therefore hath He mercy on whom He will have mercy, and
whom He will He hardeneth". The "therefore" announces the general
conclusion which the apostle draws from all he had said in the three
preceding verses in denying that God was unrighteous in loving Jacob
and hating Esau, and specifically it applies the principle exemplified
in God's dealings with Pharaoh. It traces everything back to the
sovereign will of the Creator. He loves one and hates another, He
exercises mercy toward some and hardens others, without reference to
anything save His own sovereign will.
That which is most repellant to the carnal mind in the above verse is
the reference to hardening--"Whom He will He hardeneth"-- and it is
just here that so many commentators and expositors have adulterated
the truth. The most common view is that the apostle is speaking of
nothing more than judicial hardening, i.e., a forsaking by God because
these subjects of His displeasure had first rejected His truth and
forsaken Him. Those who contend for this interpretation appeal to such
scriptures as Romans 1:19-26--"God gave them up", that is (see
context) those who "knew God" yet glorified Him not as God (v. 21).
Appeal is also made to 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12. But it is to be noted
that the word "harden" does not occur in either of these passages. But
further. We submit that Romans 9:18 has no reference whatever to
judicial "hardening". The apostle is not there speaking of those who
had already turned their backs on God's truth, but instead, he is
dealing with God's sovereignty, God's sovereignty as seen not only in
showing mercy to whom He wills, but also in hardening whom He pleases.
The exact words are "Whom He will"--not "all who have rejected His
truth"--"He hardeneth", and this, coming immediately after the mention
of Pharaoh, clearly fixes their meaning. The case of Pharaoh is plain
enough, though man by his glosses has done his best to hide the truth.
Verse 18: "Therefore hath He mercy on whom He will have mercy, and
whom He will He hardeneth". This affirmation of God's sovereign
"hardening" of sinners' hearts--in contradistinction from judicial
hardening--is not alone. Mark the language of John 12:37-40, "But
though He had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not
on Him: that the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled,
which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath
the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe
(why?), because that Isaiah said again, He hath blinded their eyes,
and hardened their hearts (why? Because they had refused to believe on
Christ? This is the popular belief, but mark the answer of Scripture)
that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their
heart, and be converted, and I should heal them." Now, reader, it is
just a question as to whether or not you will believe what God has
revealed in His Word. It is not a matter of prolonged searching or
profound study, but a childlike spirit which is needed, in order to
understand this doctrine.
Verse 19: "Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth He yet find fault? For
who hath resisted His will?" Is not this the very objection which is
urged today? The force of the apostle's questions here seems to be
this: Since everything is dependent on God's will, which is
irreversible, and since this will of God, according to which He can do
everything as sovereign--since He can have mercy on whom He wills to
have mercy, and can refuse mercy and inflict punishment on whom He
chooses to do so--why does He not will to have mercy on all, so as to
make them obedient, and thus put finding of fault out of court? Now it
should be particularly noted that the apostle does not repudiate the
ground on which the objection rests. He does not say God does not find
fault. Nor does he say, Men may resist His will. Furthermore; he does
not explain away the objection by saying: You have altogether
misapprehended my meaning when I said `Whom He wills He treats kindly,
and whom He wills He treats severely'. But he says, "first, this is an
objection you have no right to make; and then, This is an objection
you have no reason to make" (vide Dr. Brown). The objection was
utterly inadmissible, for it was a replying against God. It was to
complain about, argue against, what God had done!
Verse 19: "Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth He yet find fault? For
who hath resisted His will?" The language which the apostle here puts
into the mouth of the objector is so plain and pointed, that
misunderstanding ought to be impossible. Why doth He yet find fault?
Now, reader, what can these words mean? Formulate your own reply
before considering ours. Can the force of the apostle's question be
any other than this: If it is true that God has "mercy" on whom He
wills, and also "hardens" whom He wills, then what becomes of human
responsibility? In such a case men are nothing better than puppets,
and if this be true then it would be unjust for God to "find fault"
with His helpless creatures. Mark the word "then"--Thou wilt say then
unto me--he states the (false) inference or conclusion which the
objector draws from what the apostle had been saying. And mark, my
reader, the apostle readily saw the doctrine he had formulated would
raise this very objection, and unless what we have written throughout
this book provokes, in some at least, (all whose carnal minds are not
subdued by divine grace) the same objection, then it must be either
because we have not presented the doctrine which is set forth in
Romans 9, or else because human nature has changed since the apostle's
day. Consider now the remainder of the verse (19). The apostle repeats
the same objection in a slightly different form--repeats it so that
his meaning may not be misunderstood--namely, "For who hath resisted
His will?" It is clear then that the subject under immediate
discussion relates to God's "will", i.e., His sovereign ways, which
confirms what we have said above upon verses 17 and 18, where we
contended that it is not judicial hardening which is in view (that is,
hardening because of previous rejection of the truth), but sovereign
"hardening", that is, the "hardening" of a fallen and sinful creature
for no other reason than that which inheres in the sovereign will of
God. And hence the question, "Who hath resisted His will?" What then
does the apostle say in reply to these objections?
Verse 20: "Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God?
Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made
me thus?" The apostle, then, did not say the objection was pointless
and groundless, instead, he rebukes the objector for his impiety. He
reminds him that he is merely a "man", a creature, and that as such it
is most unseemly and impertinent for him to "reply (argue, or reason)
against God". Furthermore, he reminds him that he is nothing more than
a "thing formed", and therefore, it is madness and blasphemy to rise
up against the Former Himself. Ere leaving this verse it should be
pointed out that its closing words, "Why hast thou made me thus" help
us to determine, unmistakably, the precise subject under discussion.
In the light of the immediate context what can be the force of the
"thus"? What, but as in the case of Esau, why hast thou made me an
object of "hatred"? What, but as in the case of Pharaoh, Why hast thou
made me simply to "harden" me? What other meaning can, fairly, be
assigned to it?
It is highly important to keep clearly before us that the apostle's
object throughout this passage is to treat of God's sovereignty in
dealing with, on the one hand, those whom He loves--vessels unto honor
and vessels of mercy, and also, on the other hand, with those whom He
"hates" and "hardens"--vessels unto dishonor and vessels of wrath.
Verses 21-23: "Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same
lump, to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What
if God, willing to shew His wrath, and to make His power known,
endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to
destruction: And that He might make known the riches of His glory on
the vessels of mercy, which He had afore prepared unto glory." In
these verses the apostle furnishes a full and final reply to the
objections raised in verse 19. First, he asks, "Hath not the potter
power over the clay?" etc. It is to be noted the word here translated
"power" is a different one in the Greek from the one rendered "power"
in verse 22 where it can only signify His might; but here in verse 21,
the "power" spoken of must refer to the Creator's rights or sovereign
prerogatives; that this is so, appears from the fact that the same
Greek word is employed in John 1:12--"As many as received Him, to them
gave He power to become the sons of God"--which, as is well known,
means the right or privilege to become the sons of God. The R. V.
employs "right" both in John 1:12 and Romans 9:21.
Verse 21: "Hath not the potter power over the clay of the same lump,
to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?" That the
"potter" here is God Himself is certain from the previous verse, where
the apostle asks "Who art thou that repliest against God?" and then,
speaking in the terms of the figure he was about to use, continues,
"Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it" etc. Some there are
who would rob these words of their force by arguing that while the
human potter makes certain vessels to be used for less honorable
purposes than others, nevertheless, they are designed to fill some
useful place. But the apostle does not here say, Hath not the potter
power over the clay of the same lump, to make one vessel unto an
honorable use and another to a less honorable use, but he speaks of
some "vessels" being made "unto dishonour". It is true, of course,
that God's wisdom will yet be fully vindicated, inasmuch as the
destruction of the reprobate will promote His glory--in what way the
next verse tells us.
Ere passing to the next verse let us summarize the teaching of this
and the two previous ones. In verse 19 two questions are asked, "Thou
wilt say then unto me, Why doth He yet find fault? For who hath
resisted His will?" To those questions a threefold answer is returned.
First, in verse 20 the apostle denies the creature the right to sit in
judgment upon the ways of the Creator--"Nay but, O man who art thou
that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to Him that
formed it, Why hast Thou made me thus?" The apostle insists that the
rectitude of God's will must not be questioned. Whatever He does must
be right. Second, in verse 21 the apostle declares that the Creator
has the right to dispose of His creatures as He sees fit--"Hath not
the Potter power over the clay, of the same lump, to make one vessel
unto honor, and another unto dishonor?" It should be carefully noted
that the word for "power" here is exousia--an entirely different word
from the one translated "power" in the following verse ("to make known
His power"), where it is dunaton. In the words "Hath not the Potter
power over the clay?" it must be God's power justly exercised, which
is in view--the exercise of God's rights consistently with His
justice,--because the mere assertion of His omnipotency would be no
such answer as God would return to the questions asked in verse 19.
Third, in verses 22, 23, the apostle gives the reasons why God
proceeds differently with one of His creatures from another: on the
one hand, it is to "shew His wrath" and to "make His power known"; on
the other hand, it is to "make known the riches of His glory."
"Hath not the potter power over the clay of the same lump, to make one
vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?" Certainly God has the
right to do this because He is the Creator. Does He exercise this
right? Yes, as verses 13 and 17 clearly show us--"For this same
purpose have I raised thee (Pharaoh) up".
Verse 22: "What if God, willing to shew His wrath, and to make His
power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath
fitted to destruction". Here the apostle tells us in the second place,
why God acts thus, i.e., differently with different ones--having mercy
on some and hardening others, making one vessel "unto honour" and
another "unto dishonour". Observe, that here in verse 22 the apostle
first mentions "vessels of wrath", before he refers in verse 23 to the
"vessels of mercy". Why is this? The answer to this question is of
first importance: we reply, Because it is the "vessels of wrath" who
are the subjects in view before the objector in verse 19. Two reasons
are given why God makes some "vessels unto dishonour": first, to "shew
His wrath", and secondly "to make His power known"--both of which were
exemplified in the case of Pharaoh.
One point in the above verse requires separate consideration--"Vessels
of wrath fitted to destruction". The usual explanation which is given
of these words is that the vessels of wrath fit themselves to
destruction, that is, fit themselves by virtue of their wickedness;
and it is argued that there is no need for God to "fit them to
destruction", because they are already fitted by their own depravity,
and that this must be the real meaning of this expression. Now if by
"destruction" we understand punishment, it is perfectly true that the
non-elect do "fit themselves", for every one will be judged "according
to his works"; and further, we freely grant that subjectively the
non-elect do fit themselves for destruction. But the point to be
decided is, Is this what the apostle is here referring to? And,
without hesitation, we reply it is not. Go back to verses 11-13: did
Esau fit himself to be an object of God's hatred, or was he not such
before he was born? Again; did Pharaoh fit himself for destruction, or
did not God harden his heart before the plagues were sent upon
Egypt?--see Exodus 4:21!
Romans 9:22 is clearly a continuation in thought of verse 21, and
verse 21 is part of the apostle's reply to the questions raised in
verse 20: therefore, to fairly follow out the figure, it must be God
Himself who "fits" unto destruction the vessels of wrath. Should it be
asked how God does this, the answer, necessarily, is, objectively,--He
fits the non-elect unto destruction by His fore-ordinating decrees.
Should it be asked why God does this, the answer must be, To promote
His own glory, i.e., the glory of His justice, power and wrath. "The
sum of the apostle's answer here is, that the grand object of God,
both in the election and the reprobation of men, is that which is
paramount to all things else in the creation of men, namely, His own
glory" (Robert Haldane).
Verse 23: "And that He might make known the riches of His glory on the
vessels of mercy, which He had afore prepared unto glory." The only
point in this verse which demands attention is the fact that the
"vessels of mercy" are here said to be "afore prepared unto glory".
Many have pointed out that the previous verse does not say the vessels
of wrath were afore prepared unto destruction, and from this omission
they have concluded that we must understand the reference there to the
non-elect fitting themselves in time, rather than God ordaining them
for destruction from all eternity. But this conclusion by no means
follows. We need to look back to verse 21 and note the figure which is
there employed. "Clay" is inanimate matter, corrupt, decomposed, and
therefore a fit substance to represent fallen humanity. As then the
apostle is contemplating God's sovereign dealings with humanity in
view of the Fall, He does not say the vessels of wrath were "afore"
prepared unto destruction, for the obvious and sufficient reason that,
it was not until after the Fall that they became (in themselves) what
is here symbolized by the "clay". All that is necessary to refute the
erroneous conclusion referred to above, is to point out that what is
said of the vessels of wrath is not that they are fit for destruction
(which is the word that would have been used if the reference had been
to them fitting themselves by their own wickedness), but fitted to
destruction; which, in the light of the whole context, must mean a
sovereign ordination to destruction by the Creator. We quote here the
pointed words of Calvin on this passage--"There are vessels prepared
for destruction, that is, given up and appointed to destruction; they
are also vessels of wrath, that is, made and formed for this end, that
they may `be examples of God's vengeance and displeasure.' Though in
the second clause the apostle asserts more expressly, that it is God
who prepared the elect for glory, as he had simply said before that
the reprobate are vessels prepared for destruction, there is yet no
doubt but that the preparation of both is connected with the secret
counsel of God. Paul might have otherwise said, that the reprobate
gave up or cast themselves into destruction, but he intimates here,
that before they are born they are destined to their lot". With this
we are in hearty accord. Romans 9:22 does not say the vessels of wrath
fitted themselves, nor does it say they are fit for destruction,
instead, it declares they are "fitted to destruction", and the context
shows plainly it is God who thus "fits" them--objectively by His
eternal decrees.
Though Romans 9 contains the fullest setting forth of the doctrine of
Reprobation, there are still other passages which refer to it, one or
two more of which we will now briefly notice: --
"What then? That which Israel seeketh for, that he obtained not, but
the election obtained it, and the rest were hardened" (Rom. 11:7 R.
V.). Here we have two distinct and clearly defined classes which are
set in sharp antithesis: the "election" and "the rest"; the one
"obtained", the other is "hardened". On this verse we quote from the
comments of John Bunyan of immortal memory:--"These are solemn words:
they sever between men and men--the election and the rest, the chosen
and the left, the embraced and the refused. By `rest' here must needs
be understood those not elect, because set the one in opposition to
the other, and if not elect, whom then but reprobate?"
Writing to the saints at Thessalonica the apostle declared "For God
hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord
Jesus Christ" (1 Thess. 5:9). Now surely it is patent to any impartial
mind that this statement is quite pointless if God has not "appointed"
any to wrath. To say that God "hath not appointed us to wrath",
clearly implies that there are some whom He has "appointed to wrath",
and were it not that the minds of so many professing Christians are so
blinded by prejudice, they could not fail to clearly see this.
"A Stone of stumbling, and a Rock or offence, even to them who stumble
at the Word, being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed" (1
Pet. 2:8). The "whereunto" manifestly points back to the stumbling at
the Word, and their disobedience. Here, then, God expressly affirms
that there are some who have been "appointed" (it is the same Greek
word as in 1 Thess. 5:9) unto disobedience. Our business is not to
reason about it, but to bow to Holy Scripture. Our first duty is not
to understand, but to believe what God has said.
"But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed,
speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly
perish in their own corruption" (2 Pet. 2:12). Here, again, every
effort is made to escape the plain teaching of this solemn passage. We
are told that it is the "brute beasts" who are "made to be taken and
destroyed", and not the persons here likened to them. All that is
needed to refute such sophistry is to inquire wherein lies the point
of analogy between the "these" (men) and the "brute beasts"? What is
the force of the "as"--but "these as brute beasts"? Clearly, it is
that "these" men as brute beasts, are the ones who, like animals, are
"made to be taken and destroyed": the closing words confirming this by
reiterating the same sentiment--"and shall utterly perish in their own
corruption."
"For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old
ordained to this condemnation; ungodly men, turning the grace of our
God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord
Jesus Christ" (Jude 4). Attempts have been made to escape the obvious
force of this verse by substituting a different translation. The R.V.
gives: "But there are certain men crept in privily, even they who were
of old written of beforehand unto this condemnation." But this altered
rendering by no means gets rid of that which is so distasteful to our
sensibilities. The question arises, Where were these "of old written
of beforehand"? Certainly not in the Old Testament, for nowhere is
there any reference there to wicked men creeping into Christian
assemblies. If "written of" be the best translation of "prographo",
the reference can only be to the book of the Divine decrees. So
whichever alternative be selected there can be no evading the fact
that certain men are "before of old" marked out by God "unto
condemnation."
"And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him (viz. the
Antichrist), every one whose name hath not been written from the
foundation of the world in the Book of Life of the Lamb that hath been
slain" (Rev. 13:8, R. V. compare Rev. 17:8). Here, then, is a positive
statement affirming that there are those whose names were not written
in the Book of Life. Because of this they shall render allegiance to
and bow down before the Antichrist.
Here, then, are no less than ten passages which most plainly imply or
expressly teach the fact of reprobation. They affirm that the wicked
are made for the Day of Evil; that God fashions some vessels unto
dishonor; and by His eternal decree (objectively) fits them unto
destruction; that they are like brute beasts, made to be taken and
destroyed, being of old ordained unto this condemnation. Therefore in
the face of these scriptures we unhesitatingly affirm (after nearly
twenty years careful and prayerful study of the subject) that the Word
of God unquestionably teaches both Predestination and Reprobation, or
to use the words of Calvin, "Eternal Election is God's predestination
of some to salvation, and others to destruction".
Having thus stated the doctrine of Reprobation, as it is presented in
Holy Writ, let us now mention one or two important considerations to
guard it against abuse and prevent the reader from making any
unwarranted deductions:--
First, the doctrine of Reprobation does not mean that God purposed to
take innocent creatures, make them wicked, and then damn them.
Scripture says, "God hath made man upright, but they have sought out
many inventions" (Eccl. 7:29). God has not created sinful creatures in
order to destroy them, for God is not to be charged with the sin of
His creatures. The responsibility and criminality is man's.
God's decree of Reprobation contemplated Adam's race as fallen,
sinful, corrupt, guilty. From it God purposed to save a few as the
monuments of His sovereign grace; the others He determined to destroy
as the exemplification of His justice and severity. In determining to
destroy these others, God did them no wrong. They had already fallen
in Adam, their legal representative; they are therefore born with a
sinful nature, and in their sins He leaves them. Nor can they
complain. This is as they wish; they have no desire for holiness; they
love darkness rather than light. Where, then, is there any injustice
if God "gives them up to their own hearts' lusts" (Ps. 81:12)!
Second, the doctrine of Reprobation does not mean that God refuses to
save those who earnestly seek salvation. The fact is that the
reprobate have no longing for the Saviour: they see in Him no beauty
that they should desire Him. They will not come to Christ--why then
should God force them to? He turns away none who do come--where then
is the injustice of God fore-determining their just doom? None will be
punished but for their iniquities; where then, is the supposed
tyrannical cruelty of the Divine procedure? Remember that God is the
Creator of the wicked, not of their wickedness; He is the Author of
their being, but not the Infuser of their sin.
God does not (as we have been slanderously reported to affirm) compel
the wicked to sin, as the rider spurs on an unwilling horse. God only
says in effect that awful word, "Let them alone" (Matt. 15:14). He
needs only to slacken the reins of providential restraint, and
withhold the influence of saving grace, and apostate man will only too
soon and too surely, of his own accord, fall by his iniquities. Thus
the decree of reprobation neither interferes with the bent of man s
own fallen nature, nor serves to render him the less inexcusable.
Third, the decree of Reprobation in nowise conflicts with God's
goodness. Though the non-elect are not the objects of His goodness in
the same way or to the same extent as the elect are, yet are they not
wholly excluded from a participation of it. They enjoy the good things
of Providence (temporal blessings) in common with God's own children,
and very often to a higher degree. But how do they improve them? Does
the (temporal) goodness of God lead them to repent? Nay, verily, they
do but "despise His goodness, and forbearance, and longsuffering, and
after their hardness and impenitency of heart treasure up unto
themselves wrath against the day of wrath" (Rom. 2:4, 5). On what
righteous ground, then, can they murmur against not being the objects
of His benevolence in the endless ages yet to come? Moreover, if it
did not clash with God's mercy and kindness to leave the entire body
of the fallen angels (2 Pet. 2:4) under the guilt of their apostasy;
still less can it clash with the Divine perfections to leave some of
fallen mankind in their sins and punish them for them.
Finally, let us interpose this necessary caution: It is utterly
impossible for any of us, during the present life, to ascertain who
are among the reprobate. We must not now so judge any man, no matter
how wicked he may be. The vilest sinner, may, for all we know, be
included in the election of grace and be one day quickened by the
Spirit of grace. Our marching orders are plain, and woe be unto us if
we disregard them--"Preach the Gospel to every creature". When we have
done so our skirts are clear. If men refuse to heed, their blood is on
their own heads; nevertheless "we are unto God a sweet savour of
Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish. To the one we
are a savor of death unto death; and to the other we are a savour of
life unto life" (2 Cor. 2:15, 16).
We must now consider a number of passages which are often quoted with
the purpose of showing that God has not fitted certain vessels to
destruction or ordained certain ones to condemnation. First, we cite
Ezekiel 18:31--"Why will ye die, O house of Israel?" On this passage
we cannot do better than quote from the comments of Augustas
Toplady:--"This is a passage very frequently, but very idly, insisted
upon by Arminians, as if it were a hammer which would at one stroke
crush the whole fabric to powder. But it so happens that the "death"
here alluded to is neither spiritual nor eternal death: as is
abundantly evident from the whole tenor of the chapter. The death
intended by the prophet is a political death; a death of national
prosperity, tranquillity, and security. The sense of the question is
precisely this: What is it that makes you in love with captivity,
banishment, and civil ruin? Abstinence from the worship of images
might, as a people, exempt you from these calamities, and once more
render you a respectable nation. Are the miseries of public
devastation so alluring as to attract your determined pursuit? Why
will ye die? die as the house of Israel, and considered as a political
body? Thus did the prophet argue the case, at the same time
adding--"For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth saith
the Lord God, wherefore, turn yourselves, and live ye." This imports:
First, the national captivity of the Jews added nothing to the
happiness of God. Second, if the Jews turned from idolatry, and flung
away their images, they should not die in a foreign, hostile country,
but live peaceably in their own land and enjoy their liberties as an
independent people." To the above we may add: political death must be
what is in view in Ezekiel 18:31, 32 for the simple but sufficient
reason that they were already spiritually dead!
Matthew 25:41 is often quoted to show that God has not fitted certain
vessels to destruction--"Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting
fire, prepared for the Devil and his angels." This is, in fact, one of
the principal verses relied upon to disprove the doctrine of
Reprobation. But we submit that the emphatic word here is not "for"
but "Devil." This verse (see context) sets forth the severity of the
judgment which awaits the lost. In other words, the above Scripture
expresses the awfulness of the everlasting fire rather than the
subjects of it--if the fire be "prepared for the Devil and his angels"
then how intolerable it will be! If the place of eternal torment into
which the damned shall be cast is the same as that in which God's
arch-enemy will suffer, how dreadful must that place be!
Again: if God has chosen only certain ones to salvation, why are we
told that God "now commandeth all men everywhere to repent" (Acts
17:30)? That God commandeth "all men" to repent is but the enforcing
of His righteous claims as the moral Governor of the world. How could
He do less, seeing that all men everywhere have sinned against Him?
Furthermore; that God commandeth all men everywhere to repent argues
the universality of creature responsibility. But this Scripture does
not declare that it is God's pleasure to "give repentance" (Acts 5:31)
to all men everywhere. That the apostle Paul did not believe God gave
repentance to every soul is clear from his words in 2 Timothy
2:25--"In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God
peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the
truth."
Again, we are asked, if God has "ordained" only certain ones unto
eternal life, then why do we read that He "will have all men to be
saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4)? The reply
is, that the words "all" and "all men", like the term "world," are
often used in a general and relative sense. Let the reader carefully
examine the following passages: Mark 1:5; John 6:45; 8:2; Acts 21:28;
22:15; 2 Corinthians 3:2 etc., and he will find full proof of our
assertion. 1 Timothy 2:4 cannot teach that God wills the salvation of
all mankind, or otherwise all mankind would be saved--"What His soul
desireth even that He doeth" (Job 23:13)!
Again; we are asked, Does not Scripture declare, again and again, that
God is no "respecter of persons"? We answer, it certainly does, and
God's electing grace proves it. The seven sons of Jesse, though older
and physically superior to David, are passed by, while the young
shepherd-boy is exalted to Israel's throne. The scribes and lawyers
pass unnoticed, and ignorant fishermen are chosen to be the apostles
of the Lamb. Divine truth is hidden from the wise and prudent and is
revealed to babes instead. The great majority of the wise and noble
are ignored, while the weak, the base, the despised, are called and
saved. Harlots and publicans are sweetly compelled to come in to the
gospel feast, while self-righteous Pharisees are suffered to perish in
their immaculate morality. Truly, God is "no respecter" of persons or
He would not have saved me.
That the Doctrine of Reprobation is a "hard saying" to the carnal mind
is readily acknowledged--yet, is it any "harder" than that of eternal
punishment? That it is clearly taught in Scripture we have sought to
demonstrate, and it is not for us to pick and choose from the truths
revealed in God's Word. Let those who are inclined to receive those
doctrines which commend themselves to their judgment, and who reject
those which they cannot fully understand, remember those scathing
words of our Lord's, "O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that
the prophets have spoken" (Luke 24:25): fools because slow of heart;
slow of heart, not dull of head!
Once more we would avail ourselves of the language of Calvin: "But, as
I have hitherto only recited such things as are delivered without any
obscurity or ambiguity in the Scriptures, let persons who hesitate not
to brand with ignominy those Oracles of heaven, beware what kind of
opposition they make. For, if they pretend ignorance, with a desire to
be commended for their modesty, what greater instance of pride can be
conceived, than to oppose one little word to the authority of God! as,
`It appears otherwise to me,' or `I would rather not meddle with this
subject.' But if they openly censure, what will they gain by their
puny attempts against heaven? Their petulance, indeed, is no novelty;
for in all ages there have been impious and profane men, who have
virulently opposed this doctrine. But they shall feel the truth of
what the Spirit long ago declared by the mouth of David, that God `is
clear when He judgeth' (Ps. 51 :4). David obliquely hints at the
madness of men who display such excessive presumption amidst their
insignificance, as not only to dispute against God, but to arrogate to
themselves the power of condemning Him. In the meantime, he briefly
suggests, that God is unaffected by all the blasphemies which they
discharge against heaven, but that He dissipates the mists of calumny,
and illustriously displays His righteousness; our faith, also, being
founded on the Divine Word, and therefore, superior to all the world,
from its exaltation looks down with contempt upon those mists" (John
Calvin).
In closing this chapter we propose to quote from the writings of some
of the standard theologians since the days of the Reformation, not
that we would buttress our own statements by an appeal to human
authority, however venerable or ancient, but in order to show that
what we have advanced in these pages is no novelty of the twentieth
century, no heresy of the `latter days' but, instead, a doctrine which
has been definitely formulated and commonly taught by many of the most
pious and scholarly students of Holy Writ.
"Predestination we call the decree of God, by which He has determined
in Himself, what He would have to become of every individual of
mankind. For they are not all created with a similar destiny: but
eternal life is foreordained for some, and eternal damnation for
others. Every man, therefore, being created for one or the other of
these ends, we say, he is predestinated either to life or to
death"--from John Calvin's "Institutes" (1536 A. D.) Book III, Chapter
XXI entitled "Eternal Election, or God's Predestination of Some to
Salvation and of Others to Destruction."
We ask our readers to mark well the above language. A perusal of it
should show that what the present writer has advanced in this chapter
is not "Hyper-Calvinism" but real Calvinism, pure and simple. Our
purpose in making this remark is to show that those who, not
acquainted with Calvin's writings, in their ignorance condemn as
ultra-Calvinism that which is simply a reiteration of what Calvin
himself taught--a reiteration because that prince of theologians as
well as his humble debtor have both found this doctrine in the Word of
God itself.
Martin Luther is his most excellent work "De Servo Arbitrio" (Free
will a Slave), wrote: "All things whatsoever arise from, and depend
upon, the Divine appointments, whereby it was preordained who should
receive the Word of Life, and who should disbelieve it, who should be
delivered from their sins, and who should be hardened in them, who
should be justified and who should be condemned. This is the very
truth which razes the doctrine of freewill from its foundations, to
wit, that God's eternal love of some men and hatred of others is
immutable and cannot be reversed."
John Fox, whose Book of Martyrs was once the best known work in the
English language (alas that it is not so today, when Roman Catholicism
is sweeping upon us like a great destructive tidal wave!),
wrote:--"Predestination is the eternal decreement of God, purposed
before in Himself, what should befall all men, either to salvation, or
damnation".
The "Larger Westminster Catechism" (1688)--adopted by the General
Assembly of the Presbyterian Church--declares, "God, by an eternal and
immutable decree, out of His mere love, for the praise of His glorious
grace, to be manifested in due time, hath elected some angels to
glory, and in Christ hath chosen some men to eternal life, and the
means thereof; and also, according to His sovereign power, and the
unsearchable counsel of His own will (whereby He extendeth or
withholdeth favor as He pleases), hath passed by, and fore-ordained
the rest to dishonour and wrath, to be for their sin inflicted, to the
praise of the glory of His justice".
John Bunyan, author of "The Pilgrim's Progress," wrote a whole volume
on "Reprobation". From it we make one brief extract:--"Reprobation is
before the person cometh into the world, or hath done good or evil.
This is evidenced by Romans 9:11. Here you find twain in their
mother's womb, and both receiving their destiny, not only before they
had done good or evil, but before they were in a capacity to do it,
they being yet unborn--their destiny, I say, the one unto, the other
not unto the blessing of eternal life; the one elect, the other
reprobate; the one chosen, the other refused". In his "Sighs from
Hell", John Bunyan also wrote: "They that do continue to reject and
slight the Word of God are such, for the most part, as are ordained to
be damned".
Commenting upon Romans 9:22, "What if God willing to shew His wrath,
and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the
vessels of wrath fitted to destruction" Jonathan Edwards (Vol. 4, p.
306--1743 A.D.) says, "How awful doth the majesty of God appear in the
dreadfulness of His anger! This we may learn to be one end of the
damnation of the wicked."
Augustus Toplady, author of "Rock of Ages" and other sublime hymns,
wrote: "God, from all eternity decreed to leave some of Adam's fallen
posterity in their sins, and to exclude them from the participation of
Christ and His benefits". And again; "We, with the Scriptures, assert:
That there is a predestination of some particular persons to life, for
the praise of the glory of Divine grace; and also a predestination of
other particular persons to death for the glory of Divine
justice--which death of punishment they shall inevitably undergo, and
that justly, on account of their sins
George Whitefield, that stalwart of the eighteenth century, used by
God in blessing to so many, wrote: "Without doubt, the doctrine of
election and reprobation must stand or fall together. . . . I frankly
acknowledge I believe the doctrine of Reprobation, that God intends to
give saving grace, through Jesus Christ, only to a certain number; and
that the rest of mankind, after the fall of Adam, being justly left of
God to continue in sin, will at last suffer that eternal death which
is its proper wages
"Fitted to destruction" (Rom. 9:22). After declaring this phrase
admits of two interpretations, Dr. Hodge--perhaps the best known and
most widely read commentator on Romans--says, "The other
interpretation assumes that the reference is to God and that the Greek
word for `fitted' has its full participle force; prepared (by God) for
destruction." This, says Dr. Hodge, "Is adopted not only by the
majority of Augustinians, but also by many Lutherans".
Were it necessary we are prepared to give quotations from the writings
of Wycliffe, Huss, Ridley, Hooper, Cranmer, Ussher, John Trapp, Thomas
Goodwin, Thomas Manton (Chaplain to Cromwell), John Owen, Witsius,
John Gill (predecessor of Spurgeon), and a host of others. We mention
this simply to show that many of the most eminent saints in bye-gone
days, the men most widely used of God, held and taught this doctrine
which is so bitterly hated in these last days, when men will no longer
"endure sound doctrine"; hated by men of lofty pretensions, but who,
notwithstanding their boasted orthodoxy and much advertised piety, are
not worthy to unfasten the shoes of the faithful and fearless servants
of God of other days.
"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! For
who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been His counsellor?
or who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto him
again? For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to
whom be glory forever, Amen" (Rom. 11:33-36).[1]
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] "Of Him"--His will is the origin of all existence; "through" or
"by Him"--He is the Creator and Controller of all; "to Him"--all
things promote His glory in their final end.
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A. W. Pink Header
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
Chapter 6
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD IN OPERATION
"For of Him, and thro' Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be
glory for ever. Amen" (Romans 11:36).
_________________________________________________________________
Has God foreordained everything that comes to pass? Has He decreed
that what is, was to have been? In the final analysis this is only
another way of asking, Is God now governing the world and everyone and
everything in it? If God is governing the world, then is He governing
it according to a definite purpose, or aimlessly and at random? If He
is governing it according to some purpose, then when was that purpose
made? Is God continually changing His purpose and making a new one
every day, or was His purpose formed from the beginning? Are God's
actions, like ours, regulated by the change of circumstances, or are
they the outcome of His eternal purpose? If God formed a purpose
before man was created, then is that purpose going to be executed
according to His original designs and is He now working toward that
end? What saith the Scriptures? They declare God is One "who worketh
all things after the counsel of His own will" (Eph. 1:11).
Few who read this book are likely to call into question the statement
that God knows and foreknows all things, but perhaps many would
hesitate to go further than this. Yet is it not self-evident that if
God foreknows all things, He has also fore-ordained all things? Is it
not clear that God foreknows what will be because He has decreed what
shall be? God's foreknowledge is not the cause of events, rather are
events the effects of His eternal purpose. When God has decreed a
thing shall be, He knows it will be. In the nature of things there
cannot be anything known as what shall be, unless it is certain to be,
and there is nothing certain to be unless God has ordained it shall
be. Take the Crucifixion as an illustration. On this point the
teaching of Scripture is as clear as a sunbeam. Christ as the Lamb
whose blood was to be shed, was "foreordained before the foundation of
the world" (1 Pet. 1:20). Having then "ordained" the slaying of the
Lamb, God knew He would be "led to the slaughter", and therefore made
it known accordingly through Isaiah the prophet. The Lord Jesus was
not "delivered" up by God fore-knowing it before it took place, but by
His fixed counsel and fore-ordination (Acts 2:23). Fore-knowledge of
future events then is founded upon God's decrees, hence if God
foreknows everything that is to be, it is because He has determined in
Himself from all eternity everything which will be--"Known unto God
are all His works from the beginning of the world" (Acts 15:18), which
shows that God has a plan, that God did not begin His work at random
or without a knowledge of how His plan would succeed.
God created all things. This truth no one, who bows to the testimony
of Holy Writ, will question; nor would any such be prepared to argue
that the work of creation was an accidental work. God first formed the
purpose to create, and then put forth the creative act in fulfillment
of that purpose. All real Christians will readily adopt the words of
the Psalmist and say, "O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! in wisdom
hast Thou made them all." Will any who endorse what we have just said,
deny that God purposed to govern the world which He created? Surely
the creation of the world was not the end of God's purpose concerning
it. Surely He did not determine simply to create the world and place
man in it. and then leave both to their fortunes. It must be apparent
that God has some great end or ends in view, worthy of His infinite
perfections, and that He is now governing the world so as to
accomplish these ends--"The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the
thoughts of His heart to all generations" (Ps. 33:11).
"Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none
else; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the
beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done,
saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure" (Isa.
46:9, 10). Many other passages might be adduced to show that God has
many counsels concerning this world and concerning man, and that all
these counsels will most surely be realized. It is only when they are
thus regarded that we can intelligently appreciate the prophecies of
Scripture. In prophecy the mighty God has condescended to take us into
the secret chamber of His eternal counsels, and make known to us what
He has purposed to do in the future. The hundreds of prophecies which
are found in the Old and New Testaments are not so much predictions of
what will come to pass, as they are revelations to us of what God has
purposed shall come to pass. Do we know from prophecy that this
present age, like all preceding ones, is to end with a full
demonstration of man's failure; do we know that there is to be a
universal turning away from the truth, a general apostasy; do we know
that the Antichrist is to be manifested, and that he will succeed in
deceiving the whole world; do we know that Antichrist's career will be
cut short, and an end made of man's miserable attempts to govern
himself, by the return of God's Son; then it is all because these and
a hundred other things are included among God's eternal decrees, now
made known to us in the sure Word of Prophecy, and because it is
infallibly certain that all God has purposed "must shortly come to
pass" (Rev. 1:1).
What then was the great purpose for which this world and the human
race were created? The answer of Scripture is, "The Lord hath made all
things for Himself" (Prov. 16:4). And again, "Thou hast created all
things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created" (Rev. 4:11).
The great end of creation was the manifestation of God's glory. The
heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth His
handiwork; but it was by man, originally made in His own image and
likeness, that God designed chiefly to manifest His glory. But how was
the great Creator to be glorified by man? Before his creation, God
foresaw the fall of Adam and the consequent ruin of his race,
therefore He could not have designed that man should glorify Him by
continuing in a state of innocency. Accordingly, we are taught that
Christ was "fore-ordained before the foundation of the world" to be
the Saviour of fallen men. The redemption of sinners by Christ was no
mere after-thought of God: it was no expediency to meet an
unlooked-for calamity. No; it was a Divine provision, and therefore
when man fell, he found mercy walking hand in hand with justice.
From all eternity God designed that our world should be the stage on
which He would display His manifold grace and wisdom in the redemption
of lost sinners: "To the intent that now unto the principalities and
powers in heavenly places might be known by the Church the manifold
wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in
Christ Jesus our Lord" (Eph. 3:11). For the accomplishment of this
glorious design God has governed the world from the beginning, and
will continue it to the end. It has been well said, "We can never
understand the providence of God over our world, unless we regard it
as a complicated machine having ten thousand parts, directed in all
its operations to one glorious end--the display of the manifold wisdom
of God in the salvation of the Church," i.e., the "called out" ones.
Everything else down here is subordinated to this central purpose. It
was the apprehension of this basic truth that the apostle, moved by
the Holy Spirit, was led to write, "Wherefore I endure all things for
the elect's sake, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in
Christ Jesus with eternal glory" (2 Tim. 2:10). What we would now
contemplate is the operation of God's sovereignty in the government of
this world.
In regard to the operation of God's government over the material world
little needs now be said. In previous chapters we have shown that
inanimate matter and all irrational creatures are absolutely subject
to their Creator's pleasure. While we freely admit that the material
world appears to be governed by laws that are stable and more or less
uniform in their operations, yet Scripture, history, and observation,
compel us to recognize the fact that God suspends these laws and acts
apart from them whenever it pleaseth Him to do so. In sending His
blessings or judgments upon His creatures He may cause the sun itself
to stand still, and the stars in their courses to fight for His people
(Judges 5:20) He may send or withhold "the early and the latter rains"
according to the dictates of His own infinite wisdom; He may smite
with plague or bless with health; in short, being God, being absolute
Sovereign, He is bound and tied by no laws of Nature, but governs the
material world as seemeth Him best.
But what of God's government of the human family? What does Scripture
reveal in regard to the modus operandi of the operations of His
governmental administration over mankind? To what extent and by what
influences does God control the sons of men? We shall divide our
answer to this question into two parts and consider first God's method
of dealing with the righteous, His elect; and then His method of
dealing with the wicked.
God's Method of Dealing with the Righteous:
1. God exerts upon His own elect a quickening influence or power.
By nature they are spiritually dead, dead in trespasses and sins, and
their first need is spiritual life, for "Except a man be born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). In the new birth God
brings us from death unto life (John 5:24). He imparts to us His own
nature (2 Pet. 1:4). He delivers us from the power of darkness and
translates us into the kingdom of His dear Son (Col. 1:13). Now,
manifestly, we could not do this ourselves, for we were "without
strength" (Rom. 5:6), hence it is written, "we are His workmanship
created in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:10).
In the new birth we are made partakers of the Divine nature: a
principle, a "seed," a life, is communicated to us which is "born of
the Spirit," and therefore "is spirit;" is born of the Holy Spirit,
and therefore is holy. Apart from this Divine and holy nature which is
imparted to us at the new birth, it is utterly impossible for any man
to generate a spiritual impulse, form a spiritual concept, think a
spiritual thought, understand spiritual things, still less engage in
spiritual works. "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord," but the
natural man has no desire for holiness, and the provision that God has
made he does not want. Will then a man pray for, seek for, strive
after, that which he dislikes? Surely not. If then a man does "follow
after" that which by nature he cordially dislikes, if he does now love
the One he once hated, it is because a miraculous change has taken
place within him; a power outside of himself has operated upon him, a
nature entirely different from his old one has been imparted to him,
and hence it is written, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a
new creation: old things are passed away, behold all things are become
new" (2 Cor. 5:17). Such an one as we have just described has passed
from death unto life, has been turned from darkness to light, and from
the power of Satan unto God (Acts 26:18). In no other way can the
great change be accounted for.
The new birth is very, very much more than simply shedding a few tears
due to a temporary remorse over sin. It is far more than changing our
course of life, the leaving off of bad habits and the substituting of
good ones. It is something different from the mere cherishing and
practicing of noble ideals. It goes infinitely deeper than coming
forward to take some popular evangelist by the hand, signing a
pledge-card, or "joining the church." The new birth is no mere turning
over a new leaf, but is the inception and reception of a new life. It
is no mere reformation but a Complete transformation. In short, the
new birth is a miracle, the result of the supernatural operation of
God. It is radical, revolutionary, lasting.
Here then is the first thing, in time, which God does in His own
elect. He lays hold of those who are spiritually dead and quickens
them into newness of life. He takes up one who was shapen in iniquity
and conceived in sin, and conforms him to the image of His Son. He
seizes a captive of the Devil and makes him a member of the household
of faith. He picks up a beggar and makes him joint-heir with Christ.
He comes to one who is full of enmity against Him, and gives him a new
heart that is full of love for Him. He stoops to one who by nature is
a rebel, and works in him both to will and to do of His good pleasure.
By His irresistible power He transforms a sinner into a saint, an
enemy into a friend, a slave of the Devil into a child of God. Surely
then we are moved to say,
"When all Thy mercies O my God
My wondering soul surveys,
Transported with the view I'm lost
In wonder, love and praise."
2. God exerts upon His own elect an energizing influence or power.
The apostle prayed to God for the Ephesian saints that the eyes of
their understanding might be enlightened in order that, among other
things, they might know "what is the exceeding greatness of His power
to usward who believe" (Eph. 1:18), and that they might be
"strengthened with might "by His Spirit in the inner man" (3:16). It
is thus that the children of God are enabled to fight the good fight
of faith, and battle with the adverse forces which constantly war
against them. In themselves they have no strength: they are but
"sheep," and sheep are one of the most defenceless animals there is;
but the promise is sure--"He giveth power to the faint, and to them
that have no might He increaseth strength" (Isa. 40:29).
It is this energizing power that God exerts upon and within the
righteous which enables them to serve Him acceptably. Said the prophet
of old, "But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord"
(Micah 3:8). And said our Lord to His apostles, "Ye shall receive
power after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you" (Acts 1:8), and
thus it proved, for of these same men we read subsequently, "And with
great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord
Jesus: and great grace was upon them all" (Acts 4:33). So it was, too,
with the apostle Paul, "And my speech and my preaching was not with
enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and
of power" (1 Cor. 2:4). But the scope of this power is not confined to
service, for we read in 2 Peter 1:3, "According as His Divine power
bath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness,
through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue."
Hence it is that the various graces of the Christian character, "love,
joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness,
temperance," are ascribed directly to God Himself, being denominated
"the fruit of the Spirit" (Gal. 5:22). Compare Ephesians 5:9.
3. God exerts upon His own elect a directing influence or power.
Of old He led His people across the wilderness, and directing their
steps by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night; and
today He still directs His saints, though now from within rather than
from without. "For this God is our God for ever and ever: He will be
our Guide even unto death" (Ps. 48:14), but He "guides" us by working
in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. That He does so
guide us is clear from the words of the apostle in Ephesians
2:10--"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good
works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
Thus all ground for boasting is removed, and God gets all the glory,
for with the prophet we have to say, "Lord, Thou wilt ordain peace for
us: for Thou also hast wrought all our works in us" (Isa. 26:12). How
true then that "A man's heart deviseth his way: hut the Lord directeth
his steps" (Prov. 16:9)! Compare Psalm 65:4, Ezekiel 36:27.
4. God exerts upon His own elect a preserving influence or power.
Many are the scriptures which set forth this blessed truth. "He
preserveth the souls of His saints; He delivereth them out of the hand
of the wicked" (Ps. 97:10). "For the Lord loveth judgment, and
forsaketh not His saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of
the wicked shall be cut off" (Ps. 37:28). "The Lord preserveth all
them that love Him: but all the wicked will He destroy" (Ps. 145:20).
It is needless to multiply texts or to raise an argument at this point
respecting the believer's responsibility and faithfulness--we can no
more "persevere" without God preserving us, than we can breathe when
God ceases to give us breath; we are "kept by the power of God through
faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Pet.
1:5). Compare 1 Chronicles 18:6. It remains for us now to consider,
God's Method of Dealing with the Wicked:
In contemplating God's governmental dealings with the non-elect we
find that He exerts upon them a fourfold influence or power. We adopt
the clear-cut divisions suggested by Dr. Rice:
1. God exerts upon the wicked a restraining influence by which they
are prevented from doing what they are naturally inclined to do.
A striking example of this is seen in Abimelech king of Gerar. Abraham
came down to Gerar and fearful lest he might be slain on account of
his wife he instructed her to pose as his sister. Regarding her as an
unmarried woman, Abimelech sent and took Sarah unto himself; and then
we learn how God put forth His power to protect her honor--"And God
said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the
integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against
Me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her" (Gen. 20:6). Had not
God interposed, Abimelech would have grievously wronged Sarah, but the
Lord restrained him and allowed him not to carry out the intentions of
his heart.
A similar instance is found in connection with Joseph and his
brethren's treatment of Him. Owing to Jacob's partiality for Joseph,
his brethren "hated him," and when they thought they had him in their
power, "they conspired against him to slay him" (Gen. 37:18). But God
did not allow them to carry out their evil designs. First He moved
Reuben to deliver him out of their hands, and next he caused Judah to
suggest that Joseph should be sold to the passing Ishmaelites, who
carried him down into Egypt. That it was God who thus restrained them
is clear from the words of Joseph himself, when some years later he
made known himself to his brethren: said he, "So now it was not you
that sent me hither, but God" (Gen. 45:8)!
The restraining influence which God exerts upon the wicked was
strikingly exemplified in the person of Balaam, the prophet hired by
Balak to curse the Israelites. One cannot read the inspired narrative
without discovering that, left to himself, Balaam had readily and
certainly accepted the offer of Balak. How evidently God restrained
the impulses of his heart is seen from his own acknowledgment--"How
shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the
Lord hath not defied? Behold I have received commandment to bless: and
He bath blessed; and I cannot reverse it" (Num. 23:8, 20).
Not only does God exert a restraining influence upon wicked
individuals, but He does so upon whole peoples as well. A remarkable
illustration of this is found in Ex. 34:24--"For I will cast out the
nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man
desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the Lord thy
God thrice in the year." Three times every male Israelite, at the
command of God, left his home and inheritance and journeyed to
Jerusalem to keep the Feasts of the Lord; and in the above scripture
we learn He promised them that, while they were at Jerusalem, He would
guard their unprotected homes by restraining the covetous designs and
desires of their heathen neighbors.
2. God exerts upon the wicked a softening influence disposing them
contrary to their natural inclinations to do that which will promote
His cause.
Above, we referred to Joseph's history as an illustration of God
exerting a restraining influence upon the wicked, let us note now his
experiences in Egypt as exemplifying our assertion that God also
exerts a softening influence upon the unrighteous. We are told that
while he was in the house of Potiphar, "The Lord was with Joseph, and
his master saw the Lord was with him," and in consequence, "Joseph
found favor in his sight and he made him overseer over his house"
(Gen. 39:3, 4). Later, when Joseph was unjustly cast into prison, we
are told, "But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and
gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison" (Gen. 39:21),
and in consequence the prison-keeper shewed him much kindness and
honor. Finally, after his release from prison, we learn from Acts 7:10
that the Lord "gave him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king
of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house."
An equally striking evidence of God's power to melt the hearts of his
enemies, was seen in Pharaoh's daughter's treatment of the infant
Moses. The incident is well known. Pharaoh had issued an edict
commanding the destruction of every male child of the Israelites. A
certain Levite had a son born to him who for three months was kept
hidden by his mother. No longer able to conceal the infant Moses, she
placed him in an ark of bulrushes, and laid him by the river's brink.
The ark was discovered by none less than the king's daughter who had
come down to the river to bathe, but instead of heeding her father's
wicked decree and casting the child into the river, we are told that
"she hod compassion on him" (Ex. 2:6)! Accordingly, the young life was
spared and later Moses became the adopted son of this princess!
God has access to the hearts of all men and He softens or hardens them
according to His sovereign purpose. The profane Esau swore vengeance
upon his brother for the deception which he had practiced upon his
father, yet when next he met Jacob, instead of slaying him we are told
that Esau "fell on his neck and kissed him" (Gen. 32:4)! Ahab, the
weak and wicked consort of Jezebel, was highly enraged against Elijah
the prophet, at whose word the heavens had been shut up for three
years and a half: so angry was he against the one whom he regarded as
his enemy that, we are told he searched for him in every nation and
kingdom, and when he could not be found "he took an oath" (1 Kings
18:10). Yet, when they met, instead of killing the prophet, Ahab
meekly obeyed Elijah's behest and "sent unto all the children of
Israel and gathered the prophets together unto Mount Carmel" (v. 20).
Again; Esther the poor Jewess is about to enter the presence-chamber
of the august Medo-Persian monarch which, said she, "is not according
to the law" (Est. 4:16). She went in expecting to "perish," but we are
told "She obtained favor in his sight, and the king held out to Esther
the golden scepter" (5:2). Yet again; the boy Daniel is a captive in a
foreign court. The king "appointed" a daily provision of meat and
drink for Daniel and his fellows. But Daniel purposed in his heart
that he would not defile himself with the allotted portion, and
accordingly made known his purpose to his master, the prince of the
eunuchs. What happened? His master was a heathen, and "feared" the
king. Did he turn then upon Daniel and angrily demand that his orders
be promptly carried out? No; for we read, "Now God had brought Daniel
into favor and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs" (Dan. 1:9)!
"The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water:
He turneth it whithersoever He will" (Prov. 21:1). A remarkable
illustration of this is seen in Cyrus, the heathen king of Persia.
God's people were in captivity, but the predicted end of their
captivity was almost reached. Meanwhile the Temple at Jerusalem lay in
ruins, and, as we have said, the Jews were in bondage in a distant
land. What hope was there then that the Lord's house would be
re-built? Mark now what God did, "Now in the first year of Cyrus king
of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be
fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia,
that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it in
writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of
heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and He hath
charged me to build Him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah" (Ezra
1:1, 2). Cyrus, be it remembered, was a pagan, and as secular history
bears witness, a very wicked man, yet the Lord moved him to issue this
edict, that His Word through Jeremiah seventy years before might be
fulfilled. A similar and further illustration is found in Ezra 7:27,
where we find Ezra returning thanks for what God had caused king
Artaxerxes to do in completing and beautifying the house which Cyrus
had commanded to be erected--"Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers
which hath put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify
the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem" (Ezra 7:27).
3. God exerts upon the wicked a directing influence so that good is
made to result from their intended evil.
Once more we revert to the history of Joseph as a case in point. In
selling Joseph to the Ishmaelites, his brethren were actuated by cruel
and heartless motives. Their object was to make away with him, and the
passing of these travelling traders furnished an easy way out for
them. To them the act was nothing more than the enslaving of a noble
youth for the sake of gain. But now observe how God was secretly
working and over-ruling their wicked actions. Providence so ordered it
that these Ishmaelites passed by just in time to prevent Joseph being
murdered, for his brethren had already taken counsel together to put
him to death. Further; these Ishmaelites were journeying to Egypt,
which was the very country to which God had purposed to send Joseph,
and He ordained they should purchase Joseph just when they did. That
the hand of God was in this incident, that it was something more than
a fortunate co-incidence, is clear from the words of Joseph to his
brethren at a later date, "God sent me before you to preserve you a
posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance"
(Gen. 45:7).
Another equally striking illustration of God directing the wicked is
found in Isaiah 10:5-7--"O Assyrian, the rod of Mine anger, and the
staff in their hand is Mine indignation. I will send him against a
hypocritical nation, and against the people of My wrath will I give
him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread
them down like the mire of the streets. Howbeit he meaneth not so,
neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and
cut off nations not a few." Assyria's king had determined to be a
world-conqueror, to "cut off nations not a few." But God directed and
controlled his military lust and ambition, and caused him to confine
his attention to the conquering of the insignificant nation of Israel.
Such a task was not in the proud king's heart--"he meant it not
so"--but God gave him this charge and he could do nothing but fulfill
it. Compare also Judges 7:22.
The supreme example of the controlling, directing influence, which God
exerts upon the wicked, is the Cross of Christ with all its attending
circumstances. If ever the superintending providence of God was
witnessed, it was there. From all eternity God had predestined every
detail of that event of all events. Nothing was left to chance or the
caprice of man. God had decreed when and where and how His blessed Son
was to die. Much of what He had purposed concerning the Crucifixion
had been made known through the Old Testament prophets, and in the
accurate and literal fulfillment of these prophecies we have clear
proof, full demonstration, of the controlling and directing influence
which God exerts upon the wicked. Not a thing occurred except as God
had ordained, and all that He had ordained took place exactly as He
purposed. Had it been decreed (and made known in Scripture) that the
Saviour should be betrayed by one of His own disciples--by His
"familiar friend"--see Psalm 41:9 and compare Matthew 26:50--then the
apostle Judas is the one who sold Him. Had it been decreed that the
betrayer should receive for his awful perfidy thirty pieces of silver,
then are the chief priests moved to offer him this very sum. Had it
been decreed that this betrayal sum should be put to a particular use,
namely, purchase the potter's field, then the hand of God directs
Judas to return the money to the chief priests and so guided their
"counsel" (Matt. 27:7) that they did this very thing. Had it been
decreed that there should be those who bore "false witness" against
our Lord (Ps. 35:11), then accordingly such were raised up. Had it
been decreed that the Lord of glory should be "spat upon and scourged"
(Is. 50:6), then there were not found wanting those who were vile
enough to do so. Had it been decreed that the Saviour should be
"numbered with the transgressors," then unknown to himself, Pilate,
directed by God, gave orders for His crucifixion along with two
thieves. Had it been decreed that vinegar and gall should be given Him
to drink while He hung upon the Cross, then this decree of God was
executed to the very letter. Had it been decreed that the heartless
soldiers should gamble for His garments, then sure enough they did
this very thing. Had it been decreed that not a bone of Him should be
broken (Ps. 34:20), then the controlling hand of God which suffered
the Roman soldier to break the legs of the thieves, prevented him from
doing the same with our Lord. Ah! there were not enough soldiers in
all the Roman legions, there were not sufficient demons in all the
hierarchies of Satan, to break one bone in the body of Christ. And
why? Because the Almighty Sovereign had decreed that not a bone should
be broken. Do we need to extend this paragraph any farther? Does not
the accurate and literal fulfillment of all that Scripture had
predicted in connection with the Crucifixion, demonstrate beyond all
controversy that an Almighty power was directing and superintending
everything that was done on that Day of days?
4. God also hardens the hearts of wicked men and blinds their minds.
"God hardens men's hearts! God blinds men's minds!" Yes, so Scripture
represents Him. In developing this theme of the sovereignty of God in
Operation we recognize that we have now reached its most solemn aspect
of all, and that here especially, we need to keep very close indeed to
the words of Holy Writ. God forbid that we should go one fraction
further than His Word goes; but may He give us grace to go as far as
His Word goes. It is true that secret things belong unto the Lord, but
it is also true that those things which are revealed in Scripture
belong unto us and to our children.
"He turned their heart to hate His people, to deal subtly with His
servants" (Ps. 105:25). The reference here is to the sojourn of the
descendants of Jacob in the land of Egypt when, after the death of the
Pharaoh who had welcomed the old patriarch and his family, there
"arose up a new king who knew not Joseph;" and in his days the
children of Israel had "increased greatly" so that they outnumbered
the Egyptians; then it was that God "turned their heart to hate His
people."
The consequence of the Egyptians' "hatred" is well known: they brought
them into cruel bondage and placed them under merciless taskmasters,
until their lot became unendurable. Helpless and wretched the
Israelites cried unto Jehovah, and in response, He appointed Moses to
be their deliverer. God revealed Himself unto His chosen servant, gave
him a number of miraculous signs which he was to exhibit at the
Egyptian court, and then bade him go to Pharaoh, and demand that the
Israelites should be allowed to go a three days journey into the
wilderness, that they might worship the Lord. But before Moses started
out on his journey God warned him concerning Pharaoh, "I will harden
his heart that he shall not let the people go" (Ex. 4:21). If it be
asked, Why did God harden Pharaoh's heart? the answer furnished by
Scripture itself is, In order that God might show forth His power in
him (Rom. 9:17); in other words, it was so that the Lord might
demonstrate that it was just as easy for Him to overthrow this haughty
and powerful monarch as it was for Him to crush a worm. If it should
be pressed further, Why did God select such a method of displaying His
power? then the answer must be, that being sovereign God reserves to
Himself the right to act as He pleases.
Not only are we told that God hardened the heart of Pharaoh so that he
would not let the Israelites go, but after God had plagued his land so
severely that he reluctantly gave a qualified permission, and after
that the first-born of all the Egyptians had been slain, and Israel
had actually left the land of bondage, God told Moses, "And I, behold,
I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them:
and I will get Me honor upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his
horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have
gotten Me honor upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his
horsemen" (Ex. 14:17, 18).
The same thing happened subsequently in connection with Sihon king of
Heshbon, through whose territory Israel had to pass on their way to
the promised Land. When reviewing their history, Moses told the
people, "But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him: for
the Lord thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate,
that He might deliver him into thy hand" (Deut. 2:30)!
So it was also after that Israel had entered Canaan. We read, "There
was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the
Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon: all other they took in battle. For
it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should come
against Israel in battle, that He might destroy them utterly, and that
they might have no favor, but that He might destroy them, as the Lord
commanded Moses" (Josh. 11:19,20). From other scriptures we learn why
God purposed to "destroy utterly" the Canaanites--it was because of
their awful wickedness and corruption.
Nor is the revelation of this solemn truth confined to the Old
Testament. In John 12:37-40 we read, "But though He had done so many
miracles before them, yet they believed not on Him: that (in order
that) the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he
spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of
the Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe, because that
Isaiah said again, HE hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their
heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with
their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them." It needs to be
carefully noted here that these whose eyes God "blinded" and whose
heart He "hardened," were men who had deliberately scorned the Light
and rejected the testimony of God's own Son.
Similarly we read in 2 Thessalonians 2:11, 12, "And for this cause God
shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that
they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure
in unrighteousness". The fulfillment of this scripture is yet future.
What God did unto the Jews of old He is yet going to do unto
Christendom. Just as the Jews of Christ's day despised His testimony,
and in consequence, were "blinded," so a guilty Christendom which has
rejected the Truth shall yet have sent them from God a "strong
delusion" that they may believe a lie.
Is God really governing the world? Is He exercising rule over the
human family? What is the modus operandi of His governmental
administration over mankind? To what extent and by what means does He
control the sons of men? How does God exercise an influence upon the
wicked, seeing their hearts are at enmity against Him? These are some
of the questions we have sought to answer from Scripture in the
previous sections of this chapter. Upon His own elect God exerts a
quickening, an energizing, a directing, and a preserving power. Upon
the wicked God exerts a restraining, softening, directing, and
hardening and blinding power, according to the dictates of His own
infinite wisdom and unto the outworking of His own eternal purpose.
God's decrees are being executed. What He has ordained is being
accomplished. Man's wickedness is bounded. The limits of evil-doing
and of evil-doers has been Divinely defined and cannot be exceeded.
Though many are in ignorance of it, all men, good and bad, are under
the jurisdiction of and are absolutely subject to the administration
of the Supreme Sovereign.--"Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent
reigneth" (Rev. 19:6)--reigneth over all.
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THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
Chapter 7
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD AND THE HUMAN WILL
"It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good
pleasure"
Philippians 2:13
_________________________________________________________________
Concerning the nature and the power of fallen man s will, the greatest
confusion prevails today, and the most erroneous views are held, even
by many of God's children. The popular idea now prevailing, and which
is taught from the great majority of pulpits, is that man has a "free
will", and that salvation comes to the sinner through his will
co-operating with the Holy Spirit. To deny the "free will" of man,
i.e. his power to choose that which is good, his native ability to
accept Christ, is to bring one into disfavor at once, even before most
of those who profess to be orthodox. And yet Scripture emphatically
says, "It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of
God that showeth mercy" (Rom. 9:16). Which shall we believe: God, or
the preachers?
But some one may reply, Did not Joshua say to Israel, "Choose you this
day whom ye will serve"? Yes, he did; but why not complete his
sentence?--"whether the gods that your fathers served which were on
the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose
land ye dwell" (Josh. 24:15)! But why attempt to pit scripture against
scripture? The Word of God never contradicts itself, and the Word
expressly declares, "There is none that seeketh after God" (Rom.
3:11). Did not Christ say to the men of His day, "Ye will not come to
Me, that ye might have life" (John 5:40)? Yes, but some did "come" to
Him, some did receive Him. True and who were they? John 1:12, 13 tells
us; "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the
sons of God, to them that believe on His name: which were born, not of
blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of
God"!
But does not Scripture say, "Whosoever will may come"? It does, but
does this signify that everybody has the will to come? What of those
who won't come? "Whosoever will may come" no more implies that fallen
man has the power (in himself) to come, than "Stretch forth thine
hand" implied that the man with the withered arm had ability (in
himself) to comply. In and of himself the natural man has power to
reject Christ; but in and of himself he has not the power to receive
Christ. And why? Because he has a mind that is "enmity against" Him
(Rom. 8:7); because he has a heart that hates Him (John 15:18). Man
chooses that which is according to his nature, and therefore before he
will ever choose or prefer that which is divine and spiritual, a new
nature must be imparted to him; in other words, he must be born again.
Should it be asked, But does not the Holy Spirit overcome a man's
enmity and hatred when He convicts the sinner of his sins and his need
of Christ; and does not the Spirit of God produce such conviction in
many that perish? Such language betrays confusion of thought: were
such a man's enmity really "overcome", then he would readily turn to
Christ; that he does not come to the Saviour, demonstrates that his
enmity is not overcome. But that many are, through the preaching of
the Word, convicted by the Holy Spirit, who nevertheless die in
unbelief, is solemnly true. Yet, it is a fact which must not be lost
sight of that, the Holy Spirit does something more in each of God's
elect than He does in the non-elect: He works in them "both to will
and to do of God's good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13).
In reply to what we have said above, Arminians would answer, No; the
Spirit's work of conviction is the same both in the converted and in
the unconverted, that which distinguishes the one class from the other
is that the former yielded to His strivings, whereas the latter resist
them. But if this were the case, then the Christian would make himself
to "differ", whereas the Scripture attributes the "differing" to God's
discriminating grace (1 Cor. 4:7). Again; if such were the case, then
the Christian would have ground for boasting and self-glorying over
his cooperation with the Spirit; but this would flatly contradict
Ephesians 2:8, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not
of yourselves: it is the gift of God".
Let us appeal to the actual experience of the Christian reader. Was
there not a time (may the remembrance of it bow each of us into the
dust) when you were unwilling to come to Christ? There was. Since then
you have come to Him. Are you now prepared to give Him all the glory
for that (Ps. 115:1)? Do you not acknowledge you came to Christ
because the Holy Spirit brought you from unwillingness to willingness?
You do. Then is it not also a patent fact that the Holy Spirit has not
done in many others what He has in you! Granting that many others have
heard the Gospel, been shown their need of Christ, yet, they are still
unwilling to come to Him. Thus He has wrought more in you, than in
them. Do you answer, Yet I remember well the time when the Great Issue
was presented to me, and my consciousness testifies that my will acted
and that I yielded to the claims of Christ upon me. Quite true. But
before you "yielded", the Holy Spirit overcame the native enmity of
your mind against God, and this "enmity" He does not overcome in all.
Should it be said, That is because they are unwilling for their enmity
to be overcome. Ah, none are thus "willing" till He has put forth His
all-mighty power and wrought a miracle of grace in the heart.
But let us now inquire, What is the human Will? Is it a
self-determining agent, or is it, in turn, determined by something
else? Is it sovereign or servant? Is the will superior to every other
faculty of our being so that it governs them, or is it moved by their
impulses and subject to their pleasure? Does the will rule the mind,
or does the mind control the will? Is the will free to do as it
pleases, or is it under the necessity of rendering obedience to
something outside of itself? "Does the will stand apart from the other
great faculties or powers of the soul, a man within a man, who can
reverse the man and fly against the man and split him into segments,
as a glass snake breaks in pieces? Or, is the will connected with the
other faculties, as the tail of the serpent is with his body, and that
again with his head, so that where the head goes, the whole creature
goes, and, as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he? First thought,
then heart (desire or aversion), and then act. Is it this way, the dog
wags the tail? Or, is it the will, the tail, wags the dog? Is the will
the first and chief thing in the man, or is it the last thing--to be
kept subordinate, and in its place beneath the other faculties? and,
is the true philosophy of moral action and its process that of Gen.
3:6: `And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food'
(sense-perception, intelligence), `and a tree to be desired'
(affections), `she took and ate thereof' (the will)." (G. S. Bishop).
These are questions of more than academical interest. They are of
practical importance. We believe that we do not go too far when we
affirm that the answer returned to these questions is a fundamental
test of doctrinal soundness.[1]
1. The Nature of the Human Will.
What is the Will? We answer, the will is the faculty of choice, the
immediate cause of all action. Choice necessarily implies the refusal
of one thing and the acceptance of another. The positive and the
negative must both be present to the mind before there can be any
choice. In every act of the will there is a preference--the desiring
of one thing rather than another. Where there is no preference, but
complete indifference, there is no volition. To will is to choose, and
to choose is to decide between two or more alternatives. But there is
something which influences the choice; something which determines the
decision. Hence the will cannot be sovereign because it is the servant
of that something. The will cannot be both sovereign and servant. It
cannot be both cause and effect. The will is not causative, because,
as we have said, something causes it to choose, therefore that
something must be the causative agent. Choice itself is affected by
certain considerations, is determined by various influences brought to
bear upon the individual himself, hence, volition is the effect of
these considerations and influences, and if the effect, it must be
their servant; and if the will is their servant then it is not
sovereign, and if the will is not sovereign, we certainly cannot
predicate absolute "freedom" of it. Acts of the will cannot come to
pass of themselves--to say they can, is to postulate an uncaused
effect. Ex nihilo nihil fit--nothing cannot produce something.
In all ages, however, there have been those who contended for the
absolute freedom or sovereignty of the human will. Men will argue that
the will possesses a self-determining power. They say, for example, I
can turn my eyes up or down, the mind is quite indifferent which I do,
the will must decide. But this is a contradiction in terms. This case
supposes that I choose one thing in preference to another, while I am
in a state of complete indifference. Manifestly, both cannot be true.
But it may be replied, the mind was quite indifferent until it came to
have a preference. Exactly; and at that time the will was quiescent,
too! But the moment indifference vanished, choice was made, and the
fact that indifference gave place to preference, overthrows the
argument that the will is capable of choosing between two equal
things. As we have said, choice implies the acceptance of one
alternative and the rejection of the other or others.
That which determines the will is that which causes it to choose. If
the will is determined, then there must be a determiner. What is it
that determines the will? We reply, The strongest motive power which
is brought to bear upon it. What this motive power is, varies in
different cases. With one it may be the logic of reason, with another
the voice of conscience, with another the impulse of the emotions,
with another the whisper of the Tempter, with another the power of the
Holy Spirit; whichever of these presents the strongest motive power
and exerts the greatest influence upon the individual himself, is that
which impels the will to act. In other words, the action of the will
is determined by that condition of mind (which in turn is influenced
by the world, the flesh, and the Devil, as well as by God), which has
the greatest degree of tendency to excite volition. To illustrate what
we have just said let us analyze a simple example--On a certain Lord's
day afternoon a friend of ours was suffering from a severe headache.
He was anxious to visit the sick, but feared that if he did so his own
condition would grow worse, and as the consequence, be unable to
attend the preaching of the Gospel that evening. Two alternatives
confronted him: to visit the sick that afternoon and risk being sick
himself, or, to take a rest that afternoon (and visit the sick the
next day), and probably arise refreshed and fit for the evening
service. Now what was it that decided our friend in choosing between
these two alternatives? The will? Not at all. True, that in the end,
the will made a choice, but the will itself was moved to make the
choice. In the above case certain considerations presented strong
motives for selecting either alternative; these motives were balanced
the one against the other by the individual himself, i.e., his heart
and mind, and the one alternative being supported by stronger motives
than the other, decision was formed accordingly, and then the will
acted. On the one side, our friend felt impelled by a sense of duty to
visit the sick; he was moved with compassion to do so, and thus a
strong motive was presented to his mind. On the other hand, his
judgment reminded him that he was feeling far from well himself, that
he badly needed a rest, that if he visited the sick his own condition
would probably be made worse, and in such case he would be prevented
from attending the preaching of the Gospel that night; furthermore, he
knew that on the morrow, the Lord willing, he could visit the sick,
and this being so, he concluded he ought to rest that afternoon. Here
then were two sets of alternatives presented to our Christian brother:
on the one side was a sense of duty plus his own sympathy, on the
other side was a sense of his own need plus a real concern for God's
glory, for he felt that he ought to attend the preaching of the Gospel
that night. The latter prevailed. Spiritual considerations outweighed
his sense of duty. Having formed his decision the will acted
accordingly, and he retired to rest. An analysis of the above case
shows that the mind or reasoning faculty was directed by spiritual
considerations, and the mind regulated and controlled the will. Hence
we say that, if the will is controlled, it is neither sovereign nor
free, but is the servant of the mind.
It is only as we see the real nature of freedom and mark that the will
is subject to the motives brought to bear upon it, that we are able to
discern there is no conflict between two statements of Holy Writ which
concern our blessed Lord. In Matthew 4:1 we read, "Then was Jesus led
up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the Devil;" but
in Mark 1:12, 13 we are told, "And immediately the Spirit driveth Him
into the wilderness. And He was there in the wilderness forty days,
tempted of Satan". It is utterly impossible to harmonize these two
statements by the Arminian conception of the will. But really there is
no difficulty. That Christ was "driven", implies it was by a forcible
motive or powerful impulse, such as was not to be resisted or refused;
that He was "led" denotes His freedom in going. Putting the two
together we learn, that He was driven, with a voluntary condescension
thereto. So, there is the liberty of man's will and the victorious
efficacy of God's grace united together: a sinner may be "drawn" and
yet "come" to Christ--the "drawing" presenting to him the irresistible
motive, the "coming" signifying the response of his will--as Christ
was "driven" and "led" by the Spirit into the wilderness.
Human philosophy insists that it is the will which governs the man,
but the Word of God teaches that it is the heart which is the
dominating center of our being. Many scriptures might be quoted in
substantiation of this. "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of
it are the issues of life" (Prov. 4:23). "For from within, out of the
heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications,
murders," etc. (Mark 7:21). Here our Lord traces these sinful acts
back to their source, and declares that their fountain is the "heart,"
and not the will! Again; "This people draweth nigh unto Me with their
lips, but their heart is far from Me" (Matt. 15:8). If further proof
were required we might call attention to the fact that the word
"heart" is found in the Bible more than three times oftener than is
the word "will," even though nearly half of the references to the
latter refer to God's will!
When we affirm that it is the heart and not the will which governs the
man, we are not merely striving about words, but insisting on a
distinction that is of vital importance. Here is an individual before
whom two alternatives are placed; which will he choose? We answer, the
one which is most agreeable to himself, i.e., his "heart"--the
innermost core of his being. Before the sinner is set a life of virtue
and piety, and a life of sinful indulgence; which will he follow? The
latter. Why? Because this is his choice. But does that prove the will
is sovereign? Not at all. Go back from effect to cause. Why does the
sinner choose a life of sinful indulgence? Because he prefers it--and
he does prefer it, all arguments to the contrary notwithstanding,
though of course he does not enjoy the effects of such a course. And
why does he prefer it? Because his heart is sinful. The same
alternatives, in like manner, confront the Christian, and he chooses
and strives after a life of piety and virtue. Why? Because God has
given him a new heart or nature. Hence we say it is not the will which
makes the sinner impervious to all appeals to "forsake his way," but
his corrupt and evil heart. He will not come to Christ, because be
does not want to, and he does not want to because his heart hates Him
and loves sin: see Jeremiah 17 :9!
In defining the will we have said above, that "the will is the faculty
of choice, the immediate cause of all action." We say the immediate
cause, for the will is not the primary cause of any action, any more
than the hand is. Just as the hand is controlled by the muscles and
nerves of the arm, and the arm by the brain; so the will is the
servant of the mind, and the mind, in turn, is affected by various
influences and motives which are brought to bear upon it. But, it may
be asked, Does not Scripture make its appeal to man's will? Is it not
written, "And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely"
(Rev. 22:17)? And did not our Lord say, "ye will not come to Me that
ye might have life" (John 5:40)? We answer; the appeal of Scripture is
not always made to man's "will"; other of his faculties are also
addressed. For example: "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."
"Hear and your soul shall live." "Look unto Me and be ye saved."
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." "Come now
and let us reason together," "with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness," etc., etc.
2. The Bondage of the Human Will.
In any treatise that proposes to deal with the human will, its nature
and functions, respect should be had to the will in three different
men, namely, unfallen Adam, the sinner, and the Lord Jesus Christ. In
unfallen Adam the will was free, free in both directions, free toward
good and free toward evil. Adam was created in a state of Innocency,
but not in a state of holiness, as is so often assumed and asserted.
Adam's will was therefore in a condition of moral equipoise: that is
to say, in Adam there was no constraining bias in him toward either
good or evil, and as such, Adam differed radically from all his
descendants, as well as from "the Man Christ Jesus." But with the
sinner it is far otherwise. The sinner is born with a will that is not
in a condition of moral equipoise, because in him there is a heart
that is "deceitful above all things and desperately wicked," and this
gives him a bias toward evil. So, too, with the Lord Jesus it was far
otherwise: He also differed radically from unfallen Adam. The Lord
Jesus Christ could not sin because He was "the Holy One of God."
Before He was born into this world it was said to Mary, "The Holy
Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall
overshadow thee: therefore also that Holy Thing which shall be born of
thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). Speaking reverently
then, we say, that the will of the Son of Man was not in a condition
of moral equipoise, that is, capable of turning toward either good or
evil. The will of the Lord Jesus was biased toward that which is good
because, side by side with His sinless, holy, perfect humanity, was
His eternal Deity. Now in contradistinction from the will of the Lord
Jesus which was biased toward good, and Adam's will which, before his
fall, was in a condition of moral equipoise--capable of turning toward
either good or evil--the sinner's will is biased toward evil, and
therefore is free in one direction only, namely, in the direction of
evil. The sinner's will is enslaved because it is in bondage to and is
the servant of a depraved heart.
In what does the sinner's freedom consist? This question is naturally
suggested by what we have just said above. The sinner is `free' in the
sense of being unforced from without. God never forces the sinner to
sin. But the sinner is not free to do either good or evil, because an
evil heart within is ever inclining him toward sin. Let us illustrate
what we have in mind. I hold in my hand a book. I release it; what
happens? It falls. In which direction? Downwards; always downwards.
Why? Because, answering the law of gravity, its own weight sinks it.
Suppose I desire that book to occupy a position three feet higher;
then what? I must lift it; a power outside of that book must raise it.
Such is the relationship which fallen man sustains toward God. Whilst
Divine power upholds him, he is preserved from plunging still deeper
into sin; let that power be withdrawn, and he falls--his own weight
(of sin) drags him down. God does not push him down, anymore than I
did that book. Let all Divine restraint be removed, and every man is
capable of becoming, would become, a Cain, a Pharaoh, a Judas. How
then is the sinner to move heavenwards? By an act of his own will? Not
so. A power outside of himself must grasp hold of him and lift him
every inch of the way. The sinner is free, but free in one direction
only--free to fall, free to sin. As the Word expresses it: "For when
ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness" (Rom.
6:20). The sinner is free to do as he pleases, always as he pleases
(except as he is restrained by God), but his pleasure is to sin.
In the opening paragraph of this chapter we insisted that a proper
conception of the nature and function of the will is of practical
importance, nay, that it constitutes a fundamental test of theological
orthodoxy or doctrinal soundness. We wish to amplify this statement
and attempt to demonstrate its accuracy. The freedom or bondage of the
will was the dividing line between Augustinianism and Pelagianism, and
in more recent times between Calvinism and Arminianism. Reduced to
simple terms, this means, that the difference involved was the
affirmation or denial of the total depravity of man. In taking the
affirmative we shall now consider,
3. The Impotency of the Human Will.
Does it lie within the province of man's will to accept or reject the
Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour? Granted that the Gospel is preached to
the sinner, that the Holy Spirit convicts him of his lost condition,
does it, in the final analysis, lie within the power of his own will
to resist or to yield himself up to God? The answer to this question
defines our conception of human depravity. That man is a fallen
creature all professing Christians will allow, but what many of them
mean by "fallen" is often difficult to determine. The general
impression seems to be that man is now mortal, that he is no longer in
the condition in which he left the hands of his Creator, that he is
liable to disease, that he inherits evil tendencies; but, that if he
employs his powers to the best of his ability, somehow he will be
happy at last. O, how far short of the sad truth! Infirmities,
sickness, even corporeal death, are but trifles in comparison with the
moral and spiritual effects of the Fall! It is only by consulting the
Holy Scriptures that we are able to obtain some conception of the
extent of that terrible calamity.
When we say that man is totally depraved, we mean that the entrance of
sin into the human constitution has affected every part and faculty of
man's being. Total depravity means that man is, in spirit and soul and
body, the slave of sin and the captive of the Devil--walking
"according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now
worketh in the children of disobedience" (Eph. 2 :2). This statement
ought not to need arguing: it is a common fact of human experience.
Man is unable to realize his own aspirations and materialize his own
ideals. He cannot do the things that he would. There is a moral
inability which paralyzes him. This is proof positive that he is no
free man, but instead, the slave of sin and Satan. "Ye are of your
father the Devil, and the lusts (desires) of your father ye will do"
(John 8:44). Sin is more than an act or a series of acts; it is a
state or condition: it is that which lies behind and produces the
acts. Sin has penetrated and permeated the whole of man's make-up. It
has blinded the understanding, corrupted the heart, and alienated the
mind from God. And the will has not escaped. The will is under the
dominion of sin and Satan. Therefore, the will is not free. In short,
the affections love as they do and the will chooses as it does because
of the state of the heart, and because the heart is deceitful above
all things and desperately wicked "There is none that seeketh after
God" (Rom. 3:11).
We repeat our question; Does it lie within the power of the sinner's
will to yield himself up to God? Let us attempt an answer by asking
several others: Can water (of itself) rise above its own level? Can a
clean thing come out of an unclean? Can the will reverse the whole
tendency and strain of human nature? Can that which is under the
dominion of sin originate that which is pure and holy? Manifestly not.
If ever the will of a fallen and depraved creature is to move
Godwards, a Divine power must be brought to bear upon it which will
overcome the influences of sin that pull in a counter direction. This
is only another way of saying, "No man can come to Me, except the
Father which hath sent Me, draw him" (John 6:44). In other words,
God's people must be made willing in the day of His power (Ps. 110:3).
As said Mr. Darby, "If Christ came to save that which is lost, free
will has no place. Not that God prevents men from receiving
Christ--far from it. But even when God uses all possible inducements,
all that is capable of exerting influence in the heart of man, it only
serves to show that man will have none of it, that so corrupt is his
heart, and so decided his will not to submit to God (however much it
may be the devil who encourages him to sin) that nothing can induce
him to receive the Lord, and to give up sin. If by the words, `freedom
of man,' they mean that no one forces him to reject the Lord, this
liberty fully exists. But if it is said that, on account of the
dominion of sin, of which he is the slave, and that voluntarily, he
cannot escape from his condition, and make choice of the good--even
while acknowledging it to be good, and approving of it--then he has no
liberty whatever (italics ours). He is not subject to the law, neither
indeed can be; hence, they that are in the flesh cannot please God."
The will is not sovereign; it is a servant, because influenced and
controlled by the other faculties of man's being. The sinner is not a
free agent because he is a slave of sin--this was clearly implied in
our Lord's words, "If the Son shall therefore make you free, ye shall
be free indeed" (John 8:36). Man is a rational being and as such
responsible and accountable to God, but to affirm that he is a free
moral agent is to deny that he is totally depraved--i.e., depraved in
will as in everything else. Because man's will is governed by his mind
and heart, and because these have been vitiated and corrupted by sin,
then it follows that if ever man is to turn or move in a Godward
direction, God Himself must work in him "both to will and to do of His
good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13). Man's boasted freedom is in truth "the
bondage of corruption"; he "serves divers lusts and pleasures." Said a
deeply taught servant of God, "Man is impotent as to his will. He has
no will favorable to God. I believe in free will; but then it is a
will only free to act according to nature (italics ours). A dove has
no will to eat carrion; a raven no will to eat the clean food of the
dove. Put the nature of the dove into the raven and it will eat the
food of the dove. Satan could have no will for holiness. We speak it
with reverence, God could have no will for evil. The sinner in his
sinful nature could never have a will according to God. For this he
must be born again" (J. Denham Smith). This is just what we have
contended for throughout this chapter--the will is regulated by the
nature.
Among the "decrees" of the Council of Trent (1563), which is the
avowed standard of Popery, we find the following:--
"If any one shall affirm, that man's free-will, moved and excited by
God, does not, by consenting, co-operate with God, the mover and
exciter, so as to prepare and dispose itself for the attainment of
justification; if moreover, anyone shall say, that the human will
cannot refuse complying, if it pleases, but that it is inactive, and
merely passive; let such an one be accursed"!
"If anyone shall affirm, that since the fall of Adam, man's free-will
is lost and extinguished; or, that it is a thing titular, yea a name,
without a thing, and a fiction introduced by Satan into the Church;
let such an one be accursed"!
Thus, those who today insist on the free-will of the natural man
believe precisely what Rome teaches on the subject! That Roman
Catholics and Arminians walk hand in hand may be seen from others of
the decrees issued by the Council of Trent:--"If any one shall affirm
that a regenerate and justified man is bound to believe that he is
certainly in the number of the elect (which, 1 Thess. 1:4, 5 plainly
teaches. A.W.P.) let such an one be accursed"! "If any one shall
affirm with positive and absolute certainty, that he shall surely have
the gift of perseverance to the end (which John 10:28-30 assuredly
guarantees, A.W.P.); let him be accursed"!
In order for any sinner to be saved three things were indispensable:
God the Father had to purpose his salvation, God the Son had to
purchase it, God the Spirit has to apply it. God does more than
"propose" to us: were He only to "invite", every last one of us would
be lost. This is strikingly illustrated in the Old Testament. In Ezra
1:1-3 we read, "Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that
the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the
Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a
proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing
saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, the Lord God of heaven hath
given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He hath charged me to
build Him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among
you of all His people? his God be with him, and let him go up to
Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of
Israel." Here was an "offer" made, made to a people in captivity,
affording them opportunity to leave and return to Jerusalem--God's
dwelling-place. Did all Israel eagerly respond to this offer? No
indeed. The vast majority were content to remain in the enemy's land.
Only an insignificant "remnant" availed themselves of this overture of
mercy! And why did they? Hear the answer of Scripture: "Then rose up
the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and
the Levites, with all whose spirit God had stirred up, to go up to
build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem" (Ezra I :5) ! In
like manner, God "stirs up" the spirits of His elect when the
effectual call comes to them, and not till then do they have any
willingness to respond to the Divine proclamation.
The superficial work of many of the professional evangelists of the
last fifty years is largely responsible for the erroneous views now
current upon the bondage of the natural man, encouraged by the
laziness of those in the pew in their failure to "prove all things" (1
Thess. 5:21). The average evangelical pulpit conveys the impression
that it lies wholly in the power of the sinner whether or not he shall
be saved. It is said that "God has done His part, now man must do
his." Alas, what can a lifeless man do, and man by nature is "dead in
trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1)! If this were really believed, there
would be more dependence upon the Holy Spirit to come in with His
miracle-working power, and less confidence in our attempts to "win men
for Christ."
When addressing the unsaved, preachers often draw an analogy between
God's sending of the Gospel to the sinner, and a sick man in bed, with
some healing medicine on a table by his side: all he needs to do is
reach forth his hand and take it. But in order for this illustration
to be in any wise true to the picture which Scripture gives us of the
fallen and depraved sinner, the sick man in bed must be described as
one who is blind (Eph. 4:18) so that he cannot see the medicine, his
hand paralyzed (Rom. 5:6) so that he is unable to reach forth for it,
and his heart not only devoid of all confidence in the medicine but
filled with hatred against the physician himself (John 15:18). O what
superficial views of man's desperate plight are now entertained!
Christ came here not to help those who were willing to help
themselves, but to do for His people what they were incapable of doing
for themselves: "To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners
from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison
house" (Isa. 42:7).
Now in conclusion let us anticipate and dispose of the usual and
inevitable objection--Why preach the Gospel if man is powerless to
respond? Why bid the sinner come to Christ if sin has so enslaved him
that he has no power in himself to come? Reply:--We do not preach the
Gospel because we believe that men are free moral agents, and
therefore capable of receiving Christ, but we preach it because we are
commanded to do so (Mark 16:15); and though to them that perish it is
foolishness, yet, "unto us which are saved it is the power of God" (1
Cor. 1:18). "The foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the
weakness of God is stronger than men" (1 Cor. 1:25). The sinner is
dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1), and a dead man is utterly
incapable of willing anything, hence it is that "they that are in the
flesh (the unregenerate) cannot please God" (Rom. 8:8).
To fleshly wisdom it appears the height of folly to preach the Gospel
to those that are dead, and therefore beyond the reach of doing
anything themselves. Yes, but God's ways are different from ours. It
pleases God "by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
believe" (1 Cor. 1:21). Man may deem it folly to prophesy to "dead
bones" and to say unto them, "O, ye dry bones, hear the Word of the
Lord" (Ezek. 37:4). Ah! but then it is the Word of the Lord, and the
words He speaks "they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63). Wise
men standing by the grave of Lazarus might pronounce it an evidence of
insanity when the Lord addressed a dead man with the words, "Lazarus,
Come forth." Ah! but He who thus spake was and is Himself the
Resurrection and the Life, and at His word even the dead live! We go
forth to preach the Gospel, then, not because we believe that sinners
have within themselves the power to receive the Saviour it proclaims,
but because the Gospel itself is the power of God unto salvation to
everyone that believeth, and because we know that "as many as were
ordained to eternal life" (Acts 13:48), shall believe (John 6:37;
10:16--note the "shall's"!) in God's appointed time, for it is
written, "Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power" (Ps.
110:3)!
What we have set forth in this chapter is not a product of "modern
thought"; no indeed, it is at direct variance with it. It is those of
the past few generations who have departed so far from the teachings
of their scripturally-instructed fathers. In the thirty-nine Articles
of the Church of England we read, "The condition of man after the fall
of Adam is such, that he cannot turn and prepare himself by his own
natural strength and good works to faith, and calling upon God:
Wherefore we have no power to do good works, pleasant and acceptable
to God, without the grace of God by Christ preventing us (being
before-hand with us), that we may have a good will, and working with
us, when we have that good will" (Article 10). In the Westminster
Catechism of Faith (adopted by the Presbyterians) we read, "The
sinfulness of that state whereinto man fell, consisteth in the guilt
of Adam's first sin, the wont of that righteousness wherein he was
created, and the corruption of his nature, whereby he is utterly
indisposed, disabled, and made opposite unto all that is spiritually
good, and wholly inclined to all evil, and that continually" (Answer
to question 25). So in the Baptists' Philadelphian Confession of
Faith, 1742, we read, "Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath
wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying
salvation; so as a natural man, being altogether averse from good, and
dead in sin, is not able by his own strength to convert himself, or to
prepare himself thereunto" (Chapter 9).
_________________________________________________________________
Endnotes
[1] Since writing the above we have read an article by the late J. N.
Darby entitled, "Man's so-called freewill," that opens with these
words: "This re-appearance of the doctrine of freewill serves to
support that of the pretension of the natural man to be not
irremediably fallen, for this is what such doctrine tends to. All who
have never been deeply convicted of sin, all persons in whom this
conviction is based on gross external sins, believe more or less in
freewill."
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A. W. Pink Header
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
Chapter 8
GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY AND HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY
"So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God"
Romans 14:12
_________________________________________________________________
In our last chapter we considered at some length the much debated and
difficult question of the human will. We have shown that the will of
the natural man is neither sovereign nor free but, instead, a servant
and slave. We have argued that a right conception of the sinner's
will-- its servitude-- is essential to a just estimate of his
depravity and ruin. The utter corruption and degradation of human
nature is something which man hates to acknowledge, and which he will
hotly and insistently deny, until he is "taught of God." Much, very
much, of the unsound doctrine which we now hear on every hand is the
direct and logical outcome of man's repudiation of God's expressed
estimate of human depravity. Men are claiming that they are "increased
with goods, and have need of nothing," and know not that they are
"wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked" (Rev. 3:17).
They prate about the `Ascent of Man,' and deny his Fall. They put
darkness for light and light for darkness. They boast of the `free
moral agency' of man when, in fact, he is in bondage to sin and
enslaved by Satan--"taken captive by him at his will" (2 Tim. 2:26).
But if the natural man is not a `free moral agent,' does it also
follow that he is not accountable?
`Free moral agency' is an expression of human invention and, as we
have said before, to talk of the freedom of the natural man is to
flatly repudiate his spiritual ruin. Nowhere does Scripture speak of
the freedom or moral ability of the sinner, on the contrary, it
insists on his moral and spiritual inability.
This is, admittedly, the most difficult branch of our subject. Those
who have ever devoted much study to this theme have uniformly
recognized that the harmonizing of God's Sovereignty with Man's
Responsibility is the gordian knot[1]
of theology.
The main difficulty encountered is to define the relationship between
God's sovereignty and man's responsibility. Many have summarily
disposed of the difficulty by denying its existence. A certain class
of theologians, in their anxiety to maintain man's responsibility,
have magnified it beyond all due proportions, until God's sovereignty
has been lost sight of, and in not a few instances flatly denied.
Others have acknowledged that the Scriptures present both the
sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man, but affirm that in
our present finite condition and with our limited knowledge it is
impossible to reconcile the two truths, though it is the bounden duty
of the believer to receive both. The present writer believes that it
has been too readily assumed that the Scriptures themselves do not
reveal the several points which show the conciliation of God's
sovereignty and man's responsibility. While perhaps the Word of God
does not clear up all the mystery (and this is said with reserve), it
does throw much light upon the problem, and it seems to us more
honoring to God and His Word to prayerfully search the Scriptures for
the complete solution of the difficulty, and even though others have
thus far searched in vain, that ought only to drive us more and more
to our knees. God has been pleased to reveal many things out of His
Word during the last century which were hidden from earlier students.
Who then dare affirm that there is not much to be learned yet
respecting our present inquiry!
As we have said above, our chief difficulty is to determine the
meeting-point of God's sovereignty and man's responsibility. To many
it has seemed that for God to assert His sovereignty, for Him to put
forth His power and exert a direct influence upon man, for Him to do
anything more than warn or invite, would be to interfere with man's
freedom, destroy his responsibility, and reduce him to a machine. It
is sad indeed to find one like the late Dr. Pierson--whose writings
are generally so scriptural and helpful--saying, "It is a tremendous
thought that even God Himself cannot control my moral frame, or
constrain my moral choice. He cannot prevent me defying and denying
Him, and would not exercise His power in such directions if He could,
and could not if He would" (A Spiritual Clinique). It is sadder still
to discover that many other respected and loved brethren are giving
expression to the same sentiments. Sad, because directly at variance
with the Holy Scriptures.
It is our desire to face honestly the difficulties involved, and to
examine them carefully in what light God has been pleased to grant us.
The chief difficulties might be expressed thus: first, How is it
possible for God to so bring His power to bear upon men that they are
prevented from doing what they desire to do, and impelled to do other
things they do not desire to do, and yet to preserve their
responsibility? Second, How can the sinner be held responsible for the
doing of what he is unable to do? And how can he be justly condemned
for not doing what he could not do? Third, How is it possible for God
to decree that men shall commit certain sins, hold them responsible in
the committal of them, and adjudge them guilty because they committed
them? Fourth, How can the sinner be held responsible to receive
Christ, and be damned for rejecting Him, when God had foreordained him
to condemnation? We shall now deal with these several problems in the
above order. May the Holy Spirit Himself be our Teacher, so that in
His light we may see light.
I. How is it possible for God to so bring His power to bear upon
men that they are PREVENTED from doing what they desire to do, and
IMPELL to do other things they do not desire to do, and yet to
preserve their responsibility?
It would seem that if God put forth His power and exerted a direct
influence upon men their freedom would be interfered with. It would
appear that if God did anything wore than warn and invite men their
responsibility would be infringed upon. We are told that God must not
coerce man, still less compel him, or otherwise he would be reduced to
a machine. This sounds very plausible; it appears to be good
philosophy, and based upon sound reasoning; it has been almost
universally accepted as an axiom in ethics; nevertheless, it is
refuted by Scripture!
Let us turn first to Genesis 20:6--"And God said unto him in a dream,
Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I
also withheld thee from sinning against Me: therefore suffered I thee
not to touch her." It is argued, almost universally, that God must not
interfere with man's liberty, that he must not coerce or compel him,
lest he be reduced to a machine. But the above scripture proves,
unmistakably proves, that it is not impossible for God to exert His
power upon man without destroying his responsibility. Here is a case
where God did exert His power, restrict man's freedom, and prevent him
from doing that which he otherwise would have done.
Ere turning from this scripture, let us note how it throws light upon
the case of the first man. Would-be philosophers, who sought to be
wise above that which was written, have argued that God could not have
prevented Adam's fall without reducing him to a mere automaton. They
tell us, constantly, that God must not coerce or compel His creatures,
otherwise He would destroy their accountability. But the answer to all
such philosophizing is, that Scripture records a number of instances
where we are expressly told God did prevent certain of His creatures
from sinning both against Himself and against His people, in view of
which all men's reasonings are utterly worthless. If God could
"withhold" Abimelech from sinning against Him, then why was He unable
to do the same with Adam? Should someone ask, Then why did not God do
so? we might return the question by asking, Why did not God "withhold"
Satan from falling? or, Why did not God "withhold" the Kaiser from
starting the recent War? The usual reply is, as we have said, God
could not without interfering with man's "freedom" and reducing him to
a machine. But the case of Abimelech proves conclusively that such a
reply is untenable and erroneous--we might add wicked and blasphemous,
for who are we to limit the Most High! How dare any finite creature
take it upon him to say what the Almighty can and cannot do? Should we
be pressed further as to why God refused to exercise His power and
prevent Adam's fall, we should say, Because Adam's fall better served
His own wise and blessed purpose--among other things, it provided an
opportunity to demonstrate that where sin had abounded grace could
much more abound. But we might ask further; Why did God place in the
garden the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, when He foresaw
that man would disobey His prohibition and eat of it; for mark, it was
God and not Satan who made that tree. Should someone respond, Then is
God the Author of Sin? We would have to ask, in turn, What is meant by
"Author"? Plainly it was God's will that sin should enter this world,
otherwise it would not have entered, for nothing happens save as God
has eternally decreed. Moreover, there was more than a bare
permission, for God only permits that which He has purposed. But we
leave now the origin of sin, insisting once more, however, that God
could have "withheld" Adam from sinning without destroying his
responsibility.
The case of Abimelech does not stand alone. Another illustration of
the same principle is seen in the history of Balaam, already noticed
in the last chapter, but concerning which a further word is in place.
Balak the Moabite sent for this heathen prophet to "curse" Israel. A
handsome reward was offered for his services, and a careful reading of
Numbers 22-24 will show that Balaam was willing, yea, anxious, to
accept Balak's offer and thus sin against God and His people. But
Divine power "withheld" him. Mark his own admission, "And Balaam said
unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to
say anything? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I
speak" (Num. 22:38). Again, after Balak had remonstrated with Balaam,
we read, "He answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that
which the Lord hath put in my mouth? . . . Behold, I have received
commandment to bless: and He hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it"
(23:12, 20). Surely these verses show us God's power, and Balaam's
powerlessness: man's will frustrated, and God's will performed. But
was Balaam's "freedom" or responsibility destroyed? Certainly not, as
we shall yet seek to show.
One more illustration: "And the fear of the Lord fell upon all the
kingdoms of the lands that were round about Judah, so that they made
no war against Jehoshaphat" (2 Chron. 17:10). The implication here is
clear. Had not the "fear of the Lord" fallen upon these kingdoms, they
would have made war upon Judah. God's restraining power alone
prevented them. Had their own will been allowed to act, "war" would
have been the consequence. Thus we see that Scripture teaches that God
"withholds" nations as well as individuals, and that when it pleaseth
Him to do so He interposes and prevents war. Compare further Genesis
35:5.
The question which now demands our consideration is, How is it
possible for God to "withhold" men from sinning and yet not to
interfere with their liberty and responsibility--a question which so
many say is incapable of solution in our present finite condition.
This question causes us to ask, In what does moral "freedom," real
moral freedom, consist? We answer, it is the being delivered from the
bondage of sin. The more any soul is emancipated from the thralldom of
sin, the more does he enter into a state of freedom--"If the Son
therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed" (John 8:36).
In the above instances God "withheld" Abimelech, Balaam, and the
heathen kingdoms from sinning, and therefore we affirm that He did not
in anywise interfere with their real freedom. The nearer a soul
approximates to sinlessness, the nearer does he approach to God's
holiness. Scripture tells us that God "cannot lie," and that He
"cannot be tempted," but is He any the less free because He cannot do
that which is evil? Surely not. Then is it not evident that the more
man is raised up to God, and the more he be "withheld" from sinning,
the greater is his real freedom!
A pertinent example setting forth the meeting-place of God's
sovereignty and man's responsibility, as it relates to the question of
moral freedom, is found in connection with the giving to us of the
Holy Scriptures. In the communication of His Word God was pleased to
employ human instruments, and in the using of them He did not reduce
them to mere mechanical amanuenses: "Knowing this first, that no
prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation (Greek: of
its own origination). For the prophecy came not at any time by the
will of man: but holy men of God spake moved by the Holy Spirit" (2
Pet. 1:20, 21). Here we have man's responsibility and God's
sovereignty placed in juxtaposition. These holy men were moved"
(Greek: "borne along") by the Holy Spirit, yet was not their moral
responsibility disturbed nor their "freedom" impaired. God enlightened
their minds, enkindled their hearts, revealed to them His truth, and
so controlled them that error on their part was, by Him, made
impossible, as they communicated His mind and will to men. But what
was it that might have, would have, caused error, had not God
controlled as He did the instruments which He employed? The answer is
sin, the sin which was in them. But as we have seen, the holding in
check of sin, the preventing of the exercise of the carnal mind in
these "holy men," was not a destroying of their "freedom," rather was
it the inducting of them into real freedom.
A final word should be added here concerning the nature of true
liberty. There are three chief things concerning which men in general
greatly err: misery and happiness, folly and wisdom, bondage and
liberty. The world counts none miserable but the afflicted, and none
happy but the prosperous, because they judge by the present ease of
the flesh. Again; the world is pleased with a false show of wisdom
(which is "foolishness" with God), neglecting that which makes wise
unto salvation. As to liberty, men would be at their own disposal, and
live as they please. They suppose the only true liberty is to be at
the command and under the control of none above themselves, and live
according to their heart's desire. But this is a thralldom and bondage
of the worst kind. True liberty is not the power to live as we please,
but to live as we ought! Hence, the only One Who has ever trod this
earth since Adam's fall that has enjoyed perfect freedom was the Man
Christ Jesus, the Holy Servant of God, Whose meat it ever was to do
the will of the Father.
We now turn to consider the question.
II. How can the sinner be held responsible FOR the doing of what he
is UNABLE to do? And how can he be justly condemned for NOT DOING
what he COULD NOT do?
As a creature the natural man is responsible to love, obey, and serve
God; as a sinner he is responsible to repent and believe the Gospel.
But at the outset we are confronted with the fact that the natural man
is unable to love and serve God, and that the sinner, of himself,
cannot repent and believe. First, let us prove what we have just said.
We begin by quoting and considering John 6:44 "No man can come to Me,
except the Father which bath sent Me draw him". The heart of the
natural man (every man) is so "desperately wicked" that if he is left
to himself he will never `come to Christ.' This statement would not be
questioned if the full force of the words "Coming to Christ" were
properly apprehended. We shall therefore digress a little at this
point to define and consider what is implied and involved in the words
"No man can come to Me"--cf. John 5:40, "Ye will not come to Me that
ye might have life."
For the sinner to come to Christ that he might have life, is for him
to realize the awful danger of his situation; is for him to see that
the sword of Divine justice is suspended over his head; is to awaken
to the fact that there is but a step betwixt him and death, and that
after death is the "judgment; " and in consequence of this discovery,
is for him to be in real earnest to escape, and in such earnestness
that he shall flee from the wrath to come, cry unto God for mercy, and
agonize to enter in at the "strait gate."
To come to Christ for life, is for the sinner to feel and acknowledge
that he is utterly destitute of any claim upon God's favor; is to see
himself as "without strength," lost and undone; is to admit that he is
deserving of nothing but eternal death, thus taking side with God
against himself; it is for him to cast himself into the dust before
God, and humbly sue for Divine mercy.
To come to Christ for life, is for the sinner to abandon his own
righteousness and be ready to be made the righteousness of God in
Christ; it is to disown his own wisdom and be guided by His; it is to
repudiate his own will and be ruled by His; it is to unreservedly
receive the Lord Jesus as his Saviour and Lord, as his All in all.
Such, in part and in brief, is what is implied and involved in "Coming
to Christ." But is the sinner willing to take such an attitude before
God? No; for in the first place, he does not realize the danger of his
situation, and in consequence is not in real earnest after his escape;
instead, men are for the most part at ease, and apart from the
operations of the Holy Spirit whenever they are disturbed by the
alarms of conscience or the dispensations of providence, they flee to
any other refuge but Christ. In the second place, they will not
acknowledge that all their righteousnesses are as filthy rags but,
like the Pharisee, will thank God they are not as the Publican. And in
the third place, they are not ready to receive Christ as their Saviour
and Lord, for they are unwilling to part with their idols: they had
rather hazard their soul's eternal welfare than give them up. Hence we
say that, left to himself, the natural man is so depraved at heart
that he cannot come to Christ.
The words of our Lord quoted above by no means stand alone. Quite a
number of Scriptures set forth the moral and spiritual inability of
the natural man. In Joshua 24:19 we read, "And Joshua said unto the
people, Ye cannot serve the Lord: for He is a holy God." To the
Pharisees Christ said, "Why do ye not understand My speech? Even
because ye cannot hear My word" (John 8:43). And again: "The carnal
mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God,
neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot
please God" (Rom. 8:7, 8).
But now the question returns, How can God hold the sinner responsible
for failing to do what he is unable to do? This necessitates a careful
definition of terms. Just what is meant by "unable" and "cannot"?
Now let it be clearly understood that, when we speak of the sinner's
inability, we do not mean that if men desired to come to Christ they
lack the necessary power to carry out their desire. No; the fact is
that the sinner's inability or absence of power is itself due to lack
of willingness to come to Christ, and this lack of willingness is the
fruit of a depraved heart. It is of first importance that we
distinguish between natural inability and moral and spiritual
inability. For example, we read, "But Abijah could not see; for his
eyes were set by reason of his age" (1 Kings 14:4); and again, "The
men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the
sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them" (Jonah 1:13). In both
of these passages the words "could not" refer to natural inability.
But when we read, "And when his brethren saw that their father loved
him (Joseph) more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not
speak peaceably unto him" (Gen. 37:4), it is clearly moral inability
that is in view. They did not lack the natural ability to "speak
peaceably unto him", for they were not dumb. Why then was it that they
"could not speak peaceably unto him"? The answer is given in the same
verse: it was because "they hated him." Again; in 2 Peter 2:14 we read
of a certain class of wicked men "having eyes full of adultery, and
that cannot cease from sin." Here again it is moral inability that is
in view. Why is it that these men "cannot cease from sin"? The answer
is, Because their eyes were full of adultery. So of Romans 8:8.--"They
that are in the flesh cannot please God": here it is spiritual
inability. Why is it that the natural man "cannot please God"? Because
he is "alienated from the life of God" (Eph. 4:18). No man can choose
that from which his heart is averse--"O generation of vipers how can
ye, being evil, speak good things?" (Matt. 12:34). "No man can come to
Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him" (John 6:44). Here
again it is moral and spiritual inability which is before us. Why is
it the sinner cannot come to Christ unless he is "drawn"? The answer
is, Because his wicked heart loves sign and hates Christ.
We trust we have made it clear that the Scriptures distinguish sharply
between natural inability and moral and spiritual inability. Surely
all can see the difference between the blindness of Bartimeus, who was
ardently desirous of receiving his sight, and the Pharisees, whose
eyes were closed, "lest at any time they should see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and
should be converted" (Matt. 13:15). But should it be said, The natural
man could come to Christ if he wished to do so, we answer, Ah! but in
that IF lies the hinge of the whole matter. The inability of the
sinner consists of the want of moral power to wish and will so as to
actually perform.
What we have contended for above is of first importance. Upon the
distinction between the sinner's natural Ability, and his moral and
spiritual Inability, rests his Responsibility. The depravity of the
human heart does not destroy man s accountability to God; so far from
this being the case the very moral inability of the sinner only serves
to increase his guilt. This is easily proven by a reference to the
scriptures cited above. We read that Joseph's brethren "could not
speak peaceably unto him," and why? It was because they "hated" Him.
But was this moral inability of theirs any excuse? Surely not: in this
very moral inability consisted the greatness of their sin. So of those
concerning whom it is said, "They cannot cease from sin" (2 Pet.
2:14), and why? Because "their eyes were full of adultery," but that
only made their case worse. It was a real fact that they could not
cease from sin, yet this did not excuse them--it only made their sin
the greater.
Should some sinner here object, I cannot help being born into this
world with a depraved heart, and therefore I am not responsible for my
moral and spiritual inability which accrue from it, the reply would
be, Responsibility and Culpability lie in the indulgence of the
depraved propensities, the free indulgence, for God does not force any
to sin. Men might pity me, but they certainly would not excuse me if I
gave vent to a fiery temper, and then sought to extenuate myself on
the ground of having inherited that temper from my parents. Their own
common sense is sufficient to guide their judgment in such a case as
this. They would argue I was responsible to restrain my temper. Why
then cavil against this same principle in the case supposed above?
"Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee thou wicked servant" surely
applies here! What would the reader say to a man who had robbed him,
and who later argued in defence, "I cannot help being a thief, that is
my nature"? Surely the reply would be, Then the penitentiary is the
proper place for that man. What then shall be said to the one who
argues that he cannot help following the bent of his sinful heart?
Surely, that the Lake of Fire is where such an one must go. Did ever
murderer plead that he hated his victim so much that he could not go
near him without slaying him. Would not that only magnify the enormity
of his crime! Then what of the one who loves sin so much that he is
"at enmity against God"!
The fact of man's responsibility is almost universally acknowledged.
It is inherent in man's moral nature. It is not only taught in
Scripture but witnessed to by the natural conscience. The basis or
ground of human responsibility is human ability. What is implied by
this general term "ability" must now be defined. Perhaps a concrete
example will be more easily grasped by the average reader than an
abstract argument.
Suppose a man owed me $100 and could find plenty of money for his own
pleasures but none for me, yet pleaded that he was unable to pay me.
What would I say? I would say that the only ability that was lacking
was an honest heart. But would it not be an unfair construction of my
words if a friend of my dishonest debtor should say I had stated that
an honest heart was that which constituted the ability to pay the
debt? No; I would reply: the ability of my debtor lies in the power of
his hand to write me a check, and this he has, but what is lacking is
an honest principle. It is his power to write me a check which makes
him responsible to do so, and the fact that he lacks an honest heart
does not destroy his accountability.[2]
Now, in like manner, the sinner while altogether lacking in moral and
spiritual ability does, nevertheless, possess natural ability, and
this it is which renders him accountable unto God. Men have the same
natural faculties to love God with as they have to hate Him with, the
same hearts to believe with which they disbelieve, and it is their
failure to love and believe which constitutes their guilt. An idiot or
an infant is not personally responsible to God, because lacking in
natural ability. But the normal man who is endowed with rationality,
who is gifted with a conscience that is capable of distinguishing
between right and wrong, who is able to weigh eternal issues is a
responsible being, and it is because he does possess these very
faculties that he will yet have to "give account of himself to God"
(Rom. 14:12).
We say again that the above distinction between the natural ability
and the moral and spiritual inability of the sinner is of prime
importance. By nature he possesses natural ability but lacks moral and
spiritual ability. The fact that he does not possess the latter, does
not destroy his responsibility, because his responsibility rests upon
the fact that he does possess the former. Let me illustrate again.
Here are two men guilty of theft: the first is an idiot, the second
perfectly sane but the offspring of criminal parents. No just judge
would sentence the former; but every right-minded judge would the
latter. Even though the second of these thieves possessed a vitiated
moral nature inherited from criminal parents, that would not excuse
him, providing he was a normal rational being. Here then is the ground
of human accountability--the possession of rationality plus the gift
of conscience. It is because the sinner is endowed with these natural
faculties that he is a responsible creature; because he does not use
his natural powers for God's glory, constitutes his guilt.
How can it remain consistent with His mercy that God should require
the debt of obedience from him that is not able to pay? In addition to
what has been said above, it should be pointed out that God has not
lost His right, even though man has lost his power. The creature's
impotence does not cancel his obligation. A drunken servant is a
servant still, and it is contrary to all sound reasoning to argue that
his master loses his rights through his servant's default. Moreover,
it is of first importance that we should ever bear in mind that God
contracted with us in Adam, who was our federal head and
representative, and in him, God gave us a power which we lost through
our first parent's fall; but though our power be gone, nevertheless,
God may justly demand His due of obedience and of service.
We turn now to ponder,
III. How is it possible for God to DECREE that men SHOULD commit
certain sins, hold them RESPONSIBLE in the committal of them, and
adjudge them GUILTY because they committed them?
Let us now consider the extreme case of Judas. We hold that it is
clear from Scripture that God decreed from all eternity that Judas
should betray the Lord Jesus. If anyone should challenge this
statement we refer him to the prophecy of Zechariah, through whom God
declared that His Son should be sold for "Thirty pieces of silver"
(Zech. 11:12). As we have said in earlier pages, in prophecy God makes
known what will be, and in making known what will be, He is but
revealing to us what He has ordained shall be. That Judas was the one
through whom the prophecy of Zechariah was fulfilled needs not to be
argued. But now the question we have to face is, Was Judas a
responsible agent in fulfilling this decree of God? We reply that he
was. Responsibility attaches mainly to the motive and intention of the
one committing the act. This is recognized on every hand. Human law
distinguishes between a blow inflicted by accident (without evil
design), and a blow delivered with `malice aforethought.' Apply then
this same principle to the case of Judas. What was the design of his
heart when he bargained with the priests? Manifestly he had no
conscious desire to fulfil any decree of God, though unknown to
himself he was actually doing so. On the contrary, his intention was
evil only, and therefore, though God had decreed and directed his act,
nevertheless, his own evil intention rendered him justly guilty as he
afterwards acknowledged himself--"I have betrayed innocent blood." It
was the same with the Crucifixion of Christ. Scripture plainly
declares that He was "delivered up by the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2:23), and that though "the kings of the
earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the
Lord, and against His Christ" yet, notwithstanding, it was but "for to
do whatsoever Thy hand and Thy counsel determined before to be done"
(Acts 4:26, 28); which verses teach very much more than a bare
permission by God, declaring, as they do, that the Crucifixion and all
its details had been decreed by God. Yet, nevertheless, it was by
"wicked hands," not merely "human hands", that our Lord was "crucified
and slain" (Acts 2:23). "Wicked" because the intention, of His
crucifiers was only evil.
But it might be objected that, if God had decreed that Judas should
betray Christ, and that the Jews and Gentiles should crucify Him, they
could not do otherwise, and therefore, they were not responsible for
their intentions. The answer is, God had decreed that they should
perform the acts they did, but in the actual perpetration of these
deeds they were justly guilty, because their own purposes in the doing
of them was evil only. Let it be emphatically said that God does not
produce the sinful dispositions of any of His creatures, though He
does restrain and direct them to the accomplishing of His own
purposes. Hence He is neither the Author nor the Approver of sin. This
distinction was expressed thus by Augustine: "That men sin proceeds
from themselves; that in sinning they perform this or that action, is
from the power of God who divideth the darkness according to His
pleasure." Thus it is written, "A man's heart deviseth his way: but
the Lord directeth his steps" (Prov. 16:9). What we would here insist
upon is, that God's decrees are not the necessitating cause of the
sins of men, but the fore-determined and prescribed boundings and
directings of men's sinful acts. In connection with the betrayal of
Christ, God did not decree that He should be sold by one of His
creatures and then take up a good man, instill an evil desire into his
heart and thus force him to perform the terrible deed in order to
execute His decree. No; not so do the Scriptures represent it.
Instead, God decreed the act and selected the one who was to perform
the act, but He did not make him evil in order that he should perform
the deed; on the contrary, the betrayer was a "devil" at the time the
Lord Jesus chose him as one of the twelve (John 6:70), and in the
exercise and manifestation of his own devilry God simply directed his
actions, actions which were perfectly agreeable to his own vile heart,
and performed with the most wicked intentions. Thus it was with the
Crucifixion.
IV. How can the sinner be held responsible to receive Christ, and
be damned for rejecting Him, when God FOREORDAINED him TO
condemnation?
Really, this question has been covered in what has been said under the
other queries, but for the benefit of those who are exercised upon
this point we give it a separate, though brief, examination. In
considering the above difficulty the following points should be
carefully weighed:
In the first place, no sinner, while he is in this world, knows for
certain, nor can he know, that he is a "vessel of wrath fitted to
destruction". This belongs to the hidden counsels of God, to which he
has not access. God's secret will is no business of his; God's
revealed will (in the Word) is the standard of human responsibility.
And God's revealed will is plain. Each sinner is among those whom God
now "commandeth to repent" (Acts 17:30). Each sinner who hears the
Gospel is "commanded" to believe (1 John 3:23). And all who do truly
repent and believe are saved. Therefore, is every sinner responsible
to repent and believe.
In the second place, it is the duty of every sinner to search the
Scriptures which "are able to make wise unto salvation" (2 Tim. 3:15).
It is the sinner's "duty" because the Son of God has commanded him to
search the Scriptures (John 5:39). If he searches them with a heart
that is seeking after God, then does he put himself in the way where
God is accustomed to meet with sinners. Upon this point the Puritan
Manton has written very helpfully.
"I cannot say to every one that ploweth, infallibly, that he shall
have a good crop; but this I can say to him, It is God's use to bless
the diligent and provident. I cannot say to every one that desireth
posterity, Marry, and you shall have children; I cannot say infallibly
to him that goeth forth to battle for his country's good that he shall
have victory and success; but I can say, as Joab, (1 Chron. 19:13) `Be
of good courage, and let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people
and the cities of our God, and let the Lord do what is good in His
sight'. I cannot say infallibly you shall have grace; but I can say to
every one, Let him use the means, and leave the success of his labor
and his own salvation to the will and good pleasure of God. I cannot
say this infallibly, for there is no obligation upon God. And still
this work is made the fruit of God's will and mere arbitrary
dispensation--`Of His own will begat He us by the Word of Truth'
(James 1:18). Let us do what God hath commanded, and let God do what
He will. And I need not say so; for the whole world in all their
actings are and should be guided by this principle. Let us do our
duty, and refer the success to God, Whose ordinary practice it is to
meet with the creature that seeketh after Him; yea, He is with us
already; this earnest importunity in the use of means proceeding from
the earnest impression of His grace. And therefore, since He is
beforehand with us, and bath not showed any backwardness to our good,
we have no reason to despair of His goodness and mercy, but rather to
hope for the best" (Vol. XXI, page 312).
God has been pleased to give to men the Holy Scriptures which
"testify" of the Saviour, and make known the way of salvation. Every
sinner has the same natural faculties for the reading of the Bible as
he has for the reading of the newspaper; and if he is illiterate or
blind so that he is unable to read, he has the same mouth with which
to ask a friend to read the Bible to him, as he has to inquire
concerning other matters. If, then, God has given to men His Word, and
in that Word has made known the way of salvation, and if men are
commanded to search those Scriptures which are able to make them wise
unto salvation, and they refuse to do so, then is it plain that they
are justly censurable, that their blood lies on their own heads, and
that God can righteously cast them into the Lake of Fire.
In the third place, should it be objected, Admitting all you have said
above, Is it not still a fact that each of the non-elect is unable to
repent and believe? The reply is, Yes. Of every sinner it is a fact
that, of himself, he cannot come to Christ. And from God's side the
"cannot" is absolute. But we are now dealing with the responsibility
of the sinner (the sinner foreordained to condemnation, though he
knows it not), and from the human side the inability of the sinner is
a moral one, as previously pointed out. Moreover, it needs to be borne
in mind that in addition to the moral inability of the sinner there is
a voluntary inability, too. The sinner must be regarded not only as
impotent to do good, but as delighting in evil. From the human side,
then, the "cannot" is a will not; it is a voluntary impotence. Man's
impotence lies in his obstinacy. Hence, is everyone left "without
excuse", And hence, is God "clear" when He judgeth (Ps. 51:4), and
righteous in damning all who "love darkness rather than light".
That God does require what is beyond our own power to render is clear
from many scriptures. God gave the Law to Israel at Sinai and demanded
a full compliance with it, and solemnly pointed out what would be the
consequences of their disobedience (see Deut. 28). But will any
readers be so foolish as to affirm that Israel were capable of fully
obeying the Law! If they do, we would refer them to Romans 8:3 where
we are expressly told, "For what the law could not do, in that it was
weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of
sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh".
Come now to the New Testament. Take such passages as Matthew 5:48, "Be
ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is
perfect". 1 Corinthians 15:34, "Awake to righteousness and sin not". 1
John 2:1, "My little children, these things I write unto you, that ye
sin not". Will any reader say he is capable in himself of complying
with these demands of God? If so, it is useless for us to argue with
him.
But now the question arises, Why has God demanded of man that which he
is incapable of performing? The first answer is, Because God refuses
to lower His standard to the level of our sinful infirmities. Being
perfect, God must set a perfect standard before us. Still we must ask,
if man is incapable of measuring up to God's standard, wherein lies
his responsibility? Difficult as seems the problem it is nevertheless
capable of a simple and satisfactory solution.
Man is responsible to (1st) acknowledge before God his inability, and
(2nd) to cry unto Him for enabling grace. Surely this will be admitted
by every Christian reader. It is my bounden duty to own before God my
ignorance, my weakness, my sinfulness, my impotence to comply with His
holy and just requirements. It is also my bounden duty, as well as
blessed privilege, to earnestly beseech God to give me the wisdom,
strength, grace, which will enable me to do that which is pleasing in
His sight; to ask Him to work in me "both to will and to do of His
good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13).
In like manner, the sinner, every sinner, is responsible to call upon
the Lord. Of himself he can neither repent nor believe. He can neither
come to Christ, nor turn from his sins. God tells him so; and his
first duty is to "set to his seal that God is true". His second duty
is to cry unto God for His enabling power--to ask God in mercy to
overcome his enmity, and "draw" him to Christ; to bestow upon him the
gifts of repentance and faith. If he will do so, sincerely from the
heart, then most surely God will respond to his appeal, for it is
written--"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved" (Rom. 10:13).
Suppose, I had slipped on the icy pavement, late at night, and had
broken my hip. I am unable to arise; if I remain on the ground, I must
freeze to death. What, then, ought Ito do? If I am determined to
perish, I shall lie there silent--but I shall be to blame for such a
course. If I am anxious
to be rescued, I shall lift up my voice and cry for help. So the
sinner, though unable of himself to rise and take the first step
toward Christ, is responsible to cry to God, and if he does (from the
heart), there is a Deliverer to hand. God is "not far from every one
of us" (Acts 17:27); yea, "He is a very present help in trouble" (Ps.
46:1). But if the sinner refuses to cry unto the Lord, if he is
determined to perish, then his blood is on his own head, and his
"damnation is just" (Rom. 3:8).
A brief word now concerning the extent of human responsibility.
It is obvious that the measure of human responsibility varies in
different cases, and is greater or less with particular individuals.
The standard of measurement was given in the Saviour's words, "For
unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required" (Luke
12:48). Surely God did not require as much from those living in Old
Testament times as He does from those who have been born during the
Christian dispensation. Surely God will not require as much from those
who lived during the `dark ages,' when the Scriptures were accessible
to but a few, as He will from those of this generation, when
practically every family in the land own a copy of His Word for
themselves. In the same way, God will not demand from the heathen what
He will from those in Christendom. The heathen will not perish because
they have not believed in Christ, but because they failed to live up
to the light which they did have--the testimony of God in nature and
conscience.
To sum up. The fact of man's responsibility rests upon his natural
ability, is witnessed to by conscience, and is insisted on throughout
the Scriptures. The ground of man's responsibility is that he is a
rational creature capable of weighing eternal issues, and that he
possesses a written Revelation from God, in which his relationship
with and duty toward his Creator is plainly defined. The measure of
responsibility varies in different individuals, being determined by
the degree of light each has enjoyed from God. The problem of human
responsibility receives at least a partial solution in the Holy
Scriptures, and it is our solemn obligation as well as privilege to
search them prayerfully and carefully for further light, looking to
the Holy Spirit to guide us "into all truth." It is written, "The meek
will He guide in judgment: and the meek will He teach His way" (Ps.
25:9).
In conclusion it remains to point out that it is the responsibility of
every man to use the means which God has placed to his hand. An
attitude of fatalistic inertia, because I know that God has
irrevocably decreed whatsoever comes to pass, is to make a sinful and
hurtful use of what God has revealed for the comfort of my heart. The
same God who has decreed that a certain end shall be accomplished, has
also decreed that that end shall be attained through and as the result
of His own appointed means. God does not disdain the use of means, nor
must I. For example: God has decreed that "while the earth remaineth,
seed-time and harvest. . . shall not cease" (Gen. 8:22); but that does
not mean man's ploughing of the ground and sowing of the seed are
needless. No; God moves men to do those very things, blesses their
labours, and so fulfills His own ordination. In like manner, God has,
from the beginning, chosen a people unto salvation; but that does not
mean there is no need for evangelists to preach the Gospel, or for
sinners to believe it; it is by such means that His eternal counsels
are effectuated.
To argue that, because God has irrevocably determined the eternal
destiny of every man, relieves us of all responsibility for any
concern about our souls, or any diligent use of the means to
salvation, would be on a par with refusing to perform my temporal
duties because God has fixed my earthly lot. And that He has is clear
from Acts 17:26, Job 7:1; 14:5, etc. If then the foreordination of God
may consist with the respective activities of man in present concerns,
why not in the future? What God has joined together we must not cut
asunder. Whether we can or cannot see the link which unites the one to
the other, our duty is plain: "The secret things belong unto the Lord
our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our
children forever, that we may do all the words of this law" (Deut.
29:29).
In Acts 27:22 God made known that He had ordained the temporal
preservation of all who accompanied Paul in the ship; yet the apostle
did not hesitate to say, "Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be
saved" (v. 31); God appointed that means for the execution of what He
had decreed. From 2 Kings 20 we learn that God was absolutely resolved
to add fifteen years to Hezekiah's life, yet he must take a lump of
figs and lay it on his boil! Paul knew that he was eternally secure in
the hand of Christ (John 10:28), yet he "kept under his body" (1 Cor.
9:26). The apostle John assured those to whom he wrote, "Ye shall
abide in Him", yet in the very next verse he exhorted them, "And now,
little children, abide in Him" (1 John 2:27, 28). It is only by taking
heed to this vital principle, that we are responsible to use the means
of God's appointing, that we shall be enabled to preserve the balance
of Truth, and be saved from a paralyzing fatalism.
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] Gordian knot: 1. An intricate knot tied by King Gordius of Phrygia
and cut by Alexander the Great with his sword after hearing an oracle
promise that whoever could undo it would be the next ruler of Asia. 2.
An exceedingly complicated problem of deadlock (The American Heritage
Dictionary, ed).
[2] The terms of this example are suggested by an illustration used by
the late Andrew Fuller.
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THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
Chapter 9
GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY AND PRAYER
"If we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us"
1 John 5:14
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Throughout this book it has been our chief aim to exalt the Creator
and abase the creature. The well-nigh universal tendency, now, is to
magnify man and dishonor and degrade God. On every hand it will be
found that, when spiritual things are under discussion, the human side
and element is pressed and stressed, and the Divine side, if not
altogether ignored, is relegated to the background. This holds true of
very much of the modern teaching about prayer. In the great majority
of the books written and in the sermons preached upon prayer, the
human element fills the scene almost entirely: it is the conditions
which we must meet, the promises we must "claim", the things we must
do, in order to get our requests granted; and God's claims, God's
rights, God's glory are disregarded.
As a fair sample of what is being given out today we subjoin a brief
editorial which appeared recently in one of the leading religious
weeklies entitled "Prayer, or Fate?"
"God in His sovereignty has ordained that human destinies may be
changed and moulded by the will of man. This is at the heart of the
truth that prayer changes things, meaning that God changes things
when men pray. Some one has strikingly expressed it this way:
`There are certain things that will happen in a man's life whether
he prays or not. There are other things that will happen if he
prays, and will not happen if he does not pray'. A Christian worker
was impressed by these sentences as he entered a business office,
and he prayed that the Lord would open the way to speak to some one
about Christ, reflecting that things would be changed because he
prayed. Then his mind turned to other things and the prayer was
forgotten. The opportunity came to speak to the business man on
whom he was calling, but he did not grasp it, and was on his way
out when he remembered his prayer of a half hour before, and God's
answer. He promptly returned and had a talk with the business man,
who, though a church-member, had never in his life been asked
whether he was saved. Let us give ourselves to prayer, and open the
way for God to change things. Let us beware lest we become virtual
fatalists by failing to exercise our God-given wills in praying".
The above illustrates what is now being taught on the subject of
prayer, and the deplorable thing is that scarcely a voice is lifted in
protest. To say that "human destinies may be changed and moulded by
the will of man" is rank infidelity--that is the only proper term for
it. Should any one challenge this classification, we would ask them
whether they can find an infidel anywhere who would dissent from such
a statement, and we are confident that such an one could not be found.
To say that "God has ordained that human destinies may be changed and
moulded by the will of man", is absolutely untrue. "Human destiny" is
settled not by "the will of man," but by the will of God. That which
determines human destiny is whether or not a man has been born again,
for it is written, "Except a man be born again he cannot see the
kingdom of God". And as to whose will, whether God's or man's, is
responsible for the new birth is settled, unequivocally, by John
1:13--"Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh,
nor of the will of man, but OF GOD". To say that "human destiny" may
be changed by the will of man, is to make the creature's will supreme,
and that is, virtually, to dethrone God. But what saith the
Scriptures? Let the Book answer: "The Lord killeth, and maketh alive:
He bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. The Lord maketh poor,
and maketh rich: He bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the
poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to
set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory"
(1 Sam. 2:6-8).
Turning back to the Editorial here under review, we are next told,
"This is at the heart of the truth that prayer changes things, meaning
that God changes things when men pray." Almost everywhere we go today
one comes across a motto-card bearing the inscription "Prayer Changes
Things". As to what these words are designed to signify is evident
from the current literature on prayer--we are to persuade God to
change His purpose. Concerning this we shall have more to say below.
Again, the Editor tells us, "Some one has strikingly expressed it this
way: `There are certain things that will happen in a man's life
whether he prays or not. There are other things that will happen if he
prays, and will not happen if he does not pray.'" That things happen
whether a man prays or not is exemplified daily in the lives of the
unregenerate, most of whom never pray at all. That `other things will
happen if he prays' is in need of qualification. If a believer prays
in faith and asks for those things which are according to God's will,
he will most certainly obtain that for which he has asked. Again, that
other things will happen if he prays, is also true in respect to the
subjective benefits derived from prayer: God will become more real to
him and His promises more precious. That other things `will not happen
if he does not pray' is true so far as his own life is concerned--a
prayerless life means a life lived out of communion with God and all
that is involved by this. But to affirm that God will not and cannot
bring to pass His eternal purpose unless we pray, is utterly
erroneous, for the same God who has decreed the end has also decreed
that His end shall be reached through His appointed means, and one of
these is prayer. The God who has determined to grant a blessing, also
gives a spirit of supplication which first seeks the blessing.
The example cited in the above Editorial of the Christian Worker and
the business man is a very unhappy one to say the least, for according
to the terms of the illustration the Christian Worker's prayer was not
answered by God at all, inasmuch as, apparently, the way was not
opened to speak to the business man about his soul. But on leaving the
office and recalling his prayer the Christian Worker (perhaps in the
energy of the flesh) determined to answer the prayer for himself, and
instead of leaving the Lord to "open the way" for him, took matters
into his own hand.
We quote next from one of the latest books issued on Prayer. In it the
author says, "The possibilities and necessity of prayer, its power and
results, are manifested in arresting and changing the purposes of God
and in relieving the stroke of His power". Such an assertion as this
is a horrible reflection upon the character of the Most High God, who
"doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the
inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him,
What doest Thou?"(Dan. 4:35). There is no need whatever for God to
change His designs or alter His purpose, for the all-sufficient reason
that these were framed under the influence of perfect goodness and
unerring wisdom. Men may have occasion to alter their purposes, for in
their short-sightedness they are frequently unable to anticipate what
may arise after their plans are formed. But not so with God, for He
knows the end from the beginning. To affirm that God changes His
purpose is either to impugn His goodness or to deny His eternal
wisdom.
In the same book we are told, "The prayers of God's saints are the
capital stock in heaven by which Christ carries on His great work upon
earth. The great throes and mighty convulsions on earth are the
results of these prayers. Earth is changed, revolutionized, angels
move on more powerful, more rapid wing, and God's policy is shaped as
the prayers are more numerous, more efficient". If possible, this is
even worse, and we have no hesitation in denominating it as blasphemy.
In the first place, it flatly denies Ephesians 3:11, which speaks of
God's having an "eternal purpose". If God's purpose is an eternal one,
then His "policy" is not being "shaped" today. In the second place, it
contradicts Ephesians 1:11 which expressly declares that God "worketh
all things after the counsel of His own will," therefore it follows
that, "God's policy" is not being "shaped" by man's prayers. In the
third place, such a statement as the above makes the will of the
creature supreme, for if our prayers shape God's policy, then is the
Most High subordinate to worms of the earth. Well might the Holy
Spirit ask through the apostle, "For who hath known the mind of the
Lord? or who hath been His counsellor?" (Rom. 11:34).
Such thoughts on prayer as we have been citing are due to low and
inadequate conceptions of God Himself. It ought to be apparent that
there could be little or no comfort in praying to a God that was like
the chameleon, which changes its color every day. What encouragement
is there to lift up our hearts to One who is in one mind yesterday and
another today? What would be the use of petitioning an earthly
monarch, if we knew he was so mutable as to grant a petition one day
and deny it another? Is it not the very unchangeableness of God which
is our greatest encouragement to pray? It is because He is "without
variableness or shadow of turning" we are assured that if we ask
anything according to His will we are most certain of being heard.
Well did Luther remark, "Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance,
but laying hold of His willingness."
And this leads us to offer a few remarks concerning the design of
prayer. Why has God appointed that we should pray? The vast majority
of people would reply, In order that we may obtain from God the things
which we need. While this is one of the purposes of prayer, it is by
no means the chief one. Moreover, it considers prayer only from the
human side, and prayer sadly needs to be viewed from the Divine side.
Let us look, then, at some of the reasons why God has bidden us to
pray.
First and foremost, prayer has been appointed that the Lord God
Himself should be honored. God requires we should recognize that He
is, indeed, "the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity" (Isa.
57:17). God requires that we shall own His universal dominion: in
petitioning God for rain, Elijah did but confess His control over the
elements; in praying to God to deliver a poor sinner from the wrath to
come, we acknowledge that "salvation is of the Lord" (Jonah 2:9) ; in
supplicating His blessing on the Gospel unto the uttermost parts of
the earth, we declare His rulership over the whole world.
Again; God requires that we shall worship Him, and prayer, real
prayer, is an act of worship. Prayer is an act of worship inasmuch as
it is the prostrating of the soul before Him; inasmuch as it is a
calling upon His great and holy name; inasmuch as it is the owning of
His goodness, His power, His immutability, His grace, and inasmuch as
it is the recognition of His sovereignty, owned by a submission to His
will. It is highly significant to notice in this connection that the
Temple was not termed by Christ the House of Sacrifice, but instead,
the House of Prayer.
Again; prayer redounds to God's glory, for in prayer we do but
acknowledge our dependency upon Him. When we humbly supplicate the
Divine Being we cast ourselves upon His power and mercy. In seeking
blessings from God we own that He is the Author and Fountain of every
good and perfect gift. That prayer brings glory to God is further seen
from the fact that prayer calls faith into exercise, and nothing from
us is so honoring and pleasing to Him as the confidence of our hearts.
In the second place, prayer is appointed by God for our spiritual
blessing, as a means for our growth in grace. When seeking to learn
the design of prayer, this should ever occupy us before we regard
prayer as a means for obtaining the supply of our need. Prayer is
designed by God for our humbling. Prayer, real prayer, is a coming
into the Presence of God, and a sense of His awful majesty produces a
realization of our nothingness and unworthiness. Again; prayer is
designed by God for the exercise of our faith. Faith is begotten in
the Word (Rom. 10:17), but it is exercised in prayer; hence, we read
of "the prayer of faith". Again; prayer calls love into action.
Concerning the hypocrite the question is asked, "Will he delight
himself in the Almighty? Will he always call upon God?" (Job 27:10).
But they that love the Lord cannot be long away from Him, for they
delight in unburdening themselves to Him. Not only does prayer call
love into action, but through the direct answers vouchsafed to our
prayers, our love to God is increased--"I love the Lord, because He
hath heard my voice and my supplications" (Ps. 116:1). Again; prayer
is designed by God to teach us the value of the blessings we have
sought from Him, and it causes us to rejoice the more when He has
bestowed upon us that for which we supplicate Him.
Third, prayer is appointed by God for our seeking from Him the things
which we are in need of. But here a difficulty may present itself to
those who have read carefully the previous chapters of this book. If
God has foreordained, before the foundation of the world, everything
which happens in time, what is the use of prayer? If it is true that
"of Him and through Him and to Him are all things" (Rom. 11:36), then
why pray? Ere replying directly to these queries it should be pointed
out how that there is just as much reason to ask, What is the use of
me coming to God and telling Him what He already knows? wherein is the
use of me spreading before Him my need, seeing He is already
acquainted with it? as there is to object, What is the use of praying
for anything when everything has been ordained beforehand by God?
Prayer is not for the purpose of informing God, as if He were
ignorant, (the Saviour expressly declared "for your Father knoweth
what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him"--Matt. 6:8), but it is
to acknowledge He does know what we are in need of. Prayer is not
appointed for the furnishing of God with the knowledge of what we
need, but it is designed as a confession to Him of our sense of the
need. In this, as in everything, God's thoughts are not as ours. God
requires that His gifts should be sought for. He designs to be honored
by our asking, just as He is to be thanked by us after He has bestowed
His blessing.
However, the question still returns on us, If God be the Predestinator
of everything that comes to pass, and the Regulator of all events,
then is not prayer a profitless exercise? A sufficient answer to these
questions is, that God bids us to pray--"Pray without ceasing" (1
Thess. 5:17). And again, "men ought always to pray" (Luke 18:1). And
further: Scripture declares that, "the prayer of faith shall save the
sick", and, "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth
much" (James 5:15, 16); while the Lord Jesus Christ--our perfect
Example in all things--was pre-eminently a Man of Prayer. Thus, it is
evident, that prayer is neither meaningless nor valueless. But still
this does not remove the difficulty nor answer the question with which
we started out. What then is the relationship between God's
sovereignty and Christian prayer?
First of all, we would say with emphasis, that prayer is not intended
to change God's purpose, nor is it to move Him to form fresh purposes.
God has decreed that certain events shall come to pass, but He has
also decreed that these events shall come to pass through the means He
has appointed for their accomplishment. God has elected certain ones
to be saved, but He has also decreed that these ones shall be saved
through the preaching of the Gospel. The Gospel, then, is one of the
appointed means for the working out of the eternal counsel of the
Lord; and prayer is another. God has decreed the means as well as the
end, and among the means is prayer. Even the prayers of His people are
included in His eternal decrees. Therefore, instead of prayers being
in vain, they are among the means through which God exercises His
decrees. "If indeed all things happen by a blind chance, or a fatal
necessity, prayers in that case could be of no moral efficacy, and of
no use; but since they are regulated by the direction of Divine
wisdom, prayers have a place in the order of events" (Haldane).
That prayers for the execution of the very things decreed by God are
not meaningless, is clearly taught in the Scriptures. Elijah knew that
God was about to give rain, but that did not prevent him from at once
betaking himself to prayer, (James 5:17, 18). Daniel "understood" by
the writings of the prophets that the captivity was to last but
seventy years, yet when these seventy years were almost ended, we are
told that he "set his face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and
supplications, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes" (Dan. 9:2, 3).
God told the prophet Jeremiah "For I know the thoughts that I think
toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to
give you an expected end"; but instead of adding, there is, therefore,
no need for you to supplicate Me for these things, He said, "Then
shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and I will
hearken unto you" (Jer. 29:12).
Once more; in Ezekiel 36 we read of the explicit, positive, and
unconditional promises which God has made concerning the future
restoration of Israel, yet in verse 37 of this same chapter we are
told, "Thus saith the Lord God; I will vet for this be enquired of by
the house of Israel, to do it for then;"! Here then is the design of
prayer: not that God's will may be altered, but that it may be
accomplished in His own good time and way. It is because God has
promised certain things, that we can ask for them with the full
assurance of faith. It is God's purpose that His will shall be brought
about by His own appointed means, and that He may do His people good
upon His own terms, and that is, by the `means' and `terms' of
entreaty and supplication. Did not the Son of God know for certain
that after His death and resurrection He would be exalted by the
Father? Assuredly He did. Yet we find Him asking for this very thing:
"O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine Own Self with the glory which I
had with Thee before the world was" (John 17:5)! Did not He know that
none of His people could perish? yet He besought the Father to "keep"
them (John 17:11)!
Finally; it should be said that God's will is immutable, and cannot be
altered by our crying. When the mind of God is not toward a people to
do them good, it cannot be turned to them by the most fervent and
importunate prayers of those who have the greatest interest in
Him--"Then said the Lord unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before
Me, yet My mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of My
sight, and let them go forth" (Jer. 15:1). The prayers of Moses to
enter the promised land is a parallel case.
Our views respecting prayer need to be revised and brought into
harmony with the teaching of Scripture on the subject. The prevailing
idea seems to be, that I come to God and ask Him for something that I
want, and that I expect Him to give me that which I have asked. But
this is a most dishonoring and degrading conception. The popular
belief reduces God to a servant, our servant: doing our bidding,
performing our pleasure, granting our desires. No; prayer is a coming
to God, telling Him my need, committing my way unto the Lord, and
leaving Him to deal with it as seemeth Him best. This makes my will
subject to His, instead of, as in the former case, seeking to bring
His will into subjection to mine. No prayer is pleasing to God unless
the spirit actuating it is, "not my will, but thine be done". "When
God bestows blessings on a praying people, it is not for the sake of
their prayers, as if He was inclined and turned by them; but it is for
His own sake, and of His own sovereign will and pleasure. Should it be
said, to what purpose then is prayer? it is answered, This is the way
and means God has appointed, for the communication of the blessing of
His goodness to His people. For though He has purposed, provided, and
promised them, yet He will be sought unto, to give them, and it is a
duty and privilege to ask. When they are blessed with a spirit of
prayer, it forebodes well, and looks as if God intended to bestow the
good things asked, which should be asked always with submission to the
will of God, saying, Not my will but Thine be done" (John Gill).
The distinction just noted above is of great practical importance for
our peace of heart. Perhaps the one thing that exercises Christians as
much as anything else is that of unanswered prayers. They have asked
God for something: so far as they are able to judge, they have asked
in faith believing they would receive that for which they had
supplicated the Lord: and they have asked earnestly and repeatedly,
but the answer has not come. The result is that, in many cases, faith
in the efficacy of prayer becomes weakened, until hope gives way to
despair and the closet is altogether neglected. Is it not so?
Now will it surprise our readers when we say that every real prayer of
faith that has ever been offered to God has been answered? Yet we
unhesitatingly affirm it. But in saying this we must refer back to our
definition of prayer. Let us repeat it. Prayer is a coming to God,
telling Him my need (or the need of others), committing my way unto
the Lord, and then leaving Him to deal with the case as seemeth Him
best. This leaves God to answer the prayer in whatever way He sees
fit, and often, His answer may be the very opposite of what would be
most acceptable to the flesh; yet, if we have really LEFT our need in
His hands, it will be His answer, nevertheless. Let us look at two
examples.
In John 11 we read of the sickness of Lazarus. The Lord "loved" him,
but He was absent from Bethany. The sisters sent a messenger unto the
Lord acquainting Him of their brother's condition. And note
particularly how their appeal was worded--"Lord, behold, he whom Thou
lovest is sick." That was all. They did not ask Him to heal Lazarus.
They did not request Him to hasten at once to Bethany. They simply
spread their need before Him, committed the case into His hands, and
left Him to act as He deemed best! And what was our Lord's reply? Did
He respond to their appeal and answer their mute request? Certainly He
did, though not, perhaps, in the way they had hoped. He answered by
abiding "two days still in the same place where He was" (John 11:6),
and allowing Lazarus to die! But in this instance, that was not all.
Later, He journeyed to Bethany and raised Lazarus from the dead. Our
purpose in referring here to this case, is to illustrate the proper
attitude for the believer to take before God in the hour of need. The
next example will emphasize, rather, God's method of responding to His
needy child.
Turn to 2 Corinthians 12. The apostle Paul had been accorded an
unheard-of privilege. He had been transported into Paradise. His ears
have listened to and his eyes have gazed upon that which no other
mortal had heard or seen this side of death. The wondrous revelation
was more than the apostle could endure. He was in danger of becoming
"puffed up" by his extraordinary experience. Therefore, a thorn in the
flesh, the messenger of Satan, was sent to buffet him lest he be
exalted above measure. And the apostle spreads his need before the
Lord; he thrice beseeches Him that this thorn in the flesh should be
removed. Was his prayer answered? Assuredly, though not in the manner
he had desired. The "thorn" was not removed, but grace was given to
bear it. The burden was not lifted, but strength was vouchsafed to
carry it.
Does someone object that it is our privilege to do more than spread
our need before God? Are we reminded that God has, as it were, given
us a blank check and invited us to fill it in? Is it said that the
promises of God are all-inclusive, and that we may ask God for what we
will? If so, we must call attention to the fact that it is necessary
to compare scripture with scripture if we are to learn the full mind
of God on any subject, and that as this is done we discover God has
qualified the promises given to praying souls by saying, "If we ask
anything according to His will He heareth us" (1 John 5:14). Real
prayer is communion with God, so that there will be common thoughts
between His mind and ours. What is needed is for Him to fill our
hearts with His thoughts, and then His desires will become our desires
flowing back to Him. Here then is the meeting-place between God's
sovereignty and Christian prayer: If we ask anything according to His
will He heareth us, and if we do not so ask, He does not hear us; as
saith the apostle James, "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask
amiss, that ye might consume it upon your lusts" or desires (4:3)
But did not the Lord Jesus tell His disciples, "Verily, verily, I say
unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give
it you" (John 16:23)? He did; but this promise does not give praying
souls carte blanche. These words of our Lord are in perfect accord
with those of the apostle John--"If we ask anything according to His
will He heareth us." What is it to ask "in the name of Christ"? Surely
it is very much more than a prayer formula, the mere concluding of our
supplications with the words "in the name of Christ." To apply to God
for anything in the name of Christ, it must needs be in keeping with
what Christ is! To ask God in the name of Christ is as though Christ
Himself were the suppliant. We can only ask God for what Christ would
ask. To ask in the name of Christ, is therefore, to set aside our own
wills, accepting God's!
Let us now amplify our definition of prayer. What is prayer? Prayer is
not so much an act as it is an attitude-- an attitude of dependency,
dependency upon God. Prayer is a confession of creature weakness, yea,
of helplessness. Prayer is the acknowledgment of our need and the
spreading of it before God. We do not say that this is all there is in
prayer, it is not: but it is the essential, the primary element in
prayer. We freely admit that we are quite unable to give a complete
definition of prayer within the compass of a brief sentence, or in any
number of words. Prayer is both an attitude and an act, a human act,
and yet there is the Divine element in it too, and it is this which
makes an exhaustive analysis impossible as well as impious to attempt.
But admitting this, we do insist again, that prayer is fundamentally
an attitude of dependency upon God. Therefore, prayer is the very
opposite of dictating to God. Because prayer is an attitude of
dependency, the one who really prays is submissive, submissive to the
Divine will; and submission to the Divine will means, that we are
content for the Lord to supply our need according to the dictates of
His own sovereign pleasure. And hence it is that we say, every prayer
that is offered to God in this spirit is sure of meeting with an
answer or response from Him.
Here then is the reply to our opening question, and the scriptural
solution to the seeming difficulty. Prayer is not the requesting of
God to alter His purpose or for Him to form a new one. Prayer is the
taking of an attitude of dependency upon. God, the spreading of our
need before Him, the asking for those things which are in accordance
with His will, and therefore there is nothing whatever inconsistent
between Divine sovereignty and Christian prayer.
In closing this chapter we would utter a word of caution to safeguard
the reader against drawing a false conclusion from what has been said.
We have not here sought to epitomize the whole teaching of Scripture
on the subject of prayer, nor have we even attempted to discuss in
general the problem of prayer; instead, we have confined ourselves,
more or less, to a consideration of the relationship between God's
Sovereignty and Christian Prayer. What we have written is intended
chiefly as a protest against much of the modern teaching, which so
stresses the human element in prayer, that the Divine side is almost
entirely lost sight of.
In Jeremiah 10:23 we are told "It is not in man that walketh to direct
his steps" (cf. Prov. 16:9); and yet in many of his prayers, man
impiously presumes to direct the Lord as to His way, and as to what He
ought to do: even implying that if only he had the direction of the
affairs of the world and of the Church, he would soon have things very
different from what they are. This cannot be denied: for anyone with
any spiritual discernment at all could not fail to detect this spirit
in many of our modern prayer-meetings where the flesh holds sway. How
slow we all are to learn the lesson that the haughty creature needs to
be brought down to his knees and humbled into the dust. And this is
where the very act of prayer is intended to put us. But man (in his
usual perversity) turns the footstool into a throne, from whence he
would fain direct the Almighty as to what He ought to do! giving the
onlooker the impression that if God had half the compassion that those
who pray (?) have, all would quickly be put right! Such is the
arrogance of the old nature even in a child of God.
Our main purpose in this chapter has been to emphasize the need for
submitting, in prayer, our wills to God's. But it must also be added,
that prayer is much more than a pious exercise, and far otherwise than
a mechanical performance. Prayer is, indeed, a Divinely appointed
means whereby we may obtain from God the things we ask, providing we
ask for those things which are in accord with His will. These pages
will have been penned in vain unless they lead both writer and reader
to cry with a deeper earnestness than heretofore, "Lord, teach us to
pray" (Luke 11:1).
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A. W. Pink Header
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
Chapter 10
OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY
"Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in Thy sight"
(Matthew 11:26
_________________________________________________________________
In the present chapter we shall consider, somewhat briefly, the
practical application to ourselves of the great truth which we have
pondered in its various ramifications in earlier pages. In chapter
twelve we shall deal more in detail with the value of this doctrine,
but here we would confine ourselves to a definition of what ought to
be our attitude toward the sovereignty of God.
Every truth that is revealed to us in God's Word is there not only for
our information but also for our inspiration. The Bible has been given
to us not to gratify an idle curiosity but to edify the souls of its
readers. The sovereignty of God is something more than an abstract
principle which explains the rationale of the Divine government: it is
designed as a motive for godly fear, it is made known to us for the
promotion of righteous living, it is revealed in order to bring into
subjection our rebellious hearts. A true recognition of God's
sovereignty humbles as nothing else does or can humble, and brings the
heart into lowly submission before God, causing us to relinquish our
own self-will and making us delight in the perception and performance
of the Divine will.
When we speak of the sovereignty of God we mean very much more than
the exercise of God's governmental power, though, of course, that is
included in the expression. As we have remarked in an earlier chapter,
the sovereignty of God means the Godhood of God. In its fullest and
deepest meaning the title of this book signifies the Character and
Being of the One whose pleasure is performed and whose will is
executed. To truly recognize the sovereignty of God is, therefore, to
gaze upon the Sovereign Himself. It is to come into the presence of
the august "Majesty on High." it is to have a sight of the thrice holy
God in His excellent glory. The effects of such a sight may be learned
from those scriptures which describe the experience of different ones
who obtained a view of the Lord God.
Mark the experience of Job--the one of whom the Lord Himself said,
"There is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man,
one that feareth God, and escheweth evil" (Job 1:8). At the close of
the book which bears his name we are shown Job in the Divine presence,
and how does he carry himself when brought face to face with Jehovah?
Hear what he says: "I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear;
but now mine eye seeth Thee: Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in
dust and ashes" (Job 42:5, 6). Thus, a sight of God, God revealed in
awesome majesty, caused Job to abhor himself, and not only so, but to
abase himself before the Almighty.
Take note of Isaiah. In the sixth chapter of his prophecy a scene is
brought before us which has few equals even in Scripture. The prophet
beholds the Lord upon the Throne, a Throne, "high and lifted up."
Above this Throne stood the seraphim with veiled faces, crying, "Holy,
holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts." What is the effect of this sight
upon the prophet? We read, "Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone;
because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a
people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of
hosts" (Isa. 6:5). A sight of the Divine King humbled Isaiah into the
dust, bringing him, as it did, to a realization of his own
nothingness.
Once more. Look at the prophet Daniel. Toward the close of his life
this man of God beheld the Lord in theophanic manifestation. He
appeared to His servant in human form "clothed in linen" and with
loins "girded with fine gold"--symbolic of holiness and Divine glory.
We read that, "His body also was like the beryl, and His face as the
appearance of lightning, and His eyes as lamps of fire, and His arms
and His feet like in color to polished brass, and the voice of His
words like the voice of a multitude." Daniel then tells the effect
this vision had upon him and those who were with him--"And I Daniel
alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the
vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide
themselves. Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and
there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me
into corruption, and I retained no strength. Yet heard I the voice of
His words: and when I heard the voice of His words, then was I in a
deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground" (Dan. 10:6-9).
Once more, then, we are shown that to obtain a sight of the Sovereign
God is for creature strength to wither up, and results in man being
humbled into the dust before his Maker. What then ought to be our
attitude toward the Supreme Sovereign? We reply,
1. One of Godly fear.
Why is it that, today, the masses are so utterly unconcerned about
spiritual and eternal things, and that they are lovers of pleasure
more than lovers of God? Why is it that even on the battlefields
multitudes were so indifferent to their soul's welfare? Why is it that
defiance of heaven is becoming more open, more blatant, more daring?
The answer is, Because "There is no fear of God before their eyes"
(Rom. 3:18). Again; why is it that the authority of the Scriptures has
been lowered so sadly of late? Why is it that even among those who
profess to be the Lord's people there is so little real subjection to
His Word, and that its precepts are so lightly esteemed and so readily
set aside? Ah! what needs to be stressed to-day is that God is a God
to be feared.
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Pro. 1:7). Happy
the soul that has been awed by a view of God's majesty, that has had a
vision of God's awful greatness, His ineffable holiness, His perfect
righteousness, His irresistible power, His sovereign grace. Does
someone say, "But it is only the unsaved, those outside of Christ, who
need to fear God"? Then the sufficient answer is that the saved, those
who are in Christ, are admonished to work out their own salvation with
"fear and trembling." Time was, when it was the general custom to
speak of a believer as a "God-fearing man"--that such an appellation
has become nearly extinct only serves to show whither we have drifted.
Nevertheless, it still stands written, "Like as a father pitieth his
children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him" (Ps. 103:13)!
When we speak of godly fear, of course, we do not mean a servile fear,
such as prevails among the heathen in connection with their gods. No;
we mean that spirit which Jehovah is pledged to bless, that spirit to
which the prophet referred when he said, "To this man will I (the
Lord) look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and
trembleth at My Word" (Isa. 66:2). It was this the apostle had in view
when he wrote, "Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor
the king" (1 Pet. 2:17). And nothing will foster this godly fear like
a recognition of the sovereign Majesty of God.
What ought to be our attitude toward the Sovereignty of God? We answer
again,
2. One of Implicit Obedience.
A sight of God leads to a realization of our littleness and
nothingness, and issues in a sense of dependency and of casting
ourselves upon God. Or, again; a view of the Divine Majesty promotes
the spirit of godly fear and this, in turn, begets an obedient walk.
Here then is the Divine antidote for the native evil of our hearts.
Naturally, man is filled with a sense of his own importance, with his
greatness and self-sufficiency; in a word, with pride and rebellion.
But, as we remarked, the great corrective is to behold the Mighty God,
for this alone will really humble him. Man will glory either in
himself or in God. Man will live either to serve and please himself,
or he will seek to serve and please the Lord. None can serve two
masters.
Irreverence begets disobedience. Said the haughty monarch of Egypt,
"Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I know
not the Lord; neither will I let Israel go" (Ex. 5:2). To Pharaoh, the
God of the Hebrews was merely a god, one among many, a powerless
entity who needed not to be feared or served. How sadly mistaken he
was, and how bitterly he had to pay for his mistake, he soon
discovered; but what we are here seeking to emphasize is that,
Pharaoh's defiant spirit was the fruit of irreverence, and this
irreverence was the consequence of his ignorance of the majesty and
authority of the Divine Being.
Now if irreverence begets disobedience, true reverence will produce
and promote obedience. To realize that the Holy Scriptures are a
revelation from the Most High, communicating to us His mind and
defining for us His will, is the first step toward practical
godliness. To recognize that the Bible is God's Word, and that its
precepts are the precepts of the Almighty, will lead us to see what an
awful thing it is to despise and ignore them. To receive the Bible as
addressed to our own souls, given to us by the Creator Himself, will
cause us to cry with the Psalmist, "Incline my heart unto Thy
testimonies. . . .Order my steps in Thy Word" (Ps. 119:36, 133). Once
the sovereignty of the Author of the Word is apprehended, it will no
longer be a matter of picking and choosing from the precepts and
statutes of that Word, selecting those which meet with our approval;
but it will be seen that nothing less than an unqualified and
whole-hearted submission becomes the creature.
What ought to be our attitude toward the Sovereignty of God? We
answer, once more,
3. One of entire resignation.
A true recognition of God's Sovereignty will exclude all murmuring.
This is self-evident, yet the thought deserves to be dwelt upon. It is
natural to murmur against afflictions and losses. It is natural to
complain when we are deprived of those things upon which we had set
our hearts. We are apt to regard our possessions as ours
unconditionally. We feel that when we have prosecuted our plans with
prudence and diligence that we are entitled to success; that when by
dint of hard work we have accumulated a `competence,' we deserve to
keep and enjoy it; that when we are surrounded by a happy family, no
power may lawfully enter the charmed circle and strike down a loved
one; and if in any of these cases disappointment, bankruptcy, death,
actually comes, the perverted instinct of the human heart is to cry
out against God. But in the one who, by grace, has recognized God's
sovereignty, such murmuring is silenced, and instead, there is a
bowing to the Divine will, and an acknowledgment that He has not
afflicted us as sorely as we deserve.
A true recognition of God's sovereignty will avow God's perfect right
to do with us as He wills. The one who bows to the pleasure of the
Almighty will acknowledge His absolute right to do with us as seemeth
Him good. If He chooses to send poverty, sickness, domestic
bereavements, even while the heart is bleeding at every pore, it will
say, Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right! Often there will
be a struggle, for the carnal mind remains in the believer to the end
of his earthly pilgrimage. But though there may be a conflict within
his breast, nevertheless, to the one who has really yielded himself to
this blessed truth, there will presently be heard that Voice saying,
as of old it said to the turbulent Gennesareth, "Peace be still"; and
the tempestuous flood within will be quieted and the subdued soul will
lift a tearful but confident eye to heaven and say, "Thy will be
done."
A striking illustration of a soul bowing to the sovereign will of God
is furnished by the history of Eli the high priest of Israel. In 1
Samuel 3 we learn how God revealed to the young child Samuel that He
was about to slay Eli's two sons for their wickedness, and on the
morrow Samuel communicates this message to the aged priest. It is
difficult to conceive of more appalling intelligence for the heart of
a pious parent. The announcement that his child is going to be
stricken down by sudden death is, under any circumstances, a great
trial to any father, but to learn that his two sons--in the prime of
their manhood, and utterly unprepared to die--were to be cut off by a
Divine judgment, must have been overwhelming. Yet, what was the effect
upon Eli when he learned from Samuel the tragic tidings? What reply
did he make when he heard the awful news? "And he said, It is the
Lord: let Him do what seemeth Him good" (1 Sam. 3:18). And not another
word escaped him. Wonderful submission! Sublime resignation! Lovely
exemplification of the power of Divine grace to control the strongest
affections of the human heart and subdue the rebellious will, bringing
it into unrepining acquiescence to the sovereign pleasure of Jehovah.
Another example, equally striking, is seen in the life of Job. As is
well known, Job was one that feared God and eschewed evil. If ever
there was one who might reasonably expect Divine providence to smile
upon him--we speak as a man--it was Job. Yet, how fared it with him?
For a time, the lines fell unto him in pleasant places. The Lord
filled his quiver by giving him seven sons and three daughters. He
prospered him in his temporal affairs until he owned great
possessions. But of a sudden, the sun of life was hidden behind dark
clouds. In a single day Job lost not only his flocks and herds, but
his sons and daughters as well. News arrived that his cattle had been
carried off by robbers, and his children slain by a cyclone. And how
did he receive this intelligence? Hearken to his sublime words: "The
Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away." He bowed to the sovereign
will of Jehovah. He traced his afflictions back to their First Cause.
He looked behind the Sabeans who had stolen his cattle, and beyond the
winds that had destroyed his children, and saw the hand of God. But
not only did Job recognize God's sovereignty, he rejoiced in it, too.
To the words, "The Lord gave, and the Lord bath taken away," he added,
"Blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21). Again we say, Sweet
submission! Sublime resignation!
A true recognition of God's sovereignty causes us to hold our every
plan in abeyance to God's will. The writer well recalls an incident
which occurred in England over twenty years ago. Queen Victoria was
dead, and the date for the coronation of her eldest son, Edward, had
been set for April 1902. In all the announcements which were sent out,
two little letters were omitted--D. V.--Deo Volente: God willing.
Plans were made and all arrangements completed for the most imposing
celebrations that England had ever witnessed. Kings and emperors from
all parts of the earth had received invitations to attend the royal
ceremony. The Prince's proclamations were printed and displayed, but,
so far as the writer is aware, the letters D. V. were not found on a
single one of them. A most imposing program had been arranged, and the
late Queen's eldest son was to be crowned Edward the Seventh at
Westminster Abbey at a certain hour on a fixed day. And then God
intervened, and all man's plans were frustrated. A still small voice
was heard to say, "You have reckoned without Me," and Prince Edward
was stricken down with appendicitis, and his coronation postponed for
months!
As remarked, a true recognition of God's sovereignty causes us to hold
our plans in abeyance to God's will. It makes us recognize that the
Divine Potter has absolute power over the clay and moulds it according
to his own imperial pleasure. It causes us to heed that
admonition--now, alas! so generally disregarded--"Go to now, ye that
say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there
a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall
be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that
appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye
ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that"
(James 4:13-15). Yes, it is to the Lord's will we must bow. It is for
Him to say where I shall live--whether in America or Africa. It is for
Him to determine under what circumstances I shall live--whether amid
wealth or poverty, whether in health or sickness. It is for Him to say
how long I shall live--whether I shall be cut down in youth like the
flower of the field, or whether I shall continue for three score and
ten years. To really learn this lesson is, by grace, to attain unto a
high form in the school of God, and even when we think we have learnt
it, we discover, again and again, that we have to relearn it.
4. One if deep thankfulness and joy.
The heart's apprehension of this most blessed truth of the sovereignty
of God, produces something far different than a sullen bowing to the
inevitable. The philosophy of this perishing world knows nothing
better than to "make the best of a bad job". But with the Christian it
should be far other wise. Not only should the recognition of God's
supremacy beget within us godly fear, implicit obedience, and entire
resignation, but it should cause us to say with the Psalmist, "Bless
the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name".
Does not the apostle say, "Giving thanks always for all things unto
God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph. 5:20)?
Ah, it is at this point the state of our souls is so often put to the
test. Alas, there is so much self-will in each of us. When things go
as we wish them, we appear to be very grateful to God; but what of
those occasions when things go contrary to our plans and desires?
We take it for granted when the real Christian takes a train-journey
that, upon reaching his destination, he devoutly returns thanks unto
God--which, of course, argues that He controls everything; otherwise,
we ought to thank the engine-driver, the stoker, the signalmen etc.
Or, if in business, at the close of a good week, gratitude is
expressed unto the Giver of every good (temporal) and of every perfect
(spiritual) gift--which again, argues that He directs all customers to
your shop. So far, so good. Such examples occasion no difficulty. But
imagine the opposites. Suppose my train was delayed for hours, did I
fret and fume; suppose another train ran into it, and I am injured!
Or, suppose I have had a poor week in business, or that lightning
struck my shop and set it on fire, or that burglars broke in and
rifled it--then what: do I see the hand of God in these things?
Take the case of Job once more. When loss after loss came his way,
what did he do? Bemoan his "bad luck"? Curse the robbers? Murmur
against God? No; he bowed before Him in worship. Ah, dear reader,
there is no real rest for your poor heart until you learn to see the
hand of God in everything. But for that, faith must be in constant
exercise. And what is faith? A blind credulity? A fatalistic
acquiescence? No, far from it. Faith is a resting on the sure Word of
the living God, and therefore says, "We know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called
according to His purpose" (Rom. 8:28); and therefore faith will give
thanks "always for all things". Operative faith will "Rejoice in the
Lord alway" (Phil. 4:4).
We turn now to mark how this recognition of God's sovereignty which is
expressed in godly fear, implicit obedience, entire resignation, and
deep thankfulness and joy was supremely and perfectly exemplified by
the Lord Jesus Christ.
In all things the Lord Jesus has left us an example that we should
follow His steps. But is this true in connection with the first point
made above? Are the words "godly fear" ever linked with His peerless
name? Remembering that `godly fear' signifies not a servile terror,
but rather a filial subjection and reverence, and remembering too that
"the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," would it not rather
be strange if no mention at all were made of godly fear in connection
with the One who was wisdom incarnate! What a wonderful and precious
word is that of Hebrews 5:7--"Who in the days of His flesh, having
offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto
Him that was able to save Him from death, and having been heard for
His godly fear" (R. V.). What was it but `godly fear' which caused the
Lord Jesus to be "subject" unto Mary and Joseph in the days of His
childhood? Was it not `godly fear'--a filial subjection to and
reverence for God--that we see displayed, when we read, "And He came
to Nazareth where He had been brought up: and, as His custom was, He
went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day" (Luke 4:16)? Was it not
`godly fear' which caused the incarnate Son to say, when tempted by
Satan to fall down and worship him, "It is written, thou shalt worship
the Lord thy God and Him only shalt thou serve"? Was it not `godly
fear' which moved Him to say to the cleansed leper, "Go thy way, shew
thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded" (Matt.
8:4)? But why multiply illustrations? [1]
How perfect was the obedience that the Lord Jesus offered to God the
Father! And in reflecting upon this let us not lose sight of that
wondrous grace which caused Him, who was in the very form of God, to
stoop so low as to take upon Him the form of a Servant, and thus be
brought into the place where obedience was becoming. As the perfect
Servant He yielded complete obedience to His Father. How absolute and
entire that obedience was we may learn from the words, He "became
obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross" (Phil. 2:8). That
this was a conscious and intelligent obedience is clear from His own
language--"Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My
life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from Me, but I lay
it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to
take it again. This commandment have I received from My Father" (John
10:17, 18).
And what shall we say of the absolute resignation of the Son to the
Father's will--what, but, between Them there was entire oneness of
accord. Said He, "For I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own
will, but the will of Him that sent Me" (John 6:38), and how fully He
substantiated that claim all know who have attentively followed His
path as marked out in the Scriptures. Behold Him in Gethsemane! The
bitter `cup,' held in the Father's hand, is presented to His view.
Mark well His attitude. Learn of Him who was meek and lowly in heart.
Remember that there in the Garden we see the Word become flesh--a
perfect Man. His body is quivering at every nerve, in contemplation of
the physical sufferings which await Him; His holy and sensitive nature
is shrinking from the horrible indignities which shall be heaped upon
Him; His heart is breaking at the awful "reproach" which is before
Him; His spirit is greatly troubled as He foresees the terrible
conflict with the Power of Darkness; and above all, and supremely, His
soul is filled with horror at the thought of being separated from God
Himself--thus and there He pours out His soul to the Father, and with
strong crying and tears He sheds, as it were, great drops of blood.
And now observe and listen. Still the beating of thy heart, and
hearken to the words which fall from His blessed lips--"Father, if
Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me: nevertheless, not My will,
but Thine be done" (Luke 22:42). Here is submission personified. Here
is resignation to the pleasure of a sovereign God superlatively
exemplified. And He has left us an example that we should follow His
steps. He who was God became man, and was tempted in all points like
as we are--sin apart--to show us how to wear our creature nature!
Above we asked, What shall we say of Christ's absolute resignation to
the Father's will? We answer further, This,--that here, as everywhere,
He was unique, peerless. In all things He has the pre-eminence. In the
Lord Jesus there was no rebellious will to be broken. In His heart
there was nothing to be subdued. Was not this one reason why, in the
language of prophecy, He said, "I am a worm, and no man" (Ps. 22:6)--a
worm has no power of resistance! It was because in Him there was no
resistance that He could say, "My meat is to do the will of Him that
sent Me" (John 4:34). Yea, it was because He was in perfect accord
with the Father in all things that He said, "I delight to do Thy will,
O God; yea, Thy law is within My heart" (Ps. 40:8). Note the last
clause here and behold His matchless excellency. God has to put His
laws into our minds, and write them in our hearts (see Heb. 8:10), but
His law was already in Christ's heart!
What a beautiful and striking illustration of Christ's thankfulness
and joy is found in Matthew 11. There we behold, first, the failure in
the faith of His forerunner (vv. 22, 23). Next, we learn of the
discontent of the people: satisfied neither with Christ's joyous
message, nor with John's solemn one (vv. 16-20). Third, we have the
non-repentance of those favored cities in which our Lord's mightiest
works were done (vv. 21-24). And then we read, "At that time Jesus
answered and said, I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast
revealed them unto babes" (v. 25)! Note the parallel passage in Luke
10:21 opens by saying, "In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and
said, I thank Thee" etc. Ah, here was submission in its purest form.
Here was One by which the worlds were made, yet, in the days of His
humiliation, and in the face of His rejection, thankfully and joyously
bowing to the will of the "Lord of heaven and earth".
What ought to be our attitude towards God's sovereignty? Finally,
5. One of adoring worship.
It has been well said that "true worship is based upon recognized
GREATNESS, and greatness is superlatively seen in Sovereignty, and at
no other footstool will men really worship" (J. B. Moody). In the
presence of the Divine King upon His throne even the seraphim `veil
their faces.'
Divine sovereignty is not the sovereignty of a tyrannical Despot, but
the exercised pleasure of One who is infinitely wise and good! Because
God is infinitely wise He cannot err, and because He is infinitely
righteous He will not do wrong. Here then is the preciousness of this
truth. The mere fact itself that God's will is irresistible and
irreversible fills me with fear, but once I realize that God wills
only that which is good, my heart is made to rejoice.
Here then is the final answer to the question of this chapter--What
ought to be our attitude toward the sovereignty of God? The becoming
attitude for us to take is that of godly fear, implicit obedience, and
unreserved resignation and submission. But not only so: the
recognition of the sovereignty of God, and the realization that the
Sovereign Himself is my Father, ought to overwhelm the heart and cause
me to bow before Him in adoring worship. At all times I must say,
"Even so, Father, for so it seemeth good in Thy sight." We conclude
with an example which well illustrates our meaning.
Some two hundred years ago the saintly Madam Guyon, after ten years
spent in a dungeon lying far below the surface of the ground, lit only
by a candle at meal-times, wrote these words,
"A little bird I am,
Shut from the fields of air;
Yet in my cage I sit and sing
To Him who placed me there;
Well pleased a prisoner to he,
Because, my God, it pleases Thee.
Nought have I else to do
I sing the whole day long;
And He whom most I love to please,
Doth listen to my song;
He caught and bound my wandering wing
But still He bends to hear me sing.
My cage confines me round;
Abroad I cannot fly;
But though my wing is closely bound,
My heart's at liberty.
My prison walls cannot control
The flight, the freedom of the soul.
Ah! it is good to soar
These bolts and bars above,
To Him whose purpose I adore,
Whose Providence I love;
And in Thy mighty will to find
The joy, the freedom of the mind."
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] Note how Old Testament prophecy also declared that "the Spirit of
the Lord" should "rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and
understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of
knowledge and of the fear of the Lord" (Isa.11:1,2).
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A. W. Pink Header
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
Chapter 11
DIFFICULTIES AND OBJECTIONS
"Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of
Israel; Is not My way equal? are not your ways unequal?"
Ezekiel 18:25
_________________________________________________________________
A convenient point has been reached when we may now examine, more
definitely, some of the difficulties encountered and the objections
which might be advanced against what we have written in previous
pages. The author deemed it better to reserve these for a separate
consideration, rather than deal with them as he went along, requiring
as that would have done the breaking of the course of thought and
destroying the strict unity of each chapter, or else cumbering our
pages with numerous and lengthy footnotes.
That there are difficulties involved in an attempt to set forth the
truth of God's sovereignty is readily acknowledged. The hardest thing
of all, perhaps, is to maintain the balance of truth. It is largely a
matter of perspective. That God is sovereign is explicitly declared in
Scripture: that man is a responsible creature is also expressly
affirmed in Holy Writ. To define the relationship of these two truths,
to fix the dividing line betwixt them, to show exactly where they
meet, to exhibit the perfect consistency of the one with the other, is
the weightiest task of all. Many have openly declared that it is
impossible for the finite mind to harmonize them. Others tell us it is
not necessary or even wise to attempt it. But, as we have remarked in
an earlier chapter, it seems to us more honoring to God to seek in His
Word the solution to every problem. What is impossible to man is
possible with God, and while we grant that the finite mind is limited
in its reach, yet, we remember that the Scriptures are given to us
that the man of God may be "thoroughly furnished," and if we approach
their study in the spirit of humility and of expectancy, then,
according unto our faith will it be unto us.
As remarked above, the hardest task in this connection is to preserve
the balance of truth while insisting on both the sovereignty of God
and the responsibility of the creature. To some of our readers it may
appear that in pressing the sovereignty of God to the lengths we have,
man is reduced to a mere puppet. Hence, to guard against this, they
would modify their definitions and statements relating to God's
sovereignty, and thus seek to blunt the keen edge of what is so
offensive to the carnal mind. Others, while refusing to weigh the
evidence that we have adduced in support of our assertions, may raise
objections which to their minds are sufficient to dispose of the whole
subject. We would not waste time in the effort to refute objections
made in a carping and contentious spirit, but we are desirous of
meeting fairly the difficulties experienced by those who are anxious
to obtain a fuller knowledge of the truth. Not that we deem ourselves
able to give a satisfactory and final answer to every question that
might be asked. Like the reader, the writer knows but "in part" and
sees through a glass "darkly." All that we can do is to examine these
difficulties in the light we now have, in dependence upon the Spirit
of God that we may follow on to know the Lord better.
We propose now to retrace our steps and pursue the same order of
thought as that followed up to this point. As a part of our
"definition" of God's sovereignty we affirmed: "To say that God is
sovereign is to declare that He is the Almighty, the Possessor of all
power in heaven and earth, so that none can defeat His counsels,
thwart His purpose, or resist His will. . . The sovereignty of the God
of Scripture is absolute, irresistible, infinite." To put it now in
its strongest form, we insist that God does as He pleases, only as He
pleases, always as He pleases: that whatever takes place in time is
but the outworking of that which He decreed in eternity. In proof of
this assertion we appeal to the following scriptures--"But our God is
in the heavens:
He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased" (Ps. 115:3). "For the Lord of
hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and His hand is
stretched out, and who shall turn it back?" (Isa. 14:27). "And all the
inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and He doeth
according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants
of the earth: and none can stay His hand or say unto Him, What doest
thou?" (Dan. 4:35). "For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all
things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36).
The above declarations are so plain and positive that any comments of
ours upon them would simply be darkening counsel by words without
knowledge. Such express statements as those just quoted, are so
sweeping and so dogmatic that all controversy concerning the subject
of which they treat ought for ever to be at an end. Yet, rather than
receive them at their face value, every device of carnal ingenuity is
resorted to so as to neutralize their force. For example, it has been
asked, If what we see in the world today is but the outworking of
God's eternal purpose, if God's counsel is NOW being accomplished,
then why did our Lord teach His disciples to pray, "Thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven"? Is it not a clear implication from these
words that God's will is not now being done on earth? The answer is
very simple. The emphatic word in the above clause is "as." God's will
is being done on earth today, if it is not, then our earth is not
subject to God's rule, and if it is not subject to His rule then He is
not, as Scripture proclaims Him to be, "The Lord of all the earth"
(Josh. 3:13). But God's will is not being done on earth as it is in
heaven. How is God's will "done in heaven"?--consciously and joyfully.
How is it "done on earth"?--for the most part, unconsciously and
sullenly. In heaven the angels perform the bidding of their Creator
intelligently and gladly, but on earth the unsaved among men
accomplish His will blindly and in ignorance. As we have said in
earlier pages, when Judas betrayed the Lord Jesus and when Pilate
sentenced Him to be crucified, they had no conscious intention of
fulfilling God's decrees yet, nevertheless, unknown to themselves they
did do so!
But again. It has been objected: If everything that happens on earth
is the fulfilling of the Almighty's pleasure, if God has
fore-ordained--before the foundation of the world--everything which
comes to pass in human history, then why do we read in Genesis 6:6,
"It repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth, and it
grieved Him at His heart"? Does not this language intimate that the
antediluvians had followed a course which their Maker had not marked
out for them, and that in view of the fact they had "corrupted" their
way upon the earth, the Lord regretted that He had ever brought such a
creature into existence? Ere drawing such a conclusion let us note
what is involved in such an inference. If the words "It repented the
Lord that He had made man" are regarded in an absolute sense, then
God's omniscience would be denied, for in such a case the course
followed by man must have been unforeseen by God in the day that He
created him. Therefore it must be evident to every reverent soul that
this language bears some other meaning. We submit that the words, "It
repented the Lord" is an accommodation to our finite intelligence, and
in saying this we are not seeking to escape a difficulty or cut a
knot, but are advancing an interpretation which we shall seek to show
is in perfect accord with the general trend of Scripture.
The Word of God is addressed to men, and therefore it speaks the
language of men. Because we cannot rise to God's level He, in grace,
comes down to ours and converses with us in our own speech. The
apostle Paul tells us of how he was "caught up into Paradise and heard
unspeakable words which it is not possible (margin) to utter" (2 Cor.
12:4) Those on earth could not understand the vernacular of heaven.
The finite cannot comprehend the Infinite, hence the Almighty deigns
to couch His revelation in terms we may understand. It is for this
reason the Bible contains many anthropomorphisms--i.e.,
representations of God in the form of man. God is Spirit, yet the
Scriptures speak of Him as having eyes, ears, nostrils, breath, hands
etc., which is surely an accommodation of terms brought down to the
level of human comprehension.
Again; we read in Genesis 18:20, 21, "And the Lord said, Because the
cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very
grievous, I will go down now, and see whether they have done
altogether according to the cry of it, which is come up unto Me; and
if not, I will know." Now, manifestly, this is an anthropologism--God,
speaking in human language. God knew the conditions which prevailed in
Sodom, and His eyes had witnessed its fearful sins, yet He is pleased
to use terms here that are taken from our own vocabulary.
Again; in Genesis 22:12 we read, "And He (God) said, Lay not thine
hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know
that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine
only son, from Me." Here again, God is speaking in the language of
men, for He "knew" before He tested Abram exactly how the patriarch
would act. So too the expression used of God so often in Jeremiah
(7:13 etc.), of Him "rising up early", is manifestly an accommodation
of terms.
Once more: in the parable of the vineyard Christ Himself represents
its Owner as saying, "Then said the Lord of the vineyard, What shall I
do? I will send My beloved Son: it may be they will reverence Him when
they see Him" (Luke 20:13), and yet, it is certain that God knew
perfectly well that the "husbandmen" of the vineyard--the Jews--would
not "reverence His Son" but, instead, would "despise and reject" Him,
as His own Word had declared!
In the same way we understand the words in Genesis 6:6-- "It repented
the Lord that He had made man on the earth"--as an accommodation of
terms to human comprehension. This verse does not teach that God was
confronted with an unforeseen contingency, and therefore regretted
that He had made man, but it expresses the abhorrence of a holy God at
the awful wickedness and corruption into which man had fallen. Should
there be any doubt remaining in the minds of our readers as to the
legitimacy and soundness of our interpretation, a direct appeal to
Scripture should instantly and entirely remove it--"The Strength of
Israel (a Divine title) will not lie nor repent: for He is not a man,
that He should repent" (1 Sam. 15:29)! "Every good and perfect gift is
from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with Whom is no
variableness, neither shadow of turning" (James 1 :17)!
Careful attention to what we have said above will throw light on
numerous other passages which, if we ignore their figurative character
and fail to note that God applies to Himself human modes of
expression, will be obscure and perplexing. Having commented at such
length upon Genesis 6:6 there will be no need to give such a detailed
exposition of other passages which belong to the same class, yet, for
the benefit of those of our readers who may be anxious for us to
examine several other scriptures, we turn to one or two more.
One scripture which we often find cited in order to overthrow the
teaching advanced in this book is our Lord's lament over Jerusalem: "O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them
that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children
together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye
would not!" (Matt. 23:37). The question is asked, Do not these words
show that the Saviour acknowledged the defeat of His mission, that as
a people the Jews resisted all His gracious overtures toward them? In
replying to this question, it should first be pointed out that our
Lord is here referring not so much to His own mission, as He is
upbraiding the Jews for having in all ages rejected His grace--this is
clear from His reference to the "prophets." The Old Testament bears
full witness of how graciously and patiently Jehovah dealt with His
people, and with what extreme obstinacy, from first to last, they
refused to be "gathered" unto Him, and how in the end He (temporarily)
abandoned them to follow their own devices, yet, as the same
Scriptures declare, the counsel of God was not frustrated by their
wickedness, for it had been foretold (and therefore, decreed) by
Him--see, for example, 1 Kings 8:33.
Matthew 23:37 may well be compared with Isaiah 65:2 where the Lord
says, "I have spread out My hands all the day unto a rebellious
people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own
thoughts." But, it may be asked, Did God seek to do that which was in
opposition to His own eternal purpose? In words borrowed from Calvin
we reply, "Though to our apprehension the will of God is manifold and
various, yet He does not in Himself will things at variance with each
other, but astonishes our faculties with His various and `manifold'
wisdom, according to the expression of Paul, till we shall be enabled
to understand that He mysteriously wills what now seems contrary to
His will." As a further illustration of the same principle we would
refer the reader to Isaiah 5:1-4: "Now will I sing to my well Beloved
a song of my Beloved touching His vineyard. My well Beloved hath a
vineyard in a very fruitful hill: And He fenced it, and gethered out
the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine and built a
tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and He
looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild
grapes. And now, ) inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge,
I pray you, betwixt Me and My vineyard. What could have been done more
to My vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked
that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?" Is
it not plain from this language that God reckoned Himself to have done
enough for Israel to warrant an expectation--speaking after the manner
of men--of better returns? Yet, is it not equally evident when Jehovah
says here "He looked that it should bring forth grapes" that He is
accommodating Himself to a form of finite expression? And, so also
when He says "What could have been done more to My vineyard, that I
have not done in it ?" we need to take note that in the previous
enumeration of what He had done--the "fencing" etc.--He refers only to
external privileges, means, and opportunities, which had been bestowed
upon Israel, for, of course, He could even then have taken away from
them their stony heart and given them a new heart, even a heart of
flesh, as He will yet do, had He so pleased.
Perhaps we should link up with Christ's lament over Jerusalem in
Matthew 23:37, His tears over the City, recorded in Luke 19:41: "He
beheld the city, and wept over it." In the verses which immediately
follow, we learn what it was that occasioned His tears: "Saying, If
thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things
which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For
the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench
about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side."
It was the prospect of the fearful judgment which Christ knew was
impending. But did those tears make manifest a disappointed God? Nay,
verily. Instead, they displayed a perfect Man. The Man Christ Jesus
was no emotionless stoic, but One "filled with compassion." Those
tears expressed the sinless sympathies of His real and pure humanity.
Had He not "wept", He had been less than human. Those "tears" were one
of many proofs that "in all things it behooved Him to be made like
unto His brethren" (Heb. 2:17).
In chapter one we have affirmed that God is sovereign in the exercise
of His love, and in saying this we are fully aware that many will
strongly resent the statement and that, furthermore, what we have now
to say will probably meet with more criticism than anything else
advanced in this book. Nevertheless, we must be true to our
convictions of what we believe to be the teaching of Holy Scripture,
and we can only ask our readers to examine diligently in the light of
God's Word what we here submit to their attention.
One of the most popular beliefs of the day is that God loves
everybody, and the very fact that it is so popular with all classes
ought to be enough to arouse the suspicions of those who are subject
to the Word of Truth. God's Love toward all His creatures is the
fundamental and favorite tenet of Universalists, Unitarians,
Theosophists, Christian Scientists, Spiritualists, Russellites, etc.
No matter how a man may live--in open defiance of Heaven, with no
concern whatever for his soul's eternal interests, still less for
God's glory, dying, perhaps with an oath on his
lips,--notwithstanding, God loves him, we are told. So widely has this
dogma been proclaimed, and so comforting is it to the heart which is
at enmity with God, we have little hope of convincing many of their
error. That God loves everybody, is, we may say, quite a modern
belief. The writings of the church-fathers, the Reformers or the
Puritans will (we believe) be searched in vain for any such concept.
Perhaps the late D. L. Moody--captivated by Drummond's "The Greatest
Thing in the World"--did more than anyone else last century to
popularize this concept.
It has been customary to say God loves the sinner, though He hates his
sin. [1]
But that is a meaningless distinction. What is there in a sinner but
sin? Is it not true that his "whole head is sick", and his "whole
heart faint", and that "from the sole of the foot even unto the head
there is no soundness" in him? (Isa. 1:5,6). Is it true that God loves
the one who is despising and rejecting His blessed Son? God is Light
as well as Love, and therefore His love must be a holy love. To tell
the Christ-rejector that God loves him is to cauterize his conscience,
as well as to afford him a sense of security in his sins. The fact is,
that the love of God, is a truth for the saints only, and to present
it to the enemies of God is to take the children's bread and cast it
to the dogs. With the exception of John 3:16, not once in the four
Gospels do we read of the Lord Jesus--the perfect Teacher-- telling
sinners that God loved them! In the book of Acts, which records the
evangelistic labors and messages of the apostles, God's love is never
referred to at all! But, when we come to the Epistles, which are
addressed to the saints, we have a full presentation of this precious
truth--God's love for His own. Let us seek to rightly divide the Word
of God and then we shall not be found taking truths which are
addressed to believers and misapplying them to unbelievers. That which
sinners need to have brought before them is, the ineffable holiness,
the exacting righteousness, the inflexible justice and the terrible
wrath of God. Risking the danger of being mis-understood, let us
say--and we wish we could say it to every evangelist and preacher in
the country--there is far too much presenting of Christ to sinners
today (by those sound in the faith), and far too little showing
sinners their need of Christ, i.e., their absolutely ruined and lost
condition, their imminent and awful danger of suffering the wrath to
come, the fearful guilt resting upon them in the sight of God--to
present Christ to those who have never been shown their need of Him,
seems to us to be guilty of casting pearls before swine. [2]
If it be true that God loves every member of the human family then why
did our Lord tell His disciples, "He that hath My commandments, and
keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be
loved of My Father. . . . . If a man love Me, he will keep My words:
and My Father will love him" (John 14:21,23)? Why say "he that loveth
Me shall be loved of My Father" if the Father loves everybody? The
same limitation is found in Proverbs 8:17: "I love them that love Me."
Again; we read, "Thou hatest all workers of iniquity"--not merely the
works of iniquity. Here, then, is a flat repudiation of present
teaching that, God hates sin but loves the sinner; Scripture says,
"Thou hatest all workers of iniquity" (Ps. 5:5)! "God is angry with
the wicked every day." "He that believeth not the Son shall not see
life, but the wrath of God"--not "shall abide," but even now--"abideth
on him" (Ps. 5:5; 7:11 John 3:36). Can God "love" the one on whom His
"wrath" abides? Again; is it not evident that the words "The love of
God which is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:39) mark a limitation, both in
the sphere and objects of His love? Again; is it not plain from the
words "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated" (Rom. 9:13) that God
does not love everybody? Again; it is written, "For whom the Lord
loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth" (Heb.
12:6). Does not this verse teach that God's love is restricted to the
members of His own family? If He loves all men without exception, then
the distinction and limitation here mentioned is quite meaningless.
Finally, we would ask, Is it conceivable that God will love the damned
in the Lake of Fire? Yet, if He loves them now He will do so then,
seeing that His love knows no change--He is "without variableness or
shadow of turning"!
Turning now to John 3:16, it should be evident from the passages just
quoted, that this verse will not bear the construction usually put
upon it. "God so loved the world". Many suppose that this means, The
entire human race. But "the entire human race," includes all mankind
from Adam till the close of the earth's history: it reaches backward
as well as forward! Consider, then, the history of mankind before
Christ was born. Unnumbered millions lived and died before the Saviour
came to the earth, lived here "having no hope and without God in the
world", and therefore passed out into an eternity of woe. If God
"loved" them, where is the slightest proof thereof? Scripture
declares, "Who (God) in times past (from the tower of Babel till after
Pentecost) suffered all nations to walk in their own ways" (Acts
14:16). Scripture declares that, "And even as they did not like to
retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind,
to do those things which are not convenient" (Rom. 1:28). To Israel
God said, "You only have I known of all the families of the earth"
(Amos 3:2). In view of these plain passages, who will be so foolish as
to insist that God in the past loved all mankind! The same applies
with equal force to the future. Read through the book of Revelation,
noting especially chapters 8 to 19, where we have described the
judgments which will yet be poured out from heaven on this earth. Read
of the fearful woes, the frightful plagues, the vials of God's wrath,
which shall be emptied on the wicked. Finally, read the 20th chapter
of the Revelation, the great white throne judgment, and see if you can
discover there the slightest trace of love.
But the objector comes back to John 3:16 and says, "World means
world". True, but we have shown that "the world" does not mean the
whole human family. The fact is that "the world" is used in a general
way. When the brethren of Christ said, "Shew Thyself to the world"
(John 7:4), did they mean "shew Thyself to all mankind"? When the
Pharisees said, "Behold, the world is gone after Him" (John 12:19),
did they mean that "all the human family" were flocking after Him?
When the apostle wrote, "Your faith is spoken of throughout the whole
world" (Rom. 1:8), did he mean that the faith of the saints at Rome
was the subject of conversation by every man, woman, and child on the
earth? When Revelation 13:3 informs us that "all the world wondered
after the beast", are we to understand that there will be no
exceptions? What of the godly Jewish Remnant, who will be slain (Rev.
20:4) rather than submit? These, and other passages which might be
quoted, show that the term "the world" often has a relative rather
than an absolute force.
Now the first thing to note in connection with John 3:16 is that our
Lord was there speaking to Nicodemus--a man who believed that God's
mercies were confined to his own nation. Christ there announced that
God's love in giving His Son had a larger object in view, that it
flowed beyond the boundary of Palestine, reaching out to "regions
beyond". In other words, this was Christ's announcement that God had a
purpose of grace toward Gentiles as well as Jews. "God so loved the
world", then, signifies, God's love is international in its scope. But
does this mean that God loves every individual among the Gentiles? Not
necessarily, for as we have seen, the term "world" is general rather
than specific, relative rather than absolute. The term "world" in
itself is not conclusive. To ascertain who are the objects of God's
love other passages where His love is mentioned must be consulted.
In 2 Peter 2:5 we read of "the world of the ungodly". If then, there
is a world of the ungodly there must also be a world of the godly. It
is the latter who are in view in the passages we shall now briefly
consider. "For the bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven,
and giveth life unto the world" (John 6:33). Now mark it well, Christ
did not say, "offereth life unto the world", but "giveth". What is the
difference between the two terms? This: a thing which is "offered" may
be refused, but a thing "given", necessarily implies its acceptance.
If it is not accepted, it is not "given", it is simply proffered.
Here, then, is a scripture that positively states Christ giveth life
(spiritual, eternal life) "unto the world." Now He does not give
eternal life to the "world of the ungodly" for they will not have it,
they do not want it. Hence, we are obliged to understand the reference
in John 6:33 as being to "the world of the godly", i.e., God's own
people.
One more: in 2 Corinthians 5:19 we read, "To wit that God was in
Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself". What is meant by this is
clearly defined in the words immediately following, "not imputing
their trespasses unto them". Here again, "the world" cannot mean "the
world of the ungodly", for their "trespasses" are "imputed" to them,
as the judgment of the Great White Throne will yet show. But 2
Corinthians 5:19 plainly teaches there is a "world" which are
"reconciled", reconciled unto God, because their trespasses are not
reckoned to their account, having been borne by their Substitute. Who
then are they? Only one answer is fairly possible--the world of God's
people!
In like manner, the "world" in John 3:16 must, in the final analysis,
refer to the world of God's people. Must we say, for there is no other
alternative solution. It cannot mean the whole human race, for one
half of the race was already in hell when Christ came to earth. It is
unfair to insist that it means every human being now living, for every
other passage in the New Testament where God's love is mentioned
limits it to His own people--search and see! The objects of God's love
in John 3:16 are precisely the same as the objects of Christ's love in
John 13:1: "Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that
His time was come, that He should depart out of this world unto the
Father, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them
unto the end". We may admit that our interpretation of John 3:16 is no
novel one invented by us, but one almost uniformly given by the
Reformers and Puritans, and many others since them. [3]
Coming now to chapter three--The Sovereignty of God in
Salvation--innumerable are the questions which might be raised here.
It is strange, yet it is true, that many who acknowledge the sovereign
rule of God over material things, will cavil and quibble when we
insist that God is also sovereign in the spiritual realm. But their
quarrel is with God and not with us. We have given scripture in
support of everything advanced in these pages, and if that will not
satisfy our readers it is idle for us to seek to convince them. What
we write now is designed for those who do bow to the authority of Holy
Writ, and for their benefit we propose to examine several other
scriptures which have purposely been held over for this chapter.
Perhaps the one passage which has presented the greatest difficulty to
those who have seen that passage after passage in Holy Writ plainly
teaches the election of a limited number unto salvation is 2 Peter
3:9: "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to
repentance".
The first thing to be said upon the above passage is that, like all
other scripture, it must be understood and interpreted in the light of
its context. What we have quoted in the preceding paragraph is only
part of the verse, and the last part of it at that! Surely it must be
allowed by all that the first half of the verse needs to be taken into
consideration. In order to establish what these words are supposed by
many to mean, viz., that the words "any" and "all" are to be received
without any qualification, it must be shown that the context is
referring to the whole human race! If this cannot be shown, if there
is no premise to justify this, then the conclusion also must be
unwarranted. Let us then ponder the first part of the verse.
"The Lord is not slack concerning His promise". Note "promise" in the
singular number, not "promises." What promise is in view? The promise
of salvation? Where, in all Scripture, has God ever promised to save
the whole human race!! Where indeed? No, the "promise" here referred
to is not about salvation. What then is it? The context tells us.
"Knowing this, first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers,
walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His
coming?" (vv. 3,4). The context then refers to God's promise to send
back His beloved Son. But many long centuries have passed, and this
promise has not yet been fulfilled. True, but long as the delay may
seem to us, the interval is short in the reckoning of God. As the
proof of this we are reminded, "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this
one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a
thousand years as one day" (v. 8). In God's reckoning of time, less
than two days have yet passed since He promised to send back Christ.
But more, the delay in the Father sending back His beloved Son is not
only due to no "slackness" on His part, but it is also occasioned by
His "longsuffering". His long-suffering to whom? The verse we are now
considering tells us: "but is longsuffering to usward". And whom are
the "usward"?--the human race, or God's own people? In the light of
the context this is not an open question upon which each of us is free
to form an opinion. The Holy Spirit has defined it. The opening verse
of the chapter says, "This second Epistle, beloved, I now write unto
you". And, again, the verse immediately preceding declares, "But,
beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing etc.," (v. 8). The "usward"
then are the "beloved" of God. They to whom this Epistle is addressed
are "them that have obtained (not "exercised", but "obtained" as God's
sovereign gift) like precious faith with us through the righteousness
of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 1:11). Therefore we say
there is no room for a doubt, a quibble or an argument--the "usward"
are the elect of God.
Let us now quote the verse as a whole: "The Lord is not slack
concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is
longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that
all should come to repentance." Could anything be clearer? The "any"
that God is not willing should perish, are the "usward" to whom God is
"longsuffering", the "beloved" of the previous verses. 2 Peter 3:9
means, then, that God will not send back His Son until "the fulness of
the Gentiles be come in" (Rom. 11:25). God will not send back Christ
till that "people" whom He is now "taking out of the Gentiles" (Acts
15:14) are gathered in. God will not send back His Son till the Body
of Christ is complete, and that will not be till the ones whom He has
elected to be saved in this dispensation shall have been brought to
Him. Thank God for His "longsuffering to us-ward". Had Christ come
back twenty years ago the writer had been left behind to perish in His
sins. But that could not be, so God graciously delayed the Second
Coming. For the same reason He is still delaying His Advent. His
decreed purpose is that all His elect will come to repentance, and
repent they shall. The present interval of grace will not end until
the last of the "other sheep" of John 10:16 are safely folded,--then
will Christ return,
In expounding the sovereignty of God the Spirit in Salvation we have
shown that His power is irresistible, that, by His gracious operations
upon and within them, He "compels" God's elect to come to Christ. The
sovereignty of the Holy Spirit is set forth not only in John 3:8 where
we are told "The wind bloweth where it pleaseth. . . . . .so is every
one that is born of the Spirit," but is affirmed in other passages as
well. In 1 Corinthians 12:11 we read, "But all these worketh that one
and the self same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will."
And again; we read in Acts 16:6, 7-- "Now when they had gone
throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of
the Holy Spirit to preach the Word in Asia. After they were come to
Mysia, they assayed to go in to Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them
not." Thus we see how the Holy Spirit interposed His imperial will in
opposition to the determination of the apostles.
But, it is objected against the assertion that the will and power of
the Holy Spirit are irresistible that there are two passages, one in
the Old Testament and the other in the New, which appear to militate
against such a conclusion. God said of old, "My Spirit shall not
always strive with man" (Gen. 6:3), and to the Jews Stephen declared,
"Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always
resist the Holy Spirit: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the
prophets have not your fathers persecuted?" (Acts 7:51, 52). If then
the Jews "resisted" the Holy Spirit, how can we say His power is
irresistible? The answer is found in Nehemiah 9:30--"Many years didst
Thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by Thy Spirit in Thy
Prophets: yet would they not give ear." It was the external operations
of the Spirit which Israel "resisted." It was the Spirit speaking by
and through the prophets to which they "would not give ear." It was
not anything which the Holy Spirit wrought in them that they
"resisted," but the motives presented to them by the inspired messages
of the prophets. Perhaps it will help the reader to catch our thought
better if we compare Matthew 11:20-24--"Then began He to upbraid the
cities wherein most of His mighty works were done, because they
repented not. Woe unto thee Chorazin!" etc. Our Lord here pronounces
woe upon these cities for their failure to repent because of the
"mighty works" (miracles) which He had done in their sight, and not
because of any internal operations of His grace! The same is true of
Genesis 6:3. By comparing 1 Peter 3:18-20 it will be seen that it was
by and through Noah that God's Spirit "strove" with the antediluvians.
The distinction noted above was ably summarized by Andrew Fuller
(another writer long deceased from whom our moderns might learn much)
thus: "There are two kinds of influences by which God works on the
minds of men. First, That which is common, and which is effected by
the ordinary use of motives presented to the mind for consideration;
Secondly, That which is special and supernatural. The one contains
nothing mysterious, anymore than the influence of our words and
actions on each other; the other is such a mystery that we know
nothing of it but by its effects--The former ought to be effectual;
the latter is so." The work of the Holy Spirit upon or towards men is
always "resisted," by them; His work within is always successful. What
saith the scriptures? This: "He which hath begun a good work IN you,
will finish it" (Phil. 1:6)
The next question to be considered is: Why preach the Gospel to every
creature? If God the Father has predestined only a limited number to
be saved, if God the Son died to effect the salvation of only those
given to Him by the Father, and if God the Spirit is seeking to
quicken none save God's elect, then what is the use of giving the
Gospel to the world at large, and where is the propriety of telling
sinners that "Whosoever believeth in Christ shall not perish but have
everlasting life"?
First; it is of great importance that we should be clear upon the
nature of the Gospel itself. The Gospel is God's good news concerning
Christ and not concerning sinners,-- "Paul a servant of Jesus Christ,
called to be an apostle, separated unto the Gospel of God . . . .
concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 1:1-3). God would
have proclaimed far and wide the amazing fact that His own blessed Son
"became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." A universal
testimony must be borne to the matchless worth of the person and work
of Christ. Note the word "witness" in Matthew 22:14. The Gospel is
God's "witness" unto the perfections of His Son. Mark the words of the
apostle: "For we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ, in them that
are saved, and in them that perish" (2 Cor. 2:15)!
Concerning the character and contents of the Gospel the utmost
confusion prevails today. The Gospel is not an "offer" to be bandied
around by evangelistic peddlers. The Gospel is no mere invitation, but
a proclamation, a proclamation concerning Christ; true, whether men
believe it or no. No man is asked to believe that Christ died for him
in particular. The Gospel, in brief, is this: Christ died for sinners,
you are a sinner, believe in Christ, and you shall be saved. In the
Gospel, God simply announces the terms upon which men may be saved
(namely, repentance and faith) and, indiscriminately, all are
commanded to fulfill them.
Second; repentance and remission of sins are to be preached in the
name of the Lord Jesus "unto all the nations" (Luke 24:47), because
God's elect are "scattered abroad" (John 11:52) among all nations, and
it is by the preaching and hearing of the Gospel that they are called
out of the world. The Gospel is the means which God uses in the saving
of His own chosen ones. By nature God's elect are children of wrath
"even as others"; they are lost sinners needing a Saviour, and apart
from Christ there is no salvation for them. Hence, the Gospel must be
believed by them before they can rejoice in the knowledge of sins
forgiven. The Gospel is God's winnowing fan: it separates the chaff
from the wheat, and gathers the latter into His garner.
Third; it is to be noted that God has other purposes in the preaching
of the Gospel than the salvation of His own elect. The world exists
for the elect's sake, yet others have the benefit of it. So the Word
is preached for the elect's sake, yet others have the benefit of an
external call. The sun shines, though blind men see it not. The rain
falls upon rocky mountains and waste deserts, as well as on the
fruitful valleys; so also, God suffers the Gospel to fall on the ears
of the non-elect. The power of the Gospel is one of God's agencies for
holding in check the wickedness of the world. Many who are never saved
by it are reformed, their lusts are bridled, and they are restrained
from becoming worse. Moreover, the preaching of the Gospel to the
non-elect is made an admirable test of their characters. It exhibits
the inveteracy of their sin: it demonstrates that their hearts are at
enmity against God: it justifies the declaration of Christ that "men
loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil" (John
3:19).
Finally; it is sufficient for us to know that we are bidden to preach
the Gospel to every creature. It is not for us to reason about the
consistency between this and the fact that "few are chosen." It is for
us to obey. It is a simple matter to ask questions relating to the
ways of God which no finite mind can fully fathom. We, too, might turn
and remind the objector that our Lord declared, "Verily I say unto
you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies
wherewith soever they shall blaspheme. But he that shall blaspheme
against the Holy Spirit hath never forgiveness" (Mark 3:28, 29), and
there can be no doubt whatever but that certain of the Jews were
guilty of this very sin (see Matt. 12:24 etc.), and hence their
destruction was inevitable. Yet, notwithstanding, scarcely two months
later, He commanded His disciples to preach the Gospel to every
creature. When the objector can show us the consistency of these two
things--the fact that certain of the Jews had committed the sin for
which there is never forgiveness, and the fact that to them the Gospel
was to be preached--we will undertake to furnish a more satisfactory
solution than the one given above to the harmony between a universal
proclamation of the Gospel and a limitation of its saving power to
those only that God has predestined to be conformed to the image of
His Son.
Once more, we say, it is not for us to reason about the Gospel; it is
our business to preach it. When God ordered Abraham to offer up his
son as a burnt-offering, he might have objected that this command was
inconsistent with His promise "In Isaac shall thy seed be called." But
instead of arguing he obeyed, and left God to harmonize His promise
and His precept. Jeremiah might have argued that God had bade him do
that which was altogether unreasonable when He said, "Therefore thou
shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to
thee; thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee"
(Jer. 7:27), but instead, the prophet obeyed. Ezekiel, too, might have
complained that the Lord was asking of him a hard thing when He said,
"Son of man, go, get thee unto the House of Israel, and speak with My
words unto them. For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech
and of an hard language, but to the House of Israel; Not to many
people of a strange speech and of a hard language, whose words thou
cans't not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would
have hearkened unto thee. But the House of Israel will not hearken
unto thee; for they will not hearken unto Me; for all the House of
Israel are impudent and hard hearted" (Ezek. 3:4-7).
"But, O my soul, if truth so bright
Should dazzle and confound thy sight,
Yet still His written Word obey,
And wait the great decisive day."--Watts.
It has been well said, "The Gospel has lost none of its ancient power.
It is, as much today as when it was first preached, `the power of God
unto salvation'. It needs no pity, no help, and no handmaid. It can
overcome all obstacles, and break down all barriers. No human device
need be tried to prepare the sinner to receive it, for if God has sent
it no power can hinder it; and if He has not sent it, no power can
make it effectual." (Dr. Bullinger).
This chapter might be extended indefinitely, but it is already too
long, so a word or two more must suffice. A number of other questions
will be dealt with in the pages yet to follow, and those that we fail
to touch upon the reader must take to the Lord Himself who has said,
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all
liberally, and upbraideth not" (James 1:5).
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] Romans 5 :8 is addressed to saints, and the "we" are the same ones
as those spoken of in 8:29, 30. [2] Concerning the rich young ruler of
whom it is said Christ "loved him" (Mark 10:21), we fully believe that
he was one of God's elect, and was "saved" sometime after his
interview with our Lord. Should it be said this is an arbitrary
assumption and assertion which lacks anything in the Gospel record to
substantiate it, we reply, It is written, "Him that cometh to Me I
will in no wise cast out," and this man certainly did "come" to Him.
Compare the case of Nicodemus. He, too, came to Christ, yet there is
nothing in John 3 which intimates he was a saved man when the
interview closed; nevertheless, we know from his later life that he
was not "cast out." [3] For a further discussion of John 3:16 see
Appendix 3.
Index
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THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
Chapter 12
THE VALUE OF THIS DOCTRINE
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, And is profitable for
doctrine, For reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, Throughly furnished
unto all good works"
2 Timothy 3:16, 17
_________________________________________________________________
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished
unto all good works" (2 Tim. 3:16, 17). "Doctrine" means "teaching,"
and it is by doctrine or teaching that the great realities of God and
of our relation to Him--of Christ, the Spirit, salvation, grace,
glory, are made known to us. It is by doctrine (through the power of
the Spirit) that believers are nourished and edified, and where
doctrine is neglected, growth in grace and effective witnessing for
Christ necessarily cease. How sad then that doctrine is now decried as
"unpractical" when, in fact, doctrine is the very base of the
practical life. There is an inseparable connection between belief and
practice--"As he thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Pro. 23:7). The
relation between Divine truth and Christian character is that of cause
to effect--"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you
free" (John 8:32)--free from ignorance, free from prejudice, free from
error, free from the wiles of Satan, free from the power of evil; and
if the truth is not "known" then such freedom will not be enjoyed.
Observe the order of mention in the passage with which we have opened.
All Scripture is profitable first for "doctrine"! The same order is
observed throughout the Epistles, particularly in the great doctrinal
treatises of the apostle Paul. Read the Epistle of "Romans" and it
will be found that there is not a single admonition in the first five
chapters. In the Epistle of "Ephesians" there are no exhortations till
the fourth chapter is reached. The order is first doctrinal exposition
and then admonition or exhortation for the regulation of the daily
walk.
The substitution of so-called "practical" preaching for the doctrinal
exposition which it has supplanted is the root cause of many of the
evil maladies which now afflict the church of God. The reason why
there is so little depth, so little intelligence, so little grasp of
the fundamental verities of Christianity, is because so few believers
have been established in the faith, through hearing expounded and
through their own personal study of the doctrines of grace. While the
soul is unestablished in the doctrine of the Divine Inspiration of the
Scriptures--their full and verbal inspiration-- there can be no firm
foundation for faith to rest upon. While the soul is ignorant of the
doctrine of Justification there can be no real and intelligent
assurance of its acceptance in the Beloved. While the soul is
unacquainted with the teaching of the Word upon Sanctification it is
open to receive all the crudities and errors of the Perfectionists or
"Holiness" people. While the soul knows not what Scripture has to say
upon the doctrine of the New Birth there can be no proper grasp of the
two natures in the believer, and ignorance here inevitably results in
loss of peace and joy. And so we might go on right through the list of
Christian doctrine. It is ignorance of doctrine that has rendered the
professing church helpless to cope with the rising tide of infidelity.
It is ignorance of doctrine which is mainly responsible for thousands
of professing Christians being captivated by the numerous fallacies of
the day. It is because the time has now arrived when the bulk of our
churches "will not endure sound doctrine" (2 Tim. 4:3) that they so
readily receive false doctrines. Of course it is true that doctrine,
like anything else in Scripture, may be studied from a merely cold
intellectual viewpoint, and thus approached, doctrinal teaching and
doctrinal study will leave the heart untouched, and will naturally be
"dry" and profitless. But, doctrine properly received, doctrine
studied with an exercised heart, will ever lead into a deeper
knowledge of God and of the unsearchable riches of Christ.
The doctrine of God's sovereignty then is no mere metaphysical dogma
which is devoid of practical value, but is one that is calculated to
produce a powerful effect upon Christian character and the daily walk.
The doctrine of God's sovereignty lies at the foundation of Christian
theology, and in importance is perhaps second only to the Divine
Inspiration of the Scriptures. It is the center of gravity in the
system of Christian truth--the sun around which all the lesser orbs
are grouped. It is the golden milestone to which every highway of
knowledge leads and from which they all radiate. It is the cord upon
which all other doctrines are strung like so many pearls, holding them
in place and giving them unity. It is the plumb-line by which every
creed needs to be measured, the balance in which every human dogma
must be weighed. It is designed as the sheet-anchor for our souls amid
the storms of life. The doctrine of God's sovereignty is a Divine
cordial to refresh our spirits. It is designed and adapted to mould
the affections of the heart and to give a right direction to conduct.
It produces gratitude in prosperity and patience in adversity. It
affords comfort for the present and a sense of security respecting the
unknown future. It is, and it does all, and much more than we have
just said, because it ascribes to God--Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit--the glory which is His due, and places the creature in his
proper place before Him--in the dust.
We shall now consider the Value of the doctrine in detail.
1. It deepens our veneration of the Divine Character.
The doctrine of God's sovereignty as it is unfolded in the Scriptures
affords an exalted view of the Divine perfections. It maintains His
creatorial rights. It insists that "to us there is but one God, the
Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him" (1 Cor. 8:6). It
declares that His rights are those of the "potter" who forms and
fashions the clay into vessels of whatever type and for whatever use
He may please. Its testimony is, "Thou hast created all things, and
for Thy pleasure they are and were created" (Rev. 4:11). It argues
that none has any right to "reply" against God, and that the only
becoming attitude for the creature to take is one of reverent
submission before Him. Thus the apprehension of the absolute supremacy
of God is of great practical importance, for unless we have a proper
regard to His high sovereignty He will never be honored in our
thoughts of Him, nor will He have His proper place in our hearts and
lives.
It exhibits the inscrutableness of His wisdom. It shows that while God
is immaculate in His holiness, He has permitted evil to enter His fair
creation; that while He is the Possessor of all power, He has allowed
the Devil to wage war against Him for six thousand years at least;
that while He is the perfect embodiment of love, He spared not His own
Son; that while He is the God of all grace, multitudes will be
tormented for ever and ever in the Lake of Fire. High mysteries are
these. Scripture does not deny them, but acknowledge their
existence--"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge
of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding
out!" (Rom. 11:33).
It makes known the irreversibleness of His will. "Known unto God are
all His works from the beginning of the world" (Acts 15:18). From the
beginning God purposed to glorify Himself "in the Church by Christ
Jesus, throughout all ages, world without end" (Eph. 3:21). To this
end, He created the world, and formed man. His all-wise plan was not
defeated when man fell, for in the Lamb "slain from the foundation of
the world" (Rev. 13:8) we behold the Fall anticipated. Nor will God's
purpose be thwarted by the wickedness of men since the Fall, as is
clear from the words of the Psalmist, "Surely the wrath of man shall
praise Thee: the remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain" (Ps. 76:10).
Because God is the Almighty His will cannot be withstood. "His
purposes originated in eternity, and are carried forward without
change to eternity. They extend to all His works, and control all
events. He `worketh all things after the counsel of His own will.'"
(Dr. Rice). Neither man nor devil can successfully resist Him,
therefore is it written, "The Lord reigneth; let the people tremble."
(Ps. 99:1).
It magnifies His grace. Grace is unmerited favor, and because grace is
shown to the undeserving and Hell-deserving, to those who have no
claim upon God, therefore is grace free and can be manifested toward
the chief of sinners. But because grace is exercised toward those who
are destitute of worthiness or merit, grace is sovereign; that is to
say, God bestows grace upon whom He pleases. Divine sovereignty has
ordained that some shall be cast into the Lake of Fire to show that
all deserved such a doom. But grace comes in like a drag-net and draws
out from a lost humanity a people for God's name, to be throughout all
eternity the monuments of His inscrutable favor. Sovereign grace
reveals God breaking down the opposition of the human heart, subduing
the enmity of the carnal mind, and bringing us to love Him because He
first loved us.
2. It is the solid foundation of all true religion.
This naturally follows from. what we have said above under the first
head. If the doctrine of Divine sovereignty alone gives God His
rightful place, then it is also true that it alone can supply a firm
base for practical religion to build upon. There can be no progress in
Divine things until there is the personal recognition that God is
Supreme, that He is to be feared and revered, that He is to be owned
and served as Lord. We read the Scriptures in vain unless we come to
them earnestly desiring a better knowledge of God's will for us--any
other motive is selfish and utterly inadequate and unworthy. Every
prayer we send up to God is but carnal presumption unless it be
offered "according to His will"-- anything short of this is to ask
`amiss,' that we might consume upon our own lusts the thing requested.
Every service we engage in is but a "dead work" unless it be done for
the glory of God. Experimental religion consists mainly in the
perception and performance of the Divine will--performance both active
and passive. We are predestinated to be "conformed to the image of
God's Son", whose meat it ever was to do the will of the One that sent
Him, and the measure in which each saint is becoming "conformed"
practically, in his daily life, is largely determined by his response
to our Lord's word--"Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am
meek and lowly in heart."
3. It repudiates the heresy of salvation by works.
"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof
are the ways of death" (Prov. 14:12). The way which "seemeth right"
and which ends in "death," death eternal, is salvation by human effort
and merit. The belief in salvation by works is one that is common to
human nature. It may not always assume the grosser form of Popish
penances, or even of Protestant "repentance"--i.e., sorrowing for sin,
which is never the meaning of repentance in Scripture--anything which
gives man a place at all is but a variety of the same evil genus. To
say, as alas! many preachers are saying, God is willing to do His part
if you will do yours, is a wretched and excuseless denial of the
Gospel of His grace. To declare that God helps those who help
themselves, is to repudiate one of the most precious truths taught in
the Bible, and in the Bible alone; namely, that God helps those who
are unable to help themselves, who have tried again and again only to
fail. To say that the sinner's salvation turns upon the action of his
own. will, is another form of the God-dishonoring dogma of salvation
by human efforts. In the final analysis, any movement of the will is a
work: it is something from me, something which I do. But the doctrine
of God's sovereignty lays the axe at the root of this evil tree by
declaring, "it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth,
but of God that sheweth mercy" (Rom. 9:16). Does some one say, Such a
doctrine will drive sinners to despair. The reply is, Be it so; it is
just such despair the writer longs to see prevail. It is not until the
sinner despairs of any help from himself, that he will ever fall into
the arms of sovereign mercy; but if once the Holy Spirit convicts him
that there is no help in himself, then he will recognize that he is
lost, and will cry, "God be merciful to me a sinner," and such a cry
will be heard. If the author may be allowed to bear personal witness,
he has found during the course of his ministry that, the sermons he
has preached on human depravity, the sinner's helplessness to do
anything himself, and the salvation of the soul turning upon the
sovereign mercy of God, have been those most owned and blessed in the
salvation of the lost. We repeat, then, a sense of utter helplessness
is the first prerequisite to any sound conversion. There is no
salvation for any soul until it looks away from itself, looks to
something, yea, to Someone, outside of itself.
4. It is deeply humbling to the creature.
This doctrine of the absolute sovereignty of God is a great
battering-ram against human pride, and in this it is in sharp contrast
from "the doctrines of men." The spirit of our age is essentially that
of boasting and glorying in the flesh. The achievements of man, his
development and progress, his greatness and self-sufficiency, are the
shrine at which the world worships today. But the truth of God's
sovereignty, with all its corollaries, removes every ground for human
boasting and instills the spirit of humility in its stead. It declares
that salvation is of the Lord--of the Lord in its origination, in its
operation, and in its consummation. It insists that the Lord has to
apply as well as supply, that He has to complete as well as begin His
saving work in our souls, that He has not only to reclaim but to
maintain and sustain us to the end. It teaches that salvation is by
grace through faith, and that all our works (before conversion), good
as well as evil, count for nothing toward salvation. It tells us we
are "born, not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but
of God" (John 1:13). And all this is most humbling to the heart of
man, who wants to contribute something to the price of his redemption
and do that which will afford ground for boasting and
self-satisfaction.
But if this doctrine humbles us, it results in praise to God. If, in
the light of God's sovereignty, we have seen our own worthlessness and
helplessness, we shall indeed cry with the Psalmist, "All my springs
are in Thee" (Ps. 87:7). If by nature we were "children of wrath," and
by practice rebels against the Divine government and justly exposed to
the "curse" of the Law, and if God was under no obligation to rescue
us from the fiery indignation and yet, notwithstanding, He delivered
up His well-beloved Son for us all; then how such grace and love will
melt our hearts, how the apprehension of it will cause us to say in
adoring gratitude, "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy
name give glory, for Thy mercy, and for Thy truth's sake" (Ps. 115:1)!
How readily shall each of us acknowledge, "By the grace of God I am
what I am"! With what wondering praise shall we exclaim--
"Why was I made to hear His voice,
And enter while there's room,
When thousands make a wretched choice,
And rather starve than come?
`Twas the same love that spread the feast,
That sweetly forced us in;
Else we had still refused to taste
And perished in our sin."
5. It affords a sense of absolute security.
God is infinite in power, and therefore it is impossible to withstand
His will or resist the outworking of His decrees. Such a statement as
that is well calculated to fill the sinner with alarm, but from the
saint it evokes naught but praise. Let us add a word and see what a
difference it makes:--My God is infinite in power! then "I will not
fear what man can do unto me." My God is infinite in power, then "what
time I am afraid I will trust in Him." My God is infinite in power,
then "I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for Thou, Lord,
only makest me dwell in safety" (Ps. 4:8). Right down the ages this
has been the source of the saints' confidence. Was not this the
assurance of Moses when, in his parting words to Israel, he
said--"There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun (Israel), who
rideth upon the heaven in Thy help, and in His excellency on the sky.
The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting
arms" (Deut. 33:26, 27)? Was it not this sense of security that caused
the Psalmist, moved by the Holy Spirit, to write--"He that dwelleth in
the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the
Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my
God: in Him will I trust. Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare
of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee
with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth
shall be thy shield and buckler: Thou shalt not be afraid for the
terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the
pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that
wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten
thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh thee. Because
thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High thy
Habitation; There shall no evil befall thee (instead, all things will
work together for good), neither shall any plague come nigh thy
dwelling" (Ps. 91)?
"Death and plagues around me fly,
Till He hid, I cannot die;
Not a single shaft can hit,
Till the God of love sees fit."
O the preciousness of this truth! Here am I, a poor, helpless,
senseless "sheep," yet am I secure in the hand of Christ. And why am I
secure there? None can pluck me thence because the hand that holds me
is that of the Son of God, and all power in heaven and earth is His!
Again; I have no strength of my own: the world, the flesh, and the
Devil, are arrayed against me, so I commit myself into the care and
keeping of the Lord and say with the apostle, "I know Whom I have
believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have
committed unto Him against that day" (2 Tim. 1:12). And what is the
ground of my confidence? How do I know that He is able to keep that
which I have committed unto Him? I know it because God is almighty,
the King of kings and Lord of lords.
6. It supplies comfort in sorrow.
The doctrine of God's sovereignty is one that is full of consolation
and imparts great peace to the Christian. The sovereignty of God is a
foundation that nothing can shake and is more firm than the heavens
and earth. How blessed to know there is no corner of the universe that
is out of His reach! as said the Psalmist, "Whither shall I go from
Thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up
into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou
art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the
uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy
right hand shall hold me. If I say surely the darkness shall cover me;
even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not
from Thee: but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the
light are both alike to Thee" (Ps. 139:7-12). How blessed it is to
know that God's strong hand is upon every one and every thing! How
blessed to know that not a sparrow falleth to the ground without His
notice! How blessed to know that our very afflictions come not by
chance, nor from the Devil, but are ordained and ordered by God:--
"That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know
that we are appointed thereunto" (1 Thess. 3:3)!
But our God is not only infinite in power, He is infinite in wisdom
and goodness too. And herein is the preciousness of this truth. God
wills only that which is good and His will is irreversible and
irresistible! God is too wise to err and too loving to cause His child
a needless tear. Therefore if God be perfect wisdom and perfect
goodness how blessed is the assurance that everything is in His hand,
and moulded by His will according to His eternal purpose! "Behold, He
taketh away, who can hinder Him? who will say unto Him what doest
Thou?" (Job 9:12). Yet, how comforting to learn that it is "He", and
not the Devil, who "taketh away" our loved ones! Ah! what peace for
our poor frail hearts to be told that the number of our days is with
Him (Job 7:1; 14:5); that disease and death are His messengers, and
always march under His orders; that it is the Lord who gives and the
Lord who takes away!
7. It begets a spirit of sweet resignation.
To bow before the sovereign will of God is one of the great secrets of
peace and happiness. There can be no real submission with contentment
until we are broken in spirit, that is, until we are willing and glad
for the Lord to have His way with us. Not that we are insisting upon a
spirit of fatalistic acquiescence; far from it. The saints are
exhorted to "prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will
of God" (Rom. 12:2).
We touched upon this subject of resignation to God's will in the
chapter upon our Attitude towards God's Sovereignty, and there, in
addition to the supreme Pattern, we cited the examples of Eli and Job:
we would now supplement their cases with further examples. What a word
is that in Leviticus 10:3--"And Aaron held his peace." Look at the
circumstances: "And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of
them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and
offered strange fire before the Lord, which He commanded them not. And
there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died
before the Lord. . . . . And Aaron held his peace." Two of the high
priests' sons were slain, slain by a visitation of Divine judgment,
and they were probably intoxicated at the time; moreover, this trial
came upon Aaron suddenly, without anything to prepare him for it; yet,
he "held his peace." Precious exemplification of the power of God's
all-sufficient grace!
Consider now an utterance which fell from the lips of David: "And the
king said unto Zadok, Carry back the ark of God into the city: if I
shall find favor in the eyes of the Lord, He will bring me again, and
shew me both it, and His habitation. But if He thus say, I have no
delight in thee; behold, here am I, let Him do to me as seemeth good
unto Him" (2 Sam. 15:25, 26). Here, too, the circumstances which
confronted the speaker were exceedingly trying to the human heart.
David was sore pressed with sorrow. His own son was driving him from
the throne, and seeking his very life. Whether he would ever see
Jerusalem and the Tabernacle again he knew not. But he was so yielded
up to God, he was so fully assured that His will was best, that even
though it meant the loss of the throne and the loss of his life he was
content for Him to have His way--"let Him do to me as seemeth Him
good."
There is no need to multiply examples, but a reflection upon the last
case will be in place. If amid the shadows of the Old Testament
dispensation, David was content for the Lord to have His way, now that
the heart of God has been fully revealed at the Cross, how much more
ought we to delight in the execution of His will! Surely we shall have
no hesitation in saying--
"Ill that He blesses is our good,
And unblest good is ill,
And all is right that seems most wrong,
If it he His sweet will."
8. It evokes a song of praise.
It could not be otherwise. Why should I, who am by nature no different
from the careless and godless throngs all around, have been chosen in
Christ before the foundation of the world and now blest with all
spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Him! Why was I, that once was
an alien and a rebel, singled out for such wondrous favors! Ah, that
is something I cannot fathom. Such grace, such love, "passeth
knowledge." But if my mind is unable to discern a reason, my heart can
express its gratitude in praise and adoration. But not only should I
be grateful to God for His grace toward me in the past, His present
dealings will fill me with thanksgivings. What is the force of that
word "Rejoice in the Lord alway" (Phil. 4:4)? Mark it is not "Rejoice
in the Saviour," but we are to "Rejoice in the Lord," as "Lord," as
the Master of every circumstance. Need we remind the reader that when
the apostle penned these words he was himself a prisoner in the hands
of the Roman government. A long course of affliction and suffering lay
behind him. Perils on land and perils on sea, hunger and thirst,
scourging and stoning, had all been experienced. He had been
persecuted by those within the church as well as by those without: the
very ones who ought to have stood by him had forsaken him. And still
he writes, "Rejoice in the Lord alway"! What was the secret of his
peace and happiness? Ah! had not this same apostle written, "And we
know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are the called according to His purpose" (Rom. 8:28). But how
did he, and how do we, "know," that all things work together for good?
The answer is, Because all things are under the control of and are
being regulated by the Supreme Sovereign, and because He has naught
but thoughts of love toward His own, then "all things" are so ordered
by Him that they are made to minister to our ultimate good. It is for
this cause we are to give "thanks always for all things unto God and
the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph. 5:20). Yes,
give thanks for "all things" for, as it has been well said "Our
disappointments are but His appointments." To the one who delights in
the sovereignty of God the clouds not only have a `silver lining' but
they are silvern all through, the darkness only serving to offset the
light--
"Ye fearful saints fresh courage take
The clouds ye so much dread,
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings o'er your head."
9. It guarantees the final triumph of good over evil.
Ever since the day that Cain slew Abel, the conflict on earth between
good and evil, has been a sore problem to the saints. In every age the
righteous have been hated and persecuted, whilst the unrighteous have
appeared to defy God with impugnity. The Lord's people, for the most
part, have been poor in this world's goods, whereas the wicked in
their temporal prosperity have flourished like the green bay tree. As
one looks around and beholds the oppression of believers and the
earthly success of unbelievers, and notes how few are the former and
how numerous the latter; as he sees the apparent defeat of the right,
and the triumphing of might and the wrong; as he hears the roar of
battle, the cries of the wounded, and the lamentations of the
bereaved; as he discovers that almost everything down here is in
confusion, chaos, and ruins, it seems as though Satan were getting the
better of the conflict. But as one looks above, instead of around,
there is plainly visible to the eye of faith a Throne, a Throne
unaffected by the storms of earth, a Throne that is "set," stable and
secure; and upon it is seated One whose name is the Almighty, and who
"worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (Eph. 1:11).
This then is our confidence--God is on the Throne. The helm is in His
hand, and being Almighty His purpose cannot fail, for "He is in one
mind, and who can turn Him? and what His soul desireth, even that He
doeth" (Job 23:13). Though God's governing hand is invisible to the
eye of sense, it is real to faith, that faith which rests with sure
confidence upon His Word, and therefore is assured He cannot fail.
What follows below is from the pen of our brother Mr. Gaebelein.
"There can be no failure with God. `God is not a man, that He should
lie, neither the Son of man, that He should repent; bath He said and
shall He not do it? or bath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?'
(Num. 23:19). All will be accomplished. The promise made to His own
beloved people to come for them and take them from hence to glory will
not fail. He will surely come and gather them in His own presence. The
solemn words spoken to the nations of the earth by the different
prophets will also not fail. `Come near, ye nations, to hear; and
hearken ye people; let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the
world, and all things that come forth of it. For the indignation of
the Lord is upon all nations, and His fury upon all armies; He bath
utterly destroyed them, He hath delivered them to the slaughter' (Isa.
34:1, 2). Nor will that day fail in which `the lofty looks of man
shall be humbled and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down and
the Lord alone shall be exalted' (Isa. 2:11). The day in which He is
manifested, when His glory shall cover the heavens and His feet will
stand again upon this earth, will surely come. His kingdom will not
fail, nor all the promised events connected with the end of the age
and the consummation.
"In these dark and trying times bow well it is to remember that He is
on the throne, the throne which cannot be shaken, and that He will not
fail in doing all He has spoken and promised. `Seek ye out of the book
of the Lord and read: Not one of these shall fail' (Isa. 34:16). In
believing, blessed anticipation, we can look on to the glory-time when
His Word and His Will is accomplished, when through the coming of the
Prince of Peace, righteousness and peace comes at last. And while we
wait for the supreme and blessed moment when His promise to us is
accomplished, we trust Him, walking in His fellowship and daily find
afresh, that He does not fail to sustain and keep us in all our ways.
10. It provides a resting place for the heart.
Much that might have been said here has already been anticipated under
previous heads. The One seated upon the Throne of Heaven, the One who
is Governor over the nations and who has ordained and now regulates
all events, is infinite not only in power but in wisdom and goodness
as well. He who is Lord over all creation is the One that was
"manifest in the flesh" (1 Tim. 3:16). Ah! here is a theme no human
pen can do justice to. The glory of God consists not merely in that He
is Highest, but in that being high He stooped in lowly love to bear
the burden of His own sinful creatures, for it is written "God was in
Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself" (2 Cor. 5:19). The Church
of God was purchased "with His own Blood" (Acts 20:28). It is upon the
gracious self-humiliation of the King Himself that His kingdom is
established. O wondrous Cross! By it He who suffered upon it has
become not the Lord of our destinies (He was that before), but the
Lord of our hearts. Therefore, it is not in abject terror that we bow
before the Supreme Sovereign, but in adoring worship we cry, "Worthy
is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom,
and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing" (Rev. 5:12).
Here then is the refutation of the wicked charge that this doctrine is
a horrible calumny upon God and dangerous to expound to His people.
Can a doctrine be "horrible" and "dangerous" that gives God His true
place, that maintains His rights, that magnifies His grace, that
ascribes all glory to Him and removes every ground of boasting from
the creature? Can a doctrine be "horrible" and "dangerous" which
affords the saints a sense of security in danger, that supplies them
comfort in sorrow, that begets patience within them in adversity, that
evokes from them praise at all times? Can a doctrine be "horrible" and
"dangerous" which assures us of the certain triumph of good over evil,
and which provides a sure resting-place for our hearts, and that
place, the perfections of the Sovereign Himself? No; a thousand times,
no. Instead of being "horrible and dangerous" this doctrine of the
Sovereignty of God is glorious and edifying, and a due apprehension of
it will but serve to make us exclaim with Moses, "Who is like unto
thee, O Lord, among the gods? who is like Thee, glorious in holiness,
fearful in praises, doing wonders?" (Ex. 15:11).
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THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
CONCLUSION
"Halleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth" - Revelation 19:6
_________________________________________________________________
In our Foreword to the second edition we acknowledge the need for
preserving the balance of Truth. Two things are beyond dispute: God is
sovereign, man is responsible. In this book we have sought to expound
the former; in our other works we have frequently pressed the latter.
That there is real danger of over-emphasizing the one and ignoring the
other, we readily admit; yea, history furnishes numerous examples of
cases of each. To emphasize the sovereignty of God, without also
maintaining the accountability of the creature tends to fatalism; to
be so concerned in maintaining the responsibility of man, as to lose
tight of the sovereignty of God, is to exalt the creature and dishonor
the Creator.
Almost all doctrinal error, is, really, Truth perverted, Truth wrongly
divided, Truth disproportionately held and taught. The fairest face on
earth, with the most comely features, would soon become ugly and
unsightly, if one member continued growing while the others remained
undeveloped. Beauty is, primarily, a matter of proportion. Thus it is
with the Word of God: its beauty and blessedness are best perceived
when its manifold wisdom is exhibited in its true proportions. Here is
where so many have failed in the past. A single phase of God's Truth
has so impressed this man or that, that he has concentrated his
attention upon it, almost to the exclusion of everything else. Some
portion of God's Word has been made a "pet doctrine", and often this
has become the distinctive badge of some party. But it is the duty of
each servant of God to "declare all the counsel of God" (Acts 20:27).
It is true that the degenerate days in which our lot is cast, when on
every side man is exalted, and "superman" has become a common
expression, there is real need for a special emphasis upon the
glorious fact of God's supremacy. The more so where this is expressly
denied. Yet even here much wisdom is required, lest our zeal should
not be according to knowledge." The words "meat in due season" should
ever be before the servant of God. What is needed, primarily, by one
congregation, may not be specifically needed by another. If called to
labor where Arminian preachers have preceded, then the neglected truth
of God's sovereignty should be expounded--though with caution and
care, lest too much "strong meat" be given to "babes". The example of
Christ in John 16:12, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye
cannot hear them now", must be borne in mind. On the other hand, if I
am called to take charge of a distinctly Calvinistic pulpit, then the
truth of human responsibility (in its many aspects) may be profitably
set forth. What the preacher needs to give-out is not what his people
most like to hear, but what they most need, i.e. those aspects of
truth they are least familiar with, or least exhibiting in their walk.
To carry into actual practice what we have inculcated above will, most
probably, lay the preacher open to the charge of being a Turncoat. But
what matters that if he has his Master's approval? He is not called
upon to be "consistent" with himself, nor with any rules drawn up by
man; his business is to be consistent with Holy Writ. And in Scripture
each part or aspect of truth is balanced by another aspect of truth.
There are two sides to everything, even to the character of God, for
He is "light" (1 John 1:5) as well as "love" (1 John 4:8), and
therefore are we called upon to "Behold, therefore the goodness and
severity of God" (Rom. 11:22). To be all the time preaching on the one
to the exclusion of the other, caricatures the Divine character.
When the Son of God became incarnate He came here in "the form of a
servant" (Phil. 2:6); nevertheless, in the manger He was "Christ the
Lord" (Luke 2:11)! All things are possible with God (Matt. 19:26), yet
God "cannot lie" (Titus 1:2). Scripture says, "Bear ye one another's
burdens (Gal. 6:2), yet the same chapter insists "every man shall bear
his own burden" (Gal. 6:5). We are enjoined to take "no thought for
the morrow" (Matt. 6:34), yet "if any provide not for his own, and
specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is
worse than an infidel" (1 Tim. 5:8). No sheep of Christ's can perish
(John 10:28, 29), yet the Christian is bidden to make his "calling and
election sure" (2 Pet. 1:10). And so we might go on multiplying
illustrations. These things are not contradictions, but
complementaries: the one "balances the other". Thus, the Scriptures
set forth both the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man.
So too should every servant of God, and that, in their proper
proportions.
But we return now to a few closing reflections upon our present theme.
"And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in
the house of the Lord, before the new court, And said, O Lord God of
our fathers, art not Thou God in heaven? and rulest not Thou over all
the kingdoms of the heathen? and in Thine hand is there not power and
might, so that none is able to withstand Thee?" (2 Chron. 20:5, 6).
Yes, the Lord is God, ruling over all the kingdoms of men, ruling in
supreme majesty and might. Yet in our day, a day of boasted
enlightenment and progress, this is denied on every hand. A
materialistic science and an atheistic philosophy have bowed God out
of His own world, and everything is regulated, forsooth, by
(impersonal) laws of nature. So in human affairs: at best God is a
far-distant spectator, and a helpless one at that. God could not help
the launching of the dreadful war, and though He longed to put a stop
to it He was unable to do so--and this in the face of 1 Chronicles
5:22; 2 Chronicles 24:24! Having endowed man with "free agency God is
obliged to let man make his own choice and go his own way, and He
cannot interfere with him, or otherwise his moral responsibility would
be destroyed. Such are the popular beliefs of the day. One is not
surprised to find these sentiments emanating from German neologians
(coiners of new words), but how sad that they should be taught in many
of our Seminaries, echoed from many of our pulpits, and accepted by
many of the rank and file of professing Christians.
One of the most flagrant sins of our age is that of irreverence--the
failure to ascribe the glory which is due the august majesty of God.
Men limit the power and activities of the Lord in their degrading
concepts of His being and character. Originally, man was made in the
image and likeness of God, but today we are asked to believe in a god
made in the image and likeness of man. The Creator is reduced to the
level of the creature: His omniscience is called into question, His
omnipotency is no longer believed in, and His absolute sovereignty is
flatly denied. Men claim to be the architects of their own fortunes
and the determiners of their own destiny. They know not that their
lives are at the disposal of the Divine Despot. They know not they
have no more power to thwart Hs secret decrees than a worm has to
resist the tread of an elephant. They know not that "The Lord hath
prepared His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom ruleth over all"
(Ps. 103:19).
In the foregoing pages we have sought to repudiate such paganistic
views as the above-mentioned, and have endeavored to show from
Scripture that God is God, on the Throne, and that so far from the
recent war being an evidence that the helm had slipped out of His
hand, it was a sure proof that He still lives and reigns, and is now
bringing to pass that which He had fore-determined and fore-announced
(Matt. 24:6-8 etc.). That the carnal mind is enmity against God, that
the unregenerate man is a rebel against the Divine government, that
the sinner has no concern for the glory of his Maker, and little or no
respect for His revealed will, is freely granted. But, nevertheless,
behind the scenes, God is ruling and over-ruling, fulfilling His
eternal purpose, not only in spite of but, also by means of, those who
are His enemies.
How earnestly are the claims of man contended for against the claims
of God! Has not man power and knowledge, but what of it? Has God no
will, or power, or knowledge? Suppose man's will conflicts with
God's--then what? Turn to the Scripture of Truth for answer. Men had a
will on the plains of Shinar and determined to build a tower whose top
should reach unto heaven, but what came of their purpose? Pharaoh had
a will when he hardened his heart and refused to allow Jehovah's
people to go and worship Him in the wilderness, but what came of his
rebellion? Balak had a will when he hired Balaam to come and curse the
Hebrews, but of what avail was it? The Canaanites had a will when they
determined to prevent Israel occupying the land of Canaan, but how far
did they succeed? Saul had a will when he hurled his javelin at David,
but it entered the wall instead! Jonah had a will when he refused to
go and preach to the Ninevites, but what came of it? Nebuchadnezzar
had a will when he thought to destroy the three Hebrew children, but
God had a will too, and the fire did not harm them. Herod had a will
when he sought to slay the Child Jesus, and had there been no living,
reigning God, his evil desire would have been effected; but in daring
to pit his puny will against the irresistible will of the Almighty,
his efforts came to nought. Yes, my reader, and you, too, had a will
when you formed your plans without first seeking counsel of the Lord,
therefore did He overturn them! "There are many devices in a man s
heart: nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand" (Prov.
19:21).
What a demonstration of the irresistible sovereignty of God is
furnished by that wonderful statement found in Revelation 17:17--"For
God hath put in their hearts to fulfill His will, and to agree, and
give their kingdom unto the Beast, until the words of God shall be
fulfilled." The fulfillment of any single prophecy is but the
sovereignty of God in operation. It is the demonstration that what He
has decreed He is able also to perform. It is proof that none can
withstand the execution of His counsel or prevent the accomplishment
of His pleasure. It is the evidence that God inclines men to fulfill
that which He has ordained and perform that which He has
fore-determined. If God were not absolute Sovereign, then Divine
prophecy would be valueless, for in such case no guarantee would be
left that what He had predicted would surely come to pass.
"For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill His will and, to agree,
and give their kingdom unto the Beast, until the words of God shall he
fulfilled" (Rev. 17:17). Even in that terrible time, when Satan has
been cast down to the earth itself (Rev. 12:9), when the Antichrist is
reigning in full power (Rev. 13), when the basest passions of men are
let loose (Rev. 6:4), even then God is supreme above all, working
"through all" (Eph. 4:6), controlling men's hearts and directing their
counsels to the fulfilling of His own purpose. We cannot do better
than quote here the excellent comments of our esteemed friend Mr.
Walter Scott upon this verse--"God works unseen, but not the less
truly, in all the political changes of the day. The astute statesman.
the clever diplomatist, is simply an agent in the Lord's hands. He
knows it not. Self-will and motives of policy may influence to action,
but God is steadily working toward an end-- to exhibit the heavenly
and earthly glories of His Son. Thus, instead of kings and statesmen
thwarting God's purpose, they unconsciously forward it. God is not
indifferent, but is behind the scenes of human action. The doings of
the future ten kings in relation to Babylon and the Beast-- the
ecclesiastical and secular powers--are not only under the direct
control of God, but all is done in fulfillment of His words."
Closely connected with Revelation 17:17 is that which is brought
before us in Micah 4:11, 12--"Now also many nations are gathered
against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon
Zion. But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither understand
they His counsel: for He shall gather them as the sheaves into the
floor." Here is another instance which demonstrates God's absolute
control of the nations, of His power to fulfill His secret counsel or
decrees through and by them, and of His inclining men to perform His
pleasure though it be performed blindly and unwittingly by them.
Once more. What a word was that of the Lord Jesus as He stood before
Pilate! Who can depict the scene! There was the Roman official, and
there also was the Servant of Jehovah standing before him. Said
Pilate, "Whence art Thou?" And we read, "Jesus gave him no answer.
Then said Pilate unto Him, "Speakest Thou not unto me? Knowest Thou
not that I have power to crucify Thee, and have power to release
Thee?" (John 19:10). Ah! that is what Pilate thought. That is what
many another has thought. He was merely voicing the common conviction
of the human heart--the heart which leaves God out of its reckoning.
But hear the Lord Jesus as He corrects Pilate, and at the same time
repudiates the proud boasting of men in general--"thou couldest have
no power against Me, except it were given thee from above" (John
19:11). How sweeping is this assertion! Man--even though he be a
prominent official in the most influential empire of his day--has no
power except that which is given him from above, no power, even, to do
that which is evil, i.e., carry out his own evil designs, unless God
empowers him so that His purpose may be forwarded. It was God who gave
Pilate the power to sentence to death His well-beloved Son! And how
this rebukes the sophistries and reasonings of men, who argue that God
does nothing more than permit evil! Why, go right back to the very
first words spoken by the Lord God to man after the Fall, and hear Him
saying, "I will put ENMITY between thee and the woman, and between thy
seed and her seed" (Gen. 3:15)! Bare permission of sin does not cover
all the facts which are revealed in Scripture touching this mystery.
As Calvin succinctly remarked, "But what reason shall we assign for
His permitting it but because it is His will?"
At the close of chapter eleven we promised to give attention to one or
two other Difficulties which were not examined at that time. To them
we now turn. If God has not only pre-determined the salvation of His
own, but has also fore-ordained the good works which they are to walk
`in (Eph. 2:10), then what incentive remains for us to strive after
practical godliness? If God has fixed the number of those who are to
be saved, and the others are vessels of wrath fitted to destruction,
then what encouragement have we to preach the Gospel to the lost? Let
us take up these questions in the order of mention.
1. God's Sovereignty and the believer's growth in grace.
If God has fore-ordained everything that comes to pass, of what avail
is it for us to "exercise" ourselves "unto godliness" (1Tim. 4:7)? If
God has before ordained the good works in which we are to walk (Eph.
2:10), then why should we be "careful to maintain good works" (Titus
3:8)? This only raises once more the problem of human responsibility.
Really, it should be enough for us to reply, God has bidden us do so.
Nowhere does Scripture inculcate or encourage a spirit of fatalistic
indifference. Contentment with our present attainments is expressly
disallowed. The word to every believer is, "Press toward the mark for
the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:14).
This was the apostle's aim, and it should be ours. Instead of
hindering the development of Christian character, a proper
apprehension and appreciation of God's sovereignty will forward it.
Just as the sinner's despair of any help from himself is the first
prerequisite of a sound conversion, so the loss of all confidence in
himself is the first essential in the believer's growth in grace; and
just as the sinner despairing of help from himself will cast him into
the arms of sovereign mercy, so the Christian, conscious of his own
frailty, will turn unto the Lord for power. It is when we are weak, we
are strong (2 Cor. 12:10): that is to say, there must be consciousness
of our weakness before we shall turn to the Lord for help. While the
Christian allows the thought that he is sufficient in himself, while
he imagines that by mere force of will he shall resist temptation,
while he has any confidence in the flesh then, like Peter who boasted
that though all forsook the Lord yet should not he, so we shall
certainly fail and fall. Apart from Christ we can do nothing (John
15:5). The promise of God is, "He giveth power to the faint; and to
them that have no might (of their own) He increaseth strength" (Isa.
40:29).
The question now before us is of great practical importance, and we
are deeply anxious to express ourselves clearly and simply. The secret
of development of Christian character is the realization of our own
powerlessness, acknowledged powerlessness, and the consequent turning
unto the Lord for help. The plain fact is that of ourselves we are
utterly unable to practice a single precept or obey a single command
that is set before us in the Scriptures. For example: "Love your
enemies"--but of ourselves we cannot do this, or make ourselves do it.
"In nothing be anxious"--but who can avoid and prevent anxiety when
things go wrong? "Awake to righteousness and sin not"--but who can
help sinning? These are merely examples selected at random from scores
of others. Does then God mock us by bidding us do what He knows we are
unable to do? The answer of Augustine to this question is the best we
have met with--"God gives commands we cannot perform, that we may know
what we ought to request from Him." A consciousness of our
powerlessness should cast us upon Him who has all power. Here then is
where a vision and view of God's sovereignty helps, for it reveals His
sufficiency and shows us our insufficiency.
2. God's Sovereignty and Christian service.
If God has determined before the foundation of the world the precise
number of those who shall be saved, then why should we concern
ourselves about the eternal destiny of those with whom we come into
contact? What place is left for zeal in Christian service? Will not
the doctrine of God's sovereignty, and its corollary of
predestination, discourage the Lord's servants from faithfulness in
evangelism? No; instead of discouraging His servants, a recognition of
God's sovereignty is most encouraging to them. Here is one, for
example, who is called upon to do the work of an evangelist, and he
goes forth believing in the freedom of the will and in the sinner's
own ability to come to Christ. He preaches the Gospel as faithfully
and zealously as he knows how; but, he finds the vast majority of his
hearers are utterly indifferent and have no heart at all for Christ.
He discovers that men are, for the most part, thoroughly wrapt up in
the things of the world, and that few have any concern about the world
to come. He beseeches men to be reconciled to God, and pleads with
them over their soul's salvation. But it is of no avail. He becomes
thoroughly disheartened, and asks himself, What is the use of it all?
Shall he quit, or had he better change his mission and message? If men
will not respond to the Gospel, had he not better engage in that which
is more popular and acceptable to the world? Why not occupy himself
with humanitarian efforts, with social uplift work, with the purity
campaign? Alas! that so many men who once preached the Gospel are now
engaged in these activities instead.
What then is God's corrective for His discouraged servant? First, he
needs to learn from Scripture that God is not now seeking to convert
the world, but that in this Age He is "taking out of the Gentiles" a
people for His name (Acts 15:14). What then is God's corrective for
His discouraged servant? This--a proper apprehension of God's plan for
this Dispensation. Again: what is God's remedy for dejection at
apparent failure in our labors? This--the assurance that God's purpose
cannot fail, that God's plans cannot miscarry, that God's will must be
done. Our labors are not intended to bring about that which God has
not decreed. Once more: what is God's word of cheer for the one who is
thoroughly disheartened at the lack of response to his appeals and the
absence of fruit for his labors? This-- that we are not responsible
for results: that is God's side, and God's business. Paul may "plant,"
and Apollos may "water," but it is God who "gave the increase" (1 Cor.
3:6). Our business is to obey Christ and preach the Gospel to every
creature, to emphasize the "Whosoever believeth", and then to leave
the sovereign operations of the Holy Spirit to apply the Word in
quickening power to whom He wills, resting on the sure promise of
Jehovah--"For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and
returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring
forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the
eater: So shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall
not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please
(it may not that which we please), and it shall prosper in the thing
whereto I sent it" (Isa. 55:10, 11). Was it not this assurance that
sustained the beloved apostle when he declared "Therefore (see
context) I endure all things for the elect's sake" (2 Tim.2:10)! Yea,
is not this same lesson to be learned from the blessed example of the
Lord Jesus! When we read that He said to the people, "Ye also have
seen Me, and believe not", He fell back upon the sovereign pleasure of
the One who sent Him, saying, "All that the Father giveth Me shall
come to Me, and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out"
(John 6:36, 37). He knew that His labor would not be in vain. He knew
God's Word would not return unto Him "void." He knew that "God's
elect" would come to Him and believe on Him. And this same assurance
fills the soul of every servant who intelligently rests upon the
blessed truth of God's sovereignty.
Ah fellow-Christian-worker, God has not sent us forth to "draw a bow
at a venture". The success of the ministry which He has committed into
our hands is not left contingent on the fickleness of the wills in
those to whom we preach. How gloriously encouraging, how
soul-sustaining the assurance are those words of our Lord's, if we
rest on them in simple faith: "And other sheep I have ("have" mark
you, not "will have"; "have," because given to Him by the Father
before the foundation of the world), which are not of this fold (i.e.
the Jewish fold then existing) : them also I must bring, and they
shall hear My voice" (John 10:16). Not simply, "they ought to hear My
voice," not simply "they may hear My voice", not "they will do so if
they are willing." There is no "if", no "perhaps", no uncertainty
about it. "They shall hear My voice" is His own positive, unqualified,
absolute promise. Here then, is where faith is to rest! Continue your
quest, dear friend, after the "other sheep" of Christ's. Be not
discouraged because the "goats" heed not His voice as you preach the
Gospel. Be faithful, be scriptural, be persevering, and Christ may use
even you to be His mouthpiece in calling some of His lost sheep unto
Himself. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that
your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58).
It now remains for us to offer a few closing reflections and our happy
task is finished.
God's sovereign election of certain ones to salvation is a MERCIFUL
provision. The sufficient answer to all the wicked accusations that
the doctrine of Predestination is cruel, horrible, and unjust, is
that, unless God had chosen certain ones to salvation, none would have
been saved, for "there is none that seeketh after God" (Rom. 3:11).
This is no mere inference of ours but the definite teaching of Holy
Scripture. Attend closely to the words of the apostle in Romans 9,
where this theme is fully discussed--"Though the number of the
children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be
saved. . . . And as Isaiah said before, Except the Lord of hosts had
left us a seed, we had been as Sodom, and been made like unto
Gomorrah" (Rom. 9:27, 29). The teaching of this passage is
unmistakable: but for Divine interference, Israel would have become as
Sodom and Gomorrah. Had God left Israel alone, human depravity would
have run its course to its own tragic end. But God left Israel a
"remnant" or "seed." Of old the cities of the plain had been
obliterated for their sin, and none was left to survive them; and so
it would have been in Israel's case had not God "left" or spared a
remnant. Thus it is with the human race: but for God's sovereign grace
in sparing a remnant, all of Adam's descendants had perished in their
sins. Therefore, we say that God's sovereign election of certain ones
to salvation is a merciful provision. And, be it noted, in choosing
the ones He did, God did no injustice to the others who were passed
by, for none had any right to salvation. Salvation is by grace, and
the exercise of grace is a matter of pure sovereignty--God might save
all or none, many or few, one or ten thousand, just as He saw best.
Should it be replied, But surely it were "best" to save all. The
answer would be: We are not capable of judging. We might have thought
it "best" never to have created Satan, never to have allowed sin to
enter the world, or having entered, to have brought the conflict
between good and evil to an end long before now. Ah! God's ways are
not ours, and His ways are "past finding out."
God fore-ordains everything which comes to pass. His sovereign rule
extends throughout the entire Universe and is over every creature.
"For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things" (Rom.
11:36). God initiates all things, regulates all things, and all things
are working unto His eternal glory. "There is but one God, the Father,
of whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by
whom are all things, and we by Him" (1 Cor. 8:6). And again,
"According to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the
counsel of His own will" (Eph. 1:11). Surely if anything could be
ascribed to chance it is the drawing of lots, and yet the Word of God
expressly declares, "The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole
disposing thereof is of the Lord" (Prov. 16:33)!!
God's wisdom in the government of our world shall yet be completely
vindicated before all created intelligences. God is no idle Spectator,
looking on from a distant world at the happenings on our earth, but is
Himself shaping everything to the ultimate promotion of His own glory.
Even now He is working out His eternal purpose, not only in spite of
human and Satanic opposition, but by means of them. How wicked and
futile have been all efforts to resist His will shall one day be as
fully evident as when of old He overthrew the rebellious Pharaoh and
his hosts at the Red Sea.
It has been well said, "The end and object of all is the glory of God.
It is perfectly, divinely true, that `God hath ordained for His own
glory whatsoever comes to pass.' In order to guard this from all
possibility of mistake, we have only to remember who is this God, and
what the glory that He seeks. It is He who is the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ,--of Him in whom divine love came seeking not
her own, among us as `One that serveth.' It is He who, sufficient in
Himself, can receive no real accession of glory from His creatures,
but from whom--`Love', as He is `Light,'--cometh down every good and
every perfect gift, in whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning.
Of His own alone can His creatures give to Him."
"The glory of such an one is found in the display of His own goodness,
righteousness, holiness, truth; in manifesting Himself as in Christ He
has manifested Himself and will forever. The glory of this God is what
of necessity all things must serve--adversaries and evil as well as
all else. He has ordained it; His power will insure it; and when all
apparent clouds and obstructions are removed, then shall He
rest--`rest in His love' forever, although eternity only will suffice
for the apprehension of the revelation. `God shall be all in all'
(italics ours throughout this paragraph) gives in six words the
ineffable result" (F. W. Grant on "Atonement").
That what we have written gives but an incomplete and imperfect
presentation of this most important subject we must sorrowfully
confess. Nevertheless, if it results in a clearer apprehension of the
majesty of God and His sovereign mercy we shall be amply repaid for
our labors. If the reader has received blessing from the perusal of
these pages, let him not fail to return thanks to the Giver of every
good and every perfect gift, ascribing all praise to His inimitable
and sovereign grace.
"The Lord, our God, is clothed with might,
The winds and waves obey His will;
He speaks, and in the shining height
The sun and rolling worlds stand still.
Rebel ye waves, and o'er the land
With threatening aspect foam and roar,
The Lord hath spoken His command
That breaks your rage upon the shore.
Ye winds of night, your force combine--
Without His holy high behest
You shall not in a mountain pine
Disturb the little swallow's nest.
His voice sublime is heard afar;
In distant peals it fades and dies;
He binds the cyclone to His car
And sweeps the howling murky skies.
Great God! how infinite art Thou,
What weak and worthless worms are we,
Let all the race of creatures bow
And seek salvation now from Thee.
Eternity, with all its years
Stands ever-present to Thy view,
To Thee there's nothing old appears
Great God! There can be nothing new.
Our lives through varied scenes are drawn,
And vexed with mean and trifling cares;
While Thine eternal thought moves on
Thy fixed and undisturbed affairs."
"Halleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth" (Rev. 19:6).
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THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
Appendix 1
THE WILL OF GOD
_________________________________________________________________
In treating of the Will of God some theologians have differentiated
between His decretive will and His permissive will, insisting that
there are certain things which God has positively fore-ordained, but
other things which He merely suffers to exist or happen. But such a
distinction is really no distinction at all, inasmuch as God only
permits that which is according to His will. No such distinction would
have been invented had these theologians discerned that God could have
decreed the existence and activities of sin without Himself being the
Author of sin. Personally, we much prefer to adopt the distinction
made by the older Calvinists between God's secret and revealed will,
or, to state it in another way, His disposing and His preceptive will.
God's revealed will is made known in His Word, but His secret will is
His own hidden counsels. God's revealed will is the definer of our
duty and the standard of our responsibility. The primary and basic
reason why I should follow a certain course or do a certain thing is
because it is God's will that I should, His will being clearly defined
for me in His Word. That I should not follow a certain course, that I
must refrain from doing certain things, is because they are contrary
to God's revealed will. But suppose I disobey God's Word, then do I
not cross His will? And if so, how can it still be true that God's
will is always done and His counsel accomplished at all times? Such
questions should make evident the necessity for the distinction here
advocated. God's revealed will is frequently crost, but His secret
will is never thwarted. That it is legitimate for us to make such a
distinction concerning God's will is clear from Scripture. Take these
two passages: "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification"
(1 Thess. 4:3); "For who hath resisted His will?" (Rom. 9:19). Would
any thoughtful reader declare that God's "will" has precisely the same
meaning in both of these passages? We surely hope not. The first
passage refers to God's revealed will, the latter to His secret will.
The first passage concerns our duty, the latter declares that God's
secret purpose is immutable and must come to pass notwithstanding the
creature's insubordination. God's revealed will is never done
perfectly or fully by any of us, but His secret will never fails of
accomplishment even in the minutest particular. His secret will mainly
concerns future events; His revealed will, our present duty: the one
has to do with His irresistible purpose, the other with His manifested
pleasure: the one is wrought upon us and accomplished through us, the
other is to be done by us.
The secret will of God is His eternal, unchanging purpose concerning
all things which He bath made, to be brought about by certain means to
their appointed ends: of this God expressly declares "My counsel shall
stand, and I will do all My pleasure" (Isa. 46:10). This is the
absolute, efficacious will of God, always effected, always fulfilled.
The revealed will of God contains not His purpose and decree but our
duty,--not what He will do according to His eternal counsel, but what
we should do if we would please Him, and this is expressed in the
precepts and promises of His Word. Whatever God has determined within
Himself, whether to do Himself, or to do by others, or to suffer to be
done, whilst it is in His own breast, and is not made known by any
event in providence, or by precept, or by prophecy, is His secret
will. Such are the deep things of God, the thoughts of His heart, the
counsels of His mind, which are impenetrable to all creatures. But
when these are made known they become His revealed will: such is
almost the whole of the book of Revelation, wherein God has made known
to us "things which must shortly come to pass (Rev. 1:1--"must"
because He has eternally purposed that they should).
It has been objected by Arminian theologians that the division of
God's will into secret and revealed is untenable, because it makes God
to have two different wills, the one opposed to the other. But this is
a mistake, due to their failure to see that the secret and revealed
will of God respect entirely different objects. If God should require
and forbid the same thing, or if He should decree the same thing
should and should not exist, then would His secret and revealed will
be contradictory and purposeless. If those who object to the secret
and revealed will of God being inconsistent would only make the same
distinction in this case that they do in many other cases, the seeming
inconsistency would at once disappear. How often do men draw a sharp
distinction between what is desirable in its own nature. and what is
not desirable all things considered. For example, the fond parent does
not desire simply considered to punish his offending child, but, all
things considered, he knows it is his bounden duty, and so corrects
his child. And though he tells his child he does not desire to punish
him, but that he is satisfied it is for the best all things considered
to do so, then an intelligent child would see no inconsistency in what
his father says and does. Just so the All-wise Creator may
consistently decree to bring to pass things which He hates, forbids
and condemns. God chooses that some things shall exist which He
thoroughly hates (in their intrinsic nature), and He also chooses that
some things shall not yet exist which He perfectly loves (in their
intrinsic nature). For example: He commanded that Pharaoh should let
His people go, because that was right in the nature of things, yet, He
had secretly declared that Pharaoh should not let His people go, not
because it was right in Pharaoh to refuse, but because it was best all
things considered that he should not let them go--i.e. best because it
subserved God's larger purpose.
Again; God commands us to be perfectly holy in this life (Matt. 5:48),
because this is right in the nature of things, but He has decreed that
no man shall be perfectly holy in this life, because this is best all
things considered that none shall be perfectly holy (experimentally)
before they leave this world. Holiness is one thing, the taking place
of holiness is another; so, sin is one thing, the taking place of sin
is another. When God requires holiness His preceptive or revealed will
respects the nature or moral excellence of holiness; but when He
decrees that holiness shall not take place (fully and perfectly) His
secret or decretive will respects only the event of it not taking
place. So, again, when He forbids sin, His preceptive or revealed will
respects only the nature or moral evil of sin; but when He decrees
that sin shall take place, His secret will respects only its actual
occurrence to serve His good purpose. Thus the secret and revealed
will of God respect entirely different objects.
God's will of decree is not His will in the same sense as His will of
command is. Therefore, there is no difficulty in supposing that one
may be contrary to the other. His will, in both senses, is His
inclination. Everything that concerns His revealed will is perfectly
agreeable to His nature, as when He commands love, obedience, and
service from His creatures. But that which concerns His secret will
has in view His ultimate end, that to which all things are now
working. Thus, He decreed the entrance of sin into His universe,
though His own holy nature hates all sin with infinite abhorrence,
yet, because it is one of the means by which His appointed end is to
be reached He suffered it to enter. God's revealed will is the measure
of our responsibility and the determiner of our duty. With God's
secret will we have nothing to do: that is His concern. But, God
knowing that we should fail to perfectly do His revealed will ordered
His eternal counsels accordingly, and these eternal counsels, which
make up His secret will, though unknown to us are, though
unconsciously, fulfilled in and through us.
Whether the reader is prepared to accept the above distinction in the
will of God or not he must acknowledge that the commands of Scripture
declare God's revealed will, and he must also allow that sometimes God
wills not to hinder a breach of those commands, because He does not as
a fact so hinder it. God wills to permit sin as is evident, for He
does permit it. Surely none will say that God Himself does what He
does not will to do.
Finally, let it be said again that, my responsibility with regard to
the will of God is measured by what He has made known in His Word.
There I learn that it is my duty to use the means of His providing,
and to humbly pray that He may be pleased to bless them to me. To
refuse so to do on the ground that I am ignorant of what may or may
not be His secret counsels concerning me, is not only absurd, but the
height of presumption. We repeat: the secret will of God is none of
our business; it is His revealed will which measures our
accountability. That there is no conflict whatever between the secret
and the revealed will of God is made clear from the fact that, the
former is accomplished by my use of the means laid down in the latter.
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THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
Appendix 2
THE CASE OF ADAM
_________________________________________________________________
In our chapter on God's Sovereignty and Human Responsibility we dealt
only with the responsibility of man considered as a fallen creature,
and at the close of the discussion it was pointed out how that the
measure and extent of our responsibility varies in different
individuals, according to the advantages they have received and the
privileges they have enjoyed, which is a truth clearly established by
the declaration of the Saviour recorded in Luke 12 :47, 48, "And that
servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither
did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he
that knew not, and did not commit things worthy of stripes, shall be
beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him
shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him
they will ask the more".
Now, strictly speaking, there are only two men who have ever walked
this earth which were endowed with full and unimpaired responsibility,
and they were the first and last Adam's. The responsibility of each of
the rational descendants of Adam, while real, and sufficient to
establish them accountable to their Creator is, nevertheless, limited
in degree, limited because impaired through the effects of the Fall.
Not only is the responsibility of each descendant of Adam sufficient
to constitute him, personally an accountable creature (that is, as one
so constituted that he ought to do right and ought not to do wrong),
but originally every one of us was also endowed, judicially, with full
and unimpaired responsibility, not in ourselves, but, in Adam. It
should ever be borne in mind that not only was Adam the father of the
human race seminally, but he was also the head of the race legally.
When Adam was placed in Eden he stood there as our representative, so
that what he did is reckoned to the account of each for whom he acted.
It is beside our present purpose to enter here into a lengthy
discussion of the Federal Headship of Adam (Though there is deep and
widespread need for this, and we hope ere long to write upon this
subject in another book.), suffice it now to refer the reader to
Romans 5:12-19 where this truth is dealt with by the Holy Spirit. In
the heart of this most important passage we are told that Adam was
"the figure of Him that was to come" (v. 14), that is, of Christ. In
what sense, then, was Adam "the figure" of Christ? The answer must be,
In that he was a Federal Head; in that he acted on the behalf of a
race of men; in that he was one who has legally, as well as vitally,
affected all connected with him. It is for this reason that the Lord
Jesus is in 1 Corinthians 15:45 denominated "the last Adam", that is,
the Head of the new creation, as the first Adam was the Head of the
old creation.
In Adam, then, each of us stood. As the representative of the human
race the first man acted. As then Adam was created with full and
unimpaired responsibility, unimpaired because there was no evil nature
within him; and as we were all "in Adam", it necessarily follows that
all of us, originally, were also endowed with full and unimpaired
responsibility. Therefore, in Eden, it was not merely the
responsibility of Adam as a single person that was tested, but it was
Human Responsibility, the Responsibility of the Race, as a whole and
in part, which was on trial.
Webster defines responsibility first, as "liable to account"; second,
as "able to discharge an obligation". Perhaps the meaning and scope of
the term responsibility might be expressed and summed up in the one
word oughtness. Godwards, responsibility respects that which is due
the Creator from the creature, and which the creature is under moral
obligations to render.
In the light of the above definition it is at once apparent that
responsibility is something that must be placed on trial. And as a
fact, this is, as we learn from the Inspired Record, exactly what
transpired in Eden. Adam was placed on probation. His obligations to
God were put to the test. His loyalty to the Creator was tried out.
The test consisted of obedience to his Maker's command. Of a certain
tree he was forbidden to eat.
But right here a very formidable difficulty confronts us. From God's
standpoint the result of Adam's probation was not left in uncertainty.
Before He formed him out of the dust of the ground and breathed into
his nostrils the breath of life, God knew exactly how the appointed
test would terminate. With this statement every Christian reader must
be in accord, for, to deny God's foreknowledge is to deny His
omniscience, and this is to repudiate one of the fundamental
attributes of Deity. But we must go further: not only had God a
perfect foreknowledge of the outcome of Adam's trial, not only did His
omniscient eye see Adam eating of the forbidden fruit, but He decreed
beforehand that he should do so. This is evident not only from the
general fact that nothing happens save that which the Creator and
Governor of the universe has eternally purposed, but also from the
express declaration of Scripture that Christ as a Lamb "verily was
foreordained before the foundation of the world" (1 Pet. 1:20). If,
then, God had foreordained before the foundation of the world that
Christ should, in due time, be offered as a Sacrifice for sin, then it
is unmistakably evident that God had also foreordained sin should
enter the world, and if so, that Adam should transgress and fall. In
full harmony with this, God Himself placed in Eden the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil, and also allowed the Serpent to enter and
deceive Eve.
Here then is the difficulty: If God has eternally decreed that Adam
should eat of the tree, how could he be held responsible not to eat of
it? Formidable as the problem appears, nevertheless, it is capable of
a solution, a solution, moreover, which can be grasped even by the
finite mind. The solution is to be found in the distinction between
God's secret will and His revealed will. As stated in Appendix I,
human responsibility is measured by our knowledge of God's revealed
will; what God has told us, not what He has not told us, is the
definer of our duty. So it was with Adam.
That God had decreed sin should enter this world through the
disobedience of our first parents was a secret hid in His own breast.
Of this Adam knew nothing, and that made all the difference so far as
his responsibility was concerned. Adam was quite unacquainted with the
Creator's hidden counsels. What concerned him was God's revealed will.
And that was plain! God had forbidden him to eat of the tree, and that
was enough. But God went further: He even warned Adam of the dire
consequences which would follow should he disobey--death would be the
penalty. Transgression, then, on the part of Adam was entirely
excuseless. Created with no evil nature in him, with a will in perfect
equipoise, placed in the fairest environment, given dominion over all
the lower creation, allowed full liberty with only a single
restriction upon him, plainly warned of what would follow an act of
insubordination to God, there was every possible inducement for Adam
to preserve his innocence; and, should he fail and fall, then by every
principle of righteousness his blood must lie upon his own head, and
his guilt be imputed to all in whose behalf he acted.
Had God disclosed to Adam His purpose that sin would enter this world,
and that He had decreed Adam should eat of the forbidden fruit, it is
obvious that Adam could not have been held responsible for the eating
of it. But in that God withheld the knowledge of His counsels from
Adam, his accountability was not interfered with.
Again; had God created Adam with a bias toward evil, then human
responsibility had been impaired and man's probation merely one in
name. But inasmuch as Adam was included among that which God, at the
end of the sixth day, pronounced "Very good", and, inasmuch as man was
made "upright" (Eccl. 7:29), then every mouth must be "stopped" and
"the whole world" must acknowledge itself "guilty before God" (Rom.
3:19).
Once more, it needs to be carefully borne in mind that God did not
decree that Adam should sin and then inject into Adam an inclination
to evil, in order that His decree might be carried out. No; "God
cannot be tempted, neither tempteth He any man" (James 1:13). Instead,
when the Serpent came to tempt Eve, God caused her to remember His
command forbidding to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil and of the penalty attached to disobedience! Thus, though God had
decreed the Fall, in no sense was He the Author of Adam's sin, and at
no point was Adam's responsibility impaired. Thus may we admire and
adore the "manifold wisdom of God", in devising a way whereby His
eternal decree should be accomplished, and yet the responsibility of
His creatures be preserved intact.
Perhaps a further word should be added concerning the decretive will
of God, particularly in its relation to evil. First of all we take the
high ground that, whatever things God does or permits, are right,
just, and good, simply because God does or permits them. When Luther
gave answer to the question, "Whence it was that Adam was permitted to
fall, and corrupt his whole posterity; when God could have prevented
him from falling, etc", he said, "God is a Being whose will
acknowledges no cause: neither is it for us to prescribe rules to His
sovereign pleasure, or call Him to account for what He does. He has
neither superior nor equal; and His will is the rule of all things. He
did not thus will such and such things because they were right, and He
was bound to will them; but they are therefore equitable and right
because He wills them. The will of man, indeed, may be influenced and
moved; but God's will never can. To assert the contrary is to undeify
Him" (De Servo, Arb. c/ 153).
To affirm that God decreed the entrance of sin into His universe, and
that He foreordained all its fruits and activities, is to say that
which, at first may shock the reader; but reflection should show that
it is far more shocking to insist that sin has invaded His dominions
against His will, and that its exercise is outside His jurisdiction:
for in such a case where would be His omnipotency? No; to recognize
that God has foreordained all the activities of evil, is to see that
He is the Governor of sin: His will determines its exercise, His power
regulates its bounds (Ps. 76:10). He is neither the Inspirer nor the
Infuser of sin in any of His creatures, but He is its Master, by which
we mean God's management of the wicked is so entire that, they can do
nothing save that which His hand and counsel, from everlasting,
determined should be done.
Though nothing contrary to holiness and righteousness can ever emanate
from God, yet He has, for His own wise ends, ordained His creatures to
fall into sin. Had sin never been permitted, how could the justice of
God have been displayed in punishing it? How could the wisdom of God
have been manifested in so wondrously over-ruling it? How could the
grace of God have been exhibited in pardoning it? How could the power
of God have been exercised in subduing it? A very solemn and striking
proof of Christ's acknowledgment of God's decretal of sin is seen in
His treatment of Judas. The Saviour knew full well that Judas would
betray Him, yet we never read that He expostulated with him! Instead,
He said to him, "That thou doest, do quickly" (John 13 :27)! Yet, mark
this was said after he had received the sop and Satan had taken
possession of his heart. Judas was already prepared for and determined
on his traitorous work, therefore did Christ permissively (bowing to
His Father's ordination) bid him go forth to his awful work.
Thus, though God is not the Author of sin, and though sin is contrary
to His holy nature, yet the existence and operations of it are not
contrary to His will, but subservient to it. God never tempts man to
sin, but He has, by His eternal counsels (which He is now executing),
determined its course. Moreover, as we have shown in chapter 8, though
God has decreed man's sins, yet is man responsible not to commit them,
and blamable because he does. Strikingly were these two sides of this
awful subject brought together by Christ in that statement of His:
"Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that
offences come (because God has foreordained them); but woe to that man
by whom the offence cometh" (Matt. 18:7). So, too, though all which
took place at Calvary was by the "determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2:23), nevertheless, "wicked hands"
crucified the Lord of glory, and, in consequence, His blood has
righteously rested upon them and on their children. High mysteries are
these, yet it is both our happy privilege and bounden duty to humbly
receive whatsoever God has been pleased to reveal concerning them in
His Word of Truth.
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THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
Appendix 3
The Meaning Of "KOSMOS" In John 3:16
_________________________________________________________________
It may appear to some of our readers that the exposition we have given
of John 3:16 in the chapter on "Difficulties and Objections" is a
forced and unnatural one, inasmuch as our definition of the term
"world" seems to be out of harmony with the meaning and scope of this
word in other passages, where, to supply the world of believers (God's
elect) as a definition of "world" would make no sense. Many have said
to us, "Surely, `world' means world, that is, you, me, and everybody."
In reply we would say: We know from experience how difficult it is to
set aside the "traditions of men" and come to a passage which we have
heard explained in a certain way scores of times, and study it
carefully for ourselves without bias Nevertheless, this is essential
if we would learn the mind of God.
Many people suppose they already know the simple meaning of John 3:16,
and therefore they conclude that no diligent study is required of them
to discover the precise teaching of this verse. Needless to say, such
an attitude shuts out any further light which they otherwise might
obtain on the passage. Yet, if anyone will take a Concordance and read
carefully the various passages in which the term "world" (as a
translation of "kosmos") occurs, he will quickly perceive that to
ascertain the precise meaning of, the word "world" in any given
passage is not nearly so easy as is popularly supposed. The word
"kosmos," and its English equivalent "world," is not used with a
uniform significance in the New Testament. Very far from it. It is
used in quite a number of different ways. Below we will refer to a few
passages where this term occurs, suggesting a tentative definition in
each case:
"Kosmos"
is used of the Universe as a whole: Acts 17:24 - "God that made the
world and all things therein seeing that He is Lord of heaven and
earth."
"Kosmos"
is used of the earth: John 13:1; Ephesians 1:4, etc., etc.- "When
Jesus knew that his hour was come that He should depart out of this
world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in the world
He loved them unto the end." "Depart out of this world" signifies,
leave this earth. "According as He hath chosen us in Him before the
foundation of the world." This expression signifies, before the
earth was founded--compare Job 38:4 etc.
"Kosmos"
is used of the world-system: John 12:31 etc. "Now is the judgment
of this world: now shall the Prince of this world be cast out"--
compare Matthew 4:8 and 1 John 5:19, R. V.
"Kosmos"
is used of the whole human race: Romans 3:19, etc.--"Now we know
that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are
under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world
may become guilty before God."
"Kosmos"
is used of humanity minus believers: John 15:18; Romans 3:6 "If the
world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you."
Believers do not "hate" Christ, so that "the world" here must
signify the world of unbelievers in contrast from believers who
love Christ. "God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world."
Here is another passage where "the world" cannot mean "you, me, and
everybody," for believers will not be "judged" by God, see John
5:24. So that here, too, it must be the world of unbelievers which
is in view.
"Kosmos"
is used of Gentiles in contrast from Jews: Romans 11:12 etc. "Now
if the fall of them (Israel) be the riches of the world, and the
diminishing of them (Israel) the riches of the Gentiles; how much
more their (Israel's) fulness." Note how the first clause in
italics is defined by the latter clause placed in italics. Here,
again, "the world" cannot signify all humanity for it excludes
Israel!
"Kosmos"
is used of believers only: John 1:29; 3:16, 17; 6:33; 12:47; 1
Corinthians 4:9; 2 Corinthians 5:19. We leave our readers to turn
to these passages, asking them to note, carefully, exactly what is
said and predicated of "the world" in each place.
Thus it will be seen that "kosmos"
has at least seven clearly defined different meanings in the New
Testament. It may be asked, Has then God used a word thus to confuse
and confound those who read the Scriptures? We answer, No! nor has He
written His Word for lazy people who are too dilatory, or too busy
with the things of this world, or, like Martha, so much occupied with
"serving," they have no time and no heart to "search" and "study" Holy
Writ! Should it be asked further, But how is a searcher of the
Scriptures to know which of the above meanings the term "world" has in
any given passage? The answer is: This may be ascertained by a careful
study of the context, by diligently noting what is predicated of "the
world" in each passage, and by prayer fully consulting other parallel
passages to the one being studied. The principal subject of John 3:16
is Christ as the Gift of God. The first clause tells us what moved God
to "give" His only begotten Son, and that was His great "love;" the
second clause informs us for whom God "gave" His Son, and that is for,
"whosoever (or, better, `every one') believeth;" while the last clause
makes known why God "gave" His Son (His purpose), and that is, that
everyone that believeth "should not perish but have everlasting life."
That "the world" in John 3:16 refers to the world of believers (God's
elect), in contradistinction from "the world of the ungodly" (2 Pet.
2:5), is established, unequivocally established, by a comparison of
the other passages which speak of God's "love." "God commendeth His
love toward US"--the saints, Romans 5:8. "Whom the Lord loveth He
chasteneth"--every son, Hebrews 12:6. "We love Him, because He first
loved US"--believers, 1 John 4:19. The wicked God "pities" (see Matt.
18:33). Unto the unthankful and evil God is "kind" (see Luke 6:35).
The vessels of wrath He endures "with much long-suffering" (see Rom.
9:22). But "His own" God "loves"!!
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THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
Appendix 4
1 JOHN 2:2
_________________________________________________________________
There is one passage more than any other which is appealed to by those
who believe in universal redemption, and which at first sight appears
to teach that Christ died for the whole human race. We have therefore
decided to give it a detailed examination and exposition.
"And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but
also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2). This is the
passage which, apparently, most favors the Arminian view of the
Atonement, yet if it be considered attentively it will be seen that it
does so only in appearance, and not in reality. Below we offer a
number of conclusive proofs to show that this verse does not teach
that Christ has propitiated God on behalf of all the sins of all men.
In the first place, the fact that this verse opens with "and"
necessarily links it with what has gone before. We, therefore, give a
literal word for word translation of 1 John 2 :1 from Bagster's
Interlinear: "Little children my, these things I write to you, that ye
may not sin; and if any one should sin, a Paraclete we have with the
Father, Jesus Christ (the) righteous". It will thus be seen that the
apostle John is here writing to and about the saints of God. His
immediate purpose was two-fold: first, to communicate a message that
would keep God's children from sinning; second, to supply comfort and
assurance to those who might sin, and, in consequence, be cast down
and fearful that the issue would prove fatal. He, therefore, makes
known to them the provision which God has made for just such an
emergency. This we find at the end of verse 1 and throughout verse 2.
The ground of comfort is twofold: let the downcast and repentant
believer (1 John 1:9) be assured that, first, he has an "Advocate with
the Father"; second, that this Advocate is "the propitiation for our
sins". Now believers only may take comfort from this, for they alone
have an "Advocate", for them alone is Christ the propitiation, as is
proven by linking the Propitiation ("and") with "the Advocate"!
In the second place, if other passages in the New Testament which
speak of "propitiation," be compared with 1 John 2:2, it will be found
that it is strictly limited in its scope. For example, in Romans 3 :25
we read that God set forth Christ "a propitiation through faith in His
blood". If Christ is a propitiation "through faith", then He is not a
"propitiation" to those who have no faith! Again, in Hebrews 2:17 we
read, "To make propitiation for the sins of the people" (Heb. 2:17, R.
V.).
In the third place, who are meant when John says, "He is the
propitiation for our sins"? We answer, Jewish believers. And a part of
the proof on which we base this assertion we now submit to the careful
attention of the reader.
In Galatians 2 :9 we are told that John, together with James and
Cephas, were apostles "unto the circumcision" (i.e. Israel). In
keeping with this, the Epistle of James is addressed to "the twelve
tribes, which are scattered abroad" (1:1). So, the first Epistle of
Peter is addressed to "the elect who are sojourners of the Dispersion"
(1 Pet.1:1, R. V.). And John also is writing to saved Israelites, but
for saved Jews and saved Gentiles.
Some of the evidences that John is writing to saved Jews are as
follows.
(a) In the opening verse he says of Christ, "Which we have seen with
our eyes . . . . and our hands have handled". How impossible it would
have been for the Apostle Paul to have commenced any of his epistles
to Gentile saints with such language!
(b) "Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old
commandment which ye had from the beginning" (1 John 2 :7). The
"beginning" here referred to is the beginning of the public
manifestation of Christ--in proof compare 1:1; 2:13, etc. Now these
believers the apostle tells us, had the "old commandment" from the
beginning. This was true of Jewish believers, but it was not true of
Gentile believers.
(c) "I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known Him from the
beginning" (2:13). Here, again, it is evident that it is Jewish
believers that are in view.
(d) "Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that
Antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we
know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were
not of us" (2:18, 19).
These brethren to whom John wrote had "heard" from Christ Himself that
Antichrist should come (see Matt. 24). The "many antichrists" whom
John declares "went out from us" were all Jews, for during the first
century none but a Jew posed as the Messiah. Therefore, when John says
"He is the propitiation for our sins" he can only mean for the sins of
Jewish believers. [1]
In the fourth place, when John added, "And not for ours only, but also
for the whole world", he signified that Christ was the propitiation
for the sins of Gentile believers too, for, as previously shown, "the
world" is a term contrasted from Israel. This interpretation is
unequivocally established by a careful comparison of 1 John 2:2 with
John 11:51,52, which is a strictly parallel passage: "And this spake
he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that
Jesus should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but
that also He should gather together in one the children of God that
were scattered abroad". Here Caiaphas, under inspiration, made known
for whom Jesus should "die". Notice now the correspondency of his
prophecy with this declaration of John's:
1 John 2:2
John 11:51, 52
"He is the propitiation for our (believing Israelites) sins".
"He prophesied that Jesus should die for that) nation".
"And not for ours only".
"And not for that nation only".
"But also for the whole world"-- That is, Gentile believers scattered
throughout the) earth.
"He should gather together in one the children of God that were
scattered abroad".
In the fifth place, the above interpretation is confirmed by the fact
that no other is consistent or intelligible. If the "whole world"
signifies the whole human race, then the first clause and the "also"
in the second clause are absolutely meaningless. If Christ is the
propitiation for everybody, it would be idle tautology to say, first,
"He is the propitiation for our sins and also for everybody". There
could be no "also" if He is the propitiation for the entire human
family. Had the apostle meant to affirm that Christ is a universal
propitiation he had omitted the first clause of verse 2, and simply
said, "He is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world."
Confirmatory of "not for ours (Jewish believers) only, but also for
the whole world"--Gentile believers, too; compare John 10:16; 17:20.
In the sixth place, our definition of "the whole world" is in perfect
accord with other passages in the New Testament. For example: "Whereof
ye heard before in the word of the truth of the Gospel; which is come
unto you, as it is in all the world" (Col. 1:5, 6). Does "all the
world" here mean, absolutely and unqualifiedly, all mankind? Had all
the human family heard the Gospel? No; the apostle's obvious meaning
is that, the Gospel, instead of being confined to the land of Judea,
had gone abroad, without restraint, into Gentile lands. So in Romans
1:8: "First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that
your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world". The apostle is
here referring to the faith of these Roman saints being spoken of in a
way of commendation. But certainly all mankind did not so speak of
their faith! It was the whole world of believers that he was referring
to! In Revelation 12:9 we read of Satan "which deceiveth the whole
world". But again this expression cannot be understood as a universal
one, for Matthew 24:24 tells us that Satan does not and cannot
"deceive" God's elect. Here it is "the whole world" of unbelievers.
In the seventh place, to insist that "the whole world" in 1 John 2:2
signifies the entire human race is to undermine the very foundations
of our faith. If Christ is the propitiation for those that are lost
equally as much as for those that are saved, then what assurance have
we that believers too may not be lost? If Christ is the propitiation
for those now in hell, what guarantee have I that I may not end in
hell? The blood-shedding of the incarnate Son of God is the only thing
which can keep any one out of hell, and if many for whom that precious
blood made propitiation are now in the awful place of the damned, then
may not that blood prove inefficacious for me! Away with such a
God-dishonoring thought.
However men may quibble and wrest the Scriptures, one thing is
certain: The Atonement is no failure. God will not allow that precious
and costly sacrifice to fail in accomplishing, completely, that which
it was designed to effect. Not a drop of that holy blood was shed in
vain. In the last great Day there shall stand forth no disappointed
and defeated Saviour, but One who "shall see of the travail of His
soul and be satisfied" (Isa. 53:11). These are not our words, but the
infallible assertion of Him who declares, "My counsel shall stand, and
I will do all My pleasure" (Isa. 64:10). Upon this impregnable rock we
take our stand. Let others rest on the sands of human speculation and
twentieth-century theorizing if they wish. That is their business. But
to God they will yet have to render an account. For our part we had
rather be railed at as a narrow-minded, out-of-date, hyper-Calvinist,
than be found repudiating God's truth by reducing the
Divinely-efficacious atonement to a mere fiction.
_________________________________________________________________
ENDNOTES:
[1] It is true that many things in John's Epistle apply equally to
believing Jews
Index
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The Ten Commandments by A.W. Pink
Introductory Considerations
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There are two things which are indispensable to the Christian's life:
first, a clear knowledge of duty, and second, a conscientious practice
of duty corresponding to his knowledge. As we can have no
well-grounded hope of eternal salvation without obedience, so we can
have no sure rule of obedience without knowledge. Although there may
be knowledge without practice, yet there cannot possibly be practice
of God's will without knowledge. And therefore that we might be
informed what we ought to do and what to avoid, it has pleased the
Ruler and Judge of all the earth to prescribe for us laws for the
regulating of our actions. When we had miserably defaced the Law of
nature originally written in our hearts, so that many of its
commandments were no longer legible, it seemed good to the Lord to
transcribe that Law into the Scriptures, and in the Ten Commandments
we have a summary of the same.
First let us consider their promulgation. The manner in which the
Decalogue was formally delivered to Israel was very awe-inspiring, yet
replete with valuable instruction for us. First, the people were
commanded to spend two days in preparing themselves, by a ceremonial
cleansing from all external pollution, before they were ready to stand
in the presence of God (Ex. 19:10, 11) . This teaches us that serious
preparation of heart and mind must be made before we come to wait
before God in His ordinances and receive a word at His mouth; and that
if Israel must sanctify themselves in order to appear before God at
Sinai, how much more must we sanctify ourselves that we may be meet to
appear before God in Heaven. Next, the mount on which God appeared was
to be fenced, with a strict prohibition that none should presume to
approach the holy mount (19:12, 13). This teaches us that God is
infinitely superior to us and due our utmost reverence, and intimates
the strictness of His Law.
Next we have a description of the fearful manifestation in which
Jehovah appeared to deliver His Law (Ex. 19: 18, 19), which was
designed to affect the people of Israel with an awe for His authority
and to signify that if God were so terrible in the giving of the Law,
when He comes to judge us for its violation how much more so will He
be? When God had delivered the Ten Words, so greatly affected were the
people that they entreated Moses to act as a mediator and interpreter
between God and them (20:18, 19) . This teaches us that when the Law
is delivered to us directly by God it is (in itself) the ministration
of condemnation and death, but as it is delivered to us by the
Mediator, Christ, we may hear and observe it (see Gal. 3:19; 1 Cor.
9:21; Gal. 6:2). Accordingly Moses went up into the mount and received
the Law, inscribed by God's own finger upon two tables of stone,
signifying that our hearts are naturally so hard that none but the
finger of God can make any impression of His Law upon them. Those
tables were broken by Moses in his holy zeal (Ex. 32:19), and God
wrote them a second time (34:1). This signifies that the Law of Nature
was written on our hearts at creation, broken when we fell in Adam,
and rewritten in our hearts at regeneration (Heb. 10:16)
But some may ask, "Has not the Law been fully abrogated by the coming
of Christ into the world? Would you bring us under that heavy yoke of
bondage which none has ever been able to bear? Does not the New
Testament expressly declare that we are not under the Law, but under
Grace; that Christ was made under the Law to free His people
therefrom? Is not an attempt to overawe men's conscience by the
authority of the Decalogue a legalistic imposition, altogether at
variance with that Christian liberty which the Savior has brought in
by His obedience unto death?" We answer thus: So far from the Law
being abolished by the coming of Christ into this world, He Himself
emphatically stated, "Think not that I am come to destroy the Law or
the Prophets (the enforcers thereof): I am come not to destroy, but to
fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one
jot or one tittle shall in nowise pass from the law, till all be
fulfilled" (Matthew 5:17, 18) . True, the Christian is not under the
Law as a Covenant of Works nor as a ministration of condemnation, but
he is under it as a rule of life and a means of sanctification.
Second, let us consider their uniqueness. This appears first in that
this revelation of God at Sinai, which was to serve for all coming
ages as the grand expression of His holiness and the summation of
man's duty, was attended with such awe-inspiring phenomena that the
very manner of their publication plainly showed that God Himself
assigned to the Decalogue peculiar importance. The Ten Commandments
were uttered by God in an audible voice, with the fearful adjuncts of
clouds and darkness, thunders and lightnings and the sound of a
trumpet, and they were the only parts of Divine Revelation so
spoken--none of the ceremonial or civil precepts were thus
distinguished. Those Ten Words, and they alone, were written by the
finger of God upon tables of stone, and they alone were deposited in
the holy ark for safekeeping. Thus, in the unique honor conferred upon
the Decalogue, we may perceive its paramount importance in the divine
government.
Third, let us consider their springs, which is love. Far too little
emphasis has been placed upon their Divine preface: "And God spake all
these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee
out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." Whatever of
awful grandeur and solemn majesty attended the promulgation of the
Law, nevertheless, it had its foundation in love. The Law proceeded
from God as a clear expression of His character as both the gracious
Redeemer and righteous Lord of His people. The obvious conclusion and
all-important principle that must be drawn from this understanding is
this: redemption necessitates conformity to God's character and order
in those who are redeemed. Not only was God's giving of the Decalogue
an act of love, but love was the basis upon which it was received by
His people, for only thus could there be a conformity, an essential
likeness, between a redeeming God and a redeemed people. The words at
the close of the second commandment, "showing mercy unto thousands of
them that love Me and keep My commandments," make it crystal clear
that the only obedience which God accepts is that which proceeds from
an affectionate heart. The Savior declared that the requirements of
the Law were all summed up in loving God with all our hearts and
loving our neighbors as ourselves.
Fourth, let us consider their perpetuity. That the Decalogue is
binding upon every man in each succeeding generation is evident from
many considerations. First, as the necessary and unchanging expression
of God's rectitude, its authority over all moral agents becomes
inevitable: the character of God Himself must change before the Law
(the rule of His government) can be revoked. This is the Law that was
given to man at his creation from which his subsequent apostasy could
not relieve him. The Moral Law is founded on relations which subsist
wherever there are creatures endowed with reason and volition. Second,
Christ Himself rendered to the Law a perfect obedience, thereby
leaving us an example, that we should follow in His steps. Third, the
Apostle to the Gentiles specifically raised the question "Do we then
make void the Law through faith?" and answered, "God forbid: yea, we
establish the Law" (Rom. 3:31). Finally, the perpetuity of the Law
appears in God's writing it in the hearts of His people at their new
birth (Jer. 31:33; Ezek. 36:26, 27).
Fifth, we pass on to say a word upon the number of the commandments of
the Moral Law, ten being indicative of their completeness. This is
emphasized in Scripture by their being expressly designated "the Ten
Words" (Ex. 34:28 margin), which intimates that they formed by
themselves an entire whole made up of the necessary, and no more than
the necessary, complement of its parts. It was on account of this
symbolic import of the number that the plagues upon Egypt were
precisely that many, forming as such a complete round of Divine
judgments. And it was for the same reason that the transgressions of
the Hebrews in the wilderness were allowed to proceed till the same
number had been reached: when they had "sinned these ten times" (Num.
14:21) they had "filled up the measure of their iniquities." Hence
also the consecration of the tithes or tenths: the whole increase was
represented by ten, and one of these was set apart for the Lord in
token of all being derived from Him and held for Him.
Sixth, we consider their division. As God never acts without good
reason we may be sure He had some particular design in writing the Law
upon two tables. This design is evident on the surface, for the very
substance of these precepts, which together comprehend the sum of
righteousness, separates them into two distinct groups, the first
respecting our obligations Godward, and the second our obligations
manward, the former treating of what belongs peculiarly to the worship
of God, the latter of the duties of charity in our social relations.
Utterly worthless is that righteousness which abstains from acts of
violence against our fellows while we withhold from the Majesty of
heaven the glory which is His due. Equally vain is it to pretend to be
worshippers of God if we refuse those offices of love which are due to
our neighbors. Abstaining from fornication is more than neutralized if
I blasphemously take the Lord's name in vain, while the most
punctilious worship is rejected by Him while 1 steal or lie.
Nor do the duties of Divine worship fill up the first table because
they are, as Calvin terms them, "the head of religion," but as he
rightly adds, they are "the very soul of it, constituting all its life
and vigor," for without the fear of God, men preserve no equity and
love among themselves. If the principle of piety be lacking, whatever
justice, mercy, and temperance men may practice among themselves, it
is vain in the sight of Heaven; whereas if God be accorded His
rightful place in our hearts and lives, venerating Him as the Arbiter
of right and wrong, this will constrain us to deal equitably with our
fellows. Opinion has varied as to how the Ten Words were divided, as
to whether the fifth ended the first table or began the second.
Personally, we incline decidedly to the former: because parents stand
to us in the place of God while we are young; because in Scripture
parents are never regarded as "neighbors"--on an equality; and because
each of the first five commandments contain the phrase "the Lord thy
God," which is not found in any of the remaining five.
Seventh, let us consider their spirituality. "The Law is spiritual"
(Rom. 7:14), not only because it proceeds from a spiritual Legislator,
but because it demands something more than the mere obedience of
external conduct, namely, the internal obedience of the heart to its
uttermost extent. It is only as we perceive that the Decalogue extends
to thoughts and desires of the heart that we discover how much there
is in ourselves in direct opposition to it. God requires truth "in the
inward parts" (Ps. 5 1:6) and prohibits the smallest deviation from
holiness even in our imaginations. The fact that the Law takes
cognizance of our most secret dispositions and intentions, that it
demands the holy regulation of our mind, affections, and will, and
that it requires all our obedience to proceed from love at once
demonstrates its Divine origin. No other law ever professed to govern
the spirit of man, but He who searches the heart claims nothing less.
This high spirituality of the Law was evidenced by Christ when He
insisted that an unchaste look was adultery and that malignant anger
was a breach of the sixth commandment.
Eighth, we consider their office. The first use of the Moral Law is to
reveal the only righteousness which is acceptable to God, and at the
same time to discover to us our own unrighteousness. Sin has blinded
our judgment, filled us with self-love, and wrought in us a false
sense of our own sufficiency. But if we seriously compare ourselves
with the high and holy demands of God's Law, we are made aware of our
groundless insolence, convicted of our pollution and guilt, and made
conscious of our lack of strength to do what is required of us.
Calvin, in his Institutes of the Christian Religion (Book II, Chapter
7, section 7), says, "Thus the Law is a kind of mirror. As in a mirror
we discover any stains upon our face, so in the Law we behold, first,
our impotence; then, in consequence of it, our iniquity; and, finally,
the curse, as the consequence of both." Its second use is to restrain
the wicked, who though they have no concern for God's glory and no
thought of pleasing Him, yet refrain from many outward acts of sin
through fear of its terrible penalty. Though this commends them not to
God, it is a benefit to the community in which they live. Third, the
law is the believer's rule of life, to direct him, and to keep him
dependent upon Divine grace.
Ninth, we consider its sanctions. Not only has the Lord brought us
under infinite obligations for having redeemed us from sin's slavery,
not only has He given His people such a sight and sense of His
awe-inspiring majesty as to beget in them a reverence for His
sovereignty, but He has been pleased to provide additional inducements
for us to yield to His authority, gladly perform His bidding, and
shrink with abhorrence from what He forbids, by subjoining promises
and threatenings, saying, "For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third
and fourth generation of them that hate Me; and showing mercy unto
thousands of them that love Me, and keep My commandments." Thus we are
informed that those who perform His bidding shall not labor in vain,
just as rebels shall not escape with impunity.
And tenth and finally, we consider their interpretation. "Thy
commandment" said the Psalmist "is exceeding broad" (119:96). So
comprehensive is the Moral Law that its authority extends to all the
moral actions of our lives. The rest of the Scriptures are but a
commentary on the Ten Commandments, either exciting us to obedience by
arguments, alluring us by promises, restraining from transgressions by
threatenings, or spurring us to the one and withholding us from the
other by examples recorded in the historical portions. Rightly
understood the precepts of the New Testament are but explications,
amplifications, and applications of the Ten Commandments. It should be
carefully observed that in the things expressly commanded or forbidden
there is always implied more than is formally stated. But let us be
more specific. First, in each Commandment the chief duty or sin is
taken as representative of all the lesser duties or sins, and the
overt act is taken as representative of all related affections.
Whatever specific sin be named, all the sins of the same kind, with
all the causes and provocations thereof, are forbidden, for Christ
expounded the sixth commandment as condemning not only actual murder,
but also rash anger in the heart. Second, when any vice is forbidden,
the contrary virtue is enjoined, and when any virtue is commanded, the
contrary vice is condemned. For example, in the third God forbids the
taking of His name in vain, so by necessary consequence the hallowing
of His name is commanded. And as the eighth forbids stealing, so it
requires the contrary duty--earning our living and paying for what we
receive (Eph. 4:28).
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A Word to
Parents
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The Ten Commandments by A.W. Pink
The First Commandment
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"And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which
have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of
bondage" (Ex. 20:1, 2). This Preface to the Moral Law is to be
regarded as having equal respect to all the Ten Commandments (and not
to the first one only), containing as it does the most weighty
arguments to enforce our obedience to them. As it is the custom of
kings and governors to prefix their names and titles before the edicts
set forth by them, to obtain the more attention and veneration to what
they publish, so with the great God, the King of kings, being about to
proclaim a Law for His subjects, that He might affect them with a
deeper reverence for His authority and make them the more afraid to
transgress those statutes which are enacted by so mighty a Potentate
and so glorious a Majesty, blazons His august Name upon them.
What has just been pointed out above is clearly established by those
awe-inspiring words of Moses to Israel: "That thou mayest fear this
glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD" (Deut. 28:58). "I am the
Lord thy God." The word for "Lord" is "Jehovah," who is the Supreme,
Eternal and Self-existent One, the force of which is (as it were)
spelled out for us in "which was, and is, and is to come" (Rev. 4:8).
The word for "God" is "Elohim," the plural of Eloah, for though He be
one in nature yet is He three in His Persons. And this Jehovah, the
Supreme Object of worship, is "thy GOD," because in the past He was
thy Creator, in the present He is thy Ruler, and in the future He will
be thy Judge. In addition, He is the "God" of His elect by covenant
relationship and therefore their Redeemer. Thus, our obedience to His
Law is enforced by these considerations: His absolute authority, to
beget fear in us--He is "the Lord thy God"; His benefits and mercies,
to engage love--"which brought thee out of the (antitypical) house of
bondage."
"Thou shalt have no other gods before Me" (Ex. 20:3) is the first
Commandment. Let us briefly consider its meaning. We note its singular
number: "thou" not "ye," addressed to each person separately, because
each of us is concerned therein. "Thou shalt have no other gods" has
the force of, thou shalt own, possess, seek, desire, love or worship
none other. No "other gods;" they are called such not because they are
so, either by nature or by office (Ps. 82:6), but because the corrupt
hearts of men make and esteem them such--as in "whose god is their
belly" (Phil. 3:19). "Before Me" or "My face," the force of which is
best ascertained by His word to Abraham, "Walk before Me and be thou
perfect" or "upright" (Gen. 17:1)--conduct thyself in the realization
that thou are ever in My presence, that Mine eye is continually upon
thee. This is very searching. We are so apt to rest contented if we
can but approve ourselves before men and maintain a fair show of
godliness outwardly; but Jehovah searches our innermost being and we
cannot conceal from Him any secret lust or hidden idol.
Let us next consider the positive duty enjoined by this first
Commandment. Briefly stated it is this: thou shalt choose, worship and
serve Jehovah as thy God, and Him only. Being who He is--thy Maker and
Ruler, the Sum of all excellency, the supreme Object of worship--He
admits of no rival and none can vie with Him. See then the absolute
reasonableness of this demand and the madness of contravening it. This
commandment requires from us a disposition and conduct suited to the
relation in which we stand to the Lord as our God, who is the only
adequate Object of our love and the only One able to satisfy the soul.
It requires that we have a love for Him stronger than all other
affections, that we take Him for our highest portion, that we serve
and obey Him supremely. It requires that all those services and acts
of worship which we render unto the true God be made with the utmost
sincerity and devotion (implied in the "before Me"), excluding
negligence on the one hand and hypocrisy on the other.
In pointing out the duties required by this Commandment we cannot do
better than to quote the Westminster Confession of Faith. They are
"the knowing and acknowledging of God to be the only true God, and our
God (1 Chron. 28:9; Dent. 26:17, etc.); and to worship and glorify Him
accordingly (Ps. 95:6, 7; Matthew 4:10, etc.),by thinking (Mal. 3:16),
meditating (Ps. 63:6), remembering (Eccl. 12:1), highly esteeming (Ps.
71:19), honoring (Mal. 1:6), adoring (Isa. 45:23), choosing (Joshua
24:15), loving (Deut. 6:5), desiring (Ps. 73:25), fearing of Him (Isa.
8:13), believing Him (Ex. 14:3 1), trusting (Isa. 26:4), hoping (Ps.
103:7), delighting (Ps. 37:4), rejoicing in Him (Ps. 32:11), being
zealous for Him (Rom. 12:11), calling upon him, giving all praise and
thanks (Phil. 4:6), and yielding all obedience and submission to Him
with the whole man (Jer. 7:23), being careful in all things to please
Him (1 John 3:22), and sorrowful when in anything he is offended (Jer.
31:18; Ps. 119:136), and walking humbly with Him" (Micah 6:8).
Those duties may be summarized in these chief ones. First, the
diligent and lifelong seeking after a fuller knowledge of God as He is
revealed in His Word and works, for we cannot worship an unknown God.
Second, the loving of God with all our faculties and strength, which
consists of an earnest panting after Him, and deep joy in Him, and a
holy zeal for Him. Third, the fearing of God, which consists of an awe
of his majesty, supreme reverence for His authority, and a desire for
His glory: as the love of God is the motive-spring of obedience, so
the fear of God is the great deterrent of disobedience. Fourth, the
worshipping of God according to His appointments, the principal aids
to which are these: study of and meditation upon the Word, prayer, and
putting into practice what we are taught.
"Thou shalt have no other Gods before Me." That is, thou shalt not
give unto anyone or anything in Heaven or on earth that inward heart
affiance, loving veneration, and dependence that is due only to the
true God; thou shalt not transfer to another that which belongs alone
unto Him. Nor must we attempt to divide them between God and another,
for no man can serve two masters. The great sins forbidden by this
Commandment are these: first willful ignorance of God and His will
through despising those means by which we may acquaint ourselves with
Him; second, atheism or the denial of God; third, idolatry or the
setting up of false and fictitious gods; fourth, disobedience and
self-will or the open defiance of God; and fifth, all inordinate and
immoderate affections or the setting of our hearts and minds upon
other objects.
They are idolaters and transgressors of this first commandment who
manufacture a "God" as a figment of their own minds. Such are the
Unitarians, who deny that there are three Persons in the Godhead. Such
are Romanists, who supplicate the Savior's mother and affirm that the
pope has power to forgive sins. Such are the vast majority of
Arminians, who believe in a disappointed and defeated Deity. Such are
sensual Epicureans (Phil. 3:19), for there are inward idols as well as
external. "These men have set up their idols in their hearts" (Ezek.
14:3). The Apostle Paul speaks of "covetousness which is idolatry"
(Col. 3:5) and, by impartial reasoning, so are all immoderate desires.
That object to which we render those desires and services which are
due alone to the Lord is our "God," whether it be self, gold, fame,
pleasure, or friends. What is your God? To what is your life devoted?
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A Word to
Parents
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The Ten Commandments by A.W. Pink
The Second Commandment
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"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of any
thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or
that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself
to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third
and fourth generation of them that hate Me, and showing mercy unto
thousands of them that love Me and keep My commandments" (Ex. 20:4-6).
Though this second Commandment is closely related to the first, yet
there is a clear distinction between them, which may be expressed in a
variety of ways. As the first Commandment concerns the choice of the
true God as our God, so the second tells of our actual profession of
His worship; as the former fixes the Object so this fixes the mode of
religious worship. As in the first commandment Jehovah had proclaimed
Himself to be the true God, so here He reveals His nature and how He
is to be honored.
"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image thou shalt not bow
down thyself to them." This commandment strikes against a desire, or
should we say a disease, which is deeply rooted in the human heart,
namely, to bring in some aids to the worship of God, beyond those
which He has appointed--material aids, things which can be perceived
by the senses. Nor is the reason for this difficult to find: God is
incorporeal, invisible, and can be realized only by a spiritual
principle, and since that principle is dead in fallen man, he
naturally seeks that which accords with his carnality. But how
different is it with those who have been quickened by the Holy Spirit.
No one who truly knows God as a living reality needs any images to aid
his devotions; none who enjoys daily communion with Christ requires
any pictures of Him to help him to pray and adore, for he conceives of
Him by faith and not by fancy.
"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness." It
is a manifest straining of this precept to make it condemn all
statuary and paintings: it is not the ingenuity of making but the
stupidity in the worshipping of them which is condemned, as is clear
from the words "thou shalt not bow down thyself to them," and from the
fact that God Himself shortly afterwards ordered Israel to "make two
cherubim of gold of beaten work" for the mercy seat (Ex. 25:18) and
later the serpent of brass. Since God is a spiritual, invisible, and
omnipotent Being, to represent Him as being of a material and limited
form is a falsehood and an insult to His majesty. Under this most
extreme corruption of mode--image worship--all erroneous modes of
Divine homage are here forbidden. The legitimate worship of God must
not be profaned by any superstitious rites.
This second Commandment is but the negative way of saying "God is
Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in
truth" (John 4:24). If it be asked, what are the duties here required?
The answer is this: "The receiving, observing, and keeping pure and
entire, all such religious worship and ordinances as God has
instituted in His Word (Deut. 32:46, 47; Matthew 28:20; Acts 2:42; 1
Tim 6:13, 14); particularly prayer and thanksgiving in the name of
Christ (Phil. 4:6, Eph. 5:20); the reading, preaching, and hearing of
the Word (Deut. 17:18, 19; Acts 15:21; 2 Tim. 4:2, etc.); the
administration and receiving of the sacraments (Matthew 28:19; 1 Cor.
11:21-30); church government and discipline (Matthew 18:15, 17; 16:19;
1 Cor. 5); the ministry and maintenance thereof (Eph. 4:11, 12, etc.);
religious fasting (1 Cor. 8:5); swearing by the name of God (Deut.
6:13), and vowing unto Him (Isa. 19:21; Ps. 76:11); as also the
disapproving, detesting, opposing, all false worship (Acts 16:16, 17,
etc.); and according to each one's place and calling, removing it, and
all monuments of idolatry (Deut. 7:5; Isa. 30:22)"--Westminster
Confession of Faith. To this we would simply add, there is required of
us a diligent preparation before we enter upon any holy exercise
(Eccl. 5:1) and a right disposition of mind in the act itself. For
example, we must not hear or read the Word just to satisfy curiosity,
but that we may learn how better to please God.
In the forbidding of images God by parity of reason prohibits all
other modes and means of worship not appointed by Him. Every form of
worship, even of the true God Himself, which is contrary to or diverse
from what the Lord has prescribed in His Word, and which is called by
the apostle "will worship" (Col. 2:23), together with all corruptions
of the true worship of God and all inclinations of heart toward
superstition in the service of God are reprehended by this
Commandment. No scope whatever is here permitted to the inventive
faculty of man. Christ condemned the religious washing of the hands,
because it was a human addition to the Divine regulations. In like
manner this Commandment denounces the modern passion for ritualism
(the dressing up of simplicity in Divine worship), as also the magical
virtues ascribed to, or even the special influences of, the Lord's
Supper, still more so the use of a crucifix. So also it condemns a
neglect of God's worship, the leaving undone the service which God has
commanded.
The Scriptures have set us bounds for worship, to which we must not
add, and from which we must not diminish. In the application of this
principle we need to distinguish sharply between the substantials and
the incidentals of worship. Anything which men seek to impose upon us
as a part of Divine worship, if it be not expressly required of us in
the Scriptures--such as bowing the knee at the name of Jesus, crossing
ourselves, etc.--is to be abominated. But if certain circumstantials
and modifications of worship are practiced by those with whom we meet,
even though there be no express Scripture for them, they are to be
submitted unto by us, providing they are such things as tend to
decency and order and distract not from the solemnity and devotion of
spiritual worship. That was a wise rule inculcated by Ambrose: "If
thou will neither give offense nor take offense, conform thyself to
all the lawful customs of the churches where thou comest." It is a
grievous breaking of this commandment if we neglect any of the
ordinances of worship which God has appointed. So too if we engage in
the same hypocritically, with coldness of affection, wanderings of
mind, lack of holy zeal, or in unbelief, honoring God with our lips
while our hearts are far from Him.
This Commandment is enforced by three reasons. The first is drawn from
the Person who pronounces judgment upon those who break it. He is
described by His relationship, "thy God"; by the might of His power,
for the Hebrew word for "God" here is "the Strong One", able to
vindicate His honor and avenge all insults thereto; and by a
similitude taken from the state of wedlock, wherein unfaithfulness
results in summary punishment--He is a "jealous God." It is the Lord
speaking after the manner of men, intimating that He will not spare
those who mock Him. "They provoked Him to jealousy with strange gods,
with abominations provoked they Him to anger. . . . They have moved Me
to jealousy with that which is not God" (Deut. 32:16-21 ff).
Secondly, a sore judgment is threatened: "visiting the iniquity of the
fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them
that hate Me." "Visiting" is a figurative expression, which signifies
that after a space of time, in which God appears to have taken no
notice or to have forgotten, He then shows by His providences that He
has observed the evil ways and doings of men. "Shall I not visit for
these things? saith the Lord: and shall not My soul be avenged on such
a nation as this?" (Jer. 5:9, and cf. 32:18; Matthew 23:34-36). This
was designed to deter men from idolatry by an appeal to their natural
affections. "The curse of the Lord righteously rests not only on the
person of an impious man, but also on the whole of his family" (John
Calvin). It is a terrible thing to pass on to children a false
conception of God, either by precept or by example. The penalty
inflicted corresponds to the crime: it is not only that God punishes
the child for the offenses committed by the parents, but that He gives
them over unto the same transgressions and then deals with them
accordingly, for the example of parents is not sufficient warrant for
us to commit sin.
Thirdly, there is a most blessed encouragement to obedience, in the
form of a gracious promise: "Showing mercy unto thousands of them that
love Me, and keep My commandments." To the same effect He assures us,
"The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after
him" (Prov. 20:7). Love for God is evidenced by a keeping of His
commandments. Papists contend that their use of images is with the
object of promoting love, by keeping a visible image before them as an
aid; but God says it is because they hate Him. This promise to show
mercy unto thousands of the descendants of those who truly love God
does not express a universal principle, as is clear from the cases of
Isaac having a godless Esau and David an Absalom. "The Legislator
never intended to establish in this case such an invariable rule as
would derogate from His own free choice. . . When the Lord exhibits
one example of this blessing, He affords a proof of His constant and
perpetual favor to His worshippers" (Calvin). Observe that here, as
elsewhere in Scripture (Jude 14, for example), God speaks of
"thousands" (and not "millions," as men so often do) of them that love
Him and who manifest the genuineness of their love by keeping His
commandments. His flock is but a "little" one (Luke 12:32). What cause
for thanksgiving unto God have those who are born of pious parents,
whose parents treasure up not wrath for them, but prayers!
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A Word to
Parents
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The Ten Commandments by A.W. Pink
The Third Commandment
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"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the
Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain" (Ex.
20:7). As the second commandment concerns the manner in which God is
to be worshipped (namely, according to His revealed will), so this one
bids us worship Him with that frame of spirit which is agreeable to
the dignity and solemnity of such an exercise and the majesty of Him
with whom we have to do: that is, with the utmost sincerity, humility,
and reverence. "Fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD"
(Deut. 28:58). O what high thoughts we ought to entertain of such a
Being! In what holy awe should we stand of Him! "The end of this
Precept is that the Lord will have the majesty of His name to be held
inviolably sacred by us. Whatever we think and whatever we say of Him
should savor of His excellency, correspond to the sacred sublimity of
His name, and tend to the exaltation of His magnificence" (Calvin).
Anything pertaining to God should be spoken of with the greatest
sobriety.
Let us first endeavor to point out the scope and comprehensiveness of
this commandment. By the Name of the Lord our God is signified God
Himself as He is made known to us, including everything through which
He has been pleased to reveal Himself: His Word, His titles, His
attributes, His ordinances, His works. The Name of God stands for His
very nature and being, as in Psalm 20:1; 135:3; John 1:12, etc.
Sometimes the name of God is when it is used without propounding to
ourselves a proper end. And there are but two ends which can warrant
our use of any of His names, titles, or attributes: for His glory and
for the edification of ourselves and others. Whatever is besides these
is frivolous and evil, affording no sufficient ground for us to make
mention of such a great and holy Name, which is so full of glory and
majesty. Unless our speech is designedly directed to the advancement
of the Divine glory or the promotion of the benefit of those to whom
we speak, we are not justified in having God's ineffable Name upon our
lips. He accounts Himself highly insulted when we mention His name to
idle purpose.
God's Name is taken in vain by us when we use it without due
consideration and reverence. Whenever we make mention of Him before
whom the seraphim veil their faces, we ought seriously and solemnly to
ponder His infinite majesty and glory, and bow our hearts in deepest
prostration before that Name. How can they, who think and speak of the
great God promiscuously and at random, use His Name with reverence
when all the rest of their discourse is filled with froth and vanity?
That Name is not to be sported with and tossed to and fro upon every
light tongue. 0 my reader, form the habit of solemnly considering
whose Name it is you are about to utter. It is the Name of Him who is
present with you, who is hearing you pronounce it. He is jealous of
His honor, and He will dreadfully avenge Himself upon those who have
slighted Him.
God's Name is used in vain when it is employed hypocritically, when we
profess to be His people and are not. Israel of old was guilty of this
sin: "Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of
Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by
the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not
in truth, nor in righteousness" (Isa. 48:1). They used the Name of
God, but did not obey the revelation contained therein, and so
violated this Third Commandment (compare Matthew 7:22, 23) . When
using the Name of God, we must do so in a way which is true to its
meaning and to its implications. Therefore He says to us, "Why call ye
Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46). In
like manner, we are guilty of this awful sin when we perform holy
duties lightly and mechanically, our affections not being in them.
Prayer without practice is blasphemy, and to speak to God with our
lips while our hearts are far from Him is but a mocking of Him and an
increasing of our condemnation.
God's Name is taken in vain when we swear lightly and irreverently,
using the Name of God with as little respect as we would show to that
of a man, or when we swear falsely and are guilty of perjury. When we
are placed on oath and we attest that to be true which we do not know
to be true, or which we know to be false, we are guilty of one of the
gravest sins which man can possibly commit, for he has solemnly called
upon the great God to witness that which the father of lies has
prompted him to speak. "He that sweareth in the earth shall swear by
the God of Truth"(Isa. 65:16), and therefore it behooves him to
consider well whether what he testifies is true or not. Alas, oaths
have become so excessively multiplied among us-- being interwoven, as
it were, into the body politic--and so generally disregarded, that the
enormity of this offense is scarcely considered. "Let none of you
imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbor; and love no false
oaths, for all these are things that I hate, saith the Lord" (Zech.
8:17)
And what shall be said of that vast throng of profane swearers who
pollute our language and wound our ears, by a vile mixture of
execrations and blasphemies in their common conversation! "Their
throat is an open sepulcher. . . the poison of asps is under their
lips: whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness" (Rom. 3:13, 14) .
Utterly vain is their thoughtless plea that they mean no harm, vain
their excuse that all their companions do the same, vain their plea
that it is merely to relieve their feelings! What a madness it is when
men anger you, to strike against God and provoke Him far more than
others can provoke you! But though their fellows do not censure, nor
the police arrest, nor the magistrate punish them, yet "The Lord will
not hold him guiltless that taketh his Name in vain." "As he loved
cursing, so let it come unto him . . . as he clothed himself with
cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like
water" (Ps. 109:17, 18). God is dreadfully incensed by this sin, and
in the common commission of this Heaven-insulting crime our country
has incurred terrible guilt.
It has become almost impossible to walk the streets or to enter mixed
company without hearing the sacred Name of God treated with
blasphemous contempt. The novels of the day, the stage, and even radio
(and more lately television, the cinema, and the press) are terrible
offenders, and without doubt this is one of the fearful sins against
Himself for which God is now pouring out His judgments upon us. Of old
He said unto Israel, "Because of swearing (cursing) the land mourneth;
the pleasant places of the wilderness are dried up, and their course
is evil" (Jer. 23:10). And He is still the same: "The Lord will not
hold him guiltless that taketh His Name in vain." Sore punishment
shall be his portion, if not in this life, then most assuredly so,
eternally so, in the life to come.
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A Word to
Parents
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The Ten Commandments by A.W. Pink
The Fourth Commandment
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"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou
labour, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the
Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work" (Ex. 20:8-10). This
commandment denotes that God is the sovereign Lord of our time, which
is to be used and improved by us just as He has here specified. It is
to be carefully noted that it consists of two parts, each of which
bears directly upon the other. "Six days shalt thou (not "mayest
thou") labour" is as Divinely binding upon us as "Remember the Sabbath
day to keep it holy." It is a precept requiring us diligently to
attend unto that vocation and state of life in which the Divine
providence has placed us, to perform its offices with care and
conscience. The revealed will of God is that man should work, not idle
away his time; that he should work not five days a week (for which
organized labor once agitated), but
six.
He who never works is unfitted for worship. Work is to pave the way
for worship, as worship is to fit us for work. The fact that any man
can escape the observance of this first half of the Commandment is a
sad reflection upon our modern social order, and shows how far we have
departed from the Divine plan and ideal. The more diligent and
faithful we are in performing the duties of the six days, the more
shall we value the rest of the seventh. It will thus be seen that the
appointing of the Sabbath was not any arbitrary restriction upon man's
freedom, but a merciful provision for his good: that it is designed as
a day of gladness and not of gloom. It is the Creator's gracious
exempting us from our life of mundane toil one day in seven, granting
us a foretaste of that future and better life for which the present is
but a probation, when we may turn wholly from that which is material
to that which is spiritual, and thereby be equipped for taking hold
with new consecration and renewed energies upon the work of the coming
days.
It should thus be quite evident that this law for the regulation of
man's time was not a temporary one, designed for any particular
dispensation, but is continuous and perpetual in the purpose of God:
the Sabbath was "made for man" (Mark 2:27) and not simply for the Jew;
it was made for man's good. What has been pointed out above upon the
twofoldness of this Divine statute receives clear and irrefragable
confirmation in the reason given for its enforcement: "for in six days
the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and
rested the seventh day" (v. 11). Observe well the twofoldedness of
this: the august Creator deigned to set an example before His
creatures in each respect: HE worked for "six days," He "rested the
seventh day!" It should also be pointed out that the appointing of
work for man is not the consequence of sin: before the Fall, God put
him "into the garden of Eden to dress and to keep it" (Gen. 2:15).
The lasting nature or perpetuity of this twofold Commandment is
further evidenced by the fact that in the above reason given for its
enforcement there was nothing which was peculiarly pertinent to the
nation of Israel, but instead, that which speaks with clarion voice to
the whole human race. Moreover, this statute was given a place not in
the ceremonial law of Israel, which was to be done away when Christ
fulfilled its types, but in the Moral Law, which was written by the
finger of God Himself upon tables of stone, to signify to us its
permanent nature. Finally, it should be pointed out that the very
terms of this Commandment make it unmistakably plain that it was not
designed only for the Jews, for it was equally binding upon any
Gentiles who dwelt among them. Even though they were not in covenant
with God, nor under the ceremonial law, yet they were required to keep
the Sabbath holy--"thou shalt not do any work... nor thy stranger that
is within thy gates" (v. 10)!
"The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God". Note well it is
not said (here, or anywhere in Scripture) "the seventh day of the
week," but simply "the seventh day," that is, the day following the
six of work. With the Jews it was the seventh day of the week, namely,
Saturday, but for us it is--as the "another day" of Hebrews 4:8
plainly intimates--the first day of the week, because the Sabbath not
only commemorates the work of creation, but it now also celebrates the
yet greater work of redemption. Thus, the Lord so worded the fourth
Commandment as to suit both the Jewish and the Christian
dispensations, and thereby intimated its perpetuity. The Christian
Sabbath is from midnight Saturday to midnight Sunday: it is clear from
John 20:1 that it began before sunrise, and therefore we may conclude
it starts at Saturday midnight; while from John 20:19 we learn (from
the fact it is not there called "the evening of the second day") that
it continues throughout the evening, and that our worship is also to
continue therein.
But though the Christian Sabbath does not commence till midnight on
Saturday, yet our preparation for it must begin sooner, or how else
can we obey its express requirement, "in it thou shalt not do any
work"? On the Sabbath there is to be a complete resting the whole day,
not only from natural recreations and doing our own pleasure (Isa.
58:13), but from all worldly employment. The wife needs a day of rest
just as much as her husband, yea, being the "weaker vessel," more so.
Such things as porridge and soup can be prepared on the Saturday and
heated on the Sabbath, so that we may be entirely free to delight
ourselves in the Lord and give ourselves completely to His worship and
service. Let us also see to it that we do not work or sit up so late
on the Saturday night that we encroach on the Lord's day by staying
late in bed or making ourselves drowsy for its holy duties.
This Commandment makes it clear that God is to be worshipped in the
home, which, of course, inculcates the practice of family worship. It
is addressed more specifically than any of the other nine Commandments
to heads of households and to employers, because God requires them to
see to it that all under their charge shall observe the Sabbath. To
them, more immediately, God says, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it
holy." It is to be strictly set apart to the honor of the thrice holy
God, spent in the exercises of holy contemplation, meditation, and
adoration. Because it is the day which He has made (Ps. 118:24), we
must do nothing to unmake it. This Commandment forbids the omission of
any duties required, a careless performing of the same, or a weariness
in them. The more faithfully we keep this Commandment, the better
prepared shall we be to obey the other nine.
Three classes of works, and three only, may be engaged in on the "Holy
Sabbath." Works of necessity, which are those that could not be done
on the preceding day and that cannot be deferred till the next--such
as tending to cattle. Works of mercy, which are those that compassion
requires us to perform toward other creatures--such as ministering to
the sick. Works of piety, which are the worship of God in public and
in private, using with thankfulness and delight all the means of grace
which He has provided. We need to watch and strive against the very
first suggestions of Satan to corrupt our hearts, divert our minds, or
disturb us in holy duties, praying earnestly for help to meditate upon
God's Word and to retain what He gives us. The Lord makes the sacred
observance of His Day of special blessing; and contrariwise, He visits
the profanation of the Sabbath with special cursing (see Neh. 13:17,
18), as our guilty land is now proving to its bitter cost.
"A Sabbath well spent, brings a week of content
And strength for the toils of the morrow;
But a Sabbath profaned, whate'er may be gained
Is a certain forerunner of sorrow."
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A Word to
Parents
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The Ten Commandments by A.W. Pink
The Fifth Commandment
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This commandment to honor parents is much broader in its scope than
appears at first glance. It is not to be restricted to our literal
father and mother, but is to be applied to all our superiors. "The end
of the Precept is, that since the Lord God desires the preservation of
the order He has appointed, the degrees of preeminence fixed by Him
ought to be inviolably preserved. The sum of it therefore will be that
we should reverence them whom God has exalted to any authority over
us, and should render them honor, obedience, and gratitude. . . . But
as this precept is exceedingly repugnant to the depravity of human
nature, whose ardent desire of exaltation will scarcely admit of
subjection, it has therefore proposed as an example that kind of
superiority which is naturally most amiable and least invidious,
because that might the more easily mollify and incline our minds to a
habit of submission" (Calvin).
Lest any of our readers--in this socialistic and communistic age, when
insubordination and lawlessness is the evil spirit of our day--object
to this wider interpretation of the commandment, let us ponder the
following considerations. First, "honor" belongs primarily and
principally to God. Secondarily, and by derivation, it pertains also
to those whom He has dignified and made nobles in His kingdom, by
raising them above others and bestowing titles and dominion upon them.
We ought to revere these just as surely as we do our fathers and
mothers. In Scripture the word "honor" has an extensive application,
as may be seen from 1 Timothy 5:17; 1 Peter 2:17, etc. Secondly,
observe that the title "father" is given to kings (1 Sam. 24:11; Isa.
49:23), masters (2 Kings 5:13), and ministers of the Gospel (2 Kings
2:12; Gal. 4:19)
"Wherefore it ought not be doubted that God here lays down a universal
rule for our conduct, namely, that to every one whom we know to be
placed in authority over us by His appointment, we should render
reverence, obedience, gratitude, and all the other services in our
power. Nor does it make any difference whether they are worthy of this
honor or not. For whatever be their characters, yet it is not without
the appointment of the Divine providence that they have attained that
station on account of which the supreme Legislator has commanded them
to be honored. He has particularly enjoined reverence to our parents,
who have brought us into this life" (Calvin). It scarcely needs to be
said that the duty enforced here is of a reciprocal nature, those of
inferiors implying a corresponding obligation on superiors; but
limited space obliges us to consider here only the duties resting on
subjects to their rulers.
First let us consider the duties of children to their parents. They
are to love and reverence them, being fearful of offending due to the
respect they bear them. A genuine filial veneration is to actuate
children, so that they abstain from whatever would grieve or offend
their parents. They are to be subject unto them: mark the blessed
example which Christ has left (Luke 2:51). "Children obey your parents
in all things, for this is well pleasing unto the Lord" (Col. 3:20).
After David was anointed for the throne, he fulfilled his father's
appointment by tending his sheep (1 Sam. 16:19). They are to hearken
to their instructions and imitate their godly practices (Prov. 6:20).
Their language must ever be respectful and their gestures betoken
submission. Though Joseph was so highly exalted in Egypt, he "bowed
himself with his face to the ground" before his father (Gen. 48:12).
And note how king Solomon honored his mother (1 Kings 2:19). As far as
they are able and their parents have need, they are to provide for
them in old age (1 Tim. 5:16).
Secondly, let us observe our duties to rulers and magistrates whom God
has set over us. These are God's deputies and vicegerents, being
invested with authority from Him: "by Me kings reign" (Prov. 8:15).
God has ordained civil authority for the general good of mankind, for
were it not for this men would be savage beasts preying upon one
another. Did not the fear of magistrates restrain those who have cast
off the fear of God, were they not afraid of temporal punishments, we
should be as safe among lions and tigers as among men. Rulers are to
be honored in our thoughts, regarding them as the official
representatives of God upon earth (Eccl. 10:20; Rom. 13:l ff; Acts
23:5). They are to be revered in our speeches, supporting their office
and authority, for of the wicked it is written, "they are not afraid
to speak evil of dignities" (2 Pet. 2:20). We are to obey them.
"Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake:
whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them
that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the
praise of them that do well" (1 Pet. 2:13, 14). We are to render
"tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom, fear to whom
fear; honour to whom honour" (Rom. 13:7). We are to pray for them (1
Tim. 2:1, 2).
Thirdly, let us consider the duties of servants unto their masters.
They are to obey them. "Servants obey in all things your masters
according to the flesh: not with eyeservice as menpleasers, but in
singleness of heart fearing God" (Col. 3:22) . They are to be diligent
in duty, seeking to promote their master's interests, "showing all
good fidelity" (Titus 2:10; and see Eph. 6:5-7). They are to patiently
suffer their rebukes and corrections, "not answering again" (Titus
2:9). So strictly has God enjoined them to a quiet submission to their
masters that, even when a servant has given no just cause for rebuke,
yet he is to silently suffer the groundless anger of his master.
"Servants be subject to your masters with all fear: not only to the
good and gentle, but also to the froward. For this is thankworthy, if
a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully" (1
Pet. 2:18-20). O how far have we wandered from the Divine standard!
Finally, we should mention pastors and their flocks, ministers and
their people, for between them also is such a relation of superiors
and inferiors as brings them under the direction of this fifth
commandment. "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit
yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give
account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is
unprofitable for you" (Heb. 13:17) . Christ has so vested his servants
with authority that He declares, "He that heareth you heareth Me; and
he that despiseth you despiseth Me" (Luke 10:16) . So again, "Let the
elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially
they who labour in the Word and doctrine" (1 Tim. 5:17). This "double
honour" is that of reverence and maintenance. "Let him that is taught
in the Word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things"
(Gal. 6:6 and cf. 1 Cor. 9:11). How solemn is this warning: "But they
mocked the messengers of God and despised His words and misused His
prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till
there was no remedy" (2 Chron. 36:16).
To this precept is added this promise as a motive and encouragement to
obedience: "That thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy
God giveth thee." First, as an Old Testament promise this is to be
regarded typically of the Eternal Life promised by the Gospel, since
Canaan was a figure of Heaven. Secondly, it is repeated in the New
Testament (Eph. 6:2, 3 and 1 Pet. 3:10), since it is often God's way
to lengthen out an obedient and holy life. Thirdly, all promises of
earthly blessing, however, must necessarily imply this condition: they
shall be literally fulfilled to us if this would promote our eternal
happiness--otherwise they would be threatenings and not promises. In
His mercy God often abridges this promise and takes His beloved home
to Himself.
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A Word to
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The Ten Commandments by A.W. Pink
The Sixth Commandment
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"Thou shalt not kill" (Ex. 20:13). In the first five Commandments we
have seen how God safeguarded His own glory; in the second five we are
to behold how He provides for the security and well-being of men: (1)
for the protection of man's person; (2) for the sanctity and good of
his family ("thou shalt not commit adultery"); (3) for the safety of
his estate and substance ("thou shalt not steal"); (4) for his
reputation or good name ("thou shalt not bear false witness against
thy neighbour"). Finally, as a strong fence encircling the whole Law,
God not only prohibits outward crimes, but inward motions of evil in
our thoughts and affections ("thou shalt not covet"). It is the first
of these regulations which specially relates to our neighbor that we
shall now consider: "thou shalt not kill."
This sixth Commandment prohibits that barbarous and inhuman sin of
murder, which is the firstborn of the Devil, who was "a murderer from
the beginning" (John 8:44). It is the first crime we read of after the
fall of Adam and Eve, wherein the corruption transmitted to their
descendants was fearfully displayed by Cain. His rancor and enmity
goaded him to slay Abel, because his brother's "works were righteous
and his own evil" (1 John 3:12). But this commandment is not
restricted to forbidding the actual crime of murder. It also prohibits
all the degrees and causes of murder, such as rash anger and hatred,
slanders and revenge, and whatever else may prejudice the safety of
our neighbor or tempt us to see him perish when it is in our power to
relieve and rescue him.
Let us begin by pointing out that every killing of a man is not
murder. It is not so in the execution of justice, when the magistrate
sentences a slayer, for he is vested with lawful authority to put
capital offenders to death, and if he fails to do so, then God will
charge it upon him as sin. "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall
his blood be shed" (Gen. 9:6). These words state the general and
unchanging principle. "Thine eye shall not pity, but life shall go for
life" (Deut. 19:21). This is God's order to the magistrate. Nor is the
shedding of blood in a righteous war chargeable with murder. It is
lawful to take up arms against an invader and to recover what has been
unjustly taken away. Thus David pursued the Amalekites who had carried
away his wives captive. It is also lawful in order to punish some
great injury or wrong. David made war upon the Ammonites for their
outraging of his ambassadors (2 Sam. 10).
As there are some who decry this assertion and denounce all war as
unlawful in this Christian dispensation, let us point out that when
soldiers came to Christ's forerunner for instruction saying, "What
shall we do?" (Luke 3:14), he did not say, Fight no more, abandon your
calling, but gave them directions how they should conduct themselves.
When the centurion came to the Savior and drew arguments from his
military calling, our Lord did not condemn his profession or rebuke
him for holding such an office. Instead, He highly commended his faith
(Luke 7:8, 9). When examined by Pilate Christ declared, "My kingdom is
not of this world: if My kingdom were of this world, then would My
servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is
My kingdom not from hence" (John 18:36). Those words clearly imply
that though carnal means were improper for advancing Christ's
spiritual kingdom, yet had not His state of humiliation prevented His
assuming the royal scepter, His followers might lawfully have fought
to defend His title.
There is one other exception, namely, accidental slaying, which is not
chargeable with murder, that is, when life is taken without any
intention of so doing. Such a case we find mentioned in Scripture, as
when hewing wood the axe should slip and undesignedly kill a neighbor
(Deut. 19:5). For such innocent slayers the Lord appointed cities of
refuge, whither they could find safe asylum from the avenger of blood.
But let it be pointed out that we must be employed about lawful
things. Otherwise, if we are engaged in what is unjustified and it
leads to the death of another, this cannot be excused from murder (see
Ex. 21:22-24)
Next let us consider cases of murder. Suicide is self-murder, and is
one of the most desperate crimes which can be committed. Inasmuch as
this sin precludes repentance on the part of its perpetrator, it is
beyond forgiveness. Such creatures are so abandoned by God as to have
no concern for their eternal salvation, seeing they pass into the
immediate presence of their Judge with their hands imbrued in their
own blood. Such are self-murderers, for they destroy not only their
bodies but their souls, too. The murdering of another is a most
heinous crime. It torments the conscience of its perpetrator with
fearful affrights, so that often he gives himself up to justice. Those
who are accessories are also guilty of murder, such as those who
commission it to be done (2 Sam. 11:15; 12:9), or consent thereto (as
Pilate), or conceal it (as in Deut. 21:6, 7, by clear implication)
This Commandment not only forbids the perpetration of murder, but
likewise all causes and occasions leading to it. The principal of
these are envy and anger. Envy has been well described as "the rust of
a cankered soul, a foul vice which turns the happiness of others into
our own misery." Cain first enviously repined at the success of his
brother's sacrifice, and this quickly prompted him to murder. So too
unjust and inordinate anger, if it be allowed to lie festering in the
heart, will turn into the venom of an implacable hatred. Such anger is
not only a cause, but it is actually a degree of murder, as is clear
from the teaching of Christ in Matthew 5:2 1, 22.
It should be pointed out that anger is not, as envy, simply, and in
itself, unlawful. There is a virtuous anger, which (so far from being
sin, is a noble and praiseworthy grace, see Mark 3:5). To be moved
with indignation for the cause of God when his glory is degraded, His
name dishonored, His sanctuary polluted, and His people vilified is a
holy anger. So there is an innocent and allowable anger when we are
unjustly provoked by offenses against ourselves, but here we need to
be much on our guard that we "sin not" (Eph. 4:26). A vicious and
sinful anger, which darkens the understanding and makes one act as in
a frenzy, is one which is without cause and without bounds. Jonah 4:1
gives an illustration of a groundless anger. Anger is immoderate when
it is violent and excessive, or when it continues to boil. "Let not
the sun go down on your wrath" (Eph. 4:26); if it does, the scum of
malice will be on your heart next morning!
In closing, let us give some rules for restraining and repressing
anger. (1) Labor and pray for a meek and humble spirit. Think lowly of
yourself and you will not be angered if others slight you. All
contention proceeds from pride (Prov. 13:10). The more you despise
yourself the easier it will be to bear the contempt of your fellows.
(2) Think often of the infinite patience and forbearance of God. How
many affronts does He bear with from us. How often we give Him
occasion to be angry with us, yet "He hath not dealt with us after our
sins." Let this great example be ours. (3) Beware of prejudice against
any, for it is sure to misinterpret their actions. Fight against the
first risings of envy and anger; when injured put it down to ignorance
or unintentional. (4) Shun angry persons (Prov. 22:24, 25); fire
quickly spreads.
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A Word to
Parents
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The Ten Commandments by A.W. Pink
The Seventh Commandment
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"Thou shalt not commit adultery" (Ex. 20:14). The virtues of purity
are the basis of the domestic relations, and as the family is the
foundation of human society, the class of duties here involved is
second only to those which preserve man's existence. Hence it is that,
immediately following the commandment which declares the sacredness of
human life, there is that precept that is a hedge about the highest
relationship of creaturehood, thus safeguarding the holy function of
the procreation of life. Nothing is more essential for the social
order than that the relationship upon which all others are
subsequently based should be jealously protected against every form of
attack. The commandment is a simple, unqualified, irrevocable
negative: "thou shalt not." No argument is used, no reason is given,
because none is required. This sin is so destructive and damning that
the mere mention of its name is, in itself, sufficient cause for this
stern forbidding.
This commandment plainly intimates that God claims the body as well as
the soul for His service. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the
mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Rom. 12:1).
"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey
it in the lusts thereof. . . . if ye through the Spirit do mortify the
deeds of the body, ye shall live" (Rom. 6:12; 8:13). "The body is not
for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. . . .
Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then
take the members of Christ, and make them the members of a harlot? God
forbid.... glorify God in your body, and in your spirit" (1 Cor. 6:13,
15, 20). For a Christian, this foul sin is sacrilege. "Know ye not
that your body is the temple of the holy Spirit which is in you. . .?"
(1 Cor. 6:19). If Christ was indignant when He saw the house of God
turned into a den of thieves, how much more heinous in His sight must
be that wickedness which debases the temple of the Holy Spirit into a
filthy sty!
"Thou shalt not commit adultery." This prohibition is designed to
guard the sanctity of the home, for strictly speaking "adultery" is a
crime which none but a married person can commit--"fornication" being
the name of it when done by one who is single. As the One with whom we
have to do is ineffably pure and holy, therefore does He require us to
depart from all uncleanness. This commandment respects more especially
the government of the affections and passions, the keeping of our
minds and bodies in such a chaste frame that nothing impure or
immodest may defile us. It requires the proper discipline of those
inclinations which God has implanted for the increase of the human
species. Therefore we are to avoid everything that may be an occasion
of this sin, using all proper means and methods to prevent all
temptations thereto.
How God regards sins of uncleanness has been made clear by many
passages in His Word. This sin, even on the part of an unmarried man,
is called "great wickedness against God" (Gen. 39:9). Then how much
more inexcusable and intolerable is it on the part of a married
person! The temporal punishment meted out to it under the civil law of
Israel was no less than death, the same that was meted out to murder.
Job calls it "a heinous crime, a fire that consumeth to destruction"
(31:11, 12). Much of this wickedness is practiced in secret, but
though its perpetrators may escape the judgment of man, they shall not
escape the judgment of Heaven, for it is written, "whoremongers and
adulterers God shall judge" (Heb. 13:4). "Be not deceived: neither
fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers... shall inherit the
kingdom of God" (1 Cor. 6:9, 10).
"The sin of adultery is scarcely less enormous than that of murder.
The latter destroys man's temporal existence, the former destroys all
that makes existence a boon. Were all to take the license of the
adulterer men would in due time be reduced to the degradation of wild
beasts" (R. L. Dabney). To prevent this sin, God has instituted the
ordinance of marriage. "To avoid fornication, let every man have his
own wife, and let every woman have her own husband" (1 Cor. 7:2). The
sin of adultery is therefore the violation of the marriage covenant
and vow, and so adds perjury to infidelity. Immorality is a sin
against the body (1 Cor. 6:18). God's displeasure against this sin is
seen in the fact that He has so ordered things that nature itself
visits the same with heavy penalties in every part of man's complex
being. "Be not deceived: God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man
soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall
of the flesh reap corruption" (Gal. 6:7, 8).
Though marriage is the Divinely appointed remedy for the sin of sexual
uncleanness, that does not grant man the license to make a beast of
himself. "Let it not be supposed by married persons that all things
are lawful to them. Every man should observe sobriety towards his
wife, and every wife, reciprocally, towards her husband; conducting
themselves in such a manner as to do nothing unbecoming the decorum
and temperance of marriage. For thus ought marriage contracted in the
Lord to be regulated by moderation and modesty, and not to break out
into the vilest lasciviousness. Such sensuality has been stigmatized
by Ambrose with a severe but not unmerited censure, when he calls
those who in their conjugal intercourse have no regard to modesty, the
adulterers of their own wives" (Calvin).
Let no man flatter himself with the idea that he cannot be charged
with unchastity because he has abstained from the actual deed while
his heart is a cesspool of defiling imaginations and desires. Because
God's Law is "spiritual" (Rom. 7:14), it not only forbids the gross
outward acts of filthiness, but it prohibits and condemns unchastity
of heart as well--all unlawful imaginations and contemplations. As
there is such a thing as heart murder, so there is heart adultery, and
he who commits speculative uncleanness and prostitutes his thoughts
and imaginations to the impure embraces of lust is guilty of
transgressing this commandment. "Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust
after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart"
(Matthew 5:28). Therefore we find the Apostle did not content himself
with saying that it is better for a man to marry than to pollute
himself with a harlot, but "it is better to marry than to burn" (1
Cor. 7:9) --harbor consuming passion.
Although the sin of "adultery" is alone specifically mentioned in this
precept, the rules by which these Commandments are to be interpreted
(see earlier chapters) oblige us to understand that all other kinds of
uncleanness are prohibited under that of this one gross sin.
Everything that defiles the body is here forbidden; adultery is
expressly mentioned because all other moral pollutions tend thereto.
By the wickedness of that which all men know to be wrong, we are
exhorted to abominate every unlawful passion. As all manner of
chastity in our thoughts, speeches, and actions is enjoined by the
perfect rule of God, so whatever is in the least contrary and
prejudicial to spotless chastity and modesty is here prohibited. Every
other sexual union save that of marriage is accursed in God's sight.
This commandment forbids all degrees or approaches to the sin
prohibited, as looking in order to lust. Its force is, Thou shalt in
no way injure thy neighbor's chastity or tempt to uncleanness. It
requires that we abstain from immodest apparel, indelicate speech,
intemperance in food and drink which excites the passions, and
everything that has any tendency to induce unchastity in ourselves or
others. Let young people especially fix it in mind that all unclean
conduct before marriage on the part of man or woman is a wrong done
against the marriage to be. Though this commandment is expressed in
the form of a negative prohibition, yet positively it enjoins all the
opposite duties, such as cleanliness of the body, filling the mind
with holy objects, setting our affection on things above, and spending
our time in profitable occupations.
Rules and Helps for Avoiding Such Sins
(1) Cultivate a habitual sense of the Divine presence, realizing that
"The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the
good" (Prov. 15:3). (2) Keep a strict watch over the senses, for these
are the avenues which instead of letting in pleasant streams to
refresh, only too often let in mud and mire to pollute the soul. Make
a covenant with your eyes (Job 31:1). Stop your ears against all
filthy conversation. Read nothing which defiles. Watch your thoughts,
and labor promptly to expel evil ones. (3) Practice sobriety and
temperance (1 Cor. 9:27). Those who indulge in gluttony and
drunkenness generally find that their excesses froth and foam into
lust. (4) Exercise yourself in honest and lawful employment; idleness
proves as fatal to many as intemperance to others. Avoid the company
of the wicked. (5) Be much in earnest prayer, begging God to cleanse
your heart (Ps. 119:37).
"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of
the world is enmity with God?" (Jas. 4:4). This refers to the sin of
spiritual adultery: it is love of the world estranging the heart from
God, carnal lusts enticing the soul and drawing it away from Him.
There is more than enough in God Himself to satisfy, but there is
still that in the believer which desires to find his happiness in the
creature. There are degrees of this sin, as of the natural. As there
may be physical adultery in thought and longing that terminates not in
the overt act, so the Christian may secretly hanker after the world
though he become not an utter worldling. We must check such
inclinations when our hearts are unduly drawn forth to material
comforts and contentments. God is a jealous God, and nothing provokes
Him more than that we should prefer base things before Himself, or
give to others that affection or esteem which belongs alone to Him.
Leave not your "first love" (Rev. 2:4), nor forsake Him to whom you
are "espoused" (2 Cor. 11:2).
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A Word to
Parents
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The Ten Commandments by A.W. Pink
The Eighth Commandment
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"Thou shalt not steal" (Ex. 20:15). The root from which theft proceeds
is discontent with the portion God has allotted, and therefrom a
coveting of what He has withheld from us and bestowed upon others.
With his usual accuracy Calvin hit the nail on the head when he wrote,
"This law is ordained for our hearts as much as for our hands, in
order that men may study both to protect the property and to promote
the interests of others." Like the preceding one, this precept also
respects the government of our affections, by the setting of due
bounds to our desires after worldly things, that they may not exceed
what the good providence of God has appointed us. Hence the
suitability of that prayer, "Remove far from me vanity and lies: give
me neither poverty nor riches, feed me with food convenient for me;
lest I be full and deny Thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be
poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain" (Prov. 30:8, 9).
"Thou shalt not steal." The positive duty here enjoined us this: thou
shalt by all proper means preserve and further both thine own and thy
neighbor's estate. This commandment requires proper diligence and
industry so as to secure a competency for ourselves and families, that
we may not through our own default expose ourselves and them to those
straits which are the consequence of sloth and neglect. Thus we are to
"provide things honest in the sight of all men" (Rom. 12:17). But even
more, this commandment is the law of love with respect to our
neighbor's estate. It requires honesty and uprightness in our dealings
one with another, being founded upon that first practical principle of
all human conduct: "Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do
ye even so to them" (Matthew 7:12). Thus this commandment places a
sacred enclosure around property which none can lawfully enter without
the proprietor's consent.
The solemn and striking fact deserves pointing out that the first sin
committed by the human species entailed theft: Eve took of (stole) the
forbidden fruit. So, too, the first recorded sin against Israel after
they entered the land of Canaan was that of theft: Achan stole from
among the spoils (Joshua 7:21). In like manner the first sin which
defiled the primitive Christian church was theft: Ananias and Sapphira
"kept back part of the price" (Acts 5:2) How often this is the first
sin committed outwardly by children! And therefore this Divine precept
should be taught to them from earliest infancy. Years ago we visited a
home, and our hostess related how she had that day secretly observed
her daughter (about four years old) enter a room in which was a large
bunch of grapes. The little tot eyed them longingly, went up to the
table and then said, "Get thee hence, Satan. It is written, `Thou
shalt not steal,' " and rushed out of the room.
"Thou shalt not steal." The highest form of this sin is where it is
committed against God, which is sacrilege. Of old He charged Israel
with this crime: "Will a man rob God? yet ye have robbed Me. But ye
say, Wherein have we robbed Thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are
cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed Me, even this whole nation"
(Mal. 3:8,9). But there are other ways in which this wickedness may be
committed besides that of refusing to financially support the
maintenance of God's cause on earth. God is robbed when we withhold
from Him the glory which is His due, and we are spiritual thieves when
we arrogate to ourselves the honor and praise which belong to Him
alone. Arminians are great offenders here, by ascribing to free will
what is produced by free grace. "Ye have not chosen Me," said Christ,
"but I have chosen you (John 15:16). "Herein is love, not that we
loved God, but that He loved us" (1 John 4:10).
Another way in which we rob God is by an unfaithful discharge of our
stewardship. That which God has entrusted to us may be just as really
outraged by our mismanagement as if we interfered with another's trust
or plundered our neighbor's goods. This commandment then requires from
us that we administer our worldly estate, be it large or small, with
such industry as to provide for ourselves and those dependent upon us.
Idleness is a species of theft. It is playing the part of the drone
and compelling the rest of the hive to support us. So prodigality is
also a form of theft, since extravagance and wastefulness are a
spending of that substance which God has divided to us in riotous
living." He who remains in secular employment that requires him to
work on the Lord's Day is robbing God of the time which ought to be
devoted to His worship. Before passing on it should be pointed out
that one who obtrudes himself into the Gospel ministry without being
called of God in order to obtain an easy and comfortable living is "a
thief and a robber" (John 10:1).
God has ordained that men should earn their bread by the sweat of
their brow, and with that portion which we thus honestly obtain, we
must be satisfied. But some are slothful and refuse to labor, while
others are covetous and crave a larger portion. Hence many are led to
resort to the use of force or fraud in order to gain possession of
that to which they have no right. Theft, in general, is an unjust
taking or keeping to ourselves what is lawfully another's. He is a
thief who withholds what ought to be in his neighbor's possession just
as much as one who takes his neighbor's property from him. Hence this
commandment is grossly violated both by management and labor. If in
the past the poor have been wronged by inadequate wages, the scales
have now turned in the opposite direction, when employees often demand
a wage that industry cannot afford to pay them. If on the one hand it
is right that a fair day's work should receive a fair day's pay, it
holds equally true that a fair day's pay is entitled to a fair day's
work. But where loafing obtains it does not receive it.
"Thou shalt not steal." Lying advertisements are a breach of this
commandment. Tradesmen are guilty when they adulterate or misrepresent
their goods, and also when they deliberately give short weight or
short change to their customers. Profiteering is another form of
theft. The Apostle Paul admonishes "that no man go beyond and defraud
his brother in any matter" (1 Thess. 4:6). The contracting of debts to
support luxury and vanity is theft, as also is the failure to pay
debts incurred in procuring necessities. A man is a thief in the sight
of God who transfers property to his wife just before he becomes
bankrupt, and so also is any bankrupt who later on prospers
financially and then fails to pay his creditors to the full. That man
or woman is a thief who borrows and returns not. This commandment is
broken by tenants who heedlessly damage the property and furniture of
the owner. Evasion in paying taxes is another form of theft; Christ
has set us a better example (Matthew 17:24). Gambling is still another
form of theft, for by it men obtain money for which they have done no
honest work.
This old saying is true. "Whatever is gotten over the Devil's back
goes under the Devil's belly." Certain it is that God sends a curse
upon what is obtained by force or fraud: it is put into a bag with
holes and under Providence soon wastes away. God, by His righteous
judgment, often makes one sin the punisher of another and what is
gained by theft is lost by intemperance and a shortened life.
Therefore it is written, "The robbery of the wicked shall destroy
them" (Prov. 21:7); and again, "As the partridge sitteth on eggs and
hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall
leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool"
(Jer. 17:11). Many times God raises up those who deal with them as
they have dealt with others. The fearful increase of this crime in
modern society is due to failure to impose adequate punishment. If the
reader is conscious of having wronged others in the past, it is not
sufficient to confess this sin to God. At least a twofold restitution
must be made (Luke 19:8 and 2 Sam. 12:6) --if the owner is dead, then
to his descendants; if he has none, then to some public charity.
Here are a few suggested helps and aids to the avoidance of the sins
prohibited and to the performance of those duties inculcated by this
eighth commandment. (1) Engage in honest labor, or if a person of
means, in some honorable calling, seeking to promote the public good.
It is idle people who are most tempted to mischief. (2) Strive against
the spirit of selfishness by seeking the welfare of others. (3)
Counter the lust of covetousness by giving liberally to those in need.
(4) If your Savior was crucified between two thieves that the gift of
salvation might be yours, bring no reproach upon His name by any act
of dishonesty. (5) Cultivate the grace of contentment. In order
thereto, consider frequently the vanity of all things temporal,
practice submission to Divine providence, meditate much on the Divine
promises (such as Heb. 13:5, 6), be temperate in all things, set your
affections on things above, and remind yourself daily of the earthly
lot of Christ.
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A Word to
Parents
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The Ten Commandments by A.W. Pink
The Ninth Commandment
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"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour" (Ex. 20:16).
Take these words simply at their face value and they prohibit only the
horrible crime of perjury or the giving of false testimony in a court
of law. But as with the previous Commandments, so it is here: much
more is implied and inculcated than is specifically stated. As we have
so often pointed out, each of the Ten Commandments enunciates a
general principle, and not only are all other sins forbidden which be
allied to the one named and prohibited, together with all causes and
tendencies thereto, but the opposite virtue is definitely required,
with all that fosters and promotes it. Thus, in its wider meaning,
this ninth commandment reprehends any word of ours which would injure
the reputation of our neighbor, be it uttered in public or in private.
This should scarcely need any arguing, for if we restrict this
commandment to its literal terms it would have no bearing on any save
that small minority who are called upon to bear witness in a court of
justice.
In its widest application this commandment has to do with the
regulation of our speech, which is one of the distinguishing and
ennobling faculties that God has bestowed upon man. Scripture tells us
that "death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Prov. 18:21),
that "a wholesome tongue is a tree of life" (Prov. 15:4), and that an
unbridled one is "an unruly evil, full of deadly poison" (Jas. 3:8).
That our words are not to be uttered lightly or thoughtlessly is made
clear by that unspeakably solemn utterance of our Lord's: "But I say
unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give
account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be
justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned" (Matthew 12: 36,
37). O how we need to pray, "Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth;
keep the door of my lips" (Ps. 141:3). The duties concerning our
tongues may be summed up in two words: our speech must always be true
and spoken in love (Eph. 4:15). Thus, as the eighth commandment
provides for the security of our neighbor's property, so this one is
designed to preserve his good name by our speaking the truth about him
in love.
Negatively, this ninth commandment forbids all false and injurious
speeches respecting our neighbor; positively, it inculcates the
conservation of truth. "The end of this Precept is that because God,
who is Truth itself, execrates a lie, we ought to preserve the truth
without the least disguise" (Calvin). Veracity is the strict
observance of truth in all our communications. The importance and
necessity of this appears from the fact that almost all that mankind
knows is derived from communications. The value of those statements
which we accept from others depends entirely on their verity and
accuracy. If they are false, they are worthless, misleading, and evil.
Veracity is not only a virtue, but it is also the root of all other
virtues and the foundation of all right character. In Scripture,
therefore, "truth" is often synonymous with "righteousness. The godly
man is "he that speaketh truth in his heart" (Ps. 15:2). The man that
"doeth truth" (John 3:21) has discharged his duty. It is by the truth
that the Holy Spirit sanctifies the soul (John 17:17)
The positive form of this ninth commandment is found in these words:
"Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour" (Zech. 8:16). Thus the
first sin prohibited therein is that of lying. Now a lie, properly
speaking, consists of three elements or ingredients: speaking what is
not true; deliberately doing so; and doing so with an intent to
deceive. Every falsehood is not a lie; we may be misinformed or
deceived and sincerely think we are stating facts, and consequently
have no design of misleading others. On the other hand, we may speak
that which is true and yet lie in so doing, as in the following
examples: we might report what is true, yet believe it to be false and
utter it with an intention to deceive; or we might report the
figurative words of another and pretend he meant them literally, as
was the case with those who bore false witness against Christ (Matthew
26:60). The worst form of lying (between men) is when we maliciously
invent a falsehood for the purpose of damaging the reputation of our
neighbor, which is what is more especially in view in the terms of the
ninth commandment.
How vile and abominable this sin is appears from the following
considerations. It is a sin which makes a person most like the Devil.
The Devil is a spirit, and therefore gross carnal sins do not
correspond to his nature. His sins are more refined and intellectual,
such as pride and malice, deception and falsehood. "He is a liar and
the father of it" (John 8:44), and the more malice enters into one
composition of any lie, the more nearly one resembles him. It is
therefore a sin most contrary to the nature and character of God, for
He is "the Lord God of truth" (Ps. 31:5), and therefore we are told
that "lying lips are an abomination unto the Lord" (Prov. 12:22). As
Satan is a liar and the father of lies, and as God is the Lord God of
Truth, so His children resemble Him therein, "seeing they are My
people, children that will not lie" (Isa. 63:8). God has threatened a
most fearful punishment upon them; "all liars shall have their part in
the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone" (Rev. 21:8).
Alas, to what fearful heights has this sin risen. It has become so
common that few indeed have any conscience thereon, until we have to
lament that "truth is fallen in the street" (Isa. 59:14). First, truth
has departed from the pulpits. A whole century has passed since the
lie of evolution captivated the scientific world and then was taken up
by thousands of unregenerate preachers--a lie which strikes at the
very foundations of Truth, for it repudiates man's fall, and sets
aside his need both of redemption and regeneration. For the same
length of time the so-called "higher criticism" of German neologians
has been peddled throughout the English-speaking world by thousands of
godless ministers, who wish to be looked up to as men of superior
intellectuality. Once Truth departed from the pulpits it was not long
before it departed from the halls of legislation and the marts of
commerce, until we now live in a world where confidence between
nations is nonexistent, and where the word of our fellows is no longer
to be relied upon.
How deeply important it is, then, that a sacred regard for the truth
should be constantly pressed upon the young and that they should be
taught that lying is the inlet of all vice and corruption. Equally
important is it that those who have charge of the young, particularly
their parents, should set before the little ones a personal example of
what they teach, and not neutralize the same by making promises to
them that they fail to fulfill or by uttering threats that they never
carry out. It is the part of wisdom and prudence that each of us
should be very slow in making an unconditional promise; but once it is
made it must be kept at all costs, unless the keeping of it compels us
to sin against God. The prohibition of bearing false witness against
my neighbor equally forbids me to bear false witness about myself,
which is done when I pose as being holier than I am or when I pretend
to be more humble or more anything else than is actually the case.
It remains for us to point out that we may violate this ninth
commandment even when we speak the truth, if we speak it unnecessarily
and from improper motives. "We injure the character of our neighbor
when we retail his real faults without any call to divulge them, when
we relate them to those who have no right to know them, and when we
tell them not to promote any good end but to make him lose his
estimation in society. . . . Nay, we transgress this precept when we
do not speak at all, for by holding our peace when something injurious
is said of another we tacitly give our assent, and by concealing what
we know to the contrary" (John Dick). Flattering a person is another
form of violating this precept. To compliment another merely for the
sake of pleasing him or gratifying his vanity is to perjure your soul
and imperil his safety. So also to give a false testimony of character
or to recommend a friend to another when we know him to be unworthy of
the testimonial is to bear "false witness."
The following directions, through the grace of God, may be helpful in
preserving one from these common sins. (1) Be not swayed by party
spirit if you would be kept from slandering others. The spirit of
sectarianism begets prejudice, and prejudice makes us unwilling to
receive and to acknowledge good in those who walk not with us, and
ready to believe the worst of them. How of. ten writers are guilty
here. Denominational bigotry has caused many a man to misinterpret one
who differs with him and to impute to him errors which he does not
hold. (2) Be not busy in other men's affairs; attend to your own
business and leave others for God to attend to. (3) Reflect much upon
your own sinfulness and weakness. Instead of being so ready to behold
the sliver in your brother's eye, consider the plank in your own. (4)
Shun the company of talebearers and tattlers; idle gossip is injurious
to the soul. (5) If others slander you, see to it that you have a
conscience void of offense toward God and man, and then it matters not
what others think or say about you.
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A Word to
Parents
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The Ten Commandments by A.W. Pink
The Tenth Commandment
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"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy
neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox,
nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbour's" (Ex. 20:17). That
which is here prohibited is concupiscence or an unlawful lusting after
what is another man's. In our exposition of the previous Commandments
we have pointed out that while their actual terms are confined to the
forbidding of outward acts, yet the scope of each one takes in and
reaches to the condemnation of everything which has any tendency or
occasion to lead to the overt crime. Here in the final precept of the
Decalogue we find clear confirmation of the same, for in it God
expressly imposes a law upon our spirits, forbidding us to so much as
lust after whatever He has forbidden us to perpetrate. The best way to
keep men from committing sin in act is to keep them from desiring it
in heart. Thus while the authority of each of the first nine
Commandments reaches to the mind and the most secret intents of the
soul, yet the Lord saw fit to plainly and literally state this in the
tenth, where He specifically reprehends the first motions of our
hearts toward any object He has fenced, and therefore it is the bond
which strengthens the whole.
Evil concupiscence consists of those secret and internal sins that go
before the consent of the will and that are the seeds of all evil.
Concupiscence or lusting is the firstborn of indwelling depravity, the
first risings and expressions of our corrupt nature. It is a violent
propensity and inclination toward what is evil, toward that which is
contrary to the holy will and command of God. The soul of man is an
operative and vigorous creature, ever putting forth activities
suitable to its nature. Before the Fall, the soul of man was drawn
forth to God as its supreme Object and the End of all its exercise,
but when man apostatized and turned from God as his only Good or
satisfying Portion, his soul became enamored with the creature. Thus
the soul of fallen man, being destitute of Divine grace and spiritual
life, craves sinful objects to the slighting of God, and inordinately
lusts after things which in themselves are harmless, but become evil
because he neither receives them as from God nor uses them for His
glory. Concupiscence, then, is that irregular disposition of soul that
is here termed "covetousness."
The Puritan Ezekiel Hopkins (to whom we are indebted for much in this
chapter, as also for many helpful points in the preceding ones) has
pointed out that there are four degrees of this sinful concupiscence
or coveting. There is the first film or shadow of an evil thought, the
imperfect embryo of a sin before it is shaped in us or has any
lineaments or features. This is what the Scripture refers to as "every
imagination of the thoughts" of the human heart. Such imaginations are
expressly declared to be "evil" (Gen. 6:5). Such are the first risings
of our corrupt nature toward those sins which are pleasing to our
sensual inclinations. They are to be steadfastly watched, hated, and
resisted. They are to be stamped upon as the sparks of a dangerous
fire, for as soon as they begin to stir within us they pollute our
souls. Just as the breathing upon a mirror sullies it, leaving a
dimness there, so the very first breathings of an evil desire or
thought within one's breast defile the soul.
A further degree of this concupiscence is reached when these evil
motions of our corrupt nature are entertained in the mind with some
degree of complacency. When a sinful object presents itself before a
carnal heart there is an inward response that affects that heart with
delight and begets a sympathy between it and the object. As in an
instance of natural sympathy a man is often pleased with an object
before he knows the reason why he is, so in an instance of sinful
sympathy or response the heart is taken with the object before it has
time to consider what there is in that object which so moves and
affects it. At the very first sight of a person we many times find
that we are more drawn to him than to a whole crowd of others, though
all may be equally unknown to us. So the very first glimpse of a
sinful thought in our minds reveals that there is that in us which
works a regard for the same before we have leisure to examine why it
is so. This second form or degree of concupiscence is harder to eject
than the former.
If such evil motions are entertained by us, then an assent and an
approbation to sin follow in ones practical judgment, which, being
blinded and carried away by the strength of corrupt and carnal
affections, commends the sin to the executive faculty. The
understanding is the trier of every deliberate action so that nothing
passes into action which has not first passed trial there. Whether
this or that action is to be done is the great question canvassed in
this court, and all the faculties of the soul await what definite
sentence will be here pronounced and thus carried out. Normally two
witnesses appear and put in their plea to the understanding or
judgment about sin: God's Law and God's vicegerent the conscience. The
Law condemns and the conscience cites the Law. But then the affections
step in and bribe the judge with promises of pleasure or profit,
thereby corrupting the judgment to give its vote and assent to sin.
Note how all of this receives illustration in the colloquy between Eve
and the Serpent before she partook of the forbidden fruit.
When any sinful motion has thus secured an allowance from the
judgment, then it betakes itself to the will for a decree. The
understanding having approved it, the will must now resolve to commit
it; and then the sin is fully formed within and lacks nothing but
opportunity to bring it forth into open action. "But every man is
tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed; then when
lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth (open) sin; and sin, when it is
finished, bringeth forth death" (Jas. 1:14, 15). Thus we have
endeavored to show what concupiscence or coveting is, and the several
degrees of it: the first bubblings up of evil thoughts in our hearts;
our delighting in the same (and it is altogether against corrupt
nature not to love these firstborn of our own souls); the assent and
allowance of our judgment; and the resolution of our wills. Each of
these is expressly forbidden by the tenth commandment. And if the sin
proceeds any further, then it exceeds the bounds of this commandment
and falls under the prohibition of some of the former ones, which more
specifically forbid the outward acts of sin.
This final precept, then, utters its solemn protest against sin in the
inner life. Herein we may behold and adore the boundless dominion or
sovereignty of the great God. He proclaims His rights over the hidden
realm of desires. His authority reaches to the soul and conscience and
lays an obligation upon our very thoughts and imaginations, which no
human laws can do. It would be vain for men to impose statutes upon
that of which they can take no cognizance, and therefore our desires
and lustings are free from their censure, except so far as they
discover themselves by overt acts. But though they escape the commands
and notice of men, yet they escape not the scrutiny and sentence of
God, for He sees not as men see, neither judges He as men judge. The
secrets of all hearts are open and naked before His eyes; not the
least breath of a desire can stir in our souls but it is more
distinctly visible to Him than the shining of the midday sun is to us.
God's Law, like His knowledge, reaches into the most secret recesses
of your soul, searches every corner of your heart, judges those lusts
which no human eye can espy, and if they be harbored and approved of,
condemns you as a guilty transgressor and worthy of eternal death, no
matter how pleasing your external deportment may be. Then how vain it
is for us to content ourselves with an outward conformity to God's
Law! How we should labor to approve our hearts in sincerity and purity
before God; otherwise we are but pharisaical hypocrites who wash
merely the outside of the cup while within we are still full of
unclean lusts. How many there are who suppose that God's Law reaches
only to the outward man, and that, though they entertain and cherish
wicked desires and evil purposes in their hearts, so long as these
lusts break not forth into external crimes they will not be charged to
their account. But the Day of Judgment will show it is far otherwise.
How very few reflect upon heart sins! How very few pray, "Cleanse Thou
me from secret faults"! Be not deceived, God is not mocked, and He
cannot be duped by external shows.
See here the wisdom of God in setting this commandment at the close of
the Decalogue, for it is a fence and guard to all the rest. It is from
inward defilements of the soul that all our visible sins of word and
deed have their rise. All Sabbath-breaking proceeds from the
restlessness which is born of unholy desire. "Out of the heart proceed
evil thoughts, murders, adulteries" etc. (Matthew 15:19). Observe well
that Christ places "evil thoughts" in the front, as the leader of this
vile regiment! "Thou shalt not covet." Thou shalt not set thine heart
upon, or have the least hankering after, what belongs to another. An
objector may say, "It is impossible to prevent the desire for what we
admire." Very true, yet in that fact is revealed the fallen condition
of man and the desperate wickedness of his heart. That such desire is
sinful and damning is only discovered in the light of this
commandment. He who honestly faces this final precept in the Decalogue
must be convicted of his sinfulness and brought to realize his
helplessness, or this is its ultimate design. God has given His Holy
Law to us in order that we might see the utter hopelessness of our
case if we are left to ourselves. This He has done in order to shut us
up to Christ and the magnitude of His grace toward repentant sinners
who will believe on His beloved Son, Who perfectly obeyed the Law and
in Whom the Father is well pleased!
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A Word to
Parents
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About Us
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The Ten Commandments by A.W. Pink
A Word to Parents
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One of the saddest and most tragic features of our twentieth-century
"Civilization" is the awful prevalence of disobedience on the part of
children to their parents during the days of childhood, and their lack
of reverence and respect when they grow up. This is evidenced in many
ways, and is general, alas, even in the families of professing
Christians. In his extensive travels during the past thirty years the
writer has sojourned in a great many homes. The piety and beauty of
some of them remain as sacred and fragrant memories, but others of
them have left the most painful impressions. Children who are
self-willed or spoiled, not only bring themselves into perpetual
unhappiness but also inflict discomfort upon all who come into contact
with them, and auger, by their conduct, evil things for the days to
come.
In the vast majority of cases the children are not nearly so much to
be blamed as the parents. Failure to honor father and mother, wherever
it is found, is in large measure due to parental departure from the
Scriptural pattern. Nowadays the father thinks that he has fulfilled
his obligations by providing food and raiment for his children, and by
acting occasionally as a kind of moral policeman. Too often the mother
is content to be a domestic drudge, making herself the slave of her
children instead of training them to be useful. She performs many a
task which her daughters should do in order to allow them freedom for
the frivolities of a giddy set. The consequence has been that the
home, which ought to be--for its orderliness, its sanctity, and its
reign of love--a miniature heaven on earth, has degenerated into "a
filling station for the day and a parking place for the night," as
someone has tersely expressed it.
Before outlining the duties of parents toward their children, let it
be pointed out that they cannot properly discipline their children
unless they have first learned to govern themselves. How can they
expect to subdue self-will in their little ones and check the rise of
an angry temper if their own passions are allowed free reign? The
character of parents is to a very large degree reproduced in their
offspring: "And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years and begat a son
in his own likeness, after his image" (Gen. 5:3). The parent must
himself or herself be in subjection to God if he would lawfully expect
obedience from his little ones. This principle is enforced in
Scripture again and again: "Thou therefore which teachest another,
teachest thou not thyself?" (Rom. 2:20). Of the bishop, that is, elder
or pastor, it is written that he must be "one that ruleth well his own
house, having his children in subjection with all gravity. For if a
man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the
church of God?" (1 Tim. 3:5, 6). And if a man or woman knows not how
to rule his own spirit (Prov. 25:28), how shall he care for his
offspring.
God has entrusted to parents a most solemn charge, and yet a most
precious privilege. It is not too much to say that in their hands are
deposited the hope and blessing, or else the curse and plague, of the
next generation. Their families are the nurseries of both Church and
State, and according to the cultivating of them now will be their
fruitfulness hereafter. Oh, how prayerfully and carefully should you
who are parents discharge your trust. Most assuredly God will require
an account of the children from your hands, for they are His, and only
lent to your care and keeping. The task assigned you is no easy one,
especially in these superlatively evil days. Nevertheless, if
trustfully and earnestly sought, the grace of God will be found
sufficient in this responsibility as in others. The Scriptures supply
us with rules to go by, with promises to lay hold of, and, we may add,
with fearful warnings lest we treat the matter lightly.
Instruct Your Children
We have space to mention but four of the principal duties devolving on
parents. First, it is your duty to instruct your children. "And these
words which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou
shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them
when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way,
and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up" (Deut. 6:6, 7).This
work is far too important to allocate to others; parents, and not
Sabbath School teachers, are Divinely required to educate their little
ones. Nor is this to be an occasional or sporadic thing, but one that
is to have constant attention. The glorious character of God, the
requirements of His holy Law, the exceeding sinfulness of sin, the
wondrous gift of His Son, and the fearful doom which is the certain
portion of all who despise and reject Him are to be brought repeatedly
before the minds of your little ones. "They are too young to
understand such things" is the Devil's argument to deter you from
discharging your duty.
"And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up
in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Eph. 6:4). It is to be
noted that the "fathers" are here specifically addressed, and this for
two reasons: (1) because they are the heads of their families and
their government is especially committed to them; and (2) because they
are prone to transfer this duty to their wives. This instruction is to
be given by reading to them the Holy Scriptures and enlarging upon
those things most agreeable to their age. This should be followed by
catechizing them. A continued discourse to the young is not nearly so
effective as when it is diversified by questions and answers. If they
know they will be questioned on what you read, they will listen more
closely, and the formulating of answers teaches them to think for
themselves. Such a method is also found to make the memory more
retentive, for answering definite questions fixes more specific ideas
in the mind. Observe how often Christ asked His disciples questions.
Be a Good Example
Second, good instruction is to be accompanied by good example. That
teaching which issues only from the lips is not at all likely to sink
any deeper than the ears. Children are particularly quick to detect
inconsistencies and to despise hypocrisy. It is at this point that
parents need to be most on their faces before God, daily seeking from
Him that grace that they so sorely need and that He alone can supply.
What care you need to take, lest you say or do anything before your
children that would tend to corrupt their minds or be of evil
consequence for them to follow! How you need to be constantly on your
guard against anything which might render you mean and contemptible in
the eyes of those who should respect and revere you! The parent is not
only to instruct his children in the ways of holiness, but is himself
to walk before them in those ways, and show by his practice and
demeanor what a pleasant and profitable thing it is to be regulated by
the Divine Law.
In a Christian home the supreme aim should be household piety--the
honoring of God at all times. Everything else must be subordinated to
this high purpose. In the matter of family life, neither husband nor
wife can throw on the other all the responsibility for the religious
character of the home. The mother is most certainly required to
supplement the efforts of the father, for the children enjoy far more
of her company than they do of his. If there is a tendency in fathers
to be too strict and severe, mothers are prone to be too lax and
lenient; and they need to be much on their guard against anything
which would weaken their husband's authority. When he has forbidden a
thing, she must not give her consent to it. It is striking to note
that the exhortation of Ephesians 6:4 is preceded by instruction to
"be filled with the Spirit" (5:18), while the parallel exhortation in
Colossians 3:21 is preceded by the exhortation to "let the Word of
Christ dwell in you richly" (v. 16), showing that parents cannot
possibly discharge their duties unless they are filled with the Spirit
and the Word.
Discipline Your Children
Third, instruction and example is to be enforced by correction and
discipline. This means, first of all, the exercise of authority--the
proper reign of Law. Of "the father of the faithful" God said, "For I
know him, that he will command his children and his household after
him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and
judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which He hath
spoken of him" (Gen. 18:19). Ponder this carefully, Christian fathers.
Abraham did more than proffer good advice; he enforced law and order
in his household. The rules he administered had for their design the
keeping of "the way of the Lord"--that which was right in His sight.
And this duty was performed by the patriarch in order that the
blessing of God might rest on his family. No family can be properly
brought up without household laws, which include reward and
punishment, and these are especially important in early childhood,
when as yet moral character is unformed and moral motives are not
understood or appreciated.
Rules should be simple, clear, reasonable, and inflexible like the Ten
Commandments--a few great moral rules, instead of a multitude of petty
restrictions. One way of needlessly provoking children to wrath is to
hamper them with a thousand trifling restrictions and minute
regulations that are capricious and are due to a fastidious temper in
the parent. It is of vital importance for the child's future good that
he or she should be brought into subjection at an early age. An
untrained child means a lawless adult. Our prisons are crowded with
those who were allowed to have their own way during their minority.
The least offense of a child against the rulers of the home ought not
to pass without due correction, for if he finds leniency in one
direction or toward one offense he will expect the same toward others.
And then disobedience will become more frequent till the parent has no
control save that of brute force.
The teaching of Scripture is crystal clear on this point. "Foolishness
is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall
drive it far from him" (Prov. 22:15; and cf. 23:13, 14). Therefore God
has said, "He that spareth the rod hateth his son: but he that loveth
him chasteneth him betimes (speedily)" (Prov. 13:24). And again,
"Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for
his crying" (Prov. 19:18). Let not a foolish fondness stay thee.
Certainly God loves His children with a much deeper parental affection
that you can love yours, yet He tells us, "As many as I love, I rebuke
and chasten" (Rev. 3:19; and cf. Heb. 12:6). "The rod and reproof give
wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame"
(Prov. 29:15). Such severity must be used in his early years, before
age and obstinacy have hardened the child against the fear and smart
of correction. Spare the rod, and you spoil the child; use it not on
him, and you lay up one for your own back.
It should hardly need pointing out that the above Scriptures are by no
means teaching that a reign of terror is to mark the home life.
Children can be governed and chastened in such a way that they lose
not their respect and affection for their parents. Beware of souring
their temper by unreasonable demands, or provoking their wrath by
striking them to vent your own rage. The parent is to punish a
disobedient child not because he is angry, but because it is
right--because God requires it, and the welfare of the child demands
it. Never make a threat which you have no intention of executing, nor
a promise you do not mean to perform. Remember that for your children
to be well informed is good, but for them to be well controlled is
better.
Pay close attention to the unconscious influences of a child's
surroundings. Study how to make your home attractive, not by
introducing carnal and worldly things, but by noble ideals, by the
inculcating of a spirit of unselfishness, by genial and happy
fellowship. Separate the little ones from evil associates. Watch
carefully the periodicals and books which come into your home, the
occasional guests which sit at your table, and the companionships that
your children form. Parents often carelessly let others have free
access to their children who undermine the parental authority,
overturn the parental ideals, and sow seeds of frivolity and iniquity
before they are aware. Never let your child spend a night among
strangers. So train your children that your girls will be useful and
helpful members of their generation and your boys industrious and
self-supporting.
Pray for Your Children
Fourth, the last and most important duty, respecting both the temporal
and spiritual good of your children, is fervent supplication to God
for them; for without this all the rest will be ineffectual. Means are
unavailing unless the Lord blesses them. The Throne of Grace is to be
earnestly implored that your efforts to bring up your children for God
may be crowned with success. True, there must be a humble submission
to His sovereign will, a bowing before the truth of Election. On the
other hand, it is the privilege of faith to lay hold of the Divine
promises and to remember that the effectual fervent prayer of a
righteous man availeth much. Of holy Job it is recorded concerning his
sons and daughters that he rose up early in the morning and offered
burnt offerings according to the number of them all" (Job 1:5). A
prayerful atmosphere should pervade the home and be breathed by all
who share it.
Contents | Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | A Word to
Parents
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The Total Depravity of Man by A.W. Pink
Chapter 1-Introduction
_________________________________________________________________
The subject which this chapter is designed to introduce is likely to
meet with a decidedly mixed reception. Some readers will probably be
very disappointed when they see the title of this book, considering
the subject quite unattractive and unedifying. If so, they are to be
pitied; we hope that God will bless the contents to them. Medicine is
proverbially unpleasant, but there are times when all of us find it
necessary and beneficial. Others will be thankful that, by divine
grace, we seek to glorify God rather than please the flesh. And surely
that which most glorifies God is to declare "all his counsel," to
insist on that which puts man in his proper place before Him, and to
emphasize those portions and aspects of the truth which our generation
is most in need of. As we shall endeavor to show, our theme is one of
immense doctrinal importance and of great practical value. Since it is
a subject which occupies
A Vital Contemporary Question
It is our deep conviction that the vital question most requiring to be
raised today is this: Is man a totally and thoroughly depraved
creature by nature? Does he enter the world completely ruined and
helpless, spiritually blind and dead in trespasses and sins? According
as is our answer to that question, so will be our views on many
others. It is on the basis of this dark background that the whole
Bible proceeds. Any attempt to modify or abate, repudiate or tone down
the teaching of Scripture on the matter is fatal. Put the question in
another form: Is man now in such a condition that he cannot be saved
without the special and direct intervention of the triune God on his
behalf? In other words, is there any hope for him apart from his
personal election by the Father, his particular redemption by the Son,
and the supernatural operations of the Spirit within him? Or, putting
it in still another way: If man is a totally depraved being, can he
possibly take the first step in the matter of his return to God?
The Scriptural Answer
The scriptural answer to that question makes evident the utter
futility of the schemes of social reformers for "the moral elevation
of the masses," the plans of politicians for the peace of the nations,
and the ideologies of dreamers to usher in a golden age for this
world. It is both pathetic and tragic to see many of our greatest men
putting their faith in such chimeras. Divisions and discords, hatred
and bloodshed, cannot be banished while human nature is what it is.
But during the past century the steady trend of a deteriorating
Christendom has been to underrate the evil of sin and overrate the
moral capabilities of men. Instead of proclaiming the heinousness of
sin, there has been a dwelling more upon its inconveniences, and the
abasing portrayal of the lost condition of man as set forth in Holy
Writ has been obscured if not obliterated by flattering disquisitions
on human advancement. If the popular religion of the
churches--including nine-tenths of what is termed "evangelical
Christianity--be tested at this point, it will be found that it
clashes directly with man's fallen, ruined and spiritually dead
condition.
There is therefore a crying need today for sin to be viewed in the
light of God's law and gospel, so that its exceeding sinfulness may be
demonstrated, and the dark depths of human depravity exposed by the
teaching of Holy Writ, that we may learn what is connoted by those
fearful words "dead in trespasses and sins." The grand object of the
Bible is to make God known to us, to portray man as he appears in the
eyes of his Maker, and to show the relation of one to the other. It is
therefore the business of His servants not only to declare the divine
character and perfections, but also to delineate the original
condition and apostasy of man, as well as the divine remedy for his
ruin. Until we really behold the horror of the pit in which by nature
we lie, we can never properly appreciate Christ's so-great salvation.
In man's fallen condition we have the awful disease for which divine
redemption is the only cure, and our estimation and valuation of the
provisions of divine grace will necessarily be modified in proportion
as we modify the need it was meant to meet.
David Clarkson, one of the Puritans, pointed out this fact in his
sermon on Psalm 51:5:
The end of the ministry of the Gospel is to bring sinners unto Christ.
Their way to this end lies through the sense of their misery without
Christ. The ingredients of this misery are our sinfulness, original
and actual; the wrath of God, whereto sin has exposed us; and our
impotency to free ourselves either from sin or wrath. That we may
therefore promote this great end, we shall endeavour, as the Lord will
assist, to lead you in this way, by the sense of misery, to Him who
alone can deliver from it. Now the original of our misery being the
corruption of our nature, or original sin, we thought fit to begin
here, and therefore have pitched upon these words as very proper for
our purpose: "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my
mother conceive me."
Characteristics of the Doctrine
This subject is indeed a most solemn one, and none can fitly write or
preach on it unless his own heart is deeply awed by it. It is not
something from which any man can detach himself and expatiate on it as
though he were not directly involved in it; still less as from a
higher level looking down on those whom he denounces. Nothing is more
incongruous and unbecoming than for a young preacher glibly to rattle
off passages of Scripture which portray his own vileness by nature.
Rather should they be read or quoted with the utmost gravity. J. O.
Philpot stated:
As no heart can sufficiently conceive, so no tongue can adequately
express, the state of wretchedness and ruin into which sin has cast
guilty, miserable man. In separating him from God, it severed him from
the only source of all happiness and holiness. It has ruined him body
and soul: the one it has filled with sickness and disease; in the
other it has defaced and destroyed the image of God in which it was
created. It has made him love sin and hate God.
The doctrine of total depravity is a very humbling one. It is not that
man leans to one side and needs propping up, nor that he is merely
ignorant and requires instructing, nor that he is run down and calls
for a tonic; but rather that he is undone, lost, spiritually dead.
Consequently, he is "without strength," thoroughly incapable of
bettering himself; he is exposed to the wrath of God, and unable to
perform a single work which can find acceptance with Him. Almost every
page of the Bible bears witness to this truth. The whole scheme of
redemption takes it for granted. The plan of salvation taught in the
Scriptures could have no place on any other supposition. The
impossibility of any man's gaining the approbation of God by works of
his own appears plainly in the case of the rich young ruler who came
to Christ. Judged by human standards, he was a model of virtue and
religious attainments. Yet, like all others who trust in self-efforts,
he was ignorant of the spirituality and strictness of God's law; when
Christ put him to the test his fair expectations were blown to the
winds and "he went away sorrowful" (Matt. 19:22).
It is therefore a most unpalatable doctrine. It cannot be otherwise,
for the unregenerate love to hear of the greatness, the dignity, the
nobility of man. The natural man thinks highly of himself and
appreciates only that which is flattering. Nothing pleases him more
than to listen to that which extols human nature and lauds the state
of mankind, even though it be in terms which not only repudiate the
teaching of God's Word but are flatly contradicted by common
observation and universal experience. And there are many who pander to
him by their lavish praises of the excellency of civilization and the
steady progress of the race. Hence, to have the lie given to the
popular theory of evolution is highly displeasing to its deluded
votaries. Nevertheless, the duty of God's servants is to stain the
pride of all that man glories in, to strip him of his stolen plumes,
to lay him low in the dust before God. However repugnant such teaching
is, God's emissary must faithfully discharge his duty "whether they
will hear, or whether they will forbear" (Ezek. 3:11).
This is no dismal dogma invented by the church in "the dark ages," but
a truth of Holy Writ. George Whitefleld said, "I 1ook upon it not
merely as a doctrine of Scripture--the great Fountain of truth--but a
very fundamental one, from which I hope God will suffer none of you to
be enticed." It is a subject to which great prominence is given in the
Bible. Every part of the Scriptures has much to say on the awful state
of degradation and slavery into which the fall has brought man. The
corruption, the blindness, the hostility of all Adam's descendants to
everything of a spiritual nature are constantly insisted upon. Not
only is man's utter ruin fully described, but also his powerlessness
to save himself from the same. In the declarations and denunciations
of the prophets, of Christ and His apostles, the bondage of all men to
Satan and their complete impotence to turn to God for deliverance are
repeatedly set forth-not indirectly and vaguely, but emphatically and
in great detail. This is one of a hundred proofs that the Bible is not
a human invention but a communication from the thrice holy One.
It is a sadly neglected subject. Notwithstanding the clear and uniform
teaching of Scripture, man's ruined condition and alienation from God
are but feebly apprehended and seldom heard in the modern pulpit, and
are given little place even in what are regarded as the centers of
orthodoxy. Rather the whole trend of present-day thought and teaching
is in the opposite direction, and even where the Darwinian hypothesis
has not been accepted, its pernicious influences are often seen. In
consequence of the guilty silence of the modern pulpit, a generation
of churchgoers has arisen which is deplorably ignorant of the basic
truths of the Bible, so that perhaps not more than one in a thousand
has even a mental knowledge of the chains of hardness and unbelief
which bind the natural heart, or of the dungeon of darkness in which
they lie. Thousands of preachers, instead of faithfully telling their
hearers of their woeful state by nature, are wasting their time by
relating the latest news of the Kremlin or of the development of
nuclear weapons.
It is therefore a testing doctrine, especially of the preacher's
soundness in the faith. A man's orthodoxy on this subject determines
his viewpoint of many other doctrines of great importance. If his
belief here is a scriptural one, then he will clearly perceive how
impossible it is for men to improve themselves--that Christ is their
only hope. He will know that unless the sinner is born again there can
be no entrance for him into the kingdom of God. Nor will he entertain
the idea of the fallen creature's free will to attain goodness. He
will be preserved from many errors. Andrew Fuller stated, "I never
knew a person verge toward the Arminian, the Arian, the Socinian, the
Antinomian schemes, without first entertaining diminutive notions of
human depravity or blameworthiness." Said the well-equipped
theological instructor, J. M. Stifler, "It cannot be said too often
that a false theology finds its source in inadequate views of
depravity."
It is a doctrine of great practical value as well as spiritual
importance. The foundation of all true piety lies in a correct view of
ourselves and our vileness, and a scriptural belief in God and His
grace. There can be no genuine abhorrence or repentance, no real
appreciation of the saving mercy of God, no faith in Christ, without
it, There is nothing like a knowledge of this doctrine so well
calculated to undeceive vain man and convict him of the worthlessness
and rottenness of his own righteousness. Yet the preacher who is aware
of the plague of his own heart knows full well that he cannot present
this truth in such a way as to make his hearers actually realize and
feel the same, to help them stop being in love with themselves and to
cause them to forever renounce all hope in themselves. Therefore,
instead of relying upon his faithfulness in presenting the truth, he
will be cast upon God to apply it graciously in power to those who
hear him and bless his feeble efforts.
It is an exceedingly illuminating doctrine. It may be a melancholy and
humiliating one, nevertheless it throws a flood of light upon
mysteries which are otherwise insoluble. It supplies the key to the
course of human history, and shows why so much of it has been written
in blood and tears. It supplies an explanation of many problems which
sorely perplex and puzzle the thoughtful. It reveals why the child is
prone to evil and has to be taught and disciplined to anything that is
good. It explains why every improvement in man's environment, every
attempt to educate him, all the efforts of social reformers, are
unavailing to effect any radical betterment in his nature and
character. It accounts for the horrible treatment which Christ met
with when He worked so graciously in this world, and why He is still
despised and rejected by men. It enables the Christian himself to
better understand the painful conflict which is ever at work within
him, and which causes him so often to cry, "Oh, wretched man that I
am!"
It is therefore a most necessary doctrine, for the vast majority of
our fellowmen are ignorant of it. God's servants are sometimes thought
to speak too strongly and dolefully of the dreadful state of man
through his apostasy from God. The fact is that it is impossible to
exaggerate in human language the darkness and pollution of man's heart
or to describe the misery and utter helplessness of a condition such
as the Word of truth describes in these solemn passages: "But if our
gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of
this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the
light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God,
should shine unto them" (2 Cor. 4:3A). "Therefore they could not
believe, because he hath [judicially] blinded their eyes, and hardened
their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand
with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them" (John
12:39-40). This is yet more evident when we contrast the state of soul
of those in whom a miracle of grace is wrought (see Luke 1:78-79).
It is a salutary doctrine--one which God often uses to bring men to
their senses. While we imagine that our wills have power to do what is
pleasing to God, we never abandon dependence on self. Not that a mere
intellectual knowledge of man's fall and ruin is sufficient to deliver
from pride. Only the Spirit's powerful operations can effect that Yet
He is pleased to use the faithful preaching of the Word to that end.
Nothing but a real sense of our lost condition lays us in the dust
before God.
Contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14
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The Total Depravity of Man by A.W. Pink
Chapter 2-Origin
_________________________________________________________________
That something is radically wrong with the world of mankind requires
no labored argument to demonstrate. That such has been the case in all
generations is plain from the annals of history. This is only another
way of saying that something is radically wrong with man himself, for
the world is but the aggregate of all the individual members of our
race. Since the whole of anything cannot be superior to the parts
comprising it, it necessarily follows that the course of the world
will be determined by the characters of those who comprise it. But
when we come to inquire exactly what is wrong with man, and how he
came to be in such a condition, unless we turn to God's inspired Word
no convincing answers are forthcoming. Apart from that divine
revelation no sure and satisfactory reply can be made to such
questions as these: What is the source of the unmistakable
imperfections of human nature? What will furnish an adequate
explanation of all the evils which infest man's present state? Why is
it that none is able to keep God's law perfectly or do anything which
is acceptable to Him while in a state of nature?
Universal Malady
To ascertain how sin, which involves all men, came into the world is a
matter of no little importance. To discover why it is that all men
universally and continually are unrighteous and ailing creatures
supplies the key to many a problem. Look at human nature as it now is:
depraved, wretched, subject to death. Ask philosophy to account for
this, and it cannot do so. None can deny the fact that men are what
they ought not to be, but how they became so human wisdom is unable to
tell us. To attribute our troubles to heredity and environment is an
evasion, for it leaves unanswered the question How did it come about
that our original ancestors and environment were such as to produce
what now exists? Look not only at our prisons, hospitals and
cemeteries, but also at the antipathy between the righteous and the
wicked, between those who fear God and those who do not fear Him. The
antagonism between Cain and Abel, Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob,
is repeatedly duplicated in every age and area; but the Bible alone
traces that antagonism to its fountainhead.
Judicious ancients recognized and bemoaned the universal tendency of
men to be lawbreakers, but were entirely unaware of its real source.
They were agreed that the practice of virtue was the chief thing
necessary for the promotion of man's good, but they had to lament an
irregular bent in the wills and a corruption in the affections of
their disciples, which rendered their precepts of little use, and they
were completely at a loss to assign any reason why men, who have the
noblest faculties of any beings on earth, should yet generally pursue
their destruction with as much eagerness as the beasts avoid it.
Plato, in the second book of his Republic, complained that men by
their natures are evil and cannot be brought to good. Tully
acknowledged that "man is brought forth into the world, in body and
soul, exposed to all miseries and prone to evil, in whom that Divine
spark of goodness, and wisdom, and morality, is opposed and
extinguished." They realized that all men were poisoned, but how the
poison came to be in the human constitution they did not know. Some
ascribed it to fate; others to the hostile influences of the planets;
still others to an evil angel which attends each man.
Most certainly we cannot attribute man's natural inordinance and
defectiveness to his Creator. To do so would be the rankest blasphemy,
as well as giving the lie to His Word, which declares, "God hath made
man upright" (Eccles. 7:29). Even on a much lower ground, such a
conclusion is self-evidently false. It is impossible that darkness
should issue from the Father of light, or that sin should come from
the ineffably holy One. It is infinitely better to confess our
ignorance than to be guilty of grossest impiety--to say nothing of
manifest absurdity--by placing the onus on God. But there is no excuse
for anyone to be ignorant on the matter. The Holy Scriptures supply a
definite solution to this mystery, and show that the entire blame for
his present wretchedness lies at man's own door. And therefore to say
that man is a sinful creature, or even to allow that he is totally
depraved, is to acknowledge only half of the truth, and the least
humbling half at that. Man is a fallen creature. He has departed from
his original state and primitive purity. Man, far from having ascended
from something inferior to an ape, has descended from the elevated and
honorable position in which God first placed him; and it is
all-important to contend for this, since it alone satisfactorily
explains why man is now depraved.
Universal Defection
Man is not now as God made him. He has lost the crown and glory of his
creation, and has plunged himself into an awful gulf of sin and
misery. By his own perversity he has wrecked himself and placed a
consequence of woe on his posterity. He is a ruined creature as the
result of his apostasy from God. This requires that we consider,
first, man in his original state, that we may perceive his folly in so
lightly valuing it and that we may form a better conception of the
vastness and vileness of his downward plunge, for that can only be
gauged as we learn what he fell from as well as into. By his wicked
defection man brought himself into a state as black and doleful as his
original one was glorious and blessed. Second, we need to consider
most attentively what it has pleased the Holy Spirit to record about
the fall itself, pondering each detail described in Genesis 3, and the
amplifications of them supplied by the later scriptures, looking to
God to grant us graciously an understanding of the same. Third, we
shall be in a better position to view the fearful consequences of the
fall and perceive how the punishment was made to fit the crime.
Original Man, God's Masterpiece
Instead of surveying the varied opinions and conflicting conjectures
of our fallible and fallen fellow creatures concerning the original
condition and estate of our first parents, we shall confine ourselves
entirely to the divinely inspired Scriptures, which are the only
unerring rule of faith. From them, and them alone, can we ascertain
what man was when he first came from the hands of his Creator. First,
God's Word makes known His intention to bring man into existence: "And
God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness" (Gen.
1:26). There are two things exceedingly noteworthy in that brief'
statement, namely, the repeated use of the pronoun in the plural
number, and the fact that its language suggests the idea of a
conference between the divine Persons at this point of the "six days'"
work. We say "at this point," for there is nothing resembling it in
the record of what occurred during the previous days. Thus, the divine
conference here conveys the impression that the most important stage
of creation had now been reached, that man was to be the masterpiece
of the divine workmanship, the crowning glory of the mundane
sphere--which is clearly borne out in his being made in the divine
image.
It is the usage of the plural number in Genesis 1:26 which in our
judgment intimates the first signification of the term "image." God is
a trinity in unity, and so also is the man He made, consisting, in his
entirety, of "spirit and soul and body" (I Thess. 5:23). While in some
passages "spirit" and "soul" are used as synonyms, in Hebrews 4:12
they are distinguished. The fact that the plural pronoun occurs three
times in the brief declaration of the Deity in Genesis 1:26 supplies
confirmation that the one made in Their likeness was also a threefold
entity. Some scholars consider that there is an allusion to this
feature of man's constitution in the apostle's averment "In him we
live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28), pointing out that
each of those three verbs has a philological significance: the first
to our animal life; the second (from which is derived the Greek word
used by ethical writers for the passions such as fear, love, hatred,
and the like) not, as our English verb suggests, to man's bodily
motions in space, but to his emotional nature the soul; the third to
that which constitutes our essential being (the "spirit")--the
intelligence and will of man
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he
him; male and female created he them" (Gen. 1:27). This announces the
actual accomplishment of the divine purpose and counsel referred to in
the preceding verse. The repetition of the statement with the change
of the pronoun from plural to singular number, implies a second
meaning for the term "image." Viewing it more generally, it tells of
the excellence of man's original nature, though it must be explained
consistently with the infinite distance that exists between God and
the highest creature. Whatever this glory was which God placed on
Adam, it does not infer that he shared the divine perfections. Nor is
the nothingness of the best of finite beings any disparagement when
compared with God; for whatever likeness there is to Him, either as
created, regenerated or glorified, there is at the same time an
infinite disproportion. Further, this excellence of man's original
nature must be distinguished from that glory which is peculiar to
Christ who, far from being said to be "made in the image of God," "is
the image of the invisible God" (Col. 1: 15), "the express image of
his person" (Heb. 1:8). The oneness and equality between the Father
and the Son in no way pertain to any likeness between God and the
creature.
Examining the term more closely, "the image of God" in which man was
made refers to his moral nature, Calvin defined it as being
"spiritual," and stated that it "includes all the excellence in which
the nature of man surpasses all the other species of animals" and
"denotes the integrity Adam possessed." He stated further that it may
be more clearly specified "in the restoration which we obtain through
Christ." Without an exception, all the Puritans we have consulted say
substantially the same thing, regarding this "image of God" as moral
rectitude, a nature in perfect accord with the divine law. It could
not be otherwise; for the holy One to make a creature after His
likeness would be to endow him with holiness. The statement that the
regenerate has been "renewed in knowledge after the image of him that
created him" (Col. 3:10) clearly implies the same image in which man
was originally made, and which sin has defaced. Not only did that
image consist of knowledge (i.e., of God) but, as Ephesians 4:24
informs us, of "righteousness and true holiness" also. Thus man's
original state was far more than one of innocence (sinlessness,
harmlessness), which is mainly a negative thing.
That man was created in positive holiness is also taught in
Ecclesiastes 7:29. "God hath made [not `is now making'] man upright,"
not only without any improper bias but according to rule--straight
with the law of God, conformed to His will. As Thomas Boston expressed
it, "Original righteousness was con-created with him." The same Hebrew
word occurs in "good and upright is the LORD" (Ps. 25:8). We have
dwelt long on this point because not only do Romanists and Socinians
deny that man was created a spiritual (not merely natural) and holy
(not simply innocent) being, but some hyper-Calvinists--who prefer
their own principles to the Word of God--do so too. One error
inevitably leads to another. To insist that the unregenerate are under
no obligation to perform spiritual acts obliges them to infer the same
thing of Adam. To conclude that if Adam fell from a holy and spiritual
condition, then we must abandon the doctrine of final perseverance is
to leave out Christ and lose sight of the superiority of the covenant
of grace over the original one of works.
"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed
into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul"
(Gen. 2:7). This supplies us with additional information on the making
of Adam. First, the matter from which his body was formed, to
demonstrate the wisdom and power of God in making out of such material
so wonderful a thing as the human body, and to teach man his humble
origin and dependence upon (4. Second, the quickening principle
bestowed on Adam, which was immediately from God, namely, an
intelligent spirit, of which the fall did not deprive him (Eccles.
12:7). That "the breath of life" included reason, or the faculty of
understanding, is clear from "the life was the light of men" (John
1:4). Third, the effect on Adam. His body was now animated and made
capable of vital acts. Man's body out of the dust was the workmanship
of God, but his soul was an immediate communication from "the Father
of spirits" (Heb. 12:9), and thereby earth and heaven were united in
him.
And the LORD God said, It not good that the man should be alone; I
will make him an help meet for him.... And the Lord God caused a deep
sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept : and he took one of his ribs,
and closed up the flesh thereof; and the rib, which the Lord God had
taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man (Gen.
2:18-22). It seems that God chose this mode of making the woman,
instead of forming her also out of the dust, to express the intimate
union which was to take place between the sexes, to denote their
mutual relation and dependence, and to show the superiority of man.
Those two were so made that the whole human race, physically
considered, were contained in them and to be produced from them,
making them all literally "of one blood" (Acts 17:26).
Man's Endowments
"And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and
multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion
over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every
living thing that moveth upon the earth" (Gen. 1:28). Those words
intimate that there was yet another meaning to "the image of God," for
the position of headship and authority which He conferred upon Adam
showed the divine sovereignty. Psalm 8:5-6 tells us, "Thou hast made
him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory
and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy
hands; thou hast put all things under his feet." Adam was constituted
God's viceroy on earth, the government of all inferior creatures being
conferred upon him. That was further demonstrated when the Lord
brought all before Adam for him to give names to them (Gen. 2:19-20),
which not only evinced that he was a rational creature, endowed with
the power of choice, but manifested his superiority over all mundane
creatures, his proprietorship in them, and his liberty to use them for
God's glory and his own good.
But more. God not only endowed Adam with righteousness and holiness,
thereby fitting him to fulfill the end of his creation by glorifying
the Author of his being. He also bestowed on him the gift of reason,
which distinguished him from and elevated him above all the other
inhabitants of the earth, conferring on him the charter of dominion
over them. Further, He brought him into a pure and beautiful
environment. "And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and
there he put the man whom he had formed.... And the Lord God took the
man, and put him into the garden of Eden [which the Septuagint renders
`the paradise of joy'] to dress it and to keep it" (Gen. 2:8-15).
Genesis 3:24 confirms the fact that the garden of Eden was distinct
from the earth. The whole world was given Adam for a possession, but
Eden was the special seat of his residence, a place of preeminent
delight. It presented to his view the whole earth in miniature, so
that without traveling long distances he might behold the lovely
landscape which it afforded. It epitomized all the beauties of nature,
and was as it were a conservatory of its fairest vegetation and a
storehouse of its choicest fruits.
That the garden of Eden was a place of surpassing beauty, excelling
all other parts of the earth for fertility, is evident from other
scriptures. Ezekiel, when prophesying in a day of wretchedness and
barrenness the bountiful spiritual blessings which would attend the
gospel era, used this figurative but graphic language: "This land that
was desolate is become like the garden of Eden" (36:35). Still plainer
was the promise of Isaiah 51:3: "For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he
will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness
like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and
gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of
melody." It is clear that nothing was wanting in Eden, in its pristine
glory, to give the completest happiness to man. That it was a place of
perfect bliss is further evident from the fact that heaven itself, the
habitation of the blessed, is called "paradise" in Luke 23:43; II
Corinthians 12:4; Revelation 2:7. Some see in that threefold allusion
(there are no others) a pledge for the complete satisfaction of the
glorified man's spirit, soul and body.
Several things are imported and implied in the statement that the Lord
God put the man into the garden of Eden "to dress it and to keep it."
First, and most obvious, God takes no pleasure in idleness, but in
active industry. That such an appointment was for Adam's good cannot
be doubted. Regular employment preserves us from those temptations
which so often attend indolence. Second, secular employment is by no
means inconsistent with perfect holiness, or with a person's enjoying
intimate communion with God and the blessings resulting from it. Of
course Adam's work would be performed without any of the fatigue and
disappointment which accompany ours today. The holy angels are not
inert, but "ministering spirits" (Heb. 1:14). Of the divine Persons
Themselves our Lord declared, "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work"
(John 5:17). Thus this employment assigned Adam was also a part of his
conformity to God. Third it implied the duty of keeping his own
heart-the garden of his soul-with all diligence (Prov. 4:23), tending
its faculties and graces so that he might always be in a condition to
pray, "Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant
fruits" (Song of Sol. 4:16).
Further, in the words "dress it" (Hebrew "serve," "till it") we are
taught that God's gracious gifts are to be highly treasured and
carefully cultivated by us. "Neglect not the gift that is in thee" (I
Tim. 4:14). "Stir up the gift of God, which is in thee" (II Tim. 1:6).
In the Genesis phrase "and to keep it" we believe there was a tacit
warning given by God to Adam. Not only does the English term convey
that thought, but the Hebrew word (shamar) here used requires it.
Nineteen times it is rendered "preserve," twelve times "take heed,"
four times "watch," and once it is actually translated "beware." Thus
the phrase signified a caution against danger, putting Adam on his
guard, warning him to be on the lookout against the encroaching enemy.
The Dutch Puritan, Herman Witsius, pointed out that the "keeping of
paradise virtually engaged him of all things to be anxiously concerned
not to do anything against God, lest as a bad gardener he should be
thrust out of the garden, and in that discover a melancholy symbol of
his own exclusion from heaven." Finally, since paradise is one of the
names of heaven, we may conclude that the earthly one in which Adam
was placed was a pledge of celestial blessedness. Had he survived his
probation and preserved his integrity, he would have enjoyed "heaven"
on earth.
In addition to the institution of marriage (Gen. 2:23-25; 1:28), God
appointed the weekly Sabbath. "On the seventh day God ended his work
which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work
which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it
: because that in it he had rested from all His work which God created
and made" (2:2-3). Should any raise the objection that the term
"Sabbath" is not found in those verses, we would remind them that in
Exodus 20:11 Jehovah Himself expressly terms that first "seventh day"
of rest "the sabbath day." The word "blessed" signifies to declare
blessedness; thus on the frontispiece of His Word, God would have
every reader know that special divine blessing attends the observance
of the Sabbath. The word "sanctified" means that it was a day set
apart for sacred use. For Adam it would be a means for his more
intimate communion with God, in which he would enjoy a recess from his
secular employment and have opportunity of expressing his gratitude
for all those blessings of which he was the partaker.
Fall of Man
Though Adam had been made in the image of God, taken into communion
with Him, fitted to rejoice in all the manifestations of His wisdom
and goodness which surrounded him in Eden, nevertheless he was capable
of falling. Since it is a point which has sorely puzzled many of the
Lord's people, we will endeavor to explain how it was possible for a
holy person, devoid of any corruption, to sin First, Adam's liability
to falling lay in the fact that he was just a creature. As such he was
entirely dependent on Him "which holdeth our soul in life" (Ps. 66:9).
As our natural life continues only so long as God sustains it, so it
was with Adam's spiritual life: he stood only so long as he was
divinely upheld. Moreover, as a creature he was finite and therefore
possessed no invincible power with which to repel opposition. Nor was
he endowed with omniscience, which would have made him incapable of
being deceived or mistaking an evil for an apparent good. Thus, though
man's original condition was one of high moral excellence. with no
evil tendency in any part of his nature. with nothing in him which in
the least deviated from the moral law, yet, being only a creature. he
was capable of falling.
Second, Adam's susceptibility to falling lay in his mutability.
Changeableness is the very law or radical characteristic of the
creature, to distinguish it from the Creator. God alone is without
variableness or shadow of turning (James 1:17). Therefore He "cannot
be tempted with evil" (James 1:13),that is, induced to sin. This
statement clearly implies that the creature as such has a capacity to
be so tempted--not only a depraved creature, but even an unfallen one.
Immutability and impeccability (non-liability to sin) are qualities
which essentially distinguish the Creator from the creature. The
angels possess neither. Further, God alone acts from His own power,
whereas the creature acts by a power given to him which is distinct
from himself. Goodwin, pointed this out: "God's own goodness and
happiness is His ultimate end, therefore He can never act but holily,
for He acts by Himself and for Himself, and so cannot fail in acting,
but is holy in all His ways and works, and cannot be otherwise." But
man neither acts immediately by his own power nor is himself the
legitimate end of his acting, but rather God. Thus, with all
faculties, man may falter when using them.
Third, Adam's liability to falling lay in the freedom of his will. He
was not only a rational creature, but also a moral one. Freedom of
will is a property which belongs to man as a rational and responsible
being. As we cannot separate understanding from the mind, neither can
we part liberty from the will, especially in connection with things
within its own sphere, especially when considering that all the
faculties of man's soul were in a state of perfection before the fall.
With Adam and Eve the freedom of their will consisted in a power of
choosing or embracing what appeared agreeable and good to the dictates
of their understandings, or in refusing and avoiding what was evil.
There was no constraint or force laid upon them to act contrary to the
dictates of their own wills. Such freedom also infers a power to act
pursuant to what the will chooses, otherwise it could not obtain the
good desired or avoid the evil detested: and in such a case its
liberty would be little more than a name. Freedom of action is opposed
to that which is involuntary or compelled, and the will is both
self-inclining and self-determining in the acting, both internally and
externally; for then only can it be said to be free.
Our first parents had that freedom of will, or power to retain their
integrity. This is evident from the clearly revealed fact that they
were under an indispensable obligation to yield perfect obedience to
God, and liable to deserved punishment for the least defection.
Therefore they must have been given a power to stand, a liberty of
will to choose that which was conducive to their happiness. The same
thing is also evident from the difference between man's primitive and
present state. As fallen, man is now by a necessity of nature inclined
to sin, and accordingly he is denominated "the servant of sin" (John 9
8:34), a slave to it, entirely under its dominion. But it was far
otherwise with Adam, whose nature was holy and provided with
everything necessary to his yielding that obedience demanded of him.
Nevertheless, his will being free, it was capable of complying with an
external temptation to evil, though so long as he made a right use of
his faculties he would defend himself and reject the temptation with
abhorrence. It pleased God to leave our first parents without any
immediate help from without, to the freedom and mutability of their
own will. But that neither made Him the author of their sin nor
brought them under any natural necessity of falling.
Before considering the probation under which Adam was placed, and the
test to which his loyalty and subjection to God were submitted, it
should be pointed out that Scripture requires us to regard him as far
more than private person, the consequences of whose action would be
confined to himself.As we purpose showing, that is made very plain
from the event itself. Adam was more than the father of the human
race. By divine constitution he was made the covenant head of all his
natural seed, so that what he did was divinely regarded and reckoned
as being done by them--just as Christ came into the world as the
covenant Head of all His spiritual seed, acting and transacting in
their name and on their behalf. This is considered more fully under
the next division of our subject, where we treat of the imputation of
his offense to all his posterity. Suffice it to point out that in
Romans 5:14 Adam is expressly called "the figure of him that was to
come." In what was he a type of the Redeemer? The principal respect in
which he was distinguished from all other creatures lay in his being
the federal head and legal representative of all his offspring. This
is confirmed by I Corinthians 15:45-49 where the first Adam and the
last Adam are designated "the first man" and "the second man," for
they were the only two who sustained that covenant and federal
relation to others before God.
"And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put
theman whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God, to
grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the
tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of
knowledge of good and evil" (Gen. 2:8-9). That is the first mention of
those two notable trees, and it is to be observed that, like all the
others surrounding them, they were both pleasing to the eye and
suitable for eating. Thus God provided not only for Adam's profit but
for his pleasure also, that he might serve Him with delight. "And the
LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou
mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,
thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou
shalt surely die" (2:16-17) This, as the following verses indicate,
took place before Eve was created, and thus the covenant of works was
made with Adam alone as the head of our race. Far more was implied in
those words than is actually expressed, as we show when considering
them more closely under our next division. Meanwhile, a few general
remarks may be of interest.
Herman Witsius stated:
The tendency of such a Divine precept is to be considered. Man was
thereby taught: (1) That God is Lord of all things--that it is
unlawful for man even to desire an apple but with His leave. In all
things, therefore, from the greatest to the least, the mouth of the
Lord is to be consulted as to what He would or would not have done by
Us. (2) That man's true happiness is placed in God alone, and nothing
to be desired but with submission to God, and in order to employ it
for Him. So that it is He only on whose account all other things
appear good and desirable to man. (3) Readily to be satisfied without
even the most delightful and desirable things, if God so command: and
to think that there is much more good in obedience to the Divine
precept than in the enjoyment of the most delightful thing in the
world. (4) That man was not yet arrived to the utmost pitch of
happiness, but to expect a still greater good after his course of
obedience was over. This was hinted by the prohibition of the most
delightful tree, whose fruit was, of any other; greatly to be desired;
and this argued some degree of imperfection in that state in which man
was forbidden the enjoyment of some good.
In forbidding Adam to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil
his Maker asserted His dominion and enforced His authority. That it
was proper for Him to do so cannot be lawfully questioned, and as the
sole Proprietor of the garden it was fitting that He should emphasize
His rights by this restriction.Moreover, since man was created a
rational creature and endowed with freedom of will, he was a fit
subject for command, and accordingly was placed under law. Thereby
Adam's loyalty and subjection to his Creatorand Lord were put to the
test. Trial of his obedience was made to discover whether the will of
God was sacred to him. It was both fit and just that man should remain
in the state of holiness in which God had made him, if he would
continue to enjoy His favor. Thus he was placed on probation, made the
subject of divine government. Adam was not an independent creature,
for he did not create himself. Being made by God, he owed a debt to
Him; he was a moral being, and therefore responsible to serve and
please God. The commandment given to him was no arbitrary infliction,
but a necessary injunction for evidencing and enforcing man's
relationship to God.
The particular stipulation laid upon our first parents (Gen. 2:17) has
been a favorite subject of ridicule by the opponents of divine
revelation. Those who are wise in their own conceits have considered
it unworthy of the Al-mighty to interpose His authority in a matter so
trifling, and have insisted it is incredible to believe that He
exposed Adam and Eve to the hazard of ruining themselves and all their
progeny by eating the food of a particular tree. But a little
reflection ought to show us that nothing in that prohibition was
unbecoming to God's wisdom and goodness. Since He had been pleased to
give Adam dominion over all creatures here below, it was surely
fitting that He should require some peculiar instance of homage and
fidelity to Him as a token of Adam's dependence and an acknowledgment
of his subjection to his Maker--to whom he owed absolute submission
and obedience. And what mark of subjection could be more proper than
being prohibited from eating one of the fruits of paradise? Full
liberty was granted him to eat all the rest. That single abstention
was well suited to teach our first parents the salutary lesson of
self-denial and of implicit resignation to the good pleasure of the
Most High.
In addition to what was noted by Witsius, it may be pointed out that
the character of this prohibition taught Adam and Eve to keep their
sensitive appetites in subjection to their reasoning faculty. It
showed them they must subordinate their bodily inclinations to finding
their highest delight in God alone. It intimated that their desire
after knowledge must be kept within just bounds, that they must be
content with what God knew to be really proper and useful for them,
and not presume to pry with unwarrantable curiosity into things which
did not belong to them, and which God had not thought well to reveal
to them. It was not sinful per se for Adam and Eve to eat of the tree
of knowledge of good and evil, but only because the Lord God had
expressly forbidden them to do So. Accordingly, solemn warning of the
dire consequences that would certainly follow their disobedience was
given, for even in Eden man was placed under the holy awe of divine
threatening, which was a hedge placed around him for his protection.
Man's supreme happiness lies in God Himself and the enjoyment of His
favor, and in Eden he was forbidden to seek satisfaction in any other
degree. His integrity was put to the test in that single restriction
of his liberty.
Far from that arrangement being unworthy of the divine majesty, such
an enforcing of His will and authority on the creature of His hand was
most becoming. The arrangement was necessary in the nature of the case
if the responsibility of a free agent was to be enforced, and his
subjection to the divine government insisted on. Also the very
triviality of the object withheld from our first parents only served
to give greater reality to the trial to which they were subjected. As
Professor Dick pointed out,
It is manifest that the prohibition did not proceed from malevolence
or an intention to impair the happiness of man: because, with this
single reservation, he was at liberty to appropriate the rich variety
of fruits with which Paradise was stored. It is certain that, situated
as he was, no command could be easier, as it properly implied no
sacrifice, no painful privation, but simple abstinence from one out of
many things; for who would deem it a hardship, while he was sitting at
a table covered with all kinds of delicate and substantial foods, to
be told that there was one and only one that he was forbidden to
taste? It is further evident that no reason could be assigned why Adam
should not eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil but
the Divine prohibition.
The fruit was as good for food as that of any tree, and as pleasant to
the eye; and there was nothing sacred in it which would have been
profaned by human touch. Hence you will perceive that if God had an
intention to make trial of the newly formed subject He could not have
chosen a more proper method, as it indicated nothing like a harsh or
tyrannical exercise of authority, and was admirably fitted to
ascertain whether His simple command would be to him instead of all
other reasons for obedience. It is not a proper trial of reverence for
a superior when the action which he prescribes is recommended by other
considerations. It is when it stands upon the sole foundation of his
authority; when, having no intrinsic goodness, it becomes good only by
his prohibition; when the sole inducement to perform it is His
command. It is in these circumstances it is known whether we duly feel
and recognize our moral dependence upon him. The morality of an action
does not depend upon its abstract nature. but upon its relation to the
law of God. Men seem often to judge of actions as they judge of
material substances--by their bulk. What is great in itself, or in its
consequences, they will admit to be a sin; but what appears little
they pronounce to be a slight fault, or no fault at all.
Had Adam, it has been remarked, been possessed of preternatural power,
and wantonly and wickedly exerted it in blasting the beauty of
paradise, and turning it into a scene of desolation, men would have
granted that he was guilty of a great and daring offence, for which a
curse was justly pronounced upon him. But they can see no harm in so
trifling a matter as the eating of a little fruit. Nothing, however,
is more fallacious than such reasoning: the essence of sin is the
transgression of a law and whether that law forbids you to commit
murder or to move your finger, it is equally transgressed when you
violate the precept. Whatever the act of disobedience is, it is
rebellion against the Lawgiver: it is a renunciation of His authority,
it dissolves that moral dependence upon Him which is founded on the
nature of things, and is necessary to maintain the order and happiness
the universe. The injunction therefore to abstain from the tree of
knowledge of good and evil was a proper trial of our first parent, and
the violation of it deserved the dreadful punishment which was
denounced and executed. He was put to the test whether the will of God
was sacred in his eyes and he was punished because he gave preference
to his own will.
Our reason for making a longer quotation than usual from the writings
of others is that the one just given is of particular weight and
importance and greatly needed in this day. We hope the reader will
give it a second and more careful perusal.
It only remains for us to add that the foundation of Adam's obligation
to render such obedience to God lay, first, in his relations to Him.
As his Maker, his Governor, his Benefactor, it was fitting for him to
render full subjection to His revealed will. Second, in the privileges
and favors bestowed on him : these required that he should express his
gratitude and thanksgiving by doing those things which were pleasing
in His sight. Third, in his endowments, which qualified him to do so :
he was created in God's image, with a nature that inclined his will to
obedience--ability and obligation then being coextensive. Fourth, in
the relation he sustained to the race: as the head and father of all
his progeny, their welfare or ruin was bound up in how he conducted
himself, thus greatly augmenting his responsibility to abstain from
wrongdoing. Fifth, in that the command forbidding Adam to eat of the
tree of knowledge was accompanied by a solemn threat of dire
punishment in case of disobedience. Not only should that have acted as
an effectual deterrent, but the penalty necessarily implied a promise:
since death would be the sure result of disobedience, life would be
the reward of obedience--not only a continuation of the blessedness
and happiness which he then enjoyed in fellowship with his Maker, but
an augmentation of them. That also ought to have served as a powerful
incentive to continued fidelity. Thus there was every reason why Adam
should have preserved his integrity.
Mutability of Man
Though created in the image and likeness of God, man was not endowed
with infallibility. In body perfectly sound, in soul completely holy,
in circumstances blissfully happy, still man was but a mutable
creature. Pronounced by God "very good" (Gen. 1:31) on the day of his
creation, man's character was not yet confirmed in righteousness,
therefore he was (like the angels) placed on probation and subjected
to trial--to show whether or not he would render allegiance to his
Lord. Though "made upright," he was not incapable of falling; nor did
it devolve upon God to keep him from doing so. This is clear from the
event, for had there been any obligation on God, His faithfulness and
goodness would have preserved Adam. Nor would He have censured our
first parents had their defection been due to any breach of His
fidelity. As moral agents, Adam and Eve were required to maintain
their pristine purity unsullied, to walk before God in unswerving
loyalty, which was necessary for the testing of their loyalty and the
discharge of their responsibility.
Regrettably man did not endure honorably. He valued at a low rate the
approbation of his Maker and the inestimable privilege of communion
with Him. He chafed against the love-lined yoke that had been laid on
him. How quickly he supplied tragic evidence of his mutability and
disrupted the tranquility of paradise. The beauty of holiness in which
the parents of our race were clothed was soon succeeded by the most
revolting depravity. Instead of preserving their integrity, they fell
into a state of sin and misery. They were speedily induced to violate
that commandment of God's obedience which was the sole condition of
their continued bliss. They did not long enjoy their fair heritage. In
spite of the ideal conditions in which they were placed, they became
dissatisfied with their lot, succumbed to their very first testing,
and evoked tile holy displeasure of their Benefactor. How early the
fine gold became dim! How soon man forfeited the favor of his Maker,
and plunged himself into an ocean of wretchedness and woe! How swiftly
the sun of human happiness was eclipsed by man's own folly!
It has been generally held among devout students of God's Word that
our first parents remained unfallen for only a brief time. Such a view
is in full accord with the general Analogy of Faith, for it is a
solemn and humbling fact that whenever God has been pleased to place
anything in the hands of human responsibility, man has proved
unfaithful to his trust. When He has bestowed some special favor on
the creature, it has not been long before he has sadly abused the
same. Even a considerable part of the angels in heaven "kept not their
first estate," though the Scriptures do not disclose how soon they
apostatized. Noah, when he came out onto a judgment-swept earth to be
the new father of the human race, defiled his escutcheon at a very
early date and brought a curse on his son. Within the space of a few
days after Israel had solemnly entered into a covenant with Jehovah at
Sinai, they were guilty of the horrible sin of idolatry, so that the
Lord complained to Moses, "They have turned aside quickly out of the
way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and
have worshipped it" (Exodus 32:8). How tragically that portended the
whole of their future national history!
No sooner were the "times of the Gentiles" inaugurated by
Nebuchadnezzar's being made "a king of kings" (Dan. 2:37), so that his
dominion was "to the end of the earth" (4:22), than pride led to his
downfall. While he was boasting, "Is not this great Babylon, that I
have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and
for the honour of my majesty?" a voice from heaven announced, "They
shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts
of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven
times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth
in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will" (4:30,
32). Man is a sad failure. Even the honor of the primitive Christian
church was speedily tarnished by the sin of Ananias and Sapphira. Thus
it has been all through the past, and there is no evidence to show
that at the commencement of human history Adam and Eve were any
exception. Rather are there clear indications to the contrary, so that
God had reason to say of them also, "They have turned aside quickly
out of the way."
Personally we doubt if our first parents preserved their integrity for
forty-eight hours, or even for twenty-four. In the first place, they
were told to "be fruitful, and multiply" (Gen. 1:28); and had they
complied with that injunction and the blessing of God had been on
them, a sinless child would have been conceived, which, following the
fall of Adam and Eve, would have been part of a depraved family--a
terrible anomaly, involving the utmost confusion. Second, if those
words concerning Christ are to be taken without qualification, "that
in all things he might have the preeminence" (Col. 1:18), then He is
the only One who kept the Sabbath perfectly on this earth, and
consequently Adam fell before the seventh day ended. Third, in Psalm
49:12, the Hebrew word for "man" is Adam-the same as in Genesis 2 and
3 and Job 31:33, while that for "abode" signifies "to stay or lodge
for a night." Manton rendered it "Adam being in honour abideth not for
a night." And Thomas Watson in his Body of Divinity said, "Adam, then,
it seems, did not take up one night's lodging in Paradise." Fourth,
the devil "was a murderer from the beginning" (John 8:44)--not from
the beginning of time, for there was no man to slay during the first
five days, but from the beginning of human history. In the morning man
was holy; by night he was a sinner!
We now consider the melancholy and disastrous episode of the fall
itself. Genesis 3 describes the event, about which George Whitefield
rightly said, "Moses unfolds more in that chapter than all mankind
would have been capable of finding out of themselves though they had
studied it to all eternity." It is indeed one of the most important
chapters in all the Bible, and it should be pondered by us frequently
with prayerful hearts. Here commences the great drama which is now
being enacted on the stage of human history, and which nearly six
thousand years have not yet completed. Here is given the divine
explanation of the present debased and ruined condition of the world.
Here we are shown how sin entered the world, together with its present
effects and dire consequences. Here are revealed to us the subtle
devices of our great enemy the devil. We are shown how we permit him
to gain an advantage over us. On the other hand, it is a most blessed
chapter, for it reveals the grace and mercy of God, and assures us
that the head of serpent will yet be crushed by the victorious Seed of
the woman (Rom. 16:20), telling us that His redeemed will also
participate in Christ's glorious triumph. Thus we see that in wrath
our God from the commencement "remembered mercy"!
A careful reading of Genesis 3 indicates that much is compacted into
an exceedingly small space. The historical account of this momentous
incident is given with the utmost conciseness--so very different from
the way an uninspired pen would have dealt with it! Its extreme
brevity calls for the careful weighing of every word and clause, and
their implications. That there is not a little contained between the
lines is plainly intimated in the Lord's words to Adam: "Because thou
hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife" (v.17), yet the preceding
verses nowhere tell us that she even spoke to him! Again, from the
judgment pronounced on the serpent, "Upon thy belly shalt thou go"
(v.14), we may infer that previously it had stood erect. Again, from
that part of the divine sentence passed on the woman, "Thy desire
shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee" (v.16), it may
be concluded that Eve had acted unbecomingly and exerted an undue
influence and authority in inducing Adam to eat of the forbidden
fruit. If we fail to ponder thoroughly every detail and meditate on
it, we are certain to miss points of interest and importance.
Subtlety of the Serpent
"Now the serpent was more subtil [wiser] than any beast of the field
which the Lord God had made" (Gen. 3:1). Great care needs to be taken
in the interpreting of this sentence. On the one hand, we must not
give free rein to our imagination; on the other, this fact is not to
be hurriedly and thoughtlessly skimmed over. Other passages should be
compared if a fuller understanding is to be obtained. Personally we
believe that the statement refers to a literal "serpent" as being the
instrument of a superior being. We consider that the terms of verse 14
make it clear that an actual serpent is in view, for the Lord's words
there are only applicable to that beast itself: "Because thou hast
done this, thou art cursed above all cattle;.... upon thy belly shalt
thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life."
Nevertheless, what immediately follows in verse 15 makes it equally
plain that more than a beast of the field was involved, namely Satan.
Putting the two statements together, we gather that Satan made use of
a literal serpent as his mouthpiece in the beguiling of Eve--as the
Lord later spoke through the mouth of Balaam's ass (Num. 22: 30-31).
Confirmation of what has just been said is found in John 8:44, where
our Lord declared that the devil is "a murderer [literally manslayer]
from the beginning"--designating him as such because by his wiles he
brought death on our first parents. Moreover, in Revelation 12:9 and
20:2, Satan is called "that old serpent," in manifest allusion to the
transaction of Genesis 3: "And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God
said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" The thoughtful
reader is at once struck by the abruptness of this remark, and is
almost forced to conclude that the serpent was replying to what Eve
had said previously; for his opening "yea" plainly implies something
going before. Where was Eve when she was thus addressed and assailed?
We believe, as do many others, that she was standing before the very
tree whose fruit they had been forbidden to eat. It is apparent from
the immediate sequel that she was at least within sight of the tree.
The serpent, taking advantage of Eve's looking at the tree, spoke
about and commended it to her.
We also agree with those who have concluded that Adam was not with Eve
when the serpent first engaged her in conversation, though we know
that soon afterward he rejoined her. Ridgley, Whitefield, Gill and
many others held that Eve was alone when the serpent confronted her.
For ourselves, we base that belief upon what we are told in I Timothy
2:13-14, where the Holy Spirit has emphasized the fact that the woman
was first in the transgression, and then became the seducer of the
man. That could hardly be said had Adam been present from the
beginning, for then he would have been partaker of her evildoing-by
allowing her to yield to the temptation instead of making every effort
to cause her to reject it. Furthermore, it should be carefully noted
that when the guilty couple were arraigned before their Maker, Eve
passed no blame upon her husband for making no attempt to dissuade
her, but instead sought to throw the onus on the serpent. Nor did the
Lord Himself charge Adam with any complicity in his wife's crime, as
He surely would have done had Adam been a passive spectator. The
serpent, then, must have tempted Eve in the absence of her husband.
We consider that Eve's being alone, and more especially her approach
to the fatal tree, casts considerable light on what then occurred.
Matthew Henry stated, "Had she kept close to the side out of which she
was lately taken, she had not been so exposed." And had she kept away
from that which threatened certain death, she would have been on safer
ground. Satan cannot injure any of us while we are walking with God
and treading the paths of righteousness.
We are expressly told that there is no lion in the "way of holiness,"
that no ravenous beast shall be found there (Isa. 35:8-9). No, we have
to step out of that way and trespass on the devil's territory before
he can "get an advantage of us" (II Cor. 2:11). That is why we are so
emphatically enjoined, "Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go
not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it"
(Prov. 4:14-15). We certainly do not regard Eve as being guilty of any
sin at this initial stage, but the sequel shows plainly that she
incurred great danger and exposed herself to temptation by approaching
so near to that tree whose fruit had been divinely prohibited, and we
need not be surprised to discover, as she also did, that that ground
was already occupied by the serpent. This has been recorded for our
learning and warning.
Gullibility of Eve
"And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of
every tree of the garden?" The serpent must have looked very different
from the repulsive reptile it now is, not only standing erect but--in
keeping with his preeminence above all other beasts, and as the Hebrew
word intimates--of a striking and beautiful appearance. Apparently be
stood before the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and it seems
more than likely that he personally took and ate its fruit in Eve's
presence. This no doubt evoked from her an ejaculation of surprise or
a look of horror, which explains why he then said what he did. As
Samuel Hopkins long ago pointed out,
It is probable that the serpent told the woman that by eating of the
fruit of that tree he had obtained the use of reason and the faculty
of speech which she now saw in exercise; and therefore said that, from
his own experience, he could assure her that if she would eat of this
fruit she would be so far from dying that she would reach to a higher
degree of perfection and knowledge.
While such an inference must not be pressed dogmatically, we have long
felt it possesses much probability, and that it is an illuminating
one.
Recently we discovered what John Brown of Haddington wrote in his
family Bible concerning the serpent's words to Eve: "Perhaps he
pretended that himself had acquired what knowledge he had above other
beasts by eating of this forbidden fruit. It is certain that he
attempted to confirm his contradiction of the threatening by a solemn
appeal to God." This requires us to examine closely the tempter's
words. The margin of some Bibles gives an alternative rendering, "Yea,
because God bath said," which makes his statement a declaration rather
than a query. (Gen. 13:9; Ps. 25:12; Matt. 26:53; Luke 22:35 are other
examples where a strong affirmation or appeal is, for the sake of
emphasis, put in the form of an interrogation.) Considering it thus
here, we may regard the serpent's opening words to Eve as answering
her previous expression of surprise: "Is it `because God bath said'
that you are so startled at seeing me eating the fruit?" Thomas Scott
pointed out, "Indeed we cannot satisfactorily account for the woman's
entering into conversation with the serpent, and showing no marks of
surprise or suspicion, unless we admit a supposition of this kind." It
is one of the first duties of an expositor to show the connection,
explicit or implicit, of each statement of Holy Writ.
In the serpent's statement we perceive the guile and malice of the
enemy. His allusion to the divine restriction made it appear much
greater and more severe than it actually was. The Lord had in fact
made generous provision for them to eat freely of "every tree of the
garden" with but a single exception (Gen. 2:16). Satan sought to bring
reproach on the divine law by misrepresenting it. It was as though he
said, "Can it be that your Maker has given you appetites and also
placed before you the means of gratifying them, only to mock you? You
surely must have misunderstood His meaning!" We therefore regard this
opening utterance of the serpent as an attempt not only to make Eye
doubt God's veracity but also to cause her to suspect the divine
beneficence. Satan is ever seeking to inject that poison into our
hearts: to distrust God's goodness--especially in connection with His
prohibitions and precepts. That is really what lies behind all evil
lusting and disobedience: a discontent with our position and portion,
a craving for something which God has wisely withheld from us. The
more clearly we perceive the precise nature of the serpent's poison
the better we are enabled to judge its workings within us. Reject any
suggestion that God is unduly severe with you. Resist with the utmost
abhorrence anything which causes you to doubt God's loving kindness.
Allow nothing to make you question His love.
We have called attention to the brevity of the narrative of Genesis 3
and the need for us to weigh carefully every word in its opening
verses and ponder the implication of each clause. While we must
refrain from reading into it what is not there, we must be careful not
to overlook anything of importance which is there. Matthew Henry
pertinently pointed out, "Satan tempted Eve that, by her, he might
tempt Adam; so he tempted Job by his wife, and Christ by Peter. It is
his policy to send temptations by unsuspected hands, and theirs that
have most interest in us and influence over us." Eve's suspicions
ought to have been aroused when the serpent introduced such a subject
for conversation, and she should have turned away immediately. Those
who would escape harm must keep out of harm's way. "Go from the
presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of
know1edge" (Prov. 14:7). "Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that
causeth to err from the words of knowledge" (Prov. 19:27). The
serpent's opening word was designed to produce in Eve a spirit of
discontent. It was really a sly insinuation which amounted to this:
"If you cannot eat of all the trees, you might as well eat of none."
King Ahab took this view. With all his royal possessions, he was
dissatisfied while denied Naboth's vineyard. And Haman, though he had
found favor with the king, petulantly exclaimed, "All of this availeth
me nothing" because Mordecai refused to pay him deference.
If Eve was not already secretly desiring the forbidden fruit, would
she have paid any attention to the cunning query made to her? We very
much doubt it. Still less can we conceive of her entering into a
discussion with the serpent on the subject. Toying with temptation
always implies lusting after the object presented. Had Eve been
content with God's grant in Genesis 2:1b, and satisfied with the
knowledge He had given her by creation, she would have abhorred the
false knowledge proposed by the tempter, and that would have precluded
all parleying with him! That is more than a supposition of ours, for
it is obviously confirmed by what follows. Compare her conduct with
Christ's and observe how very differently He acted. He steadfastly
refused to enter into any debate with the devil. He did not dally with
temptation, for He had no desire for anything but the will of God.
Each time He firmly repulsed the enemy's advances by taking His stand
on God's Word, and concluded by thrusting away Satan's propositions
with utmost revulsion. A greater contrast cannot be imagined : the
woman's Seed met Satan's temptation with holy loathing; the woman was
in a condition to respond to the serpent's wiles with unholy
compliance.
"And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the
trees of the garden : but of the fruit of the tree which is in the
midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither
shall ye touch it, lest ye die" (Gen. 3:2-3). Instead of fleeing in
dread from the serpent, Eve conferred with him, which was both foolish
and fatal, as the outcomeshowed; Satan is much wiser than we are, and
if we attempt to meet him on his own ground and argue with him, the
result will be disastrous. His evil influence had already begun to
affect Eve injuriously, as appears from a close examination of the
first part of her reply. The Lord had said, "Of every tree of the
garden thou mayest freely eat." Eve's omission of that word "freely"
was both significant and ominous--indicating that the generosity of
the divine provision was not influencing her heart as it should have.
But on the other hand we do not agree with those who charge her with
adding to God's word in verse 3. For while the "neither shall ye touch
it" was not distinctly expressed in Genesis 2:17, nevertheless it was
clearly and necessarily implied. How could Eve eat of the fruit
without touching it? The one act requires the other.
There is a very important principle involved in what has just been
pointed out. It may be stated thus: When God forbids any act He at he
same time forbids everything encouraging or leading up to it. Our Lord
made that very plain in His Sermon on the Mount, as He enforced the
spirituality and strictness of the law when repudiating the errors of
the rabbis, who were guilty of modifying its holy requirements. He
insisted that "Thou shalt not kill" is by no means restricted to the
bare act of murder, but that it also prohibits every evil exercise of
the mind and heart preceding the act, such as hatred, ill will,
malice. In like manner He declared that "Thou shalt not commit
adultery" includes very much more than outlawing intercourse between
the sexes even impure imaginations and desires. That commandment is
broken as soon as there is unchaste lusting or even looking. God
demands very much more than merely keeping clean the outside of the
cup and platter (Matt. 23:25-26). "Thou shalt not steal" includes not
even thinking of doing so, nor handling what is not your--nor
borrowing anything when you have no intention of returning it.
Eve, then, was quite right in concluding that the divine commandment
forbidding them to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
included not `touching it, for the act of eating involves not only
desire and intention but also touching, handling, plucking, and
placing the fruit in the mouth. But we are not so sure about the exact
force of her words "lest ye die." Many have supposed she was toning
down the Lord's "thou shalt surely die." They may be right, but we are
not at all sure. "Kiss the Son, lest he be angry" (Ps. 2:12) is
obviously not the language of uncertainty. The Hebrew for "lest" is
rendered "that . . . not" in Genesis 24:6. If the reader will compare
John 3:20; 12:42; I Corinthians 1:17, he will see that the force of
"lest" in these passages is "otherwise." Gill also states that Eve's
employment of the "lest" is not at all conclusive that she expressed
any doubt, since the word may also be used of the event of anything,
as in Psalm 2:12, and hence may be rendered "that ye die not." We
therefore prefer to leave it as an open question.
"And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die" (Gen.
3:4). Perceiving his advantage, now that he had gained Eve's ear, the
tempter grew bolder and flatly contradicted the divine threatening. He
began by seeking to instill a doubt--Is it so or not?--by casting a
reflection upon the divine goodness and making Eve dissatisfied with
God's liberal provision. Then he denied that there was any danger in
eating the fruit. First he had by implication slandered God's
character; and now he told a downright lie. If, as we believe was the
case, he had himself eaten of the forbidden tree in the woman's
presence, then his action would lend color to his falsehood. It was as
though he said, "You need not hesitate. God is only trying to frighten
you. You can see for yourself the fruit is quite harmless, for I have
eaten it without suffering any ill effects." Thus the enemy of souls
seeks to persuade man that he may defy God with impunity, inducing him
when "he heareth the words of this curse" to "bless himself in his
heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of
mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst" (Deut. 29:19).
No excuse can be made for Eve now. If she had acted foolishly in
approaching so near to the fatal tree, if her suspicions were not at
once aroused by the serpent's opening remark, she certainly ought to
have been deeply horrified, turning immediately away, when she heard
him imply that the Lord her God had lied. Joseph fled from his
temptress (Gen. 39:12). Eve had much more reason to run from the
serpent with loathing. Instead, she remained to hear him add, "For God
doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be
opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil" (3:5). He
declared that not only would no harm be suffered, but they would
benefit by heeding his suggestion and doing as he had done. A
threefold promise or inducement was set before the woman. First, that
by eating this fruit their capacity of discernment and perception
would be considerably increased. That is the force of "your eyes shall
be opened." Their physical eyes were open already, therefore his
reference must have been to the eyes of their understanding. Second,
their position would be improved and their power enlarged: they should
be as "gods" or angels. Third, their wisdom would be much augmented:
"knowing good and evil"--as though that were most desirable. And all
of this at once--"then"--without any delay.
It will be observed from the above that the serpent directed his
attack not at Eve's bodily appetites but at the noblest part of her
being, by the inducement of an increase of wisdom that would elevate
our first parents above their condition and fit them to be companions
for the celestial creatures. There lay the force of his temptation:
seeking to fan a desire for forbidden knowledge and
self-sufficiency--to act independently of God. From then until now,
Satan's object has been to divert men from the only source of wisdom
and cause them to seek it from him. Nevertheless, the bait dangled
before Eve in no way hid the barb he was using to catch her. Putting
together the whole of his statement in verses 4 and 5, we see the
serpent not only charged God with making a threat which He had no
intention of fulfilling, but also accused Him of being tyrannical in
withholding from them what He knew would be for their good. He said,
"You need have no fear that God will be as severe and rigorous as His
language sounded. He is only trying to intimidate you. He is well
aware that if you eat this fruit, your knowledge. will be greatly
enlarged; but He is unwilling for this to happen, and therefore He
wants to prevent it by this unreasonable prohibition."
"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it
was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise,
she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat" (3:6). Before examining
the details of this tragic verse, we shall carefully consider two
questions, and endeavor to answer them. First, why did not the divine
threat in Genesis 2:17 deter Eve from disobeying God? David declared,
"Thy word have I hid in mine heart [to be awed thereby, to put it into
practice] , that I might not sin against thee" (Ps. 119:11). It is
clear from Genesis 3:3 that God's word was at least in Eve's thoughts
when the serpent accosted her. Then how was it that it did not
preserve her from sin? Surely the answer is that she did not make use
of it, but instead dallied with temptation, parleyed with God's enemy,
and believed his lie. Here is a most solemn warning for us. If we wish
God to deliver us from the destroyer, then we must determine to shun
every occasion of evil and, as Joseph did, flee from temptation. If we
really take to heart the solemn failure and fall of Eve, then we shall
pray with ever increasing earnestness, "Lead us not into temptation"
and, if the Lord sees fit to test us, "Deliver us from evil."
Second, in II Corinthians 11:3, we are informed that "the serpent
beguiled [cheated] Eve through his subtilty," and in I Timothy 2:14
that she was "deceived." How then are we to explain what is recorded
of her in Genesis 3, where the historical account seems to make it
very plain that she committed the act after due deliberation, with her
eyes wide open? How was she deceived if she knowingly disobeyed God?
The answer is that as soon as she ceased to be regulated by the light
of God's word, her imagination became filled with the false
impressions presented to her by Satan, and her mind became darkened.
Unholy desires were born within her. Her affections and appetites
overrode her judgment, and she was persuaded to disbelieve what was
true and believe what was false. Oh, the "deceitfulness of sin" (Heb.
3:13), which calls good evil and bitter sweet. She was beguiled by
consenting to listen to another voice than God's, and because she
disregarded her allegiance to her husband. The prelude to every fall
from grace is the alienation of the heart from Christ, the Christian's
spiritual Husband, with the consequent clouding of the judgment. When
the truth is rejected, error is welcome. Satan, in his effort to
induce souls to look for their happiness in departing from God, adapts
his temptations to the cases and circumstances of the tempted.
Eve saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was "pleasant to
the eyes." Let us consider at what point this statement comes in the
narrative: not at the commencement, but after all that is recorded in
the preceding verses had transpired. Let us also observe the order of
those two clauses. We would expect to find the phrase "pleasant to the
eyes" mentioned before "good for food." Why then are the two
descriptions reversed? Does not this better enable us to understand
exactly what is meant by "when the woman saw that the tree was good
for food"? The time element must not be ignored, for it cannot be
without significance. We suggest that it looks back to the foregoing
action of the serpent, which we believe is clearly implied in the
context, namely, his personally eating the forbidden fruit in Eve's
presence. How else could she perceive the tree was "good for food"
before she had tasted it? Does not the third clause of the verse
confirm and clinch this interpretation, for how else could Eve
possibly know the fruit was "to be desired to make one wise" unless
she had previously witnessed what appeared to her to be a visual
demonstration of the fact?
Is it not evident that the words "when the woman saw that the tree was
good for food" signify that since she had seen the serpent eating it
without dying or even suffering any injury, she need not fear
following his example? Could his action not infer that from his so
doing he had acquired the faculty of reason and the power of speech,
and that she too would be benefited by doing the same? Instead of
acting in faith on the word of God. Eve walked by sight, only to
discover-as her sons and daughters often do--that appearances are very
deceptive. She saw "that it was pleasant to the eyes." There was
nothing in the outward appearance of the fruit to denote that it was
unfit for eating; on the contrary, it looked attractive. In Genesis
2:9 we read that "out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every
tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food." As the
remainder of that verse shows, the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil was no exception. All creation was beautiful and agreeable to the
senses. But Eve, by yielding to the serpent's temptation, found that
tree particularly appealing. She had a secret hankering after its
fruit and unlawfully coveted it.
Had there been any uncertainty in Eve's mind, she could have consulted
her husband; this is a wife's duty and privilege. Instead, she saw the
tree was "to be desired to make one wise." She judged it entirely by
what the serpent had told her-and not by what God had said-as the
preceding verse shows. She was flattered with the false hope the enemy
had held out to her. She first gave credence to his "ye shall not
surely die." Next she was attracted by the prospect of becoming like
the "gods" or angels. And then, on her believing the promise of
augmented knowledge, lustful longing consumed her. The Hebrew word for
"desired" in Genesis 3:6 is translated "covet" in Exodus 20:17. The
same word is termed "concupiscence" in Romans 7:8, and "lust" in James
1:15. Indeed, that latter passage traces for us in detail the course
of Eve's downfall, for her conduct solemnly illustrates James 1:14-15:
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away [from the path of
rectitude] of his own lust [as Eve was in approaching the forbidden
tree], and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived [in her by the
seductive promises of the serpent], it bringeth forth sin [externally]
: and sin, when it is finished [i.e., the outward act is completed],
bringeth forth death.
Shedd stated that God's commandment in its full form was essentially
this: "Thou shalt not lust after but abhor the knowledge of good and
evil; thou shalt not choose but refuse it." The Eden statute, as well
as the Ten Commandments, involved both the inward desire and the
outward act. Note that the holiness of Christ is described as a
refusing of the evil and a choosing of the good (Isa. 7:15). He who
desires the prohibited evil does in effect choose it, as he who hates
another violates the sixth commandment though he does not actually
kill him. Eve was not to desire the fruit, for God had forbidden her
to eat it. Instead of desiring, she should have dreaded it. In lusting
after what God had prohibited. she turned from God as her everlasting
portion and chief end; she preferred the creature to the Creator. This
is an unspeakably solemn warning for us. If we estimate things by our
senses or by what others say of them, instead of accepting God's
evaluation, we are certain to err in our judgment. If we resort to
carnal reasoning, we shall quickly persuade ourselves that wrong is
right. Nothing is good for us except that which we receive from God's
hand.
"She took of the fruit thereof, and did eat" (Gen. 3:6) without
consulting Adam. So strong was the desire of her heart that she could
no longer check it, and she committed the act which completed "the
transgression." Yes, "she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat." The
serpent did not put it in her mouth. The devil may tempt, but he
cannot force anyone. By Eve's own free act she took of the fruit;
therefore she could rightly blame no one but herself. By this time
Adam had rejoined her, for we are told that she "gave also unto her
husband with her"--the first time he is mentioned as being by her
side. This is the progression of sin: one yielding to temptation. and
then becoming the tempter of others--seeking to drag them down to the
same level. "And he did eat," instead of refusing what his God-defying
wife proffered him. He "was not deceived" (I Tim. 2:14), which, if
possible, made his guilt the greater. He "hearkened unto the voice of
.... [his] wife" (Gen. 3:17). Probably she repeated to him what the
serpent had said to her, commending the fruit and possibly pointing
out that they must have misunderstood the Lord's words, since she had
eaten and was still alive.
Thus man apostatized from God. It was a revolt against his Maker, an
insurrection from His supremacy, a rebellion against His authority. He
deliberately resisted the divine will, rejected God's word, deserted
His way. In consequence he forfeited his primitive excellence and all
his happiness. Adam cast himself and all his posterity into the
deepest gulf of anguish and wretchedness. This was the origin of human
depravity. Genesis 3 gives us the divinely inspired account of how sin
entered this world, and supplies the only adequate and satisfactory
explanation of both its six thousand years' history and of its
present-day condition.
Contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14
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A. W. Pink Header
The Total Depravity of Man by A.W. Pink
Chapter 3-Imputation
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We are now to consider the bearing which Adam's sin had on his
posterity, and its different effects. In Eden Adam acted not Simply as
a private person, the results of whose conduct affected none but
himself, but rather as a public person, so that what he did, directly
concerned and judicially involved others. Adam was much more than the
father of the human race: he was also their legal agent, standing in
their stead. His descendants were not only in him generatively as
their natural head, but also morally and legally as their moral and
legal head. In other words, by divine constitution and covenant Adam
acted as the federal representative of all his children. By an act of
His sovereign will, it pleased God to ordain that Adam's relation to
his natural seed should be like that which Christ sustained to His
spiritual seed--the one acting on the behalf of many.
The whole human race was placed on probation in the person of its
legal representative and covenant head. This is a truth of great
importance, for it casts light not only on much in Scripture, but upon
human history too. While Adam retained the approbation of God and
remained in fellowship with Him, the whole of his constituency did
likewise. Had he survived the appointed trial, had he faithfully and
fitly discharged his responsibility, had he continued in obedience to
the Lord God, then his obedience would have been reckoned to their
account, and they would have entered into and shared his reward.
Contrariwise, if the head failed and fell, then all his members fell
with him. If he disobeyed, then his disobedience was charged to those
whom he represented, and the frightful punishment pronounced on him
fell likewise on those on whose behalf he transacted. Justice required
that the whole human race should be legally regarded and dealt with as
sharing the guilt of its representative, and subjected to the same
penalty. In consequence of this arrangement, when Adam sinned we
sinned, and therefore "by the offence of one judgment came upon all
men to condemnation" (Rom. 5:18).
Instead of placing each member of humanity on probation separately and
successively, it pleased God to put the whole race on formal trial
once and for all in the person of their head. Probably it will make it
easier to grasp the nature of Adam's legal relation to his descendants
if we make use of a simple contrast and analogy which have been
employed by other writers on this subject. God did not act with
mankind as with a field of corn, where each stalk stands on its own
individual root. Rather He has dealt with our race as with a tree--all
the branches of which have one common root. While the root of a tree
remains healthy and unharmed, the whole of it flourishes. But if an ax
strikes and severs the root, then the whole of the tree suffers and
falls--not only the trunk but all the branches--and even its smallest
twigs wither and die. Thus it was with the Eden tragedy. When Adam's
communion with his Maker was broken, all his posterity were alienated
from His favor. This is no theory of human speculation, but a fact of
divine revelation: "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the
world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that
all have sinned" (Rom. 5:12).
Adam, then, occupied a unique position. At his creation all his unborn
children were germinally created in him. Not only that, but God
entered into a solemn covenant with him in their name. The entire
human family was represented by him and stood in him before the Lord.
The future well-being of his progeny was suspended on his conduct. He
was therefore placed on trial, to show whether he would promote the
interests of his Creator or refuse to be subject to His government.
Some test must be given him in order for the exercise of his moral
agency and the discharge of his responsibility. He was made to love
and serve God, being richly endowed and fully capacitated to that end.
His supreme blessedness and continued happiness consisted in his doing
so. Scripture proves that Adam did transact on the behalf of his
descendants, and so stood in their stead before the divine law. What
he did was in effect what they did. Or, as Manton expressed it, "We
saw the forbidden fruit with his eyes, gathered it with his hands, ate
it with his mouth; that is, we were ruined by those things as though
we had been there and consented to his acts."
Adam as Head of Mankind
We propose to show, first, that Adam was the federal head of the race;
second, that he entered into a covenant with God on their behalf;
third, that the guilt of his original sin was divinely imputed to his
descendants. Concerning the first we confine ourselves to two proof
texts. The first is Romans 5:14:
Death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned
after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him
that was to come.
That is truly an astonishing statement. Occurring in such a setting it
is startling and at once arrests our attention. With what accuracy and
propriety could it be said that the father of our fallen race
foreshadowed the Lord Jesus? Adam, when tempted, yielded and was
overcome; Christ, when tempted, resisted and overcame. The former was
cursed by God, the latter was owned by Him as the One in whom He was
well pleased. The one is the source of sin and corruption to all his
posterity, but the other is a fount of holiness to all His people. By
Adam came condemnation, by Christ comes salvation. Thus they are as
far apart as the poles. Then how was Adam a "figure" of the coming
Redeemer?
The Greek word for "figure" in this verse means "type," and in the
scriptural sense of that term a type consists of something more than a
casual resemblance between two things or an incidental parallel. There
is a designed likeness, the one being divinely intended to show forth
the other. From all eternity it was foreordained that the first man
should prefigure the incarnate Son of God. In what particular respect?
Certainly not in his conduct. Nor in his natural constitution, as
consisting of spirit, soul and body; for in that respect all who lived
before Christ was born, might as properly be called figures of Him.
The whole context makes it clear that Adam was a type of the Lord
Jesus in the official position which he occupied--as the federal head
and legal representative of others. In Romans 5:12-19 prominence is
given to the one acting on behalf of the many, the one affecting the
destiny of the many. What the one did, is made the legal ground of
what befalls the many. As disobedience and guilt of Adam entailed
condemnation for all who were legally one with him, so the obedience
and righteousness of Christ secured the justification of all in whose
place He served as surety.
The other passage which proves that Adam sustained the relation of
federal head to his posterity is I Corinthians 15:45-49:
And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the
last Adam was made a quickening spirit... The first man is of the
earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven... And as we
have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of
the heavenly.
Again, despite marked contrasts between the type and the Antitype,
they had something in common. The one had a mundane origin; the
other's was celestial. The former was but a man; the latter was "the
Lord." The first Adam was made "a living soul"; the last Adam is the
Quickener of others. In the one "all die"; in the other "shall all be
made alive" (v.22). But that which marked each alike was his
representative character--he was the head of an appointed seed,
communicating his distinctive image" to them. Adam is designated "the
first man" not simply because he was the first in order-like the first
day of the week--but because he was the first to act as the legal
representative of a race. Christ is called "the second man," though He
lived so long afterward, because He was the second to sustain a
federal relation to an appointed seed. He was called "the last Adam"
because there is to be no further covenant head.
God's Covenant with Adam
A covenant was entered into between the Lord God and Adam: "And the
Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou
mayest freely eat: but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou
shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou
shalt surely die" (Gen. 2:16-17). What are the principal elements in a
covenant? A covenant is a formal compact and mutual arrangement
between two or more parties whereby they stand solemnly bound to each
other to perform the conditions contracted for. On the one side there
is a stipulation of something to be done; on the other side a
re-stipulation of something to be done or given in consideration of
the former provision. There is also a penalty included in the terms of
the agreement--some unpleasant consequence to the party who violates
or fails to carry out his commitment. That penalty is added as a
security. Where it is not expressly stated, it is implied by the
promissory clause, just as the promise is necessarily inferred from a
mention of the punishment (cf. Gen. 31:43-53; Matt. 26:14-16).
Let us closely look at Genesis 2:16-17. Here are all the constituent
elements of a covenant. First, here are the contracting parties: the
Lord God and man. Second, here is the condition defined and accepted.
As the Creator and Governor of His creatures, God was obliged to
exercise His authority. Adam, owing his being to God, was bound to
comply; and as a sinless and holy person he would heartily consent to
the stipulation. Third, there was a penalty prescribed, which would be
incurred if Adam failed to carry out his part of the compact. Fourth,
there was by clear implication a promise made and a reward
assured--"Do this, and thou shalt live"--to which Adam was entitled
upon his rendering the required obedience. Where there are a
stipulation and a re-stipulation between two parties, and a binding
law pertaining to the same, there is a covenant (cf. Gen. 21:22-32).
Adam was placed not only under divine law but under a covenant of
works. The distinction is real and radical. A law requires obedience,
and punishment is threatened in proportion to the nature of the
offense. A subject is bound to obey the law, but he cannot be justly
deprived of that to which he has a natural right, except in case of
disobedience. On the other hand, obedience to the law gives him a
right to impunity, nothing more; whereas a covenant gives a person the
right, upon his fulfilling the conditions, to the stipulated reward or
privilege. A king is not obliged to advance a loyal subject to great
honor; but if, as an act of favor, he has promised to elevate him upon
his yielding obedience in some particular instance, then the subject
would have a right to it--not as yielding obedience to a law, but as
fulfilling the terms of a covenant. Thus Mephibosheth had a natural
and legal right to his life and to the estate which had descended to
him from his father, because he had lived peaceably and had not
rebelled against David. But this did not entitle him to the special
favor of sitting at the royal table continually, which the king
conferred on him (II Sam. 9:13). That was the result of a covenant
between David and Jonathan, in which David had promised to show
kindness to Jonathan's house after him (I Sam. 20:11-17, 42).
It should be obvious that Adam had the promise of life upon his
performing the condition agreed on, for "In the day that thou eatest
thereof thou shalt surely die" necessarily implied the converse, "If
thou eatest not thereof thou shalt surely live." Just as "Thou shalt
not steal" inevitably requires "Thou shalt act honestly and
honorably," and as "Rejoice in the Lord" includes "Murmur not against
any of His dealings with thee," according to the simplest laws of
construction, the threatening of death as the consequence of eating
affirmed the promise of life upon obedience. This is an essential
feature of a covenant--a reward guaranteed upon the fulfillment of its
terms. Certainly the threat in Genesis 2:17 not only signified God's
intention to punish sin, but was also designed as a motivation to
obedience; therefore it included a promise of life upon man's
maintaining his integrity. Had Adam been given no such promise, he
would have been without a well-grounded hope for the future, for the
hope which "maketh not ashamed" is always grounded on the divine
promise (Rom. 4:18-20). Finally, Romans 7:10 expressly states that the
commandment was "to life"--adapted to life, and setting before its
complier such a prospect.
A few words need to be said here on the nature of that "life" which
was promised Adam. In his original state he was already possessed of
spiritual life. What then did the reward consist of? Two different
answers have been given by the best of theologians. First, that it was
the ratifying of the life which he then had. Adam was placed on
probation, and his response to the test would determine whether or not
he remained in the favor of God, in communion with Him, and continuing
to enjoy his earthly heritage. Adam's conduct would decide whether
these conditions would be confirmed and then become the inalienable
portion of both himself and his posterity. The second solution is that
the "life" promised Adam connotes a yet higher degree of happiness
than he then possessed, even heavenly blessedness. Those benefits
which Christ came into the world to procure for His people, and which
are assured for them by the covenant of grace, are the same in
substance as those which man would have enjoyed had he not fallen.
This, we consider, is clear from these prophetic words: "I restored
that which I took not away" (Ps. 69:4). "The Son of man is come to
seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). Christ came to
secure "eternal life" (with all that that means), therefore that would
have been man's portion had he maintained his integrity.
This fact may also be concluded from the nature of that "death"
declared in Genesis 2:17. When God said, "In the day that thou eatest
thereof thou shalt surely die," something far more dreadful than the
loss of physical or even spiritual life was involved, namely, the
"second death," eternal punishment and suffering in the lake of fire.
Conversely, the promised "life" included more than physical
immortality or even the confirmation of spiritual life, namely,
everlasting life, or unclouded fellowship with God in heaven forever.
We agree with many able expositors that Romans 8:3-4 treats of the
same thing. "The law" there looks back to that which was written on
man's heart at the beginning, of which the Sinaitic law was merely a
transcript. The statement that the law was "weak through the flesh"
alludes to Adam's tendency to error. What the law "could not do" with
such material was to produce an indestructible righteousness.
Therefore God in His sovereign grace sent His own incarnate Son,
impeccable and immutable, to make full atonement for the guilt of His
people and to bring in an "everlasting righteousness" (Dan. 9:24) for
them. Christ performed that perfect obedience which the first man
failed to render, and thereby obtained for all His seed the award of
the fulfilled law.
This point should remove any misconception that the view propounded
detracts in the slightest degree from the glory of the Saviour. Romans
8:3-4 is treating of something far more essential and weighty than
whether or not Christ by His infinite merits obtained for us something
more than we lost in Adam. Undoubtedly He did: our establishment in
righteousness, our glorification, and much more. Rather that passage
intimates the highest motive and ultimate end which God had before Him
when He foresaw, foreordained and permitted our fall in Adam. Christ
is the grand center of all the divine counsels, and the magnifying of
Him is their principal design. Had God kept Adam from sinning, all his
race would have been eternally happy. But in that case Adam would have
been their savior and benefactor, and all his seed would have gloried
in him, ascribing their everlasting blessedness to his obedience. But
such an honor was far too much for any finite creature to bear. Only
the Lord from heaven was worthy of it. Accordingly God designedly made
the flesh of the first man "weak" or mutable and allowed his defection
in order to make way for His laying our help "upon one that is mighty"
(Ps. 89:19), that we might owe our endless bliss to Him. Moreover,
that obedience which Christ rendered to the law magnified it and made
it infinitely more honorable than any mere creature's conformity could
have made it.
Further scriptural evidence that God entered into a covenant with Adam
is found in Hosea 6:7, where God complained of Israel, "But they like
Adam have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt
treacherously against me." The Hebrew word for "men" there is Adam, as
in Job 31:33. Adam was placed under a covenant, the requirement or
condition of which was his continued subjection to God--whether or not
the divine will was sacred in his eyes. But he failed to love God with
all his heart, held His high authority in contempt, disbelieved His
holy veracity, deliberately and presumptuously defied Him. He
"transgressed the covenant" and "dealt treacherously" with his Maker.
Centuries later Israel likewise transgressed the covenant which they
entered into with the Lord at Sinai, preferring their own will and
way, lusting after those false gods which He had forbidden under pain
of death. Finally, the fact of Adam's having stood as the covenant
head of his race is conclusively demonstrated by the penal evils which
came upon his children in consequence of his fall. From the dreadful
curse which entailed upon all his descendants, we are compelled to
infer the covenant relationship which existed between him and them;
for the Judge of all the earth, being righteous, will never punish
where there is no crime. "In Adam all die" because in him all sinned.
Having proved from Scripture that God appointed Adam as covenant head
and federal representative of his race, we are now to show that the
guilt of his original sin was imputed to all his posterity. Even if
there were no explicit statements to that effect in the Bible, we
would be obliged to infer the fact, for such a conclusion is
inevitable from the principles involved. If the one was acting in the
name and on the behalf of many, then the latter are legally
responsible for what he did and must suffer the consequences of his
conduct, good or evil. Had Adam survived the test to which he was
subjected, had he remained obedient to his Maker and Lord, then his
obedience would have been reckoned to the account of all his seed, and
they would have been joint partakers of his reward. But if he revolted
from the divine government and preferred his own will and way, then
the punishment he incurred must be visited also upon the whole of his
constituency. Such a procedure is neither merciful nor unmerciful, but
a matter of righteousness. Justice requires that the penalty of a
broken law shall be visited upon its transgressors. A precept without
penalty is simply advice or, at most, a request; and compliance is
merely a species of self-pleasing, not submission to authority. To
divest the divine law of its sanction would be to reduce God to a mere
supplicant--begging His creatures to behave themselves.
Not only had God the sovereign the to constitute Adam the covenant
head of his race; not only was it strictly just and legal that its
members should be held accountable for what he did, whether it issued
in their well being or distress; but such an arrangement was fully
valid. Since the loyalty and subjection of man to his Maker must be
put to the proof, only two alternatives were possible: either the
human race must be placed on probation in the person of a suitable
representative and responsible head, or each individual member must
enter upon probation for himself. G. S. Bishop stated it thus:
The race must either have stood in full-grown man, with a full-orbed
intellect, or stood as babies, each entering his probation in the
twilight of self-consciousness, each deciding his destiny before his
eyes were half-opened to what it all meant. How much better would that
have been? How much more just? But could it not have been some other
way? There was no other way. It was either the baby, or it was the
perfect, well-equipped, all-calculating man--the man who saw and
comprehended everything. That man was Adam.
Fresh from the hands of his Creator, with no sinful heredity behind
and depraved nature within him, but instead endowed with holiness and
indwelt by the Spirit of Cod, Adam was well equipped for the honorable
position assigned him. His fitness to serve as our head, and the ideal
circumstances under which the decisive test was made, must forever
close every honest mouth from objecting against the divine arrangement
and the fearful consequences which Adam's failure has brought down
upon us. We again quote Bishop:
Had we been present, had we and all the human race been brought into
existence at once, and had God proposed to us that we should choose
one who was to be our representative, that He might enter into
covenant with him on our behalf--should not we, with one voice, have
chosen our first parent for this responsible office? Should we not
have said, "He is a perfect man and bears the image and likeness of
God-if anyone is to stand for us, let it be this man Adam"? Since the
angels which stood for themselves fell, why should we wish to stand
for ourselves? And if it be reasonable that one stands for us, why
should we complain when God has chosen the same person for this office
that we should have chosen had we been in existence and capable of
choosing ourselves?
Before proceeding further, it is essential that we realize that God is
in no way to blame for Adam's fall. After a thorough and extensive
investigation Solomon declared, "This only have I found, that God hath
made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions" (Eccles.
7:29). There the streams of human foolishness and sin are all traced
back to their fountainhead of corruption. Man was created without
irregularity or blemish; but he departed from his original integrity.
And why? Because he vainly supposed he could better himself. Adam and
Eve at first, followed by their crazed descendants, "sought out many
inventions." Significant and suggestive words! What are inventions but
devices to improve things? And what gives rise to such attempts but
dissatisfaction with present conditions? Our first parents meant to
find a superior way of happiness by kicking off their traces. Instead
of being content with what their Maker had given and appointed them,
they preferred their own will to God's, their inventions rather than
His institutions. They relinquished their rest in the Lord and tried
to improve their situation. They promised themselves liberty, only to
become the slaves of Satan.
The course taken by our first parents has been followed ever since by
all their children, as is intimated in the change from the singular
number to the plural in Ecclesiastes 7:29. As indicated above, we do
not regard the prime reference in that passage as being to the "aprons
of fig leaves" which Adam and Eve sewed together, but rather to their
original sin in being dissatisfied with the state in which God had
placed them, vainly hoping to improve their lot by leaning to their
own understanding, following the desires of their hearts, and
responding to the evil solicitation of the serpent. Thus it has been,
and still is, with their descendants. They have turned from the
Creator to the creature for their comfort. Having forsaken the living
fountain, they engage themselves in hewing out "cisterns, that can
hold no water" (Jer. 2:13) , preferring the "far country" to the
Father's house. Their search after wisdom, their mad quest for
pleasure, their pursuit of wealth and worldly honors, are but so many
"inventions" or attempts to better their lot, and proofs of a restless
and dissatisfied heart. Had our first parents been content with the
good heritage their Maker assigned them, they would not have coveted
that which He had prohibited. Still today the remedy for covetousness
is contentment (see Heb. 13:5).
We subscribe unhesitatingly to this assertion of Calvin "It is clear
that the misery of man must be ascribed wholly to himself, since he
was favored with rectitude by the Divine goodness, but has lapsed into
vanity through his own folly." God expressly forbade Adam to eat of
the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He plainly told him what would
be the consequence of disobedience. God made man a mutable creature,
yet not evil. Adam had ability to stand as well as to fall. He was
fully capable of loving God as his chief good and of moving toward Him
as his last end. There was light in his understanding to know the rule
he was to conform to. There was perfect harmony between his reason and
his affections. It was therefore easier for him to continue in
obedience to the precept than to swerve from it. Though man was
created as capable of failing, yet he was not determined by God's
influencing his will, by any positive act, to apostasy. God did not
induce him, but allowed him to act freely. He did not withdraw any
grace from him, but left him to that power with which He invested him
at his creation. Nor was God under any obligation to sustain him
supernaturally or withhold him from sinning. God created Adam in a
righteous state, but he deliberately cast himself and his posterity
into a dismal state.
Mankind Guilty in Adam
Adam took things into his own hands, revolted from God and trampled
His law beneath his feet. It behooves us to study the relation between
Adam's action and the universal miseries consequent on it, for it
supplies the clue to all the confusion which perplexes us within and
without. It tells us why infants are estranged from God from the womb
(Ps. 58: 3) , and why each of us is born into this world with a heart
that is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9).
It is because Adam forfeited his Maker's approbation and incurred His
awful displeasure, with all its terrible effects. In Adam we broke the
covenant of works; we offended in his offense and transgressed in his
transgression; and thereby we departed from God's favor and fell under
His righteous curse. Scott said: "Thus man apostatized, God was
provoked, the Holy Spirit forsook His polluted temple, the unclean
spirit took possession, the Divine image was defaced and Satan's image
imposed in its place." Through the sin of its head the race was ruined
and fell into a state of most horrible moral leprosy. Ours is a fallen
world: averse to Cod and holiness, iniquity abounding in it, death
reigning over it, lust and crime characterizing it, suffering and
misery filling it.
Therefore it is written, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into
the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for
that all have sinned" (Rom. 5:12). In the light of Genesis 3 that is a
strange and startling statement, for that chapter makes it clear that
Eve fell before Adam did. Why then is it not said, "by one woman," or
at least "by one man and woman sin entered the world"? Because, as
Thomas Goodwin long ago pointed out, "Moses tells us the history of
Adam's fall, and Paul explains the mystery and the consequences
thereof." In other words Romans 5 opens to us the significance and
scope of the Eden tragedy. The opening word of verse 12 indicates that
a logical proposition is there advanced, which is confirmed by the
"as" and "so." The reason why no notice is taken of Eve is that
throughout what follows, the apostle is treating of the condemnation
of all mankind, not its debasement. That condemnation is due solely to
our having revolted from Cod in the person of our legal
representative, and since Adam alone sinned in that capacity, no
mention is made of Eve. Headship always pertains to the man and not to
the woman.
Before proceeding, let us consider the relation of this most important
passage in Romans 5. In the preceding chapters Paul had dealt at
length with the depravity and sinfulness of mankind (especially in
1:18-32; 3:10-20) and had declared that even Christians in their
unregenerate days were ungodly, without strength, enemies to God (5:6,
10). Here he shows why they were so, Adam's offense being the cause
and source. Second, he had refuted the proud but erroneous view of the
Jews, who regarded themselves as holy because they were the seed of a
holy father (2: 17--3:9). Consequently they lacked a true estimate of
their desperate condition by nature and practice, nor did they sense
their dire need of divine grace. Here the apostle takes them back to a
higher ancestor than Abraham--Adam, who was equally the father of Jew
and Gentile, both alike sharing his guilt and inheriting his curse.
Third, Paul had presented the grand doctrine of justification by faith
(3:21-31) and had illustrated it by the cases of Abraham and David.
Here he shows Adam was a "figure" of Christ (5:14), that the one
sustained an analogous relation to his race as the other did to His
seed, that each transacted as the one for the many, and that therefore
the gospel principle of imputation (Christ's righteousness reckoned to
the account of the believer) is no novelty, but identical with the
principle on which God acted from the beginning.
Observe that it is not through but "by one man." But exactly what is
meant by "sin entered the world"? Three explanations are possible.
First, sin as an act of disobedience: rebellion against God began by
one man. But Genesis 3 shows otherwise: transgression of Cod's law was
initiated by Eve! Second, sin as a principle of depravity: by one man
our sinful nature originated. This is the view generally taken. But it
is equally untenable, for the corruption of our nature is as much by
the mother as by the father. Moreover, if such were the force of "sin"
in the first clause, then the closing one would necessarily read "for
that all are sinful." Furthermore, verses 13 and 14 explain and
furnish proof of what is asserted in verse 12, and it would be
meaningless to say that a sinful nature is not imputed. Finally, all
through this passage "sin" and "righteousness" are contrasted; and
righteousness here is judicial and not experiential, something
reckoned to our account and not infused into us. "Righteousness" in
this passage signifies not a holy nature but conformity to the law's
demands; therefore "sin" cannot be corruption of nature but rather the
cause of our condemnation. Thus, third, by one man guilt entered into
the world, exposing the race to God's wrath.
"By one man sin entered." Sin is here personified as an intruding
enemy, coming as a solemn accuser as well as a hostile oppressor. It
entered the world not the universe, for Satan had previously
apostatized. "And death by sin," which is not to be limited to mere
physical dissolution, but must be understood as the penal consequence
of Adam's offense. All through this passage death is opposed to life,
and life includes very much more than physical existence or even
immortality of soul. When God told Adam, "In the day that thou eatest
thereof thou shalt surely die," He signified, first, to die
spiritually, that is, to be alienated from the source of divine life.
Second, In due course, to die physically: the body shall go to
corruption and return to the dust. Third, to die eternally, to suffer
"the second death" (Rev. 20:14), to be cast into the lake of fire,
there to suffer forever.
"And so death passed upon all men" because of their complicity in the
one man's sin. Not that death as a principle of evil gained admittance
and polluted the nature of Adam's offspring, but that the penal
sentence of death was pronounced upon them. Having been charged with
his transgression they must suffer its consequence. The apostle's
design was to show the connection between the one man's sin and the
resultant misery of the many. By Adam's disobedience all men were
constituted sinners--guilty criminals before God--and therefore
sharers of the sentence passed on Adam. "In Adam all die" (I Cor.
15:22). Those words explain the clause "by man came death" of the
preceding verse, and show that all die by virtue of their relation to
the covenant head of our race--die because of their legal union with
him. Even physical death is far more than "nature's debt," or the
inevitable outcome of our frail constitution: it is a penal
affliction, a part of sin's "wages." We are subject to mortality
because we were "in Adam" by federal representation--we share his
fallen nature because we share in his guilt and punishment. We are
born into this world neither as innocent creatures nor to enter upon
our probation. Rather we come into it as culprits condemned to death
by the divine law.
Every man, woman and child is judged guilty before God. The ground of
our condemnation is something outside ourselves. Inward corruption and
alienation from God are the consequence and not the cause of our
condemnation. Antecedent to any personal act of ours (as such), we
stand accursed by the divine law. Since "death" came as the result of
"sin" because it is the penal sentence on it, that sentence cannot be
passed on any except those who are guilty. If, then, death was "passed
upon all men," it must be because all are guilty, all participated
legally in Adam's offense. Clear and inevitable as is that inference,
we are not left to draw it ourselves. The apostle expressly states it
in the next words: "for that all have sinned"--"for that" meaning
"because," or "in consequence of." Here then is the divinely given
reason why the death penalty is passed on "all men": "all have
sinned," or, as the margin and the Revised Version more accurately
render it , "in whom all sinned." The apostle is not here saying that
all men sinned personally, but representatively. The Greek verb for
"sinned" is in the aorist tense, which always looks back to a past
action which has terminated. The curse of the law falls on us not
because we are sinful, but because we were federally guilty when our
covenant head sinned.
In Romans 5:12 the apostle was not referring to the corrupting of
mankind. It is true that as a result of our first parents' sin the
springs of human nature were polluted; but this is not what Paul was
writing of. Instead he went behind that, and dealt with the cause of
which moral depravity is just one of the effects. A corrupt tree can
indeed produce nothing but corrupt fruit, but why are we born with
corrupt hearts? This is more than a terrible calamity: it is a penal
infliction visited on us because of our prior criminality. Punishment
presupposes guilt, and the punishment is given to all because all are
guilty; and since God regards all as guilty, then they must be
participants in Adam's offense. George Whitefield put it well:
I beg leave to express my surprise that any person of judgment should
maintain human depravity, and not immediately discover its necessary
connection with the imputation, and how impossible it is to secure the
justice of God without having recourse to it; for certainly the
corruption of human nature, so universal and inseparable, is one of
the greatest punishments that could be inflicted upon the species...
Now if God has inflicted an evident punishment upon a race of men
perfectly innocent, which had neither sinned personally nor yet by
imputation [He would be unjust]; and thus while we imagine we honour
the justice of God by renouncing imputation, we in fact pour the
highest dishonor upon that sacred attribute.
Death, penal death, has been passed on all men because all sinned in
Adam. That "all have sinned" cannot signify all men's own personal
transgressions is clear because the manifest design of Romans 5:12 is
to show that Adam's sin is the cause of death; because physical death
(a part of sin's wages) is far more extensive than personal
transgression--as appears from so many dying in infancy; and because
such an interpretation would destroy the analogy between Adam and the
One of whom he was "the figure," and would lead to this comparison: As
men die because they sin personally, so all earn eternal life because
they are personally righteous! It is equally evident that "all have
sinned" cannot mean that death comes upon men because they are
depraved, for this too would clash with the scope of the whole
passage. If our subjective sinfulness were the ground of our
condemnation, then our subjective holiness (and not Christ's merits)
would be the ground of our justification. It would also contradict the
emphatic assertion of verse 18: "By the offence of one judgment came
upon all men to condemnation." Thus we are obliged to understand the
"all have sinned" of verse 12 as meaning all sinned in Adam.
If the federal headship of Adam and the imputation of his sin to all
his posterity are repudiated, then what alternative is left us? Only
that of the separate testing of each individual. If the race was not
placed on probation in the first man, then each of his offspring must
stand trial for himself. But the conditions of such a trial make
success impossible, for each probationer would enter it in a state of
spiritual death! The human family is either suffering for the sin of
its head or it is suffering for nothing at all. "Man is born unto
trouble," and from it there is no escape. What then is the explanation
of the grim tragedy now being enacted on this earth? Every effect must
have a previous cause. If we are not born under the condemnation of
Adam's offense, then why are we "by nature the children of wrath"
(Eph. 2:3)? Either man was tried and fell in Adam, or he has been
condemned without trial. He is either under the curse (as it rests on
him from the beginning of his existence) for Adam's guilt, or for no
guilt at all. Judge which is more honoring to God: a doctrine which,
although profoundly mysterious, represents God as giving man an
equitable and most favorable probation in his federal head, or one
which makes God condemn man untried, even before he exists.
Examine the verses which immediately follow Romans 5:12. They are not
only of deep importance in connection with the present aspect of our
subject, but their meaning is little apprehended today, for they
receive scarcely any notice either in the pulpit or in the religious
press. In Romans 5:13-14 the apostle takes no notice of our personal
transgressions, but shows the effects of Adam's sin. In these verses
Paul intimates that the universality of physical death can only be
satisfactorily accounted for on the ground that it is a penal
infliction because of the first man's offense. The argument of verse
13 is as follows: The infliction of a penalty presupposes the
violation of the law, for death is the wages of sin. The violation of
the Mosaic law does not account for the universality of death, because
multitudes died before that law was given. Therefore as death implies
transgression, and the law, of Moses does not explain all of death's
victims, it clearly and necessarily follows that the whole human race
is subject to the penal consequence of the primordial law being
transgressed by their first father.
"For until the law sin was in the world" (v.13). The opening "for"
indicates that the apostle is now about to furnish proof of the
assertion made in verse 12. "The law" here has reference to the Mosaic
law. "Sin," as all through this passage, signifies guilt on the
judicial ground of condemnation, and not the corruption of human
nature. "The world" includes the entire race: all were accursed, and
are so regarded and treated by the Judge of all the earth. Having
stated in verse 12 that all mankind participated in Adam's original
sin, and that in consequence all share in its punishment, Paul pauses
to vindicate and amplify his assertion that "all sinned in" Adam. The
method he follows is by reasoning backward from effect to cause. The
argument is somewhat involved and calls for close attention, yet there
is no difficulty in following its course if we perceive that it moves
back from death to sin, and from sin to law--the one being necessarily
implied by the other. Sin was in the world before the law of Moses was
given, as was evident from the fact that death held universal sway
from Eden to Sinai. Note the oft-repeated "and he died" in Genesis 5
Thus far the argument is simple, but the next point is more difficult.
"But sin is not imputed when there is no law" (Rom. 5:13). The meaning
of this clause has been missed by many, through failing to follow the
course of the apostle's reasoning. They have imagined it signifies
that, though sin was in the world prior to Moses, it was not reckoned
to the account of those who were guilty. Such an idea is not only
erroneous but absurd. Where sin exists the holy One must deal with it
as sin. And He did so from earliest times, as the flood demonstrated.
"Sin is not imputed when there is no law." Why? Because sin or guilt
is the correlative of law. Sin or condemnation implies the law: one
cannot be without the other. "Sin is the transgression of the law" (I
John 3:4). No one is guilty where no law exists, for criminality
presupposes the violation of a statute. Thus, for any to be judged
guilty is the same thing as saying he has broken the law. This
prepares us for Romans 5:14, proof that a law given previously to
Moses had been violated, and consequently God dealt with the violators
as sinners long before the time of Moses.
Read the verse. "Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses."
Though it is true that there is no sin where there is no law, and that
where there is no law transgressed there can be no death, yet it is a
divinely certified fact that death reigned during the first
twenty-five centuries of human history. The conclusion is so
self-evident that Paul leaves his readers to draw it The human race
must have transgressed an earlier law than the Mosaic. Thus verse 14
clinches the interpretation we have given of verses 12 and 13. Since
men died prior to the Sinaitic transaction, there must be some other
reason and ground for their exposure to death. Note that "death
reigned"; it held undisputed and rightful sway. If then men were
justly subject to its power they must have been guilty. Death is far
more than a calamity: it is a punishment, and that indicates the
breaking of a law. If men were punished with death from the beginning,
it inevitably follows that they were lawbreakers from the beginning.
Moreover, death furnished proof that sin was imputed: men were guilty
of Adam's offense.
"Even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's
transgression" refers to those who in their own persons and conduct
had never violated any law by which their exposure to death could be
accounted for. The word "even" here suggests a contrast. Generally
speaking, death had reigned from Adam to Moses over all alike; but it
did so even over a class who had not (in their own persons) sinned as
Adam had. If we bear in mind that in verses 13 and 14 Paul is proving
his assertion (at the end of verse 12) that death comes on all because
of the first man's sin, then his line of reasoning is easier to
follow. The word "even" here implies that there was a particular class
who it appears ought to have been exempted from the dominion of sin,
namely, infants. Thus the death of infants supplied conclusive proof
of the doctrine here taught. Physical death is a penal infliction;
falling as it does on infants, it must be because of Adam's sin. On no
other ground can their dying be accounted for. They furnish the prime
demonstration that all sinned in Adam and suffer the consequences of
his wrong.
At the close of verse 14 the apostle states that Adam was "the figure
of him that was to come." He foreshadowed Christ as the federal Head
and legal Representative of His people. In verses 15-17 it is pointed
out that there were contrasts as well as resemblances between the
first man and Christ. "But not as the offence, so also is the free
gift" (15a). The fall differed radically from the restoration. Though
they are alike in their far-reaching effects they are quite unlike in
the nature of those effects. "For if through the offence of one many
be dead ['many died,' legally]" (15b). The "many" includes infants,
and the fact that they die because of the one man's offense proves
that they are judged guilty of it, and that God imputed it to them,
for He never punishes where there is no sin.
"Much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one
man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many" (15c). Here the first
contrast is drawn--between justice and grace. The "much more" does not
mean numerically, as Christ cannot restore more than Adam ruined, for
he encompassed the downfall of all his posterity. Nor does this "much
more" signify that grace is more abundant and efficacious than the sin
in its effects; that is brought out in verse 20. No, it is used
argumentatively, as a logical inference and as a note of certainty. If
God willed it that one man should ruin many, much more can we suppose
it to be agreeable that His Son should rescue many. If many suffer
from the offense of Adam, much more should we expect that many will
benefit from the merits of Christ. Thus it is not a "much more" either
of quantity or quality, but of assurance and certainty. If it was
arranged in the divine government that the principle of representation
should operate though it entailed the curse, much more may we look for
that principle to operate in producing blessing. If Scripture teaches
the imputation of sin, we should not stumble when we find it affirming
the imputation of righteousness. If God dealt in inflexible justice
with the original sin, then, from all we know of Him, much more may we
look for a display of the riches of His grace through Christ.
Christ as Man's Restorer
"And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the
judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many
offenses unto justification" (v.16). Here the second contrast is
drawn. Though there is a close resemblance between ruin and
redemption, in that each was accomplished by one man, yet there is a
great difference between the scope of their respective effects. The
destroying power of the former did not go beyond the one sin of Adam,
whereas the restoring power of the latter covers our countless
iniquities. How vastly more extensive then is the reach of the free
gift! This verse explains itself, the second clause interpreting the
first. The divine sentence of condemnation fell on the entire human
family because of the single deviation of their head, but believers
are justified by Christ from many infractions: "having forgiven you
all trespasses" (Col. 2:13). Christ does very much more than remove
the guilt which came upon His people for the first man's sin. He has
also made full satisfaction or atonement for all their personal sins:
"Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity"
(Titus 2:14).
"For the judgment was by one to condemnation." Each term needs to be
carefully weighed. The word "judgment" obviously signifies a judicial
sentence--pronounced by God--"to condemnation" and not to corruption
or destruction of nature. The judgment "was by one"--not here by one
man, but rather by one sin, for it is set over against the "many
offenses" which we have personally committed. It is expressly asserted
that judgment came by Adam's initial transgression, and if all are
condemned for that sin then all must be counted guilty of it, for the
righteous Judge will not condemn the innocent. "But the free gift is
of many offenses unto justification." Where sin abounded grace
abounded much more. The finished work of Christ not only provides for
the cancellation of original sin, but acquits from the accumulated
guilt of all our sins. Moreover, believers in Christ are not merely
pardoned but justified--exonerated, pronounced righteous by the law.
They are not only restored to their unfallen state, but given a title
to enjoy the full reward of Christ's obedience. As Adam's posterity
participate in his guilt, depravity and death, so Christ's seed
receive through Him righteousness, holiness and eternal life.
"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one [if by the offense
of the one man death reigned]; much more they which receive abundance
of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one,
Jesus Christ" (v.17). Here is the third contrast: death and life,
issuing from the heads. Here the central truth of the whole passage is
reiterated: Death comes to men not because their natures have been
corrupted, nor because of their? own personal transgression, but as a
judicial sentence passed on account of Adam's crime. It expressly
states that death reigned "by [because of] the one man's offence," and
therefore everyone over whom death has dominion must be regarded as
guilty. The word "reigned" here is very impressive and emphatic. Those
who die are looked upon as death's lawful subjects, for it is regarded
as their king. In other words, death has a legal claim on all men. The
forceful language of Hebrews 2:14-15 contains the same concept: ". . .
that through death he [Christ] might destroy him that had the power
[authority] of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them [free
death's lawful prisoners]." Note how this passage indirectly confirms
Romans 5:14 which shows that death could have no dominion over infants
unless they were charged with Adam's sin.
"Much more they which receive abundance of grace." The "much more" of
this verse emphasizes a different thought from that of verse 15. There
it refers to God's dealing with Adam and his posterity consistently
with His own perfections. If God could righteously condemn all mankind
because of the disobedience of their first parent, much more could He
justify the seed of Christ (Isa. 53:10) on the ground of the obedience
of their Representative. But here the phrase has reference to the
modus operandi of condemnation and justification. If death has come
upon us as a judicial infliction for an offense in which we did not
actively participate, then much more shall we share the reward of
Christ's righteousness which we voluntarily receive by faith. There is
a double thought conveyed by "the gift of righteousness," which it is
important to observe, for most of the commentators have missed the
second. First, it signifies that righteousness is entirely gratuitous,
neither earned nor merited. Second, it implies that it is imputed, for
a gift is something transferred from one person to another. Not only
pointless but senseless is the objection that if righteousness were
transferred from Christ to us it would leave Him without any. Does
God's gift of life to sinners leave Him without any?
"Shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." They who by faith receive
the gift of His righteousness are not only saved from the consequences
of the fall, but are partakers of eternal life and made joint heirs
with Christ and sharers of His celestial glory. They who have been
wholly under the power of death are not only completely freed from it
and spiritually quickened, but as one with the King of kings they are
made "kings... unto God" (Rev. 1:6). They are not reinstated in the
earthly paradise, but shall be brought to honor and glory and
immortality in heaven-given title to a state of eternal and supernal
blessedness. The careful student observes both a threefold comparison
and a threefold contrast between the first and last Adams in verses
15-17. Both are sources of radical influence: "abounded unto many"
(15c). Both are conveyers of a judicial sentence: condemnation,
justification (16). Both introduce a sovereign regime: "death
reigned," "reign in life" (17). But by Adam we lost, whereas in Christ
we gain. We were charged with the one offense, but are cleared from
many. We were the subjects of death, but are made coheirs with Christ.
By Adam we were ruined; by Christ we are more than restored. In Adam
we occupied a position a little lower than the angels; in Christ we
are established far above all principality and power.
"Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to
condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came
upon all men unto justification of life" (18). In verse 12 only the
first member of the contrast was given (vv. 13-17 interrupting as a
necessary parenthesis), but here the case is stated in full.
Throughout the whole passage Paul contrasts the states of divine wrath
and divine favor, and not the states of depravity and holiness. He
plainly asserts that all are condemned for Adam's sin. Infants are
therefore included, for they would not be punished if innocent-if Adam
, s sin was not legally theirs. In precisely the same way all for whom
Christ acted as their covenant Head are justified by His merits being
legally reckoned to their account. As something outside ourselves is
the judicial ground of our falling under the divine curse, so
something outside ourselves is the judicial ground of our being under
the blessing of God. The second half of this verse speaks not of
something which is provided for all mankind, but of that which God
actually imputes to all believers (cf. 4:20-24).
"For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the
obedience of one shall many be made righteous" (5:19). This goes
farther than the preceding verse. There the causes of condemnation and
justification were stated; here their actual issue or results are
given. From verse 11 on the apostle has shown that God's sentence is
grounded upon the legally constituted unity of all men with their
covenant heads. By the first Adam's breaking of the divine law all who
were federally one with him were made sinners. And all who were
federally one with the last Adam are made righteous. The Greek word
for "made" (kathistemi) never signifies to effect any change in a
person or thing, but means "to ordain, appoint," "to constitute"
legally or officially (cf. Matt. 24:45, 47; Luke 12:14; Acts 7:10,
27). Note that Paul does not here state that Adam's disobedience makes
us unholy. He goes further back and explains why this should follow,
namely, because we are first constituted sinners by imputation.
Romans 5:12-21 is one of the most important passages in the Bible. In
it the fundamental doctrine of federal representation is openly
stated, and the fact of imputation is emphatically affirmed. Here is
revealed the basic principle according to which God deals with men.
Here we see the old and the new races receiving from their respective
heads. Here are the two central figures and facts of all history: the
first Adam and his disobedience, the last Adam and His obedience. Upon
those two things the apostle hammered again and again with almost
monotonous repetition. Why such unusual reiteration? Because of the
great doctrinal importance of what is here dealt with; because the
purity of the gospel and the glory of Christ's atonement pivoted on
these points; because Paul was insisting on that which is so repulsive
to the proud heart of fallen man. Plain as is its language, this
passage has been wrested and twisted to mean many things which it does
not teach; and Socinians, Universalists and others refuse to accept
what is so plainly asserted.
Wherever this passage has been plainly expounded, it has in all
generations encountered the fiercest opposition-not the least from men
professing to be Christians. The doctrine of imputation is as bitterly
hated as those of unconditional election and eternal punishment. Those
who teach it are accused of representing God as dealing unjustly. What
do the Scriptures say about it? As we have seen, Romans 5 declares
that death has come upon all men because all sinned in Adam (v.12),
that "through the offence of one many be dead" (15), that "the
judgment was by one to condemnation" (16), that "by one man's offence
death reigned" (17), that "by the offence of one judgment came upon
all men to condemnation" (18), that "by one man's disobedience many
were made sinners" (19). "In Adam all die" (I Cor. 15:22). God deals
with men on the principle of imputation. The sins of the fathers
implicate the children (Exodus 20:5). The curse of Canaan fell on all
his posterity (Gen. 9:25). The Egyptians perished for Pharaoh's
obduracy. Achan's whole family died for his crime (Joshua 7:24). All
Israel suffered for David's sin (II Sam. 24:15-17). The leprosy
visited upon Gehazi passed to all his seed forever (II Kings 5:27).
The blood of all the prophets was exacted of the members of Christ's
generation (Luke 11:50).
If there is one word which fitly expresses what every man is by
nature, it is "sinner." Waiving all theological systems, if we ask the
popular meaning of that term, the answer is "One who has sinned," one
who makes a practice of sinning. But such a definition comes far short
of the scriptural import of the word. "By the disobedience of one many
were made sinners." They are sinners, made so legally, neither because
of what they have done personally nor by what they are in the habit of
doing, but rather by the action of their first parent. It is quite
true that it is the nature of sinners to sin, but according to the
unmistakable testimony of Romans 5 we all are sinners antecedent to
and independent of any personal transgressing of God's law. By the
offense of Adam we were legally constituted sinners. The universal
reign of death is proof of the universal power of sin. Yet death must
not be represented as the consequence of individual acts of
disobedience, for death reigns over infants, who are incapable of acts
of disobedience. Human probation ended with the original sin; in
consequence, not only was human nature vitiated at its fountainhead,
but all of Adam's descendants fell under the curse of God, the guilt
of his transgression being imputed to them.
No finite creature--still less a fallen and depraved one--is capable
of measuring or even understanding the justice of the infinite God.
Yet which appears to be more consonant with human conceptions of
justice--that we should suffer through Adam because we were legally
connected with him and he transacted in our name; or that we should
suffer solely because we derive our nature from him by generation,
though we had no part in or connection with his sin? In the former we
can perceive the ground on which his guilt is charged to our account;
but in the latter we can discover no ground or cause that any share of
the fatal effects of Adam's sin should be visited on us. The latter
alternative means that we are depraved and wretched without any
sufficient reason, and in such an event our present condition is
simply a misfortune and in no way criminal. Nor is God to be blamed.
He made man upright, but man deliberately apostatized. Nor was God
under any obligation to preserve man from falling. Our salvation
depends upon the same principle and fact: If we were cursed and ruined
by the first Adam's disobedience we are redeemed and blessed by the
last Adam's obedience.
Contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14
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A. W. Pink Header
The Total Depravity of Man by A.W. Pink
Chapter 4-Consequences
_________________________________________________________________
The key to the mystery of human depravity is to be found in a right
understanding of the relations which God appointed between the first
man and his posterity. As the grand truth of redemption cannot be
rightly and intelligently apprehended until we perceive the close
connection which God ordained between the Redeemer and the redeemed,
neither can the tragedy of man's ruin be contemplated in its proper
perspective unless we view it in the light of Adam's apostasy from his
Creator. He was the prototype of all humanity. As he stood for the
whole human race, in him God dealt with all who should issue from him.
Had not Adam been our covenant head and federal representative, the
mere circumstance that he was our first parent would not have involved
us in the legal consequences of his sin. Nor would it have entitled us
to the legal reward of his righteousness had he maintained his
integrity and served his probation by giving his Maker and Lord that
obedience which was His due and which he was fully capacitated to
perform. The divinely constituted tie (connecting principle) and
oneness of the first man with all mankind in the sight of the law
explains the latter's participation in the penalty visited on the
former.
Consequences for Adam
We have dwelt at some length on the origin of human depravity and the
divine imputation of the guilt of Adam's transgression to all his
descendants. We now consider the consequences entailed by the fall.
Abominable indeed is sin, fearful are the wages it earns, dreadful are
the effects it has produced. In sin's consequences we are shown the
holy One's estimate of sin, the severity of His punishment expressing
His hatred of it. Conversely the terrible doom of Adam makes evident
the enormity of his offense. That offense is not to be measured by the
external act of eating the fruit, but by the awful affront which was
made against God's majesty. In his single sin there was a complication
of many crimes. There was base ingratitude against the One who had so
richly endowed him, and discontent with the good heritage allotted
him. There was a disbelief of the holy veracity of God, a doubting of
His word and a believing of the serpent's lie. There was a repudiation
of the infinite obligations he was under to love and serve his Maker,
a preferring of his own will and way. There was a contempt of God's
high authority, a breaking of His covenant, a defiance of His solemn
threat. The curse of heaven fell upon him because he deliberately and
presumptuously defied the Almighty.
Very much more was included and involved in Adam's transgression than
is commonly supposed or recognized. Three hundred years ago that
profound theologian James Ussher pointed out that wrapped up in it was
"the breach of the whole Law of God." Summarizing in our own language
what the Bishop of Armagh developed at length, Adam's violation of all
the Ten Commandments of the moral law may be set forth thus: He broke
the first commandment by choosing another "god" when he followed the
counsel of Satan. The second, in idolizing his palate, making a god of
his belly by eating the forbidden fruit. The third, by not believing
God's threatening, in that way taking His name in vain. The fourth, by
breaking the sinless rest in which he had been placed. The fifth, by
thus dishonoring his Father in heaven. The sixth, by bringing death on
himself and all his posterity. The seventh, by committing spiritual
adultery, and preferring the creature above the Creator. The eighth,
by laying hands upon that to which he had no right. The ninth, by
accepting the serpent's false witness against God. The tenth, by
coveting that which God had not given to him.
We by no means share the popular idea that the Lord saved Adam very
soon after his fall; rather we take decided exception to that theory.
We cannot find anything whatever in Holy Writ on which to base such a
belief; in fact, we find much to the contrary. First it is clear that
Adam's sin was not one of infirmity, but instead a presumptuous one,
pertaining to that class of willful sins and open defiance of God for
which no sacrifice was provided (Exodus 21:14; Num. 15:30-31; Deut.
17:12; Heb. 10:26-29), and which was therefore an unpardonable sin.
There is not the slightest sign that he ever repented of his sin, nor
any record of his confessing it to God. On the contrary, when charged
with it, he attempted to excuse and extenuate it. Genesis 3 closes
with the awful statement "So he drove out the man." Nothing whatever
is mentioned to Adam's credit afterward: no offering of sacrifice, no
acts of faith or obedience. Instead we are merely told that he knew
his wife (4:1, 25), begat a son in his own likeness, and died (5:3-5).
If the reader can see in those statements any intimation or indication
that Adam was a regenerated man, then he has much better eyes than the
writer--or possibly a more lively imagination.
Nor is there a single word in Adam's favor in later scriptures; rather
is everything to his condemnation. Job denied that he covered his
transgressions or hid his iniquity in his bosom "as Adam" did (31:33).
The psalmist declared that those who judged unjustly and accepted the
persons of the wicked should die like Adam (82:7), for the Hebrew word
there rendered "men" is Adam. In the New Testament he is contrasted in
considerable detail with Christ (Rom. 5:12, 21; I Cor. 15:22, 45-47);
and if he were saved, then the antithesis would fail at its principal
point. Moreover, such an anomaly--that the great majority of those
whom he represented should eternally perish, while the responsible
head should be recovered--is quite out of keeping with what is
revealed of God's justice. In I Timothy 2:14 specific mention is made
of the fact that "Adam was not deceived," which emphasizes the
enormity of his transgression. In Hebrews 11 the Holy Spirit has cited
the faith of Old Testament saints, and though He mentions that of
Abel, Enoch, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and others, He says nothing about
Adam's! His being omitted from that list is solemnly significant.
After his being driven out of Eden, Scripture makes no mention of God
having any further dealing with Adam!
Before taking up the consequences of Adam's defection upon his
descendants, we will consider those consequences which fell
immediately upon him and his guilty partner. These are recorded in
Genesis 3. No sooner had Adam revolted from his gracious Maker and
Benefactor than the evil effects became apparent. His understanding,
originally enlightened with heavenly wisdom, became darkened and
overcast with crass ignorance. His heart, formerly fired with holy
veneration toward his Creator and warm with love to Him, now became
alienated and filled with enmity against Him. His will, which had been
in subjection to his rightful Governor, had cast off the yoke of
obedience. His whole moral constitution was wrecked, had become
unhinged, perverse. In a word, the life of God had departed from his
soul. His aversion for the supremely excellent One appeared in his
flight from Him as soon as he heard His approach. His crass ignorance
and stupidity were evinced by his vain attempt to conceal himself from
the eyes of Omniscience. His pride was displayed in refusing to
acknowledge his guilt; his ingratitude, when he indirectly upbraided
God for giving him a wife. But let us turn to the inspired account of
these things.
"And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were
naked" (Gen. 3:7). Very, very striking is this. We do not read of any
change taking place when Eve partook of the forbidden fruit, but as
soon as Adam did so "the eyes of them both were opened." This
furnishes definite confirmation of our previous statement that Adam
was the covenant head and legal representative of his wife, as well as
of the future children which were to issue from them. Therefore the
penalty for disobedience was not inflicted by God until the one to
whom the prohibition had been made, violated the same, and then the
consequences began to be immediately felt by both of them. But what is
meant by "the eyes of them both were opened"? Certainly not their
physical eyes, for those had previously been open. We have here
another intimation that we must not slavishly limit ourselves to the
literal meaning of all the terms used in this chapter. The answer,
then, must be the "eyes" of their understanding; or, more strictly,
those of their conscience--which sees or perceives, as well as hears,
speaks and chastises. In that expression, "the eyes of them both were
opened," is to be found the key to what follows.
The result of eating the forbidden fruit was not the acquisition of
supernatural wisdom, as they fondly hoped, but a discovery that they
had reduced themselves to a condition of wretchedness. They knew that
they were "naked," and that in a sense very different from that
mentioned in Genesis 2:25. Though in their original and glorious state
they wore no material clothing, yet we do not believe for a moment
that they were without any covering at all. Rather we agree with G. H.
Bishop that they
...were not without effulgence shining from them and around them,
which wrapped them in a radiant and translucent robe--and in a
certain lovely way obscured their outlines. It is contrary to
nature and it is repugnant to us that anything should be unclothed
and absolutely bare. Each bird has its plumage and each animal its
coat, and there is no beauty if the covering be removed. Strip the
beautiful bird of its feathers, and, though the form remain
unchanged, we no longer admire it. We conceive, then, that artists
are wholly at fault and grossly offend against purity, when they
paint the human form unclothed, and plead as an excuse the case of
Adam in Eden. Could the animals in all their splendid covering
coats have bowed down as the vice-regents of God (Gen. i, 28)
before beings wholly unclothed? Should Adam, the crown and king of
creation, be the only living thing without a screen? Impossible. To
the spiritual sense there certainly is a hint of something about
our first parents that impressed and overawed the animal creation.
What was that thing? What, but that shining forth like the sun,
which describes the body of the resurrection (Daniel xii, 3)? If
the face of Moses so shone by reflection that the children of
Israel were afraid to come nigh him, how much more must the
[unimpeded] indwelling Spirit of God in Adam and Eve have flung
around them a radiance which made all creation do them reverence at
their approach--beholding in them the image and likeness of the
Lord God Almighty--glorious in brightness--shining like a sun?
Supplementing the above, let it be pointed out that of the Lord God
it is said: "Thou art clothed with honour and majesty: who coverest
thyself with light as with a garment" (Ps. 104:1-2); and man was
made, originally, in His image! God "crowned him with glory and
honour," made him "to have dominion over the works of thy hands"
(Ps. 8:5-6), and accordingly covered him with bright apparel, as
will be the ultimate case of those recovered from the fall and its
consequences, for "they are equal unto the angels" (Luke 20:36; cf.
"two men stood by them in shining garments" [Luke 24:4]). Further,
the implication of Romans 8:3 is irresistible: "God sending his own
Son in the likeness of sinful flesh." Note how discriminating is
that language: not merely in the likeness of the flesh, but
literally "sin's flesh." Robert Haldane explained those words thus:
If the flesh of Jesus Christ was the likeness of sinful flesh,
there must be a difference between the appearance of sinful flesh
and our nature or flesh in its original condition when Adam was
created. Christ, then, was not made in the likeness of the flesh of
man before sin entered the world, but in the likeness of his fallen
flesh.
And since Christ restored that which He took not away (Ps. 69:4), then
its resurrected state shows us its primitive glory (Phil. 3:21).
Following the statement "the eyes of them both were opened," we would
naturally expect the next clause to read "and they saw that they were
naked"; but instead it says, "they knew that they were
naked"--something more than a discovery of their woeful physical
plight. The Hebrew verb is rendered "know" in the vast majority of
references, yet eighteen times it is translated "perceive" and three
times "feel." As the opening of their eyes refers to the eyes of their
understanding, so we are informed of what they now discerned, namely
the loss of their innocence. There is nakedness of soul which is far
worse than an unclothed body, for it unfits it for the presence of the
holy One. The nakedness of Adam and Eve was the loss of the image of
God, the inherent righteousness and holiness in which He created them.
Such is the awful condition in which all of their descendants are
born. That is why Christ bids them buy of Him "white raiment, that
thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not
appear" (Rev. 3:18). The "white raiment" is "the robe of
righteousness" (Isa. 61:10), the "wedding garment" of Matthew
22:11-13, without which the soul is eternally lost.
"They knew that they were naked." As Bishop expressed it, "Their halo
had vanished, and the Spirit of righteousness who had been to them a
covering of light and purity withdrew, and they felt that they were
stripped and bare." But more; they realized that their physical
condition mirrored their spiritual loss. They were made painfully
conscious of sin and its dire consequences. This was the first result
of their transgression: a guilty conscience condemned them, and a
sense of shame possessed their souls. Their hearts smote them for what
they had done. Now that the fearful deed of disobedience had been
committed, they realized the happiness they had flung away and the
misery into which they had plunged themselves. They knew that they
were not only stripped of all the bliss and honor of paradise, but
were defiled and degraded. Thus a sense of wretchedness possessed
them. They knew that they were naked of everything that is holy. They
might be rightly termed "Ichabod," for the glory of the Lord had
departed from them. This is always the effect of sin; it destroys our
peace, robs our joy and brings in its train a consciousness of guilt
and a sense of shame.
There is, we believe, a yet deeper meaning in the words "they knew
that they were naked," namely, a realization that they were exposed to
the wrath of an offended God. They perceived that their defense was
gone. They were morally naked, without any protection against the
broken law! This is very striking and solemn. Before the Lord appeared
to them, before He said a word or came near to them, Adam and Eve knew
the dreadful state they were in, and were ashamed. Oh, the power of
conscience! Our first parents stood self-accused and self-condemned.
Before the Judge appeared on the scene, man became as it were the
judge of his own fallen and woeful condition. Yes, they knew of
themselves that they were disgraced, that their holiness was defiled,
their innocence gone, the image of God in their souls broken, their
tranquillity disrupted, their protection against the law removed.
Stripped of their original righteousness, they stood defenseless. What
a terrible discovery to make! Such is the state into which fallen man
has come--one of which he himself is ashamed.
And what did the guilty pair do upon their painful discovery? How did
they conduct themselves? Cry to God for mercy? Look to Him for a
covering? No indeed. Not even an awakened conscience moves its
tormented possessor to turn to the Lord, though it must do its work
before the sinner flies to Him for refuge. A lost soul needs something
more than an active conscience to draw him to Christ. That is very
evident from the case of the scribes and Pharisees in His very
presence, for "being convicted by their own conscience, they went out"
(John 8:9). Instead of a convicted conscience causing them to cast
themselves at the feet of the Saviour, it resulted in their leaving
Him! Nothing short of the Holy Spirit's quickening, enmity-subduing,
heart-melting, faith-bestowing, will-impelling operations brings
anyone into saving contact with the Lord Jesus. He does indeed wound
before He applies the balm of Gilead, make use of the law to prepare
the way for the gospel, break up the hard soil of the heart to make it
receptive to the seed. But even a conscience aroused by Him, accusing
the soul with a voice which cannot be stilled, will never of itself
bring one into "the way of peace."
No, instead of going to God, Adam and Eve attempted by their own puny
efforts to repair the damage they had done in themselves. "They sewed
fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons." Here we see the
second consequence of their sin: a worthless expedient, a futile
attempt to conceal their real character and hide their shame from
themselves and the other creatures. As others have pointed out, our
first parents were more anxious to save face before each other than
they were to seek the pardon of God. They sought to arm themselves
against a feeling of shame and thereby quiet their accusing
conscience. And thus it is with their children to this day. They are
more afraid of being detected in sin than of committing it, and more
concerned about appearing well before their fellowmen than about
obtaining the approbation of God. The chief objective of the fallen
sons of men is to quiet their guilty consciences and to stand well
with their neighbors. Hence so many of the unregenerate assume the
garb of religion.
"And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the
cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the
presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden" (3:8). Here
was the third consequence of their fall: a dread of God. Up to this
point they had been concerned only with their own selves and their
wretchedness, but now they had to reckon with another, their Judge.
Apparently they did not see His form at this moment, but only heard
His voice. This was to test them. But instead of welcoming such a
sound, they were horrified and fled in terror. But where could they
flee from His presence? "Can any hide himself in secret places that I
shall not see him? saith the LORD" (Jer. 23:24). In the attempt of
Adam and Eve to seclude themselves among the trees, we see how sin has
turned man into an utter fool; for none but an imbecile would imagine
that he could conceal himself from the eyes of Omniscience.
When Adam and Eve, by an act of willful transgression, broke the
condition of the covenant under which they had been placed, they
incurred the double guilt of disbelieving God's word and defying His
will. Thereby they forfeited the promise of life and brought upon
themselves the penalty of death. That one act of theirs completely
changed their relation to God and, at the same time, reversed their
feelings toward Him. They were no longer the objects of His favor, but
instead the subjects of His wrath. As the effect of their sinfulness
and the result of their spiritual death, the Lord God ceased to be the
object of their love and confidence, and had become the object of
their aversion and distrust. A sense of degradation and of God's
displeasure filled them with fright and caused them to have awful
enmity against Him. So swift and drastic was the change which sin
produced in their relations and feelings toward their Maker that they
were ashamed and afraid to appear before Him. As soon as they heard
His voice in the garden, they fled in horror and terror, seeking to
hide from Him among the trees. They dreaded to bear Him pronounce
formal sentence of condemnation upon them, for they knew in themselves
that they deserved it.
Each action of our first parents after the fall was emblematic and
prophetic, for it predicted how their descendants too would conduct
themselves. First, upon the discovery of their nakedness, or loss of
their original purity and glory, they sewed themselves aprons of fig
leaves in an attempt to preserve their self-respect and make
themselves presentable to one another. Thus it is with the natural man
the world over. By a variety of efforts he seeks to conceal his
spiritual wretchedness, yet at best his religious exercises and
altruistic performances are just things of time, and will not endure
the test of eternity. Second, Adam and Eve tried to hide from the One
they now feared and hated. So it is with their children. They are
fallen and depraved; God is holy and righteous; and despite their
self-manufactured coverings of creature-respectability and piety, the
very thought of a face-to-face meeting with their Sovereign renders
the unregenerate uneasy. That is why the Bible is so much
neglected--because in it God is heard speaking. That is why the
theater is preferred to the prayer meeting. This is proof that all
shared in the first sin and died in Adam, for all inherit his nature
and perpetuate his conduct.
How clearly the actions of the guilty pair made evident the serpent's
lie. The more closely verses 4 and 5 are scrutinized in the light of
the immediate sequel, the more their falsity appears. The serpent had
assured them, "Ye shall not surely die," yet they had done so
spiritually; and now they fled in terror lest they lose their physical
lives. He had declared that they would be advanced--for that was the
evident force of his "your eyes shall be opened"; instead, they had
been abased. He had promised that they would be increased in
knowledge, whereas they had become so stupid as to entertain the idea
that they could conceal themselves from the omniscient and omnipresent
One. He had said they should "be as gods," but here we see them as
self-accused and trembling criminals. We do well to bear in mind the
Lord's pronouncement concerning the devil: "He is a liar, and the
father of it" (John 8:44), the perverter and denier of the truth, the
promoter and instigator of falsehood of every kind throughout the
earth, always employing dissimulation and treachery, subtlety and
deception, to further his evil interests.
Consider the terrible consequences of listening to the devil's lies.
See the awful ravage which sin works. Not only had Adam and Eve
irreparably damaged themselves, but they had become fugitives from
their all-glorious Creator. He is ineffably pure; they were polluted,
and therefore sought to avoid Him. How unbearable the thought to a
guilty conscience that the unpardoned sinner will yet have to stand
before the thrice holy One! Yet he must. There is no possible way in
which any of us can escape that awful meeting. All must appear before
Him and render an account of their stewardship. Unless we flee to
Christ for refuge, and have our sins blotted out by His atoning blood,
we shall hear His sentence of eternal doom. "Seek ... the LORD while
he may be found, call ... upon him while he is near" in His gracious
overtures of the gospel (Isa. 55:6). For "how shall we escape" the
lake of fire "if we neglect so great salvation?" Do not assume that
you are a Christian, but examine your foundations; beg God to search
your heart and show you your real condition. Take the place of a
hell-deserving sinner and receive the sinner's Saviour.
In the verses that follow we are given a solemn preview of the day to
come: "And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art
thou?" (Gen. 3:9). It was the divine Judge summoning him to an account
of what he had done. It was a word designed to impress upon him the
distance from God to which sin and guilt had removed him. His offense
had severed all communion between them, for "what fellowship hath
righteousness with unrighteousness, and what communion hath light with
darkness?" Observe that the Lord ignored Eve and confined His address
to the responsible head. God had plainly warned him about the
forbidden fruit: "In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt
surely die." This death is not annihilation but alienation. Spiritual
death is the separation of the soul from the holy One: "Your
iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have
hid his face from you" (Isa. 59:2). This is the terrible plight of us
all by nature--"far off" (Eph. 2:13)--and unless divine grace saves
us, we shall be "punished with everlasting destruction from the
presence of the Lord" (II Thess. 1:9).
"And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden [which suggests that He
was now seen in theophanic manifestation], and I was afraid, because I
was naked; and I hid myself" (Gen. 3:10). Note how utterly unable
sinful man is to meet the divine inquisition. Adam could offer no
adequate defense. Hear his sorry admission: "I was afraid." His
conscience condemned him. This will be the woeful plight of every lost
soul when, brought out from "the refuge of lies" in which he formerly
sheltered, he appears before his Maker--destitute of that
righteousness and holiness which He inexorably requires, and which we
can obtain only in and from Christ. Weigh those words: "I was afraid,
because I was naked." Adam's heart was filled with horror and terror.
His apron of fig leaves was of no avail! Thus it is when the Holy
Spirit convicts a soul. The garb of religion is discovered to be
naught but filthy rags when one is given to see light in God's light.
The soul is filled with fear and shame as he realizes he has to do
with One before whom all things are naked and opened. Have you passed
through this experience, seen and felt yourself to be a spiritual
bankrupt, a moral leper, a lost sinner? If not, you will in the day to
come.
"And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked?" (v.11). To this
inquiry Adam made no reply. Instead of humbling himself before his
aggrieved Benefactor, the culprit failed to answer. Whereupon the Lord
said, "Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou
shouldest not eat?" It is striking to notice that God made no reply to
the idle and perverse excuses which Adam had at first proffered. They
were unworthy of His notice. If the words of Adam in verse 10 are
carefully pondered, a solemn and fatal omission from them will be
observed: He said nothing about his sin, but mentioned only the
painful effects which it had produced. As another has said, "This was
the language of impenitent misery." God therefore directed him to the
cause of those effects. Yet observe the manner in which He framed His
words. The Lord did not directly charge the offender with his crime,
but instead questioned him: "Hast thou eaten?" That opened the way and
made it much easier for Adam contritely to acknowledge his
transgression. But he failed to avail himself of the opportunity and
declined to make brokenhearted confession of his iniquity.
God did not put those questions to Adam because He wanted to be
informed, but rather to provide Adam with an occasion to own
penitently what he had done. In his refusal to do so we see the fourth
consequence of the fall, namely, the hardening of the heart by sin.
There was no deep sorrow for his flagrant disobedience, and therefore
no sincere owning of it. To the second inquiry of God, the man said,
"The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree,
and I did eat" (v.12). Here was the fifth consequence of the fall:
self-justification by an attempt to excuse sin. Instead of confessing
his wickedness, Adam tried to mitigate and extenuate it by throwing
the onus upon another. The entrance of evil into man produced a
dishonest and deceitful heart. Rather than take the blame upon
himself, Adam sought to place it upon his wife. And thus it is with
his descendants. They endeavor to shelve their responsibility and
repudiate their culpability by attributing the wrongdoing to anyone or
anything rather than themselves, ascribing their sins to the force of
circumstances, an evil environment, temptations or the devil.
But in those words of Adam we may discern something still more
heinous, a sixth consequence of his fall, namely, a blasphemous
challenging of God Himself. Adam did not simply say, "My wife gave me
of the tree, and I did eat," but "The woman whom thou gavest me. . .
." Thus he covertly reproached the Lord. It was as though he said,
"Hadst Thou not given me this woman, I had not eaten. Why didst Thou
put such a snare upon me?" See here the pride and stout-heartiness
which characterize the devil, whose kingdom has now been set up within
man. So it is with his children to this day. That is why we are
warned, "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for
God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man" (James
1:13). The depraved mind of the fallen creature is so prone to think
that very thing and seek shelter in that excuse. "If God had not
ordered things that way, I never would have been so strongly tempted.
If He had arranged things differently, I would not have been enticed,
still less overcome." Thus, in our efforts at self-vindication, we
cast reflection on the ways of Him who cannot err.
"The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth
against the Lord" (Prov. 19:3). This is one of the vilest forms in
which human depravity manifests itself: that after deliberately
playing the fool, and discovering that the way of transgressors is
hard, we murmur against God instead of meekly submitting to His rod.
When we pervert our way--through self-will, carnal greed, rash
conduct, hasty actions--let us not charge God with the bitter fruits
of our wrongdoing. Since we are the authors of our misery, it is
reasonable that we should fret against ourselves. But such is the
pride of our hearts, and our unsubdued enmity against God, that we are
foolishly apt to fret against Him, as though He were responsible for
our troubles. We must not expect to gather grapes from thorns, or figs
from thistles! Do not charge the unpleasant reaping to the severity of
God, but to your own perversity. Do not say, "God should not have
endowed me with such strong passions if I may not indulge them." Do
not ask, "Why did He not give grace so that I could have resisted the
temptation?" Do not impeach His sovereignty, do not question His
dispensations, harbor no doubts about His goodness. If you do, you are
repeating the wickedness of your first father.
"And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave
me of the tree, and I did eat." Adam indeed recited the facts of the
case, yet in so doing he made it worse rather than better. He was the
woman's head and protector, and therefore should have taken more care
to prevent her falling into evil. When she had succumbed to the
serpent's wiles, far from following her example, he should have
rebuked her and refused her offer. To plead allurement by others is no
valid excuse, yet it is commonly offered. When Aaron was charged with
making the golden calf, he admitted the fact, but sought to extenuate
the fault by blaming the congregation (Exodus 32:22-24). In like
manner, disobedient King Saul sought to transfer the onus to "the
people" (I Sam. 15:21). So too Pilate gave orders for the crucifixion
of Christ, and then charged the crime to the Jews (Matt. 27:24). Here
we learn yet another consequence of the fall: It produced a breach of
affection between man and his neighbor--in this case his wife, whom he
now loved so little as to thrust her forth to receive the stroke of
divine vengeance.
"And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast
done?" (v. 13a). Here we see both the infinite condescension of the
Most High and His fairness as Judge. He did not act in high
sovereignty, disdaining to parley with the creature; nor did He
condemn the transgressors unheard, but gave them opportunity to defend
themselves or confess their crime. So it will be at the great hearing.
It will be conducted in such a manner as to make it transparently
evident that every transgressor receives "the due reward of his
iniquities," and that God is clear when He judges (Ps. 51:4). "And the
woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat" (v. 13b). Eve
followed the same course and manifested the same evil spirit as her
husband. She did not humble herself before the Lord, gave no sign of
repentance, made no brokenhearted confession. Instead, she vainly
attempted to vindicate herself by casting the blame on the serpent. It
was a weak excuse, for God had capacitated her with understanding to
perceive his lies, and with rectitude of nature to reject them with
horror. It is equally useless for her children to plead, "I had no
intention of sinning, but the devil tempted me"; for he can force no
one, nor prevail without one's consent.
As Adam and Eve stood before their Judge, self-accused and
self-condemned, He proceeded to pronounce sentence upon the guilty
pair. But before doing so He dealt with the one who had been
instrumental in their fall: "And the LORD God said unto the serpent,
because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and
above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust
shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. And I will put enmity between
thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise
thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel" (vv. 14-15). Observe that no
question was put to the serpent. Rather the Lord treated him as an
avowed enemy. His sentence is to be taken literally in its application
to the serpent, mystically in relation to Satan. Scott said
The words may imply a visible punishment to be executed on the
serpent, as the instrument in this temptation; but the curse was
directed against the invisible tempter, whose abject, degraded
condition, and base endeavours to find satisfaction in rendering
others wicked and miserable, might be figuratively intimated by the
serpent's moving on his belly, and feeding on the dust.
The Lord began His denunciations where sin began--with the serpent.
Each part of the sentence expresses the fearful degradation which
should henceforth be his portion. First, it was "cursed above all
cattle"; the curse has extended to the whole creation, as Romans
8:20-23 makes clear. Second, thereafter it would crawl in the dust;
this infers that originally it stood erect (cf. our remarks on Gen.
3:1). Third, God Himself now put enmity between it and the female, so
that where there had been intimate converse there should now be mutual
aversion. Fourth, passing from the literal snake to "that old serpent,
the devil," God announced that he should ultimately be crushed, not by
His hand dealing immediately with him, but by One in human nature,
and--what would be yet more humiliating--by the woman's seed. Satan
had made use of the weaker vessel, and God would defeat him through
the same medium! Wrapped up in that pronouncement was a prophecy and a
promise. However let it be carefully noted that it was in the form of
a sentence of doom on Satan, not a gracious declaration made to Adam
and Eve--intimating that they had no personal interest in it!
The sentences pronounced upon our first parents need not detain us,
for the language is so plain and simple that it needs neither
explanation nor comment. Since Eve was the first in the transgression,
and had tempted Adam, she was the next to receive sentence. "Unto the
woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception;
in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to
thy husband, and he shall rule over thee" (v.16). Thus she was
condemned to a state of sorrow, suffering and servitude. "And unto
Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife,
and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou
shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow
shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and
thistles shall it bring forth to thee; ...in the sweat of thy face
shalt thou eat bread" (vv. 17-19). Sorrow, toil and sweat were to be
the burden falling most heavily upon the male. Here we see the eighth
consequence of the fall: physical suffering and death--"Unto dust
shalt thou return."
"And Adam called his wife's name Eve ['living']; because she was the
mother of all living" (v.20). This is manifestly a detail communicated
by God to Moses the historian, for Eve gave birth to no children until
after she and her husband had been expelled from Eden. It seems to be
introduced here for the purpose of illustrating and exemplifying the
concluding portion of the sentence passed upon the woman in verse 16.
As Adam had made proof of his dominion over all the lower creatures
(1:28) by giving names to them (2:19), so in token of his rule over
his wife he conferred a name upon her. "Unto Adam also and to his wife
did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them" (v.21). We are
not told the design of the coats; each reader is free to form his own
opinion. Many have supposed these words to intimate that God dealt
(typically, at least) in mercy with the fallen pair, and that
emblematically they were robed in Christ's righteousness and covered
with the garments of salvation. To the contrary, the writer sees in
this the ninth consequence of the fall: that man had thereby descended
to the level of the animals. Observe how in Daniel 7 and Revelation
17, where God sets before us the character of the leading kingdoms of
the world (as He sees them), He employs the symbol of beasts!
"And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to
know good and evil" (v.22), which is obviously the language of sarcasm
and irony. See the one who vainly imagined that by defying God he
should "be as gods" (v.5), now degraded to the level of the beasts!
"Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to
till the ground from whence he was taken" (v.23). God bade him leave
the garden. But, as Matthew Henry intimates, such an order did not at
all appeal to the apostate rebel. "So he drove out the man; and He
placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming
sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life"
(v.24), thereby effectually preventing his return. Hence we note the
tenth consequence of the fall: man as an outcast from God, estranged
from His favor and fellowship, banished from the place of delight,
sent forth a fugitive into the world. Observe how this closing verse
corroborates our interpretation of verse 21. The Lord does not drive
from Him any child of His! And this is the finally recorded act of God
in connection with Adam! As He cast out of heaven the angels that
sinned, so He drove Adam and Eve out of the earthly paradise, in proof
of their abhorrence to Him and their alienation from Him.
Consequences for Mankind
Having considered those consequences which fell more immediately upon
our first parents for their original offense, we shall now look at the
consequences they brought upon their descendants. We do not have to go
outside of Genesis 3 to find proof that the penal consequences of
their transgression are inherited by their posterity. What God said to
them was said to all of mankind, for since the sin was common to all,
so was the penalty also. "Unto the woman he said, I will greatly
multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring
forth children" (v.16). And such has been the lot of all Eve's
daughters. "Cursed is the ground for thy sake: in sorrow shalt thou
eat of it all the days of thy life; ...in the sweat of thy face shalt
thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground ...for dust thou art,
and unto dust shalt thou return" (vv. 17-19). And such has been the
portion of Adam's sons--in every generation and in all parts of the
earth. The calamity of evil which then descended upon the world
continues to this hour. All of Adam and Eve's children are equally
involved in the sentence of the pain of childbirth, the curse on the
ground, the obligation to live by toil and sweat, the decay and death
of the body.
But the things just mentioned above, though severe and painful, are
trivial in comparison with the divine judgment which has been visited
on man's soul. They are but the external and visible marks of the
moral and spiritual calamity which overtook Adam and his race. By his
disobedience he forfeited the favor of his Maker, fell under His holy
condemnation and curse, received the awful wages of his sin, came
under the sentence of the law, was alienated from the life of God,
became totally depraved and, as such an object of abhorrence to the
holy One, was driven from His presence. Since the guilt of Adam's
offense was imputed or judicially charged to all those he represented,
it follows that they participate in all the misery that came upon him.
Guilt consists of an obligation or liability to suffer punishment for
an offense committed, and that in proportion to the aggravation of the
offense. In consequence, every child is born into this world in a
state of antenatal disgrace and condemnation, with entire depravity of
nature and makeup which inevitably leads to and produces actual
transgression, and with complete inability of soul to change his
nature or do anything pleasing to God.
"The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as
they be born, speaking lies" (Ps. 58:3). First, from the moment of
birth every child is morally and spiritually cut off from the Lord--a
lost sinner. Matthew Henry described it thus: "estranged from God and
all good: alienated from the Divine life, and its principles, powers,
and blessings." Adam lost not only the image of God but His favor and
fellowship too, being expelled from His presence. And each of his
children was born outside Eden, born in a state of guilt.
Second, in consequence of this, Adam's children are delinquents,
warped from the beginning. Their very being is polluted, for evil is
bred in them. Their "nature" is inclined to wickedness only; and if
God leaves them to themselves they will never turn from it.
Third, they quickly supply evidence of their separation from God and
of the corruption of their hearts--as every godly parent perceives to
his sorrow. While in the cradle they evince their opposition to truth,
sincerity, integrity. "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child"
(Prov. 22:15), not childishness but foolishness--leaning toward evil,
entering upon an ungodly course, forming and following bad habits. It
is "bound in the heart"--held firmly there by chains invincible to
human power.
But in all ages there have been those who sought to blunt the sharp
edge of Psalm 58:3 by narrowing its scope, denying that it has a
race-wide application; these are determined at all costs to rid
themselves of the unpalatable truth of the total depravity of all
mankind. Pelagians and Socinians have insisted that that verse is
speaking only of a particularly reprobate class, those who are
flagrantly wayward from an early age. Rightly did J. Owen point out:
It is to no purpose to say that he speaks of wicked men only; that
is, such as are habitually and profligately so For whatever any man
may afterwards run into by a course of sin, all men are morally
alike from the womb, and it is an aggravation of the wickedness of
men that it begins so early and holds on in an uninterrupted
course. Children are not able to speak from the womb, as soon as
they be born. Yet here are they said to speak lies. It is therefore
the perverse acting of depraved nature in infancy that is intended,
for everything that is irregular, that answers not the law of our
creation and rule of our obedience, is a lie.
"And were by nature the children of wrath, even as others" (Eph. 2:3).
That statement is, if possible, even more awful and solemn than Psalm
58:3. It signifies much more than that we are born into the world with
a defiled constitution, for it speaks of not simply "children of
corruption," but "children of wrath"--obnoxious to God, criminals in
His sight. Depravity of our natures is no mere misfortune; if it were,
it would evoke pity, not anger. The expression "children of wrath" is
a Hebraism, a very strong and emphatic one. The original rendering of
I Samuel 20:30 and II Samuel 12:5 mentions "the son of death," that
is, one deserving death. In Matthew 23:15 Christ used the fearful term
"the child of hell"--one whose sure portion is hell; while in John
17:12 He designated Judas "the son of perdition." Thus "children of
wrath" connotes those who are deserving of wrath, heirs of wrath, fit
for it. They are born to wrath, and under it, as their heritage. They
are not only defiled and corrupt creatures, but the objects of God's
judicial indignation. Why? Because the sin of Adam is imputed to them,
and therefore they are regarded as guilty of having broken God's law.
Equally forcible and explicit are the words "by nature the children of
wrath," in designed contrast with that which is artificially acquired.
Many have insisted (contrary to the facts of common experience and
observation) that children are corrupted by external contact with
evil, that they acquire bad habits by imitation of others. We do not
deny that environment has a measure of influence. Yet if any baby
could be placed in a perfect setting and surrounded only by sinless
beings, it would soon be evident that he was corrupt. We are depraved
not by a process of development, but by genesis. It is not "on account
of nature" but "by nature," because of our nativity. It is innate,
bred in us. As Goodwin solemnly pointed out, "They are children of
wrath in the very womb, before they commit any actual sin." The
depraved nature itself is a penal evil, and that is because of our
federal union with Adam, as sharing in his transgression. We are the
children of wrath because our federal head fell under the wrath of
God. Calvin stated, "There would be no truth in the assertion of Paul
that all are by nature the children of wrath if they had not been
already under the curse before their birth."
But a greater than Calvin has informed us: "For the children being not
yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of
God according to election might stand, not of works, but of Him that
calleth, it was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As
it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated" (Rom.
9:11-13). This goes back still further, before birth. Esau was an
object of God's hatred before he was born. Obviously a righteous God
could not abominate one who was pure and innocent. But how could Esau
be guilty prior to doing any good or evil? Because he shared Adam's
criminality; and for precisely the same reason, all of us are by
nature the children of wrath--obnoxious and subject to divine
punishment--not only by virtue of our own personal transgressions, but
because of our constitution. Deviation is coexistent with our very
being. We are members of a cursed head, branches of a condemned tree,
streams of a polluted fountain. In a word, the guilt of Adam's sin
lies on us. No other explanation is possible; since our guilt and
liability to punishment are not, in the first place, due to our
personal sins, they must be because of Adam's sin being imputed to us.
For the same reason infants die naturally, for sin is not merely the
occasion of physical dissolution but the cause of it. Death is the
wages of sin, the sentence of the broken law, the penal infliction of
a righteous God. Had Adam never sinned, neither he nor any of his
descendants would have become subject to death. Had not the guilt of
Adam's offense been charged to his posterity, none would die in
infancy. Yet it does not necessarily follow that any who expire in
early childhood are eternally lost. That they are born into this world
spiritually dead, alienated from the life of God, is clear; but
whether they die eternally, or are saved by sovereign grace, is
probably one of those secret things which belong to the Lord. If they
are saved it must be because they are among the number elected by the
Father, redeemed by the Son and regenerated by the Spirit--without
which none can enter heaven; but concerning these things Scripture
appears to us to be silent. The Judge of all the earth will do right,
and there we may submissively yet trustfully leave it. Parenthood is
an unspeakably solemn matter.
In the opening verses of Ephesians 2 the Holy Spirit has described our
fallen state. First, we are dead in trespasses and sins (v. 1): dead
judicially, under sentence of the law; dead experientially, without a
spark of spiritual life. Second, our outward course is depicted (vv.
2-3): as completely dominated by "the flesh" or evil principle,
inspired to an ungodly walk by Satan, so that our every action is
sinful. Third, the resultant punishment is detailed (v.3): we are
obnoxious to the divine Judge, born in such a condition, and remaining
so while in this fallen state. Until the sinner believes, "the wrath
of God abideth on him" (John 3:36). Though the sentence is not yet
executed, it is suspended over him. The word "abideth" here denotes
perpetuity: as Augustine said, "It hath been upon him from his birth,
and remains to this day upon him." "The children of wrath, even as
others": this is the case of all of Adam's descendants, and it is
equally so. It is a common heritage: by nature no man is either better
or worse than his fellows. The very fact that this awful visitation is
universal can only be accounted for by our relation to the first man,
our covenant head and legal representative.
It would hardly be fair not to take some notice of those who attempt
to dismiss all which has been pointed out above by dogmatically
insisting that "Christ made atonement for original sin" so that the
guilt of our first father's transgression does not rest on his sons.
But such an arbitrary assertion is manifestly contrary to those facts
which confront us on every side. The judgment which God pronounced
upon Adam and Eve is as surely visited upon their children today as it
ever was before the Son of God died on the cross. The curse upon the
ground, the ordeal of women in childbirth, the necessity to toil for
our daily bread, the universal reign of death, including the demise of
so many infants, are all just as evident and prevalent in the New
Testament era as they were in the Old.
Obviously such things could not be if the Arminian view were sound,
for if the guilt of original sin had been removed, the effects of it
could no longer continue. Such an affirmation is baseless, unconfirmed
by a single clear statement in Scripture, though some do make a
farfetched attempt to substantiate it by appealing to John 1:29: "The
next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb
of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." We wonder how anyone
can perceive anything in those words which strikes them as relevant to
the point. Our Lord's forerunner was there presenting the Messiah to
the people in that sacrificial character which both type and prophecy
had prepared them to look for; he was not raising an abstruse question
in theology which is nowhere else mentioned in Scripture Had those
words occurred in one of Paul's profound doctrinal discussions, we
should be ready to look for a deeper meaning in them, though we would
require something very specific in the context obliging us to define
"the sin of the world" as the sin of Adam. John was the herald of a
new dispensation, one which would be radically different in its scope
from the previous one, and one which would be inaugurated by breaking
down the "middle wall of partition."
For two thousand years the grace of God had been restricted almost
entirely to a single nation; but now it was on the point of flowing
out to all. John the Baptist was there announcing Christ as the
heaven-appointed sacrifice which was to expiate the sin not of
believing Jews only but of Gentiles also. Though "the world" is a
general expression, it is not to be regarded as comprehending a
universality of individuals, as synonymous with mankind. It is an
indefinite expression, as "The glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together" (Isa. 40:5) and "all flesh shall
know that I the LORD am thy Saviour" (Isa. 49:26). "The sin of the
world" signifies all the sins of all God's people as a collective
whole, as one great and heavy burden--as in Isaiah 53:6: "The LORD
hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." It was the entire penalty
and punishment of sin, which Christ took on Himself, and bore away
from the divine Judge. As Hebrews 9:26 tells us, "But now once in the
end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of
himself." And since that sacrifice was a vicarious one, it necessarily
removed the guilt of all those in whose stead it was made.
Not only is the theory we are here controverting without any
scriptural evidence to support it, but it is refuted by every
considerable evidence to the contrary. If attention is paid to the
relations which Christ sustained to those in whose stead He obeyed and
suffered, it at once appears that His work was no mere indefinite and
general one, but had a particular and restricted design. He transacted
as a Shepherd on behalf of His sheep (John 10:11; cf. 10:26). If He
died also for the goats and the wolves, then there was no point in
saying He laid down His life for the sheep. He served in the relation
of a Husband (Eph. 5:25-27), showing singleness of affection, the
exclusiveness of conjugal love! He sustained the relation of Head to
His beneficiaries, there being a federal and legal unity between them
(Heb. 2:11). The redemptive work of Christ was like His coat, "without
seam," one complete and indivisible whole, so that what He did for one
He did for all--not merely taking away the guilt of original sin.
If it were true that Christ atoned for Adam's offense, then it would
necessarily follow that the government under which the human race is
now placed does not recognize the original curse. But such is far from
being the case. From the fall until now, all are born dead in sin, the
objects of God's displeasure. That is very evident from the teaching
of Romans 3 where, in unequivocal language, the whole world is
pronounced under condemnation, "guilty before God" (vv. 10-19)--not
merely as possible condemnation, but an actual one; not one which may
be incurred, but which has been incurred already, and under which all
are now lying; and the only way of deliverance is by faith in Christ.
Precisely the same representation is given in the New Testament of the
condition of all when first visited by the gospel. They are described
as those who are sinners, lost, lying beneath the curse of a broken
law, for the dark background of the gospel is that "the wrath of God
is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness"
(Rom. 1:18); and until the terms of that gospel are met, men have no
hope (Eph. 2:12).
The very scene into which we are born confronts us with innumerable
evidences that the earth is under the curse of its Maker. To quote J.
Thornwell:
The frowning aspect of Providence which so often darkens our world
and appalls our minds, receives the only adequate solution in the
fact that the Fall has fearfully changed the relations of God and
the creature. We are manifestly treated as criminals under guard.
We are dealt with as guilty, faithless, suspected beings that
cannot be trusted for a moment. Our earth has been turned into a
prison, and sentinels are posted around us to awe, rebuke, and
check us. Still, there are traces of our ancient grandeur; there is
so much consideration shown to us as to justify the impression that
those prisoners were once kings, and that this dungeon was once a
palace. To one unacquainted with the history of our race, the
dealings of Providence in regard to us must appear inexplicably
mysterious. But the whole subject is covered with light when the
doctrine of the Fall is understood. The gravest theological errors
with respect alike to the character of God and the character of man
have arisen from the monstrous hypothesis that our present is our
primitive condition, that we are now what God originally made us.
Contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14
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A. W. Pink Header
The Total Depravity of Man by A.W. Pink
Chapter 5-Transmission
_________________________________________________________________
In introducing this aspect of our subject we cannot do better than set
before the reader what A. A. Hodge pointed out in Outlines of Theology
as
...the self-evident moral principles which must ever be certainly
presupposed in every inquiry into the dealings of God with His
responsible creatures. (1) God cannot be the Author of sin. (2) We
must not believe that He could consistently with His own perfections
create a creature de novo (anew, originally) with a sinful nature. (3)
The perfection of righteousness, not bare sovereignty, is the grand
distinction of all God's dealings. (4) It is a heathen notion that the
"order of nature" or "the nature of things" or "natural law" is a real
agent independent of God, limiting His freedom or acting with Him as
an independent concause (joint cause) in producing effects. (5) We
cannot believe that God would inflict either moral or physical evil
upon any creature whose natural rights had not been previously
forfeited.
State the two distinct questions thence arising, which, though
frequently confused, it is essential to keep separate. First, how does
an innate sinful nature originate in each human being at the
commencement of his existence, so that the Maker of the man is not the
cause of his sin? If this corruption of nature originated in Adam, how
is it transmitted to us? Second, why, on what ground of injustice,
does God inflict this terrible evil, the root ground of all other
evils, at the very commencement of personal existence? What fair
probation have infants born in sin enjoyed? When, and why, were their
rights as new created beings forfeited? It is self-evident that these
questions are distinct and should be treated as such. The first may
possibly be answered on physical grounds. The second question,
however, concerns the moral government of God and inquires concerning
the justice of His dispensations. In the history of theology, of all
ages and in all schools, very much confusion has resulted from the
failure to emphasize and preserve prominent this distinction.
Guilt of Adam's Posterity
The why has been discussed by us at some length: the guilt of Adam's
offense was imputed to all his posterity because he served as their
covenant head and federal representative. Since they were legally one
with him, the punishment passed upon him falls on them too, involving
them in all the dire consequences of his crime. One of the most
terrible of those consequences is the receiving of a sinful nature,
which brings us to consider the how of the great human tragedy. We do
not propose to make any attempt to enter into a philosophical or
metaphysical inquiry as to how God can be the Creator and Maker of our
beings (Job 31:15), the "Father of spirits" (Heb. 12:9), and yet not
be the Author of the sin now inhering in our natures. Rather we shall
confine ourselves to an examination of the bare facts which Scripture
presents on the subject. Nowhere in the Word of God is the pollution
of fallen man ascribed to the holy One; it is uniformly attributed to
human propagation: by natural generation a corrupt offspring is
begotten and conceived by corrupt parents.
It was a divinely instituted law of the original creation that like
should produce like, which plainly appears in that clause "whose seed
is in itself" (Gen. 1:11-12), and in that oft repeated expression
"after his kind" (vv. 21, 24, 25). That law has never been revoked--as
the biology of every department of nature demonstrates. Hence it
follows that since the whole human race sinned in its covenant head,
and since every member of it receives its nature from him, when the
fountain itself became polluted, all the streams issuing from it were
polluted too. A corrupt tree can bring forth nothing but corrupt
fruit. Since the root became unholy, its branches must also be unholy.
All of Adam's offspring simply perpetuate what began in him; from the
first moment of their existence they become participants of his
impurity. Though our immediate parents are the occasion of conveying a
depraved nature to their children, that nature is derived originally
from the first man. In other words, the present relation of father and
son is not that of cause and effect, but that of an instrument or
channel in transmitting the sinfulness of Adam and Eve.
In Genesis 5:3 we are told, "Adam lived an hundred and thirty years,
and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image." That occurred
after his fearful defection, and the statement is in designed and
direct contrast with the declaration of verse 1: "In the day that God
created man, in the likeness of God made he him." Adam did not
communicate to his descendants the pure nature which he had originally
by creation, but the polluted one which he acquired by the fall. It is
very striking to note the precise place where this statement is made
in the sacred narrative: not at the beginning of Genesis 4 in
connection with the begetting of Cain and Abel, but here, introducing
a lengthy obituary list--showing that dying Adam could only beget
mortals. The image of God included both holiness and immortality, but
since Adam had lost them and become sinful and mortal, he could
propagate none but those in his own fallen likeness, which had in it
corruption and death (I Cor. 15:49-50; cf. v.22). The copy answered to
the original. Adam could not beget in any other way than in his own
image, for a clean thing will not issue from an unclean. A depraved
parent could produce nothing but a depraved child.
Born in Adam's fallen likeness, not only in substance but in qualities
also, all of his posterity are but a continuous repetition of himself.
This is remarkably intimated in the opening verse of Psalm 14 which
has for its theme the awful depravity of the human race. John Owen
pointed out:
There is a peculiar distinguishing mark put upon this Psalm, in that
it is found twice in the book of Psalms. The fourteenth and
fifty-third Psalms are the same, with the alteration of one or two
expressions at most. And there is another mark put upon its deep
importance in that the apostle transcribed a great part of it in
Romans iii.
Psalm 14 opens with the statement "The fool hath said in his heart,
There is no God." The careful reader will notice that the words "there
is" have been supplied by the translators--unnecessarily, we feel. The
fool does not say in his head, "There is no God"; rather he says in
his heart, "No God for me. I decline allegiance to Him." It is not
intellectual unbelief denying the existence of Deity, but the enmity
of a rebel who refuses to practically own or be in subjection to God.
"The fool hath said in his heart, No God. They are corrupt, they have
done abominable works" (Ps. 14:1). Most significant and noticeable is
that change of number in the pronouns, though for some strange reason
it appears to have escaped the notice of the commentators--at any rate
none whom we have consulted makes any reference to it. As stated
above, the verses which follow give a full description of the
deplorable condition of all mankind, and that is prefaced with a
statement about "the fool." Nor is there the slightest difficulty in
identifying him. Who is the fool of all fools? Adam was the arch-fool.
His heart had become devoid of wisdom. Thus was the father of our
race. What could his children be like? Our verse answers, "They are
corrupt," and prove themselves to be so by doing abominable works.
"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive
me" (Ps. 51:5). This is the sad confession which every one of us
makes. Born in the likeness of Adam as a fallen creature, all of his
descendants are but replicas of himself. And since moral corruption is
transmitted by him to them according to a fixed law of heredity, that
corruption dates from the very beginning of their existence. Because
by being Adam's children they are depraved, it necessarily follows
that they must be so as soon as they are his children. David was the
son of lawful and honorable marriage, yet from his parents he received
Adam's vitiated nature with all its evil dispositions. Note that he
was careful to intimate that it was not by divine infusion, but by
natural generation and human propagation. He mentioned it, not to
excuse his fearful fall but to concede it. Matthew Henry states that
David said in effect, "Had I duly considered this before I should not
have made so bold with the temptation, nor have ventured among the
sparks with such tinder in my heart." The realization that our whole
being is horribly degenerated from its pristine purity and rectitude
should make us thoroughly distrustful of self and cause us to walk
most warily.
Because our very nature is contaminated, we enter the world a mass of
potential wickedness, which is one reason why Job declared, "I have
said to corruption, Thou art my father: to the worm, Thou art my
mother, and my sister" (17:14). Hervey tells us the Hebrew word there
for worm signifies a grub, which is bred by and feeds upon
putrefaction. I commenced my existence with all sorts of impurity in
my nature, with every cursed propensity to evil, with everything
earthly, sensual, devilish in my mind. That depraved nature is the
source of all other miseries, the root from which proceed all evil
actions. This solemn and sad fact is demonstrated by antithesis. Why
was it necessary for Christ to be incarnated supernaturally by the
miracle of the virgin birth? So that what was born of Mary should be
"that holy thing" (Luke 1:35), which would not have been the case if
He had been begotten by natural generation from a man. Though this
doctrine of original sin, of antenatal defilement, is purely a matter
of divine revelation, it explains what nothing else does, namely, that
"the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth" (Gen. 8:21)
--in every instance, Christ alone excepted.
"The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as
they be born, speaking lies. Their poison is like the poison of a
serpent" (Ps. 58:3-4). There are three indictments here made against
fallen human nature. First, that from the beginning of his existence
man is alienated from God, divorced from His favor, cut off from
fellowship with Him. Second, that he evidences his deplorable state as
soon as he enters this world, manifesting his sinfulness in the
cradle. Third, that he turns to his own way, and the very first steps
he takes are in that broad road which leads to destruction. Why?
Because his very being is poisoned and poisonous, malicious; he is at
odds with God and goodness and his fellowmen--"hateful, and hating one
another" (Titus 3:3). This poison "is like the poison of a serpent."
The serpent does not acquire his venom, but is generated a poisonous
creature. Poison, deadly poison, is its very nature from the outset,
and when it bites it only acts out that with which it was born. Though
its poison is hidden, it is lurking there, ready for use as soon as it
is provoked.
B.W. Newton stated:
Antecedent to all trespasses and acts of sin, before any apprehension
of good or evil has dawned upon our hearts, before any notion
respecting God has been formed in our souls, before we have uttered a
word or conceived a thought, sin--essential sin--is found to dwell
within us. Bound up with our being, it enters into every sensation,
lives in every thought, sways every faculty. If the senses, by means
of which we communicate with the external world, had never acted: if
our eye had never seen, and our ear had never heard; if our throat had
never proved itself to be an open sepulchre, breathing forth
corruption; if our tongue had never shown itself to be set on fire of
hell; still sin would have been the secret mistress of that world of
thought and feeling which is found within us, and every hidden impulse
there would have been enmity against God.
When therefore Scripture speaks of men as sinners, it refers not only
to their practice but chiefly to their evil nature--a nature which is
conveyed by Adam and transmitted from parent to child in successive
generations.
"Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of
correction shall drive it far from him" (Prov. 22:15). This
foolishness is not merely intellectual ignorance but a positive
principle of evil, for in the book of Proverbs the "fool" is not the
idiot but the sinner. This corruption is deep-rooted. It does not lie
on the surface, like some of the child's habits, which may easily be
corrected. That moral madness, as Matthew Henry pointed out, "is not
only found there, but bound there; it is annexed to the heart." It is
rooted and riveted in him from the first breath he draws. This is the
birthright of all Adam's progeny. "The little innocent" is a misnomer
of fondness and fancy. John Bunyan said:
I do confess it is my opinion that children come polluted with sin
into the world, and that oft-times the sins of youth, especially while
they are very young, are rather by virtue of indwelling sin than by
examples that are set before them by others; not but they may learn to
sin by example, too, but example is not the root, but rather the
temptation to sin.
The rod of correction (not of caprice or passion) is the means
prescribed by God, and under His blessing it will prevent many an
outburst of the flesh. "The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child
left to himself bringeth his mother to shame" (Prov. 29:15). C.
Bridges agreed: "Discipline is the order of God's government. Parents
are His dispensers of it to their children. The child must be broken
in, to `bear the yoke in his youth' (Lam. 3, 27). Let reproof be tried
first; and if it succeed, let the rod be spared (Prov. 17, 10). If
not, let it do its work." If parents fail to do their duty, there will
be sad consequences. The "mother" only is mentioned as being brought
to shame, because she is usually the most indulgent, and because she
normally feels most keenly the affliction brought upon herself by her
own neglect. But fathers too are disgraced. Eli gave reproof but
spared the rod (I Sam. 2:22-25; 3:13), and paid dearly for his folly.
What dishonor was brought upon David's name and what poignant grief
must have filled him because his perverted fondness brought his sons
to their ruin--one excused while in the most aggravated sin (II Sam.
14:28-33; 15:6; 18:33), another not corrected by even a word (I Kings
1:5-9). As E Hopkins said, "Take this for certain, that as many
deserved stripes as you spare from your children, you do but lay up
for your own backs."
A child does not have to be taught to sin. Remove all inhibitions and
prohibitions and he will bring his parents to the grave in sorrow. If
the child is humored and no real efforts are made to counteract its
evil propensities, it will assuredly grow more self-willed and
intractable. How far the Scriptures are from flattering us! A
"transgressor from the womb" (Isa. 48:8) is one of the hereditary
titles of everyone entering this world. We are transgressors by
internal disposition before we are so in external acts. Every parent
is the channel of moral contagion to his offspring, who are by nature
"children of disobedience" (Eph. 2:2). Original sin is transmitted as
leprosy is conveyed to the children of lepers. That is one reason why
the corruption of nature is designated our "old man": it is coeval
with our beings. Our very "heart," the center of our moral being, from
which are "the issues [outgoings] of life," is deceitful above all
things and desperately wicked from the very first moment of its
existence.
Some argue that if corruption is passed to all men from their first
parents, then why are not all equally corrupt? They contend that some
people are not subject to inordinate affections, but are respectable
and law-abiding citizens. There are two answers to that objection.
First, although, everything else being equal, such a conclusion is
logical, it will not necessarily follow that all men will manifest the
corruption in the same manner, or even to the same extent. When we say
"everything else being equal," we include such things as the watchful
care of pious parents, the discipline of a good education, the demands
and effects of a refined environment, the positions and circumstances
in which one and another may be placed. For while none of these
things, nor all of them combined, can produce any change in a person's
nature, they are factors which exert an influence on his outward
conduct. Nevertheless, though one man may have less dissolute manners
than another, still his imaginations are not pure; and though his
bodily lusts may be under better control, he may yield more to the
lusts of the mind. There are diversities in men's lives, but original
sin has the same defiling effects upon all hearts.
Second, though all men are made in the likeness of fallen Adam, God
restrains, in different ways and in varying degrees, the outbreakings
of the corruption which has been transmitted to them. Nowhere is the
sovereignty of God more evident than in His disposing of the lot of
one and another: denying to some the opportunity to satisfy their evil
desires, hedging up their way by poverty or ill health, or putting
them in isolated places; others are given up to their hearts' lusts
and God so orders His providences that they fatten themselves as
beasts for the slaughter. Some men's callings draw out their sins more
than do those of their fellowmen, so that they are subject to frequent
and fierce temptations. Various dispositions are excited to action by
the conditions in which they are placed, as Jacob was induced to trick
his father by an unscrupulous mother, or as a sight of the spoils of
Jericho stirred up the cupidity of Achan. It was for this reason that
Agur was moved to pray, "Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me
neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: lest
I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? Or lest I be poor,
and steal, and take the name of my God in vain" (Prov. 30:8-9).
Contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14
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A. W. Pink Header
The Total Depravity of Man by A.W. Pink
Chapter 6-Nature
_________________________________________________________________
In the preaching chapter we showed how Scripture casts light on the
great moral problem of how an inherently corrupt nature originates in
each child from the beginning of its existence without its Creator
being the Author of sin. David declared, "Behold, I was shapen in
iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Ps. 51:5). He
described his depravity as innate and not created, as derived from his
mother and not his Maker, showing that defilement is transmitted
directly from Adam through the channel of human propagation. The same
fact was expressed by our Lord when He said, "That which is born of
the flesh is flesh" (John 3:6). In the Old Testament the word "flesh"
is used as a general term for human nature or mankind: "Let all flesh
bless his holy name" (Ps. 145:21) --that is, all men; "All flesh is
grass" (Isa. 40:6)--the life of every member of our race is frail and
fickle. The term occurs in the New Testament in the same sense:
"Except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be
saved" (Matt. 24:22); "By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be
justified in his sight" (Rom. 3:20)--by his own obedience no man can
merit acceptance with God.
Corruption of the Flesh
But since mankind is fallen and human nature is depraved, the term
"flesh" becomes the expression of that fact; and every time it is used
in Scripture in a moral sense it refers to the corruption of our
entire beings, without any distinction between our visible and
invisible parts--body and mind. This is evident from those passages
where "the flesh" is contrasted with "the spirit" or the new nature
(Rom. 8:5-6; I Cor. 2:11; Gal. 5:17). When the apostle declared, "For
I know that in me (that is, in my flesh), dwelleth no good thing"
(Rom. 7:18), he had reference to far more than his body with its
appetites, namely, his entire natural man, with all its faculties,
powers and propensities. The whole was polluted, and therefore nothing
good could issue from him until divine grace was imparted. Again, when
we find "hatred, emulations, wrath, and envyings" included in that
incomplete list of the horrible "works of the flesh" supplied by
Galatians 5, it is quite plain that the word takes in far more than
the corporeal parts of our persons; even more so when we find that
these works are set over against "the fruit of the spirit," each of
which consists of the exercise of some inward quality or grace.
Thus it is clear that when Christ declared, "That which is born of the
flesh is flesh" He signified that that which is propagated by fallen
man is depraved, that whatever comes into this world by ordinary
generation is carnal and corrupt, causing the heart itself to be
deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. It is evident also
from the immediate context (John 3:3-5), for what He affirmed in verse
6 was in order to demonstrate the absolute need of regeneration. Our
Lord was contrasting the first birth with the new birth, and showing
how imperative is the latter because we are radically tainted from the
outset. All by nature are essentially evil, nothing but "flesh";
everything in us is contrary to holiness. Our very nature is vitiated,
and by no process of education or culture can it be refined and made
fit for the kingdom of God. The faculties which men receive at birth
have a carnal bias, an earthly trend, a distaste for the heavenly and
divine, and are inclined only to selfish aims and groveling pursuits.
In the most polished or religious society, equally with the vulgar and
profane, "that which is born of the flesh is flesh" and can never be
anything better. Prune and trim a corrupt tree as much as you will, it
can never be made to yield good fruit. Every man must be born again
before he can be acceptable to a holy God.
We shall now attempt to answer the still more difficult question, In
what does the vitiation of man by the fall consist? Precisely what is
the nature of human depravity? That is far more than a question of
academical interest which concerns none but teachers of theology. It
is one of deep doctrinal and practical importance. All of us,
especially preachers, should be quite clear on this point, for a
mistake here is liable to lead to erroneous conclusions and serious
consequences. This has indeed proved to be the case, for not a few who
were sound and orthodox in many other respects have answered this
question in a way that inevitably led them seriously to weaken, if not
altogether to repudiate, the full responsibility of fallen man, and
caused them to become hyper-Calvinists and Antinomians. We shall
endeavor carefully to define and describe the present condition of the
natural man, beginning with the negative side and pointing out a
number of things in which human depravity does not consist.
First, the fall does not result in the extinguishment of that spirit
which was a part of man's complex being when created by God. It did
not either in the case of our first parents or in any of their
descendants. It has, however, been argued from the divine threat made
to Adam, "In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die,"
that such was the case, that since Adam did not immediately die
physically he must have done so spiritually. That is certainly a fact,
yet it requires to be interpreted by Scripture. It is quite wrong to
suppose that because Adam's body did not die, his spirit did. It was
not something in Adam which died, but Adam himself--in his relation to
God. The same is true of his offspring. They are indeed "dead in
trespasses and sins" toward God, from the beginning of their
existence, but nothing within them is positively dead in the ordinary
meaning of that word. In the scriptural sense of the term, "death"
never signifies annihilation, but separation. At physical death the
soul is not extinguished but separated from the body; and the
spiritual death of Adam was not the extinction of any part of his
being but the severance of his fellowship with a holy God. The same is
true of all his children. The exact force of the solemn statement that
they are "dead in trespasses and sins" is divinely defined for us as
"being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in
them, because of the blindness of their heart" (Eph. 4:18). When
Christ represented the father as saying, "This my son was dead, and is
alive again" (Luke 15:24), He most certainly did not mean that the
prodigal had ceased to exist, but that while he remained "in the far
country" he was cut off from his father, and that he had now returned
to him. The lake of fire into which the wicked shall be cast is
designated "the second death" (Rev. 20:14), not signifying that they
shall then cease to be, but that they are "punished with everlasting
destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his
power" (II Thess. 1:9). That fallen man is possessed of a spirit is
clear: "The LORD... formeth the spirit of man within him" (Zech.
12:1); "What man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man
which is in him?" (I Cor. 2:11); "The spirit shall return unto God who
gave it" (Eccles. 12:7). Man was created a tripartite being,
consisting of spirit and soul and body (I Thess. 5:23), and no part of
him ceased to exist when he fell.
Second, the fall did not issue in the loss of any man's faculties. It
did not divest man of reason, conscience or moral taste, for that
would have converted him into another species of being. As reason
remained, he still had the power of distinguishing between truth and
falsehood; conscience still enabled him to distinguish between what
was right and wrong, between what was a duty and a crime; and moral
taste capacitated him to perceive the contrasts in the sphere of the
excellent and beautiful. It is most important to be clear on this
point: The fall has not touched the substance of the soul--that
remains entire with all its original endowments of intellect,
conscience and will. These are the characteristic elements of
humanity, and to deprive man of them would be to unman him. They exist
in the criminal as well as in the saint. They all have an essential
unity in the wholeness of the human person. That is to say, they are
coordinate faculties, though each has a sphere that is peculiar to
itself. Collectively, they constitute the rational, moral, accountable
being. It is not the mere possession of them which makes men evil or
good; the manner and motive of their use makes their actions sinful or
holy.
Corruption of Man's Spirit
No, the fall deprived man of no mental or moral faculty, but it took
from him the power to use them right. These faculties were all brought
under the malignant influence of sin, so that man was no longer
capable of doing anything pleasing to God. Depravity is
all--pervading, extending to the whole man. It was not, as different
theorists have supposed, confined to one department of his being--to
the will as contra-distinguished from the understanding, or to the
understanding as contra-distinguished from the will. It was not
restricted to the lower appetites, as contrasted with our higher
principles of action. Nor did it affect the heart alone, considered as
the seat of the affections. On the contrary, it was a disease from
which every organ has suffered. As found in the understanding, it
consists of spiritual ignorance, blindness, darkness, foolishness. As
found in the will, it is rebellion, perverseness, a spirit of
disobedience. As found in the affections, it is hardness of heart, a
total insensibility to and distaste for spiritual and divine things.
The entrance of sin into the human constitution has not only affected
all the faculties, so as to produce a complete disqualification for
any spiritual exercise in any form, but it has crippled and enervated
them in their exercise within the sphere of truth and holiness. They
were vitiated in respect to everything wearing the image of God, the
image of goodness and excellence.
Third, the fall has not resulted in the loss of man's freedom of will,
his power of volition as a moral faculty. Admittedly this is a much
harder point to cover than either of the above. Not because Scripture
is ambiguous in its teaching, nor even because it contains any seeming
contradictions, but because of the philosophical and metaphysical
difficulties it raises in the minds of those who give it careful
thought. The fall certainly did not reduce man to the condition of a
stock or stone, or even to an irrational animal. He retained that
rational power of volition which was a part of his original
constitution, so that he was still able to choose spontaneously. It is
equally certain that man is not free to do as he pleases in any
absolute sense, for then he would be a god, omnipotent. In his
unfallen state Adam was made subservient to and dependent on the Lord.
So it is with his children. Their wills are required to be fully
subordinated to that of their Maker and Governor. Moreover, their
freedom is strictly circumscribed by the supreme rule of divine
providence, as it opens doors for them or shuts doors against them.
As pointed out, though each distinct faculty of the soul has a sphere
that is peculiar to itself, yet they are coordinate; therefore the
will is not to be thought of as an independent, self-determining
entity, standing apart from the other faculties and superior to them,
capable of reversing the judgments of the mind or acting contrary to
the desires of the heart. Rather the will is influenced and determined
by them. As G S. Bishop most helpfully pointed out, "The true
philosophy of moral action and its process is that of Genesis 3:6.
`And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food
[sense-perception, intelligence], and a tree to be desired
[affections], she took and ate thereof [the will].'" Thus the freedom
of the will is also limited by the bounds of human capabilities. It
cannot, for example, go beyond the extent of knowledge possessed by
the mind. It is impossible for me to observe, love and choose any
object I am totally unacquainted with. Thus it is the understanding,
rather than the will, which is the dominant faculty and factor. Hence,
when Scripture delineates the condition of fallen men it attributes
their alienation from God to "the ignorance that is in them" (Eph.
4:18), and speaks of regenerated men as being "renewed in knowledge"
(Col. 3:10).
The limitations of human freedom pointed out above pertain alike to
man unfallen or fallen, but the entrance of sin into the human
constitution has imposed much greater limitations. While it is true
that man is as truly free now as Adam was before his apostasy, yet he
is not as morally free as he was. Fallen man is free in the sense that
he is at liberty to act according to his own choice, without
compulsion from without; yet, since his nature has been defiled and
corrupted, he is no longer free to do that which is good and holy.
Great care needs to be taken lest our definition of the freedom of
fallen man clashes with such scriptures as Psalm 110:3; John 6:44;
Romans 9:16; for he only wills now according to the desires and
dictates of his evil heart. It has been well said that the will of the
sinner is like a manacled, fettered prisoner in a cell. His movements
are hampered by his chains, and he is hindered by the walls that
confine him. He is free to walk, but in such a constrained way and
within such a limited space that his freedom is bondage--bondage to
sin.
Whether we understand "the will" to be simply the faculty of volition
by which the soul chooses or refuses, or whether we regard it as the
faculty of volition together with all else within us which affects the
choice--reason, imagination, longing--still fallen man is quite free
in exercising volition according to his prevailing disposition and
desire at the moment. Internal freedom is here used in contrast with
external restraint or compulsion. Where the latter is absent the
individual is at liberty to decide according to his pleasure. Where
the Arminian errs on this point is to confound power with "will,"
insisting that the sinner is equally able to choose good as evil. That
is a repudiation of his total depravity or complete vassalage to evil.
By the fall man came under bondage to sin, and became the captive of
the devil. Even so, he first yields voluntarily to the enticements of
his own lusts before he commits any act of sin, nor can Satan lead him
into any wrongdoing without his own consent.
The natural man does as he pleases, but he pleases himself only in one
direction--selfward and downward, never Godward and upward. As Romans
6:20 says of the saints while in their unregenerate state, "For when
ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness." In all
his sinning man acts as a free agent, for he is forced neither by God
nor by Satan. When he breaks the law he does so by his own option, and
not by coercion from another. In so doing he is freely acting out his
own fallen nature. Thus it is a mistake to say that a bias of the mind
or a propensity of heart is destructive of his volition. Both must be
self-moved in order for there to be responsibility and guilt, and both
are self-moved. The murderer is not compelled to hate his victim.
Though he cannot prevent his inward hatred by any mere exercise of
will, yet he can refrain from the outward act of murder by his own
volition; therefore he is blameworthy when he fails to do so. These
are indisputable facts of our own consciousness.
Fourth, the fall has not resulted in any reduction, still less the
destruction, of man's responsibility. If all of the above is carefully
pondered this should be quite evident. Human responsibility is the
necessary corollary of divine sovereignty. Since God is the Creator,
since He is supreme Ruler over all, and since man is just a creature
and a subject, there is no escape from his accountability to his Maker
and rightful Lord. For what is man responsible? Man is obligated to
answer to the relationship which exists between him and his Creator.
Man occupies the place of creaturehood, subordination, utter
dependency for every breath he draws, and therefore must acknowledge
God's dominion, submit to His authority, and love Him with all his
strength and heart. Human responsibility is discharged by recognizing
God's rights and acting accordingly, by rendering Him His due. It is
the practical acknowledgment of His ownership and government. We are
justly required to be in constant subjection to His will, to exercise
in His service the faculties He has given us, to use the means He has
appointed, to improve the opportunities and advantages He has granted
us. Our whole duty is to glorify God.
From the above definition it should be crystal clear that the fall did
not, and could not to the slightest degree, cancel or impair human
responsibility. The fall did not change the fundamental relationship
between the Creator and the creature. God is the Owner of sinful man
as truly and as fully as He was of sinless man. God is still our
Sovereign, and we His subjects. Furthermore, as pointed out above,
fallen man is still in possession of all those faculties which qualify
for discharging his responsibility. Admittedly, the baby in arms and
the poor idiot are not morally accountable for their actions. But it
is reasonable that those who have reached the age when they are
capable of distinguishing between right and wrong are morally
accountable for their deeds. Fallen man, though his understanding is
spiritually darkened, still possesses rationality. Fallen man, though
under the dominion of sin, has his power of volition, and is under
binding obligation to make a right and good choice every time, to
resist temptations and refrain from evildoing, as any human court of
justice insists.
Whatever difficulties may be theoretically involved in the fact that
man's nature is now totally depraved and that he is in bondage to sin,
still God has not lost His right to command because man has lost his
power to obey. While the fall has cast us out of God's favor, it has
not released us from His authority. It was not God who took from man
his spiritual strength and deprived him of his ability to do that
which is well pleasing in His sight. Man was originally endowed with
power to meet the requirements of his Maker. It was by his own madness
and wickedness that he threw away his power. As a human monarch does
not forfeit his rights to allegiance from his subjects when they
become rebels, but rather maintains his prerogative by demanding that
they cease their insurrection and return to their fealty, so the King
of kings has an infinite right to demand that lawless rebels shall
become loyal subjects. If God could justly require of us no more than
we are now able to render Him, it would follow that the more we
enslaved ourselves by evil habits, the less would be our liability--a
palpable absurdity!
Not only is man's responsibility insisted on throughout the Scriptures
from Genesis to Revelation, but it is also asserted by man's own
conscience. Whatever quibbles the individual raises from depravity,
and however he argues from his moral impotence that his deeds are not
criminal, he repudiates such reasoning where his fellow sinners are
concerned. When others wrong him, he neither denies their
accountability nor offers excuse for them. If he is cruelly slandered,
robbed of his possessions or maltreated in his body, instead of saying
of the culprit, "Poor fellow, he could not help himself; Adam is to
blame," he promptly appeals to the police and seeks redress in the law
courts. Moreover, when the sinner is quickened and awakened by the
Holy Spirit, far from complaining against God's righteous demands, he
freely owns himself as deserving to be eternally damned for his vile
rebellion. He acknowledges that he was fully responsible and that he
is "without excuse." He feels the burden of his guilt, and humbles
himself before God in sincere repentance.
Under this aspect of our subject we are endeavoring to supply an
answer to the question What is connoted by the term "total depravity"?
Wherein lies the essential difference or differences between man as
un-fallen and fallen? Precisely what is the nature of that awful
malady which afflicts us? We have considered what it does not consist
of, showing that man has not ceased to be a complete and tripartite
being, that he is in possession of that spirit which is a necessary
part of his constitution; that the fall has not resulted in the loss
of any faculties of his soul; that he has not been deprived of the
freedom of his will or power of volition; and that there has been no
lessening of his responsibility as a creature accountable to God.
Turning now to what has resulted from the fall, we find that there are
a negative and a positive side, that there were certain good things of
which we were deprived, and that there were some evils things which we
derived. Only as both of these are taken into consideration can we
obtain a full answer to our question.
First, by the fall man lost the moral image of God. As briefly pointed
out earlier, the "image of God," in which man was originally created,
refers to his moral nature. It was that which made him a spiritual
being. As Calvin expressed it, "It includes all the excellencies in
which the nature of man surpasses all the other species of animals."
What that "image" consisted of is intimated in Ephesians 4:24 and
Colossians 3:10, where a detailed summary of that image is supplied.
Our being "renewed" in the image (at regeneration) clearly implies it
to be the same divine image in which man was made at the beginning. In
those two passages it is described as consisting of "righteousness and
true holiness" and the "knowledge of God." Let us now enlarge upon
each of those component parts.
By "righteousness" we are to understand, as everywhere in Scripture,
conformity to the divine law. Before the fall there was entire harmony
between the whole moral nature of man and all the requirements of that
law which is "holy, and just, and good" (Rom. 7:12). This was much
more than a merely negative innocence or freedom from everything
sinful (or even bias or tendency toward it, which is all that
Socinians allow), namely, something nobler, higher and more spiritual.
There was perfect agreement between the constitution of our first
parents and the rule of conduct set before them, not only in their
external actions but also in the very springs of those actions, in the
innermost parts of their beings--in their desires and motives, in all
the tendencies and inclinations of their hearts and minds. As
Ecclesiastes 7:29 declares, God "made man upright," which does not
refer to the carriage of his body, except so far as that shadowed
forth his moral excellence. That righteousness was lost at the fall,
but is in principle restored at regeneration, when God writes His laws
in our hearts and puts them in our minds, when He imparts to us a love
and a taste for them, and makes us willingly subject to their
authority.
By "holiness" we are to understand chastity and undefilement of being.
As righteousness was that which gave Adam rapport with the divine law,
so holiness was that which made him fit for fellowship with his Maker.
There was in him that spotless purity of nature which fitted him for
communion with the holy One, for holiness is not only a relationship,
but a moral quality too--not only a separation from all that is evil,
but the endowment and possession of that which is good. Jehovah is
"glorious in holiness" (Exodus 15:11), therefore those with whom He
converses must be personally suited to Himself. None but the pure in
heart shall see God (Matt. 5:8). It is inconceivable that God by an
immediate act would have created any other kind of rational and
responsible being than one that was pure and perfect, especially since
he was to be the archetype of mankind. As Thornwell so aptly expressed
it, "Holiness was the inheritance of his [man's] nature--the
birthright of his being. It was the state in which all his faculties
received their form." That holiness was lost when man fell, but by
regeneration and sanctification it is restored to the elect who are
made "partakers of his holiness" (Heb. 12:10). This principle of
holiness, communicated to them at the new birth, develops as they grow
in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord.
By "knowledge" we are to understand the cognizance of God Himself. As
Adam's holiness or purity of heart capacitated him to "see God" in the
spiritual sense of the word, he also was enabled to know God by the
Holy Spirit's indwelling of him. As Goodwin pointed out, "Where
holiness was, we may be sure the Spirit was too.... The same Spirit
(as in the regenerate) was in Adam's heart to assist his graces and to
cause them to flow and bring forth, and to move him to live according
to those principles of life given to him." It is clear that since Adam
was created in maturity of body he must have been created in maturity
of mind, and that there was then in him what we acquire only by slow
experience. Adam was able to apprehend and appreciate God for what He
is in Himself. He had a true and intuitive knowledge of the
perfections of the Deity, the heartfelt realization of Their
excellence. That knowledge of God was lost at the fall, by Adam and to
his offspring, but it is restored to the elect at regeneration, when
He shines "in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the
glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (II Cor. 4:6).
Second, by the fall man lost the life of God. The soul was not only
made by God but for God, fitted to know, enjoy and commune with Him;
and its life is in Him. But evil necessarily severs from the holy One.
Then instead of being alive in God the soul is dead in sin. Not that
the soul has ceased to be, for Scripture distinguishes sharply between
life and existence: "She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she
liveth" (I Tim. 5:6). This is moral or spiritual death, not of being,
but of well-being. "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath
not the Son of God hath not life" (I John 5:12). To have the Son of
God for my very own is to have everything that is really worth having;
to be without Him, no matter what temporal things I may momentarily
possess, is to be an utter pauper. "Life"--spiritual and eternal
life--is a comprehensive expression to include all the blessedness
which man is capable of enjoying here and hereafter. He that has
"life" is eternally saved, accepted in the Beloved, admitted into the
divine favor, made partaker of the divine nature, made righteous and
holy in the sight of God. He that is without "life" is destitute of
all these things.
To be separated from God is necessarily to be deprived of everything
which makes life worth living, for He is "the fountain of life" (Ps.
36:9), and therefore of light, of glory, of blessedness. No finite
mind can conceive--still less can any human pen express--the fullness
of those words "the fountain of life." We can only compare other
passages of the Scripture which make known something of their meaning.
As we do so, we learn that there is at least a threefold life which
God's people receive from Him. First, His benign approbation: "in his
favour is life" (Ps. 30:5). In Leviticus 1:4 the word is rendered
"accepted" and in Deuteronomy 33:16, "good will." But the verse which
best enables us to understand its force is "0 Naphtali, satisfied with
favour, and full with the blessing of the LORD" (Deut. 33:23). Those
who are favorably regarded by God need nothing more, can desire
nothing better. To have the goodwill of the triune Jehovah is life
indeed, the acme of blessedness. To be out of His favor is to be dead
to all that is worthwhile.
Second, joy and blessedness of soul. "0 God, thou art my God; early
will I seek thee... to see thy power and thy glory... because thy
loving-kindness is better than life" (Ps. 63:1-3). God's life in His
people capacitates them to delight themselves in Him. Thus it was
here. David was in rapt adoration of the divine attributes. His soul
longed to have further communion with God, and he resolved to seek Him
diligently, to have enlarged views of the divine perfections and
experiential discoveries of His excellence, in anticipation of the
blessedness of heaven. He prized that more than anything else. The
natural man values his life above all else. Not so the spiritual man.
To him God's loving-kindness is better than all the comforts and
luxuries of temporal life, better than the longest and most prosperous
natural life. The loving-kindness of God is itself the present
spiritual life of the saint, as it is also both an earnest and a
foretaste of the life everlasting. It refreshes his heart, strengthens
his soul and sends him on his way rejoicing.
Thousands of people are weary of life, but no Christian is ever weary
of God's loving-kindness. The latter is infinitely better than the
"life" of a king or a millionaire, for it has no sorrow added to it,
no inconvenience in it, no evils accompanying it. Physical death will
put the final period to the earthly existence of the most privileged,
but it will not end God's loving-kindness, for that is from
everlasting to everlasting. It is esteemed by the believer beyond
everything else, for it is the spring from which every blessing
proceeds. In God's loving-kindness the covenant of grace originated.
His loving-kindness gave Christ to His people and them to Him. By His
loving-kindness they are drawn to Him (Jer. 31:3), are given a saving
knowledge of Him, are brought to know personally the love which He has
for them. Without God's loving-kindness life is but death. Well may
each believer exclaim, "Because thy loving-kindness is better than
life, my lips shall praise thee." In other words: "I will revel in Thy
perfections and exult in Thee. I will seek to render something of the
homage which is Thy due."
That life which God gives His children consists not only in their
being the objects of His benign approbation, in the experiential
enjoyment of His loving-kindness, but also in the reception of a
principle of righteousness and holiness by which they are fitted to
appreciate Him, and for want of which the unregenerate cannot enjoy
Him, for they are "alienated from the life of God" (Eph. 4:18). It is
clear, both from the immediate context and from the remainder of the
verse, that the "life of God" there has a particular reference to
holiness, for the opposite appears in verse 17: "Henceforth walk not
as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind." The contrast is
further pointed up in verse 18: "Having the understanding darkened,
being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in
them, because of the blindness of their heart." The unconverted are
wholly dominated by their depraved nature. Their minds are in a state
of moral poverty, engaged only with vain things; their understandings
are devoid of spiritual intelligence, lacking any power to apprehend
truth or appreciate the beauties of virtue; their souls are estranged
from God, with an inveterate aversion of Him; their hearts are
calloused, steeled against Him. Thus the corruption and depravity of
the natural man are set over against the grace and holiness
communicated at the new birth, here termed "the life of God."
Third, by the fall man lost his love for God. There are two cardinal
emotions that influence to action: love and hatred. The one cannot be
without the other, for that which is contrary to what is desired will
be repellent: "Ye that love the LORD, hate evil" (Ps. 97:10). Of the
perfect Man the Father said, "Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest
wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of
gladness above thy fellows" (Ps. 45:7). The Lord said, "Jacob have I
loved, but Esau have I hated" (Rom. 9:13). It is the great work of
grace in the redeemed to direct and fasten those affections on their
proper objects. When we put right our love and hatred, we prosper in
the spiritual life. Fallen man differs from un-fallen man in this:
They both have the same affections, but they are misplaced in us, so
that we now love what we should hate, and hate what we should love.
Our affections are like bodily members out of joint--as if the arms
should hang down backward. To direct our love and hatred right is the
very essence of true spirituality: to love all that is good and pure,
to hate all that is evil and vile; for love moves us to seek union
with what is good and to make it our own, as hatred repels and makes
us leave alone what is loathsome.
Now love was made for God, for He alone is its adequate and suited
Object as well as its Source. Love is inherent in His attributes, His
law, His ordinances, His dealings with us. But hatred was made for the
serpent and sin. God is infinitely lovely in Himself, and if things
are to be valued according to the greatness and excellence of them,
then God is to be supremely valued, for every perfection centers and
is found fully in Him. To love Him above everything else is an act of
homage due to Him for who and what He is. There is everything in God
to excite esteem, adoration and affection. Goodness is not an object
of dread, but of attraction and delight.
God freely supplied Adam with all that He required from him. Since
Adam was created with perfect moral rectitude of heart and with a holy
state of mind, he was fully competent to love God with all his being.
He saw the divine perfections shining forth. The heavens declared
God's glory, the firmament showed His handiwork, and His excellence
was mirrored in everything around Adam. He realized what God deserved
from him, and he was impressed with His blessedness. Adam's heart was
filled with a sense of the Lord's ineffable beauty, and admiring and
adoring thoughts of Him filled his mind, moving him to give Him the
worship and submission to which He is infinitely entitled.
Love for God gave unity of action to all the faculties of Adam's soul;
for since this love was the dominant principle in him, it made all the
functions of those faculties express his devotion to God. Hence, when
love for God died within Adam, his faculties lost not only their
original unity and orderliness but the power to use them right. All
his faculties came under an evil and hostile influence, and were
debased in their action. The natural man is without a single spark of
true affection for God. "But I know you," said the omniscient Searcher
of hearts to the religious Jews, "that ye have not the love of God in
you" (John 5:42). Being without any love to God, all the outward acts
of the natural man are worthless in His sight: "They that are in the
flesh cannot please God" (Rom. 8:8), for they lack the root from which
they must proceed in order for any fruit to be desirable to Him. Love
is that which animates the obedience which is agreeable to God: "If a
man love me, he will keep my words" (John 14:23). Love is the very
life and substance of everything which is gratifying to God.
As the principle of obedience, love takes the precedence, for faith
works by love (Gal. 5:6). Note the order in the injunction "Let us
consider one another to provoke [1] unto love and [2] to good works"
(Heb. 10:24). Stir up the affections and good works will follow, as a
stirring up of the coals causes the flames to rise. It is love which
makes all the divine commandments "not grievous" (I John 5:3). We
heartily agree with Charnock: "In that one word love, God hath wrapped
up all the devotion He requires of us." Certainly our souls ought to
be ravished with Him, for He is infinitely worthy of our choicest
affections and strongest desires. Love is a thing acceptable in
itself, but nothing can be acceptable to God without it. "They that
worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). The
most decorous and punctilious forms of devotion are worthless if they
lack vitality and sincerity. True worship proceeds from love, for it
is the exercise of heavenly affections, the pouring out of its homage
to Him who is "altogether lovely." Love is the best thing we can
render God, and it is His right in every service. Without it we are an
abomination to Him: "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let
him be Anathema Maranatha" (I Cor. 16:22).
Fourth, by the fall our first parents and all mankind lost communion
with God. This was enjoyed at the beginning, for God made man with
faculties capable of this privilege, and designed him to have holy
converse with Him. Indeed this was the paramount blessing of that
covenant under which Adam was placed, and it was a foretaste of that
more intimate communion which would have been his eternal portion had
he survived his probation. But the apostasy of Adam and Eve deprived
first them, and then their posterity of this inestimable privilege.
This was the immediate and inevitable result of their revolt, whether
we contemplate it from either the divine or the human side, "for what
fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion
hath light with darkness?" (II Cor. 6:14). Two cannot walk together
except they be agreed (Amos 3:3). The holy One will not favorably
manifest Himself to rebels or admit them into His presence as friends.
After their fall our first parents no longer had the desire that He
should do so. Having lost all love for God, they had no desire for
Him, but hated and dreaded Him.
Here, then, is the terrible nature of human depravity. From the
negative side it consists of man's loss of the moral image of
God--consciously felt by our first parents in the shameful sense they
had of their nakedness. They also lost the life of God, so that they
became alienated from His favor, devoid of joy, emptied of
holiness--faintly perceived by them, as was evident from their attempt
to make themselves more presentable by manufacturing aprons of fig
leaves. Their love to God was lost, so that they no longer revered and
adored Him, but were repelled by His perfections--manifested by them
in fleeing from Him as soon as they were conscious of His approach.
They lost communion with God, so that they were utterly unfit for His
presence finalized by His driving them from Eden. None but the
regenerate can estimate how irreparable was man's forfeiture by the
fall, and how dreadful is the condition of the natural man.
We have already pointed out a number of things in which the depravity
of human nature does not consist, and some of the inestimable
blessings of which man was deprived by the fall. We now turn to the
affirmative side, or a consideration of those evils which have come
upon human nature as the result of our first parents' apostasy from
God. We do not agree with those who teach that a merely negative
thing--the absence of good--is transmitted from Adam and Eve to their
descendants, via the channel of natural generation and propagation.
Rather we are fully persuaded that something positive--an active
principle of evil--is communicated from parents to their children.
While we do not consider that sin is a substance or a material thing,
we are sure that it is very much more than a mere abstraction and
nonentity. Man's very nature is corrupted; the virus of evil is in his
blood. While there is privation in sin--a nonconformity to God's
law--there is also a real positive potency in it to mischief. Sin is a
power, as holiness is a power, but a power working to disorder and
death.
It has been said by some that "men's natures are not now become sinful
by putting anything in them to defile them, but by taking something
from them which should have preserved them holy." But we much prefer
the statement of the Westminster Catechism: The sinfulness of that
estate into which man fell consisteth in the guilt of Adam's first
sin, the want of the righteousness wherein he was created, and the
corruption of his nature, whereby he is utterly indisposed and
disabled, and made opposite unto all that is spiritually good, and
wholly inclined to all evil, and that continually, which is commonly
called original sin, and from which sin proceed all actual
transgressions.
That fallen human nature is not only devoid of all godliness, but also
thoroughly impregnated with everything that is devilish, may surely be
argued from the two different kinds of sin of which every man is
guilty: those of omission, in which there is failure to perform good
works, and those of commission, or contempt of the law of God.
Something answerable to both of those must exist in our sinful nature,
otherwise we declare the cause inadequate to produce the effect. While
the absence of holiness explains the former, only the presence of
positive evil accounts for the latter.
Contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14
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A. W. Pink Header
The Total Depravity of Man by A.W. Pink
Chapter 7-Impact
_________________________________________________________________
There are many scriptural names for original sin, or the depravity of
human nature, which serve to cast light upon it. The following list
probably contains the most significant ones. Sin is called the plague
of the heart (I Kings 8:38), foolishness bound up in the heart (Prov.
22:15), "the stony heart" (Ezek. 11:19), "the evil treasure" of the
heart (Matt. 12:35). It is designated "the poison of asps" (Rom 3:13),
"the old man," because it is derived from the first man and is part
and parcel of us since the beginning of our own existence, and "the
body of sin" (Rom. 6:6), for it is an assortment of evils, the "sin
that dwelleth in me" (Rom. 7:17). It is labeled "another law in my
members" (Rom. 7:23) because of its unvarying nature and power, "the
law of sin and death" (Rom. 8:2), "the carnal mind" which is "enmity
against God" (Rom. 8:7). It is frequently spoken of as "the flesh"
(Gal. 5:17) because conveyed by natural generation, "the old man,
which is corrupt" (Eph. 4:22), "the sin which doth so easily beset us"
(Heb. 12:1), man's "own lust" (James 1:14), which inclines him to evil
deeds.
It should be quite plain from our definitions and descriptions of
congenital sin that the human constitution is not merely negatively
defective, but positively depraved. There are in man's heart not only
the lack of conformity to the divine law but a deformity. Not only is
the natural man without any desire for holiness; he is born with a
disposition which is now radically opposed to it. Therefore he not
only has no love for God, but is full of enmity against Him. Sin is
also likened to "leaven" (I Cor. 5:6-7). Sin is not only the absence
of beauty, but the presence of horrid ugliness; not simply the
unlovely, but the hateful; not only the want of order, but real
disorder. As "righteousness" expresses objectively the qualities which
constitute what is good, and "holiness" the subjective state which is
the root of righteousness, so sin includes not only outward acts of
transgression, but the evil and rotten state of the whole inner man
which inclines to and animates those external iniquities. Very far
from being only an "infirmity," indwelling sin is a loathsome disease.
Subjection to Spiritual Death
In seeking to define and describe the nature of depravity from the
positive side, we would say, first, that the fall has brought man's
soul into subjection to death. For the soul to be under the dominion
of death is a very different thing from the body being so. When the
body dies it becomes as inactive and insensible as a stone. Not so in
the case of the soul, for it still retains its vitality and all its
powers. Fallen man is a rational, moral, responsible agent; but his
internal being is thoroughly deranged. Alienated from the life of God,
he can neither think nor will, love nor hate, in conformity to the
divine rule. All the faculties of the soul are in full operation, but
they are all unholy. Consequently man can no more fulfill the design
of his being than does a physical corpse. The analogies between the
two are dreadful and solemn. As a dead body is devoid of the principle
which formerly vitalized it, so the soul has been abandoned by the
Holy Spirit who once inhabited it. A physical corpse rapidly becomes a
mass of corruption and repulsion. Thus is the depraved soul of man to
the thrice holy God. As a lifeless body is incapable of renewing
itself, so is the spiritually dead soul completely powerless to better
itself.
"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins"
(Eph. 2:1). As John Gill said, "The design of the apostle in this and
some following verses, is to show the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and
to set forth the sad estate and condemnation of man by nature, and to
magnify the riches of the grace of God, and represent the exceeding
greatness of His power by conversion." In Ephesians 1:19 Paul prayed
that saints might duly apprehend and appreciate the greatness of that
power which had been exercised by God in their salvation, and that
they might understand that it was precisely the same divine might as
that put forth for the resurrection and exaltation of His Son. That
same power had now worked a like change in them; the mighty power
which had quickened Christ had also quickened them. The blessed scope
and purpose of the Holy Spirit here was to bring out the answerable
parallel or show the similar change which God had so wonderfully
wrought in them. What had been effected for Christ their Head had been
accomplished also in them His members, the one work being a glorious
pattern of the other.
In connection with Christ's exaltation three things were conspicuous.
First, the condition of humiliation and death from which He was
delivered and raised. Second, the sublime state of life and honor to
which He was exalted. Third, the Author, God, whose almighty power was
eminently manifested by the vast difference between those two states.
There is a vast difference between the glorious miracles described in
the closing verses of Ephesians i and what is so graphically portrayed
in the opening verses of chapter 2. There we see the dreadful state in
which God's elect were by nature, namely, that of death in sin. This
death brought its subjects under complete bondage to sin and Satan, so
that they did not walk in conformity to the divine law, but according
to the corrupt maxims and customs of the world. They were not guided
by the Holy Spirit, but energized and directed by the evil spirit,
here named "the prince of the power of the air." Without any regard
for God's will or concern for His glory, they gave free reign to the
lusts of the flesh and the desires of their carnal minds. But
notwithstanding their horrible condition, God, who is rich in mercy,
raised them from the grave of sin and made them one with Christ in the
heavenlies, by a vital and indissoluble union. This marvel had been
effected solely by the invincible power and amazing grace of God,
without any cooperation of theirs.
That death which has come upon man's soul is at least a threefold one.
First, he is dead in law, like a murderer in the condemned cell
awaiting execution. Second, he is dead vitally, without a single spark
of spiritual life. Thus he is totally dead to God and holiness, cast
out of His favor, without any power to recover it. He is dead in
opposition to justification, and also dead in opposition to being
regenerated and sanctified. Third, he is dead to all that is
excellent. As "life" is not simply existence but well-being, so
"death" is not the negation of existence, but the absence of all the
real pleasures of existence. In its scriptural sense life signifies
happiness and blessedness; death means wretchedness and woe. As the
utmost natural misery which can befall man is for him to die--for "a
living dog is better than a dead lion" (Eccles. 9:4)--so spiritual
death is the strongest expression to describe our moral wretchedness.
Natural death divests man of all those characteristics which are
proper to him as man; but spiritual death makes him worse, without any
comeliness in the sight of God, and a stench in His nostrils.
In Ephesians 2:1-3, Goodwin stated, "there is an exact description of
the state of man by nature, so complete and compendious a one as is
nowhere together, that I know, in the whole Book of God." The Holy
Spirit has placed special emphasis on the words "dead in sin," for in
verse S He repeats them. Three things are outstanding in sin: its
guilt, its pollution and its power; and in each of those respects man
is in his natural state "dead in sin." "Thou art but a dead man," said
God to Abimelech (Gen. 20:3); that is, "You are guilty of death by
reason of this act of yours." It is said of Ephraim that "when he
offended in Baal, he died"; sentence of condemnation came upon him
(Hosea 13:1). So it is of sin's pollution, for in Hebrews 6:1 we read
of "repentance from dead works," because every deed the natural man
performs issues from a principle of corruption. So too of sin's power,
for every sin man commits disables him more from doing good. His very
activity in sin is his death, and the more lively he is in sin the
more dead will he become toward God
That there is such a threefold death of which fallen man is the
subject is further evident from the nature of the work of grace in the
elect, for their spiritual death must correspond to their spiritual
quickening, which is clearly threefold. There is, first, a life of
justification from the guilt of sin and from the condemnation and
curse of the law--termed by Christ as passing from death to life (John
5:24), and by the apostle as "justification of life" (Rom. 5:18). This
is entirely objective, having respect to our status or standing before
God, and is a greater relative change than for a condemned murderer to
receive pardon. Second, there is a life of regeneration from the power
and dominion of sin, called by Christ being "born again" (John 3:3),
when a new nature or principle of holiness is communicated. This is
wholly subjective, having respect to the change wrought in the soul
when it is divinely quickened. Third, there is a life of
sanctification from the pollution of sin, promised by God through the
prophet: "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be
clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I
cleanse you" (Ezek. 36:25). This is something experiential, consisting
of the purifying of the heart from the love of sin. It is referred to
as "the washing of regeneration" (Titus 3:5). The first is judicial,
the second spiritual, and the third moral; the three comprise the
principal parts of God's so-great salvation, the glorification of the
saint being yet future.
Bondage to Sin
Second, the fall has brought man into hopeless bondage to sin. When
the Holy Spirit assures the saints, "For sin shall not have dominion
over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace" (Rom. 6:14),
He necessarily means that all those still under the covenant of works
are beneath sin's dominion, that it holds full sway over them. As the
Lord Jesus declared, "Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin"
(John 8:34); that is to say, sin is his master. Nevertheless, he
yields voluntary and ready submission to sin's orders: "Know ye not,
that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are
to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto
righteousness?" (Rom. 6:16). No one coerces and compels them. The
dominion of sin is not even an indwelling force against the will of
those who are under it, but it is natural and congenial to them. Even
though, occasionally, conscience feebly protests, its voice is
silenced by the clamorings of lust, to which the will freely complies.
The dominion of sin over the natural man is entire, for it pervades
the spirit with all its powers, the soul with all its faculties, the
body with all its members, at all times and under all circumstances.
Sin is likened to a monarch ruling over his subjects: "as sin hath
reigned unto death" (Rom. 5:21). Its kingdom is worldwide, for all the
children of Adam are its subjects. Sin occupies the throne of the
human heart until almighty grace deposes it. Sin has taken possession
of the complete person, which constantly acts under its direction and
influence. The mind is in subjection to evil as a governing principle
which determines all its volitions and acts, for sin's lustings are so
many imperial and imperious edicts. Yet this rule of sin is not a
force upon the mind to which it makes opposition, for the soul is a
subject--as a king continues to occupy the throne only by the consent
and free allegiance of his subjects. While the soul cannot help but
will evil because of the reign of sin, still its volitions are
spontaneous. The dominion of sin consists in its determining influence
upon the will, and it retains this sway to the end, unless victorious
grace makes a conquest of the soul by the implantation of a contrary
principle, which opposes the influence of indwelling sin and disposes
the will to contrary acts. Though conscience may remonstrate sharply
against the fatal choice, sin still regulates the decisions and deeds
of the natural man.
Brine stated that this dominion of sin
...is not a propensity to some particular evil, but an inclination to
deviate from the rule of our duty taken in its full compass. Yet, as
the mind is incapable of exerting itself in all manner of ways and
about all sorts of objects at once and in one instant, it is sometimes
acting in one manner and sometimes in another as it is variously
affected by the different objects about which it is conversant; but
all its actions are evil. And those who study their hearts most will
best understand the surprising variety of ways wherein evil
concupiscence acts its part in the soul. In the several stages of
human life this sway of sin discovers itself. In childhood, by folly
proper to that age. In youth it exerts itself in various ways: by a
low ambition, pride, and a strange fondness for sinful pleasures. In
the state of manhood, by a pursuit of the transitory things of this
world, and this is often under specious pretences of more extensive
usefulness: but, in fact, men are acted upon by a spirit of
covetousness. In an advanced age, by impatience....
The dominion of sin is made to appear more plainly and openly in some
than in others, by their following a course of gross and corrupt evil,
though it is just as real and great in those whose wickedness is more
confined to the mind and heart. Scripture speaks not only of the
"filthiness of the flesh," but also of "the spirit" (II Cor. 7:1),
that is, vile imaginations, envy, hatred of others, inward rebellion,
and ragings against God when His will crosses ours. The sovereign God
permits and controls the direction and form this dominion takes in
each one. Today the power and reign of sin are more manifest in the
world than they have ever been. Not because human nature has undergone
any deterioration, for that is impossible--it has been rotten to the
core since the time of Cain and Abel. No, rather because God is
increasingly removing His restraining hand, thereby allowing the
horrid corruption of men's hearts to become more visible and obvious.
There are indeed degrees of wickedness, but not in the root from which
it proceeds. Every man's nature is equally depraved, and everyone in
an unregenerate state is wholly dominated by sin.
So mighty is the power of sin that it has made all the sons of men its
slaves. Few indeed realize that they are held fast by the cords of
their sin (Prov. 5:22), and still fewer realize where its strength
lies. Carnality, stemming from sin, is a powerful thing in itself, for
it has a will of its own (John 1:13), a mind of its own (Rom. 8:6-7),
passions (Rom. 1:24; 7:5). First Corinthians 15:56 informs us, "The
sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law." The first
part of that statement is obvious, but the second calls for some
explanation. Sin is manifestly what puts venom into the dart of death
and gives it its power to hurt and kill. Sin brought death into the
world; had there been no sin, there would have been no death. It is
sin, unpardoned sin, which makes death so dreadful, for not only does
it put a final end to all its pleasures, but it conducts its subjects
to certain judgment. But wherein is the law of God "the strength of
sin"? The law is "holy, and just, and good" (Rom. 7:12); how then can
it be the strength of that which is corrupt, evil and abominable?
Most assuredly the law does not give the slightest encouragement to
sin; rather it sternly forbids it. The law is not the essential but
the accidental strength of sin, because of sin's inherent depravity,
as the pure rays of the sun result in the horrid steam and noxious
stench rising from decaying flesh. As the presence of an enemy calls
into exercise the malice which lies dormant in the heart, so the holy
requirements of the law presenting themselves before man's corrupt
heart stir it to active opposition. Thus the exceeding sinfulness of
sin is all the more demonstrated, for its potency to evil is drawn
forth by any restraint being laid upon it. Though fire and water are
opposite elements, that fact is not so evident while there is distance
between them; but let them meet together, and there will be great
spluttering and striving between them. If the heart of man were pure,
the law would be acceptable; but since it is depraved, there is fierce
resentment against the spiritual precepts of the law.
As the law makes no provision for pardon, the natural effect of guilt
is to widen the breach between the sinner and God. Aware (as in some
measure the most degraded are) of divine displeasure, the sinner is
prone to withdraw farther and farther from the divine presence. Every
augmentation of guilt is an augmentation of estrangement. The more the
sinner sins, the wider becomes the gulf between himself and God. This
gives strength to sin. It provokes the malignity of the heart against
the law, against all holy order, against the Judge. It incites the
spirit of rebellion to unwonted fierceness, and makes the sinner
desperate in his sin. It causes its subjects to become increasingly
reckless and, as they realize the brevity of life, to plunge more
eagerly into profligacy. As frosty weather causes a fire to burn more
fiercely, so the law increases man's enmity against God. Saul of
Tarsus found it so in his experience. The divine prohibition "Thou
shalt not covet" was applied in power to his heart, and he tells us,
"Sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of
concupiscence" (Rom. 7:7-8).
Blindness of Heart
Third, the fall has brought man's mind into darkness. As physical
blindness is one of the greatest natural calamities, spiritual
blindness is much more so. It consists not in universal ignorance, but
in total incapacity to take in a real knowledge of divine things. As
it is said of the Jews, "Blindness in part is happened to Israel"
(Rom. 11:25). Men may become very learned in many things, and by
focusing their minds upon the Scriptures they may acquire considerable
literal knowledge of its contents; but they are quite unable to obtain
a vital and effectual knowledge of them. "The natural man receiveth
not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto
him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned"
(I Cor. 2:14); and he has no spiritual perception. This darkness which
is upon the mind makes the natural man incapable of perceiving the
excellence of God, the perfection of His law, the real nature of sin,
or his dire need of a Saviour. Should the Lord draw near and ask him,
"What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?" his answer ought to be
"Lord, that I might receive my sight" (Mark 10:51).
This darkness is upon the noblest part of man's being, his soul; and
upon the highest faculty of it, the mind, which performs the same
office for it as does the eye for the body. By means of our visual
organ we observe material objects, distinguish between them, recognize
their beauty or repulsiveness. By the mind we think, reason,
understand, weigh and discern between the true and the false. Since
the mind occupies so high a place in the scale of our beings, and
since it is the most active of our inward faculties, ever working,
then what a fearful state for the soul to be blind! John Flavel said
it is "like a fiery, high-mettled horse whose eyes cannot see,
furiously carrying his rider upon rocks, pits and dangerous
precipices." Or, as the Son of God declared, "The light of the body is
the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be
full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full
of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how
great is that darkness!" (Matt. 6:22-23).
Much is said in the Scriptures about this terrible affliction. Men are
represented as groping at noonday (Deut. 28:29). "They meet with
darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night"
(Job 5:14). "They know not, neither will they understand." And why?
"They walk on in darkness" (Ps. 82:5). It cannot be otherwise.
Alienated from Him who is light, they must be in total spiritual
darkness. "The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what
they stumble" (Prov. 4:19). They are insensible of the very things
which are leading to everlasting woe. Moral depravity inevitably
results in moral darkness. As a physically blind eye shuts out all
natural light, so the blinded eye of the soul excludes all spiritual
light. It renders the Scriptures profitless. In this respect the case
of the Gentiles is identical with that of the Jews: "But their minds
were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away
in the reading of the old testament" (II Cor. 3:14). Consequently the
highest wisdom they call foolish, and objects which are the most
glorious and attractive are despised and rejected by them.
It is a great mistake to suppose that depravity is confined to the
heart or to any one faculty which is closely connected with the
distinction between right and wrong. As a grave disease extends its
influence to all the functions of the body, so depravity extends to
all the powers of the soul. Sin is as really blindness to the mind as
it is hardness to the heart; therefore the heart has departed from its
original tendencies. Its actions, however intense, are only in the
wrong direction. This explains the mental aberrations of men and the
immoral conceptions they have formed of Deity. As we attempt to
contemplate the manifold forms of ancient and modern religious error,
the various superstitions, the disgusting rites of worship, the
monstrous and hideous symbols of the Godhead, the cruel flagellations
and obscenities which prevail in heathen lands; when we consider all
the abominations which have been committed in the name of divine
worship, we ask how such delusions originated and have been
propagated. It is not sufficient to trace them to sin in general; they
must be attributed to a deranged mind. Only a debased and darkened
understanding adequately accounts for the horrible lies which have
taken the name of truth, and the fearful blasphemies which have been
styled worship.
This moral darkness which is upon the mind appears in the speculations
about Deity by philosophers and metaphysicians, for they are
erroneous, defective and degrading, when not corrected by divine
revelation. All such speculations are necessarily vain when they
attempt to deal with things which transcend the scope of our
faculties--things which undertake to carry knowledge beyond its first
principles--and try to comprehend the incomprehensible. The creature
being dependent and finite can never hope to compass an absolute
knowledge of anything. J. H. Thornwell said:
Intelligence begins with principles that must be accepted and not
explained; and in applying those principles to the phenomena of
existence, apparent contradictions constantly emerge that require
patience and further knowledge to resolve them. But the mind, anxious
to know all and restless under doubts and uncertainty, is tempted to
renounce the first principles of reason and to contradict the facts
which it daily observes. It seeks consistency of thought, and rather
than any gaps should be left unfilled it plunges everything into
hopeless confusion. Instead of accepting the laws of intelligence and
patiently following the light of reason, and submitting to ignorance
where ignorance is the lot of his nature as limited and finite, and
joyfully receiving the partial knowledge which is his earthly
inheritance, man under the impulse of curiosity, had rather make a
world that he does understand than admit one which he cannot
comprehend. When he cannot stretch himself to the infinite dimensions
of truth, he contracts truth to his own little measure. This is what
the apostle means by vanity of mind.
The only way of escape for fallen man from such vanity of mind is for
him to reject the serpent's poison, "Ye shall be as gods, knowing good
and evil," and submit unreservedly to divine revelation, according to
our Lord's word in Matthew 11:25: "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of
heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and
prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes." Man must renounce all
self-acquired knowledge, forsake all his own erroneous conclusions and
fancies, and take the place of a little child before Him. But that is
just what the pride of the depraved creature refuses to do. Sin has
not only counteracted the normal development of reason; it has so
deranged the mind that men love darkness rather than light (John
3:19). They are so infatuated with their delusions that they prefer
error to the truth. That which may be known about God is clearly
manifested on every hand, yet men refuse to see. But the light still
shines all around them, though they are carried away with the darkness
of their corruption. As created, all men may and ought to know God; as
fallen, practical atheism is their sad heritage.
The highest intellects of men, in their fallen and degenerate
condition, could not of themselves form any accurate or just
speculative knowledge of God and His government. Yet there is a
profounder ignorance which requires notice, namely, that theoretical
knowledge of God which is common in those countries that have been
favored with the gospel. By the light of the Christian revelation many
a humble, uneducated person has been made familiar with truths of
which Plato and Aristotle knew nothing. Thousands of people are sound
on questions which perplexed and confounded the understandings of
presumptuous sophists. They believe that God is spirit: personal,
eternal and independent; that He made the heavens and the earth, and
controls all His creatures and all their actions. They are persuaded
that He is as infinitely good as He is infinitely great. Yet in spite
of this knowledge they do not glorify Him as God. They lack that
loving light which warms as well as convinces. They have no communion
with Him; they neither love nor adore Him. In order to have a
spiritual, vital and transforming knowledge of God their dead hearts
must be quickened and their blind eyes opened. And in order for that
there must be an atonement, a reconciliation with God. The cross is
the only place where men can truly find God, and the incarnate Son the
only One in whom God can be adequately known.
If man's mind were not enveloped by darkness, he would not be deceived
by Satan's lies nor allured by his bait. If man were not in total
spiritual darkness, he would never cherish the delusion that the
filthy rags of his own righteousness could make him acceptable to the
holy One. If he were not blind, he would perceive that his very
prayers are an abomination to the Lord (Prov. 15:8). Though this
incapability of understanding heavenly things is common to all the
unregenerate, it is more heightened in some than in others. All are
equally under the dominion of sin, yet some forge themselves
additional fetters of evil habits by drinking iniquity like water.
Many of the sons of men immerse themselves in greater darkness by the
strong prejudices of their own making, through pride and self-will.
Others are still further incapacitated to take in spiritual things,
even theoretically, by God's judicial act of giving them over wholly
to follow the dictates of their own minds. "He hath blinded their
eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their
eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted" (John 12:40;
cf. II Thess. 2:10-12).
Subjugation to Satan
Fourth, the fall has issued in man's becoming the bondslave of Satan.
That is another mysterious but very real thing, about which we can
know nothing except what is revealed in Holy Writ; but its teaching
leaves us in no doubt about the fact. It reveals that men are morally
the devil's children (Acts 13:10; I John 3:10), that they are his
captives (II Tim. 2:26) and under his power (Acts 26:18; Col. 1:13),
that they are determined to do what he wants (John 8:44). He is
described as the strong man armed, who holds undisputed possession of
the sinner's soul, until a stronger than he dispossesses him (Luke
11:21-22). It speaks of men being "oppressed of the devil" (Acts
10:38), and declares, "The god of this world [the inspirer and
director of its false religions] hath blinded the minds of them which
believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is
the image [Revealer] of God, should shine unto them" (II Cor. 4:4).
The heart of fallen man is the throne on which Satan reigns, and all
the sons of Adam are naturally inclined to yield themselves slaves to
him. The awful reality of his enslaving men was authenticated beyond
the possibility of doubt by the cases of demoniacal possession in
Christ's day.
The corrupt nature of men gives Satan the greatest advantage against
them, for they are as ready to comply as he is to tempt. No age or
condition of life is exempted from his assaults. He adapts his evil
solicitations according to their varied temperaments and tempers, and
they are easily overcome. The longer he rules over men the more guilt
they contract, and the more they come under his dominion. To be his
bondslave is to be in a state of abject misery, for he purposes the
eternal ruin of his victims, and every step they take in that
direction furthers his evil designs and increases their wretchedness.
He is as ready to laugh at and mock them for the pangs and pains which
their folly brings on them as he was to tempt and solicit their
service. Yet he has no right to their subjection. Though God permits
Satan to rule over the children of disobedience, He has given him no
grant or warrant which renders it lawful for him to do so. Thus he is
a usurper, the declared enemy of God, and though sinners are allowed
to yield themselves up to the devil's control, that is far from being
by divine approbation.
Ephesians 2:2-3 contains the most clear and concise description of
this awful subject: "Wherein [a status and state of being dead in
trespasses and sins] in time past ye walked according to the course of
this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the
spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." The world
and the prince of the power of the air are definitely linked together,
for the dead in sin are said to "walk according to" the one equally as
the other--the only difference being that the second statement is
amplified by the clauses which follow, where we are shown why they
walked thus. The identifying of the world with Satan is easily
understood. Three times our Lord called him "the prince of this
world," and I John 5:19 declares that "the whole world lieth in
wickedness." The world is distinguished from the church of Christ--the
children of God. The radical difference between the two opposing
companies was intimated at the beginning in the word of Jehovah to the
serpent, when He made mention of "thy seed" and "her seed." Those two
seeds were referred to by Christ in His parable of the tares, and
designated by Him as "the children of the kingdom" and "the children
of the wicked one" (Matt. 13:38).
Our Lord also spoke of the "kingdom" of Satan (Matt. 12:26), referring
not only to his power and dominion, but to his subjects and officers
being an organized company--in opposition to "the kingdom of...
[God's] dear Son" (Col. 1:13). Thus "the world" signifies "the world
of the ungodly" (II Peter 2:5), not only the sum total of the children
of the devil in contradistinction from the children of God, but all
the unregenerate, which augments their strength and malignity. When
coals, each on fire, are placed together, the fire is increased. In
like manner there is an intensification from this union of all parts
of this "world." Its "course" connotes, first, its "age" or time, each
generation having a more or less distinct character, but essentially
the same "evil world" (Gal. 1:4). Second, the word means the mold or
manner of the world, its custom or way of life--its "spirit" (I Cor.
2:12) and "fashion" (I Cor. 7:31). The unregenerate walk according to
the same maxims and morals; they do as the majority of their fellowmen
do, because each has the same depraved nature.
"According to the prince of the power of the air." The world is what
it is because it is under the dominion of Satan. The mass of the
unregenerate are likened to the sea (Isa. 57:20); being bound by a
common nature they all move together as the waters of the sea follow
the tide. Goodwin said:
If the wind comes and blows upon the sea, how it rageth, how strong
are the streams then'. There is breath, a spirit, the spirit of the
power of the air, namely the Devil sendeth forth an influence whereby,
as the wind that bloweth upon the trees, which way it bloweth, so he
bloweth and swayeth the hearts of the multitude one way...when all the
coals lie together, they make a great fire, but if the bellows be used
they make the fire more intense.
The Holy Spirit has here given us a double explanation of why the
unregenerate follow the course they take. As each one enters and grows
up in the world, being a social creature, he naturally goes with the
drove of his fellows; and possessing the same evil lusts he finds
their ways agreeable to him. The world, then, is the exemplary cause
according to which men shape their lives, but the devil is the
impelling cause.
Since the fall this malignant spirit has entered into human nature in
a manner somewhat analogous to that in which the Holy Spirit dwells in
the hearts of believers. He has intimate access to our faculties. and
though he cannot, like God's Spirit, work at the roots to change and
transform their tendencies, yet he can ply them with representations
and delusions which effectually incline them to fulfill his behests.
He can cheat the understanding with appearances of truth, fascinate
the fancy with pretenses of beauty, and deceive the heart with
semblances of good. By a whisper, a touch, a secret suggestion, he can
give an impulse to our thoughts and turn them into channels which
exactly serve his evil designs. Men not only do what he desires, but
he has a commanding power over them, as his being termed a prince
plainly implies; and therefore they are said to be "taken captive...
at his will" (II Tim. 2:26), and when converted they are delivered
from his power (Col. 1:13). Yet he does not work immediately in all
hearts, as the Holy Spirit does in the regenerate, for he is not
omnipresent, but employs a host of demons as his agents.
One man can influence another only by external means, but Satan can
also affect from within. He is able not only to take thoughts out of
men's minds (Luke 8:12), but to place thoughts in them, as we are told
he "put into the heart of Judas" to betray Christ (John 13:2); he
works indiscernibly as a spirit. As men yield to and comply with the
devil's insinuations, he gains increasing control over them, and God
permits him to enter and indwell them, as Matthew 12:29 shows. When
Satan would incite anyone to some particularly awful sin he takes
possession of him. We read that the devil, after Judas had consented
to the vile insinuation which he had put into his heart, "entered
into" Judas (Luke 22:3), in order to ensure the carrying out of his
design by strengthening the traitor to do his will. The word for
"entered" is the same as in Mark 5:13 where the unclean spirits
entered into the herd of swine, which brought about their destruction.
Satan is able to "fill the heart" (Acts 5:3), giving an additional
impulse to evil, as a person filled with wine is abnormally fired. But
let it be noted that there is no record in Scripture of either the
devil or a demon ever taking possession of a regenerate person.
Though the devil works thus in men, and works effectually, yet all
their sins are their own. The Spirit is careful to add "worketh in the
children of disobedience." Man consents first, then the devil
strengthens his resolution. That appears again in Peter's reproaching
of Ananias for yielding to temptation: "Why hath Satan filled thine
heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?" Satan does no violence either to the
liberty or the faculties of men, disturbing neither the spontaneity of
the understanding nor the freedom of the will. As the work of God's
Spirit in His elect is by no means inconsistent with their full
responsibility and their entire moral agency, so the work of the devil
in the reprobate makes it nonetheless their work; therefore the dupes
of his craft are without excuse for their sins.
Unlike the Holy Spirit, the devil has no creative power. He can impart
no new nature, but only avail himself of what is already there for him
to work on. He avails himself of the constitution of man's nature,
especially of his depravity as a fallen being. He gives impetus and
direction to man's free but evil tendencies. Rightly did Goodwin point
out that "as no man doth sin because God decrees him to sin, and
therefore none can excuse himself with that; so no man can excuse
himself with this, that Satan worketh in him."
Here then is the nature of human depravity as seen from the positive
side. The fall has brought man into subjection to the power of death,
into hopeless bondage to sin, into complete spiritual blindness. Man
has become the bondslave of Satan. In that dreadful state he does not
possess a particle of power to deliver himself or even to mitigate his
wretchedness. In addition, his heart is filled with enmity against
God.
Contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14
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A. W. Pink Header
The Total Depravity of Man by A.W. Pink
Chapter 8-Enormity
_________________________________________________________________
The theology of the last century has failed lamentably at two
essential points, namely, its teaching concerning God and its teaching
concerning fallen man. As one writer expressed it, "On the one hand,
they have not ascended high enough . . . on the other hand, they do
not descend low enough." God is infinitely greater and His dominion
far more absolute and extensive than most theologians admit, and man
has sunk much lower and is far more depraved than they will allow.
Consequently man's conduct toward his Maker is vastly more evil than
is commonly supposed. Its horrible hideousness cannot really be seen
except in the light supplied by Holy Writ. Sin is infinitely more vile
in its nature than any of us realize. Men may acknowledge that they
sin, but it appears as sin to very, very few. Sin was the original
evil. Before it entered the universe there was no evil: "God saw every
thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good" (Gen. 1:31).
Sin is the greatest of all evils. There is nothing in it but evil, nor
can it produce anything but evil--now, in the future, forever. As soon
as sin was conceived, all other evils followed.
The Nature of Sin
We may take a survey of everything in and on the earth, and we cannot
find anything so vile as sin. The basest and most contemptible thing
in this world has some degree of worth in it, as being the workmanship
of God. But sin and its foul streams have not the least part of worth
in them. Sin is wholly evil, without the least mixture of
good--vileness in the abstract. Its heinousness appears in its author:
"He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from
the beginning" (I John 3:8). Sin is his trade, and he practices it
incessantly. Sin's enormity is seen in what it has done to man: it has
completely ruined his nature and brought him under the curse of God.
Sin is the source of all our miseries; all unrighteousness and
wretchedness are its fruits. There is no distress of the mind, no
anguish of the heart, no pain of the body, but is due to sin. All the
miseries which mankind groans under are to be ascribed to sin. It is
the cause of all penalty: "Thy way and thy doings have procured these
things unto thee; this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter,
because it reacheth unto thine heart" (Jer. 4:18). Had there been no
sin, there would have been no wars, no national calamities, no
prisons, no hospitals, no insane asylums, no cemeteries! Yet who lays
these things to heart?
Sin assumes many garbs, but when it appears in its nakedness it is
seen as a black and misshapen monster. How God Himself views it `nay
be learned from the various similitudes used by the Holy Spirit to set
forth its ugliness and loathsomeness. He has compared it with the
greatest deformities and the most filthy and repulsive objects to be
met with in this world. Sin is likened to:
* the scum of a seething pot in which is a detestable carcass (Ezek.
24:10-12)
* the blood and pollution of a newborn child, before it is washed
and clothed (Ezek. 16:4, 6)
* a dead and rotting body (Rom. 7:24)
* the noisome stench and poisonous fumes which issue from the mouth
of an open sepulcher (Rom. 3:13)
* the lusts of the devil (John 8:44)
* putrefying sores (Isa. 1:5-6)
* a menstruous cloth (Isa. 3:22; Lam. 1:17)
* a canker, or gangrene (II Tim. 2:17)
* the dung of filthy creatures (Phil. 3:8)
* the vomit of a dog and the wallowing of a sow in the stinking mire
(II Peter 2:22)
Such comparisons show us something of the vileness and horribleness of
sin, yet in reality it is beyond all comparison. There is a far
greater malignity in sin than is commonly supposed even by the
majority of church members. Men regard it as an infirmity, and term it
a human frailty or hereditary weakness. But Scripture calls it "an
evil thing and bitter" (Jer. 2:19), an abominable thing which God
hates (Jer. 44:4). Few people think of it thus; rather the majority
regard it as a mere trifle, a matter of so little moment that all they
have to do is cry in the hour of death, "Lord, pardon me; Lord, bless
me," and all will be eternally well with them. They judge sin by the
opinion of the world. But what can a world which "lieth in wickedness"
(I John 5:19) know about God's hatred of sin? It does not matter what
the world thinks, but it matters a great deal what God says about it.
Others measure the guilt of sin by what conscience tells them--or
fails to! But conscience needs informing by the Bible. Many
uncivilized tribes have put their girl babies and old people to death,
and conscience did not chide them. A deadened conscience has
accompanied multitudes to hell without any voice of warning. Tens of
thousands of religionists see so little filth in sin that they imagine
a few tears will wash away its stain. They perceive so little
criminality in it that they persuade themselves that a few good works
will make full reparation for it.
All comparisons fail to set forth the horrible malignity in that
abominable thing which God hates. We can say nothing more evil of sin
than to term it what it is. "sin, that it might appear sin" (Rom.
7:13). "Who is like unto thee, O LORD?" (Exodus 15:11). When we say of
God that He is God we say all that can be said of Him. "Who is a God
like unto thee?" (Micah 7:18). We cannot say more good of Him than to
call Him God. We cannot say more evil of sin than to say it is sin.
When we have called it that, we have said all that can be said of it.
When the apostle wanted a descriptive epithet for sin, he invested it
with its own name: "that sin by the commandment might become exceeding
sinful" (Rom. 7:13). That was the worst he could say of it, the
ugliest name he could give it--just as when Hosea denounced the
Ephraimites for their idolatry: "So shall Bethel do unto you because
of the evil of your evil" (10:15, literal trans.). The prophet could
not paint their wickedness any blacker than to double the expression.
The hideousness of sin can be set forth no more impressively than in
the terms used by the apostle in Romans 7:13. "That sin ... might
become exceeding sinful" is a very forcible expression. It reminds us
of similar words used by Paul when magnifying that glory which is yet
to be revealed in the saints, and with which the sufferings of this
present time are not worthy to be compared, namely, "a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory." No viler name can be found for
sin than its own. Andrew Fuller stated:
If we speak of a treacherous person, we call him a Judas; if of Judas,
we call him a devil; but if of Satan, we want a comparison, because we
can find none that is worse than himself; we must therefore say, as
Christ did, "when he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own." It was
thus with the apostle when speaking of the evil of his own heart:
"that sin by the commandment might become"--what? He wanted a name
worse than its own: he could find none; he therefore unites a strong
epithet to the thing itself, calling it "exceeding sinful."
There are four great evils in sin: the total absence of the moral
image of God, the transgression of His just law, obnoxiousness to His
holiness, and separation from Him--entailing the presence of positive
evil, guilt cannot be measured by any human standard, the most
repulsive defilement, and misery inexpressible. Sin contains within it
an infinite evil, for it is committed against a Being of infinite
glory, unto whom we are under infinite obligations. Its odiousness
appears in that fearful description, "filthiness and superfluity of
naughtiness" (James 1:21), which is an allusion to the brook Kidron,
into which the garbage of the temple sacrifices and other vile things
were cast (II Chron. 29:16). Sin's hatefulness to God is seen in His
awful curse upon the workmanship of His own hands, for He would not
anathematize man for a trifle. If He does not afflict willingly, then
most certainly He would not curse without great provocation. The
virulence and vileness of sin can only be gauged at Calvary, where it
rose to the terrible commission of Deicide (the killing of a god); at
the cross it "abounded" to the greatest possible degree. The demerits
of sin are seen in the eternal damnation of sinners in hell, for the
indescribable sufferings which divine vengeance will then inflict upon
them are sin's rightful wages.
Sin is a species of atheism, for it is the virtual repudiation of God.
It seeks to discredit Him, to rebel against Him: "Who is the LORD,
that I should obey his voice?" (Exodus 5:2). Sin is a malignant spirit
of independence. Whether imperceptibly influencing the mind or
consciously present, it lies at the root of all evil and depravity.
Man desires to be lord of himself; hence his ready reception, at the
beginning, of the devil's lie "Ye shall be as gods." Man's credence of
that lie was the dissolution of the tie which bound the creature in
willing subjection to the Author of his being. Thus sin is really the
denial of our creaturehood and, in consequence, a rejection of the
rights of the Creator. Its language is "I am. I am my own, and
therefore I have the right to live unto myself." Thornwell pointed
this out
Considered as the renunciation of dependence upon God, it may be
called unbelief; as the exaltation of itself to the place of God,
it may be called pride; as the transferring to another object the
homage due to the Supreme, it may be called idolatry; but in all
these aspects the central principle is one and the same.
Effect of Sin in Man's Soul
An atheist is not only one who denies the existence of God, but also
one who fails to render to God the honor and subjection which are His
due. Thus there is a practical atheism as well as a theoretical
atheism. The former obtains wherever there is no genuine respect for
God's authority and no concern for His glory. There are many who
entertain theoretical notions of the divine existence, yet their
hearts are devoid of any affection to Him. And that is now the natural
condition of all the fallen descendants of Adam. Since "there is none
that seeketh after God'.' (Rom. 3:11), it follows that there is none
with any practical sense of His excellence or His claims. The natural
man has no desire for communion with God, for he places his happiness
in the creature. He prefers everything before Him, and glorifies
everything above Him. He loves his own pleasures more than God. His
wisdom being "earthly, sensual, devilish" (James 3:15), the celestial
and divine are outside his consideration. This appears in man's works,
for actions speak louder than words. Our hearts are to be gauged by
what we do, not by what we say. Our tongues may be great liars, but
our deeds tell the truth, showing what we really are.
How little recognized and realized is the fact that all outward
impieties are the manifestations of an inward atheism! Yet this is
indeed the case. As bodily sores evidence impurity of the blood, so
actions demonstrate the corruption of human nature. Sin is often
termed ungodliness: "Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His
saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are
ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly
committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have
spoken against him" (Jude 14-15). How vain it is to deny atheism in
the heart when there is so much of it in the life! Here too the tree
is known by its fruits. As an active and operative principle in the
soul, sin is the virtual assertion not only of self-sufficiency but
also of self-supremacy. Stephen Charnock rightly pointed out, "Those
therefore, are more deserving of being termed atheists who acknowledge
a God and walk as if there were none, than those (if there can be any
such) that deny God, and walk as if there were one."
As all virtuous actions spring from a due acknowledgment of God, so
all vicious actions rise from a lurking denial of Him. He who makes no
conscience of sin has no regard for the honor of God, and consequently
none for His being. If "by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil"
(Prov. 16:6), it clearly follows that in the absence of any awe of Him
they rush into evil. Every sin is an invading of the rights of God.
When we transgress His laws we repudiate His sovereignty. When we lean
on our own understanding and set up reason as the guide of our
actions, we despise His wisdom. When we seek happiness in gratifying
our lusts, we slight His excellence and consider His goodness
insufficient to satisfy our hearts. When we commit those sins in
secret which we would be ashamed to do in public, we virtually deny
both His omniscience and omnipresence. When we lean on the arm of
flesh or put our trust in some device, we disbelieve His power. Sin is
turning the back upon God (Jer. 32:33), kicking against Him (Deut.
32:15), treating Him with the utmost contempt.
People do not like to regard themselves as practical atheists. They
entertain a much better opinion of themselves than that. They pride
themselves on possessing far too much intelligence to harbor so
degrading an idea that there is no God. Instead they are persuaded
that creation clearly evidences a Creator. But no matter what their
intellectual beliefs may be, the fact remains that they are secret
atheists. He who disowns the authority of God disowns His divinity. It
is the unquestionable prerogative of the Most High to have dominion
over His creatures, to make His will known to them, and to demand
their subjection. But their breaking of His bands and their casting
away of His cords (Ps. 2:3) are a practical rejection of His rule over
them. Practical atheism consists of utter contempt of God, conducting
ourselves as though there were none infinitely above us who has an
absolute right to govern us, to whom we must give a full account of
all that we have done and left undone, and who will then pronounce
sentence of eternal judgment upon us.
The natural man gives himself that homage which is due God alone. When
he obtains something which makes him glitter in the eyes of the world,
how happy he is, for men "receive honour one of another, and seek not
the honour that cometh from God only" (John 5:44). They dote on their
own accomplishments and acquisitions, but do not delight in the divine
perfections. They think highly of themselves, but contemptuously of
others. They compare themselves with those lower than themselves,
instead of with those above. He who considers himself worthy of his
own supreme affection regards himself as being entitled to the supreme
regard of his neighbors. Yet it is self-idolatry to magnify ourselves
to the virtual forgetfulness of the Creator. When self-love wholly
possesses us, we usurp God's prerogative by making self our chief end.
This consuming egotism appears again in man s proneness to attribute
his achievements to his own virtue, strength and skill, instead of to
Him from whom comes every good and perfect gift. This was
Nebuchadnezzar's attitude: "Is not this great Babylon, that I have
built?" (Dan. 4:30). God punished Herod for not giving Him the glory
when instead of rebuking the people he accepted their impious
adulation.
The same profane spirit is shown by man's envying the talents and
prosperity of others. Cain was angry with God, and hated and killed
Abel, be cause his brother's offering was received and his own
refused. Since God assigns to each his portion, to look with a
grudging eye on that enjoyed by our fellowmen has much of practical
atheism in it. It is unwillingness for God to be the Proprietor and
Distributor of His favors as He pleases. It is assuming the right to
direct the Creator in what He shall bestow on His creatures; denying
His sovereignty to give more to one than to another. God disposes of
His benefits according to the counsel of His own will, but vain man
thinks he could make a better distribution of them. This sin imitates
that of Satan who was dissatisfied with the station which the Most
High had allotted him (Isa. 14:12-14). It is desiring to take to
ourselves that right which the devil lyingly asserted was his--to give
the kingdoms of this world to whom he would. Thus would man have the
Almighty degrade Himself to the satisfying of his whims rather than
His own mind.
There is in fallen man a disinclination toward God's rule. Man hates
instruction and casts God's words behind his back (Ps. 50:17). God has
revealed His great law to man, but it is treated as a strange thing
(Hosea 8:12) - What God counts valuable man despises The very purity
of the divine rule makes it obnoxious to an impure heart. Charnock
said, "Water and fire may as well kiss each other, and live together
without quarreling and hissing, as the holy will of God and the
unregenerate heart of a fallen creature." Not only is man's darkened
understanding incapable of perceiving the excellence of God's
commandments, but there is a disposition in his will which rises up
against it. When any part of God's revealed will is made known to men,
they endeavor to banish it from their thoughts. They do not like to
retain God in their knowledge (Rom. 1:28), therefore they resist the
strivings of the Spirit for obedient compliance (Acts 7:51). How can a
fleshly mind relish a spiritual law? Since the palate of man is
corrupted, divine things are unsavory to him, and forever remain so
until his taste is restored by divine grace.
The same atheistic spirit is seen again in men s denials of divine
providence. They will not concede that God presides over this scene,
directing all its affairs, shaping the circumstances of each of our
lives. Rather they attribute their lot to fortune or fate, to good or
bad "luck." Even when intellectually convinced to the contrary, they
continually quarrel with God's government of this world, and
particularly with His dealings with them. Whenever His will crosses
theirs, they rebel and rave. If their plans are thwarted, how fretful
they are! Men appraise themselves highly, and are angry if God appears
not to value them at the same rate--as if their estimation of
themselves were more accurate than His. What an evidence of practical
atheism this is. Instead of meekly submitting to God's will and
adoring His righteousness, men declare Him an unjust Governor, demand
that His wisdom be guided by their folly, and malign Him rather than
themselves!
What proof this is of the fearful enormity of human depravity.
We have shown that the heart of the natural man is filled with a
secret and unsuspected yet real spirit of atheism. Whatever
theological notions he may hold, by his attitude and conduct he
repudiates the very being of God. Even that fearful aspect of man's
state does not fully express the desperate and deplorable condition to
which the fall has reduced him. Not only is he living in this world
"without God" (Eph. 2:12)--without due acknowledgment of or practical
subjection to Him--but he has a disposition which is directly contrary
to Him. With no desire for communion with the true God, man devises
false gods and is devoted to them--possessions, pleasures, prestige.
Fallen man has cast off all allegiance to God and set himself in open,
undisguised opposition to Him. Not only has he no love for God, but
his very nature is wholly averse to Him. Sin has worked in all of his
being a radical antipathy to God and to His will and ways, for divine
things are holy and heavenly and therefore bitter to his corrupt
taste. He is alienated from God, inveterately opposed to Him.
Sin, as an operative principle in the soul, is virtually the assertion
of self-sufficiency and self-supremacy; thus it produces opposition to
God. Sin is not only the negation but the contrary of holiness,
therefore it breeds antagonism to the holy One. He who affirms and
asserts himself must deny and resist God. The divine claims are
regarded as those of a rival. God is looked upon as an enemy-the
carnal mind is enmity against Him--and enmity is not simply the
absence of love, a condition of mere indifference, but a principle of
repugnance and virulent resistance. Hence, as John Owen said:
Sin's proper formal object is God It hath, as it were, that command
from Satan which the Assyrians had from their king: "fight neither
with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel," that sin
sets itself against. There lies the secret, the formal reason of
all opposition to good, even because it relates unto God.... The
law of sin makes not opposition to any duty, but to God in every
duty.
Thus sin is nothing less than high treason against the absolute
sovereignty of God.
It is terrible beyond words that any creature of the great God should
harbor enmity against Him. He is the sum of all excellence, the source
of all good, the spiritual and moral sun of the universe. Yet fallen
man is not only His enemy, but his very mind is "enmity against God"
(Rom. 8:7). Enemies may be reconciled, but enmity cannot be; the only
way to reconcile enemies is to destroy their enmity. In Romans 5:10
the apostle spoke of enemies being reconciled to God by the death of
His Son. But when he makes reference to enmity he speaks of Christ's
"having abolished in his flesh the enmity" (Eph. 2:15). There is no
other way of getting rid of enmity except by its abolition or
destruction. Now enmity operates along two lines: aversion and
opposition. God is detested and resisted. Sin brings us into God's
debt (Matt. 6: 12), and this produces aversion of Him. As debtors hate
the sight of their creditors and are loath to meet them, so those who
are unable to meet the just claims of God fear His confrontation. This
was exemplified at the beginning, when fallen Adam fled as soon as he
heard the voice of his Maker.
Sin is a disease which has ravaged the whole of man's being, making
God obnoxious to him. As an inflamed eye cannot bear the light, the
depraved heart of man cannot endure to look upon God; he has a
deep-rooted and inveterate detestation of Him and therefore of
everything that is of Him. The more spirituality there is in anything,
the more it is disliked by the natural man. That which has most of God
in it is the most unpalatable to him. God says, "Ye have set at nought
all my counsel, and would none of my reproof" (Prov. 1:25). Not simply
a part but all of His revealed will was unacceptable to them. This
enmity is universal in its manifestations. Not only is the
unregenerate heart indisposed to all holy duties, finding them irksome
and burdensome, but it hates God's law and rejects His Christ. It
abuses His mercies, despises the riches of His goodness and
long-suffering. It mocks His messengers, resists His Spirit, flouts
His Word, and persecutes those who bear His image. Those at enmity
with God serve His adversary the devil, and are heartily in love with
that world of which he is prince.
Enmity Against God
Enmity is a principle which expresses itself by opposition against its
object. It contends with what it loathes. As in the regenerate the
flesh lusts against the spirit, so in the unregenerate it fights
against God. Enmity is the energy behind every sinful act. Though the
interests of particular sins may be contrary to one another, they all
conspire in a league against God Himself. Back in 1665 an able
expositor, W. Jenkyn, expressed it thus:
Sins are in conflict with one another: covetousness, and
profligacy, covetousness and intemperance agree not. But they are
one in combining against the interest of God. In betraying Christ,
Judas was actuated by covetousness; the high priest by envy, Pilate
by popularity; but all shook hands together in the murdering of
Christ. And those varied iniquities were blended together to make
up one lump of enmity.
Though in all sins there may not be an express hatred of God,
nevertheless in every sin there is an implicit and virtual hatred
against Him. So deeply rooted is man's enmity that neither the most
tender pleading nor the direst threatening will abate it. God may
entreat, but men will not heed; He may chastise, but as soon as He
lifts His rod they, like Pharaoh, are as defiant as ever.
The message of men's hearts and lives to God is "Depart from us; for
we desire not the knowledge of thy ways" (Job. 21:14). Man is compared
to a wild ass in the wilderness that "snuffeth up the wind at her
pleasure" rather than come under the yoke of God (Jer. 2:24). That
fact was exemplified all through the long history of Israel, and the
conduct of that people was a reflection and manifestation of the
nature of all mankind, for "as in water face answereth to face, so the
heart of man to man" (Prov. 27:19). The exercise of this enmity is
continued without interruption from the very beginning of man's days
to the end of his unregenerate life (Gen. 6:5). It does not vary at
all, being consistent with itself. Sin never calls a truce or lays
down the weapons of its rebellion, but persists in its active
hostility to God. If divine grace does not work a miracle in subduing
such enmity and planting in the heart a contrary principle which
opposes it, what must be the doom of such creatures? "Thinkest thou
this, O man,... that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?" (Rom.
2:3). Vain imagination. Christ will one day say, "Those mine enemies,
which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay
them before me" (Luke 19:27).
But far from owning that they hate God, the vast majority of men will
not only vehemently deny it, but affirm that they respect and love
Him. Yet if their supposed love is analyzed, it is found to cover only
their own interests. While a man concludes that God is favorable and
lenient with him, he entertains no hard thoughts against Him. So long
as he considers God to be prospering him, he carries no grudge against
Him. He hates God not as One who confers benefits, but as a Sovereign,
Lawgiver, Judge. He will not yield to His government or take His law
as the rule of his life; therefore he dreads His tribunal. The only
God against whom the natural man is not at enmity is one of his own
imagination. The deity whom he professes to worship is not the living
God, for He is truth and faithfulness, holiness and justice, as well
as being gracious and merciful. The soul of man is a complete stranger
to holiness, even when his head is bowed in the house of prayer. But
God is not deceived by any verbal acknowledgments or external homage:
"This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth and honoureth me
with their lips; but their heart is far from me" (Matt. 15:8). They
believe in a god of their own devising and not the God of Holy Writ.
In their awful delusion they imagine they admire God's character while
refusing His Son to reign over them.
This enmity against God is seen in man's insubordination to the divine
law. That is the particular indictment which is made against him in
Romans 8, for in proof of the statement that "to be carnally minded is
death" the apostle declared, "The carnal mind is enmity against God,"
and then added by way of demonstration, "It is not subject to the law
of God, neither indeed can be." It is quite evident that the final
clause was not brought in by way of excuse (for that would have
greatly weakened his argument), but instead to give added force to the
awful fact just affirmed. A servant who does not perform his master's
order may or may not be guilty of revolt. He cannot be charged with
rebellion if the task assigned is altogether beyond his physical
powers because of poor eyesight, the loss of a limb or the frailty of
old age. But if moral perversity (a spirit of malice and defiance)
prevents the discharge of his duty, he is certainly guilty of revolt.
We are told that the brothers of Joseph "hated him, and could not
speak peaceably unto him" (Gen. 37 4). Far from excusing their evil
conduct, that only intensified it. They harbored so much ill will
against him that they were morally incapable of treating him amicably.
Such is the inability of fallen man to be in subjection to God's law.
Originally made upright, created in the divine image, given a nature
in perfect harmony with God's statutes, endowed with faculties both
mental and moral which fully capacitated him to meet their
requirements, he is so hostile to his Maker that he is thoroughly
averse to His government. Our respect for God is judged by our
conformity to His law. As love for God is to be gauged by obedience
(John 14:21), so hatred of Him is both measured and manifested by
disobedience (Deut. 5:9-10). The natural man knows that God opposes
the gratification of his corrupt desires, and he hates God because His
law prohibits the indulging of his lusts with that freedom and
security which he covets. God commands that which he loathes, and
forbids what he longs after. Consequently, man's war against God is a
double one: defensive and offensive. Defensively, he slights God's
Word, perverts His gifts, resists the overtures of his Spirit (Acts
7:51). Offensively, man employs all his members and faculties as
weapons of unrighteousness against God (Rom. 6:13). To slight and
resist the divine law is to hold God Himself in contempt, for the law
is an expression of His goodness, the transcript of His righteousness,
the image of His holiness.
Here, then, is the ground of the enmity of the carnal mind: "It is not
subject to the law of God." We quote Winslow:
The secret is now revealed. God is the moral Governor of the
universe. Oh, this is the casus belli between Him and the sinner!
This constitutes the real secret of his fall, inveterate hostility
to the Divine being. The question at issue is: "Who shall
govern--God or the sinner?" The non-subjection of the carnal heart
to God's Law--its rebellion against the Divine government-clearly
indicates the side of this question which the carnal mind takes.
You may, my reader, succeed in reasoning yourself into the belief
that you admire, adore, and love God as your Creator and
Benefactor, and only feel a repugnance, and manifest an opposition,
to Him as a Lawgiver. But this is impossible in fact, however
specious it may be in theory.... God's nature and His office, His
person and His throne, are one and inseparable. No individual can
possibly be a friend to the being of God, who is not equally
friendly to His government. Why is the moral Law offensive to the
carnal mind? Because of the holiness of its nature and the
strictness of its requirements. It not only takes cognizance of
external actions, but it touches the very springs of action, the
motives that lie concealed in the human heart and regulate the
life. It demands supreme affection and universal obedience. To this
the carnal mind demurs.
There are multitudes today, even in so-called Christian countries, who
are almost totally ignorant of even the terms of God's law--so intense
is the darkness that has now settled upon us. The majority of those
who have been brought up under acknowledgment of the law, far from
valuing such a privilege, despise it. The language of their hearts
against God's faithful servants is that which Israel used of old to
His prophet: "As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the
name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee" (Jer. 44:16). They
"refused to walk in his law" (Ps. 78:10). They had rather be their own
rulers than God's subjects; they guide themselves to destruction
rather than be directed by Him to blessedness. They crave unbridled
liberty and will not tolerate the restraints of a command which checks
them. Whatever compliance there may be--for the sake of
respectability--to any divine precept which forbids a gross outward
sin, the heart still rises up against that part of the law which
requires inward purity. The more man, s inward corruptions are curbed
and condemned, the more he is enraged. Therefore God charges him not
only with despising His judgments but with abhorring His statutes
(Lev. 26:43).
The difference there is between man and God appears in man's
unwillingness that any should observe God's law. Not satisfied with
being a rebel himself, man would have God left without any loyal
subjects in the world; therefore he uses both temptations and threats
to induce others to follow his evil example. He paints the pleasures
of sin in glowing colors, and sneers at and boycotts those who have
any scruples. Ordinarily the workers of iniquity consider those who
walk with God to be freaks and fools, and take delight in ridiculing
them (I Peter 4:4). It is not that the righteous have wronged the
wicked in any way, but that they refuse to have fellowship with them
in defying God. This is proof of their awful enmity. Not only are they
themselves angry at God's laws, but they cannot bear to see anyone
else respecting them. The apostle, after enumerating some of the
vilest abominations, brought this indictment against the Gentiles,
that they "not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do
them" (Rom. 1:32). They delight in accomplishing the downfall of their
fellowmen.
Another result of man, s enmity is his manufacturing of false gods.
Though this act is not so noticeably committed by some, yet no one is
entirely clear of setting up something in the place of God, for this
sin is common to all mankind, as history clearly shows. From the days
of Nimrod until the appearing of Christ, the whole Gentile world was
abandoned to this impiety, having "changed the glory of the
uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to
birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things" (Rom. 1:23). Even
Abraham originally, as well as his parents, was guilty of this sin
(Joshua 24:2). From the making of the golden calf at Sinai until their
captivity in Babylon, the Israelites repeatedly committed this crime.
Today hideous idols are found not only in heathendom but throughout
the whole so-called civilized world. Yet the awfulness of idolatry is
perceived by very few. Satan cannot invent a more absolute degrading
and vilifying of the Most High than calling Him by the names of those
senseless objects and repulsive creatures which men erect as
representations of Him. Giving an image that homage which belongs to
God is making it equal to Him, if not above Him. It portrays the
glorious One as though He had no more excellence than a block of stone
or a piece of carved wood.
Man's enmity against God is a practical repudiation of His holiness,
for it cherishes what is directly contrary to it. "Thou art of purer
eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity" (Hab. 1:13).
Since God is infinitely good, He has an infinite detestation of evil.
But sin is the very element in which man lives; therefore he hates
everything opposed to it. Nothing is more distasteful to him than the
company of the godly; and the stricter they are in performing the
duties of piety, and the more the image of God is seen shining in and
through them, the greater is the longing of the unregenerate to be
free from their presence. Man loves sin so much that he seeks to
justify himself in the very commission of it. He even goes further and
charges it to the holy One. It was thus at the beginning. When
arraigned by his Maker, instead of confessing the enormity of his
offense, Adam tried to excuse himself by blaming it on God: "The woman
whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did
eat." Some expositors think that when Cain was charged with the murder
of Abel, and answered, "Am I my brother's keeper?" he blatantly put
the onus on the Lord. David charged the crime he had contrived to
divine providence (II Sam. 11:25). Man still blames God by attributing
his sins to his constitution or his circumstances.
This fearful hostility is exercised against the very being of God.
That was clearly demonstrated when He became incarnate. The Son of God
was not wanted here, but was despised and rejected of men. They
provided no better accommodation than a manger for His cradle. Before
He reached the age of two such a determined effort was made to kill
Him that Joseph and Mary had to take Him to Egypt. Though constantly
going about doing good, both to the souls and bodies of men, He had to
declare, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests;
but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head" (Matt. 8:20). They
called Him the vilest names they could think of: a glutton and
drunkard, a Samaritan, a devil. Again and again they took up stones to
throw at Him. His miracles of mercy did not lessen their enmity:
"This is the heir; come, let us kill him" (Matt. 21:38); and no
ordinary death would satisfy them. After heaping the worst possible
indignities on His sacred person and inflicting the most barbarous
suffering, they nailed Him to a convict's gibbet, then mocked and
reviled Him while He was fastened hand and foot to the cross. As the
Lord Jesus declared, "He that hateth me hateth my Father also" (John
15:23).
Now such an attitude against God inevitably falls back on ourselves.
Alienated from the Source of all real good and purity, what can the
consequence be but to be polluted in every part of our beings--a mass
of putrefaction? Sin has indeed worked havoc in the human
constitution. Man's very nature is degraded. No creature is so debased
as man, for he alone has erased the image of God from his soul. Man,
once the glory of creation, has become the vilest of all creatures. He
who was given dominion over the beasts has sunk lower, for they are
not guilty of mad and wicked intemperance, they are not without
natural affection toward their offspring (as so many of the human
species are), nor do they commit suicide. Man's apostasy from his
Maker could not result in anything less than the complete mutilation
of his soul, depriving it of that perfect harmony and balance of its
faculties with which it was originally endowed, robbing them of their
primitive excellence and beauty. The whole of our inner man has been
attacked by a loathsome disease, so that there is now no soundness in
it.
What villainy is in fallen man! No wonder the Scriptures ask, "Who can
know it?" (Jer. 17:9). None but the very One against whom it lifts its
vile head. What an awful spectacle, to witness the finite in deadly
opposition to the Infinite! The creature and the Creator are at direct
odds, for while a serpentine nature and a devilish disposition remain
unsubdued within fallen man, he will no more seek to glorify the Lord
than will Satan himself. The unregenerate man detests Him who is light
and love. The ox knows its owner, and the ass his master's crib, but
the one who has been endowed with rationality and immortality does not
recognize the hand that daily ministers in mercy throughout his life.
What long-suffering God shows to those who treat Him so basely! What
abundant cause the Christian has to abhor himself and hang his head in
shame as he contemplates the awfulness of all the sin that still
indwells him!
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A. W. Pink Header
The Total Depravity of Man by A.W. Pink
Chapter 9-Extent
_________________________________________________________________
Neither the scientist, the philosopher, nor the psychologist can
correctly diagnose the fatal malady which has seized all mankind, and
still less is any of them able to gauge its full extent. For a right
and true knowledge of this we are dependent on what the Holy Spirit
has revealed in Holy Writ. There we are shown that man has become not
only fallen and corrupt but totally depraved; that he is not only a
criminal before the divine law, but a foul and repulsive object in the
eyes of his Maker. There are two inseparable effects of sin: pollution
and guilt, neither of which can be avoided. Where there is sin there
is a stain. Uncleanness, ugliness, filthiness, and similar
characteristics, indicate not only a property of sin but also the
effect it produces in its subjects. It defiles, leaving the impress of
its odious features, making the soul the reflection of its own
hideousness. Wherever it touches, it leaves its filthy slime, making
its subject hateful and abominable.
Biblical Description of Sin
No representations of sin are more common in the Scriptures than those
taken from its defiling effects. Throughout it is portrayed as ugly
and revolting, unclean and disgusting. It is pictured by leprosy, the
most loathsome disease which can attack the human frame. It is likened
to wounds, bruises and putrefying sores. It is compared to a cage of
unclean birds. The inseparable connection of the beautiful and good
and the ugly and sinful pervades the moral teaching of both
Testaments. That connection is ethical and not aesthetic. To reverse
the order would be to reduce righteousness to a matter of taste, and
to regulate authority according to its appeal to our sentiments. As
someone has said, the aesthetic sentiment is a reflection from the
moral sphere, a transfer to our senses of those perceptions found in
their purity only in the realm of the spiritual and divine. Sin is
really and originally all that is ugly; nothing else is ugly except as
a result of its connection with sin. The ugliness which it creates is
its own blot. It has deranged the whole structure of the soul, and
morally ulcerated man from head to foot.
"We are all as an unclean thing" (Isa. 64:6). Thus God's Word
describes us: foul and filthy. That pollution is deep and
unmistakable, likened to crimson dye (Isa. 1:18), or to the blackness
of the Ethiopian (Jer. 13:23), which cannot be washed away by the
niter of positive thinking or the soap of reformation (Jer. 2:22). It
is an indelible pollution, for it is "written with a pen of iron, and
with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of ... [the]
heart" (Jer. 17:1). The great deluge did not wash it from the earth,
nor did the fire that came down upon Sodom burn it out. It is
ineradicable. Even the fire of hell through eternity will not take
away the stain of sin in the souls there. This pollution spreads, like
leaven and leprosy. It is universal, and has defiled all the faculties
of the inner man, so that there is "no soundness in it" (Isa. 1:6).
Soul and body alike are contaminated, for we read of the "filthiness
of the flesh and spirit" (II Cor. 7:1). It extends to the thoughts and
imaginations, as well as to words and deeds. It is malignant and
deadly, "the poison of asps" (Rom. 3:13). "I said unto thee when thou
wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy
blood, Live" (Ezek. 16:6). The doubling of that expression shows the
deadly nature of the pollution.
Sin is as loathsome as it is criminal; it is like a foul stench in the
nostrils of the Lord. Thus the day man corrupted himself, his Maker
could no longer endure him, but drove him out of the garden (Gen.
3:24). The Scriptures liken man to foxes for their subtlety, to wild
bulls for their intractableness, to briers and thorns for their
hurtfulness, to pigs for their greediness and filthiness, to bears and
lions for their cruelty and bloodthirstiness, to serpents for their
hatefulness. However unpleasant and forbidding this subject, it is an
integral part of "the counsel of God" which His ministers are not at
liberty to withhold. They are not free to pick and choose their
themes, still less to tone them down. Rather each one is told by his
Master, "Speak unto them all that I commanded thee: be not dismayed at
their faces" (Jer. 1:17). Asylums, prisons and cemeteries are
depressing sights, yet they are painful facts of human history.
Refusal to consider fallen man's condition helps no one. Until we are
brought to realize this truth we shall never despair of self and look
away to Another. This solemn side of the picture is indeed dark, yet
it is the necessary background to redemption.
Biblical Description of Sinful Man
The effects of the fall are not only more terrible but much more
wide-reaching than are commonly supposed. Yet this would not be the
case were our thoughts formed by the teaching of Holy Writ. God's Word
is plain enough: "GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the
earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was
only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5). Those words are as impressive as
they are solemn. In Genesis 1:31 we read, "And God saw every thing
that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." But here the
omniscient One is portrayed as taking a universal survey of the
condition of mankind, and recording His righteous verdict of their
condemnation. They announce His unerring diagnosis of their inward
state in terms which fully explain their outward conduct. The spring
of all their actions is thoroughly corrupt. The translators of the
Authorized Version have given a marginal note informing us that the
Hebrew word for imagination" included the purposes and desires. The
very fount of man's being was defiled, and it was a most offensive
sight to the holy One.
The heart is the moral center from which all the issues or outgoings
of life proceed, and none but God knows how evil it is. The thoughts
formed within such a heart are vain and sinful. The imagination or
formation of them, their very first stirrings, are evil. As we stated,
the Hebrew word for "imagination of the heart" signifies a matrix, the
frame in which our thoughts are cast. Observe that every imagination
is evil. No good ideas are intermingled; all are unrelieved
badness--not simply the outward acts, but also the first movements of
the soul toward an object. There we have the source from which all the
wickedness of men proceeds. The corrupt moods within us are in a
constant fermentation. Man's heart is such that, left to itself, it
will always be producing inordinate affections and emotions. Men are
"only evil" without exception, wholly so; there is not a single
virtuous one among them. Furthermore, they are "evil continually,"
without intermission all the days of their lives, therefore all their
works are evil and fruitless.
"The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth" (Gen. 8:21).
Genesis 6:5 described human nature and conduct as it was prior to the
flood; this verse shows what man still was after it. The great deluge
had swept away all of that corrupt generation to which Enoch had
prophesied and Noah had preached in vain, but it had not cleansed
man's nature. That remained as vile as before. Man continued to be
conceived in iniquity and born in sin, and what is bred in the bone
always comes out in the flesh. From the first moment of his existence,
every descendant of Adam is a defiled creature, fit only for God's
abhorrence. His very instincts while in embryo are essentially evil.
The Hebrew word for "youth" is translated "childhood" in I Samuel
12:2; both personal experience and observation sadly verify the solemn
fact that, as Charnock said, there is "not a moment of a man's life
wherein our hereditary corruption doth not belch its froth."
"Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints [for they are but mutable
creatures in themselves]; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.
How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity
like water?" (Job 15:15-16). What a description of human nature:
obnoxious to God, corrupt in itself! Man is thoroughly unclean, as his
life bears witness, his very righteousness being "as filthy rags"-so
impure that nothing but the blood of Christ can cleanse him. With such
a character man is never weary of sinning: Even when worn out by age,
his lusts are still active within. As Peter expressed it, "They cannot
cease from sin" for it is their very nature to be sinful. Possessing a
disposition which greedily craves indulgence. seeking satisfaction as
passionately as parched throats in the burning desert long for the
quenching of their thirst, man delights in iniquity and, so far as he
is left to follow his inordinate propensities, he is continually
seeking to take his fill of it.
"Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily,
therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do
evil" (Eccles. 8:11). Such is the perversity of corrupt human nature
that it abuses the very patience and forbearance of God. Since divine
judgment is not sent at once to evildoers, they set themselves against
the Lord and promise themselves immunity. Thus it was with those in
the days of Noah. God deferred the flood for one hundred and twenty
years, giving them ample "space for repentance"; but instead of
availing themselves of the opportunity they regarded His threats as
idle, and became increasingly corrupt and violent. It was thus with
Pharaoh, who only hardened his heart when respite was granted him. And
it is still thus. Though the marks of divine displeasure against I our
generation are multiplied, men grow more and more daring and in
defying God's law, sinning with a high hand and presuming on their
security.
"The heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their
heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead" (Eccles.
9:3). As Christ was and is "full of grace and truth" (John 1:14), the
natural man is filled with unrighteousness and wickedness. He is
filled with such enmity against God that as his corruptions kindle it,
so divine and spiritual things stimulate it to action. That awful
enmity comprises the sum of all evil. "Madness is in their heart"; men
are so infatuated as to seek their pleasures in the things which God
hates. They cast off all the restraints of reason and conscience (cf.
Jer. 1:38) as their heady and violent passions press them forward into
sin. Who but a madman would set himself against the Almighty and rush
into evil heedless of danger and disaster? They are maddened by their
lusts, mad against piety. The clause "after that they go to the dead"
signifies more than the grave; they are gathered to their own company,
the dead in sin, not to "the spirits of just men made perfect."
The teaching of the Lord Jesus was of course in perfect harmony with
that of the Old Testament. He never flattered human nature or extolled
its excellences. Instead He painted it in the darkest colors,
announcing that He had come to "seek and to save that which was lost"
(Luke 19:10). Fallen man has lost all likeness to God, all communion
with God, all love for God, all true knowledge of God, all delight in
God, all favor with God, all power toward God, and bas thrown off all
subjection to God. The Saviour was not deceived by religious pretense
or shallow profession. Even when many believed in His name as they saw
the miracles which He did, "Jesus did not commit himself unto them...
for he knew what was in man' (John 2:23-25) - By declaring, "I am not
come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Matt. 9:13),
He had not only intimated the need for His mission-for there would
have been no occasion for His coming among men unless they were
perishing-but inferred that there were none righteous, for He called
upon all to repent (Mark 1:15; Luke 13:5).
When Christ asserted, "Except a man be born again, he cannot enter the
kingdom of God," He showed how desperate is man's plight; for the new
birth is not a mere correcting of some defect, nor the righting of a
single faculty, but an entire renovation of the soul. The same Spirit
which formed Christ in the virgin's womb must form Him in our hearts
to fit us for the presence of God. When Christ averred that "men loved
darkness rather than light" (John 3:19), He exposed their awful
depravity. They were not only in the darkness, but delighted in it
"because their deeds were evil." When He stated that "the wrath of God
abideth on" the unbeliever, Christ testified to man's awful condition.
When He said, "I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you"
(John 5:42), He again revealed man's fearful state, for since all
goodness or virtue consists in love to God and our neighbor, then
where love is wanting, goodness or virtue has no existence. Christ's
statement "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me
draw him" (John 6:44) plainly showed the moral impotence of every
descendant of Adam. This impotence consists of turpitude and baseness,
of inveterate opposition to God due to bitter hatred of Him. No one
seeks the company of a person he loathes: before he does so he must be
given an entirely new disposition.
"For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts,
adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness,
deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
all these evil things come from within, and defile the man" (Mark
7:21-23). Note that Christ used "heart" in the singular number,
referring to the common and uniform heart of all mankind. Here the
Lord made known what a loathsome place is the center of man's being,
and what horrible crimes issue from its evil. They rise from that
fountain which is poisoned by sin.
The Son of God expressed His estimate of fallen mankind thus: "If ye
then, being evil..." (Matt. 7:11). Men not only do that which is evil,
but are so in their very nature. As the psalmist said, "Their inward
part is very wickedness" (5:9) - Christ spoke not to open enemies but
to His own disciples, and His language affirmed that by birth they
were defiled both root and branch. How His words abase human pride!
Those who prattle about the dignity and nobility of human nature meet
with Christ's solemn verdict to the contrary.
"The Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth
him not, neither knoweth him" (John 14:17). What Christ said in His
day, "Because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not" (John 8:45), is
still true. Men are so infatuated with lies, they cannot receive the
Spirit of truth. In those words the Son of God represented the
unregenerate as not having the least degree of spiritual discernment
and knowledge, as being completely destitute of holiness. Nothing but
total depravity can make man so blind to spiritual things as to be
thoroughly opposed to them.
Our English word "depraved" is taken from depravatus, which means
twisted, wrenched from the straight line. The root of this word is
pravus, "crooked," "bad." Total depravity connotes that this
distortion has affected all of man's being to such an extent that he
has no inherent power of recovery left to restore himself to harmony
with God, and that this is the case with every member of the race. Yet
total depravity does not imply that sin has reached its highest
intensity in a person so that it is incapable of augmentation, for men
add to their sins (I Sam. 12:19). No, fallen man does not enter this
world as bad as he can be, but he has "no good thing" in him (Rom.
7:18). Instead he is wholly corrupt, entirely vitiated throughout his
constitution.
The natural man has not one iota of holiness in him; rather he is horn
with the seeds of every form of evil, radically inclined to sin. In
our nature we are vileness itself, black as hell, and unless a miracle
of grace is worked in us we must inevitably be damned for all
eternity. It is not a case of man's having a few imperfections; he is
altogether polluted. "an unclean thing" with "no soundness" (Isa.
1:6). Not only has man no holiness, but his heart is inveterately
averse to it.
The solemn doctrine of total depravity does not mean that there are no
parents with genuine love for their children, and no children who
respectfully obey their parents; that there are none imbued with a
spirit of benevolence to the poor and kind sympathy for the suffering;
that there are no conscientious employers or honest employees. But it
does mean that, where the unregenerate are concerned, those duties are
discharged without any love for God, any subjection to His authority,
or any concern for His glory. Parents are required to bring up their
children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and children are
to obey their parents in the Lord (Eph. 6:1, 4). Servants are to serve
their masters `'in singleness of heart, as unto Christ.'' Do the
unconverted comply with those injunctions? No, therefore their
performances not only possess no spiritual value, but are polluted.
Every act of the natural man is faulty. "The plowing of the wicked is
sin" (Prov. 21:4) because it is for selfish ends. Then is it better
not to plow at all? Wrong, for slothfulness is equally sinful. There
are different degrees of enormity, but every act of man is sinful.
The condition of the natural man is such that in the discharge of his
first responsibility to his Maker he is utterly unfaithful. His chief
obligation is to live for the glory of God and to love Him with all
his heart; but while he remains unrenewed he does not have the least
spiritual, holy, true love for Him. Whatever there may be in his
domestic and social conduct which is admirable in the eyes of others,
it is not prompted by any respect for the divine will. So far as man's
self-recovery and self-recuperation are concerned, his depravity is
total, in the sense of being decisive and final. Spurgeon stated:
Man is fallen; every part and passion of his nature is perverted:
he has gone astray altogether, is sick from the crown of his head
to the soles of his feet: yea, is dead in trespasses and sins and
corrupt before God. O pride of human nature, we plough right over
thee! The hemlock standing in thy field must be cut up by the
roots. Thy weeds seem like fair flowers, but the ploughshare must
go right through them, till all thy beauty is shown to be a painted
Jezebel, and all human glorying a bursting bubble.
What makes this awful view of man's total depravity yet more solemn is
the fact that there is no exception to it, for it is universal.
Corrupt nature is the same in all. The hand that writes these lines is
as capable of perpetrating the foulest crime on the calendar, and the
heart of the reader could devise the worst deed committed by the
vilest wretch who ever lived. The only distinction of character among
men is that which the sovereign power and grace of God effects. "We
are all as an unclean thing" (Isa. 64:6); our original purity is gone.
"There is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God." In his comments on Romans 3:10-18 Calvin said:
In this terrible manner the apostle inveighs not against particular
individuals, but against all the posterity of Adam. He does not
declaim against the depraved manners of one or another age, but
accedes the perpetual corruption of our nature. For his design in
that passage is not simply to rebuke men in order that they may
repent, but rather to teach us that all men are overwhelmed with an
inevitable calamity, from which they can never emerge unless they
are extricated by the mercy of God.
When the Lord Jesus called Paul, He informed him that He was about to
send him to the Gentiles "to open their eyes, and to turn them from
darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God" (Acts 26:18).
In those words Christ indicated the character of the whole Gentile
world; they were all as ignorant of God, and of the way of acceptance
with Him, as blind men are of the true objects of sight. There were
then, as now, devout religionists, esteemed poets and boastful
philosophers who gloried in their wisdom, professing to teach what was
the true happiness of man. There were renowned sages with innumerable
disciples, whose schools were run solely for the study of virtue,
knowledge and happiness. Nevertheless "the world by wisdom knew not
God," and He declared, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and
will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent" (I Cor.
1:19-21), for it deceived and deluded them. The schools themselves
were darkness, and the minds of their authors--men like Pythagoras and
Plato, Socrates and Aristotle--were "blinded by the god of this
world," completely under the control of the devil.
"The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if
there were any that did understand, and seek God" (Ps. 14:2). We quote
Spurgeon again:
Behold the eyes of Omniscience ransacking the globe, and prying
among every people and nation. He who is looking down knows the
good, is quick to discern it, would be delighted to find it; but as
He views all the unregenerate children of men His search is
fruitless, for of all the race of Adam no unrenewed soul is other
than an enemy to God and goodness. "They are all gone out of the
way." Without exception, all men have apostatized from the Lord
their Maker, from His Laws, and from the eternal principles of
right. Like stubborn heifers they have sturdily refused to receive
the yoke. The original speaks of the race as a totality, humanity
as a whole has become depraved in heart and life. "They have
altogether become filthy." As a whole they are spoiled and soured
like corrupt leaven, or, as some put it, they have become putrid
and even stinking. The only reason why we do not more clearly see
this foulness is because we are accustomed to it, just as those who
work daily among offensive odours at last cease to smell them.
Extent of Carnality
That terrible indictment "The carnal mind is enmity against God: for
it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be" (Rom 8:7)
is not restricted to particularly reprobate persons, but is an
unqualified statement which applies to every individual. It is "the
carnal mind," whatever mind may properly be designated "carnal,"
natural, unspiritual. The undeveloped mind of the infant is "enmity
against God." Moreover, that description is true at all times, though
it is not equally so evident. Though the wolf may sleep, he is still a
wolf. The snake which lurks among the flowers is just as deadly as
when it lies among noxious weeds. Furthermore, that solemn declaration
is true of the whole mind, of all its faculties. It is true of the
memory: nursery rhymes, silly jokes and foolish songs are retained
without effort, whereas passages of Scripture and spiritual sermons
are quickly forgotten. It is so with the affections: the creature is
idolized and the Creator slighted. So of the judgment: what erroneous
conceptions it forms of the Deity and how fearfully it wrests His
Word! It is true even of the conscience, for there have been those
who, while killing the saints, thought they did God a service (John
16:2), among them Saul of Tarsus.
As might well be expected, fierce opposition has been made against
this flesh-withering truth of the total depravity of man, and always
will be where it is faithfully preached. When men are informed that
they are suffering from something far more serious than a defect in
their characters or an unhappy bias of disposition, namely, that their
very nature is rotten to the core, it is more than human pride can
endure. When told that the center of their moral being is corrupt,
that their heart--the potent fountain from which issue their desires
and thoughts--is desperately wicked, that it is inherently and
radically evil from the first moment of their existence, hot
resentment is at once aroused. It is indeed awful to contemplate that
not only is sin the element in which the natural man lives, but the
whole of his life is one unmixed course of evil. It is scarcely
surprising that those who are not subject to the Word of truth should
revolt at such a concept, especially as it is contrary to what appears
in not a few characters who must be respected for many admirable
qualities. Nevertheless, since all sin is a coming short of the glory
of God, every act of fallen man has in it the nature of sin.
Even in Christendom this doctrine has been strongly and steadily
resisted. The great controversy between Augustine and Pelagius in the
fifth century turned upon whether that moral corruption which pertains
to all mankind is total or partial. If the latter, then of course it
follows that man still has within him something which is good,
something which is consistent with the divine law, something which
enables him to at least partly discharge the obligations on him as a
creature of God. Ever since the days of Augustine there have been
those posing as Christians who, while acknowledging that man is a
fallen and depraved creature, have flatly denied that he is totally
depraved. Those who repudiate the inward and invincible call of the
Spirit do not realize the actual state of man's soul, nor perceive
that a miracle of grace is necessary before he is made willing to
comply with the demands of the gospel. Arminians acknowledge the aid
of the Spirit, but at once negate their admission by affirming that He
can be successfully resisted after He has put forth all His efforts to
woo the sinner to Christ.
It is important to recognize that the principles of faith and love are
not produced by mere moral persuasion, by the external presentation of
Christ to a person. Rather they are accomplished by a miracle of
divine power and grace in the soul. Such a glorious work must be done
by an efficient agent. The natural man is blind and dead to spiritual
things, and what mere persuasion can make the blind see or the dead
act? Persuasion, far from giving a faculty, presupposes one; the use
of it is not to confer a power, but to stir and move it to act. God is
far more than an Orator beseeching men; He is a mighty Operator
quickening men. His word is a commanding power. As He said, "Let light
be," and there was light, so He calls for a new heart and brings it
into existence. God is no mere Helper, but a Creator. "We are his
workmanship," not our own. It is God who makes us new creatures, and
not we ourselves. We are "born, not... of the will of man, but of God"
(John 1:13). To say that we are in part born of our own wills is to
blaspheme the Author of our spiritual being and to place the crown on
nature instead of grace. The evolutionist emphatically denies the
total depravity of man, for the only fall he believes in is an upward
one. He is loud in insisting that there is a divine spark of life in
the soul of every human being, burning very feebly in some, yet
capable of being fanned into a flame if the right influences are
brought to bear on it. Others term it a divine "seed" of goodness, a
seed which only needs cultivating for the ultimate development of a
noble and virtuous character. This is a point-blank repudiation of the
teaching of Christ that the human tree is essentially "corrupt." Since
the whole system of redemption rests upon the basic fact of man's
total depravity, and since every false system of religion originates
in the repudiation of that fact, it is incumbent on us to expose the
fallacy of those objections which are commonly made against it.
Some attempt to show that we do not enter this world in a defiled
condition. The engaging simplicity, dependence and harmlessness of
infants are stressed, and reference is even made to Scripture in
support of the contention that they are born in a state of innocence.
But this need not detain us very long, for it scarcely presents even
an apparent force. Appeal is made to this statement: "And shed
innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters,
whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan" (Ps. 106:38), which
simply means they sacrificed their little ones, who had not been
active participants in their idolatry. "For the children being not yet
born, neither having done any good or evil" (Rom. 9:11) is not to the
point, for those words refer not to their nature but to a time before
they committed any deeds. While in contrast with adults infants
possess a relative innocence in that they are guiltless of personal
transgressions, yet it is clear that they partake of original sin (Ps.
51:5; 58:3; Prov. 22:15). Scripture never contradicts itself.
Others insist that there is some good in the very worst, that even the
most confirmed villains shudder and turn away from certain deeds of
wickedness when first tempted to do them. The conclusion is drawn
that, deeply buried under the ashes of a life of unbridled crime, the
sparks of some power of goodness still remain. But that is to confuse
the faint stirrings of man's moral nature with potential spirituality.
Confusion of thought leads people to infer that because there are
degrees of wickedness there must be a modicum of good. Because one
stage of depravity is lower than another, this does not warrant the
denial that the first stage is degraded. The development of wickedness
is one thing; the presence of any measure of holiness or virtue is
another. The absence of certain forms of sins does not imply any
innate purity. It might as well be affirmed that a recent corpse,
which is less loathsome, is therefore less dead than one which is far
gone in decay and putrefaction.
Voice of Conscience
Many have argued that the strivings of conscience in the unregenerate
demonstrate that they are not totally depraved. They point out that
every man is possessed of the faculty which bears witness within him
in countless instances of what is right and wrong. They state that
this inward monitor exerts considerable influence even on wicked men,
impelling them to perform actions which are relatively good, and
deterring them from actions which are evil. That is freely admitted,
but it does not minimize the truth we are here contending for. While
conscience is necessary to the performance of both good and evil, it
does not enter into either the one or the other. It is that part of
the mind which takes cognizance of the virtue or vice of our actions
but is quite distinct from both. It is that ethical instinct which
passes judgment on the lawfulness or unlawfulness of our desires and
actions. The conscience itself needs instructing, for its dictates go
no farther than the knowledge it possesses. It does not reveal
anything, but simply declares the character of what is presented to
the mind's eye, according to the light it has.
The conscience is not in itself a standard of duty, for that of a
heathen speaks very differently from that of a Christian, who is
taught by the Holy Spirit. The conscience is an ear to hear, and the
character of what it hears--whether true or false--is the measure of
its intelligence. In proportion to the tutoring of this inward eye
will be the truthfulness of its perceptions. The term defines itself:
con-science, "with knowledge"--to know with oneself. Conscience
informs and impresses us with the difference between good and evil,
But since all duty consists of and is contained in love (of God and
our neighbor), good and evil must consist entirely in the disposition
of the heart. Since the mere dictates of conscience include no such
dispositions, neither good nor evil can be predicated on those
dictates. Both men and demons will forever possess consciences
witnessing to them what is good and evil, even in hell itself where,
as all must allow, they will be utterly destitute of any virtue or
goodness. We do indeed read in God's Word of a good conscience and an
evil one. We also read of "an evil eye," yet there is neither good nor
evil in the sight of the eye, except as it is under the influence of a
holy or unholy disposition of the soul. So it is with the dictates of
the conscience.
The conscience bears solemn witness to the loss of man's purity and
the presence of depravity. But to regard the resistance of conscience
to each successive stage of sin as an evidence of innate goodness is
to ignore the very real distinction between the authority of
conscience and a soul's love for God. The conscience certainly
remonstrates and enforces the right in the form of an unconditional
and absolute imposition; it also threatens man with the destruction of
his peace if he persists in his course of wrongdoing. But the
remonstrance and threatening come to him as a restraint, as a force,
as something against which the current of his soul is set. There is no
love for God in it, no respect to His will declared by it, no regard
for His honor. The struggle is not between good and evil (as is the
case in a saint), but between sinful inclination and positive
prohibition. To know duty and yet be reluctant to perform it is no
evidence of any goodness of heart. Even to find satisfaction in
performing a duty at the dictate of conscience proves no reverence
whatever for God Himself.
The conflicts which the natural man experiences are most certainly not
between any love he has for God and the inordinate desires of his
fallen nature, but rather between his conscience and his lusts. Any
remorse which be may suffer is not sorrow for having offended his
Maker, but vexation at the sense of his degradation and the injury
done to his pride. There is no grief before God for having been a
reproach to Him. Nor does the wretchedness which dissipation produces
in any way dispose its subject to a more favorable reception of the
gospel. The groaning under the chains which sinful habits forge and
the sighing for deliverance are not longings to be freed from sin, but
rather desires to escape from its painful consequences both to the
conscience and to the body. Mental tranquility and physical health are
coveted, not the approbation of the Lord. Any misery suffered by the
natural man is not from having offended God, but because he cannot
defy Him with impunity and immunity. None but the Holy Spirit can
produce a hatred of sin as sin; that is something the conscience never
does.
Though evolutionists and even openly avowed infidels cannot get away
from the fact that man is a very imperfect creature, they are far from
allowing that he is totally depraved--averse to all that is good,
prone to all that is evil. Such a declaration is much too humbling and
humiliating for any natural heart honestly to accept and be duly
affected by it. Plain and insistent as is God's Word on the subject,
not a few professing Christians find it so distasteful that, if they
do not repudiate it in toto, they go to great lengths in order to
blunt its sharp edge and remove its most cutting features. The
language of Hazael well expresses their resentment against the dark
picture which the divine Artist has drawn of them.
When this Syrian saw Elijah weeping, and inquired what was the
occasion of his distress, God's servant replied, "Because I know the
evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong holds
wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the
sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with
child" (II Kings 8:12). So little was Hazael aware of the vileness of
his nature that he became highly indignant, and answered, "But what,
is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing?" He fondly
imagined himself to be incapable of such foul deeds. Nevertheless the
sad sequel fully vindicated the prophet, for although Hazael supposed
himself to be as gentle as a lamb, when he came into power he proved
himself to be as fierce as a savage dog and as cruel as a tiger. He
not only murdered his royal master, usurped the throne of Syria,
burned the cities of Israel and killed their inhabitants with the
sword, but barbarously massacred the women and children. As II Kings
13:7 states, he went on destroying Israel till he "had made them like
the dust by threshing."
Unacceptability Of Every Carnal Act
Every passage in the Word of truth which declares the impossibility of
the natural man doing anything acceptable to God (e.g., Jer. 13:23;
Matt. 7:18; Rom. 8:8; Heb. 11:6) demonstrates man's total depravity.
If men performed any part of their duty toward God it would be
pleasing to Him, for He is not a capricious or hard Master, but
delights in righteousness wherever He sees it. But, as the Lord Jesus
pointed out, men will gather grapes of thorns and figs of thistles
before unrenewed nature will yield any fruit to God. Every passage in
the Bible which insists on the necessity of the new birth emphasizes
the total depravity of man, for if there were any degree of virtue in
the human heart it could be cultivated and increased, and regeneration
would be obviated, since the development and improvement of what is
already in man would suffice. But our Lord informed a devout
religionist, a master in Israel, that unless he were horn again he
could not enter the kingdom of God. Likewise, every passage which
calls on men to repent and believe the gospel presupposes their
present sinful and lost condition, for they that are well do not need
a physician. "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke
13:5) was the decisive verdict of Christ.
This truth is repudiated in varied and numerous ways, for unbelief is
very fertile. That is another way of saying that the carnal mind is
enmity against God, and at no one point is that enmity more active and
evident than in its antipathy to God's Word in general. Its opposition
is particularly directed to those aspects of the Word which expose and
condemn mankind. When men are told that all the actions of the
unregenerate are not only mixed with sin, but are in their own nature
sinful, many sneeringly reply that such is a palpable absurdity. They
argue that there are many actions performed by men, such as eating and
drinking in moderation, which, being merely natural actions, can have
in them neither moral good nor moral evil. But that is a bare
assertion rather than a logical argument, and is easily refuted.
When we affirm that all the actions of the unregenerate are sinful, we
refer only to those which are performed voluntarily, and which are
capable of being exercised for a good purpose. Whatever falls in that
category is not merely a natural but a moral action. That eating and
drinking and all other voluntary exercises are moral actions is
evident, for Scripture expressly exhorts us, "Whether therefore ye
eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (I
Cor. 10:31). In an irrational being, such actions would be merely
natural, but in a moral agent they are otherwise-- the manner in which
he attends to them making them good or evil. The motive largely
determines the quality of the act. Eating and drinking are virtuous
when, from a gracious motive, one thankfully acknowledges God as the
Giver, prayerfully asks His blessing on the food, and purposes to use
the strength from it to His praise. But the unregenerate lack that
gracious principle, eating and drinking out of no respect to God's
authority, without any love to Him in their hearts, and with no
concern for His glory. They do so merely to satisfy their appetites
and to provide fuel for the further gratification of their lusts.
If every act of the unregenerate is sinful, how is it that God regards
favorably and even rewards some of the performances of the wicked,
such as the case of Ahab and the repentance of the Ninevites at the
preaching of Jonah? We must distinguish between God's governmental
ways in connection with this world, and what He requires for
admittance to heaven. Though the Most High knows the secrets of all
hearts, He does not always proceed accordingly in His administration
of the affairs of earth. When God approves of any of the deeds of the
wicked, it is not because He regards the deeds as theirs, but because
those deeds tend to further His own wise counsels. Andrew Fuller said:
God rewarded Nebuchadnezzar for his long siege against Tyre, in
giving him the land of Egypt, yet Nebuchadnezzar did nothing in
that undertaking which in its own nature could approve itself unto
God. The only reason why he was thus rewarded was, that what he had
done subserved the Divine purpose in punishing Tyre for her
insulting treatment toward His people (Ezek. 26, 1-7; 29, 17-20).
God rewarded Cyrus with the treasures of Babylon (Isaiah 14, 3),
not because he did anything that was pleasing in His sight, for his
motive was the lust of dominion, but because what he did effected
the deliverance of Judah, and fulfilled the Divine predictions upon
Babylon.
God's Dealings with Man
In God's governmental dealings with men, actions which appear to have
no intrinsic goodness in them may well be rewarded without any
compromise of holiness and righteousness. God does not always deal
with men according to His omniscience. Rather He generally treats them
in this life according to what they profess and appear to be. Thus,
the Lord's design in punishing wicked Ahab and his house was to show
His displeasure of their idolatries. If, when Ahab humbled himself and
tore his garments, God had acted toward him on the ground of His
omniscience, knowing him to be destitute of godly sorrow, and had made
no difference in His treatment of him, that purpose would not have
been answered. Whatever Ahab's motives, they were unknown to men. And
had no difference appeared in the divine treatment, they would have
concluded it was vain to repent and serve God. It therefore seemed
good to Jehovah to deal with Ahab in this life as though his
reformation were sincere, leaving his insincerity to be called to
account in the day to come.
As Fuller pointed out, there is a case much resembling that of Ahab in
the history of Abijah the son of Rehoboam. In II Chronicles 13 we read
of his wars with Jeroboam, king of Israel, and how he addressed the
apostate Israelites previous to the battle. Having reproached them for
forsaking the God of their fathers and turning to idolatry, he added,
"But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and
the priests, which minister unto the LORD, are the sons of Aaron, and
the Levites wait upon their business: and they burn unto the LORD
every morning and every evening burnt-sacrifices and sweet incense:
the shewbread also set they in order upon the pure table; and the
candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for
we keep the charge of the LORD our God; but ye have forsaken him" (vv.
10-11). To all appearances this prince was very zealous for the Lord,
and one might conclude that the signal victory given him over Jeroboam
was an expression of divine approbation. But if we consult the account
of his reign in I Kings 15 (where he is called Abijam), we learn that
he was a wicked king, and that he walked in all the sins of his
father. Although God granted success to his army, it was not out of
regard for him, but for David's sake, and for the establishment of
Jerusalem.
Much of what we have said about Ahab holds good of the Ninevites, and
of Pharaoh too. There might have been sincere and spiritual penitents
among the Ninevites for all we know; but whether godly sorrow or
slavish fear actuated them, they professed and appeared to be humbled
before God, displaying the external marks of contrition. For God to
respond to their apparently sincere repentance was an exemplification
of the divine wisdom, for it magnified His righteous and merciful
government in the sight of the surrounding nations. In like manner,
the acknowledgments of Pharaoh's sins, and his requests for Moses to
entreat the Lord on his behalf, were repeatedly followed by the
removal of those judgments which so appalled his proud spirit; yet who
would insist that there was any good or spirituality in Egypt's king?
Not only God but Moses himself perceived Pharaoh's evident
insincerity. Nevertheless the Most High removed His rod when that
guilty tyrant made confession, even though He knew that Pharaoh,
gaining his point, would laugh up his sleeve at Moses.
In their argument against the doctrine of man's total depravity some
have appealed to Christ's words in Mark 12:28-34, where He assured the
scribe who had discreetly answered Him, "Thou are not far from the
kingdom of God." They argue that though he was unsaved, yet our Lord
found in his character something which was praiseworthy. But if the
passage is read attentively it is found that Christ was not approving
of his spirit or his conduct, but was simply commending his confession
of faith. When this Jew acknowledged that the love of God and man was
of more importance and value than whole burnt offerings--that the
moral law was more excellent than the ceremonial, which was soon to be
abolished--he gave utterance to sound doctrine, and came so close to
the spirit of the gospel dispensation that Christ very properly
informed him he was not far from the kingdom of God. In other words,
the principles which the scribe had avowed, if truly embraced and duly
pursued, would lead him to the very heart of Christianity, for it is
by the law that a knowledge of sin is obtained and the need for mercy
is discovered. The things to which the scribe assented were the very
ones Christ insisted on in His teaching.
Difference Among the Depraved
If all men alike are totally depraved, then how is it that some lead
less vicious lives than others? In examining this question it is
necessary to revert to our definition of terms, and bear in mind that
total depravity does not consist in what a man does, but what he is in
himself. It also consists in a man, s relation and attitude to God.
Because particular persons are not swearers, morally unclean,
drunkards or thieves, they are very apt to imagine they are far from
being wholly corrupt; in fact, they consider themselves good and
respectable people. These are described in Proverbs 30:12: "There is a
generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from
their filthiness." However irreproachable may be the walk of the
natural man, his nature is polluted and his heart thoroughly defiled.
And the very fact that he is quite unaware of his vileness is sad
proof of the binding power of indwelling sin.
The total depravity of human nature does not mean that it actually
breaks forth into open acts of all kinds of evil in any one man. There
are marked differences among the unregenerate in the eruption of sin
in their conduct. Some are more honest, sober and benevolent than
others, running into less "excess of riot"; nevertheless the seeds of
all evils are present in every human breast. "As in water face
answereth to face, so the heart of man to man" (Prov. 27:19). It has
been truly said of all men that if they were in Cain's or Pharaoh's or
Judas' circumstances, and God should allow them, they would do the
same. If they were in the same circumstances as the fallen angels,
they would be as devilish as they.
True, the enmity against God and the hatred against their fellowmen
(Titus 3:3) are less openly displayed by some than by others, yet that
is not because they are any better in themselves than those who are
flagrantly irreligious and cast off all pretenses of decency. Their
moderation in wickedness must be attributed to the greater restraints
which the Governor of this world places on them, either by the secret
workings of His Spirit upon their hopes and fears or by His external
providences, such as a godly home, early education, the subduing
influence of pious companions. But none is horn into this world with
the smallest spark of love to God in him. Instead, "their poison is
like the poison of a serpent" (Ps. 58:4). It should be borne in
mind--for our humbling--that there is very much evil within each of us
that God does not allow to break out into particular acts of sin,
sovereignly preventing temptations and opportunities to do them.
All men are equally depraved, but that depravity shows itself in many
different forms and ways. It is a fatal delusion to suppose that,
because divine power and mercy keep me from certain crimes, I am less
corrupt than my fellowmen, and less a criminal in His sight. God does
not judge as man does. Capernaum was more obnoxious to Him than Sodom!
Many who do not act a brutish part act a diabolical one; there is a
filthiness of the spirit as well as of the flesh (II Cor. 7:1). Though
some do not give free rein to their sensual lusts, yet they are under
the dominion of mental lusts: pride, covetousness, envy, contempt of
others, malice, revenge. God restrains both the internal and external
workings of sin as best serves the outworking of His eternal purpose,
permitting different degrees of iniquity in different individuals,
though all are "clay of the same lump." None by nature possesses the
slightest degree of holiness. Different measures of wickedness issue
from the same individual at different times. The fact that I have been
kept from certain sins in the past is no guarantee that I shall not be
guilty of them in the future.
Finally, some contend that if man is so totally depraved as to be
entirely incapable of doing anything that is pleasing to God, then
there can be no ground for a challenging sermon, no motives for
exhorting the unregenerate to cease from evil and do good, and
certainly no encouragement left for them to comply. We reply that no
minister of the gospel is warranted to entertain the slightest degree
of hope of success from his endeavors merely on the ground of the
pliability of the hearts of his hearers. Their corrupt state excludes
any such expectation. Unless the preacher's confidence is based alone
on the power and promise of God, his hopes are certain to be
disappointed. But if the objector means that in view of men's total
depravity it is unreasonable to exhort them to do good, this can by no
means be admitted, for it would follow that if total depravity removes
all ground for a rational address, then a partial one would take it
away in part; in other words, in proportion as we perceive men to be
disinclined to good, we are to cease warning and dealing with them.
This is a self-evident absurdity.
While men are rational creatures they are justly accountable for all
they do, whatever the disposition of their hearts. And, so long as
they are not yet consigned to a hopeless perdition, their
responsibility is to be enforced, and they are to be regarded as fit
subjects of a gospel address. Nor can it be truly asserted that there
are no motives by which they may properly be exhorted to cease to do
evil and learn to do good. The proper motives for these things retain
all their original force, independent of the inclination or
disinclination of men's hearts to comply. God's rights, His authority,
His law, are unchanged no matter what change has taken place in the
creature. The example of Christ and His apostles is too plain to be
misunderstood. Neither the one nor the other toned down their demands
upon fallen sinners. Repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord
Jesus Christ were the grand duties on which they insisted; and far
from hesitating to exhort their unregenerate hearers to do what was
spiritually good, it may be safely affirmed that they never exhorted
to do anything else. God still requires nothing less than the heart.
The violent antagonism of men against this truth is precisely what
might be expected. Instead of causing us doubt it should be a strong
confirmation. Indeed it would be surprising if a doctrine so humbling
and distasteful were not resisted. Nor need we be dismayed by its
widespread repudiation by preachers and professing Christians. When
the Lord Jesus averred, "I am come into this world, that they which
see not might see; and that they which [pretend to] see might be made
blind" (John 9:39), the Pharisees haughtily asked, "Are we blind
also?" (v.40). When He declared that human nature is in love with sin
and possessed of enmity against God, and insisted, "No man can come
unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father," we are told that
"from that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more
with him" (John 6:65-66). The rejection which this doctrine meets with
demonstrates how dense is that darkness which is not dispelled by so
clear a light, and how great is the power of Satan when the testimony
of divine revelation does not carry conviction. Every effort to tone
it down verifies the fact that "the heart is deceitful above all
things, and desperately wicked."
Contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14
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A. W. Pink Header
The Total Depravity of Man by A.W. Pink
Chapter 10-Ramifications
_________________________________________________________________
While endeavoring to present a complete picture of fallen man as he is
depicted by the divine pen in the Scriptures, it is very difficult to
avoid a measure of overlapping as we turn from one aspect or feature
to another, or to prevent a certain amount of repetition. Yet, seeing
that this is the method which the Holy Spirit has largely taken, an
apology is scarcely required from those who seek to follow His plan.
We have shown in a more or less general way the terrible havoc sin has
worked in the human constitution: now we shall consider it more
specifically. Having presented the broad outline, it remains for us to
fill in the details. In other words, our immediate task is to ponder
and describe the several parts of human depravity as it has vitiated
the several sections of our inner man. Though the soul, like the body,
is a unit, it also has a number of distinct members or faculties, none
of which has been exempted from the debasing effects of man's apostasy
from his Maker.
Debasing Effects of Apostasy
This was strikingly exemplified in the miracles of Christ. The various
bodily disorders which the divine Physician healed during His sojourn
on earth were not only so many advance types of the marvels of grace
that He performs in the spiritual realm in connection with the
redeemed; they were also so many emblematical representations of the
moral diseases which affect and afflict the soul of fallen man. The
poor leper, covered with nauseous sores, solemnly portrayed the
horrible pollutions of the human heart. The man born blind, incapable
of seeing the wonders and beauties of God's external works, expressed
the sad state of the human mind, which, because of the darkness that
is upon it, is unable to discover or receive the things of the Spirit,
no matter how simply and plainly they are explained to him. The
paralytic's useless limbs showed beforehand the impotence of the will
Godward, being totally devoid of any power to turn us to Christ. The
woman lying sick of the fever, experiencing unnatural craving,
delirium and restlessness, depicted the disordered state of our
affections. The demon-possessed man, living in the tombs, incapable of
being securely bound, crying and cutting himself, typified the various
activities of the conscience in the unregenerate.
Corruption has invaded every part of man's nature, over spreading the
whole of his complex being. As physical disorders spare no members of
the body, so even man's spirit has not escaped the ravages of
depravity. Yet who is capable of comprehending this in its awful
breadth and depth, length and height? It is not simply the inferior
powers of the soul which the plague of sin has seized; the contagion
has ascended into the higher regions of our persons, polluting the
sublimest faculties. This is a part of God's punishment. It is a great
mistake to suppose that the divine judgment on man's defection is
reserved for the next life. Men are heavily penalized in this world,
both outwardly and inwardly, and subject to many adverse providences.
Outwardly, in their bodies, names, estates, relations and employments;
and finally, by physical death and dissolution. Inwardly, by blindness
of mind, hardness of heart, turbulent passions, the gnawing of
conscience. However little regarded, by reason of their stupidity and
insensibility, yet the inward visitations of God's curse are far more
dreadful than the outward ones, and are regarded as such by those who
truly fear the Lord and see things in His light. Let us consider each
in detail.
Blindness of Mind
The mind is that faculty of the soul by which objects and things are
first known and apprehended. In distinguishing the understanding from
the mind, the latter is that which weighs, discriminates and
determines, judging between the concepts formed in the former, being
the guide of the soul, the selector and rejecter of those notions the
mind has received. Both are deranged by sin, for we are told that
"their minds were blinded" (II Cor. 3:14) and their "understanding
darkened" (Eph. 4:18). The fall has completely shuttered the windows
of man's soul, yet he is not aware of it; in fact, he emphatically
denies it. Heathen philosophers and medieval scholars both believed
that the affections, in the lower part of the soul, were somewhat
defiled, but insisted that the intellectual faculty was pure, saying
that reason still directed and advised us to do the best things.
It is not strange that blind reason should think it sees, for while it
judges everything else it is least capable of estimating itself
because of its very nearness to itself. Though a man's eye can see the
deformity of his hands or feet, it cannot see the bloodshot that is in
itself, unless it has a mirror in which to discern the same. In like
manner, even corrupt nature, by its own light, recognizes the
disorders in the sensual part of man; yet it cannot discern the
defilement that is in the spirit itself. The mirror of God's Word is
required to discover that, and even that mirror is not sufficient. The
light of divine grace has to shine within, in order to expose and
discover the imbecility of the reasoning faculty. Hence Holy Writ
throws the main emphasis on the depravity of this highest part of
man's being. When the apostle wanted to show how impure unbelievers
are, though they profess to know God, he averred, "Even their mind and
conscience is defiled" (Titus 1:15). They least of all suspected those
parts as being tainted, especially since they were illumined with some
rays of the knowledge of God. Thus, in opposition to their conceit,
the superior faculties alone are mentioned, and stressed with an
"even."
How weighty and full the testimony of Scripture is on this solemn
feature: "When they knew God [traditionally], they glorified him not
as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations,
and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be
wise, they became fools" (Rom. 1:21-22). That reference is to the
Gentiles after the flood. One of the fearful curses executed on
Israel, because they did not listen to the voice of the Lord their God
and refused to do His commandments, was "The Lord shall smite thee
with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart: and thou shalt
grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness" (Deut. 28:28-29).
Of all mankind it is said, "There is none that understandeth. The way
of peace have they not known" (Rom. 3:11, 17). "There is a way which
seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death"
(Prov. 14:12). "The world by wisdom knew not God" (I Cor. 1:21).
Despite all their schools, they were ignorant of Him, "desiring to be
teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof
they affirm" (I Tim. 1:7), "ever learning, and never able to come to
the knowledge of the truth" (II Tim. 3:7).
In the natural there are two factors which prevent men from seeing:
nightfall, unless there is the aid of artificial light, and loss of
sight. The one is external, the other internal. So it is in the
spiritual: there are an objective and a subjective darkness, both on
men and in men. The first consists in a lack of those means by which
they may be enlightened in the knowledge of God and heavenly things.
What the sun is to natural things on the earth, the Word is to
spiritual things (Ps. 19:1-4; cf. Rom. 10:10-11).
Spiritual darkness is on all to whom the gospel is not declared or by
whom it is rejected. It is the mission and work of the Holy Spirit to
take away this objective darkness, and until it is done no one can see
or enter the kingdom of God. This He does by sending the gospel into a
country, nation or town. It does not obtain entrance there, nor is it
restrained anywhere, by accident or by human effort. It is dispensed
according to the sovereign will of the Spirit of God. He it is who
endows, calls and sends men forth to preach, determining, either by
His secret impulses or by the operations of His providence (Acts
16:6-10), where they shall minister.
But it is the subjective darkness on the minds of the unregenerate,
with its influences and consequences, which is here considered. It is
not simply ignorance but a foul disease. "He is proud, knowing
nothing, but... [sick] about questions and strifes of words, whereof
cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, perverse disputings of
men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth" (I Tim. 6:4-5).
Their minds are not only rebellious but diseased and corrupt. This
distemper of mind could be called an itch after fables (II Tim. 4:34).
Scripture calls that contentious wisdom of which the learned of this
world are so proud "earthly, sensual, devilish" (James 3:15). Both the
verse before and the one following show that envy, malice, lying and
deception, though in both the affections and the will, are rooted in
the understanding. Hence God must give repentance or a change of mind
before there can be an acknowledgment of the truth and a recovery from
the snare of the devil (II Tim. 2:25-26).
This darkness of the understanding is the cause of the rebellion in
the affections and will. Men seek so inordinately the pleasures of sin
because their minds do not know God. They are strangers to Him and can
have no fellowship with Him, for friendship and fellowship are
grounded on knowledge. To have communion with God, knowledge of Him is
necessary. Accordingly the principal thing God does when He gives
admittance into the covenant of grace is teach men to know Him (Jer.
31:33-34). Otherwise men are estranged from Him through ignorance
(Eph. 4:17-19). The darkness of the mind is not only the root of all
sin but the cause of most of the corruptions in men's lives. Hence we
find that Paul mentions "fleshly wisdom" as the antithesis of the
principle of grace (II Cor. 1:12). For the same reason men are said to
be "sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise
to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge" (Jer. 4:22). That
this is the cause of the greatest part of the wickedness in the world
is clear from Isaiah 47:10: "Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath
perverted thee." Corrupt reasoning and false judgment are the prime
motivations of all our sinning. Pride has its chief place in the mind,
as Colossians 2:18 shows.
This darkness is forceful and influential--yes, dynamic--according to
that expression in Colossians 1:13: "delivered us from the power of
darkness," the word "power" signifying that which rules. It fills the
mind with enmity against God and all His ways, and turns the will in a
contrary direction so that, instead of the affections being set on
things above, they "mind earthly things" (Phil. 3:19). This is the
habitual inclination. The will minds the things of the flesh (Rom.
8:5), setting itself to provide sensual objects for the gratification
of the body. It fills the mind with strong prejudices against the
spiritual things proposed in the gospel. Those prejudices are called
strongholds and imaginations (reasonings), and "every high thing that
exalteth itself against the knowledge of God" (II Cor. 10:4-5). They
are pulled down and destroyed in the day of God's power, when souls
are brought into willing subjection to Him. The sins of the mind
continue longest, for though the body decays and its lusts wither,
those of the mind are as vigorous and active in old age as in youth.
As the understanding is the most excellent part of man, so its
corruption is worse than that of the other faculties: "If.. the light
that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!" (Matt.
6:23).
The effects of this darkness are fearful indeed. Its subjects are made
incapable of discerning or receiving spiritual things, so that there
is a total inability with respect to God and the ways of pleasing Him.
No matter how well endowed intellectually the unregenerate man may be,
what the extent of his education and learning, how skillful in
connection with natural things, in spiritual matters he is devoid of
intelligence until he is renewed in the spirit of his mind. As a
person who has no sight is unaware of the strongest rays of light
directed at him, and cannot form any real ideas of the appearance of
things, so the natural man, because of his blindness of mind, is
unable to discern the nature of heavenly things. Said Christ to the
Jews of His day, "If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy
day, the things which belong unto thy peace! But now they are hid from
thine eyes" (Luke 19:42) concealed from their perception as
effectually as things which are purposely hidden from prying eyes.
Even though one had the desire to discover them, he would search in
vain for all eternity unless God was pleased to reveal them, as He did
to Peter (Matt. 16:17).
The spiritual blindness in the mind of the natural man not only
disables him to make the first discovery of the things of God; even
when they are published and set before his eyes, as in the Word of
truth, he cannot discern them. Whatever notions he may form of them
are dissonant to their nature, and the thoughts he has of them are the
very reverse of what they actually are. They regard the highest wisdom
as foolishness, and despise and reject glorious things. "Behold, ye
despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a
work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto
you" (Acts 13:41). The preceding verses show that Paul clearly
preached Christ and His gospel, and then cautioned his hearers to
escape the doom spoken of by the prophet. It is not the bare
presentation of the truth which will convince men. Though clearly
propounded, it may still be obscure to them: "It is hid to them that
are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them
which believe not" (II Cor. 4:3-4). Their understandings need to be
divinely opened in order to understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:45).
The subjects of this darkness are spiritually insensible and stupid.
This prevents them from making a true inspection of their hearts. They
see only the outward man, and do not feel the deadly wound within.
There is a sea of corruption, but it is unperceived. The holiness,
beauty and rectitude of their nature have departed, but they are quite
unconcerned. They are miserable and poor, blind and naked, yet totally
unaware of it. Thus the unregenerate go on in a course of rebellion
against the Lord, and at the same time conclude that all is well with
them. As the goodness of God does not melt them, neither do His
severest judgments move them to amend their ways. Far from it, they
are like wicked King Ahaz, of whom it is recorded, "And in the time of
his distress did he trespass yet more against the LORD" (II Chron.
28:22). The masses are defiant and unrepentant today, when the peace
of the whole world is so seriously menaced: "LORD, when thy hand is
lifted up, they will not see" (Isa. 26:11).
Space allows us to mention only one other effect of this blindness of
the mind; it is termed "the vanity of their mind" in Ephesians 4:17.
Scripture says useless and fruitless things are vain. In Matthew 15:9
the word means "to no purpose." Hence the idols of the heathen and the
rites used in their worship are called vain things (Acts 14:15). In I
Samuel 12:21 we read that vain things "cannot profit nor deliver."
Vanity is synonymous with foolishness, for Proverbs 12:11 states that
vain men are one with persons "void of understanding." In Jeremiah
4:14 vain things are linked with "wickedness," thus they are sinful.
Vain men and sons of Belial are synonymous (II Chron. 13:7). This
vanity of the mind induces the natural man to pursue shadows and miss
the substance, to be engaged with figments instead of realities, to
prefer lies to the truth. This vanity leads men to follow the fashions
and revel in the pleasures of a vain world. This sinful state of mind
is in all sorts of persons, old and young, showing itself in foolish
imaginations by which it makes provision for the flesh and its lusts.
It appears as a reluctance to think about holy things; when the Word
is preached, the mind wanders like a butterfly in a garden. It
"feedeth on foolishness" (Prov. 15:14), and has an itching curiosity
about the affairs of others.
Blindness of Heart
The heart is the center of our moral being, out of which flow the
issues of life (Prov. 4:23; cf. Matt. 12:35). The nature of the heart
is at once indicated by its being designated a "stony heart" (Ezek.
11:19). The figure is a very apt one. As a stone is a product of the
earth, so it has the property of the earth: heaviness, a tendency to
fall. Thus it is with the natural mind. Men's affections are wholly
set on the world; and though God made man upright with his head erect,
yet the soul is bowed down to the ground. The physical curse
pronounced on the serpent is also fulfilled in his seed, for the
things on which they feed turn to ashes, so that dust is their meat
(Isa. 65:25). Sin has so calloused man's heart that, Godward, it is
loveless and lifeless, cold and insensible. That is one reason why the
moral law was written on tables of stone: to represent emblematically
the stupid, unyielding hearts men had, as is clearly implied by the
contrast presented in II Corinthians 3:3.
The heart of the regenerate is also likened to "rock" (Jer. 23:29),
and to "adamant stone" (Zech. 7:12), which is harder than flint. Those
far from righteousness are called "stout-hearted" (Isa. 46:12); and in
Isaiah 48:4 God says, "Thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron
sinew, and thy brow brass." This hardness is often ascribed to the
neck ("stiffnecked"), a figure of man, s obstinacy taken from
refractory oxen which will not accept the yoke. This hardness
evidences itself by a complete absence of spiritual sensibility, so
that the heart is unmoved by God's goodness, has no awe of His
authority and majesty, no fear of His anger and vengeance; a
presentation of the joys of heaven or the horrors of hell makes no
impression on it. As the prophet of old lamented, they "put far away
the evil day" (Amos 6:3), dismissing it from their thoughts as an
unwelcome subject. They have no sense of guilt, no consciousness of
having offended their Maker, no alarming realization of His impending
wrath, but are at ease in their sins. Far from sin being a burden to
them, it is their element and delight.
Hardness of heart, which was referred to in the preceding chapter, is
the perverseness and obstinacy of fallen man's nature, which makes him
resolve to continue in sin no matter what be the consequences thereof.
It renders him unwilling to be rebuked for his folly, and makes him
refuse to be reclaimed from it, whatever methods are used in order
thereunto. The Prophet Ezekiel mentioned this hardness of heart in his
day, referring to those who had been forewarned by earlier judgments,
and were at that very time under the most solemn rebuke of Providence.
God had to say of them, "They will not hearken unto me: for all the
house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted" (Ezek. 3:7). The Lord
Jesus said of them, "We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced;
we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented" (Matt. 11:17). The
most touching entreaties and winsome reasoning will not move the
unregenerate to accept what is absolutely necessary for their present
peace and final joy. "They are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her
ear; which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never
so wisely" (Ps. 58:4-5; cf. Acts 7:57).
The hearts of the regenerate are docile and pliable, easily bent to
God's will, but the hearts of the wicked are wedded to their lusts and
impervious to all appeal. There is such unyielding disposition against
heavenly things that they do not respond to the most alarming
threatenings and thunderings. They will neither be convinced by the
most cogent arguments nor won by the most tempting inducements. They
are so addicted to self-pleasing that they cannot be persuaded to take
Christ's yoke on them. Zechariah 7:11-12 states:
"But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and
stopped their ears, that they should not hear. Yea, they made their
hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the
words which the LORD of hosts hath sent." They are less susceptible to
receive any impressions of holiness than granite is to be engraved by
the tool of the artificer. They scorn control and refuse to be
admonished. They are "a stubborn and rebellious generation" (Ps.
78:8), being subject to neither the law nor the gospel. The doctrines
of repentance, self-denial, walking with God, can find no entrance
into their hearts.
Disordered Affections
Writers disagree as to the scope of the affections. It is a moot point
both theologically and psychologically whether the desires are
included in the affections. In the broadest meaning, the affections
may be said to be the sensitive faculty of the soul. As the
understanding discerns and judges things, so the affections allure and
dispose the soul to or against the objects contemplated. By the
affections the soul becomes pleased or displeased with what is known
by the bodily senses or contemplated by the mind, and thus if is moved
to approve or reject. As distinguished from both the understanding and
the affections, the will executes the final decision of the mind or
the strongest desire of the affections, carrying it into action. Since
the affections pertain to the sensitive side of the soul, we are more
conscious of their stirrings than we are of the actions of our minds
or wills. We shall employ the term in its widest latitude, including
the desires, for what the appetites are to the body the affections are
to the soul.
Goodwin likened the desire nature to the stomach. It is an empty void,
fitted to receive from without, longing for a satisfying object. Its
universal language is "Who will shew us any good?" (Ps. 4:6). Now God
Himself is man's chief good, the only One who can afford him real,
lasting and full satisfaction. At the beginning He created him in His
own likeness, that as the needle touched by the lodestone ever moves
northward, so the soul touched with the divine image should turn the
understanding, affections and will to Himself. He also placed the soul
in a material body, and in this world, fitting each for the other,
providing everything necessary for and suited to each part of man's
complex being. The desire nature carries the soul's impressions to the
creature, originally intended as a means of enjoying God in and by
them. The wonders of God's handiwork were meant to be admired, but
chiefly as displaying His wisdom. Food was to be eaten and enjoyed,
but in order to deepen gratitude for the goodness of the Giver and to
supply strength to serve Him. But when man apostatized, his
understanding, affections and will were divorced from God, and the
exercise of them became directed only by self-love.
Originally the Lord sustained and directed the action of human
affections toward Himself. Then He withheld that power, and left our
first parents on their own footing; in consequence their desires
wandered after forbidden joys. They sought their happiness not in
communion with their Maker, but in fellowship with the creature. Like
their children ever since, they loved and served the creature more
than the Creator. The result was disastrous: they became separated
from the holy One. That was at once evidenced by their attempt to hide
from Him. Had their delight been in God as their chief good, the
desire for concealment could not have possessed them. As it was with
Adam and Eve, so it has been with all their descendants. Many a
proverb expresses that general truth. "The stream cannot rise higher
than the fountain." "Men do not gather grapes of thorns, nor figs of
thistles." "Like begets like." The parent stock of the human family
must send forth scions of its own nature. The hearts and lives of all
the unregenerate say to the Almighty, "Depart from us; for we desire
not the knowledge of thy ways" (Job 21:14).
The natural center of unfallen man's soul for both its rest and
delight was the One who gave him being. Therefore David said, "Return
unto thy rest, O my soul" (Ps. 116:7). But sin has caused men to "draw
back" from Him, "departing from the living God" (Heb. 10:38; 3:12).
God was not only to be the delightful portion of the one whom He had
made in His image, but also the ultimate end of all man's motives and
actions as he aimed to glorify and please Him in all things. But man
forsook "the fountain of living waters" (Jer. 2:13), the infinite and
perpetual spring of comfort and joy. And now the inclinations and
lusts of man's nature are wholly removed from God, anything and
everything being more agreeable to him than He who is the sum of all
excellence. Man makes the things of time and sense his chief good, and
the pleasing of himself his supreme end. That is why his affections
are termed "ungodly lusts" (Jude 18)--they turn man away from God. Man
has no relish for His holiness, no desire for fellowship with Him, no
wish to retain Him in his thoughts.
But what has just been pointed out (the aversion of our affections
from God) is only the negative phase. The positive is the conversion
of the affections to other things. Thus God charged Israel, "My people
have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living
waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no
water" nor give them any satisfaction (Jer. 2:13). All the concern of
the natural man is how to live at ease, not how to honor and enjoy God
He observes "lying vanities" and forsakes his own mercy (Jonah 2:8).
All his expectations are disappointments, empty vanities. Man is
deceived by a vain prospect, and the outcome is vexation of spirit,
because of frustration. As the love of God shed abroad in the hearts
of the redeemed does not seek its own good (I Cor. 13:5), so self-love
does nothing but that: "They all look to their own way, every one for
his gain" (Isa. 56:11).
Not only are the desires of the unregenerate turned away from God to
the creature, but they are greedy, excessive. Thus we read of
"inordinate affections" (Col. 3:5), which indicate both excess and
irregularity, a spirit of gluttony and unmitigated craving for things
contrary to God, a "lust after evil things" (I Cor. 10:6). We see here
two sins: intemperance and "pleasure in unrighteousness" (II Thess.
2:12). The body is esteemed above the soul, for all the efforts of the
natural man are directed to making provision to fulfill the lusts of
the flesh; his immortal spirit is little thought of and still less
cared for. When things go well for him, he says, "Soul, thou hast much
goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be
merry" (Luke 12:19-- His thoughts do not rise to a higher and future
life. He is more concerned with the clothing and adorning of the
outward man than with the cultivation of a meek and quiet spirit,
which is of great value in the sight of God (I Peter 3:4). Earth is
preferred before heaven, things of time before eternity. Though death
and the grave may put an end to all he has here much sooner than he
imagines, yet his heart is so set on his possessions that he will not
be diverted from them.
Thus it is that the affections, which at the beginning were the
servants of reason, now occupy the throne. That which is the glory of
human nature elevating it above the beasts of the field--is turned
here and there by the rude rabble of our passions. God placed in man
an instinct for happiness, so that he could find it in Himself; but
now that instinct gropes in the dust and snatches at every vanity. The
counsels and contrivances of the mind are engaged in the
accomplishment of man's carnal desires. Not only have his affections
no relish for spiritual things, but they are strongly prejudiced
against them, for they run counter to the gratifying of his corrupt
nature. His desires are set on more wealth, more worldly honor and
power, more fleshly merriment; and because the gospel contains no
promise of such things it is despised. Because it inculcates holiness,
mortifying of the flesh, separation from the world, resisting the
devil, the gospel is most unwelcome to him. To turn the affections
away from those material and temporal things which they have made
their chief good, and to turn them to unseen spiritual and eternal
things, alienates the carnal mind against the gospel, for it offers
nothing attractive to the natural man in place of those idols on which
his heart centers. To renounce his own righteousness and be dependent
on that of Another is equally distasteful to his pride.
The affections are alienated from and opposed to not only the holy
requirements of the gospel, but also its mystery. That mystery is what
the Scriptures term the hidden wisdom of God, which the natural man
not only fails to admire and adore, but regards with contempt. He
looks on all of its declarations as empty and unintelligible notions.
This prejudice has prevailed among the wise and learned of this world
in all ages. The wisdom of God seems foolishness to all who are puffed
up by pride in their own intelligence, and what seems foolishness to
them is despised and scorned. That which is related to faith rather
than reason is unpalatable. Not to trust in their own understanding
but in the Lord is most difficult for those of towering intellect. To
set aside their own ideas, forsake their thoughts (Isa. 55:7) and
become as "little children," and to be told they shall never enter the
kingdom of heaven unless they do all this, is most abhorrent to them.
No small part of man's depravity consists in his readiness to embrace
anti-God prejudices and to tenaciously adhere to them, with total lack
of power to extricate himself from them.
The disordered state of the affections is seen in the fact that the
actions of the natural man are regulated far more by his senses than
by his reason. His conduct consists principally in responding to the
clamoring of his desires rather than to the dictates of reason. The
tendencies of children swiftly turn to any corrupting diversion, but
are slow to respond to any improving exercise. They can scarcely be
restrained from the one; they have to be compelled to do the other.
That the affections are turned away from God is made clear every time
His will crosses our desires. This disease appears too in the objects
on which the different affections are placed. Instead of love being
set on God, it is centered on the world, and dotes on idols. Instead
of hatred being directed against sin, it is opposed to holiness.
Instead of joy finding its delight in spiritual things, it wastes
itself on things which soon pall. Instead of fear being actuated by
the displeasure of the Lord, it dreads more the frowns of our
fellowmen. If there is grief, it is for the thwarting of our pleasures
and hopes, rather than over our waywardness. If there is pity, it is
exercised on self, rather than on the sufferings of others.
The very first stirring of our lusts is itself evil. The passions or
lusts are those natural and unrestrained motives of the creature for
the advancement of its nature, inclining to those things which promote
its good, and avoiding those which are harmful. They are to the soul
what wings are to the bird and sails to the ship. Desire, always in
pursuit of satisfaction, must be regulated by right reason. But reason
has been dethroned and man's passions and inclinations are lawless;
therefore their earliest stirrings after forbidden objects are
essentially evil. This was, as Matthew S shows, denied by the rabbis,
who restricted sin to open and outward transgression. But our Lord
declared that unwarrantable anger against another was incipient
murder, that to look on a woman with lust was a breach of the seventh
commandment, that impure thoughts and wanton imaginations were nothing
less than adultery. Hence Scripture speaks of "deceitful lusts" (Eph.
4:22), "foolish and hurtful lusts" (I Tim. 6:9), "worldly lusts"
(Titus 2:12), "fleshly lusts, which war against the soul" (I Peter
2:11), "ungodly lusts" (Jude 18).
The very first stirring of desire after anything evil, the slightest
irregularity in the motives of the soul, is sin. This is clear from
the universal command "Thou shalt not covet," that is, hanker after
anything which God has prohibited. This irregular and evil longing is
called "concupiscence" in Romans 7:8, by which the apostle meant
mental as well as sensual desire. The Greek word is usually rendered
"lust"; in I Thessalonians 4:5 it is found in an intensified form:
"the lust of concupiscence." These lustings of the soul are its
initial motions, often unsuspected by ourselves, which precede the
consent of the mind, and are designated "evil concupiscence" (Col.
3:5). They are the seeds from which our evil works spring, the
original stirrings of our indwelling corruption. They are condemned by
the law of God, for the tenth commandment forbids the first outgoings
of the affections after what belongs to another. That incipient
longing, before the approbation of the mind is obtained, is sinful,
and needs to be confessed to God. Genesis 6:5 declares of fallen man
that "every imagination of the thoughts of his heart" is evil, for
sins even in their embryonic stage defile the soul, being contrary to
that purity which the holiness of God requires.
The Council of Trent denied that the original movement of the soul
tending to evil is in itself sinful, stating that it only becomes so
when it is consented or yielded to. Now it is freely confessed by all
sound Calvinists that the mind's entertaining of the first evil desire
is a further degree of sin, and that the actual assent to the desire
is yet more heinous; but they emphatically contend that the original
impulse is also evil in the sight of God. If the original impulse is
innocent per se, how could its gratification be sinful? Motives and
excitements do not undergo any change in their essential nature in
consequence of their being humored or encouraged. It cannot be wrong
to respond to innocent impulses. The Lord Jesus teaches us to judge
the tree by its fruit; if the fruit is corrupt, so too is the tree
which bears it.
In Romans 7: 7 the term is actually rendered sin: "I had not known
sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had
said, Thou shalt not covet." Here, then, sin and lust are used
interchangeably; any inward nonconformity to the law is sinful. Paul
was made aware of that fact when the commandment was applied to him in
power--as the sun shining on refuse draws forth its stench. Men may
deny that the very desire for forbidden objects is culpable, but
Scripture affirms that even imaginations are the evil buds of
wickedness, for they are contrary to that rectitude of heart which the
law requires. Note how that terrible list of things which Christ
enumerated as issuing from the heart of fallen man is headed with
"evil thoughts" (Matt. 15:19). We cannot conceive of any inclination
or proneness to sin in an absolutely holy being. Certainly there was
none in the Lord Jesus: "The prince of this world cometh, and hath
nothing in me" (John 14:30). There was nothing in Christ that was
capable of responding to Satan's vile solicitations, no movement of
His appetites or affections of which he could take advantage. Christ
was inclined only to what is good.
"For when we were in the flesh [i.e., while Christians were in their
unregenerate state], the motions of sins [literally, the affections of
sin, or the beginnings of our passions], which were [aggravated] by
the law, did work in our members [the faculties of the soul as well as
of the body] to bring forth fruit unto death" (Rom. 7:5). Those
"affections of sin" are the filthy streams which issue from the
polluted fountain of our hearts. They are the first stirrings of our
fallen nature which precede the overt acts of transgression. They are
the unlawful movements of our desire prior to the studied and
deliberate thoughts of the mind after sin. "But sin [indwelling
corruption], taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all
manner of concupiscence" or "evil lustings" (Rom. 7:8). Note that word
"wrought in me": there was a polluted disposition or evil propensity
at work, distinct from the deeds which it produced. Indwelling sin is
a powerful principle, constantly exercising a bad influence,
stimulating unholy affections, stirring to avarice, enmity, malice and
countless other evils.
The popular idea which now prevails is that nothing is sinful except
an open and outward transgression. Such a concept falls far short of
the searching and humbling teaching of Holy Writ. It affirms that the
source of all temptation lies within fallen man himself. The depravity
of his own heart induces him to listen to the devil or be influenced
by the profligacy of others. If this were not so, no external
solicitations to wrongdoing would have any force, for there would be
nothing within man for them to excite, nothing to which those
solicitations correspond or over which they could exert any power. An
evil example would be rejected with abhorrence if we were pure within.
There must be an unsatisfied lust to which temptation from without
appeals. Where there is no desire for food, a well-spread table does
not allure. If there is no love of acquisition, gold cannot attract
the heart. In every instance the force of temptation lies in some
propensity of our fallen nature.
The uniqueness of the Bible lies in its exalted spirituality,
insisting that any inward bias, the least gravitation of the soul from
God and His will, is sinful and culpable, whether or not it is carried
into action. It reveals that the first stirring of sin itself is to
draw away the soul from what it ought to be fixed upon, by an
irregular craving for some foreign object which appears delightful.
When our native corruptions are invited by something external which
promises pleasure or profit, and the passions are attracted by it,
then temptation begins, and the heart is drawn out after it. Since
fallen man is influenced most by his lusts, they sway both his mind
and his will. So powerful are they that they rule his whole soul: "I
see another law in my members" (Rom. 7:23). It is an imperious law,
dominating the entire man. It is because their lusts are so violent
that men are so mad upon sinning: "They...weary themselves to commit
iniquity" (Jer. 9:5).
James 1:14-15 traces the origin of all our sinning: "But every man is
tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when
lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is
finished bringeth forth death." Those words show that sin encroaches
on the spirit by degrees; they describe the several stages before it
is consummated in the outward act. They reveal that the procreating
cause of all sin lies in the lusts of every man's soul; he has within
himself both the food and fuel for it. Goodwin declared: "You can
never come to see how deeply and how abominably corrupt creatures you
are, until God opens your eyes to see your lusts." The old man is
"corrupt according to the deceitful lusts" (Eph. 4:22). Lust is both
the womb and the root of all wickedness on earth. The apostle to God's
people spoke of "having escaped the corruption that is in the world
through lust" (II Peter 1:4). "The corruption": that wasting
destroying blight which is on all mankind. "Which is in the world":
like poison in the cup, like dry rot in wood, like an epidemic in the
air--inherent, ineradicable. It taints every part of man's being,
physical, mental and moral; it affects all his relations of life,
whether in the family, society or the State.
"Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust." When men
are tempted they usually try to place the onus on God, the devil, or
their fellowmen; actually the blame rests entirely on themselves.
First, their affections are removed from what is good and they are
incited to wrongful conduct by their corrupt inclinations, attracted
to the bait which Satan or the world dangles before them. "Lust" here
signifies a yearning for, or longing to obtain, something. And it is
so strong that it draws the soul after a forbidden object. The Greek
word for "drawn away" means forcibly impelled. The impetuous violence
of the desire which covets some sensual or worldly thing demands
gratification. This is nothing but a species of self-will, a hankering
after what God has not granted, rising from discontent with our
present condition or position. Even though that longing is a fleeting
and involuntary one, perhaps against our best judgment, nevertheless
it is sinful and, when allowed, produces yet deeper guilt.
"And enticed": The drawing away is because of the irregularity and
vehemence of the craving; the enticement is from the object
contemplated. But that very allurement is something for which we are
to blame. It is because we fail to resist, hate and reject the first
rising of unlawful desire, but instead entertain and encourage it,
that the bait appears so attractive. The temptation promises pleasure
or profit, which shows "the deceitfulness of sin" (Heb. 3:13). All
this beguiles us. Then wickedness is sweet in our mouth, and we hide
it under our tongue (Job. 20:12). "Then when lust hath conceived":
Anticipated delight is cherished, and the mind fully consents. The
sinful deed is now present in embryo, and the thoughts are busied in
contriving ways and means of gratification. "It bringeth forth sin" by
a decree of the will: What was previously contemplated is now actually
perpetrated. Manton said: "Sin knows no mother but our own heart."
"And sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death": We pay its wages
and reap what was planted, damnation being the ultimate outcome. This
is the progress of sin within us, and these are its degrees of
enormity.
Corrupted Conscience
If there is one faculty of man's soul which might be thought to have
retained the original image of God on it, it is surely the conscience.
Such a view has indeed been widely held. Not a few of the most
renowned philosophers and moralists have contended that conscience is
nothing less than the divine voice itself speaking in the innermost
part of our being. Without minimizing the great importance and value
of this internal monitor, either in its office or in its operations,
it must be emphatically declared that such theorists err, that even
this faculty has not escaped from the common ruin of our entire
beings. This is evident from the plain teaching of God's Word.
Scripture speaks of a "weak conscience" (I Cor. 8:12), of men "having
their conscience seared with a hot iron" (I Tim. 4:2)-- It says that
their "conscience is defiled" (Titus 1:15), that they have "an evil
conscience" (Heb. 10:22)-- Let us examine the point more closely.
Those who affirm that there is something essentially good in the
natural man insist that his conscience is an enemy to evil and a
friend to holiness. They stress the fact that the conscience produces
an inward conviction against wrongdoing, a conflict in the heart over
sin, a reluctance to commit it. They call attention to Pharaoh's
acknowledgment of sin (Exodus 10:16), and to Darius' being "sorely
displeased with himself" for his unjust act in condemning Daniel to be
thrown into the lions' den (6:14). Some have even gone so far as to
affirm that the opposition to greater and grosser crimes--which is
found at first in all men--differs little or not at all from that
conflict between the flesh and the spirit described in Romans 7:21-23.
But such a sophistry is easily refuted. In the first place, while it
is true that fallen man possesses a general notion of right and wrong,
and is able in some instances to distinguish between good and evil,
yet while he remains unregenerate that moral instinct never causes him
to truly delight in the former or to really abhor the latter. In
whatever measure he may approve of good or disapprove of evil, it is
from no consideration for God.
Conscience is only able to work according to the light it has; and
since the natural man cannot discern spiritual things (I Cor. 2:14),
it is useless in respect to them. How feeble is its light! It is more
like the glimmer of a candle than the rays of the sun--merely
sufficient to make the darkness visible. Owing to the darkened
condition of the understanding, the conscience is fearfully ignorant.
When it does discover that which is adverse, it indicates it feebly
and ineffectually. Instead of directing the senses, it mostly
confuses. How true this is in the case of the uncivilized. Conscience
gives them a sense of guilt and then puts them to practicing the most
abominable and often inhuman rites. It has induced them to invent and
propagate the most impious misrepresentations of Deity. As a salve to
their conscience, they often make the very objects of their worship
the precedents and patrons of their favorite vices. The fact is that
conscience is so sadly defective that it is unable to perform its duty
until God enlightens, awakens and renews it.
Its operations are equally faulty. Not only is conscience defective in
vision, but its voice is very weak. How strongly it ought to upbraid
us for our shocking ingratitude to our great Benefactor! How loudly it
should remonstrate against the stupid neglect of our spiritual
interests and eternal welfare. Yet it does neither the one nor the
other. Though it offers some checks on outward and gross sins, it
makes no resistance to the subtler secret workings of indwelling
corruption. If it prompts to the performance of duty, it ignores the
most important and spiritual part of that duty. It may be uneasy if we
fail to spend the usual amount of time each day in private prayer, but
it is little concerned about our reverence, humility, faith and fervor
in prayer. Those in Malachi's day were guilty of offering God
defective sacrifices, yet conscience never troubled them about it
(1:7-8). Conscience may be scrupulous in carrying out the precepts of
men or our personal inclinations, yet utterly neglect those things
which the Lord has commanded; like the Pharisees who would not eat
food while their hands remained ceremonially unwashed, yet disregarded
what God had commanded (Mark 7 6-9).
Conscience is woefully partial, disregarding favorite sins and
excusing those which most besiege us. All such attempts to excuse our
faults are founded on ignorance of God, of ourselves, of our duty.
Otherwise conscience would bring in the verdict of guilty. Conscience
often joins with our lusts to encourage a wicked deed. Saul's
conscience told him not to offer sacrifice till Samuel came, yet to
please the people and prevent them from deserting him he did so. And
when that servant of God reproved him, the king tried to justify his
offense by saying that the Philistines were gathered together against
Israel, and that he dared not attack them before calling on God: "I
forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt-offering" (I Sam.
13:8-12). Conscience will strain to find some consideration with which
to appease itself and approve of the evil act. Even when rebuking
certain sins, it will find motives and discover inducements to them.
Thus, when Herod was about to commit the dastardly murder of John the
Baptist, which was against his convictions, his conscience came to his
aid and urged him forward by impressing on him that he must not
violate the oath which he had taken before others (Mark 6:26).
Conscience often ignores great sins while condoning lesser ones, as
Saul was hard upon the Israelites for a breach of the ceremonial law
(I Sam. 14:33) but made no scruple of killing eighty-five of the
Lord's priests. Conscience will even devise arguments which favor the
most outrageous acts; thus it is not only like a corrupt lawyer
pleading an evil cause, but like a corrupt judge justifying the
wicked. Those who clamored for the crucifixion of Christ did so under
the pretext of its being orderly and necessary: "We have a law, and by
our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God" (John
19:7). Little wonder that the Lord says of men that they "call evil
good, and good evil;... put darkness for light, and light for
darkness" (Isa. 5:20). Conscience never moves the natural man to
perform duties out of gratitude and thankfulness to God. It never
convicts him of the heavy guilt of Adam's offense which is lying upon
his soul, nor of lack of faith in Christ. It allows sinners to sleep
in peace in their awful unbelief. But theirs is not a sound and solid
peace, for there is no ground for it; rather it is the false security
of ignorance. Says God of them, "They consider not in their hearts
that I remember all their wickedness" (Hosea 7:2).
The accusations of conscience are ineffectual, for they produce no
good fruit, yielding neither meekness, humility nor genuine
repentance, but rather a dread of God as a harsh Judge or hatred of
Him as an inexorable enemy. Not only are its accusations ineffectual,
but often they are quite erroneous. Because of the darkness upon the
understanding, the moral perception of the natural man greatly errs.
As Thomas Boston said of the corrupt conscience, "So it is often found
like a mad and furious horse, which violently runs down himself, his
rider, and all that come in his way." A fearful example of that
appears in our Lord's prediction in John 16:2 which received repeated
fulfillment in the Acts: "They shall put you out of the synagogues:
yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he
doeth God service." In like manner Saul of Tarsus after his conversion
acknowledged: "I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many
things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth" (Acts 26:9). The
unrenewed conscience is a most unreliable guide.
Even when the conscience of the unregenerate is awakened by the
immediate hand of God and is struck with deep and painful conviction
of sin, far from its moving the soul to seek the mercy of God through
the Mediator, it fills him with futility and dismay. As Job 6:4
declares, when the arrows of the Almighty strike a man, their poison
drinks up his spirit as the terrors of God set themselves to war
against him. Formerly this man may have gone to great pains to stifle
the accusations of his inward judge, but now he cannot. Instead,
conscience rages and roars, putting the whole man in dreadful
consternation, as he is terrified by a sense of the wrath of a holy
God and the fiery indignation which shall devour His adversaries. This
fills him with such horror and despair that instead of turning to the
Lord he tries to flee from Him. Thus it was in the case of Judas who,
when he was made to realize the awful gravity of his vile deed, went
out and hanged himself. That the guilt of sin within the natural man
causes him to turn from rather than to Christ was demonstrated by the
Pharisees in John 8:9. They, "being convicted by their own conscience,
went out one by one."
Disabled will
The will is not the lord but the servant of the other faculties
executing the strongest conviction of the mind or the most imperious
command of our lusts, for there can be but one dominating influence in
the will at one and the same time. Originally the excellence of man's
will consisted in following the guidance of right reason and
submitting to the influence of proper authority. But in Eden man's
will rejected the former and rebelled against the latter, and in
consequence of the fall his will has ever since been under the control
of an understanding which prefers darkness to light and of affections
which crave evil rather than good. Thus the fleeting pleasures of
sense and the puny interests of time excite our wishes, while the
lasting delights of godliness and the riches of immortality receive
little or no attention. The will of the natural man is biased by his
corruption, for his inclinations gravitate in the opposite direction
from his duty; therefore he is in complete bondage to sin, impelled by
his lusts. The unregenerate are not merely unwilling to seek after
holiness; they inveterately hate it.
Since the will turned traitor to God and entered the service of Satan,
it has been completely paralyzed toward good. Said the Saviour, "No
man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him"
(John 6:44). And why is it that man cannot come to Christ by his own
natural powers? Because not only has he no inclination to do so, but
the Saviour repels him; His yoke is unwelcome, His scepter repulsive.
In connection with the spiritual things the condition of the will is
like that of the woman in Luke 13:11 who "was bowed together, and
could in no wise lift up herself." If such is the case, then how can
man be said to act voluntarily? Because he freely chooses the evil,
and that because "the soul of the wicked desireth evil" (Prov. 21:10),
always carrying out that desire except when prevented by divine
restraint. Man is the slave of his corruption, like a wild colt; from
earliest childhood he is averse to restraint. The will of man is
uniformly rebellious against God. When Providence thwarts his desires,
instead of bowing in humble resignation, he frets with disquietude and
acts like a wild bull in a net. Only the Son can make him "free" (John
8:36), for there is "liberty" only where His Spirit is (II Cor. 3:17).
Here, then, are the ramifications of human depravity. The fall has
blinded man s mind, hardened his heart, disordered his affections,
corrupted his conscience, disabled his will, so that there is "no
soundness" in him (Isa. 1:6), "no good thing" in him (Rom. 7:18).
Contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14
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A. W. Pink Header
The Total Depravity of Man by A.W. Pink
Chapter 11-Evidences
_________________________________________________________________
After the ground we have already covered in the preceding chapters it
might be thought there is no need for a separate section to furnish
proof that man is a fallen and depraved creature who has departed far
from his Maker and rightful Lord. Though the Word of God needs no
confirming by anything outside itself, it is not without value or
interest to find that the teaching of Genesis 3 is substantiated by
the hard facts of history and observation. But since there is no point
on which the world is so dark as that concerning its own darkness, we
feel it necessary to demonstrate the fact. All natural men, unrenewed
in their minds by the saving operation of the Holy Spirit, are in a
state of darkness with respect to any vital knowledge of God. No
matter how learned and skillful they are in other things, in spiritual
matters they are blind and stupid. But when that fact is pressed upon
them their ire is aroused. Proud intellectuals, who consider
themselves so much wiser than the humble and simple believer, regard
it as just the empty conceit of illiterates when told that "the way of
peace they have not known." Such souls are quite ignorant of their
very ignorance.
Signs of Man's Ruin
Even in Christendom the average churchgoer is fully satisfied if he
learns by rote a few of the elementary principles of religion. By so
doing he comforts himself that he is not an infidel, and since he
believes there is a God (though it may be one which his own
imagination has devised) he prides himself that he is far from being
an atheist. Yet as to having any living, spiritual, influential and
practical knowledge of the Lord and His ways he is a stranger,
altogether unenlightened. Nor does he feel the least need of divine
illumination. He has no taste or desire for a closer acquaintance with
God. Never having realized himself to be a lost sinner, he has never
sought the Saviour. Only those who are aware of sickness value a
physician, just as none but those who are conscious of soul starvation
yearn for the bread of life. Men may proudly boast that this twentieth
century is an age of enlightenment, but however true that may be in a
material and mechanical sense, it is certainly far from being the case
spiritually. It is often averred by those who ought to know better
that men today are more eager in their quest for truth than in former
days, but hard facts give the lie to such an assertion.
In Job 12:24-25 we are told that "the chief people of the earth...
grope in the dark without light." How evident that is to those whose
eyes have been anointed by the Holy Spirit. Who but those blinded by
prejudice and incapable of seeing what is right before them would
still believe in "the progress of man" and "the steady advance of the
human race"? And yet such postulates are made daily by those who are
regarded as being the best educated and the greatest thinkers. The
idle dreams of idealists and theorists should have been dispelled by
the happenings of the past fifty years, when millions of earth's
inhabitants have engaged in life-and-death struggles in which the most
barbarous inhumanities have been perpetrated, thousands of peaceful
citizens killed in their homes, thousands more maimed for the rest of
their days, and incalculable material damage done. But so persistent
is error, and so radically is it opposed to that which we are here
contending for, that no efforts should be spared in exposing the one
and establishing the other. We thus present some of the abundant
evidence which testifies clearly to the utterly ruined condition of
fallen mankind.
These proofs may be drawn from the teaching of Holy Writ, the records
of historians, our own observations and personal experience. Genesis 3
describes the origin of human depravity. In the very next chapter the
bitter fruits of the fall quickly begin to be manifested. In chapter 3
we see sin in our first parents; in chapter 4, sin in their firstborn,
who very soon supplied proof of his having received an evil nature
from them. In Genesis 3 the sin was against God; in Genesis 4 it was
both against Him and against a fellowman. That is always the order:
Where there is no fear of God, there will be no genuine respect for
the rights of our neighbors. Yet even at that early date we discern
the sovereign and distinguishing grace of God at work, for it was by
God-given faith that Abel presented an acceptable sacrifice to the
Lord (Heb. 11:4); whereas in blatant self-will and self-pleasing, Cain
brought the fruit of the ground as an offering. Upon the Lord's
rejection of the sacrifice, "Cain was very wroth" (Gen. 4:5) because
he could not approach and worship God according to the dictates of his
own mind, and thereby displayed his native enmity against Him. Jealous
of God's approval of Abel, Cain rose up and murdered his brother.
Like leprosy, sin contaminates, spreads, and produces death. Near the
close of Genesis 4 we see sin corrupting family life, for Lamech was
guilty of polygamy, murder and a spirit of fierce revenge (v.23). In
Genesis 5 "death" is written in capital letters over the inspired
record, for no less than eight times we read "and he died." But again
we are shown grace super-abounding in the midst of abounding sin, for
Enoch, the seventh from Adam, did not die, being translated without
seeing death. That much of his time was spent in expostulating with
and warning the wicked of his day is intimated in Jude 14-15 where we
are told that he prophesied, "Behold, the Lord cometh with ten
thousands of His saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince
all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they
have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly
sinners have spoken against him." Noah too was a "preacher of
righteousness" (II Peter 2:5) to the antediluvians, but seemingly with
little effect, for we read, "And GOD saw that the wickedness of man
was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of
his heart was only evil continually," that "all flesh had corrupted
his way upon the earth," and that the earth was "filled with violence
through them" (Gen. 6:5, 12-13).
But though God sent a flood which swept away the whole of that wicked
generation, sin was not eradicated from human nature. Instead, fresh
evidence of the depravity of man was soon forthcoming. After such a
merciful deliverance from the deluge, after witnessing such a fearful
demonstration of God's holy wrath against sin, and after the Lord's
making a gracious covenant with Noah, which contained most blessed
promises and assurances, one would suppose that the human race would
ever after adhere to the ways of virtue. But the very next thing we
read is that "Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a
vineyard: and he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was
uncovered within his tent" (9:20-21). Scholars tell us that the Hebrew
word for "uncovered" clearly indicates a deliberate act, and not a
mere unconscious effect of drunkenness. The sins of intemperance and
impurity are twin sisters. The sad lapse of Noah gave occasion to his
son Ham to sin; for, instead of throwing the mantle of charity over
his father's conduct, he dishonored him, manifesting disrespect for
him. In consequence Ham brought on his descendants a curse, the
effects and results of which are apparent to this very day (v.25).
Genesis 9 brings the inauguration of a new beginning, causing our
minds to turn back to the very beginning of the human race. A careful
comparison of the two reveals a series of most remarkable parallels
between the histories of Adam and Noah. Adam was placed on an earth
which came up out of "the great deep" (Gen. 1:2); Noah came forth onto
an earth which had just emerged from the waters of the great deluge.
Adam was made lord of creation (1:28); into the hand of Noah God
delivered all things (9:2). Adam was "blessed" by God and told to "be
fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth" (1:28); in like
manner Noah was blessed and told to "be fruitful, and multiply, and
replenish the earth" (9:1). Adam was placed by God in a garden to
"dress and keep it" (2:15); Noah "began to be an husbandman, and he
planted a vineyard" (9:20). It was in the garden that Adam
transgressed and fell ; the product of the vineyard was the occasion
of Noah's sad fall. The sin of Adam resulted in the exposure of his
nakedness (3:7): likewise Noah "was uncovered within his tent" (9:21).
Adam's sin brought a terrible curse on his posterity (Rom. 5:12); so
did Noah's (9:24-25). Immediately after Adam's fall a remarkable
prophecy was given, containing in outline the history of redemption
(3:15); immediately after Noah's fall a remarkable prophecy was
uttered, containing in outline the history of the great divisions of
our race.
The Carnal World System
Genesis 10-11 takes up the history of the post-diluvian earth. These
chapters show us something of the ways of men in this new
world--revolting against God, seeking to glorify and deify themselves.
They make known the carnal principles by which the world system is now
regulated. Since Genesis 10:8-12 and 11:1-9 interrupt the course of
the genealogies given there, they should be regarded as an important
parenthesis, the former one explaining the latter. The first is
concerned with Nimrod : 1. He was a descendant of Ham, through Cush
(10:8), therefore of that branch of Noah's family on which the curse
rested. 2. His name means "the rebel." 3. "He began to be a mighty one
in the earth," which implies that he struggled for preeminence and by
force of will obtained it. 4. "In the earth" intimates conquest and
subjugation, becoming a leader of and ruler over men. 5. He was a
mighty hunter (10:9): three times in Genesis 10 and again in I
Chronicles 1:10 is the term "mighty" used of him, the Hebrew word also
being rendered "chief" and "chieftain." 6. He was a "mighty hunter
before the LORD"; comparing that with "the earth also was corrupt
before God" (6:11) we get the impression that this proud rebel pursued
his ambitions and impious designs in brazen defiance of the Almighty.
7. Nimrod was a king and had his headquarters in Babylon (10:10).
From the opening verses of Genesis 11 it is clear that Nimrod had an
inordinate desire for fame, that he lusted after supreme dominion or
the establishment of a world empire (cf. 10:10-11), and that he headed
a great confederacy in open rebellion against Jehovah. Babel means
"the gate of God," but afterward, because of the divine judgment
inflicted on it, it came to mean "confusion." By putting together the
different details supplied by the Spirit, there can be little doubt
that Nimrod not only organized an imperial government, over which he
presided as king, but also instituted a new and idolatrous worship.
Though he is not mentioned by name in Genesis 11, it is evident from
the foregoing chapter that he was the leader of the movement here
described. The topographical reference in 11:2 is just as morally
significant as is "going down into Egypt" and "up to Jerusalem." "They
journeyed from the east" connotes that they turned their backs on the
sunrise. God had commanded Noah to "multiply, and replenish the
earth." But we read : "And they said, Go to, let us build us a city
and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a
name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth"
(11:4). That was directly contrary to God, and He at once intervened,
brought Nimrod's scheme to naught, and scattered them "abroad upon the
face of all the earth" (v. 9).
At the Tower of Babel another crisis had arrived in the history of the
human race. There mankind was again guilty of apostasy and outright
defiance of the Most High. The divine confounding of man's speech was
the Origin of the different nations of the earth, and after the
overthrow of Nimrod's effort we get the formation of the "world" as it
has existed ever since. This is confirmed in Romans 1, where the
apostle supplies proof of the guilt of the Gentiles. In verse 19 we
read of "that which may be known of God"-through the display of His
perfections in the works of creation. Verses 21-23 go further and
state, "When they knew God [i.e., in the days of Nimrod], they
glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in
their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing
themselves to be wise, they became fools [in connection with the Tower
of Babel] , and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an
image made like to corruptible man." It was then that idolatry
commenced. In what follows we are told three times that "God gave them
up" (vv. 24, 26, 28). It was then that He abandoned them and "suffered
all nations to walk in their own ways" (Acts 14:16).
The next thing after the great crisis in human affairs recorded in
Genesis 11 was the divine call of Abraham, the father of the nation of
Israel. But before turning to that, let us consider some of the
effects of the nations going their own evil ways. The first of the
Gentile nations about which Scripture has much to say are the
Egyptians, who made their depravity clear by mistreating the Hebrews
and defying the Lord. The seven nations which inhabited Canaan when
Israel entered that land in the days of Joshua were devoted to the
most horrible abominations and wickedness (Lev. 18:6-25; Deut. 9:5).
The characters of the renowned empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece
and Rome are intimated in Daniel 7 :4-7, where they are likened to
wild beasts. Outside the narrow bounds of Judaism the whole world was
heathen, completely dominated by the devil. Having turned their backs
on Him who is light, they were in total spiritual darkness, given up
to ignorance, superstition and vice. One and all sought their
happiness in the pleasures of earth, according to their various
desires and appetites. But whatever "happiness" was enjoyed by them
was sensual and fleeting, utterly unworthy of creatures made for
eternity. They were quite insensible of their real misery, poverty and
blindness.
It is true that the arts were developed to a high degree by some of
the ancients and that there were famous sages among them, but the
masses of the people were grossly materialistic, and their teachers
propagated the wildest absurdities. They all denied a divine creation
of the world, holding for the most part that matter is eternal. Some
believed there was no survival of the soul after death, others in the
theory of transmigration--the souls of men passing into the bodies of
animals. In short, "the world by wisdom knew not God" (I Cor. 1:21).
Where there is ignorance of Him there is always ignorance of
ourselves. They did not realize they were victims of the great
deceiver of souls, who blinds the minds of those who do not believe.
No ancient nation was as highly educated as the Greeks, yet the
private lives of her most eminent men were stained by the most
revolting crimes. Those who had the ear of the public and talked most
about setting men free from their passions, although held in the
highest esteem as the teachers of truth and virtue, were themselves
the abject slaves of sin and Satan. Morally speaking, society was
rotten to the core.
The whole world festered in its corruption. Sensual indulgence was
everywhere carried to its highest pitch, gluttony was an art,
fornication was indulged in without restraint. The Prophet Hosea shows
(chap. 4) that where there is no knowledge of God there is no mercy or
truth. Instead, selfishness, oppression and persecution bear down on
all. There is scarcely a page in the annals of the world which does
not furnish tragic illustrations of the greed and grind, the injustice
and chicanery, the avarice and consciencelessness, the intemperance
and immorality to which fallen human nature is so horribly prone. What
a sad spectacle history presents of our race. It abundantly bears
witness to the divine declaration, "Surely men of low degree are
vanity, and men of high degree are a lie : to be laid in the balance,
they are altogether lighter than vanity" (Ps. 62:9). Modern infidels
may paint a beautiful picture of the virtues of many of the heathen,
and out of their hatred of Christianity exalt them to the highest
seats of intellectual attainment and moral excellence, but the clear
testimony of history definitely refutes them.
The earth has been deluged with blood by its murders and fightings.
"The dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty"
(Ps. 74:20). In ancient Greece, parents were at liberty to abandon
their children to perish from cold and hunger, or to be eaten up by
wild beasts; and though such exposures were frequently practiced they
passed without punishment or censure. Wars were prosecuted with the
utmost ferocity, and if any of the vanquished escaped death, lifelong
slavery of the most abject kind was the only prospect before them. At
Rome, which was then the metropolis of the world, the court of Caesar
was steeped in licentiousness. To provide amusement for his senators,
six hundred gladiators fought hand-to-hand mortal combat in the public
theater. Not to be outdone, Pompey turned five hundred lions into the
arena to battle an equal number of his braves, and "delicate ladies"
sat applauding and gloating over the flow of blood. Aged and infirm
citizens were banished to an island in the Tiber. Almost two-thirds of
the "civilized" world were slaves, their masters having absolute power
over them. Human sacrifices were frequently offered on the temple
altars. Destruction and misery were commonplace, and the way of peace
was unknown (Rom. 3:16-17).
The Deists of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries made much of
the charming innocence of the tribes which lived in the "sylvan bowers
of primeval forests," untainted by the vices of civilization,
unpolluted by modern commerce. But when the woods of America were
entered by the white man, he found the Indians as ferocious and cruel
as wild beasts. As someone expressed it, "The red tomahawk might have
been emblazoned as the red man's coat of arms, and his eyes of glaring
revenge regarded as the index of his character." When travelers
penetrated into the interior of Africa, where they hoped to find human
nature in its primitive excellence, they found instead primitive
devilry. Take the milder races. To look into the gentle face of the
Hindu one would suppose him incapable of brutality and bestiality, but
let the facts of the Sepoy Rebellion of the nineteenth century be
read, and one will find the mercilessness of the tiger. Look at the
placid Chinaman. The Boxer outbreak and atrocities at the beginning of
this century produced similar inhumanities. If a new tribe were
discovered, we should know it too must be depraved and vicious. Simply
to be informed that they were men would oblige us to conclude that
they were "hateful, and hating one another."
Depravity of Jews as Well as Gentiles
The depravity of the Gentiles may not excite surprise, since their
religions, instead of restraining vice, furnished a stimulus to the
most horrible practices, in the examples of their profligate gods. But
were the Jews any better? In considering their case we shall turn from
the general to the particular, examining that people designed by God
to be a specimen of human nature. The divine Being singled out and
separated them from all other nations. He showered His benefits upon
them, strengthened them with many encouragements, wrought miracles on
their behalf, awed them with the most fearful threatenings, chastised
them severely and frequently, and inspired His servants to give us an
accurate account of their response. And what a wretched response it
was. Except for the conduct of a few individuals among them, which,
being the effect of divine grace, proves nothing against what we are
here demonstrating-in fact only serves to intensify the sad
contrast-the entire history of the Jews was nothing but a series of
rebellions and continued departures from the living God. No other
nation was so highly favored and richly blessed by heaven, and none so
wretchedly repaid the divine goodness.
Provided with a law which was drawn up and proclaimed by God Himself,
which was enforced by the most winsome and also the most awesome
sanctions, the whole nation within a few days of its reception was
engaged in obscenely worshipping a golden calf. To them were entrusted
the divine oracles and ordinances, which were neither appreciated nor
heeded. In the wilderness they greatly provoked the holy One by their
murmuring, their lusting after the plenty of Egypt when supplied with
"angels' food" (Ps. 78:25), their prolonged idolatry (Acts 7:42-43)
and their unbelief (Heb. 3:18). After they received the land of Canaan
for an inheritance, they soon evinced their base ingratitude, so that
the Lord had to say to His sorrowing servant, "They have not rejected
thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them" (I
Sam. 8:7). So averse were they to God and His ways that they hated,
persecuted and killed the messengers which He sent to turn them from
their wickedness. "They kept not the covenant of God, and refused to
walk in his law" (Ps. 78:10). They declared, "I have loved strangers,
and after them will I go" (Jer. 2:25).
After furnishing proof in Romans 1 of the total depravity of the
Gentile world, the apostle turned to the case of privileged Israel,
and from their own Scriptures demonstrated that they were equally
polluted, equally beneath the curse of God. He asked, "What then? Are
we better than they?" Then he answered, "No, in no wise: for we have
before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin"
(Rom. 3:9). So too in I Corinthians 1, where the utmost scorn is
expressed for that which is highly esteemed among men, the Jew is
placed on the same level as the Gentile. There we are shown how God
views the arrogant pretensions of the worldly wise. When the apostle
asks, "Where is the wise?" he is referring to the Grecian
philosophers, who dignified themselves with that title. His question
indicates contempt of their proud claims. "With all your boasted
knowledge, have you discovered the true and living God?" They are
challenged to come forth with their schemes of religion. "After all
you have taught others, what have you accomplished? Have you found out
the way to eternal felicity? Have you learned how guilty sinners may
have access to a holy God?" God declares that, far from being wise
men, such sages as Pythagoras and Plato were fools.
Then Paul asks, "Where is the scribe?" (I Cor. 1:20). The scribe was
the wise man, the esteemed teacher, among the Jews. He was at just as
great a distance from and just as ignorant of the true God. Far from
possessing any true knowledge of Him, he was a bitter enemy of that
knowledge when it was proclaimed by His incarnate Son. Though the
scribes enjoyed the inestimable advantage of possessing the Old
Testament Scriptures, they were in general as ignorant of God's
salvation as were the heathen philosophers. Instead of pointing to the
death of the promised Messiah as the grand sacrifice for sin, they
taught their disciples to depend on the laws and ceremonies of Moses,
and on traditions of human invention. When Christ was manifested
before them, far from being the first to receive Him, they were His
most bitter persecutors. His appearing before them in the form of a
servant did not suit their proud hearts. Though He was "full of grace
and truth," they saw no beauty in Him that they should desire Him.
Though He announced glad tidings, they refused to listen to them. When
Christ performed miracles of mercy before them, they would not believe
in Him. Though He sought only their good, they returned Him nothing
but evil. Their reaction was "We will not have this man to reign over
us" (Luke 19:14).
Contempt for Christ
The general neglect and contempt which the Lord Jesus experienced
among the people afford a very humbling view of what our fallen human
nature is. But the awful depths of human depravity were most plainly
evidenced by the scribes and Pharisees, the priests and elders. Though
well acquainted with the prophets, and though professing to wait for
the Messiah, with desperate and merciless malignity they sought His
destruction. The whole course of their conduct shows that they acted
against their convictions that Jesus Christ was the Messiah. Certainly
they had full knowledge of His innocence of all which they charged
against Him. This is evident from the plain intimation of the One who
read their hearts, and who knew that they were saying within
themselves , "This is the heir; come, let us kill him" (Matt. 21:38).
They were as untiring as they were unscrupulous in their malice. They,
or their agents, dogged Christ from place to place, hoping that in His
more unguarded fellowship with His disciples they might more readily
trap Him, or find something in His words or actions which they could
distort into a ground of accusation. They seized every opportunity to
poison the minds of the public against Him and, not content with
ordinary aspersions of His character, inferred that He was ministering
under the immediate inspiration of Satan. What was the source of such
wicked treatment of the Son of God? What but their corrupt hearts?
"They hated me without a cause" (John 15:25), declared the Lord of
glory. There was nothing whatever in either His character or conduct
which merited their vile contempt and enmity. They loved the darkness
and therefore hated the light. They were infatuated by their evil
lusts and delighted to gratify them. So too their deluded followers
gave a ready ear to false prophets who said, "Peace, peace" to them,
flattered them, and encouraged them in their carnality. Consequently
they could not tolerate that which was disagreeable to their depraved
tastes and condemned their sinful ways. Therefore "the people" as well
as their chief priests and rulers cried out, "Away with this man, and
release unto us Barabbas" (Luke 23:18). After they had hounded Him to
a criminal's death, their ill will pursued Him to the grave, for they
came to Pilate and demanded that he seal His sepulcher. When their
effort was proved to be in vain, the high Sanhedrin of Israel bribed
the soldiers who had attempted to guard the tomb, and with
premeditated deliberation put a lie in their mouths (Matt. 28:11-15).
Nor did the enmity of Christ's enemies abate after He left this scene
and returned to heaven. When His ambassadors went forth to preach His
gospel, they were arrested and forbidden to teach in the name of
Jesus, and then released under threat of punishment (Acts 4). Upon the
apostles' refusal to comply, they were beaten (Acts 5:40). Stephen was
stoned to death. James was beheaded, and many others were scattered
abroad to escape persecution. Except where God was pleased to lay His
restraining hand on those in whom He worked a miracle of grace, Jews
and Gentiles alike despised the gospel and willfully opposed its
progress. In some cases their hatred of the truth was less openly
displayed than in others, yet it was nonetheless real. It has been the
same ever since. However earnestly and winsomely the gospel is
preached, most of those who hear it reject it. For the most part they
are like those of our Lord's day who "made light of it, and went their
ways, one to his farm , another to his merchandise" (Matt. 22:5). The
great majority are too unconcerned to seek after even a doctrinal
knowledge of the truth. Many regard this carelessness of the unsaved
as mere indifference, but actually it is something much worse than
that, namely, dislike for the things of God, direct antagonism to Him.
The hostility of the unsaved is made evident by the way they treat the
people of God. The closer the believer walks with his Lord, the more
he will grate on and be mistreated by those who are strangers to Him.
But "blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake"
(Matt. 5:10). As one pointed out, "It is a strong proof of human
depravity that man's curses and Christ's blessings should meet on the
same persons. Who would have thought a man could be persecuted and
reviled, and have all manner of evil said of him for righteousness'
sake?" But do the ungodly really hate justice and integrity, and love
those who defraud and wrong them? No, they do not dislike
righteousness as it respects their own interests, only that species of
it which own the rights of God. If the saints would be content with
doing justly and loving mercy, and would give up walking humbly with
God, they might go through the world not only in peace but with the
approbation of the unregenerate; but "all that will live godly in
Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (II Tim. 3:12) because such a
life reproves the ungodliness of the wicked. If compassion moves the
Christian to warn his sinful neighbors of their danger, he is likely
to be insulted for his pains. His best actions will be ascribed to the
worst motives. Yet, far from being cast down by such treatment, the
disciple should rejoice that he is counted worthy to suffer a little
for his Master's sake.
Disowning of God's Law
The depravity of men appears in their disowning of the divine law set
over them. It is the right of God to be the acknowledged Ruler of His
creatures, yet they are never so pleased as when they invade His
prerogative, break His laws, and contradict His revealed will. How
little we realize that it is one and the same to repudiate His scepter
and to repudiate His being. When we disown His authority we disown His
Godhead. There is in natural man an averseness to having any
acquaintance with the rule under which their Maker has placed them:
"Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the
knowledge of thy ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
And what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?" (Job 21:14-15).
That aversion is seen in their unwillingness to use the means for
obtaining a knowledge of His will. However eager they are in their
quest for all other kinds of knowledge, however diligent in studying
the formation, constitution and ways of creatures, they refuse to
acquaint themselves with their Creator. When made aware of some part
of His will, they attempt to shake it off, as they do not "like to
retain God in their knowledge" (Rom. 1:28). If they do not succeed,
they avoid considering such knowledge, and do their utmost to dismiss
it from their minds.
A class of the unregenerate who are exceptions to the general rule are
those who attend church, make a profession of religion, and become
"Bible students." Motivated by pride of intellect and reputation, they
are ashamed to be regarded as spiritual ignoramuses, and want to have
a good standing in religious circles. Thus they secure a cloak of
respectability, and often the esteem of God's own people.
Nevertheless, they are devoid of God's grace. They "hold the truth in
unrighteousness" (Rom. 1:18); they hold it, but it does not grip,
influence and transform them. If they ponder the truth, it is not with
delight; if they take pleasure in it, it is only because their store
of information is increased and they are better equipped to hold their
own in a discussion. Their design is to inform their understanding,
not to quicken their affection for God. There is far more hypocrisy
than sincerity within the pale of the church. Judas was a follower of
Christ because he "had the bag, and bare what was put therein" (John
12:6) , not out of love for the Saviour. Some have the faith or truth
of God "with respect of persons" (James 2:1); they do not receive it
from the fountain, but from the channel. Often the truth delivered by
another is rejected; but that same truth, coming from the mouth of
their idol, is regarded as an oracle. They make man and not God their
rule, for though they acknowledge the truth, they do not receive it
for love of the truth, but rather because they admire the instrument.
The depravity of human nature is seen in the sad and general reversion
to darkness of a people after being favored with the light. Even where
God has been made known and His truth proclaimed, if He leaves men to
the working of their evil hearts, they quickly fall back into a state
of ignorance. Noah and his sons lived for centuries after the flood to
acquaint the world with the perfections of God, yet all knowledge of
Him soon disappeared. Abram and his father were idolaters (Joshua
24:2). Even after a man has experienced the new birth and become the
subject of immediate divine influence, how much ignorance and error,
imperfection and impropriety, still remains-just because he is not
completely subject to the Lord. The backslidings and partial
apostasies of genuine Christians are an awful demonstration of the
corruption of human nature. Our proneness to fall into error after
divine enlightenment is solemnly illustrated by the Galatians. They
had been instructed by Paul, and through the power of the Spirit had
believed in the Saviour he proclaimed. They were so happy that they
received him "as an angel of God" (4:14). Yet in the course of a few
years many of those converts gave such credence to false teachers, and
so far renounced biblical principles, that the apostle had to say of
them, "I stand in doubt of you" (4:20). Look at Europe, Asia, Africa,
after the preaching of the apostles and those who immediately followed
them. Though the light of Christianity illuminated most sections of
the Roman Empire, it was speedily quenched, and gave place to the
darkness. The greater part of the world fell victim to Rome and Islam.
Nothing more forcibly exhibits the sinfulness of man than his
proneness to idolatry. No other sin is so strongly denounced or so
severely punished by God. Idols are simply the work of men's hands,
and therefore inferior to them. How irrational then to worship them!
Can human madness go further than for men to imagine they can
manufacture gods? Those who have sunk so low as to confide in a block
of wood or stone have reached the extreme of idiocy. As Psalm 115
points out, "They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but
they see not... They that make them are like unto them"--as stupid, as
incapable of hearing and seeing those things which pertain to their
salvation.
The corruption of human nature discovers itself in little children. As
the adage puts it, "That which is bred in the bone comes out in the
flesh." And at what an early date it does! If there were any innate
goodness in man, it would surely show itself during the days of his
infancy, before virtuous principles were corrupted, before evil habits
were formed by his contact with the world. But do we find infants
inclined to all that is pure and excellent, and disinclined to
whatever is wrong? Are they meek, tractable, yielding readily to
authority? Are they unselfish, magnanimous when another child seizes
their toy? Far from it. The unvarying result of growth in human beings
is that as soon as they are old enough to exhibit any moral qualities
in human action they display evil ones. Long before they are old
enough to understand their own wicked tempers, they manifest
self-will, greediness, deceitfulness, anger, spite and revenge. They
cry and pout for what is not good for them, and are indignant with
their elders on being refused, often attempting to strike them. Those
born and brought up in the midst of honesty are guilty of petty
pilfering before they ever witness an act of theft. These blemishes
are not to be ascribed to ignorance, but to their variance with the
divine law to which man's nature was originally conformed, to that
horrible change which sin has made in the human constitution. Human
nature is seen to be tainted from the beginning of its existence.
The universal prevalence of disease and death witnesses unmistakably
to the fall of man. All the pains and disorders of our bodies, by
which our health is impaired and our way through this world made
difficult, are the consequences of our apostasy from God. The Saviour
plainly intimated that sickness is an effect of sin when He healed the
man with the palsy, saying, "Thy sins be forgiven thee" (Matt. 9:2).
The psalmist also linked together God's pardoning the iniquities of
His people and healing their diseases (103:3). There is one event that
happens to all. Yes, but why should it? Why should there be wasting
away and then dissolution? Philosophy offers no explanation. Science
can furnish no satisfactory answer, for to say that disease results
from the decay of nature only pushes the inquiry farther back. Disease
and death are abnormalities. Man is created by the eternal God,
endowed with a never dying soul. Why then should he not continue to
live here forever? Because of the fall; death is the wages of sin.
Man's ingratitude to his gracious Benefactor is still another evidence
of his sad condition. The Israelites were a woeful sample of all
mankind in this respect. Though the Lord delivered them from the house
of bondage, miraculously conducted them through the Red Sea, led them
safely across the wilderness, they did not appreciate it. Though He
screened them with a cloud from the heat of the sun, gave them light
by night in a pillar of fire, fed them with bread from heaven, caused
streams to flow in the sandy desert, and brought them into the
possession of a land flowing with milk and honey, they were
continually murmuring and complaining. Men do not acknowledge or even
recognize the hand that so bountifully ministers to their needs. No
one is satisfied with the place and portion Providence has assigned
him; he is forever coveting what he does not have. He is a creature
given to changes; he is afflicted with a malady which Solomon termed
"the wandering of the desire" (Eccles. 6:9).
Someone has said that every dog that snaps at us, every horse that
lifts up its heel against us, proves that we are fallen creatures. The
brute creation had no enmity toward man before the fall. Creation gave
willing respect to Adam (Gen. 2:19). Eve no more dreaded the serpent
than we would a fly. But when man shrugged off allegiance to God, the
beasts by divine permission shook off allegiance to man. What a proof
of man's degradation that the sluggard is exhorted to "go to the ant"
and learn from a creature so much lower in the scale of being!
Consider the necessity of human laws, fenced with punishments and
terrors to restrain men's lusts. Yet in spite of the vast and costly
apparatus of police forces, law courts and prisons, how little success
follows their efforts to repress human wickedness! Neither education,
legislation nor religion is sufficient.
Finally, take the unvarying experience of the saints. It is part of
the Spirit's work to open blind eyes, to show souls their
wretchedness, and to make them aware of their dire need of Christ. And
when He thus brings a sinner to realize his ruined condition by an
experiential knowledge of sin, that sinner s comeliness is at once
turned to corruption, and he cries, "Behold, I am vile." Though grace
has entered his heart, his native depravity has not been expelled.
Though sin no longer has dominion over him, it rages and often
prevails against him. There is ceaseless warfare within between the
flesh and the spirit. There is no need for us to enlarge on this, for
every Christian, because of the plague of his heart, groans within
himself, "0 wretched man that I am!" He is wretched because he does
not live as he earnestly longs to do, and because he so often does the
very things he hates, grieving daily over evil imaginations, wandering
thoughts, unbelief, pride, coldness, pretense.
Contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14
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A. W. Pink Header
The Total Depravity of Man by A.W. Pink
Chapter 12-Corollaries
_________________________________________________________________
In the introductory section we intimated that we would endeavor to
show that our present subject is of immense doctrinal importance and
of great practical value. In view of all that has been advanced in our
subsequent discussion, that fact should be clear. The Scriptures
supply us with a divinely accurate diagnosis of man's present
condition. They show us, as nothing else can or does, why the entire
course of human history has been what it is, and explain why all the
remedial methods and measures of man to effect any radical improvement
in society are thorough failures. They account for the fact that man
in the twentieth century is essentially the same as in the first, that
like moral features pertain to white and black, yellow and red faces,
that no change of environment or living conditions can transform a
sinner into a saint. Removing thistles and nettles from a stony ground
and transplanting them into the most fertile soil and lovely
surroundings will not cause them to bear fragrant flowers or edible
fruit. Human nature is fundamentally the same whether people live in
mansions or hovels. Man does what he does because of what he is.
Value of This Doctrine
The importance of this doctrine of man's total depravity also appears
in the close bearing it has on other aspects of the truth, and the
light it tends to cast on them. Reject what is revealed in Genesis 3
and the remainder of the Bible becomes entirely meaningless; but
accept what is recorded there and everything else becomes intelligible
and is seen in its proper perspective. The whole scheme of redemption
manifestly proceeds in view of our first parents' ruination of their
race. Our defection in Adam and our recovery by Christ plainly stand
or fall together. Because man is a sinner he needs a Saviour; and
being so great a sinner, none but a divine Saviour is sufficient for
him. Since sin has corrupted the whole of man's constitution,
vitiating and debasing all his faculties, he is utterly incapable of
doing anything to raise himself out of the horrible pit into which the
fall has plunged him. Sooner will the Ethiopian change his skin or the
leopard his spots than those who are at enmity with God evoke any love
to Him or do that which is pleasing in His sight. If such a creature
is to be made fit to dwell forever with the thrice holy One, obviously
a miracle of grace must be worked in him.
Equally real and great is the practical value of this doctrine.
Nothing else is so well calculated to humble the proud heart of man
and bring him into the dust before his Maker crying, "Behold, I am
vile." Nothing else is so well calculated to demonstrate the utter
futility of the sinner's attempting to appease God and obtain His
approbation by any efforts of his own, or to gain acceptance with Him
by his own performance. A murderer standing in the dock might as well
seek to win the judge's favor by his smiles and flattery. Nothing is
so well calculated to convince us that, since our hearts are rotten to
the core, our very righteousnesses are as filthy rags. And nothing
else will so deeply impress on the heart of a believer his entire
dependence on the Lord as a keen sense of what he is by nature. He
must realize that God must work in him to will and to do of His good
pleasure if he is ever to perform His bidding, that nothing but daily
supplies of grace can preserve him in the narrow way. Let us
particularize what has just been summarized.
Since the entire being of the natural man is under the dominion of
sin, it follows that his will is in bondage also. Anyone who denies
that fact evinces that he does not understand or believe in the total
depravity of man, for in effect he is asserting that one of the most
important of his faculties has not been debased by the fall. But as
the whole of man's body is corrupt, so his entire soul is inclined to
evil only, and so long as he remains in the sinful state his will is
in captivity to sin. The power of the will can extend itself only to
things within its own province and cannot act above it. All actions
and powers of action are limited by the nature and capacity of their
agent. As creatures below man cannot act rationally, neither can those
who lack a holy principle act spiritually. Before divine grace works
on and in the heart, man's will is enslaved by sin. He is "in the bond
of iniquity" (Acts 8:23), the servant of those lusts and pleasures
which he chooses and delights in. Christ must make us free (John 8:36)
before there is or can be any deliverance from our moral captivity.
The Lord Jesus declared, "Whosoever committeth sin is the servant
[bond-man] of sin" (John 8:34). Sin is his master, ordering all his
actions. Nevertheless, he voluntarily assents to it. That is why it is
termed "the will of the flesh" (John 1:13), for it is defiled. It is
"without strength" (Rom. 5:6) to do that which is good. Since the tree
itself is corrupt, no good fruit can be borne by it. Romans 8: 7 not
only declares that the carnal mind is enmity against God and that it
is not subject to the law of God, but adds "neither indeed can be,"
which would not be the case were the will of fallen man free, or had
it power to do good. Even when the understanding is convinced and sees
the truth, the will obstinately opposes and rejects it. Rightly did G.
H. Bishop of the Dutch Reformed Church say
Man can no more turn to God than the dead can sit up in their
coffins. He can no more originate a right desire than he can create
a universe. God the Holy Spirit alone, by sovereign, special
interference, calls dead sinners to life and creates within them
"the desires of their hearts"--the first faint fluttering of a
breath toward holiness.
Some may reply, "But my own experience refutes what you have said. I
am clearly conscious of the fact that my will accepted the offer of
the gospel, that I freely came to Christ as a lost sinner and accepted
Him as my own Saviour." We fully admit that. But if they go a little
farther back they will find that their experience confirms what we
have said. Previous to conversion, their will was opposed to God, and
they refused to come to Christ. Though the time arrived when that was
reversed, who produced or caused that change they or God? In every
conscious act he performs, man necessarily wills. In repenting he
wills, in believing he wills, in turning from his evil ways to God in
Christ he wills. But does the sinner make himself willing, or does
God? The question at issue is Does salvation begin by self-movement or
divine? Scripture is plain on the matter. God alters the bent or bias
of the will by communicating a principle of grace and holiness. A
supreme will overcomes man's. He who said, "Let there be light: and
there was light" (Gen. 1:3) says, "Let rebellion and opposition
cease," and they do so. "So then it is not of him that willeth
[originally], nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy"
(Rom. 9:16). As He loved us before we loved Him, so His will precedes
ours in conversion.
Moral Insensibility of Natural Man
Because the natural man is dead in trespasses and sins, he is quite
insensible to his wretched plight. One of the most terrible elements
in the fatal malady which has struck him is that he is so morally
paralyzed that he is quite unaware of his desperate state. At this
juncture it is necessary to point out that there is a difference
between being totally ignorant of our condition and being insensible
of it. The unregenerate may acquire a theoretical knowledge of man's
total depravity, yet they are without any feeling of the same in
themselves. They may hold the theological belief that sin is the
transgression of the divine law, but they have no inward horror and
anguish over their vileness. That deadly insensibility is in all
sinners at all times. Their natural emotions may be stirred as they
listen to a portrayal of the sufferings of Christ on the cross--just
as they shed tears over some particularly touching incident told in
the newspapers or enacted on the stage--but they do not weep over
their awful enmity against God, nor mourn because of their contrariety
to His holiness. They are quite incapable of doing so, for they have
stony hearts as far as God is concerned (Ezek. 36:26) and do not
realize that His wrath rests on them.
This explains why sinners generally seem secure and happy. It has
always appeared strange as well as distressing to the saints to see
the ungodly so unconcerned and lighthearted, though under sentence of
death. Job did not understand how the wicked could "take the timbrel
and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ," spending "their days
in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave" (21:12-13). The
psalmist was perplexed when he "saw the prosperity of the wicked" and
observed that they were "not in [soul] trouble as other men" (73:3-5).
Amos was astonished as he saw the sinners in Zion "put far away the
evil day," lie "upon beds of ivory, ... eat the lambs out of the
flock, ... invent to themselves instruments of musick, ... drink wine
in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments" (6:1-6),
utterly unconcerned about their souls. Though natural men differ from
one another in so many respects, in this they are very much alike:
they generally live as though there is no God to whom they must render
an account, and who will pass sentence of eternal damnation upon them.
Such ignorance in rational and immortal creatures can be explained
only on the ground of their insensibility. They have eyes, but see
not; ears, but hear not; hearts, but perceive not. It is not at all
strange that they, neither discerning nor feeling their danger, should
not fear it.
Those who deny the moral insensibility of sinners are proclaiming
their own insensibility, for they repudiate not only what Scripture
maintains but what universal observation confirms. Nothing but
ignorance can account for the conduct of the great majority of
mankind, who are saying peace and safety while exposed to instant and
eternal destruction. They are completely unconcerned that their hearts
are desperately wicked, their understandings darkened, and their wills
in bondage to evil. They are unaware of Satan's malignant dominion
over them, and do not know that he is perpetually causing them to sin.
The devil employs a multitude of devices to ensnare them. He knows how
to take full advantage of their dullness. Yet though they are led
captive by him from day to day they do not perceive his wiles and
influence. Even though they recognize the objects which he employs to
seduce them, they do not realize his seducing power. They are ignorant
that they are continually walking in the paths of the destroyer, who
is leading them blindfold to hell. They do not know--or if they do,
they do not care--that the friendship of the world is enmity with God,
and that to follow a multitude to do evil is the direct road to
endless woe. Hence they are not aware of their stumblings. They are
united in their disaffection toward God and in their love of sin. They
join hand in hand; all lead, and are led. Their very numbers inspire
them with boldness and resolution, and encourage them to walk together
in the path of ruin.
In view of all that has been advanced, it is crystal clear that fallen
man is in a lost and perishing condition. He is obnoxious to God,
alienated from His life (Eph. 4:18), cast out of His favor (Gen.
3:24), cut off from communion with Him (Eph. 2:12). He is given up to
the devil, to be led captive by him as he pleases. He is dead in
trespasses and sins, and that means (among other things) that he is
utterly powerless where spiritual things are concerned, quite unable
to do anything in regard to them. Yet he is efficient with respect to
that which is carnal and devilish. Entirely averse to all that is good
and holy, his will is desperately set against the truth, but prone
to--and in love with--whatever is sinful and evil. He is lying in a
horrible pit of corruption, unable to break the cords of sin which
hold him fast. He is so infatuated with his iniquities as to regard
them as his benefactors (see Hosea 2:5, 12). His heart is so calloused
that the mercies of God do not melt him, nor do His threatenings and
judgments awe him. Instead of the divine goodness leading him to
repentance, it leads him to deeper impenitence, unbelief and
presumption; for since he sees the sun shining and the rain falling on
the evil and on the good, and God allowing all things to come alike to
the one as to the other, he concludes that He will treat them all
alike in the next world.
Man's plight is very much worse than is generally recognized, even in
those sections of Christendom which are still regarded as being
orthodox. Imagine an island affected by some calamity, say, a raging
fire, the only escape being a bridge to the mainland. The bridge
offers the possibility of escape, of salvation for the entire island
population. The realization of the possibility is dependent on the
choice of each individual. The bridge does not offer automatic
salvation, but simply the opportunity to attain it. If an individual
thinks that the fire will die down, and he remains on the island, he
forfeits the possibility of escape by the bridge. It is true that he
can be carried by force over the bridge to safety.
But, someone says, God does not accomplish the soul's salvation by
compulsion. Unless the individual wills to accept God's way of escape,
he perishes. He himself must decide to cross the bridge.
But can he do so? Sin has such a stupefying effect on the whole soul
of the natural man that he is oblivious to his peril and insensible of
his dire need. It loses sight of the fact that the sinner is not only
in gross darkness, but has no desire to be enlightened; he is stricken
with a deadly malady, and is unwilling to be healed. He is highly
displeased if someone tells him of his awful danger, for he resents
anything which disturbs his false peace and comfort. Sinners in Bible
times could not bear to hear the plain preaching of either God's
prophets or His incarnate Son. They stoned the former and crucified
the Latter. So it is now; they refuse to give a hearing to one who
declares them to be totally depraved. The sinner, though mentally
convinced of the urgency of his situation, has no eyes to see the
"bridge." And if another offered to lead him it would be of no avail,
for he lacks strength. True, God does not effect the soul's salvation
by compulsion, but He does so by a miracle of grace: making His people
willing in the day of His power (Ps. 110:3), imparting life, light and
strength to them.
Since man is totally depraved, how great is his need of salvation! The
guilt of Adam's transgression is charged to his account, the polluted
nature of our first parents transmitted to him. He is shaped in
iniquity, conceived in sin, and enters this world a child of wrath,
estranged from God from his mother's womb (Ps. 58:3). Born with a
heart that is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, from
earliest childhood he pursues a course of self-will and self-pleasing,
treasuring up wrath against himself. His iniquities are more in number
than the hairs of his head (Ps. 40:12), and his "trespass [guiltiness]
is grown up unto the heavens" (Ezra 9:6). He lies beneath the death
sentence of the law. That curse cannot be removed until full
satisfaction has been rendered to it, and the guilty culprit is
utterly powerless to render such satisfaction. Nor can any of his
friends--not even his nearest and dearest relatives--discharge his
incalculable debt. "None of them can by any means redeem his brother,
nor give to God a ransom for him: for the redemption of their soul is
precious" (Ps. 49:7-8), or "costly," as the same word is rendered in I
Kings 7:9-10. The sinner is a moral bankrupt, with no good thing to
his credit, without a penny to discharge his liabilities.
Such a creature is utterly unfit for heaven; even if he were permitted
to enter it, he would at once desire to leave, for he would be
entirely out of his element, having nothing whatever in common with
the ineffable holiness of its atmosphere and society. He is already
ripe for hell, fit only for the company of the damned. Thus the
natural man is in a perishing condition. Not only does he need
delivering from the curse of the law, the wrath of God, and the
captivity of the devil; he also needs saving from himself: from the
guilt, dominion and pollution of his sins. He needs to be saved from
his hard, impenitent and unbelieving heart, from his love of the
world, from his self-righteousness. Divine justice requires not only
that he be clear of any accusation the law can bring against him, but
that he possess a perfect obedience which constitutes him righteous
before the law, thus giving him title to the reward of endless joy.
But his righteousnesses are as filthy rags, and the wearer of them a
moral leper. His plight is desperate beyond the power of words to
express. There is only a step between him and death, and beyond that
lies "the blackness of darkness for ever" (Jude 13).
It is equally evident that the lost sinner is incapable of
contributing toward his salvation. Can a foul and filthy fountain send
forth clear, pure water? Neither can a polluted creature offer
anything which is acceptable to the holy One. "The sacrifice of the
wicked is an abomination to the LORD" (Prov. 15:8), as He made clear
at the beginning, when He did not accept Cain and his offering.
Instead of a pleasing service to God, it is an insulting provocation,
for it lacks that principle without which it is impossible to please
Him. The supplications of the unregenerate are rejected by God. "And
when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea,
when ye make many prayers, I will not hear" (Isa. 1:15). Why? Because
such "praying" is the howling of those in pain (Hosea 7:14) rather
than the breathings of loving devotion. It is the wishings and
cravings of those who want their lusts gratified (James 4:3) rather
than their souls ministered to. It is the bold presumptions for things
unwarranted by the divine promises, for they hope to have mercy
without holiness, sins forgiven without forsaking them. Their praying
consists of the perfunctory exercises of those who have a form of
godliness but are strangers to its power. Likewise are their fastings
rejected (Isa. 58:3-7; Zech. 7:5).
Charnock said:
We can no more be voluntarily serviceable to God while our
serpentine nature and devilish habits remain in us, than we can
suppose that the Devil can be willing to glorify God while the
nature he contracted by his fall works powerfully in him. Our
nature and will must be changed, that our actions may regard God as
our end, that we may delightfully meditate on Him, and draw the
motives of our obedience from love.
The imperative necessity of that radical change in the soul--a change
as great and complete as to be like a second birth--was expressed by
Christ when He declared, "Ye must be born again," having prefaced the
same by stating, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the
kingdom of God ...Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he
cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:3, 5-7). There must be a
spiritual and supernatural principle in us before we can live a
spiritual and supernatural life. The new birth is indispensable, yet
what can one who is dead in sin do to experience it? As Nicodemus
asked, "How can a man be born when he is old?" (v. 4). "Ye must be
born again" at once reveals the utter futility of all self-effort.
Such a demand withers all fleshly pretensions and bars the gates of
heaven against all the unregenerate. It is designed to crush pride and
make man realize his helplessness.
As the sinner cannot regenerate himself, neither can he produce any
sincere repentance, for "godly sorrow worketh repentance" (II Cor. 7
10), and he has not a spark of godliness. Until he is born again he
can neither hate sin nor abhor himself. Nor is he capable of
exercising faith. How can he confide in one to whom he is a total
stranger, trust in one whom he regards as his enemy, love one with
whom he is at odds? The obstacles in the way to salvation are
absolutely insurmountable by any efforts of the sinner. He could as
easily turn the ocean tide as deliver his soul. That solemn fact was
shown by Christ when in answer to His disciples' question "'Who then
can be saved?" He averred, "With men this is impossible" (Matt.
19:26). What a shattering word that was to all creature sufficiency!
How it should bring the sinner to despair of saving himself.
Salvation Only by God's Grace
Since man is totally depraved it necessarily follows that if ever he
is to be saved it can be only by divine grace and power. Grace is a
truth which is peculiar to divine revelation. It is a concept to which
the unaided powers of the human mind can never stretch. Proof of that
is found in the fact that where the Bible has not gone it is quite
unknown. But grace is not only taught in God's Word; it is given great
prominence there. Holy Writ declares that salvation is by grace from
first to last: it issued from grace, it is received by grace, it is
maintained by grace, it is perfected by grace. Divine grace is
bestowed on those who have no merits, and from whom no recompense is
demanded. More than that, it is given to those who are full of demerit
and blame. How thoroughly grace sets aside every thought of worthiness
in its object is evident from a single quotation: "Being justified
freely by his grace" (Rom. 3:24). The Greek word is even more
impressive and emphatic, and might be rendered "gratuitously," "for
nothing." The same term is translated "for nought" in II Thessalonians
3:8, and "without a cause" in John 15:25. There is nothing whatever in
the beneficiary to make it attractive, but rather everything to make
it repulsive. "None eye pitied thee... to have compassion upon thee...
When I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thy blood, I said unto
thee..., Live" (Ezek. 16:5-6).
Divine grace is the sinners only hope, for it is not searching for
good men whom it may approve, but for the guilty and lost whom it may
save. It comes not to those who have done their best and are quite
presentable, but rather to those who have done their worst and are in
rags and tatters. Grace ever draws near to the sinner with his
condition fully exposed. Grace recognizes no distinctions either
social or moral: the chaste virgin is on the same level as the
confirmed harlot, the religious moralist with the wildest profligate.
Grace is God's provision for those who are so corrupt that they cannot
help their conduct, so averse to God that they cannot turn to Him, so
dead that He must open their graves and bring them onto resurrection
ground. Unless men are saved by grace they cannot be saved at all. It
is equally true that the salvation of sinners must be by divine power.
Their ignorance and insensibility are irremovable by any human means.
Nothing but God's might can dispel the darkness from their minds, take
away their hearts of stone or free their sin-enslaved wills. All the
faculties of the natural man are opposed to the offers and operations
of divine grace until divine power saves him from himself. None ever
turned to God except God turned him.
By this time it should be quite apparent that the sinner lies entirely
at God's disposal. If He sees fit to leave him in his sins, he is
undone forever; yet God has a perfect right to do so Had He
precipitated the whole race to hell, as He did the fallen angels the
day they sinned, it would have been no excess of severity but simply
an act of justice, for they deserved eternal damnation. In its
ultimate analysis salvation is a matter of God's choice and not ours,
for we are merely clay in His hands to be molded into a vessel of
honor or dishonor entirely as He pleases (Rom. 9:21). Sinners are in
the sovereign hand of God to save or to destroy according to His own
will. That is His divine prerogative. "Therefore hath he mercy on whom
he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth" (Rom. 9:18). Far
from offering any apology, He bids us observe and ponder that solemn
fact: "See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I
kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that
can deliver out of my hand" (Deut. 32:39). Such a One is not to be
spoken lightly about, but to be held in the utmost awe.
In the very nature of the case, mercy is not something which can be
claimed as a right--least of all from Him whom we have wronged far
above all others--but lies entirely at the discretion of the one who
is pleased to exercise it.
Robert Erskine stated: "Because He is a sovereign God, infinitely
happy in Himself without us, it is at His option to manifest mercy or
not, to save or not, as much as it was His option to make man or not."
"He doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the
inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him,
`What doest thou?" (Dan. 4:35). Therefore He exercises sovereignty in
His reason for showing mercy, because He "will shew mercy." God is
sovereign not only as to the ones He saves, but as to the time, the
instrument, and the means by which He saves them. Such teaching alone
accords to God His proper place, as it likewise cuts away all ground
for human merits and boasting; and at the same time it deepens the
wonderment and gratitude of the redeemed. God can never act unjustly,
but He can and does bestow His favors on whom He pleases, and in so
doing exercises His high prerogative: "Is it not lawful for me to do
what I will with mine own?" (Matt. 20:15).
The exemption of any sinner from everlasting condemnation is an act of
sovereign mercy and free grace; therefore God consults none but
exercises His own good pleasure as to those on whom He bestows this
grace. "Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias... when great
famine was throughout all the land; but unto none of them was Elias
sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a
widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the
prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian"
(Luke 4:25-27). If some are brought to believe in Christ, while others
are left in their unbelief, it is sovereign grace alone which makes
the one differ from the other. And if it is right for God to make such
a difference in time, it could not be wrong for Him to purpose doing
so from eternity. They who balk at sovereign and unconditional
election believe in neither the total depravity of man nor the God of
the Bible. On the one hand, He hides these things from those who are
wise and prudent in their own conceit. On the other, He reveals them
to babes (Matt. 11:25). There cannot be an election without a
rejection: "The one shall be taken, and the other left" (Matt.
24:40-41). "The election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded"
(Rom. 11:7). "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated" (9:13).
Inasmuch as the sinner's will is enslaved by sin, God must overcome
his opposition before he will submit to Him. But both Scripture and
observation make it evident that He does not bring all rebels into
subjection, but only a favored few. As Psalm 110:3 declares, "Thy
people shall be willing in the day of thy power." Though "by nature
the children of wrath, even as others" (Eph. 2:3), equally depraved
and guilty, yet these few even in their unregenerate state are "God's
people." They are His by sovereign election, His by eternal decree,
His by covenant relationship. He loved them with an everlasting love
(Jer. 31:3), chose them in Christ before the foundation of the world
(Eph. 1:4), predestinated them to be conformed to the image of His Son
(Rom. 8:29). Accordingly, in the day of His power He quickens them
into newness of life, and puts the soul into a condition to receive
the truth and cordially embrace it. That putting forth of divine power
upon and within the "vessels of mercy" takes place at a definite
season, for there is a select time for God to show favor to the
members of Zion (Ps. 102:13). As the length of Israel's captivity in
Babylon was so divinely fixed that none could any longer detain them
when that time had expired, likewise must His elect be delivered from
their bondage to sin and Satan when the appointed moment arrives. He
who ordered the moment of our birth and death (Eccles. 3:2) does not
leave us to decide the day of our conversion--still less whether we
shall be converted or not.
"Thy people shall be willing" to whom? To do what? Willing for that to
which previously they were completely averse. Willing to submit their
intellect wholly to God's Word, so that they receive with childlike
simplicity all that is revealed there. Willing to lean no more to
their own understanding, but to accept without question the mysteries
of the faith. High imaginations and lofty reasonings against the
knowledge of God are cast down, and every thought brought into
captivity to the obedience of Christ. Miracles which infidels scoff
at, aspects of truth which critics term contradictory, precepts which
run counter to the lusts of the flesh, are meekly accepted. The elect
are willing to bow to God's way of salvation, so that they freely
abandon their idols, renounce the world, repudiate all merits of their
own, and come as empty-handed beggars, acknowledging themselves to be
deserving only of hell. Willing to receive Christ as Prophet to
instruct, as Priest to atone for their sins, as King to rule over
them. Willing to receive Him as their Lord, to take His yoke upon
them, to follow the example He has left them. Willing to bear reproach
for His sake, to be given the cold shoulder, to be hated and
persecuted. Willing to be on the side of the minority, to be cast out
of the organized church if need be, to lay down their lives rather
than deny Him.
Obviously, a miracle of grace must be effected within them before they
will choose what is so contrary to fallen human nature. That wonderful
change from unwillingness to willingness is not the result of creature
effort, but of divine operation; it is not of self-improvement, but
the effect of God's work in the soul. Thus we read of "the exceeding
greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the
working of his mighty power" (Eph. 1:19)--That putting forth of His
power does not violate man's constitution or responsibility. Instead
of destroying the freedom of his will, it liberates it from its native
bondage. God's people are not dragged to Christ, but drawn (John 6:44)
by "bands of love" (Hosea 11:4). That action of His power has
reference to that blessed time when the effectual inworking of the
Spirit delivers the soul from the dominion of sin and Satan, when the
influences of grace prevail over the corruptions of the flesh, when
the Lord opens the heart to receive His Word (Acts 16:14), when the
affections are turned from the world to Christ, and the soul gladly
gives up itself to Him. This power is life-giving and liberating, and
delivers from death in sin. It communicates a new disposition which
causes its recipient cordially to yield himself to God. This
convincing power convicts the individual of his wickedness,
wretchedness and need. God's power works in him "both to will and to
do of his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13). As the Christian reflects on
all that this power has accomplished in him, he sings:
O happy day that fixed my choice
On Thee, my Saviour and my God!
Well may this glowing heart rejoice,
And tell its raptures all abroad.
`Tis done, the great transaction's done;
I am my Lord's, and He is mine;
He drew me, and I followed on,
Charmed to confess the voice divine.
Marvel of Christ's Mediation
The vile condition of mankind heightens the marvel of Christ's
mediation. It was by no means incumbent upon God to recover those who
had turned their backs on Him. As He was not obligated to prevent
their defection, neither was He obliged to restore any of those who
had revolted. `When He permitted the whole human race to offend in
Adam, had He left them to be buried in the ruins of their fall, to
sink utterly beneath the weight of their iniquities, it would have
been no undue severity on His part. He might well have reserved all
men in those chains which they fully deserved, and left them to feed
on the fruits of their evil doings, without lifting a finger for their
deliverance. To go farther back, as God might forever have left men in
their nothingness without bringing them into being, so He could have
left them all in their contracted misery. There was no more reason why
the Lord should save any of Adam's posterity than there was for Him to
bring back the fallen angels to their original obedience and bliss.
The blessedness of God Himself would have been no more infringed upon
by the eternal destruction of our entire race than it was by the
everlasting ruin of devils. It was wholly at God's own option whether
He provided a Saviour or withheld Him.
There was no reason why God should not have abandoned all mankind. He
certainly was not bound in justice to intervene on their behalf, for
as the righteous Governor of the world He might well have proceeded to
uphold the majesty of His law by executing its penalty on the
disobedient, thereby making them an example of vengeance to all other
intelligences in the universe. Nor did His goodness oblige Him to
rescue His refractory subjects from their misery, for He had
previously given full proof of that goodness in their creation, as is
still made manifest in the happiness enjoyed by all His loyal
subjects. Nor did any consideration of His glory require that He
should show them mercy. God's glory is not dependent on the
manifestation of any one attribute, but on the manifestation of each
in its proper time and place, and in full harmony with the others. God
is glorified when He sends blessings on the righteous; He is equally
glorified when He sends punishment on the wicked. `What would the loss
of this world be to Him in whose sight it is nothing, yes, less than
nothing and vanity? The provision of a Saviour was a matter of His
free grace, and grace is something which none can claim as a right.
God was pleased to act in a manner which will cause both the holy
angels and redeemed sinners forever to marvel and adore. His way of
salvation is the wonder of all wonders, whether we consider the
dignity of the Mediator's person, the nature of His work, the things
it accomplished, or its beneficiaries. The Saviour was none other than
the Lord of glory, the Coequal and the Beloved of the Father. His work
necessitated a journey from heaven to earth, the assumption of human
nature, being made under the law, and enduring unspeakable
humiliation. It required Him to become the Man of sorrows, so that the
whole of His life in this scene was one of suffering and grief. It
involved His becoming the Substitute of His people; the iniquity of
them all was placed upon Him, and He took the wages due them. It
entailed laying down His life to ransom them, dying a cruel, shameful
and accursed death, during which He was separated from God Himself. So
infinitely meritorious and efficacious was Christ's death that it
appeased the wrath of God against His people, satisfied every demand
of His justice, removed the guilt of their transgressions from them as
far as the East is from the West, conquered Satan and spoiled him of
his dominion over them, procured the Spirit to quicken and indwell
them, opened heaven for them so that they might have access to and
fellowship with God, ensured their preservation in time and fullness
of joy for eternity.
And on whose behalf did the Son of God suffer such awful indignities?
Not for the fallen angels, whose original habitat was heaven, but for
creatures of the earth who are but breathing dust and animated clay.
These best of men compared with Christ are less in His sight than a
worm is in ours. In Job 25:6 He actually terms them worms. It was for
the unworthy, the unholy, the unlovely, that Christ's sacrifice was
ordained. `What an amazing thing that the Lord should set His heart on
those who in their fallen estate were incapable of doing anything to
please or honor Him. The objects of Christ's mediation were despicable
not only in their beings but in their actions also. As man is nothing
comparatively, so he can do nothing to glorify Christ, though he can
do much to provoke and dishonor Him. How can one who is lame and blind
walk or work, or one who is dead act? Such were the Lord's people when
He entertained thoughts of mercy toward them: destitute of any good
qualities or fruit, and lacking any spiritual principle or nature to
yield one or the other. And after Christ has bestowed such a principle
and nature on His people, they cannot act except as they are acted
upon. They cannot stand, except as He upholds them. They cannot move
unless He draws them. Christ must work all their works in them (Isa.
26:12).
Man is not only impotent but poverty-stricken. He is nothing, can do
nothing, has nothing. He not only has "no money" (Isa. 55:1) but is
heavily in debt. He is in a famishing condition, feeding on nothing
but wind and husks, on the vanities and pleasures of this world. He
has nothing with which to cover his shame; though he may, like the
Leodiceans, imagine himself to be rich and in need of nothing, yet in
God's sight he is poor and naked. He cannot rightly say that his soul
is his own, for he has given it over to Satan, sold himself to work
wickedness. `What a marvel that Christ should love such a forlorn
creature! But more: man is not only a bankrupt spectacle but a hideous
one. Poverty will not hinder love, especially if there is beauty; but
who can admire deformity? Yet the sinner, in the eyes of holiness, is
full of revolting loathsomeness. No human pen can depict the
obnoxiousness of defiled man. He was created fair and very good,
adorned with the beauty of God's image; but not only is all of that
erased, but the horrible image of Satan has displaced it. Man's light
has been turned into darkness, his comeliness into corruption; instead
of a sweet savor there is a stench and burning instead of beauty (Isa.
3:24).
That which makes the soul most unlovely is its being dead. `When life
expires all beauty expires with it. A dead soul is as repulsive to God
as a dead body is to us. But men are not only hateful to Christ but
haters of Him. They hate His person, His offices, His precepts. They
hate His very image, and the more resemblance to Him any of His
followers have the more they are detested. Yet there is not the least
occasion of hatred in Christ. He is altogether lovely--divinely
glorious, humanly perfect. Nor does He give any cause to be hated. All
His administrations are righteous, so that His justice ought to be
admired as much as His mercy. But men hate Christ with an unmixed
hatred, without any degree of love, without the slightest inclination
or tendency toward Him. This hatred was so deadly that when He was
delivered into their hands they murdered Him. This hatred remains
unvarying and inveterate, firmly rooted in men's hearts, expressed by
continual acts of rebellion against God. `What a truly amazing thing
it is that Christ should voluntarily lay down His life for such
creatures! Yet "when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the
death of his Son" (Rom. 5:10). Behold such love. Behold and wonder.
Opposition to the Gospel
The total depravity of all mankind explains the opposition which the
gospel encounters. `When one considers what the gospel is in itself--a
message of good news to lost sinners--one would naturally suppose that
it would be universally and cordially received. Will not those
condemned to eternal damnation welcome a reprieve? Will not those
dying from a deadly malady be glad to avail themselves of an effectual
remedy? Will the naked scorn the garments of salvation, the
poverty-stricken refuse the unsearchable riches of Christ, the
famishing decline an invitation to a feast? One would not think so.
The evangel contains the most illustrious display of the divine
character which has ever been given to this world, and thus it is
called "the glorious gospel of the blessed God" (I Tim. 1:11). It
makes known to us how divine wisdom has so perfectly adjusted His
attributes that God can at the same time be both just and merciful in
saving a hell-deserving sinner, that He can lavish on him the riches
of grace without in any way compromising His holiness. Such a marvel
is so far beyond human conception that it evidences itself to be truly
divine. It is indeed "worthy of all acceptation." It announces the
inestimable blessings of pardon, holiness and joy, and therefore
should be cordially welcomed by all who hear it.
The love of God which the gospel publishes, and the sufferings of
Christ for sinners, ought to melt the hardest heart and cause every
hearer fervently to cry, "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable
gift." This message of glad tidings proclaims peace. It tells of
deliverance from condemnation, and promises eternal life to all who
receive it. Yet the fact remains that the great majority of those who
hear it are scarcely affected and obtain no lasting advantage to their
souls; and that perplexes many Christians. But the total depravity of
man fully explains that lamentable state. In a heart that is
desperately wicked there is nothing whatever on which the gospel can
seize that will evoke any echo to it. Its message is directly opposed
to the opinions and inclinations of the fallen creature. If it
informed men of how great worldly honors could be secured gratis, or
how large sums of money could be obtained for nothing, it would be
heartily welcomed. If it assured men how they could indulge their
lusts with impunity and live in sin without fear of death and hell, it
would indeed be good news to them. But a holy gospel does not appeal
to them, being foreign to their tastes.
If God were to leave men entirely to themselves in their response to
the gospel, it would be universally rejected. There is a deeply rooted
contrariety to God in men s very nature which makes them turn a deaf
ear to His voice, though they are ready enough to listen to the least
whisper of Satan. As there are plants which are attractive to the eye
but poisonous to the stomach, so even though the gospel is a pleasant
sound to the ear it is repulsive to a corrupt heart. The gospel
requires men to renounce their own wisdom and become as little
children, to repudiate their own righteousness and accept that of
Another, to turn from self-pleasing and submit to the will of God. The
gospel is designed to transform the inner man and regulate the outer
man, and that is quite unacceptable to the unregenerate. No
exhortations will reconcile a wolf and a lamb. No logical arguments
will tame a fierce lion. Though man is a rational creature, he follows
the promptings of his lusts rather than the dictates of his judgment.
One who is wholly in love with sin and Satan does not desire to enter
the service of Christ. To turn to God in Christ is altogether contrary
to the stream of corrupt nature, and therefore it needs to be overcome
by a flood of almighty grace, as the stream of the river is overcome
by the tide of the sea.
Certain writers represent the heart of fallen man as painfully
conscious of its burden and sighing for deliverance. But the statement
that the natural man is eager to escape from the ruin and degradation
to which sin has reduced him is a figment of fancy, unsupported by a
single fact of experience. The natural man does indeed encounter
conflicts, yet his struggles are not for deliverance from indwelling
corruption, but to escape the accusations of conscience. Man's misery
is that he cannot sin without unpleasant consequences. There is
nothing whatever in him that predisposes him to welcome the gospel or
to give it joyful acceptance when it is made known to him. The heart
of man is more unwilling to embrace the evangel than it is to
acknowledge the equity of the law. Charnock stated:
The Law puts man upon his own strength, the Gospel takes him off
from his own footing. The Law acknowledges him to have a power in
himself, and to act for his own reward; the Gospel strips him of
all his proud and towering thoughts (2 Cor. 10:5), brings him to
his due place, the foot of God, and orders him to deny himself as
his own rule, righteousness, and end, and henceforth not to live
unto himself (2 Cor. 5:14). This is the reason why men are more
against the Gospel than against the Law: because it doth more deify
God and debase man.
As there needed to be a forerunner for Christ to prepare the way
before Him, so the Holy Spirit must first work upon the heart before
it is ready to receive the gospel. Not until He renews the soul is any
real sense of need awakened; and until its sickness is felt the great
Physician is not desired. Before the heart has been divinely prepared
for its reception, the Word of God can find no permanent place in it.
That is very evident from our Lord's parable of the sower, wherein He
likened those who heard the Word to several kinds of ground. The seed
sown was the same in each case. it was the soils that differed. The
seed which fell by the wayside, on the stony ground and on the thorny
ground was abortive. The heart has to be made "honest and good" (Luke
8:15) before there will be any increase or fruit. None but the Holy
Spirit can produce in the soul a hatred of sin, and the desire to be
saved from it because of its intrinsic vileness. Only because of the
distinguishing and astonishing grace of God are any brought to repent
and believe the gospel. One whose affections are chained to the things
of earth cannot seek those things which are above. Nothing more
clearly demonstrates the certainty of human depravity than the fact
that without a special and divine operation no heart ever did or ever
will savingly receive the gospel.
In view of the total depravity of man we need not be the least
surprised at what we observe in Christendom itself. A change of
clothes effects no alteration in the character of the wearer, neither
does a person, s taking on a profession of religion better his heart.
It may indeed foster a spirit of hypocrisy, and cause him to take more
pains to hide from the eyes of his fellowmen what he is by nature; but
it will not cleanse his soul from indwelling sin. Thus, while there is
more open wickedness in the profane world, there is far more secret
and cloaked wickedness in the professing world. Error is bound to be
much more popular than truth to the unregenerate; therefore, to make
the truth in any way acceptable to them it has to be watered down,
wrested and perverted. And there are always those who, for the sake of
filthy lucre, are ready to perjure their souls. Hence heretical sects
and systems abound on every side. `What delusions are cherished about
the character of God! `What erroneous ideas are entertained about His
way of salvation! `What false opinions are held of man's dignity,
greatness, free will, even by many who call themselves Christians!
Because of the unbelief, selfishness and impiety of men's hearts, the
false prophets, who speak smooth and flattering things, are assured of
a ready hearing.
Here, then, is the explanation of the babel of tongues which is now
heard in Christendom. `When the natural man takes it on him to handle
the things of God, they are sure to be corrupted. How can those who
are devoid of divine grace and in love with sin faithfully communicate
the gospel which unsparingly condemns sin? For the same reason, those
who are without true piety will prefer to hear and follow those whose
preaching gives them the most license to gratify their carnality.
Moreover, Satan will see to it that his emissaries cater to the
worldly minded. What are Universalism and annihilationism but opiates
to remove the dread of eternal punishment? `What is Antinomianism,
with its bald fatalism and repudiation of the moral law as the
believer's rule of life, but an attempt to set aside the unpalatable
truth of man's responsibility? What are the great majority of
present-day "missions" and "revivals," with their musical attractions
and sensational methods, but a pandering to those who love
emotionalism and sensationalism? Higher criticism and modernism are
simply devices to banish the authority of Holy Writ and get rid of the
supernatural. Extreme Arminianism panders to human pride, for it is
virtually the deification of man, making him the architect of his life
and the determiner of his destiny.
Infinite Patience of God
The depravity of mankind makes evident the infinite patience of God.
"The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power" (Nahum 1:3). How
significant is the conjunction of those divine perfections! It is not
because God is indifferent to men's wickedness that He does not
speedily take vengeance on them; still less because He lacks the
ability to do so God is not at the command of His passions as men are.
He can restrain His anger when under great and just provocation to
exercise it. His power over Himself is the cause of His slowness to
execute wrath; nevertheless, His might to punish is as great as His
patience to spare. What fearful provocations, insults and injuries God
meets with daily from mankind. Charnock well states:
How many millions of practical atheists breathe every day in God's
air and live upon His bounty, who deserve to be inhabitants of hell
rather than possessors of earth! An infinite holiness is opposed,
and infinite justice provoked, yet an infinite patience forbears
the punishment, and infinite goodness relieves our wants.
What a wonder it is that God has protracted human history until now,
and that He still "maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good,
and sendeth rain on the just and unjust." Patience is as truly a
divine attribute as are holiness, wisdom and faithfulness.
What a mercy that God does not strike dead those who brazenly defy Him
and take His holy name in vain! Why does He not suddenly cut off every
blatant infidel, as He did Ananias and Sapphira? Why does He not cause
the earth to open her mouth and swallow the persecutors of His people,
as He did when Dathan and Abiram rebelled against Moses and Aaron?
`Why does He tolerate the countless abominations in Christendom which
are being perpetrated under the holy name of Christ? Only one answer
is possible: Because He endures "with much longsuffering the vessels
of wrath fitted to destruction" (Rom. 9:22). There are many ways in
which the patience of God is manifested in this world. First, by
publishing His vengeance before He strikes. "Because there is wrath,
beware lest he take thee away with his stroke: then a great ransom
cannot deliver thee" (Job 36:18), thereby affording them space to
repent. Second, by delaying the judgments which He has threatened.
Recall how long the ark was being prepared before He sent the great
deluge (Gen. 6:3)! Third, in executing His judgments by degrees, as He
sent plague after plague upon Egypt before He commissioned the angel
of death to kill all her firstborn; and as the Shekinah glory departed
slowly from apostate Israel, retiring stage by stage (Ezek. 9:3; 10:4,
19; 11:23), as though reluctant to leave.
Consider how great our provocations against the Most High--against His
authority and majesty. Consider how many are our transgressions
against the law. Consider how long they have been continued. Each
succeeding generation has been as bad as the former, or worse, "evil
men and seducers waxing worse and worse." Consider how fearfully God
is insulted and offended by the world's treatment of His gospel. He
proclaims mercy to the worst of sinners, but they scoff at it. He
entreats them to turn to Him that they may live, but they are
determined to destroy themselves. `What an indescribably dreadful
state men must be in who prefer their idols to Christ, and have no
desire to be saved from their sins! What proof of His long-suffering
that God has already prolonged this day of salvation for almost five
hundred years more than the Mosaic economy lasted! Yet far from
appreciating such clemency the unregenerate misinterpret and abuse it.
How it should astonish us that God not only preserves in this life
such a multitude of monsters, but continues to spread their tables!
Sure Wrath of God
How clearly the depravity of mankind demonstrates the necessity for
hell! What can be the future of stout-hearted rebels who throughout
life defy their Maker and Ruler and die in impenitence? Shall such a
Being be despised with impunity? If, by the common consent of all
right-minded people, one who is guilty of treason against an earthly
monarch is worthy of death, what punishment can be too great for those
who prefer themselves to the King of kings, and daily invade His
prerogatives? Sin is a challenge to the government of God, and
insurrectionists must be dealt with. Sin has to be paid the wages
which it has earned. Equity requires that each one should reap as he
has sown. The time of God's patience has an end. He has wrath to
punish as well as patience to bear. Because God is holy He hates all
sin, and as the moral Governor it becomes Him to deal with revolters.
How could He be the sum of all excellence were He to make no
distinction between good and evil and to treat virtue and vice alike?
Christ bade His hearers, "Fear him, which after he hath killed hath
power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him" (Luke 12:5).
He knew as none other did that God is the Enemy of sin and the Avenger
of those who despise His counsels.
God will yet fully vindicate His throne and make evident what a
fearful thing it is to despise Him. It is right that He should display
His governmental supremacy and subdue all those who rise up against
Him. Though He "endures [not `loves'!] with much longsuffering the
vessels of wrath, fitted to destruction," yet in the day to come He
will show His wrath, and make known His power; and that wrath will be
no greater than the mercy which men abused. The highest contempt
merits the greatest anger, and it is fitting that those who refuse to
make God their happiness should be made to feel everlastingly the
misery of their separation from Him. Eternal life and eternal death
were plainly set before them, and since they chose the latter they
cannot justly blame any but themselves when they are consigned to it.
God's veracity requires Him to fulfill His threatenings; and His very
goodness requires Him to separate eternally the wicked from the
righteous, for the latter could not enjoy perfect peace and happiness
if they lived forever with the reprobate. It is just that those who
freely serve the devil should be cast into the same prison and
tormented with him. How could those who hate God, whose very natures
are averse to Him, be admitted into heaven? `What must be the portion
of those who would destroy the Deity were it in their power to do so?
The total depravity of our race sheds much light on Providence. Many
of God's dealings with men present insoluble riddles unto carnal
reason. There is a divine handwriting on the wall of human affairs
which, like that in Belshazzar's palace, is indecipherable by human
wisdom. To those who are unacquainted with what is recorded in Genesis
3, God's ways with our race cannot but be most mysterious. But the
whole subject is at once illumined when the doctrine of human
depravity is understood. The whole brood of ills which now afflicts
mankind has sprung from the pregnant womb of sin. The wrecked and
wretched condition in which man now finds himself is the inevitable
consequence of his fall. The frowning aspect of Providence which so
often darkens this scene and appalls us receives its only adequate
solution in the fact that Adam's offense fearfully changed the
relation of God and the creature. Our nature being what it is, we
cannot expect history to be written in any other inks than those of
tears and blood. Hospitals and prisons, the discords and strifes among
men, the warring between nations, unprincipled politicians,
conscienceless preachers--all are the effects of the corruption of
human nature.
Here is the key to the problem of suffering. All the misery in the
world proceeds from sin. But not only are the governmental ways of God
with men what they are because of what the race is, they are also
designed to make more evident the real character of fallen man. `While
Providence sets bounds to the exercise of human depravity, at the same
time it permits sufficient manifestations thereof to leave no candid
observer in doubt. God causes men to reveal what they are by suffering
their insubjection to His law, their rejection of His gospel, their
perverting of His truth, their persecutions of His people. How many
others, who were regarded as upright, are by some sudden temptation
shown to have been all along corrupt at heart. Many a merchant,
lawyer, bank official, even minister of the gospel, who was highly
respected is permitted to fall into open sin, that the long-cherished
depravity of his soul might be exposed. How remarkably does Providence
often bring to light the hidden things of darkness, as in the case of
Abraham's deception, of Joseph's brethren's hatred, of Judah's secret
sin, as well as Achan's and David's.
Belief of this doctrine ought to have a beneficial effect on the
children of God A sense of our native depravity should engender deep
humility. `What a state we were in when God plucked us as brands from
the burning! The realization of that ought to make us take and
maintain a very lowly place before Him. "That thou mayest remember,
and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more Fin self-praise]
because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou
hast done, saith the Lord GOD" (Ezek. 16:63). We have no reason for
being proud. That acknowledgment of Jacob's should be our constant
confession: "I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of
all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant" (Gen. 32:10).
As we look back to the pit from which we were dug, what fervent praise
and thanksgiving should be awakened in our hearts! How we should adore
the One who opened our prison doors, for none but His hand could loose
the bolts and open the many locks which held us captive. Our hearts
should be melted and filled with wonderment at the amazing grace which
has saved us from the dominion of Satan and made us kings and priests
to God, which has elevated beggars to be "heirs of God, and
joint-heirs with Christ."
This solemnizing doctrine ought to convince the saint that he cannot
keep himself alive. If, being a mutable creature, sinless Adam, when
left to himself, brought about his destruction, how much more would
the mutable believer, with a fallen and corrupt nature still within
him, unless an Almighty hand preserved him! So perverse are we by
nature, and so weak as Christians, that without Christ we can do no
good thing (John 15:5). Sustaining and preserving grace must be sought
by us hourly. We are treading a slippery path and need to pray, "Hold
thou me up, and I shall be safe" (Ps. 119:117). Finally, the knowledge
of this truth ought to produce in us a spirit of complete dependence
on God. How beautifully is that state depicted in the description
given of the church: "Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness,
leaning upon her beloved?" (Song of Sol. 8:5). So ignorant and wayward
are we that "we know not what we should pray for as we ought" (Rom.
8:26). Only by the gracious operations of the Spirit are our
affections raised above this world, is our faith strengthened, are we
enabled to lay hold of a divine promise. So shut up are we to God that
in all things He must work in us "both to will and to do of his good
pleasure."
Contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14
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A. W. Pink Header
The Total Depravity of Man by A.W. Pink
Chapter 13-Remedy
_________________________________________________________________
Perhaps some readers are inclined to demur thus: "Why devote a
separate section to this? We already know all about it. The remedy for
ruined man is to be found in God's salvation." But that is a very
superficial view, and a wrong one too; for the greatest and grandest
of all the wonderful works of God ought never to be spoken of so
lightly or dismissed so cursorily. Moreover, the matter is far from
being as simple as that; and since there is such widespread ignorance
concerning the disease itself it is necessary to examine closely and
in some detail a description of its cure. The fact needs to be deeply
realized at the outset that as far as all natural wit is concerned the
condition of fallen man is beyond repair, that as far as self-help or
human skill is concerned his case is hopeless. None other than the Son
of God Himself declared, "With men this is impossible" (Matt. 19:26);
and it is only as we perceive, to some extent at least, the various
respects in which that impossibility lies that we can begin to
appreciate the miracle of grace which secures the recovery of lost
sinners.
Man's Deadly Disease
The deadly disease which has seized man is not a simple but a compound
one, consisting of not a single element but a combination, each of
which is fatal in itself. Look at some of them. Man's very nature is
thoroughly corrupt, yet he is in no way horrified because of it. Not
only is sin part and parcel of his being, but he is deeply in love
with it. He is filled with enmity against God, and his heart is as
hard as a stone. He is wholly paralyzed Godward, and completely under
the dominion and sway of Satan. He is devoid of righteousness, a
guilty sinner without a spark of holiness, a moral leper. He is
utterly incapable of helping himself, for he is "without strength"
(Rom. 5:6). The wrath of God abides on him, and he is dead in
trespasses and sins. Fallen man is not merely in danger of ruin and
destruction, but is already sunk in them. He is like a brand on the
very edge of a raging fire, which will swiftly be consumed unless the
divine hand plucks him out (Zech. 3:2). His condition is not only
wretched but desperate, inasmuch as he is altogether incapable of
devising any expedient for his cure.
The sinner is guilty, and no creature can make an atonement for him.
He is an outcast from God, terrified by His very perfections;
therefore he does his best to banish Him from his thoughts. No tongue
can express or heart be suitably affected with the woeful plight and
abject misery of the natural man. And such will be his condition
forever unless God intervenes. Yet all of this presents only one side
of the problem--the easier one--which stands in the way of man's
recovery. To finite intelligence it would seem that a creature so vile
and polluted, so wayward and rebellious, so obnoxious to the righteous
God, is beyond all hope; surely it would not comport with the divine
honor to save such a wretch. How a transgressor could be pardoned
consistently with the requirements of that law which he had despised
and flouted, and be delivered from the penalty which it justly
demands, and how he could be brought back into God's favor in concord
with the maintaining of the divine government, presented a difficulty
which no angelic wisdom could solve. It was a secret hidden in God
till He was pleased to make it known.
There are those--with no regard to the Word of truth--who suppose that
God must pardon and receive into favor those who throw down the
weapons of their rebellion against Him and ask for mercy. But the
solution to the problem is far from being as simple as that. Human
reason can advance no valid and sufficient argument why God should
forgive the sinner merely because he repents, or that this could be
done consistently with His moral government. Rather the contrary is
evident. The contrition of a criminal will not exonerate him in a
human court of law, for it offers no satisfaction and reparation for
his crimes. Any sinner who cherishes the idea that his repentance
gives him a claim to divine clemency and favor demonstrates that he is
a total stranger to true repentance; and he will never repent until he
abandons such presumption. Universal experience and observation, as
well as Scripture, fully attest the fact that no one ever repents
while he is left to himself. He is not made the subject of those
divine operations to which he has no claim, and which mere reason is
incapable of concluding that God will grant.
It is obvious that an adequate remedy for the complicated and fatal
malady by which man is stricken must be of God. It must be of His
devising, His providing, His applying, His making effectual. That is
another way of saying it must be wholly of Him from start to finish,
for if any part is left to the sinner, at any stage, it is certain to
fail. Yet it must be pointed out once more that God was under no
obligation whatever to make such provision, for when man deliberately
apostatized from Him he forfeited all favorable regard from his Maker.
Not only might God righteously inflict the full penalty of His broken
law on the entire human race; consistent with His holy nature He could
have left all mankind to perish eternally in that condemnation into
which they had cast themselves. Had He utterly forsaken the whole of
Adam's apostate posterity and left them as remediless as the fallen
angels, it would have been no reflection whatever on His goodness, but
rather a display of His inexorable justice. Therefore, whenever
redemption is mentioned, it is constantly described as proceeding from
sovereign grace and mere mercy (Eph. 1:3-11).
Yet something more than a gracious design was required on God's part
in order for any sinner to be saved. Grace was indeed the source of
God's action, yet it was not sufficient of itself. One may have the
most admirable intentions, yet be unable to carry them out. How often
is the deep love of a mother impotent in the presence of her suffering
child! There has to be the putting forth of divine power also if the
purpose of grace is to be accomplished. And it can be no ordinary
power, but, as Scripture affirms, "the exceeding greatness of his
power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty
power" (Eph. 1:19). It calls for the exercise of far more might to
recreate a fallen creature than it did to create the universe out of
nothing. Why so? Because in that there was no opposition, nothing to
resist God's working; whereas in the case of fallen man there is the
hostility of his will, the alienation of his heart, the inveterate
enmity of his carnal mind, to be overcome. Furthermore, the malice and
opposition of Satan must be neutralized, for he endeavors with all his
might to retain his hold on his victims. The devil must be despoiled
of the advantage which he had gained, for it is not consistent with
the glory of God that he should be left to triumph.
But something more than the exercise of God's power was still
required. Omniscience must be exercised as well as omnipotence.
Strength itself will not build a house; there must also be art to
contrive and proportion the materials. Skill is the chief requirement
of an architect. Let that faintly illustrate what we are here trying
to express. Those who are saved are not only the products of God's
amazing grace and almighty power but also "his workmanship" (Eph.
2:10). God's wisdom wonderfully appears in the beautiful fabric of His
grace, in the spiritual temple which He erects for His own residence.
He has "wrought for us the selfsame thing" (II Cor. 5:5). As stones
are carved and polished, so believers are made "living stones" in that
edifice in which God will dwell forever. Now that which is exquisite
in execution points to the excellent skill in its planning. The
counterpart of God's law in the hearts of His quickened children is no
less the fruit of His wisdom than the writing of it on the tables of
stone. His wisdom was shown in the first framing of it; His wisdom is
apparent also in the imprinting of it upon the understanding and the
affections.
God's Redemptive Cure
The depths and riches of God's wisdom are to be found neither in the
marvels of creation nor in the mysteries of providence. Rather they
are most fully and illustriously revealed in the plan and fruits of
redemption. This is clear from several scriptures. In the God-Man
Mediator "are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col.
2:3). He is expressly designated "the wisdom of God" (I Cor. 1:24).
"Unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places" is now being
made known by means of "the church the manifold wisdom of God" (Eph.
3:10). The devising of a method whereby a part of mankind should be
recovered out of their miserable state is indeed the masterpiece of
divine wisdom. Nothing but Omniscience could have found a way to
effect such a triumph in a manner suited to all the divine
perfections. The wise men of this world are termed "princes" (I Cor.
2:6, 8), but angels are designated "principalities and powers in the
heavenlies" because of their superior dignity, wisdom and strength.
Yet though they are so great in intelligence, always beholding the
face of the Father, a new and grander discovery of God's wisdom is
made to them through the church, for His work in the redemption of it
far transcends their understanding.
The celestial hierarchies had witnessed the dishonor done to the
authority of God and the discord brought into the sphere of His
government by the sin and rebellion of Adam. It was therefore
necessary, morally speaking, that the defiance of God's rule should be
dealt with, and that the affront to His throne should be rectified.
This could not be done except by the infliction of that punishment
which in the unalterable rule and standard of divine justice was
necessary. The dismissal of sin on any other terms would leave the
rule of God under unspeakable dishonor and confusion. As John Owen
stated:
For where is the righteousness of government if the highest sin and
provocation that our nature was capable of, and which brought
confusion on the whole creation below, should for ever go
unpunished? The first express intimation that God gave of His
righteousness in the government of mankind was His threatening
punishment equal unto the demerit of disobedience if man should
fall into it: "In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt
surely die." If He revoke and disannul this sentence, how shall the
glory of His righteousness in the rule of all be made known? But
how this punishment should be undergone, which consisted in man's
eternal ruin, and yet man be eternally saved, was a work for Divine
wisdom to contrive.
Not only was it necessary for the honor of God's righteousness, as He
is the moral Governor and supreme Judge of all the earth, that sin
should be summarily punished; it was required that there should be
obedience to God, such obedience as would bring more glory to Him than
the dishonor and reproach which resulted from the disobedience of man.
We again quote Owen:
This was due unto the glory of His holiness in giving the Law.
Until this was done, the excellency of that Law as becoming the
holiness of God, and as an effect thereof, could not be made
manifest. For if it were never kept in any instance, never
fulfilled by any one person in the world how should the glory of it
be declared? How should the holiness of God be represented by it?
How should it be evident that the transgression of it was not
rather from some defect in the Law itself, than from any evil in
them that should have yielded obedience unto it? If the Law given
unto man should never be complied withal in perfect obedience by
any one whatever, it might be thought that the Law itself was
unsuited unto our nature, and impossible to be complied withal.
It did not become the Rector of the universe to give man a law whose
spirituality and equity should never be exemplified in obedience. That
law was not imposed, primarily, that man might suffer justly for its
transgression, but rather that God should be glorified in its
performance. But since Adam's offense brought ruin upon all his
posterity, so that they are incapable of meeting its requirements, how
could perfect obedience be rendered to it? Omniscience alone could
supply the answer.
It is truly amazing that the wisdom of God has, by our redemption,
made that which is the greatest possible dishonor to Him the occasion
of His greatest glory. Yet this is indeed the case. Nothing is so
displeasing to the Most High as sin, nothing so dishonoring to Him,
for it is in its very nature enmity against Him, contempt of Him. Sin
is a reproach to His majesty, an insult to His holiness, an
insurrection against His government. And yet this "abominable thing"
which He hates (Jer. 44:4), upon which He cannot look but with
infinite disfavor (Hab. 1:13), is made the occasion of the greatest
possible good. What a miracle of miracles that the Lord makes the
wrath of man to praise Him (Ps. 76:10), that the very evil which aims
at dethroning Him is transmuted into the means of magnifying Him;
indeed, that thereby He has made the grandest manifestation of His
perfections. Sin casts contempt upon the law of God, yet through
redemption that law is made supremely honorable. Never was the King of
heaven so grievously slighted as when those made in His image and
likeness revolted against Him. Never was such honor paid Him as by the
way He chose to effect the salvation of His people. Never was the
holiness of God so slighted as when man preferred to give allegiance
to that old serpent the devil. Never did God's holiness shine forth so
illustriously as in the victory He gained over Satan.
It is equally wonderful that God contrived a way whereby a flagrant
transgressor should become not guilty, and that he who was completely
destitute of righteousness should be justified, or pronounced
righteous, by the Judge of all the earth. Had such things as these
been submitted for solution, they had forever appeared to be
irreconcilable contradictions to all finite understandings. It seems
to be utterly impossible for a condemned culprit to be cleared of any
charge against him. Sin necessarily entails punishment; how then can
any committer of it escape the "due reward" of his deeds (Luke 23:41)
except by a manifest violation of justice? God has declared plainly
that He "will by no means clear the guilty" (Exodus 34:7). He has
determined by an unalterable decree that sin shall be paid its wages.
Then how can the guilty be exempted from the sentence of death? Nor is
the problem any less formidable of how God can, with perfect equity,
declare righteous those who have not themselves met the requirements
of the law. To judge as entitled to the reward of obedience those
whose record is a lifelong disobedience appears to be worse than an
irregularity. Nevertheless, Omniscience contrived a solution to both
of these problems, a solution which is in every respect a perfect and
a glorious one.
Without that solution, the restoration of any of mankind to favor and
fellowship with God and to enjoyment of Him was utterly impossible. It
was so not only because of the total depravity of man himself, but
because of the concernment of the glory of the divine perfections in
our sin and apostasy. Not only was man stricken with a fatal disease,
from which there was not the slightest hope of deliverance unless a
supernatural remedy be provided, but the government of God had been so
grievously outraged by man's revolt that full compensation must be
made to His insulted scepter, and complete satisfaction offered to His
broken law, before the throne of heaven could be satisfied. Great
beyond conception to finite intelligence was the difficulty of
repairing the damage worked in the whole of our constitution by sin,
yet greater far were the obstacles which stood in the way of the
exercise of God's grace and mercy in restoring the outcast. That way
of restoration must be one wherein God was magnified. His justice must
be vindicated, His threatenings realized, His holiness glorified. The
manner in which all of those ends were achieved and those results
secured is the adoring marvel alike of the redeemed and of the angels.
As others before us have pointed out, if the divine government was to
be vindicated the whole work of our recovery must be performed in our
nature. The very nature of those who had sinned was to be recovered
from the ruin of the fall and brought to everlasting well-being. Human
nature was not only to be freed of any pollution, but made
intrinsically holy. In order to effect the salvation of sinners, no
satisfaction could be made to the glory of God for the vitiation of
apostate man's nature with all its evil fruits, but only in the nature
of those who had sinned and were to be saved. Since God's giving of
the law to our first parents was itself an effect of His wisdom and
holiness, wherein could the glory of them be exalted if that rule of
righteousness were complied with by a nature of a totally different
kind? Should an angel fulfill it, his obedience would be no proof that
the law was suited to man's nature, to which it was originally
prescribed; rather would an angel's compliance with the law have been
a reflection on the divine goodness in giving it to men. Nor could
there have been the necessary relation between the nature of the
substitute and those on whose behalf he acted and suffered; and
therefore such an arrangement would not have magnified the divine
wisdom, but would have been at best an unsatisfactory expedient.
God's Representative
The Scriptures are very explicit in their teaching about the necessity
of the same nature in the representative and in those whom he
represented, as being consistent with God's wisdom. Speaking of the
way of our relief, the apostle declared, "Forasmuch then as the
children are partakers of flesh and blood, he [the Deliverer] also
himself likewise took part of the same" (Heb. 2:14). It was human
nature--here expressed by "flesh and blood"--that was to be delivered,
and therefore it was human nature in which this deliverance was to be
wrought. The apostle entered into considerable detail on this point in
Romans 5:12-21, the sum of which is in verse 19: "As by one man's
disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one ['by
one man,' v.15] shall many be made righteous." The same nature that
transgressed must work out the remedy. This truth is reiterated in I
Corinthians 15:21: "For since by man came death, by man came also the
resurrection of the dead." Our ruin could not be retrieved, nor
deliverance from our guilt be effected, except by one in our own
nature.
Observe that the deliverance needed to be accomplished by one whose
substance was derived from the common stock of our first parents. It
would not have met the exigencies of the case for God to create a
second man out of the dust of the ground, or out of anything which was
different in nature from ourselves; in such a case there would have
been no relation between him and us, therefore we could have been in
no way concerned in anything he did or suffered. That alliance
depended solely on the fact that God "hath made of one blood all
nations of men" (Acts 17:26). But another difficulty was presented,
one which also would have proved insurmountable to all created
intelligences had not "the only wise God" revealed His provision for
resolving it. Any deliverer of sinful men must derive his nature from
their original stock, yet he must not bring along with it the least
taint of corruption or liability to guilt on his own account; for if
his nature were defiled, if it lacked the image of God, it could do
nothing that would be acceptable to Him. And were he subject to the
penalty of the law on his own account, he could make no satisfaction
for the sins of others. But since every descendant of Eve is shaped in
sin and conceived in iniquity, how could any of her seed be sinless?
Only Omniscience could bring an immaculately clean thing out of
thorough uncleanness.
We must not lose sight of the grounds on which defilement and guilt
adhere to our nature, as they do in all individuals alike. First, our
participation in sin was in Adam as our covenant head and federal
representative. Therefore his offense was ours also, and justly
imputed to us. Because we sinned in him, we became "by nature the
children of wrath," the subjects of God's judicial displeasure.
Second, we derived our nature from Adam by way of natural generation,
so that his defilement is communicated to all his offspring. We are
the degenerate plants of a degenerate stock. Thus, still another
difficulty was presented: The nature of a deliverer for fallen man
must, as to its substance, be derived from our first parents, yet so
as not to have been in Adam as a legal representative, nor be derived
from him by natural generation. But how could it be that his nature
should relate as truly to Adam as does ours, while neither partaking
of the guilt of Adam's transgression nor participating in his
pollution? Such a one was utterly beyond the concept of every finite
mind.
We have considered some of the difficulties--yes, seeming
impossibilities--which stood in the way of the recovery of any of the
fallen sons of Adam, showing that something more than a benign purpose
of grace on God's part was required to effect that recovery-something
more than the putting forth of His mighty power. The obstacles which
needed to be removed were so many and so great that "the manifold
wisdom of God" (Eph. 3:10) also needed to be called into play. The
difficulty from the human side was the desperate state of the sinner.
How could his darkness be changed into light, his enmity into love,
his unwillingness into willingness, without any violence being done to
his moral agency? The obstacles from the divine side were how the Most
High could restore such wretches to His favor, and yet not compromise
His perfections; how He could have dealings with moral lepers without
sullying His holiness, clear the guilty without repudiating His law,
exercise mercy consistently with His justice. To provide a remedy for
such a malady, and to do so in a way that honored the throne of God,
was far beyond the reach of created intelligence.
In order to save a law-cursed and hell-deserving sinner it was
necessary that some method and means be devised whereby he could be
delivered from all the consequences of the fall, and at the same time
meet all the requirements of the divine government. Sin had to be
dealt with unsparingly, yet transgressors be exempted from their
merited doom. Full conformity to the law must be accomplished, yet by
one in the same nature as those who had violated it. That was clearly
signified by the Old Testament types: the redeemer had to be a kinsman
of those he befriended (Lev. 25:25; Ruth 4:4-6). Moreover, the
requirements of the law could be met only by one whose nature was
derived from the same stock as those on whose behalf he transacted,
yet his humanity must not be tainted in the least degree by their
common defilement. It was necessary that he be a man of the seed of
Adam (Luke 3:31) and of Eve (Gen. 3:15), yet an absolutely pure and
holy man, for none other could personally and perpetually obey in
thought, word and deed. But none such existed: "There is not a just
man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not" (Eccles. 7:20); nor
would there ever have been one had the human race been left to itself.
Nothing but the manifold wisdom and miracle-working power of God could
produce him.
Yet one was needed who was more than man, indeed, far superior to
those heavenly beings who veil their faces in the presence of Deity,
in order to discharge the liabilities of depraved sinners, and renew
them in holiness. This is evident from several considerations. The
most exalted creature, simply because he is a creature, is obligated
to give perfect obedience to his Maker, and therefore could merit
nothing on behalf of others. If he fully performed his duty, he would
indeed work out a righteousness and be entitled to the reward of the
law; but he would need that righteousness on his own account, and
therefore it would not be available for imputation to another--still
less to many others. Also, the work he had to do--pay in full that
incalculable debt incurred by those who were to be saved, make
expiation for all their sins, reconcile them to God, restore them to
His favor, make them fit for the inheritance of the saints in
light--was far beyond the compass of any mere creature, no matter how
high his rank in the scale of being. Moreover, any deliverer of the
apostate sons of Adam must be essentially and infinitely holy, for
none less qualified could put away the infinite guilt of their
countless iniquities.
In order for any portion of mankind to be eternally saved for the
glory of God, it was not only necessary that flawless obedience be
given to God's law, but that such obedience bring more honor to His
holiness than the dishonor brought on it by the disobedience of all.
To affirm that it matters little what becomes of the glory of God so
long as poor sinners are saved in some way or other is nothing but a
fabrication of the carnal mind. Where God is revered and loved above
all, the sentiments will be very different: better far that the whole
of Adam's race perish than that the character of Deity be sullied and
the foundations of His throne undermined. But such obedience could not
be given by any mere creature, no matter how pure his nature or how
eminent his rank; there must be somewhat of the divine in it' in order
for his performance to have infinite value. Nor might his obedience be
constrained, but rather voluntary, for that which is forced does not
proceed from love and is valueless. Also, his conformity to the law
could not be one which he was personally responsible to render to it,
for in that case it could not be accepted as a due compensation for
the disobedience of all.
It was not a single individual who was to be recovered from the fall
and be brought to glory, but "ten thousands" (Jude 14), each of them
with more sins to his account than the hairs on his head; and every
sin had in it immeasurable guilt, since it was committed against the
infinite Majesty of heaven. The woe to which all of them were
consigned was also infinite, its duration being eternal--everything
unspeakably dreadful and painful which our nature is capable of
suffering. Nor could they be delivered from the awful consequences of
their sin without adequate satisfaction being made to the offended
justice of God. To assert the contrary is to say it does not matter to
God whether He is obeyed or disobeyed, whether He is honored or
dishonored in and by His creatures; and that would be to deny His very
being, seeing it is directly contrary to the glory of all His
perfections. But where was the person who was qualified and capable of
making the requisite propitiation for sin? Where was the one fitted to
act as mediator between God and men, between the holy One and the
unholy? Where was the one who could bestow life on the dead and merit
everlasting blessedness for them?
If a remedy were to be provided for sinners, it must be one that would
restore them to the same state and dignity in which they were placed
before the fall. To recover them to any lesser honor and blessedness
than that which was theirs originally would not consist with either
the divine wisdom or bounty. Owen stated: "Seeing it was the infinite
grace, goodness and mercy of God to restore him, it seems agreeable
unto the glory of the Divine excellencies in their operations that he
should be brought into a better and more honourable condition than
that which he had lost." In his primitive state man was subject to
none but his Maker. Though he was less in dignity than the angels, yet
he owed them no obedience; they were his fellow servants of the Lord
God. Obviously (as Owen also pointed out), if the sinner were saved by
any mere creature, he could not be restored to his first state and
dignity, for in such a case he would owe allegiance and subservience
to that creature who had redeemed him--he would become the property of
the one who bought him. That would not only introduce the utmost
confusion, but the sinner would be in a still worse case than he was
before the fall, for he would not be in the position where he owed
subjection and honor to God alone.
From the foregoing it will be seen that the only sufficient deliverer
of fallen men must be one possessed of infinite dignity and
worthiness, in order that he might be capable of meriting infinite
blessings. He must be a person of infinite power and wisdom, for the
work he must perform could be successfully accomplished by none less.
But another requisite was that he should be a person who was
infinitely dear to God the Father, in order to give his transactions
an infinite value in the Father's esteem, and that the Father's love
to him might balance the offense and provocation of our sins. He must
also be a person who could act in this matter in his own right, who in
himself was not a servant and subject of the Most High; otherwise he
could not merit anything for those he wished to save. Moreover, he
must be a person possessed 6f infinite mercy and love, for none other
would voluntarily undertake a task so arduous, so humiliating, and
involving such unspeakable suffering, for creatures so unworthy and
foul as fallen men. But where in all the universe was such a one to be
found? No created person possessed the necessary qualifications. When
the Apostle John saw the vision of the seven-sealed book, we are told
that he wept because no man in heaven or earth was found worthy to
open the book (Rev. 5:1-4). Had not the manifold wisdom of God found
the solution to all these problems, men and angels alike forever would
have been nonplussed by them.
The various elements in the complicated problem of salvation for any
of Adam's children are far from being exhausted in those already
pointed out. Man was made to serve and glorify God. In spirit and soul
and body, in all his faculties and powers, in all that was given to
and entrusted with him, he was not his own, but was in the place of a
servant. The same was equally the case with the angels. But from that
condition and status the human race in Adam revolted, determining to
be "as gods"-lords over themselves. There is something of that in
every sin: a preferring of self-will to the will of the Almighty. By
his insurrection, man fell into complete bondage to sin and Satan. In
order to free the sinner from his captivity, it was necessary for any
deliverer to take the position man originally occupied. He must enter
the place of absolute subjection to God, entirely subordinating his
own will to His; for in no other way could adequate compensation be
made to the outraged government of God, and the damage done by our
first parents be repaired. But how could any uncreated being occupy
the position of a creature? With what propriety could one possessed of
infinite dignity and excellence suffer such humiliation? How could one
who was above all law come under the law and give obedience to it?
In his original state man had nothing but what his Creator had given
him. Made out of the dust of the ground, he was endowed with
intelligence and moral agency--to be employed in the divine service.
He was also dependent on his Maker for every breath he drew. But he
deliberately left that state of need and dependence, determining to
enrich himself and assume absolute dominion. But his awful crime
brought upon him and all whom he represented the loss of his original
endowments. He lost the image of God, his dominion over the animals,
his own soul. Consequently, any savior for him needed to experience
the degradation and poverty which the sinner had brought on himself.
But how was such an experience possible for anyone who was infinitely
rich in himself and in his own right? Since Adam stood for and
transacted on the behalf of all whom he legally represented, it
follows that any savior would need to serve not in a private capacity
but as the covenant head of those whom he was to recover. Finally,
since God made the first man lord of the earth, giving him dominion
over all creatures, which dominion he forfeited upon his fall, then a
deliverer must be capable of recovering that lost state. But where was
one that was able to purchase so vast an inheritance?
"The things which are impossible with men are possible with God" (Luke
18:27). Omniscience found a solution to all those problems which
baffled the minds of men. Scripture places not a little emphasis on
this. It is referred to as "the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the
hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory
[salvation]" (I Cor. 2:7). "In a mystery" connotes that which is
undiscoverable by human reason, incomprehensible to the finite
capacity, completely concealed until divinely revealed, and even then
beyond our powers to comprehend fully. In Ephesians 1:8 we are told of
it: "Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence."
The word "abounded" has the force of gushing out, overflowing. It is
called "all wisdom" for its excellence. It was not a single concept or
act, but a conjunction of many excellent ends and means to the glory
of God. To wisdom is added "prudence." The former refers to the
eternal contriving of a way, the latter to the ordering of all things
for the accomplishment of God's counsel or purpose--wisdom in
devising, prudence in executing. In Ephesians 3:10 it is designated
"the manifold wisdom of God" because of its complexity and variety:
the salvation of sinners, the defeat of Satan, the full discovery of
the blessed Trinity in Their different persons, separate operations,
combined actions and expressions of goodness; and because of the
vastness of its extent.
That manifold wisdom of God, now exhibited before the angels in the
redemption of the church, is said to be "according to the eternal
purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Eph. 3:11). The
eternal Son of God, predestined to be the God-Man Mediator, is the
grand medium, means and manifestation of the divine omniscience, and
therefore He is called "The Word of God" (Rev. 19:13) and "the wisdom
of God" (I Cor. 1:24). "Having made known unto us the mystery of his
will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in
himself: that in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might
gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven,
and which are on earth; even in him" (Eph. 1:9-10). We again quote
Owen:
The mystery of the will of God is His counsels concerning His own
eternal glory in the sanctification and salvation of the Church
here below, to be united unto that above. The absolute original
hereof was in His own good pleasure, or the sovereign acting of His
wisdom and will. But it was all to be effected in Christ, which the
apostle twice repeats: He would gather "all things into a head in
Christ, even in Him," that is, in Him alone.
Thus it is said of Him with respect unto His future incarnation and
work of mediation that "the Lord possessed Me in the beginning of
His way, before His works of old. I was set up from everlasting,
from the beginning, or ever the earth was" (Prov. 8:22, 23). The
eternal personal existence of the Son of God is supposed in these
expressions . . . without it none of these things could be affirmed
of Him. But there is a regard in them both unto His future
incarnation and the accomplishment of the counsels of God thereby.
With respect thereto, God "possessed" Him in the beginning of His
way, and set Him up from everlasting. God possessed Him eternally
as His essential wisdom, as He was always and is always in the
bosom of the Father, in the mutual, ineffable love of the Father
and Son, in the eternal bond of the Spirit. But He signally
possessed Him "in the beginning of His way" as His wisdom acting in
the production of all the ways and works that are outwardly in Him.
The beginning of God's way before His works, are His counsels
concerning them, even as our counsels are the beginning of our ways
with respect unto future works. And He "set Him up from
everlasting" as the foundation of all the counsels of His will, in
and by whom they were to be executed and accomplished.
Proverbs 8 is an exceedingly profound chapter, but a most blessed one
In it, as verse 1 shows, the voice of "wisdom" is heard. That a person
is in view is evident from verse 12: "I wisdom dwell with prudence"
and verse 17: "I love them that love me." That it is a divine person
may be seen from verse 15: "By me kings reign." But it is equally
clear from the statement "I was brought forth" in verses 24 and 25,
and from "I was by him [the Father], as one brought up with him" in
verse 30, that such expressions could not be predicated of the Son of
God absolutely, that is, as coeternal and coequal with the Father.
"Wisdom" is here to be understood as the Son as God-Man Mediator in
His two natures, as the One ordained to be the incarnate "wisdom of
God" (I Cor. 1:24). When He declares, "The LORD possessed me. . . [the
Hebrew is without the `in'] the beginning of his way, before his works
of old" (Prov. 8:22) it is the Mediator speaking in the covenant
subsistence which He had with God the Father and the Spirit before the
universe was called into existence. The eternal Son was from "the
beginning" (cf. Rev. 1:8) of the triune God's "way," for in all things
He must "have the preeminence" (Col. 1:18).
The first counsel of God had respect to the Man Christ Jesus, for He
was appointed to be not only the Head of His church but "the firstborn
of every creature" (Col. 1:15). The One whom the Lord of hosts
addresses as "the man, my fellow" (Zech. 13:7, literal trans.) shared
the divine union and glory. He stated, "In the volume [Greek, head] of
the book it is written of me" (Heb. 10:7). He was the Object and
Subject of God's original decree. Charnock said,
Our Redeemer carne forth of the womb of a decree from eternity,
before He came out of the womb of the Virgin in time. He was hid in
the will of God before He was made manifest in the flesh of a
Redeemer. He was a Lamb slain in purpose before He was slain upon
the cross. He was possessed by God in the beginning or the
beginning of His way (the Head of His works), and set up from
everlasting to have His delights among the sons of men.
The person of the God-Man Mediator was the origin of the divine
counsels. As such, the triune Jehovah "possessed" or embraced Him, as
a treasury in which all the divine counsels were laid up, as an
efficient Agent for the execution of all His works. Christ was God's
first Elect (Isa. 42:1) and then the church was chosen in Him (Eph.
1:4).
"I was set up from everlasting" (Prov. 8:23). That declaration
concerns Him not essentially as God the Son, but economically as the
Mediator: "set up" or literally "anointed" by a covenant constitution
and by divine subsistence. Before all worlds Christ was appointed and
anointed to His official character. Before God planned to produce any
creature, He first "set up" Christ as the great archetype and
original. "Then I was by him, as one brought up with him, and I was
daily his delight, rejoicing always before him" (v.30). It is not the
Father's complacence in the second Person in the Trinity (as such)
which is there in view, but His satisfaction and joy in the Mediator,
as God contemplated Him as the repository of all His designs. The
Hebrew word for "brought forth" also signifies "master-builder," and
is so rendered in the English Revised Version. How blessedly it
describes Him who could be relied upon to carry out the Father's
purpose. In God's eternal thoughts the Man Christ Jesus was the object
of His love. By Him all things were to be created. By Him vessels were
to be formed for His glory. By Him the grand remedy was to be provided
for sin's victims.
It is indeed lamentable that so few of the Lord's people have been
instructed in these "deep things of God" (I Cor. 2:10), for they have
been revealed for their edification and consolation. What we have
sought to explain in Proverbs 8 throws light on other passages. For
example, many a thoughtful person has been puzzled by John 6:62: "What
and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?" In
what sense had He been in heaven as Man before He became incarnate?
Though we are ignorant of this awesome truth, the Old Testament saints
were not, as is clear from Psalm 80:17: "Let thy hand be upon the man
of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for
thyself." Though the Man Christ Jesus had no historical existence, He
had a covenant subsistence with the Father, as taken into union with
the second Person of the Trinity. As faith gives a present "substance"
(the Greek word means "a real subsistence") in the believer's heart
and mind of the things hoped for, so that he has a present enjoyment
of things yet future, so in the mind of Him before whom all things are
ever present, Christ as incarnate was ever a living reality. Thus when
God said, "Let us make man in our image" (Gen. 1:26) the ultimate
reference was to the God-Man who is par excellence "the image of the
invisible God" (Col. 1:15).
Infinite Wisdom of God
Let us pause here and admire and adore the glorious wisdom of God,
which found a way to save His people in a manner that was infinitely
becoming and honoring to Himself; and let us bow in wonder and worship
before the Lord Jesus who, notwithstanding the unspeakable shame and
suffering involved, delighted to do the Father's will. The manifold
wisdom of God is seen in His choice of the One to be the Head and
Saviour of the church, since that One was in every respect fit to
perform that office and work, possessed of all the necessary
qualifications--in fact He was the only person suited to the work.
God's great wisdom appeared in His knowing that Christ was a fit
Person. None but Omniscience could have thought of God's dear Son
becoming the Redeemer of hell-deserving sinners.
God's choice of the Person who was to be the Restorer of His honor,
the Vanquisher of Satan, the Victor of death, and the Deliverer of His
fallen people, was a perfect one. Who but One endowed with infinite
wisdom would have thought of selecting his only begotten Son for such
a fearful undertaking? For Christ, as God, is one of the eternal Three
who were offended by sin, and from whom men had revolted. They were
His avowed enemies, and they deserved His infinite vengeance. Who,
then, could have conceived of Him as One who would set His heart on
depraved wretches, who would exercise infinite love and pity toward
them, would be willing to provide an all-sufficient remedy for all
their ills? But even if that choice were made, seemingly
insurmountable difficulties would have stood in the way of its
realization. How was it possible for a divine person to enter the
place of ruined sinners, to come under the law and give perfect
obedience to it, and so work out a perfect righteousness for those who
had none? And how could it be possible for the holy One to be made a
curse, for the Lord of glory to suffer the penalty of the broken law,
for the Beloved of the Father to experience the fires of divine wrath,
for the Lord of life to die? Such problems as those would have forever
baffled all created intelligences. But divine wisdom found a solution.
First, the manifold wisdom of God ordained that His dear Son should be
constituted the last Adam, that as He made a covenant of works with
the first man who was of the earth, so He would make a covenant of
grace with the second Man, who is the Lord from heaven. As the first
Adam stood as the covenant head and federal representative of all his
posterity, so the last Adam would stand as the covenant Head and
Representative of all His seed. But as the first Adam broke the
covenant of works and brought ruin upon all those for whom he acted,
so the last Adam would fulfill the terms of the covenant of grace, and
thereby secure the everlasting blessedness of all on whose behalf He
transacted. Accordingly, a covenant was entered into between the
Father and the Son, the Former promising a glorious reward upon the
Latter's meeting all the conditions. That wonderful transaction is
referred to in Psalm 89:3-5: "I have made a covenant with my chosen, I
have sworn unto [the antitypical] David [which means `the beloved'] my
servant, Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne
to all generations. Selah. And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, 0
Lord: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints." That
passage, like Proverbs 8, takes us back to the eternal counsels of
God, for verse 19 declares, "Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy
one and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty." That One
was fully able to accomplish heaven's vast and gracious designs.
That covenant of grace was a mutual compact voluntarily entered into
between the Father and the Son, the One promising a rich reward in
return for the fulfillment of the terms agreed upon; the Other
solemnly pledging Himself to carry out its stipulations. Many are the
scriptures which speak of Christ in connection with the covenant. In
Isaiah 42:6 we hear the Father saying to the Son, "I the Lord have
called thee in righteousness, and will give thee for a covenant of the
people." In Malachi 3:1 Christ is designated "the messenger of the
covenant" because He came here to make known its contents and proclaim
its glad tidings. In Hebrews 7:22 He is designated "a surety of a
better testament [covenant]," in 9:15 "the mediator of the new
testament," while in 13:20 we read of "the blood of the everlasting
covenant." In that covenant the Son agreed to be the Head of God's
elect, and to do all that was required for the divine glory and the
securing of the elect's eternal blessedness. Reference is made to that
in "his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began" (II Tim. 1:9). A federal relation then existed
between God (Christ) and the church, though this was not made fully
manifest until He became incarnate. It was then that the Son was
appointed to the mediatorial office, when He was "set up" or
"anointed," when He was "brought forth" from the everlasting decree
(Prov 8:23-24) and given a covenant subsistence with the triune God.
It was proposed and freely agreed upon that the Beloved of the Father
should take upon Him the form of a servant and be made in the likeness
of sin's flesh. Accordingly, in the fullness of time He was "made of a
woman," taking a human spirit and soul and body into perpetual union
with Himself. As the body of Adam was supernaturally made out of the
virgin earth by God's immediate hand, so the body of Christ was
supernaturally made out of the virgin's substance by the immediate
operation of the Holy Spirit. So too the union of soul and body in
Adam prefigured the hypostatic union of our nature with the Son of
God, so that He is not two persons in one, but one Person with two
natures-those natures not being confounded, but each preserving its
distinctive properties. Owen's remark is significant:
His conception in the womb of the Virgin, as unto the integrity of
human nature, was a miraculous operation of the Divine power. But
the prevention of that nature from any subsistence of its own, by
its assumption unto personal union with the Son of God, in the
first instance of its conception, is that which is above all
miracles, nor can be designated by that name. A mystery it is, so
far above the order of all creating or providential operations,
that it wholly transcends the sphere of them that are most
miraculous. Herein did God glorify all the properties of the Divine
nature, acting in a way of infinite wisdom, grace and
condescension.
He who was the Lord of all and owed no service or obedience to any,
being in the form of God and equal with Him, descended into a
condition of absolute subjection. As Adam deliberately forsook the
place of complete submission to God, which was proper to his nature
and acceptable to God, and aspired after lordship, so the Son of God
left that state of absolute dominion which was His by right, and took
upon Him the yoke of servitude. The Son's descent involved far greater
humiliation to Himself than was the glory to which the first man
aspired in his pride. As others have shown, this self-abasement of the
Lord of glory to an estate of entire subjection is referred to by the
apostle in Hebrews 10:5, where Christ is heard saying "A body hast
thou prepared me." Those words are an explanatory paraphrase of "Mine
ears hast thou opened"--margin "digged" --in Psalm 40:6, which in turn
looks back to Exodus 21:6, where a statute was appointed to the effect
that one who voluntarily gave himself up to absolute and perpetual
service signified it by having his ear bored with an awl. Thus,
Hebrews 10:5, in the light of Psalm 40:6 and Exodus 21:6, implies that
Christ's body was prepared for Him with the express design of His
absolute service for God.
Christ the Mediator
By His assumption of human nature, not only was Christ fitted to
render subjection to God, but He became qualified to serve as Mediator
between God and men. For it is required that a mediator be related to
both of the parties he would reconcile, and that he be the equal of
each of them. An angel would not be qualified for this office, since
he possesses neither the divine nor the human nature. It was necessary
for Christ to be real man as well as God in order to perform the work
of redemption: the former so that He should be susceptible to
suffering, qualified to offer Himself as a sacrifice, capable of
dying. So too the assumption of human nature fitted Christ to be the
Substitute of His people, to act not only on their behalf but in their
room and stead, actually to take their lawful place and offer full
satisfaction to the law by obeying its precepts and enduring its
penalty. But that, in turn, required that He be their Surety and
Sponsor, that He be so related to them legally and federally that He
could fittingly serve as their Substitute. As there was a federal and
representative oneness between the first Adam and those he stood for,
so there must be a like oneness between the last Adam and those for
whom He transacted, that as the guilt of the former was charged to the
account of his posterity, so the righteousness of the Latter might be
imputed to all His seed.
Yet the truth concerning the position which the Son of God took is not
fully expressed by the above statements. It is not sufficient to say
that He became their Surety and Substitute. We must go farther back
and ask what it was that made it proper that He should serve as the
Sponsor of His people before their offended Lawgiver and Judge. The
answer is Their covenant union. Christ served as their Surety and
Substitute because He was one with them, and therefore He could and
did assume and discharge all their liabilities. In the covenant of
grace Christ had said to the Father, "I will declare thy name unto my
brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. And
again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the
children which God hath given me" (Heb. 2:12-13). Most blessedly is
that explained in what immediately follows: "Forasmuch then as the
children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise
took part of the same," therefore He is not ashamed to call them
brothers. Federation is the repository of this amazing mercy,
identification the key which unlocks it. Christ came not to strangers
but to His "brethren"; He assumed human nature, not in order to
procure a people for Himself, but to secure a people already His
(Matt. 1:21; Eph. 1:4).
Since a union has existed between Christ and His people from all
eternity, it inevitably follows that when He came to this earth He
took on Himself their debts, and now that He has gone to heaven they
must be clothed (Isa. 61:10) with all the rewardableness of His
perfect obedience. This is very much more than a technicality of
theology, being the strongest buttress of all in the walls of truth
which protect the atonement, though it is one of the most frequently
and fiercely assailed by its enemies. Men have argued that the
punishment of the innocent Christ as though He were guilty was an
outrage upon justice. In the human realm, to punish a person for
something when he is neither responsible nor guilty is, beyond
question, unjust. But that objection is invalid and entirely pointless
in connection with the Lord Jesus, for He voluntarily entered the
place and lot of His people in such an intimate way that it could be
said, "For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are
all of one" (Heb. 2:11). They are not only one in nature, but are also
so united in the sight of God and before His law as to involve an
identification of legal relations and reciprocal obligations and
rights. "By the obedience of one shall many be made [legally
constituted] righteous" (Rom. 5:19).
It was required of the Surety of God's people that He should not only
render full and perfect obedience to the precepts of the law, and
thereby provide the meritorious means of their justification, but
should also make full satisfaction for their sins by having visited
upon Him the curse of the law. But before that penalty could be
inflicted, the guilt of the transgressors must be transferred to Him;
that is to say, their sins must be judicially imputed to Him. To that
arrangement the holy One willingly consented, so that He who "knew no
sin" was legally "made sin" for them (II Cor. 5:21). God laid on Him
the iniquities of them all, and then the sword of divine justice
struck Him (Zech. 13:7), exacting full satisfaction. Without the
shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. Blotting out our
transgressions, procuring for us the favor of God, purchasing the
heavenly inheritance, required the death of Christ. That which
demanded the death sentence was the guilt of our sins. Let that be
removed, and condemnation for us is gone forever. But how could guilt
be "removed"? Only by its being transferred to another. The punishment
due to the church was borne by her Surety and Substitute. God charged
to Him all the sins of His elect, and moved against Him accordingly,
visiting on Him His judicial wrath.
How marvelous are the ways of God. As death was destroyed by
death--the death of God's Son--so sin by sin--the greatest that was
ever committed, the crucifixion of Christ--putting it away as far as
the East is from the West. Because God imputed the trespasses of His
people to their Surety, He was condemned that they might be acquitted.
Christ took upon Him their accumulated and incalculable debt and, by
discharging it, made them forever free and solvent. By His precious
blood all their iniquities were expiated, so that the triumphant
challenge rings out: "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's
elect?" (Rom. 8:33). Throughout His life and by His death Christ was
repaying and repairing all that injury which the sins of the church
had done to the demonstrative glory of God. God now remits the sins of
all who truly believe in Christ, because Deity has received a
vicarious but full satisfaction for them in the person of their
Substitute. Through Christ they are delivered from the wrath to come.
Necessarily so, for God's acceptance of the Lamb's sacrifice obtained
the eternal redemption of all for whom it was offered. Just as a storm
cloud empties itself on earth and then melts away under the rays of
the sun, so when the storm of divine judgment had exhausted itself
upon the cross our sins disappeared from before God's face, and we
were received into His everlasting favor.
Wonderful as was the work that the incarnate Son performed for His
people, something more was still needed in order to provide a complete
remedy for their complicated ruin, for the former covered only the
legal aspects of their plight. A miracle of grace needed to be worked
in them in order to make them experientially worthy of everlasting
glory; indeed, such a work was absolutely indispensable to fit them to
commune with God in this life. His elect needed to be quickened into
newness of life, their enmity against God destroyed, their darkness
dispelled, their wills freed, their love of sin and hatred of holiness
rectified. In a word, they needed to experience a thorough change of
heart, a principle of grace had to be communicated to them, and they
needed to be made new creatures in Christ.
That miracle of grace is performed by the Holy Spirit in those who are
"by nature the children of wrath, even as others" (Eph. 2:3). But how
little this is realized today. Insistence on this fact has all but
disappeared from the modern pulpit, even in those who pride themselves
on being orthodox. The work of the Spirit in the saving of sinners has
no place in the creed of many a churchgoer; and where it is nominally
acknowledged it possesses no real weight and exerts no practical
influence.
In the majority of places where the Lord Jesus is still formally owned
as the only Saviour, the current teaching is that He has made it
possible for men to be saved, but that they themselves must decide
whether or not they will be saved; thus the greatest of all God's
works is left contingent on the fickle will of men as to whether it is
a success or a failure. Narrowing the circle to those places where it
is still held that the Spirit has a mission and ministry in connection
with the gospel, the general idea prevailing is that, when the Word is
faithfully preached, the Spirit convicts men of sin and reveals to
them their need of a Saviour; but beyond that, very few are prepared
to go. The popular view is that the sinner has to cooperate with the
Spirit, that he must yield himself to His "striving," or he will not
and cannot be saved. But such a pernicious and God-insulting concept
repudiates two cardinal facts. To affirm that the natural man is
capable of cooperating with the Spirit is to deny that he is "dead in
trespasses and sins," for a dead man is powerless to do any good. To
say that the specific operations of the Spirit in a man's heart and
conscience are capable of being so resisted as to thwart His endeavors
is to deny His omnipotence.
The solemn and unpalatable fact is that were the Spirit of God to
suspend His operations, not a single person on earth would savingly
benefit from the redemptive work of Christ. The natural man is such an
enemy to God and so obstinate in his rebellion that he dislikes a holy
Christ, and remains opposed to His way of salvation until his heart is
divinely renewed. The criminal darkness and delusion which fill every
soul in which sin reigns cannot be removed by any agent but God the
Spirit--by His giving a new heart and enlightening the understanding
to perceive the exceeding sinfulness of sin. There are indeed
thousands of people ready to respond to the fatal error that sinners
may be saved without throwing down the weapons of their warfare
against God. There are many who receive Christ as their Saviour, but
are unwilling to surrender to Him as their Lord. They would like His
rest, but they refuse His yoke, without which His rest cannot be had.
His promises appeal to them, but they have no heart for His precepts.
They will believe in an imaginary Christ who is suited to their
corrupt nature, but they despise and reject the Christ of God. Like
the multitudes of old, they are pleased with His loaves and fishes;
but for His heart-searching, flesh-withering, sin--condemning teaching
they have no appetite. Nothing but the miracle-working power of the
Spirit can change them.
C. H. Spurgeon stated:
Man is utterly and entirely averse to everything that is good and
right. "The carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not
subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be" (Romans 8, 7).
Turn you all Scripture through, and you will find continually the
will of man described as being contrary to the things of God. What
said Christ in that text so often quoted by the Arminian to
disprove the very doctrine which it clearly states? What did Christ
say to those who imagined that men would come without Divine
influence? He said, first, "No man can come unto Me, except the
Father which hath sent Me draw him"; but He said something more
strong-"Ye will not come unto Me that ye might have life." Herein
lies the deadly mischief: not only that he is powerless to do good,
but that he is powerful enough to do that which is wrong, and that
his will is desperately set against everything that is right. Men
will not come; you cannot force them to by all your invitations.
Until the Spirit draw them, come they neither will, nor can.
The manifold wisdom of God is just as evident in the official task
assigned the Holy Spirit as in the work that the Son was commissioned
to perform. The miracles of regeneration and sanctification are as
wonderful as were the obedience and sufferings, the death and
resurrection, of Christ; and the saint is as truly and as deeply
indebted to the One as he is to the Other. If it was an act of amazing
condescension for God the Son to leave heaven's glory and assume human
nature, it was equally so for God the Spirit to descend to this earth
and take up His abode in fallen men and women; and if God pointed up
the marvel and importance of the one by mighty wonders and signs, so
did He in connection with the latter--the song of the angelic choir
(Luke 2:13) having its counterpart in the "sound from heaven" (Acts
2:2), the Shekinah "glory" (Luke 2:9) in the "tongues like as of fire"
(Acts 2:3). If we admire the gracious and mighty works of Christ in
cleansing the leper, strengthening the palsied, giving sight to the
blind and imparting life to the dead, no less is the Spirit to be
adored for His supernatural operations in quickening lifeless souls,
illuminating their minds, delivering them from the dominion of sin,
removing their enmity against God, uniting them to Christ and creating
in them a love of holiness.
How complete and perfect is the remedy which the grace and wisdom of
God have provided for His people. As they were federally in Adam, and
therefore held responsible for what he did, so they are federally in
Christ, and therefore enjoy all the benefits of His meritorious work.
As they were ruined by the breaking of one covenant, so they are
restored by the keeping of another. As they were made guilty by Adam's
disobedience being charged to their account, so they are justified
before the throne of God because the righteousness of their Surety is
imputed to them. As they fell under the curse of the law, were
alienated from God and became children of wrath, through Christ's
redemption they are entitled to the reward of the law, reconciled to
God and restored to His favor. As they inherited a corrupt nature from
their first head, so they receive a holy nature from their second
Head. In every respect the remedy answers to the malady.
Contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14
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A. W. Pink Header
The Total Depravity of Man by A.W. Pink
Chapter 14-Summary
_________________________________________________________________
The Entrance of evil into the domain of God is admittedly a deep
mystery, nevertheless sufficient is revealed in the Scriptures to
prevent our forming erroneous views. For instance, it is contrary to
the Word of truth to entertain the notion that either the fall of
Satan and his angels or that of our first parents took God by surprise
or wrecked His plans. For all eternity God designed that this earth
should be the stage on which He would display His perfections: in
creation, in providence and in redemption (I Cor. 4:9). Accordingly,
He foreordained everything which comes to pass in this scene (Acts
15:18; Rom. 11:36; Eph. 1:11). God is not idly looking on from a
far-distant world at the happenings of this earth, but is Himself
ordering and shaping everything to the ultimate promotion of His
glory--not only in spite of the opposition of men and Satan, but by
means of them, everything being made to serve His purpose. Nor did the
introduction of evil into the universe take place simply by the bare
permission of the Most High, for nothing can come to pass that is
contrary to His decreed will. Rather, for wise and holy reasons, God
foreordained to allow His mutable creatures to fall, thereby affording
an occasion for Him to make a further and fuller exhibition of His
attributes.
God's Overruling
From God's standpoint the result of Adam's probation was left in no
uncertainty. Before He formed him out of the dust of the ground and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, He knew exactly how the
appointed testing of Him would eventuate. But more: God had decreed
that Adam should eat of the forbidden fruit. That is certain from I
Peter 1:19-20, which tells us that the shedding of Christ's blood was
verily "foreordained before the foundation of the world" (cf. Rev.
13:8). As Witsius rightly affirmed of Adam's sin, "If foreknown it was
also predestinated: thus Peter joins together `the determinate counsel
and foreknowledge of God' (Acts 2, 23)." In full harmony with that
fact, note that it was God Himself who placed in Eden the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil. Moreover, as Twisse, the celebrated
moderator of the Westminster Assembly, asked in 1653, "Did not the
Devil provoke Eve and Adam to sin against God in paradise? Could not
God have kept the Devil off? Why did He not? Doth it not manifestly
appear that it was God's will to have them tempted, to have them
provoked unto sin? And why not?" God overruled it for a higher
manifestation of His glory. Just as without night we could not admire
the beauty of day, so sin was necessary as a dark background on which
the divine grace and mercy should shine forth more resplendently (Rom.
5:20).
It has been asserted dogmatically by some that God could not have
prevented the fall of our first parents without reducing them to mere
machines. It is argued that since the Creator endowed man with a free
will he must be left entirely to his own volitions, that he cannot be
coerced, still less compelled, without destroying his moral agency.
That may seem to be good reasoning, yet it is refuted by Holy Writ.
God declared to Abimelech concerning Abraham's wife, "I also withheld
thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch
her" (Gen. 20:6). It is not impossible for God to exert His power over
man without destroying his responsibility, for there is a case in
point where He restricted man's freedom to do evil and prevented him
from committing sin. In like manner, He prevented Balaam from carrying
out the wicked desires of his heart (Num. 22:38; 23:3, 20). Also, He
prevented kingdoms from making war on Jehoshaphat (II Chron. 17:10).
Why, then, did not God exert His power and prevent Adam and Eve from
sinning? Because their fall served His own wise and blessed designs.
But does that make God the Author of sin? The culpable Author, no; for
as Piscator long ago pointed out, "Culpability is failing to do what
ought to be done." Clearly it was the divine will that sin should
enter this world, or it would not have done so. God had the power to
prevent it. Nothing ever comes to pass except what He has decreed. As
John Gill said, "Though God's decree made Adam's fall infallibly
necessary as to the event, yet not by way of efficiency, or by force
and compulsion on the will." Nor did God's decree in any way excuse
the wickedness of our first parents or exempt them from punishment.
They were left entirely free to the exercise of their nature, and
therefore were fully accountable and blameworthy for their actions.
While the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the solicitations
of the serpent to eat its fruit were the occasion of their sinning,
yet they were not the cause. That lay in their voluntarily ceasing to
be in subjection to the will of their Maker and rightful Lord. God is
the efficient Author of whatever works of holiness men perform, but He
is not the Author of their sins.
God's decree that sin should enter this world was a secret hid in
Himself. Our first parents knew nothing of it, and that made all the
difference so far as their responsibility was concerned. Had they been
informed of the divine purpose and the certainty of its fulfillment by
their actions, the case would have been radically altered. They were
unacquainted with the Creator's secret counsels. What concerned them
was God's revealed will, and that was quite plain. He had forbidden
them to eat of a certain tree, and that was enough. But He went
further, even warning Adam of the dire consequences which should
follow his disobedience. Death would be the penalty. Thus,
transgression on his part was without excuse. God created Adam morally
"upright," without any bias toward evil. Nor did He inject any evil
thought or desire into Eve. "God cannot be tempted with evil, neither
tempteth he any man" (James 1:13). Instead, when the serpent came and
tempted Eve, God caused her to remember His prohibition. Consider the
wonderful wisdom of God, for though He had predestinated the fall of
our first parents, yet in no sense was He the Instigator or Approver
of their sins, and their accountability was left entirely unimpaired.
These two things we must believe if the truth is not to be repudiated:
that God has foreordained everything that comes to pass; that He is in
no way blamable for any of man's wickedness, the criminality thereof
being wholly his. The decree of God in no way infringes on man's moral
agency, for it neither forces nor hinders man's will, though it orders
and bounds its actions. Both the existence and operations of sin are
subservient to the counsels of God's will, yet that does not lessen
the evil of its nature or the guilt of its committers. Someone has
said that though God does not esteem evil to be good, yet He accounts
it good that evil should be. Nevertheless sin is that "abominable
thing" (Jer. 44:4) which the holy One always hates. In connection with
the crucifixion of Christ there was the agency of God (John 19:11;
Acts 4:27-28), the agency of Satan (Gen. 3:13; Luke 22:53) and the
agency of men. Yet God neither concurred nor cooperated with the
internal actions of men's wills, charging them with the wickedness of
their deed (Acts 2:23). God overrules evil for good (Gen. 45:8; P5.
76:10), and therefore He is as truly sovereign over sin and hell as He
is over holiness and heaven.
God's Perfect Plan
God cannot will or do anything that is wrong: "The LORD is
righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works" (Ps. 145:17). He
therefore stands in no need whatsoever of vindication by any of His
puny creatures. Yet even the finite mind, when illumined by the Spirit
of truth, can perceive how God's admittance of evil into this world
provided an occasion for Him to display His ineffable perfections in
the fullest manner and to the greatest degree. He thus magnified
Himself by bringing a clean thing out of an unclean, and by securing
to Himself a return of praise from redeemed sinners such as He does
not receive from the unfallen angels. Horrible and terrible beyond
words was the revolt of man against his Maker, and fearful and total
the ruin which it brought upon him and all his posterity.
Nevertheless, the wisdom of God contrived a way to save a part of the
human race in a manner by which He is more glorified than by all His
works of creation and providence; also, the misery of sinners is made
the occasion of their greater happiness. This is a never ending
wonder.
That way of salvation, determined and defined in the terms of the
everlasting covenant of grace, was one by which each of the divine
Persons is exceedingly honored. Jonathan Edwards long ago pointed out:
Herein the work of redemption is distinguished from all the other
works of God. The attributes of God are glorious in His other
works; but the three persons of the Trinity are distinctly
glorified in no other work as in this of redemption. In this work
every distinct person has His distinct parts and offices assigned
personal properties, relations, and economical offices. The
redeemed have an equal concern with and dependence upon each person
in this affair, and owe equal honour and praise to each of Them.
The Father appoints and provides the Redeemer, and accepts the
price of redemption. The Son is the Redeemer and the price--He
redeems by offering up Himself. The Holy Spirit immediately
communicates to us the thing purchased; yea, and He is the good
purchased. The sum of what Christ purchased for us is holiness and
happiness. Christ was "made a curse for us... that we might receive
the promise of the Spirit through faith" (Gal. 3: 13, 14). The
blessedness of the redeemed consists in partaking of Christ's
fulness, which consists in partaking of that Spirit which is not
given by measure unto Him. This is the oil that was poured upon the
Head of the Church, which ran down to the members of His body
(Psalm 133, 2).
It is a serious mistake to regard the Lord Jesus as our Saviour
to the exclusion of the saving operations of both the Father and the
Spirit. Had not the Father eternally purposed the salvation of His
people, chosen them in Christ and bestowed them on Him; had He not
entered into an everlasting compact with Him, commissioned Him to
become incarnate, and redeemed them, His Beloved never would have left
heaven in order that He might die, the just for the unjust.
Accordingly, we find that He who loved the world so much that He gave
His only begotten Son has ascribed to Him the salvation of the church:
"Who hath saved us, and called us... according to his own purpose and
grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began" (II
Tim. 1:9). Equally necessary are the operations of the Holy Spirit to
actually apply to the hearts of God's elect the good of what Christ
did for them. He is the One who convicts of sin and imparts faith to
them. Therefore their salvation is also ascribed to Him: "God hath
from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of
the Spirit and belief of the truth" (II Thess. 2:13). A careful
reading of Titus 3:4-6 shows the three Persons acting together in this
connection: "God our Saviour" in verse 4 is plainly the Father. "He
saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy
Ghost" (v.5), "which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our
Saviour" (v. 6). Compare the doxology of II Corinthians 13:14.
It is very profitable to ponder the many promises which the Father
made to and respecting Christ. Upon the Son's acceptance of the
exacting terms of the covenant of grace, the Father agreed to invest
Him with a threefold office, thereby authenticating His mission with
the broad seal of heaven: the prophetic office (Deut. 18:15, 18; cf.
Acts 3:22), the priestly office (Heb. 5:5; 6:20) and the kingly office
(Jer. 23:5; P5. 89:27). Thus Christ did not run without being sent.
God the Father promised to furnish and equip the Mediator with a
plentiful effusion of the graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit (Isa.
42:1-2; cf. Matt. 12:27; Acts 10:38). He promised to strengthen
Christ, supporting and protecting Him in His execution of the
tremendous work of redemption (Isa. 42:1, 6; Ps. 89:21). This
undertaking would be attended with such difficulties that creature
power, though unimpaired by sin, would have been quite inadequate for
it. Therefore the Father assured Christ of all needed help and power
to carry Him through the opposition and trials He would encounter.
Note how the incarnate Son rested upon those promises (Ps. 16:1;
22:10; Isa. 50:6-8; 69:4-7).
The Father promised to raise the Messiah from the dead (Ps. 21:8;
102:23-24; Isa. 53:10), and it is blessed to observe how Christ laid
hold of the promise (Ps. 16:8-11). Promise of His ascension was also
made to Christ (Ps. 24:3, 7; 68:18; 89:27; Isa. 52:13). That promise
too was appropriated by the Saviour while still on earth (Luke 24:26).
Having faithfully fulfilled the terms of the covenant, Christ was
highly exalted by God, and made to be Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36), God
seating Him at His own right hand. That is an economical lordship, a
dispensation committed to Christ as the God-Man. God has crowned with
glory and honor the One whom men crowned with thorns. The "government"
is upon His shoulder.
Christ was assured of a "seed" (Isa. 53:10). His crucifixion must not
be regarded as a dishonor to Him, since it was the very means ordained
of God whereby He should propagate numerous spiritual progeny. He
referred to this in John 12:24. The "seed" promised Christ occupies a
prominent place in Psalm 89 (see vv. 3-4, 29-36; cf. 22:30). Thus,
from the outset Christ was assured of the success of His undertaking.
As there were two parts to the covenant, so the elect were given to
Christ in a twofold manner. As He was to fulfill its terms, they were
entrusted to Him as a charge; but in fulfillment of the covenant, the
Father promised to bestow them on Him as a reward. In the former
sense, they were regarded as fallen, and Christ was held responsible
for their salvation. They were committed to Him as lost and straying
sheep (Isa. 53:6) whom He must seek out and bring into the fold (John
10:16). In the latter sense, they are viewed as the fruit of His
travail, the trophies of His victory over sin, Satan and death ; as
His crown of rejoicing in the day to come, when He shall be "glorified
in his saints, and admired in all them that believe" (II Thess. 1:10);
as the beloved wife of the Lamb.
Finally, God made promise of the Holy Spirit to Christ. The Spirit was
with Christ during the days of His flesh, anointing Him to preach the
gospel (Isa. 61:1) and work miracles (Matt. 12:28). But He received
the Spirit in another manner (Ps. 45:7; Acts 2:33) and for a different
purpose after His ascension. He, as the God-Man Mediator, was given
the administration of the Spirit's activities and operations toward
the world in providence and toward the church in grace. John 7:39 and
16: 7 make it clear that the Spirit's advent was dependent on Christ's
exaltation. That assurance was also appropriated by Christ before He
left this scene. On the point of His departure, He said to His
disciples, "Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you" (Luke
24:49), which was duly accomplished ten days later. In full accord
with what has just been pointed out, we hear the Saviour saying from
heaven, "These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God"
(Rev. 3:1). He "hath," to communicate to His redeemed individually and
to His churches corporately.
The grand design in the Spirit's descent to this earth was to glorify
Christ (John 16:14). He is here to witness to the Saviour's
exaltation, Pentecost being God's seal upon the Messiahship of Jesus.
The Spirit is here to take Christ's place. That is clear from Christ's
words to the apostles: "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you
another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever" (John 14:16).
Until then the Lord Jesus had been their Comforter, but He was on the
eve of returning to heaven. Nevertheless, He graciously assured them,
"I will not leave you orphans: I will come to you" (John 14:18,
margin) . This promise was fulfilled spiritually in the advent of His
Deputy. The Spirit is here to further Christ's cause. The word
Paraclete (translated "Comforter" in John's gospel) is rendered
"advocate" at the beginning of the second chapter of his first
epistle, and an advocate is one who appears as the representative of
another. The Spirit is here to interpret and vindicate Christ, to
administer for Christ in His kingdom and church. He is here to make
good His redeeming purpose, by applying the benefits of His sacrifice
to those in whose behalf it was offered. He is here to endue Christ's
servants (Luke 24:49).
It is of first importance to recognize and realize that the Lord Jesus
obtained for God's people not only redemption from the penal
consequences of sin, but also their personal sanctification. How
little this is emphasized today. In far too many instances those who
think and speak of the "salvation" which Christ has purchased attach
no further idea to the concept than that of deliverance from
condemnation, omitting deliverance from the love, dominion and power
of sin. But the latter is no less essential, and is as definite a
blessing as the former. It is just as necessary for fallen creatures
to be delivered from the pollution and moral impotence which they have
contracted as it is to be exempted from the penalties which they have
incurred, so that when reinstated in the favor of God they may at the
same time be capacitated to love, serve and enjoy Him forever. And in
this respect also the divine remedy meets all the requirements of our
sinful malady (see II Cor. 5:15; Eph. 5:25-27; Titus 2:14; Heb. 9:14).
This is accomplished by the gracious operations of Christ's Spirit,
begun in regeneration, continued throughout their earthly lives,
consummated in heaven.
God's Honor
Not only is the triune God more honored by redemption than He was
dishonored by the defection of His creatures, but His people also are
greatly the gainers. That too magnifies the divine wisdom. It would
have been wonderful indeed had they been merely restored to their
original state; but it is far more wonderful that they should be
brought to a much higher state of blessedness--that the fall should be
the occasion of their exaltation! Their sin deserved eternal
wretchedness, yet everlasting bliss is their portion. They are now
favored with a greater manifestation of the glory of God and a fuller
discovery of His love than they would have had otherwise, and in those
two things their happiness principally consists. They are brought into
a much closer and endearing relation to God. They are now not merely
holy creatures but heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. The Son
having taken their nature upon Him, they have become His "brethren,"
members of His body, His spouse. They are thereby provided with more
powerful motives and inducements to love and serve Him than they had
in their unfallen condition. The more of God's love we apprehend, the
more we love Him in return. Throughout eternity the knowledge of God's
love in giving His dear Son to and for us, and Christ's dying in our
stead, will fix our hearts upon Him in a manner which His favors to
Adam never could have done.
It is in the gospel that the wonderful remedy for all our ills is made
known. That glorious gospel proclaims that Christ is able to save to
the uttermost them that come to God by Him. It tells us that the Son
of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost. It announces that
sinners, even the chief of sinners, are the ones that are freely
invited to come. It publishes liberty to Satan's captives and the
opening of doors to sin's prisoners. It reveals that God has chosen
the greatest of sinners to be the everlasting monuments of His mercy.
It declares that the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses
believers from all sin. It furnishes hope to the most hopeless cases.
The miracles which Christ performed in the bodies of men were types of
His miracles of grace on sinners' souls. No case was beyond His
healing. He not only gave sight to the blind and cleansing to the
leper, but delivered the demon-possessed and bestowed life on the
dead. He never refused a single appeal made to His compassion.
Whatever the sinner's record, if he will trust in the atoning
sacrifice of Christ he will be saved, now and forever.
Contents | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14
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A. W. Pink Header
Tithing by Arthur W. Pink
Part 1
There are few subjects on which the Lord's own people are more astray
than on the subject of giving. They profess to take the Bible as their
own rule of faith and practice, and yet in the matter of Christian
finance, the vast majority have utterly ignored its plain teachings
and have tried every substitute the carnal mind could devise;
therefore it is no wonder that the majority of Christian enterprises
in the world today are handicapped and crippled through the lack of
funds. Is our giving to be regulated by sentiment and impulse, or by
principle and conscience? That is only another way of asking, Does God
leave us to the spirit of gratitude and generosity, or has He
definitely specified His own mind and particularized what portion of
His gifts to us are due to Him in return? Surely God has not left this
important matter without fully making known His will! The Bible is
given to be a lamp unto our feet and therefore He cannot have left us
in darkness regarding any obligation or privilege in our dealings with
Him or His with us.
Tithing in the Old Testament
At a very early date in the history of our race God made it known that
a definite proportion of the saint's income should be devoted to Him
who is the Giver of all. There was a period of twenty-five centuries
from Adam until the time that God gave the law to Israel at Sinai, but
it is a great mistake to suppose that the saints of God in those early
centuries were left without a definite revelation, without a knowledge
of God's will regarding their obligations to Him, and of the great
blessings which resulted from a faithful performance of their duties.
As we study carefully the book of Genesis we find clear traces of a
primitive revelation, an indication of God's mind to His people long
before the system of legislation that was given at Sinai (see Gen.
18:19); and that primal revelation seems to have centered about three
things: 1. The offering of sacrifices to God. 2. The observance of the
Sabbath. 3. The giving of tithes.
While it is perfectly true that today we are unable to take the Bible
and place our finger upon any positive enactment or commandment from
God that His people, in those early days, should either offer
sacrifices to Him or keep the Sabbath or give the tithe (there is no
definite "Thus saith the Lord" recorded concerning any one of these
three things), nevertheless, from what is recorded we are compelled to
assume that there must have been such a commandment given: compare
Genesis 26:5.
The Offering of Sacrifices to God
Take first of all the presenting of sacrifices to God. Is it thinkable
that man would ever have presented blood to Deity if he had never
first received a command to so do? Do you imagine it would ever have
occurred to the human mind itself to have brought a bleeding animal to
the great Creator? And yet we find in the very earliest times that
Abel, Noah, Abraham, presented bleeding offerings unto
Jehovah--clearly presupposing that God had already made it known that
such was His will for His creatures: that the Most High required just
such an offering: see Hebrews 11:4 and compare Romans 10:17.
The Sabbath
Take again the Sabbath. There is little in the early pages of
Scripture to directly show us that God Himself appointed one day in
seven, and that He made it a law that all of His creatures should so
observe it; and yet there are clear indications that such must have
been the case, or otherwise we cannot explain what follows. When God
gave the ten commandments to Israel at Sinai, in the fourth
commandment He did not tell Israel to keep the Sabbath; He commanded
them to remember the Sabbath day, which clearly implies two things:
that at an earlier date the mind of God concerning the Sabbath had
been revealed, but, that their forefathers had forgotten: see Ezekiel
20:5-8, and compare Exodus 16:27, 28.
The Tithe
The same is true in connection with the tithe. At this day we are
unable to go back to the earliest pages of Scripture and put our
finger upon a "Thus saith the Lord," a definite commandment where
Jehovah specified His will and demanded that His people should render
a tenth of all their increase unto Him; and yet as we take up the book
of Genesis we cannot account for what is there, unless we presuppose a
previous revelation of God's mind and a manifestation of His will upon
the point.
In Genesis 14:20 it is written, "And he gave him tithes of all."
Abraham gave tithes unto Melchizedek. We are not informed why he did
so. We are not told in previous chapters that God had commanded him to
do so, but the fact that he did so clearly denotes that he was acting
in accordance with God's will and that he was carrying out His
revealed mind.
The Tithe in Genesis 28:19-22
We will begin at verse 19 to get the context: "And he called the name
of that place Bethel." You remember the circumstances. This was the
night when Jacob was fleeing from Esau, a fugitive from home, starting
out to Laban's; and that night while he was asleep he had the vision.
"And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep
me in the way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to
put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall
the Lord be my God: and this stone, which I have set for a pillar,
shall be God's house: and of all that Thou shalt give me I will surely
give the tenth unto Thee." Here again we have the tithe. Jacob vowed
that in return for the Lord's temporal blessings upon him, he would
render a tenth in return unto the Lord. We are not told why he
selected that percentage; we are not told why he should give a tenth;
but the fact that he did determine so to do, intimates there had
previously been a revelation of God's mind to His creatures, and
particularly to His people, that one-tenth of their income should be
devoted to the Giver of all.
The Tithe in the Mosaic Law
When we come to the Mosaic law, we find that the tithe was definitely
and clearly incorporated into it. "And all the tithe of the land,
whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the
Lord's: it is holy unto the Lord. And if a man will at all redeem
ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto a fifth part thereof. And
concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever
passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord" (Lev.
27:30-32). Notice the twice-repeated expression concerning the tithe,
that it was "holy unto the Lord." That is to say, God reserves to
Himself, as His exclusive right, as His own, one-tenth of that which
He has given to us. It is "holy" unto the Lord.
This anticipates a point which may have been exercising some minds.
When we say that one-tenth of our gross income belongs to the Lord
doubtless some are inclined to say that all of our income belongs to
Him; that everything we have has been given us by God; that nothing is
our own in the full sense of the word, it is all His. This is
perfectly true in one sense, but not so in another. In one sense it is
true that all of our time belongs to God, that it is not ours, and we
shall yet have to give an account of every idle moment; but in another
real sense it is also true that God has set apart one-seventh of our
time as being holy unto Him. That is to say, it has been set apart for
a sacred use; it is not ours to do with as we please. The Sabbath is
not a day for doing our own pleasure, it is a day that has been
appointed and singled out by God as being peculiarly His--holy unto
Him--one-seventh of our time spent in His service. And here in
Leviticus 27: 30-32 we are told that the tithe is holy unto the Lord.
That is to say, one-tenth is not our own personal property at all: it
does not belong to us in the slightest; we have no say-so about it
whatsoever it is set apart unto a holy use: it is the Lord's and His
alone.
Support of the Priestly Family in the Old Testament
"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Thus speak unto the Levites,
and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes
which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall
offer up an heave offering of it for the Lord, even a tenth part of
the tithe" (Num. 18:25, 26). From this we learn that the support of
the priestly family in the Old Testament was not left to the whims of
the people, or as to how they "felt led" to give. God did not leave it
for them to determine. The support of the priestly family was
definitely specified. The priestly family was to derive their support
out of one-tenth of all that the other tribes received from their
annual increase, and the priests themselves were required to take
one-tenth of all out of their portion and present it to the Lord.
There were no exceptions to the rule.
Those who have read through the historical books of Scripture know
full well how miserably Israel failed to obey this law after they had
settled down in the land, how that almost every fundamental precept
and statute of the legislation that Jehovah gave to Moses was
disregarded by them. But what is very significant is this, that in
each great revival of godliness that Jehovah sent unto Israel, tithing
is one of the things that is mentioned as being renewed and restored
among them.
First of all let us turn to 2 Chronicles 30. This chapter records a
great revival that took place in the days of Hezekiah. There had been
a time of fearful declension in the reigns of the preceding kings, but
in the days of Hezekiah God graciously gave a blessed revival, and in
verse 1 we read: "And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote
letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh, that they should come to the
house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the Passover unto the Lord God
of Israel." Things had gotten into such an awful state that they had
not even kept the Passover for several centuries! But when God works a
revival one of its most prominent features is to cause His people to
return to the written Word. Let us note this carefully. A heaven-sent
revival consists not so much in happy feelings and spasmodic
enthusiasm and fleshly displays, nor great crowds of people in
attendance--those are not the marks of a heaven-sent revival--but when
God renews His work of grace in His churches, one of the first things
that He does is to cause His people to return to the written Word from
which they have departed in their ways and in their practices. This
was what happened in the days of Hezekiah. We read that he wrote
letters to Ephraim and Manasseh that they should come to the house of
the Lord at Jerusalem to keep the Passover unto the Lord God of
Israel. Think of them needing "letters"!! Now read on to chapter 31,
verses 4, 5 and 6, and you will find the tithes mentioned. "Moreover
he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of
the priests and Levites, that they might be encouraged in the law of
the Lord. And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of
Israel brought in abundance the first fruits of corn, wine, and oil,
and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all
things brought they in abundantly. And concerning the children of
Israel and Judah, they also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep,
and the tithe of holy things which were consecrated unto the Lord
their God, and laid them by heaps" (vv. 4-6). Following which, God
markedly blest them.
The same thing is true again in the tenth chapter of Nehemiah. It will
be remembered that Nehemiah brings us to a later period in the history
of Israel. Nehemiah records the return of a small remnant of the
people after the nation had been carried away into captivity, after
the seventy years in Babylon was over. Then God raised up Cyrus to
make a decree permitting those who desired to go back to their own
land. In this chapter we find that in the revival of his day, the
tithe is also mentioned: "And we cast the lots among the priests, the
Levites, and the people, for the wood offering, to bring it into the
house of our God, after the houses of our fathers, at times appointed
year by year, to burn upon the altar of the Lord our God, as it is
written in the law: And to bring the firstfruits of our ground, and
the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, unto the
house of the Lord: Also the firstborn of our sons, and of our cattle,
as it is written in the law, and the firstlings of our herds and of
our flocks, to bring to the house of our God, unto the priests that
minister in the house of our God: And that we should bring the
firstfruits of our dough, and our offerings, and the fruit of all
manner of trees, of wine and of oil, unto the priests, to the chambers
of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground unto the
Levites, that the same Levites might have the tithes in all the cities
of our tillage" (Neh. 10:34-37).
Now turn to the last book of the Old Testament. Malachi brings us to a
point still later, and shows us how the remnant that had returned in
the days of Nehemiah had also degenerated and deteriorated and had
departed from the word of the law of the Lord; and, among other
things. note the charges that God brings against Israel in Malachi
3:7, 8. "Even from the days of your fathers ye arc gone away from Mine
ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto Me, and I will return
unto you, saith thc Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we
return? Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed Me. But ye say, Wherein
have we robbed Thee? In tithes and offerings." How solemn to notice
that in the last chapter but one of the Old Testament, we are there
taught that those who withheld the "tithe" from Jehovah are charged
with having robbed God! Solemn indeed!
The Tithe in the New testament
Only God has the right to say how much of our income shall be set
aside and set apart unto Him. And He has so said clearly, repeatedly,
in the Old Testament Scriptures, and there is nothing in the New
Testament that introduces any change or that sets aside the teaching
of the Old Testament on this important subject.
Christ Himself has placed His approval and set His imprimatur upon the
tithe. "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay
tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier
matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have
done, and not to leave the other undone" (Matt. 23:23). In that verse
Christ is rebuking the scribes and Pharisees because of their
hypocrisy. They had been very strict and punctilious in tithing the
herbs, but on the other hand they had neglected the weightier matters
such as judgment, or justice, and mercy. But while Christ acknowledged
that the observance of justice and mercy is more important than
tithing--it is a "weightier matter"--while, He says, these they ought
to have done, nevertheless He says, these other ye ought not to have
left undone. He does not set aside the tithe. He places justice and
mercy as being more weighty, but He places His authority upon the
practice of tithing by saying, "These ought ye to have done, and not
to leave the other undone." It is well for us if we by the grace of
God have not omitted justice and mercy and faith: it is well if by the
grace of God those things have found a place in our midst: but the
tithing ought not to have been left undone, and Christ Himself says
so.
The second passage to be noted is 1 Corinthians 9:13, 14: "Do ye not
know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of
the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the
altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the
Gospel should live of the Gospel." The emphatic words there are, "Even
so" in the beginning of the fourteenth verse. The word "tithe" is not
found in these two verses but it is most clearly implied. In verse 13
the Holy Spirit reminds the New Testament saints that under the Mosaic
economy God had made provision for the maintenance of those who
ministered in the temple. Now then, He says, in this New Testament
dispensation "Even so" (v. 14)--the same means and the same method are
to be used in the support and maintaining of the preachers of the
Gospel as were used in supporting the temple and its services of old.
"Even so." It was the tithe that supported God's servants in the Old
Testament dispensation: "even so" God has ordained, and appointed that
His servants in the New Testament dispensation shall be so provided
for.
Referring next to 1 Corinthians 16:1 and 2: here again we find the
word "tithe" does not actually occur, and yet once more it is plainly
implied: the principle of it is there surely enough. "Now concerning
the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches
of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every
one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him." Now what
does "laying by" imply? Certainly it signifies a definite
predetermined act, rather than a spontaneous impulse, or just acting
on the spur of the moment. Let us look at this again. "Upon the first
day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store." (v. 2). Why
are we told that? Why is it put that way'? Why use such an expression
as "lay by in store"? Clearly that language points us back to Malachi
3:10. "Bring ye all the tithes into the _______" Where? The
"storehouse"! That is where the tithes were to be brought. "Bring ye
all the tithes into the storehouse." Now what does God say here in
Corinthians? "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay
by him in store." There is a clear reference here to the terms of
Malachi 3, but that is not all. Look at it again. "Let every one of
you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him." That signifies a
definite proportion of the income. Not "let every one of you lay by
him in store, as he feels led"; it does not say that, nor does it say
"let every one of you lay by him in store as he feels moved by the
Spirit"; no indeed, it says nothing of the kind. It says, "Let every
one . . . lay by him as God hath prospered him": in a proportionate
way, according to a percentage basis. Now consider! If my income today
is double what it was a year ago and I am not giving any more to the
Lord's cause than I gave then, then I am not giving "as the Lord hath
prospered": I am not giving proportionately. But now the question
arises, What proportion? What is the proportion that is according to
the will of God? "As He hath prospered him." Can one man bring one
proportion and another man bring another proportion, and yet both of
them obey this precept? Must not all bring the same proportion in
order to meet the requirements of this passage? Turn for a moment to 2
Corinthians 8:14: "But by an equality, that now at this time your
abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also
may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality." Please
note that this verse occurs in the middle of a chapter devoted to the
subject of giving, and what is to be observed is, that at the
beginning of verse 14 and at the end of it we have repeated the word
"equality," which means that God's people are all to give the same
proportion of their means and the only proportion that God has
specified anywhere in His Word is that of the tenth, or "tithe."
There is one other passage to be looked at, namely Hebrews 7:5 and 6:
"And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office
of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people
according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out
of the loins of Abraham: But he, whose descent is not counted from
them, received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the
promises." (Notice the order: "received tithes of Abraham, and blessed
him that had the promises"). And without all contradiction the less is
blessed of the better." In the seventh chapter of Hebrews the Holy
Spirit through the apostle Paul is showing the superiority of Christ's
priesthood over the order of the priesthood of the Levites, and one of
the proofs of which He establishes the transcendency of the
Melehizedek order of the priesthood of Christ was that Abraham, the
father of the chosen people, acknowledged the greatness of Melehizedek
by rendering tithes to him.
The reference in Hebrews 7 is to what is recorded in Genesis 14, where
we have two typical characters brought before us--Melchizedek, a type
of Christ in three ways: first, in his person, combining the kingly
and the priestly offices; second, a type of Christ in his names,
combining righteousness and peace, for "Melchizedek" itself means
"peace"; and third, a type of Christ in that he pronounced blessing on
Abraham and brought forth bread and wine, the memorials of his death.
But not only was Melchizedek there a type of Christ, but Abraham was
also a typical character, a representative character, seen there as
the father of the faithful; and we find he acknowledged the priesthood
of Melchizedek by giving him a tenth of the spoils which the Lord had
enabled him to secure in vanquishing those kings, and as that is
referred to in Hebrews, where the priesthood of Christ and our
blessings from our relations to it and our obligation to it are set
forth, the fact that Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek as mentioned
there, indicates that as Abraham is the father of the faithful, so he
left an example for us, his children, to follow--in rendering tithes
unto Him of whom Melchizedek was the type. And the beautiful thing in
connection with the Scripture is that the last time the tithe is
mentioned in the Bible (here in Heb. 7) it links the tithe directly
with Christ Himself. All intermediaries are removed. In the Old
Testament the tithes were brought to the priests, then carried into
the storehouse, but in the final reference in Scripture, the tithe is
linked directly with Christ, showing us that our obligations in the
matter are concerned directly with the great Head of the Church.
In the above we have only introduced the Scriptures that present God's
mind on this matter. In the following section we will deal with the
subject in an expository and in an argumentative way.
One evil ever leads to another. God's appointed method for the
financing of the work which He has been pleased to place in our hands,
is that of tithing--the strict setting aside one-tenth of all we
receive, to be devoted to His cause. Where the Lord's people
faithfully do this, there is never any shortage or going into debt.
Where tithing is ignored there is almost always a deficit, and then
the ungodly are asked to help or worldly methods are employed to raise
money. If we sow the wind, we must not be surprised if we reap the
whirlwind.
Part 2
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Tithing by Arthur W. Pink
Part 2
"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat
in Mine house, and prove Me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if
I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a
blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it" (Mal.
3:10).Down deep in the heart of every Christian there is undoubtedly
the conviction that he ought to tithe. There is an uneasy feeling that
this is a duty which has been neglected, or, if you prefer it, a
privilege that has not been appropriated. Both are correct. Possibly
there are some who soothe themselves by saying, Well, other Christians
do not tithe. And maybe there are others who say, But if tithing be
obligatory in this present dispensation why are the preachers silent
upon the subject? My friends, they are silent on a good many subjects
today: that does not prove anything.In the previous section of this
article the attempt was made to show three things: first, that tithing
existed among the people of God long before the law was given at Sinai
and that in the brief record we have of that early history we learn
that Abraham, the father of the faithful, gave tithes unto
Melchizedek, the priest of the Most High God, and that Jacob, when he
had that revelation from the Lord on his way out to Padan-aram,
promised to give a tenth unto God. Second, we saw that when the law
was given the tithe was definitely and clearly incorporated in it,
but, like almost everything else in that law, Israel neglected it,
until, in the days of Malachi, we find Jehovah expressly telling His
people that they had robbed Him. In the third place, we found that in
the New Testament itself we have both hints and plain teaching that
God requires His people to tithe even now, for tithing is not a part
of the ceremonial law, it is a part of the moral law. It is not
something that has a dispensational limitation, but is something that
is binding on God's people in all ages.Now let us go a step farther.
Tithing is even more obligatory on the saints of the New Testament
than it was upon God's people in Old Testament days--not equally
binding, but more binding, and that for two reasons: first, on the
principle of "unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much
required" (Luke 12:48). The obligations of God's saints today are much
greater than the obligations of the saints in Old Testament times,
because our privileges and our blessings are greater. As grace is more
potent than law, as love is more constraining than fear, as the Holy
Spirit is more powerful than the flesh, so our obligations to tithe
are greater, for we have a deeper incentive to do that which is
pleasing to God. Listen! The Christian should tithe for the very same
reason he keeps all the other commandments of God, and for the same
reason he keeps the laws of his country--not because he must do so,
but because he desires to do so. As a law abiding citizen in the
kingdom of God, he desires to maintain the government of God and to do
that which is pleasing in His sight.
Again, in proportion as the priesthood of Christ is superior to the
priesthood of Aaron, so are our obligations to render tithes to Him.
The Aaronic priesthood was recognized and owned by Israel through
their payment of the tithe to them. In the seventh chapter of Hebrews
the Holy Spirit has argued the superiority of the priesthood of
Christ, which is after the order of Melchizedek, on the fact, or on
the basis of the fact rather, that Melchizedek himself received tithes
from Abraham. That is the very argument the Holy Spirit uses there to
establish the superiority of the Melchizedec order of Christ's
priesthood. He appeals to the fact as recorded in Genesis 14, that
Melchizedek, who was the type of Christ, received tithes from Abraham,
and argues from that that inasmuch as Levi was in the loins of
Abraham, therefore the Melchizedek priesthood of Christ is greater
than that of Aaron because Abraham himself paid tithes to Melchizedek,
who is a type of Christ. Therefore, in proportion to the greater
blessings and privileges that we enjoy, we are under deeper
obligations to God; and in proportion as Christ's priesthood is
superior to that of the Levites, so is our obligation the greater to
render tithes unto the Lord today, than that under which His people
lived in Old Testament times.
Why God has Appointed Tithing
In the next place we wish to suggest a few reasons why God has
appointed tithing. In the first place, as a constant recognition of
the Creator's rights. As our Maker He desires that we should honor Him
with one-tenth of our income. In other words, the tenth is the
recognition of His temporal mercies and the owning that He is the
Giver of them. It is the acknowledgment that temporal blessings come
from Him and are held in trust for Him.
Tithing an Antidote Against Covetousness
Again. We believe that God has appointed tithing as the solution of
all financial covetousness, for by nature we are full of covetousness.
That is why in the ten commandments God incorporates "Thou shalt not
covet." That is why Christ said to His disciples, "Beware of
covetousness." And tithing has been appointed by God to deliver us
from the spirit of greed, to counteract our innate selfishness;
therefore, it has been designed for our blessing for, like all of His
commandments, none of them is grievous, but appointed for our own
good.
Tithing the Solution of Every Financial Problem
Again. I believe that God has appointed tithing as the solution of
every financial problem that can arise in connection with His work.
While the children of Israel practiced tithing there was no difficulty
in maintaining the system of worship that God had appointed. And if
God's people today practiced tithing, there would be an end of all
financial straits that are crippling so many Christian enterprises. No
church could possibly be embarrassed financially where its members
tithed. And I believe that that is the solution of rural church work
in thinly populated districts. Wherever you have ten male Christians
you have sufficient to support a permanent worker in their midst, for
no worker should desire any greater remuneration than the average
income of those supporting him. Therefore, if you have ten male
Christians giving one-tenth of their income, no matter what it may be,
you have sufficient to maintain and sustain a regular worker in their
midst. That is God's solution to the missionary problem. Wherever you
have ten average male Chinese you have a situation where they ought to
be independent and no longer leaning upon the help of God's people at
home. It is a scandal and a shame to see churches in India and in
China today that have been in existence fifty years still looking to
God's people in Australia and England and America for their financial
support. And why is it? Because the teachings of the Word of God have
been neglected. It is because they have never been taught the
foundation of Christian finance. No wonder the missionary world is
calling out today that they are crippled for lack of funds! They need
to be taught scriptural finance. That is why God appointed tithing. It
is the solution of all financial problems in connection with His work.
Where tithing is practiced there will never be any going into debt.
Tithing as a test of Our Faith
Now then in the fourth place, God has appointed tithing as a test of
our faith, and for the nourishing and developing of our
faith--especially of the young Christians. Here is a young man who has
just started housekeeping. He professes to trust God with the enormous
matter of his eternal future. He professes to have confidently left
his immortal interests in the hands of God. Well now, dare he trust
God with one-tenth of his income for a year? My friends, tithing
develops in young Christians the spirit of trusting the Lord in their
temporal affairs.
Two Objections Anticipated
Before coming to the next point let us just anticipate two objections.
When the subject of tithing is brought before the Lord's people, there
are usually a few who are ready to say, Well, I think it is a man's
duty to provide for his own household, for his own family. Yes, so do
I. Scripture says so. There is nothing wrong in that. I go further. I
believe it is perfectly proper for a young Christian man to desire and
to seek after an increasing income with which to properly support his
growing family, but if he is not a tither he has no guarantee from God
that his present income will even be maintained, let alone enlarged.
But the tither has that guarantee from God, as we shall yet see,
unless our eyes are shut.
And then perhaps there are some who say, I cannot afford to tithe, for
I have made some investments which have turned out very badly. Yes,
and you are likely to meet with some worse ones if you continue to rob
God! My friends, you need Divine guidance in the matter of investing,
and God won't give that guidance while you are walking contrary to His
revealed will in the matter of church finance. I am fully persuaded
that in the vast majority of cases, if not all (this may sound harsh:
God's Word is piercing and condemning and rebuking and humbling) that
where you have children of God in middle life or in old age, who are
in financial straits, it is because they robbed God in their earlier
years. Be not deceived: God is not mocked! If they did not handle to
His glory and use according to His Word the money He did give them,
then they must not be surprised if He withholds from them now: see
Jeremiah 5:25! There is a cause for every effect. There is an
explanation to all things right here in the Word of God, too.
"Proving God"
Now let us come at closer grips with the text itself. There are three
things I wish you to notice carefully. "Bring ye all the tithes into
the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine house, and prove Me now
herewith, saith the Lord of hosts" (Mal. 3:10). My friends, that is a
startling expression. It is a remarkable expression. God says, "Prove
Me." Those words mean this: Place the Almighty on trial (and it would
be sin, it would be positively wicked, for any creature to do so
unless he was definitely commanded so to do). "Prove Me now
herewith"--with the tithe. In other words, our text tells us to put
God to the proof, to test Him out and see what He will do. We are
bidden to give Him one-tenth of our income and then to see whether He
will let us be the loser or not. "Prove Me now herewith." I tell you,
my friends, my soul is overwhelmed by the amazing condescension of the
Most High to place Himself in such a position. God allows Himself to
be placed on trial by us, and tithing is a process of proof. Tithing
is a means whereby we can demonstrate in the material realm the
existence of God and the fact of His governor-ship over all temporal
affairs. If you have any shadow of doubt in your mind and heart as to
whether or not God exists, or as to whether or not He controls all
temporal affairs, you can have that doubt removed by an absolute
demonstration of the actuality of God's existence and of His control
over temporal affairs. How? By regularly, faithfully, systematically
giving Him one-tenth of your gross income, and then seeing whether He
will let you be the loser or not: proving whether He does honor those
who honor Him: proving whether He will allow Himself to be any man's
debtor. He says, "Prove Me, prove Me, put Me to the test." You
trembling, fearful saints, never mind if your income is only $1 a day,
and you have to scheme and scratch and strain to make both ends meet.
Take one-tenth away and devote it to the Lord, and then see if He will
remain your debtor. "Prove Me now herewith," He says. Try Me out and
see whether I am worthy of your confidence; put Me to the test and see
whether I will disappoint your faith. As we said above, God has
appointed tithing as a test of faith, for the development of faith;
and if the young Christian would only start by proving God in the
material realm, testing Him out in His own appointed way, what a
confirmation it would be! How it would enable him to trust God in
temporal things--which is one of the hardest things that the average
Christian finds to do.
"The Windows of Heaven" Opened
Now coming again to the text. Notice the expression, "Prove Me now
herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows
of heaven." What does He mean by that? "And see if I will not open the
windows of heaven." What does He mean? Now Scripture always interprets
Scripture. If you will go back to the seventh chapter of Genesis,
verses 11 and 12, you will find that identical expression used there,
and it explains the force of it here in Malachi 3. Read Genesis 7:11:
"In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the
seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of
the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And
the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights." Now the same
expression that is used in Genesis 7 in connection with the Deluge is
used here in Malachi 3 in connection with the return, the response,
the blessings that God has promised to those that honor Him with their
substance, by devoting a tithe to His service. In other words, that
expression "open the windows of heaven" signifies an abundant
outpouring. Now listen! That does not mean an abundant spiritual
blessing. It does not mean that at all, for spiritual blessings cannot
be purchased. You ask, Can temporal? In one sense, yes. Certainly they
can in the sense that God has promised that we shall reap what we have
sown; in the sense that He has promised to honor those who honor Him;
in the sense that He promised a bountiful return to a bountiful giver.
Certainly! Just in the same way that He has promised length of days to
those who honor their parents when they are children. That is a
blessing that is purchased! Now then, listen! When God has promised to
open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing, it is not a
spiritual one, it is a temporal one. He promises an increase in your
income. Of course He does. Do you suppose Almighty God would be your
debtor? Do you suppose the Most High would allow you to be the loser
because you are faithful to His Word and obedient to His will and give
Him a tenth of your income? Why, of course not. And we say again, the
great reason why so many of God's people are poor is because they have
been unfaithful with the money that God gave them. They robbed GOD! No
wonder they have suffered adversities and misfortunes. No wonder! Some
of us need to re-read our Bibles on the subject of the principles and
conditions of temporal prosperity. Some need to learn that the God of
the New Testament is the God of the Old Testament and that He changes
not. God changes not. God does not vary the principles of His
government. The God who gave bountiful crops to a people in the Old
Testament times who honored Him and kept His Word, is the same God who
is on the throne today, and the same God gives bountiful crops and
prosperity in business to them who honor Him. But those who meet with
financial adversities and financial misfortunes--there is a reason for
it; of course there is. The world calls it "bad luck": they know no
better, but we ought to!
"Enough and More Than Enough"
It is very obvious the translators did not know what to do with this
text, if you will notice the words they have put in italics. Look at
it as it reads (the last part of Mal. 3:10): "I will open the windows
of heaven and pour you out a blessing, that (now leave out the words
in italics) not enough." The words in italics are not in the original.
They have been supplied by the translators and they had to supply more
words in the last clause than were actually there, which shows they
did not know what to do with it. The Hebrew as nearly as I can get it
in the original means, "there shall be enough and more than enough."
That does not vary very much from the rendering of the translators. In
other words it means, "The liberal soul shall be made fat." Turn for a
moment to 2 Chronicles 31 and notice now the tenth verse: "And Azariah
the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him, and said, Since
the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the Lord, we
have had enough to eat, and have left plenty: for the Lord hath
blessed His people; and that which is left is this great store." Now
if you read the preceding verses you will find it was when the tithe
was restored in that revival in the days of Hezekiah; and here we are
told that since the people brought their offerings (their tithes) into
the Lord's house there was not only enough, but there was more than
enough; there was a great store left over! It is ever thus when we
faithfully honor God with our substance! John Bunyan wrote:
"There was a man,
Some called him mad;
The more he gave,
The more he had."
Practical Suggestions
In closing I want to give you a few practical suggestions. They are
very important and they are very simple. In the matter of tithing,
Christian friends, be just as strict, and careful and systematic as
you are in business matters, in fact, even more so, for it is not the
world's money and it is not your own, but it is the Lord's money which
is involved. Now do not trust to memory. There are some Christians who
say, Well, I have never bothered to keep any records, but I am quite
sure that if I had done so, I should find that I had given at least a
tenth to the Lord. Some of you might be surprised to find--if you did
keep a record and looked it up--how much short of the tenth you had
given!In the first place I would suggest this. Form the habit of
taking out one-tenth from all the money that you receive either as
wages or gifts. Subtract one-tenth and put it into a separate bag, or
box, or purse. That is what it means when it says in 1 Corinthians 16,
"laying by in store." And that box or purse is the Lord's, not yours.
It is holy unto Him. Form the habit of taking out a tenth from all you
receive, putting it into a separate compartment belonging to the
Lord.In the second place, get a small book, a cheap notebook, and on
one page put down all your receipts (it will not take some of you very
long--one entry, I suppose, at the end of the week) and on the other
page put down the disbursement of God's "tithe."
And then in the third place make it a matter of definite prayer to God
to guide you in the disbursement as to where He would have you use the
money that belongs to Him. It is not yours; it is His; for remember
you have not even begun to give at all until you have first paid your
tithe. Giving comes in afterwards. The tithe is the Lord's. That is
His. That is not yours to give at all; that belongs to the Creator.
You have not begun to give until you have done your tithing.
A Testimony
Now in the last place I just want to quote an extract clipped from a
religious magazine published in England. In that magazine there has
been going on for some time a correspondence, a number of letters, and
the subject has been the unemployment in England among the Lord's
people. Here is the testimony of one who has written to that paper:
"Twenty-five years ago, being influenced by reading the life of George
Muller, I was led to give a tenth of my income to the Lord. I think I
was earning 6œ ($1.50) a week at the time. The first few years I found
it sometimes a sacrifice. One shilling out of ten seemed a lot. But it
became such a habit with me to divide at once and put away the Lord's
tenth that for years it has been no sacrifice. Now what is the result?
This: I have proved the truth that Him that honoreth Me I will honor.
All through the war, and since, I have experienced no poverty. Though
a shop assistant and now over forty (it is a woman that is writing) I
have been away ill only one week in twenty-five years. What makes it
even more wonderful is that after twenty I became slightly deaf and
this has increased (and they do not want deaf assistants to wait on
people in a shop, do they?) and yet, praise the Lord, I am still
holding my situation. When I read of so many other sad cases of
unemployment I praise the Lord for His mercy to me."
One testimony like that is worth twenty arguments. And, my friends, I
want to bear my own witness that after twenty years' experience and
observation I have proven the truth of our text that God does open the
windows of heaven and that He does give more than enough in response
to simple obedience to Him.
"Prove Me now herewith." That is God's challenge to you. God dares you
to test Him out in the financial realm. You profess to have faith in
Him, to trust your soul into His keeping; now He challenges you to see
whether you have faith enough to just trust Him with one-tenth of your
income for a year, for mind you, in the case of the children of Israel
it was a matter of waiting very nearly twelve months for any returns.
They were farmers. You test the Lord out for twelve months. You wait a
reasonable length of time, and then see whether He lets you be the
loser or not. "Prove Me now herewith." That is God's challenge to your
faith. O brethren and sisters, do so and see if He will not open you
the windows of heaven, and pour you out such a blessing that there
shall be "enough and more than enough."
Part 1
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Why Four Gospels? by A.W. Pink
Foreword
It is now upwards of twelve years since the writer first read Mr.
Andrew Jukes' book on the Gospels, wherein he so ably outlined the
various characters, in which the four Evangelists, severally, present
the Lord Jesus Christ. Since then we have continued, with ever
increasing delight, to trace out for ourselves, the various features
which are peculiar to each Gospel.
It has been our privilege to give a series of Bible readings on the
design and scope of the Gospels, to various companies, both in England
and in this country; and many have been the requests for us to publish
them in book form. We have hesitated to do this, because Mr. Jukes,
fifty years ago, had already dealt with this subject with better
success than we could hope to achieve. Since his day, a number of
others have written upon the same theme, though not with the same
perspicuity and helpfulness. Really, Mr. Jukes covered the ground so
thoroughly (at least in its broad outlines) that for any later writer
who would present anything approaching a bird's-eye view of the four
Gospels, is was well-nigh impossible to avoid going over much of the
ground covered by the original pioneer, and repeating much of what he
first, under God, set forth to such good effect. It is only because
Mr. Jukes' work is unknown to many whom we hope to reach, that we now
present these studies to the Christian public. We have worked
diligently on the subject for ourselves, and have sought to thoroughly
assimilate that which we received first from the writing of the above
mentioned, while adding, also, our own findings.
In sending forth this little book, much of which has been gathered up
from the labors of another, we are reminded of the words of the
Apostle Paul to Timothy, his son in the faith: "And the things that
thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to
faithful men" (2 Tim. 2:2). And again: "But continue thou in the
things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of
whom thou hast learned them" (2 Tim. 3:14).
We are fully assured that there is very much in the four Gospels which
manifest the Divine perfections and distinctive beauties of each one,
which has not yet been brought forth by those who have sought to
explore their inexhaustible depths; that there is here a wide field
for diligent research, and that those who will pursue this study,
prayerfully, for themselves, will be richly rewarded for their pains.
May it please God to stir up an increasing number of His people to
"search" this portion of His holy Word which reveal, as nowhere else,
the excellencies of His blessed Son, which were so signally displayed
by Him during the years that He tabernacled among men.
Arthur W. Pink,
Swengel, Pa. 1921
Content | Foreword | Introduction
Matthew | Mark | Luke | John | Conclusion
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Why Four Gospels? by A.W. Pink
Introduction
Why four Gospels? It seems strange that such a question needs to be
asked at this late date. The New Testament has now been in the hands
of the Lord's people for almost two thousand years, and yet,
comparatively few seem to grasp the character and scope of its first
four books. No part of the Scriptures has been studied more widely
than have the four Gospels: innumerable sermons have been preached
from them, and every two or three years sections from one of the
Gospels is assigned as the course for study in our Sunday Schools.
Yet, the fact remains, that the peculiar design and character of
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, is rarely perceived even by those most
familiar with their contents.
Why four Gospels? It does not seem to have occurred to the minds of
many to ask such a question. That we have four Gospels which treat of
the earthly ministry of Christ is universally accepted, but as to why
we have them, as to what they are severally designed to teach, as to
their peculiar characteristics, as to their distinctive
beauties--these are little discerned and even less appreciated. It is
true that each of the four Gospels has much in common to all: each of
them deals with the same period of history, each sets forth the
teaching and miracles of the Saviour, each describes His death and
resurrection. But while the four Evangelists have much in common, each
has much that is peculiar to himself, and it is in noting their
variations that we are brought to see their true meaning and scope and
to appreciate their perfections. Just as a course in architecture
enables the student to discern the subtle distinctions between the
Ionic, the Gothic, and the Corinthian styles--distinctions which are
lost upon the uninstructed; or, just as a musical training fits one to
appreciate the grandeur of a master-production, the loftiness of its
theme, the beauty of its chords, the variety of its parts, or its
rendition--all lost upon uninitiated; so the exquisite perfections of
the four Gospels are unnoticed and unknown by those who see in them
nothing more than four biographies of Christ.
In carefully reading through the four Gospels it soon becomes apparent
to any reflecting mind that in none of them, nor in the four together,
do we have anything approaching a complete biography of our Saviour's
earthly ministry. There are great gaps in His life which none of the
Evangelists profess to fill in. After the record of His infancy,
nothing whatever is told us about Him till He had reached the age of
twelve, and after the brief record which Luke gives of Christ as a boy
in the Temple at Jerusalem, followed by the statement that His parents
went to Nazareth and that there He was "subject unto them" (Luke 2),
nothing further is told us about Him until He had reached the age of
thirty. Even when we come to the accounts of His public ministry it is
clear that the records are but fragmentary; the Evangelists select
only portions of His teachings and describe in detail but a few of His
miracles. Concerning the full scope of all that was crowded into His
wonderful life, John gives us some idea when he says, "And there are
also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be
written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not
contain the books that should be written" (John 21:25).
If then the Gospels are not complete biographies of Christ, what are
they? The first answer must be, Four books inspired, fully inspired,
of God; four books written by men moved by the Holy Spirit; books that
are true, flawless, perfect. The second answer is that, the four
Gospels are so many books, each complete in itself, each of which is
written with a distinctive design, and that which is included in its
pages, and all that is left out, is strictly subordinated to that
design, according to a principle of selection. In other words, nothing
whatever is brought into any one of the Gospels save that which was
strictly relevant and pertinent to its peculiar theme and subject, and
all that was irrelevant and failed to illustrate and exemplify its
theme was excluded. The same plan of selection is noticeable in every
section of the Holy Scriptures.
Take Genesis as an example. Why is it that the first two thousand
years of history are briefly outlined in its first eleven chapters,
and that the next three hundred years is spread out over thirty-nine
chapters? Why is it that so very little is said about the men who
lived before the Flood, whereas the lives of Abraham and Isaac, Jacob
and Joseph are described in such fulness of detail? Why is it that the
Holy Spirit has seen well to depict at greater length the experiences
of Joseph in Egypt than He devoted to the Account of Creation? Take,
again, the later historical books. A great deal is given us concerning
the varied experiences of Abraham's descendants, but little notice is
taken of the mighty Nations which were contemporaneous with them. Why
is it that Israel's history is described at such length, and that of
the Egyptians, the Hittites, the Babylonians, the Persians, and the
Greeks, is almost entirely ignored? The answer to all of these
questions is that, the Holy Spirit selected only that which served the
purpose before Him. The purpose of Genesis is to explain to us the
origin of that Nation which occupies so prominent a place in the Old
Testament Scriptures, hence, the Holy Spirit hurries over, as it were,
the centuries before Abraham was born, and then proceeds to describe
in detail the lives of the fathers from which the Chosen Nation
sprang. The same principle obtains in the other books of the Old
Testament. Because the Holy Spirit is there setting forth the dealings
of God with Israel, the other great nations of antiquity are largely
ignored, and only come into view at all as they directly concerned the
Twelve-Tribed people. So it is in the four Gospels: each of the
Evangelists was guided by the Spirit to record only that which served
to set forth Christ in the particular character in which He was there
to be viewed, and that which was not in keeping with that particular
character was left out. Our meaning will become clearer as the reader
proceeds.
Why four Gospels? Because one or two was not sufficient to give a
perfect presentation of the varied glories of our blessed Lord. Just
as no one of the Old Testament typical personages (such as Isaac or
Joseph, Moses or David) give an exhaustive foreshadowment of our Lord,
so, no one of the four Gospels presents a complete portrayal of
Christ's manifold excellencies. Just as no one or two of the five
great offerings appointed by God for Israel (see Lev. 1-6) could, by
itself, represent the many-sided sacrifice of Christ, so no one, or
two, of the Gospels could, by itself, display fully the varied
relationships which the Lord Jesus sustained when He was here upon
earth. In a word, the four Gospels set Christ before us as filling
four distinct offices. We might illustrate it thus. Suppose I was to
visit a strange town in which there was an imposing city-hall, and
that I was anxious to convey to my friends at home the best possible
idea of it. What would I do? I would use my camera to take four
different pictures of it, one from each side, and thus my friends
would be able to obtain a complete conception of its structure and
beauty. Now that is exactly what we have in the four Gospels. Speaking
reverently, we may say that the Holy Spirit has photographed the Lord
Jesus from four different angles, viewing Him in four different
relationships, displaying Him as perfectly discharging the
responsibilities of four different offices. And it is impossible to
read the Gospels intelligently, to understand their variations, to
appreciate their details, to get out of them what we ought, until the
reader learns exactly from which angle each separate Gospel is viewing
Christ, which particular relationship Matthew or Mark shows Him to be
discharging, which office Luke or John shows Him to be filling.
The four Gospels alike present to us the person and work of our
blessed Saviour, but each one views Him in a distinct relationship,
and only that which served to illustrate the separate design which
each Evangelist had before him found a place in his Gospel; everything
else which was not strictly germane to his immediate purpose was
omitted. To make this still more simple we will use another
illustration. Suppose that today four men should undertake to write a
"life" of ex-president Roosevelt, and that each one designed to
present him in a different character. Suppose that the first should
treat of his private and domestic life, the second deal with him as a
sportsman and hunter of big game, the third depict his military
prowess and the fourth traced his political and presidential career.
Now it will be seen at once that these four biographers while writing
of the life of the same man would, nevertheless, view him in four
entirely different relationships. Moreover, it will be evident that
these biographers would be governed in the selection of their material
by the particular purpose each one had before him: each would include
only that which was germane to his own specific viewpoint, and for the
same reason each would omit that which was irrelevant. For instance:
suppose it was known that Mr. Roosevelt, as a boy, had excelled in
gymnastics and athletics which of his biographers would mention this
fact? Clearly, the second one, who was depicting him as a sportsman.
Suppose that as a boy Mr. Roosevelt had frequently engaged in fistic
encounters, which one would make mention of it? Evidently, the one who
was depicting his military career, for it would serve to illustrate
his fighting qualities. Again, suppose that when a college-student Mr.
R. had displayed an aptitude for debating, which biographer would
refer to it? The fourth, who was treating of his political and
presidential life. Finally, suppose that from youth upwards, Mr. R.
had manifested a marked fondness for children, which of his
biographers would refer to it? The first, for he is treating of the
ex-president's private and domestic life.
The above example may serve to illustrate what we have in the four
Gospels. In Matthew, Christ is presented as the Son of David, the King
of the Jews, and everything in his narrative centers around this
truth. This explains why the first Gospel opens with a setting forth
of Christ's royal genealogy, and why in the second chapter mention is
made of the journey of the wise men from the East, who came to
Jerusalem inquiring "Where is He that is born King of the Jews?", and
why in chapters five to seven we have what is known as "The Sermon on
the Mount" but which, in reality, is the Manifesto of the King,
containing an enunciation of the Laws of His Kingdom.
In Mark, Christ is depicted as the Servant of Jehovah, as the One who
through equal with God made Himself of no reputation and "took upon
Him the form of a servant." Everything in this second Gospel
contributes to this central theme, and everything foreign to it is
rigidly excluded. This explains why there is no genealogy recorded in
Mark, why Christ is introduced at the beginning of His public ministry
(nothing whatever being told us here of His earlier life), and why
there are more miracles (deeds of service) detailed here than in any
of the other Gospels.
In Luke, Christ is set forth as the Son of Man, as connected with but
contrasted from the sons of men, and everything in the narrative
serves to bring this out. This explains why the third Gospel traces
His genealogy back to Adam, the first man, (instead of to Abraham
only, as in Matthew), why as the perfect Man He is seen here so
frequently in prayer, and why the angels are seen ministering to Him,
instead of commanded by Him as they are in Matthew.
In John, Christ is revealed as the Son of God, and everything in this
fourth Gospel is made to illustrate and demonstrate this Divine
relationship. This explains why in the opening verse we are carried
back to a point before time began, and we are shown Christ as the Word
"in the beginning," with God, and Himself expressly declared to be
God; why we get here so many of His Divine titles, as "The only
begotten of the Father," the "Lamb of God," the "Light of the world"
etc.; why we are told here that prayer should be made in His Name, and
why the Holy Spirit is here said to be sent from the Son as well as
from the Father.
It is a remarkable fact that this fourfold presentation of Christ in
the Gospels was specifically indicated through the Old Testament
seers. Conspicuous among the many prophecies of the Old Testament are
those which spoke of the coming Messiah under the title of "the
Branch." From these we may select four which correspond exactly with
the manner in which the Lord Jesus is looked at, respectively, in each
of the four Gospels: --
In Jeremiah 23:5 we read, "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that
I will raise unto DAVID a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and
prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth." These
words fit the first Gospel as glove fits hand.
In Zechariah 3:8 we read, "Behold, I will bring forth My Servant the
Branch." These words might well be taken as a title for the second
Gospel.
In Zechariah 6:12 we read, "Behold the Man whose name is the Branch."
How accurately this corresponds with Luke's delineation of Christ
needs not to be pointed out.
In Isaiah 4:2 we read, "In that day shall the Branch of the Lord be
beautiful and glorious." Thus, this last quoted of these Messianic
predictions, which spoke of the Coming One under the figure of "the
Branch," tallies exactly with the fourth Gospel, which portrays our
Saviour as the Son of God.
But, not only did Old Testament prophecy anticipate the four chief
relationships which Christ sustained on earth, the Old Testament types
also foreshadowed this fourfold division. In Genesis 2:10 we read "And
a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was
parted, and became into four heads." Note carefully the words "from
thence." In Eden itself "the river" was one, but "from thence" it "was
parted" and became into four heads. There must be some deeply hidden
meaning to this, for why tell us how many "heads" this river had? The
mere historical fact is without interest or value for us, and that the
Holy Spirit has condescended to record this detail prepares us to look
beneath the surface and seek for some mystical meaning. And surely
that is not far to seek. "Eden" suggests to us the Paradise above: the
"river" which "watered" it, tells of Christ who is the Light and Joy
of Heaven. Interpreting this mystic figure, then, we learn that in
Heaven Christ was seen in one character only--"The Lord of Glory"--but
just as when the "river" left Eden it was parted and became "four
heads" and as such thus watered the earth, so, too, the earthly
ministry of the Lord Jesus has been, by the Holy Spirit, "parted into
four heads" in the Four Gospels.
Another Old Testament type which anticipated the fourfold division of
Christ's ministry as recorded in the four Gospels may be seen in
Exodus 26:31, 32, "And thou shalt make a veil of blue, and purple, and
scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubim shall it
be made. And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood
overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four
sockets of silver." From Hebrews 10:19,20 we learn that the "veil"
foreshadowed the Incarnation, God manifest in flesh-- "through the
veil, that is to say, His flesh." It is surely significant that this
"veil" was hung upon "four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with
gold:" the wood, again, speaking of His humanity, and the gold of His
Deity. Just as these "four pillars" served to display the beautiful
veil, so in the four Gospels we have made manifest the perfections of
the only-begotten of the Father tabernacling among men.
In connection with the Scripture last quoted, we may observe one other
feature--"with cherubim shall it be made." The veil was ornamented,
apparently, with the "cherubim" embroidered upon it in colors of blue,
purple, and scarlet. In Ezekiel 10:15,17, etc. the cherubim are termed
"the living creature:" this enables us to identify the "four beasts"
of Revelation 4:6 for rendered literally the Greek reads "four living
creatures." These "living creatures" or "cherubim" are also four in
number, and from the description which is furnished of them in
Revelation 4:7 it will be found that they correspond, most remarkably
with the various characters in which the Lord Jesus Christ is set
forth in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
"And the first living creature was like a lion, and the second living
creature like a calf, and the third living creature had a face as a
man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle" (Rev.
4:7). The first cherubim, then, was like "a lion" which reminds us at
once of the titles which are used of Christ in Revelation 5:5--"The
Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David." The lion, which is the
king among the beasts is an apt symbol for portraying Christ as He is
presented in Matthew's Gospel. Note also that the Lion of the Tribe of
Judah is here termed "the Root of David." Thus the description given
in Revelation 4:7 of the first "cherubim" corresponds exactly with the
character in which Christ is set forth in the first Gospel, viz., as
"the Son of David," the "King of the Jews." The second cherubim was
"like a calf" or "young ox." The young ox aptly symbolizes Christ as
He is presented in Mark's Gospel, for just as the ox was the chief
animal of service in Israel, so in the second Gospel we have Christ
presented in lowliness as the perfect "Servant of Jehovah." The third
cherubim "had a face as a man," which corresponds with the third
Gospel where our Lord's Humanity is in view. The fourth cherubim was
"like a flying eagle:" how significant! The first three--the lion,
young ox, and man,--all belong to the earth, just as each of the first
three Gospels each set forth Christ in an earthly relationship; but
this fourth cherubim lifts us up above the earth, and brings the
heavens into view! The eagle is the bird that soars the highest and
symbolizes the character in which Christ is seen in John's Gospel,
viz., as the Son of God. Incidentally we may observe how this
description of the four cherubim in Revelation 4:7 authenticates the
arrangement of the four Gospels as we have them in our Bibles,
evidencing the fact that their present order is of Divine arrangement
as Revelation 4:7 confirms!
We would call attention to one other feature ere closing this
Introduction and turning to the Gospels themselves. Behold the wisdom
of God displayed in the selection of the four men whom He employed to
write the Gospels. In each one we may discern a peculiar suitability
and fitness for his task.
The instrumental selection by God to write this first Gospel was
singularly fitted for the task before him. Matthew is the only one of
the four Evangelists who presents Christ in an official relationship,
namely, as the Messiah and King of Israel, and Matthew himself was the
only one of the four who filled an official position; for, unlike
Luke, who was by profession a physician, or John who was a fisherman,
Matthew was a tax-gatherer in the employ of the Romans. Again; Matthew
presents Christ in Kingdom connections, as the One who possessed the
title to reign over Israel; how fitting, then, that Matthew, who was
an officer of and accustomed to look out over a vast empire, should be
the one selected for this task. Again; Matthew was a publican. The
Romans appointed officials whose duty it was to collect the Jewish
taxes. The tax-gatherers were hated by the Jews more bitterly than the
Romans themselves. Such a man was Matthew. How feelingly, then, could
he write of the One who was "hated without a cause"! and set forth the
Messiah-Saviour, as "despised and rejected" by His own nation.
Finally, in God appointing this man, who by calling was connected with
the Romans, we have a striking anticipation of the grace of God
reaching out to the despised Gentiles.
Mark's Gospel sets before us the Servant of Jehovah, God's perfect
Workman. And the instrument chosen to write this second Gospel seems
to have held an unique position which well fitted him for his task. He
was not himself one of the apostles, but was rather a servant of an
apostle. In 2 Timothy 4:11 we have a scripture which brings this out
in a striking manner--"Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is
profitable to me for the ministry." Thus the one who wrote of our Lord
as the Servant of God, was himself one who ministered to others!
Luke's Gospel deals with our Lord's Humanity, and presents Him as the
Son of Man related to but contrasted from the sons of men. Luke's
Gospel is the one which gives us the fullest account of the
virgin-birth. Luke's Gospel also reveals more fully than any of the
others the fallen and depraved state of human nature. Again; Luke's
Gospel is far more international in its scope than the other three,
and is more Gentilish than Jewish--evidences of this will be presented
when we come to examine his Gospel in detail. Now observe the
appropriateness of the selection of Luke to write this Gospel. Who was
he? He was neither a fisherman nor a tax-gatherer, but a "physician"
(see Col. 4:14), and as such, a student of human nature and a
diagnostician of the human frame. Moreover, there is good reason to
believe that Luke himself was not a Jew but a Gentile, and hence it
was peculiarly fitting that he should present Christ not as "the Son
of David" but as "The Son of Man."
John's Gospel presents Christ in the loftiest character of all,
setting Him forth in Divine relationship, showing that He was the Son
of God. This was a task that called for a man of high spirituality,
one who was intimate with our Lord in a special manner, one who was
gifted with unusual spiritual discernment. And surely John, who was
nearer to the Saviour than any of the twelve, surely John "the
disciple whom Jesus loved," was well chosen. How fitting that the one
who leaned on the Master's bosom should be the instrument to portray
Christ as "The only-begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the
Father"! Thus may we discern and admire the manifold wisdom of God in
equipping the four "Evangelists" for their honorous work.
Ere closing this Introduction we would return once more to our opening
query--Why four Gospels? This time we shall give the question a
different emphasis. Thus far, we have considered, "Why four Gospels?
And we have seen that the answer is, In order to present the person of
Christ in four different characters. But we would now ask, Why four
Gospels? Why not have reduced them to two or three? Or, why not have
added a fifth? Why four? God has a wise reason for everything, and we
may be assured there is a Divine fitness in the number of the Gospels.
In seeking to answer the question, Why four Gospels, we are not left
to the uncertainties of speculation or imagination. Scripture is its
own interpreter. A study of God's Word reveals the fact (as pointed
out by others before us), that in it the numerals are used with
definite precision and meaning. "Four" is the number of the earth. It
is, therefore, also, the world number. We subjoin a few illustrations
of this. There are four points to earth's compass--nor the, east,
south, and west. There are four seasons to earth's year--spring,
summer, autumn, and winter. There are four elements connected with our
world--earth, air, fire, and water. There have been four, and only
four, great world-empires--the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian, the
Grecian, and the Roman. Scripture divides earth's inhabitants into
four classes--"kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation" (Rev. 5:9
etc.). In the Parable of the Sower, our Lord divided the field into
four kinds of soil, and later He said, "the field is the world." The
fourth commandment has to do with rest from all earth's labors. The
fourth clause in what is known as the Lord's prayer is, "Thy will be
done on earth." And so we might go on. Four is thus the earth number.
How fitting, then, that the Holy Spirit should have given us four
Gospels in which to set forth the earthly ministry of the Heavenly
One.
Content | Foreword | Introduction
Matthew | Mark | Luke | John | Conclusion
____________________________________________________
About Us
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Why Four Gospels? by A.W. Pink
Chapter 1-Matthew's Gospel
Matthew's Gospel breaks the long silence that followed the ministry of
Malachi the last of the Old Testament prophets. This silence extended
for four hundred years, and during that time God was hid from Israel's
view. Throughout this period there were no angelic manifestations, no
prophet spake for Jehovah, and, though the Chosen People were sorely
pressed, yet were there no Divine interpositions on their behalf. For
four centuries God shut His people up to His written Word. Again and
again had God promised to send the Messiah, and from Malachi's time
and onwards the saints of the Lord anxiously awaited the appearing of
the predicted One. It is at this point Matthew's Gospel is to present
Christ as the Fulfiller of the promises made to Israel and the
prophecies which related to their Messiah. This is why the word
"fulfilled" occurs in Matthew fifteen times, and why there are more
quotations from the Old Testament in this first Gospel than in the
remaining three put together.
The position which Matthew's Gospel occupies in the Sacred Canon
indicates its scope: it follows immediately after the Old Testament,
and stands at the beginning of the New. It is therefore a connecting
link between them. Hence it is transitionary in its character, and
more Jewish than any other book in the New Testament. Matthew reveals
God appealing to and dealing with His Old Testament people; presents
the Lord Jesus as occupying a distinctively Jewish relationship; and,
is the only one of the four Evangelists that records Messiah's express
declaration, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the House of
Israel" (15:24). The numerical position given to Matthew's Gospel in
the Divine library confirms what has been said, for, being the
fortieth book it shows us Israel in the place of probation, tested by
the presence of Messiah in their midst.
Matthew presents the Lord Jesus as Israel's Messiah and King, as well
as the One who shall save His people from their sins. The opening
sentence gives the key to the book-- "The book of the generation of
Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham." Seven times the
Lord Jesus is addressed as "Son of David" in the Gospel, and ten
times, altogether, is this title found there. "Son of David" connects
the Saviour with Israel's throne, "Son of Abraham" linking Him with
Israel's land--Abraham being the one to whom Jehovah first gave the
land. But nowhere after the opening verse is this title "Son of
Abraham" applied to Christ, for the restoration of the land to Israel
is consequent upon their acceptance of Him as their Saviour--King, and
that which is made prominent in this first Gospel is the presentation
of Christ as King--twelve times over is this title here applied to
Christ.
Matthew is essentially the dispensational Gospel and it is impossible
to over-estimate its importance and value. Matthew shows us Christ
offered to the Jews, and the consequences of their rejection of Him,
namely, the setting aside of Israel, and God turning in grace to the
Gentiles. Rom. 15:8,9 summarizes the scope of Matthew's Gospel--"Jesus
Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to
confirm the promises made unto the fathers; And that the Gentiles
might glorify God for His mercy." Christ was not only born of the
Jews, but He was born, first, to the Jews, so that in the language of
their prophet they could exclaim, "Unto us a Child is born, unto us a
Son is given" (Isa. 9:6). Matthew's Gospel explains why Israel, in
their later books of the New Testament, is seen temporally cast off by
God, and why He is now taking out from the Gentiles a people for His
name; in other words, it makes known why, in the present dispensation,
the Church has superseded the Jewish theocracy. It supplies the key to
God's dealings with the earth in this Age: without a workable
knowledge of this first Gospel it is well-nigh impossible to
understand the remaining portions of the New Testament. We turn now to
consider some of the outstanding features and peculiar characteristics
of Matthew's Gospel.
The first thing which arrests our attention is the opening verse. God,
in His tender grace, has hung the key right over the entrance. The
opening verse is that which unlocks the contents of this Gospel--"The
book of the generation of Jesus Christ the Son of David, the Son of
Abraham." The first five English words here are but two in the Greek--
"Biblos geneseos." These two words indicate the peculiarly Jewish
character of the earlier portions of this Gospel, for it is an Old
Testament expression. It is noteworthy that this expression which
commences the New Testament is found almost at the beginning of the
first book in the Old Testament, for in Gen. 5:1 we read, "This is the
book of the generations of Adam." We need hardly say that this word
"generation" signifies the history of." These two "books"--the book of
the generation of Adam, and the book of the generation of Jesus
Christ--might well be termed the Book of Death and the Book of Life.
Not only does the whole Bible center around these two books, but the
sum of human destiny also. How strikingly this expression, found at
the beginning of Genesis and the beginning of Matthew, brings out the
Unity of the two Testaments!
In the book of Genesis we have eleven different "generations" or
histories enumerated, beginning with the "generations of the heavens
and the earth," and closing with the "generations of Jacob"--see 2:4;
5:1; 6:9; 11:10; 11:27; 25:12; 25:19; 36:1; 36:9; 37:2--thus dividing
the first book of the Bible into twelve sections, twelve being the
number of Divine government, which is what is before us in
Genesis--God in sovereign government. From Exodus to Daniel we find
government entrusted, instrumentally, to Israel, and from Daniel
onwards it is in the hands of the Gentiles; but in Genesis we antedate
the Jewish theocracy, and there government is found directly in the
hands of God, hence its twelve-fold division. Twice more, namely, in
Numbers 3:1 and Ruth 4:18, do we get this expression "the generation
of," making in the Old Testament thirteen in all, which is the number
of apostasy, for that is all the Law revealed! But, as we have seen,
this expression occurs once more (and there for the last time in Holy
Writ) in the opening verse of the New Testament, thus making fourteen
in all, and the fourteenth is "the book of the generation of Jesus
Christ." How profoundly significant and suggestive this is! Fourteen
is 2 x 7, and two signifies (among its other meanings) contrast or
difference, and seven is the number of perfection and
completeness--and what a complete difference the Coming of Jesus
Christ made!
"The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son
of Abraham" (Matt. 1:1). These titles of our Saviour have, at least, a
threefold significance. In the first place, both of them connect Him
with Israel: "Son of David" linking Him with Israel's Throne, and "Son
of Abraham" with Israel's Land. In the second place, "Son of David"
limits Him to Israel, whereas "Son of Abraham" is wider in its scope,
reaching forth to the Gentiles, for God's original promise was that in
Abraham "shall all the families of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 12:3).
In the third place, as Dr. W. L. Tucker has pointed out, these titles
correspond exactly with the twofold (structural) division of Matthew's
Gospel.1 Up to 4:16 all is Introductory, and 4:17 opens the first
division of the book, reading, "From that time Jesus began to preach,
and to say, Repent: for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand." This
section treats of the Official ministry of Christ and presents Him as
"the Son of David." The second section commences at 16:21 and reads,
"From that time forth Jesus began to show unto His disciples, how that
He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and
chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the
third day." This section treats, primarily, of the Sacrificial work of
Christ, and views Him as "the Son of Abraham," typified, of old, by
Isaac--laid on the altar.
Having dwelt at some length on the opening verse of our Gospel, we may
next notice that the remainder of the chapter down to the end of verse
17 is occupied with the Genealogy of Jesus Christ. The prime
significance of this is worthy of our closest attention, for it fixes
with certainty the character and dominant theme of this Gospel. The
very first book of the New Testament opens a long list of names! What
a proof that no uninspired man composed it! But God's thoughts and
ways are ever different from ours, and ever perfect too. The reason
for this Genealogy is not far to seek. As we have seen, the opening
sentence of Matthew contains the key to the book, intimating plainly
that Christ is here viewed, first, in a Jewish relationship, fully
entitled to sit on David's Throne. How then is His title established?
By showing that, according to the flesh, He belonged to the royal
tribe: by setting forth His Kingly line of descent. A King's title to
occupy the throne depends not on the public ballot, but lies in his
blood rights. Therefore, the first thing which the Holy Spirit does in
this Gospel is to give us the Royal Genealogy of the Messiah, showing
that as a lineal descendant of David He was fully entitled to Israel's
Throne.
The Genealogy recorded in Matthew 1 gives us not merely the human
ancestry of Christ, but, particularly, His royal line of descent, this
being one of the essential features which differentiates it from the
Genealogy recorded in Luke 3. The fundamental design of Matthew 1:1-17
is to prove Christ's right to reign as King of the Jews. This is why
the genealogy is traced no further back than Abraham, he being the
father of the Hebrew people. This is why, in the opening verse, the
order is "Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham," instead
of "the Son of Abraham, the Son of David" as might be expected from
the order which immediately follows, for there we start with Abraham
and work up to David. Why, then, is this order reversed in the opening
verse? The answer must be that David comes first because it is the
Kingly line which is here being emphasized! This also explains why, in
verse 2 we read "Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob, and Jacob
begat Judah and his brethren." Why should Judah alone be here singled
out for mention from the twelve sons of Jacob? Why not have said
"Jacob begat Reuben and his brethren"? for he was Jacob's firstborn."
If it be objected that the birthright was transferred from Reuben to
Joseph, then we ask, why not have said "Jacob begat Joseph"?
especially as Joseph was his favorite son. The answer is, Because
Judah was the royal tribe, and it is the Kingly line which is here
before us. Again: in verse 6 we read, "And Jesse begat David the King:
and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of
Uriah." Of all those who reigned over Israel whose names are here
recorded in Matthew 1, David is the only one that is denominated
"King," and he, twice over in the same verse! Why is this, except to
bring David into special prominence, and thus show us the significance
of the title given to our Lord in the opening verse--"the Son of
David."
There are many interesting features of this Genealogy which we must
now pass over, but its numerical arrangement calls for a few brief
comments. The Genealogy is divided into three parts: the first
section, running from Abraham to David, may be termed the period of
Preparation; the second section running from Solomon to the Babylonian
captivity, may be called the period of Degeneration; while the third
period, running from the Babylonian captivity till the Birth of
Christ, may be named the period of Expectation. The numeral three
signifies, in Scripture, manifestation, and how appropriate this
arrangement was here, for not until Christ appears is God's purpose
concerning Abraham and his seed fully manifested. Each of these three
sections in the Royal Genealogy contains fourteen generations, which
is 2 x 7, two signifying (among its slightly varied meanings)
testimony or competent witness, and seven standing for perfection.
Again we may admire the consonancy of these numerals in this genealogy
of Christ, for only in Him do we get perfect testimony--the "Faithful
and True Witness." Finally, be it observed, that 14 x 3 gives us 42
generations in all from Abraham to Christ, or 7 x 6, seven signifying
perfection, and six being the number of man, so that Christ--the
forty-second from Abraham--brings us to the Perfect Man!! How
microscopically perfect is the Word of God!
"And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus,
who is called Christ" (Matt. 1:16). Matthew does not connect Joseph
and Jesus as father and son, but departs from the usual phraseology of
the genealogy so as to indicate the peculiarity, the uniqueness, of
the Saviour's birth. Abraham might begat Isaac, and Isaac begat Jacob,
but Joseph the husband of Mary did not begat Jesus, instead, we read,
"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: when as His mother
Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found
with child of the Holy Spirit" (1:18). As Isaiah had foretold (7:14)
seven hundred years before, Messiah was to be born of "the virgin."
But a virgin had no right to Israel's throne, but Joseph had this
right, being a direct descendant of David, and so through Joseph, His
legal father (for be it remembered that betrothal was as binding with
the Jews as marriage is with us) the Lord Jesus secured His rights,
according to the flesh, to be King of the Jews.
Coming now to Matthew 2 we may observe that we have in this chapter an
incident recorded which is entirely passed over by the other
Evangelists, but which is peculiarly appropriate in this first Gospel.
This incident is the visit of the wise men who came from the East to
honor and worship the Christ Child. The details which the Holy Spirit
gives us of this visit strikingly illustrate the distinctive character
and scope of Matthew's Gospel. This chapter opens as follows, "Now
when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the
King, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying,
Where is He that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen His star
in the east, and are come to worship Him." Notice, these wise men came
not inquiring, "Where is He that is born the Saviour of the world?",
nor, "Where is the Word now incarnate?", but instead, "Where is He
that is born King of the Jews?" The fact that Mark, Luke and John are
entirely silent about this, and the fact that Matthew's Gospel does
record it, is surely proof positive that this First Gospel presents
Christ in a distinctively Jewish relationship. The evidence for this
is cumulative: there is first the peculiar expression with which
Matthew opens-- "the book of the generation of," which is an Old
Testament expression, and met with nowhere else in the New Testament;
there is the first title which is given to Christ in this Gospel--
"Son of David;" there is the Royal Genealogy which immediately
follows; and now there is the record of the visit of the wise men,
saying, "Where is He that is born King of the Jews?" Thus has the
Spirit of God made so plain and prominent the peculiarly Jewish
character of the opening chapters of Matthew's Gospel that none save
those who are blinded by prejudice can fail to see its true
dispensational place. Thus, too, has He rendered excuseless the
foolish agitation which is now, in certain quarters, being raised, and
which tends only to confuse and confound.
But there is far more in Matthew 2 than the recognition of Christ as
the rightful King of the Jews. The incident therein narrated contains
a foreshadowment of the reception which Christ was to meet with here
in the world, anticipating the end from the beginning. What we find
here in Matthew 2 is really a prophetic outline of the whole course of
Matthew's Gospel. First, we have the affirmation that the Lord Jesus
was born "King of the Jews;" then we have the fact that Christ is
found not in Jerusalem, the royal city, but outside of it; then we
have the blindness and indifference of the Jews to the presence of
David's Son in their midst--seen in the fact that, first, His own
people were unaware that the Messiah was now there among them, and
second, in their failure to accompany the wise men as they left
Jerusalem seeking the young Child; then we are shown strangers from a
far-distant land with a heart for the Saviour, seeking Him out and
worshipping Him; finally, we learn of the civil ruler filled with
hatred and seeking His life. Thus, the incident as a whole marvelously
foreshadowed Christ's rejection by the Jews and His acceptance by the
Gentiles. Thus do we find epitomized here the whole burden of
Matthew's Gospel, the special purpose of which is to show Christ
presenting Himself to Israel, Israel's rejection of Him, with the
consequent result of God setting Israel aside for a season, and
reaching out in grace to the despised Gentiles.
Next we read, "And when they were departed, behold the angel of the
Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise and take the young
Child and His mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I
bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him"
(2:13). Observe that it is Joseph and not Mary that figures so
prominently in the first two chapters of Matthew, for it was not
through His mother, but through His legal father that the Lord Jesus
acquired His title to David's throne--compare Matthew 1:20, where
Joseph is termed "son of David"! It should also be pointed out that
Matthew is, again, the only one of the four Evangelists to record this
journey into Egypt, and the subsequent return to Palestine. This is
profoundly suggestive, and strikingly in accord with the special
design of this First Gospel, for it shows how Israel's Messiah took
the very same place as where Israel's history as a Nation began!
"But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a
dream to Joseph in Egypt, Saying, Arise, and take the young Child and
His mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which
sought the young Child's life. And he arose, and took the young Child
and His mother, and came into the land of Israel" (2:19-21). Once more
we discover another line which brings out the peculiarly Jewish
character of Matthew's delineation of Christ. This is the only place
in the New Testament where Palestine is termed "the land of Israel,"
and it is significantly proclaimed as such here in connection with
Israel's King, for it is not until He shall set up His Throne in
Jerusalem that Palestine shall become in fact, as it has so long been
in promise, "the Land of Israel." Yet how tragically suggestive is the
statement that immediately follows here, and which closes Matthew 2.
No sooner do we read of "the land of Israel" than we find "But" as the
very next word, and in Scripture, "but" almost always points a
contrast. Here we read, "But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in
Judea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither:
notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into
the parts of Galilee:
And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a
Nazarene" (2:21-23). Nazareth was the most despised place in that
despised province of Galilee, and thus we see how early the Messiah
took the place of the despised One, again foreshadowing His rejection
by the Jews--but mention of "Nazareth" follows, be it observed,
mention of "the land of Israel."
Matthew 3 opens by bringing before us a most striking character: "In
those days"--that is, while the Lord Jesus still dwelt in despised
Nazareth of Galilee--"came John the Baptist, preaching in the
wilderness of Judea." He was the predicted forerunner of Israel's
Messiah. He was the one of whom Isaiah had said should prepare the way
for the Lord, and this by preparing a people to receive Him by such
time as He should appear to the public view. He came "in the spirit
and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17), to do a work similar in character to
that of the yet future mission of the Tisbite (Matt. 4:5,6).
John addressed himself to the Covenant people, and restricted himself
to the land of Judea. He preached not in Jerusalem but in the
wilderness. The reason for this is obvious: God would not own the
degenerate system of Judaism, but stationed His messenger outside all
the religious circles of that day. The "wilderness" but symbolized the
barrenness and desolation of Israel's spiritual condition.
The message of John was simple and to the point--"Repent ye." It was a
call for Israel to judge themselves. It was a word which demanded that
the Jews take their proper place before God, confessing their sins.
Only thus could a people be made ready for the Lord, the Messiah. The
Call to Repentance was enforced by a timely warning--"Repent ye, for
the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." Observe, "Repent ye" not because
"the Saviour is at hand," not because "God incarnate is now in your
midst," and not because "A new Dispensation has dawned;" but because
"the Kingdom of Heaven" was "at hand." What would John's hearers
understand by this expression? What meaning could those Jews attach to
his words? Surely the Baptist did not employ language which, in the
nature of the case, it was impossible for them to grasp. And yet we
are asked to believe that John was here introducing Christianity! A
wilder and more ridiculous theory it would be hard to imagine. If by
the "Kingdom of Heaven" John signified the Christian dispensation,
then he addressed those Jewish hearers in an unknown tongue. We say it
with calm deliberation, that if John bade his auditors repent because
the Christian dispensation was then being inaugurated, he mocked them,
by employing a term which not only must have been entirely
unintelligible to them, but utterly misleading. To charge God's
messenger with doing that is perilously near committing a sin which we
shrink from naming.
What then, we ask again, would John's hearers understand him to mean
when he said, "Repent ye, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand"?
Addressing, as he was, a people who were familiar with the Old
Testament Scriptures, they could place but one meaning upon his words,
namely, that he was referring to the Kingdom spoken of again and again
by their prophets--the Messianic Kingdom. That which should
distinguish Messiah's Kingdom from all the kingdoms that have preceded
it, is this: all the kingdoms of this world have been ruled over by
Satan and his hosts, whereas, when Messiah's Kingdom is established,
it shall be a rule of the Heavens over the earth.
The question has been raised as to why Israel refused the Kingdom on
which their hearts were set. Did not the establishing of Messiah's
Kingdom mean an end of the Roman dominion? and was not that the one
thing they desired above all others? In reply to such questions
several things must be insisted upon. In the first place, it is a
mistake to say that Israel "refused" the Kingdom, for, in strict
accuracy of language, the Kingdom was never "offered" to them--rather
was the Kingdom heralded or proclaimed. The Kingdom was "at hand"
because the Heir to David's throne was about to present Himself to
them. In the second place, before the Kingdom could be set up, Israel
must first "Repent," but this, as is well known, is just what they, as
a nation, steadily refused to do. As we are expressly told in Luke
7:29,30. "And all the people that heard him, and the publicans,
justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. But the
Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves,
being not baptized of him." In the third place, the reader will,
perhaps, see our meaning clearer if we illustrate by an analogy: the
world today is eagerly longing for the Golden Age. A millennium of
peace and rest is the great desideratum among diplomats and
politicians. But they want it on their own terms. They desire to bring
it about by their own efforts. They have no desire for a Millennium
brought about by the personal return to earth of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Exactly so was it with Israel in the days of John the Baptist.
True, they desired to be delivered from the Roman dominion. True, they
wished to be freed for ever from the Gentile yoke. True, they longed
for a millennium of undisturbed prosperity in a restored Palestine,
but they did not want it in GOD'S terms.
The ministry of John the Baptist is referred to at greater or shorter
length in each of the four Gospels, but Matthew is the only one who
records this utterance "Repent ye, for the Kingdom of heaven is at
hand." To ignore this fact is to fail in "rightly dividing the Word of
truth." It is to lose sight of the characteristic distinctions which
the Holy Spirit has been pleased to make in the four Gospels. It is to
reduce those four independent delineations of Christ's person and
ministry to a meaningless jumble. It is to lay bare the incompetency
of a would-be-teacher of Scripture as one who is not a "scribe who is
instructed unto the Kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 13:52).
John's baptism confirmed his preaching. He baptized "unto repentance,"
and in Jordan, the river of death. Those who were baptized "confessed
their sins" (Mark 1:5), of which death was the just due, the "wages"
earned. But Christian baptism is entirely different from this: there,
we take not the place of those who deserve death, but of those who
show forth the fact that they have, already, died with Christ.
It is beyond our present purpose to attempt a detailed exposition of
this entire Gospel, rather shall we single out those features which
are characteristic of and peculiar to this first Gospel. Accordingly,
we may notice an expression found in 3:11, and which occurs nowhere
else in the New Testament outside of the four Gospels, and this is the
more remarkable because a portion of this very verse is quoted in the
Acts. Speaking to the Pharisees and Sadducees who had "come to his
baptism," but whom the Lord's forerunner quickly discerned were not in
any condition to be baptized; who had been warned to flee from the
wrath to come, and therefore were in urgent need of bringing forth
"fruit meet for repentance" (in their case, humbling themselves before
God, abandoning their lofty pretensions and self righteousness, and
taking their place as genuine self-confessed sinners), and to whom
John had said, "Think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to
our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to
raise up children unto (not God, be it noted, but) Abraham" (v. 9); to
them John announced: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I,
whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the
Spirit and fire."
In Acts 1, where we behold the risen Lord in the midst of His
disciples, we read, "And, being assembled together with them,
commended them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait
for the promise of the Father, which, saith He, ye have heard of Me.
For John truly baptized with water: but ye shall e baptized with the
Holy Spirit not many days hence" (vv. 4,5). His forerunner had
declared that Christ should baptize Israel with "the Holy Spirit and
fire," yet, here, the Lord speaks only of the disciples being baptized
with the Holy Spirit. Why is this? Why did the Lord Jesus omit the
words "and fire"? The simple answer is that in Scripture "fire" is,
invariably, connected with Divine judgment. Thus, the reason is
obvious why the Lord omits "and fire" from His utterance recorded in
Acts 1. He was about to deal, not in judgment but, in grace! It is
equally evident why the words "and fire" are recorded by Matthew, for
his Gospel, deals, essentially with Dispensational relationships, and
makes known much concerning End-time conditions. God is yet to
"baptize" recreant Israel "with fire," the reference being to the
tribulation judgments, during the time of "Jacob's Trouble." Then will
the winnowing fan be held by the hand of the rejected Messiah, and
then "He will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into
the darner: but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire"
(Matt. 3:12). How manifestly do the words last quoted define for us
the baptism of "fire"!
The silence of the risen Lord as to the "fire" when speaking to the
disciples about "the baptism of the Spirit," has added force and
significance when we find that Mark's Gospel gives the substance of
what Matthew records of the Baptist's utterance, while omitting the
words "and fire"--"There cometh One mightier than I after me, the
latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I
indeed have baptized you with water: but He shall baptize you with the
Holy Spirit" (Mark 1:7,8). Why is this? Because, as we have pointed
out, "fire" is the well-known symbol of God's judgment (often
displayed in literal fire), and Mark, who is presenting Christ as the
Servant of Jehovah, was most obviously led of the Spirit to leave out
the words "and fire," for as Servant He does not execute judgment. The
words "and with fire" are found, though, in Luke, and this, again, is
most significant. For, Luke is presenting Christ as "The Son of Man,"
and in John 5 we read, "And hath given Him authority to execute
judgment also because He is the Son of Man" (v. 27). How strikingly,
then, does the inclusion of the words "and fire" in Matthew and Luke,
and their omission in Mark, bring out the verbal inspiration of
Scripture over the instruments He employed in the writing of God's
Word!
The closing verses of Matthew 3 show us the Lord Jesus, in marvelous
grace, taking His place with the believing remnant of Israel: "Then
cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him"
(3:13). John was so startled that, at first, he refused to baptize
Him--so little do the best of men enter into the meaning of the things
of God --"But John forbad Him, saying, I have need to be baptized by
Thee, and comest Thou to me?" (3:14). Observe once--more, that Matthew
is the only one of the Evangelists which mentions this shrinking of
the Baptist from baptizing the Lord Jesus. Appropriately does it find
a place here, for it brings out the royal dignity and majesty of
Israel's Messiah. As to the meaning and significance of the Saviour's
baptism we do not now enter at length, suffice it here to say that it
revealed Christ as the One who had come down from heaven to act as the
Substitute of His people, to die in their stead, and thus at the
beginning of His public ministry He identifies Himself with those whom
He represented, taking His place alongside of them in that which spoke
of death. The descent of the Holy Spirit upon Him attested Him,
indeed, as the true Messiah, the Anointed One (see Acts 10:38), and
the audible testimony of the Father witnessed to His perfections, and
fitness for the Work He was to do.
The first half of Matthew 4 records our Lord's Temptation, into which
we do not now enter. The next thing we are told is, "Now when Jesus
had heard that John was cast into prison, He departed into Galilee;
And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon
the sea coast, in the borders of Zebulon and Naphtali" (4:12,13), and
this in order that a prophecy of Isaiah's might be fulfilled. And then
we read, "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent:
for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand" (4:17). It would seem that the
words "from that time" refer to the casting of the Baptist into
prison. John's message had been, "Repent ye, for the Kingdom of heaven
is at hand" (3:2), and now that His forerunner had been incarcerated,
the Messiah Himself takes up identically the same message--the
proclamation of the Kingdom. In keeping with this, we read, "And Jesus
went about all Galilee teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the
Gospel (not, be it noted, the "Gospel of the Grace of God"--Acts
20:24; nor "the Gospel of Peace"--Eph. 6:15; but "the Gospel") of the
Kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease
among the people" (4:23).
Our Lord's miracles of healing were not simply exhibitions of power,
or manifestations of mercy, they were also a supplement of His
preaching and teaching, and their prime value was evidential. These
miracles, which are frequently termed "signs," formed an essential
part of Messiahs credentials. This is established, unequivocally, by
what we read in Matthew 11. When John the Baptist was cast into
prison, his faith as to the Messiahship of Jesus wavered, and so he
sent two of His disciples unto Him, asking, "Art Thou He that should
come, or do we look for another?" (11:2). Notice, carefully, the
Lord's reply, "Go and show John again those things which ye do hear
and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers
are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor
have the Gospel preached to them" (11:4,5). Appeal was made to two
things: His teaching and His miracles of healing. The two are linked
together, again, in 9:35--"And Jesus went about all the cities and
villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of
the Kingdom, and healing every sickness, and every disease among the
people." And, again, when the Lord sent forth, the Twelve, "But go
rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as ye go, preach,
saying, The Kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, raise the
dead, cast out demons; freely ye have received, freely give" (10:6-8).
Miracles of healing, then, were inseparably connected with the Kingdom
testimony. They were among the most important of "The Signs of the
times" concerning which the Messiah reproached the Pharisees and
Sadducees for their failure to discern (see Matt. 16:1-3). Similar
miracles of healing shall be repeated when the Messiah returns to the
earth, for we read in Is. 35:4-6, "Say to them that are of a fearful
heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance,
even God with a recompense; He will come and save you (i.e., the godly
Jewish remnant of the tribulation period). Then the eyes of the blind
shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then
shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing."
It should be diligently observed that Matthew, once more, is the only
one of the four Evangelists that makes mention of the Lord Jesus going
forth and preaching "The Gospel of the Kingdom," as he is the only one
that informs us of the Twelve being sent out with the message to the
lost sheep of the House of Israel, "The Kingdom of heaven is at hand."
How significant this is! and how it indicates, again, the peculiarly
Jewish character of these opening chapters of the New Testament!
As the result of these miracles of healing Messiah's fame went abroad
throughout the length and breadth of the Land, and great multitudes
followed Him. It is at this stage, we read, "And seeing the
multitudes, He went up into a mountain: and when He was set, His
disciples came unto Him: and He opened His mouth, and taught them"
(5:1,2). We are tempted to pause here, and enter into a detailed
examination of this important, but much misunderstood portion of
Scripture--the "Sermon on the Mount." But we must not depart from the
central design of this book, hence a few words by way of summary is
all we shall now attempt.
The first thing to be remarked is that "the Sermon on the Mount"
recorded in Matthew 5 to 7 is peculiar to this first Gospel, no
mention of it being made in the other three. This, together with the
fact that in Matthew the "Sermon on the Mount" is found in the first
section of the book, is sufficient to indicate its dispensational
bearings. Secondly, the place from whence this "Sermon" was delivered
affords another key to its scope. It was delivered from a "mountain."
When the Saviour ascended the mount He was elevated above the common
level, and did, in symbolic action, take His place upon the Throne.
With Matthew 5:1 should be compared 17:1--it was upon a mountain that
the Messiah was "transfigured," and in that wonderous scene we behold
a miniature and spectacular setting forth of "the Son of Man coming in
His Kingdom" (see 16:28). Again, in 24:3, we find that it was upon a
mountain that Christ gave that wondrous prophecy (recorded in 24 and
25) which describes the conditions which are to prevail just before
the Kingdom of Christ is set up, and which goes on to tell of what
shall transpire when He sits upon the Throne of His glory. With these
passages should be compared two others in the Old Testament which
clinch what we have just said. In Zech. 14:4 we read, "And His feet
shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives," the reference being
to the return of Christ to the earth to set up His Kingdom. Again, in
Psalm 2 we read that God shall yet say, in reply to the concerted
attempt of earth's rulers to prevent it, "Yet have I set My King upon
My holy Hill of Zion."2
The "Sermon on the Mount" sets forth the Manifesto of the King. It
contains the "Constitution" of His Kingdom. It defines the character
of those who shall enter into it. It tells of the experiences through
which they pass while being fitted for that Kingdom. It enunciates the
laws which are to govern their conduct. The authority of the King is
evidences by His "I say unto you," repeated no less than fourteen
times in this "Sermon." The effect this had upon those who heard Him
is apparent from the closing verses, "And it came to pass, when Jesus
had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at His doctrine:
for He taught them as One having authority, and not as the scribes"
(7:28,29).
Another line of evidence which brings out Christ's authority (ever the
most prominent characteristic in connection with a King), which is
very pronounced in this Gospel, is seen in His command over the
angels. One thing found in connection with kings is the many servants
they have to wait upon them and do their bidding. So we find here in
connection with "the Son of David." In Matthew 13:41 we read, "The Son
of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His
Kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity." Observe
that here these celestial servants are termed not "the angels," but,
specifically, "His angels," that is, Messiah's angels, and that they
are sent forth in connection with "His Kingdom." Again, in 24:30,31 we
read, "And they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of
heaven with power and great glory (this, at His return to earth to
establish His Kingdom). And He shall send His angels with a great
sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the
four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." And, again in 26:53,
"Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to (better, "ask") My Father,
and He shall presently (immediately) give Me more than twelve legions
of angels?" Matthew, be it particularly noted, is the only one that
brings out this feature.
Still another line of evidence of the Kingly majesty of Christ should
be pointed out. As it is well known, kings are honored by the homage
paid them by their subjects. We need not be surprised, then, to find
in this Gospel, which depicts the Saviour as "the Son of David," that
Christ is frequently seen as the One before whom men prostrated
themselves. Only once each in Mark, Luke, and John, do we read of Him
receiving worship, but here in Matthew no less than ten times! See
2:2,8,11; 8:2; 9:18; 14:33; 15:25; 20:20; 28:9,17.
Coming now to Matthew 10 (in 8 and 9 we have the Authentication of the
King by the special miracles which He wrought), in the opening verses
we have an incident which is recorded in each of the first three
Gospels, namely, the selection and sending forth of the Twelve. But in
Matthew's account there are several characteristic lines found nowhere
else. For instance, only here do we learn that when the Lord sent them
forth, He commanded them, saying, "Go not into the way of the
Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go
rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel" (10:5,6). Perfectly
appropriate is this here, but it would have been altogether out of
place in any of the others. Notice, also, that the Lord added, "And as
ye go, preach, saying, The Kingdom of heaven is at hand." How the
connection in which this expression is found defines for us its
dispensational scope! It was only to "the lost sheep of the House of
Israel" they were to say "The Kingdom of heaven is at hand"!
In Matthew 12 we have recorded the most remarkable miracle the Messiah
performed before His break with Israel. It was the healing of a man
possessed of a demon, and who, in addition, was both dumb and blind.
Luke, also, records the same miracle, but in describing the effects
this wonder had upon the people who witnessed it, Matthew mentions
something which Luke omits, something which strikingly illustrates the
special design of his Gospel. In the parallel passage in Luke 11:14 we
read, "And He was casting out a demon, and it was dumb. And it came to
pass, when the demon was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people
wondered," and there the beloved physician stops. But Matthew says,
"And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the Son of
David?" (12:23). Thus we see, again, how that the bringing out of the
Kingship of Christ is the particular object which Matthew, under the
Holy Spirit, had before him.
In Matthew 13 we find the seven parables of the Kingdom (in its
"mystery" form), the first of which is the well known parable of the
Sower, the Seed, and the Soils. Both Mark and Luke also record it, but
with characteristic differences of detail. We call attention to one
point in Christ's interpretation of it. Mark reads, "The Sower soweth
the Word" (4:14). Luke says, "Now the parable is this: the Seed is the
Word of God" (8:11). But Matthew, in harmony with his theme says,
"Hear ye therefore the parable of the Sower. When anyone heareth the
Word of the Kingdom" etc. (13:18,19). This is but a minor point, but
how it brings out the perfections of the Holy Writ, down to the
minutest detail! How evident it is that no mere man, or number of men,
composed this Book of books! Well many we sing, "How firm a
foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in His
excellent Word."
In Matthew 15 we have the well known incident of the Cananitish woman
coming to Christ on the behalf of her demon-distressed daughter. Mark
also mentions the same, but omits several of the distinguishing
features noted by Matthew. We quote first Mark's account, and then
Matthew's, placing in italics the expressions which show forth the
special design of his Gospel. "A certain woman whose young daughter
had an unclean spirit, heard of Him, and came and fell at His feet.
The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought Him
that He would cast forth the demon out of her daughter. But Jesus said
unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take
the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. And she answered
and said unto Him, Yes, Lord; yet the dogs under the table eat of the
children's crumbs. And He said unto her, For this saying go thy way:
the demon is gone out of thy daughter" (Mk. 7:25-29). "Behold, a woman
of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto Him saying, Have
mercy on me, O Lord, Thou Son of David: my daughter is grievously
vexed with a demon. But He answered her not a word (for, as a Gentile,
she had no claim upon Him as the "Son of David"). And His disciples
came and besought Him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
But He answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the
House of Israel. Then came she and worshipped Him, saying Lord, help
me. But He answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's
bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord; yet the dogs
eat of the crumbs, which fall from their master's table. Then Jesus
answered and said unto her, O woman great is thy faith: be it unto
thee even as thou wilt" (Matt. 15:22-28).
In the opening verse of Matthew 16 we read of how the Pharisees and
Sadducees came to Christ tempting Him, and desiring that He would show
them a sign from heaven. Mark and Luke both refer to this, but neither
of them record that part of our Lord's reply which is found here in
verse 2 and 3-- "He answered and said unto them, When it is evening,
ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the
morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and
lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can
ye not discern the Signs of the Times?" The "signs of the times" were
the fulfillment of the Old Testament predictions concerning the
Messiah. Every proof had been given to Israel that He was, indeed, the
promised One. He had been born of a "virgin," in Bethlehem, the
appointed place; a forerunner had prepared His way, exactly as Isaiah
had foretold; and, in addition, there had been His mighty works, just
as prophecy had fore-announced. But the Jews were blinded by their
pride and self-righteousness. That Matthew alone makes mention of the
Messiah's reference to these "Signs of the Times" is still another
evidence of the distinctively Jewish character of his Gospel.
In Matthew 16:18 and 18:17 the "church" is twice referred to, and
Matthew is the only one of the four Evangelists which makes any direct
mention of it. This has puzzled many, but the explanation is quite
simple. As previously pointed out, the great purpose of this first
Gospel is to show how Christ presented Himself to the Jews, how they
rejected Him as their Messiah, and what were the consequences of this,
namely, the setting aside of Israel by God for a season, and His
visiting the Gentiles in sovereign grace to take out of them a people
for His name. Thus, are we here shown how that, and why, the Church
has, in this dispensation, superseded the Jewish theocracy.
In Matthew 20 we have recorded the parable of the Householder, who
went out and hired laborers for His vineyard, agreeing to pay them one
penny for the day. Matthew is the only of the Evangelists that refers
to this parable, and the pertinency of its place in his Gospel is
clear on the surface. It brings out a characteristic of the Kingdom of
Christ. The parable tells of how, at the end of the day, when the
workers came to receive their wages, there was complaining among them,
because those hired at the eleventh hour received the same as those
who had toiled all through the day--verily, there is nothing new under
the sun, the dissatisfaction of Labor being seen here in the first
century! The Owner of the vineyard vindicated Himself by reminding the
discontented workers that He paid to each what they had agreed to
accept, and then inquired, "Is it not lawful for Me to do what I will
with Mine own?" Thus did He, as Sovereign, insist on His rights to pay
what He pleased, no one being wronged thereby.
In Matthew 22 we have the parable of the wedding feast of the King's
Son. A parable that is very similar to this one is found in Luke's
Gospel, and while there are many points of resemblance between them,
yet are there some striking variations. In Luke 14:16 we read, "Then
said He unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many."
Whereas, in Matthew 22:2 we are told, "The Kingdom of heaven is like
unto a certain King, which made a marriage for His Son." At the close
of this parable in Matthew there is something which finds no parallel
whatever in Luke. Here we read, "And when the King came in to see the
guests, He saw there a guest which had not on a wedding garment: And
He saith unto him, Friend, how comest thou in hither not having a
wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the King to His
servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into
outer darkness: there shall be weeping, and gnashing of teeth"
(22:11-13). How this brings out the authority of the King needs
scarcely to be pointed out.
The whole of Matthew 25 is peculiar to this first Gospel. We cannot
now dwell upon the contents of this interesting chapter, but would
call attention to what is recorded in verses 31 to 46. That the
contents of these verses is found nowhere else in the four Gospels,
and its presence here is another proof of the design and scope of
Matthew's. These verses portray the Son of man seated upon the throne
of His glory, and before Him are gathered all nations, these being
divided into two classes, and stationed on His right and left hand,
respectively. In addressing each class we read, "Then shall the King
say" etc. (see verses 34 and 40).
There are a number of items concerning the Passion of the Lord Jesus
recorded only by Matthew. In 26:59,60 we read, "Now the chief priests,
and elders, and all the council, sought false witnesses against Jesus,
to put Him to death. But found none. At the last came two false
witnesses"--two, because that was the minimum number required by the
law, in order that the truth might be established. It is interesting
to note how frequently the two witnesses are found in Matthew. In 8:28
we read, "And when He was come to the other side into the country of
the Gergesenes, there met Him two possessed with demons"--compare Mark
5:1,2, where only one of these men is referred to. Again in 9:27 we
read, "And when Jesus departed thence two blind men followed Him"
etc.--compare Mark 10:46. In 11:2 we are told, "When John had heard in
the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples."
Finally, in 27:24 we find Pilate's testimony to the fact that Christ
was a "just man," but in 27:19 we also read, "His wife sent unto him,
saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man." And this, as well
as the others cited above, is found only in Matthew. Again, in
26:63,64 we find a characteristic word omitted and said unto Him, I
adjure thee by the living God, that Thou tell us whether Thou be the
Christ, the Son of God. Jesus said unto him, Thou hast said:
nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man
sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of
heaven." Here only are we told that the guilty Jews cried, "His blood
be on us, and on our children" (27:25). And again, Matthew is the only
one that informs us of the enmity of Israel pursuing their Messiah
even after His death--see 27:62-64.
The closing chapter of this Gospel is equally striking. No mention is
made by Matthew of the Ascension of Christ. This, too, is in perfect
accord with the theme and scope of this Gospel. The curtain falls here
with the Messiah still on earth, for it is on earth, and not in
heaven, that the Son of David shall yet reign in glory. Here only is
recorded the Lord's word, "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in
earth" (28:18)--for "power" is the outstanding mark of a king.
Finally, the closing verses form a fitting conclusion, for they view
Christ, on a "mountain," commanding and commissioning His servants to
go forth and disciple the nations, ending with the comforting
assurance, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the Age."
ENDNOTES:
1. Dr. Tucher calls attention to the literary divisions of Matthew's
Gospel: the dispensational break occurring at the close of chapter 12.
2. In marked contrast from Matthew's "Sermon on the Mount" is Luke's
"Sermon in the Plain"--6:17 etc. How significant and appropriate! Luke
presents the Lord Jesus as "Son of Man," born in a manger, and
entering into the sorrows and sufferings of men. How fitting, then,
that here He should be heard speaking from "the Plain" - the common
level, rather than from "the Mount," the place of eminence!
Content | Foreword | Introduction
Matthew | Mark | Luke | John | Conclusion
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A. W. Pink Header
Why Four Gospels? by A.W. Pink
Chapter 2 - The Gospel of Mark
Mark's Gospel differs widely from Matthew's, both in character and
scope. The contrasts between them are marked and many. Matthew has
twenty-eight chapters, Mark but sixteen. Matthew abounds in parables,
Mark records but few. Matthew portrays Christ as the Son of David,
Mark delineates Him as the humble but perfect Servant of Jehovah.
Matthew is designed particularly (not exclusively) for the Jew,
whereas Mark is specially appropriate for Christian workers. Matthew
sets forth the Kingly dignity and authority of Christ, Mark views Him
in His lowliness and meekness. Matthew depicts Him as testing Israel,
Marks shows Him ministering to the Chosen People. This is one reason
why, no doubt, that Mark's Gospel is the second book in the New
Testament--like Matthew's, it views Him in connection with the Old
Testament people of God. Luke's Gospel, has a wider scope, looking at
Christ in relation to the human race. While in John, He is shown to be
the Son of God, spiritually related to the household of faith.
In turning now to look at the contents of this second Gospel in some
detail, we would notice,
I. Things Omitted from Mark's Gospel.
1. Just as the skill of a master artist is discovered in the objects
which he leaves out of his picture (the amateur crowding in everything
on to the canvass for which he can find room), so the discerning eye
at once detects the handiwork of the Holy Spirit in the various things
which are included and omitted from different parts of the Word.
Notably is this the case with Mark's Gospel. Here we find no Genealogy
at the commencement, as in Matthew; the miraculous Conception is
omitted, and there is no mention made of His birth. Fancy a whole
Gospel written and yet no reference to the Saviour's birth in it! At
first glance this is puzzling, but a little reflection assures one of
the Divine wisdom which directed Mark to say nothing about it. Once we
see what is the special design of each separate Gospel, we are the
better enabled to appreciate their individual perfections. The birth
of Christ did not fall within the compass of this second Gospel, nor
did the record of His genealogy. Mark is presenting Christ as the
Servant of Jehovah, and in connection with a servant a genealogy or
particulars of birth are scarcely points of interest or importance.
But how this demonstrates the Divine Authorship of the books of the
Bible! Suppose the Genealogy had been omitted by Matthew, and inserted
by Mark, then, the unity of each Gospel would have been destroyed. But
just as the Creator placed each organ of the body in the wisest
possible place, so the Holy Spirit guided in the placing of each book
in the Bible (each member in this Living Organism), and each detail of
each book. For the same reason as the Genealogy is omitted, nothing is
said by Mark of the visit of the wise men, for a "servant" is not one
that receives homage! Mark also passes over what Luke tells us of
Christ as a boy of twelve in the temple of Jerusalem, and His
subsequent return to Nazareth, where He continued in subjection to His
parents, for, while these are points of interest in connection with
His humanity, they were irrelevant to a setting forth of His
Servanthood.
2. In Mark's Gospel we find no Sermon on the Mount. Matthew devotes
three whole chapters to it, but Mark records it not, though some of
its teachings are found in other connections in this second Gospel.
Why, then, we may ask, is this important utterance of Christ omitted
by Mark? The answer must be sought in the character and design of the
"Sermon." As we have pointed out, the Sermon on the Mount contains the
King's Manifesto. It sets forth the laws of His Kingdom, and describes
the character of those who are to be its subjects. But Mark is
presenting Christ as the perfect Workman of God, and a servant has no
"Kingdom," and frames no "laws." Hence the appropriateness of the
"Sermon" in Matthew, and the Divine wisdom in its exclusion from Mark.
3. Mark records fewer Parables than Matthew. In Mark there are but
four all told, whereas in Matthew there are at least fourteen. Mark
says nothing about the Householder hiring laborers for His vineyard,
claiming the right to do as He wills with that which is His own; for,
as God's Servant, He is seen in the place of the Laborer, instead of
in the position where He hires others. Mark omits all reference to the
parable of the Marriage of the King's Son, at the close of which He is
seen giving orders for the man without the wedding-garment to be bound
and cast into the outer darkness - such is not the prerogative of a
Servant. All reference to the parable of the Talents is omitted by
Mark, for as God's Servant He neither gives talents nor rewards for
the use of them. Each of these parables, and many others all found in
Matthew, are excluded by Mark, and their omission only serves to bring
out the minute perfections of each Gospel.
4. In Mark nothing whatever is said of Christ's command over angels,
and His right to send them forth to do His bidding; instead we find
here "the angels ministered unto Him" (1:13).
5. Here there is no arraignment of Israel, and no sentence is passed
upon Jerusalem as in the other Gospels. Again, in Matthew 23 the "Son
of David" utters a most solemn sevenfold "Woe"--"Woe unto you scribes
and Pharisees, hypocrites," "Woe unto you, ye blind guides" etc., He
says there; but not a word of this is found in Mark. The reason for
this is obvious. It is not the part of the Servant to pass judgment on
others, but "to be gentle unto all, apt to teach, patient" (2 Tim.
2:24). We have another striking illustration of this same
characteristic in connection with our Lord cleansing the Temple. In
Matthew 21:12 we read, "And Jesus went into the temple of God, and
cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew
the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold
doves," and immediately following this we are told, "And He left them,
and went out of the city into Bethany; and He lodged there" (21:17).
But in Mark it is simply said, "And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and
into the temple: and when He had looked round about upon all things,
and now the eventide was come, He went out unto Bethany with the
twelve" (11:11). Mark is clearly writing of the same incident. He
refers to the Lord entering the temple, but says nothing about Him
casting out those who bought and sold there, nor of Him overthrowing
the tables. How striking is this omission. As the Messiah and King it
was fitting that He should cleanse the defiled Temple, but in His
character of Servant it would have been incongruous!
6. The omission of so many of the Divine titles from this second
Gospel is most significant. In Mark, He is never owned as "King" save
in derision. In Mark, we do not read, as in Matthew, "They shall call
His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us," and only
once is He here termed "the Son of David." It is very striking to
observe how the Holy Spirit has avoided this in the second Gospel. In
connection with the "Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem," when recording
the acclamations of the people, Matthew says, "And the multitudes that
went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of
David: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in
the highest" (21:9). But in Mark's account we read, "And they that
went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna: Blessed
is He that cometh in the name of the Lord: Blessed be the Kingdom of
our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the
highest" (11:9,10). Thus it will be seen that the Servant of God was
not hailed here as "the Son of David." Side by side with this, should
be placed the words used by our Lord when announcing, a week
beforehand, His "transfiguration." In Matthew's account, we read that
He told His disciples, "Verily I say unto you, There be some standing
here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man
coming in His Kingdom." But, here in Mark, we are told that He said to
the disciples, "Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that
stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the
Kingdom of God come with power" (9:1). How significant this is! Here
it is simply the "Kingdom of God" that is spoken of, instead of
Christ's own Kingdom!
But that which is most noteworthy here in connection with the titles
of Christ, is the fact that He is so frequently addressed as "Master,"
when, in the parallel passages in the other Gospels, He is owned as
"Lord." For example: in Matthew 8:25 we read, "And His disciples came
to Him, and awoke Him, saying Lord, save us; we perish;" but in Mark,
"And they awake Him, and say unto Him, Master, carest Thou not that we
perish?" (4:38). Following the announcement of His coming death,
Matthew tells us, "Then Peter took Him, and began to rebuke Him,
saying, Be it far from Thee, Lord: this shall not be unto Thee"
(16:22). But in Mark it reads, "And Peter took Him, and began to
rebuke Him" (8:32), and there it stops. On the Mount of
Transfiguration, Peter said, "Lord, it is good for us to be here"
(17:4); but Mark says, "And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master,
it is good for us to be here" (9:5). When the Saviour announced that
one of the Twelve would betray Him, Matthew tells us, "And they were
exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto Him,
Lord, is it I?" (26:22); but Mark tells us, "And they began to be
sorrowful, and to say unto Him, one by one, "Is it I?" (14:19). These
are but a few of the examples which might be adduced, but sufficient
have been given to bring out this striking and most appropriate
feature of Mark's Gospel.
7. It is deeply interesting and instructive to note the various
circumstances and events connected with our Lord's sufferings which
are omitted from Mark. Here, as He entered the awful darkness of
Gethsemane, He says to the three disciples, "Tarry ye here, and watch"
(14:34), not "watch with Me," as in Matthew, for as the Servant He
turns only to God for comfort; and here, nothing is said at the close,
of an angel from Heaven appearing and "strengthening" Him, for as
Servant He draws strength from God alone. No mention is made by Mark
of Pilate's "I find no fault in Him," nor are we told of Pilate's wife
counseling her husband to have nothing to do with "this Just Man," nor
do we read here of Judas returning to the priests, and saying, "I have
betrayed innocent blood;" all of these are omitted by Mark, for the
Servant must look to God alone for vindication. Nothing is said in
Mark of the women following Christ as He was led to the place of
execution, "bewailing and lamenting Him" (Luke 23:27), for sometimes
the suffering Servant of God is denied the sympathy of others. The
words of the dying thief, "Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy
Kingdom" are here omitted, for in this Gospel, Christ is neither
presented as "Lord" nor as One having a "Kingdom." The Saviour's
triumphant cry from the Cross, "It is finished" is also omitted. At
first sight this seems strange, but a little reflection will discover
the Divine wisdom for its exclusion. It is not for the Servant to say
when his work is finished - that is for God to decide! We pass on now
to notice
II. Things Which are Characteristic of Mark.
1. Mark's Gospel opens in a manner quite different from the others. In
Matthew, Luke and John, there is what may be termed a lengthy
Introduction, but in Mark it is quite otherwise. Matthew records
Christ's genealogy, His birth, the visit and homage of the wise men,
the flight into Egypt, and subsequent return and sojourn in Nazareth;
describes at length both His baptism and temptation, and not till we
reach the end of the fourth chapter do we arrive at His public
ministry. Luke opens with some interesting details concerning the
parentage of John the Baptist, describes at length the interview
between the angel and the Saviour's mother previous to His birth,
records her beautiful Song, tells of the angelic visitation to the
Bethlehem shepherds at Christ's birth, pictures the presentation of
the Child in the temple, and refers to many other things; and not
until we reach the fourth chapter do we come to the public ministry of
the Redeemer. So, too, in John. There is first a lengthy Prologue, in
which is set forth the Divine glories of the One who became flesh;
then follows the testimony of His forerunner to the Divine dignity of
the One he had come to herald; then we have described a visit to John
of a delegation sent from Jerusalem to inquire as to who he was;
finally, there is the witness of the Baptist to Christ as the Lamb of
God: and all this before we here read of Him calling His first
disciples. But how entirely different is the opening of the second
Gospel. Here there is but a brief notice of the Baptist and his
testimony, a few words concerning Christ's baptism and His temptation,
and then, in the fourteenth verse of the first chapter we read, "Now
after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching
the gospel of the Kingdom of God." The first thirty years of His life
here on earth are passed over in silence, and Mark at once introduces
Christ at the beginning of His public ministry. Mark presents Christ
actually serving.
2. The opening verse of Mark is very striking: "The beginning of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." Observe, it is not here "the
Gospel of the Kingdom" (as in Matthew), but "the Gospel of Jesus
Christ." How significant that it is added "the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
the Son of God." Thus has the Holy Spirit guarded His Divine glory in
the very place where His lowliness as the "Servant" is set forth. It
is also to be remarked that this word "Gospel" is found much more
frequently in Mark than in any of the other Gospels. The term "Gospel"
occurs twelve times in all in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and no
less than eight of these are found in Mark, so that the word "Gospel"
is found twice as often in Mark as in the other three added together!
The reason for this is obvious: as the Servant of Jehovah, the Lord
Jesus was the Bearer of good news, the Herald of glad tidings! What a
lesson to be taken to heart by all of the servants of God to-day!
3. Another characteristic term which occurs with even greater
frequency in this second Gospel is the Greek word "Eutheos," which is
variously translated "forthwith, straightway, immediately" etc. Notice
a few of the occurrences of this word in the first chapter alone: "And
straightway coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opened, and
the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him" (v. 10). "And immediately
the Spirit driveth Him into the wilderness" (v. 12). "And when He had
gone a little further thence, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and
John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets, And
straightway He called them" (vv. 19,20). "And they went into
Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day He entered into the
synagogue, and taught" (v. 21). "And forthwith when they were come out
of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon" (v. 29). "And
He came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up, and immediately
the fever left her" (v. 31). "And He straightly charged him, and
forthwith sent him away" (v. 43). In all, this word is found no less
than forty times in Mark's Gospel. It is a most suggestive and
expressive term, bringing out the perfections of God's Servant by
showing us how He served. There was no tardiness about Christ's
service, but "straightway" He was ever about His "Father's business."
There was no delay, but "forthwith" He performed the work given Him to
do. This word tells of the promptitude of His service and the urgency
of His mission. There was no holding back, no reluctance, no
slackness, but a blessed "immediateness" about all His work. Well may
we learn from this perfect example which He has left us.
4. The way in which so many of the chapters open in this second Gospel
is worthy of our close attention. Turn to the first verse of chapter
2, "And again He entered into Capernaum after some days." Again, the
first verse of chapter 3, "And He entered again into the synagogue."
So in 4:1, "And He began again to teach by the seaside." So in 5:1,
"And they came over unto the other side of the sea." This is seemingly
a trivial point, and yet, how unique! It is now more than ten years
since the writer first observed this feature of Mark's Gospel, and
since then, many hundreds of books, of various sorts, have been read
by him, but never once has he seen a single book of human authorship
which had in it one chapter that commenced with the word "And." Test
this, reader, by your own library. Yet here in Mark's Gospel no less
than twelve of its chapters begun with "And"!
"And," as we know, is a conjunction joining together two other parts
of speech; it is that which links two or more things together. The
service of Christ, then, was characterized by that which "And"
signifies. In other words, His service was one complete and perfect
whole, with no breaks in it. Ah, how unlike ours! Yours and mine is so
disjointed. We serve God for a time, and then there comes a slackening
up, a pause, a break, which is followed by a period of inactivity,
before we begin again. But not so with Christ. His service was a
series of perfect acts, fitly joined together, without a break or
blemish. "And," then as characterizing the service of Christ, tells of
ceaseless activity. It speaks of the continuity of His labors. It
shows us how He was "instant in season and out of season." It reveals
how He never grew weary of well doing. May God's grace cause the "And"
to have a more prominent place in our service for Him.
5. In the former section we have pointed out how that Mark records
fewer parables than Matthew, and we may add, fewer than Luke too. But,
on the other hand, Mark describes more miracles. This, also, is in
keeping with the design and scope of this second Gospel. Parables
contained our Lord's teachings, whereas the miracles were a part of
His active ministry. Service consists more of deeds than teaching,
doing rather than speaking. How often our service is more with our
lips than our hands. We are big talkers and little doers!
Mark records just four parables, and it is a most significant thing
that each of them has to do, directly, with service. The first is the
parable of the Sower, and this views the Saviour as going forth with
the Word (4:3-20). The second parable is that of the Seed cast into
the ground, which sprang up and grew, and brought forth first the
blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear, and finally
was harvested (4:26-29). The third parable is that of the Mustard-seed
(4:30-32). The fourth is that of the Wicked Husbandmen who mistreated
the Owner's servants, and ended by killing His well-beloved Son
(12:1-9). Thus it will be seen, that each has to do with ministry or
service: the first three with sowing Seed, and the last with the
Servant going forth "that He might receive of the husbandman of the
fruit of the vineyard."
6. In Mark's Gospel, the hand of Christ is frequently mentioned, and
this is peculiarly appropriate in the Gospel which treats of His
service. It might well be termed, the Ministry of the Hand. How
prominent this feature is here may be seen by consulting the following
passages. "And He came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up;
and immediately the fever left her" (1:31). "And Jesus, moved with
compassion, put forth His hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I
will; be thou clean" (1:41). "And He took the damsel by the hand, and
said unto her, Talitha cumi: which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I
say unto thee, arise" (5:41). "And they bring unto Him one that was
deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech Him to put
His hand upon him" (7:32). How beautiful is this. Divinely
enlightened, these people had learned of the tenderness and virtue of
His hand. Again we read, "And He cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a
blind man unto Him, and besought Him to touch him" (8:22). They, too,
had discovered the blessedness and power of His touch. "And He took
the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town. After that He
put His hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was
restored, and saw every man clearly" (8:23,25). Once more we read,
"But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose"
(9:27). How blessed for every believer to know that he is safely held
in that same blessed Hand (John 10:28).
7. The Holy Spirit has also called special attention in this Gospel to
the eyes of the perfect Servant. "And when He had looked round about
on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts"
(3:5). How those Holy eyes must have flashed upon those who would
condemn Him for healing on the Sabbath day the man with the withered
hand! "And He looked round about on them which sat about Him, and
said, Behold My mother and My brethren! For whosoever shall do the
will of God, the same is My brother, and My sister, and My mother"
(3:34,35). This time the Saviour's eyes turned upon His disciples, and
what love must have appeared in them as He turned and beheld those who
had forsaken all to follow Him! "But when He had turned about and
looked on His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind Me,
Satan" (8:33). What a touch in the picture is this--before He rebuked
Peter, He, first, turned, and "looked" on His disciples! Concerning
the rich young ruler who came to Him, we read here (and here only),"
Then Jesus beholding him, loved him" (10:21). What Divine pity and
compassion must have shone in His eyes at that moment! So again in
11:11 we read, "And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple,
and when He had looked round upon all things, and now the eventide was
come, He went out into Bethany with the twelve." How those eyes must
have blazed with righteous indignation, as He beheld the desecration
of the Father's house! These passages which mention the Saviour
"looking" and "beholding", tell us of His thoughtfulness, His
attention to detail, His thoroughness. Next we will notice,
III. The Manner in Which Christ Served.
In order to discover the manner in which Christ served, we must
examine closely the details of what the Holy Spirit has recorded here
for our learning and profit, and for the benefit of our readers we
shall classify those under suitable headings.
1. Christ served with marked Unostentation.
"And Simon and they that were with him followed after Him. And when
they had found Him, they said unto Him, All men seek for Thee. And He
said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there
also: for therefore came I forth" (Mark 1:36-38). This incident
occurred near the beginning of our Lord's public ministry. He had
wrought some mighty works, many of the sick had been healed, and His
fame had gone abroad. In consequence, great throngs of people sought
for Him. He was, for a brief season, the popular Idol of the hour. But
what was His response? Instead of remaining where He was to receive
the plaudits of a fickle crowd, He moves away to preach in other
towns. How unlike many of us today! When we are well received, when we
become the center of an admiring crowd, our desire is to remain there.
Such a reception is pleasing to the flesh; it panders to our pride. We
like to boast of the crowds that attend our ministry. But the perfect
Servant of God never courted popularity, He shunned it! And when His
disciples came and told Him--no doubt with pleasurable pride--"All men
seek for Thee," His immediate response was, "Let us go"!
At the close of Mark 1 we read of a leper being cleansed by the great
Physician, and, dismissing him, He said, "See thou say nothing to any
man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy
cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto
them." How utterly unlike many of His servants to day, who spare no
pains or expense to advertise themselves! How entirely different we
are from the One who said, "I receive not honor from men" (John 5:41)!
No; He ever wrought with an eye single to God's glory. Notice,
farther, how this comes out again in the sequel to the above miracle.
The healed leper heeded not the admonition of his Benefactor, instead,
we read, "But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze
abroad the matter." How gratifying this would have been to most of us!
But not so with Him who sought only the Father's glory. Instead of
following the man who had been healed, to become the Object of the
admiring gaze and flattering remarks of the leper's friends and
neighbors, we read, that "Jesus could no more openly enter into the
city, but was without in desert places"! Are we not to learn from
this, that when people begin to "blaze abroad" what God has wrought
through us, it is time for us to move on, lest we receive the honor
and glory which is due Him alone!
In full harmony with what has just been before us in the closing
verses of Mark 1, we read in the first verses of the next chapter,
"And again He entered into Capernaum, after some days, and it was
noised that He was in the house," for, evidently, the healed leper
belonged to that highly favored town. Hence it was that we here find
Him seeking the privacy and quietude of the "house." So again in 3:19
we read, "And they (Christ and the apostles) went into an house." His
reason for doing this, here, was to escape from the crowd, as is
evident from the words which immediately follow, "And the multitude
cometh together again." Again in 7:17 we are told, "And when He was
entered into the house from the people." His life was not lived before
the footlights, but quietly and unobtrusively He went about doing the
Father's will. What a word is this - "And when He was entered into the
house from the people"! And how different from some of His servants
today, whose one great aim seems to be the seeking of the patronage of
"the people," and the soliciting of their favors! So, again in 9:28 we
read, "And when He was come into the house, His disciples asked Him
privately, Why could not we cast him out?" (9:28). And once more in
9:33, we read "And He came to Capernaum: and being in the house He
asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way?"
Mark, we may add, is the only one of the four Evangelists that makes
this repeated reference to "the house." It is just one of the smaller
lines in the picture that serves to bring out the Unostentation of the
perfect Servant.
In the closing verses of Mark 7 we have recorded the miracle of Christ
restoring one that was deaf and had an impediment in his speech. And
in chapter eight is recorded the healing of the blind man, who, at the
first touch of the Lord's hands saw men as trees walking, but who, at
the second touch, "saw every man clearly." Mark is the only one that
records either of these miracles. One reason for their inclusion here,
is seen in a feature that is common to them both. In 7:36 we are told,
"And He charged them that they should tell no man: but the more He
charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it."
Concerning the latter we read, "And He sent him away to his house,
saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town"
(8:26). What a lesson for all of us: perfect service is rendered to
God alone, and often is unseen, unappreciated, unthanked by man. The
Servant of Jehovah threw a veil over His gracious acts.
2. Christ served with great Tenderness.
This comes out so often in this second Gospel. We single out four
examples, and the better to appreciate them, we quote first the
parallel references in the other Gospels, before noticing Mark's
account. "And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever; and
they besought Him for her. And He stood over her, and rebuked the
fever; and it left her; and immediately she arose and ministered unto
them" (Luke 4:38,39). "But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever,
and anon they tell Him of her. And He came and took her by the hand,
and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she
ministered unto them" (Mark 1:30,31). What a beautiful line in the
picture is this! How it shows us that Christ's service was no mere
perfunctory one, performed with mechanical indifference, but that He
came near to those to whom He ministered and entered, sympathetically,
into their condition.
In Luke 9 we read of the father who sought out the Lord Jesus on
behalf of his demon-possessed son, and in healing him we read, "And
Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered
him again to his father" (9:42). But Mark brings into his picture a
characteristic line which Luke omitted, "But Jesus took him by the
hand, and lifted him up, and he arose" (9:27). There was no aloofness
about the perfect Servant. How this rebukes the assumed
self-superiority of those who think it beneath their dignity to shake
hands with those to whom they have ministered the Word! To take some
people "by the hand" is to get nearer their hearts. Let us seek to
serve as Christ did.
In Matthew 18:2 we read, "And Jesus called a little child unto Him,
and set him in the midst of them; and when He had taken him in His
arms, He said unto them" (9:36). Again, in Matthew 19:13-15 we are
told, "Then were there brought unto Him little children, that He
should put His hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked
them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to
come unto Me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And He laid His
hands on them, and departed thence." But once more we may observe how
that Mark adds a line all his own, "And they brought young children to
Him, that He should touch them: and His disciples rebuked those that
brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was much displeased, and said
unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto Me, and forbid them
not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you,
Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he
shall not enter therein. And He took them up in His arms, put His
hands upon them, and blessed them" (10:13-16). What tenderness do
these acts display! And what an example He has left us!
3. Christ served encountering great Opposition.
Here we shall take a rapid review of Mark's reference to this feature
of his theme, instead of commenting on each passage, though a remark
here and there will, perhaps, not be out of place.
"But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in
their hearts (there are usually a few such in most congregations), Why
does this man thus speak blasphemies?" (2:6,7). "And when the scribes
and Pharisees saw Him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto
His disciples, How is it that He eateth and drinketh with publicans
and sinners?" (2:16). "And the Pharisees said unto Him, behold why do
they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?" (2:24). The servant
of God must expect to be mis-understood and encounter criticism and
opposition. "And they watched Him whether He would heal him on the
sabbath day" (3:2). And the servant of God is still watched by
unfriendly eyes! "And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took
counsel with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him"
(3:6). Every faction of the peoples was "against" Him. "And the
scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by
the prince of the demons casteth He out demons" (3:22). The servant
may expect to be called hard names. "And they began to pray Him to
depart out of their coasts" (5:17). Christ was not wanted. His
testimony condemned His hearers. So will it be now with every servant
of God that is faithful. "And they laughed Him to scorn" (5:40). To be
sneered and jeered at, then, is nothing new: sufficient for the
disciple to suffer what his Master did before him. "And they were
offended at Him" (6:3). The Christ of God did not suit everybody; far
from it. But let us see to it that we give none other occasion for
"offense" than He did! "And He could there do no mighty work, save
that He laid His hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them" (6:5).
The servant of God will come to some places which are unfavorable for
effective ministry, and where the unbelief of the professed people of
the Lord will hinder the Spirit of God. "Then came together unto Him
the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem.
And when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that
is to say, with unwashen hands, they found fault" (7:1,2).
Nevertheless, the Lord Jesus declined to respect their "traditions,"
refusing to allow His disciples to be brought into bondage thus. Well
for God's servants now if they disregard the "touch not, taste not,
handle not" of men, yet must they be prepared to be "found fault" with
as the result. "And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question
with Him, seeking of Him a sign from heaven, tempting Him" (8:11). So,
too, will the emissaries of the Enemy seek now to entangle and ensnare
the servants of God. Compare Mark 10:2. "And the scribes and chief
priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy Him: for they
feared Him, because all the people was astonished at His doctrine"
(11:18). They were jealous of His influence. And human nature has not
changed since then! "And they come again to Jerusalem: and as He was
walking in the temple, there came to Him the chief priests and the
scribes, and the elders. And say unto Him, By what authority doest
Thou these things? and who gave Thee this authority?" (11:27,28). How
history repeats itself! From what College have you graduated? and in
which Seminary were you trained? are the modern form of this query.
"And they sent unto Him certain of the Pharisees, and of the
Herodians, to catch Him in His words" (12:13). And some of their
descendants still survive, and woe be to the man who fails to
pronounce their shiboleths! What a list this is! and we have by no
means exhausted it; see further 12:18; 12:28; 14:1, etc. All the way
through, the perfect Servant of God was dogged by His enemies; at
every step He encountered opposition and persecution in some form. And
these things are all recorded for our instruction. The Enemy is not
dead. God's servants today are called to tread a similar path.
4. Christ Served with much Self-Sacrifice.
"And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so
much as eat bread" (3:20). So thoroughly was He at the disposal of
others. How completely did He know what it was to spend and be spent!
"And the same day, when the even was come, He saith unto them, Let us
pass over into the other side. And when they had sent away the
multitude, they took Him, even as He was into the ship" (4:35,36). How
touching is this! A study of the context, with the parallel passages
in the other Gospel, shows this evening here was the close of a busy
and crowded day. From early morn till sunset, the Master had been
ministering to others, and now He is so weary and worn from His labors
He had to be "taken" --led and lifted--into the ship! "Even as He
was"--how much do these words cover? Ah, Christian worker, next time
you come to the close of a full day of service for God, and your mind
is tired and your nerves are quivering, remember that thy Lord, before
thee, knew what it was to lay down (see 4:38) so tired that even the
storm awoke Him not!
"And He said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place
and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had
NO leisure so much as to eat" (6:31). That is how the perfect Workman
of God served. Ever intent in being about His Father's business: no
rest, no leisure, at times so thronged that He went without His meals.
Christ's service cost Him something. Note how this comes out in the
next quotations. "And when He had looked round about on them with
anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts" (3:5). He was
no frigid Stoic. "And looking up to heaven He sighed, and saith unto
him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened" (7:34). Christ's service was not
rendered formally and perfunctarily; but He entered, sympathetically,
into the condition of the sufferer. "And He sighed deeply in His
spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign?"
(8:12). Thus did He take to heart the sad unbelief of those to whom He
ministered. He suffered inwardly as well as outwardly.
"And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so
much as eat bread. And when His friends heard of it, they went out to
lay hold on Him: for they said, He is beside Himself" (3:20,21). So
incapable were they of entering into the thoughts of God. They sought
to check Him in the accomplishing of God's will. Their purpose was
well meant, no doubt, but it was a zeal "without knowledge." What a
warning is this for all of God's servants. Watch out for well
intentioned "friends" who, lacking in discernment, may seek to hinder
the one who is completely yielded to God, and who, like the apostle
Paul, "counts not his life dear unto himself" (Acts 20:24).
5. Christ Served in an Orderly manner.
This comes out, in an incidental way, in several statements which are
found only in Mark. We single out but two. In 6:7 we read, "And He
called unto Him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and
two." Again; when about to feed the hungering multitude, we are told,
"And He commanded them to make them all sit down by companies upon the
green grass. And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties"
(6:39,40). What attention to details was this! And how it rebukes much
of our slipshod work! If Scripture enjoins, "Whatsoever thine hand
findeth to do, do it with thy might," then, surely our service for God
calls for our most careful and prayerful attention! God is never the
author of "confusion," as Christ's example here plainly shows.
6. Christ's Service was prompted by Love.
"And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth His hand, and touched
him. (the leper), and said unto him, I will; be thou clean" (1:41).
"And Jesus, when He came out, saw much people, and was moved with
compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a
shepherd; and He began to teach them many things" (6:34). "I have
compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with Me three
days, and have nothing to eat" (8:1). Mark is the only one of the
Evangelists that brings this lovely and touching line into the
picture. And O how it rebukes the writer for his hardness of heart,
and cold indifference to the perishing all around! How little real
"compassion" one finds today! "Then Jesus beholding him (the rich
young man) loved him" (Mark 10:21). Mark is the only one who tells us
this, as though to show that without "love" service is barren.
7. Christ's Service was preceded by Prayer.
"And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out,
and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed" (1:35). Mark is
the only one that records this. And how significant that this
statement is placed in his first chapter, as though to let us into the
secret of the uniqueness and perfectness of Christ's service!
There is much more that is peculiar to this second Gospel which we now
pass over. In closing here we would call attention to the manner in
which Mark concludes:--"And they (the apostles) went forth, and
preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the
Word with signs following. Amen" (16:20). How significant and
appropriate! The last view we have here of God's perfect Servant, He
is still "working," now, not alone, but "with them" His servants.
Our study of this lovely view of Christ will have been in vain, unless
it has brought home to our hearts with new power the admonition of God
through His apostle, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast,
unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye
know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Cor. 15:58).
Content | Foreword | Introduction
Matthew | Mark | Luke | John | Conclusion
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A. W. Pink Header
Why Four Gospels? by A.W. Pink
Chapter 3 - The Gospel Of Luke
The numerical position which Luke occupies in the Sacred Canon,
supplies a sure key to its interpretation. It is the third book in the
New Testament, and the forty-second in the Bible as a whole. Each of
these numbers are profoundly significant and suggestive in this
connection. Three is the number of manifestation, and particularly,
the manifestation of God and His activities. It is in the Three
Persons of the Blessed Trinity that the one true and living God is
fully revealed. Hence, also, three is the number of resurrection, for
resurrection is when life is fully manifested. Appropriately, then, is
Luke's Gospel the third book of the New Testament, for here it is we
are shown, as nowhere else so fully, God manifest in flesh. But Luke's
Gospel is also the forty-second book in the Bible as a whole, and this
is, if possible, even more significant, for 42 is 7 x 6, and seven
stands for perfection while six is the number of man: putting the two
together we get the Perfect Man! And this is precisely what the Holy
Spirit brings before us in this forty-second book of the Bible. What
an evidence this is, not only of the Divine inspiration of Scripture
but, that God has unmistakably superintended the placing of the
different books in the Sacred Canon just as we now have them!
Luke's Gospel is concerned with the Humanity of our Lord. In Matthew,
Christ is seen testing Israel, and that is why his Gospel has the
first place in the New Testament, as being the necessary link with the
Old. In Mark, Christ appears as serving Israel, and that is why his
Gospel is given the second place. But in Luke, the writer's scope is
enlarged: here Christ is seen in racial connections as the Son of Man,
contrasted from the sons of men. In John, Christ's highest glory is
revealed, for there He is viewed as the Son of God, and, as connected
not with Israel, not with men as men, but with believers. Thus we may
admire the Divine wisdom in the arrangement of the four Gospels, and
see the beautiful gradation in their order. Matthew is designed
specially for the Jews; Mark is peculiarly suited to God's servants;
Luke is adapted to men as men--all men; while John's is the one
wherein the Church has found its chief delight.
Luke's Gospel, then, is the Gospel of Christ's Manhood. It shows us
God manifest in flesh. It presents Christ as "The Son of Man." It
views the Lord of glory as having come down to our level, entering
into our conditions (sin excepted), subject to our circumstances, and
living His life on the same plane as ours is lived. Yet, while He is
here seen mingling with men, at every point He appears in sharp
contrast from them. There was as great a difference between Christ as
the Son of Man, and any one of us as a son of man, as there is now
between Him as the Son of God, and any believer as a son of God. That
difference was not merely relative, but absolute; not simply
incidental, but essential; not one of degree, but of kind. "The Son of
Man" predicts the uniqueness of His humanity. The humanity of our Lord
was miraculously begotten, it was intrinsically holy in its nature,
and therefore, saw not corruption in death. As The Son of Man, He was
born as none other ever was, He lived as none other did, and He died
as none other ever could.
The humanity of Christ, like everything else connected with His
peerless person, needs to be discussed with profound reverence and
care. Speculation concerning it is profane. Rash conjectures about it
must not be allowed for a moment. All that we can know about it is
what has been revealed in the Scriptures. Had some of our theologians
adhered more rigidly to what the Holy Spirit has said on the subject,
had they exercised more care in "holding fast the form of sound
words," much that has been so dishonoring to our Lord had never been
written. The person of the God-Man is not presented to our view for
intellectual analysis, but for the worship of our hearts. It is not
without good reason that we have been expressly warned, "great is the
Mystery of Godliness. God was manifest in flesh" (1 Tim. 3:16).
As we prayerfully examine the written word it will be found that
Divine care has been taken to guard the perfections of our Lord's
humanity, and to bring out its holy character. This appears not only
in connection with the more direct references to His person, but also
in the types and prophecies of the Old Testament. The "lamb," which
portrayed Him as the appointed Sacrifice for sin, must be "without
spot and blemish," and the very houses wherein the lamb was eaten,
must have all leaven (emblem of evil) carefully excluded from them.
The "manna," which spoke of Christ as the Food for God's people, is
described as being "white" in color (Ex.16:31). The Meal offering,
which directly pointed to the Humanity of Christ, was to be only of
"fine flour" (Lev. 2:1), that is, flour without any grit or
unevenness; moreover, it was to be presented to the Lord accompanied
with "oil" and "frankincense," which were emblems of the Holy Spirit,
and the fragrance of Christ's person. Joseph, the most striking of all
the personal types of the Lord Jesus, was, we are told, "A goodly
person, and well favored" (Gen. 39:6).
This same feature is noticeable in the prophecies which referred to
the humanity of the Coming One. It was a "virgin" in whose womb He
should be conceived (Is. 7:14). As the Incarnate One, God spake of Him
thus: "Behold My Servant, whom I uphold; Mine Elect, in whom My soul
delighteth; I have put My Spirit upon Him" (Is. 42:1). Touching the
personal excellencies of the Son of Man, the Spirit of prophecy
exclaimed, "Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured
into Thy lips: therefore God hath blessed Thee for ever" (Ps. 45:2).
Concerning the Sinlessness of Him who was cut off out of the land of
the living, it was affirmed, "He hath done no violence, neither was
any deceit found in His mouth" (Is. 53:9). Looking forward to the time
when His humanity should pass through death without corruption, it was
said, "His leaf also shall not wither" (or, "fade," margin), Psalm
1:3--contrast with this, "We all do fade as a leaf" (Is. 64:6).
Coming now to the New Testament, we may observe how carefully God has
distinguished the Man Christ Jesus from all other men. In 1 Timothy
3:16 we read, "Great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in
the flesh." It is remarkable that in the Greek there is no definite
article here: what the Holy Spirit really says is, "God was manifest
in flesh." Manifest in "flesh" He was, but not in the flesh, for that
would point to fallen human nature, shared by all the depraved
descendants of Adam. Not in the flesh, but in flesh, sinless and holy
flesh, was God "manifest." O the marvelous minute accuracy of
Scripture! In like manner we read again concerning the humanity of
Christ, "What the law could not do in that it was weak through the
flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sin's flesh (Greek):
Romans 8:3. The spotless and perfect humanity of the Saviour was not
sinful like ours, but only after its "likeness" or outward form. As
Hebrews 7:26 declares He was "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from
sinners." Separate from sinners He was, both in the perfect life He
lived here. He "knew no sin" (2 Cor.5:21);
He "did not sin" (1 Pet. 2:22); He was "without sin" (Heb. 4:15);
therefore could He say, "The prince of this world (Satan) cometh and
hath nothing in Me" (John 14:30).
In keeping with the theme of Luke's Gospel, it is here we have the
fullest particulars concerning the miraculous birth of the Lord Jesus.
Here we read, "In the sixth month (how significant is this number
here, for six is the number of man) the angel Gabriel was sent from
God unto a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a
man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's
name was Mary" (Luke 1:26,27). Twice over is it here recorded that
Mary was a "virgin." Continuing, we read, "And the angel came in unto
her, and said, Hail, thou art highly favored, the Lord is with thee:
blessed art thou among women." This troubled Mary, for she wondered at
this strange salutation. The angel continued, "Fear not, Mary, for
thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in
thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call His name Jesus." In
reply, Mary asked, "How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?" And
the angel answered, "The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the
power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy
thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God"
(Luke 1:35).
The coming of the Holy Spirit "upon" a person is always, in Scripture,
to effect a supernatural, a Divine work. The promise of the angel to
Mary that the power of the Highest should "overshadow" her, suggests a
double thought: she should be protected by God Himself, and how this
promise was fulfilled Matthew 1:19,20 informs us; while it is also a
warning that the modus operandi of this miracle is hidden from us. The
words of the angel to Mary "that holy thing which shall be born of
thee," have been a sore puzzle to the commentators. Yet the meaning of
this expression is very simple. It refers not, concretely, to our
Lord's person, but instead, abstractly, to His humanity. It calls
attention to the uniqueness of His humanity. It is in pointed contrast
from ours. Put these words of Luke 1:35 over against another
expression in Isaiah 64:6 and their meaning will be clear--We are all
as an unclean thing." Our human nature, looked at abstractly, (that
is, apart from its personnel acts) is, essentially, "unclean," whereas
that which the Son of God took unto Himself, when He became incarnate,
was incapable of sinning (which is merely a negative affirmation), but
it was inherently and positively "holy." Therein the humanity of
Christ differed from that of Adam. Adam, in his unfallen state, was
merely innocent (a negative quality again), but Christ was holy.
Perhaps it may be well for us to offer a few remarks at this point
concerning the Saviour's "temptation."
We are frequently hearing of preachers making the statement that our
Lord could have yielded to the solicitations of Satan, and that to
affirm He could not is to rob the account of His conflict with the
Devil of all meaning. But this is not only a mistake, it is a serious
error. It dishonors the person of our blessed Lord. It denies His
impeccability. It impeaches His own declaration that Satan had
"nothing" in Him--nothing to which he could appeal. If there had been
a possibility of the Saviour yielding to the Devil that season in the
wilderness, then for forty days the salvation of all God's elect (to
say nothing of the outworking of God's eternal purpose) was in
jeopardy; and surely that is unthinkable. But, it is asked, If there
was no possibility of Christ yielding, wherein lay the force of the
Temptation? If He could not sin, was it not a meaningless performance
to allow Satan to tempt Christ at all? Such questions only betray the
deplorable ignorance of those who ask them.
It ought to be well understood that the word "tempt" has a double
significance, a primary and secondary meaning, and it is the
application of the secondary meaning of the term as it is used in
Matthew 4 and the parallel passages, which had led so many into error
on this point. The word "tempt" literally means "to stretch out" so as
to try the strength of anything. It comes from the Latin word "tendo"
--to stretch. Our English word attempt, meaning to try, brings out its
significance. "Tempt," then, primarily signifies "to try, test, put to
the proof." It is only in its secondary meaning that it has come to
signify "to solicit to evil." In Genesis 22:1 we read, "And it came to
pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham." But God did not
solicit Abraham to evil, for, "God cannot be tempted with evil,
neither tempteth He (in this sense) any man" (Jas. 1:13). So, too, we
read, "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be
tempted of the Devil" (Matt. 4:1). The purpose of this Temptation was
not to discover whether or not the Saviour would yield to Satan, but
to demonstrate that He could not. Its design was to display His
impeccability, to show forth the fact that there was "nothing" in Him
to which Satan could appeal. It was in order that Christ might be
tried and proven: just as the more you crush a rose, the more its
fragrance is evidenced, so the assaults of the Devil upon the God-Man
only served the more to bring out His perfections, and thus reveal Him
as fully qualified to be the Saviour of sinners.
That the Saviour could not sin, does not rob the Temptation of its
meaning, it only helps us discern its true meaning. It is because He
was the Holy One of God that He felt the force of Satan's fiery darts
as no sinful man ever could. It is impossible to find an analogy in
the human realm for the Lord Jesus was absolutely unique. But let us
attempt to illustrate the principle which is here involved. Is it true
that in proportion as a man is weak morally that he feels the force of
a temptation? Surely not. It is the man who is strong morally that
feels the force of it. A man who is weakened in his moral fiber by
sin, is weakened in his sensitiveness in the presence of temptation.
Why does the young believer ask, "How is it that since I became a
Christian I am tempted to do wrong a hundred times more than I was
formerly?" The correct answer is, he is not; but the life of Christ
within him has made him keener, quicker, more sensitive to the force
of temptation. The illustration fails, we know; but seek to elevate
the principle to an infinite height, and apply it to Christ, and then
instead of saying that because He had no sin and could not sin His
temptation, therefore, was meaningless, you will perhaps discover a
far deeper meaning in it, and appreciate as never before the force of
the words, "He Himself hath suffered, being tempted" (Heb. 2:18).
Should it be asked further: But does not this rob the Saviour of the
capacity to sympathize with me when I am tempted? The answer is, A
thousand times No! But it is to be feared that this last question is
really an evasion. Does not the questioner, deep down in his heart,
really mean, Can Christ sympathize with me when I yield to temptation?
The question has only to be stated thus to answer it. Being holy,
Christ never sympathizes with sin or sinning. Here then is the vital
difference: when Christ was tempted He "suffered," but when we are
drawn away by temptation we enjoy it. If, however, we seek grace to
sustain us while we are under temptation, and are not drawn away by
it, then shall we suffer too, but then we also have a merciful and
faithful High Priest who is able, not only to sympathize with us but
to, "succor them that are tempted" (Heb. 2:18). Our digression has
been rather a lengthy one, but necessary, perhaps, in a consideration
of the Humanity of Christ, one postulate of which is His
impeccability.
As previously stated, Luke's Gospel is wider in its range than either
of the two which precede it, in both of which Christ is viewed in
connection with Israel. But here there are no national limitations.
The "Son of David" of the first Gospel, widens out into the "Son of
Man" in the third Gospel. As "Son of Man" He is the Catholic Man. He
is linked with, though separated from, the whole human race. Luke's
Gospel, therefore, is in a special sense the Gentile Gospel, as
Matthew's is the Jewish Gospel. It is not surprising to find, then,
that the writer of it was himself, in all probability, a Gentile--the
only one in all the Bible. It is generally conceded by scholars that
Luke is an abbreviation of the Latin "Lucanus" or "Lucius." His name
is twice found in the Pauline Epistles in a list of Gentile names, see
2 Timothy 4:10-12 and Philemon 24. It is also noteworthy that this
third Gospel is addressed, not to a Jew, but to a Gentile, by name
"Theophilus," which means "Beloved of God." It is in this Gentile
Gospel, and nowhere else, that Christ is presented as the good
"Samaritan." Obviously, this would have been quite out of place in
Matthew's Gospel, but how thoroughly accordant is it here! So, too, it
is only here that we are told that "Jerusalem shall be trodden down of
the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" (Luke
21:24). And again, it is in this Gospel that, in describing End-time
conditions, we learn that Christ spake to His disciples this parable:
"Behold the fig tree, and all the trees" (21:29). Matthew mentions the
former (24:32), as the `fig tree' is the well known symbol of Israel,
but Luke, alone, adds "and all the trees," thus bringing out the
international scope of his Gospel. Other illustrations of this same
feature will be discovered by the careful student.
Returning to the central theme of this Gospel, we may observe that
"the Son of Man" links Christ with the earth. It is the title by which
Christ most frequently referred to Himself. Not once did any one else
ever address Him by this name. The first occurrence of this title is
found in the Old Testament, in the 8th Psalm, where we read, "What is
man that Thou art mindful of Him? and the Son of Man that Thou
visitest him? For Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels,
and hast crowned him with glory and honor. Thou madest him to have
dominion over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under
his feet" (vv. 4-6). The immediate reference is to Adam, in his
unfallen condition, and refers to his Headship over all the lower
orders of creation. It speaks of earthly dominion, for "Have dominion
over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every
living thing that moveth upon the earth" (Gen. 1:28), is what God said
to our first parent in the day that he was created. But from this
position of "dominion" Adam fell, and it was (among other things, to
recover the dominion that Adam had lost, that our Lord became
incarnate. Thus the eighth Psalm, as is evident from its quotation in
Hebrews 2, finds its ultimate fulfillment in "the Second Man." But,
before this Second Man could be "crowned with glory and honor," He
must first humble Himself and pass through the portals of death. Thus
the "Son of Man" title speaks first of humiliation, and ultimately of
dominion and glory.
"The Son of Man" occurs 88 times in the New Testament (which is a very
significant number, for 8 signifies a new beginning, and it is by the
Second Man the beginning of the new "Dominion" will be established),
and it is deeply interesting and instructive to trace out the
connections in which it occurs. It is found for the first time in the
New Testament in Matthew 8:20, where the Saviour says, "The foxes have
holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath
not where to lay His head." Here attention is called to the depths of
humiliation into which the Beloved of the Father had entered: the One
who shall yet have complete dominion over all the earth, when here
before, was but a homeless Stranger. The second occurrence of this
title helps to define its scope--"The Son of Man hath power on earth
to forgive sins" (Matt. 9:6). The last time it is found in Matthew's
Gospel is in 26:64-- "Hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on
the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." Here we
are carried forward to the time when the Lord Jesus shall return to
these scenes, not in weakness and humiliation, but in power and glory.
In John 3:13 there is a statement made which proves that the Son of
Man was God as well, "And no man hath ascended up to Heaven, but He
that came down from Heaven, even the Son of Man which is in Heaven."
Nowhere in the Epistles (save in Heb. 2 where Ps. 8 is quoted) is this
title found, for the Church has a heavenly calling and destiny, and is
linked to the Son of God in Heaven, and not to the Son of Man as He is
related to the earth. The last time this title occurs in Scripture is
in Revelation 14:14, where we read, "And I looked, and behold a white
cloud, and upon the cloud One sat like unto the Son of Man, having on
His head a golden crown." What a contrast is this from the first
mention of this title in the New Testament where we read of Him not
having where to lay "His head"!
It is now high time for us to turn from these generalizings and
consider some features of Luke's Gospel in more detail. To begin with,
we may observe, as others have noticed, how distinctive and
characteristic is the Preface to this third Gospel: "For as much as
many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those
things which are most surely believed among us, even as they delivered
them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and
ministers of the Word: It seemed good to me also, having had perfect
understanding of all things from the very first to write unto thee, in
order, most excellent Theophilus, that thou mightest know the
certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed" (1:1-4).
What a contrast is this from what we have at the commencement of the
other Gospels. Here more pronouncedly than elsewhere, we see the human
element in the communication of God's revelation to us. The human
instrument is brought plainly before us. Luke speaks of his personal
knowledge of that of which he is about to treat. He refers to what
others had done before him in this direction, but feels the need of a
more orderly and full setting forth of those things which were most
surely believed. But apparently he was quite unconscious of the fact,
as he sat down to write to his friend Theophilus, that he was being
"moved" (better, "borne along") by the Holy Spirit, or that he was
about to communicate that which should be of lasting value to the
whole Church of God. Instead, the Divine Inspirer is hidden here, and
only the human penman is seen. Strikingly appropriate is this in the
Gospel which treats not of the official glories of Christ, nor of His
Deity, but of His Manhood. There is a marvelous analogy between the
written Word of God and the Incarnate Word, the details of which are
capable of being extended indefinitely. Just as Christ was the
God-Man, Divine yet human, so the Holy Scriptures though given "by
inspiration of God" were, nevertheless, communicated through human
channels; but, just as Christ in becoming Man did so without being
contaminated by sin, so God's revelation has come to us through human
medium without being defiled by any of their imperfections. Moreover,
just as it is here in Luke's Gospel that our Lord's humanity is
brought so prominently before us, so it is here that the human element
in the giving of the Holy Scriptures is most plainly to be seen.
There are many other things of interest and importance to be found in
this first chapter of Luke which we cannot now consider in detail, but
we would point out, in passing, how the human element prevails
throughout. We may notice, for instance, how that here God is seen on
more intimate terms with those whom He addresses than in Matthew 1.
There, when communicating with Joseph, He did so in "dreams," but
here, when sending a message to Zacharias, it is by an angel, who
speaks to the father of the Baptist face to face. Still more intimate
is God's communication to Mary, for here the angel speaks not to the
mother of our Lord in the temple, but more familiarly, in the home--an
intimation of how near God was about to come to men in His marvelous
grace. Again; far more is told us of Mary here than elsewhere, and
Luke is the only one who records her song of joy which followed the
great Annunciation, as he alone records the prophecy of Zacharias,
uttered on the occasion of the naming of his illustrious son. Thus,
the emotions of the human heart are here manifested as they were
expressed in song and praise.
The opening verses of Luke 2 are equally characteristic and
distinctive. Here we are told, "And it came to pass in those days,
that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world
should be taxed. And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was
governor of Syria. And all went to be taxed, every one into his own
city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of
Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called
Bethlehem; because he was of the house and lineage of David: to be
taxed with Mary his espoused wife" (Luke 2:1-5). We shall look in vain
for anything like this in the other Gospels. Here the Lord of glory is
contemplated not as the One who had come to reign, but instead, as One
who had descended to the level of other men, as One whose mother and
legal father were subject to the common taxation. This would have been
altogether out of keeping with the theme and scope of Matthew's
Gospel, and a point of no interest in Mark, but how thoroughly in
accord with the character of Luke's Gospel!
"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped Him in swaddling
clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them
in the inn" (Luke 2:7). Luke is the only one of the four evangelists
who tells us of this--a point of touching interest concerning His
humanity, and one that is worthy of our reverent contemplation. Why
was it the Father suffered His blessed Son, now incarnate, to be born
in a stable? Why were the cattle of the field His first companions?
What spiritual lessons are we intended to learn from His being placed
in a manger? Weighty questions are these admitting, perhaps, of at
least a sevenfold answer.
(a) He was laid in a manger because there was no room in the inn. How
solemnly this brings out the world's estimate of the Christ of God.
There was no appreciation of His amazing condescension. He was not
wanted. It is so still. There is no room for Him in the schools, in
society, in the business world, among the great throngs of pleasure
seekers, in the political realm, in the newspapers, nor in many of the
churches. It is only history repeating itself. All that the world gave
the Saviour, was a stable for His cradle, a cross on which to die, and
a borrowed grave to receive His murdered body.
(b) He was laid in a manger to demonstrate the extent of His poverty.
"For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was
rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty
might be rich" (2 Cor. 8:9). How "poor" He became, was thus manifested
at the beginning. The One who, afterwards, had not where to lay His
head, who had to ask for a penny when He would reply to His critics
about the question of tribute, and who had to use another man's house
when instituting the Holy Supper, was, from the first, a homeless
Stranger here. And the "manger" was the earliest evidence of this.
(c) He was laid in a manger in order to be Accessible to all. Had He
been in a palace, or in some room in the Temple, few could have
reached Him without the formality of first gaining permission from
those who would have been in attendance at such places. But none would
have any difficulty in obtaining access to a stable; there He would be
within easy reach of poor and rich alike. Thus, from the beginning, He
was easy to approach. No intermediaries had first to be passed in
order to reach Him. No priest had to be interviewed before entree
could be obtained to His presence. Thus it was then; and so it is now,
thank God.
(d) He was laid in a manger so as to foreshadow the Character of those
among whom He had come. The stable was the place for beasts of the
field, and it was into their midst the newly-born Saviour came. And
how well did they symbolize the moral character of men! The beasts of
the field are devoid of any spiritual life, and so have no knowledge
of God. Such, too, was the condition of both Jews and Gentiles. And
how beast-like in character were those into whose midst the Saviour
came: stupid and stubborn as the ass or mule, cunning and cruel as the
fox, groveling and filthy as the swine, and ever thirsting for His
blood as the more savage of the animals. Fittingly, then, was He
placed amid the beasts of the field at His birth.
(e) He was laid in a manger to show His contempt for Worldly riches
and pomp. We had thought it more fitting for the Christ of God to be
born in a palace, and laid in a cradle of gold, lined with costly
silks. Ah, but as He Himself reminds us in this same Gospel, "that
which is highly esteemed among men, is abomination in the sight of
God" (Luke 16:15). And what an exemplification of this truth was given
when the infant Saviour was placed, not in a cradle of gold but, in an
humble manger.
(f) He was laid in a manger to mark His identification with human
suffering and wretchedness. The One born was "The Son of Man." He had
left the heights of Heaven's glory and had descended to our level, and
here we behold Him entering the human lot at its lowest point. Adam
was first placed in a garden, surrounded by the exquisite beauties of
Nature as it left the hands of the Creator. But sin had come in, and
with sin all its sad consequences of suffering and wretchedness.
Therefore, does the One who had come here to recover and restore what
the first man lost, appear first, in surroundings which spoke of
abject need and wretchedness; just as a little later we find Him taken
down into Egypt, in order that God might call His Son from the same
place as where His people Israel commenced their national history in
misery and wretchedness. Thus did the Man of Sorrows identify Himself
with human suffering.
(g) He was laid in a manger because such was the place of Sacrifice.
The manger was the place where vegetable life was sacrificed to
sustain animal life. Fitting place was this, then, for Him who had
come to be the great Sacrifice, laying down His life for His people,
that we might through His death be made alive. Remarkably suggestive,
therefore, and full of emblematic design, was the place appointed by
God to receive the infant body of the incarnate Saviour.
It is only in Luke's Gospel that we read of the shepherds who kept
watch over their flocks by night, and to whom the angel of the Lord
appeared, saying, "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of
great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day
in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord" (2:10,11).
Note that the One born is here spoken of not as "The King of the
Jews," but as "a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord"--titles which
reach out beyond the confines of Israel, and take in the Gentiles too.
Again, it is only here in Luke that we behold the Saviour as a Boy of
twelve going up to Jerusalem, and being found in the Temple "sitting
in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them
questions" (2:46). How intensely human is this! Yet side by side with
it there is a strong hint given that he was more than human, for we
read, "And all that heard Him were astonished at His understanding and
answers." So, too, it is only here that we are told, "And He went down
with them (His parents), and was subject unto them" (2:51). How this
brings out the excellencies of His humanity, perfectly discharging the
responsibilities of every relationship which He sustained to men as
well as to God! And how strikingly appropriate is the closing verse of
this chapter--"And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor
with God and man"! There is nothing like this in any of the other
Gospels; but Luke's would have been incomplete without it. What proofs
are these that Luke, as the others, was guided by the Spirit of God in
the selection of his materials!
Luke 3 opens by presenting to us the person and mission of John the
Baptist. Matthew and Mark have both referred to this, but Luke adds to
the picture his own characteristic lines. Only here do we read that it
was "in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius
Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee,
and his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and of the region of
Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilena, Annas and Caiaphas
being the high priests, the Word of God came unto John, the son of
Zacharias in the wilderness" (3:1,2) -- points of historic interest in
connection with these human relationships. So, too, it is only here
that we read of other human relationships of "the people" who asked
John "What shall we do?" (3:10), of the "publicans" who asked him the
same question (3:12), and of "the soldiers" is also to be noted, that
only here is the Lord Jesus directly linked with "all the people" when
He was baptized, for we read, "Now when all the people were baptized,
it came to pass that Jesus also being baptized" (3:21), thus showing
Him as the One who had come down to the common level. And again, it is
only here we are told of the age of the Saviour when He entered upon
His public ministry (3:23), this being another point of interest in
connection with His humanity.
Luke 3 closes with a record of the Genealogy of the Son of Man, and
noticeable are the differences between what we have here, and what is
found in Matthew 1. There, it is the royal genealogy of the Son of
David, here it is His strictly personal genealogy. There, it is His
line of descent through Joseph which is given, here it is His ancestry
through Mary. There, His genealogy is traced forwards from Abraham,
here it is followed backwards to Adam. This is very striking, and
brings out in an unmistakable manner the respective character and
scope of each Gospel. Matthew is showing Christ's relation to Israel,
and therefore he goes back no farther than to Abraham, the father of
the Jewish people; but here, it is His connection with the human race
that is before us, and hence his genealogy in Luke is traced right
back to Adam, the father of the human family. But notice,
particularly, that at the close it is said, "Adam was the son of God"
(3:38). Thus the humanity of Christ is here traced not merely back to
Adam, but through Adam directly to God Himself. How marvelously this
agrees with the words of the Lord Jesus as found in Heb. 10:5--"A body
hast Thou prepared Me"!
Luke 4 opens by telling us "And Jesus being full of the Holy Spirit
returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
being tempted forty days of the Devil." Only here do we learn that the
Saviour was "full of the Holy Spirit" as He returned from the Jordan.
Then follows the account of the Temptation. It will be observed by the
close student that between Matthew and Luke there is a difference in
the order of mention of Satan's three attacks upon Christ. In Matthew
the order is, first the asking of the Lord Jesus to turn the stones
into bread, second the bidding Him cast Himself down from the pinnacle
of the Temple, and third the offer to Him of all the kingdoms of this
world on the condition of worshipping Satan. But here in Luke we have
first the request to make the stones into bread, second the offer of
the kingdoms of the world, and third the challenge for Him to cast
Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple. The reason for this
variation is not hard to find. In Matthew, the order is arranged
climactically, so as to make Rulership over all the kingdoms of the
world the final bait which the Devil dangled before the Son of David.
But in Luke we have, no doubt, the chronological order, the order in
which they actually occurred, and these correspond with the order of
temptation of the first man and his wife in Eden, where the appeal was
made, as here in Luke, to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes,
and the pride of life--see 1 John 2:16 and compare Genesis 3:6. We may
also note that Luke is the only one to tell us that "Jesus returned in
the power of the Spirit into Galilee" (4:14), showing that the old
Serpent had utterly failed to disturb the perfect fellowship which
existed between the incarnate Son of God upon earth and His Father in
Heaven. After the horrible conflict was over, the Lord Jesus returned
to Galilee in the unabated "power of the Spirit."
Following the account of the Temptation, Luke next tells us, "And He
came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up: and, as His custom
was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for
to read" (4:16). Luke again, is the only one that mentions this, it
being another point of interest in connection with our Lord's Manhood,
informing us, as it does, of the place where He had been "brought up,"
and showing us how He had there been wont to occupy Himself on each
Sabbath day. In the words that follow there is a small line in the
picture which is very significant and suggestive: "And there was
delivered unto Him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had
opened the book, He found the place where it was written, The Spirit
of the Lord is upon Me" etc. The book, be it noted, did not open
magically at the page He desired to read from, but, like any other,
the Son of Man turned the pages until He had "found the place"
required!
Others have called attention to another thing which occurred on this
occasion and which was profoundly suggestive. There in the synagogue
at Nazareth the Saviour read from the opening words of Isaiah 61, and
it will be found by comparing the record of the prophet with the
Lord's reading as recorded in Luke 4, that He stopped at a most
significant point. Isaiah says the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him to
"preach" good tidings unto the meek to proclaim the acceptable year of
the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God;" but in Luke 4 we find
the Saviour read that the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him to "preach"
the gospel to the poor to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,"
and there He stopped, for immediately following we are told, "He
closed the book." He ceased His reading from Isaiah in the midst of a
sentence; He concluded at a comma! Why was it that He did not complete
the verse, and add, "The Day of Vengeance of our God"? The answer is,
Because such did not fall within the scope of His mission at His first
Advent. The "Day of Vengeance" is yet future. The Lord Jesus was
setting us an example of "rightly dividing the Word of Truth" (2 Tim.
2:15). As the Saviour closed the book that day in Nazareth's
synagogue, He declared, "This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your
ears" (Luke 4:21), and that which was then "fulfilled" was the portion
He had read to them from Isaiah 61:1,2; the remainder of Isaiah 61:2
was not then fulfilled, for it has to do with that which is yet
future: hence, He read it not. It should be added that the next time
we find the Lord Jesus with a "book" in His hands is in Revelation
5:7, and there we read of Him opening it--see Revelation 6:1 etc.
--and the striking thing is that when the Lord opens that book the Day
of God's Vengeance, so long delayed, then commences! These points have
been brought out by others before us, but we have not seen it
intimated that Luke is the only one of the four Evangelists to refer
to this incident. Not only was there a dispensational reason why the
Lord Jesus read not the whole of Isaiah 61:2 in the Nazareth synagogue
that day, but it was peculiarly fitting that the one whose happy task
it was to present the human perfections of Christ, should note our
Lord's silence concerning the Day of God "vengeance"!
It is beyond our present purpose to attempt even a running exposition
of each chapter of this third Evangel. We are not seeking to be
exhaustive, but simply suggestive, calling attention to some of the
more outstanding features of Luke's Gospel. There is so much here that
is not found in the other three Gospels, that to examine in detail
every distinctive feature would call for a large volume. As this would
defeat our object, we shall be content to single out a few things here
and there.
Luke 7 records the raising of the widow of Nain's son. None of the
others mention this. There are several lines in this picture which
serve to bring out that which is central in Luke's Gospel, namely,
human need, human relationships, and human sympathies. Thus we may
note that the one here raised by Christ was "the only son of his
mother" and that she was a "widow;" that when the Lord saw her "weep
not"; that before He commanded the dead to "Arise," He first "came and
touched the bier," and that after the dead one was restored to life,
the Saviour "delivered him to his mother."
In Luke 8:2,3 we are told, "And certain women which had been healed of
evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went
seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and
Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto Him of their
substance." How this shows us the place which our blessed Lord had
taken as the Son of Man! Nothing like this is found in the other
Gospels, and that for a very good reason. It would have been beneath
the dignity of the King of the Jews to be "ministered unto" with the
substance of women; it would be out of place in Mark's Gospel, for
there the Holy Spirit shows us that the Servant must look to God only
for the supply of His every need; while John, of course, would not
mention it, for he sets forth the Divine glories of our Lord. But it
is perfectly appropriate, and illuminative too, in the Gospel which
treats of Christ's humanity.
Above we have noted that Luke informs us the one raised from death by
Christ at Nain was a widow's "only son," and we may now notice two
other examples from this Gospel where the same feature is mentioned.
The first is in connection with the daughter of Jairus. Matthew says,
"While He spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain
ruler, and worshipped Him saying, My daughter is even now dead"
(9:18). Mark tells us, "Behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the
synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw Him, saying, My little
daughter lieth at the point of death" (5:22,23). But Luke gives
additional information, "And, behold, there came a man named Jairus,
and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus' feet,
and besought Him that He would come into his house: for he had one
only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying"
(8:41,42). The second example is in connection with the demon
possessed child, whose father sought relief at the hands of Christ's
disciples. Matthew says, "And when they were come to the multitude,
there came to Him a certain man, kneeling down to Him, and saying,
Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatic, and sore vexed: for
oft-times he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. And I
brought him to Thy disciples, and they could not cure him" (17:14-16).
But Luke tells us, "And, behold, a man of the company cried out,
saying, Master, I beseech Thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only
child. And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and
it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly
departeth from him. And I besought Thy disciples to cast him out; and
they could not" (9:38-40). Thus in each case Luke calls attention to
the fact that it was an "only child" that was healed, thereby
appealing to human sympathies.
Luke is the only one who records the exquisite story of the Good
Samaritan ministering to the wounded traveler, and there are many
lines in the picture of this incident which bring out, strikingly, the
distinctive character of this third Gospel. First, we are shown the
traveler himself falling among thieves, who strip him of his raiment,
wound him, and depart, leaving him half dead. How this brings out the
lawlessness, the avarice, the brutality, and the heartlessness of
fallen human nature! Next, we hear of the priest who saw the pitiable
state of the wounded traveler, lying helpless by the road, yet did he
"pass by on the other side." The priest was followed by a Levite who,
though he "came and looked on" on the poor man that was in such sore
need of help, also "passed by on the other side." Thus we behold the
selfishness, the callousness, the cruel indifference of even religious
men toward one who had such a claim upon their sympathies. In blessed
contrast from these, we are shown the grace of the Saviour who, under
the figure of a "Samaritan," is here seen moved "with compassion" as
He came to where the poor traveler lay. Instead of passing by on the
other side, He goes to him, binds up his wounds, sets him on His own
beast, and brings him to an inn, where full provision is made for him.
So does this incident, summarize as it were, the scope of this entire
Gospel, by showing the infinite contrast that existed between the
perfect Son of Man and the fallen and depraved sons of men.
In Luke 11 we read of the unclean spirit who goes out of a man, and
later, returns to his house, to find it "swept and garnished." Then,
we are told, this unclean spirit takes with him seven other spirits
more wicked than himself, and they "enter in and dwell there; and the
last state of that man is worse than the first" (11:24-26). Matthew
also refers to this in 12:43-45 in almost identical language, but it
is very significant to observe that Luke omits a sentence with which
Matthew closes his narrative. There in Matthew 12 we find the Lord
applied the incident to the Jewish nation by saying, "Even so shall it
be also unto this wicked generation" (or "race"). This was the
dispensational application, which limits it to Israel. But
appropriately does Luke omit these qualifying words, for in his Gospel
this incident has a wider application, a moral application,
representing the condition of a more extensive class, namely, those
who hear the Gospel, and reform, but who are never regenerated. Such
may clean up their houses, but though they are "swept and garnished,"
yet they are still empty--the Spirit of God does not indwell them!
They are like the foolish virgins, who, though they mingled with the
wise virgins and carried the lamp of public profession, yet had they
no oil (emblem of the Holy Spirit) in their vessels. Such cases of
reformation though at first they appear to be genuine instances of
regeneration, ultimately prove to be but counterfeits, and at the last
their condition is worse than it was at the beginning--they have been
deceived by their own treacherous hearts and deluded and blinded by
Satan, and in consequence, are far harder to reach with the Truth of
God.
In Luke 12 we have an incident recorded which is similar in principle
to Luke's notice of our Lord's omission of the closing words of Isaiah
61:2 when reading from this scripture in the synagogue at Nazareth.
Here we find that a certain man came to Christ and said, "Master,
speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me" (12:13).
But the Master refused to grant this request and said, "Man, who made
Me a judge or a divider over you?" The reason why Luke is the only one
to mention this is easily seen. It would have been incongruous for
Matthew to have referred to an incident wherein the Lord Jesus
declined to occupy the place of authority and act as the
administrator, of an inheritance; as it would have been equally out of
place for Mark to have noticed this case where one should have asked
the Servant to officiate as "judge and divider." But it is fitting it
should have found a place in this Third Gospel, for the words of
Christ on this occasion, "Who made Me a judge or a divider over you?"
only show us, once more, the lowly place which He had taken as "The
Son of Man."
In Luke 14 there is recorded a parable which is found nowhere else:
"And He put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when He marked
how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, When thou art
bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room, lest
a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him; And he that bade thee
and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with
shame to take the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit
down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may
say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship (or
"glory") in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For
whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth
himself shall be exalted" (vv. 7-11). How thoroughly is this parable
in accord with the character and scope of Luke's Gospel! First, it
ministers a much needed rebuke upon the general tendency of fallen
human nature to seek out the best places and aim at positions of honor
and glory. Secondly, it inculcates the spirit of meekness and modesty,
admonishing us to take the lowly place. And thirdly, it is an obvious
shadowing forth of that which the Lord of glory had done Himself,
leaving as He had, the position of dignity and glory in Heaven, and
taking the "lowest" place of all down here.
In accordance with the fact that Luke's Gospel is the third book of
the New Testament (the number which stands for manifestation), we may
notice that in the fifteenth chapter we have a parable which reveals
to us the Three Persons of the Godhead, each actively engaged in the
salvation of a sinner. It is very striking that it is one parable in
three parts which, taken together, makes fully manifest the One true
God in the Person of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Luke 15 may well be entitled, God seeking and saving the lost. In the
third part of this parable, which deals with the "prodigal Son," we
are shown the sinner actually coming into the presence of the Father,
and there receiving a cordial welcome, being suitably clothed, and
given a place at His table in happy fellowship. In what precedes we
learn of that which was necessary on the part of God before the sinner
could thus be reconciled. The second part of the parable brings before
us the work of the Holy Spirit, going after the one dead in sins and
illuminating him, and this under the figure of a woman who, with a
light in her hand (emblematic of the Lamp of God's Word), seeks
diligently till she finds that which was lost. Notice, particularly,
that her work was inside the house, just as the Holy Spirit works
within the sinner. In the first part of the parable we are shown that
which preceded the present work of God's Spirit. The ministry of the
Spirit is the complement to the Work of Christ, hence, at the
beginning of the chapter, the Saviour Himself is before us, under the
figure of the Shepherd, who went forth to seek and to save the sheep
that was lost. Thus, the first part of the parable tells of God's Work
for us, as the second tells of God's work in us, the third part making
known the blessed result and happy sequel. So, in this one parable in
three parts, we have revealed the One God in the Three Persons of the
Holy Trinity, fully manifested in the work of seeking and saving the
lost.
In full accord with what has just been before us in Luke 15, though in
marked and solemn contrast, we find that in the next chapter the Lord
Jesus makes fully manifest the state of the lost after death. Nowhere
else in the four Gospels do we find, as here, the lifting of the veil
which separates and hides from us the condition of those who have
passed into the next world. Here the Lord gives us a specimen case of
the present torments of the lost, in the experiences of the "rich man"
after death. We read "In hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments,
and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and
said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may
dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am
tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in
thy lifetime receivest thy good things, and Lazarus evil things: but
now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this,
between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which
would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that
would come from thence" (vv.23-26). Here we learn that the damned,
even now, are in a place of suffering; that they are "in torments;"
that the misery of their awful lot is accentuated by being enabled to
"see" the happy portion of the redeemed; that there is, however, an
impassible gulf fixed between the saved and the lost, which makes it
impossible for the one to go to the other; that memory is still active
in those that are in Hell, so that they are reminded of the
opportunities wasted, while they were upon earth; that they cry for
mercy and beg for water to allay their fiery sufferings, but that this
is denied them. Unspeakably solemn is this, and a most pointed warning
to all still upon earth to "flee from the wrath to come" and to take
refuge in the only One who can deliver from it.
Passing on now to the nineteenth chapter we may observe how Luke there
records something that is absent from the other Gospels. "And when He
was come near, He beheld the city, and weep over it, Saying, If thou
hadst known, which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from
thine eyes" (vv.41,42). How this brings out the human sympathies of
the Saviour! As He looked upon Jerusalem, and foresaw the miseries
which were shortly to be its portion, the Son of Man wept. He was no
stoic, but One whose heart was full of compassion for the sufferers of
earth.
In drawing to a close, we would notice seven features which are
particularly prominent in this Gospel, and which are in striking
accord with its particular theme and scope: --
1. The full description here given of fallen human nature.
Luke's is the Gospel of our Lord's Manhood, and, as He is the true
Light shining amid the darkness, it is here also that the
characteristics of our corrupt human nature are shown up as nowhere
else. Luke's special design is to present the Lord Jesus as the Son of
Man contrasted from the sons of men. Hence it is that the depravity,
the impotency, the degradation and the spiritual deadness of all the
members of Adam's fallen race is brought out here with such fullness
and clearness. It is here, and here only, we read that, until the
miracle-working power of God intervened, the mother of John the
Baptist was barren--apt symbol of fallen human nature with its total
absence of spiritual fruit; and that his father, though a priest, was
filled with unbelief when God's messenger announced to him the
forth-coming miracle. It is only here that we read of all the world
being "taxed" (Luke 2:1), which tells, in suggestive symbol, of the
burdens imposed by Satan on his captive subjects. It is only here that
we read that when Mary brought forth her Son, there was "no room for
them in the inn," signifying the world's rejection of the Saviour from
the beginning. It is only here we are told that when the Lord Jesus
came to Nazareth and read in the synagogue from the prophet Isaiah,
adding a comment of His own, that "All they in the synagogue, when
they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up, and
thrust Him out of the city, and led Him unto the brow of the hill
whereon their city was built, that they might cast Him down headlong"
(4:28,29): thus did those who ought to have known Him the best,
manifest the terrible enmity of the carnal mind against God and His
Christ. It is only here that we read, "And it came to pass, when He
was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus
fell on his face, and besought Him, saying Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou
canst make me clean" (5:12). In the other Gospels reference is made to
this same incident, but Luke alone tells us that the subject of this
miracle was full of leprosy. "Leprosy" is the well known figure of
sin, and it is only in Luke that man's total depravity is fully
revealed. It is only in Luke that we hear of the disciples of Christ
asking permission to call down fire from Heaven to consume those who
received not the Saviour (9:51-55). It is only here that Christ, in
the well known parable of the Good Samaritan, portrays the abject
condition of the natural man, under the figure of the one who, having
fallen among thieves, had been stripped of his raiment, sorely
wounded, and left by the wayside half dead. It is only here that we
read of the Rich Fool who declared, "I will say to my soul, Soul, thou
hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink,
and be merry" (12:19), for such is the invariable tendency of the
boastful human heart. So, too, it is only here that in Luke 15 the
sinner is likened unto a lost sheep--an animal so senseless that once
it is lost, it only continues to stray farther and farther away from
the fold. It is only here that we find the Saviour drawing that
matchless picture of the Prodigal Son, who so accurately depicts the
sinner away from God, having wasted his substance in riotous living,
and who, reduced to want, finds nothing in the far country to feed
upon, except the husks which the swine did eat. It is only here that
we learn of the heartless indifference of the rich man who neglected
the poor wretch that lay at his gate full of sores. It is only here
that the self-righteousness of man is fully disclosed in the person of
the Pharisee in the Temple (Luke 18). And so we might go on. But
sufficient has been said to prove our statement at the head of this
paragraph.
2. The Manner in which Luke introduces his Parables, etc.
In perfect accord with the character and scope of His Gospel, we find
that Luke introduces most of his parables, also various incidents
narrated by him, as well as certain portions of our Lord's teachings,
in a way quite peculiar to himself. By comparing the parallel passages
in the other Gospels, and by noting the words we now place in italics,
this will be apparent to the reader.
In Luke 5:12, we are told, that "a man full of leprosy" came to Christ
to be healed, whereas Matthew, when describing the same incident,
merely says, "there came a leper" to Him (8:2). Again, in 8:27 we
read, "When He went forth to land, there met Him out of the city, a
certain man, which had demons a long time, and ware no clothes,
neither abode in any house, but in the tombs;" whereas Matthew 8:28
reads, "And when He was come to the other side into the country of the
Gergessenes, there met Him (not "two men," but) two possessed with
demons coming out of the tombs" etc. Again, in 8:41 we read, "There
came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he
fell down at Jesus' feet," whereas Mark 5:22 says, "There cometh one
of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw Him,
he fell at His feet." In Luke 9:57 we read, "And it came to pass,
that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto Him, Lord, I
will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest," whereas Matthew 8:19
reads, "And a certain scribe came, and said unto Him, Master, I will
follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest." In Luke 9:62 we find that the
Lord said, "No man (not "disciple," be it noted), having put his hand
to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." In
19:35 we read, "As He was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man
sat by the wayside begging," but in Mark 10:46 we are told, "As He
went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great number of people,
blinded Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the wayside begging."
Coming now to the parables, note the striking way in which they are
introduced here: "And He spake also a parable unto them: No man
putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old" etc. (5:36). "A certain
man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves" etc.
(10:30). "And He spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a
certain rich man brought forth plentifully" etc. (12:16). "He spake
also this parable: A certain man had a fig tree planted in his
vineyard" etc. (13:6). "Then said He unto him, A certain man made a
great supper" etc. (14:16). "And He spake this parable unto them,
saying, What man of you, having a hundred sheep" etc. (15:3,4). "And
He said, A certain man had two sons" etc. (15:11). "And He said also
unto His disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward"
etc. (16:1). "There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in
purple and fine linen" etc. (16:19). "And He spake a parable to them
to this end, that men (not "believers") ought always to pray, and not
to faint" etc. (18:1). "Then began He to speak to the people of this
parable; A certain man planted a vineyard" etc. (20:9). "And He spake
also this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they
were righteous, and despised others. Two men went up into the Temple
to pray" etc. (18:9,10). Thus we see how the human element is
emphasized here.
3. The references to Christ as "The Son of Man."
It is only in this Gospel we read that the Saviour said to the
Pharisees, "The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the
days of the Son of Man, and ye shall not see it" (17:22). It is only
in this Gospel we find that the Saviour put the question, "When the
Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?" (18:8). It is
only in this Gospel we find that the Saviour said to His followers,
"Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy
to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand
before the Son of Man" (21:36). And it is only in this Gospel we find
that the Saviour said to Judas in the garden, "Betrayest thou the Son
of Man with a kiss?" (22:14).
It is, perhaps even more striking to notice that Luke records a number
of instances where our Lord referred to Himself as "The Son of Man"
where, in the parallel passages in the other Gospels this title is
omitted. For example, in Matthew 16:21 we read, "From that time forth
began Jesus to show unto His disciples, how that He must go unto
Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and
scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day;" whereas,
in Luke 9:22 we learn that He said unto His disciples, "The Son of Man
must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief
priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day."
Again; in Matthew 5:11 the Lord said to His disciples, "Blessed are
ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all
manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake;" whereas, in the
parallel passage in Luke we read, "Blessed are ye, when men shall hate
you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall
reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's
sake" (6:22). Again; in Matthew 10:32 we read, "But whatsoever shall
confess Me before men, him will I confess before My Father which is in
Heaven;" whereas in Luke 12:8 we are told, "Whosoever shall confess Me
before men, him shall the Son of Man confess before the angels of
God." Once more; in John 3:17 we are told, "For God sent not His Son
into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him
might be saved;" whereas, in Luke 9:56 we read, "For the Son of Man is
not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." How these examples
bring out the verbal perfections of Holy Writ!
4. The Lord is referred to as "the Friend" of publicans and sinners.
It is only Luke who tells us, "And Levi made Him a great feast in his
own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others
that sat down with them" (5:29). It is only here we learn that Christ
said to the querulous Jews, "For John the Baptist came neither eating
bread nor drinking wine, and ye say, He hath a demon. The Son of Man
is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and
a winebidder, a Friend of publicans and sinners!" (7:33,34). It is
only in this Gospel we find that the Saviour's critics openly
murmured, and said, "This Man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them"
(15:2). And it is only here we are told that because Zaccheus had
joyfully received the Saviour into his house "they all murmured,
saying, That He was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner"
(19:7).
It is beautiful to notice the graduation pointed by the Holy Spirit in
the last three passages quoted above. In 7:34 Christ is simply "The
Friend of publicans and sinners." In 15:2 it was said, "This Man
receiveth sinners and eateth with them." But in 19:7 we are told, "He
was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner"! Thus did God make
even the wrath of man to praise Him.
5. The Lord is here portrayed as a Man of Prayer.
It is indeed striking to see how often the Saviour is seen engaged in
prayer in this Gospel. The following passages bring this out: "Now
when all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also
being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened" (3:21). "And He
withdrew Himself into the wilderness, and prayed" (5:16). "And it came
to pass in those days, that He went out into a mountain to pray, and
continued all night in prayer to God" (6:12). "And it came to pass
about an eight days after these sayings, He took Peter and John and
James, and went up into a mountain to pray. And as He prayed, the
fashion of His countenance was altered" (9:28,29). "And it came to
pass, that, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one
of His disciples said unto Him, Lord, teach us to pray" (11:1). "And
the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you,
that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy
faith fail not" (22:31,32). "And He was withdrawn from them about a
stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed. And being in an agony He
prayed more earnestly" (22:41,44). "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive
them for they know not what they do" (23:34): only here do we find Him
praying thus for His murderers. Add to these examples the fact that
Luke alone records our Lord's teaching on Prayer which is found in
11:5-8, that he only tells us of His parable on Importunity in prayer
(18:1-7), and that he alone tells us of the two men who went up to the
Temple to pray, and it will be seen what a prominent place prayer has
in Luke's Gospel.
6. Christ is frequently seen here Eating food.
"And one of the Pharisees desired Him that He would eat with him. And
He went into the Pharisee's house and sat down to meat" (7:36). "And
as He spake, a certain Pharisee besought Him to dine with him: and He
went in, and sat down to meat" (11:37). "And it came to pass, as He
went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the
Sabbath day, they watched Him" (14:1). "And when they say it, they all
murmured, saying, That He was gone to be guest with a man that is a
sinner" (19:7). "And it came to pass, as He sat at meat with them, He
took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them" (24:30). "And
they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And He
took it, and did eat before them" (24:42,43). It scarcely needs to be
pointed out that these examples demonstrated the reality of His
Manhood.
7. The Circumstances connected with His Death and Resurrection.
The awful hour spent in Gethsemane is described in this third Gospel
with a fullness of detail which is not found in the others. Luke is
the only one that tells us, "And there appeared an angel unto Him from
heaven, strengthening Him;" as he is the only one to say, "And being
in agony He prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as it were great
drops of blood falling down to the ground" (22:43,44). Then followed
the Arrest, and as they were all leaving the Garden, we read, "And one
of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. And
Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far, and He touched his ear,
and healed him" (22:50,51). The other Evangelists record this incident
of the smiting of the high priest's servant, but only Luke shows us
the tenderness of the Saviour, full of compassion toward the suffering
of others, right to the last.
Luke is the only one to tell us, "And there followed Him a great
company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented Him.
But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for
Me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children" (23:27,28).
Appropriately, does this find a place here, bringing out, as it does,
human emotions and sympathies. Luke is the only one to designate the
place where the Saviour was crucified by its Gentile name--"And when
they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they
crucified Him" (23:33). And, again, Luke tells us, "A superscription
also was written over Him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew,
This is the King of the Jews" (23:38). How this hints at the
international scope of this third Gospel! Matthew and Mark give no
hint of the "superscription" being written in the world-languages of
the day; though John does, for he, again, presents Christ in
connection with "the world." Luke is the only one to describe the
conversion of the dying robber, and to record his witness to the Human
perfections of the Lord Jesus: "This Man hath done nothing amiss"
(23:41). So, too, it is only here we find a similar testimony borne by
the Roman centurion: "Now when the centurion saw what was done, he
glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous Man" (23:47).
After His resurrection from the dead, it is only Luke who mentions
that long walk of the Saviour with the two disciples, and of the
familiar intercourse which they had together as they journeyed to
Emmaus. And Luke is the only one who presents the Lord to our view as
eating food after He had risen in triumph from the grave.
It only remains to add a brief word concerning the characteristic
manner in which this third Gospel closes. Luke alone tells us, "And He
led them out as far as to Bethany, and He lifted up His hands, and
blessed them" (24:50)--a beautiful touch is this! Then we are told,
"And it came to pass, while He blessed them, He was parted from them,
and carried up into Heaven" (24:51). Note, particularly, that Luke
says that the Son of Man was "carried up into Heaven," not that He
ascended! And then the curtain falls to the strains of the expressions
of human joy and praise: "And they worshipped Him, and returned to
Jerusalem with great joy: and were continually in the Temple, praising
and blessing God. Amen" (24:52,53).
Content | Foreword | Introduction
Matthew | Mark | Luke | John | Conclusion
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A. W. Pink Header
Why Four Gospels? by A.W. Pink
Chapter 4 - The Gospel Of John
As we turn to the fourth Gospel we come to entirely different ground
from that which we have traversed in the other three. True, the period
of time which is covered by it, is the same as in the others; true,
that some of the incidents that have already been looked at will here
come before us again; and true it is that he who has occupied the
central position in the narratives of the first three Evangelists, is
the same One that is made preeminent by John; but otherwise,
everything here is entirely new. The fourth Gospel is more elevated in
its tone, its viewpoint is more exalted, its contents bring before us
spiritual relationships rather than human ties, and higher glories are
revealed as touching the peerless person of the Saviour. In each of
the first three Gospels, Christ is viewed in human connections, but no
so in the fourth. Matthew presents Him as the Son of David; Mark, as
the perfect Workman of God; Luke, as the Son of Man; but John unveils
His Divine glories. Again; Matthew writes, particularly, for the Jews;
Mark, is specially adapted to God's servants; Luke's is written for
men as men; but John's Gospel is concerned with the Family of God.
John's Gospel is the fourth book of the New Testament, and four is
3+1. The numerals of Scripture are not employed fortuitously, but are
used with Divine discrimination and significance. The reverent student
is not left free to juggle with them at his own caprice, nor may he
give to them an arbitrary meaning, so as to fit in with any private
interpretations of his own. If he is honest, he will gather his
definitions from the manner in which they are employed in Scripture
itself. Thus, whether our statement that four is 3+1 is an arbitrary
assertion or not, must be determined by its support, or lack of it, in
the Word. The numeral four is used two ways in the Bible. First, its
meaning as a whole number, and second, its meaning as a distributive
number. In its first usage, four is the world number, the number of
the earth and all things therein, the number of the creature, as such;
and hence, it comes to signify, Universality. But in its second usage,
the distributive, when employed in connection with a series, it is
frequently divided into three and one. Four is rarely, if ever an
intensified two; that is, its significance does not represent 2x2.
The last paragraph sounds somewhat academical, we fear, but its force
may become more apparent as we apply its principles to our present
subject. The four Gospels form a series, and the character of their
contents obviously divide them into a three and a one, just as in the
four kinds of soil in the parable of the Sower, representing four
classes of hearers of the Word, are a series, and similarly
divided--three barren and one fruitful. As we have seen, the first
three Gospels have that in common which, necessarily, binds them
together--each looking at Christ in human connections. But the fourth
is clearly distinguished from the others by presenting Christ in a
Divine relationship, and therefore it stands separated from the
others. This conclusion is established beyond all doubt, when we
observe that the character of its contents is in perfect accord with
the significance of the numeral one. One speaks, primarily, of God:
"Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord" (Deut. 6:4). And again:
"And the Lord shall be King over all the earth: in that day shall
there be one Lord, and His name one" (Zech. 14:9). In all languages
one is the symbol of unity: it excludes all others. The first of the
ten commandments, therefore, was:
"Thou shalt have no other gods before Me" (Ex. 20:3). So in John's
Gospel, the one following the other three, it is the Godhead of Christ
which is in view.
Each book in the Bible has a prominent and dominant theme which is
peculiar to itself. Just as each member in the human body has its own
particular function, so every book in the living Body of Divine Truth
has its own special purpose and mission. The theme of John's Gospel is
the Deity of Christ. Here, as nowhere else so fully, the Godhead of
the Lord Jesus is presented to our view. That which is outstanding in
this fourth Gospel is the Divine Sonship of our Saviour. In this
Gospel we are shown that the One born at Bethlehem, who walked this
earth for over thirty years, who was crucified at Calvary, and who
forty-three days later departed from these scenes, was none other than
"the Only-Begotten of the Father." The evidence presented for this is
overwhelming, the proofs almost without number, and the effect of
contemplating them must be to bow our hearts in worship before "The
great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13).
Here is a theme worthy of our most reverent and prayerful attention.
If such Divine care was taken, as we saw in the previous chapter, to
guard the perfections of our Lord's humanity, equally so, has the Holy
Spirit seen to it that there should be no uncertainty concerning the
affirmation of the absolute Deity of our Saviour. Just as the Old
Testament prophets made known that the Coming One should be a Man, and
a perfect Man, so did Messianic prediction also give plain intimation
that He would be more than a Man. Through Isaiah, God foretold that
unto Israel a Child should be born, and unto them a Son should be
given, and that "the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His
name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, the Father
of the ages (Heb.), the Prince of Peace" (9:6). Through Micah, He
declared, "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among
the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me
that is to be Ruler in Israel: whose goings forth have been from the
days of eternity" --marginal rendering (5:2)! Through Zechariah, He
said "Awake, O Sword, against My Shepherd, and against the Man that is
My Fellow, saith the Lord of hosts" (13:7). Through the Psalmist, He
announced, "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou at My right hand,
until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool" (110:1). And again, when
looking forward to the time of the second Advent, "The Lord hath said
unto Me, Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee" (or, "brought
Thee forth") 2:7.
Coming now to the New Testament we may single out two or three of the
most explicit witnesses to the Deity of Christ. In Romans 9, where the
apostle is enumerating the peculiar privileges of Israel, he says in
verse 5, "Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh
Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen." In 1
Corinthians 15 we are told, "And the first man is of the earth,
earthy, but the second Man is the Lord from Heaven" (v. 47). In
Colossians 1:16 we read, "For by Him were all things created, that are
in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they
be thrones, or dominions, or principalities or powers: all things were
created by Him and for Him;" and again, in 2:9, "For in Him dwelleth
all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." In Hebrews 1 we learn that
"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past
unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto
us by His Son, whom He hath appointed Heir of all things, by whom also
He made the worlds; Who being the Brightness of His glory, and the
express Image of His person, and upholding all things by the Word of
His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the
right hand of the Majesty on high" (Heb. 1:1-3). While in Revelation
19:16 we are informed that when He comes back to earth again, "He hath
on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, King of Kings, and
Lord of lords." A more emphatic, positive, and unequivocal testimony
to the absolute Deity of Christ could not be borne.
In these days of widespread departure from the Truth, it cannot be
insisted upon too strongly or too frequently that the Lord Jesus
Christ is none other than the Second Person in the Holy Trinity.
Vicious but specious are the attacks now being made upon this cardinal
article in the faith once for all delivered to the saints. Satan, who
poses as an angel of light, is now sending forth his ministers
"transformed as the ministers of righteousness." Men who are loudly
trumpeting their faith in the verbal inspiration of Scripture, and who
even profess to believe in the vicarious Sacrifice of Christ are,
nevertheless, denying the absolute Godhood of Him whom they claim to
be serving: they repudiate His essential Deity, they deny His
Eternality, and reduce Him to the level of a mere creature. It was
concerning men of this class that the Holy Spirit said, "For such are
false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the
apostles of Christ" (2 Cor. 11:13).
In keeping with the special theme of the fourth Gospel, it is here
that we have the fullest unveiling of Christ's Divine glories. It is
here we behold Him dwelling "with God" before time began and before
ever a creature was formed (1:1,2). It is here that He is denominated
"the Only Begotten of the Father' (1:14). It is here John the Baptist
bears record that "this is the Son of God" (1:34). It is here we read,
"This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and
manifested forth His glory" (2:11). It is here we are told that the
Saviour said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it
up" (2:19). It is here we read that God sent His Son into the world,
not to condemn but to save (3:17). It is here we learn that Christ
declared, "For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them;
even so the Son quickeneth whom He will. For the Father judgeth no
man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should
honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the
Son honoreth not the Father which hath sent Him" (5:21-23). It is here
that we find Him affirming, "For the Bread of God is He which cometh
down from Heaven, and giveth life unto the world" (6:35). It is here
we find Him saying, "Before Abraham was, I am" (8:58). It is here that
we find Him declaring, "I and Father are One" (10:30). It is here we
hear Him saying, "He that hath seen Me, hath seen the Father" (14:9).
It is here He promises "Whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will
I do, that the Father may glorified in the Son" (14:13). It is here
that He asks, "And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own Self
with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was" (17:5).
Before we take up John's Gospel in detail, and examine some of the
more prominent lines in his delineation of Christ's person and
ministry, a few words should be said concerning the dispensational
scope and bearings of this Gospel. It should be evident at once that
this one is quite different from the other Gospels. There, Christ is
seen in a human relationship, and as connected with an earthly people;
but here, He is viewed in a Divine relationship, and as connected with
a heavenly people. It is true that the mystery of the one Body is not
unfolded here, rather is it the family of God which is in view. It is
also true that the Heavenly Calling is not fully disclosed, yet are
there plain intimations of it--what else can be said, for example of
the Lord's words which are found in 14:2,3?--"In My Father's House are
many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to
prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there
ye may be also."
In the first three Gospels, Christ is seen connected with the Jews,
proclaiming the Messianic kingdom, a proclamation which ceased,
however, as soon as it became evident that the Nation had rejected
Him. But here, in John's Gospel, His rejection is announced at the
beginning, for in the very first chapter we are told, "He came unto
His own, and His own received Him not. It is, therefore, most
significant to note that John's Gospel, which instead of presenting
Christ in connection with Israel, views Him as related to believers by
spiritual ties, was not written until after A.D. 70, when the Temple
was destroyed, and the Jews dispersed throughout the world!
The dispensational limitations which attach to much that is found in
the first three Gospels, do not hold good with John's Gospel, for as
Son of God, He can be known only by believers as such. On this plane
the Jew has no priority. The Jews claim upon Christ was purely a
fleshy one, whereas believers are related to the Son of God by
spiritual union. The Son of David, and the Son of Man titles link
Christ to the earth, but the "Son of God" connects Him with the Father
in Heaven; hence, in this fourth Gospel, the earthly kingdom is almost
entirely ignored. In harmony with these facts we may observe, that it
is only here in John's Gospel we hear of Christ saying, "And other
sheep I have, which are not of this (i.e., the Jewish) fold. Them also
I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one
fold (i.e., the Christian fold), and one Shepherd" (10:16). It is only
here in John we learn of the wider scope of God's purpose in the Death
of His Son, "Being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus
should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but that
also He should gather together in one the children of God that were
scattered abroad" (11:51,52). It is only here in John that we have
fully unfolded the relation of the Holy Spirit to believers. And it is
only here in John that we have recorded our Lord's High Priestly
prayer, which gives a sample of His present intercession on high.
These considerations, then, should make it abundantly clear that the
dispensational bearings of John's Gospel are entirely different from
the other three.
Coming now to a closer view of this fourth Gospel we may observe how
striking are its opening verses: "In the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the
beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was
not anything made that was made" (1:1-3). How entirely different is
this from what we find in the introductory statements in the other
Gospels! John starts, immediately, by presenting Christ as the Son of
God, not as the Son of David, or the Son of Man. John takes up back to
the beginning, and shows that our Lord had no beginning, for He was in
the beginning. John goes right back behind creation, and shows that
Christ was Himself the Creator.
Every clause in these opening verses is worthy of our closest
attention. First, the Lord Jesus is here termed, "The Word." The
significance of this title may, perhaps, be most easily grasped by
comparing with it what is said in verse 18 of this first chapter of
John. Here we are told: "No man hath seen God at any time; the Only
Begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared
Him," or "told Him out." Christ is the One who came here to tell out
God. He came here to make God intelligible to men. As we read in
Hebrews 1: "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in
time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days
spoken unto us by His Son." Christ is the final Spokesman of God.
Again; the force of this title of Christ, "the Word," may be
discovered by comparing it with the name given to the Bible--the Word
of God. What are the Scriptures? They are, the Word of God. And what
does that mean? This: that the Scriptures reveal God's mind, express
His will, make known His perfections, and lay bare His heart. This is
precisely what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for the Father. But let
us enter a little more into detail:
(a) A "word" is a medium of manifestation. I have in my mind a
thought, but others know not its nature. But the moment I clothe that
thought in words, it becomes cognizable. Words, then, make objective,
unseen thoughts. This is precisely what the Lord Jesus has done, as
the "Word" Christ has made manifest the invisible God. Christ is God
clothed in perfect humanity.
(b) A "word" is a means of communication. By means of words I transmit
information to others. By words I express myself, make known my will,
and impart knowledge. So, Christ as the "Word," is the Divine
Transmitter, communicating to us the Life and Love of God.
(c) A "word" is a method of revelation. By his words a speaker reveals
both his intellectual caliber and his moral character. It is by our
words we shall be justified, and by our words we shall be condemned.
And Christ, as the "Word," fully reveals the attributes and the
character of God. How fully He has revealed God! He has displayed His
power: He has manifested His wisdom: He has exhibited His holiness: He
has made known His grace: He has unveiled His heart. In Christ, and
nowhere else, is God fully and finally revealed.
But was not God fully revealed in Nature? "Revealed," yes; but "fully
revealed," no. Nature conceals as well as reveals. Nature is under the
Curse, and is far different now from what it was in the day that it
left the hands of the Creator. Nature is imperfect to day, and how can
that which is imperfect be a perfect medium for manifesting the
infinite perfections of God. The ancients had Nature before them, and
what did they learn of God? Let that altar, which the apostle beheld
in one of the great centers of ancient culture and learning, make
answer--"To the unknown God," is what he found inscribed thereon. No;
in Christ, and in and by Him alone, is God fully and finally revealed.
But lest this figurative expression--"the Word"--should convey to us
an inadequate conception of the Divine person of the Lord Jesus, the
Holy Spirit goes on to say, in the opening verse of this Gospel, "And
the Word was with God." This denotes His separate Personality, and
also indicates His essential relation to the Godhead. He was not "in
God." And, as though this were not strong enough, the Spirit expressly
adds, "And the Word was God." Not an emanation from God, but none
other than God. Not merely a manifestation of God, but God Himself
made manifest. Not only the Revealer of God, but God Himself revealed.
A more unequivocal affirmation of the essential Deity of the Lord
Jesus Christ it is impossible to imagine. Granted, that we are in the
realm of mystery, yet, the force of what is here affirmed of the
absolute Godhead of Christ cannot be honestly evaded. As to how Christ
can be the Revealer of God, and yet God Himself revealed; as to how He
can be "with God," and yet be God, are high mysteries that our finite
minds are no more capable of fathoming than we can understand how that
God can be without beginning. What is here stated in John 1:1, is to
be received by simple, unquestioning faith.
Next we read, "All things were made by Him; and without Him (apart
from Him) was not anything made that was made" (1:3). Here, again, the
absolute Deity of Christ is emphatically affirmed, for creation is
ascribed to Him, and none but God can create. Man, despite all his
proud boasts and lofty pretensions, is utterly unable to create even a
blade of grass. If, then, Christ is the Creator, He must be God.
Observe, too, that the whole of Creation is here attributed to the Son
of God--"all things were made by Him." This would not be true, if He
were Himself a creature, even though the first and highest. But
nothing is excepted--"all things were made by Him." Just as He was
Eternal--before all things--so was He the Originator of all things.
Again we are told, "In Him was life; and the life was the Light of
men." This follow, necessarily, from what has been said in the
previous verse. If Christ created all things, He must be the Fount of
life. He is the Life-Giver. But more: "The Life was the light of men."
What this means is made clear in the verses that follow. "There was a
man (in contrast from "the Word," who is God) sent from God, whose
name was John," and he, "Came for a witness, to bear witness of the
Light, that all through him might believe" (1:6,7). Compare with these
words what we are told in 1 John 1:5, "God is Light, and in Him is no
darkness at all." The conclusion, then, is irresistible, that the Lord
Jesus is none other than God, the Second Person in the Holy Trinity.
But we pass now to the fourteenth verse of this opening chapter of
John. Having shown the relation of our Lord to Time--without
beginning; having declared His relation to the Godhead--a separate
Person of the Trinity, but Himself also God; having defined His
relation to the Universe--the Creator of it, and the great Life-Giver;
having stated His relation to Men--the One who is their God, their
"Light," having announced that the Baptist bore witness to Him as the
Light; and having described the reception which He met with here upon
earth--unknown by the world, rejected by Israel, but received by a
people who were "born of God," the Holy Spirit goes on to say, "And
the Word was made (better, "became") flesh, and dwelt (tabernacled)
among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth." This verse announces the
Divine incarnation, and brings out, once more, the Divine glories of
the One born of Mary.
"The Word became flesh." He became what He was not previously. He did
not cease to be God, but He became Man. becoming Man, He "tabernacled"
among men. He pitched His tent here for thirty-three years. And then
we are told that the testimony of those whose eyes Divine power had
opened, was, "We beheld His glory." The language of this verse takes
us back in thought to the Tabernacle which was pitched in the
wilderness, of old. The Tabernacle was the place of Jehovah's abode in
the midst of Israel. It was here that He made His dwelling-place. The
Tabernacle was where God met with His people, hence was it termed "the
Tent of Meeting." There, within the Holy of Holies was the Shekinah
Glory manifested. The Lord Jesus Christ was the Anti-type. He was, in
His own person, the Meeting-place between God and men. And just as the
Shekinah--the visible and glorious manifestation of Jehovah--was seen
in the Holy of Holies, so those who came near to Christ, in faith,
"beheld His glory." The Lord Jesus was God manifest in the flesh,
displaying "the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father." For, as
the 18th verse goes on to say, "No man hath seen God at any time; the
Only Begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath
declared Him." Thus, the essential Deity of the One born at Bethlehem
is, once more, expressly affirmed.
Next we have the witness of John the Baptist. This is quite different
from what we find in the other Gospels. Here there is no Call to
Repentance, there is no announcement of "The kingdom of heaven" being
at hand, and there is no mention of Christ Himself being baptized by
His forerunner. Instead of these things, here we find John saying,
"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world"
(1:29). And again he says, "And I saw, and bare record that this is
the Son of God" (1:34). It is also to be noted that when referring to
the anointing of Christ with the Holy Spirit, a word is used which is
not found in the other Gospels: "And John bare record, saying, I saw
the Spirit descending from Heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Him"
(1:32). The Spirit did not come upon Him and then leave again, as with
the prophets of old: it "abode," a characteristic and prominent word
in John's Gospel (see particularly chapter 15), having to do with the
Divine side of things, and speaking of Fellowship. We have the same
word again in 14:10-- "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and
the Father in Me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of
Myself: but the Father that dwelleth ("abideth," it should be) in Me,
He doeth the works."
The first chapter closes by describing the personal Call (not the
ministerial call in the other Gospels) of the first disciples of the
Lord. Here only do we read of Christ saying to Nathaniel, "Before that
Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee"
(1:48): thus manifesting His Omniscience. Here only do we find
recorded Nathaniel's witness to Christ. "Rabbi, Thou art the Son of
God; Thou art the King of Israel" (1:49). And here only did Christ
tell His disciples that, in the coming Day they should "see Heaven
open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of
Man" (1:51).
Coming now to the second chapter, we find described there the first
miracle performed by the Lord Jesus, namely, the turning of the water
into wine. John alone records this, for only God can fill the human
heart with that Divine joy, of which the wine was here the emblem. In
this miracle we are shown the "Word" at work. He, Himself, did
nothing. He simply told the servants what to do, and at His word the
wonder was performed. The special point in connection with this
miracle is stated in verse 11, "This beginning of miracles did Jesus
in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth His glory; and his disciples
believed on Him."
In the remainder of this chapter we witness Christ cleansing the
Temple. Here, again, John brings into the picture his own distinctive
lines. Here only do we find the Lord terming the Temple "My Father's
house" (v. 16). Here only do we find Him saying, in reply to the
challenge of His critics for a sign, "Destroy this temple (meaning His
body), and in three days I will raise it up" (v. 19). And, here only
do we read, "Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the
feast, many believed in His name, when they saw the miracles which He
did. But Jesus did not commit Himself unto them, because He knew all,
and needed not that any should testify of man: for He knew what was in
man" (vv. 23-25). What a proof was this of His Deity! Only He "knew
what was in man." Compare with this the words of 1 Kings 8:39-- "Hear
Thou in Heaven Thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to
every man according to his ways, whose heart Thou knowest--for Thou,
even Thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men." In
thus reading the hearts of men, what a demonstration did the Saviour
give, that He was God manifest in flesh!
John 3 records the interview of Nicodemus with Christ--something not
found in the other three Gospels. In full accord with the scope of
this Gospel, we find the Saviour here speaking to Nicodemus not of
faith or repentance, but of the New Birth, which is the Divine side in
salvation, declaring that, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see
the kingdom of God." And only here in the four Gospels do we read,
"God so loved the world, that He gave his Only Begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting
life" (3:16).
In John 4 we find another incident that is not described elsewhere,
namely, the Lord's dealings with the poor Samaritan adulteress. And
here, once more, we behold flashes of His Divine glory shining forth.
He tells her, "Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him
shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in
him a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (v. 14). He
manifests His omniscience by declaring, "Thou hast had five husbands;
and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband" (v. 18). He speaks to
her of worshipping the Father "in spirit and in truth." He reveals
Himself to her as the great "I am" (v. 26). He brings her from death
unto life, and out of darkness into His own marvelous light. Finally,
He proved His oneness with the Father by affirming, "My meat is to do
the will of Him that sent Me, and to finish His work" (4:34).
John 5 opens by recording the healing of the impotent man who had an
infirmity thirty-eight years. None of the other Evangelists make
mention of it. This miracle evidenced "the Word" at work again. He
does nothing to the poor sufferer, not even laying hands upon him. He
simply speaks the authoritative and healing word, "Rise, take up thy
bed, and walk," and "immediately," we read, "the man was made whole,
and took up his bed, and walked" (v. 9). The miracle was performed on
the Sabbath day, and the Lord's enemies used this as an occasion of
criticism. Not only so, but we read, "Therefore did the Jews persecute
Jesus, and sought to slay Him, because He had done these things on the
Sabbath day" (v. 16). We also read in the other Gospels, of Christ
being condemned because He transgressed the Jews' traditions
respecting the Sabbath. But there, we find a very different reply from
Him than what is recorded here. There, He insisted on the right of
performing works of mercy on the Sabbath. There, too, He appealed to
the priests carrying out their Temple duties on the Sabbath. But here
He takes higher ground. Here, He says, "My Father worketh hitherto,
and I work" (v. 17). The meaning of these words could not be mistaken.
Christ reminded His critics, how that His "Father" worked on the
Sabbath day, worked in connection with His government of the universe,
in maintaining the orderly course of Nature, in sending rain, and so
on. And because He was one with "the Father," He insisted that what
was right for the Father to do, was equally right for Him to do. That
this was the force of His reply, is clear from the next verse,
"Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill Him, because He not only
had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was His Father, making
Himself equal with God" (5:18). In the remaining verses of the chapter
we find that Christ continued to affirm His absolute equality with the
Father.
The sixth chapter opens by describing a miracle, which is narrated by
each of the other Evangelists, the Feeding of the five thousand. But,
here, it is followed by a lengthy discourse which is not recorded
elsewhere. Here the Lord presents Himself as "The Bread of God," which
had come down from Heaven to give life unto the world. He here
declares that He alone can satisfy the needy soul of man: "And Jesus
said unto them, I am the Bread of Life: he that cometh to Me shall
never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst" (v. 35).
We cannot now follow the details of this wonderful chapter, but it
will be evident to the student that it is the Divine side of things
which is here dwelt upon. For example: it is here we are told that the
Saviour said, "No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath
sent Me draw him" (v. 44). It is here we are told that "Jesus knew
from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should
betray him" (v. 64). And it is here we learn that when many of the
disciples "went back and walked no more with Him," and He said to the
twelve, "Will ye also go away?" that Peter replied, "Lord, to whom
shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life" (v. 68).
The seventh chapter brings before us Christ at Jerusalem during the
feast of tabernacles. There is much here that is of deepest interest,
but it is beside our present purpose to give a complete exposition. We
are not here writing a brief commentary on John, rather are we
attempting to point out that which is distinctive and characteristic
in this fourth Gospel. Notice, then, one or two lines in this scene
which serve to emphasize the Divine glories of Christ. We are told
that, about the middle of the feast, "Jesus went up into the Temple,
and taught." His teaching must have been exceedingly impressive, for
we read, "And the Jews marveled, saying, How knoweth this man letters,
having never learned" (v. 15). But, arresting as was His manner of
delivery, what He said only served to bring out the enmity of those
who heard Him: "Then they sought to take Him: but no man laid hands on
Him, because His hour was not yet come" (v. 30). How striking this is,
and how thoroughly in accord with the central theme of John's Gospel!
bringing out, as it does, the Divine side, by showing us God's
complete control over the enemies of His Son. Next, we read "In the
last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying,
If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth
on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers
of living water" (vv. 37,38). How this brings out the Divine
sufficiency of Christ! None but God could make such a claim as that.
Finally, we may observe here, that when the Pharisees heard that many
of the people believed on Him, they "sent officers to take Him" (vv.
31,32). How striking was the sequel: "Then came the officers to the
chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not
brought Him? The officers answered, Never man spake like this Man"
(vv. 45,46).
John 8 opens by recording the incident of the woman taken in adultery,
brought to Christ by the scribes and Pharisees. Their motive in doing
this was an evil one. It was not that they were zealous of upholding
the claims of God's law, but that they sought to ensnare God's Son.
They set a trap for Him. They reminded Him that Moses had given
commandment that such as this woman should be stoned--"but what sayest
Thou?" they asked. He had declared that, "God sent not His Son into
the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might
be saved" (John 3:17). Would He, then, suffer this guilty adulteress
to escape the penalty of the Law? If so, what became of His other
claim, "Think not that I am come to destroy, but to fulfill" (Matt.
5:17)? It seemed as though He was caught on the horns of a dilemma. If
He gave the word for her to be stoned, where was grace? On the other
hand, if He allowed her to go free, where was righteousness? Ah, how
blessedly did His Divine wisdom appear, in the masterly manner in
which He dealt with the situation. Said He to them that sought to trap
Him, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at
her." It was "the Word" at work again, the Divine Word, for we read,
"And they which heard Him, being convicted by their conscience, went
out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus
was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst" (v.9). The way
was now open for Him to display His mercy. The Law required two
"witnesses" at least; but none were left. To the woman He said, "Where
are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?" And she
answered, "No man, Lord." And then, to manifest His holiness He said,
"Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more" (v. 11). Thus, do we
here behold His glory, "the glory as of the Only Begotten of the
Father, full of grace and truth." Then followed that lovely discourse
in which Christ proclaimed Himself as "The Light of the world,"
saying, "he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall
have the light of life" (v. 12). This was peculiarly appropriate to
the occasion, for He had just given proof that He was such, by turning
the searching Light of God upon the conscience of those who accused
the adulteress.
What follows in the next chapter is closely linked to that which has
just been before us. Here Christ gives sight to a man who had been
blind from his birth, and immediately before He gives light to the
darkened eyes of this man, He uses the occasion to say, again, "As
long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world" (9:5). The
sequel to this miracle had both its pathetic and its blessed sides.
The one who had had his eyes opened was brought to the Pharisees, and
after a lengthy examination they excommunicated him, because of the
bold testimony he had borne to his Benefactor. But we are told, "Jesus
heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found Him, He said
unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? And he answered and
said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on Him? And Jesus said
unto him, Thou hast both seen Him, and He it is that talketh with
thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped Him" (vv.
35-37). Thus did Christ graciously evidence that when God begins a
good work in a soul, He ceases not until it has been perfected. The
chapter closes with a most solemn word against those who opposed
Christ, in which we behold the Light blinding: "And Jesus said, For
judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see;
and that they which see might be made blind" (v. 39).
John 10 is the chapter in which Christ is revealed as the Good
Shepherd, and there is much in it which brings out His Divine glories.
Here He presents Himself as the Owner of the fold, and makes it known
that believers, under the figure of sheep, belong to Him. They are His
property, as well as the objects of His tender solicitude. They know
Him, and they are known of Him. His, is the Voice they follow, and the
voice of strangers they heed not. For the sheep He will lay down His
life. But, be it carefully noted, the Saviour declares, "No man taketh
it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down,
and I have power to take it again" (v. 18). No mere man could have
made good such a claim as this. Nor could any mere human teacher say
to his disciples, "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall
never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of My hand" (v. 28).
That He was more than Man, that He was God the Son, incarnate, is
expressly affirmed in the words with which the Saviour here closed His
discourse--"I and Father are one" (v. 30).
John 11 brings us to what, perhaps, was the most wonderful miracle
that our Lord performed, while here on earth, namely, the Raising of
Lazarus. Record of this was, appropriately, reserved for the fourth
Gospel. The others tell us of the raising of the daughter of Jairus,
just dead; and Luke mentions the raising of the widow of Nain's son,
as his body was on the way to the cemetery; but John only records the
raising of Lazarus, who had been in the grave four days, and whose
body had already begun to corrupt. Signally did the performance of
this miracle demonstrate Christ to be the Son of God. Here, too, we
behold "the Word" at work. The daughter of Jairus He took by the hand;
concerning the widow's son, we read, "He touched the bier;" but here
He did nothing but speak: first, to the spectators to remove the stone
which lay over the entrance to the grave, and then to Lazarus, He
cried, "Come forth."
John 12 brings us to the close of our Lord's public ministry as it is
followed in this Gospel. The chapter opens with a scene which has won
the hearts of all who have gazed by faith upon it. The Saviour is seen
in a Bethany home, where deep gratitude made Him a supper, and Lazarus
is also one of the guests. After the meal was over, Mary anointed His
feet with fragrant ointment that was "very costly," and wiped His feet
with her hair. It is very striking to notice the differences between
Matthew's account of this incident and what is recorded here. It is
only John who tells us that Lazarus sat at the table with the Lord; it
is only John who says that "Martha served," and it is only John who
gives the name of this devoted woman who expressed such love for
Christ: here everything is "made manifest' by the Light. Moreover,
note particularly, that Matthew says the woman poured the ointment "on
His head" (26:7), but here in John, we are told, she "anointed the
feet of Jesus" (12:3). The two accounts are not contradictory, but
supplementary. Both are true, but we see the hand of the Holy Spirit
controlling each Evangelist to record only that which was in keeping
with his theme. In Matthew it is the King who is before us, hence it
is His "head" that is anointed; but in John we are shown the Son of
God, and therefore does Mary here take her place at His "feet"!
John 13 is in striking contrast with what is found at the beginning of
the previous chapter. There, we behold the feet of the Lord; here we
see the feet of His disciples. There, we saw His feet anointed; here,
the feet of the disciples are washed. There, the feet of Christ were
anointed with fragrant and costly ointment; here the feet of the
disciples are washed with water. There, the feet of the feet of the
Lord was washed by another; but here, the feet of the disciples are
washed by none other than the Son of God Himself. And observe that the
anointing of His feet comes before the washing of the disciples' feet,
for in all things He must have the preeminence. And what a contrast is
here presented! The "feet" speak of the walk. The feet of the
disciples were soiled: their walk needed to be cleansed. Not so with
the Lord of glory: His walk emitted nought but a sweet fragrance to
the Father.
At first sight it appears strange that this lowly task of washing the
disciples feet should be recorded by John. And yet the very fact that
it is recorded here supplies the surest key to the interpretation of
its significance. The act itself only brought out the amazing
condescension of the Son of God, who would stoop so low as to perform
the common duties of a slave. But the mention of this incident by John
indicates there is a spiritual meaning to the act. And such, indeed,
there was. The "feet," as we have seen, point to the walk, and "water"
is the well known emblem of the written Word. Spiritually, the act
spoke of Christ maintaining the walk of His disciples, removing the
defilements which unfit them for communion with a holy God. It was
members of His Church that were here being cleansed by the Head "with
the washing of water by the Word" (Eph. 5:26). How fitting, then, that
this should have found a place in this fourth Gospel, for who but a
Divine Person is capable of cleansing the walk of believers and
maintaining their fellowship with the Father!
In the remainder of John 13 and to the end of chapter 16 we have what
is known as the Lord's "Pascal discourse." This, too, is peculiar to
John, and almost everything in it brings out the Divine glories of the
Saviour. It is here that He says to the disciples, "Ye call Me Master
and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am" (13:13). It is here that
Christ said, anticipating the Cross, "Now is the Son of Man glorified,
and God is glorified in Him" (13:31). It is here that He speaks of
going away to "prepare a place" for His people (14:2,3). It is here He
invites His disciples to pray in His name (14:13). It is here He says,
"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world
giveth, give I unto you" (14:27). It is here that He says so much
about fruit-bearing, under the beautiful figure of the Vine. It is
here that He speaks of "The Comforter whom I will send unto you from
the Father" (15:26). And it is here that He declares of the Holy
Spirit, "He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall
show it unto you" (16:14).
John 17 contains what is known as the High Priestly prayer of Christ.
Nothing like it is found in the other Gospels. It gives us a specimen
of His present ministry on High. Here we find the Saviour saying,
"Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may
glorify Thee" (v. 1). Here He speaks of Himself as the One given
"power over all flesh" (v. 2). Here He is inseparably linked with "the
only true God" (v. 3). Here He speaks (by way of anticipation) of
having "finished" the work given Him to do (v. 4). Here He asks, "O
Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own self with the glory which I had
with Thee before the world was" (v. 5). Here He prays for His own
beloved people: for their preservation from evil, for the supply of
their every need, for their sanctification and unification. His
perfect equality with the Father is evidenced when He says, "Father, I
will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am;
that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me: for Thou
lovest Me before the foundation of the world" (v. 24).
The remaining chapters will be considered in another connection, so we
pass on now to notice some of the general features which characterize
this Gospel in its parts and as a whole.
I. Things Omitted from John's Gospel.
While examining the second Gospel, we dwelt at some length upon the
different things of which Mark took no notice, and saw that the items
excluded made manifest the perfections of his particular portrayal of
Christ. Here, too, a similar line of thought may be followed out at
even greater length. Much that is found in the first three Gospels is
omitted by John, as being irrelevant to his special theme. Some of the
more outstanding of these we shall now consider:
1. In John's Gospel there is no genealogy, neither His legal through
Joseph, nor his personal through Mary. Nor is there any account of His
birth. Instead, as we have seen, He was "In the beginning." For a
similar reason, John is silent about Herod's attempt to slay the
Christ Child, about the flight into Egypt, and subsequent return to
Galilee. Nothing is said about the Lord Jesus as a Boy of twelve, in
the midst of the doctors in the Temple. No reference is made to the
years spent at Nazareth, and no hint is given of Christ working at the
carpenter's bench before He began His public ministry. All these are
passed over as not being germane.
2. Here, there is no description of His baptism. Mark refers to the
Lord Jesus being baptized by his forerunner, and Matthew and Luke each
describe at length the attendant circumstances. John's reason for
saying nothing about this is obvious. In His baptism, Christ, in
condescending grace, took His place alongside of His needy people,
saying to the one who baptized Him, "Thus it becometh us to fulfill
all righteousness" (Matt. 3:15).
3. John says nothing about the Temptation. Here, again, we may observe
the superintending hand of the Holy Spirit, guiding the different
Evangelists in the selection of their material. Each of the first
three Gospels make mention of the season spent by Christ in the
wilderness, where He was tempted for forty days of the Devil. But John
is silent about it. And why? Because John is presenting Christ as God
the Son, and "God cannot be tempted" (Jas. 1:13).
4. There is no account of His transfiguration. At first sight this
seems strange, but a little attention to details will reveal the
reason for this. The wonderful scene witnessed by the three disciples
upon the holy mount, was not an unveiling of His Divine glories, but a
miniature representation, a spectacular showing forth of the Son of
Man coming in His kingdom (see Matt. 16:28 etc.). But the earthly
kingdom does not fall within the scope of this Gospel. Here, it is
spiritual and heavenly relationships which are made most prominent.
5. Here there is no Appointing of the Apostles. In the other Gospels
we find the Lord Jesus selecting, equipping, and sending forth the
Twelve, to preach, and to heal; and in Luke we also read of Him
sending out the Seventy. But here, in harmony with the character of
this Gospel, all ministry and miracle working is left entirely in the
hands of the Son of God.
6. Never once is Christ here seen praying. This does not come out so
clearly in our English translation as it does in the original Greek.
In John's Gospel we never find the word associated with Christ which
signifies taking the place of a supplicant; instead, the word "erotos"
is used, and this word denotes "speaking" as to an equal. It is very
striking to compare what each Evangelist records following the miracle
of the Feeding of the five thousand: Matthew says, "And when He had
sent the multitudes away, He went up into a mountain apart to pray"
(14:23). Mark says, "When He had sent them away, He departed into a
mountain to pray" (6:46). Luke also follows his narration of this
miracle with the words, "And it came to pass, as He was alone praying"
(9:8). But when we come to the fourth Gospel, we read, "He departed
again to a mountain Himself alone" (6:15), and there John stops!
The contents of John 17 may seem to contradict what we have just said
above, but really it is not so. At the beginning of the chapter we
read, "Jesus lifted up His eyes to Heaven, and said, Father, the hour
is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee" (v. 1).
And at its close we read that He said, "Father I will that they also,
whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am" (v. 24). Thus He spoke
to the Father as to an Equal.
7. We never read in John's Gospel of "The Coming of the Son of Man,"
and for the same reason as this, He is never addressed as "The Son of
David" here. The Coming of the Son of Man always has reference to His
return to the earth itself, coming back to His earthly people. But
here we read, not of a restored Palestine, but of the "Father's House"
and its "many mansions," of Christ going on High to prepare a place
"for His heavenly people, and of Him coming back to receive them unto
Himself, that there may they be also.
8. We never find the word "Repent" in John. In the other Gospels this
is a term of frequent occurrence; what, then, is the reason for its
absence here? In the other Gospels the sinner is viewed as guilty, and
needing, therefore, to "repent." But here, the sinner is looked upon
as spiritually dead, and therefore, in sore need of that which only
God can impart-- "life"! It is here we read of man needing to be "born
again" (3:7), needing to be "quickened" (5:21), and needing to be
"drawn" (6:44).
9. Neither is the word "Forgive" found in John. This, too, is a word
often met with in the other Gospels. Why, then, its omission here? In
Matthew 9:6 we read, "The Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive
sins." As Son of Man He "forgives;" as Son of God He bestows "eternal
life."
10. No Parables are found in John's Gospel. This is a very notable
omission. The key to it is found in Matthew 13: "And the disciples
came, and said unto Him, Why speakest Thou unto them in parables? He
answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not;
and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand" (vv. 10-13).
Here we learn why that Christ, in the later stages of His ministry,
taught in "parables." It was to conceal from those who had rejected
Him, what was comprehensible only to those who had spiritual
discernment. But here in John, Christ is not concealing, but
revealing--revealing God. It is to be deplored that the rationale of
our Lord's parabolic form of teaching should be known to so few. The
popular definition of Christ's parables is that they were earthly
stories with a heavenly meaning. How man gets things upside down! The
truth is, that His parables were heavenly stories with an earthly
meaning, having to do with His earthly people, in earthly connections.
This is another reason why none are found in John--the word in 10:6 is
"proverb."
11. In John's Gospel no mention is made of the Demons. Why this is we
do not know. To say that no reference is here made to them, was,
because mention of them would be incompatible with the Divine glories
of Christ, hardly seems satisfactory; for, Satan himself is referred
to here, again and again. It is, in fact, only here, that the Devil is
spoken of three times over as "The prince of this world;" and, Judas,
too, as the son of Perdition, occupies a more prominent position here
than in the other Gospels. Should it be revealed to any of our readers
why the "demons" are excluded from this Gospel, we shall be very glad
to hear from them.
12. There is no account of Christ's Ascension in this fourth Gospel.
This is very striking, and by implication brings out clearly the Deity
of the Lord Jesus. As God the Son He was omnipresent, and so, needed
not to ascend. As God the Son He fills both heaven and earth. We turn
now to,
II. Positive Features of John's Gospel.
1. The Titles of Christ are very significant.
Only here (in the four Gospels) is the Lord Jesus revealed as "the
Word" (1:1). Only here is He declared to be the Creator of all things
(1:3). Only here is He spoken of as "The Only Begotten of the Father"
1:14). Only here was He hailed as "The Lamb of God" (1:29). Only here
is He revealed as the great "I am." When Jehovah appeared to Moses at
the burning bush, and commissioned him to go down into Egypt and
demand from Pharaoh the release of His people Israel, Moses said, Who
shall I say hath sent me? And God answered, "Thus shalt thou say unto
the Children of Israel, I am hath sent me unto you" (Ex. 3:14). And
here in John's Gospel Christ takes this most sacred title of Deity and
appropriates it unto Himself, filling it out with sevenfold fullness:
"I am the Bread of Life" (6:35); "I am the Light of the world" (9:5);
"I am the Door" (10:7); "I am the Good Shepherd" (10:11); "I am the
Resurrection and the Life" (11:25); "I am the Way, the Truth, and the
Life" (14:6); "I am the true Vine" (15:1).
2. The Deity of Christ is prominently revealed here.
Christ Himself expressly affirmed it: "Verily, verily, I say unto you,
The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of
the Son of God: and they that hear shall live" (5:25). Again; "Jesus
heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, he said
unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said,
Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him? And Jesus said unto him,
Thou hast both seen Him, and it is He that talketh with thee"
(9:35-37). Once more. "His sisters sent unto Him, saying, Lord,
behold, he whom Thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard that, He said,
This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the
Son of God might be glorified thereby" (11:3,4). Thirty-five times in
this Gospel we find the Lord Jesus speaking of God as "My Father."
Twenty-five times He here says "Verily, verily" (of a truth, of a
truth) --nowhere else found in this intensified form.
Including His own affirmation of it, seven different ones avow His
Deity in this Gospel. First, John the Baptist: "And I saw and bare
record that this is the Son of God" (1:34). Second, Nathaniel, "Rabbi,
Thou art the Son of God" (1:49). Third, Peter, "And we believe and are
sure that Thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God" (6:69). The
Lord Himself, "Say ye of Him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and
sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of
God" (10:36). Fifth, Martha, "She saith unto Him, Yea, Lord, I believe
that Thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the
world" (11:27). Sixth, Thomas, "And Thomas answered and said unto Him,
My Lord and my God" (20:28). Seventh, the writer of this fourth
Gospel, "These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through
His name" (20:31).
3. There is a remarkable series of Sevens here.
It is striking to discover how frequently this numeral is found here,
and when we remember the significance of this numeral it is even more
arresting. Seven is the number of perfection, and absolute perfection
is not found until we reach God Himself. How wonderful, then, that in
this Gospel which sets forth the Deity of Christ, the number seven
meets us at every turn!
By seven different persons is the Deity of Christ confessed here, and,
as we have seen seven times does He fill out the ineffable "I am"
title. John records seven miracles performed by our Lord during His
public ministry, no more and no less. Seven times do we read, "These
things have I spoken unto you." Seven times did Christ address the
woman at the well. Seven times, in John 6, did Christ speak of Himself
as "The Bread of Life."
Seven things we read of the Good Shepherd doing for His sheep, and
seven things Christ says about His sheep in John 10. Seven times does
Christ make reference to "the hour" which was to see the
accomplishment of the Work given Him to do. Seven times did He bid His
disciples pray "in His name." Seven times is the word "hate" found in
John 15. There are seven things enumerated in John 16:13,14 which the
Holy Spirit is to do for believers. There were seven things which
Christ asked the Father for believers in John 17, and seven times over
does He there refer to them as the Father's "gift" to Him. Seven times
in this Gospel do we read that Christ declared He spoke only the Word
of the Father--7:16; 8:28; 8:47; 12:49; 14:10; 14:24; 17:8. Seven
times does the writer of this Gospel refer to himself, without
directly mentioning his own name. There are seven important things
found in John which are common to all four Gospels. And so we might
continue. Let the reader search carefully for himself and he will find
many other examples.
4. Man's futile attempts on His life.
Not only was the Christ of God "despised and rejected of men," not
only was He "hated without a cause," but His enemies repeatedly sought
His life. This feature is noticed, briefly, by the other writers, but
John is the only one that tells us why their efforts were futile. For
example, in John 7:30 we read, "Then they sought to take Him: but no
man laid hands on Him, because His hour was not yet come." And again,
in 8:20 we read, "These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as He
taught in the Temple: and no man laid hands on Him; for His hour was
not yet come." These Scriptures, in accord with the special character
of this fourth Gospel, bring before us the Divine side of things. They
tell us that the events of earth transpire only according to the
appointment of Heaven. They show that God is working all things after
the counsel of His own will and according to His eternal purpose. They
teach us that nothing is left to chance, but that when God's "hour"
arrives that which has been decreed by His sovereign will, is
performed. They reveal the fact that even His enemies are entirely
subject to God's immediate control, and that they cannot make a single
move without His direct permission.
The Lord Jesus Christ was not the helpless Victim of an angry mob.
What He suffered, He endured voluntarily. The enemy might roar against
Him, and His emissaries might thirst for His blood, but not a thing
could they do without His consent. It is in this Gospel we hear Him
saying, "Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life,
that I might take it again. No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it
down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take
it again" (10: 17;18). While He hung upon the Cross, His enemies said,
"He saved others; let Him save Himself, if He be Christ, the Chosen of
God" (Luke 23:35). And He accepted their challenge! He saved Himself
not from death, but out of it; not from the Cross, but the Tomb.
5. The Purpose and Scope of this Gospel.
The key to it is hung right under the door. The opening verse
intimates that the Deity of Christ is the special theme of this
Gospel. The order of its contents is defined in 16:28: (1.) "I came
forth from the Father:" this may be taken as the heading for the
Introductory portion, the first eighteen verses of the opening
chapter; (2.) "And am come into the world:" this may be taken as the
heading for the first main section of this Gospel, running from 1:19
to the end of chapter 12. (3.) "Again, I leave the world:" this may be
taken as the heading for the second great section of the Gospel,
comprising chapter 13 to 17 inclusive, where the Lord is seen apart
from "the world," alone with His beloved disciples. (4.) "And go to
the Father:" this may be taken as the heading for the closing section
of this Gospel, made up of its last four chapters, which give us the
final scenes, preparatory to the Lord's return to His Father.
The closing verses of John 20 tell us the purpose of this Gospel: "And
many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples,
which are not written in this book. But these are written, that ye
might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that
believing ye might have life through His name." John's Gospel, then,
is peculiarly suited to the unsaved. But this does not exhaust its
scope. It is equally fitted for and written to believers; in fact, the
opening chapter intimates it is designed specially for the saved, for
in 1:16 we read, "And of His fullness have all we received, and grace
for grace."
6. The account of His Passion is remarkable.
Here there is no glimpse given us of the Saviour's agony in
Gethsemane: there is no crying, "If it be possible let this cup pass
from Me," there is no bloody sweat, no angel appearing to strengthen
Him. Here there is no seeking of companionship from His disciples in
the Garden; instead, he knows them only as needing His protection (see
18:8). Here there is no compelling of Simon to bear His cross. Here
there is no mention of the three hours of darkness, nor is reference
made to the awful cry, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"
Here there is nothing said of the spectators taunting the dying
Saviour, and no mention is made of the insulting challenge of the
rulers for Him to descend from the Cross and they would believe in
Him. And here there is no word said of the Rending of the Veil, as the
Redeemer breathed His last. How striking is this, for in John's Gospel
God is unveiled throughout; no need, then, for the veil to be rent
here! John says nothing about Him eating food after the resurrection,
for as Son of God, He needed it not!
7. Christ's dignity and majesty comes out here amid His humiliation.
John is the only one that tells us that when the Lord's enemies came
to arrest Him in the Garden that when He asked them "Whom seek ye?",
and they replied, "Jesus of Nazareth," and he then pronounced the
sacred "I am," they "went backward and fell to the ground" (18:6).
What a demonstration of His Godhead was this! How easily could He have
walked away unmolested had He so pleased!
John is the only one to speak of His coat "without seam" which the
soldiers would not rend (19:24). John is the only one to show us how
completely the Saviour was master of Himself--"Jesus knowing that all
things were now accomplished" (19:28). His mind was not beclouded, nor
was His memory impaired. No; even at the close of all His sufferings,
the whole scheme of Messianic prediction stood out clearly before Him.
John is the only one of the four Evangelists to record the Saviour's
triumphant cry, "It is finished" (19:30), as he is the only one to say
that after He had expired the soldier's "brake not His legs" (19:33).
John is the only one to tell us of Love's race to the sepulcher
(20:3,4). And John is the only one to say that the risen Saviour
"breathed" on the disciples, and said, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit"
(20:22).
The closing verse of this Gospel is in perfect keeping with its
character and scope. Here, and here only, we are told, "And there are
also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be
written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not
contain the books that should be written. Amen" (21:25). Thus, the
last note here sounded is that of infinity!
Content | Foreword | Introduction
Matthew | Mark | Luke | John | Conclusion
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A. W. Pink Header
Why Four Gospels? by A.W. Pink
Conclusion
On our somewhat brief examination of the four Gospels it has been the
writer's design to bring before the reader that which is
characteristic in each one, pointing out the various connections in
which the different Evangelists view our Lord and Saviour. It is
evident that each of the Gospels contemplates Him in a distinct
relationship--Matthew as King, Mark as Servant, Luke as Son of Man,
and John as Son of God. But while each Evangelist portrays the Lord
Jesus in an entirely different viewpoint from the others, yet he does
not altogether exclude that which is found in the remaining three. God
knew that where the Scriptures would be translated into heathen
tongues, before the whole Bible or even the complete New Testament was
given to different peoples, oftentimes only a single Gospel would be
translated as a beginning, and therefore has the Holy Spirit seen to
it that each Gospel presents a more or less complete setting forth of
the manifold glories of His Son. In other words, He caused each writer
to combine in his own Evangel the various lines of Truth found in the
others, though making these subordinate to that which was central and
peculiar to himself.
That which is dominant in Matthew's delineation of the Lord Jesus is
the presentation of Him as the Son of David, the Heir of Israel's
throne, the Messiah and King of the Jews. Yet, while this is the
outstanding feature of the first Gospel, nevertheless, a careful study
of it will discover traces therein of the other offices that Christ
filled. Even in Matthew the Servant character of our Lord comes into
view, though, in an incidental manner. It is Matthew who tells us that
when the sons of Zebedee came requesting of Him that they might sit on
His right hand and on His left in His kingdom, and that when the other
ten apostles were moved with indignation against them, He said, "Ye
know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and
that they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall
not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be
your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your
servant: Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to
minister, and to give His life a ransom for many" (20:25-28); and it
is from this Gospel we learn that when He sent forth the Twelve, He
warned them, "The disciple is not above his Master, nor the servant
above his Lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his
Master, and the servant as his Lord. If they have called the Master of
the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of His
household" (10:24,25).
Again; Matthew's Gospel does not hide from us the lowly place the Lord
took as the Son of Man, for it is here we have recorded His word, "The
foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of
Man hath not where to lay His head" (8:20): as it is here we are told
that when they that received tribute came to Peter and asked, "Doth
your Master pay tribute?" that the Lord said to His disciple, "What
thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or
tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? Peter said unto Him,
Of strangers. Jesus said unto him, Then are the children (i.e. of
kings) free. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, to thou to
the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up;
and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money:
that take, and give unto them, for Me and thee" (17:25-27).
So, too, do the Divine glories of Christ shine forth on the pages of
this first Gospel. It is here that we are told, "Behold, a virgin
shall be with Child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call
His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us" (1:23).
And it is here we have recorded most fully Peter's notable confession,
"Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" (16:16).
Mark's central purpose is to present Christ as God's perfect Workman
yet, here and there, he gives hints that the Servant of Jehovah
possessed other and higher glories. This second Gospel, as well as the
first and third, record His Transfiguration upon the holy mount (9:2),
and Mark also tells us of the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem
(11:7-10). It is here we are told that when the high priest asked Him,
"Art Thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" that He answered, "I
am: and ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of
power, and coming in the clouds of Heaven" (14:62). Thus did He bear
witness to His Messianic and Kingly glory.
Mark is also careful to tell us in the opening verse of his Gospel
that Jesus Christ was "the Son of God," as he also informs us that the
demon-possessed man from the tombs cried and said, "What have I to do
with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of the most high God?" (5:7). These things
do not detract from that which is central in this second Gospel, but
guard the Divine glories of Him that "took upon Him the form of a
servant."
Luke describes the Humanity of the Saviour, pictures Him as the Son of
Man, and shows us the lowly place which He took. But while this is the
central theme of the third Gospel, references are also made, here, to
His higher glories. It is here we read that the Saviour told the
people, "Behold a greater than Solomon is here" (11:31), as it is here
we also find Him owned as "The Son of David" (18:38). Luke also refers
to the Transfiguration and the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.
This third Gospel reveals the fact that the Saviour was more than Man.
It is here we are told that the angel of the Lord said unto Mary,
"That Holy Thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son
of God" (1:35); as it is here also read of the demon-possessed man
crying, "What have we to do with Thee Jesus, Thou Son of God most
high" (8:28)!
So it is with the fourth Gospel. The outstanding feature there is the
setting forth of the Deity of Christ, yet a careful reading of John
will also reveal His Kingship as well as His Human lowliness. It is
here we read of Andrew telling his brother Simon, "We have found the
Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ (1:41). It is here
that we are told Nathaniel owned our Lord as, "The King of Israel"
(1:49). It is in this forth Gospel we hear the Samaritans saying unto
the converted adulteress, "Now we believe, not because of thy saying:
for we have heard Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the
Christ (i.e., the Messiah), the Saviour of the world" (4:42). And it
is here also we learn that when entering Jerusalem, the people "took
branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet Him, and cried,
Hosanna, Blessed is The King of Israel that cometh in the name of the
Lord" (12:13).
In like manner, we find in John illustrations of our Lord's lowliness.
It is in this fourth Gospel that we read, "Jesus therefore, being
wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well" (4:6). It is here we
find recorded the pathetic fact, that, "every man went unto his own
house--Jesus went unto the mount of Olives" (7:53; 8:1). Every "man"
had his "own house" to which he retired at night, but the Beloved of
the Father was a homeless Stranger here! So, again, it is John who
tells us, "And it was winter, and (being cold out on the mountain)
Jesus walked in the Temple in Solomon's porch" (10:22,23). Once more:
it is John who shows us the Lord, as the perfect Man, making provision
for His widowed mother, providing her a home with His beloved disciple
(19:26,27).
Returning now to our central design in this book, we would take a look
at two or three incidents found in all four Gospels, and comparing
them carefully, would notice the characteristic and distinctive lines
in each one. First, let us observe the reference which each Evangelist
makes to John the Baptist. Matthew alone tells us that he cried,
"Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (3:3), for Matthew
is the one who presents the Lord Jesus as Israel's King and Messiah.
Mark is the only one to tell us that those who were baptized by our
Lord's forerunner "confessed their sins" (1:5), this being in accord
with the ministerial character of this second Gospel. Luke, who dwells
on human relationships, is the only writer that tells us about the
parentage of the Baptist (chap. 1), as he is the only one to describe
in detail the various classes of people who came to him at the Jordan.
All of these things are significantly omitted by John, for in this
fourth Gospel the emphasis is placed not upon the Baptist, but upon
the One he was sent to herald. Here only are we told that he "came to
bear witness of the Light" (1:7); that Christ existed before him
(1:15), though as a Child He was born three months after him; and that
he testified Christ was both God's "Lamb" (1:29) and God's Son"
(1:34).
Again; let us note what each Evangelist has said about the Feeding of
the five thousand, and particularly the way in which this miracle is
introduced. Matthew says, "And Jesus went forth, and saw a great
multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and He healed
their sick. And when it was evening, His disciples came to Him,
saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the
multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves
victuals. But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them
to eat" (14:14-16). Thus, Matthew prefaces his account of this miracle
by speaking of Christ "healing the sick," for this was one of the
Messianic signs. Mark says: "And Jesus, when He came out, saw much
people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were
as sheep not having a shepherd: and He began to teach them many
things. And when the day was now far spent, His disciples came unto
Him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed:
Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and
into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to
eat. He answered and said unto them, Give them to eat" (6:34-37).
Instead of mentioning the "healing of the sick," Mark brings a
beautiful ministerial touch into his picture by telling us the Saviour
was moved with compassion toward the people because they were "as
sheep not having a shepherd," and then makes known how the perfect
Servant "began to teach them many things," thus ministering to them
the Word of God. Luke tells us, "And the people, when they knew it,
followed Him: and He received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom
of God, and healed them that had need of healing. And when the day
began to wear away, then came the twelve, and said unto Him, Send the
multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country round
about, and lodge, and get victuals: for we are here in a desert place.
But He said unto them, Give ye them to eat" (Luke 9:11-13). Here we
find Human sympathy and human want brought out, for Luke presents the
great Physician healing, not as a Messianic sign, but healing those
"that had need of healing." Now, observe, how entirely different is
John's method of introducing this miracle. He says nothing about the
Messianic sign of healing, nothing about the Servant of God "teaching"
the people, and nothing of the Son of Man ministering to the "need" of
the sick; instead, he tells us, "When Jesus then lifted up his eyes,
and saw a great company come unto Him, He saith unto Philip, Whence
shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And He said this to prove him:
for He himself KNEW what He would do" (6:5,6). Thus the fourth Gospel,
again, brings out the Deity of Christ, by revealing His Omniscience.
As another example of the characteristic differences of each of the
four Evangelists when recording the same or a similar incident, let us
take the Sabbath criticisms which the Saviour met with. Each of the
Gospels make mention of Christ being condemned for transgressing the
traditions of the elders with which the Jews had cumbered the Sabbath,
and each tells us the reply which He made to His objectors, and the
arguments He used to vindicate Himself. In Matthew 12:2,3 we read, "At
that time Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the corn; and His
disciples were an hungered, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and
to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, Thy
disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the Sabbath day." To
this our Lord made answer by reminding the Pharisees how that David,
when he was an hungered, entered the house of God and did eat the
shewbread, sharing it also with those that were with him. Then He went
on to say, "Have ye not read in the Law, how that on the Sabbath days
the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? But
I say unto you, That in this place is One greater than the Temple"
(Matt. 12:5,6). Mark also refers to this same incident, and records
part of the reply which the Saviour made on this occasion (see
2:23-28), but it is very striking to observe that he omits the Lord's
statement that He was "Greater than the Temple." In Luke's Gospel
there is a miracle recorded which is not found elsewhere--the healing
of the woman who had an infirmity for eighteen years (Luke 13:11-13).
As the sequel to this we are told, "And the ruler of the synagogue
answered with indignation because that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath
day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought
to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the Sabbath"
(11:14). But on this occasion we find Christ employed an argument to
vindicate Himself, which was thoroughly in keeping with the scope of
this third Gospel. "The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou
hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his
ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? And ought not this
woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these
eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?"
(13:15,15). Here the appeal was not to the Old Testament scriptures,
nor to His own Greatness, but to human sympathies. John records
another miracle, not mentioned by the others, which also met with a
similar rebuke from the Lord's foes. But here, in answering His
critics, the Lord Jesus vindicated Himself by using an entirely
different argument from those employed on other occasions, as noted by
other Evangelists. Here we find Him replying: "My Father worketh
hitherto, and I work" (5:17). Thus, we see again, the principle of
selection determining what each Evangelist recorded.
One more example must suffice. Let us observe what each Gospel says
about the Arrest in the Garden. Matthew tells us, "And while He yet
spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great
multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of
the people. Now he that betrayed Him gave them a sign, saying,
Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is He: hold Him fast. And forthwith
he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, Master; and kissed Him. And Jesus
said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and
laid hands on Jesus, and took Him. And, behold, one of them which was
with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a
servant of the high priest's and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus
unto him, Put up thy sword again unto his place: for all they that
take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I
cannot now pray to My Father, and He shall presently give Me more than
twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the Scriptures be
fulfilled, that thus it must be?" (26:47-54). Mark says: "And
immediately, while He spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with
him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests
and the scribes and the elders. And he that betrayed Him had given
them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is He; take
Him and lead Him away safely. And as soon as he was come, he goeth
straightway to Him, and saith, Master, Master; and kissed Him. And
they laid their hands on Him, and took Him. And one of them that stood
by drew a sword, and smote a servant of the high priest, and cut off
his ear. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out as
against a thief, with swords and with staves to take Me? I was daily
with you in the Temple teaching, and ye took Me not: but the
Scriptures must be fulfilled" (14:43-49). It will be observed that
Mark omits the fact that Christ addressed the traitor as "Friend" (see
Ps. 41:9--Messianic prophecy), as he also says nothing about His right
to ask the Father for twelve legions of angels. In Luke we read, "And
while He yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was called Judas,
one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto Jesus to kiss
Him. But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of Man
with a kiss? When they that were about Him, saw what would follow,
they said unto Him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword? and one of
them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear.
Then Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And He touched his
ear, and healed him. Then Jesus said unto the chief priests, and
captains of the temple, and the elders, which were come unto Him, Be
ye come out, as against a thief, with swords, and staves? When I was
daily with you in the Temple, ye stretched forth no hands against Me,
but this is your hour, and the power of darkness" (Luke 22:47-53).
Luke is the only one to record Christ's touching but searching
question to Judas, as he is the only one to tell us of Christ healing
the ear of the high priest's servant. Entirely different is John's
account. In 18:3 we read, "Judas then, having received a band of men
and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with
lanterns and torches and weapons." But here only is it added, "Jesus
therefore, knowing all things that should come upon Him, went forth,
and said unto them, Whom seek ye. They answered Him, Jesus of
Nazareth." Here only are we told, "Jesus said unto them, I am. And
Judas also, which betrayed Him, stood with them. As soon then as He
had said unto them, I am, they went backward, and fell to the ground"
(18:5,6). Here only do we read, "If therefore ye seek Me, let these go
their way: that the saying might be fulfilled, which he spoke, Of them
which Thou gavest Me have I lost none" (18:8,9). And here only are we
told that the Lord said to the disciple who had cut off the ear of the
priest's servant, "Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which My
Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?" (John 18:11).
In closing, we would call attention to one other feature of the
Gospels, that has often been noticed by others, and that is, what is
found in the closing portions of the respective Gospels. There is a
striking and climatic order observed. At the close of Matthew's
Gospel, we read of the Resurrection of Christ (28:1-8). At the close
of Mark's Gospel, we read of the Ascension of Christ (16:19). At the
close of Luke's Gospel, we hear of the Coming of the Holy Spirit
(24:49). While at the close of John's Gospel, reference is made to the
Return of Christ (21:21-23)! May that Day soon dawn when He shall come
again to receive us unto Himself, and in the little interval that yet
awaits, may we study His Word more diligently and obey its precepts
more carefully.
Content | Foreword | Introduction Matthew | Mark | Luke | John |
Conclusion
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